War God Long Ao

「Inside the Dragon Seal Space.」

Long Ao's expression was ice-cold. He had already decided that, no matter the cost, he would go to the Blood Sea Sect and exact his revenge.

"Long Fu, I need power. Is there any way for my strength to instantly break through to Venerable or Supreme Venerable?"

Long Ao had wanted to use the Nine Needle God-Sealing, but Long Fu told him that even with it, his strength wouldn't break through to the Void Realm, let alone Venerable or Supreme Venerable.

The reason was simple.

To break through from Taoist Peak to the Void Hundred Tribulations Realm, one must pass the Hundred Tribulations, which converts their body's Spiritual Power into Spiritual Essence. Otherwise, breaking through to the Void Hundred Tribulations Realm is impossible, even with the Nine Needle God-Sealing.

Because of this, Long Ao grew truly desperate.

Although rage and Killing Intent consumed him, Long Ao's reason ultimately suppressed his impulsiveness and bloodlust.

Long Ao knew full well that with his current strength, destroying the Blood Sea Sect was nothing but a pipe dream. It would be impossible unless his Cultivation could break through to Venerable Peak or Supreme Venerable.

"Master, there is no way."

Giving Long Fu a long look, Long Ao knew that if Long Fu said so, then there was truly no hope. 'Am I supposed to just endure this?'

After leaving the Dragon Seal Space, Long Ao encountered the Fire Qilin.

Honestly, Long Ao was still resentful toward the Fire Qilin. After all, they had a three-year agreement. 'But what good is that now?'

The three-year agreement wasn't even up, yet such a disaster had befallen his family. The Fire Qilin had to bear half the responsibility.

But Long Ao showed no anger. After all, the Fire Qilin's power was undeniable. Besides, he considered the Fire Qilin a friend.

"Kid, no need to be upset. I truly had business I had to leave for. I never expected something like this to happen."

Long Ao didn't speak. He just stood there listening quietly, his face utterly devoid of expression.

"Kid, do you want revenge?"

Hearing the Fire Qilin's words, a golden light flashed in Long Ao's eyes. Brimming with Killing Intent, he asked in a low voice, "You have a way?"

"I do. But if anything goes wrong, the consequences will be severe. You have to be prepared."

"No matter what happens, I will have my revenge. I will destroy the Blood Sea Sect."

"Good. With my current power, I can only help you break through to the Void Venerable Realm. But I can give you three drops of my Life Essence Blood. If you encounter a Supreme Venerable, just use my Life Essence Blood to launch a Soul Attack. You'll have a ninety percent chance of killing your enemy."

Joy surged in his heart.

Of course, Long Ao knew what the Fire Qilin's Life Essence Blood signified. A Martial Artist's Life Essence Blood was tied to their very life force. It was incredibly difficult to replenish even a single lost drop, let alone three.

Long Ao was completely confident. Once his Cultivation broke through to the Void Venerable Realm, as long as he attacked by surprise and used the three drops of Life Essence Blood to unleash a Soul Attack, he could definitely kill a Supreme Venerable.

Immediately after, Long Ao felt control over his body slipping away. He wasn't the least bit surprised, as he knew full well this was the Fire Qilin beginning to help him raise his strength.

Without resisting in the slightest, Long Ao was enveloped by a terrifying Fire Attribute aura as powerful streams of Fire Power surged into his body.

The Fire Qilin's plan was simple. Although Long Ao couldn't trigger his own Hundred Tribulations to achieve the Void Realm, the Qilin could help him by forcibly converting the Spiritual Power in his body into Spiritual Essence. A Realm achieved through such forceful means couldn't compare to one attained by genuinely passing the Hundred Tribulations, but what Long Ao needed most right now was an increase in strength.

However, forcefully enhancing one's strength like this came with severe side effects. The resulting backlash would be far more devastating than that of the Nine Needle God-Sealing.

According to the Fire Qilin, this forced breakthrough could be maintained for about ten days. This was the absolute limit of the Fire Qilin's ability.

Ten days. That would be enough.

「Three hours later.」

"Brother Qilin, thank you. No matter what, you're a brother to me. I'd like to ask one thing of you."

"Speak," the Fire Qilin said, a hint of guilt in his voice. After all, he believed that if he hadn't left Red Fire Town, the Long Family would not have been annihilated. But as a member of the proud Qilin Race, the Fire Qilin would never admit his mistake. Even so, he was already being remarkably generous; a being as proud as him would normally never have stooped to help Long Ao increase his strength.

Long Ao, of course, understood all of this perfectly.

It would be a lie to say he wasn't grateful to the Fire Qilin. Even though they had a three-year agreement, he couldn't have expected the Qilin to be chained to his side twenty-four-seven.

"Brother Qilin, my trip to the Blood Sea Sect is almost certainly a suicide mission. So, I want to ask you to guard Red Fire Town. If I'm lucky enough to make it back alive, I'll take care of things. But if I don't... then please, Brother Qilin, help me burn Red Fire Town to the ground."

Long Ao had already considered every possibility. Even though his strength was now at the Venerable Realm and he possessed three drops of the Fire Qilin's Life Essence Blood, one must always prepare for the worst.

No one knew the true strength of the Blood Sea Sect. According to rumors, the Thunder Sect and the Flame Sect were the most powerful among the Six Great Sects. But what was the reality?

The Blood Sea Sect and the Ghost King Sect were far stronger than the Flame Sect and the Thunder Sect, which just went to show how deeply the Blood Sea Sect had hidden its true power.

For this very reason, Long Ao had no absolute confidence he could actually destroy the Blood Sea Sect on this trip. He had to consider every eventuality. His greatest worries were for Yuyin, Ao Xue, and his departed family.

"I'll handle it for you. The time limit is one month."

With a nod, Long Ao left Red Fire Town. He didn't head immediately for the Blood Sea Sect. Even though he only had ten days, there was someone he desperately wanted to see.

He couldn't find Yuyin, so his only choice was to see Ao Xue before he truly left.

But to Long Ao's frustration, with the war between the Six Great Sects, the Ghost King Sect was on complete lockdown. No one was permitted to enter. Not wanting to stir up trouble at a time like this, Long Ao had no choice but to leave.

The news of Red Fire Town's destruction by the Blood Sea Sect was but a small ripple, vanishing without a trace by the very next day.

Right now in Celestial State, and indeed across the other eight states, everyone was focused on the war between the Six Great Sects. No one knew who would win or lose, but one thing was certain: no matter which alliance was victorious, the political landscape of Celestial State would be forever changed.

The balance of power, once maintained by the Six Great Sects, would become a three-way struggle for dominance. For the other eight states, this great war in Celestial State was a golden opportunity. Forces from several states were already stirring restlessly, poised to intervene at any moment.