War God Long Ao

Long Ao nodded, making a mental note of the Grand Elder.

The Third Level Long Family, one of the Four Great Dominators of Kyushu, was even hailed as the greatest among them. The reason was simple: the Third Level Long Family could enter Dragon Valley and become Dragon Martial Artists.

Without a doubt, the Third Level Long Family had many Dragon Martial Artists. It's just that the Long Family treated these Dragon Martial Artists as friends and, under normal circumstances, kept them all within the family, never letting them out.

The Four Great Dominators of Kyushu were the Imperial City in the east, the Third Level Long Family in the west, Netherworld Mansion in the south, and Piaomiao Palace in the north. Each of the Four Great Dominators occupied one of these regions.

Long Ao followed Fang Hong westward until they arrived at a valley. The area was utterly desolate; a place so remote, not even birds would shit there. Even the sun seemed too lazy to show its face. One could only imagine how awful the environment was.

However, with their level of power, the two of them could simply ignore their surroundings. Long Ao asked curiously, "Senior, is the Third Level Long Family located here?"

Shaking his head, Fang Hong smiled and said, "Not here. It's just that our Long Family, along with the other three great forces, has each set up an Array capable of Instantly Teleporting us into the Kyushu Spirit Realm."

Kyushu Spirit Realm?

What kind of place is that?

As if sensing Long Ao's confusion, Fang Hong smiled and said, "Let me first tell you about the Kyushu Spirit Realm and the Four Great Forces."

Long Ao nodded. What he wanted to know most right now was information about the Four Great Forces, especially the Third Level Long Family. In his understanding, the Long Clan had countless branches divided into nine great Levels. Ninth Level was the lowest and First Level was the highest. Families of the Third Level and above could enter Dragon Valley to become Dragon Martial Artists, but all the others were forbidden.

Beyond that, Long Ao was completely in the dark.

"The Kyushu Continent is divided into upper and lower spaces. The lower space is what's known as the Ordinary Spirit Realm, while the upper space is hailed as the Kyushu Spirit Realm. The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi in the Kyushu Spirit Realm is far denser than in the Ordinary Spirit Realm."

'Fuck.'

Long Ao, who rarely ever swore, couldn't help but curse viciously in his mind.

He genuinely had no idea that the Kyushu Continent was divided into upper and lower Spirit Realms.

"You should already know about the Ordinary Spirit Realm. As for the Kyushu Spirit Realm, it's divided into four major territories, each dominated by one of the Four Great Forces. That would be the Imperial City in the east, the Third Level Long Family in the west, Netherworld Mansion in the south, and Piaomiao Palace in the north.

"The Four Great Forces all want to eliminate one another to become the sole hegemon of the Kyushu Spirit Realm, which has triggered great wars time and again. It's been twenty years since the last major war, and if nothing unexpected happens, it won't be long before another one begins."

Long Ao wasn't the least bit surprised by this.

"Senior, if the Third Level Long Family dominates a quarter of the Kyushu Spirit Realm, then what about the Second Level and First Level Long Families?"

With a mysterious smile, Fang Hong didn't answer the question about the First and Second Level Long Families. Instead, he said, "The Long Clan is divided into nine Levels. As a disciple of a Sixth Level Long Family, you are not qualified to become a Dragon Martial Artist. Therefore, when you go to the clan this time, you must adamantly insist that you are not one. Otherwise, only one fate awaits you: to be killed on the spot, no questions asked."

Long Ao had already figured as much.

The Long Clan had an explicit rule: only disciples from families of the Third Level and above were qualified to enter Dragon Valley, obtain a partner, and become a Dragon Martial Artist. Aside from them, any disciple from any other Level who was found to be a Dragon Martial Artist would be killed on sight.

Although he had known this for a while, Long Ao was still baffled. 'As long as other disciples don't enter Dragon Valley, it should be fine. Why does the clan care *how* they become Dragon Martial Artists? It's so damn ridiculous.'

'Talk about sticking your nose where it doesn't belong.'

"Senior, there's one thing I don't understand. As long as disciples from Long Families below the Fourth Level don't enter Dragon Valley, what's the problem if they become a Dragon Martial Artist? Why does the Long Clan insist on hunting them down to the last man?"

Long Ao continued, "Shouldn't having more Dragon Martial Artists be more beneficial to the Long Clan?"

'Long Ao just couldn't wrap his head around it. What benefit could the Long Clan possibly gain from slaughtering its own disciples?'

"Long Ao, I have to admit, the Long Clan is acting out of self-interest. After all, the clan has too many branches. It's inevitable that super-geniuses will emerge from those branches—people like you, or Long Batian back in the day. Once such a super-genius matures, they can no longer be controlled by the Long Clan. If you were in their position, what would you do?"

Long Ao let out a deep sigh.

'Their actions were understandable, in a way. From the perspective of preserving the main clan, what they did wasn't entirely wrong. But if the Long Clan were more magnanimous, I'm sure its overall strength could be much greater.'

'After all, the Long Clan's branches are everywhere. To possess such terrifying potential strength and not only fail to use it, but actively harm their own kin... Long Ao was almost certain that a clan like this would not prosper indefinitely.'

"Long Ao, remember this: as long as you can stay alive, nothing else is important."

"Senior, did you know Long Batian?"

Nodding, Fang Hong said guiltily, "I was only able to achieve the rank of Celestial Venerable thanks to Senior Batian's guidance back then. I just never expected that he would be murdered by the Long Clan... alas."

Long Ao finally understood why Fang Hong had been looking out for him.

When he had asked to delay their departure by a month, Fang Hong had agreed without a second thought. Now, Fang Hong was obviously helping him. It was all because of his ancestor, Long Batian.

Long Ao was almost certain that this ancestor of his had been a peerless expert.

"You are Senior Batian's descendant. I was powerless to save him back then, so I will look after his posterity. Your talent and your personality are so much like Senior Batian's, which is why I don't want you to be rash and repeat his mistakes."

Long Ao nodded. How could he not understand Fang Hong's concerns? 'But is this a matter I can control?'

'Without a doubt, once I enter the Third Level Long Family, whatever happens will be out of my control. The only thing I can do is my utmost to preserve my life. After all, no one is willing to just go and get themselves killed.'

"Long Ao, if Batian hadn't been so brazen with his talent back then, I believe he would have become a peerless Martial Artist by now... alas."

Hearing Fang Hong's deep sigh, Long Ao felt a complicated mix of emotions. In any case, if his ancestor hadn't been eliminated by the Long Clan, he believed his own family branch would be in a very different state today.

'And he had the Long Clan to thank for all of it.'

'It would be a lie to say he didn't hate the Long Clan. It was for this very reason that Long Ao didn't want to be constrained by the clan at every turn, which was why he had founded his own force: the Dragon Sect. One day, he would personally lead his Dragon Sect to surpass the Long Clan.'

"Alright, the Array is activated. Remember, never speak of this Array to anyone, or you will certainly die."

"I understand." Long Ao was shocked as well. He had never imagined an Array could be so terrifyingly powerful as to allow for Instant Teleportation.