War God Long Ao

Sensing something was amiss, Duan Tianfeng shot to his feet.

He didn't even have time to cover himself before demanding coldly, "Who are you?"

Duan Tianfeng's expression turned grim as he stared at the young man who had suddenly appeared before him. After all, for someone to enter this room without making a sound spoke volumes about their strength.

"You're Duan Tianfeng?"

"I am." Seeing that the man knew who he was, Duan Tianfeng breathed a sigh of relief. In the Imperial City, no one dared to cross him. He had the backing of the entire Imperial City, after all. Never mind a single person—not even the other three of the Four Great Forces would dare to provoke him lightly.

Such was the power and influence of the Imperial City.

Long Ao scoffed inwardly. "You're going to die today," he said with a smile.

Duan Tianfeng was merely a minor Transformed Martial Artist. The gap in power between him and Long Ao was immense. To put it simply, if Long Ao wanted to kill Duan Tianfeng, it would be over in an instant.

Hearing this, Duan Tianfeng's face filled with alarm. Before he could even cry for help, his eyes were bulging in disbelief. From beginning to end, he had no idea why this person wanted to kill him.

'Who is this person? How dare he openly try to kill me in the Imperial City?'

Long Ao sent Duan Tianfeng's corpse and soul into the Dragon Seal Space. He glanced at the Courtesan lying on the bed and said coldly, "If you speak a word of what happened today, I will hunt you to The Ends of the Earth and kill you."

The Courtesan, seemingly scared witless, nodded.

The Courtesan was no fool. She knew exactly what kind of person would dare to kill Duan Tianfeng in the Imperial City.

Long Ao did not leave the room immediately. Instead, he sat down quietly.

「Inside the Dragon Seal Space.」

"Long Fu, is there any way to refine Duan Tianfeng into a Corpse Slave before dawn without anyone growing suspicious?"

Long Fu thought for a moment, then nodded. "Master, a simple Corpse Slave can't pull that off. You would have to fuse a sliver of your own soul into it. But if you do that, your soul will be damaged whenever the Corpse Slave is attacked."

Ordinarily, Long Ao would never even consider such a thing. But now, he had no choice. The reason was simple: with his current strength, trying to rescue Ao Xue from the Imperial City was nothing short of a fool's errand.

After weighing his options, Long Ao decided to risk it all.

"Long Fu, begin."

Long Fu knew what Long Ao intended to do, and this time, he didn't try to stop him.

The night passed in silence.

「The next morning」

At the crack of dawn, Duan Tianfeng pushed the door open and walked out.

He looked no different than before, but the cold glint in his eyes revealed that this was no longer the original Duan Tianfeng.

"Young Master."

With a wave of his hand, Duan Tianfeng said coldly, "We're going back." Then, he led his subordinates away from the Hundred Flowers Pavilion and headed toward the Imperial City.

His subordinates were all very curious. They didn't know what was wrong with the Young Master; it was as if he had become a different person. Still, none of them dared to ask, so they could only follow obediently.

And so, Duan Tianfeng returned to the Imperial City with his men.

The Imperial City Headquarters occupied a tenth of the entire city's area, like a smaller city within the city.

Duan Tianfeng was the City Lord's youngest son, so his status in the Imperial City was extremely high. Though everyone looked down on him, he simply chose to ignore them.

Upon returning to the Imperial City, Duan Tianfeng headed directly for Ao Xue's residence. On the way, however, he ran into his father, Duan He, the Emperor City Lord.

"Tianfeng."

"Father, you were looking for me?"

The Duan Tianfeng Corpse Slave was under Long Ao's control. Fortunately, Long Ao had fused it with his own soul. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable, as the Emperor City Lord was one of the most powerful figures in all of Kyushu.

Duan He would never suspect his own son. After all, this was the Imperial City Headquarters. Who would dare cause trouble here?

"Tianfeng, focus on your Cultivation for a while. I'll arrange for you to enter the Kyushu Secret Realm next time it opens, understand?"

'Kyushu Secret Realm?'

Long Ao was puzzled. He had just absorbed Duan Tianfeng's soul memories, but there was nothing about this so-called Kyushu Secret Realm. So, he had the puppet ask, "Father, what is the Kyushu Secret Realm?"

"It is time I told you about the Kyushu Secret Realm."

Duan He led Duan Tianfeng to a nearby pavilion, and the two of them sat down.

Duan He sighed deeply. He felt a profound sense of guilt toward his youngest son. It turned out that Duan Tianfeng's mother had Fallen years ago while saving Duan He's life, which was why he doted on this son the most.

But Duan Tianfeng had been a spoiled brat since childhood, bringing shame to both him and the Imperial City. Even so, Duan He couldn't bring himself to utter a single harsh word to him.

"Tianfeng, the Kyushu Secret Realm is a Cultivation Sacred Land on the Kyushu Continent. It was discovered by our Four Great Forces long ago. The matter is a closely guarded secret; almost no one knows about it. If super-powers like the Long Clan were to find out, the Kyushu Secret Realm would no longer belong to us."

Hearing Duan He's explanation, Long Ao grew very curious about this so-called Kyushu Secret Realm. 'What kind of place could be so mysterious and powerful?'

"The Kyushu Secret Realm opens once a year. Anyone who enters is all but guaranteed a breakthrough in their Cultivation by the time they come out. However, the realm has a major restriction: no one below the rank of Realm King can enter. Therefore, entering the Kyushu Secret Realm this time will be an excellent training opportunity for you."

"Father, when will the Kyushu Secret Realm open?"

"After many years of research, we have gradually figured out the realm's opening and closing schedule. The Kyushu Secret Realm opens for one month each year, and only twenty people can enter at a time—five from each of the Four Great Forces. However, not everyone who enters the Kyushu Secret Realm makes it out alive. Your third brother, for instance, never returned."

The puppet nodded. Controlled by Long Ao, it certainly wouldn't say anything foolish. Instead, it asked, "How do I get in?"

"It's simple. This is a key to the Kyushu Secret Realm. Before it opens, each of the Four Great Forces forges five keys, for a total of twenty. This one is yours."

As the puppet took the key from Duan He, Long Ao was ecstatic. He never imagined he would have such an opportunity. It would be a waste not to go. 'If I can enter the Kyushu Secret Realm and break through to the Celestial Venerable or even Great Venerable realm,' he thought, 'that would be incredible.'

"Tianfeng, we'll discuss your marriage to Ao Xue after you return from the Kyushu Secret Realm. Don't worry, Ao Xue won't die. I still need to use her as bait. If all goes as planned, Long Ao will show up soon. I'll use this time to deal with him. You just focus on entering the Kyushu Secret Realm. When you get back, I'll arrange the wedding for you."

The puppet nodded and said with a smile, "Thank you, Father. I'd like to go see Ao Xue."