War God Long Ao

News of the battle between Long Ao and Long Chen spread throughout Kyushu in an instant.

Although Long Ao claimed it was a draw, everyone knew he had won the fight.

No one cared whether Long Chen had restricted his Realm; all anyone cared about was the outcome. As a result, the news of Long Ao defeating Long Chen caused a massive stir across Kyushu.

Normally, by defeating Long Chen, Long Ao should have been able to take his place as number one hundred on the Dragon Ranking.

But just as Long Ao thought, he hadn't defeated Long Chen fair and square. 'If Long Chen hadn't restricted his Realm, could I really have beaten him?'

Because of this, the Dragon Ranking did not acknowledge Long Ao, and Long Chen remained at the one-hundredth spot.

Although Long Ao failed to get on the Dragon Ranking, in the eyes of the public, he had still pulled off a major upset. With this battle, his fame in Kyushu soared once again.

Long Ao Peak, Long Family Main Hall.

Long Ao's triumphant return was the best news the Long Family had received in a long time. After all, no one had expected him to win this fight. But what had been the result?

"Ao'Er, now that you've defeated Long Chen, I'm afraid the Third Level Long Family won't let this matter rest."

Long Ao nodded. He was well aware of his grandfather's concerns. "Grandfather, I didn't truly defeat Long Chen in this battle. If he hadn't forcibly suppressed his Realm, I wouldn't have been able to withstand even ten of his moves. He's a remarkable person and is destined for great things."

Long Haoshi seemed a little surprised. In all the time he'd known him, Long Ao had never praised someone so highly.

"Grandfather, as for the Third Level Long Family, you're right—they definitely won't let this go. The family must lay low and focus on building up our strength."

"I understand. After this fight with Long Chen, are you planning to go to the Kyushu Secret Realm?"

Long Ao nodded, not hiding anything from his grandfather. "The Kyushu Secret Realm is a huge opportunity for me. No matter what, I have to make the trip."

'The Kyushu Secret Realm is an opportunity for me as I am now,' Long Ao thought clearly, 'a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.'

According to Duan He, the Kyushu Secret Realm was an extremely mysterious place in Kyushu, a Cultivation Sacred Land for Martial Artists. With a bit of luck, any Martial Artist who entered was almost guaranteed to achieve a breakthrough in their Cultivation upon leaving.

The survival rate was as high as ninety percent—for every hundred people who went in, ninety would make it out alive. Those were incredible odds.

Long Ao's Cultivation had already reached the Peak Earth Venerable Realm. He was just one step away from officially breaking through to the Celestial Venerable Realm.

But that seemingly simple step was incredibly difficult. According to Long Fu, the power required to break through to the Celestial Venerable Realm was astronomical.

「In a southern region of the Kyushu Spirit Realm, there lay an extremely remote valley.」

The valley was guarded by dozens of hidden experts from the Four Great Forces. Though nothing seemed out of place on the surface, any intruder would be met with a ferocious, coordinated attack.

Whenever the Kyushu Secret Realm opened, which was once a year, the Four Great Forces of the Kyushu Spirit Realm—the Eastern Emperor City, the West Third Level Long Family, the Southern Netherworld Mansion, and the North Piaomiao Palace—would each send five people inside to cultivate.

The Kyushu Secret Realm opened automatically once a year, and only Martial Artists below the Realm King Realm were permitted to enter. In other words, Long Chen had no chance of getting in.

Long Ao didn't appear in the valley himself. Instead, he entered silently under the guise of Duan Tianfeng, and no one suspected a thing. Normally, with Duan Tianfeng's talent and strength, he wouldn't have been qualified to enter the Kyushu Secret Realm to cultivate. But what could anyone do? The boy had a powerful father.

Duan Tianfeng was the son of the Emperor City Lord. It was common knowledge that Emperor City Lord Duan He doted on his youngest son, granting his every whim. A single spot for the Kyushu Secret Realm was a trivial matter for him.

Duan Tianfeng had a terrible reputation. Never mind the other three great forces; even the other four participants from the Imperial City refused to go near him, as if his infamy were contagious.

Completely ignoring the others, the one who stood there as Duan Tianfeng was, in fact, Long Ao.

The twenty people from the Four Great Forces stood quietly within the valley. Just then, with a deep RUMBLE, a ball of milky-white light suddenly appeared on the cave wall.

The Kyushu Secret Realm was open.

The twenty participants were overjoyed and filed in one by one. With the help of the Dragon Seal Space, Long Ao followed a Corpse Slave into the Kyushu Secret Realm. From start to finish, no one noticed anything unusual about Duan Tianfeng.

The moment he stepped into the Kyushu Secret Realm, Long Ao chose to go off on his own. It would be a huge problem if his disguise were discovered. After all, getting in was one thing; getting out would be far more difficult.

The Kyushu Secret Realm, at its core, was an independent pocket of Space, complete with mountains, rivers, and trees. A sun hung high in the sky, which was dotted with white clouds.

Upon entering the Kyushu Secret Realm, Long Ao instantly understood why it was called a Cultivation Sacred Land. The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi here was a full ten times richer than in the outside world. 'Ten times!'

Long Ao knew perfectly well that cultivating here for one month was equivalent to cultivating for ten months in the outside world. That rate of progress was simply terrifying.

Long Ao didn't waste any time after entering the Kyushu Secret Realm. According to Duan He, the realm only remained open for one month each year. If anyone failed to exit in time, the Secret Realm itself would unleash a force that no one could withstand.

After finding an extremely secluded spot, Long Ao immediately entered a state of cultivation. Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

Long Ao could clearly sense that his Cultivation was on the verge of a breakthrough. It felt like only a paper-thin barrier remained; if he could just pierce it, he would advance to the Celestial Venerable Realm.

At this moment, Long Ao felt utterly frustrated. According to Long Fu, the amount of power needed to quickly break through to the Celestial Venerable Realm was simply immense.

'A Realm King,' he thought. 'If I could just kill a Realm King, seize their soul, and refine its power, I could definitely use it to break through to the Celestial Venerable Realm.'

「Inside the Dragon Seal Space.」

"Long Fu, can my Desolate Sacred Body only absorb power to achieve a breakthrough? Can't it absorb Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi?"

'The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi in the Kyushu Secret Realm is so abundant, a full ten times richer than outside. If I could use it to break through, it would be like adding wings to a tiger.'

"Master, that is entirely possible. It's just that breaking through by absorbing Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi is very difficult. However, the Spiritual Qi here is exceptionally rich. One month should be enough time for you to break through to the Celestial Venerable Realm."

Joy sparked in Long Ao's heart. The entire reason he had entered the Kyushu Secret Realm was to break through to the Celestial Venerable Realm. Now, hearing that Long Fu could help him achieve this within a month, how could he not be ecstatic?

"Master, for the past three days, I have been sensing something. I've discovered that something is very wrong."