Chapter 484: Alliance
In the end, Long Ao decided against claiming the Divine Dao Inheritance for himself.
He was already pondering who to give the Celestial Divine Inheritance to.
Long Ao was a normal person, so of course he had his own selfish desires. He naturally hoped to give the Celestial Divine Inheritance to Ao Xue, his grandfather, or his parents.
But Long Ao understood one principle very clearly: a Divine Dao Inheritance had to be given to a suitable person to maximize its potential.
Long Ao didn’t dwell on the matter of the Divine Dao Inheritance any longer. Instead, he began to absorb the surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi. Although his Ninth Transformation Reincarnation Technique still hadn’t broken through, he understood the principle that quantity would eventually lead to a qualitative breakthrough.
「Outside Broken Soul Valley.」
In the blink of an eye, three days had passed. Duan Kai and Duan He were growing impatient.
In Duan He and Duan Kai’s eyes, the chances of Long Ao emerging alive from Broken Soul Valley this time were almost zero. Still, they felt a little uneasy and hadn’t moved an inch in three days.
"Father, do you think Long Ao will be able to make it out?"
"Fifty-fifty."
Duan Kai had actually wanted to say it was a ten percent chance, but just then, the expressions on both their faces changed drastically, as if they had just witnessed the most unbelievable thing in the world.
’Long Ao came out?’
Watching the young man walk out of Broken Soul Valley, both Duan Kai and Duan He were dumbfounded. They had no idea what had just happened.
"Sect Leader Long, you’re out?"
’No shit,’ Long Ao cursed them inwardly. He had survived a great catastrophe this time purely due to luck; otherwise, he would have been completely screwed over by these two.
Though he was cursing them viciously in his heart, his face remained impassive. He knew he needed to ally with the Imperial City to deal with the other three great forces first. It wouldn’t be too late to turn on the Imperial City when the time was right.
"Gentlemen, could it be that you didn’t wish for me to come out?"
"Of course we did, of course! We are truly overjoyed to see you emerge, Sect Leader Long."
’Such blatant lies.’ Long Ao sneered at them internally. Just then, something seemed to occur to him, and he said, "Gentlemen, I didn’t find any Treasures in Broken Soul Valley. The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi was quite abundant, but I still didn’t manage to break through. *Sigh*."
He let out a deep sigh. Hearing that he hadn’t broken through to the Void Saint Realm, Duan Kai and Duan He finally breathed a long sigh of relief. Regardless, the fact that Long Ao had managed to walk out of Broken Soul Valley smoothly was already a huge blow to them.
If Long Ao had also broken through to the Void Saint Realm, the two of them would have wanted to die.
"Sect Leader Long, since you didn’t find any Treasures, it just means your fated opportunity has not yet arrived. It cannot be forced."
He almost laughed out loud. ’I’ve seen people put on an act before, but never one this shameless. It’s just too fake.’ In the end, however, Long Ao held it in.
The three returned to the pavilion and took their seats.
"Sect Leader Long, since your Cultivation has yet to break through to the Void Saint Realm, why don’t we discuss the matter of the Alliance first? What do you say?"
’Sly old fox.’
Long Ao nodded. "No problem. I’d like to ask you two, what are your thoughts regarding this alliance between the Imperial City and the Dragon Sect?"
Duan Kai and Duan He cursed him inwardly. Duan Kai then said with a smile, "Sect Leader Long, I’m sure you understand the situation with the Four Great Forces. Completely annihilating the Third Level Long Family, the Netherworld Mansion, and the Piaomiao Palace is fundamentally impossible."
Long Ao nodded. He was perfectly clear on this point.
Long Ao didn’t speak, just listened quietly. He knew in his heart that Duan He and Duan Kai had already thought of a plan; otherwise, they wouldn’t be sitting here talking with him.
"Sect Leader Long, my meaning is simple. If the Dragon Sect wishes to ally with my Imperial City to deal with the other three great forces, you must first do one thing."
"And what is that?"
"It’s simple. Since you, Sect Leader Long, have already decided to establish a presence in the Kyushu Spirit Realm, sooner is better than later. With my Imperial City providing cover, I believe the entire Dragon Sect can enter the Kyushu Spirit Realm in less than a month."
Long Ao instantly understood Duan Kai’s meaning. It was simple: he wanted him to move the entire Dragon Sect into the Kyushu Spirit Realm. As for the location, it would be the so-called City of Sin.
Relocating wasn’t the problem, but Long Ao had to consider the aftermath. Once the Sect entered the Kyushu Spirit Realm, there would be no path of retreat. If the three great forces attacked, and if the Imperial City were to turn on him as well, he would be caught between two fronts. The consequences would be unimaginable.
Therefore, Long Ao did not answer immediately. Duan Kai and Duan He weren’t in any hurry, either. They glanced at each other, and both saw a sinister glint in the other’s eyes.
If he agreed, the danger would be immense. The Sect could be plunged into a state of eternal damnation at any moment.
If he refused, he would lose a golden, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
’Should I agree or refuse?’
For a moment, Long Ao didn’t know what to do.
"Sect Leader Long, do you have reservations?"
"I do. The strength of the three great forces is plain to see. If I rashly move into the Kyushu Spirit Realm, and they decide to trap me like a turtle in a jar, I’ll have no way to resist."
Long Ao spoke the truth. Matters had already reached this point; the slightest mistake would make things incredibly troublesome. Moreover, the Imperial City was still an unknown variable. Ultimately, Long Ao didn’t want to take the risk.
If he were alone, he wouldn’t care. The worst that could happen was death. But the situation was different now. He had an entire Sect behind him. If something went wrong, tens of thousands would be killed or injured. It was a gamble he dared not, and could not, make.
Duan Kai cursed him inwardly but said with a calm expression, "Sect Leader Long, you can rest assured on this point. I will announce to the world shortly that the Imperial City and the Dragon Sect have formed an alliance. If we do that, will you be able to relax a little, Sect Leader Long?"
His heart wavered. Finally, Long Ao gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, I agree. But I have three conditions. Otherwise, the deal is off."
"Sect Leader Long, aren’t you going a bit too far? We’re in an alliance, not a relationship of dependency. On what grounds can you propose three conditions?"
Waving his hand to stop Duan He, Duan Kai said, "Let’s hear them. I hope you won’t be too excessive, Sect Leader Long. Otherwise, even if it means not forming an alliance, we will not agree."
The more Duan He and Duan Kai acted this way, the happier Long Ao felt. This was the only way he could be certain that the Imperial City was genuinely willing to ally with him this time, rather than trying to frame him. Still, one could never be too careful.
"First condition: when the Dragon Sect enters the Kyushu Spirit Realm, the Imperial City must cede a Teleportation Array to us. This is non-negotiable. Otherwise, I would rather not form the alliance."
Long Ao had already thought it through. As soon as his Sect entered the Kyushu Spirit Realm, they had to secure a Teleportation Array. Otherwise, he would rather not enter at all. Without a Teleportation Array, safely escaping would become the biggest problem once a war broke out. He had to secure an escape route.
(PS: Sixth Chapter delivered. Something urgent came up, so the remaining four Chapters will be delivered one by one after midnight. Everyone, please send your recommendation tickets and donations!)