War God Long Ao

"Yes, this matter will not be leaked."

Long Haoshi certainly knew that the matter of the Divine Dao Inheritance was no small affair. If word got out, the repercussions would be immense.

"Grandfather, at the rate Kuang Ao is progressing with his Refinement of the Divine Dao Inheritance, he could become a Great Emperor or reach the Divine Dao Realm in five years at most—perhaps even three. If that happens, our Long Family will finally have the qualifications to vie for supremacy over the continent."

Nodding, Long Haoshi was extremely excited.

The mere thought of a Divine Dao Martial Artist emerging in the family made Long Haoshi feel as if he were dreaming.

"Ao’er, did the Imperial City summon you this time just for the matter of the Alliance?"

Long Ao nodded and, without holding anything back, explained Duan Kai’s proposal in full detail.

After hearing him out, the three elders—Long Haoshi, Wang Yidao, and Mu Wanfeng—showed no sign of the expected surprise. Instead, their expressions grew incomparably grave.

All three of them were men who had weathered many storms. They knew that, given the enmity between Long Ao and the Imperial City, there was no way the Imperial City would be so kind-hearted as to form an alliance with the Dragon Sect to deal with the three other great forces.

Without a doubt, in their eyes, the Imperial City’s actions were certainly part of some conspiracy.

"Ao’er, since you’ve already agreed, we must proceed with extreme caution. Are you planning to relocate the Dragon Sect first, or will you move the family as well?"

At the mention of this issue, Long Ao found himself in a difficult position.

According to Long Ao’s original plan, he was going to move both the Sect and the family to the Kyushu Spirit Realm, with the Dark Forest as the main base and the City of Sin as the Outer Sect. By coordinating from the inside and out, he should have been able to achieve twice the results with half the effort.

But the problem now was his alliance with the Imperial City. There were far too many potential complications.

If he moved the entire Sect and family to the Kyushu Spirit Realm and they ran into trouble, the losses could be catastrophic.

As the Dragon Sect Master and a disciple of the Long Family, Long Ao’s first consideration had to be the safety of his family and disciples, not how to contend with the Four Great Forces.

"Ao’er, I have a suggestion."

"Please, Grandfather, go on."

"It’s simple. The family will remain here for now, while the Dragon Sect will be split in two. One part will enter the Kyushu Spirit Realm and join the alliance with the Imperial City to deal with the three other great forces. The other part will stay behind and continue to expand the Dragon Sect’s strength."

Long Ao instantly understood his grandfather’s meaning.

Without a hint of objection, he nodded in agreement. "Let’s do that. This time, I will personally lead a part of the Dragon Sect to the Kyushu Spirit Realm. Grandfather, I’ll leave the family in your hands."

"Rest assured, you don’t need to worry about the family. You must be careful when you enter the Kyushu Spirit Realm this time. Don’t be rash in anything you do."

Long Ao nodded. He handed the Divine Dao Inheritance to Kuang Ao and didn’t linger long at the family estate. After seeing Ao Xue and his parents, he departed. No matter what, he still had to make preparations. This alliance with the Imperial City was no small matter, and he couldn’t afford to be careless, or he would be the one to suffer the consequences.

As soon as he returned to the Dragon Sect, Long Ao immediately summoned all the high-ranking members, including Dugu Bai, the Snake Emperor, Xia Army, Long Potian, and the Ghost King.

Getting straight to the point, Long Ao gave a rough outline of his plan and asked, "What are your thoughts?"

"Sect Leader, this plan is feasible."

With the Snake Emperor’s approval, everyone else voiced their agreement. And so, the plan to split the Dragon Sect into two—one part to head to the Kyushu Spirit Realm and ally with the Imperial City, the other to stay behind and expand the Sect’s power—was finalized.

Long Ao had already thought this through before returning.

"Elder She will remain here to oversee the Dragon Sect and expand the Sect’s power. Brother Dugu and Brother Potian will accompany me to the Kyushu Spirit Realm. Everyone else will stay behind."

"Sect Leader, are you planning to take the Corpse Slave Army with you this time?"

This was the Snake Emperor’s greatest concern. Having personally witnessed the terror of the Corpse Slave Army, he knew that if the Sect Leader took it with him, expanding the Sect’s power would become very, very difficult—at least two to three times harder.

How could the others not understand the Snake Emperor’s meaning? But no one spoke, because everyone was well aware that the Snake Emperor was only thinking of the Sect’s best interests. Ultimately, the decision rested with the Sect Leader.

"Elder She, I will only take one thousand ordinary disciples with me to the Kyushu Spirit Realm this time. As for everyone else and the Corpse Slave Army, they will all remain with the Sect. You have only one task: conquer all of Kyushu for me in the shortest time possible."

He wasn’t taking the Corpse Slave Army. Hearing this, the Snake Emperor was instantly overjoyed. With the Corpse Slave Army, the Snake Emperor was fully confident he could lead it to conquer all of Kyushu.

"Rest assured, Sect Leader. Within a year, I will definitely lead the Corpse Slave Army and secure Kyushu."

The Snake Emperor completely disregarded the Dragon Sect disciples. Sweeping through Kyushu was too dangerous, and the losses from a direct confrontation would be too great. But with the help of the Corpse Slave Army, he could reduce their casualties to zero. Why wouldn’t he take that option?

’Once I get to the Kyushu Spirit Realm, I must go to the Dark Forest and create a new Corpse Slave Army. That way, even if the Imperial City tries to pull any tricks, I’ll at least have the Corpse Slave Army to fall back on.’

Long Ao had absolute confidence in the Corpse Slave Army he refined. An Undying Body, capable of fighting ten thousand foes at once—this was no joke.

For the next three days, Long Ao, the Snake Emperor, and the Ghost King were in constant discussion about the Sect’s affairs.

Then, Long Ao led Dugu Bai, Long Potian, and one thousand disciples out of the Dragon Sect. They departed for the Kyushu Spirit Realm in a grand procession, making no attempt to conceal their movements.

The Imperial City and the Dragon Sect had formed an alliance?

Everyone who received the news had the same first reaction: absolute disbelief. It was common knowledge that Long Ao and the Imperial City were mortal enemies, locked in a struggle to the death.

Given their history, how could Long Ao and the Imperial City possibly form an alliance?

Just as everyone was reeling in disbelief, the Imperial City and the Dragon Sect simultaneously issued a joint proclamation to the world: the Imperial City and the Dragon Sect had officially formed an alliance. At this, no one had any further doubts. Since both the Imperial City and the Dragon Sect had announced it to the world, the matter was absolutely true and would not change.

The news shocked the world.

The alliance between the Dragon Sect and the Imperial City sent shockwaves across the continent. It was only then that everyone finally understood a certain truth: there are no permanent enemies, only permanent interests.

Although no one knew why the Imperial City and the Dragon Sect had allied, everyone knew one thing for sure: Kyushu was about to become even more chaotic.

In response to the alliance between the Imperial City and the Dragon Sect, the other three great forces—the Netherworld Mansion, Piaomiao Palace, and the Third Level Long Family—all chose to remain silent, offering no official statement. This only made the undercurrents in the Kyushu Spirit Realm surge more violently, as no one had any idea what the Imperial City and the Dragon Sect were plotting.

The Kyushu Spirit Realm, the Four Great Forces: the Eastern Emperor City, the West’s Third Level Long Family, the Southern Netherworld Mansion, and the North’s Piaomiao Palace. And now, the City of Sin—the so-called Dragon Sect—had been added to the mix.