War God Long Ao

It took Long Ao a full day and a night after consuming the two Divine Fruits, but he finally managed to refine one-third of his Desolate Divine Body.

Even so, Long Ao was still in awe.

He had no idea just how powerful it was until he started refining it, and the results were staggering.

Long Ao had a feeling that with just this one-third of his Desolate Divine Body, he could stand still and let any Martial Artist below the Void Saint realm attack him, and they still wouldn’t be able to break through his defenses.

Furthermore, Long Ao knew that once his Desolate Divine Body was fully refined, his physical Defense Power alone would be comparable to that of the Giant Dragon Race.

What did that even mean?

Stretching with a pleasant surprise, Long Ao did a quick mental calculation. He had already been cultivating for a day and a night. He couldn’t delay any longer and immediately resumed his assassination mission.

And so, Long Ao began to roam the perimeter of Piaomiao Palace alone. He didn’t kill indiscriminately; instead, he targeted only the most outstanding disciples and powerful Guardian Elders of Piaomiao Palace.

Long Ao’s strength was immense. His combination of speed, Defense Power, and formidable attack power was nearly perfect. He could instantly kill any Martial Artist below the Void Saint realm and fight Basic Level Semi-Saints effortlessly. Even Middle and High Level Semi-Saints posed no significant challenge. Only a Peak Semi-Saint could give Long Ao a bit of trouble.

This was the true measure of Long Ao’s strength.

Outstanding disciples and Elder Guardians kept disappearing, their bodies later turning up on display before the gates of Piaomiao Palace. This plunged the sect into a state of panic, as no one had any idea what was happening.

Everyone was both shocked and terrified. No one could have imagined that someone would actually dare to move against Piaomiao Palace.

’Is this some kind of joke? Has our attacker lost their mind?’

After all, as one of the Four Great Forces in the Kyushu Spirit Realm, Piaomiao Palace’s power was undeniable. Forget ordinary people; even the other three major powers wouldn’t dare to provoke them.

’Which blind bastard dared to provoke Piaomiao Palace?’

Anyone with half a brain could see that this person was clearly seeking revenge against Piaomiao Palace. He was specifically killing their most outstanding disciples and Elder Guardians, leaving himself no path of retreat.

The upper echelons of Piaomiao Palace, including Feng Wuyi and Liu Boming, all had the same first suspect: Long Ao. However, they quickly dismissed the idea as impossible. After all, Long Ao was being hunted by a Divine Dao Martial Artist. His fate was unknown, so how could he possibly have escaped to attack Piaomiao Palace?

It was complete nonsense.

Regardless of whether anyone else believed that Long Ao was truly being hunted by a Divine Dao Martial Artist, everyone at Piaomiao Palace was convinced it was true. Many of them had personally sensed the Divine Dao Aura.

’If it wasn’t Long Ao, then who could it be?’

No matter how much they pondered it, the members of Piaomiao Palace couldn’t figure out who was targeting them.

But in any case, the unknown was the most terrifying. As long as this person remained at large, Piaomiao Palace would know no peace. Left with no other choice, Piaomiao Palace decided to hole up, recalling all disciples who had been sent out.

When he heard the news, Long Ao wasn’t the least bit surprised. He had already predicted that Piaomiao Palace would react this way.

Now that Piaomiao Palace was on high alert, Long Ao ceased his assassinations. For this kind of operation to be effective, it had to be done when the enemy was unsuspecting. Only then could he achieve maximum results with minimum effort.

Throughout this entire ordeal, only one party felt utterly frustrated: Piaomiao Palace.

They had assumed that by recalling all their disciples, their opponent would be driven to desperation and launch a reckless, direct assault on Piaomiao Palace. But in the end, after the disciples were recalled, the attacker vanished completely. Trying to capture this person now seemed as difficult as ascending to the heavens.

Long Ao returned to the Dragon Sect and immediately summoned everyone for what amounted to a high-level meeting.

"Sect Leader, you’re finally back."

Everyone was overjoyed to see Long Ao return safely to the Sect. He was the very soul of the Dragon Sect; without him, they could handle minor issues, but the sect was essentially paralyzed when faced with a major crisis.

"I’ve been briefed on the current situation. I have two points to make. Everyone, please be seated."

No one stood on ceremony. They all knew their Sect Leader was a casual person. They took their seats, their eyes fixed on Long Ao, waiting to hear what he had to say.

"First, you were right about one thing. With the Dragon Sect’s current strength, it isn’t wise to clash head-on with the Four Great Forces. But second, when the Imperial City requested our help, you should not have refused. Even if it was just for show, your refusal puts us in a very passive position. Remember, no matter what grudges exist between us and the Imperial City, we are still in an Alliance."

No one spoke, but they all understood the gravity of the situation and nodded in acknowledgment.

"Still, you’ve done a good job overall. For now, the Four Great Forces are in a free-for-all. All we need to do is wait and see how things develop."

"Sect Leader, if a victor emerges from the Four Great Forces, their next target will surely be us."

Long Ao waved a dismissive hand. He was well aware of the Snake Emperor’s concerns. "If the Four Great Forces had the guts to attack us, they would have done so long ago. They wouldn’t have waited until now."

Long Ao was completely confident about this. He knew in his heart that the reason the Four Great Forces didn’t dare attack the Dragon Sect wasn’t because they feared him, but because they feared Tong Ling’Er.

’Back when I raised hell at Piaomiao Palace, Tong Ling’Er’s sudden appearance stunned them. I’m sure the Third Level Long Family, the Netherworld Mansion, and the Imperial City all know about it. That being the case, the Four Great Forces wouldn’t dare attack me, not even with a hundred thousand times their current courage.’

’I’m almost certain that among the Four Great Forces—the Eastern Emperor City, the West Third Level Long Family, the Southern Netherworld Mansion, and the North Piaomiao Palace—the most powerful expert is likely a Sealed Titled Emperor. There are absolutely no Divine Dao Martial Artists protecting them.’

’Therefore, the Four Great Forces are one hundred percent certain not to provoke the Dragon Sect, because provoking a Divine Dao Martial Artist is not a wise move.’

The Snake Emperor was very surprised. He didn’t understand the source of the Sect Leader’s immense confidence. But since the Sect Leader had spoken, he couldn’t say much more. After all, Long Ao was the master of the sect.

"Sect Leader, how are things over at the City of Sin?"

Besides the free-for-all among the Four Great Forces, everyone was concerned about one other thing: the City of Sin. It was common knowledge that the City of Sin in the Kyushu Spirit Realm was the Sect Leader’s personal territory. Therefore, the stronger the City of Sin became, the more it would benefit the Dragon Sect.

"It’s developing quite well. Once matters here at the Dragon Sect are settled, I will increase my efforts to develop the City of Sin. Also, besides managing the Sect’s affairs, you must not slack off in your own Cultivation. Remember, you must first become strong yourselves to better develop the Sect’s power. Otherwise, everything else is just empty talk."

"We understand, Sect Leader."

Long Ao didn’t want to say any more. There were some things he could only touch upon lightly. Whether or not they were willing to act on his words was up to each individual. Even as the Sect Leader, he couldn’t force them.