Chapter 562: Playing Along with the Plan

The Holy Mountain, the overlord of Cloud Island.

Others might fear the Holy Mountain, but from the very beginning, Long Ao had never taken it seriously.

Long Ao’s principle was simple: he wouldn’t bother those who left him alone, but if someone crossed him, he would pay them back twofold.

Returning to his residence, Long Ao waited a full two hours before Long Heng finally came back.

“Long Heng, I’m planning to leave Cloud Island tomorrow.”

Long Ao had given the matter careful thought and felt that leaving was his best option.

First, he had no idea what was happening in Kyushu or how much damage the Beast Tide had inflicted. He was worried about Kyushu, and even more so about the Dragon Sect and his family.

Second, while he didn’t fear the Holy Mountain, he didn’t want to drag the Long Family into his troubles.

Long Ao knew full well that the Holy Mountain was only after him. If he left, he was confident they wouldn’t bother the Long Family.

Long Heng was definitely not happy about Long Ao’s decision to leave.

“Master, don’t you trust my Long Family?”

“What do you mean?”

“Master, while the Long Family may not be as strong as the Holy Mountain, we are not cowards. I just saw my grandfather, and he personally promised that if the Holy Mountain dares to come, we will stand with you, through life and death.”

Hearing these words, Long Ao was slightly moved.

After all, the Holy Mountain was the overlord of Cloud Island. Its power and resources far surpassed the Long Family’s. To resist them was simply suicidal.

“Long Heng, listen to me.”

“Master, you listen to me first.”

Before Long Ao could speak, Long Heng cut in, “Master, as the saying goes, ‘a teacher for a day is a father for a lifetime.’ You gave me a new lease on life. For that, I, Long Heng, will be eternally grateful.”

Long Ao said nothing, just sat there quietly.

“Master, the conflict between you and the Holy Mountain is ultimately my fault. So, no matter what happens, I will stand with you, even against the Holy Mountain itself.”

Long Ao was touched. He could see that Long Heng had changed.

Long Ao was pleased. ‘People only progress when they change.’ Otherwise, with Long Heng’s previous personality, he would have had a hard time going far on the path of Martial Arts.

“I beg you to stay, Master.”

With a deep sigh, feeling he had no other choice, Long Ao could only nod and agree.

After that, neither of them dwelled on the issue of the Holy Mountain. Aside from Long Ao teaching the Alchemy Dao, they spent most of their time on their individual Cultivation, with Long Heng constantly practicing the Destruction Seal Technique.

It had to be said, Long Heng’s talent was truly formidable.

In just a few days, he had already mastered the first seal of the Destruction Seal Technique. While its power wasn’t yet immense, Long Ao was still satisfied and impressed.

「Cloud Island. The Wang Family. Inside a secret chamber.」

BOOM!

With a loud bang, the entire secret chamber collapsed.

Wang Hao stood up, his cold gaze sweeping his surroundings. But his expression quickly filled with elation as he muttered to himself, “My Reincarnation Awakening is one-third complete. In two years at most, I can reach my peak strength, perhaps even break through my limits and reach a higher Divine Dao Realm.”

Wang Hao was ecstatic.

In his previous life, given his cultivation speed and the Divine Dao bottleneck he’d faced, breaking through to a higher Divine Dao Realm had been practically impossible.

Left with no other choice, Wang Hao had ultimately chosen to send his Divine Spirit into Reincarnation—a path with a slim chance of survival. Failure meant complete annihilation, but success would grant him Rebirth.

His Reincarnation was a success. Wang Hao had already awakened one-third of his Divine Spirit, and his Cultivation had broken through to the Semi-Saint Realm. Once his Divine Spirit was fully awakened, he would reach the Divine Dao Realm his original body had possessed in his previous life.

A successful Reincarnation offered an even greater benefit: after awakening his Divine Spirit, he could not only recover his peak strength but also break through his old bottlenecks to reach an even higher Realm.

This was the real reason so many Divine Dao Martial Artists chose the Path of Reincarnation, despite knowing full well how perilous it was—a gamble with only a slim chance of survival.

With his Semi-Saint Realm, his Self-Created Supreme Sword Dao, and his vast combat experience, Wang Hao was confident he was invincible on Cloud Island—unless he happened to encounter a powerful Saint.

“Congratulations, Old Ancestor, on your successful awakening.”

Waving a hand, Wang Hao smiled and said, “Once I awaken two-thirds of my Divine Spirit, no one on Cloud Island will be my match. As for the Outer Sea… for that, I’ll need my Divine Spirit to be fully awakened.”

The Outer Sea had countless islands, and it wasn’t lacking in Divine Dao Martial Artists. If he had been truly invincible back then, the Wang Hao of the past would never have needed to risk the Path of Reincarnation.

“Old Ancestor, I received some news two days ago.”

“Speak.”

“It’s said the Holy Mountain sent two Envoys to the Long Family to summon Long Ao. But before they could even open their mouths, Long Ao humiliated and injured them, forcing them to leave in disgrace.”

Hearing this, Wang Hao seemed slightly surprised. He nodded and said, “I understand.”

With that, Wang Hao left the secret chamber and shot off in the direction of the Long Family estate.

As long as the Holy Mountain didn’t get involved, a Semi-Saint Martial Artist was the most powerful existence on Cloud Island. As such, no one was able to detect Wang Hao’s presence.

At the Long Family estate, Long Ao was guiding Long Heng’s Cultivation when his expression suddenly changed. “Continue cultivating on your own,” he said. “I’ll be right back.”

Long Ao’s figure vanished, leaving Long Heng completely baffled. However, Long Heng knew his place. As a disciple, he understood perfectly well which questions he should and shouldn’t ask.

Long Ao saw Wang Hao, but before he could speak, Wang Hao shot away again, vanishing without a trace in an instant.

‘What could Wang Hao want with me?’

Although he didn’t know what Wang Hao wanted, Long Ao gave chase anyway. He was curious to see what game Wang Hao was playing.

Long Ao was quite wary of Wang Hao. He already knew Wang Hao was a Reincarnation Martial Artist who had successfully begun to awaken his Divine Spirit. If he were to use his Self-Created Martial Skill, its power would be immense.

However, Long Ao hadn’t sensed the slightest trace of Killing Intent from Wang Hao. It was for this exact reason that he chased after him without hesitation.

One chased the other. In a short time, the two had left Yun City and were shooting toward the distant Da Hai. Their speed was incredible, like two Ghosts streaking through the night.

On the shores of Da Hai, Long Ao and Wang Hao stood face to face. Long Ao remained silent, waiting for Wang Hao to speak first.

“Long Ao, if I’m not mistaken, you’re a Reincarnation Martial Artist. I’d like to ask, have you already awakened your Divine Spirit?”

‘A Reincarnation Martial Artist?’

‘Since when was I a Reincarnation Martial Artist?’

Hearing Wang Hao’s words, Long Ao was stunned for a moment, but he instantly understood what Wang Hao was getting at. Since that was the case, Long Ao shamelessly replied, “Since you’ve already guessed, I won’t hide it. I am indeed a Reincarnation Martial Artist.”