Chapter 622: The Two Heavens of Life and Death

Chapter 622: Chapter 622: The Two Heavens of Life and Death

Long Ao had never expected the situation with the Four Great Forces to turn out this way.

Originally, Long Ao had thought that after his sudden withdrawal, the three great forces, given their nature, would definitely not let the Imperial City go.

But what happened instead?

After a moment of thought, Long Ao guessed the three great forces’ intentions. They were simply afraid he would watch them fight from the sidelines, only to swoop in and reap the benefits himself.

’Those three great forces are so cunning.’

Long Ao was even certain that the three great forces must now know of his presence. Otherwise, they would never have let the Imperial City off so easily.

’Duan Kai.’

As for who had leaked his whereabouts, there was no doubt in his mind. It had to be Duan Kai and his father.

However, Long Ao wasn’t the least bit concerned. With his army of over a million Corpse Slaves at his command, he felt not a shred of fear, even if the Four Great Forces were to join forces against him.

Long Ao was a little frustrated. His tactic of feigning a retreat to lure them into a trap hadn’t succeeded in defeating the Four Great Forces. He knew all too well that an opportunity like this would be nearly impossible to come by a second time.

But you win some, you lose some. At the very least, he had successfully sown discord among the Four Great Forces. He believed that after this incident, it would be next to impossible for them to ever ally again.

Long Ao knew in his heart that after this, the Four Great Forces wouldn’t be making any moves for a short while.

And for that very reason, Long Ao prepared to head to the City of Sin, also known as the Tomb of the Gods.

Long Batian had warned Long Ao again and again to never, under any circumstances, go to the Tomb of the Gods. But after thinking it through, Long Ao decided to take the risk anyway.

As the saying goes, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

The entire Tomb of the Gods held over a thousand Divine Dao Inheritances. If he could bring them all back, wouldn’t that mean the Dragon Sect and his clan would have over a thousand Divine Dao Martial Artists?

The very thought was thrilling.

Long Ao’s goal was simple: on this trip to the City of Sin, he had to bring back some Divine Dao Inheritances.

Although his only enemies right now were the Four Great Forces, it was inevitable that more powerful factions from the greater Long Clan would emerge in the future. If that happened, the Dragon Sect, with its current strength, would be wiped out in an instant by such behemoths.

That was why Long Ao was preparing to risk a trip to the City of Sin.

He told no one of his departure, slipping away alone and in secret. He didn’t want to worry anyone, especially his family.

「City of Sin.」

The City of Sin was now more famous than ever. It was common knowledge that the city was Long Ao’s second major stronghold. You could be ignorant of the Four Great Forces, but you could not be ignorant of Long Ao.

No one knew that Long Ao had returned to the City of Sin, not even the two Saints who stood guard over it.

「Before the Tomb of the Gods.」

Long Ao took a deep breath. He knew in his heart that entering the Tomb of the Gods now meant almost certain death.

If he succeeded, his clan and sect would gain over a thousand Divine Dao Martial Artists. If he failed, his life would be forfeit, left behind in the Tomb of the Gods.

「Within the Dragon Seal Space.」

"Master, have you really thought this through?"

Long Ao nodded, his expression resolute. "You’ve been with me for so long. Don’t you know my personality by now?"

Of course Long Fu knew his master’s personality, so he didn’t try to stop him. Instead, he said, "Master, since you’ve made up your mind, let’s discuss our plan."

"Long Fu, do you have a good plan?"

Long Ao was no fool, and he knew Long Fu just as well. ’If Long Fu didn’t have a plan, he wouldn’t be acting like this. If that’s the case, then it seems my chances of succeeding in the Tomb of the Gods have just improved.’

Long Fu nodded. "Master, although the Tomb of the Gods once held over a thousand Divine Spirits, eighty percent of them have already dissipated. However, of the remaining twenty percent, any single one of them could obliterate you with ease."

Long Ao was well aware of this. Even if a Divine Spirit couldn’t match the power of its original body, obliterating a Martial Artist like him was still an incredibly simple task.

That was precisely why Long Ao was being so cautious. Otherwise, he could have just swaggered in and taken all thousand Divine Spirits with him.

"Master, I’m sure you’ve already guessed this, but the Tomb of the Gods has a powerful backer. Although I can’t sense who or what it is yet, I can tell you with absolute certainty: this is an enemy you cannot afford to provoke."

Long Ao knew this as well.

His ancestor had warned him time and time again never to enter the Tomb of the Gods. Although his ancestor hadn’t finished explaining why, Long Ao could guess the reason.

"Long Fu, do you have a way to get past them?"

"Correct. First, you must evade the notice of that powerful backer. Second, you must defeat a Divine Spirit to obtain its Divine Dao Inheritance. With either of these, the slightest mistake will have dire consequences."

’Defeat a Divine Spirit.’

His heart sank. He had entered the Tomb of the Gods counting on getting lucky. He knew that a predecessor from the Long Clan—a Divine Dao expert known as Nameless—was inside. He’d hoped that with this predecessor’s help, his chances of success would skyrocket.

"Master, Divine Spirits are afraid of thunder and lightning. When I helped you refine the Blood-Drinking Mad Saber, I integrated all one hundred and eight Divine Thunder Pearls left by the previous master into the blade. As a result, your Blood-Drinking Mad Saber now possesses a world-destroying aura of thunder."

Hearing this, Long Ao’s heart leaped with joy.

Deeply grateful to Long Fu, Long Ao knew exactly what the one hundred and eight Divine Thunder Pearls represented. They were, after all, treasures left behind by Long Tian and the Ancient Divine Dragon.

The power of the one hundred and eight Divine Thunder Pearls was immense, to say the least.

Taking a deep breath, Long Ao said no more to Long Fu. He immediately left the Dragon Seal Space, his eyes fixed on the entrance before him. He didn’t enter right away, for he was centering himself.

Once he stepped inside, life and death would be out of his hands. God only knew if he would ever come out again.

It was the threshold between life and death.

Long Ao clenched his fists, his face a mask of determination. He kept telling himself, ’This time, no matter what happens, I must succeed. For my clan and my sect, this is a once-in-a-millennium opportunity. If I succeed, the Dragon Sect and the Long Clan will have the chance to stand above the Four Great Forces.’

"I will succeed."

Long Ao finally took the first step. The moment he set foot in the passage, he knew there was no turning back. Gritting his teeth, he quickened his pace and plunged directly into the tunnel, speeding toward the heart of the Tomb of the Gods. In the blink of an eye, he vanished into the passage’s inky blackness.

Night fell. Sinister winds gusted as a gloomy, oppressive haze hung over heaven and earth, so thick it felt hard to breathe.