Chapter 471: Hair-raising

Long Ao?

Everyone was stunned to hear that Long Ao was the one causing trouble for the Cloud Sect.

No one was a stranger to Long Ao. He was the legendary youth who had severely wounded the Four Great Forces, the super genius who had broken away from the Long Clan to establish the Dragon Sect.

Everyone had assumed the Four Great Forces were behind this. When they heard it was actually the Dragon Sect Master, Long Ao, they all sighed inwardly. 'The Cloud Sect is finished.'

No one could understand why the Cloud Sect would provoke Long Ao. Provoking a supreme God of Slaughter who dared to stand alone against the Four Great Forces was simply a death wish.

One can survive a disaster sent by the heavens, but not one of their own making.

No one sympathized with the Cloud Sect. Everyone knew that on this continent where the strong devour the weak and might makes right, one principle held true: the winner takes all.

After killing two of the Cloud Sect's Venerables, Long Ao had already sent word back to the sect.

According to the Snake Emperor, they were supposed to wait at least a year or two before dealing with the various sects and families of Kyushu.

However, the current situation was different.

To prevent future trouble, Long Ao decided to suppress them directly and finish off the Cloud Sect for good.

And so, the Snake Emperor led the Dragon Sect's Corpse Slave Army in a full-scale assault on the Cloud Sect. If their forces had been divided, the Dragon Sect might not have been able to take the Cloud Sect down so quickly. But with the Dragon Sect focusing all its power on the Cloud Sect, the outcome was a foregone conclusion.

The Dragon Sect's Corpse Slave Army entered Yun City and swept into the Cloud Sect. In just a single day, they had completely taken it over.

No one was the least bit surprised by the Dragon Sect's actions.

The Cloud Sect had provoked the Dragon Sect Master, Long Ao. It would have been strange if the Dragon Sect *hadn't* moved to annihilate them.

Though the Snake Emperor led the Corpse Slave Army to occupy the Cloud Sect, he did not disrupt the order within Yun City. He announced to the city's inhabitants that everything would proceed as usual; it was just that from now on, the master of Yun City would be the Dragon Sect, not the Cloud Sect.

The strong are revered, and power reigns supreme.

The people of Yun City didn't really care who the overlord was, as long as their lives improved.

Given the circumstances, the people of Yun City actually preferred the Dragon Sect to become their new overlord. After all, the difference in strength between the Dragon Sect and the Cloud Sect was immense; they weren't even in the same league.

「In a forest not far from Yun City.」

Long Ao was hiding inside a cave, sitting quietly.

For three whole days, he and the Howling Moon Demon Wolf had been playing a game of cat and mouse. It made the Demon Wolf furious, but there was nothing it could do.

Strength.

Long Ao was incredibly frustrated. Right now, what he needed most was strength. Once his Cultivation broke through from the Void Realm Emperor to the Semi-Saint Realm, he wouldn't need Long Qiang's help. His own power would be more than enough to easily obliterate the Howling Moon Demon Wolf.

But he just couldn't seem to take that final step. At his current level of strength, he was still no match for the Howling Moon Demon Wolf.

He had to admit, the Howling Moon Demon Wolf wasn't just powerful; it was also unnervingly calm. If he were facing any other Semi-Saint Martial Artist, he could have seized an opportunity the moment they let their guard down and killed them.

But against the Howling Moon Demon Wolf, Long Ao hadn't been given a single opening.

'Just how am I supposed to deal with this Howling Moon Demon Wolf?'

"Long Ao, I know you're nearby. Heh heh heh... No matter. Let's see how long you can hold out. I'll be inviting a friend over to give you a proper welcome soon. I hope you don't disappoint me... heh heh..."

Hearing the Howling Moon Demon Wolf's voice from nearby, Long Ao concealed his aura and stayed put. 'Go on, worry yourself to death.'

SKITTER, SKITTER, SKITTER, SKITTER...

Just then, Long Ao heard a series of strange sounds coming from outside. Curious, he had just gotten to his feet. Before he could even reach the cave entrance to see what was happening, a shocking scene appeared before him, sending a chill down his spine.

Tens of thousands of fist-sized, dark-red ants were swarming in from all directions. As far as the eye could see, there was no end to them; the sheer number of dark-red ants was overwhelming.

"Heh heh... Long Ao, I've invited the Ant Emperor to entertain you. I do hope you survive."

'The Ant Emperor?'

Of course, Long Ao knew what the sudden appearance of tens of thousands of ants meant.

Cannibal Ants. Individually, they weren't very strong, not even reaching the Innate Realm. But Cannibal Ants were Spirit Beasts that moved in swarms. What's more, Long Ao was shocked to discover that the individual strength of these particular Cannibal Ants had clearly reached the level of One-Line Heaven. One could only imagine the outcome of being swarmed by tens of thousands of creatures equivalent to One-Line Heaven Martial Artists.

Even now, Long Ao couldn't figure out how the Howling Moon Demon Wolf had managed to do this.

Not daring to be the least bit careless, Long Ao knew that in one-on-one combat, he wouldn't have given the Cannibal Ants a second thought. But this situation was completely different.

Long Ao knew full well that even if he could eliminate all the Cannibal Ants here, he would likely die from sheer exhaustion in the process.

The cave's only entrance was blocked. Escape was impossible. That left only one path forward: a head-on clash.

The Blood-Drinking Mad Saber appeared in his hand. Without the slightest hesitation, he slashed out fiercely. The Heaven-Shocking Blade Aura transformed into a torrent of endless flames, firmly sealing the entrance.

Under the Ant Emperor's command, the swarm of Cannibal Ants continued their assault. Even knowing that to advance meant certain death, they threw themselves at the fire like moths to a flame, completely fearless.

Seeing this, Long Ao's expression grew even grimmer.

Not daring to relax for a second, Long Ao knew that if he let the swarm inside, the consequences would be unthinkable.

The Flame Shield held the entrance, but this wasn't a sustainable solution. The Cannibal Ant swarm was simply too vast, and they attacked without fear of death. If this kept up, the entrance would be breached sooner or later.

'What should I do?'

Long Ao wracked his brain for a solution when, suddenly, an image of a certain Spirit Beast flashed through his mind—the nemesis of the Cannibal Ant, the Anteater.

It was said that Cannibal Ants and Anteaters were natural enemies. Whenever they met, it was a fight to the death. If he could find an Anteater, his problem would be solved.

Summoning an Anteater out of thin air would be next to impossible. But now, the situation wasn't quite so difficult.

Long Ao grinned. 'With such good bait right here, it would be a crime not to use it.'

While frantically defending the entrance, Long Ao grabbed several hundred Cannibal Ants and pulled them inside. He killed them one by one, then chopped their corpses in half. Fresh blood instantly stained the entire cave. Long Ao's plan was simple: use the blood of the Cannibal Ants to lure an Anteater.

Anteaters were the natural enemies of Cannibal Ants. The moment one smelled or sensed the aura of a Cannibal Ant, it would rush over immediately, unable to wait even a minute.