Longhu Mountain, halfway up the mountain, in a patch of woods.
Long Qisheng's clothes were tattered, his hair a mess like a bird's nest, the ghost mask on his face gone, and half of his face swollen like a steamed bun.
Daoist Tianlong had shown mercy, not killing Long Qisheng, but instead, with a final slap, sent him tumbling down the cliff.
Long Qisheng, relying on his formidable martial arts prowess, had survived, but he was utterly disheveled.
The scorching sun, piercing through the gaps in the trees, illuminated Long Qisheng's swollen face. His expression was incredibly complex, filled with shock, lingering fear, and indignation.
Shock, because he had never dreamed that Daoist Tianlong had hidden his strength so deeply, with one foot already stepping into the legendary Celestial God realm!
The reason for his judgment was that the sea of Zhenqi, evolved by Daoist Tianlong, had trapped him, rendering him immobile.
This was the legendary Domain!
And a cultivator possessing a Domain was one of the crucial markers of entering the Celestial God realm!
Long Qisheng could not be certain how truly powerful Daoist Tianlong was, but he felt that even Zhuge Lingjun, hailed as peerless in this era, might not be able to defeat Daoist Tianlong.
Furthermore, Daoist Tianlong was far more formidable than he had imagined, utterly disregarding his status and showing no fear of imperial power. Had he not begged for mercy in time, he would have reported to the King of Hell by now!
This sent shivers down his spine!
At the same time, he felt a sense of utter frustration!
He was the leader of the Dragon Country's Imperial Guards, the younger brother of Elder Long Qisheng. Whether in the court or among martial artists, people treated him with utmost respect. Yet today, he had been utterly thrashed and humiliated by Daoist Tianlong, slapped down Longhu Mountain. His inner pride and dignity were thoroughly trampled, and even his martial will had been significantly affected!
Long Qisheng rested in the woods for a while. Once his emotions had stabilized somewhat, he took out a satellite phone to contact his brother, Long Shengzhe.
"How did the matter go?"
The call was answered quickly. Long Shengzhe, from within the Red Wall compound, spoke first.
"It failed."
Long Qisheng replied dejectedly.
"Oh? What are the specifics?"
Long Shengzhe raised an eyebrow upon hearing this and then inquired about the process and details.
"Upon arriving at Longhu Mountain..."
Long Qisheng, his face grim, recounted everything that had transpired since his arrival at Longhu Mountain to Long Shengzhe.
"Daoist Tianlong actually took that step!"
Long Shengzhe was immensely shocked upon learning that his younger brother had been utterly thrashed by Daoist Tianlong.
Yes.
Even as a Grand Elder, who had long cultivated a strong heart and kept his emotions hidden, he was still astonished by this news!
After all, the Celestial God realm was a legendary realm. Throughout history, there had been no definitive news to confirm that anyone had ever reached that level!
Even Zhuge Lingjun, considered peerless in this era, had only one foot in that realm!
"He should have only taken one step into the Celestial God realm, but in this world, perhaps not even Zhuge Lingjun is his match. This is also the basis of his formidable power!"
Long Qisheng stated his judgment.
There were several characteristics of a martial artist cultivating to the Celestial God realm, and possessing a Domain was just one of them.
This time, Long Shengzhe remained silent. He recalled the message Daoist Tianlong had asked Long Qisheng to convey: "The nameless cannot be bullied, and the Daoist gate cannot be insulted!"
"What do we do next?"
Seeing Long Shengzhe's silence, Long Qisheng spoke again.
"Since that Jiang Wuming is unwilling to see you, and Daoist Tianlong has injured you, you cannot go to Longhu Mountain again. Leave this matter to me. I will handle it," Long Shengzhe said after some thought.
"Alright."
Long Qisheng desperately wanted to know how Long Shengzhe would handle it, but he didn't ask. He simply replied with an "alright" and then hung up the phone, leaving the woods.
Due to his swollen face and tattered clothes, Long Qisheng did not return to the Longhu Mountain scenic parking lot to take the armed helicopter. He did not wish for his injured and disheveled appearance to be seen by a third party!
This was his last shred of dignity!
...
Martial Department Headquarters.
Qi Wufu dialed Daoist Tianlong's number.
Before this, he had made three consecutive calls, but Daoist Tianlong had not answered.
"You finally picked up. If you hadn't, I would have worried you were taken down by Long Qisheng."
Qi Wufu spoke first, secretly breathing a sigh of relief.
As the Marshal of the Martial Department, he was one of the most well-informed individuals in the entire Dragon Country.
He had learned of Long Qisheng's movements immediately, knowing that Long Qisheng had taken an armed helicopter to Longhu Mountain.
This was also why he was calling Daoist Tianlong.
He wanted to know the outcome of Long Qisheng's trip to Longhu Mountain!
Upon hearing Qi Wufu's words, Daoist Tianlong on the other end of the line remained silent.
"Did you see Long Qisheng? Was he as overbearing and arrogant as usual, trying to force Wuming to fight the extraterrestrial martial arts prodigy?" Qi Wufu asked again.
Daoist Tianlong said faintly, "Wuming was unwilling to see him, so I slapped him down the mountain."
"—"
Qi Wufu.
Although when he had deduced that Long Qisheng was going to Longhu Mountain, he had been filled with anticipation—hoping Daoist Tianlong would teach Long Qisheng a lesson!
However, when he heard Daoist Tianlong's casually spoken words and learned that Long Qisheng had been slapped down the mountain, he was still deeply shocked!
After all, he had personally sparred with Long Qisheng and knew just how powerful he was!
"It seems you are more powerful than I imagined. I wonder if you can withstand Zhuge's blade?"
After a period of silence, Qi Wufu gave a wry smile and asked with some curiosity.
"You asked my disciple to risk his life for you and the Martial Department, yet you failed to protect him. You should reflect on yourself. Long Shengzhe will likely come looking for you next. If you represent him coming to Longhu Mountain, do not blame me for being impolite!"
Daoist Tianlong did not answer Qi Wufu's question but instead issued a warning.
"You know, my position carries too many constraints and responsibilities. Moreover, Long Qisheng has suddenly reached the threshold of the Celestial God realm, leaving me with no options. Of course, these are not excuses for failing to protect Wuming. Rest assured, whether now or in the future, I will firmly support Wuming!" Qi Wufu said with a complex tone.
This time, Daoist Tianlong did not speak and directly hung up the phone. Da Feng Novel Network.
"Old friend, sometimes, I truly envy you."
Qi Wufu listened to the dial tone from the receiver, a look of envy on his face.
Daoist Tianlong, hidden from the world, stood at the pinnacle of global martial arts, fearing no one and no force. With an exceptionally outstanding disciple, how fortunate was that?
An hour later.
Daoist Tianlong's prediction came true.
Grand Elder Long Shengzhe arrived at Qi Wufu's office.
"Welcome, Grand Elder. You honor my humble abode."
Qi Wufu sat at his desk, looking at Long Shengzhe with a sarcastic expression.
On that day, he had wanted to seek out Long Shengzhe to resolve the matter of Jiang Wuming, but he had been turned away. He had been harboring a great deal of resentment.
Now, Long Shengzhe had arrived uninvited. He knew the other party was aware of Long Qisheng's situation and was coming to back down, but he still did not offer a pleasant greeting.
"Wufu, I know you have opinions on certain matters, but our identities are special. Every action we take affects this country. We must prioritize the greater good," Long Shengzhe said, frowning.
"Heh heh, then tell me, how is targeting Wuming prioritizing the greater good?" Qi Wufu's sarcastic smile did not diminish.
"Jiang Wuming's martial arts talent is unparalleled globally, not inferior even to extraterrestrial martial arts prodigies. Furthermore, he is Jiang Zhan's son and has achieved significant military exploits. He is indeed an excellent candidate to be the future Marshal of the Martial Department. Therefore, when I saw your intention to have him succeed you in the future, I supported it."
Long Shengzhe paused here and continued, "However, his behavior is arrogant, and his sense of rules is weak. If these flaws are not corrected, he will cause problems when he leads the Martial Department in the future."
"Don't spout these high-sounding principles to me. Ultimately, it's simply because Wuming was disrespectful and disloyal to you that you hold a grudge and want to put him in his place," Qi Wufu directly tore off Long Shengzhe's hypocritical mask.
"If you insist on thinking so, then I have nothing more to say."
Upon hearing this, Long Shengzhe's frown deepened, and he then changed the subject:
"I am not here to debate with you today. I want you to prioritize the greater good and personally go to Longhu Mountain to invite Jiang Wuming to fight. This is not an order, but a request from me and all the people of Dragon Country!"
"Heh... Long Shengzhe, your attempts to use power to suppress people didn't work, and now you're resorting to moral blackmail?"
Qi Wufu taunted unceremoniously, "My stance is clear: I will absolutely not go to Longhu Mountain! Moreover, I told Long Qisheng – the one who tied the bell must untie it. Bowing your head and admitting your mistake is your only option!"
Hearing Qi Wufu's resolute words, Long Shengzhe fell silent again, his frown deepening.
"Ding—"
At that moment, the ringing of a telephone broke the silence in the office.
Qi Wufu glanced at the caller ID and saw it was Qin Yuanzheng of the Eastern Region Army. He answered it in front of Long Shengzhe.
"Reporting, Marshal. The East Sea Branch just reported that extraterrestrial enemies have appeared again in the training grounds of the East Sea Martial Academy. There are three in total, the strongest being a three-star War God. However, this time, they are not here to invade but to scout ahead for a match in four days—the extraterrestrial enemies intend to set the location of the match at the East Sea Martial Academy training grounds. Elder Zhou Hetu already knows about this and is en route to the East Sea Martial Academy," Qin Yuanzheng reported.
"Since they are scouting ahead, do not engage them for now. Keep an eye on them and ensure they do not leave the East Sea Martial Academy training grounds. I will also be heading there today!"
Qi Wufu thought for a moment and made arrangements.
After the battle at the East Sea Martial Academy, the Martial Department adjusted its combat plans, stationing powerful individuals in each military region.
The one stationed with the Eastern Region Army was the five-star War God, Zhou Hetu.
"Yes!"
Qin Yuanzheng received the order.
"Long Shengzhe, you must have heard just now. The extraterrestrial enemies have set the location for the match at the East Sea Martial Academy training grounds and sent a three-star War God as a scout. All of this proves that they are taking this upcoming martial arts challenge very seriously. If we lose, or if no one dares to answer the challenge, the consequences will be unthinkable."
Qi Wufu hung up the phone, his expressionless face looking at Long Shengzhe, and said word by word, "You keep talking about prioritizing the greater good, yet you refuse to face the problem directly and solve it. Be careful not to cause a great disaster and become a sinner of the Dragon Country!"
"I will personally go to Longhu Mountain to invite him to fight!"
Upon hearing this, Long Shengzhe's heart trembled. He gritted his teeth and made a decision.
He chose to bow to the youth!
...