"Master, quickly use the Soul-Searching Technique I taught you! Send his soul to me."
Hearing Long Fu's telepathic message, Long Ao didn't dare hesitate. He immediately went to Black Ghost's side, placed his five fingers on the crown of the man's head, and began the Soul Search.
According to Long Fu, he could help him with the Refinement of the soul, converting it into the purest form of power for his own absorption.
Long Ao was quite frustrated with his Desolate Sacred Body. Although this physique allowed for rapid Cultivation, the amount of power it needed to absorb was immense. He believed that without Long Fu's help, he might not even advance a single Tier in ten years.
The Desolate Sacred Body was both the ultimate Cultivated Sacred Body and the ultimate Cultivated Wasted Body.
'Having a physique like the Desolate Sacred Body... I don't know if I'm lucky or cursed.'
The Soul Search was a success.
"Master, I will help you refine the soul and convert it into power. Your body will then absorb it automatically."
Long Ao didn't answer. He had noticed something bulging in Black Ghost's robes. 'Why was Black Ghost wanted by Thundercloud City anyway?'
Thundercloud City hadn't given many details about why they wanted him. 'Could there be something shady going on?'
Curious, Long Ao searched Black Ghost's body thoroughly. Aside from a few Gold Cards with large denominations, he found only a small, pure-black bead the size of an eyeball, radiating immense power.
'A Beast Pill?'
'A Beast Pill... Only a Spirit Beast of the Seventh Level or higher can form one. What's more, a Martial Artist can absorb it to increase their strength. It's easy to imagine how valuable a Beast Pill is. Could Thundercloud City have put out a warrant for this man because of this Beast Pill?'
Long Ao certainly didn't believe Thundercloud City would issue a warrant for an Inner Strength Eighth Heaven Martial Artist over a few Gold Cards.
"That's strange. I clearly saw Black Ghost head in this direction. Where did he go?"
"Young Master, look over there!"
Just then, the sound of rapid footsteps and shouting came from nearby. Long Ao remained perfectly calm. He slipped the Beast Pill into his robes, his expression as tranquil as still water, showing no sign that anything was amiss.
A moment later, six people hurried over. The young man leading them had a weasel-like face and bulging eyes. He walked up to Black Ghost's body and stared at the breathless corpse, looking somewhat surprised.
"Long Ao, did you kill Black Ghost?"
Yang Bujue, a genius disciple of the Yang Family, had reached the Inner Strength Seventh Heaven at a young age. However, he was an incredibly insidious person and Long Ao's mortal enemy, all because Long Ao had given him a harsh beating ten years ago.
For that humiliation ten years ago, Yang Bujue had constantly been looking for a chance to get his revenge, but Long Ao had never given him the opportunity.
"No."
"No? If you didn't kill him, then tell me, how did Black Ghost die?"
"Why should I tell you? That's ridiculous. What the hell does Black Ghost's death have to do with you?"
"Hahaha! Such a sharp tongue for such an arrogant piece of trash." As if he had heard the most ridiculous thing in the world, Yang Bujue burst out laughing, his voice dripping with contempt.
"Long Ao, do you remember what happened ten years ago?"
"What if I do?"
"Good. It's good that you remember. Today, I will avenge that humiliation. But Long Ao, don't say I'm bullying you. I'll give you one chance. If you kneel and kowtow to me three times, I might be magnanimous and let you go. Otherwise, I'll be sure to give you a taste of what a real beating feels like."
"Screw you." Long Ao's fists clenched, his heart burning with rage. This Yang Bujue had caused him no end of trouble over the past decade. If he hadn't been so cautious, who knows what might have happened.
'Revenge? We'll see who's beating whom. Now that my Cultivation has broken through to the Inner Strength Seventh Heaven, I have no reason to fear Yang Bujue.'
"Yang Bujue, you dare humiliate my fiancé? I'll snap your neck!"
Just as tensions between the two sides reached a boiling point, a voice boomed like a thunderclap, and a massive figure appeared at Long Ao's side.
She stood five feet seven, with a body so bloated her features were indistinct. Her disheveled hair gave her the look of a Frenzied Lion. The sudden appearance of this young woman left both Yang Bujue and Long Ao utterly stunned.
"Wang Yuyin, this is a personal grudge between me and Long Ao. What right do you have to interfere?"
Wang Yuyin was the granddaughter of the Wang Family Master. She was also the number one genius of the Wang Family, and indeed, all of Red Fire Town. At only twenty, she had already reached the Peak of Inner Strength Ninth Heaven and was the disciple with the greatest hope of breaking through to the Inner Strength Tenth Heaven.
Wang Yuyin loathed evil and was known for righting injustices. Her appearance and physique were just a bit intimidating, but anyone in Red Fire Town who mentioned the Wang Family's genius would give a thumbs-up in praise.
"What right?"
Wang Yuyin sneered, her face filled with scorn. She spoke with overbearing authority, "Yang Bujue, you impotent little prick, you listen to me. Long Ao is my fiancé. If you so much as lay a finger on him, I'll make sure you really *can't get it up*. Don't believe me? Just you try."
"You..." Hearing such a vicious insult, Yang Bujue was so furious he nearly passed out. But he could only swallow his anger. Everyone knew her strength and her temperament. If he really provoked her and she beat him into actual impotence, who could he possibly complain to?
"Fine. So this is Long Ao. All this time, I thought you were a real man, but now I see you're nothing but trash who hides behind a woman. Long Ao, you'd better hide behind her for the rest of your life. Otherwise, sooner or later, I'll make you regret you were ever born a man."
Glaring fiercely at the pair before him, Yang Bujue prepared to leave. But at that moment, countless Human Shadows shot in from all directions. In the blink of an eye, all the members of Red Fire Town's Four Great Clans—the Yang Family, the Wang Family, the Long Family, and the Nangong Family—had arrived.
After a glance at the corpse on the ground, everyone looked bewildered. The Yang Family Master, Yang Guantian, spoke up. "Bujue, who killed Black Ghost?"
"Grandfather, I don't know. Black Ghost was already dead when I arrived. However, Long Ao was the only one here."
Long Ao?
Hearing Yang Bujue's words, all eyes turned to Long Ao. However, no one believed that this piece of trash from the Long Family could possibly have killed Black Ghost.
"Ao'er, what exactly happened here?"
Without waiting for anyone else to ask, Long Haoshi questioned him first.
"Grandfather, I was ordered to stand guard here. I was dozing off when this man came stumbling over. Before I could even react, he collapsed to the ground. I don't know if he's dead or alive."
Huh?
Everyone was utterly dumbfounded by Long Ao's explanation. 'His luck is *that* good?' The members of the other three great clans were clearly skeptical. A few of them stepped forward and began to carefully examine the body.
Yang Guantian snorted. "Long Ao, let me ask you, where are the Gold Cards and the Innate Beast Pill that were on Black Ghost's body?"