Chapter 458: To Err is Human

Chapter 458: Chapter 458: To Err is Human

"Brother Dugu, if there’s something on your mind, just say it. There’s no need for this."

Long Ao considered Dugu Bai a true brother. Otherwise, he never would have stormed Piaomiao Palace alone for Dugu Bai’s sake.

Dugu Bai hesitated, seemingly struggling to find the words.

The more Dugu Bai acted like this, the more curious Long Ao became, wondering what the matter was.

"Brother Dugu, just say what’s on your mind."

Gritting his teeth, Dugu Bai said with a sigh of resignation, "Brother Long, Snake Princess’s older brother, the Snake Emperor, was kicked out of Piaomiao Palace. He was left with nowhere to go and was almost killed. Snake Princess and I saved him."

It was common knowledge that Long Ao had caused a huge disturbance at Piaomiao Palace and crippled the cultivation of its Palace Master, the Snake Emperor.

Not only that, but the Snake Emperor was then expelled from Piaomiao Palace. This led many to curse Piaomiao Palace for being disloyal. After all, the Snake Emperor had served Piaomiao Palace with all his heart, only to be unceremoniously kicked out.

"Doesn’t the Snake Emperor hate me?"

"He hates you, but he’s powerless to do anything about it."

Dugu Bai wasn’t lying in the slightest. He didn’t want to deceive Long Ao; that’s what being brothers was all about.

"Brother Dugu, no more needs to be said between brothers. I welcome him."

Looking at Long Ao, it would be a lie to say Dugu Bai wasn’t moved. But he didn’t say anything. The bond of brotherhood was understood without words.

The Snake Emperor was already a cripple and would never be able to continue his cultivation in this lifetime. Otherwise, even without Long Ao’s objection, Dugu Bai himself would have never agreed. He would never place a danger next to his brother.

Hearing that Long Ao wouldn’t hold a grudge, the Snake Emperor also seemed somewhat surprised.

「Snake Princess’s quarters.」

"Ji, do you hate me?"

Shaking her head, Snake Princess smiled and said, "I don’t hate you. In this world, you’re the only family I have. I believe that what you did before was because you were blinded by greed. That’s all in the past now."

After everything that had happened, the Snake Emperor seemed like a changed man.

"If you’re willing to join the Dragon Sect, you can become an Elder. And I have a way to restore your Dantian. How about it?"

Hearing this, the Snake Emperor’s body trembled violently. He was thrilled, but more than that, he was in disbelief.

Staring at the young man who had suddenly appeared before him, the Snake Emperor swallowed hard and asked excitedly, "Can you really restore my Dantian?"

Seeing Long Ao nod, the Snake Emperor certainly wasn’t going to miss this opportunity. He agreed without hesitation, "No problem. As long as you can restore my Dantian, I’ll join the Dragon Sect. I don’t care about my position."

Ever since Long Ao crippled his Dantian and he was expelled from Piaomiao Palace, the Snake Emperor felt as if he had fallen from the heavens to the bottom of a ravine. The pain was immense.

In this dog-eat-dog world, you couldn’t survive without strength. That was the rule.

Because of this, the Snake Emperor was desperate to regain his strength. He didn’t want to live the rest of his life like this. A world without strength was one of complete Darkness, a life worse than death.

Nodding, Long Ao chuckled inwardly.

It turned out that Long Ao had never truly destroyed the Snake Emperor’s Dantian. He had held back at the time, though he had no idea if his plan would actually work.

’But regardless, Snake Princess and Brother Dugu are deeply in love, and the Snake Emperor is her brother. If I had truly destroyed his Dantian, even if they didn’t blame me... could I really live with myself?’

It was for this very reason that Long Ao had taken a gamble. As it turned out, his gamble had paid off.

Neither Snake Princess nor the Snake Emperor were fools, and Dugu Bai was no different. The three of them understood clearly that Long Ao’s actions were well-intentioned.

In just half an hour, Long Ao had helped the Snake Emperor restore his Dantian, and his strength was instantly recovered.

’The Snake Emperor himself is a Realm Emperor Peak Martial Artist. If he could just take one more step and break through to the Semi-Saint Realm, wouldn’t the Sect gain another Semi-Saint Martial Artist?’

’However, my Soul Power is completely depleted. Trying to use the Dragon Seal Space to forge a Semi-Saint Martial Artist seems a bit unrealistic right now.’

「Deep in the night, a cold wind howled.」

"For Dugu Bai and Snake Princess to have a friend and brother like you is more than enough for one lifetime."

Long Ao smiled and said, "From now on, we’re all on the same side. No need to be so formal."

"Long Ao, I truly admire you. I’ve heard all about your deeds. From ancient times to the present day, you are the number one person in Kyushu. I can guarantee that if you continue to develop at this pace, your future will be limitless. You might even be able to enter the Long Clan for further training. At that point, you will have truly soared to the heavens."

Long Ao just smiled and said nothing.

’Even if I enter the Long Clan one day, I’ll never become one of their disciples. In my heart, there’s only one Long Family—my own.’

At that moment, Long Ao even dropped any other designation and referred to his family directly as the Long Family. He had already decided that no matter what happened in the future, he would lead his Long Family to stand above the Long Clan and become the new master of Dragon Valley.

"Long Ao, forgive me, but I cannot tell you anything about Piaomiao Palace. Though the Sect wronged me, I cannot in turn be disloyal to it. I hope you can understand."

"I understand completely. If you had told me, I would have looked down on you instead."

From beginning to end, Long Ao had never asked. Just as he said, even if the Snake Emperor had tried to tell him, he wouldn’t have listened. He didn’t want to despise the Snake Emperor. Fortunately, the Snake Emperor was a man of loyalty and integrity, even if he had gone a bit too far in how he treated his sister.

But to err is human. It’s not a big deal to make a mistake once. The most frightening thing is to make mistakes constantly and be beyond redemption.

"Long Ao, if I’m not mistaken, the recent abnormalities around the Dragon Sect... are the Four Great Forces preparing a large-scale attack?"

Since things had already reached this point, Long Ao certainly wasn’t going to hide it anymore. He explained everything that had happened in detail. After listening, the Snake Emperor was first surprised, then his expression grew increasingly grave.

Nodding, the Snake Emperor said, "This time, three of the great forces lost three Semi-Saints. If nothing unexpected happens, the next to come will surely be Saints. But you don’t need to worry too much. The Four Great Forces are constantly engaged in open and secret struggles. None of them submits to the others, and they all want to eliminate each other. Since three of the great forces lost a Semi-Saint this time, Piaomiao Palace definitely won’t make a move so easily. If that’s the case, the alliance between the Four Great Forces will collapse."

A flicker of joy sparked in Long Ao’s heart. He knew very well that the Snake Emperor understood Piaomiao Palace far better than he did. After all, the Snake Emperor had occupied the seat of Palace Master for a very long time, and if not for him, would have likely held it for much longer. Because of this, his analysis couldn’t be far from the truth.

As long as internal strife broke out among the Four Great Forces, he would have an opportunity to exploit.