Immortal Martial Emperor

Time passed quietly.

Under the gaze of a waiting world, the grand True Dragon War of the Xiahuang Ancient Kingdom finally kicked off.

On this day, the inner city of the Xiahuang Ancient Kingdom adopted a semi-open policy.

Anyone who could pay one hundred thousand Gold Coins could receive a City Entry Token, allowing them to enter the inner city and spectate the entire True Dragon War.

The True Dragon War was held once every hundred years.

This session, however, was a gathering of powerhouses, hailed by the outside world as the strongest True Dragon War in history.

Prodigies had come from every corner of the Xiahuang Ancient Kingdom.

It was even rumored that this True Dragon War held a profound meaning. Anyone who could distinguish themselves would receive a heaven-sent opportunity.

An opportunity far greater than any in the past.

Because of this, the True Dragon War had captured the attention of every powerhouse.

Even some Hermit Powerhouses had emerged, paying close attention to the event. They hoped to find a prodigy powerful enough to inherit their legacy or to recruit into their own factions.

And so, in just three short hours, all three million City Entry Tokens were sold out.

On the black market, the price for a single token was driven up to several million, even tens of millions, of Gold Coins—an astronomical sum.

Despite the influx of over three million spectators, the inner city of the Xiahuang Ancient Kingdom Imperial Capital didn’t feel crowded at all.

After all...

As one of the four main cities of the Southern Border Profound Domain, the Xiahuang Ancient Kingdom Imperial Capital was immense in scale.

"The Golden Spear Guard is maintaining order? Good heavens, this hundred thousand Gold Coins was worth it!"

"You’re lucky, brother. You actually got a token for a hundred thousand. Son of a bitch, I had to pull some strings to buy one from a friend, and it still cost me three million Gold Coins!"

"Three million is nothing! You guys didn’t see it, but that fat guy over there came late. He spent fifty million Gold Coins on the black market just to snatch the last token!"

"My god, fifty million? Isn’t the Xiahuang Ancient Kingdom making a killing?"

"Heh heh, the City Entry Tokens are nothing. The real money is in the betting pools, especially the Imperial Family’s. The total amount wagered has already exceeded three quadrillion Gold Coins!"

"*Hiss*... Three quadrillion? I’m going to place a bet, too!"

The main venue for the True Dragon War was the Royal Duel Arena, located in the eastern part of the inner city and occupying a full tenth of its area.

The arena was magnificent.

It was said that its construction alone took three hundred years.

The entire arena was a single, cohesive structure. Legend had it that the Royal Duel Arena was actually an Eighth-Grade Primordial Weapon, an existence on the level of a National Guardian Divine Artifact.

However...

Since its completion, it had never been activated.

No one knew if this was just a legend...

...or the truth!

Of course, none of that mattered.

Everyone’s attention was focused on who would have the last laugh in this True Dragon War. And when talk turned to the powerful contestants, it inevitably led to the betting odds at the various pools.

Every betting stall was abuzz with activity, a truly lively scene.

The betting was split into various categories: guessing the Ten Great Unparalleled Prodigies, the strongest dark horse, the Unparalleled True Dragon...

Among them, the most popular bets were on the Ten Great Celestial Prodigies and the strongest dark horse.

Although the betting on the Ten Great Unparalleled Prodigies was heated, the rankings hadn’t changed much. The favorite was naturally the former number one Unparalleled Genius, Venerable Xiahuang, followed by Xiahuang Shang, Bai Luoxue, and others.

The names of other former Unparalleled Geniuses like Beitang Yu, Zhu Ling’Er, Long Qingfeng, Xuantian Du, Emperor Xiahuang Wudi, Li Yuancang, and Xiao Shilang also hung high on the leaderboards.

The odds for Venerable Xiahuang and Xiahuang Shang weren’t particularly high.

After all, their strength was undisputed. The total bets placed on those two alone exceeded five hundred trillion Gold Coins.

Of course, top-ranking powerhouses from the Unparalleled True Dragon list, such as Xiahuang Ba and Ling Aotian, were also named.

They were all considered to have a high chance of making it onto the Unparalleled Genius list.

Beyond them, however, there was an unfamiliar name in the Unparalleled Genius category: Hong Yu!

The payout for Hong Yu making the Unparalleled Genius list was 2-to-1. For him to place in the top five, it was 10-to-1, and if he reached the top three, the payout was an impressive 50-to-1.

These odds were considered fair.

After all, Hong Yu had already displayed incredible combat strength. Making it into the top five wasn’t seen as too much of a stretch.

What was truly jaw-dropping were the odds on Hong Yu clinching the number one spot: a staggering 1000-to-1 payout.

However...

Very few people had placed a bet at these odds.

After all, becoming the number one Unparalleled Genius was just too difficult!

Aside from that, in the ’strongest dark horse’ category, Hong Yu also ranked first, with a total of one hundred billion Gold Coins bet on him.

"Who is this Hong Yu? How is he ranked on both lists?" a newcomer asked in confusion.

"You don’t even know who Hong Yu is?"

Someone immediately shot him a surprised look, the kind you give to an out-of-towner. "This Hong Yu is incredible," they explained. "He has the strength to fight for the top five. But as for first place... heh, he definitely has no hope!"

"Fighting for the top five? That’s insane! I’ve never heard of him before!"

"He’s a prodigy who just emerged recently."

"I’ll put some money down too. I’ll bet on him making the top five. As for the top three... heh, no chance!"

"I think so too. Unless you’re an idiot, no one would bet on Hong Yu taking first place!"

The men chuckled and were about to place their bets.

Suddenly, a figure appeared before them. He was completely wrapped in a black cloak, a longsword strapped to his back. His expression was hidden, but his aura was incredibly sharp.

Like an unparalleled Divine Sword.

"Sir, would you like to place a bet?" the stall manager asked with a smile.

The mysterious man nodded and said coolly, "I’ll bet on this. One billion."

He then tossed gold notes worth one billion onto the spot for Hong Yu to take first place.

"*Hiss!*"

A wave of sharp gasps swept through the crowd.

"Is this guy an idiot? He’s actually betting on Hong Yu to become the number one Unparalleled Genius?"

"Shut your mouth! I recognize him..."

"Hm?"

"I was on the same ship as him," someone explained cautiously in a low voice. "Along the way, a Tier Six Sea Beast attacked our cargo ship. This man killed it with a single slash of his sword! I reckon with his combat power, he’s qualified to fight for the title of Unparalleled Genius himself!"

The black-robed man ignored the crowd’s chatter. He slowly turned to look at the massive, magnificent Royal Duel Arena ahead.

Under the cloak, the corners of his lips curved into a strange smile. ’Hong Yu, it’s been many years. I hope you don’t disappoint me.’

The black-robed man was about to leave.

Just then...

Another person walked over.

This man wore a green robe, his demeanor cold and arrogant, his face expressionless. He raised a hand and tossed out ten billion Gold Coins, betting on Hong Yu to place in the top three.

Another wave of gasps erupted, and even the man in black gave the youth a deep look.

The youth seemed to sense it and glanced back at him.

The mysterious, sword-bearing man said teasingly, "Brother, you think so highly of Hong Yu too? Then why not bet on him to take first?"

The youth replied coolly, "First place? That’s mine."

With that, the youth turned and left.

The mysterious man was taken aback for a moment, then a playful smile spread across his face. ’Tsk tsk, what confidence. Looks like we’re in for another good show!’

In the sea of people, this was merely a small interlude.

Everyone soon returned to placing bets or discussing who would have the last laugh. Another three hours passed like this.

DONG! DONG! DONG!

Three deep, powerful chimes of a bell rang out.

The bustling inner city instantly fell silent.

"There are thirty minutes remaining until the start of the True Dragon War. Please proceed to the Royal Duel Arena immediately. Latecomers will forfeit their right to spectate."

The powerful voice carried an unparalleled authority.

Like a divine decree from the Nine Heavens Celestial Court, it stirred the silent crowd back into motion. Everyone scrambled towards the Royal Duel Arena.

The three million people who had entered with City Entry Tokens were all in the outermost ring.

The central million seats were reserved for the powerhouses who had come from various factions. These million individuals either had extremely powerful backgrounds or possessed immense strength; none could be easily provoked.

The number of seats in the innermost ring dropped sharply to just one hundred thousand.

These were reserved for the Imperial Family, invited Hermit Powerhouses, and the top masters from the major Kingdoms.

Not a single seat was empty!

The powerhouses of the Imperial Family alone numbered over one hundred thousand, their sheer presence a mighty force that suppressed the entire area.

At the very center was a row of ten seats, forged entirely from pure Gold.

They were brilliant and domineering, solemn and majestic.

RUMBLE!

The sound of Thunder suddenly echoed from the heavens.

Three flying dragons wreathed in powerful Thunder descended from the sky. These were true dragons—three pure Purple Cloud Thunder Dragons.

Each Purple Cloud Thunder Dragon was a Tier Seven Level beast, comparable to a human powerhouse in the Yin Yang Realm.

They were the National Guardian Divine Beasts of the Xiahuang Ancient Kingdom!

Behind the three Purple Cloud Thunder Dragons, a golden Chariot thundered into view. Seated upon it was a middle-aged man in a Dragon Robe.

His presence was majestic and domineering. His sweeping gaze could pierce the void, like a powerful attack launched by the Deities themselves.

He was the number one man in the Xiahuang Ancient Kingdom.

The current Emperor of the Xiahuang Ancient Kingdom—Celestial Venerable Xiahuang!

VMMMM!

As Celestial Venerable Xiahuang arrived, the millions of powerhouses in the arena rose to their feet in respectful welcome.

Celestial Venerable Xiahuang strode through the air. The three Purple Cloud Thunder Dragons shrank down and perched on his shoulders as he slowly flew to his seat.

Immediately after, nine other powerful figures arrived.

They were the strongest existences in the Xiahuang Ancient Kingdom’s Imperial Family—the nine National Guardian Princes!

Each one possessed the combat power of the Peak of Yin Yang Realm!

The ten powerhouses took their seats. Their combined might was immense, like nine Deities circling a supreme being. Their overwhelming momentum and boundless lifeblood shot into the sky, blasting away the swirling dark clouds to reveal the fiery sun.

"Your Majesty, all preparations are complete!"

One of the powerhouses bowed in mid-air and reported to Celestial Venerable Xiahuang.

Celestial Venerable Xiahuang nodded. With a casual wave of his hand, a ray of rosy light shot into the sky. It was an imperial edict.

The edict unfurled in the air, revealing a line of domineering, small characters that drifted down.

Each character seemed to contain an entire world.

A single glance was enough to draw one’s soul in, an inescapable power. A vast, ancient voice, like Thunder, echoed through the nine heavens...

"By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees..."

"Today is a day of prosperity for Our Xiahuang Ancient Kingdom! In response to the call of Heaven and Earth, the prodigies have gathered..."

"We, in accordance with Heaven’s will, hereby declare the True Dragon War... officially open!"

Celestial Venerable Xiahuang slowly stood up, bathed in golden light. He pressed down with his palm, and the sky seemed to collapse. The void shattered, and a humanoid figure exuding an ancient, extremely powerful aura slowly walked out from the rift...

"Let us welcome... the True Dragon War God!"

[I had a family emergency today, so this is late. I promise I will get all three Chapters out!]