Immortal Martial Emperor

The Nine Feather Flying Knives streaked toward him.

He glanced down at his Life and Death Wheel, which lay split in two on the ground like a pile of scrap metal. Horror and bewilderment filled Prince Zhui Ri’s eyes.

All this time...

Whether in the Wind Chasing Kingdom or throughout the entire Southern Ten Nations, he, Prince Zhui Ri, had always been the undisputed number one Spiritual Power Cultivator.

’The strongest talent!’

’The greatest strength!’

’His legacy, the Great Sun Celestial Scripture, was also the strongest!’

Aside from Yao Yueye, a First-Transformation Heavenly True Dragon Genius, he had never met a worthy opponent. Even fellow True Dragon Geniuses like Ling Bingxin and Ziyan Wuhen were nothing more than fleeting passersby in his eyes, mere stepping stones on his path to fame.

But now...

He had actually been defeated. And by someone he had always looked down on.

What he found most unbelievable was that he hadn’t lost in a contest of Martial Arts Cultivation, but in the one area where he was supposedly supreme: Spiritual Power.

The blow was even more difficult for him to accept than his defeat to Yao Yueye in three moves during the last True Dragon ranking competition.

"How could this be? How? How could I possibly lose to him? I’m the strongest Spiritual Power Cultivator in the Southern Ten Nations! How could I possibly be defeated by him?"

Muttering to himself in disbelief, Prince Zhui Ri’s expression grew increasingly twisted and monstrous.

His features contorted, bunching together in a grotesque mask.

He snapped his head up, his blood-red eyes filled with hysterical madness. While backing away to evade the assault of the Nine Feather Flying Knives, he bit his index finger and used the blood from the tip to form a bizarre Rune.

Once the Rune took shape, he slammed it onto his forehead.

A vast and solemn voice boomed out, "With my blood, I offer my spirit! Great Sun Buddha, extinguish ten thousand generations!"

BOOM!

A colossal phantom of the Great Sun Buddha materialized behind Prince Zhui Ri.

The true form of the Tathagata was solemn and majestic.

Its palm suddenly thrust outward. A swastika-shaped Buddha Seal pulsed in its center, fully forming before it slammed down toward the Nine Feather Flying Knives.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The forward charge of the Nine Feather Flying Knives was brought to a dead halt, as if blocked by an invisible force.

With each collision, sharp bursts of energy scattered in all directions.

The energy fell into the Illusionary Forest below, erupting in waves of scorching heat that blasted deep, ugly craters into the ground.

Hong Yu’s brows furrowed slightly. ’What a Great Sun Buddha. The power of this swastika Buddha Seal is terrifying. I doubt even the Nine Elements Separation and Reunion could withstand it. It seems my only option is to try the Eighteen Celestial Dragons!’

The Eighteen Celestial Dragons was the technique from the Third Layer Realm of the Flying Thunder Divine Skill.

It involved simultaneously manipulating eighteen attacks, condensing them into one. Its power was comparable to tripling the might of the Nine Elements Separation and Reunion!

BZZZT! BZZZT! BZZZT!

Another nine Flying Sabers materialized, circling around Hong Yu. Their vibrations hummed with a heart-stopping sharpness.

While these nine Flying Sabers weren’t on par with the Nine Feather Flying Knives, they were still Spirit-level Extreme Primordial Weapons, forged from precious materials Hong Yu had found in Old Sir Tie’s treasury.

Together with the Nine Feather Flying Knives, a total of eighteen Flying Sabers now hung in the air.

"Eighteen into one! Dragon Slaying Slash!"

Hong Yu roared.

VMMMM!

The eighteen spinning Flying Sabers shot toward a central point. As they linked together, a torrent of Spiritual Power poured into them, converging to form a Spiritual Slaughter Saber that was fifteen or sixteen meters long.

Spiritual light flowed and swirled across the blade of the Slaughter Saber.

Strange Spiritual Power Runes spiraled around it, emitting an unbelievably sinister aura.

SHIIING!

The Spiritual Slaughter Saber shot high into the air. It condensed a sharp aura around its edge before leaping into motion, slashing down toward the Great Sun Buddha with a deafening boom.

"Tathagata Hand Seal!"

Prince Zhui Ri also let out a hysterical roar, but it was choked with blood and fragments of his internal organs.

Clearly, the burden of using this Great Sun Buddha technique—which was tantamount to a Forbidden Technique—was terrifyingly immense!

"We’re finished! His Highness was actually forced to use the Great Sun Buddha?"

"It doesn’t matter if His Highness wins or loses now. We’re all screwed either way."

"His Highness isn’t strong enough to use the Great Sun Buddha yet. After this battle, he’ll be crippled, if not dead. When that happens, if the Royal Family holds us responsible..."

The seven guards exchanged glances, each seeing the horror and despair in the others’ eyes.

"Screw it! Let’s help His Highness kill Hong Yu first!"

"This is all his fault! Kill him!"

The seven guards drew their weapons and charged at Hong Yu.

With Prince Zhui Ri’s attack from above and the seven guards charging from below, Hong Yu felt immense pressure.

’Dammit, I’m going all in!’

A moment of crisis was a test of who was more ruthless and decisive!

Hong Yu gritted his teeth. The Star River in his left eye spun rapidly as an ocean of Spiritual Power surged into the eighteen Flying Sabers. The spiritual blade of the Dragon Slaying Slash swelled to a full thirty meters.

Naturally, its power also reached the Peak Realm.

BOOM!

The Dragon Slaying Slash came crashing down.

It shattered the Great Sun Buddha’s Buddha Palm. But as the palm crumbled, the blade did not continue on toward Prince Zhui Ri.

The moment the Buddha Palm shattered, Hong Yu willed the Dragon Slaying Slash to split apart.

The Nine Feather Flying Knives changed direction. PFFT! PFFT! PFFT! Seven sounds of flesh being pierced rang out. The guards clearly hadn’t expected Hong Yu to be able to spare the attention to deal with them in the middle of all this.

Under the assault of the Nine Feather Flying Knives, they all exploded into gore and were sent to the Yellow Springs.

As for the other nine Flying Sabers, they struck Prince Zhui Ri’s body with unerring accuracy.

However...

Just as they were about to kill Prince Zhui Ri, a burst of fiery red light erupted from his body. A phantom of a Three-legged Fiery Firebird shot out from within him, enveloping him completely.

Upon contact with the firebird phantom, the nine Flying Sabers—all formidable Spirit-level Extreme Primordial Weapons—melted into puddles of molten iron with a sizzle.

Meanwhile, the weakened Prince Zhui Ri, still wrapped in the firebird phantom, slowly descended to the ground.

Hong Yu’s eyes narrowed, his expression turning grim. ’Zhui Ri has a strand of True Martial Arts Intent from a Primordial Core Realm powerhouse inside his body?’

Once a cultivator reached the Primordial Core Realm, they could separate a sliver of their True Martial Arts Intent. They could either brand it onto a Primordial Weapon or implant it within another person’s body. In a moment of crisis, it could erupt to protect its host or even help them kill a powerful enemy.

It was just like that strange power that had erupted from within Hong Yu’s own body during his fight with Lord Owl!

Except, in his case, it had been a much higher-level and more powerful Mystical Technique of the Martial Arts!

’But even if this is just the True Martial Arts Intent of a Primordial Core Realm expert, it won’t be easy to deal with...’

"What audacious brat dares to harm the grandson of I, the Zhui Yang Ancestor?" a domineering and arrogant voice boomed from the beak of the Three-legged Fiery Firebird.

’Zhui Yang Ancestor? The Supreme Elder of the Wind Chasing Sect? A Half-step Primordial Embryo Realm powerhouse?’

Hong Yu’s heart skipped a beat.

The Zhui Yang Ancestor’s name was legendary throughout the Southern Ten Nations. He was an existence on the same level as Yuan Cang, and his strength was even a cut above Old Sir Tie’s.

This was because the Zhui Yang Ancestor’s Primordial Vein was the Three-legged Flame Bird!

This was an extremely rare Fire Element Primordial Vein.

As these thoughts raced through Hong Yu’s mind, the weakened Prince Zhui Ri lifted his venomous gaze and pointed. "Grandfather, it was him! It was Hong Yu! He tried to steal your grandson’s Great Sun Celestial Scripture, and when he couldn’t, he attacked me and injured me this badly! You must avenge me!"

Hong Yu was speechless. ’You motherfucker!’

’Even if you’re going to twist the truth, could you be any more shameless?’

’From start to finish, when the hell did I ever try to rob you?’

Hong Yu looked at the Three-legged Flame Bird and said in a somber tone, "Senior Zhui Yang, that’s not what happened. This junior..."

However...

The Three-legged Flame Bird cut him off, its voice impossibly arrogant. "This exalted one does not care what other reasons there might be. In short, you dared to harm my grandson, and for that, this exalted one wants you dead!"

"Senior, you are a respected master of your generation! How can you be so unwilling to distinguish right from wrong?" Hong Yu demanded, exasperated.

The Zhui Yang Old Monster’s True Martial Arts Intent, the Three-legged Flame Bird, snorted coldly. "Right and wrong? You are mistaken. In this world, there is only one thing that determines right and wrong: strength! This exalted one is stronger than you, so what this exalted one says is right, is right! Now, little brat, die!"

SCREEE!

The Three-legged Flame Bird flapped its wings, sending a wave of fire rolling toward Hong Yu.

Even with his recent surge in strength, Hong Yu didn’t dare face the True Martial Arts Intent of a Half-Step Primordial Embryo powerhouse head-on!

He activated Tyrant’s Walk, channeling the Wind Rider technique into his legs. They began to move at an extreme frequency, blurring into invisibility.

He shot into the distance like a wisp of smoke.

But the Three-legged Fiery Firebird was simply too fast, so fast that Hong Yu nearly gave up the thought of escape. Spotting a river nearby, he no longer cared what dangers might lurk within its depths. ’Fuck it! It’s all or nothing!’

Hong Yu leaped into the icy river water.

"Hmph. Do you think you can escape this exalted one’s True Flame just by jumping into a river?"

The Three-legged Fiery Firebird let out a sinister sneer, flapped its wings again, and dove toward the river.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Scorching waves of fire rained down from the sky. Every drop that hit the river sent up a huge cloud of steam.

The flames of the Three-legged Fiery Firebird were terrifying!

Their heat was comparable to that of subterranean magma!

In the blink of an eye, more than half of the river had evaporated. A fireball slammed into Hong Yu.

BLEGH! He spat out a mouthful of blood.

The blood dyed the river water red.

Anger and despair flashed in Hong Yu’s eyes. ’Damn you, Zhui Yang Ancestor! If I survive this, I swear I’ll storm your Wind Chasing Kingdom one day and wash away this humiliation!’

"Heh heh heh... Little brat, you won’t get the chance!"

The Zhui Yang Ancestor’s cold laughter echoed from the Three-legged Fiery Firebird as it gathered another fireball, preparing to incinerate Hong Yu completely.

But at that exact moment, a low roar echoed from the riverbed. A massive Heaven-Reaching Crocodile shot out of the water and clamped its jaws on the Three-legged Fiery Firebird.

This Heaven-Reaching Crocodile was the overlord of this territory!

Now the Three-legged Fiery Firebird had boiled its home dry. How could it possibly tolerate that?

The Heaven-Reaching Crocodile dragged the firebird into the water. The bird roared, "Damned beast! You’re courting death!"

A furious struggle ensued, and the violent shockwaves of energy caused the entire river to evaporate completely.

Hong Yu seized the opportunity to escape to the riverbank.

There, he saw Prince Zhui Ri staggering over, eager to witness his miserable death. Killing intent surged in Hong Yu’s heart. He activated his Tyrant’s Walk and shot in front of the prince.

In his current weakened state, Prince Zhui Ri had no strength to flee. Hong Yu snatched him up as easily as a baby chick.

He screamed, "Grandfather, save me!"

SCREEE!

A powerful wave of energy erupted from the now-dry riverbed. A red figure shot back out—it had actually scorched the Heaven-Reaching Crocodile to a crisp.

However...

The Three-legged Fiery Firebird was now clearly a spent force. Hong Yu could sense that a single full-power attack from him would be enough to destroy it.

The firebird was aware of its condition and didn’t rush to attack. It said coldly, "Brat, let Zhui Ri go, and this exalted one will spare your life! We can sit down and be reasonable!"

"Reasonable, my ass! Why weren’t you being so reasonable a minute ago?"

Hong Yu was furious.

"Hmph! If you don’t want to talk, then release Zhui Ri. You wouldn’t dare kill him, would you?" the Three-legged Fiery Firebird said coldly.

Prince Zhui Ri, feeling emboldened, sneered, "Hong Yu, if you so much as touch me, my Wind Chasing Kingdom will mobilize its entire strength to annihilate you. No, not just you—your family and friends will all die. Go on, I fucking dare you to touch me. I guarantee you’ll regret it for the rest of your miserable life!"

The grandfather and grandson’s duet struck Hong Yu’s Reversed Scale once more. A reckless fury born of desperation seized him. His face twisted into a ferocious snarl as he let out a cold shout.

"Fuck it! What wouldn’t I dare to do?"