Immortal Martial Emperor

The Dream Forest!

Hearing this name again, both Hong Yu and Yao Yueye frowned slightly, their gazes turning wary as they looked at the middle-aged man in black armor and the woman in white armor.

They had just barely escaped being killed by that Human-faced Ghost Ape, which made them unwilling to blindly trust anything they saw or heard in this second stage!

Seeming to notice the wariness in their eyes, the woman in white armor smiled faintly. Her charming smile held a bewitching and seductive air. "You two little ones, why are you looking at me with such expressions?"

"Er..."

Hong Yu and Yao Yueye were both taken aback.

Yao Yueye was completely absorbed in his cultivation and was practically immune to matters of romance.

Even if an ordinary beauty were to lie naked before him, he wouldn’t necessarily spare a second glance from his training.

But this woman in white armor was truly something else!

With just a casual glance, she made Yao Yueye feel a fire ignite in his lower abdomen. He couldn’t help but frown, letting out a cold snort to force himself to remain calm.

Hong Yu, on the other hand, showed no reaction.

For one, after cultivating the Heaven-Swallowing Divine Technique, his Spiritual Power and willpower were constantly being tempered, making them naturally unyielding!

Another reason was that in his past life, Hong Yu had watched quite a bit of porn, so he had some resistance to this kind of temptation!

The woman in white armor said with a beaming smile, "You’ve already killed that Human-faced Ghost Ape. It’s impossible that any others would dare to approach, so you two can relax!"

She chuckled softly, her laughter as dazzling and showy as a blooming flower.

It caused many of the male geniuses to gulp, their eyes fixed on her curvaceous figure. The two round orbs on her chest were especially tempting.

Fortunately, a cold snort from the man in black armor was like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing the fire in everyone’s hearts. "Lady Bai, stop your shameless flirting. Our trial is already falling behind schedule."

"Hee hee hee!"

Lady Bai giggled charmingly. "I know, I know!"

Then, the man in black armor spoke coolly. "Listen up, all of you. The first stage, the Path of Heart Refinement, was the most basic elimination round. Aside from some trash who overestimated themselves or tried to get by on cheap tricks, even if you failed to pass the Path of Heart Refinement, you were merely eliminated from the Land of Trial. However..."

The word "However" instantly captured everyone’s attention.

The man in black armor seemed quite satisfied with their reaction. He nodded and continued, "Starting from the second stage, it is destined that many of you will remain here forever."

He pointed to the giant canyon to the east. "See that canyon? Just now, Hong Yu and Yao Yueye nearly fell in there. If they hadn’t seen through the Human-faced Ghost Ape’s Illusion Realm in time, the two of them would have been lost in a dream-like state until they died!"

HISS!

Everyone gasped.

After his explosive performance on the Path of Heart Refinement, Hong Yu had already been elevated to the level of a True Dragon Genius in everyone’s minds. No one dared to underestimate him anymore.

What’s more, even Yao Yueye had nearly fallen for the trick.

Among the thousand people present, no one would dare claim to be a greater Demon Fiend than Yao Yueye!

The man in black armor continued, "This second stage is the Illusionary Forest. As the name implies, it is a forest full of illusions. Everything you see inside could be an illusion—it could be a Desolate Beast or a plant from within the Illusionary Forest, or even a natural Illusion Realm created by a special geographical location."

"If you don’t maintain constant vigilance and fall into an Illusion Realm, at best, you will miss the time limit to pass. At worst, you will be trapped in the Illusion Realm forever, or become fertilizer for those Desolate Beasts or illusionary plants."

The man in black armor was stern and unsmiling, his gaze sweeping over the crowd with extreme gravity.

Hearing how terrifying the Illusionary Forest was, everyone felt a chill run down their spines.

Just imagine... you’re walking along and see the exit up ahead. You excitedly run toward it, only to find yourself facing the gaping, bloody maw of a Desolate Beast.

The moment you rush in, you’ll be greeted by sharp fangs.

The mere thought of such a scene was enough to make them swallow nervously!

At this point, Lady Bai chuckled and said, "Next, I will distribute special identification Gold Medals. The Gold Medals are assigned based on the order you passed the Path of Heart Refinement. Everyone gets one, and you must remember this: if you lose your Gold Medal, it means you have failed the stage. Regardless of whether you manage to walk out of the Illusionary Forest, you will lose the qualification to continue participating in the tournament!"

As she spoke, with a gentle flick of her delicate palm, gleaming Gold Medals flew into everyone’s hands.

Each Gold Medal was inscribed with a corresponding number.

Hong Yu’s was number one!

Yao Yueye’s was number two, and so on!

Yao Yueye frowned slightly as he glanced at the number two Gold Medal in his hand. A look of displeasure and annoyance flickered in the depths of his eyes; clearly, he was still brooding over the fact that Hong Yu had beaten him to the finish on the Path of Heart Refinement.

Lady Bai continued, "The Gold Medals in your hands have another function."

As Lady Bai continued her explanation, everyone finally understood the specific rules of the Illusionary Forest trial...

In addition to carrying their Gold Medals and passing safely through the Illusionary Forest, they also needed to find a key within the forest that corresponded to the number on their Gold Medal!

"These keys are scattered randomly throughout the Illusionary Forest. They might be in a safe place, or they might be in a dangerous Illusion Realm where you could lose your life at any moment."

Lady Bai tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and continued, "Good luck, little ones! Hee hee hee..."

Amidst her light laughter, the experts, who were already poised to act, rushed into the Illusionary Forest one after another.

After everyone had entered the Illusionary Forest, Lady Bai looked at the man in black armor with a smile. "Old Hei, I told you that little fellow Hong Yu was something special!"

"Hmph, it was just the Path of Heart Refinement. The real show is yet to come!"

The man in black armor said coldly, "I still think more highly of Yao Yueye. Hmm..." As he pondered, a strange expression appeared on his face. "However, among this group of little ones, aside from Yao Yueye and Hong Yu, I’ve discovered another rather interesting one!"

"Oh? Are you talking about that Feng Xue Xin?"

Lady Bai said with a smile.

The man in black armor nodded. "It seems you’ve noticed him too. This Feng Xue Xin’s speed at comprehending the Gatekeeper Puppet was in no way inferior to Yao Yueye’s or Hong Yu’s, yet he held back and didn’t stand out. That makes me rather curious!"

"That little one is indeed quite good. It seems the Southern Ten Nations aren’t as pathetic as the rumors say!"

"We’ll have to see how many of them actually make it out in the end!"

The man in black armor narrowed his eyes, a complex look flickering within them. "Even you and I don’t know where those keys have been scattered. Everything was arranged by the two Lord Inspectors. I just hope they didn’t throw any keys into that forbidden zone. Otherwise, whoever’s key is in there is on a one-way road to death!"

"Are you talking about... that place?"

Lady Bai’s seductive demeanor vanished, replaced by a flicker of fear in her eyes.

...

「Inside the Illusionary Forest.」

Upon entering, everyone became extremely cautious.

Hong Yu walked through the Illusionary Forest, cautiously surveying his surroundings while constantly circulating his Heaven-Swallowing Divine Technique to maintain his guard.

He and Yao Yueye had both personally experienced the terrifying illusion abilities of the creatures within the Illusionary Forest.

The slightest bit of carelessness could mean losing one’s life!

’Hm? Someone’s ahead?’

Hong Yu paused, detecting the sounds of battle coming from up ahead.

Remaining vigilant, Hong Yu approached the source of the fighting.

BOOM!

A scorching heatwave rolled toward him.

This was an Elemental Power attack unleashed by an expert with a Fire Element Primordial Vein, covering a radius of five li. Judging from its power, both combatants should be experts at the Peak of the Celestial Soul Realm.

"These keys only work for their corresponding number! This one is mine, why are you trying to snatch it from me?"

A voice suddenly rang out.

Hong Yu found the voice somewhat familiar. He focused his gaze and peered through the dense thicket of trees to see that the speaker was Liao Fan, the expert from the Qin Royal Family.

Across from him, an unfamiliar young man held a glittering golden key, watching Liao Fan with a smirk.

Inscribed on it was the number 564, which was the number on Liao Fan’s Gold Medal.

Liao Fan said anxiously, "The Illusionary Forest is fraught with danger! If we keep fighting like this and attract the attention of a Desolate Beast, neither of us will be able to escape!"

"Heh heh heh, of course you can have the key. But I’m the one who snatched it first, so I can’t just give it to you that easily!" the man sneered.

Liao Fan frowned. "Then what will it take for you to give it to me?"

The man said sinisterly, "I want—"

His face suddenly contorted, a purplish-black color spreading between his eyebrows. A mouthful of fangs burst from his lips as he charged at Liao Fan with a speed that left no time to react. "I want your life!"

As he charged, the man’s body underwent a dramatic transformation.

He was no longer human, but a black leopard.

A Phantom Demon Leopard, a vicious and cunning Desolate Beast that specialized in confusing its opponents and launching a surprise attack the moment they were distracted.

Judging by its size, this Phantom Demon Leopard was likely a Desolate Beast at the Peak of the Celestial Soul Realm.

At such a close distance, coupled with the Phantom Demon Leopard’s incredible speed, Liao Fan cried out in alarm, unable to react in time.

It looked as though he was about to be killed by the Phantom Demon Leopard.

At the last possible moment, Hong Yu made his move.

"Three Flames Palm!"

With a powerful palm strike, flames coiled together into a Fire Dragon that, with a BOOM, wrapped itself around the Phantom Demon Leopard.

Hong Yu pressed his palm downward, and with a BOOM, the Phantom Demon Leopard was slammed into the ground, sending up a cloud of dust.

Hong Yu lunged forward, executing a Thunder Step from his Tyrant’s Walk.

Thunder Sound rumbled as his foot descended like a bolt of thunder.

SPLAT!

He stomped down, and the Phantom Demon Leopard’s head exploded, splattering blood and brain matter everywhere.

With a pulling motion of his hand, Hong Yu drew the Desolate Beast Crystal Core from the Phantom Demon Leopard’s body into his palm.

"Prince... Prince Hong?"

Liao Fan was stunned.

Tossing the golden key to Liao Fan, Hong Yu smiled faintly and said, "Take your key and get out of the Illusionary Forest!"

"Thank you, Prince Hong! If I make it back alive, my life is yours from now on!" Liao Fan said, overcome with gratitude.

Not only had Hong Yu saved his life, but he’d also given him the golden key. To Liao Fan, this was more than just a simple act of life-saving; it was as if Hong Yu had given him a new life!

The two exchanged a few more words before Liao Fan took his leave.

Hong Yu watched him go with a smile.

However... just as Liao Fan was about to pass through a patch of low shrubs, the smile on Hong Yu’s face vanished. He opened his mouth and shouted—

"Liao Fan, watch out!"