Immortal Martial Emperor

The light in Xiahuang Ba’s eyes gradually dimmed.

In that instant, his once-piercing eyes turned a grayish-white.

BANG!

His body abruptly exploded.

Streaks of crimson light burst from his body, tearing him into mangled pieces of flesh and blood that rained down from the sky, splattering against the ground.

Fresh blood stained the earth, seeping into the soil.

It turned the dry, yellow ground a deep crimson.

Silence!

Utter silence!

Xu Wudi, Jian Chen, and Landy all stared, dumbfounded, at the scene before them.

It had all happened so incredibly fast. It was practically a miracle!

Xiahuang Ba and his men, who had just been pressing them so hard they couldn’t even fight back, hadn’t lasted a single round against Hong Yu. They hadn’t even forced him to use his hands; he had annihilated them all with just his left eye.

What a terrifying accomplishment!

It was nothing short of a divine act!

"Hong... Hong Yu has actually gotten this strong?"

"Back at the Southern Ten Nations Alliance tournament, he was only a bit stronger than me. But now, he’s actually grown to this level? I feel like if I fought him, I wouldn’t be able to withstand a single move!"

A bitter taste filled Jian Chen’s mouth as he sighed with a complex mix of emotions.

Landy felt the same.

Back in the Ice Kingdom, when Hong Yu had first arrived, Landy hadn’t even considered him noteworthy. But not long after, through battle after battle, breakthrough after breakthrough, Hong Yu had finally climbed to a height where Landy could only look up to him in awe.

Now...

He couldn’t even hope to catch up!

Xu Wudi was the first to regain her composure. After all, she had already seen Hong Yu in action when he killed Zhang Weilong.

Amidst her amazement, Xu Wudi also felt a trace of bitterness and loss. ’Why do I feel like the distance between us is just getting wider and wider?’

Hong Yu glanced at the three of them but didn’t dwell on their thoughts. He smiled faintly. "Landy, Jian Chen. It’s been a while!"

"Y-Yeah!"

"It really has been a long time. Ever since we entered the True Dragon Battlefield, we haven’t been able to find any trace of you, even with the Spirit Communication Jade Order..." Landy and the others said with emotion.

Hong Yu was taken aback for a moment, then he understood.

After entering the True Dragon Battlefield, he had repeatedly faced dangerous situations, so he hadn’t paid any attention to the Spirit Communication Jade Order for a long time.

Plus, while being chased by the Ice and Fire Qilin Beast, he ended up in the Ancient Hall of the Great Wilderness and was trapped there, cut off from the outside world. It was normal that they couldn’t contact him.

"I had a few fortuitous encounters, so it’s normal that you couldn’t reach me with the Spirit Communication Jade Order!" Hong Yu said with a laugh.

The three of them nodded in understanding.

Landy said, "I already sent a message to Feng Xue Xin and Young Master Yeban. They should be on their way!"

"Before they get here, I’ll take a look and see what secrets are hidden in this Ancient Tomb," Hong Yu said lightly.

He had felt there was something strange about this place with a quick glance earlier, but he hadn’t had time to inspect it closely.

Now that he had some free time, he naturally had to investigate it thoroughly.

After all, from what Xu Wudi and the others had said, they planned to set up their base here, so he couldn’t afford to be careless.

"There’s nothing special in the Ancient Tomb, it’s just an empty one!" Jian Chen said.

While they were hiding inside just now, they had tried to find other exits but hadn’t discovered any.

Hong Yu smiled, not giving up on his investigation.

He entered the Ancient Tomb and looked around. Indeed, there was nothing special. It just seemed like an empty tomb that had been vacant for a very long time.

But it was precisely this emptiness and excessive ordinariness that made Hong Yu suspicious.

"Hehe, young’un, need some help?" Little One’s mischievous voice sounded in his ear.

Hong Yu instantly understood that there was indeed something strange about this Ancient Tomb. He retorted irritably, "Help if you want. If not, then forget it!"

"Er..."

Little One clearly hadn’t expected Hong Yu to be so blunt.

He pouted helplessly. "Give me half of the Fire Soul Stones you got from the Ancient Celestial Ascension Ladder, and I’ll tell you what this place is."

"One hundred. Not one more!" Hong Yu stated.

Little One said dejectedly, "Young’un, you have to understand, I am the great Tower God, a figure who spans the ages, whose righteousness pierces the heavens, who is generous and forthright, a being of unparalleled character! When I do business, I always offer the best deal, a conscientious transaction! You have no idea how risky it is for me to reveal this secret. I’m risking my life here! How can you bear to lowball me like this!"

Little One was a mess of snot and tears, his voice tragic and sincere.

The innocent Huhu’s eyes widened, its pitch-black, jewel-like pupils glistening with emotion.

The fluffy Cute Beast went forward and patted Little One’s back, then bared its teeth at Hong Yu as if to say: Stop bullying him!

Veins throbbed on Hong Yu’s forehead. "Damn it, Huhu, you’re so gullible!" Ignoring the kind-hearted Huhu, he said directly to Little One, "One hundred and fifty at most. If you won’t talk, then forget it. The worst that can happen is we find another place for our base!"

"Deal!"

Little One’s face instantly broke into a wide, happy grin.

"Hoo?"

The fluffy Little Beast Huhu looked on, completely bewildered. It couldn’t understand how Little One, who was just crying his eyes out like an aggrieved little girl, had suddenly turned into a sleazy merchant.

Little One then explained, "This isn’t actually an Ancient Tomb. It’s just a grain storage area for an abandoned ancient city. But over the long years, eroded by the river of time, all that grain vanished long ago!"

"An abandoned ancient city?"

Hong Yu frowned, looking around. There were only mountains, no sign of any ancient city.

Little One said proudly, "If it were that easy for you to find, this ancient city would have been occupied long ago." After a pause, a devious smile appeared on Little One’s face. He yawned and said, "Aah, I’m so sleepy. Forget it, forget it. Since *someone* doesn’t want to find the way to open the city, I’ll just go to sleep!"

"Come on, Huhu, let’s go sleep!"

Little One called for Huhu to leave with him.

Hong Yu gritted his teeth in anger, knowing full well the bastard was trying to extort him again.

But Hong Yu was no pushover!

He grinned, a conspiratorial sneer on his face, and said to Huhu, "Hey, Huhu, I just recently got a Jade Sun Purple Light Lingzhi, and a whole pile of Fire Soul Stones. I’ve got plenty of this stuff anyway. Come over here, I’ll give you some for a snack!"

"Hoo?"

Huhu froze, and then drool started pouring from its mouth.

It was like a waterfall, as if the Galaxy were Falling from Nine Heavens.

It shook off Little One’s grip, offered no resistance to Hong Yu’s summons, and left the space within the tower. It happily hugged the small pile of Fire Soul Stones Hong Yu gave it, grabbed one, and tossed it into its mouth.

CRUNCH, CRUNCH!

Huhu chewed with great delight.

Little One’s ears perked up. Hearing Huhu’s delicious munching, he couldn’t help but gulp down a mouthful of saliva.

The moment he turned around, his face was already covered in smiles. He approached Hong Yu subserviently. "Hehe, young’un... no, Hong Yu, Brother Hong, Uncle Hong... How about you give me a few, too?"

"Weren’t you going to sleep?" Hong Yu teased.

"Aha, not anymore! I’m full of energy now! More than enough to help you get this abandoned ancient city out!" Little One chuckled.

So obedient all of a sudden!

Hong Yu smiled playfully and shook his head, declaring righteously, "Don’t be like that. You, a great elder who spans the ages, who has existed since time immemorial, whose loyalty fills the universe, whose righteousness pierces the heavens! You bear the heavy burden of maintaining world peace and saving all of humanity. How could I dare trouble you with such a small matter?"

"No trouble, absolutely no trouble at all!"

Little One shook his head frantically, saying again and again, "Actually, I was just thinking about helping you. I mean, look at our friendship! If I don’t help you, who would I help? Right?"

Hong Yu pursed his lips. "You change your tune faster than the weather. I really can’t figure out if you’re the Tower God or born in the year of the dog."

"Hehe, as long as you’re happy, I’ll be a little dog—WOOF WOOF WOOF!"

Little One rubbed his hands together desperately, his fervent gaze fixed on the Fire Soul Stones in Huhu’s paws as if they were the most delicious treat in existence.

Hong Yu held back for a long moment before blurting out, "You son of a..."

He was almost helpless against the shameless Little One.

He then gave Little One a hundred Fire Soul Stones and asked, "Alright, hurry up and tell me. How do I get this ancient city out?"

Little One carefully put away the Fire Soul Stones, then said, "After eons of change, this ancient city has been buried deep underground. If you want to get it out, one way is to use immense power to pry open the earth’s crust and squeeze it out."

"Get lost. If I could pry open the earth’s crust, what would I need you for?" Hong Yu said, speechless.

’Prying open the earth’s crust? That would be like declaring war on the earth itself! I don’t have that kind of power. I’m afraid even a Yin Yang Realm expert couldn’t do it, right?’

Little One chuckled. "The second method is a bit dumber. Just start digging. Clear away all the surface rock and soil, and you’ll naturally dig it out!"

"..."

Hong Yu’s eye twitched. "You said the ancient city is buried underground. If I dig it out, it’ll just be in a pit. One big rainstorm and it’ll become an underwater world."

Little One rubbed his nose, clearly realizing his idea was terrible. He said sheepishly, "Then there’s only the last method. Use a Grand Array to pull it out from underground!"

"What kind of Grand Array?" Hong Yu asked.

Little One said, "That’s simple. You just need to set up ninety-nine ’Giant Spirit Arrays’ within a hundred-li radius. Then you can summon the giant spirits to help you!"

"Alright!"

The Giant Spirit Array was a type of Tier Five Array.

It was recorded in the *Initial Understanding of the Dao of Artifacts*. Setting up this array wasn’t difficult, and Hong Yu had enough materials on him.

Two hours later, the ninety-nine Grand Arrays were complete.

Under Little One’s guidance, ninety-nine giant spirits appeared. Each one was a thousand meters tall and incredibly massive, looking as if it could shatter a mountain peak with a single stomp.

"Pull!" Little One commanded.

RUMBLE!

The ninety-nine thousand-meter-tall giant spirits plunged into the ground simultaneously, and the entire land began to roar and tremble.

The earth cracked open. Rivers of molten lava rolled within the fissures, emitting scorching currents of air.

The surrounding vegetation was instantly vaporized and withered by the heatwave.

RUMBLE!

Hong Yu and the others immediately flew into the air.

They had a feeling that a behemoth was about to break through the ground.

RUMBLE!

This world-destroying roar lasted for a full half-hour.

Until a certain moment...

BOOM!

The ninety-nine giant spirits shot out from underground all at once, and with them came a massive city.

Spanning a hundred li, it crouched on the land like a colossal Desolate Beast.

Hong Yu narrowed his eyes. He gazed at the majestic ancient city before him, which had been buried deep underground for who knew how many ages. He couldn’t help but take a deep breath as he saw the giant plaque above the city’s entrance...

"The City of Dawn?!"