Immortal Martial Emperor

"Yeah, I screwed you over. Got a problem with that? Bite me!"

Hong Yu dangled the rhizome of a Blast Earth Poison Mushroom in one hand, a brazen look on his face as he watched Xue De with amusement.

Xue De’s face flushed crimson with rage. If it weren’t for the profound Primordial Gang of a Primordial Core Realm expert suppressing the churning qi and blood within him, he might have actually coughed up blood from sheer anger.

’This damn little bastard! You’ve gone too far!’

Xue De and the other experts from the Guiyuan Sect all had incredibly sour expressions on their faces.

Their faces shifted from pale to ashen, making them look like a troupe of motley clowns.

Only at this moment did they finally understand why Hong Yu had so readily agreed to be the one to clear the path into Mist Canyon.

They finally saw it clearly: the bet he’d proposed had been a deliberate trap from the very beginning.

And yet, who could they blame for foolishly jumping into the pit of their own accord?

They recalled how just moments ago, they were fantasizing about Hong Yu getting infected by the Blast Earth Poison Mushrooms, his head exploding and turning him into another piece of human fertilizer for the Mist Canyon.

They had even been recklessly mocking him for overestimating his abilities and courting his own doom.

But now, seeing him standing before them, alive and well, while spores from countless Blast Earth Poison Mushrooms turned to green smoke and vanished before they could even get near him... it felt as if a giant, invisible hand was slapping them viciously across the face.

This time, the faces of the Guiyuan Sect experts had been slapped until they were swollen!

Hong Yu rubbed his nose. Standing in the middle of the Mist Canyon, he looked brazenly at Xue De. "Elder Xue, with your status and position, you wouldn’t do something like go back on your word and deny the bet we made, would you? It was quite a crowd just now, and there were plenty of witnesses who saw us make our wager!"

"Insolent pup! How could I possibly do such a thing?"

Xue De’s expression changed as he barked out a cold retort.

In reality...

The moment he saw that Hong Yu was immune to the attacks of the Blast Earth Poison Mushroom spores, he had already started having second thoughts.

’This Hong Yu is just too damn strange!’

’For thousands of years, no one has been able to deal with the Blast Earth Poison Mushrooms, yet in Hong Yu’s hands, they’re so fragile it’s like he’s just plucking vegetables. He digs one out, and it’s a perfect score every time!’

’Who knows what other trump cards he’s hiding?’

’Who could guarantee that the later trials in the Mist Canyon would be able to stop him?’

Xue De had originally intended to use the situation to his advantage and simply renege on the bet, forcing Hong Yu to swallow the injustice.

But Hong Yu had spoken first, cutting off his path and invalidating any excuses he had prepared. More importantly, Hong Yu’s words had been heavy with threat!

’The men from the Iron Soldier Pavilion were watching when we made the bet. If I really go back on my word, given the relationship between the Iron Soldier Pavilion and the Guiyuan Sect, they would absolutely love to embellish the tale and spread it far and wide. If that happens, me losing face and earning a reputation for being untrustworthy will be the least of my problems.’

’But if the Guiyuan Sect’s reputation is damaged because of this, my transgression would be immense.’

Xue De took a deep breath, his gaze on Hong Yu growing colder and more sinister. ’This kid must be eliminated. Otherwise, I’ll never eat a peaceful meal or have a restful night’s sleep again.’

Seeing that Hong Yu had angered Xue De quite enough, Tie Heng finally spoke up slowly. "Hong Yu, may I ask what that is in your hand? Why are the spores of the Blast Earth Poison Mushroom unable to get near you?"

"This is the rhizome of the Blast Earth Poison Mushroom. Don’t underestimate this small piece—it can control billions of individual Blast Earth Poison Mushrooms."

Hong Yu pointed to the outer perimeter behind him and said casually, "The outermost area of this Mist Canyon is about three thousand meters deep, and all the Blast Earth Poison Mushrooms growing there are controlled by this. Now that I’ve dug it up, it won’t be long before those Blast Earth Poison Mushrooms die off."

"That one small thing controls such a massive area?"

Chen Mu and the others looked astonished.

A rhizome roughly the size of a seven or eight-year-old child, yet it commanded such a vast territory and billions of Blast Earth Poison Mushrooms!

As they reeled from the shock, they couldn’t help but steal a few more glances at Hong Yu.

For as long as anyone could remember, the only way to deal with the Blast Earth Poison Mushrooms was through a war of attrition, using human-wave tactics to exhaust their spores. There had been no other way.

Yet Hong Yu had mastered such a profound, almost unbelievable method, making his identity seem all the more mysterious and unfathomable.

Tie Heng gave Hong Yu a profound look, feeling more certain than ever that his father’s judgment was far more astute than his own.

"Brother Hong Yu, now that you’ve uprooted the entire rhizome, does this mean the Blast Earth Poison Mushrooms are gone?" Chen Mu asked, his face alight with excitement.

These Blast Earth Poison Mushrooms had been plaguing him for two whole months!

How could he not be desperate?

Hong Yu shook his head. "The Life Force of the Blast Earth Poison Mushroom is quite tenacious. Even without the rhizome, I’d say it will take them at least a day or two to die off completely. But don’t worry. If you rub the juice from inside the rhizome on yourselves, the spores won’t be able to harm you when you enter."

"Great!"

Chen Mu nodded again and again.

Hong Yu tossed the rhizome out, and Tie Heng and the others immediately began smearing the juice from within it onto themselves.

As terrifying as the Blast Earth Poison Mushroom was, the juice from its rhizome surprisingly had a light, pleasant fragrance.

"Alright, everyone, let’s go!" Hong Yu said with a smile.

Tie Tongtian was the first to step forward and catch up to Hong Yu.

The others from the Iron Soldier Pavilion glanced at Tie Heng, and only after seeing their Chairman nod did they follow Hong Yu into the Mist Canyon.

Only Xue De and the other Guiyuan Sect experts remained, staring at one another in a clear predicament.

Xue De gritted his teeth in hatred. "What are you standing there stunned for? Hurry up and follow them! I’d like to see how this kid handles the next obstacle."

The Guiyuan Sect experts quickly followed.

The group walked through the Mist Canyon. With every step, no matter how carefully they moved, they still kicked up clouds of Blast Earth Poison Mushroom spores.

Watching the white, cotton-like spores drift past them on the wind, everyone felt a chill run down their spines. They instinctively held their breath, terrified that the spores might land on them, burrow into their bodies, and then expand until their heads were literally squeezed to the bursting point.

Fortunately, since everyone had applied the juice of the Blast Earth Poison Mushroom’s rhizome, they were spared from this fate.

Even so, it took the group a long time to traverse the three-thousand-meter-long canyon.

Thankfully, the range of the Blast Earth Poison Mushrooms was only about three thousand meters, and they finally emerged from that zone.

Ahead was a sea of flowers...

Every single flower was exquisite—multicolored, radiant, and captivating. From a distance, it looked like a vast ocean of blossoms, a truly romantic scene.

"Hong Yu, do you happen to know what these flowers are?" Chen Mu asked.

He had been pestering Hong Yu with all sorts of questions throughout the entire journey.

Originally, Chen Mu had been utterly confident in his own erudition, but the more he interacted with Hong Yu, the more he felt like a frog in a well.

If Hong Yu hadn’t repeatedly refused, Chen Mu would have been ready to kneel and kowtow to formally take him as a master.

Hong Yu pondered for a moment. "These aren’t flowers. They are a species called the Ghost-faced Demon Vine. This type of vine is very unique; they are masters of disguise, camouflaging themselves as gorgeous flowers to make people lower their guard."

"They are also extremely cunning and usually grow in large patches. If prey only moves around the periphery, the vines won’t attack even if they’re disturbed. Only when a target gets close enough that they feel completely confident in their ability to make the kill will these Ghost-faced Demon Vines strike. They’re an incredibly dangerous type of flora."

Hong Yu explained patiently.

Chen Mu nodded along, chiming in with a few questions from time to time, all of which Hong Yu answered seriously.

Naturally, Chen Mu was listening with rapt attention.

But after hearing Hong Yu’s words, some people’s faces filled with disdain. They began to mock him coldly: "They’re obviously just some ordinary flowers. You have to make it sound so dramatic. What did you call them, Ghost-faced Demon Vines? Pfft! In all my years, I’ve never heard of such a thing."

"I bet someone’s trying to build up these so-called Ghost-faced Demon Vines just so he can solve the ’problem’ later and show off how amazing he is!"

"As I see it, they’re just pretty flowers. How could they be some man-eating Ghost-faced Demon Vines? And cunning? Please. They’re just plants. Do you think they can think or something?"

Several of the Guiyuan Sect experts sneered with disdain and mockery.

Tie Tongtian snapped angrily, "You lot can stop your whining. Younger Brother Hong at least knows what they’re called. What can any of you do besides run your mouths?"

"Oh, I just refuse to believe this crap! He says they’re Ghost-faced Demon Vines that will attack, so they’re definitely going to attack? I refuse to believe such beautiful flowers are going to eat me alive..."

One of the Guiyuan Sect experts stood up, shooting Hong Yu a look of profound disdain.

Hong Yu didn’t even spare him a glance.

Instead, it was Tie Tongtian who spoke up for Hong Yu. "You don’t believe it? If you’ve got the guts, go take a stroll through that flower bed for me. If you come back unharmed, I, this young master, will give you one hundred million Gold Coins."

"One hundred million?"

The Guiyuan Sect disciple froze.

Although the Guiyuan Sect had a powerful foundation and was highly accomplished in the Refining of Primordial Weapons, the Primordial Weapons that disciples like him refined were always confiscated by the Sect for sale, and the portion of the profits given to them was pitifully small.

Some Guiyuan Sect disciples were even flat broke from trying to purchase cultivation resources!

Suddenly hearing the sum of one hundred million Gold Coins, his eyes flashed with a covetous green light. He gritted his teeth. "Fine, I’ll walk! I refuse to believe everything that Hong Yu says is the absolute truth."

"I advise you not to go in," Hong Yu said with a strange look on his face.

The man snorted. "What, you’re getting nervous now that I’m actually going in? Afraid I’m about to expose your fabricated lie about the Ghost-faced Demon Vines?"

Hong Yu felt a headache coming on. He waved a hand dismissively. "Fine, forget it. Go ahead."

"Hmph!"

The Guiyuan Sect disciple snorted through his nose, then strode into the patch of flowers with his head held high.

One step, two steps, three, four...

He was cautious at first, but seeing no danger, he picked up his pace. In the blink of an eye, he had reached the center of the flower bed.

Standing amidst the flowers, the man pointed a finger at Hong Yu, his face a mask of contempt. "See that? I’m perfectly fine! You said these Ghost-faced Demon Vines were so Bloodthirsty and cunning? That’s a load of absolute nonsense. Don’t think you can act tough in front of me just because you got lucky with the Blast Earth Poison Mushrooms."

Just as the man was proudly delivering his victory speech, he suddenly saw that the experts from both the Iron Soldier Pavilion and the Guiyuan Sect were looking at him with pity.

’What’s wrong? Why are they giving me that look?’

The Guiyuan Sect disciple was utterly bewildered, so he looked down.

And then... he froze completely.

[I’ll be doing a mass release of Chapters starting at midnight on the 14th! As for how many, feel free to give me suggestions in the book’s comment section! Oh, and I’m asking for recommendation tickets and monthly passes. Qiye will pick some of the voters to add as characters in the book! Hehe, donations would be even better! Thank you all again for your support!!]