Immortal Martial Emperor

"You all truly have no intention of giving me any face, do you?"

A faint sigh suddenly drifted from within the city, and with it came a startling beam of sword light that shot to the heavens.

This beam of sword light was a pure, crystalline white, shimmering with a translucent luster. Though transparent, it conveyed a sense of metallic hardness.

A single sword-gleam chills and illuminates all of Jiuzhou!

Perhaps this was the only way to describe such a sword-gleam.

SWOOSH!

The sword light came and went in a flash, as ephemeral as a comet, disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye.

And yet...

The moment the sword light vanished, the Great Sun Vajra behind Prince Zhui Ri seemed to be struck by lightning. Its blue radiance flickered and dimmed before shattering with a BUZZ, dissolving into a shower of pale blue, crystalline light.

"Hmph!"

Prince Zhui Ri grunted, a faint pallor washing over his face.

His eyes, filled with a grave mixture of shock and uncertainty, were fixed on the solemn, magnificent ancient city.

SWOOSH!

A figure in cyan slowly drifted out from the city. He was solemn and serious, yet ethereal and otherworldly.

He wore a simple cyan robe, an ancient, unadorned longsword strapped to his back.

He strode through the air, his long blue hair flowing behind him in the wind.

His eyes were like stars in the night sky, glinting with a deep and piercing light. Within their calm depths, a strange radiance flowed, as if each eye contained an Old Demon with a millennium of cultivation, able to see through the very essence of all people.

"Yao Yueye!"

"The man at the top of the True Dragon List, the Prince of the Yaoyue Kingdom, the Chief Disciple of Yaoyue Palace, the undisputed number one of the younger generation in the Southern Ten Nations... Yao Yueye! He actually showed up?"

"That’s Yao Yueye for you! The moment he appeared, his aura completely overwhelmed Hong Yu and Prince Zhui Ri!"

Gasps of astonishment rose and fell through the crowd.

Anyone following the Southern Ten Nations Martial Competition or who had ever heard of the True Dragon Geniuses knew the name Yao Yueye.

According to legend, Yao Yueye learned to speak and walk before he was six months old. He began practicing with a wooden sword at three, started preliminary cultivation at five, reached the Essence Realm at eight, broke through to the Earth Soul Realm at thirteen, and achieved the Celestial Soul Realm at fifteen.

Now, at twenty years of age, Yao Yueye’s strength was even more formidable, having reached the Mid-stage Primordial Core Realm!

Even when facing experts of the older generation, Yao Yueye stood a fair chance of victory.

His strength and talent were truly terrifying.

"Yao Yueye, I never thought even you would be drawn out!" Prince Zhui Ri said, his gaze burning as he stared at Yao Yueye.

During the last ranking of the True Dragon Geniuses, Prince Zhui Ri had swept aside all challengers, never meeting a worthy opponent.

It wasn’t until he met Yao Yueye that he suffered the first crushing defeat of his life.

For years, Prince Zhui Ri had trained day and night for the sole purpose of avenging that humiliation at this competition.

Now, seeing Yao Yueye once more, Prince Zhui Ri was brimming with fighting spirit. A powerful, surging Spiritual Fluctuation radiated from him in mighty, rolling waves.

Facing the battle-hungry Prince Zhui Ri, Yao Yueye’s eyes flashed with cold indifference. Without even unsheathing the longsword on his back, he formed a Sword Edge with his fingers and slashed through the air!

SWOOSH!

A brilliant white beam of sword light tore through the void, shooting toward the Celestial Universe.

BANG!

The sword light vanished in a flash, too fast for anyone to trace its path.

Prince Zhui Ri stumbled back several steps, his expression uncertain. After staring at Yao Yueye for a long moment, he asked coldly, "You’ve already reached the realm of Man and Sword Unity?"

SWISH!

In an instant, the gazes of countless experts focused on Yao Yueye.

Man and Sword Unity!

It was a state, or rather, a type of Profound Realm.

What was a Profound Realm?

As the name suggested, it was a mysterious and profound state of being.

For example, when a Martial Artist experienced a sudden epiphany and merged with the natural world, that was considered a type of Profound Realm.

However...

Such a Profound Realm of epiphany could only be chanced upon, not sought. Some Martial Artists might never experience it once in their entire lives.

But states like Man and Sword Unity or Man and Blade Unity were a constant type of Profound Realm. To put it simply, they were a state of epiphany that one could enter at will and maintain for extended periods.

Yao Yueye had practiced Swordsmanship since he was three. He could be said to have been born for the sword, a natural-born genius of the art!

Now that his strength had reached the Mid-stage Primordial Core Realm, if he had truly comprehended the Profound Realm of Man and Sword Unity, then his combat power would have surely ascended to a new level.

For this reason, upon hearing Prince Zhui Ri’s question, all the experts turned to look at Yao Yueye almost instinctively.

Hong Yu was no different. ’So this is Yao Yueye? The strongest True Dragon Genius in the Southern Ten Nations? Has he really comprehended Man and Sword Unity?’

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Yao Yueye gave a calm, indifferent nod.

HISS!

That simple, subtle nod triggered a wave of sharp, indrawn breaths.

Man and Sword Unity! It was a state countless Swordsmen dreamed of achieving!

Some had even spent their entire lives hysterically pursuing this state, only to end up with nothing.

And yet...

Yao Yueye had comprehended such a Profound Realm at his young age. He was truly worthy of his title as the undisputed number one genius of the Southern Ten Nations Alliance. No one could challenge his position!

Even though Hong Yu had the accomplishment of killing a Primordial Core Realm expert and had leaped from obscurity to fifth on the Dragon List, and even though many people believed he could become a True Dragon Genius, not a single person thought Hong Yu could defeat Yao Yueye.

Or perhaps, no one believed that anyone in their generation could challenge Yao Yueye’s supreme status as a True Dragon!

"I can’t believe you’ve already come this far." Prince Zhui Ri’s expression was grimly uncertain, his thoughts unreadable.

Yao Yueye said faintly, "Do me a favor. Settle whatever grudges you have during the competition."

Though it sounded like a request, his words carried an authority that brooked no defiance.

"Fine. I’ll give you that much face."

Prince Zhui Ri’s expression shifted. He swept a cold, harsh glare over Hong Yu and said sinisterly, "Hong Yu, consider yourself lucky today for startling Yao Yueye into appearing. But remember, your luck will run out. During the competition, with no Yao Yueye to make excuses for you, we’ll see who can protect you then."

"Don’t think you can challenge us True Dragon Geniuses just because you used some Treasure to kill one Primordial Core Realm expert."

Prince Zhui Ri’s words were filled with the pride and confidence befitting a True Dragon Genius. "Hong Yu, enjoy the last few fading glimmers of your life!"

With a bout of wild laughter, Prince Zhui Ri strode away, heading toward Yaoyue City.

Yao Yueye remained standing in the void. He glanced at Hong Yu out of the corner of his eye for a moment, then looked away.

Prince Zhui Ri had once fought him and was one of the very few geniuses who had ever earned his notice, someone Yao Yueye could barely consider an equal.

As for Hong Yu?

In the arrogant eyes of Yao Yueye, he was nothing more than a weakling who got lucky and relied on the power of a Treasure.

"Listen, everyone. During the competition, no private fighting is permitted within Yaoyue City. If anyone defies this order, my Demon-Slaying Sword will not be lenient!"

Yao Yueye’s mighty voice boomed through the air like a great Thunder Sound.

With a flick of his hand, he tossed out a black stone stele over thirty meters tall. It plummeted with a BOOM, embedding itself deep in the ground.

On the stele was a set of powerful characters, all written by Sword Pointing, which served as a stern warning against private duels!

Having done all this, Yao Yueye departed through the air, without giving Hong Yu or his companions another glance.

Hong Yu stared, slightly dazed, at the young man who had just departed through the air.

Zheng Tian, who was standing beside him, clapped Hong Yu on the shoulder, a self-deprecating smile on his face. "Stop staring. He’s on a completely different Level from us."

"Hm?"

Hong Yu paused, looking at Zheng Tian.

After these last two incidents, Hong Yu’s opinion of Zheng Tian had improved considerably.

While they weren’t at the point of laughing off their past grievances, they were no longer at each other’s throats.

Zheng Tian gave a wry smile. "In Yao Yueye’s eyes, I’m afraid that even Prince Zhui Ri, the second-ranked True Dragon Genius, is nothing more than a slightly stronger commoner."

"Is Yao Yueye really that strong?" Hong Yu asked.

"Strong?"

Zheng Tian shook his head, a hint of terror in his eyes. "Let me put it this way. During the last ranking for the True Dragon List, Yao Yueye fought one against nine. In just three moves, he defeated all of them—Dragon List masters including Prince Zhui Ri, Ziyan Wuhen, and Ling Bingxin."

"Oh?"

Hong Yu’s gaze flickered.

He didn’t know much about Ziyan Wuhen or Ling Bingxin, but he had just gotten a taste of Prince Zhui Ri’s power.

When he truly unleashed his power, Prince Zhui Ri was even a sliver stronger than Xue De.

An expert like that, joining forces with the other nine in the top ten of the Dragon List, was defeated in just three moves?

This Yao Yueye was truly absurdly strong!

"Alright, don’t overthink it. None of us have any hope of taking his number one spot. Right now, you should be thinking about how you’re going to survive Zhui Ri’s attempts to kill you during the competition!"

Zheng Tian sighed. "He’s notoriously vengeful. Now that you’ve offended him, you’ll have to figure something out."

With that, the group started walking toward Yaoyue City again.

Hong Yu was quiet on the way. To an outsider, it would seem he was worried about how to face Prince Zhui Ri in the upcoming competition.

Some offered sympathy, others pity, but most simply gloated at his misfortune.

But who could have imagined that, far from being discouraged, Hong Yu’s heart was now blazing with an even stronger will to fight?

Beichen Celestial Frost walked quietly beside him.

She didn’t speak or offer comfort, simply keeping him company in silence.

As they walked, Hong Yu suddenly asked with curiosity, "Tianshuang, why aren’t you trying to console me?"

Beichen Celestial Frost pursed her lips and said softly, "I trust you!"

Just three simple words, yet they were more effective than any grand speech or encouragement could ever be.

Gazing at the beauty beside him, Hong Yu felt a stir in his heart. He reached out and gently tapped her elegant nose. Seeing her pretty face flush red, he grinned teasingly. "My Tianshuang is the best, you always know what’s on my mind!"

"Wh-who’s yours..."

Beichen Celestial Frost lowered her head, face beet red, but a sweet feeling blossomed in her heart.

The two arrived, talking and laughing, at the inn they had booked in advance through the Iron Soldier Pavilion. Just as the innkeeper was welcoming them into the main hall, a small child ran up, looked Hong Yu up and down, and asked in a bright voice, "Big Brother, are you Hong Yu?"

Hong Yu was taken aback. He ruffled the little one’s head and smiled. "I am. How do you know who I am?"

"Someone asked me to give this letter to you!"

The little one tilted his head, stuffed the letter into Hong Yu’s hand, and skipped away.

Puzzled, Hong Yu unfolded the letter. His expression changed the moment his eyes swept across it...

[Author’s Note: I’ll try to release one Chapter per hour next!]