Immortal Martial Emperor

"Behold my ultimate move!"

Zhangg Kang roared.

His body soared high into the air, spinning nine times in the void before plummeting down with a brilliant golden radiance.

Just as Hong Yu was on full alert, preparing to block Zhangg Kang’s so-called "ultimate move."

As he circulated the Primordial Gang Fighting Technique within his Primordial Embryo to conjure a phantom of the Heaven-Devouring Demon Elephant, he suddenly froze, staring at Zhangg Kang in shock and disbelief.

Engulfed in a flash of golden light.

Zhangg Kang fell like a shooting star.

And then...

"THUD!"

Zhangg Kang’s body landed heavily on the deck.

With two crisp THUDS, his legs slammed onto the floor in a kneel. Then, in a single fluid motion, his body tilted forward, and his head made intimate contact with the deck.

"THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!"

Three muffled thuds followed in quick succession.

Zhangg Kang remained in a kowtowing position. All the previous arrogance and flamboyance had vanished from his voice, replaced by extreme humility and reverence. "Boss Hong Yu, this humble Zhangg was blind and failed to recognize Mount Tai. I unintentionally offended you and your friends. This humble Zhangg is kowtowing to apologize. I beg Boss Hong Yu to be the bigger person and not lower yourself to my level!"

He remained prostrated on the floor in reverence.

Kowtowing!

The corner of Hong Yu’s eye twitched. "..."

Xu Wudi: "..."

Yeban: "..."

A stampede of ten thousand alpacas ran through everyone’s mind. "..."

’What a scam!’

’This guy’s ultimate move was to get on his knees and beg for forgiveness?’

’What kind of ultimate move is that?’

"Th-this guy... he’s unbelievably thick-skinned!" Young Master Yeban muttered to himself.

Xu Wudi and Landy exchanged a look and nodded in agreement.

Hong Yu was even more speechless. "Is this the dignity of a powerhouse from your Aolai Kingdom?"

Zhangg Kang lifted his head and said earnestly, "Since I was a child, my father taught me: as long as the green mountains are there, one need not worry about firewood! Heaven is vast and Earth is wide, but survival is what matters most!"

"..."

Hong Yu wiped a cold sweat from his forehead. "You’re a Crown Prince, aren’t you? And a Heaven-Transforming Realm True Dragon, at that. Don’t you find this shameful?"

"Shame? What’s that? Is it edible? How many Gold Coins a pound?"

There wasn’t a hint of embarrassment on Zhangg Kang’s face. Instead, he looked completely at ease, smiling sycophantically and rubbing his hands together. "Heh heh, Boss Hong Yu, you can see how pitiful we are. Our fleet was destroyed in a storm at sea. If you really throw us into the ocean, it’s a dead end for us!"

Even a Primordial Embryo Realm Powerhouse could fly through the air.

However...

That was only if they had enough Primordial Gang to sustain flight.

The problem was, this was the vast, open ocean!

Sometimes you couldn’t even tell which direction you were going, and you might get ambushed by Ocean Desolate Beasts. Trying to fly on your own was simply suicide!

Hong Yu studied Zhangg Kang seriously.

He didn’t feel any contempt for Zhangg Kang. On the contrary, this behavior made him even more wary of the man.

’A dog that bites is one that doesn’t bark!’

’People like Zhangg Kang, who know when to forbear, are the most terrifying!’

’Because there’s no telling when he might turn around and bite you when you least expect it.’

Seemingly sensing Hong Yu’s hesitation, Zhangg Kang kowtowed three more times and quickly said, "Boss Hong Yu, I promise I’ll behave myself from now on. There will be absolutely no more trouble! Besides, you’re also heading to the Xiahuang Ancient Kingdom. You’ll be strangers in a strange land, which will be very inconvenient. My Aolai Kingdom has business interests in the Xiahuang Ancient Kingdom. If we go together, we can look out for each other!"

Hong Yu frowned.

At that moment, Landy sent a voice transmission: "Hong Yu, with the Ancient Kingdom’s True Dragon War approaching, the Ancient Kingdom will be swarming with various factions and powerhouses. It will indeed be very inconvenient if we don’t have anyone to help with arrangements!"

"Oh? Won’t the Xiahuang Ancient Kingdom make arrangements for us?" Hong Yu asked, puzzled.

Landy sent back a wry smile in his transmission. "The Xiahuang Ancient Kingdom is high and mighty. Why would they bother with us?"

"Alright then."

Hong Yu nodded and looked at Zhangg Kang. "For the coming days, I don’t want to see any more of your tricks!"

"Don’t worry, don’t worry!"

Zhangg Kang nodded repeatedly.

Hong Yu flicked his sleeve and turned to leave, and Zhangg Kang breathed a sigh of relief.

A group of sailors gave him strange looks before they too dispersed.

Zhangg Kang maintained his subservient smile the entire time.

Only after everyone had left, and Fu Shuo and Wang Lidin had returned from the sea, did the smile on Zhangg Kang’s face slowly fade. He said to the two of them, "To my room!"

Once inside Zhangg Kang’s room, Fu Shuo and Wang Lidin both looked completely dejected.

In the Aolai Kingdom, they had been dominant and practically invincible!

But here, they couldn’t even withstand a single exchange with Hong Yu. The blow from this stark contrast was simply too great.

Zhangg Kang snorted coldly. "Why the long faces? We were just too careless and underestimated the enemy’s strength."

"Boss, you mean...?" Wang Lidin asked, confused.

A sinister look crossed Zhangg Kang’s face as he said menacingly, "Our Aolai Kingdom has some roots in the Xiahuang Ancient Kingdom. My father told me that my royal uncle has been operating in the Xiahuang Ancient Kingdom for decades and has very deep connections. He even knows people within the Imperial Family. Once we get to the Xiahuang Ancient Kingdom, we’ll have plenty of opportunities for revenge!"

"Haha, so that’s how it is!"

"The boss is the boss! Brilliant, truly brilliant!"

The three of them snickered smugly.

...

The days of sailing on the sea were very dull.

After that humiliating beatdown, Zhangg Kang and his two companions did indeed become much more obedient and well-behaved, not causing any more trouble.

The journey was smooth sailing.

Aside from the occasional attack by some witless Ocean Desolate Beasts—which were killed by the Celestial Dragon Warship’s Primordial Weapon Fire Cannons before Hong Yu and the others even had to act—there were no other surprises.

Of course...

They naturally encountered some pirates along the way.

But these pirates had spent years roaming the seas, dealing with various merchant caravans and fleets. They even knew how powerful the Celestial Dragon Warship was.

The moment they spotted the Celestial Dragon Warship from afar, they would flee.

After sailing like this for more than four months, a landmass finally appeared ahead.

The land was magnificent, stretching for millions of li across the entire horizon.

"That’s the Xiahuang Ancient Kingdom up ahead!" a sailor shouted.

The entire Celestial Dragon Warship erupted in cheers.

Sailing for months on an endless, boundless ocean was an incredibly boring and tedious affair. Even these experienced sailors could hardly contain their excitement and joy.

"Brother Hongyu, look at all the ships!" Little Chenxi called out in her sweet, childish voice.

Hong Yu paused and looked around.

A large number of ships had appeared on the ocean, looming like shadows. They came from all directions and had all sorts of designs, but they had one thing in common: they were huge.

These ships were all magnificent.

Most were on par with the Celestial Dragon Warship, and the largest among them was over ten thousand meters long and a thousand meters high—a true behemoth, like a fortress on the sea.

"These are all warships from the various Kingdoms, escorting their True Dragon Prodigies to the Xiahuang Ancient Kingdom for the True Dragon War."

Landy continued, "There’s still over a month until the True Dragon War begins. Most of the people arriving now are likely here to compete for one of the one hundred Unparalleled True Dragon positions."

The one hundred Unparalleled True Dragons.

Before the True Dragon War officially started, the major prodigies would hold private gatherings to compete and rank the one hundred strongest and most promising True Dragon Geniuses.

Landy said, "The minimum threshold to become one of the one hundred Unparalleled True Dragons is to be a True Dragon at the Third Transformation of Heaven Realm. Hong Yu, with your strength, you should be able to claim one of those spots."

"Oh?"

Hong Yu couldn’t help but frown.

’My combat power is by no means weak, yet I *should* be able to claim a spot?’

’From the way Landy said it, it sounds like he doesn’t have much confidence in me, does he?’

"Hong Yu, look! That warship over there is shaped like a Black Tortoise." Unaware of Hong Yu’s thoughts, Landy suddenly pointed ahead.

Hong Yu followed his gaze.

About five hundred kilometers away was a colossal ship. It was ten thousand meters long, three thousand meters wide, and fifteen hundred meters tall. Shaped like a Black Tortoise, the massive warship moved across the ocean like a majestic ancient city.

Landy explained, "That’s the warship of the Black Tortoise Duchy. Beneath the Xiahuang Ancient Kingdom, the Four Great Dukedoms—Cyan Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise—are the strongest factions."

A hint of yearning appeared in his eyes. "In every True Dragon War, the Ten Great Unparalleled Prodigies are chosen, representing the ten strongest geniuses of that generation. Throughout history, aside from a single Unparalleled Genius who once appeared from my Ice Kingdom, no other Kingdom has ever produced a prodigy capable of joining their ranks."

"But the Four Great Dukedoms produce a genius who ranks among the Unparalleled Geniuses in every generation." Landy sighed softly. "Because of this, no one besides the Xiahuang Ancient Kingdom can challenge the status of the Four Great Dukedoms."

"The Ten Great Unparalleled Prodigies? Are they that strong?" Hong Yu asked.

Landy gave a bitter smile. "Strong is an understatement. Let me put it this way: the minimum requirement to become an Unparalleled Genius is to have slain a Heaven-Transforming Realm Primordial Spirit Powerhouse."

"Slain a Heaven-Transforming Realm Primordial Spirit Powerhouse?" Hong Yu’s brow furrowed slightly.

With his own combat power, he could kill a Primordial Spirit Realm Powerhouse, and could even fight against a powerhouse at the Mid-stage Primordial Spirit Realm.

But that was a completely different concept from killing a *Heaven-Transforming Realm* Primordial Spirit Powerhouse.

Even the weakest Heaven-Transforming Realm Primordial Spirit Powerhouse would have the combat power of the Mid-stage Primordial Spirit Realm. A stronger one might even possess power comparable to the Yin Yang Realm.

’The Ten Great Unparalleled Prodigies are that formidable?’

Hong Yu couldn’t help but clench his fists.

He could feel his blood starting to boil with excitement.

The Ten Great Unparalleled Prodigies.

The one hundred Unparalleled True Dragons.

And the countless other powerhouses and prodigies from every kingdom and land. The thought of crossing blades with so many geniuses made Hong Yu’s fighting spirit surge.

"The True Dragon War... Heh heh, now I’m really starting to look forward to it!" Hong Yu tightened his fists, a brilliant light shining in his eyes.

"BOOM!"

A massive impact shattered Hong Yu’s thoughts. The Celestial Dragon Warship under his feet shook violently. Startled, Hong Yu looked toward the source of the explosion, his gaze narrowing...

"What’s going on?"