Immortal Martial Emperor

BUZZ!

Hong Yu’s eyes snapped open.

Two scorching beams of light flashed across his eyes. The light was like fire, yet it also resembled the vast, deep blue of a boundless starry sky.

Within his pupils, countless runes could be faintly seen circulating. The strange and abstruse runes collided, rearranged themselves, and were deduced to their absolute limit, undergoing a sublimation.

Some runes, after merging, became endlessly self-sustaining and incredibly powerful.

These were all runes recorded on the Ancient Array Map.

"So that’s how it is!"

Hong Yu let out a long, turbid breath.

The breath was gray, and it swirled in the air for a moment before dissipating.

Hong Yu immediately felt a sense of relief wash over his entire body.

Even some of the hidden ailments within his body vanished along with that breath.

This was all a product of deducing the runes on the Ancient Array Map to their limit.

It made Hong Yu appreciate even more just how terrifying and powerful the Rashomon was.

’I’ve only followed the clues on the Ancient Array Map to deduce the disordered runes on the Rashomon, and it’s already had such a powerful effect. If I could completely deduce them all and gain control over this Divine City’s gate that suppresses the cosmos, what kind of rewards would I reap?’

Of course, it was still too early for Hong Yu to be thinking about that.

At present, the most he could do was deduce a portion of the runes recorded on the Ancient Array Map.

’If my deductions are correct, there should be three parts to this Ancient Array Map in total. Each part corresponds to a section of the runic arrays on the Rashomon. It’s a pity I only have this one scroll. Otherwise, if I could deduce all three scrolls together, I should be able to gain complete control over the Rashomon!’

Hong Yu muttered to himself.

Strictly speaking, Hong Yu had obtained the Luo Rune Seal on the Rashomon with the help of the Netherworld Ghost Lord.

As for the Life and Death Seal, he had only managed to forcibly absorb the Life Rune Seal from the Rashomon after receiving an empowerment from the High Priest of the Snow Ape Race.

But these seals were all obtained through external forces. Their power was greatly diminished, and even their forms were incomplete.

’If I want to complete the Life and Death Seal and the Luo Rune Seal, I’m afraid I’ll need to find the other two Ancient Array Map scrolls. But why didn’t the Netherworld Ghost Lord mention the Ancient Array Maps back then?’ Hong Yu couldn’t figure it out.

What he didn’t know was that back then, the Netherworld Ghost Lord had never managed to collect all three seals. He had only gained the recognition of the Luo Rune Seal by a stroke of luck.

That was all!

As for the requirements and power he described for completely controlling the Rashomon, ninety-nine percent of it was just lies that the treacherous old bastard had fabricated to make Hong Yu wholeheartedly help him fulfill his promise and go to the Desert North Wilderness.

Of course, Hong Yu was unaware of all this.

Clutching the Ancient Array Map, he flew up and slowly floated to the central section of the Rashomon.

This area corresponded to the runic array map for the Death Rune Seal.

Although it was only one section, Hong Yu still seemed incredibly tiny standing before the Rashomon.

It felt like a mosquito flying up to a giant pancake.

It was like gazing up at a towering mountain.

The runic array map for the Death Rune Seal section was quite chaotic overall. The runes were a jumbled mess, and some looked as if a child had scrawled them haphazardly with a brush.

Even so, every single stroke and line still carried an infinite charm.

It was as if they were in harmony with the Great Dao.

They were fused with supreme laws.

For example, one slender scratch, a full three hundred meters long, was straight and smooth, seemingly just a horizontal line.

But when Hong Yu focused his gaze on it, he seemed to see a peerless swordsman swinging his longsword. The sword light tore through the sky, shattered the vast stars, and struck down upon that very spot.

Another example was a dent the size of a human head.

It looked completely ordinary, and even after inspecting it many times, Hong Yu hadn’t discovered anything unusual about it.

Only now, after studying and deducing the Ancient Array Map, did he look at the dent again and feel that it was the mark left by an extremely powerful spearman, who had used a star-shattering long spear or battle halberd to pierce a star and strike the Rashomon.

Every mark, it seemed, represented a supreme expert.

"I’ll start here!"

Hong Yu took a deep breath and pressed his hands onto the Rashomon.

He began to activate the Heaven-Swallowing Divine Technique and the Primordial Gang Fighting Technique, channeling them relentlessly as he frantically shifted the runes on the Rashomon according to the deductions from the Ancient Array Map.

Under his manipulation, the runes sprang into operation, their markings changing and their positions shifting.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The central section of the Rashomon erupted with brilliant golden light, bathing the world in gold. A faint but vast pressure spread out, suppressing the eight directions and dominating the cosmos.

The brilliant, boundless light plunged the entire Profound Celestial Secret Realm into an absolute silence.

Not a single creature dared to make the slightest movement.

It was as if they feared disturbing a divine spirit.

"Heaven and Earth Profound Yellow, Cosmos and Primordial Chaos; Six Paths of Reincarnation, all things are boundless..."

This was a mantra he had obtained while deducing the Ancient Array Map.

Hong Yu silently chanted it.

Golden characters materialized in the void, one after another, forming a vast torrent like a river of stars that surged into the Rashomon.

This process of deduction lasted for two full days.

It wasn’t until the third day that Hong Yu’s body shuddered. "WAH!" He spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, his body swaying before crashing to the ground.

His face was incredibly pale, and his skin was cracking, seeping traces of blood. He was almost grievously injured.

With a bitter smile, Hong Yu looked at the Rashomon, which had returned to its original state, and felt extremely frustrated. "So close. I was so close."

It turned out that Hong Yu’s deduction of the runic imprints on the Rashomon had reached a critical juncture. But at the final moment, the consumption of Primordial Gang’s Power within his Primordial Embryo was too great, causing him to make a mistake and fail at the last step.

’It seems that unless I can take another step forward and reach the Peak of the Primordial Embryo Realm, I can forget about completing the deduction of the Rashomon’s runes,’ Hong Yu thought, vexed.

His consumption had been enormous, making it impossible to continue the deduction.

After swallowing a Pill to recover some of his strength, he exited the Profound Celestial Secret Realm.

In the secret chamber, Feng Xue Xin and Yeban were still asleep. Hong Yu felt his stomach rumbling. Going without sleep, food, or drink for several days straight had taken a huge toll on his body, so he left the underground chamber.

As soon as he stepped out, he saw Luoo Xiaoguai waiting at the door.

When she saw Hong Yu, she immediately rushed over and asked anxiously, "How are Brother Feng and Yeban?"

Hong Yu smiled. "They’re still asleep, but don’t worry. They’ll recover soon!"

"Mm, that’s good!"

Luoo Xiaoguai breathed a sigh of relief, then handed Hong Yu two Storage Rings. "The Jin Brothers had someone deliver these. They waited for you at the Prince’s Mansion for three days, but when you didn’t show up, they left. They asked me to give these two Storage Rings to you, though!"

"Oh?"

Hong Yu was startled for a moment, then overjoyed.

Storage Rings from Jin Zhiyong and Jin Zhiqiang? This must be the two billion Elemental Essence Ores.

He sent his Spiritual Power inside and found, sure enough, a mountain-like pile of Elemental Essence Ore.

Hong Yu roared with laughter. It was truly a pillow for a weary head.

He asked Luoo Xiaoguai for some food, wolfed it down, and then returned to the secret chamber.

’There are only six days until the True Dragon War. Even if I break through, it will take at least three days to decipher the Rashomon. And not even the Primordial Gang Fighting Technique can absorb two billion Elemental Essence Ores in three days. It seems I’ll have to put the Rashomon deduction aside for now and focus everything on devouring the Elemental Essence Ore. I have to strive to break through to the Peak of the Primordial Embryo Realm before the True Dragon War begins.’

Hong Yu clutched the two Storage Rings, planning his next move. ’First, I’ll raise my strength to deal with the True Dragon War. As for the Death Rune Seal, I’ll find an opportunity to comprehend it during the war.’

With this in mind, Hong Yu returned to the Profound Celestial Secret Realm and began devouring the Elemental Essence Ore using the Primordial Gang Fighting Technique.

The Primordial Gang Fighting Technique was incredibly powerful.

He condensed two black Energy Vortexes in his hands. With a flip of his palms, he continuously took out Elemental Essence Ores, instantly absorbing their essence and turning them into ordinary stones.

After one day, his completely depleted Primordial Gang’s Power was fully replenished.

Hong Yu continued to devour them as time trickled by.

In the blink of an eye, five days passed, and Hong Yu’s Primordial Gang Fighting Technique finally reached a critical point.

In his hands were two head-sized Elemental Essence Ores. They were of the highest quality, contained extremely potent energy, and were also the last two Elemental Essence Ores he had.

SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

The black Energy Vortexes devoured them frantically.

A terrifying torrent of energy surged into his body, and Hong Yu’s aura began to change constantly.

A golden light suffused his body, and his Infinite Primordial Embryo radiated a vast and mighty aura.

At a certain moment...

BUZZ!

The light around Hong Yu’s body suddenly trembled.

The fluctuations of his aura became deep and vast, as if nine azure dragons were coiling around his body.

BOOM!

Hong Yu’s eyes snapped open.

As he clenched his fists, a RUMBLE RUMBLE sound echoed, his power now immense.

"Heaven-Devouring Demon Elephant!"

Hong Yu roared.

ROAR!

A phantom of the Heaven-Devouring Demon Elephant abruptly appeared.

The form of the Heaven-Devouring Demon Elephant was even more solid now—a definitive sign that Hong Yu’s cultivation had reached the Peak of the Primordial Embryo Realm.

Once he broke through again and entered the Primordial Spirit Realm,

the Heaven-Devouring Demon Elephant would condense into a physical form.

That would be the moment Hong Yu truly became a hidden dragon returning to the sea, soaring into the heavens as his Chaos Mysteries fully erupted.

Hong Yu was ecstatic.

At this moment, his Primordial Embryo was brimming with Primordial Gang. Having absorbed two billion worth of Elemental Essence Ores, his power was absolutely immense.

Hong Yu’s eyes flashed, releasing two brilliant red beams of light like long rainbows streaking across the sky.

The corners of his lips curved up slightly...

’I’ve finally broken through. After I recuperate and adapt a little, I’ll be ready for the True Dragon War!’

...

「Time passed quietly.」

Although more than ten days had passed since the Martial Arts Tea Party, the impact of the sensational incident that occurred that day was still being felt.

The story of how Tang Wei, the dignified young master of the Tang Family and the foremost of the Imperial Capital’s five great scoundrels, was stripped naked, locked in a prisoner’s chariot, and forced to run naked around the city moat at sunset spread like wildfire, embellished with each retelling.

Storytellers on street corners and in alleyways recounted the tale with vivid detail.

In particular, the detail about Eldest Young Master Tang shedding a single tear of regret at the end, lamenting "that was my lost youth," became an immortalized classic!

This directly led to Eldest Young Master Tang never appearing in public again.

One rumor claimed that Eldest Young Master Tang had grown weary of the mortal world and had his head shaved to become a monk.

Another claimed that Eldest Young Master Tang had castrated himself and entered the palace to become a eunuch.

Of course, no one knew the truth behind these rumors.

The only thing known for certain was that the Tang Family Head, Tang Long, was furious. However, the ones who had punished Tang Wei were all powerful dignitaries, so he didn’t dare retaliate indiscriminately. Naturally, he focused all his hatred on Hong Yu.

But Hong Yu was living in Xiahuang Shang’s mansion, leaving Tang Long powerless to act.

In the end, he sought out Venerable Xiahuang.

The Tang Family were loyal supporters of Venerable Xiahuang, who gave him a satisfactory reply, and Tang Long left in excitement.

「Inside the mansion.」

Venerable Xiahuang stood with his hands behind his back. Beside him, Bai Luoxue said, "Your Highness, everything has been arranged. Tomorrow, at the True Dragon War, a huge surprise will be waiting for Hong Yu!"

Venerable Xiahuang’s closed eyes slowly opened, a chilling glint appearing within them. "Anyone who dares to oppose me has only one path—death!"

"Hong Yu, oh, Hong Yu... you are indeed a talent. It’s a shame you chose to side with Old Fifth."

Venerable Xiahuang slowly closed his eyes again, his faint voice laced with a grim coldness...

"The True Dragon Battlefield will be Hong Yu’s Land of the Buried Gods!"