Immortal Martial Emperor

"Let’s bet like this!"

Xiahuang Shang said with a faint smile, "I’ll bet that Hong Yu can make it into the top twenty in total points by the end."

"Top twenty?"

Bai Luoxue was stunned.

He glanced at the leaderboard. Right now, everyone in the top fifty had over five hundred points.

The fastest teams were already halfway to the center of Demon Island. At this rate, the top twenty powerhouses would at least double their current points.

This meant that for Hong Yu to break into the top twenty, he’d need at least one thousand points.

He currently had just over one hundred and fifty points.

In the remaining half of the journey, unless Hong Yu could somehow rake in nearly a thousand points, it was impossible for him to reach the top twenty by the time he arrived at the core region.

Of course.

If he didn’t care about reaching the core region with the frontrunners and deliberately stayed behind to hunt Desolate Beasts for points, that was another story.

However...

Arriving at the core region of Demon Island earlier meant a greater chance at fortuitous encounters.

More importantly, the Purple Thunder Winged Flood Dragon had fled here. The vast majority of powerhouses wouldn’t pass up on such a powerful Desolate Beast, and Hong Yu would be no exception.

’Hmph, for him to break a thousand points under these circumstances is just wishful thinking.’

At this thought, Bai Luoxue grinned. "Fine, I’ll take that bet! But since it’s a bet, there must be stakes. I wonder what the Fifth Prince intends to wager?"

"Hehe, what do you want to bet?" Xiahuang Shang asked with a smile.

Bai Luoxue gave a sinister smile. "I’ve heard that the Fifth Prince acquired a map to a Secret Realm a few days ago."

"Hmph, you want that Secret Realm map?" Xiahuang Shang sneered. "Are you aware that I lost five thousand elite soldiers for that map? A full one hundred Primordial Embryo Realm Powerhouses perished. Besides, if you know about this Secret Realm map, you should also know what it represents!"

"Hehe, of course I know!"

Bai Luoxue said, "The Fifth Prince should be aware that there are three parts to this map in total, placed in three separate Treasure Chests and hidden randomly within the Ancient Kingdom by the Secret Realm’s master. If I’m not mistaken, the map in Your Highness’s possession should be the second part, the one that details the Secret Realm’s Central Region."

"You know so much. It seems you have a piece of the map as well?" Xiahuang Shang said.

Bai Luoxue nodded. "I have the first part of the map, the one for the outermost region. As for the map to the core region, its location is currently unknown. I imagine the Fifth Prince has also searched for it to no avail?"

Xiahuang Shang nodded but said nothing.

Bai Luoxue continued, "My wager is this map of the outer region. You should know that without a map, one cannot enter that Secret Realm, even if they memorize the route! Fifth Prince, what else are you worried about?"

"Bai Luoxue, do you really think I know nothing? As long as the two map fragments are combined, one can enter the Secret Realm. Although we wouldn’t be able to go to the core region, given the power and status of that Secret Realm’s master, the rewards in the outer and central regions will surely be substantial."

Xiahuang Shang explained slowly, his eyes narrowed as he stared intently at Bai Luoxue. "Do you think you have what it takes to swallow it?"

Bai Luoxue’s expression froze.

Under Xiahuang Shang’s cold, harsh gaze, he felt his heart skip a beat.

Venerable Xiahuang, who had been watching coldly from the sidelines, narrowed his eyes. He spoke faintly, and a subtle wave of energy radiated out, dispelling the pressure from Xiahuang Shang’s aura. "Fifth Brother, since this is a bet, a price must be paid. How about this: if you feel Bai Luoxue can’t handle the map, I’ll join in as well. What do you say?"

"Eldest Brother, you want a piece of the action too?"

Xiahuang Shang frowned.

Venerable Xiahuang flipped his palm, and a floating Primordial Weapon appeared.

It was a black sphere. Its surface was covered in small protrusions that flowed with a faint light, giving off a soul-stirring sensation.

"This is..." Xiahuang Shang’s eyes lit up.

Venerable Xiahuang said, "I obtained this from an Ancient Secret Realm. It should be a Primordial Weapon, though I don’t know its specific Level. I only know that it’s no weaker than a Sixth-Grade Primordial Weapon. Furthermore, I’ve had it for five years and have never figured out how to use it, but I have a faint feeling it contains a great secret. I will wager it, along with Luoxue’s map, against yours. How about it?"

Xiahuang Shang hesitated.

He could instinctively feel that this strange Primordial Weapon was powerful and extraordinary.

After much hesitation, he nodded. "Alright, I’ll take that bet!"

Seeing Xiahuang Shang agree, Venerable Xiahuang and Bai Luoxue exchanged a look, seeing the sly glint of success in each other’s eyes.

Immediately, everyone’s gaze converged on the leaderboard.

Looking at the leaderboard now, they felt even more nervous and invested. After all, their own interests were at stake!

And under everyone’s watchful eyes, the leaderboard was constantly changing.

This was especially true for Hong Yu. The speed at which his points were increasing was unbelievable.

"He’s already at five hundred points, ranked one hundred and thirty-eighth," Xiahuang Shang said.

Bai Luoxue’s expression was grim.

Venerable Xiahuang, however, was quite calm. He spoke with indifference, as if his words alone could decide the fate of others. "There’s only two-thirds of the journey to the core region left. The top twenty have all broken one thousand points. The outcome is already decided!"

"Mmm!" Bai Luoxue nodded.

’It wasn’t easy getting my hands on this map. More importantly, this Secret Realm is extremely significant, filled with rich treasures. Losing it would be a truly painful loss.’

’That damn bastard, I can’t let him succeed!’ Bai Luoxue’s gaze was cold and filled with resentment.

He glanced at Venerable Xiahuang and sent a mental transmission, "Eldest Prince..."

Venerable Xiahuang glanced back at him and nodded slightly.

Venerable Xiahuang cast a deep look at one of the men behind him. The man was a trusted confidant of Venerable Xiahuang. He immediately nodded and retreated.

「A short while later...」

The confidant went to a secluded corner, took out a Jade Order, and sent out a message: "The Eldest Prince orders you to stop Hong Yu from acquiring points at all costs!"

At the same time, on Demon Island, a group of powerhouses was besieging a powerful Desolate Beast.

The Desolate Beast had reached the Sixth Grade Level. Under the combined attack of so many experts, its life was being toyed with. It wailed as its body became covered in wounds.

One of them, a man with a stern face and a Big Saber on his back, was none other than Zhao Wushuang.

He watched the show before him with his arms crossed. Suddenly, his gaze flickered. He took out a Jade Order, raised an eyebrow slightly, and a playful look appeared on his face. "Brother Xiahuang, Brother Zhang, a message has arrived from the Eldest Prince!"

"Oh? What does the Eldest Prince say?" Xiahuang Dun and Zhang Weilong looked at Zhao Wushuang.

Zhao Wushuang smiled. "The Eldest Prince says to stop Hong Yu from acquiring points at all costs. You two, how do you think we should stop him?"

His smile was strange. There was even an indescribable coldness to it.

Xiahuang Dun and Zhang Weilong exchanged a glance, their smiles incomparably chilling. "Personally, I feel that only a dead man can truly be stopped from gathering points!"

"I think so too!" Zhang Weilong said.

Zhao Wushuang chuckled. "Your thoughts are exactly the same as mine! But..." He paused, then continued, "Hong Yu is no easy opponent!"

Xiahuang Dun glanced at Zhang Weilong and Zhao Wushuang, saying irritably, "I get it. You just want me to convince Xiahuang Ba, don’t you? I’ll go over now. With an order from the Eldest Prince, he shouldn’t refuse!"

Zhao Wushuang and the other man chuckled.

Among the crowd fighting the frenzied Desolate Beast, a burly young man with a build like a humanoid Fierce Beast stood quietly, supervising the battle.

When he suddenly saw Xiahuang Dun approaching, he couldn’t help but frown, looking somewhat displeased.

But as Xiahuang Dun spoke, the young man’s gaze flickered, and he finally nodded. "Fine, I’ll go with you. It just so happens that kid offended me before. Just watch how I tear him apart!"

As his voice fell, Xiahuang Ba charged forward.

He lunged with an Arrow Step, swift as Thunder, making the entire valley tremble.

Xiahuang Ba abruptly appeared in front of the twenty-meter-tall Desolate Beast. His hands, like steel, viciously pierced through the beast’s tough defenses and into its body.

Then, he violently ripped his hands apart.

"ROAR!" The Desolate Beast let out a miserable shriek.

Under Xiahuang Ba’s bare hands, it was actually torn clean in two. Blood rained down, drenching Xiahuang Ba completely and making him look like a Blood Asura.

A bloody glint shone in his eyes as he sneered, "Hong Yu, this will be your fate!"

......

「On Demon Island.」

On a vast, flat plain, a mountain range stretching for hundreds of kilometers suddenly appeared. The range was like a giant wall, blocking the path ahead.

Three figures, moving extremely fast, arrived at the edge of the mountain range and came to a halt.

"ROAR!"

A deep tiger’s roar suddenly echoed from within the mountains.

It shook the heavens, causing the clouds in the sky to roil and churn. The sheer power of the sound was immense and utterly terrifying.

"What kind of Desolate Beast is that?" Hong Yu’s eyes showed his amazement.

Beside him, Feng Xue Xin frowned and said in a low voice, "I’ve never heard such a domineering tiger’s roar. It must be an incredibly powerful Desolate Beast."

"Let’s go take a look!"

The three of them continued on their way, but much slower than before.

Not long after they entered the mountain range, a commotion suddenly erupted ahead of them.

"RUMBLE!"

Billowing clouds of dust rose in front of them.

It was like a flash flood, like the earth itself was roaring.

"Is this? A Desolate Beast stampede?"

Hong Yu saw a herd of Desolate Beasts stampeding, their faces filled with terror as if they were fleeing from something.

"Holy crap, there must be over a thousand Desolate Beasts here!" Feng Xue Xin swallowed hard.

Young Master Yeban, however, was counting on his fingers, practically drooling. "That’s a Unihorned Glowing Bull, a single horn can sell for ten million Gold Coins... That’s a Red-Scaled Green Snake, its gallbladder can be sold for five million Gold Coins... Whoa, there are even Lingxue Eagles? Their wings can be used in the Refining of Blood Soul Chasing Darts, which are priceless! With so many of them, they could sell for over a hundred million Gold Coins..."

Hong Yu: "..."

Feng Xue Xin slapped a hand to his face. "This money-grubber!"

"Hong Yu, are you going or not? If you’re not, I am! This is a mountain of Gold Coins!" Young Master Yeban said with a look of righteous indignation. "If we let so many Desolate Beasts run free, they could easily hurt someone. We have a duty to rid the world of this menace!"

Hong Yu shot him a glance. "Dammit, if you want to harvest Desolate Beast materials for yourself, just say so."

However...

’So many Desolate Beasts also mean so many points!’

Hong Yu grinned. "With so many points delivering themselves to our doorstep, do you think I can just let them go?"

"Haha, then let’s do it!"

Like tigers pouncing on a flock of sheep, the three of them charged forward...

This was destined to be a grand festival of point harvesting!