Immortal Martial Emperor

"This is bad!"

Hong Yu’s heart clenched.

The black Talisman clutched in Zhao Wushuang’s hand contained an infinite power.

Strange black Runes swirled across the Talisman like ripples in water, wavering between substance and illusion, as if the shadow of a powerful beast was roaring and flitting within.

"Hong Yu, get back! That’s an Ancient Beast Talisman!"

Little One’s voice exploded in his mind.

Little One, who was always calm, steady, and unbothered by external events, was showing intense agitation. Its voice was far from serene.

Hong Yu immediately fell back, trying to leap out of the pit.

But Zhao Wushuang gripped him tightly, his face a mask of savagery and madness. "You forced my hand! I’ll make you pay!"

CRUNCH!

Zhao Wushuang violently crushed the Talisman in his hand.

The Talisman shattered with a bang.

As it shattered, a mass of black energy condensed in his palm. It spun slowly like a black sun, emitting an inky light so profound it seemed capable of devouring every thought from a person’s mind.

"Heh heh heh... Hong Yu, go to hell!"

Zhao Wushuang sneered malevolently.

However...

The smile on his face quickly froze.

Zhao Wushuang stared in horror at the black sphere of light in his hand, his eyes twitching violently.

As the black sphere spun, it began to emit a powerful suction force.

Under the pull of this terrifying force, Zhao Wushuang discovered that the blood was being continuously drawn from his body, flowing out and gathering into the black Energy Ball.

"Wh-what’s happening?"

Zhao Wushuang roared in terror.

HUMMM!

The suction from the black Energy Ball grew stronger and stronger.

Zhao Wushuang’s flesh shriveled, like a deflating balloon, until he was nothing but a sack of skin draped over bones.

He was truly just skin and bones!

"N-no... I don’t want to die..."

Zhao Wushuang shrieked in terror, his hands unconsciously releasing their grip.

Hong Yu seized the opportunity and quickly put distance between them.

Standing in mid-air, Hong Yu gazed down at Zhao Wushuang in the pit, silent for a long moment.

Everyone present was stunned by the scene. No one understood how Zhao Wushuang, who had been about to unleash a final, desperate attack, had ended up like this.

Only Xiahuang Ba’s eye twitched as he cursed inwardly, ’Fucking hell. No wonder the First Prince told us to be extremely careful when using it. So that thing was an Ancient Beast Talisman. Fuck, it’s a good thing I didn’t use it, or I’d be the one suffering right now!’

Watching Zhao Wushuang wither away and die, Xiahuang Ba felt a wave of lingering fear.

Just moments ago, he too had been tempted to use the final trump card that Venerable Xiahuang had given him.

Fortunately, Zhao Wushuang had used his first.

Zhao Wushuang’s life force was almost completely devoured by the black sphere of light from the Ancient Beast Talisman. With his last breath, his eyes, full of venom and hatred, locked onto Hong Yu as he uttered his final words: "Hong Yu, I’ll haunt you even as a ghost!"

The moment the words left his lips, Zhao Wushuang’s body exploded with a BOOM.

A mist of blood filled the sky.

Mangled flesh filled the pit, and the stench of blood permeated the air.

HUMMMMM!

The black sphere of light, however, continued to spin, endlessly devouring the Spiritual Qi from the surrounding space and growing larger and larger.

Hong Yu frowned and asked in a low voice, "Little One, what is an Ancient Beast Talisman?"

"Ancient Beast Talismans were a very popular type of Talisman in the Ancient Era. Powerful Spiritual Craftsmen would capture Desolate Beasts, turn them into puppets, and seal them inside spatial Talismans."

Little One explained, "A powerhouse holding an Ancient Beast Talisman can summon the Desolate Beast puppet to fight for them."

"Uh..."

Hong Yu was taken aback. He glanced at the spot where Zhao Wushuang had been obliterated and asked in confusion, "Does that mean the Martial Artists of the Ancient Era didn’t cherish their lives?"

"Of course not."

Little One’s tone grew grave. "If I’m not mistaken, this Ancient Beast Talisman must be a defective one. After being turned into puppets, some exceptionally powerful Desolate Beasts can, over the ages, break free from their puppet state. However, they are still bound by the seal of the Ancient Beast Talisman and cannot fully regain their freedom."

"The reason Zhao Wushuang was devoured to death was most likely that the Desolate Beast sealed inside consumed him to replenish its energy!"

Little One looked at Hong Yu seriously and said, "Hong Yu, you have to be careful this time. That Desolate Beast regained its freedom by devouring Zhao Wushuang’s blood, but the binding power of the Ancient Beast Talisman is still in effect. Since Zhao Wushuang’s final thought was to kill you, the first thing this beast will do now that it’s free is to seek revenge on you!"

"I understand!"

Hong Yu nodded.

His expression turned grave.

ROAR!

Just then, a terrifying roar echoed through the sky.

A pitch-black claw suddenly shot out from the black Energy Ball. It was incomparably sharp, with five long talons that resembled curved sabers, gleaming with a chilling, terrifying light.

BANG! BANG!

Two heavy thuds followed in quick succession.

A massive creature seemed to be desperately ramming against the inside of the black Energy Ball, causing it to expand steadily.

About ten breaths later.

A massive figure, a full fifty meters tall, stepped out from within.

ROAR!

Its heaven-shaking roar seemed to be a vent for the excitement of its newfound freedom.

It was a black leopard.

Its streamlined form was elegant and perfect. With every twitch, its muscles moved in perfect coordination, rippling with terrifying, explosive power.

The muscles on its limbs, in particular, shattered the air with every movement.

It produced booming sonic blasts.

"Is that a Black Cloud Demon Leopard? They’re one of the most bloodthirsty types of Ancient Wild Beasts! Hong Yu, you must be extremely careful!" Little One warned.

Hong Yu nodded.

ROAR!

The Black Cloud Demon Leopard twisted its body, and its jade-green eyes suddenly froze, locking onto Hong Yu.

It seemed slightly confused as it sized Hong Yu up.

Then...

Its jade-green eyes were suddenly veiled by a blood-red haze. SWISH! SWISH! It scraped its claws on the ground, carving several perfectly uniform, incredibly smooth gullies into the earth as if a knife were cutting through tofu.

One could only imagine how sharp its claws were!

ROAR!

The Black Cloud Demon Leopard suddenly moved.

Its form was incomparably swift and its power was shocking. In an instant, it was right in front of Hong Yu.

WHOOSH!

The Black Cloud Demon Leopard abruptly raised its claw and swiped down.

It was simply too fast!

Hong Yu didn’t even have time to dodge. His eyes narrowed as he immediately raised both arms to block.

BOOM!

The claw slammed into Hong Yu’s arms.

The claw, sharp as a steel saber, collided with his cyan Dragon Scales, sending a shower of blinding sparks into the air. The immense force sent Hong Yu flying backward.

He was knocked back over thirty meters before he managed to stop.

Hong Yu fiercely stomped his foot on the ground. With a BANG, the earth behind him exploded, sending out a terrifying volley of dirt clods.

This was Hong Yu’s technique for dispersing momentum.

Otherwise, that terrifying force would have been fully absorbed by his body.

Even if he wasn’t injured, it would have affected his ability to continue the fight.

"You damn beast. Just watch me destroy you!" Hong Yu said with a cold smile.

A cyan light surged up from beneath his feet, enveloping his entire body.

The cyan light converged into swirling cyan gales that whipped Hong Yu’s robes about and sent his hair dancing wildly, making him look like an invincible War God.

He was erupting with a terrifying pressure.

BOOM!

Hong Yu fiercely pushed off the ground.

The force was immense. The instant he launched forward, the ground where he had been standing caved in with a BOOM, forming a two-meter-deep pit.

As dirt flew into the air,

Hong Yu had already reached the Black Cloud Demon Leopard.

ROAR!

The Black Cloud Demon Leopard continued its assault. Its power and speed were both incomparably fast; in the Ancient Era, it had been capable of tearing Primordial Spirit Powerhouses apart with its bare claws.

Facing such an attack, Hong Yu was unwilling to meet it head-on.

’Although the Nine Transformation Dragon God Technique and the Cyan Celestial Transformation Dragon Technique have made my body incredibly strong, I still can’t take repeated head-on clashes!’

"Piercing Void Spear Technique—Unstoppable!"

His forward momentum halted abruptly. His body leaned back slightly, and then, pulling his arm back, he suddenly thrust forward.

The Godslaying Spear shot forward like an extension of his arm.

Nine Energy Auras stacked one upon another, gathering in his palm before surging to merge with the Godslaying Spear.

RUMBLE!

The golden scales on the Godslaying Spear shifted with a series of CLACKS, and a golden dragon shadow roared as it shot forth.

BANG!

The pinpoint collision instantly unleashed an utterly terrifying wave of energy.

CRACK!

The crisp sound of bone cracking rang out.

One of the Black Cloud Demon Leopard’s talons had actually snapped, and the sharp Spear Aura sliced directly into its paw.

With a SPURT, blood gushed out like a spring. The Black Cloud Demon Leopard let out a pained roar.

It was a ruthless beast, however.

Ignoring its grievously injured and nearly severed claw, it lunged forward, allowing the Godslaying Spear to pierce its paw as it swiped directly at Hong Yu.

Blood dripped everywhere!

The Godslaying Spear skewered the Black Cloud Demon Leopard’s palm, but its paw slid down the shaft like a meat skewer, heading straight for Hong Yu’s arm.

If that swipe landed, Hong Yu’s arm would surely be lost.

’Another ruthless one. But this is actually pretty interesting!’

Hong Yu suddenly grinned.

A blue radiance suddenly shot out from his left eye.

Like a beam of blue starlight, it burrowed into the center of the Black Cloud Demon Leopard’s brow with a PFFT.

ROAR!

The Black Cloud Demon Leopard cried out in pain, and its descending attack froze mid-air.

Seizing the chance, Hong Yu yanked the Godslaying Spear free with a SWISH. Then, quick as lightning, he thrust the spear toward the Black Cloud Demon Leopard’s brow.

BOOM!

The golden Spear Aura crashed against its brow, erupting in a powerful shower of sparks.

The Black Cloud Demon Leopard’s head was incredibly hard!

"Hmph. No matter how hard your head is, I’ll break it!"

As Hong Yu snorted, a vein bulged on his arm like a dormant Cyan Dragon bursting from the sea. Immense power drove the Godslaying Spear surging forward.

BANG!

The Godslaying Spear met no further resistance and pierced straight through the Black Cloud Demon Leopard’s head.

Brains splattered as flesh and blood flew everywhere.

The giant Black Cloud Demon Leopard let out one last, pained cry as its body fell heavily, smashing into the ground with a THUD.

Hong Yu breathed a sigh of relief, then looked toward Xiahuang Ba, flashed his Divine Demon Wings, and charged.

Xiahuang Ba fled in a panic.

Hong Yu hurled the Godslaying Spear like a javelin. It flew with incredible, piercing speed, about to run Xiahuang Ba through.

But just in the nick of time, a beam of golden light descended from the sky and knocked the Godslaying Spear away.

An indifferent voice followed...

"How dare you attempt to murder a powerhouse of the Imperial Family. Hong Yu, your crime is punishable by death!"