Immortal Martial Emperor

"Bring the ship over!"

Hong Yu commanded a nearby sailor.

His reputation was now immense, having reached a level where he was practically a national idol in the Ice Kingdom.

When the sailor saw Hong Yu speaking to him, his face lit up with excitement and joy. He responded with a cheer and practically skipped away.

The Celestial Dragon Warship was incredibly fast, cutting through the wind and waves. Before long, it drew near to the object Hong Yu had spotted drifting at sea.

It was a wrecked skiff, and lying upon it were four powerhouses.

Each one was grievously wounded and drenched in blood, unable to even lift a finger.

The moment they saw the Celestial Dragon Warship draw near, ecstatic expressions appeared on their four pale faces.

"They’re most likely survivors from the sea disaster a few days ago."

A sailor explained, "That sea disaster was terrifying, the likes of which hasn’t been seen in a hundred years. Even a Primordial Embryo Realm Powerhouse would have a hard time surviving it. For these four to have made it out alive on a skiff... they’re incredibly lucky!"

"Mm."

Hong Yu nodded. "Let’s bring them aboard first!"

At once, one of the experts flew down and brought the four men aboard.

The four men’s attire was different from that of people who lived on land. Their clothes were more ostentatious, or perhaps revealing.

They all wore baggy shorts and simple short-sleeved shirts.

Their skin was dark and weathered, as if from years of exposure to the blazing sun.

"Hong Yu, who are these men?" Xu Wudi came over, frowning as he looked at the four.

Hong Yu quickly explained how he had chanced upon them.

Landy, standing to the side, gave the four a surprised look. "My father, the King, mentioned that sea disaster. It was said to be absolutely terrifying. One of the Ice Kingdom’s own Celestial Dragon Warships was mercilessly torn to pieces. Over ten thousand elite soldiers and their commanders were lost to the sea. Even Primordial Embryo Realm Powerhouses couldn’t escape nature’s Power of Destruction."

Hong Yu nodded.

Martial Artists might be powerful, and some who reach certain realms even possess the strength to move mountains and part seas.

But...

Compared to the vastness of nature, mortal power was ultimately weak and insignificant.

With the care of a few sailors and the restorative effects of Hong Yu’s Spirit Pills, the four men gradually regained consciousness and vitality. Once they recovered some strength, they sat cross-legged to regulate their energy.

Dense streams of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Power surged toward them, which they promptly devoured.

After half a day, the four finally opened their eyes.

The one who appeared to be the youngest opened his eyes and saw Hong Yu. He seemed startled for a moment, then remembered that these were the people who had rescued him. He said gratefully, "Thank you all for saving our lives!"

"It was no trouble at all."

Hong Yu waved his hand dismissively.

Xu Wudi asked, "And who might you be?"

The young man who had spoken first was about to answer, but a look from the youth beside him stopped him. This second youth’s hair stood on end, as if a hedgehog were perched on his head.

The second youth cleared his throat, straightened his clothes, and announced arrogantly, "We are from the Aolai Kingdom—renowned True Dragon Geniuses. Oh, you’ve probably never heard the title ’True Dragon Genius,’ have you? Well then, allow me to—"

Before he could finish, Hong Yu cut him off with an impatient wave. He looked at the first young man. "You. Tell me."

’This guy started spouting nonsense the moment he opened his mouth. So irritating.’

"Huh? Me?"

Seeing Hong Yu nod, the young man hesitated. "My name is Lin Fei, from the Aolai Kingdom. We were traveling with our kingdom’s fleet to the Xiahuang Ancient Kingdom when we were hit by a sea disaster the likes of which hasn’t been seen in a hundred years. Only the four of us survived." He paused, then bowed to Hong Yu and the others. "Thank you for saving us!"

"Heh, you already thanked us."

Hong Yu, holding the sleeping Little Chenxi, said coolly, "I’ll have someone arrange cabins for you. Get some rest. We’ll send for you when it’s time to eat."

"Yes, thank you!"

Lin Fei said.

The fluctuations of his aura were no weaker than the other three, yet his attitude was far more humble.

As for the other three...

Seeing that Hong Yu’s group was completely ignoring them, their eyes blazed with anger.

The one Hong Yu had cut off was especially furious. "You have no manners!" he raged. "This genius was speaking to you, and you dared to interrupt me? Besides, this Lin Fei is the weakest of the four of us. His background is the worst, too—his parents are commoners. The rest of us are nobles! How dare you let *him* speak for us?"

Lin Fei gave a wry smile and lowered his head, remaining silent.

Xu Wudi was speechless.

A playful smile touched Young Master Yeban’s lips.

Landy also wore a strange expression.

Hong Yu glanced at them and said coolly, "In my eyes, the three of you combined don’t measure up to him." He then turned to Lin Fei, a kind smile on his face. "This is a bottle of Pills for restoring Elemental Power. Take it."

"Th-thank you!"

Lin Fei carefully put the jade bottle away.

Hong Yu turned and left. Naturally, Young Master Yeban and the others didn’t linger, and they all departed as well.

Only a single sailor remained on deck to lead the four men toward their cabins.

Lin Fei cradled the jade bottle in his hands as if it were a priceless Treasure.

This infuriated the other three.

The spiky-haired youth snorted. "Someone gives you a piece of worthless junk and you treat it like a Treasure. Lin Fei, you’re a real disgrace to the Aolai Kingdom."

Lin Fei just lowered his head with a bitter smile, saying nothing.

Though he was also one of Aolai Kingdom’s Celestial Pride Sons, his common birth meant he was constantly mocked and suppressed by the others. He was used to it by now.

The sailor, however, couldn’t stand to listen any longer.

’Hong Yu is my idol!’

He sneered, "A bunch of country bumpkins. Our Lord Hong Yu is a true Celestial Pride Son. I’ve seen him hand out bottles of Fifth-Grade Spirit Pills like they were nothing, and you call them junk?"

"You..."

One of them glared, furious.

But another one raised a hand to stop him, frowning. "Is that true? He just gives away Fifth-Grade Spirit Pills?"

"What reason would I have to lie to you?"

The sailor shot the three a glare before turning to Lin Fei. "You’d best take that Spirit Pill right now, before someone gets any ideas!"

Then, ignoring the trio’s dark expressions, he finished showing Lin Fei and the others to their cabins.

The three men didn’t go to their own cabins. Instead, they followed Lin Fei to his.

"Zhangg Kang, Fu Shuo, Wang Lidin, why did you three follow me in here?" Lin Fei asked, frowning.

He clutched the jade bottle in his hand tightly.

’The sailor’s warning was still fresh in his mind. He couldn’t forget how, during their days adrift at sea, these three had claimed that all their Treasures, Spirit Medicines, and food had been lost in the disaster, forcing him to share all of his own supplies.’

The spiky-haired Fu Shuo glared. "Cut the crap. Hand over the jade bottle so we can see if it’s really a Fifth-Grade Spirit Pill."

"They gave it to me," Lin Fei said.

Wang Lidin rolled up his sleeves. "Holy shit, you peasant dare talk to us like that? You’ve got a death wish, don’t you?"

Zhangg Kang, the one with the noblest status, sneered. "Lin Fei, you know I am the Crown Prince of the Aolai Kingdom. The entire kingdom belongs to my Zhangg Family. To put it bluntly, you’re nothing but a dog of the Zhangg Family. If you know what’s good for you, give me that Spirit Pill now. Otherwise, once we get to the Xiahuang Ancient Kingdom, I’ll send a letter to my father the King and have him annihilate your Lin Family Manor."

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, how could you do this?" Lin Fei demanded, his eyes turning red with fury.

Zhangg Kang rubbed his nose, his expression haughty. "I am the Crown Prince, the future King of Aolai. If I want you dead, you die. What’s taking a single Spirit Pill from you?"

"That’s right, Lin Fei. If I were you, I’d hand over the Spirit Pill right now. You wouldn’t want to drag your family down over your own selfishness, would you?" Fu Shuo said with a smirk.

Wang Lidin’s face was also full of mockery. "Just hand it over!"

Looking at the three of them, Lin Fei’s face filled with bitterness and despair. "Fine," he said, defeated. "I’ll give it to you."

With the jade bottle in their possession, Zhangg Kang and his two cronies left, satisfied.

Lin Fei was left alone. He slumped, clenching his fists as he watched their retreating backs. He ground his teeth. ’Strength... In the upcoming True Dragon War, I must distinguish myself. Then I’ll get the elders and everyone else from Lin Family Manor out of there, so they’ll never have to suffer their coercion again.’

「In another cabin.」

Zhangg Kang and his cronies gulped, carefully placing the jade bottle on the table.

Wang Lidin asked doubtfully, "Your Highness the Crown Prince, do you think it’s really a Fifth-Grade Spirit Pill in here?"

"No way, right? A Fifth-Grade Spirit Pill? That’s one of the most precious things in our Aolai Kingdom. The entire kingdom only has a few. Is that Hong Yu really so rich he can just hand them out as gifts?" Fu Shuo said, his face full of disbelief.

Zhangg Kang crossed his arms and shook his head cockily. "I don’t believe it either. But whether it’s a Fifth-Grade Spirit Pill or not... we’ll know as soon as we open it and see!"

As the jade bottle was opened, a rich medicinal aroma wafted out. A brilliant light shone forth, casting thousands of radiant rays.

The three of them stared in shock, gulping audibly.

"H-holy shit, it... it really is a Fifth-Grade Spirit Pill?"

"I saw one in the royal treasury once," Zhangg Kang said. "My father, the King, treated it like it was the most precious thing in the world, carefully holding it out for me to see. A Fifth-Grade Spirit Pill... this is really a Fifth-Grade Spirit Pill!"

"Damn it, how are these people so rich?"

The three were dumbfounded, staring at each other in silence.

Wang Lidin looked glum. "Your Highness the Crown Prince, we just mocked them, but they’re this rich... We’ve made complete fools of ourselves."

Fu Shuo nodded in agreement. "Yeah, Your Highness. We have to find a way to get our dignity back. Otherwise, people will start saying our Aolai Kingdom is just some poor backwater."

Zhangg Kang stroked his chin and licked his lips, musing, "We absolutely have to get our dignity back. We can’t let them look down on the Aolai Kingdom. The problem is, we obviously can’t compete with them when it comes to Spirit Pills. Do you have any suggestions on how we can redeem ourselves?"

"We can’t compete on Spirit Pills, that’s for sure. But one thing the Aolai Kingdom doesn’t lack is rare treasures from the sea. And our Primordial Weapon Melting Technique is extremely powerful," Fu Shuo said.

Wang Lidin’s eyes lit up. "Exactly! We have treasures from the sea, things these land-based kingdoms don’t have. Plus, our Primordial Weapons are incredibly powerful. We definitely have an advantage!"

"But that’s just a contest of wealth. I’m afraid that won’t be enough to make them submit," Zhangg Kang mused. "This Crown Prince believes we also need to crush them with our strength. That’s the only way to truly regain our honor!"

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, what do you suggest we do?"

Zhangg Kang said, "As for the Primordial Weapons and Treasures, the three of us will handle it together. Don’t think I didn’t know you two were pretending to be broke this whole time, just so you could freeload off that loser Lin Fei."

The two of them snickered, not the least bit embarrassed. "Weren’t you doing the same thing, Your Highness?"

Zhangg Kang shot them a glare, then snickered. "Since we’re all on the same page, I’ll take this Fifth-Grade Spirit Pill first to recover my strength. Then, at the banquet tonight, we’ll teach these guys a harsh lesson and show them the might of the Aolai Kingdom!"

"Alright!"

"Hehe, I’m getting excited just thinking about the looks on their faces when we’re done with them!"

The three of them snickered deviously, plotting how they would crush Hong Yu and his group at the evening banquet.

Before they knew it, the full moon was hanging over the horizon. Dressed and ready, the trio followed the sailor into the banquet hall, smug looks plastered on their faces...