Immortal Martial Emperor

"Hong Yu, do you dare to fight?"

Yao Yueye stood in the air with his hands clasped behind his back. His gaze was cold and focused as he shouted with the arrogance of a peerless Sword Venerable.

A surging Sword Momentum shot toward the heavens, like a Divine Sword descending from the sky. It whistled as it flew, shaking the very air as it rushed straight for Hong Yu.

BANG!

The formless Sword Momentum rushed forward, bursting apart just as it was about to strike Hong Yu.

Hong Yu slowly opened his eyes, which seemed to hold two enthroned deities. With a sharp roar, he stomped on the Dragon Sealing Platform. Like a ferocious Cyan Dragon, he whipped up a howling gale and soared into the sky.

Bristling with fury, his fighting spirit blazed!

Primal. Sovereign. Supreme!

In that instant, Hong Yu’s presence was overwhelming. He was like a peerless War God, like the Cangqiong Martial Emperor himself!

He formed a fist with one hand. As his fingers clenched, the air around them cracked and popped. A layer of cyan energy enveloped his fist as he shot it whistling toward Yao Yueye.

"A fine attack!"

Yao Yueye was neither startled nor angered. Instead, his face lit up with wild joy.

Standing proudly in the air, his shoulders trembled slightly as a ripple of power spread from him. His entire body transformed into a sharp longsword that slashed down with a SWISH.

The sword’s light was blinding, its presence overwhelming as it tore through the void.

It was a brilliant, dazzling sight!

With a SWISH, the sharp blade cut through the air and slammed directly into Hong Yu’s fist.

The impact of sword and fist!

A perfectly matched clash!

BOOM!

An aura as violent as a clash between deities erupted. A howling gale swept out, sending their hair dancing wildly and their robes snapping with a sound like the clash of Divine Weapons.

Everyone gasped.

Everyone held their breath in shock.

What did it mean to be at the pinnacle?

For more than a decade, he had stood above the millions of young Martial Artists in the Southern Ten Nations. He was the acknowledged number one genius, a prodigy so powerful that even the former Top Ten Powerhouses of the True Dragon Gang couldn’t withstand three of his moves.

A Demon Fiend at the First Transformation Heavenly True Dragon Realm!

Even older-generation powerhouses like Yuan Cang treated him as an equal; not one of them dared to put on the airs of a senior in his presence.

This man was none other than Yao Yueye!

One man, one sword—the fiendish Yao Yueye!

If Yao Yueye was a Celestial Pride Son, dazzling as the blazing sun from the moment he was born...

...then...

...his opponent, Hong Yu, was his complete opposite—a man from the humblest of origins.

He had risen from obscurity, from a place so unremarkable and remote it could only be described as a forgotten corner of the world.

For more than ten years, he was mired in silence and obscurity.

But in the last two years, he had streaked across the sky like a comet, eclipsing the stars. He surpassed one famous genius after another, climbing step by step to earn the title of a true prodigy at the pinnacle of power!

From Shishui City’s Hong Family, a side branch member’s stunning rise!

In the Cyan Nether Sword Sect, an Outer Disciple fighting back against constant suppression!

In the Qin Kingdom, facing endless trouble, yet still forging his name as a genius by swimming against the tide!

In the martial tournament of the Ten Kingdoms, amidst a vast array of ruthless and fierce competitors, he was besieged by countless prodigies. With the Zhui Yang Ancestor’s exorbitant bounty on his head, he became practically a public enemy.

And yet...

He gritted his teeth and persevered, step by step, relying on his immense strength and unyielding will.

He endured it all.

And now, using True Dragons as his stepping stones, Hong Yu was poised to become the new King of the Pride!

Even the number one prodigy, Yao Yueye, had changed. His initial indifference and disdain had gradually transformed, and he now saw Hong Yu as his strongest rival!

"They’re fighting! They’re really fighting!"

"Hong Yu and Yao Yueye... they have to be the two strongest, right? I just wonder who will come out on top."

"Yao Yueye has to be the stronger one, right?"

Xiahuang Shang narrowed his eyes and said nonchalantly, "Since you two wish to fight now, then the Nine Dragon Platform can be opened."

HUMMM!

Xiahuang Shang flicked his finger.

A Jade Order shot out, hovering in the air above the center of the Dragon Sealing Platform.

Suddenly, the Jade Order erupted in a brilliant, nine-colored light. Nine Azure Dragons seemed to soar out from within it, twisting their bodies as they shot into the Dragon Sealing Platform.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The Dragon Sealing Platform began to rumble and shake.

The tremors were Heaven-Shattering and Earth-Splitting, enough to make one’s heart leap with fear.

The nine Azure Dragons shot into the Dragon Sealing Platform, coalescing into nine powerful draconic patterns that cast a dazzling light across the sky.

A massive stage slowly rose from the center of the Dragon Sealing Platform.

Nine Azure Dragon Stone Pillars spiraled upward around the stage, coming to rest encircling the Dragon Sealing Platform. Bursts of light erupted from them, forming a resplendent curtain of light—a luminous Barrier.

"Yao Yueye, Hong Yu, the Nine Dragon Platform is open. You may begin your True Dragon duel!" Xiahuang Shang declared.

BOOM!

An overwhelming aura surged toward the heavens.

On the Nine Dragon Platform, Hong Yu and Yao Yueye stood face to face. Their gazes met, and the brilliant light erupting from within their eyes clashed in mid-air.

A rumbling explosion of blinding light erupted from the collision.

"Hong Yu, I hope you won’t disappoint me!" Yao Yueye said haughtily.

Hong Yu grinned. "Bring it on!"

"Die!"

The two of them attacked simultaneously.

Hong Yu was incredibly swift. Like a hunting leopard, he left a long afterimage in his wake, flickering between thirty or forty different positions in an instant before appearing in front of Yao Yueye.

Yao Yueye’s gaze turned cold. He formed a Sword Point and slashed out horizontally.

With a SWISH, a flash of light tore through the void.

A beam of sword light shot out. The Sword Momentum alone was as powerful as an Earth-level Lower Grade Primordial Weapon.

Facing such an attack, Hong Yu’s expression hardened as he blocked with his fist. "Begone! Begone! Begone!"

With three successive roars,

he threw three consecutive punches.

The collision of Sword Momentum and the force of his punches sent out shockwaves, with energy surging like a torrential flood.

As they collided, the two opposing energies canceled each other out with a final WHOOSH!

A deep rumbling echoed like the beating of sullen war drums.

From the violent impact, surging energy scattered in all directions, slamming into the boundaries of the Nine Dragon Platform.

However...

...their attacks, each capable of tearing a mountain asunder, couldn’t leave so much as a scratch on the platform.

"Hahaha! Hong Yu, you truly haven’t disappointed me! If you can block this next move, you will have earned the right to make me draw the Demon-Slaying Sword!" Yao Yueye declared with a booming laugh.

His eyes blazed with fervent battle lust.

He leaped high into the air, his robes snapping around him as he began to spin, ascending higher and higher.

Streams of blue sword light swirled around him, resembling a school of living silver swordfish. With a series of SWOOSHES that tore through the air, the countless beams of light descended upon Hong Yu.

Golden light suffused Hong Yu’s body, coalescing into a suit of golden armor that shrouded him in a faint, radiant glow.

He took a deep breath, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes as he roared, "Pupil Technique: Enchanted City!"

HUMMM!

The sword lights shrieked as they shot past.

The countless beams of light blotted out the sun like a plague of locusts, a truly terrifying sight. In the blink of an eye, they completely engulfed Hong Yu.

And yet...

...in that same instant, Yao Yueye dodged and retreated.

As he steadied himself, he glanced down and saw that the front of his robe had been sliced open over his abdomen.

A chill ran across his skin.

Yao Yueye took a deep breath, astonishment flashing in his eyes. "What an incredible Pupil Technique: Enchanted City. If not for my pellucid Sword Heart and my attainment of the Enlightenment of the True Self—to be unmoved by any external phenomenon—I fear I would have been unable to resist your illusion."

He slowly raised his head and looked forward.

Hong Yu’s figure silently materialized before him.

Hong Yu’s face was expressionless as he stared at Yao Yueye and said calmly, "To be able to awaken from my Enchanted City in such a short time... you truly are Yao Yueye."

"Hahaha, your Enchanted City is formidable indeed!"

Yao Yueye was not the least bit discouraged, laughing as he continued, "Since you were able to break my Sword like Fish and Dragon, you have proven you possess enough strength to make me draw my sword. However... once I do, you will have no chance of victory."

HUMMM!

Yao Yueye planted his feet, his hands dropping to his sides.

As he flexed his fingers, a surging ripple of power spread out from his feet in all directions.

Circle after circle of energy radiated out from Yao Yueye, like a raging tornado, whipping his robes and long hair into a wild dance.

The Demon-Slaying Sword on his back began to vibrate gently.

SWISH!

The longsword flew out of its scabbard on its own.

It circled once above Yao Yueye’s head before settling into his grasp.

As his hand closed around the hilt of the Demon-Slaying Sword, a surge of power infused with the profound rhythm of the Sword Dao spread out, and the strange energy fluctuations it emitted were terrifying.

Yao Yueye pointed his sword at Hong Yu and said calmly, "With the Demon-Slaying Sword in hand, my power at least doubles. Hong Yu, there is absolutely no way you can block my attack this time!"

"How will we know if I can block it or not until we try?"

Hong Yu said with a grin.

Yao Yueye shook his head gently. "No. The Demon God Sword Technique I practice is a Celestial Level Lower Grade Cultivation Technique, and you’ve likely discerned the grade of this Demon-Slaying Sword as well. That’s right, it is also Celestial Level Lower Grade. Although I cannot yet unleash its full power, with the Demon-Slaying Sword drawn, no one of my generation in the entire Southern Ten Nations can stop me!"

"Even among the older generation of experts, only Yuan Cang is worthy of facing my full strength. The rest are no match for me!"

Yao Yueye declared with supreme arrogance.

His words immediately sent the older-generation experts from the Southern Ten Nations outside the Dragon Sealing Platform into a rage.

"Yao Yueye, you brat! Such arrogance!"

"Yao Chuheng, is this the successor your Yaoyue Kingdom has produced? So arrogant he holds no respect for his elders?" the Zhui Yang Ancestor sneered at Yao Chuheng.

Yao Chuheng merely shot him a glance, offering no response.

The Zhui Yang Ancestor was about to press the issue when he heard Xiahuang Shang calmly analyze from the front, "I didn’t expect both the Demon God Sword Technique and the Demon-Slaying Sword to have fallen into Yao Yueye’s hands... With his cultivation and strength, compounded by the Demon-Slaying Sword, it is true that only Yuan Cang among you has the power to match him."

Everyone sucked in a sharp breath.

A collective gasp filled the air.

When Yao Yueye had said it, they thought he was merely being arrogant and ignorant.

But now that even Xiahuang Shang had said so, it meant Yao Yueye truly possessed such terrifying strength.

In an instant, everyone’s gazes toward Yao Yueye turned grave.

As for Hong Yu...

...he had become an object of pity.

"Hong Yu is an outstanding talent in his own right. It’s just a shame he had to face Yao Yueye."

"Heh heh heh, there’s always a higher mountain. It would be for the best if Yao Yueye just killed that arrogant brat right here and now!"

the Zhui Yang Ancestor said venomously.

「Meanwhile...」

Yao Yueye, wielding the Demon-Slaying Sword, had already launched a ferocious attack.

Facing such a powerful Yao Yueye, could Hong Yu possibly claim the final victory?