Immortal Martial Emperor

"Heh heh heh, you still dare to be so brazen?"

Tang Sanpang smirked, completely unafraid.

His right hand was clamped tightly around Xiaohua’s neck, refusing to loosen its grip in the slightest. Xiaohua’s face was flushed crimson, and the whites of her eyes were showing as she struggled.

It looked as if she could suffocate and die at any moment!

But the kind-hearted girl clenched her jaw, not making a sound, for fear that she would distract Hong Yu.

Hong Yu took a deep breath. "I’ll give you one last chance!"

"Damn, you really are arrogant!"

Tang Sanpang sneered viciously.

He had already alerted the City Guard Army, and what’s more, he’d caused over three thousand of them to be killed or wounded. This was already a major incident.

What’s more...

Even Young Master Cheng Gong of the illustrious Cheng Family had been brutally dealt with.

Tang Sanpang knew perfectly well that if the Cheng Family or the City Guard Legion investigated this matter to the fullest, he would be the first to face the consequences.

That was why Tang Sanpang had made this desperate gamble: to force Hong Yu to surrender.

He might even be able to use this opportunity to kill Hong Yu.

If he succeeded, he could redeem himself through meritorious service. Then, neither the Cheng Family nor the City Guard Army would give him too much trouble.

Tang Sanpang’s grip tightened further.

Xiaohua was on her tiptoes, her feet scrabbling against the ground. Her eyes were bloodshot as she looked at Hong Yu and desperately shook her head. "Brother... Brother Hongyu... don’t worry about me... You... you have to run..."

Watching the kind little girl struggle in agony in Tang Sanpang’s grasp.

Then they looked at Tang Sanpang’s corpulent, piggish figure and his vicious face, which held not a shred of pity. A wave of fury washed over many of the onlookers.

But behind Tang Sanpang was the illustrious Tang Family.

Furthermore, though his younger brother Tang Rui was also from a branch family, he possessed astonishing talent and power. He was ranked fifth among the Ice Kingdom’s Eight Great True Dragons, his strength surpassing that of many experts from the older generation.

It was because of his brother, Tang Rui, that Tang Sanpang dared to embezzle the city’s entrance fees without fear of repercussion.

But...

Hong Yu didn’t care one bit who he was.

"I gave you your last chance. It’s a shame you didn’t take it."

At that thought, Hong Yu’s figure blurred.

’Huh? Where did he go?’

Tang Sanpang froze, instinctively glancing around.

Suddenly, he heard the Ice Armor General shout, "Watch your back!"

"What? What back?"

Tang Sanpang looked behind him in a daze, and his blood ran cold.

Hong Yu was standing right behind him, his face dark.

Tang Sanpang instinctively tried to run, but how could he possibly be a match for Hong Yu?

BAM!

A single punch landed squarely on the bridge of Tang Sanpang’s nose.

"WAAAGH!"

Tang Sanpang let out a pained shriek and collapsed to the ground, clutching his nose.

"Xiaohua, are you okay?"

Hong Yu snatched Xiaohua to safety. Seeing the deep purple handprint on the little girl’s neck, he took a deep breath, his chest filled with boundless fury.

Xiaohua gasped for air, greedily gulping it down. Her eyes were red, but she stubbornly shook her head.

Hong Yu gently patted Xiaohua’s head. "Don’t worry. I’ll get revenge for you."

The moment he finished speaking, Hong Yu strode forward and sent Tang Sanpang flying with a vicious kick. Wailing, Tang Sanpang sailed through the air toward the Ice Armor General.

"Useless trash, get out of my sight!"

The Ice Armor General snorted and backhanded Tang Sanpang, sending him crashing to the ground.

Tang Sanpang felt as if every bone in his body was broken. He howled like a fat pig being slaughtered, his miserable shrieks rolling like Thunder Sound.

THUD!

The Ice Armor General swung himself off his horse. He looked at Hong Yu and said coldly, "Young man, I don’t care who you are or what your background is. Here in my Ice Kingdom, even a dragon must coil and a tiger must crouch. Your actions today are a provocation against the entire Ice Kingdom."

"Today, not even the Celestial King himself could save you!"

The Ice Armor General cracked his knuckles.

They made a series of sharp cracks.

His Ice Battle Armor glowed with an icy-blue luster. A faint Ice Dragon coiled and slithered across the armor’s surface, while wisps of blue, icy clouds swirled around him, giving him a cold and imposing aura.

His aura, originally that of the Late-stage Primordial Core Realm, was amplified by the ice-blue Battle Armor until it reached the Peak Power of the Primordial Core Realm.

’Primordial Weapon Armor that can amplify one’s strength?’ Hong Yu’s brow furrowed slightly.

Generally, Primordial Weapons took the form of armaments; Primordial Weapon Armor was exceedingly rare.

Not only was Battle Armor difficult to craft, but more importantly, the Spirit Array Runes required for Primordial Weapon Armor were amplification-type Inscriptions. Very few such Inscriptions had survived to the present day, making Primordial Weapon Armor exceptionally scarce.

Across the vast Southern Ten Nations, Hong Yu only knew of one person who possessed such a thing: Old Sir Tie, who had found his set of Primordial Weapon Armor in a Secret Realm.

’As expected of a nation that can single-handedly suppress the Southern Ten Nations Alliance. The Ice Kingdom’s power and resources are truly remarkable,’ Hong Yu murmured to himself.

He wasn’t particularly shocked by the appearance of the Primordial Weapon Armor. After a moment of appreciation, he rubbed his nose, a look of yearning in his eyes. ’Even the Ice Kingdom is this powerful, with eight experts at the Heaven-Transforming Realm True Dragon Level. I wonder what the even more powerful Xiahuang Ancient Kingdom is like?’

The Ice Armor General wasted no more words. Seeing Hong Yu seemingly lost in thought, he charged.

Skating forward on blades of ice, the Ice Dragon on his armor writhed as he threw a punch. The blow carried enough power to threaten an expert at the Early-stage Primordial Embryo Realm.

This Ice Armor General truly possessed considerable talent and strength.

"It’s over, it’s all over! General Huo is protected by the Ice Dragon Armor he got from the Ice Tower! They say that while wearing it, he can even last a few rounds against an Early-stage Primordial Embryo Realm expert!"

"This young man is incredible, but he stands no chance against General Huo."

"What a shame. This kid got rid of those wicked young masters, but he’s too hot-headed. And with those children to worry about, he can’t even run away. He’s a dead man for sure this time."

"Let’s hope the Ice Goddess protects him!"

Amid the murmuring of the crowd, Hong Yu showed not a trace of fear. His eyes were bright and clear, gleaming with a sharp light. "Bring it on!"

He roared.

Clenching his fist, he generated a powerful sonic boom and threw a punch to meet the attack.

HUMMM!

His fist glowed with a translucent golden light, exuding a monstrous, heaven-shaking might.

BOOM!

One fist was shrouded in ice, the other bathed in golden light.

The moment they collided, a brilliant burst of sparks erupted. The blinding flare of energy was like a scorching sun, forcing everyone to shield their eyes.

The Ice-Armored General Huo sneered, "Heh heh heh, so this is all you’ve got!"

As their fists met, he sensed that while Hong Yu was strong, he was still well within his grasp.

However...

Hong Yu, his face impassive, gave a slight, chilling smile. "Are you sure about that?"

"Hm?"

General Huo froze.

In the next instant, he understood the chilling intent behind Hong Yu’s smile.

BANG!

With an explosive crack, Hong Yu’s punch shattered the ice covering General Huo’s fist. Amid a shower of ice fragments, Hong Yu charged forward and slammed his fist viciously into the Ice Dragon Armor.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACKLE...

The sound of shattering ice suddenly filled the air.

A web of cracks spread across the Ice Dragon Armor, growing wider until they covered the entire suit.

With a final, sharp CRACK, the Ice Battle Armor from the Ice Tower completely exploded.

"How is this possible?!"

General Huo was sent flying backward, spitting a mouthful of blood, his eyes wide with utter disbelief.

’While wearing the Ice Dragon Armor, I have the fighting strength of the Peak of Primordial Core Realm! I can even trade blows for several rounds with an Early-stage Primordial Embryo Realm expert! When have I ever been so humiliated?’

’But that young man’s punch just now...’

’Not only did it break through my attack, but it shattered my Ice Battle Armor.’

’More importantly...’

’That single punch scrambled my internal organs, shattering them completely. The damage is horrifying!’

THUMP!

General Huo crashed heavily to the ground. He tried to push himself up, but only made it halfway before collapsing back onto the dirt.

He stared at Hong Yu in horror. "Who... who in the world are you? How can you be this powerful?"

’With the power he’s shown, he could rank among the Ice Kingdom’s Eight Great True Dragons, maybe even fight for a spot in the top four!’

Hong Yu gave him a cold glance. "Who am I? You’re not qualified to know."

"You..."

General Huo was so enraged he nearly coughed up blood.

’Me? A General of the City Guard Legion, being told I’m not qualified?’

Just then, a cool, clear voice drifted from within the city gates. "He may not be qualified, but what about me?"

The voice wasn’t loud, but strangely, the moment it was heard, the bustling city gate fell completely silent.

Every onlooker immediately fell silent. Even the wounded soldiers groaning on the ground cut off their cries, as if frozen by some invisible power.

"Hm?"

Hong Yu paused and looked toward the city gate.

A slender young man stood there, a massive black ruler strapped to his back. It was wreathed in a dark glow, emanating an immense, oppressive aura.

The moment he appeared, his domineering presence naturally silenced all the clamor.

"Who are you?" Hong Yu asked, his brow furrowed.

The newcomer didn’t answer. He glanced at Tang Sanpang, who was lying on the ground trying to endure the pain, and shook his head with a soft sigh. "Brother, oh brother. I told you not to linger here, but you just had to be greedy for those entrance fees. Now look at the state you’re in. Ai, to think that my brother—Tang Rui’s brother—was beaten up like this. How am I supposed to hold my head up now?"

Tang Rui! This man was the Tang Family’s genius, Tang Rui!

A talent from a branch family who, with his supreme gifts, had surpassed the main line to become the Tang Family’s number one genius!

Tang Sanpang trembled, seemingly afraid of his younger brother. "Bro... brother, I’ll listen to you from now on. I’ll stay put in the family, I promise. B-but..." His venomous gaze fixed on Hong Yu. "You have to get revenge for me! Chop off this bastard’s arms and legs! Revenge! I want revenge!"

"*Sigh*. Fine. You are my brother, after all,"

Tang Rui nodded, then tilted his head to look at Hong Yu. "My friend, my apologies. My brother is a rather greedy person, but, well... he *is* my brother."

"And while I, Tang Rui, may not be a big shot, I do have some clout around here."

He casually cleaned his ear as he spoke in an unhurried tone. "You’ve beaten my brother into this state. As his younger brother, I can’t just stand by and do nothing, can I? But I’m not an unreasonable person. So, how about this? I’ll give you two choices."

"First, you can cut off your own arms and legs, and I’ll deign to let you live. As for the second option..."

He spoke slowly, but his body radiated an unparalleled, domineering aura. His gaze on Hong Yu grew increasingly cold and sharp, and the corner of his lip curled up as if he were a Venerable emperor looking down upon the world.

"Kneel. Down. And. Die!"