Immortal Martial Emperor

Zhang Weilong returned to the Tiger King Battleship.

Zhang Weihu also recovered his senses. His chest was caved in and his aura was faint—he was clearly seriously injured.

He and Zhang Weilong were speaking about something, their faces filled with rage and venom. He stared at Hong Yu from a distance, mouthing the words: You just wait. It won't be long before you regret everything you did today!

In response, Hong Yu nonchalantly picked at his ear and retorted, "I'll be waiting!"

The two Zhang brothers steered the Tiger King Battleship and departed swiftly.

The Golden Spear Guard looked at Hong Yu and offered a friendly warning. "The Zhang brothers are notoriously domineering, and they're the type to seek revenge for the slightest grievance. You need to be careful!"

"Thank you!"

Hong Yu nodded gratefully.

The Golden Spear Guard then departed.

Only after they had left did the others on the Celestial Dragon Warship gather around.

Little Chenxi, who was in Young Master Yeban's arms, stretched out her hands. "Big brother, hold me! Hold me!"

Hong Yu smiled and picked up Little Chenxi, playfully teasing the adorable little girl.

Little Chenxi giggled. She was so carefree, innocent, and pure.

Landy looked at Hong Yu with a complicated expression. "Now we're in big trouble."

"Why?"

Xu Wudi asked in confusion, "Zhang Weilong was no match for Hong Yu. How could there be trouble?"

Landy gave a bitter smile. "Zhang Weilong is acknowledged as one of the top fifty experts among the Unparalleled True Dragons. His combat prowess is immense, and just now, he underestimated Hong Yu and wasn't using his full strength. Besides, so what if Hong Yu can defeat Zhang Weilong? He's only the second-ranked True Dragon of the White Tiger Duchy. There's someone above him, and that person is one of the Ten Great Unparalleled Prodigies!"

"Is that person that strong?" Xu Wudi asked, frowning.

Worry flickered in his eyes.

Landy nodded. "The Ten Great Unparalleled Prodigies are more than just 'strong.' Let me put it this way: an expert like Zhang Weilong wouldn't last ten moves against any of them!"

Xu Wudi sucked in a sharp breath.

Young Master Yeban, however, remained perfectly calm. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

The atmosphere grew heavy.

The Ten Great Unparalleled Prodigies!

These were the ten young experts at the very pinnacle of the Xiahuang Ancient Kingdom. In terms of combat prowess, they were absolutely overwhelming.

'We just arrived in the Xiahuang Ancient Kingdom and we've already offended an expert of that caliber. Doesn't this mean the upcoming True Dragon War will be fraught with hardship?'

Hong Yu waved his hand dismissively and smiled. "Don't worry. If they want revenge, they'll be coming for me anyway!" After a pause, he added, "We're almost at the Xiahuang Ancient Kingdom. Let's just focus on speeding up!"

"I suppose that's all we can do,"

Landy said with a bitter smile, already trying to figure out how to handle the situation.

After everyone else had gone, Hong Yu, still holding Little Chenxi, seemed to sense something. His gaze drifted into the distance.

Dozens of miles away, in a stretch of sea, an inconspicuous little boat drifted with the waves. Hong Yu's brow furrowed.

That small boat was emanating an aura that made his heart pound in alarm!

And what's more...

There wasn't just one!

'The people on that boat... could an Unparalleled Genius be aboard?'

Hong Yu muttered to himself.

Just now, during his fight with Zhang Weilong, he had keenly sensed a faint, hidden aura locking onto him. It had come from this very boat.

Unable to come to a conclusion, Hong Yu rubbed his nose and muttered, 'I'll stop thinking about it. I'll just deal with whatever comes my way.'

He then turned and entered the ship's cabin.

He had also gained considerable insight from this battle.

「At the same time」

On that small boat...

Three young men sat cross-legged together, warming wine and burning incense. Among them was none other than the Unparalleled Genius from the Black Tortoise Duchy, the portly Xuantian!

Xuantian was all smiles, looking like a Maitreya Buddha. "What do the two of you make of it?"

"Not bad. He should have the strength to contend for a spot in the top fifty Unparalleled True Dragons," a young man in a cyan robe said with a smile.

The two of them looked toward the last person.

This person had white hair, silver eyes, and the rare condition of having double pupils in each eye.

His white hair drifted as he held a cup of warm wine. He took a slow sip, his calm voice laced with contempt and disdain. "Top fifty among the Unparalleled True Dragons? Heh. I could crush a minor character like that with a lift of my hand."

"Luoxue, that Hong Yu is not weak," the cyan-robed young man said with a smile. "He defeated Zhang Weihu without even summoning his Mystical Illusion and fought Zhang Weilong to a standstill. And you say you could crush him with a lift of your hand?"

This cyan-robed young man was Long Qingfeng, the top prodigy of the Cyan Dragon Duchy and one of the Ten Great Unparalleled Prodigies!

And the white-haired, silver-eyed young man before them, Bai Luoxue, was the Unparalleled Genius from the White Tiger Duchy!

Bai Luoxue's eyes flashed with arrogance. "Zhang Weilong didn't use his full strength. His Mysteries of Martial Arts are quite unique; if he went all out, he could even contend for a spot in the top thirty Unparalleled True Dragons. Zhang Weilong could kill Hong Yu without my help, to say nothing of the fact that Zhang Weilong himself can't withstand three of my moves!"

"Oh? Someone who could rank in the top thirty of the Unparalleled True Dragons can't withstand three of your moves? Could it be that you've already taken that step?" Xuantian asked, his eyes narrowed, though he was still smiling cheerfully.

But his words carried a hint of wariness and doubt.

Bai Luoxue glanced at him, a knowing look on his face. "I'm almost there. But even without having taken that final step, I have few rivals among the Ten Great Unparalleled Prodigies." He paused, his gaze turning sinister and glinting with a cold light. "Or to put it another way, besides Xiahuang Shang and the Crown Prince, I reign supreme over the other Great Unparalleled Prodigies!"

Both Long Qingfeng and Xuantian gasped.

They stared at Bai Luoxue with grave expressions, their faces a mixture of shock and uncertainty...

...

Several hundred kilometers was not a great distance for the Celestial Dragon Warship.

The group arrived at a port of the Xiahuang Ancient Kingdom around noon.

The port was immense, large enough to simultaneously accommodate a hundred thousand warships of the Celestial Dragon Warship's caliber.

The harbor was divided into designated zones; the Celestial Dragon Warship docked in East Zone 36.

Everyone disembarked.

"Where should we go now?" asked Xu Wudi.

Landy gave a bitter smile. "Our Ice Kingdom doesn't have any businesses here. Plus, during the True Dragon War, all the inns and restaurants are in short supply."

"Doesn't your Royal Family have a senior member who is a highly-regarded Prince Consort in the Xiahuang Ancient Kingdom?" asked Young Master Yeban.

Landy looked troubled and replied dejectedly, "There is indeed such a senior, but that was all hundreds of years ago. Although he's still alive, he's in closed-door cultivation year-round and rarely contacts us."

"Isn't he a Guardian of the Ice Kingdom? How could he rarely be in contact?"

Yeban asked, confused.

The look on Landy's face grew even more distressed.

Hong Yu stopped Young Master Yeban from probing further, figuring it was most likely related to some internal strife within the Royal Family.

He said coolly, "Didn't that Zhangg Kang say his family has businesses in the Imperial Capital? Bring him here."

A sailor immediately brought Zhangg Kang over.

Lin Fei, who had been immersed in his cultivation, had just been awakened by a sailor and came over with Zhangg Kang and his two companions.

Zhangg Kang looked at Hong Yu with a complicated expression.

He had naturally heard the news of Hong Yu's duel with an Unparalleled True Dragon. While he was incredibly shocked, he felt even more resentful. 'This bastard has the strength of an Unparalleled True Dragon, yet he fooled us with his Early-Stage Primordial Embryo Realm Cultivation. He must have hidden his true cultivation! Hmph, I'm no match for you now, but just you wait! I'll repay the humiliation you've caused me a hundred, even a thousand times over!'

As he thought this, a smile spread across Zhangg Kang's face. "Boss Hong Yu, all you bosses, did you need me for something?"

Hong Yu said, "We're in the Xiahuang Ancient Kingdom now. You mentioned before that your family has businesses in the Imperial Capital. Can you arrange lodging for us?"

"Of course, I can do that! Hahaha, everyone, just follow me!"

Zhangg Kang said with a conspiratorial grin, suddenly becoming extremely enthusiastic.

Hong Yu and the others were bewildered. 'Has this kid gone stupid? Why is he suddenly so eager to please? Was he really beaten into submission by Hong Yu?'

Little did they know...

...Zhangg Kang's heart was pounding with excitement. 'Hahaha, these idiots actually want me to arrange lodging for them. If I lead them back to the Aolai Kingdom's headquarters in the Xiahuang Ancient Kingdom, how could I possibly miss the chance to get my revenge?'

With this in mind, Zhangg Kang's attitude became even more fawning.

The Celestial Dragon Warship was naturally equipped with chariots. A grand procession of three chariots, led by Zhangg Kang, set off toward the Imperial Capital of the Xiahuang Ancient Kingdom.

The entire Xiahuang Ancient Kingdom Imperial Capital was divided into an Inner City and an Outer City.

The Inner City covered a full one million square kilometers. It was rumored to be the residence of the Xiahuang clan, whose lineage stretched back several thousand years. No outsiders were permitted to enter!

The Outer City was even more vast, ten times the size of the Inner City.

The Outer City was not only the economic, cultural, and political heart of the Xiahuang Ancient Kingdom, but also the gathering place for all of its subordinate alliances.

The permanent population of the Outer City exceeded one billion people!

The population of a single city rivaled that of the entire Huaxia Nation. The power and prosperity of this world were difficult to even imagine.

"My Aolai Kingdom has an inn in the Outer City, and my uncle is in charge of it. I'll take you there in a moment and get you settled in!"

Zhangg Kang explained with a smile.

Young Master Yeban gazed at the prosperous scenery along the road and muttered to himself. Hong Yu listened in with curiosity, but his expression immediately darkened.

Yeban was actually calculating how he could set up a street stall in the Imperial Capital to make money!

Hong Yu was utterly speechless. He glanced at Landy. "Doesn't your Ice Kingdom have any businesses in the Imperial Capital?"

Landy shook his head. "The Ice Kingdom isn't skilled in business management. We mostly engage in maritime trade."

"Oh."

Hong Yu nodded.

Fortunately, their chariots were crafted from Primordial Weapons and pulled by Second-Grade Wild Beast Fiery Fire Horses, so their speed was quite impressive.

Even so, it still took a full day and night to travel from the port to the Outer City.

「The next day」

The group finally reached the Outer City of the Imperial Capital and found the Aolai Inn.

The inn was quite large, occupying over ten thousand square meters. It was a full ten stories tall and magnificent. The Aolai Kingdom was truly a kingdom of the newly rich.

The moment Zhangg Kang stepped out of the chariot, he produced a Token.

Upon seeing it, an inn attendant hurried to welcome them inside and see to their needs. A few minutes later, a short, thin figure entered through the door.

He stumbled in, looking rather frantic.

As soon as he saw Zhangg Kang, tears streamed down the man's face. "Oh my heavens, Little Kang, you're finally here! Your uncle heard that your fleet was shipwrecked and that you were missing. I was scared to death!"

"Uncle, I'm fine, see!"

Zhangg Kang laughed. "Uncle, our fleet met with disaster at sea. It's all thanks to Hong Yu and his friends that we were saved!" he explained.

"Oh? So you're his saviors! This humble one is Zhangg Lang, Zhangg Kang's uncle. Thank you so much for saving my Little Kang!" Zhangg Lang said repeatedly, looking at Hong Yu and the others.

Gazing at the small, shifty-eyed man before them, Hong Yu's mouth twitched. "..."

Xu Wudi wore a strange expression. "..."

Yeban and Lin Fei exchanged a look. "..."

'Zhangg Lang? As in... cockroach?'

'What the hell!'

'What a hell of a name!'

Hong Yu cleared his throat. "Hello, Boss Zhangg. We're here to participate in the True Dragon War, but we haven't been able to find a place to stay. We were wondering..."

Hearing that Hong Yu's group wanted to stay, Zhangg Lang's expression changed slightly.

Just as he was hesitating, Zhangg Kang stepped forward and whispered a few words in his ear. Zhangg Lang's hesitant expression instantly turned into a knowing smirk. He nodded at Hong Yu. "Alright, leave the accommodations to me! You all wait here, I'll go make the arrangements right now!"

Watching Zhangg Lang depart and then looking at the beaming Zhangg Kang, Hong Yu's expression underwent a subtle, almost imperceptible change.

A moment ago, he had used his Spiritual Power to eavesdrop on the conversation between Zhangg Kang and his uncle. They were actually talking about...