Immortal Martial Emperor

"That little girl isn’t with me."

Venerable Xiahuang spoke nonchalantly.

His face was calm, as if he were truly innocent.

But the hint of mockery in his eyes couldn’t escape Hong Yu’s spiritual gaze. His brows knitted, and a faint killing intent began to emanate from him. "Venerable Xiahuang, are you playing me?"

"Hmph, so what if I am?"

Venerable Xiahuang snorted coldly, meeting Hong Yu’s gaze without showing any weakness.

He was the great Eldest Prince of the Xiahuang Ancient Kingdom, the number one Unparalleled Genius. He couldn’t tolerate the slightest offense.

Under Hong Yu’s intimidating stare, his anger flared.

"I thought the so-called number one Unparalleled Genius would be someone of character, but it turns out you’re just a punk who goes back on his word and won’t admit defeat," Hong Yu sneered.

"Bastard..."

Venerable Xiahuang glared furiously.

Nearby, Xiahuang Shang crossed his arms, teleporting in front of Hong Yu. He said calmly, "Eldest Brother, since you made a bet with Hong Yu, and he has now won by taking first place in the pre-war hunt, you should honor your promise and fulfill the wager. In all reason and fairness, you must. Otherwise, people might start to think the great Eldest Prince of our Ancient Kingdom is just a petty, sore loser."

’A sore loser?’

’Petty?’

Venerable Xiahuang’s eyelid twitched.

He said coldly, "This Prince would never go back on my word. However, that little girl really isn’t with me."

"Venerable Xiahuang, if anything happens to Little Chenxi, I guarantee you will live to regret it." Hong Yu’s tone suddenly became very calm.

If such words were spoken under normal circumstances,

he would have absolutely become a public target. After all, Venerable Xiahuang was the Eldest Prince of the Xiahuang Ancient Kingdom, representing the authority and face of the Imperial Family.

For Hong Yu to speak this way was a blatant slap in the face to the Imperial Family of the Xiahuang Ancient Kingdom.

But after witnessing Hong Yu’s recent outburst—where he had utterly dominated Bai Luoxue and then instantly slaughtered thousands of Desolate Beasts—everyone now stared at him with deep contemplation.

This young man, who spoke calmly and seemed not to be angry, now appeared like a Godslayer.

His words even sent a chill down Venerable Xiahuang’s spine.

He frowned. "This Prince told you, that little girl isn’t with me." He paused, then continued, "If you want to find her, go find Zhu Ling’Er yourself!"

"Zhu Ling’Er?"

Hong Yu was taken aback.

The name was completely unfamiliar to him.

However...

All the experts who heard the name "Zhu Ling’Er" couldn’t help but gasp, their expressions changing drastically.

Even Xiahuang Shang couldn’t help but frown.

Hong Yu asked in confusion, "Brother Xiahuang, who exactly is this Zhu Ling’Er?"

"Who is she?"

Xiahuang Shang gave a bitter smile. "She is also one of the Unparalleled Geniuses, the Little Princess of the Vermilion Bird Duchy, one of the Four Great Dukedoms."

"Oh? An Unparalleled Genius?"

Hong Yu grew even more confused.

One had to remember that Xiahuang Shang was not only the Fifth Prince of the Xiahuang Ancient Kingdom but also the second-ranked Unparalleled Genius.

He didn’t even give Bai Luoxue, the third-ranked, a second thought, so why did he have such a reaction to the mention of Zhu Ling’Er?

Xiahuang Shang explained with a wry smile, "Zhu Ling’Er is ranked fifth among the Unparalleled Geniuses, but even my eldest brother doesn’t dare to provoke her easily. If there’s anyone among the Ten Great Unparalleled Prodigies who could actually snatch Little Chenxi from my eldest brother, then Zhu Ling’Er is indeed the only one!"

"Is Zhu Ling’Er that powerful?"

Hong Yu said in a low voice.

He was very clear about his own strength.

Even though he could rely on the Executioner Formation’s Executioner’s World Destruction Array as a trump card to kill an Unparalleled Genius,

in terms of his own combat power, he was only at the level of the sixth or seventh-ranked Unparalleled Genius.

But...

He would still dare to fight head-on against anyone in the top five, so he couldn’t understand the fear from Xiahuang Shang and Venerable Xiahuang.

Now that even Venerable Xiahuang and the others were so afraid of this Zhu Ling’Er, Hong Yu was naturally puzzled, unable to grasp the key reason.

Xiahuang Shang said, "Zhu Ling’Er’s strength as the fifth-ranked Unparalleled Genius isn’t enough to give her such a reputation. In reality, the truly fearsome thing about her is her guardian Desolate Beast."

"Hm?"

"Zhu Ling’Er has a nickname: the Evil Fire Phoenix!" Xiahuang Shang said with a strange expression.

Hong Yu froze.

Suddenly,

he seemed to have realized the crucial point. He said in a deep voice, "Evil Fire Phoenix? You mean, she has a Phoenix as a Desolate Beast?"

"Mhm!"

Xiahuang Shang shook his head with a bitter smile, then nodded. "The founding Primordial Ancestor of the Vermilion Bird Duchy also had a Vermilion Bird Desolate Beast, but it died in a great battle many years ago. However, that Vermilion Bird possessed a trace of Phoenix Bloodline. After its death, it underwent Nirvana and turned into a Vermilion Bird Egg, which was sealed for several hundred years. When Zhu Ling’Er was born, the Vermilion Bird Egg hatched, and it had even evolved into an Evil Fire Phoenix."

"With the help of the Evil Fire Phoenix, Zhu Ling’Er displayed incredible talent from a young age. Among the Ten Great Unparalleled Prodigies, she is the only one younger than me! Moreover..."

Xiahuang Shang continued, "Zhu Ling’Er has a strange personality. She contains evil fire within her body and even possesses an Evil Fire Primordial Vein. She is violent and perverse. Once, a disciple of the Imperial Family merely glanced at her a few too many times and was burned to ash by her Evil Fire Phoenix. If the King of the Vermilion Bird Duchy hadn’t protected her with all his might, my father, the Emperor, would have had her executed long ago."

"Even so, Zhu Ling’Er hasn’t restrained herself in the slightest. Anyone who displeases her, she’ll just have her Evil Fire Phoenix deal with them. That Evil Fire Phoenix is a Tier Seven Wild Beast, comparable to a Yin Yang Realm expert. So, even in the Xiahuang Ancient Kingdom, she’s someone who can do whatever she wants! With Little Chenxi in her hands, I’m afraid..."

Xiahuang Shang smiled bitterly and didn’t continue.

But Hong Yu understood his meaning.

The Evil Fire Phoenix, Zhu Ling’Er—she was a genius and a lunatic. Anyone who provoked her would suffer the attack of the Evil Fire Phoenix.

’If I rashly go to her and demand she release Little Chenxi, it’d be like pulling the whiskers from a tiger’s mouth.’

’What awaits me would likely be a ball of evil phoenix fire.’

At this thought,

he finally understood the meaning behind the strange smiles in Venerable Xiahuang’s and Bai Luoxue’s eyes. It was obvious they were trying to get him killed with a borrowed knife!

Hong Yu glared. "Venerable Xiahuang! Bai Luoxue! Fine, fine, fine! You two are ruthless!"

Venerable Xiahuang shrugged, his face nonchalant. "This Prince has already told you where the person is, which counts as fulfilling the bet. As for whether you can save her, who knows. Perhaps that little girl has already been roasted to a crisp by the Evil Fire Phoenix!"

"HEH HEH HEH, I’ve heard that Zhu Ling’Er’s Evil Fire Phoenix especially loves to eat children!"

Bai Luoxue stared at Hong Yu with a venomous expression, his grating voice echoing in the air.

Hong Yu whipped his head to glare at Bai Luoxue and roared, "What right does a loser like you have to speak before me? Bai Luoxue, if you dare to speak one more word of nonsense, I’ll rip your mouth apart!"

"You..."

Bai Luoxue’s face turned ashen.

When had he ever suffered such humiliation?

But in his duel with Hong Yu just now, he had indeed been the one to flee in disarray.

If Venerable Xiahuang hadn’t ordered someone to help him, he would have been dead long ago.

Hong Yu’s roar had shown him no face at all, and all the surrounding experts had heard it loud and clear. One by one, they pointed at Bai Luoxue, making him feel as if he had needles on his back, his face livid.

He looked at Hong Yu with hatred, cursing venomously, "Hong Yu, don’t get too complacent. I admit I’ve suffered a loss today, but it wasn’t a loss to *you*. Hmph, just wait until the True Dragon War, when no external powers can be used. I hereby declare that during the True Dragon War, I will personally twist your head off!"

"Fuck you! We’ll see who lives and who dies when the time comes!" Hong Yu retorted, neither servile nor overbearing.

"You..."

Bai Luoxue’s face alternated between green and white. He didn’t know how to retaliate and could only flick his sleeve and fall silent.

"Luoxue, a temporary gain or loss means nothing. When the True Dragon War comes, there will be plenty of opportunities for revenge!" Venerable Xiahuang said calmly.

Bai Luoxue nodded.

The two of them were about to leave when Xiahuang Shang, who had been silent all this time, spoke up. "Eldest Brother, Bai Luoxue, it seems you’ve both forgotten something, haven’t you?"

"Hm?"

The two of them paused.

They both remembered that besides the bet with Hong Yu, they had also made a wager with Xiahuang Shang.

The thought of having to hand that thing over made both their expressions turn ugly.

But under the watchful eyes of the crowd, even they couldn’t go back on their word in public.

Bai Luoxue sent an anxious voice transmission: "Your Highness, that thing is incredibly important to us. Are we really going to give it to him?"

"Give it to him!"

Venerable Xiahuang’s heart was bleeding, but his voice carried a grim determination. "Don’t worry. When the True Dragon War comes, Xiahuang Shang and Hong Yu will spit everything back out!"

"Fine!"

Bai Luoxue, though reluctant, took out a Treasure Chest and handed it to Xiahuang Shang.

A flash of excitement passed through Xiahuang Shang’s eyes as he immediately stored it in his Storage Ring.

The three of them failed to notice...

that when he saw the chest, Hong Yu, who was standing quietly to the side, couldn’t help but frown, a sense of familiarity rising in his heart.

Of course, he didn’t say anything.

Having lost two bets in a row, Venerable Xiahuang and Bai Luoxue had no face to stay any longer and turned to leave.

The experts who followed Venerable Xiahuang also left one after another.

Xiahuang Ba, Zhang Weilong, and Xiahuang Dun departed miserably with long faces, a stark contrast to their previous arrogance and domineering attitudes. They were also now missing the strongman Zhao Wushuang.

This time, Venerable Xiahuang and his group had truly suffered a double loss!

With the departure of Venerable Xiahuang and his followers, this pre-war hunt, filled with blood and conspiracy, finally came to an end.

Xiahuang Shang’s Grandpa Huang looked deeply at Hong Yu.

His face showed neither joy nor sorrow, making it impossible to know what he was thinking. With a casual wave of his hand, a Scroll shot out and floated before Hong Yu. He said calmly, "Little fellow, this is the reward for the pre-war hunt."

"Thank you, Senior!"

Hong Yu said respectfully.

That expert nodded and then turned to leave.

Xiahuang Shang looked at Hong Yu with a grin. "Younger Brother Hong, congratulations!"

"What do you mean?"

"That Scroll in your hand contains an extremely powerful Secret Technique. Heh heh, if you can successfully cultivate it, you might even have a chance to break into the top three in the upcoming True Dragon War!" said Xiahuang Shang.

"Oh?"

Hong Yu’s eyes lit up.

He knew very well how sharp Xiahuang Shang’s judgment was. If he said so, then this Secret Technique was definitely extraordinary.

However, Hong Yu didn’t rush to open the Scroll. Instead, he looked at Xiahuang Shang with a grin and began to speak...

"Brother Xiahuang, I have something good that you might be interested in, too!"