Immortal Martial Emperor

BANG!

A figure was violently thrown out from the center of the raging energy storm, slamming into the Nine Dragon Platform’s Barrier.

The energy on the Barrier was still incredibly powerful, forcefully repelling the person and sending him flying back. He coughed up a thick mouthful of blood.

The billowing dust and smoke gradually dissipated.

At last, the true identity of this figure was revealed!

Hong Yu!

The one sent flying was none other than Hong Yu.

Hong Yu was in a sorry state. His robes were tattered and torn, and his exposed skin was covered in sharp sword wounds and glaring bloody gashes.

Many of the injuries were so deep that bone was visible, his flesh torn open and blood flowing freely.

His body was slightly hunched over as he stubbornly clenched his jaw, blood continuously trickling from his mouth.

His aura was faint and unstable; he had clearly suffered severe injuries in the recent clash.

But his eyes were as bright and clear as ever, filled with an unyielding, forward-looking determination.

His body slowly descended toward the ground.

His flight was slow and unsteady, a clear sign of his poor condition.

"Cough! Cough, cough..."

The sound of weak coughing came from within the dust cloud.

The nine Azure Dragon Stone Pillars surrounding the Nine Dragon Platform emitted a soft glow. The residual energy and storm within the Barrier were finally cleared away, completely revealing the state of the platform.

HISS!

Upon seeing the current state of the Nine Dragon Platform, the eagerly waiting crowd couldn’t help but gasp in shock.

The once magnificent, grand, and elegant Nine Dragon Platform was now a complete mess.

On the vast stage, the hard material—capable of withstanding attacks from Primordial Embryo Realm powerhouses—was now covered in a web of cracks, spreading out like a giant spiderweb.

A terrifying chasm, spanning the entire Nine Dragon Platform, more than twenty meters wide and ten meters deep at its lowest point, appeared like a hideous scar upon the stage.

Stones were shattered and earth was churned up.

It was as if an attack from the Deities had descended from the heavens, forcibly cleaving the entire Nine Dragon Platform in two.

In the center of this chasm, Yao Yueye stood with his hair disheveled, holding the Demon-Slaying Sword.

Compared to Hong Yu, he seemed much cleaner.

However, the crowd soon discovered they had been deceived by what they saw.

Yao Yueye staggered a step forward, his footing unsteady. As he moved, his clothes disintegrated with a RUSTLE, turning into ashes that scattered in the air.

Only half of his tattered trousers remained hanging on his body.

Yao Yueye’s body was covered in purple and blue bruises.

His left shoulder was caved in, his left arm hanging limply at his side. On the right side of his chest was a deep fist imprint, where one could even see broken bones nearly piercing his skin.

His right hand tightly gripped the Demon-Slaying Sword.

Several streams of blood flowed down his arm, converging on the hilt before slowly trickling down the blade to drip onto the ground.

"HUFF! HUFF!"

The heavy panting sounded exceptionally jarring within the Barrier.

Yao Yueye slowly looked up at Hong Yu. His left eye was swollen shut and blackened.

He squinted at Hong Yu with his right eye...

"Heh, heheh..."

Yao Yueye suddenly let out a strange laugh, which grew louder and more unrestrained.

Finally, he threw his head back and roared with laughter.

Just like him, Hong Yu began to laugh as well.

The two of them laughed for a full two minutes before stopping at the same time.

The two slowly walked toward each other.

They moved with a tacit understanding, their speed and pace surprisingly in sync!

When they were half a meter apart, they stopped simultaneously, their eyes meeting.

Their scorching gazes collided and seemed to explode in the air.

Yao Yueye took a deep breath. "I... lost!"

Hong Yu grinned. "It was just a fluke!"

"I lost this battle, but that doesn’t mean I’ll lose to you in the future," Yao Yueye said.

Hong Yu smiled. "I’ll just get even stronger!"

"..."

The two fell silent, looking at each other.

After a long moment, Yao Yueye released his grip. The Demon-Slaying Sword flew back to its sheath with a BUZZ. He said coolly, "Three years from now, at the Xiahuang Ancient Kingdom’s True Dragon ranking battle, we will compete again!"

"Alright!"

Hong Yu nodded seriously.

Was it mutual admiration between rivals?

Or perhaps one hero recognizing another!

In the final exchange, Hong Yu had won by a narrow margin. At the critical moment, he had once again used the Pupil Technique Mysterious City, causing Yao Yueye to have a momentary lapse in concentration, which led to his ultimate victory.

But...

Deep down, Hong Yu didn’t feel like he had truly won.

This would surely become a Heart Demon. Only by fighting again in the True Dragon ranking battle three years later could he break this Heart Demon!

Only then could his future cultivation path be unobstructed!

Yao Yueye let out a hearty laugh but then collapsed backward. Fortunately, Hong Yu was quick enough to catch and support him.

Supporting the weakened Yao Yueye, the heavily injured Hong Yu staggered off the Nine Dragon Platform.

Outside the Nine Dragon Platform, there was dead silence.

No one had snapped back to reality...

Many people didn’t even understand how the battle had ended.

All they knew was that the title of the strongest genius in the Southern Ten Nations, the head of the Four True Dragons, had changed hands!

Hong Yu!

A youth who had risen from obscurity, constantly creating miracles, had once again created a miracle that left everyone dumbfounded.

Xiahuang Shang took a deep breath, staring at the two supporting each other, an inexplicable light flickering in his eyes. ’To think the Southern Ten Nations has such geniuses. It seems this trip will be worth reporting back to my Imperial Father!’

Hai Cangtian’s face was gloomy as he muttered to himself, ’Head of the True Dragons? Hmph, I’ll let you be happy for a little while. When I kill you later, everything you have will be mine. Even that Treasure that turned a piece of trash like you into a Heaven-Transforming Realm genius will be mine!’

Recalling the intelligence Lord Owl had sent before his death and thinking of that Treasure’s terrifying and miraculous power, a fire ignited in Hai Cangtian’s heart. ’If I can get my hands on that Treasure, I might even be able to reach the Sixth Heaven, or perhaps even the legendary Seventh Transformation Realm. My strength would soar! At the Five Domains Holy Assembly, I might even have a chance to contend for the top ten, or even the top three!’

’The top three of the Five Domains Holy Assembly... throughout history, they’ve all been Unparalleled Geniuses!’

Hai Cangtian gulped greedily.

He forcefully suppressed the urge to attack Hong Yu immediately. ’Just a few more days... after a few more days, all these Treasures will be mine...’

...

After the battle between Hong Yu and Yao Yueye ended, the two were separated with the help of Yuan Cang and Yao Chuheng.

Yao Chuheng glanced at the weakened Yao Yueye, then turned to Hong Yu without a trace of anger or resentment.

He smiled gently, his tone exceptionally mild. "You’re quite something, little fellow. This is the first time my Yao Yueye has ever been beaten so badly!"

"Senior, my apologies. I couldn’t control my strength properly for a moment!" Hong Yu said with a wry smile.

Yao Chuheng waved his hand. "No matter. Your injuries are not light either. It’s clear that little rascal Yao Yueye didn’t hold back. Still, for the two of you to damage the Nine Dragon Platform to this extent... it truly surprised me!"

Yuan Cang nodded. "In the last generation, the top two True Dragons were both twenty-nine years old with cultivation at the Peak of Primordial Core Realm, but their battle wasn’t as spectacular as yours. Both of your talents have probably reached the First Transformation Heavenly True Dragon Level. If you receive the blessing of the True Dragon Martial Fortune, you might even be able to break through to the Second Heaven Realm!"

"True Dragon Martial Fortune?"

Hong Yu was taken aback.

Yuan Cang didn’t elaborate, just smiled. "Focus on recuperating for now. You’ll find out later!"

Hong Yu nodded helplessly.

With the help of the Fourth-grade Healing Spirit Pill, the Spring Reversal Pill, that Yuan Cang had prepared in advance, Hong Yu slowly began to regulate his breathing and recover.

After watching the climactic duel between Hong Yu and Yao Yueye, the subsequent battles seemed rather dull.

Only the performances of Feng Xue Xin and Jian Chen were particularly dazzling.

Feng Xue Xin maintained his devil-may-care attitude, but his fighting style was ethereal and bizarre. Every move he made struck his opponent’s weak points.

This was especially true in his battle against Shui Rou’Er.

Shui Rou’Er’s talent was by no means weak. With her Mid-Stage Primordial Core Realm Cultivation and the help of her Celestial-Level Primordial Weapon, the Shui Linglong, she could even unleash the Exquisite Barrier to bind and suppress her opponents.

And yet, even under these circumstances, Feng Xue Xin still managed to break through Shui Rou’Er’s attacks.

He seized a True Dragon Position for himself!

Furthermore...

Jian Chen’s Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Sect technique was all-pervasive and unstoppable. He swept aside Zheng Tian and claimed another True Dragon Position.

As for challenging Hong Yu and Yao Yueye?

Neither Feng Xue Xin nor Jian Chen had any such thoughts.

It wasn’t that they thought they were inferior to Hong Yu and Yao Yueye, but that they had their own principles. The battle between Hong Yu and Yao Yueye had clearly won their respect.

Even if they challenged them, the best possible outcome would be mutual destruction.

Besides...

Both Hong Yu and Yao Yueye were still heavily injured, their cultivation not at its peak. Neither of them was willing to take advantage of someone’s weakness.

With that, the martial gathering of the Southern Ten Nations came to a close.

The experts on the former True Dragon List had been completely replaced; you could even say it was a total overhaul.

Part of the reason was certainly the large number of powerful new geniuses who had emerged this time.

But the more important reason was Hong Yu.

Of the ten people on the Dragon List, fully half had died at his hands!

Of the former Four True Dragons, three had died tragically at his hands, and even the former number one True Dragon, Yao Yueye, had lost to him by a narrow margin.

The new rankings for the Four True Dragons of the Southern Ten Nations were now freshly released...

First True Dragon: Hong Yu, Early-stage Primordial Core Realm!

Second True Dragon: Yao Yueye, Mid-stage Primordial Core Realm!

Third True Dragon: Feng Xue Xin, Mid-stage Primordial Core Realm!

Fourth True Dragon: Jian Chen, Early-stage Primordial Core Realm!

...

The four of them now stood side by side.

Xiahuang Shang’s majestic gaze swept over them, a smile touching his lips. "Very good. The performance of you four has pleased me greatly. Especially you, Hong Yu and Yao Yueye. The surprise you two have given me is immense. When I return to the Ancient Kingdom to report, I will definitely request a special reward for you both!"

"Thank you, Your Highness!"

Hong Yu and Yao Yueye exchanged a glance and said in unison.

Even though they had earned the title of True Dragon, they both knew very well that there was always a higher mountain.

Just like Xiahuang Shang and Hai Cangtian before them, who were stronger and more ferocious geniuses—True Dragon Demon Fiends of the Fifth Heaven Realm.

Those were the true prodigies of the Grand Thousand Worlds!

As for them...

They were still far from reaching that level!

"Neither arrogant nor rash. Very good!"

Xiahuang Shang nodded with great satisfaction, then said coolly, "Hong Yu, Yao Yueye, both of you are already geniuses of the First Transformation of Heaven Realm. Feng Xue Xin and Jian Chen are still a step behind, but I believe that after you absorb the True Dragon Martial Fortune within the Dragon Sealing Platform, the talents of all four of you should improve once again!"

"I look forward to seeing another Unparalleled Genius who can astound me emerge from among you!"

Xiahuang Shang said slowly, and noticing the look of confusion on Hong Yu’s face, he couldn’t help but ask, "Hong Yu, do you have a question?"

Hong Yu nodded...

"If I may ask, Your Highness, what is a Heaven-Transforming Realm genius? And what is this True Dragon Martial Fortune?"