Immortal Martial Emperor

"I have a crucial piece of information—a matter of life and death for you! I’ll trade it for my life!"

Facing the threat of death, Ye Tian could no longer contain the fear in his heart and cried out.

He came from an ordinary background.

He had struggled so hard to get where he was today. With such a brilliant and glorious future in sight, how could he possibly die now?

Hong Yu frowned. "Oh? Let’s hear it, then."

Normally, if someone had spoken to him this way, Hong Yu wouldn’t have believed them for a second.

However, the current situation was unique.

On one hand, there was the distant threat of Hai Cangtian, who had secretly arranged for three Unparalleled Geniuses to deal with him. On the other, there were the immediate threats of Xiahuang Ba, Zhao Wushuang, and Zhang Weilong, who were all eager to see him dead.

Open attacks are easy to dodge, but ambushes are hard to defend against.

Hong Yu wasn’t willing to suffer a great loss over a small matter, to fall into a trap or find himself cornered due to a moment of carelessness.

Ye Tian heaved a long sigh of relief and said, "Xiahuang Dun approached me. He wanted me to join forces with them to corner and assassinate you."

"Oh? Xiahuang Dun?"

Hong Yu raised an eyebrow but said nothing more.

He simply stared at Ye Tian, his deep, dark eyes betraying no emotion, making it impossible to know what he was thinking.

This calmness, however, made Ye Tian nervous and confused. ’Why isn’t he reacting at all? Does he think I’m lying?’

The thought that the sharp tip of the Godslaying Spear was still pressed against his neck, ready to decapitate him at any moment, resurfaced.

At this, Ye Tian hurriedly said, "I’m not lying! Xiahuang Dun really did approach me."

"Then tell me, how are they planning to deal with me?" Hong Yu asked, his tone contemplative.

Hearing that Xiahuang Dun was actually rallying powerful experts to deal with Hong Yu, Feng Xue Xin and Young Master Yeban also stepped forward to listen.

The three brothers would share their fortunes and face their hardships together.

Of course, none of them would back down.

Ye Tian swallowed hard. Feeling the sharp point of the spear making direct contact with his skin, he wailed internally, hating his cousin Ye Qun to death.

’If Ye Qun hadn’t dragged me into this, how would I have ever offended this monster?’

Ye Tian gave a bitter smile. "Xiahuang Dun has united with deadly experts like Zhao Wuji and Zhang Weilong. More than half of the top ten Unparalleled True Dragons are with them. It seems even the number one, Xiahuang Ba, is involved. I overheard him vowing to tear you to shreds. On top of that, they’re also trying to persuade Ling Aotian to join them."

"Oh? If so many people are trying to deal with me, why didn’t you join in?" Hong Yu asked.

He was already mostly convinced by Ye Tian’s words.

It wasn’t hard to believe. The people he mentioned all had grievances with him, so it made sense they would want to move against him.

Hong Yu wasn’t concerned about the others.

Even against Zhao Wushuang, the third-ranked True Dragon, Hong Yu was confident he could not only win but perhaps even kill him.

But Xiahuang Ba and Ling Aotian were another matter entirely—they were extremely troublesome.

Neither of them held the title of Unparalleled Genius, but both possessed the combat power of one.

One was an Overlord Body Walker, incomparably dominant.

The other was a born Sword Cultivator, eerie and unpredictable.

If those two also attacked, Hong Yu didn’t believe he could fend them both off at once.

"If they’re so strong and their victory seems assured, why didn’t you join them?" Yeban asked, his brow furrowed as his sharp, intelligent gaze locked onto Ye Tian.

He watched Ye Tian intently, not missing the slightest change in his expression.

At the mention of this, the dejected look on Ye Tian’s face vanished, replaced by an air of arrogance. "I, Ye Tian, am a Celestial Pride Son! How could I stoop to their level and conspire with them? Besides, I never believed Hong Yu was worthy of fighting me in the first place. I assumed the rumors about his battle with Zhao Wushuang were just exaggerated boasts. Who knew..."

His words trailed off, and his face filled with bitterness.

Feng Xue Xin sneered. "You just didn’t expect that Hong Yu wasn’t weak at all. In fact, he’s even stronger than the rumors claimed, right?"

Ye Tian’s head slumped.

It was a silent admission.

"Junior Brother Hong, what’s your plan?" Feng Xue Xin asked, turning to Hong Yu.

Young Master Yeban dug a finger in his ear. "Hurry up and decide. Are we going to run for it? Or..." He deliberately dragged out the word.

"Or what?"

Feng Xue Xin asked, curious.

Yeban shot him a look. "Or hide!"

Feng Xue Xin was speechless.

Yeban shrugged, an innocent look on his face. "Just think about it. Xiahuang Ba, Ling Aotian, Zhao Wushuang, Zhang Weilong... every single one of them is a top-tier master. If they really team up against us, what chance do we have? If we run into them, we’ll just get jumped and beaten to a pulp."

"Well..."

Feng Xue Xin was at a loss for words.

The two of them looked back at Hong Yu.

Hong Yu’s eyes narrowed to slits, a faint glint within them as sharp as the edge of a blade.

He took a deep breath, retracted the Godslaying Spear, and sent Ye Tian flying nearly a hundred meters with a kick. "Get lost!" he said coldly.

"Yes, yes, I’m going, I’ll get lost right now!"

Ye Tian scrambled away, practically crawling over himself to escape.

Ye Qun and his followers naturally fled in panic as well.

’Even Ye Tian is getting kicked around like a ball. If we stay here, aren’t we just asking to die?’

Feng Xue Xin looked at Hong Yu. "Junior Brother Hong, now that Xiahuang Dun, Zhao Wushuang, and their group have teamed up, what’s your plan?"

"None of those people are easy to deal with. With all of them teaming up now, I suspect there’s an even bigger player pulling the strings behind the scenes," Young Master Yeban said, his sharp mind sensing the subtleties of the situation.

Hong Yu nodded. "I think I already know who the mastermind is."

Hai Cangtian had arranged for three people to deal with him.

Aside from Bai Luoxue, whose involvement was clear, and the strongest assassin from the Blood Killing Tower, whose identity was known but who had yet to appear, there was one other person whose identity remained a secret.

But from what Xiahuang Shang had said, that person was most likely a powerful member of the Xiahuang Ancient Kingdom’s Imperial Family.

And considering who had been targeting him, both openly and in secret, and who also had ties to the Imperial Family...

To be able to unite such arrogant individuals as Zhao Wushuang, Xiahuang Dun, and Xiahuang Ba, it could only be one person: the Eldest Prince, Xiahuang Zun.

"Who is it?"

Feng Xue Xin and Yeban asked in unison.

Hong Yu smiled and shook his head. "Let’s not say his name for now," he said lightly. "But I need to tell you one thing: his status is extremely high, and he’s incredibly powerful. What’s more, among the Ten Great Unparalleled Geniuses, we now know of three who are targeting me. I’m bound to face immense danger ahead. You two..."

Before he could finish, Feng Xue Xin waved a hand. "Alright, if you’re about to tell us to leave, just save your breath!"

Young Master Yeban dug a finger into his ear again, a look of nonchalance on his face. "Ever since I met you, it’s been one mountain of trouble after another. But I have to admit, a life like this has its own kind of thrill."

"You two..."

Hong Yu was touched.

Neither of them made any grand, heroic speeches. Their words weren’t world-shaking.

But...

...the determined look in their eyes moved Hong Yu deeply.

’This is what it means to be brothers!’

Share the good times, and face the bad times together!

Hong Yu didn’t act coy. He nodded. "Alright. Then the three of us will join forces and take them on!"

"Alright!"

"Let’s fuck ’em up!"

The three of them looked at each other and grinned.

After a brief discussion, they decided to accelerate their pace of accumulating points and head for the core region of Demon Island as fast as possible.

Xiahuang Shang had secretly reminded him that the Purple Thunder Winged Flood Dragon had ultimately fallen in that very region.

If he could obtain the Purple Thunder Winged Flood Dragon and fuse with its bloodline, then have the Godslaying Spear absorb its Dragon Soul, his power would certainly take another leap forward.

The three of them rushed toward the core region at top speed.

Hong Yu temporarily stopped practicing his Martial Skills and began hunting Desolate Beasts at full speed. His rate of accumulating points was bound to be jaw-dropping.

In front of Feng Xue Xin and Yeban, Hong Yu didn’t hold back.

He activated the Heaven-Swallowing Divine Technique. Blue Spiritual Power enveloped thirty-six Primordial Weapon Flying Knives, with the Nine Feather Flying Knives serving as the main force.

Upon finding a nest of over a hundred Tier Four Desolate Beasts, Hong Yu charged straight in like a tiger pouncing on a flock of sheep.

A slaughter commenced amid a shower of blood, unfolding before the dumbfounded gazes of Feng Xue Xin and Young Master Yeban...

「At the same time.」

In the core region of Demon Island, aboard the massive Yellow Heaven Battleship.

Xiahuang Shang frowned as he stared at the giant ranking board in the center of the Yellow Heaven Battleship’s deck. He frowned again and muttered, "What is Hong Yu up to? With his strength, he should be in the top twenty, at least. How does he still have zero points? This is ridiculous."

Just as Xiahuang Shang was frowning in confusion, Bai Luoxue appeared at his side. "Oh? Isn’t that Hong Yu supposed to be so powerful?" he said in a snide tone. "How is it he’s still dead last?"

"Heh heh, being able to consistently stay in last place is a skill in itself!"

Another person stepped forward. It was Long Qingfeng, the Unparalleled Genius from the Cyan Dragon Duchy. He smiled faintly. "If it were me down there, it’d be pretty hard *not* to kill a single Desolate Beast. Those Tier Three and Tier Four Desolate Beasts can be wiped out with a flick of the wrist. For that guy to maintain zero points... he’s a real piece of work!"

"You two can knock off the sarcastic remarks!"

The speaker was Xiahuang Zun. Though he appeared to be reprimanding Bai Luoxue and Long Qingfeng, he wore a mocking smile. "No matter what, Hong Yu is our Fifth Brother’s friend. If you speak of him like that, our Fifth Brother might get upset!"

"Oh, my apologies, Fifth Prince!"

"It was a slip of the tongue. We meant no offense!"

The two of them smiled and bowed with cupped hands toward Xiahuang Shang.

Xiahuang Shang snorted.

He was about to turn away when he suddenly noticed the name in the very last position had vanished.

"Huh?"

He looked closer and saw that Hong Yu’s name had jumped from 4,932nd place to 4,500th.

"Well, well. The guy who’s been in last place for an eternity is finally starting to move?"

"Hmph. What’s the use of starting now? Haven’t you seen that everyone in the top one hundred is already over two hundred points? There’s no way he can catch up!"

Bai Luoxue and Long Qingfeng commented.

Xiahuang Zun narrowed his eyes, the corner of his mouth curling into a disdainful sneer. He clearly agreed that it was impossible for Hong Yu to catch up.

「Five minutes later.」

The leaderboard changed again. Hong Yu’s rank had leaped from 4,500th to 3,000th.

"That speed..."

"Did he stumble into a Desolate Beast nest?"

Bai Luoxue frowned, his expression turning sour.

「Another five minutes later.」

"Impossible... This is absolutely impossible..."

"He’s cheating! He has to be cheating!"

Bai Luoxue’s face went pale, while Long Qingfeng and Xiahuang Zun’s expressions also shifted drastically.

In a mere five minutes, Hong Yu had climbed again, reaching the 500th spot!

In no more than ten minutes, Hong Yu had skyrocketed from the very bottom to 500th place.

He had leapfrogged more than four thousand other experts.

This was simply unbelievable!

Xiahuang Shang snorted. "Cheating? On Demon Island, the Points Tokens won’t register a kill unless you hunt the Desolate Beast yourself. Why don’t you show me how you’d cheat?"

"That..."

The two were instantly rendered speechless.

"Hmph, so what? No matter how fast he is, there’s still a huge gap between him and the top one hundred. A comeback is absolutely impossible."

Xiahuang Shang looked at Bai Luoxue, a playful smile on his face. "In that case, do you dare to make a bet with me?"

Bai Luoxue frowned at Xiahuang Shang. "What are the stakes?"

Xiahuang Shang smiled faintly, his expression playful. "Here’s the bet..."