Immortal Martial Emperor

Before them, a vast canyon stretched for thousands of meters. It was shrouded in thick mountain mist, its end completely out of sight.

Even with Hong Yu’s powerful vision, he could only make out his surroundings up to thirty or fifty meters away.

Within the mist, to their horror, lay bodies strewn about in disarray. Each corpse was positioned in a bizarre manner: buried in the earth from the neck up, their legs pointing skyward as if they had been planted upside down.

On each body grew a type of vibrant, multicolored mushroom, their hues brilliant and alluring.

A quick count revealed no fewer than thirty bodies within just the first thirty meters of the canyon.

"To think it’s the Blast Earth Poison Mushroom. I thought this thing was extinct. How could it be growing here..." Tie Heng frowned, his deep voice laced with a hint of dread.

For even a mighty Primordial Core Realm expert to feel dread, this Blast Earth Poison Mushroom was clearly no ordinary thing.

Hong Yu also took a deep breath, his mind recalling the entry on the Blast Earth Poison Mushroom from the *Divine Medicine Scripture*.

The Blast Earth Poison Mushroom was a plant-based fungus.

They grew on the ground and were very small, about the size of the cap on a Golden Needle Mushroom, but they lacked its long, slender stem.

An ordinary person walking on ground where Blast Earth Poison Mushrooms grew would hardly notice them without careful inspection.

But one should never underestimate the Blast Earth Poison Mushroom because of its small size.

When disturbed by vibrations, this toxic fungus would release spores that drifted on the wind.

The spores were so light that even the airflow from a normal breath could send thousands of them scattering. If these spores were carried by the wind and inhaled, they would begin to grow frenziedly upon contact with blood.

As the Blast Earth Poison Mushroom grew wildly inside the body, it would first burst the victim’s head. The rapid, heavy growth would then cause the body to topple over, headfirst, into the ground.

More of the Blast Earth Poison Mushrooms would make contact with the soil, sending out tendrils to root themselves deep within the earth.

The remaining spores would continue to feed on the blood and grow, eventually sprouting into new Blast Earth Poison Mushrooms from beneath the corpse’s skin.

This was why all the corpses were planted headfirst in the ground!

Faced with such a terrifying fungus, it was no wonder why the expressions of Hong Yu and the others had turned so grim.

With the Blast Earth Poison Mushroom blocking their path, getting through this canyon would clearly be extremely difficult.

Xue De’s face darkened. "Chen Mu, since you knew there were Blast Earth Poison Mushrooms here, why didn’t you clear them out sooner? You made us wait for two months. By the time we arrived, all obstacles should have been swept clean. This is dereliction of duty, pure laziness. I really don’t know how you became the chief surveyor for the Iron Soldier Pavilion."

"What a load of fucking bullshit!"

Chen Mu shot Xue De a cold glare.

He had no goodwill whatsoever for the Guiyuan Sect, which had backed the Iron Soldier Pavilion into a corner.

Chen Mu pointed a finger toward the dense mist. The burly man’s eyes were rimmed with red, and his voice trembled as he spoke. "Goddammit, who the hell invited you? You people from the Guiyuan Sect haven’t lifted a finger, you only know how to rob and plunder."

"And you have the fucking nerve to call me lazy and say I’m slacking on the job?"

Chen Mu grew more and more agitated. "I’ll tell you something! Everyone in there is an expert from the Iron Soldier Pavilion who died over the last two months trying to forge a safe path! Every last one of them was my brother! They sacrificed themselves to clear the way! We at the Iron Soldier Pavilion are true to our word. We’d never be as shameless as your Guiyuan Sect."

"What fucking right do you have to call us lazy? What right do you have to accuse us of slacking? Go on, say it!"

Chen Mu advanced on him, step by step, a blood-red fury burning in his eyes.

His sheer Momentum completely ignored the vast power gap between the Celestial Soul and Primordial Core Realms, forcing Elder Xue to back away repeatedly.

He was so furious he could only stammer, "You... you... you..."

"You what? To hell with your Guiyuan Sect! Either fuck off and go home, or get the hell out of my way and stand aside," Chen Mu roared.

"I... I..."

Elder Xue’s face went from pale to livid, and he was on the verge of exploding.

But one look at the hazy, poisonous mist and the corpses covered in Blast Earth Poison Mushrooms, and he had no choice but to grit his teeth and swallow his fury.

But...

...the grim, venomous hatred that flashed in Elder Xue’s perpetually cold eyes betrayed the rage boiling within him.

Tie Heng had remained silent the whole time, waiting for Chen Mu to vent his frustrations.

He gently patted Chen Mu’s shoulder. "Old friend, you’ve worked hard."

"Chairman, hearing you say that makes it all worthwhile. I, Old Chen, wouldn’t have another word of complaint, no matter how hard it gets."

Chen Mu nodded and then said, "I thought two months would be enough to clear these obstacles, but I discovered this canyon is far more unfathomable than I imagined. These Blast Earth Poison Mushrooms are just an appetizer. The deeper you go, the stranger and more terrifying the things you encounter become."

"Terrifying?"

Tie Heng looked at Chen Mu in surprise.

He knew Chen Mu’s character and disposition very well.

Over the years, Chen Mu had faced countless dangers while prospecting for ore veins, including more than a few treacherous lands and bizarre Desolate Beasts.

Yet Tie Heng had never once heard Chen Mu use the word ’terrifying’ to describe anything.

It was a glimpse that hinted at the whole picture.

From Chen Mu’s reaction, it wasn’t hard to guess just what kind of things existed within Mist Canyon in the Tianmu Mountain Range...

"Elder Xue, the Iron Soldier Pavilion has already sacrificed so many. Isn’t it about time your Guiyuan Sect stepped up?" Tie Heng said after a moment’s thought, turning to Xue De.

The ore vein in the Tianmu Mountain Range had originally belonged entirely to the Iron Soldier Pavilion.

But the Guiyuan Sect had relied on its superior power to muscle its way in, expecting to reap the rewards without paying any price.

This wasn’t the first or second time something like this had happened, which was why no one in the Tie Family had any goodwill for the Guiyuan Sect.

Chen Mu, Tie Tongtian, and the others all turned in unison to stare at the group of experts from the Guiyuan Sect.

This caused the expressions of Elder Xue, Qi Tianbao, and the others to shift from pale to livid.

’Normally, they would have already thrown their weight around, relying on the power of the Guiyuan Sect. But out here in the Tianmu Mountain Range, a comparison of their current forces showed that the Iron Soldier Pavilion had the upper hand.’

’If they truly angered the people from the Iron Soldier Pavilion, they could be killed right here. The survivors would only need to report an ’accident’ during the prospecting, and even a sect as powerful as Guiyuan would have no way to seek justice!’

’But to be the vanguard and scout the Mist Canyon themselves?’

Looking at the bodies strewn about, all victims of the Blast Earth Poison Mushroom, they exchanged glances. No one was willing to volunteer.

Chen Mu sneered. "Elder Xue, didn’t you just accuse us of slacking? Now’s your big chance. Why don’t you show us what being ’proactive’ looks like!"

"You... I..."

Elder Xue’s face turned purple with rage, leaving him speechless.

’Proactive my ass!’

’This Blast Earth Poison Mushroom is notoriously deadly. Even a Primordial Core Realm expert would die, their head exploding, if they were infected by its spores.’

Elder Xue’s gaze flickered. He suddenly looked at Hong Yu, a vicious light flashing in his eyes. "Ahem, Chairman Tie, this prospecting mission is of the utmost importance. You and I represent the Iron Soldier Pavilion and the Guiyuan Sect, respectively; we cannot take such risks lightly. As for my disciples, they are all elites preparing to participate in the Southern Ten Nations Alliance’s competition. They certainly can’t afford any harm..."

A cold light flashed in Tie Heng’s eyes. "And what’s that supposed to mean? The people of the Guiyuan Sect cannot be harmed, but it’s fine for my men from the Iron Soldier Pavilion to die?"

"Of course not!"

Elder Xue quickly waved his hands, a sinister tone in his voice. "The experts of the Iron Soldier Pavilion certainly can’t be put in harm’s way. However, there is someone here who is from neither the Guiyuan Sect nor the Iron Soldier Pavilion. I hear he was hired for a hefty sum. As the saying goes, you take the money, you do the job. We can’t have him taking payment for doing nothing, can we?"

A torrent of unspoken curses flooded Hong Yu’s mind. "..."

’Could this frame-job be any more obvious?’

Tie Tongtian was stunned for a moment before realizing Xue De was talking about Hong Yu. He flew into a rage. "Damn you, Xue De! Younger Brother Hong is my brother! You want him to go in there and die? Not a chance in hell!"

At this, a muscle in Elder Xue’s cheek twitched. The venomous light in his eyes danced again as he said sarcastically, "Chairman Tie, it seems the expert you’ve hired certainly has a high opinion of himself!"

"Elder Xue, what’s that supposed to mean?" Tie Heng snorted, clearly displeased.

Elder Xue shrugged, his provocative gaze boring into Hong Yu. "What could I possibly mean? I just can’t stand people who take money but don’t do the work, yet still have the audacity to hang around. If I were you, I’d have dug a hole and buried myself by now to avoid the public humiliation!"

Tie Heng was about to speak, but Hong Yu cut in first. "Then by all means, start digging. I’m waiting to watch you bury yourself."

"Pfft!"

Tie Tongtian blinked, then burst out laughing.

Tie Heng, Chen Mu, and the others all caught on a moment later. They tried to stifle their laughter, but their faces turned red from the effort.

Even the faces of the Guiyuan Sect experts were twitching...

Seeing everyone mocking him, Elder Xue’s face turned a shade of livid green, his expression utterly foul. He glared at Hong Yu with venomous eyes. "Little bastard, what did you say?"

"I can’t stand people like you, who talk a big game about digging a hole and burying themselves, but go completely silent when told to actually do it."

Hong Yu shot him a dismissive glance and sneered.

"You..."

Xue De was seething with uncontrollable rage. A grim coldness pulsed from his clenched fists. If Tie Heng hadn’t been watching him warily, he would have attacked already.

"Elder Xue, calm down," Qi Tianbao suddenly whispered in his ear.

Elder Xue paused, his gaze flickering. He took a deep breath. "I won’t waste my time arguing with a silver-tongued little bastard like you. If you’re really so capable, then go into the Mist Canyon and clear a path for us. If you can’t, then get the hell out of here."

"Younger Brother Hong, Xue De is trying to bait you! He wants to use the Blast Earth Poison Mushrooms to screw you over. Don’t agree to it!" Tie Tongtian whispered as a reminder.

Chen Mu nodded. "Young Brother Hong Yu, these Blast Earth Poison Mushrooms are terrifying. Even holding your breath and blocking your five senses won’t work. You mustn’t fall for his trap!"

Elder Xue sneered mockingly, "What’s the matter? Scared now?"

Faced with the earnest warnings from the Iron Soldier Pavilion and the goading mockery from Elder Xue and the Guiyuan Sect, Hong Yu took a deep breath.

His expression was perfectly calm as he said slowly, "Why would I be scared?"

"Oh? Does that mean you agree?"

Elder Xue said excitedly.

"There’s no problem with me acting as the vanguard to clear a path through Mist Canyon."

Seeing the excitement and smug satisfaction of a successful scheme plastered all over Elder Xue’s face, Hong Yu raised an eyebrow and said lightly...

"However, if you want me to go in first, you’ll have to meet one condition."