Immortal Martial Emperor

"This Martial Arts Tea Party gets worse every year. How did they let any riffraff in?"

The voice was sharp and piercing, yet completely unfamiliar. Hong Yu knew he had never met the speaker.

He turned around. The first thing that met his eyes was a magnificent carriage.

The carriage was entirely silver. According to the rules of the Xiahuang Ancient Kingdom, no one outside the Imperial Family was permitted to call their carriage a Golden Carriage.

Still, anyone who could use a silver carriage was a person of some status.

In front of the carriage stood a young man in fine robes, staring at Hong Yu with a disdainful expression, as if utterly disgusted by his presence.

The man’s face was unfamiliar.

However, among the many experts coming and going from the Void Spirit Pavilion, a few happened to see this man and recognized him. One couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise, "Isn’t that Tang Sheng? I heard he went traveling overseas to find a legendary Overseas Divine Mountain to apprentice under a master. He swore he wouldn’t return until he became an Unparalleled Genius. He didn’t even come back for the pre-war hunt. I thought he wasn’t coming back at all, but here he is now!"

"Tsk, tsk. This Tang Sheng was ranked fourth among the Unparalleled True Dragons last time. His combat power was immense. Maybe he really gained something overseas and his strength has soared!"

"Look at his posture. Did he really find an Overseas Divine Mountain and have a fortuitous encounter? Could he now be vying for the rank of Unparalleled Genius?"

The few people who knew him chattered amongst themselves.

They weren’t paying much attention to Hong Yu; otherwise, they would have long since recognized this genius whose star was on the rise.

Hong Yu glanced at Tang Sheng without a word and prepared to enter the Void Spirit Pavilion.

But this enraged Tang Sheng.

The Tang Family was a major clan in the Xiahuang Ancient Kingdom—powerful and prosperous. Furthermore, their alliance with the Eldest Prince, Venerable Xiahuang, had propelled them to the height of their power.

On top of that, Tang Sheng himself was incredibly strong.

He had returned full of confidence after his travels overseas, where a fortuitous encounter had greatly increased his strength.

Then, just as he was about to enter the Void Spirit Pavilion, he ran into Hong Yu. In Tang Sheng’s mind, what expert of any status, what True Dragon Level powerhouse, didn’t have some flair? Who didn’t travel in a magnificent carriage, guarded by powerful Desolate Beasts?

Hong Yu was on foot. In his eyes, that made him a country bumpkin, a complete hick.

And so...

Tang Sheng decided to find a sense of superiority at Hong Yu’s expense.

But Hong Yu had completely ignored him.

This infuriated Tang Sheng. However, to save face, he didn’t attack. Instead, he followed closely, planning to rush past and enter the Void Spirit Pavilion first.

Hong Yu sensed the gust of wind from behind but had no intention of competing with him. He slowed his pace slightly.

After all, he would be asking Zhu Ling’Er for a favor later. It wouldn’t do to cause an unpleasant scene in front of her.

Tang Sheng arrived at the Void Spirit Pavilion’s entrance first. The young maiden who had seen Hong Yu earlier was already waiting gracefully. She had already seen Hong Yu and was wearing a faint smile, ready to welcome him into the Void Spirit Pavilion, but Tang Sheng blocked her way.

Out of politeness, the maiden smiled. "Welcome, Young Master Tang!"

"Mm, you’re quite a pretty little maid!" Tang Sheng said with a grin. "Alright, hurry and take me to see your young miss!"

Tang Sheng glanced at Hong Yu out of the corner of his eye, feeling immensely proud, and announced loudly, "Kid, remember this in the future: people are divided by status, high and low. With a status like mine, I get special privileges even at the Martial Arts Tea Party. It’s not something a country bumpkin like you can compare to!"

Tang Sheng was very confident, waiting for the maiden to welcome him inside while he basked in the envious gazes of others.

However...

The maiden simply shook her head slightly and completely ignored him. Instead, she turned to Hong Yu, bowed respectfully, and said, "Young Master Hong, my young miss has instructed me to take you to the VIP room as soon as you arrive. The Martial Arts Tea Party will begin in half an hour!"

"Thank you for your trouble."

Hong Yu smiled and nodded, following the maiden into the Void Spirit Pavilion.

"..."

The smug smile on Tang Sheng’s face froze completely. ’W-what is going on? Shouldn’t I be the one getting a respectful welcome?’

Unfortunately for Tang Sheng, neither Hong Yu nor the maiden paid him any mind.

"Haha, Tang Sheng, you really made a fool of yourself today!"

"’People are divided by status, high and low.’ Haha, that was a blatant slap in the face!"

The few experts who had been watching the show from the side all spoke up, their voices dripping with sarcasm.

"Shut up!"

Tang Sheng exploded with rage.

But the men weren’t afraid of him. One said coolly, "What’s the use of getting angry at us? We’re not the ones who embarrassed you!"

"That’s right! If you’ve got the guts, go after him!"

"I think he’s all talk!"

The men continued to taunt him.

A muscle in Tang Sheng’s jaw twitched crazily. His eyes were bloodshot, nearly spitting fire. He glared venomously at Hong Yu’s back, let out a roar of humiliation and rage, and suddenly shot forward.

He moved with incredible speed, leaving a long trail of turbulent energy in his wake. As his five fingers clenched into a fist, sonic booms echoed with a "BOOM! BOOM!" He threw a punch straight at Hong Yu.

He wasn’t holding back much with this attack!

’Hmph, I found the ruins of a Divine Mountain overseas and obtained its legacy. I now have the combat power of an Unparalleled Genius. What right do you have, you brat, to enjoy better treatment than me? I’ll be sure to teach you a lesson!’

That’s what Tang Sheng thought. The corners of his lips curled up, as if he could already see the scene of his blow seriously injuring Hong Yu, inspiring awe and fear in others.

"How did that guy provoke Tang Sheng?"

"He’s screwed!"

"Wait, that guy’s back looks a little familiar. I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere before."

"No way, right? How could people of our status have ever encountered a country bumpkin who doesn’t even have a carriage?"

"Wait... why do I get the feeling he’s Hong Yu?"

"Huh?!"

The few experts who were about to enter the Void Spirit Pavilion and had chanced upon the scene of Tang Sheng targeting Hong Yu were all discussing it. Finally, one of them recognized Hong Yu’s identity.

At the same time.

Hong Yu was also angered by Tang Sheng’s repeated provocations.

He spun around abruptly, whipping his leg out in a powerful roundhouse kick. The force behind this kick was immense, like a mighty Divine Dragon lashing its tail.

"BOOM!"

The very air produced a series of sonic booms under the force of the kick.

A dazzling light flowed along his leg as it whistled through the air, stirring up a clear current. The sound of a mountain flood suddenly erupted.

"What?"

Tang Sheng’s eyes narrowed. The kick was too fast; there was no way to dodge.

’I refuse to believe a country bumpkin like you can compete with the combat power of an Unparalleled Genius like me!’ After his initial shock, Tang Sheng was still brimming with confidence.

"BOOM!"

The leg viciously slammed into Tang Sheng’s arm.

The calm and confidence on his face instantly froze. His features twisted violently, revealing a trace of horror.

The next moment...

"BOOM!"

At the point of impact between Hong Yu’s leg and Tang Sheng’s arm, two terrifying forces clashed until a victor was finally decided.

A massive Energy Ball exploded with a roar.

The powerful, explosive energy was like a flash flood, comparable to a tsunami. With a "BANG!" it sent Tang Sheng flying. His body shot backward like an arrow released from a bow, crashing with a "BOOM!" into his silver carriage, shattering it to pieces.

Even the two Desolate Beasts pulling the carriage were caught in the blast. With two loud "BANGS!", they exploded into a shower of blood and gore.

"Th-this is Hong Yu’s strength?"

"I felt that Tang Sheng’s power wasn’t weak either, maybe even comparable to someone ranked around tenth among the Unparalleled Geniuses, yet he was still sent flying by one kick from Hong Yu."

"The rumors are true after all. Hong Yu has the combat power of a top-five Unparalleled Genius!"

"Terrifying! How on earth does he cultivate? I heard he’s only seventeen!"

The spectating experts exclaimed in shock and amazement.

"SWISH!"

Amidst the gasps of surprise, Tang Sheng’s figure bounced up from the wreckage of the silver carriage. He stared at Hong Yu with venomous eyes, filled with rage, and was about to attack again.

But Hong Yu was already prepared.

An Electric Flash instantly brought him in front of Tang Sheng. Just as Tang Sheng rebounded from the ground and was starting to get up, Hong Yu viciously kicked out.

The kick landed squarely on Tang Sheng’s body.

"WAH!"

Tang Sheng spat out a mouthful of blood and screamed as he was knocked to the ground again.

The force was so great that it smashed a large crater in the ground with a "BOOM!", and hairline cracks spread outward.

"SMACK!"

Hong Yu took an Arrow Step forward and stomped on the chest of Tang Sheng, who was trying to crawl up, pinning him firmly back to the ground.

Hong Yu leaned down slightly, sizing up Tang Sheng. "People aren’t divided by high and low status. But character? That comes in all qualities. And unfortunately, in my eyes, your character isn’t even as good as a pile of shit. When I deal with people like you, the only thing to do is grind you into the dirt so I don’t have to look at you anymore."

"D-do you know who I am? You’ll regret doing this to me," Tang Sheng raged.

Hong Yu pursed his lips and spat as he turned away.

Just as Tang Sheng opened his mouth to curse, the glob of saliva flew directly into it. He froze, then subconsciously swallowed.

He had swallowed Hong Yu’s spit.

"What the hell!"

A muscle in Hong Yu’s eye twitched. He kicked him again. "Damn it, who said you could eat my spit?"

"Blargh... WAH..."

After his initial shock, Tang Sheng began to vomit violently.

Even Hong Yu felt a little exasperated watching him.

He kicked Tang Sheng dozens of meters away. As he returned to the Void Spirit Pavilion, several experts on the path had clearly recognized him, and they all cast excited, fervent, and worshipful gazes his way.

Hong Yu gave them a slight, smiling nod before finally stepping into the Void Spirit Pavilion.

Inside, the maiden who had been waiting for a long time said helplessly, "I’d heard that Young Master Hong was a troublemaker. You hadn’t even arrived in the Xiahuang Ancient Kingdom before you provoked the White Tiger Duchy. You had just settled into the Outer City when you clashed with the royal Xiahuang Dun. After that, you furiously slayed Zhao Wuji and fought a bloody battle against Zhao Wushuang..."

"Miss, are you sure you’re praising me?"

Hong Yu rubbed his nose, exasperated.

Although the maiden was listing his glorious achievements, it sounded more like she was implying he was a magnet for trouble.

Hong Yu shrugged innocently, a look of sorrow and frustration on his face. "It’s not that I go looking for trouble. It’s just that no matter how low-key I try to be, some idiot always comes looking for me. See? That Tang Sheng is a perfect example!"

In the distance, Tang Sheng had just managed to crawl to his feet. Hearing this, his eyes rolled back in his head.

"WAH!" He was so enraged he vomited blood again.

The maiden shook her head helplessly. "Alright, you should follow me to the VIP room and wait."

The maiden was truly afraid now.

He had already provoked Tang Sheng before even setting foot inside. If she let Hong Yu linger any longer, who knows who he might end up fighting next!

Hong Yu nodded nonchalantly. He wasn’t particularly interested in the Martial Arts Tea Party anyway. His only goal was to find Little Chenxi.

He waited in the VIP room for a full half hour.

Only then did the maiden finally return, arriving with a smile. She said to Hong Yu, "Young Master Hong, the Martial Arts Tea Party is starting!"