Immortal Martial Emperor

Inside the Second Layer.

Compared to the First Layer, a world of ice and snow, this place had changed considerably.

The snowstorm had ceased, revealing a clear sky. The glaciers and snowdrifts had given way to a vast, flat prairie.

Lush, green grass carpeted the ground, creating a refreshingly verdant scene.

However...

Beneath the bright sun, a thick, metallic scent of blood wafted through the green grass.

Thirteen powerhouses from the Xu Family were in a desperate retreat. Each was wounded and bloodied, looking utterly wretched as they fled like stray dogs.

Their eyes were bloodshot, filled with venomous hatred.

"Those bastards from the Tang and Cheng Families! I wouldn’t let them off even if I were a ghost."

"My brother... you tore him limb from limb! I will get my revenge!"

"Enough talk! The most important thing is to protect this Treasure. We have to get it back to the family. We absolutely cannot let the Tang and Cheng Families take it!"

His words galvanized the group.

Everyone knew the Xu Family was already on the brink of collapse under the combined pressure from the Tang and Cheng Families. If not for Xu Wudi’s status as the First True Dragon, the other two families would have been even more brazen in their attacks.

But...

Now, facing the two families allied with the Blood Demon Palace, even Xu Wudi lacked the confidence to secure enough Martial Ice Soul from the Sixth Layer’s Ancient Ice Glacier to enhance his True Dragon Martial Fortune.

Once Xu Wudi lost his status as the First True Dragon, the Tang Family, Cheng Family, and Blood Demon Palace would be free to attack the Xu Family without restraint.

That was why the item they were protecting had become their final lifeline.

Everyone instinctively looked toward the man at the front, a middle-aged expert at the Early-stage Primordial Embryo Realm.

This man was Xu Wen, Xu Wudi’s uncle and Xu Rongchang’s cousin. He was also one of the Xu Family’s Peak Powerhouses.

He clutched a glistening Ice Egg to his chest. Its shell was so translucent one could vaguely see the phantom of a young Desolate Beast curled up inside.

It was the Desolate Beast Egg of a Cold Ice Lion Emperor Young Beast!

The members of the Xu Family had found this Treasure in a hidden location on the Third Layer. If they could hatch it, the Xu Family would gain another Primordial Embryo Realm Powerhouse.

Even if they couldn’t wait for it to hatch and mature, they could offer the Ice Lion Emperor to the Royal Family as a bargaining chip. The Royal Family would surely intervene to help the Xu Family.

With Xu Wudi’s First True Dragon status in jeopardy, this Desolate Beast Egg had become the Xu Family’s only hope!

But news of the Ice Lion Emperor egg had been leaked to the Tang and Cheng Families. Their powerhouses had joined forces and were in relentless pursuit of the Xu Family members.

They had started with over sixty people, but the brutal chase had whittled their numbers down to just over a dozen.

"We must get the Cold Ice Lion Emperor Young Beast back!" Xu Wen gritted his teeth.

However...

"Hahaha! Xu Wen, oh, Xu Wen. Where do you think you can run?" A shrill voice suddenly echoed from behind.

Over a hundred figures were rapidly closing in.

Leading the charge were two Primordial Embryo Realm Powerhouses, both with Early-Stage Primordial Embryo Realm Cultivation. They were Tang Tian of the Tang Family and Cheng Fu of the Cheng Family!

Their individual combat strengths were comparable to Xu Wen’s, but together, they were more than enough to slaughter all the remaining members of the Xu Family.

"Xu Wen, you might as well hand over the Ice Lion Emperor!" Cheng Fu said, his face cold. His greedy eyes were fixed on the young Ice Lion Emperor’s egg in Xu Wen’s arms.

Tang Tian was no different.

A sinister smile played on his lips. "Xu Wen, the three of us have been rivals since we were toddlers. For old times’ sake, I’d rather not have to wipe you out completely! How about this: give us the young Ice Lion Emperor’s egg, and we’ll guarantee your safe departure!"

"Tang Tian, Cheng Fu, you know me better than that," Xu Wen growled, his teeth clenched.

"My, my. After all these years, that rotten temper of yours hasn’t changed one bit!"

Tang Tian shook his head.

Cheng Fu gave a savage sneer. With a slight flex of his fingers, a pair of Golden Essence Fist Gloves materialized on his hands.

He tapped his fingers together, producing a metallic CLINK CLINK CLINK that was utterly terrifying.

Cheng Fu licked his lips, his eyes roving over Xu Wen and the other Xu Family experts. He waved his hand decisively. "Men of the Cheng Family, listen up! Leave no one from the Xu Family alive today!"

"Yes, sir!"

Dozens of Cheng Family powerhouses roared in response.

Tang Tian raised his arm as well. "All members of the Tang Family, listen! These are the last dregs of the Xu Family. Kill them all! No mercy!"

"Kill!"

The Tang Family powerhouses roared in unison.

Over a hundred men swarmed the small group of thirteen. Every attacker wore a savage, Bloodthirsty grin, their eyes gleaming with killing intent.

Despair filled the hearts of the Xu Family members. But for the sake of their family’s legacy, they gritted their teeth and roared, mustering their final reserves of strength in a desperate last stand.

Xu Wen took a deep breath, tucking the young beast’s egg safely inside his robes. He gripped his blood-stained Big Saber and roared, "Warriors of the Xu Family! Kill them all!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

The battle cries shook the heavens as the two sides clashed.

This was especially true for Xu Wen, Tang Tian, and Cheng Fu. As Primordial Embryo Realm Powerhouses, the auras erupting from their bodies whipped up a terrifying gale.

The raging winds scoured the earth between the three men, crushing everything in their path and creating a vacuum in their wake.

"Time to die, Xu Wen!"

"Xu Wen, it won’t be long before your entire family is dead and buried with you!"

"You want my life? You’re not worthy!"

Gripping his saber with both hands, Xu Wen struck. A dazzling Sword Gang erupted, so brilliant it seemed capable of tearing through the void and piercing the fabric of time.

SWOOSH!

The sharp Sword Gang shot through the air like a rainbow-colored arc.

"Hahaha, that move again? Xu Wen, we’ve been fighting for decades. We know each other inside and out. Don’t waste your time with wishful thinking!" Tang Tian roared with laughter.

He executed a profound Body Technique. His resolute steps made the very earth tremble.

He shot forward, crossing the distance with a single Arrow Step. A longbow materialized in his hand, and with a swift SWISH, SWISH, he loosed a volley of sharp Arrows.

Three Arrows led the volley.

But in mid-air, they exploded, transforming into a torrential rain of arrows that blotted out the sky.

Xu Wen was long familiar with this attack and knew exactly how to counter it.

His Sword Gang shifted, transforming into a brilliant whirlwind. As the blade whistled through the air, it sliced away the top layer of soil from the ground.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Amidst the continuous explosions, the light was so dazzling that it outshone the sun and moon.

Xu Wen was already weak from several previous battles. Facing two opponents at once again took a tremendous toll on him.

Gasping for breath, his eyes flashed like cold lightning. He spat a mouthful of blood onto his Long Saber, dyeing it red. "Blood Sacrifice Demon Saber! Demon Slaying Slash!"

Xu Wen raised the Long Saber high. It now glowed with a blood-red halo. The blade whistled through the air, its light blotting out the sky as it unleashed a veritable river of blood-red energy toward Tang Tian.

Tang Tian’s expression changed dramatically. "You madman! You’d actually use a technique like the Blood Sacrifice Demon Saber? Damn you..."

Tang Tian fired a continuous stream of Arrows, trying to block the Demon Saber, but it was no use!

His face ashen, he yelled at his companion, "Cheng Fu, what are you waiting for? Attack!"

"Relax," Cheng Fu sneered. "My fists have been itching for a fight!"

The moment he finished speaking, Cheng Fu shot off the ground, charging forward like an Earth Dragon.

In his wake...

A powerful Momentum enveloped his body. The very ground recoiled, soil peeling back and stones shattering from the force of his presence alone.

His Refined Steel Fists shot out, bypassing the blood-soaked Demon Saber to strike directly at Xu Wen.

Xu Wen’s expression changed. He had just unleashed the Blood Sacrifice Demon Saber and was at his most vulnerable. How could he possibly have the strength to dodge or defend?

But he absolutely could not take this punch.

He still had the Ice Lion Emperor’s cub in his arms. If it were killed, the Xu Family’s last hope would be extinguished.

In that split second, Xu Wen spun around.

Cheng Fu’s fist landed squarely on his back.

"Argh!"

Xu Wen cried out in pain as his body staggered and was sent flying.

Thick blood poured from his mouth. His aura faltered. He was grievously injured in an instant.

But Xu Wen was a man of iron will. His thoughts were only of his family’s survival. Even at that critical moment, he twisted his body and threw his Long Saber with a SWISH.

Cheng Fu never expected a dying man to have one last strike in him.

In his haste to react, the Sword Gang sliced across his shoulder, leaving a gash that went down to the bone.

He winced in pain, swallowed a Pill, and glared grimly at Xu Wen, who was staggering back to his feet. He ground his teeth. "Damn it all! You’re about to die and you still want to take me with you?"

Tang Tian flew over, disheveled and grimy. The imposing auras of the two powerhouses enveloped Xu Wen, their eyes filled with a sinister, cold intent.

Xu Wen was grievously wounded, continuously coughing up blood, but he ignored his injuries and looked down at the Desolate Beast cub in his arms.

Seeing that the eggshell was still intact, Xu Wen breathed a long sigh of relief.

Then, he glanced around him, and a bleak, desolate look filled his eyes...

All around him, the desperate battle had claimed more than half of their remaining numbers. Only five heavily wounded survivors were left, and they were staggering toward him.

He looked at the savage, blood-soaked powerhouses of the Tang and Cheng Families, then back at his own broken and defeated men.

Grief overwhelmed Xu Wen. He howled, tears streaming down his face. When had a proud warrior like him ever felt so utterly powerless?

"Brother... Ancestors of the Xu Family... I, Xu Wen, have failed you!"

Xu Wen’s wails were heartbreaking. The few remaining Xu Family experts wept silently.

"Wudi! Oh, Wudi! Your uncle couldn’t protect the Ice Lion Emperor... I couldn’t protect the Xu Family’s last hope..."

"Whether the Xu Family’s legacy can continue is all up to you now! Wudi, you cannot let the family down again!"

The powerhouses of the Tang and Cheng Families merely sneered at Xu Wen’s anguished roars.

"Hahaha! Xu Wen, you’d best give up hope!"

"Our young masters have allied with Blood Cyan Robe. They’ve long since planned to kill Xu Wudi in the Sixth Layer’s Ancient Ice Glacier. The destruction of your Xu Family is a foregone conclusion!"

"No one can save you now!"

"After we eliminate Xu Wudi, our three families will figure out how to get rid of that Hong Yu too. Heh heh heh... then who will be left to save the Xu Family!"

Tang Tian’s and Cheng Fu’s gazes turned icy cold. They waved a hand forward. "Kill them!"

Over a hundred powerhouses from the Tang and Cheng Families struck as one.

Just as their blades were about to fall and create a bloodbath, at that very critical moment, a figure suddenly appeared in front of Xu Wen.

The figure wasn’t particularly imposing, but his appearance caused the triumphant, arrogant expressions on the faces of the Tang and Cheng Family powerhouses to freeze and warp into sheer terror...

"As long as I’m here, who dares to kill him?!"