Immortal Martial Emperor

"Stop!"

A deep, resonant voice, heavy as metal, echoed from the depths of the Beichen Family estate.

Following the voice was a towering figure who strode through the air. Each step covered a hundred meters, and with incredible speed, he landed between Hong Yu and Wang Fei in the blink of an eye.

The newcomer exuded a domineering, innate aura.

With just a slight tremor of his sleeve, the Elemental Power palm that Hong Yu had condensed vanished without a trace, like a clay ox sinking into the sea.

"Hmm?"

Hong Yu raised an eyebrow. He studied the towering figure before him, noting the faint resemblance to Little Feng, and a guess about the man’s identity began to form in his mind.

"B-Big Brother..."

Upon seeing the newcomer, Beichen Huo shrank back, retreating two steps.

But after just two steps, he found his back blocked and was shoved forward again.

He looked at Beichen Ba, bewildered and at a loss for words, his head slightly bowed.

Beichen Ba looked at him, then glanced at the sullen-faced Wang Fei behind Beichen Huo, and seemed to realize something.

A flash of icy coldness crossed his eyes. He turned to Hong Yu and the Yellow Heaven Ten Thieves and said coolly, "Everyone, this one has some family matters to attend to. I must ask you all to retire to a side courtyard to rest for now. Once I have finished, this one will come to speak with you in detail. Is that acceptable?"

Although his words were phrased as a question, Hong Yu and the others could still feel an immense and oppressive aura bearing down on them.

Hong Yu took a deep look at Beichen Ba. ’The fluctuations of this man’s aura are no weaker than Wang Ba’s. He’s a genuine Primordial Core Realm expert!’

’If Beichen Ba is this powerful, why would he need to fear Wang Ba? Why would he be forced by Wang Fei to hide away in seclusion...?’

’Forget it. Every family has its own troubles. It’s better if I don’t meddle in other people’s business.’

After a moment of contemplation, Hong Yu was the first to nod and take his leave.

The Yellow Heaven Ten Thieves also excused themselves, supporting one another as they left.

Little Feng hesitated, wanting to leave with Hong Yu, but Beichen Ba stopped him with a raised hand. "You will stay." His voice was utterly devoid of emotion, hardly the tone one would expect a father to use with his son.

Little Feng frowned but indeed did not move. He shot Hong Yu a look, as if to tell him not to worry.

Hong Yu nodded slightly and left the courtyard.

Beichen Ba had already arranged for men to wait outside, and they led Hong Yu and the others to a more remote courtyard.

The courtyard for the Yellow Heaven Ten Thieves was even farther away. Huang Tianyi cupped his fists toward Hong Yu. "I am Huang Tianyi, and these are my brothers. The ten of us will never forget that you saved our lives. If you ever need us for anything in the future, you have but to ask!"

Hong Yu smiled faintly. "Brother Huang, you’re too kind. Just call me Hong Yu!"

"Alright, little brother Hong Yu! We won’t disturb your rest any longer. We must get together for a drink next time!" Huang Tianyi was a straightforward man.

His nine brothers also laughed heartily and invited Hong Yu.

"Alright! Next time, we won’t stop until we’re drunk!"

Hong Yu laughed and readily agreed.

After the Yellow Heaven Ten Thieves had departed, Hong Yu stopped the guard who had escorted him and asked, "How is your Miss Tianshuang doing?"

"Miss Tianshuang has been unconscious for several months. For now, she’s being sustained by medicine from Chairman Tang of the Spiritual Craftsman Guild. As for whether she will wake up, we do not know..." the guard said hastily.

Hong Yu was silent for a moment, then muttered to himself, "If even that old fellow Tang Long is helpless, it seems I’ll have to wait until Beichen Ba and Little Feng have sorted out their issues. Then I’ll find some time to check on Beichen Celestial Frost."

When it came to the art of refining Spirit Medicine, Hong Yu might not be that formidable.

But when it came to knowledge of Spirit Medicine and the medical arts, there were likely few in the entire Southern Ten Nations who could compare to him.

After all...

The knowledge contained within the *Divine Medicine Scripture* far surpassed that of this world.

Dismissing the guard, Hong Yu entered his room.

Sitting cross-legged on the wooden bed, Hong Yu’s gaze drifted as he fell deep in thought. ’According to the Ghost Lord, my current level would only rank around one hundred thousandth in the Xiahuang Ancient Kingdom. The world outside is vast and wide. There’s already such a huge gap between the Qin Kingdom and the Fengyue Kingdom, to say nothing of even more powerful factions.’

’If I want the right to use the Shuttle Array, I need to place in the top one hundred at the Southern Border Holy Assembly, at the very least.’

’But my current strength is definitely not enough. I must find a way to improve it.’

Hong Yu began to review the information in his memory.

In his current situation, his Cultivation Realm had already reached a bottleneck.

The Profound Skill he had been practicing could only support him up to the Peak of the Earth Soul Realm. He had only managed to advance to the Celestial Soul Realm thanks to the *Nine Refinements of the Primordial Spirit* and the *Celestial Soul Nine Refinements*.

Clearly, the Profound Skill he possessed was no longer suitable for his future cultivation.

Therefore, obtaining a suitable Elemental Power Technique to practice had become his top priority.

Second, cultivating the *Heaven-Swallowing Divine Technique* was also moved up on his list of priorities.

According to the Netherworld Ghost Lord, the *Heaven-Swallowing Divine Technique* was a top-level technique for tempering the soul and Spiritual Power, one that could even allow a cultivator to practice unimpeded all the way to the Yin Yang Realm.

After mastering the Ice Divine Blade, Hong Yu had become increasingly aware of the wonderful uses of Spiritual Power.

Not only could it enhance Spiritual Techniques and grant the ability to attack an opponent’s soul and bolster one’s own Soul Defense, but more importantly, an increase in Spiritual Power could also stimulate the awakening of the Star River within his left Cyan Eye.

That Star River was protected by ninety thousand stars. He had only activated a little over one hundred of the outermost stars, yet he already possessed the Spiritual Power of the late-stage Celestial Soul Realm.

If he could fully unlock the Star River, especially if he could obtain the inheritance of the Celestial Martial Origin Star at its very center...

Hong Yu grew excited just thinking about it.

And so...

The second thing he needed to do was cultivate the *Heaven-Swallowing Divine Technique*!

However, to even begin cultivating the *Heaven-Swallowing Divine Technique*, he would need to consume a Tier Three Spirit Pill, the Spirit Communication Pill.

"The materials for refining the Spirit Communication Pill won’t be easy to find. Looks like I’ll have to make a trip to the Underground Alliance at some point." Hong Yu rubbed his nose in frustration.

Having now identified the two most urgent tasks before him, Hong Yu’s mind relaxed a little.

With his current strength, becoming one of the top four True Dragon Geniuses of the Southern Ten Nations should be no problem.

But that was not his ultimate goal.

Hong Yu rubbed his chin. ’Finding a suitable Elemental Power Technique and refining the Spirit Communication Pill to prepare for cultivating the *Heaven-Swallowing Divine Technique* are urgent matters. But that alone is definitely not enough for me to stand out among so many experts. So, besides all that, I also have to find a way to advance the *Eight Desolates Saint Slaying Technique* to the Eighth Transformation Realm. As long as I can reach the Eighth Transformation, I’ll be able to form the Eight Desolates Dominating Body, which is comparable to an Earth-Level Primordial Weapon. I could even ignore the attacks of ordinary Primordial Core Realm experts.’

’Besides those, I could also try to find the remaining ’Life Rune Seal’ and ’Death Rune Seal’ of Rashomon. If I can gather all Three Seals, I’ll be able to open Rashomon. I wonder what lies behind it...’

The thought of Rashomon, a structure dozens of times the size of the Forbidden City, was enough to make Hong Yu’s blood boil with excitement.

Not to mention, from the few words the Netherworld Ghost Lord had let slip, it was clear that the benefits of opening Rashomon would be immeasurable.

Hong Yu didn’t doubt this at all.

After all...

Putting aside the world behind Rashomon, the immense destructive power from the Luo Rune Seal alone—that is, the Senluo Seal—had already benefited him greatly!

And that was to say nothing of the Life Rune Seal and the Death Rune Seal, which were clearly of a higher level!

Mulling it all over, Hong Yu felt a little helpless. ’It’s a shame... The second level of my Profound Celestial Tower still hasn’t shown any signs of activity...’

Shaking his head, Hong Yu organized his thoughts.

His most urgent tasks were: first, to refine the Spirit Communication Pill and cultivate the *Heaven-Swallowing Divine Technique*;

Second, to find a suitable Elemental Power cultivation method;

Third, to improve the *Eight Desolates Saint Slaying Technique* and reach the Eighth Transformation Realm if possible;

And fourth, to comprehend Rashomon, find the Life and Death Rune Seals, and open the gate.

But for now, the most important thing was to rest, regulate his condition, and wait for Beichen Celestial Frost to awaken. He would diagnose her condition before making any other plans.

With this in mind, Hong Yu closed his eyes and began to meditate.

He meditated for a full day and night...

But Hong Yu, immersed in his cultivation, had no idea that over the past day and night, his name had already spread like wildfire throughout Qin Royal City.

From street corners to back alleys, from common peddlers to high-ranking officials, everyone was talking about him.

"Did you hear? That Hong Yu who won the youth Spiritual Craftsman competition—his Martial Dao talent is supposedly even greater than Zheng Tian’s and Blood the First’s!"

"How could I not have heard? My neighbor’s seventh aunt’s younger sister’s older sister’s maternal uncle’s son’s nephew is a guard at the Beichen Mansion. I ran into him this morning and he told me all about it. Back then, the Blood Killing Tower’s genius killer, Blood the First, had an imposing momentum, sweeping through everything in his path! He was so domineering!"

The man gulped to wet his throat and continued, "Not even the Yellow Heaven Ten Thieves were his match! But... the moment Hong Yu appeared, he just glanced at Blood the First—just one look—and Blood the First wet his pants in fear and fled for his life!"

"No way! He can’t be that amazing, can he?"

someone said in disbelief.

But as soon as the words left his mouth, he was met with countless looks of scorn and contempt. "You must be from the countryside, huh? You look like a total bumpkin! Let me tell you, this Hong Yu is famously incredible!"

"That’s right! I’ve got inside info that even Zheng Tian from the Guiyuan Sect was nearly forced into defeat by Hong Yu in the Celestial Essence Secret Realm!"

"Speaking of Zheng Tian, that reminds me. I think I heard that because of him, the experts from the Guiyuan Sect and the Royal Family had a huge fight in the Guiyuan Mountain Range?"

"Yeah, they fought. Turns out the Celestial Essence Stone was never taken by Zheng Tian at all."

"He really got the short end of the stick. He clearly didn’t take the Celestial Essence Stone, but I heard His Majesty the King broke dozens of his bones. He won’t be getting up for at least a month or two."

Wild discussions like these spread throughout Qin Royal City.

Inside Jing Bingxuan, Blood the First lay on his bed, listening to his subordinate’s report. He was so angry he spat out a mouthful of old blood. "Hong Yu, you’ve gone too far! If I, Blood the First, do not kill you, I swear I am not human...!"

A bloody light glinted in his eyes as he spoke to the darkness, "Elder Xue, send me to headquarters! I want to participate in the Blood Asura selection!"

"Very well!"

A withered voice replied from the darkness.

「At the same time...」

Within the Guiyuan Sect, Wang Ba’s face was grim. "Zheng Tian, are you sure you want to enter the Cave of Ten Thousand Souls?"

Zheng Tian took a deep breath. "Master, with your Spirit Pills, my injuries have mostly recovered. But if things continue like this, I will never be a match for Hong Yu. My only choice is to train in the Cave of Ten Thousand Souls. The day I return will be the day I slay Hong Yu."

Wang Ba nodded. "Since you have decided, then go! As your master, I will leave that boy, Hong Yu, for you!"

「The Royal Family...」

Qin Feng looked at Qin Qin. "Little Qin, take this royal edict to the Beichen Family. You must win Hong Yu over to the Royal Family’s side!"

"Yes, Father!"

Sister Qin replied respectfully.

Just as undercurrents began to stir among the various powers,

a figure appeared outside Hong Yu’s courtyard. The person stood there for a long time before drifting forward like a phantom...