Immortal Martial Emperor

Hong Yu had just arrived at the Mountain Gate.

He gazed at the newly refurbished statues of the Sword Demon Elder and the Cyan Nether Sword on either side, his eyes filled with the same reverence as always.

The Sword Demon Elder had founded the Cyan Nether Sword Sect with his own power. Such a monumental achievement was not something that could be replicated by a mere change of Sect Leaders.

Perhaps...

Even hundreds of years from now, the Sword Demon Elder’s status would likely remain unshakable.

This time, Hong Yu’s departure didn’t alert many people. He didn’t want to cause a stir. After leaving a Secret Manual from the Profound Celestial Tower for Old Sir Tie and another at White Cloud Peak, he spoke to no one else.

He disliked goodbyes.

But not long after leaving the Mountain Gate, Hong Yu stopped.

He saw a luxurious chariot parked on the side of the road not far ahead. Its date-red horses were leisurely grazing on the roadside grass.

SWISH!

The chariot’s curtain was slowly drawn open.

A beautiful figure emerged from within.

"Sister Qin?"

Hong Yu was taken aback, his expression turning complex.

He would never forget the kindness Sister Qin had shown him and the many times she had taken care of him back in Shishui City.

However, some of their experiences in the Qin Kingdom had created a rift between them, causing their relationship to gradually grow distant.

Moreover, with so much happening recently, especially his preoccupation with Beichen Celestial Frost’s life-or-death situation, Hong Yu hadn’t given any thought to Sister Qin.

Her sudden appearance now surprised him. He landed on the ground and asked, "Sister Qin, what are you doing here?"

"What? Am I not welcome?"

Sister Qin smiled as she looked at Hong Yu.

As perceptive as she was, how could she not notice the flicker of hesitation in his eyes?

A pang of bitterness welled up inside her.

Who could have imagined that the little guy from back then would, in just one year, grow into a figure capable of shaking the entire Southern Ten Nations?

Qin Qin still found it incredible, recalling the day she was accompanying her father in the Imperial Palace when a subordinate reported that Hong Yu was single-handedly hunting down Zhui Yang Ancestor and Ziyan Ancestor.

She composed herself, offered a graceful smile, and gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I heard you’re leaving the Southern Ten Nations?" she asked softly.

"Yes."

Hong Yu nodded, looking at Sister Qin seriously, but didn’t say anything more.

Sister Qin froze for a moment. She seemed a little emotional and disappointed, but she quickly hid it and began walking toward the grassy field.

Hong Yu hesitated for a moment, then followed.

Sister Qin didn’t seem to care whether Hong Yu had followed, just speaking as she walked. "So, will you come back?"

"I don’t know."

Hong Yu shook his head honestly.

Sister Qin smiled. "That’s true. To us, the Southern Ten Nations is a grand chessboard, one that takes a lifetime of energy to manage and play on. But to you, it’s just a small step on the chessboard of your life. This world is too small; it can’t hold you back."

She casually found a patch of grass to sit on, then lay back, gazing at the sky.

Sister Qin slowly closed her eyes.

A gentle breeze caressed her, stirring her hair. She said calmly, "Hong Yu, did you know? Before I came, my father told me to find a way to make you stay. He even gave me a marriage contract to arrange a betrothal with you. On the way here, I thought about it. If I could be with you, the throne of the Qin Kingdom would be mine."

"To be honest, I’m very ambitious. I want to make the Qin Kingdom stronger and greater..."

Sister Qin spoke quietly, holding nothing back. "But after seeing you, I decided to give up on it."

"Oh?"

Hong Yu listened quietly.

Sister Qin continued, "Just as I have my ambitions, you have your own dreams and goals. To shackle your dreams for the sake of my ambitions... that’s not something I want to do. So..."

She slowly stood up, walked over to Hong Yu, and gently placed her hands on his shoulders.

A light, elegant fragrance wafted from her.

Sister Qin slowly leaned in and gently kissed Hong Yu on the forehead. Then, she brushed past him, her faint voice carried on the wind. "Little brother, go and chase your dreams with all your heart! I hope that the next time you return, both my dream and yours will have been fulfilled!"

NEIGH!

The spirited horse neighed, pulling the chariot farther and farther away.

Hong Yu stood there for a long time before letting out a soft breath, feeling a sense of both relief and bewilderment.

"Hey, kid, that was a golden opportunity. Why didn’t you just take her down?" the Tower God, Little One, said suggestively.

Hong Yu rolled his eyes and said, "Little One, what have you been up to these past few days?"

Over the last few days, Hong Yu had tried to contact Little One.

He wanted to ask if there was any other way to cure Beichen Celestial Frost.

But Little One had seemingly vanished, much to his frustration.

He hadn’t expected him to pop up on his own now.

Little One chuckled. "I naturally had my own business to attend to." After a pause, he continued, "Kid, don’t you want to know what I’ve been busy with?"

"Nope."

Hong Yu shook his head.

"Er..."

Little One was extremely frustrated but didn’t give up, trying to entice him. "Kid, if you give me ten thousand Elemental Crystal Stones, I’ll tell you!"

"Say it or don’t."

Seeing that Hong Yu really wasn’t willing to pay the price, Little One could only say resignedly, "Fine, you win. I’ve actually been studying Xingtian these past few days. Ever since he devoured the Five Yin Demon Prison during the tournament, his injuries have completely healed. In fact, the Unjust Death Black Lotus and the Seed of Misfortune in his body have fused even more perfectly. He should have woken up long ago."

"But he showed no signs of waking, so I went to investigate. And guess what I found?"

Little One said excitedly.

He stopped at the crucial point again, waiting for Hong Yu to ask so he could demand an exorbitant price.

But Hong Yu didn’t fall for it and simply prepared to fly off again.

Though Little One was so angry he could only grind his teeth, he had no choice but to explain, "I found that Xingtian’s body has already met the standards for a Second-Tribulation Execution Corpse. He’s completely ready to advance, and could even break through to the Second Tribulation Advanced level. However, because he absorbed the Five Yin Demon Prison, the energy inside his body has become imbalanced, which is why he hasn’t woken up."

"Then what needs to be done?" Hong Yu asked.

Little One hesitated for a moment before saying, "There are two ways to wake him up right now. One is to find enough Essence Blood for him to absorb. He’ll naturally wake up after that and might even break through to the Third-Tribulation Execution Corpse Realm."

"Essence Blood? How much does he need?"

Little One said, "About... a thousand kilograms."

PFFT!

Hong Yu nearly stumbled. "A thousand kilograms?" he said, exasperated. "You’d probably have to slaughter tens of thousands of people to refine that much. Just tell me the other method."

Little One grunted in agreement and continued, "The second method is to find a Fifth-Grade Spirit Medicine called a Blood Ginseng Fruit. If you can get him to consume a Blood Ginseng Fruit, that should also wake him up."

Hong Yu rubbed his nose, looking helpless. "Where am I supposed to find a Fifth-Grade Spirit Medicine so easily? Forget it, I’ll ask the Underground Alliance when the time comes."

"Mhm."

Little One nodded, then said, "Oh right, you said you were looking for me earlier? Was it something important?"

Hong Yu then told Little One about Beichen Celestial Frost’s situation.

Little One pondered for a moment before saying, "Based on what you’ve said, Xiahuang Shang’s method is indeed the most feasible. But if you’re going to look for a Soul-Guiding Hound... sigh, how should I put this... it would be best to first refine a Fifth-Grade Spirit Medicine called a ’Soul-Stabilizing Pill.’ With that, you’ll be able to resist the Soul-Guiding Hound’s Soul Hooking Technique. Otherwise, with your current strength, going there is a surefire way to die!"

"A Soul-Stabilizing Pill?"

Hong Yu frowned.

Even though he had the Nine Dragon Celestial Cauldron, he’d need to reach the Primordial Embryo Realm to refine a Soul-Stabilizing Pill!

He was currently only at the Mid-stage Primordial Core Realm. Between him and the Primordial Embryo Realm were the Late Stage, the Peak, and the Half-step Primordial Embryo Realm—three levels. Breaking through to the Primordial Embryo Realm in just one year would be no small feat.

As if sensing Hong Yu’s distress, Little One chuckled. "Don’t sweat it. Aren’t you going to some Profound Ice Secret Realm? Since there’s Ten Thousand Years Cold Ice there, there must also be Ten Thousand Year Cold Marrow. If you can absorb the Ten Thousand Year Cold Marrow, your cultivation will definitely take another leap forward."

"Ten Thousand Year Cold Marrow?"

Little One explained, "Yep, Ten Thousand Year Cold Marrow. But before you can absorb it, you’ll need to prepare a flask of ’Flame Dragon Essence Blood’ and a Fourth-Grade Pill, the ’Red Flame Three Extremes Pill.’ I’ll give you the Pill Recipe for the Red Flame Three Extremes Pill, but finding the Flame Dragon Essence Blood and the alchemy ingredients is up to you!"

Hong Yu nodded, committing the Pill Recipe for the Red Flame Three Extremes Pill to memory.

He then composed himself and soared into the sky.

With his current speed and Primordial Gang reserves, he could easily sustain long-distance flight, only needing to occasionally replenish his energy with food and Spirit Pills that restored Primordial Gang’s Power.

As he flew through the air, Hong Yu organized his thoughts on what he needed to accomplish next.

First, of course, was to head to the Ice Kingdom and contact the Xu Family.

After all, he was a stranger in a strange land there; it would be better to find an acquaintance to help him.

Beyond that...

He needed to find the Flame Dragon Essence Blood and the ingredients listed in the Pill Recipe for the Red Flame Three Extremes Pill. He had to be fully prepared before entering the Profound Ice Secret Realm.

Second, he needed to find the Blood Ginseng Fruit.

Once he found the Blood Ginseng Fruit, Xingtian would be able to fully recover and reach a new level, perhaps even breaking through directly to the Third-Tribulation Execution Corpse Realm.

With Xingtian as a tank, he would be able to withstand the attacks of even a Primordial Embryo Realm Powerhouse!

Having laid out his next objectives, Hong Yu no longer suppressed his speed and raced toward the Ice Kingdom.

The Ice Kingdom was located to the east of the Xiahuang Ancient Kingdom. To get there, he had to cross thirteen alliances similar to the Southern Ten Nations.

Fortunately, Hong Yu had the token given to him by Xiahuang Shang, allowing him to use the Teleportation Arrays between the various kingdoms.

He first went to the Fengyue Kingdom, teleported to the neighboring Chi Shui Alliance, and then continued to his next transfer point.

After half a month of such travels, Hong Yu finally arrived in the Celestial Water Kingdom, which bordered the Ice Kingdom.

Leaving the Celestial Water Kingdom, Hong Yu traveled due north and finally entered the territory of the Ice Kingdom.

Normally, the Celestial Water Kingdom would also have a Teleportation Array leading to the Ice Kingdom, but due to constant conflict between the two kingdoms over the past two years, they had both shut down their arrays. Hong Yu had no choice but to fly the rest of the way.

The Sarogobi Desert marked the border between the Ice Kingdom and the Celestial Water Kingdom.

The place was desolate and sparsely populated, a vast expanse of desert and gobi.

After racing across this gobi, which was half the size of the Fengyue Kingdom, for a full day and night, Hong Yu had finally covered most of the distance.

That day, as night fell, Hong Yu spotted a brightly lit town in the desert ahead and considered going there to ask for directions.

But after he entered the Gobi Town, he sensed that something was amiss...