Immortal Martial Emperor

HUMMM!

The blue metal disc was ringed by a circle of sharp barbs, like a scorpion’s stinger, with faint specks of light swirling upon them, giving off a sinister feeling.

As the blue metal disc hovered in the air, it split in two with a hum.

One shot to the left and the other to the right, tracing two graceful blue arcs and leaving long ribbons of blue light as they charged toward Hong Yu.

Hong Yu’s gaze darkened.

He had previously read some information about Prince Zhui Ri on the Dragon and Tiger List.

This man was the only Spirit Cultivator on the Dragon List.

Moreover, he was hailed as the strongest Spirit Cultivator in the Southern Ten Nations!

It was crucial to emphasize the word "strongest"—it didn’t say he was one of the strongest!

This meant that in terms of cultivation and combat prowess in the path of a Spirit Cultivator, Prince Zhui Ri was publicly acknowledged as number one in the Southern Ten Nations.

Even when compared to the powerhouses of the older generation, he was still number one!

While this was certainly due to Prince Zhui Ri’s outstanding talent as a Spirit Cultivator, it was more so because there were so very few Spirit Cultivators in the Southern Ten Nations...

Of course, regardless of the reason he became the number one Spirit Cultivator, one thing was certain: Prince Zhui Ri was truly powerful. The pressure Hong Yu felt from him was even comparable to what he had faced from Xue De!

He was more than just a single notch above Zheng Tian, who had just entered the Primordial Core Realm.

"How dare you insult me! If I don’t make you pay for this today, I’ll take your family name!"

Prince Zhui Ri’s face was filled with confidence and pride.

In his eyes, among all the people his age in the Southern Ten Nations, only one person could be compared to him: Yao Yueye!

He didn’t even spare a thought for Ling Bingxin of the Sun and Moon Divine Sect, who was ranked third among the True Dragons. After all, during the Ten Nations Tournament years ago, Prince Zhui Ri had defeated her without even letting her get within three meters of him.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Guided by Prince Zhui Ri’s Spiritual Power, the two pale blue metal discs arrived before Hong Yu.

Hong Yu’s eyes glinted. Though the metal discs moved quickly, their movements were still perfectly clear to him; he could even see their trajectories with utter clarity.

"True Martial Arts Intent—Wind!"

Hong Yu took a deep breath. As he activated Wind Rider, he condensed his True Martial Arts Intent into his palms.

As Hong Yu thrust his palms forward, the air in front of them could be seen visibly compressing and coalescing, forming two small tornadoes.

"Go!"

With a push from each palm, the two small tornadoes shot out with a WHOOSH.

As they flew, they sucked in the surrounding air, causing the two tornadoes to grow.

They grew larger and larger, expanding from the size of a thumb to the thickness of a thigh in the blink of an eye.

Hong Yu’s control over energy was exquisite.

Under his guidance, the two tornadoes, like bolts of silk caught in a storm, whistled as they twisted and spiraled before crashing into the two blue metal discs with a BOOM! BOOM!

HUM! HUM!

The blue metal discs vibrated intensely, their rotational speed clearly and significantly impacted.

A glint flashed in Prince Zhui Ri’s eyes. "Return!"

Pulled by his Spiritual Power, the two discs spiraled back and returned to his feet.

Prince Zhui Ri stared coldly at Hong Yu, the corners of his lips curling into a playful smirk. "No wonder you’re so arrogant. It seems you really have some skill. However, if you think you can challenge me with a petty trick like that, then I can only tell you that you’ve gravely underestimated me!"

"Great Sun Celestial Wheel!"

Prince Zhui Ri raised his hands high, and a massive blue wheel of light slowly coalesced behind him.

The blue wheel of light rose slowly from behind his legs to his upper body, its glow growing ever more brilliant and dazzling, truly resembling a great, blazing sun hanging behind Prince Zhui Ri.

Prince Zhui Ri floated in midair with a solemn and majestic bearing, gazing down at Hong Yu.

His face held the stern solemnity of one about to pass judgment on all the evils of the world.

As the Great Sun Celestial Wheel appeared, wave after wave of Spiritual Fluctuation, so powerful that ordinary experts couldn’t help but feel their legs go weak, radiated outward.

Looking at the young man shrouded in the blue curtain of light, Hong Yu frowned. The Spiritual Fluctuation coming from the Great Sun Celestial Wheel had actually reached a level that could shake his own spirit.

And this was with Prince Zhui Ri not even having pushed the Great Sun Celestial Wheel to its limit.

If he were to push it to its absolute limit, the mere appearance of the Great Sun Celestial Wheel would likely be enough to cause many experts with weaker Spiritual Power to suffer a mental collapse and submit.

"Zhui Ri, please wait!"

Just as the atmosphere grew taut with tension, Zheng Tian, who had been hesitating for a long time, appeared.

He gave Hong Yu a complicated look and sighed faintly, then said to Prince Zhui Ri, "Zhui Ri, for my sake, let’s let this matter end here!"

"Zheng Tian?"

Prince Zhui Ri raised his eyebrows, a playful look on his face. "I heard you were defeated by this Hong Yu, losing your title as the number one genius of the Qin Kingdom. Logically, the two of you should be irreconcilable enemies. Why are you speaking up for him now?"

Zheng Tian’s expression changed slightly.

Prince Zhui Ri’s mocking words had clearly struck a nerve.

But Zheng Tian quickly recovered, shaking his head in self-mockery. "Number one genius? That’s just an empty title. In fact, I should thank Hong Yu. He taught me that there’s always someone better..." After a pause, Zheng Tian said, "Zhui Ri, for my sake, how about we just end this here?"

Prince Zhui Ri looked at Zheng Tian seriously, as if trying to judge whether he was telling the truth.

After a moment of contemplation, Prince Zhui Ri said coldly, "You and I go way back. For your sake, I can let him off. However, he must kneel before me, kowtow in apology, and compensate for the losses of my royal brother and his guards!"

"Zhui Ri, demanding compensation is one thing, but as for kowtowing in apology..."

Before Zheng Tian could finish, Zhui Ri snorted coldly. "Zheng Tian, I’m only giving him this chance for your sake. Don’t be so shameless as to push your luck."

"You..."

Zheng Tian’s expression turned cold.

But then he thought of Prince Zhui Ri’s typically domineering behavior and felt another wave of helplessness.

’Even though I placed fourth in the last tournament and was hailed as the genius most likely to challenge for a True Dragon Position...’

’...in Prince Zhui Ri’s eyes, aside from the supreme and unshakable number one True Dragon, Yao Yueye, there wasn’t a single other person worthy of his notice.’

He looked at Hong Yu with a bitter smile and advised, "Hong Yu, you heard him."

"Mm-hmm."

Hong Yu nodded, then smiled. "Zheng Tian, what do you think I should choose?"

Zheng Tian thought for a moment. "Accept his terms. This is the biggest concession Zhui Ri will make. If you push for more, I’m afraid you’ll completely infuriate him. Hong Yu, I admit you’re very strong, strong enough to even kill Elder Xue, but I assume you relied on some kind of Treasure or a technique with a heavy cost, right?"

Hong Yu just looked at him, neither confirming nor denying it.

Zheng Tian didn’t mind and continued, "The tournament is imminent. If you use that trump card now, it will definitely have a major impact on your performance. And without using those trump cards, you’re no match for Zhui Ri. I advise you to just accept his terms."

"A great man knows when to yield and when to stand firm. Just apologize and this whole thing will blow over."

Zheng Tian’s words were surprisingly sincere and impartial.

There was little selfish intent behind them.

It was clear that after a series of defeats, this once arrogant, complacent, and condescending number one genius had undergone a fundamental transformation.

Hong Yu looked at Zheng Tian seriously for a long time before letting out a slow breath. "I finally understand why you never managed to claim a True Dragon Position!"

"Hm?"

Zheng Tian froze, looking at Hong Yu in confusion.

The corners of Hong Yu’s lips lifted slightly. He walked past Zheng Tian to face Prince Zhui Ri directly, his calm voice laced with confidence and unstoppable courage. "The Martial Dao is, by its very nature, a path of defying the heavens. If practicing martial arts doesn’t allow one to roam the world without restraint, you might as well go home, lay bricks, grow vegetables, and roast sweet potatoes!"

"A True Dragon? HAHAHA, I dare to defy even fate itself! A True Dragon? So what if you’re a True Dragon?"

Hong Yu threw his arm out, and with a SHING, the Godslaying Spear appeared in his hand. Amidst his powerful voice, he pointed it diagonally at Prince Zhui Ri high in the sky and shouted coldly, "Zhui Ri, if you want a fight, then let’s fight! Stop wasting time with your pretentious bullshit!"

"You dare provoke me like this?! I’m furious! Die!"

Prince Zhui Ri roared.

The majestic Great Sun Celestial Wheel behind him, guided by his Spiritual Power, erupted with countless rays of blue light.

Each of these rays of light was a sharp hidden weapon.

Their speed was incredible, and combined with their sheer number, the attack was fundamentally impossible to defend against.

"Illusion Spirit Spear Technique—Illusion Heaven Technique!"

Hong Yu’s feet rooted themselves firmly to the ground. He took a slight half-step back, and then the Godslaying Spear in his hand shot forward with the force of a thunderbolt.

HUMMM!

The Illusion Heaven Technique was so named for its ability to create a spear curtain so vast it could blot out the sky and sun.

What looked like a simple strike was, in reality, a move containing hundreds or even thousands of thrusts.

This was the clever application of the "Vibrating Rune Technique" True Martial Arts Intent to the Illusion Spirit Spear Technique.

Each vibration amplified the thrusts over a hundred times.

Its speed was absolutely comparable to the attack speed of an ordinary Mid-stage Primordial Core Realm expert.

BANG! BANG!

The spear aura collided with the blue radiance, exploding in the air like dazzling fireworks.

One explosion followed another, filling the sky with a dizzying flurry of energy impacts and a brilliant storm of power.

"Th-This Hong Yu is actually so powerful?"

"Prince Zhui Ri is a mighty True Dragon Powerhouse, and he’s ranked second among them!"

"For Hong Yu to be on par with Prince Zhui Ri... doesn’t that mean he also has the strength to contend for a True Dragon Position?"

"The Qin Kingdom is truly incredible this year! First, there was Zheng Tian, and now Hong Yu. Both of them have the strength to challenge for a True Dragon Position..."

Yaoyue City was one of the largest cities in the Southern Ten Nations, and with the upcoming tournament, the number of people coming and going had naturally increased.

These experts had learned through various channels that the two combatants were Hong Yu and Prince Zhui Ri, so they had stopped to watch. They had all thought Hong Yu’s defeat was certain, but they never expected him to be evenly matched with the prince. This truly gave everyone a huge shock!

"You actually managed to block my Great Sun Celestial Wheel? No wonder that trash Zheng Tian lost to you. But if you think this means you can challenge a True Dragon Genius, then you are simply foolish and ignorant!"

Prince Zhui Ri’s immense Spiritual Power spread out.

It expanded in wave after wave, and the Great Sun Celestial Wheel behind him gradually transformed, forming a blue Buddha. Prince Zhui Ri’s eyes turned cold as he commanded, "Great Sun Vajra, World-Ending Divine Punishment!"

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The blue Buddha, known as the Great Sun Vajra, surged with tempestuous Spiritual Fluctuation as it extended a massive blue hand to crush Hong Yu.

Such a terrifying attack was clearly Prince Zhui Ri’s ultimate, last-resort technique.

Just as Hong Yu was channeling his energy to its limits to defend, a brilliant beam of sword light suddenly shot out from within Yaoyue City...

"Causing such a ruckus at my doorstep. Are you trying to say you don’t take me seriously?"