Immortal Martial Emperor

The stronger Hong Yu became, the more Hong Tiande felt that his life and status were under threat.

This feeling grew especially intense after the battle at the Abyssal Mountain Range.

Hong Tiande knew full well that with Hong Yu's talent, coupled with his excellent relationship with Feng Xue Xin, it was a foregone conclusion that Hong Yu would become an Inner Sect Disciple of the Cyan Nether Sword Sect. Once that happened and he returned, the still-wavering Patriarch would surely choose to support him.

If it ever came to that, it would be far too easy for Hong Yu to deal with him.

At this thought, Hong Tiande shot to his feet, a vicious killing intent erupting from him. "Might as well go all the way. That boy Hong Yu must be eliminated!"

With that, he was already gone from the main hall.

Only the chair he had been sitting in remained, collapsing into a pile of splintered wood with a sharp CREAK.

...

Time is relentless.

It waits for no one and for nothing.

In the blink of an eye, half a month passed, and Hong Yu had undoubtedly become the most talked-about person in Shishui City.

As a member of a branch family, he had staged a stunning comeback in the clan martial tournament, earning the favor of the Hong Family's Third Elder and becoming the family's Ninth Young Master. In the final competition, he single-handedly fought the Ten Great Celestial Prodigies, slaying seven of them to become the undisputed Newcomer King. The talk surrounding Hong Yu reached a fever pitch, especially after everyone learned he was only sixteen years old.

Many even began to compare him to the four unrivaled, top-tier geniuses.

They believed Hong Yu was worthy of the title of "Human King"!

But as the saying goes, fame has its price.

Ever since Hong Yu's fame had spread, the once-deserted Rain Listening Pavilion had become bustling with activity, with visitors constantly arriving bearing lavish gifts. After a few days, Yun Mengyao had grown so numb from accepting presents that she simply closed the doors to all visitors to get some peace and quiet.

Of course, Hong Yu was completely unaware of these worldly matters.

For the entire past half-month, he had remained within the space inside the tower.

"It's been half a month. The fusion with the Star River Spirit Bone should be almost complete!" Little One said, lounging on a chair and leisurely puffing on his Big Smoking Pipe.

Behind Little One, a pale-faced young man stood quietly, gently waving a feather fan. As if hearing Little One's muttering, his hollow gaze shifted, turning toward Hong Yu.

At that moment, Hong Yu's eyes were shut tight. A faint, purplish-gold light enveloped him, as if countless stars were gently revolving around his body.

BANG!

A sudden, loud sound erupted from within Hong Yu's body.

His tightly shut eyes snapped open. Within his dark pupils, countless stars seemed to swirl and flash before slowly settling. A purplish-gold Skull Bone flickered above his head, then completely merged into his body. The light receded, making the entire spectacle seem like an illusion.

HUUU...

Hong Yu slowly let out a long breath, the corners of his mouth lifting into a knowing smirk.

With a WHOOSH, Little One leaped from the chair and landed in front of Hong Yu, eyeing him with amazement. "You succeeded?"

"I succeeded!"

Hong Yu nodded.

He recalled the process of fusing with the Star River Spirit Bone—the soul-rending agony had nearly shattered his consciousness. Even now, the memory made his hair stand on end with lingering fear. If not for the last-minute breakthrough in his awareness, he would likely have been reduced to a mindless fool.

"How does it feel?" Little One asked.

Hong Yu smiled faintly. "It feels incredible."

And he truly did feel incredible!

This first piece of the Star River Spirit Bone was the Skull Bone. After it fused with his body, Hong Yu felt his thoughts and his comprehension of the Martial Dao become incredibly clear and sharp. But this was merely a basic change, and what truly excited him were the Star River Spirit Bone's two Innate Divine Techniques.

The first Innate Divine Technique was called 'Star River Guardian'.

After fusing with the Star River Spirit Bone, his soul was now protected by the Spirit Bone. His Spiritual Power and consciousness had both received a tremendous boost, reaching the level of the Late-stage Earth Soul Realm. This meant that even if he faced a Spirit Cultivator like Enchantress, who specialized in Spiritual Power attacks, they would be powerless against him as long as they weren't stronger than a Late-stage Earth Soul Realm cultivator!

The second Innate Divine Technique, however, was strictly speaking the Spirit Bone's greatest treasure.

The complete Star River Spirit Bone was formed from ninety thousand stars and the Celestial Martial Origin from the Celestial Martial Origin Star. Right now, these ninety thousand-plus stars and the Celestial Martial Origin resided within his mind. However, compared to the mighty Star Array from the fusion process, they seemed much weaker; every star was dim and lusterless.

Hong Yu would need to raise his cultivation through practice, or absorb Spirit Medicine, Spirit Pills, and Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi to activate these stars.

According to the memories he had absorbed during the fusion, awakening each star would grant him immense power. Furthermore, this boost was exponential. If he could activate all ninety thousand stars, Hong Yu would possess the strength to fight an expert at the Primordial Core Realm.

And especially the fundamental Celestial Martial Origin—once Hong Yu became strong enough to awaken it, he would receive the supreme Martial Dao inheritance of the Celestial Martial Origin Star.

That was a planet of Martial Dao origin that stood at the very pinnacle of the cosmos!

One could only imagine how much his power would skyrocket if he earned the recognition of the Celestial Martial Origin...

Of course, that was all a matter for the future.

Hong Yu rubbed his nose and asked, "Little One, how long was I out?"

"Half a month," Little One said languidly.

"Half a month?"

Hong Yu was startled. 'Damn it, I have to report to the Cyan Nether Sword Sect before the deadline! I only have half a month left. I need to arrange for Yaoyao's care and leave Shishui City as soon as possible!'

"You can leave, but before you go, you'd better perform the Blood Recognition on this Execution Corpse," Little One said.

Only then did Hong Yu turn to look at the Execution Corpse standing in the corner.

The face of the defiant young man from that day was unchanged, except now his complexion was deathly pale and his pupils were a lifeless, grayish white. Yet, Hong Yu could sense a look of gratitude directed at him from within those eyes.

Little One explained, "Right now, he's just a basic Execution Corpse. Even though I returned his soul to his body, he can't undergo Spirit Awakening until he becomes a Third-Tribulation Execution Corpse, so he only operates on instinct. Still, with his current strength, he won't falter against an ordinary Earth Soul Realm expert. In fact, no one below the Peak of Earth Soul Realm can even harm him!"

"I see!"

Hong Yu nodded.

'I've already fused with the Star River Spirit Bone, and I have five Qi Vortexes in my Lower Dantian. I can even put up a fight against a Mid-stage Earth Soul Realm Powerhouse now. With the Execution Corpse to run interference—invulnerable to anyone below the Peak of the Earth Soul Realm—I'm confident I could even kill a veteran Mid-stage Earth Soul Realm expert!'

Claiming the Execution Corpse wasn't difficult; it was done through a simple Blood Recognition.

Hong Yu dripped a drop of his Essence Blood onto the center of the Execution Corpse's brow. A blood-red mark was instantly branded there, and Hong Yu felt a close connection form between them. He patted the corpse's shoulder. "Don't worry. In the future, I'll find a way to restore your mind."

ROAR!

The Execution Corpse let out a low roar.

Hong Yu paused, then smiled. "Alright. From now on, you'll be with me!"

"Hong Yu, aren't you going to give him a name?" Little One asked.

Hong Yu blinked, a good name suddenly coming to him. "From now on, I'll call you Xingtian! The War God, Xingtian!"

ROAR!

Xingtian let out another low roar, as if he was very fond of the name.

After a few parting words with Little One, Hong Yu left the space within the tower and found a busy Yun Mengyao in the kitchen.

Hong Yu told Yun Mengyao his plans, and she showed her well-behaved and considerate side, smiling as she agreed to his arrangement for her to stay at the Spirit Pill Pavilion. The two of them didn't have much baggage, so after a quick pack-up, they took the Golden Carriage from the Hong Mansion and headed straight for the Spirit Pill Pavilion.

"Hong Yu, you can rest assured and leave Yaoyao in my care!" Xue Butong said with great sincerity.

"Then I'll be counting on you, Master." Hong Yu nodded. He looked at the sweetly smiling girl and gently ruffled her hair. "Yaoyao, while I'm away, you have to take good care of yourself and listen to Master Xue, understand?"

"Mhm!"

Yun Mengyao nodded emphatically and giggled. "Don't worry, Brother! I'll take good care of myself!"

Hong Yu affectionately tapped the little girl's nose, then turned and departed.

Watching his figure recede into the distance, Yun Mengyao could no longer hold back. Her eyes reddened, and a string of pearl-like tears rolled down her cheeks. She bit her lip stubbornly, her small fists clenched tight, and whispered to herself, 'Brother, I will live a good life. I'll be waiting for you to come back!'

Xue Butong stood beside her, his gaze toward the young girl now holding a trace of gentle affection.

Meanwhile, Hong Yu...

After leaving the Spirit Pill Pavilion, he bought a fine steed from the horse market that could travel three thousand li a day and galloped out of Shishui City.

The Cyan Nether Sword Sect was situated in the mountains outside the capital of the Fengyue Kingdom. It was a full thirty thousand li from Shishui City, but traveling day and night on his new steed, he would have just enough time to make it.

He galloped nonstop, the horse's hooves thundering beneath him and kicking up clouds of dust.

Before he knew it, he had covered three hundred li.

"Help me!"

Hong Yu abruptly pulled on the reins, bringing his horse to a stop. He peered ahead, puzzled.

Several hundred meters ahead, four menacing-looking thugs were chasing a young woman with weapons drawn. The woman looked to be in her mid-twenties, with long, flowing hair and delicate features. Her clothes were mostly torn, exposing a smooth shoulder, and she was sprinting toward Hong Yu with a look of sheer terror on her face.

'Bandits?'

Hong Yu was taken aback.

'This isn't too far from Shishui City,' he wondered. 'How can there be bandits here?'

But the situation didn't leave him much time to think. The woman was only a few dozen meters away when one of the thugs caught up. He kicked her to the ground, pressed a blade to her delicate neck, and snarled, "You bitch! Let me and my brothers have some fun and maybe we'll let you live. Otherwise, I'll fucking kill you!"

"N-no, please..." The woman struggled in terror, her eyes, filled with desperation, pleading with Hong Yu. "Please, save me..."

The thug snorted, his cold eyes sweeping over Hong Yu. "Kid, you'd better mind your own business," he threatened, "or I'll slaughter you too!"

Hong Yu frowned.

He wasn't some saint who believed he could save the world, but the thug's attitude rubbed him the wrong way. He snorted coldly. "Slaughter me? You're not worthy."

"Damn it! Brothers, get him! Kill this pretentious little shit!"

The thug roared, and he and his men charged menacingly toward Hong Yu, weapons raised.

Hong Yu's gaze flickered. He leaped lightly into the air, and when he landed, his body blurred, spinning like a whirlwind. With a series of sharp SMACKS, he sent the thugs flying with a few slaps, knocking them all unconscious. Having dealt with the annoying flies, Hong Yu dusted off his hands and prepared to leave.

However, the woman on the ground scrambled forward and knelt before him, kowtowing repeatedly. "Thank you, benefactor! Thank you for saving my life..."

Hong Yu rubbed his nose. It wouldn't feel right to just walk away now. With a wry smile, he moved to help the woman up. He extended his hands and said helplessly, "Miss, please get up. It was nothing, really. There's no need for such gratitude."

"Thank you, benefactor."

The woman said timidly, allowing Hong Yu to help her slowly to her feet. As she was speaking her words of thanks, she suddenly lifted her head. Her delicate face twisted into a ferocious snarl as a gleaming, poisoned dagger appeared in her hand. With a SWISH, she stabbed at Hong Yu's heart, her icy voice laced with killing intent...

"Die!"