Immortal Martial Emperor

"Sorry, I'm late!"

The calm voice held a hint of a smile, showing no sign of being affected by having just stomped a man to death. It was as if he had merely crushed an ant.

In the plaza, everyone was dead silent.

All eyes were fixed on the youth who had suddenly appeared.

He wore a black martial arts uniform that accentuated his sturdy, heroic frame. A cascade of black hair fell over his shoulders, and his handsome face had sharp, resolute features, as if carved by a knife.

His left eye held a faint, ice-blue sheen.

Within the depths of his pupils, a careful observer could see a vast cluster of blue stars swirling.

The newcomer was, of course, Hong Yu!

He had just finished refining the Godslaying Spear and had rushed right over, hearing the young man's foul curses from the void.

Looking down from above, he could also see that the Xu Family was in a weak position.

'If I don't give them a strong enough jolt right now to ignite the fighting spirit of the Xu Family's experts, the Xu Family will be utterly defeated before they even enter the Ice Tower.'

That's why...

Hong Yu had chosen such a domineering way to make his entrance!

'You want to be provocative, don't you?'

'Fine. I'll just stomp your provocateur to death. If you've got the balls, send out someone stronger!'

'My Godslaying Spear just finished its refining. It's practically starving!'

Hong Yu glanced around, his gaze lingering on Tang Rui for a moment. Seeing that they were all standing motionless, he rubbed his nose in frustration. 'Damn it, weren't you all acting so tough just now? Why has everyone turned into a wooden puppet?'

"Heh heh heh... Don't you think you're being a little too arrogant?" a detached voice suddenly asked.

Hong Yu's eyes twitched as he followed the voice, his gaze landing on Blood Cyan Robe, who was seated in the center of the crowd.

His first impression of Blood Cyan Robe was simply sinister.

The man radiated an imperceptibly dense Evil Qi, so thick it was almost tangible, coiling around his body.

One could only imagine...

'The number of lives he has taken must be far greater than the twenty thousand people Qi Tian slaughtered for the Soul-Refining Blood Pool. And not just by ten or twenty thousand, either.'

This man was a true Killing Demon King!

"Who are you?"

Hong Yu asked.

"Bastard! Who in the entire Ice Kingdom doesn't know the First Senior Brother of our Blood Demon Palace, Blood Cyan Robe? You must be pretending! How arrogant can you be?" a disciple from the Blood Demon Palace shouted as he stepped forward.

After speaking, he shot a fawning glance at Blood Cyan Robe.

Blood Cyan Robe glanced at him and then opened his mouth. A bright red tongue shot out.

SWISH!

The tongue flashed past. The man looked around, his expression dazed.

He found his vision growing increasingly blurry.

THUD!

The man was decapitated, his eyes wide with disbelief as he died.

Everyone gasped.

With just a flick of his tongue, Blood Cyan Robe had killed a Celestial Soul Realm expert. His power was unfathomable! And his methods... they were as cruel as a demon's!

Blood Cyan Robe licked the fresh blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes taking on a blood-red sheen as he looked at Hong Yu. "My apologies. It's this junior brother's first time out with me. He didn't know I don't like it when people talk over me. By the way, you're Hong Yu, right? I heard those two pieces of trash, Qi Feng and Qi Tian, both died by your hand?"

Aside from his voice, which was soft to a piercing degree, his speech was perfectly calm.

As calm as the water in an old well, without the slightest ripple.

Hong Yu, however, felt a chill creep into his heart.

'This Blood Cyan Robe is an incredibly dangerous person.'

Hong Yu took a deep breath and said calmly, "They deserved to die!"

"Mm, I think so too. They should have just focused on their cultivation. What's the point of killing a bunch of defenseless commoners? Wouldn't you agree?"

Blood Cyan Robe spoke in an unhurried, deliberate manner, his long, fair fingers sliding gently across his cheek. He murmured, "Take me, for example. I've never killed a single ordinary person since I began my cultivation. Why, sometimes, I even help old ladies cross the road and take lost little girls home!"

Hong Yu: "..."

Xu Wudi: "..."

Everyone: "..."

'Blood Cyan Robe, the man nicknamed the Killing Demon King, claims he helps old ladies cross the street?'

'How bizarre is that?'

Blood Cyan Robe paid them no mind, continuing with a smile, "I remember my first kill. I was five years old. My master caught an Essence Realm Martial Artist and brought him before me. Then, I believe... I used my teeth to tear out his throat. Tsk, tsk. The feeling of a Martial Artist's scalding blood flooding my body... I'll never forget it for as long as I live!"

"You've never tasted the blood of a Martial Artist, have you?"

Blood Cyan Robe said, his face a mask of ecstasy, "Let me tell you, it's addictive! It's been twenty years since I was five, and I can't even remember how many Martial Artists' blood I've drunk. But... there's one thing I know for sure: the blood of a genius tastes far better than that of an ordinary Martial Artist. Especially the blood of a Heaven-Transforming Realm True Dragon... like you."

Blood Cyan Robe licked his lips, a greedy red light flickering in his eyes.

He suddenly hunched over, his hands clenching into tight fists, as if barely restraining the urge to pounce on his prey. He stared intently at Hong Yu, his mind filled with feverish desire.

Chuckling darkly, Blood Cyan Robe said, "Hong Yu, you must stay alive! Don't worry, I won't go looking for trouble with you for no reason. How about this? If you behave and stay below the Third Layer of the Ice Tower, I'll wait until after we've left to sample your blood. But if you go past the Third Layer... then I'll slowly savor you inside the Ice Tower! What do you say? A good deal, isn't it?"

The corner of Hong Yu's eye twitched. "..."

'What the hell?!'

'Is this guy a psycho?'

'Since when is murder something you can negotiate?'

'Do you think this is grocery shopping?'

Hong Yu took a deep breath. "I'm a bit hot-tempered myself, and my blood runs pretty hot, too. If you drink it, you might just get scalded to death."

"Hot? Heh heh heh... I just love the feeling of scalding blood pouring into my body."

The greedy look in Blood Cyan Robe's eyes intensified, flashing with red light. "Oh, Hong Yu, you must take good care of yourself. I'll find you... slowly... and then I'll savor you... slowly! Heh heh heh, hahaha, hehehe..."

Blood Cyan Robe laughed, his voice dripping with sinister glee.

Then he turned and walked away.

The experts from the Blood Demon Palace, the Tang Family, and the Cheng Family all stared at Hong Yu with strange expressions.

Xu Wudi stepped forward, her voice grave. "He's even stronger than he was at the last tournament. Even I'm not confident I could beat him now. You need to be careful!"

Hong Yu smiled faintly. Looking at Xu Wudi's stunningly beautiful face, he said calmly, "Don't worry. I know what to do."

"Mm!"

Xu Wudi nodded, then said, "By the way, you're not very familiar with the Ice Tower, are you? Let me explain it to you."

Hong Yu nodded slightly.

Xu Wudi said, "The Ice Tower has nine layers in total. However, the treasures on the first, second, and third layers have pretty much been cleaned out. Almost everyone who enters heads straight for the fourth layer. The higher the layer, the greater the potential rewards. For example, Tang Rui's Fourth-Grade Primordial Weapon, the Giant Ruler, was found on the Fourth Layer."

"However, as things stand, with the strength of our group, the highest we can hope to reach is the Sixth Layer."

"Most people will be on the Fifth Layer. That's the real battlefield, where the killing is most frantic. I plan to have the people from my Xu Family stay on the Fourth Layer while I head to the Sixth Layer alone. Only by reaching the Sixth Layer can I find that place..."

A deep, fiery look entered Xu Wudi's eyes.

Hong Yu was stunned for a moment. "That place?"

Xu Wudi nodded. "There's an Ancient Ice Glacier on the Sixth Layer. Within the glacier are a type of strange ice-and-snow statue. We call them Martial Ice Souls. Each one has a portion of True Dragon Martial Fortune sealed inside. Defeating a Martial Ice Soul can increase your own True Dragon Martial Fortune. However, each Martial Ice Soul is incredibly powerful. Blood Cyan Robe and the others will definitely head there as well, so it will be a life-and-death struggle."

"But for the sake of the Xu Family, I must hold onto my position as the number one True Dragon, which means I have to go to the Ancient Ice Glacier. You, on the other hand, don't need to take such a risk. You just want to qualify for the Profound Ice Secret Realm. All you need to do is enter the Third Layer and find enough Profound Ice Crystal Stones to activate the Teleportation Array to the Profound Ice Secret Realm!"

Xu Wudi finished, looking at Hong Yu earnestly. After a long moment, she took a deep breath. "Promise me, you absolutely cannot go past the Third Layer! Blood Cyan Robe's true power is even more terrifying than I've seen. And if he said he'll deal with you in the Ice Tower if you go past the Third Layer, he will absolutely do it."

"I don't want anything to happen to you!"

With a surprisingly strong slap on his shoulder, Xu Wudi said earnestly, "Promise me. Don't go past the Third Layer!"

Looking at the earnest expression in her eyes...

'If I don't agree, this tough, simple girl will probably fly into a rage and forbid me from entering the Ice Tower altogether.'

'Once we're inside, how are you going to stop me from going to the Sixth Layer?'

On the outside, he put on a look of resignation and nodded. "You take care of yourself, too."

"Mm!"

Xu Wudi broke into a bright smile.

HUMMM!

Just then, a dull, thunderous sound echoed, seeming to rush to the heavens. The entire Ice Tower, tens of thousands of meters tall, began to tremble.

At the far end of the plaza, a massive Space Teleportation Gate slowly materialized at the base of the Ice Tower.

"The Ice Tower is open. All may now enter!"

A deep, booming voice came from high above, like rolling thunder.

All the experts respectfully made their way toward the Ice Tower's Teleportation Gate. The first to enter were Crown Prince Landy and the experts of the Royal Family.

They were followed by the experts from the Tang Family, the Cheng Family, and the Blood Demon Palace.

Just as he was about to step into the Teleportation Gate, Blood Cyan Robe glanced back at Hong Yu, a sinister smile on his face. "I'll be waiting... to drink your blood!"

And with that, they were swallowed by the Teleportation Gate.

Hong Yu rubbed his nose, his eyes turning cold. 'Drink my blood? Fuck that, I'll rip out your tendons!'

Everyone entered one after another.

Hong Yu brought up the rear, and in the blink of an eye, he too was swallowed by the Teleportation Gate.

After a wave of dizziness, Hong Yu found his surroundings had changed completely.

He was no longer in the Frozen City, but in a vast, boundless world of ice and snow. Frost covered everything, and a blizzard howled around him.

Hong Yu saw nothing but a vast expanse of white, the horizon nowhere in sight. There was no one else around.

'Looks like the Teleportation Gate teleports people randomly. This must be the First Layer of the Ice Tower. The first order of business is to find the entrance to the second layer and get to the Third Layer as quickly as possible to find the Profound Ice Crystal Stones. As for what comes after...'

A sharp glint flashed in Hong Yu's eyes. '...I'll make a trip to the Sixth Layer. There's something there that can increase my True Dragon Martial Fortune. How could I possibly miss out on that? Besides, I'm afraid Xu Wudi won't be a match for Blood Cyan Robe and his people on her own!'

At the thought of Blood Cyan Robe and the others, Hong Yu couldn't help but feel his blood boil, his fighting spirit soaring!

He took a deep breath and prepared to set off across the vast sea of snow. But just as he took his first step, the snowfield ahead of him exploded with a BOOM, and a massive, pale figure lunged toward him...