Immortal Martial Emperor

"Liang Hunran, you're not all that."

Amidst the calm voice, a sharp CRACKING sound was heard as the Blood Demon Venerable began to fissure, finally crumbling apart completely.

Specks of crimson energy, like starlight, scattered and rained down from the sky.

Liang Hunran looked as if he had been struck by lightning. He spat out a mouthful of blood, and ghastly trails of it trickled from all seven of his orifices.

His aura wilted.

He had spent a century refining this Blood Demon Venerable. It was the very foundation of his power, directly linked to his Soul.

Now, the Power of Resentment within the Blood Demon Venerable had been mercilessly devoured by Hong Yu, and the construct itself had been torn apart by his Heaven-Ripping Claw. It was no different from a powerful attack landing directly on his own body.

...

The entire crowd was stunned.

Or rather...

Everyone was dumbfounded, utterly speechless.

"Th-This... how is this possible?"

"My heavens, the great Liang Hunran was actually beaten by Hong Yu until he bled from all seven orifices? He even shattered the Blood Demon Venerable?"

"Holy cow!"

"How terrifying! That young man is absolutely terrifying! I hear he's only seventeen!"

"A Tier Five Spiritual Craftsman in both the Alchemy Dao and Artifact Dao, and a Martial Arts Powerhouse on par with the Kingdom's Top Ten Powerhouses... This kid is a Demon Fiend... No, he must be the heavens' favorite son!"

"In the entire vast Ice Kingdom, who could possibly contend with him?"

A wave of discussion swept through the crowd, every word filled with shock.

Every gaze that fell upon Hong Yu was filled with dread.

Tang Zhan and Cheng Zhen exchanged glances, seeing the pale, helpless look in each other's eyes.

If before they had planned to snuff out Hong Yu before he could fully mature...

...then now...

...after seeing that not even Liang Hunran was a match for Hong Yu, they were filled with despair and completely abandoned the thought.

Who in the Ice Kingdom didn't know of Liang Hunran's immense combat strength?

Forget defeating him; even if the two of them joined forces, the most they could hope for was a draw against Liang Hunran.

And that was without factoring in Liang Hunran using his formidable Power of Resentment.

After all, not everyone possessed a Devouring Demon Tree that could ignore the attacks of the Power of Resentment!

"This boy's wings are already fully grown. We..."

"There's no hope!"

The two of them smiled bitterly.

In stark contrast were Xu Rongchang and Xu Wudi; the father and daughter's faces were filled with excitement.

Xu Rongchang, being more composed, managed to control his emotions.

Xu Wudi, however, cheered without restraint, "Hahaha, Hong Yu, you're so damn awesome! From now on, you're my idol!"

"Goo goo, ga ga!"

Little Chenxi giggled.

If Tang Zhan and Cheng Zhen felt helpless and dejected, while the Xu father and daughter were excited and thrilled...

...then...

...Landy was the one with the most complicated feelings of all!

He still remembered how, not long ago, Hong Yu was nothing more than a slightly stronger ant in his eyes, someone he didn't even have the desire to face directly.

In his eyes, in the entire Ice Kingdom, only Blood Cyan Robe and Xu Wudi were qualified to be his rivals.

But now, only a month or so had passed.

His former formidable rivals, Xu Wudi and Blood Cyan Robe, had either become Hong Yu's loyal fan or had fallen by his hand.

For a moment, Landy was overcome with a mix of complicated emotions.

Lantian Dou glanced at him from the corner of his eye, perfectly calm, and said nothing.

But his eyes, full of wisdom, gleamed with a clear light.

It was as if he could see right through a person's heart.

The corners of his lips curved up into a playful arc.

Finally, his sharp gaze landed on Liang Hunran.

Liang Hunran was in an incredibly awkward situation. He had lost his Power of Resentment, and his Heart Spirit had been damaged by the destruction of his Blood Demon Venerable.

He was at his most exhausted, both physically and mentally.

Yet Hong Yu was advancing on him, aggressive and relentless, step by step.

For a moment, Liang Hunran subconsciously retreated.

"Hong... Hong Yu, what are you doing?" Liang Hunran asked in a strained voice.

Hong Yu revealed a playful smile. "What do you think I'm doing?"

As he spoke, he drew even closer to Liang Hunran.

The atmosphere instantly grew tense.

Liang Hunran was on high alert, as if facing a great enemy. Without the Blood Demon Venerable, he was like a tiger that had lost its sharp teeth; his combat power had dropped far too much.

In contrast, Hong Yu's aura seemed to have stabilized even more after their confrontation.

One had weakened while the other grew stronger!

Everyone was watching, waiting to see what kind of great battle would unfold next!

The atmosphere was so heavy that people dared not even breathe too loudly.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH...

A breeze blew past. The silence was so profound you could hear a pin drop.

Liang Hunran's nerves were stretched taut as he tried to figure out how to face Hong Yu.

Just then, Hong Yu moved!

He took an Arrow Step forward and abruptly raised his right hand.

"Damn you, Hong Yu! I'll fight you to the death!"

Liang Hunran's nerves were already at their breaking point, and this stimulus caused him to erupt.

But just at that moment...

...Hong Yu, who had seemingly been preparing an attack, stopped. A playful arc appeared on his lips as he yawned, and the right hand that should have been unleashing a Martial Skill instead gently scratched his head.

Looking at the highly vigilant Liang Hunran with an innocent and surprised expression, he feigned shock and asked, "Grand Elder Liang, what are you doing? I was just yawning. Is there any need to be so tense?"

Staring at the young man with the harmless smile...

Lantian Dou: "..."

Xu Rongchang: "..."

Everyone: "..."

Liang Hunran's eye twitched, and a torrent of unspoken curses flooded his mind. "..."

He felt as if he had spikes on his back.

It was as if countless powerhouses around him were all pointing and whispering about him.

Imagined voices echoed in his mind: 'Look at that Liang Hunran. He's supposed to be a master of his generation, yet he's been scared witless by a junior.'

'What an absolute disgrace!'

'He'll never be able to show his face again!'

Liang Hunran was so furious he felt dizzy.

A bloody light surged in his eyes as he roared, "You bastard! Hong Yu, you've gone too far...!"

The moment the words left his mouth, Liang Hunran's body erupted in a bloody glow, and he was about to charge at Hong Yu.

A cold glint flashed in Hong Yu's eyes. 'My actions were all meant to provoke Liang Hunran, to make him lose his reason and attack first. If I kill him then, the Blood Demon Palace won't have any grounds to come after me.'

But just as Hong Yu prepared to make his move...

...Lantian Dou, who had been watching quietly all along, finally intervened.

A wave of blue light surged forward, separating Hong Yu and Liang Hunran. Lantian Dou's gaze was deep as he calmly swept it over the crowd. "That's enough. Let this end here. In this expedition to the Ice Tower, our Ice Kingdom has lost three True Dragon Geniuses in just a few short days. Is that not enough?"

...

The crowd was stunned for a moment, then fell silent.

Before, everyone was more focused on watching the spectacle or the settlement of personal grudges.

Only now, after Lantian Dou brought it up, did they realize the bigger picture.

The Xiahuang Ancient Kingdom's True Dragon Grand Assembly was just around the corner. That was a grand event that determined a Kingdom's standing within the Xiahuang Ancient Kingdom.

Now, the Ice Kingdom's strongest prodigy, Blood Cyan Robe, was dead, and several other True Dragon Geniuses had also fallen. This was definitely not good news for the Ice Kingdom.

For a moment, everyone looked at Hong Yu with complicated expressions.

The Ice Kingdom's current predicament was all thanks to this young man!

But...

...on second thought, if they could get Hong Yu to participate as a powerhouse representing the Ice Kingdom, then the Ice Kingdom would surely shine brilliantly at the event!

Instantly, the way everyone looked at Hong Yu changed.

Of course, the powerhouses from many factions also cast even more fervent gazes at Xu Wudi. After all, Hong Yu was an outsider, while Xu Wudi was a native powerhouse of the Ice Kingdom!

What's more, Xu Wudi had once been the number one True Dragon!

For a moment, a hundred different thoughts raced through everyone's minds.

Under the suppression of Lantian Dou's powerful force, Liang Hunran also gradually calmed down. His initial anger cooled, and he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Seeing the regretful look on Hong Yu's face, his heart skipped a beat, a trace of fear lingering. 'Damn it, I almost fell for that little bastard's trap!'

Hong Yu gloomily rubbed his nose but didn't defy Lantian Dou. He smiled and said, "Since the Chairman has stepped in, this junior knows how to be sensible. Let's just drop the matter of Grand Elder Liang Hunran and the Blood Demon Palace's Blood Cyan Robe ambushing me today. I won't pursue it!"

Liang Hunran's face twitched. 'This bastard is too detestable...'

Everyone's expression turned a little strange.

'Pursue it?'

'You've already killed their most brilliant genius and severely wounded the Grand Elder of the Blood Demon Palace. How else could you possibly pursue it?'

Lantian Dou also looked at Hong Yu strangely, gave a wry smile, and said, "Alright, alright. You won't pursue it. We'll leave the matter at that!"

"Mhm!"

Hong Yu nodded.

He was well aware that he was an outsider, after all. It was best to know when to stop.

Lantian Dou then turned to Landy and beckoned him over.

Landy looked at Hong Yu with a complicated expression.

He knew very well that even with the immense benefits he had obtained inside the Ice Tower, he was still no match for Hong Yu.

For a moment, Landy's gaze drifted.

Lantian Dou said coolly, "Landy, kneel and kowtow to Hong Yu as an apology!"

"What?"

Landy was stunned, looking at Lantian Dou with disbelief.

He had thought that Lantian Dou called him over to reconcile with Hong Yu.

But he never, ever expected that Lantian Dou would actually want him to kneel and kowtow to Hong Yu.

"Uncle Wang..."

Landy said through gritted teeth.

Lantian Dou snorted coldly and glared at him. "What? Are you going to disobey me?"

"I... I..."

Landy was at a loss for words, but he refused to kneel, no matter what.

Lantian Dou sighed inwardly and sent a mental transmission: "You little brat, I am doing this for your own good. Don't forget, you will be heading to the Xiahuang Ancient Kingdom for the True Dragon Grand Assembly later. If you have Hong Yu looking out for you, you'll surely avoid a lot of trouble."

"But Uncle Wang, I am the dignified Crown Prince of the Ice Kingdom! What is this Hong Yu?" Landy retorted, unconvinced.

Lantian Dou transmitted back, "You think your status is noble? Then let me ask you, do you think you can compare to Hong Yu? Do you think your Martial Dao is stronger than his? Or your Alchemy? Or perhaps, you think your Artifact Refining is better than his?"

For a moment, Landy was crestfallen.

It was only at this moment that he realized everything he had taken pride in seemed fragile and insignificant before Hong Yu.

Talent?

Strength?

Artifact Refining?

Alchemy?

'There isn't a single area where I can compare to Hong Yu!'

Glancing at the calm-faced Hong Yu, Landy's heart filled with dejection and a sense of defeat. With a bitter smile, he knelt deeply before Hong Yu and kowtowed heavily. "Hong Yu, I apologize for my previous rudeness. Please, forgive me!"

As he spoke these words, Landy clenched his fists so tightly his heart felt like it was bleeding.

Lantian Dou knew well that Landy was still resentful in his heart and gave a faint, wry smile. 'Child, sooner or later, you will understand that I am doing this for your own good!'

Hong Yu, however, didn't seem to mind. He made a lifting gesture with his hand, and a gentle force helped Landy to his feet. After smiling and saying it was no problem, he finally turned to Lantian Dou. "Chairman, there is a matter I'd like to ask of you!"

"Oh? Whatever it is, just say it!" Lantian Dou said with a smile.

Hong Yu took a deep breath, his gaze firm. "I wish to go to the Profound Ice Secret Realm."

"You want to go to the Profound Ice Secret Realm?"

Lantian Dou was taken aback and seemed to hesitate. After a moment, he nodded...

"It's certainly not a problem for you to go to the Profound Ice Secret Realm. However, I have one condition!"

Hong Yu frowned slightly. "What condition?"