Immortal Martial Emperor

"B-Before we entered the True Dragon Battlefield, the Eldest Prince told all of us followers that if we found any trace of you, we would receive a great reward no matter what method we used—as long as we could kill you, or trap you until the Eldest Prince and the others could arrive to finish you off."

Lin Xinfeng wore a wretched expression.

By telling Hong Yu these things, he was essentially betraying Venerable Xiahuang.

If Venerable Xiahuang were to find out about this afterward, Lin Xinfeng knew he would surely suffer a miserable fate.

But he had no other choice.

If he refused to talk, Hong Yu could crush him as easily as an ant.

As long as he could live one more day, that was all that mattered.

With this in mind, Lin Xinfeng told Hong Yu everything he knew. "I secretly made some inquiries. It seems there are no fewer than four Unparalleled Geniuses allied with the Eldest Prince to deal with you this time. As for Ultimate True Dragon Level powerhouses, there are more than thirty. So..."

"No less than four Unparalleled Geniuses? Tell me, who are they?"

Hong Yu's expression tightened, and he asked in a low voice.

Even though his own strength had greatly increased.

But...

If he had to face several Unparalleled Genius Level powerhouses at once, his own odds of winning weren't particularly high.

Besides, Venerable Xiahuang and Bai Luoxue were far from ordinary.

Inside the True Dragon Battlefield, Xingtian could not be used at all.

Under so many restrictions, Hong Yu's power was greatly diminished. His only option was to first get a clear picture of the situation.

Lin Xinfeng truly held nothing back. "Besides the Eldest Prince and Bai Luoxue of the White Tiger Duchy, the ones I know of are Long Qingfeng of the Cyan Dragon Duchy and Li Yuancang, who is ranked ninth among the Unparalleled Geniuses."

"Who is Li Yuancang?"

Hong Yu frowned. He had no memory of this person whatsoever.

Lin Xinfeng said, "Li Yuancang's father is the Grand General of the Xiahuang Ancient Kingdom, a First-Grade Official. Their Li Family has always supported the Eldest Prince, so he is firmly in the Eldest Prince's camp. This man's strength is also immense. It's said that he had some fortuitous encounters during his travels these past few years, and his power is unfathomable."

"Oh?"

Hong Yu narrowed his eyes.

He couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.

'Aside from the four Lin Xinfeng mentioned, I know there's another, even more mysterious Unparalleled Genius who's also eyeing me like a tiger watches its prey.'

The number one assassin from the Blood Killing Tower, whom Xiahuang Shang had said was hired by Hai Cangtian to deal with him.

Until now...

He still didn't even know what the man looked like.

It was only the beginning, and he was already fated to face no fewer than five Unparalleled Genius Level enemies. This made Hong Yu feel the pressure mounting.

"R-Right, Boss Hong, I-I have something I must confess to you!" Lin Xinfeng ducked his head, a bitter smile on his face.

Hong Yu paused. "What is it?"

Lin Xinfeng said, "W-When I first spotted you, I had already reported your location to my superiors. I-I'm afraid they've already set up an ambush outside the Ice and Fire Divine Bridge..."

"Oh?"

Hong Yu couldn't help but narrow his eyes to slits.

A light like crackling thunder flickered in his pupils.

A grim chill, carrying a killing intent that made one's blood run cold.

A vast aura erupted from his body, coalescing above his head into a roiling cloud of Evil Qi. He had clearly developed true killing intent. "Excellent. I was just worried I wouldn't get a chance. I have you to thank for this opportunity to make an example of them and warn the others. Hmph. You want to deal with me? Then I'll make sure none of you ever leave!"

"Anyone who opposes me—if one comes, I'll kill one; if a pair comes, I'll slaughter a pair..."

Hong Yu snorted angrily.

This icy killing intent made Lin Xinfeng tremble. Mustering his courage, he said, "B-Boss Hong, I've told you everything. Can't you just let me go, like a fart in the wind?"

"Alright, I'll let you go!"

Hong Yu smiled faintly. "However, I'm going to seal your cultivation!"

Infinite Primordial Gang surged into Lin Xinfeng's body, completely blocking his meridians and sealing his cultivation.

Then, Hong Yu tossed him onto the Yin Soul Wooden Bridge.

Without a second glance, he turned and strode away.

Lin Xinfeng watched Hong Yu walk away, the terror in his eyes gradually fading, replaced by viciousness and venom. "Ma Le Gobi, you dare treat me like this? Hmph, but Hong Yu, you're still too green. You don't even understand that failing to cut the weeds at the root means they'll grow back in the spring. Just you wait! I'm going to tell the Eldest Prince your plan right now and let him prepare a grand feast for you!"

Muttering to himself, Lin Xinfeng took out a Spirit Communication Jade Order from his robes.

He was preparing to send a message.

However...

Just as he activated the Spirit Communication Jade Order, the Infinite Primordial Gang that had been hidden in his body sealing his cultivation suddenly detonated with a BOOM.

A torrent of immense energy surged out, mercilessly blowing Lin Xinfeng to bits.

Only his head remained, flying high into the air before tumbling off the Yin Soul Wooden Bridge.

In mid-air, it was instantly assaulted by the Ice and Fire and turned to dust.

In the distance, having already left the Yin Soul Wooden Bridge, Hong Yu felt the intense energy fluctuation behind him. A cold smirk touched his lips. "If you don't court death, you won't die."

That was, of course, a contingency he had left behind.

If Lin Xinfeng had just stayed there obediently, the sealing energy would have naturally dissipated after three days.

But no, he had to try and get him killed.

So.

Now he was the one who was dead.

'According to Lin Xinfeng, if so many Unparalleled Geniuses and Unparalleled True Dragons are involved in dealing with me, then there must be plenty of other experts as well. I wonder how many people will show up to surround and kill me later?'

Hong Yu rubbed his nose, a chill in his eyes. 'A few days ago, when I was studying the *Initial Understanding of the Dao of Artifacts*, I think I saw a Killing Array that I should be able to set up! With a Killing Array like that, I'm actually starting to hope even more of them show up. Otherwise, I'm afraid it won't be enough to make an example of them and warn the others!'

SWOOSH!

Hong Yu left the Ice and Fire Divine Bridge.

As soon as he appeared, he saw a wide, flat plain stretching out before him.

Hong Yu saw that there was no one nearby. 'Looks like they still need some time. Just enough for me to set up that ultimate Killing Array!'

And so...

Hong Yu took the necessary materials from his Storage Ring, including Stone Black Rock Blood Divine Crystals. These crystals were formed when the corpses of Primordial Embryo Realm Powerhouses were buried in high-temperature locations. Over a long period, the intense heat would smelt their flesh and blood, eventually condensing them into these crystals.

They were extremely rare and precious. After learning about the Killing Array, Hong Yu had entrusted Xiahuang Shang with purchasing them for him.

There were ten in total, just enough to set up one Killing Array.

In addition to these, Hong Yu took out several other required materials.

All of them were precious materials for setting up arrays.

The array he was now going to set up was called the "Little Extinction Array"!

According to the description in the *Initial Understanding of the Dao of Artifacts*, this was a smaller, simplified version of the 'Great Extinction Array', a wondrous array of heaven and earth.

The legendary 'Great Extinction Array' used heaven and earth as its furnace and the Dragon Veins of the earth as its Array Hub. Once activated, even a powerhouse at the Venerable Realm would face almost certain death if they entered.

Of course, his "Little Extinction Array" was much weaker.

It didn't even have one ten-thousandth of the Great Extinction Array's power.

But with this array, trapping and killing one or two thousand Primordial Core Realm or Primordial Embryo Realm powerhouses would be an easy feat!

"The Eight Trigrams of Heaven and Earth... the Thunder Trigram governs life, the Qian Trigram governs death..."

Hong Yu silently chanted the obscure Array Technique.

One by one, Crystal Stones inscribed with array Runes were thrown out by him, disappearing into the mountainside, burrowing into the ground, or lodging directly in the branches of a large tree.

In just ten short minutes, a Little Extinction Array was successfully set up.

Hong Yu let out a long sigh of relief.

The area within a five-hundred-meter diameter was now encompassed by the Little Extinction Array. He just had to wait for the experts coming to besiege him to walk right into the trap.

'Everything is ready. Next, I just need to use myself as bait and wait here!'

The corners of Hong Yu's lips curled up in a playful smirk.

He flexed, shredding his clothes to tatters. He then smeared himself with a special crimson paste, making it look as though he were bathed in blood, as if he'd just gone through a terrible ordeal.

"Huuu..."

He sat cross-legged in the Array Hub.

Hong Yu sank into a quiet meditative state to regulate his breath.

He waited for another five minutes.

Hong Yu's ears twitched slightly. He sensed dozens of auras rapidly approaching. Expressionless, Hong Yu continued to sit cross-legged.

The owners of those dozens of auras were quite cautious, stopping three kilometers away from Hong Yu and making no further moves.

Another quiet wait.

As time passed, more and more auras gathered. Hong Yu silently calculated that no fewer than a thousand people had now converged.

'Hm? Has the big game finally arrived?' Hong Yu's eyebrows suddenly shot up.

He could feel a powerful surge of vital energy approaching.

The strength of this vital energy was even greater than that of Xiahuang Ba.

This person was definitely a genuine Unparalleled Genius!

"It's not Venerable Xiahuang or Bai Luoxue. I just wonder if it's Long Qingfeng or Li Yuancang?" Hong Yu murmured.

"Hahaha, so this is the Hong Yu the Eldest Prince considers a formidable foe that must be eliminated? You're a real disappointment. You just entered the True Dragon Battlefield and you're already this injured?" An indifferent yet domineering voice boomed like a sudden clap of thunder.

Under the lead of this voice's owner, the thousand-odd experts who had been lying in wait all responded, closing in.

Hong Yu slowly opened his eyes.

The crimson paste he wore was specially concocted. Even a scan with Spiritual Power couldn't distinguish it from a real, bleeding wound.

A pallor washed over his face as he looked at the newcomer. The man wore silver armor and held a Big Horse Golden Saber, regarding him coldly. Hong Yu slowly opened his mouth. "Who are you?"

"Hmph, I am Li Yuancang!"

Li Yuancang hoisted the Big Horse Golden Saber onto his shoulder and swept his cold gaze over Hong Yu, a mocking sneer on his face. "Tsk, tsk. To think that Hong Yu, the legendary top dark horse, would end up in such a pathetic state. Is this what the ancients called 'retribution'?"

"Haha, Eldest Young Master Li is right! This man was too arrogant, so the heavens themselves have decided to punish him!"

"To dare provoke the Eldest Prince, you don't even know how the word 'death' is written!"

"This day next year will be the anniversary of your death!"

"For Eldest Young Master Li to personally take action and chop off your head, you can die proud!"

The crowd chimed in one after another, a thousand voices creating a deafening clamor.

Li Yuancang grinned, clearly enjoying their words. He looked at Hong Yu with a savage smile. "Stop resisting. Doesn't it hurt to be so badly injured? Let this young master give you a quick end!"

"Heh, aren't you afraid that in the end, you'll be the one who dies?"

Hong Yu said with a faint smile.

Li Yuancang's face was full of disdain. "Just you? I know you have a powerful puppet, but don't forget, this is the True Dragon Battlefield. External aids like puppets can't be used at all. Besides, you're already this injured, yet you still dream of killing me?"

"I'm just giving you a kind reminder. If you don't believe me, why don't you come up and try!"

Hong Yu said with a calm expression.

Li Yuancang couldn't help but frown. Hong Yu's calmness made him hesitate.

Someone at his side immediately said, "Eldest Young Master Li, he's just putting on a brave face to scare us! If he were really fine, he would have fought back long ago. Why would he still be sitting here? He's obviously nursing his wounds! He's just an empty shell!"

"That's right! Son of a bitch, I was almost fooled by you!"

Li Yuancang nodded sharply.

Then he led his thousand-plus men in a sudden charge, eager to carve up Hong Yu's corpse.

They were just about to cut down Hong Yu.

Hong Yu, who had been sitting quietly all this time, suddenly smiled, a cruel glint in his eyes. "Die!"

BOOM!

The Little Extinction Array instantly erupted, and the aura of death filled the air.

Li Yuancang's expression changed drastically. He slapped the man who had just spoken, sending him flying...

"Fuck! You got me killed, you bastard!"