Immortal Martial Emperor

He had no idea how long he'd been asleep.

When Hong Yu groggily awoke, he found himself back on the black throne on the Path of Trial.

The little dog was crouched to the side, looking at him with a grin. "You're finally awake!"

"Senior, how long was I out?" Hong Yu asked, patting his head with a wry smile.

The little dog said, "Three days and three nights!"

"It's been that long?"

Hong Yu was stunned.

He found that his body and Spiritual Power had completely recovered and he was brimming with energy. He couldn't help but touch his nose. "Thank you for taking care of me these past few days, Senior!"

"It was nothing."

The little dog studied Hong Yu intently. After a long moment, it said, "Since you're awake, go ahead and open the Treasure you obtained on the Ancient Celestial Ascension Ladder. Only you humans can open these things; I'm not allowed to touch them."

"Okay."

Hong Yu nodded, a thrill of excitement running through him.

He seemed to recall surpassing the forty-ninth layer. He immediately asked, "Senior, do you know which layer I reached?"

"You?"

The little dog gave Hong Yu a strange look. After a moment, it said with a wry smile, "You little rascal, you're a real monster. Impossible to figure out. You'd pretty much lost consciousness from the fiftieth layer on, yet you somehow managed to climb to the seventy-eighth. That's a miracle that's never happened before."

"The seventy-eighth layer?"

Hong Yu gasped.

He never imagined he had unknowingly climbed so high. But on second thought, he recalled nearly fainting several times, only for his Star River Spirit Bone to send a faint, cooling stream through him at the critical moment, restoring his clarity.

He understood then that a huge reason he was able to reach the seventy-eighth layer was thanks to his Star River Spirit Bone!

Realizing this, Hong Yu couldn't help but feel excited.

'The Treasure Xiahuang the First obtained on the forty-ninth layer had made him the top contender in the True Dragon Battlefield. What kind of Treasure did I get from the seventy-eighth layer?'

He immediately opened the wooden box beside him.

"VMMMM!"

The instant the wooden box opened, a brilliant light erupted. The awesome Divine Power nearly made Hong Yu tremble in shock.

The little dog's eyes widened in horror. "The Th-Thunder Emperor's Divine Eyes?"

"Huh? Thunder Emperor's Divine Eyes? Senior, you recognize this?" Hong Yu asked in confusion.

The little dog gave a wry smile. "Your luck is just off the charts, kid. The Thunder Emperor's Divine Eyes is one of the most powerful treasures my master left behind. However, my master said it has significant restrictions. An ordinary person can't inherit it, which lowers its official ranking. That's why it was placed among the high-grade treasures and not counted among the ten final, supreme treasures."

"But my master also once said that the value of the Thunder Emperor's Divine Eyes is in no way inferior to those ten supreme treasures!" The little dog said, looking at Hong Yu with envy.

'Is that so!'

A thrill of excitement ran through Hong Yu.

'The Thunder Emperor's Divine Eyes... comparable to the ten supreme treasures!'

He immediately reached out to touch it.

Seeing this, the little dog cried out in alarm, "Don't touch it! You—"

"Huh?"

Hong Yu looked at the little dog, completely bewildered.

The little dog's face fell. It forced a smile. "You're too impulsive, kid. This is bad. I don't know if you can withstand the violent energy of the Thunder Emperor's Divine Eyes..."

"What do you mean?"

Hong Yu, still confused, looked down at the Thunder Emperor's Divine Eyes in the box.

It was a purple eyeball, with small, snake-like arcs of Thunder Power writhing across its surface. The moment his finger touched it, streaks of purple lightning instantly shot up his hand.

With a WHOOSH, the Thunder Emperor's Divine Eyes shot forward, faster than a flash of lightning, and plunged directly into his left eye.

'This kid... I don't know if this is a blessing or a curse. If he can't withstand it, then he'll be...'

The little dog was in the middle of its rueful sigh when its eyes suddenly bulged.

It watched in astonishment as the Thunder Emperor's Divine Eyes, after entering Hong Yu's left eye, fused with his own eyeball with impossible smoothness.

Hong Yu blinked, a dazed look on his face.

The little dog was dumbfounded. "Th-th-this isn't possible! Didn't Master say that during the inheritance, the powerful and violent energy of the Thunder Emperor's Divine Eyes could make even a warrior at the Peak of the Primordial Spirit Realm explode? H-how is this kid completely fine?"

As for Hong Yu...

After his initial bewilderment, he quickly figured out why.

When the Thunder Emperor's Divine Eyes first entered his left eye, it was indeed incredibly violent, threatening to burst his original eyeball and take over the socket and nerves.

But the nebula within his left eye suddenly whirled into motion.

Under the nebula's suppression, the Thunder Emperor's Divine Eyes instantly became as docile as a lamb, merging gently into the swirling stars.

Now, looking at Hong Yu's left eye, one could see his pupil had two colors.

The outer ring was blue, but the center now held a layer of purple light.

It looked like a purple Thunder Dragon coiling within.

"Senior, what were you about to say?" Hong Yu asked, looking at the little dog.

The little dog said sullenly, "Nothing. All right, you can go now, kid!"

"Thank you, Senior!"

Hong Yu said respectfully.

'It's true, I need to get going,' he thought. 'I've been delayed here for too long. I have no idea what's happening in the outside world, so I have to leave as soon as possible.'

But the thought of the Ice and Fire Qilin Beast made him uneasy. "Senior, about that... that Ice and Fire Qilin Beast..."

The little dog glanced at him. "It left while you were on the Path of Trial. Something seems to have attracted its attention, but I don't know the details."

"That's great news!"

Hong Yu let out a long sigh of relief. His eyes darted around for a moment before he took out the Red Crystal Stones he'd gotten on the Path of Trial. "Senior, what are these?"

"Huh? Fire Soul Stones? How did you get your hands on these?" the little dog asked, astonished.

Hong Yu noticed a flicker of surprise and desire in its eyes.

An idea formed in Hong Yu's mind. "I got them from killing puppets on the Path of Trial. If you like them, Senior, I can give you some as a token of my gratitude."

With a wave of his hand, Hong Yu took out one thousand five hundred Fire Soul Stones and offered them to the little dog.

The little dog said in disbelief, "You're giving these to me?"

Hong Yu nodded.

The little dog studied Hong Yu intently, then gave a wry smile after a moment. "Damn it all. I know you're just trying to get something out of me, but I can't possibly refuse. How about this: I'll accept these Fire Soul Stones, but I don't have anything to give you in return. My master didn't leave me any treasures. But... when you feel confident enough in the future, you can come find me again. I'll give you one more chance to challenge the Ancient Celestial Ascension Ladder!"

Hong Yu was overjoyed.

He felt an intense curiosity and longing for the Ancient Celestial Ascension Ladder, especially for those final ten supreme treasures.

How could he not be thrilled at the chance to try again?

He immediately said, full of gratitude, "Thank you, Senior!"

"Mm."

The little dog nodded. With a flick of its paw, a black light descended from the sky, and Hong Yu's figure vanished without a trace.

After Hong Yu had gone, a playful and peculiar expression appeared on the little dog's face. 'This guy is truly impossible to figure out. His fate is completely obscured. Could he be the 'fated one' my master spoke of? Ah, well. I can't wrap my head around these things. Hehe, Fire Soul Stones... what a great Treasure...'

...

「In a dry riverbed.」

The river must have once been immense, second only to the greatest of waterways. Its bed was sunk nearly a hundred meters into the earth; if filled, it would be a great river a hundred meters deep.

At this very moment, a fierce battle was raging above the great riverbed.

"BOOM!"

An intense light flared as two massive torrents of energy collided, erupting in a brilliant flash.

"BANG!"

One of the combatants was sent flying backward.

It was a figure clad in fiery red leather armor. Her figure was graceful, yet her expression held a heroic spirit.

Under the impact of the terrifying aftershock, the long whip in her hand fell to the side.

Her body slammed heavily into the dry riverbed, sending up a cloud of dust.

"Hahaha! Xu Wudi, let's see you try to run now!" a shrill, smug voice echoed from high above.

Three figures suddenly appeared.

One of them was Zhang Weilong of the White Tiger Duchy, a savage grin plastered on his face.

"Cough... cough, cough."

Xu Wudi staggered to her feet in the riverbed, trembling. Her body was covered in wounds, dripping with blood, and her face was deathly pale.

Her beautiful eyes blazed with fury as she stared at Zhang Weilong with utter resentment. "Zhang Weilong, you despicable, shameless villain! How dare you do this to us! Hong Yu will never let you get away with this!"

"Hmph. Hong Yu?"

Zhang Weilong's expression shifted. The smugness vanished completely, replaced by a hideous, twisted mask of rage.

He let out a shrill, cruel cackle. "Heh heh heh... I'm only afraid Hong Yu *won't* show up. If he dares to appear, I'll be sure to kill him. But before that, I'm going to have some fun humiliating you, then chop off your head and preserve it. It'll make a nice welcome gift for Hong Yu."

"You coward! Go find Hong Yu if you have any guts!" Xu Wudi retorted.

Zhang Weilong's eye twitched. 'Me, go looking for Hong Yu? Isn't that just asking to be killed?'

But he would never admit that.

He sneered coldly. "I'd love to find Hong Yu, just to give him a taste of what I can do. It's a pity he doesn't have the guts to show himself. He's probably hiding in some rat hole! If he ever dares to appear before me, I'll definitely..."

"You'll definitely do what?"

A calm voice suddenly spoke up from behind him.

Zhang Weilong waved his hand dismissively and sneered, "If he dares show up, I'll slap him to death with a single blow!"

"Oh my, you're that powerful?"

Zhang Weilong said proudly, "But of course. If I were to get serious, ten Hong Yus would be nothing. I'm not just bragging... eh? Who's talking?" Zhang Weilong suddenly realized something, the voice sounded familiar. He spun around.

In that instant...

He froze completely, utterly petrified. He stumbled back ten steps as if he'd seen a ghost. "Ho-Ho-Hong Yu?"

"Well, well, why the long face, Genius Zhang? Didn't you just say you were going to slap me to death the moment you saw me?"

The newcomer was, of course, Hong Yu.

The little dog had teleported him to a spot not far from here.

He'd heard the sounds of battle and rushed over, only to find Zhang Weilong ganging up on Xu Wudi. Naturally, he had to intervene.

"This... that... Hong Yu, what are you doing here?" A bitter taste filled Zhang Weilong's mouth.

The two cronies beside him were also breaking out in a cold sweat.

The news that Hong Yu had killed the Unparalleled Genius Li Yuancang and even tricked Bai Luoxue and Long Qingfeng into a miserable state had spread long ago. How could they possibly dare to challenge him?

Hong Yu said playfully, "I'm just here to see how you're going to slap me to death."

"Ah, haha, th-this is... a misunderstanding, just a misunderstanding..."

Zhang Weilong kept backing away, on the verge of tears from panic.

But Hong Yu just shook his head. "A misunderstanding? I don't think so. Look what you've done to my friend. How could that possibly be a misunderstanding?"

"GULP."

Zhang Weilong swallowed hard. "Wh-what are you going to do?" he asked, his voice strained.

"Me? Oh, nothing much. Just thought I'd try out this 'slapping someone to death' thing."

As Hong Yu spoke, Zhang Weilong and his two cronies had already turned tail and bolted.

Hong Yu grinned playfully, a purple light flickering in his eyes...

"Run? Do you really think you can escape?"

[There's a third chapter coming, please wait!]