Chapter 92 They Call Me the Martial Emperor

Only the laughter of the man who expressed his arrogance through color echoed in the space. Although the man looked haughty, carrying a deep disdain for the mundane world, Chen Hongxu still caught a trace of melancholy in his eyes.

The young man, whose vibe was expressed in crimson, laughed for a while, slowly stood up, raised his hand to wipe away a tear brought on by sudden sentimentality, and stared at Chen Hongxu. "Kid, achieving this much at your age is no small feat. Yet, come to think of it, it is all thanks to the Weapon Embryo. In that sense, you really have nothing to be proud of. But to think she actually gave you the key to the entrance of the World City—that was her most cherished possession."

This was the first time anyone had seen through his foundation without him releasing the Weapon Embryo, and Chen Hongxu's pupils constricted as he hesitated over how to deal with the person before him.

The red-haired youth chuckled lightly and said, "Since she could pass everything on to you, she naturally acknowledged you. Otherwise, given her temperament and strength, even if—"

"Why am I even telling you this? I won't fight you in this domain. After all, I am not the true body, nor is it possible for me to fight you. We had some past ties, and strictly speaking, I am still your senior." The red-haired youth was always smiling; whether the smile was melancholic or gentle, it was striking. "Can you tell me whether she is alive or dead?"

If Chen Hongxu still hadn't figured out that this red-haired figure was connected to the Weapon Spirit after all this, his comprehension skills would truly be pitiful. However, this question put him in a rather difficult position.

The red-haired youth saw Chen Hongxu's hesitation, smiled, guessed the meaning behind it, and did not press for an answer.

His gaze flicked lightly toward the huge stone gate. He strode past Chen Hongxu, pushed open the stone gate in the blink of an eye, and flashed inside.

Jiajia tilted its head, looked at Chen Hongxu—whose body suddenly trembled and who appeared several times as if he wanted to speak but stopped—and asked, "You know each other?"

Chen Hongxu did not answer. He turned around, gazing with a complex expression at the figure that had disappeared through the grand gate, and remained silent. Yet, the words the red-haired youth had muttered just as he brushed past him continued to echo in his ears:

"In the past, they called me the Martial Emperor... We will meet again. I hope you'll be stronger next time."

"The Martial Emperor? The Lord of Martial Emperor City actually appeared here? That is the absolute pinnacle of existence in the Nine Provinces. How could..." A flurry of thoughts raced through Chen Hongxu's mind, leaving him overwhelmed with a myriad of emotions. Aside from marveling at the wondrous twists of fate, a hint of worry for the future crept into his heart. After all, judging from the scenes intercepted from the World City, that past event was far from over, and he feared the matter would ultimately fall upon his own shoulders.

***

The sky returned to a verdant green. Except for the ruined courtyard outside the palace, which spoke silently of the fierce battle that had just taken place, everything else remained as it was. Only, the once bustling immortal mountain, after this battle, had grown utterly desolate.

The immortal masters on the mountain were basically all dead. The beautiful concubines and saintesses they had either demanded from various regions or acquired through flattery were all, under the arrangements of the youth surnamed Kong, disbanded and sent back to their original tribes. For a time, while the immortal mountain maintained its proper tranquility, the world at the foot of the mountain surged with turbulent winds.

Without the restriction of the immortal mountain, there were always some ambitious individuals eager to stir up trouble and seize opportunities, but these people were swiftly reduced to ashes under the joint forces of certain major clans...

Half a month later, within a small mountain valley inside the immortal mountain, Chen Hongxu slowly opened his eyes and said to Qi Hui, who had been keeping vigil by his side, "Our agreement is now concluded. The spiritual energy of this place truly helps others break through to the Longevity Realm, and at the same time, this place serves as the entrance to the next world."

"Are you leaving?" Qi Hui asked, biting her lip.

"Yes. Once Jiajia makes its breakthrough, I will leave." Chen Hongxu stood up, stared at a ruined stone gate in the valley, and said indifferently, "Let's go. Let's head up to the summit and take a look. I'm afraid those people from the Li clan have all arrived. It's time to properly divide the spoils and settle the entanglements of interests."

Chen Hongxu and Qi Hui arrived at the mountain peak. By now, the shattered courtyard had been fully repaired, its clean, smooth ground paved as if with a layer of white jade, soothing to the eye at first glance.

Walking upon it, one could feel a faint chill rising from the soles of their feet from time to time; it was likely that quite a few precious materials had been mixed into the pavement. It seemed these major clans had truly spared no expense.

Chen Hongxu led Qi Hui outside the palace. Sensing his arrival in advance, the youth surnamed Kong had been waiting there for a long time. The moment he saw Chen Hongxu approach, he announced in a resonant voice, "The Master has arrived."

Instantly, the nobles and aristocrats of the major clans who had been discussing matters inside the palace rushed out. At the time, all of them had made an agreement with Chen Hongxu that if he could truly conquer the immortal mountain, they would collectively honor Chen Hongxu as their master.

Standing before Chen Hongxu, these people arranged themselves neatly according to their respective strengths. Naturally, furtive glances cast toward Chen Hongxu were inevitable; after all, even with their mastery of divination and heavenly secrets, the result they could divine was merely fifty-fifty. If Chen Hongxu had not possessed the complete inheritance of the Weapon Spirit, the outcome of the battle against the Martial Emperor's projection would indeed have been hard to predict.

One had to bear in mind that that was a genuine Imperial-rank figure, and furthermore, a top-tier figure among the Imperial rank—not someone comparable to a pseudo-emperor like Xuan Kun.

Unfazed by the scrutinizing gazes of the crowd, Chen Hongxu was not some wet-behind-the-ears child who would go about boasting at the slightest achievement. He remained tight-lipped about his encounter with the Martial Emperor; leaving such matters to others' imagination was far better.

Chen Hongxu stood with his hands behind his back, remaining silent. Yet, an aura of poise and composure naturally emanated from him. The elderly man of the Li clan was the first to express his stance. Standing second from the left, upon seeing Chen Hongxu, he prostrated himself on the ground and said respectfully, "On behalf of the entire clan, the patriarch of the Li clan pays respects to the Master."

As soon as the elderly Li clan member displayed this attitude, many others immediately followed suit. However, there were still a few clans who were unwilling. Without exception, these were the factions that had not converged with the Li clan at the time. Presumably, they were a few groups the elderly Li clan member had subsequently allied with.

Honoring a master required taking a Heavenly Dao oath. To these people meeting Chen Hongxu for the first time, his impression was merely that of an ordinary immortal master. The only reason they had dared not attack the immortal mountain—aside from their intertwined interests—was their fear of the power behind the Immortals reaching the heavens.

Now that they had a scapegoat and could rule the world without any risk, they simply couldn't fathom why they should honor any master at all.

There were three or four rebellious clans. The clan representative standing ahead of the Li clan was one of them. Looking down upon the submissive and obsequious behavior of the elderly Li clan member, he spoke up, "Young man, one must know when to be content. You may leave now."

A handsome arc curled up the corner of Chen Hongxu's mouth. He reached out to hold back Jiajia, whose eyes were wide open and who had intended to step forward and teach this clan representative—who didn't even know what was good for him—a lesson. Chen Hongxu asked, "Do all of you who refuse to honor the master share the same sentiment?"

Aside from the first one who had crossed his arms with a cold sneer, the rest of these three or four individuals were mere opportunists following the wind. At this moment, it wasn't so much that they were unwilling to honor the master; rather, they had gained an extra option and merely intended to stand back and watch how things played out.

Chen Hongxu nodded to himself, turned his head to glance at the valley halfway up the mountain, and muttered to himself.

"Boom." Suddenly, a roll of thunder echoed as a streak of white light darted across the sky. The white light sped from afar to near, and only then did the crowd clearly make out that it was actually a dragon?

Chen Hongxu stared at the white dragon, his mouth twitching as he secretly worried for the flamboyant-looking Jiajia. He knew very well that Xue Xi, the Weapon Spirit, and even Su Xiaoxiao all liked to bully flashy-looking small animals.

Silently mourning for Jiajia in his heart, he nevertheless commanded aloud, "Kill those who went back on their word and those who are hesitating."

Jiajia had just made a breakthrough. However, it was inherently a divine beast, and coupled with the boost from Chen Hongxu's strength, slaughtering these shameless scoundrels shouldn't be too difficult.

Once again, clouds rolled and mists billowed. To Jiajia's surprise, it didn't actually have to exert much effort in this battle; the representatives of the various clans who had already honored the master struck far more viciously than it did...

After snuffing out all discordant and potentially discordant noises, Chen Hongxu knew the time for his departure had arrived. He arranged for Qi Hui to become the new master of the immortal mountain, primarily responsible for liaison-related duties, and then led Jiajia and the youth surnamed Kong through the stone gate. He completely handed over the management of the fourth-layer world to the major clans allied under the Li clan. These would serve as his foundational forces for future campaigns. Free of conceit, he maintained an ordinary state of mind; if the kind of cataclysmic war recorded in his memories were truly to take place, these people could only be considered small players. The road ahead was long and the burden heavy...