Nine Heavens Martial Emperor

Staring at the two exotic beasts, Wu Tianli’s expression changed drastically.

The beasts had prominent horns and resembled horses, but weren’t. They were Tier Two Devil Beasts—Cloud-Stepping Beasts.

A Tier Two Devil Beast’s strength was comparable to that of an Elemental Realm Martial Artist.

In a city as large as War Dragon City, an Elemental Realm Martial Artist was qualified to be a family patriarch.

Moreover, these Cloud-Stepping Beasts were incredibly fast and notoriously difficult to capture, yet someone was using them to pull a chariot. It was utterly shocking!

One could only guess that the person inside the chariot must possess an astonishing level of cultivation.

The chariot moved at an extreme speed, arriving before them in the blink of an eye.

Then, an old man stepped out. With a single stride, he was already on the martial arts stage.

Upon seeing him, Ninety-Five’s gaze hardened. Then, he softly uttered a few words: "Imperial City, the Lin family!"

Lin Zheng, whose wrist was gripped by Yi Mingcheng, felt his eyes light up, but when he opened his mouth, no sound came out.

Lin Tianxiao’s pupils contracted sharply.

’The inevitable has arrived.’

Although the old man just stood there quietly, he exuded an overwhelmingly powerful pressure. His cultivation was far beyond that of anyone present.

The Lin family elder casually swept his gaze over the crowd, and everyone felt their blood run cold; even the Elemental Realm Martial Artists were no exception.

Soul Gathering Realm!

This old man was definitely a Soul Gathering Realm expert!

After a quick glance, the old man’s gaze paused on Lin Zheng for a moment. Then, without a word, he went straight to an empty seat, sat down, and closed his eyes.

Evidently, he hadn’t found the person he was looking for.

"PHEW..."

When the old man sat down, it was as if an oppressive black cloud had lifted. The suffocating feeling in everyone’s hearts vanished, and they couldn’t help but let out a long sigh of relief.

Just as everyone thought the old man would be the last guest, the earth began to rumble and shake.

"RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE!"

In the distance, dust and smoke billowed into the sky.

On the high platform behind the martial arts stage, teacups rattled and clattered violently.

It was like a prelude to an earthquake.

The display of power was astounding!

At this sound, Ninety-Five stood up involuntarily, his expression solemn.

Then, a single rider leaped out from the billowing dust.

A Ferghana horse, a crimson saddle, crimson armor, a crimson helmet.

Behind this rider, an orderly troop appeared in everyone’s line of sight.

They were arranged four abreast and nine deep.

Also clad in crimson.

Including the first rider, there were thirty-seven men in total, but the presence they projected was like that of a thousand-strong army.

Without a single sound, the leading general simply raised a hand, and the thirty-six men behind him simultaneously pulled their reins. The fine steeds beneath them halted at the same time, perfectly in unison.

Furthermore, these thirty-seven men emanated a murderous aura, their eyes as sharp as swords.

These men were definitely from the military—well-trained soldiers.

"Captain Chen, you’re late. If this were the battlefield, your Marshal would certainly have you court-martialed," the Lin family elder said to the general.

The man addressed as General Chen merely gave him a faint glance and did not reply. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"What an accusation! In the Cangnan Empire, who doesn’t know that Marshal Chen loves the people as his own children and has commanded that the army not march at night, in war or in peace, to avoid disturbing the citizenry!" General Chen didn’t answer, but Ninety-Five was displeased and spoke up with a sneer.

Then, with an excited expression, Ninety-Five walked straight up to the general and asked, "Could you be Brother Tianyu?"

The general paused in thought for a moment, then nodded.

"Hahaha, it’s been many years, and now you’re a general." Ninety-Five laughed heartily, but tears welled up in his eyes.

Chen Tianyu shook his head. "How could I dare to be called a General? I am merely a Captain right now. Besides, in the Blood Camp, there is no such thing as a general."

"Right, right, the Blood Camp, the vanguard of the Crimson Flame Army. Forging glory with blood, where every man can become a general. Brother Tianyu, your long-held wish has finally come true. Congratulations," Ninety-Five said.

The Crimson Flame Army was founded by Chen Yan, the Grand Marshal of the Cangnan Empire’s armed forces.

The Crimson Flame Army had achieved illustrious military honors for the Cangnan Empire, and the Chen family had risen to become one of the empire’s four great families as a result.

The Chen family was a lineage of loyal heroes; all its men enlisted in the army, and Chen Tianyu, even as the direct grandson of Chen Yan, was no exception.

Ninety-Five was an orphan adopted by the Wenren family. To temper him, they had once thrown him into the Crimson Flame Army, and it was there that the two forged their friendship.

The friendships men forge in the army are paid for with their lives.

This time, the Crimson Flame Army was recruiting new soldiers, and Chen Tianyu had personally come to this remote border city precisely because Ninety-Five was in War Dragon City.

Only then did Chen Tianyu remove his helmet, revealing the resolute face of a middle-aged man.

Years of life on the battlefield had made Chen Tianyu a man of few words and fewer smiles. Seeing Ninety-Five, he cracked a slight grin, a smile that wasn’t much better than a grimace.

"As I recall, Captain Chen is here on official orders. I didn’t understand before, but now I do. Traveling thousands of miles to this place was apparently just to reminisce with an old friend," the Lin family elder suddenly said in a cold voice.

Abruptly, the thirty-six men following Chen Tianyu all fixed their gazes on the old man in unison. The very air seemed to freeze, and the already chilly day grew even colder.

The weakest of these thirty-six men was at the Ninth Layer of Blood Coagulation Realm. Although this was nothing compared to the old man, they were veterans who had frequently killed and developed an incredible rapport. The murderous intent from their bodies converged as one, creating a terrifying presence.

Even the Lin family elder’s expression stiffened.

This was the true aura of tigers and wolves!

Chen Tianyu raised his hand again, and the pressure instantly vanished.

Then, with a single leap, Chen Tianyu was on the martial arts stage.

Despite wearing heavy armor, he didn’t make the slightest sound and was as graceful as a swallow.

"I am Chen Yuanyu of the Crimson Flame Army’s Blood Camp. By order of the Marshal, I have come to select brave warriors for the army. I apologize for the intrusion." Chen Tianyu cupped his fist to all sides, then swept his gaze over the crowd below.

The moment he spoke, the eyes of many people below lit up.

For a Martial Artist who failed to awaken a bloodline, staying in their family would only lead to being called trash. But they had another path: enlisting in the army.

As long as one could secure an official post in the army, especially in the Crimson Flame Army, even a lowly Centurion would be treated with respect by the patriarchs in a small city like War Dragon City.

"General Chen has come from afar. Please, take a seat of honor." Luo Yulou stepped down from the main seat and greeted him with a smile.

Even though he was the number one young master of the Southern Border Prefecture and the Young Sect Leader of the Zhengyang Sect, it was still not enough in front of one of the Cangnan Empire’s four great families.

The Celestial Yang Continent was vast, ruled by the Li Long Dynasty. Beneath the dynasty were not only six major vassal states but also countless smaller nations.

The Cangnan Empire alone had a population in the hundreds of millions, so one could only imagine the vastness of the continent’s territory.

Above a city was a prefecture, above a prefecture was a commandery, above a commandery was a province, and only above a province was the empire.

Although the Zhengyang Sect was one of the four great sects of the Southern Border Prefecture, it was nothing before the Chen family.

Chen Tianyu shook his head. "No need. I am only here to select brave warriors; the martial competition has nothing to do with me. Later, I just wish to borrow this venue."

"No problem," Luo Yulou agreed without hesitation.

"Thank you." Chen Tianyu showed no arrogance at all. After expressing his thanks, he walked straight toward Ninety-Five.

Beside Ninety-Five, Lin Tianxiao quickly rose to greet him.

Although he lived in a remote border region, the fame of the Crimson Flame Army was too great for him not to know of it.

Chen Tianyu returned the salute with a cupped fist, and then they all sat down.

As the host, Wu Tianli glanced at Chen Tianyu with a flicker of apprehension in his eyes. But after seeing the Lin family elder, he regained his confidence, stood up, and announced the start of the martial competition.

Although the Southern Border Prefecture had only four major sects, there were countless smaller ones, and most of the youths in War Dragon City trained in these minor sects.

After the martial competition began, the arena was bustling with excitement, but in the viewing stands, everyone except for Chen Tianyu and his group looked utterly uninterested.

Until Wu Sipei walked into the center of the arena.

Although Wu Sipei spent all year at the Zhengyang Sect and only returned once at year’s end, she was very popular. The reason was simple: in a small place like this, she was worthy of being called a beauty.

The teenage boys below the stage, in particular, gazed up at her with worship, their eyes shining.

"Who’s next?" Wu Sipei stood proudly in the center, her voice cold and aloof.

After a moment of silence from below, a burly young man with the back of a tiger and waist of a bear suddenly leaped onto the high stage and cupped his fist at Wu Sipei.

Seeing him, Wu Sipei took a step back, a flash of disgust in her eyes.

The reason was simple: in the middle of winter, the young man was bare-chested, looking utterly vulgar.

Then, her face turned frosty. "Shenshan, it’s you again! Are you looking to die?"

But Shenshan just scratched his head and chuckled foolishly.

Up in the stands, the two specters from the Suo Demon Sect were startled for a moment, then frowned slightly.

Chen Tianyu’s gaze also fell on the young man, a bright glint flashing in his eyes.

’This boy is good material for the army!’

"Shenshan? He hasn’t shown up for a year. I thought he was dead." As the young man took the stage, discussion erupted below.

"How could he die so easily? You all know, Shenshan grew up eating scraps from a hundred families. Not only is he hard to kill, but he also grew up getting beaten, so he’s got a thick hide."

"He shows up for the martial competition every year. I remember last year he got beaten quite badly by Wu Sipei."

"Last year, Wu Sipei’s cultivation was only at the Fifth Layer of Blood Coagulation Realm. A year has passed, so she must be at least at the Sixth Layer now. Shenshan only got an ordinary Cultivation Technique from Lin Hao and knows a single Yellow Level Low Grade martial skill. He’s in for it this time. He’s just going up there to be humiliated."

"You’re wrong. Does the word ’humiliation’ even exist for Shenshan?"

"That’s true!"

While everyone was talking, Wu Sipei had already made her move.

She showed no mercy from the very first strike.

"SPURT!"

Under the single blow, Shenshan spurted a wild spray of blood and was sent flying far into the distance like a piece of paper.

But to everyone’s shock, Shenshan wiped away the blood, climbed back to his feet, and grinned thoughtlessly, showing his teeth.

"Hmph!"

Wu Sipei sneered and attacked again.

As she struck, her fist suddenly seemed to magnify.

Sixth Layer of Blood Coagulation Realm, Bone Strengthening!

If this were before, she might have toyed cruelly with Shenshan, but today, her target was someone else.

This time, she held nothing back, putting her full power into the attack.

"BOOM!"

Under this blow, Shenshan’s body flew straight off the martial arts stage, crashed heavily onto the ground, and he passed out.

Chen Tianyu gave a meaningful look, and a man from the Blood Camp came out, helped Shenshan up, and placed him to the side.

"Since Lin Hao won’t show himself, you two can come up together!" Then, Wu Sipei fixed her gaze on Lin Tian and Lin Yuan, hatred surging in her eyes.

The humiliation Lin Hao had brought upon her must be repaid by the people of the Lin family.

Lin Tianxiao’s expression changed.

Lin Tian and Lin Yuan both had mortal constitutions and were only at the Third Layer of Blood Coagulation Realm.

If the two of them went up, it would be futile.

This Wu Sipei was trying to use this opportunity to humiliate the Lin family!

And Lin Tianxiao knew deep down that this was only the first step in the Wu family’s assault.