The Martial Emperor

"Trash will always be trash. You are not worthy of keeping this spiritual stone, Lin Feng."

Dan Wuji’s laughter still echoed clearly in Lin Feng’s ears, sharper than the piercing cold wind of Black Bone Valley.

Lin Feng touched the vertical scar that split his left eye. The wound felt hot, as if Dan Wuji’s spiritual blade had just ripped through his flesh a second ago.

Two years.

For two years, he had swallowed insults. For two years, he had been treated like a doormat at the Cloud Sword Sect.

Dan Wuji had not only seized his cultivation resources but also his dignity in front of hundreds of other outer disciples.

"Lin Feng, hand over that stone or I will make you crawl out of here!"

The glint in Dan Wuji’s eyes at that moment was full of ruthlessness. And Lin Feng, who was fed up, refused to bow down. The result? His left eye was nearly blinded, and that scar became a permanent identification mark that throbbed every time he took a breath.

"Feng, daydreaming again? Do you want to die here?!" Zhang Hao’s voice broke his reverie.

Lin Feng snapped back to a reality that was no less cruel. A pale purple toxic mist hung low among the withered trees, creating a sickening atmosphere like the smell of burning rusted metal.

"Hao, swallow another pill. Don’t let this poison damage your dantian." Lin Feng advised while briefly diverting his attention from the map to glance at Zhang Hao.

With hands trembling slightly from exhaustion and tension, Zhang Hao took a small porcelain bottle from his spatial ring and swallowed a Soul Dew Pill, a pill to neutralize mid-level toxins for a period of time.

His face was somewhat pale, and the blue inner disciple robes of the Cloud Sword Sect he wore were soaked with sweat and torn in several places. After swallowing the pill, he leaned his body against the trunk of a large tree with blackened bark.

His tied-back black hair was messy, and his handsome, gallant face was full of exhaustion mixed with despair.

"Feng, stop for a second," Zhang Hao said in a hoarse tone. "Damn it, we have only held the title of inner disciples for a month after five years of being insulted as trash, must we die a ridiculous death here? Our energy is spent, and our pills are running low. If we recklessly continue, this valley will become our grave."

Lin Feng did not look away. His eyes remained fixed on the parchment map in his hand before shifting to look at a high cliff crevice about two kilometers from them. "One Blood Moon Flower is worth a year’s worth of resources for an outer disciple. I am not willing to go home empty-handed."

"Are you crazy? We only have one life!" Zhang Hao urged, his voice rising a pitch. "This mission is not for us, Feng. We just got promoted to inner disciples, don't go looking for death!"

Lin Feng finally turned his head. The sharp gaze in his eyes made Zhang Hao fall silent instantly. "I would rather die being eaten by monsters than return to the sect to see Dan Wuji’s arrogant face while holding empty hands. There are only two choices: I bring that flower back, or this valley becomes my grave."

The ambition radiating from Lin Feng’s voice was cold and solid. For him, there was no middle ground. Failure meant death, and he preferred to die in the struggle than return to the sect only to see the smug face of Dan Wuji who had humiliated him.

Zhang Hao could only heave a long sigh, he knew his friend’s temperament. Once Lin Feng set a goal, there was no backing down in his dictionary. With a heavy heart, Zhang Hao sighed again and prepared to follow Lin Feng’s steps as he moved back into the mist. Ahead, the fog grew thicker until visibility was reduced to only a few steps.

Just as they had walked about a hundred meters, the earth felt like it was vibrating. A low growl that made one’s hair stand on end echoed from behind the trees on the left side.

"Damn, another monster?!" Zhang Hao whispered while taking a stance and drawing a sword from his spatial ring.

From the darkness of the mist, a giant monster with pitch-black fur emerged. It was a Black Scaled Demon Bear, a demonic beast equivalent to a third-level Marrow Refinement realm cultivator, while the two of them were still at the first level of the Marrow Refinement realm.

However, this bear was different from the common kind; around its neck grew long, sharp quills like a porcupine, glistening with the poison coating their surface. And on its belly, there were thick scales shining like the surface of cold metal.

The monster roared, baring its large yellow fangs. Without warning, it lunged with an unreasonable speed for a body size as large as a small house.

"Jump!" Lin Feng shouted.

Lin Feng dodged to the right, while Zhang Hao jumped backward. The bear’s claws slammed into the ground where they had stood, creating a large hole and sending stone fragments flying.

While jumping, Zhang Hao’s voice was heard as he recognized the type of monster. "He is too strong, Feng! We cannot possibly win!"

Lin Feng did not wait. He channeled Qi into his sword, creating a thin blue light that enveloped the blade to make the sword much sharper. His body darted forward, aiming for the monster’s ribs.

But unfortunately, the bear reared up to direct Lin Feng’s sword toward its scale-covered belly.

Clang!

Lin Feng’s sword struck the scales, sparking. The bear’s scales were as hard as steel. The bear swiped its front paw, forcing Lin Feng to parry with the blade of his sword. The force of the impact was so great that Lin Feng was thrown back several steps, his feet dragging on the rocky ground.

"Hao, distract its vision! I will aim for the gaps in its scales!" Lin Feng commanded.

Zhang Hao’s sword was channeled with small sparks of lightning that grew larger. He jumped from a tree branch, attempting to slash from above the bear and aiming for the side of the neck not protected by quills. However, the monster was very sensitive; it quickly spun its body and made the quills on its neck protrude longer.

"Watch out!"

Zhang Hao was forced to cancel his attack in mid-air, twisting his body awkwardly to avoid the sting of those poisonous quills. The young man fell face-first on the ground and was almost in danger as the bear’s front paw, as large as a door, swung right over his body.

Seeing an opening, Lin Feng ran and charged. His feet stepped on the rocky ground silently, and his sword slashed hard at a small gap beneath the creature where its metal scales did not overlap.

Clang!

Lin Feng’s sword struck the scales. Sparks were created. Although his sword was reinforced with Qi, the scales were still too hard.

The bear turned, its red eyes staring at Lin Feng with pure hatred. With one swing of its hand, the bear struck Lin Feng’s chest.

Lin Feng was sent flying. His body slammed into a tree trunk until the bark shattered.

"Not yet...," Lin Feng muttered as he climbed to his feet. "I cannot die here yet."

Over there, Zhang Hao was still fighting fiercely against the bear. The young man tried to divert the bear’s attention so it would not attack Lin Feng, who was still slumped down.

At that moment, Lin Feng’s anger suddenly exploded upon seeing the bear’s face. He was kneeling here while the bear still stood. The situation was exactly the same as when Dan Wuji looked down on him two years ago. Lin Feng gritted his teeth, gripping his sword tightly; in his eyes, the bear’s face now turned into Dan Wuji’s face, and he desperately wanted to kill him.

"Hao, use your Naga Petir now! Force him back toward the cliff!"

Zhang Hao did not ask further. He concentrated his Qi at the tip of his sword; the sound of thousands of chirping birds was heard from his sword as lightning energy formed a terrifying dragon head.

"Die, you damn beast!"

An explosion of lightning hit the bear’s back, pushing its giant body toward the edge of the cliff. The bear faltered, its claws trying to grip the ground in vain.

Seeing his companion, Zhang Hao also raised his sword to pierce the bear’s right eye. Again, a deafening roar was heard.

It was then that Lin Feng darted forward like an arrow.

He did not aim for the body. He jumped high, his sword directed straight at the bear’s left eye, the same spot as the wound on his own face.

"This is for every drop of blood I have spilled!" Lin Feng roared.

The sword enveloped in blue light pierced the monster’s eyeball. Thick black blood sprayed out, soaking Lin Feng’s face.

The Demon Bear let out a final deafening roar before its giant body finally slumped down into the darkness of the fog-covered cliff.

Silence.

Only the sound of the two young men’s heavy panting could be heard.

It was a victory that was half luck; if the cliff had not been there, they were unsure if they could have won.

"We... won?" Zhang Hao sat down, his sword slipping from his hand. "Enough, Feng. This time we were lucky, but please, do not gamble with your life again. Let's stop."

Lin Feng did not answer. He stood tall, his eyes staring sharply toward the cliff crevice that was their destination. On the surface of the cliff, there was a giant ancient statue carving covered in moss. The statue was so large it was clearly visible from here, as if it were watching over the entire valley.

For some reason, the more Lin Feng looked at that crevice, the faster his heart beat. There was a strange rush in his blood, a pull that could not be explained with words. It was as if that giant statue, or something behind the cliff, was calling his name directly. This feeling was so strong that the pain in his shoulder seemed to vanish.

"It is close," Lin Feng whispered softly. "I can feel it; he is calling me."

"Who is calling? All I hear is the call of the grim reaper," Zhang Hao grumbled, but he still stood up because he was afraid of being left alone.

"Zhan Tianshu...."

"Hah?" Zhang Hao frowned. "Zhan who? What are you talking about?"

Lin Feng startled, his hands trembling for some unknown reason. For a moment, he was confused by what he had just uttered. Why did his tongue suddenly mutter that name? And who was he?

"Is it because of this mist?" his mind wondered without anyone to answer.

"Feng?"

Zhang Hao’s voice broke his reverie. Lin Feng shook his head. "Let's continue the journey."

However, before they could step forward, a sound broke the silence of the valley. It was no longer a low growl, but a loud howl that made one's hair stand on end. The sound was so loud it pierced the eardrums.

Unfortunately, the howling did not come from just one direction. From behind the darkness of the forest, similar sounds echoed back and forth, indicating that whatever monsters were there, there was not just one, but dozens.

Lin Feng tightened his grip on his sword. Instead of fear, a thin smile that imagined horror and dread, but also cruelty and ruthlessness, appeared on his face.

"Come," he hissed softly. "It is either me or you all who will die today."

Behind him, Zhang Hao truly wanted to cry. "Gods, wherever you are... if I die today, please do not put me in hell. I have suffered enough in this world!"