Soul Emperor Martial God

"Hmm?"

Xiao Yi slowly opened his eyes.

The next second, a wave of pain spread throughout his body, causing him to involuntarily furrow his brows.

He glanced around and saw that he was lying in a bed.

Not far from him, there was a desk.

In front of the desk, a woman was resting her cheek in her hand, her eyes closed as if dozing.

The woman's face was exceptionally beautiful.

Even that beauty carried a cold air, as if it could freeze someone into ice.

Yet, it did not diminish her allure; if anything, it made it more difficult for anyone to look away.

Especially the nonchalant air of laziness that underlaid her cold demeanor tempted one to keep watching.

The woman was none other than Senior Swordswoman.

"Hmm?" The woman noticed Xiao Yi's gaze and slowly opened her eyes.

"Are you awake?" The woman spoke with a tone of surprise and inquiry.

She slowly stood up and walked to the bedside, studying Xiao Yi.

"Goodness, are you some kind of monster?" The woman exclaimed in surprise.

"Those serious injuries, you were almost half dead, and yet you recover as if nothing happened."

Xiao Yi smiled, sat up in bed, and looked down at his body.

His torso was bare, lacking a shirt, but each wound on his body had been dressed and bandaged.

"How long have I been unconscious?" Xiao Yi asked.

"Not even a day," the woman replied.

"Although I am an Alchemist, it has been many years since I've dealt with healing injuries."

"So, I asked the best Alchemist in the fortress to tend to your wounds."

"Do you still feel unwell?"

"No, not anymore," Xiao Yi shook his head and said, "Resting for a day or two, taking some Elixir Elixirs, I should fully recover."

The woman nodded and chuckled lightly, "I forgot, you yourself are a high-grade Alchemist."

"No one knows your own body better than you do."

"Senior," Xiao Yi asked, "What happened? Lin Jin and the others, are they okay?"

This was the most pressing question Xiao Yi had upon waking up.

After all, he had been unconscious before, and now he found himself here.

"The matter has been resolved," the woman waved her hand and said, "Those bastards, after I blasted them away, they ran off."

"I came back with a group of people, how could there be any trouble?"

"Oh?" Xiao Yi was taken aback, somewhat surprised, and said, "Just like that, it was resolved?"

Based on his estimation, the people from the Ice Emperor were all overbearing and would not easily give up.

The woman chuckled softly and said, "They themselves knew they were in the wrong, what else could they say?"

"The rules for the second round were set by them, which inherently allowed for fighting and killing each other."

"These Commanders and Second Commanders, they abused their power, attempting revenge."

"Even if this matter were to be spread, they have no justifiable cause, and no one in the fortress would take their side."

This place was the East Sea Coast, a sacred ground where millions of human Elite Martial Artists gathered to ward off demon beasts and defend humanity.

Despicable actions like theirs were bound to be scorned by many.

"As for those Heavenly Talents," continued the woman.

"A total of 26 teams set up the ambush and launched a coordinated attack, yet all were slain by you."

"To conspire so underhandedly to eliminate strong rivals before the third round is even more disdainful; their deaths were well-deserved."

Xiao Yi nodded, then furrowed his brows again, "To eliminate strong rivals before the third round?"

The woman nodded affirmatively and said, "Regarding the third round, I hadn't had the chance to go into detail with you."

"The East Sea Festival, which takes place once every hundred years, tends to follow the same format for all three rounds."

"But this year's East Sea Festival is much grander and more significant than ever before."

"Oh?" Xiao Yi said with a hint of confusion.

The woman responded, "You should know, the East Sea Eight Emperors have been well-known and have been stationed here for a long time."

"Including those Commanders and older-generation Extreme Realm Martial Artists, and so on."

"They have been defending this place for hundreds of years."

"It's time for them to step down, so they are looking for successors during this East Sea Festival."

"Successors?" Xiao Yi was startled.

"That's right," the woman nodded and continued, "All the Eight Great Commanders, the Thirty-two Commanders, and so on, are looking for successors."

"You can imagine, every Heavenly Talent from the major forces is eager for the opportunity."

"You ranked first in the first round, which naturally made you the target of other teams."

"I see," Xiao Yi realized.

No wonder there had been a total of 26 teams that ganged up on him.

Bai Mohan, Jin Bupo, Han Ming, and others' teams were one thing.

But the other divisions had no grudges against him.

Now it seemed they simply wanted to eliminate him, a strong competitor, ahead of time.

At that moment, the woman explained, "Of course, those who ganged up on you were just the division teams."

"The leaders of the main teams are all very proud and, in fact, did not participate in the attack."

Xiao Yi nodded his head and suddenly remembered something, asking, "Does Emperor Yee also seek a successor? What about Tie Niu?"

Speaking of Tie Niu and the Rock Family.

Previously, Xiao Yi didn't understand what was going on at the East Sea Fortress.

After all, he had arrived at the East Sea Fortress not long before.

On the contrary, within the territory of the Flame Martial Kingdom, there was a branch of the Rock Family, which was also one of the major powers.

It was rumored that many years ago, the first Clan Leader and the people of the Rock Family were the Flame Martial Kingdom Royal Family's most important Martial Artist forces.

They were also the most loyal family to the Royal Family, holding military power within the Flame Martial Kingdom and being utterly loyal to the Flame Martial Royal Family.

Xiao Yi voiced his confusion.

The woman said, "The affairs of the Rock Family are too long ago; I'm too lazy to explain."

"As for Emperor Yee, he's a Martial Arts Fool, and also a lazy one."

"Having cultivated in hardship for many years and stationed on the East Sea Coast for hundreds of years, it was only over twenty years ago that he had his only son, Tie Niu."

"He casually gave his son a name and just as casually let the boy be raised outside."

"Therefore, not many here at the East Sea Fortress know about Tie Niu."

"However, the positions at the East Sea Fortress are based on merit, and they're not for him to decide."

"I see," Xiao Yi nodded his head.

At this time, knowing that everyone was safe and his doubts were resolved, Xiao Yi felt a breath of relief.

But then Xiao Yi remembered, just before his blackout, the terrifying strike from the Senior Swordswoman that had startled him.

"May I ask, Senior, what is your current level of Cultivation?" Xiao Yi suddenly asked.

"Me?" The woman smiled and said, "I haven't reached the Heavenly Extreme yet."

"But with just one strike, Senior, you defeated the Ice Emperor and the others," Xiao Yi asked in amazement.

The woman explained, "The Eight Great Commanders are the Eight Supreme Beings, eight Peak Earth Extreme Realm Martial Artists."

"However, there are also levels of strength even among the Supreme Strong."

"I have almost completely mastered the entirety of the Ice Sword Dao."

"How much is left?" Xiao Yi asked.

"Just a sliver," the woman responded.

"What about the Ice Emperor and the others?" Xiao Yi asked.

"A little over ninety percent of their Martial Arts Power," the woman answered.

"The Martial Arts Power is the most significant reason for the strength of Extreme Realm Martial Artists."

"And as Martial Arts progress towards the later stages, their complexity increases significantly, causing even the slightest gap to make a world of difference in strength."

"This sliver has held me back for two hundred years; it is the only barrier between the Earth Extreme Realm and the Heavenly Extreme Realm."

"And their gap compared to mine is more than half, even more so."

"How could they possibly be my match?"

By the end, a look of pride covered the woman's face.

Xiao Yi's expression, however, suddenly turned grim.

"So it is that sliver that's holding you back from crossing the final Life and Death Barrier, just like the previous Sword Demon, Senior," he said.

The woman sighed slightly and smiled without a word.

Just as Xiao Yi was about to ask more, he suddenly frowned.

His nose twitched slightly, a faint fragrance reached his nostrils.

"The blanket?" Xiao Yi glanced at the blanket next to the bed and was shocked, "Is this Senior Swordswoman's room?"

Upon waking up, Xiao Yi had been eager to inquire about Lin Jin, Tie Niu, and the others, and hadn't noticed these details.

Now realizing it, he quickly got out of bed and gave a bow to the woman.

The woman gave a light smile and said, "Being able to hop around proves you're indeed unharmed."

"Yes," Xiao Yi nodded and said, "If there are no pressing matters, this junior will take his leave."

"Go on," the woman said with a light laugh, "In three days it will be the third round of the competition; prepare yourself well."

"Remember, the third round will determine the successors for various positions in the East Sea Fortress."

"And this time, it will decide the successor for the Supreme Commander position of the entire fortress."

"Supreme Commander?" Xiao Yi furrowed his brows.

Then after nodding his head and giving a bow, he left.

...

First update.