Chapter 0392: Heavenly Fire Martial Emperor

Chapter 0392: Heavenly Fire Martial Emperor

Qin Yun led the way, dashing ahead.

Jiang Dazhu followed behind and asked, "Kid, those boots you're wearing are the Dragon Boots, right?"

"Correct, do you know about these boots?" Qin Yun inquired.

Jiang Dazhu replied, "Of course I know, they're a great piece of gear, they can make you very fast. If your strength is sufficient, combined with the Dragon Leg Technique, you can be quite formidable in battle!"

"Old Jiang, are you at the Martial King realm?" Qin Yun asked curiously.

"Kind of!" Jiang Dazhu chuckled. "Don't worry, I will definitely help you rescue the person!"

For some reason, Qin Yun felt that Jiang Dazhu gave off an untrustworthy feeling.

"What do you mean by 'kind of'?" Qin Yun asked with a frown. "Can't you just give a clear answer about whether you're at the Martial King realm or not?"

"I think my strength is just as strong as the Martial King realm!" Jiang Dazhu laughed. "Just rest assured, even if we face two Martial Kings, I can still rescue the person!"

Seeing Jiang Dazhu like this, Qin Yun felt uncertain. Especially since he couldn't sense Jiang Dazhu's exact strength and didn't know what level of cultivation he had.

At this point, he could only trust Jiang Dazhu.

They were very close to the Martial King City. Qin Yun pointed in a direction, and Jiang Dazhu took out the Jade Coffin, asking Qin Yun to sit inside.

Then, the two of them soared through the sky in the Jade Coffin.

Sitting in the flying coffin, Qin Yun felt a bit strange, but the coffin's speed was blazingly fast, which gave him a bit more confidence in Jiang Dazhu.

"Is that the city of Hongwu ahead?" Jiang Dazhu pointed at the massive city in front and asked.

"Yes! There’s a great array covering the city; we can’t fly in directly!" Qin Yun hurriedly said, worried that Jiang Dazhu might crash into it.

Jiang Dazhu controlled the jade coffin to land on the ground, put it away, and then said, "Let’s go in! I hope we’re not too late!"

The gate they were at was the East Gate, which only people of status could enter.

Although Jiang Dazhu was very powerful, he had no such status and couldn’t just walk in.

"Old Jiang, get into the coffin, and I’ll store it in my storage spirit artifact, then take you in!" Qin Yun said. With his high-level Odd Pattern Spirit Master badge, it would be easy for him to enter.

Jiang Dazhu nodded, took out the jade coffin, and lay inside.

Qin Yun closed the coffin lid, stored the jade coffin in his storage space, and then walked toward the East Gate.

On his way back, he had disguised himself as a middle-aged man, so even if there were people from the Totem Pavilion at the gate, they wouldn’t recognize him.

Before long, he arrived at an inn and took out the jade coffin.

Jiang Dazhu grumbled, "I’m clearly still alive, yet I always have to lie in that coffin!"

"Old Jiang, your coffin is quite good!" Qin Yun laughed. "You must be attached to it; it must be a powerful magical treasure!"

"Don’t you dare eye my jade coffin, you brat!" Jiang Dazhu said, then hurriedly left the inn. "Lead the way quickly!"

Qin Yun summoned a spirit crane and instructed it to fly toward the palace.

While riding on the spirit crane, Qin Yun learned from the old man steering the crane that the alchemy competition had already ended, and the winner was Wei Zhongzheng, the head of the Nine Absolute Mystic Sect!

He obtained the royal-grade profound medicine, the Myriad Beard Profound Ginseng!

However, later, Wei Zhongzheng was suspected of cheating and was arrested. He is currently on trial in the palace.

"These guys are even more shameless than I thought, actually making up such a blatant excuse!" Qin Yun cursed angrily upon hearing this.

The spirit cranes swiftly landed at the palace gate.

Standing at the palace gate, Qin Yun took out a pass given to him by Hong Mengshu, which allowed him to enter the palace smoothly.

Before entering, Qin Yun had to store Jiang Dazhu in the storage spirit artifact to bring him in easily.

The palace was enormous, but a guard escorted them in.

"Sir, the celebration banquet begins tonight. If you’re any slower, you’ll miss it!" the guard said.

"Tonight? It's two or three days early!" Qin Yun frowned.

"Yes, since the medicine competition just ended, Wei Zhongzheng will be tried for cheating tonight, and the celebration banquet will take place! At that time, the Seventh Prince might carry out Wei Zhongzheng’s execution!" the guard said.

Qin Yun’s heart sank. He hadn’t expected Wei Zhongzheng to be killed in such a way.

Hong Yan, the Seventh Prince, is only at the first level of the Martial realm. If he kills a peak Xuan Martial realm warrior, his reputation will soar.

At that time, the leader of the Fire King Sect would also gain significant prestige!

"If I were caught, Hong Yan would be the one killing me!" Qin Yun thought. He didn’t know Hong Yan’s current situation and could only go and see.

It was evening, and the night’s celebration banquet was about to start.

In the palace square, numerous guards were busy arranging tables and chairs.

Guests attending the celebration banquet arrived one after another.

When Qin Yun arrived, the front seats were already taken by Xuan Martial realm warriors from Xuan-level sects, while the seats further back were reserved for Ling-level sects.

Only the reputation of the Fire King Sect and Hongwu Country could attract so many sects to attend.

Qin Yun wandered around the square and then slipped into a bush to release Jiang Dazhu.

Once released, Jiang Dazhu followed Qin Yun to the square and took a seat towards the back.

Qin Yun glanced around, trying to spot if Wei Zhongzheng had been brought out.

He didn’t see Wei Zhongzheng, only a platform about ten meters wide in the square, surrounded by array pillars, likely meant for Wei Zhongzheng.

As night fell, the palace square was adorned with lanterns and colored banners, lit up by numerous large glowing stones.

Many of the palace’s grand buildings were also illuminated by glowing stones, giving the palace a festive appearance.

Jiang Dazhu sat there, not eating, apparently uninterested in the offerings. He whispered, "There are three Martial Kings here!"

Qin Yun couldn’t see the people in front, as he was seated far back, separated by over a hundred tables.

The square was bustling, with a crowd of ten to twenty thousand people.

Many powerful sects from the northern Wuhuang region were present!

Qin Yun was also looking for Hong Mengshu’s figure but couldn’t find her.

Suddenly, a cloaked elder descended onto the high platform ahead.

The elder's long hair fluttered in the wind, burning with flames, and the cloak he wore was also ablaze with flickering fire.

This elder was entirely engulfed in flames!

Clearly, this was the sect leader of the Fire King Sect, self-proclaimed as the Martial King of Heavenly Fire!

After the Martial King of Heavenly Fire appeared, he took out a small tower and released a disheveled elder from within.

It was none other than Wei Zhongzheng!

Wei Zhongzheng was bound by chains wreathed in black smoke, his hair disheveled, and though his face was covered in bruises, his expression was resolute, his eyes as sharp as an eagle's, fixed intently on the people below.

"Sect Leader!" Qin Yun clenched his fist tightly upon seeing Wei Zhongzheng's tortured state.

Though the Martial King of Heavenly Fire beside Wei Zhongzheng appeared flamboyant, he lacked the inner strength Wei Zhongzheng exuded.

Though bound, injured, and in a sorry state, the unyielding pride Wei Zhongzheng radiated made it impossible for anyone to underestimate him.

In a hoarse voice, the Martial King of Heavenly Fire proclaimed loudly, "Our Fire King Sect's alchemy competition has been marred by cheating! This Wei Zhongzheng, through some hard-to-detect tricks, cheated to win first place and took our royal-grade Xuan medicine!"

"Moreover, he refuses to admit it! For such a despicable person, our Fire King Sect never shows mercy. Once caught, he will be beheaded as a warning to all!"

Wei Zhongzheng, who had been severely injured earlier, still managed to participate in the alchemy competition and win first place, which made many people suspicious.

The Fire King Sect had no evidence, but they wanted to kill Wei Zhongzheng, and no one could say anything about it.

Many people secretly lamented that such a powerful peak Xuan Martial realm warrior like Wei Zhongzheng was about to die!

Being beheaded in public was a death without dignity!

"The executioner shall be my disciple, Hong Yan!" The Martial King of Heavenly Fire looked at Hong Yan below the platform and called out softly, "Come up!"

Hong Yan, cloaked in a fiery red cape with a flame atop his bald head, flew onto the high platform with a solemn expression and grasped a very sharp blade.

"Don't worry, I'm here! Your sect leader will be safe!" Jiang Dazhu, seeing Qin Yun about to fly over, quickly pressed his shoulder.

Hong Yan held a long knife high, his gaze fixed on Wei Zhongzheng's neck.

Seeing Wei Zhongzheng's calm expression, as if he had transcended life and death, Hong Yan was deeply moved. He suddenly remembered the time when he and Qin Yun had encountered Wei Zhongzheng.

Wei Zhongzheng had been willing to endure a dozen palm strikes to help Qin Yun. Other sects had rejected Jiang Zhihu, but Wei Zhongzheng had taken him in!

A sect leader of such righteousness was rare even in the entire northern Wuhuang!

Deep down, Hong Yan simply didn't believe Wei Zhongzheng had cheated.

He also remembered Qin Yun. Back when he had lost everything in a bet, he had been in dire straits, and it was Qin Yun who had helped him.

Wei Zhongzheng was Qin Yun's sect leader. Killing him would create enmity between them!

"I can't bring myself to do it!" Hong Yan, holding the sharp blade high, suddenly said and put the knife down.

The crowd in the square was instantly filled with surprise and doubt.

Hong Yan, the Seventh Prince, was actually reluctant to kill!

"Hong Yan, what's wrong with you? Kill him now! He's the sect leader of the Nine Extremes Xuan Sect, a peak Xuan Martial realm warrior. Killing him would bring you glory!" The Martial King of Heavenly Fire was also shocked and urged him.

"He's been captured, what glory is there in killing him? It's not like I defeated him in a fair fight!" Hong Yan said, rubbing his bald head.

"If you don't kill him, you're not worthy of being my disciple!" The Heavenly Fire Martial Emperor said angrily, his voice low and menacing.

Hong Yan clenched the sharp blade, hesitated briefly, then shouted, "I, Hong Yan, will never do anything against my conscience! Anyone who forces me to act against my conscience is not worthy of being my master!"

The square went dead silent!

Hong Yan was openly defying the Heavenly Fire Martial Emperor, rejecting his mentorship!

"Well said! What's the difference between being a follower of a villain and being a villain yourself?"

"Hong Yan, as the son of Hong Ying, the Martial King, if you were to bow to a lowlife, it would disgrace the reputation of Hongwu Country! And the Heavenly Fire Martial Emperor is nothing but a despicable and shameless scoundrel!" Qin Yun suddenly stood up and declared loudly.

He channeled his immense power, making his voice boom across the square, piercing every ear!