Eternal God Emperor: Only I Am Emperor One

Chapter 49 Ah Le
Yunwu Royal City is the largest city in Yunwu County, with a population of over one million.

Aside from the royal palace located in the heart of the city, the most bustling place in the entire royal city is the martial market.

The Martial Market is a place dedicated to serving martial artists, occupying about one-tenth of the entire royal city.

Compared to the martial market, other places in the royal city can only be called ordinary markets.

The Martial Market is extremely prosperous and is the commercial core of the entire Yunwu Royal City. It includes the Pill Market, Weapon Market, Beast Market, Slave Market, and Central Auction House.

The Wu Market has a huge influence, and to a certain extent determines the rise and fall of the prefectures and kingdoms. The imperial court manages the Wu Market very strictly, and at the same time, various forces are vying to establish their own industries in the Wu Market.

In the beast market, a large shop has been given a brand new sign. This is the newly built branch of the Hidden Dragon Hall in Yunwu Royal City.

The White Horse Gang was one of the largest beast traders in the western part of Yunwu County. Now that the Hidden Dragon Hall has entered the martial market, they have also chosen to use beasts to open up the market.

Connected to the shops was a rather large courtyard, where Di Yi and his entourage, who had come all the way from Chiyun Mountain, were located.

"Master, the shops in the beast market have already opened, and the rest are being prepared. They should all be up and running within a month," a slightly overweight middle-aged man respectfully reported to the figure in black robes.

His name was Qian Wanguan. He was originally an elder in charge of the Heroes' Association. His expertise was in business management. Not long ago, he broke through to the Earthly Realm. Emperor Yi then transferred him to Yunwu Royal City to be in charge of many matters concerning the Hidden Dragon Hall in the royal city.

"Hmm, well done. Any news about what I asked you to keep an eye on?"

"There are no clues yet. It was more than 300 years ago that Luoshui fell into Tianmo Ridge. There is very little information about it in the martial market. According to the information we have collected so far, the number of fragments that accompanied Luoshui when it fell from the sky should be more than a thousand. They vary greatly in size, some as big as houses and some only the size of a palm. However, they have mostly fallen into the hands of various major forces or the savage beast tribes deep in Tianmo Ridge."

“When the Luo River fell, the Yunwu Kingdom had not yet been established. I’m afraid the chances of finding the fragments of the Luo River within the Yunwu Kingdom are slim,” Qian Wanguan replied.

Extraterrestrial objects are often extremely valuable. Qian Wanguan, knowing better than to ask why his master was so interested in the fragments of the Luo River, simply followed orders.

"Take your time searching. Infiltrate the entire Yunwu Kingdom with the influence of the Hidden Dragon Hall as soon as possible. You can also try to contact the other counties in the Nine Counties of Lingxi. In addition, the Wushi Money Shop has a long history and can be considered one of the local strongmen of Tianmo Ridge. You can do more research there," Di Yi instructed.

"Understood, Your Majesty." Qian Wanguan respectfully accepted the order, and Di Yi waved his hand, dismissing him.

Inside the courtyard, the four Zhao brothers, having broken through to the Heavenly Realm, exuded a power far surpassing their former strength. Their unique confidence, befitting a martial arts legend, made them appear even more extraordinary.

"Master, I have an idea regarding your request for the fragments of the Luo River." Zhao Quanxiao was the shortest of the four brothers, standing at only 1.6 meters tall, but he was also the most quick-witted and strategist among them.

The emperor looked at him and said, "Tell me."

"When the Luo River fell, most of the thirty-six prefectures and kingdoms of Tianmo Ridge had not yet been established. Even those that had been established were just miscellaneous soldiers following behind the army of the Eastern Region Holy King's Mansion. Such an extraterrestrial treasure as the fragments of the Luo River was definitely not something they could collect. Apart from the Martial Market Bank, only the Yuntai Sect Mansion and the Taiqing Palace had a chance of obtaining the fragments of the Luo River."

Yuntai Sect and Taiqing Palace are the only two fourth-rate sects in Tianmo Ridge. They are true local powers with half-saints in charge. They existed before the establishment of the thirty-six prefectures and kingdoms, and together with Wushi Bank, they form the three pillars of the righteous path in Tianmo Ridge.

"Yuntai Sect Mansion, Taiqing Palace..." Di Yi shook his head. Trying to seize the fragments of Luoshui from a semi-saint power was no different from courting death.

"I know the chances of obtaining fragments from these two forces are slim. What I really want to talk about is another force, the true overlords of the entire Heavenly Demon Ridge, the savage beast race." Zhao Quanxiao paused and continued, "More than three hundred years ago, the rulers of Heavenly Demon Ridge were not humans, but savage beasts led by the Four-Winged Earth Dragon. When the Luo River fell into Heavenly Demon Ridge, the Four-Winged Earth Dragon and its savage beasts probably collected the most fragments from outer space."

"The Four-Winged Earth Dragon died at the hands of a saint in the Ministry of War of the Imperial Court, and its savage beasts were also slaughtered. However, the various secret realms and treasure troves it left in the Heavenly Demon Ridge have not all been discovered. Over the years, lucky martial artists have occasionally discovered new treasure troves."

The Four-Winged Earth Dragon is a seventh-tier savage beast, comparable to a human saint. It ruled the Heavenly Demon Ridge for hundreds of years, commanding tens of thousands of savage beasts.

Dragons have a penchant for collecting treasures, and there are many treasure troves left behind by the four-winged earth dragons in Tianmo Ridge, many of which have yet to be discovered.

Zhao Quanxiao's words reminded Emperor Yi.

“The four-winged earth dragon’s collection must contain fragments of the Luo River, but hundreds of years have passed, and the easy-to-find treasure locations have long been found. How could the undiscovered ones be so easy to find?”

"However, this is indeed a direction, and we can send some people to try our luck."

Ziqian listened quietly to the side, and then, as if remembering something, she said, "My lord, I did hear about the information related to the four-winged earth dragon when I was still in the Underworld."

"The dragon palaces of the four-winged earth dragons are located in the Heavenly Demon Ridge, known as the Crimson Sky Secret Palace, and in the underwater dragon palace at the bottom of the Tongming River. This is known to most martial artists."

"The sage ancestor of the Zi family participated in the holy war to hunt down the four-winged earth dragon. In the few words he left behind, he mentioned that the four-winged earth dragon had a palace in the heart of the Heavenly Demon Ridge. When the holy war broke out, the four-winged earth dragon sealed that palace underground."

The Emperor's eyes flashed with a sharp light as he pressed on, "Did the Sage of the Zi Family leave behind a specific location?"

Ziqian shook her head: "If the specific location had been left, the Underworld Gate would have dug up that palace long ago. However, our ancestor did mention the Earth Fire Gorge, which may be related to this place."

"Fire Gorge?"

Di Yi and the four Zhao brothers standing beside him all changed their expressions.

There was no other reason than that the Four Symbols Heavenly Art in the hands of the four people was also found in a ruin near the Earth Fire Gorge.

"That's interesting. It seems I'll have to make a trip to the Earth Fire Gorge sometime."

Di Yi chuckled. First came the Four Symbols Heavenly Technique, and now there are traces of the Four-Winged Earth Dragon Palace. This Earth Fire Gorge doesn't seem to be a simple place.

Having memorized this place, Di Yi led Zi Qian out of the courtyard and strolled through the Martial Market. Of the five major areas in the Martial Market, the Central Auction House and the Slave Market were the most bustling.

The Kunlun Realm does not prohibit the slave trade, and every year a large number of humans and half-humans become commodities in the slave market.

The slave market in Yunwu Royal City is very large, with everything from ordinary humans to savage elephant half-humans, spirit fox half-humans, and demon wolf half-humans...

The prices of these slaves were divided into many levels based on appearance, age, race, and whether the Divine Martial Mark had been activated. The cheaper ones could be bought for a few dozen silver coins, while the more expensive ones required tens of thousands of silver coins.

The largest shop in the slave market belongs to the Juyang Sect, the only sixth-rate sect in Yunwu County. It covers an area of ​​more than ten acres and sells thousands of slaves at any time.

In the very center of the shops were rows of iron cages made of cast metal, which held the most valuable slaves.

There are stunningly beautiful fox-human and peacock-human girls, robust elephant-human youths, and young masters and ladies from other fallen noble families of various counties and kingdoms...

In one of the iron cages was a thirteen or fourteen-year-old demon wolf half-human boy.

The boy's clothes were tattered, and he huddled in the corner of the cage, hiding himself in the darkness.

The Demon Wolf Half-Human Race is a very common half-human race in the Kunlun Realm. Its members are spread throughout the Five Domains, and apart from their ears and eyes, they are almost no different from normal humans.

The boy has an ordinary appearance, but he is displayed in the center of the shop because he is a martial arts genius who has activated the sixth-grade divine martial mark.

The grade of the Divine Martial Mark largely determines a martial artist's talent in martial arts. It should be noted that the current number one genius of the Yunwu Royal Family, the Seventh Prince Zhang Tiangui, has only activated a seventh-grade Divine Martial Mark.

For a slave to possess a sixth-grade divine martial mark is an extremely rare find.

Therefore, the price of this half-human wolf boy was extremely high, requiring a full 20,000 silver coins.

Twenty thousand silver coins—many low-level forces might not earn that much in a year—is not something an ordinary martial artist could afford.

At that moment, outside the iron cage, a girl was observing the boy inside through the cage, a look of disgust on her face.

"Father, are we really going to spend 20,000 silver coins to buy him? I don't think he's worth 20,000 silver coins at all."

Beside her stood a middle-aged man in his thirties, the head of the Lin family, an eighth-rate family in Yunwu Royal City. The girl's name was Lin Ningshan, and she was his daughter.

"Being able to activate a sixth-grade divine martial mark, his martial arts talent must be quite high. Although he has passed the optimal time for cultivation, with proper training, he should be able to add a decent fighter to the Lin family," Lin Fengxian said with a smile.

Lin Ningshan felt that her father had misjudged her. Her monthly allowance was only a few dozen silver coins. This unremarkable half-human wolf boy was not worth 20,000 silver coins.

However, she had no say in the matter; she was merely accompanying Lin Fengxian to Wushi to broaden her horizons.

Lin Fengxian summoned the shop assistants, intending to haggle over the price, since 20,000 silver coins was no small sum for the Lin family.

Just then, a figure in purple robes passed in front of him and said, "My master has bought the person in this iron cage."

Lin Fengxian looked at the purple-clad woman with undulating breasts in front of him, his brows furrowed slightly, and he was quite dissatisfied: "Miss, there is a first-come, first-served rule in everything. I was the one who took a liking to this demon wolf half-human slave first."

"Who are you?" Ziqian turned around and glanced at him.

"The Lin family, Lin Fengxian," the middle-aged man said with a hint of arrogance.

“Never heard of him. My Hidden Dragon Hall wants him. If the Lin family has any objections, they can go and talk to the Royal City branch of the Hidden Dragon Hall.” Zi Qian’s voice was icy, revealing no change in emotion.

Upon hearing this, Lin Fengxian's expression suddenly changed, and his face turned pale.

"Hidden...Hidden Dragon Hall?"

"You just said that your hall master has taken a liking to this young man?"

Lin Fengxian inwardly groaned. He had come to the slave market with good intentions, but somehow he had provoked the Qianlong Hall, which was currently at the height of its power in Yunwu County. It was a powerful force that even the royal family was trying hard to win over.

“That’s right, it’s true that our sect leader has taken a liking to him.” Ziqian nodded.

Lin Fengxian took a deep breath, forced a smile, and waved his hand, saying, "I have long admired Master Yi's name. I will provide these 20,000 silver coins as a small token of the Lin family's appreciation."

He then took out a crystal card and handed it to the shop assistant. This was a deposit voucher for the Martial Market Money Exchange, similar to a bank card, which could be used to withdraw money at any Martial Market Money Exchange in the Kunlun Realm.

"Thank you." Ziqian said thank you, then took the key to the iron cage from the shop assistant and took the half-human wolf boy out of the cage.

Lin Fengxian finally breathed a sigh of relief after the purple figure had completely disappeared.

"Father, is it necessary to be so afraid of the Hidden Dragon Hall? My aunt is a princess, and our Lin family is related to the imperial family. I don't believe the Hidden Dragon Hall would really dare to do anything to us." Lin Ningshan had also heard of the Hidden Dragon Hall's reputation, but she didn't feel much awe.

Upon hearing this, Lin Fengxian shook his head: "Shan'er, don't talk nonsense. Although your aunt is a princess, your cousin has no talent in martial arts and is the least favored among the nine princes. Our Lin family cannot afford to offend the Hidden Dragon Hall."

(End of this chapter)