Among the Martial Emperor powerhouses from the Cloud Continent, both Martial Emperor Lei Ming or Martial Emperor You Han ranked in the top three.
They had similar abilities which earned them the second and third place at a tie.
Even they could not tell who was second as none of them had the confidence to defeat each other even if they were to fight.
There was only one Martial Emperor powerhouse who ranked above them.
Naturally, they were compared with Martial Emperor powerhouses on the Cloud Continent alone excluding the Demon Emperor powerhouses.
Due to the ranking, Martial Emperor You Han and Martial Emperor Lei Ming despised each other from the beginning of time.
They were not acquaintances, let alone friends.
Typically, Martial Emperor Lei Ming’s initiative to greet Martial Emperor You Han was not merely a simple greeting.
Martial Emperor Lei Ming glanced behind Martial Emperor You Han and pretended to be surprised and exclaimed, “You Han, did you only bring eight You Han Valley disciples with you? It seems like there’s really no one left in your You Han Valley… Tsk tsk, that’s so sad to hear. Is You Han Valley going downhill under your reign?”
Martial Emperor You Han seemed to be mentally prepared for that retort, so she showed no distress about what he said.
Meanwhile, her most powerful direct disciple, Xu Rong, who was leading the You Han Valley disciples behind her was glaring at Martial Emperor Lei Ming in rage.
“You Han, it seems like the rules at your You Han Valley’s still loose. Look at your group of female disciples. It’s alright if they didn’t greet me as their senior but really, how dare they? Tsk tsk!” Martial Emperor Lei Ming snickered in mockery.
“Our pleasure to meet you, Junior Uncle You Han.” Just as soon as Martial Emperor Lei Ming was done speaking, the ten Thundercloud Peak disciples behind Martial Emperor Lei Ming bowed to Martial Emperor You Han at the same time.
They seemed very courteous, which caused the eight You Han Valley disciples to look disgusted. The actions of the people from Thundercloud Peak was undoubtedly a slap to their faces and to You Han Valley too.
“Hmph!” No matter how strong Martial Emperor You Han’s willpower was, she could not help but scoff in anger after being mocked by Martial Emperor Lei Ming a few times and sensing the judging eyes around her.
Naturally, she might be able to take it a little bit more if she was her usual self.
The thing was that Martial Emperor You Han had just been defeated the day before. Her mood was ruined up till now, so it made sense for her to get mad easily.
Watching Martial Emperor You Han leave with the eight You Han Valley disciples in a fit, Martial Emperor Lei Ming finally had a smile across his face. It was the smile of victory.
Their rivalry had been going on for over ten years and it had yet to come to an end until now.
To him, to be able to defeat Martial Emperor You Han verbally today at such an occasion was undoubtedly something to be pleased about.
“Let’s go,” Martial Emperor Lei Ming commanded the ten Thundercloud Peak disciples behind him while everyone was watching. They proceeded to walk while looking for a suitable place to settle in.
There were a young man and a young lady who followed closely behind him while the remaining eight persons accompanied behind them.
There was a mix of young, middle-aged, and old men among the eight of them.
“So, he’s Martial Emperor Lei Ming from the Cloud Continent?”
“I’ve heard about him! He’s the owner of the Cloud Continent’s Thundercloud Peak. He’s definitely in the top three among the Martial Emperor powerhouses on the Cloud Continent.”
“Did you just find out about it now? It appears that you’ve no idea about the woman who argued with him earlier. She’s the person who ranks the same as him. She’s the owner of the Cloud Continent’s You Han Valley, Martial Emperor You Han.”
“That woman was Martial Emperor You Han? The astounding female peak level powerhouse renowned on the Cloud Continent?”
…
As Martial Emperor Lei Ming and his people moved to look for a suitable place to settle in, many of the Hidden Fog Island people who were watching discussed among themselves with enthusiasm coloring their voices.
Naturally, most of them were exclaiming how powerful Martial Emperor You Han was.
No matter whether it was on the Hidden Fog Island or the Cloud Continent, females were innately much weaker than men in general.
It was difficult for men to cultivate to the level Martial Emperor You Han was on, not to mention the fact that she was a woman.
Therefore, compared to Martial Emperor Lei Ming, their admiration for the female Martial Emperor powerhouse was infinitely higher.
A female whose ability was powerful enough to be ranked top three among other Martial Emperor powerhouses on the Cloud Continent was mind-blowing.
As the people from the Hidden Fog Island were whispering and discussing among themselves, Martial Emperor Lei Ming heard every single word that they said. His face turned solemn.
Now, some of them were even talking about how he lost to a woman and that he should be ashamed to be a man.
Having gone through a lot throughout the years, he found this incredibly humiliating.
However, he could not argue with them.
Their gender difference aside, age-wise, he was a few years older than Martial Emperor You Han.
The tall, young man who followed closely behind Martial Emperor Lei Ming was Zhou Yi. He said to the young lady next to him after hearing what the people around were whispering, “Senior Sister Bi, I think… You’re the only one who can win master’s dignity back from such embarrassment.”
The young lady was Martial Emperor Lei Ming’s first direct disciple, Lan Bi. She was a female Martial Emperor powerhouse just like Martial Emperor You Han. Naturally, it was impossible for her current ability to be on par with Martial Emperor You Han’s.
However, she had the advantage of youth and still had a shot to surpass Martial Emperor You Han in the future.
“Martial Emperor You Han.” Hearing what Zhou Yi said, Lan Bi looked at the back of the woman who had gone far away immediately while a gleam sparkled in her eyes.
She had become Martial Emperor Lei Ming’s disciple before Zhou Yi did, so she felt the pain from the whispers around.
Just like what Zhou Yi said, she was the only one who could clear her master’s name from such embarrassment.
As soon as she defeated Martial Emperor You Han and became a notorious Martial Emperor powerhouse on the Cloud Continent or even the Overseas Saint Islands, she would definitely win back her master’s dignity that he had lost that day.
By then, nobody would say that her master had lost to a woman. Instead, they would gush about how her master taught a female disciple who defeated Martial Emperor You Han.
When the time came, it would be clear who emerged as the winner.
Although Zhou Yi was speaking to Lan Bi softly, Martial Emperor Lei Ming had exceptional hearing, so he heard everything loud and clear.
At that moment, the agitation in him was replaced with pleasure.
“This Zhou Yi isn’t too shabby. Not only he’s low key and modest, but he’s always considerate towards me. I’ve lived a decent life for having direct disciples like him and Bi’er.” The more Martial Emperor Lei Ming thought about it, the more pleased he was.
“Zhou Yi!!” Just when Martial Emperor Lei Zhong was indulging in his delight, an explosive, raging scream broke the air. While shock flitted over his face, Martial Emperor Lei Ming’s face shifted to become solemn.
He could tell that the person had ill intentions from just his voice before even seeing his face. It was aimed towards his direct disciple Zhou Yi.
However, he saw a rather familiar silhouette when he turned around. The person approached with ten people who were marching in majestically. It was the leader who had screamed earlier.
“Martial Emperor Shi Qi?” Martial Emperor Lei Ming recognized the leader in just a glance.
It was the owner of the Cloud Continent’s Lost Stone Forest, Martial Emperor Shi Qi.
As a Martial Emperor powerhouse from the Cloud Continent himself, he had seen Martial Emperor Shi Qi a couple of times before.
Martial Emperor Shi Qi was humble when they had met earlier, but today he was fierce and ignored Martial Emperor Lei Ming completely.
At that time, all Martial Emperor Lei Ming could feel was the raging fire rumbling in him that could explode anytime.
Never did Martial Emperor Shi Qi expect to see Zhou Yi the traitor at the Hidden Fog Martial Competition that he had brought his ten disciples to.
Although it was just the outline of his silhouette far away, he recognized that the figure belonged to Zhou Yi right away.
Zhou Yi was his direct disciple who he once cherished the most, but turned his back on him.
At that moment, rage filled Martial Emperor Shi Qi’s eyes as he glared deadly at Zhou Yi.
At that very moment, Zhou Yi seemed to be the only thing in his world.
He even ignored Martial Emperor Lei Ming who had turned around upon hearing his fierce scream and stood before Zhou Yi now.
“Junior Brother Zhou Yi? I think he’s Martial Emperor Shi Qi from the Lost Stone Forest… Did you offend him?” Lan Bi who was next to Zhou Yi recognized Martial Emperor Shi Qi as soon as she turned around.
As Martial Emperor Lei Ming’s favorite direct disciple, she always followed him everywhere and she had seen Martial Emperor Shi Qi once, so she recognized him.
There was a gleam of fear that flashed deep within Zhou Yi’s eyes as he faced Martial Emperor Shi Qi who was glaring at him in wrath and might attack him anytime.
However, the gleam of fear vanished immediately and was replaced with calmness.
In the blink of an eye, Zhou Yi calmed down entirely as he looked into Martial Emperor Shi Qi’s eyes neutrally.
“It’s you, Senior Shi Qi.” Zhou Yi nodded at Martial Emperor Shi Qi and greeted him calmly.
Senior Shi Qi?
Martial Emperor Shi Qi was stunned to hear how Zhou Yi addressed him. Even the couple of Lost Stone Forest disciples who knew Zhou Yi were stunned as they stood behind him.
Soon, something dawned on Martial Emperor Shi Qi.
It was clear that Zhou Yi had someone backing him up. Otherwise, he would not be this calm facing him without an ounce of fear.
At that moment, Martial Emperor Shi Qi looked away from Zhou Yi and glanced around him. He seemed to be looking for the “pillar of support” that made Zhou Yi so bold.
“Martial Emperor… Martial Emperor Lei Ming!”
He saw Martial Emperor Lei Ming who was standing behind Zhou Yi immediately. He realized that was how Zhou Yi managed to keep his composure.
“Zhou Yi, you’re pretty capable… It’s only been a while since you betrayed my Lost Stone Forest and you’ve found yourself a pillar of support now,” Martial Emperor Shi Qi mocked Zhou Yi again after taking a deep breath in.
“Betray the Lost Stone Forest?” Martial Emperor Shi Qi’s accusation made everyone gasp.
The nine Thundercloud Peak disciples including Lan Bi were staring at Zhou Yi with distrust at that moment.
Was Zhou Yi a traitor to the Lost Stone Forest?