Nine Heavens Martial Emperor

On Heaven-Stepping Peak, in Lin Hao’s room.

The thought that in just a few more hours he could enter the Sahā World to cultivate again made Lin Hao very excited.

However, the arrival of an uninvited guest had him on pins and needles.

Because the visitor was a cat—a vain and preening cat.

"What are you doing here?" Seeing Lord Lingdi, Lin Hao instantly remembered its words, "I’ve come to serve you in bed," and goosebumps broke out across his skin.

Seeing Lin Hao’s expression, Lord Lingdi’s round cat eyes revealed a very human-like, cunning look.

"I’ve come to serve you in bed, of course," a syrupy sweet voice purred from Lord Lingdi’s mouth.

Lin Hao leaped to his feet, ready to flee.

However, the cat was astonishingly fast, blocking Lin Hao’s escape route.

"Alright, I’m scared of you, can we just stop? Tell me, what do you really want?" Lin Hao backed away, on the verge of tears.

He had a terrifying intuition. Although this cat looked unremarkable, its true power was likely unmatched in the entire Heaven-Stepping Sect.

Moreover, Lin Hao keenly sensed that its aura was now somewhat stronger than when he had first met it.

’Could it be using the Heaven-Stepping Sect to cultivate?’

The thought flashed through Lin Hao’s mind.

"I’ve discovered that we share a certain fate. I’d like to stay with you for a couple of days," Lord Lingdi said.

Suspicion flared in Lin Hao’s heart, and his expression turned cold. "What are you really after? I don’t like being played for a fool!"

Lord Lingdi’s eyes flickered a few times before it spoke words that stunned Lin Hao.

"Things have come to this, so I’ll be honest. I need to enter the Sahā World. And right now, you’re the only one who can get in."

"You actually know about the Sahā World!" Lin Hao was utterly shocked.

Lord Lingdi stated proudly, "There are very, very few things in this world that I don’t know."

"You want to enter the Sahā World to cultivate?" Lin Hao asked, calming down.

’Could it be that Lord Lingdi came to the Heaven-Stepping Sect with its sights set on the Sahā World all along?’

"To tell you the truth, when you entered the Sahā World last time, Yingxue and I were both there."

Lin Hao was dumbfounded.

’Didn’t Wu Taichu say that only the successive Sect Leaders knew the mantra to enter?’

’And it was inside, but I didn’t sense it at all?’

As if it knew what Lin Hao was thinking, Lord Lingdi began to explain:

"You’re mistaken. Besides the successive Sect Leaders of the Heaven-Stepping Sect, I also know the mantra to enter the Sahā World. But now, no one can enter it except for you."

Lin Hao was confused.

"Do you remember how you unconsciously touched those four characters?"

Lin Hao nodded.

"Back then, even Little Hongtian could only manage to touch the third character, yet you performed a miracle. The Sahā World has already acknowledged you as its master!"

There was a slight tremor in Lord Lingdi’s voice. Even though it had lived for countless ages and witnessed the majesty of an Emperor Venerable, the memory of that scene from a few days ago still stirred its soul.

"Who is Little Hongtian?" Lin Hao asked. He had never heard the name before.

Lord Lingdi said nonchalantly, "He single-handedly founded the Heaven-Stepping Sect and was revered by others as Emperor Hongtian."

’Emperor Hongtian, who achieved the rank of Emperor Venerable ten thousand years ago, was just ’Little Hongtian’ to it!’

BOOM!

Staring at Lord Lingdi, a look of horror appeared in Lin Hao’s eyes.

"Just what is your origin?!"

"I don’t know my own origin either. I only know that I’ve lived for endless ages and have witnessed the rise of one Great Emperor after another. Hongtian, Xiaoxuanzi, and so on and so forth. Oh, right. That little turtle, Xiaoxuanzi, is known by others as the Profound Emperor."

There was no arrogance in the cat’s tone, only an endless sense of desolation.

Lin Hao’s pupils abruptly widened.

Lin Hao was a smart person; he had picked up on too many unusual things from Lord Lingdi’s words.

If nothing else, at the very least, the cat had already seen through the cultivation technique he practiced. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have mentioned the Profound Emperor.

After his shock, Lin Hao’s eyes darted. "Sister Ling, you’re truly incredible. The phrase ’a lifespan as long as the heavens’ must be about you."

’This cat’s background is astounding. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it a living fossil.’

’Its methods are bound to be incredible. If it wanted to deal with me, I’m afraid there wouldn’t even be dust left of me.’

So, since there was no immediate danger, Lin Hao’s mind started racing with ideas.

"Kid, don’t think I don’t know what you’re scheming. You want to walk the path of invincibility and become an Emperor Venerable. You want to pry Emperor Arts from my mouth, gather the strengths of a hundred schools, and ultimately create your own path."

Lin Hao chuckled, not feeling the least bit awkward, and continued to lay on the flattery. "Sister Ling is truly wise and powerful, with unparalleled intelligence."

"Well, we’ll talk about that later. Let’s discuss the Sahā World first. Actually, my main reason for going in is for that girl, Yingxue."

"Yingxue? What’s wrong with her?" Lord Lingdi’s words immediately diverted Lin Hao’s attention.

Lord Lingdi looked embarrassed. "After you left that day, I had to expend a great deal of effort to get out, and... well, I ended up leaving that girl Yingxue behind."

"What?!" Lin Hao was aghast. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

’It’s been three or four days! That girl must be worried to death in there.’

’This cat is so unreliable, only coming to find me now.’

"Her situation is very special, so you don’t need to worry. Besides, I care about her a lot. Isn’t that why I’m trying to get her out now?"

"You said the Sahā World has acknowledged me as its master. What’s that all about?" Lin Hao asked, puzzled.

"It means that from now on, whenever it’s time for it to open, you can appear there with a single thought, no matter where you are. Furthermore, without your permission, no one else can enter," Lord Lingdi explained.

Lin Hao’s eyes lit up instantly.

’The place where an Emperor Venerable achieved enlightenment has become my own private property, my secret weapon! What could be more exciting than this?’

However, the thought of the time limit brought a small pang of regret to Lin Hao’s heart.

"You should be content. The Sahā World is beyond your imagination," Lord Lingdi said.

Lin Hao didn’t answer, just chuckled slyly.

"For now, just prepare yourself. When the time comes, you can enter the Sahā World with a single thought. Once you send me and Yingxue out, you can continue your cultivation."

Lin Hao nodded, closed his eyes, and began to regulate his breathing.

What he lacked most right now was time, and his most urgent need was to raise his cultivation level.

At the stroke of midnight, Lord Lingdi leaped nimbly onto Lin Hao’s shoulder.

Lin Hao frowned, and then the man and the cat vanished.

The next moment, Lin Hao opened his eyes to find himself in the Sahā World.

The towering, ancient tree swayed. The world was utterly silent. Lin Hao released his Spiritual Sense, but he couldn’t find any trace of Yingxue.

Staring skeptically at Lord Lingdi, Lin Hao wondered if he’d been tricked.

However, what happened next left Lin Hao dumbfounded.

He watched as Lord Lingdi scurried to the base of the great tree, stood on its hind legs, and knocked its front paws against the trunk three times, chanting, "The first knock paves the spirit road, the second knock delivers the grand message, the third knock opens the Celestial Gate."

As the chant concluded, Lin Hao saw the great tree light up brilliantly, while a large door abruptly appeared on its trunk.

Chaos Qi filled the space within the tree-door, yet it was completely serene. The Chaos Qi even formed a staircase, giving one the urge to ascend its steps.

It was as if climbing the staircase would lead directly to Tianyu.

It was a perfect fusion of extremes and contradictions.

Then, his eyes widened even further.

A woman in white descended the stairs, drifting as if an immortal, like a figure from a myth.

And when he saw her face clearly, Lin Hao was even more astonished, because it was unmistakably Yingxue.

Yingxue stepped out, and the tree-door instantly closed.

Lin Hao frowned. He noticed that something was very wrong with Yingxue’s state. Moreover, her aura was incredibly powerful, exuding a heroic spirit that seemed to look down upon the world.

Lin Hao was about to ask what was going on, but Lord Lingdi stopped him.

"Shh. I know you have many questions. First, use your will to send us out. We can talk about the rest after you come out." Seeing Yingxue’s condition, Lord Lingdi was actually very excited and urged Lin Hao repeatedly.

His time here was limited, and Lin Hao didn’t want to waste it. With a flicker of his consciousness, he was left alone in the Sahā World.

Pushing aside all distracting thoughts, Lin Hao sat cross-legged and began to cultivate...

As he operated the Godslaying Celestial Slash Skill, the sun and moon appeared simultaneously in the Sahā World—an incredibly bizarre sight.

Sunlight and moonlight alternately washed over Lin Hao’s body.

Then, red sunlight and white moonlight poured into Lin Hao’s body at the same time.

Lin Hao’s entire body began to glow. His muscles, bones, and skin resonated in unison, and a thunderous roar like that of tigers and leopards erupted.

Then, his spine began to bend and twist in an unbelievable way, starting to evolve into the shape of a dragon.

The true self within his Dantian left his body and hovered above his head, actually devouring the essence of the sun and moon!

If an Emperor Venerable were to witness such a scene, they too would likely be shocked into a stupor.

A Martial Artist at the Blood Coagulation Realm nourishing their bloodline with sunlight and moonlight was simply unheard of.

Fortunately, this was the Sahā World. If he were outside and someone saw his cultivation, it would probably shake the world, and they would stop at nothing to kill him.

This strange phenomenon lasted for several hours before it finally subsided.

The moment it calmed, Lin Hao rose to his feet, and a series of popping sounds echoed from his body.

A flash of joy appeared on his face, then vanished.

Lin Hao could feel an unimaginable power contained within his body.

It gave him the urge to unleash it.

Seventh Layer of the Blood Coagulation Realm!

The first time he entered the Sahā World, he had broken through Two Layers in a single night. Upgrading again this time gave Lin Hao the illusion that the Sahā World was omnipotent.

In reality, this was entirely Lin Hao’s misconception.

During his days on Mount Tianduan, he had remained at the Third Layer of the Blood Coagulation Realm. Although he hadn’t broken through, he had elevated his state of mind.

In the path of martial arts cultivation, one’s state of mind is paramount. With a tenacious and unyielding heart, even a foolish old man can move mountains!

Lin Hao’s martial heart was unshakable, so his cultivation naturally yielded twice the results with half the effort.

Other cultivators would face bottlenecks, but Lin Hao’s state of mind had long since surpassed the Blood Coagulation Realm. It could be said that his entire cultivation journey through this realm would be incredibly smooth.

Feeling the advancement of his realm, and with a complete lack of any discomfort, Lin Hao suppressed his excitement and continued to cultivate.

The previous phenomenon began to repeat itself, but this time with even more astonishing momentum.

Just as Lin Hao reached the critical moment of breaking through to the Eighth Layer of the Blood Coagulation Realm, he suddenly felt space distort around him.

The instant he opened his eyes, Lin Hao knew something was wrong.

He was back in his room.

Obviously, his time was up.

But he hadn’t had time to retract his power.

A violent torrent of energy raged out from him, grinding everything in the room to dust!

The room was left in shambles.

Startled, Lin Hao hastily retracted his power.

’What a pity,’ Lin Hao thought. ’If I had just two more hours, I’m absolutely confident I could have broken through to the Eighth Layer of the Blood Coagulation Realm!’

He was already in a foul mood, and of all times, someone had to show up and spoil it further.