Nine Heavens Martial Emperor

"I wonder where the rot starts when you get hit with this Netherworld Bone Transformation Claw?" Lin Hao’s expression was bizarre in the extreme.

A bad feeling welled up in Gu Yunfei’s heart, but he immediately started to laugh.

Because he saw Lin Hao’s chest beginning to turn black.

It was a sign of rotting flesh.

But in the next moment, the smile froze on Gu Yunfei’s face.

The blackened flesh on Lin Hao’s chest was recovering at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The Netherworld Bone Transformation Claw was said to be fatal for anyone beneath the Soul Gathering Realm. That was the guarantee of this supremely evil martial art.

The changes happening to Lin Hao left Gu Yunfei dumbfounded.

In truth, it wasn’t hard to understand.

After all, the Godslaying Celestial Slash Skill Lin Hao cultivated was an Emperor Skill, and its primary function was to absorb sunlight.

Sunlight, the purest form of Yang, was the bane of all evil.

Let alone Gu Yunfei’s Netherworld Bone Transformation Claw—even the Netherworld Divine Transformation Claw couldn’t have harmed Lin Hao in the slightest.

For Martial Artists, distraction is the greatest weakness in a fight.

In the instant Gu Yunfei was dazed, Lin Hao moved.

His speed was astonishing. By the time Gu Yunfei reacted, it was already too late.

In a single exchange, Gu Yunfei was completely immobilized.

Then, Lin Hao moved again and, in the same fashion, subdued Qin Huayang.

When he helped Wu Kui up and removed the seals on his body, Wu Kui was still staring blankly.

’Fast. It was too fast.’

’How much time had passed? Gu Yunfei and Qin Huayang had both been taken down by Lin Hao.’

"Go inform Master Shan Dan. I’ll take these two and find the Sect Leader." Lin Hao, also realizing the gravity of the situation, hoisted up the two men and prepared to leave.

Wu Kui agreed and, before leaving, viciously slapped Gu Yunfei across the face several times.

Wu Kui was the type to hold a grudge. Gu Yunfei had just slapped him, so how could he possibly pass up the chance to return the favor?

"Thanks, brother." Wu Kui knew he never would have gotten such a chance if not for Lin Hao. With a quick word of thanks, he vanished in a flash.

And Lin Hao, one person in each hand, moved with incredible speed.

Halfway there, he sensed a terrifying wave of power emanating from the council hall.

Changing direction, Lin Hao immediately sped toward the council hall.

Inside the council hall, the tension was thick enough to cut with a knife.

"Wu Taichu, if you don’t hand over the Emperor Skill today, I will slaughter everyone in your Heaven-Stepping Sect!"

Yue Fanshan made no effort to conceal his aura, his menacing power on full display.

His words were arrogant in the extreme.

However, he had the power to back up his arrogance.

The difference of a single major realm—even the First Layer of the Soul Gathering Realm—was equivalent to ten times the combat power of the Ninth Layer of the Elemental Realm.

"Go on and try!" Facing the pressure from a Soul Gathering Realm expert, Wu Taichu found it difficult to even stand.

But he was a Sect Leader, after all, and he represented the honor of his sect. So, facing this overwhelming suppression, even as his body felt like it was about to shatter, he stood ramrod straight, not retreating a single step.

Yue Fanshan’s eyes flickered, but he said nothing.

The Heaven-Stepping Sect was, after all, founded by an Emperor Venerable. He might be arrogant, but he wasn’t reckless.

"Wu Taichu, how about a trade? You give us the Heaven-Stepping Step, and we’ll let Lin Hao go," Gu Qingyang said, striking right at Wu Taichu’s weakness.

To some extent, Lin Hao was more important to Wu Taichu than the Emperor Skill. However, he couldn’t let the Emperor Skill fall into enemy hands on his watch. Just as Wu Taichu wrestled with his dilemma, a voice suddenly rang out.

"Gu Qingyang, why don’t you kill yourself on the spot, and I’ll let your son go? How does that sound?"

Lin Hao’s voice boomed from the plaza outside, echoing in all directions.

Everyone in the council hall reacted differently, but they all moved at once.

The next moment, on the vast plaza of Heaven-Stepping Peak, two groups of people stood in a standoff. In the middle stood Lin Hao, his hands pressed on the heads of Gu Yunfei and Qin Huayang.

"Release Yunfei!" "Release Huayang!" Seeing the scene before them, Gu Qingyang and Qin Tianlong roared simultaneously, their eyes nearly splitting with fury.

They had never imagined that with both of them present, things would turn out this way.

At the same time, Lin Hao’s cultivation level stunned them.

Just yesterday, Lin Hao was only at the Sixth Layer of the Blood Coagulation Realm. Overnight, his cultivation had reached the Seventh Layer.

If they hadn’t seen it with their own eyes, they would have thought it was an impossible fantasy.

After all, it hadn’t even been ten days since Lin Hao joined the sect, yet his cultivation had already soared from the Third Layer of the Blood Coagulation Realm to the Seventh Layer.

Such a terrifying cultivation speed would likely eclipse even the most dazzling geniuses on the continent.

Lin Hao remained completely unmoved, a smile playing on his lips. "Kill yourselves on the spot, and I’ll let them go."

"Insolent!"

A furious roar echoed.

The voice belonged to Yue Fanshan.

How could someone in the Blood Coagulation Realm withstand the roar of a Soul Gathering Realm expert? The force of the shout struck Lin Hao like a bolt of lightning, and he violently spat out a mouthful of blood.

At that very moment, Yue Fanshan moved.

He lunged forward, intending to capture Lin Hao.

He was fast, but Lin Hao was faster.

Lin Hao’s body shifted sideways in a way that defied all logic, and Yue Fanshan’s attack unbelievably missed.

Yet, Lin Hao’s hands never left the two men’s heads.

Yue Fanshan was utterly dumbfounded, unable to believe what had just happened.

As a Soul Gathering Realm expert, his roar should have shattered Lin Hao’s internal organs.

With such an injury, there was absolutely no chance of survival.

But not only had Lin Hao survived, he had also dodged his attack. It was simply astonishing.

In the instant he was stunned, Wu Taichu’s furious roar rang out.

"You old bastard! Bullying a junior! Aren’t you afraid of becoming a laughingstock when word of this gets out!"

Wu Taichu shot forward, but Yue Fanshan merely flicked his sleeve. Wu Taichu was sent flying backward as if he had run into an invisible wall.

Lin Hao was his Martial Grand-uncle, yet he could only watch helplessly as he was injured. Wu Taichu was driven mad by his powerlessness, and his roars shook the heavens.

"Try moving again, old man. I guarantee they’ll die before I do." Lin Hao’s eyes were filled with vigilance.

He had just experienced the man’s power firsthand. The slightest mistake, and he would die here today.

"Grandfather, save me!" Gu Yunfei cried out to Yue Fanshan, his voice trembling.

The pressure from Lin Hao’s hand made him feel as if his skull was about to explode.

At that moment, Gu Yunfei was certain that if Lin Hao applied even a fraction more force, his head would burst open.

Hearing this, Lin Hao’s eyes lit up.

’To be honest, I was bluffing before,’ he thought. ’I didn’t know who this old man was, but now it’s different.’

When Yue Fanshan heard the address, the corner of his mouth twitched.

"Release Yunfei, and I will leave the Heaven-Stepping Sect." At this point, Yue Fanshan had no choice but to concede.

Lin Hao sneered. "Do you take me for a three-year-old?"

"Compared to the Emperor Skill, what does one grandson matter? Kill him!" Yue Fanshan’s expression changed, his killing intent flaring.

He had just witnessed Lin Hao’s body technique and was now certain it had to be derived from the Emperor Skill. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for him to dodge his attack.

Faced with such a huge temptation, Gu Yunfei’s life no longer seemed important.

Lin Hao’s expression hardened.

"Yue Fanshan, stop!" Master Shan Dan’s voice rang out.

However, Yue Fanshan turned a deaf ear. His terrifying aura surged as a giant, spectral hand clawed toward Lin Hao.

The giant hand completely enveloped Lin Hao. Before a Soul Gathering Realm expert, he was completely powerless to resist.

It wasn’t just Lin Hao. Wu Taichu and the three Grand Elders wanted to help, but they were blocked by an overwhelming gale of force, unable to even get near Yue Fanshan.

Caught in the eye of the storm, Lin Hao’s body began to glow as his Protective Gang Qi flared to life, but it couldn’t stop his skin from cracking under the pressure.

Lin Hao’s eyes turned cold, and he suddenly squeezed!

POP! POP!

Gu Yunfei and Qin Huayang didn’t even have time to scream before Lin Hao crushed their heads like ripe watermelons!

Even in this situation, Lin Hao had dared to kill them!

Yue Fanshan flew into a rage, his terrifying aura intensifying.

"Stop! If you kill him, Ancestor Cang Yan will annihilate your Zhengyang Sect, leaving no one alive!" Wu Taichu screamed, his eyes bloodshot with rage, but he was powerless and could only invoke Cang Yan’s name.

However, Yue Fanshan’s hand only paused for a fraction of a second before continuing.

’At this point, even if I stop, will Cang Yan spare me when he appears?’

The answer was no.

As long as he slaughtered the Heaven-Stepping Sect and obtained the complete Emperor Skill, not even Cang Yan could do anything to him.

And now, Lin Hao had killed his own grandson right in front of him!

Nothing could stop him from getting his revenge!

But, at this very moment.

"Heh."

A soft chuckle sounded.

The sound was faint, yet perfectly clear.

Then, a slender, jade-white hand collided with Yue Fanshan’s massive palm.

Unlike any normal collision, their impact was completely silent.

The next moment, Yue Fanshan staggered back several steps.

A woman in white also drifted back, coming to a stop beside Lin Hao.

Lin Hao was stunned.

The woman in white who had suddenly appeared was none other than Yingxue.

But unlike her usual self, she was wearing a red bow in her hair.

"You’re certainly brave. If I didn’t have this little girl’s body, even I couldn’t have saved you today." The words came from Yingxue’s mouth, but it was Lord Lingdi’s voice.

Lin Hao understood. Lord Lingdi had borrowed Yingxue’s body.

"Who are you?" Yue Fanshan asked from across the plaza, utterly shocked.

His opponent was just a girl of thirteen or fourteen, yet she possessed the cultivation of the Soul Gathering Realm. This completely shattered his understanding of the world.

"Who I am isn’t important. What is important is that you dared to attack him. For that, you will not be leaving here alive today," ’Yingxue’ said, her tone ice-cold.

"You want to kill me? Big words for a little girl!" Yue Fanshan retorted, then, without any warning, suddenly lunged for Lin Hao again.

"Get back!" With a single step, ’Yingxue’ appeared in front of Lin Hao, her speed beyond belief.

Before anyone could see clearly, the two had already clashed again.

Meanwhile, Wu Taichu and the three Grand Elders also made their move.

Their targets, naturally, were Gu Qingyang and Qin Tianlong.

Neither Gu Qingyang nor Qin Tianlong had expected there to be another Soul Gathering Realm expert within the sect.

Three against two, they had no hope of victory.

"Father-in-law, we can’t wait any longer!" Gu Qingyang roared after clashing palms with Wu Taichu.

Just moments ago, Lin Hao had killed his son right in front of him. Gu Qingyang felt an overwhelming urge to slaughter the entire Heaven-Stepping Sect, but he was currently tied up by Wu Taichu. The rage in his heart was unimaginable.

As Gu Qingyang’s voice fell, Yue Fanshan’s aura exploded, and a terrifying presence enveloped the entire Heaven-Stepping Sect.