Nine Heavens Martial Emperor

It was as if a peerless, malevolent beast was about to emerge.

At this moment, every Martial Artist in the entire Heaven-Stepping Sect below the Elemental Realm was trembling under this terrifying aura.

Meanwhile, on the Heaven-Stepping Peak plaza, a strangely shaped, crimson Demon Saber appeared in Yue Fanshan’s hand.

It was called a Demon Saber because the moment it appeared, the air filled with the thick stench of blood. With the saber in hand, Yue Fanshan’s eyes turned crimson and his hair stood on end, making him look just like a Demon God.

With the saber in hand, Yue Fanshan’s aura surged, becoming countless times stronger than it was just moments ago.

"A Tier Four Spiritual Artifact, the Annihilation Demon Saber!" ’Yingxue’ stared at the Demon Saber and spoke coldly.

Gu Qingyang took something out from his robes, stuck it on himself, and then handed one to Qin Tianlong, laughing loudly. "You’re more knowledgeable than you look! That’s right, this is the Annihilation Demon Saber! When this saber is drawn, it must taste blood, for it annihilates all things!"

"Step aside. This saber was forged from the Divine Souls of powerful experts who died wrongful deaths. The resentment and fury it contains are overwhelming." ’Yingxue’s’ eyes were filled with solemnity.

At that moment, aside from ’Yingxue’, everyone from the Heaven-Stepping Sect felt as if they had been plunged into an icy cavern. A bone-chilling cold rose from the depths of their souls, and their bodies froze, unable to move.

This saber was undoubtedly an evil blade.

The Godslaying Celestial Slash Skill inside Lin Hao’s body began to circulate on its own. A warm current arose, jolting his spirit and allowing him to instantly recover.

Just then, Yue Fanshan slashed down with his saber, and the world seemed to lose its color.

In response, ’Yingxue’ didn’t even raise her eyes. She merely uttered two words.

"Sword, come!"

’Yingxue’s’ crimson lips parted slightly, but her voice was like a sudden clap of thunder that boomed across the sky above the Heaven-Stepping Sect.

The members of the Heaven-Stepping Sect, who had been frozen by the Demon Saber’s might, suddenly felt their bodies lighten as they regained control. But what they saw next left them utterly aghast.

From the depths of Heaven-Stepping Peak, a streak of white light shot toward the sky. Then, a treasured sword leaped out and, as if being pulled by an unseen force, flew straight for the Heaven-Stepping Peak plaza.

Such a technique was truly like a move from an Immortal.

Wu Taichu was dumbfounded, his lips trembling.

He could see it clearly—the flying sword was none other than the Heaven-Stepping Sect’s ultimate treasure, its Tier Four Spiritual Artifact.

He had, of course, recognized ’Yingxue’s’ voice as Lord Lingdi’s. Wu Taichu knew it was powerful, but he never imagined its methods were so heaven-defying.

Lin Hao’s eyes, meanwhile, lit up.

’A single sword ascending like an immortal—such a mysterious and unpredictable technique is not the least bit inferior to an imperial skill!’

In the eyes of the crowd, the flying sword seemed extremely slow, but it was clearly moving at the absolute limit of speed.

Just as Yue Fanshan brought his saber down, ’Yingxue’ had only just parted her lips. But in the next instant, the sword was already in her hand.

The sword flashed horizontally to block, and the Annihilation Demon Saber slammed onto its blade.

It looked like an ordinary clash of blades; the crowd couldn’t feel any of the destructive power expected from Spiritual Artifacts.

However, at that very moment, a deafening ROAR echoed from the distance.

Lin Hao looked up and was horrified by the sight.

Not only had a nearby pavilion been sliced in half, but a massive mountain peak several thousand meters away had also been sheared clean off.

The destructive power unleashed when a Soul Gathering Realm expert used a Spiritual Artifact was astonishing.

With the Demon Saber in hand, Yue Fanshan was already possessed. His first strike having missed, he attacked again.

With a soft cry, ’Yingxue’ stepped onto the air and soared away, like the Lingbo Fairy herself.

Yue Fanshan’s eyes were bloodshot. With a furious roar, he transformed into a streak of light and gave chase.

In the next moment, Lin Hao saw two pillars of light—one red, one white—illuminating the distant landscape. One after another, mountain peaks collapsed within the light as the very earth trembled.

Suddenly, Lin Hao’s senses screamed in warning, and he instantly dodged to the side.

It was Gu Qingyang, who had taken advantage of the distraction to launch a sneak attack, intending to capture Lin Hao.

Although Yue Fanshan had come to the Heaven-Stepping Sect, his actions were not sanctioned by the Zhengyang Sect.

The temptation of an imperial skill was simply too great. Even if Yue Fanshan obtained it, he would never hand it over to the Zhengyang Sect.

Thus, he was acting on his own this time.

To be safe, he had paid a great price to bring a Tier Four Spiritual Artifact with him.

Earlier, he had claimed he would slaughter the entire Heaven-Stepping Sect; this was the true source of his confidence.

But neither he nor Gu Qingyang had ever expected the Heaven-Stepping Sect to have a Soul Gathering Realm expert.

In fact, it wasn’t just them; even Wu Taichu hadn’t expected it.

Now, having witnessed ’Yingxue’s’ power, Gu Qingyang knew that this time, they were going to fail. The only chance to turn things around was Lin Hao.

Therefore, he had launched a surprise attack, hoping to capture Lin Hao.

However, Lin Hao’s Body Technique was simply too fast.

Gu Qingyang stared at the piece of torn fabric in his hand, his face a mask of frustration.

Lin Hao had actually escaped from his grasp!

An opportunity like that would not come again.

Making a swift decision, Gu Qingyang chose to flee.

Qin Tianlong was not slow to react, and he too shot away.

However, how could Wu Taichu and the three Grand Elders possibly let them leave?

Wu Taichu, in particular, was frighteningly fast.

Ever since Lin Hao had completed the Heaven-Stepping Step, Wu Taichu had been focused on comprehending it. He had even spent the entire previous night in the Scripture Pavilion.

That one night had yielded immense gains.

With just a single step, Wu Taichu blocked the path of both Gu Qingyang and Qin Tianlong.

The three Grand Elders also moved to form a pincer, closing in on them.

Four against two. There was no suspense whatsoever.

In the end, the two were captured, while the great clash in the distance continued.

"I am from the Zhengyang Sect! Wu Taichu, if you touch me, you make an enemy of the Zhengyang Sect!"

Gu Qingyang showed no awareness of his status as a prisoner, his expression calm.

Wu Taichu and the three Grand Elders exchanged a look, a flash of worry indeed crossing their faces.

Then, they saw Lin Hao striding over, his gaze ice-cold.

Gu Qingyang’s eyes twitched. "What do you think you’re doing?!" he snarled.

He saw killing intent in Lin Hao’s eyes!

"Kill you!" Lin Hao spat out two words.

"You wouldn’t dare! Making an enemy of the Zhengyang Sect will bring annihilation upon the Heaven-Stepping Sect..."

Gu Qingyang didn’t get to finish his sentence before Lin Hao shattered his skull with a single palm strike.

"Leaving you alive would be the real disaster." After casually dispatching an Elemental Realm expert, Lin Hao’s expression remained perfectly calm.

"Sect Leader, I was possessed! For the sake of my many years of loyal service to the sect, please spare me."

In the blink of an eye, Gu Qingyang, who had the backing of the Zhengyang Sect, was dead. Qin Tianlong trembled, crying and pleading tearfully.

The crime of treason was unforgivable.

Without having to think, Qin Tianlong knew what awaited him.

For someone like Qin Tianlong, his life was far more precious than his dignity.

Wu Taichu didn’t answer, instead glancing toward Lin Hao.

Unconsciously, Wu Taichu, the leader of a sect, had already grown accustomed to following Lin Hao’s lead.

When Qin Tianlong noticed this, he dropped to his knees with a THUD. "Lin Hao, spare me! I’ll be your loyal servant for the rest of my life!"

At this moment, Qin Tianlong was wagging his tail and begging for mercy, without a shred of the dignity befitting a Peak Master.

’If he can betray the sect once for his own selfish desires, who’s to say he won’t do it a second time?’

Lin Hao would show no mercy to such a person.

Seeing Lin Hao’s gaze grow colder, Qin Tianlong suddenly exclaimed, "A duel! I’ll suppress my cultivation and fight you fairly on the God-Proving Platform! If I win, you let me go. If I lose, I’ll accept any punishment!"

This was where Qin Tianlong’s cunning showed. He had calculated that, given Lin Hao’s personality, he would agree to this demand.

Now, fighting Lin Hao was his only chance of survival.

Moreover, in Qin Tianlong’s opinion, his chances of winning were high.

Even with his realm suppressed, he had already stepped into the Elemental Realm. His command and control over True Essence were absolutely beyond what a Blood Coagulation Realm Martial Artist could compare to.

He refused to believe he couldn’t defeat Lin Hao.

’Hmph! On the God-Proving Platform, I won’t just defeat you, I’ll capture you and avenge Yang’Er!’ Qin Tianlong thought, lowering his head, his eyes filled with venomous hatred.

Lin Hao had destroyed everything he had. As long as he had a chance, he would not let Lin Hao go!

However, Lin Hao’s answer was not what he expected.

"You are not worthy." Lin Hao stated calmly.

Hearing his words, Wu Taichu and the others clearly breathed a sigh of relief.

In their view, Qin Tianlong was already a prisoner. There was absolutely no need for Lin Hao to agree to his demand.

But Qin Tianlong’s head snapped up, and he roared frantically, "No, how can you not agree?!"

Qin Tianlong couldn’t accept it.

Lin Hao crossed his arms and said mockingly, "And why should I agree?"

"I get it, you’re afraid of losing! Didn’t you repeatedly boast that Celestial Dui Peak would accept any challenge? Are you scared now?" Qin Tianlong’s face was flushed red as he tried to goad Lin Hao.

The corner of Lin Hao’s mouth lifted as he said slowly, "If I were you, I’d just accept death. We’d even posthumously declare you a hero or something. After all, we don’t argue with the dead."

At that moment, there were no other disciples on the plaza. If Qin Tianlong had simply submitted and been executed, he truly would have been made a hero of this incident.

But he stubbornly refused the gesture.

"Lin Hao, you coward! You’re trash, you’re afraid of me!" The more Lin Hao acted this way, the louder Qin Tianlong shouted.

Lin Hao shook his head. "On the God-Proving Platform, your death will be a miserable one."

Of course he wasn’t afraid of Qin Tianlong. The reason he hadn’t agreed was to leave him one last shred of dignity.

If Qin Tianlong submitted now, his epitaph would read that he died protecting the sect.

But on the God-Proving Platform, he might just become the first Peak Master in the sect’s history to be killed by a Blood Coagulation Realm Martial Artist.

"I, Qin Tianlong, will fight Lin Hao in a life-and-death battle on the God-Proving Platform! I ask you all to bear witness!" Qin Tianlong’s roar echoed throughout the Heaven-Stepping Sect.

He finished with a triumphant look on his face, turning to Lin Hao.

He had broadcast the news this way to cut off Lin Hao’s retreat. Now, Lin Hao had to agree, whether he wanted to or not!

’He’s digging his own grave. I can’t be blamed for this.’

Lin Hao sighed internally, looking at Qin Tianlong as if he were an idiot.

After deriving a new Body Technique from the complete Heaven-Stepping Step, Lin Hao had countless ways to utterly crush Qin Tianlong in a fight between equals.

Since he was so tactless, Lin Hao decided to use the most unexpected method.

"I... accept your challenge." In the end, Lin Hao said these words calmly.

Qin Tianlong smiled, looking very pleased with himself.

Just then, something fell from the sky with a THUD, and a figure in white landed in the plaza.

’Yingxue’s’ white robes were unstained by blood, giving her an ethereal appearance.

Aside from seeming a little spiritually drained, she was completely unharmed.

Yue Fanshan, on the other hand, was a bloody, mangled mess, sprawled motionless on the plaza floor.

"Go!"

With a soft cry from ’Yingxue’, the Tier Four Spiritual Artifact from the depths of Heaven-Stepping Peak sliced through the air and returned to its original place.

The sword of an ascending immortal appeared again, a moment of ephemeral splendor.

Then, ’Yingxue’ reached out, and the Annihilation Demon Saber was in her grasp.

At that very moment, a sudden change occurred.