Nine Heavens Martial Emperor

Elder Gu happened to overhear Wu Taichu’s words.

"Sect Leader, you’ve broken through to the Soul Gathering Realm? That’s wonderful! Ever since Ancestor Cang Yan left, the sect has finally produced another expert at the Soul Gathering Realm!" Elder Gu said excitedly.

Wu Taichu glanced at Lin Hao, his expression a mask of pure awkwardness.

Ancestor Cang Yan had been gone from the sect for twenty years, and in all that time, not a single Martial Artist had reached the Soul Gathering Realm.

Worse, Elder Gu was bringing it up right in front of their Grand Ancestor. Compared to the Grand Ancestor’s cultivation speed, Wu Taichu felt so ashamed he could die.

But the excited Elder Gu didn’t notice anything was amiss, continuing with a bashful look, "Sect Leader, you entered the Saha World once and advanced to the Soul Gathering Realm. I only went from the Eighth to the Ninth Layer of the Elemental Realm. If you call yourself dull, wouldn’t that make me as dumb as a pig?"

"Ahem, ahem! Martial Uncle, please stop. Don’t let our Grand Ancestor laugh at us." Hearing Elder Gu’s words, Wu Taichu wished a hole would open in the ground and swallow him whole.

Only then did Elder Gu finally turn to size up Lin Hao.

One look, and he was stunned.

He clearly remembered Lin Hao being at the Seventh Layer of the Blood Coagulation Realm when he went in, but now he had skyrocketed to the Ninth Layer. Wasn’t this speed a bit too fast?

’Am I seeing things?’ Elder Gu’s eyes went wide. He blinked a couple of times, then shot a questioning, incredulous look at Wu Taichu.

Wu Taichu nodded.

"I remember our Grand Ancestor has only been at the sect for about twenty days, right? To have his cultivation shoot up from the Third Layer of the Blood Coagulation Realm, without even an awakened bloodline, all the way to the Ninth Layer... This speed... I can’t... I need a moment to process this..."

Elder Gu clutched his chest, finding it hard to breathe.

"Uh, Master, Elder, it’s all thanks to the Saha World. Didn’t you both improve your cultivation after going in once, too?" Lin Hao scratched his head, looking embarrassed.

It would have been fine if he hadn’t mentioned the Saha World, but the moment he did, Wu Taichu was reminded of the strange phenomenon he had just witnessed.

At this very moment, he was thankful Elder Gu hadn’t seen it. Otherwise, the elder probably wouldn’t be standing before him right now—he’d be lying on the ground.

"The Saha World truly lives up to its name as a cultivation Holy Land. Thank you, Grand Ancestor, for making this possible." Hearing Lin Hao’s words, Elder Gu finally calmed down a bit before bowing deeply to him.

Elder Gu believed that if he took another Harmonization Pill and entered the Saha World one more time, he too could break through the Elemental Realm and reach the Soul Gathering Realm.

And that didn’t seem so difficult anymore.

Lin Hao had brought all of this about, so Elder Gu’s bow was filled with genuine reverence.

"Elder, Master, since I’ve joined the sect, this is all just what I should be doing. There’s no need for such formalities in the future," Lin Hao said, helping Elder Gu up with a serious expression.

Although his seniority was high and he had done a few small things, being treated with such deference truly made Lin Hao feel a little undeserving.

"Good, good, good." Elder Gu said the word three times, his fondness for Lin Hao growing with every glance.

Lin Hao was young, but his methods were astonishing. Most importantly, he wasn’t arrogant about his achievements or overbearing. He maintained the pure heart of a child.

Such character was exceptionally rare.

"The heavens have truly blessed our Heaven-Stepping Sect," Elder Gu sighed in admiration.

In his heart, Lin Hao was like a god who had descended to the mortal world to save their sect.

Wu Taichu was also smiling. Though Lin Hao was young, he had accepted this Grand Ancestor without reservation and admired him to the core.

Seeing them like this put Lin Hao in a good mood as well.

However, the good mood of the three was about to be shattered.

"Sect Leader! Sect Leader, are you in there?" A frantic voice rang out as the door was pounded on.

Wu Taichu’s face darkened. "What’s the panic?" he asked.

"Something terrible has happened! Hall Master Bai has been assassinated within the sect!"

"What?!" Wu Taichu was deeply shocked. Someone had infiltrated the sect and assassinated a Hall Master? This was outrageous.

Lin Hao, however, raised an eyebrow.

’He hadn’t expected Yang Peng to actually go through with assassinating Bai Ming, and it seemed he had even succeeded.’

Sighing inwardly, Lin Hao shook his head.

"Ma... Lin Hao, we’ll go on ahead," Wu Taichu and Elder Gu said to Lin Hao at the same time.

Lin Hao shrugged. "I have nothing else to do anyway. Let’s go together."

The three of them left together. On the way, Wu Taichu asked, "How is Hall Master Bai? And the culprit?"

The disciple who had come to report paused for a moment before saying, "Hall Master Bai’s injuries aren’t life-threatening. After the culprit succeeded, he didn’t flee."

"Oh? So he’s fearless. Which sect is he from?"

"He’s... He’s a former outer sect disciple who was eliminated from our sect. His name is Yang Peng," the disciple stammered.

Yang Peng. The name was very familiar to Wu Taichu. He stopped dead in his tracks and looked at Lin Hao.

"A mere outer sect disciple was able to assassinate Hall Master Bai?" Elder Gu’s expression was one of disbelief.

"We don’t know how he managed it either. The strangest part is, after he succeeded, he crippled his own cultivation. He refuses to answer anyone’s questions," the disciple said, his expression strange.

Hearing this, Lin Hao’s eyes lit up.

He had been quite disappointed to hear that Yang Peng had actually assassinated Bai Ming. But after the disciple’s explanation, Lin Hao instantly understood Yang Peng’s intentions.

He had to admit, Yang Peng’s emotional intelligence was very high. Although it was a huge gamble, this was undoubtedly the best possible approach.

"How many people know about this?" Lin Hao suddenly asked.

By now, there probably wasn’t a single disciple in the Heaven-Stepping Sect who didn’t recognize Lin Hao. The disciple glanced at him and replied, "Reporting to the Chief Disciple, Yang Peng just made his move a short while ago. Hall Master Bai sealed off the news immediately, so only a few disciples know about it."

Lin Hao nodded.

The group fell silent. Before long, they arrived at the small courtyard where Bai Ming lived.

Bai Ming appeared to be badly injured, his face deathly pale.

Meanwhile, Yang Peng, kneeling to the side, looked like he was about to collapse.

But when he saw Lin Hao and the others arrive, Yang Peng raised his head and looked toward Lin Hao.

"Hall Master Bai, how about you hand him over to me? I’ll explain later." Yang Peng had crippled his own cultivation; if he didn’t receive treatment soon, he would suffer permanent consequences. Lin Hao didn’t waste any words.

Bai Ming nodded.

Lin Hao and Wu Taichu exchanged a nod, and then Lin Hao picked up Yang Peng and left.

He moved swiftly, and before long, the two of them were back at his residence.

"You crippled your own cultivation. Weren’t you afraid of becoming a true cripple?" Lin Hao asked, setting Yang Peng down.

Yang Peng looked up, a strange light in his eyes, and replied, "I was terrified. But now that the Young Master has said this, I’m not afraid anymore."

"You really are smart. But what makes you think I’ll save you?" Lin Hao wasn’t surprised by his answer. The corner of his mouth lifted in a teasing smirk as he asked.

"Because I will become a sharp weapon in the Young Master’s hands!" Yang Peng replied, his tone filled with powerful confidence.

Lin Hao nodded. "Very good. You haven’t disappointed me."

Yang Peng said nothing more. He bit his middle finger and used the blood to draw a strange rune on his own face, finally dotting it between his eyebrows. "By the heavens above and the earth below, I, Yang Peng, swear a blood oath today to be loyal to Lin Hao and serve him as my master. If I ever have a disloyal thought, may I be struck down by the heavens and destroyed by the earth!"

Yang Peng’s emotional intelligence was indeed high. Without even letting Lin Hao speak, he already knew what he had to do.

There was no need for Lin Hao to refine healing pills. He had plenty in the storage ring given to him by Master Shan Dan. He casually took out a bottle and tossed it over.

Then, Lin Hao placed a small booklet on the table.

"This is a Cultivation Technique. After you’ve healed, memorize it, then destroy it. I’m giving you ten days to cultivate back to the Third Layer of the Blood Coagulation Realm!"

He had prepared this Cultivation Technique long ago. It was, of course, from the Divine Demon Destruction Domain.

Although the technique was far superior to any on the Celestial Yang Continent, reaching the Third Layer of the Blood Coagulation Realm in just ten days was absolutely impossible without a special opportunity.

"Yes!" Although Yang Peng’s face remained tense, a flash of excitement appeared in his eyes.

He knew it was an impossible task, but he also believed that a person’s potential was limitless.

Lin Hao said no more and turned to leave the room.

He had already made a plan. The next time the Saha World opened, he would definitely take Yang Peng inside to cultivate.

Therefore, it was an absolute certainty that Yang Peng would return to the Third Layer of the Blood Coagulation Realm in ten days.

After the Third Layer of the Blood Coagulation Realm came the most crucial step: forging a bloodline.

Moreover, the martial competition in War Dragon City was fast approaching. Lin Hao needed to make a trip back.

Of course, he hadn’t forgotten his third and fourth brothers.

Therefore, he needed to perform Alchemy and refine the Nine Dragon God Refining Pill.

When Lin Hao arrived at the entrance of Pill Cloud Hall, he happened to run into two Alchemy Masters who were walking out.

"Senior Brother, have you been brainwashed by Lin Hao? For the past few days, all you’ve been talking about is ’Young Master Lin, Young Master Lin’," one of the Alchemy Masters complained to the person beside him, not noticing Lin Hao.

His senior brother didn’t answer him. Instead, he excitedly took a few steps forward, bowed with clasped fists to Lin Hao, and said, "Young Master Lin, you’ve come."

The junior brother was dumbfounded. Even back in the Danling Sect, his senior brother always acted high and mighty. When had he ever seen him act so respectfully?

Besides, this Lin Hao fellow was just the Chief Disciple of some third-rate sect. Even the chief disciples of the four major sects in the Southern Border Prefecture weren’t worthy of such deference.

"Senior Brother, you’re bringing shame to our sect!" the junior brother finally snapped.

SLAP!

The moment the words left his mouth, he was slapped across the face.

"Shut up!" The senior brother who had slapped him was red in the face. He then bowed obsequiously to Lin Hao and apologized, "Young Master Lin, I’m sorry. He’s just ignorant. Please don’t lower yourself to his level."

Lin Hao just smiled faintly and walked straight into Pill Cloud Hall.

Upon entering Pill Cloud Hall, Lin Hao was greeted by a scene of bustling activity.

Ever since that day, the Alchemy Masters had been refining pills with great enthusiasm.

In just a few short days, more than half of the Heaven-Stepping Sect’s stored Spirit Grass had been refined into pills.

As for the few Sect Disciples who had been sent to help, their faces were wreathed in smiles.

They had originally thought they would be pushed around here, but who knew that after they arrived, most of the Alchemy Masters would be incredibly polite to them.

Not only that, but on the rare occasion an Alchemy Master looked down on them and scolded them even slightly, they would immediately be berated by a crowd of other Alchemy Masters.

As Sect Disciples, being treated this way by the normally lofty Alchemy Masters was something they could scarcely believe.

These Sect Disciples didn’t know the reason and couldn’t figure it out. But when they saw how the Alchemy Masters reacted to Lin Hao, they suddenly understood everything.