Nine Heavens Martial Emperor

Beneath the seemingly peaceful ruins, several doors lay hidden.

Each door was an array. Once someone stepped inside, they would not only have to break the array but also face countless Devil Beasts.

For Lin Hao, this was an undeniable challenge.

Putting the Devil Beasts aside, the arrays alone were extremely troublesome.

If a master Martial Artist who knew nothing of arrays were to enter, they would likely be drained of their energy until they died!

Lin Hao stood proudly before the ruins, his expression serene, betraying neither sorrow nor joy.

Only his eyes flickered, at times deep in thought, at others filled with confusion...

Finally, Lin Hao closed his eyes.

A short while later, Lin Hao’s eyes snapped open, a brilliant light shining within them.

At that moment, the array behind each door was fully laid out in his mind.

Which paths led to life and which to death—it was all under his control!

Taking a deep breath, Lin Hao calmly strode toward the first dilapidated gate of the ruins.

On the door, Lin Hao saw these words.

"The array within is perilous and Devil Beasts run rampant. To enter this door is to walk the path to the underworld! Turn back!"

They were written in blood, a chilling sight.

Lin Hao merely smiled faintly and paid it no mind.

CREAK!

The door swung open with a sound that set one’s teeth on edge.

Lin Hao stepped inside.

BOOM!

The moment he entered, the scene within changed dramatically as a Devil Beast lunged at him with incredible speed.

Anyone else would have been thrown into a panic, their expression twisting in alarm.

Yet Lin Hao didn’t even bat an eye. He remained unhurried, calm, and composed.

As the Devil Beast closed in, Lin Hao struck out with a punch without even looking!

The Devil Beast instantly exploded into a mist of blood.

Only a single, vibrantly colored object fell to the ground.

It was the Devil Beast’s Demon Pill, and a mutated one at that.

Almost simultaneously, Lin Hao struck again with his left fist.

Another Devil Beast was blown to bits by the punch!

Similarly, only a mutated Demon Pill remained.

This was the first door, and the Devil Beasts were low-level. Lin Hao intended to make quick work of them.

Before long, a dozen Devil Beasts had been slain, every one of them obliterated by a single punch from Lin Hao!

Simple. Direct. Brutal.

The ground was littered with Demon Pills of various colors, a surprisingly beautiful sight.

But Lin Hao paid them no mind. He walked to the next door, pushed it open, and stepped inside.

He didn’t hesitate or pause for a moment.

If Wu Taichu had seen this, he would have likely erupted in curses, even though Lin Hao was his Martial Grand-Uncle.

After all, these were mutated Demon Pills, each one worth a fortune.

To say nothing else, one such pill was the reward for first place in the Heaven-Stepping Sect’s entrance assessment.

That alone was a testament to their value.

Wu Taichu in particular, who had a rudimentary knowledge of Artifact Refining, knew better than anyone the value of mutated Demon Pills.

They were prime materials for Artifact Refining. Forget the Heaven-Stepping Sect; all the major sects in the Southern Border Prefecture would fight madly over them.

Yet Lin Hao treated them with utter disdain.

’Could anyone be so wasteful?’

Of course, Lin Hao knew the value of these mutated Demon Pills—in fact, he understood it far more clearly than Wu Taichu.

And it was for this very reason that he treated them with disdain.

The Devil Beasts behind the first door were of a very low level; these Demon Pills weren’t even as good as the one he had obtained from the Celestial Demon Pig.

Besides, compared to what lay deep within these ruins, these Demon Pills were simply not worth mentioning.

It wasn’t worth wasting any time on them.

In no time at all, Lin Hao had already passed through four of the great doors.

Only then did he stop.

He then sat down cross-legged and began to circulate his Cultivation Technique.

The Devil Beasts ahead would be more numerous and of a higher level; he had to get himself into peak condition.

In fact, Lin Hao already knew exactly where he needed to stop and rest.

After a short while, Lin Hao opened his eyes and let out a soft "Hmm?"

Lin Hao hadn’t placed the Blood Python Demon Pill he had just acquired into his storage ring, but had instead tucked it away in his robes.

Now, as he pulled it out, he saw that the once-dazzling Demon Pill had dimmed somewhat.

Just now, as he circulated his Cultivation Technique to recover his energy, he had discovered that the Godslaying Celestial Slash Skill could actually absorb the energy within Demon Pills for his own use.

Looking at the slightly dimmed Demon Pill, Lin Hao placed it in his storage ring. ’This pill will be very useful later, I can’t let it be wasted like this.’

A smile then spread across Lin Hao’s face.

’The Godslaying Celestial Slash Skill is truly formidable,’ he thought. ’It can even absorb the energy from Demon Pills.’

’This means I can advance much more quickly.’

Overjoyed, Lin Hao set off once more.

Upon entering the next area, he found no Devil Beasts, only a solid wall.

The wall blocked all paths forward.

There were words carved into the wall.

"I was trapped here for several months and nearly wasted away. If you have been fortunate enough to reach this place, that is a great blessing in itself. Do not proceed recklessly! Retreat! Retreat! Retreat!"

These too were written in blood.

Beneath the blood-written words was a diagram, sketching out a route to escape.

It appeared to be a message left by a senior from the Heaven-Stepping Sect.

Lin Hao, however, ignored the map. Instead, he began tracing strange symbols on the wall with his finger.

’This wall is merely an illusion,’ he realized. ’The path forward is sealed by an array.’

Lin Hao had obviously known this all along.

Fifteen minutes later, the stone wall vanished, and the path ahead opened up.

And in front of him, a colossal Devil Beast with a ferocious glint in its eyes lay in wait.

Battle intent surged in Lin Hao’s eyes as he threw a punch...

In this manner, stopping and starting, Lin Hao eventually reached the center of the ruins, drenched in blood.

It was impossible to tell if it was his own or that of the Devil Beasts.

However, judging from his steady gait and the vibrant gleam in his eyes, Lin Hao was clearly in peak condition.

Even so, Lin Hao still chose to sit cross-legged and circulate his technique to restore his energy.

From outside the ruins, he had been able to see this central area, but he could not make out what was inside it.

Therefore, he didn’t dare to be the slightest bit careless.

After meditating for fifteen minutes, Lin Hao rose to his feet, took a deep breath, his expression turning solemn.

Then, his hands began to trace patterns in the empty air.

Before long, a pattern of a nine-colored starburst abruptly materialized in the once-empty space.

Taking the Blood Python Demon Pill from his storage ring, Lin Hao gave it a light squeeze, and it split into nine pieces.

What was shocking was that each of the nine fragments was a single, solid color.

Lin Hao’s control over his power was simply terrifying!

Then, Lin Hao tossed the fragments with a flick of his wrist.

The nine fragments flew directly into the nine-colored starburst.

The color of each fragment corresponded perfectly to one of the starburst’s points, with no mistakes!

CLICK! CRACK! CRACKLE!

As the sounds echoed, the nine-colored starburst pattern vanished, and the space before him twisted.

Lin Hao was on full alert.

The central area, which had been obscured from his view, was about to be revealed.

’The outer chambers were swarming with countless Devil Beasts,’ he thought. ’This central area must be filled with an unimaginable number of them!’

Lin Hao took a deep breath, bracing himself for a battle to the death.

However, when everything settled, a look of astonishment appeared on the face of Lin Hao, who had been poised for a great battle.

The area was completely empty.

It was completely unexpected.

Just as he was feeling puzzled, Lin Hao’s expression changed dramatically.

THUD! THUD! THUD!

A tremendous sound rang out, causing the very earth to tremble.

Then, a brilliant, rosy light shot up into the sky.

Then, Lin Hao saw a bizarre Devil Beast.

It resembled a type of Devil Beast known throughout the continent: the Tier Two Blood-Eyed Demon Ape.

But this was definitely no ordinary Demon Ape.

First, the Blood-Eyed Demon Ape’s iconic red fur was gone, replaced by scales that shimmered with a nine-colored light. The scales glowed brilliantly, as if it were clad in a suit of iridescent battle armor!

Second, this Blood-Eyed Demon Ape was far larger than any ordinary Demon Ape on the continent. It stood upright, towering before Lin Hao like a mountain. The massive claws on its feet were dug deep into the ground; they were not just impossibly sharp, but looked savage and terrifying!

But what shocked Lin Hao most was its forehead.

Its forehead was wreathed in a nine-colored halo, as if a nine-colored flame blazed there. This was the spot where the blood-red eye of a normal Blood-Eyed Demon Ape would be.

Glancing around, Lin Hao had a sudden realization. ’It’s not that there are no other Devil Beasts here... they’ve all been devoured by this creature.’

Even a normal Tier Two Blood-Eyed Demon Ape was as strong as an Elemental Realm Martial Artist. This mutated Demon Ape’s strength was likely beyond imagination.

Lin Hao’s heart grew bitter. ’Even an unmutated one would be more than a match for me. Now that it’s mutated, how am I supposed to fight this?’

Blood-Eyed Demon Ape. The name alone reeked of bloodlust.

And in this case, the name was fitting.

The Blood-Eyed Demon Ape is an extremely bloodthirsty species, notorious across the continent for devouring weaker Devil Beasts.

It had eaten all the Devil Beasts here, and now it stared at Lin Hao, drool dripping from its maw. Who knew how long it had been since its last fresh meal.

It didn’t move, and neither did Lin Hao.

Lin Hao knew that the slightest movement would invite a devastating attack.

The man and the ape stood in a tense standoff.

Lin Hao barely reached the Demon Ape’s knee; their sizes were completely incomparable.

With a delicious meal right in front of it, the Demon Ape finally lost its patience.

It crouched, then brought its two massive claws together in a sweeping clap, trying to crush Lin Hao.

The air HISSed, seeming to tear apart in the wake of its claws!

It was the ultimate expression of speed and power!

Lin Hao was prepared. He shot backward in retreat.

ROAR!

Its attack having missed, the Demon Ape let out a furious roar.

The roar filled the air with a foul stench and was so powerful it rattled Lin Hao’s very spirit, causing him to lose his focus.

His body stiffened, and a trickle of blood escaped the corner of his mouth.

Injured from a single roar. The Demon Ape’s power was terrifying beyond measure.

Seizing the opportunity, the Demon Ape moved again.

Despite its mountain-like size, its movements were incredibly fast. Its right claw tore through the air, swiping straight at Lin Hao.

By the time Lin Hao shook off the lingering effects of the roar, the claw was already upon him.

Without a second thought, he executed the Ghostly Divine Step.

He narrowly dodged the attack, but a searing pain shot through his left arm.

Looking down, he saw blood streaming from his left arm, where four claw marks were gouged deep into his flesh.

Lin Hao was horrified.

His body had already reached a state of physical invulnerability, impervious to ordinary blades—not even a Divine Weapon could harm him.

Yet now, he had been wounded by the claws of this Demon Ape.

This was the first time he had been injured since attaining his invulnerable physique.

Although Lin Hao knew his body had not yet reached true perfection, being wounded by the claws of a mere beast was an indignity he could not tolerate.

Lin Hao was enraged. Executing the Ghostly Divine Step, his form became a blur as he unleashed a punch!