Nine Heavens Martial Emperor

At the entrance to the Heaven-Stepping Sect stood Sect Leader Wu Taichu and the three Grand Elders.

Lin Hao was returning home, and they were seeing him off personally.

This was an honor no one but Lin Hao could enjoy.

Long after Lin Hao’s figure had disappeared, they continued to stare in the direction he had gone, lost in thought.

Meanwhile, Lin Hao was straddling an exotic beast, feeling quite cheerful.

About a month ago, he had set foot in the Heaven-Stepping Sect with an incredibly heavy heart. But now, leaving the sect, he was no longer the person he once was.

"Xiaojiu, I’m going home." Lin Hao was overjoyed as he patted the small creature squatting steadily in front of him, which looked as if it were clad in dazzling armor.

Xiaojiu. That was the name Lin Hao had given the Blood-Eyed Demon Ape.

It was a terrible name, but after Lord Lingdi gave his approval, the Blood-Eyed Demon Ape instantly lost the courage to even object.

Originally, Wu Taichu had wanted to send sect elders to escort and protect Lin Hao on his way home, but in the end, Lin Hao only brought the Blood-Eyed Demon Ape.

Having left the secret realm and escaped the suppression of the Great Dao, the Blood-Eyed Demon Ape’s power could only be described as terrifying.

Wu Taichu and the others had experienced this firsthand, so they were reassured.

Seeing Lin Hao so happy, Xiaojiu also let out two cheerful roars.

In the Heaven-Stepping Sect, Lord Lingdi had been like a great mountain weighing down on it. Xiaojiu was thrilled to be able to leave with Lin Hao and escape him.

"Go!"

Lin Hao slapped the beast beneath him. It bolted forward, its mad dash shaking the very earth.

After more than half a day, the sky grew dim, and Lin Hao arrived outside a small village.

Before going to the Heaven-Stepping Sect, he had left Wu Tianli’s daughter, the venomous-hearted Wu Sipei, in this village.

Before that, Lin Hao had given Wu Sipei’s outer clothes to Lin Tianxiao. This way, even if the Wu family didn’t honor their agreement, they would hesitate to act rashly upon seeing her clothing.

This was why Lin Hao had felt at ease staying at the Heaven-Stepping Sect for a month.

Now that he was returning to War Dragon City, Lin Hao naturally had to take Wu Sipei with him.

Looking at the village from a distance, Lin Hao sighed.

The new year was approaching, and the great families in War Dragon City must have already hung up their lanterns and decorations, but this small village showed no signs of a festive atmosphere.

’Wait, I should give them some more silver coins so they can have a good new year,’ Lin Hao thought to himself, then strode toward the village.

Suddenly, Lin Hao’s expression changed drastically. He caught the faint scent of blood in the air.

’This is bad!’

Lin Hao’s figure moved like lightning as he shot into the small village.

"AHHH!"

Seeing the scene before him, Lin Hao went berserk. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

The small village was awash in blood.

The elderly, children, even the livestock—not a single one was left alive.

A true massacre, leaving no one, not even the chickens and dogs.

"Wu Sipei! If I, Lin Hao, do not kill you, I am no longer a man!"

Lin Hao fell to his knees, his eyes bloodshot, and roared at the sky.

In the middle of the night, the light of a great fire soared into the sky from this place.

Lin Hao buried them, wrapped his arm in a white silk ribbon of mourning, and performed the grand rite of three kneelings and nine kowtows. He then remained there until dawn, and then until sunset...

The dead were gone. All he could do was stay with them for a while, and then offer Wu Sipei’s head to appease their spirits.

On New Year’s Eve, in the desolate wilderness, Lin Hao poured out a cup of crude wine before turning to leave.

His eyes were completely blood-red, his expression savage and terrifying to the extreme.

When he arrived at the village, the blood had just coagulated, which meant the massacre had happened no more than a day ago.

’Wu Sipei is ruthless. After suffering such a humiliation, to ensure nothing goes wrong, she would definitely return to her sect first to gather forces and wipe out my Lin family.’

Therefore, he still had time.

This was why Lin Hao wasn’t in a hurry to act.

’So what if people from the Zhengyang Sect show up? I have Breaking Martial Pills, which can create two Soul Gathering Realm experts in an instant. With Xiaojiu as well, I fear no one and no faction in War Dragon City.’

The exotic beast Lin Hao rode was called a Cloud-Stepping Beast. After he had ridden a magnificent steed to death, Lord Lingdi had found it for him from who-knows-where. It was as fast as lightning.

He mounted the beast, and the Cloud-Stepping Beast transformed into a streak of light, heading for War Dragon City...

On the morning of the first day of the new year, War Dragon City, which should have been bustling with excitement, seemed unusually oppressive.

Today was War Dragon City’s annual martial arts tournament.

For the new year, the disciples from various families who were studying at major sects had all returned to the city. On a continent that revered martial prowess, competing and sparring on the same stage was inevitable.

As in previous years, the tournament was held outside the estate of War Dragon City’s number one family, the Wu family.

As the number one family in War Dragon City, the Wu family’s estate was vast and imposing.

The stone steps leading to the main gate alone numbered in the hundreds.

Below the steps was a massive martial arts stage, connected to several roads paved with green flagstones.

Surrounding the stage were elevated platforms for esteemed guests and important figures from the major families.

Although it was only early morning, the area below the stage was already packed with people.

On the high platforms above, important figures from several of War Dragon City’s major families had arrived—all except for the Lin family and the Pavilion Master of the Treasure Hunting Pavilion.

At the head of the high platform, three rattan chairs were placed side-by-side.

In the past, if there were no esteemed guests, the centermost seat belonged to the Pavilion Master of the Treasure Hunting Pavilion.

But at this moment, that seat was occupied by a youth of about seventeen or eighteen.

The youth was dressed in lavish clothes, his expression arrogant and indifferent.

Seated below the youth were a man and a woman. The man was Wu Tianli’s son, Wu Zhonghao, and the woman was none other than Wu Sipei!

"Senior Brother, thank you for escorting me back and for gracing this tournament with your presence." Wu Sipei gave the youth in the main seat a sweet smile, her eyes like tranquil pools of water and her voice sickeningly sweet.

"Hmph." The youth merely grunted, not even bothering to open his mouth.

His gaze, however, swept over Wu Sipei’s ample chest, his eyes burning with a fiery heat.

Wu Sipei shot him a coquettish glance and giggled lightly, covering her mouth.

Standing to the side, Wu Tianli’s eyes flickered, but he pretended not to see.

If he could, he would have sent Wu Sipei to this youth’s bed.

The reason was simple: the youth’s identity was terrifyingly impressive.

Luo Yulou, son of the Sect Leader of the Zhengyang Sect—one of the four major sects of the Southern Border Prefecture.

Not only was Luo Yulou’s status noble, but his martial cultivation was also extraordinary. At the age of seventeen, he had already advanced to the Elemental Realm!

An Elemental Realm cultivator at seventeen was considered a genius even within the Cangnan Empire.

Thus, Luo Yulou was also known as the Number One Young Master of the Southern Border Prefecture.

Wu Tianli glanced at his own son, Wu Zhonghao, and sighed inwardly.

Although his son’s talent was astonishing, he was still a step below Luo Yulou. His only hope was that Wu Zhonghao would shine brightly in this tournament and win the attention of the Hu family.

After that incident was exposed, although the Hundred Treasures Hall was quickly eliminated by the Treasure Hunting Pavilion, Wu Tianli knew that the Hu family, one of the four great families, still had spies in War Dragon City.

"Little Sister, you were too careless. To think you were captured by a piece of trash!" Wu Zhonghao, who had also seen Wu Sipei’s actions, frowned slightly and spoke up.

He had received a letter from Wu Tianli informing him that the Wu family’s position in War Dragon City was precarious, and the first person he thought of was Luo Yulou.

Wu Zhonghao was quite impressed with his younger sister’s methods.

Although it wasn’t stated outright, Wu Zhonghao clearly felt that Luo Yulou was becoming friendlier toward him.

Wu Zhonghao had originally planned to use Luo Yulou to get the Sect Elders involved, but who would have thought that Luo Yulou would decide to make the trip himself in the end.

He and Luo Yulou had left the Zhengyang Sect and were leisurely traveling when, by a stroke of luck, they discovered Wu Sipei trapped in the small village. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

After rescuing Wu Sipei and hearing her story, one look at Luo Yulou’s expression was all it took for Wu Zhonghao to know that the Lin family was finished.

Now, Wu Zhonghao feigned a reprimand, but his gaze was fixed on the distance, a sinister smile on his face.

"Hmph! A trifling little Lin family, putting on such airs!" Luo Yulou snorted coldly, his voice laced with impatience.

The moment he finished speaking, clouds of dust billowed in the distance as two magnificent steeds galloped toward the martial arts stage.

The steeds were incredibly fast, and the clothes of their riders flapped loudly in the wind. From a distance, a skull emblem could be seen on their garments, looking savage and terrifying.

The people from the Suo Demon Sect had arrived.

Seeing these two riders, Wu Tianli’s face lit up with joy, and he quickly rose to greet them.

Wu Zhen had died at Lin Hao’s hands, and Wu Tianli had written to the Suo Demon Sect but received no response. He had already given up hope, so how could he not be overjoyed to suddenly see people from the Suo Demon Sect appear?

But the two men were unappreciative. They scanned the entire area and announced arrogantly, "Who is Lin Hao? Get out here and die!"

"I am Wu Tianli, the Patriarch of the Wu family who sent the letter to your esteemed sect. The people from the Lin family have not yet arrived. Please, have a seat," Wu Tianli said again.

The two men glanced at him and walked straight toward the main seats. Then, they saw the calm and composed Luo Yulou.

"Young Master Yulou..." The two men’s faces changed drastically. They took a step back and cried out in alarm.

Luo Yulou was smiling, but his smile was cold. "Life-Reaping Ghost, Death-Urging Ghost, the Two Ghosts of the Suo Demon Sect. You two really put on some airs, not even sparing a glance for this Young Master."

"We wouldn’t dare, we wouldn’t dare."

The two men repeatedly said they wouldn’t dare, then respectfully took the lowest-ranking seats.

They dared to disregard Wu Tianli, but they didn’t dare to disrespect Luo Yulou.

Just as the two had taken their seats, the figures of Lin Tianxiao and Ninety-Five appeared.

Behind them followed Yi Mingcheng and three young men.

One of the three youths was Lin Zheng; the other two were Lin Hao’s third and fourth older brothers, named Lin Tian and Lin Yuan.

"Lin Tianxiao, you really put on airs!" With Luo Yulou backing him up, Wu Tianli immediately berated him.

Lin Tianxiao’s gaze fell on Luo Yulou, who was sitting in the main seat, and his eyes narrowed slightly.

Luo Yulou and the Wu siblings had only entered War Dragon City last night, so Lin Tianxiao hadn’t received any news.

However, for someone so young to be in the main seat, his background must be immense.

A fierce battle was destined for today; Lin Tianxiao felt no need to find out his identity.

"We were drinking and celebrating last night and overslept. You have a problem with that?" Ninety-Five said with a smile.

Wu Tianli was suddenly at a loss for words.

He was still very wary of Ninety-Five.

Lin Tianxiao and Ninety-Five exchanged a smile and took their respective seats.

Yi Mingcheng stood to the side with Lin Zheng, while Lin Tian and Lin Yuan stood behind Ninety-Five.

The two of them had ordinary physiques and were only at the Third Layer of the Blood Coagulation Realm. The martial arts tournament was destined to have no stage for them. They had only come today to broaden their horizons.

Standing behind Ninety-Five was his own request, naturally for the purpose of protecting the two of them.

"Which one of them is Lin Hao?" Luo Yulou said coldly, his eyes sweeping over the two of them without a trace of courtesy.

’Lin Hao actually dared to kill a disciple of the Zhengyang Sect. That’s a capital crime!’

Wu Tianli shook his head and was about to speak when his gaze froze, fixing on something in the distance.

There, a chariot pulled by two exotic beasts had appeared.