Nine Heavens Martial Emperor

With those words, Lin Hao had essentially offended three of the four great sects at once.

No, that was wrong. Counting the Zhengyang Sect, he had managed to offend every single one of the Southern Border Prefecture’s four great sects.

"You’re only at the Ninth Layer of Blood Coagulation Realm, and the Heaven-Stepping Sect is a shadow of its former glory. Are you looking for death?" the white-robed young man, who had been silent until now, finally spoke. His words were as sharp as a sword.

As he spoke, True Essence billowed from him, transforming into a rampaging Sword Qi.

Lin Hao’s eyes narrowed. ’This Zuo Ming’s cultivation is definitely on par with Luo Yulou’s!’

’Looks like the title of the Southern Border Prefecture’s number one young master doesn’t live up to its name.’

"I don’t know if I’m looking for death, but if you don’t get lost, I guarantee you’ll all die today!" The Sword Qi raged, but Lin Hao remained unmoved, perfectly calm and composed.

"I’d like to see you try!" Zuo Ming took a step forward, poised to strike.

Although Mingjian Manor was one of the four great sects of the Southern Border Prefecture, it had the fewest members and was the most low-key, always keeping its true strength hidden.

Yet, its status had never been challenged by any other sect. It was mysterious and terrifying.

Zuo Ming had correctly identified Lin Hao’s cultivation level and his sect, which meant he was very familiar with Lin Hao’s background. It was impossible for him not to know what had happened yesterday.

Yet he still challenged Lin Hao to a fight, which proved he truly did not fear him.

Zuo Ming’s eyes flashed like lightning, a terrifying glint of a blade flickering within them.

This was undoubtedly a powerful opponent.

But Lin Hao felt no fear either.

Nearby, Ninety-Three retreated to one side, feigning ignorance.

He knew full well that the three young men were using Lu Diewu. For him, the real threat was the Proud Moon Divine Sect backing the Lu family; the four great sects of the Southern Border Prefecture would never dare to touch the Treasure Hunting Pavilion.

Since the girl from the Lu family wasn’t interfering, he naturally wouldn’t either.

Zuo Ming extended his hand, and a sword flew out from the Treasure Hunting Pavilion, landing squarely in his grasp.

Then, with a flash of white light, the sword was drawn. The scabbard fell and stabbed three inches deep into the stone ground.

"This sword is named Jing Hong. It is three feet three inches long and three point three inches wide. It is one of the ten famous swords of Mingjian Manor. It can shatter Spiritual Artifacts and thirsts for blood. Today, I will use it to end you!"

After speaking, Zuo Ming flicked the blade with his finger, and the Jing Hong Sword let out a joyful hum. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

"I don’t want to take advantage of you. You can borrow a Spiritual Artifact!" Zuo Ming said, glancing at Ninety-Three.

This made Ninety-Three’s eye twitch. ’I do have a Spiritual Artifact on me... How does Zuo Ming know?’

Just as he was about to retrieve it, he saw Lin Hao shake his head. "No need. These are enough."

Lin Hao flexed his hands, intending to meet Zuo Ming’s sword bare-handed.

The Jing Hong Sword could shatter Spiritual Artifacts, yet Lin Hao claimed he would catch the blade with his bare hands. Was this arrogance or ignorance?!

"Fine. If I cannot defeat you within ten moves, I will admit defeat," Zuo Ming said with a frown.

Upon hearing this, the expressions of both Chang Bao and Ma Peng changed drastically.

They had also come to Red Beauty City for the "Smiling Red Dust." In the City Lord’s Mansion, they had personally witnessed Zuo Ming fight with the Jing Hong Sword.

Against a First Layer Elemental Realm opponent, he used a single strike. Victory!

Against a Second Layer Elemental Realm opponent, he used just three strikes. Victory!

And Zuo Ming’s own cultivation was only at the Peak of the Ninth Layer of the Blood Coagulation Realm!

Even the City Lord had declared that Zuo Ming’s Swordsmanship had reached the peak of perfection.

’And now, Zuo Ming was talking about ten moves? Could Lin Hao be even more terrifying than those Martial Artists from the City Lord’s Mansion at the First and Second Layers of the Elemental Realm?’

"You’re too arrogant," Lin Hao said, shaking his head.

Zuo Ming snorted coldly, then said two words: "Be careful!"

Before the words left his mouth, his sword became a flash of light.

It was fast. Impossibly fast.

Zuo Ming’s casual strike was so fast the naked eye couldn’t track it.

Lin Hao was shocked. The moment Zuo Ming struck, he felt his body locked in place as a terrifying Sword Qi tore through the air.

The blade aimed straight for his throat, a clear killing blow.

Lin Hao retreated explosively, but the sword shadowed his every move.

"Heh, and I thought he was something special. Turns out he can’t even take a single strike."

Chang Bao sneered. In the City Lord’s Mansion, he had seen Zuo Ming attack a First Layer Elemental Realm Martial Artist who had tried the exact same evasive maneuver. The result? Death!

With no room to evade, Lin Hao did something that looked like suicide to any outside observer.

He placed his right palm outward, covering his throat.

"Hahaha! Trying to block a famous sword with his bare hand? So this so-called prodigy is just a fool," Chang Bao roared with laughter.

If a mere hand could stop one of their famous swords, Mingjian Manor’s entire reputation would be a joke.

At that exact moment, the tip of Zuo Ming’s sword struck Lin Hao’s palm.

CLANG!

A crisp, metallic sound rang out.

Time seemed to freeze. The two of them stood motionless, and the sight stunned everyone present.

Lin Hao had actually, truly blocked Zuo Ming’s sword with his bare hand.

Mingjian Manor had its own methods for nurturing swords. Although their ten famous swords weren’t Spiritual Artifacts, they were in many ways superior to them.

This very Jing Hong Sword had once shattered a Spiritual Artifact.

But now, Lin Hao had blocked the Jing Hong Sword with nothing but his hand and was completely unscathed.

It was simply unheard of!

Even Zuo Ming couldn’t believe his own eyes.

’To stop my Jing Hong with his bare hand... Is he even human?!’

As for Chang Bao and Ma Peng, they were long since struck dumb.

Lu Diewu’s pretty eyes went wide as she covered her mouth in shock.

Even Ninety-Three was shocked beyond belief.

’Catching one of the Divine Soldiers bare-handed without a scratch... even I can’t do that. If word of this gets out, what kind of uproar will it cause?’

In a duel between masters, distraction is the ultimate taboo.

After catching the Divine Soldier with his palm, Lin Hao then used that same palm like a blade, chopping down at the Jing Hong Sword.

Lin Hao’s strength was terrifying. That single chop contained over ten thousand pounds of force and was incredibly fast.

By the time Zuo Ming could react, Lin Hao’s hand had already slammed into the blade of the Jing Hong Sword.

CLANG!

With another crisp crack, the Jing Hong Sword, one of the ten famous swords of Mingjian Manor, shattered!

The entire scene fell silent.

Chang Bao and Ma Peng were too shocked for words.

Zuo Ming, the man who had defeated a First Layer Elemental Realm expert in one move and a Second Layer Elemental Realm expert in three at the City Lord’s Mansion, had just lost to Lin Hao in a single exchange.

Even one of the ten famous swords, the Jing Hong Sword, had been snapped in two by Lin Hao’s bare hand.

It all happened so quickly that it felt unreal.

"It’s an illusion. This has to be an illusion," Chang Bao muttered, refusing to believe his eyes.

As for Zuo Ming, he looked as if he had been struck by lightning, his face instantly turning deathly pale!

One move!

Lin Hao had broken his sword in a single move.

A total defeat!

Worse, Mingjian Manor treasured its ten famous swords as if they were life itself, and now his was broken.

A look of grim resolve appeared on Zuo Ming’s face. He abruptly raised the broken half of the Jing Hong Sword to his own throat.

Lin Hao moved like a phantom, once again catching the blade with his hand. He spoke with an indifferent tone, "A broken sword can be reforged. A dead man cannot be brought back to life."

Zuo Ming stared at Lin Hao, his expression complex.

Just moments before, he had boasted of defeating Lin Hao within ten moves. The result? Lin Hao had broken his sword in one.

Recalling his own words, even Zuo Ming felt the biting irony.

But what shocked him most was that Lin Hao had actually stopped him from taking his own life.

For the first time, Zuo Ming felt he had lost. A complete and utter defeat.

Even though his sword had broken, a part of him had been unconvinced, believing Lin Hao had just seized an opportunity and caught him off guard.

But a loss was a loss, and he hadn’t argued the point.

However, Lin Hao’s action just now showed him an entirely different level of character.

"I am not your equal," Zuo Ming said, his face ashen.

"Yay! My brother-in-law is the best!" Lu Diewu exclaimed, clapping her hands excitedly.

She had come from Celestial Jade City to Red Beauty City with her family elders to procure the "Smiling Red Dust," so she too had witnessed Zuo Ming’s formidable skill in the City Lord’s Mansion.

But now, seeing Lin Hao defeat Zuo Ming in a single move and hearing Zuo Ming admit his own inferiority, Lu Diewu felt as sweet as if she had eaten honey.

Zuo Ming’s mouth twitched, and he felt utterly humiliated.

"I was conceited, believing I was second to none, yet I suffered a setback here. Thank you for helping me understand that there is always a higher mountain to climb," Zuo Ming said to Lin Hao before turning and leaving without another word.

Chang Bao and Ma Peng scurried after him, tails tucked between their legs.

Lu Diewu, however, did not leave with them.

"You’re not leaving?" Lin Hao frowned.

"I... I want the pills! Why won’t you sell any to the Lu family!" Lu Diewu stammered, then puffed out her cheeks and angrily questioned Ninety-Three.

"Um, you should talk to him," Ninety-Three said, his eyes darting away. "I have a door to re-install." He then picked up the door and walked off.

It was best for him not to get involved in the feud between Lin Hao and the Lu family.

"You have the audacity to come here and question me? Don’t you know what Lu Dieyi did?!" Lin Hao said coldly.

After what Lu Dieyi had done to him, simply withholding pills was already an act of immense mercy.

"Well... Um..." Lu Diewu was at a loss for words.

To be precise, the news of the Lin family annulling his engagement had already spread throughout the entire empire.

When the Lu family heard the news, they had tried to contact Lu Dieyi. But she had entered the Proud Moon Divine Sect for cultivation and had gone to a secret training ground, making her completely unreachable.

Knowing Lu Dieyi as they did, Lu Diewu and her father, Lu Zhanchen, refused to believe she would do such a thing. They wanted to go to the Lin family and explain, but Lu Zhanchen, despite being the Patriarch, was not the one calling the shots in the Lu family.

Now, it was extremely difficult for Lu Zhanchen to even leave the Lu family estate.

Lu Diewu wanted to tell Lin Hao the truth, but when she remembered how many enemies he had already made, she stopped herself.

Seeing her hesitation, Lin Hao’s expression grew colder. "Nothing left to say, is there?"

"Hmph! My sister cares about you so much! Maybe it was your own Lin family that spread those rumors to make you misunderstand her!" Lu Diewu retorted, her cheeks puffed out in anger.

Lin Hao paused for a moment, then sneered. "Is that so? Then why hasn’t Lu Dieyi come forward to clear the air?"

"That’s because—" Lu Diewu blurted out, on the verge of revealing everything about Lu Dieyi’s situation at the Proud Moon Divine Sect and the Lu family’s internal struggles.

"Diewu, what do you think you’re doing?!" A sudden voice cut her off.

Hearing that voice, Lu Diewu’s face went deathly pale, and her body trembled. Meekly, she called out, "Second Uncle."

The newcomer was a middle-aged man with a commanding presence, but his gaze was anything but friendly.

He stared at Lin Hao, a cold sneer spreading across his face.

But he quickly turned his attention back to Lu Diewu. "Diewu, how did the task I assigned you go?"

"S-Second Uncle, they don’t have any Rejuvenation Blood Pills here either." Lu Diewu seemed terrified of the man, stammering her reply.

Lin Hao frowned. He had initially thought Lu Diewu was simply being used by those other three, but now it seemed she wasn’t acting of her own free will.

But then, Lin Hao laughed at his own foolishness.

’This man is obviously from the Lu family. It’s ridiculous for me to think she’s not acting of her own free will.’