Nine Heavens Martial Emperor

Hearing that Lin Hao was leaving, the Lin family elders rushed over as well.

When they saw the cultivation techniques and martial arts Lin Hao had written down, they were just as stunned as Lin Tianxiao.

To produce more than ten cultivation techniques and martial arts manuals at once—it was an incredibly grand gesture!

In the end, they didn’t dare make the decision themselves and asked Lin Hao to personally select disciples from the family and teach them the appropriate techniques.

Lin Hao was unable to refuse and could only agree to do it himself.

This delayed his departure from the Lin family by another day.

At the crack of dawn the next day, just as Lin Hao entered his courtyard accompanied by Lin Tianxiao, Yi Mingcheng arrived to see him.

For the past few days, Yi Mingcheng had been practically stationed at the Wu family’s residence, dealing with their affairs.

The moment he finished, he heard Lin Hao was about to leave and rushed over to see him.

"Hao’er, what kind of monstrous bloodline did you give Old Yi? I can’t even gauge his cultivation level anymore!"

Seeing Yi Mingcheng arrive, Lin Tianxiao poured out his grievances to Lin Hao.

"Ninth Layer of Blood Coagulation Realm!" Yet, with a single glance, Lin Hao saw right through Yi Mingcheng’s cultivation.

Going from the Fifth Layer to the Ninth Layer in just one month was a remarkable achievement.

Then, Yi Mingcheng revealed a rather astonishing fact.

"My bloodline is able to evolve as I cultivate! At first, there was just a hint of orange, but it gradually grew until my entire bloodline became pure orange! Young Master, this is all thanks to you!"

Yi Mingcheng had kept this secret for long enough. Now that Lin Hao was here, he could finally reveal it.

Orange. This meant Yi Mingcheng’s constitution had transformed into an Elemental Body!

"What?!" Lin Tianxiao was utterly shocked.

A bloodline that could evolve through cultivation—he had never heard of such a thing!

"It’s all thanks to the Young Master. I suspect it’s due to his unique True Qi," Yi Mingcheng said.

When his bloodline was forged, his bones and meridians had been shattered. Even though Lin Hao was only at the Third Layer of Blood Coagulation Realm back then, he had used that unique True Qi to repair them.

This was a conclusion Yi Mingcheng had reached only after much deep thought.

"That can’t be right. Hao’er has a Spirit Body; I can see right through his cultivation," Lin Tianxiao said, shaking his head.

Yi Mingcheng’s eyes flickered, but he said nothing.

’Even though I don’t understand it, I’m certain of one thing: Lin Hao’s constitution is definitely not a Spirit Body.’

"Some with Spirit Bodies achieve spirit transformation, and some wild beasts cultivate to become emperors. A person’s constitution isn’t everything!" Lin Hao said with a faint smile.

His unique True Qi was cultivated using an imperial art. It was his greatest asset, a secret he was determined to keep even from his closest family. So, he changed the subject.

"Oh, right, I heard you married Xiuniang. I didn’t even prepare a gift. Third Uncle, could you prepare one for me?" Lin Hao had only just heard about this from Lin Tianxiao, and he felt a bit apologetic now that he was face-to-face with Yi Mingcheng.

"I couldn’t possibly, Young Master! You’re..." Yi Mingcheng immediately flushed red, his words becoming jumbled.

’I can never repay the Young Master’s kindness. How could I dare accept another gift from him?’

"You don’t seem to be lacking anything else right now, so here’s a jar of fine wine," Lin Tianxiao laughed and took out a jar of Laughing Dust wine.

But before Yi Mingcheng could even reach for it, the jar of Laughing Dust was snatched away.

The three of them stared in stunned silence, only to see a tiny monkey hugging the large jar and gulping down the wine.

In the few days Xiaojiu had been with the Lin family, he had become a complete lush.

Lin Hao aimed a kick at him, but Xiaojiu was incredibly nimble and immediately leaped away.

"Third Uncle, I can’t stay any longer. If I do, this little guy won’t ever want to leave," Lin Hao said, grabbing Xiaojiu by the scruff and preparing to depart.

Both Lin Tianxiao and Yi Mingcheng wore looks of reluctance.

But they knew that a small place like War Dragon City could never contain a hidden dragon like him.

Lin Tianxiao said, "Hao’er, wait. We’ve already prepared a horse for you."

"There’s no need." Lin Hao shook his head. His Cloud-Stepping Beast had been startled and fled when he returned, and with his current physical prowess, an ordinary horse would simply collapse under his power.

"Third Uncle, I’m off. If there are any promising disciples in the family, you can send them to the Heaven-Stepping Sect. Uncle Cheng, I’ll leave things at home in your hands."

And with that, under their watchful eyes, Lin Hao strode away...

After leaving War Dragon City, the Suo Demon Sect would be his first stop.

He had learned from Chu Tiandu that the Heaven-Stepping Sect possessed nine secret realms. Developing the Withered Secret Realm was of the utmost urgency, as it was one of the original nine.

However, excavating that realm required Tier One Spiritual Artifacts.

Therefore, Lin Hao had to claim the Suo Demon Sect’s secret realm for himself.

The Suo Demon Sect was not very far from the Heaven-Stepping Sect—only half a day’s journey.

After leaving War Dragon City, Lin Hao moved like a streak of light, his speed immense.

A day and a night later, the man and the monkey had entered the Suo Demon Sect’s territory.

Lin Hao found an advantageous position, concealed himself, and prepared to lie in wait for his prey.

Suo Demon Sect disciples were bound to pass by on their way back to the sect. By ambushing a disciple with some status, he could seize the opportunity to infiltrate.

Over the course of the morning, Lin Hao saw over a dozen Suo Demon Sect disciples pass by, but he didn’t make a move.

These disciples were too weak and didn’t carry enough weight within the sect.

After several more hours of waiting, a rider finally entered his line of sight.

Lin Hao’s eyes lit up...

The Suo Demon Sect was once an insignificant little school, one that had even been a vassal of the Heaven-Stepping Sect.

But now, as night fell, the imposing aura of a major power was vaguely discernible around the Suo Demon Sect.

Torches lined every step of the long, narrow stone staircase, creating a magnificent sight.

The sect’s architectural style still bore faint traces of the Heaven-Stepping Sect.

Dressed in a black robe, Lin Hao swaggered up the stone steps.

He had obtained this robe after "dealing with" a Suo Demon Sect disciple.

Guards were posted every few steps along the staircase, standing so still that not even a footstep could be heard.

As Lin Hao walked past, his keen Spiritual Sense immediately told him that every single person was watching him.

But Lin Hao was unafraid.

He had used certain methods to learn that the disciple he’d taken care of carried some weight in the Suo Demon Sect.

After climbing several thousand steps, Lin Hao approached the main gate of the Suo Demon Sect.

There were fewer guards here, but their cultivation levels were far more terrifying.

A quick scan told Lin Hao that these disciples were all at the Blood Coagulation Realm Sixth and Seventh Layers.

Without a word, Lin Hao swept his robes aside, held a Token high, and walked straight for the main gate.

A terrifying skull was carved on the Token.

At the sight of the Token, everyone lowered their heads.

Lin Hao had already passed through the main gate of the Suo Demon Sect.

Despite it being his first time, Lin Hao moved as if he knew the place well, heading up a stone path without hesitation.

The path grew more remote, and Lin Hao keenly sensed he was now being watched by multiple people.

Yet he continued onward.

"Halt!"

Finally, someone blocked his path.

"This is the Law Enforcement Hall! Whose disciple are you to trespass here?" a cold voice demanded.

"Take off your hood! Raise your head!" another voice commanded simultaneously.

Hidden beneath his hood, Lin Hao’s expression changed.

He’d been duped by the disciple.

The disciple had told him this stone path was a shortcut to the sect’s rear mountain; he hadn’t said it led straight to the Law Enforcement Hall.

"Senior Brothers, I am Wu Xiu, a disciple of Inner Sect Elder Du. The Law Enforcement Hall Master has always looked after me, and my father insisted that I thank him the moment I returned to the sect." Lin Hao bowed, flashing the Token while two exquisite jade boxes appeared in his hands.

Bribery!

"Ah, so it’s Junior Brother Wu. You’ve come at a bad time. The Hall Master is escorting two prisoners to the secret realm. Go on back for now." The two men coolly accepted the jade boxes from Lin Hao and tried to shoo him away.

"Understood. How strange, though. Who would require the Hall Master himself to personally escort them?" Lin Hao asked curiously, keeping his head lowered.

The two jade boxes had worked their magic. One of them replied, "Who else? Those two cowards. Even though they’re disciples of the Law Enforcement Hall, they pissed their pants in fear back in War Dragon City. The Hall Master was enraged and is personally escorting them to the secret realm to work as miners."

Lin Hao’s heart stirred.

’Those two cowards... aren’t they the same two who went to War Dragon City?’

"So it was them. As it happens, my family’s home isn’t far from War Dragon City, so I made some special inquiries about that day’s events. I have important information. I must ask you two to bend the rules and allow me to see the Hall Master in the secret realm."

As he spoke, two more jade boxes appeared in his hands.

’The real Wu Xiu certainly prepared a lot of gifts for his return to the sect.’

"Fine. Go on through. Cross the Iron Chain Bridge, and you’ll be at the secret realm," one of them said, stepping aside.

They were disciples of the Law Enforcement Hall, cultivators at the Elemental Realm, and they had already seen through Lin Hao’s cultivation.

They would never suspect a disciple who was merely at the Ninth Layer of Blood Coagulation Realm.

After all, who besides Lin Hao, at the mere Ninth Layer of Blood Coagulation Realm, would have the gall to infiltrate an enemy sect alone and covet its secret realm?

Lin Hao thanked them and departed without another word.

’So this really is the way to the secret realm in the rear mountains.’

「In the rear mountains of the Suo Demon Sect」

Lin Hao hid himself in a dense forest and quickly took Xiaojiu out.

To be safe, Lin Hao had placed Xiaojiu inside his storage ring.

Storage rings cannot hold living creatures, so his action had been extremely risky.

Thankfully, Xiaojiu was unharmed, though a bit listless.

The secret realm was bound to be heavily guarded. Lin Hao had come to scout the situation, but he also hoped to acquire some Refining Materials.

Of course, if his guess was correct, he wouldn’t mind wreaking havoc on the Suo Demon Sect.

Based on his deductions, Lin Hao was certain the Suo Demon Sect had no experts at the Soul Gathering Realm. Otherwise, they would have made a move against the Heaven-Stepping Sect long ago.

With Xiaojiu in tow, Lin Hao crept forward cautiously, making his way toward the Suo Demon Sect’s secret realm.

The Law Enforcement Hall Master was likely in the secret realm, and he surely wouldn’t be so easy to fool. If his cover were blown, all his efforts would be for naught.

According to the information from Wu Xiu, the Suo Demon Sect’s secret realm was located within a massive peak in the rear mountains.

He rounded a bend, and the area ahead was suddenly illuminated, as bright as day.

Looking up, Lin Hao could see a mountain peak, a thousand-odd meters away, soaring into the clouds.

’So, my target is only a little over a thousand meters away.’

Lin Hao concealed himself even more carefully.

After advancing another few hundred meters, he could already see a massive cave entrance.

Two guards stood on either side of the entrance.

’That must be the entrance to the Suo Demon Sect’s secret realm.’