Nine Heavens Martial Emperor

Lin Hao was about to move forward, but he suddenly froze, not daring to move.

He had discovered that one of the four people had actually glanced in the direction of his hiding spot.

Despite being several hundred meters away and concealed by the jungle, he had nearly been discovered.

A chill ran down Lin Hao’s spine.

’Their cultivation levels must be terrifyingly high.’

Becoming even more cautious, Lin Hao flattened himself and remained motionless.

At that moment, two people walked out of the cave. He could vaguely make out a middle-aged man and an old man.

The group exchanged a few words, and Lin Hao noticed gazes repeatedly sweeping toward his hiding place.

The next moment, Lin Hao was horrified.

A phantom suddenly shot out from behind the old man, heading straight for his hiding spot.

A Soul Gathering Realm expert!

Lin Hao was utterly terrified.

’If that old man finds me, I’m done for.’

In this moment of crisis, Lin Hao shot Xiaojiu a look.

It was a desperate move, born of a desperate situation.

But to his surprise, Xiaojiu understood.

"CAW!"

Xiaojiu let out a startled cry and then fled in a panic.

The phantom abruptly retracted.

Lin Hao breathed a sigh of relief. He saw the old man standing with his hands behind his back, seemingly berating the other four.

Then, accompanied by the middle-aged man, the old man left the cave and vanished in an instant.

Not daring to be careless, Lin Hao remained motionless, continuing to lie in wait for a full hour.

There was no movement. Lin Hao was finally certain that Xiaojiu had successfully fooled them.

Even so, Lin Hao still didn’t dare to move. He was waiting for the right opportunity.

Finally, after another hour, Lin Hao saw someone appear at the cave entrance, gesturing wildly with a very excited expression.

The four guards’ attention was completely drawn to him.

’Now’s the time!’

Ghostly Divine Step!

Lin Hao’s figure blurred into a wisp of smoke, and he instantly arrived at the foot of the mountain.

"You, go in and take a look!" Lin Hao heard a voice from above.

It was followed by the sound of footsteps.

A moment later, the footsteps sounded again, followed by an excited voice, "Red Cloud Cold Crystal Stones! They found Red Cloud Cold Crystal Stones inside!"

Lin Hao’s eyes widened.

The so-called Red Cloud Cold Crystal Stone was the highest grade of Red Cloud Cold Iron.

It was an excellent material for Artifact Refining.

"You two stay here and guard the entrance. We’ll go inform our superiors immediately!" someone said. Then, Lin Hao saw two people leave.

’This is bad,’ Lin Hao thought.

The discovery of the Red Cloud Cold Crystal Stones would definitely alert that old man from before, and this area would be placed under lockdown.

’If I don’t seize this opportunity, this whole trip will have been for nothing.’

As he was contemplating his next move, Xiaojiu reappeared at his feet.

Lin Hao’s eyes lit up.

’This little guy is getting smarter and smarter. Maybe I can use him to achieve my goal.’

Lin Hao looked at Xiaojiu, giving it a look that told it to climb onto his shoulder.

Xiaojiu understood at once and leaped onto Lin Hao’s shoulder in an instant.

Lin Hao then whispered a few words into Xiaojiu’s ear, just as if he were talking to a person.

Xiaojiu jumped down, winked and gestured, indicating that it wanted wine as a reward.

Not sure whether to laugh or cry, Lin Hao nodded.

Xiaojiu left.

Before long, Lin Hao heard a voice from above, "Where did this little thing come from? Get lost—!"

The voice stopped abruptly, and at the same time, Lin Hao moved.

By the time he reached the cave entrance, he saw two bodies that had been smashed to a pulp.

And Xiaojiu stood there, as imposing as a mountain.

Lin Hao gave it a thumbs-up, then his figure darted into the cave.

Ten minutes later, Lin Hao’s figure reappeared at the entrance. He grabbed Xiaojiu and began climbing the mountain, disappearing in an instant.

Not long after the man and the ape had vanished, several figures flew to the scene, while another person rushed out from inside the cave.

"What happened?!" an old man bellowed, his face turning ashen with rage upon seeing the two corpses.

THUD!

The person who had rushed out of the cave dropped to his knees, his body trembling uncontrollably. "I... I don’t know. I just felt a gust of wind, and then all the Crystal Stones that had just been excavated were gone!"

"Useless!"

The old man slammed his palm down, and the person’s head exploded like a watermelon.

"Lock down the Suo Demon Sect at once! The rest of you, go inside and see what else is missing!"

No one answered, but everyone moved quickly.

Soon, someone came out of the cave to report, "All of the newly excavated Red Cloud Cold Crystal Stones are gone, and we’ve also lost several pieces of top-grade Red Cloud Cold Iron."

"Damn it!"

"My lord, should we report this to the main sect?"

The old man didn’t answer. The middle-aged man from before had already returned.

"Reporting to my lord, I have already locked down the Suo Demon Sect as you commanded, but so far, we have found no trace of the intruder."

"Sect Leader Yu, the fate of your Suo Demon Sect rests on my whim. If you don’t recover those Red Cloud Cold Crystal Stones, you know the consequences!"

"My lord, my Suo Demon Sect is completely loyal... Above! My lord, the intruder must be up there!"

The old man didn’t reply; he had already vanished.

And Lin Hao was indeed up there.

He knew that if the old man returned, the consequences would be unimaginable, so he had to leave this place in the shortest time possible.

Climbing over this great mountain was the fastest way out.

With Xiaojiu in tow, he activated his Ghostly Divine Step. To him, the steep mountain peak was like level ground.

However, he hadn’t gone far before he noticed something strange.

There was something odd about this mountain.

The higher he climbed, the heavier his steps became, as if a great weight was pressing down on him.

Feeling as though he was carrying a small mountain on his back, Lin Hao was panting for breath.

He tried to circulate his cultivation technique to alleviate the pressure, but was shocked to find that even his imperial arts were useless here.

Suddenly, through Chu Tiandu’s memories, he realized where he was!

Forbidden God Mountain!

Forbidden God Mountain—a mysterious and unpredictable place that not even gods could cross.

It was said that on Forbidden God Mountain, even experts at the Soul Gathering Realm or the Spirit Transformation Realm could not fly and could only climb with their bare hands.

And halfway up the mountain, even they would find it impossible to move a single step due to the suppression of the Great Dao!

The Great Dao was the Celestial Dao. Forbidden God Mountain had been suppressed by the Celestial Dao for countless ages.

In his search for a Spirit Medicine to save the Demon Race’s princess, Chu Tiandu had once explored Forbidden God Mountain, only to return in failure.

On Forbidden God Mountain, Martial Artists could not use their cultivation!

The mountain was visible from the main gate of the Heaven-Stepping Sect.

It was a natural barrier separating the Suo Demon Sect and the Heaven-Stepping Sect.

"Damn it!" Lin Hao cursed under his breath, but he had no choice but to press on.

Down below, experts had surely gathered. That Soul Gathering Realm old man alone was a formidable opponent.

Even if Xiaojiu could hold him off, Lin Hao wasn’t arrogant enough to believe that his Blood Coagulation Realm cultivation and Body Technique were enough to escape.

Climbing over Forbidden God Mountain was his only way out of the Suo Demon Sect’s territory.

After cursing his luck, Lin Hao actually smiled at the thought that cultivation was suppressed on Forbidden God Mountain.

’Even if I’m discovered and someone pursues me, what does it matter if they’re a Soul Gathering Realm or even a Spirit Transformation Realm expert? They can’t use their cultivation either.’

Still, Lin Hao preferred not to be discovered.

’If I’m lucky enough to make it over Forbidden God Mountain, won’t the Suo Demon Sect become my own private backyard? A place I can come and go as I please?’

Having made up his mind, Lin Hao chose to continue forward.

Suddenly, he froze. There seemed to be movement below.

Glancing around, he spotted a recess in the cliffside and carefully hid himself inside.

HUFF... HUFF... HUFF...

The sound grew closer. Someone was climbing up from below, heading in his direction.

Lin Hao held his breath and remained perfectly still.

Eventually, the person stopped about a meter below him, panting heavily like a dog on its last legs.

’If I were to strike now, taking them by surprise, it wouldn’t matter who it was. Even that old man from the Soul Gathering Realm would likely die here with regret.’

’Cultivation is suppressed here by the Great Dao, and my physical strength alone can exert thousands of pounds of force.’

But Lin Hao didn’t move. He didn’t want to be discovered.

He still wanted to make use of Forbidden God Mountain’s properties as a natural barrier.

Eventually, the sounds from the climber faded into the distance and disappeared.

Lin Hao remained hidden for another half hour before resuming his climb.

Down below, at the entrance to the Suo Demon Sect’s secret domain, the old man reappeared.

"My lord, what did you find?" asked Sect Leader Yu of the Suo Demon Sect.

The old man snorted coldly. "There’s no one up there!"

"Then where did he go?" Sect Leader Yu muttered.

"When I say there’s no one up there, there is absolutely no one! Not even a Spirit Transformation Realm expert can cross Forbidden God Mountain. I just used a Secret Technique to force my way up. Although I couldn’t reach the heights that a Spirit Transformation Realm expert can, I definitely got very close. If the intruder could climb higher than I did, he wouldn’t need to climb Forbidden God Mountain in the first place!"

The old man’s meaning was clear: anyone with cultivation surpassing his own wouldn’t need to sneak around the Suo Demon Sect. They could simply fight their way out, and no one would be able to stop them.

"Yes, yes, of course. My lord is absolutely right. I have already locked down the entire Suo Demon Sect. I will inform you immediately if there is any sign of trouble," Sect Leader Yu agreed deferentially, then took his leave.

They would never dream that the person they were looking for was right above their heads.

On Forbidden God Mountain, Lin Hao was drenched in sweat and gasping for air.

The higher he went, the greater the pressure became.

There was nothing physically there, yet Lin Hao felt like he was carrying a massive mountain on his back, making every step a struggle.

Under the immense pressure, his body began to emit a series of cracking and popping sounds.

"Haaaah..."

Clinging to the mountainside, Lin Hao heaved, taking deep, ragged breaths.

"I refuse to believe that I can’t even conquer a single mountain! Today, I will crush you beneath my feet!" Lin Hao ground out, his teeth clenched.

Next to him, Xiaojiu was also gritting its teeth in a similar display of determination.

It, too, was feeling the overwhelming pressure.

"Xiaojiu, you should go back down. Don’t let them find you. Get back to the sect early and wait for me there."

His physical body was far more terrifying than Xiaojiu’s. If even he could barely withstand the pressure, Xiaojiu stood no chance.

Xiaojiu gestured, signaling that it wanted to go up with him.

Lin Hao shook his head firmly.

Lin Hao believed that with its intelligence, evading the people from the Suo Demon Sect would not be difficult.

In the end, Xiaojiu had no choice but to bid a reluctant farewell and retreat back down.

"Huuuff..." Letting out a breath, Lin Hao continued onward.

The pressure instantly intensified.

Under the overwhelming pressure, Lin Hao’s body was pressed tightly against the mountainside, and even breathing became difficult.

Unable to use his cultivation, he had to rely on his physical body to resist, and a tearing pain spread throughout him.

Even though his physical body was already perfect, it still couldn’t withstand the increasingly insane pressure.

Lin Hao had touched the threshold of the Blood Coagulation Realm Tenth Layer, achieving Refining Essence into Hair. Even without using his cultivation, he now possessed the strength of ten thousand catties, yet on this Forbidden God Mountain, he was being crushed to the point of grimacing in pain.

BOOM!

The moment Lin Hao moved, an overwhelming force bore down on him, and his bones and sinews began to snap.

This was astounding.

After all, Lin Hao could block the Jing Hong Sword—a weapon capable of severing Spiritual Artifacts—with his bare hand.

Yet now, his bones and sinews were actually breaking.

The pressure he was enduring was unimaginable.

A crazed fire lit up in Lin Hao’s eyes. The next moment, his body underwent a sudden, bizarre transformation.