Nine Heavens Martial Emperor

Casually fiddling with the Spiritual Artifacts, a mocking smile appeared on Lin Hao’s lips.

Then, he said to Wu Taichu, "Master, these Spiritual Artifacts have the Jinglian Saint Institute’s unique imprint on them. To use them, we must first remove the imprints. Otherwise, the user will suffer a backlash. I need to use the Divine Weapon Hall."

Wu Taichu and the three Grand Elders were taken aback.

No wonder Lin Hao hadn’t suggested they use the Spiritual Artifacts. So it was because of the imprints.

The fact that he needed to borrow the Divine Weapon Hall meant these imprints were rather troublesome.

"Martial Ancestor..." Wu Taichu and the three Grand Elders all looked apologetic.

Lin Hao raised a hand and smiled faintly. "They’re just Tier Four Spiritual Artifacts. They won’t be a problem for me."

This casual tone sent a shock through their hearts.

"You all go on ahead to the secret realm’s entrance. I’ll just be a moment," Lin Hao said before flying off.

Lin Hao didn’t go directly to the Divine Weapon Hall. Instead, he first went to Lian Lanxin’s residence.

Lin Hao wasn’t interested in the grudge between her grandfather and the Jinglian Saint Institute for now, but he could let Lian Lanxin observe as he removed the imprints from these Spiritual Artifacts.

Upon entering Lian Lanxin’s residence, the first thing Lin Hao saw was an intensely focused Lian Lanxin practicing the art of inscription.

He didn’t know how long she had been practicing, but Lin Hao saw her hands were covered in blood from ruptured blisters.

Sighing softly, Lin Hao knelt down and took her hand.

Lian Lanxin’s body stiffened, then relaxed.

"First observe the spirit, then inscribe the form. Lan Xin, you don’t even understand this basic principle?" Lin Hao thought, slightly vexed.

Lian Lanxin was clearly blinded by hatred.

This was not a good thing for her.

"Big Brother, I..." Lian Lanxin’s eyes were slightly red, her voice choked with emotion.

"It’s just the Jinglian Saint Institute. You don’t need to push yourself this hard." Lin Hao shrugged, his voice calm.

Lian Lanxin’s expression faltered, and she stared at Lin Hao with wide eyes.

"If you want to avenge your grandfather, you must listen to me. Can you do that?"

Lin Hao’s words were soft, yet they held a strange Magic Power. Lian Lanxin nodded slightly.

"Come, let’s go to the Divine Weapon Hall," Lin Hao said with a smile.

Only then did Lian Lanxin notice what Lin Hao was holding.

Seeing the character for ’Refining,’ her body began to tremble.

"I know these three Spiritual Artifacts are from the Jinglian Saint Institute. Today, I will break their seals. In the future, you will melt them down and reforge them with your own hands!"

"Can I do that?" Lian Lanxin’s eyes were filled with doubt.

She knew more than anyone about the Spiritual Artifacts refined by the Jinglian Saint Institute.

"As long as you listen to me, of course you can," Lin Hao replied.

Lian Lanxin’s lips moved, but in the end, she said nothing. A glimmer of light had appeared in her eyes.

Lin Hao smiled, then led the way to the Divine Weapon Hall...

Aside from the two Sect Disciples standing guard outside, the Divine Weapon Hall was completely empty.

Lin Hao’s words were now akin to a holy decree in the Heaven-Stepping Sect; Wu Taichu had long since sent away everyone in the Divine Weapon Hall.

Closing the door, Lin Hao casually tossed the three Spiritual Artifacts onto a table as if they weren’t precious artifacts but pieces of trash.

Lian Lanxin jumped in shock. Standing behind him, she looked at Lin Hao as if he were a god.

The Spiritual Artifacts refined by the Jinglian Saint Institute were likely the best on the entire continent, yet Lin Hao treated them with complete disregard.

’It would be great if that bunch of old geezers from the Jinglian Saint Institute could see this,’ Lian Lanxin said to herself, an unexpected feeling of satisfaction rising within her.

"Do you want to try?" Lin Hao asked suddenly, without turning around.

"Huh?" Lian Lanxin was confused.

"Don’t you hate the Jinglian Saint Institute? Vent your anger on them." Lin Hao turned and gestured toward the Spiritual Artifacts with his chin.

Lian Lanxin looked at Lin Hao.

Lin Hao gave her an encouraging look.

Finally, Lian Lanxin threw the three Spiritual Artifacts on the ground and began to stomp on them furiously.

As she stomped, tears streamed down her face. "This is for bullying my grandfather! One day, I’ll trample all of you under my feet!"

Watching from the side, Lin Hao’s expression grew distant. It was as if he were seeing himself from over a month ago.

Back then, he had just awakened. He had suddenly encountered a servant of the former Lin Shen clan, mistaken her for that venomous woman, and slapped her to death.

Now, as Lian Lanxin vented her inner anguish, she was so similar to him at that time.

He let her vent freely, just watching with a faint smile.

But in the next moment, his composure shattered.

Because Lian Lanxin suddenly threw herself into his arms.

With Lian Lanxin’s arms wrapped around him, Lin Hao felt extremely awkward.

The most vexing part was that the girl, Lian Lanxin, was only wearing a thin robe for practicing inscription. And her hug was very, very tight.

The soft sensation pressed against his chest, and the intoxicating scent of the girl filled his nostrils. Lin Hao found his mind starting to wander.

"Ahem, Lan Xin, let’s remove the imprints. Remove the imprints."

"Oh..." Fortunately, the girl was obedient and let go of Lin Hao upon hearing his words.

Lin Hao’s face was slightly red as he picked up a Spiritual Artifact, his heart still pounding wildly.

"Big Brother, can you really break the imprints? Every Spiritual Artifact from the Jinglian Saint Institute has its own unique imprint. If you try to remove it by force, one mistake and you could be annihilated!" Seeing Lin Hao’s state, Lian Lanxin grew worried.

She had no idea that his current state was entirely because of her. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

"It shouldn’t be a problem," Lin Hao said, taking a deep breath to banish the distracting thoughts from his mind.

The moment Lin Hao’s hand touched the Spiritual Artifact, his entire aura changed.

A drop of True Blood was forced from his fingertip. He then began to swiftly trace strange runes on the Spiritual Artifact, his movements fast and fluid, like flowing water.

During this process, an incredibly powerful fluctuation suddenly erupted from the Spiritual Artifact, causing it to tremble violently in Lin Hao’s hand.

The character for ’Refining’ on the Spiritual Artifact abruptly flew out, shooting towards the spot between Lin Hao’s eyebrows with incredible speed.

But Lin Hao was prepared. With a cold snort, his finger glowed as he pointed it downward. The ’Refining’ character exploded in mid-air, and the Spiritual Artifact instantly grew still.

Then, Lin Hao repeated the process, beginning to work on the other two Spiritual Artifacts.

Before long, Lin Hao stopped, a smile appearing on his young face.

Lian Lanxin looked and saw that the ’Refining’ character on all three Spiritual Artifacts had vanished.

This meant that the unique imprints left by the Jinglian Saint Institute on the Spiritual Artifacts had been removed.

Lian Lanxin’s eyes widened. She stared at Lin Hao, her gaze full of adoration, and murmured, "Big Brother, you’re amazing."

As far as she knew, no one had ever been able to break the Jinglian Saint Institute’s unique imprints.

Lin Hao shrugged noncommittally.

「At the same time, in a top-secret location on the Celestial Yang Continent.」

An old man shot to his feet, his face filled with horror.

"Impossible! This is absolutely impossible! For thousands of years, no one has been able to break the Jinglian Saint Institute’s unique imprints!"

After muttering this a few times, he collapsed back into his seat, the look of horror not leaving his face.

Finally, he shot up again. "No, this matter is too important. I must report it to the Institute Head."

Then, he hurried away.

「Back at the Heaven-Stepping Sect.」

Lin Hao stroked the Spiritual Artifacts, a wicked grin on his face. "They’ve probably found out by now. I wonder how they’ll react. I imagine it will be quite the show."

Afterwards, Lin Hao left the Divine Weapon Hall with Lian Lanxin.

Outside the withered secret realm, Wu Taichu and the three Grand Elders were waiting for Lin Hao.

Seeing Lin Hao arrive with the Spiritual Artifacts, the group hurried to greet him.

Lin Hao had ordered Lian Lanxin to go back and rest, so now it was Xiaojiu following him.

"I’ve removed the imprints from the Spiritual Artifacts. Now, I will take you into the secret realm."

The passage into the Lower Secret Realm was ravaged by astral winds. Even though these two elders were at the Peak of the Elemental Realm, their physical bodies still couldn’t withstand it.

To be safe, Lin Hao could only take one person, while Xiaojiu would have to handle the other.

Having entered the secret realm twice now, Lin Hao was familiar with the process. The passage opened, and Lin Hao and Xiaojiu protected the two elders as they entered.

By now, Lin Hao’s physical body was countless times stronger than before, and the same was true for Xiaojiu. Without any danger, the two elders arrived in the secret realm.

The moment they entered, both elders were somewhat dumbfounded.

The secret realm had been withered for so long that they had almost forgotten what it looked like inside.

But looking now, it seemed no different from before it had withered.

Lin Hao was also surprised. The recovery speed of this secret realm was simply too fast.

Outside, the once-withered jungle was teeming with life again.

Xiaojiu led the way, with the three humans following, heading straight for the location of the underground palace.

Along the way, Lin Hao noticed traces of Devil Beasts had reappeared, but they all seemed to fear Xiaojiu, keeping their distance.

"Martial Uncle, the primordial energy here is rich, and there are Devil Beasts. It’s very suitable for the Sect Disciples’ training," the two elders suggested to Lin Hao.

Lin Hao just smiled and grunted in acknowledgment.

If he hadn’t obtained Chu Tiandu’s memories, Lin Hao might have thought the same. But things were different now.

There were eight other secret realms within the sect that had been hidden for thousands of years. Opening those would provide the most ideal training grounds.

The three humans and one ape arrived before the broken ruins, where Xiaojiu stopped and looked toward Lin Hao.

It was smart enough to know that without Lin Hao’s guidance, no one could enter this place.

"There are countless Arrays here. Follow me, and don’t touch anything," Lin Hao finally said, stepping forward and giving his instructions.

The two elders looked up and saw only broken ruins, nothing else.

But after everything that had happened, they chose to trust Lin Hao unconditionally.

After nodding, they followed behind Lin Hao.

The moment they took a step, they knew Lin Hao wasn’t exaggerating.

Without Lin Hao to guide them, they would have likely been trapped here to die, even with their cultivation at the Soul Gathering Realm.

However, they weren’t too shocked.

After all, Lin Hao’s methods seemed endless. They had become numb to it.

But when the two elders saw the vast underground palace, their expressions finally changed.

"Who could have built this underground palace? It’s simply breathtaking!" the two elders exclaimed, staring at the structure.

Lin Hao also stared at the underground palace, a strange light flashing in his eyes.

Then, he said with great solemnity, "You can live in this underground palace, but you must remember: the place with a large cauldron carved on the door—you must never, ever go near it."

That was the place Lin Hao had been about to step into last time.

He hadn’t known what it was before, but based on Chu Tiandu’s memories, Lin Hao deduced that there was something world-shaking inside!

Lin Hao had once seen a message left by Emperor Hongtian, which read: "Tread the Nine Heavens, enter the Netherworld, and obtain the heaven-defying pill formula!"

In all likelihood, that heaven-defying pill formula was hidden inside!