Nine Heavens Martial Emperor

Lin Hao smiled, took out a money pouch, and casually tossed it in the air. "I’ll be taking his life," he said playfully. "Name a price. I can compensate you, too."

Lu Changjun’s expression stiffened.

"This is Celestial Jade City! Don’t be so insolent! How shameless of you!" A man stepped out from beside Lu Changjun and berated Lin Hao.

Lin Hao’s eyes narrowed, making him look like a tiger about to be let out of its cage.

But then, Lin Hao smiled again and untied the money pouch.

Then, under everyone’s gaze, he pulled out a piece of silver scrap and tossed it at Lu Changjun. "Since you won’t name a price, I’ll decide for myself."

The onlookers stared at Lin Hao, utterly and completely shocked.

In Lin Hao’s eyes, the young master of the Wei family—one of the three great families of Celestial Jade City—was worth only a piece of silver scrap.

Arrogant!

Too damn arrogant!

"I gave you a chance, but you didn’t cherish it. Don’t blame me for what happens next," Lu Changjun said, his face a mask of false compassion.

Seeing that expression, Lin Hao felt a wave of disgust. "You people from the Lu family really are all the same kind of hypocrites!"

Lu Changjun was confused.

But he didn’t need to understand why.

Because in his eyes, Lin Hao was already a dead man.

"Send him on his way." Lu Changjun’s voice was soft, but his killing intent was unmistakable.

Lin Hao smiled, a playful look on his face.

He made no move, not even using Wei Feng as a bargaining chip.

But the more he acted this way, the more hesitant his opponents became.

After all, they had just seen a cautionary tale.

With so many of them present, not a single one had seen how that Martial Artist had died.

Several people closed in on him, yet none dared to attack.

"Hey, hurry it up. I’m in a rush. If you don’t make a move, I’m leaving," Lin Hao said impatiently.

The attackers were so startled that they froze in their tracks.

Lin Hao smiled and shook his head, making no effort to hide his mockery.

Then, he turned right around. "Turtle Egg, let’s go."

At his words, Turtle Egg began to crawl forward slowly.

At the same time, the eyes of the Martial Artists behind him lit up.

The opportunity was too good to pass up.

All the Martial Artists, except for Lu Changjun, attacked Lin Hao simultaneously as the wind began to stir.

Lin Hao’s head tilted slightly. His eyes narrowed and his nose twitched.

He didn’t even need to turn around to know that all the Martial Artists who had attacked him were dead, killed in a single blow!

Instead of joy, Lin Hao felt a sense of unease. He had encountered a formidable foe.

However, the others didn’t see it that way.

All the Martial Artists, killed in a single blow. It was terrifying!

The onlookers all retreated in unison.

"I wonder which senior has graced Celestial Jade City with their presence. I, Lu Changjun, offer my respects." Having witnessed this terrifying and bizarre scene, Lu Changjun managed to remain unusually calm.

He had figured it out. There was someone backing Lin Hao.

Naturally, no one answered him.

"Young Master, I was out of line just now. However, the matter with Wei Feng truly requires careful consideration. How about this: accompany me to the City Lord’s Mansion, and I will naturally see that you get justice."

After receiving no reply, Lu Changjun smiled and cupped his fists at Lin Hao.

The City Lord’s Mansion... easy to enter, but hard to leave.

Behind Lin Hao, Meng Qing discreetly tugged on his sleeve.

But Lin Hao just smiled and readily agreed.

This was something only a complete fool would do.

Even Lu Changjun was taken aback.

The onlookers watched, utterly bewildered, as he sat on the turtle’s back and followed Lu Changjun toward the City Lord’s Mansion.

’Is this kid not right in the head?’

In fact, Lin Hao’s mind was far sharper than the average person’s.

Lu Changjun’s words held not a shred of sincerity.

If he were truly sincere, he would have at least asked for Lin Hao’s name first.

But he hadn’t. Instead, he wanted to lead Lin Hao into a den of wolves.

His intentions were as plain as day.

But Lin Hao had his own considerations.

Things had reached this point, but it was still far from what he’d expected. Following Lu Changjun to the City Lord’s Mansion wasn’t a suicide mission; it was a way to save his own life.

If he were to leave Celestial Jade City now, *that* would be courting death.

Because from the very beginning, the one who had been acting wasn’t him, but an assassin from Netherworld Hall.

Once Netherworld Hall accepts a Soul-Chasing Order for a target, that person’s life can only be taken by Netherworld Hall.

And this was the reason for Lin Hao’s fearless confidence.

Not only could he eliminate his opponents, but he could also find some clues.

But so far, this assassin had been too elusive. Even with all his abilities, Lin Hao had no leads.

It could be said that right now, in Lin Hao’s mind, no one in Celestial Jade City was more terrifying than this assassin lurking in the shadows.

By going to the City Lord’s Mansion and letting people with higher cultivation levels make a move, the chances of the hidden assassin leaking their aura would increase, which in turn would increase his own chances of survival.

Each with their own schemes, the two walked in silence.

With Lin Hao’s silent urging, Turtle Egg’s speed was actually not too slow.

Before long, they arrived at the City Lord’s Mansion.

The Celestial Jade City’s City Lord’s Mansion was imposing. Even before they drew near, an overwhelming sense of pressure washed over them.

But the speed of Lin Hao’s party was not affected in the slightest.

In front of the City Lord’s Mansion was a huge plaza.

As the group walked onto the plaza, Lu Changjun clapped his hands, and a middle-aged man who looked like a steward immediately appeared.

Lin Hao’s gaze sharpened. ’Even this steward is probably a Martial Artist at the Elemental Realm.’

The gap between War Dragon City and Celestial Jade City was immense.

The steward and Lu Changjun exchanged a look, and then Lu Changjun left, leaving the steward behind.

"Young Master is a distinguished guest. My young master has gone to invite someone to welcome you. Please be patient," the steward said with a smile.

His smile seemed sincere, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

Lin Hao simply nodded.

Perhaps only the person hidden in the shadows could sense his thoughts.

Before long, a group of people emerged from the City Lord’s Mansion. There weren’t many of them—only five, including Lu Changjun.

But even a casual glance from the other four made Lin Hao feel oppressed.

Needless to say, the cultivation of these four was certainly astonishing.

"Second Uncle, Third Uncle, save me!"

Earlier, Wei Feng had been scared out of his wits by Lin Hao’s methods and had wisely chosen to remain silent on the way here. Now, seeing these four, his eyes lit up with hope.

"Release Feng’er, and the Wei family will not pursue this matter further!" Two of the four middle-aged men spoke at almost the same time.

Lin Hao wasn’t surprised in the least. He stared at Lu Changjun and said playfully, "Is this the ’justice’ you were talking about?"

Without a hint of shame or embarrassment on his face, Lu Changjun replied, "I knew you would think it wasn’t enough, so I specially invited my fourth and fifth uncles. They are both powerful experts at the Elemental Realm Fifth Layer. *This* is my justice."

Facing four Martial Artists of the Elemental Realm Fifth Layer, Lin Hao’s expression remained unchanged.

Hearing this, Lin Hao shook his head. "No, they don’t represent justice. Wait a bit. I’ll leave you alive so you can see what true justice is!"

"That’s assuming you live long enough. The person behind you is just putting on a mysterious act. In reality, they’ve merely cultivated a specific Cultivation Technique. Their cultivation is at most the Elemental Realm Third Layer," Lu Changjun said, looking as if victory was already in his grasp.

Lin Hao also smiled. "’How perceptive.’"

In truth, everything Lin Hao knew about Netherworld Hall came from Chu Tiandu’s memories.

As the continent’s number one assassin organization, Netherworld Hall had existed for several thousand years.

Just as Lu Changjun had said, the reason Netherworld Hall’s assassins could kill without a trace was because of their Cultivation Technique.

However, he was wrong about one thing. It wasn’t a single technique, but a whole set.

The Cultivation Technique and martial skills complemented each other.

But as for what this set of techniques was, no one knew. Not even Chu Tiandu.

The mystique of Netherworld Hall was astounding.

However, the people facing Lin Hao didn’t know this.

After getting what they thought was an affirmative answer, they visibly relaxed.

Then, without any warning, two of them attacked at the same time.

They didn’t choose to engage in close combat. Instead, they both manifested hands of True Essence.

The True Essence formed into massive hands—one a palm, smacking down from above, and the other a fist, punching straight at Lin Hao’s chest.

Meanwhile, the other two stood to his left and right, ready to act. They were clearly on guard against the person in the shadows.

Their plan seemed flawless.

An expert at the Elemental Realm Fifth Layer manifesting a True Essence hand; an unimaginable force pressed down on Lin Hao from above.

After a Martial Artist’s cultivation reaches the Elemental Realm, each subsequent layer they advance adds a tremendous force of 10,000 *jin*!

A casual strike from an Elemental Realm Fifth Layer expert, even a manifested True Essence hand, could carry a force of 150,000 *jin*!

Under such immense force, even a mountain, unless it was exceptionally large, would be smashed to pieces.

Even though Lin Hao’s body was tough as steel, he had not yet advanced to the Elemental Realm. He still couldn’t possibly withstand such power.

The pressure was instantaneous.

BOOM!

Lin Hao’s entire body began to glow. Under the immense pressure, he actually managed to take two steps, moving from Turtle Egg’s back to the ground.

Don’t underestimate those two steps. Under the assault of two Elemental Realm Fifth Layer Martial Artists, a Blood Coagulation Realm Martial Artist who could still move two steps... Lin Hao was likely the only one in the entire world.

And behind Lin Hao, Turtle Egg, carrying Meng Qing, had swiftly escaped the range of the Elemental Realm Martial Artists’ pressure.

Unfortunately, with some of the men’s eyes on Lin Hao and the other two’s on their comrades, no one noticed this.

Under the absolutely overwhelming pressure, Lin Hao’s body began to bend, and popping sounds could be heard from within him.

Lin Hao’s face contorted as he fought against the pressure.

A mocking expression flashed across the faces of the two Elemental Realm Martial Artists. Their True Essence hands inched closer, but they were in no hurry to strike him down.

Lin Hao was suffering in silence. He had a feeling that the Netherworld Hall assassin hadn’t made a move because they had seen through his plan. They were probably hiding somewhere, enjoying the show.

’Damn it!’ Lin Hao gritted his teeth and began to circulate the Godslaying Celestial Slash Skill.

As the imperial technique circulated, the sounds of a dragon’s roar and a tiger’s howl seemed to echo from within Lin Hao’s body.

The pressure instantly lessened.

But at that moment, an idea struck Lin Hao. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

The next moment, he suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground with a THUD.

Besides his Body Technique, the imperial technique was another one of his trump cards. If the Netherworld Hall assassin discovered it, his chances of survival would plummet.

Therefore, in a flash of inspiration, Lin Hao decided to take a gamble.

It was an extremely risky move.

If the hidden Netherworld Hall assassin couldn’t strike in time, or if their skills weren’t sufficient, and Lin Hao was hit by those two True Essence hands, death would be his only outcome.

But if he could survive this high-risk gamble, the rewards would surely be great.

But it seemed hope was slim.

Because the moment Lin Hao spat blood, the two Martial Artists’ True Essence hands accelerated simultaneously.

The ground around Lin Hao collapsed under the immense pressure, the massive bluestone slabs turning to dust.

And the palm and fist descended with the force of a thunderbolt.

Lin Hao gritted his teeth, his fists clenched, but he still didn’t move.

It was a hair’s breadth from disaster!