Nine Heavens Martial Emperor

Ling Xiao had only just recovered, and exerting eighty percent of his power was a massive drain. Before long, his stamina gave out.

Lin Hao, on the other hand, never stopped punching. He was unbelievably fast, and every fist he threw knocked a Devil Beast unconscious.

Noticing Ling Xiao’s state, Lin Hao supported him with one arm, his other fist never stopping its relentless motion.

Amidst the swirling gale from his fists, the Devil Beasts couldn’t even get near them.

In this way, the two advanced over a hundred meters, surrounded by unconscious Devil Beasts.

However, the situation was grim.

Lin Hao looked up and saw the rock walls were covered with chameleons, eyeing them like prey.

Their bodies blended almost perfectly with the color of the rock walls, and the passage was dimly lit. If not for Lin Hao’s incredible eyesight, he never would have noticed them.

Breaking off a large chunk of rock from the wall, Lin Hao hurled it forward.

CRACK!

The sound of the rock striking the wall echoed back. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Lin Hao listened intently and estimated that there was a bend in the tunnel about a hundred meters away.

But the throw also made Lin Hao pause, a flicker of delight following his surprise.

He noticed that when the sound of the rock striking the wall echoed, the chameleons, which had been focused solely on them, all turned their heads in unison. They stared toward the source of the noise, their posture filled with wary vigilance.

’Could there be a Devil Beast up ahead that they’re afraid of?’

With this thought, Lin Hao repeated the action, prying another rock from the wall and hurling it deeper into the tunnel.

CRACK!

Another crack echoed out. This time, every single chameleon turned to look toward the source of the sound.

’It’s working!’

Deciding to commit, Lin Hao kept moving. While supporting Ling Xiao and walking forward, he continuously broke off rocks and threw them deeper into the tunnel.

The CRACK-CRACK-CRACK was incessant.

The countless chameleons had completely abandoned them as targets. To Lin Hao’s surprise, he realized their numbers were actually dwindling.

Yet there were no caves or crevices in the walls where they could have hidden.

’Don’t tell me these beasts are born from one’s mind, and I’ve accidentally found a way to make them disappear?’

Lin Hao shook his head, pushing the thought aside. He was about to throw another rock when he suddenly froze.

Because he hadn’t thrown a rock, but clacking sounds were still echoing from up ahead—and growing more intense.

"This is bad, another type of Devil Beast is here!" Ling Xiao, who was slowly recovering his strength, paled at the sound.

The moment he finished speaking, Lin Hao’s eyes narrowed.

Around the bend, a curved tail came into view. It swung back and forth ceaselessly, making a rattling sound.

Then, the Devil Beast revealed its true form.

It was a massive scorpion. Its two pincers were huge, and its curved tail was as long as its body. Tipping the tail was an incredibly sharp, hooked stinger.

Seeing it, Ling Xiao couldn’t help but gasp. "It’s a Rattletail Scorpion!"

Let alone in the Demon Suppression Cave, even in the outside world, a Rattletail Scorpion was a formidable Devil Beast.

Although it was a Tier One Devil Beast, any one of them had strength on par with a Martial Artist at the Blood Coagulation Realm Peak.

Moreover, its hooked stinger contained a potent poison. One sting was enough to induce full-body paralysis, leaving you completely helpless.

Because its entire tail was always swaying, no one ever knew when its stinger would strike, making it impossible to defend against.

There was no chance of victory against a Rattletail Scorpion, even if he could use his Cultivation Technique and martial skills. But with his True Essence almost completely gone, it was hopeless. A chill ran down Ling Xiao’s spine.

"If I had known, I never would have chosen the ’Life’ path," Ling Xiao muttered, filled with endless regret.

But that wasn’t even the worst of it.

To Ling Xiao’s utter despair, a second one appeared, then a third...

Four Rattletail Scorpions fanned out, completely blocking the tunnel. Ling Xiao could even see more tails swaying just around the bend, and he had no idea how many more were waiting there.

"The heavens want me dead!" Ling Xiao cried out to the heavens, his face a mask of despair.

"This isn’t like you, Senior Brother." Just then, Lin Hao’s voice sounded out, still as calm as ever.

Ling Xiao glanced to the side. Lin Hao’s face was a mask of tranquility, utterly composed.

Ling Xiao’s eyes lit up as if he had found his pillar of support. He quickly asked, "Do you have a plan?"

However, Lin Hao’s reply disappointed him.

"You don’t have a plan, yet you’re still this calm. I’m impressed!" Ling Xiao had to admit.

"My opinion of you is quite the opposite. You’ve disappointed me greatly," Lin Hao replied.

Ling Xiao froze.

"I remember your mettle when you challenged me to a duel. Your battle intent was soaring, and you seemed invincible. I thought you and I were cut from the same cloth. It seems I overestimated you."

Ling Xiao’s expression shifted constantly. Finally, he asked, "What kind of person did you originally think I was?"

"A young genius who believed himself to be invincible. Unfortunately, that belief has crumbled." As Lin Hao said this, he suddenly strode forward. Facing the Rattletail Scorpions, his method was simple and direct.

He thrust out a fist.

There was no ripple of True Essence in that punch, not even any physical force. But in it, Ling Xiao saw an aura—an unstoppable, forward-charging momentum.

Even the four Rattletail Scorpions were intimidated by this presence, and they actually took a simultaneous step back.

Ling Xiao’s eyes lit up.

"If we don’t make it out of this Demon Suppression Cave, remember this: you won’t die to Devil Beasts, you’ll die by your own hand. As for me... I will press ever onward, for I am invincible," Lin Hao said without turning back.

Ling Xiao was profoundly shaken.

I will press ever onward, for I am invincible!

These eight words struck him like a temple bell, reverberating endlessly in his mind.

He began to chant the words, his voice growing louder and louder as a light kindled in his eyes.

A wind stirred within the Demon Suppression Cave.

The wind grew stronger and stronger, all of it converging above Ling Xiao’s head.

The raging wind buffeted the four Rattletail Scorpions, tossing them about. They all hooked their stingers into the rock wall to anchor themselves, but it was futile. They were ripped free and sent spiraling into the vortex above Ling Xiao’s head.

Above Ling Xiao’s head, the gale formed a swirling vortex.

Yet Lin Hao, standing right beside him, remained as still as a mountain, watching him quietly.

BOOM!

Suddenly, a powerful presence erupted from Ling Xiao.

In the face of this immense pressure, the four Rattletail Scorpions above him were instantly crushed into dust.

Ling Xiao opened his eyes, and a brilliant light flashed within them.

A look of joy flashed in Lin Hao’s eyes. Ling Xiao had actually broken through to the Elemental Realm.

「The next moment.」

THUD!

With a thud, Ling Xiao fell to his knees before Lin Hao.

"I, Ling Xiao, have been reborn today in the Demon Suppression Cave. From this day forward, I will follow your lead, Senior Brother!" Ling Xiao declared, his voice ringing with conviction.

The sole reason he could break through to the Elemental Realm was that he had witnessed Lin Hao’s imposing presence and been jolted awake by his words.

And Ling Xiao was no fool. He knew the benefits of breaking through to the Elemental Realm right now went far beyond a simple increase in cultivation. To say the advantages were immeasurable would be an understatement.

He owed all of this to Lin Hao.

Ling Xiao finally understood the true gap between himself and Lin Hao. His previous desire to crush Lin Hao underfoot had transformed into submission—absolute submission.

"You said you chose the ’Life’ path. But the Life path is supposed to be certain death. Are you so sure you’ll have a ’from this day forward’?" Lin Hao pulled Ling Xiao to his feet, a smile on his face.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Ling Xiao stared into Lin Hao’s eyes, where he saw nothing but fearlessness. That gaze filled him with infinite confidence. He answered with certainty, "Yes!"

Lin Hao smiled and turned away, a brilliant light flashing in his eyes.

The powerful display from Ling Xiao’s breakthrough had also ignited Lin Hao’s fighting spirit.

He wouldn’t just escape the Demon Suppression Cave; he would break through his own shackles here and achieve the Blood Coagulation Extreme Realm.

"Senior Brother, let me." Seeing Lin Hao about to move, Ling Xiao took a large step and positioned himself in front of him.

Having advanced to the Elemental Realm, Ling Xiao’s True Essence was now abundant. Power flowed through his every move, and he felt an urgent need to unleash it.

Lin Hao smiled and let him take the lead.

As the two rounded the corner, they saw the Rattletail Scorpions.

There weren’t nearly as many as Ling Xiao had feared—only a dozen or so.

Furthermore, their tails were stretched taut, their stingers embedded in the rock of the ceiling.

The Rattletail Scorpions still hadn’t recovered from the terrifying power of Ling Xiao’s breakthrough, terrified of being swept away by another gale.

Seeing that there were merely a dozen of them, Ling Xiao shot Lin Hao a grateful look.

It was just as Lin Hao had implied: he had assumed there would be countless scorpions, but he had only been frightening himself.

’Truly, the greatest enemy in here isn’t the Devil Beasts, but myself.’

The sight of these Rattletail Scorpions proved the point, making Ling Xiao’s martial conviction even more solid.

He strode forward and drew back his fist.

In his excitement over his realm advancement, Ling Xiao forgot Lin Hao’s warning.

Now that he had advanced to the Elemental Realm, a single punch could wield a terrifying fifty tons of force.

Though he wasn’t using his full strength, the punch still carried at least twenty tons of force.

A punch like that would undoubtedly blast those Rattletail Scorpions into a mist of blood.

"Hold on," Lin Hao’s voice rang out.

In the next instant, Lin Hao’s hand shot out and grabbed Ling Xiao’s arm.

Ling Xiao’s fist had only traveled a foot or so before it came to a dead halt, unable to move forward at all.

Ling Xiao snapped back to reality, his eyes wide with disbelief as he looked at Lin Hao.

Before his breakthrough, he hadn’t fully grasped how formidable Lin Hao was. But now, as an Elemental Realm master, to have his punch stopped so easily... it was terrifying.

He had used forty percent of his strength in that punch!

Forty percent strength meant twenty tons of force! And that power had been stopped by a mere Blood Coagulation Realm Martial Artist. This...

Staring at Lin Hao, Ling Xiao’s jaw dropped wide enough to fit a fist inside.

"We can’t kill them," Lin Hao said calmly, acting as if what he’d done was nothing special. "You know what will happen."

Shaking himself from his stupor, Ling Xiao asked, "Then what’s the plan?"

Lin Hao shrugged and looked at the Rattletail Scorpions’ tails.

It looked like they were just about to lower them.

Ling Xiao didn’t understand what he meant.

"Let’s combine our strength and create another whirlwind," Lin Hao said, the corners of his mouth lifting into a smile.

Ling Xiao’s eyes lit up, and he immediately backed away.

Lin Hao did the same.

Once they were both back around the bend, Ling Xiao asked, "Alright, what now?"

"Use half your strength. We’re going to clash fists." Lin Hao vividly remembered his clash with the Elemental Realm Martial Artist outside Celestial Jade City.

The moment their fists collided, a powerful gale was sure to sweep through the tunnel.

The Rattletail Scorpions, like birds startled by a hunter’s bow, would either flee or dig their stingers in even deeper.

Either outcome would be to their advantage.

’A flicker of worry crossed Ling Xiao’s eyes. Half his strength was a staggering twenty-five tons of force. Could Lin Hao really handle that?’