Nine Heavens Martial Emperor

At the side, Lin Hao winked at Ling Xiao, signaling for him to keep it a secret.

It wasn’t that Lin Hao wanted to hide the truth from Wu Taichu. He just felt the matter was quite ordinary and not worth making a big fuss about.

"Master, the Demon Suppression Cave was part of a grand scheme laid by an Evil Demon preparing to return to the mortal realm. He has since vanished, so to be on the safe side, I destroyed the cave."

The Demon Suppression Cave had been a forbidden area in the sect. Even though Wu Taichu hadn’t said anything about its destruction, Lin Hao knew he couldn’t act disrespectfully.

Wu Taichu looked both shocked and flattered by his words.

Lin Hao’s seniority in the sect was so great that he could have easily deposed him as Sect Leader. The fact that he was taking the time to explain this to him was a clear sign of respect.

"Martial Grand-Uncle, the Divine Weapon Hall has been developing well. While you were in the Demon Suppression Cave, they’ve already succeeded in refining several types of Tier One Spiritual Artifacts." Lin Hao had shown him courtesy, and Wu Taichu immediately returned the favor by reporting on the Divine Weapon Hall’s progress.

"They’ve refined Spiritual Artifacts! This is arguably the most exciting news the sect has had in thousands of years." Wu Taichu’s voice even trembled as he spoke.

But upon hearing this, Lin Hao merely offered a faint smile and a nod. That was all.

"Does that mean I was in there for many days?" ’Just refining some Tier One Spiritual Artifacts is no big deal,’ he thought. He was more concerned about how much time had passed.

"Martial Grand-Uncle, you’ve been in the Demon Suppression Cave for nearly twenty days," Wu Taichu answered respectfully. Then he asked, "Martial Grand-Uncle, would you like to go see the Divine Weapon Hall?"

Lin Hao’s placid reaction made Wu Taichu a little anxious; he worried that Lin Hao was unsatisfied with their progress.

"Not right now. I want to go take a look over there first." Lin Hao’s gaze was fixed on a distant mountain peak.

"Martial Grand-Uncle, you’re going to the Forbidden God Mountain?" Wu Taichu asked, somewhat surprised.

But on second thought, it made sense to him.

Lin Hao had managed to descend from that mountain before, so it was only natural that he would go again.

When it came to the Forbidden God Mountain, forget about anyone in the sect being able to help—it was doubtful anyone on the entire continent could.

Therefore, Wu Taichu swallowed the four words he was about to say: "I’ll go with you."

Lin Hao nodded and departed first, the three people behind him bowing slightly as he left.

After Lin Hao’s figure had vanished from sight, Ling Xiao finally spoke up. "Master," he asked Wu Taichu, "while I was in the Demon Suppression Cave, what exactly did... Senior Brother Lin do?"

Though he’d only heard bits and pieces, Ling Xiao had a strong feeling that Lin Hao must have done something world-shaking in his absence.

For instance, the Divine Weapon Hall was now able to refine Spiritual Artifacts after just twenty days. That was nothing short of a miracle.

Ling Xiao simply had too many questions.

"Well, there’s just so much. Let’s head to the Divine Weapon Hall. I’ll tell you on the way." When speaking of Lin Hao, Wu Taichu’s eyes lit up. Beyond pride and awe, his expression held traces of worship and admiration...

It was an expression that should never appear on the face of a Sect Leader.

"After you entered the Demon Suppression Cave, the first major thing Martial Grand-Uncle did was outwit the Alchemy Masters from the Danling Sect..."

「While Wu Taichu was recounting Lin Hao’s glorious achievements to Ling Xiao, Lin Hao himself had already arrived at the foot of the Forbidden God Mountain.」

Having been to the Forbidden God Mountain twice, Lin Hao was no longer a stranger to it. He found his bearing and leaped upward.

Lin Hao had chosen to come to the Forbidden God Mountain for one simple reason: to test the limits of his current realm.

The first time he came, his physical strength had been terrifying, but even then, it had taken him nearly ten sleepless days and nights to climb the Forbidden God Mountain.

The second time, thanks to the turtle, his speed had been incredible. But even then, Lin Hao could still feel that overwhelming suppressive force.

It was a force that could crush anything.

Now he had reached the Blood Condensation Extreme Realm, which was great, but Lin Hao still had no real measure of just how formidable his physical body had become.

The Forbidden God Mountain was suppressed by the Great Dao, making it impossible to use Cultivation Techniques. It was the perfect place to directly test the true extent of one’s physical strength.

At first, Lin Hao’s speed was incredible; he seemed completely unaffected.

Even when he reached the halfway point of the mountainside, he could feel the pressure, but the climb was still easy.

At that point, Lin Hao estimated he was resisting a force of at least fifty to sixty thousand jin.

Under this pressure, Lin Hao found that his body no longer glowed. It seemed he couldn’t even form his protective corporeal aura.

But Lin Hao could feel it clearly: every single pore of his muscles was emitting its own power, dispersing the suppressive force.

If the suppressive force of the Forbidden God Mountain was a raging river, then every pore on Lin Hao’s body was a small stream, diverting the endless flow of water.

The sensation was marvelous.

A smile graced Lin Hao’s lips. He took a deep breath and pressed onward.

And then, the pressure abruptly intensified.

The increase was terrifying.

Lin Hao was no longer at ease; his pace slowed.

But even so, one day later, Lin Hao stood upon the summit of the Forbidden God Mountain.

Once he reached the top, Lin Hao collapsed to the ground, panting heavily. He rested for a long time before he was able to stand up.

"Hahaha..." A moment later, Lin Hao’s booming laughter echoed across the Forbidden God Mountain.

To think it had previously taken him ten days and ten nights to climb this mountain, and now, he had done it in a single day.

The strength of his physical body was plain to see.

Of course, Lin Hao knew full well that the reason he could ascend the Forbidden God Mountain so quickly wasn’t that his strength had increased tenfold, but rather due to the unique structure of his body.

Every pore of his body resisting the suppressive force—it was something that would have been unimaginable before.

’The human body truly is a profound and unpredictable mystery. With enough effort, anything is possible.’ On the cloud-shrouded summit of the Forbidden God Mountain, Lin Hao clenched his fists, his gaze resolute.

"Who’s there? Have you no decency, disturbing a guy’s sleep?" Just then, a dissonant voice sounded from behind Lin Hao.

Lin Hao’s body tensed for a moment before relaxing again.

’Of course. The only one who would talk like that is that rascal of a turtle.’

Sure enough, a turtle emerged slowly from the swirling mist.

BOOM!

Without a word, Lin Hao strode over and kicked it.

The kick was so powerful that even the Forbidden God Mountain itself seemed to tremble.

"A guy’s sleep? Who do you think you are?" This creature had vanished without a trace for days, and not before scheming against him. Seeing it now, Lin Hao was naturally furious.

The turtle was completely unharmed by the kick, but its eyes widened as it stared intently at Lin Hao.

"The Extreme Realm... the Blood Condensation Extreme Realm! You actually achieved it. This is..."

The turtle’s voice trailed off, and Lin Hao couldn’t hear the rest of what it was saying.

The turtle’s origins were a mystery, so Lin Hao wasn’t the least bit surprised it could see through to his true state.

But its act of being all mysterious just made Lin Hao want to beat it up.

So, Lin Hao stomped on it again.

He hadn’t used his full strength in the last kick. It seemed the turtle’s shell was even tougher than he had imagined.

RUMBLE!

A tremendous sound, like a crack of thunder, echoed across the summit of the Forbidden God Mountain.

"Ow! Stop, stop! At least spare this... this divine turtle some dignity!" the turtle said in a muffled voice, its head retracted into its shell.

"There’s no one else here. Just let me blow off some steam," Lin Hao said, cracking his knuckles with a wicked grin.

The turtle’s head poked out. "Who says there’s no one else here? You can’t hit this divine turtle in front of *her*, or I’ll get nasty!" 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Lin Hao’s foot froze in mid-air.

Then, Lin Hao’s eyes widened in disbelief.

For he saw Lord Lingdi slowly emerging from the mist.

The tips of her ears were bright red, and she had a bashful, fidgety look about her.

’This rascal actually managed to win over Lord Lingdi?’

Lin Hao looked at the turtle, filled with utter admiration.

"What’s with that look!" Lord Lingdi noticed his expression and snapped angrily. "My body is unwell. I need to recuperate on the Forbidden God Mountain."

"Right, right. Understood," Lin Hao chuckled knowingly.

But a moment later, the color drained from Lin Hao’s face.

He remembered something the turtle had said before: there was a Saint Medicine on the summit, possibly one that had been nurtured from the lifeblood of Emperor Hongtian after his fall.

’Don’t tell me that rascal is trying to get his hands on it just to please Lord Lingdi.’

"Spit it out! What did you do with the Saint Medicine?!" Lin Hao demanded viciously.

"It’s fine. We can’t get anywhere near it," Lord Lingdi interjected. "I am indeed using it to heal, but I can only absorb about one ten-millionth of its energy from the periphery. An amount like that means nothing to it."

"You’re really injured?" Lin Hao had thought she was just making up an excuse out of embarrassment at being found out.

But now that she was speaking so earnestly, he was starting to believe her.

"Of course! Why else would I have come to the Heaven-Stepping Sect? Besides, I was originally pinning my hopes on you, but you’ve entered the Saha World a pitiful number of times, and your True Essence... In short, I can’t count on you anymore, so I have to find my own way."

Lord Lingdi was sounding more and more like a petulant young woman, pouring out her grievances resentfully.

"Ahem. Is that so? Well, is there anything I can do to help?" Lin Hao asked, scratching his head in embarrassment.

’So I really did wrong her.’

"Don’t..." Lord Lingdi had barely spoken a word before the turtle cut in. "Why don’t you give it another try? See if you can get close to the Saint Medicine."

Lin Hao was quite curious about the Saint Medicine himself, so he nodded in agreement.

Moving behind the Heavenly Stele, Lin Hao once again met with resistance.

This time, Lin Hao activated the Emperor Art, and his eyes began to shine with a brilliant light.

He had discovered the benefits of channeling the Emperor Art into his eyes back in the Demon Suppression Cave, so he employed the technique once more.

This time, he saw a hazy current of energy.

The current ebbed and flowed. It seemed unremarkable, yet Lin Hao could sense a majestic power within it.

This was the energy that formed the barrier, inspiring a deep, instinctual reverence in all who beheld it.

Just seeing it inspired an urge to prostrate and worship; who would dare to even think of touching it?

Huh?

Suddenly, Lin Hao let out a soft sound of surprise. He realized that this current of energy felt remarkably similar to the True Essence within his own body.

At this thought, Lin Hao hurriedly activated the Emperor Art. His qi and blood churned, and the True Essence inside him began to surge powerfully.

Lin Hao reached his hand out toward the barrier.

In the distance, the turtle and Lord Lingdi’s eyes were wide as saucers, fixed unblinkingly on Lin Hao’s hand.

With their extraordinary origins, they could, of course, see the current of energy.

That current was Acquired Chaos Qi. While it couldn’t compare to Innate Chaos Qi, it was still a terrifying energy born of the will of heaven and earth.

No matter how heaven-defying one’s cultivation, anyone who saw it would be forced to bow in worship.

Throughout history, Chaos Qi has been imperceptible. Even if someone were to see it, it would only be the Acquired Chaos Qi. And though it was formed after the genesis of the world, no one had ever dared to touch it.

But now, Lin Hao was reaching out to touch it. What terrifying thing was about to happen?

The turtle and Lord Lingdi didn’t even dare to breathe.