Nine Heavens Martial Emperor

A pleased smile spread across the youth’s face as he heard the crashing sounds.

But his expression quickly turned cold, and he bellowed, "Shopkeeper Wang, get out here!"

"Young Master Chang, what brings you here?" A voice called out from within the inn before anyone appeared.

Soon after, the man who had just urged Lin Hao to leave appeared before the four of them, a fawning smile plastered on his face.

"Speak! Where’s that guy from before?" the youth who had just attacked demanded, his face expressionless.

"Young Master Chang, he offended your honorable father. Even if I had ten times the nerve, I wouldn’t dare keep him here. He headed out of town," Shopkeeper Wang said, smiling placatingly, the picture of humility.

The youth, Chang, relaxed his expression and turned to leave.

"Take care, Young Master Chang," came Shopkeeper Wang’s respectful voice from behind.

"Chen Xing, this young master is in a good mood today. Compensate Shopkeeper Wang a little extra."

"No, no, I couldn’t possibly. It’s only under the Sanqing Sect’s protection that I’m able to make a living. How could I possibly accept your compensation, Young Master?" Shopkeeper Wang hastily refused.

"Senior Brother said to compensate, so you will be compensated! Take it!" Chen Xing said coldly, then tossed over two copper coins.

"Thank you, thank you," Shopkeeper Wang said, catching them and thanking him repeatedly.

The four of them swaggered off in Lin Hao’s direction.

Once they were out of sight, Shopkeeper Wang abruptly hurled the two copper coins to the ground, his eyes filled with immense hatred.

Two copper coins were only enough to buy two bowls!

They had gone too far.

However, the hatred in Shopkeeper Wang’s eyes was quickly replaced by anger, helplessness, and a myriad of other emotions.

In the end, he bent down again and picked the two copper coins back up.

This could buy two bowls, after all.

"Pah! I fucking hope that kid from before kills them all!" Looking toward the edge of town, Shopkeeper Wang clutched the copper coins and spat resentfully, his eyes filled with hope.

But he immediately shook his head and said in terror, "No, no, if they, especially that little bastard Chang Bao, died, wouldn’t his old man level Cyan Rock Town?"

The youth leading them was named Chang Bao, the only son of Chang Youde, the fifth inner-sect elder of the Sanqing Sect.

And Chang Youde’s father, Chang Qianxun, was one of the four esteemed core elders of the Sanqing Sect.

The repercussions would be massive, so Shopkeeper Wang could only fantasize.

Just as Shopkeeper Wang turned to clean up the mess, the four of them stopped in a clearing outside Cyan Rock Town, looking around.

"Senior Brother, you don’t think we were tricked by that Wang guy, do you?" Chen Xing said to Chang Bao. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

The four of them had chased a long way without seeing a single soul.

"Would he dare?" Chang Bao sneered.

Chen Xing nodded. That Shopkeeper certainly didn’t have the guts.

"Keep searching. I refuse to believe he can escape my grasp." With a wave of his hand, Chang Bao sent the other three to continue searching in different directions.

At this moment, Lin Hao was hiding in a secluded cave.

During his brief exchange with Chen Xing, Lin Hao had deciphered most of the key principles of his Cultivation Technique, but the most crucial part remained elusive. That was why he had made a move at that moment, and why he had only been able to form a fist.

After all, Lin Hao possessed an imperial-level skill, able to copy an opponent’s martial technique after seeing it just once.

And now, after observing for so long, he still couldn’t grasp the most important part of Chen Xing’s Cultivation Technique. This was unimaginable.

If the *Element Transformation Skill* was already this difficult, just how powerful would the true "One Origin Becomes Three Pristine Ones" be?

Lin Hao didn’t know, but he was sure of one thing: it was definitely an extremely profound Elemental Realm Secret Skill.

At the time, Lin Hao had been unsatisfied, and his interest was piqued, which was why he began to analyze it on the spot.

But in Chen Xing’s eyes, although Lin Hao had only manifested a fist, the shock it caused was unimaginable.

After the Blood Coagulation Realm Fourth Layer, True Qi transforms into True Essence, which is then used to temper the body.

In fact, from that point on, every Martial Artist was already beginning to grasp and control True Essence.

Upon reaching the Elemental Realm, the True Essence in a Martial Artist’s body became even more refined.

True Essence could be condensed into a giant hand to attack from dozens, or even a hundred, meters away.

It could also be condensed into a True Essence weapon, like how the Pavilion Master of the Treasure Hunting Pavilion in War Dragon City formed a sword from True Essence.

But there were no secrets to these abilities; any Martial Artist with a high enough realm could do it.

This was because it was just a rudimentary application of True Essence.

But to manifest an entire arm from the human body required a Cultivation Technique, or even a Secret Skill.

An arm contains numerous meridians, bones, and layers of skin. To manifest it, one must have a perfect understanding of its every detail.

Otherwise, it would be a mere empty shell.

And although Lin Hao hadn’t managed to manifest an arm, he had manifested a fist, and that fist had even knocked Chen Xing back.

This wasn’t just clumsy imitation; this was clearly stealing the essence of the *Element Transformation Skill*!

To be able to copy and manifest a fist just by trading blows, without any Cultivation Technique Mantra—Chen Xing was so shocked he couldn’t put it into words. He had rushed back to the sect to report everything he had seen.

And just as the group was running around like headless chickens, Lin Hao opened his eyes in the cave.

After a period of analysis, Lin Hao still had nothing to show for it.

This forced Lin Hao to consider a different approach.

’Elemental Realm... controlling True Essence... but what is it that controls the True Essence?’

’The mind? The spirit?’

’No, to be precise, the spirit controls the body, which in turn controls the True Essence.’

’The body...’

Lin Hao’s eyes suddenly lit up.

The human body was profound and unpredictable, holding infinite possibilities; that was why the Extreme Realm of Blood Coagulation existed.

And from the looks of it, the profound mystery of Chen Xing’s *Element Transformation Skill* was to control True Essence to grow another arm.

Lin Hao closed his eyes again, calmed his mind, and began to mobilize his True Essence, infusing it into his right arm.

The process was extremely slow. Lin Hao truly achieved the state of Refining Yuan like silk threads.

True Essence roamed through every cell of his right arm until Lin Hao knew its entire structure like the back of his hand.

Afterward, Lin Hao found that the parts he didn’t understand before—the most crucial parts of Chen Xing’s Cultivation Technique—all became crystal clear.

At that moment, not far from Lin Hao, the four men met up again. They all shook their heads.

Just then...

RUMBLE!

A huge roar suddenly erupted from nearby.

The four exchanged a glance and sped toward the source of the sound.

"Who’s in there? Come out!" The cave Lin Hao was hiding in was so well-concealed that the four of them only discovered the entrance when they were right on top of it.

If not for the loud noise, they probably wouldn’t have found it even if they had searched all night.

Lin Hao was admiring the two large holes he’d made nearby when he heard a voice from outside. It sounded very much like that Sanqing Sect disciple named Chen Xing.

A corner of Lin Hao’s mouth lifted, and he walked straight toward the cave entrance.

He was itching to test out his newfound understanding of the *Element Transformation Skill*.

Emerging from the cave, Lin Hao saw four people in total and wasn’t the least bit surprised.

"You... Lin... Lin Hao!" Seeing Lin Hao, Chang Bao’s eyes widened and his face paled. He couldn’t help but take a step back.

It wasn’t just him; the other three also retreated upon hearing the name.

Reputation precedes the man. In the Southern Border Prefecture, Lin Hao’s name was enough to make anyone in his generation take a sharp breath.

Chang Bao, in particular, felt this most deeply.

About two months ago, he had seen Lin Hao in Red Beauty City and had even witnessed his battle with Zuo Ming of Mingjian Manor.

After he left, he constantly heard news about Lin Hao.

He caused chaos in Celestial Jade City, even daring to kill a marquis.

And everything Lin Hao did at the Danling Sect—any single one of those incidents was enough to cause a sensation.

After leaving the Danling Sect, he even killed a prince without hesitation!

After that, the empire sent men to besiege the Heaven-Stepping Sect, but Lin Hao thwarted them again and even killed an imperial Guard.

Not only that, but Lin Hao was also unbelievably arrogant, openly challenging the Hu family, one of the four great families, and the imperial royal family.

At this thought, Chang Bao retreated another step.

Chen Xing, who had fought Lin Hao not long ago, also turned pale at the mention of his name. This man was a walking disaster.

Lin Hao ignored Chen Xing, his gaze sweeping over Chang Bao instead.

"Who are you?" Hearing the man call his name, Lin Hao asked casually.

"You don’t recognize me?"

"Why should I?"

This wasn’t Lin Hao trying to act tough; Chang Bao was just that unmemorable. If it were Zuo Ming standing before him, Lin Hao would have definitely recognized him.

Hearing that Lin Hao didn’t recognize him, Chang Bao first felt a sense of relief, which was immediately followed by a surge of fury.

In Cyan Rock Town and the Sanqing Sect, he was known by all. Especially in Cyan Rock Town, everyone who saw him would respectfully address him as Young Master Chang.

How long had it been? For Lin Hao to say he didn’t recognize him was simply outrageous!

Looking again and seeing Lin Hao was all alone, a glint appeared in Chang Bao’s eyes.

About two months ago in Red Beauty City, Lin Hao had been at the Blood Coagulation Realm Peak. But just a few days later, he had broken through to the Elemental Realm.

And during the Danling Sect’s assembly, Chang Qianxun had personally asked the Sect Leader to procure medicinal pills for Chang Bao.

As a result, Chang Bao’s cultivation had now soared to the Elemental Realm Fifth Layer.

The other two were also at the Elemental Realm Fifth Layer.

’On our side, there are three at the Elemental Realm Fifth Layer and one at the Fourth Layer of Elemental Realm. Lin Hao is all alone...’

It was as if he suddenly had an epiphany. He recalled that all of Lin Hao’s so-called glorious achievements were just him borrowing power from others.

Now, it was four against one. Even if Lin Hao had heaven-defying abilities, he wouldn’t be able to escape.

At this thought, Chang Bao’s courage swelled, and a murderous glint flashed in his eyes before vanishing.

"It’s only been a short while, and you already don’t recognize me! Lin Hao, listen up! I am Chang Bao! My father is an inner-sect elder of the Sanqing Sect, and my grandfather is one of the four core elders! You passed up the road to heaven and instead barged through the gates of Hell. Tonight, you will die!"

Chang Bao stepped forward, his face full of arrogance, the killing intent in his eyes no longer concealed.

"The turtle, Senior Brother," Chen Xing reminded him in a low voice from the side.

He had been looking for traces of that turtle just now but hadn’t found it. That was a tribute for his master.

Chang Bao shot him a glare, and Chen Xing immediately fell silent.

"You guys have me all confused. Is your surname Chang, or is it Turtle?" Lin Hao finally remembered who Chang Bao was, but hearing Chen Xing’s words, he couldn’t help but tease him.

As for Chang Bao’s threat, Lin Hao automatically filtered it out, not taking it seriously at all.

This wasn’t because Lin Hao underestimated his enemy, but because he possessed an invincible conviction.

"Kill him!" Lin Hao’s words sent Chang Bao into a complete rage.

The moment he spoke, all four attacked Lin Hao simultaneously.

Although Chang Bao was furious, he hadn’t lost his senses.

The battle between Lin Hao and Zuo Ming in Red Beauty City was still fresh in his mind. Even though there were four of them, and three of them had higher cultivation levels, their opponent was Lin Hao. Chang Bao didn’t dare to be the slightest bit careless.

In an instant, Lin Hao was surrounded by a sky full of fist shadows...