Nine Heavens Martial Emperor

It had to be said, Lin Hao’s Spiritual Sense far surpassed his current realm.

His figure had just vanished when a group of people appeared at the site of the battle.

The group consisted of seven or eight people, led by a one-armed man.

"Elder, look!" one of them exclaimed, his face filled with shock as he pointed at the motionless giant bear, its blood staining the earth red.

"This giant bear just stopped breathing," the one-armed leader concluded without even stepping forward.

"Lin Hao might be nearby! Everyone, prepare for battle!" another man behind him suddenly shouted, his voice tense.

At his words, several of them—all except the one-armed man—drew their weapons. Some stood back-to-back in pairs, others formed groups of three, all of them nervously scanning their surroundings, terrified that Lin Hao might suddenly appear.

They were disciples of the Sanqing Sect, and they had come to the Celestial Break Mountain Range for the sole purpose of hunting Lin Hao.

Everything Lin Hao had done at the Sanqing Sect had long since spread throughout the entire sect.

He could even kill a Soul Gathering Realm expert. How could these disciples, mere Elemental Realm Martial Artists, not be afraid?!

Seeing their state, the one-armed leader said nothing. He straightened his posture, hatred surging in his eyes.

’A month ago, that brat Lin Hao had burned off his right arm with an otherworldly flame. If he hadn’t retreated quickly, he wouldn’t have even kept his life.’

He was filled with hatred, but he didn’t dare to be careless.

’Two Soul Gathering Realm experts had already died at Lin Hao’s hands. If Lin Hao was truly here in this dense forest, then he had to be on maximum alert.’

He knew that in an encounter with Lin Hao, a single misstep would cost him his life.

To a Soul Gathering Realm expert, an Elemental Realm Martial Artist should be nothing more than an ant. But now, this elephant was forced to give its full attention to an ant.

While they were looking around, Lin Hao was crouched on the forest-covered mountainside, hidden behind a thicket of vines, staring down at them.

Lin Hao was in a peculiar state. He wasn’t breathing, and even his heart had stopped.

This was a strange phenomenon that occurred when one cultivated the Godslaying Celestial Slash Skill to its peak.

Heartbeat and breath suspended, Lin Hao stood as still as a wooden post. Even with a Soul Gathering Realm expert right there, he remained undetected.

And at that moment, Lin Hao’s mind began to race.

’A month ago, this man had acted viciously, trying to break both his legs. If he hadn’t had the otherworldly flame as his trump card, the consequences would have been unthinkable.’

Seeing him again now, Lin Hao was filled with killing intent.

If anyone else knew what Lin Hao was thinking, they would be utterly stunned.

A mere Martial Artist at the Sixth Layer of the Elemental Realm actually wanted to kill a Soul Gathering Realm expert. This couldn’t be described as merely audacious; it was so insane it bordered on defying the heavens.

But this wasn’t just a fleeting thought for Lin Hao; he intended to act on it.

No sooner said than done, Lin Hao began to circulate his True Essence.

The success of his Primordial Body just now had given Lin Hao confidence.

’As long as I use the Primordial Body correctly, I’m confident I can kill the one-armed man!’

’He’s a Soul Gathering Realm expert, true, but with his right arm gone, his strength is greatly diminished.’

Across from him, the one-armed man vigilantly watched his surroundings while releasing his Spiritual Sense.

A Soul Gathering Realm expert’s Spiritual Sense was astonishing. In an instant, it blanketed the entire area. Not even a crawling ant or a squirming earthworm could escape its perception.

After sweeping the area with his Spiritual Sense, the one-armed man spoke. "He knew we were coming and has fled. Take the Demon Pill from this giant bear. And don’t let the hide go to waste."

The one-armed man stared at the giant bear, and though he retracted his Spiritual Sense, he still didn’t dare to lower his guard.

’He had encountered this giant bear not long ago, and several disciples had lost their lives to its sharp claws.’

’Back then, he had fought a fierce battle with the bear and had been on the verge of slaying it. But the creature was too cunning and had managed to escape.’

’Having fought it before, the one-armed man knew its combat strength. Now it lay dead here. Even if it was injured, it was definitely not something a Martial Artist at the Elemental Realm Fifth Layer could handle.’

’Could it be that his cultivation has improved again in just one month?!’

In that moment, the one-armed man’s wariness of Lin Hao deepened.

"Who’s there?!" Just then, the one-armed man’s senses flared. He let out a furious roar and thrust a palm forward.

RUMBLE!

When a Soul Gathering Realm expert struck, sand and stones were sent flying, and giant trees were flung through the air.

He had acted the moment he heard a sudden noise.

At his attack, the Sanqing Sect disciples who had been busy with the giant bear immediately grabbed their weapons, instantly tensing up.

"You, go take a look," the one-armed man ordered, jutting his chin at a disciple and motioning for them to go inspect the area.

His palm strike had blasted a huge gap in the dense jungle, shattering an unknown number of trees so large they would take several people to encircle.

The disciples looked at each other, but no one moved.

"Hmph! That was a full-power strike. Even if he had godlike powers, he’d be dead or severely injured. What are you hesitating for!" the one-armed man’s voice was frigid, dripping with killing intent.

Not daring to disobey, the disciples could only tremble as they moved toward the spot he had attacked.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Lin Hao’s heart tightened.

The disturbance just now had indeed been his doing.

He had manifested a Primordial Body, preparing to launch an attack.

’But who would have thought the opponent’s Spiritual Sense would be so sharp that he discovered it instantly.’

Fortunately, Lin Hao was just as quick, retracting the Primordial Body with a single thought.

Now, they would naturally find nothing when they went to look.

’At the same time, this is a perfect opportunity for me.’

With a flicker of his will, a Primordial Body appeared and shot toward the one-armed man, its speed reaching an extreme.

Although the one-armed man’s focus was still on the place he had just attacked, his reaction was incredibly swift.

His figure flashed, and he dodged sideways.

He was wary of Lin Hao’s otherworldly flame and, in his haste, didn’t dare to clash head-on.

BOOM!

Behind him, a large swath of trees snapped and fell.

At that very moment, a terrifying aura spread out. The one-armed man intended to use the pressure of his realm to immobilize "Lin Hao."

But then, something shocking happened.

The figure of "Lin Hao" bizarrely vanished.

The one-armed man’s eyes widened in utter disbelief.

The saying that an Elemental Realm cultivator was like an ant before a Soul Gathering Realm expert was no empty boast. This was because Soul Gathering Realm experts had awakened their Divine Soul, possessed immense Spiritual Power, and held an Innate advantage in suppressing the Elemental Realm.

Never mind someone at the Elemental Realm Fifth Layer; even someone at the Peak of the Elemental Realm would be immobilized before a Soul Gathering Realm expert.

But now, Lin Hao’s body was completely unaffected. This utterly shattered the one-armed man’s understanding of the world.

It wasn’t just him; even Lin Hao was somewhat shocked.

That was one of his Primordial Bodies. His original plan was for his real body to strike while the Soul Gathering Realm expert was busy immobilizing the Primordial Body.

But just as the Soul Gathering Realm expert’s aura spread, Lin Hao had a fleeting thought, and the Primordial Body actually returned to him.

After the shock came a wave of elation.

’A Primordial Body is formed from True Essence; it’s immune to the suppression of a Soul Gathering Realm’s aura!’

’With this, my chances of winning will be even greater!’

With a flicker of his will, the Primordial Body struck again.

BOOM!

A fist shot toward the one-armed man with incredible speed.

The one-armed man dodged sideways again, then swept his hand.

Before him, everything—be it pebbles or leaves—transformed into deadly projectiles, surging toward Lin Hao’s Primordial Body.

However, "Lin Hao" once again bizarrely vanished before his eyes.

PFFT! PFFT!

Having lost their target, the projectiles continued onward with undiminished force. A giant tree was pierced through. One leaf even tore through a large boulder!

Faced with such power, an ordinary Elemental Realm Martial Artist would surely have met their end.

A Soul Gathering Realm expert could slaughter countless Elemental Realm Martial Artists with a mere casual wave of his hand!

Unfortunately for him, he had encountered Lin Hao.

With a flicker of his will, Lin Hao’s Primordial Body appeared behind the one-armed man and threw a punch.

It had to be said, Soul Gathering Realm Martial Artists were extremely formidable.

The one-armed man’s body tilted forward in a strange motion, and he actually dodged the attack.

Lin Hao’s movements were swift, and the Primordial Body vanished once more.

The one-armed man’s expression was grim to the extreme, and he was just as extremely frustrated.

’I’m a Soul Gathering Realm expert, yet under the assault of an Elemental Realm Martial Artist, I’m being forced into a purely defensive position.’

Nearby, the group of Sanqing Sect disciples was already dumbfounded.

They had seen the figure!

The only person it could be here was, of course, Lin Hao.

They had been mentally prepared, knowing Lin Hao was strong, but they never imagined he could be this formidable.

Snapping back to their senses, the thought of retreat began to echo in all their minds.

’Even a Soul Gathering Realm expert can’t handle Lin Hao. If we stay here, aren’t we just courting death?’

At the same time, the words Lin Hao had left behind at the Sanqing Sect surfaced in their minds: "If I don’t die, I will kill every person who raised a hand against me today!"

A chill ran through the disciples’ hearts. Then, someone moved.

They weren’t moving to help; they were fleeing, flying rapidly in the direction of the Sanqing Sect.

Killing intent flared in the one-armed man’s eyes. He wanted to kill them for deserting, but Lin Hao gave him no such opportunity.

PFFT!

Because of his distraction, he took a punch to the abdomen and spat out a mouthful of blood.

One of the fleeing disciples looked back and saw this. He cried out in alarm and fled even faster.

’Even a Soul Gathering Realm expert is no match for him. Lin Hao is too terrifying!’

In reality, this was just their preconceived notion. The gap between Lin Hao and a Soul Gathering Realm expert was enormous. Although a Primordial Body shared his combat power, his cultivation was too low for it to last long.

Although Lin Hao seemed to have the upper hand, he was starting to grow anxious.

Because after spitting out blood, the one-armed man had let out a long, sharp whistle.

That sound would undoubtedly attract more experts.

’Besides, the True Essence consumption is too great. This Primordial Body won’t hold out for much longer.’

Logically, the rational choice now would be to flee.

But Lin Hao sneered inwardly as his real body suddenly shot forward.

While in mid-air, a sword appeared in Lin Hao’s hand.

Evil-Slaying!

With the Evil-Slaying Sword in hand, Lin Hao became one with his blade, striking to kill the one-armed man.

A brilliant beam of sword light erupted from the Evil-Slaying Sword, illuminating the entire sky.

At that moment, the one-armed man had just dodged an attack from Lin Hao’s Primordial Body.

He hadn’t yet realized that this was Lin Hao’s main body. He had only one thought: ’It’s too fast!’

Moreover, the light of this sword strike was so brilliant that the one-armed man felt as if heaven and earth had dissolved into primordial chaos.

However, the might of a Soul Gathering Realm expert was boundless.

A terrifying aura erupted from his body, and even the air in the area stopped flowing.

He had noticed something was wrong and had used his immobilizing power.

Lin Hao’s sword was a hair’s breadth from the one-armed man’s chest, but it could not advance another inch.

At the same time, the one-armed man smiled, because powerful Martial Artists were rapidly approaching.

This hair’s breadth would be Lin Hao’s final swan song!