Nine Heavens Martial Emperor

She greatly resembled someone Lin Hao had been searching for for a long time.

Yan’Er!

This stunning face was so much like Yan’Er’s.

But upon closer inspection, she possessed a maturity Yan’Er lacked, and she seemed to carry an innate air of nobility.

Lin Hao’s eyes narrowed, and he called out tentatively, "Aunt Yun?"

In response, she only gave Lin Hao a puzzled look.

Moreover, Lin Hao had a feeling she was about to become angry.

Sure enough, a terrifying aura immediately locked onto Lin Hao.

But the aura came as quickly as it receded.

Lin Hao suddenly felt himself pushed by an irresistible force, and the next moment, he was face-to-face with Ning Laodao.

Evidently, this Devil Queen who looked so much like Aunt Yun wanted Lin Hao and Ning Laodao to fight.

Across from him, Ning Laodao felt the restraints on him loosen and immediately made his move.

Facing the Devil Queen, who could obliterate Soul Gathering Realm experts without lifting a finger, Ning Laodao knew his only chance of survival was to go through Lin Hao.

Ning Laodao had been in the Elemental Realm for over a hundred years. His mastery of manipulating True Essence in this realm, if not unparalleled, was at least among the very best.

The moment he struck, he displayed terrifying control.

Ning Laodao moved both his hands at once. His five fingers stretched out, each one transforming into a sharp weapon.

Then, each finger split into two, and those two into three.

In just a moment, his fingers had transformed into countless vines, both hard and soft, which coiled around Lin Hao’s body and trapped him.

After more than a hundred years of cultivation, Ning Laodao had mastered the Element Transformation Skill to its absolute peak!

His movements were so shockingly fast that Lin Hao couldn’t even react.

The instant Lin Hao’s body was bound, two mutated, vine-like fingers shot toward his neck.

Then, their sharp tips stabbed at his throat.

At this critical moment, with a thought from Lin Hao, a Primordial Body shot out from his physical form.

BOOM!

This Primordial Body was incredibly fast, blasting toward Ning Laodao’s body.

However, Ning Laodao seemed to have been prepared. Though his own two legs didn’t move, he used the Element Transformation Skill to bizarrely manifest a third leg, which he used to chop down at Lin Hao’s Primordial Body.

BOOM!

Lin Hao’s Primordial Body vanished. Ning Laodao’s kick slammed into the ground, causing the earth to tremble and then crack!

The leg manifested by the Element Transformation Skill possessed the same combat power as his physical body—it was boundlessly terrifying.

After vanishing, Lin Hao’s Primordial Body bizarrely reappeared behind Ning Laodao. But Ning Laodao could discern its position by the sound of the wind, and with a simple turn of his body, he dodged the Primordial Body’s attack.

While dodging the Primordial Body’s attacks, Ning Laodao’s terrifying True Essence, combined with the countless finger-vines manifested by his Element Transformation Skill, never ceased their assault. They morphed into sharp weapons, attempting to break through Lin Hao’s flesh.

Although he had never obtained a complete Secret Skill, Ning Laodao had not squandered his hundred-plus years in the Elemental Realm. Instead, he had cultivated this realm to the point of absolute perfection.

Even though Lin Hao’s body was incomparably tough after cultivating an emperor-grade technique, these sharp weapons still made him feel a sense of crisis.

Just like Ning Laodao, Lin Hao was also multitasking. He used his consciousness to control the Primordial Body’s attacks while simultaneously circulating the Godslaying Celestial Slash Skill, causing the True Essence in his body to surge and his blood to boil.

Instantly, the roars of dragons and tigers echoed from within Lin Hao’s body, while a crackling sound erupted from its surface.

Not far away, the Devil Queen stared at Lin Hao’s body, watching with great interest.

This made one suspect that her reasons for making Lin Hao and Ning Laodao fight were selfish.

An expert of her caliber had likely long since seen the extraordinariness of Lin Hao’s Cultivation Technique and wanted to see it in its entirety.

However, Lin Hao had no time to worry about others. His entire focus was on this battle.

A Cultivation Realm at the Peak of the Elemental Realm, coupled with the Element Transformation Skill, made for a terrifyingly powerful opponent. So powerful, in fact, that Lin Hao was completely on the defensive.

The finger-vines that Ning Laodao manifested with his Element Transformation Skill were like flood dragons coiling around Lin Hao’s body, their strength beyond imagination.

Although Lin Hao no longer needed to breathe after cultivating his emperor-grade technique, his face was now turning purple, and even his eyes were beginning to bulge.

The strength of the finger-vines was slowing the flow of his blood and qi, and his True Essence as well.

Lin Hao was now facing a crisis like never before.

"My Queen, if Lin Hao is defeated, you must grant me a path to survival," Ning Laodao said, addressing the Devil Queen even as he fought Lin Hao.

Even though Lin Hao was at the Sixth Layer of the Elemental Realm and had even cultivated a Primordial Body, the gap between them was simply too great.

Right now, for instance, the finger-vines were cutting off Lin Hao’s blood, qi, and True Essence. Even if he could manifest his Primordial Body, it was all futile without enough True Essence to support it.

Ning Laodao was now certain of his victory, so he began to prepare an escape route for himself.

Before, he only had Lin Hao’s guarantee. If the Devil Queen didn’t give her word, he would still surely die.

Having lived for over a hundred years, Ning Laodao was not about to make such a rookie mistake.

The Devil Queen’s stunningly beautiful face had been devoid of emotion, but after hearing Ning Laodao’s words, a smile actually graced her lips.

As her smile blossomed, both heaven and earth seemed to lose their color in comparison.

Then, her vermilion lips parted, and she spoke two words: "You may."

Though she was answering Ning Laodao, the Devil Queen’s gaze never left Lin Hao.

Hearing the Devil Queen’s reply, a look of joy appeared on Ning Laodao’s face. He immediately said to Lin Hao, "Lin Hao, just nod and admit defeat, and I’ll let you go right now."

Although Ning Laodao was tempted to ask Lin Hao for the Secret Skill, his life was more important.

Ning Laodao just had to wait for Lin Hao’s nod. He would release him immediately and then could leave unharmed. However, Lin Hao did not act as he wished.

At this moment, Lin Hao couldn’t manifest his Primordial Body, and even the flow of his blood, qi, and True Essence had stopped. And yet, a smile flashed across his face.

A bad premonition arose in Ning Laodao’s heart.

The next moment, an utterly terrifying aura suddenly erupted from within Lin Hao’s body.

The surrounding air didn’t just drop to absolute zero; it felt as if it had come to a dead stop.

At the same time, all things fell silent. The terrifying aura seemed capable of crushing the very heavens.

Even the Devil Queen, watching from a distance, showed a flash of shock in her eyes. She took a small step back, pulling the two Suanni behind her for protection.

As for Ning Laodao, his state was even worse.

He was stunned to see the phantom of a Devil Beast appear behind Lin Hao.

The Devil Beast wasn’t large—its appearance and shape were similar to the small Suanni that had appeared last—but its terrifying aura was boundless, shaking the very heavens and earth.

At that moment, a chill ran through Ning Laodao’s heart. The terrifying aura was so oppressive he couldn’t breathe.

And the finger-vines manifested from his True Essence had long since vanished without a trace.

Now free, Lin Hao’s aura became even more terrifying, and behind him, the phantom of the Devil Beast grew more solid.

THUD!

The pressure forced Ning Laodao to his knees. The thought of resisting crossed his mind, but he had absolutely no courage to act on it.

The aura emanating from Lin Hao was simply too horrifying.

Ning Laodao felt as if he were seeing an ancient, exotic Suanni of the purest bloodline walking toward him.

His entire body was trembling.

Ning Laodao seemed to want to speak, but his teeth were chattering so hard that he couldn’t get a word out.

Desperate to live, the Sect Leader of the Sanqing Sect, a man who had lived for over a hundred years, knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly.

At this moment, all his dignity as a Sect Leader was gone. He was like a stray dog that had lost its home.

"You... have... lost!" Lin Hao’s voice came, strained and intermittent.

Ning Laodao nodded his head frantically.

At this very moment, the feeling Lin Hao gave him was in no way inferior to the one the Devil Queen had just given him.

It sent a shiver through Ning Laodao that came from the very depths of his soul.

PTUI!

However, as Lin Hao spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, that terrifying feeling vanished without a trace.

Lin Hao spat this mouthful of blood an incredible distance, and nearly all of it sprayed onto Ning Laodao’s face.

THUMP!

And having spat out the blood, Lin Hao seemed to have exhausted his last bit of strength and collapsed heavily to the ground.

Manifesting the Suanni Divine Soul consumed far too much of his vitality.

Manifesting the Divine Soul—this was the trump card in Lin Hao’s plan!

After his encounter with the Suanni, Lin Hao had tried to manifest a Suanni Divine Soul. Not only had he succeeded, but the effect had been miraculous.

Just now, when the Devil Queen appeared, the memory of her terrifying aura was still fresh in his mind. That was why Lin Hao had proposed the duel with Ning Laodao.

His Cultivation Realm was certainly far inferior to Ning Laodao’s, but being able to manifest a Divine Soul—and a top-tier one at that—while still in the Elemental Realm was something that absolutely defied Ning Laodao’s imagination.

A Divine Soul was something only a Soul Gathering Realm expert could possess. Forget a Divine Soul of this caliber; even an ordinary one would be a cataclysm for an Elemental Realm Martial Artist.

Of course, this was Lin Hao’s first time truly manifesting it consciously. He had completely underestimated the Cultivation Realm required and had forced himself to complete it. Once Ning Laodao nodded in defeat, he naturally couldn’t hold on any longer.

As Lin Hao fell, Ning Laodao, who was not far from him, was stunned for only a moment. Without even wiping the blood from his face, he lunged forward, striking at Lin Hao’s neck.

"You lost," the Devil Queen’s emotionless voice rang out.

"No, I didn’t lose!" Ning Laodao scrambled to his feet, grabbed Lin Hao, and backed away repeatedly.

Ning Laodao knew full well what awaited him if he admitted defeat. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

The temperature on the scene dropped precipitously.

Without seeing the Devil Queen make a single move, Ning Laodao was already sprawled before her, like an old dog.

The Devil Queen hadn’t attacked him herself because, to her, someone like Ning Laodao was not worthy of her striking.

The Devil Queen could annihilate even Soul Gathering Realm experts without lifting a finger. Someone at the Peak of the Elemental Realm was less than an ant in her eyes.

"Lin Hao, you piece of trash who can only borrow power! If you have the guts, let’s fight again!" Lying on the ground, Ning Laodao was completely immobilized, his face spattered with blood, his expression savage and terrifying.

Lin Hao didn’t get angry. He just chuckled. "If I recall correctly, you were just kowtowing to this ’piece of trash.’ If I’m trash, then what does that make you?"

Ning Laodao opened his mouth but was left speechless.

Then Lin Hao’s expression turned cold as he continued, "In fact, you should be thanking Her Majesty. If not for her, you would already be dead, reduced to ash."

Ning Laodao’s breathing suddenly grew ragged.

He remembered Lin Hao’s exotic flame.

Lin Hao had never used the exotic flame. At that distance, if he had, Ning Laodao would have been utterly annihilated.

And in the moment he was dazed, a sword appeared in Lin Hao’s hand.

"This sword is named Evil-Slayer, and today..."

"No, no, you can’t kill me! I’m a member of Netherworld Hall!" Ning Laodao cut Lin Hao off, his voice filled with terror.

Even though he had lived for over a hundred years, he still felt an instinctual fear in the face of death.

Lin Hao paused his steps. He never would have imagined that the power backing Ning Laodao was Netherworld Hall.

However, it was only for a moment. Lin Hao’s expression suddenly grew even colder.

Forget Netherworld Hall—today, no power in heaven or on earth could stop Lin Hao from killing him.