Nine Heavens Martial Emperor

Lin Hao had thrown the Imperial City into chaos.

But inside the Mist Rain Tower, Lin Hao poured himself a drink and sipped it, completely at ease.

Lin Bing was pinned under Lin Hao’s foot, unable to move, his humiliation reaching its peak.

No matter how today’s events concluded, he was finished in the Imperial City. The family would not tolerate him.

Even being Lin Wu’s cousin wouldn’t save him.

Because Lin Bing knew Lin Wu’s personality. Never mind that Lin Wu was now away for the Heaven-Breaking Pavilion’s assessment; even if he were in the Imperial City, not only would he refuse to plead on Lin Bing’s behalf, but he would probably be the first to kill him.

Lin Wu had the makings of a ruthless overlord!

In a sense, Lin Bing’s arrogance was an imitation of Lin Wu’s. But unfortunately, he lacked Lin Wu’s strength. He had tried to draw a tiger but ended up with a dog.

"Make way!"

"Bystanders, clear out!"

The ground began to rumble as Martial Artists on Devil Beasts charged recklessly toward the Mist Rain Tower.

Hearing the commotion, Lin Bing shouted, "A warrior can be killed but not humiliated! If you have any guts, fight me fair and square! I would die without regret!"

In truth, Lin Bing didn’t care if he himself was trampled on, but the Lin family’s prestige could not be insulted.

If the family’s reputation was damaged because of him, his fate would be miserable.

This commotion clearly meant that people from the family had arrived.

’If I don’t put on a show now, when will I get another chance?’

"You are not worthy!" Lin Hao’s voice boomed like thunder, echoing through the Mist Rain Tower.

With such a major incident unfolding, those who had just left the Mist Rain Tower naturally hadn’t gone far.

Not only had they not left, but they had also secured the best vantage points.

And the crowd was growing larger and larger.

In the shadows, even Martial Artists of the Soul Gathering Realm had appeared.

They cautiously probed their surroundings, hoping to find the peerless expert they expected to be present.

It was impossible for a Martial Artist at the Elemental Realm to be this arrogant without a powerful backer.

In fact, the more arrogant Lin Hao acted, the more it made others hesitant to act rashly.

The higher one’s cultivation and the greater one’s power, the more one had to consider.

Inside the Mist Rain Tower, Lin Hao’s hand paused for a fraction of a second as he poured his drink, then he resumed as if nothing had happened.

At that moment, Lin Hao could sense at least a dozen experts of the Soul Gathering Realm positioned around the Mist Rain Tower.

Lin Hao wasn’t sure if all of them were from the Lin and Hu families, but their people were definitely among them.

And indeed, that was the case.

Ostensibly, the Lin and Hu families had only sent Martial Artists of the Elemental Realm, but they had secretly dispatched masters of the Soul Gathering Realm.

They weren’t sent to kill Lin Hao, but to investigate his background.

Until they figured out where Lin Hao came from, they wouldn’t dare make a move.

Outside the Mist Rain Tower, the Martial Artists the Lin family had sent openly had also arrived.

This group consisted of ten Martial Artists, all riding tall Devil Beasts and exuding a bone-chilling aura.

Upon seeing them, many onlookers showed expressions of surprise.

"The Lin family’s guard unit is here," someone exclaimed.

"What?! Is the Lin family underestimating him? They only sent a single guard unit." Someone glanced toward the Mist Rain Tower, sounding surprised.

"You must be from out of town. This Lin family guard unit is no ordinary force."

"No matter how special they are, they’re still just a guard unit. It seems Lin Bing doesn’t hold a high position in the Lin family."

"Heh, if you knew who formed this guard unit, you wouldn’t be saying that."

"Oh? Who formed it?"

"Lin Wu!"

"What? The Lin Wu who’s renowned throughout the Cangnan Empire as the number one genius?"

"The very same! These ten are the weakest members of that guard unit. But even so, killing enemies above their own realm is a walk in the park for them!"

The man fell silent.

Lin Wu’s legends were too numerous in the Cangnan Empire. It went without saying that the guard unit he formed would be incredibly powerful.

"May I ask where you hail from? The Lin family has no quarrel with you. We ask that you release Young Master Lin Bing." A member of the guard unit leaped from his Devil Beast, stood at the entrance, and clasped his fist to Lin Hao.

From his position, he could see Lin Hao’s back, as well as Lin Bing’s face pressed tightly against the high platform.

Seeing this, the corner of the guard’s mouth twitched slightly.

’This guy is too arrogant!’

"And who are you to speak?" Lin Hao asked, his back still turned, his voice icy.

A flicker of killing intent flashed in the guard’s eyes, but his voice remained calm. "I am Lin Heng of the Lin family’s guard unit. And who are you?"

The moment the words left his mouth, his face filled with horror.

With a flash, Lin Heng vanished from his spot.

But the three-meter-tall Devil Beast behind him was sliced in two before it could even cry out.

HISS!

Such combat prowess made everyone in the vicinity gasp.

They were dozens of meters from the high platform of the Mist Rain Tower. For him to remain motionless, with his back to the door, and still instantly kill a Devil Beast with his True Essence—it was terrifying.

"I know Lin Heng. He’s also at the Peak of the Sixth Layer of the Elemental Realm. Why did he just dodge?" someone asked in confusion.

Someone immediately replied with a solemn expression, "Obviously, Lin Heng knew he couldn’t block it!"

"It can’t be that exaggerated. It was just a single strike of True Essence!" a young man said, looking surprised.

A single strike of True Essence from a Sixth Layer Elemental Realm Martial Artist, from that distance, and Lin Heng couldn’t block it?

At the entrance to the Mist Rain Tower, Lin Heng’s face was ashen.

The power of that True Essence strike reminded him of one person—Lin Wu!

Over a year ago, when the guard unit was expanding, the Lin family held a selection for new guards. The one conducting the assessment was none other than Lin Wu.

To this day, Lin Heng still remembered how Lin Wu had stood with his hands behind his back and said nonchalantly, "Your cultivation is around the Elemental Realm Fifth Layer. I will release a strike of True Essence with the power of the Fifth Layer. Anyone who can stand back up within a month is qualified to join the guard unit. You may use your weapons to defend yourselves."

Afterward, dozens of candidates were sent flying, their blood splashing through the air.

Several were cut in half right on the spot.

Lin Heng had been among those dozens of men.

He had some connections in the Lin family and knew how terrifying Lin Wu was, so he had acquired expensive armor and used his weapon to defend himself.

But even as he used his Cultivation Technique to defend with all his might, his weapon was shattered, his armor was sliced open, and he still couldn’t withstand the terrifying True Essence.

That time, despite consuming countless Spirit Medicines, he had been bedridden for a full month. Even now, a scar from that True Essence strike remained on his chest.

Just now, when Lin Hao unleashed that True Essence, Lin Heng had the distinct feeling that the person with his back to him was Lin Wu!

The terrifying power of the True Essence was just too similar.

In a single exchange, Lin Heng had been defeated, utterly and completely.

This outcome left the crowd staring at each other in horror. Those who knew the true strength of this guard unit were trembling inwardly.

And in the shadows, even the Soul Gathering Realm masters who had come secretly from the Lin family were stunned.

"This boy’s control over True Essence is terrifying! It’s nearly on par with Wu’er’s!" In the shadows, a Soul Gathering Realm master’s eyes narrowed.

"To kill a Devil Beast with a single strike of True Essence without damaging the ground... his control is indeed frightening."

"If we let this boy mature, he will definitely become a great enemy for Wu’er. We should kill him now!"

"No! For him to be so arrogant, he must have some backing!" someone next to him objected, even looking around nervously as he spoke, terrified that a hidden supreme expert might overhear and kill him without a trace.

"In my opinion, he’s clearly bluffing. He’s betting that we’d think this way, and that’s why he dares to be so arrogant."

"He’s a public enemy now. Even if he got a token for the Imperial Saint Institute, he’d still face pursuit from our Lin family and the Hu family. Without any backing, he’s just digging his own grave! Of course, your idea isn’t bad. You can go test it out if you want."

"Ahem, let’s wait and see."

"Send a message to the guard unit. Tell them to continue. We’ll observe his Cultivation Technique and martial skills. Maybe we can find some clues."

Silence fell in the shadows.

In front of the Mist Rain Tower, the ten men, including Lin Heng, took a step forward in unison, their auras surging.

"You lot aren’t enough. Tell those old fossils hiding in the dark to get their asses out here." Lin Hao’s back was still to them, his voice calm and unhurried.

Though his voice wasn’t loud, the words carried clearly to everyone’s ears.

HISS!

Countless people were stunned.

This guy was defying the heavens, directly challenging those old fossils.

Wait a minute...

’There are old fossils hiding in the dark? How come I can’t sense them?’

Lin Hao’s words made the crowd even more fearful.

"Insolent!" one of the ten guards roared in fury. His voice was like thunder, causing the tiles of the Mist Rain Tower to rattle.

Amidst the roar, a figure shot forward, charging violently toward the silhouette on the high platform of the Mist Rain Tower.

"Lin Zhuang is making his move!" someone shouted.

"Lin Zhuang? His name suits him. He must be two meters tall. The force of that pounce could rival a bear’s!"

"He’s at the Seventh Layer of the Elemental Realm! I once saw him fight a Tier Two adult Devil Beast, a Demon-faced Bear! He tore it in half in a single exchange, as ferocious as a beast himself."

"An adult Demon-faced Bear is as strong as someone at the Eighth Layer of the Elemental Realm. To finish it in one exchange is just too powerful. Doesn’t that mean the guy in the Mist Rain Tower is about to...?"

The speaker didn’t get to finish his sentence before his eyes widened in shock.

SPLAT!

Lin Zhuang’s leaping body suddenly fell, sliced into two halves!

He hadn’t even gotten close.

An instant kill!

The entire scene fell deathly silent.

After a long moment, someone finally spoke. "Is he really only at the Peak of the Sixth Layer of the Elemental Realm?"

"There’s no mistake. He’s just a Spirit Body. Anyone with a physique superior to a Spirit Body can see right through him."

"This can’t be real! A Spirit Body could never possess this much combat power!"

"Could it be that he has some kind of supreme treasure that can hide his physique and cultivation level? Maybe he’s actually some terrifying entity who decided to pick on the Four Great Families out of boredom?" someone speculated wildly.

Surprisingly, this idea gained traction with many people.

"Now that you mention it, that’s actually possible. I heard that forty years ago, a guy named Cang Yan stormed the capital over a single sentence. Could it be the Lin family offended someone they shouldn’t have, and now that person has come to collect the debt?"

The crowd looked at each other in dismay.

Just then, a terrified scream rang out.

Everyone looked to see another one of the Lin family guards instantly killed!

The one who screamed was Lin Bing.

He was being stepped on at the edge of the high platform, his face covered in blood.

It was from the spray of blood from the person who was just instantly killed.

"Please, spare me," Lin Bing begged.

Just moments ago, someone had launched a sneak attack. Seeing that it was about to succeed, Lin Bing had been overjoyed.

But the next moment, he saw the attacker silently explode.

’That guy clearly did it on purpose.’

Without moving a muscle, with his back to the crowd, he had instantly killed two people.

Killing them as easily as cutting grass!

’This demon is too terrifying.’

Meanwhile, in the shadows, a voice rang out, "I can’t tolerate this any longer! This brat is going too far! Even if he has a powerful background, I’m putting it all on the line today!"

A Soul Gathering Realm expert was about to make a move.