Nine Heavens Martial Emperor

ROAR!

The Old Flood Dragon roared in a furious, pained frenzy.

Amidst the roars, horns actually began to break through the skin of the Old Flood Dragon’s head.

At the same time, the sound of its roars gradually began to change.

Listening closely, one could hear that it was starting to resemble the cry of a dragon.

As the Old Flood Dragon underwent this bizarre transformation, dark clouds roiled ceaselessly in the sky above, and the faint sound of thunder could be heard.

The air suddenly became incredibly heavy and still. Not a whisper of wind could be felt, only a boundless, oppressive aura that enveloped everything.

For the first time, Lin Hao’s expression changed.

’This Old Flood Dragon is actually trying to use the Heaven-Sealing Array to deceive the heavens and undergo a metamorphosis!’

The Heaven-Sealing Array could suppress the Old Flood Dragon’s cultivation. Lin Hao knew that its true cultivation level was terrifyingly high. If it completed its transformation, forget him—not even an expert at the Spirit Transformation Realm would necessarily be able to subdue it.

Thinking of the dire consequences, Lin Hao made his move.

He unleashed the Thousand Hands Phantom Fist, each punch landing squarely on the Old Flood Dragon.

However, the Old Flood Dragon, in the midst of its transformation, was shockingly resilient. Lin Hao’s fists struck its body like stones sinking into the ocean.

Lin Hao’s expression was incredibly grave.

Each of his casual punches contained the immense force of over a hundred thousand catties, but by channeling a Profound-level Top Grade martial art, that terrifying power could reach around two hundred thousand.

Such force could level a small mountain, yet the Old Flood Dragon remained unmoved. The situation was dire.

Without hesitation, Lin Hao drew the Evil-Slaying Sword.

In the pavilion, countless faces changed.

They had just witnessed Lin Hao, with his sword in hand, suddenly seem to become one with the world around him.

Unity of Heaven and Man!

This was the state that Sword Dao Martial Artists pursued their entire lives, yet Lin Hao had achieved it the moment he gripped his sword!

"How is this possible?! This boy is too terrifying." Even the ever-composed Yue Zhongyin’s eyes went wide at this sight, his breath quickening as he muttered under his breath.

Countless pairs of eyes were fixed on Lin Hao.

Even the Old Flood Dragon’s draconic cry faltered for a moment.

The next moment, Lin Hao swung his sword down.

The slash seemed unremarkable, yet it gave off the illusion that if Lin Hao’s cultivation were sufficient, this single strike could have split the heavens and cleaved the earth!

As Lin Hao’s sword descended, the Old Flood Dragon finally moved.

The very same Old Flood Dragon that had been unmoved by the Thousand Hands Phantom Fist now shifted its massive body with incredible agility, abruptly dodging sideways.

BOOM!

The sword strike produced only a soft sound before everything fell silent.

The next moment, the man-made lake was cleaved in two. A large tree by its edge was neatly severed at the trunk.

Farther away, a large building was similarly sliced open.

Even farther still, before the gates of Your Highness’ Mansion, two stone qilin statues, each over ten meters tall, were also cleanly cut in half and came crashing down...

A single casual strike from Lin Hao was terrifying enough to shake the heavens.

Back in the pavilion beside the man-made lake, the faces of Duan Xinyu and Yue Zhongyin drained of color.

They knew that the Heaven-Sealing Array was active over the man-made lake, but the large tree beside it was clearly outside the array’s boundaries.

Now that the tree had been split apart, it meant that Lin Hao had sliced right through the Heaven-Sealing Array with a single sword strike!

This was an array that could trap even experts of the Soul Gathering Realm, and now it couldn’t even withstand a single strike from Lin Hao!

The might of that one sword strike was utterly terrifying!

But that wasn’t even the most important part. More importantly, without the Heaven-Sealing Array, the Old Flood Dragon would be unleashed upon the world, and the entire Your Highness’ Mansion would be reduced to ashes!

Thinking of that consequence, Duan Xinyu had only one thought: ’Flee!’

His body followed his thoughts, and he was about to move when Yue Zhongyin stopped him.

"Your Highness, wait. The Heaven-Sealing Array has not failed," Yue Zhongyin transmitted his voice to Duan Xinyu.

"Hmm?"

Duan Xinyu froze. He looked back and saw the Old Flood Dragon still in a standoff with Lin Hao.

Seeing this, Duan Xinyu’s heart settled.

"Mr. Yue, what’s going on?" Once he had calmed down, Duan Xinyu recalled the bizarre events that had just transpired and asked Yue Zhongyin.

Yue Zhongyin shook his head. He was also at a complete loss. The Heaven-Sealing Array had not only *not* failed, it was actually even more powerful than before.

He was tempted to suspect Lin Hao, but after a moment’s thought, he immediately dismissed the idea.

After all, the blueprint for this Heaven-Sealing Array came from a sole surviving manuscript. There was absolutely no way a boy from the barren lands like Lin Hao would know how to break it.

After some thought, Yue Zhongyin could only suppress the doubt in his heart.

Meanwhile, within the Heaven-Sealing Array, Lin Hao swung his sword again.

This time, his speed was phenomenal as he slashed toward the Old Flood Dragon’s vital point.

CLANG!

The Old Flood Dragon’s body recoiled, and Lin Hao’s sword struck squarely on the newly grown dragon horn.

Although the Evil-Slaying Sword was not a Spiritual Artifact, it was no common weapon either. It had been forged by the Sword God Zuo Wuque over more than a decade and was imbued with his Sword Dao Will.

When this sword was drawn, even ordinary Spiritual Artifacts would have to shy away from its edge.

’With the sword in hand, speaking of weapons alone,’ Lin Hao could confidently say, ’unless a Tier Four weapon appears, what can stand against me?!’

Of course, it all depended on whose hands the weapon was in.

In Lin Hao’s hands, his current cultivation was too low to unleash the sword’s full power.

Back on that day in the Danling Sect, during his final duel with Sword One, Sword One had turned and left right after Lin Hao took one of his strikes. Lin Hao’s gaze at the time had been very strange.

In truth, Sword One had transmitted a profound message to Lin Hao: "I hope you do not fail the Sword God’s expectations."

This was clearly a sign that he was bestowing the Evil-Slaying Sword upon Lin Hao.

From that day on, Lin Hao found his affinity with the Evil-Slaying Sword growing ever stronger. However, to avoid becoming over-reliant on it, he had refrained from using it.

Just now, this strike, comparable to one from a Spiritual Artifact, had hit the dragon horn but failed to sever it. Lin Hao was forced to re-evaluate the Old Flood Dragon’s capabilities.

Although the Old Flood Dragon’s horn was undamaged, the blow sent a piercing pain through it.

It whipped its flood dragon tail, sweeping it toward Lin Hao.

BOOM!

Lin Hao dodged. The tail slammed viciously against the barrier of qi, causing the very air to distort and tremble.

Hmph!

Lin Hao snorted coldly, and the Evil-Slaying Sword moved once more.

CLANG!

The sword struck the Old Flood Dragon’s body, once again ringing out with the sound of metal on metal.

The Old Flood Dragon’s hide was growing thicker and tougher.

RUMBLE!

High in the sky, behind the dark clouds, thunder rolled continuously, ready to strike at any moment.

The Old Flood Dragon’s transformation into a true dragon was an act forbidden by heaven and earth, one that would bring down a lightning tribulation.

Lin Hao’s expression changed. If this continued, even if the Old Flood Dragon didn’t kill him, the lightning tribulation would.

BUZZ!

Suddenly, Lin Hao reached a hand back. From the pavilion, an exquisite wine pot was pulled through the blockade of the Heaven-Sealing Array and landed in his hand.

Duan Xinyu and Yue Zhongyin’s expressions changed.

That Lin Hao actually possessed such an ability was utterly shocking to them.

Even Yue Zhongyin’s convictions began to waver.

At that moment, Lin Hao tilted his head back and took a big swig of wine. He then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, his unrestrained and heroic aura on full display.

"Heh, about to die and he still has time to drink? Is that his last drink?" Hu Rui sneered from the pavilion.

The more dashing and carefree Lin Hao appeared, the more displeased Hu Rui became.

"The storms of this world are stirred by our generation; once we enter the martial world, the years fly by!" Just then, a verse of poetry escaped Lin Hao’s lips.

As the verse ended, the Evil-Slaying Sword let out a soft hum, then abruptly pointed toward the Old Flood Dragon.

PFFT!

This strike was blindingly fast, moving forward with unstoppable, domineering might. Although the Old Flood Dragon did its utmost to dodge, it was a step too slow, and a spray of blood blossomed on its body.