Nine Heavens Martial Emperor

Lin Hao’s sword stroke injured the Old Flood Dragon, infuriating it.

Its massive body twisted, instantly cutting off all of Lin Hao’s escape routes. Then, it struck again with a sweeping tail attack.

The tail descended from the sky, seeming to carry the might of the heavens themselves.

In the pavilion, everyone’s expression changed. Wenren Yuxin and Chen Qian looked worried, while smiles appeared on the faces of the others.

As disciples of prominent families, they were worldly and knowledgeable. They knew the Old Flood Dragon couldn’t leave Zhenlong Lake during its fight with Lin Hao, so they naturally understood that the area was sealed.

But even with the seal in place, the Old Flood Dragon’s tail strike still made them feel its immense pressure.

This showed just how astonishing the pressure Lin Hao was enduring was.

This time, with nowhere to retreat, he was as good as dead!

But Lin Hao’s reaction stunned everyone.

He was seen tilting his head back to take another swig of wine, completely ignoring the dragon tail descending from the sky!

"Even if he possesses an imperial technique, this tail will smash him into paste. Your Highness, my congratulations," Yue Zhongyin sent a message to Duan Xinyu via sound transmission from the pavilion.

A smile appeared on Duan Xinyu’s face.

Some were delighted, others were worried.

Especially when they saw Lin Hao actually try to block the force of the Old Flood Dragon’s tail with a thin sword, the delighted became even more delighted, and the worried grew even more anxious.

This was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot—he was completely overestimating his own strength.

Lin Hao raised his sword to block, reciting, "Empires and ambitions are but a passing joke; nothing beats a life of blissful drunkenness."

The moment his voice fell, the Evil-Slaying Sword and the dragon’s tail collided.

Beneath the massive tail, the Evil-Slaying Sword seemed minuscule. But to everyone’s surprise, the sword was not knocked from Lin Hao’s hand, nor was he smashed into paste. The Evil-Slaying Sword had actually blocked the blow.

CLANG!

The clash of metal rang out again, and then the Evil-Slaying Sword began to hum softly.

SPURT!

The next moment, blood spurted from the Old Flood Dragon’s body once more. It shot backward, crashing heavily against the wall of energy.

ROAR!

The Old Flood Dragon roared in anger and pain.

If it could speak, it would surely be complaining about how incredibly frustrating this was.

It could anticipate Lin Hao’s sword moves, yet just like with the great array, it was completely unable to evade them.

Meanwhile, in the pavilion, everyone’s eyes were wide with disbelief at what they were seeing.

Lin Hao had actually injured the Old Flood Dragon with the mere hum of his sword!

They had just witnessed how terrifying the Old Flood Dragon’s physical body was, yet now it couldn’t even withstand the sound of a sword’s hum...

Good thing the Old Flood Dragon wasn’t human, or they would have sworn it was throwing the fight.

At this very moment, everyone had the same question in their minds: How did Lin Hao do it?

They hadn’t witnessed Lin Hao’s duels with the sword attendants of the Danling Sect and Mingjian Manor, or they wouldn’t be this surprised.

Lin Hao’s cultivation level today was on a completely different plane compared to back then. Any casual strike from him now was several times more powerful, so it was only natural that the Old Flood Dragon was injured.

ROAR! ROAR!

The Old Flood Dragon roared again and again, its massive body thrashing on Zhenlong Lake. The next instant, a shadowy mass burst forth from within its body.

A Divine Soul!

This Old Flood Dragon had lived for countless years and learned the ways of cultivation, actually managing to form a Divine Soul just like a human. Now, pushed to the brink by Lin Hao, it was unleashing the power of its Divine Soul.

A bloody aura filled the air. The space above Zhenlong Lake twisted and then trembled violently, as if it could collapse at any moment.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

Inside the pavilion, countless wine vessels shattered.

The Old Flood Dragon was unleashing its full might, and its terrifying power was actually piercing through the Heaven-Sealing Array!

Everyone retreated hastily, for they felt a force of annihilation.

The enraged Old Flood Dragon wanted to destroy everything.

And yet, Lin Hao, who was closest to the Old Flood Dragon, remained the calmest of all.

Taking another swig of wine, Lin Hao recited, "With sword in hand, I ride through a ghostly rain; mountains of white bones make the birds take flight in fright."

Another line of poetry.

Countless people stared, wide-eyed. They now knew that these verses contained powerful sword techniques. But with the Old Flood Dragon in a frenzy, they feared Lin Hao’s technique would not be its match.

On Zhenlong Lake, as Lin Hao’s words fell, the Evil-Slaying Sword began to tremble and hum erratically.

The next moment, a tragic, desolate, and murderous aura emanated from within the Heaven-Sealing Array, startling the onlookers and forcing them to retreat again.

"Sword Intent! An unstoppable Sword Intent!" a Martial Artist who cultivated the sword cried out in terror from the crowd.

Amidst this cry, Lin Hao made his move.

The Evil-Slaying Sword thrust straight forward. There was no discernible technique; not only was it unremarkable, but its speed was also incredibly slow.

They were all disciples from prominent families, well-versed in the world, yet they had never seen such a slow sword move.

It was like watching a three-year-old child playing with a sword.

Could such a sword possibly affect the frenzied Old Flood Dragon?

The next moment, the answer was revealed.

Facing Lin Hao’s sword, the Old Flood Dragon was actually retreating, struggling.

The Old Flood Dragon’s massive body thrashed against the void, causing space itself to twist.

But no matter how it struggled, it could not escape Lin Hao’s sword.

Finally, the sword struck its body dead center.

SCHLICK!

The blade sank into flesh.

The Old Flood Dragon’s body was like tofu, pierced straight through by the Evil-Slaying Sword.

The Old Flood Dragon struggled, but it could not break free.

It was a bizarre scene.

The Old Flood Dragon was immeasurably vast, and Lin Hao’s body was like an ant in comparison, yet it simply could not break free.

Fresh blood rained down, staining the sky red.

But just then, Lin Hao gripped his sword and shot backward.

And from within the body of the now-freed Old Flood Dragon, a rumbling sound arose.

"What’s happening?" The rumbling was so loud that even the people in the pavilion could hear it, and someone asked the question aloud.

"The Old Flood Dragon has detonated its Inner Core to gain even greater power," Wenren Yuxin answered.

Although Wenren Yuxin knew Lin Hao’s file in great detail, this was the first time she had seen him fight in person. His combat prowess was stunning.

She answered the question subconsciously, her beautiful eyes never leaving Lin Hao.

’The mortal world is a tide, and people are but water; since ancient times, how many have returned from war? With this final verse, what kind of legend will you create now?’ Staring at Lin Hao, Wenren Yuxin murmured to herself in her heart.

GLUG, GLUG, GLUG...

Lin Hao drained the rest of the wine from his flask and then abruptly struck with his sword.

Just as he struck, the Old Flood Dragon swept its tail and its body suddenly dove downward.

BOOM!

The heavens trembled. Under the power of that tail sweep, the Heaven-Sealing Array was annihilated.

Then, two short legs suddenly sprouted from the Old Flood Dragon’s smooth body.

The next moment, the short legs grew massive and pressed down toward Lin Hao below.

Lin Hao didn’t dodge or evade, still channeling his sword technique.

The Evil-Slaying Sword pointed toward the sky, advancing with indomitable will.

As this sword move was unleashed, everything from the bottom of Zhenlong Lake shot toward the heavens: shattered stones, mud, weeds, and even drops of water.

The shattered stones shot up, piercing the Old Flood Dragon’s body.

The mud shot up, and bloody holes appeared on the Old Flood Dragon’s body.

The weeds shot up, and with a gentle sway, they severed the Old Flood Dragon’s body.

The water drops shot up, and the Old Flood Dragon’s body was riddled with holes like a sieve...

In just a few moments, the Old Flood Dragon’s massive body was no more, leaving behind only a sky full of flesh and blood.

And then, Lin Hao abruptly retracted his sword.

RUMBLE!

The sky full of flesh and blood crashed down into Zhenlong Lake like a meteor shower.

The entire Zhenlong Lake roared as its bottom abruptly sank.

The pavilion lost its support and collapsed with a crash.

The people inside the pavilion reacted quickly, flying out just before it fell.

After landing, Duan Xinyu’s face was ashen as he roared, "Kill him for me!"