Nine Heavens Martial Emperor

The current Monarch of the Cangnan Empire has over a dozen sons, and the Eighth Prince was the weakest among them. As a result, he had been granted a mansion outside the royal palace early on, with no hope of ever contending for the throne.

Therefore, Duan Xinyu sought an unconventional path and found an Old Flood Dragon.

This Old Flood Dragon from beneath Zhenlong Lake was captured by Duan Xinyu at the cost of many powerful Martial Artists’ lives, all for the sake of the dragon energy contained within its body.

One could say that this Old Flood Dragon was Duan Xinyu’s last hope.

But now, Lin Hao had slain it.

With his hopes shattered, how could Duan Xinyu not fly into a humiliated rage?!

Following Duan Xinyu’s roar, shadowy figures flickered in the darkness, and the cold glint of steel flashed into view.

As Duan Xinyu roared, Lin Hao walked with unhurried steps, making his way toward the main gate of Your Highness’ Mansion.

Cold light flashed as an unknown number of Martial Artists emerged from the shadows of the mansion.

An overwhelming killing intent filled the air.

Without a word, those Martial Artists swung their sharp blades, slashing at Lin Hao.

CLANG!

The Evil-Slaying Sword struck again, yet Lin Hao continued to walk with the same unhurried pace.

The weapons of the Martial Artists who appeared from the shadows were no ordinary items, but they weren’t Spiritual Artifacts either. Facing Lin Hao’s Evil-Slaying Sword was a nightmare.

PSH!

Lin Hao took a step. The weapon of the first to attack him shattered, blood sprayed through the air, and a head hit the ground.

At the same time, a sharp blade tore through Lin Hao’s clothes and pierced his skin.

But Lin Hao’s body was as tough as steel; ordinary weapons could hardly harm him and posed no real threat.

The man who landed the blow saw his smile freeze. He looked up, only to be met by a cold glint of light.

PSH!

Lin Hao swung his sword, and another head rolled...

He had completely abandoned defense, focused only on swinging his sword.

A kill with every step, Lin Hao was reaping lives like grass.

Across the lake from Lin Hao, Duan Xinyu clenched his fists, his expression ugly.

These were all elites he had painstakingly trained. Every single one of them had a cultivation at the Fifth Layer of the Elemental Realm, yet they were so fragile before Lin Hao.

The others felt a chill creep into their hearts. ’Lin Hao is too terrifying!’

"Such combat prowess... It’s comparable to Young Master Wu’s performance at the Seventh Layer of the Elemental Realm," someone in the pavilion remarked.

No one refuted it.

It wasn’t just his physical body; Lin Hao’s overall abilities were already comparable to Lin Wu’s when he was at the same realm.

Lin Wu was peerless in his generation, a true prodigy. In his presence, all others paled in comparison.

But now, the combat prowess Lin Hao displayed was just as horrifying, causing them to unconsciously compare him to Lin Wu.

This was utterly astonishing.

"I don’t care how capable he is, he’s not walking out of Your Highness’ Mansion tonight!" Duan Xinyu said viciously.

Yue Zhongyin’s expression changed. "Your Highness, you mustn’t!" he cried out, trying to stop him.

But how could a maddened Duan Xinyu, his face twisted in a ferocious snarl, possibly listen to reason?

A sharp whistle escaped his lips.

A look of deep disappointment appeared in Yue Zhongyin’s eyes. He then quietly withdrew, vanishing without a trace in the blink of an eye.

Only Wenren Yuxin noticed this, her fine brows furrowing slightly. Everyone else’s attention was fixed on Lin Hao, so they hadn’t paid him any mind.

Meanwhile, across the dried-up Zhenlong Lake, the Evil-Slaying Sword in Lin Hao’s hand continued to reap lives.

By the time Duan Xinyu’s whistle sounded, Lin Hao had already slaughtered all the Martial Artists who had just appeared.

And at that very moment, a rumbling sound arose, and the entire mansion began to shake violently.

Lin Hao stood holding his sword, his eyes narrowing slightly. He stopped walking.

He could tell what it was: the sound of countless people stomping their feet on the ground in perfect unison.

A bloody stench filled the air, blanketing the sky. Before a single person was seen, an intense, horrifying killing intent had already arrived.

Across Zhenlong Lake, countless people shivered.

They felt as if the very blood in their veins was slowing down.

Even Hu Rui was alarmed.

One of the Cangnan Empire’s current Imperial Consorts was from the Hu family, which was why many of its members were close to the royal family.

Although Hu Rui was a young master of the Hu family, he was not a true Core Disciple. The Eighth Prince was the highest-ranking royal he could possibly befriend.

Normally, Duan Xinyu confided in him, even telling him secrets as sensitive as the matter of Zhenlong Lake.

Hu Rui had thought there were no secrets between him and Duan Xinyu, but with the emergence of this new power, he realized he had been gravely mistaken.

As disciples of prominent families, the people present had a much keener awareness than ordinary folk. The moment they felt this fluctuation, they knew what Duan Xinyu was plotting.

Some wanted to leave, but Duan Xinyu’s sinister voice rang out. "Your Highness’ Mansion has been sealed. Nothing that happens here today will get out. We’re all in the same boat now. If you want to live, you’ll attack and finish off Lin Hao for me."

"Your Highness the Eighth Prince, my cultivation is low. I’m no match for him. Please be magnanimous and let me leave. Rest assured, I will act as if I never came to the mansion today," a young man said.

Besides the four great families, Imperial City was home to many other significant family clans, and this young man hailed from one of them.

However, the moment the words left his mouth, Duan Xinyu suddenly struck, killing him in an instant.

Beside them, a glint flashed in Wenren Yuxin’s eyes. She suddenly attacked, reaching out to grab Duan Xinyu.

’Duan Xinyu has been provoked and lost all reason. He’s capable of anything right now. If he isn’t subdued, things will get dangerous.’

Wenren Yuxin’s sudden attack was incredibly fast. Yet, the instant her elegant hand was about to seize him, Duan Xinyu’s body abruptly vanished, only to reform a short distance away.

The scene was utterly bizarre.

"This is my world now. Don’t bother with pointless struggles. Those who submit will prosper; those who resist will die! Of course," Duan Xinyu said with a smile, his gaze on Wenren Yuxin turning fiery hot, blatant and undisguised, "for a peerless beauty like you, Yuxin, I could never bring myself to be so ruthless."

Wenren Yuxin’s fine brows knitted together.

’Duan Xinyu seemed close, but she had the strange feeling that the real him was actually very far away, perhaps not even here at all.’

"Now you have two choices: attack and kill Lin Hao, or die!" Duan Xinyu’s voice turned ice-cold after his greedy eyes swept over Wenren Yuxin’s body.

At this point, no one doubted Duan Xinyu’s words.

Gritting their teeth, everyone except for Wenren Yuxin, Chen Qian, and Lin Xinran charged toward Lin Hao.

"Miss Xinran, rest assured, no one will lay a finger on you," Duan Xinyu said politely to Lin Xinran.

"Hmph!" Lin Xinran snorted coldly, as proud as a peacock.

’She naturally knew what Duan Xinyu feared.’

Lin Wu!

Lin Wu was taking the entrance assessment for the Heaven-Breaking Pavilion. They all knew that with his talent, joining the Heaven-Breaking Pavilion was a certainty. Forget a mere Prince; even if Duan Xinyu became the new Monarch of Cangnan, he wouldn’t dare to touch her.

At that moment, a powerful sense of pride swelled in Lin Xinran’s heart.

Meanwhile, after exchanging a look, Chen Qian and Wenren Yuxin suddenly lunged toward the opposite shore of Zhenlong Lake.

They were, of course, going to help Lin Hao.

However, Duan Xinyu merely flicked his sleeve. Though there was seemingly nothing before them, the two slammed into something like a wall of solid iron.

Their expressions changed. Then, Wenren Yuxin suddenly stopped and lunged toward Lin Xinran.