Nine Heavens Martial Emperor

Dawn was just breaking, but at the Imperial Saint Institute, all the new disciples had already packed and were ready to depart.

"Senior Brother Ling Xiao, why hasn’t Senior Brother Lin appeared yet?" one of the disciples asked Ling Xiao.

In fact, he had already asked this question several times.

These new disciples had been gathered here for nearly an hour.

The temptation of a quasi-Emperor inheritance was unimaginable; after they had dispersed, none of them had any mind to rest.

After packing their bags, some had quietly made their way to the outside of Lin Hao’s courtyard, terrified that everyone else would leave while they were resting.

Quite a few had the same idea. Not long after Lin Hao left with Chen Yan, a crowd had already gathered outside his courtyard.

The crowd grew larger and larger until, an hour ago, all the disciples had arrived.

There were several hundred new disciples this time, but as they gathered, they were all surprisingly silent, deeply afraid of disturbing Lin Hao’s rest.

After all, Lin Hao was someone who had obtained a quasi-Emperor inheritance. They would be counting on him for guidance later.

Later, Ling Xiao and Yang Peng appeared, but Lin Hao was nowhere to be seen.

Unable to hold back, they began to quietly inquire about Lin Hao’s whereabouts.

"The Demon Cloud People are brave and skilled warriors. We’re practically marching to our deaths. Are you all that eager to go?" Ling Xiao had initially scoffed, clearly irritated.

He hadn’t forgotten their previous disdain, so seeing them like this now, it was impossible for him not to feel a surge of anger.

In response, countless disciples could only offer sycophantic smiles.

And over the past hour, the question of why Senior Brother Lin hadn’t appeared was asked more times than anyone could count.

Eventually, Ling Xiao just chose to ignore them.

In truth, he didn’t know either.

A dozen or so minutes later, Duan Mushuang appeared.

With a cold and arrogant expression, she stood a short distance from the disciples, apparently also waiting for Lin Hao.

If this had been in the past, some would have inevitably complained, either inwardly or aloud, with thoughts like, ’Lin Hao is really putting on airs.’

But now, not a single person harbored such thoughts. Instead, they felt it was only natural.

After another dozen minutes, several figures appeared in their line of sight.

Seeing the one in the lead, everyone’s faces lit up with joy, for it was truly Lin Hao.

They wanted to step forward and greet him, but they all ended up retreating in unison.

Behind Lin Hao was a tall, elderly man, and from him emanated an aura so powerful it was suffocating.

Just as they were all guessing the old man’s identity, Duan Mushuang spoke.

"Lord Chen, greetings."

Duan Mushuang’s beautiful eyes widened, filled with astonishment.

The War God, Chen Yan, was a figure of immense renown, but he hadn’t left the Chen family estate in decades. She couldn’t believe that he had now visited the Saint Institute twice in just a few hours.

And it was obvious that both visits were related to Lin Hao.

’Lord Chen!’

’The legend of the empire, the one and only War God!’

Those two words exploded in the minds of all the new disciples, leaving them dazed and utterly dizzy.

"Greetings, Princess." Chen Yan nodded to Duan Mushuang, then stepped slightly to the side.

Behind him, Chen Qian appeared, pushing a wheelchair.

"I heard you’re leading the Saint Institute’s nominal disciples to Jumo City. Naturally, Chen Xiao cannot miss this." Chen Yan got straight to the point.

Duan Mushuang was taken aback. "Lord Chen, Chen Xiao is the esteemed Marquis Wu Shuang. How can he undertake a mission with us?"

"To be honest, I would rather be a common soldier on the battlefield than remain cooped up here as a useless marquis. I hope Master Duan will grant my wish," Chen Xiao replied.

"Very well. However, the Saint Institute has a rule: its disciples cannot be accompanied."

Duan Mushuang’s meaning was clear: you can go, but there will be no one to push your wheelchair. It was obvious that Chen Qian would not be able to go now.

"I’ll take care of him." Unexpectedly, Yang Peng suddenly spoke up.

Yang Peng’s eyes flickered; he had perceived the strange changes in Chen Xiao’s body.

"Many thanks, Senior Brother Yang." Chen Xiao wasn’t surprised at all. He smiled at Yang Peng, his tone exceptionally polite.

The other disciples looked at Yang Peng with envy. Marquis Wu Shuang was the empire’s youngest marquis; to be treated with such respect by him was a supreme honor.

Yet, there wasn’t the slightest trace of excitement on Yang Peng’s face.

’None of those who follow Lin Hao are mediocre,’ someone sighed inwardly.

"Lord Chen, time is short, so I won’t be able to host you further. Everyone, gather at the main gate! After you receive your Cloud-Stepping Beasts, we depart!" Duan Mushuang said after giving a nod to Chen Yan.

Jumo City was a strategic city in the southwestern part of the Cangnan Empire, tens of thousands of miles from Imperial City. For this long journey, the Saint Institute had specially prepared the exotic Cloud-Stepping Beasts.

Hearing Duan Mushuang’s words, Lin Hao was momentarily lost in thought.

He recalled that the first time he returned to War Dragon City from the Heaven-Stepping Sect, it was Lord Lingdi who had helped him find a Cloud-Stepping Beast. This showed just how rare they were, yet the Saint Institute could produce several hundred at once. It was astonishing.

However, Lin Hao quickly composed himself. As things stood, he had no conflict of interest with the Saint Institute.

"Chen Xiao, you must remember to listen to Lin Hao. And Lin Hao, I’m entrusting him to you," Chen Yan said, his words turning countless onlookers to stone.

Chen Xiao was a genuine marquis. They had originally thought that, aside from Master Duan, he would hold the highest authority. Now, it seemed he still couldn’t challenge Lin Hao’s status.

For them, however, this was a good thing.

The thought of the quasi-Emperor inheritance in the Mo Yun Kingdom was like a shot of adrenaline. They rushed excitedly toward the main gate.

At this time, other Saint Institute disciples had already begun their morning training. When they saw the new disciples rushing toward the gate, their eyes filled with envy.

Although some of them would be able to head to Jumo City in three days, who knew what could happen in that time? If the quasi-Emperor inheritance were to emerge during those three days, they would lose their chance to be first.

’Sigh, why am I not a nominal disciple?’ several Saint Institute disciples lamented inwardly.

Suddenly, their morning training felt dull and pointless.

Outside the Saint Institute’s main gate, the sight of over a hundred Cloud-Stepping Beasts was magnificent. The departing disciples each chose a mount, growing more impatient by the second.

Chen Yan had brought the Dragon Horse, so Chen Xiao would naturally be riding it.

He had originally intended to offer the Dragon Horse to Lin Hao, but Lin Hao refused.

And Lin Hao, likewise, did not choose a Cloud-Stepping Beast.

Just a moment ago, a message had entered his mind: Turtle Egg, that little troublemaker, was waiting for him outside the city.

Hearing Lin Hao say his mount was outside the city, Duan Mushuang didn’t press the issue. Taking the lead on her beast, she headed down the mountain.

Lin Hao didn’t move, and neither did anyone else.

Only when Lin Hao’s figure shot forward did the rest of them slap their Cloud-Stepping Beasts and follow.

The hundred-plus Cloud-Stepping Beasts surged forward like a torrent, stampeding out of Imperial City with unstoppable momentum.

The Cloud-Stepping Beasts were incredibly fast, covering several thousand meters in what felt like an instant.

But as soon as they left the city, the Cloud-Stepping Beasts beneath them all froze simultaneously, refusing to take another step forward.

"Yaaawn... you’re finally here." At that moment, a lazy voice sounded out after a yawn.