Nine Heavens Martial Emperor

Without a doubt, the sight before him sent Moshan into an unprecedented rage. He was definitely using a Forbidden Skill!

Then, in one fluid motion, Moshan nocked an arrow and drew his bow.

He aimed it straight at Lin Hao!

Nearby, Chu Yanwu’s expression turned grave.

Chu Yanwu’s cultivation had reached the Peak of the Fifth Layer of the Soul Gathering Realm, yet even at his level, he felt a sense of pressure from this single arrow.

This arrow was infused with all of Moshan’s essence, energy, and spirit. The moment it left the bowstring, its power would be world-shaking.

Chu Yanwu instantly resolved to intervene.

However, before he could even move, he received a telepathic message from Lin Hao.

WHOOSH!

Just then, with a piercing whistle, the arrow from the Barbarian Dragon Bow tore through the air, hurtling toward Lin Hao.

CRACK!

Despite the special wards protecting the manor, the arrow’s release caused space itself to twist and crackle audibly.

FWOOSH!

The turtle egg next to Lin Hao became collateral damage.

It had been snoring soundly, but the arrow’s release sent it, and the rattan chair it was on, flying.

BOOM!

The turtle egg flew for several hundred meters before crashing into a wall.

"Honestly, can’t a guy get a peaceful nap around here?" the turtle egg grumbled before vanishing in a flash.

Back in the pavilion, the silk curtains were whipping about violently.

Chu Yanwu shot out, pulling Yunxi to safety from behind Lin Hao.

Meanwhile, Lin Hao remained seated on his rattan chair, perfectly still.

A peculiar light, however, was swirling in his eyes.

"You’re courting death!" Moshan sneered from across the way, seeing that Lin Hao hadn’t moved.

Clearly, Lin Hao intended to take the arrow head-on.

He had fired this arrow in a fury, pouring all of his essence, energy, and spirit into it—it was an attack at his absolute peak. Even a Martial Artist who had just entered the Soul Gathering Realm would be killed instantly if they took it head-on, to say nothing of Lin Hao, who hadn’t even reached that realm yet.

Sure enough, Moshan saw Lin Hao raise a hand.

"Don’t!" Chu Yanwu also saw Lin Hao’s movement and couldn’t help but cry out in alarm.

He had assumed Lin Hao would dodge. Who could have imagined he would actually try to catch the arrow with his bare hand?

It was no different from suicide.

Though it takes time to describe, everything happened in the blink of an eye. By the time Chu Yanwu thought to intervene, it was already too late.

Eyes wide, Chu Yanwu stared intently at the pavilion.

Then, Chu Yanwu saw Lin Hao’s hand catch the arrow.

BOOM!

Unfortunately, the power contained in the arrow was too great; Lin Hao’s entire body was thrown backward.

In an instant, Lin Hao was flung back several hundred meters, slamming into the wall.

The wall shuddered, and hundreds of meters away, the force of the impact threw the water of an artificial lake into a wall dozens of meters high.

Yet the arrow’s momentum was not yet spent!

PUFF!

Lin Hao leaned to one side, and the arrow struck the wall, instantly turning to dust.

The arrow was incredibly powerful, but this wall could stop even a Martial Artist at the Fifth Layer of Soul Gathering Realm. A single arrow couldn’t harm it.

"Nice bow. I’ll be taking it," Lin Hao’s voice rang out. Before the words had even faded, he appeared in front of Moshan.

Moshan didn’t answer, instead swinging the bow like a club at Lin Hao.

CLANG!

Lin Hao’s clawed hand formed a fist and smashed against the string of the Barbarian Dragon Bow.

BOOM!

Both Lin Hao and Moshan were knocked backward. The collision sent another wall of water surging up from the artificial lake.

Lin Hao halted his momentum in mid-air, then shot back, passing straight through the wall of water without causing so much as a ripple. His speed was simply too great.

"Your hand... it’s fine!" Moshan was struggling to suppress the turmoil in his own body, preparing to burn his bloodline essence for another attack. But seeing Lin Hao reappear completely unscathed made him cry out in shock.

The Barbarian Dragon Bow’s string was fashioned from flood dragon sinew, making it comparable to a Tier One Spiritual Artifact. Lin Hao had clashed with it directly, yet he was completely unharmed!

The outcome was staggering!

"The other three of you, attack me together!" Lin Hao suddenly shouted from mid-air, daring to fight all four of them at once.

Off to the side, Chu Yanwu was stunned, wondering if he had misheard.

True, these were the four Martial Artists with the lowest cultivation levels he had selected. But three of them were at the Soul Gathering Realm First Layer, while Moshan’s cultivation was on the verge of the Soul Gathering Realm. And on top of that, Moshan wielded an extraordinary bow.

Although Lin Hao was at the peak of the Elemental Realm, he was still in the Elemental Realm. He hadn’t awakened his Divine Soul, so how could he possibly contend with Martial Artists from the Soul Gathering Realm?

Challenging one of them would be one thing, but for Lin Hao to challenge all four at once... it was simply suicidal!

But when Chu Yanwu saw the four men attack Lin Hao simultaneously and watched him dodge the assault, a thought flashed through his mind. ’Could it be that I’m about to witness a miracle today?’

With that thought, Chu Yanwu began to watch the seemingly one-sided battle with rapt attention.

With the Barbarian Dragon Bow, Moshan’s power was equivalent to the Soul Gathering Realm First Layer. This was a battle between four Martial Artists at the Soul Gathering Realm First Layer and one at the Extreme Realm of the Elemental Realm.

"Master can last at least fifty exchanges under their combined assault," Chu Yanwu murmured after watching for a moment.

The moment the words left his lips, a brilliant light flared in Chu Yanwu’s eyes.

To withstand fifty exchanges against four Soul Gathering Realm Martial Artists without even being in the realm himself... in the entire world, Chu Yanwu had not only never seen such a feat, he had never even heard of it being possible.

On the battlefield, the situation was constantly in flux. The fighting stirred the water of the artificial lake into colossal waves.

The exchange of blows was incredibly fast; in the blink of an eye, Lin Hao had already weathered thirty-five exchanges. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Chu Yanwu had just begun to relax when his expression changed drastically. One of the attackers had landed a palm strike on Lin Hao, sending him flying backward.

The other three followed like shadows, pressing their attack on Lin Hao.

’This is bad!’

Only then did Chu Yanwu realize he’d made a grave mistake: he hadn’t factored in the attackers’ ability to coordinate with each other.

At first, the four had never fought as a unit and were naturally uncoordinated. But once they synchronized, their combined combat power would multiply.

Now, it was clear the four had found their rhythm.

Lin Hao was in grave danger.

Just as Chu Yanwu prepared to intervene, he received another telepathic message from Lin Hao.

After hearing it, Chu Yanwu’s eyes went wide, and he drew a sharp, cold breath. Lin Hao’s decision was insane.

Lin Hao had just told him that he was using these four to temper himself, seeking the perfect moment to advance to the Soul Gathering Realm.

What’s more, Lin Hao’s tone was so casual, implying he could step into the Soul Gathering Realm whenever he pleased.

Advancing from the Elemental Realm to the Soul Gathering Realm required awakening one’s Divine Soul—a notoriously difficult process. This threshold was so significant that some Martial Artists had likened it to the Celestial Gate.

The martial path... Only by crossing the threshold between the Elemental Realm and the Soul Gathering Realm could one truly be said to have stepped onto the Great Way of martial arts.

This threshold was called the Celestial Gate, for only by entering it could one glimpse the heavens. This meant that only after a Martial Artist entered the Soul Gathering Realm did they have a chance to one day reach the apex of the martial path.

But entering the Celestial Gate was far easier said than done. Many Martial Artists reached its doorstep but could not pass through, wasting anywhere from a few years to several decades, or even a century, stuck at the precipice.

But now, Lin Hao was implying that he could enter the Soul Gathering Realm at will. The thought left Chu Yanwu utterly stunned and shaken to his core.

Chu Yanwu was also certain that he wasn’t the only one; even the top experts of the Celestial Yang Continent would have the same reaction upon hearing such a thing.

’My master... just what kind of monster are you?!’