Nine Heavens Martial Emperor

PFFT!

A bloody mist sprayed through the air.

The instructor fell to the ground with a THUD, feeling as if his internal organs had all been rearranged.

He never would have imagined that a piece of trash at the Third Layer of Blood Coagulation Realm would possess such powerful and abundant True Qi. He had actually been injured in a single blow.

But as he wiped the fresh blood from the corner of his mouth, he smiled.

He believed that under the full force of his attack, Lin Hao must already be dead!

He looked toward where Lin Hao had landed, a smile just beginning to form on his face.

The next moment, however, he froze. His pupils dilated, his shock beyond measure.

Lin Hao had actually gotten back on his feet!

Before he could even process what was happening, Lin Hao flickered from a distance and appeared right before him.

Although the instructor had held the absolute advantage, his momentum was spent. And though Lin Hao was at a disadvantage, his fighting spirit was like a tiger’s, surging in one breath. Lin Hao met his opponent’s weakest moment with his own strongest strike; his powerful Cultivation Technique and physical body had decided the outcome.

Pinning the instructor under his foot, Lin Hao looked down at him and spoke indifferently. "Didn’t you say I was an ant you could crush with one hand? Now I’m the one standing tall, and you’re the one lying there like a dead dog!"

"When my Third Uncle moved against you, you accused him of being a bully who preys on the weak. When you used your Blood Coagulation Realm Fourth Layer cultivation to attack me, did that phrase even cross your mind?"

Before, when the instructor had been arrogant and boastful, Lin Hao had remained silent.

Now, with the boaster pinned beneath his foot, Lin Hao’s retort was more convincing than any other answer could be.

He had answered with his actions.

The instructor’s face turned white as a sheet. His own words were still ringing in his ears. How much time had passed before the young man answered with a resounding slap to the face?

"Any last words? You’d better say them now, or you won’t get another chance." Lin Hao threw the instructor’s own words right back at him.

"I’m an instructor for the Lin family! You can’t kill me..." The instructor’s heart went cold as he felt the frigid aura coming from Lin Hao.

Lin Hao snorted and sneered, "A moment ago, you said that in today’s battle, life and death would be left to fate. If I were the one lying on the ground right now, would you spare me for being a member of the Lin family?"

The instructor was speechless. If Lin Hao had been the one defeated, he would have humiliated him to the fullest before cruelly twisting off his head to present to Lin Tianhao for a reward.

"I was blind! I’m begging you, please spare my life." Lin Hao’s foot felt like a mountain, and the instructor’s face was already distorted as he struggled to speak.

’Being merciful to an enemy is being cruel to yourself.’ Lin Hao had no intention of letting him go. He said coldly, "For someone like you, reincarnation is the best way out!"

As his voice fell, True Qi surged forth, and a perfectly good head exploded.

A Blood Coagulation Realm Fourth Layer Martial Artist—dead!

At that exact moment, an intense sense of crisis washed over him. Without a second thought, Lin Hao shifted his feet and executed the Ghostly Divine Step.

The next instant, an incomparably domineering Palm Force struck. Under its power, the instructor’s corpse was blown to pieces.

Lin Zheng had made his move!

His timing was exceptionally perfect.

Normally, the moment a Martial Artist personally slays an enemy is when they are most relaxed.

Unfortunately for him, he had underestimated Lin Hao.

Not only was Lin Hao’s Spiritual Sense a cut above the rest, but he had also never once let down his guard.

Elsewhere, Lin Tianxiao and Lin Tianhao were locked in battle.

When Lin Tianhao discovered that Lin Hao could replicate martial techniques, he had already exchanged a subtle glance with Lin Zheng. The father and son had been waiting for just such an opportunity.

And their plan was perfect.

Lin Tianhao would hold back Lin Tianxiao, while Lin Zheng dealt with Lin Hao.

Unfortunately, Lin Hao’s vigilance had caused their plan to fall short at the last moment.

His first strike having missed, Lin Zheng paused for a moment before attacking again.

Yesterday, Lin Hao had captured Lin Zheng in front of everyone, causing him to lose all face. Today, Lin Zheng was determined to wash away that shame.

This time, he unleashed his Eighth Layer Blood Coagulation Realm cultivation without holding anything back.

The gap between the Third Layer and the Eighth Layer of the Blood Coagulation Realm was insurmountable.

Even though Lin Hao possessed the Ghostly Divine Step, Lin Zheng’s speed was unimaginably fast.

Even if Lin Zheng just stood still, with his Eighth Layer Blood Coagulation Realm ability to casually perform Bone Strengthening, he was already in an invincible position—let alone now, when he was on the offensive.

The surging Palm Force affected Lin Hao’s footwork. He was like a lone boat in a raging sea, in constant danger of being capsized.

Although each of Lin Zheng’s palm strikes failed to hit Lin Hao, they still made Lin Hao’s qi and blood churn, greatly hindering his movements.

Despite the extreme danger, Lin Zheng was still unable to do anything to Lin Hao.

Seeing that his prolonged assault was fruitless, Lin Zheng’s expression became extremely ugly.

For him, with his Eighth Layer Blood Coagulation Realm cultivation, to be held off for so long by a piece of trash at the Third Layer of Blood Coagulation Realm, even while going all out... if word of this got out, he would become a laughingstock.

A violent, tyrannical aura suddenly erupted from Lin Zheng. The next moment, an even denser barrage of Palm Force howled forth.

Before long, Lin Hao was facing one perilous situation after another...

Meanwhile, Lin Tianxiao was not having an easy time either.

Three years ago, he had only just entered the Elemental Realm. It was during his closed-door cultivation that the incident of Lin Hao’s bloodline being forcefully stolen had occurred.

After coming out of seclusion, before he even had a chance to consolidate his realm, he was imprisoned by Lin Wei. He was locked away for three years.

Now, although his realm had recovered, he was so worried about Lin Hao’s safety that he couldn’t concentrate. With Lin Tianhao going all out, he was completely unable to break away.

Lin Tianxiao was mad with hatred, yet he was powerless to do anything.

"Zheng’Er, hurry up and kill him!" Lin Tianhao, cunning as a fox, knew how much Lin Tianxiao cared for Lin Hao and continued to use his words to disrupt his opponent’s focus.

Lin Tianxiao’s eyes suddenly turned bloodshot, and his pair of True Essence hands abruptly turned red as well.

He possessed a Spirit Body, and his awakened bloodline was red.

This was Bloodline Power!

Bloodline Power is the Origin Power of a special constitution.

By using their Origin Power, a Martial Artist could instantly increase their combat strength several times over, becoming incredibly powerful.

But using it recklessly had severe consequences.

But now, for Lin Hao’s sake, Lin Tianxiao threw all caution to the wind.

BOOM!

The blood-red palm descended, instantly crushing Lin Tianhao’s True Essence hands and causing them to explode in mid-air.

PFFT!

Under the immense pressure, Lin Tianhao coughed up a spray of blood. He had been heavily injured by Lin Tianxiao’s strike.

"Damn it!"

Lin Tianhao cursed. He never would have thought Lin Tianxiao would actually use his Bloodline Power.

The consequences of recklessly using one’s Origin Power could be irreparable.

The recently deceased instructor, for example, had recklessly used his Origin Power when facing a Tier Two Devil Beast. Though he managed to survive, he was forever stuck at the Blood Coagulation Realm Fourth Layer.

Lin Tianhao truly hadn’t expected Lin Tianxiao to also use his Origin Power for Lin Hao’s sake.

Having landed a successful strike, Lin Tianxiao’s movements paused for a moment before his blood-red True Essence hands reached for Lin Zheng.

At that moment, a cruel smile was on Lin Zheng’s face. He had just discovered a flaw in Lin Hao’s footwork.

Changing his palm strike into a claw, Lin Zheng prepared to capture Lin Hao alive.

However, in the next instant, a terrifying, boundless power bore down, instantly locking onto Lin Zheng and making his entire body go cold.

"You dare!"

Lin Tianhao moved like lightning, appearing in a flash. His flesh-and-blood palms struck Lin Tianxiao’s hands of True Essence.

CRACK!

With that single strike, Lin Tianhao was driven halfway into the ground of the training arena. The blood-red hands of True Essence also dissipated, and Lin Tianxiao retreated rapidly, his face as pale as paper.

But Lin Tianxiao smiled.

He had won precious time for Lin Hao.

The opportunity for Lin Tianhao and his son had passed.

"Third Uncle!" Lin Hao executed the Ghostly Divine Step, appearing beside Lin Tianxiao in a blur and reaching out to support him.

Lin Tianxiao stood up straight and stopped him. "I’m fine!"

’In the face of a great enemy, I cannot show weakness,’ he thought.

"I never thought becoming Patriarch would make you even more ruthless than before," Lin Tianxiao said sarcastically, staring at Lin Tianhao.

Lin Tianhao’s eyes flickered, and he said in a low voice, "I am doing all of this for the Lin family! Today, none of you will leave!"

"You’re welcome to try." Lin Tianxiao’s handsome face was full of smiles, his bearing exceptionally graceful.

"You just recklessly used your Bloodline Power. Your strength is less than eighty percent of what it is at your peak. Where do you get this conf... wait. Are you thinking of burning your bloodline? Are you insane?" Realizing this possibility, Lin Tianhao’s expression changed drastically. He grabbed Lin Zheng and retreated at top speed.

Burning one’s bloodline was equivalent to self-detonation. It was a strong practitioner’s last-ditch struggle before death, a Martial Artist’s ultimate strike.

If Lin Tianxiao burned his bloodline, even if Lin Tianhao managed to survive, Lin Zheng would surely perish.

It wasn’t just Lin Tianhao; even Lin Wei, far away in the capital city, had high hopes for Lin Zheng. He absolutely could not be allowed to come to harm.

Seeing that Lin Tianxiao’s expression did not seem to be a bluff, Lin Tianhao had no reason not to retreat.

He didn’t dare to take the gamble.

As he retreated, the thought that Lin Tianxiao would actually dare to burn his bloodline for Lin Hao’s sake made Lin Tianhao stare at Lin Hao with undisguised killing intent.

But there was nothing he could do.

If he didn’t retreat to the capital now, his father’s years of planning would be ruined.

The fact that Lin Tianxiao could appear here meant the two elders already knew the truth. If he didn’t retreat, even if he wasn’t killed, he would be imprisoned.

If Lin Tianhao and his son were allowed to escape, the future trouble would be endless. How could Lin Tianxiao let them go? He moved, about to give chase.

"Third Uncle!" Lin Hao grabbed Lin Tianxiao’s sleeve. To him, Lin Tianxiao’s life was a hundred, a thousand times more important.

"He won’t escape War Dragon City! Third Uncle, we’re going to the Treasure Hunting Pavilion!" Lin Hao said in a low voice.

He also knew the stakes were high. If Lin Tianhao and his son escaped to the capital, they would surely regroup and return in the shortest possible time.

Lin Hao estimated that he would need at least a month to establish a foothold in the Heaven-Stepping Sect.

But if Lin Tianhao and his son escaped, someone from the capital would certainly arrive in less than a month.

At that time, without the support of the sect, Lin Hao would stand no chance.

Therefore, Lin Hao decided to ask the Pavilion Master of the Treasure Hunting Pavilion to intervene.

There was only one road to the capital. As long as they guarded that key route, Lin Tianhao and his son wouldn’t be able to escape even if they grew wings.

Although Lin Tianxiao didn’t understand his reasoning, he didn’t hesitate for a moment. He shot forward, his words lingering in the air, "I’ll go guard that route first!"

If they didn’t get the Pavilion Master to act at once, Lin Hao feared that Lin Tianxiao, upon encountering Lin Tianhao and his son, would burn his own bloodline.

If Lin Tianxiao were to fall because of him, he would feel guilty for the rest of his life.

So, the moment Lin Tianxiao moved, he moved as well.

Faster! Faster! Faster!

Lin Hao’s figure moved at the ultimate speed. His real body had already vanished, leaving behind a string of afterimages that had yet to fade...