Nine Heavens Martial Emperor

The God-Proving Stage and the Crystal Stone Gate were separated by several hundred meters. The Vajra’s hand was only a few meters from Lin Hao’s back. Even with Wu Taichu’s heaven-defying abilities, he was powerless to help.

Lin Hao had just exchanged a blow with the fist in the void. Although he had successfully shattered the void, his own qi and blood were in turmoil.

But he paid it no mind, his consciousness completely immersed in that single punch from the void.

When he fought the Lin family’s instructor, he had copied the Nine Nether Bone Claw. When he fought Wu Zhen, he had similarly replicated his spear techniques. But faced with this straightforward punch from the void, he couldn’t see its trajectory at all.

This horrified Lin Hao, but it also stoked his competitive spirit. ’I can’t even see through the reality of a punch from a Third Layer of Blood Coagulation Realm expert? That’s too demoralizing!’

And so, Lin Hao’s Spirit Platform became a serene void, his mind filled with nothing but that one punch.

Before long, a look of utter shock appeared in Lin Hao’s eyes.

’Simplicity born from complexity... That punch contains the ultimate principles of fist arts!’

Just then, a voice rang out, "You dare, you rat!"

A strong sense of alarm rose in Lin Hao’s heart, but the Vajra’s fist had already arrived!

The punch was so fast that Lin Hao didn’t even have time to execute the Ghostly Divine Step.

Startled but not panicked, Lin Hao instantly mobilized the mysterious True Qi to his back.

PFFT!

Even though Lin Hao’s muscles and bones had reached the state of ’dragon sinews and tiger bones,’ and despite circulating his mysterious True Qi to protect his body, the power behind a full-force strike from the Vajra, a Fifth Layer of Blood Coagulation Realm cultivator, was simply astounding.

Lin Hao took the heavy blow to his back. His entire body felt as if it had been struck by lightning, and he flew like a kite with a snapped string, spraying a great mist of blood into the air.

Just then, Wu Taichu arrived. He had been lunging toward the Vajra, but he twisted mid-air and caught Lin Hao’s body.

Looking down, he saw Lin Hao’s eyes were shut tight, his face as pale as paper. He was coughing up mouthfuls of blood, his breath as faint as a silk thread.

Wu Taichu frantically mobilized his True Essence, trying to protect Lin Hao’s heart meridians.

But to Wu Taichu’s horror, the moment his True Essence entered Lin Hao’s body, it vanished instantly.

With no time to ponder the reason, the hairs on Wu Taichu’s head stood on end.

He discovered that the Vajra’s ferocious punch had shattered Lin Hao’s spine, and countless surrounding muscles and bones were broken.

Wu Taichu’s eyes turned bloodshot. With a flash, he reappeared and sent a palm strike flying toward the Vajra’s head.

In Wu Taichu’s heart, Lin Hao’s life was a hundred, a thousand times more important than his own. At this moment, killing intent surged within him.

Wu Taichu’s cultivation was unfathomably deep. Before him, a Martial Artist at the Fifth Layer of the Blood Coagulation Realm was no different from an ant.

Before the palm even arrived, the sheer force of his aura crushed the sneak-attacking Vajra, who collapsed limply to the ground.

Just moments ago, his face had been filled with smug satisfaction at his successful ambush; now, it was a mask of utter despair.

’The Sect Leader is making a move. In the entire Heaven-Stepping Sect, I’m afraid no one can save me now.’

However, a voice sounded out, causing Wu Taichu’s palm to freeze less than an inch from the Vajra’s head.

"Stop!"

The voice was not loud—it could even be described as being as faint as a mosquito’s buzz—but to Wu Taichu’s ears, it was like a clap of thunder!

He looked down into his arms. Though Lin Hao’s gaze was dim, he was smiling at him.

Wu Taichu’s heart felt as if it were being twisted by a knife!

’His spine is shattered. Forget about cultivating the martial path—he’ll have trouble even standing up. This is all because of my negligence. I wish I could die to atone for this.’

"Master, leave his life to me!" Lin Hao’s voice was quiet, yet it carried an undeniable authority.

Wu Taichu paused for a moment, then nodded.

"Master, I need to go to the Regeneration Pool," Lin Hao said softly.

Wu Taichu’s eyes lit up. He scooped up Lin Hao and soared away.

Back on the God-Proving Stage, the other Vajras quickly helped the one on the ground to his feet and asked softly, "What happened? How is he still alive?"

The Vajra wiped away a cold sweat, then sneered. "I shattered his spine. He’s destined to be a cripple for life. Isn’t that even more perfect than killing him?" 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"Excellent! Let’s hurry back and report." The others all looked invigorated...

Meanwhile, on Heaven-Stepping Peak, Wu Taichu flew with Lin Hao in his arms, blaming himself endlessly. "Grand Ancestral Uncle, it’s all my fault I didn’t arrive in time! Rest assured, even if I have to scour this entire continent, I will make sure you are restored to your former self."

"Master, I appreciate the sentiment. But just now... I let him do it on purpose." Lin Hao’s face was pale, but he was grinning from ear to ear.

Wu Taichu stopped in his tracks.

"’With his mere Fifth Layer of Blood Coagulation Realm cultivation, he thinks he can shatter my spine and break my bones?! I was just using his hand to increase my chances of successfully forging a new bloodline.’" Lin Hao’s tone was brimming with powerful confidence.

Wu Taichu’s eyes suddenly widened!

’Getting his spine shattered was actually part of Grand Ancestral Uncle’s plan.’ The thought shook him to the core.

If anyone else had said this, Wu Taichu would never have believed them, but Lin Hao’s words possessed a magical charm that left no room for doubt.

"’So everything was within Grand Ancestral Uncle’s control. If that Vajra knew he was nothing but a pawn in your hands, I wonder if he’d cough up blood from anger,’" Wu Taichu mused, a smile flashing in his eyes.

"He’ll find out tomorrow," Lin Hao said, his gaze hardening as a flicker of killing intent appeared and vanished.

A moment ago, he had originally planned to use his mysterious True Qi to block the Vajra’s fist. But in the instant he circulated his True Qi, he thought of Yi Mingcheng’s process of creating his own bloodline and recalled the miraculous nature of his mysterious True Qi. With a shift in his thoughts, he stopped using the True Qi to protect his whole body and instead used it to shield his heart meridians.

But even though this was the outcome he desired, it didn’t mean he would forgive his ambusher.

Hearing this, Wu Taichu felt a sense of relief, but he still didn’t dare to delay, bringing Lin Hao to the Regeneration Pool with all possible speed.

In the Regeneration Pool, Lin Hao sat cross-legged, his body hunched over.

With his spine shattered, he couldn’t even dream of straightening his back; just sitting upright required immense willpower.

The excruciating pain made Lin Hao’s pale face even paler, and beads of sweat, large as beans, trickled down his trembling body.

But Lin Hao’s desire to become stronger was more intense than ever. His martial heart, which yearned to ascend to the peak of the martial path, could not be shaken by anything under the heavens!

Gritting his teeth and persevering, Lin Hao consumed the Nine Dragon God Refining Pill.

The Nine Dragon Flower was nurtured over nine thousand years and possessed unimaginable efficacy. The moment the pill dissolved, Lin Hao’s body began to react.

However, this reaction made his heart pound with apprehension.

BOOM!

A massive explosion rocked his sea of consciousness, violently shaking his mind.

A monstrously terrifying aura erupted, as if a vicious demon had been born into the world!

Within his consciousness, Lin Hao was stunned to see a creature shouldering three mountains and the Five Peaks as it entered the rivers and descended into the lakes and seas. The waters of the rivers surged to the heavens, and the waters of the lakes blotted out the sun.

Then, its form faded, and another ferocious beast was born. It had the body of a jackal-leopard, a treasured sword in its mouth, and it stood between heaven and earth, stretching for tens of thousands of meters.

A single glare from it could stir the winds and clouds and change the color of the heavens and earth...

Then, it vanished, and another ferocious beast appeared.

One by one, the Nine Sons of the Dragon appeared in Lin Hao’s consciousness, each wielding the might of the heavens and earth!

Throughout this process, Lin Hao was as insignificant as an ant, yet he remained completely unmoved, treating the peerless, ferocious beasts as if they were nothing.

Finally, all became calm and still. The heavens and earth returned to silence.

At this time, a strange phenomenon appeared within Lin Hao’s consciousness.

Mountains pierced the clouds, packed together like teeth in a comb. The sun and moon appeared in the sky at the same time, as if he had entered a primeval era.

Lin Hao’s eyes suddenly narrowed. Within this vision, a water droplet so tiny it was almost negligible appeared.

The droplet was crystal clear, suspended in the void as if it had been hanging there since time immemorial.

After what seemed like tens of thousands of years, a black dot appeared within the once-clear droplet. The dot grew longer and longer... until it finally burst out of the droplet.

The black dot grew longer and larger at an unimaginable speed...

Suddenly, a dragon’s roar echoed out, shattering the mountains and making the sun and moon fall from the sky!

The black dot transformed into an Ink Dragon. It glanced back at Lin Hao, then with a twist of its body, it tore through the void and vanished!

Lin Hao’s consciousness returned to his body, and he was ecstatic.

He had originally thought he would only see one of the Nine Sons of the Dragon, but he never expected that not only would all nine appear, but he would also witness the shocking appearance of the Ink Dragon!

Furthermore, he had even observed the Ink Dragon’s initial formation and its boundless might!

’Should I transform my Divine Soul into a dragon?’

The thought flashed through his mind but was immediately rejected by Lin Hao.

’After breaking through the Elemental Realm to reach the Soul Gathering Realm, one must merge their bloodline and Divine Soul to achieve Spirit Transformation.’

’Transforming the Divine Soul into a dragon would be limitlessly powerful, but the most compatible form is always one’s own true self. With my true self as my Divine Soul, I can evolve into all things!’

Immersing his mind, Lin Hao’s Divine Soul reappeared. He compressed the fist-sized Divine Soul once more, directing it straight toward his Dantian.

At this time, Lin Hao began to circulate the mantra for the Godslaying Celestial Slash Skill, and his Divine Soul moved closer and closer to his Dantian.

With every bit closer it got to the Dantian, the Divine Soul shrank. By the time it reached the Dantian, it was the size of the water droplet he had seen.

DRIP!

With a soft sound, the Divine Soul went directly to the center of the Tai Chi Array Map.

BOOM!

The moment the Origin of the Divine Soul touched the Tai Chi Array Map, the array map trembled violently.

Then, as if it had found its backbone, the Tai Chi Array Map began to rotate with the Origin of the Divine Soul as its axis.

A stream of energy far more substantial than his previous mysterious True Qi was generated!

True Qi transformed into True Essence!

The aura was majestic and vast!

This mysterious True Essence didn’t even need to be guided by Lin Hao; it headed straight for his spine.

In the Regeneration Pool, Lin Hao’s body suddenly straightened, and then he began to twist in a strange manner.

His movements were identical to those of the Ink Dragon from his consciousness!

Evolving the Dragon Form!

The Dragon Form appeared, and all things fell silent!

Beside the Regeneration Pool, Wu Taichu wore a look of utter shock.

He knew that Lin Hao had awakened his bloodline.

Because as Lin Hao evolved the Dragon Form, the already gloomy sky suddenly grew violent.

Black clouds surged and gathered above the Regeneration Pool. Then, an aura that could crush all creation descended from the heavens, aimed directly at the pool.

Lin Hao was acting against the heavens, and even the firmament was enraged!

This phenomenon was so powerful that even someone as strong as Wu Taichu felt his Divine Soul tremble, making him unsteady on his feet.

At the same time, Lin Hao, in the Regeneration Pool, suddenly opened his eyes. His body shot up to confront the heavens!

Wu Taichu was even more horrified!

He sensed a majestic presence from Lin Hao—a vast aura that could crush the myriad heavens!

"I, Lin Hao, cultivate only the path of invincibility in this life! Those who block my path will be shown no mercy! Even you are no exception!"

Lin Hao looked up at the sky, his battle intent raging.

By the Regeneration Pool, Lin Hao contended with the heavens!

Wu Taichu was so shocked by Lin Hao’s world-shaking words that he felt an urge to prostrate himself in worship!

’Grand Ancestral Uncle has only just awakened his bloodline, yet he’s already drawn the suppression of the firmament. And still, he stands tall without fear, challenging the heavens themselves. What magnificent spirit!’

’Even the Emperor Venerable in his youth would likely have paled in comparison to such spirit.’

In Wu Taichu’s eyes, Lin Hao’s not-so-tall figure stood like an immense, unmoving monument!