Nine Heavens Martial Emperor

Xiaoliuzi was pinned to the ground under Zhou Wu’s foot, completely immobilized. Only his eyes could move.

Then, he saw it. Amidst the swirling clouds and mist, a small black dot was approaching the God-Proving Stage at an incredible speed.

’Is that Senior Brother Lin Hao?’ His eyes lit up as a powerful surge of hope welled up in his heart.

One hundred meters, fifty meters...

Closer.

It was Lin Hao!

The moment he saw the newcomer’s face clearly, this grown man couldn’t stop his eyes from welling up with tears.

’Senior Brother Lin Hao actually came all this way for someone as insignificant as me.’ Xiaoliuzi suddenly felt that all the pain he had just endured was worth it.

Zhou Wu suddenly sensed something was amiss with Xiaoliuzi beneath his foot. He turned his head, and his gaze hardened.

He saw a pair of eyes, and those eyes were staring at him as if he were already a dead man.

"Who... who are you?" Zhou Wu felt a shudder rise from the depths of his soul. Forcing himself to remain calm, he asked the question.

"Weren’t you looking for me?" Lin Hao said indifferently.

Zhou Wu’s eyes widened abruptly. "You... You’re Lin Hao?!"

He already knew Lin Hao’s physique and cultivation level, but the man before him had changed too drastically.

When he reached the Blood Coagulation Realm Fourth Layer, Lin Hao had a growth spurt that went largely unnoticed. But after breaking through two more layers overnight, he had grown even taller and could no longer be described as frail.

The Lin Hao of this moment was tall and slender, his demeanor composed and aloof, giving off a faintly unsettling aura.

Then there was his cultivation. As a Martial Artist at the peak of the Sixth Layer of the Blood Coagulation Realm, it would have been easy for Zhou Wu to see through a Fourth Layer cultivator. But now, he couldn’t perceive Lin Hao’s cultivation level at all.

This meant that Lin Hao’s current cultivation was definitely not just the Blood Coagulation Realm Fourth Layer!

Just yesterday, he had awakened his bloodline as a Blood Coagulation Realm Fourth Layer Martial Artist. Only one night had passed, and his cultivation had already advanced. Zhou Wu couldn’t help but draw in a sharp breath.

This was terrifying!

However, when Lin Hao spoke, Zhou Wu’s shock turned to rage.

Lin Hao glanced at Xiaoliuzi, then said to him, "Xiaoliuzi, do you want me to kill him for you, or do you want to do it yourself?"

"I just awakened my bloodline. He used his higher cultivation to crush me. If I had the chance, I would want to defeat him in a fair fight before killing him. But now... all my meridians are severed. I can only trouble you, Senior Brother." Xiaoliuzi gave a bitter smile.

Lin Hao nodded and replied with an air of nonchalance, "It’s just severed meridians. I’ll leave his life for you to take later."

"Damn you! How dare you look down on me!" From the very beginning, Lin Hao had completely disregarded him. Now, he was being treated like an object to be disposed of at will. Zhou Wu erupted in fury.

As he spoke, he raised his foot, about to stomp down.

This was a rage-fueled strike from a cultivator at the Sixth Layer of the Blood Coagulation Realm. If that stomp landed, Xiaoliuzi would be dead without a doubt.

Lin Hao’s eyebrow twitched. He moved.

Fast!

Incredibly fast!

He crossed the distance of over ten meters in the blink of an eye, his right instep blocking Zhou Wu’s furious stomp.

The scene seemed to freeze.

Lin Hao using his instep to block the furious strike of a Sixth Layer Blood Coagulation Realm Martial Artist—the sight stunned everyone.

"Heavens, am I seeing things? Overnight, he’s become strong enough to contend with the Sixth Layer of the Blood Coagulation Realm!"

"Yesterday, he was only at the Blood Coagulation Realm Fourth Layer. The Combat Power he’s showing now is at least at the peak of the Sixth Layer. How is that possible!"

"To fend off an enemy with his instep, stopping him from moving even an inch... Such terrifying strength!"

The crowd was buzzing with awe.

Lin Hao’s instep had astounded the entire audience.

But of everyone there, Zhou Wu was the most shocked.

Lin Hao’s instep felt like an impossibly hard meteorite, and the impact sent a numbing shock through Zhou Wu’s leg.

He was shaken to the core.

But hearing the crowd’s chatter, he couldn’t bear it. He lifted his foot again, bent his knee slightly, and aimed a kick straight at Lin Hao’s shin.

But to everyone’s surprise, not only did Lin Hao not dodge, he actually thrust his own leg forward to meet the attack.

"CLANG!"

It was like kicking an iron plate. The immense rebound force sent Zhou Wu staggering back three steps before he regained his footing.

"Gang Qi! You’ve formed Protective Gang Qi!" Zhou Wu’s face paled in shock.

Lin Hao ignored him completely, crouching down and examining Xiaoliuzi’s body.

With his back turned to Zhou Wu, Lin Hao was wide open.

A vicious glint flashed in Zhou Wu’s eyes as he kicked at Lin Hao’s back.

"BOOM!"

Lin Hao spun around abruptly and threw a punch!

Zhou Wu’s body was sent flying backward like a sack of grain.

"All meridians severed. Nine ribs, both ulnas, and both tibias completely broken! He had no quarrel with you, yet you were this vicious. Good. Very good!"

Lin Hao stood up and strode toward the spot where Zhou Wu had landed.

"However many of his bones you broke, I’ll break that many of yours today!" Lin Hao advanced, a vicious aura surging around him.

As Zhou Wu landed, he was horrified. Lin Hao’s cultivation was definitely not below his own.

Seeing Lin Hao advance on him, he let out a great roar, slapped his hands on the ground, and lunged at Lin Hao like a great roc.

His arms opened and closed ceaselessly, like a great roc spreading its wings, whipping up a violent gale.

"That’s Zhou Wu’s signature technique, the Great Roc Pounce! Each time his arms open and close, the force of the attack increases. It’s terrifying!"

"Not only that, when his arms finally come together, his muscles and bones become as tough as bronze and iron, impervious to blades!"

"The most lethal part of the attack is the final moment when his crossed arms pull apart again. I once saw him use it to form his hands into claws and tear a Martial Artist at the Sixth Layer of the Blood Coagulation Realm in half!"

Zhou Wu was in mid-air, his arms a blur of afterimages, opening and closing hundreds of times.

He stared at Lin Hao, a cold sneer on his face.

’This Great Roc Pounce has no weakness. My vital point is on my chest, but it’s protected by my arms, making it impossible to breach.’

’Countless Martial Artists at the Sixth Layer have died to this attack. Even someone at the Seventh Layer of the Blood Coagulation Realm would have to avoid its spearhead!’

Today, he would show Lin Hao that his ranking in the top ten of the inner sect was not just an empty title.

’Since Lin Hao wants to stick up for Xiaoliuzi, he should be prepared to be crippled himself!’

The power of Zhou Wu’s attack was astonishing, yet Lin Hao remained completely unmoved. Just as Zhou Wu descended, Lin Hao formed his hands into claws and suddenly shot them forward.

Nine Nether Bone Claw!

"CRACK! CRACK!"

Just as Zhou Wu’s arms were about to close, Lin Hao’s claws found their mark, gripping his arms firmly. Two sharp cracks echoed.

Both of Zhou Wu’s ulnas shattered!

Comparing physical strength with Lin Hao was no different from an egg smashing against a rock!

With a pull of his claws, Lin Hao slammed Zhou Wu’s body viciously onto the ground.

Then, Lin Hao struck like lightning. With another series of sharp snaps, he crushed both of Zhou Wu’s tibias!

Sprawled on the ground like a dead dog, Zhou Wu could no longer get up.

Lin Hao crouched down, reached out with one hand, and grabbed.

"CRACK!"

Lin Hao had crushed one of Zhou Wu’s ribs.

Lin Hao didn’t stop. He went for the second.

"AHHH!"

Zhou Wu’s miserable scream echoed through the clouds.

"I told you, however many of his bones you broke, I would break that many of yours. I’m a man of my word. Seven more to go," Lin Hao said, his face wreathed in a smile.

After speaking, he struck again.

"Feels good to bully people, doesn’t it? Let’s see how you like being bullied."

The smile on Lin Hao’s face didn’t fade as his hand moved once more.

In the blink of an eye, Lin Hao had crushed four of Zhou Wu’s ribs!

Seeing Lin Hao so casually crushing a man’s ribs while smiling and talking, the surrounding disciples couldn’t help but stumble backward.

When Zhou Wu had broken Xiaoliuzi’s bones, it had been over quickly. To be honest, Xiaoliuzi hadn’t suffered for long. But now, Lin Hao’s actions sent a chill down their spines.

His expression at that moment was like that of a demon who could kill without batting an eye.

In truth, Lin Hao was not a ruthless person. His actions were merely a message to everyone else: if you wanted to cause trouble for him, that was fine. Even if you broke his spine, he would have no complaints.

But if you dared to involve innocent people, what awaited you would be a torment worse than death.

After having four ribs crushed, Zhou Wu passed out from the pain.

But Lin Hao didn’t stop. His hands kept moving until he had crushed all nine ribs. Only then did he dust off his hands and stand up.

"I promised Xiaoliuzi I’d spare your life. Tomorrow, send someone to find me to get a pill. In one month, your injuries will be fully healed. When that time comes, right here on this God-Proving Stage, Xiaoliuzi will come to take your life."

After speaking, Lin Hao picked up Xiaoliuzi, pushed off lightly with his feet, and ascended along the iron chains, vanishing into the vast sea of clouds in an instant.

By the time Lin Hao reached the plaza on Heaven-Stepping Peak, Xiaoliuzi had finally come to his senses. Flustered, he said, "S-Senior Brother, this is Heaven-Stepping Peak. You should take me back to the inner sect."

Lin Hao’s dominant defense of him on the God-Proving Stage had felt like a dream. Now, waking from that dream, he was shocked and fearful to realize Lin Hao had brought him to Heaven-Stepping Peak.

Only the Sect Leader, the elders, and a select few were permitted on the halfway point of Heaven-Stepping Peak.

"This happened because of me, so I will see it through to the end," Lin Hao said simply.

Then, seeing a disciple walking their way, the corner of Lin Hao’s mouth lifted, and he casually ordered, "You, arrange a room for him to stay in."

When Xiaoliuzi saw the disciple, he nearly jumped out of his skin. Wasn’t that the Sect Leader’s adopted son, the sect’s only Alchemy Master, Wu Kui?

’Did Senior Brother subdue even him?’

But Xiaoliuzi quickly realized he was mistaken.

As it turned out, Wu Kui had been preoccupied with Lin Hao’s wild boast back at Pill Cloud Hall—that he would give Master Shan Dan three Nine-Nine Life-extending Pills today.

So, first thing in the morning, he had gone looking for Lin Hao.

But to his surprise, Lin Hao wasn’t in his room at all.

Wu Kui had assumed Lin Hao ran off after making an empty boast. Just as he was about to search for him, his master had found him and told him to go *invite* Lin Hao.

Invite?!

Wu Kui was already seething with anger, and now he heard someone daring to give him orders.

Looking up, Wu Kui stared for a long moment before recognizing that this insolent fellow was Lin Hao.

"Lin Hao, don’t be so presumptuous! This is Heaven-Stepping Peak, not some charity hall! And don’t you dare think you’re really the Eldest Senior Brother!"

"Whether I am or not depends on a single word from the Sect Leader. If you have a problem with it, go tell the Sect Leader. But until then, I am indeed your senior brother. Believe it or not, I can have you sent to the outer sect," Lin Hao replied calmly.

Wu Kui was taken aback. It wasn’t that he hadn’t subtly brought this up with Wu Taichu before, but he had never seen his master take such a firm stance.

Now, hearing Lin Hao’s words, he was truly uncertain.

"Fine, I won’t stoop to your level. Give him to me; you don’t need to worry about him anymore. My *Eldest Senior Brother*, you should be more worried about those pills," Wu Kui said, taking Xiaoliuzi from Lin Hao’s arms and turning to leave.

’I’ll endure it for now,’ he thought. ’When he fails to produce those pills, someone else will deal with him.’