Nine Heavens Martial Emperor

Frankly, if Wu Kui hadn’t reminded him, Lin Hao would have completely forgotten about the matter.

"It’s just the Nine-Nine Life-extending Pill. Is it worth worrying about?" Lin Hao muttered to himself, then shook his head.

If other people, especially Shan Dan, knew what Lin Hao was thinking, they would surely have the urge to strangle him.

The Nine-Nine Life-extending Pill... Lin Hao didn’t take it seriously at all.

However, now that Wu Kui had brought it up, Lin Hao was reminded of something else.

He had sent Shan Dan to escort Elder Gu back to the Heaven-Stepping Sect for a reason.

Elder Gu had recklessly activated his Bloodline Power. If he wasn’t treated in time, even Lin Hao would be powerless to save him.

For Elder Gu’s sake, Lin Hao decided to refine the Life Reviving Pill.

The Pill Furnaces at Pill Cloud Hall were simply too inferior. From the way Wu Taichu spoke, it seemed the sect really did have a Li Fire Divine Furnace, so Lin Hao decided to find him first.

When he arrived at Wu Taichu’s residence, a disciple told Lin Hao that the Sect Leader had already gone to Pill Cloud Hall.

Lin Hao nodded and then walked unhurriedly toward Pill Cloud Hall.

Meanwhile, inside Pill Cloud Hall, Wu Taichu was already as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.

He had already checked around but found nothing unusual, which was why he had rushed over here.

What day was it today? Lin Hao could forget, but he absolutely could not.

If he couldn’t hand over the Nine-Nine Life-extending Pill, it would be tantamount to offending the Danling Sect.

For the current Heaven-Stepping Sect, this would be absolutely fatal.

Therefore, while he went to retrieve the Li Fire Divine Furnace, he had hastily ordered Wu Kui to fetch Lin Hao.

At this moment, standing at the entrance of Pill Cloud Hall, Wu Taichu was craning his neck in anticipation, a layer of fine sweat beading on his forehead from anxiety.

A moment later, Wu Taichu’s eyes lit up, but then he frowned.

"Kui’Er, why is it just you? Where is your Senior... Senior Brother?" Seeing Wu Kui dashing over alone, Wu Taichu started to worry.

After getting Xiaoliuzi settled, Wu Kui had rushed to Pill Cloud Hall without stopping, only to be met with this question.

"Master, he’s not here yet? I just reminded him!" Wu Kui’s eyes went wide. ’This Lin Hao is too audacious!’

’Or perhaps...’

Wu Kui’s eyes darted around, and he said softly, "Master, from the looks of it, that guy has probably skipped town. Should I..."

Before he could finish, Wu Taichu exploded in fury. "Insolence! Your impudence is getting worse! I don’t want there to be a next time!"

Wu Taichu was usually strict with him, but never like this. Wu Kui flinched, shrinking back as he cursed endlessly in his heart.

The two of them waited for another half an hour before Lin Hao finally sauntered into view.

The moment he appeared, Wu Taichu was on the verge of tears.

Tears of joy.

"Lin Hao, you must have stepped on every ant on the way here!" Wu Kui said with extreme sarcasm.

Wu Taichu’s eyes were red with anxiety. "You little brat, this is no place for you to speak! One more disrespectful word and I’ll strike you dead!"

’This is my own Grandmaster! Wu Kui is antagonizing him at every turn. If he truly angers Lin Hao, even I, the Sect Leader, won’t be able to save this little whelp.’

But Lin Hao just smiled, unconcerned. "It’s fine. Ignorance is no crime."

Back in War Dragon City, at the Lin family estate, Yi Mingcheng had upheld justice over family ties for his sake, killing his own adopted son. That guy had deserved to die. Although this Wu Kui also opposed him, he wasn’t a bad person at heart—just a little resentful.

Wu Kui should consider himself lucky. If not for the good first impression Lin Hao had of him due to his frankness during their first meeting, he would have suffered greatly over the past few days, even if he didn’t die.

Hearing him say this, Wu Taichu relaxed and shot Wu Kui a fierce glare before inviting Lin Hao inside.

As soon as Lin Hao entered, he saw a crimson Pill Furnace engraved with birds and beasts, exuding a grand, ancient aura.

This was none other than the Li Fire Divine Furnace, one of the ten famous furnaces on the Register of Renowned Furnaces.

"A fine furnace!" Lin Hao’s eyes lit up as he exclaimed in admiration.

The Pill Furnace that Wenren Yuxin had left for him at the Treasure Hunting Pavilion in War Dragon City was good, but it couldn’t compare to this one. They were on completely different levels.

Even Wu Kui was seeing this Pill Furnace for the first time, and a strange light flickered in his eyes.

Then, he shot a glance at Lin Hao.

’With such a good Pill Furnace, let’s see how you’ll explain yourself if you still can’t refine the Nine-Nine Life-extending Pill.’

However, even with the furnace here, Lin Hao showed no sign of starting Alchemy. He just circled the Pill Furnace, tapping it here and knocking it there. In Wu Kui’s eyes, he looked just like a country bumpkin.

If Wu Taichu hadn’t been standing right there, he would have definitely thrown a few sarcastic remarks at Lin Hao.

But soon, his chance came.

Just then, an elder rushed over and whispered a few words in Wu Taichu’s ear.

Then, Wu Taichu was seen bidding farewell to Lin Hao and leaving Pill Cloud Hall with the elder.

"Alright, alright, Master’s gone. You can stop pretending now. We should think about how to solve the current crisis."

Wu Kui had originally planned to mock Lin Hao, but when he remembered that Master Shan Dan would be here this afternoon to collect the pill, his reason won out over his emotions.

Lin Hao was taken aback.

"You don’t know the first thing about Alchemy, don’t think I can’t tell. In a moment, just do as I say. I’ll refine a batch of Great Returning Pills. Although they don’t have the miraculous effects of the Nine-Nine Life-extending Pill, at least we’ll have something to show for it."

As Wu Kui spoke, he moved to get the Spirit Grass.

Lin Hao rubbed his nose and said nothing.

’Since Wu Kui wants to do some Alchemy, I’ll let him. It’s a good chance to see what he’s capable of.’

When it was time for Alchemy, Wu Kui put on the airs of a grandmaster, ordering Lin Hao around without batting an eye.

Lin Hao just smiled and played along cooperatively.

Whatever Wu Kui told him to do, he did.

Perhaps because he saw how obedient Lin Hao was, Wu Kui began the Alchemy process, not forgetting to "instruct" Lin Hao along the way.

"See this? At this point, you have to add thirty percent more of this Spirit Grass. If you follow the amount on the recipe, the medicinal effect will be greatly reduced."

"And here, the hand seal should be like this..."

The Li Fire Divine Furnace truly lived up to its name. A pill that he had previously struggled to refine was now coming together with ease.

Seeing Lin Hao nodding repeatedly, a relaxed Wu Kui’s eyes darted around as a mischievous idea popped into his head.

"Senior Brother, seeing as you’re so interested in Alchemy, how about I teach you?" Wu Kui said with a brilliant smile.

The corner of Lin Hao’s mouth lifted. "Sure," he replied.

At that, Wu Kui became as excited as if he’d been injected with chicken blood. "This batch of pills will be a success, no problem. Let’s switch to another Pill Furnace, and I’ll start by teaching you the fire control hand seals."

Lin Hao glanced at Wu Kui, a strange look in his eyes.

Wu Kui immediately mistook this look for admiration and became even more enthusiastic. "The Alchemy Dao and the Martial Dao are different paths to the same destination; they both require strict control over everything. Of course, all this is too profound for a novice like you. I’ll start by teaching you the most basic fire control hand seals."

The corner of Lin Hao’s mouth twitched several times.

"Rise!"

Wu Kui was completely in his element. He formed a seal with his hands, and with a SWOOSH, a Fire Crystal Stone flew out from beneath the Pill Furnace.

Lin Hao’s face flushed red. In his eyes, Wu Kui’s movements looked like a street performer’s juggling act—completely amateurish.

However, seeing Wu Kui’s performance, Lin Hao didn’t want to spoil his fun and had to suppress his laughter.

Seeing this, Wu Kui grew even more excited. His hand seals changed, and another Fire Crystal Stone flew out from beneath the furnace.

Controlling the Fire Crystal Stones with hand seals wasn’t as simple as just controlling the fire under the furnace; it was very tiring. For Wu Kui, controlling two was already his limit.

He continuously formed seals, making the two Fire Crystal Stones tumble in mid-air. Before long, he had finished performing a set of basic hand seals.

Then, the two Fire Crystal Stones actually shot straight toward Lin Hao’s face.

Lin Hao’s expression didn’t change, allowing the two Fire Crystal Stones to graze past his face.

’Whoa, this guy is way too calm. I refuse to believe I can’t scare you!’ With a thought, Wu Kui formed another seal, and the two Fire Crystal Stones began to rapidly circle Lin Hao’s head.

Lin Hao raised an eyebrow.

Wu Kui playing with hand seals in front of him was like a novice showing off before a master. Besides, he could tell that Wu Kui was already a spent force.

’It’s fine because it’s me, but if this were anyone else and Wu Kui lost control, wouldn’t they get hurt?’

A flicker of anger ignited in Lin Hao’s heart.

Just then, Wu Kui’s voice rang out, "Senior Brother, you give it a try."

Lin Hao didn’t answer, merely lifting a hand.

He formed a seal, and the two Fire Crystal Stones left him, tumbling in mid-air with movements identical to Wu Kui’s.

Wu Kui’s eyes abruptly widened.

’He learned that fast?’

Then, he wanted to slap himself. Lin Hao’s comprehension ability had been witnessed on the God-Proving Platform. ’Wasn’t I just asking for humiliation?’

However, Lin Hao’s next move gave Wu Kui a huge shock.

He watched as Lin Hao controlled the two Fire Crystal Stones and sent them flying toward his face.

’This Lin Hao is a novice! One slip-up in control and my face will be ruined!’

Wu Kui was terrified. He formed a seal, trying to seize control of the Fire Crystal Stones.

He managed to gain control of those two. Just as Wu Kui was about to breathe a sigh of relief, he saw Lin Hao form another, deceptively simple-looking hand seal.

The next moment, Wu Kui’s eyes widened dramatically.

From beneath the Pill Furnace, hundreds of Fire Crystal Stones rose into the air and then surged toward him like a tidal wave.

"Holy crap!"

Wu Kui shrieked in terror, turned, and fled. But the hundreds of Fire Crystal Stones seemed to have grown eyes, pursuing him relentlessly.

The scorching heat made Wu Kui dare not slow down in the slightest; he ran faster than a rabbit.

But out of the corner of his eye, Wu Kui saw that Lin Hao wasn’t even forming hand seals, just leisurely snapping his fingers.

"Lin Hao, what kind of Demon Technique are you using?!"

Controlling hundreds of Fire Crystal Stones with just a snap of his fingers, without any hand seals—this was simply unheard of. Other than a Demon Technique, Wu Kui couldn’t think of any other explanation.

"So disrespectful," Lin Hao muttered, and his finger-snapping grew more rapid.

BOOM!

A Fire Crystal Stone suddenly accelerated, and Wu Kui’s butt instantly caught fire.

"Ah, Lin... Senior Brother, Senior Brother, spare me!"

Only now did Wu Kui realize how far superior Lin Hao’s methods were. If he didn’t yield quickly, he was in for a lot more suffering.

"It’s no use begging me. Weren’t you the one teaching me hand seals? I have no idea what’s going on either," Lin Hao said with a wicked smile.

’Wu Kui has opposed me at every turn. He may not deserve death, but he can’t escape punishment. It’s time to teach him a lesson.’

"Senior Brother, I was wrong! I was really wrong!" The Fire Crystal Stones were chasing him too fast. Wu Kui was exhausted from running for his life, his feet felt as if they were filled with lead, and he could barely run anymore.

"You shouldn’t have a heart bent on harming others. I’ll spare you this time!" Lin Hao didn’t want to push him too hard. After he spoke, without any visible action from him, the hundreds of Fire Crystal Stones returned to their original places.

Phew!

The crisis was averted. Wu Kui collapsed onto the ground, ass-first, panting heavily with no regard for his image.

"Get up. The Nine-Nine Life-extending Pill is about to come out of the furnace," Lin Hao said lazily, seeing that Wu Kui had rested enough.

Wu Kui leaped to his feet. He hadn’t even seen Lin Hao perform any Alchemy. Where did the Nine-Nine Life-extending Pill come from?

’Could it be that Lin Hao really does know some kind of Demon Technique?’