Nine Heavens Martial Emperor

The change in Marquis Mo’s expression wasn’t because Lin Hao’s actions had made him lose face.

Above the gorge ahead, fiery clouds billowed, engulfing everything. The Fire Serpent’s eight claws tore through the void, yet it remained completely unscathed.

No, Marquis Mo’s expression had changed because he was worried.

Setting aside whether Lin Hao possessed some great treasure, the mere fact that he could move freely amidst the Fire Serpent’s scorching flames already made him far stronger than anyone else.

If Lin Hao were to fall, who on this Ancient Road could possibly be a match for that Fire Serpent?

He would certainly feel vindicated if Lin Hao was defeated, but the consequences would be dire. He wouldn’t survive either.

But at the same time, Marquis Mo didn’t want Lin Hao to win. He hated Lin Hao to his very bones; how could he possibly wish for his victory?

This left Marquis Mo conflicted.

However, after a moment, a smile crept back onto Marquis Mo’s face.

He decided he wanted Lin Hao to win after all.

The Fire Serpent was simply too powerful. Even if Lin Hao won, he would be at the end of his rope.

Then, he could take care of Lin Hao with absolute ease.

As for what others might think, Marquis Mo couldn’t care less.

With this thought in mind, Marquis Mo saw that Lin Hao was making no progress and couldn’t help but shout, "Lin Hao, can you hurry up and finish off that vile creature!"

The moment he spoke, the situation took an unexpected turn.

The Fire Serpent, which had been dueling Lin Hao, forced him back. Then, one of its claws transformed into a giant, crimson blade and slashed toward Marquis Mo.

The giant blade sliced through the air with incredible power, as if it could cleave heaven and earth asunder.

Marquis Mo’s face paled, and he turned to flee.

Even with his cultivation at the Sixth Layer of the Soul Gathering Realm, he knew he couldn’t take this blow.

He escaped, but the few Martial Artists who had been standing beside him weren’t so fortunate.

Their reactions were just half a beat too slow. By the time they tried to flee, they made a tragic discovery: there was no escape.

The giant blade arcing through the air pulsed with a monstrous killing intent and pressure that locked them in place. They couldn’t even activate their bloodline Divine Souls.

BOOM!

Before the giant blade even reached them, the Martial Artists burst apart.

As the giant blade fell, the hard Celestial Meteorite was sliced down the middle as if it were tofu.

A hundred-meter-long chasm appeared.

The strike was absolutely stunning!

Marquis Mo stopped in the distance, his face a mask of shock.

Clearly, the ancient beast could understand human speech.

’While fighting Lin Hao, it still has the spare energy to attack me. This Fire Serpent is terrifying. Still, this must be the first time Lin Hao has been so thoroughly disrespected.’ Muttering to himself, a smirk appeared on Marquis Mo’s face.

In a way, the Fire Serpent had vented his frustrations for him.

Marquis Mo had guessed correctly. When the Fire Serpent transformed a claw into a giant blade, Lin Hao’s expression was indeed ugly.

"Vile beast, you dare look down on me!" Lin Hao’s voice echoed beside the Fire Serpent’s enormous body.

The only response he received was a blast of scorching flame.

These flames would have been fatal to anyone else, but Lin Hao was completely unaffected.

Compared to his Flowing Light Divine Flame, these flames were rather lacking.

"Little bug, a fire like this can’t hurt me," Lin Hao said, seemingly unfazed.

The Fire Serpent was enraged. It was the proud descendant of a ferocious ancient beast, a being that could dominate the entire Ancient Road. For this human to call it a "little bug" was the ultimate insult!

All eight claws struck at once. The Fire Serpent’s attacks became even more swift and fierce.

It was not only enraged but also growing impatient.

This human had provoked its authority time and time again. To have spent this long without capturing him was a disgrace!

The beast felt this way, and so, in fact, did Lin Hao.

Although he had tried to size up the Fire Serpent beforehand, it was only now, facing it, that Lin Hao realized he had greatly underestimated his opponent.

Even channeling his full power into the Evil-Slaying Sword, he couldn’t break through its defenses. It was astonishing.

However, Lin Hao had figured it out. The Fire Serpent had mastered a Secret Skill. Empowered by this Secret Skill, its eight claws were even more formidable than some Spiritual Artifacts.

Furthermore, based on its previous attack, Lin Hao had already identified its weakness.

As formidable as this Fire Serpent was, it was clearly afraid of close-quarters combat. Lin Hao had noticed that all of his attacks had been blocked by its eight claws, keeping him at a distance.

This time, the enraged Fire Serpent abruptly retracted the claw that had just attacked Marquis Mo. At the same time, two of its other claws stretched out, seeking to confine Lin Hao’s movements.

As a descendant of an ancient beast, having awakened its bloodline and obtained its Original Secret Skill, the Fire Serpent was highly intelligent. It had long since recognized Lin Hao’s advantage in speed and now sought to confine him to a limited space.

Two claws restricted his space, while the retracted one transformed into a peerless, deadly weapon and slashed toward Lin Hao.

Lin Hao’s next move took the Fire Serpent completely by surprise.

Instead of retreating, Lin Hao advanced, suddenly charging straight for its face! The sword in his hand had vanished.

’This human intends to fight me bare-handed! How despicable!’

Even knowing its flames were useless against him, the Fire Serpent spat a gout of furious fire.

But it did far more than that.

The two claws restricting Lin Hao’s range continued to tighten. The deadly weapon striking at him from behind lost none of its momentum, and it even brought a fourth claw into play.

This claw transformed into a long spear, thrusting straight at Lin Hao’s face.

The four claws coordinated with perfect tacit understanding, their speed astonishingly fast.

But Lin Hao’s next move drove the Fire Serpent into a frenzy.

In the middle of his charge, Lin Hao’s body suddenly dropped.

The forward charge and downward drop were executed so quickly there wasn’t the slightest hint of a pause!

It completely defied common sense.

The next moment, the claw-weapon and claw-spear scraped over Lin Hao’s scalp and smashed into each other right above his head.

If he had been a second slower, Lin Hao’s head would have likely been pulverized.

But there are no "ifs" in battle. Lin Hao had narrowly dodged the Fire Serpent’s killing blow.

But it wasn’t over.

As the Fire Serpent’s two claws crossed above his head, Lin Hao made his move.

His hand became a blade, slashing toward the sky!

Lin Hao’s entire right hand was wreathed in Chaos True Essence.

Lin Hao’s hand sliced through, meeting no resistance whatsoever.

And above his head, the Fire Serpent’s two intersecting claws had vanished.

With that single slash, the Fire Serpent was wounded!

The Fire Serpent’s eight claws were like a human’s ten fingers—the pain was connected directly to its core. A pained howl erupted from its cavernous, blood-red maw.

The roar shook the Ancient Road.

But Lin Hao had already sealed his Sixth Sense and was completely unaffected.

And as the Fire Serpent reeled in pain, its defense faltered.

A smile touched Lin Hao’s lips.

When Lin Hao had used the Evil-Slaying Sword earlier, he never intended to harm the Fire Serpent. It was merely a feint to lull the beast into a false sense of security. He hadn’t even used his Chaos True Essence.

Since even a weapon couldn’t harm it, the Fire Serpent naturally paid no mind to Lin Hao’s hand-blade.

But now, infused with Chaos True Essence, Lin Hao’s hand-blade was far more terrifying than the Evil-Slaying Sword he had wielded moments before.

With the Fire Serpent’s defenses now faltering, Lin Hao would certainly not let this opportunity go to waste.

Both his hands moved at once, slashing toward the Fire Serpent’s defensive claws.

The Fire Serpent knew the danger and recoiled instinctively.

But as it turned out, Lin Hao’s target was never its claws...