Nine Heavens Martial Emperor

Xin Li reappeared atop the massive boulder, and he wasn’t alone.

Six Martial Artists appeared in total, all of them teenagers around seventeen or eighteen. Each one’s eyes were sharp and piercing.

It was clear now: Xin Li had only left earlier because he wasn’t completely confident he could win.

Upon seeing the six men, Zuo Ming and Zuo Yi instantly tensed and gripped their swords.

These six were the very ones who had just been on a killing spree in the canyon. None of them were weak.

By a conservative estimate, even the weakest among them was at the Fifth Layer of Soul Gathering Realm.

Zuo Ming and Zuo Yi braced themselves as if facing a great enemy. However, none of the newcomers paid them any mind. All eyes were on Lin Hao.

"Lin Hao, Holy Stele disciple of the Yujin Saint Institute, your name is famous throughout the Cangnan Empire. It’s a shame you’re going to die here today," Xin Li spoke, a cruel smile spreading across his face.

Lin Hao raised an eyebrow, but his expression quickly returned to normal.

’These six definitely aren’t from a single faction. They must be an alliance of disciples from the Saint Institutes of several nations.’

’This is an incredibly powerful group. I doubt many would dare to provoke them.’

’No wonder they dared to act so brazenly.’

Lin Hao wasn’t surprised they knew his name, either.

Far too many people wanted him dead. Someone had probably already spread the news along the Ancient Road.

"Did you all have a hand in this?" Lin Hao countered instead of answering, his expression ice-cold.

They were too cruel. An unprecedented killing intent surged within Lin Hao.

"That’s right. We all had a hand in it. The Ancient Road is no place for the likes of them," Xin Li readily admitted. A corner of his mouth lifted in a sneer. "What? You want to avenge them?"

Lin Hao didn’t say a word. There was nothing more to say.

The next moment, Lin Hao moved.

With his Evil-Slaying Sword in hand, Lin Hao took the offensive.

With a single move, Sword Qi raged through the canyon. Lin Hao’s one strike enveloped all six of them.

"Arrogant!" an angry roar echoed.

To think Lin Hao would actually try to take on all six of them at once! He clearly had no respect for them.

All six men on the boulder sprang into action. Instead of retreating, they each launched their own attacks, all directed at Lin Hao.

As all six moved in unison, violent winds erupted, and a terrifying pressure filled the air.

Although Zuo Ming, Zuo Yi, and the three women had retreated immediately, they were still caught in the oppressive aura, unable to move a muscle.

The next moment, a tremendous roar echoed through the canyon.

The massive boulder where the six had stood moments before exploded, and the earth itself began to shake violently. Boulders tumbled down the canyon walls with a deafening roar, as if a magnitude-ten earthquake had struck. It was a vision of the apocalypse.

The powerful shockwave of energy sent the three women and the Zuo brothers flying.

However, they were all of extraordinary backgrounds. They used the force of the blast to their advantage, escaping far from the canyon.

Back in the canyon, not only had the massive boulder vanished, but a huge, deep crater had appeared in its place—the result of the six men’s simultaneous attack.

"So this is the so-called Holy Stele disciple from Yujin Saint Institute. Nothing special after all." Unable to see any sign of Lin Hao, even after extending their Spiritual Sense, one of the men spoke.

SPLAT!

However, the words had barely left his mouth when his entire body exploded.

A glint of cold light flashed and vanished.

This sudden turn of events stunned the remaining five.

Lin Hao’s speed was simply too great, and his timing was perfect. He had struck the exact moment the man spoke, the very instant his guard was down.

And Lin Hao had seized that fleeting opportunity.

Even more terrifying, after landing the successful strike, Lin Hao seemed to have vanished into thin air once more. Their Spiritual Sense couldn’t detect his presence at all.

"Everyone, be careful! Lin Hao has a Secret Skill!" Xin Li’s grip on his blade tightened as he warned the others.

The others didn’t dare to be careless, pushing their Spiritual Sense to its absolute limit.

Yet, they found nothing.

"Hahaha! You wanted to be the Hunters, but now you’re the prey! What a satisfying turn of events!" Outside the canyon, Zuo Ming suddenly shouted, bursting into laughter.

Far more people than just these six had entered the canyon. If this dragged on, it would become increasingly disadvantageous for Lin Hao’s side. Zuo Ming had to find a way to force the fight and create another opening for him.

The faces of the five men in the canyon were grim.

They had never imagined that a six-on-one fight against Lin Hao would devolve into this after a single exchange.

"Brother Huang, we’ll cover you. Go outside the canyon and take their lives," Xin Li suddenly said to one of the men.

But the man refused to move. He scanned his surroundings warily and replied, "You’re the strongest one here. You should be the one to go."

"If I go, can the rest of you handle Lin Hao?" Xin Li sneered.

"Lin Hao is too uncanny! We were set up by whoever sent us after him. No wonder they didn’t make a move themselves," the man said resentfully.

As he finished speaking, he suddenly realized his mistake—his concentration had wavered for a split second, causing a brief fluctuation in his energy.

His face fell. He tried to recover, but it was too late. Lin Hao had once again exploited the opening.

A sword light flashed, and the man felt a sudden chill.

He shuddered violently, then a look of joyous relief at having survived spread across his face. But in the next instant, his body suddenly slumped downwards. A horrific scream tore from his throat.

His legs had been severed from his body.

Lin Hao’s movements were too fast—so fast that the man didn’t even feel the blow before it was too late.

Amidst the man’s screams, Xin Li finally moved.

He slashed his long blade in a single direction.

A terrifying arc of light from his blade shot through the air, carving a long trench into the canyon floor. It even sliced a part of the canyon wall clean open.

This was the combat prowess of a Soul Gathering Realm Martial Artist—truly terrifying.

He wasn’t the only one; the other three moved at almost the same instant.

A hand formed of True Essence struck out, leaving a massive crater in the ground.

A giant hammer flew through the air, smashing into another spot. The canyon wall rumbled as boulders tumbled down with a deafening roar.

The last attacker’s giant fist was equally astonishing. With a single punch, he blew away half of a distant mountain face. The rock simply disintegrated into dust before his fist!

"You used me as bait!" The man with the severed legs wasn’t a fool; he immediately understood why Xin Li had spoken. He was consumed by hatred.

However, he couldn’t utter another word. Xin Li suddenly struck out, smashing him into a bloody pulp.

In the blink of an eye, two of the six were dead. The expressions of the remaining four were incredibly grim. Without a word, they formed a back-to-back circle.

Lin Hao was too uncanny. Even now, they still couldn’t pinpoint his location.

Just then, Xin Li spoke again. "Lin Hao, I didn’t realize you were from the Netherworld Hall. This has all been a misunderstanding. You’ve killed two of our men, how about we call it even and let this matter drop?"

This time, his voice was completely devoid of its earlier arrogance.

Lin Hao’s elusive, ghost-like techniques were too similar to those of the legendary assassins from Netherworld Hall. And he did not dare to offend Netherworld Hall.

There was no response.

Instead, a soft chuckle came from outside the canyon. It was Zuo Yi. "Heh."

The sound was incredibly grating, and Xin Li’s expression turned utterly foul.