Nine Heavens Martial Emperor

At the entrance to the Starry Sky Ancient Road, Lin Hao tore a vicious bird apart with his bare hands, making many people remember him.

Although no one recognized Lin Hao, his ability to dispatch a vicious bird so quickly was enough to make the more discerning individuals take notice.

Lin Hao couldn’t care less what others thought. After dealing with the vicious bird, he turned back to the three women and said, "Meng Qing, Diewu, you two walk in the middle. Meng Ru, you cover our rear. Be careful."

The three women behind him nodded.

In truth, they didn’t need Lin Hao’s reminder; they were already well aware of the dangers of the Starry Sky Ancient Road.

A single glance revealed the bones of fallen Martial Artists. Many had been disemboweled, their deaths horrific. The thick stench of blood permeated the air.

All signs pointed to one conclusion: the Starry Sky Ancient Road was an exceptionally brutal path.

Only after dealing with the vicious bird did Lin Hao have a moment to survey his surroundings.

A hazy mist filled the air, reducing visibility to just over a hundred meters. Still, the faint outlines of towering mountains were visible. The roars of beasts echoed endlessly from the distance, interspersed with the occasional, terrifying screams of Martial Artists.

Suddenly, Lin Hao felt a tight grip on his shoulder. It was Lu Diewu; unable to stand the eerie atmosphere, she had grabbed him.

"Hey, let go of him! The Starry Sky Ancient Road is incredibly dangerous. Don’t you dare drag Brother Hao down." Meng Ru’s face was pale, but she puffed up her cheeks angrily. Her own sister hadn’t even gotten that close to Lin Hao, and she didn’t like that Lu Diewu had made the first move.

"Walk behind me," Lin Hao said, steeling his heart and removing Lu Diewu’s hand.

The Starry Sky Ancient Road was far too dangerous; he couldn’t have them becoming overly reliant on him.

Lu Diewu trembled but didn’t dare to step forward again.

"Hey, little lady. If he doesn’t want you, why don’t you come with me?" At that moment, a sleazy voice called out from the side.

The next moment, three men stepped out from the side.

Lin Hao gave them a cold glance and ignored them.

"Hey, kid. Tearing that vicious bird apart was pretty impressive. But if you know what’s good for you, you’ll leave these three little beauties and scram." The man in the lead had shifty, ape-like features, and his small eyes held a lecherous gleam. As he spoke, his gaze raked over the three women.

"Hahaha..."

The two men behind him roared with laughter, their faces flushing. Their expressions were just as vile as their leader’s, as if the three women were already fish in a barrel.

"You’re courting death!" This time, before Lin Hao could even move, Meng Ru had already shouted and sprung into action.

Meng Ru was Su Molixi’s Closed-door Disciple and had inherited her master’s true teachings. Now at the Fourth Layer of the Soul Gathering Realm, her strike was naturally as swift as lightning.

However, as fast as she was, her opponent was no slower. The leader of the trio instantly made his move.

The next moment, Meng Ru shot backward, her pretty face filled with a frosty killing intent.

Across from her, the leader returned to his spot, raised a hand to his nose, and took a deep, intoxicated sniff. "So fragrant."

"Boss, did you get her?" his two cronies asked as they sidled up, their faces alight with excitement.

At this, Meng Ru’s killing intent flared, and she prepared to strike again. However, Lin Hao stopped her.

The exchange had been lightning-fast, but nothing had escaped Lin Hao’s eyes.

The man’s attack had been obscene, aimed at a private part of Meng Ru’s body. Thankfully, her swift reaction had kept him from gaining any real advantage.

Lin Hao hadn’t expected his opponent to be so utterly shameless and vile.

Killing intent flared within Lin Hao.

The man opposite him was clearly a skilled cultivator. The moment Lin Hao reached out to stop Meng Ru, the man held out his hands to stop his two companions, his gaze locking onto Lin Hao.

But in the next instant, his expression changed dramatically, and he shot sideways.

In the same instant he dodged, Lin Hao returned to his original position. The two men who had been standing behind the leader were now dead, their bodies left in pieces.

The leader retreated explosively, his speed so fast that he vanished in an instant, leaving only his words hanging in the air: "Kid, you dare lay a hand on someone from the Celestial Star Saint Institute? Just you wait!"

’He had seen Lin Hao attack. Originally, he thought Lin Hao’s cultivation was on par with his, and with his other two men, taking down Lin Hao’s group would be no problem at all. But he had misjudged Lin Hao’s strength. The moment Lin Hao attacked, he knew he was no match. Lin Hao’s Body Technique was simply too fast.’

Thus, he made the split-second decision to flee.

"Damn it! I’m going to kill him!" Meng Ru stomped her foot, staring in the direction he had fled, her pretty face filled with murderous rage.

Lin Hao stared in that direction for a second without a word.

’That man was fast, but if I gave chase, he’d never escape. Still, the three women would be exposed to danger.’ Lin Hao wasn’t willing to take that risk.

Besides, the man’s parting words were a clear promise that he would be back for revenge.

Therefore, there was no need for Lin Hao to chase him down now.

"Stay with me," Lin Hao said, walking toward the men he had just killed.

They had only just entered the Starry Sky Ancient Road, and already they had been attacked by a vicious beast and targeted by other participants. The three women, now fully aware of the peril, hurried to stay close to Lin Hao.

Lin Hao took the two dead men’s Tokens and, after stowing them, headed in the direction the leader had fled.

In the time that followed, Lin Hao and the three women were once again confronted by the cruelty of the Starry Sky Ancient Road.

They couldn’t walk far without seeing corpses or severed limbs, from both Martial Artists and Devil Beasts.

However, for some unknown reason, their journey was surprisingly calm. They hadn’t encountered any danger at all.

If it weren’t for the distant roars of beasts and the occasional dismembered corpse, they might have mistaken this place for a simple, vast mountain range.

But at that moment, Lin Hao, who was leading the way, came to a sudden halt.

A hundred meters ahead of him, a Martial Artist covered in blood burst out from the hazy mist.

When the Martial Artist saw Lin Hao, his face lit up with joy. He was about to speak, but in the next instant, a massive claw pierced through his body.

ROAR!

A beast’s roar thundered, blasting away the surrounding mist.

Then, a Devil Beast descended from the sky. One of its claws shot out like lightning, cracking open the corpse’s skull. It then scooped out the brain and shoved it into its mouth.

It was an ape, only two or three meters tall, but it had a pair of wings.

The winged ape slurped at the brain matter, making wet, squishing sounds. All the while, it stared at Lin Hao, its eyes glowing.

It had clearly marked Lin Hao as its next prey—a case of eating one meal while eyeing the next.

Facing this bloodthirsty Devil Beast, Lin Hao’s expression grew exceptionally grave.

Seeing it, Lin Hao finally understood why their path had been so quiet.

All the Devil Beasts must have been chasing the first wave of Martial Artists who entered the Ancient Road. The man who had just died had obviously been fleeing back from the front lines.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Lin Hao chose to act.

With a flick of his hand, a sheet of yellow paper materialized in the air before him.

The Starry Sky Ancient Road was fraught with peril. Lin Hao decided to use his Beast Pattern Skill for Refining.

As Lin Hao’s fingers traced a pattern on the yellow paper, the winged ape let out a sudden shriek and tried to flee.

It was fast, but Lin Hao was faster.

Just as it shot toward the sky, Lin Hao’s Beast Pattern Skill was complete. With a flick of his wrist, the yellow paper shot through the air.

The next moment, the winged ape in midair vanished, and a single soybean appeared in Lin Hao’s hand.