Nine Heavens Martial Emperor

"This damn Ancient Road is a total setup. We couldn’t even bring our attendants. Between the two of you, the one with the weaker cultivation can go."

Lin Hao spoke, his words catching not only the two men, but also the three women, completely off guard.

Stunned, the two men gave Lin Hao their first real look.

And the more they looked, the brighter their eyes grew.

Lin Hao’s skin was flawless, like a newborn’s—not at all what you’d expect from a Martial Artist. He looked more like a pampered young master from a rich family.

"Brother Hao!"

"Brother-in-law!"

"Young Master..."

The next moment, the women’s different ways of addressing him only confirmed the men’s suspicions. This ignorant young master was treating the Ancient Road like a vacation spot.

’In their group, this pretty boy is nothing to worry about. As for the three women, besides that one tricky girl, the others are no problem. If I stay, I could kill three birds with one stone!’

The same thought occurred to both men at once, and a predatory gleam appeared in their eyes. The next moment, they blurted out in near-unison, "I’m the strongest!"

"Strong my ass! Have you forgotten? You lost to me in the last tournament!" one of them immediately shot back.

The other man, not to be outdone, retorted, "I only lost by a single move in that tournament! I learned from my defeat and trained harder. How could I possibly be weaker than you now!"

"Hmph! I wasn’t even going all out last time! Since we’re both from the Saint Institute, be smart about this and leave. Otherwise..."

"Otherwise what? Are you actually going to attack me?!"

"That’s right!"

"Bring it on! I’m not afraid of you!"

Before the words were even out of his mouth, one of the Martial Artists had already attacked.

In the next instant, the two were locked in combat.

"Brother Hao, what is this...?" Meng Ru sent a voice transmission to Lin Hao, wondering what he was planning.

From Meng Ru’s perspective, if Lin Hao wanted to kill them, it would be effortless. She didn’t understand why he was going to such lengths.

Lin Hao began to speak, sending a voice transmission to all three women. "You must remember, this is the Ancient Road. Mercy toward your enemies is cruelty to yourselves. You all saw the malice in their eyes just now, and the vicious look they had when they were about to leave proves they would never have let this matter rest."

Lin Hao’s tone was exceptionally grave, and the expressions on the three women’s faces changed as they listened.

Lin Hao saw their reactions. After a pause, his voice softened. "We’re about to catch up to the ones ahead. With your stunning looks, you’re bound to attract more trouble. It’s best to avoid fighting when possible. Conserving your strength is what’s most important."

The three women were intelligent and understood Lin Hao’s intentions. All of them nodded.

The next moment, all three women took out silk veils, intending to cover their faces.

But Lin Hao stopped them. "If you want to mature quickly, don’t wear veils."

Stunned, the three women nodded in unison.

’It wasn’t their fault they were born beautiful. If anyone dared to get any ideas, then...’

A ruthless glint surfaced in their eyes.

But just as Lin Hao finished speaking, the two men who had been locked in a fierce struggle suddenly lunged for him in unison, their speed astonishing.

They were fast, but their attacks held no killing intent.

Clearly, they intended to capture Lin Hao alive.

But for all their speed, they missed.

Lin Hao had dodged their joint attack by a hair’s breadth.

"What do you think you’re doing?" Although Lin Hao had already guessed their motive, he feigned confusion.

The two men across from him sneered in unison. "Get us to kill each other, then you step in to finish off the winner without breaking a sweat. A brilliant scheme, truly!"

A moment ago, their judgment had been clouded by lust, and they had fallen for Lin Hao’s trick. But Martial Artists who made it to the Ancient Road were no fools. And so, they decided to play along and turn the tables.

They had targeted Lin Hao because they believed he was the key. Capture him, they thought, and they could force the three women to submit.

But to their surprise, Lin Hao had escaped.

Before they had time to wonder how he’d done it, they saw the girl who’d told them to get lost step in front of Lin Hao.

"Brother Hao, let me take care of this," Meng Ru said, stepping forward to fight.

"And me," Lu Diewu added, stepping forward as well.

This was a good opportunity for them to hone their skills.

Lin Hao shrugged and stepped back.

Even if they hadn’t spoken up, Lin Hao had no intention of interfering this time.

"You bitches, you sure about this?" The women’s words reassured the two men, who concluded that Lin Hao’s earlier dodge had been a mere fluke.

’And once they captured these women, they’d be in for some fun.’

And so, the two men dropped all pretense. Their lecherous eyes roamed over the two women, even glancing over at Meng Qing, who stood at the side, several times.

Anger flared in Meng Ru’s eyes, and she attacked.

Lu Diewu did the same.

The four of them immediately clashed.

A moment later, Lin Hao spoke up from the side. "Meng Qing, go help Diewu."

"Alright," Meng Qing replied, joining the fray.

Meng Ru lived up to her reputation as a warrior. With her rich combat experience, she fought one of the men to a standstill.

As for Lu Diewu and Meng Qing, however, the situation looked grim.

Even though they were fighting him two-on-one, the man had turned his initial disadvantage into a clear upper hand.

Meng Qing had almost zero combat experience. While Lu Diewu was significantly better, it was clear that if they kept on like this, they would lose sooner or later.

Lin Hao watched on, but remained unmoved.

’The only way to improve is through constant battle.’ Lin Hao had no intention of helping.

Not only did Lin Hao refuse to help, he even sent a voice transmission to Meng Ru, telling her to keep her opponent occupied for as long as she could.

This was a perfect opportunity for them to practice. If Meng Ru’s opponent were defeated, the other man would be under immense psychological pressure, and his combat effectiveness would plummet. That wouldn’t provide the right kind of training for Lu Diewu and Meng Qing.

Seeing the peril Meng Qing and Lu Diewu were in, Meng Ru had been about to use one of the martial techniques Lin Hao had taught her to end the fight. But after hearing his voice transmission, she was forced to deliberately hold back.

This, in turn, put Meng Ru under immense pressure as well.

Meanwhile, Meng Qing and Lu Diewu were facing one close call after another.

As for Lin Hao, he went so far as to pull a magnificent rug out of his storage ring, spread it on the ground, and sit down. A moment later, he lay back, and before long, the sound of snoring could be heard.

"My two beauties, how about we stop this and... spar in a different way?" Seeing this, the Martial Artist fighting Meng Qing and Lu Diewu said with a lecherous smirk.

Killing intent flared in the two women’s eyes, and their attacks grew even fiercer.

They were intelligent women. Understanding Lin Hao’s intentions, their focus sharpened instantly as they continued to fight the Martial Artist.

A moment later, the Martial Artist’s expression changed. He was starting to feel the pressure and was forced to fight more cautiously.

Meng Qing and Diewu were overjoyed. They had taken the first crucial step.

As time passed, the two women grew more and more adept at using their martial skills. The boost to their confidence, in particular, was an invaluable form of growth.

And a smile touched the face of the supposedly snoring Lin Hao.