Nine Heavens Martial Emperor

This was a tremendous trial for Lin Hao.

If his Divine Soul and Primordial Body were to explode, the Dao Sound would be unstoppable.

Moreover, the Divine Soul and Primordial Body were like another Lin Hao. If they both exploded, his own body would be unable to withstand the impact.

With that thought, Lin Hao acted decisively.

He consciously shouldered a portion of the pressure for his Divine Soul and Primordial Body. The strain once borne by two was now shared among three.

PAIN!

AGONY!

Lin Hao was immediately assaulted by an intense, agonizing pain.

The Dao Sound was indestructible and all-pervasive. Its sonic vibrations attacked his tendons, bones, skin, membranes, and blood, like a thousand dull blades slowly sawing through him.

The pain was indescribable, making Lin Hao feel as if he were suffering a fate worse than death.

And yet, he did not forget to continue memorizing the Dao Sound.

To be able to do so under such agonizing pain, his willpower was simply unimaginable.

Worse still, the Dao Sound showed signs of becoming even more terrifying.

Lin Hao’s body was slowly cracking, showing signs that it could no longer hold up.

His body was failing, but his mind and spirit were in perfect harmony, driven by a near-maniacal obsession.

Below, the other elders also noticed something was wrong.

"The great cocoon is cracking! That’s a sign it’s about to shatter. What are we going to do?!" Liu Bo was frantic with worry.

"Lin Hao, you have to hold on!" another elder couldn’t help but cheer him on, even though he knew Lin Hao couldn’t hear him.

"The Dao Sound has a time limit. As long as he can endure, it’s a victory. The time it takes to drink a cup of tea has already passed. It’ll be over soon, it’ll be over soon!" another elder spoke up, though it was unclear if he was comforting the others or himself.

"That’s right! Why didn’t I think of that? I remember when I entered the Spirit Transformation Realm, the Dao Sound lasted for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea and then dissipated," an elder’s eyes lit up.

"Mine was about the same. The Head Elder faced a longer Dao Sound, but according to historical records, the Dao Sound will never last longer than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Victory is at hand!"

Hearing this, the elders’ spirits lifted.

Even Guan Zhengyang’s expression eased.

He was the head of the Elder Hall. He was older than the other elders and knew more.

Ten thousand years ago, a disciple of the Heaven-Breaking Pavilion at the Eighth Layer of Soul Gathering Realm triggered the Dao Sound. He successfully endured for a little more than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before the Dao Sound dissipated.

That disciple’s name was Hongtian.

Lin Hao triggered the Dao Sound at the Seventh Layer of Soul Gathering Realm. No matter how long it lasted, it couldn’t be longer than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

The elders stared intently at the void, their fists clenched unconsciously.

The cracking sounds from the void grew louder and louder, making the elders’ hearts leap into their throats. From the looks of it, Lin Hao’s Divine Soul and Primordial Body could shatter at any moment.

In the void, Lin Hao was inside the great cocoon, looking as if he had just been pulled from the water.

And at this moment, his face was utterly contorted.

The intense agony had twisted Lin Hao’s face out of shape.

Finally, Lin Hao gritted his teeth and activated the Divine Illumination Scripture.

This was, arguably, Lin Hao’s last resort.

The Flowing Light Divine Flame had already completely merged with Lin Hao’s body during his physical reconstruction. Against such a Sonic Attack, the Divine Flame was of little use.

Only an Emperor-level technique like the Divine Illumination Scripture could counter the Dao Sound.

As he activated the Divine Illumination Scripture, the world turned from day to night.

From his battle with Emperor Hongtian’s spiritual imprint, Lin Hao’s gains were immense. In particular, his understanding of the Divine Illumination Scripture was arguably no weaker than Emperor Hongtian’s had been back then.

Night fell, and stars appeared in the sky.

Previously, Lin Hao could only wait for darkness to fall and the stars to appear to passively cultivate with the Divine Illumination Scripture. But his battle with Emperor Hongtian’s spiritual imprint had allowed him to understand the true essence of the Divine Illumination Scripture.

When the Divine Illumination Scripture was cultivated to its peak, it could accelerate time, making night fall prematurely and filling the firmament with stars!

This was a heaven-defying Cultivation Technique, terrifying beyond compare.

At this moment, Lin Hao naturally couldn’t fill the firmament with stars, but he could make a few of them appear.

The moment day turned to night and the stars appeared, all the elders couldn’t help but be shocked, even though they had seen it once before.

Witnessing this scene up close, the elders felt a vast, oppressive pressure.

That oppressive pressure had a name—Emperor’s Might!

Though faint, it was undeniably real.

If even the senior elders reacted this way, Hua Jianzhong and Sun Yingrui, who were seeing it for the first time, had an even more exaggerated reaction.

The two of them trembled violently, as if they had encountered a god or a demon!

They were powerful experts at the Fourth Layer of Spirit Transformation Realm, but such a technique was like something out of a fairy tale, completely unbelievable.

SMACK!

His eyes nearly popping out of his head, Sun Yingrui gave himself a resounding slap across the face.

At this moment, he had forgotten how to think, or rather, he was incapable of thought. He just subconsciously used this method to confirm that what he was seeing was real.

"So it’s real. This is too terrifying." Sun Yingrui gazed up at the void, stepping forward subconsciously as he spoke.

As for the elders, Sun Yingrui had completely forgotten about them.

Hua Jianzhong’s composure was slightly better than his, but not by much.

The two of them subconsciously stepped forward, seemingly wanting to get a clearer look.

The elders all had their eyes fixed on the void, completely oblivious to the two men’s movements.

In the void, the stars appeared, and Lin Hao began to use the Divine Illumination Scripture to absorb their power.

A moment later, a thin layer of light appeared around the great cocoon.

It was formed from the power of the stars.

Lin Hao used the power of the stars to strengthen his defenses and resist the Dao Sound.

At this moment, Lin Hao was multitasking on several fronts.

He had to use the Divine Illumination Scripture to absorb the power of the stars, memorize the Dao Sound, and endure the excruciating pain in his body. On top of that, he also had to monitor the condition of his Divine Soul and Primordial Body.

If it were anyone else, this would have been utterly impossible.

Lin Hao had also reached his limit, persisting solely through his powerful obsession.

Although Lin Hao didn’t know the Divine Power Secret Skill, what he was doing right now was in no way inferior to Proud Moon’s five Divine Techniques.

Time ticked by, second by second. The time it takes for an incense stick to burn had passed.

"How can this be? The Dao Sound hasn’t stopped!"

"What’s going on? Stop, just stop!"

The elders had been silently counting the time. Now that even the celestial phenomenon had yet to cease, they couldn’t hold back their anxiety any longer.

Before the words had even left their mouths, the great cocoon in the sky, formed from Lin Hao’s Divine Soul and Primordial Body, suddenly exploded.

The terrifying shockwave tore the sky apart, and the dark night sky was restored to clarity.

Lin Hao’s Divine Soul shattered, and his Primordial Body shattered as well. His own body suffered unprecedented damage and was also on the verge of exploding...