Nine Heavens Martial Emperor

At the crack of dawn, rays of light filtered through the gaps in the canopy of the dense, primeval jungle. They flickered in and out of sight with the gentle breeze.

As a beam of light struck Lin Hao’s eyes, his previously unfocused gaze suddenly sharpened.

Above, the light stubbornly shone down, penetrating every last crevice.

Lin Hao’s body suddenly straightened. He stood up, leaped into the air, and instantly cleared the jungle, landing atop the crown of an Ancient Tree.

His eyes took in the endless jungle and the rosy glow of dawn on the horizon.

Lin Hao stood perfectly still, unmoving, until a red sun leaped above the horizon.

Lin Hao’s eyes suddenly brightened. A smile appeared on his face, and his expression grew more and more relaxed.

CLANG!

The moment he saw the vast, Boundless world and the red sun, Lin Hao felt a soft chime ring in his heart. His spirit jolted, and a strange, warm current instantly coursed through his entire body. Lin Hao’s state of mind had been elevated.

The next moment, Lin Hao felt his entire body become lighter.

The Imperial Art within him began to circulate on its own, giving Lin Hao a feeling of transcendent bliss.

It was a mysterious and profound process, and Lin Hao was completely immersed, unable to pull himself away.

Lin Hao had no idea how long he remained in this state until a violent fluctuation startled him awake.

The fluctuation came from behind him.

Lin Hao turned to look and was met with a shocking scene.

A road had appeared in the empty air—a road built from endless True Essence.

The road extended from a distant building and ended a short distance in front of him.

Lin Hao was very familiar with that building; he had once leaped from a certain part of it.

It was the location of the Saint Institute.

When Lin Hao saw countless people heading toward him on the road of True Essence, he understood everything. ’No wonder the Guardian sent me here. It turns out this is the departure point for the Saint Institute disciples.’

After watching for a moment, Lin Hao leaped down and began to make his way toward the place where the road of True Essence terminated.

Over the past three days, Lin Hao had grown very familiar with his surroundings. If he wasn’t mistaken, the road of True Essence ended at the location of the great serpent’s cave.

When Lin Hao arrived, the great serpent’s cave was already enveloped in a strange light, and the road of True Essence led directly into it.

And just then, Lin Hao saw an unexpected group of people.

At the front was a woman of stunning beauty, though her expression was cold. It was Duan Mushuang.

And trailing behind Duan Mushuang were, surprisingly, Marquis Mo and Yunxi.

The situation left Lin Hao completely baffled. Still, he was happy to see Duan Mushuang and was about to speak when she took a step forward, entered the cave, and vanished from sight.

Marquis Mo and Yunxi hurriedly followed, also disappearing into the cave.

"Damn it, that Turtle Egg fellow knew all along. I’ll have to ask it what’s going on later," Lin Hao muttered, recalling what Turtle Egg had said three days ago.

Just then, a voice echoed in Lin Hao’s ear, "The Starry Ancient Road is open. The venue for the Six Academies Martial Competition lies at its end. Go."

The voice clearly belonged to the Saint Institute’s Guardian from three days ago.

And just as the voice faded, Lin Hao saw several more people vanish into the cave.

Lin Hao even saw Lu Dieyi.

However, when Lu Dieyi saw Lin Hao, she disappeared into the cave without so much as a greeting. But Lin Hao did see the anxiety in her eyes.

Staring at the cave, Lin Hao wore a shocked expression and did not rush to enter.

He had considered countless possibilities, but he had never imagined the Six Academies Martial Competition would be held at the end of the Starry Ancient Road.

Having absorbed Chu Tiandu’s memories, Lin Hao naturally knew what the Starry Ancient Road was.

The Starry Ancient Road was the result of a supreme Martial Artist shattering the barrier of space.

Moreover, the Starry Ancient Road was connected to the Outer-Domain Battlefield and was fraught with danger.

’No! A Martial Artist from the Celestial Yang Continent definitely wouldn’t have the power to shatter the barrier of space. A Starry Ancient Road is a rare sight even in the Divine Demon Destruction Domain. The last one appeared a thousand years ago,’ Lin Hao thought, suddenly shaking his head.

"Lin Hao, why haven’t you set off yet? Although this Starry Ancient Road is fraught with danger, it also contains great opportunities. In the last three days, even several people from the Five Great Divine Sects have arrived and just entered." Seeing Lin Hao still hadn’t moved, the old man urged him on.

It was clear the old man was very concerned about Lin Hao.

Lin Hao nodded and then took a step forward.

Lin Hao’s original intention was to wait for Turtle Egg, but on second thought, he realized Turtle Egg would never miss such a grand event. It had probably gone in long ago.

The moment he stepped into the cave, Lin Hao felt a vast power. His body seemed to be shuttling through time and space.

The sensation was wondrous. Lin Hao had experienced it a few days ago when he and Turtle Egg used the teleportation array.

After a few breaths, the scene changed. Lin Hao found himself in a place bustling with the roar of a crowd.

As far as Lin Hao could see, there were dense crowds of people.

And further ahead stood an ancient city.

The reason he called it an ancient city was that the moment he looked up, he was struck by a simple, desolate aura. The city walls were even taller and more majestic than those of the Imperial City.

Suddenly, Lin Hao’s eyes narrowed. He realized something extraordinary. The stone of the city walls looked just like Celestial Meteorite Rock.

Celestial Meteorite Rock was known as the hardest of all stones. An ordinary Soul Gathering Realm Martial Artist couldn’t even budge it.

"Fifth Brother!" As Lin Hao was sizing up the city, a joyful shout came from behind him.

Lin Hao turned and saw Lin Tian, Lin Yuan, and the iron-tower-like Shenshan.

Next to the three of them was a new face.

The four of them moved quickly, reaching Lin Hao’s side in no time.

"Fifth Brother, we finally found you," Lin Yuan said excitedly.

He and Lin Tian had taken off their armor. Although they didn’t have Shenshan’s build, they still looked quite sturdy—much stronger than they had been a few months ago.

The new face also smiled at Lin Hao and said, "Hello, my name is Lin Xiao."

Lin Hao naturally knew who he was and nodded in acknowledgment.

When news of the Six Academies Martial Competition spread, Lin Hao had already thought of them.

Lin Hao had created their bloodlines and naturally hoped they would achieve something great. The opening of the Heaven-Breaking Pavilion was a major opportunity that couldn’t be missed. For this reason, Lin Hao had tasked Turtle Egg with handling the matter long ago.

This was also part of the reason Lin Hao had waited for Turtle Egg earlier. After all, he had experienced firsthand how unreliable Turtle Egg could be.

Now that he saw them here, Lin Hao could finally relax.

"Fifth Brother, we’ll go on ahead," the four of them said, choosing to leave rather than stay and reminisce with Lin Hao.

When Turtle Egg went to fetch them, it had told them of Lin Hao’s deeds. It then stated bluntly that the gap between them and Lin Hao was too great. If they wanted to grow stronger faster, they had to face dangers on their own.

Lin Hao had no objection to this. He simply said, "See you at the end of the Ancient Road."