Nine Heavens Martial Emperor

Five elders appeared before Lin Hao. One stood in front, and four stood behind him.

Though the four elders behind him possessed a vital energy so potent it was staggering, it was as if they didn’t exist in Lin Hao’s eyes. His gaze was locked onto the man in the lead.

That elder was Lin Wei, the man he had called Great-Grandfather over three years ago.

The sight of him brought the events of that night more than three years ago flooding back, appearing before Lin Hao’s eyes with crystal clarity.

It was he who had torn open his chest without even blinking!

It was he who, with a look of sheer excitement, had brutally ripped the Origin bloodline from his body!

It was he who, after taking the bloodline, had drained his blood just to nourish the bloodline that had been implanted in Lin Wu’s abdomen.

And it was he who had planted a seal in his mind, forcing him to live in a confused stupor for three years.

At this very moment, everything was so terribly clear.

Lin Hao had thought he had forgotten, but now he realized he would never be able to forget.

A furious rage filled his chest, and Lin Hao’s eyes turned bloodshot.

Suddenly, a soft touch registered in his mind, making his heart tremble for a moment before he regained his composure.

He reached back and squeezed the soft hand gently, then released it and took a step forward.

"Hao’Er, I knew this day would come. It’s wonderful that you’re here." Before Lin Hao could speak, Lin Wei spoke with a smile on his face.

Lin Wei seemed to completely ignore the surrounding rubble and the immobilized Shen Bilian behind Lin Hao.

"Today, I will send you on your way," Lin Hao spat out coldly.

Lin Wei gave a bitter smile. "Hao’Er, I know you must hate me. But to see you standing here, safe and sound, and having achieved so much... I am gratified. I can die without any regrets. Go on. I won’t resist."

Hearing this, Lin Hao’s pupils constricted.

He was only now realizing that he had never truly understood the old man before him.

’To say something like that... even if I were to strike now, Lin Wei would have some way to deal with it.’

Lin Hao took a deep breath, a surprising calm washing over him. He said coolly, "Don’t be in such a hurry to die. This feigned retreat is useless. Don’t worry, I’ll give you a chance to explain yourself. You may begin."

A strange glint flashed in Lin Wei’s eyes upon hearing Lin Hao’s words, gone in an instant.

Lin Hao’s growth had also exceeded his expectations—not in terms of cultivation, but in terms of his acumen.

He had expected Lin Hao to fly into a rage and attack him, but Lin Hao’s calm reaction made him realize that perfectly resolving this matter and eliminating the negative repercussions would be far more difficult than he had anticipated.

But now that it had come to this, he had to turn the tables. In particular, Lin Wu’s reputation could not be tarnished in the slightest.

"Hao’Er, why do you think I did what I did over three years ago? The truth is... Great-Grandfather did it all for you!" Lin Wei’s words were astonishing.

Lin Hao stared at Lin Wei coldly, not deigning to reply. ’Let’s see what kind of tricks he can pull.’

"The truth is, within the Lin family, we’ve known for a long time that your bloodline is special. For your sake, Hanyan ignored the danger and returned to the family to seek Spirit Medicine, but she never came back. Then it was Zixuan. He went to find your mother and get the medicine, and he, too, vanished without a trace."

At this, Lin Wei paused and looked at Lin Hao. Noticing Lin Hao’s fists clench subconsciously, he continued, "As the time for your bloodline awakening drew near, the Third Brother also departed. You only saw me take your bloodline, but you have no idea of the humiliation I endured here in the Lin Mansion to save you!"

As he said this, Lin Wei’s face suddenly twisted with fury, his hair and beard bristling with rage.

"To find a way to save you, I endured the greatest humiliations here in the Lin family, living a life worse than a dog’s! But the thought of you gave me the strength to carry on, and I finally found a solution. Hao’Er, your bloodline is a rarity seen once in a hundred million years. Back then, stripping it from you was the only way to save your life!"

As he spoke, tears streamed down Lin Wei’s aged face.

CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!

Hearing this, Lin Hao couldn’t help but applaud.

’Lin Wei truly is silver-tongued. After a speech like that, anyone who didn’t know the truth would probably start to waver.’

And in fact, that was exactly what happened.

Lin Wei had made no attempt to conceal his words, and they carried clearly to the crowd outside.

Outside the Lin Mansion, some of the people who heard him were skeptical, but for others, the scales of judgment had begun to tip.

Then, the onlookers heard Lin Wei speak again. "I know you must think I’m just quibbling. I won’t say more. I’ll only ask you this: if I was really stealing your bloodline for my own grandson, why would I have left you alive?"

These words were less for Lin Hao and more for the people outside.

Hearing Lin Wei’s words, many in the crowd nodded. "That’s right. If it were me, I definitely wouldn’t have left him alive. That’s just inviting future disaster. Only an idiot would do that."

"A powerful bloodline usually comes with immense risk. Why are there fewer and fewer people with special physiques these days? It’s because awakening certain bloodlines is extremely dangerous. Many so-called peerless geniuses have fallen before their bloodlines could even awaken. The Lin family couldn’t find a safe way for Lin Hao’s bloodline to awaken, so Lin Wei had his own grandson step up to bear the burden for Lin Hao!"

There were Martial Artists from the Lin family in the crowd. They had all just received a voice transmission from within the Lin Mansion and were now starting to sway public opinion.

"But I heard Lin Wei kept Lin Hao alive to be a blood farm for Lin Wu. And to keep him from talking, Lin Wei planted a seal in his mind," someone asked.

These were details Lin Wei himself had admitted, known only to those directly involved. The identity of this speaker was therefore highly suspicious.

No sooner had the voice spoken than someone from within the mansion replied, "You’d believe a rumor like that? Let’s not even get into the rest of it. Let me ask you this: at the time, Lin Hao hadn’t even awakened his bloodline, and Lin Wei’s cultivation is at least at the Elemental Realm, right? If he planted a seal in Lin Hao’s mind, how could Lin Hao possibly have recovered?"

Many people nodded, finding the reasoning sound.

Seals were almost always unique, secret arts. And for a seal planted in the mind, not even a peak Martial Artist would dare to attempt to remove it lightly. The moment they tried, the one who planted the seal would know. Every Martial Artist knew what the consequences of that would be.

"Damn! I thought Lin Wu’s family had committed an unforgivable crime, but now that I’m here, I realize they’re actually the heroes of this story!"

"Lin Wu received a blessing in disguise and has now become a peerless prodigy. And the same goes for Lin Hao! For the Lin family to produce two such talents is astounding!"

"I’m not so sure. Lin Hao might not believe a word Lin Wei says."

"Any normal person could see the logic. Unless Lin Hao is an idiot, or he simply wants Lin Wu dead, he’ll definitely choose to let bygones be bygones."

The tide of public opinion was beginning to turn, while inside the Lin Mansion, Lin Hao seemed utterly oblivious.