Nine Heavens Martial Emperor

The Tier Two Spiritual Artifact in Yin Tianzheng’s hand successfully blocked the Fire Serpent Claw, but in the next instant, the longsword let out a sharp CRACK and snapped in two.

A Tier Two Spiritual Artifact was utterly defenseless against Lin Hao’s strike.

PFFT!

The Fire Serpent Claw pierced straight through Yin Tianzheng’s body. Its momentum didn’t falter as it continued on, disappearing into the depths of the Starry Sky Ancient Road.

Yin Tianzheng’s body flew back over ten meters before hitting the ground and skidding to a halt.

It left a long, bloody trail on the ground, and blood streamed ceaselessly from his mouth.

It all happened so fast that by the time many of the Martial Artists processed it, they were utterly dumbfounded.

After all, Lin Hao had just fought a major battle and was still wounded. And yet, the one who ended up defeated was Yin Tianzheng.

The crowd of Martial Artists looked at one another, scarcely believing their own eyes.

But the truth was laid bare before them, leaving no room for doubt.

While everyone was still reeling, a bizarre scene unfolded.

The world was suddenly plunged into darkness.

This wasn’t the darkness of night, but an absolute, impenetrable blackness where you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face.

A Martial Artist felt a sudden gust of wind and shivered involuntarily.

Then, all the Martial Artists heard the sounds of fighting once more.

They channeled their Cultivation Techniques into their eyes, trying to see what was happening, but it was useless.

All that lay before them was still inky blackness. They couldn’t see a thing.

"Why can’t I see? What’s happening?!"

"I can’t see either! The world is completely dark."

Countless Martial Artists began to cry out in alarm.

"Yin Tianzheng is from the Dark Night Empire, and its Martial Artists are kings of the night!" someone explained, dispelling the crowd’s confusion.

The agitated crowd finally calmed down.

When Yin Tianzheng had been defeated moments ago, they had remained silent because they still held out some hope.

A Soul Gathering Realm Martial Artist possesses a Divine Soul and an incredibly powerful life force. As long as the Divine Soul isn’t extinguished, there is always hope.

Yin Tianzheng hadn’t used his Divine Soul yet, so he definitely still had a chance.

"I wonder what’s happening?" The Martial Artists were desperate to watch the showdown, but being unable to see anything left them practically itching with curiosity.

"Yin Tianzheng caught him by surprise. I’m afraid Lin Hao’s chances aren’t looking good," a Martial Artist replied.

Many people nodded in agreement, though of course, no one could see them.

In this pitch-black darkness, it would be incredibly difficult for Lin Hao to defend against Yin Tianzheng’s attacks.

Too bad for them they couldn’t see what was happening. If they could, they wouldn’t be saying such things.

In truth, the world had grown so dark entirely because of Yin Tianzheng’s Divine Soul.

Yin Tianzheng’s Divine Soul was quite peculiar: a mass of black clouds.

Once unleashed, the black cloud not only shrouded the area but also caused Yin Tianzheng’s wounds to heal at a rapid pace.

Right now, Yin Tianzheng was completely enveloped in that black cloud.

The cloud could block the other Martial Artists’ sight, but it had no effect on Lin Hao whatsoever.

Lin Hao’s eyes looked perfectly ordinary, yet he could see every blade of grass and every tree around him with perfect clarity.

Therefore, when Yin Tianzheng shot up from the ground and lunged at Lin Hao, Lin Hao dodged him with a simple sidestep.

Lin Hao even had an opportunity to counterattack.

But he didn’t take it.

The aura of the cloud-shrouded Yin Tianzheng was incredibly strange, and it piqued Lin Hao’s curiosity.

Having obtained an imperial art that allowed him to use the sun and moon for Body Refinement and the stars to nurture his soul, Lin Hao had a deep appreciation for the world’s wonders. Now that Yin Tianzheng’s black-cloud Divine Soul had appeared, Lin Hao wanted to see if it held any secrets worth learning.

Before long, Lin Hao discovered what made this Divine Soul so unusual.

As the black cloud stirred, the ambient energy of the world grew turbulent, surging toward Yin Tianzheng.

Though Yin Tianzheng was at the Seventh Layer of the Soul Gathering Realm, in Lin Hao’s eyes, his cultivation was inferior to even Yang Qingtian’s two subordinates.

But now, with the black cloud unleashed, Yin Tianzheng’s aura was far more terrifying.

Within this aura, Lin Hao sensed a vast, bone-chillingly cold current.

With a thought, Lin Hao summoned his own Divine Soul.

His Divine Soul had been greatly depleted during his earlier fight against the Fire Serpent.

This cold current seemed to be beneficial to his Divine Soul.

Sure enough, the moment his Divine Soul appeared, it opened its mouth and began to inhale.

Yin Tianzheng, who had just recovered and was brimming with confidence, was now filled with terror. He could feel his own Divine Soul trying to tear itself from his body.

A Divine Soul that could absorb another Divine Soul... Yin Tianzheng had never even heard of such a thing, let alone seen it.

Yin Tianzheng tried to retract his Divine Soul but found he was unable to.

The next moment, Yin Tianzheng realized that not only could he not retract his Divine Soul, but his entire body was also paralyzed.

Through his eyes, Yin Tianzheng saw Lin Hao standing motionless, his hair whipping about wildly. Above Lin Hao’s head, a small figure had its mouth wide open, absorbing the black energy from the air.

Yin Tianzheng’s blood ran cold. He was utterly terrified.

"Lin Hao, spare me! I’ll never dare to cross you again!" Feeling his Divine Soul and strength draining away, a horrified Yin Tianzheng cried out for mercy.

"Yin Tianzheng lost? What in the world is happening?" a Martial Artist who heard the cry wondered, their curiosity piqued to the extreme.

No sooner had they thought this than all the Martial Artists heard Yin Tianzheng’s voice again.

"Demon... you’re a dem..."

Yin Tianzheng’s voice was filled with terror, but it was cut off abruptly.

The darkness receded, and the world returned to clarity. The crowd looked over to see a lone figure standing proudly. Before him lay a headless corpse.

Staring at that figure, the Martial Artists all wore complicated expressions.

They didn’t know what had transpired in the darkness, but it was obvious Yin Tianzheng had used his Divine Soul.

And yet, he had still been defeated by Lin Hao—and with such speed. It was a shocking revelation.

Just then, they all instinctively lowered their heads as Lin Hao’s gaze swept across them.

There was nothing discernible in his gaze, yet the moment it touched them, they felt a sense of dread and didn’t dare to meet his eyes.

Lin Hao’s gaze swept across the crowd, lingered on Marquis Mo for two seconds, and finally came to rest on Yunxi.

The next moment, Lin Hao smiled, a brilliant, radiant smile.

But upon seeing his smile, Yunxi’s heart lurched.

She suddenly had the distinct impression that the Lin Hao before her was more terrifying than even a Spirit Transformation Realm Martial Artist.

In a split second, Yunxi made a seemingly absurd decision.

"Sir..." Yunxi stepped out from the crowd and spoke meekly.

At this moment, she was no longer a high and mighty princess, nor the "Fairy Yunxi" her followers revered. She was like a young servant girl who had made a terrible mistake.

Lin Hao, however, said nothing, simply continuing to stare at Yunxi with a grin.

Yunxi’s expression shifted constantly. Then, she suddenly bit her finger and used the blood to draw strange runes on her beautiful face, ending with a dot between her eyebrows. "By High Heaven above and the deep Earth below, I, Yunxi, hereby swear a blood pact! I will serve Lin Hao for all generations and acknowledge him as my master. Should I ever harbor a sliver of dissent, may I be struck down by the heavens and annihilated by the earth!"

There, on the Starry Sky Ancient Road, Yunxi swore a Blood Oath.

All the Martial Artists behind Yunxi, Marquis Mo included, were utterly stupefied.

Marquis Mo was so stunned he forgot to even try and stop her.