Nine Heavens Martial Emperor

On this day, all the Starry Sky Ancient Roads trembled without warning. In every land, the same celestial phenomenon appeared in the sky.

In the sky, a line of large characters appeared, shining with an indescribable, strange allure.

"He Jundao of the Celestial Star Saint Institute has collected one hundred Tokens!" In various places, Martial Artists couldn’t help but read the words in the sky aloud.

"Another person immortalized by the Ancient Road! Incredible!" Scenes like this could be seen everywhere along the Ancient Roads.

Today was the third day since the Starry Sky Ancient Roads had opened. Just a short while ago, a celestial phenomenon had suddenly appeared, with enormous characters materializing in the void.

It was only then that everyone learned that by collecting a certain number of Tokens on the Starry Sky Ancient Road, one’s name would be known throughout all the Ancient Roads.

This could be considered a special honor, a testament to one’s combat strength.

And He Jundao was the third person to be immortalized by the Ancient Road.

But as countless people were reeling from the shock of his combat strength, on one particular Starry Sky Ancient Road, a young man watched the characters gradually fade and let out a cold snort.

Behind this young man followed several other youths of similar age, and among them was Evil Wind from the Cangnan Empire’s Evil Emotion Tower.

Immediately, someone beside the youth spoke up, "Big Brother, let us help you get your name up there!"

"It’s useless. This record must be achieved alone. Besides," the young master’s eyes narrowed as he shook his head, refusing. "For our Moon Worship Kingdom, my brother is enough. Our mission right now is to find Lin Hao!"

He was from the Moon Worshiping Saint Institute, and his name was Yao Yue.

"But we’ve been searching for him for two whole days without a trace," another person said to Yao Yue after glancing at Evil Wind. "Could he have actually gotten lost on the Starry Sky Ancient Road?"

Two days ago, they had briefly suspected Evil Wind regarding the situation with Lin Hao, but Yao Yue had ultimately spoken up and chosen to trust him.

Yao Yue was Young Master Moon’s own younger brother, so his words carried great weight.

Of course, this was partly due to Young Master Moon’s formidable reputation.

He ranked third among the Ten Great Young Masters, and his combat strength was extraordinary. In fact, he had accomplished the feat of collecting over a hundred Tokens even before He Jundao.

Collecting over a hundred Tokens meant obtaining one hundred of them through one’s own strength. Tokens from candidates killed by Devil Beasts, for example, were not included in this count.

In other words, this record represented the defeat of one hundred people.

This was absolutely astonishing.

This was because the Starry Sky Ancient Roads were overrun with Devil Beasts, and their numbers only increased the further one progressed. Defeating a hundred people meant, at the very least, that one had to steal victory from the jaws of those beasts over a hundred times.

Every Martial Artist participating in the assessment knew how difficult it was to obtain Tokens, as many of them still only had a single-digit count.

Given the circumstances, everyone naturally understood just how powerful those who had their names etched in the sky truly were.

And for Young Master Moon to have his name appear even before He Jundao’s, one could only imagine his combat strength.

Furthermore, the reason he was known as Young Master Moon was that he was the son of the Sovereign of the Moon Worship Kingdom. The significance of such a title was self-evident.

As his own flesh-and-blood brother, Yao Yue could make almost anyone on this Ancient Road step aside for him.

Not only did no one dare to make a move against him, but many also chose to ally with him.

Hearing this, Yao Yue shook his head. "If he’s really as powerful as Evil Wind claims, then there’s no way he’d get lost on the Ancient Road. We’ll wait for him right here!"

Two days ago, Evil Wind had told them everything he knew in great detail.

At that time, after hearing Evil Wind’s story, everyone except Yao Yue had fallen silent.

Lin Hao’s strength was beyond their imagination.

But no one backed down. They had learned from Evil Wind’s account that Lin Hao definitely possessed an Emperor Art, as well as many other Secret Skills.

The very words "Emperor Art" had an allure powerful enough to drive them into a frenzy.

Just as this group was discussing him, Lin Hao appeared on the Starry Sky Ancient Road, walking alone.

Just a short while ago, the celestial phenomenon on the Starry Sky Ancient Road had roused Lin Hao from a state of deep meditation.

Seeing that the others were still meditating and would likely need another two or three days to awaken, Lin Hao decided to go and settle accounts with the butchers from the canyon battle.

As for having his own name appear in the sky, Lin Hao hadn’t given it a single thought.

This part of the Starry Sky Ancient Road was just the beginning. The real test would start after they reached Wangchuan City.

Lin Hao walked alone on the Starry Sky Ancient Road, his steps as calm and unhurried as if he were taking a leisurely stroll through a courtyard.

Compared to three days ago, Lin Hao’s cultivation hadn’t increased. Although the world’s primordial energy had converged on that day, he had previously suffered internal injuries from his battle with Xin Li, despite showing no signs on the surface.

Furthermore, after reaching the Fifth Layer of the Soul Gathering Realm, his cultivation progress had slowed considerably. His body was also a bottomless pit, and ordinary primordial energy was no longer useful to him.

However, when his Divine Soul had emerged to intimidate the beasts, the experience had stirred his spirit, and his mental state had improved significantly as a result.

After walking for some time, Lin Hao’s pace faltered for an instant, but he then continued on as if nothing had happened.

After another hundred meters, several youths appeared in his line of sight.

Lin Hao’s expression remained unchanged as he continued forward.

The youths spotted Lin Hao.

"Lin Hao, you finally decided to show up," a voice tinged with delight called out.

Just moments before, Lin Hao had been wondering who leaked information about him. Now, seeing this youth, he knew.

"I never thought the Evil Emotion Tower, one of the Five Great Divine Sects, would stoop so low." Lin Hao’s voice was cold as he looked at him.

Who else could this youth be but Evil Wind?

Evil Wind had entered the Starry Sky Ancient Road through one of the Saint Institutes, yet he had colluded with outsiders, leading to the deaths of many disciples in that canyon. Killing intent flared in Lin Hao’s heart.

"Stooping so low? Lin Hao, do you have any idea who this is?" Evil Wind said with a slight smile, glancing toward Yao Yue.

The Evil-Slaying Sword had somehow appeared in Lin Hao’s hand. Without even raising his eyes, he caressed the blade and said, "A dead man walking. It doesn’t matter who he is."

"Audacious!"

"Insolent!"

"You’re courting death!"

The moment Lin Hao spoke, the other youths exploded in fury.

CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! Just as their shouts died down, Yao Yue started clapping, a smile on his face. "Excellent. A ’dead man walking.’ Lin Hao, you truly are as arrogant as they say."

Lin Hao had appeared, and all alone. To Yao Yue, this meant the Emperor Art was already within his grasp. A feverish glint appeared in the depths of his eyes; he wasn’t angry about Lin Hao’s words in the slightest.

"Lin Hao, hand over the Emperor Art, and I’ll spare your life," Yao Yue said, still smiling, his voice devoid of anger. "Otherwise, not only will you die, but every single Cangnan Martial Artist on this Ancient Road will die as well." The content of his words, however, was enough to send a chill down anyone’s spine.

And he was confident—so confident that no one would doubt his ability to carry out the threat.

At this moment, he radiated an aura—an aura of absolute control.

Even the other youths, who had spent the last few days with him, were inwardly shaken. At first, they had only seen him as Young Master Moon’s little brother, but now, it was clear he was far more terrifying than they had ever imagined.

Evil Wind, in particular, looked aghast. He had observed Yao Yue for a long time before deciding to cooperate, confident that he himself was no weaker.

But now, it seemed he had severely misjudged.