Nine Heavens Martial Emperor

But this was only the beginning.

"If it weren't for Lin Hao, I, Zuo Ming, would have died long ago on the Starry Ancient Road. He saved my life. If I back down now, I'm not worthy of calling myself a martial artist!"

Zuo Ming spoke and stepped out from the crowd.

"Lin Hao is the pride of the Yujin Saint Institute. Without him, I, Gao Hong, would also have perished on the Starry Ancient Road. A life debt must be repaid!"

Gao Hong, once the top-ranked martial artist on the Yujin Saint Institute's Holy Stele, also stepped forward.

"Gao Hong, you're wrong. Lin Hao isn't just the pride of the Yujin Saint Institute; he's the pride of the entire Cangnan Empire! Without Lin Hao, we would've all been killed by He Jundao and Young Master Moon long ago. A life debt must be repaid!"

"That's right! If I don't repay this debt, I'm not even worthy of being called a human, let alone cultivate the martial path!"

One after another, the Cangnan Martial Artists stepped forward…

There was no shortage of hot-blooded Cangnan Martial Artists. After a moment, nearly half of them had stepped forward, demanding justice for Lin Hao.

The martial artists from the other empires were all stunned.

Yang Qingtian had been arrogant earlier, but as one of the Ten Young Masters, he had the right to be.

But now, these Cangnan Martial Artists were like ants trying to shake an elephant, all for Lin Hao. It was astounding.

Never mind the martial artists from the six great empires; even Hua Jianzhong and Ying Rui had never expected such a scene to unfold.

This was the Heaven-Breaking Pavilion, a top-tier Holy Land on the Celestial Yang Continent. Even Spirit Transformation Realm experts didn't dare cause trouble here, yet these Cangnan Martial Artists were actually challenging the authority of the Heaven-Breaking Pavilion for Lin Hao's sake.

Shocking!

Although the two of them were powerful experts at the Fifth Layer of Spirit Transformation Realm, they were utterly shocked at this moment.

Forget a thousand years—not since the moment the Heaven-Breaking Pavilion was founded had any martial artist dared to be so audacious at its gates!

At this very moment, these martial artists were united as one. Their auras converged, generating a terrifying energy.

This energy was even strong enough to affect the two men's own auras.

The two of them even took an involuntary step back.

They found it unbelievable.

'The combined power of those at the Soul Gathering Realm can actually push back Fifth Layer Spirit Transformation Realm Martial Artists? This is simply unheard of!'

However, these two were no ordinary men, and the Heaven-Breaking Pavilion's authority could not be challenged. After their eyes narrowed, a terrifying aura erupted from their bodies.

'It's over… All these martial artists are done for.'

This thought simultaneously rose in the minds of the martial artists from the other five great empires. Some felt pity, some reveled in their misfortune, and some were secretly pleased.

As for the remaining Cangnan Empire Martial Artists who hadn't stepped forward, they couldn't help but feel a sense of relief.

'Challenging the Heaven-Breaking Pavilion is a complete death wish.'

But the martial artists who had stepped out were all incredibly resolute, filled with a heroic willingness to face death.

BOOM!

Shenshan and the others directly released their Divine Souls. Seeing this, the other martial artists also prepared to unleash their own.

Just then, a voice rang out, "Stop!"

The voice boomed like thunder, carrying from a great distance. Before the words had even faded, a white-haired, white-bearded old man appeared between the Cangnan Empire Martial Artists and the pair of Hua Jianzhong and Ying Rui.

Upon seeing this elder, Hua Jianzhong and Ying Rui both bowed and greeted him, "Greetings, Fifth Elder."

'An elder from the Heaven-Breaking Pavilion has come in person. At least they'll die a glorious death.'

This thought surfaced in the minds of the martial artists from the other empires.

But then, they discovered that things were not as they had imagined.

A cold snort escaped the elder's nostrils, but it wasn't directed at the Cangnan Martial Artists.

'What's going on?'

The next moment, everyone's eyes widened as they stared at each other in bewilderment.

After snorting coldly at Hua Jianzhong and his companion, the elder's expression instantly softened. He smiled at the Cangnan Empire Martial Artists and said, "You've misunderstood. Lin Hao's fall had nothing to do with our Heaven-Breaking Pavilion. In fact, the moment he ran into trouble, our Elder Hall wanted to save him, but we were powerless to do so."

Shenshan and the others were skeptical of his words, but they refrained from any further rash actions.

They had noticed that although the old man was amiable and even lacked any discernible aura fluctuation, the moment he faced them, their Divine Souls had automatically returned to their bodies.

In the elder's presence, their Divine Souls felt an instinctual awe.

This was inconceivable, especially since the Divine Souls of Shenshan and the others had been forged by Lin Hao, making them one in a million.

The old man's cultivation had reached an unimaginable height; he might even be at the Spirit Transformation Realm Peak!

It was no exaggeration to say that if this elder wanted to kill them, it would be easier than crushing an ant.

As Shenshan and the others were lost in thought, the elder spoke:

"Lin Hao was, without a doubt, a peerless prodigy the likes of which the Celestial Yang Continent hasn't seen in millennia. Had he not fallen, few could have contended with him. We are very gratified to see you react this way for his sake. Therefore, the Elder Hall has decided: you may all directly enter the Upper Campus to cultivate."

As soon as the elder said this, everyone present was shocked.

Every major empire had a Saint Institute, and all were designed based on the Heaven-Breaking Pavilion. Therefore, every martial artist here knew exactly what the "Upper Campus" represented.

The Heaven-Breaking Pavilion was the most prestigious Holy Land on the Celestial Yang Continent. Its Upper Campus was a place that likely only figures like Yang Qingtian could enter.

But now, an elder of the Heaven-Breaking Pavilion had declared that the Cangnan Martial Artists who stood up for Lin Hao could enter the Upper Campus to cultivate.

After the initial shock, the martial artists from the other empires grew restless, all of them staring at the Cangnan Martial Artists in front with eyes full of envy and jealousy.

The martial artists from the Moon and Celestial Star Empires, however, stared at them with eyes filled with hatred.

Never mind them, even Hua Jianzhong and Ying Rui's eyes were wide with disbelief.

It was true that the Heaven-Breaking Pavilion had no forbidden areas—anyone with the ability could go anywhere. However, the Upper Campus was a sacred ground for cultivation that generally only peerless geniuses could enter. The cultivation speed inside was several times faster than in the Lower or Middle Campuses. Even they were only allowed to enter the Upper Campus to cultivate three times a month.

For the Elder Hall to make such a decision now… this was clearly a form of compensation for these martial artists, a gesture to make up for their failure to save Lin Hao in time!

One could only imagine how highly they regarded Lin Hao.

Yang Qingtian also considered this possibility. His eyes narrowed sharply before he let out a sigh.

'The elders of the Heaven-Breaking Pavilion's Elder Hall have unfathomable strength, yet even they failed to save Lin Hao. The perilous trap he triggered on the Starry Ancient Road must have been countless times more dangerous than what I faced. I am not his equal.'

As soon as this thought occurred to him, an intense desire for battle erupted in Yang Qingtian's eyes.

Although Yang Qingtian admitted defeat in this instance, he would never concede.

Shenshan and the others were stunned. The Cangnan Empire Martial Artists who had stepped forward, originally prepared to die, were also stunned.

They had never, ever imagined such an outcome.

As for the other Cangnan Empire Martial Artists who hadn't stepped forward, they were now kicking themselves with regret.

'If we had known there would be such a reward, we would have stepped forward even with a knife to our necks!'

The Heaven-Breaking Pavilion's Fifth Elder was about to say more when his expression suddenly changed, and in the next instant, he vanished.

A moment later, he reappeared on a plaza within the Heaven-Breaking Pavilion, alongside the other elders.

The members of the Elder Hall all looked in the same direction.