Nine Heavens Martial Emperor

Above the Saint Institute, the Saint War Platform levitated.

Lin Hao and Yin Duwen stood facing each other. Yin Duwen’s face was expressionless, but killing intent surged in his eyes. Lin Hao, however, wore a faint smile, looking completely at ease.

Seeing Lin Hao’s expression, the killing intent in Yin Duwen’s eyes intensified.

Just then, Lin Hao spoke with a smile, "Out of respect for your age, you may make the first move."

The moment he said this, rage flooded Yin Duwen’s face. His robes whipped about as he bristled with fury.

He was an elder of the Saint Institute. For Lin Hao to show him such contempt was simply outrageous.

Upon hearing Lin Hao’s words, all the disciples of the Saint Institute stared with wide eyes and gaping mouths.

Lin Hao was too arrogant, telling an elder to strike first.

"In a duel between experts, psychological warfare is key. What a move from Lin Hao." As the saying goes, the onlooker sees the game best. One of the top-tier Martial Artists in the crowd murmured this under his breath.

On the Saint War Platform, hearing Lin Hao’s words, Yin Duwen’s hair stood on end as he charged forward.

With just a slight raise of his hand, a strange phenomenon materialized above the Saint War Platform.

The once-calm sky suddenly erupted with a bang, as if the very air had been shattered by his palm. The clouds in the firmament roiled as a terrifying aura pressed down.

Even the distant spectators felt their breath catch in their throats, and they all retreated further.

A casual strike from someone at the Fifth Layer of the Soul Gathering Realm was enough to shake the heavens, let alone from a figure like Yin Duwen. His understanding of True Essence and the martial way had reached an inconceivable level.

But Lin Hao was no slouch either. The moment the phenomenon appeared, he had already retreated to a safe distance.

Yin Duwen drew a circle with his foot, then spun around, his technique changing once more.

Though Yin Duwen had been seething with rage just moments ago, the instant he attacked, he became completely calm. His every move and gesture displayed the bearing of a Grandmaster.

Drawing a circle with his foot, Yin Duwen’s previously fierce and powerful technique suddenly shifted. His wrists twisted, moving faster and faster.

Following his movements, a gale whipped up across the Saint War Platform, growing increasingly violent. Then, a terrifying phenomenon appeared.

A vortex materialized above the Saint War Platform. It grew larger and larger, uprooting massive trees within the Saint Institute and shredding them to pieces.

The spectators retreated again. Those with weaker cultivation had already fled far away. A battle between two at the Fifth Layer of the Soul Gathering Realm was not something ordinary people could watch.

The robes of the Martial Artists who remained whipped in the wind, and all of them gasped in shock.

’So this is the elder’s true strength, exuding such oppressive might with every move. And this is with his cultivation suppressed! What would happen if he went all out?!’

"I’ve never seen an elder fight since I joined the Saint Institute. I had no idea it was this terrifying," a Saint Master lamented.

"Lin Hao may be formidable, but against Elder Yin, he’s finished." Even a representative from one of the five great Divine Sects, who had previously remained silent, shook his head at the sight.

This was only the beginning, yet Yin Duwen was already displaying a level of combat prowess that astonished him. Forget Lin Hao being only at the Fifth Layer of Soul Gathering Realm; even if he broke through to the next layer, he would stand no chance of victory.

"Hmph! Arrogance comes with a price! I doubt Lin Hao can even withstand this single move," a disciple from one of the five great Divine Sects declared.

But more people simply stared intently at the Saint War Platform, eager to see how Lin Hao would counter the attack.

Having witnessed several of Lin Hao’s battles, they knew he always managed to surprise them.

And this time, Lin Hao did not disappoint.

The vortex above the Saint War Platform grew ever larger. Yin Duwen moved both hands in unison, nearly manifesting a Black Hole Space to swallow Lin Hao whole.

But to everyone’s shock, Lin Hao seemed to have vanished from the Saint War Platform. On the vast stage, only Yin Duwen could be seen.

"Huh? Where did Lin Hao go? Was he swallowed by the black hole?"

"I can’t see him either, but he couldn’t have been swallowed, right? Otherwise, why hasn’t Elder Yin stopped?"

"What do you know? Elder Yin wants to shred Lin Hao to pieces inside the Black Hole Space."

Some people argued, while others stared at the Saint War Platform, their eyes growing wider and wider.

Of course, Lin Hao hadn’t been swallowed by the black hole. He was circling the massive Saint War Platform at an incredible speed, moving in the opposite direction of the black hole’s rotation.

"Hey, is the black hole’s rotation slowing down?" someone noticed the anomaly and cried out in surprise.

BOOM!

The next moment, a massive bang echoed from the Saint War Platform, and the black hole vanished. Lin Hao’s figure reappeared on the stage.

Many people had no idea what had just happened, but the high-level cultivators were utterly stunned.

They had seen it clearly. Lin Hao had just used his speed to break Yin Duwen’s technique. Then, he had charged toward Yin Duwen with astonishing swiftness, and the two had exchanged a palm strike.

Judging by how Lin Hao landed, the two were almost evenly matched!

That Lin Hao’s True Essence could rival that of Yin Duwen, who had cultivated for over two hundred years, shocked everyone.

"How terrifying, this Lin Hao. It seems the claim that he’s invincible within his own realm is no empty boast," someone exclaimed in awe.

"Lin Hao’s strike was amplified by the force of his momentum. Overall, Elder Yin still has the upper hand. But for him to achieve this at his age... even I feel inadequate in comparison," a representative from a Divine Sect commented.

Back on the Saint War Platform, after exchanging a palm strike with Lin Hao, Yin Duwen’s expression became extremely grave.

He had cultivated for over two hundred years and naturally possessed immense combat experience. He never expected that Lin Hao could break his Black Hole Space with sheer speed.

Then, Lin Hao had even used the immense impact force from that speed to trade a palm strike with him. Such veteran experience was completely unlike that of a Soul Gathering Realm Martial Artist.

One could say that Lin Hao’s entire series of moves had been completely outside his expectations.

Hooo...

Across from Yin Duwen, Lin Hao exhaled, his expression equally grave.

Yin Duwen possessed rich combat experience, but in reality, his experience paled in comparison to Lin Hao’s. One must remember that Lin Hao had absorbed the Divine Soul of Chu Tiandu. No matter how vast Yin Duwen’s experience was, how could it compare to Chu Tiandu, a Heavenly Monarch who had spent his entire life at war?

This was one of the sources of Lin Hao’s confidence in daring to fight Yin Duwen.

However, that last exchange had shown Lin Hao the gap between him and Yin Duwen.

Yin Duwen had cultivated for over two hundred years, and his True Essence was incredibly condensed. Even while suppressing his realm, his True Essence had hardly weakened at all.

However, Lin Hao was not afraid. ’Yin Duwen has his methods, but so do I.’

Now that his cultivation had reached the Fifth Layer of the Soul Gathering Realm, there were many techniques from the memories of the Carefree Divine Monarch and the legacy of Chu Tiandu that Lin Hao could finally use.

"I let you have the first move. Now, it’s my turn." Lin Hao’s voice had barely faded before he moved.

Once again, there were no flashy moves. Lin Hao took a small half-step forward and then slightly raised his hands.

In the next instant, everyone held their breath.

Because as Lin Hao moved, the clouds in the firmament roiled, rumbling ceaselessly as if a flood dragon were about to break free from its bonds and emerge from the sea.

Just then, Lin Hao pressed his slightly raised hands downward.

Something terrifying happened.

The roiling clouds in the sky suddenly broke free of their restraints, transforming into a pillar of energy that poured down, pressing toward Yin Duwen on the Saint War Platform.

With a single move, Lin Hao shook the heavens!