Chapter 596 - 592: Defeated by Lin Wu

Chapter 596: Chapter 592: Defeated by Lin Wu

The young man was the Young Master of the Jinglian Saint Institute, hailing from the Divine Demon Destruction Domain. His cultivation was naturally impressive.

He sensed the flash of light the moment it shot toward him.

The kneeling old man was also quite skilled. He reacted instantly, lunging forward like an ancient divine leopard.

In a single breath, the old man had positioned himself in front of the young man, shielding him.

Just as the old man steadied himself, another young man appeared before him.

Upon seeing this newcomer, the old man’s body instantly tensed.

A legend!

The young man who had performed miracles in the starting area was still a dominant force here in the Second Layer.

’He even annihilated the consciousness of an expert from the upper realm. I know I’m not even on Sima Shengjie’s level, but the Young Master of the Jinglian Saint Institute is behind me. I cannot retreat.’

"What brings you here, young friend?" The old man’s tone was surprisingly pleasant as he faced Lin Hao.

If this weren’t the Second Layer, where cultivation realms were suppressed, the old man would have likely not even given Lin Hao the time of day. But with the Young Master present, he had no choice but to be deferential.

Lin Hao didn’t answer, his gaze fixed on the young man behind the old man.

Lin Hao was very familiar with this young man—or rather, the Carefree Divine Monarch was.

The Carefree Divine Monarch, who hailed from the Divine Demon Destruction Domain, had once entered the Jinglian Saint Institute and met this young man.

The young man’s name was Lian Chixiao, the Young Master of the Jinglian Saint Institute.

Even though the Jinglian Saint Institute had intentionally kept Lian Chixiao out of the public eye in the Divine Demon Destruction Domain, the Carefree Divine Monarch’s information network was unparalleled, and he knew just how terrifying the young man was.

Even back then, Lian Chixiao’s cultivation had already reached the Soul Gathering Realm Peak.

And that was three years ago.

’Three years have passed. Who knows what level Lian Chixiao’s cultivation has reached by now.’

The Jinglian Saint Institute specialized in Artifact Refining; Martial Dao Cultivation had always been its weakness. But with the emergence of Lian Chixiao, the Saint Institute saw a hope for a meteoric rise.

’If I’m not mistaken,’ Lin Hao thought, ’the Jinglian Saint Institute is reforging the Emperor’s Soldiers specifically for Lian Chixiao.’

’The Jinglian Saint Institute wants him to vie for the throne of an Emperor!’

Having inherited the Carefree Divine Monarch’s memories, seeing Lian Chixiao now naturally brought these past events to Lin Hao’s mind.

"You know me?" There had only been a subtle shift in Lin Hao’s eyes, but it didn’t escape Lian Chixiao’s Spiritual Sense.

This sent a chill through Lin Hao’s heart.

’Lian Chixiao is definitely a formidable opponent.’

However, Lin Hao didn’t answer. His nose merely twitched.

Lin Hao caught the scent of blood.

At the same time, a glance downward revealed a patch of blood on the ground.

The Divinity Realm was incredibly realistic. Even though only one’s consciousness entered, death here was no different from death in the real world.

The old man had just killed one of his own subordinates, and the evidence remained.

After asking his question, a strange light flashed in Lian Chixiao’s eyes before vanishing. He acted as if he hadn’t noticed Lin Hao’s glance at the blood and offered a faint smile.

"Brother, you are truly impressive. To think you even killed a prodigy like Sima Shengjie. You’ve really brought honor to us from the lower realms."

Unlike Sima Shengjie’s high-and-mighty demeanor, Lian Chixiao appeared kind and approachable, with not a trace of arrogance about him.

In that brief moment, Lian Chixiao’s mind raced, and he decided to take a different approach with Lin Hao.

’Besides, no one else here knows my true identity.’

’If I can get on good terms with this guy, I’m sure I can earn his trust and get what I want from him.’

With this in mind, Lian Chixiao put on a display of utmost sincerity.

Even the old man and the others behind him were somewhat taken aback.

Anyone else might have been deceived by Lian Chixiao’s act, but he couldn’t fool Lin Hao.

This version of Lian Chixiao put Lin Hao on even higher alert.

’I wonder what his expression would be if he knew all this was just a waste of his effort.’

The moment Lian Chixiao spoke, Lin Hao had already guessed his true intentions with near-perfect accuracy.

But Lin Hao didn’t call him out. Instead, he decided to play along.

’He wants to use me? Well, I want to use him too.’

"You’re from the lower realms?" Lin Hao asked, his face a mask of surprise.

Lian Chixiao shrugged, an air of carefree elegance about him.

Then, he let out a laugh. "You didn’t actually think I was from the upper realm, did you?"

Lin Hao nodded with a very serious expression.

It was truly difficult to distinguish truth from fiction.

"My name is Lian Chixiao, from the Jinglian Saint Institute on the Celestial Yang Continent. Might I ask what brings you here, Brother?" Lian Chixiao stepped forward, seemingly without a shred of defensiveness, his smile growing even brighter.

Life is like a play, and it’s all about the acting.

’Faced with Lian Chixiao now, even I have to admit I’m impressed.’

’If I didn’t know who he really was, I might have actually been fooled.’

’But when it comes to acting, I’m confident I’m his equal.’

"You’re from the Celestial Yang Continent too? That’s great! So am I. I’ve long heard of the Jinglian Saint Institute’s prestigious name, but my family’s elders searched for a long time and could never find it. I came here today hoping to find a decent Spiritual Artifact."

Lin Hao spoke as if he had just met a kindred spirit, revealing his purpose.

Besides, what Lin Hao said was perfectly reasonable.

"Brother, you dominated the starting area and just now annihilated the consciousness of an upper-realm prodigy in the Second Layer. Your background must be extraordinary; your family and sect must be incredibly powerful. How could you possibly be lacking a Spiritual... Don’t tell me you’re planning to rob our Jinglian Saint Institute of its Spiritual Artifacts!"

Lian Chixiao’s eyes shot wide in feigned shock.

"Hehe..." Lin Hao scratched his head with an embarrassed grin. "I’ll admit, that was the plan at first. But you’re just too nice. Like they say, you can’t hit a smiling face. Now I’m a little too embarrassed to go through with it."

Lin Hao deliberately ignored Lian Chixiao’s attempt to probe his background, but he did voice some of his genuine thoughts.

While Lin Hao’s primary goal was to find out how the Jinglian Saint Institute from the Divine Demon Destruction Domain was reacting and to stop their people here in the Second Layer, it wasn’t in his nature to visit the Saint Institute’s grounds without plundering them a bit.

"You know what kind of place the Divinity Realm is. Even if there are Spiritual Artifacts here, there won’t be many. If you were to really do that, aren’t you afraid of making an enemy of the Jinglian Saint Institute? Of all the powers on the Celestial Yang Continent, not even the Holy Lands or the esoteric sects would dare. Only the Heaven-Breaking Pavilion has that kind of power. Are you from the Heaven-Breaking Pavilion?"

Since Lin Hao refused to reveal his origins, Lian Chixiao decided to be direct and guess his affiliation.

Of course, he still spoke without a hint of hostility, a smile playing on his lips.

"Lin Hao was inwardly startled, but his expression remained unchanged as he flatly denied it. ’Sigh, don’t laugh, but... I failed to get into the Heaven-Breaking Pavilion.’"

"No way?" Lian Chixiao raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical.

"After Lin Wu found out what I did in the starting area, he sought me out. We had a huge battle... and I lost."

Though Lin Hao’s tone was calm, a flash of hatred flickered in his eyes for an instant before vanishing.

That flicker of hatred did not escape Lian Chixiao’s notice.

"Hmph! If he hadn’t been cultivating for three years longer than me, I never would have lost to him! I hope he shows up here in the Second Layer so I can get my revenge!" Lin Hao snarled, his fists clenched tightly.

A slight smile touched Lian Chixiao’s lips.