The beast-clad youth’s tone was temperate, but it made everyone’s heart pound in terror.

As expected of someone from the Jinglian Saint Institute, he was far too domineering. A single word from him could decide the life or death of an entire sect.

Countless eyes stared at Mo Qianwu, waiting to see what he would choose.

Some gloated over his predicament, while others furrowed their brows in concern.

Beads of sweat appeared on Mo Qianwu’s face.

If it were just him, he wouldn’t have to think twice. But as a Sect Leader, he was responsible for the lives of his people.

"Old Mo, I appreciate the thought, but a mere Jinglian Saint Institute is nothing I’d lose sleep over." Not wanting to put Mo Qianwu in a difficult position, Lin Hao leaped onto the Wind and Cloud Platform and clapped him on the shoulder.

Mo Qianwu looked up, a hint of apology flashing in his eyes.

Lin Hao naturally understood his dilemma and simply gave a small, unconcerned smile.

His expression was calm, but the crowd below erupted.

"Did I hear that right? Did Lin Hao just say he doesn’t give a damn about the Jinglian Saint Institute?"

"I heard it too. He must not know how terrifying the Jinglian Saint Institute is. They’re a power that even the five great Divine Sects wouldn’t dare to provoke."

People in the audience exchanged bewildered glances, all stunned by Lin Hao’s words.

"Wait a minute. I remember when Lin Hao arrived, no one told him that young master’s identity, yet he exposed it in a single breath. There’s definitely something strange about this."

"Now that you mention it, I remember that too. Lin Hao knew the young master’s identity, but he remained completely composed. It means he’s not afraid because he has something to rely on."

Toward the back of the audience, many people stared at Lin Hao, hoping to discern some clue from his demeanor.

However, Lin Hao’s gaze was calm, like a pool of deep water—unfathomable.

Lin Hao could remain calm, but someone else could not.

Hearing Lin Hao’s words, the beast-clad youth flew into a rage.

"So you don’t take the Jinglian Saint Institute seriously, is that it? Today, I’ll show you the consequences of offending it!"

Lin Hao was unmoved. He looked at the beast-clad youth and said, "You aren’t even wearing proper cloth. What gives you the right to be so arrogant?"

Lin Hao stared at the beast-clad youth, not bothering to hide the contempt in his eyes.

"Insolence! Even if Young Master Lian wore nothing at all, he would still be ten thousand times more noble than you!" beside the beast-clad youth, Luo Zhonglou rebuked Lin Hao.

Before this beast-clad youth, Luo Zhonglou was more than happy to be a dog.

After saying this, he turned back with a smile, hoping for a reward from his master.

However, what Luo Zhonglou saw was the beast-clad youth’s somewhat panicked face.

"Shut your mouth!"

The beast-clad youth shot to his feet. Staring at Lin Hao, he demanded, "What else do you know?"

"Jinglian Pavilion. Beast Cloth Brocade," Lin Hao said. It was just five words.

The beast-clad youth’s expression changed dramatically, and he stared at Lin Hao in disbelief.

"You... Are you from a Holy Land or an Esoteric Sect? No, they’re not qualified... Are you from the Upper Realm?" The beast-clad youth stumbled backward in a panic, as if he had encountered something utterly terrifying.

To think that just five words from Lin Hao had scared the once-invincible beast-clad youth into such a state.

This scene made everyone’s jaw drop.

But what came next was even more outrageous.

The corners of Lin Hao’s mouth lifted as he said something that shocked the entire crowd: "Who the hell do you think you are? Are you even worthy of asking my identity?!"

His words shook everyone to their very Divine Souls.

This beast-clad youth had an astonishing background. Never mind the four great sects of the Southern Border Prefecture; even the Sect Leaders of the Cangnan Empire’s five great Divine Sects wouldn’t dare act so presumptuously before him. Yet now, Lin Hao had spoken to him so directly.

’So incredibly wild and domineering!’

But the most surprising thing was the beast-clad youth’s reaction. Hearing Lin Hao’s words, his face went pale, and though he opened his mouth, he didn’t dare to utter a single word of rebuttal.

This was too abnormal.

"Hey, what do you think those five words Lin Hao said earlier mean?"

Someone had guessed the root of the beast-clad youth’s fear.

"How should I know? I’d never even heard the name Jinglian Saint Institute before today."

It wasn’t just them; even Song Xinchuan and Su Molixi were just as confused.

The Jinglian Saint Institute hadn’t made a public appearance in many years, so it was largely unknown in the Cangnan Empire. If not for the records within their sects, even they would have been unaware of this power.

Besides Lin Hao and the beast-clad youth, it was likely no one else understood the meaning of his words.

"Young Master Lian, I fear this Lin Hao is just bluffing. You must remember, the Heaven-Stepping Sect is of an Emperor Venerable’s lineage. It’s normal for him to know a few secrets about the Saint Institute," Luo Zhonglou whispered to the beast-clad youth.

The beast-clad youth’s eyes lit up when he heard this. Then he whispered back to Luo Zhonglou, "You. Go capture him."

Luo Zhonglou’s face twisted into a pained expression.

’Talk about lifting a rock only to smash your own foot. This is it.’

However, he didn’t dare offend the beast-clad youth, so he could only nod.

"Lin Hao, it’s time to settle the score between you and my Zhengyang Sect!" Gritting his teeth, Luo Zhonglou stepped forward.

Lin Hao, however, looked completely baffled. "Do we have a score to settle?" he asked.

"How could we not?" Seeing Lin Hao’s expression, Luo Zhonglou’s anger flared, and he rattled off a long list of grievances.

"At Tianduan Mountain outside War Dragon City, you knew full well those people were disciples of my Zhengyang Sect, yet you still killed them mercilessly."

"Also in War Dragon City, you humiliated my son, Yulou, and even dispersed a wisp of my Divine Soul!"

"And at the Heaven-Stepping Sect, three of my sect’s Grand Elders went with a Spiritual Artifact, bringing seven Elemental Realm Martial Artists with them! In the end, besides the three Grand Elders, the seven Elemental Realm Martial Artists and the Spiritual Artifact were all kept by you at the Heaven-Stepping Sect. And now you dare to tell me we have no score to settle?"

After he finished speaking, Luo Zhonglou glared at Lin Hao, his face a mask of indignation.

Then, he realized something was wrong.

Because Lin Hao was watching him with a beaming smile, as if looking at an idiot.

Luo Zhonglou still hadn’t figured out what was going on when he heard Lin Hao say, "You’ve got a great memory. But for you to be able to recount such a long list of embarrassing failures... it must have been so hard for you."

"Hahahaha..."

Countless people in the audience behind them burst into laughter.

"You! You!"

Only then did Luo Zhonglou realize he’d been played by Lin Hao, and his face flushed as red as blood.

"You what? If you want to be a dog, you should be prepared to be played with. I don’t even take the Jinglian Saint Institute seriously, so who the hell do you think you are!"

Lin Hao’s expression turned cold in an instant, his words utterly merciless.

Because Lin Hao had already sensed that something was wrong.

His knowledge of the Jinglian Saint Institute and those key phrases was, naturally, thanks to the Carefree Divine Monarch.

But even the Carefree Divine Monarch knew little about the Jinglian Saint Institute. If he couldn’t successfully bluff the beast-clad youth, he would be in real danger today.

"You little bastard! I’ll make sure you die without a burial plot today!" Luo Zhonglou roared in fury.

He was not only a Sect Leader but also a Soul Gathering Realm expert. No one dared to speak to him like that, not even the beast-clad youth from the Jinglian Saint Institute.

But now, Lin Hao had humiliated him like this in front of everyone.

Enraged, Luo Zhonglou’s True Essence manifested as a giant hand that shot out to grab Lin Hao.

On the Wind and Cloud Platform, Su Molixi took a step forward, positioning herself in front of Lin Hao.

Without any discernible movement from her, the True Essence hand formed by Luo Zhonglou disintegrated, and he himself staggered back several steps before regaining his footing.

Without any hesitation, Luo Zhonglou attacked again.

This time, a shadowy mass appeared behind him. He was about to use the power of his Divine Soul.

At the same time, Song Xinchuan also made his move.

His figure moved with incredible speed as he lunged for Lin Hao.

Hmph!

Su Molixi let out a cold snort. A holy light rose from behind her; she actually intended to fight two against one.

BOOM! BOOM!

The three of them moved so fast that before the crowd could even process what was happening, a dull thud echoed as their palms collided.

PFFT!

Su Molixi coughed up a mouthful of blood, instantly dyeing her veil red.

But she didn’t retreat even half a step.

Because behind her stood Lin Hao.

If she took even one step back, she would certainly collide with Lin Hao. In a battle between Soul Gathering Realm Martial Artists, never mind a Blood Coagulation Realm cultivator, even a typical Elemental Realm Martial Artist would meet only one fate if they were caught in the crossfire—death!

Therefore, she could not retreat.

Injured from the pincer attack of the two experts, Su Molixi watched as her opponents, pressing their advantage, prepared to strike again.

"Stop!"

Lin Hao’s voice suddenly rang out from below the Wind and Cloud Platform.

Luo Zhonglou and Song Xinchuan froze. They turned to see Lin Hao’s hand clamped around the beast-clad youth’s throat.

This made the two of them afraid to make a rash move.

"Ugh... urk..." The beast-clad youth tried to speak.

Lin Hao’s grip loosened slightly.

"Kill him for me!" The words sputtered from his mouth.

"If your Jinglian Saint Institute were on the scale of the Divine Demon Destruction Domain, I might be a little wary. But sadly, it’s not..." Lin Hao’s hand suddenly tightened. He then leaned in and whispered something in the beast-clad youth’s ear.

The beast-clad youth froze, and then his entire body began to tremble.

Seeing this reaction, Lin Hao finally breathed a sigh of relief.

At that moment, Luo Zhonglou and Song Xinchuan had arrived in front of the beast-clad youth.

Lin Hao loosened his grip slightly.

"Don’t move!" The very first thing the beast-clad youth said was to stop the two of them.

"But..."

Luo Zhonglou was still trying to protest when the beast-clad youth suddenly broke free from Lin Hao’s grasp and slapped him across the face.

SLAP!

The slap was fast and vicious, the sound sharp and loud.

The crowd was stunned. Luo Zhonglou was dumbfounded.

The former never would have imagined the beast-clad youth would act this way.

’Lin Hao had taken him hostage, so shouldn’t he be going after Lin Hao? Why would he hit his own helpful lackey instead?’

And Luo Zhonglou was even more shocked that a single "but" would earn him a slap in the face.

But it still wasn’t over. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Then, a scene unfolded that was even more unbelievable.

"This humble one has eyes but failed to recognize Mount Tai! Your Excellency is a great man who doesn’t hold grudges against the lowly. Please, spare me!" The beast-clad youth suddenly dropped to his knees before Lin Hao, terrified beyond measure.

This scene shocked everyone.

When this beast-clad youth had first appeared, the Sect Leader of the Proud Moon Divine Sect, one of the five great Divine Sects, had lowered himself to curry favor with him. And the youth hadn’t even needed to say a word.

But now, he was kneeling before Lin Hao.

This made everyone unable to believe their own eyes.

They had originally thought Lin Hao would meet his end here, but now it seemed he was the biggest winner.

This reversal of fortunes was beyond anyone’s expectations.

Lin Hao’s only response to the youth was a cold snort.

SLAP!

Without a second word, the youth slapped himself across the face.

This slap sent a tremor through the hearts of everyone present.

"Weren’t you so arrogant and domineering, so utterly invincible? And what was that you wanted to do with a Spiritual Artifact...?"

"I deserve to die! I deserve to die..." The beast-clad youth’s face was a picture of terror as he delivered several more slaps to his own face. SLAP! SLAP! SLAP!

The slaps were incredibly loud, as if he weren’t hitting himself.

The beast-clad youth was now overcome with terror.

’Lin Hao even knows the name of the Upper Realm; he must have come from there. No matter how powerful the Jinglian Saint Institute is, it’s nothing before someone from the Upper Realm.’

’If I can’t make Lin Hao happy, I won’t even be able to keep my life today.’