Men from a major power had come to reclaim the Spiritual Artifacts Lin Hao had taken. But Lin Hao, completely fearless, charged out at them.

This scene stunned the onlookers into a stupor.

Lin Hao was simply too lawless.

Even the four who had come didn’t expect Lin Hao to be so decisive. By the time they reacted, it was too late.

After breaking through to the Extreme Realm of Blood Coagulation, Lin Hao had gained a new understanding of the Ghostly Divine Step. His speed was pushed to the absolute limit.

BOOM!

He threw a sudden punch, and two of the four men were sent flying by his single strike, landing on the ground unable to get back up.

"Time... freez..." one of the two remaining men stammered in horror, managing only a few words.

Although they could only exert the combat power of the Blood Coagulation Realm, their insight was still sharp. Lin Hao’s speed was so unnaturally fast that it seemed to bend time itself!

BOOM!

Before the man could finish, he met the same fate as the first two.

The last man reacted quickly and took a defensive stance, but it was all in vain.

Lin Hao grabbed the last man, swung him around, and smashed him into the other three who were trying to get up.

The next moment, Lin Hao sat down hard.

He was using the four men as a human cushion.

RUMBLE!

The already cracked flagstones below shattered into pieces, and the impact even broke the masks on the four men’s faces.

Lin Hao sat there nonchalantly, but his hands began to frisk them all over.

The two from before were of a lower status, yet they carried Spiritual Artifacts. These four were big fish; they had to have something good on them.

Countless people’s jaws dropped. Lin Hao’s actions were simply too... too outrageous.

No matter how you looked at it, these four were important figures from major powers, surely regional overlords in the real world. Now, not only were they being used as human cushions by Lin Hao, but they were also being crudely frisked.

But Lin Hao couldn’t care less what others thought. His face was aglow with excitement.

A moment later, Lin Hao’s face fell in disappointment. The four men had nothing on them.

Lin Hao stood up, hoisted one of them, pinned the other three under his feet, and asked the crowd, "Do any of you recognize him?"

Everyone shook their heads. The man Lin Hao was holding had a crooked nose and shifty eyes; probably even his own mother wouldn’t recognize him, so how could they?

"He used a Secret Skill to change his appearance," a knowledgeable person in the crowd revealed.

Understanding dawned in everyone’s eyes.

This man must be a venerable figure in the real world. After being humiliated like this by Lin Hao in the Initial Ground, if he didn’t change his appearance, he would never be able to show his face in public again.

And that was indeed the case. Right now, the middle-aged man was feeling utterly suffocated with indignation.

In the real world, he was a regional overlord. Never mind mere Blood Coagulation Realm cultivators, even Soul Gathering Realm Martial Artists had to steer clear of him!

But in this damned Initial Ground of the Divinity Realm, he could only use the power of the Blood Coagulation Realm. Not only was he taken down by Lin Hao in a single exchange, but he was also turned into a human cushion. It was humiliating, so fucking humiliating!

Of course, the most important thing now was to save face. Nothing else mattered.

"I say, can you guys not be so pathetic? How can you go out without carrying anything?" Since no one recognized them, Lin Hao turned back and began to lecture them.

"You little bastard, let us go, or you’re dead!" one of the middle-aged men under Lin Hao’s feet yelled.

In response, Lin Hao applied a little more pressure with his foot.

SPURT! SPURT! SPURT!

In the Blood Coagulation Realm, Lin Hao was invincible. All three men under his feet spat out a mouthful of blood.

Then, the three men began to struggle violently.

Their bodies began to glow. The shattered flagstones beneath them turned to dust, and a cloud of grit flew into the air.

However, it was all futile. Beneath Lin Hao’s foot, no one could make a wave.

"Still so arrogant. It looks like you’re used to bullying people. In that case..." Lin Hao said, stomping his foot again.

This time, the body of the man at the very bottom of the human cushion suddenly exploded. Lin Hao had obliterated him.

The force of that stomp was exquisitely controlled—a classic case of "striking the cow on the other side of the mountain."

"You... you..." The remaining three men were so terrified they could barely speak.

Normally, they were the ones who killed others. Now, in the Divinity Realm, a little whelp had actually killed one of them. They were completely dumbfounded.

Although this was the Divinity Realm and it was only their spiritual consciousness that was destroyed, the damage to their real bodies was immense. It would take a long time to recuperate, so no one dared to treat the life of their spiritual consciousness lightly.

Lin Hao didn’t waste any more words and directly obliterated another’s spiritual consciousness. This rendered the remaining three uncharacteristically silent. Here, they were lambs to the slaughter, and Lin Hao was the butcher.

No one dared to provoke Lin Hao any further.

"Can any of you send a message? I want Spiritual Artifacts. Three of them." Lin Hao said with a beaming smile, beginning his blatant extortion.

"You..." The three were filled with indignation but didn’t dare to voice their anger.

"Spiritual Artifacts are too valuable. We are just small-fry. You should just let us go," one of the remaining three said, all of his previous arrogance gone.

"Small-fry? I suppose you are. In that case, you can all just die." Lin Hao muttered to himself, stroking his chin.

SPURT!

The one who had spoken immediately spat out a mouthful of blood.

He, a regional overlord, had only humbled himself and called himself small-fry to get away quickly. But Lin Hao had actually taken him at his word! How could he bear such humiliation?

Lin Hao prepared to strike again.

Just then, three shields suddenly descended from the sky.

They came from three different directions at incredible speed, instantly sealing Lin Hao between them.

Moreover, the three shields were overwhelmingly powerful. They landed with a thunderous crash, and the remaining three men Lin Hao had been using as a human cushion were obliterated without so much as a grunt!

HISS!

The sound of sharp intakes of breath filled the air.

"Three shields, all emitting a powerful aura, and there are Array Runes fluctuating on them! These are ultimate treasures! At the very least, a Divine Sect-level power has arrived!" someone exclaimed in shock.

Lin Hao stood proudly, his expression grave. Just as the person had said, the three shields radiated a powerful aura; they were definitely ultimate treasures.

In the distant sky, three hazy figures appeared.

"Our master wishes to see you. Come with us," one of them said, his voice devoid of any emotion.

These three were tyrannical and arrogant, a world apart from the previous four, who seemed utterly pathetic in comparison. Now *this* was what it meant to be from a true major power.

"My three Spiritual Artifacts were ruined by your interruption. I think your shields look pretty good. They’ll do nicely to compensate me for my loss." Lin Hao thought, wary, but his expression gradually relaxed as he stared at the three shields, his eyes shining.

The onlookers were all dizzy. This guy was too damn arrogant.

"Suppress him!" was the response to Lin Hao—two cold words.

BOOM!

Divine light erupted from the three shields as they rapidly closed in, sealing Lin Hao within.

In the distance, the three hazy figures seemed to have immense confidence in their shields. They approached at a leisurely pace.

A hazy mist shrouded their bodies, obscuring their true appearances.

RUMBLE!

Just then, a tremendous roar echoed from within the three shields.

The crowd felt like their eardrums were about to burst.

They were all reeling. It seemed like the guy was trying to shatter the shields with his bare fists.

The three hazy figures paused for a moment before resuming their approach.

"It’s useless. These three shields have undergone special Refining. Although they aren’t physically manifested here in the Divinity Realm, they are more than enough to deal with you."

"I knew something was off! So they’re not even real. Trying to fool me with three fakes? I’m so pissed!" Lin Hao’s voice boomed from within the shields, followed by an unending roar.

A divine light burst from between the three shields, shooting straight into the Tianyu.

The crowd was aghast. Lin Hao had clearly been holding back before, because the roaring now was far more terrifying than it had been.

They retreated.

If they didn’t retreat further, their eardrums would surely burst.

But the three figures were still walking forward.

The noise from within the shields came to an abrupt stop. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"Trying to break out with brute force? How does it feel, kid? I bet you’re bleeding from every orifice right now."

"The echoes reverberating off the three shields amplify the damage inside by dozens of times. It’d be a miracle if he could even hear you."

"Enough. The master is waiting. Take him down now!" The last man to speak was clearly the leader of the three, and the other two immediately fell silent.

And just at that moment...

KENG!

A sound, different from before, rang out. Then, to everyone’s astonishment, they saw one of the shields begin to crack.

BOOM!

The three figures finally acted. With a point of their fingers, the three shields began to rotate rapidly, and faint Array Runes became visible on their surfaces.

RUMBLE!

A shocking phenomenon occurred.

Dark clouds suddenly roiled across the sky, forming a massive vortex from which a great storm brewed.

Countless people scrambled back in retreat.

The vortex possessed an unimaginable suction, as if it intended to devour all of creation.

"It’s over. The kid’s finished. This ultimate treasure is too powerful."

Even from a great distance, the crowd could still feel the immense pressure. Seeing the spot where Lin Hao stood being completely swallowed by the massive storm, some shook their heads and sighed.

"Break!"

A furious roar suddenly erupted, shaking the Tianyu itself.

KENG! KENG! KENG!

Ten thousand rays of light exploded out from within the storm.

SPURT! SPURT!

Despite retreating again and again, several onlookers were still sent flying, coughing up blood from the sheer force of the roar and the collision.

And when the storm dissipated, only Lin Hao remained, standing proudly.

Lin Hao had shattered all three shields!

The three figures were greatly alarmed and tried to retreat, but it was too late.

Against Lin Hao’s extreme speed, not one of the three could escape.

"Whose dogs are these three? Bring Spiritual Artifacts to trade for them, or I’ll kill them on the spot!" Lin Hao roared, pinning the three under his feet, his voice shaking the land.

By now, many experts had gathered around the Initial Ground, including Sect Leaders from major sects, Patriarchs from great families, and even people from Holy Lands and Esoteric Sects.

Many had witnessed the great battle. Now, hearing Lin Hao’s voice, some chose to slip away quietly, some chose to watch coldly from the sidelines, and for others, killing intent was plain to see.

But no matter their reaction, there was one fact that no one could deny: in the Blood Coagulation Realm, in a one-on-one fight, no one here was a match for this boy!

In just a short time, this youth had already set two records in the Initial Ground. He was a heaven-sent genius! If he were allowed to grow, his future achievements would be destined to shake the world and crush the ages!

This was an outcome many did not wish to see.

And so, someone else made a move!

On this day, the Initial Ground was shrouded in all kinds of divine light as one battle raged after another.

However, Lin Hao was unbelievably strong. When the dust settled, he had captured several thousand Martial Artists.

Among them were many Sect Leader-level figures from various major powers.

Although they did their best to hide it, the deep-seated aura of authority they possessed was impossible to conceal.

And then, Lin Hao began his blatant extortion...