Just as Lin Hao took a step, figures blurred into motion. By the time he stopped, his path of retreat had been cut off.

Three City Lord-level experts in the Soul Gathering Realm stood a short distance from the entrance to Yama Street, clearly intending to cut Lin Hao off from the street behind him.

They figured the only reason Lin Hao had been so dismissive of them earlier was because he was leveraging his surroundings.

Now that they had cut off his retreat and stripped him of his advantage, they would be the ones to dominate the situation.

"Lin Hao, you’re far too arrogant." Seeing Lin Hao completely surrounded, Marquis Mo stepped out from the crowd, his regal bearing on full display.

In Marquis Mo’s eyes, now that Lin Hao had left the safety of that area, he was no match for these men. The marquis’s own arrogance returned in full force.

Lin Hao shot Marquis Mo a look as if he were staring at an idiot. "You think they can take me down just because I’ve left that street behind?"

Lin Hao’s calm tone and utter disregard for the dozens of men surrounding him both infuriated Marquis Mo and made his heart skip a beat.

’This Lin Hao is obviously not a fool. Could it be he really has another trick up his sleeve?’

The thought flashed through Marquis Mo’s mind, but he immediately dismissed it.

This was Flame Heaven City, territory of his Mo Yun Kingdom. He refused to believe that a boy who had just entered the Soul Gathering Realm could possibly turn the world upside down here.

Besides, the ground they were standing on had been violently torn apart a few days prior and hadn’t been repaired since. It couldn’t possibly hide any profound secrets like the Yellow Springs Road had.

"We’ll see soon enough whether we can take you down!"

As Marquis Mo spoke, five City Lord-level experts once again deployed the Five Stars Lock Array.

Yet Lin Hao showed no intention of moving.

"Attack!" Marquis Mo roared.

Not one of the dozens of men dared to move. They were still terrified by Lin Hao’s earlier methods.

"He’s only just entered the Soul Gathering Realm and he’s lost his advantage! Are you going to attack or not?!" Marquis Mo roared in fury, suddenly yanking a man toward him.

Before the man could answer, Marquis Mo struck, bringing his palm down.

BOOM!

The man’s skull exploded under the force of Marquis Mo’s furious strike.

"Either take him down, and you’ll all be rewarded with titles and high positions in the capital, or you’ll end up just like him, and I’ll personally send you to the Yellow Springs!" Murderous intent blazed in Marquis Mo’s eyes.

This caused a stir in the crowd. Finally, some of them prepared to move.

Just then, Lin Hao, who had been standing perfectly still across from them, suddenly raised his hand.

That single movement made everyone stumble back in unison. They didn’t dare make a reckless move; in fact, they looked ready to flee at a moment’s notice.

But when they got a clear look at what Lin Hao was doing, the corner of everyone’s mouth twitched.

Lin Hao had merely reached up to scratch his head.

’He was fucking toying with them!’

"Are you going to make a move or not? I’m busy," Lin Hao’s impatient voice rang out.

Hearing Lin Hao’s words, the dozens of men were all enraged.

They were Martial Artists of the Soul Gathering Realm! Any single one of them had a higher cultivation level than Lin Hao, yet here they were, a massive group of them, being openly scorned and toyed with. This was utterly intolerable!

"You’re too arrogant, kid!" several of them roared before they all attacked at once.

RUMBLE!

The power of enraged Soul Gathering Realm experts was boundless.

The already damaged street began to collapse further. Cracks widened into fissures until, moments later, a chasm had opened up between Lin Hao and the Martial Artists across from him.

Above the chasm, dust and smoke billowed. Through the haze, dozens of weapons descended upon Lin Hao.

Before the weapons even reached him, the very ground beneath Lin Hao’s feet began to disintegrate. The earth under the three City Lord-level Martial Artists standing behind him didn’t fare any better.

Fortunately, the weakest of the three City Lords was at the Fourth Layer of the Soul Gathering Realm. At their level, they could hover in mid-air even without a foothold.

The three City Lords hovered in mid-air, staring unblinkingly at the distant Lin Hao.

Under the immense pressure, Lin Hao’s body was being forced down, inch by inch.

The three City Lords exchanged a look and nodded. Then, as if by a silent agreement, they all attacked. Their target, of course, was Lin Hao.

’The Crown Prince wanted him alive. This was the perfect opportunity for them to make their move.’

Three experts at the Fourth Layer of the Soul Gathering Realm, all attacking a mere First Layer Martial Artist simultaneously... In the past, such a notion would have been unthinkable. Today, they had no other choice.

The shock Lin Hao had given them was simply too great. Until he was captured, they wouldn’t dare be arrogant or let their guard down.

"How outrageous! Dozens of them attacking a single First Layer Soul Gathering Realm Martial Artist wasn’t enough, now three City Lords are launching a sneak attack from behind?!" Above the Celestial Monarch’s Mansion, Chu Yanwu was so furious he looked as if his eyes would split. The astral winds of his own power billowed out his robes, making them snap and flutter.

Next to him, Yunxi’s expression was incredibly strained.

She was a princess of the Mo Yun Kingdom. Logically, she should have been siding with her own country, but watching the scene unfold in the distance, her face burned with shame.

Chu Yanwu tensed, ready to make a move.

"Come back." Turtle Egg’s voice rang out, and Chu Yanwu had no choice but to obey.

"They really don’t understand Chu Tiandu," Turtle Egg said, staring into the distance. After that single sentence, he fell silent.

Back on Yama Street, Lin Hao seemed oblivious to the attacks from above and behind. The corner of his mouth curled into a smile.

Just then...

BOOM!

Dozens of meters away, the two large, blood-red words for ’Yama Street’ suddenly blazed with light.

Then, from the chasm in front of Lin Hao, a magnificent palace erupted upwards.

The palace rose with incredible speed, hovering in mid-air in a mere instant!

The palace was clearly not a solid object, but a phantom projection.

However, the two words inscribed upon the palace sent a chill down everyone’s spine, as if they had been plunged into an icy cavern.

There, emblazoned on the magnificent, ethereal palace, were two words: Yama Hall!

The moment Yama Hall appeared, something horrifying began to happen.

The dozens of Soul Gathering Realm Martial Artists found their bodies being pulled uncontrollably toward the phantom Yama Hall. Even the three City Lord-level figures who had attacked Lin Hao from behind were no exception.

"No!"

In an instant, the air was filled with agonized screams.

’Once we’re sucked into Yama Hall, there’s absolutely no chance of survival.’

’They never would have dreamed that something so terrifying was hidden beneath this very street.’

Some unleashed their Divine Souls to fight against Yama Hall’s pull, but it was futile. Others began to burn their own blood essence, but the outcome remained unchanged.

"Lin Hao! No, Grandmaster Lin! I beg you, please be merciful and spare my worthless life! I’ll do anything you say! I can help you capture Marquis Mo!"

One of the City Lord-level figures shrieked, his voice raw as he begged Lin Hao for mercy.

Lin Hao’s expression remained calm and indifferent as he watched the scene unfold, completely unmoved.

’If I didn’t know about the measures Chu Tiandu left behind, I’d be Marquis Mo’s prisoner right now. And who would have spared my life then?’

At the thought of Marquis Mo, Lin Hao glanced over, his expression freezing for a moment in surprise.