The spot where Lin Hao stood was part of Yama Street. At this moment, the entire street was engulfed in billowing dust and sand, and Lin Hao’s figure had long since vanished from sight.

Amidst the massive boom, Mo Yantian somersaulted several times in mid-air before landing on the ground. He staggered back a few steps before steadying himself.

Mo Yantian stared at the spot where Lin Hao had just been standing, his face a mask of horror.

Although he had successfully slammed Lin Hao into the ground, Mo Yantian showed no joy.

He had used sixty percent of his cultivation power. Logically, Lin Hao should have been completely powerless to resist.

But he’d been forced to use a clever technique just to neutralize Lin Hao’s attack, a fact that left Mo Yantian reeling in shock.

’Even without the help of this mansion, Lin Hao possesses such combat strength. Incredible. Given time, this kid will become a grave threat to His Highness—no, to the entire Mo Yun Kingdom. But it’s fine. After taking a palm strike from me, he won’t be escaping today.’

Mo Yantian sighed to himself. At the same time, he flicked his sleeve from a distance.

A gust of astral wind kicked up, instantly dispersing the billowing dust and sand.

With that, the spot where Lin Hao had been standing was revealed.

A large crater, more than two meters in diameter, had appeared in the already-wrecked ground.

And on the surface, there was no longer any sign of Lin Hao.

"Mo Yantian, where is Lin Hao?!" Seeing this, Marquis Mo’s expression turned ugly as he interrogated Mo Yantian.

Mo Yantian cupped his fist. "Rest assured, Your Highness. Lin Hao is in that crater. I used sixty percent of my cultivation power. While he may not be dead, he is definitely unable to move. Please be patient, I will get him out now."

Just as Mo Yantian finished speaking and was about to move, he froze.

"Thank you for the kind offer, but there’s no need." A voice echoed from the crater, and then Mo Yantian saw a hand grip the edge of the pit.

Mo Yantian knew that voice all too well—it was Lin Hao’s!

Mo Yantian’s pupils contracted sharply.

’I used sixty percent of my power, how could Lin Hao possibly still be able to climb out?!’

Just then, Mo Yantian felt a wave of anger coming from behind him.

"He’s just putting on a brave face! He must be. When he gets out, Your Highness, you’ll surely see him as nothing but a bloody mess." Mo Yantian immediately turned and cupped his fist toward Marquis Mo.

"Sorry, but I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you again," Lin Hao’s voice sounded once more.

Mo Yantian saw Marquis Mo’s eyes suddenly widen in disbelief.

Realizing something was wrong, Mo Yantian quickly turned back. The sight made him curse under his breath.

Lin Hao was standing at the edge of the crater. Aside from slightly messy hair and a pale complexion, his clothes were intact. He looked completely unharmed.

If Mo Yantian hadn’t noticed that Lin Hao was wearing different clothes from before, he would have thought Lin Hao had never even been there.

"City Lord Mo’s power is truly profound. A perfectly good set of clothes was torn to shreds by your Palm Force. I had no choice but to change, which took a little time," Lin Hao said with an apologetic smile.

Mo Yantian’s mouth twitched, and a surge of rage welled up inside him.

’This guy’s tongue is too damn sharp! This is just humiliating!’

"It seems we’ve both underestimated him. Attack with your full strength!" Marquis Mo, who was standing to the side, suddenly ordered.

That was exactly what Mo Yantian intended. Upon hearing the order, he moved instantly.

A sonic boom ripped through the air.

Mo Yantian was incredibly fast, but he failed to capture Lin Hao.

After a slight pause, Mo Yantian’s expression changed drastically.

"Insolence! Release His Highness at once!" Mo Yantian roared.

At that moment, he felt blood rush to his head, and his desire to kill Lin Hao became overwhelmingly intense.

’To think that I, a dignified Fourth Layer of Soul Gathering Realm expert, would have my opponent slip behind me and capture His Highness right as I was making my move!’

Humiliation!

This was the greatest humiliation imaginable!

In all his decades of life, Mo Yantian had never been treated this way, and by a mere Soul Gathering Realm First Layer Martial Artist no less!

As he roared, Lin Hao, who had already grabbed Marquis Mo, leaped over his head and shot straight toward the Yellow Springs Road.

If Lin Hao reached the Yellow Springs Road, everything would become irreversible. Mo Yantian manifested a giant hand of True Essence and lunged for Lin Hao, moving with incredible speed.

He was fast, but not as fast as Lin Hao. His grasp barely grazed Lin Hao’s shoulder.

As he violently clenched his fist, the clothes on Lin Hao’s back disintegrated into ash. At the same time, four red marks appeared on Lin Hao’s back—the fingerprints left by Mo Yantian’s True Essence hand.

BOOM!

And when Mo Yantian’s five fingers closed, a deafening roar echoed out.

The power of that strike was immense.

Having missed his target, Mo Yantian pushed his True Essence hand forward and then abruptly flicked his fingers.

PTHOO!

Lin Hao spat out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying straight into the main gate of the Celestial Monarch’s Mansion.

Mo Yantian wanted to give chase, but when he recalled the scene that had occurred on the Yellow Springs Road not long ago, he stopped in his tracks.

In that brief moment, Lin Hao vanished with Marquis Mo.

Mo Yantian stared at the closed gates before him, his expression constantly shifting. He then looked down at his right hand, examining it over and over.

"My full-power strike only left four scratch marks on Lin Hao’s back. His physical body is terrifyingly tough. With a body like that, my final attack definitely couldn’t have killed him," Mo Yantian muttered to himself.

After hesitating there for a long time, he finally had to leave.

His cultivation was insufficient to enter the mansion. The most urgent task now was to find reinforcements.

’No. If word gets out that His Highness was captured, not only will I lose my position as City Lord, I might not even be able to keep my life! I can’t let any news of what happened here leak!’ After taking just two steps, Mo Yantian changed his mind.

Then, with a series of flashes, Mo Yantian’s figure vanished from the area.

Outside the Celestial Monarch’s Mansion, quiet returned, leaving only a scene of utter destruction.

Inside the mansion, however, the scene was completely different.

Inside the Celestial Monarch’s Mansion, Marquis Mo’s body had been tossed to the ground by Lin Hao. Not far from the main gate, Lin Hao was on one knee, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. His face was pale, and he looked as if he was about to collapse.

Lin Hao was only at the Soul Gathering Realm First Layer. He had already been injured during his first clash with Mo Yantian. Fortunately, while in the crater, he had used the time it took to change his clothes to heal his internal injuries.

That exchange had shown Lin Hao that he was no match for a Fourth Layer of Soul Gathering Realm Martial Artist. Therefore, the moment Mo Yantian attacked, Lin Hao had immediately used his Body Technique to take Marquis Mo by surprise and capture him.

To escape from Mo Yantian’s grasp, Lin Hao pushed his speed to the absolute limit, and he had succeeded by the narrowest of margins.

But Mo Yantian’s final attack had contained all his power. No matter how formidable Lin Hao’s physical body was, it couldn’t withstand such a blow.

On the ground not far away, Marquis Mo’s eyes were wide as he stared intently at Lin Hao.

Just moments before, outside, he never would have imagined that Lin Hao would attack him during a duel with Mo Yantian, which was why Lin Hao had succeeded.

Afterward, he had witnessed firsthand how Lin Hao was struck by Mo Yantian.

Seeing Lin Hao take a solid hit from Mo Yantian, Marquis Mo had thought Lin Hao would surely perish then and there.

Although he was unwilling to see Lin Hao die just like that, it would have been the best possible outcome.

However, Lin Hao’s resilience was beyond anything Marquis Mo could have imagined.

To take a full-blown attack from a Fourth Layer of Soul Gathering Realm Martial Artist and not only survive, but remain standing—it was simply astonishing.