Chapter 300: Chapter 296: Annihilation Guard

Lin Hao’s body was a weapon, and wails of agony echoed in his wake.

The highest cultivation level among this batch of Lin family guards was merely the Seventh Layer of the Elemental Control Realm. How could they possibly be Lin Hao’s match?

The Martial Artist at the Seventh Layer of the Elemental Control Realm was supposed to be the leader of these guards. Knowing how formidable Lin Hao was, he naturally wouldn’t charge at the front.

Thus, the situation was completely one-sided.

Like an ancient divine leopard, Lin Hao charged past, ignoring everything around him, his focus fixed only on what was ahead.

When he saw the cold glint of a weapon attacking, Lin Hao would simply grab it with his bare hands.

Beneath Lin Hao’s claw-like hands, sharp and deadly weapons were like tofu, shattering into pieces!

Then, his hands would continue onward, unabated, each strike a killing blow!

Before long, all the Lin family guards who had come were killed by Lin Hao.

The leader tried to flee, but he wasn’t faster than Lin Hao and was struck down by his palm.

Ahead lay the main thoroughfare of Imperial City.

Lin Hao, bathed in blood, moved forward without fear, his eyes ice-cold.

The night was deep. The wide main street was deserted and eerily silent.

A cold smirk appeared on Lin Hao’s lips as he strode forward.

A murderous aura lurked in the darkness ahead, but Lin Hao was utterly fearless.

SHIING!

The sound of something slicing through the air rang out.

A jet-black sword shot from the roof of a nearby pavilion, aiming straight for Lin Hao’s head at extreme speed.

Lin Hao was too terrifying; the guards who came later were smart enough to attack from the shadows.

Without even looking, Lin Hao threw a punch.

Not only was the sword shattered by the punch, but the swordsman was sent flying backward, crashing into a grindstone. Then, both the grindstone and the man burst apart.

Although they were all in the Elemental Control Realm, Lin Hao’s foundation was incredibly solid. His True Essence was on a completely different level compared to others of the same rank.

It was no exaggeration to say that if these guards were at the same rank as him, not a single one could withstand even a single exchange!

"You’re not good enough. Send someone who can actually fight! I’m waiting." Lin Hao stood proudly in the middle of the street and spoke with indifference.

Although the wide street was empty, Lin Hao’s Spiritual Sense was so formidable that the Martial Artists hiding in the shadows had nowhere to hide. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

There was neither joy nor sorrow in Lin Hao’s eyes, but he was secretly circulating his energy to regulate his breathing.

’The Lin family will never let me go. A vicious battle is inevitable, which is why I chose the most shocking method to deal with them just now.’

’It seems to be very effective. Many of the hidden guards’ breathing has become ragged. I can even hear the sound of several people’s sweat dripping onto the rubble.’

But Lin Hao didn’t dare to let his guard down.

’This is the main family estate. Genius disciples from all the clan’s branches across the empire gather here. They are the real opponents.’

Moreover, Lin Hao could sense someone with a strong cultivation base not far ahead. Their aura was so faint it had almost eluded his Spiritual Sense.

Suddenly, Lin Hao’s brow twitched, and he shifted his body slightly to the side.

HISS!

A soft sound was heard.

"You’re not all that." A youth appeared not far from Lin Hao. He held a sword, and on its tip was a scrap of cloth.

Just now, when Lin Hao had sidestepped, the youth’s sword had pierced through his clothing.

The youth gave his sword a slight swing, and the scrap of cloth burst apart, the pieces shooting toward Lin Hao.

SHHH! SHHH!

The sound of tearing air intensified.

Lin Hao still didn’t make a move, merely shifting his body to the side again.

THWACK! THWACK!

The shredded pieces of cloth were like sharp blades, slicing clean through distant wooden posts and beams upon impact!

This youth’s True Essence was incredibly pure, far beyond what an ordinary guard could compare to.

But the youth clearly hadn’t expected the cloth scraps to accomplish anything. As they flew toward Lin Hao, his own sword moved as well.

Its speed was extreme!

The longsword transformed into a streak of light, aiming straight for Lin Hao’s head, yet the youth himself didn’t move from his spot.

A closer look would reveal a fine thread connecting the sword’s hilt to the youth’s arm.

Lin Hao reached out with his hand, chopping toward the longsword.

However, before his palm could collide with the blade, the sword suddenly retreated, then shot out again, attacking Lin Hao’s heart.

The youth controlled the sword with the thread, his movements exceptionally skilled.

He was trying to avoid making too much physical contact with Lin Hao.

Clearly, Lin Hao’s formidable physique made him wary of facing him head-on.

Or perhaps, the Lin family knew Lin Hao possessed a strange fire and was using this method to conserve their strength.

This time, Lin Hao chose not to strike back, nor did he retreat. Instead, he advanced.

Seeing the sword coming for his heart, Lin Hao reacted almost instantly. Using his Cultivation Technique to gather True Essence to protect his heart, he charged forward to meet the attack.

The distance between them closed in an instant.

The youth was horrified and retreated explosively.

A mocking expression appeared on Lin Hao’s face. He stopped abruptly and said, "Relax. I won’t use the strange fire on you. Not on you, not on any of the others. You’re all overestimating yourselves."

’That elder who went to War Dragon City must have come up with this method to guard against my strange fire,’ Lin Hao guessed.

’This isn’t a good thing for me.’

’To grow quickly, I can’t rely too much on external objects. If my opponents hold back because of the strange fire, it’ll hinder my progress.’

In other words, Lin Hao was currently looking for a beating.

The human body is mysterious and unfathomable, its potential limitless. Only by surviving desperate situations can one force that potential to emerge.

Seeing Lin Hao’s expression, a vicious look appeared on the youth’s face.

He was originally a member of a Lin family branch clan. As the number one genius in his branch, he was granted entry into the main family.

However, after joining the main family, he didn’t receive the status he expected. Instead, he became a member of the Lin family’s Annihilation Guard.

The Annihilation Guard—as its name implied, its sole purpose was to annihilate Lin Hao.

The Annihilation Guard held a very special status within the Lin family, as all its members were the number one geniuses of their respective branch families!

Yet, the first piece of information they received was to not clash head-on with Lin Hao.

Geniuses were naturally proud and arrogant. To them, this information was nothing short of an insult.

But after the Lin family recounted Lin Hao’s terrifying deeds one by one, they felt extremely stifled.

It wasn’t Lin Hao’s physical body they feared, but his bizarre strange fire.

Before meeting Lin Hao, none of them had thought much of him.

But the battle at Mist Rain Tower had shown them just how terrifying Lin Hao was.

That was why the youth had looked so horrified when Lin Hao suddenly closed in on him.

Now, Lin Hao’s mocking words made the youth’s blood boil.

BOOM!

Rage exploded in the youth’s mind, making him forget Lin Hao’s terror. Only a single thought remained—kill him!

Grasping the hilt of his sword, the youth thrust out with lightning speed.

CLANG!

Lin Hao, using his hand as a blade, chopped the sword in two.

The youth reacted with extreme speed. Not only did he not drop the broken sword, but it suddenly flared with power.

True Essence forming a sword!

However, Lin Hao was too fast.

WHOOSH!

Lin Hao’s hand suddenly shot out, grabbing the sword’s hilt first. With a tug, the longsword was ripped from the youth’s grasp.

At the same time, Lin Hao turned his body and slammed into the youth.

PTHOO!

The youth’s body was sent flying like a sack, scattering a spray of blood through the air.

CRASH!

The youth’s body slammed heavily onto the ground, cracking the Vajra Rock beneath him.

However, just a second later, the youth leaped back to his feet.

THUD!

With another sound, the youth landed on one knee, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He glared at Lin Hao, his killing intent stark.

"I’m going to kill you!" The youth’s voice was like something out of the Nine Netherworld Hell.

As his words fell, an orange halo of light surprisingly appeared on the surface of his body.

The halo instantly expanded, enveloping his entire body!

This youth had an elemental physique and was activating his Bloodline Power.

BOOM!

The youth kicked off the ground, shooting toward Lin Hao like a cannonball.

A ball of orange light appeared in the night, leaving a long trail behind it as it moved at extreme speed.

CLATTER! CLATTER!

The rubble on both sides of the street clattered as it was sent flying by the gale-force winds he generated.

A flicker of surprise crossed Lin Hao’s eyes. He pulled his right foot back, leaned forward, and faced the attack head-on.

BOOM!

Their bodies collided with a tremendous sound.

The ground trembled, and the surrounding houses creaked and groaned.

Lin Hao didn’t retreat a single step; only the Vajra Rock beneath his right foot shattered.

But the youth was forced back, step after stumbling step.

With each step he took, the Vajra Rock under his feet would splinter into pieces.

Only after a dozen or so steps did the youth manage to stabilize himself. The orange halo covering his face was now tinged with a faint hint of red.

Without a word, the youth attacked again.

His hands, covered in the orange halo, twisted in a strange gesture. The surrounding tiles, wood, and even beams from the houses were all pulled toward him.

They swarmed toward Lin Hao like a plague of locusts.

The display was impressive, but none of it could get near Lin Hao.

Lin Hao stood motionless, and everything that came within a foot of his body was pulverized into dust!

However, the dust floating in the air didn’t scatter. Instead, it all gathered between the youth’s hands.

In just an instant, a ring of light the size of a grindstone appeared between the youth’s hands.

The next moment, this ring of light shot toward Lin Hao with incredible speed.

A powerful gust of air was generated, and the now-roofless houses on either side of the street were blown away like thin paper.

And when the ring of light reached Lin Hao, it suddenly exploded!

RUMBLE!

Like a detonating cannonball, the area where Lin Hao stood was instantly engulfed.

A flash of excitement appeared in the distant youth’s eyes.

This was a Middle Grade Profound Level martial technique. After being augmented by his Bloodline Power, he was confident that Lin Hao wouldn’t be able to take it.

But a moment later, the excitement in his eyes turned to horror.

From the engulfed area, a figure shot out, a massive fist striking like lightning.

BOOM!

The punch pierced straight through the youth’s body!

The punch was too fast, too unexpected.

The youth had no way to dodge.

By the time he looked down in horror, Lin Hao’s hand had already withdrawn from his body.

Blood gushed endlessly from a large hole.

"You... you..."

The horror in the youth’s eyes slowly faded until they were finally dim and lifeless.

Then, his body fell to the ground with a thud.

CLAP. CLAP. CLAP.

The sound of clapping rang out without any warning.

Lin Hao turned to see a youth watching him with a smile.

His hands had not yet been lowered.

"Not bad. Truly worthy of being called the greatest prodigy of the Southern Border Prefecture." The youth spoke, his tone completely calm.

Lin Hao raised an eyebrow slightly, then his eyes narrowed.

He looked at the youth’s hands.

They were fair and slender, like the hands of a beautiful woman.

For such hands to be on a man was very strange.

Lin Hao took a deep breath, his expression turning grave. ’It seems I’ve underestimated the Lin family.’