Strongest War Emperor

"No, that’s not right..." Shui Qingwu shook her head repeatedly. "If this involved experts from the Imperial Dragon Sect, he never would have been able to escape, let alone be saved by me! Their appearance was most likely a coincidence—in other words, whatever happened between him and the Demon Martial Artists has nothing to do with the people from the Imperial Dragon Sect!"

Phantom said softly, "My Lady’s guess should be correct. When I arrived, the King Martial Realm expert from the Imperial Dragon Sect and those few Xuanwu Realm masters were already entangled with a red shadow, and they even seemed to be at a disadvantage..."

"Something like that actually happened?"

Shui Qingwu paced back and forth a few steps on the pebble path, her delicate brows furrowed and her gaze extremely solemn.

In the Purple Chu Country, there are currently only three Major Sects that are Spirit Copper Level Influences: the Imperial Dragon Sect, the Flower Sect, and the Li Hen Sect.

The territory of the Imperial Dragon Sect covers a radius of hundreds of thousands of miles around the Imperial Capital, while the other two Sects are located in the northwestern and eastern parts of the Purple Chu Country, respectively.

People from those other Sects wouldn’t normally appear in a place like this, and it’s impossible that a King Martial Realm expert from another Profound Iron Level Influence would oppose the Imperial Dragon Sect.

’Who could that red shadow be?’

’And why would this group of people appear in the Phoenix Mountain Range?’

Just then, Phantom waved her hands, sending out streams of black mist that formed layer after layer of Barriers, enveloping the entire bamboo forest.

Only then did she say, "My Lady’s judgment is likely correct. The people from the Imperial Dragon Sect probably have no connection to that gentleman. I suspect their arrival might be related to the recent, sensational rumors about the ’Emperor Star.’ ’When the Two Lives Flower blooms, the Emperor Star appears; Heaven and Earth are upended, and great chaos engulfs the world’!"

"The Emperor Star? That saying is rumored to have come from the War God Hall ten years ago, but it seems none of the Major Sects on the continent have figured out what it truly means. Nevertheless, many Sects have dispatched experts to search far and wide for this person of destiny... Do you mean the Imperial Dragon Sect has tracked their search to Celestial Phoenix City?"

"Yes, that’s what I suspect. I heard the Old Marquis mention something once. Ten years ago, a celestial anomaly occurred here in the Phoenix Mountain Range. It alarmed the three great Spirit Copper Level Influences at the time, but before they could even investigate, the rumor from the War God Hall spread... So they must believe the anomaly in the Phoenix Mountain Range is related to the rumor from the War God Hall. Otherwise, it would be too much of a coincidence. I just never expected they would send out even a King Martial Realm expert."

Shui Qingwu breathed a sigh of relief and nodded. "I understand... By the way, about Ye Xiao Zheng colluding with Demon Martial Artists, please don’t report it back to the family just yet. Let’s wait a while longer and see."

"Yes!"

...

Meanwhile, not only did Shen Lang fail to become more discreet after the battle, but he actually swaggered up along the Phoenix River, returning to the site of his final fight with the Demon Martial Artist.

The surrounding area was a complete mess, and there was a terrifyingly large hole blasted into the high cliff face.

Shen Lang closed his eyes and spread his arms to his sides. A current of air, visible to the naked eye, radiated outwards. At the same time, his formidable Divine Thought covered the entire area within a hundred-meter radius.

’Here it is!’

With a single thought, Shen Lang made a grasping motion through the air toward a pool of water at the edge of the Phoenix River. With a SPLASH, an object shot out of the water like a bolt of lightning and landed in his right hand.

It was the Celestial Water Blade he had dropped earlier.

Lightly caressing the blade, Shen Lang sneered, sheathed the Celestial Water Blade on his back, and then sprinted wildly toward a mountain peak.

...

This was the summit of a mountain, surrounded by deep ravines and wreathed in mist and clouds. Green bamboo grew everywhere, creating a verdant, layered tapestry.

When the wind blew, waves of green undulated, and the vast bamboo forest roared like the sea.

At the summit was a Great Lake, and in the center of the lake was a small island from which a stone pillar jutted toward the sky.

Clad in black, Shen Lang sat cross-legged atop the giant stone pillar, his body wreathed in crackling electricity. He was majestic and imposing, like a Thunder God.

His hands were raised as if to hold up the heavens, and a vortex of lightning spun rapidly between them, flashing and crackling.

"Thunder Control Divine Technique, draw lightning into the body!"

The moment he spoke—CRACK! From high in the Nine Heavens, a branching bolt of lightning streaked from the depths of the Azure Vault. It brought a dazzling flash of light as it struck the lightning vortex between his hands, connecting his body to the dark clouds high above.

The vast and violent Power of Thunder and Lightning immediately surged from the vortex between his hands into his body and began to rampage wildly.

Shen Lang gritted his teeth, enduring an indescribable pain. He silently chanted the Spell of the Thunder Control Divine Technique and pushed his Spiritual Power to its limits, guiding the berserk Thunder Power to roam throughout his body, tempering every one of his meridians, as well as his muscles and bones.

After the Thunder Power completed one circulation through his body, it wasn’t directly converted into Spiritual Power and sent into his Pill Sea. Instead, it slowly gathered at the edge of his Pill Sea.

"Nine Heavens Thunder Power, use my body as a conduit! Majestic Celestial Might, be mine to command! Condense!"

Following Shen Lang’s low cry, the lightning vortex between his hands spun even faster.

At that exact moment, the Power of Thunder and Lightning that had entered his body instantly transformed into a Thunder Dragon, which began to rapidly circle his Pill Sea.

"Soaring Thunder Dragon, submit to my control! Condense!"

It was as if Shen Lang’s cry was directed at the Thunder Dragon inside him. Instantly, the Thunder Dragon let out a fierce roar and finally, obediently, formed a small vortex on one side of his Pill Sea, slowly stabilizing.

From within the vortex, the faint, barely audible sound of a dragon’s cry could be heard from time to time, an utterly astonishing phenomenon.

From the Nine Heavens above, the berserk Thunder Power continued to swarm down, entering his body through the lightning vortex between his hands.

After circulating for one cycle through all the meridians in his body, it all flowed into the Thunder Power vortex next to his Pill Sea.

The berserk Thunder Power galloped through Shen Lang’s body. As it swept past his meridians, each one felt as if it had been struck by lightning. A heart-rending pain instantly spread to every cell, and it felt as though even his soul was trembling in agony.

He clenched his jaw and crazily continued to draw lightning into his body, letting the berserk Thunder Power wash over all his already-opened meridians again and again before absorbing all of it into the Thunder Power vortex beside his Pill Sea.

When the complete version of the Thunder Control Divine Technique is cultivated to its final stage, one can form a maximum of nine Thunder Power vortexes around the Pill Sea.

At that time, not only would the nine Thunder Power vortexes be able to store an unimaginable amount of Nine Heavens Thunder Power, but they could also connect directly with the Pill Sea, allowing Spiritual Power to be converted into Thunder Power at an even faster rate. The quality, quantity, and speed would all increase exponentially.

Upon reaching that stage, one could reenact the world-shaking scene of the Profound Dao Sect’s founding ancestor controlling the thunder and transforming into the Thunder God!

...

In this manner, an endless stream of the Power of Thunder and Lightning entered Shen Lang’s body, was absorbed into the Thunder Power vortex, and then slowly went through Refinement within that vortex.

Only when sweat was pouring down like rain and his entire body felt so numb and tingly that it was hard to control did Shen Lang let out a long breath and stop, severing the connection with the Nine Heavens Thunder Power.

Using Nine Heavens Thunder Power for Body Forging was in itself an extremely dangerous process, with pain akin to falling into Hell.

Thunder Element Techniques were extremely rare on this continent and coveted by many, but very few people ever succeeded in cultivating them, precisely for these two reasons.

Some people could endure this sort of masochistic cultivation for a day or two, but to continue for ten years, a hundred years, or even longer... that was something no ordinary person could withstand.

Thus, throughout the entire Star Continent, the Sects or individuals who cultivated Thunder Element Techniques were few and far between.

However, while Shen Lang had just gone through a baptism of Hell, what came next was a feeling akin to Heaven.

After being absorbed, the Thunder Power went through Refinement in the vortex and became Energy that Shen Lang could completely control.

When this Thunder Power was released again to travel through his meridians, the excruciating pain from drawing the lightning into his body was gone.

Now, Shen Lang only felt a slight tingling numbness as all the pores on his body opened up. An indescribable feeling of comfort washed over him.

The line between Hell and Heaven was but a thin one.

It took a full two days for Shen Lang to form the first vortex of the Thunder Control Divine Technique.

If the people from the Profound Dao Sect were to learn of this speed, they would absolutely treat him like a freak, lock him in a cage in the public square, and put him on display.

The Profound Dao Sect’s current Thunder Control Divine Technique was incomplete. Some rumored it was because, over the past few thousand years, fewer and fewer people could adapt to the original version of the technique, so the Profound Dao Sect had modified it. Others said that the final few layers of the Heart Technique had been lost...

Therefore, cultivating the current Thunder Control Divine Technique to its final stage would only allow one to form a maximum of five Thunder Power vortexes.

Although the first Thunder Power vortex was much simpler to form than the subsequent ones, an ordinary disciple would still need to continuously absorb Thunder Power for five or six years before they could possibly form it.

But Shen Lang had only used a mere two days!

This speed was several times faster than even the founding ancestor of the Profound Dao Sect back in his day!

Only someone like Shen Lang, who had come into contact with the Heaven and Earth Rules and could control his power with extreme precision, could accomplish such a feat.

Under a clear sky, Shen Lang, still sitting cross-legged on the massive stone, suddenly opened his eyes. Divine light, like that of the stars, flashed within them as a berserk and terrifying aura spread from his body. Amidst the surging aura, Shen Lang simply struck out with his palm toward a massive, twenty-foot-tall boulder ten meters away!

"Fierce Thunder Fall from Heaven!"

The Thunder Power of Supreme Yang and Firmness was released from the vortex inside him. Unlike before, where he needed to convert Spiritual Power into Thunder Power to use it, it now passed through his meridians, swiftly gathered in his palm, and then violently burst forth!

A small, unremarkable Thunder Ball instantly struck the boulder.

"BOOM!"

With a tremendous bang, powerful ripples of energy spread across the boulder. In an instant, rock fragments shot outwards as the massive boulder was shattered into countless pieces by the wave of energy.

Shen Lang rose to his full height and stood tall, letting out a clear cry that echoed for a long time.

’The first Thunder Power vortex of the Thunder Control Divine Technique is complete. From now on, I can draw the Nine Heavens Thunder Power into my body anytime and anywhere, making it my own. I can also use the Thunder Power within me to temper my meridians whenever I want. Based on my current progress, in fifteen days, my physical body should be strong enough to use the second layer of the Prison Guardian Blade Technique, and I’ll also be able to successfully cultivate the second layer of the Thunder Control Divine Technique, ’Thunder Purgatory.’ When that time comes, I will break through to the Spirit Martial Realm, enhance my power even further, and that will be the day I return that palm strike to Ye Xiao Zheng!’