Strongest War Emperor

Uncle Zhong didn’t answer Xia Yu, which was a silent admission.

In truth, Xia Yu’s question was pointless. When they were in crisis earlier, the young man had appeared and, at first, hadn’t used any Spiritual Power at all. He had relied solely on his precise eye and physical strength, felling the Netherworld Wolves one by one.

If he had truly wanted to kill them, he wouldn’t have needed to use even a shred of Spiritual Power.

...

While the people from the Twin Dragon Sect were on edge, Shen Lang had reached a critical moment.

The Spiritual Power within his Pill Sea continuously surged through his limbs and meridians, nourishing his channels and tempering his bones and muscles.

As the Spiritual Power in Shen Lang’s meridians grew more profound, it began to seep into their deepest recesses. Like a tide, it started to crash against the bottlenecks at the ends of his meridians and the various sealed meridian ports.

At that exact moment, the Spiritual Power surging around Shen Lang’s body suddenly vanished. He had activated the Nine Revolutions of Life and Death Mysterious Technique to absorb it all, leaving not a single trace to leak out!

He had absorbed the abundant medicinal effects of the Four Symbols Celestial Repair Pill and the Spiritual Soul Pill, and in a short time, also the Spiritual Qi from nine Low Grade Spirit Stones. Although he hadn’t actually used the Tai Chi Diagram to draw in Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi, his Spiritual Power had still been replenished at incredible speed.

His internal Spiritual Power grew increasingly vigorous, directly blasting open many of his sealed meridians. He advanced by leaps and bounds with unstoppable momentum!

After fusing with the War Emperor’s memories, Shen Lang didn’t need to waste much effort comprehending these lower-level Realms. As long as his Spiritual Power was abundant and his meridians were clear, breaking through was as easy as taking something from his pocket.

In a flash, the surging, tide-like Spiritual Power broke through all the necessary meridians for the Spirit Martial Realm, causing Shen Lang’s strength to instantly increase by more than a dozen times!

Not only did his physical strength skyrocket, but the massive Pill Sea within him also expanded in all directions, growing over ten times in size before finally stopping!

The instant this extremely abundant Spiritual Power coursed through his hundreds of meridians, the powerful energy passed through them and his bones without obstruction, finally bursting out through his skin!

A blinding Spirit Light erupted from his body...

A tyrannical aura began to radiate from Shen Lang. His hair whipped about in the windless air as a hurricane swirled around him, kicking up sand and stones. Even Shui Qingwu had to retreat several meters in shock before she could steady herself.

The next moment, Shen Lang, who was sitting cross-legged on the grass, abruptly opened his eyes. A tide of brilliant light surged within his pupils, shimmering and radiant!

A sharp, domineering aura erupted from within him. As the aura surged forth, Shen Lang rose to his feet and threw his head back with a long cry!

This cry, imbued with pure and potent Spiritual Power, boomed like a thunderclap across the prairie sky!

In that instant, Shen Lang’s presence swelled to its absolute peak, a tyrannical aura soaring into the heavens!

At this moment, his eyes glittered with a light that was both demonic and divine, as if he were looking down upon the entire world!

"Phew!"

After a long moment, Shen Lang finally let out a long breath and reined in his aura.

His eyes then became calm and gentle again. Aside from his tattered clothes, which made him look a little ridiculous, he seemed no different than usual.

"Xiaolang, did you succeed? Is your arm okay now?" Shui Qingwu asked, walking over joyfully.

Shen Lang’s lips thinned, his face darkening as he stared at Shui Qingwu. "What am I supposed to do with you? You’re the great young miss of the Shui Family, yet you keep running off whenever you feel like it. You encountered a Demon Corpse and were in mortal danger, but you still haven’t learned your lesson? You even slapped on an Invisibility Talisman to sneak after me? Do you have any idea how dangerous that was just now? That was a Sixth Level Netherworld Wolf King!"

"Huh? You knew I ran into a Demon Corpse?" Shui Qingwu blushed and quickly changed the subject.

Shen Lang rolled his eyes. "The Shui Family came to Celestial Phoenix City and was blocked by a Demon Corpse on the way. More than half the people in the city know about it. Is it so strange that I do too?"

"Hey, this saber... it looks so familiar!"

Shui Qingwu didn’t dare to meet Shen Lang’s gaze and commented on the Celestial Water Blade instead.

"Go look at the Weapon List. There are tons like this. It’d be weird if it *didn’t* look familiar!" Shen Lang said irritably.

Shui Qingwu’s gaze flickered away. She suddenly looked up at the azure sky and said, "Wow, look! The weather is so nice today..."

"Cut the crap. You think changing the subject will get you out of this? So, what now? I’m going to the Sorrow Swamp, and there’s absolutely no way I’m taking you with me. Wooden Zither Tutor would skin me alive!" Shen Lang said, his face dark.

"I’ve already come this far. Can’t I just keep following you?" Shui Qingwu said hesitantly. "Don’t look down on me! I’m at the Qi Martial Realm Fifth Heaven, you know. And I have a few life-saving Magical Treasures on me. I won’t hold you back..."

"There’s nothing to discuss!" Shen Lang refused flatly.

Just then, the people from the Twin Dragon Sect, led by Uncle Zhong, walked over.

Shui Qingwu’s eyes lit up. "Oh! How about you let them come with us to the Sorrow Swamp? Three of them are at the Qi Martial Realm Sixth Heaven and two seem to be at the Qi Martial Realm Fifth Heaven. With you leading, there won’t be any problems."

Uncle Zhong and the others, who had just been about to thank him, felt their legs go weak, and they nearly collapsed on the spot.

The few of them looked at each other, a bitter taste in their mouths.

What a joke. Without encountering this Netherworld Wolf Pack, their group’s cultivation would have been more than enough to brave the Tala Prairie. But the Sorrow Swamp? Even if their team were twice as large, it still wouldn’t be enough!

Never mind a place like the Sorrow Swamp, where Fourth and Fifth Level Demon Beasts roamed everywhere and a few Sixth Level Demon Beasts might pop up from time to time...

Even the Dark Forest beyond the Tala Prairie was not somewhere this small group could hope to cross!

Although most creatures in the Dark Forest were Fourth Level, its mountain paths and ravines were overgrown with Cannibal Flowers, making it every bit as dangerous as the Sorrow Swamp.

The Cannibal Flower was a strange creature with a degree of Spiritual Wisdom. It actively hunted its prey. When it encountered a living being, it would wrap itself tightly around it, and the thorns on its Demon Vines would instantly pierce the creature’s body, paralyzing it and rendering it helpless. It would then drain its victim of blood. It was an evil and terrifying plant, a name that made people’s faces pale.

Besides the Cannibal Flowers, the Dark Forest was crawling with poisonous creatures like Cyan Netherworld Snakes and Dark Spiders. Their venom was horrifyingly potent and impossible to guard against.

Entering without powerful cultivation and formidable protective Magical Treasures was simply courting death!

But that wasn’t even the most frightening part. The truly terrifying thing was the omnipresent Ghosts in the Dark Forest!

Legend had it that the Dark Forest was a massive graveyard from the Ancient Era, where countless masters and powerful experts were buried. Ghost Souls roamed everywhere, and Ghosts ran rampant.

The moment they encountered a living person, a swarm of Ghosts would pounce, capable of dragging you to your death.

Many large Mercenary Corps and powerful Martial Artists would rather take a detour of six or seven hundred li than pass through that place.

Sending these few people to a place like that was like the God of Longevity hanging himself—they clearly had a death wish!

At this point, Uncle Zhong walked up to Shen Lang and bowed politely. "I am Zhong Wu. Thank you for saving our lives, young man. May I ask your name? If you are willing, our group from the Twin Dragon Sect would be glad to protect this young lady on her way out of the Tala Prairie... We suffered heavy losses in our encounter with the Netherworld Wolf Pack and have no choice but to turn back now."

"I am Shen Lang, from the Shen Family of Celestial Phoenix City," Shen Lang replied. "Are you all preparing to leave the Tala Prairie already?"

Xu Lianyou, who had been silent all this time, took a step forward and nodded. "We entered the Tala Prairie hoping to find a Spirit Medicine, but we were suddenly attacked by Netherworld Wolves, and several of our friends died..." Her expression grew sorrowful. "Our Talismans, Qi Recovery Pills, and other supplies are nearly depleted, so we can only retrace our steps. If we hadn’t met you this time, sir, I’m afraid we would have... Please, let us escort this young lady back with us."

"No!" Shen Lang shook his head, his tone surprisingly firm and decisive.

Xu Lianyou and the others were stunned, and Xia Yu shrank back behind the group, not daring to show his face.

Uncle Zhong hesitated for a moment before saying sheepishly, "It’s understandable if you don’t trust us, young man. What our people did to you at the entrance... ahem, I am truly sorry. My apologies!"

As he spoke, he bent at the waist and gave Shen Lang a deep bow.

However, Shen Lang still shook his head and said, "You’re overthinking it. That’s not what I mean. What I mean is... Netherworld Wolves are extremely vengeful. I slaughtered most of the pack and heavily wounded the Wolf King. After it fled, it will soon realize what happened and will absolutely not let this go. The prairie is still its territory."

Everyone’s heart skipped a beat, and their faces instantly turned ashen.

If that Wolf King truly refused to give up, it could easily catch up to them as they tried to leave the Tala Prairie before coming after Shen Lang... On this prairie, it was the Wolf King, and it was also the king of the prairie!

"Then... then what do we do?" Uncle Zhong stammered, swallowing hard.

The group from the Twin Dragon Sect all stared at Shen Lang without a word, but the meaning in their eyes was obvious. Every single one of them hoped that Shen Lang would escort them out of the Tala Prairie!

Shen Lang raised his right hand, sheathed his single saber, and slung it back over his shoulder. He then took two steps forward and began to survey his surroundings.

It was a boundless sea of green. A gentle breeze blew, making the green grass sway, sending waves of green rolling toward the horizon.

Only at the edge of his vision to the northwest stood a towering mountain peak that pierced the clouds. White clouds drifted around its waist, wreathed in a mist of what looked like Immortal Aura.

Shen Lang stared at the tall peak, lost in thought.

Shui Qingwu, with her hands behind her back, looked up at the clouds. Every now and then, she would glance at Shen Lang before quickly looking away again.

Just then, Shen Lang’s expression changed. He turned to look at the same spot in the sky where Shui Qingwu was looking.

In the distant sky, dark clouds were gathering, an extremely bizarre sight against the clear sky.

"What’s wrong?" Shui Qingwu asked, slightly taken aback.

The people from the Twin Dragon Sect followed their gazes and also looked up. In an instant, all five of them cried out in unison, "Beast Tide!"

"What’s a Beast Tide?"

Seeing their expressions, Shui Qingwu’s face instantly grew grim.

At that moment, a faint, thunderous rumbling grew louder as it approached from the distance. A short while later, a hurricane connecting heaven and earth appeared in their line of sight, coming from the direction of the gathering black clouds.

"It’s over! We’re all finished! Why did you have to cultivate in a place like this? And for several hours, no less! Now the Beast Tide is here, and none of us can escape!" Xia Yu roared frantically.

"Xia Yu, you’re out of line! Apologize to this young man at once!" Uncle Zhong shouted angrily.

"Apologize? Will apologizing keep me alive? Will it help me escape this Beast Tide? Heh heh..." Xia Yu laughed miserably.

The man and woman next to him also had ghastly pale faces, their bodies trembling.