Strongest War Emperor

Shen Lang was completely focused on capturing the Thunder Dragons; he had no time to pay attention to anyone else.

These four Thunder Dragons were not manifestations of his own Thunder Power.

They were the most essential part of the Nine Heavens Thunder Power that he had pulled down while controlling it earlier!

The energy they contained was likely greater than what he could accumulate from over half a year of nonstop cultivation of the Thunder Control Divine Technique.

How could he be willing to let them escape so easily?

Shen Lang weaved and dodged, lightning forming in arcs over his hands.

The lightning bolts formed dense chains that wrapped around the four Thunder Dragons, preventing their escape.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The four Thunder Dragons let out a deafening roar of thunder, struggling frantically in all directions to escape.

But Shen Lang held their tails in a death grip, and no matter how they struggled, they could not break free.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Shen Lang’s feet slammed into the ground like a frantic war drum. With every stomp, the earth beneath him cracked open, sending rubble flying and dust swirling!

ROAR!

One of the Thunder Dragons was pulled so hard that more than half of its body was drawn into Shen Lang’s, as if it could no longer break free.

At that very moment, however, the color drained from Shen Lang’s face.

’This is bad! After leaving my body and forming into Thunder Dragons, the Nine Heavens Thunder Power has unleashed its most violent energy. I’ve only cultivated the Thunder Control Divine Technique to the First Heaven, so my Thunder Power vortex is still far too small. I’m afraid it can’t even hold a single Thunder Dragon... Am I going to have to give up after all this effort?!’

’No way! Controlling the Nine Heavens Thunderbolt before was a huge risk, and it unleashed my body’s full potential. I’ll probably never get another opportunity like this before I reach the Xuanwu Realm!’

Just as Shen Lang’s eyes widened and thoughts flashed through his mind one after another, the Tai Chi Diagram in his Pill Sea slowly began to rotate.

’The Tai Chi Diagram! How could I have forgotten about this thing?!’

Shen Lang was overjoyed.

The way the Tai Chi Diagram absorbed Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi was terrifyingly heaven-defying, and these Thunder Dragons, formed from Thunder Power, were also a form of energy from the heavens and earth!

’That means the Tai Chi Diagram should be able to absorb them too!’

His Thunder Power vortex couldn’t contain these four Thunder Dragons, but the Tai Chi Diagram could!

The space within the Tai Chi Diagram was vast and boundless. What were a mere four Thunder Dragons in comparison?

Elated, Shen Lang immediately activated the Tai Chi Diagram. While his hands were still wrapped around the four Thunder Dragons’ tails, a massive vortex suddenly appeared over his abdomen.

The moment the vortex appeared, Celestial Pillar Peak, already swirling with dust and debris, became an even more terrifying sight. Rubble rained down, spraying in all directions, while leaves and flowers filled the air, blotting out the sun!

As if they had gained Spiritual Wisdom, the four Thunder Dragons shrieked in terror at the sight of the massive vortex and struggled with renewed strength, trying to flee.

Unfortunately, once the Tai Chi Diagram’s vortex appeared, they no longer had any chance of escape.

Even though this Thunder Power was an energy of Supreme Yang and Firmness, it was still unable to resist a heaven-defying object like the Tai Chi Diagram.

While frantically controlling the other three Thunder Dragons, Shen Lang enveloped the one that was already halfway inside his body with the vortex formed by the Tai Chi Diagram.

Amidst a sky-shaking roar, the Thunder Dragon was like a great ship caught in a maelstrom.

Its struggles only delayed the inevitable for a moment; in the end, it could not escape being devoured.

"Hahaha!"

Laughing wildly, Shen Lang repeated the process, pulling the remaining three Thunder Dragons into the Tai Chi Diagram one by one.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

After all four Thunder Dragons were absorbed, the residual Thunder Power in Shen Lang’s body, no longer guided by the dragons, instantly erupted.

Shen Lang spread his arms wide as thunderous booms echoed from his chest, and countless bolts of lightning burst outward from within him.

PFFT!

He spat out a mouthful of blood as a tremendous force sent him flying. He crashed through a decorative rockery in the center of Celestial Pillar Peak and hurtled toward Shui Qingwu and the others.

"Xiaolang!"

Shui Qingwu cried out in alarm, leaping into the air to catch Shen Lang before landing gently on the ground.

The members of the Twin Dragon Sect immediately gathered around, concerned.

"Sister, is... is he okay?"

A sickly flush appeared on Xu Lianyou’s face; it was clear she was also extremely worried about Shen Lang’s safety.

Lying in Shui Qingwu’s arms, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth and his face pale, Shen Lang said faintly, "This story... I guessed the beginning, but I didn’t guess the ending..."

As he spoke, his head lolled to the side, and his eyes went still.

"Ooh!"

Xu Lianyou covered her mouth with both hands, her eyes misting over...

"Hmph!"

Just as Xu Lianyou’s body swayed uncontrollably while she desperately tried not to cry out loud...

Shui Qingwu unceremoniously dropped Shen Lang on the ground and said, "You brat, you’re faking it again!"

"Aiya, my back! It’s broken, it’s broken!" Shen Lang yelped, scrambling up from the ground.

Xu Lianyou stared blankly at the scene, unable to process it for a long moment.

’This guy slaughtered Netherworld Wolves as if they were nothing and called down the Nine Heavens Thunder Power to annihilate thousands of Demon Beasts without batting an eye... and he’s capable of pulling a prank like this?’

"I wasn’t faking! I really did guess the beginning but not the ending. Look, usually it’s the hero who carries the beauty. Today, you gave me a beauty-carries-hero moment, and in front of so many people! How am I supposed to live this down? I was just so embarrassed, so... Huh? Hey beautiful, why are you crying?"

"I... The wind was just blowing really hard, and I got sand in my eyes..."

Xu Lianyou trembled slightly and quickly turned her back.

Nearby, Uncle Zhong glanced at Xu Lianyou and Shen Lang, sighing to himself.

"You... why is it that no matter what happens, big or small, you always push yourself to this extent! Can’t you be a little kinder to yourself?" Shui Qingwu glared at Shen Lang, a little angry.

Shen Lang gave an awkward cough and said, "I won’t, I’ll be more careful from now on... Alright, the crisis is over. Uncle Zhong, could you please help me chop down those few trees?"

"Chop down trees? What for?" Shui Qingwu and the others were taken aback.

"Um, brother, you’re not planning to build a ladder, are you? It’s not a bad idea, but the broken bridge is about a hundred meters long. These few small trees don’t seem like they’ll be enough..." Xia Yu had learned his lesson this time and spoke much more cautiously.

As soon as they heard "ladder," everyone instinctively glanced over at the broken bridge.

Then they looked at the few lonely little trees on Celestial Pillar Peak and exchanged wry smiles.

In a place like this, only Shen Lang, being in the Spirit Martial Realm, was likely qualified to escape.

A Spirit Martial Realm cultivator couldn’t truly perform Wing Transformation with their Spiritual Power, but they could use Spiritual Power Release to briefly condense it into the shape of wings, allowing them to skim over water, glide through the air, and cross chasms.

However, everyone else present was only in the Qi Martial Realm and had to rely on external means.

The problem was that there were no external means to rely on here, and a few small trees were definitely not enough to build a ladder!

"I have my own clever plan. The secrets of heaven must not be revealed."

Shen Lang said, then sat down and took out a Furnace Cauldron.

He also took out an Iron Felt and a large pile of metal materials.

After the brutal battle, nearly everyone except Shui Qingwu had sustained injuries of varying severity. But right now, instead of focusing on healing, they were all staring intently at Shen Lang as he hammered and tinkered away.

Shen Lang’s movements were extremely fast. In less than an hour, he had already built three simple gliders.

Unlike the gliders from Earth, although these three were simple, the top of each was covered by a roughly shaped metal plate. On it were two grooves, each inlaid with a Spirit Stone, and inside, Shen Lang had inscribed a Wind Element Spirit Array Map.

"This... This is..." Xu Lianyou asked, her face full of astonishment.

"It’s a bit complicated to explain. To put it simply, you can think of these as Flying Spiritual Artifacts."

Shen Lang stretched, stood up, and put away the Furnace Cauldron and other items on the ground.

"A Flying Spiritual Artifact? Hahaha! You slapped together a few pieces of scrap wood and a metal plate, and you call that a Flying Spiritual Artifact? Do you even know Artifact Refining? Brother, how old are you? Even if you did know Artifact Refining, you can’t just bang on some wood for a bit and call it a Flying Spiritual Artifact, can you?"

Xia Yu burst out laughing. "Brother, I really admire your cultivation, but you can’t treat us like idiots! I’ve seen the world, you know. Even if I’ve never eaten pork, I’ve seen a pig run. A thing like a Flying Spiritual Artifact..."

"Xia Yu, shut your mouth!" Uncle Zhong, who had been quiet until now, barked, cutting Xia Yu off. "This little brother is our savior. If you speak to him with that attitude again, I’ll cripple you!"

"I... I didn’t say anything..." Xia Yu said weakly, startled.

But even though he fell silent, his eyes still held a ’like I’d ever believe you’ expression.

It was no wonder he thought this way. Even a Cyan Wood Level power like the Twin Dragon Sect couldn’t produce a single Flying Spiritual Artifact. It was something that even their Sect Leader likely didn’t possess.

For Shen Lang to claim he’d made three Flying Spiritual Artifacts by just hammering away at a few pieces of scrap wood was simply insulting—he might as well have handed them a feather and told them they could fly by holding it!

But just because Xia Yu didn’t believe it didn’t mean the others didn’t.

From the very beginning, Xu Lianyou hadn’t doubted Shen Lang’s words for a second.

As for Uncle Zhong, after witnessing so many impossible things happen around Shen Lang, this old veteran now completely believed anything he said.

Never mind a device with an inscribed Spirit Array Map on it; if Shen Lang handed him a block of wood right now and told him he could fly with it, he probably wouldn’t have many doubts.

In such a short time, Shen Lang had given him too much astonishment, too many surprises.

Uncle Zhong’s expression turned solemn. He bowed to Shen Lang and said, "Little brother, we can never repay your great kindness, but we will etch it into our hearts... I won’t say any more pleasantries. Once we return to the Twin Dragon Sect, we will definitely visit the Shen Family in Celestial Phoenix City to properly thank you!"

"Ah, if you’re coming to thank me, then don’t bother. But if you want to come drink with me, you’re more than welcome!" Shen Lang said, waving his hands dismissively.

Uncle Zhong laughed heartily and clapped Shen Lang on the shoulder. "Alright! This old brother won’t say any more then. I’ll definitely find you for a drink when the time comes!"

Everyone present chuckled, and the tense, anxious, and terrifying atmosphere from before was finally swept away, like heavy storm clouds giving way to a clear, breezy sky.

Just then, Xu Lianyou walked up to Shen Lang. Holding two rings in her delicate hand, she offered them to him and said softly, "All the Demon Beast corpses we collected earlier are inside. You... please take good care of them. Thank you."

Shen Lang didn’t stand on ceremony. He smiled, nodded, and accepted the two Sumeru Rings.

Behind them, Xia Yu was crying a river of tears. "Even if I didn’t get any merits, I put in the hard work! So many Demon Beasts, so many Demon Crystals, and you’re not leaving a single one for us... How cruel!"

Shen Lang rolled his eyes. "You want money or your life?"

"I want both..." Xia Yu said pitifully.

"Alright everyone, it’s time to leave. I’ve inscribed a Wind Spirit Array Map into the metal components on top of these three gliders. While they can’t truly be called Flying Spiritual Artifacts since they can’t take off from level ground, you can still call them Flying Magical Artifacts. From the height of Celestial Pillar Peak, if you glide down from here without any mishaps, you should be able to reach the edge of the White Bone Wilderness. The six of you can take one per pair. It’s time to go."

As he spoke, Shen Lang flicked his finger, activating the Spirit Array Maps on all three gliders. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

BZZZT!

The gliders trembled slightly, and two large wings of light immediately unfurled from the top, leaving everyone present marveling in amazement.