Strongest War Emperor

"Six people? Aren’t you leaving?" Shui Qingwu asked softly.

Shen Lang shook his head. "I still need to go to the Sorrow Swamp to pick a Seven-Star Begonia. It’s an item I need to cure my father. You should go back with them."

Shui Qingwu was silent for a moment, then nodded lightly. "Mm."

She didn’t even know why, but it seemed she would subconsciously agree to anything Shen Lang said to her.

Even though she desperately wanted to follow Shen Lang to the Sorrow Swamp, she still agreed without any hesitation.

"Brother, are you sure this thing can fly? This is no joke. If something goes wrong, a fall from this height will turn us into meat paste..." Xia Yu mumbled, poking and prodding the device.

"Get up there, you!" Uncle Zhong, his anger flaring at the sight of him, grabbed him by the collar and hauled him onto it.

With a long face, Xia Yu said, "Uncle Zhong, can’t we go a little later? Let Luo Ya and Cong Lin go first. If they end up kicking the bucket, we’ll still have time to back out."

"Dammit, Xia Yu, you bastard! I’ve had it with you! I’ll deal with you when we get back!" Luo Ya cursed viciously.

"That brat is unbelievable! Just you wait!" the usually quiet Cong Lin chimed in.

After that little interlude, the six split into three groups of two. Shui Qingwu and Xu Lianyou formed one group, and each pair boarded a glider.

"You there, Xia Yu, right? It seems you don’t trust my skills. Well, nothing for it. I guess you’ll have to fly first. Come on! Let me give you a hand! If you die, come back and ask me for compensation. I’m a very reasonable person!"

Shen Lang pushed up with both palms, and a gentle yet powerful force immediately lifted the glider carrying Xia Yu’s pair, sending them off.

"This is revenge, blatant revenge! If I die, how am I supposed to find you... WHOA, it’s so high! Holy crap, we’re really flying!" Xia Yu yelled. "Uncle Zhong, when we get back, can you give me this glider? This thing must be worth a fortune!"

"Sit still! If you move around again, I’ll throw you off!" Uncle Zhong’s sharp rebuke echoed from the distance.

Shaking his head, Shen Lang repeated the process, sending off the other two gliders. The gliders banked in the air and flew off in the direction of the White Bone Wilderness.

Not only were they stable, but they were also extremely fast.

"Xiaolang, you have to be careful!" Shui Qingwu’s voice drifted back on the wind.

After seeing everyone off, Shen Lang sheathed his single saber, popped a Withered Wood Revitalizing Pill into his mouth, and sat down cross-legged.

His Divine Thought immediately entered the space within the Tai Chi Diagram, where he saw four Thunder Dragons roaring as they flew and coiled up and down.

However, the Thunder Power on them was growing weaker and weaker. The Tai Chi Diagram beneath the tiny seed was emitting myriad rays of light, continuously refining the fierce Thunder Power.

’As the Energy within this Tai Chi Diagram grows, the diagram itself expands, and the power of the vortex it releases also becomes greater. Once these four Thunder Dragons are refined, I probably won’t have to absorb them one by one next time I encounter four like them. I should be able to absorb them all at once.’

Standing in the void, Shen Lang watched the Thunder Dragons, lost in thought.

’For now, though, I should focus on refining this immense Thunder Power into the Thunder Power vortex.’

With a thought, Shen Lang made a grabbing motion with his five fingers. The large mass of already-refined Thunder Power immediately gathered from all directions, forming a basketball-sized orb of light that floated above his palm.

The next moment, he gave his palm a gentle toss. The orb of light streaked away like a meteor, released from the Tai Chi Diagram and channeled into the Thunder Power vortex at the edge of his Pill Sea.

BOOM!

Upon absorbing this vast and pure Thunder Power, the vortex immediately swelled to several times its original size, and its rotational speed increased significantly.

Deafening claps of thunder continuously echoed from within it.

"Hm?"

Just as Shen Lang was about to circulate his Thunder Control Divine Technique to fully merge the Thunder Power into the vortex, intending to use the momentum to advance the technique to the Second Heaven...

He suddenly felt something, stopped his actions, and opened his eyes.

It was a strange sensation, one that came from the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron!

With a thought from Shen Lang, a small cauldron slowly emerged from his forehead.

Ever since reaching the Qi Martial Realm, he had stored the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron in his Sea of Consciousness, and the small cauldron mark on his chest had vanished as a result.

This was the only thing he could make the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron do after he learned to communicate with it.

The small Heaven-Sealing Cauldron slowly rotated above Shen Lang’s palm as a wisp of green mist drifted out from within.

’This... this is a sign that the green liquid is about to emerge!’ Shen Lang was startled. ’Today is the first of the month. Could it be that one drop of this green liquid emerges on the first of every month?’

Just as Shen Lang was about to move closer, a wizened voice suddenly rang out in his mind: "Master, wait. There is a powerful expert spying from above Celestial Pillar Peak. You must not let the matter of the Life Spiritual Liquid be exposed!"

Shen Lang’s body shuddered slightly. A sharp light flashed in his eyes as countless streams of Sword Qi crisscrossed in his pupils and shot out into the surroundings.

SCHWING! SCHWING! SCHWING!

In an instant, the surrounding ground was slashed by the formless Sword Qi, creating hundreds of gullies a foot deep!

Shen Lang was shocked. He had released the Sword Qi subconsciously. He immediately reined in his mind and put on an indifferent expression.

He lightly tapped the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron before withdrawing it back into his Sea of Consciousness.

’That was close!’

Shen Lang felt a pang of shame and closed his eyes, feigning cultivation.

He had always been meticulous in his planning, considering even the smallest details. But this time, after a series of grueling battles, he had let his guard down. Then the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron had acted strangely, which almost gave him away.

He had nearly forgotten about the possibility of an expert in the sky above.

It was hard to say for sure if there were any powerful experts on the Tala Prairie.

However, the earth-shaking commotion from when he had drawn down the thunder of heaven and earth had been immense. It was entirely possible that it had attracted nearby experts to investigate.

The other possibility was Shui Qingwu. As the young miss of the Shui Family, it stood to reason that when a person of her status traveled, the family would definitely assign a powerful expert to protect her in secret.

Especially after the Demon Corpse incident at Black Wind Ridge, it would be inexcusable if the Shui Family still did nothing to ensure her safety.

Although he had fought the Wolf King and later drawn down heavenly thunder to annihilate the Demon Beasts—both near-death situations—he had not yet reached a truly desperate point. So, it was normal that the hidden guardian hadn’t appeared.

Given Shen Lang’s usual caution, it was indeed unlikely that he would have taken out the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron in a place like this, at a time like this.

As for the voice that had just appeared in Shen Lang’s mind, that was even stranger.

The voice had sounded in his mind, utterly abrupt and bizarre.

But the strangest part was that the speaker actually knew about the green liquid!

And had even called it "Life Spiritual Liquid"!

In that case, this person must be inside the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron!

Shen Lang took a deep breath. He formed a seal with each hand, circulated the Spiritual Power within his body, and began to merge it with the medicinal energy of the elixir pill he had swallowed earlier, repairing the meridians damaged by the Fierce Thunder Power.

To be able to calmly cultivate for one’s own benefit at a time like this was a feat one in ten thousand could achieve.

Just then, the voice in Shen Lang’s mind spoke again: "Master, the Life Spiritual Liquid only reveals itself when it leaves your body. Now that it is withdrawn into your Sea of Consciousness, the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron has returned to a state of calm, so please do not worry. Also, I can block the prying probe of the person in the sky. I wonder if Master would like me to do so?"

"Master, if you just speak in your mind, I can hear you," the voice added when Shen Lang made no move.

Shen Lang’s eyelashes fluttered. He replied in his mind, ’If I take action to block their Divine Thought, it will only make them suspicious. Pay them no mind. Just wait for them to leave on their own.’

"This disciple understands," the voice said respectfully, then fell silent.

Shen Lang used this time to cultivate, wanting to further refine the Sword Intent he had comprehended during his battle with the Netherworld Wolf King.

’Sword Momentum is an enlightenment of the blade, and also an enlightenment of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth. Both sabers and swords have Momentum. Once you comprehend and control it, you can effortlessly pierce through the flaws of any Cultivation Technique or Technique, using minimal force to break through!’

’Sword Intent is the same. When cultivation of the Sword Dao reaches its peak, one will surely comprehend Sword Intent. Sabers have Sword Intent, and swords have Sword Intent. Once a Martial Artist controls Sword Intent, their every move will be infused with it, making each strike unstoppable and all-penetrating! One can generate Sword Qi without needing Spiritual Power, and that Sword Qi can bypass all defenses to strike an opponent’s internal organs directly! It’s a pity I haven’t had time to comprehend it more deeply, or there’s no way that Wolf King would have escaped so easily!’

’The War Emperor’s memories contain insights and understanding of various types of ’Momentum,’ but after they merged with my own memories, I need to take them out and ponder each one to fully comprehend them. Right now, my Sword Intent is only at the minor success stage. Although it can turn the surrounding air directly into Sword Qi to slice through anything, its Attack Power is still too weak, and I can’t wield it as freely as I wish. Even though I blasted many streams of Sword Qi into the Netherworld Wolf King’s body, with its Cultivation, it will probably dissolve that Sword Qi in just a few hours.’

’If my Sword Intent reaches Great Success, then grass, wood, bamboo, stone, air, water—all things in this world can become my blade.’

’If my Sword Dao reaches Great Success, a single thought could cause mountains to collapse and the earth to split. A single strike of my saber could shatter the void!’

Even though Shen Lang knew a powerful expert was spying from above Celestial Pillar Peak and a mysterious figure was hidden within the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron, he acted as if nothing was wrong, continuously pondering his Sword Intent and Sword Momentum.

As he sat cross-legged in comprehension, his entire being exuded a sharp edge, like an unsheathed Demon Saber, radiating dominance and ferocity.

From within the dark clouds in the void, the woman Shui Qingwu called "Sister Phantom" let out a soft cry of surprise. After a moment’s hesitation, she flicked her sleeve and immediately shot off toward the White Bone Wilderness, as fast as lightning!

Just as Phantom was about to leave, the voice in Shen Lang’s mind rang out again: "Master, the person in the sky has left. This individual once appeared at Shui Qingwu’s residence in Tayun Academy. They have been protecting Shui Qingwu this entire time. Their Cultivation is at the Xuanwu Realm, and they practice an Shadow Technique that specializes in stealth and assassination."

Shen Lang snorted coldly in his mind. ’Since you can detect that person’s spying and even claim to be able to block it, you must also have the ability to set up a Barrier to prevent others from prying, right?’

"I can," the person answered crisply.

’Then do it. Set up a Barrier on Celestial Pillar Peak and conceal my presence,’ Shen Lang said coldly in his mind.

On his forehead, the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron slowly manifested, growing from small to large as it floated above his palm.

BUZZ!

The Heaven-Sealing Cauldron let out a soft hum. The mouth of the cauldron flared with brilliant light, and a wisp of cyan smoke drifted out, slowly coalescing into the form of a middle-aged man with a resolute face, star-like eyes, and sword-like brows.

Author’s Note: We’re VIP now! Old Hai is on the ground, rolling and begging for your monthly passes, recommendation votes, and any tips you can spare!