Strongest War Emperor

"Fate... is a strange thing indeed."

With a soft sigh, Shen Lang’s thoughts stirred, and he summoned the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron.

In the void thick with poisonous mist, a white fog instantly enveloped the pair. They vanished without a trace, leaving only the small Heaven-Sealing Cauldron spinning in the air.

...

Inside the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron, Shen Lang had his arm around Nalan Ziyun, standing perfectly still amidst the fog.

"Alright, we’re safe now."

After a long moment, Shen Lang spoke softly, and the hand on Nalan Ziyun’s waist shifted subconsciously.

"You don’t have to comfort me. I know we’re going to die, but I don’t regret it..." Nalan Ziyun said, burying her head deep in Shen Lang’s chest.

"We’re really fine," Shen Lang said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

"Stop joking." However, Nalan Ziyun only tightened her grip on his arm, refusing to let go.

"Tsk! Why won’t you believe anything I say?" 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Shen Lang was speechless. His left hand, which was around Nalan Ziyun, slid down her smooth waist, and he gave her a firm smack on the butt!

"Ah!"

Nalan Ziyun cried out, let go, and stumbled back two steps, reflexively swinging a hand across Shen Lang’s face.

A crisp "SLAP!" echoed. Shen Lang was stunned by the blow; he hadn’t expected her to be so fast or her reaction to be so intense.

"Pervert! Ugh... It hurts!"

Shen Lang wasn’t the one crying out in pain. It was Nalan Ziyun, tears streaming down her face—the wide swing of her arm had jarred her broken right arm!

Nalan Ziyun had almost passed out from the pain when Xu Daolin first broke her arm, only managing to hang on out of concern for Shen Lang’s safety.

Then, as they fell from the cliff, Nalan Ziyun had been so sure they were going to die that she had all but forgotten the pain.

Now, after slapping him with her left hand, the excruciating pain from her right arm shot through her entire body. She began to tremble all over, and a cold sweat beaded on her forehead.

Shen Lang gave Nalan Ziyun a complicated look. Without another word, he stepped forward and tapped a point on her body.

"You..."

Nalan Ziyun only had time to utter a single word before her body went limp and she collapsed into Shen Lang’s arms, unconscious.

"Sigh..."

Gazing at Nalan Ziyun in his arms with a storm of emotions, Shen Lang couldn’t help but sigh again before gently laying her flat on the ground.

This woman had the face of an angel and the body of a devil. She was so dazzling that no matter when or where she appeared, all eyes would be drawn to her.

’To think she’d end up with a broken right arm, in such a miserable state, all for my sake...’

’What’s even harder to understand is that our relationship before this was absolutely terrible.’

’And it wasn’t just a recent thing—it had been like that for seven or eight years.’

In truth, Shen Lang held a significant grudge against her.

After he’d accidentally seen her bathing all those years ago, she had hunted him down to kill him countless times. Back then, the gap in their Cultivation was enormous. If not for Shen Lang’s quick wits, he probably would have... The feeling was just awful, and those days had been incredibly hard to endure.

And the main culprit behind it all was Nalan Ziyun.

There was a time when Shen Lang had hated Nalan Ziyun so much his teeth itched. He had secretly fantasized countless times about knocking her unconscious and ravishing her ten thousand times over.

But now that Nalan Ziyun was actually unconscious before him, the sight was, to Shen Lang’s eyes, strangely breathtaking.

Not only could he not muster even the slightest lewd thought, but his heart ached for her for reasons he couldn’t explain.

This was all just too strange...

Shen Lang lifted Nalan Ziyun’s right arm, channeling a gentle stream of Spiritual Power into it. Then, using several different techniques, he set the broken bone.

He tore off a strip of cloth and took out a few metal rods. After splinting Nalan Ziyun’s arm, he immediately began to slowly channel a formidable stream of Thunder Power into her body.

After Nalan Ziyun’s body trembled for a moment, the fierce Thunder Power coursed through her once, completely expelling the Shadow Power that Xu Daolin had driven into her.

"Her arm is too severely injured. Even though the bone is set, I doubt it will heal completely. And even if it does, it will probably have a huge impact on her future Cultivation..."

Shen Lang sat to the side, frowning as he pondered the problem.

’I can’t possibly use my Life Energy on Nalan Ziyun. But aside from that, none of the Elixir Pills I have on me can heal her injuries this quickly without leaving behind some lasting side effects.’

’Besides, I’m heavily injured myself, and my own Cultivation isn’t strong enough to repair such a severe wound.’

’That’s right! How could I have forgotten the Nine Immortals Lingzhi!’

A flash of inspiration struck Shen Lang as he remembered the Nine Immortals Lingzhi, and his eyes immediately lit up.

While it couldn’t compare to the Life Spiritual Liquid, it was still considered a top-tier Exotic Treasure on this continent.

While it couldn’t bring the dead back to life, healing an injury like this would be no problem at all.

Moreover, if it were refined into an Elixir Pill, a cultivator who consumed one would have their meridians cleared and channels soothed, their foundation solidified and their core energy nourished, reaping endless benefits.

The fact that Ye Xiao Zheng had risked colluding with Demon Martial Artists for several years just to get his hands on the Nine Immortals Lingzhi was a testament to its value.

With a flash of white light from the ring on his hand, Shen Lang took out the Nine Immortals Lingzhi.

Along with it, he also took out a variety of other Spirit Herbs, Spirit Fruits, and a Medicine Cauldron.

’It should only take a little over an hour to refine this Nine Immortals Lingzhi into an Elixir Pill. Lucky her.’

Shen Lang immediately got to work, his focus absolute.

Once he had finished setting up an Array around the Medicine Cauldron, Shen Lang sent several Spells into it, and a turquoise-yellow flame immediately ignited within.

He watched the rapidly growing turquoise-yellow flame in the Medicine Cauldron with a grave expression. Only after the fire had been burning fiercely for nearly five minutes did he toss the several stalks of Spirit Grass before him into the cauldron.

...

Shen Lang’s Alchemy session this time was not as relaxed or casual as before.

The truth was, his own heavy injuries had yet to heal. Anxious to refine the Nine Immortals Lingzhi into an Elixir Pill to treat Nalan Ziyun, he had thrown all caution to the wind and begun the process anyway.

Anyone else who had taken a "Blood Handprint" from a Peak Xuanwu Realm Powerhouse would probably be half-dead already.

Then, on top of that, he had been wounded multiple times by the Netherworld Wolf King while escaping, taken a punch from that bastard Xu Daolin, and then been run through twice by Long Fong’s spear...

It was a miracle that he could even move at this point.

And yet here he was, performing Alchemy—a task that required absolute concentration, involved intricate steps, and consumed an enormous amount of Divine Thought.

If not for the Life Energy circulating within his body, it would have been utterly impossible for Shen Lang to do any of this.

...

An hour later, the Nine Immortals Lingzhi had completely melted into a pure liquid, fusing with the other Spiritual Materials.

Just as the pill was about to form, Nalan Ziyun regained consciousness.

"Where is this? What are you doing?"

As Nalan Ziyun woke up and took a look around, she discovered that the Shadow Energy that had been rampaging through her body was gone, and her broken right arm had been set.

Furthermore, Shen Lang had used strips of cloth to create a sling, which was now looped around her neck to support her wrist.

She didn’t know what technique Shen Lang had used, but her arm surprisingly didn’t hurt very much. Nalan Ziyun couldn’t help but look around curiously.

At that moment, Shen Lang had his back to her, his hands flying up and down as he continuously formed Seal Techniques and sent them into the Medicine Cauldron.

The Alchemy was finally reaching its final stages. It was a critical moment, and he couldn’t afford any distractions. He had no time to answer her questions.

Seeing that Shen Lang wasn’t saying a word, Nalan Ziyun snorted coldly and stood up.

She walked to Shen Lang’s side and gazed at the endless white mist and the beautiful specks of light glittering within the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron’s space. Everything felt illusory, as if she were in a dream.

Then she watched as Shen Lang’s hand movements grew faster and faster, sweat streaming down his face, and a thousand questions bubbled up inside her...

’We were clearly falling down a bottomless cliff, so how on earth did we end up in such a wondrous place?’

But seeing Shen Lang’s focused expression, she forced herself to swallow all her questions.

She circled Shen Lang a few times, the look of astonishment in her eyes growing more and more intense.

’This guy actually knows Alchemy! And the exotic fragrance here is overwhelming... his technique is so complex and intricate. The Elixir Pill he’s refining seems to be of a very high grade... I can’t believe this little scoundrel still has secrets I don’t know about.’

’That’s right... ever since I met him in the Phoenix Mountain Range eight years ago, I’ve been secretly following him. I’ve practically watched him grow up. But if I’m being honest, how much do I really know about him?’

’That rotten kid... for the past ten years in the Phoenix Mountain Range, he’s been slaying Demon Beasts, constantly tempered by blood and fire, but his Cultivation has always been stagnant because of his Celestial Vein Sacred Body. And yet, not only did he just cleave a Spirit Martial Realm Sixth Heaven expert in two with one strike, but he also single-handedly faced a Sixth Level Netherworld Wolf King and a group of masters without showing any sign of defeat... Could it be that he’s found a solution for his Celestial Vein Sacred Body? Even if he did, it makes no sense for him to be this ridiculously powerful, does it?’

’It’s only been a year since I last saw him... I never would have thought he’d have changed so drastically...’

As Nalan Ziyun watched Shen Lang completely absorbed in his Alchemy, a trace of tenderness surfaced in her eyes.

Just then, with a "WHOOSH," the flame inside the Medicine Cauldron suddenly went out. A brilliant light erupted from within, and more than a dozen points of light shot out. As if possessing Spiritual Wisdom, they began to flee in all directions with sharp shrieks!

"An Em... Emperor Pill!" Nalan Ziyun exclaimed in astonishment.

’Only legendary Emperor Level Elixirs are said to develop a hint of Spiritual Wisdom and know to flee upon creation!’

’But I know this little scoundrel in front of me inside and out; how could he possibly refine an Emperor Level Elixir?’

’Besides, the successful refinement of an Emperor Level Elixir is supposed to trigger celestial phenomena and attract Pill Thunder, but nothing like that happened while Shen Lang was performing his Alchemy, right?’

"Trying to run?"

While Nalan Ziyun was still reeling in shock, Shen Lang let out a soft cry. His hands twirled in the air, and ribbons of light shot from his palms, spreading out to instantly ensnare the twelve fleeing Elixir Pills and pull them back.

THUMP THUMP THUMP!

Nalan Ziyun ran up to Shen Lang and said in disbelief, "No way! You little scoundrel, did you really just refine an Emperor Level Elixir?"

"Emperor Level Elixir? It’s not that simple!" Shen Lang said, a look of exhaustion on his face. "This is a Profound Level Fifth Grade Elixir; it’s still a ways off from being an Emperor Level Elixir. Hmph. I’d love to refine an Emperor Level Elixir, but my Divine Thought isn’t strong enough, so it’s beyond my abilities. Besides, an Emperor Level Elixir would trigger Pill Thunder. In my current condition, facing Pill Thunder would be suicide, wouldn’t it?"

Only after he said that did Nalan Ziyun come to her senses.

She took a closer look and saw that Shen Lang’s face was pale and drawn, his eyes unfocused. Though the two spear wounds on his chest had stopped bleeding, the flesh around them was torn open in a ghastly sight.

And on Shen Lang’s left shoulder, his robes were torn, revealing a fist-shaped imprint as black as ink.

Wisps of black gas were slowly rising from the imprint, giving off a nauseating stench!

"Are you insane? You’re this badly injured, and you’re still doing Alchemy? No matter how amazing this Elixir Pill is, you should have focused on circulating your energy to stabilize your own injuries first!" Nalan Ziyun snapped.

"Do you really think you’re so incredible? You killed a Spirit Martial Realm expert, so now you think you can just ignore injuries like these?"

Shen Lang didn’t answer her. Instead, he tilted his head and asked, "Don’t you hate my guts? Didn’t you want nothing more than to see me dead? When you rushed over before, shouldn’t you have been the one to land the finishing blow, not take that punch for me?"

"That’s not your usual style at all..."