Strongest War Emperor

The Ghost King hadn’t even finished his gloating when Shen Lang’s figure mysteriously vanished on the spot.

A rather unremarkable small cauldron floated in the air where he had been standing.

"Shameless human, hiding inside a Magical Treasure!"

The Ghost King materialized as a cloud of black mist and began to curse, "So shameless! So cunning! So utterly shameless! If you have any guts, stop hiding! Come out and fight me fair and square!"

"Damn, calling me shameless? Who was the idiot hiding and skulking around before? Get lost. I’m going to have a cup of tea and take a nap first. Don’t bother me, or I’ll crush you!" Shen Lang’s lazy voice drifted out from within the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron.

As soon as Shen Lang’s voice faded, Nalan Ziyun’s also rang out, "Alright, don’t pay any attention to that old thing that’s neither human nor ghost. Come, let’s have some tea first. This is a 150-year-old Cloud Mist Tea. It’s good for calming the nerves."

"What do you mean, ’neither human nor ghost’? I *am* a ghost! I am the Ghost King, not a ’thing’!" the Ghost King roared.

"Teehee! I know. I’m just saying you’re nothing," Nalan Ziyun giggled.

"..."

The Ghost King was so furious smoke was practically coming out of his ears. He circled the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron faster and faster, kicking up a ring of mist and sending stone fragments flying.

But the creature was extremely cunning and cautious. He just kept circling, never making a move.

’This makes no sense... How can a mere Spirit Martial Realm brat possess such a powerful Magical Treasure, one he can even enter? This kid has a physical body; he’s not a Soul Body like me!’

’There’s something strange about this thing; I can’t touch it! I’m like a jade vessel; I can’t risk clashing with a piece of earthenware!’

’Even if I’m going to touch it, I’ll wait for my underlings outside to get in. I’ll let those pieces of earthenware touch it.’

The creature was incredibly cautious. Not knowing what kind of treasure the Small Cauldron was, he wouldn’t even touch it, refusing to even launch a probing attack...

"Dammit, copying me and hiding? How shameless! Utterly shameless! Fine, if you won’t come out, I’ll get back to my own business!"

The old ghost was decisive. Seeing that Shen Lang wasn’t daring to come out, he flew directly back to where the Ancient Bronze Coffin was located.

That location was a cavern with the most potent Yin Qi in the entire Dark Forest. It was called the Yinfeng Cave, and a powerful Array had been carved there to help the Ghost King advance his cultivation.

But who would have known that just as the Ghost King sat down cross-legged, with black smoke beginning to rise from his body as he was about to enter a state of Cultivation...

The Heaven-Sealing Cauldron trembled lightly. Shen Lang leaped out, a single slash infused with raging thunder tearing through the air as he charged toward the ghost. "Old ghost, I’m all rested up! Let’s keep playing!"

"Bastard! You dare to come out again!"

The Ghost King roared in fury, soaring into the air as a giant ghostly claw swiped toward Shen Lang’s Sword Qi.

"BOOM!"

The massive ghostly claw and the blade’s light were annihilated simultaneously. A hurricane materialized out of thin air, kicking up countless bits of sand and stone.

Meanwhile, the Ghost King spun in the air and vanished once more.

"Brat, die!"

The green Ghost Pearl shot toward Shen Lang’s back once again, the sound of it breaking the sound barrier even drowning out the noise of the attacks on the Barrier outside.

Shen Lang gripped his saber with both hands, the Single Saber blurring into an afterimage!

"SWOOSH!"

The light of his blade swirled out like a hurricane, its speed astonishing and its edge peerless, as it struck the green pearl with unerring accuracy right in the center.

With a sound like a tide of wind and thunder, Shen Lang stumbled back three steps. Shaking his numb arm, he said, "Ah, I’m tired of fighting. You go ahead and do your thing; I’m taking a break."

With that, his figure flickered and he once again entered the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron.

"Son of a bitch! This is the first time I’ve ever seen someone more shameless than I am!"

The Ghost King was so furious he could have spat blood. Several times he was tempted to lash out at the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron, but in the end, he unwillingly pulled back.

Even now, the old ghost remained so incredibly cautious!

This repeated over and over. If the Ghost King used his Concealing Form technique, Shen Lang would enter the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron.

If the Ghost King tried to return to the Yinfeng Cave to recover or resume his attempt to advance, Shen Lang would pop out and cause trouble.

He harried the Ghost King to the point where the latter wanted to cry...

But that wasn’t the worst of it. What was truly disastrous was that with each appearance, Shen Lang had begun to probe his fatal weakness!

After causing trouble for who knows how many times, Shen Lang once again clashed with the Ghost Pearl, was knocked back a few steps, and immediately ducked back into the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron.

This time, however, Shen Lang was a little different than usual...

"What is it, are you hurt? I told you not to provoke that old ghost. After all, his Cultivation level is no joke," Nalan Ziyun said with a touch of worry.

Shen Lang shook his head. "Not injured, just my qi and blood are a little unsettled... Strange. It feels like the old ghost’s power is draining..."

"How is that possible? This is his territory, and it’s the place with the densest Yin Qi in the entire Dark Forest. Although the Spiritual Qi in the Dark Forest is thin, a place like this should be the most suitable location for a Ghost like the Ghost King to advance his cultivation or fight a major battle," Nalan Ziyun said, puzzled.

Shen Lang glanced thoughtfully at the light screen. The screen was empty, showing only the wind howling past.

"I looked into it earlier. That old ghost is indeed using a type of Ghost Dao Secret Technique to advance. Using this technique should leave him extremely weak both before and after... but he’s been acting all proud and mighty, which isn’t normal." Shen Lang stroked his chin. "Now his power is weakening faster and faster, and he’s getting more impatient and reckless. He’s already revealed himself to clash with me head-on three times..."

"So you’re saying he used some method to forcibly maintain his Cultivation, making him seem as strong as ever, but as time passes, he’s losing control?"

"If my guess is correct, that’s exactly it."

"Haha, isn’t that even better? We can just wait here until he’s at his weakest, then go out and finish him... uh, no, that won’t work. That old ghost comes and goes without a trace. Even if he’s at his weakest, it’ll be nearly impossible to kill him..."

"Heh, not necessarily." A small smile played on Shen Lang’s lips. "Alright, just watch what I do. The Barrier is about to break."

"Huh? Seriously? The Barrier is breaking? And you’re happy about it?" Nalan Ziyun was stunned.

If that Barrier broke, thousands of Ghosts would pour in, not to mention those five Rakshasa Ghosts. The situation would be far more difficult than before!

Just then, a tremendous BOOM resounded. The massive Barrier shook violently and finally, a gap was torn open.

The five Rakshasa Ghosts let out a cheer and led a tide of Ghosts surging in!

"Yee-hee-hee-hee, we’re in!"

The few Rakshasa Ghosts were so happy they were on the verge of tears.

It hadn’t been easy. The Barrier that the Ghost King had once gathered the power of all the ghosts to create hadn’t stopped the enemy, but had ended up blocking them instead.

After struggling outside for ages and using every last bit of their strength, they had finally broken open the Barrier. How could they not be happy?

"Minions, lift that Small Cauldron and throw it into the lava of the Abyss! Burn them to death!" one of the Rakshasa Ghosts ordered.

The moment the Rakshasa Ghost’s voice fell, a flash of light emanated from the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron, and Shen Lang’s figure emerged.

The Rakshasa Ghosts were stunned for a moment, not understanding why the brat would dare to come out. They then saw Shen Lang sprint, reaching an edge of the Barrier in the blink of an eye and pressing his palm against it once more.

"He’s trying to run! Minions, get him! Kill him! A great reward awaits!"

A Rakshasa Ghost roared, and a large swarm of Ghosts immediately descended on Shen Lang like a dark cloud.

"Run, my ass!"

Shen Lang scoffed. Instantly, the Barrier erupted with a brilliant light once more, and countless silver, electricity-like threads appeared, densely packed across its surface.

The next moment, the horde of Ghosts that had still been frantically pouring in screamed in agony as they were flung back.

The gap in the Barrier that had been forced open suddenly sealed itself shut!

The entire Barrier was restored to its original state!

The only difference was that this time, the vast majority of the Ghosts were blocked outside the Barrier. Only the first wave, led by the five Rakshasa Ghosts, had managed to break in.

"Well now, none of you can get out." Shen Lang gave a very "friendly" wave to the five Rakshasa Ghosts.

In an instant, the five Rakshasa Ghosts were streaming tears.

"Son of a bitch, that kid let us in on purpose! When he broke the array, he left a backdoor! We’ve been trapped like turtles in a jar!"

"We’re done for! With just a few of us on the inside and most of our forces outside, breaking this Barrier again will be several times harder!"

"Idiot, what the hell do you know? Have you forgotten Lord Ghost King is in here with us? As long as he’s here and works with us, won’t breaking this Barrier be as easy as flipping a palm?"

"Wait, wait, you’re all wrong! You’ve got it backward! We’re the ones hunting that kid, he’s not hunting us! Why should we run? He’s the one who should be running!"

"Number Four is right! Trapped like a turtle in a jar... *he’s* the turtle!"

Below, the five Rakshasa Ghosts chattered away, while up in the void, the Ghost King was silently weeping all by himself.

The moment the gap in the Barrier had opened, he had hesitated for a split second before flying toward it at top speed, hoping to escape...

He never expected that just as he reached the edge of the Barrier, the gap would be sealed shut by Shen Lang once again!

Now, the power in his entire body was constantly draining away. If this continued, in two or three hours, his strength would fall to a level comparable to the First and Second Heaven of the Spirit Martial Realm...

This human brat’s Sword Skill was terrifyingly dominant, his Thunder Power was appallingly strong, and it seemed to be inexhaustible... If he really fell to the level of the First and Second Heaven of the Spirit Martial Realm, he probably wouldn’t even be able to block a casual slash from the boy!

Just a fraction of a second too slow, and just like that, he had become the "turtle in a jar"!

The great Lord Ghost King, who commanded the winds and clouds of the Dark Forest, had become a trapped turtle in a jar!

At this moment, the Ghost King really wanted to find a deserted place and have a good, long cry.

’I knew from the start that forcibly sealing my Soul Fire wouldn’t last long, but I fucking didn’t expect this kid to hold out for so long—and to so shamelessly hide in that Small Cauldron to play cat and mouse with me!’

’To think that I, the dignified Ghost King, the Dominator of the Dark Forest, who could summon the wind and rain here, would end up losing my old life in this place. The Barrier I spent a Herculean effort to create has actually trapped me... Dammit, just where did this guy come from? How can anyone be this much of a monster!’

’Calm down, calm down! It’s not a dead end yet, there’s still a way! Before my power is completely gone, before I reach my weakest point, I’ll charge into his body and perform Possession!’

’I sensed it long ago. Although this brat’s Cultivation is formidable and his Sword Skill is unmatched in its dominance, his soul is far from being a match for mine. As long as I can get inside his body, I have a ninety percent chance of succeeding with Possession! Good, let’s do it!’

The Ghost King revealed his form, and the Ghost Pearl smashed toward Shen Lang with a piercing shriek, immediately forcing him back into the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron.

Once Shen Lang was forced into the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron, the Ghost King immediately dispatched his Divine Split toward the Yinfeng Cave. It sat down cross-legged, feigning a state of Cultivation.

His true form, however, silently hid near the edge of the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron, just waiting for Shen Lang to emerge so he could immediately perform Possession...