Strongest War Emperor

"First question: the Emperor Star. What exactly is it? Why did your Celestial Crocodile Race know about it a million years ago?" Shen Lang asked.

To his disappointment, Li Su shook her head awkwardly. "I don’t know either," she said. "According to the information from my inherited memories, the first time the Celestial Crocodile Race descended to the Lower Realm, it was for the Emperor Star. The Grand Elder of the Pangu Race told our Clan Leader that the Celestial Crocodile Race are Protectors of the Emperor Star and have an obligation to help it. But what I find most baffling is that the Celestial Crocodile Race is actually the most untamable clan in the Demon Realm, having never submitted to any power or race. The Demon Dragon Race coveted the resources of the Celestial Crocodile Race many times, only to be soundly defeated. And yet, when the Pangu Race told us we were Protectors of the Emperor Star, our Clan Leader and the others believed it without a doubt. The Emperor Star is simply too mysterious."

Shen Lang asked again, "Second question: Who is the powerful Demon God you mentioned that killed your people, and where is he from?"

Li Su’s brow furrowed, and she said timidly, "I... I don’t know either. I only know that the Demon God is not a person of this Human Realm. He’s also from the Upper Realm and possesses earth-shattering power. My father once told me that this world was fated to face this calamity. He said that unless the Emperor Star truly appeared in this world, everything would be reduced to ash. That this Demon God is in this world, yet not in this world."

"’In this world, yet not in this world...’ What does that mean? Do you have any information on the forces under his command?" Shen Lang asked, puzzled.

"I don’t know that either..." Li Su shook her head again.

Shen Lang was already certain in his heart that this Demon God was very likely connected to the giant face that had appeared when the War Emperor fell.

But even after piecing together everything Li Su had said with what he already knew, he still had no new information about the Demon God or the power that made the War God Hall so wary. This couldn’t help but frustrate him.

"Last question. Why did you bring me here? Don’t tell me you think I’m connected to the Emperor Star? Or do you want to get that Life Spiritual Liquid you mentioned from me? But what makes you think I’d have any more Life Spiritual Liquid?" Shen Lang asked, getting straight to the point. It was time to lay his cards on the table.

No matter how much he sympathized with Li Su, this was their first meeting. There was no way he was going to just hand over the Life Spiritual Liquid.

Li Su pondered for a moment before speaking. "I don’t know what kind of person the Emperor Star is, why they exist, or what their characteristics are... I only know that my father’s drop of Life Spiritual Liquid came from the Pangu Realm, and the people who told the Celestial Crocodile Race about the Emperor Star were also from the Pangu Realm. That’s why I guessed that you, Brother, might have some connection to the Emperor Star, no matter how small. I hope that you can help me and my people in the future. I’m not asking for a promise, Brother. I just hope that when you truly have the strength and opportunity to help my clan, you won’t hesitate to lend a hand..."

"The reason I asked you to come here, Brother, is that besides sensing the aura of the Life Spiritual Liquid on you, I also discovered that your physique is very special. It’s possible it’s truly related to the Emperor Star."

"As for the Life Spiritual Liquid, it’s an item that defies the heavens themselves—it can only be chanced upon, not sought. What’s meant for someone is meant for them. Back then, that Demon God possessed world-ending power and wanted to take it from my father, but in the end, he could only retreat in disgrace... So I have no extravagant hopes of obtaining it. Besides, I’m not even sure if you have a second drop, Brother..."

"I see... I understand." Shen Lang’s tone shifted. "Li Su, you know my physique is special? Can you determine in what way it’s special?"

Li Su smiled sweetly. "I should be able to tell, I just can’t be certain yet. Brother, I need a drop of your blood to confirm it."

"Alright." Shen Lang nodded and rubbed two fingers of his right hand together, sending a drop of blood floating toward Li Su.

Li Su gently tapped the drop of blood in mid-air with her fair, slender index finger. The tiny droplet instantly expanded to the size of a baseball, as if it had transformed into a container. The liquid within immediately began to boil and bubble.

The next second, the sphere of blood swelled rapidly like a bubble, growing many times larger until it stopped at roughly the size of a soccer ball.

Peering through the crimson barrier, Shen Lang was stunned to see image after image appearing within, as if he were looking into another world.

This world was vast and boundless. Countless towering Divine Demons roamed about, and innumerable colossal Fierce Beasts shrieked and roared, their cries shaking the heavens and the earth.

Then, high above the world, ten massive silhouettes suddenly materialized from thin air. They circled and danced, forming a ring that blotted out the sun.

’Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, Xuanwu, Qilin, Taotie, Kui Ox, Bi Fang, Qiongqi, Phoenix... The ten legendary Divine Beasts. How could they appear from a drop of my blood...’

Even with the War Emperor’s memories in his mind, Shen Lang was utterly astounded by the sight.

There was far too little information about the Celestial Vein Sacred Body in this world; most of it was just rumor.

Even the rumors were limited mostly to its name, only conveying that it was a special, world-shaking physique from countless years ago.

As for any other details, they were almost entirely obscure.

As Li Su watched the scene within the sphere of blood, her eyes grew wider and wider. Her expression slowly shifted from astonishment to sheer horror!

Seeing Li Su’s increasingly dramatic expression, Shen Lang’s heart skipped a beat. He quickly asked, "Li Su, do you know about the Celestial Vein Sacred Body? My physique is the legendary Celestial Vein Sacred Body."

"Brother, your physique is not the Celestial Vein Sacred Body," Li Su said, shaking her head with a grave expression.

"No way."

Shen Lang was stunned. He hadn’t necessarily trusted the assessment of the Tayun Academy’s Dean, but after receiving the War Emperor’s legacy, he had specifically checked it himself using the methods from the War Emperor’s memories.

His physique had perfectly matched all the legendary criteria for the Celestial Vein Sacred Body.

So how could Li Su claim it wasn’t the Celestial Vein Sacred Body?

And her expression was rather frightening.

Li Su looked at Shen Lang hesitantly. "Brother, our Celestial Crocodile Race are also Divine Beasts. From the day we are born, we receive an inherited legacy. In addition to awakening our innate Talent Abilities as Divine Beasts, all kinds of precious information gathered by the Celestial Crocodile Race over countless millennia—everything from information about the various realms to other secrets, minus some heavily taboo subjects and certain Forbidden Techniques—is downloaded directly into our minds. It’s far superior to how humans rely on recording things in classics."

As she spoke, she gave the crimson sphere another deep look. "If I’m not mistaken, Brother, your physique is the ’Chaos Divine Body’—a physique coveted by countless Divine Demons!"

The moment Li Su uttered the word "Chaos," Shen Lang felt the Tai Chi Diagram within him begin to spin on its own. It transformed back into the Black and White Qi, which danced like dragons above his Pill Sea.

Then, the name "Chaos Qi" appeared in his mind without any warning.

’So the name of this Black and White Qi is actually Chaos Qi...’

Shen Lang was only stunned for a moment before his expression turned grim. "Li Su, I know nothing about this Chaos Divine Body you mentioned. The name sounds incredibly powerful, but why do you look so horrified? You said Divine Demons covet it. What does that mean? If it’s really so powerful, shouldn’t they be jealous? Why specifically say ’covet’?"

Li Su paced back and forth inside the pavilion for several steps before speaking softly. "It is covet, not jealousy. I know a little about the Celestial Vein Sacred Body you mentioned. It’s a decent, powerful physique in the Human Realm, one in ten thousand, you could say. But compared to the Chaos Divine Body, it’s not even in the same league."

"Based on the information in my memory, from the dawn of time until now, over countless eons, only two people have ever possessed the Chaos Divine Body..."

"Two people..." A bitter taste filled Shen Lang’s mouth. He was finally beginning to understand.

Before he could react, Li Su spoke again. "Brother, do you know what happened back then, when news spread that one of those people possessed the Chaos Divine Body?"

Shen Lang’s face darkened. "Don’t tell me that when word got out, countless Divine Demons all wanted to devour him and take it for themselves?"

Her red lips parted slightly. After a long moment, she said, "You guessed correctly, Brother. Because of the Chaos Divine Body, war broke out across the Six Realms. It was a storm of blood that turned the world upside down. If a new-generation Great Emperor from the Demon Realm hadn’t appeared and suppressed the Ten Thousand Realms, I’m afraid many of the powerful clans of the Demon Realm—like the Celestial Crocodile Race and the Demon Dragon Clan—would have been annihilated, erased from history."

"..." Shen Lang was utterly speechless.

First, Li Su finding out about his Life Spiritual Liquid. Then, her revealing the world-shaking truth of the Chaos Divine Body. It was one bombshell after another, leaving Shen Lang’s head spinning.

The composure he usually maintained, as still as the water in an ancient well, was finally broken by ripples of disturbance.

Even before coming here, Shen Lang knew he was carrying two ticking time bombs.

One, of course, was the heaven-defying Life Spiritual Liquid. If word of it got out, it would undoubtedly cause a massive upheaval and unleash a tide of blood and slaughter.

The fact that a mysterious power had annihilated a race from the Upper Realm as powerful as the Celestial Crocodile Race was proof enough of that.

The other was Zuo Wentian. For some reason, that guy had stirred up a whole mess of trouble back in the day, causing many Legendary Powers to lose numerous supreme experts. They were all severely weakened, and now his very name had become a taboo.

As for the Life Spiritual Liquid, Shen Lang had figured that as long as he kept quiet, the only people who knew were himself, Zuo Wentian, and possibly Sister Hong Yu. He had never imagined that Li Su would know as well...

If he didn’t handle this properly, even if he managed to leave the Sorrow Swamp safely this time, he would likely never know a day of peace again.

As for Zuo Wentian, the only prudent course of action was to keep him completely hidden. He absolutely could not let him appear until he himself was strong enough to face the consequences. Only then could he consider anything else.

Even if the truth about Zuo Wentian came out, the worst that could happen was making an enemy of every Legendary Power in the world.

But the Chaos Divine Body... the revelation of that couldn’t help but fill him with dread.

From the sound of it, this Chaos Divine Body was basically like the Ginseng Fruit or Tang Monk’s Flesh from the *Journey to the West* stories Shen Lang knew—something everyone would want to devour...

The Ginseng Fruit was one thing. Its owner, Immortal Zhenyuan, was the Ancestor of Earth Immortals; who would dare try to steal from him?

And Tang Monk, at least he was under the protection of the Buddha and had the Monkey King to guard him. He was always in peril but never truly in danger.

But where was Shen Lang supposed to find a patron or a protector?

Zuo Wentian had some power, but the man could barely protect himself. Besides, he was a ticking time bomb in his own right.

Besides, this was something coveted by Divine Demons, beings from realms countless times more powerful than the Human Realm!

Weren’t the top experts of this world considered the weakest of the weak in the Upper Realm?

For the first time, Shen Lang’s expression became unbearably grim...