Strongest War Emperor

When Yi Hongchen awoke, he subconsciously threw a punch at Shen Lang, startling the people from Evil Wind Valley.

’This is the man who saved us! And his Cultivation is unfathomable!’

’If we make him angry, he could just slap you, and never mind that you’re severely injured—even if you were in perfect condition, you wouldn’t be able to withstand it!’

BAM!

Shen Lang casually reached out with his left hand and caught Yi Hongchen’s fist. He then pulled it back, forced it down, and finally shoved it forward.

"AARGH!"

Yi Hongchen cried out in pain. His right arm hung at a strange angle, trembling uncontrollably.

Powerful Qi erupted from the impact, sending rubble flying to either side.

"Senior, forgive him! Hongchen didn’t mean to..." Luo Fengling quickly explained.

The others immediately began speaking up for Yi Hongchen, each of them trembling with fear, terrified that Shen Lang would become angry.

Shen Lang gently brushed his palm over Yi Hongchen’s arm, and the look of agony on Yi Hongchen’s face gradually faded.

"To still have this much strength in your condition... Not bad," Shen Lang said, slowly rising to his feet.

By now, Yi Hongchen had already recovered his senses. His face filled with shame, he copied Luo Fengling and the others, struggling to get down on one knee. "Thank you for saving my life, Senior. I, Yi Hongchen, will never forget this kindness!"

Shen Lang ignored him, however. He sheathed his long saber, turned away, and said coldly, "Give me one reason not to kill you."

Everyone started, only then remembering the man from the Holy Light Sect!

The man had been kneeling on one knee with his head bowed, remaining in that position without daring to move an inch.

Hearing Shen Lang’s question, the man raised his face and spoke with firm deliberation, "My lord, your Cultivation is profound and unfathomable. I, Xiu Ban, am willing to swear my life to follow you, to overcome any obstacle in your path, and I will never retreat!"

Shen Lang snorted. "With your level of Cultivation, what could you possibly do? You want to follow me? What makes you worthy?"

Xiu Ban’s expression remained unchanged as he spoke in a clear voice, "My Cultivation may be weak now, but if I follow you, my lord, and receive your guidance, I will surely improve by leaps and bounds! These people from Evil Wind Valley know me, they know my story. You can ask them, my lord."

"Oh?" Shen Lang turned his head to look at Yi Hongchen and the others.

Yi Hongchen composed himself and spoke respectfully, "Within the Holy Light Sect, Xiu Ban has always been ostracized for his independent streak and suppressed by the sect’s Elders. But he was the star of the sect’s tournament last year, where he used an unorthodox Saber Skill, the Wind-Thunder Saber, to severely injure several senior disciples at the Qi Martial Realm Seventh Heaven, making a huge name for himself. However, because the Holy Light Sect’s Young Sect Leader, Yao Chengjie, failed to recruit him, life in the sect has been incredibly difficult for him. To be fair, his aptitude is greater than mine. If he had access to the same resources, his Cultivation would likely be far beyond my own."

Xiu Ban shot Yi Hongchen a grateful glance before saying cautiously, "My aptitude may only be above average, but I can endure hardship, and I have endured a great deal of it. My willpower is stronger than that of other Martial Artists of the Same Tier. I once entered the Snow Domain Forbidden Land alone and returned unscathed. I also fought a bloody, single-handed battle for three days and nights to wipe out the bandits of the Nine Mountains and Eighteen Strongholds... I can bear any suffering. As long as you will allow me to follow you, my lord, and offer me the slightest guidance, I am willing to offer up my Soul Blood and never betray you!"

"Soul Blood!" Yi Hongchen and the others flinched at the words.

Although a Martial Artist at the Qi Martial Realm Fifth Heaven or higher could condense their Soul Blood, the process was still difficult... But the difficulty wasn’t the real issue. The substance was incredibly volatile; offering one’s Soul Blood was the same as placing one’s entire life in another person’s hands.

If the recipient wished it, they could shatter the Soul Blood with a single thought, even from thousands of miles away, causing the owner’s soul to undergo Soul Scattering!

For Xiu Ban to willingly offer his Soul Blood just to stay alive and follow this mysterious Ghost-faced man... it was less an act of cowardice and more one of utter ruthlessness.

Without such a ruthless disposition, an ordinary person could never do something like this.

"Hmph. Endure hardship?" Shen Lang snorted. "A Martial Artist’s Cultivation, absorbing nature’s spiritual energy and seizing the fortune of heaven and earth, is an act of defying the heavens itself. Who has ever become an expert without suffering? Since you claim you can endure hardship, I’ll give you one chance!"

As he spoke, Shen Lang produced six golden needles with a flip of his wrist.

When Xiu Ban heard he had a chance, he was overjoyed. He stared at the golden needles without blinking and swallowed hard.

Shen Lang said flatly, "I will insert these six golden needles into several of your acupoints. Afterward, you will feel an indescribable, gut-wrenching agony that will make you wish for death. If you can endure it for three minutes, you will not only live but also receive my guidance and obtain a tremendous opportunity. If you cannot endure it, you may remove the golden needles yourself. The pain will vanish, but in the next moment, I will cut you down where you stand. Are you willing to try?"

"I am willing!" Xiu Ban said, nodding vigorously without a second thought.

With a flick of his finger, Shen Lang sent the six golden needles flashing through the air. They embedded themselves in Xiu Ban’s body, leaving only the very tips exposed.

"AAAARRRGH!"

A bloodcurdling scream immediately echoed through Halan Valley. Horrified, the people from Evil Wind Valley staggered back several steps before regaining their footing.

No one could know the true extent of Xiu Ban’s agony, but they could hear his beast-like roars and see the sweat pouring off him like rain. He repeatedly smashed his hands against the ground, sending stone chips flying, not even seeming to notice as his fists were beaten to a bloody pulp...

The scene was utterly terrifying.

Among the group from Evil Wind Valley, only Yi Hongchen and Luo Fengling watched with deeply furrowed brows. The others couldn’t bear the sight and turned their heads away.

"If you can’t take it anymore, you can circulate your Spiritual Power to eject the golden needles," Shen Lang said calmly, his expression unchanging as he watched Xiu Ban.

Instead of making Xiu Ban give up, his words seemed to jolt him to his senses.

Xiu Ban immediately sat down cross-legged, formed a Seal Technique, and forced himself to circulate his Spiritual Power through the agonizing pain to alleviate it.

His screams subsided...

Where before he had been letting out sharp, open-mouthed roars, he now clenched his jaw tightly, the only sound a guttural growl from deep in his throat, like a struggling animal.

A trickle of crimson flowed from the corner of his mouth, making the hearts of the Evil Wind Valley members pound in their chests.

’His willpower seems decent enough...’

The three minutes passed quickly. A flicker of change finally appeared in Shen Lang’s eyes, which had been as placid as still water.

With a crook of his finger, the six golden needles popped out of Xiu Ban’s body and flew back into his hand.

The moment the golden needles left him, Xiu Ban’s body went completely slack. With a THUD, he collapsed onto the rubble, gasping for air, utterly spent.

The Golden Needle Acupoint Forging Body Technique. That was the name of the method Shen Lang had just used on Xiu Ban.

It was a type of Body Refining Technique. The complete technique required one to pierce their own body with eighty-one golden needles in eighty-one different acupoints.

When used with its corresponding Heart Method, the golden needles didn’t just obstruct the smooth flow of Spiritual Power, creating blockages and crises at every turn; they also ceaselessly stimulated the Martial Artist’s body, awakening their latent potential.

But the cruelest part of the Golden Needle Acupoint Forging Body Technique was not that it made circulating one’s Spiritual Power tens or even hundreds of times more difficult. It was that during the process, not only would the Martial Artist be prevented from passing out, but as the power within the golden needles tempered their very soul, their Sixth Sense would become hyper-sensitive, forcing them to experience the soul-deep agony with excruciating clarity.

Those who had encountered this Body Refining Technique regarded it as a beast from Primordial Chaos, their faces paling at its very mention.

This inhuman Body Refining Technique was what the War Emperor had once used as his fundamental Spell, cultivating it nonstop for years on end.

Shen Lang was well aware of how brutally insane this technique was. Even though the six golden needles were placed in the most peripheral acupoints, and the pain was less than one percent of what he had endured when his Chaos Divine Body awakened, for a Qi Martial Realm Martial Artist who had never practiced a Body Refining Technique, it was an incredible feat of endurance.

The fact that Xiu Ban had managed to endure for the full three minutes proved he was worthy of following him.

COUGH! COUGH!

Xiu Ban coughed violently, using every ounce of his strength to struggle back up and kneel on the ground. He bowed toward Shen Lang and said respectfully, "My lord... I... I endured it!"

"Open your mouth."

An Elixir Pill shot from Shen Lang’s hand.

Xiu Ban subconsciously opened his mouth and swallowed the Elixir Pill with a GULP.

The Elixir Pill immediately released a boundless medicinal power that coursed through his entire body.

Xiu Ban felt waves of warmth spreading through his limbs, making his whole body feel wonderfully revitalized. He couldn’t help but stand up and start moving his arms and legs. With every gesture, a latent power surged, and Powerful Qi radiated from him.

"HAAA!"

Xiu Ban let out a subconscious, drawn-out roar. The sound echoed endlessly through the valley, refusing to fade.

Yi Hongchen and the others’ expressions changed drastically. Judging from the roar, Xiu Ban’s Cultivation had skyrocketed in just a few short minutes! He seemed to have reached the Peak of the Qi Martial Realm Sixth Heaven and looked like he could break through to the Qi Martial Realm Seventh Heaven at any moment!

’It seems that while the Ghost-faced man was testing Xiu Ban’s willpower with that Golden Needle Acupuncture, the technique also gave him enormous benefits. Paired with that pill afterward... So strong. Just too strong! This method is unheard of, even within a Profound Iron Level Influence! To so casually and simply raise a Martial Artist by an entire Heaven in an instant!’ Yi Hongchen’s expression flickered as an idea began to form in his mind.

Just then, Xiu Ban’s roar abruptly ceased, and he finally stopped moving.

He stared at his hands, feeling the Spiritual Power coursing through his body and a strength far greater than before. His face was a mask of utter disbelief, and the way he looked at Shen Lang was now filled with boundless reverence and gratitude.

"Since you endured, I will not go back on my word. Condense your Soul Blood," Shen Lang said, looking at Xiu Ban with a hint of satisfaction.

"Yes!"

Handing over one’s Soul Blood should have been a distressing and sorrowful affair, yet for Xiu Ban, it seemed to be the most joyous of occasions. He was so overcome with delight that he actually broke into a smile!

Xiu Ban closed his eyes and, with all his might, condensed his Soul Blood. Shen Lang collected it with a sweep of his right hand.

Xiu Ban, who had just been brimming with energy and elation from the Elixir Pill, immediately went limp. His body swayed, and he had to grip the hilt of his saber, which was plunged into the ground, just to stay upright.

"Open your Sea of Consciousness," Shen Lang said suddenly, his voice flat.

Xiu Ban’s expression grew serious. He closed his eyes and, without the slightest hesitation, dropped the defenses around his Sea of Consciousness. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Shen Lang said no more. He pressed his palm to Xiu Ban’s forehead and, using Dharma Transmission, sent a Saber Skill from his memory—the Celestial Tyrant Saber Technique—directly into Xiu Ban’s mind.