Strongest War Emperor

While the game of hunter and prey played out in the Zuoge Ruins, Celestial Phoenix City was abuzz with activity.

The birthday of Shen Haotian, the former Patriarch of the Shen Family, had arrived. The family intended to host a lavish banquet for him, holding it to the highest possible standard.

Ever since Shen Lang had wreaked havoc, the atmosphere in the Shen Family had completely changed.

A dreary wind and a bitter rain—their situation was too wretched for words...

First, the Treasure Pavilion suddenly implemented unreasonable price hikes targeting the Shen Family, effectively sanctioning them in areas like Spirit Medicines and Spiritual Artifacts.

Then, Tayun Academy suddenly sent word, declaring that unless they received Shen Lang’s permission, the academy would no longer accept any Shen Family disciples as students for the next ten years.

For two powers that were known for being relatively detached and neutral to suddenly make such a targeted move—one that could very well tarnish their own reputations—immediately sent shockwaves through Celestial Phoenix City.

The Treasure Pavilion held a near-monopoly on the trade of resources like Spirit Medicines, weapons, and Spiritual Materials in Celestial Phoenix City and many of its surrounding cities.

Never before had anyone heard of them doing such a thing for anyone.

This time, when they finally acted, the move was staggering, nearly driving the Shen Family into a dead end...

The Pavilion was no longer willing to purchase any Spiritual Materials or Spirit Medicines the Shen Family offered.

Furthermore, the Treasure Pavilion would no longer sell these items to the Shen Family.

’This is a clear attempt to drive us out of Celestial Phoenix City!’

Since both powers had made their move, the resulting chain reaction was just as devastating—other families and factions immediately terminated their partnerships with the Shen Family, leaving them completely isolated.

As for Tayun Academy, it was where all the great families sent their children to be trained. If the academy refused to accept Shen Family disciples, forcing the family to rely on its own members to train the next generation, they would be lucky to produce even a few skilled individuals in the next decade.

With its disciples barred from Tayun Academy for ten years, the Shen Family would face complete decline.

The end result would undoubtedly be expulsion from Celestial Phoenix City or absorption by another Noble Family!

Of course, it wasn’t a completely hopeless situation. The Shen Family could, at least, still pull some strings to send their disciples to the Celestial God Academy.

The question was what price they would have to pay, and how many people they could even get in. That was another matter entirely.

At that moment, the Shen Family finally understood: the words Shen Lang had spoken back at the Martial Arts Arena had not been an idle threat.

Back then, Shen Lang had said... he would drive the Shen Family out of Celestial Phoenix City!

As if that wasn’t bad enough, two mornings ago, the City Lord of Celestial Phoenix City, Ye Xiao Zheng, had paid a sudden visit. He arrived with his men, bearing countless gifts, claiming he was there to congratulate Shen Haotian on his recovery and to help the Shen Family organize a grand birthday banquet!

The gifts Ye Xiao Zheng brought came in load after load, pile after pile, nearly filling the entire entrance to the Shen Family estate until there was no room to set foot.

And that wasn’t all. Ye Xiao Zheng had even had his subordinate Tang Sheng and his son bound tightly and forced them to kneel before the Shen Family’s main gate, to be dealt with as the family saw fit.

As for this unlucky father-son duo, first, Tang Chaotian had provoked Shen Lang and had his leg broken with a kick.

Then, Tang Sheng had tried to deal with Shen Lang at the Treasure Pavilion, only to make a complete fool of himself.

Finally, at Ye Xue’s behest, Tang Sheng had dispatched men to assassinate Shen Lang at the Phoenix River. The attempt failed, and Tang Sheng himself was captured by Ye Xiao Zheng to serve as a scapegoat.

The father and son, who had once thrived in Celestial Phoenix City, now had their tongues cut out by Ye Xiao Zheng’s men. They knelt, half-dead, at the Shen Family’s gate, awaiting Shen Lang’s return to pass final judgment.

The Shen Family was completely baffled. ’When on earth did Shen Lang forge a connection with the City Lord’s Mansion? And how could he make them come and curry favor so openly and with such great fanfare?’

Before the people of Celestial Phoenix City even had a chance to start gossiping about this development...

Around noon, the reclusive Dean of Tayun Academy, Hua Zhong, also appeared, bringing with him the Dean of the Alchemy Institute, Sima Yan, and others. They were there to help treat Shen Haotian’s illness.

Hua Zhong had always been a reclusive figure, so much so that not even Ye Xiao Zheng, the Lord of Celestial Phoenix City himself, could manage to secure an audience with him.

But no amount of discretion could hide his status as the number one expert in Celestial Phoenix City.

For the esteemed Dean of Tayun Academy, a powerhouse at the Xuanwu Realm Second Heaven, to personally visit a minor family like the Shens—this kicked up yet another storm in Celestial Phoenix City.

After that, the appearance of Lin Qingfeng, the Pavilion Master of the Treasure Pavilion, once again thrust the Shen Family into the eye of a public storm.

And all three of them, having arrived at the Shen estate two days ago, were still there now!

This string of revelations, one after another, hit like bombshells, sending the entirety of Celestial Phoenix City into a frenzy.

For the past few days, in the streets and alleys of Celestial Phoenix City, in its taverns and tea houses... everyone was talking about the Shen Family and Shen Lang.

One had to admit, Shen Haoxuan, the current Clan Leader of the Shen Family, was certainly a capable man.

While outsiders were still speculating about what the Shen Family would do, he had already taken swift action.

First, he sent his son, Shen Jianfeng, to Shen Lang’s home to wait on Shen Lang’s father hand and foot—massaging his back, serving him tea—launching a charm offensive built on kinship.

Although Shen Jianfeng had never thought much of Shen Lang, he had always held his Second Uncle, Shen Haotian, in high regard and had indeed done a great deal for that branch of the family over the years.

In this respect, none of the other young disciples in the Shen Family could compare to him.

Thus, when Shen Jianfeng arrived at their home, Shen Lang’s parents still greeted him with a smile.

Next, Shen Haoxuan announced to the entire city that he would host the grandest birthday banquet in history for his elder brother, Shen Haotian, and invited prominent figures from far and wide to attend.

After that, he gathered all the Shen Family disciples who had offended Shen Lang. He had them whipped one by one until their clothes were in tatters and their skin was split and bloody, their faces and bodies covered in welts.

Finally, he made them kneel at the entrance to Shen Lang’s home, hoping to win the sympathy of Shen Haotian and his wife and, by extension, secure their forgiveness...

Meanwhile, a group of Shen Family elders crowded into Shen Lang’s home. They sighed and groaned before Shen Haotian, endlessly recounting stories of his deceased father.

Another group of elderly women surrounded Shen Lang’s mother, Luo Dieqi, wailing and crying with rivers of snot and tears, their sobs loud enough to shake the heavens.

Shen Haotian and his wife had always been kind and gentle by nature. How could they possibly withstand such an all-out assault from every conceivable angle?

In less than two days, they caved completely. They verbally forgave the brothers and elders who had taken advantage of Shen Haotian’s illness to seize his position as Clan Leader and plunder the family’s resources. They also promised to have a good talk with Shen Lang and persuade him upon his return.

Only Shen Moran, Shen Lang’s older sister, watched all of this unfold with a cold detachment, saying nothing, like an outsider watching a play.

...

Today was the final day of the trials for Tayun Academy and Celestial God Academy, as well as the day before Shen Haotian’s birthday.

This day was destined to be the most eventful day Celestial Phoenix City had seen in a long time.

On the day before Shen Haotian’s birthday, their threshold was nearly worn through from the sheer number of visitors.

Acting on the slightest rumor, factions from all over scrambled over one another to rush to the Shen Family estate.

People who had acted like complete strangers when Shen Lang’s family was in trouble now, one by one, transformed into the Shen Family’s most intimate friends.

Biting the bullet, they sent over precious items they would normally never part with, delivering them all to Shen Lang’s home.

Each of them feared their gifts were too small or of poor quality, going to convoluted lengths to present them.

The portly Shen Daofeng, having gotten wind of the news from who-knows-where, had braved the freezing temperatures and jumped into the Cold Pool on Luochi Mountain. He’d fished out two large turtles and rushed home, soaking wet and shivering uncontrollably.

But there were too many gift-bearers, and for the life of him, he couldn’t squeeze through the crowd. He was forced to stand at the back, hopping anxiously from foot to foot.

Seeing that his elder brother, Shen Haotian, had been won over, Shen Haoxuan called out to the crowd. "Everyone, please leave your gifts here and let Xiaohong record them. On behalf of my elder brother, allow me to thank you all. I hope you will grace us with your presence at the banquet tomorrow."

Even after registering his gift, Shen Daofeng refused to leave, his eyes darting about.

He glanced around and saw that Shen Fengxiao had also brought two turtles, though they were much smaller than his own.

The fellow smacked his lips, and with a glint in his eye, he came up with a clever idea.

He found a small wooden token and wrote his name, "Shen Daofeng," on it. He then threaded a rope through the token and tied it around the neck of one of the turtles. After inspecting his handiwork a few times, he set them down with a satisfied nod.

...

In the main square, Shen Haoxuan watched everything unfold with great satisfaction.

’I’ve handled Shen Lang’s parents and even used public opinion to build up momentum.’

’When Shen Lang gets back, surely he won’t kick me, the Clan Leader, out now, will he?’

’As long as Shen Lang relents, not only will the Shen Family no longer be pushed around, but we also won’t be driven out of Celestial Phoenix City.’

’On the contrary, the Shen Family will be able to ride on Shen Lang’s coattails and call the shots in Celestial Phoenix City!’

’Success or failure all hangs on this...’

’What on earth did that brat Shen Lang do to make so many major powers treat him this well? And as soon as word of the birthday banquet spread, factions from all over the city started rushing over here, as if every single one of them wants to curry favor with our Shen Family... I just don’t get it!’

Just as Shen Haoxuan was marveling at this, the crowd in the square suddenly erupted into a commotion. Several large, burly men shoved their way through the throng and stormed in aggressively.

The Shen Family was currently at the height of its prestige. Even City Lord Ye Xiao Zheng had humbled himself to visit, and the reclusive Dean of Tayun Academy had personally come to their door. For someone to dare barge in so arrogantly at a time like this, Shen Haoxuan’s expression immediately turned grim.

"Who are you? How dare you cause trouble at the Shen Family estate!" Shen Haoxuan boomed.

The panicked crowd parted to form a path, revealing Drunken Thousand Cups of Evil Wind Valley—the same man from the Treasure Pavilion—riding in on a massive Fiery Demon Wolf.

Drunken Thousand Cups shot Shen Haoxuan a cold look and declared with a wave of his hand, "That little beast Shen Lang murdered the Young Valley Master of my Evil Wind Valley, Yi Hongchen, along with several other disciples! His crime is unforgivable!"

"Men! Seize everyone in the Shen Family!"

A troop of young, armored Martial Artists slowly emerged from both sides.

A bone-chilling wave of Battle Intent and Killing Intent, as overwhelming as a massive army charging into battle, washed over the crowd, causing everyone to cry out in alarm and stumble backward.

"The Iron Guard of Evil Wind Valley! That’s the Iron Guard!"

"Heavens! Did Shen Lang really kill the Young Valley Master of Evil Wind Valley? They’ve even deployed the Iron Guard, which they rarely use!"

"Now they’re in real trouble. I’m afraid the Shen Family is doomed..."

"Damn it! My five-hundred-year-old Void Jade... I just gave it away! What a huge loss!"

"And my Eight-angled Lotus Leaf! I fought tooth and nail to get that gift to the front of the pile, and now there’s no way I can get it back..."

Just then, a middle-aged man in a brocade robe rushed out from the main hall behind Shen Haoxuan. It was none other than the Lord of Celestial Phoenix City, Ye Xiao Zheng.

Ye Xiao Zheng glanced at the men from Evil Wind Valley in surprise, then bowed respectfully to Drunken Thousand Cups. "Sir, might there be some misunderstanding? How could Shen Lang have possibly murdered the Young Valley Master?"

"Right now, Shen Lang should be in the Phoenix Mountain Range, participating in the Tayun Academy trials."

Drunken Thousand Cups glanced coolly at Ye Xiao Zheng and said with indifference, "Oh? I didn’t expect City Lord Ye to be here as well. This matter doesn’t concern you. Stand down."

Drunken Thousand Cups’s tone was imperious, and he didn’t even deign to look Ye Xiao Zheng in the eye.

The Celestial Phoenix City Lord’s Mansion was a subordinate power to Evil Wind Valley, and Ye Xiao Zheng’s own cultivation was significantly lower than that of Drunken Thousand Cups. Although he had some ties to the Imperial Dragon Sect, it wasn’t enough to challenge the man before him. Seeing this, he could only sigh and step aside.

"Take everyone from the Shen Family into custody. If any dare to resist, kill them without mercy!" Drunken Thousand Cups ordered grimly.

"Yes, sir!"

The Iron Guard, renowned for their ruthlessness, roared their assent in unison and charged toward the members of the Shen Family.