Strongest War Emperor

When Shen Lang finished speaking, the expressions of Zeng Wuming and the other four turned a little awkward.

In theory, they were the only ones who could still protect Shen Lang at a time like this.

The problem was, they really couldn’t stop Ling Chen.

No matter how unwilling they were to admit it, they had to concede this point.

If it were just Drunken Thousand Cups, things would be much simpler.

But with Ling Chen here, things had become troublesome.

Even though Shen Lang had seized the opportunity to thrash Drunken Thousand Cups, in the face of a powerhouse like Ling Chen, he was still a bit... lacking.

Even Drunken Thousand Cups had been suppressed primarily by Shen Lang’s strange Fist Technique, barely managing to execute a few moves from start to finish.

If he had truly launched a frenzied assault, Shen Lang would likely have had to rely on his speed to dodge and weave.

And even then, he might not have been able to get away.

That man, Ling Chen, had a Cultivation at the Xuanwu Realm Fifth Heaven and specialized in the Sword Dao. Who knew how many Xuanwu Realm Fifth Heaven powerhouses his Dragon Bone Holy Sword had slain.

In the eyes of Zeng Wuming and the others, if Ling Chen made a move, Shen Lang wouldn’t even have a chance to escape!

The fatal part was that even though they couldn’t stop Ling Chen, they still had to try.

But they couldn’t take responsibility for the arrogant words Shen Lang had just spouted...

The Five Great Noble Families had made their decision and sent them here after learning a little about Shen Lang. They had only been here for a few days. If something happened to Shen Lang and his family now, the Five Great Noble Families would become a laughingstock.

But it wasn’t just about being a joke. More importantly, Zeng Wuming and the others had seen an entirely new side of Shen Lang.

The information Yin Kuang’s group had sent back was far from accurate. As a result, there had been major internal disagreements among the Five Great Noble Families about winning Shen Lang over. Some had even come to blows, causing quite a scene.

In short, there were people in all five Noble Families who looked down on Shen Lang. They felt his achievements were limited to Artifact Refining and that he wasn’t worth winning over, let alone fawning over, with such great fanfare.

Now, at just sixteen, Shen Lang could already fight a Xuanwu Realm powerhouse. If news of such astonishing talent were to reach the Five Great Noble Families, it was guaranteed that no one would object to sending experts to act as his bodyguards.

If such a figure were to die at the hands of someone from Evil Wind Valley, the Patriarchs of the Five Great Noble Families would probably cry themselves unconscious.

And when that time came, Zeng Wuming and his men would surely be punished by their families for their failure.

The Star Continent was filled with countless geniuses, but finding one like this—and being able to connect with him, help him grow, and build a close relationship—was no easy feat.

Yet now, of all times, Ling Chen had appeared!

But the Cultivation of Zeng Wuming and his men was a step below Ling Chen’s. In front of him, they couldn’t protect Shen Lang, nor could they protect his parents...

And yet, Shen Lang had just spouted the brainless words, "You can’t kill me." ’Isn’t that just provoking Ling Chen to attack?’

’This kid is powerful, but he’s too young and inexperienced...’ The same thought surfaced in the minds of Zeng Wuming and the others.

To everyone’s astonishment, however, Ling Chen didn’t get angry.

A peculiar glint flashed in Ling Chen’s eyes, and he actually began to laugh. "Even if I can’t kill you, there are others in Evil Wind Valley who can. There are far, far too many whose Cultivation surpasses my own... Oh, but that’s not the point. The point is, I want to know if Hongchen and the others are still alive. What does this have to do with you? I need to know everything. Since you’re now involved, you are obligated to tell me what you know to clear the suspicion on both yourself and the Shen Family. Settle this, and your father and family will no longer have to live in fear."

He paused, then added with a solemn expression, "If you are not the culprit, then by doing this, you would be helping Evil Wind Valley. Afterward, Evil Wind Valley will be sure to reward you generously!"

"Whoa!"

The surrounding crowd immediately gasped in amazement. No one had expected Ling Chen to be so reasonable after being provoked by Shen Lang.

Moreover, that last sentence was a clear sign of him lowering his stance, almost like an olive branch!

The great Hall Master of the Evil Wind Valley’s Punishment Hall—a man whose name alone could make major influences tremble—was speaking to Shen Lang like this? It was simply unbelievable!

Shen Lang gave Ling Chen a slightly surprised look, then grinned. "If you had just said that from the start, would we have needed to make such a mess?"

He took out a bag and tossed it forward. "You might find what you’re looking for in here."

The bag landed with a THUD at the bottom of the steps.

An Iron Guard Commander immediately stepped forward and picked up the bag.

"My lord...?"

The Iron Guard Commander presented the bag to Ling Chen with both hands.

"Open it," Ling Chen said, his expression unchanging. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

"Yes, sir!"

The Iron Guard Commander immediately opened the bag and emptied its contents onto the ground.

As the Iron Guard Commander took the items out one by one, everyone in the crowd held their breath...

The items the Iron Guard Commander was laying out were all Spiritual Artifacts!

And on the hilt of every one of those Spiritual Artifacts, the character for "Evil" was inscribed using a Restriction Secret Technique!

"Those are all Spiritual Artifacts belonging to the Martial Artists of Evil Wind Valley!" someone cried out in alarm.

The already-agitated Drunken Thousand Cups roared, "So! After killing my Evil Wind Valley’s disciples, you collected their Spiritual Artifacts and now you dare to show them? Today, none of you from the Shen Family will escape! Shen Lang, you’re dead meat!"

Shen Lang sighed softly. "Does Evil Wind Valley normally send morons like you out on missions? Or were you always this stupid, and I just rattled your brain loose? If I had really killed people from Evil Wind Valley and taken their Spiritual Artifacts, wouldn’t I have hidden them away? Why would I bring them out for you to see? I’m starting to doubt you were born with a brain."

"You!"

Drunken Thousand Cups was furious, but his two junior brothers were holding his arms, preventing him from moving.

"You what? Shut up. This doesn’t concern you," Shen Lang scoffed.

A dignified Xuanwu Realm Second Heaven powerhouse, first verbally humiliated by Shen Lang in the Treasure Pavilion, and now beaten and disgraced at the Shen Family residence. Drunken Thousand Cups felt that just thinking about it was enough to drive him insane.

Just then, the Iron Guard Commander’s whole body jolted. He began to tremble uncontrollably in disbelief. "My lord... this... this Token..."

In his hands, he held a palm-sized Token shaped like a Flood Dragon. Its entire body was a purplish-red, smelted from a mixture of many rare metals. Mysterious patterns were engraved on its surface. Under the sunlight, these patterns resembled clusters of clouds swirling around the Flood Dragon, making it seem as if it were soaring through the heavens—a truly marvelous sight.

Ling Chen’s eyes narrowed. "An Elder Token? Bring it here!"

Face flushed, the Iron Guard Commander presented the Flood Dragon-shaped Token to Ling Chen.

Drunken Thousand Cups caused an even greater commotion this time, screaming madly, "Well now! You reckless brat, you even dared to kill an Elder of Evil Wind Valley! And you dared to steal the Token after killing him! You’re dead! You’re definitely dead this time! Not a single person from your Shen Family will live!"

"Senior Brother, we must kill this man on the spot! Then, extract his soul to present to the Valley Master! We absolutely cannot let him get away!"

The faces of the Shen Family members instantly turned ashen.

The onlookers were utterly flabbergasted!

The accusation that Shen Lang had murdered the Young Valley Master of Evil Wind Valley was terrifying enough. Now Drunken Thousand Cups was claiming he had also killed an Elder from Evil Wind Valley?

Ling Chen took the Flood Dragon-shaped Token and probed it with his Divine Thought. His gaze hardened again. ’This aura... why is it so similar to Shen Lang’s? Could it be...?’

He flicked his finger, tapping the Flood Dragon-shaped Token.

The Token flared with brilliant light, suddenly levitated, and spun rapidly. It then transformed into a massive, Flood Dragon-shaped shield that flew to Shen Lang’s side, releasing five identical Light Shields that encircled him.

One physical shield and five ethereal ones, slowly rotating around Shen Lang.

It was as though five Flood Dragons were soaring through the mists, circling around Shen Lang.

On the massive shield, the three golden words "Evil Wind Valley" shone with a brilliant light.

The group of Iron Guards knelt on one knee in unison, facing Shen Lang. They all cried out, "We greet the Elder!"

The entire area fell silent. You could have heard a pin drop.

Everyone was dumbfounded, including Zeng Wuming and his men from the Five Great Noble Families, who were too stunned to react.

The turn of events was simply too dramatic.

Shen Lang had just been brawling with Drunken Thousand Cups of Evil Wind Valley. A moment ago, Drunken Thousand Cups had accused him of murdering an Elder. How, in the blink of an eye, had he become an Elder of Evil Wind Valley himself?

An Elder of a Profound Iron Level Influence?

A sixteen-year-old Elder?

This had to be some kind of massive joke...

So, not only was Shen Lang not the murderer of the Evil Wind Valley disciples, but he was also a highly respected Elder of the sect?

In that short span of time, many in the crowd felt like their minds had stopped working. The events unfolding one after another were simply too much to believe.

"Impossible! He can’t be an Elder of Evil Wind Valley! I’ve never heard of him among the Honored Elders! And those are the Lifebound Spiritual Artifacts of Evil Wind Valley disciples! The Divine Thought within them has vanished, which means their owners are all dead! He must have killed our people, then seized their Spiritual Artifacts and the Token!"

Drunken Thousand Cups screamed like a madman.

He had already been on the verge of going mad, and this latest shock pushed him into a complete frenzy.

The middle-aged man holding Drunken Thousand Cups’s left arm sighed, his expression grim. "Senior Brother, even if it falls into someone else’s hands, it’s impossible to use. If an Elder dies, the wisp of Divine Thought inside the Token vanishes. The Restriction within the Token then activates immediately, destroying all information and sending a message back to the sect. After that, the Token turns into mundane iron, losing all its Spirit Light and function. That Token just acknowledged him as its master, and the aura it’s releasing is a perfect match for... for Elder Shen’s..."

"..." Drunken Thousand Cups was completely dumbstruck.

He was a member of Evil Wind Valley; of course he knew all this.

It was just that the entire situation was too unbelievable, and his mind had been in such a state of chaos and fury that he hadn’t stopped to think it through.

Besides, he wouldn’t have believed Shen Lang was an Elder of Evil Wind Valley even if you beat him to death.

He, Drunken Thousand Cups, had some standing in Evil Wind Valley. He was considered A Sect’s Steward, but his status was nothing compared to an Elder’s.

That was true even for an Honored Elder with no real authority!

What was worse, this Honored Elder was a sixteen-year-old kid!

The very same kid who had just beaten him to a pulp in front of everyone!

’This kid even has five bodyguards from Noble Families that are no weaker than Evil Wind Valley...’

’He’s already this powerful at his age. Give him ten, twenty, or even a hundred years to develop, and his future will be limitless!’

’If you put me, Drunken Thousand Cups, next to a person like that and said one of us had to be eliminated...’

’Evil Wind Valley would definitely kill me without a moment’s hesitation!’

’This is just bullying... If you’re an Elder, you should have said so earlier! Did you have to hide it like you were guarding against some thief?’

Drunken Thousand Cups looked utterly miserable, on the verge of tears.