Strongest War Emperor

It turned out that this time, the City Lord’s Mansion’s martial competition was co-hosted by the Xu Family and the Ye Family, the latter of which ran the City Lord’s Mansion in name only.

Besides the Four Great Families—the Xu, Xiao, Chu, and Shen Families—disciples from smaller families and outstanding young unaffiliated Martial Artists were also allowed to participate.

The Four Great Families and the Ye Family each received fifteen spots. In addition, all the other smaller families and influences combined also had a total of fifteen spots.

This annual Celestial Phoenix City martial competition was a major event for the city.

The young talents who emerged from this competition were destined to become dazzling figures.

Just participating was an honor in itself, but breaking into the top ten would put one in the spotlight for all to see.

And this time, the competition was exceptionally special.

First, there was the incident where the Xu Family led their experts to storm the City Lord’s Mansion.

Second, the prizes were far superior to previous years. Some of the Elixir Pills on offer could help a Martial Artist break through their bottleneck and significantly raise their Cultivation in a short time. This was enough to make the Martial Artists from every family burn with desire.

Third, a disciple of the Imperial Dragon Sect had appeared and released a piece of news that shocked all of Celestial Phoenix City: any young Martial Artist who placed in the top five, or who demonstrated astonishing performance, would have a chance to be directly recruited into the Outer Sect of the Spirit Copper Level Influence, the Imperial Dragon Sect!

After the third point was announced, the first two were essentially ignored by most people.

Nothing could be more exciting or drive people into a greater frenzy!

The Imperial Dragon Sect! That was a Spirit Copper Level Influence!

In the past, the Celestial Phoenix City martial competition was hosted by the City Lord’s Mansion. For many young Martial Artists, simply being able to join a Cyan Wood Level Influence like the City Lord’s Mansion was already a great honor.

They didn’t even dare to dream of a Profound Iron Level Influence, which was a tier higher than Cyan Wood.

But now, the Imperial Dragon Sect was offering such an opportunity to Celestial Phoenix City. How could it not drive everyone mad?

Thus, right in front of the City Lord’s Mansion, dozens of fierce battles had already taken place just moments before.

There were already many injured people in the surrounding crowd...

All for the sake of competing for the fifteen spots available to those outside the Four Great Families.

And now, only one spot remained.

Among those vying for this last spot was a lone Swordsman who had always kept to himself: Situ Tianyu of the Qi Martial Realm Fourth Heaven!

At this moment, Situ Tianyu was dressed in a short cyan shirt. He was tall and slender with a defiant gaze. A simple, ancient long saber was strapped to his back as he sat drinking tea at a tea stall.

Before him, more than a dozen young Martial Artists stared at him, their faces filled with unwillingness, yet not a single one dared to step forward.

As if no one else was there, Situ Tianyu finished his tea and stood up. He walked to the front of the crowd, shot a cold glance around, and said, "Hmph, a bunch of trash! I’ve been drinking tea for ages and none of you dare to fight for this spot. I can’t even get a proper warm-up!"

"Bastard!"

The crowd seethed with silent hatred at Situ Tianyu’s arrogant posture. Though their faces showed extreme reluctance, not one person dared to step forward and challenge him.

In Celestial Phoenix City, this Situ Tianyu was quite well-known.

He had always been a loner and had never accepted recruitment from any influence.

But most importantly, and what made people most wary of him, was that he had refused offers from many influences and was somehow still alive and well in Celestial Phoenix City!

Moreover, he had more than once accepted missions from various powers, ventured alone into the depths of the Phoenix Mountain Range, and returned successfully!

In many people’s minds, this man was even more terrifying than the Qi Martial Realm Fifth Heaven experts of the Four Great Families.

He was the kind of person who had crawled his way out of a pile of corpses!

Many people found their bodies going limp with fear just from meeting his gaze, making it difficult to even take a step or two, let alone fight him.

As Situ Tianyu walked toward the registration area, he deliberately paused, slowly sweeping his gaze over the hundreds of people before him, a disdainful smirk playing on his lips.

Over at the registration area, beside a simple table, fourteen people were already seated, leaving only one empty spot at the very end.

"That Situ Tianyu is as arrogant as they say. We already cleared a path for him, but he’s still acting so high and mighty, his gaze full of provocation!"

"What can we do? He’s earned the right to be arrogant. Look, Ye Nanqing of the Ye Family is already at the Qi Martial Realm Fourth Heaven, but even he doesn’t dare to challenge him. Everyone knows the consequences of challenging that man."

"What consequences? Isn’t it just losing a match? That’s not too shameful, is it?"

"You’re too naive. Haven’t you heard the rumors about Situ Tianyu? In the past, many disciples from other families who challenged him ended up with broken bones and torn tendons. Some even had their Pill Sea crippled directly!"

"What?! So vicious and ruthless? If he dares to do that, how is he still able to live so comfortably in Celestial Phoenix City?"

"That’s what makes him so terrifying..."

Many in the crowd murmured amongst themselves. Although they were furious with Situ Tianyu’s actions, they were completely suppressed by his aura.

Even the fourteen who had already been selected through various trials and battles looked at Situ Tianyu with wary eyes.

In the short walk from the tea stall to the registration area, with just a brief pause, Situ Tianyu had built his intimidating presence to its peak.

Under the pressure of his presence, the fourteen who were already seated had no choice but to lower their heads.

"Heheheh, a bunch of trash!"

Situ Tianyu cursed again, striding smugly toward the empty seat under the furious glares of the crowd.

"Hold it."

A clear, cold voice suddenly rang out from behind the crowd. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

The voice wasn’t loud, but in the noisy square, every single person heard it clearly.

A flicker of surprise passed through the eyes of the people in the square. They turned in unison, clearing a path.

Then, a young man wearing an Evil Ghost Mask with a single saber on his back walked slowly out from the crowd.

Everyone present found it strange. The first thing they should have noticed was the eerie Evil Ghost Mask on his face, but what most people’s eyes were drawn to first were his eyes, as brilliant as a starry sky.

Those eyes were as dazzling as the vast cosmos—bright and profound, unforgettable at a single glance.

At a glance, one would even unconsciously overlook the Evil Ghost Mask on his face.

The entire square fell silent as all eyes converged on this person.

This young man was, of course, Shen Lang, who had just arrived from South City.

Situ Tianyu stared deeply at Shen Lang. Killing Intent flared in his eyes, a dangerous aura spreading from him as a cruel smile touched his lips.

"It seems you want this last spot?"

Situ Tianyu couldn’t help but lick his lips, looking at Shen Lang with a hint of excitement.

He was actually itching for a fight, and it would still be some time before the real competition began.

Outside of the scramble for spots, there wouldn’t be another chance to fight for a while.

Seeing his bloodthirsty gaze, the surrounding crowd subconsciously retreated.

"Can’t I?"

Shen Lang gave Situ Tianyu an indifferent glance and retorted.

"You, hiding your face like a coward. Do you know the consequences of trying to take this spot from me? Do you know why those pieces of trash don’t dare to compete with me for it?"

The corners of Situ Tianyu’s mouth lifted slightly as he spoke to Shen Lang with a mocking expression.

Shen Lang snorted coldly and said, "I don’t. But I do know that the people who call everyone else trash are usually the real trash themselves."

"Hahaha, well said!"

Someone in the crowd shouted out, immediately resonating with those around them, and many people burst into laughter.

"You’re courting death!"

Situ Tianyu roared in fury.

"We’ll see who’s courting death... I don’t even understand how a piece of scum like you has managed to live this long. I’m taking this spot. Scram and get out of my way. Don’t block my path, or I’ll make you wish you were dead."

As he spoke, Shen Lang began walking toward Situ Tianyu.

This scene instantly sent a wave of excitement through the crowd.

These people had been suppressed by Situ Tianyu for long enough and were dying for someone to come out and extinguish his arrogance.

They just hadn’t expected that while Situ Tianyu was arrogant, this Ghost-faced Person who appeared was even more so!

And from the looks of it, this person was dead set on claiming the final spot!

"You reckless brat, don’t you know you need the strength to back up your arrogance? Without it, you’re just asking to die!"

Situ Tianyu sneered. With a sudden sway of his shoulders, he appeared before Shen Lang like a phantom!

"Watch out!" someone in the crowd shouted to Shen Lang.

To everyone’s dismay, however, Shen Lang didn’t seem to react to Situ Tianyu’s speed at all.

Before he could even dodge, Situ Tianyu’s palm struck him squarely in the abdomen!

The abdomen was where the Pill Sea was located. A direct hit could easily throw the victim’s Spiritual Power into chaos. In severe cases, it could even cause them to become a Fallen Demon in an instant!

This was one of the most critical areas a Martial Artist needed to protect. To think this Ghost-faced Person had been hit so easily...

"Sigh, I don’t know which family this disciple is from, but he’s far too inexperienced. How could he face someone like Situ Tianyu at such close range with no guard up?"

People in the crowd began to sigh.

Many looked on with pity in their eyes.

However, to their surprise, even though Shen Lang had clearly taken a palm strike from Situ Tianyu, his feet seemed to be rooted to the ground. He stood there, completely motionless!

"How can this be!"

Crouching low, Situ Tianyu raised his head in disbelief.

Shen Lang chuckled lightly and said, "The Ice Spirit Absorption Palm. Your power is quite pure and orthodox. The basic cultivation technique you practice is the Vast Heaven Profound Skill. So, you’re from the Li Hen Sect."

"You..."

Situ Tianyu’s heart seized with terror. He couldn’t believe that not only had his palm strike failed, but his sect had been identified instantly!

"You wanted to absorb Spiritual Power, didn’t you? Fine, I’ll let you absorb your fill."

Shen Lang’s eyes narrowed. His abdomen suddenly bulged outward, and an incomparably ferocious torrent of Spiritual Power surged toward Situ Tianyu like a bursting floodgate!

Seeing that things had gone wrong, Situ Tianyu tried to retract his palm, but it was too late.

In the blink of an eye, the turbulent Spiritual Power from Shen Lang’s body slammed into his own, shattering many of his meridians with overwhelming force!

PFFT!

With a muffled grunt, Situ Tianyu’s body was thrown high into the air. He coughed up a mouthful of blood mid-flight before crashing heavily onto the ground, sliding a long distance.

His body carved a deep gouge into the bluestone-paved square, scattering broken stones everywhere and leaving a trail of wreckage.

Situ Tianyu struggled to lift his head from the ground, his gaze toward Shen Lang filled with nothing but incredulous terror.

The surrounding crowd was completely stunned. They never would have imagined that this Ghost-faced Person, who had appeared out of nowhere, hadn’t even moved his hands or feet, yet had severely injured Situ Tianyu with just his abdomen!

’Who is this person? Which family is he from? How can he be this powerful? What level of Cultivation do you need to be this incredible?!’