Strongest War Emperor

Shen Lang had long expected this reaction and paid it no mind. He continued, "The Reincarnation Blade Way of Five Extremes. Its Attacking Extremity is peerless, its Defensive Extremity is impenetrable, its Illusory Extremity is formless and unseen, its Golden Extremity forges a body of vajra, and its Heart Extremity sets the soul aflame. When these five—Attack, Defense, Illusion, Gold, and Heart—unite, the heavens collapse, the earth shatters, and the sun and moon go dark."

"Heavens! The Thirty-Six Great Cave Heavens are Legendary Powers that haven’t appeared in the world for tens of thousands of years... Many people now doubt if they ever truly existed. And you, young man, actually possess one of their Cultivation Techniques?" Nangong Yan asked in disbelief.

Shangguan Feiyue nodded grimly. "The Thirty-Six Great Cave Heavens and the Seventy-Two Small Blessed Lands... They are said to be lineages passed down in the Human Realm by Great Powers from the Upper Realm. Legend has it they’re even stronger than many of the Ancient Desolate Families with their eons of history. But we’ve only heard their names, never seen them. Can it be they truly existed?"

"Honestly, you two are getting tedious. The young man already said he’s from Kongming Cave Heaven, yet you’re still asking if they ever existed... Besides, now isn’t the time to be debating this, is it? Young man, please continue!"

Shark’s Kiss’s comment made Shangguan Feiyue roll his eyes in exasperation.

Shen Lang chuckled. "Of course they existed. In fact, just ten thousand years ago, they all had ties to the War God Hall. But it seems that after the ’Battle of the Ancient Soul Forest’—a nightmare for the Legendary Powers of that time—all of these Pocket World Blessed Lands vanished completely."

"The ’Battle of the Ancient Soul Forest’? You mean that incident that nearly wiped out the Celestial Purity Sect? How could the Sword Emperor’s affairs be connected to the Pocket World Blessed Lands? I’ve never heard that before..."

"*Ahem*, let’s discuss this later," Shen Lang said, quickly cutting Shark’s Kiss off.

’This matter involves the Sword Emperor, Zuo Wentian. I never told him any of this stuff about the Celestial Purity Sect. If he found out now, it would be far too awkward.’

’Back then, who knows what got into Zuo Wentian, but he persuaded powerhouses from dozens of Legendary Powers to venture into the Ancient Soul Forest Secret Realm. The result? He himself nearly had his soul scattered and ended up getting sealed inside the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron somehow.

As for the powerhouses from those dozens of Legendary Powers, almost all of them were wiped out. Not a single one came back!

Only a few disciples with weaker Cultivation made it back to their Sects.

However, all of their memories concerning the Ancient Soul Forest had been erased by some immense power, leaving not a single trace.

After that, countless powerful factions across the continent laid siege to the Celestial Purity Sect, and the once-mighty Sect was nearly annihilated.

If the previous War Emperor hadn’t intervened, the Celestial Purity Sect would have long been lost to history.’

’This whole affair remains a mystery to this day.’

’I’m actually quite curious and would like to investigate, but Zuo Wentian has total amnesia. I can’t get anything out of him.’

’As for whether the disappearance of the Thirty-Six Great Cave Heavens and Seventy-Two Small Blessed Lands was truly related to Zuo Wentian’s incident, the War God Hall never found a single clue before the War Emperor died.

Or perhaps they did find something, but the War Emperor concealed the memories. That’s why I know this event occurred, but I’m not aware of the specifics.’

Thinking of this, Shen Lang gave a wry smile and spoke again. "The Jade Scroll in Elder Shangguan’s hands records a Cultivation Technique called ’Purple Qi Celestial Net.’ It is the introductory technique from Taixuan Cave Heaven, one of the Thirty-Six Great Cave Heavens. It’s an Emperor Level Third Grade technique."

"The Purple Qi Celestial Net is an Emperor’s Cultivation Method. Cultivate its Imperial Qi to the absolute limit, and you can manifest a True Dragon. When that dragon moves through the world, the heavens will tremble, the earth will quake, and even gods and ghosts will cry out in alarm!"

"Such a powerful Emperor Level Third Grade technique is just for beginners? These Thirty-Six Great Cave Heavens are really damn impressive..." Shark’s Kiss muttered.

"The one in Elder Nangong’s hands is the ’Tai Chi Profound Purity Technique’ from Qingxu Cave Heaven. It is all-encompassing, containing the Wind Transformation, Thunder Transformation, Rain Transformation, Water Transformation, Fire Transformation, Ice Transformation, and Fierce Thunder Transformation. Master any single one of these transformations, and you can sweep away all opposition. Once you master it completely, the world itself will be your game board, held in your grasp. With will alone, you could suppress the ages, finding few who could ever match you!"

Nangong Yan, Shark’s Kiss, and Shangguan Feiyue were all struck dumb.

They had, of course, hoped to receive powerful Cultivation Techniques from Shen Lang, but they never imagined he would just hand them over so casually—three Emperor Level Third Grade techniques in one go!

Techniques of this level were rare even among Secret Silver Level influences, a tier above a Spirit Copper Level Influence!

And these came from the legendary Thirty-Six Great Cave Heavens!

In other words, these Cultivation Techniques might not even belong to this world, for the Thirty-Six Great Cave Heavens were lineages passed down by Great Powers from the Upper Realm!

Although they were ranked as Emperor Level Third Grade, who could say if any other technique of the same grade could possibly match their profundity?

Any one of these was no weaker than the Netherworld King’s Three Extremes Sword!

In fact, if cultivated to their zenith, they would likely be far, far more powerful...

Just as they stood there, so utterly shocked they had forgotten to even offer polite thanks, Shen Lang’s next words pushed their astonishment to a whole new level.

"Kongming Cave Heaven, Taixuan Cave Heaven, and Qingxu Cave Heaven, though three independent Cave Heavens, are as close as brothers, sharing an excellent relationship. If the three of you achieve some mastery in these Cultivation Techniques, you can join forces to deploy a unique Array. This Array can completely isolate a region of space, and within it, the power over life and death will be entirely in your hands."

"As for the specifics, you will only find out once your Cultivation reaches that stage. Once laid, this Array is perfect for both offense and defense. Even a Peak Powerhouse at the Ninth Heaven of the Emperor Martial Realm, if trapped within, would not survive more than three days and nights before being obliterated by the Array’s immense power. However, there is one precondition to deploying it..."

"What’s the precondition?" Shangguan Feiyue asked in a rush.

Shen Lang raised an eyebrow. "The condition is that the three of you must be of one mind. You must be able to use your respective Secret Skills without reservation, treating the others’ lives as you would your own... If any of you harbor selfish thoughts, the probability of failure will increase dramatically. Only with absolute, seamless coordination can you perfectly deploy this Array."

Nangong Yan and the other two exchanged a look, speechless for a long moment.

So many secrets... such immense power...

A sixteen-year-old boy had just opened an unknown door for a group of Elder Ancestors.

The Cultivation Techniques he had casually written out would now become the supreme, foundational techniques for their Three Sects.

Even Chaos and Master Kong Jing, who had been watching from the sidelines, found themselves marveling at the mysterious workings of fate.

If one hadn’t experienced it firsthand, who would believe such a young boy could have such an enigmatic origin?

Who could believe that a simple encounter with him could alter not only their own fates, but the fates of their entire Sects?

While their emotions were a complex, indescribable mix, Shen Lang was also sighing to himself...

’Giving these Cultivation Techniques to Shark’s Kiss and the others wasn’t just a simple gesture of returning the favor for their powerful Magical Treasures. I have other plans.

No matter what, although I said I didn’t want to get involved with the Blood Ancestor Tomb, that isn’t the truth.

Back in the Sorrow Swamp, I promised Li Su I’d help her find her kin, the Celestial Crocodile Race.

And according to her, the members of the Celestial Crocodile Race were most likely sealed within the Blood Ancestor Tomb by the Blood Ancestor himself!

Regardless, I’ve accepted her as my little sister. Besides, Li Su helped me awaken both my Chaos Divine Body and my Celestial Demon Body.

But I’m self-aware enough to know that with my current abilities, I’d be lucky to even protect myself in a place like the Blood Ancestor Tomb, let alone rescue anyone.’

’And it seems Shark’s Kiss and the other two are dead set on entering the Blood Ancestor Tomb.

Since that’s the case, I sought out three powerful Cultivation Techniques best suited for them.

Moreover, these three techniques are interconnected, allowing them to deploy the "Seven Kills Absolute Array." With this Array, their chances of survival will skyrocket. Perhaps they can even help me look for the Celestial Crocodile Race while they’re at it.’

’I would love to find the War God Hall, but it has vanished without a trace. I have no clues and don’t know where to start looking.

The only ones with real ties to the War God Hall would be the Legendary Powers.

But with my current status, trying to approach a Legendary Power would be a complete joke.

I probably couldn’t even get past their gate...’

’But for now, I have no intention of telling Nangong Yan and the others about these things.

I can only hope that in the short span of ten years, they can cultivate these formidable techniques to the point where they can deploy the "Seven Kills Absolute Array."

It’s a desperate, last-minute measure, but it’s better than having no measure at all!’

...

After all this was done, Shen Lang instructed Nangong Yan and the others to use all the power at their disposal to suppress and completely lock down any news of the events that had transpired in Celestial Phoenix City.

Even though only Shark’s Kiss and the others could recognize the Netherworld King’s Three Extremes Sword, walls have ears, and it was impossible to be too careful.

What worried Shen Lang most was Black Impermanence of Blood Evil Island, who had been wounded by Chaos’s palm strike.

If Shark’s Kiss’s group could identify the "Netherworld King’s Three Extremes Sword" and the "Demon Blade Technique," then there was no reason Black Impermanence couldn’t do the same.

If that scoundrel spread the news, an endless tide of trouble would come crashing down on them.

At that point, even if the Imperial Dragon Sect and the other two Sects wished to shelter him, they might not have the power to do so.

And Master Kong Jing couldn’t just act as his personal bodyguard, standing guard at the Shen Family residence forever, could he?

However, Master Kong Jing’s next words dispelled his worries.

"Black Impermanence only hurried here after he saw Xue Hongluan in Celestial Phoenix City. Xue Hongluan intended to kill him on the spot, but this old monk persuaded her against it. Amitabha. My Buddha is merciful. Although Black Impermanence is one of the Demonic Cultivators and is notoriously unpredictable, he does not seem to have committed any deeds that would outrage both heaven and man, so..."

"I was aware of Black Impermanence the moment he entered a hundred-mile radius of Celestial Phoenix City. By then, you had already killed Yuwen Huaji. I used my Buddhist Dharma to conceal the auras, so he would have been unable to detect the presence of the Netherworld King’s Three Extremes Sword or the Demon Blade Technique."

Everyone present was stunned!

Until now, Master Kong Jing had said very little, always wearing a sorrowful expression as if he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Even Shen Lang never would have imagined it. ’This old monk not only has earth-shattering Cultivation,’ he thought, ’but his mind is also incredibly sharp. He’s been helping me tie up loose ends from the very start...’

"Master, I am deeply grateful for all you have done for me. If the Ruyi Buddha Sect ever has need of my services in the future, I will give it my all and never refuse!" Shen Lang declared, bowing respectfully to Master Kong Jing.

A rare smile touched Master Kong Jing’s lips. "Amitabha. Chaos wasn’t just being reckless when he called you ’Senior Brother.’ Since you have been acknowledged by the Star Moon Bodhi Prayer Beads, you are now one of our Buddhist Sect. There is no need for such formality between us. I only hope that you, Junior Brother, will use the Star Moon Bodhi Prayer Beads to focus on your Cultivation. May you achieve greatness one day and bring blessings to all living beings."

Shen Lang did not stand on ceremony. He put his palms together and replied, "I understand. You have nothing to worry about, Senior Brother."

Shark’s Kiss and the other two could only watch wide-eyed as Shen Lang, in the blink of an eye, became a disciple of the Ruyi Buddha Sect and an equal to Master Kong Jing. They were overcome with a flood of complex emotions.

’The Star Continent is vast and full of wonders,’ they thought. ’To think we’d encounter such a monstrous talent... It seems our fortune isn’t so bad after all... Perhaps with his help, our Three Sects can not only survive but thrive in the coming calamity!’

’That woman, Xue Hongluan, nearly made us his enemies. Damn, it’s terrifying just thinking about it...’