Strongest War Emperor

"That name... did it come from your chieftain?"

Shen Lang said coldly, "It seems this isn’t a coincidence. It really is someone I know. Tell me everything, and I’ll consider lending your Qingfeng Stronghold a hand."

Overjoyed, the messenger immediately stood up and said, "Our chieftain said it! When she sent me with the message, she said that little bastard Shen Lang has probably arrived, and if he has, to tell him to come help immediately. She said she’s almost at her limit..."

"Son of a bitch!" Shen Lang shot to his feet in a rage. "It really is that crazy woman!"

Who else but that woman, Nalan Ziyun, would call him a "little bastard" every chance she got?

Before anyone could react, a black shadow flashed past. Shen Lang had already grabbed the fatty in the crowd by the collar and shot into the air!

"I’m going to Qingfeng Stronghold first! You all follow behind!"

Shen Lang’s voice echoed through the canyon, but he had already vanished from the sky.

Zhang Xiaoshan and the others, who had just gotten to their feet, plopped back onto the ground with a THUD. "W-Wings... light wings... Are those Spiritual Wings?!"

Only Xuanwu Realm Powerhouses could form Spiritual Wings. How could that young man in black...

Qu Rong clutched her chest, panting as she spoke. "The light wings from a Flying Spiritual Artifact are more common, with a fixed shape. There’s a significant difference from Spiritual Wings. If you look closely, you can usually tell them apart... But that little brother’s wings just now didn’t seem like light wings, did they? They were wreathed in black energy, and they gave off this gloomy, evil aura. It scared me to death..."

Wang Dazhu picked up his Wolf Fang Club and smashed a nearby rock, his voice booming, "He’s gone to help, shouldn’t we be chasing after him? Why are we still here talking about wings and light wings! Dammit all, let’s charge up there! Those three factions are so powerful, I don’t think the chieftain and the others can hold out!"

Everyone immediately snapped out of it, scrambling to their feet and drawing their weapons.

Zhang Xiaoshan, having regained some composure, shouted, "Everyone, listen up! Those who are seriously injured, hide in the nearby caves and wait for treatment! The rest of you, group up and share Spirit Beasts. Follow me up there to provide support, now!"

"Alright!"

The group shouted in unison.

Qu Rong raised her arm and rallied them, "Don’t be afraid, everyone! We just saw how incredible that young man is. As long as he’s willing to help, Qingfeng Stronghold will not fall! We might even be able to use this opportunity to uproot those three factions!"

"Uproot them!"

Everyone responded in unison again, summoning their respective Spirit Beasts. Kicking up a cloud of dust, the group charged toward Qingfeng Mountain.

Meanwhile, Shen Lang, still carrying the fatty, had already flown a great distance.

"Fatty, tell me about the current situation and what’s happening at Qingfeng Stronghold," Shen Lang said coolly.

The fatty rolled his eyes and muttered, "Out of all those people, you just had to grab me... Do you have a grudge against me or something? Just because I’m a bit clever, you pick on me? It’s not a crime to be clever, is it? If I weren’t, I’d have died a thousand times over by now..."

"Didn’t realize you were such a chatterbox. Keep whining, and I’ll seal your Pill Sea and drop you from here!" Shen Lang said, extremely annoyed.

The fatty glanced down, and the hair on his arms stood on end.

If he were dropped from here, it wouldn’t be a simple matter of falling to his death.

He’d be smashed to pieces, turned into a meat patty!

"Ahem, I’ll talk, I’ll talk!"

The fatty’s expression turned serious. "Including servants and handymen, Qingfeng Stronghold has about one hundred and eighty people. Without them, there are at most a hundred who can actually pick up a weapon and fight. Today, the chieftain sent a group of fifteen to Illusion Mist City to trade for Thousand-leaf Dew. Another eighteen came to the Cloud Canyon to collect tolls. Factor in the idlers wandering about, and right now, there are less than seventy people on the mountain who can actually fight."

"Linglong Mountain, Lianyun Stronghold, and Blade Peak’s Lone Wolf Mercenary Corps... any one of these three factions is much stronger than Qingfeng Stronghold. Especially the Lone Wolf Mercenary Corps; they’re just a notch below the three great mercenary corps of Illusion Mist City. If it weren’t for Qingfeng Stronghold’s defensible terrain, any one of them could have wiped us out."

"These factions are always scheming against each other, and none of them submits to the others. Yet this time, they’ve joined forces to attack the mountain without Qingfeng Stronghold getting any word of it... It’s obvious... First, there’s a traitor in Qingfeng Stronghold coordinating with them. That’s why their timing is so perfect. The messenger also said the three factions have already reached the mountainside and are facing off against the chieftain. It looks like the traps on the lower paths have been completely disabled by the mole."

"Second, someone is fanning the flames from behind the scenes... The only power I can think of that could make these three factions cooperate obediently is the White Rainbow Sect, which controls Illusion Mist City."

Shen Lang couldn’t help but give the fatty another look. ’This guy really is more than he seems,’ he thought.

His expression grew grave as he asked, "The White Rainbow Sect is a Profound Iron Level Influence and a major sect of the Righteous Dao. Qingfeng Stronghold shouldn’t be significant enough for them to target, right? If I’m not mistaken, Qingfeng Stronghold should be turning over most of its Thousand-leaf Dew to the White Rainbow Sect. They couldn’t have established themselves here otherwise. Why would they need to seize it all completely?"

The fatty gave a strange laugh. "Humans are never satisfied. A large portion of Qingfeng Stronghold’s Thousand-leaf Dew is handed over to the White Rainbow Sect, and the higher-ups in the sect are quite content. But there’s a guy in the White Rainbow Sect named Zhang Cheng, the son of an Outer Sect Steward. He’s insidious, cunning, and insatiably greedy. He’s wanted to swallow Qingfeng Stronghold whole for a long time."

"This man is well-connected in Illusion Mist City. All the local powers are respectful and daren’t cross him. The City Lord of Illusion Mist City gets along well with his old man, so he’s always turned a blind eye. In this area, he practically rules the roost."

"On the other hand, the White Rainbow Sect’s sphere of influence is actually in the Celestial Profound Mountain Range, on the other side of the Chuyun Mountain Range, mixed in with sects like the Profound Dao Sect and the Holy Light Sect. The Illusion Mist City area is at the very edge of their territory. The heavens are high and the emperor is far away, so even if people within the White Rainbow Sect know a little about what’s going on, they let it slide."

"He’s probably the one pulling the strings this time. For all we know, while those three factions are frantically attacking the mountain, he’s mixed in with them, enjoying the show. The real threat to Qingfeng Stronghold this time isn’t those three factions. Against them, the chieftain and the others can at least lead a last stand on the back mountain and hold out for a few days. But if someone from the White Rainbow Sect makes a move, then they’ll be in real danger..."

The fatty spoke eloquently, but he didn’t notice a silver light flash in Shen Lang’s eyes as he secretly sized him up.

’A Spirit Martial Realm Fifth Heaven cultivation, yet he pretends to be a Qi Martial Realm Fourth Heaven rookie hiding in this den of bandits. He didn’t even resist when I grabbed him... His cultivation is only Spirit Martial Realm Fifth Heaven, but his physical body has already reached the Spirit Martial Realm Seventh Heaven or higher. His bones are bluish-black, with a reddish tint. This physical strength wasn’t achieved through a Body Refining Technique. Besides the Demon Race, the only ones born with such powerful bodies and strange bones, whose appearance is nearly indistinguishable from the Human Race, are the Northern Wilderness Barbarian Clan.’

’This fatty has the berserker factor of the Barbarian Race in his blood, and his bones show signs of compression. It seems he’s undoubtedly from the Barbarian Race.’

’Members of the Barbarian Race are born with Divine Power and are valiant warriors. In the Ancient Era, they were capable of slaying dragons. But they’ve been forced into a corner of the Northern Wilderness by the other major races. What is this fatty doing in the Western Wilderness, tens of millions of miles from his home? He even learned a Secret Technique to restrict his body to be like that of the Human Race. Interesting.’

How could the fatty know that with just a single glance, Shen Lang had seen through everything, figured out his identity, and even uncovered more than half of the secrets he kept buried deep in his heart...

If he had known, who knows if he’d still have the guts to let Shen Lang carry him.

...

The fatty didn’t notice Shen Lang’s scrutiny, but he felt a chill run down his spine. He tensed up, secretly putting his guard up.

"Heh," Shen Lang chuckled. "Listen, Fatty, the current chieftain of Qingfeng Stronghold is a friend of mine. You’re the one giving me directions. You’d better not try anything funny. If you piss me off, even if your bones are harder than a Barbarian’s, I’ll still crush them inch by inch!"

Upon hearing the word "Barbarian," the fatty’s entire body trembled.

He wiped away a bead of cold sweat. "N-No, I wouldn’t. You’re joking. I’ve been at Qingfeng Stronghold for over two years now; I’ve grown attached. Why would I have any other ideas...? At this speed, we’ll reach Qingfeng Mountain in another ten minutes. Don’t you worry."

Shen Lang’s gaze turned cold, and he barked in his mind, ’Old Ghost, go faster!’

The Ghost King complied, and their speed suddenly surged, streaking across the sky like a bolt of light.

’Damn, this speed is comparable to a Xuanwu Realm Fifth Heaven powerhouse or higher! What the hell is this thing? It can’t be a Flying Spiritual Artifact! The strength this kid has shown is clearly that of a Spirit Martial Realm First Heaven martial artist!’

Cold sweat dripped down the fatty’s face again, and he dared not make a move.

At first, he had only been shocked that Shen Lang had so easily seized control of the Maze Array.

Later, he discovered that Shen Lang was hiding his cultivation; he looked like he was only in the Qi Martial Realm, but with a wave of his hand, he demonstrated the power of the Spirit Martial Realm.

Even so, he still believed Shen Lang’s true cultivation was lower than his own.

But then Shen Lang had spoken the word "Barbarian," seeming to see through one of his secrets. And now, with this bizarrely fast and unpredictable flight speed, his heart was in his throat, and he was too scared to even think about making a move.

At that moment, on Qingfeng Mountain, the sounds of battle shook the heavens. Powerful Qi crisscrossed the air and flashes of Spirit Light erupted as Nalan Ziyun, disguised as a man, found herself in a very precarious situation.

On a wide, flat area on the mountainside, Nalan Ziyun swung her silver "Nebula Chain," fighting three Spirit Martial Realm experts. A hurricane of dust and stones swirled at the feet of the four combatants.

To the north, a group of people from Qingfeng Stronghold were trapped on the far side of a long suspension bridge, a bottomless abyss yawning below. All they could do was watch helplessly as their chieftain was surrounded and attacked.

Linglong Mountain, Lianyun Stronghold, and the Lone Wolf Mercenary Corps were spread out to the east, south, and west, their formations distinct as they surrounded the four embattled fighters.

The members of the Lone Wolf Mercenary Corps were better organized and all extremely ferocious.

Although the men from Linglong Mountain and Lianyun Stronghold also had many fierce-looking individuals, most were just lackadaisical Martial Artists.

With the overall situation decided, the members of these factions all wore smug expressions, treating the battle between the four in the center as a performance to be watched.

Some men kept aiming their gazes at the women on the other side of the suspension bridge, their eyes filled with lust. They seemed to be imagining how they would "play" with those tender young women after conquering Qingfeng Stronghold.

"Na Lan, throw down your weapon and surrender! Qingfeng Stronghold is finished! Your one-month reign as chieftain is over, too! I, Lan Feng, told you long ago that the Lone Wolf Mercenary Corps would one day stand atop Qingfeng Mountain, hahaha!"

one of the Spirit Martial Realm Martial Artists besieging Nalan Ziyun shouted sharply.

Na Lan was the name Nalan Ziyun used in Qingfeng Stronghold.