Strongest War Emperor

The man who spoke looked to be in his thirties. He wore a suit of Profound Iron Armor and wielded a gleaming golden Big Hammer, cutting an imposing figure.

He was Lan Feng, the Vice Leader of the Lone Wolf Mercenary Corps and the one with the highest Cultivation among the three men besieging Nalan Ziyun.

Nalan Ziyun glanced at Lan Feng. With a RATTLE, the Nebula Chain in her hand whipped out like the tail of a Divine Dragon, instantly sweeping toward Lan Feng’s face and forcing him back several meters.

"Instead of being a proper Mercenary Corps, you’ve come to steal business from mountain bandits. I don’t think your Lone Wolf Mercenary Corps has many days left." Nalan Ziyun sneered. "Scram now and you might live. Otherwise, if you truly piss me off, I’ll flatten your entire Lone Wolf Mercenary Corps!"

Lan Feng laughed, his anger peaking. "Such shameless boasting! You’re just a Martial Artist at the Spirit Martial Realm Fourth Heaven, on the verge of defeat. You won’t last another minute, yet you dare make such empty threats?"

One of the finely dressed men allied with Lan Feng spoke in a cold tone, "Something’s not right. I think she’s stalling for time!"

Lan Feng’s eyes darted around as he immediately began to scan their surroundings.

The last man, a burly figure wielding a Five Tigers Breaking Gate Saber, unleashed a constant barrage of Sword Qi at Nalan Ziyun. "Her Cultivation is about the same as ours," he said while attacking. "She’s only holding on because of that powerful Locking Chain in her hand. Stalling for time? Qingfeng Stronghold barely has any people. Where would they get reinforcements? Lin Yi, you give them too much credit!"

Lin Yi’s Longsword flared with Spirit Light as he lunged twice before speaking. "Xu Wei, are you an idiot? She clearly has the strength to fight back, but she’s been on the defensive with that Locking Chain. Can’t you see? With her Cultivation, if she really wanted to abandon Qingfeng Stronghold and run, we might not be able to stop her. Instead, she says she’ll take on all three of us alone. That itself is bizarre. Don’t you ever use your head?"

Xu Wei, rebuked by Lin Yi, was left speechless. His heart burned with fury, and the Sword Qi from his Five Tigers Breaking Gate Saber flared as he relentlessly hacked down at Nalan Ziyun.

But Nalan Ziyun’s silver Locking Chain was exceptionally powerful. Part of it coiled into a spiral to shield her, while a long section flew about like a Flood Dragon, attacking the three men. No matter how much effort they put in, they couldn’t break through her defenses.

Just then, Lan Feng, who had leaped to one side, suddenly spotted something that made him pause. ’It’s broad daylight, so why are there several torches burning fiercely around the field?’

Lan Feng feinted with his golden Big Hammer and disengaged from the fight, leaping out of the fray.

Lin Yi and Xu Wei were both stunned. Following Lan Feng’s line of sight, they saw an ordinary-looking torch at the edge of the field.

"Lan Feng, you’re not getting cold feet, are you? You don’t want the Lone Wolf Mercenary Corps’s share anymore?" Xu Wei chuckled slyly.

Lan Feng snorted coldly. "If you think you can take our share, feel free to come over and try."

Xu Wei was left choking on his words, not daring to directly challenge Lan Feng.

The Lone Wolf Mercenary Corps was a thriving power in Illusion Mist City, far stronger than Lianyun Stronghold and Langya Mountain. Lianyun Stronghold and Langya Mountain were nobodies, really. They’d only managed to survive in Illusion Mist City by latching onto Zhang Cheng of the White Rainbow Sect.

’That torch was lit just a moment ago... right when we came up!’

Staring at the torch, Lan Feng’s eyes narrowed slightly. A moment later, they flew wide open as he let out a furious shout.

He was the leader of the trio. Seeing his expression change so drastically, the other two were startled. After throwing out one last attack, they too leaped back.

"Heh heh heh..." Nalan Ziyun didn’t give chase. She just laughed coldly, pausing to pop a Qi Recovery Pill into her mouth.

Lin Yi walked warily to Lan Feng’s side. "What did you find?" he asked cautiously. "Is there something wrong with the torches? It’s strange to have them lit in broad daylight, but I checked myself... I don’t feel any signs of poison."

Lan Feng was silent, still staring intently at the torch.

Nalan Ziyun, having swallowed the Qi Recovery Pill, suddenly burst out laughing. "Finally noticed there’s something wrong with the torches? Too bad, it’s too late!"

The expressions of Lan Feng and the other two changed instantly, a hint of panic rising within them.

’The torches were lit when we got here, and we’ve been fighting for quite a while. If they’re really poisonous...’

"What kind of trick is this junior trying to pull? She’s courting death!" Xu Wei roared, gesturing with a broad sweep of his arm. "Everyone, attack together! Kill her, and then we’ll find the antidote!"

The men from the three surrounding factions roared in response and swarmed forward.

Previously, the three of them had been goaded by Nalan Ziyun and didn’t want to lose face in front of their subordinates, so they had agreed to fight her first.

Besides, they had already stormed the mountain. Qingfeng Stronghold was as good as theirs; it wouldn’t take much longer.

But now that they saw she had played a dirty trick, there was no need to drag things out!

As the three men and the crowd around them took a menacing step forward, Nalan Ziyun scoffed. Her hands fluttered, and she flicked several small, black objects toward the surrounding torches.

"Damn it, stop those things!" Lan Feng roared.

But the three were hemmed in by the crowd behind them. How could they possibly intercept them in time?

The five or six small black pellets all struck the torches. With a series of FWOOSHes, thick smoke billowed from the flames, immediately shrouding the entire area!

"Quick, hold your breath! Don’t breathe! Retreat!" Lan Feng’s voice rang out from within the thick smoke.

"Too late!"

Nalan Ziyun gave a sharp cry. With a flick of her wrist, two prepared Talismans held between her fingers flashed with fiery light!

Lightning flashed and thunder cracked in the sky as dozens of arm-thick bolts descended!

The ground rumbled endlessly as thick Earth Spikes shot up from below!

"AHH!"

Within the thick smoke, the men were packed together in a chaotic mess.

With powerful attacks raining down from the sky and erupting from the ground, the field instantly filled with endless screams and curses, transforming it into a scene from Hell.

But that wasn’t enough. Nalan Ziyun’s figure blurred as she leaped into the air, landing atop a large tree to the west of the field. With a continuous wave of her hands, she unleashed several more Talismans!

"Giant Wood Talisman!"

"Fiery Fire Talisman!"

"Explosive Talisman!"

With the backing of the Three Sects, including the Imperial Dragon Sect, how could Nalan Ziyun possibly be short on High Tier Talismans?

With the combination of the drugged smoke and area-of-effect Talismans, the crowd was instantly thrown into disarray, screaming in agony.

These men had all surged forward at Xu Wei’s command. Now, trapped in the thick smoke, retreating was no simple matter.

A single Earth Spike Talisman killed a great many and severely wounded even more.

Next, the Chain Lightning Talisman and the Fiery Fire Talisman maimed another large group!

Only a few on the very outskirts ran fast enough to escape the dense smoke, saving their own lives.

These High Tier Talismans all came from the Imperial Dragon Sect, the Li Hen Sect, and the Flower Sect. They were incredibly powerful. Forget using them within the drugged smoke; even if used directly against Lan Feng and his two companions, they could have easily inflicted heavy damage.

Nalan Ziyun had not used the Talismans all this time, mainly because she didn’t want to reveal too many of her trump cards so early.

After all, besides these three, the three factions also had a large group of experts among them.

Having spent so much time with Shen Lang, Nalan Ziyun had also learned to be calculating and employ all sorts of schemes.

This move of hers was executed beautifully.

She either didn’t strike, or she struck to annihilate the enemy’s main force.

After this barrage, there would be very few fighters left from the three factions.

But there is an exception to every rule. Just as Nalan Ziyun was continuing to unleash her Talismans...

From the edge of the clearing, a sharp voice cried out: "White Rainbow Cloud-Pushing Palm!"

A fierce gale erupted, instantly scattering the thick smoke and revealing a gruesome scene.

The ground was littered with bodies. Many were missing arms or legs, and blood flowed everywhere.

The only ones still on their feet were Lan Feng and his two companions.

But even they were drenched in blood, clutching their noses with one hand and swaying on the verge of collapse.

Nalan Ziyun’s gaze turned icy. She pinched a Talisman between her index and middle fingers and pointed it at the four figures approaching from the edge of the clearing.

"RUMBLE!"

As the Talisman ignited, a massive log materialized in the sky and plummeted toward the four newcomers!

The four of them carried themselves with an extraordinary air and seemed completely unfazed. The one in the middle simply stepped forward and threw a punch at the giant log.

"BANG!"

With a loud BANG, massive ripples of Energy spread out in all directions as the man’s punch shattered the giant log into splinters!

’This is bad! It’s Zhang Cheng! That bastard is a master at the Spirit Martial Realm Seventh Heaven or higher!’ Nalan Ziyun’s heart sank.

’These four newcomers are so powerful... Every single one of them probably has cultivation on par with the former Heavenly Phoenix City Lord, Ye Xiao Zheng!’

’One of them would be hard enough for me to handle. But four of them at once...’

The man who had shattered the log with a single punch had sunken cheeks and a skeletal frame, yet his entire body radiated an indescribable power.

His glossy black eyes held a sinister chill. When he looked at people, he would tilt his head up at a forty-five-degree angle, an arrogant posture that was thoroughly detestable.

This was none other than Zhang Cheng of the White Rainbow Sect, a name that struck fear into the hearts of all the smaller powers.

"A bunch of trash!" Zhang Cheng barked. "I knew I couldn’t count on you to accomplish anything! Three factions joined forces and you can’t even take down one measly Qingfeng Stronghold? Useless fools!"

"Lord Zhang," Lan Feng managed to say, "this shameless brat used poison... dirty tricks!" After spitting out the words, he collapsed to the ground with a THUD.

Although he had warned everyone not to breathe, the scene had become too chaotic under Nalan Ziyun’s relentless Talisman assault. Lan Feng himself had inhaled several mouthfuls of the poisonous smoke. By now, the poison had taken effect, leaving his body limp and powerless.

’Damn them!’ Nalan Ziyun was so furious she wanted to swallow the four newcomers whole.

Nothing was more frustrating than an unexpected turn of events like this.

’Everything was going according to plan. I was about to claim a total victory, and then the tables turned in an instant...’

’Now I’m in trouble...’ Nalan Ziyun seethed, grinding her teeth in frustration.

P.S. I’m releasing five Chapters today, with four more to follow shortly. Please show your support with gifts and recommendation votes!