Strongest War Emperor

Enraged that the assassin leader intended to harm Nalan Ziyun, Shen Lang pulled the golden needles from his body, undoing the Golden Needle Acupoint Cutting. His power surged, and he unleashed the Five Emperors Dragon Fist, instantly stunning the leader with terror.

The assassin leader never dreamed that this young man had been hiding such formidable strength, even as they threw everything they had into the assassination attempt.

After releasing the seal, the power that erupted from this slender young man’s rage was like a landslide and a tsunami—utterly unstoppable!

This palm strike was not only devastatingly powerful, but also blindingly fast!

The leader panicked, scrambling backward in a desperate attempt to dodge.

However, with Shen Lang’s Divine Thought locked onto him, he was far too slow to evade the palm strike...

’This is it. An assassin who misjudges their target is a dead man. This is all my fault... I have no choice but to go all out!’

The thought flashed through his mind. He tossed aside his Short Sword, gathered every bit of his Spiritual Power, and prepared to throw a punch at Shen Lang.

But at that exact moment, Eleven suddenly appeared, positioning herself in front of her leader!

Shen Lang was still in mid-air. The fierce gale from his attack shattered Eleven’s mask, revealing her face...

It was Ye Juexin—the very woman Shen Lang had nearly killed at the Celestial Phoenix City Martial Arts Arena, who was then saved by Nalan Ziyun!

Behind her, the wind also blew aside the leader’s disheveled hair, revealing his blood-stained face... It was none other than Xu Ziyang, a leader from the Shadow Tower group Shen Lang had rescued in the Sorrow Swamp.

"So it was you two!"

A sharp glint flashed in Shen Lang’s eyes. He altered the trajectory of his strike, and the palm attack barely grazed past Ye Juexin’s shoulder.

BANG!

An unprecedented roar echoed. As the dust settled, a massive, spiral-shaped crater had appeared more than ten meters behind them!

Ye Juexin seemed to have never expected Shen Lang to pull his punch, much less that he would now be standing right in front of her, their bodies almost touching...

For a moment, she stood frozen, her breathing growing heavy.

RATTLE!

A silver chain shot out from behind, instantly binding Ye Juexin and Xu Ziyang tightly together.

Nalan Ziyun chuckled smugly and circled around to the front, only to freeze in shock.

"Juexin, it’s you? No wonder your voice sounded so familiar!"

Nalan Ziyun shrieked, hastily retracting the chain before rushing over to support the swaying Ye Juexin.

Ye Juexin shook her head without a word, looking like a frightened deer.

Behind them, the assassin leader knelt on one knee, gasping for breath. He still couldn’t believe a Martial Artist whose Cultivation hadn’t even reached the Spirit Martial Realm could unleash such a devastating attack...

’I thought our flawless, coordinated attack would guarantee the mission’s success.’

’But I never expected this. He didn’t even summon the Bone Demon we were so wary of. He didn’t even use a weapon. Bare-handed, he completely routed our group and left us in this miserable state.’

’A team of experienced assassins, defeated by a single youth. And what a miserable defeat it was...’

Meanwhile, Nalan Ziyun grew more and more agitated as she spoke, starting to chide Ye Juexin. "You’re already free, so why become an assassin? Do you actually enjoy this life? Are you an idiot?"

"You knew you were no match for that little bastard, yet you still came? Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

Ye Juexin kept her mouth shut and didn’t answer, only shaking her head repeatedly.

Suddenly, the only uninjured assassin—the one who had been generating the mist—stepped forward.

She hoisted the two heavily injured assassins onto her shoulders and said softly, "She doesn’t enjoy it. She just wants to join the Shadow Tower to become stronger."

The speaker removed her mask, revealing herself to be Ye Juexin’s older sister, Ye Jueqing.

Shen Lang took the golden needles from his left hand and pierced them back into his body. Only then did he say nonchalantly, "It was her choice. Why interfere? Let’s go. This place is a complete mess. We’ll find somewhere else."

With that, Shen Lang turned and began walking deeper into the forest.

"Wait!"

The assassin leader, Xu Ziyang, suddenly lifted his head and called out.

"Why aren’t you killing us? Is it just because you know Eleven? Letting us go will only bring you endless trouble! When the Shadow Tower fails a mission, they will try a second time, and a third, until the target is dead!"

Shen Lang looked up at the full moon in the sky.

He said coolly, "There’s no particular reason. I just remember saving you once, and even having a drink with you... Saving your life only to kill you later feels a little strange, that’s all."

"Saved me? Had a drink with me?" Xu Ziyang froze.

Then, a thought struck Xu Ziyang. A look of sudden realization spread across his already pale face. "You... you... so you’re... "

"As long as you know," Shen Lang cut him off.

Xu Ziyang felt the joy of having narrowly escaped death, but at the same time, he wanted to find a wall and bash his head against it.

’Back in the Sorrow Swamp, Mr. Ghost had a Bone Demon. And the young man we were sent to kill also has a Bone Demon... ’

’How could I not have connected the two?’

’If I’d known our target was Mr. Ghost, I would have refused this mission long ago, or at least told my superiors we had to abandon it!’

’Never mind the fact that Mr. Ghost is a benefactor to the Shadow Tower, having saved a whole group of us, including the Young Mistress.’

’His profound and unfathomable Cultivation alone is far beyond what ordinary Shadow Tower assassins can handle!’

The Shadow Tower is an Assassin Organization, but they aren’t idiots who will take on any mission blindly.

They know who they can afford to cross and who they can’t.

They have many enemies, but they also understand the importance of making allies out of the powerful.

Mr. Ghost, who saved the Young Mistress and possesses such unfathomable Cultivation, was clearly someone the Shadow Tower wanted to recruit as an ally.

"Mr. Ghost, please wait!" Seeing Shen Lang about to leave, Xu Ziyang forced his aching body to stand.

Without turning his head, Shen Lang said, "What is it? You still want to fight?"

By this time, the two assassins Shen Lang had knocked unconscious had woken up. They were shocked to see the state their leader was in, completely baffled as to what had transpired.

Xu Ziyang gave a bitter laugh. "Sir, you misunderstand. Had I known the target of this mission was you, I would have done everything in my power to stop the organization from accepting it, no matter my humble abilities. I certainly wouldn’t have led my brothers here to their deaths. Please, rest assured, Sir. The Shadow Tower will not trouble you again... We would never harm a benefactor. I will send word back immediately and request that they cancel the mission."

"Even if we have to pay the thirty-percent cancellation fee, the Shadow Tower will not move against you again, Sir."

Shen Lang sounded slightly surprised. "I didn’t realize the current master of the Shadow Second Floor was so open-minded. Many years ago, their predecessors’ stubbornness nearly destroyed the entire Shadow Tower. It seems they’ve learned to amend their rules."

Xu Ziyang broke out in a cold sweat. He knew from their time in the Sorrow Swamp that "Mr. Ghost" was very familiar with the Shadow Tower, but he never imagined his knowledge ran this deep.

But who was he to discuss the internal rules of the Shadow Tower, let alone the master of the Shadow Second Floor? It wasn’t his place.

He could only clear his throat and say, "Since you’re so familiar with the Shadow Tower, Sir, you must know how to contact us. That item you wanted is ready. You can come retrieve it at any time. Also..."

"What is it? Stop stammering," Shen Lang said impatiently.

Xu Ziyang’s eyes darted toward Nalan Ziyun, and he sent a timid message via Divine Thought. "The Young Mistress said that if we ran into you, she hopes you might visit the Shadow Tower. She said she would give you the warmest of welcomes."

"Oh." Shen Lang gave a noncommittal nod. He glanced back at Ye Juexin, then gestured to Nalan Ziyun. "Are you coming?"

’This is the same Ye Juexin who was so arrogant and ruthless when disguised as a man? She was so decisive in killing that she once stabbed a servant a dozen times just for saying something indecent to her.’ Ye Juexin blushed and lowered her head, causing Shen Lang to pause for a moment.

’But now that she’s dressed as a woman again, her every action and expression is the very picture of a top-tier beauty.’

’In contrast, Nalan Ziyun, despite her peerless beauty and killer figure, always acted so carelessly that I tend to forget she’s a woman at all.’

Nalan Ziyun’s eyes darted. She whispered a few more words to Ye Juexin, giving her some final instructions before hurrying to catch up.

She was still a few steps behind when she called out impatiently, "I can’t believe their leader was someone you met and saved in the Sorrow Swamp... Say, how are you so familiar with the Shadow Tower? Don’t you dare tell me you read it in some old Classics, because I’m not buying it."

"And why did he use a mental transmission at the end? Was it about a woman? Some dirty little secret?"

This rapid-fire questioning made Shen Lang roll his eyes. "Do all women have to be so relentlessly curious? Didn’t you learn anything from your fight with Ye Juexin?"

His question successfully diverted her attention. She sighed. "Juexin’s attacks were like a raging storm. I was so busy defending that I never had a chance to use my Water Dragon’s Roar. If she hadn’t been holding back, treating it like a spar instead of a real fight, I’m afraid... Ugh. Thank goodness for the Nebula Chain’s powerful defense."

Shen Lang nodded. "It seems Ye Xiao Zheng raised Ye Juexin like an assassin from a young age. Even though she’s only at the Spirit Martial Realm Fifth Heaven, her true strength is not to be underestimated. Especially since she might possess Celestial Silkworm Silk. If she ran into those clowns from the White Rainbow Sect, like Zhang Cheng, they would undoubtedly be killed."

"Are you saying... I wouldn’t even be able to use Water Dragon’s Roar against her? Her movements are just too fast. She never gave me an opening," Nalan Ziyun said, her head hanging in dejection.

Shen Lang shook his head. With a wave of his right hand, a Water Dragon roared out to his right, snapping several large trees in its path.

Before Nalan Ziyun could react in surprise, he casually swiped with his left hand, sending out another Water Dragon.

Then, using both hands, he began to unleash palm strikes in quick succession. Each simple-looking strike produced another Water Dragon, until they were emerging in an endless stream, their thunderous roars filling the air.

"You’ve got to be kidding me!" Nalan Ziyun stared, completely dumbfounded.

...

Meanwhile, several hundred meters away, Ye Juexin knelt on one knee, her head bowed. "I knew them before the mission and was aware of some of their background, yet I did not inform the leader. I also obstructed the leader’s plan. Please, Leader, punish me!"

"Me too. If you must punish someone, punish me," Ye Jueqing said, also dropping to one knee.

"You two sisters have some nerve!"

The two assassins in the tiger and leopard masks scowled, their gazes turning sinister as they stared at the two sisters.