Strongest War Emperor

Seeing the Wooden Man Alley open, the Profound Dao Sect disciples who had gathered above the alley to watch the spectacle also grew excited.

"This year’s batch isn’t half bad. In the first group this morning, there was some fatty named Chen Tianci. He didn’t look like much, but he cut through all the obstacles and made it into the top three! I suspect that fatty is playing the pig to eat the tiger, still holding back!"

"Very possible. You know, back when I joined the Profound Dao Sect, I was almost crippled by the wooden men. But these guys are making it look easy!"

"Yeah, there were several powerful figures among the previous groups who passed. Looks like the masters from each peak are going to start bickering over disciples again. This last group, though, is a far cry from them."

"That’s normal. Many in this last batch are disciples from humble origins, poor families who couldn’t even afford a Spirit Beast to ride here. See that kid in black down there, craning his neck? Didn’t he have the worst aptitude during the earlier tests? He actually got into the Wooden Man Alley with a Celestial Profound Order. Does he really think he can get lucky and pass through the Wooden Man Alley?"

"You’ve got to be kidding. That kid probably reached his current Cultivation by chugging Elixir Pills. What real strength could he have? You can’t fake your way through the Wooden Man Alley. Going in with wishful thinking is just asking for a beating."

"The first few stages of the Wooden Man Alley are nothing special. I just want to see if the few stronger guys will put on a more impressive show in the final stage, so I can report back to my Peak Master... Several prodigies appeared in the earlier groups, and the Peak Masters nearly came to blows over them. I wonder if there’s anyone in this last batch who will catch our eye?"

"I feel it’s unlikely. The ones with the best aptitude and Cultivation are Xiao Tong and Liu Hai. I’m not interested in anyone else."

Meanwhile, in the plaza outside, Zhang Tianyue was still sipping his tea leisurely.

The Elder sitting to his right revealed a satisfied expression and said, "To think that even in this final group, there are so many promising prospects with good aptitude and Cultivation. What a stroke of luck."

Another Elder laughed. "There are fifteen with high-level aptitude, and nine of them have already reached the Spirit Martial Realm First Heaven. Although they’re a bit on the older side—the oldest is already twenty-six—it’s still quite rare... Peak Master, who do you think will take the top three spots?"

Zhang Tianyue mused for a moment before saying, "The top three are hard to say for sure, but I can guess the top five."

"Oh? And who would those five be?"

"Xiao Tong, Liu Hai, Su Shi, Zhan Wuji, and Shang Xiaoran," Zhang Tianyue said flatly.

The Elder on the right stroked his beard and smiled. "That’s about what I was thinking. Especially Xiao Tong and Liu Hai; first and second place will surely go to them this time. We’ll have to watch their fight closely later. Aptitude is the foundation and Cultivation is the core, but in the end, we need to see their combat skills. I’m very curious to see what kind of sparks fly when they clash."

Zhang Tianyue smiled. "Xiao Tong is from the Xiao Family in the southern Purple Chu Country. His mastery of the Ice Technique has reached a considerably high level. Although he did his best to restrain it, the Ice Qi in his body still leaked out uncontrollably during the earlier assessment. It filled the air within a ten-meter radius of him, and almost no one dared to approach. If he were to unleash it fully, I’m afraid no one in this batch besides Liu Hai could resist that Ice Qi."

"As for Liu Hai, it’s the exact opposite. He practices the Fiery Fire Dragon Fist. This Fist Technique is sharp and domineering, with astonishing power. Once unleashed, it’s like a fiery inferno, truly unstoppable and difficult to resist... Coincidentally, the Cultivation Technique I specialize in is of the Fire Element. I can’t just hand this prospect over to my other martial brothers."

The Elder on the left showed a hint of doubt. "The first four are as I imagined. But the one you mentioned, Shang Xiaoran, the girl in the tight green clothes with the veiled face... it seems that aside from having slightly better aptitude, she hasn’t shown anything more impressive, has she? Among the nine, there are still several whose Cultivation is better than hers."

Zhang Tianyue chuckled. "She’s very carefully hiding everything. To be honest, if I didn’t have the Void Mirror with me, I probably wouldn’t have noticed this girl either... There’s a faint, almost imperceptible trace of Emperor Killing Qi in her body. Her Emperor’s Killing Fist has already reached a pretty good level. If she were to use her full strength, even Xiao Tong and Liu Hai might not be able to defeat her in a short time. She’s not so simple."

"What? Peak Master, are you talking about... the Emperor’s Killing Fist cultivated by the Royal Family of the Celestial Wolf Country, which was annihilated by the Demon Dao just ten years ago?"

The two Elders were astonished.

Zhang Tianyue nodded. "The Celestial Wolf Country may be small, but this Emperor’s Killing Fist is a rare Secret Skill indeed. It combines the Emperor’s Will with killing intent, creating a vast and surging murderous aura! If she can master it to the Great Success stage, even if she were to face the Thunder Control Divine Technique head-on, she might not be at a disadvantage in the short term."

"Among this group, four people have their Divine Thought locked firmly on this girl. It seems they’ve been hunting her all the way from the Celestial Wolf Country. Those four have inferior aptitude, but their Cultivation is on par with hers... The Celestial Wolf Country is more than ten thousand li from here. To be able to reach this place safely while being pursued by them... this girl has had it rough."

"I never would have thought that a descendant of the Celestial Wolf Country’s Royal Family was still alive, and has come to our Profound Dao Sect... The Emperor’s Killing Fist is brimming with killing intent; it’s not suitable for a woman to practice. For a girl to cultivate it to this level is truly unimaginable. I can’t fathom how much she must have suffered and how many hardships she has endured. In terms of mental fortitude alone, I’m afraid no one in this batch can compare to her... Besides Liu Hai, this girl, I’m claiming her."

The two Elders exchanged a glance and nodded slightly.

Zhang Tianyue continued, "Our Sect doesn’t prohibit disciples from sparring, but killing a fellow disciple is absolutely forbidden. Her joining the Profound Dao Sect was a very wise choice. I’ll have to give her some special care in the future."

The Elder on the right fell silent for a moment, then said, "The Celestial Wolf Country seems to have been destroyed by Demonic Dao Sects. In that case, the four people hunting her..."

Zhang Tianyue shook his head. "Those four are not Demon Martial Artists. Otherwise, I would have already had the Thunder Guard strike them down on the spot. Hmph, our Profound Dao Sect may have been somewhat down on its luck and keeping a low profile these years, but our foundation remains. We’re not someone those Demonic Cultivators can just come and provoke as they please!"

"Although the Cultivation Techniques those four practice are rather domineering and extreme, there isn’t a trace of Demonic Qi in their bodies. So... let them be, and let’s follow the rules. If they dare to cause chaos within the Profound Dao Sect, we’ll just kill them."

As the few of them conversed in low voices, battles had already erupted throughout the Wooden Man Alley, filling the air with smoke and dust.

The moment the wooden men in the Wooden Man Alley sensed someone approaching, they immediately reacted, their huge arms swinging ceaselessly amidst flashes of blades and swords, sweeping out fierce gales!

The first group to rush in immediately let out bloodcurdling screams. Many were beaten until their heads were bloodied and sent flying back!

Shen Lang and Zheng Donghong followed behind the green-clad woman, Shang Xiaoran, hugging the base of the wall.

With an expert like Shang Xiaoran at the Spirit Martial Realm First Heaven protecting them, and with the added defense of a Tier Four Gold Rune Protective Shield, the two of them had a much easier time than the others.

"This is a bit troublesome..." Shang Xiaoran, who was walking at the very front, suddenly muttered.

Shen Lang and the other man peeked out and immediately understood Shang Xiaoran’s concern.

The three of them had been hugging the wall, which greatly reduced the number of attacks they faced from the wooden men. But after less than twenty meters, a two-and-a-half-meter-tall wooden man blocked their path.

This wooden man was much larger than the others. They could only pass by either withstanding its attacks or defeating it completely.

"I’ll test this wooden man’s power first!"

Shang Xiaoran let out a soft cry. Her figure shot forward as she bent and twisted her body, launching a simple punch toward the wooden man’s left arm.

If she could break its left arm directly, the three of them could take advantage of the opening to get through!

Although her punch was simple, it flowed like water, without the slightest hint of stiffness. It was as fast as a hurricane and faintly carried the dauntless killing intent of the battlefield!

Shen Lang’s eyes narrowed slightly. He saw the wooden man swing its arm with incredible speed, blocking Shang Xiaoran’s punch, then its right arm shot toward her abdomen with a fierce gust of wind!

’Its level is relatively low, but it’s still very formidable in a place like this. Even for someone like Shang Xiaoran at the Spirit Martial Realm First Heaven, breaking past this wooden man will take some effort. It seems the person who designed this Wooden Man Alley anticipated all possibilities and sealed off all the blind spots and gaps.’

’Tsk, I could easily pass through this Wooden Man Alley just by using Talismans, but the problem is that every single Talisman is quite valuable. It pains me to use too many... If I keep this up, won’t I become a spendthrift?’

’Besides using Talismans, there is another way: just dismantle this wooden man directly. This kind of Puppet isn’t complicated. A Spirit Array Map is carved onto its body, and Spirit Stones are placed inside as its Energy source. The Spirit Stones are always in the head. Revealing some talent in Artifact Refining in front of the Profound Dao Sect’s people is no big deal.’

’But while dismantling the wooden man is easy for me, it would paralyze and disable it, which would disrupt the Wooden Man Alley assessment. If I dismantle them all the way through, the wooden men would be useless, and the people behind me would easily catch up. In the end, I’d still be targeted by the Thunder Guard up above...’

’Sigh, I can’t do anything with my hands tied like this. What a headache!’

Shen Lang couldn’t think of a perfect solution that would solve everything, and his head started to ache.

At that moment, Shang Xiaoran up ahead was moving with incredible speed, fighting the wooden man with both fists and feet, creating a series of THUD THUD THUD sounds.

The wooden man’s senses were extremely sharp. With balanced offense and defense, it was actually fighting her to a standstill!

Zheng Donghong, in the middle, was covered in a cold sweat as he watched. He was finally beginning to understand how terrifying the Wooden Man Alley was. He wiped his brow and hurriedly raised his longsword into a defensive stance.

’Even Shang Xiaoran, at the Spirit Martial Realm First Heaven, can’t handle this wooden man in a short time. If it were me up there, wouldn’t I be crippled with a single punch? This Wooden Man Alley really is no joke. It’s too tough!’

Meanwhile, Shen Lang, at the very back, was frowning, trying to figure out how to break through the Wooden Man Alley.

Suddenly, Shen Lang’s eyes flickered. Then, a cold, fierce gust of wind abruptly rose from behind him!

’In this day and age, even the spot by the wall is contested...’ Shen Lang frowned slightly.