Strongest War Emperor

Shang Xiaoran stood stunned for a moment, then sheathed her Short Sword. With both hands, she struck Hao Fengliu several times in quick succession before saying breathlessly, "I’ve placed a Restriction on you. In your current state, you won’t be able to undo it within a day. Plus, with your hands injured, it’s impossible for you to fight me anytime soon."

She paused, looking down at Hao Fengliu on the ground. "One day, I will settle the score between us. But I hope to do it with my own strength. I have nothing but my hatred, but my talent surpasses yours, and I work a hundred times harder at my Cultivation. Once I’m in the Profound Dao Sect, you’ll never have a chance to surpass me again!"

"When my Cultivation is strong enough, even if you don’t come for me, I’ll come for you."

After speaking, Shang Xiaoran walked forward. Zheng Donghong hurriedly followed behind her.

Hao Fengliu’s eyelashes fluttered slightly, but she remained silent.

Shen Lang seemed to have thought of something. He suddenly crouched down, skillfully flipped Hao Fengliu’s body over, and took her hand to examine it.

’Not even a Sumeru Ring?’

Seeing Hao Fengliu’s bare fingers, Shen Lang’s brow furrowed.

Hao Fengliu’s face flushed crimson. Her lips were tightly shut, and her eyes, wide as bronze bells, glared viciously at Shen Lang.

If looks could kill, Shen Lang would have been torn to shreds by now.

Shen Lang shot her a sideways glance and said, "Staring at me won’t do you any good. I used up a ton of Talismans to deal with you. It’s not my style to not get a little interest back."

With that, he reached his hand into the clothes on Hao Fengliu’s chest.

Hao Fengliu gasped, unable to catch her breath, and fainted dead away.

"This woman... where did she hide her Storage Pouch?" Shen Lang wondered aloud.

"Bastard, what are you doing!" Shang Xiaoran, who had just walked away, came back, her eyes wide with disbelief as she stared at Shen Lang.

After fumbling around in Hao Fengliu’s bosom for a moment, Shen Lang pulled out a Storage Pouch. He grinned in satisfaction and dangled it in front of Shang Xiaoran...

"What am I doing? Getting the Storage Pouch, of course. I respect your decision, but I don’t agree with it... Oh, whatever, it’s your business anyway. Still, I used so many Talismans, I have to get some interest back, right? Besides, I’ve thoroughly offended her and made an enemy of her. Taking her Storage Pouch weakens her... Don’t look at me like that. It’s not *your* Storage Pouch I’m taking."

"..." Shang Xiaoran felt a little dizzy herself. Every time she thought she had figured Shen Lang out, she would realize she didn’t understand him at all.

’He seems weak, but he casually took out three Martial Artists at the Sixth and Seventh Heavens of the Qi Martial Realm. The way he did it was so clean and efficient, it was unbelievable.’

’And it was thanks to his help that they had taken down Hao Fengliu.’

’After all, she had been entangled with Hao Fengliu for years and had almost never gained any advantage!’

’But then again, he’s strong? He’s clearly just a guy at the Qi Martial Realm Fifth Heaven. And during the aptitude test earlier, he was proven to be the type who would never achieve anything no matter how hard he tried to practice his Cultivation.’

’As for him spanking Hao Fengliu’s butt, and reaching into her clothes to find the Storage Pouch...’

Shang Xiaoran shook her head, forcing herself not to think about it. After a long moment, she said, "It’s getting late. Let’s go. I suspect the other three are waiting for us up ahead."

The three of them pulled themselves together, charged into the Wooden Man Array, and fought their way forward.

The second stage’s Wooden Man Alley had one fewer path than the first, and each path was considerably narrower.

The fierce battle with Hao Fengliu had cost the three of them a lot of time.

But there were also some benefits. Most people had already rushed through the second stage, so many of the wooden men here were already destroyed, with broken limbs scattered everywhere. The people still lingering were few and far between, a far cry from the initial feeling of a million people trying to cross a single-plank bridge.

This made it much easier for the three of them than the first stage; they passed through the second with barely any effort.

"The entrance to the third stage is just ahead. Be careful, someone might be waiting in ambush!" Shang Xiaoran said cautiously.

However, to their surprise, besides a dozen or so defeated Martial Artists resting by the side, they didn’t see any of Shang Xiaoran’s other enemies in the small plaza outside the third stage’s entrance.

Shang Xiaoran put out a hand to stop Zheng Donghong, who was about to go forward. "Don’t let your guard down. Two of those three men cultivate an Earth Element Technique. The ground in this plaza is just a layer of bluestone slabs over soft soil. It’s very likely they’re hiding inside."

Suddenly...

RUMBLE!

The moment Shang Xiaoran finished speaking, the ground beneath them suddenly shattered. Thick stone pillars erupted one by one, completely encircling them, leaving only tiny gaps between the pillars!

"An Earth and Stone Cage? Fall back!"

Shang Xiaoran retreated rapidly, spun around, and slammed her left palm against the stone pillar behind her.

BANG!

Her palm struck the stone pillar, but it only trembled slightly, while Shang Xiaoran’s body was violently thrown back!

A shallow Palm Seal was left on the pillar as it continued to extend rapidly upward.

In the span of just two breaths, the pillars above them fully joined together, forming a square cage that was even divided into three separate cells inside, trapping Shen Lang and the others...

"Damn it!"

Shang Xiaoran and Zheng Donghong hacked at the pillars of the Earth and Stone Cage with their weapons, but only sparks flew. The cracks they made instantly repaired themselves!

Zheng Donghong’s failure was one thing, but Shang Xiaoran was a Spirit Martial Realm Martial Artist. If even her attacks were ineffective against this Earth and Stone Cage...

As soon as the Earth and Stone Cage proved effective and trapped the trio, two men rose slowly from the ground ahead, their arms crossed over their chests.

One of the men was short and stout like a winter melon, the other tall and thin as a bamboo stalk. Both wore Beast Hides, their arms bare.

The skinny man gave a sinister laugh. "Don’t waste your energy. The pillars of this Earth and Stone Cage are made from a mix of Cyan Gang Rock and Vajra Sand, found only in the depths of the Eastern Desolate. Not only are they indestructible, but they can also automatically absorb Energy to reinforce themselves. Most of the Energy from your attacks has already been absorbed, which only makes this cage stronger. It’s impossible for you to destroy these pillars!"

The short, fat man grinned, revealing two rows of yellowed teeth. "Even an expert at the Spirit Martial Realm Fifth Heaven couldn’t break through the Earth and Stone Cage we so carefully prepared. Save your strength!"

"Despicable!" Shang Xiaoran’s face was pale, her eyes filled with rage.

The skinny Martial Artist spoke again. "We never expected Hao Fengliu to be able to deal with you. Her only purpose was to stall for a bit of time. That gave us enough time to set up the Earth and Stone Cage here and wait for your arrival. You bitch, your death is near. Hand over the item now, and we might consider leaving you with a whole corpse."

Killing Intent flashed in Shang Xiaoran’s eyes. She turned to look at Shen Lang in the cell to her left and said, "Shen Lang, don’t just stand there in a daze! Think of something, quickly!"

After saying this, Shang Xiaoran herself was taken aback.

’Since when did I start trusting and relying on Shen Lang so much?’

’It makes no sense at all. Never mind his aptitude, his Cultivation is only at the Qi Martial Realm Fifth Heaven. There’s no way he can shake this Earth and Stone Cage...’

’But the words had seemed to come from the bottom of my heart, spoken without thinking.’

’Does this mean that deep down, I’ve already acknowledged this guy’s power, so he was the first person I thought of in a crisis? But where does his ability even come from? All he does is act like a prodigal son—constantly throwing away Talismans!’

At this thought, Shang Xiaoran’s heart suddenly lurched. ’It’s over. The space in this Earth and Stone Cage is extremely narrow, so Talismans will lose their effectiveness here... If he uses a powerful offensive Talisman, the people inside the cage would likely be the first to suffer!’

Just then, the short, fat Martial Artist burst out laughing. "You’re counting on this piece of trash to find a way out? Shang Xiaoran, did Hao Fengliu knock you stupid? Or did you get your head caught in a door?"

The skinny Martial Artist waved his hand. "Don’t look down on this trash. Shang Xiaoran and Hao Fengliu’s Cultivation levels are about equal. This time, Hao Fengliu even brought three experts skilled in Illusion Techniques to intercept her. Now, those few aren’t here, but these people are, and they seem completely unharmed. I’m afraid there’s something strange about this kid."

The short, fat Martial Artist sneered, "Strange or not, anyone who enters the Earth and Stone Cage is doomed to die. Look, that piece of trash seems to have been scared stupid by the cage. He’s still just standing there in a daze, haha! Just accept your bad luck, kid. Since you’re with Shang Xiaoran, we’ll just have to kill you all together. Heh heh heh."

"Shen Lang, what’s wrong with you? Say something!" Shang Xiaoran’s eyes were filled with urgency, but she was helpless against the Earth and Stone Cage.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Zheng Donghong, apparently refusing to give up, hacked at the stone pillar with his sword again and again, refusing to stop even though it was futile.

Just then, Shen Lang suddenly lifted his head and said disdainfully, "A couple of morons."

The fat and thin Martial Artists were stunned for a moment, then their faces went pale with rage.

"You’re courting death, kid! How dare you curse at me! You’ll regret this soon enough!"

Enraged, the skinny Martial Artist formed a Hand Seal, and several beams of Spirit Light shot into the Earth and Stone Cage.

The Earth and Stone Cage, which even Shang Xiaoran couldn’t budge, began to move with a CREAKING sound. The stone pillars started to tighten, as if they were about to crush the three people inside to death!

Just then, Shen Lang suddenly took several bottles filled with various powders from his Sumeru Ring and placed them on the ground.

Then, he let out a cold laugh and said leisurely, "There’s no such thing as an absolute defense in this world. Every Magic has its flaws and can never be perfect, especially something like this Earth and Stone Cage. In my opinion, your so-called cage is utterly fragile."