Strongest War Emperor

"Still spouting nonsense with death at your doorstep!"

The skinny Martial Artist laughed in fury. He actually released his Seal Technique, temporarily halting the pressure from the Earth and Stone Cage.

"How dare a piece of trash from the mere Qi Martial Realm lecture me about ’Absolute Defense’ and the weaknesses of Magic? You’re truly courting death!"

Meanwhile, Shang Xiaoran saw the Earth and Stone Cage stop moving and realized with a start that she had broken out in a cold sweat. ’This kid... how can he not look the least bit worried at a time like this? Could it be he really has a way to break this Earth and Stone Cage? But how is that possible? This is a Magic that even Martial Artists at the Fifth and Sixth Heaven of the Spirit Martial Realm are helpless against!’

’The only drawback of this Earth and Stone Cage is that setting it up is as time-consuming and laborious as laying an Array. But once it’s activated and has trapped an enemy, there are absolutely no weaknesses, aside from shattering it with overwhelming power!’

At that moment, even the Profound Dao Sect disciples watching from above were starting to find the situation distasteful.

"Fighting to the death between Martial Artists isn’t forbidden in the Wooden Man Alley, but these guys seem to be taking it too far, don’t you think? Bringing personal grudges in here, and even using something like an Earth and Stone Cage... once those pillars fully close, the scene will be... gruesome..."

"What’s the big deal? In this world, the strong are revered. The weak and unskilled suffer the same fate everywhere. Since the sect elders haven’t made a move, you should put away your cheap pity. When we entered the Wooden Man Alley, it was far more brutal than this. Back then, never mind all the powerful Magic being thrown around, there was even someone who used poison to instantly kill over a hundred Martial Artists."

"Oh, you mean that bitch. Damn, just thinking about her methods sends a chill down my spine. Compared to her, those two down there are practically saints."

"You’re that scared of her and you still have the guts to call her a ’bitch’? Uh, never mind that. Look down there. The kid’s pulled out some bottles and is mixing something up. Don’t tell me he can actually break the Earth and Stone Cage?"

"Let’s make a bet. If he can break that Earth and Stone Cage, I owe you two hundred Low Grade Spirit Stones."

"Piss off! Only an idiot would take that bet!"

While the crowd was buzzing with discussion, Shen Lang, down below, seemed to have finished his preparations.

He had poured out the contents of several bottles and jars, mixing them together into an oddly colored, paste-like concoction. Then, he stood up.

’You dare to embarrass yourselves with an Earth and Stone Cage of this level? Fine, I’ll show you a thing or two...’

After watching Shen Lang mess around for a while, Shang Xiaoran finally couldn’t take it anymore. She banged on a stone pillar a couple of times and yelled, "Hey, what on earth are you doing? Hurry up and find a Talisman that can break this thing!"

’What the hell is that brat making?’

Outside the Earth and Stone Cage, the fat and skinny pair were equally baffled. But it was more than just bafflement; as they frowned at the object in Shen Lang’s hands, a thread of unease began to sprout in their hearts.

They had no idea why they felt this way. The object in Shen Lang’s hand, aside from its strange color, looked completely unremarkable, and they couldn’t identify what it was.

Shen Lang’s expression remained perfectly calm, as if he were completely unaware of the danger he was in.

"And now, it’s time to witness a miracle..."

As he spoke, he took out an enormous brush, dipped it into the bowl of "paste" and stirred, coating it thoroughly. He then walked over to a stone pillar on the left corner and painted a thick, horizontal line across its surface.

’What on earth is this guy doing...?’

Everyone was completely bewildered, unable to comprehend his actions.

Seeing this, the skinny Martial Artist barked, "I don’t know what you’re playing at, but it’s over! Shang Xiaoran, I’ll give you one last chance. Hand over the item, or die!"

The moment he finished speaking, he formed a Hand Seal, and the pillars of the Earth and Stone Cage began to slowly grind together once more!

’There’s no other way. It looks like I’ll have to risk everything on the Emperor’s Killing Fist! I’ll focus all my Killing Intent into my right fist and shatter this Earth and Stone Cage in a single blow! Otherwise, the three of us will die here...’

Killing Intent flooded Shang Xiaoran’s eyes. She loosely clenched her right fist, and a strand of gray Killing Intent, so dense it was almost tangible, coiled around it.

Amidst the grinding sounds, Shen Lang stretched lazily and said, "Yes, it is about time this ended. Wasting so much time getting tangled up with you two assholes is really getting on my nerves."

"Hm?" Shang Xiaoran froze for a second, and the Killing Intent swirling around her right fist instinctively ceased its flow.

In that instant, Shen Lang’s lazy demeanor vanished. His eyes turned cold as he said, "One punch. I only need one punch to shatter your Earth and Stone Cage."

"Bullshit!"

The short, fat Martial Artist cursed, his face flushing crimson with rage.

’This is fucking ridiculous! At such a crucial moment, on such an important occasion, some piece of trash just has to pop up and ruin everything!’

’Fine, let him mess things up. But he’s clearly about to die, yet he’s still pulling all these stunts to draw our attention!’

’Aren’t the two of us supposed to be the stars of the show here?’

’A mere piece of trash from the Qi Martial Realm has stolen everyone’s attention, making them overlook the glory of a masterpiece like the Earth and Stone Cage. This is simply unforgivable!’

’This is absolutely intolerable!’

’I’ll kill this brat first!’

But just as the short, fat Martial Artist was about to activate the part of the cage around Shen Lang, Shen Lang produced another bottle filled with a Medicinal Liquid. He uncapped it and, with a flick of his wrist, sprayed the entire Potion onto the horizontal line he had drawn on the stone pillar!

In that instant, a strange transformation began!

SIZZLE SIZZLE SIZZLE!

Thick black smoke suddenly billowed from the line on the stone pillar!

The incredibly sturdy stone pillar began to corrode rapidly. The area along the line caved inward, and small chunks of stone started to crumble and fall!

"This... How is this happening? This is impossible!"

The short, fat Martial Artist shrieked, a look of pure horror on his face.

Meanwhile, Shang Xiaoran and Zheng Donghong’s faces lit up with elation. ’This guy! He actually had a trick like this up his sleeve!’

"I called you a fucking idiot and you wouldn’t admit it. Look at you now, dumbfounded, aren’t you?"

At that exact moment, a chorus of cracking sounds erupted from Shen Lang’s entire body as his bones and sinews snapped in unison. He bent his waist, coiled his legs, and executed an Arrow Step Punch!

"Eight Desolates Divine Fist!"

With a sharp cry, Shen Lang’s right fist, wrapped in a ball of Spirit Light, shot forward!

The Eight Desolates Divine Fist, originally just a Fist Technique from a third-rate clan like the Shen Family, became unbelievably powerful in Shen Lang’s hands!

The punch tore through the air with a piercing shriek, like the crack of a whip. It was as swift as a sudden squall, as fierce as a clap of thunder!

The force of Shen Lang’s fist made the very air tremble. A violent gale erupted, and Powerful Qi surged wildly.

It was an unadorned punch, striking dead center on the thick, caved-in line on the stone pillar!

BOOM!

The overwhelming impact sent out a massive ripple of Energy. The colossal roar seemed to shake the entire Wooden Man Alley, and a continuous echo rumbled through its passages.

Before everyone’s disbelieving eyes, the massive stone pillar snapped in two right where Shen Lang had drawn the line.

Then, the Earth and Stone Cage, which everyone had considered unbreakable, collapsed with a thunderous crash, its pieces scattering across the ground!

"How... How is that possible!" 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

The fat and skinny Martial Artists’ eyes bulged in disbelief. They couldn’t believe the pillars of the Earth and Stone Cage had been corroded by some random concoction, much less that a mere Qi Martial Realm Fifth Heaven Martial Artist could bring down the cage with its immense Defense Power!

Furthermore, even though Shen Lang’s punch had looked ferocious, its true strength and Powerful Qi were definitely no match for a Spirit Martial Realm Martial Artist’s!

And yet, the Earth and Stone Cage had undeniably, tangibly been brought down...

"What a headache. Every time I do something like this, there’s always someone who doesn’t get it and makes me explain. But this time... I refuse."

With a casual flick of his hands, Shen Lang sent Four Talismans shooting upward in the blink of an eye!

In a flash of Spirit Light, the Four Talismans shot through the swirling dust and then abruptly exploded!

"A boundless forest falls, rustling down," Shen Lang recited leisurely.

Just as he finished, the Four Talismans vanished upon exploding, and four giant logs materialized in the air, instantly plummeting downward!

Two of the logs smashed down on the remains of the cage holding Shang Xiaoran and Zheng Donghong, while the other two hurtled toward the fat and skinny Martial Artists.

The pair was still in a daze. The two giant logs in the air seemed to have eyes of their own, each one locking onto a target. In the blink of an eye, they were right above the two men’s heads.

"A Tier Four Talisman... Dangerous!"

Feeling the power contained within the giant logs, the two men’s faces drained of color in alarm.

A Tier Four Giant Wood Talisman is immensely powerful. Its only weakness is that it’s a bit slow, not as fast as a Fireball Talisman or a Thunder Talisman.

But the two of them had been far too careless. They had been so mesmerized by Shen Lang shattering the Earth and Stone Cage that they were caught completely flat-footed.

In a battle between masters, every split second is precious, let alone when the one attacking is a monster like Shen Lang.

By the time the giant logs came crashing down and the two realized their predicament, it was already too late to dodge!

From the ground beneath them, mounds of rock erupted, trapping their feet firmly in place!

Shen Lang grinned. "My bad. Turns out I know a little something about Earth Element Techniques, too!"

Judging by the crude rocks trapping the two, it seemed Shen Lang really did only know "a little something."

But with the Giant Wood Talismans bearing down, that little something was more than enough!

"Earth Skill: Earth-Shattering!"

In this moment of crisis, the two men roared in unison, unleashing the exact same Earth Element skill.

Dust swirled around them, forming a rapidly spinning cyclone that shot upward like a drill, slamming into the descending giant logs!

The surrounding Martial Artists, who had been enjoying the spectacle, instantly scattered in terror, screaming as they scrambled for cover in the distance.

The fallout from a clash between a Tier Four Talisman and a Spirit Martial Realm Martial Artist was not something ordinary people could withstand.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Four deafening explosions rang out simultaneously as ferocious waves of Energy swept out in all directions.