Strongest War Emperor

A woman in the crowd swayed with each step as she slowly approached Shen Lang. It was Hao Fengliu, the one he had spanked!

"Donghong, don’t panic," Shen Lang comforted Zheng Donghong. "Fighting isn’t forbidden in the Profound Dao Sect, but she wouldn’t dare try to kill us."

Zheng Donghong blurted out, "I know, I’m just worried... What if she cripples us? What if she beats us up every single time she sees us?"

"..." Shen Lang’s eyes widened, and he was left speechless.

"Hao Fengliu, don’t do anything rash! Your quarrel is with me, don’t make trouble for others!" Shang Xiaoran stepped in front of Hao Fengliu.

Hao Fengliu shoved Shang Xiaoran aside and said viciously, "This isn’t just about you. I’m here to demand an explanation from Shen Lang!"

Before Shen Lang could speak, Hao Fengliu said, a bit hysterically, "You bastard! Why did you take my Sumeru Ring after you beat me, but when you beat Xiao Tong and Liu Hai, you took nothing?"

Shang Xiaoran and Zheng Donghong were instantly dumbfounded. ’What on earth is going through this woman’s mind?’

Shen Lang’s face fell. He turned around and began searching for something in the crowd.

"What are you doing? Scared to answer my question?" Hao Fengliu demanded furiously.

"Has anyone seen Xiao Tong and Liu Hai?" Shen Lang mumbled. "I forgot to loot them after knocking them out. I wonder if it’s too late now?"

"..." The crowd exchanged glances.

"Forget it, there’s no rush. I’m sure they’ll deliver their Sumeru Rings to me eventually," Shen Lang said calmly.

"..."

"I beat them to a pulp. No man could stand that kind of humiliation. Just you watch, they’ll come looking for me within three days. Then I can stretch my legs a bit... Look, those two are staring at me right now."

The crowd followed Shen Lang’s finger and saw Xiao Tong and Liu Hai being supported by others. They were grinding their teeth, glaring at Shen Lang as if they wanted to rush over and eat him alive.

However, with elders present, and with both of them suffering from several broken ribs, they wouldn’t be recovering anytime soon. If they wanted revenge, they would have to wait.

Shen Lang shrugged and spread his hands. "See? Sometimes, when fortune comes knocking, you can’t even get out of the way."

With that, he clasped his hands behind his head and leisurely started walking toward Songdu Peak.

"Stop right there!"

A sharp cry rang out, but it wasn’t from Hao Fengliu.

The crowd turned toward the sound, their expressions becoming a little strange.

A young man was coming down the mountain path. His face was as fair as the autumn moon, and he had a refined, scholarly air, but his expression was hostile as he glared fiercely at Shen Lang.

The man was handsome and suave, but his only flaw was... he was too effeminate, to the point of being androgynous.

Shen Lang’s face darkened. "What do you want? Who are you trying to scare, dressed like that?"

It was Nalan Ziyun, disguised as a man!

Nalan Ziyun strode over, looking thoroughly displeased. She grabbed Shen Lang by the collar, nearly lifting him off his feet. "Aha! I was just wondering why you told me to go on ahead, you bastard. So you had this whole conspiracy planned from the start! By having me go first, we ended up on different peaks, so now you can fool around with other women, is that it? What a clever plan!"

"Hey, who are you? Show some respect!" Shang Xiaoran snapped, displeased.

Nalan Ziyun turned, gave Shang Xiaoran a "charming" smile, and let go of Shen Lang’s collar.

She lifted Shen Lang’s chin with two fingers and said, "No wonder. You’re not bad looking. But don’t you dare get any ideas about Shen Lang, because he’s my... my friend’s man!"

Shang Xiaoran and Hao Fengliu both gasped and took two panicked steps back.

"Shen Lang, you... you actually like men... Ugh, you people..." Shang Xiaoran pointed at Nalan Ziyun, then at Shen Lang, looking like she was about to flee in terror.

Hao Fengliu swept her Divine Thought over Nalan Ziyun, but it was like a stone sinking into the ocean; she was shocked. She shot Shen Lang a fierce glare, then turned and stalked off.

Only Zheng Donghong, who had seen Nalan Ziyun as a woman, was desperately trying to hold back his laughter, nearly giving himself an internal injury in the process.

"I really have to thank you for your Talismans. Things wouldn’t have been so easy otherwise. Maybe we can team up again sometime if we get the chance? I’m heading back now. Remember to cultivate well!" Shang Xiaoran said her thanks and prepared to leave.

Shen Lang rolled his eyes. "Team up again? I used up more than half of my precious collection of High Tier Talismans in that one battle! It nearly bankrupted me. Any more ’teaming up’ and you’ll force me to sell my body, won’t you?"

Nalan Ziyun coolly interjected from the side, "No one would buy you. Just give up."

"Damn!"

After taking a few steps, Shang Xiaoran suddenly turned back and asked, puzzled, "By the way, you were clearly carrying a blade on your back, so why didn’t you use it at all? Is it just for decoration?"

Shen Lang struck the pose of a profound master, clasping his hands behind his back and gazing at the sky. "My blade is not for show. Once it is drawn, it must taste blood. As a Swordsman... Hey, at least have the courtesy to let me finish before you walk away! How rude!"

Seeing that Shang Xiaoran had also run off, Nalan Ziyun reached out and grabbed the front of Shen Lang’s robes again, saying fiercely, "Tell me, was sending me to the Profound Dao Sect first part of your plan all along? Was it so you could avoid me?"

"You’re overthinking this. How was I supposed to know they assign people in batches? All right, stop being so unreasonable. They’re calling for me over there. We’re in the same Sect; won’t it be easy to see each other whenever we want?" Shen Lang said, slapping her hand away.

"If I’m not by your side, I can’t keep an eye on you. How can I possibly rest easy? If some woman seduces you, how am I supposed to answer to Dingdang? Tell me! What will you do if a woman tries to seduce you?"

"Don’t worry, I’ll use the Thirty-Six Stratagems to deal with her," Shen Lang said with a wave as he walked away.

"The one about making a quick escape?" Nalan Ziyun’s expression softened a little.

"Nope. I’ll just go along with her plan."

"That bastard... Remember to come visit me at Purple Stream Peak! Or else!"

Nalan Ziyun shook her small fist, a hint of melancholy flashing in her eyes, but Shen Lang, already far away, did not see it.

...

In the dead of night, all was still. The moon hung high, as brilliant as jade.

Shen Lang stood quietly at the edge of a cliff, his long hair dancing in the wind.

Ten meters to his left was a sheer cliff face, and behind it stood a small wooden cabin.

’The Profound Dao Sect has a total of Nine-Nine Eighty-One Peaks, not to mention its countless other strange mountains and steep ridges. Even the nine peaks of the Inner Sect are majestic, filled with countless ravines and crags. How am I supposed to find the Elemental Power Fragment in a place like this?’

Shen Lang’s gaze seemed to pierce through the darkness, settling on the distant Azure Vault.

The War Emperor’s memories had been artificially sealed. All he had regarding the Elemental Power Fragment’s placement in the Profound Dao Sect were a few fragmented clues.

Shen Lang had no idea why it was placed there, or where "there" even was.

The key issue was that when the Profound Dao Sect was founded, it was a Secret Silver Level Influence. It didn’t matter that it had since been demoted to a Spirit Copper Level Influence and now to a Profound Iron Level Influence; its original foundations remained. Though the eighty-one peaks were sparsely populated, the mountains themselves hadn’t shrunk one bit.

Searching such a vast area could take years, even decades.

Even if it was truly hidden among these eighty-one peaks, finding it would be as difficult as ascending to the heavens.

If the Elemental Power Fragment were that easy to find, someone from the Profound Dao Sect would have likely discovered it long ago.

’This really is a pain,’ he thought. ’I guess I’ll just have to start by searching Songdu Peak. Was that bastard, the War Emperor, afraid I’d be bored? Is that why he’s playing hide-and-seek with me?’

Shen Lang racked his brain but came up with no leads, and a slight headache began to form.

After pondering for a moment, Shen Lang turned and walked back into the wooden cabin.

The roughly thirty-square-meter cabin was simply furnished. To the left of the entrance was a single bed with a clean set of bedding and a wooden pillow. Beside the bed was a square table made of the same bronze-colored wood as the cabin itself. On the table sat a round, spherical object, and underneath were two bamboo chairs.

Other than that, there was nothing else.

Shen Lang touched the off-white, spherical object on the table, releasing a faint trickle of Spiritual Power from his palm.

The sphere slowly began to glow, illuminating the once-dim room. The light it emitted was soft and not at all glaring.

This was a commonly used Night Spirit Lamp. It contained a simple Array, inside of which was a small, low-quality Spirit Stone that provided long-term illumination.

With a flip of his wrist, Shen Lang took out several banners and a pile of Spirit Stones.

These were the very Array Banners he had "swiped" from the fatty, Chen Tianci, back when he was collecting the Thousand-leaf Fruit. They were used for setting up a Defensive Array.

’These Array Banners are exquisitely made. The rank of the Spirit Array Map within them isn’t low, either. They’re made from the hide of a Barbaric Dragon Beast, a creature unique to the territory of the Barbarian Race. They look thin, but they’re indestructible. The runes etched on them are unique runes known only to the Barbarian Race’s Royal Family. These are some rare Array Banners. That little fatty... I’m starting to miss him a little.’

Shen Lang chuckled softly. With a few waves of his hands, he sent the Array Banners and Spirit Stones flying out, setting up a Concealing Array that would isolate the cabin from the outside world.

Immediately after, his figure flashed and vanished on the spot.

A tiny speck of dust, nearly invisible to the naked eye, drifted down onto the tabletop.

After entering the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron, Shen Lang walked directly toward the Ice Soul Water Jade.

Shen Lang had placed a nine-layered Grand Array around the Ice Soul Water Jade. At this moment, the four Bone Demons, looking like four ice sculptures, were cultivating in the second layer of the array’s perimeter.

Shen Lang glanced at the Water Spirit Pearl on the other side, then back at the Ice Soul Water Jade, and walked into the first layer of the array surrounding it without hesitation.

The moment he stepped inside, a bone-chilling cold swept over his entire body!

The Protective Shield around his body instantly froze solid, turning into a transparent shell of ice!

’This chilling energy... it’s too strong!’

Shen Lang’s gaze sharpened. He sat down cross-legged and then dispelled his Spiritual Power Shield.

The frigid energy immediately enveloped him. In just a few seconds, his entire body was covered in a thick layer of ice crystals, turning him into an ice sculpture that shimmered with an otherworldly light. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

The cold was so intense that Shen Lang felt as if his very soul were freezing over, and his bones began to CRACKLE.