Strongest War Emperor

Shen Lang couldn’t help but frown the moment he stepped into Songdu Peak Hall.

The hall was brightly lit. Five people were seated at the front, Wang Dashu among them.

Flanking them were two rows of uniformly dressed Punishment Hall disciples, each with a cold and stern expression.

Seated in the center was a plain-looking, middle-aged man in a black robe. Despite his ordinary appearance, his gaze was sinister and sharp, as cold as a blade, daring anyone to meet it.

To this man’s right sat Wang Dashu, his face devoid of expression, lost in thought.

To Wang Dashu’s right, an elder considerably older than him sat with his eyes closed, feigning sleep. His topknot and long beard were streaked with silver, and his face was a web of wrinkles, a testament to the passage of time.

To the middle-aged man’s left, two elders of a similar age to Wang Dashu were locked in a heated, unending argument.

Standing before the five of them were two men and a woman, the latter of whom was weeping uncontrollably, tears streaming down her face.

As Shen Lang stepped into Songdu Peak Hall, all eyes turned to him. An invisible pressure swept through the room, making even the few Punishment Hall disciples escorting him frown.

"You’re Shen Lang?" the man in the center asked, his voice grim. The cold intent in his eyes was terrifying.

Shen Lang met his gaze calmly. "I am."

A sharp glint flashed in the man’s eyes. "You are accused of attempting to rape a Songdu Peak disciple, Qu Lingfeng. We have both witnesses and material evidence. Do you admit your guilt?"

"When? Where? And what evidence? Since you say ’attempted,’ that means it was unsuccessful, correct? And who are you? What right do you have to interrogate me?"

Shen Lang’s tone remained calm, yet it was sharp and aggressive.

He showed no signs of nervousness or fear.

The middle-aged man was momentarily taken aback. One of the elders beside him snapped, "How dare you! This is the Hall Master of our sect’s Punishment Hall, Du Ziyi! After committing such a grave error and bringing shame upon Songdu Peak, you still dare speak to your Master Du in that tone? Do you have a death wish?"

The other elder who had been arguing with him chimed in, "To do something like this right after joining the Profound Dao Sect... he’s an absolute scoundrel! If word of this gets out, Songdu Peak will become the laughingstock of the other peaks! Even if it was only an attempt, it’s unforgivable!"

"Ahem!" Wang Dashu coughed dryly. "Elders, you can save your righteous indignation for after Shen Lang is actually convicted. Why be in such a hurry to pass judgment before his guilt has even been established?"

"Hmph, easy for you to say, Senior Brother Wang. He’s your disciple, so of course you’d be biased toward him!"

The elder who had spoken first snorted. "But the witnesses and evidence are all here. There’s no room for excuses! I, Yun Xizi, as an elder of Songdu Peak, will not tolerate someone who so brazenly flouts our sect’s regulations!"

"That’s right," the other elder added, his tone and expression severe. "The people from Blood Spirit Peak and Purgatory Peak are already fighting us fiercely, uniting to suppress us. If they seize this opportunity, how will Songdu Peak ever hold its head high again? Senior Brother Wang, as the Master of this peak and Shen Lang’s own master, you are undeniably to blame for allowing a disciple under your watch to commit such a despicable act! My name is Ji Fengyun, and though my standing is far below yours, I cannot simply stand by and let this happen!"

The two of them had been arguing heatedly just moments before, but they were surprisingly united when it came to ganging up on Wang Dashu.

The oldest elder opened his eyes, but his gaze merely swept over Shen Lang for an instant before he looked away, remaining silent.

However, as Yun Xizi and Ji Fengyun ganged up on Wang Dashu, the corners of the old man’s mouth curled upwards involuntarily.

As for Du Ziyi, the Hall Master of the Punishment Hall, he remained expressionless, his gaze fixed on Shen Lang.

’Seeing those two old men avoiding the main issue and instead using this opportunity to gang up on Wang Dashu, Shen Lang realized his master’s position as Peak Master of Songdu Peak must be an incredibly stifling one. He’d probably been at odds with these elders for a long time.’

However, he noticed that Wang Dashu wasn’t paying much mind to the two elders’ provocations. Instead, his master was looking at him with a worried expression, repeatedly trying to signal him with his eyes. The sight warmed Shen Lang’s heart.

Shen Lang let out a cold laugh. "Are you two elders going senile, or are you just hitting menopause? I’m supposed to be the star of the show today, am I not? Shouldn’t you be focused on figuring out whether I actually did this, and then passing judgment on me? Aiming your attacks at my master seems a little misguided, don’t you think?"

Everyone in the hall was flabbergasted!

Not only were the two elders left gaping and speechless, but even Du Ziyi, the Hall Master of the Punishment Hall, had a change in expression.

What an arrogant, audacious brat, daring to speak to an elder like that in front of everyone!

Before anyone else could react, Shen Lang pressed on. "Also, you keep going on about how this matter will bring shame to Songdu Peak, yet you seem to have completely forgotten the suffering of the victim, our senior sister here! Does this mean you only care about saving face for Songdu Peak, and couldn’t care less about the injustice and grievances a disciple has suffered?"

"Or, are you just using this incident to attack my master? Using it as a pawn in your political games, without any thought of upholding justice or getting this senior sister the fairness she deserves?"

His tone was casual, but the words came out with the speed and intensity of a machine gun, one after another with barely a pause.

The previously stone-faced Punishment Hall disciples now had looks of pure astonishment. One by one, they began to see Shen Lang in a completely new light.

A disciple who dared question an elder with such a tone and attitude was truly one in a million.

And for an Outer Disciple to dare do such a thing? That was simply unprecedented!

For the suspect in an "attempted rape" case to be the one demanding justice for the victim... the situation was utterly absurd.

The killer was, those two old men had been in such a rush and had so thoroughly underestimated Shen Lang that his tirade left them completely speechless!

"Ahem!" Wang Dashu coughed again.

He was roaring with laughter on the inside, but he forced a neutral expression and said, "Right. Shen Lang, let me make some introductions. The one to my left is your Master Du, the Hall Master of the Profound Dao Sect’s Punishment Hall. He was just on Songdu Peak on business when he ran into this matter..."

"To my right is Songdu Peak’s Grand Elder, Tian Mohan. You can address him as Elder or Grand Martial Uncle. As for the other two, they’ve already introduced themselves, so I won’t bother. To prove your innocence, please cooperate with your Master Du and answer his questions."

Wang Dashu’s tone was much gentler than Du Ziyi’s, and it was clear he didn’t believe Shen Lang was some lecher.

When Ji Fengyun and Yun Xizi heard him say he couldn’t be bothered to introduce them, they were furious but couldn’t lash out. They could only puff out their cheeks and glare viciously at Shen Lang.

As the Hall Master of the Punishment Hall, Du Ziyi belonged to no single peak. Why would he want to get involved in the internal messes of Songdu Peak?

Seeing that Ji Fengyun and Yun Xizi had fallen silent, he knew it was his turn to speak.

A strange glint flashed in Du Ziyi’s eyes as he looked at Shen Lang. He said grimly, "The incident occurred half an hour ago at Qu Lingfeng’s residence. The witnesses are the two men standing beside her: Lei Hongyun and Ye Zhenhai."

"Qu Lingfeng screamed before she could be assaulted. Lei Hongyun and Ye Zhenhai, who live nearby, rushed to her aid and drove the culprit from the wooden cabin. The two then engaged the culprit directly, but he was no match for them and fled in a panic. They pursued him relentlessly all the way to your cabin, where he vanished. And the culprit they described... was you, Shen Lang!"

"Do you have anything to say for yourself!"

"Is that so?" Shen Lang tilted his head and glanced at the three people standing beside him.

One of the young men glared at him, his eyes burning with anger, while the other looked at him with disdain. Both gazes were full of malice.

The woman appeared to be about eighteen or nineteen. While not a peerless beauty, she was exceptionally lovely. Right now, however, her hair was a mess, her clothes were in tatters, and she had a man’s outer robe draped over her shoulders as tears streamed endlessly down her face.

’This woman... she joined the Profound Dao Sect in the same batch as I did. I remember seeing her at the creek valley and in Wooden Man Alley,’ Shen Lang thought to himself.

The moment the woman saw Shen Lang look at her, she flinched like a startled rabbit, her eyes filling with terror as she scrambled several steps backward!

’What acting,’ Shen Lang thought, unable to stop himself from rolling his eyes. ’Even a superstar couldn’t hope to match that performance.’

At this moment, Du Ziyi said in a heavy voice, "Qu Lingfeng, do not be afraid. Take a clear look. The one standing here is Shen Lang. Is he the man who entered your home with ill intent?"

Qu Lingfeng wiped the tears from her face and said in a pitiful voice, "I... I was too frightened at the time. And the culprit smashed the Night Spirit Lamp on my table, so I could only make out a blurry profile and his general build."

"Based on just his profile and build, he’s... he’s a ninety-percent match for this junior brother."

Hearing this, a flash of displeasure crossed the eyes of Lei Hongyun and Ye Zhenhai, but they quickly concealed it.

The leaner of the two, Ye Zhenhai, bowed and said, "It’s perfectly normal that Junior Sister Qu didn’t get a clear look at him. However, after Senior Brother Lei Hongyun and I drove him from the cabin, we got a crystal-clear look at Shen Lang’s face under the light of the Moonlight Stones hanging high above the path. We even fought him face-to-face and forced him to retreat!"

"The one who meant to harm Junior Sister Qu was Shen Lang, the man standing right here!"

"That’s right!" Lei Hongyun interjected. "His cultivation is shocking. Even though he’s only at the Qi Martial Realm Fifth Heaven, his Combat Techniques are incredible. The two of us didn’t dare fight him up close, so we used Spiritual Artifacts to attack from a distance and managed to thwart him."

"We then chased him all the way to his residence, where he finally disappeared. You can still find the footprints he left in his panic outside his cabin. Every word is true!"

Du Ziyi’s gaze turned sharp as he stared at Shen Lang, enunciating each word. "Shen Lang, where were you half an hour ago?"

"I went to Master Bai Feifei’s place this morning to help him with Artifact Refining and only came back this evening. Half an hour ago, I was on my way back, at Cyan Peak Cliff on Songdu Peak," Shen Lang said nonchalantly.

"Cyan Peak Cliff is only a few minutes’ walk from Qu Lingfeng’s home!" Tian Mohan interjected suddenly.

Shen Lang raised an eyebrow. "And? What does that prove? I’m hardly the only male disciple from Songdu Peak who lives near her."

’To be so calm at a time like this... this boy is truly extraordinary. When Junior Sister Leng Hui first mentioned him, I couldn’t quite believe that a small place like Celestial Phoenix City could produce such a talent. She’s been waiting for months, and to think Shen Lang has already made it up the mountain... Heh.’

The corners of Du Ziyi’s mouth turned up slightly, forming an almost imperceptible smile.

He paused for a moment before asking, "You claim you were at Cyan Peak Cliff half an hour ago. Who can vouch for you?"

"No one," Shen Lang answered bluntly.

A powerful pressure emanated from Du Ziyi, bearing down on Shen Lang as he spoke, enunciating every word. "You have no one and nothing to prove your innocence. Meanwhile, Lei Hongyun and his partner not only saw your face clearly, but they also fought you directly. The footprints leading from Qu Lingfeng’s home to yours have been verified by Punishment Hall disciples. And inside your cabin, we even found Qu Lingfeng’s missing bodice... If you won’t confess now, then when?"