Strongest War Emperor

This approach was extremely risky against serpentine demon beasts. If the strike failed to kill it, the beast would surely retaliate, perhaps even going berserk from the intense pain.

If a Silver Moon Bull Flood Dragon this massive were to thrash its tail in a frenzy, even if it couldn’t kill them, it could easily bury them alive in Xuanying Cave.

However, to everyone’s astonishment, as Shen Lang plunged his saber down, a wisp of black energy rose from the Silver Moon Bull Flood Dragon’s head in the faint glow of the Moonlight Stones. The enormous demon beast died instantly, without a hint of resistance!

Xia Xiaoting and the others couldn’t tell if it had died from Shen Lang’s two palm strikes or from the final stab of his saber.

But to slay a Fifth Level Demon Beast so easily... was this really the same ungrateful junior brother, Shen Lang, whom they had considered a burden?

A Fifth Level Demon Beast was roughly equivalent to a Martial Artist at the Spirit Martial Realm Fourth Heaven, and it also possessed innate advantages in strength and physique.

A single whip of its tail had taken Kou Xiaotian, a Spirit Martial Realm First Heaven, out of the fight.

Yet now, it had been sent flying and finished off with a single saber strike without even launching a basic attack...

Utterly powerless to fight back!

Without the cultivation of the Spirit Martial Realm’s Eighth or Ninth Heavens, that should have been completely impossible!

The others stared blankly at the scene, still unable to process what had happened.

Shen Lang, however, had already pulled out the Immortal Celestial Saber and sheathed it.

He didn’t notice the stares from the group behind him, his gaze fixed on the wound on the Silver Moon Bull Flood Dragon’s head.

’When the Immortal Celestial Saber pierced the demon beast’s head, the Artifact Spirit, the Howling Moon Celestial Wolf Soul, connected with my own soul. I could feel the saber instantly drain the Silver Moon Bull Flood Dragon’s Essence Blood... This... is truly no ordinary Imperial Artifact.’

Shen Lang mused, running his fingers over the wound on the Silver Moon Bull Flood Dragon.

The last time he had used the Immortal Celestial Saber was when Hong Yu was in danger.

On that occasion, he had slain a Xuanwu Realm Fifth Heaven powerhouse with a single strike.

At the time, he had only felt that the Immortal Celestial Saber was a bit strange, capable of annihilating even the blood that should have gushed from the wound after killing a Xuanwu Realm powerhouse.

He hadn’t investigated it closely then, focused as he was on saving Hong Yu.

This time, however, Shen Lang had done it deliberately. Using the Immortal Celestial Saber to slay this demon beast, he had carefully observed and discovered that the beast’s blood didn’t flow out not because it was annihilated, but because it was absorbed by the saber!

’I can identify all the materials used to forge the Immortal Celestial Saber. None of them have the function of automatically absorbing energy.’

’The Spirit Array Map within it is powerful, but not to the extent that it can automatically absorb a demon beast’s blood and life force. As for the portion absorbed by the Howling Moon Celestial Wolf Soul, it’s minuscule, almost negligible.’

An image immediately appeared in Shen Lang’s mind: the tiny Palm Seal on the body of the Immortal Celestial Saber grew larger and larger before his eyes...

’That tiny Palm Seal isn’t an ordinary attack. It carries the power of a Seal... heheh...’

’Forget it. Now isn’t the time for this.’

Shen Lang cut off his train of thought, crouched down, and pulled out a small knife to begin dissecting the Silver Moon Bull Flood Dragon.

A mere Fifth Level Demon Beast had actually withstood his Five Emperors Dragon Fist. Something about this was strange.

With Shen Lang’s current cultivation and immense Physical Strength, a full-power palm strike from his Five Emperors Dragon Fist could have killed even a Xuanwu Realm Third Heaven Martial Artist.

A demon beast equivalent to the Spirit Martial Realm Fourth or Fifth Heaven, even with its thick hide and tough body, should never have been able to endure it.

Moreover, the second palm was the Fifth Technique of the first form of the Five Emperors Dragon Fist, which possessed a Spiral Qi Force capable of penetrating defenses.

Back then, Xu Daolin, a Spirit Martial Realm Fifth Heaven expert decked out in Profound Artifacts, had been crippled by that very same palm strike—and Shen Lang’s cultivation at that time was far inferior to what it was now!

But after being sent flying by the first palm, this demon beast had immediately raised its head and lunged again, as if the first strike had been nothing more than an itch!

SHHNK!

The small knife in Shen Lang’s hand pierced the Silver Moon Bull Flood Dragon’s body, slicing open a foot-long gash.

With a few more quick slices, he cut off a piece of flesh streaked with blood.

Shen Lang lifted the piece of meat on the tip of his knife, bringing it close to his eyes to examine it carefully.

Dissecting demon beasts was something the War Emperor had done often back in his day. Under the subtle influence of the War Emperor’s memories, Shen Lang subconsciously performed the same action upon discovering something strange.

He didn’t find his own actions odd, but Xia Xiaoting and the others, who had finally snapped out of their stupor, were dumbfounded.

By now, Shu Lan and Chen Shiyuan had rushed over.

One supported Xia Xiaoting, who was still trembling all over, while the other helped up the severely injured Kou Xiaotian, who was coughing up blood, and began transferring Spiritual Power to help him heal.

The four of them had been staring at Shen Lang as if he were a monster, at a loss for words.

Now, seeing him dissecting the Silver Moon Bull Flood Dragon with a small knife, their expressions grew even stranger.

"Senior Brother Kou, you said before that this Silver Moon Bull Flood Dragon was a Fourth Level Demon Beast, correct?"

Shen Lang asked while still inspecting the small piece of flesh.

Kou Xiaotian, who was in the middle of his treatment, instantly went pale.

It was his faulty information that had nearly gotten everyone killed, and now Shen Lang was suddenly bringing it up!

If Shen Lang weren’t so terrifyingly powerful, he could have just apologized and offered some Spirit Stones to smooth things over.

But in his eyes, Shen Lang had already transformed into someone mysterious and unfathomable...

This was the guy who had sent a Fifth Level Demon Beast flying with a single punch. If he was displeased, a casual punch from him would be more than he could handle, let alone now that he was seriously injured!

’If he decides to blame me, I’m dead...’

Kou Xiaotian wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and said with a bitter expression, "I’m sorry. I truly didn’t know this would happen. I’m the one who endangered everyone. I really..."

"I don’t blame you," Shen Lang interrupted. "I’m asking if there’s a problem with the source of your information. Logically, you’re all fellow disciples. The person who told you this wouldn’t deceive you just to harm you, would they?"

Shen Lang truly had no intention of blaming Kou Xiaotian.

After all, with him present, the tragedy had been averted.

Furthermore, when crisis struck, Kou Xiaotian hadn’t fled but had stayed behind to cover their retreat, earning Shen Lang’s respect.

Kou Xiaotian was taken aback by Shen Lang’s words, only then understanding his true meaning.

He stated firmly, "As for the source, I can guarantee it. There’s absolutely no mistake."

"The senior brother who gave me this information received my help years ago, and we’ve always been on very good terms. Besides, he wasn’t the only one who knew about the Fourth Level Silver Moon Bull Flood Dragon in Xuanying Cave. Five others knew as well—the ones who entered Xuanying Cave with him. I trust all of them."

Shen Lang stood up, glanced around, and said lightly, "I believe I heard you say you only received this news a few days ago, Senior Brother Kou. Did they tell you when they discovered the Silver Moon Bull Flood Dragon?"

Kou Xiaotian nodded. "They did. It was ten days ago."

"I see," Shen Lang nodded.

Xia Xiaoting, having caught her breath, finally spoke up. "Junior Brother... you... did you discover something?"

Shu Lan’s large eyes blinked as she looked at Shen Lang, and she couldn’t help but ask, "Senior Brother, are you saying this demon beast just happened to advance to the Fifth Level in the last few days?"

Xia Xiaoting was startled, then shook her head. "I’m afraid it’s not that simple. A demon beast’s body does change when it advances, but a Fourth Level Silver Moon Bull Flood Dragon that just reached the Fifth Level wouldn’t grow so much larger."

"The one we’re looking at now... if its power weren’t a bit lacking, you could say it was a Sixth Level Demon Beast and people would believe you. It couldn’t possibly have more than doubled in size in just ten days, right?"

Shen Lang grinned. "That’s true under normal circumstances. But there are always exceptions."

His smile immediately put the others at ease.

Thinking about her previous interactions with him, Xia Xiaoting’s face turned beet red. She wished she could find a hole to hide in.

Seeing this, Shu Lan quickly asked, "Exceptions... what do you mean?"

"I mean, it’s very likely this demon beast consumed some kind of Heavenly Material or Earthly Treasure within the last few days," Shen Lang said with a smile.

As he spoke, he flicked his wrist and produced several Moonlight Stones. With a few quick tosses, he embedded them into the cavern walls, immediately illuminating the dim cave.

"Xuanying Cave isn’t far from the entrance to Shuiyun Stream, so many disciples come here. If there really was a Silver Moon Bull Flood Dragon, it would have been discovered long ago. This one was likely attracted here by some Heavenly Material or Earthly Treasure."

"Then, a few days ago, the demon beast devoured that item, which allowed it to advance to a Fifth Level Demon Beast and grow to such an immense size."

Understanding dawned on the group. They finally realized why he had been slicing at the beast with his small knife.

Just then, Shen Lang placed his palm on the Silver Moon Bull Flood Dragon’s body to feel it, then drew the Immortal Celestial Saber. He plunged it in and dragged it to carve a cross-shaped incision on the demon beast’s corpse.

Then, Shen Lang sheathed the saber, and his right hand, enveloped in a ball of Spirit Light, reached into the cross-shaped opening and pulled out a rhombus-shaped crystal.

"A Fifth Level Demon Beast’s Demon Crystal!"

The other four stared at the Demon Crystal in Shen Lang’s hand with burning desire in their eyes.

Shen Lang felt the aura of the Demon Crystal, an ’I knew it’ expression appearing on his face.

’The Spiritual Qi within the Demon Crystal hasn’t been fully assimilated. It really was the Buddha’s Hand Golden Lotus. What a pity...’

Combining his findings from the piece of flesh and this Demon Crystal, Shen Lang finally confirmed that the beast had indeed consumed the legendary Buddha’s Hand Golden Lotus.

Unfortunately, it had been devoured by the Silver Moon Bull Flood Dragon. Now, not a trace of its aura remained in the cave; even Zuo Wentian couldn’t detect any leftovers.

"The Buddha’s Hand Golden Lotus? The legendary, miraculous Spirit Grass that can not only be used to refine Spirit Pills for breaking through the Spirit Martial Realm, but also has outstanding Body Forging effects?"

Everyone’s eyes lit up, and they stared unblinkingly at the Silver Moon Bull Flood Dragon’s corpse.