Strongest War Emperor

The moon hung high above the willow trees.

Shen Lang, Shu Lan, and the others walked along the mountain path in silence. The atmosphere was a little gloomy.

No one knew what had happened after Shen Lang left earlier. They all felt something was off, but it didn’t seem right to ask.

Just then, someone in a pavilion up ahead on the path waved down at them. "Shen Lang? Is that Junior Brother Shen Lang down there?"

"I think that’s Senior Brother Fang Hongfeng!" Shu Lan said hurriedly.

"Mm, it’s him," Shen Lang said with a nod.

The five of them quickened their pace. Just as they reached the pavilion, a gust of wind carried an incredibly foul stench toward them, hitting them so hard it sent them scattering.

"BLECH!"

All five of them spun around at once and began to dry-heave.

"Senior Brother Fang, what in the world is in that pavilion? The smell nearly killed us..."

Kou Xiaotian said miserably, covering his face with his sleeve.

"You... you... you... you..."

Chen Shiyuan, the one with the least presence, pointed at Fang Hongfeng and stammered "you" for a long time without managing to get another word out.

Those two had it easy. Xia Xiaoting scrambled back several steps, propped one hand against a tree trunk, and actually started vomiting!

Inside the pavilion, on either side of Fang Hongfeng, stood two giant barrels, each taller than a person. The unbearable stench was emanating from within them.

The contents not only gave off a foul odor but were also extremely pungent, making it incredibly uncomfortable to smell.

Even with the lids on the barrels, Kou Xiaotian and the others were tormented by the fumes, forced one by one to summon a Spirit Light Shield to envelop their bodies.

The Spiritual Power-based protective shield could filter and isolate them from the air. Without it, none of them would have dared to enter the pavilion.

Covering his nose, Shen Lang took two steps forward and said, "This is a medicinal liquid used for refining Refined Gold Ore. Its components are complex. If ordinary Profound Iron and Refined Gold were placed inside, they would quickly be corroded and dissolved."

"Ahaha, Junior Brother Shen Lang, you’re amazing! You knew what it was just by smelling it!" Fang Hongfeng said with a loud laugh.

He looked at the others’ miserable state and frowned. "Look at you, just look! You smell it once and you’re already like this. You should know, I’ve been smelling this since I was a child! Just think of my tragic childhood... You should all be counting your blessings! Ah, the past is a pain I’d rather not recall... Oh, my devil of a master."

The guy was being melodramatic as he spoke. He and that fellow Shen Jianfeng would make a perfect pair.

Shu Lan walked to Shen Lang’s side, her delicate brows furrowed slightly. "Senior Brother Fang, is this what Master Bai asked you to bring up the mountain? Why not put it in your Sumeru Ring?"

Given Fang Hongfeng’s status, it was impossible that he didn’t have a Sumeru Ring.

As one of the few Artifact Refining Masters in the Profound Dao Sect, Bai Feifei was an incredibly sought-after figure, despite her eccentric temper. Any Spiritual Artifact she casually refined was worth a considerable number of Spirit Stones.

Fang Hongfeng’s expression turned serious. "Junior Sister, this is a form of cultivation, you understand? I carry one barrel in each hand and run up the mountain from the foot. This is no less of a trial than the ones you go out on."

"Look, this medicinal liquid is extremely heavy. With these custom-made barrels, one of them weighs around twelve hundred jin. Every time I bring this stuff up, your Senior Brother here carries them with both hands and runs all the way up the mountain."

Hearing this, Kou Xiaotian and the others were instantly filled with respect.

An ordinary Martial Artist at the First or Second Heaven of the Spirit Martial Realm could lift something weighing over six thousand jin and hold it for a period of time.

A couple thousand jin really wasn’t much for a Martial Artist at the Second Heaven of the Spirit Martial Realm.

But to carry something like this by hand all the way from the foot of Songdu Peak to the top was a bit terrifying.

The peaks of the Profound Dao Sect were all sheer cliffs, with rugged and steep mountain paths. How could it possibly be easy to carry such a weight up there?

"Senior Brother Fang is a true role model for our generation. We should all learn from him."

Kou Xiaotian said with genuine admiration. Beside him, Shu Lan and Chen Shiyuan also nodded in agreement.

Meanwhile, Xia Xiaoting, who had thrown up from the stench, looked extremely pale and sat by the side without a word.

A smug look appeared on Fang Hongfeng’s face. "Hmph, you all should do the same. If you can avoid riding a Seven-Colored Spirit Vulture up the mountain, you should. As Martial Artists, you must integrate cultivation into your daily lives. You should be cultivating when you eat, cultivating when you sleep, and even cultivating when you walk."

"E-e-eating... H-how... do you cultivate?" Chen Shiyuan asked, utterly bewildered.

Fang Hongfeng fell silent for a moment, then waved his arm grandly. "Come, let’s head up the mountain together!"

"Huh? Ig-ig-ignored... me!"

Chen Shiyuan felt terribly wronged. He had finally managed to say a full sentence, only to be completely ignored. This was just too cruel.

Shen Lang patted his shoulder and said, "Of course you can cultivate while eating. For example, when we get to eat the meat of that Silver Moon Bull Flood Dragon, that’ll be much faster than normal cultivation. When a Martial Artist consumes the flesh and blood of a Demon Beast, they can absorb the energy within it to strengthen their physical body. The more powerful the Demon Beast, the better the effect."

"Eating the meat of a Silver Moon Bull Flood Dragon is vastly different from eating the meat of ordinary cattle or sheep."

As he spoke, he shot forward in two quick strides, moving to the very front of the group.

Seeing this, Kou Xiaotian and the others behind him instantly realized what he was doing.

’Holy crap, if we stay behind Fang Hongfeng, we’ll have to smell this all the way to the summit!’

’We’d probably kick the bucket before we even get there. Running ahead is the smartest move!’

"WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH!"

The four of them—Kou Xiaotian and the others—also rushed past him, getting ahead. This made Fang Hongfeng grind his teeth in frustration.

With Fang Hongfeng’s arrival, the group’s atmosphere finally improved, and even Shen Lang started talking and laughing.

"Ah, Junior Brother Shen Lang, you’re a bit too frail! You need to put more effort into your cultivation normally!"

Fang Hongfeng, walking behind, couldn’t help but comment as he watched Shen Lang’s slow pace and the sweat pouring down his face when he glanced back.

Beside them, Xia Xiaoting, Kou Xiaotian, and the others were all taken aback and couldn’t help but glance at Shen Lang.

Although it was nighttime, there were Moonlight Stones placed on the large trees along the path.

Furthermore, none of them had weak cultivation, so they could all see clearly that Shen Lang was drenched in sweat, and his breathing seemed to have become a little heavy!

"This..."

Xia Xiaoting and Kou Xiaotian exchanged a look, both finding it a little hard to believe.

They had been climbing for a long time and were almost at the summit of Songdu Peak, but even they hadn’t reached such an unbearable state. How could the most powerful among them, Shen Lang, seem so exhausted?

The same Shen Lang who could kill Xuanwu Realm powerhouses with a single strike, as if he were slicing melons and vegetables, was actually this tired from climbing Songdu Peak?

With such formidable Spiritual Power, shouldn’t trekking over mountains and rivers be as easy as walking on flat ground?

Even Fang Hongfeng, who was carrying two huge barrels, still seemed somewhat relaxed and at ease.

Before Xia Xiaoting and the others could say anything, Fang Hongfeng started rambling again from behind. "Junior Brother, even though you specialize in Artifact Refining and are an absolute genius at it, you still need to put more effort into your Martial Arts!"

"Look, even Junior Sister Shu Lan isn’t as worn out as you. The way you look is just... ahem. Anyway, your physical strength is too poor. You really must work harder on your cultivation!"

’An absolute genius at Artifact Refining?’ Xia Xiaoting and Kou Xiaotian were stunned again.

Shu Lan had told them before that Shen Lang knew Artifact Refining, but who was Fang Hongfeng? He was Bai Feifei’s disciple!

In the Profound Dao Sect, Bai Feifei had never acknowledged anyone as her superior in Artifact Refining, so naturally, her disciple Fang Hongfeng wouldn’t either.

For him to call someone a genius at Artifact Refining... they had never seen such a person in the entire Profound Dao Sect!

"Oh," Shen Lang said, panting heavily as he nodded. "I know."

Just then, Xia Xiaoting, who had been staring at Shen Lang for a while, finally noticed something strange.

She moved closer to Shen Lang and asked in a low voice, "Junior Brother, are you not using your Spiritual Power? Are you carrying something heavy?"

"Oh, just a little something," Shen Lang replied with a nonchalant nod.

’Just how much is "a little something"?’ Xia Xiaoting and Kou Xiaotian wore strange expressions.

Behind them, Fang Hongfeng was still rambling on. "Junior Brother, even though your talent in Martial Arts is far from your talent in Artifact Refining, I still think that as a Martial Artist, you can’t give up on Martial Arts. You should learn from me, integrate cultivation into your daily life, and then you’ll definitely become a powerhouse. Trust me!"

Xia Xiaoting and the others looked at each other, at a loss. They wanted to tell him the truth but were afraid of crushing the guy’s spirit.

But if they didn’t say anything, they felt like they would burst.

’I don’t know why, but I feel like he still has so many secrets. He’s such an inscrutable junior brother,’ Xia Xiaoting glanced at Shen Lang, thinking to herself.

’Is he also carrying a few thousand jin? Otherwise, with his cultivation, how could he look so worn out right now?’

As Xia Xiaoting was thinking, she suddenly turned and asked timidly, "Junior Brother, could you lead our cultivation in the future?"

The moment she said this, Kou Xiaotian and the others froze.

Behind them, Fang Hongfeng was completely dumbstruck. ’Unbelievable! How did that Xia Xiaoting girl get so dense? Shouldn’t she be asking me that question? Why are you asking Shen Lang?’

’I just said that Shen Lang’s talent in Artifact Refining far surpasses his talent in Martial Arts. Don’t you guys get what that means?’

’Forget it. For the sake of the powerful Spiritual Artifact Shen Lang refined for me, I won’t hold it against you!’

Just as Fang Hongfeng had this thought, Shen Lang replied, "That’s not a big problem, but I’m afraid I don’t have much time."

"That’s fine, that’s fine! As long as you’re willing, even if you can only spare a little bit of time each month to guide us, that would be enough!" Xia Xiaoting said, her face flushing with excitement.

’What the hell, did I hear that right? How dare a guy like Shen Lang say something like that?’ Fang Hongfeng thought, stunned. ’Oh, I get it. Xia Xiaoting must mean she wants Shen Lang to teach her Artifact Refining. That’s a type of cultivation too, right? Damn, you scared me!’

Who would have known that just as he thought this, Xia Xiaoting’s next words would nearly make him and his two barrels go tumbling down the mountain.

"That’s wonderful! As long as Junior Brother is willing to teach us, we’ll definitely be able to achieve great results in the year-end grand competition! Maybe we can even earn a spot to enter the Yumu Cave Blessed Land!"

"Right!" For the first time, Chen Shiyuan spoke crisply, even if it was just a single word.

Kou Xiaotian was also extremely excited. "That’s right! As long as Junior Brother Shen Lang is willing to lead our cultivation, the year-end grand competition will be no problem at all. When we go to the Imperial Capital then, we’ll definitely be able to win a spot for the Yumu Cave Blessed Land!"

Fang Hongfeng was completely dumbfounded.

The matter of the Yumu Cave Blessed Land had to be won through real combat. It wasn’t an Artifact Refining competition, but a true, head-to-head duel between Martial Artists!

’Could it be... I missed something important? Could it be that Junior Brother Shen Lang is actually very powerful?’

’Dammit, I have to ask and get this straight, or it’s going to drive me crazy!’

Fang Hongfeng immediately quickened his pace to catch up with the group ahead.

However, the moment the group saw him approaching and caught a whiff of that dizzying stench, they immediately took off running, putting a huge distance between them. This infuriated Fang Hongfeng so much that he gnashed his teeth.