Strongest War Emperor

Shen Lang stood atop the two round logs, gazing down quietly.

He could sense the Star Moon Bodhi Prayer Beads within his body trembling for some unknown reason.

’Every time I use the Immortal Celestial Saber, the Star Moon Bodhi Prayer Beads tremble. I originally thought it was because of the Saber’s Death Qi, but now it seems it’s not that simple...’

Dropping to the ground, Shen Lang collected the Nine-Phased Divine Dragon Spear and the Sumeru Rings from Qian Wenchong and the other man.

’So the Holy Light Sect wanted to deal with me. Was it because of the Lone Wolf Mercenary Corps and two other factions?’

’Both of them had cultivation at the Peak of Spirit Martial Realm Fifth Heaven, so their status in the Holy Light Sect must have been quite high. Their master should be at least at the Third or Fourth Heavens of the Xuanwu Realm. The Lone Wolf Mercenary Corps and the other two factions must have paid a hefty price to hire people like that to deal with me.’

A pair of pitch-black wings unfurled behind Shen Lang, and he shot into the sky.

’First, to Celestial Palace City!’

The Ghost King picked up speed, carrying Shen Lang toward Celestial Palace City at full speed.

...

Half an hour later, a young man dressed in black entered the trading hall of the Treasure Pavilion in Celestial Palace City.

An attendant in a green robe immediately came forward to greet him. "Welcome, sir. How may I help you?"

The youth in black was, of course, Shen Lang.

Shen Lang gave a slight nod. "Take me to your Pavilion Master."

"The Pavilion Master?" A look of astonishment crossed the attendant’s face.

It wasn’t unheard of for someone to demand to see the Pavilion Master the moment they walked in, but those were always senior figures from the major sects.

’Who is this kid, speaking so arrogantly?’

The attendant sized up Shen Lang, and his expression immediately turned cold.

The youth in black wore simple, plain robes of common fabric, and slung across his back was a rather battered-looking long saber...

There wasn’t a single valuable-looking item on his entire person.

"My apologies, but if you need anything, you can speak with me. The Pavilion Master... is not someone you can meet just by asking." 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

The attendant’s tone had become curt.

’What a joke. Demanding to see the Pavilion Master the moment he walks into the Treasure Pavilion.’

’Is the Pavilion Master that easy to meet?’

’If everyone who walked in demanded to see the Pavilion Master, what would be the point of having people like us here to serve you?’

’Where did this clueless brat come from? Doesn’t he know his place?’

’Even the scions of the Noble Families aren’t this arrogant or idiotic.’

Seeing the attendant’s displeased expression and the way he was being looked at like a beggar, Shen Lang couldn’t help but give a wry smile.

With a flick of his wrist, he produced the Treasure Pavilion’s Profound Iron Level Token.

"With this, I can see the Pavilion Master, can’t I?"

"Hm?" The attendant froze for a moment, then leaned in to get a closer look at the token.

"A Pro... Profound Iron Level VIP Token!"

The attendant was utterly dumbfounded.

Although Celestial Palace City was very large, with multiple Profound Iron Level Sects nearby—such as the Profound Dao Sect, White Rainbow Sect, Holy Light Sect, and Xiu Hua Sect—those who possessed a Profound Iron Level VIP Token were few and far between. Even within an entire Profound Iron Level Sect, not many people held one.

Was there anyone who held a Profound Iron Token that he *didn’t* know?

’To think that this shabbily dressed youth actually had one...’

"I-I... I’m sorry, I’m so sorry! I didn’t realize you were a Profound Iron Level VIP guest, sir. My deepest apologies..."

The terrified attendant began nodding his head repeatedly like a chicken pecking at grain, his voice trembling.

"Enough. Just take me to them. I have business to attend to," Shen Lang said, shaking his head.

"Yes, yes! Please follow me, sir!"

The attendant hastily led Shen Lang toward an elegant private room on the second floor of the Treasure Pavilion.

"Please wait here for a moment, sir. I will inform the Pavilion Master at once."

Shen Lang sat down calmly and casually surveyed the room. It was spacious, and all the furnishings were immaculate.

In a corner of the room, a burner was lit with an incense similar to sandalwood, its fragrance both refreshing and calming.

The walls were adorned with calligraphy scrolls and paintings of various landscapes, birds, and beasts.

A moment later, the sound of light footsteps could be heard.

When Shen Lang turned to look, he was slightly taken aback.

The newcomer was a young woman who looked to be in her early twenties at most.

Following her were two maids, both exquisitely beautiful and utterly charming.

Yet, as rare as these beauties were, their radiance was completely eclipsed by the woman they followed...

The woman wore a long white dress. Her skin was fair and smooth, so flawless it looked as if it might break at a touch. Her figure was graceful, and her black hair flowed gently.

Her eyes, in particular, radiated with an astonishing amount of Spiritual Qi, as if all the ambient energy between heaven and earth had converged upon her. One look into them, and it was impossible to look away.

Seeing Shen Lang staring at her, the woman gave a slight nod. "I am Xia Qing," she said, her voice soft. "I have only recently taken over as the Pavilion Master for the Treasure Pavilion in Celestial Palace City. And how should I address you, sir?"

"Shen Lang," he said, his brow furrowing slightly. "Let’s dispense with the pleasantries. I’m not one to beat around the bush."

As he spoke, he ignored the slight frown that creased Xia Qing’s brow and placed a sheet of paper, densely covered in writing, on the table.

He then took out a Storage Pouch and set it on top of the paper.

"Everything I need is written on that list, with the required quantities noted. The 300,000 Low Grade Spirit Stones in the Storage Pouch are the deposit."

After speaking, Shen Lang flipped his wrist, placed the Profound Iron Token on the table, and slid it across to her.

Xia Qing gave a slight nod, but instead of picking up the paper, she took the Profound Iron Token.

After a moment, a glint appeared in Xia Qing’s eyes. A small smile played on her lips as she said, "So you are Young Master Shen Lang. I have long heard of your reputation. My superiors mentioned you a few months ago. I never expected we would meet here..."

"You’re too kind. Please, look at the list."

Shen Lang’s extremely impolite interruption immediately caused the two maids behind Xia Qing to glare at him with fury.

The two maids stared daggers at Shen Lang, as if their gazes alone could subject him to death by a thousand cuts.

Unfortunately for them, Shen Lang didn’t spare them so much as a glance, keeping his impassive gaze fixed on Xia Qing.

’Having grown up in the Treasure Pavilion, what kind of eccentrics hadn’t she seen?’

’But this youth, whom her elders had called a prodigy, was truly infuriating. To commit such a rude act as interrupting someone mid-sentence...’

’It seems the old-timers’ praise for him was exaggerated. And as for his legendary exploits, they were likely embellished with each retelling.’

’With a temperament like this, how is he any different from those self-important scions of the Noble Families?’

’Even those scions from the Noble Families, when they see me, Xia Qing, none of them would dare to be so disrespectful, would they?’

Xia Qing’s expression remained unchanged. She placed the Profound Iron Token back on the table and picked up the list.

And then, the color finally drained from her calm and composed face.

"This... Sir, you wish to procure so many rare materials? Many of these are extremely difficult to obtain. Even if they can be found, it won’t be in large quantities. Dragon Pattern Grass is a Spirit Grass that can only be found in the Eastern Desolate. The Treasure Pavilion in Celestial Palace City hasn’t seen a Wind Chime Flower in many years. And Death Berries... they might only be found on the outskirts of the Dragon Scale Forbidden Land, one of the most dangerous forbidden lands in the Western Wilderness..."

Shen Lang let out a soft laugh. "That’s precisely why I’ve come to the Treasure Pavilion. Your branches are in every corner of the Star Continent; there’s no Spiritual Material you can’t find. While these items are rare, they aren’t the sort of things you only see once in a century or a millennium. I’m confident you can gather them all soon enough."

Many of the items on his list weren’t actually essential; they were simply materials for refining other Elixir Pills.

He had only included them to create a smokescreen.

There were no more than five truly difficult-to-find items on the list, and as long as the Treasure Pavilion was willing to make an effort, they could absolutely be found.

From what Shen Lang knew of the Treasure Pavilion, aside from serendipitous treasures like the Ice Soul Water Jade that one could only stumble upon by chance, there were almost no Artifact Refining or alchemy materials they couldn’t find.

Several thousand years ago, the Treasure Pavilion in the Piaomiao Domain had even auctioned off an Eye of the Candle Dragon!

That was a genuine eye from the Dragon Race.

It could be used in Refinement to become a Martial Artist’s third eye, granting them the power to see through all illusions, much like the Silver Eyes of Truth.

The Dragon Race was once the most powerful race in the world, born with incredible strength. The fact that even a dragon’s eye had appeared at a Treasure Pavilion auction demonstrated just how mysterious and powerful the organization truly was.

After a moment of silence, Xia Qing asked softly, "When will you be needing these items, sir?"

"The sooner, the better," Shen Lang said bluntly. "If the Treasure Pavilion can gather these items for me as quickly as possible, I’ll pay an extra ten percent on top of the final price."

The total value of these items was already enormous; adding another ten percent was a staggering offer.

Xia Qing smiled. "There’s no need for an additional fee, sir. If it’s alright with you, I would simply hope that we could become friends and have more dealings in the future. That is all."

The two maids behind her stared wide-eyed, both thinking they must have misheard.

That was something people always said to their mistress; it was the first time they had ever heard her say it to someone else!

And to an ill-mannered boy, no less!

"You are too kind, Pavilion Master. If you can help me gather these materials quickly, I would be immensely grateful." Shen Lang stood and cupped his fists. "I am but a simple Martial Artist. Please forgive me for any impropriety. I will take my leave now."

With that, he gave a slight nod, picked up the Profound Iron Token from the table, and walked out of the room.

The ever-composed Xia Qing could only stare, dumbfounded...

"How arrogant! How insolent! Who does he think he is!" one of the maids behind her cried out, huffing with anger.

The other maid ground her teeth. "Exactly! I’ve never seen anyone so outrageous! It’s unbelievable! Our mistress offered her friendship, and he dared to refuse! He just kept calling her ’Pavilion Master,’ maintaining his distance! Then he just gets up and leaves without another word, as if our mistress were trying to shoo him away!"

By now, Xia Qing’s expression had returned to normal. She waved her hand dismissively. "Alright, that’s enough from you two. Go and get Shopkeeper Qian. I need to discuss this matter with him."