Strongest War Emperor

Although Xiao Qiuyu’s cultivation was a cut below Xiao Bufan’s, the Xiao Family’s ultimate Plum Blossom Sword Intent was nothing to be trifled with. Even when wielded by Xiao Qiuyu at the Qi Martial Realm Third Heaven, it wasn’t something Xiao Bufan, at the Qi Martial Realm Fifth Heaven, could casually shatter!

Xiao Bufan retreated. The Cyan Gang Sword in his hand flared with a brilliant light, and in a flash, his Sword Intent erupted. Five identical plum blossoms manifested...

With a soft crackle, they met Xiao Qiuyu’s five blossoms!

The watching crowd turned pale and scattered like frightened animals, running for distance, not daring to get too close.

A series of HISSES echoed out. The clash of the two Sword Intents carved dozens of sword marks into the bluestone street in front of Tingfeng Restaurant.

Each gash was only about a foot long, but their depth was astounding.

"Xiao Qiuyu, have you lost your mind? How dare you attack me! You want to help an outsider deal with me?"

Xiao Bufan roared, his anger uncontrollable.

The crowd couldn’t understand it either. This Xiao Qiuyu might have been unknown, but the Plum Blossom Sword Intent he had just unleashed against Xiao Bufan seemed to have given him a slight edge. He was clearly one of the Xiao Family’s hidden geniuses, so why would he suddenly attack one of his own?

And why open with the ultimate Plum Blossom Sword Intent?

Just then, Shen Lang, who had been all but forgotten, produced an arm-thick wooden club from somewhere and lightly tapped Xiao Bufan on the shoulder with it.

"Piss off!"

Xiao Bufan, his Cyan Gang Sword still aimed at Xiao Qiuyu, waved his left hand dismissively as if shooing a fly.

In that moment, his focus was solely on Xiao Qiuyu; he had no attention to spare for anyone else.

He had just used the very same Plum Blossom Sword Intent, and despite his cultivation being two full Heavens higher than Xiao Qiuyu’s, he had inexplicably been put at a disadvantage. This fanned the flames of his rage.

Shen Lang rolled his eyes and, without a second thought, swung the wooden club straight at the back of Xiao Bufan’s head.

"I’m in a hurry to get a drink. You’re the one who should piss off."

Hearing the whistle of air behind his head, Xiao Bufan proved his skill. Without even turning, his Cyan Gang Sword danced in the air, tracing a beautiful flourish that instantly pierced through the wooden club.

"Amazing!"

The crowd applauded and cheered wildly.

It had to be said, the move was absolutely beautiful—as fluid as drifting clouds and flowing water, and as swift as the wind.

Xiao Bufan turned, his eyes filled with smugness and pride.

But before he could utter a single word, a fist shot out silently and smashed him square in the nose.

BANG!

"AAGH!" Xiao Bufan cried out in pain and stumbled backward, only to be caught by Xiao Qiuyu, who had moved to his side.

"Ugh... Shen Lang, you worthless trash! I’ll kill you! I’ll definitely kill you..." Xiao Bufan’s Longsword clattered to the ground as he clutched his nose with both hands, blood gushing between his fingers.

The onlookers were stunned. A fight between experts at the Qi Martial Realm Fifth Heaven was nothing like a duel between Martial Power Realm Martial Artists. Landing a blow on an opponent’s face was incredibly difficult...

If someone could so easily strike the face of a Qi Martial Realm Fifth Heaven expert, then killing them probably wouldn’t be much harder.

But Xiao Bufan, who had almost been knocked unconscious by that one punch, had clearly not grasped this fact. Or perhaps, even if he had, he would only rationalize it as him being distracted, allowing his opponent to take advantage.

Xiao Qiuyu shook his head repeatedly. "If you don’t want to die, you’d better shut up. Keep whining like this, and even I won’t be able to save you!"

"..." Xiao Bufan froze.

For Xiao Qiuyu, the Martial Fool who did nothing but quietly cultivate back in the family, to say such a thing to him was completely out of character.

’More importantly, what did he mean by that? Is he saying Shen Lang is powerful? Powerful enough to kill me?’

’What a joke! I’m the number one genius of the Xiao Family!’

’That kid is Celestial Phoenix City’s biggest piece of trash!’

However, this number one genius of the Xiao Family was currently in a pathetic state. Despite having been punched in the nose and his face covered in blood, he still refused to believe he was weaker than his opponent...

"Xiao Qiuyu, get off me! Let me go, or I swear this isn’t over... Urk!"

As Xiao Bufan struggled violently, he was cut off mid-sentence when Xiao Qiuyu knocked him on the head with his sword hilt, knocking him out cold.

"My apologies." After knocking out Xiao Bufan, Xiao Qiuyu turned to Shen Lang with a look of utmost respect. To the onlookers, it was a bizarre sight, like a student facing his venerable master—respectful... no, it was pure reverence!

"Are your injuries still not healed? Your Plum Blossom Sword Intent has improved significantly, and your aptitude is quite good. A pity it’s still far too lacking..." Shen Lang said calmly.

"Yes," Xiao Qiuyu replied, his face filled with shame.

The surrounding crowd immediately erupted into a clamor of loud discussion.

What was going on? It was strange enough that Xiao Qiuyu had helped Shen Lang injure his own brother, Xiao Bufan. But now it sounded as if Shen Lang was a master instructing Xiao Qiuyu.

He was just a young master of the Shen Family. Even if he were as strong as Xiao Bufan, or even stronger, what right did he have to give pointers on the Xiao Family’s ultimate "Plum Blossom Sword Intent"?

And the most frightening part? Xiao Qiuyu was as docile as a kitten before Shen Lang. Yet just moments ago, when facing Xiao Bufan, he had been radiating Killing Intent, as fierce as a tiger descending a mountain!

"Drag these guys away. I was just trying to have a nice meal, and they had to ruin the mood. How frustrating... Trash, haha, what a bunch of trash..." Shen Lang laughed heartily as he turned and headed upstairs.

At this, the three men who were tied up seemed to forget their pain. In perfect, unspoken agreement, they hopped to the side, clearing a path for Shen Lang.

This Little Evil Star struck like the wind. Before anyone could even react, he had already disabled one of each of their arms...

’If he was in a bad mood and decided to take their other arms, it would be too late for tears!’

...

Business at the Tingfeng Restaurant was indeed booming, especially with the Treasure Pavilion’s auction about to take place.

Although it was still early when Shen Lang went upstairs, the VIP rooms were already packed, and only a single table remained in the main hall.

"Sir, what can I get for you?" A servant approached to greet Shen Lang the moment he reached the top of the stairs.

"A jar of Daughter Red Wine. For the food, bring the Lotus Petal Steamed Chicken, the Chrysanthemum Jade Sea Bass Soup, and two vegetable dishes. But start me off with some small appetizers for the wine," Shen Lang ordered.

The wine and appetizers arrived in no time at all; the service was incredibly fast.

Shen Lang sat by the window and looked out. He noticed the crowd at the entrance of the Treasure Pavilion below was growing, and the unusual commotion was drawing the attention of many patrons in the restaurant.

Soon, the Tingfeng Restaurant itself grew noisy as many people rushed upstairs to whisper with those already there.

"What? The auction time has changed? It’s been postponed by six hours? What’s going on? Nothing like this has ever happened before!"

"Is it because they added two more auction items? What could be so incredible that the Treasure Pavilion would delay the auction for this long? Most of the people in this restaurant came specifically for today’s auction. Are they expecting us to just wait around all day? This is ridiculous!"

"What? A Giant Potion! And the Giant Potion Formula? This is insane, absolutely insane!"

The entire restaurant erupted, becoming just as chaotic as the street below.

Countless figures rushed up and down the stairs; everyone was acting as if they were on steroids.

Although Shen Lang had gleaned the value of the Giant Potion Formula from his previous conversation with Sima Qing, seeing this scene made him realize he had still underestimated the sensation it would cause.

No one knew that not only did he possess the formula for a Spirit Medicine like the Giant Potion, which was suitable for Martial Artists below the Xuanwu Realm, but he also had the formula for the even more incredible "Dragon Power Potion," suitable for those at the Xuanwu Realm and above!

He also had countless other elixir formulas for Body Forging, Cultivation, healing, and more.

Any single one of them could cause a massive uproar if revealed.

It was only now that he began to truly grasp the value of these things... It made sense, though. There was no information about them in the War Emperor’s memories; the legendary Master of the War God Hall would have had no need to concern himself with such matters.

And so, looking at the shocking scene before him, Shen Lang could only offer a wry smile.

What he wanted was money—money to buy all sorts of Spirit Grass and materials—not this kind of sensationalism.

Fortunately, the Treasure Pavilion’s security measures were top-notch.

For now, besides Sima Qing and a few others, no one could possibly know the formula came from him.

Just as the Tingfeng Restaurant descended into chaos and Shen Lang was shaking his head with a wry smile, three figures ascended to the third floor.

Two men and one woman.

The moment the trio stepped onto the third floor of the Tingfeng Restaurant, the noisy scene immediately quieted down significantly.

The gazes of everyone in the restaurant were instantly captivated by the newcomers.

The young man on the right, holding a feather fan and wearing a silk turban, had a graceful and elegant demeanor.

The other man had a cold and stern expression. He carried a Longsword on his back, and with a single stride, an intense Slaughter Qi emanated from him. Judging by his attire, he seemed to be a Guard from the City Lord’s Mansion of Celestial Phoenix City.

Both men were striking and handsome in their own right.

However, the crowd’s attention did not linger on them for long, quickly shifting to the woman standing between them.

The woman was exquisitely beautiful, with skin as fair and smooth as jade. She was like a spirit on the wind, a queen among flowers, possessing an ethereal air combined with a presence that seemed to look down upon the world. She was a rare, peerless beauty in the making.

She wore a vibrant, spring-green brocade fur-lined jacket. The color was striking, but in the radiance of her beauty, even the splendid fabric seemed to pale in comparison.

"It’s her! The City Lord’s daughter, Ye Xue! I can’t believe she’s back from Jialan Academy..."

"And the man on the right, isn’t that Xu Daolin, the young master of the Xu Family? I heard he just returned from training abroad and has already broken through to the Qi Martial Realm Fifth Heaven."

The crowd began to whisper amongst themselves.

Shen Lang, his back to the entrance, heard the crowd’s murmurs, and his expression shifted slightly.

Just then, he heard a voice from behind him say, "Miss, it looks like there are no tables left on the third floor... oh, wait. There’s someone sitting alone over there. Miss, please wait a moment."

Then, footsteps approached, and the man who looked like a Guard stopped in front of Shen Lang’s table.

THUD!

A small pouch of Gold Coins landed on the table in front of Shen Lang.

"Kid, I’m from the City Lord’s Mansion. My lady requires this table. Take these Gold Coins and get lost."

The Guard said arrogantly, looking down at Shen Lang, whose head was still lowered.

His eyes were filled with extreme disdain, as if even speaking to Shen Lang was a great honor for the latter.

"Get lost," Shen Lang said without raising his head.

"Bastard! Do you know who you’re talking to!" the Guard roared in anger.

The onlookers were stunned. In Celestial Phoenix City, the City Lord’s Mansion was an untouchable power; no one could afford to provoke them. For someone to dare talk back so arrogantly even after hearing the name "City Lord’s Mansion"—it seemed another unlucky fool who didn’t know life from death had appeared.

Shen Lang raised his wine cup, drained it in one gulp, and then said slowly, "Of course. A dog from the City Lord’s Mansion."

"You’re courting death!"

The enraged Guard bellowed, his right hand chopping down toward Shen Lang’s neck like a blade.

A black mist swirled around his palm, looking absolutely terrifying. It seemed to be some kind of Yin Poison Technique... 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Everyone in the restaurant broke into a cold sweat for Shen Lang.

The people from the City Lord’s Mansion were truly arrogant, daring to strike so casually in a place like the Tingfeng Restaurant.

But even though the crowd was indignant, no one dared to intervene. In Celestial Phoenix City, aside from members of the two academies, who could afford to offend the City Lord’s Mansion?

This young man could only be considered unlucky. He had no one to blame but himself for being young, hot-headed, and blind to the circumstances.