Strongest War Emperor

"Dingdang, do you believe in fate...?" Shen Lang asked in a subdued tone.

Xue Dangdang was taken aback for a moment, then she laughed and said, "I didn’t used to. But after I met you, I started to believe."

She didn’t finish her sentence. What she wanted to say was that she had originally just been out gaining experience with others and was passing through Celestial Phoenix City when she happened to run into Shen Lang, who was being hunted by students from the Celestial God Academy. That was why she ultimately found an excuse to stay here.

At the time, the two academies were like fire and water. Shen Lang had been secretly cultivating outside when he stumbled upon a group from the Celestial God Academy. Outnumbered, he found himself with nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.

That was several years ago...

She still remembered. She had never been so angry in her life.

Of that group from the Celestial God Academy, she broke the legs of seven of them and tossed eight into a swamp, planting them headfirst like spring onions.

The remaining two were lucky and escaped unharmed.

They did, however, develop a lasting trauma—they’d wet their pants whenever they saw a woman in red.

It was thanks to her, the Little Witch, that Tayun Academy was later able to gain an upper hand over the Celestial God Academy.

For her to have met Shen Lang in a place like this, in such a way—in her eyes, wasn’t this fate?

It didn’t matter if others didn’t believe it; as long as she herself believed, that was enough. She was convinced that in her past life, she must have had an extraordinary connection with this man!

If past and present lives truly existed, that is.

"You... is there something you want to say to me?" Xue Dangdang took a step forward as she spoke, stopping right in front of Shen Lang. Their noses were almost touching.

Gazing at Xue Dangdang’s face and smelling her faint, sweet fragrance, Shen Lang was suddenly overcome with the urge to pull her into his arms.

’That figure from my dreams, the one who was closest to me...’

’The woman who worried about me, who couldn’t rest easy even as her soul was scattering...’

’And now she’s right in front of me, so close...’

"No, I was just asking. I’m hungry. Let’s go eat first. We still have to go to the Treasure Pavilion auction later."

Shen Lang sidestepped Xue Dangdang and started walking toward Tingfeng Restaurant.

Xue Dangdang pouted and glared at his back for a good while, then suddenly giggled and mumbled to herself, ’He didn’t tell me not to follow him, so does that mean he’s okay with it? And he mentioned eating, then going to the auction? Hee hee!’

Heaven and Earth are the furnace, creation is the charcoal, and all people are but items within, enduring endless torment. How many can truly control their own destiny?

But to protect the one he loved, to fight against fate, to stand against the entire world—so what if he had to!

A wave of heroic ambition surged through Shen Lang.

An issue that had been troubling his heart was suddenly resolved, his mind clearing in an instant.

And so, he no longer resisted Xue Dangdang so strongly.

However, his heroic ambition didn’t last long. Soon, the smile on his face was replaced by a bitter frown.

Because by the time he got back to Tingfeng Restaurant, he immediately began to regret letting Xue Dangdang come along...

He could predict the heavens and earth and foresee the past, but he could never have predicted the terrifying scene that would unfold when two women met...

The moment Xue Dangdang and Shui Qingwu met, without a single word, they started fighting right there in the street!

Well, wasn’t this something. Both were at the Qi Martial Realm Fifth Heaven. One was originally a graceful, peerless, and quiet lady, while the other was a uniquely beautiful, clever, and impish girl. Now, they were completely different.

They bickered as they fought!

The people around them were certainly enjoying the show. It was a rare sight to see two such beautiful women brawling in the streets. Not only did it satisfy their gossipy natures, but it was also a feast for the eyes.

Shen Lang, however, could only roll his eyes at the sight.

They say three women make a drama, but this was even better—it only took two of them to start a grand performance.

A huge open space had been cleared on the street. Shui Qingwu and Xue Dangdang traded fists and kicks, and the fierce force of their blows sent shockwaves through the air, causing the surrounding crowd to pale and retreat again and again.

One of the two cultivated a Water Attribute Technique, while the other cultivated a Wind Attribute Technique.

As Shui Qingwu, who cultivated the Water Attribute Technique, moved her hands, a Water Dragon soared through the clouds. Her offensive was relentless, unleashing ferocious gales with astonishing power.

But, facing such a fierce assault, Xue Dangdang, who cultivated the Wind Attribute Technique, showed not the slightest bit of panic or change in expression.

Instead, with a calm expression, she met all of the attacks. Like the wind, she came and went without a trace. Only a red shadow could be seen moving freely, with incredible grace.

"Bravo!"

The surrounding crowd cheered in unison.

"Haven’t you had enough? Don’t you dare tell anyone you know me!"

Shen Lang shouted a few times, but the two women in the center of the fight turned a deaf ear. He sighed helplessly. "Too many hens, and they won’t lay eggs; too many women, and they just cause trouble. There’s really nothing to be done..."

Both of them were from the Imperial Capital. It seemed they were either bitter rivals or sworn enemies.

Shen Lang shook his head, turned, and walked directly into the Treasure Pavilion.

’If you love fighting so much, then fight to your heart’s content.’

The moment he entered the Treasure Pavilion, Lanlos, who had been waiting by the door, immediately rushed over excitedly, as if he had been waiting for a long time.

"Young Master Lang, it’s great that you’re here! I went to Tingfeng Restaurant and didn’t see you. I was afraid I wouldn’t see you again..."

Lanlos’s face was flushed with an almost sickly red hue. It was unclear if it was from excessive excitement or if he had taken some kind of Elixir Pills.

Shen Lang’s face instantly fell. "What the hell? Are you trying to curse me? What do you mean, ’wouldn’t see you again’?"

"Uh, I... I didn’t mean it like that! I just thought you might have gone off to handle something important..."

Lanlos was startled and quickly added, "I’ve already obtained the map for the Seven-Star Begonia. Also, of the materials you asked me to get, I’ve collected about a third of them. They’re all in this Storage Pouch. Please, take a look."

"This fast?" Shen Lang said, slightly stunned.

He really hadn’t expected this guy to be so efficient. The map for the Seven-Star Begonia was one thing—that just required finding a friend of his. But he had only been gone for a little over two hours, and he had already gathered so many of the requested materials.

"It was nothing, it was nothing. Of course, Young Master Lang’s business must be handled with top priority..." Seeing Shen Lang’s surprise, Lanlos looked as if he had just drunk divine nectar, feeling refreshed and euphoric.

He said, a bit smugly, "It’s just because of today. Things are too chaotic, and the entire Treasure Pavilion is a complete mess from receiving all the major powers... If it were any other day, I probably would have gotten most of it done by now. Young Master Lang, please follow me. I have already arranged a VIP private room for you."

Lanlos led the way and soon brought Shen Lang to the VIP rooms on the second floor.

There was a complete circle of them here, and each private room had a curtain hanging over the entrance, obscuring the view inside.

Below was the Treasure Pavilion’s auction hall.

The auction had not yet begun, but the area below was already filled with people, probably no fewer than five or six hundred.

They were all prominent figures from the major powers, and the atmosphere was very lively.

Just as Shen Lang was about to follow Lanlos into a private room in the very center, he heard a somewhat familiar voice call out, "Lanlos, you have some nerve! Abusing your position for personal gain, bringing trash like Shen Lang to a VIP room! What right does this piece of trash have to enter a place like this?"

Shen Lang and Lanlos turned around to see Xu Daolin, whom they had met not long ago, glaring at them with a face full of rage.

Behind Xu Daolin, the City Lord’s daughter, Ye Xue, watched with a sinister gaze, a hint of mockery playing on her lips.

Beside Ye Xue, a middle-aged man in Silver Armor stared at Shen Lang with venomous hatred, locking onto him with a powerful Divine Thought.

"Xu Daolin, are you just bored out of your mind, or is your asshole itching again? Whether I’m qualified to be in a second-floor VIP room is none of your damn business. Who are you to meddle in the Treasure Pavilion’s affairs?" Shen Lang sneered.

"Isn’t a chrysanthemum a flower? Why would it itch? Xu Daolin, you carry a chrysanthemum with you?"

Ye Xue asked in a low voice from behind him. At her question, Xu Daolin’s face turned the color of pig liver, and he nearly went berserk.

At this moment, the middle-aged man beside Ye Xue barked coldly, "Xu Daolin may not have the right to interfere, but I certainly do, don’t I? Your Shen Family is just a minor power dependent on the City Lord’s Mansion. Even in your entire Shen Family, besides those one or two old geezers, no one else is qualified to come up to the second floor. Now get the hell down from here!"

As soon as Shen Lang met the middle-aged man’s venomous gaze, he laughed and said, "Whether I get down or not depends entirely on my mood. If anyone’s getting down, it should be you first... I see you’re trying to look all high and mighty, but you just look like a fraud. Dare I ask if your surname is Tang?"

"You little bastard, your eyes aren’t half-bad. I am Tang Sheng, Guard Commander of the City Lord’s Mansion... Heh heh, who would have thought that a piece of trash from the Shen Family like you would dare to break my son’s leg. Did you think that I, Tang Sheng, am easy to bully?!"

As Tang Sheng spoke, he took a step forward, and a powerful Divine Thought instantly bombarded Shen Lang.

Although the two old geezers from Tayun Academy had personally gone to the City Lord’s Mansion to settle the matter, Tang Sheng had only been biding his time.

It would have been one thing if he hadn’t run into Shen Lang. But to encounter him and do nothing was simply too much to ask.

He planned to blast Shen Lang into an idiot with his powerful Divine Thought and deal with the consequences later. As a master at the Qi Martial Realm Eighth Heaven, facing a legendary piece of trash at the Martial Power Realm Second Heaven, he was completely confident he could blast the fool before him into a drooling imbecile!

Shen Lang watched with cold detachment. The moment he saw the look in Tang Sheng’s eyes, he knew exactly what the man was planning.

He sneered inwardly and, without yielding an inch, met the incoming Divine Thought with his own majestic Divine Thought.

BZZZT... Shen Lang felt his mind fill with stars, and a ringing in his ears was so unbearable he wanted to scream. He couldn’t help but shake his head.

But Tang Sheng seemed to have it even worse. His entire body trembled violently, and with a miserable shriek, he fell backward.

"Uncle Tang, are you all right?" Ye Xue cried out in shock, immediately catching Tang Sheng.

That trash like Shen Lang could clash with Tang Sheng using Divine Thought—and seemingly come out on top—was something she would never have believed if she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes.

It defied all logic!

A savage look appeared in Xu Daolin’s eyes. He took a step forward, Spirit Light swirling around his fist, and aimed a punch at Shen Lang’s chest while he was still dazed.

’He certainly had a clever plan!’

’Right now, only Lanlos is beside Shen Lang; there are no other powerful figures around. If I take this chance to cripple him, with the City Lord’s Mansion backing me, who could do anything to me?’

SLAP!

A hand shot out from the side and landed a resounding slap across Xu Daolin’s face.

It was Lanlos, whom he had all but forgotten, who had made the move.

"You... you fucking dare to hit me!" Xu Daolin was stunned, completely dumbfounded by the slap.