Strongest War Emperor

No one could have expected Shen Lang to make such a move!

To be so unconventional, to just forfeit and concede?

"HAHAHA!" A deafening roar of laughter erupted from the crowd.

"The kid doesn’t dare get in the ring! Haha, so he does know his own limits after all!"

"He’s probably scared of getting beaten to a pulp! A waste is a waste. When push comes to shove, he just wilts!"

"He acted so high and mighty when he arrived. I thought he was such a big shot, but it turns out he’s just a coward who doesn’t even dare to step into the ring!"

"If he dared to go up, we’d beat him so bad his own parents wouldn’t recognize him! The bastard, how dare he come here and act so arrogant. He knows what fear is now, doesn’t he!"

Yin Kuang and the other two exchanged glances. After holding back for a long moment, they finally leaned in, wanting to ask Shen Lang just what he was doing...

"I make tens of thousands of Spirit Stones a minute. Do you really want me to go fight a few exhibition matches with that trash?" Shen Lang said, all while continuing his Talisman Making.

"Of course not..." Yin Kuang and the others shook their heads repeatedly.

Others might have thought that was a joke, but the three of them didn’t.

If Shen Lang were truly willing to refine Profound Artifacts for others, the Spirit Stones really would come pouring in.

A single finished Profound Artifact was incredibly valuable; you might not be able to buy one even if you had the Spirit Stones.

They wondered if there was another freak like him in the entire world—able to refine a Profound Artifact in a short while, produce several large boxes of Profound Level Elixirs overnight... and now he was even doing Talisman Making!

SWOOSH. One talisman was complete.

SWOOSH. And then another...

His skill in Artifact Refining was already terrifying enough, but he also knew Alchemy—churning out pills like they were roasted peanuts—and now Talisman Making too... If they hadn’t seen it with their own eyes, they would never have believed it!

"I’m actually doing them a favor by not going up. If I did, I couldn’t guarantee they wouldn’t end up with broken limbs."

Shen Lang added coolly. His words didn’t startle Yin Kuang and his friends, but they gave the few Shen Family Elders and Shen Haoxuan, who were not far away, a huge fright.

What happened next was even more dramatic...

No matter how much the crowd below mocked and ridiculed him, whenever it was Shen Lang’s turn, he forfeited without exception.

"I forfeit. I concede."

These four words left his lips without a hint of emotion.

The Shen Family’s competition continued like this, round after round. More and more people were eliminated, and fewer and fewer remained.

"Red slip number ten, Shen Lang; blue slip number ten, Shen Xiaoling!"

When it was Shen Lang’s turn once again, Zeng Zuimo and the others grew anxious. "Xiaolang, this is the tenth round. If you forfeit again, there won’t be any more chances. The challenge matches are about to start. If you forfeit this one, you won’t even have the opportunity to get on stage..."

"I know."

This time, Shen Lang finally didn’t forfeit. Under the crowd’s complicated stares, he walked up to the ring step by step.

It was at this exact moment that two stunning figures, one in red and one in blue, suddenly appeared at the entrance to the Martial Arts Arena.

It was Shui Qingwu and Xue Dangdang.

The color drained from the faces of Yin Kuang and his friends, and they ducked their heads, looking for a place to hide.

"Sit there and don’t move," Shui Qingwu snapped, her cold voice instantly drawing the eyes of everyone in the Martial Arts Arena.

With guilty consciences, the three of them sat back down, their faces wrought with misery.

Xue Dangdang was one thing; quite a few people here had seen her before.

But the moment Shui Qingwu appeared, with her peerless beauty, everyone’s gaze was fixed on her, unmoving.

The Martial Arts Arena, with over a thousand people, fell completely silent.

"BANG! BANG! BANG!"

In this strange atmosphere, a series of odd sounds suddenly came from the ring. When the crowd shifted their gaze, they saw Shen Xiaoling spitting blood as he was sent flying into the air, before crashing heavily to the ground and passing out.

Not only that, but the sword he had been holding was now in Shen Lang’s hands!

"I’m the main character here! Get your eyes back where they belong. It’s time you all understood who the real waste is." Shen Lang flicked the longsword with his finger and frowned. "To be so easily distracted during a battle in the ring... Shen Xiaoling, the fact that you’ve made it this far seems to be based on luck, not strength."

"Fuck!"

The entire Martial Arts Arena erupted, letting out a furious roar that shook the heavens.

No one could have predicted that Shen Lang’s first time on stage would play out like this. Two beauties happened to show up, Shen Xiaoling got distracted, and as a result, he was kicked off the stage in just a couple of moves!

"Throw that despicable bastard off the stage! He ambushed Shen Xiaoling! What kind of hero does that make him?!"

"So shameless, so despicable!"

"Someone get up there and knock him down!"

The people of the Shen Family roared frantically. Shui Qingwu’s presence seemed to be a catalyst, making the crowd’s mood far more volatile than before.

Meanwhile, Shui Qingwu and Xue Dangdang walked over to Shen Lang’s seat and sat down.

"He uses a sword?" Shui Qingwu froze for a second as soon as she sat down, seeing the sword in Shen Lang’s hands.

Shui Buyu smiled obsequiously. "No, we don’t know what kind of weapon Xiaolang uses either. He just snatched that sword from his opponent. Little sister, about that matter..."

"Shut up!" Shui Qingwu snapped. "You all conspired to set me up, getting me thrown into confinement. Father even confiscated my Flying Spiritual Artifact... A few days ago, when I arrived in Celestial Phoenix City, I nearly died at the hands of a Demon Corpse! I’ll settle this score with you properly when we get back. For now, watch Shen Lang’s match!"

"What? Died... a Demon Corpse?" The faces of Shui Buyu and the others instantly turned ashen.

Shui Qingwu ignored them and turned to ask, "Didn’t you say you know him very well? What weapon does he use? Or rather, what kind of weapon does he prefer?"

"Of course I know, but why should I tell you?" Xue Dangdang said with a light laugh. "Is it that important what weapon he uses? You seem to care a lot, don’t you?"

"Hmph!" Shui Qingwu snorted and said no more.

"Actually, Brother Lang’s favorite weapon is a brick!" Xue Dangdang said mysteriously. "Over the past few years, during the brawls between Tayun Academy and Celestial God Academy, he was unbeatable with a brick in his hand. He’s knocked out many people with far higher Cultivation than him."

"I’d have to be a fool to believe you!" Shui Qingwu said, rolling her eyes.

"Hee hee, I knew you wouldn’t believe me..." Xue Dangdang said, her expression animated.

At this point, the surrounding crowd grew even more agitated.

By striking just as Shui Qingwu’s arrival had distracted everyone, Shen Lang had toppled his opponent and become public enemy number one... No, he had become the Shen Family’s public enemy number one!

In truth, he was already a public enemy. He had already caused several uproars before Shui Qingwu even arrived.

This was also his goal.

He hadn’t forgotten a single thing the Shen Family had done to him and his parents over the past ten years.

They had used the fact that he didn’t share the Shen Family’s bloodline to pressure his father, Shen Haotian, ultimately forcing Shen Haotian to give up his position as Clan Leader.

When his father was gravely ill, a group of them had conspired together to seize his family’s assets and plunder their resources.

And now, even the low-status servants dared to be insolent and arrogant, walking all over them...

In the Shen Family, Shen Lang’s family’s status had fallen to a level even lower than that of the servants.

The Shen Lang of today had simply returned to seek justice.

Public enemy or not, who the fuck cared!

They were lucky he hadn’t just flattened the entire Shen Family!

Up on the ring, Shen Lang’s expression remained unchanged. He merely glanced coldly at where the Elders were sitting and said, "Don’t you old geezers have anything to say? If you want this to continue, you’d better make them shut up. Otherwise, I don’t mind letting rivers of blood flow here. You can test me and see if I have it in me."

His voice wasn’t loud, but it was infused with formidable Spiritual Power. The arrogant, domineering words echoed back and forth over the Martial Arts Arena, sounding as if they were whispered right next to everyone’s ears, so all could hear him clearly.

The noisy Martial Arts Arena once again fell silent. A bone-chilling coldness rose in many people’s hearts.

This wasn’t the first time Shen Lang had said something akin to a declaration of war on the Shen Family, but it had never been this blunt.

Rivers of blood...

Too arrogant, too audacious!

This guy wasn’t here to participate in a competition...

Without any need for an order from the Elders, everyone in the Martial Arts Arena naturally fell silent.

Once again, rage spread among the disciples of the Shen Family.

But many of them could sense one thing...

Even though Shen Lang’s words were spoken calmly, they didn’t seem to be a joke. If the Elders didn’t intervene, or if the arena didn’t quiet down, he would probably, truly, make a move!

Anyone could talk big, and many hoped that’s all he was doing, but no one dared to put it to the test.

Because they couldn’t afford to!

Putting everything else aside, no one could be sure if he had a High Tier Talisman. If he threw down a Spirit Level Talisman, a whole swath of people would probably die.

Even the Elders might not be able to withstand a Spirit Level Talisman!

"Silence! The competition will continue! Now that both platforms have fewer than twenty people left, you may directly challenge those on the platforms!" the Grand Elder announced in a loud voice, shooting a terrified glance at Shen Lang.

’This kid... he even dared to say something like that. Just how powerful has he become?’

’He’s openly making an enemy of the Shen Family. Who gave him this confidence? Is it just because the Treasure Pavilion is trying to recruit him? Or does he truly possess this level of strength on his own?’

’Today... the Shen Family has truly lost face. Outsiders saw all of this. By tomorrow, it’ll probably be the talk of the entire city!’

’What’s the use of worrying about face now? Because Old Qi passed away early, you all treated Haotian’s family that way back then. Now, retribution has finally come... If this kid really wants to destroy the Shen Family...’

’The Treasure Pavilion may be powerful, but it’s ultimately a neutral party. It’s impossible that they would...’

’You fool! If even the Treasure Pavilion is trying to recruit him, do you think other powers aren’t? He even dared to talk back to someone from a Profound Iron Level Influence. What if a Profound Iron Level Influence recruits him?! It would only take a single word from him, and there would no longer be a Shen Family in Celestial Phoenix City!’

Although the Martial Arts Arena had quieted down, the hearts of these old men were in turmoil. They sat together, using their Divine Thought to discuss the matter of Shen Lang.

Just as they said, retribution had indeed come...

"Shen Lang, don’t be so arrogant! Let me see what you’re really made of!" A furious shout rang out as Shen Quan leaped onto the platform, holding a longsword that pulsed with Spirit Light.

Shen Quan’s Cultivation wasn’t considered high among the Shen Family disciples; he was merely at the Second Heaven of the Qi Martial Realm.

However, the Li Huo Sword in his hand was of a rather high grade—a First Grade Spiritual Artifact. He had relied on this Spiritual Artifact to fight his way to this stage.

Having been knocked over by Shen Lang’s kick at the entrance of the Martial Arts Arena, and then slapped hard by Yin Kuang for being too slow to run, half of his face was still swollen. At this moment, Shen Quan stared at Shen Lang with a viciousness like that of a hungry wolf.

"Draw your weapon! Today, I’ll make you understand the consequences of angering me, Shen Quan!" Shen Quan’s longsword vibrated, unleashing a brilliant blue light as he pointed it at Shen Lang.

He glanced at Shui Qingwu in the stands and subconsciously puffed out his chest. His momentum steadily rose as he announced proudly, "This sword is named ’Qiushui,’ a First Grade Spiritual Artifact. It is three feet, eight inches long, and weighs..."

Shen Lang remained expressionless. He raised an eyebrow and said coldly, "Get lost."