Strongest War Emperor

”Cut the crap and get down here! What are you doing standing so high up?!”

Wooden Zither Tutor stood by the flagpole in the center of the arena, brandishing a longsword.

”I’m not coming down! A real man stands by his word, and I said I’m not coming down, not even if it kills me...” Chu Qingcheng stood at the very top of the flagpole, looking down on everyone below, stubbornly refusing to descend.

This little spectacle added a touch of amusement to the chaotic scene, finally easing some of the tension.

’That guy Chu... he was being hunted by Ye Xiao Zheng, yet he’s still alive and kicking...’ Shen Lang chuckled. ’Runs fast, looks good, and tries to scam everyone he meets... Looks like his personality hasn’t changed a bit!’

The one who had worn the Evil Ghost Mask to help him after he seized the Nine Immortals Lingzhi was, of course, Chu Qingcheng.

To think that with his cultivation at only the Qi Martial Realm Eighth Heaven, he had faced Ye Xiao Zheng of the Spirit Martial Realm Eighth Heaven. Despite such a massive gap in power, he had not only managed to escape, but he also appeared to be completely unscathed!

”DEMACIA!”

With a thunderous roar, Shen Lang shot down from the large bluestone like an arrow.

”My apologies, everyone! I thought Thorn Valley was to the west and went the wrong way... Huh? I was just kidding around. You weren’t all actually waiting for me, were you? Your expressions look a little strange.”

The crowd collectively groaned...

THUD!

Shen Lang vaulted into the air and landed solidly, his feet kicking up a cloud of dust.

But the moment he landed, a gust of wind hit him from the left as a flawless, jade-white hand shot toward his chest—impossibly fast and exceptionally fierce!

”What demon dares!”

Shen Lang let out a cold shout and shot backward.

”Guess who, you little scoundrel?” Nalan Ziyun shadowed him like a phantom, unleashing several more strikes with a series of sharp SWISHES.

”Holy hell, it’s you, you madwoman!”

Startled, Shen Lang lashed out with his feet and engaged Nalan Ziyun in combat.

The once-rowdy crowd fell silent, all eyes fixed on Shen Lang and Nalan Ziyun.

”Eight Desolates Divine Palm!”

Having just retreated, Shen Lang struck out, forcing Nalan Ziyun back two steps with eight phantom Palm Seals. He immediately seized the initiative, turning his defense into a relentless offense. Unleashing the Chain Kick with incredible speed, he used his legs like hands, launching a continuous assault.

His elegant, flowing movements, clean and decisive kicks, and heart-stopping speed drew shrieks from the young women in the crowd.

Shen Lang’s kicks were clean and precise, fierce and swift. Packed with explosive power, they were both a display of raw strength and a visual spectacle, instantly riveting the entire audience.

”Such incredible speed! Such fierce Leg Techniques! How strange... Neither Tayun Academy nor the Shen Family has a style like that.”

”He and Nalan Ziyun are a real pair of rivals. It’s like this every time they meet. The only difference is that he used to just sneak attack her from behind with a brick. Is this the first time he’s actually faced her head-on? I never thought the kid was hiding his cultivation!”

”I heard he defeated Shen Jianfeng, but Shen Jianfeng is only at the Qi Martial Realm Third Heaven. To think he can fight Nalan Ziyun for this long without losing ground... it’s shocking!”

Of the two combatants, one was fiery and seductive, her movements so graceful that every punch and kick was like a painting, making it impossible to look away.

The other was dashing and free-spirited, his movements clean, sharp, and swift as the wind. He was like a sheathed Demon Saber, exuding an overwhelming and unbeatable aura before it was even drawn.

Xue Dangdang cupped her chin, her eyes full of stars. ”Brother Lang is so handsome...”

It wasn’t just the young students who were enthralled; even the elders and tutors from both academies were watching with rapt attention.

”This kid... he’s really something special!”

”He’s not leaking a single shred of Spiritual Power. He’s fighting Nalan Ziyun, a cultivator at the Qi Martial Realm Eighth Heaven, with pure physical strength. He looks casual, but he’s handling her with ease...”

”The rumors we heard were clearly lacking. It seems there’s a lot we don’t know about him!”

”It was exciting enough when Tayun Academy produced Chu Qingcheng, but to think someone even more astonishingly brilliant would appear... This must be a stroke of luck for us old-timers! And keep in mind, Shen Lang is several years younger than Chu Qingcheng!”

Under a large tree overlooking the arena, Shui Qingwu sat on a bluestone, watching everything unfold below.

Lin Feng and Su Hen flanked her like a pair of loyal guards.

The other students, however, had been sternly warned by Wooden Zither Tutor and dared not approach Shui Qingwu.

”Lin Feng, do Nalan Ziyun and Shen Lang know each other well? They started fighting the moment they met, and so fiercely, too,” Shui Qingwu asked, a bit surprised.

Lin Feng chuckled. ”Know each other well? That’s an understatement. They’ve been bitter rivals for years. That woman has the face of an angel and the body of a demon... er, and she isn’t a bad person, really. But when it comes to Young Master Lang, it’s like she’s holding a grudge from a past life. She’s given him no end of trouble.”

”Oh? Is that so? Would you mind telling me the story?” Shui Qingwu asked, slightly taken aback.

A huge grin spread across Lin Feng’s plump face as he began to recount the tale of Shen Lang and Nalan Ziyun.

...

The first time Shen Lang met Nalan Ziyun, he was completely dazzled. He and Lin Feng even spent some time checking out and commenting on her killer figure.

However, that sense of awe was quickly shattered.

It happened at the Tayun Academy Martial Arts Arena. Someone was challenging Chu Qingcheng, and Nalan Ziyun suddenly walked up from behind and sat down next to Shen Lang.

As it turned out, a girl next to Nalan Ziyun—perhaps from an upset stomach or something—suddenly farted. Shen Lang, who had been half-asleep and groggy, assumed it was Nalan Ziyun. He turned his head and quipped, ”Judging by that ’accent,’ I’d say you’re not from around here, Senior Sister...”

Nalan Ziyun was so furious she nearly went berserk on the spot.

But then Shen Lang added, ”Don’t feel bad. Beautiful women are human, too. Farting is perfectly normal—though a little warning next time would be nice.”

As the entire arena erupted in laughter, Nalan Ziyun became a huntress—one who hunted Shen Lang exclusively.

Whether Shen Lang was wandering outside the academy or she ran into him during a trial, Nalan Ziyun refused to let him go. She chased him relentlessly, vowing never to stop until she caught him!

She chased him to the point where he had nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.

It was a terrifying thought. Nalan Ziyun was the undisputed number one at Celestial God Academy, their top dog, while Shen Lang, with his Celestial Vein Sacred Body, was unable to cultivate. For a long time, he was stuck at the Power Martial Realm Second Heaven. The two of them weren’t even in the same league. Can you imagine how dramatic and horrifying it was for one to be chasing and the other fleeing?

The strange thing, however, was that no matter how high Nalan Ziyun’s cultivation became, she never seemed to actually catch Shen Lang and give him the complete beatdown he arguably deserved.

Shen Lang never gave her the chance. The moment he spotted her shadow in the distance, he would vanish.

He even led her into a Demon Beast Nest a few times out in the wilderness, leaving her in a very sorry state.

But no matter how wretched she became, Nalan Ziyun never gave up on hunting Shen Lang. The depth of her grudge was a rare thing indeed.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, another incident occurred that took their feud to a whole new level: Shen Lang peeped on Nalan Ziyun while she was bathing!

Basically, only Lin Feng and Chu Qingcheng knew the full story. As for Shen Lang, he could only suffer in silence.

Because he had been framed...

The incident took place at the small lake on the mountain behind Tayun Academy.

Shen Lang often went there to bathe in secret. That time was no different. The night was enchanting, and all was still and silent.

But just as he reached the lake’s edge, he ran right into Nalan Ziyun, emerging from the water without a stitch on...

It was an impossible situation to explain, and Shen Lang was too stubborn to try. In his own words, ”A badass life needs no explanation.”

Besides, the peeping was already a done deal—he had, in fact, seen Nalan Ziyun’s perfect, god-sculpted body!

The only thing that baffled him was why the hell the top dog of Celestial God Academy would come all the way to Tayun Academy for a bath.

And to the very same small lake he frequented, no less.

Speaking of which, Tayun Academy was huge. The Phoenix River wrapped around more than half of it, and there were dozens of lakes, both natural and man-made. The one Shen Lang chose was the most secluded of them all.

And yet, this still happened...

If you were to call it a coincidence, the timing and location were just too perfect.

But if you were to call it a conspiracy, what kind of woman would use her own body as bait for such a plot?

That didn’t make sense either. Nalan Ziyun wasn’t that kind of person!

The end result was Nalan Ziyun escalating her hunt. Before, she had only pursued Shen Lang outside of Tayun Academy. After that incident, she began hunting him within the academy walls.

The worst part was that even though she was the top dog of Celestial God Academy, she started hanging around Tayun Academy all the time because of this!

She carried herself with the air of someone who wouldn’t rest until Shen Lang was dead.

Crucially, her cultivation was so high that within Tayun Academy, only Chu Qingcheng and Xue Dangdang could match her in a fight.

If not for those two protecting him, along with the intervention of Wooden Zither Tutor and others, Shen Lang’s situation would have been dire...

In short, it was a period of his life Shen Lang preferred not to look back on.

Shen Lang’s nightmare only ended a year ago, when Nalan Ziyun, Chu Qingcheng, and the others left for the Imperial Capital Jialan Academy.

In Shen Lang’s own words, ”It’s not losing a fight I’m afraid of; it’s being constantly watched by a thief. And that woman is a thieving hag.”

Eventually, she pushed Shen Lang too far. During several trials, he used his wits to inflict huge losses on Nalan Ziyun and her teams from Celestial God Academy, finally showing her just how capable he could be.

”So that’s the story between them...”

A peculiar glint flashed in Shui Qingwu’s eyes. She spoke again, her voice soft. ”Nalan Ziyun was only at Jialan Academy for a year, so I don’t know her well. But I saw her a few times, and my impression was that she was quiet and unapproachable. And... I always felt a hint of faint melancholy about her.”

”Pfft, melancholy? No way!” Su Hen, who hadn’t had a chance to speak yet, chimed in. ”That woman is as fiery as they come. How could that word possibly apply to her? Look, their fight is getting even more intense!”

The three of them immediately turned their attention back to the pair in the arena below.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

As Shen Lang and Nalan Ziyun’s fists and feet clashed, they unleashed blasts of Powerful Qi. Then, they both executed the Grapple Hand, their four hands twisting together in a lock.

They glared at each other, eye to eye like fighting cocks, their faces incredibly close.

Nalan Ziyun sneered. ”Long time no see, you little scoundrel. I haven’t forgotten you, you know!”

”Same here. I haven’t forgotten what you look like with your clothes off,” Shen Lang replied with a wicked grin.

Nalan Ziyun’s face flushed red, and her shapely brows shot up as she snarled, ”I’m going to make you die a horrible death!”

”How horrible? Why don’t you demonstrate for me?” Shen Lang retorted sharply.

The onlookers’ eyes went wide, each of them struggling so hard to stifle a reaction that they practically gave themselves internal injuries.

If this conversation had been between anyone else, the whole crowd would have been howling with laughter.

But this was Nalan Ziyun, the top dog of Celestial God Academy—a fierce woman who had even beaten up tutors before!

Thinking about how she had relentlessly hunted Shen Lang for all those years... a chill went down everyone’s spine. Who would dare get on her bad side?

You can offend anyone, but you should never offend a woman!

And of all the women you could possibly offend, you definitely should never offend Nalan Ziyun!

”I can’t believe you’ve gotten so much stronger in just a year!” Nalan Ziyun said through gritted teeth.

Shen Lang’s eyes darted down to the expanse of pale skin revealed at Nalan Ziyun’s chest. He grinned wickedly. ”Hey, I’ve noticed something, too!”

”What?” Nalan Ziyun froze, a bad feeling creeping over her.

”I can’t believe that in just a year, you’ve grown so much bigger, too! HAHAHA!” With a sudden push, Shen Lang shoved Nalan Ziyun away, and the two finally broke apart.

”I... I’ll kill you!” Nalan Ziyun’s face was beet red as she shrieked at the top of her lungs, ”I swear I’m going to kill you, you little scoundrel!”