Strongest War Emperor

In an instant, a deafening explosion like a clap of thunder echoed in midair. A ripple of ferocious Powerful Qi burst from the black-robed elder’s chest. Outside the altar, the surrounding rocks were instantly sent flying as if they were made of paper.

Most of the rocks exploded while still in midair, shattering into debris.

The four people below jumped in fright and immediately ducked behind the massive Totem Pillars, narrowly avoiding being wiped out all at once.

The will of the Wolf Soul inside the statue was indeed utterly ferocious. When it realized its plot had failed and the situation was lost, it launched one final strike, intending to severely wound the black-robed elder.

”Detestable human, consider this blow my divine punishment for you! Hahahaha!”

The thunderous, roaring voice once again echoed from within the statue.

With a beat of the wings on his back, the black-robed elder landed in the center of the altar platform below.

His hands danced as he spun like a top, immediately shooting dozens of rays of Divine Radiance into the nine surrounding Totem Pillars.

The nine Totem Pillars immediately erupted with powerful Spirit Light. The Locking Chains tightened, and streams of energy resembling electric currents poured into the statue.

With the Seal strengthened severalfold, the voice from within the statue slowly faded, and everything finally grew quiet.

”CLANG!”

The Ten Thousand Beasts Circle let out a soft chime and fell back onto the statue’s palm.

The black-robed elder bit his fingertip and flicked a drop of blood into the circle. Billowing black mist immediately poured out from the Ten Thousand Beasts Circle, spreading rapidly in all directions like tentacles.

Only after finishing all this did the black-robed elder, his face pale and weary, sit down cross-legged on the stone slab.

”Master, are you alright? That Fierce Beast’s will must have awakened long ago, just waiting for the critical moment to snatch the fruits of our labor. How despicable!”

A blue-robed young man from the group below rushed over and said anxiously.

”It’s nothing serious,” the black-robed elder said coldly from his seat in the center of the platform.

A bright light flared around his body as he controlled the Array, suppressing the Wolf Soul’s will inside the statue. ”This was all within my expectations,” he added. ”Though I was slightly injured, it’s a small price to pay for the Ten Thousand Beasts Circle. Using the will of one Wolf Soul to suppress countless other beasts was always going to be a dangerous venture. I just didn’t expect that a beast is still a beast—it was willing to expend its own Primordial Qi just to strike me! Hmph. A pity its power was too weak!”

”So... Master, will everything go smoothly from now on? The Ten Thousand Beasts Circle has already devoured many Beast Souls and is constantly repairing and strengthening itself. If it can consume all the Beast Souls on the Tala Prairie, it might even achieve the power of an Imperial Artifact!”

The blue-robed young man said, still shaken.

”It’s not that simple.”

The elder said with a hint of resentment, ”The Ten Thousand Beasts Circle is an Exotic Treasure from Divine Dragon Valley. It does indeed possess the heaven-defying power to grow stronger and upgrade automatically by devouring souls. But when I obtained it, the item was already severely damaged, and I still haven’t completed its final Refinement. Forcing its activation to devour these Beast Souls has taken a great toll on my Primordial Qi. And with the Wolf Soul’s interference, we lost many Beast Souls, and I was badly injured. I’ll have no choice but to slow down.”

”Slow down? But if we do, many of the Beast Souls will just dissipate into the air above the Tala Prairie...” the blue-robed youth said, glaring resentfully at the statue.

”There’s nothing to be done about it.” As the black-robed elder spoke, he suddenly turned his head to look at a young man whose back was toward Shen Lang’s position and said, ”Lin’Er, why have you come so suddenly? Didn’t I tell you not to come to this place unless it was for something important?”

The young man addressed as ”Lin’Er” bowed and replied, ”I came this time to ask my senior brothers for help. Two days ago, I received news that the Young Master of Evil Wind Valley entered Thorn Valley with a team. Coincidentally, a group from the Holy Light Sect also arrived here to search for a mineral vein. So, I was thinking of playing a little game with them.”

Hearing that voice, Shen Lang’s heart skipped a beat from his hiding place in the shadows!

’Xu Daolin!’

”Hm?” The black-robed elder seemed to sense something. An almost imperceptible, vicious glint flashed in his eyes before he said nonchalantly, ”Are you planning to incite a conflict between these two Sects so you can profit from the chaos? You should know, both of them are subordinate Sects of our Imperial Dragon Sect, and they’ve always been on good terms. Be careful your plan doesn’t backfire.”

’So they really are from the Imperial Dragon Sect!’ Shen Lang thought.

Xu Daolin chuckled softly and said, ”I understand, Master. I won’t clash with these two Sects recklessly. I just want to use this chance to ruin the close relationship they’ve had for so long. After all, for my Xu Family to seize Celestial Phoenix City and become a Profound Iron Level Influence, we’ll need the help of other Profound Iron Level Influences. I can only truly benefit once their relationships with each other have soured.”

”Ahem.” A young man in ornate robes coughed dryly. ”Frankly, I think Junior Brother Xu is making things too complicated. It’s just a small city like Celestial Phoenix City. If your Xu Family wants it, you could take it in minutes! That Ye Xiao Zheng may have some connections in our Imperial Dragon Sect’s Outer Sect, but what do those amount to in front of our Master? If you revealed your status as Master’s closed-door disciple, you could kill Ye Xiao Zheng in front of the whole city, and who would dare say a word?”

”Not at all, not at all.” The blue-robed youth who spoke first shook his head. ”On this, I agree with Junior Brother Xu’s approach. Taking Celestial Phoenix City would be easy, of course. If we were to act, it would be effortless. But the Xu Family is still very weak. Becoming a Profound Iron Level Influence isn’t that simple. If Evil Wind Valley and the other powers interfere later on, it would be a huge headache, even with Master’s support.”

The black-robed elder nodded in approval. ”Feng’er is right. I intend to support the Xu Family’s rise to become a Profound Iron Level Influence, but this cannot be accomplished overnight. It must be done one step at a time. The time is not yet ripe.”

He gave Xu Daolin a satisfied look and continued, ”These Profound Iron Level Influences under the Imperial Dragon Sect all hold voting rights. They form cliques and support each other. If the Xu Family wants to establish itself, it will need their help. On the other hand, I have yet to complete the Refinement of the Ten Thousand Beasts Circle, and I have been stuck at the Peak of the Xuanwu Realm for decades. For them to become a Profound Iron Level Influence, it is essential that I break through to the King Martial Realm and preside over them.”

Xu Daolin and the others nodded repeatedly.

”As it stands, I estimate it will take another five or six years to break through to the King Martial Realm. During that time, everything Lin’Er is doing—secretly inflaming the conflicts among the Imperial Dragon Sect’s subordinate Profound Iron Level Influences, while simultaneously using my name to build connections with them—will pave the way. When I finally achieve my breakthrough, everything will fall perfectly into place! The rest of you should learn from Lin’Er. You must look at the bigger picture and use your strategies at precisely the right moment. That is the only way to achieve great things!”

”We will take your teachings to heart, Master!” the blue-robed youth said respectfully.

A dark look flickered in the ornate-robed youth’s eyes, but it was instantly replaced by a brilliant smile. ”Junior Brother Xu may be much younger than us, but he’s not only incredibly talented and blessed with amazing luck, he’s also demonically clever. I am truly in awe. Master is right. From now on, we’ll all need to learn a lot more from you, Junior Brother.”

”Yes, yes!” the others immediately chimed in.

Despite the flattery, Xu Daolin’s expression remained unchanged. He smiled and said, ”You three praise me too much. My current cultivation is thanks to Master’s teachings and your generous guidance. In the future, when the Xu Family becomes a Profound Iron Level Influence, you three will be honored as founding heroes! Under Master’s leadership, we will sweep across the land and build our own dynasty. Wouldn’t that be magnificent!”

”Hahaha, that’s right, that’s right!” the others burst out laughing.

”I am very pleased that you can all help each other and dedicate yourselves to this cause...”

As the black-robed elder was speaking, he suddenly changed the topic. ”However, this is an extremely serious matter. It must not be known to any outsiders. Otherwise, within the Imperial Dragon Sect, even with my, Yuwen Huaji’s, status, I might not be able to handle the fallout.”

”Rest assured, Master. I have been patient for many years, concealing my strength even after returning to Celestial Phoenix City. I’ve only been using the City Lord’s Mansion to carry out my plans. My actions have been seamless...”

”Seamless, you say? The reason I’m warning you is to remind you that nothing in this world is ever absolute. For instance, an ant is eavesdropping on our conversation as we speak.”

”What!”

Xu Daolin and the other three were shocked, and they all whipped their heads around to scan their surroundings.

The moment Shen Lang, hiding behind the stone slab, heard the black-robed elder’s words, he shot backward without a second thought!

’This old bastard really has some skills. My heart rate only fluctuated a little when I saw Xu Daolin, and he actually detected it!’

However, Yuwen Huaji had sensed his presence long ago and simply said nothing. Now that he had revealed it, how could he possibly let Shen Lang escape?

”Trying to run?”

Yuwen Huaji snorted coldly and thrust out a palm. Instantly, a massive Light Palm formed in the sky and descended toward Shen Lang, its pressure as heavy as a mountain.

A roar like a Mountain Collapse and an Earth Split thundered through the sky.

”RUMBLE!”

Before the massive Light Palm even arrived, the ground around Shen Lang began to collapse. A crushing pressure, like a Mountain Collapse and a Tsunami combined, enveloped him, making every step a struggle!

”BANG! BANG! BANG!”

The ground around Shen Lang caved in, and the nearby stone slabs were instantly crushed into powder!

The power of a single palm strike from an expert at the Peak of the Xuanwu Realm, a Half-Step King Martial Realm powerhouse, was this terrifying!

’This old monster is really something else!’

Cold sweat trickled down Shen Lang’s cheeks...

”Shen Lang, so it was you!” Killing intent flooded Xu Daolin’s eyes.