Strongest War Emperor

”They’re here? If they’re here, then let’s kill them!”

Nalan Ziyun swept away her earlier fear, now as majestic as a goddess of war.

She also swept her Divine Thought toward the large tree, but perhaps due to the vast difference in their Cultivation, her scan revealed nothing unusual.

”Don’t bother looking. That thing is a real coward. One glare from me and it scurried back into the horde of Ghosts,” Shen Lang said, a bit puzzled. ”Strange. That old Ghost’s Cultivation is astonishing on its own, and he has all this cannon fodder. Why is he being so cautious?”

”An old Ghost at the Peak of Spirit Martial Realm, leading several Spirit Martial Realm Ghosts and a huge mob of lesser ones... If it were me, I’d just charge down and slap the invading enemy aside. Why surround us without attacking?” Shen Lang continued.

”He’s probably afraid of your Thunder Element Technique... Thunder Power purges all evil, so it’s normal for him to be wary of getting close,” Nalan Ziyun said, still shaken. ”Your guess must be right. There were at least five or six Ghosts making that Soul-Hooking Ghost Sound just now. Measured by the Human Race’s Martial Arts System, they must have Cultivations at the Spirit Martial Realm or higher. That Ghost King might really be at the Xuanwu Realm...”

Shen Lang suddenly laughed. ”Don’t worry too much. I may not be able to do anything to him, but it won’t be so easy for them to deal with us either.”

With a casual swing of his saber, a massive blade light wrapped in electricity carved a graceful arc, instantly slicing a huge gap through the grayish-white mist.

Countless fiendish ghosts shrieked and retreated.

Shen Lang added, ”I just find it a hassle. I want to pass through this place quickly, get the Seven-Star Begonia from the Sorrow Swamp to prepare medicine for my father, and not get delayed here for too long.”

”You...” Nalan Ziyun felt her heart flutter.

Shen Lang was surrounded by countless Ghosts, with Spirit Martial Realm Ghosts hidden among them, and behind them all was likely a Ghost King at the Peak of Spirit Martial Realm, or even the Xuanwu Realm... yet he was still completely at ease, even saying it was just a hassle!

Such incredible heroism filled Nalan Ziyun with an indescribable sense of joy.

”KYEHEHEH! A hassle? What arrogance!”

A harsh, grating voice suddenly echoed from the air. ”The Dark Forest is my domain. I have tens of thousands of lesser Ghosts under my command. You, a mere Human Race Martial Artist at the Spirit Martial Realm Early Stage, dare to make such wild boasts and disregard me? Utterly ridiculous!”

Shen Lang’s eyes shifted. His vast Divine Thought spread out in all directions like a tide, trying to locate the source of the voice.

This time, however, it wasn’t as simple as before; he couldn’t pinpoint the Ghost King’s exact location.

The voice continued, ”Never mind the other poisonous mists and Demon Beasts in this Dark Forest. Even these lesser Ghosts of mine are enough to completely overwhelm you, leaving not even your bones behind! Within this Dark Forest, you won’t be able to take a single step! Even if you practice a Thunder Element Technique, hmph, how much Thunder Power could you possibly have in your body? How long can you last? You reckless junior, you dare act so insolent before me?”

Shen Lang shook his head impatiently. ”So, you’re the Ghost King? I thought a Ghost King would have three heads and six arms, not be some coward who hides and skulks about... I say, you coward, what’s the point of all this nonsense? Just state your purpose. This master doesn’t have time to dither with you.”

”WAAAH! I’m furious! Where did this brat come from, acting so arrogant!” The Ghost King shrieked in anger. ”You carry the scent of the Nine Immortals Lingzhi. Hand over the Nine Immortals Lingzhi, and I will grant you a path to live!”

”So that’s what you’re after,” Shen Lang chuckled.

It seemed the medicinal effects of the Withered Wood Revives Spring Pill on them hadn’t fully dissipated, which was how the Ghost King had detected it.

”But I don’t trust the words of an old Ghost like you. If you really want the Nine Immortals Lingzhi, shouldn’t you just charge over, kill us, and take it? Why send a horde of Ghosts to surround us instead? You can’t possibly expect us to just obediently hand it over, can you?” Shen Lang said, completely unperturbed.

”...” The Ghost King was struck speechless.

A thought flashed through Shen Lang’s mind. He looked toward the direction with the most Ghosts, and his Silver Eyes of Truth activated once more.

Silver Eyes of Truth, pierce through all illusion!

All pretense was stripped away, leaving only the truth...

In a world of black and white, Shen Lang saw through the layers of ghostly mist. In a certain spot high above the Dark Forest, a wisp of scarlet radiance was entangled with pitch-black Death Qi, flickering in and out of sight, exceptionally conspicuous.

The scarlet radiance pulsed, and within it, a ghostly figure could be faintly seen sitting cross-legged...

”So that’s how it is.” The corners of Shen Lang’s mouth curled up. He had finally figured out a few things that hadn’t made sense before.

After scanning the area for a moment, Shen Lang noted the location below before saying with a faint smile, ”Congratulations, Ghost King. Felicitations, Ghost King. Congratulations to Lord Ghost King on your impending advancement to ’Ghost Marshal’.”

At that moment, all sound in the air vanished, as if snipped away by a pair of scissors.

”Junior, I don’t know what you’re talking about! What advancement? I don’t understand what you mean!” the Ghost King said in a hoarse voice after a moment of silence.

Nalan Ziyun was utterly bewildered and couldn’t help but ask, ”What nonsense are you spouting? A Ghost King advancing to a Ghost Marshal? Isn’t that backward? Besides, why the hell are you congratulating him on his advancement?! If he advances, aren’t we the ones who are screwed?”

”Ghosts, or Ghost Cultivators, are ranked by Levels based on their Soul Body Type: Ghost Soldier, Ghost Guard, Ghost General, Ghost Marshal, Ghost King, Ghost Emperor, and so on. A Ghost Soldier corresponds to a Human Race Martial Artist in the Martial Power Realm, a Ghost Guard to the Qi Martial Realm, a Ghost General to the Spirit Martial Realm, and a Ghost Marshal to the Xuanwu Realm. This ’Ghost King’ is just a self-proclaimed title he uses to dominate the Dark Forest... A true Ghost King is an expert on par with the King Martial Realm, someone who could establish their own sect and become a patriarch.”

Shen Lang seemed completely oblivious to the danger they were in, calmly explaining the ranking system of Ghosts to Nalan Ziyun.

At this moment, all was silent. The surrounding Ghosts made no further sound, as if they were nothing more than grayish-white mist.

Nalan Ziyun was still confused. ”You just said that Ghost King was nearby, but now you’re saying a Ghost King is about to advance to a Ghost Marshal. The more I listen, the more confused I get...”

”To put it simply, this old Ghost’s demand for the Nine Immortals Lingzhi is just a pretense, an excuse to stall for time. They might not think much of my displayed Cultivation Realm, but he’s wary of my Thunder Element Technique. That’s why he has this large horde of Ghosts surrounding us, trying to trap us. Besides, haven’t you noticed? He’s been rambling on and on for ages, but he hasn’t made a move. Why is that?”

Shen Lang explained patiently, ”He’s just trying to buy some time for his advancement. A Ghost’s advancement is similar to that of a Human Race Martial Artist; it cannot be disturbed in the slightest. One misstep could lead to complete failure. Moreover, this old Ghost doesn’t know our purpose for entering this place. He’s afraid we came specifically for him. On top of that, to increase his chances of a successful advancement, he is using the Ghost Secret Skill ’Rebirth Technique.’ He found the corpse of a human Martial Artist to possess so he can advance as a Spirit Body instead of a Soul Body. While this method is commonly used in the Ghost Dao to significantly increase the chances of a breakthrough, it has a fatal flaw...”

”What fatal flaw?” Nalan Ziyun grew excited, having roughly understood the situation.

”The fatal flaw is... while using this method to advance, one is extremely vulnerable and cannot be disturbed at all. Even for a period after a successful advancement, one remains exceptionally weak. In other words, when using this Secret Technique, the Ghost King, both before and after his advancement, might not be much different from a Martial Artist at the Spirit Martial Realm Early Stage. That’s why this old Ghost set up a powerful Barrier around the possessed corpse before he began, to prevent any interference or opportunistic attacks from other Ghosts.”

”So you’re saying if we charge over and destroy the corpse he’s possessing, his soul will be scattered? Haha, so that’s what’s going on! I was wondering why these guys were putting on this mysterious act and not attacking. They were just stalling for time! I didn’t expect the Ghosts of the Dark Forest to be so pathetic, haha!” Nalan Ziyun burst out laughing.

”Wait, that’s not right,” she said suddenly. ”You still haven’t answered my question... If the old Ghost is at a critical moment in his advancement, then who was the old Ghost you said was here just now? There can’t be two Ghost Kings, can there?”

Shen Lang took down his Celestial Water Blade, stroking it a couple of times as he said, ”It’s a Ghost’s Talent Ability... Divine Split. That was just a wisp of the Ghost King’s Soul Thought. Otherwise, how could I have detected it so easily?”

”You... How does a human brat like you know all this? Could it be that you really came here for me? But even my few enemies in the Phoenix Mountain Range couldn’t possibly know what I’m doing. How could a human like you know everything so clearly?”

After hearing Shen Lang’s explanation, the Ghost King descended into a panic.

”This is impossible! Aside from this wisp of Soul Thought being a bit weak, I left no other openings! You couldn’t possibly have seen through all this!”

”And you’ve barely entered the Dark Forest. With a Divine Thought at the First and Second Heaven of the Spirit Martial Realm, you couldn’t possibly see more than ten li, let alone perceive things dozens of li away! Who in the world are you?”

The Ghost King’s terrified and furious voice echoed ceaselessly above the forest.

”Who the fuck do you think I am!” Shen Lang’s voice was chilling as he brandished his Celestial Water Blade. ”If you hadn’t come looking for trouble, I couldn’t be bothered with you. But since you were bored enough to provoke me, and now that I know the location of your true body and the fact that you’re at a critical moment in your advancement, your time has come!”

”Summon your cannon fodder! Let’s see if your minions can stop me. My great saber is thirsty for battle!”

As Shen Lang spoke, ferocious Thunder Power began to gather on his Celestial Water Blade. The blade crackled, and sparks of electricity flashed across its surface.

His gaze turned toward the northwestern sky, and a cold smile slowly formed on his lips.

”I haven’t gone out in several hundred years, and to think humans have grown so arrogant. A mere Spirit Martial Realm Early Stage Cultivation, and he dares to boast so shamelessly. Go down and kill them! Leave their souls for me; their flesh and blood are yours!” the Ghost King ordered.

”WOOOO WOOOO...”

A few ghostly howls echoed in the air. Five horned, ten-foot-tall Ghosts, shrouded in a grayish-white mist, slowly materialized in the air and descended to the ground.

Behind them followed a horde of hair-raising monsters, baring their fangs and brandishing their claws, their momentum fierce and menacing.