Strongest War Emperor

Back when Shen Lang snatched the Nine Immortals Lingzhi from Ji Chengwu, he was wearing an Evil Ghost Mask and had his aura completely suppressed.

Furthermore, his Cultivation was much weaker back then, and he could do little more than flee while Ji Chengwu pursued him.

But now, with a single mid-air kick, Shen Lang had already severely wounded Ji Chengwu!

That was why, as Ji Chengwu stared at the youth in the sky, he didn’t connect Shen Lang with the ghost-faced man from that day at all.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

In a few quick leaps, the three from the Imperial Dragon Sect once again surrounded Ji Chengwu.

”The Imperial Dragon Sect is conducting business. We ask that you leave!”

The man holding the Long Spear looked up at Shen Lang as he spoke, his gaze subconsciously drifting to the mist-like wings behind him.

’These wings... they don’t look like the wings of light produced by a Flying Spiritual Artifact...’ The young man was startled by his own thought.

’If it’s not a Flying Spiritual Artifact, does that mean this young man is a Xuanwu Realm powerhouse?’

’What a joke!’

”Oh, the Imperial Dragon Sect...” Shen Lang murmured to himself.

The young man with the Long Spear stood proudly. ”That’s right. We three are from the Imperial Dragon Sect. We thank you for helping us intercept this man, but it would be best if you don’t interfere in what happens next.”

Shen Lang gave a disdainful smile. ”And what if I insist on getting involved?”

The three from the Imperial Dragon Sect were stunned. They couldn’t believe it—they had invoked the name of the Imperial Dragon Sect, and this person still dared to challenge them?

”You dare provoke the Imperial Dragon Sect? You’re courting death!”

”Get lost now, while we’re still not in the mood to kill you!”

”Where did this punk come from? So arrogant! Do you have any idea of the consequences of provoking the Imperial Dragon Sect?”

The corners of Shen Lang’s mouth lifted into a faint smile. ”I don’t know what the consequences are for provoking the Imperial Dragon Sect, but I know for a fact that provoking me won’t end well for you.”

The moment Shen Lang finished speaking, a great cloud of black mist erupted from his body and descended upon the Four people below. Before any of them could react, the black mist expanded, completely enveloping them.

”Such furtive tricks! He’s clearly one of the Demon Dao! Kill him!”

Someone roared.

It was evening, with the sun setting in the west. The ruins had been reasonably bright, but once the black mist enveloped an area hundreds of yards wide, visibility plummeted.

The Four men inside felt as if they had entered a place like the Sorrow Swamp, thick with poisonous fog. Their vision was severely limited, and each one subconsciously went on guard.

”GYEGYEGYEGYE!”

”YIIII HA HA HA...”

A sound as grating as scraping metal echoed through the black mist. The Four men inside felt their heads spin. They clutched their skulls, their faces contorting in pain.

”Damn it! It’s the Soul-Catching Ghost Sound!”

Someone cried out in alarm, and the Four men immediately began to circulate their Spiritual Power to resist the ghastly sound.

”The moment I cross the Imperial Dragon Sect, I’m suddenly a follower of the Demon Dao. You people are really something else.”

Shen Lang’s mocking voice drifted ethereally through the black mist.

Then, just as the men below were circulating their power to resist the Soul-Catching Ghost Sound, several figures suddenly plummeted from the sky. Four Bone Demons descended upon the three from the Imperial Dragon Sect like a whirlwind.

Meanwhile, Shen Lang shot toward Ji Chengwu, as silent and swift as a phantom.

The Bone Demons’ Cultivation was already far superior to the Imperial Dragon Sect members, and they were much faster as well. Seizing the moment of distraction caused by the Ghost King’s Soul-Catching Ghost Sound, they were upon the men in the blink of an eye!

BAM! BAM! BAM!

The three from the Imperial Dragon Sect fought through the dizziness, barely managing to raise their Spiritual Artifacts to defend themselves. But in their weakened state, how could they possibly fend off the four Bone Demons’ onslaught, which swept over them like a tempest scattering autumn leaves?

In just a few seconds, the four Bone Demons had injured all three men, sending them staggering back more than ten meters.

Meanwhile, Shen Lang’s assault on Ji Chengwu was even faster. His feet never touched the ground as he flew just above the surface, borrowing the Ghost King’s power. His speed was like a bolt of lightning!

As he shot forward, his body produced a sharp sound of tearing through the air, which sounded particularly eerie within the black mist.

Watching the fist close in, feeling its ferocious power, Ji Chengwu’s eye twitched uncontrollably.

He flicked the Black Dragon Halberd in his hand upward, thrusting it at Shen Lang’s face!

An inch longer, an inch stronger!

Besides, he refused to believe this kid could block a Spiritual Artifact with his mortal body!

FWOOSH!

Shen Lang’s eyes narrowed. Without slowing in the slightest, he tilted his head just enough to dodge the thrust of the Black Dragon Halberd, then slammed his fist into Ji Chengwu’s right shoulder.

THUD!

A wave of Powerful Qi erupted. Ji Chengwu’s face flushed, and with a muffled grunt, he rapidly retreated.

’How is this possible! How can he be so fast?’

Ji Chengwu couldn’t believe it. Even though he had been fully prepared, he had still failed to dodge that seemingly ordinary punch!

’His power is immense, and his speed is astonishing. I can’t fight him. I have to escape!’

Ji Chengwu had only taken one kick and one punch, but he was already terrified.

’I’m already seriously injured, and Shen Lang is far stronger and faster than me. Plus, those three from the Imperial Dragon Sect are still behind me. Getting bogged down here means certain death!’

However, Shen Lang gave him no such opportunity. After knocking him back, he instantly closed the distance again, unleashing a flurry of blows like a violent storm. In a split second, a barrage of fists and elbows, each carrying a sharp wind, rained down on Ji Chengwu.

He was using the same tactics he’d employed against Drunken Thousand Cups.

Back when he’d snatched the Nine Immortals Lingzhi, he knew there was a huge disparity in their strength. Even using his Burst, he couldn’t have faced Ji Chengwu head-on, so he had fled the instant he got it.

Now, with his Cultivation having skyrocketed and the Ghost King possessing him, killing a single Ji Chengwu was a trivial matter.

He clenched his fists, infusing them with no Spiritual Power whatsoever. He relied purely on his physical strength, and with every punch he threw, a terrifying sonic boom erupted in the air.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Ji Chengwu could never have imagined that this person who had appeared out of nowhere would be so overwhelmingly powerful.

Not only was his speed incredible and his strength immense, but his Fist Technique was also the strangest he had ever witnessed!

The thought of escape had barely formed in his mind before his body could even react. He had already been struck several times, and Shen Lang was now on him, making it impossible to break free!

BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!

With every punch Shen Lang landed, a ripple of Energy would spread across his body. Ji Chengwu’s face would pale, and the torrent of Spiritual Power flowing within him would suddenly be completely cut off!

It was as if a massive dam had suddenly been erected in the middle of a river!

And when the circulation of his Spiritual Power was disrupted, the strength in the right hand gripping his Black Dragon Halberd plummeted!

The movements he made to block Shen Lang with his Black Dragon Halberd instantly became much slower.

The long Black Dragon Halberd was a two-handed weapon. With only his right arm, Ji Chengwu was forced to wield it like a short spear, unable to unleash most of its true power.

Now, with his Spiritual Power disrupted and Shen Lang pummeling him at close range, the Black Dragon Halberd had become a complete liability.

In just two exchanges, faced with Shen Lang’s stormy assault, Ji Chengwu found himself completely cornered.

Shen Lang’s quick and brutal punches sealed off all the space around Ji Chengwu, leaving him nowhere to dodge and forcing him into a constant retreat.

As he retreated in a frantic STOMP STOMP STOMP, each footfall shattered the flagstones in the ruins, sending fragments flying in all directions like bullets.

The Spiritual Armor of a Spirit Martial Realm Sixth Heaven master repeatedly materialized around him, only to be instantly shattered by Shen Lang’s blows, rendering it completely useless.

Compared to their last encounter, Shen Lang’s Cultivation had surged, and his power was now more than ten times greater.

Back then, he could do nothing but flee from Ji Chengwu’s pursuit, and even by giving it his all, the best he could achieve was a stalemate where both were injured.

Now, Ji Chengwu was already heavily wounded, his Spiritual Power was severely depleted—it was no exaggeration to call him a spent force—and he only had his right arm.

How could he possibly block a Fist Technique that could fell even the Xuanwu Realm master, Drunken Thousand Cups?

To make matters worse, while the Ghost King wasn’t attacking directly, it was continuously releasing the Soul-Catching Ghost Sound as if singing, forcing Ji Chengwu to divert his focus to resist it!

Now that the Ghost King had reached the Xuanwu Realm, how could the same Soul-Catching Ghost Sound be only one or two times stronger than it was back in the Dark Forest? It was many times more powerful.

In just over ten seconds, Ji Chengwu was rendered completely powerless to retaliate. He was beaten to the point of vomiting blood, his right hand barely able to hold onto the Black Dragon Halberd.

”You’re an Evil Martial Artist, so why are you making trouble for me! Why are you helping the Imperial Dragon Sect? Who the hell are you?”

Shen Lang’s Cultivation and fighting style were completely different from before, so it never even occurred to him to connect Shen Lang with the ghost-faced man from that day.

WHOOSH!

The fierce wind from a punch flew past Ji Chengwu’s face, but before he even had a moment to feel relieved, Shen Lang’s elbow came crashing down, making him grunt and stagger backward.

Then, to Ji Chengwu’s surprise, Shen Lang stopped attacking.

”Me? Helping the Imperial Dragon Sect? Why don’t you look behind you and see the pathetic state those guys are in?”

Shen Lang said calmly, looking down at his own fists.

In that last series of attacks, he had used almost no Spiritual Power.

He had relied on the Ghost King’s power to fly, and his attacks were purely physical—he hadn’t even activated the Celestial Demon Power or the power of his Chaos Divine Body in his cells.

And just that was enough to beat Ji Chengwu into submission.

He now had an even deeper understanding of his own physical strength.

”You...”

Though Ji Chengwu could hear the screams behind him, he didn’t dare turn around. He simply scanned the area with his Divine Thought, and his face instantly filled with horror.

He had been so hard-pressed by Shen Lang that he hadn’t been able to pay attention to anything else. Only now did he realize that the three from the Imperial Dragon Sect had been beaten to the ground by the four Bone Demons and were being kicked back and forth like a ball!

’If you had to say who was having a worse time, those three were definitely in a more miserable state!’

Shen Lang shot Ji Chengwu a cold glance and smiled faintly. ”Alright, stop looking. The warm-up is over. Now, the real fight begins.”

”The real fight? The audacity!” Ji Chengwu was so furious he could have coughed up blood.

’I’ve survived in the Demon Dao for so many years, I’m considered a formidable figure in my own right, yet I’m being defeated this miserably by a mere boy!’

’And he has the nerve to say all of that was just a warm-up!’

”Are you angry? Or is it more fear that you’re feeling?”

Shen Lang slowly approached as he spoke. ”You killed so many people from Celestial Phoenix City and refined them into Demon Corpses. You enjoyed seeing the fear in their eyes, didn’t you? Reveling in it? Did you ever think this day would come for you?”

”These kinds of mind games are useless on me! I’ve killed more people than I can count and refined more Demon Corpses than I can remember, and I’m still alive and kicking!”

As Shen Lang advanced, Ji Chengwu retreated step by step.

”Yes, but that’s because you hadn’t met me. After today, you won’t have the chance to kill anyone ever again.”

The bones throughout Shen Lang’s body began to CRACKLE. A Spirit Light ignited on his fists, and the killing intent in his eyes was on full display.

Ji Chengwu’s eye twitched as he stared at Shen Lang’s fists, an indescribable feeling of despair welling up in his heart...

Once, he had been the one in that role, watching as the people he was about to slaughter looked back at him with infinite fear and despair.

But now, the roles were reversed.

’How could Celestial Phoenix City have produced such a monster...’