Strongest War Emperor

While Yan Bing was grateful to Shen Lang for rescuing Naluo King, he figured the King, a man of his word, would surely compensate the kid generously.

On the other hand, Yan Bing still couldn’t forget how Duanmu Xie had nearly crushed him to death with a coffin.

That zombie was the kid’s subordinate, which was no different from Shen Lang attacking him personally.

Seeing Shen Lang speak to Naluo King in what seemed to be a condescending tone, the resentment in Yan Bing’s heart finally boiled over!

’He was one of the dignified Eight Celestial Kings of the War God Hall! When had anyone ever dared to speak to him like that?’

’In the entire, vast War God Hall, who besides the War Emperor and a few old-timers had the right to speak to Naluo King in such a manner?’

Yan Bing rebuked Shen Lang, assuming that by invoking Naluo King’s name, he could scare the kid half to death...

But to his surprise, Shen Lang simply stared at the black Locking Chains within the array ahead, his expression as calm as ever, as if he were just admiring the view.

Shen Lang’s expression was calm, but Naluo King nearly flew into a rage over Yan Bing’s words.

’If this young man truly had some connection to *that* person...’

’Even a descendant of his would have the right to speak to one of the Eight Celestial Kings in such a way.’

’And if it was the man himself... well, that goes without saying.’

”Yan Bing, shut your mouth!”

The face of the ever-composed Naluo King contorted as he practically roared.

”If I hear one more peep out of you, you can get back to the Secret Realm and stay there for a thousand years!”

Yan Bing was stunned!

Naluo King was the most level-headed among the Eight Celestial Kings and rarely lost his temper.

He had certainly never gotten angry at his own subordinates.

But now, Naluo King’s brows were furrowed, his eyes blazing with a fury that seemed like a volcano on the verge of eruption...

Furthermore, the aura around him roiled violently, showing signs of spiraling out of his control!

”This subordinate was wrong! Please punish me, My Lord!”

Though he was terrified and couldn’t for the life of him understand why, Yan Bing still dropped to one knee to admit his fault.

Just then, Shen Lang spoke. ”Your Divine Soul has suffered grievous injuries, and your physical body is in tatters. You’ll have difficulty even moving for a while. If your state of mind is unstable, it will only worsen your condition. Why get so angry over a few words?”

The astonishment in Naluo King’s eyes intensified. He took a deep breath, suppressed his raging fury, and said, ”You are right, young man.”

”Here’s what happened. A companion and I were hunting the Demon God Hall’s Candle Dragon and Lan Mengling. When we learned they had entered the Yumu Cave Blessed Land, we followed them...”

As Naluo King calmly recounted the events, the once-blurry picture in Shen Lang’s mind finally came into focus.

Eleven years ago, the Eight Celestial Kings and the Five-Color Banner Masters received a decree from the War Emperor to guard their respective Secret Realms. Their true bodies were forbidden from leaving without authorization.

Thus, the true bodies of Naluo King and the others have remained in seclusion, with only a few avatars roaming the outside world.

(A correction: the previous chapter mentioned the Five Elements Banner, but it should be the ”Five-Colored Banner”.)

The ever-disobedient Asura King, Zi You, received word that his arch-rivals, Candle Dragon and the Vermilion Bird, were preparing to enter the Yumu Cave Blessed Land.

After much persuasion, Zi You managed to drag Naluo King into it, wanting to divide and conquer their enemies just as they had done before.

But plans never keep up with reality.

Only after Naluo King’s group made contact with Candle Dragon’s did they discover that this venture into the Yumu Cave Blessed Land was anything but ordinary. Several Emperor Martial Realm powerhouses had entered!

The one leading them was none other than Taotie, one of the Five Demon Generals of the Demon God Hall!

With Emperor Martial Realm powerhouses on the scene, the avatars of the two Celestial Kings were no longer the main players in this game.

Stuck in a difficult situation, Naluo King and Zi You discovered something strange...

Not only were Candle Dragon’s and Taotie’s groups not allies, but Candle Dragon’s faction seemed even more terrified of Taotie than they were.

Although the War God Hall and the Demon God Hall had clashed for a long time and knew a bit about each other’s internal affairs—including that Taotie and Candle Dragon didn’t get along—the idea of Taotie’s true body personally hunting Candle Dragon was almost unheard of.

The ever-audacious Asura King Zi You, upon discovering that Taotie was hunting Candle Dragon, decided to take a risk and pull chestnuts from the fire.

He wanted to take advantage of the Demon God Hall’s internal strife and reap the rewards.

Unlike last time, however, both Candle Dragon and Lan Mengling had at least three Quasi-Emperor Martial Realm powerhouses hidden in their retinue.

The two of them were hopelessly outnumbered and got ambushed.

The result was that Asura King Zi You escaped with heavy injuries, while Naluo King’s avatar, the Reincarnation Marquis, was captured and imprisoned.

If Shen Lang hadn’t appeared, Naluo King’s chances of ever seeing the light of day again would have been a pipe dream.

”So, Taotie is hunting Candle Dragon... It’s true then. The Demon God Hall is really in turmoil?” Shen Lang said pensively. ”But this is just Candle Dragon’s avatar and a few subordinates. Is it really necessary for Taotie’s true body to show up?”

”Or could it be that Taotie is trying to find the hiding place of Candle Dragon’s true body through his avatar?”

Upon hearing this, both Naluo King and Yan Bing revealed strange expressions.

Information about the Demon God Hall and Candle Dragon was inaccessible even to many Legendary Sects; few of them even knew the Demon God Hall existed...

’How could this young man possibly know such things? Like how Candle Dragon was injured ten thousand years ago and has been in slumber somewhere ever since?’

Yan Bing found the Shen Lang before him increasingly mysterious, while a flicker of joy flashed in Naluo King’s eyes, as if he had become even more certain of his private suspicions.

Naluo King nodded. ”That’s very likely... The moment he sensed Taotie’s aura, Candle Dragon fled in a panic, rushing headlong toward the Dragon Scale Divine Hall in the deepest part of the Yumu Cave Blessed Land’s Third Floor. It seemed he had nowhere left to run and hoped to use the Divine Hall to throw Taotie off his trail.”

”The Dragon Scale Divine Hall on the Third Floor... I hear it was once the core of the Yumu Cave Blessed Land?” Shen Lang asked. ”Given the power of this Pocket World Blessed Land in its prime, even after ten thousand years of decay, the Dragon Scale Divine Hall must be a place of certain death that even Quasi-Emperor Martial Realm powerhouses wouldn’t dare to enter.”

”Correct. Forget about the Quasi-Emperor Martial Realm; even if my true body were here, I wouldn’t dare enter the Dragon Scale Divine Hall lightly,” said Naluo King.

Shen Lang mulled it over for a moment. ”The map I have was drawn by several Emperor Martial Realm powerhouses. It only outlines a vague area, marking the location of the Dragon Scale Divine Hall. It shows nothing about its interior, or even its external appearance. Do you have any information about it?”

Naluo King looked embarrassed. ”No. I was in hot pursuit of Candle Dragon and only circled the outskirts of the Divine Hall. I didn’t gather any other information.”

At this point, Naluo King asked meaningfully, ”Young man, what do you think our next move should be?”

”Next move?” Shen Lang let out a dry laugh. ”In your current state? Forget about Mo Qingwu returning; you probably couldn’t even handle an Emperor Martial Realm powerhouse right now. And while the Asura King landed a blow on Mo Qingwu, he only aggravated his own injuries. It’s impossible for you to fish in troubled waters any longer.”

Naluo King looked even more embarrassed, hemming and hawing for a long moment without managing to say a word.

Yan Bing, who had been about to speak, saw his lord’s expression and swallowed his disgruntled retort.

Shen Lang sighed. ”If you’re truly grateful to me, then take my advice: lead your men and withdraw from the Yumu Cave Blessed Land immediately. Unless your true bodies come in person, you can’t possibly handle this situation.”

”If Taotie weren’t so focused on killing Candle Dragon, given that legendary Fierce Beast’s tendency to eradicate all threats, root and stem, none of you would have escaped.”

”Furthermore, your information only covers the Demon God Hall’s internal conflict, with Taotie hunting a weakened Candle Dragon. What you don’t know is that the Phoenix Race, who are also at the Emperor Martial Realm, have joined the fray...”

”What?!” Naluo King’s face went pale. ”All three Divine Beasts are gathered here, in the Yumu Cave Blessed Land? Has the situation really become that chaotic?”

Shen Lang said with a strange expression, ”From the auras I’ve sensed, at least five Emperor Martial Realm powerhouses have already appeared in this Blessed Land. With a lineup like that, they could probably tear this entire ruined place apart.”

Yan Bing finally couldn’t hold it in any longer. ”Hold on, hold on! I know you’re formidable, but how do you know there are five Emperor Martial Realm powerhouses here? And how do you know the Phoenix Race is here too? Don’t tell me you’ve already met them?”

Shen Lang glanced at Yan Bing, then turned back to Naluo King. ”For the time being, you two should just focus on recovering. Why not let them fight it out to their hearts’ content?”

’This bastard! He actually ignored me!’

Just as Naluo King nodded in agreement, Shen Lang suddenly spoke again. ”You said you were grateful to me, right?”

Naluo King blinked. ”Of course. You saved me from a desperate situation, young man. It’s a debt I can never fully repay...”

”In that case, got any Spirit Stones? Give me a bunch. Some Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures would work too. I’m broke right now.” Shen Lang held out his hand to Naluo King.

Naluo King and Yan Bing were both dumbfounded.

It wasn’t that they’d never seen someone ask for a reward immediately after helping, but...

...to see someone do it so casually, without the slightest hint of shame, was definitely a first!

Naluo King coughed dryly, then turned and rapped Yan Bing on the head. ”What are you gawking at? Take out all the Spirit Stones!”

”Huh? All of them? I already gave him a batch...” Yan Bing’s face instantly scrunched up like a bitter melon.

But he couldn’t disobey Naluo King’s order. After setting aside a few Spirit Stones for emergencies, Yan Bing handed the Sumeru Ring to Shen Lang, cursing him inwardly.

Shen Lang accepted the Sumeru Ring and swept his consciousness through it. A wide grin spread across his face. ”Holy crap, I’ve hit the jackpot! You’re loaded! And so many Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures!”

Yan Bing nearly fainted from rage.

Before Yan Bing could pass out, Shen Lang turned to Naluo King and said, ”This guy of yours... he’s pretty good. Worth investing in!”

”THUD!”

Yan Bing’s head hit the floor.

At that moment, the array on the ground began to quiet down, retracting toward its center until it returned to its original state.

With a thought, Shen Lang activated the nine Spirit Pattern Pillars.

With a loud RUMBLE, the nine Spirit Pattern Pillars lifted the section of earth they were on, bringing it back to the surface.

The moment they reached the surface, Yan Bing, now conscious, raised his Light of a Thousand Years and assumed a battle stance, as if facing a formidable foe.

Shen Lang gave a lazy smile. ”Relax. Mo Qingwu was struck by the Asura King and can barely fend for himself. With his master being hunted down, how could he possibly have time for you?”

The Undying Seal Technique was so powerful that even the Vermilion Bird had been helpless against it. A mere Scorpio like Mo Qingwu would be crippled, if not dead.

Truth be told, Asura King Zi You’s kamikaze-style attack had actually given him a huge advantage.

Mo Qingwu was likely already on his last legs...

With a wave of his hand, Shen Lang retracted the nine Spirit Pattern Pillars and began to walk slowly forward.

”If you happen to run into a girl in a red dress holding your Kunlun Whip, do me a favor and don’t harm her.”

Shen Lang’s words drifted back on the wind as he casually took three steps forward.

With each step, his body grew more ethereal. By the third, he had vanished completely from their sight.

”Emperor, please wait!”

Naluo King had a million questions he wanted to ask, and the title burst from his lips the very instant Shen Lang’s figure disappeared.