Strongest War Emperor

When it came to Array Restrictions set up by contemporary powerhouses, there were very few that could truly stump Shen Lang.

If Shen Lang wanted to break most Arrays or Restrictions, it was usually just a matter of spending a little more time.

The so-called "breaking an Array" or "breaking a Restriction" was possible because as long as one could figure out the Array’s structure, understand its principles, and find its flaws, it could be dismantled.

But Lan Mengling’s Restriction was utterly deadly. It had no technical finesse whatsoever. It was simple, crude... and completely thuggish!

Her Restriction directly used immense power to completely lock his meridians, Pill Sea, and Elements Mansion in the most brutal way possible!

First, breaking the Restriction would definitely require Spiritual Power, but she didn’t leave even a sliver of it for him to use. All he could do was stare helplessly and find someone with a powerful Cultivation to break it from the outside.

Second, the Locking Chains that sealed his Spiritual Power followed no discernible pattern; they were a complete mess, as if someone had taken a chain and wrapped it around him a dozen times! It was just repetitive wrapping, wound so tightly that not a single gap remained!

Third, wisps of Vermilion Bird Divine Fire clung to the Spiritual Power Locking Chains!

The Vermilion Bird was one of the Ten Divine Beasts. Its Innate Divine Fire was tyrannical and ferocious, said to be capable of incinerating anything and everything!

Even the faintest wisp of it was enough to make Shen Lang’s face pale.

To break this Restriction, he would have to make contact with the Locking Chains using his Spiritual Power.

Even if Shen Lang had any Spiritual Power left to mobilize, the moment he sent it forth, it would likely be burned to ashes by the Vermilion Bird Divine Fire before it could even begin to break the Restriction.

This kind of Restriction could almost be called an inescapable seal!

It was the kind of thing set up by a layman in the art of Restrictions... a thuggish seal that didn’t play by the rules!

Though simple, it was tyrannical and absolute, leaving no room for recourse whatsoever!

Once locked by such a barbaric and tyrannical Restriction, it was nearly impossible for anyone to break it on their own.

One could only rely on powerful external aid.

Only an expert with supreme Cultivation but little expertise in Restrictions would resort to using such a thuggish seal.

Moreover, it could only be used on those with far weaker Cultivation than their own.

Even someone like Shen Lang, who had few rivals in the field of Array Restrictions, was left dumbstruck at the sight, sighing in helplessness.

To find someone to remove the Restriction set by the Quasi-Emperor Martial Realm expert, Lan Mengling, his only option besides Lan Mengling herself was Xue Shiyin.

Shen Lang feared neither heaven nor earth, but right now, he was a little afraid of seeing Xue Shiyin... because he had no idea how to face the deeply infatuated woman.

Besides Xue Shiyin, Shen Lang could also ask Zuo Wentian to act.

However, Zuo Wentian was in a weakened Soul Body state. Not long ago, he had nearly exhausted himself investigating the powerful Divine Power within the Valley of Death.

Making Zuo Wentian expend more Soul Power for this Restriction now seemed like too much to ask.

’This capricious woman is such a handful... Now I have no idea where she’s run off to. I can’t find her even if I want her to remove the Restriction... This is all because I was playing with fire.’

After comforting the Ghost King, who was locked outside his Pill Sea, Shen Lang began to ponder how to solve this problem.

Shen Lang wasn’t concerned about the trial in the Yumu Cave Blessed Land itself.

Even with his Cultivation sealed, an ordinary Xuanwu Realm Powerhouse wouldn’t last long against him.

To say nothing of Spirit Martial Realm Martial Artists.

The main reason Shen Lang was willing to participate in the Yumu Cave Blessed Land event was to investigate the truth behind the disappearance of the Pocket World Blessed Lands from all those years ago.

From the information he currently had, the disappearance of so many Pocket World Blessed Lands was definitely related to the power behind Candle Dragon.

Otherwise, when the North Netherworld Extreme Heaven Sect had wanted to investigate the matter back then, Candle Dragon wouldn’t have reacted so drastically, bringing twenty Emperor Martial Realm Powerhouses to annihilate them.

A full twenty Emperor Martial Realm Powerhouses!

The Emperor Martial Realm! These were beings who could turn the world upside down on the continent!

Beings who could make the world tremble with a single stomp of their foot!

For so many to appear at once, and all because the North Netherworld Extreme Heaven Sect wanted to investigate the Pocket World Blessed Lands...

Shen Lang was only a little curious about what secret was hidden behind this matter.

But if he could use this incident to figure out the identities of Candle Dragon and his cohorts, the strength of the power behind them, and that power’s movements... that would be extremely important to Shen Lang.

"Know thyself, know thy enemy, and you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles."

If you didn’t even know who your enemies were or what they were doing, how could you possibly defeat them?

Whether he could actually find anything in the Yumu Cave Blessed Land remained to be seen.

But Shen Lang had already made up his mind to brave its depths.

In its heyday, the Yumu Cave Blessed Land was superior even to Legendary Powers. Even if only ruins remained, for any expert, it was no less dangerous than a dragon’s lair or a tiger’s den.

Since Shen Lang had decided to venture in, he had to be on high alert, keep his body in optimal condition, and maintain his Cultivation at its Peak!

If Lan Mengling’s Seal could not be removed, the dangers he was about to face could multiply.

Quietly "looking" at the Spiritual Power Locking Chains wrapped layer upon layer around his meridians, Shen Lang sank into thought.

A Restriction with no discernible rules or technique was fundamentally difficult to solve with rules or technique.

But as for breaking it with brute force, the difference in power was simply too vast.

What’s more, those Spiritual Power Locking Chains were even imbued with the terrifying Vermilion Bird Divine Fire...

’Wait a minute. The Spiritual Power Locking Chains, the Vermilion Bird Divine Fire... Both are just manifestations of Energy, just like the energies of Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. As long as it’s Energy, the Tai Chi Diagram should be able to devour it!’

A flash of inspiration struck Shen Lang as he thought of the powerful and unfathomable Tai Chi Diagram.

"Ghost King, are you afraid of death?"

Shen Lang suddenly asked, looking at the Ghost King, who was huddled into a black ball above his Pill Sea.

The Ghost King shuddered and said in a tearful voice, "Boss, you’re not planning another experiment, are you? I’m already dead, I can’t die again... These Locking Chains are covered in Vermilion Bird Divine Fire. One wrong move and I could be annihilated... Can’t we wait until I’m out to do experiments?"

"Look at you," Shen Lang chided with a laugh. "I’m talking about getting you out of there. What’s there to be afraid of?"

The Ghost King wailed, "This is Vermilion Bird Divine Fire, how can I not be afraid... What if I get burned to ash..."

Shen Lang rolled his eyes. "Damn it, I’ll give you a choice. You decide. If you want to give it a try, you could very well reach the King Martial Realm in a short time. If not, then you can just stay there. When Bone One and Bone Two become King Martial Realm experts, don’t blame me for not looking out for you."

"King Martial Realm!" The Ghost King was astounded. "Really?"

"What, you don’t believe in my methods?" Shen Lang said, displeased.

The Ghost King hurriedly replied, "No, no! Boss, your methods are heaven-defying, how could this old ghost ever doubt you... It’s just that this good news came so suddenly, I’m still a bit dazed..."

"Cut the crap. Which do you choose?" Shen Lang snapped.

After a moment of silence, the Ghost King declared righteously, "No matter what the experiment is, as long as the Boss says it’s fine, I believe it! For the King Martial Realm... Boss, just say the word. This old ghost will risk it all!"

"Very good. Focus your mind and don’t resist," Shen Lang instructed, immediately activating the Tai Chi Diagram.

The Tai Chi Diagram spun rapidly, transforming into Black and White Qi that roamed and tumbled like two small dragons, sometimes separating, sometimes intertwining.

’I hope my guess is correct!’

Without hesitation, Shen Lang urged the Black and White Qi to merge and shoot like a small snake toward his Pill Sea, which was bound by layer after layer of Locking Chains!

"TSSSSSS!"

As the Black and White Qi passed through the Spiritual Power Locking Chains, the Vermilion Bird Divine Fire hanging on them flared violently, spontaneously trying to block the Qi’s entry!

At this moment, Shen Lang felt more nervous than ever before!

"WHOOSH!"

The expected finally happened. The Black and White Qi showed no fear of the Vermilion Bird Divine Fire; instead, it instantly devoured the flames that surged toward it!

It then broke through an opening and shot directly inside, arriving right in front of the Ghost King!

The poor Ghost King had suffered at the hands of the Tai Chi Diagram several times before. Seeing this thing again scared him half to death. He desperately tried to flee, but there was nowhere to hide!

"Idiot, I told you not to move and not to resist! You’re already a ghost, why are you still so afraid of dying!" Shen Lang chided with a laugh.

The Ghost King wanted to argue, but faced with something so terrifying, he was trembling so badly he couldn’t even speak.

The next moment, the Black and White Qi swirled, and a vortex instantly enveloped the Ghost King, pulling him in with ease!

"HAHAHAHA!"

Shen Lang let out a great laugh, and his consciousness immediately entered the Tai Chi Diagram.

Inside the Tai Chi Diagram, the Ghost King, now restored to his original form, was looking around blankly.

In front of the Ghost King were several Cages, crackling with electricity and surging with lightning.

Trapped within the Cages were the very same Nascent Souls from the Dark Moon Abyss whose physical bodies Shen Lang had destroyed before capturing them.

And below...

The once-surging ocean of Supreme Yin Qi was now only a third of its original size.

After absorbing and refining the endless Supreme Yin Qi, the space within the Tai Chi Diagram had grown even more vast and boundless.

Shen Lang could clearly feel that the Tai Chi Diagram’s power had increased by more than fourfold compared to before it absorbed the Supreme Yin Qi!

Back when he was refining this Supreme Yin Qi, Shen Lang had found it incredibly strenuous to manifest tens of thousands of Thunder Pillars with the Tai Chi Diagram.

But now, not only was there no pressure at all, but Shen Lang even felt an ineffable pleasure watching the ocean of Supreme Yin Qi being continuously refined!

"So, what do you think? Is this place satisfactory for your Cultivation? HAHAHAHA!"

Shen Lang couldn’t help but let out a wild laugh.

Before the Ghost King could reply, Shen Lang raised his hands and spread his arms wide, as if to embrace the entire world.

In that instant, from the endless void, "BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"—bolts of lightning and thunder continuously descended, forming gigantic pillars that plunged into the black ocean.

The churning black ocean immediately threw up monstrous waves. It was a terrifying sight!

The number of Thunder Pillars manifesting within the Tai Chi Diagram had not only increased severalfold, but each one was also several times larger in volume. They stood tall in the black ocean, seeming to connect heaven and earth!

And the speed at which these Thunder Pillars refined the remaining Supreme Yin Qi was simply off the charts!

A huge, terrifying vortex formed around each Thunder Pillar, causing the Supreme Yin Qi to churn and surge violently!

Staring dumbly at all this, the Ghost King shot forward with a WHOOSH, instinctively trying to dive into Shen Lang’s body.

However, what stood here was merely an illusory body manifested from Shen Lang’s consciousness. When the Ghost King pounced, he simply passed right through it...

"Boss, this place is great and all, but it’s just so damn scary..."

Gazing at the surging Supreme Yin Qi and feeling the world-ending power emanating from each Thunder Pillar, the Ghost King’s voice trembled.

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I’d like to recommend an excellent fantasy novel by a friend of mine, Martial Soul Throne, by the author Yan Hui. It’s very good, and I encourage everyone to check it out.