Strongest War Emperor

After a moment of contemplation, Nangong Yan said faintly, "What you know is merely scratching the surface. How could you possibly understand what a true, world-class genius is like?"

"Throughout history, have you ever heard of anyone who was a master of the Alchemy Dao, the Artifact Refining Dao, the Talisman Dao, the Array Dao... and everything else? Perhaps such a person has existed, but even I have never heard of one. And yet, he is exactly that kind of person."

Zhu Qingqing and Qiu Lingsu were stunned!

"That’s simply impossible, isn’t it? Grandma, you haven’t been deceived by that Shen Lang fellow, have you? Mastering all these professions like Artifact Refining, Alchemy, Talisman Making, and so on? How could such a person possibly exist in this world?" Zhu Qingqing asked, her face a mask of horror.

A mocking smile touched the corners of Qiu Lingsu’s lips as she said languidly, "Whether it’s Cultivation Techniques or these professions, I have always believed in quality over quantity. A Martial Artist’s talent is limited, and their time and energy even more so. To be a master of all trades is to be a master of none."

"Whether it’s the Artifact Refining Dao or the Alchemy Dao, many exceptionally talented individuals can spend their entire lives on one and still not reach the apex."

"If the person you speak of has truly dabbled in so many professions and intends to continue down that path, then I can only express my regret. In my opinion, it is precisely because he is a ’master’ of all these professions that he will find it difficult to achieve anything truly astonishing in any single one of them."

"At the same time, because he has dabbled in so much, regardless of his talent in Martial Arts, his future achievements will be severely limited. If this is the person you wanted us to meet, Grandma, I feel it would be better not to meet him at all."

Nangong Yan gave a wry smile.

Qiu Lingsu rarely spoke, and it was even rarer for her to criticize others so harshly.

’For her to react so strongly... it seems I’ve been talking about Shen Lang too much lately. I must have elevated his status to a point that even someone like Lingsu can no longer tolerate it...’

’This was only natural. If she hadn’t seen Shen Lang’s deeds with her own eyes, she would never have believed them either, no matter who told her.’

Nangong Yan’s gaze drifted into the distance, as if reminiscing. "Back when I first learned of this, I too found it utterly unbelievable. But in truth... huh?"

Before she could finish, Nangong Yan suddenly looked up in confusion.

The moment she raised her head, two figures appeared in the distant sky, walking on air as they approached.

One second they seemed to be infinitely far away; the next, they were already hovering above the mountain peak.

Nangong Yan knew both of them. One was Shangguan Feiyue, the Elder Ancestor of the Imperial Dragon Sect, and the other was Shark’s Kiss, the Elder Ancestor of the Li Hen Sect.

Both had met Shen Lang after going to Celestial Phoenix City.

At this moment, however, neither of them possessed the calm demeanor they had that day. Both wore looks of frantic urgency, their anxiety plain to see.

"What’s going on with you two...?" Nangong Yan’s heart sank. She knew something must have happened.

As Shark’s Kiss stood on the void, he boomed in a gruff voice, "There’s a problem at the Earth Rift in the Desolate Land! A horde of Zombies is gathering its strength, trying to break the Seal..."

Nangong Yan pursed her lips and cut him off. "The rift in the Desolate Land is supposed to be the Imperial Dragon Sect’s responsibility, isn’t it? A few of your old geezers from the Imperial Dragon Sect won’t lift a finger, yet you come asking me, a guest, for help? How absurd!"

Shangguan Feiyue landed on the ground with a wry smile. "We naturally wouldn’t trouble you with a mere matter of the rift. However, this information came from Xiaolang. Shortly after receiving it, another piece of intel reached the Imperial Dragon Sect... Some disciples from the Imperial Capital’s factions are undergoing a trial in the Hidden Moon Tomb. The situation is extremely dangerous, and Xiaolang has already gone there alone..."

"What?!" Nangong Yan roared, slamming her palm down and instantly shattering the stone table before her into dust!

"Are the people of your Imperial Dragon Sect useless?! There should be at least a few Middle to Late Stage King Martial Realm experts guarding the Earth Rift, shouldn’t there? Why has such a dangerous matter been pushed entirely onto him? Are those King Martial Realm experts just standing by and watching the show? If anything happens to Xiaolang, can your Imperial Dragon Sect bear the consequences?!"

Behind her, Zhu Qingqing and Qiu Lingsu were utterly horrified.

In their memory, Grandma almost never got angry. Her temper was unbelievably good.

Otherwise, how would juniors like them have dared to question her words earlier?

But now, over that Shen Lang, Grandma had flown into a thunderous rage, losing all her composure!

Just as Qiu Lingsu and the other were still reeling from the shock...

Shangguan Feiyue said urgently, "He used my Token once inside that Earth Palace. From that moment on, a strand of my Divine Thought has been attached to him, just in case something unexpected happened..."

"Then what’s happening now?!" Nangong Yan demanded, her voice practically a roar, like an enraged lioness.

Shark’s Kiss sighed. "Let me explain."

"Xiaolang single-handedly held off more than thirty Fifth Level Zombies. Just as he was about to wipe them all out, the Stone Gate of the Twin Towers Hall in the center of the Earth Palace’s second level closed. At that time, people from all the major factions were inside the Twin Towers Hall..."

"At the critical moment, he managed to enter the Twin Towers Hall with Xue Dangdang’s help. Now, everyone is trapped inside."

"How outrageous!" Nangong Yan’s face was pale with rage. With a flick of her sleeve, she vanished on the spot.

Her furious voice still echoed above the courtyard: "We’re going to the Hidden Moon Tomb immediately! Even if we have to tear that place apart, we will save Xiaolang!"

"I don’t care where those Zombies came from or who’s backing them! I’ll make sure they all die without a burial place!"

Shangguan Feiyue and Shark’s Kiss said nothing more. With a flicker, they too disappeared.

In the pavilion, Zhu Qingqing was silent for a moment before saying, "Sister Lingsu, a Fifth Level Zombie... If I remember correctly, that’s equivalent to a human Martial Artist at the Peak of Xuanwu Realm, right?"

Qiu Lingsu’s expression was strange. She mused, "An ordinary Fifth Level Zombie is equivalent to a human Martial Artist at the Peak of Xuanwu Realm. A stronger one would be on par with a Half-Step King Martial Realm expert. Their power is immense, their Corpse Qi is rampant, and any Martial Artist below the King Martial Realm would find them almost impossible to resist."

A bitter taste filled Zhu Qingqing’s mouth. "But I think I just heard... that he single-handedly held off more than thirty Fifth Level Zombies, and was even about to kill them all?"

"I think... so," Qiu Lingsu replied, her expression a little flustered and her tone somewhat bitter.

Clearly, she couldn’t wrap her head around it either.

Nangong Yan had mentioned Shen Lang’s name countless times to them. In a way, they had come to the Imperial Capital this time with competitive spirits, wanting to see how they measured up against him.

But...

Zhu Qingqing, still unwilling to let it go, pressed, "But Grandma made it very clear that a year ago, his Cultivation was only at the Spirit Martial Realm, right? Even if he advanced from the Spirit Martial Realm to the Xuanwu Realm in a year, it’s still impossible for him to fight Fifth Level Zombies, isn’t it?"

"..." Qiu Lingsu remained silent.

Zhu Qingqing continued, "A year ago, he killed Yuwen Huaji, who was a Half-Step King Martial Realm expert. But he had help from Elder Shark’s Kiss and Master of Chaos when he killed him, so that’s not too surprising. And it’s said that because he couldn’t withstand the Sword Intent of the Demon Blade Technique, all the muscles in his body tore apart. It was a ghastly sight..."

"And a year later, he can single-handedly and easily kill more than thirty Fifth Level Zombies, which are even stronger than Yuwen Huaji?"

Qiu Lingsu’s face flushed as she retorted coldly, "You don’t need to ask me about these things. Won’t we find out when Grandma gets back?"

With that, she flicked her sleeve and stormed off.

"Hey... I... Did I say something wrong again? Why is Sister Lingsu so angry too?" Zhu Qingqing muttered, completely bewildered.

...

「Inside the Twin Towers Hall.」

Shen Lang activated his Silver Eyes of Truth.

The layers of Corpse Qi could no longer obstruct his vision. The scene within the unfathomably deep black hole was finally revealed to him.

There, in the subterranean cavern, a massive black Jade Coffin—three zhang long and one zhang wide—hovered silently in mid-air.

Countless bizarre patterns were inscribed on the surface of the Jade Coffin, shimmering with a dazzling white light.

Countless black and white characters, like fireflies, swirled and flashed around the Jade Coffin.

The interplay of black and white created a strange, almost suffocating sensation.

And just as Shen Lang pushed his Silver Eyes of Truth to their limit, trying to see through the Jade Coffin...

A heavy sound, like a breath drawn from the depths of Hell, emanated from the Jade Coffin.

It felt as if an ancient, monstrous beast was slumbering within it.

Then, the Jade Coffin actually began to float slowly upward.

In an instant, a sinister wind howled, chilling to the bone!

It was as if the gates to a dark and silent hell had opened. A violent, surging black qi billowed out like a fountain, rushing up into the hall and spreading out in all directions.

A bizarre sound, as if from the Primordial Chaos, drifted through the Twin Towers Hall.

The sound was sharp and grating. At first, it sounded like tens of thousands of Demon Fiends and evil spirits shrieking, a chorus of a million wailing souls.

But listening closely, it was also like an Ancient Fierce Beast grinding its teeth, its bloodthirsty eyes wide as it chose its prey.

An incomparably tyrannical pressure, like a mountain crashing down, suddenly bore down on Shen Lang.

The billowing black qi surged madly like a monstrous wave, rolling toward Shen Lang.

’It’s strong!’

Shen Lang held the Immortal Celestial Saber horizontally before his chest, his body forced back at a rapid pace!

"Hmph!"

While retreating, Shen Lang snorted coldly. He swung his long saber, unleashing a blade of light that slashed straight down at the surging black qi!

SHHIIII...

The roiling black qi was instantly split apart by the blade of light, creating an incredibly bizarre scene.

The hearts of everyone who had been watching Shen Lang instantly sank!

The man who hadn’t given a single step while facing more than thirty Fifth Level Zombies was now being forced to retreat continuously.

What kind of terrifying, bizarre power was this?

What in the world was inside that massive black hole?

Just as everyone watched in horror, the massive black Jade Coffin floated completely into view, revealing itself to all...