Strongest War Emperor

Any Martial Artist who wants to break through from the Spirit Martial Realm to the Xuanwu Realm must lay extensive groundwork and make countless preparations.

They must accumulate Spiritual Power in their Pill Sea to a sufficient level and purchase expensive, high-grade Elixir Pills through various channels.

Disciples from Great Noble Families even need powerful, high-cultivation elders to watch over and assist them.

As for condensing an Elements Mansion, the difficulty is on another level entirely. Without Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures like the Water Spirit Pearl, ordinary Martial Artists can only rely on their own comprehension to explore and experiment, and the chances of success are incredibly small.

Ying Huo, one of the Five War Wolf Commanders, was a man of peerless talent and immense cultivation, yet even upon reaching the Xuanwu Realm Seventh Heaven, he had only managed to open two Elements Mansions.

In the end, Shen Lang had to use the Tai Chi Diagram to condense a Water Element Mansion for him, making Qian Luo and the others burn with jealousy.

This shows just how difficult it is to open an Elements Mansion.

However, the power of the Tai Chi Diagram was truly unimaginable. When Shen Lang killed Fu Chen, the Grand Elder of the Holy Light Sect, it had even plundered the man’s Elements Mansion.

It was just like when it had absorbed and refined the Evil Spirits within the Ancient Array in the Sorrow Swamp, even extracting their Talent Abilities.

After the Tai Chi Diagram absorbed the Elements Mansion, it dismantled and reassembled it. Combined with Shen Lang’s own understanding of Elements Mansions, a series of square-shaped Mansions materialized one after another inside the Tai Chi Diagram in almost no time at all!

Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, Wind, Thunder, Ice...

A full eight Elements Mansions!

The elements of the world are divided into four series, comprising twelve main elements.

The Natural Element series: Metal, Wood, Fire, Water, Earth, Ice, Wind, and Thunder.

The Spacetime series: Space and Time.

The Creation series: Yin and Yang.

Shen Lang was currently opening the eight Elements Mansions of the Natural Element series.

As for the Spacetime elements of Time and Space... frankly, throughout history, while some powerhouses have been known to master the Space Rule, none have ever mastered the Time Rule.

It was even more impossible for someone at the Xuanwu Realm to open Elements Mansions of this kind.

How could a mere Xuanwu Realm Martial Artist possibly be qualified to come into contact with unfathomable Rules like Time and Space?

Although Time and Space are elements, they are also part of the Heaven and Earth Rules.

Rules. This was something that even Supreme Powerhouses might not be able to grasp.

Although the War Emperor’s mastery of the Rules far surpassed the other four Great Emperors, this enlightenment was stored in Shen Lang’s mind, and he still needed a great deal of time to comprehend it.

In terms of Martial Arts achievements on the Star Continent, once a cultivator opened all eight Natural Element Mansions, they would be considered to have reached the Xuanwu Realm Great Perfection Realm.

For a Xuanwu Realm powerhouse with eight Elements Mansions, once they broke through the bottleneck of the Xuanwu Realm Ninth Heaven, their future cultivation and achievements would be immeasurable!

Opening even two or three Elements Mansions was already incredibly difficult. For most Martial Artists, reaching the Great Perfection Realm of eight Elements Mansions was practically impossible.

And yet, in just a short time, Shen Lang had already forged all eight Elements Mansions!

Having easily opened the eight Elements Mansions, Shen Lang turned his gaze to a patch of chaos in the space within the Tai Chi Diagram.

As for Time and Space, Shen Lang was not yet presumptuous enough to think he could touch them at his current level.

But as for Yin and Yang...

’Isn’t the Tai Chi Diagram formed from the very energies of Yin and Yang?’

’From Wuji comes Taiji. Taiji is the Primordial Qi, a unified whole from before Heaven and Earth were separated. Taiji moves and generates Yang. When movement reaches its limit, stillness emerges. Stillness generates Yin. When stillness reaches its limit, it returns to movement. One movement, one stillness; each is the root of the other. By separating Yin from Yang, the Two Forms are established. Yang transforms and Yin combines to create Water, Fire, Wood, Metal, and Earth. The Five Elements spread in harmony, and the four seasons run their course. The Five Elements are one Yin and Yang, Yin and Yang are one Taiji, and Taiji is fundamentally Wuji.’

Shen Lang extended his left hand. Inside the Tai Chi Diagram, the refined and pure Supreme Yin Qi slowly condensed into a solid sphere, as black as ink and utterly dreadful to behold.

He extended his right hand, and the power of Supreme Yang and Firmness gathered from all directions, also forming a sphere. This one, however, was radiant and blindingly brilliant.

’Yin and Yang blend, Light and Dark coexist. Solitary Yin does not grow, and a single Yang cannot bear fruit.’

After reciting this in his heart, Shen Lang slowly brought his hands together.

A massive Tai Chi Diagram formed before him. Shen Lang pushed his hands forward, sending the sphere of Supreme Yin from his left hand into the diagram’s black fish and the sphere of Supreme Yang from his right hand into its white fish.

At that moment, a peculiar sensation washed over Shen Lang.

An aura of destruction and an aura of creation simultaneously emanated from the Tai Chi Diagram.

The first form of the Nine Revolutions of Life and Death Mysterious Technique, "Netherworld Demon Tribulation," worked by briefly fusing the energies of Supreme Yin and Supreme Yang to create a world-destroying power.

But in truth, Yin conceals Yang, and when Yin reaches its extreme, Yang emerges. When Yin and Yang unite, they can give birth to life!

Destruction and creation, though two extremes, were not so far apart.

When Yin and Yang were in harmony, they could destroy, but they could also create!

The Tai Chi Diagram began to revolve slowly, and the surrounding energy continuously converged upon it, causing it to grow larger and larger!

Even though he was performing this operation within his own fully controllable Tai Chi Diagram, Shen Lang felt as if he were walking on the edge of destruction.

This Tai Chi Diagram forming inside the greater Tai Chi Diagram was a microcosm of the one within his own body.

In this world within the Tai Chi Diagram, Shen Lang used heaven and earth as his furnace, nature as his craft, and Yin and Yang as his fuel, embarking on an unprecedented experiment!

Time ticked by...

He felt the changes within the Tai Chi Diagram before him. He felt the aura of destruction fade away, sliver by sliver, leaving behind only a serene power of creation...

Joy flared in Shen Lang’s heart, and he thrust his hands apart!

In that instant, the rapidly spinning Tai Chi Diagram’s black and white elements fused, only to immediately fly apart again!

"Yin Element Mansion, form!"

"Yang Element Mansion, form!"

Instantly, the two streams of black and white energy swirled in the air and condensed, each forming a perfectly square Elements Mansion!

Yin and Yang were the highest-level elements.

Yin encompassed all things of a shadow nature in this world, such as Death Qi.

Yang encompassed all energies of a light nature, such as Thunder Power and other forces of Supreme Yang and Firmness.

When Yin and Yang combined, they evolved into the Five Elements!

A Martial Artist might be able to absorb dark-attribute energies like Death Qi or Corpse Qi to grow stronger, but it was impossible for them to absorb multiple types of Supreme Yin energy simultaneously.

It was even more impossible to absorb Death Qi while also absorbing Thunder Power.

That was why no one had ever truly opened a Yin Element Mansion or a Yang Element Mansion.

And it was certainly impossible for anyone to open two such diametrically opposed Elements Mansions at the same time.

But now, Shen Lang held Yin and Yang in his hands, manipulating them with ease!

With this ability alone, he already stood at the very peak of Martial Arts on the Star Continent!

’The union of Yin and Yang, the separation of Yin and Yang, so this is what it feels like... HAHAHAHA!’

The profound and mysterious insights Shen Lang gained in that short time left him feeling utterly exhilarated!

With a single thought, the energy within the Tai Chi Diagram converged on his Pill Sea with even greater frenzy, then surged violently toward the Mystic Gates throughout his limbs and torso!

POP! POP! POP!

It was as if thin membranes were being shattered. The Mystic Gates, already rendered extremely pliable by the infusion of Life Spiritual Liquid, were broken through one after another.

The vast Spiritual Power was an irresistible force, sweeping everything before it!

The moment the final Mystic Gate was breached, an utterly euphoric sensation coursed through Shen Lang’s entire body.

At that very moment, Shen Lang gave a silent command in his heart: ’Condense!’

The Spiritual Power that had surged out immediately reversed course, joining with the energy from the Tai Chi Diagram to converge on his Pill Sea from all sides.

And in that instant, his Pill Sea, which had been as vast and turbulent as a raging ocean, abruptly contracted!

Following Shen Lang’s will, the vast Pill Sea continued to compress and condense!

A glittering golden Mystic Pill finally took shape!

At this moment, Shen Lang, who was sitting cross-legged on the Lotus Platform, suddenly erupted in a brilliant light, his body flickering between bright and dark.

"The boss successfully broke through to the Xuanwu Realm!" Yuan Bupu exclaimed from the side, overjoyed.

To a powerhouse at the King Martial Realm Second Heaven, the Xuanwu Realm was practically nothing.

A breakthrough from the Spirit Martial Realm to the Xuanwu Realm was even less significant.

But Yuan Bupu knew perfectly well just how powerful Shen Lang was.

While still in the Spirit Martial Realm, Shen Lang could fight against King Martial Realm experts and slay powerhouses at the Peak of Xuanwu Realm Ninth Heaven as easily as cutting vegetables. For a monster like him to break through to the Xuanwu Realm was probably more exciting than an ordinary person breaking through to the King Martial Realm!

Not long ago, Shen Lang had been solidly struck by a palm from Xue Dangdang, a King Martial Realm expert. This had happened while he wasn’t wearing his Xingtian Battle Armor and was suffering a backlash from retracting his own power and Sword Intent...

Not only had he survived, but he was back on his feet and full of life shortly after. Where in the world could you find another monster like that?

Seeing Shen Lang advance now, Yuan Bupu was far happier than if he had made a breakthrough himself.

Meanwhile, the onlookers Zu Wei, Nanfeng Yao, and the others were even more dumbfounded. ’After all this time, that kid’s cultivation was only at Spirit Martial Realm Ninth Heaven?’

’But how could a mere Spirit Martial Realm Ninth Heaven Martial Artist dare to so brazenly absorb the Supreme Yin Qi?’

’It’s simply incomprehensible...’

But the light and the aura being released undoubtedly belonged to someone who had just broken through to the Xuanwu Realm, light released from the Mystic Pill within their body.

Just as Zu Wei and the others were thinking this...

POP!

A square, translucent object materialized just above Shen Lang’s head.

It was the external projection of the Water Element Mansion on the edge of Shen Lang’s Mystic Pill.

When a Xuanwu Realm powerhouse successfully opens an Elements Mansion, a projection of it appears around their body for a short time.

"An Elements Mansion? A Water Element Mansion! Holy crap, this kid is insane! He just broke through to the Xuanwu Realm and hasn’t even consolidated his realm, yet he’s already preparing to open an Elements Mansion?" Zu Wei muttered.

Nanfeng Yao, who was beside him, shook his head. "That’s not the insane part. The insane part is that he just broke through to the Xuanwu Realm and immediately opened a Water Element Mansion!"

"Such an unnervingly fast speed... I’ve never heard of such a thing, never!"

Realization dawned on Zu Wei and the others, and their faces paled in shock.

’That’s right!’

Opening an Elements Mansion was an incredibly difficult task. In fact, it was definitely no simpler than breaking through from Spirit Martial Realm Ninth Heaven to the Xuanwu Realm!

It was even more difficult and more complex!

’How could he break through to the Xuanwu Realm and then, just like that, produce a Water Element Mansion?’

’This kid really is a rare monster...’

POP!

While Zu Wei and the others were still reeling with shock, another soft pop sounded, and a Fire Element Mansion appeared!

"A Fire Element Mansion... How is this possible?! The Water Element Mansion appeared less than ten seconds ago..." Zu Wei and the others were utterly stupefied.

’Is he opening Elements Mansions or blowing bubbles?!’

’How can he just pop them out one after another like this?’

POP!

A Thunder Element Mansion, crackling with lightning, materialized.

This time, Zu Wei and his companions were rendered completely speechless. They had no more exclamations left in them.

The group of King Martial Realm powerhouses just stared at Shen Lang as if he were a monster, their eyes wide as saucers, unblinking.

Then came the Wind Element Mansion, the Wood Element Mansion...

All eight Natural Element Mansions appeared one by one, surrounding Shen Lang, radiating brilliant light and surging with energy.