Strongest War Emperor

Inside a quaint and elegant room, several pots of priceless Ningshen Grass released a peculiar fragrance.

Shen Lang sat alone in a chair, lost in thought.

Nalan Ziyun gently entered, holding Little Crystal’s hand.

Little Crystal widened her crystal-pure eyes, walked up to Shen Lang, and patted his cheek. "Big Brother, you have to be happy!"

A smile broke across Shen Lang’s face as he scooped Little Crystal into his arms. "Don’t worry, Little Crystal. Big Brother is fine."

Nalan Ziyun hesitated, looking like she wanted to say something. After a moment, she said, "I’ll go find Dingdang and try to explain..."

With that, Nalan Ziyun started to turn away.

Shen Lang looked up, his gaze as brilliant as the stars. "Explain what?" he asked calmly. "And how?"

"So you’re just going to let her misunderstand you? Besides, how can we let her spend all her time with those Demonic Cultivators?" Nalan Ziyun said after a moment’s hesitation.

Shen Lang shook his head. "All her memories have been sealed, perhaps even erased. Under these circumstances, whether she misunderstands or not is irrelevant."

"The priority now is figuring out how to get her out of their clutches."

"However, as bad as things are, they aren’t as bad as they could be. At least for now, Dingdang doesn’t seem to be in any mortal danger... Let me think. This is giving me a headache."

Hearing Shen Lang say this, Nalan Ziyun swallowed all the words she had been about to speak.

If even Shen Lang was at a loss, her getting involved would only make things worse.

Just then, Shen Lang’s gaze shifted. He looked up and said, "Could you ask Flower Soul to come in?"

"Alright!" Nalan Ziyun turned and left the room.

A moment later, Flower Soul followed her back inside.

"My Lord, you sent for me?" Flower Soul asked with a graceful curtsy.

Shen Lang gestured for her to rise. "There’s no need for formalities. Please, have a seat."

"There’s something I need Night Soul’s help with."

After taking a seat, Flower Soul replied respectfully, "Night Soul is a force under your command, My Lord. Whatever you need, you have only to give the order. Please do not use the word ’help’ again."

Shen Lang gave a wry smile. "Night Soul’s agents are spread throughout the Western Wilderness. It’s the strongest intelligence network Xian’Er ever built. I want you to find someone for me."

"And who might that be?" Flower Soul asked, her expression growing serious.

"His nickname is the ’Master of All Things.’ He looks to be in his sixties or seventies and mingles with the common folk and underbelly of Celestial Palace City. I had a brief encounter with him there, but I can’t be sure if he’s still in the city."

"Send your people to Celestial Palace City and look for him. If you find him, you must bring him here..."

"Don’t use force. If he’s unwilling to come, don’t press him... If he refuses, then just ask him to divine Dingdang’s fate for me. The sooner, the better."

Flower Soul was taken aback by his words.

’Knowing the past and seeing the future’ was a common trick used by swindlers to fool the common folk.

’The secrets of heaven are unfathomable. Who besides the legendary Witch Race truly possessed such Divine Techniques?’

’And the man Shen Lang is looking for is nicknamed ’Master of All Things’—isn’t such a terribly tacky name basically synonymous with ’swindler’?’

Although Flower Soul had her doubts, she kept them to herself.

Though they had only known each other a short time, what Shen Lang had accomplished recently had already left her deeply shocked and filled with admiration.

"As you command, My Lord. I will do everything in my power to see this done. Please rest assured."

Shen Lang nodded. "Good. I have faith in your work."

After Flower Soul had left, Shen Lang’s gaze fell upon Little Crystal once more.

He saw the exquisite, doll-like child staring at him with wide eyes, not even blinking.

"Little Crystal, Big Brother has a few questions for you. Is that okay?" Shen Lang couldn’t help but ask after a moment of hesitation.

Little Crystal’s eyes widened as she nodded. "Mhm!"

Shen Lang held Little Crystal and sat her on his lap. "Can you tell Big Brother," he began softly, "when did you leave the Witch Race and arrive at that mountain village in the Desolate Land?"

Little Crystal counted on her fingers. "I left the Barbaric Witch Clan Secret Realm eleven years ago. The Grand Elder brought me out."

Standing nearby, Nalan Ziyun’s eyes went wide. "Wait a minute, wait a minute! Little children shouldn’t lie, you know? Little Crystal, you’re only five or six years old. You weren’t even born eleven years ago..."

Little Crystal pouted, looking aggrieved. "Big Sister, I’m not lying! I really did arrive in the Desolate Land eleven years ago."

Nalan Ziyun was speechless and nearly asked Little Crystal how old she really was.

"Don’t be upset, Little Crystal. Big Brother and Big Sister both believe you," Shen Lang said, ruffling her hair.

But it was precisely because Shen Lang believed her that he found the situation all the more bizarre.

Eleven years... The timing was too much of a coincidence.

Eleven years ago was precisely when the War Emperor fell and when he himself had transmigrated.

’Does this mean the Witch Race already knew something back then and sent Little Crystal out because of it?’

’The key question is, for what purpose did they send out such a small child?’

’What could she possibly do?’

’Back in the Desolate Land, I saw a possible future on the Celestial Secret Mirror. I saw the world-shaking power that Burst from Little Crystal in her rage.’

’But from the looks of it, Little Crystal can’t control that power herself.’

’It can only be triggered under specific circumstances.’

’Just what kind of being is Little Crystal, and what is her status within the Witch Race? It’s all a mystery.’

’More than three hundred years ago, the Eternal Tree sent the Feather Wood Race out with its seeds to search for potential rifts.’

’Their methods and purpose were direct: to counter the Supreme Yin Qi from within the rifts.’

’But the actions of the Witch Race are profound and inscrutable. I can’t figure out their true purpose at all.’

’The Prophet of the Feather Wood Race, Yu Lingfeng, arrived at that mountain village in the canyon before Little Crystal did because he was searching for the rift.’

’But why did Little Crystal show up there?’

’Was she there waiting for me, just like Yu Lingfeng?’

’Or does the Witch Race, once nearly driven to extinction, hope to rise again in this chaotic era?’

Thinking about the mysterious Witch Race gave Shen Lang a massive headache.

Shen Lang took out the Celestial Secret Mirror. "Little Crystal, do you recognize this? Do you know what it’s for?"

"Giggle! I know!"

Seeing the Celestial Secret Mirror, Little Crystal acted as if she’d seen a favorite toy and immediately took it from him.

"This is the Celestial Secret Mirror! It’s the greatest treasure of the Witch Race. Legend says a god left it behind when they departed this world!"

Shen Lang’s gaze sharpened. "Which god?"

Little Crystal shook her head. "The Pangu Divine Race... But the Elders say they stopped appearing in the world a million years ago, and then ten thousand years ago, they left this world entirely."

"The Pangu Divine Race from the Pangu Realm?" Shen Lang exclaimed in shock.

The War God Hall naturally had some records regarding the Pangu Realm.

The highest planes of existence above the Three Thousand Great Worlds were the Six Realms: the Celestial Realm, the Demon Realm, the Demon Realm, the Buddha Realm, the Spirit Realm, and the Pangu Realm.

The problem was that in all the War God Hall’s countless years of records, there was no mention of anyone from the Pangu Realm ever visiting this world!

Little Crystal pouted and added, "Yes, the Pangu Divine Race came down themselves. They civilized us and taught us how to wield the great power needed to protect our home..."

Shen Lang was silent, but his mind was reeling. ’So that’s how the mysterious Witch Race came to be? The Pangu Divine Race entered this world countless years ago, enlightened them, and then left ten thousand years ago?’

’The Star Continent may be vast and boundless, but it’s one of the lowest-level planes. There are as many Little Worlds like this as there are grains of sand in the Ganges. Why would the Pangu Race just happen to show up here?’

’All these years, the Pangu Divine Race was hidden in this world, enlightening the masses and allowing the Witch Race to grow so powerful that they incurred the envy and fear of the Ten Thousand Races. Yet even an entity like the War God Hall was completely oblivious!’

’I really know far too little...’

Pushing these thoughts aside, Shen Lang’s gaze fell back upon the Celestial Secret Mirror.

"Little Crystal, can you tell Big Brother what this Celestial Secret Mirror is used for?"

Little Crystal nodded. "This is the supreme Secret Treasure of the Witch Race! It can predict many things related to our people within a certain range! Many years ago, we relied on it to avoid several great disasters..."

Nalan Ziyun was astonished. "It can predict the future? That’s incredible! Can it predict my future?"

Little Crystal shook her head. "It can only predict things about the Witch Race, not other people... Besides, you can’t just ’use’ the Celestial Secret Mirror. It only shows images on its own at specific times and in specific places."

Nalan Ziyun’s shoulders slumped in disappointment. She subconsciously glanced at Shen Lang, her face turning red.

Shen Lang, however, wasn’t disappointed like her. In fact, his eyes grew brighter.

’Even though the Celestial Secret Mirror can only predict events concerning the Witch Race, it radiates out from a single point. With a member of the Witch Race at the center, it effectively predicts events within a certain radius!’

’It’s just like before, when the mirror showed Little Crystal’s power Bursting forth and shattering the Seal on the rift.’

’In the mirror’s vision, I saw everyone from the village, including Shui Qingwu...’

’Even though the event centered on Little Crystal, it involved something as monumental as the Seal on the rift.’

’In that case, as long as I have the Celestial Secret Mirror and Little Crystal is with me, does that mean future events involving me might appear on it?’

’Did the Witch Race go to all this trouble, hiding the Celestial Secret Mirror in the Beast Hide from the North Netherworld Extreme Heaven Sect, just to get it to me as a precaution?’

’The very character for ’witch,’ 巫... a top stroke touching the heavens, a bottom stroke grounding it to the earth, and a vertical line connecting the two, connecting humanity. They are truly a god-like race, able to bridge heaven and earth!’

’But... they’re orchestrating everything from the shadows, and I’m just a pawn in their game. I don’t like this feeling at all.’

’It seems I’ll have to make a trip to the Barbaric Witch Clan Secret Realm when the time is right...’

With that thought, Shen Lang put away the Celestial Secret Mirror. He picked up Little Crystal and handed her to Nalan Ziyun, saying, "Why don’t you take Little Crystal out to play for a bit? I need some time alone to think."

As soon as Nalan Ziyun had left the room, Shen Lang closed his eyes.

He focused his mind inward, and the condition of his body immediately became clear to him.

All his meridians and his Pill Sea were bound by powerful Spiritual Power Chains.

These Spiritual Power Chains crisscrossed in a chaotic mess, locking down every single meridian so tightly that not even a wisp of Spiritual Power could pass through.

It was as if someone had wrapped him again and again in thick chains, then welded the ends shut.

’Damn it... creating a Restriction or an Array is supposed to be an art form... but the one this woman placed on me is so direct and brutish!’