Strongest War Emperor

’No, I was just momentarily stunned by his momentum. Shen Jianfeng is only at the Spirit Martial Realm Fourth Heaven. There’s no way he can clash with me head-on with pure strength alone!’

’The one spear with the Spiral Qi Force in the center is real; the other seven spear-shadows are all illusions!’

Exhaling lightly, Xiao Hongyue formed a sword seal with her left hand and took a step sideways to the left. Her right hand jerked the Star Moon Sword, which let out a BUZZ as she thrust it upward at an angle!

CLANG!

The eight spear-shadows vanished abruptly.

The Star Moon Sword just barely tapped the shaft of the Long Spear, which instantly bent into a U-shape!

Under the impact of the tyrannical force from the Star Moon Sword, the rapidly thrusting Nine-Phased Divine Dragon Spear was redirected and knocked aside!

Then, the Star Moon Sword sprang back, becoming perfectly straight once more!

Xiao Hongyue had to take a quick step back to dissipate the force of the recoil!

The two clashed again, and it was an even match, impossible to tell who had the upper hand!

’This shameless bastard is surprisingly strong. For a guy at the Spirit Martial Realm Fourth Heaven to be able to unleash such immense power!’

Xiao Hongyue didn’t know that Shen Jianfeng had been using a Medicinal Liquid refined from Ice Soul Water Jade for Body Forging for over half a year!

He had gritted his teeth and endured it. Now, among the disciples in the Profound Dao Sect around the Spirit Martial Realm Fourth Heaven, those whose Physical Strength could compare to his could be counted on one hand!

’But if this is all the strength you have, you’re dreaming if you think you can fight me!’

Xiao Hongyue sneered, her strange footwork making her flicker out like a phantom as she sent an upward slash toward Shen Jianfeng’s chin.

"Fiery Fire and Arrogant Sun!"

Following Xiao Hongyue’s soft cry, a massive plume of fire condensed into a blade on her Star Moon Sword. It slashed out like a crescent moon, making the air SIZZLE as it burned!

"Covering Rain, Flipping Clouds, Piercing Clouds, and Splitting Stones!"

Shen Jianfeng unexpectedly refused to back down. He spun, retracted his Long Spear, and swept it out horizontally like a staff!

The attack was as steady as a mountain, as fierce as thunder, and its Qi Force was like the wind. With a loud BANG, it sliced the flame-formed Sword Qi in half!

"Idiot, you fell for it!"

Xiao Hongyue let out a charming laugh. In two steps, she had already closed the distance!

It was said that a longer weapon gave a greater advantage, but a weapon like a Long Spear became difficult to wield once an opponent got into close quarters.

Shen Jianfeng refused to retreat, wanting to embody the "press ever forward" momentum Shen Lang had spoken of. As a result, Xiao Hongyue instantly got right up in his face!

CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG...

Xiao Hongyue was still as a statue one moment and fast as a rabbit the next. She either didn’t attack, or she attacked with Sword Qi as swift as the wind, like a sudden, violent storm!

She struck so relentlessly that Shen Jianfeng couldn’t keep up, forcing him to retreat continuously!

When sheathed, the Star Moon Sword was as calm as an ancient well.

But once drawn, its blade flashed, sometimes shimmering like a river of stars, other times erupting with soaring flames!

Shen Jianfeng had a moment of carelessness and let her get too close. He found himself completely unable to execute his follow-up Spear Skill. His forward-charging momentum was completely broken, and he was forced into a passive defense, retreating continuously toward the edge of the battle stage!

"Kid, your Spear Skill is outstanding and your momentum is incredible, but you’re far too inexperienced. You’re a long way from being able to fight me!"

"I gave you a chance to kneel, but you didn’t take it. Now you want to regret it... but it’s too late!"

As Shen Jianfeng was forced back again and again, Xiao Hongyue gave a wicked laugh. Her short sword made a strange turn, no longer aiming for Shen Jianfeng, but instead plunging straight down into the ground!

"Flame Martial Soul, Celestial Fire Nine Transformations, kill!"

The moment the Star Moon Sword pierced the ground, the stage seemed to be doused in oil before a single spark fell...

Raging flames instantly swept across the entire arena!

The floor of the entire battle stage was engulfed in a blazing inferno!

PFFT! PFFT! PFFT!

Blades of Sword Qi formed from fire erupted from the ground like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, their heat scorching and their edges impossibly sharp!

Shen Jianfeng channeled Spiritual Power to the soles of his feet to resist the flames while rapidly shaking his Long Spear to shatter the Sword Qi erupting from the ground.

Distracted, he was hard-pressed to defend himself and looked increasingly pathetic!

"Celestial Fire Nine Transformations? Xiao Hongyue is actually using Celestial Fire Nine Transformations just to deal with Shen Jianfeng?"

"I can’t believe Xiao Hongyue used ’Celestial Fire Nine Transformations’ so quickly. It looks like she wants a swift victory, to crush Shen Jianfeng with overwhelming force!"

"Poor Shen Jianfeng. He runs into this woman, Xiao Hongyue, in his very first match. He’s barely exchanged a few moves, and now he has to face her ultimate technique..."

"There’s nothing left to see in this match. Even if Shen Jianfeng is holding a Second Grade Profound Artifact, his defeat is certain!"

Seeing Xiao Hongyue’s fierce and domineering assault, sighs broke out from the surrounding crowd.

This move, "Celestial Fire Nine Transformations," was Xiao Hongyue’s strongest killing technique.

Once used in conjunction with her Flame Martial Soul, flames would fill the sky, enveloping the entire battle stage.

Under such circumstances, even a Martial Artist of the same rank as her would be forced to hold back, their Power greatly diminished.

If Shen Jianfeng couldn’t even handle the Celestial Fire Nine Transformations, then all Xiao Hongyue had to do was attack at this opportune moment. Even if he didn’t die, he’d be crippled!

"That idiot! Why hasn’t he summoned his Spirit Beast at a time like this?" In the Profound Dao Sect’s seating area, Shang Xiaoran cursed angrily.

Chu Qingcheng, who had been dozing off, was startled awake. She glanced at the battle stage below, then looked at Shang Xiaoran and said with a grin, "Junior Sister Shang is very concerned about Jianfeng, hmm?"

Shang Xiaoran’s face flushed red. "I... I’m not concerned at all! I was just thinking that he has a Spirit Beast but isn’t using it. Getting beaten so badly is a disgrace to our Profound Dao Sect..."

Chu Qingcheng smiled faintly and said, "It’s not as bad as you think. Jianfeng knows his limits. He’s just trying to stimulate his own potential and sense the spear’s will of the Nine-Phased Divine Dragon Spear. The spear is the king of weapons. Without the momentum to press ever forward, without the decisiveness for a battle to the death, flashy tricks alone will ultimately lead to nothing."

"The fact that he’s doing this shows that he’s taken Xiaolang’s words to heart."

"Even if he truly loses, it will be an honorable defeat."

The people beside them nodded repeatedly as they listened.

Just then, a figure flashed through the air, and Shen Lang suddenly appeared beside the battle stage!

"Shen Lang is here! Look, it’s Shen Lang!"

Someone cried out in surprise. The crowd, which had been quietly watching the duel below, erupted into a frenzy.

"So what if he’s here? Don’t tell me he plans to jump down and help Shen Jianfeng defeat Xiao Hongyue? Don’t be ridiculous!"

"Yeah, the Profound Dao Sect is bound to lose this first match. Maybe this will knock them down a peg!"

"He’s just standing at the edge of the stage, watching Shen Jianfeng get thrashed. It must be painful to watch, hehehe..."

Just as the people around were whispering amongst themselves, Shen Lang suddenly spoke up. "Cousin Jianfeng, weapons like blades, spears, swords, and halberds are merely extensions of your own limbs. But you always treat your spear as an external object. How can you ever merge with it?"

"When the spear moves, you move."

"When you move, the spear moves. To achieve unity between man and spear, besides needing courage and the momentum to press ever forward, you also need to be free and unrestrained, to follow your heart’s desire!"

"With your current Physical Strength and the defense of your Scale Armor, these flames can at most injure you severely. They can’t kill you. You can completely ignore them. Just practice the ’Seventy-Two Dominating Spear Techniques’ from the beginning, just like you do in your normal Cultivation, and you’ll easily be able to severely injure this... uh, beautiful lady."

The people in the surrounding stands were all dumbfounded.

In a great battle, one relied on true Power and years of bitter cultivation. What use was a desperate, last-minute effort?

Shen Lang was actually casually trying to give Shen Jianfeng last-minute pointers on how to deal with Xiao Hongyue?

And he said it would be easy to severely injure Xiao Hongyue, who was at the Spirit Martial Realm Sixth Heaven?

Down below, Xiao Hongyue was even more furious when she heard this. She waved her left hand as if shooing a fly. "Get lost, you egg! Stop your yapping on the sidelines!"

"I’m not leaving. If I leave just because you say so, where would my pride be?" Shen Lang said shamelessly.

The crowd collectively face-faulted. They then saw Shen Lang pull a crooked tree branch from who-knows-where and begin to move it through the air, completely lost in his own world!

"Huh, that doesn’t look like a Staff Technique. Is it a Spear Skill?"

"Damn, even if it is a Spear Skill, there’s no way he can demonstrate it on the spot and teach it to Shen Jianfeng to defeat Xiao Hongyue, right? If Shen Jianfeng can see the Spear Skill, so can Xiao Hongyue. She can plan her moves in advance!"

Under the crowd’s gaze, Shen Lang began to wield the long stick in his hand as if no one else were there.

That wooden stick moved like a Long Spear, emanating a decisive, resolute, and solemnly heroic aura. At the same time, it carried a Slaughter Qi that was forward-charging and all-or-nothing as he slowly began to move!

It was just one man and one wooden stick, yet at that moment, it gave the crowd the feeling of a thousand-strong army charging into battle!

Shen Lang gripped the wooden stick with one hand, lifting and shaking it. Spear-shadows filled the sky, accompanied by a continuous, sharp whistle of Breaking the Sky!

"Seas churn on paths of cloud and water! Continents quake with wind and thunder!"

"Fierce spear-shadows hide a pliant power! Unmatched dominance unleashes the final slaughter!"

Shen Lang continued his solo performance. The wooden stick let out sharp hisses, sometimes moving as fast as a sudden downpour, other times as fierce as a clap of thunder, leaving the people in the surrounding stands completely stupefied.

Was this a duel between Shen Jianfeng and Xiao Hongyue, or a solo performance by Shen Lang?

Seizing the opportunity while Xiao Hongyue was grinding her teeth in frustration, Shen Jianfeng kept his eyes locked on Shen Lang’s movements as he used his Long Spear to part the sea of fire!

Shen Jianfeng gripped the Nine-Phased Divine Dragon Spear with both hands, took a deep breath, and stepped forward. His surging momentum blasted the sea of fire apart to both sides.

"Burst!"

With a soft cry, Shen Jianfeng leaned forward, his entire body shooting out like an arrow from a bow!

Back then, Shen Lang had modified the first star of the Nine-Star Profound Meaning into "Burst," and had later taught it to Shen Jianfeng.

As he executed his Spear Skill, he suddenly activated Burst!

The aura around Shen Jianfeng’s body instantly surged by seven or eight times!

SHHH-SHHH-SHHH!

The Long Spear thrust through the air, and Shen Jianfeng advanced with it, conjuring hundreds of spear-shadows in the air—a terrifying sight!

Immediately after, the hundreds of spear-shadows created by the Long Spear all converged into one, perfectly matching Shen Lang’s Spear Skill in the air!

"Seas churn on paths of cloud and water! Continents quake with wind and thunder!"

At this moment, Shen Jianfeng achieved unity between man and spear. With the force of a thousand thunderbolts, he thrust instantly toward Xiao Hongyue.

This single thrust carried an incomparably sharp Spiral Qi Force, concentrating the might of ten thousand pounds into the very tip of the spear, aimed straight for his enemy’s throat!

His momentum surged forth like a monstrous, stormy wave!

"How is this possible?!"

Seeing Shen Jianfeng transform as if he were a different person—his aura, speed, and strength all surging by seven or eight times—Xiao Hongyue was utterly shocked.

Without a second thought, she swung her sword three times, forming a cross of Flame Sword Qi that blasted outward as she explosively retreated!