Strongest War Emperor

The four people outside the rift sized up Shen Lang for a moment. One of them, a man whose sturdy build could rival Elder Ape’s, rose to his feet.

In a flash, he was standing before Shen Lang.

Nanfeng Yao said respectfully, "Senior Brother Zu Wei, this is Young Master Lang..."

"I’ve long heard of your great name... Zu Wei of the Imperial Dragon Sect!"

Zu Wei cupped his hands in a fist-and-palm salute toward Shen Lang. His tone was neither servile nor overbearing, and his eyes held none of the reverence Nanfeng Yao showed Shen Lang.

The contents of the secret talks between the Three Sect Ancestors and Shen Lang were unknown to outsiders.

All most people knew was that Shen Lang had clashed with Yuwen Huaji of the Imperial Dragon Sect, ultimately slaying him with the "Demon Blade Technique" and shocking everyone.

In this day and age, geniuses were constantly emerging.

Although Shen Lang’s public achievements were dazzling, they weren’t so incredible as to make a King Martial Realm Fifth Heaven powerhouse act submissively before him.

This was especially true since Shen Lang had used the famous "Demon Blade Technique" of the Celestial Purity Sect. Furthermore, when he used it to kill Yuwen Huaji, he had the backing of Elder Ancestor Shark’s Kiss of the Li Hen Sect and Master of Chaos of the Ruyi Buddha Sect.

In the eyes of Zu Wei and the others, while Shen Lang was indeed formidable, this formidability was only relative to his peers.

He, at the Spirit Martial Realm, had cut down Yuwen Huaji, a Xuanwu Realm Ninth Heaven cultivator, with a single strike.

A battle record like that was certainly something to be proud of.

But strictly speaking, it didn’t amount to much.

The "Demon Blade Technique" was a Sword Skill from the Dark Gold Level Sect, the Celestial Purity Sect. Within the Celestial Purity Sect, there were probably a great many disciples who, after cultivating this Sword Skill, could slay Yuwen Huaji despite having a much lower cultivation.

In other words, if any other young person were to practice a Sword Skill as powerful as the "Demon Blade Technique," killing Yuwen Huaji wouldn’t be too difficult for them either.

The reason the Three Sect Ancestors valued him and took such good care of him was, to a large extent, because he had obtained the Star Moon Bodhi Prayer Beads from the Ruyi Buddha Sect and also had a special relationship with the Xue Family.

Therefore, although Zu Wei had heard things about Shen Lang from the elders in his sect, the pride of a King Martial Realm Fifth Heaven powerhouse left him with no great fondness for the young man.

In the eyes of Zu Wei and his companions, Shen Lang was like a Second Lord from some powerful Sect Noble Family.

He might be talented, but the attention and respect he received were due to his background, not his own strength.

If Shen Lang hadn’t previously sent Yuan Bupu to inform them about the zombies in the Hidden Moon Tomb, he wouldn’t have even bothered to greet him so politely.

Given Shen Lang’s cultivation and seniority, for a King Martial Realm Fifth Heaven powerhouse like him to stand here and speak to Shen Lang this way was already being exceedingly polite.

Shen Lang paid his attitude no mind and nodded. "You’re too kind, Senior... By the way, this rift is no small matter. Why are there only a few King Martial Realm powerhouses here?"

The moment he said this, Zu Wei’s expression couldn’t help but change!

He shot Shen Lang a look of extreme displeasure.

’Only a few?’

’Does he think King Martial Realm powerhouses are as common as cabbage?’

’Even if the Imperial Dragon Sect is powerful and has many King Martial Realm experts, we can’t just dispatch a huge number of them to stand guard here, can we?’

’To put it bluntly, if this rift hadn’t appeared on the outskirts of the Imperial Dragon Sect’s territory, what the hell would it have to do with us?’

’If this thing affects the whole world, then it’s everyone’s business. Every sect has a responsibility to participate. Don’t tell me you actually expect the Imperial Dragon Sect to mobilize its full strength just to guard this place?’

’What a joke!’

’Besides, in what capacity did you, Shen Lang, come here?’

’With your cultivation and seniority, what right do you have to criticize everything here?’

Nanfeng Yao, who stood to the side, knew Zu Wei’s temper well. The moment he saw his expression, he knew this was bad.

Nanfeng Yao quickly said, "Young Master Lang, please don’t misunderstand. The Imperial Dragon Sect knows far more about the potential effects of this rift, as well as the matter of the Blood Ancestor Tomb, than any other sect."

"There’s no way we would stand by and do nothing about this rift. It’s just that multiple rifts have already appeared within the Purple Chu Country, and demons and monsters are running rampant everywhere. We are still adjusting our manpower to make proper arrangements."

"During the upcoming Grand Tournament in the Imperial Capital, we, along with the Li Hen Sect and the Flower Sect, will preside over a conference to have all the major powers in the Purple Chu Country contribute personnel and resources to deal with this matter together."

"At that time, every Profound Iron Level Influence will have one or two King Martial Realm powerhouses participate in sealing the rifts, and they will also dispatch a certain number of disciples to be stationed around them to ensure nothing goes wrong."

Shen Lang nodded and said, "I see. It seems the Shangguan Ancestor and the others have already made arrangements, so there’s no need for me to worry."

"..." Zu Wei’s eyes went wide, the displeasure on his face growing even thicker.

’This kid is really arrogant. Who does he think he is?’

’Does he really think that just because he has some connection to the Ruyi Buddha Sect and the Xue Family, he can boss the Imperial Dragon Sect around?’

’And what’s this about "the Shangguan Ancestor has already made arrangements, so there’s no need for me to worry"... The Elder Ancestor is polite to you out of respect for the Xue Family and the Ruyi Buddha Sect, not because you’re so incredible yourself!’

’What business is it of yours to be worrying anyway?’

’Do you really think you’re qualified to worry?’

’So young and yet so clueless. How dare he come to a place like this and act like he’s in charge?’

’You’re just a little brat with a piddling amount of cultivation. What are you doing here?’

’What can you even do?’

’Back when the higher-ups dispatched multiple King Martial Realm powerhouses to Celestial Phoenix City to guard it, I was the most opposed to it.’

’By what right or virtue do you or the Shen Family deserve to have our Imperial Dragon Sect send King Martial Realm powerhouses to protect you?’

’Fine, you can come, but to put on such airs, acting like you understand everything and can control the situation... Do you really think you’re some kind of savior?’

’Whatever. He’s a bit of an idiot, but who can argue with his powerful backing?’

’Even Elder Lian is polite to him because of his connections to the Ruyi Buddha Sect and the Xue Family. I shouldn’t cause trouble...’

Although Zu Wei was built like a Vajra, his mind wasn’t slow, and his cultivation was strong. Despite his inner dissatisfaction, he was able to endure it and didn’t let too much show on his face.

However, he couldn’t stop himself from glaring at Nanfeng Yao.

He started to blame Nanfeng Yao for bringing Shen Lang here.

Shen Lang’s eyes were fixed on the rift below, so he didn’t notice Zu Wei’s displeased glare at all, let alone the fact that the man had been muttering away to himself in his head for quite some time.

He looked at the seal outside the rift below and couldn’t help but frown.

The seal below had two layers. The first was within a hundred meters of the rift, enveloping it tightly to suppress the Supreme Yin Qi within.

The second seal covered a five-hundred-meter radius around the rift, an area guarded by numerous powerhouses positioned at various points.

The seal looked as solid as a fortress, but to the eyes of an Array Master like Shen Lang, a single cursory glance revealed numerous flaws.

Moreover, the two layers of protection were separate and unrelated... In terms of the precision and rigor of a Grand Array’s construction, it was far inferior to the array Shen Lang had used against the powerhouses of the Holy Light Sect and the Beast Emperor Palace in the Dark Moon Abyss.

That was because the array on that occasion was an "Array within an Array," where the inner and outer arrays existed independently yet were also interconnected.

Shen Lang couldn’t help but shake his head and say, "The Imperial Dragon Sect only had one Emperor Martial Realm powerhouse set up this seal. It feels a bit rushed and careless. As it is now, if four or more powerhouses at the King Martial Realm Seventh Heaven or higher were to launch a frenzied, coordinated attack from the outside, this defense would only last for three hours!"

"And if you factor in the assault from the Supreme Yin Qi within, that time would be shortened considerably."

Zu Wei and the few Imperial Dragon Sect powerhouses below were completely dumbfounded!

What a joke! This guy was actually telling them to their faces that the seal set up by their Elder Ancestor was no good?

They had never seen or heard of someone so arrogant!

Zu Wei nearly cursed out loud. Suppressing his dissatisfaction, he said in a rough voice, "Little brother, I am deeply grateful that you brought Brother Yuan here to help. However, the Imperial Dragon Sect will handle the matter of this rift. There is no need for you to trouble yourself."

"We have a lot on our hands. We can talk more once we’re back in the Imperial Capital. The Desolate Land is very unsafe, so please leave as soon as possible."

With that, he turned to fly down, not wanting to say another word to Shen Lang.

Shen Lang was slightly taken aback. "I... I came to see this rift and to see if I could be of any help. Could you please open the seal for me, Senior? I want to go to the edge of the rift to inspect it."

’How can this guy be so clueless?’ Zu Wei was furious, and the expressions of the three men below also turned very ugly.

’What is this place?’

’This is an Earth Rift from which Supreme Yin Qi is gushing out!’

’What’s your cultivation level, huh? You’re here to help suppress the rift?’

’Do you think you’re an Emperor Martial Realm powerhouse?’

’Forget you—even this Desolate Domain Demon Ape behind you, at the King Martial Realm Second Heaven, isn’t qualified to participate in the sealing!’

’Being arrogant is your own business, but coming out here to make a fool of yourself is just wrong!’

At this thought, Zu Wei could no longer hold back. He sneered, "The seal can’t completely suppress the Supreme Yin Qi, so the energy inside is surging and extremely dangerous. With your current cultivation and strength, how could you possibly enter? Besides, even if we let you in, what could you do? Have us split our focus to protect you while you go sightseeing?"

"Little brother, you have a long, long road ahead of you. There are many life experiences you need to go through and learn from. Even if I explained, you might not understand... Our work here is extremely important. If there’s nothing special, please stop hindering us. Please!"

As he spoke, Zu Wei gave a slight nod to Nanfeng Yao, then made a "please leave" gesture.

Shen Lang fell silent...

Given that Yuan Bupu had already shown these people the token from Shangguan Feiyue, he truly hadn’t expected the powerhouses stationed here to have such an attitude.

As Shen Lang’s soul merged more deeply with the War Emperor’s, he often began to view and handle matters from the War Emperor’s perspective.

Although the War Emperor treated his subordinates and ordinary people equally, a certain faint aura of power was an undeniable and hard-to-erase part of being a powerhouse.

It was just that with Shen Lang’s current qualifications and age, in many people’s eyes, even if he had no ill intent and spoke very politely... he would still be seen as incomparably arrogant and utterly insolent.

The key point was, Shen Lang was still thinking about the Hidden Moon Tomb and couldn’t afford any more delays.

He couldn’t be bothered to explain further to Zu Wei and the others either.

Every extra minute they wasted arguing here meant the people at the Hidden Moon Tomb were one step closer to danger!

After a moment of silence, Shen Lang extended his right hand toward the grim-faced Yuan Bupu. "Elder Ape, give me the token."

Taking the token from Yuan Bupu, Shen Lang held it out in front of Zu Wei and said forcefully, "What you think of me is your business. I have neither the obligation nor the time to explain it to you... Now, I command you: open the seal!"

An uproar swept through the entire area!

The people below, who were in the middle of fighting demons, even forgot about the enemies before them as they raised their heads in astonishment!