Strongest War Emperor

Yuan Hong’s cultivation was at the Xuanwu Realm Eighth Heaven, and he was normally a very proud man. For even him to speak like this, it was clear just how formidable that person’s cultivation was.

Moreover, the two men below were not weak, yet that young man had gravely injured each of them with a single palm strike in an instant...

Such a level of cultivation was truly terrifying!

Even if that fellow wasn’t as terrifying as Yuan Hong claimed, he had still easily entered the Hidden Moon Tomb despite so many people trying to stop him, and he had wounded two Xuanwu Realm Fifth Heaven powerhouses...

The disciples entering the Hidden Moon Tomb were mostly at the Spirit Martial Realm or lower. Who among them could possibly contend with him?

Demonic Cultivators are bloodthirsty by nature. If he were to go on a killing spree, how many people inside the Hidden Moon Tomb would be able to escape?

Everyone drew in a sharp breath, frowning and nodding in agreement.

Lord Yuan struck while the iron was hot, adding, "Furthermore, think about it. Demonic Cultivators don’t have the sense of humor to joke around with you. If he says he’s going to kill, he will definitely hunt them down one by one!"

"Besides, other than killing some Ghosts to obtain Ghost Essence, what else inside the Hidden Moon Tomb is worth a demonic cultivator’s attention? If there were any Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures here, they would have been plundered years ago!"

"Can any of you think of another reason for him to enter the Hidden Moon Tomb, aside from slaughtering the weak for sport?"

The crowd exchanged glances. Although something felt off, they couldn’t find a way to refute his words.

A Demon Path powerhouse at the Xuanwu Realm entering the Hidden Moon Tomb posed far too great a threat to the disciples inside.

It was like a wolf entering a sheep pen...

Lord Yuan let out a long sigh. "Many of you represent forces subordinate to my Imperial Dragon Sect, but I don’t wish to use my position to coerce you. The choice is yours. I have said my piece."

As the crowd hesitated, he added, "When the time comes, if all your disciples are wiped out, don’t come crying to the Imperial Dragon Sect for help. I won’t have the time for you!"

With that, he turned and flew back to the Imperial Dragon Sect’s encampment.

"Lord Yuan is right. The risk is too great. It’s better to be safe than sorry. We should do as he says!" someone shouted out.

"That’s right! The point of having our disciples train here is to make them stronger. If something goes wrong and they all get slaughtered by a Demon Martial Artist, how the hell can you call that training? That’s just sending them to their deaths!"

A chorus of voices agreeing with Lord Yuan rose up.

Before long, everyone was nodding in agreement.

Representatives from the various factions immediately began entering the tomb to recall their people.

Meanwhile, Yuan Hong stood on the hillside and secretly wiped away a bead of sweat. ’Damn it... I was racking my brain for a solution, and then this kid just pops out of nowhere and solves the problem for me.’

’His appearance is just too coincidental. And those black wings... I feel like I’ve heard about something like that somewhere before.’

’And that saber... why does it feel so familiar? What is it...?’

’But I’ve never heard of any Sect with a disciple so young yet so powerful...’

With this thought, Yuan Hong waved his hand and commanded, "Zhou Qi and I will remain here to hold the fort. Everyone else, enter the Hidden Moon Tomb and recall everyone inside!"

...

While the commotion unfolded outside, Shen Lang had already entered the Hidden Moon Tomb and was flying swiftly down a massive corridor.

After the spectacle he had put on, he expected the people from the various factions outside to pursue him shortly.

Therefore, to avoid trouble, he had changed his clothes, concealed his aura, and donned a golden mask.

He was in a wide subterranean passageway, about seven or eight meters across. Small pieces of Moonlight Stone were embedded in the walls on both sides. Though not especially bright, their light was sufficient to clearly illuminate the entire corridor.

The floor and walls of the long corridor were paved with large, perfectly fitted square blocks of azure stone.

As Shen Lang flew by, he reached out his right hand and pried a block loose from the wall.

He squeezed it lightly in his palm, and his expression flickered. With the current strength of his physical body, the stone surprisingly didn’t shatter into dust!

Judging by its hardness alone, this azure stone was only a fraction less durable than Profound Iron!

Profound Iron was an exceedingly rare material.

Yet the Hidden Moon Tomb was enormous. If the entire tomb was constructed from this material, the scale of the project would be unimaginable.

Shen Lang increased the force in his right palm, and with a CRACK, crushed the azure stone to powder.

He then slowed his pace, opened his palm, and began to carefully examine the stone fragments.

’Fire Demon Stone? It’s not that strange for Fire Demon Stone, which is only found in the Northern Wilderness, to appear here in the Western Wilderness. But even in the Northern Wilderness, Fire Demon Stone isn’t produced in large quantities. Yet someone used it to build a tomb as grand as a palace... The master of this tomb must have been extraordinary!’

Shen Lang’s heart shook. He blew on his palm, scattering the fragments.

’Based on the age of the stone, I’d estimate this tomb was built around ten thousand years ago... How is it that the War God Hall has no records of this tomb, or even of the Desolate Land?’

He had discovered when the tomb was built and that its primary construction material was Fire Demon Stone from the Northern Wilderness...

Shen Lang’s heart sank, and he grew even more cautious.

The ground and stone walls were damp, and a stench of decay filled the air.

Wisps of mist drifted through the corridor, appearing eerie and ghostly under the glow of the Moonlight Stones.

After an unknown number of turns, the path suddenly opened up, and a grand hall with an ornate, double-eaved roof appeared before Shen Lang.

As far as the eye could see, the hall was towering and its pavilions lofty. Densely packed, upturned eaves and bracket sets supported the roof, its carved beams and painted rafters lending it an air of solemn dignity.

Shen Lang slowly stepped into the great hall. He saw six corridors branching out from it, leading into the distance.

His gaze lingered on the hall for only a moment before he entered the centermost passage without hesitation.

The massive Hidden Moon Tomb was indeed like a palace complex, its passages leading in all directions. One hall connected to the next, forming a veritable labyrinth.

What made it treacherous was that each hall was nearly identical to the last!

An ordinary person would quickly become disoriented and utterly lost wandering in such a place.

Shen Lang flew forward at full speed for half an hour before entering another great hall, where he finally saw his first sign of life.

Inside the great hall was a team of people, chatting and laughing as they discussed the events within the Hidden Moon Tomb.

The group consisted of more than twenty people, all wearing uniform attire, indicating they belonged to the same faction.

Hearing footsteps, they all turned to look at Shen Lang with a hint of surprise.

"Well now, look what we have here—a skilled and daring lone traveler! Might I ask which faction you belong to?"

A handsome young man in Chain Armor stood up from the crowd.

He had a distinguished air about him and carried a pale blue Longsword. His arrogant demeanor suggested he was the leader of the group.

"Oh, and with such a strange mask, too. Are you trying to scare away the Ghosts with that thing?"

The moment he finished speaking, the group sitting on the floor erupted in derisive laughter.

While the Hidden Moon Tomb wasn’t exactly a dragon’s den, it was still teeming with ghosts and demons. Anyone who dared to venture inside alone was either a true expert or a complete fool.

But truly powerful experts, like Xuanwu Realm powerhouses, wouldn’t just stroll into a place like this for no reason.

There was nothing of value for them to gain here.

So, everyone simply took Shen Lang for a fool.

Shen Lang’s gaze swept over them, pausing briefly on the young man who had spoken. He lowered his voice and said, "I belong to no sect. I simply heard the Hidden Moon Tomb was open and came to take a look."

"No sect?" The young man sneered. "No sect, and you hide your face? You’re definitely up to no good! Get lost, or don’t blame the Yin Family for being discourteous!"

"The Yin Family? From the Imperial Capital?" Shen Lang chuckled. "What a coincidence. I know your Yin Family’s Yin Kuang."

The young man’s expression soured. "Yin Kuang is the Patriarch’s son and is reasonably well-known in the Imperial Capital. It’s not surprising you know his name. I’ll say it again: leave now, or I won’t be so polite!"

The more the man threatened him, the less inclined Shen Lang was to leave.

He took a few steps forward and smiled. "All the halls in this ghostly place look identical, like a maze. I’ve been wandering around for ages and have completely lost my bearings. How about I tag along with you all?"

"Don’t worry, my cultivation is only at the Spirit Martial Realm Second Heaven. You have several people at the Spirit Martial Realm Fifth Heaven. I wouldn’t dare try anything."

Just then, a young woman who had been resting on the floor stood up.

She turned to the young man leading the group and said, "It must be very difficult for this older man to be here all by himself. Let’s let him join our group."

Shen Lang’s voice was hoarse and world-weary, and with the mask, many people there mistook him for an older man.

TSK! A flamboyantly dressed woman on the other side scoffed, "Lianxing, do you have any idea what you’re saying?"

"You want to let some shady character of unknown origin, who won’t even show his face, travel with us?"

"Can you guarantee he’s not from the Demon Dao?"

"Can you guarantee he isn’t one of this tomb’s Ghosts in disguise?"

"If someone like that is with us, how can we possibly feel safe?"

Once the woman started talking, the words came out like machine-gun fire, one after another.

When she finally paused for breath, the others around her chimed in with their agreement.

Almost no one stood on Yin Lianxing’s side.

Shen Lang’s gaze swept over Yin Lianxing. She looked to be about seventeen or eighteen, with a gentle and charming demeanor that evoked sympathy. Caught in the crossfire of accusations, tears welled up in her eyes.

She glanced up at Shen Lang apologetically before lowering her head and falling silent.

Shen Lang was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Didn’t people from many factions enter the Hidden Moon Tomb? Why haven’t I encountered anyone else on my way here?"

He directed his question to Yin Lianxing, completely ignoring everyone else, which made the other Yin Family members grind their teeth in frustration.

Seeing Shen Lang’s steady gaze on her, Yin Lianxing blushed and said softly, "I heard that someone discovered a Mist Orchid at the Twin Towers Hall, so all the other factions went that way. We were about to head there ourselves..."

"Yin Lianxing!" the young leader, Yin Zhen, roared in anger. "Do you even acknowledge me?"

"I’m the one in charge here!"

Yin Lianxing shot Yin Zhen a defiant glance, but her traitorous tears began to fall.

Through his Silver Eyes of Truth, Shen Lang saw that Yin Zhen’s eyes were filled with Death Qi, and a black aura swirled around his body. He couldn’t help but sneer. "Yin Zhen, is it? If you had spoken to me nicely from the start, I might not have insisted on following you."

"But seeing this arrogant attitude of yours, I’ve decided I will be following you. Now, lead the way! Otherwise, I’ll kill you first!"