Strongest War Emperor

Helian Qingshan felt amazing.

He felt so incredible it was indescribable, so ecstatic that words failed him.

It had been a strange psychological journey.

It started with looking down on his opponent, then discovering his foe was incomparably powerful and impossible to resist, which led to despair and terror...

And now, that opponent had finally died at his hands.

He had died at his hands in a very peculiar way.

The joy of escaping death, of surviving in the face of despair...

And the sense of accomplishment from using such a ruthless and decisive method to kill an enemy who had seemed invincible, all while hundreds of people watched...

All of it caused Helian Qingshan’s heart to swell with pride and elation.

He had accomplished this using only two Third Grade Profound Artifacts. It sounded simple, but it was anything but.

On one hand, his expression and posture of terror had made his opponent believe he was in complete control, lowering his guard.

On the other hand, even though he had been inside the Demon-Trapping Pagoda during the Profound Artifacts’ self-detonation, he was still heavily injured. How many people would have the guts to use such a vicious tactic?

’The cleverness and timing of my plan are second to none!’

’Who can compare to my ruthlessness?’

’This battle is destined to become the most legendary one of my life!’

Helian Qingshan felt every pore in his body open up, overcome with extreme satisfaction.

’The victor is king, the loser is vilified. So what if that kid could slay dozens of Xuanwu Realm powerhouses with a single slash? Didn’t he still die at my hands?’

Standing on the hillside, Helian Qingshan surveyed the surrounding devastation. He looked at his "masterpiece," his wild laughter subsided, leaving only a venomous smile on his lips.

He didn’t believe that the kid in black had any ability to simply vanish under those circumstances.

Talismans like the Invisibility Talisman could only be used for concealing one’s form; they offered no defensive power.

Facing such a powerful shockwave, unless one fled hundreds of feet away, they would be dead or, at best, clinging to life!

And the chances of clinging to life were minuscule!

Right now, whether within his line of sight or the area covered by his Divine Thought, there wasn’t the slightest trace of the kid’s aura...

What else could that mean, other than the fact that his soul had scattered?

The influences watching from the periphery also calmed down, staring at the scene in disbelief.

They had seen their fair share of fighting and killing, but this was the first time they had witnessed something so brutal and unbelievable.

In such a short time, a black-robed youth had appeared out of nowhere and, with just a few slashes, had slain a group of powerhouses from the White Bone Hall, a Spirit Copper Level Demonic Dao Sect.

But before everyone could even finish marveling, the Young Hall Master of the White Bone Hall had actually used such a mutually destructive method to kill his opponent on the spot!

Now, a massive crater scarred the ground. The bodies of the White Bone Hall powerhouses were scattered everywhere—some blown into trees, others plastered against the cliffside, and still more lying dismembered amongst the rocks.

Even the Barrier over the cave entrance that the White Bone Hall had originally intended to open had been blasted apart in the chaos, revealing a huge, dark opening...

Ling Shaoyi watched it all with a complicated expression. After a long moment, he sighed and said, "That kid... even though he wasn’t polite to us, he was, without a doubt, a rare genius and a true powerhouse. To think he would die in a place like this... alas..."

A young mercenary beside him said dismissively, "It’s a shame, but he deserved it. Who told him to be so reckless as to provoke the White Bone Hall? The White Bone Hall is a Demonic Dao Sect that strikes fear into everyone’s hearts! Look over there—even the people from the Imperial Dragon Sect, another Spirit Copper Level influence, don’t dare to engage them. And yet that guy, hehe!"

"Isn’t that the truth!" someone else chimed in. "Being powerful isn’t just about strength; you need worldly wisdom too. He couldn’t even tell what was dangerous, didn’t even investigate his opponent’s background, and just charged in all arrogant and wild. It just goes to show the kid had zero experience. An end like this is only natural."

Hearing the crowd’s discussion, Helian Qingshan became even more smug. ’When I was dominating the Celestial Defying Demon Realm, you were probably still playing in the mud somewhere, you little bastard! You dare fight me? I’ll obliterate your body and soul so you can never be reborn!’

’From now on, let’s see who dares to provoke me!’

Helian Qingshan’s clothes were tattered, his face was filthy, and his mouth was still bleeding, but his spirits were high, and he was basking in his triumph.

As he scanned the area, he watched the reactions of the surrounding influences out of the corner of his eye, absolutely euphoric.

As for the fifty-plus White Bone Hall powerhouses who had died, well, they were dead. To die for him, their Young Hall Master, was a worthy death.

Whether their deaths were worthy or unjust, the Young Hall Master had no time to dwell on them now.

However, just moments after his wild laughter, the smile on Helian Qingshan’s face suddenly froze solid.

In its place was an indescribable terror and panic!

His eyes, wide as if he’d seen a ghost, stared straight ahead. His mouth hung open wide enough to fit an egg.

From within the massive crater, Shen Lang, clad in armor with his arms crossed over his chest, slowly floated up...

He looked coldly at Helian Qingshan, his eyes as calm as before—a calmness that drove Helian Qingshan to the brink of madness!

"Impossible! This is absolutely impossible!"

Helian Qingshan shrieked, his voice distorted by his loss of control.

It was all too bizarre, too unbelievable.

At such a close range, even a Xuanwu Realm Ninth Heaven powerhouse would probably be left half-dead.

Those were offensive Third Grade Profound Artifacts!

If his opponent had been far away and managed to dodge, that would be one thing.

But even he, protected by both the Demon-Trapping Pagoda and his own armor, was barely alive... How could this devil of a kid be completely unscathed?

Not only was he uninjured, but there wasn’t even a speck of dust on him!

Not a single hair was out of place or had fallen!

It made Helian Qingshan want to just fucking die...

It wasn’t that he didn’t understand; it was that the world was changing too fast.

"Young Hall Master, run!"

Shangguan Yunmeng, staggering back from a distance and covered in blood, shouted sharply.

But just as her voice fell, a figure flashed, and Shen Lang had already grabbed Helian Qingshan by the neck and lifted him into the air!

Even at his peak, Helian Qingshan had been like a scarecrow before Shen Lang, utterly powerless to resist.

Now, when he could barely even stand, trying to run was a complete joke!

Shen Lang kicked the Demon-Trapping Pagoda on the ground, sending it flying, then said coldly, "Sorry, but you’re not going anywhere."

SWOOSH!

Having lost Helian Qingshan’s control, the Demon-Trapping Pagoda shot into the sky like an arrow and vanished in the blink of an eye.

"This... This is impossible... Why is this happening?"

Shangguan Yunmeng was completely stunned.

Everything happening before her was beyond the imagination of this beautiful executioner.

Having fought and killed for over a decade in a place like the Celestial Defying Demon Realm, she could never have imagined what she was seeing today.

A group of Xuanwu Realm powerhouses had been like lambs to the slaughter before this strange youth, wiped out completely without even managing a basic attack or defense.

The self-detonation of the Third Grade Profound Artifacts... even she, who had been so far away and had immediately shot into the sky at the first sign of trouble, had her Golden Snake Sword shattered and suffered grievous, hard-to-heal injuries... and yet this kid in black right in front of it all was completely unharmed!

If the opponent were a King Martial Realm powerhouse, all of this would make sense.

But he clearly couldn’t be a King Martial Realm powerhouse!

When he floated out of the crater just now, he had a pair of black wings on his back... King Martial Realm powerhouses don’t need Spiritual Wings!

"I don’t care who you are, let our Young Hall Master go! Otherwise, the White Bone Hall will hunt you to the ends of the earth and never rest until you are dead!"

Fearing for her master’s life, Shangguan Yunmeng didn’t dare to advance, and could only shout threats with a fierce expression.

However, such threats had no effect on Shen Lang...

His expression didn’t change as he stared coldly at Helian Qingshan.

With Shen Lang’s hand around his neck, only now did Helian Qingshan truly understand the terror of the strange youth before him.

As Shen Lang held him by the neck, a tyrannical and peerless stream of Thunder Power surged into his body, forming a series of locking chains that instantly sealed all his meridians and even suppressed his Sea of Consciousness...

The boy clearly didn’t have the cultivation of the Xuanwu Realm Ninth Heaven, yet his methods far surpassed it.

Helian Qingshan felt that the hand gripping his neck was not a human hand, but the indestructible hand of an ancient Divine Demon!

To be caught in such a grip was so hopeless that he couldn’t even muster the will to resist!

Even if he wanted to resist... the hand choked him, making it hard to breathe, and he couldn’t summon a single shred of his power. There was absolutely no chance to fight back.

From thinking he held the other’s life in his hands, to his subordinates being annihilated, to believing he had killed his foe, and finally to falling into his enemy’s grasp himself—it had all happened far, far too quickly.

In that moment, Helian Qingshan fell into complete despair.

He, who had never known the meaning of regret, felt an uncontrollable wave of it wash over him.

’If I had known I’d run into a monster like this, why did I come to the Desolate Land?’

’If I had known coming here meant my death, why did I come to the Purple Chu Country?’

’If I had known this kid was so terrifying, I should have turned and run from the start!’

But now, what was the use of regret?

Helian Qingshan wanted to speak, to beg, to threaten, to live.

But he could do nothing, say nothing.

His strength, his very life force, was constantly fading away...

In his final moments, he saw Shen Lang’s eyes.

They were the most detestable eyes he had ever seen in his life.

Those eyes were as deep as the sea, always so calm—unbearably calm.

But in those calm depths, in the depths of that sea, a terrifying storm was brewing, laced with a faint killing intent.

"All men are born equal. Who dares to place themselves high above? Even if you are stronger than others, you have no right to slaughter them like pigs and dogs." Shen Lang’s voice seemed to come from the depths of Hell, sounding faint and distant to Helian Qingshan’s ears.

"Wicked men may be feared, but Heaven does not fear them. Good men may be bullied, but Heaven does not forsake them!"

"When you slaughter the weak as you please, you should be prepared to be killed yourself. Remember my name. I am Shen Lang."

After saying this, a surge of power shot from the hand gripping Helian Qingshan’s neck!

CRACK!

A crisp snap echoed...

And just like that, the once-unrivaled Helian Qingshan, the Young Hall Master of the White Bone Hall who had once run rampant in the Celestial Defying Demon Realm, was dead.