Strongest War Emperor

Shen Lang picked up the little girl and asked the members of the Shui Family to protect the villagers as they left. Just as he was about to get up...

THUD!

The villagers, who had just walked the line between life and death, suddenly all fell to their knees in worship.

At that moment, Shen Lang’s aura was overwhelming. He was enveloped in the Buddha Light radiating from the Star Moon Bodhi Prayer Beads, his entire body shimmering with golden light. A peaceful Buddha Power naturally spread to cover the entire village, making him look like a god descended to the mortal realm.

In their dazed state, the villagers had actually begun to treat him as a deity.

"Everyone, please rise. I am not worthy of such a grand gesture!"

Shen Lang lifted a single hand, and a gentle force raised all the villagers, preventing them from kneeling any longer.

Under the influence of the Star Moon Bodhi Prayer Beads, Shen Lang had gradually regained his composure, and his Killing Intent had been suppressed.

His gaze swept over the villagers, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes...

Among the hundred or so villagers here, many were dressed as hunters with sturdy builds. But the highest cultivation among them... was only about that of an ordinary Martial Artist at the First or Second Heaven of the Spirit Martial Realm.

For a village so close to the rift, filled with people whose physiques were only slightly stronger than average, it was astonishing that not a single one of them, from the elderly to the young, was affected by the Supreme Yin Qi!

After all, among the pack of Demon Beasts that had besieged the Jifeng Mercenary Corps, there were several that were at the seventh to eighth level.

Shen Lang had dissected a few of those Demon Beasts back then and found that their blood had been corroded by the Supreme Yin Qi. Some of their meridians had even shifted out of place!

If this continued long-term, those Demon Beasts might even transform into unknown, evil creatures...

And yet, not a single one of these villagers showed any abnormalities or anything wrong at all!

It was utterly bizarre!

Just then, a long-bearded old man, supported by two people, walked unsteadily up to Shen Lang.

Though his face was old, his eyes were clear. He sized Shen Lang up and down before speaking slowly, "A youth from an Otherworld, who carries the Blade of Destruction, controls the Wheel of Destiny, grasps Yin Yang Creation, and has traversed the Cosmic Primordial Chaos to descend upon this world..."

"The world is in turmoil, and the single thread of hope for survival is tied to you."

"Evil shrouds the Star Continent, but dreams will guide us through the darkness... straight to the dawn!"

With just a few words, he had revealed most of Shen Lang’s greatest secrets!

Shen Lang was profoundly shaken, a sharp light bursting from his eyes. Shui Qingwu and the members of the Shui Family were even more shocked, finding it all utterly unbelievable.

"Sir, those words of yours..." Shen Lang, his heart still reeling from the shock, couldn’t help but ask.

The old man said, gasping for breath, "Child, go find the Prophet. Everything I just said was told to us by her. She has already escaped to the Cold Pool Cave, dozens of miles away, under the protection of our people."

"Little Crystal’s grandfather has passed. I’ll entrust her to you... We will bury the villagers who died, and then we will leave this place..."

"Little Crystal..." Shen Lang glanced at the little girl in his arms and lovingly wiped the tears from her face.

’Little Crystal in my arms... she really is as pure and transparent as a crystal,’ he thought.

’But for a crystal like this to have to witness such gore, such cruelty...’

Shen Lang nodded and said, "Leave Little Crystal to me. Please rest assured, sir. As long as I’m here, no one will be able to harm her. You should all leave with Qingwu and the others immediately. You can’t delay any longer."

"I will go rescue the Prophet and the other villagers!"

Whether it was the Prophet the old man mentioned or the unfathomable power of the Witchcraft on Little Crystal, now was not the time to investigate.

Saving people and then dealing with the rift’s seal were the most important and urgent matters.

Shen Lang turned to You Yue and said, "The Desolate Land is in chaos right now. The Demon Beasts are bloodthirsty and frenzied, and various factions are taking advantage of the situation. You and Bone Two will protect them as they leave. We’ll meet in the Imperial Capital."

"I understand. My lord, you must be careful as well," You Yue replied respectfully, bowing with perfect grace.

Shen Lang barked, "Bone Two, listen up! You will listen to You Yue in all matters. If you dare cause any trouble... I’ll grind you into bone powder and use you in medicine!"

Bone Two had been thinking that since You Yue’s cultivation wasn’t much higher than his now, maybe he could throw his weight around a little... But hearing Shen Lang’s sharp command, he immediately swallowed the words he was about to say.

"Xiaolang..." Shui Qingwu began, but then hesitated.

Shen Lang paused, slightly surprised. "What is it? Is something else wrong?"

Shui Qingwu opened her mouth, but it took a long moment before she said, "I... I saw Dingdang a few days ago."

Shen Lang was stunned. "Dingdang already went back to the Piaomiao Domain. How could you have seen her? Don’t tell me she came back to the Purple Chu Country? You look so pale... What exactly is going on?"

Shui Qingwu clutched the corners of her clothes, twisting them several times before finally mustering the courage to say, "Dingdang... she didn’t seem to recognize me. It looks like there’s something wrong with her memory. She doesn’t remember any people or events from the past."

"Are you sure it was Dingdang you saw?" Shen Lang’s expression shifted several times as he asked hesitantly.

"It was her. There’s no way I could be mistaken," Shui Qingwu said, nodding firmly.

Shen Lang pondered for a moment, then sighed. "We’ll talk about this later. After I’ve dealt with the situation in the Desolate Land, I’ll come find you at the Shui Family’s estate."

"I’m off!"

Shen Lang recalled Evil Song and the Evil Eye Lord into the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron and, without another word, shot into the sky.

At that moment, a middle-aged man walked up to Shui Qingwu’s side and said softly, "Seeing is truly believing. What an impressive young man. Back then, the Shui Family and several other families caused a huge commotion over sending experts to protect Shen Lang’s family. The old geezers in each family had different opinions and even came to blows... I never expected..."

"In just one year, he’s actually reached such a tyrannical level of power! Slaying a Xuanwu Realm Seventh Heaven powerhouse as easily as butchering a pig or a dog! If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, who would believe it? If those old geezers saw this, I wonder if their eyes would pop out of their heads in shock."

"Ah, Qingwu, your father’s choice was the right one. The eldest brother is still the eldest brother. His foresight is far superior to ours. He truly deserves his position as Patriarch!"

Before Shui Qingwu could speak, he added with a strange expression, "I hear your relationship with Shen Lang is very good. So good that... is it possible that the Shen Family and our Shui Family could..."

"Third Uncle! What are you talking about?!" Shui Qingwu’s face turned beet red. She pouted and stomped her foot fiercely.

Her third uncle replied awkwardly, trying to brush it off, "Er, I was just saying. Just a random thought. Let’s hurry and handle things here. Shen Lang said something big is about to happen, which explains the uneasy feeling I’ve had. Once we’re done, we’ll leave this place immediately. Leave the Desolate Land!"

Blushing, Shui Qingwu cast a reluctant glance in the direction Shen Lang had disappeared. Her lips parted slightly, and she gave a small, private nod.

...

「Outside the Cold Pool Cave, about forty miles from the canyon.」

A group of more than fifty people stood guard before the cave entrance. Some of them were brandishing their Spiritual Artifacts, relentlessly bombarding the barrier sealing the mouth of the cave.

The barrier at the cave’s entrance rippled like the surface of water, with one wave after another spreading across it from the continuous impacts.

The energy of the barrier was rapidly fading, already showing signs of instability. It looked as if it could shatter at any moment.

People from many other factions watched from a distance, not daring to approach. Among them were the members of the Jifeng Mercenary Corps who had been rescued by Tian Mou.

Although these onlookers were numerous, not a single faction dared to get close, seemingly terrified of this group of fifty-plus people!

It was no wonder so many factions were afraid to approach.

The people guarding the cave were Demon Martial Artists from the White Bone Hall of the Celestial Defying Demon Realm.

The White Bone Hall was one of the two Spirit Copper Level influences in the Celestial Defying Demon Realm!

Killing Intent radiated from these people. Every one of them looked ferocious and malevolent, their bodies exuding a formidable Evil Qi.

Moreover, more than half of the fifty-plus people were Xuanwu Realm powerhouses. Ordinary factions truly didn’t dare to provoke them.

"Too slow! After all this time, you still haven’t broken the barrier? Isn’t this embarrassing? Get a new group on it! Concentrate your power and shatter this barrier for me!"

A young man in a white robe stepped out from the crowd and berated them with extreme dissatisfaction.

"Young Hall Master, please be careful. The woman inside is one of the Feather Wood Race People. They possess strange and unpredictable abilities. You should stand back and leave this to us. Otherwise, we won’t be able to answer to the Hall Master."

The one who spoke was a woman in blood-red armor. She appeared to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with a slender and graceful figure.

However, anyone with even a slight understanding of the White Bone Hall from the Celestial Defying Demon Realm, or anyone who knew her, knew better than to judge a book by its cover and see her as just a delectable beauty.

In truth, she was a beast wrapped in the skin of a beautiful woman.

A beast who bathed daily in bloody carnage, one who would devour a person without even leaving the bones behind...

Shangguan Yunmeng, the youngest Grand Commander of the White Bone Hall.

At twenty-seven, she had already reached Xuanwu Realm Seventh Heaven, a testament to her unparalleled talent.

She had grown stronger through constant slaughter, becoming a name that made Xuanwu Realm powerhouses from all factions turn pale with fear.

Since joining the White Bone Hall, she had fought hundreds of battles, large and small, both within the hall and against outside enemies, and had remained virtually undefeated.

Legend had it that every time she killed an enemy, she would absorb their blood into her armor. Through this process, the armor’s defense grew stronger, its color became more vibrant, and it grew ever more terrifying.

If the Young Hall Master, Helian Qingshan, hadn’t noticed something strange about those villagers and sensed the presence of the Feather Wood Race People, she would not have appeared here.

"Alright, Yun Meng. Don’t build up their reputation at the expense of our own. The Feather Wood Race may be strange, but what kind of trouble can one mere woman possibly cause?"

Helian Qingshan waved his hand dismissively. "I only came out this time to relax a little. I didn’t expect to make such a find. This trip was well worth it, truly well worth it!"

"Young Hall Master, do you believe the reason those villagers were unaffected by the Supreme Yin Qi is because of that woman from the Feather Wood Race? Are the Feather Wood Race, a species of tree-people, really that powerful?" Shangguan Yunmeng asked, her gaze cold.