Strongest War Emperor

’The Celestial Dao is imperfect, yet it always leaves a sliver of hope. To think someone would be so deranged as to devise a scheme to collect so many Beast Souls on the Tala Prairie! Could it be the work of Demonic Cultivators?’

’Forget it. Your spiritual wisdom may not have been high, but I was the one who killed you. I might as well give you a hand!’

Shen Lang rose to his feet, a blade’s glint flashing in his eyes. An unparalleled Sword Intent radiated outward as a faint Giant Blade materialized in the sky and slashed down fiercely at the dense, chain-like black energy above Celestial Pillar Peak!

CHH-CHH-CHH!

A series of soft hisses echoed from the sky as the black energy broke apart and scattered with the wind.

Countless Beast Souls immediately let out a cheer and flew off rapidly in the opposite direction.

A few powerful Beast Souls circled Shen Lang twice, making a bowing gesture, before they too fled.

”...” Shen Lang suddenly felt a lump in his throat.

He had been the one to summon the Nine Heavens Thunder Power to annihilate these Demon Beasts, and their corpses were currently stored in his Sumeru Ring.

He hadn’t expected that only a short while later, he would be helping their Beast Souls escape—and that the Beast Souls would actually know to be grateful!

It was all quite ironic...

’The Sorrow Swamp is in that direction. Since I have to pass that way anyway, I might as well go see what kind of master is orchestrating this Beast Tide to collect Beast Souls!’

’Hmph, what an appetite! To use the entire Tala Prairie as a testing ground and nearly get me killed in the process! I’ll just have to pay you all a little visit!’

Shen Lang was skilled and bold to begin with. Now, with Zuo Wentian, the world’s number one enforcer, as his Protective Talisman, he had no fear of running into any major crisis.

A sharp glint flashed in his eyes. He picked up a piece of wood and sprinted toward the broken bridge like a cheetah.

Just as he was about to reach the edge of the broken bridge, Shen Lang stomped his right foot on the bluestone ground and shot into the sky, launching himself over the chasm in an instant like an arrow loosed from a bow.

WHOOSH!

Shen Lang threw the wooden plank in his hand, then spread his arms as a pair of transparent wings unfurled from his back, allowing him to glide toward the opposite cliff.

Just as he neared the other side and began to descend, the wooden plank also fell from the sky.

Shen Lang lightly tapped his feet on the plank, launching himself into the air once more and landing effortlessly on the ground.

THUMP-THUMP-THUMP!

With a few more sprints, he spread his arms and soared down from Qixia Mountain like a great bird...

The luminous wings on Shen Lang’s back flapped as he continuously leaped into the air, glided downward, and occasionally ran for a few steps amidst the rubble, dodging and jumping.

As he scanned the area with his Silver Eyes of Truth, he saw countless chains of black energy stretching across the sky from all corners of the Tala Prairie, converging in the distance.

Entangled in these chains were innumerable Beast Souls, each one twisting and struggling frantically.

’This is insane!’ Shen Lang grew increasingly certain that someone had deliberately triggered the Beast Tide.

After triggering the Beast Tide, the culprit likely released a drug among the hordes of Demon Beasts to drive them into a frenzy. Once maddened, the beasts would slaughter each other, and then a Secret Technique would be used to harvest their Beast Souls in massive numbers.

The prairie, trampled by the Beast Tide, was now empty and in ruins. Like a wolf on the plains, Shen Lang followed the converging black energy and raced onward.

Despite his incredible speed, he made almost no sound.

After following the black energy for some time, Shen Lang came to a stop at the entrance of a canyon.

All the black energy from across the Tala Prairie was converging into this very canyon.

’They really know how to pick a spot. This canyon is so winding and twisted. If not for the black energy leading the way, it would have been quite difficult to find...’

Shen Lang cautiously concealed his aura, slapped an Invisibility Talisman on himself, and crept into the canyon.

The Tala Prairie was known for its unique beauty, with its captivating green mountains and clear waters, but the exterior of this canyon was a stark, blackish-brown, and utterly barren!

And the deeper he went, the more Shen Lang felt a terrifying, dark aura that made his heart pound.

It was as if an ancient fiend or a powerful Demon Beast was lurking within.

It was now evening. The sun was setting, but the canyon was already dark and gloomy, filled with an immense and deeply uncomfortable pressure.

Hugging the cliff wall, Shen Lang carefully made his way inside. The first thing he saw was a colossal statue, tightly bound by nine pitch-black chains.

The statue was thirty zhang tall and stood on a high platform in the middle of the canyon. It had the head of an ox and the body of a man, its eyes slightly open as it gazed up at the Azure Vault.

Surrounding the statue were nine Totem Pillars, each over ten zhang tall. A massive, pitch-black chain extended from each pillar, tightly coiling around the ox-headed statue.

A dark aura emanated from within the statue, only to be repelled by the Magic Talismans plastered all over it.

It seemed those Talismans had completely Sealed the statue.

However, the overwhelmingly powerful will of a Fierce Beast emanated from it, reaching directly into Shen Lang’s mind.

”Release me... Release me!”

The will was sealed under many layers, but even the part that leaked out made Shen Lang’s chest feel incredibly tight, as if someone were repeatedly striking his heart with a Giant Hammer.

’Looks like this is some kind of altar.’

Shen Lang shifted his position, found a protruding rock to hide behind, and then peeked out to continue his observation.

He saw a blood-red circle spinning rapidly above the giant statue’s outstretched left palm.

A black-clothed old man, a pair of luminous wings flapping on his back, flew quickly around the blood-red circle, continuously forming all sorts of profound Seal Techniques.

Down on the platform, four young men in different attire stood motionless, each positioned beneath one of the four Totem Pillars.

’That old devil is a Xuanwu Realm powerhouse!’

Shen Lang was slightly startled. He immediately activated his Silver Eyes of Truth, and the world in his vision turned to black and white.

He saw the countless chains of black energy in the air, laden with Beast Souls, continuously pouring into the small, blood-red circle.

The small, blood-red circle spun rapidly, and from within, roars that sounded like those of Ancient Fierce Beasts could be heard from time to time.

’The Ten Thousand Beasts Circle from the Spirit Copper Level Sect, Divine Dragon Valley? No, that old man’s techniques don’t look like they’re from Divine Dragon Valley. They’re more like the Imperial Dragon Sect’s.’

Shen Lang’s eyes narrowed slightly.

’Divine Dragon Valley is a Spirit Copper Level Influence in Yunfeng Country; it’s unlikely they’d come all the way to Imperial Dragon Sect territory to do something like this. But the two Sects have never had any dealings with each other. How could Divine Dragon Valley’s Exotic Treasure, the ”Ten Thousand Beasts Circle,” end up in the hands of an Imperial Dragon Sect powerhouse?’

The Ten Thousand Beasts Circle was the hallmark of a Divine Dragon Valley expert. It was almost always a Lifebound Secret Artifact. Unless the Divine Dragon Valley Martial Artist died, it was absolutely impossible for the Ten Thousand Beasts Circle to fall into someone else’s hands.

Shen Lang’s gaze shifted down to the platform below, and the corner of his eye twitched.

In the open space in front of the four young men, the Netherworld Wolf King—the very one he had injured before it fled—was prostrating on the ground, as docile as a house pet!

The Netherworld Wolf King had none of its previous domineering presence. It simply stared at the old man and the Ten Thousand Beasts Circle in the sky with a look of worship and terror!

A thought struck Shen Lang. ’Xia Yu once mentioned that they had just entered the Tala Prairie when they were inexplicably attacked by the Netherworld Wolf Pack. And the leader was the Wolf King itself! Their team wasn’t strong enough to warrant the Wolf King’s personal attention...’

’It seems now that this old man was preparing to trigger a Beast Tide here and probably feared that Xia Yu’s group would become an unpredictable factor, so he sent the Netherworld Wolf King with its pack to eliminate them.’

Just then, the Ten Thousand Beasts Circle in the air began to tremble violently, emitting a thunderous roar like a stampede of countless beasts.

”How can this be!” The black-clothed old man was shocked. He waved his hands, sending out two beams of Divine Radiance to support the Ten Thousand Beasts Circle.

However, the Ten Thousand Beasts Circle did not quiet down. Instead, its tremors grew even more intense!

At the same time, the giant statue’s mouth suddenly spewed a cloud of black mist. A frenzied shriek erupted from the mist, which instantly shot out like a bolt of cloth, wrapped around the Ten Thousand Beasts Circle, and tried to drag it into the statue’s mouth!

”How audacious! You dare try to steal something from me!” the black-clothed old man barked. The Divine Radiance in his hands flared, and he pulled back on the Ten Thousand Beasts Circle.

From his hiding spot, a smile touched Shen Lang’s lips. ’This old devil set up an Array to absorb Beast Souls with the Ten Thousand Beasts Circle, then planned to use the will of this sealed Fierce Beast to suppress them. A clever idea, but he didn’t expect the continuous stream of Beast Souls would instead awaken the will of the Fierce Beast inside the statue, making it try to seize the Ten Thousand Beasts Circle for itself. Not only is he at risk of doing all the hard work for someone else, but if the circle is actually stolen, that Fierce Beast’s will might use the chance to break the seal. When that happens, even with his Xuanwu Realm cultivation, he’s going to be in for a world of hurt!’

WOOOO... WOOOO...

In just that short time, the struggle in the air had reached a fever pitch. The black-clothed old man’s Divine Radiance and the black mist from the statue were locked in a tug-of-war, pulling back and forth, perfectly matched in strength!

”You four, act now! Strengthen the Seal!” the black-clothed old man commanded, his expression grim.

”Yes!”

The four men below immediately sprang into action. Each took position at a Totem Pillar and began slapping several talismans onto it with their palms.

It seemed they had been prepared for this all along.

Sure enough, after the four had applied their talismans, the surrounding Totem Pillars erupted in a brilliant light.

CLANG-CLANG-CLANG!

The chains on the Totem Pillars began to vibrate, and terrifying electrical currents crackled along their lengths.

”AHH! Human, this god will not spare you!”

An enraged, desperate roar came from within the statue. The black mist from its mouth immediately retracted a great deal, and the Ten Thousand Beasts Circle began to slowly move back toward the black-clothed old man.

The black-clothed old man snorted coldly. ”Hmph, if your true body were sealed here, would I dare come here to perform my techniques? You’re nothing but a mere Wolf Soul, sealed for ten thousand years and nearly worn away by time, yet you dare call yourself a ’god’? How arrogant!”

As he spoke, he opened his mouth, and a strange, crescent-shaped blade flew out. It spun with a flash of white light, instantly severing the black mist emerging from the statue’s mouth. With a WHOOSH, the Ten Thousand Beasts Circle flew into the black-clothed old man’s hands.

PFFT!

The severed black mist from the statue’s mouth, which had been about to dissipate, suddenly coalesced into a black sphere and, faster than lightning, slammed into the black-clothed old man’s chest.

”Damn it!”

The black-clothed old man hadn’t expected it at all. With no time to dodge, he took the hit dead-on!