Strongest War Emperor

At that moment, Shen Lang unleashed the power of his Celestial Demon Body.

Dense scales covered his entire body, and a demonic aura instantly erupted, chilling the hearts of all who felt it in the night.

He had no choice. Yuwen Huaji was simply too powerful.

The man’s Divine Thought had locked onto him so tightly that it was becoming difficult to breathe.

The Ghost King was already straining just to keep him afloat.

To save his life, he had no choice but to reveal his Celestial Demon Body.

A hundred meters away, Yuwen Huaji’s appearance had completely changed.

His hair was now crimson as fire, his eyebrows had turned red, and flames danced within his eyes.

To pursue Shen Lang, he had shamelessly unleashed his full Cultivation, holding nothing back!

As a master of the Fire Attribute, Yuwen Huaji resembled a Fire God at this moment. Majestic and imposing, raging flames erupted from his body, illuminating all of Celestial Phoenix City!

The overwhelming, ocean-like pressure crushed the people of Celestial Phoenix City, forcing them to bow their heads in worship as if before a deity!

Even after activating his Celestial Demon Power, Shen Lang felt his chest tighten, an unbearable pressure weighing down on him from the terrifying might of a Half-Step King Martial Realm expert.

”The Celestial Demon Body... No wonder you dared to be so arrogant before me. No wonder you repeatedly ruined my plans. I never would have guessed you possessed a Celestial Demon Body!”

A flicker of surprise crossed Yuwen Huaji’s eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a sneer. ”A pity your Celestial Demon Body has only recently awakened. Facing me now is like an ant trying to shake a tree—utterly foolish! Even with the Celestial Demon Body, killing you will be as easy as flipping my hand!”

”Did you really think those people from Evil Wind Valley could stop me? How ridiculous!”

”You reckless brat who doesn’t know life from death! You’ve ruined my plans time and again, but now, let’s see you run! I will rip out your soul and leave you in a state where you can neither live nor die!”

As he spoke, Yuwen Huaji’s aura surged, and a cloud of fire swept toward Shen Lang with the force of a toppling mountain and an overturning sea!

The fiery cloud burned the very air, as if boiling the ocean, threatening to incinerate Shen Lang into nothingness!

”Holy crap, this old bastard talks a lot, but it looks like he actually has the skills to back it up!” Shen Lang said, startled.

Just then...

A majestic beam of Sword Qi descended from the heavens. It solidified, stretching across the sky, and instantly cleaved the raging fire cloud in two!

In that instant, winds surged and clouds gathered as the world’s thunder and lightning made their appearance!

”Old scoundrel, have you no shame, bullying a junior?! If you want a fight, I’ll give you one!” Ling Chen’s furious roar boomed like thunder, rolling through the air.

ROAR!

The cry of a dragon echoed from the distant sky. Immediately after, a massive, hundred-zhang-long Bone Dragon came roaring through the clouds and mist.

Endless streams of energy swirled around the Bone Dragon. Every single bone gleamed, etched with countless runes. A mysterious light flowed within them, shimmering with iridescent colors and releasing an ancient, primordial aura.

Its abyssal, ocean-like pressure made many people in Celestial Phoenix City, especially those near the South City, tremble in fear.

Ling Chen stood atop the dragon’s head, his long hair and green robes fluttering in the wind.

”The Dragon Bone Holy Sword!”

Yuwen Huaji’s eyes narrowed, a hint of apprehension appearing within them.

Ling Chen’s Cultivation was only at the Xuanwu Realm Fifth Heaven, a significant gap from his own, so he hadn’t taken Ling Chen seriously.

However, with the Dragon Bone Holy Sword in Ling Chen’s hands, things became a little trickier.

Yuwen Huaji was well aware that the Dragon Bone Holy Sword was one of the three great Treasures of the Sect from Evil Wind Valley—a Fifth Grade Profound Artifact!

Furthermore, it sealed a wisp of an Ancient Earth Dragon’s Soul, making it incredibly powerful.

Although this Earth Dragon wasn’t a true member of the Dragon Race, it had inherited the Dragon Race’s bloodline, making it far more powerful than an ordinary Demon Beast.

Once activated, it could shatter mountains and make the very heavens change color!

And while Yuwen Huaji’s Heaven-Flipping Seal was a Fourth Grade Profound Artifact, the Artifact Spirit sealed within it was several ranks lower than Ling Chen’s.

’If we really fight, this might take some effort!’ Yuwen Huaji’s expression turned cold. ’Regardless, Shen Lang must die today! No one can stop me!’

At this thought, Yuwen Huaji’s aura intensified. The flames around him slowly receded, only to become even more condensed and solid.

”Since you’re looking for death, don’t blame me for being merciless!”

With a flick of his wrist, Yuwen Huaji produced a large, square-shaped seal.

The seal was perfectly square, over half a chi long, and entirely golden. Its handle was a lifelike Golden Dragon that seemed to be breathing fire.

A large character for ”Heaven” was carved on its face. Even before Yuwen Huaji activated it, the seal was already emitting ten thousand rays of golden light.

Colorful auspicious clouds obscured the heavens, and ten thousand golden rays cast a brilliant rainbow.

It made Yuwen Huaji, standing there in the air holding the Heaven-Flipping Seal, seem as if he held the entire world in his grasp.

Ling Chen didn’t dare to underestimate him. With a slight movement, a pair of wings seemingly forged from countless sharp swords appeared on his back. A gentle flap was all it took to keep him suspended in the air.

The Bone Dragon shrieked, stirring the wind and clouds, and transformed into a simple, ancient longsword that he grasped in his hand.

The two faced each other from a distance, their auras steadily climbing. A great battle was about to begin.

Shen Lang, holding his Celestial Water Blade, hovered in the air, forming a triangle with the other two.

Below them lay the South City Ruins, so at least they didn’t have to worry about harming any innocents.

Facing an old monster like Yuwen Huaji, Shen Lang’s current Cultivation was too low to interfere in their battle.

However, for Shen Lang, who had inherited the War Emperor’s memories and possessed near-demonic intelligence, it would be strange if he didn’t do *something*...

Ling Chen had already shattered most of the pressure Yuwen Huaji had been exerting on Shen Lang, yet Shen Lang didn’t take the opportunity to flee while Ling Chen had him occupied.

He could feel it with perfect clarity: a thread of Yuwen Huaji’s Divine Thought was still locked firmly onto him.

If he dared to make a move, Yuwen Huaji would undoubtedly abandon Ling Chen and unleash his most powerful attack on him!

And Shen Lang wasn’t confident that Ling Chen could keep Yuwen Huaji tied down.

At his current level of Cultivation, if he had to face an attack from Yuwen Huaji, his only options were to hide in the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron or have Zuo Wentian intervene. There was no other way to survive.

But with such a huge commotion, he had surely alerted the other supreme experts he had previously detected in Celestial Phoenix City.

Whether it was Zuo Wentian or the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron, if either were to be discovered, the consequences would be endless.

His Chaos Divine Body and Celestial Demon Body had only just awakened. Compared to a Spirit Martial Realm Martial Artist, their power was absurdly strong, but against a Half-Step King Martial Realm expert like Yuwen Huaji, it seemed they were still far from enough.

So Shen Lang simply stared at Yuwen Huaji with ice-cold eyes, remaining motionless in the air.

’Ling Chen’s Dragon Bone Holy Sword is formidable, but it’s unrealistic to think he can defeat Yuwen Huaji with just that and his own Cultivation.’

Shen Lang watched with a cold detachment, beginning to calculate the countless possibilities of what might happen next.

’Even if Ling Chen has comprehended Sword Intent, he’s still no match for Yuwen Huaji. If the other experts from Evil Wind Valley arrive, they might be able to truly tie him down and let me escape. But those three seem to be at the same level as Ling Chen, Xuanwu Realm Fifth Heaven, yet their actual combat strength is a notch lower. And it’s unlikely they possess Profound Artifacts as powerful as Ling Chen’s Dragon Bone Holy Sword.’

’My original plan was for them to hold Yuwen Huaji off for a while at the Martial Arts Arena. All I needed was a few more minutes to reach Shuangta Temple. Even if the Buddhist Sect masters inside were unwilling to act, they would surely shelter me for a time, helping me escape this deadly crisis.’

’I didn’t expect Yuwen Huaji to arrive so quickly... That expert in Shuangta Temple must know what’s happening here, yet he’s made no move. It seems a bit strange. Based on my knowledge of the Buddhist Sect, since they’ve encountered this, even if they don’t want to get involved, it’s impossible that they’d just let Yuwen Huaji kill me.’

’Could it be that those old monsters have begun to suspect—based on my actions at the Martial Arts Arena—that I’m connected to the celestial phenomenon that drew them here? Is that why they’re observing from the shadows instead of showing themselves?’

In the void, without a word to Shen Lang, Ling Chen’s chest rose and fell gently as he focused all his attention on activating the Dragon Bone Holy Sword.

Dragon roars echoed from within the Dragon Bone Holy Sword, as if the Earth Dragon Soul inside was excited for the coming battle.

Battle Intent flared around Ling Chen, but the slight tremble of his hand betrayed the panic he was trying to hide.

Even having comprehended Sword Intent, and even with a powerful Profound Artifact like the Dragon Bone Holy Sword in his hand, he wasn’t certain he could win against Yuwen Huaji.

He wasn’t even sure how long he could last...

But things had come to this. There was no other choice!

Shen Lang, at the Spirit Martial Realm Second Heaven, had fought Drunken Thousand Cups, who was at the Xuanwu Realm Second Heaven. He, Ling Chen, could not fall behind!

”It’s a little too early to be talking about ’looking for death’,” Ling Chen said, staring coldly at Yuwen Huaji. ”I may not be your match, but killing me won’t be so easy!”

”Lifeless Sword Dao! Kill!”

The moment he finished speaking, an astonishing Sword Qi erupted from his body. His figure flickered, leaving an afterimage as he charged toward Yuwen Huaji at incredible speed!

The light from the Dragon Bone Holy Sword in his hand surged as he slashed down at Yuwen Huaji!

The vast, chilling sword light, the bone-deep icy aura, a killing intent that surged forward like an army of thousands, and an unstoppable momentum... all merged into a single, world-shattering strike!

Facing that heaven-cleaving strike, Yuwen Huaji just sneered. With a slight flutter of the phoenix-like, fiery red wings on his back, he glided diagonally backward more than ten meters.

The Heaven-Flipping Seal in his hand suddenly expanded dozens of times, wreathed in a sky full of flames, and smashed down violently onto the massive sword light!

BOOM! With a deafening roar, Ling Chen’s sharp sword light was effortlessly shattered, dissipating into specks of light in the air!

SHHINNG!

But in the same instant that Yuwen Huaji smashed down with his Heaven-Flipping Seal, a figure suddenly appeared behind him!

The Dragon Bone Holy Sword, carrying a terrifyingly oppressive force and the sharp sound of tearing air, came slashing down in fury!

”Not bad speed.”

Yuwen Huaji sneered, and his body was instantly cleaved in two by the Dragon Bone Holy Sword in Ling Chen’s hand.

However, no blood dripped from the bisected body!

”An afterimage!”

Ling Chen’s expression changed. With a cold snort, he shot forward several meters without a second thought, then abruptly twisted his body. The Dragon Bone Holy Sword carved a vicious and cunning arc as it slashed diagonally behind him.

POOF! The Dragon Bone Holy Sword annihilated a massive fist of fire that had been hurtling toward him from behind.

’Ling Chen’s Cultivation still isn’t enough to fully control the Dragon Bone Holy Sword, nor can he unleash its full power,’ Shen Lang thought, frowning slightly as he watched from the side. ’And the Sword Intent he has comprehended is probably inferior to my own Sword Intent.’

’The gap in speed is too hard to overcome, and the difference in power is just as vast. Forget about forcing Yuwen Huaji to retreat; he probably can’t even tie him down for a short while.’

’Just a little longer. We just need to hold on a little longer.’ Shen Lang’s gaze shifted, sweeping casually toward the Martial Arts Arena.

A silver thread flashed through his eyes and vanished.

In the world seen through his Silver Eyes of Truth, three powerful auras were rapidly approaching from the distance. The three from Evil Wind Valley were about to arrive.

And on the ground below, the Netherworld Wolf King was already approaching the ruins in complete silence...