Strongest War Emperor

The scar-faced man sensed the Killing Intent in Zhan Wuji’s eyes and his heart leaped. Without a second thought, he flourished his Red Copper Stick and plunged it into the ground with one hand.

”Thunder Skill, Earth Walk!”

BOOM! The green flagstones instantly shattered. Crackling lightning erupted from the Red Copper Stick, immediately splitting into two tendrils on the ground that shot violently toward Su Shi and Zhan Wuji!

”Watch out!”

Su Shi and Zhan Wuji’s eyes narrowed. They retreated rapidly, their longsword and great saber slashing down at the lightning almost simultaneously.

As the two energies collided, the scar-faced man spun. Dust instantly filled the air, and his stout body, completely shrouded, suddenly vanished on the spot.

”Damn it! He knows Earth Escape!” Zhan Wuji snarled, brandishing his great saber.

Su Shi’s expression was grave as he scanned the area. ”To be able to use an Escape Technique to turn invisible at will with only a Spirit Martial Realm Cultivation... it seems the Earth Element Technique he practices is of a high grade.”

”’He claims to focus on a Gold Element Skill, yet he also knows Thunder and Earth Element Techniques. Cultivating so many different elements at the Spirit Martial Realm means he’s either astonishingly talented or a complete fool. It looks like he’s the former. But during the aptitude test, he didn’t seem all that remarkable. It’s rather strange.’”

Zhan Wuji glanced at the brawling crowd around them, the coldness in his eyes deepening. In a gruff voice, he said, ”What now? If that guy gets away, we’ll have big trouble later. He still has three companions. If all four of them team up, we won’t stand much of a chance.”

Su Shi sneered. ”Shang Xiaoran isn’t as weak as you think. She should be able to handle those first few. Otherwise, how could she have made it to the Profound Dao Sect while they were hunting her? As long as she can take care of one or two of them, the others are nothing to fear.”

He paused, his expression turning sour. ”The biggest problem right now isn’t them, but Xiao Tong and Liu Hai. Those two are so arrogant, blocking everyone at the entrance to the Fifth Stage. Do they really think the two of them can take on all several dozen of us?”

As they spoke, they both looked toward the entrance of the Fifth Stage.

There, two young men stood proudly on either side of the entrance. They carried themselves with an air of superiority, their gazes fixed only on each other, completely ignoring the chaotic battle around them.

The coldness in Zhan Wuji’s eyes intensified. ”Damn it. So what if those two want to settle things before entering the Fifth Stage? Let them. But to block the entrance and hold up all sixty-plus of us... do they really think they’re invincible?”

Su Shi glanced back toward the exit of the Fourth Stage. ”Let them have their moment. We’ll wait for Shang Xiaoran to show up. Then the three of us can team up, rally the other experts here, and take those two down together! They’re treating a tiger like a housecat!”

Following their gaze to the entrance of the Fifth Stage of Wooden Man Alley, one could see a person standing on either side.

On the left stood a young man with a high forehead and sword-like brows, clad in a blue robe. A chilling aura emanated from him, daring anyone to approach. This was Xiao Tong, the one Zhang Tianyue favored most among this group.

On the right was a tall and strapping young man with thick brows and large eyes. His fiery red hair was particularly striking, and flames wreathed his body, giving him a formidable presence. This was Xiao Tong’s greatest rival, Liu Hai.

Both men were imposing, with extraordinary temperaments.

One was like glacial ice, a single glance enough to send a chill through one’s bones.

The other was like a blazing sun, radiating scorching, dazzling waves of heat.

They were the kind of people who would command everyone’s attention, the center of all eyes, no matter where they stood.

At this moment, they had eyes only for each other. It was as if the dozens of people brawling nearby didn’t even exist.

Since they intended to settle the score at the entrance to the Fifth Stage, they naturally couldn’t allow anyone to enter before them.

Passing through this Fifth Stage meant exiting Wooden Man Alley.

The first and second place positions were not up for grabs.

”Liu Hai, must we really fight in such a small space?” Xiao Tong said arrogantly. ”Your Fiery Fire Dragon Fist is impressive, but you’ve only cultivated it to the Fourth Floor. My Ice Technique, on the other hand, has already reached the Fifth Floor. You are no match for me.”

Liu Hai scoffed. ”We haven’t even fought. How do you know I’m not your match? I don’t think much of your Xiao Family’s so-called Ice Technique!”

”Is that so?” Xiao Tong’s voice was frigid. ”Since you’re so eager to die, I’d be happy to oblige!” A chilling aura instantly swept across the field.

Sensing the escalating auras of the two, the brawling crowd was shocked. They all stopped fighting and simultaneously rushed back toward the Fourth Stage.

The area was too small. These two had the highest Cultivation here, and their techniques were both pure and extreme. If they were really about to fight, it was best to get far away.

Otherwise, anyone caught in the crossfire wouldn’t even know what killed them.

After the large crowd scrambled away, only Su Shi, Zhan Wuji, and a few other Martial Artists of the Spirit Martial Realm remained in the small plaza.

”Xiao Tong is from the Xiao Family in the southern Purple Chu Country. He’s twenty-four, at the Peak of the Spirit Martial Realm Second Heaven, and practices the Ice Technique. He was born with a Water Attribute Physique. When he unleashes his Ice Technique, he can freeze anything. It’s almost impossible to resist!” someone exclaimed in awe.

”Liu Hai is no slouch either. He’s only twenty-five and has already cultivated Fiery Fire Dragon Fist to the Fourth Floor. He’s been a prodigy since childhood, training beside underground magma from a young age. Not only is his Fiery Fire Dragon Fist incredibly powerful, his physical strength is ferocious. If they fight, I think Liu Hai has a better chance of taking first.”

Just as the two rivals gathered their momentum, and the crowd murmured amongst themselves, high above Wooden Man Alley, the white-robed Zi Lan suddenly said, ”It’s over. Let’s go back.”

”Senior Sister, we’re leaving already? Don’t you want to watch a little longer?” the young woman in a blue dress beside her couldn’t help but ask.

This young woman was Su Rong, the daughter of Su Wenxuan, the Sect Leader of the Profound Dao Sect. Previously, when Su Wenxuan was playing chess with Leng Hui, she had been standing to the side with Mo Ge.

Zi Lan nodded slightly. ”This is the last group. I don’t see him. Perhaps he hasn’t arrived yet.”

Su Rong pouted. ”You and Xiaoge both seem to think so highly of him... It’s strange. I’ve never seen Xiaoge admit defeat to anyone in all these years, but the moment you mention Shen Lang, his expression completely changes. Is that Shen Lang really so incredible?”

”I don’t know how incredible he is, either. Forget me, I’m afraid even Master can’t see through him... You’ll understand in the future. Let’s go.”

”He’s that incredible? No wonder I heard Martial Aunt Leng Hui mention his name to my father. Now I’m really getting curious!”

The two cast a final, casual glance down at Wooden Man Alley, then gracefully departed.

Not long after Zi Lan and Su Rong left, Shen Lang squeezed out of the crowd from the Fourth Stage, carrying a wooden man’s arm.

”Damn, why is everyone crowded here? Turns out you’re watching a show! What’s so good? Let me see too!” Shen Lang said gleefully.

The moment he spoke, all eyes turned to him. The crowd’s expressions immediately became incredibly complex.

How could anyone who hadn’t experienced it know just how brutal Wooden Man Alley was? This final group, originally over three thousand strong, had been whittled down to just over sixty by the time they reached the entrance to the Fifth Stage.

Yet Shen Lang, a guy who was nearly disqualified during the aptitude assessment, had reached the Fifth Stage completely unscathed. How could this not leave people speechless?

”Damn it, that kid actually made it this far. Who knows how many Talismans he burned through... Is his family that rich?”

”If he wasn’t rich, you think he could afford so many Talismans? The comparison is just infuriating. I’ve never heard of someone getting through Wooden Man Alley just by relying on support items like Talismans!”

”It might not be what you think. That veiled woman in green beside him has an extraordinary Cultivation. He probably only got this far by relying on her.”

”Hmph, a good-for-nothing is still a good-for-nothing. Whether he relied on Talismans or that woman’s protection, none of it was his own strength! Do you know how hard it was for us to get here? How many wooden men we fought? How many competitors we had to defeat? And a guy like *that* gets to enter the Profound Dao Sect? It’s so damn frustrating!”

The gazes from the majority of the onlookers toward Shen Lang had turned hostile.

Shen Lang noticed the hostile gazes. He froze for a moment, then shot them a sideways glare, his posture screaming, ’Yeah, I’m the man. What are you gonna do about it?’

The group glared back fiercely, the threat in their eyes obvious.

Even the younger teenagers showed undisguised animosity toward Shen Lang.

Beside him, Shang Xiaoran and Zheng Donghong groaned inwardly. ’Looks like the Fifth Stage is going to be tough.’

’The wooden men were one thing, but these sixty-odd survivors were no pushovers!’

Shang Xiaoran wiped away a cold sweat. ’Looks like everyone here has it out for Shen Lang...’ she thought.

Just then, the auras of the two rivals ahead subsided slightly. Xiao Tong, on the left, suddenly spoke. ”This space is too small for us to go all out. How about this: you and I will each choose a few people from this crowd with similar Cultivation levels. We’ll compete to see who can defeat them in the shortest amount of time. That will decide who gets to be first and second to enter the Fifth Stage. What do you say?”

”Choose people from here?” Liu Hai seemed not to understand.

Xiao Tong smiled. ”That’s right. For example, we each pick two Martial Artists at the Qi Martial Realm Sixth Heaven. If I can heavily injure my target and disable them in one move, while it takes you two moves, you lose. The same goes for me. To ensure fairness, we’ll each pick three people, matching them by Cultivation level.”

”Best two out of three. Do you dare?”

Liu Hai laughed arrogantly. ”Why wouldn’t I dare? We’ll do it your way!”

As they spoke, both turned their gazes toward the crowd of onlookers.

”Bastards!” The crowd’s faces went pale with fright.