Strongest War Emperor

”Brother, what on earth happened? Why do you look like this?”

Chi Lian’Er suddenly asked, her voice choked with tears.

Her eyes welled up, and specks of light drifted out into the air. She had actually started to cry.

In Chi Lian’Er’s memory, the War Emperor’s cultivation was unparalleled, having long ago reached the peak of this world.

But the Shen Lang sitting before her now was merely in the King Martial Realm...

If not for the War Emperor’s Soul Mark on him, she truly wouldn’t have believed that the Shen Lang before her was the War Emperor of the past.

Xue Shiyin, who was beside them, didn’t speak, but her eyes were fixed on Shen Lang, as if afraid of missing a single word.

Shen Lang felt a bitter taste in his mouth, his mind reeling.

Before undoing the seal on the Divine Sword Celestial Cry, he had no idea there was a Chi Lian’Er inside it.

The War Emperor had deliberately hidden all of this.

This segment of memory was only unsealed after Chi Lian’Er appeared.

Shen Lang had the vague feeling that he’d been played by the War Emperor.

’Played by my own past self, and I can’t even curse anyone out... This feeling is absolutely wretched.’

More importantly, once this memory returned, his previously fragmented recollections of Chi Lian’Er and Chi Zunxin, the founding patriarch of the Profound Dao Sect, finally became coherent.

Many things he hadn’t known or been confused about before were now crystal clear.

But it would have been better if Shen Lang hadn’t remembered...

The moment he recalled the matter of Chi Zunxin’s family, Shen Lang’s good mood was completely ruined!

’That family... every single one of them is a lawless menace!’

’Never mind Chi Lian’Er, with her childish temperament but the body of a Qilin and overwhelming power, she’d destroy a city or annihilate a Sect at the drop of a hat. It was only because of the gentle, compassionate, and amiable War Emperor that she was tolerated. If it were the current me, I would have wiped her out ten times over by now! How could he have let her run wild for so many years?’

’Chi Yanfeng was a bit better—gentle and refined—but his one flaw was his filial piety. Because of it, he followed his father Chi Zunxin’s every word, and the number of experts who fell at his hands was immeasurable.’

’As for Chi Zunxin, he was the element of this memory that infuriated me the most.’

’On the surface, this man called the War Emperor his brother, but behind his back, he harbored ulterior motives, feigned compliance, and was utterly two-faced.’

’The War Emperor had known him for many years and was unwilling to investigate his own brother. He didn’t even know he was a member of the North Netherworld Extreme Heaven Sect!’

’The War Emperor was intelligent and wise, treated others with gentleness and compassion, and handled matters with tact.’

’I, on the other hand, am decisive, hate evil as a mortal enemy, and am swift to kill.’

’If I had encountered a scoundrel like Chi Zunxin, the best-case scenario would have been for us to stay out of each other’s way.’

’The worst-case scenario? Chi Zunxin would have been crippled and subjugated by me, or even killed outright!’

The War Emperor and Shen Lang had very similar personalities, but also major differences.

As the Master of War God Hall, the War Emperor often prioritized the lives of all under heaven, and could even treat a two-faced hypocrite like Chi Zunxin as a friend.

But Shen Lang was different. If Chi Zunxin had met Shen Lang, his fate would have been far more tragic than the Evil Eye Lord’s!

Or, like Duanmu Zheng, he would have had his head taken off!

In terms of personality, Shen Lang was far more domineering and direct than the War Emperor, and his way of dealing with people was much simpler.

So, when this memory surfaced in his mind, it was as if he had swallowed a blowfly, leaving Shen Lang utterly disgusted and in a foul mood.

”Brother, Brother... Hurry and tell Lian’Er what happened!” Chi Lian’Er called out again, seeing Shen Lang in a daze.

By now, Shen Lang had sorted through all the information, connecting all the causes and effects.

Shen Lang glanced coolly at Chi Lian’Er, then at the nervous Xue Shiyin, and sighed softly. ”It was nothing major.”

”A Phoenix’s Nirvana, rebirth from the ashes.”

Shen Lang didn’t say more, but those few words explained everything.

Chi Lian’Er cried even harder, while Xue Shiyin pressed her lips together tightly, as if afraid she would start crying out loud.

”Brother, who did this to you? Take me to them! I’ll kill them!”

Chi Lian’Er was a true spitfire. As she yelled, she began to roll up her sleeves.

”Lian’Er, go back into the sword. Though your physical body was destroyed, your Qilin aura remains and could easily attract the attention of the Demon God Hall. Don’t worry, I already have a way to reconstruct your body. It will just take some time.”

Shen Lang’s expression was grim as he waved his hand dismissively.

Although Chi Lian’Er seemed unruly and domineering, she was completely obedient to Shen Lang’s words.

Though she wanted to say a few more words, upon hearing his command, she didn’t hesitate for a moment, transforming directly into a longsword that landed in Shen Lang’s hand.

Shen Lang’s fingers slid gently across the scabbard, as if he were stroking Chi Lian’Er’s head.

A moment later, Shen Lang extended the hand holding the Divine Sword Celestial Cry, offering the longsword to Xue Shiyin. ”You take her. It was originally meant for your protection anyway.”

Xue Shiyin froze for a moment, not taking the longsword from Shen Lang’s hand.

Her clear, pure eyes gazed at Shen Lang, her face beginning to turn red...

”No!” Chi Lian’Er shrieked from within the Divine Sword Celestial Cry. ”I object! Brother, you can’t give me to this little girl! I hate her!”

Shen Lang glared at the Divine Sword Celestial Cry and barked coldly, ”Shut up!”

”You’ve been like this from the very beginning, and so has your older brother, and so has your father! I tell you to go north, you go south. I tell you to go east, you run west. You’re all a bunch of bastards!”

Apparently not expecting Shen Lang to be so furious, Chi Lian’Er was too scared to speak.

Shen Lang grabbed the Divine Sword Celestial Cry, slammed it onto the table with a CRACK, and continued to curse, ”I treated your father like a brother, but when did he ever treat me like one? When did he ever tell me the truth even once?”

”I told you to stay put in the Barbaric Lands, but you just had to go after the Slaughter Armor. You got the Slaughter Armor, alright... but what was the result? You were nearly wiped out, body and soul! Your older brother is now a Fallen Demon! And your father is barely clinging to life!”

”I’m not your damn babysitter!”

”If you won’t listen to me, then get lost!”

Shen Lang roared, slamming his palm on the table and turning the long table to ash!

The Divine Sword Celestial Cry zipped behind Xue Shiyin, not daring to come out again.

Shen Lang had never been this angry before.

Nor had he ever lost his composure and control like this.

The matter with Chi Zunxin in this memory had left him feeling extremely repressed and infuriated.

That was why he wasn’t showing Chi Lian’Er any kindness.

Xue Shiyin slowly walked over, knelt down, and looked up at him. ”What happened? She’s still a child. Why are you so angry?”

Just moments ago, Chi Lian’Er had been mocking Xue Shiyin for being a ”little girl,” and now Xue Shiyin was calling Chi Lian’Er a child in return... The scene was truly bizarre.

No longer hidden by Xue Shiyin, the Divine Sword Celestial Cry behind her wobbled from side to side, as if searching for a new hiding place.

Then, with a WHOOSH, it shot directly into a corner.

Looking at Xue Shiyin before him, Shen Lang’s anger subsided a little. ”I’m sorry, I didn’t want to get so angry... I just remembered a lot of things.”

”I... I’m not who I was before. The old me was all-encompassing, able to tolerate a friend’s deceit and even betrayal.”

”But the me I am now... I can’t do that.”

Since he had already admitted to being the War Emperor, Shen Lang no longer held back.

Shen Lang took a deep breath and said, ”Lian’Er’s father is Chi Zunxin, the founding patriarch of the Profound Dao Sect. His true form is a Divine Beast Qilin.”

”Hmph. Chi Zunxin knew my identity all along, but he kept everything about himself hidden!”

”From the very beginning, I treated him as a brother, but he played me for a fool!”

Just then, the Divine Sword Celestial Cry flew out again. ”That’s not it, Brother! Father didn’t play you for a fool! He had his reasons!”

”What reasons? Isn’t it just about the destruction of the North Netherworld Extreme Heaven Sect?” Shen Lang’s words left Chi Lian’Er speechless.

Shen Lang continued, ”The Slaughter Armor is a Sacred Artifact of the Demon Realm. It hides a colossal secret and is not something ordinary people can handle. Not even a Qilin should touch it. I said this to your father right in front of you and your older brother, did I not?”

”Yes...” Chi Lian’Er’s voice was barely a whisper.

”Hmph!” Shen Lang snorted coldly. ”He promised to my face that he would never touch it. And in the end?!”

”In the end, he snuck off to seize the Slaughter Armor, and as a result, you, Chi Lian’Er, ended up in this state!”

”And your older brother put on the Slaughter Armor and became a Fallen Demon, and to this day, the Demonic Qi hasn’t been fully purged! This is the ’good work’ your father has done!”

Chi Lian’Er was at a loss for words. The Divine Sword Celestial Cry began to retreat again, cowering in the corner, trembling.

But Shen Lang still hadn’t vented his anger. He pointed at Chi Lian’Er and started scolding again. ”And you!”

”Me...? What did I do...?” Chi Lian’Er muttered timidly.

Shen Lang took a deep breath. ”When I sealed you into Shiyin’s arm, what did I tell you? Have you ever listened to a single word I’ve said?!”

The longsword trembled slightly, and Chi Lian’Er’s weak voice emerged. ”Brother told me to protect her, but... she doesn’t need my protection...”

”Nonsense!” Shen Lang cursed. ”She doesn’t need protection? Just a short while ago, when the Celestial Demon appeared, she broke the seal, wanting to borrow your power to slay it. And what did you do?”

When Shen Lang was about to kill Dugu Zhange, the Celestial Demon Soul appeared, and Xue Shiyin had tried to wield the Divine Sword Celestial Cry to deal with it.

But because Chi Lian’Er was throwing a tantrum and refused to cooperate, Xue Shiyin couldn’t wield the Divine Sword Celestial Cry at all.

In the end, she only managed to draw out a tiny bit of its power, which didn’t inflict even the slightest damage on the Scythe of Death...

This was what enraged Shen Lang the most.

The Celestial Demon’s appearance was an accident, but it was an extremely fatal one.

Chi Lian’Er had refused to let Xue Shiyin use the Divine Sword Celestial Cry. If the power of the Emperor Star hadn’t suddenly appeared, Shen Lang might well have spent the rest of his life in regret!

He himself could have hidden in the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron, but from such a great distance and under such rushed circumstances, what would have happened to the people on Cangxia Mountain?

His sister Shen Moran was on that mountain, as were Chu Qingcheng, Nalan Ziyun, and many of his brothers and friends...

A single misstep, and in the face of the Celestial Demon’s power, everyone would have been reduced to ashes!

All of these things, combined together, finally caused the fire in Shen Lang’s heart to erupt completely.