Strongest War Emperor

Chapter 20: Chapter 16: Dual Martial Souls

Shen Jianfeng stomped his right foot hard on the ground. A crack shot out across the floor, reaching Shen Lang in an instant. An invisible wave of Qi Force then erupted from the fissure, smashing violently toward Shen Lang’s chest!

In a flash, Shen Lang took a single step to the left, dodging the ferocious Qi Force amidst the crowd’s gasps of surprise.

The crowd then watched as the Qi Force brushed past him and detonated in mid-air with a loud BANG, dissipating into nothing.

The entire area fell silent. Only after a good while did people begin to whisper among themselves...

"This makes no sense. Shen Jianfeng’s Earth-Sundering Hammer is savage and powerful, not to mention incredibly fast. How did Shen Lang dodge it so easily?"

"It’s not normal. I suspect he only dodged that move by a fluke!"

"The Earth-Sundering Hammer is an Earth Element Technique. It uses Spiritual Power to channel the earth’s qi against an enemy, and it can lock onto its target. Even a Qi Martial Realm master could only counter it by meeting it head-on with their strongest attack. But he actually dodged it at the very last moment before it exploded right in front of him... That’s insane! If he’d been a second or two slower, he would’ve taken the full force of that hammer! Without protective Armor, and not having reached the Qi Martial Realm to form a Spiritual Armor, a single hit like that would have left him severely injured..." Below, Ye Qinghan was utterly astonished, her hand frozen over her red lips.

On the platform, Shen Jianfeng froze for a second, then let out a furious roar and charged forward. His fists flew like a tempest, raining down on Shen Lang. For a moment, wild Qi Force surged across the platform, kicking up dust and stone, captivating everyone’s attention.

Having created such a huge commotion and even attracting the academy’s upper echelons, Shen Jianfeng was determined not to let this opportunity to show off slip away.

’Whether Shen Lang is really trash or just pretending, I have to put on a good show and flaunt my skills.’

’I get to cripple Shen Lang and let everyone know how powerful I am. What could be better than this...’

’Soon, everyone in Tayun Academy will be talking about me, Shen Jianfeng. My fame will rival Chu Qingcheng’s... maybe even surpass it!’

And so, he attacked with his full Power. Each and every move was valiant and unstoppable, quickly drawing gasps from the crowd below.

He was using Combat Techniques and Cultivation Techniques from the academy, all of which the crowd was very familiar with. They took in the might of every punch and kick, engraving it in their minds.

The power he was unleashing now suggested he might even have a chance of winning if he were to challenge Chu Qingcheng!

But after just a moment of shock, the crowd noticed something was wrong...

Shen Jianfeng’s assault was ferocious and unrestrained. The Qi Force contained in his fists was so intimidating that even the Qi Martial Realm Third Heaven Martial Artists in the crowd who were at his level felt a sense of dread. And yet, despite such a violent barrage, he hadn’t even managed to touch the hem of Shen Lang’s clothes!

A slight smile played on Shen Lang’s lips. His expression unchanged, he moved about the platform with effortless grace, taking small steps.

Every time the crowd thought he was about to be struck by Shen Jianfeng’s fist, they would see the blow brush past his body instead!

It was exactly the same as when Shen Jianfeng had used the Earth-Sundering Hammer at the beginning!

Once or twice could be called a coincidence. But for it to keep happening—for a dignified Qi Martial Realm Third Heaven master like Shen Jianfeng to be unable to land a single punch on an opponent who wasn’t even fighting back—was starting to become terrifying...

The crowd below the platform was finally starting to understand something.

"Eh!"

At that moment, a soft sound of surprise came from the pavilion where Sima Yan, who had earlier offered to be the referee, was watching.

But with everyone captivated by the fierce battle on the platform, no one noticed the abnormality from that direction.

Inside the pavilion, three old men stood shoulder to shoulder by the window, their eyes filled with shock.

"Shen Jianfeng’s Cultivation is at the Qi Martial Realm Third Heaven. For old-timers like us, it would be natural to be able to effortlessly evade his attacks and make every punch and kick miss. But this Shen Lang has no trace of Spiritual Power leaking from his body. His Cultivation shouldn’t have even reached the Qi Martial Realm. How is this possible..." said a ruddy-faced old man on the right.

The gaunt old man in the middle narrowed his eyes. "Look at his footwork. It seems to be a type of Body Technique. Though his steps are small, they are as smooth as flowing water. Each step seems to secretly align with some kind of Rule... I, Sima Yan, have lived for more than seventy years, and this is the first time I’ve ever seen such a profound Body Technique. This... this..."

"Indeed. Not only does his Body Technique allow him to cleverly dodge Shen Jianfeng’s attacks every time, but it also seems to be subtly reining Shen Jianfeng in, making his attack rhythm follow his lead... I suspect Shen Jianfeng has already sensed it, but he’s too far in to stop now. This boy has taken control of the entire situation with ease! If Shen Jianfeng doesn’t use his ultimate move, I’m afraid he’ll have no chance of turning this around..."

"It’s very strange. This child was regarded as trash, then went through a baptism of blood and fire fighting Demon Beasts in the Phoenix Mountain Range... We old-timers know a bit about that, more or less. But it’s a fact that because he lacks a Martial Soul and the Celestial Vein Sacred Body, his Cultivation has never shown any significant progress. How could this be... Old Liu, send someone to investigate this later. Find out if there have been any unusual movements from Shen Lang recently, who he has met, and so on. The more detailed, the better," Sima Yan said suddenly, his brows knitted tightly as if he had thought of something.

"Alright," the old man on the right replied.

And just then, the battle on the platform below reached a fever pitch.

"Shen Lang, if you have any guts, fight me head-on! Are you even a man, dodging all the time?! Take this!" Sensing that things were not going his way, Shen Jianfeng roared and threw a vicious punch.

This punch was clearly different from the previous ones. The Qi Force around his fist was completely condensed, with very little Spiritual Power dispersing. It formed a transparent wolf’s head that roared as it charged toward Shen Lang.

Moreover, unlike the previous streams of Qi Force, this wolf’s head didn’t just fly in a straight line. When Shen Lang tried to dodge, it curved in the air and continued to pursue him.

"The Wolf Martial Soul! Shen Jianfeng is using his Martial Soul!" someone in the crowd cried out.

"Looks like Shen Lang’s defeat is certain now. He could dodge before, but now that the Martial Soul is out, he has nowhere to run. He’ll have to meet it head-on."

"Head-on? Are you kidding? Does he even have a Martial Soul? What’s he going to use to meet it head-on? A Martial Soul can lock onto its target!"

On the platform, the huge, savage wolf’s head stirred up a gale, blowing back Shen Lang’s long hair. His dark pupils shone like stars.

Just as the fist was less than a foot away, he twisted his body slightly, then swung his right leg up high, kicking the giant wolf’s head dead-on.

"BOOM!"

The two streams of Energy collided, instantly creating a massive explosion. Shen Lang used the force of the impact to leap backward through the air.

"Such a fast kick!" The crowd’s breathing grew ragged.

"Trying to run now? Too late!" Shen Jianfeng snorted coldly, pressing his advantage. His right fist, wrapped in a fierce gale, shot out once more.

The wolf’s head roared out, lunging at Shen Lang again.

"What damn Wolf Martial Soul? Is that all it is?" Shen Lang sneered. With a small, shuffling step, he evaded. Before the wolf’s head could turn, he flicked his wrist and seized Shen Jianfeng’s Vein Gate. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ

"Impossible!" Shen Jianfeng’s face drained of color. He never imagined his Vein Gate could be seized so easily. With it caught, his Wolf Martial Soul felt as if it had been throttled, almost completely unable to exert any force!

"Whether it’s possible or not is no longer important," Shen Lang chuckled. He gave Shen Jianfeng’s wrist a gentle tug, causing him to lose his balance and stumble forward.

At that very moment, Shen Lang spun around. His right leg whipped out like a Divine Dragon’s tail—THUD!—with a dull sound, it connected squarely with Shen Jianfeng’s rear, sending him flying through the air. He landed face-down on the edge of the platform and lay still.

"..." The spectators below were all dumbfounded.

What kind of fighting style was that? fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

They had barely seen Shen Lang use any Combat Technique or Cultivation Technique. With just a pull, a tug, and a kick, he had knocked down a Qi Martial Realm Third Heaven master like Shen Jianfeng?

What a joke!

Shen Lang shook his head, looking a little bored. "Not challenging at all. How dull. I didn’t kick you off the platform just now because I wanted to give you another chance to accept your defeat gracefully. If you don’t use your real strength now, you won’t get another opportunity."

"So arrogant! Does he mean he could have kicked Shen Jianfeng off the platform with that one move?"

"I don’t get it. What is Shen Lang’s Cultivation level? How is he so strong?"

"It’s so strange. His speed is incredible, but he didn’t use any Combat Techniques, and he has no Martial Soul... I’ve never seen this kind of fighting style before!"

This was too shocking. Usually, when two students of comparable Cultivation sparred, it was normal for them to trade blows for half an hour. Some might even fight for an hour without a clear winner. To think that the battle between Shen Lang, whom everyone considered trash, and the Qi Martial Realm Third Heaven Shen Jianfeng... would be over in just a few minutes...

And it looked as though Shen Jianfeng had been completely powerless to fight back!

When did Shen Lang’s strength reach such a level?

Could it be that he had been hiding his true strength all along?

How could these people know? The current Shen Lang had fused with the memories of an expert from another life. Even without using any Martial Techniques, and with not a shred of Spiritual Power in his body, his every casual move was in harmony with the Great Dao, following the course of nature. As long as the difference in raw power wasn’t too great, he could deal with someone like Shen Jianfeng and toss him around like a sack of potatoes.

In the crowd below, a look of delight appeared in Xue Dangdang’s eyes. She glanced briefly at the pavilion where Sima Yan and the others were, then looked away, gently fiddling with the Bell in her other hand.

Standing in the crowd, Ye Menghan’s chest heaved as she started to pant.

’That guy has been hiding his strength all along! Shen Jianfeng is at Qi Martial Realm Third Heaven, but his speed is so much slower than his! My Cultivation is lower than Shen Jianfeng’s. If I were to fight him, wouldn’t I be in an even more pathetic state...’

CRACK CRACK CRACK... A sound from the platform made everyone’s heart jump. They looked closely and saw Shen Jianfeng, still on the ground, crushing two pieces of rubble in his palm. With his head lowered, he slowly pushed himself back up.

"Shen Lang, it seems I underestimated you..." Shen Jianfeng’s low voice was filled with menace. "But if you think you can win like this, you are gravely mistaken!"

As Shen Jianfeng spoke, he slammed his right foot into the ground, and cracks began to spread out across the hard floor from where he stood.

At the same time, veins bulged on Shen Jianfeng’s fist. A fine layer of rock suddenly appeared on it, then spread from his fist up his arm, eventually covering his entire body before stopping.

"The Rock Martial Soul! Shen Jianfeng has the Rock Martial Soul! Heavens, he actually has Dual Martial Souls!"

"Now this is a show! I’ve never heard that Shen Jianfeng had Dual Martial Souls. To think Shen Lang would force him to reveal it..."

A cruel smile touched Shen Jianfeng’s lips. "You may be fast, but your strength is pathetic... Being able to force out my Rock Martial Soul, even in defeat, is something you can be proud of!"

As he spoke, a divine light flashed around him. The Spiritual Armor, the mark of the Qi Martial Realm, materialized and enveloped his entire body.

Then, a low roar erupted from his throat. He kicked off the ground, his body shooting forward like an arrow released from a bow. He appeared in front of Shen Lang in an instant, his rock-encased fist smashing toward Shen Lang’s face with a deafening sonic boom...