Strongest War Emperor

Chapter 285: Chapter 272: The Flower-Picking Thief

Since he was about to head out, some preparations were in order.

Shen Lang shamelessly asked the Imperial Dragon Sect for a large pile of precious materials. He crafted a set of close-fitting Armor for himself and, while he was at it, made a full set of equipment for the four Bone Demons.

The Bone Demons were now armed to the teeth.

Their skeletons were already indestructible, and they were constantly being tempered by the Ice Soul Water Jade within the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron.

On top of that, Shen Lang had refined them as if they were Profound Artifacts, carving Spirit Array Maps and runes onto every single bone. Their Defense Power had become ridiculously high.

And to top it all off, Shen Lang had even forged them a set of powerful Armor that covered them from head to toe!

This Armor was forged from rare Fire Demon Stone and Water Spirit Jade. It was lightweight yet exceptionally durable.

Moreover, he had incorporated Refining Crystals, specially delivered from the Treasure Pavilion. This further enhanced the Armor’s strength to a point where several Xuanwu Realm Powerhouses from the Imperial Dragon Sect were green with envy.

Refining Crystal was a rare material found inside the Mutated Demon Beast known as the Earth Fire Ant from the Far West, formed after it consumed heat-resistant Dock Stone.

Adding just a tiny amount to a weapon or Armor could increase its durability by a full thirty percent!

Ling Chen, who had been hanging around the Shen Family every day like Shen Lang’s shadow and possessed a formidable Cultivation, became the first test subject for the four Bone Demons.

The four Xuanwu Realm First Heaven Bone Demons, clad in their new Armor and wielding Great Hammers and Great Sabers, sparred with the Xuanwu Realm Fifth Heaven Ling Chen every day. They chased him around and beat him so thoroughly that Ling Chen was left battered and cursing.

Despite only being at the Xuanwu Realm First Heaven, the four Bone Demons were incredibly fast and had superb Defense Power. Furthermore, they had practiced the Four Symbols Sky-Sealing Formation, a joint Array Shen Lang taught them, until they knew it like the back of their hands. Their coordinated attacks were simply heaven-defying.

It was a shame Shen Lang couldn’t find the materials to refine a Flying Spiritual Artifact. Otherwise, if he could have given them a pair of wings...

After being beaten three times, Ling Chen was so furious he could have spit blood. He refused to fight them anymore and returned to the Evil Wind Valley with a long face to study the first sword of the Netherworld King’s Three Extremes Sword.

After that, whenever the four Bone Demons had nothing to do, they would swagger around the Shen Family estate carrying their Heaven-Reaching Hammers, looking imposing and full of themselves. The disciples of the Shen Family watched with eyes as red as a rabbit’s, consumed by envy.

Over the past few months, Shen Lang had gone to Nalan Ziyun’s home more than ten times, but he never once got to see her.

Each time, Nalan Ziyun used the excuse of recuperating from her injuries to drive him away.

One day, around noon, Shen Haotian was chatting with Luo Dieqi and Hong Yu in a garden pavilion. Not far away, Shen Moran was practicing swords with Chu Qingcheng. Suddenly, he noticed Shen Lang sitting on the courtyard wall, legs crossed, smiling as he watched the scene...

Shen Haotian couldn’t help but laugh. "This kid... he’s in his own home, but he won’t use the front gate. He just loves climbing walls!"

Hong Yu and Luo Dieqi shook their heads helplessly and exchanged a smile.

Shen Lang flipped through the air, landing lightly on the ground before walking towards the pavilion.

"Are you ready to leave?" Shen Haotian asked calmly, taking a sip of his tea.

Shen Lang, who had just stepped into the pavilion, stiffened slightly. He nodded and said softly, "Yes."

The smiles on Luo Dieqi and Hong Yu’s faces vanished. They lowered their heads and picked up their teacups.

Shen Haotian let out a hearty laugh. "Partings and reunions are a part of life, as transient as shifting clouds. Everything in the Cosmos is the same, so why be sad? A real man’s ambition lies in exploring the world. You should go out and make your own way. Just remember to come back and visit us often."

Luo Dieqi forced a smile. "Does Ziyan know? You should tell her about this, shouldn’t you?"

"Not yet." Shen Lang shook his head. "I’ve tried several times, but she just kicks me out. Even her parents can’t persuade her... When that woman gets an idea in her head, she’s completely mad."

Hong Yu chided him softly, "Nonsense. I went to see her just a few days ago. She’s a gentle, kind girl, one in a million... And for your sake, she once disregarded her own life. Even I admire and am moved by that... Go. Even if she doesn’t want to see you, you should still go and tell her properly."

"Fine... but to be honest, I’d rather walk into a dragon’s den or a tiger’s lair... Alright, alright, I’ll stop talking!" Seeing Hong Yu glare at him, Shen Lang quickly begged for mercy and took out a Purple Copper Mirror.

"Sister, you should take this." Shen Lang pushed the Feather Flower Purple Copper Mirror towards her.

"Mm."

Hong Yu pondered for a moment, then nodded and accepted the Feather Flower Purple Copper Mirror without protest.

An Exotic Treasure like the Feather Flower Purple Copper Mirror was far more powerful in Hong Yu’s hands than in Shen Lang’s at his current level.

With his current Cultivation, Shen Lang couldn’t even unleash one ten-thousandth of its power.

But in Hong Yu’s hands, it was a completely different story.

In the past five months, Shen Lang had obtained five drops of Life Spiritual Liquid.

He gave two drops to Hong Yu, two drops to the still-sleeping Zuo Wentian, and kept only one for himself.

Hong Yu was at a bottleneck at the King Martial Realm Fourth Heaven and desperately needed an Exotic Treasure like this to help her break through.

Moreover, Shen Lang had learned from Hong Yu that years ago, it was because she had obtained a single drop of this Life Spiritual Liquid that she was not only brought back from the brink of death, but her Cultivation also soared in the following years, advancing from the Xuanwu Realm to the King Martial Realm Fourth Heaven.

The heaven-defying nature of this item was simply inconceivable.

The more powerful one’s Cultivation, the more one could appreciate its miraculous properties.

Thinking about how the Celestial Crocodile Race on the Star Continent had been exterminated over a single drop of Life Spiritual Liquid, Shen Lang grew even more curious about it.

Because of everything that had happened before, Shen Lang had become even more cautious.

He wanted to use the Life Spiritual Liquid to help Hong Yu raise her Cultivation to a higher level as quickly as possible.

Although the Feather Flower Purple Copper Mirror was powerful, Shen Lang now had the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron, the Immortal Celestial Saber, and the Limb Order. He had more than enough to protect himself.

So he gave the Feather Flower Purple Copper Mirror directly to Hong Yu.

There were far too many unknowns in this world. Even someone like Shen Lang, who planned for every contingency, could not possibly foresee everything.

Back then, he had calculated that Yuwen Huaji would definitely intervene when he tried to kill Xu Daolin, so he had long prepared an escape route to Shuangta Temple.

But man’s plans are no match for heaven’s. Who could have predicted that Xue Hongluan would appear, and that she would have already used Xue Jingyuan to order Shangguan Feiyue and the others not to interfere?

Hong Yu was a dignified King Martial Realm Fourth Heaven powerhouse. Who could have calculated that after she was injured, Demon Martial Artists from the mere Xuanwu Realm would dare to plot against her with poison?

Many impossible things had become reality...

Shen Lang was unwilling to let the people around him come to any more harm.

He also never expected that it was precisely this cautious action that would one day save the lives of Hong Yu and his own parents...

But that is a story for another time.

After giving the Feather Flower Purple Copper Mirror to Hong Yu, Shen Lang left and headed straight for Nalan Ziyun’s house.

He felt a little uneasy, his emotions a little complicated.

’According to Sister Hong Yu, with the Life Spiritual Liquid, plus the Spirit Stones and precious Elixir Pills from the Imperial Dragon Sect, she should be able to break through to the King Martial Realm Fifth Heaven within half a year. With her Cultivation and the Feather Flower Purple Copper Mirror, she might not even lose against a King Martial Realm Seventh Heaven powerhouse.’

’Even though I told them I’m leaving tomorrow morning... I’ll go tell that madwoman Nalan Ziyun, and I’ll just set off tonight...’

Under the cover of darkness, Shen Lang silently scaled the courtyard wall and landed outside Nalan Ziyun’s window like a petty thief.

He had no choice. Every time he had knocked on the door before, the maid who answered would see him and immediately scream at the top of her lungs, "Master, Madam! Young Master Shen Lang is here!"

Then, with a great commotion, the entire Nalan Family would pour out and surround Shen Lang, leaving him no room to move.

A sea of people, shoulder to shoulder—the scene was quite spectacular.

Every time this happened, a crystal-clear image would pop into Shen Lang’s mind...

He would be standing in the center of a ring, surrounded by people, with an old man banging a gong and shouting, "Step right up, step right up! If you’ve got money, show your support; if not, just enjoy the show..."

’Compared to being a monkey on display, being a thief feels way better...’ Shen Lang thought to himself.

A light flickered inside Nalan Ziyun’s room, where a figure was pacing back and forth, doing who knows what. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

’Perfect timing.’ Shen Lang looked around to make sure no one was there, then took out a small tube and silently poked it through the paper window.

He then blew gently into the tube. Through the thin window paper, he could see a faint wisp of smoke spreading through the room.

"Six, five, four, three, two, one!"

Just as Shen Lang finished counting down to one in his head, a thud came from inside the room.

’Sometimes, even a pure person has to do some impure things. I don’t know why, but it feels pretty exciting... No wonder those lecherous rogues are always doing this sort of thing.’

Shen Lang shook his head with a touch of resignation, then swaggered over, pushed open Nalan Ziyun’s door, and walked inside.

His gaze met a pair of sparkling eyes.

Those eyes overflowed with endless Affection, tinged with a hint of playful reproach.

Shen Lang suddenly felt that those eyes were so familiar, as if from a long, long time ago, a pair of eyes just like them had gazed at him with such deep feeling...

In the room, Nalan Ziyun was sprawled on the bed. She met Shen Lang’s gaze, her beautiful eyes glaring at him as she said coquettishly, "I knew it was you, you bastard... You scoundrel, let me go!"

She was clearly calling Shen Lang a "scoundrel," but her tone was obviously off.

Not only was there no panic or fear, but her voice was soft and sweet, full of tender Affection. It sounded incredibly strange to Shen Lang’s ears.

Moreover, she lay motionless on the bed, looking charmingly languid in a way that made Shen Lang pause for a moment.

"Ahem!"

Shen Lang cleared his throat. "A woman tells a scoundrel to ’let her go’... What do you think the scoundrel would do? If I really let you go, would I still be a scoundrel? Dream on."

As Shen Lang spoke, he waved his hands, sending out several flashes of Spirit Light. Then, with a flick of his right hand, he slapped a Talisman onto the window frame.

The Talisman pulsed with a dazzling Spirit Light, enveloping the entire room.

’That bastard actually set up a Barrier so decisively... Does he really intend to...’

Nalan Ziyun was dumbfounded. Her face instantly turned beet red, though it was hard to tell if it was from anger or embarrassment.

"You... you bastard! How can you face Dingdang after doing this!"

At that moment, even Nalan Ziyun’s curses sounded weak and powerless.

"Go ahead and scream. No one will hear you even if you scream your lungs out... Er, something feels off about this atmosphere. I’m getting a little too into character... Hey, what does this have to do with Dingdang? Did you really think I came here to be a lecherous rogue?"

Shen Lang sat down nonchalantly on the edge of the bed. "Don’t blame me. If you have to blame someone, blame yourself for never letting me get a word in. I had no choice but to resort to this."

After a moment, his voice softened as he added, "I just wanted to say a few words to you. After I’m done, I’ll be leaving."

Nalan Ziyun felt weak and sore all over, unable to move even a finger. She could only glare at Shen Lang, grinding her teeth. Hearing his words, she couldn’t help but freeze.

"What do you mean? Leaving? Where are you going? You bastard, give me the antidote! I want to sit up and talk!"

Shen Lang shook his head. "No way. If I give you the antidote, you’ll just go crazy again. I’m not falling for that."

As he spoke, he stood up and started taking off his clothes.

Nalan Ziyun bit her cherry lips, her pearly teeth barely visible. She glanced at Shen Lang with alluring, curved eyes, froze for a second, and then immediately let out a piercing scream, "Bastard, stop! Stop it! If you dare lay a hand on me, I’ll kill myself right here and now!"