Chapter 328: Chapter 315: Breaking the Illusion Technique, Instant Kill

The moment Shen Lang and the young man locked eyes, Shen Lang’s gaze suddenly went blank. With a soft THUD, the wooden arm in his hand dropped to the ground!

The young man let out a sinister laugh and slowly strode toward Shen Lang.

"Get away from him!"

Shang Xiaoran swung her sword, and a short, sharp burst of Sword Qi shot toward the man with incredible speed.

But Hao Fengliu had been anticipating her move. How could she possibly let her interfere?

HISS!

Hao Fengliu casually swiped her sword, shattering the Sword Qi, and blocked Shang Xiaoran’s path. "My dear little sister, have you forgotten about me? Why don’t we go play for a bit over there?"

"Play, my ass!"

Seeing Shen Lang’s eyes suddenly go blank as he stood frozen on the spot, Shang Xiaoran cursed loudly. Her Short Sword flared with light as she tried to break past Hao Fengliu.

Unfortunately, their Cultivation levels were evenly matched, and Hao Fengliu knew her rival’s moves inside and out. Hao Fengliu’s Short Sword danced like a dragon, forming an impenetrable defense that gave Shang Xiaoran no opening whatsoever.

"Shen Lang, wake up!"

Shang Xiaoran gritted her teeth and shouted, but Shen Lang didn’t react at all.

"Zheng Donghong, fall back! Retreat into the previous corridor!" Shang Xiaoran shouted again, thinking, ’This is bad!’

"Retreat? It’s not that simple." The other two young men behind Hao Fengliu stepped out.

One of them sneered. "Your two lackeys are pathetic. They couldn’t even put up a fight. We took them down with a simple trick. No challenge at all... You bitch, you dare call us pretty boys? Once we’re done with these two, we’ll be sure to ’take good care’ of you!"

"Damn it!"

Shen Lang and Zheng Donghong had fallen under an Illusion Technique just from a moment of eye contact. The realization sent a fresh wave of rage through Shang Xiaoran as she fought.

On the Star Continent, there weren’t many Martial Artists who practiced Illusion Techniques.

This was because Illusion Techniques demanded an exceptionally high level of Divine Sense to practice, making them incredibly difficult to master. Furthermore, Sects that possessed High-level Illusion Secret Techniques were exceedingly rare. Many who wished to learn simply couldn’t find a path to do so.

To think she would encounter three of them here at once!

’If all three of them, Martial Artists who specialize in Illusion Techniques, attack at once, even I wouldn’t stand much of a chance...’

’Even though their Cultivation seems to be only around the Sixth and Seventh Heavens of the Qi Martial Realm, a well-executed Illusion Technique can turn the tide of battle or end a fight in an instant!’

’I can’t believe Hao Fengliu found helpers like these. What do I do? Am I supposed to just let Shen Lang and Zheng Donghong die here? But they’ve always treated me as a partner...’

Shang Xiaoran clenched her jaw, the aura around her body climbed steadily, and her attacks became faster and more vicious.

"If you dare touch them, I’ll make sure you don’t even have a grave to be buried in!" Shang Xiaoran shrieked, her voice piercing the heavens.

Hao Fengliu knew how dangerous Shang Xiaoran could be and refused to clash head-on. Instead, she used a Wind Element Cultivation Technique, her movements becoming as unpredictable as a willow leaf in the breeze, effectively tying Shang Xiaoran down.

"What’s the use of talking tough? You can’t even protect yourself right now!"

Hao Fengliu circled Shang Xiaoran at high speed, unleashing a dense barrage of Wind Blades with every wave of her hand.

Pinned down, Shang Xiaoran struggled to break free. She was becoming exhausted just dealing with the relentless onslaught of Wind Blades, and her eyes turned crimson with rage.

Just then, the three young men approached the stupefied Shen Lang and Zheng Donghong.

"Heh, to think this piece of trash actually passed the first trial. The world is a wide place, full of strange things!"

The one who had spoken of dealing with Shen Lang chuckled coldly as he and another youth walked up to Shen Lang.

A cruel smile played on his lips. "Hey, pretty lady in green, tell us, how should we deal with your two friends? Seeing how you protect them, you all must be pretty close. How about we start by breaking both their arms and legs?"

The youth beside him shook his head. "That’s so uncreative, and a little too bloody. I think it would be better to plunge them into the Demon Cave Illusion Realm. Let them suffer unimaginable terror until their souls are devoured and their minds die, leaving their bodies perfectly intact."

The first man hesitated. "You and your preferences... I can imagine the scene you’re describing, but the visual effect is just not as good. How about this: you take the kid with the sword and do it your way. As for this one in black, I’ll handle him my way. First, I’ll break all four of his limbs, then I’ll release the Illusion Technique. His screams will be music to my ears..."

Just then, Hao Fengliu, who was fighting Shang Xiaoran on the other side, suddenly roared, "Watch out!"

Before the others could react, Shen Lang’s quietly raised hands shot up with incredible speed, instantly grabbing the two young men by their necks!

The two were so terrified their souls nearly scattered. Without a second thought, they thrust their palms toward Shen Lang’s chest.

But their movements were still too slow...

CRACK!

The horrifying sound of snapping bone echoed from their necks. Their hands had just begun to move forward before they fell limply to their sides. Their heads slumped, and the light vanished from their eyes.

The two men, who moments ago were arrogantly discussing how to kill Shen Lang, had just had their necks effortlessly snapped.

Many of the Profound Dao Sect disciples watching from above couldn’t help but turn to look, astonishment filling their eyes.

"Since you were all watching during the aptitude test, you shouldn’t have overlooked one thing. My Cultivation may not be impressive, but my physical strength is far greater than that of Martial Artists of the Same Tier. And you lot... your bodies are so weak you’re not even a match for an ordinary Qi Martial Realm Fifth Heaven Martial Artist. And you want to fight me?"

"So what if you can use Illusion Techniques? Killing you is child’s play for me!"

Shen Lang spoke coldly, casually tossing the two corpses aside, then turned his gaze to the last remaining person.

That person was about nineteen years old, a little taller than the two who were killed, and his build was much sturdier.

But now, he was utterly terrified of Shen Lang.

’How can this be? How could they possibly... Don’t tell me I’m the one caught in an Illusion Technique?’

The sturdy youth’s eyes filled with horror. He never imagined his two companions would be killed so suddenly, so cleanly!

"Whether it’s possible or not doesn’t seem to matter now, does it? You’ll find out soon enough if this is an illusion," Shen Lang said, his eyes frigid.

Seeing Shen Lang move toward him, the sturdy youth immediately bit his own right index finger. He quickly drew a few symbols on his left palm, then slammed it onto the ground!

BANG!

As his palm struck, a ring of dust swirled up like a hurricane, instantly enveloping his body. A moment later, the dust cloud exploded outward and dissipated, and the man’s figure vanished with it.

"Wind Escape? Trying to use Illusion Techniques in front of me... you’re really courting death."

Shen Lang scoffed, his Divine Thought instantly blanketing the surrounding dozens of meters.

Meanwhile, Hao Fengliu was attacking like a madwoman, but now it was Shang Xiaoran who had her on the defensive...

Seeing that Hao Fengliu was unable to gain an advantage over Shang Xiaoran for the time being, Shen Lang smiled faintly. He formed a sword-finger and lightly tapped it on Zheng Donghong’s forehead.

"Ah!"

Zheng Donghong instantly snapped out of it, his Longsword flailing wildly in front of him.

"Huff... huff! What happened? I suddenly found myself in a graveyard. I couldn’t find any of you, and I couldn’t get out. There was just an endless horde of ghouls and monsters to fight..."

Shen Lang’s eyes flickered slightly as he said, "It’s nothing. You just fell for their Illusion Technique. It’s broken now."

"Illusion Technique? These guys are incredible... Holy crap, no way!"

Zheng Donghong was stunned. He then noticed the two bodies on the ground and jumped in fright.

The two men who, in his eyes, had trapped him in an illusion with a single glance were now corpses...

Suddenly, Shen Lang’s right hand shot out, grabbed Zheng Donghong’s left hand, and yanked him sharply in his direction!

"Ah!"

Zheng Donghong, completely unprepared for such a move, cried out as he stumbled and fell toward Shen Lang.

After pulling him aside, Shen Lang formed a blade with his hand and slashed down viciously at the empty space where Zheng Donghong had just been standing.

A muffled grunt was heard, and then the nearby dust immediately began to gather and spin rapidly again.

"Trying to run? Get out here!"

Shen Lang barked, his left hand forming a claw. He reached into the void, grabbed the sturdy youth by the front of his robes, and yanked him out!

The instant the sturdy youth was pulled into view, Shen Lang’s already-waiting right fist smashed into the man’s nose.

AARGH!

The man howled in agony. Blood, tears, and snot gushed from his face, a messy explosion of color.

Before the man could react, Shen Lang grabbed him and slammed him onto the ground with a BANG, sending up a cloud of dust.

But even in this intense pain, the man had not completely lost his composure. The moment his body hit the ground, the dagger in his hand traced a bizarre arc, its cold light glinting as it swiped at Shen Lang’s neck.

"You motherfucker, die!"

As he swung the dagger, the man’s legs crossed and instantly wrapped around Shen Lang’s right leg!

It was a vicious, lightning-fast strike born of pure hatred. Shen Lang was pressed against him, his right leg entangled. Dodging seemed impossible...

All this happened in the blink of an eye. By the time the nearby Zheng Donghong realized the danger and moved to help, it was already too late.

"Hmph!"

A cold snort came from Shen Lang’s throat. He released his left hand from the man’s chest, raised his elbow, and jammed it perfectly into the crook of the man’s elbow, stopping his arm from moving another inch!

The next moment, Shen Lang’s right hand shot out, grabbing his opponent’s right Vein Gate with unerring precision. His left hand dropped as his right hand pulled the man’s arm forward and around. With a sickening squelch, the dagger plunged into the man’s own chest!

The sequence of moves was dazzling, executed with incredible speed, as fluid as moving clouds and flowing water.

It was as if Shen Lang had known every one of his opponent’s moves in advance, his own movements completely unhindered.

The sturdy youth’s eyes widened. He struggled to look down at the dagger in his chest, his eyes filled with disbelief.

PS: I’ve been really busy with work lately, so my daily word count isn’t high, but I’m still pushing to release at least two Chapters a day. I’ve never missed an update or taken a day off. However, the novel’s performance has been dropping badly recently. I wonder if it’s because many of you are busy studying for exams, or maybe preparing to go home for the New Year and are stockpiling Chapters to read later? It’s got me a little down. If you enjoy *Strongest War Emperor*, I hope you’ll show your support. Your support is what motivates me, Old Hai!