Chapter 1149: Human Emperor

Chapter 1149: The Human Emperor

Author: Sanjiu YinyuWord Count: 1243

Late at night.

Chen Ling gently pushed open his room door.

Sun Bumian and the others had all been settled in their accommodations. Except for Jiang Xiaohua, who insisted on sleeping outdoors, everyone else's rooms were quite good. At this hour, the Integration Faction was incredibly quiet, with most students deep in slumber.

Faint starlight occasionally pierced through the clouds of the Gray World, casting light upon the spacious balcony. Instead of going to bed, Chen Ling walked directly to the railing, gazing blankly at the desolate landscape in the distance.

After an unknown amount of time, he slowly took out the familiar USB drive from his pocket.

Chen Ling had originally thought that after leaving the Twilight Society, the Spirit Treasure would be reclaimed by the Red King, as it held immense significance for the society. However, he never expected that after all the twists and turns, it would find its way back into his hands. Chen Ling didn't believe that Spade 8 hadn't consulted the Red King during this process. Since Spade 8 could transfer the item to Sun Bumian, instructing the latter to return it to him, it must have been done with the Red King's explicit approval.

“...What exactly are you thinking?” Chen Ling murmured to himself, the Red King's silhouette appearing in his mind.

Chen Ling already knew his true identity, and he also knew that in the era before the Great Cataclysm, his 'home' simply didn't exist. Therefore, the Twilight Society's goal of reversing time and restarting the world held no real meaning for him.

He looked down at the USB drive in his hand, his expression complex.

He stood there on the Gray World balcony, motionless like a statue, lost in thought. Ultimately, however, he clenched the USB drive tightly in his hand.

Regardless of what the Red King was thinking, and regardless of whether Chen Ling cared about reversing time, the USB drive's utility was undeniable. Throughout his journey, Chen Ling had frequently relied on its power; whether it was the Aurora Lord Yang Xiao's goodwill, Yao Qing's assistance, or Lu Xun's will paving the way for him in the Tianshu Domain, it had repeatedly saved him from dire situations. Although he still didn't fully understand its principles and hadn't had the chance to exchange coded messages with Su Zhiwei, Chen Ling now believed that this USB drive truly could influence the past.

Given this, he resolved to seize the opportunity and use the power to influence the past to create more advantages for himself in this era.

Chen Ling believed this was also why Ying Fu and others had intervened in that era.

With this thought, Chen Ling turned and went back inside his room. First, he wrote a "Do Not Disturb" sign and hung it on the door, ensuring he wouldn't be interrupted while entering the archive. Then, he drew the curtains and sat cross-legged on the bed.

He took a deep breath and slowly inserted the USB drive into the bedding beneath him.

The next moment, lines of ethereal green characters floated out of thin air:

Serial Number: 129439Loading...Load Complete

Chen Ling's eyes slowly closed.

Thud—thud—thud...

Dull footsteps echoed through the long corridor of black metallic texture. Dim starlight filtered through the arched windows outside, and several figures seemed to move through the interplay of light and shadow.

If one were to look out the window at this moment, they would see that the building was suspended above the Gray World, like a massive moving castle, slowly advancing along a predetermined path.

After an unknown period, these figures stopped before a large door inscribed with mysterious patterns.

“Your Majesty, do you require us to accompany you inside?” Mo Lian respectfully asked.

“No,” Ying Fu replied calmly, “Wait outside.”

“Understood.”

Ying Fu released A-Qian's hand, and the latter obediently stood in place. As the heavy door slowly opened, Ying Fu stepped inside. In the spacious hall, a colossal metal throne hovered in the air.

Directly beneath the throne, a figure cloaked in black robes seemed to have been waiting for him for a long time.

Six crimson Philosopher's Stones clustered on his forehead beneath the hood, emitting a faint divine glow. As he slowly removed his hood, an unperturbed face was revealed—it was none other than Wuji Lord Lou Yu.

“How is the progress?” Ying Fu asked calmly.

Lou Yu raised his hand and gently tossed something out. Ying Fu reached out and caught it, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes.

In his hand was a thumb-sized metal chip, whose material was unknown, emitting a faint blue glow.

“As expected of something that fellow researched... Even I could only barely replicate one.” Lou Yu opened his palm, revealing another USB drive lying quietly within. Its appearance was largely similar to the Spirit Treasure in Chen Ling's hand, differing only slightly in color. “However, it's precisely enough for the two of us...”

“Why are mine and yours different?” Ying Fu asked, frowning.

“I am not Ruoshui Lord, so I cannot make an exact replica. However, the original and the replica only differ slightly in appearance; their functions are essentially the same.” Lou Yu slowly explained, “The only issue is that the replica cannot draw energy from the recovered corpses of the Nine Lords like the other three originals to extend its active time within the archive... In other words, it can only be activated once a month, for 12 hours per activation, with no possibility of extending that duration.”

Ying Fu examined the replica in his hand for a moment before speaking again:

“Does it have a name?”

“The three originals are named after the three Celestial Venerables from myths and legends. They represent the pinnacle of innate power, capable of severing the torrent of time.” Lou Yu paused briefly. “The one I replicated does not belong to the 'innate' category; it is a product of humanity's mastery over creation... Therefore, I have named it the Human Emperor.”

A flicker of light appeared in Ying Fu's eyes. “The Human Emperor... indeed, it suits Me well.”

“Since you and I have formed an alliance, there are a few things that need to be stated upfront.” Lou Yu's expression was exceedingly serious. “The time archive is severed from the outside world. Once you enter, your connection with your 'subjects' in reality will be cut off, and your rank will likely drop... Once I enter, I will have my own affairs to attend to. I won't be able to act as your caretaker, seizing people to boost your strength. At most, we can rendezvous in Shennongjia.”

“You needn't worry about that,”

Ying Fu slowly stepped forward and raised his hand. “Give Me your hand.”

Seeing this, a hint of doubt flashed across Lou Yu's brow, but he still raised his hand and clasped it with Ying Fu's. The next moment, a faint electric current coursed across the backs of their hands, disappearing without a trace moments later.

“An emperor does not only command through subjugating 'subjects'; there is also the art of 'vertical and horizontal alliances.' Since we have officially formed an alliance, I can borrow one of your skills.”

As he spoke, Ying Fu raised his hand and pointed at the ground beneath his feet. The next moment, dense currents of electricity intertwined on the ground, and a golden spear reformed from it, which he lightly grasped in his hand.

“I am the Emperor; in any era, I can gather power in a short time...” Ying Fu's voice echoed. Two figures stood amidst the light and shadow, their long silhouettes stretching to the end of the hall.

“See you in Shennongjia.”