Chapter 1161: The Last Name

With his two transformations after slaying the demons and over a dozen divine skills, Chen Ling, though only at the peak of the fifth tier, could fight against the sixth-tier Ying Fu and even hold his own. But he never imagined that Ying Fu would call for reinforcements at this very moment!

"Chen Ling, you won't be leaving today."

Ying Fu's figure had already traversed the city and reached the skies above the suburbs. He gently raised his hand, and a domain unfurled beneath him. Countless textual brushstrokes surged towards Chen Ling from all directions, like an overwhelming tide.

Seeing this, Chen Ling immediately felt an ominous premonition.

Ever since the tunnel collapsed, Ying Fu had consistently avoided direct combat, instead moving straight towards a specific location in Shanghai, refusing even to bypass the urban area. Chen Ling initially thought Ying Fu was trying to avoid a fight, but now it seemed he had known reinforcements would be here and had deliberately lured Chen Ling to this spot.

After sending that message, Ying Fu stopped fleeing and immediately activated his domain, intent on keeping Chen Ling trapped.

Chen Ling transformed into his calamity form once more, battling within the domain with red pythons extending from his body. His eyes continuously scanned his surroundings, searching for an opportune moment to break through.

As the countdown for the era archive ticked away, Chen Ling finally found an opportunity. He transformed into a red cloud, directly smashing through vast swathes of text, and surged out of the domain like an unbridled beast.

"I told you... you won't be going anywhere today."

Ying Fu's voice echoed from behind. The next moment, a streak of ink sliced through the clouds!

Directly in front of Chen Ling, an old man parted the clouds with his hands. Pitch-black ink poured down like heavy rain, instantly drenching Chen Ling's swirling red paper and turning it black, making him feel as if he were mired in mud, unable to move.

Another sixth-tier aura permeated the heavens and earth!

"Damn it..."

Chen Ling should have realized it earlier: if Ying Fu was a sixth-tier combatant, he must have at least one sixth-tier subordinate. Yet, the earlier combatants like Fu Kun and Zheng Zhiqin were only fourth-tier, indicating that a sixth-tier individual had yet to appear.

The old man who parted the clouds must be the strongest combatant currently under Ying Fu's command!

"Prime Minister Han, you've arrived just in time." Ying Fu stood on the void, cutting off Chen Ling's retreat. With Ying Fu and the old man — two sixth-tier powerhouses — flanking Chen Ling from front and back, there was clearly no intention of leaving him any path to survival.

Prime Minister Han raised his fingertip, writing in the void, and outlined a traditional character for "dragon" (龍) amidst the pouring ink rain.

As the final stroke landed, a vast amount of ink rain rapidly converged. A stout, majestic, and ferocious black dragon roared and spiraled out of the ink, charging directly at Chen Ling!

Chen Ling's brows furrowed. Just as he was about to retreat, he saw Ying Fu behind him also raise his hand and write the character for "dragon." Two black dragons, one on the left and one on the right, like dragons playing with a pearl, slammed into Chen Ling with a thunderous impact!

BOOM—!!

Ink ripples swept across the air, and a dishevelled red figure plummeted to the ground like a cannonball, tearing a gaping hole in the mountainside as clouds of dust billowed upwards.

Ying Fu and Prime Minister Han stood side by side in the void, simultaneously gazing at the collapsed section of the mountain.

"To still be active after such severe injuries... Your Majesty, who exactly is he?" Prime Minister Han's expression held a hint of surprise.

"Merely a lone emperor."

Ying Fu spoke calmly, his figure breaking directly through the curtain of rain as he pursued towards the edge of the collapsed mountain. Seeing this, Prime Minister Han asked no further questions, stepping onto an ink dragon to follow closely behind.

The continuous ink rain seemed like the sky itself was pouring down.

His large red opera robe streaked through the desolate mountains. Chen Ling was already covered in ink stains. He glanced back at his two relentless pursuers, his expression extremely grim.

Current Expectation Value: 32

Chen Ling had just unleashed a Mock Calamity in the Scarlet Sky Sect's territory, and his current Expectation Value was insufficient to sustain another death. If he were to fall into Ying Fu's hands this time, it would all be over.

Chen Ling's mind raced, searching for a way out of his predicament. Finally, he gritted his teeth and pulled a phone book from his pocket.

You call for reinforcements?

Then so will I!

The phone book, a gift from Xiao Chunping, contained the contacts of friends she had made over many years. Chen Ling had once used it to find Shen Nan and narrowly escape death. This time, the same phone book remained his last hope.

As Chen Ling fled frantically, he continuously flipped through the phone book in his hand. As name after name and number after number flashed before his eyes, his heart sank.

Most of the contacts in the phone book were friends Xiao Chunping had made during her early years at the Intangible Cultural Heritage Convention. However, those who attended such conventions were typically "white hands" registered with Bureau 749. Now, Chen Ling was wanted by Bureau 749; even if he called, who would risk coming to his aid?

Not everyone was Shen Nan... and not everyone possessed the power to contend with a sixth-tier opponent.

Name after name scrolled past Chen Ling, the remaining pages growing increasingly thin. Just as he was about to give up, a name on the very last page suddenly caught his eye!

—Sun Buming.

The moment he saw those three characters, a jolt of lightning shot through Chen Ling's mind. As if realizing something profound, his eyes instantly brightened!

That's it!

Sun Buming also exists in this era. If it's him...

However, in this era, Sun Buming likely didn't know him yet. He also had no idea if Sun Buming had been dormant or active for the past few years, or what his strength might be even if he was awake.

No matter.

I'll call him first and see!

Encountering an acquaintance in this era was a tremendous morale boost for Chen Ling. Although he knew that Sun Buming of this time wouldn't recognize him, he had a strong hunch that this person could definitely help him.

It was an inexplicable confidence, stemming from his future "Generation 6" background.

"Don't change your number, don't change your number, don't change your number..."

Chen Ling pulled out his phone and instantly dialed the corresponding number, but it seemed the number couldn't be found within the signal range of the ground base stations.

Had he destroyed his old number?

Chen Ling's heart was filled with intense anxiety. Gritting his teeth, he pushed Yang Xiao's ability to its limit, frantically searching for the source of the number across the globe.

Finally, a distant and faint signal source flickered to life deep within Chen Ling's consciousness.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your Captain speaking."

"We're currently experiencing some light turbulence due to atmospheric conditions. Please return to your seats and ensure your seatbelt is securely fastened..."

As the aircraft announcement played, a tall, blonde flight attendant walked through the first-class cabin, stopping beside a particular seat. She smiled and spoke in slightly unfluent Chinese:

"Mr. Sun, may I take your empty cup?"

By the window seat in the first row, a figure in a Tang suit subtly raised his head. He lightly adjusted the small, round sunglasses on the bridge of his nose with his fingertip, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"Yes. After the turbulence subsides, please bring me a serving of double-skin milk. Thank you."