Chapter 865: The Actor Emperor

The three men emerged from the long corridor to a vast, snow-covered plain.

Chen Ling and the other two were somewhat puzzled as to why a snowfield would appear in the Emperor's Tomb, but they didn't discuss it at the moment. Instead, all three were wary of the same figure...

A heavy, dangerous, and incredibly patient presence.

Even after being dragged like a dead pig by Jian Changsheng, the mummy remained silent and offered no resistance, its head drooping like a true corpse.

If it had been any of Chen Ling's companions, they would likely have retaliated the moment they were dragged. Yet, this figure did nothing, seemingly intent on maintaining the act of a "corpse" to the very end. This willingness to abandon pride, combined with such resilience and ruthlessness, was what made the trio extremely cautious.

At first, Chen Ling was almost fooled into believing it was a corpse. After all, it showed no signs of breathing and was covered in dust, appearing as if it had been lying there for a long time before their arrival.

However, at Sun Bumian's reminder, he carefully observed it again with his mystic eyes... He discovered that it was indeed alive, and its feigned death was remarkably similar to Jin Fugui's technique!

But this was not the trial ground of the Heavenly Star position; it was the Emperor's Tomb, full of mystery and the unknown. Although Chen Ling had seen through its disguise, he didn't act with the same recklessness as he had in the underground palace. After all, the strongest enemies in the underground palace were only Rank Five, and Chen Ling couldn't determine what level of master the mummy before him was...

Therefore, he could only use relatively indirect methods to slowly probe this mysterious person.

"...Lin Yan, we've been dragging it for a long time... Are we still dragging it?" Jian Changsheng, who had been pulling the heavy mummy through the snow for quite some time, finally couldn't help but ask.

Chen Ling and Sun Bumian exchanged glances and nodded slightly.

"No more dragging. Let's do it here... Dig a pit and bury him!"

Since it's so patient, I want to see how long it can endure after being buried alive.

With the combined efforts of Chen Ling and the two others, a deep pit slowly took shape in the snow. Throughout the process, they remained vigilant of the mummy beside them, seemingly prepared for it to suddenly attack.

In reality, however, it remained remarkably quiet.

Chen Ling steeled himself and had Jian Changsheng toss the figure directly into the pit, then began to slowly cover its form with snow and soil. The figure remained motionless, maintaining its mummy-like posture with hands crossed over its chest, calmly allowing itself to be completely buried alive.

A few minutes later,

Chen Ling stomped firmly on the two-meter-thick layer of soil and snow, wearing a bewildered expression.

"What's going on? Did we misjudge it?" Sun Bumian murmured.

"It shouldn't be..." Chen Ling said, utterly perplexed. "He should definitely be alive, but why isn't he resisting?"

"So, should we still take action?"

"...Forget it. He doesn't seem to intend to attack us, so there's no need to cause extra trouble."

After probing, Chen Ling confirmed that the person harbored no ill will. In that case, whether it was feigned death or not, there was no need to draw swords against him. Truth be told, the person was lying there peacefully, and Chen Ling's act of dragging him off to be buried alive was already quite impolite.

Nevertheless, since the deed was done, Chen Ling couldn't very well dig him out again and apologize. He simply took one last look at the pit and let the matter rest.

The three "living Yama Kings" sighed with a hint of regret, then turned and departed.

Meanwhile,

Jiang Xiaohua, buried underground, felt the surrounding darkness, dampness, and stillness, letting out a soft sigh of comfort.

"It's much more comfortable lying here than by the entrance... and no one's bothering me."

"There are still plenty of good people in this world."

Fifteen emperors cast gazes of disdain upon him.

"There are quite a few footprints here," Sun Bumian remarked as he walked through the wind and snow, looking at the scattered footprints stretching into the distance with some surprise. "Roughly sixty to seventy people... and the footprints are very fresh, not yet covered by the wind and snow, indicating they aren't far ahead."

"Where did so many people come from in the Emperor's Tomb?" Jian Changsheng frowned.

"It's not surprising. The Emperor's Tomb has been lost for so many years; with its reappearance now, new emperors are bound to emerge... These people should be candidates for the new emperor."

"Well, we've also come in, so do we count as candidates?" Jian Changsheng asked cautiously.

"How could that be? As I said, we all have divine paths; it's impossible for us to become emperors..." Sun Bumian gave Jian Changsheng a strange look. "What, you, a master of the Military Divine Path, want to be an emperor? A Military Emperor?"

"No, no, I was just thinking," Jian Changsheng paused. "But you know, a Military Emperor... it does sound pretty good."

"...Childish."

"What about the 'Awakened Lion Emperor'?"

"That's good, 'We' like it."

Jian Changsheng: ...

Jian Changsheng felt an impulse, and casually pointed at Chen Ling, saying:

"What about him? If he were an emperor, what would he be... An Actor Emperor?"

*Boom—!*

The instant Jian Changsheng's words fell, something deep within the Emperor's Tomb seemed to be touched. A certain will between heaven and earth resonated instantly with the emperor's destiny within Chen Ling!

Chen Ling's steps abruptly halted.

A gentle breeze swirled around Chen Ling. He looked down at his hands in confusion, unsure of what had happened...

Yet, subtly, his demeanor seemed to have changed. If Chen Ling's original aura was characterized by the阴 (yin) and 柔 (gentleness) brought by his Twisted Divine Path, now a unique aura of dominance had emerged from the depths of his eyes. This new presence blended with Chen Ling's inherent disposition, making him, already vivid and dangerous in his large red opera robe, even more unapproachable.

Jian Changsheng was also stunned. He, too, seemed to have felt the celestial anomaly moments ago, and his expression was even more bewildered than Chen Ling's... He had merely pointed at Chen Ling and made a casual remark; how could it have genuinely caused such a stir?

Seeing this, a glimmer flickered in Sun Bumian's eyes. After pondering for a moment, he murmured:

"Many mouths can melt metal, and the yellow robe is donned... So that's how it is..."

"What 'so that's how it is'?"

Sun Bumian glanced at Chen Ling, whose aura had subtly changed, and then at the bewildered Jian Changsheng... He paused for a moment before speaking again:

"I think I understand the rules of the Emperor's Tomb now."

On the other side.

The linen-clad youth reached out and helped up the young boy, who was terribly battered and lying in a pool of blood from Zhu Chong's beating, his voice as gentle as a spring breeze:

"How are you? Are you alright?"

"...I, I'm fine." The young boy, bruised and swollen, looked at the linen-clad youth with eyes full of gratitude. The pain throughout his body involuntarily twisted his features, and for a moment just now, he truly thought he would be beaten to death...

But now, thanks to the linen-clad youth, he had survived.

"Thank you... truly, thank you." The young boy was overwhelmed with gratitude. "My name is Han Dong, what's yours?"

"My name is Li Fu," the linen-clad youth replied with a slight smile.

"As in 'Fu' for 'overthrow'."