Chapter 871: Imperial Expedition

Chapter 871: The Emperor's Personal CrusadeAuthor: Sanjiu YinyuWord Count: 1260

Upon hearing that word, a flash of killing intent erupted from Chen Ling's eyes!

Even though the surname was different, the young man's appearance resembled Ying Fu, his name contained the same character "Fu," and he was conveniently located in the Imperial Ancient Vault as a candidate for the new emperor... With these three elements combined, Chen Ling could almost confirm the identity of the linen-clad youth.

Even if he didn't know why Ying Fu now had the surname Li, Chen Ling was certain this was the future new emperor of the world!

Just as Chen Ling's murderous intent arose and his blade was about to sever the linen-clad youth's neck, a pale golden phantom descended from the sky, leading a surging force of imperial guards, sweeping towards the snowy plain!

With a gesture from the pale golden phantom in mid-air, a mighty imperial aura, like a great hammer, slammed into the crimson opera robe and the linen-clad youth, forcing them apart!

Boom—!!!

Chen Ling's boning knife had only grazed the linen-clad youth's skin and a small amount of flesh before it was jolted back. The youth, struck like a cannonball, was sent flying backward, his mortal body suffering internal injuries, spitting blood furiously in mid-air.

Chen Ling, on the other hand, though also shaken back by the blow, quickly regained his footing.

His crimson opera robe billowed wildly in the snowstorm, his eyes not fixed on the rapidly approaching imperial remnant, but still intensely focused on the dying linen-clad youth!

"Ying Fu! You won't escape!"

The Tribunal quickly unfolded around Chen Ling. Amidst the swirling snow, Chen Ling's fingertips gripped the hilt of his boning knife, and the power of judgment surged frantically into it!

With a flick of his crimson opera robe's sleeve in mid-air, a blade-light, imbued with the power of deconstruction, shot forth like a bullet, tearing through the snowstorm!!

The blade sliced through the air, instantly melting every snowflake it touched. Even the thick snow on its path was cleaved open, forming a gully, and its target was the dying linen-clad youth lying in the snow!

Seeing this, the pale golden figure, arriving with his troops, waved a large hand, causing the linen-clad youth, lying in a pool of blood, to vanish into thin air, as if instantly transported to the second layer, "Or Leaping in the Abyss"!

The next moment, the boning knife, imbued with the power of judgment, pierced the ground and disappeared without a trace, leaving only a deep circular void leading to an unknown destination.

Chen Ling felt the energy fluctuations that had traversed two layers, and his eyes narrowed slightly.

To the others, this scene was utterly terrifying. Chen Ling's casual strike had pierced the earth; killing them would surely be instantaneous... They turned in chaos, fleeing wildly in all directions, no longer caring about direction, only wanting to get as far away from Chen Ling as possible.

"Brother Li!!" Ashan was stunned. She looked around, couldn't find the linen-clad youth, and tears welled up in her eyes.

Wu Qiong scooped her up by the waist, threw her over his shoulder, and immediately turned and ran into the distance!

Chen Ling ignored the fleeing crowd. After the linen-clad youth disappeared, his attention shifted to the sky...

The pale golden figure, like a deity, slowly descended above the snowy plain. With another wave of his hand, the many frantically fleeing figures vanished one after another, all sent by him to the second layer.

According to the original arrangement of the emperors, these individuals were supposed to endure more suffering on the first layer. Under extreme physical and mental duress, their deepest selves would be exposed. Only those who could maintain their sanity and even "disguise" themselves to lead others under such conditions would be qualified as candidates for the new emperor...

However, Chen Ling's appearance had undoubtedly disrupted everything, forcing them to accelerate the process and send these people directly to the second layer.

"To think he provoked an imperial remnant into a personal crusade..." Sun Bumian couldn't help but comment upon seeing this scene,

"As expected, wherever Red Heart 6 goes, he causes quite a stir."

"Stop blabbering!" Jian Changsheng pointed at the two pale golden figures descending from the sky, followed by their vast army, and cursed, "We're their targets too!"

Boom—!!!

Three imperial remnants, leading three armies, struck the snowy plain like a tsunami of killing intent. The swirling snow fragments were agitated in the air, resembling a hazy, indistinct mist.

Countless weapons slashed towards Chen Ling from all directions. As Chen Ling deftly dodged the attacks, he turned his head and saw that the faces of the soldiers were blurry. However, judging by their armor, they were indeed imperial guards from some ancient dynasty.

This imperial guard force, roughly tens of thousands strong, possessed no distinct ranks or skills, yet their strength and speed were no less than any Tier 3 in the Way of Soldiers. Under such overwhelming numbers, even Chen Ling felt his scalp tingle...

"Judgment."

With a gunshot, a deconstruction bullet forcibly tore a gap in the army.

A figure in a crimson opera robe moved with the grace of a red butterfly, effortlessly evading the surrounding onslaught. Then, stepping on air, he leapt above the ocean of soldiers...

Swirling snow mixed with endless weaponry seemed to fill the entire first layer of "Hidden Dragon in the Abyss." As the complex formations of the imperial guards below rotated, the killing intent distorted even the sense of space. Chen Ling looked around, no longer able to discern Jian Changsheng or Sun Bumian's whereabouts.

Fluctuations from the Way of Emperors emanated from the side. A middle-aged phantom, clad in imperial robes and holding a long sword, silently emerged from the void.

"An imperial remnant, then..."

Chen Ling felt the repulsion from the emperor's destiny, and his brows furrowed tightly.

There was extreme exclusivity between imperial destinies; only one emperor could exist in an era... Although the figure before him was an imperial remnant from a past dynasty, it still evoked a profound sense of hostility from within his soul.

Perhaps due to being lost for too long, the imperial remnant before him was hazy and indistinct; Chen Ling couldn't even make out its face. But as an ephemeral imperial court outlined itself beneath its feet, a long string of honorific titles suddenly flooded Chen Ling's mind:

—Emperor Titiān Fǎdào Jígōng Quándé Shénwén Shèngwǔ Ruìzhé Míngxiào

Chen Ling was taken aback.

Why were other emperors' titles so long, yet his was just the simple "Actor Emperor" four characters?

The imperial remnant raised a hand, and countless ancient banknotes streamed out of the void, intertwining above him to form a golden dragon surging with auspicious energy.

While Chen Ling couldn't discern any explicit "rank" from this emperor, the figure seemed to embody a heavy historical merit. In the Imperial Ancient Vault, this merit materialized, exerting immense pressure on Chen Ling!

The emperor stood with hands clasped behind his back in the void. The next moment, the golden dragon of banknotes roared and swept towards Chen Ling!

The golden dragon was incredibly fast; even Chen Ling could only barely react. His crimson opera robe, performing a cloud step, transformed into a red afterimage, gliding through the void, with the golden dragon hot on his heels!

At this moment,

In a forgotten corner of the war-torn "Hidden Dragon in the Abyss" layer.

The army of some unknown emperor thundered across the soil, the ground shaking like thunder. After the troops gradually moved away, a bandaged figure silently emerged from the tumultuous earth, patting its ears as if its hearing was ringing from the vibrations.

Jiang Xiaohua hesitated for a long time, then finally, supporting herself with both hands, slowly and hesitantly climbed out of the ground...