Chapter 897: High Emperor

For the past few minutes, Jiang Xiaohua had been critically injured and on the verge of death. This meant his ability to conceal Chen Ling's aura had almost completely failed. Yet, Chen Ling and the others had been so preoccupied with Mo Lian that they had entirely forgotten about this crucial detail!

"Oh no!"

Bai Ye, still attempting to reposition Sun Bumian's liver, saw his expression change. He looked up at the lingering spirits of the emperors above him, his eyes wide with shock. "How did we attract them here..."

Under the overwhelming might of these emperor spirits, even Bai Ye struggled immensely. Although he couldn't discern their posthumous titles, the sheer imperial pressure alone told him they were extraordinary. Without a moment's hesitation, he hoisted Sun Bumian onto his back and charged towards Chen Ling.

However, just as he was about to take a step, a mountain-sized golden greatsword plummeted from the hand of one of the emperors!

The golden greatsword plunged like a roaring mountain peak, its blade embedding itself deep into the earth. The tumultuous aftershocks of the imperial divine power spread outwards, once again knocking Jian Changsheng, who had just managed to pull out his sword and land unsteadily, back to the ground. He grumbled as he looked up, seeing the sword standing like an insurmountable chasm, blocking the path between them all.

The aftershocks of the imperial might whipped Chen Ling's opera robe around. He barely managed to stabilize himself, his gaze fixed on the golden figure who had cast down the sword.

The next moment, a piece of text appeared before his eyes:

—Emperor Gao.

"This is..." Chen Ling hadn't been able to decipher the previous emperor's incredibly long posthumous title, but he recognized these three characters instantly.

"Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang???"

Under Chen Ling's shocked gaze, the second golden figure made a move.

Dressed in imperial robes, the figure casually waved a hand, and a broken bowl fell from his palm, expanding rapidly as it descended.

As the broken bowl flipped, its form rapidly magnified, growing even larger than the golden greatsword Emperor Gao had dropped. From a distance, it looked like a dark celestial vault plummeting towards the earth, with rivers and mountains continuously spilling from its mouth, as if it contained an entire other world.

And this bowl's target was Chen Ling!

Vast imperial might surged from the broken bowl. Chen Ling knew he absolutely couldn't allow himself to be sealed by it. Gritting his teeth, he hoisted Jiang Xiaohua onto his back from the ground, and the surrounding environment rapidly twisted.

The next moment, he activated the power of the Ancient Imperial Treasury and vanished from his spot.

Boom—!!

The colossal, sky-like bowl inverted onto the earth, but it failed to capture Chen Ling's figure. The lingering emperor spirit in the sky brushed his sleeve, appearing somewhat displeased.

Immediately after, the gazes of several emperor spirits fell upon Bai Ye. As the masters of this place, they could sense that Bai Ye seemed to be emanating the aura of numerous treasures from the Ancient Imperial Treasury.

A thief who steals royal treasures is naturally unforgivable.

Bai Ye felt the emperors' gazes fix on him, and cold sweat instantly drenched his back. His first impulse was to put down Sun Bumian and draw the emperors away himself, knowing that these lingering spirits were targeting him, and taking Sun Bumian would only put him in danger as well.

However, seeing the liver still in his hand and the nearly comatose Sun Bumian, Bai Ye could only grit his teeth and sprint wildly into the distance, carrying both Sun Bumian and the liver.

If he lost the liver, Sun Bumian would surely die in this Ancient Imperial Treasury.

Two emperor spirits stepped through the void, directly pursuing Bai Ye. The inverted broken bowl and the towering greatsword also lifted off the ground, soaring into the vast sky and vanishing.

In the snowy ground, Jian Changsheng, who had stumbled to his feet, looked bewildered.

"They all ran???"

Jian Changsheng watched the figures being chased into the distance and scratched his head, momentarily unsure whether he was lucky or unlucky. If he was lucky, he appeared to have been abandoned; if he was unlucky, no emperor seemed to be pursuing him.

Just as Jian Changsheng was pondering what to do next, the outline of an emperor's lingering spirit slowly materialized before him.

With the appearance of that figure, an ancient and supreme imperial might, like endless waves, surged towards Jian Changsheng!

"This is..."

Upon seeing that emperor's posthumous title, Jian Changsheng froze in place.

An emperor who has always watched you invites you to become his subject.

Beneath the gloomy dark clouds.

A figure draped in an opera robe, carrying a charred corpse, stumbled out of the void.

Lush mountain forests surrounded him, and birds flitted above the dense canopy, leaving faint chirps. Chen Ling had no idea where he was; the teleportation had been so urgent that he had simply chosen a random spot and fled there.

He stumbled to the nearest large tree with Jiang Xiaohua on his back, set him down, and then, panting heavily, sank to the ground himself.

Chen Ling had just used a "card," pushing his mental and physical strength to their limits. Between battling Mo Lian, being pursued by the emperor spirits, and forcibly activating the Ancient Imperial Treasury's power to teleport, his condition was now utterly dire.

"I wonder how Senior Bai Ye and Spades are doing?" Chen Ling muttered to himself.

While Chen Ling might have been able to contend with the emperor spirits who personally led campaigns in the first level, "Hidden Dragon in the Abyss," the figures he just encountered were utterly beyond his power. They carried the vast fortune of founding new eras, possessing monumental achievements that had reshaped the destinies of countless individuals. Within this ancient treasury, they were akin to gods.

Even Bai Ye might not be their match... but he is, after all, the Saint of Thieves, so even if he couldn't defeat them, escaping shouldn't be an issue.

Chen Ling's gaze fell upon Jiang Xiaohua. The flames on him had now completely extinguished, and his bandages were largely burnt away. Extensive areas of charred black skin were visible, a shocking sight.

The good news, however, was that all his bleeding had stopped, and his life force, though faint, remained remarkably stable.

"Jiang Xiaohua," Chen Ling called out to him.

Jiang Xiaohua did not respond, seemingly in a complete coma.

Chen Ling carefully examined the charred scars on Jiang Xiaohua. He knew that severe burns like these were highly susceptible to infection, yet Jiang Xiaohua's body seemed to possess a unique quality; any organism or bacteria that came into contact with his skin appeared to be cursed.

He just didn't know where this curse came from.

Chen Ling didn't dwell on it. After resting for a moment, he once again hoisted Jiang Xiaohua onto his back and headed out of the mountain forest.

Just then, a rustling sound mingled with voices drifted from the distance, indicating a group of people were approaching.

Chen Ling frowned and immediately hid himself in the shadows of the trees.

A moment later, a group of disheveled young men emerged from the distance.

Chen Ling's gaze swept over them, immediately spotting Li Fu in his hemp clothes. Chen Ling's eyes narrowed slightly...

"Brother Li... don't be upset," Han Dong couldn't help but offer comfort. "It said you can't bear the destiny of an emperor, but maybe that's just temporary? It's just a weak destiny, right? If we train harder, we'll definitely have a chance."