Chapter 908: You Want to Take My Life?

Meanwhile, in another imperial palace, two golden, radiant Imperial Echos hovered above the structure. One held a sword, the other a bowl, their feet seemingly treading on empty air. They frowned, meticulously scrutinizing every corner of the palace, as if searching for something.

Inside a palace chamber, unnoticed by them, Bai Ye carefully laid Sun Bumian's body flat on the ground. Sun Bumian's face was completely drained of color, and his breath was incredibly faint, as if he might die at any moment. Bai Ye wiped sweat from his brow and murmured, "This time, it must work..."

Bai Ye placed the liver he held back onto Sun Bumian's abdomen. After concentrating intently for a moment, a flash of white light occurred, and the liver vanished without a trace. Bai Ye stared at Sun Bumian's abdomen for a moment, then relaxed completely, letting out a long sigh of relief.

As the liver returned to its place, Sun Bumian's complexion finally began to improve. He indistinctly opened his eyes slightly, and though it was unclear if he was truly awake, he muttered, "My liver... and thieves... we are sworn enemies..."

A thunderous crash echoed from the sky, and the entire imperial palace trembled violently.

Startled awake, Sun Bumian stumbled up from the ground, looking around in confusion. "What's going on? An earthquake??"

"No, it's not an earthquake," Bai Ye replied. He seemed to sense something, his brows furrowing deeply as he looked towards a patch of sky outside the palace gate. "This is... the aura of a Nine Sovereign?"

"A Nine Sovereign?" Sun Bumian raised an eyebrow in surprise. "The Red Dust Sovereign or the Boundless Sovereign?"

"Neither," Bai Ye replied.

"Neither? Has a third Nine Sovereign awakened in the world?"

Bai Ye did not answer. Although he could sense the Nine Sovereign's aura, he couldn't identify its owner. After all, they had fallen into slumber centuries ago, and no one in this era had witnessed them in action. The moment the thunderous roar occurred, a rift seemed to appear in the sky, but from Bai Ye's perspective, they couldn't clearly see what was happening.

However, one thing was certain: no matter which Nine Sovereign it was, they must have directly pierced through the outer shell of the Ancient Emperor's Treasury and entered its third layer, "Soaring Dragon in the Sky"!

The two Imperial Echos, who had been pursuing Bai Ye, simultaneously looked up at the sky. Even though their features were indistinct, their grim solemnity was palpable. Bai Ye murmured to himself, "A Nine Sovereign's intervention... It seems something major is about to happen to the Ancient Emperor's Treasury."

Just as Sun Bumian was about to speak, the roof of the chamber where they were hiding was suddenly torn open. A colossal golden sword, like a living entity, hovered above, looking down at Bai Ye and Sun Bumian. Upon discovering them, dazzling golden light suddenly flared from it!

"Damn it!" Bai Ye hadn't expected their location to be exposed so quickly. He grabbed Sun Bumian, intending to flee, but just as he darted outside the chamber, a gigantic bowl, as if it had been waiting, inverted itself directly from above!

A powerful suction enveloped the ground. Bai Ye and the weak Sun Bumian felt a dizzying disorientation, then instantly vanished into the bowl's opening, as if swallowed by a black hole. The gigantic bowl floated lightly back into the hand of one of the Imperial Echos. Without the slightest hesitation, the two Echos ascended directly into the clouds, entering "Soaring Dragon in the Sky."

Realizing the gravity of the situation, the several emperors who had just personally led their forces to restrain Li Fu changed their expressions dramatically. They no longer cared about Li Fu, who had lost his ritual artifact, and hurriedly ascended towards "Soaring Dragon in the Sky"!

As the emperors' imperial chariots gradually vanished into the sky and the golden chains slowly dissipated, Li Fu lay on the ground, covered in blood. A glimmer of color returned to his eyes, which had been prepared for death.

Witnessing this, Chen Ling, from a distance, couldn't help but click his tongue. "This Li Fu is truly hard to kill," he thought. Just moments ago, he had believed Li Fu had no chance of survival, but who could have imagined that a Nine Sovereign would suddenly attack the Ancient Emperor's Treasury, effectively rescuing him? This further confirmed Chen Ling's belief that not blindly pursuing Li Fu was the correct decision; until Ying Fu pursued him through time archives and completed the closed loop in the future, Li Fu simply could not be killed.

Chen Ling could sense the Nine Sovereign's aura and had a general idea of what was happening above, but others could not. Wu Qiong and the other quasi-emperors, watching the Imperial Echos release Li Fu and hurriedly ascend to the sky, exchanged bewildered glances, having no idea what was happening.

Li Fu took a deep breath and staggered to his feet. He cast a final glance at Zhu Chong's head-shattered body on the ground, showing no expression. He simply wiped the splashed blood from his cheek and walked silently away.

As he approached, the figures who had been engaged in fierce combat ceased their movements. In the deathly silence, they unconsciously cleared a path for him.

Even the quasi-emperors dared not stop Li Fu, simply watching him depart in silence.

One must remember, Li Fu, despite having the fate of an ordinary person, had single-handedly killed Zhu Chong. Although he now seemed to be in decline, no one could be sure what mysterious trump cards he might still possess. There was no need for them to take such a great risk for someone seemingly destined not to become emperor.

A message announcing the death of their king appeared before all of Zhu Chong's followers. Their faces turned deathly pale as they finally reacted to the news.

With Zhu Chong dead, their faction had also disappeared. Those who had never changed allegiance were fortunate, as they still had the opportunity to choose another master. However, those who had previously defected from Li Fu's ranks to Zhu Chong's faction were now completely adrift, with nowhere to go.

"Brother Li, Brother Li! Please take us in again!"

"Yes, Brother Li, we are willing to follow you to become king!"

"Brother Li..."

Urgent pleas rose from the crowd, but Li Fu did not turn back. He simply walked away in silence, heading towards a desolate alleyway in the distance.

That was where A-Qian was.

After Li Fu had departed, Wu Qiong and the others regained their composure and immediately began to recruit those who had been under Zhu Chong's command, quickly expanding their own influence.

With Zhu Chong's death, the power of the other quasi-emperors became largely equal. The path to ascension was now within reach, and everyone wanted to try their luck. Who would ultimately seize victory remained unknown.

The clamor of voices drifted from behind, but Li Fu never looked back. As he turned a corner into an alleyway, his body subtly stiffened.

On the other side of the path, a ghostly, large red opera robe swayed silently in the wind.

Li Fu looked at Chen Ling, his expression shifting from surprise to bitterness, then to helplessness, and finally to calm. After a long silence, he finally broke it: "Are you... here to take my life?"

Li Fu had achieved his revenge, and now Chen Ling had appeared at this very moment. Given their previous agreement, Li Fu couldn't help but suspect. Chen Ling looked into Li Fu's eyes. Li Fu showed no intention of reneging on their agreement; it seemed he would end his own life as promised and return it to Chen Ling, should Chen Ling give the word.