Chapter 913: 断路

Chen Ling glanced at them, then continued looking upward as if they were inconsequential. He seemed to pay them no mind, his only concern being how much further he had to go to reach the top of the stairs.

His steps remained steady and heavy.

Even without him making any move, those holding weapons felt an overwhelming sense of oppression. They wanted to retreat but dared not, so they could only grit their teeth, trembling as they aimed their weapons at Chen Ling.

His performance robe and imperial robe billowed, overlapping in the wind. Chen Ling slowly but surely ascended the steps before them, his pace unwavering, calmly presenting his neck to the sharp weapons.

Just as the two were about to touch, Chen Ling calmly uttered two words:

"Kneel."

As his voice fell, the golden imperial might surrounding him instantly surged, like a mythical beast waking from slumber, roaring thunderously at the crowd before him!

*Clang*—

Every figure blocking Chen Ling's path felt their legs give way, falling directly to their knees.

Under Chen Ling's oppressive presence, an unprecedented fear surged from the depths of their hearts. Their bodies refused to obey, and the weapons in their hands clattered to the ground, scattering everywhere.

Through the disarray, Chen Ling calmly walked past.

Ahead of him, only the "Quasi-Emperor" was still stubbornly holding on. Even though the sword in his hand was unsteady, and his legs trembled violently as if from Parkinson's, he had at least managed to stay on his feet.

But by this point, all traces of his initial defiance had vanished from his face, replaced only by paleness and despair.

He knew the gap between himself and Chen Ling was too vast. In front of this Actor Emperor, all of them, the so-called Quasi-Emperors, were nothing more than ridiculous and insignificant, completely incomparable.

He saw Chen Ling's hand rise and approach his chest, but he had no thought of resisting, allowing Chen Ling to press it against his chest.

Chen Ling sensed a faint power emanating from his palm, and his eyebrows subtly rose.

"This," Chen Ling murmured, "is your 'Quasi-Emperor Fate'?"

Chen Ling felt a response from his own Imperial Fate. With a grip of his five fingers, he forcefully extracted the "Quasi-Emperor Fate" directly from the other person's body, and a wisp of gold appeared in Chen Ling's palm.

After his "Quasi-Emperor Fate" was taken, the Quasi-Emperor's face instantly turned ashen. He seemed to lose all his strength, collapsing to the ground like a rag doll.

"It has nothing to do with the foundation of the Imperial Dao Ancient Vault, nor is it connected to the Imperial Fate... It seems this is just a shoddy fake."

Chen Ling clenched his five fingers, crushing it directly in his palm. He seemed to have vaguely guessed something, his eyes narrowing slightly:

"Interesting..."

As if to confirm his suspicions, Chen Ling continued his ascent towards the end of the Coronation Path.

Watching the demonic figure disappear into the distance, the people sprawled on the ground were lifeless. Especially the "Quasi-Emperor" whose fate had been violently crushed, a flicker of despair appeared in his eyes.

*Boom*—!!!

Beneath the chaotic sky, a black wave swallowed several mountaintops, directly tearing the lingering spirits of the emperors that had stood there into pieces, and they gradually vanished into the air.

Facing the encirclement of hundreds of lingering spirits of emperors, Lord Xuanyu showed no sign of weakness. Instead, he grew fiercer with each battle, fighting his way from the outermost layer of the Monument of Great Deeds all the way to its middle section.

Unlike the initial smaller Monuments of Great Deeds, those here were significantly taller. The lingering spirits of emperors guarding this area were no longer those who had achieved nothing or were merely mediocre, but rather emperors who had genuinely made significant accomplishments.

"Lord Xuanyu is incredibly strong," Sun Bumian couldn't help but exclaim. "At this rate, truly no one in the entire Imperial Dao Ancient Vault is his match..."

Bai Ye, however, was not surprised by this. He calmly stated:

"It's quite normal. If this were one of the ancient vaults of the other fourteen divine paths, even Lord Xuanyu might not be able to breach it easily. But the Imperial Dao Ancient Vault has been lost for hundreds of years and is now merely an empty shell... These lingering spirits alone are no match for him."

"Then it seems we don't need to find a way to escape," Sun Bumian said, looking towards the lingering spirit of an emperor holding a broken bowl.

He watched as the spirit, with a solemn expression, gazed in the direction Lord Xuanyu was attacking from. Suddenly, as if sensing something, he looked down at the Coronation Path stretching down the mountain.

Not only him, but most of the emperors in the deeper regions also turned their heads to look.

In their perception, the "Quasi-Emperor Fates" that had already embarked on the Coronation Path were rapidly extinguishing, one after another, like a row of candles blown out by the wind!

They immediately fixed their gaze, seeing an actor draped in an imperial robe striding across the landscape on the Coronation Path, making his way on foot towards "Flying Dragon in the Sky." Behind him, both the Quasi-Emperors and their followers lay scattered on the ground like discarded puppets.

Witnessing this scene, the expressions of the many lingering spirits of emperors immediately changed. They exchanged glances, as if communicating something.

As yet another Quasi-Emperor's fate was crushed by Chen Ling, only Wu Qiong's group remained ahead of him, still approaching the sky. She was the sole remaining Quasi-Emperor in this ancient vault, the last flicker of candlelight.

The Actor Emperor strode across the Coronation Path, heading straight for the sole remaining Wu Qiong!

Seeing this, the many lingering spirits of emperors simultaneously erupted in dazzling light. Their vast imperial might converged into two massive hands, rapidly reaching towards the path!

"Hmm?"

As Chen Ling's foot touched the step, a surging imperial pressure descended from the sky, directly grasping downwards!

Chen Ling frowned. He saw one of the massive imperial hands flying directly towards him, and without hesitation, he activated his Cloud Step, leaping into the air!

His speed was incredible. He darted towards the edge, evading the massive, descending hand. With a thunderous crash, the hand slammed directly onto the Coronation Path!

*Boom*—!!

A dense network of cracks spread across the Coronation Path. This incredibly stable golden road was forcibly shattered by the combined power of the emperors. Countless figures, along with scattered imperial might, plummeted downwards.

In the end, only a broken segment of the path remained, hanging from the sky.

Chen Ling, using his Cloud Step, narrowly dodged the attack. He looked back and saw the other imperial hand directly seize the foremost Wu Qiong, dragging her towards "Flying Dragon in the Sky"!

Seeing the emperors take Wu Qiong away ahead of time, Chen Ling felt a sense of unease.

Wu Qiong was seized by the massive hand in terror. She was pulled directly through the clouds, and after a dizzying spin, found herself beneath the chaotic sky. She looked around in astonishment, seeing mountaintops below her, and countless golden figures simultaneously looking up at her.

You have become the sole Quasi-Emperor.

Numerous emperors cast covetous gazes upon you.

Before Wu Qiong could understand what was happening, she saw the lingering spirits of the emperors move simultaneously. Their forms leaped from their respective mountaintops, transforming into countless threads that surged wildly into her body!