Chapter 1149: [Human Emperor]

Late at night.

Chen Ling gently pushed open the door.

The accommodations for Sun Bumian and the others had all been arranged. Except for Jiang Xiaohua, who insisted on sleeping in the ground, the others’ rooms were also quite good... At this time, the Fusion Faction was incredibly quiet, and most of the students had entered dreamland.

Dim starlight occasionally shone through the clouds of the Gray World, spilling onto the spacious balcony. Chen Ling didn't go to bed but walked straight to the railing, staring blankly at the barren land in the distance.

After an unknown amount of time, he slowly took out the familiar USB drive from his bosom.

Chen Ling had thought that after he left the Twilight Society, the [Spirit Treasure] would be recovered by the Red King, as this thing meant too much to the Twilight Society. But he didn't expect that after going around in circles, it had returned to his hands...

Chen Ling didn't believe that Spades 8 hadn't asked the Red King during this process. Since Spades 8 could pass this thing to Sun Bumian and have the latter return it to him, it must have been at the Red King’s instruction.

"...What exactly are you thinking?" The Red King’s back appeared in Chen Ling’s mind, and he muttered to himself.

Chen Ling already knew his true identity, and he also knew that in the era before the Great Cataclysm, there was no such thing as his "home." Since that was the case, the Twilight Society’s reversing the era and restarting the world actually had no meaning for him...

He looked down at the USB drive in his hand, his expression complex.

He stood there on the balcony of the Gray Realm, motionless in deep thought like a statue... but in the end, he gripped the USB drive tightly in his hand.

Regardless of what the Red King was thinking, and regardless of whether Chen Ling cared about reversing the era, the utility of the USB drive was at least obvious. Throughout his journey, Chen Ling had frequently relied on the power of the USB drive. Whether it was the kindness shown to him by the Aurora Lord Yang Xiao, the help from Yao Qing, or the will of Lu Xun clearing the path for him in the Tianshu Domain, it had saved him from dire straits time and time again...

Although he didn't fully understand the principles behind it yet, and hadn't had the chance to exchange codes with Su Zhiwei, Chen Ling already believed that this USB drive could truly influence the past.

Since that was the case, he had to seize this opportunity and use the power to influence the past to create more advantages for himself in this era.

Chen Ling believed this was also the reason why Ying Fu and the others had intervened in that era.

Thinking of this, Chen Ling turned and went back into the room. He first wrote a "Do Not Disturb" sign and hung it on the door to ensure he wouldn't be interrupted while entering the save file, then pulled the curtains and sat cross-legged on the bed.

He took a deep breath and slowly inserted the USB drive into the bedding beneath him.

The next moment, lines of ghostly green characters floated out into the void:

【ID 129439】

【Reading...】

【Read Complete】

Chen Ling's eyes slowly closed.

……

Tap—tap—tap...

Muffled footsteps echoed through the black metallic corridor. Dim starlight spilled in from the arched windows on the side, and several figures seemed to weave through the light and shadow.

If one were to look out the window at this moment, they would discover that this building was actually hovering above the Gray Realm, like a massive moving castle, and it was slowly advancing along a predetermined route...

After an unknown amount of time, these figures stopped in front of a door engraved with mysterious patterns.

"Your Majesty, do you need us to go in with you?" Mo Lian asked respectfully.

"No," Ying Fu replied indifferently, "Wait outside."

"Yes."

Ying Fu let go of A'qian's hand, and the latter stood obediently in place.

As the heavy door slowly opened, Ying Fu stepped inside. In the vast hall, a massive metal throne was suspended in mid-air...

Directly beneath the throne, a figure draped in a black robe seemed to have been waiting for him for a long time.

Six bright red Philosopher's Stones clustered at the center of his brow beneath the hood, emitting a divine shimmer. As he slowly removed his hood, a face as calm as an ancient well was revealed—it was the Wuji Lord, Lou Yu.

"How is the progress?" Ying Fu asked calmly.

Lou Yu raised his hand, and an object was gently tossed out. Ying Fu caught it, a flash of doubt crossing his eyes.

What he held was a thumb-sized metal chip, made of an unknown material, emitting a faint blue glow...

"As expected of something researched by that guy... even I could only barely replicate one." Lou Yu opened his palm, where another USB drive lay quietly. Its appearance was basically similar to the [Spirit Treasure] in Chen Ling's hand, with only a slight difference in color.

"However, it's just enough for the two of us..."

"Why is yours different from mine?" Ying Fu asked, frowning.

"I am not the Ruoshui Lord; I cannot make them exactly the same. However, the genuine article and the replica only differ in appearance; there is basically no difference in function." Lou Yu spoke slowly, "The only problem is that the replica cannot, like the other three genuine ones, absorb energy from the corpses of the Nine Lords to extend the time spent active in the save file... In other words, it can only be activated once a month, for 12 hours at a time, and cannot be increased further."

Ying Fu examined the replica in his hand for a moment, then spoke again:

"Does it have a name?"

"The three genuine ones are named after the three Heavenly Venerables from mythology; they are the pinnacle of innate power and can sever the torrent of an era." Lou Yu paused for a moment. "The one I replicated does not belong to the 'innate'; it is a product of humanity seizing the fortune of heaven and earth... Therefore, I have named it [Human Emperor]."

A faint glimmer flashed in Ying Fu's eyes. "[Human Emperor]... It suits me well."

"Since you and I have formed an alliance, some things must be said upfront." Lou Yu's expression was extremely serious.

"The era save file is severed from the outside world. Once you enter it, your connection to your 'subjects' in reality will be cut off, and your rank will likely drop... After I go in, I have my own things to do and cannot act as a nanny to help you capture people to increase your strength. At most, we can rendezvous at Shennongjia."

"You don't need to worry about that."

Ying Fu walked forward slowly and raised his palm. "Give me your hand."

Seeing this, a flash of doubt crossed Lou Yu's brow, but he still raised his hand and grasped Ying Fu's... The next moment, a faint electric spark darted across the backs of their hands, disappearing without a trace a moment later.

"The [Emperor] does not only have the means to subdue 'subjects'; there is also 'Vertical and Horizontal Alliance.' Since we have officially formed an alliance, I can borrow one of your skills."

As he spoke, Ying Fu raised his hand and pointed at the ground beneath his feet.

The next moment, dense currents intertwined on the ground, and a golden spear was reshaped from the floor, which he grasped lightly in his hand.

"I am the Emperor; no matter which era I am in, I can gather strength in a short time..." Ying Fu's voice echoed. The two figures stood amidst the light and shadow, their long shadows stretching to the end of the hall.

"See you at Shennongjia."