Chapter 1866: Dialogue Between Two Emperors

Chen Ling slowly came to a stop.

He stood in the dim, yellow light, with the shadowed hall ahead. With a flick of his theatrical sleeves, the Imperial Sword and Imperial Seal floated out automatically, returning to Ying Fu’s side.

Ying Fu turned around, looking at the sword and seal hovering quietly to the side, and spoke calmly:

"You return them to me; aren't you afraid I'll use them against you?"

"You won't."

"Why?"

Ying Fu’s eyes narrowed slightly. "I lent you the sword so you would slay the Calamities of Mockery and Thought for me... Now that you are the only World-Ender left, and you have awakened the Eight Sovereigns, seized the prisons I spent hundreds of years painstakingly managing, and destroyed the foundation of my Chengtian... Why wouldn't I deal with you?"

"If I were only at the Eighth Stage, you would likely strike at me now... but I have become a Demigod," Chen Ling replied calmly.

"Do you think I would be afraid of you?"

"No."

Chen Ling paused for a moment. "It is because I have become, like you, the strongest weapon against the Red Star."

Ying Fu watched Chen Ling quietly, falling into silence.

"At the Eighth Stage, even if I faced the Red Star, I wouldn't be of much use; instead, I might be a potential threat to your Chengtian Dynasty. If I had stopped there, you would naturally have tried everything to kill me... More realistically, you were willing to use the Imperial Seal to help me ascend, but if I had failed today, perhaps that Imperial Sword wouldn't have been lent to me, but would have been used to sever my head."

"But now, I understand the Red Star even better than you do, and I am even more powerful... My value to humanity far outweighs the threat I pose to the Chengtian Dynasty. Weighing the pros and cons, you naturally won't move against me; you might even lend me a hand."

Chen Ling’s voice was devoid of emotional fluctuation. He spoke as if he had long since seen through Ying Fu’s thoughts, laying everything out in the open.

After a long while, Ying Fu countered:

"Then why not use them to kill me? With your current power and influence, if I were dead, this world would be yours."

"Because you and I are the same... we are the same kind of person," Chen Ling said slowly. "A living you is more valuable than a dead you."

Ying Fu watched Chen Ling for a moment and shook his head.

"It seems we won't be fighting today... So, you came here just to return the sword?"

"I came here to talk to you."

"Talk about what?"

"Solving the Red Star."

Ying Fu stood on the steps, not responding, as if waiting for Chen Ling to continue.

"I have no interest in those Domains... and neither do the other Sovereigns. Ultimately, they just hated your methods back then, but we are well aware that you are better at governing the Domains than any of us."

"So, my requirements are simple..."

Chen Ling slowly raised a few fingers:

"First, we can return all these Domains to you... but you must keep the name 'Domain' and not change them back to 'Prisons'."

"Second, I am taking all seven Sovereigns with me. You can use your Demigod Dukes to occupy the various Domains, and we will not interfere with any management thereafter."

"Third, do not dismantle the bases within each Domain; they are proof that they once existed."

Hearing Chen Ling’s demands, Ying Fu frowned slightly.

"You want to take the seven Sovereigns? To do what?"

"The Red Star has a powerful suppressive effect on civilization. You and your Dukes derive your power from the Divine Path civilization; if you try to use your current forces to deal with the Red Star, you are almost certain to fail." Chen Ling pointed to himself.

"But the seven Sovereigns and I, our power originates from the Red Star itself, so we will not be suppressed..."

"Therefore..."

"We are the only ones who can defeat the Red Star."

The hall fell into a deathly silence.

Cold winds swirled among the ruins outside the hall, the sound of wailing continuous.

"You... are going to hand humanity over to us and go deal with the Red Star yourself?" Ying Fu finally asked.

"An era should not have two emperors," Chen Ling replied faintly. "One of us must remain. And I am merely taking advantage of external forces... You are the emperor who should truly lead humanity."

Ying Fu stared blankly at Chen Ling. After a long while, he closed his eyes and spoke softly:

"I always thought I understood you deeply... but it seems I still underestimated you."

"If all goes well, this time, we can completely destroy the Red Star," Chen Ling paused. "But if it doesn't... then it will be up to you."

"What do you need me to do?"

"You and I are both people who have experienced the destruction of the previous world. You should know very well what will happen after the Red Star passes by a second time... If we fail, the extinction of this world is almost irreversible; it's just a matter of how long we can hold on." Chen Ling said slowly.

"During this time, I will select the next Heart 6... If we fail, he will lead the Twilight Society to restart the world again. I don't expect you to help him, but at least, do not make things difficult for the Twilight Society."

"With me here, even if you fail, the humans of this world will not fall to the state of the previous world," Ying Fu added immediately. "However... I promise you, I will not be an enemy of the Twilight Society."

"Hmm."

Chen Ling took out a bone-carving knife and sliced firmly across the center of his palm, scarlet blood flowing from the wound.

He gently raised his hand and flicked a drop of blood toward Ying Fu.

"In the previous world, our Twilight Society had a doctor who developed an antibody against the primitive virus triggered by the Red Star's return... I hid it in my blood and brought it to this world. If I fail, it should be able to provide help to the humans of this world and reduce the impact of the virus."

Ying Fu’s body trembled slightly.

With a thought, a chill enveloped the drop of blood, freezing it solid.

He stared at the drop of scarlet blood, a complex look appearing in his eyes... In the previous world, A-Qian had died from the viral infection. But this world had him, the Chengtian Dynasty, and the antibody in Chen Ling’s blood; perhaps humanity would not repeat the same mistakes.

"I have said everything I needed to say." Chen Ling brushed his theatrical sleeves and turned to leave. "I hope you will keep your promise."

"Wait," Ying Fu suddenly spoke.

"There is one more question... I haven't figured out."

"You said you wanted to take the seven Sovereigns, but they have been dormant for so many years; their lifespans should have reached their limits... Logically, even if you took them, they shouldn't live for more than half a day."

"Chen Ling..."

"How did you extend their lives?"

Chen Ling looked back, giving Ying Fu a deep look. A faint, weak pallor spread across his face... He smiled, did not answer, and simply walked away, stepping into the dim sunset.