Chapter 871: Imperial Expedition

The moment he heard that word, a flash of killing intent erupted from Chen Ling’s eyes!

Although the surname was different, the resemblance to Ying Fu, the same "Fu" character in his name, and the fact that he happened to be in the Imperial Dao Ancient Treasury as a candidate for the new [Emperor]... With these three elements combined, Chen Ling could almost lock in the hemp-clad youth’s identity!

Even if he didn't know why Ying Fu was surnamed Li now, he was definitely the future new [Emperor] of the world!

Just as Chen Ling’s killing intent flared and the blade was about to sever the youth’s neck, a pale golden phantom descended from the sky, leading a galloping imperial vanguard toward the snowfield!

The pale golden phantom pointed in the air, and the vast imperial might struck like a giant hammer, knocking the bright red opera robe and the hemp-clad youth apart!

DONG—!!!

Chen Ling’s bone-cleaving knife only sliced through the youth’s skin and a small amount of flesh before being deflected by the shockwave. The youth was sent flying like a cannonball, his mortal body suffering internal injuries, spraying blood into the air.

As for Chen Ling, although he was also forced back by the strike, he quickly stabilized his stance.

The bright red opera robe danced wildly in the wind and snow. His eyes didn't look at the rapidly approaching Emperor’s remnant, but remained fixed on the dying hemp-clad youth!

"Ying Fu! You can't run!"

The Tribunal expanded rapidly around Chen Ling. Amidst the flying snow, Chen Ling’s fingers gripped the handle of the bone-cleaving knife, and the power of judgment surged into it frantically!

With a flick of his scarlet sleeves, a blade of light imbued with the power of deconstruction shot through the snowstorm like a bullet!!

The blade tore through the air, melting every snowflake it touched. It even carved a trench through the thick snow on the ground, and its target was the dying hemp-clad youth lying in the snow!

Seeing this, the pale golden figure riding the imperial troops waved a hand, and the hemp-clad youth lying in the pool of blood vanished into thin air, as if he had been sent into the second layer, "Or Leap in the Abyss," in an instant!

The next moment, the bone-cleaving knife, carrying the power of judgment, pierced the earth and disappeared without a trace, leaving only a deep, circular hole leading to who knows where.

Chen Ling felt the fluctuation of energy piercing through the two layers and narrowed his eyes slightly.

To the others, this scene was heart-shaking. Chen Ling’s casual strike had pierced the earth; killing them would surely be a matter of a single thought... They turned around in chaos and fled in all directions, no longer caring about the direction, only wanting to get away from Chen Ling as quickly as possible.

"Brother Xiao Li!!" A-Qian was stunned. She looked around and didn't see the hemp-clad youth, tears streaming down her face.

Wu Qiong grabbed her waist, hoisted her onto his shoulder, and turned to run into the distance!

Chen Ling ignored the fleeing crowd. After the hemp-clad youth disappeared, his attention shifted to the sky...

The pale golden figure, like a god, drifted slowly above the snowfield. With another wave of his hand, the many fleeing figures vanished one after another, all sent to the second layer.

According to the original arrangement of the emperors, these people were supposed to experience more suffering in the first layer, exposing the deepest sides of their hearts under the dual limits of body and mind. Only those who could maintain their reason in such circumstances, and even "disguise" themselves to lead others, were qualified to be candidates for the new [Emperor]...

But Chen Ling’s appearance had undoubtedly disrupted everything, forcing them to accelerate the progress and send these people directly to the second layer.

"To actually provoke an Emperor’s remnant into an imperial expedition..." Sun Bumian couldn't help but speak when he saw this.

"Sure enough, no matter where Red Heart 6 goes, he causes a huge commotion."

"Stop talking nonsense!" Jian Changsheng pointed at the two pale golden figures drifting down from the sky, along with the vast army they brought, and cursed, "We are their targets too!"

BOOM—!!!

Three imperial remnants, leading three teams of soldiers, crashed into the snowfield like a murderous tsunami. The flying snow was shaken into the air, like hazy mist, blurring everything.

Countless weapons slashed toward Chen Ling from all directions. Chen Ling dodged the attacks nimbly while turning to look. The faces of those soldiers were blurred, but judging by their armor, they were indeed imperial vanguards from some ancient dynasty.

This vanguard, at a rough glance, numbered in the tens of thousands. Although they had no ranks or skills, their strength and speed were not inferior to any Third-Rank of the Soldier God Path. With such dense numbers, even Chen Ling felt his scalp tingle...

"[Judgment]."

With the sound of a gunshot, a deconstruction bullet tore a gap through the army.

A figure in a bright red opera robe moved like a red butterfly, easily avoiding the surrounding siege, then stepped on the void and leaped above the sea of soldiers...

Flying snow mixed with endless weapons seemed to fill the entire first layer of "Hidden Dragon in the Abyss." As the complex formations of the imperial vanguards below rotated, the killing intent seemed to distort even the sense of space. Chen Ling looked around and could no longer see where Jian Changsheng and Sun Bumian were.

A fluctuation of the Emperor God Path came from the side. A middle-aged remnant in imperial robes, holding a long sword, walked silently out of the void.

"An Emperor’s remnant, huh..."

Chen Ling felt the repulsion from the Imperial destiny and frowned tightly.

There was extreme exclusivity between Imperial destinies; there could only be one Emperor in an era... Although the one before him was the remnant of an Emperor from a past dynasty, it still gave him a sense of hostility from the depths of his soul.

Perhaps because it had been lost for too long, the Emperor’s remnant before him was hazy and blurred. Chen Ling couldn't even see his face, but as the phantom of an imperial dynasty outlined itself beneath the other’s feet, a long string of titles suddenly flooded into Chen Ling’s mind:

—【Emperor of Body, Heaven, Law, Dao, Extreme Merit, Complete Virtue, Divine Culture, Holy Martial, Wise, Philosophical, Bright, and Filial】

Chen Ling was stunned.

Why were the titles of other emperors so long, while his was just the simple four words [Opera Emperor]?

The Emperor’s remnant raised his palm, and countless ancient paper currencies swarmed out from the void, weaving into a golden dragon of surging fortune above him.

From this Emperor, although Chen Ling couldn't feel any clear "rank," he seemed to possess some kind of heavy historical merit. This merit materialized in the Imperial Dao Ancient Treasury, bringing great pressure to Chen Ling!

The Emperor stood with his hands behind his back in the void. The next moment, the paper currency golden dragon whistled toward Chen Ling!

The speed of this golden dragon was extremely fast; even Chen Ling could barely react. The bright red opera robe stepped on cloud-steps, turning into a red afterimage wandering through the void, with the golden dragon in hot pursuit!

At this moment,

In a corner of the war-torn "Hidden Dragon in the Abyss" layer that no one paid attention to.

I don't know which Emperor’s army galloped over the soil, the earth shaking like thunder. When these troops gradually moved away, a figure wrapped in bandages silently crawled out of the chaotic ground, patting his ears as if he had tinnitus from the shaking.

Jiang Xiaohua struggled for a long time before finally using his hands to support himself on the soil, slowly crawling out of the ground...