CHAPTER 394: CHAPTER 393: EMPEROR’S SCROLL_1

The moment Ling Chen set foot into the Human Emperor’s Palace, he felt as if the surrounding space had twisted for a moment, and with it, his own body seemed to have been dragged along. The discomfort, akin to spatial displacement, made Ling Chen feel somewhat dizzy.

Once his senses fully restored, Ling Chen found that Xu Ruoyan, who had been beside him, had disappeared. Judging from the circumstances, they seemed to have been teleported by the Array Formation upon stepping into the main hall.

Xu Ruoyan’s injuries were not fully healed yet, and Ling Chen couldn’t help but worry about her. However, having come this far, all he could do was to keep an eye out for Xu Ruoyan while exploring the Human Emperor’s Palace.

The hall was exceptionally spacious, with walls, columns, and even the floor covered in a patinated green color. The floor was lined with intersecting dark gold lines, forming a grid structure, each square approximately one hundred feet in length and width.

My Light Skill can’t function.

The moment Ling Chen stepped into the hall, he also felt a powerful pull binding his body. Forget Light Skill; even running seemed to be highly challenging.

Emptiness! Silence!

There was not a single Exotic Beast in the entire Human Emperor’s Palace, which was quietly bathed under the dark golden glow.

These lines are dynamic.

Ling Chen crouched down, engrossed in observing the flowing dark gold patterns on the ground. He discovered that the gold lines were moving like water. Although these lines moved in different directions, he had a hunch that they all originated from a single source. That place was undeniably the core of the whole Human Emperor’s Palace.

Relying on this hunch, Ling Chen drew out his Thunder Shadow Sword, marked a cross on the ground, and then proceeded forward.

「Half an hour later.」

Ling Chen glanced at the ground in front of him where there was a familiar cross mark. After walking for half an hour, he was back where he had started.

This place is a complete chessboard.

A thoughtful expression appeared on Ling Chen’s face. The intersecting light formed a chessboard, and he was like a chess piece trapped within it.

Looking around, Ling Chen felt puzzled. There was a passage not far away, but no matter how close it seemed, he just couldn’t reach it.

Since this is a chessboard, to escape, I must shed the fate of being a pawn and think unconventionally.

Ling Chen examined the identical squares around him. With a sudden realization, he abruptly closed his eyes and dashed in a single direction. In the span of a few dozen breaths, the light around him dimmed, and only one trail of light remained, extending into an Inner Hall. All the light rays emanated from this lone trail.

After taking a deep breath, Ling Chen entered the Inner Hall.

Just as he stepped into the Inner Hall, Ling Chen immediately felt an overwhelming, invisible pressure. A profoundly ancient and solemn aura filled the hall.

Towering guards in resplendent armor lined both sides of the hall. Although they were merely empty suits of armor, they projected an aura of might and grandeur, looking majestic and imposing.

Ling Chen’s gaze merely swept across these armored figures before landing at the very end of the Inner Hall, where a table stood. Next to the table sat a figure wearing golden armor, also empty like the guards.

Elsewhere, there were glowing orbs, each carefully containing ancient objects. These items were clearly no ordinary objects; they were, at the very least, rare-grade treasures.

As he approached the table, Ling Chen’s gaze fell upon it. Ancient books and pieces of paper were laid out on top, which piqued his curiosity. However, as soon as he touched them, all the books and papers turned to ash, vanishing without a trace.

It seems they have already deteriorated.

Ling Chen frowned slightly, but when he shifted his gaze, he found that beneath the ashes of the numerous papers, one scroll remained intact.

It was a portrait.

The portrait featured a middle-aged man with long hair and a resolute, square face. He looked quite ordinary, not much different from a regular middle-aged man.

Just as Ling Chen was about to take a closer look at the man in the blue-green robe, the portrait suddenly began to glow, the figure within emanating a dazzling light.

What is this...?

Ling Chen stared at this spectacle in shock.

In the midst of his astonishment, the light from the painting shot out, and all of it flowed into the empty armor.

CREAK... CREAK...

The sound of armor clashing echoed as the Human Emperor’s image, now wearing the armor, rose from its seat.

"Hello, young man," a robust and gentle voice came from the man standing before him.

"You... you’re the Human Emperor?" Ling Chen felt a jolt, completely holding his breath.

The influence of the Human Emperor on the Tianyuan Continent was profound! He was the first supreme ruler in history to shatter the void and leave the Tianyuan Continent! He was also the first to unify the entire world, revered across all the Five Lakes and Four Seas as the ’Human Emperor.’ To this day, people far and wide worshiped him annually, like a divine spirit!

The Human Emperor united the world, expelled the Exotic Beasts that harmed humans, split mountains and parted waters, enfeoffed Marquises, and divided the seas. He was hailed as the greatest figure of all time.

It was only after the era of the Human Emperor that warriors learned of the existence of a realm beyond the Saint Path—the Shattered Void!

The Human Emperor was no longer a man, but a god! Even though several rulers who achieved the Shattered Void emerged after him, their status could never compare to that of the Human Emperor.

"To think that after several thousand years, the first to enter my Human Emperor’s Palace would be a young lad like you," the Human Emperor said, a hint of nostalgia in his voice.

"I only entered this place by chance, happening to be the first," Ling Chen replied. Only then did he realize he was the first person to enter.

It seems that even Top Sky Apex Strongs haven’t entered before me. However, it’s strange that I didn’t see anyone else. Where could they be?

"By chance?" The Human Emperor shook his head. "That you could enter before others means you possess something extraordinary that they lack. Of course, it could be luck, but undeniably, luck is also a part of strength."

"However, since you have come to the Human Emperor’s Palace, you have passed numerous tests. You may take one treasure from this palace."

"Only one?" Ling Chen couldn’t help but glance around. There are so many treasures, yet I can only take one?

"Yes, only one. And once you make your choice, you cannot go back on it," the Human Emperor said, watching Ling Chen with a smile.

"Anything at all?" Ling Chen asked, his gaze sweeping over the orbs around him. "As long as it’s something in this hall?"

"As long as it is within this hall, certainly," the Human Emperor replied, his gentle smile unwavering.

"Then I choose this."

Without any hesitation, Ling Chen pointed to the now-blank portrait, the very one the Human Emperor’s phantom image had just inhabited.