'Find resonance, gather Killing Intent... Is this the key to drawing out the Dao Foundation of the Martial God Path?'
Chen Ling memorized these eight words in his heart.
He suddenly recalled that when he received the gaze of the Way of the Soldier God in the estate, he seemed to have been in this exact state... Intense hatred occupied his heart. Standing before Bone Knife, he, who had never killed a person before, used a Dagger to dissect the other party's body.
The Killing Intent contained in his heart at that time only barely subsided after he slaughtered the entire estate.
However, the difference was that at that time, he was directly granted a Divine Path by the star representing the Way of the Soldier God in the heavens. This time, the crowd entering the Ancient Vault of the Military Path was obtaining a Divine Path from the "Dao Foundation" of the Ancient Vault. In terms of effect alone, the latter should be inferior to the former.
"Before entering the Ancient Vault, there are two rules you absolutely must remember."
"First, you can slaughter all the creatures manifested by the Ancient Vault of the Military Path at will, because they are merely projections of ancient Killing Intent... But you cannot kill each other. Manifested creatures can regenerate after dying, but if you die... you truly die."
Speaking up to here, he glanced at Yan Xicai and added another sentence:
"Of course, if you die at the hands of a manifested creature during the course of a fight, it counts as an accident... No matter what, you all must prioritize your own lives."
"Every year, Law Enforcers are sent into the Ancient Vault of the Military Path, but less than one-tenth are able to step onto the Way of the Soldier God... It doesn't matter if you can't step onto the Way of the Soldier God, but if a person dies here, then everything is gone."
Every word the Enforcer spoke was reminding the crowd not to be too aggressive and to reduce meaningless casualties within the Ancient Vault as much as possible.
Meanwhile, Chen Ling also felt a sliver of gaze land on him...
He turned his head and found Yan Xicai, surrounded by numerous Law Enforcers, sneering at him... And the remaining seven Fire-Stealers were also looking at him with furrowed brows, their gazes flickering.
Chen Ling directly ignored the gazes of these two groups of people. His dark brown overcoat swayed gently in the wind. He stood at the bow of the ship, watching the gradually approaching Ancient Vault of the Military Path, calculating something in his mind.
It wasn't long before the steamship arrived at the bottom of that heaven-piercing giant sword, stopping before a massive portal.
There were no walls, no paths. That black door just stood there solitarily on the surface of the frozen sea. Behind it was endless void...
"We're here." The Four-Stripe Enforcer checked the time.
"Passing through that door is officially considered entering the interior of the Ancient Vault of the Military Path... After 24 hours, the ship will wait for you here."
The crowd exchanged glances and successively arrived at the edge of the deck on that side. They looked at that black portal standing before the void, not knowing how to enter for a moment...
Right at this time, Lu Xuanming, who had remained silent the entire time, suddenly stepped forward. With one step onto the railing, his figure leaped high up and then plummeted into the black portal, vanishing entirely.
Lu Xuanming's crispness and decisiveness startled the others. Very quickly, more and more people followed suit. After taking a deep breath, they took a step and leaped from the ship into the door.
"Chen Ling, is it?" Yan Xicai rested one foot on the railing and sneered at Chen Ling. "I'll be waiting for you inside the Ancient Vault..."
After saying that, his figure also leaped down and vanished without a trace.
The seven Fire-Stealers closely followed behind.
When the crowd had almost all left, only Chen Ling was left solitary on the deck. Beneath the black heaven-piercing giant sword, his figure was as insignificant as an ant.
The three Enforcers wearing windbreakers stood behind him.
"Go in." The Five-Stripe Enforcer spoke slowly. "Even if you choose to withdraw now, after going ashore, Yan Xicai will still find a way to kill you... His power is far stronger than you imagine."
Seeing Chen Ling delaying going in, they all thought Chen Ling was scared. After all, as long as he wasn't stupid, he knew that after entering the Ancient Vault, Yan Xicai would definitely mobilize all his forces to hunt him down.
Entering this Ancient Vault was almost a situation of Ten Deaths and No Life for him.
After a long silence, Chen Ling slowly turned his head...
He smiled slightly at the three Enforcers.
"Who said I was going to withdraw?"
He leaned back against the railing, gently tilted back, and his figure lightly plummeted off the ship, vanishing into the black portal.
【Audience Expectation Value +3】
【Current Expectation Value: 77%】
...
Chen Ling's vision plunged into darkness.
By the time he opened his eyes again, his feet were already standing on a cliff.
The numerous Law Enforcers who had entered the Ancient Vault just before him were currently standing in front of him, forming an arc, seemingly waiting for him... They looked at Chen Ling, their gazes containing sighs, pity, schadenfreude, and sympathetic compassion.
Anyone who had seen the friction between him and Yan Xicai on the ship knew... Chen Ling was dead for sure.
This was the inevitable consequence after he angered Yan Xicai. In the final analysis, he was just a minor Law Enforcer from District Three who had just Advanced. How could he possibly be a match for Yan Xicai, who held power and influence?
Among them were also Law Enforcers from other great districts. Mostly, they felt sympathy for Chen Ling. After all, even if they were in Chen Ling's shoes, their fate today wouldn't be much better...
But they similarly couldn't possibly stand up and speak for Chen Ling. Right now, their only solace was that Yan Xicai had targeted Chen Ling, not them.
Surrounded by the crowd, Chen Ling's expression didn't change in the slightest. He shifted his gaze and looked at Number 8 and the others standing at the very edge of the crowd...
The several Fire-Stealers' gazes flickered. They seemingly didn't intend to interfere in Chen Ling's matters, pondering something.
"You actually really dared to come in... Should I say you're arrogant? Or brave?"
Yan Xicai spoke leisurely while surrounded by the multitude of Law Enforcers. His gaze toward Chen Ling was chilling and piercing.
As he lightly raised his right hand, the dozen or so Aurora City Law Enforcers behind him simultaneously drew their guns!
Over a dozen pitch-black muzzles aimed at Chen Ling, leaving him no blind spots to dodge... Yan Xicai was dead set on killing Chen Ling here.
The bullets in the chambers were poised to fire. Before Chen Ling was a dense net of fire, behind him was an endless abyss. He had absolutely nowhere left to retreat.
Chen Ling reached toward his waist.
The moment he pulled out the gun, everyone's nerves abruptly drew taut. Yan Xicai subconsciously grabbed the Ritual Artifact in his pocket, Pu Wen took a step to guard beside him as the aura of the Path of the Scholar God quietly emanated, and at the same time, all the gun-wielding Law Enforcers subconsciously went to pull the trigger!
But in the tense atmosphere among the crowd, Chen Ling slowly stuffed the muzzle into his own mouth.
Chen Ling smiled.
The corners of his mouth parted uncontrollably, madness surfacing in his eyes!
"Did you think that if I died... everything would be over?"
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, he raised his right index fingertip and lightly tapped his brow... like an incredibly devout believer, speaking into the void:
"Usurp Heaven's Dao, Seize the Cosmos."
"In the Name of the Thief God of Finality, the Silver King..."
"All of you will die here."
Bang——!!
Chen Ling pulled the trigger.
The instant the bullet pierced through his throat, his face blurred, transforming into the appearance of the Fire Usurper Number Eight (13) whom he had counter-killed. Then, he weakly plummeted toward the abyss behind him...
Fire-Stealers: ????