A World-Shaking Blow

Jiang Che's gaze suddenly turned cold.

He thrust his arm forward violently, as if casting off the weight of all his power.

That terrifying mass of energy nearly detonated, resembling an ancient beast unleashed from its chains; it opened a gaping maw and swallowed Baby's massive body whole.

Violent energy swept across the entire battlefield, whipping sand and dust into the sky to form a vortex that trapped everything within its reach.

Baby let out a desperate, piercing shriek that soared straight into the clouds.

Immediately after, the red energy erupted like a volcanic explosion, transforming into a thick pillar of light that pierced the heavens.

The beam was so ferocious that it tore a massive hole through the cloud layer, as if the sky itself had been punched through.

The ground began to shake violently, with cracks spreading like spiderwebs and affecting everything for miles around.

Nearby creatures pressed themselves against the earth, trembling and unable to move.

When the light finally faded, the entire area fell into a deathly silence, as if following a great storm.

Nothing remained but a colossal crater with charred, clean-cut edges, as if a deity had casually pressed a seal into the earth.

The rocks at the bottom of the pit had been fused into glass by the extreme heat, smooth and gleaming, still reflecting the lingering light.

Baby's Great Ape body, along with the Tuffle consciousness within him, had been completely erased, reduced to the most primitive dust in the universe without leaving a single trace behind.

A deathly stillness hung in the air.

Only the wind whistled across the empty battlefield, as if mourning the cruelty of the fight.

[Ding! Congratulations to the Host for completing the mission: Defeat Great Ape Baby!]

[Reward: 50,000 Exchange Points!]

[Special Note: As this is the Host's first mission completion, the reward is doubled! A total of 100,000 Exchange Points awarded!]

The system's notification was crisp and mechanical, echoing in Jiang Che's mind like cold coins dropping into an empty jar.

He nodded, the fighting spirit in his eyes slowly receding.

He took a breath, and the golden aura surrounding his body gradually retracted and extinguished.

As the transformation state ended, his long golden hair quickly shortened and darkened, returning to his original black, which fell neatly onto his shoulders.

His entire presence shifted from a blazing peak back to a state of calm and stability, as if the man who had just destroyed the world had never existed.

In the distance, Gohan lay sprawled on the ground, his face as pale as parchment.

He braced himself on the rubble with both hands, his body shaking uncontrollably, his lips purple, and his teeth chattering.

The Baby within him had been completely purged and his consciousness restored, but the helplessness and despair he felt while being controlled weighed on him like a shadow, making it hard to breathe.

"Jiang Che... you..." Gohan lifted his head with great difficulty, his voice as raspy as sandpaper, the words forced out through gritted teeth. "Just how... strong are you?"

In truth, he found the question laughable even as he said it.

Strong?

That word was nowhere near enough to describe the man before him.

The strike he had just witnessed was something only a god could achieve.

Jiang Che turned slowly, his gaze landing lightly on Gohan.

His expression was as calm as water, carrying a faint, relaxed smile.

He didn't boast, nor did he show arrogance, as if the being he had just obliterated was nothing more than an annoying fly.

He raised an eyebrow slightly, the corner of his mouth curling into a faint arc. "What do you think?"

Without another word, he bent his knees slightly and pushed off the ground.

With a dull thud, he left a shallow crater in the earth as dirt and stones flew into the air.

He transformed into a brilliant streak of light, like a meteor streaking across the sky, and vanished into the horizon in the blink of an eye, leaving behind only a fading white trail that looked as if the sky had been sliced open by a blade.

The wind blew.

On the vast battlefield, Gohan was left standing there, dazed and alone.

He looked up toward the direction where the light had vanished, his eyes hollow and unfocused.

The wind caught his tattered clothes and dust settled on his shoulders, but he didn't notice.

After a long while, his lips moved, and he let out a barely audible murmur—what kind of monster is that man, anyway?

Meanwhile, in the distant Supreme Kai World.

The interior of the shrine was dim, its ancient stone pillars carved with totems of primordial battles.

Starlight filtered through cracks in the dome, illuminating the dust that covered the floor.

Old Supreme Kai sat cross-legged on a stone dais, his white hair cascading down like a waterfall. His hands were folded on his lap, his sunken eyes closed, and his breathing was long and steady.

His robes glowed faintly, exuding an ancient and vast aura.

Suddenly, an ethereal ripple of energy pierced through the barriers of the deep universe, striking like ice water poured onto a scorching stone, shattering the tranquility in Old Supreme Kai's mind.

His eyelids twitched violently before he snapped his eyes open—all traces of haze had vanished, replaced by a piercing, brilliant light that seemed capable of piercing through time and space.

His withered hand tightened around his staff until his knuckles turned white, his entire aged face contorting into a knot.

His lips trembled as he spoke in a voice that was both hoarse and urgent: "This energy... impossible... how could this be?"

The sound echoed through the empty Kami's Lookout, startling a few divine birds perched on the rafters; they flapped their wings toward the dome, shaking loose a few white feathers.

Nearby, Kibito Kai was hunched over, organizing a table full of ancient texts.

He wore the standard Supreme Kai attire, his silver hair combed into a flawless style.

Hearing Old Supreme Kai's voice, the scroll in his hand paused. He straightened up and turned his head, looking slightly puzzled: "What is it? Have you sensed something again?" His tone was rather nonchalant, having long grown accustomed to Old Supreme Kai's tendency to overreact.

"Fool!" Old Supreme Kai stood up abruptly and slammed his staff hard against the floor. The thud was loud enough to make the crystal ball on the table wobble.

He rushed to the center of the lookout in two strides, pressing his hands onto the crystal ball until his face was nearly touching it. "Can't you feel it? That energy coming from Earth!"

Kibito Kai froze for a moment, set down the scroll, and closed his eyes to sense carefully.

At first, his brow was relaxed, but then it furrowed. "There is indeed a very strong energy... but isn't that just Son Goku and the others? Or perhaps the Saiyan energy of Vegeta?" He spoke with a tone of certainty.

"Nonsense!" Old Supreme Kai was so angry his beard bristled, and he struck the floor with his staff several more times, bang, bang, bang. "You idiot, that is god-like energy! It is unmistakably god-like energy! If you can't even distinguish that, how do you expect to be a Supreme Kai?!" Spittle nearly sprayed onto Kibito Kai's face.

"God-like energy?" Kibito Kai's eyes widened, his pupils contracting as if he had heard something absurd.

He stepped closer and lowered his voice. "Could it be... that there are other Supreme Kais?"

As he spoke, his gaze involuntarily swept toward the tightly shut dark doors around the lookout, as if those sleeping relics of the divine race might truly spawn another deity.

"It is not a Supreme Kai..." Old Supreme Kai shook his head, his white hair swaying with the motion.

He took a deep breath and pressed both withered hands onto the crystal ball, his fingertips glowing faintly.

Pale purple ripples spread through the sphere, light swirling until a blurred image slowly began to coalesce.

The light grew brighter and more piercing, eventually settling into a clear, frozen scene.