Gotei 13!

Boom—

The contrast between the giant hammer and Li Chen's arm was suffocatingly stark.

Yet the outcome was unexpected—using only one hand, he easily blocked an attack powerful enough to sink a continent, his expression utterly calm.

Li Chen's LV6 Vector Manipulation required immense computational power to create its reflective defense, placing extremely high demands on the user's mental strength.

But that was no problem at all for Li Chen.

As the president of the League of Heroes, he enjoyed the full-attribute bonuses of hundreds of members—after each person's abilities were raised by one level, they were all stacked onto him. In terms of base attributes alone, one hand of his could crush over a hundred ordinary Thanoses.

Even more terrifyingly, as the League expanded, there was no upper limit to the increase in power Li Chen received. Even if members died in battle or left, the enhancements he had already obtained would not disappear. As long as a member grew stronger, Li Chen's benefits would increase in tandem.

"Is that all the strength you've got? That barely counts as scratching an itch..."

Hammer King Borodin's eyes widened as he stared at the scene before him in disbelief.

Even Ghost God Jig had never dared to take his full-force strike head-on. Yet that heavy hammer, enough to shatter the earth, had now been casually stopped with one hand by his opponent, who did not seem to be exerting any effort at all.

"Now it's my turn."

Li Chen flicked his fingertip, instantly activating Vector Manipulation and sending the giant hammer flying back into the air. The immense impact forced Borodin to stagger back several steps.

"Too many skills makes it hard to choose... I'll use this one."

Surging Reiatsu began to gather, gradually forming a spear-shaped mass of spiritual power. The Reiatsu of dozens of captain-class Soul Reapers was compressed into this single attack.

Thanks to the enhanced Reiatsu boosts from Ulquiorra and Sosuke Aizen, Li Chen's spiritual energy reserves were practically limitless, roughly equivalent to the combined Reiatsu of one hundred thousand captain-class Soul Reapers.

"Your era ended long ago."

"Now, you are even weaker than you were when you were alive."

"Sleep forever in failure—"

"Thunder Lance!"

Blinding purple lightning engulfed Borodin's tomb. When the thunderstorm subsided, only a giant hammer and four fallen treasures remained at the scene.

"That... was it?"

"That was as easy as playing a game."

Tohka nodded seriously, speaking with a relaxed expression.

After the first Vortex of Wind was defeated, the remaining enemies all fell beneath Li Chen's sword, and the entire battle proceeded with unstoppable momentum.

There was a chasm-like gap in strength between Pseudo-God-Level Li Chen and Early Super-Dragon-Level Hammer King Borodin, one that even far exceeded the difference between a Wolf-level Threat and a Super-Dragon-Level opponent.

"Cleanup is finished. Sort out the equipment and prepare to leave the dungeon."

"Wait, is that... Kinako Bread?"

Yatogami Tohka suddenly stopped. Some indescribable attraction made her turn her head involuntarily. In the faint light at the corner of the dungeon, her favorite Kinako Bread was lying there quietly.

A strange glow seemed to flow beneath its golden crust. Not only did it give off an enticing fragrance, it also carried a resonance that seemed to strike directly at her soul. By the time Li Chen reacted, Tohka had already bitten into it.

"Tohka! Where did that bread come from?"

Li Chen's pupils shrank as his gaze locked firmly onto that "bread." Scarlet words appeared in his data vision:

[Taotie Blood]

Energy Conversion Rate +500%

Energy Tolerance +800%

Chance to awaken an incomplete Taotie Bloodline after consumption

*Ancient ferocious beasts can devour all things and turn them to their own use, including the Infinity Stones

Bloodline essence disguised as food? Li Chen instantly realized something was wrong—this was clearly a conspiracy aimed at Tohka!

Dark crimson bloodlight was already flowing around Tohka's body, and the Taotie Bloodline was perfectly compatible with her Spirit power. At the same time, Li Chen felt a hunger capable of devouring heaven and earth rise within him, as though even stars could be digested completely.

"Do you feel anything unusual?" Li Chen nervously held Tohka by the shoulders.

The girl pressed a hand to her abdomen in confusion. "It's just... I suddenly feel really hungry."

Behind that seemingly ordinary answer, the ferocious beast's bloodline was silently reshaping something fundamental.

In the original work

Yatogami Tohka had already possessed an astonishing appetite. Now that she had fused with the remaining Taotie Bloodline, she could practically eat a nation's entire grain reserves clean. Supporting this innocent, cheerful glutton really was not easy. "Don't eat things carelessly again next time."

"But that Kinako Bread was so delicious. It was the best thing I've ever eaten." "Listen, you can't just eat things dropped in dungeons." "Got it."

After that warning, fortunately, the remaining Taotie Blood had not harmed her this time. But she might not be so lucky next time. If she accidentally ate something dangerous, it would be disastrous. Still, judging by Tohka's expression, she had apparently not listened at all... Li Chen helplessly picked up the orb containing the power of laws from the ground.

Immortal King Bolladin

Death Attribute Increase 1000%

Death Law Strength +666

Passive Skill: Undying Body

After fusing with the Death Law Orb, Li Chen gained another type of law under his control. The remaining two orange pieces of equipment were both relics of Hammer King Borodin.

[First Item: Purple Pendant]

Supreme Majesty

Magic Resistance +9000

Mental Strength +1000

Base Strength +500

Kingly Aura Increase 300%

(Based on the wearer's kingly aura, there is a chance to summon Hammer King Borodin for 30 seconds, with strength reaching Early Super-Dragon-Level)

This equipment was made specifically for kings. The stronger one's kingly aura, the easier it was to summon Hammer King Borodin. Though it could only last half a minute, it possessed combat power comparable to an S-Class Hero.

There were only a handful of people in the League of Heroes with kingly aura:

Pharaoh Yugi Mutou

Lionheart King Artoria

Yatogami Tohka, the origin of the "Kingdom"

Philosophy Master Billy

Thor, the uncrowned God of Thunder (barely qualified)

After weighing his options, Li Chen gave the pendant to Tohka, the person closest to him.

[Second Item: Giant Warhammer]

Earth Goddess's Hammer of Destruction

Base Strength +35000

Agility -500

5% chance to trigger Stun

0.1% chance to unleash a shockwave

Li Chen stared at the attributes displayed on the panel in astonishment—the strength boost was a staggering 35,000 points, easily the most outrageous numerical increase he had ever seen. But such an astonishing bonus did not come without a price: the user would suffer a negative effect of losing 500 points of speed. More troublesome still, without extraordinary strength as a foundation, it would be difficult even to lift the weapon called Earth Goddess's Hammer of Destruction, much less wield it flexibly in battle.

The members of the team—Yan Lingji, Li, and Yatogami Tohka—were clearly all uninterested in this heavy weapon. In the end, this top-tier orange equipment could only be stored away for the time being, awaiting a truly suitable owner.

After completing the Ultra-Dragon-level Threat dungeon, the team reaped a rich harvest: each minor BOSS contributed ten thousand points, while the final BOSS, Hammer King Borodin, brought another thirty thousand, for a total of eighty thousand points. This wealth was enough to raise an ability to S-Class levels, such as Thor's ability system.

At that moment, in the president's office, Li Chen noticed that all three members had experienced a significant increase in combat power. Through his president's privilege, he extracted ninety percent of each member's energy gains. Together with his existing reserves, his total energy points surpassed three million, enough to summon multiple S-Class Heroes.

"Eighty thousand energy points from one dungeon run!"

"These resources should be enough for me to break through to a new realm."

"I can buy so much Kinako Bread..."

Not only had the members' strength soared, the energy resources they had accumulated were also beyond ordinary imagination. If news got out that the president was leading dungeon runs, it would probably spark a frenzy.

After leaving the dungeon, Yan Lingji and Li immediately began strengthening themselves:

"Upgrade Fire Charm Art to B-Class, and enhance my physical attributes to B-Class." Yan Lingji's energy reserves rapidly depleted, exchanged for a leap into a new tier of strength. Both abilities improved significantly.

Li chose, "Enhance magic power to B-Class, optimize the Sunstone to B-Class." By focusing on strengthening her advantages and innate traits, her overall strength also entered a whole new stage, greatly narrowing the gap between her and Thor. The two members broke through their bottlenecks one after another and stepped into higher levels of power.

Yan Lingji still had one unused drop of Vermilion Bird Blood. Even if it could not activate the incomplete Vermilion Bird Bloodline, the enhancement to her fire attribute alone was enough to significantly increase her combat power.

"Keep challenging it? Let's do it again!" Yatogami Tohka enthusiastically waved her arms, clearly deeply invested in this game-like experience.

However, Li Chen noticed that the Super-Dragon-Level dungeon entrance that had originally been open to him had suddenly dimmed. Perhaps the system had fixed the loophole. Faced with this situation, he could only shrug helplessly.

"Let's call it a day." Li Chen gently declined the invitation. Clearly, this shortcut for farming energy points had been banned by the system.

"Alright, then. My stomach is completely empty." Tohka rubbed her abdomen. The effects of the remaining Taotie Blood gave her an intense sense of hunger, as though she needed to feast immediately to relieve it.

"Yan Lingji, go back and fuse with the Vermilion Bird Blood first." Li Chen turned to Li. "Please look after her."

"Understood." Li readily agreed. Yan Lingji, meanwhile, was secretly looking forward to it. As a descendant of Yanhuang, obtaining the inheritance of the ancient divine beast Vermilion Bird was truly a dream opportunity.

"Tohka, if you're hungry, go to the dining hall."

"Isn't Little Chen coming with me?"

"I still have some matters to handle."

"Mm... alright."

After the three left, only Li Chen remained in the spacious president's office. When his energy reserves surpassed three million, the system added a new function: "Faction Summoning"—by spending one million energy points, he could randomly summon an organization.

It could be the weak Axe Gang, the powerful Valhalla, or even the legendary Land of Light... Though the cost was steep, energy points were accumulating at an astonishing rate as the guild dungeons continued operating.

"Activate Faction Summoning."

[Ding! One million energy points consumed. Beginning random selection...]

[Ding! Congratulations, you have obtained the Hero Association faction.]

This organization from the world of One-Punch Man had more than ten S-Class Heroes stationed within it, including top combatants such as Silver Fang, Atomic Samurai, and Metal Knight.

Li Chen carefully browsed through the hero roster. Among the B-Class Heroes were familiar names like Zombieman, Tanktop Master, and Metal Bat. Yet even after searching it several times, he never found the bald caped hero.

"What a pity. This seems to be the Hero Association roster from before Saitama registered as a hero."

Though the strongest man was absent, the second-ranked Tornado of Terror, Tatsumaki, was already listed. Even more gratifyingly, the fifth-ranked Child Emperor and seventh-ranked King had already joined the League.

"I've at least made my money back. I may as well draw twice more."

Looking at the remaining balance of more than two million points on the system interface, Li Chen decided to invest it all into a new round of summons. In any case, the points would not increase by themselves if left unused.

[Ding! One million energy points consumed. Activating random faction selection...]

[Ding! Congratulations, you have obtained the Quasi-S-Class Faction—Four Emperors Group.]

The overlords of the seas from the world of One Piece descended together. The Quasi-S-Class combatants included legendary pirates such as Kaido and Edward Newgate; the B-Class ranks included powerful figures of the New World like Portgas D. Ace and Diamond Jozu. Though they were somewhat fewer in number than the Hero Association, their overall combat strength was overwhelmingly superior.

Before he could examine the detailed roster, further notifications appeared one after another:

[Ding! One million energy points consumed...]

[Ding! Successfully summoned the S-Class Faction—Gotei 13!]

The guardians of Soul Society crossed dimensions and arrived. This Soul Reaper army, composed of thirteen divisions, had captains who each possessed top-tier hero-level strength. Though a few captains might lower the overall rating—such as a certain dog-type captain—being rated as an S-Class Faction at least meant it possessed genuine S-Class peak combatants.

"S-Class Heroes: Kenpachi Zaraki, Jushiro Ukitake..."

The list made Li Chen's eyes light up slightly.

The overall strength of the Gotei 13 was indeed a pleasant surprise.

With Head Captain Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto and complete-form Ichigo Kurosaki as two top-tier S-Class combatants, even without Squad Zero's support, this force was powerful enough to rank among the top factions.