"Who exactly are you, and why have you infiltrated my city in this manner?"
Huang Ming asked, his voice tinged with doubt and wariness.
He was a Martial Ancestor of the Wind Martial Continent, a man acclaimed as a Grandmaster.
Though the outside world's system ranked him as no more than a Core Formation Realm martial artist, one stage above the Innate realm, those at his level also practiced Seeing One's Nature and Illuminating the Mind. A few exceptionally gifted individuals possessed extraordinarily keen spiritual perception, and he had actually sensed Li Chen's presence by instinct.
However, Huang Ming could not ascertain Li Chen's cultivation or condition. He could only approach quietly in this fashion, hoping to sound him out.
Slightly surprised, Li Chen said, "To think someone in this mundane place could sense my presence. You're quite impressive."
Huang Ming was startled by the voice that came out of nowhere. But when he tried to trace it, he discovered that it had sounded directly inside his mind, rather than coming from somewhere else as the voice of an ordinary invisible opponent would.
For a moment, Huang Ming could not help hesitating. "Are you a man or a ghost?"
Li Chen said, "Does that matter?"
Huang Ming said, "You've invaded my territory. Of course it matters."
Li Chen said, "I meant no offense. I'm merely passing through."
As he spoke, his magic power spread, and an invisible meme transformed into a memory-erasing force, seeking to wipe every trace of awareness of him from Huang Ming's mind.
Huang Ming felt the scene before him change abruptly. The familiar buildings and streets of the city all vanished, replaced by the boundless void of the cosmos.
Within that cold, silent darkness stood an indistinct figure. Merely by existing there in silence, he seemed