The young man smiled. "You certainly have enough power to protect yourself, but do you think you can protect all those ordinary mortals? Aren't you afraid they'll betray you? If one of them betrayed you, what would you do? If they all betrayed you, what would you do?"
Yi Chen's expression shifted slightly. He said in a low voice, "Impossible. These people-how could they possibly betray me? How would they dare?"
The young man sighed softly. "Human nature is a very strange thing... You don't believe me? I once tried to save this world, too. But when some people's greed has utterly crushed their conscience, are they still worth saving?"
Yi Chen demanded sharply, "Who exactly are you?"
The young man shrugged. "That doesn't matter. What matters is that I need you to become my slave. I need your power."
Yi Chen sighed and shook his head. "Do you think I'd willingly submit to someone who possesses overwhelming strength and poses a threat to me? Or that I'd willingly become your slave? Who do you think you are? Are you any nobler than I am?"
The young man's smile turned especially sinister. "Then die if you refuse!" His pupils abruptly contracted to pinpoints as he stared at Yi Chen. "You have no other choice."
With that, he lunged at Yi Chen's chest like a venomous snake, longsword in hand.
Yi Chen flicked his hand, and a black spear over three feet long shot out, meeting the young man's longsword head-on.
With a crack, the young man's longsword broke apart inch by inch. Accompanied by a sonic boom as it tore through the air, the spear slammed into his heart, then left three holes an inch deep in his body, clear through to the other side.
The young man stared blankly at the bloody hole over his heart and slowly sank to his knees.
He asked dazedly, "This... this is impossible. What is this? How could... How could I possibly lose to an ant?"
Yi Chen sighed. "An ant? Even an ant is better than a monster like you. At least ants don't eat people, and they know enough to preserve the most basic dignity."
The young man's eyes widened. Slowly, his head drooped, and his lips moved as he said, "I... I won't die... I am... I am the Overlord... I am a god."
With that, his body rapidly dissolved into the air, merging into the surrounding space in the blink of an eye.
Stunned, Yi Chen looked around the empty room and groaned helplessly. "What the hell... Is this place haunted?"
Yi Chen sensed a faint trace of Soul Power lingering in the air.
Yi Chen smiled bitterly. "No wonder that guy was so relaxed. He was nothing but a lingering wisp of thought. But why did he come here? This isn't somewhere ordinary people should come, unless..."
Another possibility occurred to Yi Chen. His whole body jolted, and his face suddenly turned white.
"Could it be... could it be that the Fallen One made that guy notice me? He mustn't find me, or I'm finished."
In a panic, Yi Chen rushed to the window, pulled back the curtains, and jumped out.
A dark figure leaped down from the rooftop and landed steadily behind Yi Chen, speaking in an odd tone. "Heh-heh, there really is something special about you... Huh? I actually can't see through your strength?"
The dark figure's fingers lightly stroked the skin of Yi Chen's back. Yi Chen went rigid. An icy chill shot from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head, and every hair on his body stood on end.
The dark figure gave a strange laugh. "Oh, ha-ha-ha! Good, good. Your soul has actually coalesced into such a powerful form. What about your body, then?"
Yi Chen gritted his teeth. "Don't touch my body."
The dark figure paused briefly, then muttered softly, "Interesting. Far too interesting... It seems I'll have to take you back and study you properly."
Yi Chen turned around to look at the young man who had abruptly barged into this room.
The young man wore tight black trousers with a black leather belt at his waist and a black, long-sleeved shirt. The top two buttons were undone, exposing well-developed muscles and a savage scar across his chest.
The black-clad young man swept a contemptuous glance over the surrounding wreckage and shook his head. "Hmm. These ordinary mortals actually dared to enter this place without permission, and even dreamed of escaping. How hateful. This is an insult to our glory."
Yi Chen looked at the black-clad young man mockingly. "So this is what you call glory?"
The black-clad young man nodded. "Of course. Although we're only low-ranking Godfolk, we are the only gods in this world. That is our pride. We possess immense power. We are the greatest beings in this world. Do you understand?"
Yi Chen said calmly, "Yes, you possess immense power, but you've killed countless humans... You don't deserve to be called human."
The black-clad young man roared, "Nonsense! What do you know?" We are Godfolk. Godfolk possess the power to destroy heaven and earth, and our task is to conquer this world. We need vast numbers of believers, servants, and warriors to make offerings to us. Their souls can be extracted, their essence can be refined, and their blood can serve as food for the gods... These are all things we ought to do."
Yi Chen began to laugh. His facial muscles trembled, and his fists clenched tightly, his knuckles creaking and cracking.
He said, stressing every word, "In that case, please allow me to inform you that your conduct has utterly violated our dignity as humans. Therefore, I will punish you... I will show you the price of desecration."
A mass of flames suddenly erupted from Yi Chen's left leg, and he turned into a streak of golden light as he charged forward.
The black-clad young man opened his mouth, and a strange ripple suddenly emanated from his throat. A dense series of explosive cracks rang from every bone in Yi Chen's body. His right arm abruptly swelled, and with all five fingers spread wide, he slammed it into the young man's cheek.
With a sharp crack, a chunk of flesh flew off. The black-clad young man fell backward, his entire face deformed. He struggled to his feet, howling hoarsely through a face covered in blood, black flames burning on his palms.
Yi Chen kicked him square in the chest, the tremendous impact sending him tumbling away.
Yi Chen lunged after him, hammering his body with punch after punch.
The black-clad young man's body gradually grew dim. He howled miserably, "Bastard! I'll destroy you... You despicable, lowly human! I'll destroy you... Aaaah... Damn you! I won't let you off! I won't let you off!"
His body shook violently. Crack after crack appeared across his chest and abdomen, then, with a crash, his body burst apart, turning into fine sand that swirled through the air and vanished in the wind.