Yi Chen took a few panting breaths and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
That last assault had consumed nearly ninety percent of Yi Chen's power, but he had given it his all. His opponent's identity was shrouded in mystery, after all, so he had to proceed cautiously.
Yi Chen sat cross-legged beside the bed and quietly waited for those people to come to his rescue-what a bunch of useless fools.
Something so simple, and they still haven't gotten anywhere. I'll settle the score with them later.
With a cold sneer, Yi Chen took out a bright red apple and began leisurely munching on it.
Suddenly, Yi Chen felt an immense surge of sinister cold eating into his body.
He hurriedly invoked the law of frost, keeping the invading chill outside his body.
A dazzling silver flash of lightning flickered through the air, and a dark figure appeared before Yi Chen as if out of nowhere.
Surprise surfaced on the dark figure's face. He muttered, "No, no, how could this be... The rules of this world absolutely forbid the existence of humans. Who are you? What are you?"
Yi Chen drawled, "Me? None of your business! What about you? What are you?"
The black-clad young man's expression changed drastically. Suddenly, he strode to the doorway and reached out to push open the half-closed door.
Yi Chen's heart gave a violent thump. A streak of silver lightning came whistling toward them, and a man in black stepped out of the void, blocking the doorway. He held a gleaming silver dagger against the black-clad young man's neck and demanded in a low voice, "What are you trying to do?"
The black-clad young man froze for a moment, then roared angrily, "Bullshit! I'm looking for my companions!"
The black-clad young man whipped his head around and glared at Yi Chen, bellowing shrilly, "Don't you humans have an old saying that liars get their heads chopped off? You damned brat, you lied to me!"
Yi Chen raised his right hand, slowly lifting it above his head.
Power surged out wildly, and a tremendous pressure enveloped the black-clad young man. He went rigid, staring at Yi Chen's hand in terror as he murmured, "No, this is the power of a god. Are you a god?"
"That's right, I am a god," Yi Chen replied indifferently. "And so, you're going to die."
"Damn it, impossible... Human, you can't be a god!" the black-clad young man shrieked. Thick black smoke poured from his entire body. He seemed to transform into an abyssal monster, opening his enormous mouth and lunging at Yi Chen to bite him.
A blue-violet light flickered between his brows. Yi Chen shuddered, then gave a cold snort. An even stronger oppressive force surged from his body, and with a thunderous boom, the blue-violet light shattered instantly.
"My power is ten thousand times greater than yours. How could you possibly be a match for me?"
The black-clad young man froze. It felt as though a towering mountain had crashed down inside his mind, crushing him beneath it. His body abruptly sank, and both knees hit the floor.
Yi Chen waved a hand, and every lamp in the room shattered at once, plunging the entire space into gloom.
An immense divine awareness enveloped the young man. The mighty divine will took tangible form and pierced his mind like a sharp sword. A wisp of dark gray mist drifted from his seven facial orifices and settled on the floor.
The black-clad young man's pupils contracted. He sensed a terrifying presence unlike anything he had ever encountered. Staring at Yi Chen in utter horror, he forced out the words, "Who exactly are you?!"
Yi Chen chuckled softly and beckoned with his right hand. The black-clad young man's soul left his body and swiftly flew into Yi Chen's hand.
A ball of ghostly green light enclosed the soul and slowly absorbed it. In the blink of an eye, the soul vanished completely. Black currents swirled around the room for a moment before gathering once more into the shape of the black-clad young man.
Only now, the black-clad young man's aura was hundreds of times weaker, like that of an ordinary mortal, and his soul power was exceedingly feeble.
Yi Chen shook his head and sighed. "Such a fine resource, and so much of it wasted. What a pity... Still, it doesn't matter. In any case, I can seize the life essence of anyone I kill. After all these years, my cultivation may not have progressed fast enough, but I should have enough medicine to heal my injuries, shouldn't I? I'd almost forgotten that my injuries haven't fully healed... Heh, I can keep cultivating now."
Yi Chen closed his eyes, and his divine will swiftly merged into his body. All his damaged meridians were repaired. Within his dantian, two crystal-clear Soul Rings brimming with vigorous life joyfully devoured the energy he had absorbed, helping Yi Chen tend to his injured body in the process.
The black-clad young man stood rooted in astonishment for a long while before finally coming to his senses. With a roar, he charged at Yi Chen with several companions.
The armor they wore suddenly blazed with a powerful green radiance, enveloping the black-clad young man like a mass of emerald flames. At the same time, runes lit up one after another on their armor, and a thick, resilient defensive shield covered their entire bodies.
Three glittering golden stars emerged from the black-clad young man's body. They spun ceaselessly around him, releasing an immense, suffocating pressure.
Yi Chen frowned and muttered, "Hmm, a stellar physique? Hmm, interesting..."
The three enormous stars hurtled toward him with overwhelming momentum. Yi Chen let out a long howl and drove a punch into the first star to reach him.
A muffled thunderclap rang out. Ripples spread from the point where Yi Chen and the star collided, and a visible white shock wave swept through the entire suite. Walls collapsed, the floor cracked, windowpanes exploded, and wood splinters flew everywhere.
Six deafening crashes rang out in succession. Six masked humanoids clad in black flew backward, spraying blood. They slammed into a pillar in the corner, and large portions of their bodies were smashed to pulp.
Utterly astonished, Yi Chen stared at the wisps of golden light lingering on his palm. A large patch of skin on his fist had been charred away, faintly exposing the muscles, tendons, and bones beneath.
The flesh on his left arm had completely disintegrated, leaving its stark bones clearly visible.
With a hum, a black, snakescale-like glove sprang from Yi Chen's left arm. Wisps of eerie blue light curled around it, and a hideous ghost-head pattern flickered in and out of view.
The black-clad young man's body had already returned to its original state. Humiliation turning to rage, he bellowed, "Bastard... I'll tear you apart!"
With a swish, a blade flashed downward, and a massive head flew into the air.
Yi Chen stared blankly at the corpse-the still-warm human head still held the posture of its forward lunge. Yi Chen shook his head with a bitter expression. "I wasn't paying attention just now. My hand slipped... Ugh, this fellow's blood stinks..."
Yi Chen simply tossed the head away and sat cross-legged on the bed again, unwilling to waste even the slightest moment of cultivation.