Please click for membership, recommended votes will be available at midnight when the book goes live, with an extra chapter update then. I hope everyone will support me a lot. I'm washing my face and continuing to write...

The once flat training ground had sunk in the center. Ye Chen stood tall in the depression, a pool of blood beneath his feet. Under that crushing stomp, Yun Shaojing's head exploded.

The First Strongest of the Huaxia Base City had fallen.

The entire arena fell into a profound silence, as if even the air held its breath, and the sunlight in the sky had retreated behind the clouds.

Just like that?

Everyone stared at the headless torso of Yun Shaojing, whose skull had been pulverized, their gazes distant, as if trapped in a dream, struggling to accept the reality before them. Only moments ago, Yun Shaojing had displayed terrifying might, and now Ye Chen had slaughtered him like a stray dog.

A Physique of Level 60, yet fragile as an infant. It wasn't that Yun Shaojing was weak; it was that Ye Chen was overwhelmingly strong. In just two exchanges, he had crippled both of the opponent's arms.

For a man ambitious enough to dominate the world, having both arms destroyed rendered him useless—a blow devastating enough to drive one mad.

Ye Chen's expression was cold, his icy, merciless gaze sweeping over the crowd. He uttered sharply, "Who disagrees? Dare to fight me!"

Silence reigned.

Everyone quickly lowered their heads, afraid to meet Ye Chen's eyes. Those who had initially mocked him were particularly chilled, fearing Ye Chen might call them out by name.

If even Yun Shaojing could be brutally killed, who else would dare step forward?

Behind the crowd stood a woman clad in red soft leather armor, possessing a stunning figure. She was the fierce female warrior Ye Chen had encountered in the wilderness that day. A hint of surprise flickered across her peerless features, clearly astonished that someone of Yun Shaojing's power could be slain by Ye Chen. Hearing the cold challenge, the corner of her crimson lips slowly curved into a graceful arc, her eyes gleaming with intense light. "A man with such dominance. I like that."

Murong De’s eyes gradually regained their calm. He glanced at the corpse of Yun Shaojing, his eyelid twitching slightly. The power Yun Shaojing had just displayed was nearly equal to his own, yet before Ye Chen, he was so easily killed. This spoke volumes about the terrifying strength of this youth.

Murong Xue, standing beside him, covered her mouth with her hand, her beautiful eyes wide with shock. Growing up under her father's tutelage, she knew that besides her father, there were two incredibly powerful warriors in the Base City: one was Yun Shaojing, and the other was a woman named Bing Yun.

Yet, this man, hailed as the Base City's strongest, had been killed by Ye Chen. Initially, she had inwardly sweated for Ye Chen, hoping for a stalemate, but the situation had reversed so violently that Yun Shaojing was left utterly defenseless, leaving her astonished.

Seeing the expressions of these generals and high-ranking officials, Ye Chen sneered, bent down, seized Yun Shaojing's corpse, slung it over his shoulder, and walked toward the high-ranking officials of the Commerce Department. He stated indifferently, "I'm selling this body. Interested?"

The entire area instantly fell silent.

One could hear the sound of the wind blowing.

Selling a corpse?

Everyone stared at Ye Chen in bewilderment, some doubting their own hearing. After killing the man, he wouldn't even let the body rest but brazenly intended to sell it off?

If Yun Shaojing knew that after his death, his body would fetch a good price for Ye Chen, he might just be so angry he’d die again.

The Commerce Department executive was a middle-aged man whose expression was troubled. While he was tempted by Yun Shaojing's corpse, under so many watchful eyes, it was improper to engage in such an act.

What would they buy it for?

Most likely, to chop it up and eat it.

Though it was the apocalypse and morality had eroded—cannibalism was not unheard of, and most present had heard rumors—Yun Shaojing’s status was different. He was the former strongest warrior of the Base City.

If even his corpse were consumed, the controversy would be immense, chilling the hearts of many generals who had served the Base City faithfully.

The middle-aged man subtly glanced at Murong De in the distance. Seeing his calm demeanor and lack of comment, the executive realized this was a test. He gritted his teeth and declared, "Commander Yun made many contributions to the Base City, achieving significant merit during its early expansion. I hope you will ensure a proper burial."

"I will," Ye Chen nodded, seeming to take the middle-aged man's advice to heart. He then turned and began walking out of the arena. With the life force gone, the vital energy within Yun Shaojing’s corpse was rapidly draining; it was prime nourishment that needed to be absorbed quickly.

Of course, under so many observing eyes, he dared not absorb it right there. Once the life energy was gone, Yun Shaojing’s corpse would be nothing more than skin and bones, and such a rapid, bizarre transformation would certainly draw unwanted attention.

The surrounding people watched his receding figure, their expressions complex. They knew that from this day forward, the power structure of the Base City was set to shift. A figure destined to surpass Yun Shaojing was about to emerge.

"Stop!"

Suddenly, a voice rang out. A man wearing a Great General insignia pinned to his chest stepped forward, looking at Ye Chen, and furrowed his brow slightly. "Please leave Commander Yun's body here."

Ye Chen looked at him coldly. "Move aside."

The Great General's mouth twitched, but considering the power Ye Chen had just displayed, he swallowed his anger. "Commander Yun made many contributions to the Base City, and he once showed kindness to me..."

Thump.

Ye Chen had no patience for such platitudes. He struck out with his foot—the speed was lightning-fast. This Great General, possessing only a Level 20 physique, was kicked flying without Ye Chen even needing to exert his true strength, launching him like a cannonball into the distance.

The onlookers gasped in shock.

No one expected Ye Chen to remain so aggressively dominant even after leaving the arena, attacking and kicking a Great General whose rank was higher than his, simply for offering a word of advice.

Too tyrannical.

After kicking the Great General away, Ye Chen cast a chillingly cold glance around at the assembled generals. Their hearts went cold as they understood that if anyone else dared to intervene, the consequences would be far worse than simply being kicked away.

As Ye Chen’s figure gradually receded, everyone present withdrew their gazes and exchanged wry smiles. None of them had expected that this man, who had been promoted from soldier to Major General only days ago, would be this terrifying, and that his challenge to Yun Shaojing was not rash bravado, but a true display of power.

"I didn't think this monster could be even more monstrous," Bai Long and others standing together in the crowd muttered in awe. Watching the direction Ye Chen had gone, they didn't immediately pursue him but remained in the crowd, quietly gathering intelligence from the surrounding conversations.

...

Ye Chen carried Yun Shaojing’s corpse back to his residence. He dropped the body onto the floor, closed the door, and immediately walked over. He channeled the small amount of residual qili within his body into his palm and pressed it onto Yun Shaojing’s chest, beginning to absorb the man's life energy.

This fight, though seemingly easy, was extremely perilous. If his qili hadn't increased significantly the previous day, today’s battle would have been exhausting. After all, a 17-level gap was incredibly difficult to bridge.

The main advantage was the uniqueness of his qili. It ignored all defenses and could penetrate the body to wreak havoc.

During the fight, Ye Chen had distributed his qili across his palms, soles, and chest. When facing Yun Shaojing’s fierce attacks, the qili would be momentarily scattered—this was the raw pressure of absolute strength. Fortunately, his qili reserve was nearing the breakthrough to the second tier, reaching the peak of the first tier, allowing him the sheer volume needed to cripple both arms.

"My own strength is still too weak," Ye Chen reflected on the fight while absorbing the life essence from Yun Shaojing. Even with qili shielding his arms, the sheer brute force of the opponent had left them numb.

"Once the Atlantis Ruins open, there should be secret domains inside. Then I can aggressively increase my power," Ye Chen’s eyes shone with determination.