Jing You took the Divine Dragon Pill, yet dared to flee. He must be confident about having an antidote, otherwise, he wouldn't be so reckless!" Ye Chen's expression darkened. "I wonder if the story he told earlier was true. A monk can escape, but the temple cannot. Next time I visit your lair, I'll see if you really are the Commander-in-Chief of the Hohhot Base City."

Just as he was about to discard the severed arm, he noticed a corner of yellow paper inside. A thought struck him. He pried open his palm and saw the yellow paper packet clutched within. He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. After a moment's thought, he picked up the yellow paper packet and tucked it into his robes. This thing could counteract the poison of the Seven Fragrance Powder; it might prove useful later.

At that very moment—

"BOOM!"

A world-shaking explosion roared. Ye Chen felt the ground heave violently, realizing the explosives buried atop the mountain must have detonated. Startled, he immediately rushed toward the cave entrance. However, after only a few steps, the cave collapsed with a deafening roar, burying the exit under tons of earth. When the fuse was lit, there would have been time to rush out, but Ye Chen had wasted too much time chasing Jing You. By the time he realized the oil lamp had burned halfway through the fuse, it was already too late to escape.

"Rumble, rumble," the earth roof collapsed, the soil above pressing down precariously. Ye Chen raised his hand to resist, but the dirt descended like water through the gaps between his fingers. Softer than it was strong, it instantly buried Ye Chen alive. Amidst the explosion, the main structure of the entire Nine Dragon Mountain was affected, swaying unstably as sand and stone continuously rained down, compressing with extreme force. Even with Ye Chen's physique, he felt the illusion of his body being crushed to dust.

"Am I going to be buried alive?" At this critical juncture, a bizarre thought crossed Ye Chen's mind. He couldn't help but give a wry smile. If he hadn't shown mercy and saved Jing You, this wouldn't have happened. But then again, if he hadn't been too focused on killing and fled the cave immediately when things turned sour, he wouldn't have met this fate either.

He closed his eyes, feeling the earth all around him, compacted together, as if merging with the ground. He could sense numerous faint footsteps approaching nearby—the stirrings of life!

He subtly shifted the bones in his shoulder, straining to push the earth aside. As soon as he squeezed out a tiny gap, it was immediately filled in. He didn't mind; after a few more struggles, he felt the compacted dirt around him loosen enough for him to slightly move his limbs, though his hands were cemented in place by the soil, rendering them completely immobile.

Ye Chen thought, "The oxygen in the soil is too thin. If I don't get out quickly, my life will be in danger." He didn't intend to activate his Superman Mode for this—otherwise, he would lack the strength to contend for the monster corpses outside.

After a moment of contemplation, Ye Chen channeled the vital energy within his body, guiding it through his meridians until it converged in his arms. With a sudden burst, the earth surrounding his arms was violently shaken outwards, creating significant space. Seeing the surprising effectiveness, he couldn't help but feel a surge of joy. He immediately circulated his vital energy at full speed, and soon the earth enveloping his body was shaken away, allowing him to move slightly.

A thought flashed through his mind. "I wonder if I can manifest the Blood-Red Warblade while underground. If I had that weapon, I could easily break through." With this in mind, he tried to test the idea, hooking his index finger and pressing the silver ring on his middle finger. However, the soil was too dense, and the silver finger did not transform into the Blood-Red Warblade.

Ye Chen sighed, slightly disappointed, and abandoned these external methods. He began to move his toes bit by bit, constantly hooking and scraping the soil around his legs. Once the dirt loosened, he exerted himself to raise his arms. He felt the surrounding earth pushing in, the friction of his skin against sharp gravel causing some pain. Yet, the gravel itself was ground into dust by the abrasion, a testament to the incredible toughness of Ye Chen's dermal layer.

After exerting Herculean effort, Ye Chen managed to raise his arms. By this time, he felt the oxygen in his chest rapidly depleting, making him long for a deep breath. But his face was entirely blocked by dirt, which immediately squeezed in the moment he opened his mouth. A sudden idea struck him; he grinned, clenched his teeth, and inhaled forcefully. The sand and soil that pushed in were blocked by his locked jaw, unable to enter his mouth. Through the suction created by his chest cavity, he managed to draw in a considerable amount of oxygen from the surrounding earth.

Seeing that the method worked, Ye Chen was overjoyed. He immediately used his arms as anchors, flexing and extending his toes to propel his body upwards, his fingers constantly digging away the soil.

Two hours later, Ye Chen estimated he had risen over ten meters. As the altitude increased, the soil became looser. He accelerated, his hands climbing ceaselessly. Before long, he felt the earth outside growing warm, no longer icy cold. Knowing he was close to the surface, he gritted his teeth and lunged upwards with a final burst of strength, breaking through the ground.

"Someone's coming out."

"Look!"

"He's crawling out of the dirt!"

A chorus of gasps erupted. Ye Chen shook his body vigorously, sand showering down from his hair like snow. After a moment, he brushed the sand from his face and opened his eyes, immediately surveying the desolate surroundings. The ground was a river of blood, littered with severed limbs and charred remains, smoking faintly from the blast. Not far off lay two enormous dark shadows. One was a Overlord Lion, over twenty meters tall, covered in dense, golden-yellow fur marred by scars, its back scorched black by the explosion.

The other was even more terrifying: a Boa constrictor nearly a hundred meters long, covered in black and yellow patterns, with a massive head and its lower body coiled. Generally, snakes evolve from She to Mang, Ruan, Jiao, and finally Long—this was a stage in that evolutionary process.

This Boa constrictor also bore numerous claw marks, its skin ripped open in several places, and its tail section was blasted clean off, blackened and charred. Jing Yu'er and her husband must have hidden an astonishing amount of explosives to blast away half of this mountain peak!

"Hey!" Just then, an angry shout rang out. Ye Chen turned to see the speaker: a tall, broad-shouldered man with a rugged face and fierce eyes. This man stepped forward, shouting sternly, "Who are you? Was that explosion your doing just now?!"

Ye Chen frowned, sweeping his gaze across the area, noting that many latecomers had arrived, standing around the periphery of the slope. Before them lay the scorched, ruined ground piled high with countless corpses.

Under the scrutiny of everyone present, Ye Chen stood tall and responded coldly, "If I want to kill someone, I don't need explosives!" He already understood that polite explanations would only breed further misunderstanding.

"Hmph!" the big man sneered. "What arrogant words! In this world, no one dares speak like that. Who do you think you are? Don't think you can act cocky just because you have Superman Mode. Back in my day, when I had Superman Mode, I was even more formidable than you!"

Another figure, a woman with a graceful figure, glanced dismissively at Ye Chen and stated haughtily, "So many vanguard elites from the major guilds gathered here. You blew them up just to claim the two monster corpses for yourself? How incredibly foolish!"

"Everyone attack! Kill this person!" someone in the crowd shouted.

"Right, kill him!"

"Brother!!! My brother is dead! Damn it, you son of a bitch, I'll make you pay with your life!!!" A large man rushed up from behind. Seeing the ruins everywhere and the charred, smoking corpses, he couldn't tell which one was his brother. His eyes immediately turned blood-red, like a raging beast, and he roared as he charged toward Ye Chen.

A surge of anger rose in Ye Chen's heart. Seeing the man charge, he bent down, reached into the freshly exposed pit, and with a flick of his finger, the ring transformed into the Blood-Red Warblade. Those around couldn't see clearly and assumed he had hidden the formidable, imposing greatsword there beforehand, giving it little thought.

"Roar!" The man let out a low growl and activated his bloodline, revealing himself to be a werewolf Superman, covered in thick fur, wielding a pitch-black broadsword as he cleaved down towards Ye Chen's head.

"Pay for my brother's life!!!" the man shrieked in a frenzy.

A murderous glint flashed in Ye Chen's eyes. The eye of his three-eyed wolf spun rapidly, capturing a fleeting glimpse of the charging man. He swiftly swung the Blood-Red Warblade in his hand.

Splat!

A flash of crimson light.

Silence descended upon the surroundings, broken only by the lonely whistling wind.

The charging man froze. As a light breeze blew, his neck slowly shifted, and his head fell to the ground. The broadsword in his hand had been cleanly sliced in two, the cut perfectly smooth.

The entire scene was dead silent; even the wind seemed to hold its breath.

A Superman Warrior had been slain!

What horrified them most was that Ye Chen hadn't even activated his Superman Mode!!

A trace of fierce hostility flared in Ye Chen's eyes as he scanned everyone present. The surging killing intent, suppressed by his state of mind, flooded his consciousness, stirring a faint, bloodthirsty craving!

"Don't be afraid, everyone!" someone in the crowd yelled. "It's just one of him, and there are so many of us! What's there to fear?"

"Exactly," another agreed.

"Shut your mother's head! If you're so brave, go up yourself! Why instigate others!" one large man shouted angrily. The two who had spoken froze for a moment, looking awkward. Everyone present had experienced life and death; unless a relative or friend had died in the explosion, they wouldn't mindlessly rush forward.

"I remember now! This person is Major General Ye Chen from the Huaxia Base City!" exclaimed a general who had witnessed the martial contest between Ye Chen and Yun Shaojing.

At this declaration, the entire crowd erupted into chaos.

"What? He's that brute Ye Chen!"

"He's already this powerful, fighting a Superman expert bare-handed!"

"Too terrifying! No wonder he could even kill Yun Shaojing!"

Everyone was completely stunned by Ye Chen's reputation and the sheer power displayed in that single slash.

"What's going on here? Did the Huaxia Base City plot to blow these people up?"

"He must have been following orders from above."

"How cruel! The Huaxia Base City must have devised this scheme to weaken the forces of the major guilds!"

For a time, everyone was filled with anger toward the Huaxia Base City.

"Not necessarily," someone analyzed. "Among the dead are several Commander-level figures from the Huaxia Base City. They are desperately needed right now; the base city wouldn't commit such a foolish act! It must have been this brute acting on his own!"

"Let's attack together and kill him." someone else roared in fury.

Everyone turned their gaze toward Ye Chen, their expressions cold, disgusted, and mocking, with some eager individuals already preparing to charge. Just then, a clear female voice rang out: "Stop! The real culprit who set off the explosives is here!"

If you haven't had enough, see what chapters the hottest other novels have updated! ┊┊ ┊┊ ┊┊ ┊┊ ┊┊ ┊┊ ┊┊U

For more novels, visit storyread.net.