I owe eleven chapters; how shameful. I must push myself to catch up.

I just returned today, exhausted from the journey, so I’ll only manage two chapters today to recharge. Starting tomorrow, I’ll make up the rest.

. .

. "Yes," a personal guard acknowledged.

Tosvacin stared intently at Ye Chen for a moment, then his gaze suddenly flickered. He stepped back several paces, melting into the ranks of the ordinary soldiers.

With his head bowed and eyes lowered, he became utterly inconspicuous at first glance. Boom!

The Fiery Round Pagoda slammed down onto the hillside with a deafening crash. The earth split open, tearing a massive gash, and the slope shuddered as if from an earthquake.

Many warriors lost their footing, some screaming as they tumbled into the crevasses, crushed flat. Amidst the brutal aura of slaughter, he took a single step forward.

A figure, black as a demon, emanated wildness and lethal intent. Ethereal flames wreathed his entire body.

He looked up, two points of cold starlight like blade flashes aiming toward the great, dark army opposite. To capture the leader, first capture the king.

Ye Chen’s figure shifted. The sole of his foot exploded the ground beneath him as he shot out like a cannonball.

In his hand, the Scarlet Flame Round Pagoda swung as lightly as a feather, sweeping away a vast torrent of blackness before him, carving out an open space. Many low-level warriors struck by the pagoda were instantly incinerated to ash.

Rivers of blood flow. Those from the major Guilds secretly observing from afar felt a crushing suffocation.

"This… this…" The short, stout man’s face trembled, his legs quivering slightly as he watched Ye Chen charge alone into the army of a hundred thousand. His heart was shaken by such overwhelming dominance.

"Tyrant," the refined youth beside him stammered, his lips quivering. Had he not seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed someone could be this ridiculously powerful.

On the battlefield, wails erupted everywhere, a cacophony of ghosts crying and wolves howling. "Ah…" "Run!

Don’t push me, damn you!" "Get out of my way, old man!" Everyone who saw Ye Chen rushing toward them, wrapped in flames, his handsome, icy face like the arrival of Death itself, felt their spirits tremble. The once-orderly formations instantly collapsed, and people scattered in all directions.

How could they not run? One swing of the pagoda, a huge batch of them dead.

Who dared stand in the way of this God of Slaughter? Surrounded by the heavy ranks of the army, the seductive woman, Blood Dragon, and others saw Ye Chen tearing straight toward them, unstoppable, stepping over countless corpses—like an Asura emerging from the living hell—and their faces turned pale.

The thought of retreating began to sprout in their minds. But then they remembered Guild Leader Tosvacin was right behind them, and they dared not take a single step back.

Furthermore, as commanders, if even they fled, what would become of the army below? When they turned to look, they nearly spat blood.

Tosvacin was nowhere to be seen. Had he taken the first opportunity to flee when things looked bad?

Whoosh! In the sky, the sound of the wind suddenly swelled violently.

Several dark shadows swept over the heads of numerous warriors and sped toward Ye Chen—they were several fighter jets. "Target locked!" "Prepare to fire!" The missiles mounted beneath the fighter jets erupted, plunging straight down toward Ye Chen charging on the ground.

Swoosh, swoosh… Seven or eight missiles, trailing long tails, plummeted downward, striking precisely the path Ye Chen was advancing upon. They collided mid-air and detonated with a massive explosion.

Boom! A mushroom cloud rose over the entire hillside, smoke and dust rocketing into the sky and spreading out like a curtain.

"He’s hit!" "Success!" The members of the Blue Mountain Guild watched this scene, exulting in their joy. They exchanged glances, seeing the delight in each other's eyes.

At that moment, they completely forgot that the single person they faced was merely another survivor of the apocalypse like themselves. The numerous observing Guilds from afar craned their necks to watch.

The mushroom cloud slowly faded. Tap, tap… Subtle footsteps sounded slowly from within, step by deliberate step, emerging outward.

The smiles of those who had been cheering instantly froze, their eyes wide with disbelief as they stared into the smoke. Through the thinning mushroom cloud, a dark figure slowly emerged—growing from small to large, from vague to clear.

The faint sound of footsteps echoed across the silent hill as everyone held their breath. One foot stepped out of the mist.

The sunlight fell upon it, utterly devoid of warmth. The figure was completely unharmed.

Faint scorch marks dusted the scales covering his body. A gentle breeze ruffled his black hair.

Most strikingly, a pair of black horns sprouted from his forehead, like a demon risen from hell. Silence.

Everyone stared at the man who remained uninjured even after the detonation of seven or eight missiles, their minds reeling. Someone’s weapon clattered to the ground, the sound like a drop of water hitting a still lake, shattering the silence.

Whoosh! The entire scene instantly erupted into chaos.

"Run!" "He can’t be killed! This man is a devil!" "Damn it, you’re stepping on my foot!" At the very front of the army, those closest to Ye Chen felt the shadow of death, scattering like headless flies in panic.

The warriors nearer to the seductive woman and the others behind them gripped their weapons, their hands trembling. They wanted to turn and flee, but restrained by the numerous elders beside them, they stubbornly held their ground.

Bang, bang, bang, bang… In the sky, several fighter jets paused for a moment, then dove down in a rain of bullets. These jets had been modified, and the ammunition they carried was not ordinary but high-pressure weaponry salvaged from the mechanical civilization by the Blue Mountain Guild, possessing immense power capable of killing Rank 200 experts.

Dense bullets poured down, slamming against Ye Chen’s leather armor, his head, and his hands. Not only did the bullets fail to penetrate, but they ricocheted off, the warheads scattering everywhere.

Everyone was stunned into silence. Ye Chen’s eyes were icy and merciless.

He pointed a finger, and the Devouring Force within his body transformed into a black whip that shot out, wrapping around the tail of one of the fighter jets. "Come down!" Ye Chen yanked his hand.

Bang! The fighter jet offered no resistance; it was yanked from the air and slammed violently into the ground.

The crew inside were crushed by the mangled fuselage, bones snapping, blood gushing from their mouths. Ye Chen walked toward the jet, grabbed one end, and with brute force, twisted the fuselage, hoisting it up with one arm.

With a sweep of his arm, he hurled it toward another fighter jet in the sky. Crash!

Boom! Violent fire blossomed as the two jets annihilated each other in mid-air.

Ye Chen turned his gaze toward the seductive woman and the others cornered by the distant army. His eyes were cold, and with a surge of movement, he stomped a large pit into the ground and charged toward them.

Bang, bang, bang… The soldiers blocking the seductive woman and her group didn't even have time to run before Ye Chen crushed them like a tank, their bodies exploding. Blood, intestines, and brains splattered all over his Jiao Dragon scale armor.

All of this happened in a flash of lightning and fire. Ye Chen arrived before the seductive woman and her group, his demonic figure standing tall.

The dense stench of blood and killing intent covering his body turned their faces ashen; they didn't even dare to think of escaping. "No, this has nothing to do with me, don’t kill me," the middle-aged man, who had previously appeared cold and aloof, stammered, his legs trembling as he looked at Ye Chen.

Ye Chen’s gaze swept over him coldly, and he immediately spotted the unmoving Blood Dragon standing nearby. His eyes turned sinister, and he pointed a finger.

A shaft of black light, like a gaping demon’s maw, lunged toward Blood Dragon. "No, don’t kill me!" Blood Dragon shrieked in terror and tried to flee, but he was enveloped by the black light.

With a final cry, he went still. A moment later, the black light seemed to relax its grip, transforming into a streak of dark light that zipped back into Ye Chen’s body, leaving behind only a withered, aged corpse.

The seductive woman and the others shivered in absolute terror. Tosvacin, who had already retreated into the soldier ranks after preparing his escape route, saw this terrifying scene.

Horror flashed in his eyes, and cold sweat broke out all over his body. He quickly lowered his head, not daring to look further, and quietly backed away toward the rear of the army.

"Where is Tosvacin?" Ye Chen asked the seductive woman coldly. If his memory served him right, this seductive woman was named Philan, ranked in the top ten of the Global Combat List.

And the first was Bing Yun of the Huaxia Base City—the Goddess of Ice and Fire. Tosvacin, attempting to sneak away within the ranks of the soldier army, froze.

He secretly cursed himself, wondering how this Chinese man recognized him. Was he perhaps a student studying in Russia?

The seductive woman, who knew a little Chinese, roughly understood Ye Chen’s meaning. Her pale blue eyes turned to look behind her, but she didn't see Tosvacin’s trace.

She replied bitterly, "The President took the first step and left this place." A cold glint flashed in Ye Chen’s eyes as he scanned the crowd and instantly spotted Tosvacin’s figure. Compared to the majestic figure he remembered, standing at the pinnacle and enjoying the adoration of countless people, this current version was somewhat younger, lacking some of the authority and grace, yet carrying more killing intent and arrogance.

The general appearance hadn’t changed much, save for a missing scar on his cheek—the mark left by killing the Red Water Bison at the shore of Jiulong Lake in the third year of the Dark Era. "Come here," Ye Chen commanded, raising his hand to grab.

The overwhelming power within his body surged out, coalescing into a black, massive palm. It pushed aside the crowd, seizing the astonished Tosvacin and dragging him over.

"How does he know me?" Tosvacin thought, on the verge of tears. The seductive woman and the others watched Tosvacin being pulled over, stunned.

Their fear of Ye Chen’s strength deepened, and they stood frozen, daring not to move. Thump.

The black giant palm released its grip, dissolving into black light and retracting into his body. Tosvacin fell to the ground.

"Submit, or die," Ye Chen looked down at him, his tone utterly cold and leaving no room for negotiation. Before Tosvacin could steady himself, he felt an icy coldness envelop his entire body, as if he were trapped in an ice cave.

Every hair stood on end. It felt as though the person before him was not a man but a primeval beast.

"This…" Tosvacin internally wailed, "Mighty expert, how about we form an alliance?" In an alliance, he would retain some autonomy; submission meant becoming a complete subordinate. Bang!

Ye Chen pointed a finger. The head of a young man not far away was pierced by black light and fell to the ground, dead.

"Last chance," Ye Chen stated coldly. Tosvacin’s heart shuddered.

He said nothing, simply acting to kill someone with a single gesture. This was utterly unreasonable behavior—this was the action of a true demon.