As the Superman Gene activated, a terrifying aura, like a primordial savage beast, surged from Ye Chen, his mighty field eclipsing the sky and covering the earth.

The Armored Mechanoid that had been charging forward abruptly halted, its eyes wide and jaw slack, staring in disbelief at the combat metrics analyzed by the lens in its optics. The detector scanning Ye Chen’s body showed that as the Yan God Hammer dissipated, the combat value had plummeted from 293,024 million, returning to the 240,000 mark. But now, this number was soaring rapidly again. 240,000, 300,000, 400,000… 500,000 1,000,000 The rate at which the combat power figures shifted was dizzying, too fast for the eye to follow. In less than a second, it had broken past the one million combat power mark, causing the Armored Mechanoid's spirit to tremble. This change in combat value showed no signs of slowing; it continued its relentless climb. 1,200,000 1,500,000 2,000,000 The Armored Mechanoid shrieked in terror, “How is this possible? He was clearly trash with only 240,000 combat power, how could it suddenly skyrocket this much?” To its despair, the combat value continued to surge like a rocket. Within a few breaths, it swiftly surpassed three million and kept climbing, finally stopping at the staggering figure of 39,432,850. 3.9 million combat power. The Armored Mechanoid stared at the terrifying number on the instrument, its mouth trembling slightly as it murmured, “Impossible, how is this possible? Has the instrument malfunctioned?”

Swish.

Black horns emerged above Ye Chen’s head, killing intent blazing in his eyes, and he lunged towards the Armored Mechanoid like a ferocious beast. The intense gale bent the grass on the ground nearly double.

The Armored Mechanoid shuddered, terror flickering in its eyes. If its true body were present, it would be confident in slaying Ye Chen, but this current form was merely a mechanical clone, possessing only one million combat power.

Flee.

Relying on vast combat experience, the Armored Mechanoid chose to escape instantly. Facing an opponent of uncertain strength, retreat was the wisest first move.

With a flicker of its silhouette, it shot away like an ethereal streak of light, soaring rapidly toward the distant horizon of the continent. It skillfully maneuvered to avoid the towering peaks that scraped the sky.

Ye Chen channeled the full force of his power, venting it through the pores on his back in a **-shaped burst, propelling his body forward in a fierce dash. Yet, the distance between them did not close; in fact, it widened. After a few seconds, the Armored Mechanoid warrior was already over a hundred kilometers away, visible only as a blurry black shadow even with Ye Chen’s vision.

No speed.

The Antman Mode only increased strength; it did not enhance velocity.

The Armored Mechanoid quickly discerned this fact. It stopped, watching Ye Chen lagging far behind, paused for a moment, then burst into loud laughter. “So, he’s just a durable tortoise, hah! All that combat power, but he can’t even touch me. Let’s see how I play you to death!”

A sinister grin curled its lips as it plotted its strategy against Ye Chen.

In the distance, Ye Chen pursued for a short while but could not narrow the gap. The killing intent in his eyes deepened. He clenched his fists; at this point, he had no choice but to unleash his ultimate strength.

“Lightning Mode, activate!”

He roared skyward, his entire musculature trembling slightly, resonating as the dormant Lightning Gene within him slowly surged forth, standing alongside the Ant Gene. Soon, the two genes began to merge slowly.

Rumble~~

Ye Chen was enveloped in crackling arcs of lightning, appearing like a deity walking out of a lightning prison. Countless flashing bolts danced around him, emitting sharp crackling and hissing sounds. Above the center of his head, a single purple horn slowly extended, piercing the heavens defiantly.

He lightly clenched his fist, the thunder compressed within his palm.

The Armored Mechanoid in the distance nearly popped its eyeballs out seeing this scene, staring at the combat value scaling up again on its optical lens…

4,000,000 4,500,000 5,200,000 The combat value surged wildly. Once it surpassed five million, the optical lens flickered intermittently with electric arcs, seeming on the verge of explosion.

5,600,000 6,100,000 6,800,000 It climbed relentlessly until the combat value finally settled on the number 73,048,390. From a base of 240,000 combat power, it had reached 7.3 million—equivalent to a powerhouse at the 150,000 level!

“Wh-wh-wh-what is impossible?” The Armored Mechanoid nearly bit off its own tongue. “How can a being with 7.3 million combat power exist in this location?”

Ye Chen felt a power unlike any he had known surging through his body, his eyes blazing with intense light. He clenched his palm, feeling as though he held the entire world in his grasp.

Intoxicated for a moment by this tremendous might, he then looked toward the nearby Armored Mechanoid. A cold, sharp arc appeared on his lips, and his figure suddenly moved.

Swish!

He shot across the sky like a beam of light.

Bang bang bang bang…

Seven or eight mountain peaks he passed along the way exploded under the scouring force of the violent wind, shattering into pieces and collapsing.

This was power on a "God" level.

The Armored Mechanoid suddenly felt suffocated as a violent gust slammed into its chest, sending it gliding backward dozens of feet before it stopped. In the detector in its optics, Ye Chen had vanished.

Gone for only 0.0001 seconds.

Hoo.

Ye Chen materialized as if from thin air, standing directly in front of the Armored Mechanoid, face-to-face, their noses nearly touching.

Their eyes met.

Cruelty flashed in Ye Chen’s gaze. With a sweep of his hand, he pulverized the Armored Mechanoid’s head. Despite its millions of combat power, it didn't even have time to react; it was instantly vaporized.

Silence.

The gale seemed to hold its breath.

The fragments of the Armored Mechanoid’s shattered head drifted down toward the continent below.

Ye Chen’s eyes were cold and merciless. With a grab, he seized the Armored Mechanoid’s shoulder. His hand moved with blinding speed, rapidly crushing, and within a second, the Mechanoid’s entire body was compressed into a black iron sphere the size of a fist.

Only three seconds had passed since the Lightning Mode was activated.

Ye Chen held the black iron sphere, his expression frigid, though a hint of contemplation crossed his eyes. “This being was entrenched within the roots of the Energy God Tree. Judging by its appearance, Bai Lan seems unaware of its existence. Coupled with the numerous external defenses and the final barrier that only the ruin master could open, he likely didn't enter through the main passage but traversed here by tearing open a spatial barrier from another dimension.”

“Regardless, it’s dead now.” Ye Chen felt no need to ponder the creature’s origins further. He tossed the black iron sphere aside, turned, and prepared to leave the continent.

Whoosh!

A sharp battle blade lunged from behind him just as Ye Chen turned.

Ye Chen’s pupils constricted. He recoiled violently, narrowly dodging the strike in nearly one-thousandth of a second. Looking up, he saw a phantom figure hovering where he had just stood, suspended in mid-air like a wisp of smoke, nearly transparent, wielding a strangely shaped battle blade.

It was the Armored Mechanoid.

“Ghost Transformation.” Ye Chen’s eyes narrowed as he watched the Armored Mechanoid enter its “Ghost Transformation State.” His muscles tensed instantly.

Ghost Transformation was the most prominent ability of a Ghost God Realm expert. When a human body evolves to a ten-thousand-level physique, the blood mutates, becoming a higher form of life. The bones themselves could decompose into “Ghost Qi”—a special gas akin to oxygen. Upon entering Ghost Transformation, the being became incorporeal, like a spirit, immune to all physical attacks.

No matter how immense Ye Chen’s strength, he could not harm the Armored Mechanoid in its ‘Ghost Transformation’ state. This was precisely why Ye Chen feared Ghost God Realm experts so deeply.

“You actually destroyed my body!” The Armored Mechanoid stared hatefully at Ye Chen, glancing at the crumpled black iron sphere. “You’re dead. To force me into the ‘Ghost Transformation’ state, your flesh shell will become my replacement!”

Its silhouette flickered, and it rushed forward, its body incredibly light, as if a gust of wind could sweep it away.

Ye Chen was startled and rapidly retreated a thousand feet, watching the Armored Mechanoid charge toward him “slowly.” His expression grew grim. Despite his strength, which could instantly kill a ten-thousand-level powerhouse, he was utterly helpless against an expert who had entered the Ghost God Realm.

Attack with fists? The opponent’s body was like air; strikes passed right through, rendering the attack useless. Use Kinetic Force? Though Kinetic Force was also a type of gas, Ghost Qi was far more specialized. If Kinetic Force were stone, Ghost Qi would be sand. The stone would merely scatter the sand but fail to shatter it. Furthermore, once scattered, the Ghost Qi could coalesce and reform. As long as it wasn't annihilated, no harm would be done.

“If I had a Spirit-Dispelling Talisman from the Rune Civilization, or a Spirit-Grade weapon, I could deal with a Ghost God Realm expert. Even when ‘Ghost Transformed,’ I could strike its body directly,” Ye Chen thought rapidly. At that moment, the Armored Mechanoid suddenly flashed and vanished.

Ye Chen blinked in surprise, scanning his surroundings—it was empty.

The sky was utterly silent.

Ye Chen grew wary. Given the Armored Mechanoid’s skill, if it hid in the shadows to ambush him, he estimated his chances of defending himself were less than thirty percent. If he hadn't coincidentally turned to leave just as the Mechanoid attacked, that battle blade would have struck the back of his head.

With the combat experience this Mechanoid possessed, concealing its aura would be simple; it could murder with a smile, never letting its killing intent leak out.

Thump.

Ye Chen’s temple suddenly throbbed with pain, a dizzying sensation washing over him. His consciousness momentarily blurred, causing him to stagger a few steps, nearly falling. He reacted swiftly, clenching his fist and striking sideways without hesitation, but hit nothing but air.

Yet, the Armored Mechanoid was clearly floating right beside him, its face contorted with bloodlust and malice.

Ye Chen maintained his composure, rapidly pulling back a thousand feet, gazing at the Armored Mechanoid with a furrowed brow. A sudden flash of realization struck him. “Strange. Since he is a Ghost God Realm expert, why didn't he deal with me this way from the start? Why did he let me destroy his body?”

“Body?”

“Once a Ghost God Realm expert enters Ghost Transformation, even their blood turns to Ghost Qi. If the body is destroyed, it’s equivalent to death. So, the one that was crushed was merely its shell, like a piloted robot, and he is the true body sitting in the cockpit?”