A flicker in Ye Chen’s heart prompted him to raise his hand and beckon; the drop of crimson blood was drawn by his energy, settling steadily into his palm. The blood was intensely vivid, like a perfect pearl, held together yet flowing, radiating waves of profound malevolence...
Ye Chen recalled the desperate struggle earlier, swinging his divine sword to slice the wrist of the black-winged man, leaving a crimson gash. Evidently, this blood originated from that very being.
“This dark creature, brother to the Saint Qilun, seduced by shadow and cast into the Dark Realm for eternal sealing—to think his true power is this terrifying. It must surpass the Demigod level. Could he possibly be a powerhouse of the Million-level?” Ye Chen mused internally, assessing the black-winged man's genuine strength, leaning toward the Million-level being highly probable!
“According to the classical records of the prehistoric civilizations, beings at that echelon were the Divine Level! A true deity, capable of splitting rivers with a palm strike and kicking Mount Tai with a foot, [Dawn Spirit Hand Strike - Baidu First Release] possessing power that pierces the heavens! Though once my core strength increases slightly, reaching the Ghost God Realm, I can achieve Million-level speed using my Superman Mode! However, my own genes remain at the Ten Thousand-level. Who knows what peculiar effects a metamorphosis to the Million-level might bring?”
Ye Chen could not predict the future. In his previous life, Earth’s strongest, Yun Shaojing, had only reached the Demigod level. Divine beings of the Million-level were distant figures to aspire to.
He lowered his gaze to the blood, sensing the torrents of strange energy within. Clenching his hand, he stored it away, then immediately retrieved his divine sword, which had snapped in two, and pieced it together.
Zheng!
The fractured ends of the divine sword drew together, slowly fusing until they became whole once more, bearing not a single trace of damage!
The divine sword itself was composed of memory metal, a self-repairing alloy; even if half of it had been lost, the remaining hilt could have regrown the blade after some time.
Ye Chen looked down at the breastplate of the Saint Flame Armor. He sighed slightly. This armor was forged from specialized light matter, constructed automatically through elemental arrangement—a marvel of ingenuity. Once damaged, it required specific light matter to mend the breach. Though only a hole had been made, in a duel between experts, such a flaw rendered the entire Saint Flame Armor virtually useless.
Ye Chen looked up below. The vast army of zombie creatures brought by the black-clothed man had all been subdued. The Black Beetle Swarm had taken charge, controlling one or two high-level zombie creatures to exert deterrence, compelling them all into subservience...
“You aren’t injured, are you?”
“Your complexion looks much worse.”
Lord of Purple Cloud Island and the others, having finished dealing with the leaders among the monster horde, turned back, watching Ye Chen with concern. Although they had been occupied with the monster army, they had kept an eye on Ye Chen’s situation, and seeing him blasted backward by the entity from the black hole had shocked them.
They knew that in that special mode, Ye Chen’s power went into a frenzy, eclipsing even the strength-proud Lord of Purple Cloud Island.
Facing the circle of solicitous inquiries, Ye Chen’s lips twitched, his expression unchanged. “Nothing. Let’s go!” He turned and led the way.
Lord of Purple Cloud Island and the others followed. Behind them, the 2,500 strong fighters carried the corpses of the Rank Three and Four Thousand-level beasts that the Lord of Purple Cloud Island and the others had hunted, trailing the main group.
This war without smoke had resulted in almost zero casualties. The powerful monsters were handled by the six Divine-grade experts led by the Lord of Purple Cloud Island. Especially the Lord of Purple Cloud Island and the old man in the white robe, both at the Ninth or Tenth Rank of Divine Grade, dealing with these thousands-level monsters was like adults swatting children—one kick toppled a section.
Not obtaining the flesh and blood of the black-clothed man left Ye Chen feeling slightly regretful; otherwise, he could have boosted his physique by several hundred levels. Once his constitution reached the Ghost God Realm and his genes underwent transformation, he could integrate a third Superman Gene through the efficacy of divine blood!
Not long after, the group crossed rice paddies and arrived at Guangming Base City.
Before Ye Chen even stepped inside, he saw cheers erupting along the ramparts. Flowers, gathered from somewhere unknown, carpeted the city streets. Master-level pianists were playing music through the emergency broadcast system citywide; beautiful melodies echoed everywhere, transforming the city into a scene of pure celebration.
Seeing this, Ye Chen’s gaze became distant. In his previous life, he was a weakling in the early stages, living in a world where people killed for meager rations. He had seen such grand spectacles, but then he was merely an observer, standing by the roadside cheering...
The focus in Ye Chen’s eyes slowly sharpened. His body floated down, landing before he walked through the city gate. The thousands of warriors following behind descended, the clanking of their armor creating a unified sound. After setting down the monster corpses, they followed Ye Chen and the others into the city, proud and resolute.
“Welcome back, Mayor, in triumph!”
“Welcome~~~”
Amidst the fervent cheers, Ye Chen and the others walked down the center of the flower-strewn path. Beauties selected by the Ministry of Commerce stood on both sides, holding baskets and scattering petals that fell upon their heads and shoulders.
Does circumstance create heroes, or do heroes lead circumstance?
In this apocalyptic era, anyone who made significant contributions to the base city by fighting monsters externally and returning victorious received such an accolade. This was an age where both honorable men and petty scoundrels could rise.
Looking at the sincere gazes of the people lining the streets, Lord of Purple Cloud Island and the others felt a sense of solace, finding a thread of kinship in this foreign land, and their faces broke into happy smiles.
Behind them, Zi Wan, Huang Feng, Huang Lu, and the others had never witnessed such a massive event in their lives. Hearing the surging roars of countless people, though they didn't understand the words, they could tell from the passionate expressions that this was respect and adoration. For a moment, they felt as if floating on clouds, their bodies soft and yielding.
Xu Tianguo, following closely behind Ye Chen, inwardly smirked. He thought the ministerial heads of the Abandonment Faction indeed had some shrewdness; knowing Ye Chen rarely appeared in the base city made currying favor impossible, so they focused their efforts on this occasion—a truly painstaking maneuver!
He knew Ye Chen cared little for these formalities. As a leader, Ye Chen was the unyielding banner of Guangming Base City. This matter still required him to respond, to show an attitude. Although he hadn't navigated officialdom in his past life, he understood a degree of social graces.
Not long after, amidst a flurry of celebratory shouts, Ye Chen returned to his residence. After closing the door, with a mere thought, the Saint Flame Armor melted into his skin and vanished. He stood clad in a long white robe, but over his heart, where the organ lay, the fabric was stained a deep crimson, soaked with blood like a massive red flower.
Ye Chen gasped. He pulled out numerous medicinal herbs from the Fire Civilization—such as "Blood Essence Pills," "Life God Grass," and "Fragrant Scent Flower"—and swallowed them whole.
The more potent the herbs, the faster they took effect. Shortly after ingestion, he felt his entire body swell, his vital energy churning violently, his face flushed crimson. Thankfully, his physique was robust; any ordinary person taking such a powerful supplement would likely suffer a nosebleed.
Under the cascade of medicines, the wound on Ye Chen’s chest gradually healed. It had been deep enough to be seen into; it had nearly shattered his heart!
A cold glint appeared in Ye Chen’s eyes. He flipped his hand and took out that drop of blood, activating his Devouring Power to envelop and refine it.
Under the force of his Devouring Power, the drop of blood slowly disintegrated, transforming into streams of pure energy that flowed into Ye Chen’s body. After repairing his internal injuries, the surplus energy circulated, causing his strength to slowly increase!
Just one drop of blood provided such immense sustenance!
Ye Chen was slightly surprised but gave it little thought. With his physique, even cutting off a chunk of his flesh for an ordinary person to consume could boost their constitution by dozens of levels!
While refining the blood, Ye Chen suddenly sensed waves of peculiar energy rising from it, washing over his body, carrying an aura of serenity. Though only faint traces, they felt vast and profound.
Ye Chen moved a finger, and a plume of white vapor drifted up, condensing without dissipating, resembling a tiny flame. He stared at it for a moment, then flicked his finger, shooting the white vapor toward a pillar in front of him.
To Ye Chen’s astonishment, the white vapor passed through the wood as if it were tofu, piercing it effortlessly and leaving a clean hole in the center of the pillar!
“Such destructive power! What is this energy? A mere trace rivals Hundred-level strength! Could this be the special energy evolved from flesh and blood once the physique reaches the Million-level?” Ye Chen pondered. No one knew what unique effects flesh and blood possessed when evolved to their extreme.
With another movement of his finger, he retracted the white vapor. While this single wisp held no immediate use for him, it was not to be wasted.
After cultivating for a while to consolidate his strength, Ye Chen felt his energy was only separated from the Source Realm by a thin membrane. If he could obtain the body of another Ghost God Realm expert and refine it, he could advance to the Source Realm!
The energy of the Source Realm was the fountainhead of Qi! Its subtlety surpassed nano-scale, rivaling Ghost Qi!
This meant that upon reaching the Source Realm, he could injure Ghost God Level experts using only his standard energy!
Just as Ye Chen was deep in thought, urgent footsteps suddenly sounded outside the door. Ye Chen looked up and waved his hand; the palace gates opened automatically, revealing the figure of Xu Tianguo, his face etched with anxiety and panic.
A sharp dread struck Ye Chen’s heart. He asked, “Has a natural disaster struck?”
Seeing that Ye Chen had hit the nail on the head with his question, Xu Tianguo nodded frantically. “The senior experts in the Research Department predict that global warming is causing the glaciers to melt rapidly. Soon, the oceans will rise dramatically, flooding low-lying continents!”
Ye Chen’s expression darkened. He hadn't expected the glacial melt to arrive so quickly!
The Arctic ice cap was colossal; its melting was not an event of a day or two. In truth, signs of marginal melting began appearing around 2010. By 2012, global temperatures had been slowly climbing in subtle ways, making each year warmer than the last.
If that were the case, weather scientists should have long predicted this outcome. However, they were unaware that after the apocalypse began, a virus swept the globe like a hurricane, lodging itself in every plant and creature it touched. Every month, the virus reproduced once and mutated once; consequently, monsters evolved monthly, following the virus's mutation cycle.
Other viral strains floated up into the upper atmosphere. After being exposed to sunlight, they caused refraction, burning off many viruses through ultraviolet rays, which transformed into intense thermal reactions, causing the rapid global warming seen since the apocalypse began.