The divine sword swung out, whipping up a frenzy of wind, scraping against Samshit’s armor and sending sparks flying.

Samshit’s figure flickered, hastily retreating backward. With a few rapid shifts, he put several hundred zhang between them, exiting Ye Chen’s attack range. His blood-red eyes swiveled slightly, tinged with residual shock. He thought to himself that it was fortunate he was still in Superman Mode; otherwise, once his mode expired while the opponent's remained, he would have no choice but to take a beating.

He had already vaguely sensed that Ye Chen had not reached the Ghost God Realm. While his physical body might be inferior, the terrifying amplification provided by Superman Mode allowed him to completely reverse the situation!

Moreover, the armor on the opponent and the divine sword in his hand both exuded a killing aura so sharp and potent that it was in no way inferior to his own.

“He can activate two types of Superman Mode!” Samshit was secretly astonished. Suddenly, a thought struck him, and his eyes widened as he exclaimed, “Could it be that you devoured the Blood of the Gods?”

Ye Chen stared at him coldly. Seeing that the distance was still too great for him to catch up, he stopped moving and spoke indifferently, “It’s good that you know!” Since the other party knew about the Blood of the Gods, he must have visited ruins left by the Atlantean civilization.

A flash of fierce heat and greed immediately ignited in Samshit’s eyes. “It really is the Blood of the Gods. So, this is the effect—it allows one to fuse two different genes! If I could obtain such a treasure…” Thinking this, his gaze fixed on Ye Chen grew increasingly avaricious.

Even though he knew the opponent had already consumed the Blood of the Gods, if he managed to kill him and consume his flesh and blood, perhaps he could inherit the power of the divine blood?

Faced with such immense temptation, how could he not be moved?

Ye Chen said calmly, “Your Superman Mode lasts only forty-two seconds. Mine has two minutes and twelve seconds remaining. Even if you flee far away now, it will be useless once my Superman time ends and I come after you. I have already memorized your scent and can track you with the ship at any time.”

Samshit sneered, “You don’t need to remind me. I won't flee. Yours is merely the Ant Superman Mode. In terms of strength, I am inferior to you, but killing you is quite simple!” As he spoke, his blood-red eyes became even more sinister.

“I am the Blood Realm Gene, mutated from the bloodworm parasitizing the brain cells, evolving into a Blood Beast, then further evolving into a Blood Horn Beast, and finally, becoming the Blood Realm Beast.”

“Three Evolutions.”

“This Blood Realm Beast is virtually unique in the entire world—at most, there are no more than three! The reason I call it the Blood Realm Beast is that this beast can convert any essence blood it devours into power to replenish itself. Furthermore, it can weep blood to form a realm, constructing an independent space!”

“In addition, it can interfere with others’ thoughts through intense brainwave activity, performing hypnosis, or even creating an illusory world!”

Saying this, Samshit’s eyes grew more mesmerizing, glowing with a dazzling light as he stared directly at Ye Chen. “Deactivate your Superman Mode quickly!”

As if commanded by a Buddhist King ordering a beggar!

For some unknown reason, Ye Chen’s mind suddenly went blank, his vision blurring completely. He forgot everything Samshit had just said, vaguely remembering only the phrase ‘Blood Realm Beast’; the rest was gone. Hearing the command now, he almost subconsciously prepared to circulate the power within his body to disengage the Ant Superman Mode.

At that very moment, a sharp intuition pierced his heart. His state of mind, having reached the fifth stage of the Sage, gradually brightened. His spiritual power was immensely potent, strengthening his brainwaves—capable of interfering with or converting others, but also capable of guarding the original self and seeing through illusory deceptions. Once one reached the Saint level, they could see through space and time and predict the future!

All of this transpired in the blink of an eye. Ye Chen’s body trembled slightly, and he instantly sobered up. However, a new thought crossed his mind, and the corner of his mouth curled into an imperceptible arc. His eyes still held a look of confusion, yet a slow struggle began to surface.

Samshit opposite him frowned and snorted, “I didn’t realize your willpower was so strong; you haven't been completely mesmerized. I don’t believe it!!” As he spoke, the red light in his eyes intensified, resembling two terrifying blood-red lanterns.

Ye Chen’s facial muscles twisted slightly, his breath catching, his expression gradually shifting to one of painful struggle, as if stubbornly resisting the illusion.

‘Wait until your Superman Mode ends; then it will be your death date!’ Ye Chen thought inwardly, outwardly maintaining his composure. He had heard some information about the Blood Realm Beast.

This was an extremely unique type of monster, born from a virus, generally appearing in the brains of zombies as a ‘bloodworm’!

The Black Snail Worm was born in a similar fashion, though the Black Snail Worm was more peculiar—they were somewhat present in the early stages but gradually died out later, as the worm itself possessed no real power. Once the power of the monsters increased too much in the later stages, the Black Snail Worm could no longer maintain control.

Bloodworms were more common, specializing in devouring marrow and fresh blood.

If, during viral mutation, a genetic anomaly occurred, it could become a rabbit-sized Blood Beast, possessing immense strength and astonishing speed. If it evolved again, it would become the Blood Horn Beast!

Ye Chen himself had been killed by a Blood Horn Beast in his previous life!

Blood Horn Beasts were extremely keen on blood; their entire bodies were covered in dense, hard scales, and their strength was formidable. As for the Blood Realm Beast, there was no comparison. A typical Blood Realm Superman, even at the first stage, received a 20-fold boost in strength and a 30-fold boost in speed!

A double amplification!

Upon reaching the second stage, the boost became 50 times strength and 60 times speed. Initially, given Samshit’s physical constitution, dealing with Ye Chen in Ant Superman Mode shouldn't have been an issue. However, being caught off guard at the beginning had unsettled him, leading to the chaotic chase. Coupled with the sharp horns on Ye Chen’s forehead—indicating he wasn't an ordinary Ant Superman—Samshit adopted a cautious approach, unwilling to rely solely on brute force!

With Samshit’s physique, even with only a 50x strength boost, if they truly compared strength, he would still surpass Ye Chen, as his base physique far exceeded his opponent’s. But doing so would only result in a stalemate, perhaps a defeat, but not a kill.

Once his own Superman Mode ended, he would be counter-attacked by Ye Chen.

This was why he attempted to use this illusionary tactic while his Superman Mode was active. Yet, he failed to realize that Ye Chen’s state of mind had been tempered through trials in the ruins, making him immune to conventional illusions that could shake one’s spirit.

As a scientist, Samshit never believed in nebulous concepts like the mind or spirit; he only trusted technology. Therefore, despite his superior physique, his state of mind was far weaker than Ye Chen’s; he hadn't even reached the Sage Realm.

Of course, this also had roots in Chinese culture.

Ancient Chinese culture flowed onward, vast and profound, far longer and older than that of other nations globally. Infected by the culture of ancient Huaxia from a young age, Ye Chen possessed a deeper comprehension of the state of mind.

Ye Chen secretly sneered. If they fought purely with martial force, he could only barely defend himself, perhaps even falling into a disadvantage. But now that Samshit was employing illusions, he felt no fear.

Time ticked by second by second.

Ye Chen’s expression flickered on his face, shifting between struggle and near-blankness. Every time Samshit felt he was close to achieving hypnosis, Ye Chen would reveal a stubborn resistance.

As this pattern repeated, Samshit grew increasingly anxious, secretly calculating the time—only a few seconds left. He inwardly bristled, “In the past, a simple application was enough to mesmerize those people, even sea monsters at level tens of thousands! Now, it’s taking this long and I haven’t finished!”

He was getting impatient!

In a blink, two more seconds passed.

At his level of power, time was measured in seconds and minutes.

“Damn it, I don’t care anymore!” Samshit gritted his teeth and roared, severing the illusionary hold. He immediately saw the confusion drain from Ye Chen’s eyes, replaced by clarity. Filled with vexation, he brandished his spear and charged straight ahead.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

The spear shadows moved like the wind, resembling a massive wheel crushing down upon Ye Chen.

Ye Chen’s eyes sharpened. Observing the rather seasoned combat style of Samshit’s attack, he guessed the man frequently trained in virtual worlds, and immediately met the attack by thrusting his sword forward.

Clang!

The two weapons clashed, grating out a burst of fire.

Ye Chen’s tiger’s mouth trembled, and he retreated a few steps. His expression was icy, as if unscathed, and he launched another frantic assault.

Samshit was shocked. He felt a slight numbness in his arm from the collision just now—the opponent’s strength was unexpectedly immense. Looking at Ye Chen’s expression, which didn't even cause him to wrinkle his brow, Samshit knew things were bad and hastily turned to flee.

Ye Chen activated the energy in his body, accelerating his pursuit.

“When your Superman Mode ends, that will be your death date!” Samshit snarled through clenched teeth. Having roamed the apocalyptic world for three years, he had never suffered such humiliation. His hatred for Ye Chen burned like a raging fire, nearly incinerating his reason.

However, he was not an impulsive man; true heroes know when to advance and when to retreat. He didn't look back but ran at full speed. With his Superman speed, he was nearly matched with Ye Chen during the Lightning Superman Mode. Now, turning and sprinting, he vanished from Ye Chen’s sight in the blink of an eye.

Ye Chen stopped, made a gesture with his hand, and summoned the Rune Ship. With a flicker, he darted inside, ordering the old Green Rune Man hastily, “Chase!”

The old Green Rune Man, noticing the grave expression on Ye Chen’s face, was startled but dared not speak more, quickly piloting the ship out.

“Forward, forward, turn left…”

Ye Chen sat inside the ship, guiding the old Green Rune Man based on the acute sensory perception he possessed during Ant Superman Mode, which was extremely sensitive to scent, especially the scent of sugar.

After chasing for four or five seconds.

The Rune Ship accelerated to full power. The surrounding scenery blurred backward. In an instant, they streaked past several cities, yet Samshit’s figure remained unseen. Even at the ship's top speed—capable of reaching 500,000 units of speed—it was still too slow for Samshit.

“Seven, eight,” Ye Chen silently counted. Eight seconds had passed; the opponent’s Superman Mode should have ended. He immediately commanded an acceleration in the chase. About twenty seconds later, the Rune Ship, following the scent trail, arrived above the landmass of what was formerly Japan.

When the viral catastrophe broke out, all island nations globally were annihilated by monsters.

Now, covered entirely by glaciers, the scene below was a vast expanse of white. Ye Chen peered around intently but could see nothing, causing him to frown.

“Stop!”

Ye Chen leaped out of the Rune Ship, standing amidst the snow-covered expanse, surveying his surroundings. “The temperature reading is right here, but the person is gone. In this brief moment, did he manage to hide inside the glacier…”