Chapter 3: Overlord

The Skinner’s mind was shaken to its core. From his perspective, everything that had just occurred was incredibly bizarre.

After Li Yelan, who had been on the verge of death, uttered a certain phrase, he suddenly erupted with violence. Simultaneously, a strange mask manifested on his face, and a pair of terrifying double pupils grew into his eyes.

He then launched an attack with an incredibly fearsome momentum.

It was as if this guy had become a completely different person; the sheer pressure of his presence filled the Skinner with fear.

The Skinner, who had been the hunter, now felt as if he had become the prey!

Looking into those terrifying double pupils at close range, the Skinner felt as if he were being stared at by a demon god.

The Overlord of Western Chu? What is the Overlord of Western Chu? Some figure from before the Calamity?

The Skinner had no time to speak. His muscles tensed, and he crossed his arms to forcefully block the hand-blade.

Even though Li Yelan had previously attacked with an axe, the Skinner had been able to catch the blade with his bare hands. But now, facing this hand-blade, he dared not be the least bit careless.

The moment the hand-blade struck, the Skinner felt a wave of numbness in his hands. The skin he had stolen from Dr. Wang instantly cracked, his bones groaned, and his flesh became a bloody mess!

It felt as if he hadn't been struck by a hand-blade, but by a giant halberd capable of splitting mountains and shattering rocks.

His eerie air barrier had not worked—or rather, it had been erased or neutralized by another power.

This sent a jolt through the Skinner’s heart.

That was his psionic barrier. As a psionic, once one initially masters their power, they unconsciously condense a psionic barrier around their body.

His psionic barrier could even defend against handgun bullets. This was the reason he didn't fear any resistance; as long as the barrier was up, his prey couldn't hurt him. This was the greatest characteristic that distinguished a psionic from an ordinary person.

However, now that the barrier had been neutralized, it meant he was facing one of his own kind!

The Skinner retreated rapidly, his skinless face twisted in astonishment.

"You actually became a psionic?" the Skinner asked, unable to believe it.

That’s right, only a psionic could counter a psionic; only a psionic barrier could neutralize another.

This prey had become a psionic! In such a short time, without any warning, he had become a psionic—he had become one of his own kind?

How absurd!

Li Yelan, however, felt something marvelous. He didn't know what a "psionic" was, but after reaching a certain deal with the black shadow, a hole seemed to have been opened in his soul world. Li Yelan could peer through that hole into a brilliant sea of stars. The mysterious power surging from that sea of stars poured into his body, making his senses sharper, and he felt an invisible force surging within him.

At the same time, he had gained a wondrous ability.

"Myriad Forms, Faceless?" He didn't know why he wanted to call the ability that.

This ability seemed to allow him to witness heroes of the past and mimic their powers.

Perhaps it was the wound on his neck that guided him to see that peerless warrior who had ultimately taken his own life by the Wu River!

And thus, it allowed him to mimic that Overlord!

As an employee of an antique shop, Li Yelan naturally knew of the man who had led twenty-eight cavalrymen to charge through thousands of enemy troops!

That Overlord of Western Chu, Xiang Yu, whose strength could pull up mountains and whose spirit encompassed the world!

Now, through "Myriad Forms, Faceless," Li Yelan was mimicking—or rather, miming—the might of the Overlord!

His bones and muscles trembled, and his physique, strength, and speed were all enhanced.

He possessed explosive power far beyond that of an ordinary person!

And when those double pupils opened, many black lines appeared in Li Yelan’s field of vision.

Those black lines connected to various objects: vehicles, walls, pillars, and even twisting black lines appeared on the Skinner and on Li Yelan himself.

'What are these black lines? Is this the ability of Myriad Forms, Faceless? Or the Overlord's ability?' Li Yelan thought, looking at the lines thoughtfully.

He reached out to touch a nearby black line, only to find that it had no physical substance.

Then, subconsciously following a black line, he struck the wall from which it extended. Despite not using much force, he saw the wall instantly crack. It was as if the punch had struck the wall's "weak point," shattering the concrete with a single blow. A half-meter-long crack appeared on the wall, spreading outward like a spiderweb.

Li Yelan understood the power of these double pupils: these black lines were the weaknesses or flaws of various objects, the most fragile collection of points on an item. As long as one attacked along the black lines, even with little force, one could shatter the target!

And the Skinner, who had been impervious to all his previous attempts, now had several black lines on him. To Li Yelan, he was no longer invincible!

In the Skinner’s eyes, however, Li Yelan had just shattered a concrete wall with a light punch.

*Fuck*, what kind of power is this? Shattering concrete with a light punch?

This inconceivable strength made the Skinner even more vigilant, and he quickly retreated to put some distance between them.

"Li Yelan, perhaps we can talk! We are both wild psionics, we are the same kind! To the Great City authorities, we are on the same side; we are natural allies, there is no need for conflict. I’ll leave right now, I will never disturb your life again. I can atone for my offense; I know some other psionics. I can build a bridge for you... Don't be impulsive, we are all..." The Skinner said this, but in his heart, he was rapidly calculating Li Yelan’s strength. He was trying to figure out what path of psionic he was.

Among the seven psionic paths he knew of

A psionic who could manifest strange forms should be a "Myriad Forms" psionic, just like him.

The "Myriad Forms" path included many abilities for mimicking biological entities. This was the reason he could imitate others.

But... those double pupils seemed to have a different ability; they seemed to be of the "Spirit Eye" path.

Which path was it exactly?

The Skinner’s thoughts were in turmoil. As a psionic, he preferred to wield his blade against the weak rather than engage in battle with his own kind.

So, facing Li Yelan at this moment, a chill spread down his spine, and the urge to retreat had already taken root in his heart.

He was never a significant figure to begin with. Otherwise, he wouldn't have wantonly killed humans to enjoy their lives, peeling off their skins to enjoy their existence, and then wreaking havoc using their identities.

He didn't just kill his victims; he made them bear the burden of unforgivable crimes.

Just a few hours ago, he had used Dr. Wang’s face to assault a nurse at the hospital, ensuring that the virtuous Dr. Wang would have no peace even after death, burdened with an unshakeable reputation. He had been smug about it, and then he had set his sights on Li Yelan.

He loved the thrill of controlling everything and toying with the masses; it made him feel like a god!

But how could such a petty villain dare to wield a blade against someone stronger?

Now, encountering a greater monster, he had only one thought: to escape.

'I must open the garage door and get out of here. Damn it, I don't even have a face right now; I can't even hide on the street! This bastard, it’s all this bastard’s fault!' The Skinner thought rapidly, his hatred for Li Yelan growing. He even planned to seek revenge after escaping. As for speaking now, it was entirely to distract Li Yelan.

While the Skinner was retreating, Li Yelan stooped down and grabbed the axe he had dropped earlier.

He was stronger than he had ever been.

But what was the price?

What was the identity and intent of the black shadow?

What kind of disaster would occur when all the chains on the black shadow were broken?

Li Yelan didn't know any of this, and these weren't questions for him to consider right now.

His overflowing anger had not subsided. He would never let this monster, which had threatened his weak point, live!

Was he supposed to keep this monster, which knew his information, around for the holidays?

This threat had to be eliminated!

Root and branch!

And so, without any words or hesitation, Li Yelan, axe in hand, charged at the Skinner at top speed!

The Skinner could only suppress the horror in his heart and quickly brandish the blade hidden in his flesh. Although he wasn't skilled at combat, as a psionic, even if he couldn't win against a newly awakened peer, he should at least have a chance to escape!

At least, that’s what he thought.

But as Li Yelan swung the axe, the Skinner heard the roar of thousands of troops! He saw the Overlord charging and swinging his halberd through a sea of blood and corpses!

The next instant, the axe followed the spreading black lines and struck directly at the "weak point" of the flesh-blade.

With a *crack*, the sharp flesh-blade shattered instantly. Several shards flew through the air, reflecting the Skinner’s fate.

The sudden breaking of his weapon left the Skinner’s eyes filled with shock.

The next second, the axe slammed heavily into the Skinner’s skinless face.

The blade tore through muscle, shattered bone, and forcefully cleaved off half of the Skinner’s head.

Escape? Survive? Revenge?

Ridiculous. Who did he think he was facing?

He was facing an older brother, an older brother protecting his last remaining kin! An older brother who had not hesitated to make a deal with the bizarre to protect his family!

A furious, invincible older brother!

Facing such an existence, he couldn't even take a single blow!

Blade and head alike were split by a single axe stroke!

Having succeeded in one blow, Li Yelan did not stop; he continued to swing the axe until the Skinner’s head was completely severed. Only after stomping the skull into pieces did he confirm that the other party was truly dead.

Li Yelan felt no joy; instead, he leaned powerlessly against the wall. The mask on his face gradually dissolved and disappeared.

His body had borne a tremendous burden; his heart was pounding violently, and his bones and muscles were groaning. Even breathing had become agonizingly painful.

Was he... going to die? Was this the price the black shadow demanded?

In a daze, Li Yelan heard the sound of sirens and saw the garage door being torn open by force.

A group of people arrived at his side, seemingly attempting to save him.

Li Yelan widened his eyes, but his vision was blurred, and he couldn't see anything clearly.

He could only ask with great difficulty: "Am I going to die?"

"Do you have any last words?" someone beside him asked in a low voice.

"Just say I left the city. Don't scare my sister; she's very timid..." Li Yelan whispered, then fell into a coma.

Li Yelan did not know that after he said those words, the guns and cannons aimed at him were slowly lowered.

They looked at the Skinner’s corpse and fell into a deathly silence.