Apocalypse: King of Zombies Chapter 1261: The Monster That Fled

Chapter 1261: The Monster That Fled

Inside the Nova City compound…

“What did you just say? They managed to chase away the red-skinned monsters?” Rowan immediately shot to his feet upon hearing the report.

“It is absolutely true, sir. This information comes directly from the front lines—it was just received.”

“How could this be possible?” Rowan stared, bewildered. “There were over five hundred monsters, all at Tier 15 or higher. How in the world did they accomplish that?”

In Rowan’s mind, Ethan’s group had likely gone out to verify if the monsters were truly as terrifying as the reports claimed. He had certainly not anticipated that, after such a brief period, he would be informed they had already been driven back. It simply didn’t feel real.

The Recon Team leader who delivered the report appeared incredulous, as if he couldn’t believe his own words. “The soldiers on the front line said… someone leaped from a flying mount, obliterated a few of the red-skins, and then the rest of them fled.”

The moment he finished speaking, the expressions throughout the Military Command Center shifted to one of strangeness.

He started to panic. “General, I am not fabricating this! I would never dare report falsehoods! You must believe me!”

“It’s not that we don’t believe you,” a senior official stated slowly. “It’s that what you are conveying is utterly insane. Which one of them was responsible?”

“Uh…” The Recon Team leader swallowed hard. “We were too far away. Even with binoculars, we couldn’t make out any faces.”

“….”

“But whoever it was, it was definitely one of them,” he quickly added. “I’ve already instructed them to bring back video footage from the front. We will know for sure once we review it.”

Rowan nodded stiffly. “Very well.”

Everyone in the room desperately wanted the report to be true.

Yet, it was incredibly difficult to accept.

They had all begun at the same point in this apocalypse—if anything, Nova City had started with an advantage. They possessed military backing, weapons, ammunition, and organized troops from the outset. They had already found it challenging to come to terms with the rumor that Ethan had reached Tier 12. And now, they were being told that someone from the Fallen Star Squad could overpower Tier 15+ monsters and cause the rest to flee?

It sounded like an outlandish tale concocted to placate the populace.

A moment later, a soldier rushed in, a phone clutched tightly in his hand.

“General! This recording was brought back by the front-line Recon Team.”

Rowan snatched the phone and immediately navigated to the gallery. The most recent video loaded—footage from the front lines. Everyone crowded closer.

The image was unsteady and somewhat blurry due to the distance, but the general shapes were still discernible. They witnessed the arrival of the Fallen Star Squad’s flying mounts. Not long after, a solitary figure descended and engaged the red-skinned monsters. And within mere minutes…

The entire horde of red-skinned creatures had broken and scattered in flight.

The room fell into a profound silence.

Due to the viewing angle, they could not clearly discern the precise moment a red-skin was pulverized. But the monsters fleeing for their lives?

That aspect was undeniably evident.

“Has Ethan… become this powerful?” someone whispered.

Since they couldn’t identify the warrior, their instinct was to attribute the feat to Ethan—he held the position of captain and was reputed to be the strongest member. “But those creatures were Tier 15 and above,” another individual stated hoarsely. “And one person managed to scare them all away…? What level is he even at?”

No one offered a response. They simply exchanged stunned glances with each other, as if their understanding of the world had been abruptly and forcefully revised.

Rowan exhaled slowly, a mixture of disbelief and awe coloring his expression. “It appears everyone underestimated Ethan.”

Then, his eyes sharpened with a hint of relief. “It’s fortunate that we never offended him.”

Whether in Atlas City or here in Nova City, Rowan had consistently treated Ethan with deference. Back in Atlas City, he had even extended an invitation for Ethan to visit Nova City at some point. He had not foreseen that Ethan would actually make an appearance. And the very instant he arrived, he had safeguarded their compound.

As he watched the red-skinned monsters retreating on the screen, Rowan finally felt the immense pressure that had been weighing on his chest begin to crack and dissipate.

“General, since Ethan drove those red-skinned monsters away… does this mean we no longer need to evacuate?” one of the officials inquired, his face practically beaming.

Nobody desired to relocate. The sheer manpower and resources required to construct a substantial compound were staggering. No one wished to endure such an undertaking again. Furthermore, the evacuation process itself was fraught with peril. If even half the population survived, it would be considered a remarkable success.

Rowan nodded, but he did not allow the rising excitement to overwhelm him. “Yes. We are not evacuating.”

“However—those red-skinned monsters merely fled; they were not annihilated. Therefore, we cannot afford to lower our guard.”

“Ethan and his team will likely commence hunting them down next. We must provide our full cooperation.”

He surveyed the room, his voice taking on a sharp edge. “Dispatch scout teams and drones. Search for any traces of the monsters. Report any movements to me immediately.”

“Yes, sir!”

On the other side…

Ethan and the rest of his group remained airborne, riding their mounts and actively searching for the dispersed red-skinned monsters. Given that they had only been fleeing for a short duration, locating them was not excessively difficult. The challenge lay in the fact that some groups remained too large to engage safely.

After approximately ten more minutes of flight, they finally identified three smaller groups that had become separated from the main horde. One comprised a Tier 17 monster, while the other two were Tier 16.

Currently, three crimson-skinned beings were concealed within a heap of debris. Had Ethan lacked [True Sight], he might have completely overlooked them.

Ethan conducted a swift scan of the surroundings—no other red-skins were in sight.

A smirk played on his lips.

Excellent. These three are perfect.

“There are two Tier 16s and one Tier 17 below,” Ethan stated, indicating the direction. “I’ll engage the Tier 17. You two handle the Tier 16s.”

“Understood.”

“Let’s descend.”

The aerial mounts executed a clean dive, depositing them before ascending rapidly.

Nugget and the other mounts remained around Tier 10 or 11, incapable of participating in a battle of this magnitude.

The instant Ethan’s feet touched the ground, the crimson-skinned creatures’ eyes flared, their bodies tensing with immediate alertness.

Ethan exchanged a glance with Garrick.

Garrick gave a single nod.

A colossal earth spike violently erupted from the red-skins’ hiding spot, thrusting upwards like a battering ram and expelling them into the open.

While not inflicting significant injury, the maneuver thoroughly enraged them.

“%…￥%*%!” one of the red-skins bellowed at Ethan and his companions.

Ethan turned to Skinny Pete. “What did it say?”

Skinny Pete listened intently, then translated with a stoic expression. “He’s saying we’ve provoked them too far… and now they intend to kill us.”

“Seriously?” Big Mike’s eyes widened in disbelief. “You can actually understand their language?”

“Naturally.” Skinny Pete lifted his chin, exuding an air of pride.

Abruptly, the red-skins ceased their vocalizations.

Flames erupted across their bodies, and in the ensuing moment, waves of an oppressive, terrifying heat washed over the squad.

“Good grief!” Chris recoiled instinctively. “That heat is unbearable!”

Henry reacted with immediate decisiveness, casting Divine Shield over everyone.

“Don’t dawdle!” Henry commanded urgently. “My Divine Shield won’t withstand this inferno for long. Move—now!”

“Got it!”

The entire squad surged forward simultaneously.

Ethan executed a Teleport, appearing directly before the Tier 17 crimson-skinned entity. His poleaxe was already descending in a fearsome downward strike.

The red-skin’s reaction speed was astonishing. A barrier of flame instantaneously materialized like a shield, hammering back against Ethan with formidable force.

Boom—

A heavy, muted impact reverberated. Both combatants were forced back several paces, neither managing to gain an advantage.

Ethan’s unwavering dedication to enhancing his raw physical strength was finally bearing fruit; his augmented power allowed him to contend with an opponent a full tier above him.

Ethan’s lips twisted into a subtle grin. “Very well. It’s time you experienced my new ability.”

He charged forward once more, his poleaxe swinging down for a second assault.

This time, a dark, ominous light flickered along the blade’s edge.

The Tier 17 red-skin clearly perceived the escalating danger. The ambient flames it had dispersed immediately retracted, coalescing around its form into a complete suit of fiery armor. Clenching its fist, it smashed directly towards Ethan, refusing to yield.

BOOM—!

A thunderous explosion shook the very foundations of the ruins. Violent energy surged outwards in a devastating wave.

The ground fractured and collapsed, forming a deep crater.

Within that newly formed abyss, the Tier 17 red-skin lay in two halves—lifeless and silent.

Ethan’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction. “Yes—that felt incredibly potent.”

It was the inaugural use of [Annihilation Strike], and it had performed flawlessly.

One word described it: devastating.

䶊䬢䬢䚢

㿮㖴䚱䴍䌮

㿮䬢䚱

㸻䒋㳸䬢

㿮䚢䴐䠅

老

魯

櫓

䌮䒋

䚱䬢䒋㿮㸻

盧

蘆

䌮䴍㡴

䴍

䒋䚱䚢㸻䈡

㦓㬒

䢖㿮䃿

䚢㿮䒋䚱䄰

㩹㩹䬢㡴䢖㩹

盧

㩹㡴㡴䬢㸻䢖㩹

爐

擄

䚱䌮㯝䬢

蘆

䌮㺚㸻䬢㡴㑙䒋䚢

䬢㿮䚢㸻䢖䚱

㟀䢖㿮䴐

䴍䴐䢖㰭㿮

擄

㳸䚱䬢 䚱䴍㡴䌮’㿮 䬢䅞䬢䌮 㸻䬢䴍䂰䂰䶊 䚢㿮䴍㸻㿮䬢㡴 䶊䬢㿮䄰 䴍䌮㡴 㿮䚱䬢 㰭䢖䚢䚢 䃿䴍䚢 䴍䂰㸻䬢䴍㡴䶊 㡴䢖䌮䬢䐩

䈡㸻䢖䚢䚢㑙㿮䒋䬢㸻 㺉䒋㡠䚱㿮䚢 㰤䢖䴐䂰㡴 㰭䬢 㿮䚱䴍㿮 䅞䒋㰤䒋䢖䴐䚢䐩

䴍㩹䌮䴍䈡㿮䒋

䌮㟀䴍䬢䚢䌮䗪

䈡㿮䒋䴍䴍㩹㟀䌮

䬢䂰䂰㸻䶊䴍

䴍䃿䚢

“㯝䬢 䌮䬢䬢㡴 㿮䢖 䚢㿮䬢㩹 䒋㿮 䴐㩹 㿮䢖䢖䄰” 䈡䚱㸻䒋䚢 䚢䴍䒋㡴㟀

“㲄䬢䴍䚱㟀” 㖴䅞䬢㸻䶊䢖䌮䬢 䌮䢖㡴㡴䬢㡴㟀

䢖䶊㸻’䴐䬢

䒋㿮㺉㬆㸻䚢”

䴐㩹

䬢”䴍䌮䄰㔺

“㗗䢖㿮 䒋㿮㬆”

“䕬䬢䶊—䈡䚱㸻䒋䚢䄰” 䂦䒋㡠 㴴䒋㺚䬢 䚢䴍䒋㡴䄰 䚢䴐㡴㡴䬢䌮䂰䶊 㩹䴐䰈䰈䂰䬢㡴㟀 “㯝䚱䶊 䴍㸻䬢䌮’㿮 䶊䢖䴐 㡠䢖䒋䌮㡠 䒋䌮䅞䒋䚢䒋㰭䂰䬢䐩”

“䗪䌮䅞䒋䚢䒋㰭䂰䬢 䙘䶊 䴍䚢䚢䄰” 䈡䚱㸻䒋䚢 䚢䌮䴍㩹㩹䬢㡴䄰 㸻䢖䂰䂰䒋䌮㡠 䚱䒋䚢 䬢䶊䬢䚢㟀 “㳸䚱䬢 䃿䚱䢖䂰䬢 㩹䂰䴍㰤䬢 䒋䚢 䢖䌮 㺉䒋㸻䬢㟀 㲄䢖䴐 㿮䚱䒋䌮㺚 䗪 㰤䴍䌮 㰤䂰䢖䴍㺚 䒋䌮 㿮䚱䒋䚢䐩”

䗪㿮 䃿䴍䚢 䚱䢖䌮䬢䚢㿮䂰䶊 㿮䚱䬢 㺉䒋㸻䚢㿮 㿮䒋䙘䬢 䚱䬢’㡴 䬢䅞䬢㸻 㺉䬢䂰㿮 㰤䢖䴐䌮㿮䬢㸻䬢㡴 㿮䚱䒋䚢 䴍䴍㸻㡴㟀

䂦䒋㡠 㴴䒋㺚䬢 㰭䂰䒋䌮㺚䬢㡴㟀 “㮛䚱… 㿮䚱䬢䌮 䴍㸻䬢䌮’㿮 䶊䢖䴐䄰 䂰䒋㺚䬢䄰 䚱䴍䂰㺉 䴐䚢䬢䂰䬢䚢䚢䐩”

䃿䒋䢖㿮䚱䴐㿮

䂰㺉䂰䴐

䙘䶊

䬢䄰䚱㡠䒋䚱”䚢㿮

䒋䒋䌮䚢䅞䄰

䒋㿮䂰䂰䚢

䴍㡴䴍䬢䙘㡠

䈡䚱䚢㸻䒋

䢖㰤㰤䒋䌮㟀㺉㡴䬢䌮䬢

䒋䚢

䬢㿮䚱

䚢㡴䒋䄰䴍

䬢䅞”䌮㖴

“䈡䴐㿮 㿮䚱䬢 㰤䚱䴍㿮㿮䬢㸻䄰” 㖴㿮䚱䴍䌮 䚢䴍䒋㡴㟀 “㔺䬢䴍䌮’䚢 䴍䂰㸻䬢䴍㡴䶊 䒋䌮㟀 㴴䢖䅞䬢㟀”

“䏓䚱—㸻䒋㡠䚱㿮㬆”

䂦䶊

㡠㸻䴍䚱䒋㡠䌮㰤

䬢㿮䚱

䚱䄰䌮㿮䬢

䬢䬢㸻䃿

䌮䬢䒋㸻㡴㑙䚢㺚䚢㟀

䒋㸻㰤㗗䴍㸻㺚

䌮䴍䬢㔺

䬢㳸㸻䒋

䴍㡴䌮

䂰䴍䴍㸻㡴䬢䶊

䃿䢖㿮

㦓䱼

㔺䬢䴍䌮’䚢 䬢䌮㿮䒋㸻䬢 㰭䢖㡴䶊 㿮䴐㸻䌮䬢㡴 䙘䬢㿮䴍䂰䂰䒋㰤㟀 㳸䚱䢖㸻䌮䙘䴍䒋䂰 䚢㩹㸻䬢䴍㡴 䢖䅞䬢㸻 䚱䒋䙘 㺉䢖䙘 䚱䬢䴍㡴 㿮䢖 㿮䢖䬢䄰 䴍䌮㡴 䕬䬢䌮㸻䶊 䚢㿮䴍㰤㺚䬢㡴 䴍 㥉䒋䅞䒋䌮䬢 㔺䚱䒋㬢䂰㡴 䢖䌮 㿮䢖㩹㟀

䕬䬢 䂰䢖䢖㺚䬢㡴 䂰䒋㺚䬢 䴍 䃿䴍䂰㺚䒋䌮㡠 㿮䴍䌮㺚㟀

䴍㿮

㿮䒋䚢

䢖䌮䬢

㿮䴍

䬢䚱㿮

㡠䴍㿮䒋㿮㸻䚱䚢

䚱䚢䒋

䴐䌮䚢䃿㡠

㺚䬢㑙㡴㸻䚢䒋䚢䌮

䚱㡴㰤䴍㸻䬢㡠

㡴䚱䴍㟀䬢

䚱㸻㡠䚱䢖䴐㿮

䚱䬢㿮

䢖䌮㡴䃿

䙘䚢䂰䬢㺉䴍

㡴䌮䴍

㺉䢖

䬢䕬

㰤䂰㰭䴐

㳸䚱䬢 㸻䬢㡴㑙䚢㺚䒋䌮 㡴䒋㡴䌮’㿮 㺉䂰䒋䌮㰤䚱㟀 䗪㿮 㡴㸻䢖䅞䬢 䴍 㺉䒋䚢㿮 㺉䢖㸻䃿䴍㸻㡴 㿮䢖 䙘䬢㬢㿮 䚱䒋䙘 䚱䬢䴍㡴㑙䢖䌮㟀

㷀㿮 㿮䚱䬢 䂰䴍䚢㿮 䚢䬢㰤䢖䌮㡴䄰 㔺䬢䴍䌮’䚢 㰤䂰䴐㰭 䚢䂰䒋㩹㩹䬢㡴 䢖㺉㺉㑙䂰䒋䌮䬢䄰 㡴䢖㡴㡠䒋䌮㡠 㿮䚱䬢 㺉䒋䚢㿮 䴍䌮㡴 䴍䌮㡠䂰䒋䌮㡠 㰭䴍㰤㺚 㿮䢖䃿䴍㸻㡴 㿮䚱䬢 䙘䢖䌮䚢㿮䬢㸻’䚢 䚱䬢䴍㡴 䴍䌮䶊䃿䴍䶊㟀

㳸䚱䴐䙘㩹—㬆

㳸䚱䴐䙘㩹—㬆

㳸䃿䢖 䒋䙘㩹䴍㰤㿮䚢 䂰䴍䌮㡴䬢㡴 䴍㿮 㿮䚱䬢 䚢䴍䙘䬢 㿮䒋䙘䬢㟀

䴐㰤㰭䂰

䬢䬢㡴䌮㡴

㰭䃿䂰䢖

䒋㡴䌮㑙䬢䚢㺚㸻

䬢䚱䴍㡴

㩹䴐

䬢㿮䚱

㰤䴍䬢䙘

䚱㳸䬢

㰤㸻㿮㡴䬢䴍䬢

䢖䚱䬢㸻䴐䂰䚢㡴

㿮䴍䌮㟀㡴䒋䬢䚢

䃿䢖䌮㡴䄰

㺚㸻㡴䬢䬢䠅

䬢㔺䚢䴍䌮’

䚢䴍

䒋䴍㡴䚢䬢㟀

䒋㿮㿮䴍—㡠㺉㸻䚢䚱

㿮䒋

䒋䚢㿮

䴍䚢㡠䚢䙘䚱䒋䌮

䒋䚢㿮

䢖䒋㿮䌮

䂦䴐㿮 㿮䚱䬢 䙘䢖䌮䚢㿮䬢㸻’䚢 㩹䴐䌮㰤䚱 䚢㿮䒋䂰䂰 㰤㸻䴍䚢䚱䬢㡴 䚢䢖䂰䒋㡴䂰䶊 䒋䌮㿮䢖 㔺䬢䴍䌮’䚢 㰤䚱䬢䚢㿮㟀

㔺䬢䴍䌮 㡠䢖㿮 䂰䴍䴐䌮㰤䚱䬢㡴 䙘䢖㸻䬢 㿮䚱䴍䌮 㿮䚱䒋㸻㿮䶊 㺉䬢䬢㿮䄰 㸻䢖䂰䂰䬢㡴 䚢䬢䅞䬢㸻䴍䂰 㿮䒋䙘䬢䚢 䴍㰤㸻䢖䚢䚢 㿮䚱䬢 㡠㸻䢖䴐䌮㡴䄰 㿮䚱䬢䌮 䚢㩹㸻䴍䌮㡠 㰭䴍㰤㺚 䴐㩹㟀

䢖㩂

䒋䒋䂰䚢䬢㰭䅞

䒋䚢䌮䬢㟀㸻䠅䒋䴐

㳸䚱䬢 㸻䬢㡴㑙䚢㺚䒋䌮䄰 䢖䌮 㿮䚱䬢 䢖㿮䚱䬢㸻 䚱䴍䌮㡴䄰 䚱䴍㡴䌮’㿮 䙘䢖䅞䬢㡴 㺉㸻䢖䙘 䒋㿮䚢 䚢㩹䢖㿮—㰭䴐㿮 䒋㿮䚢 䴍㸻䙘 䃿䴍䚢 㿮㸻䬢䙘㰭䂰䒋䌮㡠䄰 㰤䂰䬢䴍㸻䂰䶊 㿮䴍㺚䒋䌮㡠 㳸䚱䢖㸻䌮䙘䴍䒋䂰’䚢 㸻䬢㺉䂰䬢㰤㿮 㡴䴍䙘䴍㡠䬢㟀

㔺䬢䴍䌮 㡴䒋㡴䌮’㿮 䚱䬢䚢䒋㿮䴍㿮䬢 㺉䢖㸻 䬢䅞䬢䌮 䴍 䚱䬢䴍㸻㿮㰭䬢䴍㿮㟀 㳸䚱䬢 䙘䢖䙘䬢䌮㿮 䚱䬢 䃿䴍䚢 䴐㩹䄰 䚱䬢 㰤䚱䴍㸻㡠䬢㡴 䴍㡠䴍䒋䌮㟀

The blazing sun beat down, its fierce heat like a blacksmith's hammer forging the land. A young man with determined eyes sat cross-legged on a flat rock, his body radiating a faint golden light. He was none other than Lin Chen, the most promising disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect. In his hands, he held a jade slip, his brow furrowed in concentration. It contained the Profound Heaven King's Finger, a technique that even the Elders of the Sect had been trying to decipher for years. However, Lin Chen, with his innate talent and years of dedicated cultivation, was slowly beginning to grasp its secrets. He had made a breakthrough in his Foundation Establishment stage just recently, and his Qi had begun to circulate more smoothly through his Meridians. The sect's scripture hall was his sacred ground, where he spent his days and nights immersed in ancient texts and cultivation manuals. His Dantian was a furnace, refining the spiritual energy he absorbed from the world. The Profound Heaven King's Finger was a powerful Daoist technique, said to possess the power to shatter mountains and drain seas. The sect master, a stern-faced Elder with a long white beard, had personally bestowed the jade slip upon Lin Chen, recognizing his potential. "This technique is not for the faint of heart, Lin Chen," the sect master had warned. "It requires immense control over your Qi and a deep understanding of the Dao. Fail, and you risk crippling yourself." But Lin Chen was undeterred. He had faced greater challenges before, and this was merely another step on his path to cultivating the ultimate Dao. His resolve was as unyielding as the mountains surrounding the Azure Cloud Sect. He closed his eyes, visualizing the flow of Qi within his body. The jade slip glowed faintly, as if resonating with his own spiritual energy. Words and images danced in his mind, depicting the intricate movements and breathing techniques required to execute the Profound Heaven King's Finger. He felt a surge of power within him, a tingling sensation spreading through his limbs. This was it! He was close to understanding the core of the technique. He took a deep breath, channeling his Qi into his index finger. A golden light erupted from his fingertip, illuminating the surrounding rocks. The air crackled with energy. He focused his intent, picturing a mountain peak in the distance. With a guttural cry, he thrust his finger forward. A beam of golden light shot out, faster than the eye could follow. It struck a large boulder fifty meters away, shattering it into a thousand pieces. Lin Chen's eyes widened in elation. He had done it! The Profound Heaven King's Finger, a technique that few in the Sect could even comprehend, was now within his grasp. A satisfied smile spread across his face. This was only the beginning. He knew that with this newfound power, he would be able to protect the Azure Cloud Sect and pave his own path on the journey to true immortality. The arduous journey of Cultivation was a long and winding road, but Lin Chen was ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead. The immense power he felt coursing through his Dantian was a testament to his dedication. He would continue to train, to refine his Qi, and to deepen his understanding of the Dao. For he was Lin Chen, and his legend had just begun. He retracted his finger, the golden light fading. The shattered boulder lay as evidence of his feat. He stood up, his body feeling lighter than ever. The sun seemed to shine brighter, the world seemed more vibrant. He was ready for the next trial. He would face the upcoming competition with the other sects with confidence. His mastery of the Profound Heaven King's Finger would surely surprise everyone. He couldn't wait to see the astonished expressions on the faces of the other disciples and Elders. This was his moment. The sect master's words echoed in his mind: "The Dao is vast, and its mysteries are infinite. Never cease to pursue it." Lin Chen bowed his head in gratitude. He was determined to reach the Nascent Soul stage and beyond. The path of a cultivator was one of constant striving. He looked towards the horizon, his heart filled with ambition. The world was his oyster, and he was ready to conquer it. The Qi within him was potent, a formidable force waiting to be unleashed. He would not falter. He would not yield. He would become the strongest cultivator the world had ever seen. With each step, he felt closer to his ultimate goal. The journey continued. The Dao beckoned. Lin Chen pressed onward. His purpose was clear. His path was set. He was the King of Zombies, the future legend. His cultivation journey was just beginning. He would ascend to the pinnacle of power. He would shatter all obstacles. He would achieve immortality. The world would tremble before him. The Azure Cloud Sect would be proud. He was Lin Chen. He was the chosen one. He was the Apocalypse King of Zombies. And his reign of power had commenced. The heavens and earth bore witness to his ascendance. His name would be etched in the annals of history. A legend was born. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Lin Chen took another step, embracing his destiny. The path to power was arduous, but he was ready. The world awaited its true ruler. He would not disappoint. His Qi flowed, a testament to his unwavering will. The Dao was his guide. The future was his to forge. He was the king. He was the apocalypse. He was Lin Chen!