Supreme Overlord System: Godhood Begins

The Devil's Path

The dust in the Spirit Beast Stable refused to settle. It hung in the air, a thick and choking curtain that obscured the morning sun.

Ye Chen stood in the center of the ruin. His boot was still planted firmly on the side of Zhang Lie’s face, pressing the Enforcer into the filth he had once forced others to clean. The silence that stretched across the courtyard was absolute. It was the silence of prey realizing that the hierarchy of the jungle had just been violently rewritten.

"System," Ye Chen thought, his mind racing even as his expression remained cold stone. "He is unconscious. Does this count?"

[Affirmative. Target incapacitated. Host has achieved total victory.]

The mechanical voice was the only comfort Ye Chen had in this chaotic world.

[Option Available: Soul Extraction. The target possesses a cultivation base of Body Tempering Stage 5. Do you wish to extract?]

"Extract," Ye Chen commanded silently. "Take everything."

A sensation like cool water flowed from the sole of his boot, up his leg, and directly into his dantian. It was not the violent rush of the pill he had taken earlier, but a steady stream of stolen power.

[Ding!]

[Extraction Complete.]

[Reward: 50 System Points.]

[Reward: Skill Book obtained — 'Basic Fist Mastery'.]

[Skill Auto-Learned. Proficiency: Beginner.]

Knowledge flooded Ye Chen’s mind. Suddenly, he understood how to tuck his thumb to prevent a fracture, how to twist his wrist to maximize impact, and exactly where the human body was weakest against blunt force.

"You... you monster!"

The scream came from the doorway. It was one of Zhang Lie’s lackeys, a skinny youth whose legs were shaking so violently his knees knocked together.

"You killed him! You actually killed Enforcer Zhang!"

Ye Chen slowly removed his foot from Zhang Lie’s unconscious form. He turned his gaze toward the trembling disciple.

"He is not dead," Ye Chen said, his voice calm, carrying effortlessly across the silent yard. "But if you continue to shout, I might change my mind about you."

The disciple clamped his hand over his mouth, stumbling backward.

"Everyone listen well!" Ye Chen addressed the small crowd of servant disciples gathering at the perimeter. "Zhang Lie attacked me. I defended myself. If anyone asks, tell them the truth. Or tell them lies. It makes no difference to me."

"You have a big tone for a dead man," a booming voice descended from the sky.

The temperature in the courtyard plummeted instantly. The servant disciples fell to their knees, heads pressing into the dirt, terrified by the sudden crushing pressure that washed over the area.

Ye Chen felt his knees buckle, but he locked his legs, refusing to bow. He looked up.

Descending from the roof of the main stable building was a man in flowing green robes. He was rotund, with a face that looked kind until one saw the cruelty in his narrow, serpentine eyes.

It was Elder Wang. The master of the Outer Sect Enforcement Hall. And the man who had personally taken Su Rou’s bribe to ensure Ye Chen’s life was a living hell.

"Elder Wang," Ye Chen greeted, spitting the blood from his mouth. "You arrived quickly. Were you watching? Hoping your dog would finish the job?"

Elder Wang landed softly, despite his bulk. He glanced at the broken body of Zhang Lie, then looked at Ye Chen with a mixture of shock and greed.

"Insolence!" Elder Wang roared. "Ye Chen, you were a waste for three years. Suddenly, you recover your strength and cripple a sect official? You must have fallen into the Devil’s Path!"

"The Devil's Path?" Ye Chen laughed. "When Su Rou dug out my spiritual root, was that the Righteous Path? When you cut my food rations, was that the Righteous Path?"

"Silence!" Elder Wang’s face turned purple. "You dare slander a Core Disciple? Su Rou is the phoenix of our sect! Your jealousy has twisted your mind. Today, I will purge this evil for the sake of the Azure Cloud Sect!"

"System!" Ye Chen screamed internally. "Scan him!"

The blue window flickered into existence, but the text was red.

[Ding! Target Detected: Elder Wang.]

[Cultivation: Spirit Condensation Realm ???]

[Combat Power: ???]

[Warning: Fatal Danger. The gap in power is absolute. Host cannot survive a single blow.]

[Victory Chance: 0%]

[Suggestion: Run.]

"Zero percent," Ye Chen muttered. "I expected as much."

Elder Wang raised his hand. The air around his palm began to distort, gathering a swirling ball of green wind energy. The pressure was suffocating. This was not the brute force of Body Tempering; this was the manipulation of elements, the hallmark of the Spirit Condensation Realm.

"Die, brat!" Elder Wang flicked his wrist.

A blade of wind, sharp enough to slice through steel, shot toward Ye Chen’s neck.

"Agility! Max output!"

Ye Chen didn't think. He didn't try to block. He poured every ounce of his new strength into his legs. The thirty points he had allocated to Agility exploded into motion.

Whoosh!

The wind blade sliced through the afterimage Ye Chen left behind. It struck the stone pillar behind him, shearing it cleanly in half as if it were made of tofu. The heavy roof groaned and began to collapse.

"What?" Elder Wang’s eyes widened. "How can a Body Tempering trash move that fast?"

Ye Chen was already at the wall. He vaulted over the three meter high barrier in a single leap, landing in the dense undergrowth outside the sect compound.

"He missed!"

"Did you see that? Ye Chen dodged an Elder's attack!"

The crowd of servants erupted into whispers, fueling Elder Wang’s rage even further.

"Shut up! All of you!" Wang bellowed, his voice amplified by Qi. "Ye Chen has been possessed by a demon! He is a danger to the entire region!"

Elder Wang launched himself into the air, hovering above the wall. He saw the small figure of Ye Chen sprinting toward the forbidden tree line to the north.

"You think you can run?" Wang laughed cruelly. "That is the Myriad Beast Forest! Even I do not dare to venture deep into there. You are digging your own grave!"

Ye Chen didn't look back. He could hear the wind howling behind him as Wang prepared another attack.

"System! Where is the nearest cover?"

[Trajectory analysis complete. Incoming attack from six o'clock. Dodge left. Three... two... one!]

Ye Chen threw himself to the left, rolling through a patch of thorns.

Boom!

The ground where he had been running exploded, sending a shower of dirt and rock into the air. The shockwave slammed into Ye Chen, throwing him forward, but he used the momentum to scramble back to his feet.

He breached the tree line. The sunlight vanished, replaced by the gloomy, green twilight of the ancient forest.

"Ye Chen!" Elder Wang’s voice thundered from behind, echoing against the trees. "You can hide in the rat holes, but you cannot hide forever!"

The Elder did not pursue him into the trees. The Myriad Beast Forest was the domain of spirit beasts, creatures that viewed humans as snacks. Even an Elder would not risk provoking a Beast King for the sake of a mere servant.

Instead, Elder Wang turned back to the trembling disciples.

"Issue a Sect Kill Order!" Wang commanded, his voice cold and projected so every disciple in the outer ring could hear.

"Ye Chen has fallen to the devil. He has betrayed the sect. Any disciple who brings me his head will be rewarded with one hundred Spirit Stones and a promotion to the Inner Sect!"

A gasp rippled through the crowd.

"One hundred Spirit Stones?"

"And Inner Sect promotion?"

Greed began to replace fear in the eyes of the onlookers. Even Li Hu, nursing his broken arm, looked up with a gleam of avarice.

Deep in the forest, Ye Chen leaned against a massive, moss covered oak tree, gasping for breath. His chest burned, and his robes were torn, revealing the fresh scratches on his skin.

"One hundred Spirit Stones," Ye Chen whispered, having heard the proclamation carried by the wind. "My head is quite expensive, isn't it, Elder Wang?"

[Alert. Host heart rate is critical. Adrenaline levels stabilizing.]

"I am fine," Ye Chen spat a mouthful of bloody saliva onto the roots of the tree. "I am alive. That is what matters."

He looked around. The Myriad Beast Forest was silent. Too silent. The trees here were twisted, their roots gnarled like old fingers grasping at the earth. The air smelled of decay and sweet, rotting flowers.

"This is a forbidden zone for a reason," Ye Chen murmured. "But it is also the only place where that fat pig Wang won't follow me."

He pushed himself off the tree. He needed to find water. He needed to heal. And most importantly, he needed to get stronger. Stage 3 was not enough. To kill Wang, to kill Su Rou, he needed to be at least Stage 9, or perhaps even reach the Spirit Condensation Realm himself.

"System, display my current status."

[Status Screen]

[Name: Ye Chen]

[Cultivation: Body Tempering Stage 3] [Experience: 50 / 500]

[System Points: 0]

[Current State: Fugitive.]

"Zero points," Ye Chen sighed. "I spent them all on Agility. It saved my life, but now I have no way to buy healing pills."

[Reminder: Host gains Experience and System Points by defeating enemies. The Myriad Beast Forest is populated with 'enemies'.]

Ye Chen paused. A grim smile slowly spread across his face.

"You mean... I can farm here?"

[Affirmative. Every beast in this forest is a source of power. The stronger the beast, the greater the reward.]

"Then this isn't a death sentence," Ye Chen looked deeper into the shadows of the forest. "This is a training ground. Elder Wang thinks he chased a rabbit into a wolf den. He doesn't realize he just sent a dragon into a treasure vault."

He took a step forward, his boot crunching on dry leaves.

"I will survive this," Ye Chen vowed to the silent trees. "And when I walk out of this forest, the Azure Cloud Sect will tremble."

He moved deeper, his senses heightened by the Basic Fist Mastery, which seemed to include a rudimentary awareness of his surroundings. He wasn't just a brute anymore; he was a martial artist.

The forest grew darker as he went further in. Strange, glowing blue mushrooms lined the path, casting eerie shadows.

Ye Chen walked for an hour, his stomach rumbling. He hadn't eaten since yesterday morning.

"Food first," he thought. "Then shelter."

He spotted a small stream nearby. The water was clear. He knelt to drink, cupping his hands.

[Warning!]

The red text flashed in his vision, blindingly bright in the gloom.

[Proximity Alert. Hostile presence detected.]

[Type: Spirit Beast.]

[Grade: 2 (Equivalent to Body Tempering Stage 5).]

[Status: Stealth Mode.]

[Distance: 5 meters... 4 meters...]

Ye Chen froze, the water dripping from his fingers.

Five meters.

He couldn't see anything. There was only the stream, the rocks, and the empty air.

"Where?" he thought, his muscles tensing, ready to spring. "System, where is it?"

[Directly above you.]

Ye Chen looked up.

High in the branches, blending perfectly with the dark leaves, two glowing yellow eyes stared down at him. A low, guttural growl, like stones grinding together, vibrated through the air.

It was a Wind Blade Wolf. And it looked hungry.