Supreme Overlord System: Godhood Begins

The Ice Queen

The cavern wall behind Ye Chen shattered into a million pieces of sparkling ice dust. The sheer force of the cold was unimaginable.

​Ye Chen materialized a few feet away, stepping seamlessly out of his own shadow as the Phantom Sword Step deactivated. His breath plumed into thick white clouds in the suddenly freezing air. He looked at the woman in the white robes.

​She did not speak. Her pitch black eyes were entirely void of reason, swirling with the same toxic green energy that pulsed within the cavern walls. She raised her pale hands again, and the temperature plummeted further.

​"System," Ye Chen said, keeping his voice low as he gripped the rusted sword. "She is not attacking me specifically. She is attacking everything. The poison has completely warped her mind."

​[Affirmative. The target is experiencing severe neurotoxic hallucinations. The raw Spirit Vein Qi has breached her mental defenses. She perceives you as a monstrous threat.]

​"I need to neutralize her without killing her," Ye Chen stated, narrowly dodging another massive spike of black ice that erupted from the cavern floor. "If she is an Inner Sect elite investigating Elder Wang, she is the only leverage I have in the upper echelons of this corrupt sect. Give me a solution. Fast."

​[Scanning System Shop inventory...]

[Item Located: Universal Antidote. Capable of purging all low and mid tier environmental toxins.]

[Cost: Two Hundred System Points.]

​"Two hundred?" Ye Chen cursed, leaping off a stalagmite as it froze and shattered beneath his boots. "That is exactly what I earned from killing Zhang Hu. You are entirely draining my reserves today."

​[Survival requires investment. Do you wish to proceed with the purchase?]

​"Buy it!" Ye Chen yelled.

​A small, glowing golden vial materialized in his free hand.

​The woman shrieked, a terrifying sound that echoed endlessly in the dark. She thrust both palms forward, unleashing a blinding blizzard of black frost directly at him. There was no room to dodge.

​"Phantom Sword Step," Ye Chen commanded.

​He did not retreat. He stepped forward, his body dissolving into a blur of dark Qi. He phased directly through the center of the freezing blizzard, the extreme cold searing his reinforced skin. He reappeared instantly right in front of her.

​Before she could react, Ye Chen dropped his sword, grabbed her by the jaw, and forced the golden vial past her lips. He crushed the glass entirely, allowing the pure, warm liquid to flood down her throat.

​The woman gasped violently. The pitch black color instantly vanished from her eyes, replaced by a striking, crystalline blue. The swirling green veins on her neck receded. She collapsed forward, completely unconscious.

​Ye Chen caught her before she hit the stone floor, lowering her gently to the ground. He fell to his knees, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. His skin was pale from the frostbite, but his massive Defense stat was already mitigating the damage.

​Ten minutes passed in absolute silence.

​Finally, the woman stirred. Her striking blue eyes fluttered open. She looked at the cavern ceiling, then slowly turned her head to look at Ye Chen, who was sitting on a nearby rock, sharpening the rusted sword with a piece of crystal.

​"Who are you?" she asked. Her voice was weak, but it carried an undeniable tone of absolute authority. It was the voice of someone who was used to giving orders and having them obeyed instantly.

​"My name is Ye Chen," he replied calmly, not looking up from his blade. "Outer Sect servant. And currently, the most wanted man in the forest above us."

​"Impossible," the woman said, slowly pushing herself into a sitting position. She inspected her white robes, noting the frost and dirt. "An Outer Sect servant cannot survive the toxic Qi of this cavern. And a servant certainly could not have broken through my frost domain."

​"I adapt quickly," Ye Chen said, finally meeting her gaze. "Who are you? And why are you rotting in a forgotten sinkhole?"

​"I am Lin Xi," she stated, her chin lifting slightly. "Core Disciple of the Inner Sect Law Enforcement Pavilion."

​"Lin Xi," Ye Chen repeated the name. "The top genius of the Inner Sect. The Ice Queen. Word of your talent reaches even the servant quarters. So, what brings the Ice Queen to the slums of the earth?"

​"I was investigating a discrepancy," Lin Xi said, her eyes narrowing as she studied him. "My master suspected Elder Wang was illegally tapping this Spirit Vein to siphon funds and build a private mercenary army. We needed absolute proof to bring before the Sect Master. I bypassed the outer wards to gather evidence, but I grossly underestimated the density of the toxic Qi. It infected me the moment I breached the lower cavern."

​"So you walked blindly into a trap," Ye Chen stated plainly.

​"It was a calculated risk," Lin Xi countered, her tone turning entirely frosty.

​"A risk that left you foaming at the mouth and attacking shadows," Ye Chen said, his voice entirely devoid of respect. "If I had not fallen down that exact sinkhole above us, you would be a frozen corpse by tomorrow morning. Your calculated risk was a failure."

​Lin Xi glared at him. For a moment, the air grew incredibly cold again. But then, she sighed, the tension leaving her shoulders.

​"You are insolent," Lin Xi said quietly. "But you are also correct. You forced an alchemy pill down my throat. A pill of incredibly high purity. You saved my life."

​"I did," Ye Chen agreed.

​"I am fully aware of my debts," Lin Xi said coldly, struggling to stand. She leaned against the cavern wall for support. "The Law Enforcement Pavilion does not ignore favors. What do you want, Ye Chen? A thousand Spirit Stones? A recommendation letter to transfer to a minor, safer sect far away from here?"

​"I want Su Rou to bleed," Ye Chen said, his voice dropping to a terrifyingly calm whisper. "And I want Elder Wang to watch his corrupt empire burn to ash before I take his head from his shoulders."

​Lin Xi paused. She looked at Ye Chen, seeing the absolute, unyielding conviction burning in his eyes.

​"You are the boy whose Spiritual Bone was harvested," Lin Xi realized, her voice softening just a fraction. "The sect rumors said you went mad and attacked an Enforcer."

​"The sect rumors are written by the victors," Ye Chen said, standing up. "Elder Wang is using mercenaries to hunt me. Su Rou needs my lingering resentment to fully bind with the founding artifact she intends to steal. They are parasites, Lin Xi. And I am going to exterminate them."

​Lin Xi closed her eyes, processing the information. When she opened them, her crystalline blue gaze was sharp.

​"Elder Wang is an enemy to my faction as well," Lin Xi said. "If you truly intend to tear down his power base, I will not stand in your way. In fact, my pavilion will look the other direction when the blood starts flowing. But you have a massive problem, Ye Chen."

​"Which is?"

​"Time," Lin Xi stated flatly. "The Outer Sect Grand Assessment begins in exactly two days. If you are not present and registered, your name will be permanently stricken from the sect registry. You will lose all legal rights to challenge Su Rou on the ascension platform. You will be branded an exile, and the Inner Sect elders will have the right to execute you on sight without a trial."

​Ye Chen frowned. "Then I need to get out of this cavern immediately. Is there a tunnel?"

​"You would never make it on foot," Lin Xi reached into her white robes and pulled out a small, intricately carved jade token. It pulsed with a faint silver light. "This is a Teleportation Talisman. It is keyed to the grand courtyard at the main entrance of the Azure Cloud Sect. I have another for myself."

​She tossed the jade token to him. Ye Chen caught it easily.

​"Crush it, and you will be transported instantly," Lin Xi instructed. "But consider this a warning, Ye Chen. The moment you appear at the gates, Elder Wang will know. He controls the outer perimeter. He will try to kill you before you can even step onto the assessment stage."

​"Let him try," Ye Chen smiled, gripping the talisman tightly. "I am not the same leaking bucket they threw into the stables."

​[System Notification.]

[Special Event Triggered: The Enemy of My Enemy.]

[Ally Acquired: Lin Xi.]

[Relationship Status: Cold and Indebted.]

​"Our debt is settled, Ye Chen," Lin Xi said, pulling out her own talisman. "Do not die before you cause a mess for Elder Wang."

​She crushed her token. A pillar of silver light erupted around her, and in the next second, she vanished entirely, leaving behind only a faint scent of winter frost.

​Ye Chen stood alone in the dark cavern. He looked at the rusted sword in his hand, then at the silver talisman.

​"System," Ye Chen said. "Are you ready?"

​[The System is always ready. Awaiting your command.]

​Ye Chen crushed the jade token in his fist.

​The world dissolved into a blinding flash of silver light. The sickening sensation of being pulled through a narrow tube assaulted his senses. The smell of toxic decay vanished, replaced instantly by the crisp, fresh mountain air.

​Ye Chen’s boots hit solid stone. He stumbled forward slightly, his vision adjusting to the bright afternoon sun.

​He was standing perfectly in the center of the massive, paved plaza outside the main gates of the Azure Cloud Sect. Towering white pillars flanked the massive wooden doors. The area was mostly empty, save for a few sweeping servants who dropped their brooms in absolute shock as Ye Chen materialized out of thin air.

​Ye Chen ignored them. His eyes were drawn to the massive wooden notice board erected near the main gate.

​Nailed to the very center of the board was a large parchment, stamped with the red seal of the Enforcement Hall.

​Ye Chen walked slowly toward it, reading the bold calligraphy aloud.

​"Notice to all disciples. The traitor Ye Chen has been successfully executed in the Myriad Beast Forest by order of Elder Wang. The threat has been purged."

​Ye Chen smiled. It was a dark, dangerous expression.

​Before he could speak, a massive, deafening sound reverberated through the mountain air.

​Dong. Dong. Dong.

​It was the great bronze gong of the Outer Sect. The Grand Assessment was officially beginning.

​"Executed?" Ye Chen whispered to the notice board, drawing his rusted sword. "I think you celebrated a little too early, Elder Wang. I have returned.”