Chen Jie's words struck Lin Yao like a sharp blade, plunging deep into his heart and nearly driving him insane.
Ever since his awakening yesterday, Lin Yao's immense power had earned him the absolute admiration of his entire family.
And now, he was being mercilessly trampled under Chen Jie's feet.
The contrast was more unbearable than death itself.
"Die!"
Regaining his freedom, Lin Yao roared fiercely.
He raised his lightsaber toward the sky, the long blade gathering surging energy.
The little Azure Dragon that had perched on the lightsaber shot upward, instantly swelling in size.
From just a few inches, it suddenly grew to over a thousand!
A colossal Azure Dragon now circled in the air, its eyes radiating authority as it fixed on Chen Jie.
"This is Boss Lin's ultimate skill and talent, the Azure Dragon Slash! Yesterday, it even killed a third-tier deformity monster. Chen Jie is done for!"
"Too bad for Chen Jie, he's an Awakener too, but he has no sense—he chose to provoke our Boss. His talent would be better off with me; it won't go to waste!"
"Boss using this move against him makes Chen Jie's death worthwhile!"
…
Lin Yao's underlings, watching him unleash this technique, all believed the outcome was already decided.
Indeed, this move was one of the strongest Chen Jie had seen since his awakening.
But…
It was far from enough to handle him.
With a wave of his large hand, Chen Jie summoned his Mimic Battle Spirit. Suddenly, a surge of primordial clear-and-turbid energy emerged from him.
This time, he had no intention of fighting with the Pangu Axe.
As soon as the primordial energy appeared, Chen Jie's will transformed it into a dragon identical to the one Lin Yao had summoned.
The difference was, the dragon formed from Chen Jie's energy was golden.
And its aura far surpassed Lin Yao's Azure Dragon.
"You're imitating my move? You, a mere copy, dare to compete with the real thing? Truly overestimating yourself!"
Lin Yao raised his lightsaber with confidence, convinced his dragon was the strongest.
"Which one's the copy? Let's see by testing its power," Chen Jie said, crossing his arms.
The primordial clear-and-turbid energy could transform into all manner of creatures, independent of Lin Yao's talent—it didn't need imitation to form a dragon.
Lin Yao's eyes blazed as he suddenly struck downward with his long sword toward Chen Jie.
The Azure Dragon roared, its massive body rolling as it lunged fiercely toward Chen Jie.
The surrounding air twisted with its movement; even the sky flashed with lightning and thunder.
Chen Jie, however, merely pointed lightly, and his golden dragon surged forward.
Radiating dazzling golden light, it charged straight at the Azure Dragon without fear.
Sensing the threat, the Azure Dragon changed course to collide with the golden dragon.
"BOOM!!!"
"BOOM!!!"
The two dragons entwined, crashing violently against each other, their battle echoing across the sky.
Three minutes passed.
In the end, Lin Yao's Azure Dragon, exhausted, slowly dissipated, reverting to a small Azure Dragon that weakly circled his lightsaber.
"You worthless piece of trash! You failed already? What good are you to me?"
The defeat of the Mimic Battle Spirit humiliated Lin Yao, and he immediately scolded it.
In truth, the Azure Dragon's defeat was normal.
Chen Jie's talent—primordial clear-and-turbid energy—was a gift of heaven and earth, constantly absorbing natural energy to sustain combat.
In a prolonged battle, it was unbeatable among peers.
"Now, who's the counterfeit?"
Chen Jie watched Lin Yao with amused interest.
Lin Yao's face looked as if he had swallowed a fly—utterly miserable.
"You bunch of idiots, what are you waiting for? Destroy him now!"
Lin Yao glared angrily at the tank squad behind him.
Humiliated by defeat, he vented his rage on the tanks.
Only then did his underlings hastily aim their cannons at Chen Jie.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Shells glowing yellow fired toward Chen Jie.
"Do you dare use these toys against me?"
Chen Jie smiled faintly and, with a wave of his hand, his golden dragon swept across, consuming all the shells.
The scrap metal couldn't harm him in the slightest.
Against an Awakener like Chen Jie, ordinary firearms were completely useless.
After clearing the first wave of shells, Chen Jie summoned his Mimic Weapon.
Grasping the Pangu Axe, he moved and, in the next second, appeared at the edge of the tank formation.
He hurled the Pangu Axe with brutal force.
Spinning at high speed, it shredded tank after tank.
The tanks exploded one by one on the ground like firecrackers.
"You bastard! These are my Lin family's tanks!"
Lin Yao winced at the explosions, feeling the pain of loss.
He picked up his lightsaber and charged at Chen Jie, determined to continue the fight.
But after his Mimic Battle Spirit was damaged, his combat power had dropped significantly.
Not only was he no match before, now he was even weaker.
He swung his sword.
Before the blade could even reach Chen Jie, Chen Jie casually flicked it aside with two fingers.
Then, extending a hand, he grabbed Lin Yao by the head.
Suddenly, Lin Yao felt immense pressure pressing down from above…
He sensed that the next moment would be his death!
"Mercy!"
Lin Yao abandoned all pride, kneeling and begging Chen Jie for mercy.
"Huh? Weren't you just trying to fight me to the death? Why are you so soft now?"
Chen Jie watched Lin Yao with playful interest.
"There's an old saying in Dragon Country: 'Recognize the times, Wei Junjie!' My lord Chen, you are magnanimous. Spare me this once, and I will follow you loyally from now on!"
Lin Yao clasped his hands and begged repeatedly, careful not to provoke any additional force from Chen Jie.
"I cannot trust the loyalty of someone who wants to kill me!"
"Brother Chen! Wait!"
Panicking, Lin Yao dug into his chest and pulled out a teal-colored heart.
"This is the core of my awakened warrior, linked to me. If you crush it, I die immediately. Brother Chen, I only want to help you build your power and contribute my strength!"
Lin Yao offered the core, eyes fixed on Chen Jie's face.
"Warrior core?"
Chen Jie glanced at the teal core, pulsing in Lin Yao's hands.
He recalled that in the previous life, warriors did indeed have such a core.
This core was the life of a super-awakened warrior.
Chen Jie thought for a moment and accepted the core.
"Fine, I'll give you a chance… but if you so much as make me unhappy, watch your life!"
Lin Yao still had some combat value, and he could serve as a reliable fighter.
He could clear minor enemies along the way.
"Thank you, Brother Chen! Brother Chen, our family and other Awakeners will come—be prepared!"
Lin Yao, elated at being accepted, hurriedly reported this information to show his loyalty.