"To be honest, your performance doesn't surprise me at all!"
"I gained the opportunity for rapid leveling through inherent advantages. For you to level up faster than me... it can only mean you ascended by killing people!"
"Against a dangerous individual like you, do you think I would be completely unprepared?"
Zhang Chen smiled faintly and said.
"Ha, still trying to bluff at this point?!"
"Your strength level is inherently lower than mine, and your ultimate weapon is still in my hands."
"Even if we fight, with me and this weapon, you have no chance of winning!"
Lin Qingsong gripped the Seven-Colored Crystal, speaking excitedly.
At the same time, he had made his plan. He hadn't figured out the usage and effects of the Seven-Colored Crystal yet.
He could feign an attack and then escape.
As the number one in the world, escaping from someone at a lower level shouldn't be a problem, right!
Once he understood how to use the Seven-Colored Crystal, he could then kill Zhang Chen. The entire world, including the natives, would then prostrate themselves at his feet.
This was the world Lin Qingsong desired.
"Weapon, who told you this thing is a weapon?!"
Zhang Chen asked with a smile.
"Whatever it is, it's mine now!"
Lin Qingsong retreated a few steps, blocking the doorway.
"Are you sure it's in your hands?"
"I told you, I saw through your character a long time ago. So, do you really think I would give you the real crystal?!"
As Zhang Chen spoke, he took out a sparkling diamond ring from his ring and said with a smile:
"See? The Seven-Colored Crystal has been in my hands all along."
Upon seeing this, Lin Qingsong was somewhat stunned.
He didn't know what the real Seven-Colored Crystal looked like.
After all, even Xi Zhen hadn't clearly told Lin Qingsong what the natives were looking for.
Furthermore, since Zhang Chen came out of the parallel world, he had been the one doing all the talking. Lin Qingsong genuinely couldn't prove which was the real Seven-Colored Crystal.
But... the crystal in his hand had seven colors, while the diamond ring in Zhang Chen's hand looked like something from a jewelry store, just a bit larger.
Seven-Colored Crystal, the name itself should indicate its characteristics, right!
"You don't believe me? I'll show you!"
Zhang Chen said, closing his hand around the diamond ring. A few seconds later, he slowly opened his palm again, and a seven-colored crystal appeared within it.
It was identical to the crystal Zhang Chen had held in his palm just moments ago!
"This... how is this possible?!"
Lin Qingsong feigned a few more attacks towards Zhang Chen, forcing him into a corner. He made sure that at this distance, Zhang Chen couldn't snatch it, and then slowly opened his palm.
However, what he held in his palm was actually a large, sparkling diamond ring!
"You... how did you switch them?!"
"Illusion? Localized item illusion? Or mental illusion?!"
"Are you an illusion-type talent?!"
Lin Qingsong stammered, astounded.
"I am not an illusion-type talent, and it's difficult for someone at a lower level to deceive a strong individual like you with illusions!"
"You should be well aware of this, considering how many people you've killed. You must be familiar with their skills by now!"
"As for why this happened, it's because, as I said, I was prepared for you beforehand. I switched them before you made your move."
Zhang Chen said with a smile.
However, Lin Qingsong caught a subtle detail in his action.
Zhang Chen did not store such a precious crystal into his ring. Instead, he hung it around his neck again.
At that moment, Lin Qingsong was completely stunned by Zhang Chen's trick. Although his eyes registered the detail, his mind didn't process it further.
All his focus was on how to deal with Zhang Chen and how to retreat safely.
"Do you know why people at lower levels can defeat those at higher levels?"
"It's because some people at higher levels, despite having powerful internal energy, unfortunately, don't know how to circulate it."
"As a result, the power they exert is far less than someone at a lower level, leading to their defeat."
"The channel for circulating energy is the meridians!"
"My meridians are far more open than yours, so fighting is twice as effective with half the effort!"
"Your meridians are very weak, with many blocked. Even with greater strength, the power you can ultimately unleash is extremely limited."
"Therefore, your defeat is inevitable!"
As Zhang Chen spoke, his body flickered, and he suddenly threw a punch at Lin Qingsong.
The latter raised his hand to block.
Bang!
Lin Qingsong was sent staggering back seven or eight steps by the impact.
Being suppressed in terms of pure strength, not combat skill, by someone two levels lower filled Lin Qingsong with immense dread!
Could it be... that Zhang Chen was telling the truth?!
Otherwise, the level difference, which was inherently a gap in physical quality and strength, shouldn't result in the higher-leveled individual being defeated by the lower-leveled one?!
"Face reality. With the way you're recklessly using your meridians, if you continue to fight, the accumulated energy might become unbearable and turn you into a cripple!"
Zhang Chen continued to speak.
"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"
"I've killed so many people, and this situation you described has never happened!"
"You're just spouting nonsense!"
Lin Qingsong roared.
"This accumulation of energy happens gradually!"
"In the early stages, you might not feel it prominently, but with time, you've reached a point where it's irrecoverable, a terminal illness."
Zhang Chen sighed and shook his head.
"I think you're the one who's terminally ill!"
Lin Qingsong moved his right hand slightly, and several puppet figures in the corridor rushed in instantly.
However, before Zhang Chen could make a move, Lin Qingsong felt a numb sensation in his right hand.
Following that, several puppet figures collapsed to the ground. One puppet even exploded due to the severed puppet energy lines.
This made Lin Qingsong believe Zhang Chen's words even more!
Could it be that he was truly beyond recovery?!
"Impossible, I will not surrender!"
Lin Qingsong felt the energy within him being sealed bit by bit, seemingly progressing exactly as Zhang Chen had described.
No matter how much he struggled, he couldn't change reality.
The puppet lines snapped one by one, and the puppets exploded into fragments.
Seeing Zhang Chen straighten his clothes, seemingly about to finish him off.
At the critical moment, Lin Qingsong directly took out a communication beacon, opened a teleportation portal, and threw the computer and the portal activation device into it.
Just as he was about to jump into the portal himself, a slender spider leg pierced through his chest.
Lin Qingsong's vision blurred, and he fell heavily to the ground.
An item was suddenly added to the ring's inventory: [Strange Puppet]!