The Loid, after its energy core was improved, evolved a sturdy outer shell, and its body appeared more robust.
Concurrently, the Ghost Face Spiders it released also developed a tough, spiky exoskeleton, with their eight legs as sharp as scythes.
Zhang Chen could sense that while healing Loid was incredibly arduous, the experience gained in divine power control was very limited.
However, he clearly felt an improvement in his control over divine power when he later modified the energy crystal core within Loid.
If he were to give this meteor energy to the people around him, transferring some to each of them... wouldn't his experience increase exponentially?!
Zhang Chen glanced at Little White beside him, Mo Ran who had jumped off Loid, and Zhang Mo.
Zhang Mo's body flowed with meteor energy, and it was extremely pure. His body had already perfectly integrated with the meteor energy, so he no longer needed it.
Little White, after combining with the World Destroyer, possessed immense power within its body and temporarily did not need it either.
The only ones who could be modified now were Mo Ran, Xu Ruina, and the survivors closer to Zhang Chen.
Zhang Chen was unsure if the survivors could accept such a core modification and dared not attempt it rashly.
However, given the success of Loid's improvement, he was confident Mo Ran would be fine. As for Xu Ruina... he could try a little, but for now, Zhang Chen needed rest; it had been too draining!
The group returned to the city.
As soon as Zhang Chen entered his room in the manor, he collapsed onto the bed.
He was utterly exhausted.
While the significant boost in divine power control experience was good, the drain on his energy was unexpectedly severe. Zhang Chen didn't even have the strength to shower; he just wanted to sleep soundly on the bed.
Soon, a wave of intense fatigue washed over him, and Zhang Chen slowly drifted into a deep sleep.
The next morning, Zhang Chen woke up, washed, and, as usual, had to deal with his rapidly growing beard and hair.
After breakfast, as he walked out of the manor, he saw people milling about frantically near the entrance.
"I heard the Supreme Leader sent an envoy! And they killed someone. Our people are confronting them."
"Who? What's a Supreme Leader?"
"The Supreme Leader is the leader of the survivors who wear yellow rings. They are incredibly powerful, rumored to have almost ended the apocalypse!"
"That strong? Then... are they as strong as True Gods?"
"What are you talking about? How can mere mortals compare to True Gods?"
"This guy's got issues, joking about the Supreme Leader like that. It's not funny at all. Countless camps have been slaughtered by him, and his methods are extremely brutal..."
"Shush, don't speak nonsense. I don't know about the Supreme Leader, but if you blaspheme against True Gods, you're definitely dead!"
A group of people wearing different colored rings gathered together, whispering amongst themselves.
Even though they hid in the corners of alleyways, Zhang Chen could clearly pick up their conversations.
For those wearing dark red rings, they had witnessed the Supreme Leader's power, so a trace of fear remained in their hearts.
However, for survivors with green rings, Zhang Chen was the one true God, an unbeatable myth.
As for the survivors with blue rings, they were merely spectating, their mindset still stuck in the peacetime way of thinking.
"Ding! Your friend has sent you a private message!"
Seeing this prompt, Zhang Chen noticed that Zheng Hao had already sent him seven or eight private messages, all reporting on the arrival of the Supreme Leader's envoy.
Before Zhang Chen could finish reading all the messages, Su Xue arrived at the manor entrance, panting. Behind her stood six graceful figures in red hooded cloaks, the Saintesses.
Since only Saintesses were qualified to enter the manor, and the matter of inviting Zhang Chen to appear naturally fell to the leader of the Saintesses.
"True God, someone claiming to be the Supreme Leader's envoy has appeared on the city walls with two guards, and they've already killed over a dozen of our guards!"
"Currently, Leader Zheng Hao has surrounded them with our forces. Because we lack your direct orders, we haven't taken action!"
"He couldn't reach you, so he sent me here!"
Su Xue relayed the message without pause.
"Mm, I understand. You stay with Mo Ran and Little White at home, and try not to show yourselves unnecessarily!"
"I'll go meet that envoy!"
Zhang Chen instructed.
"Understood, True God!"
Su Xue nodded, signaling the six Saintesses behind her to follow her into the manor.
Whoosh!
Zhang Chen, too lazy to run over, simply asked Little Ruan to open a teleportation portal.
Then, he swaggered through the portal and appeared on the city wall.
At this moment, Zheng Hao, Qing Feng, Tan Sibao, Han Shuang, Zhang Wenwen, Li Bingyu, and others were standing in a circle, their faces filled with concern.
Behind them were groups of True God Cult guards, forming a tight, impenetrable ring, several layers deep.
"Ahem..."
Zhang Chen coughed deliberately, attracting the attention of the surrounding guards.
"Greetings, True God!"
"Praise the True God!"
"Blessings upon the True God~"
The guards bowed their heads and parted, clearing a path.
Zhang Chen followed this path and slowly walked to the center of the encirclement.
There stood a plump middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses, with a particularly comical mustache.
Behind him stood two black guards, tall and imposing, their strong muscles subtly visible beneath their clothes.
"True God, you've arrived at the perfect time. These scoundrels killed our guards without explanation. If they hadn't said they wanted to negotiate, I would have already apprehended them!"
Zheng Hao said with a cold expression.
"Ha, apprehend us? With just you green rings? I've played to death countless green-ringed slaves. You arriving now is just perfect to fill my vacancies!"
The fat man spoke in a high-pitched voice, his tone quite disdainful.
He was a mid-level transcender, Stage Three, and his two guards were both high-level transcenders, Stage One.
Such strength represented a significant gap compared to Zheng Hao and the others, who had only recently entered the ranks of intermediate evolvers.
Zheng Hao was about to retort, but Zhang Chen stopped him with a gentle raise of his hand.
The latter slowly asked:
"You killed our people as soon as you arrived. What kind of etiquette is that?"
The fat man sized Zhang Chen up, his eyelids not even lifting as he replied:
"Your people blocked my way, so of course, I had to kill them!"
"If I weren't an envoy today, this place would probably be filled with corpses!"
"I particularly enjoy piling up these corpses; it gives me a great sense of accomplishment!"
"In this apocalypse, human lives are the cheapest commodity, wouldn't you agree?"
Seeing Zhang Chen's silence, the fat man continued:
"Oh, right, it seems you're their leader. So I'll speak to you!"
"The great Supreme Leader demands that you offer sixty beautiful women, ten tons of food, and two hundred male laborers within three hours. Any delay will be considered a declaration of war against the Supreme Leader!"
"The time starts from when I arrived at the city wall. There are currently two hours and eleven minutes remaining!"