Chapter 872: Conversation

In any world, power is the only true passport.

After Li Yi revealed his extraordinary strength, the man named Zhang Yan immediately backed down; after all, a human immune to firearms deserved serious attention.

And who knew the upper limit of this man's power? What if he could withstand missiles head-on?

Dealing with the dead was already headache enough; he didn't want to deal with a superhuman too.

"If you truly wish to speak with me in good faith, I will agree. But if you try to play tricks or stand against me, I won't mind turning you all into the dead."

Li Yi's gaze swept across the sky, where lightning raged endlessly, thunder rumbling as if about to shatter the heavens; his own lightning spread unconsciously outward, reducing everything around to dust in an instant.

Every now and then, a spark of lightning leapt before his eyes, making Zhang Yan's heart leap with terror—he had no doubt that the power within that lightning could reduce him to ashes.

Zhang Yan doubted whether this being who controlled lightning was even human.

"This—all of this is a misunderstanding. Now that it's cleared up, we will show full sincerity and will never offend you again. I swear it on my life," Zhang Yan said again.

"Let's go. Find another place to talk. I need to meet your superior," Li Yi's tone finally calmed, the lightning swirling around him fading away; he was willing to give them a chance.

"Of course. I'll notify my superiors immediately and have them come speak with you," Zhang Yan exhaled slightly, then quickly stepped aside, gesturing for Li Yi to follow this way.

Though he didn't know what would come next, at least this conflict had been resolved.

As the armed personnel dispersed, the street was left with only Zhang Yan and Li Yi.

At the end of the road stood a black official car.

Its design was archaic, styled after the 1990s, and on the door handles hung small bronze bells—identical to the bells on the earlier paper barricades.

A driver sat inside, ready to drive at any moment.

"Please get in," Zhang Yan opened the door for Li Yi.

But as Li Yi sat down, the bronze bell on the door handle suddenly began to chime.

The sound froze Zhang Yan's expression.

Because the bell only rang when a dead person was inside the car—and now there were only two people inside: the driver and Li Yi. The driver was clearly not the issue; they had all undergone strict screening.

The answer was obvious: this man was the problem.

But the dead were invisible. This man, wielding extraordinary power, was certainly not dead. The only possibility was that a dead person was clinging to him.

This was a major problem.

Zhang Yan's face shifted repeatedly; he didn't know what to do.

Sitting in the car, Li Yi glanced calmly over and heard the bell's chime. If he wasn't mistaken, this was a method to detect the presence of the dead in this world.

Just like the warning lines that had sealed off the area earlier.

"Don't be alarmed. A person is clinging to me. For now, it's quiet and poses no danger," Li Yi said calmly.

Zhang Yan's pupils contracted slightly.

Indeed, this man with extraordinary power was also haunted by the dead.

"Sir, this is no small matter. If not dealt with quickly, it could cost your life," he immediately warned.

Know this.

Normal people haunted by the dead didn't survive until dawn. It was night now, and only a few hours remained until sunrise.

Li Yi said: "If it can kill me, let it try. I want to know what methods the dead in this world use to eliminate me. I hope it doesn't disappoint me."

He was calm, and he wanted to see whether the strange forces of this world could actually kill him.

Zhang Yan froze, staring at Li Yi in shock.

This man was too calm. Haunted by the dead and still utterly unmoved—could he truly rely on his extraordinary power to survive tonight's peril?

For some reason, he found himself strangely eager.

Thinking of this,

he took a deep breath and sat down inside the car himself, reporting the incident at the same time.

"Drive. Back to headquarters," Zhang Yan said.

The driver, hearing the order, said nothing and immediately started the car, speeding smoothly down the road.

In the car, Zhang Yan recalled Li Yi's earlier words and suddenly noticed something: he said "the dead in this world."

What did that mean?

Was this man with extraordinary power not from this world?

Zhang Yan's gaze shifted; a massive doubt arose in his mind. The more he thought along this line, the more likely it seemed. That control over lightning, that aura he exuded—it struck fear into the soul.

This fear wasn't the dread of the dead. It was reverence, the awe one feels before a god.

Yes.

A god.

This man felt like a deity untouched by mortal affairs. Though he looked human, it was only in appearance. Once near him, an instinctive reverence and terror rose unbidden from within.

As if he and this man were two entirely different species across heaven and earth.

"This matter must be investigated further after returning to headquarters. Perhaps this conversation will confirm his identity," Zhang Yan thought to himself.

The official car continued down the road.

Li Yi looked out the window at the city.

There weren't many vehicles on the road; most people rode bicycles—those old-fashioned ones nearly extinct on Earth. He remembered his grandfather once owned one, often riding it to buy groceries.

But the people of this world had poor spirits. Every face bore a suffocating air of oppression. Even though their basic needs were met, they felt no happiness or joy.

Another despairing world?

Li Yi thought to himself.

He had crossed into many worlds. In every one, people shared a common trait: none were truly happy. Like World Six, where the lower class lived worse than dogs, and the upper class drowned in luxury.

Like the Four Seas and Eight Provinces, where clans monopolized martial arts; ordinary people not only had their lifespans drained by ghosts and gods, but also worked themselves to the bone for meager wages just to survive.

Or the post-apocalyptic wasteland world, even more tragic—bio-beasts filled the earth, survivors huddled in fortresses, barely clinging to life.

Of course, Li Yi had no right to judge them. The evolvers on Earth lived worse than dogs, never knowing if they'd survive the next day.

Suffering seemed to be distributed fairly across all worlds.

Even with his combat power reaching the level of a Demon King, Li Yi could do nothing against these hardships—only try to leave a glimmer of hope, lend a hand, and let a spark of light bloom in despair.

"The cosmic energy concentration here is low, similar to the Four Seas and Eight Provinces—not suitable for cultivation. And yet, the dead still exist here. I wonder how they've managed to survive this long. Could it be, like World 36, that there are Spirit Handlers?" Li Yi thought to himself.

Actually, World 36's cosmic energy was decent enough to allow cultivation.

But its more monstrous supernatural forces had completely crushed the path of cultivation—because even if you cultivated, you couldn't escape the moment a vengeful ghost triggered its killing rule.

As he wandered in thought,

soon,

the car passed through a checkpoint and arrived before a large building.

Perhaps because Zhang Yan had reported ahead,

Li Yi immediately sensed a deadly atmosphere as armed personnel went on high alert.

"Don't be tense. If I wanted to destroy this place, it would take me one second. And let me be clear: conventional weapons of mass destruction won't work on me. If you have a nuclear bomb, feel free to drop it—it won't kill me."

Though this clone would die if it directly absorbed a nuclear blast, he wouldn't be foolish enough to try. The moment he sensed danger, he could vanish dozens of kilometers away—long before the shockwave arrived, he'd be hundreds of kilometers off, watching the fireworks.

Beside him, Zhang Yan's eyes flashed with horror.

He was certain: this man wasn't lying. He spoke with absolute confidence.

That meant this man wasn't merely extraordinary—he was a walking catastrophe.

"You're not from this world," Zhang Yan's stiff lips finally moved.

Ordinary people might hesitate, but as the leader of the dead-response unit, he understood this world better than most—he was certain of his judgment.

"I never said I was from this world," Li Yi said, opening the car door and stepping out.

As his towering figure appeared,

those around him tensed visibly, countless hidden eyes fixing on Li Yi.

Zhang Yan fell silent, then quickly stepped out of the car. He didn't know why, but he had a premonition: with this man's arrival, the world would undergo a monumental change.

This might be a historic moment.