“I’ve said it before, I am the ruler.” Ling Yun sneered, and the five fingers that had been pressing on Shen Gong Qianye’s head suddenly emitted a silvery-white light. “Now, give me all your memories.”
The silvery-white light instantly transformed into five sharp beams of light, mercilessly piercing through Ling Yun's fingers and into the head of Shen Gong Qianye. It was as if five sharp steel needles had simultaneously pierced Shen Gong Qianye's skull.
Ah… The moment the light surged in, a shrill scream erupted from Jingu Chiba's mouth in a hysterical shriek, a heart-wrenching cry as if he had been suddenly stabbed. Elder Jingu Chiba instantly withdrew his mental energy field into his body, instinctively surging to his head, trying to expel the silvery-white light from his brain.
However, the streams of light poured down, instantly creating several openings in the mental field, yet remained completely unaffected. Upon entering Kamiya Chiba's brain, the five streams of light immediately transformed into countless tiny droplet-shaped molecules, each tip extending like a needle-like straw. These molecules automatically searched for the locations in Kamiya Chiba's brain where all information was stored, then forcefully pierced through, extracting information-rich brain cells from the meninges like blood being drawn – an incredibly domineering process.
Jingu Chiba screamed in agony. Although the energy net, having just expanded his mental field, no longer retaliated, it strengthened its protective effect. At this moment, Jingu Chiba couldn't even lift a finger; he could only remain motionless, at Ling Yun's mercy. His facial muscles twitched uncontrollably, contorting into various grotesque expressions, his eyes rolling limply upwards. The pain in his brain was unbearable for the former ninja elder. Ling Yun, to avoid damaging the memories in his brain through rapid extraction, deliberately slowed the process, which only intensified Jingu Chiba's excruciating pain.
Death is no longer synonymous with fear, but a luxurious desire. Compared to the torment of pain, even eternal slumber of consciousness is the greatest happiness. However, happiness is always something that is just out of reach.
Blood Eyes' facial muscles twitched incessantly as he stared intently at Shen Gong Qianye, who was being held captive by Ling Yun. Old Black, meanwhile, kept shifting his form, trying to conceal his inner unease. The two noticed Shen Gong Qianye's strange behavior, which immediately shocked them. Even though they had no emotional connection, seeing their cellmate of fifty years meet such a fate filled Blood Eyes and Old Black with a sense of shared sorrow, a feeling of "a rabbit mourning the fox's death." And it was highly likely that Shen Gong's fate would soon be theirs.
"The Search for the Gods Technique!" This powerful and domineering technique can forcibly extract all the information and memories from an opponent's mind, making it the most direct and violent means of obtaining the most reliable intelligence and certain secrets. However, in practice, the Search for the Gods Technique is rarely used. The reason is simple: for one superhuman to use the Search for the Gods Technique on another superhuman, the two individuals' powers must be vastly different; otherwise, the Search for the Gods Technique will not only be ineffective but will also backfire on the caster.
In battles between superpowered individuals, even if their strength differs greatly, it's not a world of difference. This difference is similar to, or even greater than, the strength gap between a general and a private in the Heavenly Eye Society. Therefore, even though Jingu Chiba, once an unparalleled powerhouse, now possesses less than a tenth of his former strength, no one can use the God-Searching Technique on him.
Unless it's a god!
But right now, all of Ling Yun's actions indicated that he was forcibly extracting Shen Gong Qianye's memories using the Divine Search Technique, and he had succeeded. Did this mean that Ling Yun's power had exceeded their expectations? Was his previous weakness merely a disguise?
The boy before them was no longer a weak, easily bullied child whom the three of them disregarded; he was a demon in human skin. If he wasn't a demon, how could he possess such immense power? Could it truly be as he claimed, that this person was a ruler? A ruler capable of controlling everything?
As for Chiba Jingu's fate, there's no need to think about it. The Searching God Technique doesn't copy memories, but extracts them. After being baptized by the Searching God Technique, all that's left of Chiba Jingu is a useless shell. He might linger on for a few more days, but he's completely devoid of a soul.
Chapter 171 Origin
After a long while, Chiba Jingu's shrill screams finally subsided, and his head drooped limply. This time, it was no longer a state of dormant sleep, but a complete loss of consciousness. The energy shackles that had been fastened to his limbs and waist for fifty years automatically loosened. This was a natural reaction of the core. Once the bound subject had completely become an unconscious non-living entity, the core space no longer had the function of binding. The remaining non-living entities would be converted into energy by the core, while the unconvertible parts would be broken down into particles, which would then be transmitted to the outer barrier through the support rods, and then thrown into the outer space like garbage.
Ling Yun slowly released Jingu Chiba's head. With a thud, the once mighty and powerful figure, the godfather-level superhuman who unified the Japanese underworld, the Grand Elder Jingu Chiba, thus completed his life's mission in a cowardly and miserable way, becoming a completely worthless corpse, waiting to be ruthlessly disintegrated by the core.
After silently absorbing and digesting the information and memories he had gained from Shingu Chiba for a while, Ling Yun opened his eyes again. His cold and ruthless gaze shot towards Xue Tong and Lao Hei. Even though the two were powerful and influential figures who had dominated the world for many years, they couldn't help but feel a chill in their hearts when they saw the young man's gaze.
"So that's how it is!" Ling Yun muttered to himself. After obtaining the memories of Shen Gong Qianye, he already knew the origins of the three strange old men and the reason why they were locked up here. Although Shen Gong Qianye's memories were only his own, they also recorded some things about Xue Tong and Lao Hei. Based on the fragmented pieces, Ling Yun was able to deduce the truth.
It turns out that Xue Tong and the other two were all master-level figures who were once powerful in the world of superpowered individuals fifty years ago. However, apart from Xue Tong, who was a lone wolf, Shen Gong Qianye and Lao Hei were leaders of their respective clans.
Jingu Chiba was a super strongman who unified the four elements of wind, fire, water, and earth of the four great ninja clans of Japan. Under his leadership, the power of Japanese ninjas expanded more and more in the world of supernatural beings, constantly arousing the jealousy of other supernatural organizations. Moreover, Jingu Chiba was arrogant by nature and always deliberately provoked conflicts among supernatural beings, attempting to push the Japanese ninja clans to the peak of supernatural power. At that time, the Heavenly Eye Society was just an insignificant small supernatural organization, which could not be compared with the Japanese ninja clans at all, so no one paid attention to it.
Confident in his immense power, Jingu Chiba relentlessly eliminated any obstacles in the path of the ninja clan, claiming countless lives as his victims. As the ninja force reached its zenith, Jingu Chiba grew increasingly arrogant and conceited. Finally, one day, he challenged Lu Ximing, hailed as one of the strongest in the world and the first chief instructor of the Chinese Supernatural Abilities Headquarters.
At the time, Lu Ximing was in his prime, possessing earth-shattering strength. However, due to his busy work establishing the core system of Skynet and the recent establishment of the China Supernatural Abilities Headquarters, he adopted a temporary policy of restraint regarding the expansion of the ninja clans' influence. Jingu Chiba, on the other hand, naturally mistook China's restraint for a weak and submissive stance.
At that time, his fame and prestige were second only to a few of the strongest. As the ninja clan wanted to expand its power, these few of the strongest old guys became the final obstacle. As neighbors in Asia, defeating Lu Ximing became the biggest and most desired wish of Jingu Chiba. If he could defeat Lu Ximing, he would take his place as one of the new strongest superhumans, lead the ninja clan to the pinnacle of the superhuman world, and create a glorious era and myth.
However, Lu Ximing is, after all, one of the strongest individuals of his time, and his reputation as a superhuman is absolutely genuine. Since Lu Ximing possesses the aura of a top expert, his skills must be earth-shattering. Therefore, even the arrogant and conceited Jingu Chiba has no confidence whatsoever. The challenge is of paramount importance; if he were to lose, the newly rising ninja clan would suffer a devastating blow, not only affecting its expansion but also causing its morale to plummet. Other superhuman organizations that have temporarily retreated would become restless, waiting for an opportunity to act. While seemingly enjoying boundless glory, they are actually surrounded by enemies on all sides.
However, having already forced himself into this situation, Jingu Chiba was now in a bind and had no choice but to fight Lu Ximing. Otherwise, not only would his cultivation level be difficult to advance further, but the expansion of his ninja forces would also come to an end.
After much deliberation, Jingu Chiba finally came up with a desperate measure: to gather a group to attack Lu Ximing. Since Lu Ximing was the strongest, he could challenge him as a humble junior; even a group attack wouldn't be considered despicable. However, it was still somewhat dishonorable. Even if he completely defeated Lu Ximing, Jingu Chiba wouldn't gain the recognition of being the strongest. But for the sake of the entire ninja clan, Jingu Chiba had to suppress his pride. This world only recognizes results, not processes; passion and pride would only ruin things.
Thus, Xue Tong and Lao Hei came into the sight of Shen Gong Qianye. Xue Tong was a native Chinese superhuman, whose origins were unknown. He was an orphan, but his strength was no less than that of Shen Gong Qianye. Moreover, he possessed the innate extreme supernatural ability of Xue Tong. However, due to a lack of guidance and discipline from childhood, Xue Tong developed an extremely arrogant and ferocious personality. He acted as he pleased, and would kill anyone who did not meet his expectations.
He was incredibly powerful and had no concept of human life, killing countless people. He didn't just kill those with superpowers; he killed ordinary people as well. This behavior finally aroused public outrage. However, most of the superpowered people who came to kill him fell at his hands. As a result, Blood Eye became even more arrogant and conceited, looking down on everyone and acting even more recklessly.
Until one day, Xue Tong finally encountered Lu Ximing. After a fierce battle, Xue Tong was utterly defeated, but he actually possessed some skill, managing to escape from Lu Ximing's clutches despite being severely injured. Lu Ximing could have caught up and killed him, but at that time, the core of the Skynet was only one step away from completion, and time was of the essence, so he had no choice but to leave. Moreover, Xue Tong was already seriously injured, and it was assumed that he could no longer commit any more atrocities, so Lu Ximing let it go. From then on, the two became sworn enemies.
Blood Eye, as a result, behaved himself for several years, secretly recuperating from his injuries and daring not to make any rash moves. Moreover, after his contest with Lu Ximing, he also learned the truth that there are always people more powerful than oneself, and his ruthless and domineering personality became somewhat restrained. He also became more secretive in his actions, not daring to reveal any trace of his whereabouts. At that time, everyone knew about his defeat, and since Shen Gong Qianye wanted to deal with Lu Ximing, he would inevitably have to consider Lu Ximing's enemies, and Blood Eye became the best candidate.
After receiving the invitation from Jingu Chiba, the two hit it off immediately. Although Xue Tong had no liking for this hypocritical Japanese man, the two were surprisingly in agreement on wanting to eliminate Lu Ximing. As for concepts of ethnicity, national hatred, and family feuds, they simply did not exist for Xue Tong.
Originally, Chiba Shingu thought that the two of them working together would be enough. He reasoned that even if Lu Ximing was strong, he was only slightly stronger than himself. Could he possibly defeat two powerful opponents? However, Xue Tong didn't see it that way. He had fought Lu Ximing before and was deeply impressed by Lu Ximing's terrifying power. Even now, he couldn't tell whether Lu Ximing had fought with all his might or had held back. Success or failure hinged on this moment. If he couldn't kill Lu Ximing, then Lu Ximing would definitely not let him go. To be on the safe side, Xue Tong still felt that they should find a powerful partner. Chiba Shingu was skeptical, but seeing that Xue Tong, whose strength was comparable to his own, thought the same way, he couldn't help but become cautious.
Just then, Old Black appeared in the sight the two had been searching for. This elder of the largest and most mysterious tribe in Africa, although not a superhuman or possessing a psychic field, had a strange set of witchcraft with immense supernatural power, and was exceptionally eerie and terrifying, making it impossible to guard against.
Although the elder came from a primitive tribe in Africa, he was not closed off. Moreover, out of admiration for outside cultures and various magical powers, he had done a lot of research on superpowers. He was particularly interested in Chinese classical esoteric arts such as Qimen Dunjia. After learning Chinese, he traveled thousands of miles to China to visit the headquarters of superpowers and learn these Chinese classical esoteric arts.
At that time, classical Chinese arts were in decline. Not only were there few people who knew about Qimen Dunjia, but even those who knew a little about it only had fragments and could not form a coherent understanding. The Grand Elder went to great lengths and finally found Lu Ximing, the chief instructor who was well-versed in classical Chinese arts. After some discussion, he was only politely turned away.
Lu Ximing also learned classical magic through family inheritance. This kind of inheritance is only passed on to the eldest son of the family. Even the illegitimate sons of the family have not studied it with all their might. Although the new China has broken with the old and opened up everything, the family's deep-rooted habits are not so easy to change. Moreover, even if it is opened up, it will never be taught to an outsider, an African wizard elder whose background is unknown.
Having gained nothing, Old Hei returned to Africa dejectedly. Then, Shen Gong Qianye and Xue Tong extended an olive branch, promising that if he killed Lu Ximing, Old Hei could use witchcraft to extract classical magical information from Lu Ximing's mind, thus achieving their goal. Old Hei, of course, wasn't exactly a devout Buddhist; the thought of the benefits tempted him, and at worst, he could escape without losing anything, so he readily agreed.
In fact, the Great Wizard has his own title, but the long and peculiar pronunciation is really inconvenient for people to remember, so Blood Eye and Thousand Leaves of the Divine Palace simply call him Old Black, and the Great Wizard is quite unfazed by it.
Man proposes, God disposes. Although their plan was clever, the very day they launched their challenge, the core of the Skynet was successfully established. Overjoyed, Lu Ximing displayed his divine power, defeating all three and gaining a significant advantage. Seeing the situation was dire, the three tried to escape, only to become the unfortunate subjects of the newly established Skynet's trial. From that moment on, they were trapped in Lu Ximing's core space, unable to escape, to this day. Moreover, once inside the core space, the process is irreversible; even if Lu Ximing were to be resurrected today, he could not possibly take them out.
Because of the mysterious disappearance of Jingu Chiba, the ninja clans not only lost the opportunity to seize the strongest power, but also split up as a result, and were completely reduced to second-rate forces among the world's supernatural ability organizations.
Chapter 172 Giving You a Chance
Ling Yun not only obtained Jingu Chiba's memories and learned about the origins of the three, but most importantly, he also gained the insights and rich experience of this former number one ninja of Japan regarding power throughout his life, including a large amount of information on the five elements of ninja techniques. Although it was only a forced extraction and did not mean that Ling Yun had understood and digested Jingu's memories, the ability to copy would eventually break down these memories into optimized data for Ling Yun's use.
In a sense, Ling Yun has received the complete and thorough inheritance of this top-tier ninja master. As for how to digest this inheritance, it's only a matter of time. If Ling Yun is willing, within a few years, he can become another Kamiya Chiba, standing at the feet of the heavens, just one step away from becoming the strongest.
"Who exactly are you?" Old Hei couldn't help but ask again. No matter what kind of witchcraft he used to examine the boy's true nature, it was all reflected back by the same energy wave. This was simply unbelievable. A boy who seemed to only have low-level superpowers could actually block his witchcraft's probing and he couldn't figure out the mystery behind it. This was the biggest mystery for Old Hei himself.
Ling Yun smiled faintly. Of course, he wouldn't tell the two that he had already taken control of the SkyNet. After mastering all the keys to the three-dimensional patterns of the barrier, and after his body underwent energy crystallization, Ling Yun's mental field was always connected to the core's energy pillar. In a sense, he was no longer himself, but a representative created by the SkyNet and the core, only possessing Ling Yun's own consciousness.
If he so desired, and with sufficient energy from the Skynet, he could do as he pleased within the core space, even achieving immortality—truly a god-like being. Unless some energy even more powerful than the core could destroy him, even the Chief Instructor, who also controlled all the keys to the three-dimensional patterns, could not defeat Ling Yun in person.
Therefore, Ling Yun's claim to be the ruler is not an empty boast. Although the three members of the Divine Palace, Chiba, and Shen Gong are powerful, how can their strength compare to even one percent of the core? Due to the unparalleled energy support, any technique Ling Yun uses has earth-shattering power, with its strength increasing by almost a hundred times compared to when he uses it himself. Otherwise, how could he have used the Soul Searching Technique on Chiba?
However, a simple illusion was enough to fool the three master-level ability users. Old Hei even thought that Ling Yun could truly bring the dead back to life. In reality, it was just a trick Ling Yun played with casually. He simply left a phantom body standing in place, allowing the three to attack at will. In fact, if they weren't in the core space, the three would have immediately noticed the difference.
Old Hei's sorcery, however, slightly surprised Ling Yun. The hands reaching under the energy barrier were clearly an illusion, since normal matter couldn't penetrate it. But unlike ordinary illusions, which mostly deceive rather than create reality, this sorcery, though ethereal, produced an effect almost indistinguishable from the real thing.
The illusory physical body was a projection released by Ling Yun using energy, so it naturally had the same sensations. However, when Lao Hei's hands reached up from the ground, Ling Yun did feel as if his ankles were being gripped tightly, as if a strange force transmitted through an unnamed channel was replacing Lao Hei's hands and grabbing the ankles of the illusory physical body.