Perhaps this is the essence of the power behind witchcraft? Ling Yun squinted, pondering. Although he could sense the transmission of this strange power, he still couldn't discern how Old Hei had conjured the witchcraft. The wizard's attack was completely unexpected, as if the witchcraft was formed with a mere thought. This was similar to the activation of a mental field, but the subtle differences were entirely different. However, only when one's power reached a certain level could one perceive these subtle differences.
The Blood Eye's innate ability to attack is even more complex. Data transmitted back from the copy indicates that the Blood Eye contains an abnormal three-dimensional genome that operates stably in a peculiar and indivisible manner. Externally, this manifests as rays emitted by the Blood Eye with unparalleled temperature variations and corrosive power. Moreover, these rays can damage platelets in the human blood, causing wounds to bleed uncontrollably and increasing their destructive power.
Moreover, Ling Yun vaguely sensed that the Blood Eye Ray contained an unnamed substance, somewhat like a virus or bacteria with intelligence. It could enter the body of the attacked person through the blood and then replicate itself in large quantities by devouring normal blood cells. The Blood Eye could establish an invisible sense through this substance, so that even from thousands of miles away, it could know the person's every move. It could also command the unnamed substance to attack the main body at any time, causing the main body to die suddenly or suffer unbearable pain.
Ling Yun is now like a god looking down on all living beings. He can observe the attack methods of Xue Tong and Lao Hei. He can even slow down the attack by countless times to clearly see the source, process and beginning of the attack. He can also see how the attack works. However, it is this complex and special way of working that always makes Ling Yun feel confused. After all, being the strongest does not mean being omniscient and omnipotent.
It wouldn't be impossible to forcibly extract the memories of the two people using the Searching God Technique, but then all the understanding would have to be done by oneself. It would be better to compete with the two people in front of you, which might help you better understand the nature of innate abnormalities and the power of witchcraft.
Although these thoughts were numerous, they only flashed through Ling Yun's mind. Looking at Xue Tong and Lao Hei, Ling Yun already had a plan in mind. He said calmly, "I am just an ordinary ability user. I only came here because I accidentally obtained the key to enter the core space. Shen Gong Qianye is already dead. I can give you two a chance, a chance to escape."
Blood Eye and Old Black exchanged a glance, their eyes also filled with doubt and confusion. Neither of them believed Ling Yun's wild tale of accidentally obtaining the key to enter and exit the core space. What a joke! If the key to the core space, which was regarded as a treasure by the China Superpower Headquarters, could be obtained by accident, then wouldn't the China Superpower Headquarters be like a vegetable market that anyone could come and go as they pleased?
However, the two were somewhat interested in Ling Yun's suggestion of an escape. Although they didn't believe it at all, they had been trapped here for fifty years, and their hearts were already ashen. Even if the hope of getting out was only one in ten thousand, it was better than suffocating here without any hope at all. Or rather, even if there was no hope at all, hearing the young man talk about escaping slightly lifted their spirits.
Blood Eyes stared intently at Ling Yun with his terrifying single eye for a long while before asking, "What are the conditions?"
Ling Yun smiled faintly: "It's very simple. Just fight me. But don't worry, I won't take advantage of you. I will use the key to unlock the energy shackles binding you, and I can even use the core to restore the power you've lost over the years. Then, you can use your restored power to have a good fight with me. If I'm satisfied, I'll let you leave here!"
"What?!" Blood Eye and Old Black could hardly believe their ears. If they hadn't heard it with their own ears, the two old guys would have thought they were hallucinating. This young man was actually going to use the key to unlock the energy shackles, and even use the core energy to restore the power they had lost. Then he was going to challenge two masters of superpowers with peak strength all by himself. Either this young man was an idiot, or he was an absolute madman!
In fact, even though Ling Yun easily killed Shen Gong Qianye with his Soul Searching Technique, after the initial surprise, Xue Tong and Lao Hei regained their composure. Moreover, upon hearing the young man's claim of possessing the key to enter and exit the core space, the two were even more convinced of their own superiority. After all, Shen Gong Qianye only had less than one-tenth of his original cultivation power left. If this young man truly possessed the key to the core space and could utilize a portion of its energy, it wasn't impossible for him to kill Shen Gong Qianye. Back then, didn't Lu Ximing also use the core's energy to completely trap the three of them?
If this boy truly believed he could defeat his unbound, full-powered self using the core energy of the key, that would be utterly absurd. Thinking this, Blood Eye and Old Black couldn't help but sneer simultaneously. This kid probably hadn't seen how powerful a true expert really was. However, both were cunning and scheming individuals, and to avoid provoking him, they persuaded him to change his mind at the last minute. No strange expression appeared on their faces.
"Since you're so kind, we two old folks are naturally happy to oblige," Blood Eye said with a calm smile.
Ling Yun nodded, took a few steps back, and then pointed a finger. The profound and complex three-dimensional pattern flashed and disappeared into the core energy pillar. Suddenly, the energy pillar shone with a bright blue light, and even the shackles on Blood Pupil and Old Black emitted a dazzling blue glow.
Blood Eye and Old Black couldn't help but exchange another glance. This time, their eyes revealed a mixture of surprise and joy. Although they didn't quite believe it, they still held onto a sliver of hope. They never expected that Ling Yun could actually unlock the energy shackles binding them. Although the energy shackles hadn't disappeared yet, both of them could feel the restraints slowly receding. The power that had been trapped for fifty years was gradually returning to their bodies, which had withered from lack of nourishment. Moreover, gentle and steady energy was constantly being transmitted from the energy shackles, continuously replenishing the superpowers they had lost over the years.
The young man actually kept his word, which surprised them greatly. However, the joy of regaining their strength filled their hearts, and for a moment, they were both overwhelmed with excitement, releasing boundless domineering power as if it were a tangible force!
Chapter 173 Curse
Ling Yun silently took a few steps back, watching the rapid changes in the two as their power gradually recovered. Sensing their rampant domineering aura and boundless telekinetic power, he couldn't help but nod in approval. Based on this domineering aura alone, the two were indeed worthy of being the powerful figures who had conquered the world fifty years ago. Their spiritual energy field, not yet half recovered, already permeated the area around Blood Pupil like tangible mercury. Old Hei had to conjure a thick, ink-black mist to resist the erosion of Blood Pupil's telekinetic power at close range.
Blood Eye gently brushed aside her hair, revealing the other half of her face that had been hidden. Ling Yun was shocked to discover that Blood Eye's other eye was also born with an anomaly. Her right eye had a blood-red pupil, while her left eye had no pupil at all, displaying a bizarre emerald green color, resembling a sinister and terrifying ghost. With the support of the replication ability's core energy, data analysis was more than a hundred times faster. The information transmitted back to the domain indicated that the genetic structure of this eye was a three-dimensional rhombus, rather than a normal DNA helix structure. Gene fragments were linked in an abnormal direction in an orderly manner. This peculiar combination meant that this emerald-eyed person would possess extraordinary abilities.
Blood Eyes shuddered, his tattered clothes instantly reduced to dust by his mental force field. Then, telekinesis enveloped his body, forming a shimmering silver battle suit in the blink of an eye. As his power returned, his gray hair gradually turned a glossy milky white, then fluttered without wind, each strand becoming straight and elongated like a coated steel wire. His sparse, stubble-covered gray beard vanished completely in a flash of silver light.
In the blink of an eye, Blood Pupil had transformed from a down-on-his-luck prisoner into a majestic and awe-inspiring powerhouse. His eerie eyes, sharply defined features, battle armor that seemed to be forged from pure silver, and long hair flowing freely even without wind all contributed to his imposing presence, exuding an aura of dominance and boundless malevolence. He was incredibly powerful and intimidating to behold. Ling Yun thought to himself, "Blood Pupil's striking appearance back then must have shocked many others in the same way."
After breaking free of the energy shackles, the tangible black mist emanating from Old Black's body transformed into a thick black shaman's robe and hat. He looked quite imposing, like a respected tribal elder shaman. However, he was so dark-skinned, even his eyes were black, that combined with the black robe and hat, one would mistake him for a statue made of black clay if looking at him with the naked eye.
In fact, Old Hei often veils his face or entire body with black mist when he comes out in the tribe. The Grand Shaman Elder holds a high position, even above the chieftain, so he naturally needs to be mysterious and cannot show his true face. However, since only Ling Yun and Xue Tong are present at this moment, and they have both seen what he looks like beforehand, the disguise of black mist is simply unnecessary.
At the same time, Ling Yun also sensed a subtle change in the mentality of Xue Tong and Lao Hei. Although the two had been arrogant, domineering, and deep before, they inevitably had a sense of decadence and despair due to being confined in the core space for many years. But now, with the power empowering them, their once arrogant and domineering spirit seemed to be stirring again, like a polished sword.
Blood Eyes stared intently at Ling Yun, his eerie green and blood-red pupils emitting emerald and crimson light respectively. His expression gradually turned ferocious: "Boy, the stupidest thing you did was release me. Do you know what I want most? What I want most is for someone to let me go and return my power to me. I will make them feel what pain is before they die. Unfortunately, you made my dream come true."
Ling Yun chuckled. Hearing such meaningless threats now felt like listening to a lame joke: "You two old geezers, all you can do is tell me those old, ridiculous stories? I released you not so you could talk your way out of things, but so you could show me what you're capable of. Do you understand what it means to be a monkey? In my eyes, you're just a monkey. When I want to see you perform your monkey show, you have to perform, or I'll wipe you out."
He spoke calmly, without a hint of joking or sarcasm, as if stating something perfectly normal. Yet, his words carried an overwhelming air of dominance, which, to Blood Eyes and Old Black, took on a completely different meaning.
In an instant, both men were enraged. If they had been somewhat wary of this strange youth before being locked in by the energy, now that their power had been restored, they were utterly unafraid even if the head instructor stood there, let alone this brat Ling Yun. So what if he possessed the key to enter and exit the core space? So what if he could use a portion of the core space's energy? Back then, Lu Ximing had exhausted all his strength, along with the core's energy, to barely trap the three of them here. Otherwise, if he could have killed them, he would have done so long ago. Why leave them alive until today?
Blood Eyes didn't bother arguing with the child. A flash of red light appeared in his eyes, and a blood-red ray, as thick as a finger, shot out at lightning speed. Although it was exactly the same as the ray before he regained his power, the aura it contained was completely different. If the original blood-red ray could pierce through a steel plate, then the current blood-red ray was enough to pierce through a building hundreds of meters tall.
Ling Yun remained motionless, neither dodging nor blocking. Within the core space, he was invincible. Unless the energy exceeded the total energy within the core space, no attack could possibly reach him. It was laughable that Xue Tong and Lao Hei thought they could kill Ling Yun in the blink of an eye.
In Ling Yun's vision, the replication ability was rapidly analyzing the instantaneous genetic changes produced when Blood Eye's unusual pupils were activated. This was the entire process from beginning to end. Through analyzing the entire driving force, the replication ability would arrive at the simplest and most easily understood explanation for Ling Yun to comprehend and absorb. In a sense, Blood Eye and Old Black were truly performing a monkey show, only the monkey itself was unaware of the tragic process unfolding.
The ray, unsurprisingly, pierced Ling Yun's chest. Its corrosive force rapidly destroyed all of Ling Yun's internal organs, while the intense heat turned his chest into a round, bowl-sized hole. An unnamed substance, like a primordial flood, surged through the wound into every part of Ling Yun's body like a raging tidal wave, quickly infiltrating his bloodstream and opening its fanged maw, attempting to devour the remaining blood cells.
But soon, the nameless devourers found themselves biting into mid-air. All the blood cells passed by their bodies like phantom images, even piercing through them without making any real contact. The nameless devourers were stunned. Their bodies, less than a micrometer in size, didn't have the brain capacity to think about such complex things. When exposed to the air, they died in a daze.
Ling Yun didn't move an inch, not even changing his posture, and his face still held a faint smile. However, with a bowl-sized hole appearing in his chest, that smile seemed far too eerie.
Blood Eye's expression gradually changed. He couldn't tell whether Ling Yun in front of him was just an illusion or a real individual. If it was an illusion, it should have vanished after being attacked. If it was a real individual, it was impossible for it to remain unharmed after being attacked.
The high wizard waved his hands, and before anyone knew it, a black scepter about a meter long appeared in his dark hands. At the top of the scepter was a grotesque black skull, no bigger than a fingernail. Two even smaller, shimmering flames flickered in the skull's dark eyes, the flames an unreal, pale white. Through the flames, one could see a huge, bewildering ghostly face beneath which countless eerie phantoms were striking various strange poses.
Old Hei's face showed a devout and respectful expression. He used his scepter to make strange gestures in the space, and uttered obscure and long syllables. Strangely, although he was the only one reciting these strange syllables, the space echoed with the voices of many people reciting together, as if countless people in another space were reciting with him.
Ling Yun's smile vanished, and his expression turned solemn. A mysterious and powerful force seemed to have crossed an extremely distant space, gradually converging on the scepter in Lao Hei's hand. When the force reached its peak, it suddenly disappeared.
Ling Yun opened his Eye of Illusion. Supported by the immense energy of the core, he strangely discovered that, without him noticing, the scepter in Old Hei's hand had somehow formed a ethereal, invisible net of light with him. And the vanished power was rapidly being transmitted to him through this net of light.
Ling Yun looked up and, having pushed the Eye of Illusion to its limit with energy, he was astonished to see countless eerie, snake-like black forces writhing and crawling through the interlocking spaces, converging at the speed of light along a thin, almost invisible black line. Within the Eye of Illusion, the black line magnified, gradually transforming into invisible sound lines formed from condensed syllables—the very sorcery uttered by the Great Wizard.
As soon as the witch power was transmitted to Ling Yun, he was shocked to find that this power had the property of melting everything. Under the effect of this witch power, his body began to slowly melt, just like a candle exposed to high temperature.
What terrifying power! Ling Yun sighed inwardly. If he didn't have the Eye of Illusion that allowed him to see through the source and essence of the witch's power, he probably wouldn't even know how he was affected. This kind of cold and invisible strange technique was truly bizarre and terrifying to the extreme.
Ling Yun could also sense that the different spells spoken by the great wizards resulted in different magical power being transmitted. The syllables were like tracks; different tracks naturally led to different magical power. Moreover, the magical power seemed to possess a unique genetic infectivity. Even if it didn't manifest, it seemed to be able to lie dormant in a person's body, waiting for the opportunity to activate. Even if passed down, this infectivity would be transmitted forever through continuous viral replication.
Ling Yun suddenly realized something: this infectious power must be the essence of the curse.
Chapter 174 Supreme Realm
Ling Yun was like a melted candle, his lower body completely turned into a pool of pale yellow fluid, slowly flowing on the blue crystalline energy wall. The great wizard couldn't help but show a satisfied smile. His power had indeed been fully restored. This attack was just a small test, yet it had already reached the level of peak power.
Unlike other supernatural arts, witchcraft does not have obvious signs of combat. Whether it is attack or defense, there is a casting process, which is somewhat similar to the incantation of magic. This is because the condensation of witchcraft power takes time, unlike supernatural beings who can instantly condense a mental force field to launch an attack. However, this does not mean that witchcraft is at a disadvantage, because witchcraft attacks are almost without warning, and it is difficult to dodge unless you defend in advance.
Furthermore, another characteristic of witchcraft is its ability to ignore distance. Some witches with extreme abilities can even cast spells on a targeted victim from thousands of miles away without them noticing. Of course, this requires various prerequisites. Moreover, if the victim is too powerful, the witchcraft will immediately backfire on the caster if it proves ineffective. Witches lack a mental field and their physical defenses are pitifully weak; once a superhuman gets close, this becomes a fatal flaw.
Because they possess both extreme abilities and fatal weaknesses, coupled with the mystique and strong exclusivity of primitive tribes, shamans are not generally recognized as having supernatural abilities; at best, they are simply a group with mystical powers. Furthermore, the deeply tribal culture of the shaman tribes clearly does not acknowledge the status of other individuals with supernatural abilities, creating a stark distinction between the two. However, African shaman tribes remain fragmented, constantly embroiled in narrow and incomprehensible tribal conflicts, seemingly operating in their own self-contained world, completely oblivious to the outside world.