Ling Yun's heart clenched; his worst fear had come true. His hand trembled, and the silver mirror instantly transformed into a chaotic, indistinct silver field of spiritual energy, slowly retracting into his body. The countless images created by the mirror vanished instantly. Ling Yun let out a soft breath, slightly relaxing. The Eye of Illusion seemed to have lost its function; no matter how Ling Yun looked at this ethereal world, he still couldn't discern the true nature of the void.
“You are not the real Ling Yun, I am.” A monotonous and flat voice suddenly came from beneath Ling Yun’s feet.
Ling Yun's expression changed. He looked down, and his mind went blank. He didn't know when, but the void had disappeared, and he was standing on a smooth, bright mirror. It reflected the grayish-white stripes of the void in the sky, and his own pale face filled with surprise.
A dazzling beam of light shone down from above, and Ling Yun couldn't help but look up. His expression changed again. Silently, the void above transformed into a smooth mirror, once again creating countless images of him between the two mirrors.
A million icy gazes pierced Ling Yun, instantly forming a blinding beam of light that pierced through both mirrors of the world. Ling Yun involuntarily took several steps back, only then realizing why the mirrors always emitted such intense light for no apparent reason. It wasn't some meaningless beam of light emitted by some luminous body, but rather the intense light formed by the gazes of millions of his own illusory reflections.
What's going on? Ling Yun screamed inwardly. Things seemed to have become unpredictable and uncontrollable. The entire illusion was constantly pushing Ling Yun's psychological limits in an inexplicable way.
"Why can a reflection in a mirror speak? They are just fake, not the real me with true consciousness? This must be the work of magic! But how can magic replicate the real me?" Ling Yun pondered nervously, when a chilling thought suddenly rose in his mind, making him shiver involuntarily.
“It’s simple, because you’re just an illusion too! We all think we’re the real Lingyun, but we’re not. The real Lingyun doesn’t exist.” A voice exactly like his sighed from behind Lingyun.
Ling Yun whirled around, and for a fleeting moment, he thought he saw a mirror, but unfortunately, it wasn't. Less than a meter away stood another version of himself, identical to the one in the Eye of Illusion, even down to the facial expression. The Eye of Illusion doesn't reveal any external differences; to others, even other ability users, it appears exactly the same as a normal eye. Only those with the Eye of Illusion can see another person's Eye of Illusion—this is determined by the inherent characteristics of the Eye of Illusion itself.
Ling Yun raised his arm with trembling hands. Others could impersonate him, and even the Illusionary Realm could create a virtual version of him, but it was impossible for them to create the Illusionary Eye together, especially the eyes that shone with a golden and black light. That was a sign that the Illusionary Eye had just completed its evolution, which meant that the other party's Illusionary Eye was definitely not fake and had the same function as his.
Before he could even utter a word in shock, another Ling Yun stepped forward and smiled slightly: "Isn't it strange? I also possess the Eye of Illusion? No, Ling Yun, no, or rather, myself. We are one person. What you possess, I also possess. I also possess your deepest secret. Look, the yellow book barrier and the energy crystallized body, isn't that Mom?" He suddenly ripped open the buttons on his shirt, revealing his muscular chest. In the center of his chest was a small book emitting a pale yellow glow.
"I also possess the ability to replicate, Blood Eyes, Azure Eyes, and the core control key to the Skynet Barrier of the Superpower Headquarters. These are your deepest secrets, aren't they?" Another Ling Yun suddenly smirked coldly. "Still don't believe me? If I weren't you, how could I possess the same superpowers and techniques as you?"
Ling Yun extended a finger, and a silver light flashed through his chest and then silently passed out behind him: "In this world, there is only one Ling Yun. I am who I am. Whether I am in the sky or on the ground, I am still me. Even if you have the exact same body and all the same experiences as me, you are not Ling Yun, never."
The other Ling Yun remained unperturbed, merely smiling faintly, as if the silver light piercing his chest was nothing more than a negligible glimmer, utterly incapable of causing him harm. Moreover, the terrifying blood hole in his chest was healing at a visible speed: "Still don't believe me? Look at myself, you see? This is a self-healing ability that only we possess, an ability that no one, no superhuman, including vampires, can match."
"And," he suddenly waved his hand dismissively, "don't try to attack me! Look at your chest."
Upon hearing this, Ling Yun looked down and his body jolted violently. It was as if a heavy hammer had struck his mind, making a loud bang. He didn't know when, but a bloody hole exactly like the one in the illusion had appeared on his chest. With his self-healing ability, he returned to normal in the blink of an eye.
He stared tremblingly at his hands. Was attacking a phantom of himself the same as attacking himself? Otherwise, how could he explain the same wound appearing on his chest?
Another Ling Yun said calmly, "Do you believe me now?" [Q]
He suddenly stretched out his palm, a flash of silver light appeared, and a light blade suddenly appeared at the tip of his palm. He then forcefully slashed back at his chest, the sharp blade instantly tearing through his clothes and cutting a deep and long wound on his bare skin, from which gushing blood immediately spurted out.
Ling Yun suddenly staggered back several steps, his face pale as he stared at his chest. Just as the other Ling Yun had struck him, he suddenly felt a sharp, piercing pain in his chest. It was as if, at the same moment the other Ling Yun slashed at him with his light blade, an invisible, sharp weapon had also struck his chest. The clothes of both Ling Yuns were torn open at the same time, revealing identical wounds on their chests. Even the direction of the blood flow and the speed of self-healing were exactly the same.
"How about it?" Another Lingyun smiled knowingly. "Aren't you surprised? You always thought you were unique, that there was no one else like you in the world. You were always different because your consciousness was irreplaceable. But now you see it all. It turns out you were wrong. You are just an illusion, no different from me. Or rather, Lingyun, we don't exist. There is no real you in this world."
"What nonsense are you spouting!" Ling Yun gritted his teeth, and suddenly the Eye of Illusion shot out two golden beams of light, instantly piercing through the body of the other Ling Yun. However, the other Ling Yun seemed to be nothing more than air, and even when illuminated by the Eye of Illusion, he did not undergo the slightest change.
"You want to see my true nature, is that it?" Another Lingyun suddenly burst into wild laughter, his eyes also shooting out two golden beams that met Lingyun's golden gaze. "This is the Eye of Illusion, Lingyun. Aren't we supposed to be able to see through the true nature of everything with the Eye of Illusion? What, now you also have something you can't see through? Is that thing yourself?" he said sternly.
"No, there's also me..." A voice sounded from behind Ling Yun again, and another Ling Yun gently stepped out from the mirror that had appeared out of nowhere. He gently patted Ling Yun, who turned around and looked at him in astonishment, spread his hands, and shrugged his shoulders with a gentlemanly air: "Don't look at me, I'm just like you. When you look at me, you're looking at yourself, but I'm not a mirror."
“And me…” another voice rang out from behind another Lingyun. Yet another Lingyun appeared from behind the one whose gaze met Lingyun's, followed by yet another, as if that Lingyun was the very forefront of countless overlapping Lingyun, presenting only two-dimensional features. Only from a third-dimensional perspective would one discover that behind it lay an ocean of Lingyun…
"Me too...me too..."
A continuous stream of sounds echoed around the two Lingyun figures. At first, it was still possible to distinguish who was speaking, but later, the sound turned into a huge wave of noise, buzzing like a swarm of hungry locusts swarming for food in a field, emitting noisy and utterly annoying meaningless notes.
Before their eyes, the seemingly empty, boundless void had been filled with one figure after another. Each figure had the same face and the same illusory eyes; they were all Ling Yun. Vast swathes of Ling Yun were increasing almost every second, and as the rate of increase accelerated, the number of Ling Yun began to grow exponentially.
Soon, this growth rate reached a peak, like the beginning of the Big Bang. Initially, there was only one point, and then this point rapidly expanded in the shape of a sphere, reaching the highest speed that the laws of this world could allow: the speed of light.
The void had completely changed its appearance. The magnificent ripples of the void were gone, and the gray background had turned completely golden, as if a layer of golden morning light had been cast over the sky. This was not a spatial mutation caused by the change in the background, but a golden curtain formed at the end of the sky by countless soaring illusory eyes.
A veil of illusion!
On the illusory curtain, an incomparably enormous eye appeared. The eye slowly opened, revealing itself to be another illusory eye. The enormous illusory eye emitted a cold and cruel gaze, sweeping back and forth across the star-like clouds below, as if trying to discover something.
Soon, its gaze met Ling Yun's. Ling Yun suddenly felt a jolt in his body, and his heart pounded as if something nameless and fragile had cracked open. A warm, soft liquid flowed out, slowly passing through his heart, bringing Ling Yun indescribable joy and exhilaration.
The enormous eye of illusion slowly moved away, then closed its eyes again, and slowly disappeared into the curtain of illusion. The curtain of illusion began to disintegrate into countless shimmering dots, then vanished with a roar, revealing gray-white void ripples.
Ling Yun watched the whole process silently, a warm feeling suddenly rising in his heart. While all the Ling Yuns were focused on the golden curtain in the sky, his gaze suddenly fell on the enormous mirror.
A thin, silver-gray line suddenly shot out from the center of the mirror, reaching his chest and then disappearing into his body. Through the infinite void behind him, Ling Yun seemed to see the beautiful face that had always silently loved him.
Lingyun seemed to hear a gentle call from another world: Yun, we will always be together…
“You are my coordinates… With you, I will never lose my way again…” Ling Yun said silently, a strange light suddenly flashing in his eyes. He raised his right hand high and then slowly pressed it on his head.
All the Lingyun turned to him and roared in unison, their voices deafening: "No!"
Ling Yun smiled slightly, and his whole body suddenly began to radiate a dazzling golden light.
Chapter 252 Blood Clan
As if a corner of the night had been lifted, the countless stars disappeared, and a bright, clear moon suddenly appeared in the dark, damp, cramped basement, emitting a faint, enchanting halo, looking exceptionally alluring and filled with a deep, seductive aura.
"Who is it! Who dares to insult our sacred berserker? Show yourself!" Ivanov turned around and stared at the crescent moon, shouting furiously. His chest heaved violently, and the light on the sun pattern grew even brighter. But surprisingly, the moon's radiance was no less dazzling than the sun's, instead emitting a faint glow that seemed to rival the sun berserker.
Leonid suddenly turned around, no longer caring about the slender and beautiful girl behind him and Xiao Rou hiding in the corner. A look of great shock appeared on his rock-like, cold face, and the earth pattern on his chest began to vibrate continuously. A faint earthy yellow glow was emanating from the center of the pattern. With his ability to sense the earth, he had already sensed that the other party possessed power that was in no way inferior to his and Ivanov's.
Under the moonlight, four tall, thin figures appeared, slowly approaching and stopping in front of the two giants. They were four handsome white men dressed in classic European formal attire, with wide black robes, high leather collars, and an arrogant demeanor that seemed to clearly reveal their identities as visitors.
Judging solely from their faces, aside from their excessively pale and bloodless complexions, the men were quite handsome. The two men on the left looked remarkably alike, likely brothers. The older one had short, tousled blond hair, and his lifeless blue eyes stared at the two berserkers. The younger man had long, light gray hair, the tips of which were slightly upturned. His eyes were a lighter color, but equally expressionless. He sized Ivanov up and down, but his attention was more focused on the earth pattern on Leonid's chest.
The other two white men had a frivolous and arrogant look on their faces. Both of them were handsome, but the one on the far right was slightly shorter and had fiery red hair. The young man next to him was tall and slender, with emerald green eyes that gleamed like an animal's. He stared intently at Xia Lan's face for almost a moment without relaxing. His thin, bright red lips were slightly parted, and even with the naked eye, one could see a glint of cold light flashing at the corner of his mouth, revealing a corner of sharp fangs.
“Great Satan above, I never imagined that on my first trip to China, I, Francis, would encounter such a pure and beautiful virgin. God, I must possess her and make her my lover. I think that would be a wonderful thing.” The tall Francis exclaimed to Xia Lan in an aria-like voice.
His voice was exactly the same as the one that came from when he entered the barrier. Clearly, the one who didn't take the berserker seriously was this arrogant guy who couldn't resist beautiful women.
Xia Lan frowned slightly and silently took a step back. From the moment the moon first appeared, her experience told her that she had encountered even greater trouble. What exactly was the purpose of this strange and powerful barrier? Why would even European vampires come here? Although she had never dealt with vampires before, vampires fed on human blood, and were fundamentally incompatible with humans. Superhumans were also human, and the pure energy in their blood was exactly what vampires desired. In a sense, vampires were the common enemy of all mankind.