A series of lights flashed before everyone's eyes, and after a moment, they were standing in front of a sealed passage. Ling Yun went in first without saying a word, and then everyone else followed in.
What followed was a long and arduous process of traversing the passages. Even those with superpowers would become dizzy and disoriented in the complex and intricate passages. What surprised most people was that no trace of a mental energy field could be left in the passages. No matter who tried to make a mark with telekinesis, it would be erased by the white light that appeared in the passages after a short while.
The identical forks in the road and the paths that split to the left and right appeared almost endlessly. By the end, everyone was almost numb and just followed Ling Yun's figure out of habit. Most people couldn't help but smile bitterly. This kind of maze barrier really didn't need to be set up with traps, because it was a huge trap in itself. If no one was leading them, almost everyone would be trapped in it.
Finally, the passage came to an end, and the blinding bright light suddenly disappeared. The world went dark, and everyone found themselves in a vast, dark, and dimly lit space.
The Arbitrators suddenly changed their expressions. Their sensitive holy light spontaneously emanated from their bodies, and a dense aura of darkness swept through the space, almost solidifying into a tangible form. Even ordinary ability users could sense the aura carrying extremely negative emotions. The Arbitrators, being most sensitive to the aura of darkness, immediately reacted instinctively.
A wisp of black mist drifted over, and one could vaguely see crackling firelight and a group of hideous dark creatures in front of the space. In addition, a circle of indistinct humans stood quietly in front of the altar. Hundreds of bright torches floated above the space, their eerie yellow light casting an unpredictable glow that shifted between light and shadow.
The surging holy light swept away the black mist that had condensed into darkness with overwhelming force, illuminating the entire vast space and attracting the attention of all the dark creatures.
Light and darkness met unexpectedly.
Ling Yun stood at the front, carefully observing the underground altar of the dark creatures. To his surprise, the grand ritual that supposedly required countless conditions and time to hold was actually so simple. In the center of the space was a wooden platform several tens of centimeters high, with four burning furnaces at the four corners of the platform, and a swirling black mist in the middle. All the dark creatures and the humans, who were surrounded like stars around the moon, were gathered around one side of the platform.
Ling Yun saw many super-strong dark creatures, including the three Wolf King Michael brothers, as well as the three vampire dukes William, Ulysses and Philip, and many mid-level and low-level strongmen. Dark creatures whose names he could not name still accounted for more than 50% of the total, but none of them were super-strongmen.
Even though they saw the intruders and felt the aura of holy light, the dark creatures generally lay prostrate on the ground, completely ignoring Ling Yun and the others. They prayed devoutly and fervently, chanting in obscure murmurs, seemingly out of nowhere.
Apart from that, the space was completely empty, and even with nearly a hundred superhumans pouring in, it didn't feel crowded at all.
All eyes were drawn to the platform, where a swirling, seemingly alive black mist caught everyone's attention. Was this the altar to resurrect the Blood Prince? Everyone found it unbelievable and couldn't help but investigate.
A bizarre thing happened: all senses and mental probes were silently swallowed up when they entered the black mist, as if the mist were a bottomless black hole, allowing only things to enter but not reflect them out. The group then discovered that if they projected too much senses, the suction force of the black mist would increase. This attraction wasn't physical; it was an attraction to the spirit, to the soul, as if some inexplicable force was forcibly tearing their mental energy field from their bodies.
Every superhuman was utterly shocked and dared not probe the black mist again.
Ling Yun was also surprised, because the Eye of Illusion actually pierced through the black mist directly. There was nothing in the black mist; it seemed that what was rolling around was just a simple cloud of mist. However, intuitively, Ling Yun felt that the black mist seemed to be communicating with another space. This feeling was very much like a bridge connecting two spaces. The black mist was somewhat similar to the underwater barrier, but it was even more mysterious and unpredictable.
Then, Ling Yun turned his gaze to the dozen or so humans who stood out conspicuously among the dark creatures. Clearly, most of them were superhumans from the Sky Eye Society, as their black Sky Eye Society uniforms made them easy to identify.
Standing at the very front were the two remaining super-strong members of the Sky Eye Society, Oswit and Tian Yuning.
In the struggle for global hegemony, the Sky Eye Society paid a heavy price: three major generals, two lieutenant generals, and one general, along with most of its six super-strong members, perished, leaving only two major generals barely clinging to life. However, at this moment, the two major generals stood silently behind another person, heads bowed, not uttering a word, not even glancing up when Ling Yun and the others entered, as if they hadn't heard a thing.
He was an ordinary person wearing a mask, so ordinary that you would think that even with the mask on, no one would really notice him.
But the moment Ling Yun saw this person, he knew that he was the master of the Heavenly Eye Society, Golden Miracle.
There is a type of person who is less likely to be noticed by ordinary people and less likely to be recognized for his extraordinary abilities. However, those with exceptional skills can sense his terrifying power, even if he is simply standing there silently.
Without a doubt, the Golden Miracle is this kind of person.
A little behind Golden Miracle stood another person, but this person seemed even more low-key than Golden Miracle. He stood there quietly, like a faint shadow that could disappear at any moment. If you looked at him for a long time, you would find that this person was like a projection of some world in space. It was even difficult to sense his presence. He was elusive, like looking at flowers through the fog, and you could not see him clearly at all.
However, upon looking at this person, Ling Yun suddenly realized what was happening, and then turned his gaze to the Golden Miracle.
When Ling Yun's gaze fell upon his mask, Golden Miracle turned his head and smiled slightly at Ling Yun. He was wearing a mask, so the smile was completely hidden, but Ling Yun could sense that Golden Miracle was indeed smiling. The Eye of Illusion remained open, yet it could never see through the mask to reveal the true face beneath.
"Tiejin, Weish, Quasimodo... and Lingyun, hello. I thought you wouldn't be able to find this place. It seems I was worrying for nothing," Golden Miracle said slowly and deliberately. His voice was clear and bright, sounding exceptionally pure, without a trace of impurity.
Tang Tiejin and Ling Yun were both stunned. It wasn't because Golden Miracle called out a few names, but because Golden Miracle spoke in standard Chinese. Although ability users can choose any language they want, Golden Miracle clearly didn't use any mental energy field, which meant that he was speaking his mother tongue.
This mysterious and powerful individual is actually Chinese!
Wish and Quasimodo were also taken aback, but not as surprised as Tang Tiejin and Ling Yun.
"Are you Chinese?" Tang Tiejin asked tentatively. He was certain this was his first meeting with Golden Miracle, but if Golden Miracle was truly Chinese, he had no reason not to know, even if he was an overseas Chinese. The head instructor quickly racked his brains, trying to recall all the connections and powerful individuals he had made over the years, but none of them matched up.
"Trying to figure out who I am?" Golden Miracle seemed to have guessed Tang Tiejin's thoughts and said with a smile, "This is indeed the first time I've met Wish and Quasimodo, but I've known you, Tiejin, for a long time. It's just that we haven't seen each other for a long time. Do you want to know who I am?"
"Who are you? This voice?" Tang Tiejin looked at Golden Miracle with a grim expression. The composure of a dignified head instructor had long been thrown to the winds. His face grew increasingly dark, as if he were recalling a scene from the depths of his memory. But in the end, he slowly shook his head and lowered his head, saying, "You can't be him. Senior Brother Lu is already dead."
Golden Miracle sneered, "Dead? Yes, you're right, Lu Fengyin is indeed dead. The one here now is Golden Miracle." As he spoke, he gently removed his mask, revealing a face that was still as handsome as a young man's.
Tang Tiejin looked at him, involuntarily took two steps back, and said with difficulty, "Senior Brother Lu, it really is you!"
Chapter 438 Demon
Everyone stared in shock at Tang Tiejin and Golden Miracle. They never expected that this mysterious strongest person was actually Chinese. Even more unexpected was that Golden Miracle and Tang Tiejin were old acquaintances. From their brief conversation, many people had already secretly speculated about the hidden story from back then.
The underground space was silent for a moment, with only the crackling of the flames and the dark creatures continuing their ancient, unchanging acts of prayer and worship, as if even the end of the world would not change them.
"Senior Brother Lu, I never imagined that you were the Golden Miracle. I thought you were dead back then." Tang Tiejin hesitated for a moment, but then let out a heavy sigh.
Golden Miracle said calmly, "When Lu Ximing wanted to kill me, even I thought I was going to die. I never thought that as a father, he would be so cold and ruthless, just because I wanted to compete with you for the position of chief instructor of the China Superpower Headquarters. I didn't listen to him, so he wanted to kill me. Hehe, luckily God had eyes and didn't let me die. Tang Tiejin, now my position is no worse than your position as chief instructor, right?"
"This position should have been yours from the start," Tang Tiejin said sadly. "When Chief Lu wanted to hand over the position of chief instructor to me, I tried my best to refuse, saying that this position should be yours. But he said that you are his son, and it shouldn't be that two generations of fathers and sons are chief instructors. He insisted on passing it on to me. I couldn't refuse. I had originally planned to hand over the position to you after his family member passed away. But I never expected that he would..." At this point, Tang Tiejin had a bitter smile on his face.
Seeing everyone's puzzled expressions, Tang Tiejin thought for a moment, then sighed and explained the whole matter frankly. After all, it involved the true identity of Golden Miracle, and it was impossible to keep it a secret from everyone. Surprisingly, Golden Miracle did not stop him and just listened silently.
It turns out that Lu Ximing, the first head instructor of the China Superpower Headquarters who was once a powerful figure and known as the strongest person in the world, had a son named Lu Fengyin, who is now known as Golden Miracle. Golden Miracle was exceptionally talented and had good fortune, so he was born with a unique advantage and quickly stood out, becoming a super strong person second only to his father. Although Tang Tiejin was Lu Ximing's most outstanding student at the time, he was still far inferior to Lu Fengyin. In fact, no one in the Superpower Headquarters at that time could compare to Lu Fengyin, and Luo Panxi and others were far inferior to him.
Therefore, it is only natural for a son to inherit his father's business. After Lu Ximing's death, the Superpower Headquarters should rightfully be inherited by Lu Fengyin. At least everyone in the Superpower Headquarters has tacitly accepted this, and no one has expressed any dissatisfaction. Lu Fengyin's strength is there for all to see, and he is indeed qualified. Moreover, the Military Commission has also agreed and expressed its opinion. It can be said that Lu Fengyin's rise to power is a foregone conclusion.
However, there was only one person who disagreed with the whole thing, and that was Lu Ximing. This former supreme powerhouse, Hero Invincible, was stubborn and headstrong. Although others had no objections, it didn't mean that Lu Ximing thought the same way. As the founder of the Superpower Headquarters, he didn't like turning the Superpower Headquarters into his own private domain. He insisted on appointing people based on merit, even though his own son met the criteria for promotion. When no one objected or even tried to persuade him, Lu Ximing did something that surprised everyone.
He publicly passed the position of chief instructor to his favorite student, Tang Tiejin, a move that shocked everyone, especially Tang Tiejin and Lu Fengyin.
Tang Tiejin was filled with trepidation. Although he was also very talented, he was far inferior to Lu Fengyin. However, Tang Tiejin had taken each step very steadily, which earned him Lu Ximing's favor. But he did not expect Lu Ximing to do this, which put him in the eye of the storm.
Lu Fengyin was furious. This young and proud genius thought that the position of chief instructor was a sure thing and was full of ambition to make a name for himself. But his father poured cold water on him, shattering all his hopes. The ruthless Lu Ximing not only did not leave him the position of chief instructor, but he did not even leave him the position of deputy chief instructor or instructor.
Lu Fengyin's personality is just like his father's—stubborn and headstrong. He couldn't stand such an injustice and immediately had a big fight with Lu Ximing, saying that he would fight for the position of chief instructor no matter what, and that no one could interfere with or control his affairs.
Lu Ximing was an extremely domineering man who could not tolerate anyone disobeying him. Once he lost his temper, he showed no mercy, not even to his own son. To prevent Lu Fengyin from harming Tang Tiejin, Lu Ximing warned Lu Fengyin three times. Seeing that his son truly disobeyed him, this former strongest man did not hesitate to take action.