I was the Heavenly Emperor in ancient times

Chapter 19 The Extraordinary

Nangang City.

Underground air-raid shelter.

"Member number two has appeared, member number two has returned on time, and the mission has been successfully completed."

"Member number eight is back in position, one hour later than scheduled. Mission successfully completed."

As one figure after another appeared, joy spread across everyone's face.

At that moment, bad news arrived.

"Number Eight reports that Mission Five has failed. Number Eight witnessed Number Five getting lost in the fog and entering the second stage of alienation."

Only the announcement was heard, and everyone fell silent. Some people sat down and covered their foreheads, perhaps because they knew the members of Squad Five who would never return.

Good news kept coming in, but bad news was also naturally on the way.

"Number 3 is eleven hours behind the scheduled return time of the mission. When Number 2 reported its last contact, it was already showing signs of being disoriented."

Luo Zhen watched as the team members who had carried out the mission returned one after another, or reported missing, but he still couldn't see Lu Gang, nor could he find any new information about him.

A dark cloud seemed to hang over his brow.

More than a day has passed since the field team set off to carry out the cross-border experiment. Luo Zhen has not rested since Lu Gang entered Taoshan Island, and has been waiting there for Lu Gang to return.

As time gradually increased from 24 hours to 48 hours, it seemed to everyone that this was approaching the limit.

"Why hasn't Team Leader Lu returned yet?"

"Is this all the time okay?"

"Based on previous data, the longer one stays in the fog and the deeper one goes, the greater the possibility of problems arising."

"This mission is still too dangerous."

Taoshan Island is no ordinary place; ordinary creatures and people simply cannot survive there.

Although Lu Gang had previously entered that place and survived, all the researchers here understood this.

If a person stays in the mist of Natao Mountain Island for more than a certain period of time, they may cease to be human.

Not to mention.

Lu Gang's mission is to enter the most dangerous core area of ​​Taoshan Island.

Luo Zhen grew increasingly anxious, but he dared not show any sign of his unease.

At this moment, someone came to persuade him: "Team Leader Luo, why don't you go and rest for a while? I can take care of things here."

Luo Zhen shook his head: "I must wait until Lu Gang comes back."

The staff member next to him wanted to continue to persuade them, but at this moment a commotion came from the front, as if there was something new going on.

Luo Zhen stood up abruptly. Although the air-raid shelter was covered with layers of plastic film and protective layers, Lu Gang's figure could still be seen slowly appearing in the deepest part of the shelter through the camera lens.

Luo Zhen wanted to get closer, but at that moment, the staff member next to him stopped him.

He said, "Team Leader Luo, we have to wait a while. We can only make contact after the inspection is completed, and we will need to undergo at least 48 hours of quarantine."

Luo Zhen knew this was a necessary procedure and nodded.

Soon, Luo Zhen met Lu Gang in an isolation room, and the two talked through a glass wall.

However, on the other side of the glass wall was Lu Gang alone, while on Luo Zhen's side there were two other people besides him.

Luo Zhen: "How is it?"

Lu Gang: "I saw Li Jun!"

Luo Zhen was thrilled; he knew this operation would definitely yield great results.

Luo Zhen asked again, "Are you sure he's still human?"

Like Lu Gang, who had just met Li Jun, he shared the same concerns. After being in such a bizarre world for so long, who could be sure what kind of changes a person would undergo?

Judging from Li Jun's various behaviors, his inhuman characteristics are becoming more and more obvious, no matter how you look at it.

Lu Gang said, "I don't know, but at least he still retains his memories."

Luo Zhen pressed further, "Are you sure?"

Lu Gang said seriously, "I'm sure that at least when I last spoke to him, the person I was talking to was a human, not some monster."

Luo Zhen sat up straighter: "Tell me about your experience inside!"

Lu Gang sat in the isolation room and recounted the detailed process of his entry into Taoshan Island.

Lu Gang spoke calmly about the dangers he encountered along the way, but Luo Zhen could tell how perilous they were.

Lu Gang carefully considered the wording of each sentence, speaking somewhat slowly.

He knew that every word he said, even a single word, could affect many things that followed.

When it came to some key points, Luo Zhen and the others present would ask further questions.

Luo Zhen: "Li Jun admitted that he moved the entire Taoshan Island to another space. Are you sure he really has such power? Did he say why?"

Lu Gang: "I'm sure he has such power because I saw it with my own eyes before, and he mentioned the word 'seal,' which means he probably wants to seal these abnormal things away."

After these words were spoken, silence fell outside.

The person to Luo Zhen's left grabbed the microphone: "Team Leader Lu, we'd like to verify with you again, are you sure the Li Jun you saw was really human?"

Luo Zhen and the other two seemed to find it hard to believe that a being in human form could do such a thing. He sat cross-legged under the tree, chanted a spell, and distorted space to change reality.

Lu Gang carefully considered and recalled: "Without discussing the definition of humanity, I am very certain that the person I was talking to was Li Jun."

At the end, Lu Gang presented two items as proof.

Luo Zhen asked, "What is this?"

Lu Gang: "Li Jun said that there is a method to become a witch inside, and another thing is a necessary item to become a witch."

Luo Zhen and the other two exchanged glances: "What is witchcraft?"

Lu Gang continued, "People with extraordinary powers."

At this moment, Luo Zhen could no longer control his emotions and his gaze suddenly fell on the phone and peach branch in Lu Gang's hand.

The other two people standing nearby also stood up at the same time, almost pressing their faces against the window to look at the two items that Lu Gang had just shown.

Luo Zhen couldn't help but say, "Lu Gang, you are the biggest contributor to this operation."

Lu Gang then thought of Li Jun, who was trapped under the phantom of the divine tree. The ghost was so frightened by even a glance from him that he didn't know how the ghost would treat Li Jun, or what the so-called price would be.

Lu Gang lowered his head: "Someone has to do something."

Then, Luo Zhen and the other two turned around.

Some were making phone calls, while others were issuing instructions.

Luo Zhen and the other two knew what the two things Lu Gang brought back meant: one of the cell phones contained something that could change the world.

Perhaps it will not amount to much in the future, but at this moment, it is the spark that can ignite the world, or even the flame that can consume an entire civilization.

After a long time.

The three of them returned to Lu Gang, ready to complete the quarantine measures as soon as possible and retrieve the items Lu Gang had brought out.

Lu Gang stood up and said one last thing.

"When I met Li Jun, I saw something falling from a great height in that void, while at the same time something else was rising from below."

"Li Jun said that what sank down from above was somewhere in the present world. I wonder if it's related to what happened in Kunlun Mountain that you mentioned before."

Luo Zhen's pupils dilated, but before he could ask any further questions, Lu Gang revealed an even more shocking piece of news.

"As for what floats up from below, he guessed it was something from ancient times."

"He said that Zhou Shentong and the Changsheng Temple might bring some things from ancient times into this world, but he didn't know what the consequences would be."

"but."

"He must have foreseen extremely dire consequences when he handed these two items to me."

Just like when Lu Gang heard those words, the three of them instantly felt a chill run through their bodies.

At that moment, someone outside was looking for Luo Zhen.

Luo Zhen said impatiently, "We can talk about it later."

But the person outside said urgently, "Team Leader Luo, something's happened." Luo Zhen then turned around and went outside: "What happened?"

The other person held up their phone but asked Luo Zhen to turn it on: "Look at the notifications on your phone."

Luo Zhen took out his phone and saw that he had received a push notification, which seemed to be a video being pushed across the entire network.

Upon opening the video notification, he saw a handsome Taoist priest in a Taoist robe, a face that Luo Zhen recognized immediately.

"Zhou Shentong?"
-
This is a mountain peak that is isolated from the outside world.

There was nothing but emptiness above, below, left, and right, shrouded in thick clouds and mist. Only a faint light from somewhere overhead allowed one to distinguish up from down.

A Taoist priest holding a white jade whisk stood atop a building near a cliff, looking down at his disciples.

The antique-style pavilions extend down layer by layer to their base, below which lies an endless cliff.

Below the cliff was an endless void, and at this moment, something seemed to be moving in the darkness of that void.

The thing was enormous, like a distant, snow-capped mountain range, only that the mountain was black.

Upon closer inspection, some people even noticed that the "mountain" was moving.

All the disciples of Changsheng Temple who witnessed this scene couldn't help but gasp in shock. They dared not stand on the edge of the cliff any longer and retreated one after another.

"What it is?"

At this moment, Zhou Shentong smiled and slowly uttered two words.

"Candle Dragon."

The disciples were so frightened that they fell to the ground, too afraid to look down.

Zhou Shentong, however, watched with great interest, then turned around and saw his disciples' ridiculous behavior, and couldn't help but laugh.

"What's there to be afraid of? The Candle Dragon has not yet truly appeared in the world; what's below is just an illusion."

"Just a shadow is enough to scare you like this."

"If you all see the Candle Dragon open its eyes later, won't you be scared to death?"

The disciples hurriedly knelt on the ground and said one after another.

"Our master is an immortal reincarnation. We disciples are just mortals with eyes of flesh and blood. How could we possibly see a true god?"

The back of the pavilion is embedded in the cliff, but when you turn around and look at the front, the pavilion transforms into a single-story Taoist temple.

The steps lead down from the main gate of the Taoist temple, passing through a tall gate with the three large characters "Chang Sheng Guan" (Chang Sheng Temple) written on it, making the entire main gate of the Taoist temple look magnificent.

At this moment, the heavy doors of the Taoist temple slowly opened, and a beam of light extended out from the depths of the temple, causing the clouds and mist below to slowly disperse.

At this moment, Zhou Shentong slowly emerged from the light and stood in the center of the Taoist temple's gate.

Then, all the Taoist disciples standing on the steps on both sides of the gate knelt down at the same time, shouting.

"Immortal Venerable!"

Besides these ordinary Taoist disciples, there were also some people who appeared to be wealthy and noble.

These people didn't look very young; most of them were middle-aged or elderly. Yet, at this moment, they were also wearing Taoist robes, mingling among the Taoist priests and novice disciples, bowing and worshipping Zhou Shentong.

After Zhou Shentong's gaze swept over the crowd below, he asked a question.

"Are you ready?"

A tycoon who controlled a trillion-dollar conglomerate immediately came to Zhou Shentong and kowtowed to the ground.

First came a loud shout: "Greetings, Immortal Venerable!"

He then added, "Everything is ready."

Zhou Shentong said, "After this is accomplished, you can join my Changsheng Temple as my disciple, and I will teach you the secrets of longevity and the elixir of immortality."

The man's face was creased with a wide smile: "Greetings, Master!"

Then, one could see instruments and equipment being placed in front of the Taoist temple, with long lines extending from the temple down to the foot of the mountain before disappearing into the clouds.

A large number of highly professional-looking people were operating these instruments, seemingly preparing for a live broadcast, but the level of professionalism went beyond that of a live broadcast and resembled that of a television station.

At this moment, the sacred mountain, the ancient temple, the Taoist priests, and the modern equipment and instruments are all mixed together, creating a sense of time travel that blends the ancient and the modern.
-
People were coming and going on the street.

At that moment, almost everyone's phone rang simultaneously, and many people stopped, took out their phones, and looked at the screen.

This scene gives the impression that the world has been synchronized, and everyone is being controlled by their mobile phones.

"what?"

"A game trailer?"

"What the heck, another ad?"

"Are you bothered?"

However, many people still opened it, and then a live video popped up.

However, what most people don't know right now is that these live streams are being broadcast simultaneously in many countries around the world, and are accompanied by different languages ​​and texts.

The video begins by mentioning the strange virus outbreak from a few months ago, which many people still remember. This immediately piqued the curiosity of many and sparked a lot of discussion.

Six months ago, the double pupil virus infected tens of thousands of people worldwide. All those infected dreamed of lingering images from ancient myths, but governments around the world quickly controlled the spread of the news.

The video showed footage of infected people from all over the world, and these clips were very realistic, some of which many people had seen before.

Then, the crowd began to discuss it amongst themselves.

"Virus?"

"I remember this, it broke out all over the world at the same time, which is very strange."

"Didn't some people say before that this was some kind of doomsday sign?"

"It's really strange that all the infected people around the world had the same dream."

"Wasn't it said that it was only a small-scale transmission and that all those infected have recovered?"

"What does it mean?"

Everyone's attention was drawn to it, but while the beginning could be considered relevant to reality, the video then became increasingly outrageous.

Ultimately, in Nangang City, Li Jun, the man with double pupils, awakened a portion of the power of an ancient immortal god.

The first image shows Li Jun sitting with a large number of patients taking a photo.

Then comes the scene of Li Jun sitting cross-legged on an altar, surrounded by figures dressed as immortals and gods, and Taoist priests, the whole scene filled with mystery.

Finally, the camera zooms in.

Li Jun opened his eyes, his pupils splitting into two.

Next, there was a scene of Li Jun transforming into a Feathered Clan and fighting against the Wood Clan. This time, it was not only not a cut version, but it also showed every detail of the battle from multiple perspectives, including the most brutal and bloody scenes.

The footage of the battle between superhumans immediately stirred up memories for many online, as the video had previously gone viral online and was still fresh in many people's minds not long ago.

The previous video was blurry and edited, but this one is completely different. The video even shows the time and location, and introduces the person's exact name for the first time.

Names like Li Jun and Tao Limin appeared one after another, and many people had even met or knew these people.

"Holy crap, I've seen this video before."

"This can't be true, can it?"

"Wasn't it a lie?"

"But it doesn't look real. Didn't this virus really appear before? It even had people's names, times, and places listed, making it seem real."

“I checked, and the group photo of the virus patients in Nangang City is real. There is indeed an infected person named Li Jun in the photo. However, Li Jun’s information and name can no longer be found online, but his appearance is exactly the same as the person in the video.”

"Could there really be superhumans?"

"This power is outrageous!"

"It can even fly! This is Superman!"

People who initially closed the link thinking it was an advertisement or a game expansion were prompted to reopen the link and watch it again after seeing others discussing it as potentially true.

Zhou Shentong is trying to put Li Jun in the spotlight. It's unclear whether he's retaliating against Li Jun for his previous deception or trying to use a real example to announce the arrival of the extraordinary era to everyone.

It proclaims the existence of extraordinary individuals.

(End of this chapter)