World Version Updates-Chapter 553 - 336: The One and Only Rival in This World
In the bustling underground of City of Four, within a busy mall.
A Spiritual Ability User, cloaked in a large black robe and shrouded in shadow, walked steadily into an old, empty elevator.
His fingers pressed a series of buttons on the elevator control panel in a specific, unhurried pattern.
Accompanied by a slight mechanical friction sound, the previously silent elevator suddenly let out a low hum, then quickly descended into the depths at a heart-pounding speed.
The darkness swiftly passing by outside the window and the whistling wind in his ears both indicated the extraordinary depth of this descent.
After about half a minute, the rapidly moving elevator finally came to a slow stop.
At this moment, he had already descended hundreds of meters beneath the mall into a hidden, enormous cavern.
The elevator door slowly opened with a "ding," and a suffocating mix of sweat, spices, and an indescribable fervor, along with a deafening noise, assaulted his senses.
In front of his eyes was a scene that could only be described as chaotic and eerie.
In this man-made, spacious underground cavern, hundreds to thousands of people, all dressed in black robes, were densely gathered.
They raised their arms, eyes burning with fervor and distortion, chanting the same holy name in a nearly hysterical tone.
"Mother of Immortality, Homeland of Emptiness!"
"Mother of Immortality, Magical Power knows no bounds!"
"It's destined for our White Lotus sect to flourish and save all sentient beings!"
"That false deity who sits on high is nothing but a fraudulent existence deceiving the world! Only the Mother of Immortality we worship is the true deity worthy of ascending the divine throne and ruling all things!"
Among these fervent believers, occasionally more radical and provocative shouts would erupt.
However, no matter how fanatical these followers might appear, and even though this secret cavern hundreds of meters below ground seemed secure and hidden, they still dared not directly mention the name of the Intelligent God revered by Universal Giant Corporation in their speech.
It seemed to be a taboo term, and uttering it would bring unimaginable disaster.
The black-robed Spiritual Ability User who had just stepped out of the elevator was not swayed by the almost frenzied atmosphere around him, nor was he affected by the special scent in the air capable of triggering and amplifying human emotions directly.
He merely stood at the edge of the crowd like a cold observer, using his sharp gaze hidden under the shadow of his hood, carefully scrutinizing those among the black-robed crowd whose fervent expressions concealed a hint of discord and deliberate disguise.
Indeed, there were quite a few Spiritual Ability Users disguised as devout fanatics of the White Lotus sect.
As Spiritual Ability Users who wield extraordinary power, they possessed insight and judgment far beyond that of ordinary people. They naturally understood in their hearts that the so-called Mother of Immortality and Homeland of Emptiness were nothing but names and fictional beliefs deliberately pushed forward by some hidden individuals for some undisclosed purpose.
Yet, they still chose to join this seemingly absurd White Lotus sect, willingly participating in these fervent and blindfolded secret assemblies, even going so far as to disguise themselves as the most devout and fervent believers.
Their motive was all for the sake of the various mysterious items periodically issued by the mystical person claiming to be the Sect Hierarch of the White Lotus sect. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶
Mystical artifacts that could significantly enhance the purity of their Spiritual Energy; precious pills that could greatly reduce the rejection reaction from Spiritual Transformation surgeries; and those peculiar Cultivation Techniques that allowed ordinary people to bypass the harsh Spiritual Transformation and directly sense and initially master Spiritual Energy.
For those Spiritual Ability Users struggling at the bottom of society and lacking resources, these things undeniably posed an irresistible fatal temptation.
For this reason, they were willing to take enormous risks to infiltrate the mixed White Lotus sect, hoping they could gain a share of the spoils.
While the new black-robed Spiritual Ability User quietly observed those around him.
A figure suddenly appeared without warning on a simple platform built with rough stones at the front of the vast cavern.
It was a young man in a spotless white robe, with an exquisite but slightly delicate face.
He stood quietly at the edge of the platform, his long and narrow phoenix eyes scanning the dense crowd below with a gaze that seemed to penetrate the hearts of others.
The newly arrived black-robed Spiritual Ability User was suddenly shocked, his pupils involuntarily constricting sharply!
Despite his keen sense of Spiritual Energy, he had no idea what unimaginable means the white-robed young man had used to appear so abruptly on the platform.
As if he had been standing there all along, or as if he had directly descended from the void.
The pale and delicate white-robed young man on the platform, with a faint, almost invisible smile at the corners of his mouth, slowly spoke, his slightly magnetic voice resonating clearly in every ear present:
