490: Chapter 490 Surpassing S-Rank, Establishing an Organization

"Regarding him, a saying has been circulating within the organization."

"Never look directly at him, and even less attempt to approach him, because he is like a black hole, and taking one more glance could cause you to sink into depravity."

Professor Ye Zhiren's voice fell, his tone filled with lingering dread.

After hearing this, everyone's expressions turned grave.

Bailing widened her eyes and couldn't help swallowing a mouthful of saliva.

Pan Wendi, who had originally been leaning lazily against the back of his chair, now straightened his spine and sat properly.

Lin Chuqiao pursed her lips and knitted her brows, clearly pondering ways to deal with such a formidable enemy.

Back at Haoting Hotel, just a sliver of the opponent's consciousness descending was able to construct such a grand and realistic illusion that it could instantly shatter everyone's psychological defenses.

At that time, apart from Fang Cheng, everyone had been bewitched by that sacred yet eerie power, almost coming to a disastrous end.

If the leader of Utopia really came looking for them in person, none of the people present would likely escape unscathed.

After all, just like Fang Cheng, they had all witnessed firsthand the spatial gate descending from the Void Realm, and had also let the other party perceive their own existence.

Although Li Dingjian had not exposed his tracks, at this moment he was gripping his teacup tightly with both hands, looking at his nephew with a heart full of worry.

Meanwhile, Fang Cheng's expression remained as calm as water, with not the slightest ripple visible on his face.

"Professor."

Bailing swallowed and asked cautiously,

"Based on what you're saying, is he still... a Rank S ability user?"

The gaze behind Professor Ye Zhiren's lenses flickered slightly:

"According to the internationally accepted classification standards for ability users, Rank S is indeed already the very top of the pyramid, enough to be revered by major organizations and Family as a stabilizing pillar."

"But among them, there is a small handful of people whose strength far exceeds conventional Rank S ability users, and they are privately called 'Super Rank S' by major factions."

Seeing that everyone was listening intently and seemed not to understand this aspect of knowledge, he paused and explained with a more concrete example:

"If a standard Rank S ability user can rely on their own strength to fight against a well-equipped special forces unit, and even sway the battle situation in small-scale wars,"

"then the destructive power of a 'Super Rank S' is almost equivalent to a moving natural disaster, able to raze buildings and alter the topography of a region within a single thought."

"Such existences cannot be measured by conventional logic; they are walking strategic weapons themselves, worthy of being called national-guarding treasures."

Lin Chuqiao's gaze condensed, and she couldn't help asking further:

"So, that person is a Super Rank S?"

Professor Ye Zhiren shook his head, answering cleanly and decisively:

"No."

Then, taking a deep breath, he said word by word:

"He is even above that."

As soon as these words came out, it was as if a chill suddenly struck.

Everyone involuntarily drew in a cold breath.

Above Super Rank S? What kind of concept was that? A god?

The lounge fell into a dead silence.

Outside the window, a few sparrows landed on the branches in the back garden, chirping away.

The crisp bird chirps penetrated the glass, instead accentuating the oppressive atmosphere indoors even more.

The patches of sunlight cast on the mahogany round table also seemed to have lost their warmth.

Fang Cheng's calm pupils finally flashed with a cold gleam at this moment.

After a long while, Professor Ye Zhiren spoke again, breaking the silence:

"That person is simply too mysterious. Perhaps only the old leader from back then truly knows his background."

"What I know is merely the tip of the iceberg, but what I can be certain of is that seventeen years ago he was already unfathomable. Seventeen years have passed, and now he is only likely to be stronger."

Professor Ye Zhiren looked around, his gaze resting solemnly on everyone's face for a moment, and he exhorted with a solemn expression:

"Moreover, there is one thing I must warn you all: even if you know his name, you must never speak it out."

"Because once it is mentioned, there is a possibility of being detected by his inhuman perception."

"To be safe, before we officially make a move against Utopia, it is best not to excessively inquire about any information concerning him, lest he on a whim perceives our existence along the nether Karma."

Hearing this, everyone nodded one after another, but their expressions grew even graver.

An expert of this Rank was practically a deity walking among mortals.

Once truly targeted by him, I'm afraid even ascending to heaven or plunging into earth would leave no path to survival.

Fang Cheng lowered his eyelids, his palms rubbing against the scalding teacup, and not too much expression could be seen on his face.

But Lin Chuqiao, sitting beside him, could faintly sense a seemingly-existent yet non-existent scorching intent emanating from him.

Her willow eyebrows slightly furrowed, her thoughts turning, and she immediately asked:

"Professor, how should we deal with that person?"

Hearing this, Professor Ye Zhiren sighed softly and did not reply immediately.

He took off his glasses and wiped the lenses with a handkerchief, his movements slow and meticulous.

"For an expert of this level, we can only outwit them; we must never fight them head-on."

After a brief ponder, his voice sounded again, pulling everyone's thoughts back.

"According to the plan I formulated, our first step is to sever his wings and continuously weaken the forces around him."

"Although Utopia is extremely powerful, its core members are very few, and they are scattered all over the place, their connections with each other not being tight."

"Seventeen years ago, in order to seize power, he betrayed the organization, leading to many companions being arrested or dying tragically."

"But similarly, there was also a batch of people who chose to follow him and became his lackeys."

Speaking of this, Professor Ye Zhiren put his glasses back on, his gaze turning sharp:

"These traitors are the best targets for us to strike at."

"As long as we can find them and eliminate them one by one, we can make him lose his eyes, ears, and arms."

"As for how to truly deal with him personally..."

The corners of Professor Ye Zhiren's mouth curved into an icy arc.

"As far as I know, this person is currently plotting a world-shaking major event."

"Once this matter is exposed, it will inevitably violate the bottom lines of various countries, and by then he will naturally become the public enemy of the whole world."

"Hunting down those traitors is both avenging our dead companions and continuously weakening his power, severing his Foundation in secular society."

"More importantly, from the mouths of these people, we can piece together his movements over the years and the truth of the major event he is plotting."

"By then, we can leverage the momentum to have official authorities of various countries take action to encircle and suppress him; we only need to fan the flames in secret, guide public opinion, and make him the target of public criticism."

When Professor Ye Zhiren spoke to this point, a cold radiance flashed behind his lenses:

"That person thinks he has transcended the secular world and stands above all living beings, yet he does not know that what is truly powerful is never individual martial might, but the torrent of the times."

"He thinks he can control everything, but he will eventually discover that even gods cannot resist the will of the entire world."

Professor Ye Zhiren clenched his fists, his voice turning low and filled with hatred:

"Seventeen years ago, it was precisely because of his ambition and madness that the Guangwu Gate tragedy was caused, killing so many innocent people and scattering the members of Utopia to flee in all directions."

"This blood debt must be repaid by him. A monster like him who lost his humanity long ago will ultimately meet his own demise one day."

"What we need to do is dig out the cornerstone of his crazy castles in the air and accelerate his destruction."

Although these words were resonant and filled with strategy and resolve,

an indescribable sense of powerlessness still lingered in the hearts of everyone present.

After all, facing a "god" who could single-handedly take on a national army and might have even lived for hundreds of years,

any scheme seemed so pale.

To truly fight against this kind of terrifying monster, only equally powerful strength would do!

Lin Chuqiao pondered for a moment and spoke:

"Professor, your plan is indeed meticulous, but our most urgent task right now is to hide our identities, erase our whereabouts, and avoid being tracked down by the people of Utopia."

Hearing this, Professor Ye Zhiren nodded:

"I can help with this. I can cast the 'Formless Barrier', shielding Karma and disrupting heavenly secrets for you all."

"You haven't had a direct conflict with that person, and your auras haven't been remembered, so it shouldn't be a big problem."

"What about Fang Cheng?"

Lin Chuqiao's willow eyebrows slightly furrowed, her tone full of worry:

"He actually fought that person head-on, and his aura must have been remembered. What should be done about this?"

Li Dingjian hurriedly nodded in agreement, looking anxiously at Professor Ye Zhiren:

"That's right, Professor. A-Cheng's situation is different. Do you have a way to help him resolve this?"

Bailing then also pleaded:

"Professor, you are knowledgeable and experienced. You must be able to think of a way to help White Ghost solve this trouble, right?"

"A way..."

Professor Ye Zhiren pushed his glasses, showing a difficult expression:

"Some might be worth trying, but even I myself am not sure..."

He lowered his head in thought, his fingers tapping lightly on the table, as if sorting through various possibilities in his mind.

The lounge quieted down once more, and everyone looked toward the professor, their eyes full of anticipation.

Yet Fang Cheng still leaned against the back of his chair, taking a calm sip of tea.

He had his own considerations in mind. To deal with the tracking of an expert of that level, simply hiding was completely meaningless.

Either his strength was strong enough to make the other party hesitate out of fear, daring not to provoke him casually,

or he created a larger situation, making the other party spread themselves thin or feel it unnecessary to expend too much energy on him, thereby buying time to develop.

Just as the atmosphere seemed gloomy, Pan Wendi suddenly slapped his thigh:

"I have a way!"

Hearing this sound, everyone looked at him simultaneously.

Pan Wendi wore an excited expression, as if he had picked up a treasure, and immediately said:

"Make Fang Cheng the matrilocal son-in-law of our Pan Family!"

"You must know that our Pan Family can also be considered a prominent aristocratic clan. I don't believe that person would dare to touch someone from our aristocratic Alliance, unless he doesn't want to mix in the Xia Country anymore in the future."

Hearing this, Lin Chuqiao's expression changed slightly, and she asked with slight vigilance:

"Your Pan Family has a daughter of appropriate age? How come I've never heard of it?"

"My younger sister."

Pan Wendi replied with a matter-of-fact look.

"Where did you get a younger sister from?"

Lin Chuqiao's voice instantly rose by an octave.

"I'm talking about a cousin!"

Pan Wendi winked and chuckled:

"As long as you, cousin, are willing to change your surname to Pan and re-enter our Pan Family's genealogy, wouldn't Fang Cheng be a matrilocal son-in-law? By then, with the Family protecting him, who would still dare to touch him?"

"What nonsense are you talking about!"

Lin Chuqiao's pretty face instantly turned completely red, and she glared at Pan Wendi with a mix of shyness and annoyance.

Then she secretly glanced at Fang Cheng, seeing that his expression was calm, as if he hadn't listened in.

Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief, yet inexplicably a trace of indescribable loss welled up inside her.

Bailing on the side covered her mouth and snickered, and Li Dingjian couldn't help shaking his head and pressing his lips together.

The oppressive atmosphere in the lounge was eased quite a bit by this commotion.

A flash of sharp light gleamed in the depths of Fang Cheng's eyes, and then he said calmly:

"Rest assured, regarding the matter of Utopia's tracking, I have my own solution."

Lin Chuqiao immediately turned her head to look at him, her eyes filled with concern:

"Brother Cheng, is your method reliable? Should you consider it a bit more."

Li Dingjian also couldn't hold back and asked:

"A-Cheng, are you really confident?"

"Mn."

Fang Cheng nodded, his tone resolute.

Although everyone still had doubts, seeing him so confident, they could only choose to believe him.

After all, Fang Cheng had displayed shocking extraordinary strength and had never disappointed anyone.

Seeing this, Professor Ye Zhiren's gaze flickered slightly, and then he pulled the topic back on track:

"In view of our current situation, I have another proposal I want to discuss with everyone."

He slowly scanned everyone present, and said in a solemn tone:

"The threat of Utopia is right before our eyes, and none of us can escape culpability. After experiencing this matter with the Chen Family, we might soon encounter their tracking."

"In the current situation, fighting alone and fighting separate battles will sooner or later lead to being defeated one by one by the other party; there is simply no chance of winning."

"So I think, why don't we officially join forces and form a real team, or rather, an organization with a unified goal."

"Once we band together, we can not only share intelligence and fight collaboratively, but our efficiency will also be much higher when subsequently dealing with those traitors or handling Utopia's investigation, and everyone's safety will also have an extra layer of guarantee."

After hearing the professor's suggestion, everyone couldn't help nodding one after another, feeling it made sense.

Bailing's eyes lit up:

"This idea is great! There is strength in numbers, and at least everyone can look out for each other usually."

Li Dingjian also nodded along, expressing agreement:

"Indeed, only with an organization is there a security guarantee; going it alone is too dangerous."

Seeing that everyone had no objections, Professor Ye Zhiren smoothly looked toward Fang Cheng, soliciting the opinion of this core combat power:

"Fang Cheng, what do you think of the proposal to establish an organization?"

Fang Cheng pondered for a moment and slightly nodded.

Seeing him agree, Bailing excitedly clapped her hands:

"Then what name should we give the organization? It must be catchy, overbearing, and nice-sounding!"

"How about calling it the Avengers Alliance?"

Pan Wendi immediately chimed in first, with a smug face: "You can tell what we do just by hearing it, how imposing!"

"Tsk, how cliché."

Bailing curled her lips and retorted mercilessly:

"This name has almost been used to death, there's not a single bit of originality, change it, change it!"

Pan Wendi wanted to argue unconvincedly.

Just as everyone was discussing all at once, Fang Cheng suddenly gave a light cough.

Everyone immediately quieted down, their gazes casting toward him in unison.

"Actually."

Fang Cheng raised his eyes to sweep across the crowd, and slowly spoke: "I have already established an organization."

"What?!"

Bailing widened her eyes, her face full of pleasant surprise:

"Big Boss, you actually secretly founded an organization a long time ago? What's it called?"

Li Dingjian was also stunned. His own nephew had actually founded an organization without a sound?

Lin Chuqiao looked at Fang Cheng with some surprise, a trace of curiosity flashing in her beautiful eyes.

Meeting everyone's gazes, Fang Cheng then uttered three words:

"Illuminati."