The moment the name "Tie Lao" was uttered, everyone's expressions changed.
"Are you referring to the former head of the General Bureau, Tie Lao?"
Someone exclaimed in surprise, which was then confirmed.
Now, everyone finally understood their reaction. This was their former boss!
How could someone who held that position have a strength below the seventh layer? Furthermore, no matter how strong Hei Zi's Black Dragon was, it was only the third-in-command on their side, while Tie Lao was the former number one of the General Bureau!
This disparity in status was also reflected in their strength levels.
Everyone showed joy.
After receiving further confirmation from the Sword Master, the camp leader proactively stated, "Prepare for battle! Heavy Cannon is returning, we need to clear a path for him."
Only then did someone cautiously ask, "By the way, why is Tie Lao called Heavy Cannon? Was that his former江湖 nickname? But we've never heard of it?"
This was the thought on most people's minds. The more experienced elders began to explain, "Heavy Cannon was Tie Lao's alias in the underground world before he became the head of the General Bureau. His reputation was no less than Tie Lao's prestige within the General Bureau."
"Back in the day, Camp Three was taken down by Heavy Cannon single-handedly!"
"The safe zone you enjoy today was also expanded by Heavy Cannon for you!"
These words, like stones thrown into a calm lake, instantly stirred up a tempest.
"Damn, no way, why have we never heard of such an incredible figure?"
"Exactly, such a legendary figure. I've been here for decades and never heard anyone mention him."
"Is there some secret behind this?"
After the initial shock, confusion set in.
Logically, such glorious achievements should have warranted a monument in Camp Three, but the reality was that those who came later had never heard of such a thing!
For a moment, everyone exchanged glances, and finally turned their gaze towards the leader of the camp.
As the true boss here, he couldn't possibly not know these things. Why wasn't it widely publicized? He must have known the inside story!
Seeing their inquiring gazes, the camp leader sighed and slowly said, "Since you all want to know, I'll talk about this old senior today."
"But I'll say this upfront: no matter how you view him after hearing this, you absolutely must not show any disrespect when he arrives!"
The camp leader said this last sentence with extreme seriousness and solemnity. Before everyone could react, he added grumbling,
"Damn it, this guy beat up the entire high-level management of the General Bureau back then. Although he's old now, it's still a question of whether I can beat him or not. I don't want to get beaten up by someone at my age."
Everyone understood the camp leader's personality. Although he appeared carefree and was very easygoing with his subordinates, he was a stubborn person at heart!
Even he said such things, just how terrifying was this person?
Everyone secretly swallowed a mouthful of saliva, filled with anticipation for the master who was about to arrive.
After saying this, the camp leader continued, "As you may have guessed, Heavy Cannon should have had a monument erected here. However, after taking office, he did something that all of us in the camp found unforgivable."
Everyone's brows furrowed, and they held their breath, gazing at the camp leader.
"After he took office, to consolidate his position, he compromised with the upper echelons, forcing all of us in the camps to endure a desperate Black Spirit Period!"
A desperate Black Spirit Period?
As everyone pondered in confusion, the camp leader slowly recounted what had happened that year.
First, why Elder Tian could ascend to the position of General Director was naturally inseparable from the strong support of the people in the camps.
It was important to remember that the underground world was crucial for all cultivators, and cultivators held the fate of humanity in their hands.
In a sense, this underground world was closely linked to the fate of humanity.
Under such circumstances, the status of those who remained in the camps was easily understood. Although there weren't many true high-level officials from the General Bureau, their influence almost affected the decisions from above!
And it was under these circumstances that Tie Lao, after becoming the General Director of the General Bureau, made the Desperate Black Spirit Period incident his first act.
Back then, Tie Lao was a force to be reckoned with in the camp, suppressing Hei Zi's faction to the point where they felt uneasy even staying in their own camps.
However, in order to successfully take his position, he ultimately left the underground world. Hei Zi's side, upon receiving this news, immediately launched their first counter-attack, which was the fuse of the entire incident.
At that time, the Death Storm was erupting, and Hei Zi, taking advantage of the natural advantage of the Black Spirit Period, forced all the humans in the underground world to stay within their camps, not daring to show their faces.
And this was just the beginning.
Everyone initially thought that with the protection of the camp's spiritual barriers, they would immediately counter-attack during the Black Spirit Period, showing them that even without Tie Lao, humanity could still suppress them!
However, on the second day of the Black Spirit Period, Hei Zi's side suddenly brought out three terrifying mutated beasts from who knows where!
Each of them was equivalent to a human expert at the eighth layer! Moreover, they did not disperse the mutated beasts but concentrated their attacks on Camp Three, which Tie Lao had single-handedly conquered.
This was naturally a way to regain face, but regardless, they succeeded.
Under the fierce onslaught of the three mutated beasts, the spiritual barriers could not hold on for long before being completely breached, and the war between humans and Hei Zi instantly entered a white-hot stage.
Here, the camp leader educated everyone about a forbidden drug: Black Crystal.
This was a drug specially developed by humans to fight Hei Zi during the Black Spirit Period. However, its materials were found in the underground world, and it had a significant side effect.
If Black Crystal was taken, and the corresponding antidote was not taken within twelve hours, or half a day, the user would be unable to resist the invasion of the Black Spirit. Furthermore, if Black Crystal was taken again during this period, it would accelerate this process!
The camp leader sighed deeply at this point, "After Camp Three was breached back then, all of humanity in our underground world launched a general offensive against Hei Zi."
"This war lasted for a full day and night. Although we succeeded in driving Hei Zi back in the end, the cost was an eighty percent casualty rate for our human side."
Eighty percent casualties!
What did this mean?
Firstly, those who could enter were at least experts above the third layer, which could be considered the backbone of humanity. In the underground world, the proportion of those above the fifth layer accounted for seventy percent!
An eighty percent casualty rate meant cutting down more than half of humanity's entire peak combat strength!
The underground world was equivalent to the endgame of a game, hosting almost all of China's top experts!