Chapter 166 Ending the Battle
His body was full of energy. Chu Hang could feel that if he absorbed any more, he would not be able to bear it.
He patted his stomach and looked around.
The city was a mess, with ruins everywhere and towering pillars of light. In the distance, two Kryptonians were still fighting, making a loud noise.
He turned his gaze to the energy beam that was still working, raised his hand, and made a virtual grip in that direction.
The world engine stopped operating.
The beam of light that stirred the city's gravity also disappeared with it.
The metal parts and screws that made it up disintegrated into basic particles at the same time, dissipating into the air.
Cars and building debris that had been swept into the sky lost their support and crashed back to the ground like rain.
The battle in the distance also stopped.
Zod and Superman both stopped, looking in this direction uncertainly. They both felt that the huge energy source had disappeared.
Chu Hang took a step and appeared between Zod and Superman.
His sudden appearance made the atmosphere on the scene even more tense.
Zod and Superman both had injuries and were panting heavily. But this man was clean, and no energy fluctuations could be felt from him, like an ordinary person.
But an ordinary person couldn't make the world enginedisappear.
"Who are you?" Zod asked warily, his voice hoarse.
Chu Hang didn't answer immediately. He first glanced at Superman next to him, his gaze lingering on the "S" symbol on his chest for a moment. Then he turned to Zodand spoke calmly.
"The one who came to end all of this."
This answer made Zod's face sink. He couldn't feel any power from this man, which made him feel very uneasy.
He stopped asking questions, and two red heat rays shot out from his eyes, heading straight for Chu Hang's head.
"Be careful!" Superman warned, he had seen this person a while ago.
But the next second, he saw an incredible scene.
The two heat rays stopped less than a meter away from Chu Hang, as if hitting an invisible wall, and then silently dissipated.
Zod felt a fear from the bottom of his heart.
He gave up the test, mobilized all the power in his body, and his figure disappeared from the spot.
The air let out a sharp whistle, and he punched Chu Hang's heart at an extremely fast speed. This was his strongest attack, combining pure speed and strength.
But in Chu Hang's eyes, Zod's movements were very slow.
He didn't even bother to dodge, just raised his right hand.
[Law Domain]
Zod, who was moving at high speed, suddenly felt as if he had crashed into a sticky space. The surrounding air became like cement, and every inch forward was incredibly difficult.
He could feel his muscles burning, but his fist could only move forward at an extremely slow speed.
He could only watch as Chu Hang extended an index finger and touched his fist, which could no longer advance an inch.
There was no sound when the two touched.
Zod, however, trembled all over.
He felt that the connection between himself and the power from the Yellow Sun in his body had been severed.
Power quickly receded from his body.
He changed from a god to an ordinary Kryptonian.
Earth's gravity acted on him again, and he fell helplessly from the sky.
"Boom!"
Superman hovered in the air, completely unable to understand what had just happened. General Zod, who could suppress him a second ago, was just knocked down from the sky by a man with one finger.
Zod crashed onto a deserted street, kicking up a lot of dust.
Chu Hang didn't pursue, or even look down at him. He withdrew his finger and looked at Superman.
"What are you staring at?" Chu Hang said, "Your opponent is there, the battle isn't over yet."
Superman then reacted. He glanced at the unfathomable Chu Hang, and then at the dusty street below, his eyes complex.
He didn't know if this person was a friend or foe, but the other party did give him a chance.
He took a deep breath, suppressed the shock in his heart, and turned into a stream of light, rushing towards the direction where Zod fell.
Chu Hang remained still, quietly suspended in place.
He could clearly hear everything on the street below.
Zod struggled to climb out of the rubble. He wanted to re-mobilize his power, but found his body empty. Although he was still stronger than an ordinary person, that world-destroying power was gone.
He looked up and saw Superman landing in front of him, and for the first time, despair appeared in his eyes.
"What did you do to me?!" He roared at Chu Hang in the sky.
Chu Hang did not answer.
Superman looked at his powerless compatriot, with no joy of victory in his eyes, only sorrow.
"It's over, General."
Zod, however, laughed, laughing madly: "Over? No, Kal-El, as long as I can breathe, this is not over!"
He suddenly pulled out a Kryptonian dagger from his waist and launched his final charge like a wounded Beast.
Superman easily dodged to the side and chopped Zod's wrist with a hand knife.
"Clang."
The dagger fell to the ground.
Immediately after, he grabbed Zod's shoulder and held him down tightly. Zod, who had lost his strength, was completely defenseless in front of him.
Just then, at the other end of the city, the energy output of the last world engine reached its peak.
A thicker blue beam of light shot into the sky, and the entire Planet's magnetic field began to fluctuate violently.
Chu Hang frowned. The modification method of this engine seemed to be more destructive, like a self-destruct.
He raised his hand again, ready to deal with it as he had before.
But halfway through raising his hand, he stopped.
He perceived that next to that world engine, in a building that was about to collapse, a family was trapped.
Superman obviously heard their cries for help too.
He glanced at Zod, who was pressed beneath him, and then at the destructive beam of light in the distance and the faint cries for help beneath the beam, his face showing pain and struggle.
Zod saw his hesitation and laughed madly: "Go save them, Kal-El! Go! In the time it takes you to save them, this Planetwill become Kryptonian! You can only choose one!"
Chu Hang found this kind of either-or situation very boring.
He just glanced in that direction.
The next second, the four people in that building were enveloped in an invisible energy bubble, disappeared from the spot, and appeared in a safe square a few kilometers away. The family was still in shock, looking around blankly.
Having solved this small trouble, Chu Hang's gaze once again turned to Superman and Zod.
Superman was also stunned. He perceived that the family was out of danger, but didn't know who did it. He looked at Chu Hang in the sky, his eyes full of questions.
Chu Hang ignored his gaze, just said indifferently: "Now, you can focus on making your choice."
Without the hindrance of the hostages, Supermanbreathed a sigh of relief. He looked at Zod, who was still struggling beneath him, and his eyes became firm.
"I won't kill you, General. But you must pay for your actions."
He punched Zod in the back of the neck.
Zod grunted, then completely passed out.
Having dealt with Zod, Superman immediately soared into the sky, preparing to destroy the last world engine.
But Chu Hang's figure blocked his way.
"That one is mine."
Chu Hang pointed to the beam of light in the distance, his tone unquestionable.
Chapter 167 The Gift of the World Engine
Chu Hang landed in front of the last world engine.
This thing was much larger than the previous one. Its core was half-buried underground, with five stories exposed. Its surface was covered in Kryptonian script and glowing energy lines, dense like blood vessels.
Superman landed behind him, but stood at a distance.
"What are you going to do?"
Chu Hang didn't answer, took a few steps closer, and placed his hand on it.
The metal was cold, but the touch was strange. Its density was extremely high, and its molecular structure was arranged in a perfect geometric pattern—not any alloy found on Earth.
More importantly, he could feel the energy within the machine.
This energy was different from the previous one. The previous one was merely a gravity field generator; this one was more complex. It wasn't just modifying Earth's physical structure; it was also attempting to rewrite the fundamental rules of this area.
Chu Hang closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking in.
The core of the world engine was a miniature black hole, perfectly contained by Kryptonian technology. Surrounding the black hole were twelve layers of energy shields and thirty-six gravitational nodes. The entire system was incredibly precise, with every component executing a preset program.
But there was a crack in the system.
Between the seventh and eighth layers of the shield, there was a subtle fluctuation—a hidden danger left by Zod's forced power increase to accelerate the process.
The crack was widening.
In less than half an hour, the system would lose control. By then, this machine would become a ticking time bomb, capable of destroying half of Metropolis.
Superman clearly also realized the danger. He stepped forward, preparing to destroy the machine with brute force.
"Don't move." Chu Hang opened his eyes.
"It's about to explode," Superman said. "I need to get it into space."
"You can't move it." Chu Hang was certain. "The core of this machine is connected to Earth's magnetic field, unless you can lift the entire Planet."
Superman froze.
"And even if you could move it, if it exploded in mid-air, the Impact would be ten times greater than on the ground."
Chu Hang turned and looked into Superman's eyes: "Listen to me, stand back."
Superman hesitated for a few seconds, then took a few steps back, but didn't fly away. He clenched his fists, ready to respond to any emergency.
Chu Hang placed his hand back on it.
This time, he didn't use brute force, but rather his newly stabilized Law of Strength domain.
An invisible force field spread from his palm, silently infiltrating the world engine. This force field was not aggressive; it merely observed, recorded, and understood.
He was learning.
The operation of Kryptonian technology, the path of energy flow, the method of black hole containment—every detail was absorbed into his mind.
Then he acted.
The Law of Strength domain began to invade the core control system.
It wasn't a forceful destruction, but a gradual infiltration along the energy circuit pathways, like precise surgery—using the Law of Time to slow down the spacetime flow around the black hole, using the Space Law to stabilize the crumbling crack, and using the Law of Strength to rebalance the energy distribution between the twelve shield layers.
The world engine emitted a low hum.
The blue energy beam began to contract, changing from violent to stable.
Superman watched this scene, his eyes complex. He could feel that this man was doing something even the top Kryptonian scientists might not be able to do.
But he was unsure of the other party's purpose.
"What exactly do you want?" Superman couldn't help but ask.
Chu Hang didn't answer.
His attention was entirely focused on the interior of the world engine. As his Law of Strength domain deepened, he discovered something even more valuable.
At the deepest part of the black hole, a core data segment of Kryptonian civilization was hidden.
It contained knowledge about the fundamental rules of this Universe. The Kryptonians had spent tens of thousands of years summarizing a complete theoretical system. They divided the power of the Universe into seven layers: the physical layer, the energy layer, the rule layer, the conceptual layer, the source layer, the dimensional layer, and the topmost existence layer.
The operating principle of the world engine was based on the manipulation of the rule layer. It achieved planetary geological modification by adjusting the physical constants of local areas.
This discovery instantly clarified Chu Hang's thoughts.
He had always thought his Law of Strength domain had touched the essence of power. But now it seemed that the six Laws he controlled were still at the rule layer.
There were three more layers above that.
Excitement flashed in Chu Hang's eyes.
He continued to dig deeper, wanting to obtain more information about the conceptual layer and above. But just then, the world engine's defense system activated.
A piercing alarm sounded in his mind.
The energy shields around the core black hole suddenly all contracted, attempting to squeeze out his Law of Strengthdomain. At the same time, all thirty-six gravitational nodes activated, generating a powerful repulsive force.
This was a self-protection mechanism. The system determined that an external consciousness had invaded the core data and was executing a purge program.
Superman noticed the anomaly. He saw the energy circuits on the surface of the world engine suddenly dim, followed by a more violent energy fluctuation erupting from within.
"Be careful!"
He instinctively rushed forward, wanting to pull Chu Hangaway.
But before his hand could touch the other party, he was bounced away by an invisible force.
Chu Hang stood still, only frowning.
"Interesting."
He hadn't expected the Kryptonians to set up such strong protection on the core data. This protection wasn't against physical attacks, but against mental invasion.
But unfortunately, this system was designed for Kryptonians.
Chu Hang was not a Kryptonian.
He mobilized the Law of Spirit within him, rewriting his consciousness from an invader to a maintainer.
In the world engine's judgment system, he was no longer a threat, but a technician repairing a fault.
The defense mechanism was instantly disarmed.
Chu Hang's consciousness once again delved into the core. This time, there was no hindrance; all databases were open to him.
Tens of thousands of years of Kryptonian civilization's accumulation flooded into his mind like a torrent.
Matter reconstruction technology, inter-stellar navigation systems, life code editing methods, and the most core part—the understanding of the Universe's primal power.
Chu Hang quickly filtered this information. Most of it was not very useful to him; he didn't need to build spaceships, nor was he concerned with modifying genes. He only wanted things that could elevate his own power level.
Then he found it.
Deep within the database, there was a file marked 'Top Secret'. The file recorded seven powerhouses in Kryptonianhistory who had broken through to the conceptual layer, along with their insights.
One passage made Chu Hang pause.
"The power of the rule layer comes from controlling how the World operates. The power of the conceptual layer, however, is making the World operate according to your will. The difference between the two is that the former is tampering, and the latter is defining."
Chu Hang repeatedly chewed on this sentence.
He could now rewrite rules within his Law of Strengthdomain, but the domain was only ten thousand meters in diameter, and in the DC Universe he could only affect less than a thousand meters.
Outside this range, he had to abide by the Universe's original rules.
Conceptual layer powerhouses, however, could project their will over a wider range, even affecting the entire Universe.
They weren't changing rules; they were creating rules.
Chu Hang suddenly understood why he felt suppressed in the DC Universe.
The fundamental essence of the Universe here was different from Marvel, with its own set of operating Laws. The six Laws he brought were merely products of the Marvel Universe's rule layer.
Here, they were out of place.
But if he could break through to the conceptual layer, the situation would be completely different. By then, he would no longer be limited by specific Law forms, but would be able to directly define the concept of power itself.
Understanding this, Chu Hang's eyes became more focused.
He continued to read. The file detailed the breakthrough methods of the seven powerhouses, but each person's path was different. Some gained enlightenment through meditation, some had epiphanies during life-or-death battles, and others forcibly broke through with external aid.
But there was one commonality.
They all found their own core concept.
The core concept of the first powerhouse was Immortality, the second was Destruction, and the third was Creation. Each concept represented the purest form of will, and also the foundation of power.
Chu Hang fell into contemplation.
If he were to choose a core concept, what would it be?
Immortality? He didn't lack lifespan.
Destruction? Too singular.
Creation? He wasn't interested in creation.
He recalled his journey. From the initial panic on the World War II battlefield, to replicating Wolverine's Healing Factorto survive, and then accumulating abilities step by step, ascending to a God-King.
His purpose in doing all of this had always been singular.
To become stronger.
Not for protection, nor for destruction, but simply to wield greater power.
This was greed, but also the purest desire.
A smile appeared on Chu Hang's lips.
He found his core concept.
Greed.
Not the short-sighted greed, but the endless pursuit of power, knowledge, and all possibilities. This concept perfectly aligned with every choice he had made since his transmigration, and was also the fundamental driving force that kept him moving forward.
Chu Hang took a deep breath, deeply engraving this thought into the depths of his consciousness.
He didn't immediately attempt a breakthrough. Conceptual layer advancement was not an overnight matter; it required long-term accumulation and precipitation. But at least now, he had a clear direction.
He copied all valuable information from the world engine's core database, storing it in the consciousness space constructed by the Law of Spirit. Then he began to deal with the machine in front of him, which could explode at any moment.
Now that he understood the operating principle, solving it was simple.
Chu Hang used Reality Warping to directly erase the crumbling energy crack around the black hole. Immediately after, he used the Space Law to detach the miniature black hole from the gravitational nodes, sealing it separately in an independent space bubble.
The world engine, stripped of its core, was like a heart removed.
The massive machine let out a final mournful whine and completely ceased operation.
The glowing energy circuits quickly dimmed, and the Kryptonian script on the surface also lost its luster.
Chu Hang released his hand, looking at the machine turned into scrap metal, feeling quite good.
He not only gained core knowledge of Kryptoniancivilization but also conveniently took the miniature black hole. This thing might come in handy later.
Superman slowly descended beside him, looking at the now harmless world engine, then at Chu Hang.
"What did you do to it?"
"Dismantled it," Chu Hang replied simply. "I took the core; the rest is just scrap metal, you can dispose of it as you wish."
Superman was silent for a few seconds, then asked the question that had been bothering him for a long time: "Who exactly are you?"
Chu Hang turned, looking at the young Kryptonian, covered in wounds and with sincere eyes.
"A passing traveler," he said. "I came here to borrow something, and now that I've borrowed it, I'll be leaving soon."
"Borrow something?" Superman frowned. "You borrowed the core of the world engine; that's power that can destroy a Planet."
"Don't worry, I'm not interested in destroying Planets." Chu Hang shrugged. "I only need its energy and technical data."
He paused: "And if I hadn't intervened, do you think you could have stopped two world engines?"
Superman opened his mouth, but ultimately didn't refute. He knew very well that without this mysterious man's intervention, the outcome today would have been completely different.
"You are very strong," Superman said seriously. "Stronger than anyone I've ever seen."
"You haven't seen enough people," Chu Hang said faintly. "In this Universe, there are many stronger than me. For example, Darkseid, for example, the Anti-Monitor, and even your God of Justice, they are not to be trifled with."
When he spoke these names, his tone was as calm as if he were remarking on the good weather.
But Superman felt a chill.
He understood the implied meaning in the other party's words—in this man's eyes, those beings called gods were just opponents to be dealt with carefully.
"I will remember you." Superman looked deeply at Chu Hang.
Chu Hang smiled, and said nothing more.
He looked up at the sky, feeling the energy of the newly acquired miniature black hole and the knowledge of Kryptonian civilization within him.
This trip to the DC Universe yielded more than expected—Kryptonian physique, Speed Force, the world engine core, and most importantly, the direction for conceptual layer breakthrough.
Chapter 168 Deep Sea Search
Chu Hang pushed open the apartment door and closed it behind him.
The room was quiet.
He walked to the center of the living room and sat down cross-legged. The floor was a little cold, but he didn't mind. What he needed to do now was more important—to digest what he had obtained from the Kryptonian spaceship.
The entire core database of that spaceship was in his mind.
The amount of information was overwhelming.
It was like someone had crammed all the books from a library into his head. If he didn't organize it, every time he wanted to retrieve a piece of information, he would have to search the entire database. That would be too inefficient.
Chu Hang closed his eyes.
His consciousness sank into the consciousness space he had built using the Law of Spirit.
This space was originally only the size of a fist, but now it was expanded to the size of a basketball court by the Kryptonian data. Countless light spots floated in the dark void, each representing a piece of information. They were densely packed, making his head ache just looking at them.
He began to classify them.
He threw material science data to the left. Energy technology data went to the right. Life engineering data was tossed into a corner—these things were not very significant to him at this stage, so he would deal with them later.
His main focus was on content related to the Universe's power levels.
The insights left by the seven Kryptonian powerhouses who had broken through to the conceptual level were extracted by him and placed in the very center of his consciousness space. These were the true treasures.
Three hours later, the organization was complete.
Chu Hang opened his eyes and stretched his neck. His joints made a slight popping sound.
The Kryptonians' understanding of the Universe was indeed profound, but it also had limitations. They followed a technological path, analyzing the World with equipment and formulas. This path went very far, but it got stuck at the conceptual level.
Because the conceptual level didn't require rational analysis.
It required Will.
Even the most precise instruments couldn't measure how strong this 'Will' thing was.
This thing couldn't be quantified or represented by data. So the Kryptonians stagnated at this level.
Chu Hang stood up and walked to the window.
The night view of Metropolis unfolded below. Thousands of lights, traffic like weaving threads.
But he wasn't looking at it; his mind was on something else.
He had found a record in the Kryptonian database.
A very interesting record.
Thousands of years ago, the Kryptonians sent out an exploration team to survey the resources of the various Planets in the solar system. Earth, because it had primitive life, was listed as a Planet to be developed. But in the deep ocean, the exploration team detected abnormal energy fluctuations.
This energy did not belong to Earth's native civilization.
The exploration team investigated further and discovered an ancient civilization existing on the seabed. Its name was Atlantis.
This civilization mastered a unique way of energy utilization, completely different from Kryptoniantechnology. More importantly, the Kryptonians detected a weapon in their ruins.
The energy fluctuations emitted by this weapon reached the peak of the rule level, even showing traces of the conceptual level.
The archives referred to it as the "Abyssal Trident."
However, the exploration team ultimately gave up on further exploration because the Atlanteans showed strong hostility, and there were powerful individuals guarding the ruins. After evaluation, the Kryptonians decided the benefits were not worth the risk and withdrew.
Chu Hang was very interested in this trident.
Not because of how strong it was—he didn't lack offensive means now. Various Laws, various abilities, any one of them would be enough.
He was interested in why this weapon could reach the edge of the conceptual level.
If he could thoroughly study it, it might help him break through.
Moreover, he just happened to need a handy weapon.
Previous battles relied on Law domains and various abilities. But these methods consumed a lot of energy. If he had a weapon as a medium, he could release power more efficiently.
Chu Hang made up his mind.
He would go to the bottom of the ocean.
He walked to the balcony, didn't hesitate, climbed over the railing directly, and leaped down.
A height of thirty stories.
The wind whistled in his ears. The ground got closer and closer. Pedestrians below looked up and saw the scene, screams erupted.
But before the crowd could disperse, the falling figure suddenly stopped three meters from the ground.
Suspended in the air.
Chu Hang ignored the terrified gazes below. His body turned into a golden stream of light, soaring straight into the night sky.
He needed to first determine the exact location of Atlantis. The Kryptonian archives only had approximate coordinates, which were not precise enough. He had to find it himself.
Flying to an altitude of twenty thousand meters, Chu Hangstopped.
Closing his eyes, he extended his perception.
His super hearing was fully engaged.
All the sounds on Earth flooded his mind. The roar of car engines, the chatter of crowds, the rustling of wind through leaves, the crash of waves against rocks.
He quickly filtered out useless information.
Focusing his attention on the ocean.
The Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean.
He swept through the sounds of the three great oceans one by one.
The flow of Water, the movement of fish schools, the low rumble of underwater volcanoes.
Found it.
In the Atlantic Ocean, at a depth of about four thousand meters. There was an area with very peculiar sounds.
The Water movement there did not conform to ocean current patterns. It was as if it was constrained by some kind of force field. And there was a faint but rhythmic vibration coming from the seabed.
That was the resonant frequency of a large architectural complex.
Chu Hang opened his eyes, locking onto the direction.
He dove down.
When he entered the sea, he didn't stir up any splashes. A thin spatial membrane formed on his body, isolating the seawater.
This not only avoided resistance but also prevented him from being detected by marine life.
The descent speed was very fast.
Three hundred meters. One thousand meters. Two thousand meters.
The light grew dimmer and dimmer. The water pressure increased. But these had no effect on Chu Hang. His Kryptonian physique allowed him to survive in much harsher environments.
At three thousand meters deep, he slowed down.
Traces of artificial structures began to appear on the seabed.
Regularly arranged megaliths. Stone pillars covered with seaweed. And statues half-buried in the sand.
These buildings had a very ancient style, carrying the solemnity of a mythical era. The stone pillars were carved with incomprehensible characters, and the statues depicted mermaid hybrids—human torsos with fish tails.
Chu Hang didn't stop.
He continued to descend.
Three thousand five hundred meters.
A group of glowing fish swam past him, completely unaware of his presence.
Further ahead, a huge monstrous fish appeared. At least twenty meters long, with a mouth full of sharp teeth.
The fish suddenly turned.
And swam towards Chu Hang.
It seemed the spatial membrane could block sound and aura, but it couldn't block the special perception of some creatures.
The monstrous fish opened its huge mouth, revealing three rows of serrated teeth. It bit fiercely at Chu Hang.
Chu Hang raised his hand and pointed a finger at its forehead.
The monstrous fish's movements suddenly stopped, as if a pause button had been pressed. Then its body began to retreat, swimming backward. Its speed increased, and in a blink, it disappeared into the darkness.
That was a minor application of the Law of Time.
Chu Hang had rewound the individual time of this fish by thirty seconds. So it returned to its position thirty seconds ago.
Having dealt with the trouble, he continued to descend.
Four thousand meters.
The view suddenly opened up.
A huge city appeared on the seabed.
Chu Hang stopped at the edge of the city. He didn't enter rashly.
The scale of this city was beyond imagination. The architectural complex stretched for tens of kilometers, composed of countless domed palaces, spires, and arched bridges.
The building material was not stone, but some kind of translucent crystal. It glowed with a faint blue luster under the dim light.
In the center of the city was a particularly tall palace. It was golden all over, with a giant glowing sphere embedded at the top. That sphere was like an artificial Sun, illuminating the entire sea area.
Creatures were moving on the streets.
They were Atlanteans.
Their figures were similar to humans, but their skin was pale blue or greenish-blue. Their hair floated in the Water, like seaweed.
Some rode giant seahorses, others piloted mechanical fish, shuttling through the city.
Chu Hang extended his spiritual perception, scanning the entire city.
The population was about three hundred thousand. Most were ordinary residents, with very weak energy fluctuations. But there were a few particularly prominent individuals.
More than twenty beings with energy reactions far exceeding ordinary people were distributed throughout the city. The three strongest of them were in the central palace.
He wasn't in a hurry to contact these powerhouses.
His immediate priority was to find the Dark Trident.
The Kryptonian archives mentioned that the trident was hidden in the ancient ruins of Atlantis. But this city was clearly a modern Metropolis, not ruins.
Chu Hang retrieved the coordinate data left by the Kryptonian exploration team and compared it with the location of the city before him.
Incorrect.
The coordinates were off by about fifty kilometers.
The real ruins were in a deeper part of the sea.
Chu Hang bypassed the city and continued to descend.
Four thousand five hundred meters. Five thousand meters. Five thousand five hundred meters.
This depth already exceeded the endurance limit of ordinary submersibles. The pressure was so great it could flatten steel into a pancake. But the spatial membrane on Chu Hang's body was completely unaffected, still firmly isolating the seawater.
Six thousand meters.
The seabed topography underwent drastic changes.
Ahead was an abyss-like trench. The cliffs on both sides were sheer, as if split by a giant axe. The trench was over a kilometer wide, and it was pitch black inside.
Even his Kryptonian vision couldn't see the bottom.
Chu Hang stopped at the edge of the trench.
He frowned.
This place gave him a very uncomfortable feeling. A faint but strange energy fluctuation, carrying an aura of decay and death, emanated from the trench.
He hesitated for two seconds.
Then still flew in.
Descending five hundred meters, the light completely disappeared. Chu Hang's eyes emitted a faint golden glow—this was the night vision ability of his Kryptonianphysique.
The cliffs on both sides of the trench were covered with murals.
The content was very bloody.
The images depicted war. Two armies battled on the seabed, bodies piled up like mountains. One side of the war was the Atlanteans, the other was some kind of deep-sea monster—with an octopus head and a human body.
In the last mural, a tall figure holding a trident stood on a mountain of corpses.
The trident was pitch black, and its tip burned with an eerie black Fire.
Around that figure, all living creatures had turned into withered bones.
Chu Hang looked at this painting and confirmed that it was the Dark Trident. This thing not only killed enemies but also stripped away life force.
He continued to descend.
Seven thousand meters.
The bottom of the trench finally appeared. It wasn't a flat seabed, but a ruin.
Chu Hang landed at the edge of the ruins.
Under his feet were broken stone slabs.
This was once a temple. Broken pillars were slanted into the seabed, walls had collapsed into fragments, and the roof was gone. But the temple was huge; its foundation alone covered thousands of square meters.
The architectural style was completely different from the modern city above.
The stone here was rougher, the carvings more primitive. It exuded a barbaric aura from ancient times.
Chu Hang walked into the center of the temple.
There was a huge circular groove on the ground. Ten meters in diameter, about three meters deep. The bottom of the groove was carved with complex runes, mostly covered by seaweed and shells.
But Chu Hang could feel a faint energy residue beneath the runes.
He squatted down, placing his hand on the runes.
The energy was very ancient, existing for at least thousands of years.
Its nature was somewhere between magic and technology. It was neither purely mystical power nor entirely physical Law. It was more like a fusion of the two.
Interesting.
Chu Hang stood up and looked around.
The trident was not in the temple. But the Kryptoniancoordinates showed that the target was in this area.
He closed his eyes.
His spiritual perception was fully engaged.
Found it.
Directly beneath the temple, two hundred meters deep in the seabed, there was a sealed space.
The sealing method was very clever. It used spatial folding technology. From the outside, it looked like an ordinary seabed, but in reality, that area was folded into an independent dimension.
And a spiritual interference spell array was attached to the seal.
Ordinary people approaching it would experience intense fear, instinctively wanting to escape. Even if their Will was strong enough to resist the fear, they would be confused by the spatial folding and would never find the entrance.
But these methods were useless against Chu Hang.
He himself was an expert in playing with the Space Law. And the Law of Spirit was one of his six core Laws.
This seal, in his eyes, was like a door made of paper.
Chu Hang raised his hand, his five fingers forming a loose grip.
Space began to twist.
The seabed surface rippled, like water hit by a pebble. The ripples grew larger and larger, finally forming a vortex. A crack opened in the center of the vortex, revealing a dark passage below.
Just as the crack was about to fully open—
Chu Hang suddenly stopped.
He felt something watching him.
It wasn't from the surrounding sea, but from further away. The gaze was very subtle, hidden behind some kind of detection magic. But it was still captured by his spiritual perception.
Chu Hang didn't look back.
He merely said faintly, "Have you seen enough?"
His voice, transmitted through spiritual fluctuations, crossed tens of kilometers of ocean and accurately reached the ear of the observer.
A few seconds later, the peeping disappeared.
Chu Hang's lips curved into a smile.
It seemed Atlantis placed great importance on this ruin, having set up surveillance spell arrays. His actions of breaking the seal just now must have been seen clearly by them.
Chapter 169 Lord of the Abyss
At the bottom of the trench, Chu Hang stood at the edge of the newly torn spatial rift.
The edge of the rift was still trembling slightly, like the wound of a living creature, and a chill emanated from below, which was the aura of Death.
He was not in a hurry to go down.
Although the feeling of being spied on had disappeared, Chu Hang knew very well that the other party must still be nearby. Most likely, they were already gathering people, preparing to come and cause trouble.
It didn't matter; by the time those guys arrived, he should have already gotten the trident and left.
Chu Hang leaped into the rift.
The falling sensation was very strange. It wasn't ordinary freefall; it was more like being dragged down by an invisible force. Space twisted and turned around him as he passed through a seemingly endless tunnel, surrounded by chaotic grey mist.
Three seconds later, his feet finally touched solid ground.
Opening his eyes, the surrounding scenery had completely changed.
This was not the seabed.
Under his feet was dry, black rock ground; above his head, there was no seawater, only a thick, impenetrable darkness. Giant stone pillars stood all around, each over ten meters in diameter, extending upwards into the darkness at the edge of his vision.
The surface of the stone pillars was covered with eerie patterns, like ancient writing, yet also like blood vessels. A faint dark red glow emanated from the patterns, adding a touch of malevolence to this space.
The air was filled with a foul stench, a mixture of blood and decay.
Chu Hang surveyed his surroundings and quickly made a judgment.
This was an independent space, meticulously carved out from the seabed by someone with extremely advanced techniques. The space itself was very stable, lacking the fragility of ordinary independent dimensions that could collapse at any moment.
The person who could create this space was definitely not weak.
They had at least reached the Skyfather level peak, and possibly even touched the threshold of a single Universelevel.
Chu Hang stepped forward.
His footsteps echoed in the empty space, creating strange, overlapping reverberations. There was nothing between the stone pillars; the ground was bare, not even a single gravel could be found, as if it had been deliberately cleaned.
After walking about fifty meters, an altar appeared ahead.
The altar was circular, about twenty meters in diameter, built from black rock.
There were thirteen steps in total, and each step was carved with lifelike skull reliefs.
The skulls had empty eye sockets and wide-open mouths, as if letting out silent screams.
At the top of the altar, a trident was plunged in.
That was it.
The trident was entirely black, with wisps of black mist subtly Entanglement around its shaft. Its three prongs pointed straight up, and faint black flames flickered at their tips.
Chu Hang could clearly feel that the energy fluctuations emanating from this weapon indeed reached the Skyfather level peak. Moreover, the nature of the energy was very special—it wasn't purely offensive energy, but more like the materialization of an abstract concept.
Death.
The core concept represented by this trident was Deathitself.
Chu Hang lifted his foot, preparing to ascend the altar.
As his foot just touched the first step—
The entire altar began to tremble violently.
No, it wasn't just the altar trembling; the entire space was shaking.
The red patterns on the surface of the stone pillars suddenly brightened, like lit fuses, their light spreading upwards along the pillars, finally converging at the base of the altar.
A voice echoed through the space.
The voice was deep and hoarse, as if squeezed from the deepest part of a throat, carrying an aura of decay.
"A living person... How many years has it been... that a living person dares to step into the domain of the Lord of the Abyss..."
Chu Hang stopped, his gaze sweeping towards the source of the voice.
The black rock at the base of the altar began to writhe. It wasn't melting; it was twisting and expanding in a way that defied physical laws. The rock seemed to come alive, finally coalescing into a humanoid silhouette.
The silhouette gradually became clearer.
It eventually transformed into a gigantic figure nearly three meters tall.
This thing was entirely shrouded in tattered black robes, its face obscured, only two points of crimson light visible beneath the hood, which must have been its eyes.
It held a strangely shaped scythe in its hand, the blade crescent-shaped, and its body densely covered with twisted runes.
"Who are you?" Chu Hang asked calmly.
The robed figure did not answer immediately. It scrutinized Chu Hang from head to toe, its crimson eyes showing clear confusion.
"You... possess many kinds of power... Space, Force, Time... and... Life?"
The robed figure's voice suddenly became sharp, like fingernails scraping glass.
"Impossible! Life and Death are opposing Laws! How can you control both at the same time?!"
Chu Hang didn't respond.
He hadn't comprehended the Law of Life, but when he copied Ego's life form, a strange fluctuation might have been the Law of Life.
He was now accustomed to these so-called impossibilities; the superpower copier itself was a rule-breaking existence, allowing him to constantly copy and fuse various Law powers.
The Law of Life came from Ego, and the Law of Deathcame from Hela.
The robed figure seemed to realize something.
"I understand now... You are an outsider. An outsider not belonging to this Universe."
It raised its scythe, pointing it at Chu Hang.
"No wonder you dared to come here. No wonder you could find the entrance to this space."
"You came for the Dark Trident."
Chu Hang nodded.
"That's right."
He didn't bother to deny it. Since he was already here, what was the point of playing dumb?
The robed figure let out a low laugh, like a muffled thunder from deep within its chest.
"Interesting... truly too interesting... It has been ten thousand years, a full ten thousand years, and no living being has dared to step into this domain."
"You are the first."
"And you will be the last."
As the words fell, the robed figure fiercely swung its scythe.
There were no fancy moves, no complex Law fluctuations. It was just a simple horizontal sweep.
But Chu Hang's expression changed.
He clearly felt that along the trajectory of the scythe, space was silently disappearing. It wasn't being cut open, nor was it being shattered; it was being completely erased.
That part of space simply vanished from both the material and Law levels simultaneously.
A high-level application of the Law of Death—existence erasure.
Chu Hang did not meet it head-on.
He activated the Speed Force, transforming into a golden-red lightning bolt, and escaped the scythe's attack range.
The next second, he appeared ten meters behind the robed figure.
Without pause, Chu Hang raised his hand and waved.
The Space Law was activated.
Dozens of spatial rifts appeared around the robed figure, cutting towards it from various angles. Each rift contained enough power to cleave a Planet.
The robed figure didn't even turn its head.
It merely tightened its grip on the scythe.
A black ripple spread out from the scythe, like ripples on water.
Wherever the ripple passed, the spatial rifts created by Chu Hang collapsed and dissipated.
"Useless effort."
The robed figure turned around.
"Death is the end of all things. No matter how many Laws you control, before Death, everything will eventually return to nothingness."
Chu Hang narrowed his eyes.
Troublesome.
This guy's understanding and application of the Law of Death far surpassed Hela's.
Hela's Law of Death leaned more towards combat and killing, while this robed figure's Law of Death was closer to the conceptual essence—the end of all things.
If it were his earlier self, at the initial Skyfather level, he might indeed have had trouble dealing with it.
But now, it was different.
Chu Hang took a deep breath, and the energy fluctuations around him began to climb.
Kryptonian physique, operating at full power.
Tesseract energy, fully released.
Law of Strength, Space Law, Law of Time, Law of Reality, Law of Life... Dozens of Law powers activated simultaneously within his body, forming a vast and complex energy network, each Law like a thread, finally weaving into a giant net covering all things.
Chu Hang's aura directly broke through the Mid-Tier Heavenly Father Level, infinitely approaching the Skyfather level peak.
The robed figure's laughter stopped.
"So that's it... You don't just control Life and Death... You are... a multi-Law fuser?"
"How is this possible?!"
For the first time, genuine shock appeared in the robed figure's voice.
"Multi-Law fusion was proven impossible at the dawn of the Universe! Different Laws will repel and annihilate each other! No life can withstand such a conflict!"
"What kind of monster are you, after all?!"
Chu Hang did not answer.
He raised his right hand, and a chaotic energy sphere appeared in his palm. The surface of the energy sphere shimmered with various colors of light, each color representing a Law.
Law of Strength—purple.
Space Law—blue.
Law of Time—green.
Law of Reality—red.
Law of Life—gold.
Law of Death—black.
Six major Laws, plus dozens of auxiliary abilities, all compressed into this single energy sphere.
"Let's see if you can take it."
Chu Hang gently pushed the energy sphere forward.
The energy sphere's flight speed was not fast; it could even be described as slow. But wherever it passed, space automatically made way, and time seemed to stand still.
The robed figure did not evade.
It raised its scythe, pouring all its Law of Death into it. The black flames on the scythe surged dozens of times, transforming into a black pillar of light that blotted out the sky, striking towards the energy sphere.
The two forces collided in mid-air.
There was no anticipated explosion, no deafening roar.
Only a very brief silence.
Then, the entire space began to collapse.
It wasn't ordinary spatial shattering, but a disintegration from its very foundation. The Law foundation that constituted this independent space directly collapsed under the impact of the two forces.
Chu Hang spread a spatial shield to protect himself.
The robed figure also retreated immediately, constructing a protective barrier with the Law of Death.
The collapse lasted for a full ten seconds.
When everything settled down, Chu Hang found himself no longer in his original position. Most of the surrounding stone pillars had collapsed, and several huge cracks had appeared in the altar, but the Dark Trident remained firmly embedded at the top of the altar.
The robed figure stood on the other side of the altar, its robes showing multiple tears.
It stared at Chu Hang, its crimson eyes flickering.
"You won."
Unexpectedly, the robed figure actually admitted defeat proactively.
"I cannot stop you."
Chapter 170 The Dark Trident
Chu Hang didn't move.
He stood rooted to the spot, his eyes fixed on the Black-Robed Person.
This guy conceded too quickly. To guard this cursed place for ten thousand years, it was impossible for him not to have a backup plan.
The Black-Robed Person spoke, "You are stronger than me."
He raised a hand and pointed to the top of the altar.
"But not everyone can use the dark trident."
Chu Hang raised an eyebrow, "Go on."
"The one who forged this weapon was the first king of Atlantis. He poured all his understanding of the Law of Death into this divine artifact."
The Black-Robed Person's voice was very low.
"Want to use it? First, endure the erosion of the Law of Death. Your soul will be eaten away little by little, eventually becoming nourishment for the trident."
Chu Hang listened, his expression calm.
The Black-Robed Person's voice carried a hint of something else, like anticipation, yet also pity: "Over ten thousand years, thirteen people have found their way here. Those of your level, or even higher, all kinds of levels."
He paused for a moment.
"They all died. Their souls trapped in the trident, never to escape."
Chu Hang listened intently.
There was indeed a sound. Faint wails came from deep within the altar, as if from an extremely distant abyss. Those sounds, a mix of pain, despair, and regret, sent shivers down one's spine.
"Are you sure you want to take it?" the Black-Robed Person asked, his voice laced with an eerie excitement.
Chu Hang was expressionless: "Are you done talking?"
The Black-Robed Person was startled.
"I'm done."
"Then shut up."
Chu Hang walked directly up the steps.
He didn't care about any erosion. He already had the Law of Death copied from Hela within him; the Law of Death in the dark trident was indeed stronger and purer, but that was all.
For others, it was poison; for him, it was a tonic.
Chu Hang ascended the steps, one by one.
Thirteen steps, each two meters high. He reached the top in a few strides.
The steps were covered in ancient texts and patterns, recording the history of the trident and the fate of its users. In some patterns, people were swallowed by the trident, turning into a black mist.
Some texts warned latecomers not to touch this cursed weapon.
Chu Hang didn't even look.
Standing on the altar, the trident was right before his eyes.
Up close, this thing was larger than imagined. The shaft was two and a half meters long, entirely black, of unknown material. Dark red patterns flowed on its surface, like congealed blood. These patterns sometimes twisted into the shape of a human face, sometimes into various strange designs, as if alive.
The three prongs were arranged in a triangle, each as thick as an adult's arm. Black flames danced at the tips; the temperature wasn't high, but the aura was extremely dangerous. Just standing nearby, Chu Hang could feel an invisible pressure, as if something was trying to tear his soul apart.
The air around the altar had solidified. The temperature had dropped below freezing point at some unknown time, and Chu Hang's breath condensed into white frost.
Chu Hang reached out and grasped the shaft of the trident.
As soon as his fingers touched it—
A massive stream of information surged into his mind.
A powerful being's understanding of the essence of Death, the crystallization of countless years of battle and contemplation, a complete path from the rule level to the conceptual level.
Those insights, like a torrent, carried endless killing intent and the aura of Death, directly impacting Chu Hang's core consciousness.
The amount of information was too vast. It was like someone had directly crammed an entire library into his head, and with a high-pressure water gun at that.
Chu Hang's consciousness briefly went blank.
His vision blurred, his ears rang, and even his breathing stopped. He could feel his brain overloading, countless neurons firing at high speed, trying to process this immense information.
At the same time, the trident began to retaliate.
The black flames on the shaft surged, climbing up his arm. Where the flames passed, his skin rapidly turned white, the blood in his veins seemed to be drained, and his life force drained away at an alarming rate.
The powerful defense of his Kryptonian physique was useless against this erosion, and the Law of Body of the Marvel Universe could not stop this erosive force; the Law of Death acted directly on the essence of life.
The dark trident would actively devour the user's life force and soul until it was completely drained.
Chu Hang's right arm had already turned pale, like a corpse that had been dead for several days, and the black flames continued to spread, climbing up his shoulder and moving towards his chest.
Chu Hang didn't let go.
The Law of Time within him automatically activated, continuously replenishing the devoured life force.
The Celestial life form from Ego made his life essence far surpass that of ordinary beings.
As long as his core remained, his life force was almost infinite. Golden life energy surged within him, forming a tug-of-war with the black flames.
No matter how quickly the trident devoured, it couldn't keep up with his recovery speed.
The two forces began a tug-of-war. Chu Hang's right arm constantly shifted between black and gold, and complex patterns appeared on the surface of his skin—these were the traces of the Law of Life and the Law of Death, hidden within him, clashing.
The Black-Robed Person watched from below, his voice tinged with schadenfreude: "I warned you. It's too late to regret now. You will be completely devoured by the trident, just like those thirteen fools before you."
He paused, then continued: "However, that you can last this long does surprise me. The previous ones collapsed within three seconds of touching the trident. You've already lasted almost a minute."
Chu Hang ignored him.
He closed his eyes, focusing on the tide of information in his mind.
Those knowledges were not words, not images, but pure insights into laws.
How to make Death transform from a phenomenon into a rule, how to elevate a rule to a concept, how to make Death an absolute existence.
Each insight condensed countless years of combat experience and contemplation, containing unimaginable value.
This was the legacy left by the first king of Atlantis.
An old monster who had lived for countless years, finally compressed his lifelong learning into this weapon. He used his soul and understanding of laws to forge this divine artifact, and also set the most vicious curse upon it—anyone who wished to use it must first endure all the pain he had experienced in his life.
Chu Hang's consciousness began to sink.
The surrounding scenery gradually blurred; the altar disappeared, the Black-Robed Person disappeared, leaving only endless darkness. His consciousness was dragged into a special space, the World inside the trident.
He saw a figure standing in the endless darkness.
It was a tall man, clad in ancient armor, holding a trident in his hand.
His face was obscured by shadow, but his eyes glowed terrifyingly, like two burning stars.
The armor was covered with the marks of war: sword slashes, burn marks, and deep, bone-exposing claw marks. This was a king who had fought his way through countless battlefields.
"A living person?"
The man spoke, his voice deep.
"Or, another one coming to die?"
Chu Hang didn't speak. He was observing.
This man was not a living being; he was a conscious imprint remaining in the trident.
Similar to a weapon spirit, but more advanced; it was not just a program or instinct, but a remnant soul that retained a complete personality and memories.
The man chuckled: "You are calm, aren't you? But it's useless, anyone who dares to touch this weapon will eventually become a part of it."
"You too."
He waved his hand, and thirteen figures emerged from the darkness.
There were humans, Atlanteans, and several monsters whose races were unidentifiable.
They all maintained their postures from before Death, their faces filled with fear and despair.
Some had their hands clutched to their heads, as if enduring unimaginable pain.
Some had wide-open eyes, their eyeballs almost falling from their sockets. Still others had their mouths agape, as if letting out silent screams.
"Do you see? These are all former challengers. Their souls have already become part of the trident."
The man took a few steps closer, and only then did Chu Hang clearly see his face. It was a weather-beaten face, covered in wrinkles and scars. Most striking were his eyes, bottomless, as if they could see through everything.
"You will be the fourteenth."
Chu Hang finally spoke: "I don't think so."
The man was startled.
"Interesting." He stopped, "What makes you so confident? Law-level power? Or, those messy abilities within you?"
He paused: "I can feel that you possess many kinds of power. Time, Space, Strength, Reality... These powers are strong, but also very disorganized. You lack a core, like a pile of loose sand."
"In this state, you simply cannot resist the trident's erosion."
Chu Hang didn't reply.
The Law of Death within him began to operate.
The divine power of Death from Hela, the Law of Strengthfrom the Power Stone, the Reality Warping from the Reality Stone—three powers activated simultaneously, weaving into a complex network of laws. This network was not for defense, but for absorption.
The Death erosion surging from the dark trident struck this network.
And then—it was absorbed.
Not resisted, not isolated, but actively absorbed.
The Law of Death within Chu Hang was like a Beast that had been hungry for a long time, frantically devouring the trident's energy. Those Death energies that were originally meant to erode him now became his nourishment.
The man's expression changed.
"You—"
He looked at Chu Hang, and for the first time, shock appeared in his eyes.
"You also have the Law of Death within you? No, not just have it, you've already integrated it into your own power system?"
Chu Hang opened his eyes: "Not just Death."
As soon as his words fell, six colors of light burst from his body.
The blue Space Law, the red Law of Reality, the purple Law of Strength, the orange Law of Soul, the green Law of Time, and the yellow Law of Mind.
Six laws operated simultaneously, forming a massive energy field around him. These six laws were not isolated; they were interconnected and mutually reinforced, forming a complete system.
The man gasped.
"How did you do that?"
He had lived for countless years and seen innumerable powerful beings. But someone like Chu Hang, who simultaneously mastered six laws, was a first for him.
Normally, a person mastering one law was already impressive. Two laws made one a genius, and three laws could be called a monster.
Six?
This was beyond common sense.
Even more terrifying, Chu Hang not only mastered these six laws, but he also combined them. This combination was not a simple Overlay, but rather made the six laws mutually support and transform each other, forming a nearly perfect cycle.
"No wonder you dared to take the trident." The man took a deep breath, "You didn't come to seek power; you came to perfect your own power system."
Chu Hang nodded: "You're not entirely blind."
The Law of Death within him began to frantically absorb the energy from the trident. Those Death energies that were originally meant to erode the user were now all transformed into his own power.
Hela's Law of Death was just a foundation; the Law of Death in the dark trident was the true essence.
Chu Hang could feel his understanding of Death rapidly increasing.
What is Death?
Not the end of life, not the disappearance of existence.