Chapter 273: Advancement! Single Universe level!
Avengers Base, three hundred meters underground.
In the core of a quiet room cast from Vibranium and Urumetal, Chu Hang suspended himself three feet above the floor.
The light of thirteen laws flowed and intertwined around him, like a church stained-glass window about to shatter under internal divine light pressure.
Golden Space, purple Power, green Time, red Reality... each glow represented a cornerstone of the Universe. However, one of the most rebellious streaks of golden-red flame—the remnant Phoenix Force from another Universe—was like an imprisoned stellar behemoth, constantly battering the cage formed by the other twelve laws.
Balance was on the brink of collapse.
Cold sweat broke out on Chu Hang's forehead as his consciousness sank into that violent sea of law stars within his body.
He could feel that with every heartbeat, the Phoenix Forcelet out an angry roar; merely suppressing it had nearly exhausted his entire mind.
A loss of control three days ago had almost caused this power to ignite the Earth's core, turning the entire Planetinto cosmic dust.
He needed a vessel, a furnace capable of containing the fire of creation.
And his other self was on the other side of the Universe, searching for the answer.
Just then, Chu Hang's eyelid twitched violently. In the deepest layers of the dimensional fabric, a wisp of aura sharing the same source as him was returning at a speed exceeding light and causality.
The Clone was back, carrying an ocean of energy sufficient to birth an entirely new Universe, overbearingly pushing aside the barriers between the Multiverses.
Chu Hang opened his eyes, and in those bloodshot eyes from the strain of suppression, a smile finally ignited.
***
Outside the quiet room.
Tony Stark stared intently at the monitor screen, having forgotten the existence of the cup of coffee by his hand that had long since gone cold. After three days and nights of watching, heavy dark circles hung on his handsome face.
Beside him, Thor tightly gripped stormbreaker. The six Infinity Stones embedded in the axe blade emitted an uneasy, rhythmically erratic shimmer, as if warning of some cataclysm they themselves could not comprehend.
Strange floated in mid-air. The eye of agamotto on his chest was no longer spinning steadily but trembling violently like a startled eye; green time-light sand leaked from it, only to be instantly smoothed over by an invisible force.
In the corner, Nathan, a youth from the future, crouched on the ground. On the holographic panel on his wrist, the data stream had already collapsed, leaving only countless distorted, meaningless symbols jumping frantically.
Suddenly, an indescribable "silence" descended.
It wasn't the disappearance of sound, but rather a higher-dimensional existence crushing everything in Reality with its own "weight." The vibration came from the foundations of the dimensions, silent and soundless, yet making everyone's Soul tremble.
The coffee cup in Tony's hand slipped soundlessly, decomposing into basic particles before hitting the ground, quietly annihilating.
"Jarvis, report!"
"Sir... I... cannot report." For the first time, Jarvis's voice stuttered and distorted, as if his logical core were being throttled by an invisible giant hand. "An... an energy is arriving. Its very existence is rewriting the physical constants in my database. Planck's constant is fluctuating; the speed of light... the speed of light is no longer a constant. Sir, calculation... is meaningless."
Thor let out a roar, raising his axe above his head. The light of the six stones erupted instantly, attempting to prop up a safe domain. He had seen his father, Odin, in his prime, and had faced Thanos wielding the Infinity Gauntlet. But what he felt now was entirely different. It wasn't the pressure of the strong over the weak, but a kind of... a kind of daze and insignificance, like a single note facing an entire symphony.
"This power..." Thor's voice was incredibly strained, "It's not that it's stronger than my father; it's... something else."
Strange's eye of agamotto went completely wild. His eyes reflected billions of futures, all of which were swallowed, covered, and rewritten by a golden-red sea of light at the same instant. "I cannot see the future," he whispered, cold sweat dripping from his forehead. "All possibilities have flowed into the same... no, that's not a river, that's a star that burns everything."
Nathan's panel finally stopped flickering. All the garbled code on the screen disappeared, replaced by an ultimate symbol he had only seen in the Council of Kangs' highest top-secret archives, representing "incomprehensible, immeasurable, and unmatchable."
"Ω - ∞"
In all the history he knew, recorded by the Council of Kangs across countless timelines, no existence had ever triggered this code.
The door to the quiet room, forged from Vibranium and Urualloy, began to emit a mournful hum. It wasn't being struck by an external force; rather, the metal atoms composing it were beginning to disintegrate from within before a higher level of power, as if a mortal's faith collapsed instantly upon witnessing a miracle.
No cracks appeared on the door.
It simply... became transparent. Golden-red light seeped out from behind the door, soft as morning sunlight. Yet this sunlight caused everyone's Soul to feel a burning sting.
In the next second, the Vibranium door vanished soundlessly like a wisp of blue smoke.
Chu Hang walked out from behind the door.
But he wasn't quite the Chu Hang they knew. Beneath his skin, it was as if molten stars were slowly flowing. His eyes were no longer human pupils but two slowly rotating, burning nebulae.
"The Clone is back."
His voice was calm and waveless, but every syllable was like a neutron star, heavily striking the depths of everyone's Soul.
A spatial rift tore open on the ceiling of the quiet room without warning. It wasn't a physical crack, but a gash torn into Reality itself. On the other end of the rift was a sea of energy churning with golden and red light-flames.
A figure identical to Chu Hang stepped out slowly.
Clone.
The energy storm surrounding him was more than ten times more violent than the main body's. Golden cosmic energy and red Phoenix fire intertwined behind him into a pair of giant wings that blotted out the sky. With every flap of the wings, it seemed as if a cycle of cosmic birth and death could be stirred.
"I'm back," the Clone said, looking at the main body with a smile. "I brought some gifts."
The main body nodded and reached out his right hand. The Clone also reached out his hand.
The two palms touched lightly in mid-air.
At that moment, the World lost all sound and color.
No, not lost. Rather, they were replaced by a new, unique "sound and color."
An indescribable sound of creation centered on the point of contact. Instead of spreading outward, it rang out simultaneously in every corner of the Universe.
On Earth, the auroras of the North and South Poles instantly covered the globe, a seven-colored light curtain gently enveloping every inch of land. The ocean tides came to a complete standstill at this moment, as if holding their breath to listen.
Within the solar system, Jupiter's Great Red Spot quietly dissipated, turning into a warm sea of clouds; the billions of meteorites on Saturn's rings vibrated together, playing a silent cosmic wind chime.
In the Milky Way Galaxy, at a stellar nursery in the Orion Arm, tens of thousands of protostars were ignited simultaneously at this instant, bursting with a light more brilliant than the galactic core.
A black hole about to swallow its companion star saw golden-red ripples appear on the edge of its event horizon, as if lightly brushed by an invisible hand.
In the deeper reaches of the Universe, countless galaxies, as if by prior agreement, slightly oriented their axes of rotation toward that unremarkable blue Planet in the Milky Way Galaxy.
On the cosmic microwave background radiation map, that ancient warmth of creation flickered into an unprecedented, perfectly harmonious new pattern.
On the dark side of the moon, the body of Uatu the Watcher trembled slightly for the first time beyond his control. He saw a future he had never seen before—a future that could not be recorded, only looked up to.
Galactus, who was in the middle of devouring a dead Planet, stopped his feeding. He felt a new source of energy, more majestic and pure than all the Worlds he had ever devoured combined, rising in his perception.
Within the quiet room, the tidal wave of energy was no longer a storm but a rapid expansion of existence itself.
Thor's divine power shield was like an ice cube thrown into the Sun, evaporating instantly. He and his axe were violently blown away.
Hundreds of magic circles in front of Strange were like sand paintings blown away by a gale, annihilating one after another. He coughed up a mouthful of golden blood, his figure retreating violently.
Tony's armor overloaded and burned out in an instant, while Nathan was directly knocked unconscious by the shock.
At the center of the storm, the Clone's body turned into a stream of pure golden-red consciousness, slowly merging into the main body along their touching palms.
At that moment, Chu Hang's consciousness was expanded like never before. He no longer felt power; he became power.
The Clone's memories merged with his. The ten thousand years of loneliness watching a star decay into a white dwarf merged seamlessly with the afternoon sunlight of drinking cola with Tony on Earth.
The thirteen laws within him were no longer prisoners keeping each other in check; they found their respective homes at this moment, together composing a new movement of creation.
Space was his skeleton, time his pulse, power his blood, Soul his breath, and the Phoenix was his never-ceasing, eternally burning heart.
His Life form was leaping. Every cell was decomposing and then reorganizing in a new form based on energy rather than matter. His consciousness extended infinitely, passing Earth, passing the solar system... finally, he felt as if the entire single Universe had become the air he could breathe, a part of his body.
Above the long-collapsed ceiling of the Base, a giant golden-red Phoenix phantom with a wingspan covering the entire solar system slowly folded its wings composed of countless newborn galaxies, letting out a long and peaceful cry.
That cry was a declaration, and also a reassurance.
It smoothed out all the law ripples generated in the Universe due to the advancement, bringing the imbalanced physical constants back to stability and returning the startled stars to their orbits.
Then, the giant bird turned into a streak of light and entered the space between Chu Hang's eyebrows.
Heaven and Earth returned to silence.
Chu Hang opened his eyes. His pupils returned to their normal black, but if one looked closely, they would find countless stars flickering and flowing in those pitch-black depths, as if an entire Milky Way had been compressed into them.
He looked down at his hands, no different from an ordinary person's.
But he knew that every one of his atoms was now a miniature, self-sufficient energy singularity.
Single Universe level.
He could clearly feel that his relationship with this Universe had reversed. In the past, he was a traveler in the Universe; now, wherever his will reached, he was the law of the Universe.
Chapter 274: The Tacit Understanding of the Creation Gods
Like a drowning man finally breaking free from the giant hands of the deep sea, the terrifying pressure that was enough to crush the Soul suddenly dissipated.
Tony gasped for air, his armor's Life support system working frantically. He stood up by leaning against the wall and looked toward the meditation room.
Thor knelt on one knee, propping himself up with stormbreaker. The King of Asgard's face was pale.
Strange sat directly on the ground, the light of the eye of agamotto extinguished.
Chu Hang walked out of the meditation room.
Black hair, a gray T-shirt, and jeans. He looked no different from usual.
But Tony knew it was different. Just now, the armor's sensors had captured nothing. It wasn't that the data had zeroed out, but that the sensors had lost their meaning.
Chu Hang walked up to them, stopped, and looked around.
The Vibranium door of the meditation room was gone. It hadn't been destroyed; it had simply evaporated. The underground Base was full of cracks, the light tubes on the ceiling had all burst, and only the armor's emergency lights flickered in the darkness.
Tony opened his mouth to speak but didn't know what to say.
Chu Hang raised his right hand.
Tony blinked.
The ground beneath his feet was restored to a perfectly intact alloy floor. The lights overhead were on, the cracks on the walls were gone, and the coffee cup that had just shattered stood whole on the table, the coffee still steaming.
Tony reached out and touched the cup. It was real.
Strange stood up abruptly, the eye of agamotto spinning frantically. But he saw nothing. No traces of time reversal, no fluctuations of spatial repair, and no magical residue.
Matter had simply restored itself out of thin air.
No, it wasn't restoration. Strange's expression was grim. This was a redefinition. Chu Hang simply felt that this place should be intact, and so it was.
Thor's hand holding the axe was trembling. He had lived for fifteen hundred years, seen his father Odin's power at his peak, and seen Thanos collect all six stones. But he had never seen power of this level.
Because this wasn't power at all. This was a gap in existence itself.
Chu Hang walked up to Tony, picked up the cup of coffee, and took a sip.
Tony took half a step back.
Chu Hang smiled and put the cup back on the table.
The coffee changed from black to light brown.
Tony was stunned for a moment, leaned in, and sniffed. A latte. It had clearly been an Americano just now.
Chu Hang shrugged:
"I think you should drink less Americano; it's bad for your stomach."
Tony's lip twitched. This guy had casually changed the composition of the coffee. It wasn't a magic trick, but a direct modification of its definition.
Strange found his voice:
"What exactly are you now?"
Chu Hang thought for a moment:
Chu Hang walked up to them and, instead of answering directly, he asked in return, "You know that the Infinity Stones represent the six fundamental laws of the Universe. But does the Universe only have six laws?"
He held out his palm. Above it, no energy gathered, but it seemed to reflect a deep starry sky.
"I am no longer borrowing the power of the Universe." Chu Hang's tone was light, but it struck the three of them like a heavy hammer. "Every one of my cells is a miniature star; every breath is the birth and Death of a set of laws. I no longer need to 'control' the Universe because I myself am a walking miniature Universe."
Thor gripped stormbreaker. This god who had lived for fifteen hundred years had witnessed the majesty of his father Odin as the All-Father and had faced Thanos with all the stones. But he had never heard such an inconceivable description.
"From my perspective," Chu Hang continued, his gaze seemingly piercing through the material World, "time is no longer a rushing river, but a calm lake. Past, present, and future—every moment exists simultaneously, like countless water droplets on the lake's surface. I can see your births, and I can see your ends."
These words made the three top powerhouses of Earthfeel as if they had fallen into an ice cellar. It was a sense of being completely seen through, with no secrets left.
Thor gripped his battle-axe:
"What level are you at now?"
"Your father Odin at his peak was roughly at the top of the Skyfather level. Thanos, with all six stones, barely touched the threshold of the Single Universe level." Chu Hangpaused. "I am now at the mid-stage of the Single Universe level."
Strange's lips moved, but he couldn't speak.
Tony spat out one word:
"Fuck."
Chu Hang spread his hands:
"Don't look at me like that. I'm still me, just a little bit stronger."
"A little bit?" Tony's voice cracked. "You call this a little bit?"
Chu Hang didn't answer. He turned to look at Tony's mostly burnt nano-armor:
"To deal with the upcoming war, you also need a small upgrade."
Chu Hang reached out.
An invisible force enveloped the armor. The burnt nanoparticles began to squirm and reorganize. Tony could feel that the material of the armor was undergoing a fundamental change.
The structure of the nanoparticles was rearranged, and the Vibranium atoms were replaced by another, denser substance. The armor's color changed from red and gold to a deep silver-gray, its surface shimmering with a faint metallic luster.
"This is..." Tony's voice was shaking.
"uru metal," Chu Hang said. "The material Asgard uses to forge divine artifacts. I slightly modified the molecular structure to make it compatible with your nano-system."
Tony knew what this meant. uru metal, the material used to forge Mjolnir and stormbreaker. One of the hardest metals in the Universe, and one of the best for channeling divine power.
Chu Hang had just done it with a casual wave of his hand.
"And," Chu Hang turned to Thor, "give me your axe."
Thor hesitated for a moment before handing over stormbreaker.
Chu Hang took the axe and lightly stroked the blade. The light of the six Infinity Stones became soft, no longer violent.
"The potential of this axe hasn't been fully realized yet," Chu Hang said. "It lacks a core concept."
He closed his eyes. Golden-red flames erupted from his palm, spreading along the handle to the entire body of the axe. It was the fire of the Phoenix Force, representing Lifeand rebirth.
The flames burned for three seconds and then went out.
stormbreaker's appearance hadn't changed, but Thor could feel it was different.
"I've infused it with the concept of the Eternal Flame." Chu Hang handed the axe back to Thor. "From now on, it can repair and evolve itself. The more you use it, the stronger it will become."
Thor held the axe, feeling the new power surging within.
Chu Hang's expression suddenly changed.
He looked up, his gaze seemingly piercing through layers of obstacles and the dimensions of time and space, casting toward the deepest, most ancient reaches of the Universe.
There, four ancient consciousnesses were watching him.
Those four gazes came from before the birth of the Universe.
Chu Hang's consciousness detached from his physical body—or rather, the moment he stepped into the Single Universe level, the boundary between body and consciousness had become blurred.
He felt himself standing in a boundless void. There was no ground beneath his feet and no stars overhead, only four entities so vast they couldn't be measured by any scale, watching him from the four directions of the Universe.
Eternity. Death. Infinity. Oblivion.
The Four Cosmic Entities of the Marvel Universe.
Chu Hang didn't hide or feel fear. He quietly met those gazes and then sent a message on a spiritual level.
"I mean no offense, and I have no intention of competing. I just want to protect the people I care about."
Silence lasted for three seconds.
The four gazes were withdrawn simultaneously, disappearing into the depths of the Universe.
Chu Hang withdrew his gaze, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly:
"It's done."
Tony was full of questions.
"It's nothing." Chu Hang shrugged. "I just said hello to a few old seniors and told them I wasn't here to steal their territory."
He said it casually, but everyone present knew what an incredible thing he had just done.
Conversing with the creation gods and reaching an understanding.
Chu Hang had officially joined the ranks of the top-tier existences in the Marvel Universe.
Deep within Chu Hang's body, the fully integrated Phoenix Force trembled slightly.
It wasn't restlessness or a loss of control, but a longing.
Chu Hang frowned slightly and focused his attention inside.
The Phoenix Force sat quietly at his core, its golden-red flames docile. But in the deepest part of the flames, there was a faint fluctuation extending in a certain direction.
That direction was not within this Universe.
It wasn't even in any parallel Universe.
But somewhere farther, deeper, and higher.
Chu Hang withdrew his perception.
He knew the essence of the Phoenix Force. It was the ultimate manifestation of universal Life and emotion, one of the oldest existences in the Multiverse.
But even a power like this was longing for something right now.
That something was clearly not at a level he could currently reach.
"What's wrong?" Tony noticed his expression.
Chu Hang shook his head and didn't explain. Some things were useless to say now.
He turned to look out the window. Night had fallen, and stars twinkled against the black curtain. In his vision, those stars were no longer simple points of light, but functioning stellar systems, each carrying countless lives.
He could see the spiral arms of the Milky Way Galaxyrotating, he could see the Andromeda Galaxy approaching the Milky Way Galaxy at hundreds of kilometers per second, and he could see the nebulae being born and dying at the edge of the Universe.
But he could also see that beyond this sea of stars, there were even vaster existences.
The Multiverse.
Countless parallel Worlds, countless possibilities.
And above the Multiverse, there were even higher levels.
The living tribunal. The First Firmament. The Fulcrum.
Those who truly stood at the pinnacle of everything.
Chu Hang withdrew his gaze, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.
He was already very strong now, strong enough to walk unchallenged in this single Universe. But he also knew that he still had a long way to go before he was truly invincible.
But it didn't matter. He had plenty of time.
"Alright." Chu Hang turned to face everyone. "Everything that needs to be prepared is ready. Next, we just wait for the main force of the Council of Kangs to arrive."
His tone was relaxed.
But everyone present knew that a great war, enough to change the landscape of the Multiverse, was about to begin.
Chapter 275: Reinforcing the Justice League
The Avengers Base was still billowing with thick smoke, and the wreckage cast twisted shadows under the setting sun.
Chu Hang stood atop the ruins, his gaze passing over the busy rescue teams.
Tony was directing his Iron Legion to clear the wreckage, while Steve was comforting the survivors, giving them strength with his steady voice.
Everything seemed to be moving in a positive direction.
But Chu Hang's mind was already far away.
He could feel a palpitation that transcended dimensions.
The dark trident at his right waist was emitting a low hum, as if responding to the wails of its homeland; meanwhile, on the middle finger of his left hand, the green lantern ring, which had been silent for so long, was now as scorching hot as a branding iron.
Two artifacts from the DC Universe were sounding their most urgent alarms at the same time.
Chu Hang closed his eyes and sank a wisp of his consciousness into the ring.
In an instant, a vast and desperate scene flooded into his mind like a torrent.
It was an endless black tide, devouring one galaxy after another with unstoppable momentum.
The light of stars turned into nothingness the moment it touched the black tide, as if it had never existed.
The great Green Lantern Corps struggled valiantly in the darkness, but the green light formed by their willpower now appeared so weak and tragic.
He saw Oa, the sacred home of the Green Lantern Corps; the Central Power Battery was vibrating violently at an unprecedented frequency, and for the first time, despair appeared on the usually stoic faces of the Guardians.
Immediately after, the scene shifted to Earth.
That blue Planet where he had once briefly stayed.
The Watchtower of the Justice League, that steel fortress suspended outside the atmosphere, was being surrounded by impenetrable shadows.
Those shadows had no features, no fixed form; they were pure destruction and nothingness themselves.
Shadow Demons.
The vanguard of the Anti-Monitor.
Chu Hang slowly opened his eyes, a cold glint flashing in his pupils.
He still clearly remembered that at the edge of the Multiverse, it had taken all his effort to disperse that giant hand, which had merely projected a wisp of its aura.
And now, its main body was about to descend.
He knew very well that if left unchecked, once the Anti-Monitor devoured the entire DC Universe, its power would expand to a terrifying extent.
By then, with the lips gone, the teeth would be cold; the Marvel Universe would certainly not be spared.
Moreover, he had made a promise.
When he left the DC Universe, he had personally told the Guardian Ganthet that if there was any danger, he would return.
But the problem at hand was that the threat of the Council of Kangs hung over his head like the sword of Damocles.
That arrogant young Kang would never give up; the next attack would only be more violent and lethal.
He could not leave.
At least, his main body must not leave the Marvel Universe.
Chu Hang looked down at his hands and suddenly smiled.
After ascending to the Single Universe level, many things that were previously unimaginable had now become easy.
For example, creating a Cosmic Overlord level clone.
He closed his eyes again, his consciousness sinking into the energy core within his body, which was as vast as a sea of stars.
"In my name, gather stars for bones, condense laws for Souls."
He whispered softly, and the power within him began to boil.
A brilliant golden-red light slowly drifted out from his chest. That light was not mere energy, but the manifestation of thirteen cosmic laws; they were like nimble weavers, rapidly intertwining and outlining in mid-air.
The air began to vibrate, and the physical constants in the surroundings experienced a momentary disorder.
The light gradually condensed, first outlining the skeleton, then growing meridians, and finally forming a human shape exactly like him.
The clone opened its eyes; within those pupils, it seemed as if stars were being born and dying, and Universes were revolving.
Although its aura was slightly weaker than the main body, it was still powerful enough to make the surrounding air stagnate, and the rubble of the ruins beneath its feet silently turned into powder.
Mid-stage Cosmic Overlord level.
It was enough.
Chu Hang did not say much; the clone was him, sharing all memories, emotions, and willpower.
"Go," the main body said calmly.
"Don't get yourself killed," the clone's mouth curled up, revealing a playful smile. "I value my Life more than you do."
As the words fell, the clone raised its right hand and tapped its index finger lightly into the void in front of it.
"Sshhh—"
Space seemed like a piece of fabric being precisely cut, silently splitting to both sides, revealing a passage to another Universe.
The other end of the passage was deep chaos and darkness, with occasional flashes of golden-green light and exploding sparks—proof that the Green Lantern Corpswas fighting a bloody battle.
At the edge of the passage, the distinct laws of the two Universes were colliding and annihilating each other, emitting a silent hiss.
The clone did not hesitate in the slightest and stepped into it.
The Spatial Rift slowly closed, eventually disappearing without a trace.
Chu Hang stood where he was, casting his gaze back into the distance, his expression returning to its stoic calm.
The threat of the Council of Kangs remained; he had to stay here and wait for that inevitable war.
...
DC Universe, Earth's synchronous orbit.
The Justice League's Watchtower was burning.
This space fortress, hailed as Earth's most solid line of defense, was now riddled with holes.
Countless Shadow Demons surged in like a tide from the huge breaches; wherever they passed, whether it was super-alloy walls or energy circuits, everything was devoured and annihilated.
Inside the Main Control Room, Batman leaned against the malfunctioning console, his armor torn open at the chest with a hideous gash, blood constantly oozing out, but his eyes, hidden beneath the mask, remained as sharp as knives.
"Diana, how is the situation on your end?" he asked in a low voice into the communicator, his voice somewhat hoarse from his injuries.
"It's terrible!" Wonder Woman's urgent voice came through the communicator, mixed with the loud bangs of divine power and energy colliding. "These things are endless! For every one we kill, two more surge out from the darkness!"
"What about Superman?"
"He is outside the Watchtower blocking the main force," Diana's voice carried a hint of undisguisable worry, "but... they have Kryptonite weapons. Clark's power has been severely weakened."
Batman's brow furrowed even tighter.
Kryptonite—the Anti-Monitor had obtained this lethal substance from somewhere unknown and turned it into energy weapons, leaving Earth's strongest Guardianconstrained.
"What about the Green Lantern Corps' defensive line?"
There was silence in the communicator for a few seconds, followed by Hal Jordan's exhausted and sorrowful voice: "We... have lost thirty-seven warriors. The defensive line... is about to collapse."
Batman slowly closed his eyes.
Thirty-seven brave warriors, and the battle had only just begun.
He opened his eyes again and looked at the only tactical screen still lit in front of him.
The red alerts representing the enemy covered almost every area.
They were losing, and losing without any suspense.
Suddenly, the wall of the Main Control Room was violently torn open into a huge gap by an invisible force.
Three Shadow Demons shrieked as they surged in, thick black mist emanating from their bodies; wherever they passed, the metal floor rapidly corroded, making a "hissing" sound.
Batman silently drew three batarangs from his belt.
He knew this might be useless, but he was never one to sit and wait for Death.
The Shadow Demons roared and lunged, the shadow of Death instantly enveloping him.
Batman did not retreat; he had already prepared for the worst.
However, just at this moment, the space in front of him... folded.
It was not a rough tearing, but more like an invisible hand had gently pinched the "fabric" of Reality together and then elegantly pulled open a fold.
Golden-red light surged out from the fold, warm and majestic, instantly dispelling the biting cold and darkness brought by the Shadow Demons.
Batman instinctively raised his arm to block the blinding light.
A figure slowly stepped out from within.
Black hair, a simple gray T-shirt and jeans; he looked just like an ordinary Earth youth.
But the terrifying energy fluctuations surrounding him caused the few remaining sensors in Batman's armor to instantly overload and burn out.
The three lunging Shadow Demons stopped abruptly in mid-air; they seemed to sense some kind of irresistible fear stemming from the instinct of Life, let out a series of shrieks representing panic, and turned to flee back to the breach in the wall.
The newcomer didn't even look at them, just casually raised a hand and flicked a finger in the air.
Three faint golden lights flashed and vanished, accurately striking the Shadow monsters.
There was no explosion, no sound.
Those three monsters, which were enough to give battle-hardened heroes trouble, were completely evaporated from the level of existence, as if erased from a painting by an eraser.
Batman's pupils contracted sharply.
He had seen Superman's Heat Vision capable of melting steel, Wonder Woman's divine power capable of splitting mountains and shattering Earth, and Flash's speed capable of reversing time.
But he had never seen such a bizarre and overbearing method of attack.
That was not destruction; it was "erasure".
The newcomer lowered his head, his gaze falling upon him, with a familiar arc curling at the corners of his mouth.
"Bruce Wayne, long time no see."
Batman's body instantly tensed up. This voice, this face... he remembered.
A few years ago, during the same Anti-Monitor crisis, a mysterious black-haired man had assisted the Green Lantern Corps in repelling the monster's projection.
Before he left, he had left behind a sentence.
"I will be back."
"It's you..." Batman's voice was dry, and a storm raged in his heart. Who was he? Where did he come from? What was the essence of his power? Countless questions swirled in his mind.
Chu Hang did not explain, walking straight up and pressing his right palm lightly over the wound on his chest.
A warm and majestic energy of Life surged into his body, the tissues eroded by the Shadow energy were instantly purified, the broken ribs healed at a speed visible to the naked eye, and the internal bleeding stopped abruptly.
In less than three seconds, the injuries were completely healed.
Batman looked down at his chest, which was as good as new, and felt the power refilling his body, falling into silence. This method of healing was neither magic nor technology; it was more like... a direct rewriting of the Law of Life.
"The specific situation outside." Chu Hang asked, his tone calm but carrying an unquestionable majesty.
Batman took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down from his shock. No matter who the other party was or what purpose they held, at least for now, he was an ally.
"It's bad." He quickly switched back to the role of Commander. "Superman is blocking them outside, but he is suppressed by Kryptonite weapons, and his power assessment has dropped by at least seventy percent. Diana is supporting on the flank, but there are too many Shadow monsters, and she is reaching her limit. The Green Lantern Corps' defensive line has been torn open in several places, and casualties are heavy."
Chu Hang nodded and turned to walk towards the gap in the wall, casting his gaze towards the chaotic battlefield outside the tower.
Outside the Watchtower was a starry sky that resembled purgatory.
The black army of Shadow monsters was like a swarm of locusts passing through, wrapping the entire space station layer by layer. Green spots of light flickered and charged stubbornly in the darkness, but every Flash could mean the fall of a warrior.
Further away, a red and blue figure was fighting with a dozen Shadow monsters of peculiar forms.
Superman.
Chu Hang saw through his state at a glance. His powerful strength at the Skyfather level was currently firmly suppressed by a cold radiation energy; his movements had clearly become sluggish, and even his flight was somewhat unstable.
Not far from him, Wonder Woman was waving the lasso of truth. Every time the golden divine light swept across, it could slaughter a large area of Shadow monsters, but her movements were beginning to show fatigue, and her forehead was drenched in sweat.
Chu Hang watched for only a few seconds before stepping out of the Watchtower, directly exposed to the cold vacuum.
To him, the vacuum and radiation of the Universe were no different from the air on Earth.
His appearance immediately attracted the attention of all the Shadow monsters nearby.
Dozens of Shadow monsters immediately turned, emitting silent screams that tore at the Soul, and lunged at him.
Chu Hang just hovered quietly in place, motionless.
When the first Shadow monster was less than ten meters away from him, he slowly opened his mouth and uttered one word.
"Get lost."
This word was not transmitted through sound waves, but was a "command" carrying thirteen types of Universe laws and the will of a Single Universe level, directly branded into this space.
An invisible Impact spread out from him as the center.
The dozens of Shadow monsters bearing the brunt seemed to have been pressed with a pause button, suddenly stalling in mid-air. Immediately after, golden cracks like cobwebs appeared on their pitch-black bodies, and then, like sand sculptures blown apart by a hurricane, they fell apart in the silent space, completely erased from the most basic level of existence.
The Impact continued to spread, and the Shadow monsters within a radius of several hundred meters around the Watchtower were cleared away in an instant.
In this area, a bizarre "vacuum zone" appeared.
Superman and Wonder Woman, who were fighting hard, stopped their movements in unison, looking at the figure hovering in the void in disbelief, their eyes filled with shock.
Chu Hang turned his head, his gaze meeting Superman's.
"Clark, I have come to fulfill my promise."
In Superman's azure eyes, emotions were complex—surprise, vigilance, but more so, a glimmer of hope. He also recognized this face.
"You... really came back." Superman said hoarsely.
Chu Hang nodded, his gaze sweeping across the wider battlefield. The number of Shadow monsters far exceeded his imagination; that pure darkness almost covered the entire field of vision. The Green Lantern Corps' defensive line was in jeopardy, and the green light was dimming at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"The situation is worse than I expected."
Wonder Woman Diana flew over, flapping her wings. She held her sword and shield, striking a defensive posture, her heroic eyebrows full of vigilance: "Who are you?"
"Someone here to help." Chu Hang did not explain too much; his attention was already focused on the rear of the Shadow monster army.
There, a black Spatial Rift, unimaginably huge, was slowly expanding, as if the Universe itself had been torn open with a wound that could not heal.
The edges of the rift were glowing with a bizarre purple halo, and the heart-stopping power of the Anti-Monitor's main body was continuously seeping out from it.
Chu Hang could clearly feel the terror of that power. Even though his avatar was already at the peak of the Cosmic Overlord level, if he were to face the Anti-Monitor's main body, he would have no certainty of victory.
But he could not retreat.
"Diana, Clark." Chu Hang said, his tone calm but unquestionable, "From now on, follow my command."
Superman and Wonder Woman exchanged a look. In normal times, they would never hand over command to a stranger of unknown origin. But the Earth-shattering scene just now had already proven that the other party possessed power far beyond their imagination.
"What is your plan?" Superman asked in a deep voice; he chose to trust.
Chu Hang's gaze was locked tightly on that black Spatial Rift, a hint of solemnity flashing in his eyes.
"The Anti-Monitor's main body has not yet fully descended; we still have time. But it is not just devouring matter; it is looking for something, something that will allow it to completely win this war."
"What is it looking for?" Diana asked.
Batman's voice suddenly came through the communicator, with an unprecedented solemnity: "According to the last segment of deep space data analysis intercepted by the Watchtower before it lost contact, the enemy's energy trajectory points to a theoretically existing... conceptual weapon. One about completely enslaving free will..."
Chu Hang took over his words, saying word by word:
"The anti-life equation."
These four words were like a thunderclap, causing Superman and Wonder Woman's expressions to change instantly. That was the ultimate power that even Darkseidhad spent his whole Life pursuing; once obtained by the Anti-Monitor... the consequences would be unimaginable.
"So, we must beat it back before it succeeds." After saying this, Chu Hang slowly raised his right hand, the radiance of thirteen laws converging in his palm, turning into a brilliant ball of light capable of illuminating the entire battlefield.
"Assemble everyone who can still fight."
His voice, transmitted through energy vibrations, clearly reached the ears of every hero.
"This war ends today."
Chapter 276: Light of Will
There was no sound in the vacuum.
But Superman's agony was like a silent scream, piercing everyone's eyes.
Clark floated outside the Watchtower's shattered viewport.
The "S" symbol on his chest, a symbol of hope, had been ripped open with several hideous gashes. Beneath his bruised and purple skin, every breath pulled at his fractured ribs, and the intense pain surged like a tide.
Three bat-shaped Shadow Demon Fighters circled like vultures.
Below their bellies, sickening green beams swept past like snake tongues.
Kryptonite radiation.
The Kryptonians' deadly poison.
With every sweep of the green light, a fraction of Clark's Life force was drained away.
He wanted to break free from this cage, but his body, which once surpassed the speed of light, was now sluggish as if stuck in quicksand. The Heat Vision in his eyes was dim like a dying candle, only barely managing to repel the Shadow Demon Infantry, but unable to move the fighter armor in the slightest.
"Damn it..."
Superman gritted his teeth.
Another green light struck.
He instinctively shifted his body, but the movement was a fatally slow moment late.
The beam grazed his left shoulder, instantly causing his invulnerable skin to fester, and his bright red blood froze into fine ice crystals the moment it hit the vacuum.
"Clark, your vital signs are plummeting. You must retreat immediately!"
Batman's voice in the communication channel was filled with urgent anxiety.
"No..."
Superman gasped violently.
His gaze passed over his cage, looking toward the boundless dark sea of stars formed by the Shadow Demons in the distance.
"If I retreat, this defensive line will completely collapse."
He was speaking the truth.
At the other end of the Watchtower, Wonder WomanDiana was single-handedly holding up a massive breach.
The lasso of truth transformed into a golden Deathwhirlwind, shredding dozens of Shadow Demons with every swing.
But the monsters were endless.
Her forehead was covered in sweat, her breathing was ragged, and the arms holding the lasso began to tremble uncontrollably.
Meanwhile, the Green Lantern Corps' battle line was on the verge of collapse.
Hal Jordan's energy shield was covered in spiderweb cracks, its light flickering weakly, indicating he was at the end of his rope.
Chu Hang stood at the breach, taking in the entire scene.
He could clearly "see" that the stellar, scorching Life energy within Superman was being devoured inch by inch by the Kryptonite radiation.
The Anti-Monitor had clearly done his homework.
The design of the Shadow Demon Fighters was extremely sophisticated; the Kryptonite Radiator was wrapped in an Anti-Energy Shield, specifically designed to counter the most powerful single combatant in this Universe.
"Using the rules of this Universe against you is indeed unsolvable."
Chu Hang murmured inwardly.
"But my power follows a different Law."
He slowly raised his right hand.
His index and middle fingers were pressed together, and he lightly drew a line in the void toward the three circling fighters.
The movement was effortless, as if brushing away dust.
However, where his fingertip passed, the space rippled visibly.
The invisible Alchemy Law was extracted from the foundation of Reality, transforming into three slender golden threads that shot toward the targets at superluminal speed!
The Shadow Demon pilots had no time to react.
The golden threads pierced directly through the Anti-Energy Shield—not by brute force, but by ignoring it like phantoms.
The threads precisely drilled into the core of the Kryptonite Emitter.
A transformation originating from the deepest part of matter had begun.
Before Chu Hang's will, the so-called deadly Kryptonitewas merely another combination of atoms and elements.
He was like an omnipotent craftsman, forcibly dismantling and reassembling the fundamental structure of matter.
His will permeated every Kryptonite atom, rewriting bond energy and rearranging sequences.
One ten-thousandth of a second.
The deadly radioactive mineral transformed into stable, harmless powder.
Immediately afterward, the powder continued to decompose.
From molecules to atoms, and then to protons, neutrons, and electrons.
Finally, it dissolved into the purest energy particles, silently vanishing into the Universe.
"Warning! Weapon system failure!"
Alarms blared inside the three fighters, and the Shadow Demon Soldiers looked around in confusion.
That deadly green light was completely extinguished.
The feeling of restraint, the tearing pain, the sluggishness... all the shackles placed upon Superman vanished in the same instant!
Clark suddenly looked up.
The blazing light of a star reignited in his deep blue eyes.
Kryptonian cells began frantically absorbing Solar radiation, and immense power awakened within him like a volcanic eruption.
He clenched his fist, feeling the strength capable of moving a Planet, and a cold smile curled his lips.
"Thanks."
Before the words were finished, Superman's figure had vanished from the spot.
The next second, an Impact wave that shook the void spread out!
A red and blue streak tore through the vision, slamming violently into the nearest Shadow Demon Fighter.
"Bang!"
The fist accurately struck the cockpit.
The fighter's outer shell was as fragile as paper, instantly being ripped apart and crumpled.
The pilot, along with the craft, disintegrated instantly under the terrifying Impact force, turning into a brilliant fireball.
Superman didn't stop.
As he turned, two scorching crimson beams penetrated the engines of the other two fighters.
Violent explosions lit up one after another.
In less than two seconds, the powerful enemies that had driven him to despair were reduced to space debris.
"Much better."
Superman stretched his shoulder, and his wounds healed at a visible speed.
He gave Chu Hang a slight nod from afar, then transformed into an unstoppable comet and plunged straight into the heart of the Shadow Demon Army.
"Clark recovered? Those Kryptonite fragments..."
Wonder Woman asked in shock during a lull in the fighting.
"That person took care of it."
There was a hint of solemnity in Batman's voice.
In the monitoring feed, the data for Chu Hang's previous attack was displayed as unanalyzable "Unknown."
"It seems he... directly rewrote the nature of matter."
Diana's heart tightened.
An existence that could change the essence of matter so casually was unheard of, even on Mount Olympus.
Just then, Hal Jordan's desperate shout exploded in the channel:
"The defense line is breaking! We can't hold on!"
Everyone's heart suddenly clenched.
The Green Lantern Corps' defensive line was already fragmented.
Large numbers of Shadow Demons were pouring frantically through the cracks in the energy shield.
Hal barely maintained the last shield, which was as thin as a cicada's wing and could shatter at any moment.
Worse still, the Ring's light was rapidly fading.
"Only ten percent energy left... Damn it, I'm running out of power!"
"Mine too! Energy depletion warning!"
Chu Hang closed his eyes.
His vast Spirit power swept across the battlefield like ripples, instantly discerning the root cause.
The Green Lanterns' power originates from will, and at this moment, fear was eroding every warrior.
Shadow Demons are the personification of fear.
When fear overwhelms conviction, the Light of Will will be extinguished.
"Will is the purest stubbornness Life exhibits when facing despair."
Chu Hang opened his eyes and raised his right hand.
The Ring on his middle finger, personally forged by the Guardian, burst forth with dazzling Platinum-Gold light, like a burning star.
But what he intended to do was more than just share energy.
He wanted to ignite the hope of the entire battlefield.
The Law of Spirit was pushed to its limit!
Chu Hang's consciousness instantly covered an area of one hundred thousand kilometers.
He felt the fear and exhaustion in the heart of every Green Lantern, and also the deep-seated persistence that refused to give up.
"In the deepest darkness, in the most helpless abyss."
"Only the Light of Will, never fades."
The voice resonated through Spirit Resonance, ringing directly in the mind of every warrior.
As his voice fell, Chu Hang suddenly clenched his fist.
The Ring's light burst forth with a roar!
A vast surge of energy, combining Platinum-Gold and Emerald Green, erupted, causing space to warp.
The energy transformed into countless streams of light, shooting precisely toward every Green Lantern, instantly recharging their nearly depleted Rings!
Not only that.
Chu Hang infused his own will—that of a Cosmic Overlord level being, which absolutely refused to retreat—into them as well!
The minds that had been eroded by fear felt as if a Sun had been cast into them.
Instantly ignited!
Hal Jordan widened his eyes.
He felt the energy in his Ring was more than ten times stronger than at its peak!
The overflowing power shocked him beyond measure.
He turned his head in astonishment.
He saw the black-haired man floating quietly in the void, surrounded by dazzling platinum-green light, like a nascent Sun rising.
Chu Hang offered no reply, merely pushing his hands slowly forward.
The surging torrent of will did not dissipate.
Instead, it intertwined and converged in the void, forming the blueprint of a magnificent construct.
A Great Wall of Will, spanning the entire battlefield, was rising from the ground!
Chapter 277: The Green Lantern Corps' Counterattack
As the Great Wall of Will constructed by Chu Hangcontinuously spread, the members of the Green Lantern Corps also noticed the change in their green lantern rings.
Hal Jordan looked down at his right hand; his green lantern ring was glowing.
It wasn't the usual emerald green, but rather platinum gold.
The energy display maxed out, eventually jumping directly to "∞".
"What is this..."
Hal looked up, gazing at the black-haired man in the center of the battlefield.
Chu Hang pushed his hands forward, and platinum-green light burst from his palms, shooting towards every Green Lantern.
Those streams of light intertwined in space, outlining something.
The communication channel exploded.
"Energy restored! Stronger than ever!"
"My ring shows infinite energy!"
"I feel like I can materialize an asteroid!"
Hal took a deep breath and opened the full frequency:
"All units, listen up! Concentrate your will and build a defense line with me!"
Dozens of responses came back.
The Green Lanterns, who should have been exhausted, all raised their right arms. Their rings reignited with light.
What Chu Hang poured in was not just energy, but something deeper. It was the will imprint of a Cosmic Overlord level expert, igniting the suppressed courage in everyone's hearts.
Kyle Rayner waved his hand, and a giant cannon with a caliber exceeding a hundred meters materialized in the void.
John Stewart constructed a defensive wall, with every atom precisely calculated.
Guy Gardner grinned, and a green war hammer appeared out of thin air, smashing dozens of Shadow Demons with a casual swing.
Everyone's will resonated at this moment.
Chu Hang stood at the center of the storm, his hands continuing to push forward. In the void, the forming object finally revealed its full appearance—a Great Wall of Willspanning tens of thousands of kilometers across the entire battlefield.
The city wall was as heavy as a mountain, with every brick and stone condensed from pure will power.
The Shadow Demon army's offensive halted.
The black tide crashed against the invisible wall, and the front-row Shadow Demons shrieked, tens of thousands of shadows slamming into the Great Wall of Will.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The impact sounds spread through energy vibrations. Every Shadow Demon that hit the wall was burned and melted by the platinum-green light. Ripples appeared on the wall's surface, but it remained undiminished.
Hal hovered at the forefront of the Great Wall.
He could feel Chu Hang's will continuously pouring in. That power was so immense that it gave him the illusion that he was no longer an ordinary Green Lantern, but an avatar of some cosmic will.
"Counterattack!" he roared, raising his right hand high.
Above the Great Wall, thousands of green light cannons appeared simultaneously.
Volley fire.
The roar tore through the silence of space. Thick green beams of light pierced the darkness, and Shadow Demons were evaporated in swathes.
John constructed a dense array of turrets at the other end of the Great Wall. He had been an architect and a soldier; now, these two identities merged perfectly. The position of each turret was calculated to form a firing net with no blind spots.
Kyle materialized dozens of fighter jets, shuttling through the Shadow Demon hordes, hunting down stragglers trying to bypass the defense line.
Guy Gardner transformed into a mobile fort, each punch creating a vacuum.
The Green Lantern Corps began its counterattack.
---
Inside the Watchtower.
Batman stared at the tactical screen, an expression of disbelief flashing in his eyes.
The defense line, which had been on the verge of collapse moments ago, had now completely turned the tide.
"Unbelievable..."
He muttered softly, his fingers rapidly tapping on the control panel:
"Cecil, Watchtower defense system restart progress?"
"Main system restored, energy core operating normally. Main cannon charged seventy percent."
"Fire. Target the densest Shadow Demon cluster around the black rift."
"Received."
On the damaged body of the Watchtower, dozens of main cannons slowly adjusted their angles. Blue-white spheres of light gathered at the muzzles, and space itself slightly twisted due to the energy accumulation.
The next second, thick beams of light poured out.
Explosions of light bloomed within the Shadow Demonhorde, tearing hundreds of monsters to shreds.
---
Wonder Woman seized the opportunity.
Wielding her sword and lasso of truth, she charged out from the flank of the Watchtower. Golden divine power blazed around her, and the lasso of truth transformed into a whirlwind of Death, each swing shredding a dozen Shadow Demons.
"Diana, I'll take the middle, you take the left flank!"
Superman's voice came through the communicator.
He had fully recovered. Kryptonian cells were furiously active, nourished by solar radiation, and each punch he delivered created ripples in space. Red and blue streaks plowed a straight path through the Shadow Demon army.
"I'm right behind you!" Diana responded, slashing down a pouncing Shadow Demon with her sword.
The two worked in perfect synergy.
Superman was responsible for tearing open the defense line, with Wonder Woman following closely to harvest. Their target was singular—the black rift that was slowly expanding.
---
Chu Hang hovered above the Great Wall of Will, his gaze fixed on the distant rift.
That rift was not a simple teleportation gate, but a tendril of the Anti-Monitor assimilating this Universe. The edges of the rift were expanding at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye; for every inch it grew, the physical laws of this Universe were distorted by that much.
It must be sealed as soon as possible.
He extended his right hand, forming a fist towards Hal, who was directing the cannon fire, and transmitted a mental fluctuation:
"Hal, command the Green Lantern Corps to blockade the area around the rift. Don't let any Shadow Demons escape the encirclement."
Hal was slightly stunned, then understood.
"Understood! All members, execute the encirclement strategy, construct a three-dimensional defensive net!"
Dozens of Green Lanterns moved simultaneously.
They spread out according to their predetermined formation, forming a huge spherical encirclement around the black rift. Countless green lights intertwined like a spiderweb, constructing layers of energy barriers, completely isolating the rift.
John precisely calculated the position and strength of each barrier. Kyle, meanwhile, drew runes on the barrier's surface to enhance stability.
Chu Hang nodded, his figure flashing.
He directly traversed thousands of kilometers, appearing beside Superman, who was fiercely battling.
Clark was about to smash the Shadow Demon Commander blocking his way with a punch when Chu Hang raised his hand and waved. The ten-meter-tall Commander, shrouded in black mist, along with hundreds of surrounding Shadow Demons, instantly froze in mid-air.
"Follow me."
Chu Hang didn't explain, flying directly towards the rift's core.
Superman and Wonder Woman exchanged glances, then followed closely.
---
The closer they got to the rift's core, the more bizarre the surrounding landscape became.
The void began to twist, light was stretched into thin threads, and physical constants became chaotic. Diana felt her body alternately become as heavy as a mountain and as light as a feather.
"The laws here have been corrupted."
Chu Hang spoke, his voice calm but grave, "The Anti-Monitor is eroding the foundation of the Universe with antimatter. If this continues, the entire Universe will be assimilated."
Superman's expression was solemn: "What can we do?"
"I'll seal the rift; you two are responsible for clearing the remaining surrounding forces."
Chu Hang had already reached the edge of the rift.
The rift's edge emitted a nauseating aura, one of pure destruction and void. Thick antimatter energy continuously seeped out along the rift, bit by bit corroding the foundation of this Universe.
Chu Hang raised his right hand, and golden patterns lit up on his palm.
That was the materialization of the Alchemy Law, each line representing an understanding of the essence of matter.
"Matter and antimatter are essentially just different arrangements of energy."
He murmured softly, his fingertip slowly touching the edge of the rift.
A violent repulsive force erupted.
Antimatter energy surged madly, attempting to annihilate his finger. The encounter of matter and antimatter should result in complete destruction, but Chu Hang's finger remained motionless. The power of the Alchemy Law was infiltrating, slowly rewriting the properties of antimatter.
A Soul-shaking roar came from deep within the rift.
The sound didn't travel through the air but was directly imprinted on the consciousness level. Superman and Wonder Woman both grunted, feeling as if their brains had been struck by a heavy hammer.
"Mortals... dare... to obstruct me..."
A deep, tyrannical voice echoed in everyone's minds.
Immediately after, a thick, inky black torrent erupted from the rift's core. It was pure antimatter energy; wherever it passed, space dissolved and collapsed.
The Green Lantern Corps' first layer of energy barrier, just constructed, was torn like thin paper.
"Damn it!"
Hal's face changed drastically, and he gritted his teeth, pouring in more will power. But the black torrent was too terrifying; the second and third layers of barriers collapsed one after another.
"Can't stop it! This power is too strong!" Kyle's veins bulged on his forehead, and the light of his ring flickered erratically.
Chu Hang narrowed his eyes.
A wisp of the Anti-Monitor's will was mixed in that black torrent. The entity's main body had not yet descended, but this wisp of will was already enough to crush most Lifeforms.
Even worse, he caught a fleeting fragment of information deep within the torrent—a certain coordinate, a certain location, a certain target deemed crucial by the Anti-Monitor.
The anti-life equation.
That legendary ultimate weapon capable of enslaving all free will and subjugating the entire Universe.
The Anti-Monitor was searching for its whereabouts.
And that flashing coordinate fragment just now was very likely the key clue.
Chapter 278: Coordinates of the anti-life equation
The black torrent rushed toward the Green Lantern Corps.
Hal Jordan clenched his ring; the fourth layer of the energy barrier was shaking violently. John Stewart reinforced the structure on the other side, but the energy lattice continued to shatter.
The runic barrier Kyle Rayner had just materialized was instantly torn to shreds.
"We can't hold it!" Guy Gardner roared.
He desperately smashed his giant war hammer, condensed from willpower, into the torrent, but it failed to even cause a ripple before being completely swallowed.
The ring's light was visibly diminishing. Although the energy Chu Hang had previously infused was like a vast ocean, it was being consumed like a river bursting its banks.
The Anti-Monitor's will carried the terrifying pressure capable of annihilating countless Universes; every wisp of anti-matter was enough to erase a Planet.
"Everyone, retreat!" Hal commanded.
He knew clearly that once this torrent breached their defenses, the Watchtower would be consumed within three seconds, and Earth would begin to disintegrate thirty seconds later.
The fifth layer barrier was about to collapse.
A hand pressed onto Hal's shoulder.
Chu Hang stepped past everyone and walked toward the core of the rift. The black torrent roared ten meters away, yet his eyes remained calm.
"Step aside."
All the Green Lanterns backed away.
Chu Hang raised his right hand, and the Golden Alchemy Array in his palm suddenly lit up. The profound radiance coiled around his arm like a living thing. He spread his five fingers and, facing the World-destroying torrent, gently clenched his fist.
In an instant, all sounds ceased.
Time and Space seemed to freeze simultaneously. The endlessly surging anti-matter torrent strangely stalled in mid-air. The violent black energy rapidly receded, revealing a cold metallic luster. The nature of the fundamental particles constituting the torrent was being forcibly rewritten by an incomprehensible supreme law, transforming from void into solid matter.
Hal's eyes widened.
The torrent compressed and reorganized in Chu Hang's hand, finally turning into a dark golden crystal the size of a fist.
"This is impossible..." John muttered.
Changing the form of matter was one thing, but converting anti-matter into regular matter—this transcended the realm of physical laws.
Chu Hang stared at the crystal in his palm, its surface flowing with eerie patterns—traces left by the Anti-Monitor's will. During the transformation process, he perceived a stream of information hidden deep within the energy.
A set of coordinates.
Chu Hang closed his eyes, his Spirit power piercing the crystal. Countless images flashed—shattered civilizations, burning Planets, enslaved races. At its core was a formula, every symbol speaking of submission and despair.
The anti-life equation.
Chu Hang followed the stream of information, tracing its source.
Suddenly, an immense malevolence burst forth from the depths of the crystal! The Anti-Monitor realized someone was prying into his secret. Black mist spewed from the rift, forming a twisted face that let out a piercing shriek.
"Mortal... how dare you... pry..."
The deep voice echoed in their subconscious minds. Superman grunted, veins bulging on his forehead. Wonder Woman gripped her sword, half-kneeling in the void. Hal and the other Green Lanterns were bleeding from their orifices, their rings flashing wildly.
This was a mental shock from a Multiverse-level entity; a mere wisp of its will could instantly shatter the consciousness of any Life below Skyfather level.
Yet Chu Hang stood at the center of the storm, completely unmoved.
Deep within his pupils, thirteen Powers of Laws were rapidly operating. The Space Law constructed a defense line, and the Law of Spirit resisted the erosion.
The core support came from the concept named Greed and the Phoenix Force.
"You want the anti-life equation, and so do I."
Chu Hang sneered, his Spirit power transforming into a spear, stabbing directly at the core of the Anti-Monitor's will. The concept of Greed was pushed to its limit—he needed to devour, to plunder!
"Impossible!"
The Anti-Monitor's voice fluctuated for the first time. He had underestimated this mortal. Chu Hang's mental spear tore through his defenses, gripping that strand of divine thought tightly, frantically absorbing, transforming, and devouring it.
The black mist rolled violently. Chu Hang was like an insatiable black hole, swallowing all that energy into his stomach.
As the devouring deepened, he finally captured the complete coordinates—
Earth. 40 degrees North latitude, 74 degrees West longitude. New York City, Queens. Underground beneath a derelict industrial area.
A fragment of the anti-life equation was located there.
As the information flooded his mind, the Anti-Monitor's will dissipated. The crystal lost its luster and turned to dust.
Meanwhile, deep within the Void Layer of the Multiverse, the Anti-Monitor's main body opened its eyes, which burned with raging fury.
"That damned insect..."
***
The rift stopped expanding.
Without the support of the will, the black spatial wound began to slowly heal. The Space Law regained dominance, and the distorted physical constants returned to normal. The Green Lantern Corps' energy barrier finally stabilized.
"It's over?" Kyle looked at the edge of the rift, where the anti-matter energy was receding.
"Only a temporary retreat." Chu Hang opened his eyes, a remnant of dark golden light lingering in his pupils. He turned to Superman and Wonder Woman, "Are you two alright?"
Green light of the Law of Life condensed in his hand.
Superman shook his head, taking a deep breath. The Kryptonian's powerful self-healing ability allowed him to recover quickly.
"I'm fine. That voice just now..." His expression was grave, "Was that the Anti-Monitor's main body?"
"It was just a projection of his will." Chu Hang sent the green light into their bodies, repairing their torn consciousnesses. "His main body is still in the Multiverse's Void Layer and can't cross over yet. But he has set his sights on this Universe."
Wonder Woman gripped her sword: "Then we wait for him here and repel him!"
Chu Hang glanced at her but said nothing. If the Anti-Monitor's main body truly descended, the entire Justice League combined wouldn't be able to withstand a single blow from him. Unless... Just then, Batman's voice came through the communication channel.
"Chu Hang, what did you just do?" Bruce Wayne's tone was as calm as ever, but Chu Hang detected a hint of alarm. "Watchtower monitoring shows that the physical constants of the localized space were forcibly rewritten the instant you touched the anti-matter. That kind of power..."
"Is beyond your understanding, right?" Chu Hanginterrupted him, his tone playful.
He could imagine Bruce's expression of facing a formidable enemy right now.
The communication was silent for a few seconds. Batmancontinued: "I need an explanation. Who exactly are you? Why are you here? What is your objective?"
Three questions, straight to the core.
"An explanation will come, but not now." Chu Hangchanged the subject. "Notify everyone to return to the Watchtower. I have something important to discuss."
"Regarding the Anti-Monitor?" Superman pressed.
Chu Hang nodded: "Regarding his true purpose."
***
Five minutes later, in the Watchtower conference room.
The round table was full. Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Aquaman, Cyborg, and Hal Jordan, who had just arrived from the medical bay. Batman stood in front of the tactical screen, arms crossed, his gaze locked on Chu Hangas he walked in.
Chu Hang spoke directly:
"The Anti-Monitor's goal is not to destroy the Universe, at least not right now. He is looking for something—the anti-life equation."
The conference room fell silent.
Batman narrowed his eyes.
"The anti-life equation..." His voice was low. He tapped on the console, pulling up data from the Batcave database. "The legendary ultimate weapon that can strip all Life of free will. But that was just a myth pursued by Darkseid; its existence has never been confirmed."
"It can be confirmed now." Chu Hang raised his hand, and a golden projection appeared in his palm. The light coalesced into a 3D map, clearly marking the coordinates in Queens, New York City. "It's right here. A fragment of the anti-life equation is sealed underground. Part of the information in the will the Anti-Monitor projected just now was locating these coordinates."
Superman's expression changed: "New York? There are millions of civilians there!"
"So we must get to it before the Anti-Monitor does." Chu Hang's tone was absolute. "Once he gathers the fragments, all Life in the entire Multiverse will become his slaves."
Flash Barry raised his hand: "Wait, if the anti-life equationis that dangerous, why should we touch it? Can't we just destroy it?"
"Destroy it?" Chu Hang glanced at him, a hint of mockery in his eyes. "Why do you think the Anti-Monitor bothered searching for fragments instead of crushing them directly with power? Because every fragment of the anti-life equation is part of the Universe's origin. Destroying it would mean tearing apart the foundation of this Universe. Then, the Anti-Monitor wouldn't need to lift a finger; the entire Universe would collapse on its own."
Batman was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly asked: "How do you know all this so clearly?"
Chu Hang did not evade, answering calmly: "Because I just devoured the wisp of will the Anti-Monitor projected and read partial memory fragments from it."
The conference room fell into dead silence again.
Everyone looked at Chu Hang with disbelief. Devour the will of a Multiverse-level entity? It sounded like a mythological tale.
But the data on the tactical screen didn't lie. Batman pulled up the energy fluctuation curve recorded by the Watchtower; the moment Chu Hang touched the anti-matter torrent, the curve jumped violently, and then that massive energy vanished entirely.
The only explanation—it was devoured.
"Who exactly are you?" Batman asked, word by word.