MTS: Marvel and Beyond

Chapter 182: Chapter 182: Zhang Lingyu

The two Taoists were unaware, but Zhang Lingyu himself understood his actions well.

His earlier heavy-handed attack on Zhang Chulan was indeed uncharacteristic of him.

The truth was, Zhang Lingyu harbored jealousy toward Zhang Chulan. Since losing his purity to Xia He, he was unable to practice the Yang Five Thunders, a skill Zhang Chulan could master. This envy drove him to act out of character and strike so harshly.

However, these thoughts were deeply buried within him, known to no one in the Hall. Yet, the man before him seemed to know everything.

Frowning, Zhang Lingyu asked solemnly,

"Who are you?

This is an internal matter of the Taoist Master Hall and has nothing to do with outsiders."

Looking at Zhang Lingyu, who maintained his cold and aloof demeanor, Alex laughed.

"Who am I? I'm your ancestor

An internal matter? How could the affairs of descendants be unrelated to their ancestor?"

Hearing Alex's arrogant claim, Zhang Lingyu and the other Taoists of the sect exclaimed in unison,

"How dare you! The Hall cannot be insulted!"

The two Taoists behind Zhang Lingyu immediately prepared to attack Alex, but Zhang Lingyu raised his hand, stopping them. A dark expression crossed his face as he carefully scrutinized Alex.

He looked around twenty years old, with white hair, blue eyes, immense strength, and claimed to be the founder of the Tianshi Sect.

There was no doubt—this was him!

According to intelligence, this was the man impersonating the founder of the Hall, brazenly boasting about defeating anyone who annoyed him, even threatening to take on the current Taoist Master, Zhang Zhiwei, without exception!

Such arrogance was unimaginable.

Everyone knew Zhang Zhiwei was the strongest practitioner in the world. Yet, this man didn't seem to hold him in any regard.

To make matters worse, Alex had the audacity to proclaim himself the founder of the Hall, an insult that could not be forgiven.

Recognizing Alex's identity, Zhang Lingyu immediately questioned him,

"I admit your strength is impressive, but don't you think you're being a bit too arrogant?

Looking at you, you're barely twenty. Yet you dare claim to be the founder of the Taoist Master Hall, tarnishing its reputation?

And you even boast that you can defeat my teacher anytime you wish. Who gave you the courage to act like this?

I've also heard rumors that you're a member of Quanxing. Since when did Quanxing have someone so lawless and reckless among them?"

Indeed, though Quanxing members were known for their chaos and disregard for rules, even they had never openly challenged our sect.

But Alex was the first to do so.

Calmly, Alex responded,

"How am I being arrogant? I've never felt the need to explain myself. I am the founder of the Tianshi Sect.

Kid, the world is vast. Beyond this world, there are countless other worlds—like the Ninja World, the Pirate World, and even parallel universes in the multiverse.

Just because you're ignorant of something doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Your lack of knowledge is no excuse to challenge your ancestor.

Because you are a disciple of the modern Hall, I'll let this slide just this once. But if you dare cross the line again, I'll make sure you learn the hard way who's in charge!"

"Hahaha!" Zhang Lingyu burst out laughing in anger, utterly amused by Alex's audacity. He had never encountered someone so shameless. "Who do you think you are? Do you really believe you're some kind of celestial being? Different worlds?

Fine, let me test your strength today and see exactly what you're made of!"

With that, Zhang Lingyu charged toward Alex with determination.

Unlike his earlier skirmish with Zhang Chulan, Zhang Lingyu unleashed his full power this time.

He not only chanted the Golden Light Mantra, exhibiting the peak of his mastery, but also summoned the Yin Five Thunders.

Though he found Alex's arrogance insufferable and unworthy of his claims, Zhang Lingyu acknowledged Alex's strength and did not dare underestimate him.

Zhang Lingyu roared:

"Northern Abyssal Marsh!"

A torrent of dark, mud-like Yin lightning flowed from Zhang Lingyu's body, spreading across the ground and covering a vast area around him.

The Yin lightning greedily absorbed the life force of everything within its radius—except its caster.

Within moments, the two Taoists, the two girls, and Zhang Chulan felt their vitality rapidly draining. Their bodies became unbearably weak.

Realizing the danger, they immediately struggled to escape, retreating from the range of the Northern Abyssal Marsh.

Once they were safely out of range, they turned back to observe the battle from a distance.

At this moment, the younger one of the two girls asked Zhang Chulan: "Zhang Chulan, who do you think will win?"

Without hesitation, Zhang Chulan replied: "Of course, Alex will. Don't be fooled by Zhang Lingyu's arrogance. His strength is nowhere near Alex's."

Hearing this, the elder sister muttered under her breath:

"When it comes to arrogance, no one tops that guy Alex. He claims to be the founder of the Taoist Hall and even brags about being able to defeat Zhang Zhiwei, the strongest practitioner.

Honestly, who in this world is more arrogant than him?"

The two Taoists nodded in agreement. "Exactly! That guy is way too full of himself. Our young master will definitely teach him a lesson!"

Zhang Chulan didn't argue, as everything they said was true. Even he thought Alex was overly arrogant.

Now, he just hoped Alex's strength lived up to his outrageous claims.

The group continued to watch the battle ahead. Suddenly, the elder sister remarked: "Did you notice? Zhang Lingyu's Yin lightning seems to stop about one meter away from Alex. It doesn't get any closer.

What kind of ability is that?"

The younger sister speculated:

"Not sure. Could it be an advanced application of the Golden Light Mantra?"

According to the information from Express Delivery, it was said that Alex had once used the Golden Light Mantra, and its power was extraordinary."

The chubby Taoist among the two disagreed with their speculation:

"No, this is definitely not the Golden Light Mantra.

Even the Grandmaster of the Sect himself couldn't repel surrounding objects without releasing the golden light.

You can think of it this way: the visible golden light is the essence of the Golden Light Mantra.

I'm more inclined to believe that Alex is using some form of telekinesis, and its immense power is what's repelling the Yin lightning."

In the distance, Zhang Lingyu stretched out his hand as the distorted Yin lightning attempted to coil around Alex and erode his body. Yet, when the lightning reached within one meter of Alex, it was blocked by an invisible barrier, unable to proceed further.

After exhausting all his means of attack, Zhang Lingyu finally realized he was no match for Alex.

Judging by Alex's youthful appearance, it was clear he was a few years younger than Zhang Lingyu. Yet his strength had reached an unbelievable level, which explained his audacious remarks.

However, even so, Zhang Lingyu was not one to back down. He decided to provoke Alex with taunts: "Is hiding inside this turtle shell all you know how to do?

Didn't you claim to be the founder of the Taoist Hall?

Then tell me, which of the Hall techniques do you know?"

His three consecutive questions revealed the anxiety brewing in his heart.

Seeing Zhang Lingyu unable to break through Alex's defense, Zhang Chulan finally sighed in relief. If Alex won, he wouldn't be taken away by Zhang Lingyu.

But as Zhang Lingyu suddenly employed reverse psychology to provoke Alex into dropping his defenses, Zhang Chulan began to panic.

Worried that Alex would fall for the taunt, Zhang Chulan hurriedly called out: "Alex, don't let him bait you! Stay in your current state. Even if you can't beat him, he won't be able to defeat us either!"

Alex turned to glance at Zhang Chulan, offering him an exaggeratedly friendly hand gesture.

Come on, telling Alex not to show off? Impossible!

Facing Zhang Lingyu again, Alex smirked and replied: "Alright, as you wish!"

Deliberately slowing down his speech, Alex began to recite a mantra loud enough for Zhang Lingyu to hear:

"The Way of Heaven and Earth, the root of all Qi.

Through countless trials, I prove my divinity. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Across the Three Realms, the Dao reigns supreme.

My body shines with golden light, shielding me completely."

The next moment, the blazing golden sun that had appeared in the dilapidated building before now reemerged in the forest.

A flood of violent golden light swept across everything in its path.

First, it consumed Zhang Lingyu's Yin lightning. Then, it enveloped Zhang Lingyu himself.

The light didn't spare the two sisters or the two Taoists.

Even Zhang Chulan, sensing Alex was chanting the Golden Light Mantra, tried to flee to safety. But he was still caught in the shockwave of the golden light and was sent flying.

When the smoke finally cleared and calm was restored, Alex stood suspended in mid-air, gazing down at Zhang Lingyu, who was submerged in golden light.

Being the closest to Alex, Zhang Lingyu had suffered the most.

He felt at least three ribs fractured, dozens of injuries across his body, and his arms—having borne the brunt of the golden light—were now twisted and shattered in multiple places.

Enduring the excruciating pain, Zhang Lingyu looked up at Alex in disbelief, muttering to himself:

"Impossible... This is impossible... How could this be the Golden Light Mantra?"

Alex slowly approached Zhang Lingyu, raising his hand and slapping him across the face with enough force to send him flying. With disdain, Alex remarked: "Your Dao heart is fragile, succumbing to jealousy and bullying the weak. The Taoist Hall has truly fallen into decline!

I wonder how that old man Zhang Zhiwei has been teaching you to produce such a disappointing disciple!"

If Alex had only insulted Zhang Lingyu after defeating him, Zhang Lingyu might have been unable to retort. But now that Alex had insulted Zhang Zhiwei, how could Zhang Lingyu tolerate his teacher being humiliated?

Unwilling to accept this, Zhang Lingyu retorted: "Your strength may indeed surpass my teacher's when he was your age, but how dare you insult him?

Even though I don't know how you managed to obtain the Golden Light Mantra, I will never acknowledge you as the founder of the Taoist Hall, nor will I allow you to insult my teacher!"

Zhang Lingyu trembled as he struggled to his feet, attempting to summon Yin lightning to launch another attack on Alex.

However, his body was severely injured, and only a few sparks of Yin lightning appeared, which alarmed the two Taoists behind him. They were terrified he might collapse or suddenly die from his wounds!

Fearing that Zhang Lingyu's defiance would provoke Alex into killing him, the two Taoists, despite their fear, nervously stepped forward, placing themselves between Zhang Lingyu and Alex.

One of the Taoists pleaded:

"Senior, please forgive our junior uncle. He doesn't fully understand your strength and was merely trying to test it."

The other quickly added:

"Yes, yes! Senior, you must understand that in today's world, where immortals are no longer present, your words are simply too unbelievable.

Even though our junior uncle is open-minded, it's impossible for him to believe such claims right away!"

"Exactly! Now that you've demonstrated your strength, I'm sure our junior uncle accepts your words. Right, junior uncle?"

The chubby Taoist discreetly winked at Zhang Lingyu, urging him to back down and save his life for now.

However, while Zhang Lingyu excelled in cultivation among his peers, his social skills were utterly lacking. He completely ignored the good intentions of the two Taoists.

Brushing off their advice, Zhang Lingyu declared: "There's no need to say more. I will never believe that he is the founder of the Tianshi Sect!"

Hearing this, the two Taoists were filled with despair. Both silently vowed that if they managed to survive this ordeal, they would beg the Grandmaster to put Zhang Lingyu through rigorous training—not just in cultivation, but in social and interpersonal skills as well!

Seeing that Zhang Lingyu remained stubborn and unrepentant, Alex laughed mockingly:

"As I said, the Taoist Hall has truly fallen. Its disciples can't even assess the situation properly.

When facing a formidable opponent, especially when it doesn't violate your principles, you should yield and wait for the storm to pass before making any other plans.

Don't you realize your life is the most important thing?

But you... you're not even worth saving!

It seems I need to teach you a lesson you'll never forget! Heavenly Manifestation!"

With a casual utterance, Alex bent the rules of reality. He summoned lightning, shaping it through precise control into a humanoid figure.

In an instant, a colossal, thunderous figure, a hundred meters tall, formed in front of everyone. Its face bore a faint resemblance to Alex's own.

Witnessing this, everyone present gasped uncontrollably:

"Holy crap!"

In this world, such a powerful and imposing manifestation was unheard of.

Seeing Alex standing amidst the dazzling lightning, exuding the aura of an immortal, even the most skeptical couldn't deny the thought forming in their hearts

The two Taoists protecting Zhang Lingyu were trembling uncontrollably, paralyzed by fear. Alex casually moved them to a safer distance, then turned his gaze to Zhang Lingyu.

Before Zhang Lingyu could speak, Alex roared:

"Deluded fool, stubborn to the end! Let me enlighten you!

Great Vajra Dragon! Divine Mantra! Boundless Buddhas! Vajra Pa-ma Hoom!"

With a gesture, Alex molded the lightning into the shape of a divine dragon and unleashed it upon Zhang Lingyu.

The lightning dragon struck Zhang Lingyu, relentlessly destroying his body and soul. During this process, Alex heightened Zhang Lingyu's perception of pain while simultaneously healing his body and granting him temporary immortality.

For thirty agonizing minutes, the punishment continued. By the time it ended, the once-lush forest was reduced to a field of charred stumps and ash.

From afar, the two Taoists collapsed to their knees, their faces blank with despair. One muttered:

"Gone... all gone... he's done for! With the power Alex displayed, he might truly be the founder of the Taoist Hall!

How could our junior uncle possibly survive such a terrifying attack?

Even if Alex isn't the sect's founder, even if the Grandmaster himself intervened, there's no way to avenge him now!"

°°°

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