hotmtlnovel Page 108
Page 108
He quickly confirmed it.
[Copying in progress... Energy analysis... Law imprint peeling off...]
[Copy complete!]
[Acquired Ability: S-Rank - Dimensional Invasion (Beginner)]
A flood of complex information rushed into his mind. This ability couldn't directly enhance his combat power right now, but its potential made Chu Hang's eyes light up.
This ability was practically tailor-made for him. In the future, he could create countless Chu Hangs, which would infiltrate other universes like a virus and fleece the powerful beings in those parallel worlds.
In that brief moment of distraction, Dormammu seized the opportunity.
"Feel the embrace of darkness, arrogant mortals!"
The surrounding environment suddenly changed. Chu Hang found himself being forcibly dragged into a completely black space.
There was no light, no sound, no direction. An endless pressure emanated from all sides, as if the weight of the entire dimension had coalesced and was pressing down on him alone.
His proud spatial laws were completely suppressed here, as if he were trapped in solidified cement, unable to teleport or cut anything.
"It's over." Dormammu's voice echoed throughout the dark space, carrying a judgmental authority.
Fine cracks began to appear on Chu Hang's body, and golden blood seeped out from the cracks.
The newly forged laws of the body are frantically repairing themselves, but the rate of decay far exceeds the rate of repair.
He knew that conventional methods were no longer effective.
Then let's take a big gamble.
Chu Hang closed his eyes, his will completely sinking into his body. He relinquished all precise control over his power, focusing on only one thing—forcibly colliding the blue ocean representing the laws of space with the red ocean representing the laws of force!
This was a suicidal act he never dared to consider when he was trying to break through.
But now, there's no choice.
Two fundamentally different laws, like water and fire, clashed violently within him. There was no expected fusion, only the most primal and violent annihilation and explosion!
A destructive, chaotic storm, mixed with red and blue colors, erupted outwards from his body!
"Dual Laws - Storm!"
The dark space that trapped him, like glass shattered by a hammer, was instantly covered with spiderweb-like cracks before collapsing completely.
The purple storm of laws, undiminished in its momentum, slammed into the massive head of Dormammu's clone with unstoppable force.
"No—this is impossible!"
Dormammu let out a shriek filled with terror and disbelief. The enormous head, composed of nebulae and vengeful spirits, melted and evaporated rapidly in the purple storm, like an ice cube thrown into aqua regia, not even lasting a second.
The spatial rift above the temple suddenly contracted, sucking back the last bit of remaining dark energy as if it had never existed.
Everything returned to calm.
Chu Hang, covered in blood, knelt in the center of the hall, panting heavily. The power of the laws within his body was in chaos, like tangled yarn, but he couldn't help but laugh.
It's as if he's found the doorknob of that God-father-like gate.
He finally understood why he could copy the Infinity Stones but could never copy a Celestial-level figure.
The Infinity Stones are manifestations of laws that existed since the beginning of the universe. They are pure, tamed, and without personal imprints.
When he was weak, he copied something like a child stealing a loaded gun. It was dangerous, but the gun itself wouldn't fight back.
Every bit of the power of a Heavenly Father-level expert is engraved with their own name.
Odin's lightning, the Ancient One's magic, and Dormammu's darkness are all extensions of their will. Chu Hang's attempt to replicate them was like an ordinary person trying to stuff another person's soul into their own body—the only outcome was being burst open.
Things are different now. He has his own physical laws as a solid vessel, and has also begun to understand the application of multiple laws, finally giving him the qualifications to compete with these powerful souls.
Just then, the mirror dimension in mid-air shattered like a mirror.
Chapter 123 New Ability: Dimensional Invasion
The mirror dimension is like a piece of shattered glass, disintegrating in mid-air.
The distorted city streets, the upside-down skyscrapers, all the bizarre fragments are silently dissipating, turning into the most primal energy points.
Strange and Mordo fell from the shattered void and crashed heavily onto the cold marble floor of the temple.
Strange coughed up blood and struggled to his feet. His red cloak of levitation was torn in several places, and his face was bruised, but his eyes were harder and brighter than before. He had won, upholding his principles in his own way.
Mordo, however, completely collapsed.
He knelt on the ground, his hands supporting him, his eyes blankly scanning everything before him. The temple was now a ruin, its walls riddled with bottomless holes—the marks of Chu Hang's battle with Dormammu; jagged cracks ran across the floor, as if the earth itself were groaning.
Finally, his gaze was fixed on the man kneeling not far away, his body still emitting golden steam.
That person was like a walking disaster. He was the ultimate blasphemy against all rules.
“Do you see that, Strange…” Mordo’s voice was dry and hoarse, like rusty iron scraping against each other, “This is the price. This is the price you pay for abusing power!”
He slowly stood up, the last trace of struggle and pain in his eyes vanished, leaving only a chilling calm.
"The Ancient One stole the power of the Dark Dimension to prolong her life, and you, for the sake of victory, recklessly manipulated the laws of time." Mordo raised a trembling hand, pointing at Chu Hang, "If the person before you one day grows into an being like Dormammu, it will be a catastrophe for the world."
A twisted and sorrowful smile suddenly appeared on his face, as if he were pitying Strange, pitying himself, and pitying this world that the mages used as a playground.
After saying that, his body fell heavily to the ground, lifeless.
Strange opened his mouth, but ultimately couldn't utter a single word.
He dragged his weary body to Chu Hang. Looking at the wounds on the other man's body that should have been fatal but were now healing at an astonishing speed, Strange's expression was incredibly complex, a mixture of gratitude, awe, and a deep sense of powerlessness.
“Thank you.” Strange’s voice was low, hoarse with the lingering pain of someone who had survived a near-death experience. “I…I need some time. The Ancient One’s death, Mordo’s betrayal…I need time…”
He looked down at the cold Eye of Agamotto on his chest, his eyes filled with confusion. He had won the battle, but it felt as if he had lost everything.
"Time?" Chu Hang propped himself up on his knees and slowly stood up. As he moved, the wounds on his body quickly scabbed over and fell off, revealing the perfectly healed skin underneath. He exhaled a breath of foul air, tinged with the smell of blood, his eyes like two freshly forged knives, piercing straight at Strange.
"What you lack most right now is time."
He walked up to Strange, and the two were so close that Strange could smell the peculiar smell of gunpowder mixed with ozone on Chu Hang.
"You think the Sorcerer Supreme title is something nice? The Nobel Prize of the magical world? A certificate of honor?" Chu Hang's lips curled into a mocking smile. "No, it's a shackle. From the moment the Ancient One gave it to you, your sadness, your confusion, all your little emotions have become fucking luxuries."
Chu Hang stretched out his finger and pointed without any hesitation at the green gem on Strange's chest.
He stared into Strange's eyes and said, slowly and deliberately, "Don't let your personal emotions become a vulnerability for others to exploit."
These words were like a bucket of ice water, dousing Strange from head to toe.
He woke up instantly.
Yes, he is the Sorcerer Supreme now. He has no time for sorrow, nor the right to be confused.
Strange took a deep breath, straightened his spine, and the vulnerability on his face vanished, transforming him back into the calm and decisive surgeon.
"I understand."
"Very good." Chu Hang nodded in satisfaction, then pointed to the black energy residue on the ground that resembled oil stains and exuded an ominous aura. "These were left by Dormammu. I need some samples for research. Is that alright?"
Strange twitched his lips into a wry smile. He knew this favor wouldn't be so easy to repay.
"Of course, take whatever you want. Leaving it here would only cause trouble."
Chu Hang didn't stand on ceremony, stretching out his palm towards the ground and grabbing at the air.
The laws of space were activated. The dark dimensional energy that stubbornly clung to the walls and floor was forcibly torn off as if by an invisible hand, making a "sizzling" sound, and gathered in his palm.
He used his spatial power to compress and purify the complex energy, eventually turning it into a pure black crystal the size of a fingernail, as black as ink, seemingly capable of absorbing all light.
He casually stuffed the crystal into his pocket, turned around and left, decisively and cleanly.
"Hey!" Strange called after him, "Where are you going?"
"Go home and sleep."
Chu Hang waved his hand without turning his head, and his figure faded away in mid-air, like a poorly positioned projection, flickering twice before disappearing completely.
Strange stood alone in the empty and dilapidated temple, looking at the mess on the ground and the sky just beginning to brighten outside the window, and let out a long sigh.
New York, underground base.
Chu Hang sat cross-legged on the metal floor, placed the black crystal he had brought back from the temple in front of him, and closed his eyes.
Detailed information about the new ability, [Dimensional Invasion], flooded his mind like a tidal wave.
S-rank ability, with enormous potential.
He can tear off a small portion of his power and will and project it into other multiverses, like launching a probe. This portion of power will automatically construct a clone according to the local laws.
The clone possesses independent action capabilities. Everything it sees, learns, and even replicates new abilities will be synchronized back to its original body in real time through a quantum entanglement that transcends time and space.
This is practically a god-tier skill for fleecing people, tailor-made for a "time traveler" like him.
But he soon discovered the enormous limitations of this ability. The initial strength of the clone depended entirely on the quality and quantity of the power torn out from his main body.
With his current near-Heavenly Father level strength, even if he gritted his teeth and tore off 10% of his power, the clone he created would only be strong enough to destroy an artificial satellite with a single punch.
Chu Hang frowned. This level of skill was even inferior to Carol when she first awakened her twin-star form. Sending someone like this to other universes, especially those with high martial arts and high magic, would likely result in them being slapped to death as mere grunts the moment they landed.
He didn't believe in superstitions and decided to try it out for himself.
He concentrated his mind, his will sinking into the vast ocean of power within his body, composed of various laws. He cautiously extended a tentacle of spiritual energy, hooking onto a small portion of his own power. Then, he pulled it outwards with a sudden burst of strength!
A sharp pain shot through him, as if someone had ripped a piece of flesh from his soul.
The air in front of him began to fluctuate violently, and a semi-transparent, ethereal "Chu Hang" slowly took shape. His features were indistinct, and his body seemed to be made of water ripples, as if it might disintegrate at any moment.
Chu Hang could clearly feel the mental link between himself and this clone. He could control it as he would his own hands and feet, and he could also see the room through its "eyes".
But he could sense even more that this clone... was very weak.
He tried to command his clone to pick up a glass of water from the table. The illusory hand reached out, but passed right through the glass without any resistance, unable to even achieve the most basic physical interference.
He tried to make the clone speak, but it only produced a series of incomprehensible, static-like noises.
"It seems I still don't have enough capital," Chu Hang sighed, giving up the attempt.
With a thought, he withdrew his power. The semi-transparent clone immediately transformed into countless specks of light, flying back like fireflies and merging back into his body. Only then did the soul-tearing pain slowly subside.
He finally understood that this couldn't be rushed. If he wanted his clone to have enough power to roam other worlds, he himself had to first steadily reach the level of a Celestial Father.
Only when you reach that level can every piece of meat you tear off be substantial enough to be considered a quality asset, rather than a worthless stock that you'll throw away and lose.