MTS: Marvel and Beyond

As Sun Wukong broke free from the Quasi-Saint's spell, a dignified and imposing Buddha hidden in the distance narrowed his eyes at the sight of him entering the Underworld.

Muttering in confusion, he said—

"Why has this monkey's cultivation grown so rapidly? He's almost at the Quasi-Saint level!

This won't do—I can't let him continue advancing.

If he truly steps into Quasi-Saint

cultivation, then the great catastrophe of Journey to the West, which we've waited countless eons for, will be thrown into chaos!

The rise of the Western Sect must not be jeopardized in any way.

Before Sun Wukong reaches Quasi-Saint level, I must destroy his foundation and eliminate any chance of him breaking through!"

If any other Buddhas or deities had been present, they would have been utterly shocked upon recognizing this figure.

Because this Buddha was none other than—

Gautama Buddha, the apparent leader of the Western Sect!

Although his current status was still beneath that of the Jade Emperor, it was widely believed that after the Journey to the West catastrophe, his power would be on equal footing with the Jade Emperor—or perhaps even surpass him.

Just as Gautama was contemplating how to cripple Sun Wukong's cultivation, his expression suddenly froze.

He felt himself being overwhelmed by an unfathomable power—

A force that far surpassed Quasi-Saints, even surpassing Saints themselves.

This was a power that only the Dao Ancestor, Hongjun, should be capable of wielding!

At that moment, he couldn't speak, couldn't transmit messages, could only scream inwardly in panic—

'I don't know how I've offended the Dao Ancestor, but please, spare me!'

However, what happened next shocked him beyond belief.

The one standing before him was not Hongjun.

Instead, a young man with white hair and blue eyes appeared out of nowhere.

And it was this young man who had bound him with such terrifying power!

This realization left Gautama Buddha in complete disbelief.

This youth was clearly not Hongjun.

Could there be another Dao Saint in this world?!

The young man—Alex—easily perceived Gautama's inner turmoil, but he paid no attention to it.

Instead, he directly rewrote his thoughts, erasing and altering his recent memories.

With a smirk, Alex said—

"Sun Wukong has struggled enough. The script must proceed as planned.

As for you, the 'writer'—you can wait until the final battle to be the boss."

With those words, Alex vanished from sight.

Gautama Buddha, left standing in place, momentarily lost in a trance.

Then, as clarity returned to his eyes, he smiled.

Everything was going according to plan.

—

Meanwhile, in the Underworld…

Having restrained the two Underworld Messengers, Sun Wukong led them further and further down, delving deeper beneath the earth.

As they reached a certain depth, the surroundings shifted—

Suddenly, they entered a dim and eerie world.

This was the Underworld, created by Houtu, the divine mother of reincarnation.

Crossing the Gates of the Netherworld, Sun Wukong found himself in a place resembling a mortal courthouse.

Then, with a sudden crisp bang, a heavy wooden gavel struck down on the judge's desk.

A dark-skinned, bearded, and stern-faced deity glared down at him, his booming voice echoing through the hall—

"Sun Wukong! This is the Underworld! Your time is up—you must die!"

As soon as King Yama finished speaking, the surrounding ghostly minions erupted into laughter, trying to intimidate Sun Wukong.

But to their surprise—

Despite the dire situation, Sun Wukong remained completely calm.

Not only was he not afraid, but he even sneered mockingly at them.

With an amused smirk, he said—

"Oh? Do you even know what my cultivation level is? And you dare try to claim my soul?"

King Yama, naturally, had no idea what Sun Wukong's true strength was.

But it didn't matter—no matter how strong he was, Yama had no fear.

After all, Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva had already promised him a great reward for capturing Sun Wukong's soul.

During this mission, he was under divine protection—Sun Wukong wouldn't be able to harm a single hair on his head.

He simply had to play his part.

And so, brimming with confidence, King Yama laughed—

"Hahaha! All living beings are under my jurisdiction!

If I say you die at midnight, you won't live past dawn!

Guards—seize him!"

King Yama expected that this provocation would finally make Sun Wukong lose his temper, forcing him to commit an act of defiance that could be used against him later.

But what happened next completely shattered his expectations.

Sun Wukong remained unfazed.

With an almost bored expression, he simply asked—

"Oh? Is that so?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Sun Wukong didn't bother with further pleasantries.

Instead, he reached into his ear, pulled out the Ruyi Jingu Bang, and unleashed his full power!

A terrifying Grand Luo Golden Immortal aura instantly engulfed the entire Underworld.

Countless weaker spirits trembled under its pressure—

Had Sun Wukong harbored any killing intent, this single release of energy alone would have wiped out half of the Underworld.

The Soul-Reaping Messengers, who had been approaching to restrain him, immediately collapsed to their knees, unable to even utter a word under the overwhelming force.

Seeing this, King Yama's expression changed dramatically.

He had assumed that Sun Wukong was at most a Golden Immortal.

But Grand Luo Golden Immortal?!

However, he quickly regained his composure.

Even if Sun Wukong was a Grand Luo Golden Immortal, he still had Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva to protect him!

…Or so he thought.

What he didn't know was that, deep within the Underworld, Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva was paralyzed with fear, unable to move an inch.

Beside him, a white-haired, blue-eyed Daoist youth sat cross-legged, lazily drinking from a gourd filled with liquor—

A fragrance of Innate Spiritual Energy from Ginseng Fruit drifting through the air.

—

Meanwhile, back in the Underworld Court…

With Kṣitigarbha as his supposed backer, King Yama felt completely fearless.

He personally stepped forward to shackle Sun Wukong.

But before he could even get close—

A foot came flying straight at his face!

BAM!

It landed squarely on King Yama's nose, instantly distorting his expression and sending blood gushing from his mouth and nostrils.

Sun Wukong scoffed—

"Daring to claim the soul of a Grand Luo Golden Immortal?

Looks like you need to be taught a lesson!"

Even so, King Yama refused to back down.

Wiping the blood from his face, he roared—

"How dare you attack the Lord of the Underworld, Sun Wukong?!

You will suffer the Hell of Blazing Knives for this!"

But deep down, he couldn't help but panic—

'What's going on?! I've been pinned down by Sun Wukong, so why hasn't Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva stepped in yet?!'

—

Far away, Kṣitigarbha, still bound by Alex's power, was curled up like a frightened quail, completely motionless.

At this moment, he was the very embodiment of weak, pitiful, and helpless.

How could he possibly go help King Yama?

—

Seeing King Yama still acting stubborn, Sun Wukong couldn't help but laugh in anger.

"Alright, alright—since you're so bold, I'll fulfill your wish.

Tell me, have you ever heard of the Nailed Seven Arrows Curse?"

He said it casually, but the moment King Yama heard those words, his face drained of color.

"You… You actually know the Nailed Seven Arrows Curse?!"

This was one of the most infamous and feared curses in all of prehistoric mythology!

By simply crafting arrows from straw, piercing them into an effigy, and chanting the incantations, one could kill their target from afar—

Even a Grand Luo Golden Immortal would struggle to escape its effects!

King Yama's heart pounded in terror.

Again, he anxiously wondered why Kṣitigarbha still hadn't acted.

'Has something gone terribly wrong?!'

Finally, unable to endure his fear any longer—

King Yama dropped to his knees, trembling, and begged for mercy.

"Mercy, great immortal!

I will release you immediately,

I will check the Book of Life and Death,

I will ensure justice is served!"

Sun Wukong raised an eyebrow, unimpressed.

"Hmm? That's it?"

King Yama hesitated for a moment before gritting his teeth and saying—

"That alone may not be enough to appease your anger.

I've heard that you, great immortal, are the Monkey King of Flower Fruit Mountain.

Though you yourself have transcended the Six Paths of Reincarnation, your monkey subjects are still bound by the constraints of lifespan.

Thus, I will erase all their names from the Book of Life and Death, granting them eternal life as well!"

But even as he spoke, his heart burned with resentment.

'You think I'll let this go?

Today's humiliation won't be forgotten!

The moment this calamity leaves,

I'll report him to the Jade Emperor himself!

And the excuse?

Simple—Sun Wukong defiled the Book of Life and Death!

Who in this Underworld would dare testify against me? This entire realm is under my control!

And even if the Jade Emperor learns the truth, he'll pretend otherwise and sentence Sun Wukong regardless.

After all, it's fate—Sun Wukong is destined to suffer in the Journey to the West!

What if he's a Grand Luo Golden Immortal? What if he's mastered Thirty-Six Heavenly Arts? Without reaching Quasi-Saint, he's still just a pawn!'

—

But before he could savor his scheme, Sun Wukong suddenly pulled out a mirror-shaped artifact.

Within the mirror—

A crystal-clear replay of King Yama's oath played on loop.

—

Seeing this, King Yama's mind went blank.

He stared at the mirror, utterly dumbfounded.

Sun Wukong grinned mockingly.

"Hahaha! I've already recorded your words using divine magic.

If you ever dare make a move against me— you'd best consider this 'spiritual recording' first!

Even if you try to frame me,

you'll be the one walking straight into ruin!"

King Yama's face froze. How could this monkey be so cunning?

It was over. He had completely lost.

Under Sun Wukong's watchful gaze, King Yama picked up the Book of Life and Death and erased every monkey's name from its pages.

Sun Wukong used his divine abilities to record the entire process, then returned to Flower Fruit Mountain.

At the same time, Alex glanced at Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva, who was trembling uncontrollably. Without saying a word, Alex left the underworld and returned to the Moon Palace.

Seeing Alex return, Chang'e didn't even move, completely resigned to her fate.

Alex had placed restrictions on her, preventing her from sending out any messages about his presence in the Moon Palace.

Her freedom was entirely under his control, leaving her with no ability to resist.

After several failed attempts to break free, she gave up entirely, allowing Alex to do as he pleased.

This time, however, Alex didn't come to play chess with her as he usually did.

Chang'e looked at him in confusion, only to see him seated cross-legged, eyes closed, his already formidable aura continuing to rise.

She stared, mouth slightly open. Alex was already so powerful—could it be that he was about to break through to an even higher realm?

If so, just how strong would he become? Could he even rival Hongjun, the embodiment of the Heavenly Dao?

Alex ignored Chang'e and opened his system panel, checking his skill progress.

After devouring the Harry Potter world, his abilities had increased exponentially. Now, his three core abilities were on the verge of leveling up again.

Days passed in the blink of an eye. Suddenly, Alex opened his eyes, and a massive energy wave erupted from his body.

If not for the barriers he had placed beforehand, this energy would have spread across the entire Primordial Universe.

The system panel flashed with updates:

[Absolute Manipulation EXP +1]

[Absolute Manipulation EXP +1]

[Absolute Manipulation EXP +1

]

[Your skill "Absolute Manipulation" has leveled up!]

[Absolute Manipulation LV8 (56/1,000,000): Absolutely manipulate everything!]

—

[Chaos Force EXP +1]

[Chaos Force EXP +1]

[Chaos Force EXP +1]

[Chaos Force LV8 (78/1,000,000): Absorb and transform everything!]

—

[Lord of Dimensions EXP +1]

[Lord of Dimensions EXP +1]

[Lord of Dimensions EXP +1]

[Lord of Dimensions LV8 (18/1,000,000): Instantly create anything!]

—

All three abilities leveled up at the same time, and a flood of new knowledge surged into Alex's mind, which he absorbed instantly.

As he processed this information, his internal energy multiplied over and over, continuing for an entire day before stabilizing.

By then, his power had increased hundreds of times over!

If he returned to the Sea of Chaos and created a new universe from scratch, he might one day match the likes of Marvel's OAA, DC's Presence, or even the Primordial Dao.

But Alex had no interest in relying on a world's power—he wanted all the strength for himself.

Compared to beings like OAA, who drew power from their universes, he was still lacking.

However, even if OAA hunted him down, he would now be able to escape into the Sea of Chaos without needing to rely on resurrection.

He glanced at his system panel, which flickered rapidly, as if it could disappear at any moment.

At the same time, he finally sensed the system's presence within himself.

A strange intuition told him that once all his skills reached LV9, the system would completely dissolve, merging into his very being and boosting his core essence!

At that moment, he would reach a state beyond imagination.

Without hesitation, Alex sent out a clone—one with power beyond that of a Saint—to watch over Sun Wukong, while his true body entered deep meditation to continue advancing.

He needed to push all three skills to LV9 and reach true transcendence!

—

Meanwhile, in the Heavens, the Jade Emperor frowned.

By now, Dragon King of the East Sea and King Yama should have already come to file their complaints.

Why was there still no movement?

It didn't really matter, though.

Those two were merely small players in the grand scheme of the Journey to the West catastrophe—their presence or absence made no difference.

He spoke directly:

"Tai Bai Jin Xing, I hear that a stone-born monkey has appeared in the mortal world, possessing incredible strength. Why don't you descend and recruit him for the Heavenly Court?"

Tai Bai Jin Xing bowed. "Understood!"

—

Back at Flower Fruit Mountain, Sun Wukong recounted his underworld exploits to his fellow monkeys, then resumed his training.

His foundation grew stronger by the day. He felt that he only needed one final push to break through to the Quasi-Saint realm.

Once he did, not even the Journey to the West catastrophe could dictate his fate.

The difference between a Great Luo Golden Immortal and a Quasi-Saint was like heaven and earth.

Across the Six Realms, the number of Great Luo immortals outnumbered Quasi-Saints at least ten to one!

One day, Sun Wukong's eyes snapped open, shining with brilliant golden light.

This was the Innate Divine Ability he had gained inspiration for after reading Journey to the West—Fiery Golden Eyes!

At last, he had reached the first stage of mastery.

But as he examined his newfound power, he realized something strange—

His Fiery Golden Eyes seemed… different from the ones in Journey to the West.