MTS: Marvel and Beyond

Faced with Alex's threat, Liu Yanyan no longer showed her previous arrogance. Instead, she pitifully begged, "No, I don't want that! Keep Zhang Chulan away from me! I don't want to be with such a lowly guy!"

Then, peeking at Alex through her fingers, her tone suddenly softened, and she shyly said "If it's you, though… I guess I wouldn't mind…"

Hearing himself being insulted, Zhang Chulan immediately protested, squirming angrily on the ground as he yelled at Liu Yanyan,

"Who are you calling a lowly guy? Even if I am, you're no better! Not long ago, you were the one coming onto me and trying to seduce me!"

However, Zhang Chulan's protests didn't faze Liu Yanyan at all. She glanced at him disdainfully and scoffed "A virgin is still a virgin. So sensitive—how low can you get?"

The veins on Zhang Chulan's forehead bulged, forming a tic-tac-toe symbol. Just as he was about to argue with her, Lu Liang stuffed a cloth into his mouth, muffling him completely.

Observing the situation carefully and confirming that Alex didn't seem like the type of Outcast who acted unpredictably, Lu Liang cautiously asked, "Sir, may I ask why you're here?"

Alex waved him off casually.

"Don't mind me. I'm just here as a spectator to see what you guys are up to.

Oh, and that woman over there—Xia He, right? Why did you stop? I was looking forward to a live performance."

At Alex's words, Xia He's expression immediately turned dangerous.

Though her ability revolved around desires and she occasionally lost control, allowing herself to take liberties with stronger individuals, she still considered herself a good girl.

Aside from the incident with Zhang Lingyu, which was an exception, she had never crossed any real lines.

Narrowing her eyes, she asked,

"Which sect do you come from? How is it that someone as powerful as you has never been heard of before?"

After a moment's thought, Alex's eyes lit up, and he replied in a deep voice,

"Have you ever heard of the Taoist Master Hall?"

Everyone present, including Zhang Chulan, reacted with visible shock.

"Could it be… you're from there?"

The reputation of the Taoist Master Hall was well-known to everyone in the Outcast community.

Its long history and unparalleled status made it a legendary existence. And with a peerless master currently residing there, the Taoist Master Hall was undoubtedly regarded as the most powerful force in the community.

Pushing up his glasses, Lu Liang gazed at Alex with a serious expression and asked again,

"Are you really a member of the Taoist Master Hall?"

Without hesitation, Alex nodded.

"Yeah, you could say that."

Everyone: "???"

What did that mean? Either you are, or you aren't. What's with "you could say that"?

Xia He's gaze turned even more dangerous, and she subtly activated her ability, attempting to manipulate Alex's desires.

However, the moment her power reached out to him, she realized Alex's will was as immovable as a mythical mountain, towering and indomitable. It was as though an infinite mountain range stood before her, making her efforts utterly futile.

Startled by this discovery, Xia He's gaze instantly shifted. Her once-dangerous demeanor softened, and she looked at Alex with a polite and harmless expression, as if the earlier tension had never existed.

Noticing Xia He's sudden change, Lu Liang became even more alarmed. He knew Xia He well enough to assume she had tried to make a move on Alex in secret.

From her current docile behavior, it was obvious she had failed.

Based on her reaction, Lu Liang could deduce that Alex's power had completely overwhelmed her, leaving her no room to resist.

To crush someone like Xia He, one of the "Four Sorcerers," so easily… this meant Alex's strength was immense.

What was going on?

Zhang Chulan had, of course, also heard of the Taoist Master Hall and knew its illustrious reputation. In fact, most of the techniques his grandfather had passed down to him, such as the Golden Light In and the Yang Five Thunder, were signature skills of the Taoist Master Hall.

So, when he heard Alex claim he was affiliated with the Hall, Zhang Chulan immediately asked "What do you mean? Are you really from the Hall?"

Alex glanced at the squirming virgin on the ground with slight disdain, but he decided to continue for the fun of it. "Yes, I'm from the Taoist Master Hall. But at this point, no one in the Hall would remember me…"

"What do you mean by that?" Zhang Chulan pressed further.

Alex smiled mysteriously. "Do you know Zhang Daoling?"

Xia He, slightly taken aback, asked,

"Could it be that you're a descendant of Zhang Daoling?"

Lu Liang and the others furrowed their brows, growing more serious. If Alex truly was a descendant of Zhang Daoling, then his status within the Hall would undoubtedly be extraordinary.

But why did he claim no one there remembered him?

Alex adopted a solemn expression and said "No, I'm not Zhang Daoling's descendant—I'm his senior uncle!

Two thousand years ago, I ascended to another world, where I cultivated for two millennia and achieved unparalleled power.

But once I reached the pinnacle of my cultivation, I realized how lonely I was. Everyone I had ever known was gone, and even the forces I created in that other world revered and feared me, but no one truly cared about me.

In their eyes, I was a god, the invincible Zhang Tiandi, but not a fellow being with emotions like them.

Overwhelmed by this emptiness, I left behind an avatar to say goodbye to my followers, paid a great price, and returned to this world to find my descendants!

I only just descended into this world a few days ago."

Liu Yanyan, Xia He, and Lu Liang:

"..."

What was this nonsense? Did Alex think they were idiots? Who would actually believe such a ridiculous story?

To their utter shock, Zhang Chulan suddenly burst into tears, deeply moved.

"Wahhhh! So you've been alive for so long? That must have been so lonely for you.

Don't worry! The Taoist Master Hall still exists and remains one of the strongest forces in the Outcast world. If you're willing, I'll take you there and help you find your family!"

Liu Yanyan, Xia He, and Lu Liang were rendered speechless, collectively thinking, Seriously? You're actually buying this? Zhang Chulan, is your brain broken?!

Before they could mock him, Zhang Chulan continued "If you save me now, I'll take you to find your family. Trust me, my grandfather Zhang Huaiyi was a member of the Hall. I won't lie to you!"

It was only then that Liu Yanyan, Xia He, and Lu Liang realized Zhang Chulan wasn't actually convinced that Alex was Zhang Daoling's senior uncle. He was clearly trying to use Alex to escape their clutches.

After all, even though Alex seemed carefree and unserious, his demeanor revealed him to be an exceptionally powerful and hidden expert.

Realizing the stakes, Liu Yanyan, Xia He, and Lu Liang quickly chimed in,

"Sir, we can take you to the Hall ourselves…"

Alex interrupted their conversation, looking exasperated. "Do you think I'm an idiot?

As someone who has cultivated for thousands of years, the moment I entered this world, I used my divine sense to grasp all the information about it.

Look, I even bought a smartphone and a laptop.

Even without your help, I can easily return to the Hall.

The reason I haven't gone back yet is that the outside world is more entertaining. Once I've had my fun, I'll go back on my own."

Zhang Chulan, Liu Yanyan, Xia He, and Lu Liang: "…"

Bro, it's not us treating you like a fool—it's you treating us like fools!

Ascension? Breaking through worlds? A celestial being who's lived for over two thousand years?!

There's no such thing as that shit in this world!

And earlier, he was claiming to be a member of Quanxing. How did he suddenly become the ancestor of the Taoist Master Hall?

Still, faced with Alex's unfathomable strength, the group stayed silent and refrained from arguing.

At this point, they could only regard Alex as some eccentric, mysterious powerhouse.

Seeing the four of them standing frozen, Alex grew impatient and urged, "What are you standing around for? Keep going. I'm not going to stop you."

Lu Liang and the others, though reluctant, had no choice but to ignore Alex.

Pushing Alex out of his mind, Lu Liang approached Zhang Chulan, questioning him about the whereabouts of Zhang Huaiyi's inheritance.

But Zhang Chulan, who was unaware of the Qi-State Origin-Flow Art, genuinely knew nothing.

Lu Liang didn't believe him. He grabbed Zhang Chulan and used his Soul Reaching Technique, pulling at his soul in an attempt to find any memories about the Art.

To Lu Liang, people could lie, but their souls couldn't.

As Zhang Chulan screamed in pain from the soul extraction, a whistling sound came from the distance.

Sensing danger, Lu Liang dodged aside just in time. A small stone grazed past his head and embedded itself in a nearby car, leaving a deep dent in the metal.

Seeing the stone's power, Lu Liang broke out in a cold sweat. Furious, he shouted "Who is it? Show yourself!"

From afar, two figures approached.

One was a disheveled young woman with long, messy hair draped casually over her shoulders.

The other was a tall man wearing glasses, with three small stones floating above his palm. It was obvious he was the one who threw the earlier stone.

Lu Liang immediately recognized them.

"Xu San, Feng Baobao!"

Seeing Feng Baobao arrive, Zhang Chulan squirmed desperately on the ground, trying to move closer to her.

"Baobao, save me!"

Xu San stepped in, calmly scanning the scene before speaking in a measured tone. "Quanxing's Lu Liang is here, and even Xia He… Baobao, this isn't going to be easy this time."

Feng Baobao, still in her disheveled state, casually said, "No problem, I'll just kill them."

What followed was the usual routine: both sides exchanged trash talk before the battle began.

Having experienced many worlds, Alex was all too familiar with this process. He stood silently on the side, blending into the background like a bystander.

After the trash talk ended, the two sides finally decided to start fighting.

Liu Yanyan was the first to act, summoning several zombies from the ground. Just as she was about to launch an attack on Feng Baobao and Xu San, she suddenly paused, as if recalling something. Her arrogance vanished, and she turned to the man acting as the background—Alex—and asked in a slightly timid voice:

"Hey, you're not going to help their side, are you?"

Alex, who had somehow produced a pack of sunflower seeds, chips, and other snacks, was just about to enjoy the show. But hearing Liu Yanyan's question, he noticed everyone's attention had shifted to him.

"Relax," he said, "I already told you, I'm kind of part of Quanxing. I'm not exactly overflowing with goodwill. Being too kind in this cruel world makes survival pretty hard."

Hearing Alex's assurance, the three members of Quanxing collectively sighed in relief.

With that worry out of the way, Liu Yanyan immediately commanded her zombies to charge at the two.

However, against Xu San, her zombies were no match. Using his telekinesis, Xu San hurled rocks that sent the zombies flying toward Xia He.

Xia He easily crushed the rocks flying her way, then clashed with Feng Baobao, who charged at her wielding a kitchen knife.

The fight between the two women was undeniably entertaining, especially when Feng Baobao's knife brushed past the edges of Xia He's snow-white attire. Alex couldn't help but clap and cheer.

"What a sight! Incredible!"

Meanwhile, Zhang Chulan had no time for Alex's amusement. Watching the flashes of movement in his field of vision, he couldn't help but exclaim

"Damn it, you guys are completely blowing my mind! That speed—is that something humans can even achieve?"

As Feng Baobao and Xia He continued to battle, Xu San kept part of his attention on them, ready to intervene and rescue Feng Baobao if necessary.

Meanwhile, part of Xu San's attention remained fixed on Alex, who was watching from the sidelines.

He was deeply curious about Alex's true identity. Based on Alex's own words, he seemed to be part of Quanxing.

However, Xu San had never seen Alex before, nor did he have any records of him, which suggested Alex might be a newcomer, possibly someone on the fringe.

But Liu Yanyan's earlier reaction made him doubt that assumption.

Judging by Quanxing's tendency to defer to the strongest, Alex was undoubtedly a powerful figure. Otherwise, Xia He and Lü Liang wouldn't have cared so much about his stance. The moment Alex assured them he wouldn't interfere, they had clearly relaxed.

This implied Alex's strength was at least on par with Xia He, one of the Four Sorcerer.

More likely, Alex was even stronger than Xia He, which would explain why she seemed so wary of him.

Yet, the dynamic between them felt strange.

Why wasn't Alex, supposedly part of Quanxing, teaming up with Xia He and the others? Why was he merely watching the fight?

Even more puzzling, Xia He and her companions weren't upset about Alex's inaction; in fact, they seemed relieved.

Xu San found this baffling, but one thing was clear—Alex was an exceptionally dangerous individual, and he needed to be cautious around him.

Suddenly, Xu San's expression shifted as he used telekinesis to pull Feng Baobao back, preventing her from being injured by Xia He.

With a sigh, he gave her a word of caution: "Baobao, you need to be more careful! You're up against Xia He!"

Seeing Feng Baobao and Xia He clash, Liu Yanyan grew even more excited. She shouted gleefully,

"Hahaha, you're all so cool! Joining Quanxing was the best decision ever!"

Lü Liang sighed in exasperation.

"Obviously. Xia He is one of the Four Sorcerers of Quanxing. Do you even understand how much weight that title carries?"

Xia He ignored her two unreliable teammates, stepping on Zhang Chulan's weak point. Towering over him, she taunted Xu San:

"Aren't you going to come over? If not, how are you planning to take Zhang Chulan back?"

°°°

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