Eternal Fall

Over the past two days, Li Congxin had been feeling utterly exhausted.

It was bad enough that an inexplicable external threat had suddenly appeared in what had originally been a peaceful world. Yet as it turned out, trouble had also cropped up among the superheroes themselves.

Doctor Strange and Jean Grey had disappeared at the same time!

What Li Congxin knew was that they had left the Parallel Universe he was currently in. They were not in the X-Men Universe either. As for where they had gone and what they intended to do, even his nearly Omniscient and Omnipotent abilities could not reveal it.

When he focused on the matter, all he saw was the Phoenix and Stephen Strange duo walking together into the Space Rift. When he tried to investigate further, all he could see was a blank void.

A great calamity was approaching, and chaos reigned across the heavens?

That was the only decidedly un-Marvel-like phrase Li Congxin could find to describe and summarize the situation he was facing.

Li Congxin had no complaints about Doctor Strange and Jean’s unauthorized actions. On the contrary, he felt deeply gratified. After all, with disaster looming, everyone was thinking of ways to contribute to Earth and the universe through their own methods, rather than leaving Li Congxin, the strongest among them, to shoulder all the pressure alone.

Li Congxin stopped worrying about the others. Perhaps letting them act freely from time to time could produce unexpected results?

That was what he was thinking, but his mouth never paused as he continued speaking to Galacta, who sat before him looking like a well-behaved child: "There are good people and bad people on Earth. As the daughter of Galactus, you should have your own specific standards for judging right and wrong. I had you study the relevant laws before. When possible, you should still try your best to follow them."

Galacta could not help asking in confusion, "Try my best?"

"Of course." Li Congxin said, "You can’t just sit there and wait to die when someone harbors ill intentions toward you, or even tries to hurt you, can you? So when the time comes, you can act according to the situation. Whether you teach them a lesson or simply eat them, either is fine. I can handle the aftermath."

As Galactus’s daughter, Galacta had inherited his Multiversal Level appetite. Her little stomach looked so flat that even the tiniest amount of food would make it bulge, yet in reality, she could hardly ever feel full. Her appetite was so enormous that she probably needed to swallow a planet every day to satisfy it. All the food on Earth combined would not even be enough to fill the gaps between her teeth.

However, unlike Galactus, who would frequently starve until he fainted and lost his reason, Galacta was also exceptionally good at enduring hunger. No matter how famished she became, she basically would not go so far as to lose control and devour heaven and earth.

The little girl was now following Li Congxin, and this cowardly big brother, who always protected his own, naturally could not let her go hungry. Unfortunately, completely solving Galacta’s inability to feel full was unrealistic. Even with Li Congxin’s current power, he could not do it. It was like how Thanos could use the Infinity Gauntlet to eliminate half, or even all, of the life in the universe, but could not make the remaining half forget their pain.

Li Congxin was now only nearly Omniscient and Omnipotent. He could not achieve true omnipotence. Thus, he could only follow the laws of the universe to perform all kinds of incredible feats, rather than alter the rules themselves.

To give a relatively simple example, Tony could use his scientific knowledge to create all kinds of suits capable of flying through the sky and burrowing into the earth, but he could not make one plus one equal three!

Li Congxin’s current condition was countless times greater than Tony’s, but he still could not reach the level where he could alter the laws of the universe.

Galacta blinked her innocent, wide eyes. Being only a few months old, she naturally could not understand the dangers of the world. However, she knew that Li Congxin was saying this for her own good, so she obediently nodded in agreement.

After a brief pause, Galacta suddenly changed the subject and asked, "Uncle Li Congxin, do you know who killed Father, and what their purpose was?"

"About that…" Li Congxin smiled bitterly helplessly. "I can’t see any clues about the enemy at all. The current situation is rather special. With my current strength, as long as I wish, I can instantly discern the causes and effects of everything within this universe’s laws. But anything related to this crisis has transcended the limits of my perception. How should I put it…"

Li Congxin shook his head and tried to organize his thoughts. "In other words, during the great disaster ahead, my ability to see through everything in an instant will be completely useless."

Hearing this, Galacta’s heart immediately tightened. "Uncle Clark, are the enemies really that terrifying?"

Li Congxin reached out and gently rubbed Galacta’s head twice, soothing her softly. "Don’t worry. No matter how powerful the enemy is, justice will ultimately triumph over evil. We can win. I said so!"

As he spoke, Li Congxin used the power originating from the Mind Stone, immediately calming Galacta’s uneasy heart. When she looked at him again, there was no trace of doubt left in her eyes. Under the Mind Stone’s influence, she felt completely at ease. She firmly believed that no matter what kind of enemy they faced, Li Congxin would be able to settle everything.

"For now, stay here and study Earth’s knowledge. When you get tired of studying, have Sister Qianhuan take you out to play. If you get hungry, use the Any Door over there to absorb the cosmic storms from Hyperdimensional Space. I’m going out for a while."

After leaving those words behind, Li Congxin rose and left the Los Angeles villa.

The first snow of 2018 seemed even more insubstantial to Li Congxin than in previous years.

This was also one of the side effects brought about by his increased strength. Seasonal changes and other external factors affected him less and less. At first, it had felt rather pleasant—being impervious to heat and cold, practically invincible. But as this ability grew stronger, even snowflakes landing on his face could no longer make him feel the slightest chill.

Li Congxin increasingly felt that he no longer belonged in this world.

Perhaps after another several decades or centuries, when his relatives and friends on Earth had gradually grown old and died, he would choose to settle in Hyperdimensional Space like the Living Tribunal and Eternity, no longer involving himself in the mortal world unless necessary?

And even if he could not let go, perhaps he would create a race of life similar to the Celestials to carry out his will?

Suddenly, a trace of a premonition stirred in Li Congxin’s heart. He immediately waved his hand, and a Spatial Vortex swirling with a strange-colored radiance appeared before him.

The next moment, a Spider-Man wearing a blue spider suit stumbled out of the Spatial Vortex and then pitched headfirst to the ground.

He was one of the more powerful members of the many Spider armies under Li Congxin.

Captain Universe Spider-Man!

Thanks to reader Kou Jiao Banana Wolf for the 1,000 Qidian coins!

Thanks to reader a5s5 for the 100 Qidian coins!

Thanks to reader Cat and Autumn Rain for the 500 Qidian coins!