Lei Gong of K’un-Lun

Old Wang stood with his hands behind his back, carrying himself like a grandmaster.

With one strike, snow surged and space cracked. Such power far exceeded Stick’s imagination.

Pandaren Monks came from World of Warcraft, a magical world. At their core, a Monk’s abilities were inseparable from magic. Every movement drew upon the various energies between heaven and earth, and spells naturally accompanied every gesture. This was no mortal spectacle.

Stick’s kung fu remained at the level of techniques. Though he had cultivated True Qi, his total reserves were not even comparable to those of the little Pandarens at the Wandering Isle’s Shangxi Training Grounds. The gap was simply too great for him to comprehend Old Wang’s strength.

But someone could understand it.

K’un-Lun.

Deep within a courtyard, a middle-aged man in green robes sat cross-legged in meditation, his eyes closed as he rested his mind.

His green clothing wrapped around his entire body. The green hood looked rather unconventional, revealing only a pair of silver eyes, deep and mysterious.

Eyes upon the nose, nose upon the heart; the heart observed all things. All things had spirits, and those spirits dwelled within me.

He suddenly opened his eyes and looked into the distance.

"Someone is shaking the Kunlun Gate?"

"Though this power is far inferior to the Phoenix Projection from five hundred years ago, it is beyond anything an ordinary person could possess. His total True Qi is almost no less than mine?"

"This visitor means trouble!"

The thought had barely formed when a voice rang out throughout all of K’un-Lun.

"A friend of Ancient One, bringing K’un-Lun’s traitors, has come to pay a visit!"

The man in green shook from head to toe.

Sorcerer Supreme Ancient One?

Could this person be from Kamar-Taj?

The man in green focused his gaze. With the aid of some strange force, his sight pierced through the spatial barrier and saw everything outside.

An airplane, three Martial Arts Masters only slightly below elder rank, and an Asian man who resembled a divine dragon descended into the mortal world. He looked young, yet every inch of his skin and every cell contained dense, refined True Qi.

For some reason, although that man’s total True Qi was less than his own, he gave off the imposing air of a Grandmaster. Just like Wu Fengji, the "strongest Iron Fist," who had merged with the Phoenix Projection five hundred years ago and ultimately flown into the vast universe.

Like Father.

Like Ancient One.

This man was definitely not as young as he appeared.

Perhaps he had lived for centuries, even millennia. Perhaps he was some ageless old monster!

The man in green’s attention was quickly drawn to five figures.

Though those five faces differed somewhat from the records in the archives, they were still broadly recognizable. They truly were those five traitors—and they were actually still alive.

"Jade Emperor."

A voice like thunder suddenly rang out.

The man in green looked up and saw a brawny middle-aged man.

The newcomer stood nearly two meters tall and wore a black mask that covered his nose, leaving only his eyes and mouth exposed.

His upper body was bare, his muscles taut and powerful, radiating intense masculine vigor. Two strips of cloth pulled his tight trousers upward and crossed over his chest, where a special black symbol rested.

Two long and two short black lines represented Li Fire among the Bagua.

"Lei Gong."

The man in green kept his gaze straight ahead, his voice calm. "You heard it too?"

"Jade Emperor is the lord of K’un-Lun, and Lei Gong is the master of Iron Fist. Neither you nor I can leave K’un-Lun. Otherwise, those five traitors would never have survived until now… They stole Dragon Bone, defiled the divine dragon, and coveted immortality. They deserve death!"

Lei Gong followed Jade Emperor’s gaze and seemed somewhat surprised. "Is this man truly a friend of the Sorcerer Supreme? He’s actually a martial arts grandmaster! No, he carries the bearing of a Grandmaster. There can’t be such a person on Earth. Could he be one of the Kunlun People as well?"

"Everyone who leaves K’un-Lun is recorded, but some truths were buried in the dust of history long ago. No one can say how many people on Earth carry K’un-Lun blood."

Jade Emperor said, "A distinguished guest has come calling. We cannot turn him away. Lei Gong, go greet him personally and test his mettle."

"I know what to do."

Lei Gong nodded, turned, and headed toward the Kunlun Gate.

His movements blazed like fire, stirring wind and thunder.

The mountaintop platform.

The energy fluctuations had already subsided, and the spatial barrier had returned to normal. Old Wang could not see what was inside, so all he could do now was wait.

If the хозяин refused to open the door, then perhaps he would have no choice but to be an unwelcome guest.

That punch had depleted all his True Qi. Old Wang took out the Well of Eternity Bottle and took a small sip.

A vast amount of essence flowed into his body. It swiftly circulated through twelve great cycles before transforming into True Qi that seeped into his limbs and bones, nourishing his hungry body and lubricating his dry meridians. Most of the remainder was stored in his middle dantian.

The lower dantian stored essence, the middle dantian nourished qi, and the upper dantian contained spirit.

Essence, qi, and spirit—the Three Flowers Gather on Crown. Metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—the Five Energies Towards the Origin.

The exhaustion from overexertion vanished in an instant. Old Wang was refreshed and glowing with health.

Using Ancient One’s name to bluff them… she probably doesn’t know, right?

Even if she does, it’s fine. We’re friends. I gave her the Darkhold, and she gave me a belt. We’ve practically exchanged tokens of love already. Do I even need to explain our relationship?

Old Wang muttered to himself, feeling that it was no big deal.

The entire Earth, even the whole Nine Realms, lay beneath Ancient One’s watchful eye. But she only had two eyes and two ears. It wasn’t as if she could spend every day spying and eavesdropping on him, right? I’m not that charming!

Thinking of this, Old Wang settled down.

He took a deep breath and caught his breath. There would still be a hard battle to fight later.

He closed his eyes and quickly entered a state of unity between man and nature. Without thought or desire, he merged with heaven, earth, and all things. His left hand suddenly curled its fingers, and a snowflake drifted onto his fingertip. A cryptic smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

Watching Old Wang’s smile, Elektra felt it was filled with philosophy and Buddhist wisdom. It reminded her of the Buddha smiling while holding up a flower.

That scene was forever imprinted in her heart and would remain with her for the rest of her life.

"Are we that familiar?"

The calm, rippleless voice was like a sharp sword, piercing Old Wang’s perfect state.

Thrown out of his unity with nature, Old Wang’s smile froze like ice in the twelfth lunar month when he was ten years old. His left index finger and thumb tightened slightly, turning the snowflake into snowmelt.

She really was spying and eavesdropping on me. She doesn’t know about the things Skye and I did, does she…? Old Wang could not help grumbling inwardly.

What the hell was this?

You were a major figure of the multiverse. Instead of worrying about Dormammu and Thanos, why were you paying attention to a flower of the new century like me?

Forget it, forget it. He would not stoop to her level.

Old Wang took a deep breath, steadied his emotions, and said, "Very familiar."

Ancient One: "…"

A shameless man was invincible. Master Wang, you weren’t invincible in the world—you were invincible in the universe!

"Do me a favor, and we’ll call this matter even." Ancient One transmitted her voice from over a thousand kilometers away.

"Go ahead." Old Wang was rather curious.

Did someone as important as her really need his help?

"Once you become Iron Fist, persuade Jade Emperor and Lei Gong to cooperate with Kamar-Taj," Ancient One said.

Old Wang frowned slightly.

Cooperate?

What kind of cooperation?

"Every spell we cast harms our bodies. Few Kamar-Taj sorcerers live past a hundred."

Ancient One said, "That is why I teach them martial arts—to strengthen their bodies, protect the sanctums, minimize spellcasting, and reduce the harm caused by casting spells. I’ve trained generation after generation of sorcerers. I’m tired. I no longer have the time or energy to teach them, so I hope K’un-Lun can send people to help me."

Old Wang considered it.

Ancient One clearly intended to slack off until the end.

She had wanted to die for a long time. Only by dying could she follow Eternal God and roam the multiverse, but the problem was that she could not afford to die.

Other than her, there was not a single capable fighter in Kamar-Taj. If she died, who would deal with Dormammu and Mephisto? Who would keep watch against Odin and Thanos?

Now she was even unwilling to train sorcerers. The last time he had visited Kamar-Taj, it had been Baron Mordo teaching the apprentices.

That guy was decent at spellcasting, but as for martial arts, he was merely passable. He was probably not even as good as Daredevil.

No wonder Ancient One had set her sights on K’un-Lun.

"I can help you, but every gain comes with a sacrifice. What can you give K’un-Lun?" Old Wang asked.

"Kamar-Taj has never accepted students from K’un-Lun."

Ancient One said, "Kunlun People may come study at Kamar-Taj. Magic and martial arts each have their strengths. Only by combining them can we truly protect Earth, as well as K’un-Lun. I have seen twelve billion possible futures. From this point onward, Earth and even the entire universe enter an age of chaos. Almost every future ends in destruction."

Twelve billion futures—far more than a certain doctor. There were benefits to being a woman; it was harder to suffer from kidney deficiency… Old Wang nodded. "I agree."

"I have faith in you… He’s here." Ancient One’s voice vanished.

Another voice rang out.

Space suddenly changed. An ancient stone gate appeared out of thin air, its surface carved with ornate beams and painted rafters, along with all manner of strange creatures. The most conspicuous was the winged Immortal Dragon.

Outside the gate was a world of ice and snow, while inside it was warm as spring. They were clearly two different worlds.

Feeling the warmth rush toward him, Stick finally realized what was happening and could not stop himself from trembling all over.

Elektra, meanwhile, turned her gaze toward the person walking out from beyond the gate, her expression faintly stunned.

He was not quite what she had imagined!

With that bizarre, nonconformist look, was this the aesthetic of all Kunlun People?

"A distinguished guest has come calling. Forgive me for failing to welcome you from afar."

The newcomer clasped his hands in greeting and bowed slightly. "I am Lei Gong… Please!"