Returning to K’un-Lun

After several months, he had returned, and nothing had changed.

The same mountains, the same platform. Only the snow from before had long since been cleared away, exposing the ancient rocks that had stood since time immemorial.

Last time, he had needed to knock on the door with a punch, wave a banner like tiger skin, and invoke the Ancient One’s name just to get in.

Now, things were different.

Things remained the same, but people had changed. Old Wang was no longer the Old Wang of the past. He had gained a special identity:

Iron Fist, the gatekeeper of K’un-Lun.

This door was meant to be guarded by him, and naturally, it would open for him.

Old Wang raised his hand, transforming a wisp of True Qi into the power of the Iron Fist.

He pressed his left hand against empty space. A golden outline appeared, revealing an ancient stone gate hidden deep within another dimension.

Lash, dressed in a suit, watched all this. Though he maintained his usual calm appearance, a storm raged deep within his heart.

Science’s research into space was extremely limited. In this area, it was as shallow as a child in preschool, no different from complete amateurs. He knew very well that no existing technology could open a gateway to another dimension. Such things existed only in the fantasies of novels and films, yet he was seeing it with his own eyes.

Had he not already encountered S.H.I.E.L.D. and absorbed the Terrigen Mist, gaining a unique ability that greatly strengthened his capacity to accept the unbelievable, he might have lost control on the spot and turned into some indescribable monster.

A portal could still be explained with wormholes. But how could one explain the dimensional shift before him, that nonexistent space?

In his view, the latter was more advanced than the former and even harder to imagine.

The psychologist clearly did not know much about physics, and for a moment, he fell into confusion.

"Follow me."

Old Wang stepped through the gate, and Lash hurried after him.

The Kunlun Gate closed once more and vanished from the outside world. This time, however, Old Wang did not appear on the original mountaintop platform, but on the Sacred Mountain where Shou-Lao resided.

The "Kunlun Gate" was not a gate in the true sense. It could appear anywhere along the barrier between K’un-Lun and the real world. Old Wang had been thinking about Shou-Lao, so he had come to take a look.

It was still the same egg, but its internal structure had changed.

Old Wang’s eyes were even more powerful than X-ray vision. The eggshell, covered in totemic patterns and mysterious power, could not block his spiritual perception at all.

The yolk and egg white were clearly separated, like heaven and earth. What rose was pure, and what sank was turbid.

When heaven and earth met, when purity and turbidity merged, life would be born.

Heaven and earth gave birth to all things; the dragon egg gave birth to a divine dragon.

Old Wang could see a vague outline. It looked nothing like a divine dragon. Instead, it looked like…

"A chubby little tadpole?" Old Wang muttered.

The moment he spoke, an exasperated voice rang out in his mind. "You’re the tadpole! Your whole family is tadpoles!"

Old Wang: "…"

Why was it insulting him too?

Shou-Lao, Shou-Lao. You were a divine dragon who had lived for thousands, even tens of thousands of years, the most noble and greatest being in all of K’un-Lun. You had sacrificed yourself countless times for K’un-Lun and tirelessly come back from the dead again and again. Shouldn’t you be dignified and righteous?

How could you curse at people?

"Hmph!"

Shou-Lao’s soul rolled its eyes and decided to ignore this boring fellow and continue sleeping.

What did you know!

Every rebirth meant starting over.

Matter determined consciousness, while consciousness exerted a reactive force upon matter.

My soul makes me develop toward the form of an adult divine dragon from the moment I am in the dragon egg. So even within the egg, what is being nurtured is not a tadpole, not even a juvenile dragon, but a miniature Immortal Dragon. It has wings! What kind of eyesight do you have, Master Wang?

Besides, my body is still an unborn fetus. My age is what it is, and the environment inside the dragon egg naturally affects my soul and mental consciousness. So what if I become less old-fashioned?

You old fossil wouldn’t understand, of course!

Sensing that Shou-Lao was pretending to sleep, Old Wang chuckled.

Rebirth? I have experience with that.

It was just a joke. Why take it so seriously?

No longer bothering with Shou-Lao, Old Wang looked toward the Jade Emperor’s Courtyard on another mountaintop. Sensing the thick barriers of True Qi and spiritual power, he frowned. "Is the Jade Emperor still in seclusion?"

There was no point in isolating oneself and inventing things behind closed doors. The Jade Emperor surely understood that.

Several months had already passed. He should have adapted to the Grandmaster’s power and stabilized his realm by now. What he needed next was to further control his body and power. There was no need for seclusion at all. Was there really a need to put on an act?

Lei Gong sprang up from the ground, using True Qi to shake the dust from his clothes, his face full of helplessness. "He has… been in seclusion the entire time."

He felt somewhat lost.

Shou-Lao was acting like a child now, yet Master Wang was actually in the mood to fool around with it.

The most infuriating one was the Jade Emperor.

A few months ago, the Jade Emperor had emerged from seclusion as soon as Master Wang left. He had been wandering around everywhere, even using disguise techniques to change his appearance and pose as ordinary people.

In just a few months, he had taken on dozens of identities—beggars, wealthy merchants, shop assistants, bathhouse scrubbers—and seemed to be having a grand time. He kept saying he wanted to experience life, immerse himself in life, and adapt to the Grandmaster’s power through this method.

Lei Gong could not understand any of it.

Was this the realm of a Grandmaster? Returning to youth and simplicity?

But the problem was…

The moment you sensed a change in K’un-Lun’s barrier and learned that Master Wang had arrived, you immediately shattered space and rushed back to the courtyard, set up barriers of True Qi and spiritual power, and pretended to be in seclusion. You even sent me a message telling me not to expose you.

Was that really necessary?

Did you have no shame?

In the Jade Emperor’s Courtyard.

The Jade Emperor added another layer of spiritual barrier, wiped away his sweat, and only relaxed after confirming that even Master Wang would not be able to break through easily. He thought, What does Lei Gong know?

It will take me nearly ten years to completely stabilize my Grandmaster realm and raise my cultivation to the level of a veteran Grandmaster, truly possessing the strength of a Grandmaster.

Before then, I cannot beat Master Wang at all. Why would I meet him?

"The Jade Emperor is in seclusion?"

Old Wang frowned. "Grandmaster Lei Gong, I have business with him."

Business?

Lei Gong immediately straightened his posture.

Master Wang had come personally, so it was clearly no trivial matter. What did he want to do?

"Please, tell me."

Lei Gong said, "The Jade Emperor is in seclusion. I am responsible for K’un-Lun’s daily affairs."

In the courtyard atop the mountain, the Jade Emperor hurriedly pricked up his ears, letting the wind carry distant information to him.

Inside the dragon egg, Shou-Lao lifted an eyelid and thought, As long as he is not planning to roast and eat me, what major matter could there be? That brat Wang just likes to scare people.

"I mainly came to see Matt and the others."

Old Wang smiled. "And to take care of a few matters while I’m here."

The latter was probably the real reason… Lei Gong nodded. "Master Chen personally instructs Matt, Stick, and Elektra. I also occasionally guide them. Their progress has been rapid. Their cultivation and realm already qualify them to enter the Council of Elders, and they possess tremendous potential."

This was not because of Old Wang’s influence.

Matt’s five senses were powerful, and he learned incredibly quickly. He could become proficient in any martial art within days of picking it up. That natural intelligence was unmatched in all of K’un-Lun.

Stick had a deep foundation, and his rate of improvement was second only to Matt’s.

Elektra was somewhat inferior to the first two, but because of Beast’s influence, if it came down to a life-and-death duel, perhaps even Matt would not be her match.

Master Wang had truly found treasures. Even Lei Gong was somewhat envious.

"The first matter is that I hope you can personally teach Lash and help him control his emotions and master his current power," Old Wang said.

Lei Gong glanced at Lash and frowned slightly.

He had lived for centuries and seen much of the world, so he knew something about Inhumans.

In terms of physique alone, the man before him was even stronger than Lei Gong himself. His strength was likely far above his own as well. There was also some uncontrollable energy within him, something very strange that seemed ready to erupt at any moment.

His mental state was problematic too. He was unstable, a ticking time bomb.

But that was not a problem.

He had strength but did not understand technique. Lei Gong was confident that he could suppress him with a casual gesture, so he nodded. "I can do that."

Old Wang smiled. "The second matter is that I have decided to represent K’un-Lun and the Shengun Bureau in forming an alliance with each other… What do you think?"