Thanos Retreats, His Name Shaking the Universe!

A sudden turn of events!

Not only had Thanos been caught off guard by Li Congxin’s strike, but Corvus Glaive had been scared witless by it.

With the attack already upon him, it was clearly too late to dodge. Almost instinctively, Corvus Glaive swung the blade in his hand, using it to meet Li Congxin’s deadly blow.

Yet that reaction was exactly what Li Congxin had hoped for.

"Clang!"

The blade and staff collided. Amid the ear-piercing boom, Corvus Glaive’s weapon shattered!

And Corvus Glaive, who had entrusted his soul to that weapon, froze in place at that very moment.

Just as the descriptions online in his previous life had said, was Corvus Glaive’s true weakness really the weapon in his hand?

Li Congxin still felt uneasy. He spun the cloth-wrapped staff around and slammed it into Corvus Glaive’s body again. The Power Stone’s energy erupted, blasting him into pieces!

He sent him home together with Proxima Midnight, husband and wife reunited in death.

Received 99,999 Impression Points from Thanos!

Received 1,000 Impression Points from Corvus Glaive!

Corvus Glaive, deceased!

While Li Congxin was rejoicing, his body involuntarily swayed slightly. He then personally rallied his spirit before once again regaining his motionless, mountain-like stance.

First, he had sparred with his little aunt Monica for three days and three nights, exhausting nearly all the energy in his body. Now, after another series of uninterrupted bursts, even someone as powerful as Li Congxin was beginning to feel overwhelmed.

After killing Corvus Glaive, the energy in his body was already nearly exhausted!

Glancing at Hyperion, who had crawled out of the ruins, Li Congxin could only reluctantly abandon the tempting idea of keeping him here as well. He spun the cloth-wrapped staff around and pointed it at Thanos. "Today’s battle ends here. Take your only surviving subordinate and get lost."

Hearing Li Congxin’s righteous declaration, Thanos was almost amused into laughter on the spot.

"Boy!" Thanos did not rush to attack. Instead, he said coldly and disdainfully, "You slaughtered so many of my subordinates, destroyed my flagship, and killed Proxima Midnight and Corvus Glaive. Now you’re saying it ends when you say so? Do you really think this Mad Titan is that easygoing?"

"If you don’t leave, I’ll have no choice but to kill Hyperion too, and then leave." Li Congxin’s smile did not change. "You should know that with the Space Stone in my possession, I can leave whenever I want. You can’t stop me."

Thanos continued to sneer. "Do you really still have the strength to kill Hyperion? Boy, don’t tell me you think I’ll stand by and watch you fight Hyperion one-on-one?"

At that, the corner of Li Congxin’s mouth curved into a playful smile. "Of course you won’t stand by and watch me kill your subordinate. But what if you were busy dancing yourself…?"

Received 99,999 Impression Points from Thanos!

Thanos’ vicious gaze lingered on Li Congxin for a long time. In the end, he merely snorted and led his only remaining subordinate, Hyperion, toward a small spacecraft.

As shrewd as Thanos was, he could not possibly have failed to see that Li Congxin was already at the end of his strength. If they continued fighting, Li Congxin might collapse from exhaustion at any moment.

Besides, that bizarre power that had controlled people into dancing was far too overbearing. He did not believe Li Congxin could really use it repeatedly at will without any pressure.

But so what?

At present, he no longer had any leverage that could prevent Li Congxin from choosing to flee.

If they continued fighting, there could only be two outcomes.

In the first, Li Congxin would use music to control him again, then kill Hyperion before escaping.

The other possibility was that Li Congxin would be unable to use his control ability again and would simply choose to flee.

Either way, neither outcome offered him any benefit.

After a brief hesitation, Thanos ultimately refused to gamble Hyperion’s life for a fifty-percent chance of preserving his pride.

After all, Thanos had roamed the universe for so many years. He had not survived by relying on his reputation, but on his strength.

For the sake of pride that served no practical purpose, losing one of the only two subordinates he had worth mentioning would be far too great a loss.

Watching the spacecraft carrying Thanos disappear into the boundless universe, Li Congxin could not help sighing softly. "What a pity. Thanos’ rationality ultimately overcame his impulse. I failed to take advantage of this opportunity to eliminate him. It probably won’t be easy to find another one like it in the future."

The Collector, who had hidden himself again from the very beginning of the battle, emerged from the shadows at this point and asked in confusion, "Mr. Clark, judging from what you said, if Thanos had chosen to continue fighting you just now, did you really have a chance to kill him completely and eliminate the threat forever?"

Li Congxin nodded lightly. "That was indeed what I initially intended."

The Collector asked, puzzled, "If you really had that kind of confidence, why did you call a halt yourself?"

"Because that was also an indispensable part of the plan." Li Congxin sighed. As he absorbed the surrounding energy to replenish his depleted body, he explained, "With my strength alone, I absolutely can’t kill Thanos. If I want to finish him, I have to borrow outside power."

"And to borrow outside power, I have to make Thanos believe that I’ve truly lost the ability to resist, and that if he just tries a little harder and takes a slight risk, he can kill me and seize the two Infinity Stones he dreams of possessing."

"But for him to believe that, I need sufficient groundwork." At this point, Li Congxin shook his head with a bitter smile. "Unfortunately, the plan had only just begun when he took advantage of the situation and withdrew with Hyperion. Other than watching them leave, what else could I do?"

Every word Li Congxin had spoken was true.

His original plan had been to feign weakness to deceive his enemy. Just as when he had stopped earlier and taunted Thanos, it had appeared forceful, but was actually a disguised form of weakness. If Thanos chose to continue fighting to the bitter end, he would do exactly as he had said and use "Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss" to control him again, then kill Hyperion alone.

Of course, while killing Hyperion, he would deliberately slow his pace and put on an act of clearly being powerless while still trying to prove how strong he was. He would secretly accumulate strength until Thanos’ control duration ended, then deliver a desperate killing blow and finish Hyperion off.

Of course, it would not matter even if he failed to kill him.

After unleashing a long-prepared ultimate move, he would immediately activate Any Door and flee to Xandar. He would put on an act of being completely drained, making it seem as if Thanos could kill him and seize the Infinity Stones simply by taking one step through Any Door.

But if Thanos truly dared to take that step, then—heh…

After all, before Li Congxin returned, his clone had already found Nova Prime. The Nova Corps had long since laid a trap and was waiting for him!

The Nova Corps might have been beaten into retreat by Ronan in the original story, and later annihilated by Thanos.

But in reality, their strength was not weak at all.

Even Ronan had only dared to challenge them after obtaining the Power Stone.

Even Thanos had needed to gather four members of the Black Order before daring to attack them and seize the Power Stone.

Their only apparent deficiency was a top-tier combatant approaching the Sub-Celestial level.

But with Li Congxin present, even that sole weakness could be filled!

Thanos’ strength was certainly greater than Ronan’s, but as long as he dared to follow Li Congxin through that Any Door leading to hell, Li Congxin was confident that he could join forces with the Nova Corps and leave this Mad Titan on Xandar forever.

Not capture him alive, but kill him outright!

Li Congxin did not explain the details of these plans to The Collector. He only needed The Collector to know that Prince Li Congxin was no reckless brute, but a true powerhouse with both courage and wisdom, and with frighteningly deep scheming.

As for Li Congxin’s specific strategy, although The Collector had lived for who knew how many years, his personality of avoiding danger whenever possible meant that he could never have imagined it.

After hearing the incomplete plan from Li Congxin, The Collector’s eyelids twitched several times. He then forcibly suppressed his shock, smiled slightly, and said, "Mr. Clark, I told you before that if you could avenge me and give Thanos and his Dark Cult a good beating, I would pay you in full. Now it’s time to honor my promise."

"Unfortunately, I still failed to accomplish everything. Thanos and Hyperion are still alive." Li Congxin said modestly, "How about deducting part of the reward?"

The Collector naturally did not dare accept Li Congxin’s concession without protest. "What are you saying, Mr. Clark? You single-handedly reduced the Dark Cult to only two people fleeing in disgrace. That has already far exceeded my expectations!"

With a fawning smile, The Collector continued, "Although the reward we agreed upon was one hundred tons of special materials, ten billion Credits, and one Star Core, you managed to achieve this much. Those originally agreed-upon items would be too shabby for me to offer. How about adding another Star Core?"

"How could I accept that?" Li Congxin looked extremely conflicted. "This clearly differs from what we agreed upon. But you are one of the Elders of the Universe, with an extraordinary status and position. Your word has always been as good as gold, never to be changed. Refusing would not be your style, while accepting nothing would mean denying you face…"

"So, Mr. Clark, you must give me this face! We’re all friends, so there’s no need to be polite." Saying this, The Collector had already eagerly led Li Congxin to collect his payment.

The smile on his face was not feigned. Although on the surface it looked as if Li Congxin had taken advantage of him, if this matter allowed him to build a relationship with a powerhouse whom even Thanos feared, it was still well worth it.

When one had the chance to stand tall, who would want to hide?

If he could become friends with the Prince, then for the next several thousand years, who would dare cause trouble on The Collector’s territory?

He had money, and Li Congxin had strength.

The two of them working together would be a perfect combination, wouldn’t it!?

On October 10, 2013, the cosmic villain, the Mad Titan Thanos, led three generals and an entire army of the Dark Cult in an assault on The Void. With overwhelming forces at his command, he intended to seize the two Infinity Stones in the possession of the universe’s newly risen powerhouse, "the Prince," Li Congxin.

But the outcome was…

The Dark Cult was completely annihilated!

Two of its three great generals were killed!

Even Thanos’ flagship, Sanctum Sanctorum II, was reduced to cosmic fireworks!

Worse still, Thanos could not even keep his personal weapon. In the end, he could only flee in a panic with Hyperion, tail between his legs!

Once news of such an astonishing battle record spread, the entire universe erupted in uproar!

After this battle, Li Congxin’s name spread throughout the major forces of the universe!

After Odin, the Nine Realms had given birth to another peerless powerhouse whom no one dared slight in the least—the Prince!