"Who are you?"
The sudden intrusion of Daniel Davis shifted the Dragon Emperor's attention entirely onto him, halting his assault on Rick and his companions. This provided a brief but much-needed respite for the heavily injured group.
Rick and the others looked at the mysterious black-clad man with desperate hope. Their lives now hinged on this unexpected arrival.
"The dagger! Only the dagger can kill the Dragon Emperor! Other attacks are useless!" Rick's son, Alex, shouted, his voice filled with urgency. They had thrown everything at the Dragon Emperor, from explosives to bullets, but all their modern weaponry had been ineffective.
"Ah, I see. Not exactly a big leap in power, but still an interesting find."
After extracting the secret of longevity from Ziyuan, the sorceress who had cursed the Dragon Emperor, Daniel silently nodded to himself. For someone like him, living for over two thousand years was nothing extraordinary. He was already confident that he could extend the lives of his companions—Ada, Robin, Chelsea, and the others—far beyond this lifespan.
Still, discovering yet another method to extend life was always useful. The only downside was that the so-called "Fountain of Youth" offered no help in terms of enhancing strength. Ziyuan and her daughter had lived for millennia, yet their abilities were so pitiful that they could likely lose to Black Widow in a fair fight. What a waste of longevity.
But such stagnation wasn't surprising. Even the ordinary citizens of Asgard, with lifespans exceeding five thousand years, remained individually weak unless they underwent extraordinary circumstances.
Having uncovered Ziyuan's secrets, Daniel now turned his attention to the Dragon Emperor himself. Unlike a typical mortal ruler, the Dragon Emperor had studied mystic arts during his lifetime, specifically the Five Elements techniques taught by ancient Taoist alchemists. These bore a striking resemblance to Daniel's mastery of Yin-Yang techniques, which was why he hadn't shown much interest in the Five Elements magic.
The Marvel Universe, after all, was a melting pot of powers. The limits of strength in Marvel far surpassed those of many other worlds, like Naruto (with its Six Paths ceiling) or One Piece (limited to Yonko-level at most). However, power in Marvel often came at a tremendous cost. It wasn't about steady progression; strength either came from mutation, divine birth, or advanced technology.
"Your Majesty, greetings."
Ignoring Ziyuan's protests, Daniel threw her onto the ground before the Dragon Emperor. At that moment, his skeletal warriors, summoned earlier using the Book of the Dead, stepped forward and gathered around Daniel.
"You don't know what you're doing! He will bring disaster to this world!" Ziyuan shouted, her expression shifting to despair as she realized the black-clad figure wasn't there to stop the Dragon Emperor. Rick and the others, too, now looked on with alarm. What they had hoped was their savior had instead turned out to be the Emperor's ally.
"Destroy the world? What a laughable idea. Seriously, do you people not understand the era you're living in? You're supposed to be archaeologists, and yet you still think a mere army of terra-cotta soldiers can conquer the world?"
Daniel scoffed. If Ziyuan's delusions about the Dragon Emperor's ambitions were somewhat understandable—given her isolation in Shangri-La for centuries—Rick and his group had no such excuse. They were modern people, supposedly knowledgeable about the world's technological advances. Their fear of the Dragon Emperor's army seemed utterly ridiculous in the age of tanks, missiles, and nuclear weapons.
"In this modern age, gods don't hold the same untouchable status they once did," Daniel added. "You'd think they'd know better."
"Times have changed," Daniel said dismissively, turning back to the Dragon Emperor. "Your Majesty, we can discuss matters further later. For now, shouldn't we focus on dealing with these enemies of yours?"
Before Daniel could finish speaking, gunfire erupted to his left. Alex, Rick's son, had decided to take his chances by opening fire on the mysterious figure. After all, if bullets didn't work on the Dragon Emperor, maybe they'd work on this new arrival.
But to Alex's shock, the four bullets he fired froze in mid-air, hovering motionless before Daniel's face. The sight left him dumbfounded. Even the Dragon Emperor hadn't displayed such precise control over bullets—they still bounced harmlessly off his body, while this man stopped them entirely in their tracks.
"Here, have them back." Daniel glanced briefly at the bullets, then casually flicked his wrist. The bullets flew back at the same speed they had been fired, piercing Alex's arms and legs.
"Alex!" Rick cried out in alarm as his son collapsed to the ground, bleeding from his injuries.
"Would Your Majesty like me to handle the rest?" Daniel asked, ignoring Rick's panicked cries and once again turning his attention to the Dragon Emperor.
"There's no need," the Dragon Emperor replied coldly. A blade of ice materialized in his hand as he strode toward Ziyuan. With a single thrust, he impaled her through the chest.
The sorceress gasped, blood trickling from her lips, as the Emperor ruthlessly cast her aside. He then raised both arms, summoning massive ice spikes from the ground. The sharp pillars erupted upward, impaling Rick, his family, and their allies, lifting their bodies into the air like grotesque decorations.
"Yeti!"
Ziyuan's daughter suddenly screamed. The ground began to tremble, and moments later, eight massive Himalayan yetis stormed into the chamber. Towering and ferocious, they roared as they charged toward Daniel and the Dragon Emperor.
"Foolish."
Daniel raised his hand, summoning a Gatling gun seemingly out of nowhere. Without hesitation, he unleashed a torrent of bullets toward the charging yetis. Their thick fur, which had previously protected them from ordinary gunfire, proved no match for the high-caliber rounds. Within seconds, all eight yetis lay lifeless on the ground, their white fur stained crimson.
Without their final reinforcements, Rick and his companions could do nothing but succumb to their wounds. Their lifeless bodies hung suspended on the icy spikes.
"Congratulations on your resurrection, Your Majesty," Daniel said to the Dragon Emperor. "I suggest you first take some time to familiarize yourself with the current state of the world before deciding to mobilize your army of terra-cotta soldiers."
"You're here to stop me, aren't you?" the Dragon Emperor growled, suspicion flickering in his eyes.
"If I wanted to stop you, I wouldn't have just helped you deal with your enemies," Daniel replied calmly. "However, I must advise you, Your Majesty, that times have changed. The weapons you've seen here are but the tip of the iceberg. There are weapons out there thousands, even millions of times more powerful. Your army may have been invincible in your era, but in this age, they are no match for modern firepower."
To emphasize his point, Daniel gestured to the Gatling gun in his hand and the scattered firearms he had gathered from the battlefield.
"If you still wish to proceed, that is, of course, your choice," Daniel concluded.
After a moment of contemplation, the Dragon Emperor nodded. "Very well."
"Please, Your Majesty, this way," Daniel said, gesturing for the Emperor to follow. "I'll handle matters here."
Once the Dragon Emperor left, Daniel created a shadow clone and tasked it with sealing off the entrance to Shangri-La. He then transported Rick's body and the corpses of his allies into a mirror dimension and incinerated them. Finally, he used Earth Release techniques to collapse and seal the ruins entirely.
The so-called "Fountain of Youth" had a limited supply, accumulated over countless centuries. By sealing the entrance, Daniel ensured no one else could easily access it. Afterward, he transported the remaining water back to his base for future use.
In Shanghai, Daniel escorted the Dragon Emperor to a high-end internet café. Using the Red Queen, he displayed a comprehensive history of the world, the development of modern weaponry, and even the existence of nuclear weapons.
"These are nuclear weapons," Daniel explained. "Their destructive power is immense, but they come with significant risks."
The Dragon Emperor, a man of extraordinary intellect, quickly grasped the implications. Seeing images of modern cities, space exploration, and even extraterrestrial beings like the Asgardians left him in awe.
"Your Majesty, you now understand the state of the world. What you choose to do next is entirely up to you," Daniel said before taking his leave.
He no longer cared what the Dragon Emperor decided. Even if he attempted to raise his army, modern organizations like S.W.O.R.D. and S.H.I.E.L.D. would easily crush him.
"The Dragon Emperor is far wiser than Imhotep," Daniel mused as he departed.
Unlike Imhotep, the Dragon Emperor had the intellect to adapt to modern realities. Still, without a suitable alternate world to send him to, Daniel decided to leave him to his own devices for now.
"Perhaps I'll find the right world for him later," Daniel thought. "A place where he can conquer as he pleases."
For now, Daniel turned his attention back to the Fountain of Youth. After refining its properties, he planned to share it sparingly—with Tony Stark, T'Challa, and a select few allies.
"Time to explore the next world," Daniel muttered, stepping through a new portal into an ancient city shrouded in chaos. Before him loomed the
gates of a place called Unrivaled City.
"So, this is the Wind and Cloud world," Daniel murmured, recognizing the iconic characters and events from the legendary story. Chaos reigned as the city fell into disarray after the death of its lord, Dugu Yifang, at the hands of Nie Feng.
"It seems this world has its own unique disorder. No wonder it feels so unstable," Daniel remarked as he prepared to explore the martial arts chaos of the Wind and Cloud universe.
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Fairy Tail: Igneel's Eldest Son (Chapter 256)
I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother (Chapter 336)
Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 542)
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 924)
Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1284)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1289)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1316)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1402)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld! (Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 660)
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