However, crossing into a new world went differently than Li Yue had imagined!
When the power of the traversal drew out his soul, the sensation was almost identical to his previous experiences. But with his now mighty soul, he keenly felt that the journey seemed inexplicably prolonged. Though the traversal process had no precise concept of time, Li Yue could only rely on his intuition to judge whether it had taken longer. His feeling was accurate—the process was significantly extended, lasting several times longer.
...
As Li Yue's body was drawn into the wormhole, he prepared to enter the next world, the fourth star. However, during this process, an inexplicable force abruptly interrupted it. His body stopped a short distance from the fourth star, and the Space Stone in his hand suddenly shone brilliantly for reasons unknown.
Azure energy continuously streamed out, making his body glow even more radiantly than the surrounding stars. The surrounding stars rapidly absorbed this energy, especially the enormous orb at the centre, which took in most of the power. The rest, less than a tenth, was absorbed by the stars near the fourth star.
With a faint sound, one star after another was illuminated. A mysterious force then drew them to orbit around the fourth star. After an indeterminate amount of time, the process ended. The Space Stone ceased releasing energy, and the mysterious force holding Li Yue's body dissipated.
Finally, Li Yue's body resumed its trajectory toward the fourth star, continuing the traversal process. But now, the fourth star was no longer the same. It was surrounded by four newly illuminated stars, which orbited it, their blue energy slowly pulling them together. Eventually, the four stars merged with the original fourth star, forming a star larger and brighter than the one representing the Marvel world.
...
Li Yue was entirely unaware of these events. After an unusually prolonged traversal, his soul returned to his body.
"Hmm? What's going on? Why is the Space Stone so hot?"
Just as his soul returned to his body, he immediately noticed the intense heat emanating from the Space Stone in his right hand. Though his body could withstand extreme temperatures, this heat was significant enough to catch his attention. Why was the Space Stone heating up after a traversal while the Mind Stone, on his other hand, remained unaffected?
Thump...
Before he could investigate, a sound like a drumbeat echoed in his ears.
Boom...
Louder, continuous booming followed.
"What's happening? AI, connect to the network and check the specifics of this world!"
Li Yue instinctively turned toward the source of the sound, spotting a towering steel wall about a thousand meters away. The booming came from beyond it as if a giant was hammering against it, trying to break through.
Despite the wall's formidable appearance—over a hundred meters tall and twenty meters thick, made of reinforced steel and concrete—it showed signs of cracking after two blows.
...
"What kind of creature could possess such immense power?"
Perplexed, Li Yue extended his mental perception and used his X-ray vision to investigate beyond the wall. What he discovered left him astonished.
"Is this caused by a giant monster?"
The revelation made Li Yue wonder if he had landed in a world like Ultraman's, known for its massive creatures. However, this monster did not resemble any of the Ultraman series he was familiar with.
"Young man, don't worry. This life wall was built with immense effort and resources!"
As Li Yue pondered, a voice behind him spoke in familiar Chinese. Turning, he saw an older man smiling reassuringly.
"It won't be easily breached by that beast..."
Before the older man could finish his confident statement, a loud thud and the subsequent collapse of the life wall cut him off.
...