"Kunlun, Iron Fist, the Phoenix Force, the Divine Dragon Force, a girl... Looks like this girl is Wu Fengji."
Lu Chen confirmed his suspicion.
The girl before him was none other than Wu Fengji!
She ranked among the three strongest Iron Fists in Kunlun's history.
The Marvel Omniverse drew heavily on elements of China's Taoist mythology.
The Phoenix Force and the Divine Dragon Force were two of the most representative examples.
The Divine Dragon Force originated on Kunlun Mountain in China's mythological tradition and had been created by its supreme deity, the Jade Emperor.
According to legend, shortly after the Jade Emperor attained enlightenment, he sensed a powerful destructive force from beyond the universe approaching Earth. That force was the Phoenix Force.
So the Jade Emperor descended to the mortal world, hoping to find a successor who could oppose it. In the end, he chose a woman named Wu Fengji.
Later, under the joint guidance of the Jade Emperor and Kunlun's Iron Fist, Wu Fengji obtained the essence of the Divine Dragon Force.
In her confrontation with the Phoenix Force, Wu Fengji defeated Phoenix. After absorbing the essence of the Phoenix Force, she flew into the depths of the universe, and her whereabouts became unknown.
From its very creation, the Divine Dragon Force had existed to oppose the Phoenix Force, and it had defeated Phoenix twice. Later, successive generations of Kunlun's Iron Fists inherited the Divine Dragon Force, carrying it down to the present day.
After that, however, Kunlun's Iron Fists were all much weaker, possessing only Planetary Level combat power. No successor comparable to Wu Fengji ever appeared again.
"Looks like Wu Fengji is the strongest possible summoner for the fire armors."
The more Lu Chen looked at Wu Fengji, the more satisfied he became. Her Divine Dragon Force, Phoenix Force, and combat experience were all exceptionally well suited to the various fire armors of the Ming Realm.
Now, watching Wu Fengji steadily lose ground, Lu Chen decided to act.
"Screee!"
Just then, Phoenix threw back her head and let out a piercing cry, a glimmer of golden-red light gathering in her mouth!
Boom!
A golden-red beam burst forth, tearing through space as it blasted toward Wu Fengji!
"I'm done for!"
Wu Fengji clenched her teeth, her face filled with bitter defiance.
Hum!
Space rippled beside her, and a man dressed in white Taoist robes stepped out.
"Who are you..."
Wu Fengji was taken aback.
Lu Chen raised his hand and released the Heavenly Dao Power.
Boom!
The golden-red beam shattered in an instant!
Wu Fengji's lips parted slightly in utter shock.
Only then did Lu Chen's voice drift out. "I'm here to help you."
As his words fell, a surge of Heavenly Dao power entered Wu Fengji's body.
In an instant, the phantom of a golden dragon soared into the sky from behind Wu Fengji!
Wu Fengji's eyes widened. Pointing at the golden dragon above, she exclaimed excitedly, "That's... that's the totem in my mind! It's been there since I was little!"
Lu Chen smiled. "That's the Divine Dragon Force."
"Roaar!!!"
The golden divine dragon raised its head and roared, unleashing its immense draconic might!
"Scree... scree!"
The golden-red Phoenix struggled ceaselessly, scattering storms of energy that caused vast stretches of space to collapse!
Before long, under the suppression of the Divine Dragon Force, Phoenix became a mass of pure essence.
The divine dragon seized it in its jaws and returned to Wu Fengji's body.
Boom!
Amid the sudden thunderous blast, the Divine Dragon Force and the Phoenix Force were both suppressed by the Heavenly Dao Power. Then the two forces fused completely, granting Wu Fengji an enormous increase in strength.
If Wu Fengji had possessed only Planetary Level combat power before, then after fusing the Divine Dragon Force and the Phoenix Force, her strength broke straight through to Single-Universe-level!
It was a terrifying leap!
Single-Universe-level beings might have been a dime a dozen in the Marvel Omniverse, with Multi-Universe-level beings seemingly everywhere, making them appear rather unremarkable. But that was only relative. In a somewhat lower-tier cultivation setting like Shrouding the Heavens, a Single-Universe-level being would absolutely dominate everything.
Given enough time to bombard it, a Great Emperor from Shrouding the Heavens might be able to destroy a universe, but that would take an incredibly long time-a thousand years, ten thousand years...
Under normal circumstances, however, a Great Emperor's lifespan was a mere twenty thousand years. Even taking an elixir of immortality would only add another twenty thousand.
Unlike a Single-Universe-level being, who could destroy an entire universe in an instant simply by choosing to!
The gulf between them was on an entirely different scale.
"So strong!"
"What terrifying power!"
Feeling the change in her strength, Wu Fengji was overjoyed.
At the same time, Lu Chen's strength stunned her.
With nothing more than a casual move, he had suppressed both the Divine Dragon Force and the Phoenix Force!
Even the Jade Emperor could not have done that!
In other words, this mysterious man was even stronger than the Jade Emperor!
And the Jade Emperor was a Multiverse-level powerhouse!
"Thank you!"
Wu Fengji thanked Lu Chen.
"A soaring dragon and a dancing phoenix. As expected of powers from Taoist mythology-they really are formidable!" Lu Chen said sincerely.
Although Wu Fengji currently possessed only Single-Universe-level strength, her power could continue to grow as she improved her compatibility with the Dragon-Phoenix Power. Single-Universe-level was barely its lower limit.
And there was only one fastest way to improve that compatibility.
Battle!
Endless battle!
In the original comics, Wu Fengji had been a battle maniac!
So, in Lu Chen's eyes, Wu Fengji had limitless potential.
In the future, she would surely become a powerhouse at Hyper-Multiverse-level or above!
"Could you tell me your name?" Wu Fengji asked a little shyly.
"Lu Chen."
"My name is Wu Fengji. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Wu Fengji held out her fair, delicate hand, a happy smile on her face.
Lu Chen paused, then reached out and shook her hand.
"Now that you have such tremendous power, what are your plans?"
Lu Chen was already thinking about how to entice Wu Fengji into returning to the Ming Realm Dimension with him.
In the original timeline, after defeating the Phoenix Force, Wu Fengji had flown into the depths of the universe and vanished without a trace.
So rather than letting her disappear without any further role in the story, he might as well have her follow him into battle across the universe and let her shine.
Wu Fengji turned to gaze at the boundless sky and gave a somewhat tangential reply. "I've lived in Kunlun since I was born. I don't know who my birth parents are, but the Jade Emperor adopted me. He and Iron Fist guided me together, giving me the strength to protect myself in this dangerous world. So the two of them are like family to me."
"Then your decision is..."
Wu Fengji turned back, anticipation sparkling in her beautiful eyes. "Now I want to get out and explore. I want to see the wider universe. I've always felt an endless longing for it!"
Lu Chen extended his invitation. "Come with me. I can show you the wonders of the universe and let you fight even stronger beings!"
Fight even stronger beings?
At that thought, Wu Fengji nodded firmly. "All right, I'll come with you!"