Chapter 134: White-Bearded Ancient One

“Indeed, you cannot be deceived!”

At the same time, Mephisto’s anger vanished instantly; he regarded Lin Yu with keen interest and said, “A mere soul—since you insist on protecting it, I yield it to you!”

“I merely wonder, which exalted deity are you? I’ve never heard of you before…”

So you want me to state my name?

Lin Yu smirked, then swept his hand, severing the connection between Hell and Earth, and as the vortex faded, he said calmly:

“My name is Stephen Strange, the next Supreme Sorcerer of Earth!”

“Mephisto, remember this well!”

Before his words had fully faded, the crimson vortex linking to Hell vanished completely.

The white-bearded old man in the Mirror Dimension’s face darkened; he sighed and chose to manifest his form.

“Finally willing to show yourself?”

Lin Yu glanced at him, then shoved Gwen’s soul back into her body, using Material Shaping Magic to mend her injuries and subtly enhance her beauty, restoring her to the peak of her eighteen-year-old appearance.

After finishing, Lin Yu clapped his hands in satisfaction and, meeting Peter’s hopeful gaze, said leisurely:

“Wake up~”

Gwen let out a soft moan and slowly opened her eyes, gazing dazedly at her boyfriend, who was weeping uncontrollably.

Peter, overwhelmed with emotion, seized Gwen in his arms, repeatedly muttering thanks to God.

Feeling the familiar warmth, Gwen finally realized what had happened; she lifted her still-dazed head, wrapped her arms around Peter, and wept just as passionately.

The young lovers, reunited across life and death, naturally needed time to cherish each other.

But Peter was too excited, repeating “thank God” like a broken record; Lin Yu, exasperated, interrupted the couple:

“Let me remind you—I’m Lin Yu, not God!”

“I was just joking earlier; don’t attribute my deeds to that old man!”

Peter froze, then quickly raised his head and thanked Lin Yu instead.

Beside him, Gwen noticed something odd and exclaimed in shock:

“You mean… God actually exists?”

“After nearly going to Hell, do you think he exists or not?”

Lin Yu replied irritably, then warned: “That old bastard isn’t like DC’s; he’s a petty, vindictive prick. I’m not from this world—I can insult him and leave. Don’t you dare copy me!”

Peter and Gwen nodded vigorously, though they didn’t fully understand Lin Yu’s words—they swore they’d never offend God.

The white-bearded old man’s face grew darker with every word; he finally said: “Perhaps we should talk somewhere else?”

“I’m the one who said that—why are you afraid?”

Lin Yu glanced at him, then frowned at Gwen: “I almost forgot to ask—why did you agree to Mephisto? Don’t you know how grave it is to fall into Hell?”

“… ”

At these words, Gwen froze, then fell silent.

Peter saw her expression and his pupils shrank in shock:

“Are you insane? You agreed to that demon?”

“… ”

Gwen’s face twisted in anguish; after a long pause, she spoke with complex emotion: “Mephisto… that demon told me that after I die, you’ll meet a girl named Mary Jane, and have a daughter with her.”

“He claimed little Parker’s soul belongs to him, and will inevitably fall into Hell—unless…”

Lin Yu sighed: “Unless you trade your own soul for his?”

Gwen nodded silently.

Hearing this, Peter’s expression grew deeply complicated—moved, yet filled with guilt.

He was moved that Gwen still thought of him even after death; he felt guilty that his selfish desire had dragged her onto this path, nearly condemning her soul to Hell.

“Foolish child…”

Lin Yu patted Gwen and Peter’s heads gently and said: “Never believe a demon’s words. Even if, hypothetically, you do have such a daughter someday, don’t worry.”

“If that bastard dares come to Earth, just find this kind, wise, immensely powerful, revered, and mighty old man—he’ll help you!”

As he spoke, Lin Yu turned his gaze toward the white-bearded old man nearby.

Gwen and Peter lifted their heads, staring blankly in the direction he indicated.

The white-bearded old man’s lips twitched, and he murmured: “Will he?”

Lin Yu nodded seriously: “He will.”

“Then so be it!” The white-bearded old man sighed, then grew solemn: “Now that Peter Parker’s matter is settled, shouldn’t we have a proper talk?”

“No problem!”

Lin Yu readily agreed, then tossed Peter a jade pendant and smiled at the couple: “Hold onto this—it will protect you. Today’s business is done; don’t dwell on it. Go home and relax.”

As the anchor point of his entry into this world, Lin Yu naturally ensured Peter’s safety.

Saving Gwen, fulfilling Peter’s wish, and now giving him the pendant—all were measures to stabilize the Dimensional Gate’s anchor point.

Peter, of course, knew nothing of this.

He accepted the pendant with deep gratitude and thanked Lin Yu once more.

Lin Yu waved dismissively and turned to the white-bearded old man.

The old man nodded, immediately forming a hand seal to open the Mirror Dimension.

But before he could raise his hand, the surrounding space began to crack—mirror-like fissures spread rapidly across the dimension, instantly separating them from Peter and Gwen into two separate worlds.

Seeing his own dimensional magic activated prematurely, the white-bearded old man froze, then looked at Lin Yu, who was smiling.

“Of course…”

He sighed: “You’ve been to other universes’ Kamar-Taj, haven’t you?”

Lin Yu smiled: “Not just that—I’ve met another version of you. But compared to you, that female Strange’s power is vastly inferior!”

“Not by much.”

Strange raised his hand, pinching his thumb and forefinger to form a tiny universe, humbly adding: “Just a little bit.”

Lin Yu nodded: “As the saying goes, with great power comes great responsibility. Since you’re so strong, why not take on a little more? Protect the Dimensional Gate’s anchor point for me?”

“… ”

Strange’s lips twitched, and he sighed: “It seems you have a serious grudge against me.”

“Of course I do!” Lin Yu glared at Strange. “You’re the Supreme Sorcerer of this universe, with power beyond measure—and yet you let Gwen die, nearly letting her soul fall into Hell!”

“Is that what a Supreme Sorcerer should do?”

Strange replied seriously: “You misunderstand me. Had you not appeared, I would have intervened secretly and driven Mephisto out of Earth.”

“And what of Gwen?”

“She would have gone to Heaven.”

Lin Yu’s face darkened: “So she still dies?”

Strange sighed: “Mephisto is a bastard, but he wasn’t wrong about one thing—Gwen’s death is a pivotal turning point in Spider-Man’s life.”

“And this universe’s Spider-Man will later be involved in multiversal-scale events.”

“His fate is entangled with too many threads; I prefer not to interfere unless absolutely necessary…”

Here, Strange paused, glancing at Lin Yu: “The Dimensional Gate isn’t a physical object, nor is the Hell dimension’s portal anchored in reality. Don’t you wonder why Peter can see it?”

Yes—that puzzled Lin Yu too.

After a moment’s thought, he hesitated: “Because of Spider-Sense?”

Strange nodded: “Close. More accurately—it’s the Spider-Totem.”

He then explained to Lin Yu the nature of the Spider-Totem.

It was a supernatural divine belief created by the ancient goddess Neith.

It was deeply connected to a mysterious force called the “Web of Life and Destiny”; the Spider-Universes and the multiversal events gathering countless Spider-Men all stemmed from these two forces.

“I see.”

Lin Yu mused: “So my anchor point is more important than I thought—it doesn’t just affect one universe, but influences the fates of other parallel worlds.”

“Exactly!”

Strange’s expression turned grave: “Now do you understand why I didn’t act?”

“No!”

Lin Yu answered without hesitation, then snapped: “Fine if it were the other universe’s Strange—but you? You’re so powerful even I’m not sure I can defeat you. Why would you fear such a small change?”

“Because I’m compassionate, and I care for the multiverse!”

The white-bearded Strange pleaded: “You don’t understand—this universe’s troubles are far worse than the other’s. Countless evil dimensional deities covet the Earth I protect—of course, I’m not referring to you!”

Lin Yu: “… ”

You didn’t need to add that!

Strange continued complaining: “Especially Mephisto—he’s cunning, constantly cultivating demonic youths across Earth. I’m barely holding this universe together—I have no energy left for multiversal crises.”

“Don’t believe me? Look—I’m already training the next Supreme Sorcerer, preparing to retire!”

…Really?

Lin Yu raised an eyebrow, extending his awareness across half the Earth—and there, in Kamar-Taj, he saw Strange meditating.

Strange chuckled: “The moment I saw you, I knew you weren’t an ordinary dimensional demon… you’re a Dimensional Lord!”

“Look, you’re already here—why not stay a hundred years? My library rivals the other universe’s. I even have the original Book of Vishanti—would you like to borrow it?”

The original Book of Vishanti?

Lin Yu felt tempted, but remained wary: “What are you really after?”

Gu Yi said solemnly: “Of course, we must properly entertain our esteemed guests from Kamar-Taj!”

“Nonsense!” Lin Yu sneered. “Strange has already taken you as his master— isn’t Dormammu about to arrive?”

“You’re leaving me here now because you want to use my power against the Dark Dimension?”

Seeing Lin Yu was so stubborn, Gu Yi finally laid it all out: “I’ve already laid out my cards— just tell me whether you’re in or not!”

“Do I even need to answer?” Lin Yu said without hesitation. “Lead the way!”

(End of Chapter)