Chapter 147: Creations of the Mind

A flash of white light erupted, and a crushing, immense pressure surged from all directions like a tidal wave. Under this overwhelming force, the invisible barrier instantly filled with cracks, resembling a soap bubble on the verge of bursting.

With a slight change in his expression, Gu Chongyan formed hand seals and slammed his palms heavily against the ground.

"Corrosive Fire!"

Beneath the gray-brown earth, a blinding flash of scorching light flared up. The ambient temperature began to rise at a steady pace. The clash between two planetary-level entities had alarmed many of the international mercenaries residing in the area, and their piercing screams echoed through the skies.

Ignoring the commotion, Gu Chongyan fixed his gaze on the Mandarin, his hands moving with the blurred precision of a butterfly fluttering through flowers as he continuously channeled primal mana vibrations.

Within the Sea of Mind, a tiny sapling swayed gently, and a surge of pure white energy converged in his hands to form a tome radiating a terrifying aura.

Mind Manifestation, the creation of objects from thin air—this was the unique ability of a psionic.

When one's psychic power reached a certain threshold, it became possible to temporarily shape physical reality using thought alone.

If one were to reach the level of the five cosmic entities of the Marvel Universe, shaping an entire world with psychic energy might even become achievable.

Facing a formidable enemy like the Mandarin, Gu Chongyan did not dare to harbor the slightest trace of negligence. The grimoire before his eyes had been shaped using psychic energy to mimic the structure of the Darkhold.

Though inferior to the original artifact, it still surpassed the Dragon Bone Wand in potency, capable of elevating his power for a short duration.

However, this technique also demanded an immense expenditure of psychic energy. If he failed to conclude the battle quickly, not to mention victory or defeat, the very foundation of his power would likely be compromised.

Swish, swish, swish!

The Darkhold, constructed entirely from psychic energy, flipped rapidly. A torrent of scorching black fire surged outward, transforming into a phoenix reborn in flames. Bearing the property of erosion, it charged forward overwhelmingly.

The flames, imbued with erosive properties, were capable of corroding even space itself, let alone invisible gravitational forces.

The gigantic fire phoenix spread its wings and soared high, shedding feathers that transformed the entire battlefield into a world of fire.

The struggling black flames, akin to demons emerging from hell, ignored the immense gravity and shrieked as they lunged toward the Mandarin suspended in the air.

The Mandarin was startled by this sudden development, not expecting Gu Chongyan to mount such a fierce counterattack.

Raising his right hand, the Atom Slasher on his ring finger blazed brilliantly. This beam possessed the power to disrupt the bonds between all material molecules. A silver thread, several hundred meters in length, shot forth from the ring, using itself as an axis and sweeping around in a circle faster than lightning.

Centered on the Mandarin, buildings within a radius of a hundred meters were severed cleanly at the waist. Even the fire phoenix, forged from magical elements, was sliced to pieces under this terrifying force.

With a soft snap, Gu Chongyan's protective barrier shattered completely.

The Mandarin's slicing beam could only be described as tyrannical. With a flash of silver, everything in its path was cleaved in two.

However, after its use, the golden-yellow gemstone block dimmed noticeably; for at least twenty minutes, his opponent would be incapable of unleashing an attack of such magnitude.

Knowing that the Darkhold was merely a construct of psychic energy and could not hold out for long, Gu Chongyan maintained his composure, swiftly turning the pages of the grimoire to unleash yet another potent spell.

"Bone-Blade Tendrils."

Octopus-like skeletal bone chains coiled and whipped outward, their thrashing tentacles lunging toward the Mandarin.

The Ice Storm on the Mandarin's left ring finger was activated once again, instantly unleashing a wave of extreme freezing energy that locked the eight chains in solid ice.

However, before he could even feel a glimmer of satisfaction, the frozen bone-blade chains vanished into the frost and snow in an instant, only to immediately recondense and launch a fresh assault.

At this sight, the Mandarin frowned. With a fierce wave of his left hand, a lightning storm that engulfed the entire chamber was unleashed. Surging under deep blue electric arcs, it instantly blasted the eight chains into dust.

Simultaneously, the Black Light Ray on his right hand activated. Eight blue-black, diamond-like fragments arranged themselves in a rectangular formation, spinning to instantly shroud the region in a domain of absolute darkness.

Darkness fell, plunging Gu Chongyan's vision into pitch blackness; he could see nothing at all.

This domain was capable of absorbing all light, creating a world of total obscurity.

Not only that, but the dark realm also absorbed the dark energy contained within the bone-blade chains, cutting off any possibility of them reforming.

Yet, when it came to manipulating spatial dimensions, Gu Chongyan was equally accomplished.

The Darkhold flipped frantically as layers of mirror dimensions—stacked closely like the scales of a carp—spread across the dark expanse in an instant, inverting the entire world.

The next moment, Gu Chongyan pointed a finger, and a blizzard descended within the mirror dimension. The ground was encased in hard ice, and amid the howling gale, a frozen world took form, anchored to the mirror reality.

Thud, thud, thud. Within the muffled darkness, countless Frost Giants birthed from the snow and ice roared as they charged toward the Mandarin.

Evidently, his battle with Loki had granted Gu Chongyan a much deeper understanding of ice magic.

Bang, bang, bang! The Frost Giants leaped into the air, brandishing fists the size of basketballs as they smashed down fiercely upon the Mandarin.

"An ant trying to stop a chariot!"

Facing the three-meter-tall Frost Giants charging at him, the Mandarin wore a ferocious grin as he raised his index finger. A fiery red ring began to hum, rapidly gathering scorching heat.

A blazing red light erupted from his left index finger, and a serpentine dragon composed entirely of pure flames coiled and twisted around his palm. The fire dragon grew rapidly against the wind, swelling in size until it plunged into the snowy world with a roaring wave of heat.

Swish, swish! A massive amount of snow and numerous Frost Giants melted into puddles of water under the scorching assault of the fiery dragon.

Yet, within this domain of ice and snow, the melted water froze back into solid ice walls in the blink of an eye.

The Mandarin failed to notice that as more and more Frost Giants dissolved, the ice and snow surrounding him grew increasingly abundant and thick.

Finally, after obliterating an untold number of Frost Giants, the Mandarin suddenly sensed that something was amiss with his surroundings.

Subconsciously glancing down, he realized that the accumulated ice and snow around him had, at some point, formed a half-enclosed cage, leaving only an opening directly above his head, trapping him within its confines.

Not good!

His pupils constricted as an ominous premonition welled up inside him.

As a villain who had survived and fought his way from the previous century to the present day, he had lost count of the battles he had experienced. He knew better than anyone that for a sorcerer, the most terrifying weapon was an endless arsenal of unpredictable mystic arts.

Looking at this half-open cage, he refused to believe it was merely a coincidence.

Without a second thought, he extended his right hand, concentrating a massive amount of energy into his right thumb. His matter-rearrangement ability activated, attempting to transmute the cage before him into something else.

However, after preparing for so long, how could Gu Chongyan allow him to succeed so easily?

"Mind Tremor!"

With a sharp roar, silver light flashed brilliantly in Gu Chongyan's eyes. The Darkhold in his hand instantly shattered, dissolving into pure psychic energy that converged into a powerful shockwave, blasting straight toward the Mandarin.