All the heavens, starting as the ruler of the universe

Lin Yan stayed at Kamar-Taj for three days.

On the morning of the fourth day, he closed the last spellbook in the room, got up and opened the window of the meditation room.

The branches and leaves of the ancient tree in the courtyard swayed gently in the morning light. The apprentices had not yet started their morning lessons, and the corridor was empty.

He placed the book on the small table, walked out of the quiet room, and Gu Yi stood under the ancient tree in the center of the courtyard, as if she had known he would come out at this time.

"Are you leaving?" she asked.

"There's nothing to do anyway." Lin Yan put his hands in his pockets. "I've finished reading the book, and you gave me the Suspension Ring too. I've read everything I needed to."

The Ancient One did not try to stop her. She simply nodded slightly, clasping her hands together in front of her chest. "You are welcome to come to the gates of Kamar-Taj at any time."

Lin Yan glanced at her, and the corners of his mouth curved slightly.

This Venerable Master was indeed wise; she didn't ask him where he was going or when he would return, but simply said that the door was always open.

Golden sparks bloomed at Lin Yan's fingertips, spinning into a portal. On the other side of the portal lay the desert of New Mexico, where crimson rock formations silently stretched out in the morning light.

Lin Yan didn't turn around. The moment he stepped through the portal, the sparks gathered behind him, and the aroma of tea and sandalwood was replaced by the smell of dry sand.

He stood once again in the desert outside Old Bridge Town.

In the distance, the outline of the town lay quietly on the horizon in the morning light, with a few wisps of smoke rising from the town center and being dispersed by the wind.

It looks exactly the same as when he left a few days ago.

There are just some more buildings where Thor's hammer is located.

S.H.I.E.L.D.'s temporary camp has been set up.

Barbed wire, shipping containers, agents in black uniforms, and various unidentifiable detection instruments surround a hammer embedded in the rock in the center of the crater.

Lin Yan did not walk over.

He simply stood on the edge of the desert, hands in his pockets, watching from afar.

Then the sky cracked open.

Above Jiuqiao Town, the clouds seemed to be split in two by an invisible knife, and a seven-colored beam of light descended from the sky, striking the town's main street directly.

After the light faded, a huge metallic figure stood there.

It is entirely silver-gray, over three meters tall, and exudes the power to destroy everything.

The Destroyer, Odin's ultimate weapon, the guardian of Asgard's vaults.

At this moment, it stood on the main street of Old Bridge Town, and a ball of blazing orange light began to accumulate in the gaps of its mask.

Immediately afterwards, light burst forth from the gaps in the faceplate, and a scorching beam of energy swept across the street.

Cars were overturned, asphalt roads melted into bubbling black slurry, and shop windows along the street shattered simultaneously.

S.H.I.E.L.D. agents returned fire, but the bullets didn't even leave a mark on the Destroyer's armor.

It was like a machine programmed with a single objective, striding toward Thor, each step crushing the ground, each step drawing ever closer.

Thor climbed out of the crater, ran up to the Destroyer, and spread his hands.

"Loki!" he shouted, looking up at the faceless mask. "I know you're watching. Stop. This has nothing to do with mortals. You're looking for me."

The Destroyer looked down at him.

Sif, Vostagg, Fandral, and Hogan—came from the other end of town and stood in his way.

The Destroyer raised his arm and slapped Volstagg away like an insect. With a second slap, Fandral fell to the ground. With a third slap, Hogan was smashed into the wreckage of a car on the side of the road. Sif resisted for a while, but was finally slapped away.

Thor walked up to the Destroyer. "Brother," he said, his voice carrying through the burning streets and the collapsing buildings, "whatever I did that made you hate me, I'm sorry."

He spread his hands. "But these people have nothing to do with these things. If you want my life, take it and let them go."

The light from the gaps in the visor dimmed for a moment, as if the will controlling it hesitated.

The light went out completely through the gaps in the Destroyer's visor, and it stood there like a silent metal statue.

Then it raised its arm and slapped Thor in the chest.

Thor's body flew out like a puppet with its strings cut, crashing into a pile of rubble and sliding several meters before coming to a stop, where he lay motionless.

Jane ran over, tears streaming down her face, and cupped Thor's blood-soaked face in her hands, calling his name over and over again.

But the Destroyer wouldn't stop just because Thor was unconscious. Just as it was about to finish him off, it was suddenly restrained by an invisible force.

Lin Yan made his move.

This armor, which once served as the battle armor of the god-king Odin, possessed immense power, yet Lin Yan still suppressed its ability to move.

"What's going on?!" Loki, far away in Asgard, was filled with anxiety and panic. "Has Father awakened?"

Before Loki could figure it out, something moved in the direction of the crater.

Thor's hammer, embedded in the rock, began to tremble.

The patterns on the metal surface lit up one by one, like blood vessels that had been dormant for thousands of years beginning to flow again.

It broke free from the rocks, leaving a silvery-blue trail, and flew through the burning streets and the still-falling dust into Thor's drooping palm.

Bring your five fingers together.

Clouds surged in from all directions, swirling into a giant vortex centered over the town of Jiuqiao.

The first bolt of lightning struck Thor squarely. Then came the second, and the third.

The thunder, like silver tree roots, pierced the earth, shattering pebbles into dust and ionizing the air into a dazzling blue-white.

At the center of the lightning, Thor's body levitated, silver scales covering his torso, and a red cloak unfurled behind him like a banner woven from lightning.

He landed back on the ground, Thor's hammer spinning in his hand.

Lin Yan released his control over the Destroyer, and the gaps in the Destroyer's mask lit up again, as energy beams blasted towards him.

Thor swung his hammer and smashed it down towards the beam of light.

As expected, the Destroyer was eventually smashed into the ground with a single blow.

Thor emerged from the ruins, his cloak fluttering in the lightning.

He turned and walked toward Jane. The two looked at each other for a moment, then Saul cupped her face in his hands, pressed his forehead against hers, and whispered something.

Then he let go and walked to the open space in the town. The light of the Rainbow Bridge descended once more, enveloping him and his four comrades.

A seven-colored beam of light shot into the sky and vanished in an instant.

The sky returned to the clear blue of New Mexico, leaving only scorched earth and the wreckage of burning cars.

Lin Yan withdrew his gaze and walked towards the remains of the Destroyer.

The enormous, silver-gray humanoid armor now lay in the cracked asphalt, its faceplate dented and its chest armor split with several deep seams.

He stopped beside the armor, his gaze sweeping over the exposed Uru metal sections, Odin's forging techniques, the runic markings of Asgard, and some blessings from the witches.

"gentlemen."

The voice came from behind him, but Lin Yan did not turn around.

"Sir, this is S.H.I.E.L.D.'s territory." Coulson quickened his pace, a signature gentle smile on his face, but the fine sweat on his forehead and the tension in his eyes betrayed him; anyone appearing here at this time was no ordinary person.

"This... item involves national security, and we need to seal it up and investigate it. You cannot stay here."

Lin Yan turned his head and glanced at him.

Coulson's smile froze for a moment, and Hawkeye, who was not far away, also covered his arrow.