Chapter 27: The Phoenix Descends · The Wrath of a Burning World
The惨败 (cǎnbài - crushing defeat) of the Scarlet Witch, Wanda, and the sight of the world-ending crimson energy being swallowed by Sun Wukong like a whale吸食 (xīshí - sucking in) plankton,彻底击穿 (chèdǐ jī chuān - completely shattered) the last psychological防线 (fángxiàn - defense line) of all onlookers. Despair was no longer an emotion, but a冰冷实质 (bīnglěng shízhì - cold substance)弥漫 (mí màn - permeating) the air.Nick Fury's assembly order was no longer a command, but a悲鸣 (bēimíng - mournful cry), a final call to all remaining forces.The surviving heroes began to converge from all directions. Captain America helped a weakened Tony to his feet; Thor rose unsteadily from the ruins, gripping Mjolnir tightly once more; Black Widow and Hawkeye checked their meager equipment; the Hulk roared low in response to Banner's desperate call... Their eyes were resolute, prepared for the final battle that was注定徒劳 (zhùdìng túláo - destined to be futile) yet necessary.However, just as this悲壮 (bēizhuàng - tragic and heroic) assembly call was sounded—A截然不同 (jiérán bùtóng - completely different), more ancient, more primal, more terrifying威压 (wēiyā - oppressive aura) suddenly descended from beyond the heavens!It wasn't energy, nor magic, but an... awakening of the essence of existence itself! A will of pure destruction and rebirth that凌驾于 (língjià yú - transcended) the rules of reality!The psychic层面 (céngmiàn - plane) of the entire Earth trembled violently! All telepaths, from Professor X to beings deep in the cosmos, felt their souls quivering in fear!The sky was not stained crimson, but transformed into an endless gold-red! Not flame, but a purer, more glorious cosmic light! As if a miniature star was igniting just outside the atmosphere!Above the Washington ruins, space tore like fragile fabric without a sound! A figure slowly emerged from the rift.It was Jean Grey, but no longer the gentle X-Men member. Her eyes burned with pure gold-white fire; her red hair danced as if alive in the energy storm! Her body was enveloped in an indescribable gold-red light—the light didn't emanate from her; she wasthe source of the light!The Phoenix Force! One of the oldest, most powerful forces in the cosmos, the energy embodiment of life and emotion, had been彻底唤醒 (chèdǐ huànxǐng - fully awakened) by the planet's extreme chaos and despair, by the violent fluctuations of Chaos Magic, and had descended,依附于 (yīfù yú - attached to) its host, Jean Grey!"Fear... pain... destruction..." The voice of Phoenix/Jean was no longer Jean's, but an echo of the multiverse,冰冷而宏大 (bīnglěng ér hóngdà - cold and grand), filled with inhuman divinity. "This planet... this existence... requires... purification."She sensed Sun Wukong's unfathomable, black hole-like power that devoured everything, and Wanda's chaotic madness that sought to扭曲现实 (niǔqū xiànshí - warp reality). To the Phoenix's will, all this was a破坏平衡 (pòhuài pínghéng - disruption of cosmic balance), an anomaly that needed to be焚毁 (fénhuǐ - incinerated)!She slowly raised her hand, pointing at Sun Wukong.No incantation, no gesture, just the manifestation of pure will!The space around Sun Wukong instantly湮灭 (yǎnmiè - annihilated)! Not an explosion, not a tear, but the fundamental decomposition and重组 (chóngzǔ - reassembly) of matter and energy! The ground beneath his feet turned into streams of原始粒子 (yuánshǐ lìzǐ - primal particles) without a sound, then was reforged into a crystalline, flame-licked琉璃 (liúlí - colored glaze)! The air was ionized into a绚烂 (xuànlàn - gorgeous) plasma storm!This attack ignored all physical defenses, acting directly on the essence of existence!The protective golden light around Sun Wukong emitted a剧烈嗡鸣 (jùliè wēngmíng - violent hum) for the first time, even showing a faint, almost invisible ripple! The琉璃大地 (liúlí dàdì - glazed earth) beneath him constantly decomposed and reassembled, trying to吞噬 (tūnshì - devour) him!"Eh?!" Sun Wukong finally showed an前所未有的惊讶 (qiánsuǒwèi yǒu de jīngyà - unprecedented surprise). His Fiery Eyes and Golden Pupils blazed with前所未有的神光 (qiánsuǒwèi yǒu de shénguāng - unprecedented divine light), fixed intently on the Phoenix/Jean in the sky. "先天本源之火 (Xiāntiān běnyuán zhī huǒ - Primordial Source Fire)?! No... similar but not quite... so霸道 (bàdào - overbearing)! It can actually撼动 (hàndòng - shake) this old Sun's Indestructible Diamond Body?! How can such an existence be in this world?"He sensed the extremely high nature of this power, even faintly touching upon some of the本源法则 (běnyuán fǎzé - fundamental laws) from the dawn of creation. Its destructiveness and creativity coexisted, overwhelmingly霸道 (bàdào - tyrannical)!Phoenix/Jean seemed slightly surprised that her first strike was ineffective. The gold-white fire in her inhuman eyes blazed brighter."Resistance... annihilation..." She raised her hand again. This time, even more terrifying Phoenix Force gathered, transforming into a torrent composed purely of the power of existence and nothingness, sweeping down! Where it passed, concepts were rewritten! "Existence" was forcibly erased, "Nothingness" was given form!Facing this attack that transcended energy and matter, targeting the very本源 (běnyuán - origin), Sun Wukong finally shed all traces of playfulness!He took a deep breath, the vast magical power within him circulating in an unprecedented manner! He no longer relied solely on his Indestructible Diamond Body, but unleashed a true great supernatural ability!"法天象地 (Fǎ Tiān Xiàng Dì - Law of Heaven, Form of Earth)!"His body grew with the storm, instantly transforming into a colossal giant whose head touched the heavens and feet trod the earth! This was no longer the playful变大 (biàndà - enlargement) from before, but the true Dharma Form of Heaven and Earth! Its威压 (wēiyā - oppressive aura) was so immense it momentarily抗衡 (kànghéng - withstood) the法则侵蚀 (fǎzé qīnshí - law erosion) of the Phoenix Force!His enormous palm, carrying the power to粉碎星辰 (fěnsuì xīngchén - crush stars), slammed down towards the torrent of nothingness!It wasn't a brute force clash. Within that giant palm蕴含 (yùnhán - contained) the infinite variations of the地煞七十二变 (Dìshà Qīshí'èr Biàn - Seventy-two Earthly Transformations) and the supreme mystery of斡旋造化 (wòxuán zàohuà - manipulating creation)! The palm seemed to contain its own world, with sun and moon revolving, galaxies being born and dying!The Phoenix Force and the Dharma Form's palm collided violently!There was no sound, no explosion, only the most extreme collision and湮灭 (yǎnmiè - annihilation) at the level of laws!Space shattered like broken glass layer upon layer, only to be instantly forcibly repaired by the power of both! The timeline扭曲 (niǔqū -扭曲),分叉 (fēnchà - forked), and合并 (hébìng - merged) around them! The structure of reality groaned under the strain!All spectators, including the assembling heroes, froze in place,目瞪口呆 (mùdèngkǒudāi - dumbstruck) by this对决 (duìjué - duel) that完全超出 (wánquán chāochū - completely exceeded) their understanding, like a battle between创世神祇 (chuàngshì shénzhǐ - creator deities)! They didn't even have the qualification to approach!"Interesting! Fascinating!" Sun Wukong in his Dharma Form laughed, a sound that shook the heavens, his eyes filled with the excitement of meeting a worthy opponent. "It's been a long time since I encountered an existence that can match this old Sun in比拼 (bǐpīn - contesting) 'Dao' and 'Fa'! Again!"Phoenix/Jean remained expressionless (or perhaps the Phoenix needed no expression). She spread her hands, endless Phoenix Force transforming into billions of burning gold-white fire phoenixes, blotting out the sky as they charged at Sun Wukong, each one蕴含 (yùnhán - containing) the power to湮灭 (yǎnmiè - annihilate) a star!The giant Sun Wukong wielded his golden-hooped staff, now巨大如山脉 (jùdà rú shānmài - massive as a mountain range). Runes flowed on its surface as he executed通天彻地的棍法 (tōngtiān chèdì de gùnfǎ - staff techniques that reached heaven and earth), stirring up heaven and earth,粉碎 (fěnsuì - shattering) and炼化 (liànhuà - refining) those fire phoenixes one after another!Their battle was no longer a simple energy clash, but had risen to the level of rules, concepts, and本源 (běnyuán - origin)! Each exchange was rewriting局部宇宙常数 (júbù yǔzhòu chángshù - local cosmic constants)!This battle had already transcended Earth, even the solar system, drawing the attention of ancient beings deep in the cosmos...However, just as this stalemate seemed poised to continue endlessly—Phoenix/Jean's movements faltered with an极其细微 (jíqí xìwēi - extremely subtle) hesitation. Deep within the pure gold-white fire in her eyes, a flicker of... struggle and pain belonging to "Jean Grey" herself seemed to appear?Although the Phoenix Force was强大 (qiángdà - powerful), the human consciousness and emotions of its host, Jean Grey, had become an unstable factor. Her concern for her companions, her fear of destruction, were微弱地影响 (wēiruò de yǐngxiǎng - weakly affecting) the Phoenix's absolutely rational will to destroy.It was this momentary hesitation!Sun Wukong, with his immense combat experience, instantly seized this fleeting opening!"HAH! Psychic attack? This old Sun knows it too!"The mouth of the Dharma Form giant let out a roar that shook the cosmos! A凝练到极致 (níngliàn dào jízhì - condensed to the extreme) golden spiritual impact,蕴含 (yùnhán - containing) the will of金刚般若 (Jīngāng Bōrě - Vajra Prajna) and the破妄神光 (pò wàng shénguāng - truth-seeing divine light) of the Fiery Eyes, shot out like an无形擎天巨柱 (wúxíng qíngtiān jùzhù - invisible pillar holding up the sky),猛烈轰入 (měngliè hōng rù - violently crashing into) the depths of Phoenix/Jean's consciousness!The target wasn't to destroy the Phoenix Force (that was nearly impossible), but to精准击中 (jīngzhǔn jī zhòng - precisely strike) that strand of human struggle belonging to Jean Grey and instantly放大 (fàngdà - amplify) it!Phoenix/Jean let out a scream混合 (hùnhé - mixed) with pain and rage. The Phoenix Force around her instantly became extremely unstable, the gold-white flames疯狂摇曳 (fēngkuáng yáoyè - swaying wildly) as if on the verge of失控燃烧 (shīkòng ránshāo - burning out of control)!The absolute power experienced a momentary紊乱 (wěnluàn - disorder)!Sun Wukong seized this千载难逢 (qiānzǎi nánféng - once-in-a-thousand-years) opportunity! His giant hand shot out,五指如山岳合拢 (wǔzhǐ rú shānyuè hélǒng - five fingers closing like mountains), not to attack, but to forcibly禁锢 (jìngù -禁锢) and压缩 (yāsuō - compress) the chaotic Phoenix Force with his supreme magical power!A massive虚影 (xūyǐng - phantom image) of a太极八卦 (Tàijí Bāguà - Yin-Yang and Eight Trigrams), composed of countless profound runes, flashed briefly in his palm!The endless gold-white light was forcibly收敛 (shōuliǎn -收敛),压制 (yāzhì - suppressed)! Phoenix/Jean's figure plummeted from the sky like a kite with a broken string. The Phoenix flames around her, while not extinguished, were明显黯淡混乱 (míngxiǎn àndàn hǔnluàn - visibly dimmed and chaotic).Sun Wukong also retracted his Dharma Form, returning to his original shape, breathing slightly heavily,罕见地见了汗珠 (hǎnjiàn de jiànle hànzhū - sweat beading on his forehead for the first time). He looked at the fallen figure, his expression grave."Such fierce flames, almost burned this old Sun's Primordial Spirit... This world truly has hidden dragons and crouching tigers..."The Phoenix Force was not defeated, merely temporarily suppressed and destabilized due to interference from its host. But this trans-dimensional, earth-shattering battle had ultimately concluded with Sun Wukong's clever response and a narrow, half-move victory.Those who witnessed it all no longer even had the strength for despair. They felt as if they had glimpsed the domain of true deities, while they themselves were渺小如尘埃 (miǎoxiǎo rú chén'āi - insignificant as dust).