Chapter 158 — The Vanished Sixth Gem

"Thanos!"

At the sight of that towering, massive purple figure, hatred rose to the faces of the green-skinned woman Gamora and Drax the Destroyer.

Star-Lord held them back. "Don't be rash!"

"Didn't you see the strength of that mysterious gentleman just now?"

"If we act now, we'll only drag him down."

The girl with the pair of delicate antennae atop her head suddenly spoke. "I can't hear their conversation. There's a powerful psychic field blocking my telepathy."

Everyone's eyes turned to her.

"Who are you?"

Rocket Raccoon asked.

The girl smiled. "You may call me Mantis. Because my empath powers could help Ego sleep, he kept me imprisoned."

"Just now, the one called Mr. Wang Huai'an killed Ego and set me free."

Once they understood the girl's origins, the hostility in the group gradually faded, and their attention returned to Thanos and Wang Xu.

The two were conversing in a vacuum, mainly through an exchange of conscious thought streams, so they could hear nothing.

To act rashly under these circumstances would only disrupt Wang Huai'an's plans and calculations.

They did not know that Wang Xu had no need to win over Thanos's heart.

By now, four Infinity Stones had passed through Wang Xu's hands.

Among them, the Time, Space, and Mind Stones had been thoroughly analyzed by him.

Within the Marvel plane, Wang Xu was the embodiment of those three concepts; even Death herself could only submit before him.

The reason he had summoned Thanos here was also to observe the man.

Then chat a few words, and see just what kind of being Thanos really was.

"Pure."

Wang Xu regarded Thanos with appreciation and remarked, "Brave of heart, vigorous in action, diligent in thought, unwavering in purpose."

"No fear, no hesitation…"

"Across the endless planes, you count as quite the outstanding talent."

His manner was that of an elder predecessor evaluating a newcomer to the trade, speaking from a higher vantage.

"Endless planes?"

Thanos seized on a piece of entirely new information from Wang Huai'an's words, and curiosity surfaced on his face.

"Across the myriad realms of the heavens, every plane is sealed within its own bubble-like crystal-wall system, and these systems float in an amber-colored fluid known as the 'element.'"

Wang Xu gave the scholarly Thanos an approving look and explained patiently, "All planes are isolated from one another. The universe you inhabit is called the 'Marvel plane.' Beyond it lie nearly infinite universes."

The concept of planes was not hard to grasp.

Thanos was silent for a long while.

If what Wang Xu said was true, then his ideal was nothing but a joke.

The resources of the endless planes were inexhaustible; there was no need for him to destroy half of all life to maintain balance.

"You… are not lying."

After a long pause, Thanos replied in a desolate tone.

He carried out massacres, he committed genocide, he ignored the wails of all living things—yet at his core he was still a true saint who grieved for the world's suffering.

Wang Xu looked at him with a half-smile. "Have no fear. The mistakes you have made can be fully undone."

Thanos's only flaw was his class.

In Wang Xu's eyes, this man had clearly poured every attribute point into "Intelligence," "Spirit," and "Will"—the three attributes of a mage—yet had gone and switched classes to a bottom-tier warrior.

That was Thanos's greatest blunder.

Still, it could be remedied.

Become a Reincarnator, and infinite possibilities lay open.

"The Time Stone?"

Thanos's eyes lit up.

But Wang Xu shook his head. "The Time Stone—I destroyed it."

"Even if it still existed, you could not use it to resurrect so many innocent dead."

"Then…"

Thanos was about to press further when a sound like a great bell tolled in his mind.

The voice held no emotion at all, neither male nor female, yet it carried a power that shook the heart, as though it would wash away every speck of dust within him.

[Do you wish to erase your sins and undo all misfortune?]

[Yes/No]

Thanos lowered his head, wearing a thoughtful expression for a moment, and then said, "Yes."

[Your Reincarnator ID is 120.]

[Your beginner's mission will be issued in half an hour.]

[Enter the Main God's Space immediately?]

Everything about being a Reincarnator appeared in his mind.

"Reward points, destiny gems, exchange…"

A look of relief spread across Thanos's face.

Those countless exchange items represented hope.

Hope for atonement.

"Farewell."

Thanos gave Wang Linchuan a deep look.

Without the other's recommendation, he could never have become a Reincarnator.

This debt of gratitude he would remember, and repay in due course.

With that, a white light flickered around Thanos.

In the next instant, his figure vanished without a trace.

Wang Xu saw through Thanos's thoughts as clearly as a flame in the dark, yet paid them no mind.

"Repay?"

Wang Xu smiled faintly and returned to Star-Lord's ship.

"Thanos… is dead?"

Drax's eyes went wide, his manner utterly guileless.

The gap in power was too vast; he did not even know what had actually happened.

Gamora was the same.

The girl who had longed with all her heart to kill Thanos and avenge her people and her parents now looked at the scene before her and felt a vague sense of loss.

"Is Thanos really dead?"

Wang Xu looked at her with a half-smile. "Thanos has left this world."

Sometimes the truth is more effective than a lie.

That is the art of language.

The Guardians of the Galaxy, with no concept of the endless planes in their minds, took "left this world" to mean thoroughly dead.

They all heaved a sigh of relief.

"Next, it's time for you to honor our agreement."

Wang Xu's indifferent voice sounded in their ears. "Don't try any tricks. I can see through every thought and notion you have."

Mantis, just rescued, nodded cutely.

Her gratitude toward Wang Huai'an had turned to worship, and she had become a mindless devotee: "Mr. Wang Xu's empath powers are far stronger than mine. He doesn't even need to touch someone to read their thoughts and emotions."

Star-Lord felt his throat go a little dry and laughed awkwardly. "Of course not—I'll give you the Power Stone right away."

He had indeed just entertained a few unwise little ideas.

The Power Stone—they had hidden it on a planet called M98.

Star-Lord could not quite understand: Wang Xu clearly had the empath power to read minds, so why not simply pluck the secret straight from his head?

The answer to that question, he feared, he would never obtain.

…

Wang Shenzhi cared about what the members of the Guardians of the Galaxy thought.

On Planet 98, he found that gem radiating a dense purple light.

The Power Stone.

In theory, it could manipulate the direction and magnitude of all force; at full activation, it could even annihilate a star in an instant.

Wang Shenzhi needed its amplification and its functions, but what he craved was something more fundamental.

Crack!

Purple dust scattered outward.

The Power Stone was utterly shattered!

"This is the power of law."

Absorb...

Transform...

Comprehend!

The Law of Power was branded deep into Wang Huai'an's soul.

"Of the six Infinity Stones, I have handled five. Only one remains."

Wang Xu's eyes half closed, his will and spirit expanding without limit...

Because he had absorbed the power of the Space Stone, Wang Huai'an's will could spread to every corner of the entire Marvel Universe.

Yet...

There was no trace of the Reality Stone to be found.