As the spatial barrier disappeared, Bai Qi prepared to flash out of the underground cave. However, before he could make a move, the cave began to shake violently, giving the impression that it could collapse at any moment.
The next instant, a two-meter-wide hole was bored through the rock face above, and a blue giant wearing his underwear on the outside appeared before Bai Qi.
"Superman? This Zheng Qi fellow, I've already finished the fight. Is he trying to pick the peaches? But this speed is really..."
Superman's stance was clear, firmly on Zheng Qi's side. Seeing him appear at this moment, Bai Qi's first reaction was that this guy was sent by Zheng Qi to snatch the spoils. It was just that the timing was off. By the time he arrived, the battlefield had already been cleared. There wasn't even a peach fuzz left.
It wasn't just Superman who had arrived. Following him were the Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Shazam, The Flash, Batman in heavy armor, Cyborg, Captain Atom, and Red Tornado.
Among the veterans, Martian Manhunter and Aquaman were absent. It made sense, as the volcanic environment here was not very friendly to them.
Zheng Qi had indeed sent them with the idea of snatching the spoils. However, their main intention was to exploit Bai Qi's weakened state after the battle with the ancient gods, before he could recover his strength, and launch a coordinated attack to try and keep Bai Qi here permanently.
Zheng Qi's plan was meticulously laid out, but unfortunately, they had overlooked one crucial step.
Although the ancient god was powerful, defeating it had not consumed much of Bai Qi's strength. Moreover, Bai Qi's recovery speed was terrifying. During the time spent clearing the battlefield, he had already recovered about seventy to eighty percent of the energy expended during the fight.
Even if he wasn't at full strength, he was at least eighty percent, which was more than enough to deal with the members of the Justice League.
Furthermore, Bai Qi had his own trump card. As soon as he revealed it, the Justice League might not dare to make a move against him.
"The Holy Lord! Why are you here?"
Superman questioned the Holy Lord below with no pleasant expression.
Bai Qi, unfazed, replied unhurriedly, "I'm not a running dog of America. I don't need to report every action I take to you."
Bai Qi's words made the faces of the Justice League members turn grim.
While the Justice League publicly stated that they were not controlled by any country or organization, but rather a voluntary union of superheroes from around the world, the reality was more complex.
After all, they operated on American soil. Coupled with the fact that more than ninety-nine percent of the superheroes in the League were from America, it was impossible to avoid dealings with the American government.
During the League's inception, they had faced several targeted actions from the US government. To ensure their continued operation, the League's top brass had to strike certain secret deals and collaborations with the American higher-ups, which allowed the League to continue functioning.
Now that Bai Qi had pointed it out so bluntly, it was no wonder their expressions were anything but pleasant.
"Holy Lord, there's no need for further discussion. The League will absolutely not allow you to acquire weapons of mass destruction from here."
Seeing Superman's self-righteous demeanor, Bai Qi scoffed, "You and your lackeys just arrived and you're talking about weapons of mass destruction without knowing anything. Don't end up finding just a bag of laundry detergent."
Superman clearly didn't want to engage in further verbal sparring with Bai Qi. He suddenly exerted his strength and charged towards Bai Qi like a cannonball.
"Excellent."
Facing Superman's charge, Bai Qi didn't flinch. He met the attack head-on with a punch. A purple light flashed, and Superman was defeated in a test of strength, sent flying by a single punch. His body crashed through the rock wall, leaving only a human-shaped imprint.
Seeing that Superman had made a move, the other members of the Justice League naturally wouldn't stand idly by, especially after Superman was sent flying.
They all knew that given Superman's body's durability, such damage wouldn't cause him any serious harm, so they paid him no mind and charged towards Bai Qi as a group.
"A bunch of weaklings, do you really think you're saviors?"
If even Superman was no match for Bai Qi, how could these self-proclaimed righteous clowns of the circus possibly defeat him? In a flash, he subdued them all.
Captain Atom attempted a close-range nuclear explosion, but his charge-up was too long. Before he could detonate, Bai Qi used his spatial magic to seal him in an independent space. After the explosion, it only caused the space he was in to vibrate violently a few times and didn't even affect the surrounding environment in the slightest.
As for Red Tornado, Bai Qi used his telekinesis to easily tear him apart. Shazam, who possessed the power of the gods, was even easier to deal with.
After all, he was just a child at heart, and his mental fortitude was immature. Bai Qi easily influenced him, causing him to utter the name Shazam and transform back into a weak little boy.
Cyborg was about to unleash an energy blast at Bai Qi, but as soon as he aimed, a virus programmed by the Hourman infiltrated his system, and he unleashed a barrage of fire towards Wonder Woman beside him.
Watching the chaotic scene, Bai Qi nodded in satisfaction and was about to deal with the one hiding in the mecha when he noticed that instead of retreating from the aggressive Bai Qi, the latter charged towards him.
One wouldn't be this eager to seek death.
Just as Bai Qi prepared to dismantle Batman's giant machine like he had Red Tornado, he discovered that his always effective telekinesis had failed.
His telekinetic force struck the Bat-mech, but the Bat-mech remained completely unaffected. The hard black metal exterior seemed to absorb all of Bai Qi's telekinetic energy.
Seeing his telekinesis fail, Bai Qi promptly used other means. Two heat beams directly hit the mecha's chest, but this time, the heat beams also failed.
Upon hitting the armor's surface, the heat beams didn't cause any damage. Instead, they were absorbed into the armor.
"Damn it, this is uncanny."
The two failures infuriated Bai Qi. At this moment, the Bat-mech had already reached Bai Qi, swinging its sandbag-sized mechanical fist towards him.
This time, Bai Qi didn't believe he would fail again, as he had never feared anyone in a brute strength contest.
Just as Bai Qi prepared to tear apart the Bat-mech with brute force, his body momentarily froze. Although it was only for an instant, it was enough for Batman to seize the opportunity and land a punch on Bai Qi.
The mechanical fist struck Bai Qi, but it didn't cause any damage. Instead, it began to absorb the magic within Bai Qi's body.
"Batman, as expected of you, you always bring me unexpected surprises."
At this moment, Bai Qi realized that the mecha used by Batman was likely made of a metal that could absorb magic. Whether it was telekinesis or heat beams, they were fundamentally magical creations of Bai Qi, which was why they either lost their effect upon contact with the mecha or were absorbed by it.