As Coulson and his team carefully approached the church with their equipment in tow, Li Feng had already dealt with Blackheart and was preparing to leave the Mirror Dimension.
Shortly after returning to the real world, Li Feng not only saw Coulson and the others stepping into the church with a pile of gear but also witnessed Johnny Blaze and Rosie locked in a passionate French kiss.
Li Feng first covered his face, then smacked his lips and said in a mockingly sour tone, "Dude, you look like you've been celibate for eighteen hundred years. Why are you drooling after a kiss? Be careful not to mistake your girl's tongue for a slab of pork."
Coulson, busy setting up equipment to analyze residual energy signatures, shot Li Feng an exasperated look and thought to himself: They nearly went through life-and-death separation—can't they unleash some pent-up passion? Is it hurting your eyes or triggering your nerves?
Melinda rolled her eyes at Li Feng. Unlike Coulson, she wasn't one to hold back her thoughts.
But before Melinda could speak, everyone suddenly heard a deep, elderly voice at the church entrance.
"Young Master of the Mystic Arts, you should cut the Ghost Rider some slack. The guy's just a skeleton now—of course he'd envy someone with a smooth, fleshy tongue. So his obsession with tongue-kissing is understandable."
Though the speaker had only uttered a few words, Coulson immediately sensed that this person seemed intimately familiar with the Ghost Rider, prompting him to scrutinize the unexpected visitor.
First impressions: a white-haired, wrinkled, and somewhat kindly old man.
Then, the long coat and the cane in his hand.
Coulson instinctively pegged him as someone born into aristocracy, raised with impeccable manners, now a distinguished figure in high society—perhaps even a philanthropist frequently seen at charity events.
While Coulson pondered the old man's identity, Li Feng touched the mask on his face and thought: Good thing I'm still wearing this. Mephisto shouldn't recognize me.
Taking a deep breath internally, Li Feng forced himself to stay relaxed yet vigilant. "Well, if it isn't the big boss of Hell himself—Mr. Mephisto. What brings you sightseeing on Earth?" He paused, then pulled the Scythe from his satchel and slung it over his shoulder, making sure Mephisto noticed the Kamar-Taj design on the staff—a subtle hint that he, too, had powerful backing. "By the way, did you get a visa from the Ancient One before dropping by?"
Then, realizing Coulson might not grasp Mephisto's true identity, Li Feng added, "This guy has another name—Satan, from the Bible."
Li Feng's words nearly made Coulson's eyes pop out of his skull. Satan? One of the Lords of Hell? So much for the philanthropist theory!
Tossing his earlier assumptions into the mental trash, Coulson inwardly slapped himself several times before shooting Li Feng a deeply meaningful look. Seeing the clear "Can you handle this?" look in Coulson's eyes, Li Feng gave him a reassuring glance.
This wasn't arrogance on Li Feng's part—he genuinely could deal with Mephisto standing before him. After all, the other party wasn't using a combat account for this trip to Earth but rather a leisure account meant for sightseeing.
A weakened Lord of Hell, facing Li Feng armed with a Scythe, Pseudo-angel Feathers, holy water, and a host of other high-tier equipment, could very well end up capsizing in a ditch if he wasn't careful.
But Li Feng didn't want to fight. There was no point—expending a bunch of rare gear just to destroy one of Mephisto's avatars, gaining nothing in return, only to have his name etched into Mephisto's little black book and be constantly targeted afterward? How annoying would that be?
On the other hand, Mephisto also had no desire to fight Li Feng—because it was troublesome and, frankly, a waste.
First, Mephisto wasn't some minor character like Witch Heart Demon or Abigail. Not only had he recognized that the staff on the Scythe was a product of Kamar-Taj, but he also saw through Li Feng's bluff of using Kamar-Taj's name as a shield.
For starters, the fact that Li Feng's cultivated magic energy resided within his body already proved he wasn't cut from the same cloth as Kamar-Taj. So, a single staff didn't mean much.
The problem was, Mephisto recognized the method Li Feng used to conceal his magical attributes—and he knew full well it was a unique technique devised by the Ancient One. This left him puzzled: Could this mage actually be the Ancient One's illegitimate child? Otherwise, why would the Ancient One share the secret of hiding magical energy with him? This was tied to the Ancient One's own secrets of wielding dark energy.
Second, Mephisto could tell that Li Feng's magic leaned toward darkness. Moreover, from the residual fluctuations of magic in the church's air—left behind by Li Feng's earlier use of time-stasis spells and mirror dimensions—he deduced that the young man had talent in both time and space manipulation.
Such a fine vessel… What a shame it would be to damage it. But before anything else, he needed to figure out Li Feng's origins—or better yet, pull him into the Devil's camp.
Mephisto narrowed his eyes, studying the Scythe on Li Feng's shoulder, then smiled like a gentleman. "Whether you've obtained a visa or not, you'll have to ask the Ancient One yourself. But would a mage who leans toward darkness and dabbles in souls dare to show his face before her?"
Li Feng wasn't stupid. Mephisto had first scrutinized his Scythe, then used his words to test whether Li Feng would dare to confront the Ancient One directly. Clearly, the Devil had already uncovered some of his secrets.
This left Li Feng feeling exhausted. Nick Fury was just like this—always paranoid and speaking in riddles. Don't you people get tired of this? How many brain cells do you burn through every day?
You know, it takes ten eggs to replenish a single drop of blood. After a whole day of chatting with you, how many eggs would I need to eat just to recover the brain cells I've lost?
Li Feng replied, "The Ancient One and I are on excellent terms."
Unfortunately, Mephisto clearly didn't believe Li Feng's words. With a tone of speculation and a hint of "I see potential in you," he said, "You didn't kill some sorcerer to get that artifact in your hand, did you? Should I have a word with the Ancient One and tell her you're under my wing, so her disciples won't bother you?"
Hearing Mephisto's obvious attempt to recruit him, Li Feng suppressed the urge to roll his eyes and replied, "Save your breath. Accusing me of killing a Sanctum Sorcerer? And stealing their artifact? I'd be lucky to see tomorrow's sun. As for telling the Ancient One I'm 'your man'—ha! Do you really think she'd buy that?"
To bolster his credibility and emphasize his good relationship with the Ancient One, Li Feng casually demonstrated a portal spell mid-conversation, along with Kamar-Taj's foundational practice of drawing energy from other dimensions.
Mephisto narrowed his eyes. He could clearly see Li Feng's intent—to show he had trained at Kamar-Taj or had strong ties there, signaling Mephisto to mind his own business.
"As for how I'm living on Earth," Li Feng tilted his head thoughtfully, counting on his fingers while muttering to himself, "If I auctioned off the land I live on and the car in my garage, how many lifetimes of luxury would that buy me?" A few seconds later, he blinked innocently at Mephisto and said, "Ran out of fingers. Mind lending me a few? Don't worry, I'll return them—you're the Devil, after all. Regrowing limbs is no big deal for you."
Mephisto rested his cane in front of him, folding his hands over its top as he turned to Li Feng with a smile. "Since you're asking to borrow my fingers, shouldn't I know who I'm lending them to? I can't just hand them over to someone whose name I don't even know."
Li Feng shrugged, grinning. "The name's Grant Ward."
Nearby, the tense S.W.A.T. team members, who had been warily watching Mephisto, instinctively glanced at a bewildered Agent Ward, their eyes filled with pity: Kid, you're done for. Mephisto just marked you.
Ward was speechless, wishing he could shove every bullet he had into Li Feng's mouth: Damn it, I'm just a bystander! What did I ever do to deserve this?
"Grant Ward?" Mephisto nodded solemnly. "Good name. For some reason, it just sounds devilishly fitting."
I also think it sounds shady as hell—but why are you so fixated on recruiting me, old man?
After a moment's thought, Li Feng decided it was best to crush Mephisto's recruitment hopes early—otherwise, his future would be anything but peaceful.At this thought, Li Feng smiled and took out the wooden box containing the Pseudo-angel Feathers from his pocket. He tossed it lightly in his hand and deliberately cracked it open just enough for Mephisto to sense the presence of the feathers, hinting that 'I have close ties with the angel faction'—after all, ordinary people couldn't get their hands on something like this.
However, Li Feng wasn't sure if angels even existed in the Marvel universe, so he didn't want Mephisto to ask any questions that might expose his lack of knowledge or reveal flaws in his story. He cut straight to the point: "Let's get to the main topic. What brings a busy man like you, who harvests thousands of souls every second, to Earth?"
Mephisto narrowed his eyes at the wooden box. Though he was merely a projection, his discernment was sharp enough to recognize that the feathers inside posed a significant threat to him.
Yet, Mephisto was puzzled. How did a dark mage like Li Feng manage to obtain something resembling an angel's feather?
The more he thought about it, the more confused he became. Connected to Kamar-Taj, linked to angels, yet wielding dark magic—what kind of twisted situation was this?
Until he could figure out Li Feng's true background, Mephisto had no choice but to set aside his recruitment plans for now. He turned his attention to Johnny Blaze, who was holding Rosie close, and said, "Mr. Ward and I got so engrossed in conversation that I nearly forgot my main purpose here."
"Congratulations, Johnny. You've fulfilled your end of the bargain. Now, as per our agreement, I'll take back the power of the Ghost Rider, and you'll regain your freedom." Mephisto glanced at Rosie, who was clinging to Johnny like a delicate bird, and added with a smirk, "And congratulations on finding the love you've longed for."
Johnny Blaze looked down at Rosie in his arms. Truth be told, he was conflicted. The Ghost Rider had granted him immortality, making his motorcycle stunts unstoppable and showering him with wealth and fame.
On top of that, gaining superhuman abilities recently had only made things even more exhilarating.
Sure, the Hellfire burned like hell when he transformed, but compared to the benefits, it was a price he could live with.
Finally, the previous Ghost Rider, Carter Slade, had clearly broken free from Mephisto's control. This gave Johnny the illusion that he, too, could escape Mephisto's grasp.
With that in mind, Johnny pointed at Mephisto's nose and declared, "No. I'm keeping the Ghost Rider—to use against you."