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"Consider yourself lucky. But then again, I suppose Dormammu will remember me too."
"I am indeed looking forward to our next meeting."
Bi Xiao smiled maliciously, predicting that Dormammu must be quite angry at this moment.
After a brief chuckle, his figure disappeared once more. Although it was a minor interlude, his journey continued.
...
Meanwhile, in a remote cave on Earth, resembling an ancient altar, the surroundings were dim and shadowy, with mysterious, indecipherable carvings on the walls.
Kaecilius lay on the central floor, his chest rising weakly, his breath feeble and labored. His skin visibly withered, as if he had aged decades.
With his eyes closed, he could hear the angry voice of his great master, Dormammu, in his mind.
"Fool, who told you to provoke that guy?"
"I am very sorry, my great master. I originally intended to bring him into the embrace of darkness, but I underestimated his power," Kaecilius replied weakly, not defending himself.
"Your body cannot bear my power. You lost thirty years of your life just to escape. You will need to continue absorbing dark energy to repair your damaged body."
"Thank you, master. I will be more cautious next time and create conditions for your descent."
Dormammu paused for a moment before asking in puzzlement, "Who is that human boy?"
Dormammu clearly sensed something unusual about Bi Xiao.
"He was brought to Kamar-Taj by the Ancient One two years ago to learn magic. He is the 717th Oriental, named John Shaw."
"A strange name. Achieving such a level in just two years, his talent must far surpass even the Ancient One. He will become an obstacle to my future descent to Earth. He cannot live."
Dormammu immediately recognized the threat posed by Bi Xiao. His talent would interfere with future plans.
Dormammu could not allow such a talented sorcerer to continue living. If he could reach this level in two years, what would ten years bring? After all the effort to outlast the Ancient One, another even more talented sorcerer had been trained. Would there still be a chance for his arrival?
The coveted universe would be completely out of reach for him.
Dormammu would not allow such a thing to happen.
"But master..." Kaecilius hesitated, wanting to say that he couldn't defeat him at all. The other party was purely a monster, exhibiting power he couldn't resist.
This time, he barely escaped thanks to Dormammu's help.
Dormammu was aware of this too. After some thought, he said, "Leave your world and find a relatively safe place. I will provide you with help, but you will need some time to accept this power."
"I will also teach you some black magic."
Kaecilius was originally a not-so-insignificant servant, at best a slightly talented servant. In the future, when Dormammu descended, he would be completely assimilated and devoured by the dark forces.
Now, sensing the threat from Bi Xiao, Dormammu needed to invest more.
"Understood, my master," Kaecilius said, a fiery look in his eyes. He never expected that this misfortune would bring him a blessing, gaining stronger power and more magical knowledge.
His loyalty to Dormammu grew even stronger.
He vowed to bring Dormammu to the world, believing that only darkness could grant him eternal life and greater power.
He longed for that day to come.
For that, he would give everything.
In the dark cave, a heart full of desire was slowly burning.
A cold wind blew through, making the darkness in the cave even more terrifying.
...
In the main hall of Kamar-Taj, the Ancient One, wearing a white sorcerer's robe, appeared elegant and graceful, embodying the demeanor of a wise sage.
She was kneeling on a mat, reading a book.
A young black sorcerer hurried in, respectfully bowing to the Ancient One before speaking softly, "Venerable One, we have discovered the whereabouts of Kaecilius and his group."
"Oh? They couldn't wait any longer?" The Ancient One put down her book, turned to look at the young sorcerer, and after placing the book on the table, stood up, gazing at the young sorcerer.
"They have no reason to appear."
"It was the guardian sorcerers of the New York Sanctum who detected the anomaly. Outside the city, they sensed traces of magic used by Kaecilius. Additionally..." The young sorcerer hesitated, looking at the Ancient One's penetrating eyes before continuing, "We felt an extraordinarily large energy source around the world."
"The energy source is extremely high. We suspect it might belong to John Shaw."
The Ancient One was not surprised, only letting out a soft "ah" before saying, "It seems he did find Shaw. That was not a wise choice. I imagine if he is still alive, he must be regretting it now."
"Was that really Shaw's doing? We traced Kaecilius' opening seventeen portals in thirty seconds. Was he being chased by Shaw?"
The young sorcerer could hardly believe it. He had participated in the pursuit of Kaecilius and his Dark Sorcerer Cult members.
He had witnessed Kaecilius's profound magic firsthand. Many guardian sorcerers were no match for him. He had almost been killed by Kaecilius if not for the Ancient One's timely rescue.
Thus, he knew well the strength of Kaecilius and the Dark Sorcerer Cult.
But now, Kaecilius and the Dark Sorcerers were being chased, opening seventeen portals in thirty seconds. Whether Kaecilius was dead or alive was uncertain.
How strong was Bi Xiao then?
Although he knew Bi Xiao was powerful, having killed many invaders on Earth, he had never seen it with his own eyes. Now, the comparison was starkly clear.
The young sorcerer was internally shaken.
"Are you surprised, Mordo?"
The Ancient One smiled at Mordo, the young sorcerer in front of her.
"I never thought he would be that exceptional. Your judgment was indeed correct, Venerable One," Mordo said, his serious expression causing the Ancient One to shake her head, "You are also very excellent. You both have extremes."
"Unlike him, you pursue the light too much, Mordo."
The Ancient One understood Mordo's nature—serious, diligent in learning magic, fervently following her, and hating the dark.
She also knew her own situation. If one day this young sorcerer discovered the truth, he might lose himself completely.
Extreme light and extreme darkness—such personalities could not coexist.
If they did, they would twist and go mad over some matter.
This was a frightening personality. Clearly, young Mordo had embarked on this path. Crucially, Mordo did not have Bi Xiao's overwhelming talent and rationality.
Bi Xiao was even younger than Mordo but could view the world with the most rational mind in learning magic.
Mordo could not do that.
Thus, the Ancient One had seen Mordo's future path long ago. However, she merely hinted, not explaining much, and shifted the topic.
"Do not underestimate Kaecilius, or rather, do not underestimate the Demon God behind him. I believe he is not dead but in hiding. Through this event, I think Dormammu will value Shaw's significance even more."
Mordo frowned, "Do you think Dormammu will recognize Shaw's talent and do anything to kill him?"
"I believe that is exactly what Dormammu will do."
"Then we must notify him. He should be on alert and prepared, Venerable One," Mordo immediately said, seeing the Ancient One shaking her head. He was puzzled, "Venerable One, Shaw's talent is the best in Kamar-Taj, far surpassing Kaecilius."
"He is the future Sorcerer Supreme, bearing the responsibility of protecting the world. His safety is more important than all of us."
"You are wrong, Mordo. I believe he is fully aware of this. Otherwise, he would not be so determined to chase Kaecilius," the Ancient One laughed, "Do you really think he wants to be Sorcerer Supreme? No, he doesn't care..."
"But," Mordo began but was interrupted by the Ancient One.
"All his actions are to make himself stronger. He accelerates his growth by fighting powerful enemies. Mordo, he cannot be viewed with ordinary eyes. He won't hesitate to strike against strong enemies. Don't use responsibility to bind him."
"He is younger than you but sees things more rationally and clearly. He craves battle. His very genes are engraved with a passion for fighting."
The Ancient One's words left Mordo stunned. He asked incredulously, "You mean, he is declaring war on Dormammu?"
"Yes, this chase of Kaecilius is his declaration of war on Dormammu. Dormammu sees him as prey to be killed, but Shaw also sees Dormammu as prey."
The Ancient One understood Bi Xiao's character too well.
Faced with powerful enemies, he would be excited, eager, even do seemingly irrational things.
For example, this time. But she also knew that Bi Xiao was rational enough.
He knew Dormammu couldn't harm him. No matter the schemes and plots, it was impossible to kill Bi Xiao now. Bi Xiao hoped Dormammu marked him because he was also marking Dormammu. When Bi Xiao grew strong enough, he might even enter the Dark Dimension to fight Dormammu.
Mordo couldn't grasp this. To him, Bi Xiao seemed like a madman.
How powerful was Dormammu?
A demon from another dimension, where he was a god, devouring many universes, even eyeing this universe as food.
Such a terrifying existence was considered prey by Bi Xiao.
It was inconceivable, unimaginable, to comprehend Bi Xiao's mindset.
"This is genius. Keep an eye on Kaecilius. When we see him again, he might surprise us," the Ancient One said, then sat down leisurely to continue reading.
As Earth's sole Ancient One and Sorcerer Supreme, was she unaware of what was happening in New York and worldwide?
She knew very well. She even knew Dormammu was aiding Kaecilius to escape Bi Xiao's pursuit. She was just watching from the sidelines, pretending not to know in front of Mordo.
She understood that even if she killed Kaecilius, it wouldn't affect Dormammu.
He would find another Kaecilius.
The future was clear and unchangeable. The Ancient One merely followed this timeline, even pushing it along.
"Dormammu, wait a bit. I really want to see you chased by your own prey. That would be interesting."
Mordo left, and the Ancient One murmured to herself. By then, she might be retired, traveling the multiverse.
But if that day came, she would definitely watch her old rival's embarrassment, anger, and despair. Thinking of that scene, the Ancient One couldn't help but want to laugh.
As for whether Bi Xiao could achieve this, the Ancient One had no doubts.
A source of immense talent and learning ability, disrupting the SACRED TIMELINE—his growth would be unimaginable.
These two years of progress under her watch had proven it.
This also meant her investment would yield greater returns.
Future pillars, potentially strong backers, were worth investing in, especially the Eye of Agamotto, the Time Stone—her biggest gamble.
All-in was an art.
She understood it well.
...
On the road, Bi Xiao drove his intact RV, unaffected by previous events. Dormammu's grudge and determination to kill him were scenarios he welcomed.
~~~
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