Over the years, Earth's relative safety had been inseparable from the Ancient One's presence.
However, what Xu Dan sought went far beyond that.
"Master Gu Yi can sit on Earth now—but what if one day, Master, you are gone?"
There was no need to say more. Euphemistically speaking, this meant departure; bluntly put, it meant death.
What if the Ancient One died?
No one present was a fool. They naturally understood what Xu Dan meant.
Mordo immediately became alert. At least for now, he was the one who revered the Ancient One the most.
"Sir, I must remind you—your words are somewhat excessive!"
However, Gu Yi merely smiled faintly.
"The Earth does not live because of me alone, nor will it perish because of me alone. Everyone is a creature of this planet, and there will always be power to protect it. If my strength is truly needed, then on the day I leave, someone will replace me."
Hiss…
It had to be said—this old fox who had lived for centuries was difficult to deal with!
Unlike those seemingly advanced Wakandans, who were shaken by just a few words, the Ancient One always found a way to respond.
Even now, she was still deflecting the issue.
A true master.
Xu Dan lifted his teacup and took a sip before continuing.
"Of course, there are many forces protecting the world, but most of them are still seeds and saplings. They need time to grow. As for those forces already capable of protecting the world—they rarely appear. Why is that?"
"Because those are trials left for the seeds, aren't they?" Gu Yi replied, referring to the battle in New Mexico that day.
Xu Dan smiled faintly.
"But I think that if I had failed that day, no one would have been the first to reinforce me. My outcome would have been death. Likewise, if other seeds encounter the same situation and all fail, no one will save them. To put it bluntly, the forces above do not care about the strugglers at the bottom. They only act as a last resort, never to prevent disaster in advance."
Mordo was rendered speechless.
He wanted to refute Xu Dan, but after thinking it through, he realized the Supreme Sorcerer truly did operate this way.
This was an undeniable fact.
"Mordo." Gu Yi suddenly interrupted, giving him a look and motioning him away.
Mordo left silently.
Only then did Gu Yi speak again.
"What you described is a hypothetical. But in reality, you succeeded, didn't you? You are a very confident person—you don't do things you aren't certain of."
"Yes," Xu Dan replied calmly. "I don't do things without certainty. Next time I encounter a powerful enemy, I'll first consider escaping. If that enemy decides to destroy a city and slaughter humanity, I can only watch."
"No," Gu Yi said gently. "You are not that kind of person. Besides, someone will help you."
Xu Dan shook his head with a bitter smile.
Facing Gu Yi, if he didn't produce something decisive, there was no way he could persuade her.
Otherwise, even if he talked himself hoarse today, she would remain unmoved.
"Ancient One, is a sorcerer's power truly strong?"
Gu Yi replied calmly, "The power of the law comes from the heart. A sorcerer whose heart is strong will be strong."
An idealist.
If imagination alone could create strength, then every web-novel author in Huaxia would be a supreme emperor.
"May I ask—between a sorcerer's power and the power of Dormammu of the Dark Dimension, which is stronger?"
Dormammu!
Upon hearing that name, Gu Yi could no longer remain composed.
She could not understand how someone who had never had contact with sorcerers knew of the Dark Dimension—let alone Dormammu's name.
Even among sorcerers, very few knew of Dormammu!
That terrifying existence had devoured countless universes. Once, it had sought to consume Earth itself—only to be repelled by the Supreme Sorcerer, who then established sanctums to protect the planet.
If others in this world knew of this—or worse, if Dormammu had secretly planted seeds of darkness—it would be catastrophic.
Gu Yi stared solemnly into Xu Dan's eyes, trying to discern hidden truths.
Yet despite gazing deeply into them, she saw no trace of darkness.
This man posed no immediate problem.
But how did he know so much?
"Dormammu… is very powerful," Gu Yi finally said, "but a sorcerer's power is certainly not weaker."
"Then what if the power of a sorcerer were combined with the power of Dormammu?"
"…That is impossible. Such a thing cannot be done."
Xu Dan knew that Gu Yi had once drawn upon dark power—but he could only push so far.
This was a person who had sacrificed centuries for Earth's safety.
No matter what, respect had to be maintained. He could not tear away that final layer.
Threatening Gu Yi with such matters made Xu Dan feel uneasy.
But this was a last resort.
If the Time Stone were not in Gu Yi's hands—if it were held by some incompetent fool—he wouldn't have bothered with words at all. He would have taken it by force.
"Master, is there still water in the teapot?"
"Yes."
Xu Dan smiled, stood up on his own initiative, poured a cup for Gu Yi, then poured one for himself.
As long as there was still tea, the conversation could continue.
"S.H.I.E.L.D.—the Master should be familiar with this organization."
"Yes."
"I worked with S.H.I.E.L.D. and learned that there exists a mysterious and powerful energy in this world known as the Cosmic Cube."
"The Cosmic Cube."
"Yes. Out of personal curiosity, I once had the privilege of visiting Asgard and asked Lord Odin about it. That's when I learned the truth—the Cosmic Cube was not the key. The key was one of the stones within it, called the Space Stone. Does the Master know about the Space Stone?"
"I do."
"It's said that there are six Infinity Stones in this universe. The Space Stone is merely one of them—the Power Stone, the Reality Stone, the Mind Stone, the Soul Stone, and… the Time Stone."
Gu Yi gradually understood Xu Dan's intent.
What the Supreme Sorcerers had protected for generations—the Eye of Agamotto—contained precisely that.
The Time Stone.
Since Xu Dan had gone this far, his objective was obvious.
Though aged, Gu Yi's thinking was anything but rigid—far more flexible than most.
"Are you here for the Time Stone?" Gu Yi asked cautiously.
The power of the Infinity Stones was terrifying. They could never be treated lightly.
They had concealed that artifact precisely to prevent its exposure.
The danger posed by the Time Stone was beyond ordinary comprehension…
-----------------------
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