Sell for a Good Price

The Astral Dimension did not interfere with the physical world, yet it possessed nearly identical rules. And Xu Yue, who had yet to grasp or make use of the Astral Dimension’s rules, was currently engaged in an intense "exchange" with Mordo within this space…

A golden arc appeared over Mordo’s arm, blocking the strike that carried piercing screeches and endless lightning.

The entire golden arc shattered under the blow. Amid the flaming trail mixed with golden fragments, Mordo himself was sent flying backward like a cannonball.

Yet the force he had deflected, combined with his earlier defense, meant he had not suffered much injury. After flying back, he landed directly against the inner side of the highway, which had turned into a cylindrical tunnel, causing great cracks to spread across the entire road.

His arm also trembled slightly from overexertion.

Strong!

Far too strong!

Even in Asgard, this person would not have been some nobody.

Worthy of the divine realm that ruled the Nine Realms—the heavenly palace even the Supreme Mage spoke so highly of.

For a moment, Mordo’s face was filled with gravity. He raised both hands, sparks dancing from his fingertips once more as they began to take on a new form.

"That’s enough. I have a rough idea now, so let’s stop here."

Standing where he was, Xu Yue dispersed the lightning around his hand. There was also a trace of solemnity in the way he looked at Mordo.

Without using Six Paths Mode, senjutsu, the Eight Gates, or the Rinnegan, he could only maintain a certain degree of suppression over Mordo in the Astral Dimension in his normal state.

He had already thought highly of him before, but he had still underestimated him by quite a bit.

He had even tried using Wood Realm, but the ordinary version of Wood Realm was completely countered in the Astral Dimension. With just a few manipulations from Mordo, it had been compressed beneath the ground like a snowball.

Moreover, using the AT Field in the Astral Dimension came with a certain delay. This was the barrier between himself and the physical world; when projected into this shadow plane, his reactions would be one step slower.

Even so, Mordo’s abilities exceeded Wang Zhaoming’s by quite a lot. He was stronger than expected. Ordinary big shots would not even have the ability to protect themselves against him.

In that case, Ancient One’s abilities were likely even greater than imagined…

Since that was the case, he should first do him a favor and leave an impression, laying the groundwork for what came later.

"Stop here? Heh~"

The sparks in Mordo’s hands did not cease. Instead, he laughed in anger.

He had been intercepted halfway, then nearly beaten senseless. And just when he was about to strike back after the fight, this guy told him they were stopping here?

Where in the world was there such a thing…

A slender finger gently pressed against Mordo’s carotid artery. Then Xu Yue’s figure appeared dreamily at his side, while the Xu Yue who had been standing before him gradually vanished in the same illusory manner.

That finger, brimming with the aura of death, seemed close enough for him to feel his own heartbeat. The icy fingertip made every hair on his body stand on end. Guided by that single finger, he could only turn his head slightly and look at the ominous pair of eyes that casually glanced at him from the side.

"I said we’re stopping here. Do you have a problem with that?"

The same calm tone reached him, making Mordo understand the true gap between them.

Even with the advantage of the Astral Dimension, he truly was no match for this man.

The spell he had been preparing in his hands dispersed on its own…

"No. I was merely preparing to say goodbye."

Mordo’s tone was somewhat stiff.

"I said before that I came here without hostile intent. Earlier, I was only stopping the destruction caused by those people. Afterward, I simply tested you a little when I saw a mage appear. I already know what I wanted to know."

Xu Yue withdrew the finger pressing against Mordo’s carotid artery, turned his hand into a palm, and gave Mordo’s shoulder a few pats as he offered an explanation.

First beat the opponent into submission, then force your own ideas upon them. That made the persuasion much stronger. Otherwise, why would I bother saying so much to you?

And besides…

"I also hope you can help me investigate something. After arriving on Earth, I vaguely sensed an evil and ominous aura. I did not realize what it was before, but after seeing a mage appear, I can more or less understand now. The presence I sensed earlier should have belonged to a mage."

After releasing Mordo, Xu Yue spoke to him with a sincere expression.

After reasoning with him through force, it was obvious that Xu Yue’s words now carried much more credibility in Mordo’s eyes.

"An evil, ominous aura? A mage? What happened?"

The other party was so powerful, yet he was also willing to reason with him. Mordo did not think the man would spout nonsense out of boredom. There had to be some reason behind it.

"I only have this feeling, but it is probably connected to the Dark Dimension somehow. I hope you will take it seriously."

Xu Yue spoke vaguely, as though he himself was not entirely sure of the specifics.

But Mordo would definitely report this matter to Ancient One when he returned. Ancient One himself was also using the power of the Dark Dimension, except his strength was great enough that he was unaffected by it.

If it had only been Ancient One using it, Xu Yue naturally would not have gone looking to pluck the tiger’s whiskers. Even if he could invoke Asgard’s name, he should not take such a risk.

But apart from Ancient One, another of his disciples, Kaecilius, was also deeply interested in the Dark Dimension.

He had even used a ritual from Ancient One’s collection of books to contact Dormammu, the ruler of the Dark Dimension. He sent Earth’s coordinates to him, became Dormammu’s servant, and borrowed his power to make himself even stronger!

Perhaps Kaecilius had not fully revealed himself yet, but with this warning from Xu Yue, it would be only natural for Ancient One to uncover the truth given his abilities.

If Kaecilius had not yet become Dormammu’s servant, he might be eliminated before he even had the chance to flee.

Even if he escaped, it would still be enough to demonstrate the value of the intelligence Xu Yue had provided. It would be enough to earn him some acknowledgment and goodwill from Ancient One, making future contact easier.

After all, relatively speaking, Ancient One was one of the easier elders to deal with. He was simply too mystical and cryptic, so Xu Yue needed an opportunity like this.

Kaecilius, I’m truly sorry. We have never met, and there is no grudge between us, but as long as there is something to gain, I will not hesitate to sell you off as a bargaining chip…

Watching Mordo open a portal and leave with a grave expression, Xu Yue began assessing the several situations in the current Marvel universe that could pose enough of a threat to him.

After testing Mordo’s strength and using it to roughly gauge Ancient One’s capabilities, setting aside those background big shots like the ones who had previously drawn his attention through Reincarnation Space’s interference, there were already several characters from the movies alone who could threaten him.

Based on Xu Yue’s preliminary understanding, at the current point in the storyline, Dormammu, Ancient One, Odin, and Thanos without the Infinity Gauntlet were all beings capable of threatening him. Their strengths varied, but they should all be on the same level, maintaining a balance between one another.

As for the Thor with pseudo-Odinforce from the later movie plots, the Goddess of Death, Doctor Strange who possessed the Time Stone, Scarlet Witch, Vision, and the others, due to the current story progression and various restrictions, they had either not yet grown powerful, had not yet been created, or were simply still sealed away. There was no need to pay them much attention for now.

Of course, that was only a broad classification. Everyone in Marvel had different conditions, and the fluctuations in their abilities could be terrifying. For example, Odin entering Odin’s Sleep, or Dormammu being unable to manifest easily in the physical world. As for the bug that was Thanos, there was even less need to mention him.

Of these people, one controlled Asgard and watched over the Nine Realms, one protected Earth, one ruled the Dark Dimension, and the other targeted the galactic Star Domain beyond Earth and Asgard.

Not even counting the other background figures, just these few who had appeared in the movie series had almost completely divided up the areas of the Marvel universe that Reincarnators could come into contact with, leaving virtually no blind spots.

They could be considered a safeguard, preventing Reincarnators from interfering with the Marvel universe too excessively.

For minor disturbances, it might truly be S.H.I.E.L.D. dealing with you. Make a bigger mess, and perhaps some strange city heroes and villains would appear. Go further still, and familiar superheroes would step in. If things became truly out of hand, these few would serve as the final line of defense.

Even Xu Yue felt a little uneasy. If an ordinary big shot entered, they would probably be crushed by Mordo right away.

Still, overall, this time’s objectives had been achieved. A seed ready to sprout had been planted with Tony, and through Mordo, Xu Yue had also conveyed his goodwill to Ancient One…

Two updates~