Who Dares Invade While I Am Here? (Bonus Chapter for Tips)

"There was no surprise, panic, or even curiosity on your face. I can make no judgment about you. I can only guess: do you know me? Do you understand this power?" Ancient One asked.

Isn’t that obvious… Old Wang replied calmly, "Kamar-Taj’s sorcerers may be mysterious, but they are still human. And as long as they are human, they will leave traces in this world. S.H.I.E.L.D. has records on you. Because of my special status, I know a little as well."

The explanation was reasonable, but Ancient One naturally did not believe it.

"Every so often, I cast a glance toward K’un-Lun. I have seen every death and rebirth of Shou-Lao, and the birth of every Iron Fist. So I can be certain of one thing."

Ancient One fixed Old Wang with her bright eyes. "You are not Iron Fist."

Just as I thought. You’re a shameless peeping tom like Heimdall… Old Wang smiled. "I never said I was Iron Fist."

Of course, what allowed him to know and understand her was not some so-called "Iron Fist," but his identity as a transmigrator.

Within the Heart of Azeroth, the enormous Immortal Dragon Dragon Bone was in place, ready at any time to open a Time-Space Channel and exchange for Archimonde’s version of Finger of Death, or the even more powerful Darkness of a Thousand Souls.

So you think you’re tough? Eat my blood-burning strike!

Although Ancient One was unlikely to attack him, Old Wang did not dare let his guard down.

If Ancient One dared to make a move, he had a chance to severely injure or even kill her.

What made the Sorcerer Supreme powerful was her spells and soul, not her body.

As long as he caught her off guard, even if he could not destroy her soul, he could at least destroy her body. That would be far easier than killing Thanos or even Hulk.

Without a body, Old Wang considered his soul no weaker than Ancient One’s. Naturally, he had nothing to fear.

"Looks like you truly understand me, and you really do have something to rely on."

An indescribable light flickered in Ancient One’s eyes. They looked as deep as the starry sky, as though one would be drawn in forever with a single glance.

Old Wang had only seen such eyes in Medivh before.

Old Wang offered no response. If the enemy did not speak, neither would he. Even if the enemy spoke, he still would not.

"Since you understand us, that makes things easier."

Ancient One said, "You have formed a connection with a magical entity from some dimension, just like the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj. You may not see it that way, but in truth, you are already a sorcerer—a sorcerer who possesses an independent source of magical power."

Old Wang smiled.

Ancient One waited ten seconds before continuing, "Everything in this world is unrelated to me. A sorcerer’s duty is to protect the Sanctums, protect Earth, and prevent Earth from being invaded by enemies from other dimensions or outer space. You are an Earthling. You have never harmed Earth, and you will not do so in the future."

Old Wang kept smiling.

Ancient One waited another twenty seconds, then continued, "Kamar-Taj needs fresh blood to withstand increasingly frequent attacks. The channel through which you obtain magical power seems insufficiently stable. Perhaps you should have another path, such as drawing power from the Vishanti Trinity. I can help you."

Old Wang continued smiling.

This time, Ancient One did not wait. She spread her arms and opened her embrace. "Join us!"

"You want to take me as your disciple?" Old Wang’s expression did not change.

"Exchange and learn from one another," Ancient One corrected.

This time, Old Wang truly laughed.

The distances between universes varied, so the difficulty of opening a channel naturally varied as well.

Extra dimensions such as the Dark Dimension and hell existed independently outside parallel universes, yet still fell within the scope of the multiverse. Opening an energy channel to them was likely even easier than traveling between parallel universes.

Even Ghost Rider could do it.

Cyttorak’s Crimson Cosmos existed outside the multiverse. Drawing power from him was far more difficult, which was why few sorcerers wielded the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak, and why the spell was so extraordinarily powerful.

As for the universe where World of Warcraft existed, it was not part of the Marvel Universe at all. The difficulty of reaching it far exceeded the former cases.

Thus, Kamar-Taj’s sorcerers could obtain magical power from those other dimensions and magical entities at any time without paying any price, while Old Wang had to pay an enormous price to obtain items or spells from World of Warcraft.

If he could become a sorcerer of Kamar-Taj, that would naturally be excellent and would greatly increase Old Wang’s strength.

The problem was, where in the world was there such a thing as a free lunch?

Once he established an energy channel and drew magical power from the Vishanti Trinity, they would very likely sense him and might even take the opportunity to control him, just as Dormammu did with his followers.

Followers who gained Dormammu’s power would inevitably end up being devoured by Dormammu. Someone as powerful as Ancient One might avoid that fate, but Dormammu would at least set his sights on her.

The Vishanti Trinity was far more terrifying than Dormammu.

That would not do.

With the Heart of Azeroth and the Immortal Dragon Dragon Bone within it, Old Wang was confident he could handle Sorcerer Supreme Ancient One, whose true strength definitely did not reach Medivh’s level. But he had no confidence in fighting Vishanti.

Besides, magical power obtained this way harmed the body. Otherwise, why would that sorcerer have weak kidneys?

And the other side could cut off the magical power channel at any time.

It was better not to take the risk.

"I’m sorry, but I’m not interested." Old Wang politely declined.

Ancient One had clearly come prepared. She said softly, "It is normal for you to have concerns. The sorcerers of this world do not belong solely to the lineage of the Sorcerer Supreme. I hope that when those terrible enemies invade, you will step forward."

"I am satisfied with my current life and do not want anyone disturbing it."

Old Wang’s tone was calm. "While I am here, who dares invade?"

This was not merely a rash boast. It had always been Old Wang’s attitude, and it was also his goal.

Only the weak needed to defend. The best way to protect Earth was to attack.

Ancient One was very satisfied with that answer and smiled faintly. "Then let us discuss something else."

"The Darkhold?"

There was no point in being evasive before someone of this level. Old Wang decided to get straight to the point.

"The Darkhold cannot be possessed by someone incapable of controlling it. All power from the Dark Dimension can easily lead people into corruption."

Perhaps because of her age, or perhaps because she had never been that kind of person, Ancient One was far more peaceful than Odin had been in his youth.

"The Darkhold is dangerous, and Dark Energy is dangerous as well. Using Dark Energy without authorization will draw the attention of certain beings, such as Dormammu and Mephisto. Today, Kaecilius came for you. Tomorrow, it may be Dormammu or Mephisto."

"Energy itself is neither good nor evil. Good and evil lie with the one who uses it."

Old Wang replied calmly, "Besides, do you think I fear Dormammu and Mephisto? As far as I know, beings from other dimensions have a hard time coming to this universe, and an even harder time descending upon Earth. Are the barriers of the Three Sanctums really so easily breached?"

As long as Ancient One remained alive, beings of the multiverse could forget about invading Earth.

Dormammu could not do it, and neither could Mephisto or Thanos.

Persuasion having failed, Ancient One had only one option: reveal her trump card. "I will not make you give it up for nothing. Whatever you need, I can offer it in exchange."

"That depends on what you have."

The reason Old Wang had kept the Darkhold instead of exchanging it was because he had been waiting for this moment.

He had already had many people copy the Darkhold, reproducing its contents in different forms more than a hundred times. Most of its remaining value had long since been squeezed dry, so there was no need to keep it.

There was no point playing mind games with someone who had lived for who knew how many centuries or millennia. You might think yourself clever, but in their eyes, you might just be a self-righteous child.

"Come with me."

Ancient One turned around. The Mirror Dimension vanished in an instant, and an orange portal appeared.