Magic? Not Even Dogs Would Learn It!

"A pitiful niece being hunted down like mad by her uncle."

Clea wore a self-mocking smile, as if she were not talking about herself at all.

But Natasha and the other two clearly were not focused on Clea's expression. They were stunned by the information in her words.

Their eyes widened. "You're Dormammu's niece?!"

"He doesn't treat me as his niece, and I don't treat him as my uncle. We merely share some blood ties."

Perhaps feeling that her earlier description had been inaccurate, Clea retold the relationship between herself and Dormammu.

The self-mocking smile on her face deepened, making her look rather pitiful.

"Actually, Dormammu was not the original master of this Dark World. My grandfather, Olnar, was."

"My mother, Umar, and Dormammu were two half-energy lifeforms expelled from the Falt Dimension."

"After arriving in this world, they transformed into material lifeforms and disguised themselves as victims seeking shelter."

"In return for that shelter, they displayed their ability to open dimensional barriers and beguiled my grandfather into waging war against other dimensions, allowing the Dark World to devour quite a few of them."

"But no war went smoothly forever. Before long, the Dark World encountered an enemy it could not defeat: creatures called Mindless Ones."

"As soon as the war began, my grandfather died in battle, and countless soldiers were brutally slaughtered."

"After my grandfather's death, Dormammu and my mother finally revealed their true purpose—to seize this Dark World, which suited them perfectly."

"To that end, they each chose different methods."

"My mother chose to unite with Prince Orini, who had remained behind in the Dark World—my father—and smoothly inherited the throne, becoming the ruler of this world."

"Dormammu, meanwhile, brought the Mindless Ones into the Dark World and let them wreak havoc here. Then he ambushed the forces that had stayed behind to fight the Mindless Ones, using all their lives and power to create a magical barrier that controlled and expelled the Mindless Ones."

"Clearly, Dormammu succeeded in the end. By driving out the Mindless Ones and saving the Dark World, he gained the support of every surviving subject and became the new master of the Dark World."

"After gaining the Dark World and seeing his power surge, Dormammu banished my mother and killed my father to eliminate any future threats and prevent anyone else from competing with him for the Dark World."

"In the end, even I, his 'dear niece,' was not spared, simply because I also possessed the right to inherit the Dark World."

At this point, Clea's face turned desolate. Then she raised her head and forced out a smile.

"Isn't that ridiculous?"

Faced with Clea's genuine outpouring of emotion, Natasha was deeply moved and filled with sympathy.

She lowered her guard, pulled Mordo and Kaecilius aside from where they stood in front of her, and walked up to Clea.

"You're better off without an insane uncle like that. Besides, Dormammu was never a good person!"

Kaecilius, standing behind her, also looked thoroughly disgusted. "For someone to be so ruthless toward his own family, Dormammu really deserves to die!"

After cursing him, he also walked over to Clea. "Don't worry. If there's anything you need help with, just say the word!"

Seeing the other two had defected to Clea's side after just a few words, Mordo had no choice but to follow them over.

Although Clea's words and expression did not seem false, Mordo still felt that she had some other purpose.

He did not beat around the bush and asked directly, "So what exactly is your purpose or request?"

"Don't tell me you simply wanted someone to talk to, which is why you told us about the power struggle in your family."

Perhaps feeling that he had sounded too cold, he added, "As long as it is within our ability, we will do our best to help you."

"After all, we will still need your abilities to help us leave the Dark Dimension. It would be mutually beneficial."

"Would you really help me?"

Delight appeared on Clea's face. Sure enough, sincerity was the ultimate trump card.

Nothing she had said earlier was false. Playing up her misery had merely been meant to dispel the three people's wariness.

"We'll help you, as long as you're not asking us to throw our lives away or harm innocent people."

After receiving their affirmative answer, Clea finally revealed her purpose.

"I want to join Kamar-Taj, become the Sorcerer Supreme's disciple, and learn powerful magic!"

Clea had long harbored this idea regarding Ancient One, Dormammu's sworn enemy and a powerful sorcerer whose name shook the universe.

Unfortunately, although she had gone to Earth several times, she had never managed to enter Kamar-Taj. Instead, Dormammu had discovered her trail, and he had nearly captured her several times.

"Join Kamar-Taj?"

"Become the Sorcerer Supreme's disciple?"

"Learn powerful magic?"

Seeing the strange looks on their faces as each of them repeated one phrase, Clea's heart began pounding uncontrollably. She asked quietly, "Is that not possible?"

"If it really isn't possible, then just let me stay in your library for a while. I can teach myself!"

This was already Clea's lowest bottom line.

She did not hope to learn magic powerful enough to defeat Dormammu. She only hoped that each time Dormammu hunted her down, it would be a little less perilous.

"No, no, no. Learning magic and joining Kamar-Taj definitely won't be a problem. It's just that becoming Ancient One's disciple..."

As she spoke, Natasha looked Clea up and down. "Are you sure you want that old crone as your teacher?"

"I'll tell you quietly—she's nasty, she loves bullying people, and she's nowhere near as powerful as my teacher!"

"No way?" Clea was clearly skeptical of Natasha's words.

"The Sorcerer Supreme is the greatest sorcerer in the universe, and her character is also highly virtuous and..."

Thinking of Ancient One and Dormammu trading insults yesterday, Clea silently swallowed the words "widely respected."

"Ahem, Natasha, say a little less!"

Mordo stepped forward and stopped Natasha, who still wanted to smear Ancient One's name.

Although everything Natasha said was true, as Ancient One's disciple, he still had to put a stop to this behavior.

So Mordo took over and looked at Clea. "Clea, right?"

Clea nodded. "Mm."

"Then I'll be honest with you. Kamar-Taj has now been renamed the Ethereal Ascension Sect, and it no longer teaches magic. It teaches cultivation instead."

After speaking, Mordo pointed at Natasha. "The Sorcerer Supreme is no longer the strongest person either. She is now the sect master of the Ethereal Ascension Sect—Natasha's teacher."

"Cultivation? Ethereal Ascension Sect?"

Clea suddenly recalled that astonishingly powerful attack from before. "Then that terrifying magic you used earlier..."

"Just as you thought, except it wasn't magic. It was a spell used by cultivators. Rather than borrowing power from others, it unleashes the power that already belongs to oneself."

"Wait, my head is a little muddled!"

The information she was receiving was completely different from what she had gathered, and Clea's brain was about to burn out.

And she had never even heard of this Ethereal Ascension Sect or cultivation!

"Don't worry. With your talent, joining our sect definitely won't be a problem. You'll just need to undergo a few small tests when the time comes."

Natasha continued with an expression that said Clea had struck gold. "Where we are now, not even dogs would learn magic!"

"Let me explain what cultivation is and what it means to unlock the body's great hidden treasures!"