Ancient One Takes Her Own Life First

Kathmandu.

The capital of Nepal.

A city known as the City of Temples.

There were few reinforced-concrete buildings here; most were wooden structures, giving the place an antiquated charm.

With the Himalayas bordering it to the north, Kamar-Taj had quite a few properties and teleportation arrays in the city.

For instance, Feng Xu and Natasha were currently inside a supermarket concealing one such entrance.

At the checkout counter, an Asian fat man in his twenties, who clearly did not look particularly bright, watched the two of them with uncertainty.

The little girl looked perfectly ordinary, around thirteen or fourteen years old.

But the young man beside her was especially terrifying. Just standing there made the man feel an urge to run away.

"Having stood here for so long, is there anything you two would like to buy?"

The fat man was named Wong. He was a mage of Kamar-Taj and Ancient One's latest protégé and right-hand man.

This supermarket was a Kamar-Taj property, and it so happened that Wong, who had not yet become a librarian, was on duty here during this period.

"There's no need to buy anything. I only came here to visit the strongest person on this planet."

Feng Xu chose a common approach from the cultivation world: first, he politely knocked at the mountain gate, then he would win them over with virtue.

As a cultivator, how could he barge into someone else's home like a bandit?

"The strongest person? I don't understand what you mean!"

Wong's tiny eyes widened on his fat face as he forced himself to remain calm and continued.

"This is a convenience store that sells things. If you're looking for a martial arts school, turn right when you leave and go straight to the end."

"You have good aptitude, and you're not too old. You're perfectly suited for cultivation."

Feng Xu did not continue responding to Wong. Bringing Natasha, who was making faces at Wong, he casually walked farther inside.

"Looks like I came to the right place. That saves me quite a bit of trouble."

Wong's eyelids twitched at those words. He suspected that an enemy of the Sorcerer Supreme had come seeking revenge!

And the other party had even mentioned cultivation. He had clearly gone mad while practicing magic!

Just as Wong was struggling over whether he should step forward and stop him,

Feng Xu had already reached the employee break room door, grabbed the handle, and opened it.

"It doesn't matter if you won't admit it. I'll just use this portal myself."

With that, he stepped inside.

Seeing this, Wong quickly touched the Sling Ring in his pocket and ran after him.

Yet he stubbornly insisted, "Hey, that isn't a portal. It's just the employee break room!"

But reality was cruel. When Wong rushed over, Feng Xu and Natasha were nowhere to be seen.

"What the hell? I swear he has to be an enemy of the Sorcerer Supreme!"

"No, I might still make it in time. I need to hurry back to Kamar-Taj and report this!"

Wong swiftly took out his Sling Ring and began drawing circles with both hands.

Golden sparks flashed, forming a ring that showed the plaza of Kamar-Taj within it.

Without hesitation, Wong stepped through it, shouting frantically as he did.

"Enemy attack! Intruders have entered Kamar-Taj!"

Kamar-Taj Library.

Ancient One, appearing as an old man with white hair and the complexion of a youth, stood there with a troubled expression, fiddling with the Eye of Agamotto as she continuously observed something.

(Friendly reminder: Ancient One's old-man appearance is from the comics. Compared to the stern and aloof movie version, it's better suited for wild and goofy antics, so stop accusing me of ruining the character!)

"Strange, why can't I see it?"

"Is this divine artifact broken, or is the Time Stone broken?"

Ancient One withdrew from the timeline and forcefully knocked on the Eye of Agamotto in her hand.

Then, unwilling to accept it, she entered once more and resumed her journey through time.

"I can't find that person on any timeline. But Kamar-Taj has become better, though I still can't see the specifics, and..."

Ancient One's eyes gradually widened, as though she had discovered something extraordinary.

"Where did Strange go? And where did I go?"

As she spoke, her hands moved repeatedly, selecting a timeline and constantly advancing it until she reached the moment before she walked out of the library doors.

"What the hell? Did I just disappear the moment I stepped outside? A Sorcerer Supreme that big just vanished?"

Ancient One stared with wide eyes in disbelief.

Most of the timelines concerning herself began to change from this point onward.

"Could the person Uatu told me about be some demon god from a powerful dimension, summoned by Dormammu specifically to settle scores?"

After saying that, Ancient One hurriedly shook her head. "No, the moment they met, they'd definitely start fighting over the spoils. There's no way they could cooperate!"

Ancient One felt her head ache. To be honest, this was the first time she had encountered such a situation.

"That annoying Watcher Uatu. He couldn't even explain himself clearly. He might as well not have told me and let me disappear in confusion!"

As Ancient One muttered under her breath, Wong's shout came from outside, along with the sounds of mages gathering.

"Although I didn't see any timeline where I survived, as the Sorcerer Supreme, I won't simply stretch out my neck and await execution!"

From her earlier investigation, Ancient One concluded that it should be some powerful mage or sorcerer who wanted to take up residence in Kamar-Taj as the Sorcerer Supreme.

Moreover, none of the timelines she had examined ended in collapse.

So Ancient One decided to take her own life first. She had long wanted to lay down her burden and follow the great Eternity anyway.

No sooner said than done!

Ancient One's body trembled, and her invisible soul drifted out of her flesh before swiftly passing through the ceiling and shooting into the sky.

Astral Projection!

Then she would abandon her body and completely transform into a holy spirit!

"Hehe, don't underestimate the wisdom and strength of the Sorcerer Supreme!"

"Great Eternity, Ancient One is coming!"

In her soul state, Ancient One did not even need the assistance of a Sling Ring. With a wave of her hand, she opened a portal before her.

Having once received guidance from Eternity, one of the Five Great Gods, she naturally kept constant track of Eternity's location.

This portal, capable of crossing the multiverse, was something she had prepared long ago.

Just as she was about to enter it and pursue Eternity's truth,

Ancient One's soul suddenly froze in place, while a terrifying voice exploded in her mind.

"The host stays while the guest leaves. Isn't that rather discourteous for a host?"