Army

Loki knew Thanos still needed his help to find the Infinity Stones, and he did not yet dare to confront his father Odin head-on.

Thanos stared fixedly at Loki.

"So, I'll give you one more chance."

"I'll place an entire army under your command, but you must give me the Cosmic Cube."

Loki understood at that moment.

"So the Infinity Stones are your true objective."

Hearing Thanos's words, Loki also understood why Thanos had been helping him all along.

"You should know how powerful the Infinity Stones are. They are among the most powerful objects in the universe. Possessing them is equivalent to possessing the entire universe. You will become the universe's new god, an omniscient and omnipotent god."

"So, this little offering is probably not enough to trade for the Infinity Stones."

"Of course I know. Once you bring me the Infinity Stones, I'll give you whatever you want."

"The Infinity Stones are immensely powerful and contain incomparably vast energy. Using and possessing them is no simple matter. Their wielder must possess great power as well."

"Are you sure you can control them?"

"I have my own methods. You need not concern yourself with that. You only need to fulfill our agreement."

Thanos took out a scepter with a blue gem embedded in it and handed it to Loki.

"I'll lend you this for now. It can help you. This scepter can cloud people's minds and bring them under your control. It will lend you a hand."

"Deal. I hope you keep your word."

New York Sanctum.

Chen Xu had been buried in the library, diligently studying magic. He also set aside time to continuously practice using the Omega Beams, growing increasingly proficient in his use of Omega Four-Star.

Just as Chen Xu, having finished reinforcing the Sanctum's seals with the other Temple Mages, was about to return to the library to continue researching and studying magic, a voice called out to him. The owner of that voice was none other than Ancient One.

Chen Xu was stunned and somewhat baffled, unsure why Ancient One wanted to see him. Still, he did not refuse and headed straight for Ancient One's Sanctum.

Yet when he arrived outside the door, Chen Xu did not dare go in. He stood there blankly, pacing at the entrance.

Suddenly, a voice came from within the hall.

"Since you're here, why not come in?"

Chen Xu froze, then opened the door and entered. In the vast hall, only Ancient One stood within. Ancient One turned and looked at Chen Xu.

Seeing this, Chen Xu quickly bowed.

"Greetings, Sorcerer Supreme."

"Chen Xu, you've done very well lately."

"Thank you for your praise, Sorcerer Supreme."

"Do you know why I called you here?"

"I do not."

"Have you heard about Mengbilia?"

Chen Xu was startled.

"What? Sorcerer Supreme, are you joking?"

"Wasn't he already dead?"

"Yes. You killed him in the Dark Dimension last time. Unfortunately, he has appeared in the Dark Dimension once more."

"What? How did that happen? Could he...?"

"After death, a soul should return to the Cosmic Keystone. But he was beguiled by Dormammu and became his follower. Dormammu is an enemy of the multiverse and has been attempting to invade this universe. Naturally, he is also this universe's enemy. As Dormammu's follower, Mengbilia was indirectly regarded as an enemy by the universe as well, so the Cosmic Keystone would not accept him."

"Then how did he appear in the Dark Dimension again?"

"The Cosmic Keystone did not accept him. Instead, it cast him into hell, where his soul was given to Dormammu by the hell lord Satannish."

Chen Xu naturally knew of the hell lord Satannish. All those books he had read over the years had not been for nothing; he had seen records of him in Mysteries of Hell: Hell Lord Volume.

He was a hell lord born alongside Fils-To. He had always fought for the position of lord of hell and was an extremely powerful hell lord.

"Why would he do that? Does Satannish have some connection to Dormammu?"

"Yes. Satannish was the one Dormammu supported as the lord of hell."

Chen Xu was shocked. He had never expected such a thing, and he silently mourned for Mengbilia.

"Is there anything else?"

"Yes. A few months ago, there was unusual activity in the Scarlet Universe."

Chen Xu froze. Could it have been because of me?

"Did you sense the Phoenix Force's disturbance?"

Chen Xu froze.

"I don't know. What does that have to do with me?"

As the Sorcerer Supreme, Ancient One was no stranger to the universe's greatest powers.

The Star of the Universe was one of the most extraordinary cosmic artifacts. If someone fused with it, they could gain power capable of rivaling the multiverse. The Phoenix Force came after it. Billions of years ago, the Phoenix Force was shattered into countless fragments and scattered across the universe, seeking a host capable of gathering them into one again.

"What I did not expect was that the Phoenix Force's eruption was caused by you. Not only that, but the Scarlet Universe's abnormality was also because of you. I sensed the aura of the Chaos Force within you. The Chaos Force is a cosmic power on par with the Phoenix Force."

"The Phoenix Force is the conceptual embodiment of all emotion and life in the universe. It possesses the power to create and destroy all things."

"The Chaos Force, meanwhile, represents the foundation of reality across all universes. It has the power to alter the multiverse's reality and restart the multiverse."

Ancient One spoke slowly. "Those influenced by the Phoenix Force gain tremendous power, and their emotions are amplified. Simply put, the good become better, and the bad become worse."

"The Chaos Force can turn one's thoughts into reality, distort reality, and alter every physical law within it. However, this power is difficult to control, and to fully wield it, one must possess a deep understanding of the world."

As soon as Ancient One finished speaking, the system's voice rang out once more.

"Please proceed to the Golden Angle Building to sign in as soon as possible. You may obtain a system reward."

"You already possess the Chaos Force. I hope you can obtain the Phoenix Force as well," Ancient One concluded.

Seeing that he could no longer conceal his Chaos Force, Chen Xu simply stopped denying it.

"Alright."

"Then, Venerable One, do you have any other instructions for me?"

Ancient One looked at Chen Xu as if he wanted to speak but held back.

"As for other matters... we'll discuss them after you obtain the Phoenix Force."

Chen Xu bowed and left.

Suddenly, Ancient One called out to Chen Xu again.

Chen Xu's heart skipped a beat.

"Venerable One, do you have anything else to instruct me?"

"I have a record concerning the Chaos Force. Take it and read it."