Pleading for Mercy

A Thunder Dragon streaked forth and struck Mengbilia at a terrifying speed. A massive explosion rang out, instantly shattering the surrounding space.

Yet Mengbilia's voice suddenly rang out at that moment, leaving Chen Xu equally astonished.

"Mengbilia, are you planning to beg for mercy? But I'm afraid it will be difficult for me to let you go this time."

"Heh heh..."

Mengbilia suddenly laughed, but his laughter carried a sense of sorrowful weariness and helplessness.

"It was indeed Dormammu who sensed your aura and discovered that you were in the Dark Dimension, so he sent me to kill you. But beg for mercy? I never intended to. I brought all of this upon myself. Who told me not to resist the temptation of darkness back then, committing every evil imaginable? I caused all of this myself. What do I have to beg for?"

"I never thought you would have such self-awareness."

Chen Xu's lightning magic had temporarily suppressed Dormammu's control, allowing Mengbilia to speak.

"I have something very important to tell you."

"Something very important? What could possibly be so important? Given how trustworthy you are now, do you think I would believe you? Believe someone who worships darkness and worships Dormammu?"

"That... is true. Of course, you can choose not to believe me, but I still have to say it. Whether you believe it or not, just consider it a small attempt to make up for the evil things I've done before."

"Ancient One has already been controlled by Dormammu. Ancient One once used the power of darkness as well, which is why he was able to live for so long. But anyone who has used dark power will have their soul controlled by Dormammu. Dormammu is now controlling Ancient One's body. Hurry back and stop Dormammu. Stop him from destroying the Sanctum's seal."

Chen Xu was shocked.

"Dormammu's goal is to break the Sanctum's seal. He needs the soul fragments of me, Mordo, and Ancient One himself as keys to unlock it. Once the Sanctum's seal is broken, Dormammu will instantly invade Earth and begin devouring this universe from Earth. Then this world will be destroyed. No one will be able to stop him, and no one will truly be able to save this world."

After Mengbilia finished speaking, he turned into a streak of light and vanished. After hearing him out, Chen Xu shook his head. He knew he had more trouble to deal with and would have no time to read.

In truth, he believed Mengbilia's words as well. There was no need for Mengbilia to risk being tortured by Dormammu just to deceive him.

"Damn it, trouble has arrived. I'm going to be worked to death again."

After saying that, Chen Xu turned and headed for Ancient One's Sanctum.

"I hope there is still time. I hope I can still stop this from happening."

Chen Xu first returned to the New York Sanctum. As soon as he entered and saw the Temple Mages inside, the Phoenix Force issued a warning, exactly like when he had seen Ancient One.

Chen Xu knew he had arrived too late. Looking at those Temple Mages, who were like walking corpses, he probed them with his spiritual power and discovered that their souls were gone.

"Looks like Dormammu didn't take their souls away. I need to find a way to get them back."

Chen Xu planned to use the magical teleportation array to reach Ancient One's Sanctum. However, when he saw the few Temple Mages beside the array, he knew another fight was inevitable.

"Hello, everyone. Do you still remember me? I'm the acting Sorcerer Supreme. I need to go to the Ancient One's Sanctum to see Ancient One. Can you let me pass?"

Those Temple Mages were naturally the strongest ones in the New York Sanctum. The moment Chen Xu finished speaking, they drew their magical artifacts and unleashed every spell they had. Every move was lethal, with no mercy whatsoever.

Chen Xu hurriedly put on God's Hand and raised a magic shield to block their attacks. The other Temple Mages heard the commotion and rushed over as well, immediately attacking Chen Xu. They were just as ruthless, every strike aimed to kill. Chen Xu felt helpless as he watched them. He could not use lethal force, because they were being controlled by Dormammu, yet they attacked him without holding anything back, every move deadly.

"Sigh, being a good person really is hard these days!"

Not wanting to waste time while trying to stop Dormammu, Chen Xu directly unleashed the spiritual power within him, power enough to pierce through the multiverse. In an instant, every Temple Mage collapsed to the ground, unable to move.

Chen Xu looked at them apologetically and said:

"Sorry, everyone. You were the ones who attacked me first. I was only defending myself. I had no choice. I still have to save Earth, so I don't have time to waste here with you."

With that, Chen Xu swaggered into the magical teleportation array and entered Ancient One's Sanctum. What met his eyes was a large group of Temple Mages standing like statues, worshipping Ancient One. No, it should have been Dormammu. Chen Xu looked at Dormammu, and Dormammu saw him as well. Strangely, Dormammu did not order the Temple Mages to attack him. Chen Xu walked straight toward Dormammu.

"Chen Xu, why are you here?" Dormammu asked, though he already knew the answer.

"Sorcerer Supreme, I have a question for you."

Ancient One, possessed by Dormammu, smiled.

"What question? Go ahead and ask."

"It concerns Dormammu. He can control the souls of followers who have used dark energy, but what happens to their bodies? Can he control their bodies too? Or possess them?"

"As for that question, yes, he can. He can control the souls of creatures that have used dark energy, and he can also control their bodies and possess them. But doing so suppresses his power." Dormammu knew Chen Xu had already learned the truth, so he no longer concealed anything.

"He is a great ruler. He is the king of the Dark Dimension, an immortal and indestructible existence beyond time, eternal and imperishable. He is extremely selfless. He has always wanted Earth, including the life on Earth, to exist eternally. Isn't that a good thing? Yet someone wants to stop all of this. If you could make the world endure forever and allow those lives to live forever, what would you do?"

The moment Chen Xu heard that, he nearly threw up. He had never seen anyone praise himself like that before. Today was truly his first time seeing it.

"Eternal life is naturally good. For any living being, eternal life is an irresistible temptation. But eternal life without souls or minds, eternal life as mere walking corpses, is not eternal life at all. It is a scam."