Chapter Thirty-Nine: Return to Earth!

After seeing Star-Lord and the others off, Hao Yun spent the next few days living what could only be called a blissful life.

Every day, he would drop by the headquarters on Xandar to clock in, then go on patrols—or rather, dates—with Kelya, and finally enjoy a feast beneath his mother-in-law’s furious gaze...

Everything seemed so perfect.

But happy times were always fleeting. He had barely rested on Xandar for a few days when trouble came knocking once again.

One day, while he was idly enjoying himself at home, the spatial energy in midair suddenly began to fluctuate violently. Amid flashes of golden fire, the Sorcerer Supreme arrived in graceful fashion.

“Ah! Sorcerer Supreme, long time no see.”

Hao Yun hurriedly rose and bowed to her.

“Hmm. You seem to be enjoying a very comfortable little life.”

The Ancient One casually chose a spot on the sofa and looked at him with an ambiguous smile.

“Er... heh-heh. I’m merely stealing a little leisure from a busy life.”

He scratched his head sheepishly and quickly served her some tea. Since the Ancient One had come all the way to find him, she obviously had something to discuss.

“Sorcerer Supreme, may I ask what happened on Earth that required you to come and find me personally?”

“Nothing happened on Earth. It’s simply that your life has become far too comfortable, and I find it irritating.”

The Ancient One tapped him lightly on the head and said teasingly, “I don’t have much time left. You should know what is about to happen. Are you certain you still want to remain here, enjoying soft pillows and warm embraces?”

“Sorcerer Supreme, please don’t scare me!”

Hao Yun sprang up from the sofa in fright.

Until now, had he not dared to use the system’s items recklessly and reveal information about the future so freely because he had been relying on the Ancient One’s protection?

If the Ancient One died, who knew what kind of demons, immortals, and gods would come looking for him?

Take Odin, for example. Did anyone really think he was merely a kindly old man?

For the sake of protecting Asgard, surely he would personally storm Hao Yun’s home if necessary!

“Why would I scare you?”

The Ancient One maintained that same inscrutable smile. “You should have guessed at some of this after our last conversation, shouldn’t you? I am about to merge with the Dao, using my own body to mend the incomplete laws of the universe and stabilize the barriers between dimensions.”

“But... hasn’t the next Sorcerer Supreme taken office yet?”

If he remembered correctly, Stephen Strange had at most only just arrived at Kamar-Taj by this point.

“I cannot wait that long. If he fails to arrive in time, I will pass the position of Sorcerer Supreme to you.”

The Ancient One smiled and pointed toward the sky. “Your arrival accelerated the evolution of the universe, but it also weakened the dimensional barriers. That is why I cannot wait any longer. Every gain comes with a loss, Hao Yun. As a son of Huaxia, you should understand that principle better than most.”

“I...”

“All right, don’t put on the face of a frightened child. I came here to remind you to improve your strength as quickly as possible. One year from now, I will release my restraints on Dormammu. He will be the trial you must pass before taking up the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme!”

Hao Yun smiled bitterly.

Sorcerer Supreme, Sorcerer Supreme, you think far too highly of me! Dormammu was a mighty being on the level of a single universe, an existence who truly possessed an entire universe. You expect me to fight him?

Even in his previous life, the Ancient One had never been so harsh on Stephen!

Was he really going to bear the weight of an entire universe when he had only just reached adulthood?

“Can I say no?”

“What do you think?”

The Ancient One smiled and reopened the portal leading to the New York Sanctum. “I’ll be leaving now. As for how to improve your strength, I believe you understand that better than I do.”

With that, the Ancient One stepped into the portal, leaving Hao Yun only a slightly lonely silhouette.

Hao Yun collapsed onto the sofa in silence, thinking about the Ancient One’s merging with the Dao.

Sigh... The future of the entire universe had been placed on his shoulders. He truly was bearing a weight no one his age should have had to carry.

His days of slacking off were over again. Who knew how long it would be before he could see Kelya?

Still, he had left the Power Stone on Xandar. With the help of an Infinity Stone, Kelya’s physical transformation should accelerate considerably, shouldn’t it?

By the time they met again and got married, if he had not grown stronger, he might not even be able to get through her defenses. That would truly be humiliating.

He stood and carefully surveyed the room where he had lived for so long. Then he quietly unplugged his communicator, left Kelya a message, opened the door, and departed.

“Kelya, I’m going back. My homeworld and the universe need me.

“There will be more and more powerful enemies in the future. I need to cultivate until I am stronger, so that I can protect you and protect our worlds.

“The injection I gave you was something I acquired by chance. It also has another name: the Super-God Gene. Remember to nourish your body with the Power Stone every day and increase your combat strength as quickly as possible.

“According to my teacher’s prophecy, Xandar will suffer a devastating blow, with fewer than one in ten surviving. I will do my best to return in time. You must improve yourself as well. Only strength can best protect our home.

“Finally, I only want to tell you one thing.

“I love you...”

...................

After returning to Earth, Hao Yun did not go greet the Illuminati. Instead, he went directly back to his home in the suburbs of New York.

He turned on the computer and checked what had happened recently.

First was Thor, who had officially joined the Illuminati under the code name Thunder God. Presumably, that had been Loki’s handiwork while disguised as the God-King.

Next, the two siblings captured during the assault on S.H.I.E.L.D. had also rejected S.H.I.E.L.D.’s recruitment offer and announced that they were joining the Illuminati as superheroes.

Their code names were Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver.

Falcon had withdrawn from the United States military and joined Captain America’s team. The Hulk’s personality had also been formally absorbed by Banner, successfully evolving into Doctor Hulk.

There was also a young boy who had become a reserve member of the Illuminati.

Well, there was no need to ask who it was. Naturally, it was New York’s friendly neighborhood Spider-Man!

Tony had found the boy before his transformation was complete and had become his mentor on the road to becoming a hero.

As for their battles, apart from continuing to eradicate Hydra, they were also researching a new type of artificial intelligence.

Hao Yun guessed that, despite knowing the future, Tony still refused to believe that disaster was inevitable and was determined to create a superior Ultron.

As for that, Hao Yun truly had no desire to persuade the stubborn man. The crisis of the Age of Ultron could simply serve as a proving ground for the heroes of the Illuminati.

He had more important matters to deal with now. His strength had reached a bottleneck, and he had to find an opportunity to undergo another transformation!

“System, open the mission list and find the missions I can complete right now!”

“Searching... Three powerful individuals from different worlds have issued requests for aid!”

“One-star mission. Issuer: Zeng Xiaoxian. World: Love Apartment: Tomb-Raiding Edition. Mission requirement: Protect the residents of Love Apartment and successfully raise Zeng Xiaoxian’s protagonist rating to Grade B!”

Hmm. Was this the Love Apartment movie? Aside from the Mausoleum-Guardian Armor, there did not seem to be anything worthwhile in it.

Pass!

“Three-star mission. Issuer: Monkey D. Garp. World: One Piece. Mission requirement: Train Luffy into a qualified marine, overthrow the rule of the World Government, and bring the Age of Pirates to a complete end.”

This one... The items in that world were quite valuable, and the Logia Devil Fruits in particular were manifestations of the laws themselves.

But wasn’t the requirement a little too high?

According to Garp’s request, it seemed that Hao Yun not only had to lead Luffy onto the proper path, but also push him all the way to the position of Fleet Admiral.

Hmm... It would take far too much time. And the worldview of One Piece was far more twisted than that of Naruto, making things much less convenient. Too troublesome.

Pass!

He looked at the next mission.

The world of Sword and Fairy?

Issuer: Li Xiaoyao?!