Starting with Naruto, I'll become stronger through my own efforts.

Chapter 503 Dormammu's Loot

Dormammu's decision to cut off his wrist was extremely decisive, and his escape was even more swift and clean.

He even abandoned a portion of the Dark Dimension, completely disregarding how much effort he had put in and what battles he had fought to unify the Dark Dimension.

Dormammu didn't even utter the final, powerful statement, "I will be back."

Therefore, it can be confirmed that this guy will definitely not come any closer to Earth before Xia Zuo dies or leaves the universe.

Good heavens, it was burned by the Phoenix's purifying fire, which is equivalent to being marked by the real Phoenix boss.

Actually, Phoenix was just being kind by letting Dormammu go, or perhaps she didn't care, so she mercifully spared him, leaving only a mark.

If we encounter this again—next time—the most likely outcome is that the fire will ignite everything, turning everything into chaotic yin-yang flames.

It could even be something more terrifying: the phoenix's original flame of rebirth.

The flames of rebirth are not merely the accompanying flames of the phoenix's rebirth, but the supreme flames governing life and death. No matter how large Dormammu's body is, if he is touched by even a speck of the flames of rebirth, he dies and begins his rebirth.

And he has to be burned obediently; if he's lucky, he'll become a completely new Dormammu.

If it doesn't burn properly, or if you're unlucky, all that's left is a handful of incense ash.

Regardless of the outcome, Dormammu, who rose through the ranks from a human mage, will cease to exist.

Dormammu knew the danger of this: without hesitation, he cut off a large chunk of dark space and fled far away: then Kaecilius, who was stuck between the dark dimension and the real world, was in big trouble.

Without the protection of Dormammu, Kaecilius was corrupted from the inside out by the power of darkness, turning into a stinking black sludge in a second.

All of this happened when time stopped.

But it wasn't Strange who stopped time, but the Ancient One.

Yes, the Ancient One, the Sorcerer Supreme, is dead, but she is still able to control the Eye of Agamotto and activate the Time Stone to manipulate time without the holder's knowledge.

Therefore, her death was absolutely premeditated and planned long ago!

The Ancient One simply abandoned her post and ran away!

Only after the Ancient One ascended to the Eternal Realm did time return to its normal course in Xia Zuo's eyes.

Without Dormammu's interference, the novice mage Strange successfully manipulated the Time Stone and used its power to restore everything.

Earth returned to normal, as if nothing had happened.

The three great temples were restored, the damaged buildings were repaired, and no one even knew that an evil god had descended upon Earth.

This is why the hermitage of sorcerers has protected the earth for hundreds of years, yet remained unknown to the world.

Shazor did not accept the invitation from the Master Wang and returned alone to the Shazor Legion's base in New York, where he told Skye, Abomination, and Norman Osborn, who were anxiously waiting, everything that had happened.

Killian and Maya Hansen considered themselves the absolute researchers and logistics support system, so they did not participate in such a purely combat debriefing meeting.

After listening to Xia Zuo's story, Hate rolled his eyes upwards, and Norman's eyes were also glazed over as he ran his hands through his hair and kept scratching his head.

No, what happened to the high-tech era we were promised?

How did it suddenly turn into a fantasy myth?

Although Thor from Asgard has appeared on Earth, this so-called world of gods can still be explained by extraterrestrials and advanced alien civilizations.

Dormammu and the Order of the Wizards, along with their methods of power, are vastly different from those in Asgard. They possess pure magical power, which cannot be explained by technological civilization.

Moreover, the power of the Mage Order is astonishing, while the power of Dormammu, the Dark Dimensional Demon God, is baffling, because an enemy the size of a planet is beyond the scope of the Abominations and Normans' understanding of size and power.

Only Skye could understand, and she expressed great envy and regret.

The girl said regretfully, "It's a pity my power isn't suitable for dealing with demons, otherwise I really wanted to see what a god looks like."

o

"It's unimaginable how to attack an enemy as large as Earth."

Xia Zuo shook his head and said, "It's very difficult, but not impossible. The problem is that the enemy is not only large, but also controls the laws of a dimension, breaking through the limits of physics. That's the biggest trouble."

"If a planet-level enemy were to appear in the real world, with your vibrational abilities, you would be able to fight it in the future."

Thinking of this, Xia Zuo couldn't help but laugh: "In fact, the enemy like that is most afraid of you."

Skye laughed and said, "I understand that feeling. If there were an enemy the size of a germ, so small that you couldn't even see it, but still able to break my bones with one punch, I would be terrified too."

"But I can't do that yet, the gap is huge, I still have to work hard."

The girl's words caused Abomination and Norman to exchange a glance, and then they both sighed.

Today, the Xiazuo Legion, as the strongest fighting force of Milijian Laoqian Capital, is internally divided into chasm-like power stratifications.

The only one in his class is Shazo; his power is becoming increasingly incomprehensible, especially considering the absence of the Kryptonite defect in the DC universe.

The feeling of being a superhuman with no solution.

The second tier is Skye, whose vibration ability is becoming increasingly terrifying. She can now shatter a mountain with a single punch.

For Abomination and Norman, her level of terror was the same as that of Shazo.

Either way, they'll die instantly.

Abomination and Norman belong to the third tier, a tier with extremely weak combat power.

Their progress is actually quite significant; compared to three years ago, they have undergone a complete transformation.

If we could go back three years, facing the invading Chitauri, Abomination could definitely be like the Hulk, punching a metal fish one by one.

Norman would not send drones to the front lines; instead, he would launch mindless attacks, rushing to self-destruct whenever he spotted a Chitauri unit.

Now, he can precisely control each drone, launching deadly attacks based on the specific circumstances of the target, either sacrificing himself to take down a high-value target or bypassing an insurmountable enemy.

Norman Osborne could now proudly declare that he could command an army of thousands by himself.

But neither of them could feel proud, because compared to Skye and Shazo, they were falling further and further behind.

He secretly vowed to complete the Shaolin Iron Ox Skill as soon as possible, to discover the feeling of lightness from heaviness, and to master the move "Bull Demon Treading the Moon" to meet the conditions for cultivating the Mighty Bull Demon Divine Skill.

Xia Zuo said that this is a powerful cultivation technique developed based on the power of an extremely powerful god-king. The ultimate goal of cultivation is immortality, becoming a god!

Okay, Xia Zuo originally explained that he was referring to the Demon King and the Great Sage, but unfortunately, he hated this foreigner and couldn't understand him.

The English version of "Journey to the West" barely tells the story, but the translation of proper nouns such as immortals, gods, demons and monsters is also inadequate, and can only be referred to as gods or evil gods.

Cultural barriers greatly hindered the progress of hatred, and Xia Zuo was helpless about this, so he could only force him to learn Chinese characters and start from scratch to solidify the foundation of his practice.

Norman Osborn secretly resolved to obtain the Iron Man suit at all costs, or at least acquire the Arc Reactor technology.

To produce stronger and better robots.

As a capitalist, he no longer expected to surpass Stark's technology, but he at least had to keep up with him closely and not fall too far behind.

Utilizing Stark's technology to develop one's own unique fighting style would be a highly valuable way to improve.

Norman didn't trust himself, but rather Stark, the "wise man cursed by knowledge."

Next, Shazo summoned Killian and Maya Hansen, showed them his spoils, and guided them...

They set foot on that tiny celestial body that belonged only to them.

When they stepped into the dark space and onto the grass that Xia Zuo had temporarily conjured up, everyone was stunned into silence, and no one could scream.

Skye looked at the tender green grass and couldn't resist taking off her shoes and socks, walking barefoot on the grass and enjoying the incredibly soft touch.

Norman looked up at the dark, still sky. The stars, which were clearly spherical in shape, were breathing normally, which was extremely abnormal, and he could feel normal weight.

He murmured, "Is this a miracle? Is our boss really a god?"

Killian and Maya Hansen were already stunned. They silently unfolded their measuring tools and began to collect various data about the surrounding environment.

Although the machines could handle all the data themselves, the two of them still had to keep busy doing random things, otherwise they wouldn't know what to do.

This is the result of having one's worldview destroyed. Especially for these scientists with very solid worldviews, none of them experienced a breakdown of their Dao heart on the spot. It was all because Xia Zuo secretly influenced their emotions through the [Heart Network] to help them stabilize. The only one who didn't need to worry was Hatred. He wasn't affected at all. He was just happy to have a secret base where he could sleep and rest in peace.

Xia Zuo could only smile and assign them tasks: "Don't worry, this will be our base from now on."

"Take your time to study it; now I'll assign you tasks."

"First, Killian and Maya Hansen, you two research what buildings are needed here and design a construction plan."

"Yes, boss, we'll do it."

Killian and Hansen exchanged a glance, both noticing the sudden relief in each other's eyes.

"Then, Norman, you'll be in charge of organizing the construction, figuring out who should know about this base, and controlling the extent of its spread."

"Yes, boss, thank you for trusting me."

Norman Osborne was in tears. Unlike the two simple-minded scientists, he understood perfectly how much power was involved.

Yes, it is power—the power to give or take lives with a single word.

Those whom Norman identifies as trustworthy will stand out within the entire military-industrial conglomerate, forming a new, prestigious circle.

Capital within this circle will expand rapidly, while capital that fails to enter will decline to varying degrees.

Because this is a safety guarantee given by Mr. Xia Zuo, the highest-ranking military officer.

The essence of capital is voluntary, and its instinct is to increase value. However, once it reaches a certain level, the primary need becomes security.

As long as safety can be guaranteed, capital can multiply tenfold or a hundredfold in a very short time, like magic, until it reaches the limit that safety allows, or the limit of the existence of the relevant industry.

By handing over the power to select people to Norman Osborn, Xia Zuo was essentially handing over the power to select the core conglomerate to him. How could he not be extremely grateful?

Finally, Xia Zuo looked at Skye: "Your task is to accelerate your strength training; you'll be putting in the work soon."

Skye clenched her fist and said, "Yes, I will try my best to control the power of the vibration as soon as possible and prevent it from getting out of control again."

After saying that, she couldn't help but stick out her tongue, after all, she had accidentally blown up a famous tourist attraction in California last time when she failed to control the vibration.

Xia Zuo pointed around and said, "Although this planet is small, it is completely under my control. No matter how much damage you cause, I can repair it in the blink of an eye."

"Before they start construction, you should seize the time to practice and improve your control as soon as possible."

"Skye, only when you can control your power can I feel at ease letting you go to the 'afterlife' to reunite with your family."

Skye froze, then asked hesitantly, "Boss, you mean my family—no, my mother—will she treat me well?"

Xia Zuo smiled, reached out and ruffled Skye's hair, gently comforting her, "Skye, you may not have heard of..."

In short: When you are strong enough, everyone you meet will seem like a good person.

"With your current power, our relationship, and my status, no Earthling you encounter will be a bad person."

"Not letting you go to the afterlife" isn't about protecting your safety, but about protecting this small, secluded village of the afterlife, and that not-so-powerful tribe of otherworldly beings.

"What I fear is that you might accidentally destroy your mother's homeland, kill those vulnerable Inhumans, and end up heartbroken and sad."

Skye nodded obediently and went to practice her shockwaves in a more distant place.

Norman Osborn said with a smile, "Miss Skye is very smart, but she is too young and too well protected by you, Boss, which makes her seem too naive."

Xia Zuo chuckled and pointed at Norman Osborn: "Hehe, Norman, you don't need to beat around the bush to remind me."

"Skye is different from you. Your growth paths are different, and your potential for growth is vastly different. Naturally, my expectations for you are completely different."

"My expectation of you is that you can guarantee your own safety, have enough prestige to take over and exercise the power that belongs to me, so that you won't be forced to commit suicide because of it."

"My expectation for Skye is that she can retain her innocence and allow her power to grow rapidly."

"When I have to face a powerful enemy and can't spare the time, Skye is the guarantee of the Shazo Legion's strong combat power, the kind that can flip the table at any time."

Norman Osborne was dumbfounded, his understanding of Skye was completely overturned.

Turns out this beautiful mixed-race woman isn't just a pretty face.