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Su Chen watched the scene before him with interest. The dignified protector of Earth, the Supreme Sorcerer of Kamar-Taj, the Ancient One, who had spent her life teaching the temple sorcerers to resist Dormammu and prevent the dark god of the Dark Dimension from fully descending upon Earth, was now absorbing the dark power that belonged to Dormammu.
"Hmm... this is truly shocking," he thought.
It was as if a person's veil had been completely lifted, revealing the face of an enemy. A mocking smile appeared on Su Chen's cold and merciless face.
"You still dare to criticize me with grandiose words," he said. "It seems even the saint who stands on the moral high ground isn't so clean."
"Kamar-Taj has always opposed Dormammu, the dark god of the Dark Dimension, but its leader absorbs his power."
Having recently invaded the minds of the sorcerers and gleaned a lot of knowledge, Su Chen directly pointed this out. He laughed, feeling a genuine sense of joy at this moment.
Yes, joy. To see someone who had just been criticizing from the moral high ground have their mask torn off, revealing their true, hypocritical nature, gave Su Chen immense satisfaction.
"If I remember correctly, Kaecilius betrayed Kamar-Taj because he discovered that you refused to teach him the method to become stronger," Su Chen continued. "Your most promising disciple realized you were secretly absorbing dark energy. Perhaps at that moment, he understood that the way to become stronger was to ally with Dormammu."
Su Chen twisted the knife further. This wasn't baseless speculation. Kaecilius had once spoken confidently to the other temple sorcerers about such things. Combining that with the information at hand, one could infer a lot.
A single statement caused a massive uproar. Shock, confusion, anger, and incomprehension rippled through the crowd.
"Is this... true, Ancient One?"
The temple sorcerers looked at their beloved Supreme Sorcerer with deep confusion.
"Supreme Sorcerer, how could you absorb Dormammu's power?"
"This behavior is no different from being a follower of Dormammu!"
"Even if you had good reasons, the dark energy of the Dark Dimension warps the mind and will. Sooner or later, it will completely consume you."
"Impossible. Please tell us you haven't been absorbing dark power."
Voices of doubt and accusation rose continuously. Under the influence of the dark energy she had absorbed, the Supreme Sorcerer, the Ancient One, looked significantly better, even her previous pallor had completely disappeared. She looked more vibrant than ever. But now, facing the discontent and anger around her, the Supreme Sorcerer's face darkened.
"It is true," she admitted.
Her words deeply disappointed many sorcerers who still had a glimmer of hope. Even Baron Mordo, who had always adhered to Kamar-Taj's principles and believed in following the natural order, clenched his fists.
"Impossible!"
The greater the reverence Mordo had felt before, the angrier he was now. He began to realize why the Ancient One had done this.
"Is it to extend your human lifespan? After all, an ordinary human can't live that long. Even the so-called gods of Earth have a moment when they fall. So, you relied on Dormammu's power to prolong your life?"
Baron Mordo was furious.
"Yes," the Ancient One sighed helplessly. At this moment, the Supreme Sorcerer seemed incredibly lonely.
She decided to give everyone an explanation. "My lifespan was running out, so I had to rely on external forces. It was all to continue protecting Kamar-Taj and this Earth."
That was her original intention. As the guardian of Earth, she indeed harbored a bit of greed, attempting to live a little longer during her final moments. Of course, another reason she couldn't openly admit was the issue of finding a successor.
Kaecilius had once been her most promising disciple but had fallen into the dark abyss, unable to extricate himself. Baron Mordo, on the other hand, was rigid and stubborn, lacking flexibility. Neither was suitable as the future Supreme Sorcerer.
And the successor she was seeking was still working as a neurosurgeon in a hospital, not yet ready to embrace his destiny. Therefore, she needed to live a little longer.
"It's too risky, Supreme Sorcerer. You're playing with fire," someone said.
"Exactly. Those who absorb dark power eventually get their minds and wills completely twisted by Dormammu's power," added another.
"This goes against everything you taught us."
Many sorcerers shook their heads in disappointment, and some even considered leaving. At this moment, everyone felt that their pillar of support had completely collapsed.
Unlike the blind faith of Dormammu's followers, their feelings towards the Ancient One were not of extreme reverence, but of gratitude, admiration, and respect. But now, cracks of doubt and disbelief began to form in some hearts.
Su Chen watched with his arms crossed, enjoying the sight of them turning against their leader. Seeing the protector of Earth's reputation collapse, causing internal anguish and suffering, he felt a genuine sense of joy.
After all, to bring down such a revered Supreme Sorcerer, who had just been morally admonishing him for altering reality, was a rather satisfying experience.
"So, you have the nerve to criticize me for altering reality?"
Su Chen stepped forward, a mocking smile on his cold face. "Now I can completely doubt that your mind has already been thoroughly corrupted by Dormammu's will. So, for the safety of Earth, for the safety of all humanity, for the safety of Kamar-Taj, and the integrity of Earth's magical defense, perhaps you should exile yourself from Earth."
These words, full of righteous indignation, were said from a position of moral high ground, criticizing his opponent.
Su Chen's cold words were like knives stabbing into the heart of the Ancient One.
"You..."
The Supreme Sorcerer was furious, realizing that Su Chen was mocking her. "You damn brat..."
At the same time, Baron Mordo was also furious, recognizing the implicit accusation in Su Chen's words. He had previously suspected Su Chen of being an evil deity's vessel and had led a group of sorcerers to attack him. Now, Su Chen's words perfectly matched the arrogance of some present.