Chapter 330: A Small Price, I Can Bear!

Clark's flagship, resembling a space fortress, was simply too ostentatious. Directly returning in such a vessel would risk being perceived as an invader of Earth.

To avoid unnecessary misunderstandings, Clark had no choice but to use Pym Particles to shrink it and pocket it, then return in the spaceship they used when they left.

The Phoenix issue couldn't be resolved for the time being. Besides the Phoenix Force hidden within Ava, two parts had run off to who knows where.

The idea of searching for two portions of the Phoenix Force that could hide themselves in the vast universe was a headache-inducing, massive undertaking.

Rather than aimlessly floundering, it was better to steadily strengthen oneself, to respond to changes with constancy.

What he needed to do first was to retrieve the divine power he had left with Spider-Boy, especially the consciousness attached to the divine power, and then start the BGM of "Moving Heaven" to refine the Reality Stone for an upgrade!

To Clark's surprise, upon returning to the Avengers Mansion, he learned that Spider-Boy had already returned!

Hearing this news, our timid guy was instantly displeased.

You just came back on your own?

Where's my divine power? Why can't I sense it?

After questioning about Spider-Boy and then storming off, Tony, with his keen senses, felt that things were going south. Being overly protective, he feared Clark might harm Spider-Boy and quickly found a lame excuse to accompany Clark.

Thus, the billionaire became Clark's temporary chauffeur.

"Oh, Mr. Clark. It was like this, I got sucked into a strange energy vortex while fighting a villain. That vortex was so powerful, I couldn't resist it at all…"

Watching Spider-Boy, who had lost his divine power and was now babbling explanations, Clark suppressed the urge to strike and squeezed out a sentence through clenched teeth: "Get to the point!"

"Alright, the point starts from when I traveled through that energy vortex to a parallel universe. Did you know? In the parallel universe, there are many Spider-Men and Spider-Pigs…"

Clark silently started the BGM of "Ceremony," ready to strike at any moment.

He needed to teach this brat a lesson about being concise!

"Moon Prism Power, Make Up!"

Seeing Clark about to explode, Tony instantly transformed, enveloping himself with his nanosuit before grabbing Clark from behind: "Calm down, Clark, he's just a kid!"

Clark didn't really intend to do anything to Spider-Boy, but seeing Tony acting like a peacemaker, he couldn't help but frown and ask, "So you mean, because he's a kid, we should definitely not let him off, is that it?"

Uh…

Tony was startled, but the clever man quickly realized the crux of the problem lay with Spider-Boy. Turning around, he tried to signal Spider-Boy with his eyes, only to remember he was wearing a helmet and the boy couldn't see his gaze. He had no choice but to speak: "No need to detail everything, just tell us, where did you take the divine power Clark lent you?"

"It's with Gwen." Spider-Boy finally smartened up, though he couldn't help but explain: "The situation was really dangerous at that time. I transferred half of the divine power into Gwen's body as Clark taught me, to help her suppress the cosmic rejection reaction. Then, because I was worried I wouldn't have time to learn how to use the divine power in coordination, I had to transfer the remaining power into her as well, since she was the strongest among us."

"After the battle ended, I forgot to ask her for the divine power back, so… I'm sorry, Mr. Clark."

So, that portion of divine power was now in another parallel universe and temporarily couldn't come back?

Seeing Spider-Boy looking guilty as if bracing for a scolding, Clark, though still annoyed, couldn't really punish the kid. While juvenile delinquents are infuriating, Spider-Boy clearly didn't belong in that category, at most he was just unreliable.

The saying "no hair on the mouth, not firm in handling matters" probably described him.

This world's Spider-Boy, received his powers a bit too early.

A gentle expulsion of divine power shook an unprepared Tony away: "First, let go of me, this position is too indecent, I'm not interested in men."

Receiving +66666 impression points from Tony Stark!

Again despised by this annoying guy, but to plead for Spider-Boy, he still had to maintain a smile.

So frustrating!

After Tony's repeated persuasion, Clark finally let off the culprit of the trouble. Considering his consciousness left in the divine power didn't oppose at the time, the situation was probably not far from what was described.

However, even so, he wouldn't trust this kid easily for

 a long time to come.

Such unreliable young people are better left to Tony to slowly handle.

Compared to that, our own Mindy is much more adorable, although she is no longer a child…

Ah, such a sad story.

Having confirmed the situation with that wisp of divine power, Clark had to abandon the idea of retrieving it for an upgrade.

Considering the timeline inherent to the movie, Dormammu's threat was imminent, and the Phoenix's threat could erupt at any moment. Unable to resolve these threats fundamentally, Clark could only opt to enhance his own power as quickly as possible.

After delegating various matters on the Avengers' side, Clark directly went to Kamar-Taj to meet with the Ancient One.

The destiny line of the current Sorcerer Supreme was nearly at its end, yet her mental state seemed exceptionally good, unprecedentedly so.

She had been too tired over these years; it was time for her to rest well.

In this conversation, the Ancient One and Clark discussed many things, mostly about Earth's safety and the succession of the temple, much like a bequeathing of last words, which somewhat saddened Clark.

In the early and mid-phases after the Marvel Cinematic Universe opened, there were always two people who significantly influenced this world, especially Earth.

One was Odin, and the other was the Ancient One.

Both figures had provided substantial help during Clark's growth, allowing him to reach his current position more smoothly.

However, compared to them, Clark liked the Ancient One a bit more.

His relationship with Odin, though seemingly much closer on the surface, often calling each other brothers, was fundamentally more of a business partnership, transactions much more than emotions.

He looked after Thor, and Odin compensated with artifacts.

Later, whether it was resolving Ragnarok or other matters, it was Odin financing and Clark working.

Compared to those profit-driven merchants, their relationship simply had more mutual trust and honesty.

Odin could pay in advance, and Clark never thought of defaulting after Odin's death. It was just like that.

The Ancient One, on the other hand, helped Clark in a more selfless manner.

Perhaps "selfless" isn't quite appropriate; rather, her own interests greatly aligned with Clark's, making mutual assistance natural without much need for petty calculations.

Although Odin was the god-king of the Nine Realms, when it came down to it, Asgard's well-being was undoubtedly more important to him than Earth's. If given a choice, he would definitely prefer to shift the misfortune of Ragnarok to Earth in exchange for Asgard's safety.

But the Ancient One wouldn't!

The primary duty of the Sorcerer Supreme was to protect the safety of Earth.

So, compared to Odin, before Clark's rise, the Ancient One was truly Earth's guardian deity!

"Maybe, while preserving your life, I can clear the dark energy from your body," Clark suddenly shifted the conversation after the Ancient One had finished speaking. "Give me a few days, maybe three, maybe longer, five days, seven days... it won't exceed ten days at most. I should be able to accomplish this."

"Then, I can help extend your life by a decade or even several decades through other methods," Clark earnestly looked at the Ancient One, sincerely saying, "Then, you can continue to guide the younger generations in the temple or go out and enjoy a normal life."

"You've done enough for Earth over the years; you deserve this."

Now, Clark's power had reached the pinnacle of a single universe. Another breakthrough would allow him to step into the threshold of a multi-universal scale. His promise, though currently challenging, would be feasible after his breakthrough.

The Ancient One's face remained inscrutable, Clark's proposal seemingly stirring no emotion in her, her voice calm as she brought up a topic seemingly unrelated to Clark's suggestion: "People say, the greater the power, the greater the responsibility, but what I want to say now is, the greater the power, the greater the restrictions."

"Like the spatial rift, in the past, you could descend like I did to confront the extraterrestrial demons, but now, your situation is similar to those demons. They can't enter, and neither can you."

Continuing, the Ancient One finally brought the conversation back to Clark's initial proposal: "Birth, aging, sickness, and death are natural laws. If you insist on breaking these laws, even if your power reaches the level of Dormammu, there is a price to pay."

The Ancient One's words held truth, which is why Death herself likes to entice others to slaughter while never acting personally.

Some things, unless one reaches a level beyond her current understanding, such as a cosmic level, cannot be done recklessly.

Clark knew this, but still made such a promise.

To the Ancient One's concerns, his response was simple and firm: "A small price, I can bear!"

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