Chapter 338: Farewell to the Court of Life

As the music played, a set of coordinates appeared in Clark's mind, pinpointing the location of the Court of Life.

The distance between him and the Court was vast, undoubtedly spanning more than a single universe.

For anyone else, even with a Space Gem, teleporting such a long distance in hyperdimensional space would be challenging.

However, Clark had become one with the gem. As the god of vengeance who had mastered its power, his command over space surpassed any multiversal overlord. To him, such distances posed no challenge.

Without hesitation, he activated his spatial abilities and teleported directly in front of the Court of Life.

The surroundings of the Court of Life were an expanse of nothingness, devoid of cosmic energy currents, celestial bodies, or structures.

The only tangible object might be the massive chair that the Court of Life was sitting on.

The utter lack of surroundings could feel oppressive. After all, reverence often arises naturally in the face of the unknown.

When you understand something thoroughly, does it still seem unreachable?

Certainly not!

The Court of Life's dwelling wasn't designed to awe visitors, yet it naturally did just that.

Is this what they call a "realm"?

"Justifiable!" As Clark materialized and began observing his surroundings, the Master of Order, who resided next to the Court's brain, immediately reprimanded him: "Do you think the Temple of Life is a place you can simply barge into?"

On the other hand, the Master of Chaos chuckled: "A youngster daring to break the norms, interesting!"

"Cough!" The Court of Life coughed lightly, silencing the two heads. Then, it turned to Clark and asked, "Vengeance, what brings you here?"

Clark waved his hand, and an array of mooncakes and fruits appeared in front of him: "Today is Mid-Autumn Festival on Earth. I've come to bring a gift."

Of course, he wasn't there just to give gifts but to seek assistance. Remembering a certain unspoken traditional virtue, Clark felt it appropriate to offer a gesture of goodwill—more gifts wouldn't hurt anyone.

Why bring these inexpensive items as gifts?

Clark felt that someone of the Court of Life's stature wouldn't lack anything. Offering money or artifacts would be insulting, although he himself wouldn't mind such insults. However, the Court of Life operated on a different level of consciousness.

In comparison, more personal items seemed more appropriate.

It definitely wasn't because he was reluctant to part with valuable items. Definitely not!

However, the Court of Life remained unmoved by Clark's gesture. With a wave of its hand, the items Clark had produced disappeared, returning to his personal space.

The message was clear: the Court of Life does not accept gifts!

Continuing to gaze at Clark, the Court of Life spoke calmly, "Speak plainly, what is it?"

Clark shrugged, his gesture indicating that whether the gift was accepted was out of his hands. He organized his thoughts and then spoke, "It's about Dormammu..."

Clark had barely started when the Court of Life interrupted, "This matter falls within the natural laws of the universe and does not disrupt its balance. I will not intervene."

Clark persisted, "Can't you even tell me where Cassius has gone?"

"No."

The Court's response was firm and non-negotiable.

Meanwhile, the background music continued...

"Give a salute and shake hands, you are my good friend..."

As the music played, Clark contemplated how to persuade the Court to assist, but unexpectedly, the Court waved its hand again. In the next moment, Clark found himself back on the rooftop of his villa.

Simultaneously, he heard the Court's voice in his mind: "Goodbye!"

Touching his nose in resignation, Clark wondered if he had been politely dismissed by the Court of Life.

Although he was slightly irritated that the Court wouldn't assist, he wasn't particularly disappointed. He hadn't held much hope for the entity's help in the first place. A refusal was expected; agreement would have been unusual.

Yet he had come anyway. What if the Court had acted out of character?

The Court of Life's duties made it unlikely to concern itself with trivial matters, and it was questionable whether it could handle significant ones, aside from occasionally asserting its presence. In the comics, the Infinity Gauntlet wielded by Thanos was something it could manage but chose not to. The Heart of the Universe was something it wanted to manage but was killed by Thanos instead.

Across all Marvel events, there was never a crisis resolved by its intervention, not even crucial assistance.

Clearly, the Court of Life had given him "Vengeance" considerable respect.

However, evidently, his status wasn't significant enough to prompt the Court to act outside its rules, not even to divulge a bit of information.

It seemed Earth's troubles would have to be resolved by Clark himself—better to rely on oneself than others.

With that mindset, Clark

 turned to leave the rooftop.

He decided to get some sleep.

Despite his current power level, where neither his body nor his spirit required sleep for recovery, he chose to sleep simply because he wanted to.

In the following period, Clark wandered across Earth and the universe, not out of boredom or to clear his mind, but to see if he could trigger the next phase of his legacy mission.

It wasn't due to laziness or reluctance to use more reliable methods, like engaging with the Soul Stone directly.

Having become the god of vengeance, he had established a connection with the six Infinity Stones. Gaining one and studying it methodically would, he believed, integrate the Soul Stone into his being within ten years—even without the "Moving Heaven" BGM.

However, with two Phoenix Forces and Cassius lurking, planning mischief, and Ego the Living Planet ready to devour numerous worlds including Earth, these threats wouldn't wait for him to grow stronger—they might emerge at any moment.

According to Clark's nature, the best approach was proactive. But finding the Phoenix Forces, Cassius, or Ego's location was currently impossible. The latter, in particular, resided on a highly secretive planet not marked on any cosmic map.

Clark had specifically asked Yondu, who also didn't know the exact location of that planet. Their arrangement to trade Star-Lord had taken place on a well-known interstellar black market, not a specific planet.

Since he couldn't find his enemies, the next best step was to enhance his own capabilities, adapting to changes as they came.

This approach was somewhat similar to Tony's, who researched armor, while Clark focused on personal enhancement.

However, the randomness of the legacy mission was significant.

Without knowing the specific conditions to trigger it, he could only aimlessly roam the universe, hoping for a stroke of luck. After nearly a year dressed in plain clothes, wielding a wooden sword, and pretending to be a novice while challenging the mightiest from the three great empires and other major forces for sport, he enjoyed playing the role of the underdog. But, he accomplished none of his actual goals.

He didn't locate his three targets nor did he trigger the legacy mission.

Other than gaining a more direct understanding of the cultures, structures, and power systems of the Marvel world, he received no substantial help.

Kraxler, a neutral planet located in the battlegrounds of the Four Wars, had now fallen into a warzone between the Kree Empire and the Shi'ar Empire. Its inhabitants were truly unlucky, caught between two cosmic behemoths.

If such a conflict occurred on Earth, Clark would have had a serious talk with the royal families of the Shi'ar and the Kree.

But for planets unrelated to him, he typically chose to invisibly observe from the sidelines. Initially, he might intervene occasionally when moved by the plight of others, playing the hero.

As time passed, however, he lost the inclination to intervene.

"Grandpa, that grandson is calling again!"

Clark's phone unexpectedly rang. After checking the caller ID, he immediately blocked external noises and asked softly into the phone, "Is that Tony? What's up?"

Tony's voice came through promptly: "Clark, where are you?"

"At the border between the Kree and Shi'ar Empires, on one of their battlefields."

Tony sounded surprised: "You're in the fight?"

Clark shook his head: "I'm just watching."

Tony, a staunch order advocate, couldn't comprehend Clark's perverse pleasure in watching others fight. After a brief silence, Tony got straight to the point: "Clark, have you ever heard of vampires?"

The line sounded vaguely familiar.

Clark frowned slightly, and in the next moment, his figure disappeared from the war-torn planet, appearing in the Avengers' headquarters, specifically in Tony's lab.

Looking at Tony and others like Hank Pym and Banner discussing around a corpse, Clark quietly entered and said with a touch of surprise, "It's this guy again."

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