Chapter 378: The Six Divine Swords

"Tasting the fruit of wisdom, red plum blossoms fall."

"Suddenly the golden cord snaps, here the jade lock is pierced."

"Ah!"

"Spring tide arrives in the canyon, sunrise over the river, flowers red as fire!"

You read that right, Daisy didn't leave the Los Angeles villa that night; the two discussed the unpredictable battle against Dormammu that the Avengers were about to face.

In the end, seeing Daisy's anxious demeanor, Clark shared several motivational stories from the characters of *Water Margin* to boost morale.

Among the heroes of Liangshan were:

Lin Chong, Shi Jin, Song Jiang, Ruan Xiaoer, Wu Yong...

As his strength gradually increased, Clark felt the necessity to consider a successor to carry the Avengers' banner in his absence.

The most qualified to lead the Avengers, apart from Clark, were arguably Iron Man and Captain America.

Unfortunately, as time passed, they could not sustain their vigor indefinitely; Tony was already approaching fifty!

Although Clark often liked to tease him, at times like this, he needed to consider Tony's perspective. What Tony needed now was not the leadership of the Avengers; his body was aging, and he needed rest, to settle down, marry Pepper and have children—that was what a friend should wish for him.

If he wished to continue working for world peace, he should, like Hank Pym, stay behind the scenes focusing on logistical and scientific work. As for charging into battle, that could be left to others.

With so many high-end powers in the Avengers, they wouldn't miss his all-too-human capabilities.

As for Captain America, after seventy years of cryogenic preservation, his body was indeed in peak condition, capable of fighting formidable foes all day.

However, it must be admitted that his heart was old, and he harbored thoughts of retirement.

Counting again, Daisy was the most suitable candidate.

Young, vibrant, with Eternal genetics and celestial-level power, shockwave abilities... Not only was she powerful in attack, but her body was also resilient. Already tested to be comparable to Captain Marvel, and perhaps even surpassing...

Among the current Avengers, only she and Captain Marvel were of sub-celestial level, along with Thor, a celestial-level powerhouse.

Due to character issues, Clark couldn't entrust the leadership of the Avengers to Captain Marvel. Who knew if she'd drag the team around, maintaining peace across the universe?

As for Thor, as the saying goes, "It's easy to change rivers and mountains but hard to alter one's nature." He wasn't cut out for leadership. Odin chose him because Thor was his own son—there was no helping that.

Clark certainly wouldn't hand the Avengers over to such an unreliable clown, however powerful he might be!

Over the next few days, the Avengers busied themselves, with Tony and others leading the scientific team in constructing the "foundation stones." Everyone else was also busy training, preparing for potential future battles.

Meanwhile, Clark, along with Daisy, traveled to Nidavellir, where, with the help of the Dwarf King, they began the creation of artifacts to replace the Infinity Stones. In the evenings, Clark would educate Daisy about the universe's fundamental knowledge, power systems, complex relations among major forces, the cosmic pantheon, and more.

Of course, to balance work and relaxation, he also told her stories, such as about the five heroes of Liangshan mentioned earlier...

Time swiftly passed, and a week had gone by; today was Sunday.

During this time, the Avengers finally completed the construction of the six "foundation stones," and Clark had finished forging the six swords meant to replace the Infinity Stones.

The biggest gains during this period were Daisy's.

In just a week, she absorbed enough from Clark to not only greatly enrich her skills but also significantly boost her strength. In just a month, she broke through the last barriers of sub-celestial level and became a celestial-level master.

Now, Daisy, with strength comparable to Thor, who had three generations of divine intervention, had become a true pillar of the Avengers!

After resting for a day, everyone regrouped at Avengers Headquarters early the next morning.

Clark directly had the moon project a star map of the X-Men universe, lighting up six planets as he spoke, "These six planets are where the foundation stones will be placed. I've already input the specific data into the ships you'll be using. Everyone will act independently, each finding a high plateau on their designated planet to set up the foundation stone."

The plan was straightforward, and everyone nodded in understanding.

Then, Mindy curiously asked, "Clark, you mentioned forging six artifacts to replace the Infinity Stones over the last week. Can we see them, just to satisfy our curiosity?"

As the young girl spoke, everyone's gaze converged on Clark.

Clearly, everyone was interested in the artifacts Clark had meticulously crafted, but they had been too polite to ask. Now that Mindy had voiced the request, everyone

 silently supported her with their gazes.

Clark smiled slightly and, with a wave of his hand, six formidable swords, awe-inspiring and fearsome, hovered above the heads of the Avengers.

"These six swords are the artifacts I forged to replace the six Infinity Stones," Clark generously satisfied everyone's curiosity, beginning to explain, "They each contain one of the six cosmic principles found in the Infinity Stones. Their names are Zhutian, Lutian, Xiantian, Juétian, Zhantian, and Potian."

Seeing the six menacing swords hovering overhead, all the Avengers felt a chill down their spines.

However, the observant Fury noticed something different about two of the swords and promptly asked, "Clark, why do Zhantian and Potian look different from the others? The other four swords are smooth and even, but these last two have Infinity Stones embedded in their spines?"

"Because I haven't fully mastered the principles of time and mind contained in the Infinity Stones, I had to place the original stones on these two swords to maintain balance among the six," Clark paused before continuing in Chinese, "These swords are based on the power of the Infinity Stones but are primarily instruments of slaughter. Any of them can slay gods and cleave heavens!"

"Not made of copper, nor iron, nor steel, once hidden under Mount Meru. No need for the elements to forge its edge, would it lack the sharpness honed by fire and water? Zhutian powerful, Lutian annihilates, Xiantian glows red from all sides. Juétian's transformations are endlessly marvelous, the courtroom of life stained with blood."

Clark's words left the Avengers feeling both impressed and confused.

However, a few were exceptions.

Tony, puzzled by the six swords, then asked, "Clark, I've also studied Chinese. You mentioned there are six swords, but why does your poem only refer to four of them? What about Zhantian and Potian?"

"Well... Ha," Clark laughed, then seriously explained, "As I just mentioned, because I haven't fully mastered the principles of the Time and Mind Stones, these two swords still require the Infinity Stones to unleash their full power."

With a shrug, he added, "So, I haven't included these two swords in the poem. Isn't that reasonable?"

Daisy then frowned and spoke up, "Clark, you forged these six swords in just a week. When were they ever hidden under Mount Meru?"

Fury immediately nodded in agreement, "That's exactly what I wanted to ask."

Clark felt overwhelmed, and to cover his embarrassment, he bluffed, "Mount Meru isn't necessarily a specific mountain but a metaphor for a technique that fits a vast entity into a small space... ah, this explanation really lowers the tone, but that's how it is. So, anything I take out of my private space can be said to have been 'hidden under Mount Meru,' just like that."

After scanning the group and noticing Eliot barely suppressing his laughter, Clark asked, "Even you, Brother Eliot, noticed something amiss?"

"No!" Eliot shook his head resolutely but then added in a low voice, "Actually, I've read 'The Investiture of the Gods.'"

Ah, this...

Clark swiftly collected the six swords and, with a grand gesture, ordered, "Enough chit-chat, we have a tight schedule and heavy tasks ahead. Everyone, gather your emotions, and let's set off!"

This attempt at impressiveness had utterly failed!

Clark, who had started off copying from others, hadn't plagiarized anything since his last trip around the universe. Unexpectedly, his rare indulgence today in copying others was met with collective scrutiny.

Perhaps being a superhero was indeed more promising?

After the spaceship left Earth, Clark used his spatial powers to send it toward Svartalfheim, right outside the entrance to a spatial vortex.

"This spatial vortex is many times larger than before, but it still can't accommodate a large ship like this," Clark said, standing by the control room's floor-to-ceiling window and looking at the vortex ahead. "So, everyone will need to board a smaller ship to enter the parallel universe. Follow the groups we discussed earlier and take responsibility for placing the foundation stones. Don't rush; enter one by one. I'll adjust the vortex to send you directly to the closest star field to your target location."

With that, Clark stepped forward and left the ship, standing before the spatial vortex.

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