Chapter 25:
"Li Ji, I remember you. Your master mentioned you to me." Li Ji dragged Hulk into the main hall of Kamar-Taj. The Ancient One sat cross-legged on the ground, smiling at Li Ji and giving him a nod.
"It's an honor to be remembered by the Ancient One," Li Ji said, still polite in front of her. After all, the Ancient One had a notorious habit—she liked to punch people's souls out of their bodies. Li Ji had no interest in experiencing an out-of-body encounter, especially since he wasn't sure if his soul even matched his body. If the Ancient One discovered that his soul and body were mismatched, it would be quite the spectacle.
"I can see you're a little afraid of me. Does your master often say bad things about me behind my back?" The Ancient One stood up and walked toward Li Ji. Though she was not tall, Li Ji could feel the immense power contained in her small frame. Previously, he had been unable to sense her Qi outside Kamar-Taj, but now, he could clearly feel the dangerous and potent energy radiating from her.
"No, no," Li Ji stammered, his tongue tied.
"It's fine if you don't. You should listen less to what your master says. He's a bit disrespectful, often gossiping about others due to his age and seniority. Don't imitate him," the Ancient One said, returning to her seat. Li Ji cursed inwardly: *So, you two don't like each other.*
"Your master called me a few days ago, saying you were coming to Kamar-Taj to confront my disciple Karl Mordo. But the day before yesterday, he told me you had other tasks and wanted to let Karl live. So why are you here again? Is your master trying to play tricks on me?"
The Ancient One's tone was slightly sharper, but when she noticed Hulk behind Li Ji, she softened her words again: "I still welcome your arrival, but why bring gifts? A gift from dark power, this is quite the offering."
"Dark power?" Li Ji's brow furrowed. "Master Ancient One, does his power come from dark forces?"
"The power on him? If you're referring to his strength and physical power, those come from his mutation. But deep within, it's the power of darkness that controls his mind. What, you didn't know about the dark power in his body? Though your master may be presbyopic, surely he noticed it," Gu Yi remarked, surprised by Li Ji's reaction.
"My master didn't mention this. He only told me to come to you, saying you had a way to help him return to normal." Li Ji's muscles twitched as he processed the new information, not expecting Lei Gong to have held back so much.
"Should we really return him to normal?" The Ancient One reached out, and Hulk's body floated to her side. "That's a bit tricky."
...
"Alvas, what did you do? Why did Hulk disappear? Didn't you take him to Shennongjia?" A harsh voice thundered from the phone.
"Sir, I... I don't know. When we inspected at two o'clock last night, Hulk was still in Shennongjia, but by four o'clock, Hulk had vanished, leaving only signs of a fierce battle," Alvas responded, sounding helpless. He couldn't explain why Hulk had disappeared so suddenly.
"Idiot! Hulk will definitely make a lot of noise when he fights. Can't you even hear it?" The harsh voice grew louder.
Alvas felt wronged. Hulk did make a huge noise when fighting, but it couldn't be heard from ten kilometers away. The inspections were conducted by helicopter, so it wasn't a major issue. But if one were stationed too close to Hulk, their life would indeed be at risk.
"You idiot, you've ruined Lord Kunos' plans and wasted millions of dollars! Do you have any idea how expensive it is to manipulate public opinion in China and guide people to Shennongjia? Each person costs over one thousand dollars! Two hundred million dollars, two hundred million dollars just vanished!"
"Lord Kunos cannot come to Earth through blood sacrifice, and the responsibility lies on your head. Just wait for Lord Kunos' punishment!"
...
"So you mean the dark power in his body comes from a demon god? If this power is activated, the demon god will be able to come to Earth?" Gu Yi's explanation was simple, and Li Ji quickly understood the crux of the matter.
"Yes, this dark power acts as a beacon for the demon god. Once activated, it becomes a lighthouse that allows them to cross dimensions and descend into the world where the beacon is located," Gu Yi explained.
"Then how do we activate it?" Li Ji thought of the crowd in Jiangcheng, who had been trying to find the savages in Shennongjia.
Gu Yi glanced at Li Ji with amusement: "Usually, it's a blood sacrifice. As long as enough lives are offered, the dark power can be activated. The demon controlling this power isn't the strongest, and around a hundred thousand lives should be enough to activate it."
"Of course. That's why so many people in Jiangcheng were led there, searching for the savages with a planned agenda." Li Ji's frustration bubbled over, and he struck the ground with his fist, cracking the marble beneath him.
"I'll ask your master for compensation," Gu Yi said calmly.
"Master Ancient One, how should we remove the dark power from his body? You are the Sorcerer Supreme; surely you have a solution," Li Ji asked.
"If the dark power were planted elsewhere, I could easily destroy it. But if it's planted in his mind, it becomes more complicated. If I destroy his mind, the dark power will be removed, but that would end his life. And you want me to save him?" Gu Yi sighed, considering the dilemma.
"Master Ancient One, it's better to destroy the dark power directly. It only sacrifices one human, but it can save countless others," said a mage entering the room. He shot Li Ji an unfriendly glance before speaking to the Ancient One.
"That's Karl, the opponent your master originally arranged for you," Gu Yi said, disregarding Baron Mordo's presence.
"Master Gu Yi, is there no way to save him?" Li Ji ignored Baron Mordo. He wasn't fond of the man, and judging by his tone, Li Ji suspected he wasn't a good person.
"Saving him is simple. Once the dark power is activated, it will automatically enter a subspace. His mind will no longer be under the control of the dark power, and he will naturally recover," Gu Yi concluded.
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