Li Yue suddenly understood. A skill that Doctor Strange possessed, the Ancient One naturally would as well. No wonder she confidently allowed Wong and Mordo to participate in the battle.
Li Yue wouldn't be naive enough to think that the Ancient One didn't understand how powerful Dormammu was.
However, after Li Yue saw that they wouldn't truly die, he relaxed. He no longer worried about them!
...
Captain America, Mordo, and Wong, who had just been resurrected, were about to continue joining the battle, but they caught sight of two figures who had suddenly appeared beside the Ancient One. They couldn't help but stop and look closely.
Upon seeing them, Captain America and Mordo's faces instantly lit up with surprise!
But the chubby Wong was a bit confused, as he didn't recognize either Li Yue or Annie!
"Li Yue? You've finally arrived!"
It was Mordo who spoke first. His dark face couldn't hide his joyful expression upon seeing Li Yue. He immediately ran towards Li Yue.
"I went to look for you over a month ago, but Mr. Stark told me you had just left less than a minute before."
Mordo rushed to Li Yue's side and blurted out, unable to wait.
"Wait! Did I hear that right? You just said a month ago?"
Li Yue didn't pay too much attention to Mordo's claim of looking for him, but if he hadn't misheard, Mordo had just said a month ago, not seven years ago!
"That's right, it was just a month ago! That's when Kaecilius had just betrayed Kamar-Taj. He stole the spell that recorded how to summon Dormammu, the ruler of the Dark Dimension!"
"He also brutally murdered the previous librarian, cut off his head, and sacrificed it to Dormammu through a special ritual. He and his followers also began to worship Dormammu."
"At that time, I immediately thought of asking you for help, but I was a step too late; you had just left!"
"In this past month, Kaecilius's strength greatly increased due to the energy of the Dark Dimension. He attacked the Hong Kong Sanctum and the London Sanctum, successfully killing the sorcerers guarding them! Today, he completely destroyed the New York Sanctum as well! This led to Dormammu's invasion!"
"Fortunately, with the help of your friends, we were able to temporarily resist Dormammu and prevent him from devouring the entire Earth."
Li Yue just wanted to confirm the time. He didn't expect Mordo to say such a long string of words, and with his racial talent as a Black man, it really sounded like he was rapping!
However, Li Yue also gathered some useful information from his words. Indeed, he had only been gone for a little over a month, which meant the time flow ratio between the two worlds was roughly one-to-one, which made sense.
But a new question lingered in Li Yue's mind, refusing to go away. Why did Kaecilius betray them over a month ago? According to the plot's development, it should have been at least six more years! Could he have caused a butterfly effect?
"Ancient One, what exactly is going on? Why did Kaecilius suddenly betray us?"
To solve his doubts, Li Yue couldn't help but ask the Ancient One. He believed the Ancient One surely knew the full story!
"Things are indeed as Master Mordo said, and you should be aware that Kaecilius's fall to darkness was greatly accelerated. The reason for this is precisely the changes that occurred after your appearance in this world."
The Ancient One's expression didn't change at all. She still smiled as she looked at Li Yue, without any hint of blame!
"But Ancient One, since you already knew that such an event would happen in the future, why didn't you take precautions beforehand? For example, capturing Kaecilius before his betrayal. Or, before I left, informing me and asking me to stay!"
Li Yue still didn't quite understand why the Ancient One hadn't prevented the impending events.
"If I had made you stay then, would you still have gained the powerful abilities you possess now? Would you still have been able to return at this exact moment with such formidable strength?"
"The future is full of unknowns. Every decision changes the course of the future, creating a new timeline. And all I can do is guide the future towards the most correct timeline! But 'most correct' doesn't mean directly eliminating danger."
The Ancient One's expression was calm as she explained to the puzzled Li Yue.
"So, this is the best outcome?"
Li Yue felt he understood a little, yet also didn't. The Ancient One's words were a bit too abstruse, but Li Yue understood that this current outcome was precisely what the Ancient One desired.
Could he really defeat Dormammu's invasion? Li Yue still had doubts about this!
"Then, Ancient One, I should go and help as well."
Li Yue was ready to go help. Only a few minutes had passed, and Thor was already starting to struggle. After all, although Thor was much stronger than before, he was still far from being able to defeat Dormammu in a direct fight!
Li Yue's body slowly floated up amidst the shocked expressions of Captain America and the others, as if an invisible force was supporting him!
"Oh, and Ancient One, you must have seen all the possibilities of this battle, right! I want to know how many times we won?"
As Li Yue was about to join the battle, he suddenly remembered Doctor Strange seeing over fourteen million possible futures in Avengers: Infinity War. He couldn't help but ask the Ancient One out of curiosity!
The Ancient One smiled without speaking, and slowly extended her index finger towards Li Yue.
Seeing this, Li Yue instantly had a bad feeling. Would he also end up like Tony in Avengers: Endgame? Would only self-sacrifice lead to victory against Dormammu? Li Yue felt cold sweat break out despite his immense power!
"Damn it, as expected of fellow Sorcerer Supremes, you truly are of the same lineage."
Li Yue quickly shook these dangerous thoughts out of his head. Are you kidding? How could he be the kind of person who would sacrifice his life for others? Absolutely impossible!
"Hey, Mordo, when did you meet someone so powerful? He can actually fly without any visible means!"
The chubby Wong, the new librarian of Kamar-Taj, was full of shock. He couldn't help but poke Master Mordo beside him and asked curiously. He was the only one there who hadn't met Li Yue!
...
Li Yue no longer hesitated. His figure instantly shot out, charging towards Dormammu's massive face.
This time, he didn't want to use his superpowers. He wanted to see if he could truly contend with Dormammu head-on with his current strength without falling behind!
Li Yue's speed was incredibly fast. He almost instantly broke the sound barrier. In a state exceeding ten times the speed of sound, Li Yue clenched his right fist, countless bolts of lightning swirling around it, and fiercely slammed it towards one of Dormammu's eyes.
Although Li Yue intended to directly confront Dormammu, he would certainly aim for the more vulnerable spots! And Dormammu's eyes looked like a very good target!
At this speed, Li Yue almost instantly reached Dormammu. Dormammu was currently in a one-on-one battle with Thor when he suddenly sensed an extremely fast figure attacking his right eye. He hastily raised his right hand, blocking it in front of his right eye!
Thor, who was dodging attacks, also noticed Dormammu's panic. He didn't miss this good opportunity either, instantly erupting with his strongest aura in the air. He gripped the handle of Stormbreaker with both hands, and all his thunderous divine power converged into the Stormbreaker in his hands!
After leaning back, he fiercely flung the lightning-wreathed Stormbreaker in his hand towards Dormammu!
Stormbreaker, carrying the immense divine power condensed by Thor, spun as it slashed towards Dormammu's left eye...
Li Yue's attack undoubtedly arrived first, his lightning-clad fist fiercely striking Dormammu's right palm.
Bang!!
A tremendous sound accompanied by invisible energy ripples rapidly swept outwards. Countless surrounding asteroids were instantly pulverized into fragments, transforming into dark energy and merging into this world.
Looking at the two sides in combat, Li Yue was also pushed back over a hundred meters by the powerful rebound force before he stopped, floating in the air.
Dormammu, however, was even more severely injured. His entire right palm had been pierced through by Li Yue's punch, and a large amount of black energy, like blood, slowly flowed from the wound in his palm, gradually dissipating into the air!
Moreover, Thor's axe also struck Dormammu's unguarded left eye directly!
"Oww! Oww..."
Two consecutive roars, filled with immense fury and painful wails, rang out, making the surrounding space unstable and causing endless dark energy to continuously ripple!
...
"Li Yue, you've finally shown up! Do you know what we've been through? We've been wiped out 81 times!"
Tony, who had just been knocked away by Dormammu, was jolted awake by the surging energy. Seeing Li Yue's figure in the sky, he couldn't help but shout out excitedly!