American comic book: Absolute Spider-Man

Kamar-Taj, the Sorcerer Supreme's meditation palace, where the Ancient One and Peter sat cross-legged on either side of a small coffee table.

The Ancient One poured Peter a cup of tea. Peter picked up the cup, unfazed by the boiling water, and took a sip: "What brings the Supreme One to see me today?"

The Ancient One blew on the still-steaming tea and said, "The Vishanti used magic to cultivate the Thread of Fate that connects you to the web of life and destiny, allowing it to grow into an anchor point in another world. That Thread of Fate, connecting the two worlds, allows you to travel back and forth between them, but it is not enough to support the entire Earth."

"I explored the void for a long time before finding a universe I could descend into, but based on my understanding of that universe, it is not suitable as a landing point for the Vishanti to bring the entire Earth there. Because there are beings there that are far more powerful than the Vishanti."

Peter, of course, wouldn't tell the Ancient One that he was using the Vishanti's support to his own advantage.

What if we simply choose a suitable universe to establish Kamar-Taj and spread the Vishanti faith? What if the Vishanti no longer need us after they've opened interdimensional portals and stop supporting us?

Of course, we should take advantage of the moment and squeeze as much money as possible out of Vishanti.

For example, we should plant more anchor points in the web of destiny in worlds with high potential and abundant resources, the more the better.

Gu Yi took a sip of tea, placed the teacup on the coffee table, and said, "I hope to hear good news from you next time. Emperor Vishan will not be stingy with those who have made contributions."

“Of course,” the Ancient One added, “there is another way if you want to maintain the support of the Vishanti.”

Peter asked curiously, "What method?"

The Ancient One removed the Eye of Agamotto from her neck: "Become the Sorcerer Supreme. The Vishanti are the embodiment of the rules. They possess power far exceeding that of other gods, but are also bound by the rules of the entire universe, making it difficult for them to directly interfere in the affairs of the real Earth. They can only exert influence through their proxies, the Sorcerer Supreme."

Ancient One placed the Eye of Agamotto on the coffee table: "Blessing you is the limit of what they can do. If you want to do more, you can only become the Sorcerer Supreme and their agent."

Peter glanced at the Eye of Agamotto on the coffee table, then rolled his eyes.

So it turns out that the Ancient One didn't even bother waiting for Strange and wanted to just make him the one to take over.

The Sorcerer Supreme appears imposing, possessing the power of a top-tier Godfather under the blessing of Vishanti, placing him on par with Odin, the ruler of the nine realms and the king of gods.

The problem is that this blessing only takes effect when Earth suffers a dimensional invasion.

Under normal circumstances, if the power bestowed by Vishanti is abused, Vishanti, bound by the laws of the universe, may even withdraw the blessing.

Of course, there are also many ways to skirt the rules. For example, when a dimensional invasion occurs, one could use a full set of Godfather-level white magic to knock on the dimension where those weaker dimensional demons reside, and then shout, "Let's sign the treaty!"

Don't ask, the answer is to deal with dimensional invasion.

Otherwise, with Gu Yi's credit rating so low that even a power bank couldn't be scanned, how could she possibly borrow power?

There are many similar borderline cases that can be played, but why bother?

Peter can now travel through the void, and he has so many choices and so many ways to acquire power.

Once it develops, the Heavenly Father level is just a transitional stage.

Peter shrugged. "My abilities are limited. The Sorcerer Supreme should look for someone else. I think Strange is quite good."

The Ancient One finished her tea and said, "Strange is certainly good, but compared to you, he's only good enough."

"I never expected the Sorcerer Supreme to think so highly of me; I am unworthy of such praise." Peter felt increasingly uneasy as he listened.

If the Ancient One really wants him to take over as the Sorcerer Supreme, could it be... that she's planning to run away?

So she knew there was no future working for Vishanti?

Peter was still figuring out how to fool the Ancient One when, without warning, the Ancient One's body leaned back and fell straight onto the stone bricks inside the palace.

The coffee table between the two was overturned, and the Eye of Agamotto slid right into Peter's hands.

The scalding tea was splashed on Peter. While it didn't cause him any physical harm, Peter was now thoroughly traumatized.

Peter stood up, walked over to the Ancient One, and took her pulse with his fingers—even though his super hearing could no longer detect her heartbeat.

Then, he opened his spiritual vision to look at the Ancient One, and sure enough, he did not see the existence of a soul in her.

Peter laughed in exasperation, as if he had read a failed novel by a struggling author who, unable to continue writing, concocted an absurd plot to kill off the protagonist and then abandoned the story.

Looking at the Ancient One whose heart had stopped, Peter thought of those deadbeats who were hiding from their debts. Deadbeats don't need a reason to hide from their debts.

If the Japanese have the Mamba Mentality and the craftsmanship of the Japanese, then the Ancient One must be the person with the most "deadbeat" spirit, without exception.

Peter recalled that he had once complained that the way the Ancient One, as the Sorcerer Supreme, died by falling from a building in the story was just a hoax, simply to teach Strange a final lesson before running away.

Now the boomerang has hit him, and the Ancient One has taught Peter a lesson with a death that is completely unexpected, without reason, and utterly humiliating: You can't be the Sorcerer Supreme if you're too thin-skinned. I'm going to run away, and I'm going to make you the one left holding the bag. It's not up to you, it's up to me.

The Eye of Agamotto in his hand began to emit a white magical glow, and Peter felt something mysteriously added to his body.

The contract with the Supreme Master was signed directly without even needing his consent as the second party.

Peter raised his middle finger to the sky, hung the Eye of Agamotto around his neck, and the portal opened without Peter forming any hand seals.

The other end of the portal opened into the library of the Sanctuary of the Ancients in New York, where the King resided. Curious, the King walked out of the portal and saw the Eye of Agamotto on Peter's chest and the corpse of the Ancient One on the ground.

Wang was stunned for a moment, then quickly processed the situation.

He made the gesture of the Vishanti Trinity in front of his chest and bowed to Peter with a sorcerer's salute: "Greetings, Your Majesty."

Peter, his face dark, said in Chinese, "As a Chinese, the Ancient One is very particular about local customs. One hundred and one years old is considered a happy death, especially for someone like her who has lived for hundreds of years, with all the blessings, longevity, and a perfect end. According to tradition, we younger generations not only cannot cry, but we must also put on a grand opera all night and hold a banquet, treating the funeral as a joyous occasion."

Wang nodded: "It is indeed appropriate to hold a funeral. Venerable Master, what should we do about this? Please give us your instructions."

"Pass the word: seven days from now, on the seventh day after the Ancient One's death, hold an electronic music festival in Kamar-Taj to commemorate and guide her to the afterlife. If we're going to do it, we should do it in a grand and spectacular way!"

Wang looked at Peter with a "Are you serious?" look in his eyes.