Even though Russell had a strong mental state, he couldn't help but feel a bit excited at the moment.
"What exactly is missing?" he asked.
The Ancient One raised her palm, and strands of dark blue energy suddenly emerged, pulsating and crackling in her hand.
Although the amount of energy was small, Russell could immediately sense the immense power it contained.
Compared to ordinary magical energy, this was an entirely different level—a true qualitative leap.
Even his own divine energy wasn't this refined.
The Ancient One didn't keep him in suspense and explained directly:
"High-dimensional energy."
"What you need now is a sufficient source of high-dimensional energy to complete your final transformation."
Russell blinked, then said a little awkwardly:
"Well... then I guess I'll have to trouble the Sorcerer Supreme for a little help."
The Ancient One paused for a moment, then immediately understood and said flatly:
"Stop right there."
"I don't have that much high-dimensional energy to offer. With your divine-level physique, even if I burned my entire soul down to the last speck, it still wouldn't be enough."
"I've prepared an alternative for you."
Russell's mind instantly flashed to a familiar cosmic entity:
"You mean... Dormammu?"
From his perspective, the Dark Dimension definitely contained enough high-dimensional energy. However, upon hearing that, the Ancient One looked a bit embarrassed and replied:
"Dormammu might not be very sensitive to the passage of time, but he's been used quite a bit these past few years. His senses have become much sharper."
"If you try to extract his dimensional energy, you'll only be able to take a tiny amount—maybe once every ten years."
"If you don't mind the slow pace, then it's safe and viable."
Russell chuckled.
"That's not a problem. I can accept that."
After all, his current lifespan was calculated in the hundreds of thousands of years. A little delay meant nothing to him.
But then, the Ancient One did some quick calculations, her fingers weaving through the air. A moment later, she said seriously:
"Based on your requirements... it would take about 2.16 million years."
Russell sat up straighter, his face solemn.
"...You know, I suddenly feel like it's not very nice to keep exploiting Dormammu like that. Let's pick someone else."
The Ancient One didn't seem surprised by his change of heart.
"Don't worry. I've already found a better target for you."
"It's weak in strength but contains extremely high-quality, high-dimensional energy. You'll definitely like it."
Timeline: 00009
Flowing time point — Earth Calendar: November 13, 2013.
Russell stepped out of the time-space gate, hovering in the sky above New York City.
Although he had only spent a short time in the previous timeline, he had gained quite a lot.
All the divine treasures gifted by the gods were now stored in his personal pocket space—essentially carrying them with him at all times.
He also received an item from Tony, originally developed by Mr. Fantastic—Reed Richards—as a favor.
The Reincarnation Device.
It could resurrect the dead.
However, Reed had failed. His attempt to locate "Heaven" through this device had backfired. The resurrection process had missed a key step—and failed.
But Russell had a strong premonition.
The Stone Man had been killed by him. Reed built the reincarnation device as a result—but he couldn't find Heaven. Somehow, it all seemed to circle back to Russell himself.
He just didn't believe in fate—though his own story was starting to look pretty ironic.
Still, Russell didn't waste time dwelling on it. Right now, his top priority was breaking through to Single-Entity status.
Just then, a portal opened, and a stern-faced Ancient One walked out.
She was, of course, the Sorcerer Supreme of this timeline.
"Sir Russell, would you care to visit Kamar-Taj?" she asked.
"We could exchange magical knowledge and discuss a few dimensional secrets."
The invitation was genuine.
She knew full well that timeline anchoring wasn't a fixed event—it needed to be triggered by Russell himself. So she wouldn't try to restrict his actions. Right now, it was purely an invitation.
Russell shook his head.
"No. I need to leave Earth first."
He had only come here to say hello, to avoid giving the impression that he was violating their contract by running off.
This version of the Ancient One was way too serious. At a time like this, he actually missed that bastard Tony.
At least Tony was easier to talk to.
The Ancient One nodded calmly.
"Then I wish you a safe journey."
She didn't say anything else. With a simple gesture, she vanished again.
If Strange in this world eventually had a car accident... Russell silently thought, he's probably screwed.
Without lingering, Russell teleported to Knowhere, the severed Celestial head known as the Land of Nothingness.
The Milky Way and Vega Galaxy were too vast. Finding Star-Lord would be harder than finding a needle in a haystack.
He had already consulted the soul-form Ancient One, and it turned out the Guardians of the Galaxy's experience in this timeline was very different from that of the Sacred Timeline.
Based on the current time, even if Peter Quill wasn't here now, he'd likely be rolling around in bed soon.
And the reason Russell was looking for him?
Of course, it was for his dear old dad.
Ego the Living Planet.
A failed Celestial.
While he couldn't create galaxies or manipulate genes like the true Celestials, the energy within his body was definitely high-dimensional!
It was perfect fuel for Russell's advancement into a Single-Entity Being.
Knowhere was under the jurisdiction of The Collector, but Russell wasn't in the mood to wait around in bars or search black markets.
FIFFLX…
At the tallest spire within Knowhere—
The Collector sat in the top-floor observatory, fiddling with a dark red orb. Inside it, miniature planets shimmered in orbit.
This was a Spirit Orb—a dying fixed star system sealed into a compressed physical body. It was one of his favorite pieces in his collection.
In front of him, a pink-skinned alien woman knelt on the floor.
Without even lifting his head, the Collector said coldly:
"Since your sister escaped, I assume she's dead."
"So... if you're the last surviving Nurak, I think it's only fitting to preserve you as a specimen—put you in a glass display case."
The pink-skinned alien trembled, but didn't dare utter a sound.
Suddenly, another voice rang out in the room:
"Why not just clone a few? You can always hit up the High Evolutionary for that, right?"
Startled by the unexpected voice, the Collector nearly dropped the orb in his hand.
He quickly steadied it and placed it gently back on its stand before turning, fuming—
Only to see a man wearing a black-and-gold windbreaker standing before him.
The newcomer was holding a glowing red Spirit Orb, examining it with curiosity.
"A dying fixed star?" Russell mused.
"Aren't you worried this thing might explode and swallow all of Knowhere with it?"
The Collector's face paled as realization hit him.
He looked down—
Sure enough, the Spirit Orb on his desk was gone.
And in its place?
Nothing but air.
He immediately panicked.
"Holy sh—!"
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can visit my Patreon page:
Patreon.com/PhoeniXcel
There are 50+ advanced chapters available for you to read.
Your support would be greatly appreciated.
Check out my new Naruto fanfic!
[Naruto: My Nine-Tails Keep Multiplying!]