Although he had suppressed the Dark Phoenix, he also absorbed part of its remaining power.
However, the confrontation with the Dark Phoenix was not as simple as he had imagined.
In the end, she chose to sleep voluntarily, denying Aaron any further opportunities to absorb her power.
Coupled with the existence of the pocket space, he required even more energy to fall asleep himself.
There was never too much energy.
The lord in those dimensions originally had almost unlimited energy for ordinary beings. So why did they still seek to invade reality and even other dimensions?
It was precisely because they wanted to expand their own dimensions, gather more souls, and have more manifestations.
The more energy they possessed, the more powerful they became.
Aaron was no different.
Improving his magic required energy, and fighting other god-level beings demanded an enormous amount of power. He was destined to continue the process of acquiring energy.
At his level, even the energy of a sun was not too much.
Although he could continue stealing Dormammu's energy, this method was not a long-term solution.
Once Dormammu realized it, he would forcibly close the energy channel.
The amount Aaron could absorb each time was far less than what he could gain by exploiting Mephisto once.
Now, it seemed that being a model worker was the better option.
Upon hearing Aaron's request, the Ancient One fell silent for a moment before nodding and saying, "Kamar-Taj has also recorded some powerful dimension lord. Based on their character, it's speculated that..."
"I shouldn't have said the previous things."
"So, there's room for manipulation."
"I will ask Wong to bring you more suitable targets later, but the information on many Dimensional Lords is incomplete, and you'll need to search for suitable candidates yourself."
As the Sorcerer Supreme, the Ancient One had accumulated knowledge about dimensions over hundreds of years.
But, she was still just a human magician, not a member of the dimensional lifeforms.
Her access to information on dimensional lords was limited.
Shendu knew very little about many demons, and obtaining energy from them was not easy.
It was not as though she could contact Weishandi just because of these things.
How could Vishanti spare so much time to talk to her?
Despite the deep connection between Kamar-Taj and Vishanti, such an existence usually only reveals itself at the beginning and end of an encounter.
It was not easy to get in touch with him.
Even Vishanti might not know all the dimensions lords.
Of course, one could go to Vishanti directly, but as the God of Magic, a member of the order camp, he would not be particularly kind to someone who siphoned his energy for nothing.
Aaron nodded in understanding.
Then, Aaron took Jean back to their residence.
Perhaps due to the excessive mental and physical exertion, Jean appeared quite tired, and her eyes were dim.
Walking alongside Aaron, it was clear that she was merely relying on her willpower.
Aaron noticed her weariness, looked into her tired eyes, and spoke softly: "You're tired too. Go lie down and rest. Recharge, so you'll have the energy to control the Phoenix Force within your subconscious."
Faced with Aaron's gentle gaze, Jean blushed slightly. She recalled the earlier moment when she had begged for mercy, and even thought about the moment when Dark Phoenix had tried to fight back after being controlled by her body.
Without saying a word, she lowered her head shyly, hummed lightly, and then entered the room to lie down.
In less than a minute, she was fast asleep.
Aaron waited outside for a while.
It didn't take long for Tian to bring more information about the dimensional lord.
He said, "The Sorcerer Supreme asked me to inform you that perhaps you could try contacting this lord."
"Among many lords, his IQ is relatively poor."
Wong then produced a Dharma book, and Aaron looked at it, finding a record of a demon named Satanish.
Aaron remembered the name.
While browsing through Kamar-Taj's history, he had learned a bit.
According to Kamar-Taj's classification of Dimensional Lords, Satanish was a second-level demon.
Almost all the lords of Hell belonged to this category.
Long ago, the ancient gods killed and devoured each other, only to be expelled from the real universe by the God Eater Atum.
The fallen old gods became the first demons.
After the battle between the God Eaters and the old gods, the remaining primitive energy concentrated to produce the second type of demons.
These demons were shaped by the unconscious desires of mankind's earliest worshipers.
Over time, demons with self-awareness were born, which later became the Hell Lords.
Satanish was one of them.
As for more information, Aaron knew very little.
So, he opened the magic book and began to search for records about Satanish.
Satanish, who ruled the spiritual realm, was filled with cursed souls. Nearly all of them had signed contracts with him during their lifetimes.
After death, they were enslaved by Satanish.
He was often depicted as a titan with devil horns and a muscular body.
It was said that he had some kind of inexplicable connection with Dormammu.
Upon seeing the familiar name, Aaron felt it was worth trying.
He recalled something about Satanish: Wasn't he Dormammu's younger brother?
If this memory was reliable, Aaron could exploit this connection. Even if it didn't work, he could try other Dimensional Lords.
Wong had also mentioned that Satanish's IQ was somewhat lacking.
Aaron thought about it. A powerful dimensional lord, running around as Dormammu's younger brother—such a position seemed illogical.
The status between the two might be similar. Even if there was a difference in their normal strength, logically, Satanish should not fear Dormammu as long as they were in their own dimensions.
At that moment, Wong brought out another Dharma book. "I just remembered something—maybe you could look into this lord as well."
Omar?
Aaron frowned.
"As far as we know, she's Dormammu's sister..."
Wong glanced around, ensuring no one was nearby, and said mysteriously, "It's said that she and Dormammu are at odds..."
During Aaron's retreat this year, Wong had guessed what Aaron was aiming to do.
However, Wong didn't speak up or express dissatisfaction.
He was simply surprised.
How daring of the God of Magic to deceive the Dimensional Lords!
Was he truly not afraid of the consequences when they came knocking?
Besides, the power of these Dimensional Lords wasn't easy to absorb.
Those who covet that power usually don't fare well in the end.
Probably only the God of Magic could absorb so many beings who were still intact after hellish energy was absorbed.
Thinking this over, Wong even felt a little envious.
As a librarian, his magic ability was not bad.
Kaecilius, the most powerful magician before, wasn't much stronger than Wong himself.
Wong had simply spent more time studying knowledge unrelated to combat magic.
But compared to Aaron, there was no comparison! No wonder Aaron was the God of Magic while Wong was just an ordinary librarian.
"Dormammu's sister..."
Hearing Wong's reminder, Aaron's eyes lit up!
This seemed like the better route to take.
He recalled something about Omar.
Her strength was so formidable that even Dormammu feared her. Once, he deceived her and imprisoned her in some void.
Without returning to the Dark Dimension, Omar couldn't compete with Dormammu for control of the dimension, and her strength would stagnate.
Aaron couldn't help but think of her as somewhat similar to Hela.
However, how much energy could the imprisoned Omar provide him?
A thrill ran through Aaron.
He had even considered striking a deal with Hela before.
Hela's ability to turn energy into defense, especially the magic that shattered Mjolnir, intrigued Aaron.
With a wave of his hand, Tian understood and left.
Aaron glanced at Jean before deciding to communicate with a Dimensional Lord right then.
He was no longer worried about Dark Phoenix appearing.
After all, he'd already handled it once, and if it dared show up again, he would deal with it once more.
Moreover, he was now eager for Dark Phoenix to emerge.
Her combat ability was far superior to Jean's in every way!
Additionally, her unyielding spirit, like a wild little cat, made the experience even more exhilarating.
If she weren't always trying to drain his energy, Aaron wouldn't mind a second round with her.
With that in mind, Aaron began the ritual of communication once again.
Although Omar might offer a better deal, Aaron was targeting Satanish first.
Omar no longer had her own dimension, whereas Satanish, a powerful demon on par with Mephisto, could provide more energy.
Moreover, he recalled that Satanish and Mephisto didn't get along.
This might work in his favor.
As he performed the magic, the golden magic circle shimmered with light.
Meanwhile, in a distant hellish dimension, in the spiritual realm, a green-skinned demon with a muscular body sat on a throne, bored, admiring the wails of countless souls below him.
He was Satanish, the ruler of the spiritual dimension.
Though Satanish possessed immense power and a lofty status as a Hell Lord, he was still a pawn under Dormammu's control, planning the invasion of other dimensions.
Ever since Dormammu became the master of the Dark Dimension, he had not only devoured the real universe but also started consuming other dimensions.
He aimed to make them a part of his reality.
However, not all lords from other dimensions were as easily manipulated.
Among them were several powerful Dimensional Lords who were just as strong as Dormammu.
Yet Satanish never doubted Dormammu's ultimate victory.
Recently, he had received news that someone from the real universe had contacted Dormammu!
If Dormammu could devour the real universe, he would have absolute power to conquer all other dimensions.
At that point, Satanish would naturally rise and gain even greater power and status.
Satanish thought for a moment before receiving communication from Aaron.
This time, Aaron didn't use the contract's power to seduce Satanish like when seeking Mephisto.
Instead, he used Dormammu's relationship with Satanish to pose as one of Kaecilius' entourage.
Kaecilius had left with a few like-minded magicians, taking the pages of the magic book that summoned Dormammu.
By now, Kaecilius would have certainly contacted Dormammu and might have even used the Dark Dimension's power to strengthen himself.
Aaron knew that with a trick between Dormammu and Satanish, pretending to be one of Kaecilius' followers could have a different effect.
Satanish paused to think.
"Kaecilius... he was the magician associated with Dormammu, wasn't he?"
"Is this person offering his soul to me in exchange for strength?"
"Perhaps we could cooperate to break through the Kamar-Taj sanctum and summon Dormammu into the real universe!"
"It's not impossible!"
"If I assist Dormammu in invading the real universe, I'll gain tremendous benefits."
After some deliberation, Satanish agreed to cooperate with Aaron.
Aaron, surprised by how easily Satanish agreed, immediately began absorbing energy from the spiritual dimension.
Among this energy, he noticed a trace of Dark Dimension power.
In other words, Satanish usually borrowed power from Dormammu.
Aaron didn't dwell on this, as he focused on converting the energy into his own and placing it into his pocket space.
Although this pocket dimension was small—far smaller than the real universe but 980 times the size of a planet—it was unowned space that could be continually absorbed and expanded.
The function of the pocket space magic was to absorb other free, unclaimed spaces and integrate them into larger ones.
If Aaron continued to improve this magic, it might eventually grow into a vast universe, rivaling even the Dark Dimension or the real universe!
At that time, Aaron could unleash all kinds of powerful magic without restriction.
He eagerly anticipated that future.
But as Aaron was absorbing the spiritual dimension's energy,
Satanish began to notice something was wrong.
Was this guy absorbing too much?
A follower of Kaecilius couldn't be this powerful, could he?
Something wasn't right!
Satanish, unable to sit still, realized that his dimension wasn't as vast as the Dark Dimension.
How could it support this level of extravagance?
He reassured Aaron of the authenticity of his words.
Aaron, in turn, shared everything about Kaecilius' history and swore that Kaecilius was about to launch an attack on the holy place.
Satanish was reluctantly reassured, but his suspicions about Aaron's absorption of energy remained.
However, out of frustration, Satanish voluntarily absorbed energy from his own Dark Dimension to replenish himself.
This move caught Dormammu's attention.
When he saw Satanish was the one being drained, he did nothing at first.
However, after a while, Dormammu grew suspicious.
Why was Satanish still absorbing energy?
What kind of enemies had he encountered?
Dormammu, feeling uneasy, questioned Satanish.
Satanish explained that he had agreed to assist Kaecilius' followers and help them invade the real universe.
Dormammu was startled. Kaecilius' people had gone behind his back to work with Satanish?
Impossible!
He remembered that Kaecilius' people had borrowed Dark Dimension energy to increase their power.
Dormammu immediately contacted Kaecilius.
Kaecilius' answer made Dormammu pause in deep thought.
Kaecilius assured Dormammu that his men were all around him, and nothing seemed unusual.
However, Satanish had been helping someone else.
It was Aaron!
Dormammu gritted his teeth in anger, realizing too late that Aaron had been playing him all along.
Now, Aaron had gained so much energy from Satanish that even Dormammu couldn't stop him.
Aaron could continue siphoning energy at will, threatening the very foundations of Dormammu's rule.
A looming confrontation with Aaron's ever-expanding power felt inevitable.