Chapter Summaries

Leo tracked down and captured the Shapeshifting Bug, which had disguised itself as a teenage boy in a residential complex. He left with Pietro and the others to question it, while the Bug continued pretending to be an innocent victim.

• Leo’s golden burst drew the attention of city residents, and Old Li reported it to the authorities to help prevent panic.
• Wanda sensed Leo in a nearby residential complex, and Pietro searched the area until Leo found the disguised Shapeshifting Bug.
• The Shapeshifting Bug pretended not to recognize Leo and threatened to call the police, but Leo bound it in metal shackles.
• Pietro arrived and questioned whether Leo had identified the right target, while the Bug continued to struggle and call for help.
• Leo said they would question the captive elsewhere and assured Pietro that even Hulk could not escape the shackles.

Old Li, Wanda, and Pietro battled the Shapeshifting Bug, whose attacks and poisonous smoke threatened the group. Wanda used Scarlet Energy to shove the bug back, while Leo stayed poised nearby and the Golden Shield around them faded.

• Wanda shattered a massive tree, alarming the Shapeshifting Bug with her Scarlet Energy.
• The Shapeshifting Bug concealed itself in black mist and attacked Wanda with bone spikes, which Pietro and Old Li deflected.
• The Shapeshifting Bug charged Old Li and Wanda, striking with claw spikes before releasing pale-green smoke from its palm.
• Wanda shielded Old Li with Scarlet Energy and drove the green smoke back into the Shapeshifting Bug, blasting it more than ten meters away.
• Leo relaxed his clenched hand as the Golden Shield flickered and disappeared.

Leo and Pietro captured the Shapeshifting Bug, who tried to escape by claiming Leo was kidnapping him. Old Li arrived with a special police team, and Leo confirmed the bound boy was the fugitive, intending to question him.

• The Shapeshifting Bug shouted that Leo and Pietro were kidnapping him, drawing a crowd of residents into the hallway.
• Leo showed the residents an identification booklet and claimed the boy was a murderer with plastic surgery, calming the crowd while they waited for the police.
• Old Li arrived with a special police team and examined the bound boy.
• Old Li questioned whether Leo had identified the right person, but Leo confirmed the boy was the Shapeshifting Bug and said he would question him.

The Shapeshifting Bug transformed into a giant beast and fled, but Pietro pursued it with a dagger Leo gave him. The Bug adapted to Pietro’s attacks and managed to scratch his clothes, prompting Wanda and Old Li to rush forward as Leo prepared Metal Darts.

• The Shapeshifting Bug transformed into a giant beast, alarming Jenny, her husband, Old Li, Pietro, and Wanda.
• Leo offered the creature a chance to explain itself, but it kicked up a cloud of debris and ran away.
• Leo gave Pietro a dagger, and Pietro caught up with the fleeing Bug and slashed at it repeatedly.
• The Bug healed Pietro’s shallow cuts and increased its speed, then predicted his attacks and scratched his clothes.
• Wanda ran toward the Bug with Scarlet Energy while Old Li followed, and Leo floated nearby and summoned several black Metal Darts.

Jenny and George burned the Shapeshifting Bug until it was severely mangled, while Wanda and Pietro contained the spreading fire. Leo restrained the creature and approached Old Li, who warned that a rapidly acting virus was eroding his body and that he might not survive.

• Jenny and George unleashed high-temperature flames that pinned the injured Shapeshifting Bug against a tree and burned it until it collapsed, after which they had to stop from exhaustion.
• Wanda extinguished the spreading flames with Scarlet Energy while Pietro gathered the fire into a smaller area.
• Old Li told Jenny and George that his lungs, respiratory tract, muscles, and spine were failing, and he could no longer stand even with his blade.
• Leo used Metal Darts and wires to pin the Shapeshifting Bug to the ground, then walked toward Old Li.
• Old Li warned Leo that the virus might be contagious and was rapidly eroding his body, then spat blood mixed with fine green strands.

Leo stopped the Shapeshifting Bug from exploding and questioned it about Thanos, but the creature chose to die by consuming the energy in its cells. Leo revealed that it had a backup plan and looked behind him.

• Leo used Golden Radiance to shrink the swelling Shapeshifting Bug and keep it alive for questioning.
• Leo told the Shapeshifting Bug that Thanos had nearly died at his hands and had sent it as cannon fodder to test him.
• The Shapeshifting Bug condemned Leo and the others in Thanos's name, then consumed its cellular energy and died despite Leo's attempt to revive it.
• Leo told Old Li that the Shapeshifting Bug had a backup plan and turned to look behind him.

Leo sealed his Golden Light inside Shapeshifting Bug Leixi to track it, then watched as it transformed into a little girl and explained its species’ limits. Old Li ordered Leixi to mark its landing craft and remove everything it had left on Earth.

• Leo altered his Golden Light and spread it throughout Leixi’s cells as a tracking seal, while Leixi devoured nearly half a pig and grew into a large meatball.
• Leixi transformed into a little girl, and the others grew more wary after seeing how it could imitate other beings and steal memories.
• Leixi explained that its species was rare, weak in combat, limited in what it could transform into, and suited mainly to espionage in low- and mid-level civilizations.
• Leixi said Thanos’s genetic modifications had made it an exception among its kind, allowing it to absorb more flesh and reach greater strength.
• Old Li showed Leixi a map of the Changbai Mountain region and told it to mark its landing craft and retrieve everything it had left on Earth.

Leo and his companions rode a bus toward Heaven Lake, chatting with the other passengers as they approached West Slope. After getting off and spotting the Weather Station and the wild tundra, Leo noticed something seemed wrong.

• Old Li introduced himself to Leo's group and asked about their journey, while George spoke to him in Mandarin.
• Haohao complimented Wanda, and Wanda patted his head as he chatted with her in English.
• Old Li questioned why Leo's group had taken a bus up the mountain, and Leo said they were an ordinary family.
• The bus reached West Slope, where the passengers got off and saw the Weather Station and open tundra.
• As everyone prepared to climb the stairs, Leo looked at the ground and sensed that something was off.

Leo reassured the others that he could withstand the heat and pressure beneath Changbai Mountain, then demonstrated by returning with a lump of lava in his bare hands. He disappeared underground to deal with the danger, leaving Wanda, Pietro, Jenny, George, and Old Li waiting.

• Leo insisted that the pressure and heat underground could not harm him, despite Jenny and George trying to dissuade him.
• Leo vanished and returned within seconds holding lava in his bare hands to prove it was harmless to him.
• Jenny and George tested the lava themselves and found they could endure its heat in their combat state, though not the pressure or toxic gases of deep magma.
• Leo told Wanda and Pietro to wait or leave, then vanished underground again.
• Jenny urged everyone to trust Leo and led George away, while Old Li ordered the four Japanese men to get back to their data.

Ren and Pietro raced to rescue Haohao from the fast, cold river while Leo secretly slowed the child with a metal pellet. Pietro caught Haohao in the current and held on, but the two were still struggling to reach shore.

• A man plunged into the river to save Haohao but missed him and was swept downstream himself.
• Ren ran downstream to intercept Haohao, while Old Li entered the river to help the man behind the child.
• Leo told Pietro to save Haohao and cautioned him not to run too fast.
• Pietro overtook Ren, jumped into the river, and prepared to catch Haohao as Leo secretly slowed the child's fall with a metal pellet.
• Pietro caught Haohao and held him against the current, but he struggled to move them toward shore.

Ren, Pietro, Old Li, and another man rescued Haohao and Old Xu from the raging river. Leo used his golden light to restore both of them, and Haohao began breathing again as Old Xu finally saw that his son was safe.

• Old Li and another man caught the adult drifting downstream, while Pietro carried the unconscious Haohao toward Ren and the riverbank.
• Old Li recognized the adult as Old Xu, Haohao's father, and helped drag him to shore.
• Leo used golden light to restore Old Xu, who spat out the water he had swallowed and tried to reach Haohao.
• Ren brought Haohao to Leo, who used golden light to revive him until he coughed up water and began breathing again.
• Old Xu collapsed in relief after hearing Haohao's strong coughs.

Leo visited the Ancient One to ask about a mysterious black sphere he had found beneath the lava at Changbai Mountain. They went to a wide military airfield so he could show it to her, but the sphere vanished after crashing into the ground.

• Leo left Kaecilius and went to the Ancient One's room, where she asked why he had come so late.
• Leo explained that he had found a substance beneath Changbai Mountain that blocked his perception, and the Ancient One agreed to inspect it.
• The Ancient One opened a portal to the Mirror Dimension, and Leo created another portal to a sunny military airfield.
• Leo summoned a gigantic black sphere, which struck the runway and sank into the ground before vanishing.

Leo visited Asgard to ask Odin about a strange black sphere Heimdall could not see, then observed how the realm had changed after the Dark Elf invasion. He entered the main hall and found Loki on the throne with Frigga beside him.

• Leo told Heimdall he had found a black sphere and decided to ask Odin about it.
• Leo flew to the main hall, where guards escorted him and asked him to wait while Odin held court.
• While waiting, Leo saw Asgard’s stronger patrols and renewed civilian life, and credited Loki and Frigga for helping the realm recover.
• Loki ended the morning court after hearing Leo had arrived, and Leo entered the hall to find Loki holding Gungnir on the throne with Frigga beside him.

Leo showed Loki and Frigga the Chain Lock, whose immense weight and resistance to physical and magical attacks left them unable to identify or damage it. Frigga said she would check the Book of Wisdom for records, while Loki was left with a broken dagger and no answers.

• Loki tried to lift the Chain Lock but nearly strained himself before managing to raise its two-ton weight with both hands.
• Frigga examined the Chain Lock and said she might have seen a relevant record in the Book of Wisdom.
• Loki and Frigga tested the Chain Lock with energy attacks, and the Chain Lock weakened the energy that touched it without taking damage.
• Loki struck the Chain Lock with a blade, leaving no damage and breaking his dagger.

Leo used his Power of Space and destructive energy to clean and restrain Eitri, who excitedly described how forging the Dragon Blade and Strength Bracer had given him a powerful inheritance. Leo then asked Eitri about a strange material from Earth, and Eitri froze when he saw the piece of black chain.

• Leo restrained Eitri and used pale-purple destructive energy to remove the grime and trim his hair and beard.
• Eitri explained that forging the Dragon Blade and Strength Bracer had given him an ancient inheritance that greatly improved his skills.
• Eitri realized Leo had helped Songda forge a low-grade divine artifact, while Songda quietly kept his own insights to study later.
• Leo said he had come to ask about a rare material he had found on Earth, and Eitri froze when he saw the black chain in Leo's hand.

Leo gave Eitri a chain of Nirvana Gold and asked the Dwarves how it had appeared on Earth, but they had no records about the planet. He revealed an even longer chain of the rare material, leaving Eitri and Songda eager to obtain enough to forge divine weapons.

• Eitri explained that Nirvana Gold required prolonged heat above ten thousand degrees to melt, then accepted the chain Leo offered him.
• Songda told Leo that Nidavellir had six unclaimed divine weapons but no records about Nirvana Gold on Earth, and Eitri said the Dwarves lacked Heimdall's ability to observe it.
• Leo returned with a four-meter chain of Nirvana Gold, astonishing Eitri and Songda.
• Leo offered to give them more Nirvana Gold so they might forge divine weapons, and Eitri and Songda eagerly accepted.

Leo helped a Suk Clan man survive while he forged a low-grade artifact Warhammer, though the man collapsed unconscious when the weapon returned most of his Mental Power. After thanking Leo, Songda led him to Eitri’s design workshop, where the Clan Leader was waiting.

• Leo sent restorative power into the Suk Clan man, whose depleted Mental Power began to recover as he continued forging.
• The Warhammer stopped draining Mental Power and returned most of what it had absorbed, completing the artifact forging before the Suk Clan man collapsed unconscious.
• Songda had two Dwarves carry the unconscious man away and thanked Leo for saving his life.
• Leo told Songda he had come to find Eitri, and Songda explained that the Clan Leader was in his design workshop.
• Songda led Leo to the workshop on the Star Ring’s third arm and prepared to take him inside.

Leo learned that the Dwarves had records of Nirvana Gold, though their knowledge was limited to an old account of a Vancian bringing some to Nidavellir. He left Eitri searching the Chronicle Boards for more information while Songda took Leo’s chain to study.

• Eitri and Songda reacted with amazement when Leo estimated that the Nirvana Gold beneath the mountain had formed over about fifteen hundred years.
• Eitri sent Songda to his private forge with Leo’s four-meter chain so he could study the material before using it in forging.
• Eitri showed Leo the Dwarves’ Chronicle Boards and searched them for his father’s records about Nirvana Gold.
• Eitri translated an account describing how a Vancian brought smelted Nirvana Gold to Nidavellir two thousand one hundred years earlier after taking it from an Intermediate Civilization.
• Eitri explained that his father named the material Nirvana Gold after verifying its properties, and Leo concluded that the Dwarves’ knowledge of it was limited.

Leo learned that divine artifacts could extend Earthlings’ lifespans by thousands of years, then traded Nirvana Gold with Eitri for four unclaimed artifacts. Eitri also confirmed that Leo had already received cosmic energy from his own artifacts, though it would do little for his exceptionally powerful body.

• Eitri told Leo that divine artifacts could extend an Earthling’s lifespan, but Source Depletion was irreversible and each artifact could withstand only five to ten cycles, with at least five years between infusions.
• Leo asked whether Nidavellir’s unclaimed divine artifacts could be used to extend more people’s lives, and Eitri agreed that four could be traded to him.
• Leo offered Eitri a hundred-meter-long chain of Nirvana Gold for the four artifacts, and Eitri accepted before leading him toward the treasury.
• Leo asked whether his Dragon Blade and 'Strength' Bracer had infused him with cosmic energy, and Eitri confirmed they had.
• Eitri told Leo that the infusion would barely affect him because his lifespan was already at least several tens of thousands of years.

At dawn, Leo and Old Li talked about goals and the power behind Leo's abilities before joining their companions on a trip to a nearby morning market. The group set off happily from Changbai Mountain, while two people stayed behind to guard the house.

• Old Li accepted that Leo would decide when to carry out their agreed plan and reflected on the power Leo had displayed.
• Leo told Old Li that his former goal now seemed easy to achieve and that he needed to find a new one.
• George, Jenny, Pietro, Wanda, and the others came out early, and Jenny explained that they planned to visit a lively local morning market.
• Wanda said she had slept well and felt more relaxed near Changbai Mountain than she had in Shanghai.
• Leo led the group toward the morning market in a minibus, while another van followed and two people stayed behind to guard the house.