Chapter Summaries

Leo learned from Old Li about two hidden groups in China: Afterlife, which gathered people with powers, and the Ten Rings, led by the immortal Xu Wenwu. The chapter left Leo concerned that Xu Wenwu had recently begun acting and could no longer be contacted.

• Old Li told Leo that Afterlife operated from a hidden base in Yunnan, using a teleporting member to transport people and supplies.
• Leo suspected Afterlife was planning something and offered to investigate it.
• Old Li described the Ten Rings, an ancient organization with a concealed inland headquarters and a leader who had lived for over a thousand years.
• Leo recognized the Ten Rings as an artifact from space and learned that Xu Wenwu had found and wielded it.
• Old Li said Xu Wenwu had recently begun making a move, but Dragon Fang could no longer contact him.

Leo spent the day sightseeing and eating Northeastern food with Jenny, George, and the others, then prepared to go out that night to follow up on the previous evening’s events. Pietro eagerly asked to accompany him, and Leo asked the group whether they all wanted to go.

• Leo and the others enjoyed a day of sightseeing, Northeastern food, and an expensive bathhouse visit.
• Pietro and Wanda praised the local food, while Jenny looked forward to trying iron-pot stewed goose.
• Jenny asked Leo whether he would go out that night, and Leo admitted he still had unfinished business from the previous evening.
• Pietro asked to accompany Leo, hoping to see aliens and help if needed.
• Pietro’s excitement spread through the vehicle, and Leo asked everyone whether they wanted to go.

Leo took his excited companions on a sightseeing trip to Asgard, where they arrived in Bifrost Citadel and greeted Heimdall. Heimdall wondered why Leo had brought the group, while Leo had yet to explain their visit.

• Leo reassured Pietro, Wanda, Jenny, George, and Old Li that Asgard was safe to visit and told them Thor might be away in the Nine Realms.
• Haozi and the Dragon Fang members prepared a hall for Leo's group and watched as Leo teleported the six travelers away.
• Leo and his companions arrived in Bifrost Citadel, where Heimdall recognized them and asked Leo what he was doing.

Leo brought his family and friends aboard Asgardian warships and led them to the temple to meet the All-Father. Wanda fell into his arms during the descent, and the group entered the temple after seeing how much respect and access Leo had in Asgard.

• Leo invited familiar Asgardian soldiers to take his group to the main city aboard their warships.
• Wanda struggled against the wind and the ship’s descent, fell into Leo, and blushed as he caught her.
• Leo told Jenny and George that Asgardians respected him because he had saved their warriors and helped defeat the Dark Elves.
• The group saw the enormous temple and Pietro marveled that the guards let Leo pass without questioning him.
• Leo led everyone into the temple to meet the All-Father and suggested they could later ask for permission to explore Asgard.

Leo told Frigga that he had dealt with Hela by force but would give her another chance as long as she did not threaten Earth. Frigga acknowledged Asgard needed a powerful king and worried that Thor had not awakened his true power, then joined Leo and the others at dinner.

• Frigga defended Hela as a child who had been led astray and explained how Odin's wars shaped her.
• Leo said he had dealt with Hela because she threatened peace in the Nine Realms, but promised not to harm her unless she threatened Earth.
• Frigga admitted that Asgard needed a powerful ruler and that Thor had not yet awakened the strength it needed.
• Frigga felt some of her old burden lift as she considered that the turmoil might offer Asgard a chance to change.
• Leo and Frigga arrived at the dining room, where Pietro, Jenny, George, and the others excitedly described Asgard's sights and awaited its cuisine.

Leo brought Jenny, George, Wanda, Pietro, and Old Li to Nidavellir, where they saw the Star-Core Forge and met the Dwarf leader Eitri. Eitri welcomed them as friends of the Dwarves and offered to forge weapons, but Leo said they would look around and return another time.

• Leo explained that the Dwarves lived on Nidavellir’s Star Rings and had forged Thor’s Mjolnir and Odin’s Gungnir.
• The Red Whale landed at Nidavellir, where the group saw the enormous Dwarves gathering to greet them.
• Eitri told Leo that the first of the requested artifacts was nearly ready and that Songda was completing the final procedures.
• Leo introduced Jenny, George, Wanda, Pietro, and Old Li to Eitri, who welcomed them as friends of the Dwarves.
• Eitri offered to forge weapons for Leo’s companions, but Leo declined for the time being and said they would visit again.

Jenny, George, Wanda, Pietro, Old Li, and Leo left Asgard after receiving Protective Suits and traveled to Nidavellir, one of the Nine Realms. Frigga urged Loki to bring Thor back so she could reveal a secret about Asgard, while Leo explained that Nidavellir was home to the Dwarven master smiths.

• Frigga thanked Jenny and the others for visiting Asgard, and they received Protective Suits before departing on Red Whale.
• Leo told Frigga that she should reveal what she had been hiding, then Red Whale took the group away.
• Loki asked Frigga what Leo meant, and she told him to bring Thor back before she explained the past.
• Loki returned to the main hall disguised as Odin and wondered where Thor had gone.
• Red Whale arrived at Nidavellir, where Leo explained that the Dwarves forged Asgard's weapons and numbered only a few hundred.

Leo left Jenny, George, and the others under the protection of Difan’s guards and headed to meet Difan at Jemiah's Boot Bar Club. On Earth, Stark learned that Leo and the others were out of reach and guessed they had left the planet.

• Wanda and Leo questioned the sub-captain, who swore that Difan’s guards would protect the others while Leo met his master.
• Jenny and George urged Leo to handle his business with Difan, and Leo agreed to let them explore with an escort squad.
• Leo and his guards headed for Jemiah's Boot Bar Club, while a group of short, strange-looking people gathered briefly and then disappeared into the crowd.
• Stark learned from J.A.R.V.I.S. that Leo, Jenny, George, Wanda, and the others had become unreachable, and he suspected they had left Earth.
• Stark recalled Leo’s earlier words and wondered whether a certain man would soon be released from prison.

Old Li, Pietro, and the Collector Guard Squad fought off a swarm of Balit people who had surrounded Truth and the others, but the attackers grew stronger and wounded Pietro. Leo arrived in a burst of blue-violet light, slowing everyone nearby as the battle continued.

• Old Li and Pietro killed the Balit people attacking George, Wanda, and Jenny, but one attacker’s bomb blast forced Pietro to shield Wanda and sent Jenny flying safely away.
• More Balit people charged the group, and Pietro, Old Li, and the Collector Guard Squad cut down the attackers.
• The Balit people farther back grew stronger, armed themselves with Energy Light Blades, and attacked the guards and Truth with renewed force.
• Pietro was cut by an Energy Light Blade while protecting the others, and Golden Light began healing his wound.
• Leo sensed Pietro’s injury and appeared before Old Li, releasing blue-violet radiance that slowed everyone within a hundred meters.

Leo devastated the Balit assault with Destructive Lightning and then used Spatial Energy to pin down the remaining attackers and everyone nearby. The Balit people began exploding under the pressure, leaving the survivors convinced Leo had caused it.

• Leo's lightning attack killed nearly a thousand Balit people and one member of Difan's Guard Fleet.
• The Guard Fleet members struggled against the remaining Death-Enhanced Balit while Leo quickly eliminated the larger force around them.
• Leo's display of strength stopped the frenzied Balit people from advancing, as reinforcements approached in fighter jets.
• Leo's Spatial Energy pressed everyone within a thousand meters to the ground and increased the gravity on anyone who tried to move.
• The restrained Balit people began exploding under the pressure, appearing to onlookers as if Leo had killed them.

Leo and his companions arrived on Xandar and discovered that their hired flying car came with a personal guide rather than an automated tour. The guide, who called himself Xiao Yi, explained his work and his race’s disguises, leaving the group to begin their tour with a clearer sense of the risks he faced.

• A dwarf driver greeted Leo and the others, explaining that the Red Whale Shop had arranged a high-end flying car and a guide for seventy-two hours.
• Leo realized he had expected a self-driving car so they could view Xandar from the air, but Jenny welcomed the idea of a human guide.
• The guide introduced himself as Xiao Yi and said his current appearance was a disguise; his true body belonged to the Yak Race.
• Xiao Yi explained to Jenny and Wanda that his people used outer skins to survive and that the work supported his race.
• Xiao Yi told Pietro and George that he could earn over twenty thousand a month, but guides like him faced danger and some died every day.

Pietro impulsively attacked Difan to demonstrate his speed, nearly provoking an armed response before apologizing. Difan accepted the apology, asked for Pietro’s blood for analysis, and recommended Nalan Fruit to improve his reactions and Mental Power.

• Pietro asked Difan for something to enhance his nervous reactions, then tested his speed by brushing Difan’s shoulder and burned his palm against Difan’s energy shield.
• Difan’s guards, aircraft, and cannons surrounded Leo and the others, but Difan dimmed the cannons and both sides held their positions.
• George helped Pietro realize his actions had offended Difan, and Pietro bowed to apologize.
• Difan accepted Pietro’s apology, observed that his Mental Power did not explain his speed, and requested a blood sample as the price for the offense.
• Pietro agreed to provide a sample, and Difan recommended thirty units of Nalan Fruit to improve his Mental Power and reaction speed, warning of a strong Reproductive Impulse.

Difan admitted that the Mind Control user had escaped the Void Land after he executed thousands of Balit, Buck, and Atlantean people. He promised to pursue the culprit and offered compensation to Leo and the others.

• Difan's guards surrounded the Void Land and checked its inhabitants while Difan faced Leo and his group.
• Leo shielded Jenny and the others from the pressure Difan unconsciously exerted, then asked whether Difan had caught the Mind Control user.
• Difan said the culprit had escaped three days earlier, but his forces had found and executed the remaining 2,318 Balit people.
• Difan explained that the culprit had controlled Balit, Buck, and Atlantean people, but he had killed them all, whether or not they were controlled.
• Difan said he had ordered every Balit person hunted down and sent people to investigate three planets, then offered Leo's group any compensation they wanted.

Walker tracked Card Eleven and discovered Isis had it, then linked Mike’s dead men to Leo. Mike ordered Zost to kill Leo, while Leo secretly entered Karin’s villa and used golden light on her as she slept.

• Walker traced Card Eleven to the East River and heard Isis praising him, realizing she had taken the card.
• Walker read a report about a gang killed in a supposed accident and recognized Mike’s square tattoo on one victim.
• A wounded underling told Mike Ian that Enso and the others had died, and Mike ordered Zost to kill a child.
• Leo flew to Karin’s villa, slipped past its security cameras, and touched her head, spreading golden light through her body.

Pietro accepted forty units of Nalan Fruit from Difan, while Leo grew wary after Difan probed him and Wanda. Unable to think of anything Wanda needed, Leo suggested she ask Difan for a Pegasus.

• Old Li told Leo that Nalan Fruit was a rare Mental Power-enhancing fruit worth more than 180,000 per unit.
• Pietro accepted a case containing forty units of Nalan Fruit from Difan.
• Difan flirted with Wanda, and Leo damaged a stabilizer on Difan's aircraft in response.
• Difan probed Leo and Wanda but gained no information, then called them a well-matched couple, making Wanda blush.
• Wanda looked to Leo for an idea, and Leo suggested asking Difan for a Pegasus.

Old Li chose environmental restoration and improved physical fitness for China’s future generations, and Difan fulfilled both requests. As Difan began a new survey for updated pollution-control data, he invited Old Li and the others to dine with him.

• Old Li abandoned his initial plan to request new weapons or technology and instead sought better physical fitness for future generations and environmental governance.
• Difan provided a hard drive containing pollution-control technologies and procedures, while Leo prepared to review its database.
• Difan said his intelligence network was conducting a new survey of Earth and offered to provide updated data in about twenty minutes.
• Leo agreed to wait, and Difan invited Old Li and the others to join him in the dining hall.

Leo asked Old Li what he wanted from Difan, who offered ways to improve humanity’s physical fitness and address Earth’s environmental problems. Old Li received thirteen Lehman Main Vines and a hard drive of environmental solutions, while Difan offered to find a better plan after gathering more data.

• Leo questioned Difan’s claim that he was friends with the Ancient One and told him Old Li could ask her himself.
• Old Li abandoned his plan to acquire large amounts of alien technology and asked Difan about improving humanity’s fitness and managing Earth’s environment.
• Difan offered Lehman Vine Fruit as a way to enhance the physical fitness of Earth’s yellow-skinned people, explaining how the thirteen Lehman Main Vines could be cultivated and used.
• Difan handed Leo a hard drive containing an environmental solution Earth’s civilization could implement and offered to seek a better one after collecting more information.

Wanda transformed the pegasus Xiao Bai and established a telepathic bond with her. After Leo strengthened them both, the group flew onward through the Void Land.

• Wanda entered a strange state while trying to communicate with Xiao Bai, and her scarlet energy combined with Leo's golden energy and a faint white energy within the pegasus.
• Xiao Bai's wings changed into metallic-edged blades, and dark-red markings appeared on her hooves and body before fading from sight.
• Wanda and Xiao Bai opened their eyes and Wanda announced that she could understand Xiao Bai's thoughts and communicate with her.
• Xiao Bai invited the group to visit her planet, and Leo gave her and Wanda additional protection.
• Wanda took Leo's hand as she dismounted Xiao Bai, and the group flew toward another entrance on Leo's metal plate.

Xiao Bai revealed a teleportation ability after evolving, and Leo explained that his energy had unlocked an innate spatial talent. Difan then led the group toward the finest restaurant in the Void Land, still regretting that he had given Xiao Bai away.

• Xiao Bai excitedly flew around the metal platform, leaving golden afterimages, until Wanda called him back.
• Xiao Bai teleported beside Wanda, surprising everyone with his new ability.
• Leo explained that Xiao Bai's spatial talent was innate and that Leo's energy had opened the pathway needed to use it.
• Wanda and Pietro celebrated Xiao Bai's strength, while Jenny and George were happy for Wanda and Old Li focused on Difan's promised materials.
• Difan watched Xiao Bai with regret because he had once owned him, but Leo showed no intention of returning the horse.
• Difan pointed out the finest restaurant in the universe and invited the group to eat there.

Leo transported Difan and the others to Difan’s Starry Sky Restaurant while demonstrating powerful control over Space without visibly using the Space Stone. Difan remained unsettled by Leo’s growing abilities as he introduced the restaurant’s real-time starfield simulation.

• Leo accelerated the metal plate while stabilizing gravity around everyone, leaving Difan unable to escape or resist.
• Difan realized Leo was wielding the Power of Space without visible use of the Space Stone and feared he possessed the abilities of the long-vanished masters of Space.
• Leo reflected that the Space Stone had helped raise his Spatial Affinity to thirty percent, where it seemed to have reached its limit.
• The group arrived at Difan’s Starry Sky Restaurant, where Difan explained its system for displaying real-time views of seventy-nine recorded regions of space.
• Pietro hesitated at the edge of the plate, afraid to step into the restaurant’s convincing illusion of open space.