Chapter Summaries

Jason kept Rocket, Groot, Gamora, and Quill at the Red Whale Shop while they waited for the boss to arrive, agreeing that the Orb of Power could leave with Gamora after twenty days. Roller took Gamora to a room and recognized the Orb’s markings as an ancient patterned lock.

• Jason gave everyone the choice to leave or stay for the bounty mission, and Gamora set a twenty-day deadline for taking the Orb of Power.
• Rocket and Groot went to the rooms, followed by Roller and Gamora, while Quill took a room by himself.
• Little Jie warned Jason that Rocket, Groot, and Gamora seemed unusual, but Jason trusted the Big Boss’s plan and ordered the Red Whale Shop closed for a few days.
• Roller examined the Orb of Power and told Gamora that its markings formed an ancient patterned lock she had seen in Asgard.

Leo sought the Ancient One’s help after a sudden increase in his memory loss, and she explained why she believed the universe lacked a Cosmic Consciousness. She began teaching him about the conditions for a Dimensional Consciousness and the planes connected to Earth.

• Leo recognized Kaecilius and asked Mordo about him, then chose not to interfere beyond warning him.
• Mordo led Leo to meet the Ancient One, who welcomed him and poured him tea.
• Leo told the Ancient One that he had suddenly forgotten ten more people and related memories, increasing his total losses from twenty to thirty.
• The Ancient One said she had never encountered Leo’s condition but still believed their universe had no Cosmic Consciousness.
• The Ancient One explained how a powerful individual might become a Dimensional Consciousness and described the Inner Planes connected to Earth.
• The Ancient One began listing Outer Plane beings and realms, including the Crimson Cosmos, Ikonn, Sectwo, and Dormammu.

Leo told Zhang Huan about the dangers threatening Earth and promised to help protect it, while Zhang Huan accepted the responsibility and thanked him. Leo then took Zhang Huan to Xandar, where the alien city amazed him, before bringing him back to Shanghai.

• Leo warned Zhang Huan that powerful beings threatened Earth and said he would help protect the planet.
• Zhang Huan saluted Leo and thanked him on behalf of the people of China, then said he believed Leo because he had no reason to lie.
• Zhang Huan asked to see the civilizations Leo had encountered, and Leo agreed to take him along.
• Leo transported Zhang Huan from Shanghai to Xandar, where Zhang Huan saw alien crowds, futuristic buildings, and spacecraft.
• Zhang Huan started toward Xandar's super Trading Market, but Leo returned him to the streets of Shanghai.

Leo explained how Chen Haoran had encountered Xinibasi and discussed the Space Stone's connection to a Far Realm dimension with the Ancient One. He persuaded her to lend him the Eye of Agamotto, whose opening made the Space Stone tremble.

• Leo told the Ancient One that his fire-wielding subordinate Chen Haoran had heard Xinibasi's name and suffered uncontrolled flames after forming a connection to him.
• The Ancient One explained that contact with a dimensional ruler could let someone draw on that dimension's energy and abilities.
• Leo revealed that the Space Stone was linked to a force of spacetime suppressing him, and the Ancient One warned that others might seek the Infinity Stones.
• Leo asked to borrow the Eye of Agamotto, and the Ancient One decided to lend it to him despite the risks.
• The Ancient One opened the Eye of Agamotto, and the Space Stone behind Leo began to tremble violently.

The Ancient One explained dimensional masters and the Far Realm to Leo as he investigated the strange consciousness he had sensed and its possible connection to Chen Haoran. She revealed that Xinibasi was a tiny Far Realm dimension ruled by Xinibasi and his seven sons, with seven suns burning as flames of mysterious wisdom.

• The Ancient One explained that only rare beings who perceive and seize a dimension can become its master, gaining immense power while binding their consciousness to the dimension.
• The Ancient One said no life-form could perceive the source information of their physical-law-based universe, leaving Leo uncertain about the consciousness he had sensed through the Time Stone.
• Leo asked the Ancient One about Xinibasi, and she identified it as a dimension in the Far Realm that she knew only from books.
• The Ancient One said the Far Realm was composed of consciousness and concepts and could be reached only through a higher state of consciousness beyond the physical world.
• The Ancient One revealed that Xinibasi was a dimension of peace and enlightenment jointly ruled by Xinibasi and his seven sons, with seven suns burning as flames of mysterious wisdom.

Leo arrived at Kamar-Taj, where Mordo escorted him to the main hall after Kaecilius and the other Sorcerers confronted him. Kaecilius recognized Leo as a threat, and Leo's Golden Light briefly shook him with memories of his dead wife and son, leaving him to continue pursuing his grand plan.

• Leo arrived in Kamar-Taj, and the Sorcerers gathered around him with shields and weapons ready.
• Kaecilius watched Leo with suspicion, while Mordo intervened and announced that the Ancient One had invited Leo as a guest.
• Mordo led Leo away, and Kaecilius decided that he would kill Leo if he got the chance.
• Leo looked back at Kaecilius, and a flash of Golden Light made Kaecilius stiffen and recall his dead wife and son.
• Kaecilius remembered that his hope of bringing them back had led him to uncover the Ancient One's secret and pursue his grand plan.

Leo brought the Time Stone and Space Stone together and discovered that the Infinity Stones amplified each other. He joined their powers in an attempt to resist the Cosmic Consciousness that was trying to erase his memories.

• Master Ancient One warned Leo that touching the Time Stone made his own time flow ten times faster, and Leo took the Stone without hesitation.
• Leo drew out the Space Stone, and both Stones vibrated as he held one in each hand.
• When Leo brought the Stones within thirty centimeters, a band of light linked them and the Time Stone grew stronger.
• Master Ancient One concluded that the Infinity Stones could amplify one another, while Leo reasoned that their combined power could make effects permanent.
• Unwilling to lose his past-life memories, Leo gripped both Stones and joined their blue-green energy before his chest, engulfing the world in white light.

Leo found the white mist hidden in his heart, forced it into a bead, and absorbed it through his system. After the bead vanished and his memories returned, he landed back on the ground.

• Leo searched his heart and injured himself when the Space Stone caused a powerful spatial fluctuation there.
• Leo used the Ancient One's help to request a rewind, then spotted the white mist emerging from disrupted space inside his heart.
• Leo activated the Purifying Golden Ring and Indestructible Golden Body, suppressing the mist and compressing it into a small bead.
• Leo grabbed the bead, and his system identified it as a fragment of a low-level Cosmic Consciousness and began absorbing it.
• The bead vanished as the progress bar rose by 8%, Leo's missing memories returned, and he came back down to the ground.

Leo returned safely to Jenny and George, then left with Zhang Huan to meet two Heavenly Ranking experts arriving at the Shanghai base. The experts learned that the mission involved the Golden Legend and hurried inside to address it.

• Leo returned to Jenny and George in unusual training clothes and reassured them that his problem was resolved.
• Zhang Huan invited Leo to meet two newly arrived Heavenly Ranking members, and Jenny and George agreed to rest instead of going sightseeing with him.
• Zhang Huan and Leo left for the Shanghai base as the two experts landed in Supersonic Fighter Jets.
• Old Zhang and Old Li greeted each other and walked toward the base, surprising Dragon Fang personnel with their youthful, battle-ready appearances.
• Old Li explained that Zhang Huan's mission concerned the Golden Legend, and both men quickened their pace.

Leo thanked the Ancient One for lending him the Time Stone and discussed the burden of guarding an Infinity Stone. He returned to the alley where he had encountered the mysterious man and ordered J.A.R.V.I.S. to identify everyone who had stood there within the past hour.

• Leo thanked the Ancient One, who said she had stopped exploring the many possible futures and reminded him that he was responsible for guarding the Space Stone.
• Leo gave the Ancient One his contact information and left her room, where Mordo asked about the Eye of Agamotto.
• Leo told Mordo he had borrowed the Eye to resolve a personal problem, then used spatial travel to return to the alley.
• Leo asked J.A.R.V.I.S. to scan the alley and identify everyone who had been there within the past hour before heading back to the hotel.

Lorelei told the Guardians that Leo had protected her and described him tearing apart a warship, while Gamora recognized Lorelei as an Asgardian warrior. Gamora saw Asgard as a possible ally against Ronan and Thanos, leaving Rocket and Quill worried about the trouble ahead.

• Lorelei said that imprisonment had left her isolated for centuries and that Leo had saved her from returning to that darkness.
• Rocket praised Leo's luck in having Lorelei stay at his shop, but Lorelei replied that staying with Leo was her good fortune.
• Lorelei described Leo dismantling a giant warship without injury, and Jason added that Leo was stronger than the Starry Sky Giant Beast, Red Whale.
• Lorelei revealed that she had been imprisoned for six hundred years and identified herself as being from Asgard.
• Gamora recognized Lorelei as an Asgardian warrior and hoped Asgard could help defeat Ronan or Thanos, while Rocket and Quill feared they were in trouble.

Leo demonstrated his control over a flying dagger to Elder Zhang, Old Li, and Zhang Huan, then handed over a hard drive containing important materials. The group discussed why aliens might invade Earth again, but left without knowing what made Earth special.

• Leo transformed Elder Zhang’s flying dagger with strange patterns and launched it at supersonic speed, stopping it just before a wall.
• Leo returned the enhanced dagger to Elder Zhang and said its patterns improved its stability, concealment, and speed.
• Zhang Huan led the group to another reception room, where Elder Zhang accepted a hard drive containing materials he vowed to protect.
• When Zhang Huan asked how to prepare for another alien invasion, Leo argued that Earth’s resources were too insignificant to explain the aliens’ interest.
• Elder Zhang suggested humanity might be the reason for the invasion, and Zhang Huan proposed Vibranium or the Tesseract as other possibilities.

After S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Hill prevented the police from raiding Black Prison, Maya received Leo’s order to prepare Extremis Serum tests for his relatives. Leo then finished touring Shanghai with Jenny and George and prepared to bring them to Black Prison.

• Hill stopped the police from forcing their way into Black Prison, and four verified S.H.I.E.L.D. agents chose to join Black Prison after the police withdrew.
• Maya continued gathering materials for the Extremis Serum, while Reiz and Rando trained with their new abilities under Leo’s ban on further human experiments.
• Maya told Chen Haoran that Leo had authorized human testing to prepare injections for his relatives, with no room for mistakes.
• Chen Haoran collected Zost’s list of five candidates, and Zost volunteered to undergo a test himself to reassure Leo’s relatives.
• After five days, Leo finished showing Jenny and George around Shanghai and prepared to take them to Black Prison, while Zhang Huan’s search for the man with Cosmic Consciousness remained unsuccessful.

Jason faced Yondu over the orb while Leo sensed that Jason had been badly injured on Xandar, but paused his departure to oversee Jenny and George’s enhancement. After they completed it safely, Leo left for Xandar, where he found Quill, Gamora, Rocket, and Groot with Jason and Yondu.

• Yondu demanded the orb and Quill from Jason, warned him that people across Xandar were searching for the orb, and asked about the blood on Jason’s leg.
• Jason insisted that his boss had to decide what happened to the orb, while Gamora rejected Quill’s suggestion that she was concerned about him.
• Leo sensed that someone on Xandar had been severely injured and briefly went to investigate, where he saw Quill, Gamora, Rocket, and Groot before returning to watch over Jenny and George.
• Jenny and George endured the pain of the Extremis enhancement without crying out and completed the process safely.
• Jenny and George told Leo to handle his business while they got used to their new bodies, and Leo arrived on Xandar.

Zost’s newly gained fire ability caused a dangerous explosion, but Leo contained it with the Space Stone and reassured Zost afterward. Maya and Stacy brought out two portions of serum, and Maya asked Leo whether Jenny and George could come along.

• Zost’s fireball exploded with enough force to threaten everyone and destroy the laboratory.
• Leo immobilized the room, moved Jenny and George out of danger, and drew the flames and shock wave into a spatial black hole before sending the energy away.
• Leo stopped Zost from kneeling, told him to train his new ability, and Zost apologized to Jenny and George before leaving.
• Maya and Stacy emerged with two portions of serum, and Chen Haoran left after warning them that the place was unsafe.
• Maya asked Leo whether Jenny and George could come along.

Leo began Jenny and George’s painful enhancement experiment, while Jason and the others debated whether to leave Xandar with the orb. Jason used a self-inflicted wound to contact his boss, and Yondu arrived looking for Quill.

• Jenny and George climbed onto adjacent tables, and Maya and Stacy began their injections as Leo watched nervously.
• On Xandar, Quill told Jason and the others that Yondu had arrived and would likely find them within three hours; the group discussed leaving with the orb before Ronan’s forces closed in.
• Jason stabbed his thigh to contact his boss, and a Golden Light healed the wound within seconds.
• Yondu knocked on the door and called out that he had come for Quill, leaving Quill alarmed.

Yondu came to Jason’s shop to confront Quill over the stolen Orb, and Jason tried to negotiate for it. Yondu grew furious when he realized Jason wanted Quill for a purpose connected to a god, leaving Jason confused by his sudden anger.

• Yondu shouted for Quill to come outside, while Jason told Lorelei to put away the Orb and prepared to negotiate.
• Jason welcomed Yondu as an old friend, but Rocket nearly attacked after Yondu called him a rat, and Yondu armed his arrow.
• Jason offered to pay more than The Broker for the Orb, while Quill promised to renovate Yondu’s captain’s quarters once he was paid.
• Jason offered twice The Broker’s price and said he needed Quill for a few days, prompting Yondu to pull him aside and demand to know his plans.
• Yondu referred angrily to a god, and Jason sensed his killing intent for the first time.

Leo arrived at the Red Whale Shop on Xandar after confirming Jason was safe. Inside, Gamora urged the others to flee with the Orb, but Lorelei insisted on waiting for the shop’s owner, and a stranger outside revealed that the Orb contained the Power Stone.

• Leo appeared in the central plaza and walked toward the Red Whale Shop after checking that Jason was safe.
• Yondu’s men threatened Quill and blamed him for bringing trouble from Ronan upon the Ravagers.
• Gamora told Quill that Ronan had discovered their involvement through his intelligence network and urged everyone to leave Xandar.
• Gamora warned Lorelei that Ronan and Thanos would pursue the Orb, but Lorelei refused to leave before the owner arrived.
• A male voice from outside announced that the Orb contained the Power Stone, and Lorelei brightened at the sound.

Leo discovered that using the Power Stone summoned white mist that could suppress his memories of his past life, so he stopped testing it and stored the Orb of Power. He reflected on the Infinity Stones’ interdependence and the universe’s brutal hierarchy of power.

• Leo repaired the Orb of Power and found that the white mist around it vanished when its energy was suppressed.
• Leo reasoned that the six Infinity Stones formed a cycle in which each Stone’s full power depended on another Stone.
• Leo tested the Power Stone for an hour and confirmed that the mist appeared only during major energy fluctuations and threatened his memories of the Marvel World.
• Leo stored the Orb of Power after finding that its Asgardian Magic had been mostly depleted.
• Leo surveyed the stars and considered the empires, Ravagers, and pirates governed by strength rather than laws.
• Leo recognized Thanos as one of the universe’s most powerful overlords, feared even by the Kree Empire.

Leo stopped Yondu from taking Quill, kept the Orb of Power, and announced that the group would travel to Void Land the next day. Alone on an asteroid, Leo examined the Orb and sensed the Power Stone reacting to him.

• Leo ended the confrontation by sending Yondu and his men away, and Yondu left without taking Quill.
• Leo said he would keep the Orb of Power and take everyone to Void Land to meet The Collector, while he looked for a way to pay the outstanding bill.
• Rocket explained that Yondu had left Quill behind because he could not defeat Leo, then took Groot back to their room.
• Gamora told Jason and Lorelei that The Collector, Taneleer Tivan, was her buyer and that Void Land was where he lived.
• Leo traveled alone to an asteroid, examined the Orb of Power, and sensed the Power Stone respond to his Golden Light.