Chapter Summaries

Duke revealed the Third Hokage’s role in the Konoha Crush, his own part in Danzo’s death, and the hidden truth surrounding Sasuke’s clan. He also explained that the Sage of Six Paths had stopped his attempt to resurrect the First and Second Hokage, then identified Naruto and Sasuke as figures destined to change the ninja world.

• Duke told Jiraiya and Tsunade that Orochimaru and the Third Hokage had colluded to launch the Konoha Crush, and explained that the Third Hokage intended to sacrifice himself for Konoha.
• Duke revealed that he had killed Danzo and that Danzo had ordered the Uchiha clan’s extermination, leaving Sasuke reeling and urging him to seek the truth from Itachi.
• Duke said he had defeated and sealed the First and Second Hokage during the Konoha Crush, then failed to resurrect them because the Sage of Six Paths intervened.
• Duke explained that the Sage of Six Paths had given him Yang Release as compensation and that the Child of Prophecy was among Jiraiya’s students.
• Duke told Jiraiya that Naruto was closest to the Child of Prophecy, while Sasuke also qualified, and that both were destined to change the ninja world.

Duke persuaded Tsunade to return to Konoha as Fifth Hokage, then left with Sasuke to seek Orochimaru. In the Unknown Space, the Dukes met Phoenix Duke, who discovered the Yin-Yang Qi inside him might make him lay an egg, and Psychiatric Duke, whose transmigration left him trapped with a psychiatric patient identity.

• Duke urged Tsunade to become Fifth Hokage, and she agreed to return to Konoha with Jiraiya's group three days later.
• Duke departed with Sasuke to find Orochimaru, telling Jiraiya that Orochimaru was the best person to draw out Sasuke's potential.
• Phoenix Duke introduced himself to the Dukes and described his life as a phoenix in the dangerous Great Wilderness World.
• The Dukes warned Phoenix Duke that the Yin-Yang Qi he had swallowed might cause him to lay an egg.
• Psychiatric Duke explained that he had transmigrated into a psychiatric hospital patient's body, and his doctor dismissed his claim that he was sane.

Duke realized he had transmigrated into the DC Universe and dreaded sharing Arkham with the Joker, while the Dukes in Unknown Space egged him on to challenge Batman. In the Marvel Universe, Duke remained occupied with research as he recounted how his earlier actions had changed events and left the Avengers divided.

• Duke learned that he was in Gotham’s Elizabeth Arkham Criminal Lunatic Asylum and recognized the world as the DC Universe after Batman delivered the Joker.
• Duke worried that the Joker was in the room next to his and vowed to beat up Batman once he gained powerful abilities.
• The Dukes in Unknown Space mocked Duke’s vow and encouraged him to challenge Batman and take on the Joker.
• Marvel Duke reported that his earlier actions had exposed Hydra, brought Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver into S.H.I.E.L.D., saved Quicksilver in Sokovia, and kept Captain America’s group working for S.H.I.E.L.D. after the Avengers split.
• Marvel Duke continued upgrading his moon-base laboratory and researching the Space Stone, X-Gene, Ultron subprograms, Venom, and Sentinels.

Duke sensed that Ancient One was near death after her battle with Kaecilius and arrived at the hospital. He healed her completely, leaving Strange and the doctors stunned.

• Duke's experiments with Venom failed when it fled into its bottle at the slightest exertion.
• Ancient One lay dying in the hospital while Strange struggled to accept that she could not be saved.
• Ancient One explained that death was part of life and urged Strange to believe he was ready to continue without her.
• Duke teleported into the emergency room, seized Ancient One's soul, and told her Earth still needed her.
• Duke used several healing techniques to restore Ancient One's body, and she removed her oxygen tube in disbelief.

Ancient One gave the Eye of Agamotto to Stephen Strange and equipped herself with Venom before they confronted Kaecilius’s summoning of Dormammu in Hong Kong. Strange reversed the destruction with the Time Stone, while Duke flew directly into the Dark Dimension to face Dormammu.

• Ancient One brought Stephen Strange and Duke to Kamar-Taj, then gave Strange the Eye of Agamotto and its Time Stone.
• Duke gave Venom to Ancient One, who let the alien symbiote cover her and gained its power.
• Kaecilius destroyed the Hong Kong Sanctum’s magical node and summoned Dormammu, whose giant hand began corrupting the city.
• Ancient One entered dimensional space to confront Kaecilius while Strange used the Time Stone to reverse the destruction around Hong Kong.
• Strange warned that Dormammu’s influence would consume the region, and Duke shot through the sky into the Dark Dimension.

The Ancient One defeated Kaecilius’s illusion and resisted his dark power with Venom, then trapped him in an alternate space. She learned that Duke had entered the Dark Dimension and rushed there with Doctor Strange, while Duke confronted Dormammu.

• Kaecilius attacked the Ancient One, but she pierced him from behind after he fell for her magical illusion.
• Kaecilius regenerated his arms and claimed Dormammu had made him immortal, while the Ancient One recognized him as a puppet of darkness.
• The Ancient One left Kaecilius trapped in an alternate space and asked Doctor Strange where Duke was.
• Doctor Strange told the Ancient One that Duke had gone to the Dark Dimension, so she took him there.
• Duke faced Dormammu in the Dark Dimension, where Dormammu’s soul attack failed to affect him.

Duke fought Dormammu in the Dark Dimension, absorbing his dark energy and striking back with it before Dormammu transformed into a more powerful humanoid form. Duke activated 20x Kaioken and gained the upper hand, leaving the battle ongoing as he attacked Dormammu at close range.

• Dormammu attacked Duke with darkness, but Duke blocked it with Zetton's Wave Barrier.
• Duke absorbed Dormammu's Impact Wave and teleported close enough to strike him with the stolen dark energy.
• Dormammu reformed after his body was pierced and offered Duke eternal life in exchange for his submission.
• Dormammu forged a stronger humanoid body from darkness and threatened to corrupt Duke and imprison his soul.
• Duke activated 20x Kaioken, forced Dormammu back with a punch, charged through his black fire, and struck his face again.

Duke fought Dormammu in the Dark Dimension to test his strength, first using his Dragon Ball abilities and then manifesting the Phoenix Force. Dormammu fled in terror at the sight of the Phoenix, and the Dark Dimension receded.

• Duke struck Dormammu and battled him through the Dark Dimension, trading blows and powers as Ancient One and Doctor Strange watched.
• As Duke tired and withdrew Kaio-ken, Dormammu urged him to submit, while Doctor Strange prepared to use the Eye of Agamotto to trap Dormammu.
• Duke stopped Doctor Strange and restored himself, deciding to test another source of power.
• Duke manifested a vast phoenix of crimson energy, which purified the surrounding darkness and shook the Dark Dimension.
• Dormammu recognized the Phoenix Force, panicked, and fled as the Dark Dimension receded.

After helping defeat Dormammu, Duke returned to New York, where Venom showed interest in Spider-Man and went after him. Duke then entered the Unknown Space, where a newcomer claimed to be the most qualified and shared memories of his bizarre university full of overpowered-named students.

• Dormammu fled, Kaecilius decayed after losing the Dark Dimension's power, and Doctor Strange restored Hong Kong.
• Duke declined Ancient One's invitation, returned to Brooklyn, and used Venom to frighten off a group of thugs before Spider-Man arrived.
• Spider-Man chased away the thugs and swung off, while Venom asked Duke's permission to follow him.
• Duke entered the Unknown Space and found two newcomers, including a young man who asked whether he was the most qualified newcomer.
• The young Duke recalled enrolling in medical school and discovering that many students had domineering names and similarly unusual backgrounds.

Duke recounted how a bizarre transmigration prompt led him to a cultivation world, where he became a black-backed falcon and was taken in as a Patrolling Little Demon by a Demon King. After exchanging memories with Phoenix Duke, he gained an opportunity to advance by relying on his new ally.

• Duke described his cursed university dorm, where his roommates disappeared or died, before moving out and encountering a transmigration prompt.
• Duke clicked YES, but smashed the screen when two warriors appeared; he then fell asleep as the transmigration sequence continued in his dreams.
• The Dukes exchanged memories and argued over Duke’s old world, while Bird-Headed Monster Duke approached Phoenix Duke out of admiration.
• Duke explained that he had transmigrated into a black-backed falcon, discovered a cultivation world, and nearly died when a cultivator attacked him near a mountain gate.
• After enduring years of hardship, Duke was captured by a Demon King, spared from being stewed, and made a Patrolling Little Demon.
• Duke said he took human form after ten years of unguided cultivation, then advanced after hugging Phoenix Duke and relying on his powerful new ally.

Duke, a little demon serving King Black Tiger, struggled to control his Yin-Yang Qi in Journey to the West World. When cultivators attacked King Black Tiger, Duke intervened, killed their leader, and slaughtered the rest.

• Duke tested his Phoenix and Articuno powers but could not command the Yin-Yang Qi within him, so he decided to keep it secret.
• A messenger warned that Daoists were trying to capture King Black Tiger as a mount, and most of the mountain’s little demons fled with their valuables.
• Duke flew to the battlefield and rescued King Black Tiger by breaking the flying sword and destroying the Five Elements formation trapping him.
• The middle-aged Daoist tried to claim Duke as a spirit beast, but Duke killed him and then killed the other cultivators who attacked.

Duke left King Black Tiger and attacked Jade Longevity Palace, Celestial Master Xu’s dojo, to settle the grudge from killing Xu’s disciples and repay King Black Tiger for saving his life. Duke destroyed the mountain-protecting formation, slaughtered the Daoists defending the palace, and burned Celestial Master Xu’s statue hall, leaving the dojo in ruins.

• Duke told King Black Tiger he was leaving, and King Black Tiger warned him that the slain cultivators had belonged to Celestial Master Xu’s Jade Longevity Palace.
• Duke refused to let King Black Tiger flee alone and flew toward Jade Longevity Palace, intending to confront Celestial Master Xu and repay his debt.
• The palace master activated the Mountain-Protecting Grand Formation, but Duke tore apart its five-element hand and shattered the barrier.
• Duke charged through the dojo, killing Daoists who blocked him while allowing the pilgrims to escape.
• Duke rejected the palace master’s accusation, saying humans and demons had always killed each other, then burned the main hall and Celestial Master Xu’s dharma body.

Duke destroyed Jade Longevity Palace and defeated Celestial Master Xu, who fled to the Heavenly Court and urged the other Celestial Masters to report the demon to the Jade Emperor. The Celestial Masters brought the matter to the Jade Emperor Hall, where the Jade Emperor was resting.

• Duke burned the main hall and froze the palace master before fighting Celestial Master Xu.
• Duke broke free of Celestial Master Xu's magical attacks, destroyed his treasures, and wounded him with flames from his beak.
• Duke seized Celestial Master Xu's ancient book and flew away, splitting a mountain in two along the way.
• Celestial Master Xu returned to the Heavenly Court and told the other Celestial Masters that Duke had destroyed Jade Longevity Palace and defeated him.
• Celestial Master Zhang divined Duke's location, and the Celestial Masters persuaded Celestial Master Xu to report the incident to the Jade Emperor.
• The Celestial Masters went to the Jade Emperor Hall, where the Jade Emperor rested on his Dragon Throne.

After fleeing the Heavenly Court, Duke chose Seven Absolutes Mountain as a place to settle and burned away its foul persimmon trees. At Spirit Mountain, Buddha abruptly stopped preaching, leaving the assembled Buddhas wondering why.

• The Jade Emperor heard the Celestial Masters’ complaint about Duke, then summoned Son Goku after Grand White Gold Star reported that he had accepted recruitment.
• Duke fled west, wary of retaliation from the Heavenly Court, and searched for a place to cultivate.
• Duke learned that Seven Absolutes Mountain was rich in spiritual energy and decided to make it his home.
• Duke burned the persimmon trees across the mountain and covered the ashes with a blizzard, unaware that two wandering monks had witnessed him.
• At Great Thunderclap Temple, Buddha stopped preaching and formed a hand seal, prompting a disciple to ask why.

Buddha suspected Duke’s sudden arrival at Seven Absolutes Mountain was part of a great power’s hidden scheme, so he warned the Buddhas not to provoke the demon and assigned Maitreya Buddha the mountain’s merit. Meanwhile, Duke remained unaware of their speculation and, after winter passed, studied the Supreme Numinous Treasure Pure Brightness Method he had taken from Celestial Master Xu.

• Buddha investigated Duke and concluded that a powerful figure had concealed the truth about his origins and strength.
• Buddha warned the Buddhas that Duke was formidable and must not be provoked.
• Buddha granted Maitreya Buddha the merit associated with the tribulation before Seven Absolutes Mountain, and Maitreya planned to send Yellow-browed Demon to befriend Duke.
• Duke stayed in Seven Absolutes Mountain, unaware that Buddha and the Jade Emperor had mistaken him for a piece in someone else’s scheme.
• When spring arrived, Duke read the Supreme Numinous Treasure Pure Brightness Method he had seized from Celestial Master Xu.

After studying Celestial Master Xu’s manual, Duke decided to forge a spear from his own feathers and minerals he found beneath Seven Absolutes Mountain. While refining it, his Yin-Yang Qi unexpectedly transformed the Five Elements Fire into five divine lights, leaving him unsure what would happen next.

• Duke studied the Supreme Numinous Treasure Pure Brightness Method and concluded that he needed a weapon, though he had little hope of obtaining magical artifacts.
• After considering the Dragon Palace and King Black Tiger’s advice, Duke plucked three feathers to make a spear from his own body.
• Duke tried to refine a feather with Phoenix Divine Fire, but the flame burned it to ash, so he switched to Five Elements Fire.
• Duke shaped his remaining feathers into a spear and added Stone Marrow, Yujin Gold, Black Iron, and Copper Essence from Seven Absolutes Mountain.
• Duke’s Yin-Yang Qi entered the Five Elements Fire, disrupted it, and drained his mana before retreating and leaving five divine lights in his palm.

Duke refined the Five-Colored Divine Light and forged a new spear, then began rebuilding Seven Absolutes Mountain as his own domain. After he defeated the Vermilion Purple Kingdom’s guardian masters and sent its craftsmen home with rewards, three major sects set out to challenge him.

• Duke recognized that he had refined the Five-Colored Divine Light and attributed its creation to the Phoenix’s Yin-Yang Qi and Five Elements.
• Duke forged a pitch-black spear and stored it after testing its sharp white light.
• Duke used the Five-Colored Divine Light to restore the vegetation across Seven Absolutes Mountain and abducted craftsmen to build a palace there.
• Duke plundered materials from the Vermilion Purple Kingdom’s royal treasury and defeated the kingdom’s guardian masters, killing two and driving the others away.
• Duke rewarded the craftsmen after they completed the palace and sent them back to the Vermilion Purple Kingdom, where they praised his honesty.
• Three major cultivator sects gathered their elite disciples and headed for Seven Absolutes Mountain, each hoping to defeat Duke and become the kingdom’s foremost sect.

Duke consolidated his rule over Seven Absolutes Mountain after destroying the three great sects, building an army of demons and accepting tribute from the Vermilion Purple Kingdom. While anticipating Monkey’s coming Havoc in Heaven, he spared a captured Red-Scaled Python and made it his new seat.

• Duke slaughtered the three great sects’ cultivators, then gathered beasts and turned them into ten thousand armored demons.
• The replacement sects and the new king of the Vermilion Purple Kingdom offered Duke tribute, beautiful women, and recognition as the kingdom’s Divine Protector.
• Duke sensed that Monkey had rebelled against the Heavenly Court and anticipated the Peach of Immortality Banquet and Havoc in Heaven.
• Duke ordered his demons to kill a captured Red-Scaled Python, but stopped them when it begged for its life.
• Duke healed the python, promised it a place among his Patrolling Little Demons once it could take human form, and used its coiled body as a seat instead of the Dragon Throne.

Duke studied the Five-Colored Divine Light until he sensed the Heavenly Court’s army descending on Flower Fruit Mountain to capture Monkey. He flew there to watch the battle and ended up sharing a hidden patch of grass with two handsome strangers as Monkey prepared to enter the fight.

• Duke deepened his study of the Five-Colored Divine Light and reflected on the Great Dao and his own ambitions.
• After Monkey disrupted the Peach Banquet and stole the Grand Supreme Elder Lord’s golden elixirs, the Jade Emperor sent one hundred thousand Heavenly Soldiers to surround Flower Fruit Mountain.
• Duke sensed the army’s arrival, left Seven Absolutes Mountain, and flew east to witness the battle.
• Duke reached Flower Fruit Mountain and watched the Nine Luminaries Star Lords overwhelm Monkey’s seventy-two demon kings and capture the Unicorn Ghost King.
• Duke squeezed into a patch of grass beside two handsome young men, exchanged a greeting with them, and turned back to the battlefield as Monkey prepared to fight.

Duke watched Monkey fight off the Heavenly Court’s forces at Flower Fruit Mountain and befriended the Flood Dragon Demon King and Roc Demon King, who revealed they were Monkey’s sworn brothers. As the Heavenly Court withdrew to summon reinforcements, Duke predicted that Erlang Shen might appear, and the Flood Dragon Demon King admitted he would wait to see what happened.

• Monkey fought the Nine Luminaries Star Lords and drove them into retreat, then held off the Four Heavenly Kings and Twenty-Eight Constellations.
• Duke explained that Monkey’s strength likely came from the immortal wine, peaches, and golden pills he had consumed.
• Duke introduced himself to the two young spectators and learned that they were the Flood Dragon Demon King and Roc Demon King, Monkey’s second and third sworn brothers.
• The Flood Dragon Demon King explained that they were watching rather than helping because Monkey’s troublemaking could bring disaster upon them.
• Monkey created countless clones to repel the heavenly soldiers attacking Flower Fruit Mountain, and the Heavenly Court withdrew while keeping its forces in place.
• Duke predicted that Erlang Shen might be the next to confront Monkey, and the Flood Dragon Demon King said he would wait and watch.