Chapter Summaries

Thanos entered the Quarry of Gods and discovered mountains of Infinity Gems before meeting its three witches, who offered him a trial for Infinite Celestial Power. As the trial trapped him in a false life as Earth’s beloved guardian, the witches hoped he would succeed and trouble the God of the Bright Dimension.

• Thanos woke in the Quarry of Gods, found mountains of Infinity Gems, and decided to seek the quarry’s power.
• Thanos reached a pit, where the three witches explained that his trial could grant Infinite Celestial Power but failure would trap him forever.
• Thanos accepted the trial, and the witches put him to sleep as his body sank into the earth and turned to stone.
• Thanos’s mind entered a false life in which he was Earth’s adored hero and the Avengers’ most powerful member.
• Above the quarry, the witches hoped Thanos would succeed and cause trouble for the God of the Bright Dimension.

Huang Yun watched Thanos enter the Quarry of Gods, then helped the Ancient One begin nurturing her Black Tortoise Armor. Death told Huang Yun that the Heavenly God Group’s plan had begun: the Beyond-God Race intended to destroy the multiverse, weaken the five Creator Gods, and draw out the First Firmament.

• Huang Yun recognized that Thanos’s entry into the Quarry of Gods was part of his plan to forge a weapon against the Multiversal Celestial Group.
• Members of the Heavenly God Group discussed their late-stage plans and insisted that the First Firmament must die.
• Huang Yun took the Ancient One to begin nurturing her Black Tortoise Armor, which he said would take longer to emerge than the Vermilion Bird Armor.
• Huang Yun reassured Wu Fengji that the Ancient One would succeed, then answered Death’s call.
• Death told Huang Yun that the Beyond-God Race planned to destroy the multiverse to weaken the five Creator Gods and draw out the First Firmament.

Huang Yun revealed his ambition to seize the authority of creation and won Death’s allegiance, while warning that Chaos and Order might soon be corrupted. On Earth, Apocalypse gathered dark organizations at the Blood Clan estate and promised help against the Illuminati, though the alliance remained unconvinced.

• Huang Yun told Death that the Creator Gods were pawns and revealed he planned to claim the authority of creation.
• Huang Yun asked Death to submit to him, promising she would rule the world of the dead once he became Supreme Creator God.
• Huang Yun warned that the time was not right and said the First Firmament had likely set Chaos and Order up for corruption.
• The Blood Clan gathered Kingpin, Madame Gao, the Wolf Clan, and other shadowy figures, while the Ten Rings Gang refused to attend.
• Apocalypse introduced himself as the Dark Dimension’s representative on Earth and warned that the Illuminati might purge Earth.
• Apocalypse promised to help the gathered groups fight the Illuminati, but a shadow-shrouded figure questioned why they should trust him.

Apocalypse demonstrated how Demon Spirit Stones could transform dark beings and proposed that the gathered factions use them and the Darkhold against the Illuminati. Agatha rejected the alliance, but the Blood Clan's elder warned that possessing the Darkhold already put her in danger from the Sanctum Sanctorum.

• Apocalypse offered a low-grade Demon Spirit Stone, and a follower of darkness swallowed it and gained immense power.
• The transformed follower attacked a witch, but Agatha used the Darkhold to burn him to ashes, leaving behind a Demon Spirit Stone.
• The Blood Clan's elder recognized the Darkhold and questioned Agatha about possessing the infamous book.
• Apocalypse proposed joining forces with Demon Spirit Stones and the Darkhold to take on the Illuminati.
• Agatha said she had no reason to fight the Illuminati and had come to investigate the Chaos Force mentioned in the Darkhold.
• The Blood Clan's female elder warned Agatha that the Sanctum Sanctorum would pursue her if it learned the Darkhold had resurfaced.

Agatha joined forces with the dark world by offering the Darkhold in exchange for help finding a witch who wielded scarlet magic. Apocalypse formed the Dark Alliance, and Deacon Frost received a medium-grade Demon Spirit Stone in exchange for half of the Blood God; after the meeting, Apocalypse turned his attention to Darwin’s body.

• Agatha offered to use the Darkhold if the dark world helped her find the witch who wielded scarlet magic, and the Blood Clan agreed to search.
• Apocalypse officially formed the Dark Alliance, restricted access to Demon Spirit Stones, and offered a medium-grade stone as a reward for killing an Illuminati member.
• A Blood Clan elder requested a medium-grade Demon Spirit Stone to kill Blade, and Deacon Frost offered half of the Blood God in exchange.
• Apocalypse gave Deacon a Demon Spirit Stone and warned that he would kill him if he failed to deliver the Blood God’s blood.
• After the meeting, Apocalypse began plotting to take Darwin’s body, while Deacon told a Blood Clan member they could use the other half of the Blood God.

The Illuminati prepared to purge dark creatures and learned how dangerous the Shadow Emperor’s Demon Spirit Stones could be. Strange then asked whether anyone wanted to learn magic, revealing that the Sanctum Sanctorum saw a serious gap in the generation’s combat strength.

• Tony announced that the Illuminati would purge the dark creatures’ footholds on Earth, and the members agreed.
• Captain America warned the team to follow each country’s laws when dealing with human gangsters and to prioritize their own safety.
• Strange explained the three grades of Demon Spirit Stones, their dangers, and the need for armor bearers bonded with the Demon Sealing Box to seal them.
• The mutants led by Magneto and Professor X resolved to contribute to the mission.
• Strange asked whether anyone was interested in magic and said the Sanctum Sanctorum had found a serious gap in the generation’s combat strength.

Strange invited the Illuminati to learn magic, and Logan went with him to the Sanctum Sanctorum to test whether he could practice Five Elements Magic. The Book of the Heavenly Dao began emitting yellow-brown energy as Logan placed his hand on it, leaving his aptitude unknown.

• Strange told the Illuminati that the Sanctum Sanctorum had opened enrollment for magic and explained the requirements for Five Elements Magic.
• Logan volunteered to test his aptitude, hoping he might learn magic and wear an armor.
• Logan followed Strange to the Sanctum Sanctorum and watched its sorcerers practice.
• Wong explained the origins and power of the Book of Vishanti and the Book of the Heavenly Dao to Logan.
• Strange asked Logan to place his hand on the Book of the Heavenly Dao, which emitted yellow-brown energy.

Logan discovered that he had exceptional talent for earth magic, and Strange told him that training could let him wear the Earth Tiger Armor and perhaps achieve Dimensional Ascension. As Logan began studying magic, Huang Yun considered other mutants who might suit the Five Elements Armor.

• Strange and Wong tested Logan, and the ochre energy covered his body as the Book of the Heavenly Dao responded to him.
• Strange told Logan that his earth-magic talent was exceptional and that he might soon be able to wear the Earth Tiger Armor if he trained hard.
• Strange explained that Dimensional Ascension meant becoming an immortal god, and Logan chose to train while leaving that possibility to fate.
• Huang Yun sensed Logan's talent and wondered whether he could help the Earth Tiger Armor evolve.
• Huang Yun considered Quicksilver, Storm, and Colossus as possible candidates for other armors, while Logan began training in earth magic under Strange.

Deacon Frost evolved after absorbing a medium-grade Demon Spirit Stone, gaining tremendous strength while becoming a monstrous creature increasingly vulnerable to its dark influence. Blade learned of Deacon’s power as he hunted vampires, and the chapter ended with Deacon confronting him.

• Deacon Frost absorbed the medium-grade Demon Spirit Stone, transformed into a monstrous form, and ordered his followers to find Blade.
• Agatha and Apocalypse observed Deacon’s change, and Apocalypse judged his strength comparable to Thor and Hulk in their normal forms.
• Blade killed the last survivor at a vampire hideout and worried that Deacon’s medium-grade Demon Spirit Stone might make him too powerful.
• Deacon Frost appeared before Blade, destroying everything in his path and greeting him as his child.

Deacon Frost used the Demon Spirit Stone’s power to overwhelm Blade, but the Illuminati arrived before Frost could finish him. Long Tian confronted Frost and began his first battle.

• Deacon Frost’s enhanced speed and strength let him break Blade’s katana and smash him through the building’s walls.
• Tony, Captain America, Bucky, Peter, and Long Tian arrived through a portal after detecting the surge of dark energy.
• Long Tian recognized the Demon Spirit Stone’s influence and sensed the Dark Dimension aura around Deacon Frost.
• Blade crawled from the rubble and admitted he had let his guard down as Tony checked on him.
• Deacon Frost charged the group, and Long Tian rushed to meet him, summoning the Flame Dragon Armor.

Long Tian fought Deacon Frost, whose strength had been greatly enhanced by a Demon Spirit Stone, and defeated him with the Flame Dragon Armor’s Demon Sealing Slash. As the Demon Spirit Stone appeared, the dark creatures and Apocalypse moved to claim it.

• Long Tian assembled the Flame Dragon Armor and clashed with Deacon Frost, while Tony recorded the battle and noted the Demon Spirit Stone’s dramatic effect on his strength.
• Long Tian used the Bright Realm Sacred Fire and Fire Fist to suppress Deacon Frost, and Captain America recognized the Five Elements Armor’s combined magic and combat capabilities.
• The Nava, Tsunami, Tuanadu, and Kullervo Armors arrived and surrounded the battlefield to prevent the Demon Spirit Stone from being taken again.
• Long Tian summoned the Flame Blade and struck Deacon Frost with the Demon Sealing Slash, leaving him unconscious.
• Long Tian retrieved the Demon Spirit Stone, prompting Apocalypse and the watching dark creatures to rush toward it, and Long Tian told them to get lost.

Long Tian sealed the mid-grade Demon Spirit Stone, while the Illuminati worried about the growing threat and the delayed Sanctum Sanctorum. After a cosmic storm mutated Reed Richards and Victor von Doom, Doom considered his new powers insufficient to free his mother from Mephisto.

• Long Tian sealed the mid-grade Demon Spirit Stone with the Demon Sealing Box, and Apocalypse and the other dark creatures left the battlefield.
• Tony, Captain America, Bucky, Spider-Man, and Long Tian discussed the threat, their reliance on the Infinity Gems, and the armor they had dreamed about.
• Long Tian asked the Sorcerer Supreme about the delayed construction of the Sanctum Sanctorum and explained the requirements for wearing the Five Elements Armor.
• Reed Richards discovered that his arm had elongated after the cosmic storm exposed his team to radiation in space.
• Victor von Doom noticed metallic changes in his bones and recognized that the cosmic storm had given him new powers.
• Doom judged his new power too weak to free his mother's soul from Hell and thought of Mephisto.

Doom decided to seek the Illuminati’s help in learning how to defeat Mephisto and free his mother’s soul. Tony and Banner met with Reed and the others, then visited Doom, who revealed that he had gained powerful electromagnetic abilities and practiced magic.

• Doom abandoned plans to rely on Reed and considered contacting the Illuminati for information about Mephisto and the God of the Bright Dimension.
• Tony and Banner visited Reed, who explained how the failed experiment had given him, Sue, Ben, and Johnny their powers.
• Banner asked Reed about Doom, and Tony led the group to Doom’s home.
• Doom demonstrated that he could control lightning and magnetic fields, then admitted that his mother had been a witch and that he had studied magic since childhood.
• Reed, Sue, Johnny Storm, and Ben stared in shock at Doom’s combination of scientific success and sorcery.

Tony learned that Doom wanted to join the Illuminati to get help rescuing his mother, whose soul Mephisto had imprisoned in Hell. Doom and the Fantastic Four joined despite the danger, and the chapter ended with Banner and Tony worrying about Earth’s growing instability.

• Doom told Tony that Mephisto had killed his mother and imprisoned her soul in Hell.
• Doom explained that he had sought Reed’s help to build a time machine and wanted to join the Illuminati to reach the God of the Bright Dimension.
• Tony warned Doom and the Fantastic Four that the Dark Alliance had placed a bounty on Illuminati members, but all five chose to join anyway.
• Tony promised to introduce Doom to the Sorcerer Supreme, who might be able to help with Mephisto.
• On the way back, Banner told Tony he was worried about Earth’s increasingly frequent changes, and Tony said they could only grow stronger.

Huang Yun confronted Galactus to learn about the destruction of the Sixth Omniverse and Black Winter. Galactus admitted he had met the Sixth Eternity after the universe's destruction, leaving Huang Yun pressing him for answers.

• Huang Yun sensed Galactus's avatar and decided to approach him for a conversation.
• Huang Yun arrived before Galactus and sent a torrent of energy that Galactus swallowed, restoring his consciousness.
• Huang Yun asked Galactus about the destruction of the Sixth Omniverse, but Galactus said he had been an ordinary person and knew nothing about its fall.
• Huang Yun challenged Galactus by revealing that he knew Galactus had met the Sixth Eternity, startling Galactus.
• Galactus asked who Huang Yun really was, and Huang Yun said he only wanted to know about Black Winter.

Huang Yun questioned Galactus about Black Winter, then confronted Eternity about the forces controlling his fate. He offered to help Eternity escape in exchange for a fragment of Creation Authority.

• Huang Yun asked Galactus about Black Winter, and Galactus said Black Winter likely possessed the Primal Space Gem and might be too powerful for Huang Yun to defeat.
• Huang Yun decided to seek out the Seventh Eternity and summoned him in the Shadow Kingdom.
• Huang Yun revealed that he knew about the First Colored Gods, the Creator, the Betrayer, the First Firmament, and the Beyond-God Race.
• Eternity admitted that the Seventh Omniverse was destined for destruction and that he had been made bait after losing much of his authority.
• Huang Yun offered to help Eternity break free of their control in exchange for a fragment of Creation Authority.

Huang Yun revealed his true rank to Eternity and recruited him into his plan to oppose the Beyond-God Race and the traitors. With Eternity’s support secured, Huang Yun reflected on his and the Shadow Emperor’s plan to transcend the universe.

• Eternity doubted Huang Yun could defeat the Beyond-God Race until Huang Yun revealed the Heavenly Dao Main Body’s power.
• Huang Yun offered Eternity control of the Omniverse if his plan succeeded, and Eternity agreed to join him.
• Eternity recognized Huang Yun as the Shadow Emperor and agreed to keep their alliance secret.
• Huang Yun left Eternity, pleased that he had won over three of the universe’s five Creator Gods.
• Huang Yun recalled that he and the Shadow Emperor planned to transcend the universe together, though either might betray the other if the chance arose.

Huang Yun suspected that the missing ten percent of the Phoenix Force was in the Sacred Timeline and decided to investigate. He left Wu Fengji in the Bright Realm, promising to tell her if he found it.

• Wu Fengji told Huang Yun that she had absorbed about ninety percent of the Phoenix Force, while the remaining fragments had eluded her.
• Huang Yun suspected that the missing Phoenix Force was either inside the Fae Force or in the Sacred Timeline, an independent universe controlled through time by Kang and the Time Variance Authority.
• Huang Yun considered the risks of contacting the Sacred Timeline and judged that the time was right, since their plan was already halfway complete.
• Huang Yun told Wu Fengji he would visit the Sacred Timeline to search for the Phoenix Force and let her know if he found it.
• Huang Yun stepped away to begin his journey.

Huang Yun entered the Sacred Timeline and confronted He Who Remains Kang at the Time Variance Authority. After learning that part of the Phoenix Force was inside the timeline, Huang Yun chose to wait for it to collapse and return to the multiverse.

• Huang Yun entered the Sacred Timeline and followed a force pulling him toward the Time Variance Authority.
• Huang Yun arrived at the Time Variance Authority, where Mobius confronted him and Kang appeared.
• Kang explained that he had created the Sacred Timeline to contain the multiversal war and knew it would eventually collapse.
• Huang Yun asked whether part of the Phoenix Force was in the Sacred Timeline, and Kang confirmed that it was.
• Huang Yun said he would wait for the Sacred Timeline to return to the multiverse, then left after praising Kang's choice of Loki as his successor.

Huang Yun visited the Sacred Timeline seeking the Phoenix Force and a Wanda powerful enough to become Chthon’s vessel, but judged that Wanda’s potential was limited. Back at the Dark Alliance headquarters, Apocalypse warned that the Five Elements Armor had sealed one Demon Spirit Stone and urged the alliance to protect the rest.

• Huang Yun concluded that shadowy Ancient Gods had helped Mephisto bring the Demon Spirit Stone to Earth and decided they were no threat to him.
• Huang Yun arrived in Wakanda during the battle between Thanos and Earth’s forces but chose not to intervene.
• Huang Yun assessed Wanda’s strength and potential, deciding that she could not become the powerful Chthon vessel he wanted.
• Huang Yun linked Wanda’s greatest potential to her being a Mutant with an X-Gene and considered his lead on the Phoenix Force a useful discovery.
• Apocalypse told the Dark Alliance that the Five Elements Armor had sealed one Demon Spirit Stone and that the remaining stones needed powerful protectors.