Chapter 2

The rocky wasteland lay in ruins, scarred everywhere by the aftermath of battle. M Nation Captain was locked in a fierce fight with his sworn enemy.

He slammed a vicious left hook at his opponent. "I'm ending this once and for all today, John, you scoundrel!

"I'm going to smash that ugly red mask of yours, along with the rotten face beneath it. Your boss, Adolf, gave it to you, didn't he? I'll send you to hell to join him!"

Red Skull struck back savagely, his teeth clenched. "Shut up, you hateful Rogers!" Red Skull loathed his enemy to the core. "I'm the one who's going to rip your wings off!"

He threw all his strength into a heavy punch aimed at M Nation Captain's chest. Captain flicked his wrist, and his Sound Absorbing Steel Shield blocked the blow. With a sharp crack, Red Skull's hand jolted backward, his bones on the verge of breaking.

"Ah!" Red Skull screamed and staggered back. "Now's my chance! Die!" M Nation Captain roared. Charging with his shield raised, he came on like a rampaging bull and sent Red Skull flying with a direct blow from his shield.

"Pfft—ugh!" Blood sprayed from Red Skull's mouth as he spun through the air several times before crashing to the ground.

"Huff, huff, huff..." Though Captain had beaten his enemy, he was utterly exhausted and sank to one knee.

Red Skull lay slumped beside a boulder, his fate unknown. But Captain couldn't afford to let his guard down.

Supporting himself on one hand, Captain panted. "I have to make sure this is over for good. I snuck out without telling any of my teammates to duel him because I wanted to settle this once and for all. I'm going to finish you off."

He staggered over to Red Skull and raised his shield above his head. "Farewell, old adversary. May your death bring Hydra down with you." His shield came down, and in an instant, Red Skull's head flew from his body, blood spraying everywhere.

By all rights, he should have been dead with his head severed. But could Red Skull really be judged by ordinary standards?

His legs suddenly gave way, and Captain slumped to the ground. "I'm out of strength. Should I contact my teammates and have them come get me?" He had defeated a powerful enemy, yet even his hand could no longer hold on to his shield. A gust of wind swept across the wasteland, stirring the yellow sand. The scene was desolate and unbearably lonely.

High above, to the northwest, a strange blue light flashed. A mysterious aircraft appeared silently over Captain's head.

A vast shadow blocked out the light. Captain looked up sharply. "Wh-what is that?"

A voice sounded from inside the aircraft. "Target identified for apprehension. Name: Steve Rogers, the strongest Super Soldier. Weapon: Vibranium Shield. Initiating capture procedure."

As soon as the voice fell silent, the aircraft plunged downward. Seven or eight long mechanical arms shot out from its body, darting toward Captain like snakes emerging from their holes. But M Nation Captain wasn't about to surrender without a fight. He rolled aside in a flash and swung his arm back. With a bang, his shield knocked one of the mechanical arms away.

Captain sprang nimbly to his feet and panted. "What is this thing? Some kind of machine? Why is it attacking me?" He held his shield aloft, ready for anything.

At the same time, several more arms attacked him from every direction—front, back, left, right, above, and below. Exhausted, Rogers fought desperately to fend them off. After several minutes of struggle, Captain suddenly leaped into the air and hurled his shield at one arm's joint. With a clatter, the shield jammed the arm, stopping it from moving freely. At the same time, Captain lunged forward and grabbed another mechanical arm, rolling across the ground with it.

Every move showed M Nation Captain's wealth of combat experience and skill. Unfortunately, the other mechanical arms weren't idle. They suddenly wrapped around his waist and legs, and powerful currents crackled through him.

Captain let out a bloodcurdling roar. "Ahhh!" His head lolled to one side, and he finally lost consciousness. The mechanical arms hauled him into the aircraft, which then flew off into the distant sky.

Taking advantage of Captain's battle with Red Skull, the mysterious aircraft had struck when he was exhausted and reaped the rewards. Its timing had been perfect. Was this a coincidence, or had it all been carefully planned? What was the aircraft—and the mastermind behind it—plotting?

Half an hour later, a private plane arrived in the wasteland. Three passengers disembarked: Iron Man, Thor, and Hulk. Iron Man ran to the battlefield first.

Tony gritted his teeth in fury. "Damn it! We're too late!"

Thor spotted a body wearing a familiar black uniform—the distinctive outfit of a certain villain. "Is this Red Skull? Is he dead?"

Iron Man went over to look. The body's build and weight seemed about right, but it could still be an impostor. Red Skull was notorious for faking his own death.

The short-tempered Hulk slapped a boulder blocking his path out of the way and roared, "Rogers! Where are you? Answer Hulk!" He uprooted a tree and threw it away.

Iron Man patted Hulk on the shoulder. "Calm down, big guy. Everyone here is worried about Captain, not just you. If you settle down and come back to base, I'll buy you twenty servings of Boston roast suckling pig." Hulk shamelessly held up one hand. Tony sighed helplessly. "All right, all right. Fifty servings, then."

Tony turned to Thor. "Judging by the signs of battle, there was a fierce fight here. But it wasn't the only one. Especially after this guy, who might be Red Skull, died—there are signs of another intense battle. Look at the scorched earth. It shows that someone used electric attacks, because Captain doesn't fight that way. Honestly, I'm worried about him."

Thor reassured him. "Don't worry. The gods will protect a brave and loyal warrior and bring him safely home."

Iron Man shrugged and sighed. "Let's hope so. For some reason, I'm on edge. I have a terrible feeling, as though some world-ending disaster is about to strike."

Time flew by, and three months passed in the blink of an eye. The friends gathered for a meeting at Stark International Enterprise, Tony's headquarters. Those attending included Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, and Black Panther.

After months of searching, they still hadn't found Captain. They didn't even know whether he was alive. Thor was furious, while those Hydra scoundrels were causing chaos all over the world. "Damn it! I'll deal with them sooner or later!" he shouted, slamming his fist into the table and leaving a deep dent.

Tony wasn't wearing his armor. Having anticipated what was coming, he'd already picked up his coffee cup. Sure enough, the table shook with a clatter, and all the teacups toppled to the floor.

"Please, calm down. That was my last set of medieval antique teaware." Tony sighed. "I was going to show it off when I was trying to impress women."

Thor's face flushed with embarrassment. "Sorry. I'll get a set of the gods' silver tableware from Odin and give it to you as compensation."

Tony secretly grinned like a schemer. Yes! Divine tableware, here I come! In truth, Pepper had bought those things cheaply from a flea-market stall.

He turned to Black Panther. "Old friend, could you give me some more Vibranium from Wakanda? I want to make an office desk that no Superhero can break."

Black Panther chuckled. "Sure. The amount of Vibranium needed to make a desk, you say? I'll give you a twenty-percent discount. Just pay me with twenty percent of Stark International Enterprise."

Tony's face fell. "Talking about money? That's way too harsh. Besides, I can't afford it." His joke made everyone laugh.

His expression turned serious, and Tony said solemnly, "Speaking of Vibranium, the captain's shield is missing too. Even the miniature nano-tracker I installed in the gap in his shield as a precaution hasn't shown any signs of activity. And there's something wrong with the body dressed in Red Skull's uniform. It rapidly crumbled into ashes on the way to the lab for testing. My experts couldn't determine whether it was actually Red Skull."

Black Panther flipped through a stack of data on the table. "There's also the letter we found on Captain's desk. Handwriting analysis confirmed it was written by Red Skull himself. Captain knew that too, which is why he went alone to settle their grudge."

Everyone looked from one to another. They all knew how deeply Rogers hated Red Skull. The two had a bitter history, and countless comrades had died at Red Skull's hands. Given the chance to avenge them, Captain would never pass it up. Clearly, his enemy knew him well enough to use himself as bait and lure him into a private meeting. And then the honest, guileless Captain had walked straight into the trap.

Tony tapped the table with his index finger and suddenly said, "Everyone, I suspect this is a plot—a plot targeting Captain."

Hulk grabbed an apple and a banana from the fruit bowl and wolfed them down, then tossed an entire ham into his mouth. After a long, satisfied burp, he roared, spraying bits of food everywhere. "Hulk will tear apart the bastard who hurt Steve!"

Black Panther took out a handkerchief and wiped the juice splattered across his face. "Friends, there's a bigger problem than Hydra for us to worry about. According to Wakanda's global scanning satellites, violent unknown creatures have appeared all over the world at the same time. They're bloodthirsty and attacking ordinary citizens everywhere. They're impervious to bullets and blades. They move rather slowly but have immense strength. Modern weapons used by the military, police, and other government agencies barely hurt them. And..."

Black Panther paused, his expression grave. "Some second-tier heroes can no longer suppress them, and there have been casualties. According to the Superheroes' reports, these monsters have exceptionally tough bodies. Elemental attacks using fire, electricity, ice, and lasers don't work on them. Even if you tear them apart with brute force, they reproduce quickly. A single bite can turn an ordinary human into one of them. They're practically impossible to kill. There's no end to them."

The communicator on the table beeped, flashing red urgently.

Tony answered. "Hello, this is Tony. Mm. Send it over immediately. Hurry."

Before long, dense images and data appeared on the giant screen of the supercomputer beside them.

Tony glanced at it. "Everyone, this is information just sent over by Fury from S.H.I.E.L.D. They sacrificed a lot of agents to capture one of the monsters alive and dissect it. They found Captain's DNA inside its body. Clearly, someone took a blood sample from him and used it to create these monsters. This may well be connected to his disappearance."

The Avengers' faces changed when they heard that. None of them wanted to see a teammate exploited by villains and left to suffer. But this was the only lead they'd found on Captain in three months. He might still be alive, yet there was no way to rescue him. Their feelings were tangled as they looked at one another.

Tony gave a voice command. "Computer, start the autonomous analysis program. Check the database for any matches to these creatures."

Ten minutes later, the computer hummed and reported its findings. "The unknown organisms have been compared with all known mutants, extraterrestrial organisms, and native monsters. They have more than a 96 percent similarity to the ancient Chinese monster known as the Jiangshi. Warning: All known serums, antidotes, and healing abilities are ineffective against the Corpse Poison transmitted by bites from these Super Zombies. According to ancient records, only Taoists in ancient Huaxia could effectively cure the harm caused by Jiangshi. Taoist priests are also the experts best suited to eliminating them."

Tony tapped his fingers on the table, lost in thought. If Fury sent over the information, then they must know the results too. It looks like S.H.I.E.L.D. has no solution. Are we the only ones who can handle this?

Tony rested his chin on his hand, deep in thought. The other Avengers exchanged looks, shrugging and shaking their heads, equally at a loss. The only sound in the hall was Hulk chewing, with loud, messy crunches.

At last, Mr. Stark sprang to his feet and slammed the table, startling everyone. Tony seemed to have made a major decision. He looked up at them. "Everyone, follow me."

The lowest level of the building was off-limits to the Stark Family. Even Tony had only been down there twice. It seemed to hold painful memories he couldn't bear to revisit. When they reached an old room, Tony opened the door. Before them was a silver-gray spacecraft with a streamlined design and an ordinary-looking exterior.

Tony sighed and shook his head, as if trying to dispel his last trace of regret. Then he said, "More than ten years ago, using information my father left behind, I developed this time machine on my own. I wanted to travel back in time and prevent the tragedy that befell my parents. But I didn't know what changing the past would do to the future. The people and things I cherish here might disappear in turn. So I never made the journey."

At last, Tony made up his mind. "Friends, the world is in danger. People are suffering at the hands of monsters. I hate being powerless, so I've decided to travel into the past to find a savior: the exorcist heroes who have vanished from the modern world—the Taoist priests of Huaxia. Would anyone like to come with me? I should warn you that it'll be dangerous. Joining is entirely voluntary."

By now, Hulk had turned back into Banner. He threw away his ragged pants and changed into fresh clothes. "I'll go with you in the time machine. You'll need a copilot."

Thor stepped forward. "Thor will go with you." As he spoke, he touched the hammer at his waist.

Black Panther was just about to speak, but Tony waved him off. "Sorry, buddy, there are only three seats. Stay here and coordinate everything. Keep an eye on the monsters' movements." Black Panther nodded, reluctantly giving up on the idea of going with them.

Some era, some time, some place.

Guan Heng, wearing a yellow Taoist robe patterned with the Eight Trigrams, pointed his peachwood sword at his old rival and laughed. "Jiangshi, that's the 437th time I've cornered you! Quit squirming and accept your death!" Though he was only in his early twenties, he was the only Demon Exorcist in the world. He'd been at it for nearly ten years.

The old Jiangshi looked alarmed. "Master Guan, can't you let me go just once more? I'm the only Jiangshi left on Earth. If you kill me, you'll—you'll be out of a job!"

Guan Heng's hand slowly lowered the peachwood sword. "Well, I suppose you have a point." But he suddenly lifted his face. "Except I'm sick of this chase! Ten whole years of running after you—I'm bored to death!" With a flick of his sleeve, he produced three talismans and tossed them forward. In the blink of an eye, they surrounded Jiangshi.

The Demon Exorcist sneered. "Thunderous Lightning Fiery Whirlwind Tri-Curse Fusion!" A cart-sized ring of fire closed around Jiangshi, and flames surged up in an instant.

Jiangshi screamed in the flames. "You'll regret it when you have no one to keep you company!"

Guan Heng spat at his body as it burned away. "I won't regret a thing." Then he looked up at the sky and sighed. "I'm really out of work this time."

Just then, a silver-gray time machine suddenly appeared in the sky.

Chapter 2: The Mysterious Ancient Sword and Dragon Heart Flame

Guan Heng rubbed his eyes and stared at the time machine in bewilderment. "What the heck is that?" In the blink of an eye, it landed, and three people climbed out: Iron Man in his armor, Thor with a hammer hanging at his waist, and Banner, who was still in his normal form.

Thor pointed at Guan Heng and turned to Iron Man. "Tony, is this kid that, uh, Taoist priest? He doesn't look like much."

Indeed, Guan Heng had thick black curls and stood barely six feet tall. Though his features were neat, beside Thor he looked like a bean sprout.

Smack! A Blazing Fire Talisman landed on Thor's head. "What kind of idiot comes here to mock your Taoist master? Fire!" Guan Heng chanted a spell, and Thor's head immediately turned black with soot.

Patting and swatting at his head until the fire went out, Thor said, "I believe you, I believe you. This guy's definitely a Taoist priest!" His soot-blackened face twisted with anger as he grumbled, "Hurry up and take him away. We'll explain on the way." Iron Man didn't bother with pleasantries. They were short on time, so he and Thor grabbed Guan Heng by the arms and carried him into the time machine.

"You're kidnapping me! Somebody help!" Before Guan Heng could struggle much, Thor struck first and knocked him unconscious with a punch.

After a while, Guan Heng woke up, shaking his head. "Who hit me from behind? Fight me one-on-one!" When he saw Thor wave a fist as big as a wine bowl, he swallowed the rest of his words. Damn it. A fellow Taoist can wait ten years for revenge. I'll get you sooner or later.

Tony lifted his faceplate and explained what had happened. Guan Heng slapped his thigh with delight. "So my Exorcism Magic and Corpse Extermination Secret Method are useful again! Ha ha! I'm in. We'll wipe out those rotten corpses and Supervillains together. Heh, Guan Heng's going to be a Superhero too!" Though he was a Taoist priest, he'd watched plenty of comics and movies, and knew the Superheroes quite well.

Thor gave him a cold look. "But your fighting ability is pathetic. You couldn't even take one punch from me."

Guan Heng's face darkened. He really wanted to pull out a pile of talismans and blow Thor's face to pieces, but the man had a point. With Guan Heng's build, he could practice Taoist magic and catch Jiangshi, but compared with the Superheroes, he was as useless as trying to lift tender tofu with a hemp rope.

Iron Man suddenly gave a dry laugh and spoke as though to himself. "My dad took part in the Rebirth Project back in the day, and kept one vial of the original Super Serum. I don't know what side effects it might have, so I've kept it as a memento of him. Dear Guan..." Tony's face was suddenly shrouded in shadow, a dark smile emerging. "For world peace and to make you stronger, I'll have to put you through a little discomfort. Thor, hold him tight. I'm about to do this."

Pinned in Thor's bear hug, Guan Heng burst into tears. "I'm not doing it! Let me go home! I still have to sweep the White Cloud Temple!"

Guan Heng struggled with all his might, refusing to be a tame lab rat. Tony gritted his teeth. "Will you stop struggling? We're traveling through time! What if something goes wrong? Who'll be responsible?"

Before Tony had even finished speaking, Guan Heng flung a shoe at his face. Tony dodged, and it hit Banner, who was sitting in the pilot's seat, on the back of the head. Banner instantly went berserk. "Who was that? Who hit Hulk on the head?"

Hulk punched Thor squarely in his enormous face. Thor immediately released Guan Heng, and Tony's needle plunged into Guan Heng's neck.

Guan Heng's eyes rolled back. Just before he passed out, he murmured, "Tony, someday I'll get you back for this..." His head drooped, and he fainted.

Guan Heng didn't know how long had passed when he suddenly felt alternating waves of heat and cold. Hmm, where am I? He jolted awake and sat up. "Ah-choo! It's freezing!"

A face suddenly leaned close. "You're awake."

Guan Heng recoiled in shock. "Hey, who are you? Where am I?"

The man smiled. "This is the Kunlun Secret Realm in the Himalayan Region. My name is Daniel Rand. I'm also known as Iron Fist. My friend Tony brought you here because he thinks you need training. All right, stop thinking about cursing him. Tony's already left."

Guan Heng tilted his head and thought for a while. I think I've heard of this guy. Well, I'm already here, so I might as well make the most of it. He said, "Mr. Rand, how are you planning to train me?"

Rand replied, "It's simple. First, you have to survive on your own. Once you can do that, you'll have taken the first step."

After that, Guan Heng faced an extremely brutal training regimen.

According to Daniel, this was the peak of Kunlun Mountain in Huaxia's Tibetan region. About once every ten years, a legendary heavenly city called Kunlun City reappeared in the human world. By chance, Daniel's father, Wendell Rand, had lost control of his plane and crashed into this heavenly city. Daniel trained in martial arts at one of the city's temples and earned the title of Iron Fist. He could use his chi to turn his fists into iron.

Wendell Rand's son, Daniel Rand, was born in New York. When Daniel was nine, he and his parents climbed the mountain again in search of the mysterious Kunlun City. That was when Wendell died in an accident, and Daniel's mother was eaten alive by wolves. Daniel fled in a panic, but warriors from Kunlun City found him. They took him in as a disciple, and he became a monk at the temple, where he learned a powerful Iron Fist style. Daniel Rand was the 134th person to hold the title of Iron Fist. Apart from his father, all 132 of his predecessors had been Chinese.

Kunlun City had a secret area called the Chamber of Spirit and Time. People with strong willpower could spend a long time inside. A year spent within was only one hour in the outside world. Each person could enter just once in their lifetime. With time short, Daniel and Guan Heng, who had never been inside, went in to practice their boxing.

Perhaps because of the Super Serum, Guan Heng made astonishing progress. His body grew stronger and more muscular. In less than a year, he had mastered all the boxing techniques. As he put it, "Kung fu is the easiest thing in the world for me to learn. After all, it's something unique to my country."

By now, Guan Heng's fists could easily punch through barrels filled with stones and iron sand. He had never lost a sparring match against Daniel Rand. A year passed in no time.

One day, Daniel and Guan Heng left the Chamber of Spirit and Time. In the outside world, only twenty-four hours had passed.

At the entrance to a huge cavern, Daniel looked at the young man before him. His muscles were well-proportioned and his physique powerful, giving him a remarkably fierce appearance. "Guan Heng, you've trained hard this past year, and the results have been impressive. Now you'll face the ultimate challenge in Kunlun City. Once you pass, you'll receive the highest honor."

Daniel pointed to the huge cavern in front of them. "Walk to the end of this cave, and you'll meet the most powerful opponent of your life. Defeat it and claim the inheritance that belongs to you. That's your trial."

Guan Heng rubbed his chin and rolled his eyes. "Rand, what kind of opponent is it? Can you give me a hint?"

Daniel shook his head. "Everyone encounters a different opponent. This cavern can turn the image of your inner nemesis into a powerful, tangible being. If you don't want to be consumed by your inner darkness, defeat it. That's all I can tell you."

Seeing how mysterious Daniel was being, Guan Heng curled his lip. "Fine. If you won't tell me, you won't tell me. It's probably just some exaggeration to scare me." He walked into the cave and headed straight for the end.

Daniel shrugged. "Good luck, Guan Heng," he murmured.

At the far end, a huge shadow breathed out a foul stench and looked down on him as if he were some lowly creature. Guan Heng cried out, "What the heck is that thing?"

It was a Dark Dragon. Its enormous body seemed rotten, crawling with maggots, and some parts showed stark white bones. Guan Heng knew that stench all too well.

It was unmistakably the smell of a Jiangshi. It was a Zombie Dragon!

Before Guan Heng could think further, the dragon swung a claw at him with the force of wind and thunder. Guan Heng flipped backward through the air and landed on the stone wall. One hand reached into his robes as he cursed inwardly. Ever since that bastard Iron Man brought me to this world, I haven't had a chance to replenish my talismans. I only have a few left. I don't know if they'll be enough.

Grinding his teeth, he took out two talismans and flicked them at the Zombie Dragon. "Blazing flames, obey my command!" Both talismans landed squarely over its eyes. Two trails of black smoke rose with a sizzling sound. The dragon roared in pain. Its eyes had been burned blind. Enraged, it tried to lunge forward, but the thick iron chain around its neck rattled, keeping it from moving. The other end of the chain was firmly fastened to the stone wall.

Guan Heng was delighted. "So it can't move." Since it can't move, I'll look for a chance to kill it. Given its size, his bare hands probably wouldn't be enough. Where's a weapon? Damn it. I should've prepared in advance.

Suddenly, a flash of light appeared above him. He looked carefully and saw a sword hilt deeply embedded in the ceiling. It was directly above the dragon's head.

Guan Heng clenched his teeth. "I'll risk it this time." Gathering all his strength, he suddenly kicked off with both legs and launched himself toward the ceiling. At last, both hands closed tightly around the sword hilt. The dragon seemed to sense death drawing near and roared frantically, its voice shaking the cave. Guan Heng nearly fell.

At that moment, the sword loosened in the stone. Rock chips showered down, and its three-foot blade flashed coldly as he pulled it free. Gripping the sword, Guan Heng plunged down and drove it deep into the dragon's forehead. The blade continued downward, splitting the dragon's body cleanly in two.

Yet not a drop of blood spilled out. With a clang, a brazier containing Dragon Heart Flame fell in front of Guan Heng. Remembering Kunlun City's secret legend about the ultimate Iron Fist inheritance, Guan Heng suddenly understood. He thrust both fists into the brazier, letting the flames engulf them.

A mighty power surged through his body. A black dragon-shaped mark appeared on Guan Heng's chest: proof that he was the Son of the Divine Dragon and the inheritor of Iron Fist.

He turned to look. The treasured sword was stuck in the ground, still trembling slightly. Guan Heng smiled. "You helped me slay the dragon. You deserve a reward too. Let's see how you like this fiery baptism." He drew the sword and lowered its blade into the brazier.

He'd done it on a whim, but the instant the blade touched the flames, it rang out like a sword song, sounding joyful. In an instant, it absorbed all the Dragon Heart Flame.