Kunlun in the Marvel Universe is located within a pocket dimension on Kunlun Mountain, and its gates open once every ten years. Kunlun generally does not interfere in external affairs, and it also strictly forbids its people from teaching martial arts to outsiders; violators will be directly expelled from Kunlun.
In prehistoric times, about one million years ago, Earth was mostly inhabited by primitive cavemen, but a group of humans appeared among them whose level of evolution far exceeded their kin. They not only possessed an appearance and intelligence close to modern humans, but they also had abilities far beyond ordinary people.
The superpowers of these individuals were either innate, granted by hosting super powers, influenced by Mephisto's manipulation, derived from mysterious herbs of ancient kingdoms, or from the heart of the dragon Shou-Lao the Undying. They were Odin, Agamotto, Firehair (the first human host of the Phoenix Force), the prehistoric Ghost Rider, the prehistoric Black Panther, and Fan Fei.
There was a prehistoric Starbrand, an extremely strong primitive man who could not speak and had to rely on Fan Fei to convey his meaning. Fan Fei, female, originated from Kunlun. She was a powerful martial artist, the first Iron Fist, a member of the prehistoric Avengers, and the most notorious criminal in the history of Kunlun! The last point was determined by Kunlun.
The reason was that when she went out of Kunlun, she witnessed cavemen on Earth being hunted and slaughtered by beasts, so she chose to violate Kunlun's rules and taught Kunlun's martial arts to the primitive cavemen. Such behavior was seen as staining Kunlun's most sacred traditions and became Fan Fei's monstrous crime.
Kunlun believed that teaching martial arts was leaking Kunlun's secrets, so they had to reclaim these secrets. The method of reclamation was simple: drag back all the cavemen Fan Fei had taught and dispose of them. The method of disposal was to throw them into the cave filled with scorching flames, where the dragon Shou-Lao the Undying resided.
Fan Fei was originally willing to accept punishment, but seeing this, she actively pleaded for the cavemen, saying the fault was hers, not theirs. But Kunlun ignored this. The cavemen were executed, and in extreme anger, Fan Fei fought back. After defeating Shou-Lao the Undying, she obtained the power of the Iron Fist for the first time.
However, because she was immediately expelled from Kunlun, although she was the undisputed first Iron Fist, she was not Kunlun's first generation Iron Fist. This also shows how stubborn Kunlun truly is.
However, having said that, the original people of Kunlun actually had no connection with Earth life; they were all proper aliens, and the pocket dimension where Kunlun is located was formed when their spaceship tore through space upon landing. The above understanding comes from the comic book universe.
Whether the current movie universe is the same remains unknown, but judging from the real, non-projected fragments of Dragon Power, this Shou-Lao the Undying is definitely not ordinary. From the history of one million years ago, it can be seen that Kunlun is an alien race that strictly adheres to traditions and is unwilling to change.
Although they have the same physical features as local humans, they cannot actually be lumped together. Even today, as Kunlun has gradually accepted Earthlings into its fold and even allowed Earthlings to become the Iron Fist, they still hold fast to many rules from millions of years ago or even longer.
At this time in Kunlun, amidst the vast mountains and wilderness, a town lay quietly silent between the peaks. It was still early, and there were few pedestrians in the palace squares or on the paths. To the north of the town, there was a high mountain, and in the mountainside, there was a cave.
Inside the cave, Lei Kung, who once had a brief meeting with Hong Fei and was defeated in one move, stood at the entrance. Inside the dim cave, a dark yellow light flickered gently, with a frequency resembling breathing. Before long, a middle-aged man walked over from a distance. After the two met, they went deep into the cave together.
Before long, an unusual sound rang out inside the cave, sounding as if someone were watching TV. More than an hour later, the two left together, and the flickering frequency of the dark yellow light in the cave was quietly accelerating.
"The Yu-Ti, he is not an ordinary person," Lei Kung said as he walked. The Yu-Ti's face was calm and unruffled, always appearing stern and serious.
Hearing Lei Kung's words, no change could be seen on his face, and he only opened his mouth slightly to say, "I know." Lei Kung continued, "We are not his match."
"I know."
"The Iron Fist power in Danny's body is completely gone; he stripped away the Iron Fist power. And from his increasingly powerful performance now, it can be seen that he has already mastered and is utilizing the power of Shou-Lao the Undying very well."
"Hmm."
"I have met him once. Although I don't know where he got the information, I can be sure that he definitely knows about Kunlun and also knows about Shou-Lao the Undying. Under these circumstances, he will definitely come knocking on our door."
The Yu-Ti nodded slightly. Seeing this, Lei Kung paused, and called out in a rather solemn tone, "The Yu-Ti!"
The Yu-Ti stopped, turned, and looked back.
"We cannot continue to wait like this; this will only lead us to sit and await death!"
The Yu-Ti's brows moved slightly, "What ideas do you have?"
"Gather everyone in Kunlun, start martial law from today, and at the same time, prepare as much as possible to expel outsiders at the entrance." The Yu-Ti said without hesitation, "Very well, you handle it."
"Good!" Lei Kung nodded heavily, then added, "Also, I hope to go out again. This time I want to take more people, not only to understand and investigate everything around him more comprehensively, but also to take this opportunity to find some helpers."
The Yu-Ti finally frowned. After thinking for a moment, he shook his head and said, "Taking people out is fine, and investigating is also fine, but you must be careful. Finding helpers is not allowed."
The first two sentences made Lei Kung's expression ease slightly, but the last sentence made him puzzled, "Why not?"
"People outside are rarely trustworthy. Those who are hostile to him are not necessarily good people either. If we want to find people to help, we would have to bring them into Kunlun. This is equivalent to us actively exposing our existence to the outside world, which will bring great trouble to Kunlun."
"But the current situation is different. Without helpers, it is almost impossible for us to win. Moreover, Shou-Lao the Undying has not yet completed his reincarnation, and we cannot estimate when he will return. This is an imminent crisis right before our eyes!"
Lei Kung stepped forward to the Yu-Ti and earnestly advised, "Yu-Ti, I know the importance of rules. For all these years, I have been strictly observing and supervising everyone in executing Kunlun's rules. But the situation we are about to face is different from the past hundreds, thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of years. Past experience cannot help us solve such trouble; we must adopt new methods."
Throughout the whole process of his speaking, the Yu-Ti was just quietly looking at him, remaining silent throughout. After he finished speaking, the Yu-Ti paused and replied, "Did Danny teach you this?"
Lei Kung's expression froze.
"Yes, but not entirely. Our understanding of him comes from the outside internet. Though Danny had lost his power, his mind remained sharp—"
The Yu-Ti abruptly shook his head, cutting him off.
"Forgive my bluntness, Lei Kung, but I've seen no wisdom worth praising in him. Not even as your disciple."
Lei Kung's eye twitched.
"I know," he said quickly. "But his understanding of the outside world surpasses ours. We used to ignore what happened beyond our borders, but times have changed."
He leaned forward, voice low.
"Those outside are no longer primitive. They wield powerful weapons, advanced technology, superhumans who rival us. The old ways no longer apply."
The Yu-Ti listened in silence. For a long moment, neither spoke.
Finally, the Yu-Ti shook his head again.
"I understand your concerns, but I cannot agree."
"Why?"
Lei Kung's frown deepened.
"You're right—the past may no longer guide us. But rules are rules. Even if we must adapt, we cannot abandon our principles."
"And when he comes tomorrow? What then? How do we resist?"
"With force. With life. With blood."
"Then Kunlun falls."
"No."
The Yu-Ti's rebuttal was flat. His gaze drifted past Lei Kung to the distant cave, its mouth flickering with faint light.
"Shou-Lao the Undying won't allow him to run rampant here. There can only be one Dragon King in this universe."
Lei Kung hesitated.
"But Shou-Lao—"
"Enough."
The Yu-Ti raised a hand.
"Our task is to make Shou-Lao understand his position. If he dares come, we'll reclaim the Dragon Power."
Lei Kung followed his gaze. As he watched the cave's pulsing glow, something brilliant flashed in his eyes.
Sokovia
Hong Fei lay sprawled on a chair, baking in the sun. His skin gleamed like polished bone, the light seeping deep beneath the surface. With each breath, the glow pulsed faintly across his chest.
"Mr. Pierce," he drawled into the phone, "did I hear you right? You want me to help you capture Steve?"
His tone dripped with exaggerated disbelief.
On the other end, Pierce chuckled.
"That's correct. At this point, you're my only hope."
"What about the Avengers? Did they finally grow spines and disobey you?"
"They're... sentimental. Hesitant to act against an old friend."
"And you think I'm the better choice?"
Hong Fei snorted.
"I'm the one who dug Steve out of that iceberg. We go way back."
"But we're partners now. Allies under the same banner."
"Tsk, that's not the same."
"How is it not the same?"
"Steve Rogers isn't just some mark."
Hong Fei's voice sharpened.
"He's my friend. My brother."
"So?"
"You want me to betray him? Fine. But it'll cost you extra."