Chapter Summaries

Kang De, Lily, and A Xing pursued Cuixisi through the collapsing underground world as the River of Origin burst from the shattered crystal pillar and flooded the caverns. Cuixisi revealed his plan to make Lily the final sacrifice, and Kang De recognized his words as a voice from his own past before ordering the others to kill him.

• Kang De warned Lily and A Xing to use the mysterious energy in their armor if they reached a critical moment, then followed them toward the shattered sixth crystal pillar.
• Kang De witnessed a Space-Time Flashback showing an ancient woman sacrifice herself as a crystal pillar channeled energy underground, then used the crystal locations to identify a six-pointed star.
• A Xing sensed a violent change beneath them, and Kang De flew with Lily and A Xing away as the shattered pillar erupted with the purple River of Origin.
• The River of Origin flooded the underground world, and Cuixisi, empowered by its energy, declared that Lily would be his final sacrifice.
• Kang De recognized Cuixisi's claim that fate could not be changed as words branded into his memory and shouted for the others to kill him.

Kang De and his allies battled the distorted Cuixisi, who drew seemingly endless power from the River of Origin. After Kang De turned Cuixisi’s own attack against him through the Phase Gate, the fight resumed with Cuixisi charging Kang De while Lily and A Xing moved to sever his river-rooted tentacles.

• Cuixisi used the River of Origin to fuel a devastating beam, forcing Lily to flee with A Xing while Kang De attacked through the Phase Gate.
• A Xing drew Cuixisi’s attention away from Lily, and Kang De sent a fiery meteor through the Phase Gate to strike the dragon.
• Cuixisi destroyed the meteor and fired into the Phase Gate, but Kang De warped space in the White Mist World and redirected the beam back at him.
• Cuixisi’s shield and beam collapsed in a power-feedback failure, causing his body to rupture as Kang De and his allies attacked.
• Cuixisi recovered, but Kang De repeatedly deflected his attacks through the Phase Gate, so Cuixisi flew at him while Lily and A Xing approached his tentacles rooted in the river.
• Someone shouted for the tentacles to be cut off.

Kang De, A Xing, and Lily fought Cuixisi in the underground world, where his endless power and growing mutations made the battle increasingly dangerous. Kang De severed Cuixisi’s energy-feeding tentacles and turned the dragon’s own attack against him, leaving Cuixisi badly wounded as Kang De named himself the Chosen of the God of Creation.

• Kang De kept Cuixisi occupied with firepower and spatial movement while weighing the danger of using a powerful mass attack underground.
• A Xing and Lily attacked the tentacles feeding Cuixisi from the River of Origin, but his shield and spawned creatures drove them back.
• Cuixisi pursued Lily and A Xing, while Kang De reached a tentacle and used Extraction to sever it.
• Cuixisi’s attack struck Kang De’s Phase Gate and was reflected into his own shield, causing another collapse and injuring him.
• Kang De, A Xing, and Lily severed the remaining main tentacles and tore up Cuixisi’s smaller roots.
• Kang De opened a Phase Gate and declared himself the Chosen of the God of Creation, Sword of Deterrence, and Fire Thief.

Kang De and his allies tried to banish Cuixisi from the River of Origin, but extracting its pure mysterious elements revealed a memory of A Xing as the Light Bearer and broke Kang De’s concentration. As Cuixisi pursued Kang De and Lily, A Xing awakened her sealed memories and vanished into the River of Origin after clashing with him.

• Kang De, A Xing, Lily, and Horus battered Cuixisi and tried to force him through a Phase Gate into the White Mist World before he could reach the River of Origin.
• Cuixisi absorbed splashed mysterious elements from the river, strengthening his shield and resisting the Phase Gate as Kang De extracted the pure substance.
• Kang De received soul fragments showing the Light Bearer, recognized her as A Xing, and lost control of the Phase Gate; it closed after cutting part of Cuixisi’s chest and abdomen.
• Lily broke her armor’s restraining device, unleashed more power, and carried Kang De away while Cuixisi pursued them.
• A Xing broke her own restraining device, endured the memories and pain that surged back, and charged Cuixisi; after their powers collided, she fell into the River of Origin and disappeared without a ripple.

After A Xing fell into the River of Origin and Cuixisi gravely wounded Lily, Kang De sent Lily away with Horus and chose to face Cuixisi alone. He entered the river, survived by absorbing its mysterious element, and opened a Phase Gate that brought the Grewind Swarm back into the mortal world.

• A Xing fell into the River of Origin, and Kang De tried to reach her before Cuixisi attacked and wounded Lily.
• Kang De cleared the aberrant corrosion from Lily but feared the White Mist World might erase her, so he ordered Horus to take her to safety.
• Kang De stayed behind to fight Cuixisi and plunged into the River of Origin, where the Power of the Fire Thief absorbed the mysterious element without harming him.
• Kang De accepted the risks of his fate and opened a Phase Gate beneath Zhuerban, summoning the Grewind Swarm through it into the mortal world.

Kang De used the Grewind Swarm and the Fire Thief's power to overpower Cuixisi and drain the river sustaining him, but a surge of mysterious Elements let Cuixisi escape downstream. After a Time Flashback revealed A Xing's connection to the river's origins and showed her disappearing at its end, Kang De followed the river to find her.

• Kang De summoned the Grewind Swarm, which formed armor and shields to block Cuixisi's attacks and helped him strike back with the Fire Thief's power.
• Kang De's swarm devoured Cuixisi's claw and burrowed into his body, while Cuixisi drew on the River of Origin to regenerate and keep fighting.
• Kang De opened the Phase Gate to drain the river into the White Mist World and trapped Cuixisi as the water and his power dwindled.
• A violent surge of mysterious Elements disrupted the battle, allowing Cuixisi to break free and flee downstream toward the Chamber of Ascension.
• Kang De experienced a Time Flashback that showed six ancients creating the river from the essence of Black Beasts and A Xing disappearing at its end.
• Kang De resolved to find A Xing and traveled downstream with the Grewind Swarm.

After Horus carried the injured Lily away from Kang De, they discovered that two corrupted dragon corpses had vanished, suggesting the mysterious substance could transform the dead. At the surface, Stella reported that four dragons had escaped the fortress and split up, leaving Lily and Horus to wonder where Kang De was and what the dragons intended.

• Horus refused Lily’s request to return to Kang De, explaining that he trusted Kang De’s judgment and had to take her to safety.
• Lily and Horus found the dragon corpse missing from the blue-zone crystal flowers and suspected it had taken human form.
• They searched the place where Aocheweier had fallen and found his corpse missing as well, confirming that the mysterious substance could transform dead dragons.
• Lily and Horus rushed to the underground entrance and emerged at the damaged steel fortress, where Stella met them with her forces.
• Stella told Lily that four dragons had broken through the fortress and fled, splitting up as they flew beyond Goth’s territorial waters.

After Kang De stayed underground to fight, Horus helped Stella regain her composure and plan how to protect Goth from the threat of the mutated dragons and approaching fleets. Lily and Horus set out to warn the dragon legion, while an urgent dispatch revealed that foreign fleets were heading toward Qilin Cape.

• Stella demanded to know where Kang De was, and Lily told her he was still fighting the enemy underground.
• Horus reassured Stella and repeated Kang De’s praise and apology, prompting her to take charge of Goth’s defense.
• Horus and Stella concluded that the apparently dead dragons might be trying to spread a conspiracy and draw outside forces into the underground world.
• Stella explained that fleets from the empire, the council, Twilight Moon, and other powers were approaching Goth, likely unaware of Kang De’s forbidden spell.
• Lily said the Dragon Emperor wanted evidence, so she and Horus prepared to show the dragon legion’s leader that the missing dragons were already dead.
• A messenger delivered an urgent report that the nations’ fleets were heading toward Qilin Cape.

Foreign powers fueled rumors to weaken Goth and test whether Kang De could return, and Tina rejected compromise in favor of a bloody crackdown. As Hong San pledged Kang De’s troops to her cause, events elsewhere worsened while Kang De reached the source of the Purple River underground.

• Foreign fleets and troops approached Goth as rumors accused Kang De of seeking Goth’s hidden treasure and abandoning the country.
• Hilmeria urged Tina to stall by distancing Goth from Kang De and promising to share the mysterious element, but Tina refused to betray him even as a pretense.
• Tina declared that the rumor-mongers should be killed, and Hong San arrived with Kang De’s forces, agreeing to carry out her orders.
• Stella mobilized troops in Azure Waves Province and sent warnings to the national fleets, while Lily and Horus were denied refuge by the Dragon Legion.
• Kang De followed the underground current to the source where the Purple River’s waters converged.

Kang De pursued Cuixisi through the River of Origin, torn between finding A Xing and protecting Goth as the Sound of Doomsday’s apparent fate forced him toward an impossible choice. While Hong San brutally suppressed unrest in Goth and foreign fleets closed in, Kang De and Cuixisi reached the river’s end.

• Kang De relentlessly attacked Cuixisi with the Grewind Swarm as both raced toward the Chamber of Ascension and Kang De searched for A Xing.
• Cuixisi revealed that the other dragons had revived and were spreading accusations against Kang De to destabilize Goth and draw powerful forces toward the River of Origin.
• Kang De rejected Cuixisi’s appeal to return to Goth, declaring that he would destroy everyone rather than accept the choices fate had set before him.
• Hong San mobilized Goth’s forces, suppressed suspected conspirators, and used lethal force against nobles and agents accused of treason.
• Foreign fleets entered Goth’s waters as its coastal defense fleet stood aside, and Kang De and Cuixisi reached the end of the River of Origin.

Kang De and Cuixisi were swept from the River of Origin into an unknown realm, where Kang De vowed to make it Cuixisi’s burial ground. In Goth, Tina defended her hardline course against a hostile audience, but Grand Duke Reknos arrived and apologized to her.

• Kang De and Cuixisi fought downstream through the River of Origin until it carried them into a strange realm among the stars.
• Kang De discovered he could no longer reach the White Mist World, and he attacked Cuixisi after declaring the realm his burial ground.
• Tina faced accusations in Maple Leaf Palace and argued that Goth had to stand on its own and prepare for conflict rather than submit to foreign demands.
• Tina ordered Hong San to record the name of a noble who accused her of serving Kang De, then condemned the audience for turning against Goth’s interests.
• Grand Duke Reknos entered the hall, ignored the calls for guidance, and apologized to Tina.

As the major powers pressured Goth to divide its interests while Kang De remained underground, the dragon Cuixisi manipulated the Holy Empire’s fleet and fought Kang De over the mysterious energy. Kang De reached a vast plaza and encountered A Xing, who began speaking to him as the final Space-Time Flashback unfolded.

• The joint fleets blockaded Distant Harbor while the major powers tried to force Goth into accepting a partition treaty before Kang De returned.
• The dragon Luzi recovered aboard the Black Pine Forest and urged the Imperials to attack Goth, while the dragon inside him seized control and ordered the captain to assault the city.
• Kang De pursued the aberrant Cuixisi through the world beneath Goth, and their battle carried them to a plaza containing an enormous metal sphere.
• Kang De saw A Xing near the sphere and ran toward her, but she spoke as though addressing him across time and space.
• A Xing told Kang De that the Light Bearers had made a final sacrifice, then began to explain what had brought them together.

Kang De heard the ancient Light Bearer explain how she and her people had used Akatum and the Paradox Engine to send their legacy back across time. Their exchange ended with her embracing him and passing on hope, leaving Kang De with new understanding of the mysterious element and a possibility beyond fate.

• The ancient Light Bearer told Kang De that his guidance had helped her people build their last city and face the end of their epoch with dignity.
• She explained that her final mission was to return their preserved spiritual legacy, including the Paradox Engine, to Kang De through a closed loop in time.
• Kang De realized that the purple river and mysterious element he had feared were the legacy the Light Bearer had promised to return.
• The Light Bearer said that she and her people believed fate could be changed, then reached out to touch Kang De despite being unable to see or feel him.
• She embraced Kang De and passed a profound power and understanding into him before saying how wonderful it would be if they could truly meet.

Kang De and Yasha completed the Paradox Engine’s time-spanning loop, and Yasha departed before A Xing awoke. When Cuixisi attacked, Kang De and A Xing stopped him with the Engine’s power, and Kang De revealed that seven dragons had been offered as sacrifices.

• Yasha told Kang De her name, then poured herself into the Paradox Engine and vanished as the Spark reignited.
• A Xing awoke in Kang De’s arms with no memory of the time-spanning encounter, and he reassured her as they reunited.
• Cuixisi attacked Kang De in a frenzy, insisting that the Dragon God’s ascension ritual and his own chosen destiny could not have been false.
• Kang De and A Xing joined hands and used the Paradox Engine to freeze Cuixisi and restrain the power within him.
• Kang De told Cuixisi that seven dragons had been offered as sacrifices.

Foreign agents stirred unrest in Distant Harbor while an Aberrant Dragon tried to make the imperial fleet attack Goth, but the elves’ warning halted the assault. Kang De defeated Cuixisi and activated the Paradox Engine, which opened a route out of the independent plane and left Kang De and A Xing needing a ship.

• Spies and traitors spread rumors blaming Kang De and the grand duke, provoking unrest and clashes between Goth People and Cathayans in Distant Harbor.
• An Aberrant Dragon-controlled captain ordered the imperial fleet to attack Goth, but the elven fleet issued an ultimatum that made the imperial sailors hesitate.
• Horus explained to Lily that they could only wait for Kang De, while the elves prepared to respond to the imperial fleet’s next move.
• Kang De defeated Cuixisi, whose accumulated power flowed into the Paradox Engine alongside Yasha’s power.
• Kang De and A Xing activated the Paradox Engine, opened a spatial gate, and realized they might need a ship to leave the plane.

The distorted dragon Luzi and other corrupted dragons attacked the Imperial and Arcane Council fleets, then turned toward Distant Harbor as the elven fleet withdrew. As Lily, Horus, and Stella prepared to defend the city, Kang De arrived through a Phase Gate aboard the steel warship Knight Astolfo and prepared to fight.

• Master Niola ordered the Azure Fleet to leave Goth's waters after detecting the Imperial fleet preparing to attack Distant Harbor, but Luzi transformed aboard the Hidden Friar and rammed the Spear of Frost.
• Distorted dragons attacked both the Council and Imperial fleets, while the elven commander ordered his fleet to withdraw and Lily and Horus flew toward Distant Harbor.
• When more corrupted dragons approached Distant Harbor, Lily and Horus moved to hold them off, and Stella refused to evacuate and ordered the defenders to battle.
• Kang De's Knight Astolfo emerged from a Phase Gate and opened fire on three twisted dragons threatening Lily.
• Kang De ordered the Knight Astolfo's weapons readied and its air-raid alarm sounded as its war platforms and turrets deployed over Distant Harbor.

Kang De arrived at Distant Harbor aboard the steel warship Knight Astolfo and tore into the aberrant dragons and corrupted fleets. As the warship entered the enemy formation, Kang De ordered every gun to fire on the Black Pine Forest at point-blank range.

• Master Niola recognized Kang De’s steel warship as it emerged from a Phase Gate and realized it was engaging the aberrant dragons.
• The Knight Astolfo’s air defenses shot down the diving dragons, astonishing the elven commander and the people watching from Distant Harbor.
• Kang De’s ship destroyed two corrupted warships with its 105 mm turret as the remaining enemy vessels turned to attack.
• Kang De used a Phase Gate to move the Knight Astolfo behind the aberrant fleet and charge between the ships.
• Kang De ordered the Knight Astolfo’s guns to blow the Black Pine Forest away at close range.

Kang De’s steel warship destroyed the six parasitized battleships of the Holy Empire’s Fourth Detachment and ordered the surviving fleets to surrender. When the aberrant dragons fled, Kang De launched missiles after them, leaving their pursuit underway.

• Kang De teleported his steel warship beside the Black Pine Forest and unleashed its guns, destroying the ship and the other five parasitized battleships.
• Kang De declared the surviving imperial sailors prisoners and ordered the remaining fleet vessels to withdraw and await surrender.
• Master Niola asked Kang De to save the crews aboard the corrupted ships, but Kang De rejected his request and ordered the uncorrupted vessels to surrender.
• Master Niola ordered his crews to abandon the parasitized ships, then warned Kang De as the aberrant dragons broke free and fled.
• Kang De activated the PAAMS System and launched eight Aster-30 missiles after the escaping dragons.

After the Battle of Distant Harbor, foreign officials recognized that Kang De’s warship and tactics threatened to reshape warfare, while Kang De treated the surviving dragons and took command of the surrendered fleets. He reunited with Stella, then returned to Danfeng Lucerne and learned that Tina had been placed under house arrest.

• Master Niola reported to the Arcane Council that Kang De’s steel warship had put its naval development far ahead of theirs.
• Commodore Kavilonsa warned Twilight Moon’s parliament that Kang De’s guided missiles and aerial tactics threatened its fleet and heralded a new age of warfare.
• The Holy Empire’s ministers heard confused accounts from surviving officers and comforted themselves that Kang De’s warship could not cross a land border.
• Lily reunited with Kang De aboard the Knight Afu and asked him to treat eight surviving, injured dragons; Kang De agreed to help them for free.
• Kang De ordered the invading fleets to remain in place, rescue the wounded, submit to treatment, and surrender, while warning that violators would be sunk; the fleet commanders agreed.
• Kang De met Stella outside Distant Harbor City Hall, then returned to Danfeng Lucerne and learned that Tina had been placed under house arrest.

Hong San used the threat of explosives and force to protect Kang De’s followers during a palace confrontation, while Tina chose to remain under house arrest in Maple Leaf Palace. As foreign pressure and unrest mounted, Hong San recognized the unexpected visitor at his window as his lord.

• Goth’s nobles and officials challenged Tina’s rule and demanded that Hong San and Kang De’s other followers be arrested, but Hong San threatened them with bombs and killed a noble who shouted at him.
• Hong San demanded that Kang De’s followers and Tina be allowed to leave Danfeng Lucerne, but Tina chose to remain in Maple Leaf Palace in exchange for their safety and freedom.
• Tina advised Hong San to take his forces to the Elf Expeditionary Force’s camp, but he instead moved them near the southern city gate and prepared a plan to bring the elves into the city if needed.
• Foreign powers and domestic factions intensified pressure on Goth, stirring citizens and officials to demand that Grand Duke Reknos share the mysterious substance beneath Azure Waves Province.
• As Hong San worried over the mounting crisis, someone blocked the sunlight at his window, and he smiled and told his lord to visit Tina first next time.