Chapter Summaries

Qu Jianlei and the Digital Phantom Team cleared a temporary jump point near the Link Nebula in exchange for two Federation Division Level Ships. After Wood verified the route and saw Digital Phantom’s captured Asura Brood Mothers, the Imperial and Federation fleets began jumping into Asura territory, though the Federation remained wary of the team.

• Qu Jianlei agreed to find a temporary jump point after the Federation offered two Division Level Ships, and the Empire joined the operation as an observer.
• Qu Jianlei deployed three Division Level Ships and summoned teammates to sweep an area at the edge of the Link Nebula, driving the Asura into an evasive posture and clearing space over two billion kilometers wide.
• Hua Xiezhi gave the joint fleet the jump coordinates, and Wood led a Battalion-Class Ship through the jump to verify them.
• Wood returned safely, urged the fleet to jump, and revealed that Digital Phantom had captured two Asura Brood Mothers.
• The Federation held a meeting before committing its fleet, while an Imperial Battalion-Class Ship jumped first and Wood volunteered to bring up the rearguard.

The combined fleet entered the Asuras’ heartland and was surrounded by a large force of Mother Nests, prompting Digital Phantom to conceal ships inside a Mother Nest and take the lead in battle. As the fighting grew fierce, the other militaries questioned Digital Phantom’s apparent restraint, while the Empire urged them to trust the team’s experience.

• The Federation fleet rendezvoused with Digital Phantom and advanced into the Link Nebula, where both sides fought scattered Asura Nests along the way.
• After days without a major Asura response, the fleet was surrounded by Mother Nests and agreed on a general battle plan, with Digital Phantom taking the front.
• A Digital Phantom member stored away one Mother Nest, while the remaining Mother Nest sheltered a Division Level Ship and non-combat vessels from the Empire and Federation.
• The battle began as three Mother Nests attacked Digital Phantom’s forward Division Level Ship, while the combined fleet fought Asuras approaching from other directions.
• After half a day, eight Asura Brood Mothers had joined the battle, and the Federation and Empire debated Digital Phantom’s limited-looking combat strength and possible hidden reserves.

Qu Jianlei and Evening Glow destroyed two approaching Asura Mother Nests with Space Explosion Bombs, shifting the battle but provoking fiercer attacks. After divination warned him of an Out-of-Body Mother Nest near the Federation fleet, Qu Jianlei rushed to intercept it and hid from its powerful mental scan.

• Qu Jianlei rejected Bentley's suggestion to attack the Black Hole Entrance and decided to focus on the agreed battlefield mission.
• Qu Jianlei and Evening Glow detonated Space Explosion Bombs, destroying two reinforcing Mother Nests and sending spatial shockwaves through the joint fleet.
• The Asuras intensified their assault, and reinforcements pressured the Imperial and Federation fleets while Digital Phantom faced less resistance.
• Qu Jianlei divined that the battle's greatest variable was an Out-of-Body Mother Nest, then hurried toward a disguised Mother Nest approaching the Federation fleet.
• Qu Jianlei and Evening Glow concealed their presence as the Out-of-Body Mother Nest searched the area with a powerful mental scan, which eventually withdrew without finding them.

Qu Jianlei used the World Piercing Shuttle to destroy an Out of Body Mother Nest, but its Rhythm Field devastated nearby Federation and Asura forces alike. After escaping inside the Abode, he ordered a retreat, while the fleets argued over the friendly-fire losses and the strength of the enemy they had eliminated.

• Qu Jianlei launched the World Piercing Shuttle from beside a Federation Division Level Ship, striking the Out of Body Mother Nest before it could escape.
• The shuttle’s Rhythm Field destroyed the Mother Nest and damaged or destroyed ships and nests across the battlefield, while Qu Jianlei’s Abode drifted through the blast.
• Qu Jianlei emerged from the Abode after two minutes and ordered an immediate retreat.
• Federation soldiers flashed red signals to protest the lack of warning, and Claire replied that they had eliminated a powerful enemy.
• Military specialists debated whether the Mother Nest’s immense energy indicated a Great Venerable-level foe or came from the shuttle itself.

After the battle against the Asura, Digital Phantom recovered damaged nests and set off with the fleet, while the Federation forces discovered that rescued Colonel Hunter was transforming. Hua Xiezhi identified him as a victim of a Great Venerable’s Body Seizure and ordered the Federation to throw him out before he endangered the ship.

• The Imperial and Federation fleets resumed their attacks after the spatial ripples weakened and defeated the Asura, though two Brood Mothers escaped.
• Digital Phantom stopped the Federation ships from pursuing the escapees and collected damaged nests and corpses using Duo Gan’s Divine Script refining method.
• Hua Xiezhi had Digital Phantom drive the non-combat ships out of a Mother Nest, then stored the injured nest for Warm Nurturing.
• Colonel Hunter transformed aboard a Federation Battalion-Class Ship, grew larger and more violent, and overwhelmed the Supreme trying to restrain him.
• After the Federation contacted Digital Phantom for help, Hua Xiezhi identified Hunter as having undergone Body Seizure by a Great Venerable and ordered him thrown out of the ship.

Digital Phantom sent Qu Jianlei, Paranoid, and Qinghu to attack the Asura Great Venerable possessing Colonel Hunter, using a powerful electromagnetic Three Powers Array. Hunter’s body exploded, revealing a Ten-Armed Asura shadow, and Hua Xiezhi warned the fleets that it might attempt another Body Seizure.

• The Federation soldiers ejected Colonel Hunter, and Digital Phantom sent a Small Ship toward him while warning the nearby fleets to retreat.
• Qu Jianlei, Paranoid, and Qinghu formed a Three Powers Array and struck Hunter with sustained electromagnetic attacks.
• The three Above Supremes bombarded Hunter for more than twenty minutes, convincing the observers that Digital Phantom had formidable reserves.
• Hunter’s body burst apart, and a huge, hazy Ten-Armed Asura shadow emerged from the explosion.
• Hua Xiezhi ordered the warships to maximize their Protective Shields and warned that the Asura might possess someone again.

Qu Jianlei, Qinghu, and the Three Powers Array weakened the Asura Great Venerable’s remnant soul, and Duogan helped capture it with the Cloud Crown. Afterward, Digital Phantom’s exchanges with the Empire and Federation revealed how formidable the team was, while questions about Body Seizure and the Mystic Mansion remained.

• The Three Powers Array intensified its electric assault on the Asura Phantom, and Qu Jianlei summoned a figure that deployed the Cloud Crown.
• Qinghu lent the figure spiritual energy, helping it draw the struggling Asura remnant into the Cloud Crown.
• The four were picked up and taken to the Division Level Ship, where observers learned that the mysterious figure was Duogan, not a puppet.
• Duogan dismissed the Mystic Mansion as insignificant and rejected questions about where she had been residing.
• Hua Xiezhi told the Federation that Body Seizure was probably over, advised ordinary semi-isolation observation, and confirmed Digital Phantom had killed a Great Venerable before.

The Federation fleet traveled with Digital Phantom toward the Black Hole Entrance, relying on their Mother Nest for shelter and joining up with another Digital Phantom Division Level Ship. After reaching the entrance, Hua Xiezhi refused to promise an assault, saying their task was only to deliver the Federation there.

• Twelve days after the major battle, the fleet reached the White Mist region, where Federation experts suspected a former wave-absorbing zone and learned the Black Hole Entrance was still more than ten days away.
• Hua Xiezhi allowed the Federation’s non-combat ships and some lower-grade warships to shelter inside their Mother Nest as the fleet crossed an Energy Turbulence Zone.
• Three days after setting out again, the fleet rendezvoused with a Digital Phantom Division Level Ship, and Rhine requested permission from the two First Ones to lead the way through the region.
• Bentley led the fleet through the Energy Turbulence Zone, then shared surveillance footage showing the Black Hole Entrance and its nearby Mother Nests.
• Digital Phantom explained that the entrance was guarded by three visible Mother Nests and two more that wandered nearby; Hua Xiezhi said they had no need to fight again and were only responsible for bringing the Federation there.

Digital Phantom, the Empire, and the Federation coordinated an attack on three Asura Mother Nests, with the Federation targeting the unusually powerful one in the middle. The Federation’s assault revealed that the Mother Nest had been concealing its true strength, and warning signal lights appeared from Digital Phantom’s warships.

• Qu Jianlei agreed to cooperate in battle after the Federation and Empire pressed to attack the Mother Nests, but he demanded that the Federation target the strange middle one.
• The Federation negotiated safeguards with Digital Phantom, including coordinated support and warning signal lights before any devastating attack.
• Five days after setting out, the fleet reached the three Mother Nests and divided its forces to engage them.
• The middle Mother Nest overwhelmed the Federation’s Battalion-Class Ships, then charged a Division Level Ship and heavily damaged it.
• The Federation launched waves of Suicide Small Ships, but they barely affected the middle Mother Nest, revealing that its earlier damage had been misleading.
• Federation soldiers noticed warning signal lights from Digital Phantom’s warships.

Qu Jianlei faced a powerful Mother Nest that was destroying the fleet and prepared to use Mobile Palaces despite the risk to his team. As his Small Ships were struck down and he reconsidered spending computational power, Xiao Hu reappeared through its surviving avatar in the Celestial Hook Mystic Mansion.

• The Mother Nest pierced two Division Level Ships, and Qu Jianlei ordered everyone to teleport into a Division Level Ship inside the Mother Nest while Jing Yuexin took the Portable Abode.
• Qu Jianlei rejected divination and sent Small Ships carrying Mobile Palaces toward the enemy, hoping to trigger enough Fire-luring Bursts to destroy the Mother Nest.
• The Mother Nest pierced Digital Phantom's Division Level Ship, and Qu Jianlei decided against detonating the three Mobile Palaces aboard it because the ship was poorly positioned.
• After two Small Ships were destroyed, Qu Jianlei hesitated to spend more computational power because doing so could reduce the chance of reviving Xiao Hu.
• Xiao Hu appeared as a blurry shadow in Qu Jianlei's Sea of Consciousness and explained that its avatar in the Celestial Hook Mystic Mansion had survived.

Qu Jianlei confirmed that the returned Xiao Hu was genuine and used its restored calculations to turn the battle against the Out of Body Mother Nest. The team regained the initiative at heavy cost, but the Mother Nest remained dangerous and Xiao Hu’s shadow in Qu Jianlei’s Sea of Consciousness still seemed blurry.

• Qu Jianlei recognized Xiao Hu and deployed more Calculation Units to restore its ability to control starships.
• Jing Yuexin brought warships from the Mother Nest, while Qu Jianlei sent more than two hundred Small Ships to cover their preparations and the Federation and Empire forces’ retreat.
• Battalion-Class Ships and other main warships joined the fight, enduring repeated attacks and even self-destructing to damage the Out of Body Mother Nest.
• Xiao Hu estimated that defeating the Mother Nest would require a Division Level Ship, a Battalion-Class Ship, and two Flawed Portable Abodes, so Qu Jianlei told it to wait for a suitable moment.
• The Out of Body Mother Nest pierced the shielding with two Blue Lights, leaving Qu Jianlei’s side with heavy starship losses despite regaining the initiative.

Qu Jianlei and Xiao Hu helped the joint fleet destroy the Out-of-Body Mother Nest while escaping the worst of the resulting spatial turbulence. Digital Phantom then launched a relentless attack on the surviving Asura Nests, leaving the fleet stunned by their apparent fury.

• Xiao Hu used precise calculations and the joint fleet’s retreat to draw the Out-of-Body Mother Nest off course while disrupting it with nearby warship explosions.
• An Alliance Division Level Ship and a Battalion-Class Ship approached the Mother Nest and fired two Space Explosion Bombs, destroying it.
• Qu Jianlei recognized that Xiao Hu’s computational ability had improved, while Jing Yuexin warned him to watch for the Remnant Soul and the fleet prepared for possible Body Seizure.
• Qu Jianlei’s team emerged from the damaged Flawed Portable Abodes, equipped for the danger of Body Seizure, and he ordered them to clear out the remaining enemies.
• Qinghu led warships into the turbulent space, and Digital Phantom’s ships destroyed the surviving Asura Nests despite the dangerous conditions.

After Digital Phantom helped secure the Channel Entrance, Qu Jianlei learned how Xiao Hu’s clone survived and why the Celestial Hook Mystic Mansion had broken its agreement. He forgave the Artifact Spirit but refused to resume their partnership, then learned that Xiao Hu’s blurred image might be caused by a problem in his Sea of Consciousness.

• The joint fleet asked Hua Xiezhi for orders, and she assigned it to guard against Asura reinforcements and Body Seizure while survey teams explored the Channel Entrance.
• Rhine asked Bentley whether they should enter the Asura World, and Bentley told her to wait for the First One’s decision and stay alert.
• Xiao Hu told Qu Jianlei that the Artifact Spirit had forced its clone to help improve the Celestial Hook Mystic Mansion, then sought energy and secretly boarded an Imperial Science Vessel.
• The Artifact Spirit released Xiao Hu’s clone when Qu Jianlei was in danger, and Xiao Hu returned to the team.
• Qu Jianlei called the Artifact Spirit’s betrayal even and refused to renew their agreement, despite Big Head Butterfly’s attempt to persuade him.
• Qu Jianlei asked why Xiao Hu’s image was blurry, and Big Head Butterfly suspected a problem with his Sea of Consciousness.

After the joint fleet withdrew from the Asura Channel Entrance, Qu Jianlei’s group returned to Dawn Base, where Xiao Hu’s avatar offered to help him sense Out-of-Body Realm souls. Qu Jianlei remained wary of Xiao Hu’s broken promise and asked what it thought that meant to a cultivator.

• The joint fleet found no trace of the Out-of-Body Realm Asura, fought off returning Asura nests, and later withdrew from the Channel Entrance.
• The Federation and Empire agreed to blast open a large area for a jump, though Qu Jianlei also wanted the Federation to send enough forces to keep the Asuras occupied.
• The Federation and Imperial fleets split up after returning, while Digital Phantom handed over a Division Level Ship and Yuanyuan rebuffed the military’s complaints about its use.
• Qu Jianlei’s exhausted group returned to Dawn Base, where Xiao Hu’s avatar approached him carrying a fist-sized Abode.
• Xiao Hu said it could sense Out-of-Body Realm souls and would be useful to Qu Jianlei, but Qu Jianlei challenged it over breaking its promise.

Qu Jianlei negotiated with the Artifact Spirit over the Celestial Hook Mystic Mansion, then divined the risks and began refining its authority. After recuperating and gaining partial control, he reunited the High-Fidelity Replica with Xiao Hu's avatar, whose excited reaction left Qu Jianlei wondering what it had endured.

• The Artifact Spirit argued that its earlier deal had been unfair, but Qu Jianlei said they were even because it had protected Xiao Hu and insisted that the team discuss any further terms.
• Qu Jianlei asked about his Sea of Consciousness, and the Artifact Spirit said the Incense Divinity traces posed no serious danger and could help his advancement.
• The team debated whether to forgive the Artifact Spirit, and Qinghu proposed a divination; Qu Jianlei insisted the Artifact Spirit protect them from backlash before agreeing to join them.
• Qu Jianlei divined Supreme Auspicious and learned that full refinement would take at least thirty-six years, though the Artifact Spirit promised he could gain useful authority within three days.
• After five days of recuperation, Qu Jianlei spent five more days refining part of the Mystic Mansion's authority and summoned the High-Fidelity Replica, which joyfully reunited with Xiao Hu's avatar.

Qu Jianlei completed a Black Colt Tower that could support Nascent Soul Realm cultivation and tested its time-flow effects. After discussing who might benefit from entering it, he brought it into the Celestial Hook Mystic Mansion, where the Artifact Spirit warned it might last only about ten years and Qu Jianlei asked whether multiple people could cultivate inside at once.

• Qu Jianlei asked the Artifact Spirit to teach High-Fidelity Replica about Portable Abodes, while refusing to let it inspect Great Venerable Wu Xuan's Abode.
• Qu Jianlei completed a Black Colt Tower that held up under testing, and Jing Yuexin and Paranoid each reported spending more time inside than outside.
• Xiang Xue, Fourth Boss, Xiao Moshan, Tian Yin, and Qinghu each sought a chance for someone they cared about, or Da Vinci, to cultivate in the tower.
• The Artifact Spirit urged Qu Jianlei not to build a third tower and suggested integrating Abodes, while Qu Jianlei said its own cultivation tower could wait two thousand years if he survived.
• Qu Jianlei tested the Black Colt Tower inside the Celestial Hook Mystic Mansion, where the Artifact Spirit estimated it would remain usable for about ten years.
• Qu Jianlei confirmed the tower worked inside the Abode and asked whether several people could enter it to cultivate at once.

Qu Jianlei improved the Black Colt Tower and the team selected Kefu and Da Vinci to use it. They learned that the tower accelerated time, and Duo Gan urged them to cultivate and complete their tribulations as soon as possible.

• You You, Xiao Qin, and Mu Guang entered the first Black Colt Tower, which the Artifact Spirit said could last around six years.
• Qu Jianlei made a second Black Colt Tower with improved stability and a roughly ten percent longer lifespan, but learned that an Abode could not support two towers at once.
• The team debated who should use the new tower, while Yi He and Jiao Daoren felt bitter that they could not cultivate normally.
• Jing Yuexin had Kefu and Da Vinci sign a confidentiality contract before Duo Gan brought them into the Abode and showed them the Black Colt Tower.
• Duo Gan explained that the tower let cultivators experience roughly ten days inside for every three and a half days outside, and said Kefu and Da Vinci would share it.

Qu Jianlei prepared to take the team to the Alliance to gather more Space Stones, while the Artifact Spirit persuaded him to bring Celestial Hook Mystic Mansion instead of the Portable Abode. The Artifact Spirit offered to prove its greater defenses and work to repay its debts, and Qu Jianlei agreed to consider taking it along.

• Da Vinci and Kefu began cultivating in Black Colt Tower, while Da Vinci planned to thank First One for giving them access to it.
• The military delivered eight Division Level Ships and ten billion Energy Blocks to Dawn Base, and Qu Jianlei had Xiao Hu calculate improvements to the Locust Qi Gathering Array.
• Qu Jianlei and his teammates decided to travel to the Alliance to replenish their dwindling Space Stones, leaving Xiao Moshan at the base after Yuanyuan objected to staying behind.
• The Artifact Spirit asked Qu Jianlei to take Celestial Hook Mystic Mansion instead of the Portable Abode and claimed its defenses were stronger, though it would need replenishment if it sustained damage.
• The Artifact Spirit promised to demonstrate its value and work to pay off its debts, and Qu Jianlei agreed before going to discuss the plan with his teammates.

Qu Jianlei’s team tested Celestial Hook Mystic Mansion’s defenses against Wind Forgotten’s Black Lines while traveling through the Heim Star Region. The Artifact Spirit hid the strain the test caused, and Qu Jianlei learned the Abode needed supplies to withstand repeated attacks.

• Digital Phantom agreed to bring Celestial Hook Mystic Mansion along, leaving Fourth Boss to guard the Portable Abode.
• Qu Jianlei’s team teleported through desolate planets and entered the Heim Star Region, where they used the Division Level Ship to evade Alien Race Forest of Trees.
• Qu Jianlei released Wind Forgotten to sense nearby Tree Races and fire three Black Lines at Celestial Hook Mystic Mansion.
• The Artifact Spirit claimed the Abode had withstood the Black Lines easily, then shrank it and privately admitted that repeated attacks could overwhelm it.
• The Artifact Spirit asked Xiao Hu to persuade First One to provide supplies, but Xiao Hu demanded payment before helping.
• Qu Jianlei learned from Xiao Hu that the Artifact Spirit had been under pressure during the test.

Qu Jianlei's team encountered an Alliance fleet fleeing the Forest Sea Alien Race and agreed to receive its intelligence, while Xiao Hu verified the data. The battered scouts revealed that they had encountered the Mother Tree on Sihe Star and asked to borrow two Battalion-Class Ships, leaving Hua Xiezhi weighing their desperate request.

• Qu Jianlei's team avoided fighting the Forest Sea Alien Race until they encountered a battered Alliance fleet pursued by nearly three thousand trees.
• The Alliance fleet recognized Digital Phantom's livery and asked it to relay intelligence, so Qu Jianlei agreed to receive them and Xiao Hu checked their data for deception.
• The Alliance scouts revealed that they had gone to Sihe Star with five Battalion-Class Ships, encountered an enormous tree, and lost all but their fleet.
• Hua Xiezhi identified the tree as the Tree Race's Mother Tree and warned the scouts that many alien races were nearby.
• The Alliance scouts asked to borrow two Battalion-Class Ships and offered to repay three times the amount, but Hua Xiezhi questioned whether they could keep that promise.