Recaps

Sural weighed whether to give Digital Phantom his prized Divine Script Artifact in exchange for protection, while learning how Young Master’s failed robbery had become the turning point of his life. He asked for time to decide, and Xiang Xue agreed to wait only a few days.

• Yuanyuan told Sural that an artifact was the only bargaining chip that could persuade Digital Phantom to help him, and Xiang Xue said they would protect him without charging Silver Horn if anyone demanded money.
• Sural considered selling or giving away his complete Divine Script Artifact and asked how much influence Digital Phantom had within the government and how far they would protect him.
• Young Master told Sural that his failed attempt to rob Digital Phantom had led to his recruitment and changed his life, then advised him to cater to the organization’s interest in artifacts.
• Sural asked Xiang Xue for time to consider the request, and she agreed but warned that Digital Phantom would not wait long.

Sural accepted Xiang Xue’s offer to use Digital Phantom’s name against people demanding payments, then faced escalating pressure from the authorities without revealing his connection. The chapter ended with Sural challenging an A-rank official to release him from house arrest, insisting he would dare to leave.

• Sural agreed to bring his artifact to Digital Phantom and received permission to tell anyone demanding money that Digital Phantom had his back.
• After Sural refused another Sail Consortium payment and cited Digital Phantom, the finance director stopped pressing him but did not tell the authorities.
• A C-rank official and then a B-rank official confronted Sural over his refusal to pay, and authorities later placed him under house arrest.
• Sural endured his confinement without mentioning Digital Phantom, while officials accused his people of retaliating against the authorities.
• An A-rank official offered to release Sural while warning him of the danger, and Sural said he would leave if they dared let him go.

Sural’s captors learned that Digital Phantom was behind the deaths of officials involved in his case and released him rather than risk further retaliation. Back at the company, Sural spoke with his great-grandfather’s second brother-in-law, who was angry but understood that Sural had been forced to defend himself.

• After officials connected to Sural’s case were killed, an A-rank questioned him and demanded to know which side he had chosen.
• Sural warned the A-rank that he might not survive the night, prompting him to seek refuge in the Planet Governor’s residence.
• The government traced Sural’s connection to Digital Phantom through Shui Corporation and the Sail Consortium, then feared further consequences if they kept him detained.
• When the A-rank asked Sural to have Digital Phantom contact him, Sural refused, and the A-rank released him.
• After returning to the company, Sural received a call from his great-grandfather’s second brother-in-law, who criticized him before Sural explained that he had no choice.

After escaping his troubles through a transaction with Digital Phantom, Sural worried about the enemies he had made and his uncertain connection to his powerful backers. Before leaving for Pan Rock Star, he agreed to relay Supreme Galileo’s offer to trade an artifact for Digital Phantom’s help.

• Sural told Second Brother-in-law that he had contacted Digital Phantom through Shui Corporation and paid them with his only complete artifact, leaving Second Brother-in-law frustrated and unable to confront him.
• After three days without incident, Sural prepared to travel to Pan Rock Star, but his senior apprentice Carlson asked whether he could contact Digital Phantom for Supreme Galileo.
• Sural refused to pass along an incomplete request until Carlson provided Galileo’s name and the artifact’s details, then Galileo arrived with a holographic image of the complete artifact.
• Galileo said the artifact was not nearby and asked how soon Sural could contact Digital Phantom, promising to reward him for arranging the introduction.

Sural negotiated with Galileo over a request involving Digital Phantom, then arranged for the group to receive an artifact on Pan Rock Star. After Qu Jianlei and Nutrient Solution accepted the Wind and Thunder Mace, Sural asked to keep a way to contact them in case circumstances changed.

• Sural challenged Galileo for asking him to speak on Digital Phantom’s behalf without providing the artifact or clear terms, and warned him not to probe the group’s whereabouts.
• Galileo offered to help Sural’s family obtain a freight license on Beam Star, and Sural agreed to relay the request while keeping the terms for an in-person discussion.
• Sural contacted Shui Xisheng on Pan Rock Star, who said Digital Phantom had been active on Beam Star and later told Sural the group had appeared.
• Sural retrieved the Wind and Thunder Mace from a bank vault and brought it to Digital Phantom under Supreme protection.
• Qu Jianlei examined the Wind and Thunder Mace and passed it to Nutrient Solution, who judged the transaction successful.
• Sural asked Qu Jianlei to maintain a communication channel in case unforeseen changes arose.

Qu Jianlei’s group declined to meet Galileo without the magical artifact, then returned to the Hope Star Region to search for Bentley and the others. After avoiding military surveillance near Fourth Star and Garbage Star, they detected the Unlucky Starship near Zalifu Star and established contact.

• Qu Jianlei told Sural to require Galileo to bring the magical artifact, but Galileo hesitated and postponed the meeting for three months to half a year.
• Qu Jianlei’s group left and, while traveling toward Celestial Hook Star, learned that Bentley and the others had not returned, so they headed to the Hope Star Region.
• The 1314 Ship approached Fourth Star but fled after detecting military micro-probes, then escaped an Attack Ship that pursued it.
• The 1314 Ship detected surveillance near Garbage Star and fled again, then searched around Zalifu Star for the Unlucky Starship.
• On the third day of the search, Big Head Butterfly detected the Unlucky Starship’s probe, and Xiao Hu established contact with the ship hiding more than a hundred million kilometers away.

The 1314 Ship reunited with the battered Unlucky Starship, and Fourth Boss explained how it had been caught between Imperial and Resistance forces while searching for his friend. After learning about the crew’s time on Zalifu Star, Qu Jianlei led everyone there to explore, leaving them wandering among its Settlements.

• The 1314 Ship met up with the damaged Unlucky Starship, and Fourth Boss apologized for its condition.
• Fourth Boss recounted how the Unlucky Starship had been attacked by both the Imperial military and the Resistance near Fourth Star, before Xiao Hu fought its way free.
• Fourth Boss explained that the crew had hidden near Zalifu Star, where he and Bentley bought repair materials and placed an Array Plate before waiting for rescue.
• Fourth Boss told Qu Jianlei that Fang Cao had died while pioneering and that Spirit Fox remained on Zalifu Star after falling out with his family.
• Qu Jianlei decided to return to Zalifu Star with the group, and the 1314 Ship received permission to land.
• Xiang Xue and Xiao Moshan released their A-rank pressure to drive off people soliciting customers at the spaceport, and the group began exploring the Settlements.

Qu Jianlei's group used their boastful talk about Zalifu Star's mines to draw the attention of local forces and negotiate for a foothold. The chapter ended with Yuanyuan demanding dry shares from Mountain Sea Mining and calling for someone with authority to discuss the deal.

• At a restaurant, Qu Jianlei's group discussed Zalifu Star's businesses and the mines they might acquire, while Mu Yu lamented the fighting on Fourth Star.
• After Xiao Moshan rejected a stranger's offer of liquor and refused to discuss Fourth Star, the group continued talking about taking over mines.
• A man challenged Xiao Moshan's claim that they could rule Zalifu, but one of the group used a mental attack and the challengers quickly left.
• Lu Lin of Mountain Sea Mining approached the group to invite them to help develop Zalifu Star, and Xiao Moshan told Yuanyuan to answer him.
• Yuanyuan demanded dry shares or a buyout and told Lu Lin to bring someone from Cosmos Mining who could make decisions.

Qu Jianlei’s group drew attention while exploring mining investments on Zalifu Star, and Spirit Fox agreed to help them find sellers. The chapter ended with Mountain Sea Mining introducing its mines to the group, who said they would compare offers from other companies.

• Lu Lin explained that Cosmos Mining’s support for Mountain Sea Mining was limited, while Yuanyuan dismissed the company’s standing and Lu Lin left his contact information.
• Spirit Fox’s rowdy group clashed with Mu Guang’s table until Fourth Boss released his Supreme pressure, after which Spirit Fox apologized and recognized Fourth Boss.
• Spirit Fox visited Qu Jianlei’s base, learned Fourth Boss was seeking industrial assets for a friend, and agreed to find potential sellers in exchange for an advance payment.
• Lu Lin and Mountain Sea Mining’s technical representatives visited the base and pitched several mines at high asking prices.
• Xiang Xue said the group would contact other mining companies, while Lu Lin offered to register any purchased mines under Mountain Sea’s name.

Qu Jianlei's group left Zalifu Star and headed toward Fourth Star, where they forced their way past a military blockade while seeking information about the battle. The military identified Digital Phantom and revealed that Fourth Star remained fiercely contested, leaving the group to observe nearby.

• Spirit Fox told Xiang Xue that the deposit was ten million and said Mountain Sea Mining might sympathize with the Resistance, though it was more likely placing bets on both sides.
• Qu Jianlei's group left Zalifu Star, repaired the Unlucky Starship, and traveled toward Fourth Star; Qu Jianlei gave Bentley the Wind and Thunder Mace while telling Paranoid to wait for an artifact.
• Near Fourth Star, the group's starships ignored probes and refused a Company-level Warship's order to stop for inspection.
• The military recognized Digital Phantom after the Company-level Warship reported its power system disabled, then ordered the warship to apologize and let the group pass.
• Hua Xiezhi asked what had happened to Fourth Star, and the military said the fighting remained fierce, with multiple Supremes and heavy casualties among the ground forces.
• Hua Xiezhi said the group would observe nearby rather than leave, despite the military's objections.

Digital Phantom landed on Fourth Star after agreeing to capture two enemy Supremes, while Qu Jianlei’s group explored the devastated planet. They discovered a settlement where people were being butchered and eaten, killed the perpetrators, and began investigating the hundreds of people hiding in a cave.

• The military agreed to let Digital Phantom land if they later captured two Supremes, and Hua Xiezhi accepted after securing the promise that the enemy had enough targets.
• The 1314 Ship stayed in orbit as Digital Phantom landed on Fourth Star and split into separate teams.
• Qu Jianlei, Nutrient Solution, Qinghu, and Yuanyuan explored the ruined planet and found settlements controlled by military forces, the Resistance, and civilian groups.
• Qu Jianlei sensed people eating human flesh, and his group used Instant Flashes to reach a valley where armed people were roasting human meat.
• Qu Jianlei ordered the group killed the cannibals, and Qinghu shot two guards fleeing into a cave.
• Qu Jianlei’s group found hundreds of people and more than twenty guards inside the cave, and Qu Jianlei spared a few guards temporarily to question them.

Qu Jianlei and his companions rescued several hundred people from a cave ruled by cannibals and prepared to escort them to another Settlement. They learned that two imprisoned hostages were Awakened Ones, and the short man asked them to help his young master escape Fourth Star in exchange for artifacts or an enormous sum of money.

• Qu Jianlei learned that an A-rank and his followers had coerced people in the cave into killing and eating humans, and Qinghu decided they could not ignore the situation.
• Yuanyuan asked the survivors whether they wanted to stay or move to another Settlement, and Qu Jianlei supplied them with food, clothing, and shelter before taking most of the cave's provisions for the journey.
• Nutrient Solution suggested contacting the military, and the tall and short hostages revealed that they were Awakened Ones who had concealed their auras.
• The short hostage asked Qu Jianlei's group to escort his young master off Fourth Star and identified his master as belonging to the Dyson Consortium.
• Yuanyuan said Fourth Star was under lockdown and demanded artifacts for their help, then told the short man that an artifact cost at least seventy or eighty billion.

Yuanyuan and Nutrient Solution negotiated with two men who wanted to leave the troubled settlement, but the men’s ties to Cosmos Group led Qu Jianlei’s team to suspect them of aiding the Resistance. The military agreed to arrive by noon the next day, while the team refused to help the men leave without answers.

• Yuanyuan told the two men that extracting them would cost an enormous sum, and Nutrient Solution refused to help after sensing their resentment.
• Yuanyuan reported that the military had delayed responding to reports of people eating people and would arrive by noon the next day.
• The tall man offered eight hundred billion for both of them to leave, but Yuanyuan demanded payment in Unregistered Silver Notes and asked who they served.
• The short man revealed that they were connected to Cosmos Group and admitted it handled mining, prompting Yuanyuan to demand a complete magical artifact and then refuse to take them.
• Qu Jianlei and Qinghu accused Cosmos Mining of having ties to the Resistance, and Qinghu warned that the team would not reason with the men as the military might.

Qu Jianlei’s group left the rescued civilians in the military’s care and refused to let two men claiming ties to the Dyson Consortium join them immediately. As the group continued investigating Fourth Star, they began testing settlements for foreign agents.

• Qu Jianlei challenged the short man’s claims about Cosmos’s fairness, and the two men asked the group not to reveal their identities to the military.
• The military arrived to collect the civilians, questioned Qu Jianlei’s group, demanded their supplies, and investigated the two men after discovering they were Awakened Ones connected to Dyson.
• The short man offered an artifact in exchange for traveling with Qu Jianlei’s group, but Qu Jianlei told the pair to go with the military until the group was ready to leave Fourth Star.
• After Qu Jianlei’s group departed, a Company-level Warship arrived to ask about their actions, and the military discovered the two men appeared to have other identities.
• Qu Jianlei’s group discussed the men’s possible ties to Cosmos, then investigated seven or eight settlements over three days and collected genetic samples using a pooled-testing device.

Qu Jianlei and his companions hunted Federation spies and uncovered a trap involving hidden Supremes, while learning that star beasts might have invaded Fourth Star. After capturing two Supremes, they began questioning them about the threat, and Qinghu tortured the Federation prisoner for answers.

• Qu Jianlei’s group exposed and punished Federation spies, then found Settlements growing increasingly alert as the enemy withdrew.
• The team ambushed a military-controlled Settlement and fought three hidden Supremes; one used a Golden Dragon Binding talisman against Qu Jianlei before self-destructing.
• Genetic tests revealed that the captured group included Resistance members and original Settlement residents, prompting Qinghu to spare the Resistance members from her usual execution ritual.
• Nutrient Solution reported that the self-destructing Supreme had claimed star beasts had invaded, and Qu Jianlei questioned the captured Federation and Resistance Supremes about them.
• The Resistance Supreme admitted he had heard something about the star beasts, while Qinghu cut off the Federation Supreme’s finger to force him to answer.

Qu Jianlei’s team prepared to leave Fourth Star after learning that Fourth Boss’s friend was likely gone, and they recovered the tall and short men from a military camp. The men joined Digital Phantom’s ship, while the Young Master explained that Cosmos Mining’s operations on Zalifu Star had been handled by affiliated companies.

• After interrogating a Federation Supreme about the Star Beasts, Qu Jianlei refused to have him Beheaded and Skinned and sent him to a military base alive.
• Qinghu displayed the punished Federation members outside the Settlement, while the team spent more than ten days gathering information and coordinating with the other teams.
• When Big Head Butterfly relayed that Fourth Boss’s friend was probably gone, Qu Jianlei told everyone to gather and leave Fourth Star.
• Yuanyuan negotiated with military officers at a camp nearly thirteen hundred kilometers from the Settlement and demanded the release of the tall and short men.
• Qu Jianlei took the two men aboard a Small Attack Ship, and the Young Master said affiliated companies had used Cosmos Mining’s name for the operations on Zalifu Star.

Qu Jianlei’s group traveled to Kunhai to retrieve an artifact from the Nan Family and met Thirteenth Aunt, who reminded him of someone from his past. They stayed at the family’s Snow Cloud Peak estate and made clear that Nan Lio could not leave until they had seen the artifact.

• Qu Jianlei told the returning teams about the star-beast invasion, and Old Lady Jia agreed that they could not stand aside in a struggle between races.
• Nan Lio revealed that his name was Nan Lio and that his grandfather was Nandes, whose ancestors had followed the Primal Warriors.
• The group traveled aboard the 1314 Ship to Kunhai, where a business starship led them to a private port and Thirteenth Aunt greeted them.
• Qinghu used Gravity Art to stop two A-rank Awakened women from flying before Qu Jianlei, and Qu Jianlei and Nutrient Solution wondered whether Thirteenth Aunt’s familiar face came from his past.
• At Snow Cloud Peak, Yuanyuan forbade Nan Lio from leaving before they saw the artifact and warned that they would destroy the estate if communication failed.
• Thirteenth Aunt told her servants to send the group information about the artifact.

Ta Taer visited Digital Phantom to discuss the Nan Family’s offer of other treasures in place of the promised Ruler and to ask about their magical-artifact research. After Fourth Boss exchanged information with him, Thirteenth Aunt brought the Nan Family’s alternatives, but Yuanyuan declined the two additional magical artifacts.

• Ta Taer visited Snow Cloud Peak and asked Fourth Boss whether the Nan Family could offer other treasures instead of the promised magical artifact.
• Ta Taer asked whether Digital Phantom had found a way to use magical artifacts, and Qu Jianlei prompted Fourth Boss to say their research had not yet produced significant results.
• Fourth Boss told Ta Taer about the star-beast threat and Digital Phantom’s recent operation on Hope Fourth Star, including killing two Above Supremes and capturing five.
• Ta Taer tried to learn more about the Alliance, but Fourth Boss called out his one-sided questioning, and Ta Taer promised to ask around about the star beasts.
• Two days later, Thirteenth Aunt brought information about other treasures and two magical artifacts, but Yuanyuan declined to consider the artifacts for now.

Qu Jianlei negotiated with Thirteenth Aunt over a rare stone and the delayed delivery of magical artifacts while military headquarters investigated the Digital Phantom Team’s actions on Fourth Star. Seven days later, Old Lady Jia sensed an unexpectedly powerful presence beside Duo Gan near Snow Cloud Peak and warned the team.

• Yuanyuan indicated that she could be the next person to attempt a breakthrough to Above Supreme after refining her spiritual energy.
• Qu Jianlei offered Thirteenth Aunt three billion for a stone like the one used to build the Black Colt Tower, but she did not accept immediately.
• Thirteenth Aunt proposed delaying the magical artifacts for about a month or having the team collect them in the Core Circle, and Qu Jianlei warned her not to play tricks.
• A Battalion-Class Ship questioned the Fourth Star War Zone about the captured Above Supremes and Nan Lio, then left with two Armed Merchant Ships and spoke with Kefu.
• Seven days later, Duo Gan appeared near Snow Cloud Peak with a hidden companion whose Genuine Divine Sense surprised Old Lady Jia.
• Old Lady Jia spread her divine sense across the VIP courtyard and warned everyone to be careful.

Qu Jianlei and the Digital Phantom Team confronted Duo Gan and a powerful being that had tracked them to obtain their method for gathering spiritual energy. The being agreed to negotiate a fair trade, but its alarm at Qu Jianlei’s Three Powers Array left the meeting tense.

• Qu Jianlei assembled the Five Elements Battle Array after a powerful divine sense appeared, and identified the visitor as likely being Guodong, a Heaven and Earth Treasure.
• The being explained that it had come because spiritual energy was scarce and Digital Phantom had a solution; Qu Jianlei insisted it would need to pay for it.
• Qu Jianlei left the residence with Old Lady Jia, Nutrient Solution, and Duo Gan to meet the being, while the others stayed alert.
• Duo Gan explained that she had been forced to accompany the being and described how they tracked Digital Phantom to Hope Fourth Star.
• The being appeared as a small, chubby infant and agreed to a fair trade, then recognized Qu Jianlei’s Three Powers Array and questioned his negotiating attitude.

Qu Jianlei’s group negotiated with the chubby infant, who wanted to join them, while they insisted on keeping the initiative and demanded an Oath of the Heavenly Dao. The infant angrily rejected the demand, and Duo Gan suggested they begin with a simple transaction.

• The chubby infant arrived to negotiate with Qu Jianlei’s team, and Bentley revealed that he had secretly followed them.
• Qu Jianlei offered a Super Gathering Spirit Array and asked the infant what it could provide in exchange.
• The infant offered knowledge of two unmined Energy Stone Mines, then explained that it wanted to join the team and guide them in cultivation.
• Nutrient Solution tested the infant’s willingness to earn their trust, while Bentley identified Duo Gan as a pure Awakened One.
• Nutrient Solution raised the idea of a token of allegiance, but the infant asked them to give Duo Gan some face, and Jia Shuiqing said she followed Qu Jianlei’s decision.
• Qu Jianlei proposed an Oath of the Heavenly Dao, angering the infant, and Duo Gan suggested starting with a simple transaction.

Qu Jianlei and the others demanded an Oath of the Heavenly Dao before agreeing to cooperate with the chubby Nascent Soul, which attempted the oath but failed to convince them that heaven and earth had witnessed it. The chubby infant insisted it had performed the oath correctly, while the group remained skeptical.

• Duo Gan and Old Lady Jia urged Qu Jianlei to begin with a limited trade, but he insisted on an Oath of the Heavenly Dao rather than a Dao Heart Oath.
• The chubby infant agreed to make the oath only if the group acknowledged it as their First One, while Old Lady Jia refused and offered to fight it instead.
• The infant offered to guide Old Lady Jia and treat Nutrient Solution's backlash, but both declined to become its followers, and Nutrient Solution doubted it could cure her completely.
• The chubby infant recited an oath promising eternal sealing until the end of one Origin, but Bentley and Nutrient Solution said they sensed no will of heaven and earth.
• Mu Guang, Hua Xiezhi, and the others also questioned whether the oath had worked, while the chubby infant protested that it had performed the oath despite warning that the world's incomplete Heavenly Dao might not respond.

Qu Jianlei negotiated with the fat baby, who swore repeated Oaths of the Heavenly Dao in exchange for Spirit Stones. After the ninth oath triggered heaven and earth’s fury, the group paid him and Qu Jianlei turned to Duo Gan, saying that the senior knew too much.

• Qu Jianlei and the others pressured the fat baby to repeat his oath, but the first attempts produced no response.
• Qu Jianlei offered nine Low-Grade Spirit Stones, and the fat baby bargained for more before agreeing to swear additional oaths for ninety-nine stones.
• The fat baby completed nine oaths, provoking a furious aura from heaven and earth that frightened him and alarmed the others.
• Qu Jianlei gave the fat baby a box containing one hundred Spirit Stones, and the baby recognized it as a Cultivator's casket and asked for an Item-Storing Ring.
• Qu Jianlei declined to give him a ring immediately, then told Duo Gan that the senior knew too much.

Qu Jianlei and the others debated whether Duo Gan could join their group, then accepted her after she swore a Dao Heart Oath to protect their secrets. Back at Snow Cloud Peak, Qu Jianlei discussed his inheritance and the chubby infant’s origins, learning that it was a naturally evolved Mental Strength life-form.

• Duo Gan offered to join the team and share her body-tempering grounds, while the others worried about her loyal subordinates and the risk of secrets leaking.
• Qu Jianlei proposed a Dao Heart Oath, and Duo Gan swore not to disclose the team’s secrets without permission.
• The group returned to Snow Cloud Peak, where Qu Jianlei introduced Duo Gan as one of their own.
• The chubby infant asked Qu Jianlei about his inheritance, and Qu Jianlei said it was a mixture of knowledge he had mostly worked out himself.
• Qu Jianlei gave the chubby infant a Space Pouch and asked about its origin; it said it was a naturally evolved Mental Strength life-form and that its long sword had been destroyed fighting the Empire’s Awakened Ones.
• Big Head Butterfly teased the chubby infant by calling it an orphan, and the chubby infant insisted it was not a sword spirit.

Qu Jianlei questioned the chubby infant, learned more about its abilities and the Cultivation World, and gave it the name Sunset Glow. As the team waited for magical artifacts delayed by the Empire’s counter-infiltration preparations, Nan Lio offered his family’s abandoned Mineral Star as a place to test techniques.

• Qu Jianlei offered the chubby infant Soul Nourishing Wood, and it accepted a larger piece while explaining that borrowed objects improved its attack effectiveness and that using magical artifacts damaged them quickly.
• Qu Jianlei asked about the infant’s origins and its trip to Qingyuan Star, and it revealed that it had followed the team after discovering someone was undergoing a thunder tribulation there.
• The infant explained that the Celestial Hook Mystic Mansion’s will of heaven and earth had been refined away after killing a Great Expert’s beloved disciple, then chose the name Sunset Glow.
• Sunset Glow told Qu Jianlei that its secret technique could temporarily suppress the incompatibility between Duo Gan’s soul and body, and said it could answer questions about Cultivation Arts despite lacking a complete cultivation technique.
• Duo Gan left at dawn to settle her people, and Nan Lio told Qu Jianlei that his family’s magical artifacts would be delayed because the Empire was preparing counter-infiltration operations.
• Nan Lio offered his family’s abandoned Mineral Star as a suitable location for the team to test new techniques.