Chapter Summaries

Summary of “Testing His Strength”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Cheng realizes that his newly formed Eyes-Closed Deity has elevated his level of life. Even if his physical body eventually dies, the deity may allow him to continue existing.
• However, the deity will ultimately require a continuous supply of Power of Faith to survive. Chen Cheng compares this to the Godly Thought they previously destroyed, which also abandoned its Divine Body and depended on external power.
• He becomes envious of Brother Octopus and the others’ Invincible Divine Body cultivation method, since a physical Divine Body could preserve his strength even when Power of Faith was scarce.
• Returning to his physical body, Chen Cheng tests his enhanced abilities. Divine meridians and acupoints appear across his skin, allowing him to activate magic arrays and instantly transform a massive boulder into mud using Earth Magic.
• Chen Cheng speculates that the Inscription Body Forging Method may have been an imperfect imitation of his unusual cultivation system, though he acknowledges that his theory cannot be verified.
• Kui Niu and She Li offer to help him test his combat strength. Because Chen Cheng fears injuring Kui Niu, the two agree to attack him together.
• Chen Cheng launches a full-power assault without using equipment or divine artifacts. He combines multiple spells, employs spatial movement, and forms a devastating fist containing the fused power of the five elements.
• Kui Niu counters within his personal Demigod Heaven-and-Earth, distorting space and natural laws to redirect his hammer strike. He ultimately shatters Chen Cheng’s five-element attack, causing widespread destruction.
• She Li follows with a saber strike. Although Chen Cheng evades the initial blade using a spatial leap, the distorted space causes the saber light to explode into countless Saber Intents, leaving Chen Cheng with no room to dodge. He is forced to endure the attack with his physical body.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng: Gains a deeper understanding of both the benefits and limitations of his Eyes-Closed Deity. His power increases dramatically, granting him instant spellcasting, spatial movement, and highly refined elemental fusion. Despite this strength, he remains concerned about long-term dependence on Power of Faith and the risk of losing control over his new abilities.
• Kui Niu: Demonstrates his continued strength despite previous injuries. He uses his Demigod Heaven-and-Earth creatively, distorting space and physical laws to overcome Chen Cheng’s powerful attack.
• She Li: His true strength is clarified. As an Enlightened One, he has no conventional cultivation realm; his power depends on his comprehension of the Dao. Although his physical body limits him to below Legendary Rank, his saber ability is nearly unmatched beneath that level.
• Chen Cheng’s allies: Kui Niu and She Li show loyalty and support by helping Chen Cheng safely assess his new strength rather than allowing him to face future battles unprepared.

Significant Themes

• Power and its costs: Chen Cheng’s transformation grants immense strength but introduces dependence on Power of Faith, creating a potential weakness.
• Physical bodies and immortality: The contrast between Chen Cheng’s deity-based existence and the Invincible Divine Body highlights different paths to survival and eternal cultivation.
• Testing and understanding power: The chapter emphasizes that gaining strength is not enough; a cultivator must also learn how that power functions in actual combat.
• Limits beneath apparent transcendence: Even powerful beings such as Kui Niu and She Li possess specific weaknesses—Kui Niu relies partly on his domain, while She Li’s physical body limits his ability to challenge Legendary opponents.
• Innovation versus imitation: Chen Cheng’s speculation about the Inscription Body Forging Method raises questions about how ancient cultivation systems may have been derived from, or distorted versions of, more advanced methods.

Character Interactions

• Chen Cheng discusses his concerns indirectly through his reflections on the Godly Thought and the Invincible Divine Body.
• Kui Niu and She Li respond positively to Chen Cheng’s improvement and volunteer to spar with him.
• Kui Niu reassures Chen Cheng by proposing that he and She Li attack together, reducing the risk of either one being seriously injured.
• During the test, Chen Cheng uses overwhelming offensive power, while Kui Niu counters through spatial and environmental manipulation and She Li attacks with precise, explosive saber techniques.
• Their sparring reflects mutual trust: Chen Cheng is willing to reveal his full strength, while Kui Niu and She Li help him understand how that strength performs against experienced high-level opponents.

Chapter Summary: Beneath Legendary Rank

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Cheng battles She Li and Kui Niu to test how far his strength has advanced.
• She Li’s overwhelming Saber Intent tears through Chen Cheng’s clothing and pierces his body, though Chen Cheng’s Acupoint Divine Abilities and the powers of metal and earth block most of the attack.
• Chen Cheng expels the Saber Intent from his body by spitting out blood, but She Li immediately creates a second body by switching between himself and his Shadow Demon incarnation.
• Kui Niu joins the assault, enlarging himself and striking Chen Cheng with his great hammer. The blow sends Chen Cheng crashing through a cliff and breaks several ribs despite his equipment and defensive abilities.
• She Li attempts a surprise killing strike by switching places with his Shadow Demon. Chen Cheng counters with a gaze-based mental attack, trapping both their consciousnesses in a spiritual confrontation between a Heavenly Blade and an Eyes-Closed Deity.
• Their clash of wills injures She Li more seriously than Chen Cheng, forcing She Li to acknowledge defeat in that exchange.
• Kui Niu then reveals his true Legendary-level power. Using Demigod Heaven-and-Earth, he distorts spatial and external rules, making Chen Cheng’s attacks miss, weakening his ability to draw on outside forces, and amplifying his own speed and strength.
• Chen Cheng realizes that although he has surpassed the ordinary Epic Rank and can survive against Legendary Rank opponents, he is still no match for a true Demigod.
• After being struck again and recognizing that continuing would make him little more than a target, Chen Cheng admits defeat.
• Chen Cheng heals his own broken bones and then treats She Li’s damaged will with his Consciousness Deity, preventing the injury from harming She Li’s future cultivation.

Character Development

• Chen Cheng: Demonstrates immense growth, evolving from a former Gold Rank fighter into someone capable of enduring attacks from Legendary Rank experts. He shows resilience, tactical awareness, and restraint, recognizing both his achievements and his current limits. His ability to heal himself and others also highlights his expanding mastery of divine abilities.
• She Li: Reveals greater versatility by merging with and switching places with his Shadow Demon incarnation. His powerful Saber Intent and mental strength make him a dangerous opponent, but Chen Cheng’s superior divine will ultimately wounds him.
• Kui Niu: Establishes the overwhelming gap between Chen Cheng and true Legendary or Demigod-level combatants. He fights seriously only after She Li loses the exchange, demonstrating control over spatial rules and immense physical power. Despite his brutality in combat, he remains concerned about Chen Cheng’s injuries afterward.
• Relationship among the fighters: The battle functions as a test rather than a hostile confrontation. Even after defeating Chen Cheng, Kui Niu and She Li accept his growth, while Chen Cheng responds by healing both himself and She Li.

Significant Themes

• Growth versus absolute power: Chen Cheng has advanced dramatically but discovers that surpassing Epic Rank does not mean he can defeat a true Demigod.
• The importance of limits and self-awareness: Rather than fight recklessly, Chen Cheng recognizes when the battle has become futile and concedes.
• The power of technique and adaptability: She Li’s Shadow Demon switching, Chen Cheng’s consciousness attack, and Kui Niu’s rule distortion show that combat at higher realms depends on abilities and control, not strength alone.
• Resilience and recovery: Chen Cheng’s ability to endure broken bones, heal himself, and aid an injured opponent emphasizes his physical and spiritual development.
• Comradeship beneath competition: The fighters push one another to their limits but remain concerned for each other’s well-being, especially when Chen Cheng treats She Li’s injured consciousness.

Chapter Summary: “Song Dragon’s Desire”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Inside She Li’s consciousness, Chen Cheng heals a tiny crack in She Li’s “Heavenly Blade,” the central symbol of his blade-based power. The surrounding blades attempt to repair it, but their strength is insufficient until Chen Cheng supplies a gentle, powerful energy.
• The healing exhausts Chen Cheng, but She Li confirms that the injury and any hidden damage have been fully repaired.
• Song Dragon notices that the group’s battle is over and teleports to Chen Cheng. She jokes about his torn clothes, but quickly reminds him that the spatial vortex they came to investigate may soon close.
• Chen Cheng realizes the vortex is weakening and has a limited duration. He cleans himself up, changes clothes, and rejoins Noah and the others.
• The group discovers that meditating near Chen Cheng’s recent ascension to godhood has granted them major benefits. Noah’s Epic-level companions each advance one realm, while Liphia stabilizes her Legendary Rank.
• Chen Cheng and the others recover, heal Kui Niu again, and prepare to enter the spatial vortex before nightfall.
• As they depart, Chen Cheng teases Song Dragon for spacing out. Embarrassed and irritated by her glare, he immediately takes the lead into the vortex.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng demonstrates both the power and cost of his newly reached godhood by completely healing She Li’s Heavenly Blade. Despite his transformation, he insists that he remains a mortal of flesh and blood and asks the others to continue treating him as their senior.
• She Li is fully healed and restored, reinforcing the importance and vulnerability of his blade-based power.
• Song Dragon becomes increasingly determined to find a path to godhood. Chen Cheng’s statement that he has not yet formed an invincible divine body convinces her that he may still have weaknesses—and that she may still have a chance to surpass or exploit him.
• Noah and his companions benefit enormously from Chen Cheng’s ascension, with major breakthroughs in cultivation and strength. Noah also gains a deeper understanding of Chen Cheng’s divine status.
• Liphia successfully stabilizes her Legendary Rank, avoiding what would normally be a lengthy process.
• Kui Niu remains injured but receives further healing before the group proceeds.

Significant Themes

• The cost and responsibility of power: Chen Cheng’s healing ability is immense, but using it drains him heavily. His concern that failing to save She Li would have been a sin highlights his sense of responsibility.
• Godhood versus mortality: Chen Cheng has become a god in potential and status, yet still possesses a mortal body. The chapter explores the uncertain boundary between divine power and human limitations.
• Ambition and obsession: Song Dragon’s desire for godhood continues to drive her decisions. Even after abandoning her immediate questioning, she quietly begins plotting again after finding a possible weakness in Chen Cheng.
• Shared growth: Chen Cheng’s advancement benefits those around him, suggesting that power and transformation can influence an entire group rather than remain purely individual.
• Time and urgency: The fading spatial vortex creates pressure, forcing the characters to stop reflecting and act before their opportunity disappears.

Character Interactions

• Chen Cheng reassures She Li after healing him and urges him to check for hidden injuries.
• Song Dragon teases and scolds Chen Cheng, prioritizing their mission over his joking behavior.
• Chen Cheng congratulates Noah and encourages the group not to treat him differently despite his new divine status.
• Noah and the others show awe and excitement at witnessing Chen Cheng’s ascension and receiving its benefits.
• Chen Cheng’s teasing provokes Song Dragon, whose intimidating glare causes him to retreat and rush ahead into the spatial vortex.

Chapter Summary: “Demon Lord Brother Octopus”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Kui Niu, She Li, Noah, Chen Cheng, Song Dragon, and the others enter a spatial vortex to reach an Ancient Ruin. Before entering, Song Dragon leaves a spiritual mark on a cliff so they can find their way back if necessary.
• The journey through the vortex is physically overwhelming. Noah and the other Epic-Rank individuals vomit violently, while the stronger characters endure the spatial turbulence with varying degrees of difficulty.
• They arrive in a familiar Ancient Ruin: an enormous, pure-white space containing walls and lights from an ancient civilization. Kui Niu claims it is a divine dwelling filled with great opportunities, but Chen Cheng corrects him, warning that the ruin contains dangerous monsters rather than gods.
• Chen Cheng orders everyone not to touch anything and plans to search for the ruin’s library to learn more about its history. His caution comes from a previous exploration in which they nearly released imprisoned gods and caused catastrophic destruction.
• Chen Cheng removes Brother Octopus from his Space Bag. Brother Octopus had been pretending to be dead and immediately becomes furious at being dragged into the ruin.
• When Brother Octopus attacks Chen Cheng, Chen Cheng easily smashes one of his tentacles. This demonstrates how much stronger Chen Cheng has become. Brother Octopus quickly regenerates because of his Invincible Divine Body.
• Song Dragon recognizes Brother Octopus’s regenerative body as an Invincible Divine Body and suspects that he may be a true god. She becomes visibly fascinated by him, but Chen Cheng prevents Brother Octopus from revealing his true identity.
• Brother Octopus calls himself a “Demon Lord,” prompting Noah and the others to ask what the title means. The chapter explains that Demon Lords are beings who transformed themselves into Magic Beasts while retaining their intelligence, personality, and self-awareness.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng: Demonstrates major growth in strength, easily destroying Brother Octopus’s tentacle with a punch. He is also more experienced and cautious than during the group’s previous exploration of the ruins.
• Brother Octopus: Reveals his powerful Invincible Divine Body, rapid regeneration, vanity, and combative personality. Although he is genuinely powerful, he is comically intimidated by Chen Cheng and avoids openly exposing his true identity.
• Song Dragon: Shows strong interest in Brother Octopus after recognizing his divine-level physique. Her reaction suggests fascination or infatuation, though she does not yet understand who he truly is.
• Noah and the other Epic-Rank characters: Are overwhelmed by the spatial vortex and astonished by the Ancient Ruin, Brother Octopus’s regeneration, and the possibility of encountering divine beings.
• Kui Niu: Continues acting mischievously, exaggerating the nature of the ruin to excite or tease the younger members.
• She Li and Chen Cheng: Both show greater resilience than the Epic-Rank members, relying on willpower or Spiritual Sense to withstand the spatial passage.

Significant Themes

• Power and transformation: Chen Cheng’s increased strength is contrasted with Brother Octopus’s divine body, emphasizing the rapidly shifting hierarchy of power.
• Caution born from experience: Chen Cheng’s warnings reflect the dangers of exploring ancient ruins and the importance of learning from past mistakes.
• Identity and concealment: Brother Octopus’s true status as a god must remain hidden, since revealing the existence of a true god could bring serious trouble.
• Humanity versus monstrosity: The explanation of Demon Lords explores the boundary between humans and Magic Beasts. True Demon Lords are distinguished not merely by physical transformation, but by preserving their minds and identities.
• Comedy amid danger: Brother Octopus’s vanity, insults, and conflict with Chen Cheng provide humor despite the lethal environment and the threat posed by the ruin.

Character Interactions

• Chen Cheng repeatedly restrains Brother Octopus, physically and verbally, preventing him from boasting or revealing dangerous secrets.
• Brother Octopus insults Chen Cheng as a “human slave,” while Chen Cheng treats him as an unruly monster and threatens him implicitly through superior strength.
• Song Dragon reacts admiringly to Brother Octopus, creating a humorous contrast with Chen Cheng’s continued discomfort toward him.
• Kui Niu teases Noah and the others by describing the ruin as a god’s dwelling, while Chen Cheng counters with a serious warning about the monsters inside.
• Noah and the others serve as curious observers, questioning Brother Octopus about his title and witnessing the unusual relationship between him and Chen Cheng.

Summary: “Little Black Man’s Hospitality”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The chapter explains the rarity and nature of Demon Lords, who possess extremely long lifespans and powerful regenerative abilities, though their bodies are not truly indestructible. Song Dragon doubts Brother Octopus’s claim to being a Demon Lord, unaware that Octopus is actually an even more powerful true god.
• Chen Cheng demands that Brother Octopus guide the group out of the white chamber. Instead, Brother Octopus reveals that the space has an owner.
• A Crimson-Gold Serpent Dragon appears and attacks the group with a deafening roar, injuring Noah and the others. Song Dragon protects them with a mental barrier.
• The group coordinates an attack:
  • Kui Niu knocks the serpent dragon back.
  • Song Dragon uses mental attacks.
  • Liphia unleashes forbidden fire magic.
  • Chen Cheng cuts apart its energy blast with the Sword of Kings.
  • She Li delivers the decisive blow, slicing the dragon in half.
• The defeated creature is revealed to be an extraordinarily advanced mechanical serpent-dragon puppet, not a living dragon. Chen Cheng discovers something valuable inside its head and stores the puppet in his spatial ring.
• Chen Cheng realizes that the white rooms are connected by forced spatial teleportation and warns everyone to remain together.
• The Little Black Man, observing through a television-like screen, becomes enraged that Chen Cheng’s group defeated his puppet. He activates the room’s controls and teleports the group members apart, sending them into different chambers.
• Chen Cheng is transported alone into another white room, where he encounters an old mind mage. Before the mage can speak or use mental control, Chen Cheng attacks immediately with both sword and fist.
• Chen Cheng’s punch, enhanced by divine power, equipment, and magic, shatters the mage’s hand and severely injures him. As the mage attempts to use Mind Theft, he is shocked by the strange nature of Chen Cheng’s power.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng demonstrates increasing combat experience and tactical caution. He quickly recognizes the danger of the teleportation system and acts decisively against the mind mage, refusing to give an enemy time to prepare.
• Brother Octopus remains irreverent and uncooperative, but his comments reveal that the group is trapped within someone else’s controlled domain.
• Song Dragon proves himself a capable protector and strategist by shielding the weaker members from the dragon’s roar and coordinating the team’s assault.
• Kui Niu, Liphia, and She Li each contribute essential abilities in battle, showing strong teamwork and complementary combat roles.
• The Little Black Man is revealed as the controlling host of the mechanical forest and white chambers. His anger and manipulation suggest that he treats the group as test subjects or prey.
• The mind mage, initially presenting himself as a refined aristocrat, is exposed as a cowardly and desperate fighter when caught off guard.

Significant Themes

• False appearances and hidden identities: The supposed dragon is actually a puppet, Brother Octopus’s identity is misunderstood, and the aristocratic old man quickly reveals his true nature under pressure.
• Technology versus magic: The serpent-dragon puppet combines alchemy, machinery, and magic patterns at a level far beyond the Great Wall Army’s technology.
• Teamwork and coordinated strength: The group defeats a powerful opponent by combining mental attacks, magic, physical force, and divine weaponry.
• Control and manipulation: The Little Black Man controls the environment, teleports the characters, and deliberately separates them to increase danger.
• Initiative in battle: Chen Cheng’s immediate attack shows the value of striking first, especially against opponents whose greatest strength lies in preparation or mental control.

Character Interactions

• Chen Cheng and Brother Octopus argue over navigating the space, with Octopus mocking Chen Cheng rather than cooperating.
• Song Dragon protects Noah and the others from the serpent dragon and later advises the group to stay close.
• The group works together seamlessly to defeat the puppet, with each member supporting the others’ attacks.
• The Little Black Man watches and reacts to Chen Cheng’s success, treating the battle as part of a larger game.
• Chen Cheng and the mind mage have a brief but violent confrontation. Chen Cheng prevents the mage from establishing control, while the mage is astonished by the unusual power contained within Chen Cheng.

Chapter Summary: “Puppet”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Cheng confronts a mind mage in his soul realm. Appearing as a divine being, he effortlessly destroys the mage’s mental defenses and attempts to interrogate him about who arranged the ambush.
• Before the mage can reveal anything, a powerful soul contract activates and destroys him. Chen Cheng realizes that whoever created the contract possesses extraordinary strength, possibly connected to the Ancient Civilization.
• Examining the corpse, Chen Cheng discovers that the “mind mage” was actually a soul inhabiting a simulated puppet body. He removes and preserves the puppet’s head before the surrounding space shifts again.
• The other members of Chen Cheng’s group are also teleported into separate areas and forced to face different enemies.
• Noah benefits from unexpectedly being transported alongside Brother Octopus. With Brother Octopus providing mental control and Noah persuading an enemy patriarch, they manage to turn the patriarch against their opponent.
• The patriarch recounts his tragic history: he was once a heroic cultivator, was captured by the Great Sage, tortured and killed by the Demon God, then resurrected and kept as one of the Demon God’s collectibles. Before he can explain more, Little Black Man activates a self-destruction mechanism and kills him.
• Noah’s accumulated frustration and unwillingness trigger a protagonist-like reversal, allowing him to overcome the crisis. Brother Octopus, despite doing much of the actual controlling, remains bound to Noah as a subordinate and feels unfairly reduced to a supporting role.
• Meanwhile, Little Black Man struggles to bypass the God of Light’s Detoxification Program so he can kill Chen Cheng’s group. His control over the museum is disrupted when the collection room holding Barbarian King Guste releases him.
• Guste escapes and frees several of his chieftains. They discover that many of the other prisoners have become lifeless puppets.
• The Barbarian King, Dogman King, and the others break through the supposedly indestructible containment walls and find White Crane’s body transformed into a puppet. White Crane’s skin had been removed, his tendons extracted, and his soul sealed within the skin.
• Horrified and enraged, the surviving beastman kings vow revenge against Little Black Man, even though they understand that confronting him may cost them their lives.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng: Demonstrates the overwhelming power of his divine state and his ability to dominate a soul realm. He becomes increasingly suspicious of the hidden force behind the relic and recognizes that the enemy’s methods are far more dangerous than expected.
• The Mind Mage: Revealed not to be a true human but a soul controlling a simulated puppet. His suicide contract highlights the strict control exerted by the mastermind behind the ambush.
• Noah: Shows resourcefulness and persuasive skill, combining his gift of speech with Brother Octopus’s mental abilities. His emotional frustration also fuels a sudden reversal against the enemy.
• Brother Octopus: Plays a crucial role in controlling the patriarch but is frustrated that Noah receives the glory. His resentment is intensified by the beast-pet bond, which prevents him from taking the protagonist’s role.
• Guste and the Beastman Kings: Shift from escape and confusion to grief, fury, and a determined desire for revenge after discovering the horrifying fate of their comrades.
• Little Black Man: Remains a powerful antagonist, but the disruption of his museum and the release of Guste create an unexpected obstacle to his plans.

Significant Themes

• Puppetry and loss of identity: Bodies, souls, and identities are manipulated, replaced, or imprisoned, emphasizing the dehumanizing power of the antagonist.
• Control versus freedom: Soul contracts, beast-pet bonds, mental domination, and museum imprisonment all show characters struggling against systems designed to control them.
• Hidden power and ancient conspiracies: The indestructible soul contract and the relic’s technology suggest that a powerful force from the Ancient Civilization may be operating behind the scenes.
• Heroism and narrative roles: Noah’s “protagonist-like” reversal and Brother Octopus’s comic frustration play with the idea of heroes, sidekicks, and who truly deserves credit.
• Revenge born from tragedy: The beastman kings’ discovery of White Crane’s fate transforms their fear into a willingness to fight, even at the cost of their lives.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Cheng interrogates and overpowers the mind mage, though the mage’s contract prevents him from obtaining direct answers.
• Noah and Brother Octopus cooperate to manipulate the enemy patriarch and turn him against Little Black Man’s forces.
• The patriarch shares his tragic history with Noah before being forcibly destroyed.
• Guste reunites with the surviving chieftains, who help him investigate the missing prisoners.
• The Dogman King reacts violently to White Crane’s puppet body, while Guste remains outwardly calm but privately commits himself to revenge.

Chapter Summary: “Sorrow and Fury”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Guste and the others break into Little Black Man’s collection room and recover the stored human skins, destroying much of the area in the process.
• Little Black Man reveals that the chaos has served his purpose: the remnants left behind by the “ants” are valuable and have helped him achieve a long-awaited success. He also notes that the system’s antivirus self-check has begun, meaning his collectibles are already doomed.
• Little Black Man appears before Guste, but the Dogman King and the others suddenly attack Guste from behind. They have been transformed into obedient weapons and no longer recognize him as a brother.
• The Dogman King destroys the skin containing White Crane Beastman King’s soul in front of Guste, provoking Guste’s overwhelming rage and grief.
• Guste fights the group while trying to awaken them, believing Little Black Man has mentally controlled them. Little Black Man mocks him and orders him to kill them.
• The Dogman King and the others manifest grotesque versions of their Demon God True Bodies. When Guste strikes one of them, he discovers that their bodies have been replaced with iron puppets, just as White Crane and the others were.
• Forced to destroy his former brothers, Guste breaks down emotionally. His grief and tears obscure his vision, allowing him to perceive the puppets as monsters and continue fighting.
• After killing the puppets, Guste kneels in their blood and mourns them. Little Black Man treats him as his final collectible and offers to merge with him.
• Guste responds with a full-force attack using both his Demon God True Body and Demigod Heaven-and-Earth. Though Little Black Man blocks the punch with one finger, the spatial destruction triggers the ruins’ antivirus system and clears the stages designed to trap Chen Cheng and the others.
• The space turns blood-red, and Chen Cheng’s group arrives just as Little Black Man effortlessly stops Guste’s attack.

Character Developments

• Guste: Changes from a furious rescuer into a devastated survivor forced to kill his closest companions. His grief intensifies his rage, but his attack also indirectly helps Chen Cheng’s group by disrupting Little Black Man’s stages.
• Little Black Man: Reveals himself as a sadistic collector who views living beings as possessions and experiments. He is delighted by the suffering and destruction of his “collectibles,” treating Guste’s emotional collapse as part of the entertainment.
• Dogman King and the others: Their identities and bodies have been stripped away. They are revealed to be puppets controlled or reconstructed by Little Black Man, making them tragic instruments against Guste rather than true enemies.
• Chen Cheng and his companions: They emerge from the disrupted stages and witness the aftermath, immediately recognizing Guste’s transformed, blood-covered form.

Significant Themes

• Dehumanization and possession: Little Black Man reduces powerful beings to collectibles and puppets, denying them autonomy and identity.
• Betrayal and corrupted brotherhood: Guste’s allies appear to turn against him, creating the horror of being attacked by loved ones who have been forcibly remade.
• Grief and rage: Guste’s sorrow becomes inseparable from his fury. He can endure danger and death, but destroying his brothers finally makes him cry.
• Sacrifice and unintended resistance: Although Guste cannot defeat Little Black Man, his desperate attack disrupts the system and helps free Chen Cheng and the others from the staged trials.
• Cruel amusement: Little Black Man views suffering as entertainment and takes satisfaction in watching both the puppets and Guste be destroyed emotionally and physically.

Character Interactions

• Guste and Little Black Man: Their confrontation is deeply personal. Little Black Man taunts Guste, manipulates his companions, and attempts to claim him as a final collectible, while Guste responds with hatred and defiance.
• Guste and the Dogman King’s group: Their former brotherhood becomes a tragic conflict. Guste tries to awaken them rather than kill them, but their puppet forms force him to fight back.
• Little Black Man and the puppets: He commands the Dogman King and the others like disposable tools, celebrating their violence and destruction without concern for their suffering.
• Guste and Chen Cheng’s group: They do not interact directly in the chapter, but Chen Cheng and the others arrive at the climax and see Guste confronting Little Black Man in the blood-red collection space.

Chapter Summary: “Devouring”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Barbarian King, possessing a Demon God body, warns Chen Cheng, Kui Niu, and the others that the black creature—“Little Black Man”—is a powerful demon responsible for killing the Giant Elephant, White Crane, and other ancient beings.
• Realizing there is no escape from the Ancient Ruins, Chen Cheng attacks Little Black Man with the Sword of Kings. Little Black Man overwhelms him with a single spatially compressed punch, shattering Chen Cheng’s Dragon Horn Sword and injuring him badly.
• Kui Niu and the others launch their strongest attacks, but Little Black Man effortlessly suppresses them using the laws of heaven and earth. Kui Niu angrily concludes that the ancient seals must have failed, allowing a Demon God to escape.
• Working together, Kui Niu breaks the spatial shell protecting Little Black Man while Liphia and the others follow up with magical attacks. Liphia casts the forbidden spell Bloom of Crimson Lotus Karmic Fire, apparently burning Little Black Man away.
• She Li realizes the apparent victory is false and interrupts Little Black Man’s concealed attack on Liphia. Little Black Man then turns on She Li, causing She Li’s Shadow Demon to break free from his control and bind him.
• Chen Cheng intervenes and uses the destructive power of his equipment to cut through Little Black Man’s spatial defenses, seemingly shattering his body.
• However, the Shadow Demon pierces She Li through the chest and abdomen before being forced back into the Butcher Knife. She Li removes the corrupted flesh himself to prevent his body from fully transforming into a corpse.
• She Li reveals that Little Black Man is the true “Godly Thought.” By devouring the Dao laws of those he kills, he becomes increasingly powerful. Chen Cheng attempts to preserve She Li’s life with his healing ability and Stem Lotus seeds.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng: Shows courage and determination by confronting Little Black Man despite being badly outmatched. His rage intensifies when She Li is injured, and he immediately prioritizes saving him, revealing his loyalty and willingness to use dangerous healing methods.
• Kui Niu: Moves from confusion and fear to active resistance. Although Little Black Man vastly surpasses him, Kui Niu contributes crucially by breaking the enemy’s spatial defense.
• Liphia: Demonstrates the power of her Flame Dao Fruit and karmic fire, nearly destroying Little Black Man through a forbidden spell.
• She Li: Displays exceptional awareness and self-sacrifice. He detects Little Black Man’s deception, saves Liphia, and later cuts away his own corrupted flesh to prevent becoming a corpse. His warning identifies the enemy’s true ability.
• Little Black Man: Reveals himself as an overwhelmingly powerful, cunning entity who manipulates spatial laws, conceals his true body, and grows stronger by devouring the Dao laws of the dead.
• The Barbarian King: Despite being powerful, he is quickly dismissed by Little Black Man, establishing the enormous gap between them and warning the others of the threat.

Significant Themes

• Devouring and corruption: Little Black Man’s central ability is absorbing the Dao laws of the slain, while his victims risk being transformed into corrupted corpses.
• Sacrifice and survival: She Li’s decision to cut away his own flesh shows the extreme measures required to resist spiritual and physical corruption.
• Cooperation against overwhelming power: Individual attacks fail, but the group’s combined efforts—Kui Niu’s force, Liphia’s spell, She Li’s perception, and Chen Cheng’s sword—temporarily break through Little Black Man’s defenses.
• Loyalty and determination: Chen Cheng refuses to abandon She Li, even when the situation is nearly hopeless, and risks using poisonous Stem Lotus seeds to keep him alive.
• Deception and hidden strength: Little Black Man’s apparent destruction is revealed to be a trick, emphasizing the danger of assuming victory against an enemy who can manipulate space and conceal his true existence.

Character Interactions

• The Barbarian King warns Kui Niu and Chen Cheng’s group about Little Black Man, prompting them to unite against the demon.
• Chen Cheng and Kui Niu both attack Little Black Man directly, while the rest of the group supports them with their strongest abilities.
• Liphia nearly kills Little Black Man with karmic fire, but She Li protects her from his concealed counterattack.
• Little Black Man turns She Li’s own Shadow Demon against him, forcing Chen Cheng to rescue him.
• She Li warns Chen Cheng about Little Black Man’s devouring power, and Chen Cheng responds by promising to save him and preparing the Stem Lotus seeds as a desperate remedy.

Chapter Summary: “Implanting Dragon Sinew”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Cheng hesitates over whether to stop supplying life force to the gravely injured She Li, realizing that unlike his own past survival, She Li may not be lucky enough to survive the poison and wounds.
• Song Dragon offers to save She Li in exchange for Chen Cheng’s promise to help her become a god. Chen Cheng agrees and immediately halts the flow of life force sustaining She Li.
• Chen Cheng unleashes the full power of the Sword of Kings by sacrificing his own blood. The divine artifact’s backlash severely damages his mind and spirit, but its attack annihilates Little Black Man and destroys the Ancient Ruins.
• The destruction reveals the machinery behind Noah’s New World and Truman’s World: vast automated systems and data-processing machines operating without the directors or creators the characters expected.
• Song Dragon saves She Li by extracting a Dragon Sinew—a woody, vine-like structure replacing her own spine—and grafting it into She Li’s broken spinal column.
• The implanted Dragon Sinew revives She Li. His heart, blood vessels, flesh, and chest wound regenerate, and his body becomes vastly stronger than it was before.
• She Li survives but learns that the procedure will cause him to gradually transform into a dragonkin.
• Chen Cheng promises Song Dragon not only help in becoming a god but also a Magic Tree to compensate her for sacrificing one of her Dragon Sinews.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng demonstrates decisiveness and loyalty by risking severe spiritual injury to eliminate Little Black Man and by prioritizing She Li’s survival. His willingness to repay Song Dragon’s help also reinforces his sense of honor.
• She Li returns from death with a body far beyond ordinary human limits. Though he hides his concerns so Chen Cheng will not worry, he must now face the consequences of becoming something nonhuman.
• Song Dragon proves both powerful and self-sacrificing, suffering immense pain and weakness to save She Li. Her demand for godhood remains her central goal, though she also appears to enjoy provoking Chen Cheng.
• Little Black Man is decisively destroyed by Chen Cheng’s unleashed sword strike.
• Chen Cheng and Song Dragon’s relationship develops through mutual bargaining, suspicion, and reluctant concern. Chen Cheng distrusts her motives but acknowledges his debt, while Song Dragon uses his concern to tease or pressure him.

Significant Themes

• Sacrifice and repayment: Song Dragon sacrifices part of her own body to save She Li, while Chen Cheng vows to reward her fairly.
• The cost of power: Chen Cheng’s ultimate sword attack injures his spirit, and She Li’s resurrection comes with the permanent cost of transformation.
• Identity and transformation: She Li’s new strength also threatens his humanity, raising questions about whether survival is worth becoming another species.
• Trust and obligation: Chen Cheng accepts Song Dragon’s terms despite suspicion, creating a binding relationship based on promises and exchanged favors.
• Artificial reality: The revelation of the automated control platforms suggests that the worlds they inhabit may be constructed or managed by machines rather than human creators.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Cheng and Song Dragon negotiate She Li’s life in exchange for future help with godhood.
• Chen Cheng attacks Little Black Man while Song Dragon performs the dangerous Dragon Sinew transplantation.
• She Li questions Song Dragon about the changes to his body, but later conceals his concerns from Chen Cheng.
• Chen Cheng thanks Song Dragon and offers additional compensation, prompting her to request a rare Magic Tree.
• Song Dragon finally reveals that She Li will gradually become a dragonkin, confirming that his resurrection carries a lasting biological consequence.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Cheng confronts the Song Dragon about Dragonification, fearing that She Li may become a monstrous, nonhuman creature.
• The Song Dragon explains that She Li was near death, so she implanted him with the Dragon-Blood Treasure Tree, which had fused with her own body. This saved him but will gradually transform his body, causing dragon horns, a tail, and greatly enhanced strength to develop.
• She warns that if She Li’s will is weak, he could become a Mixed-Blood Dragon, though Kui Niu points out that such mental corruption is highly unlikely for an Enlightened One.
• Chen Cheng realizes the Song Dragon deliberately exaggerated the danger to frighten him. He thanks her sincerely and promises to help her become a god in return for saving She Li.
• The group turns their attention to escaping the strange machine forest. The Barbarian King explains that the Little Black Man had created a substitute body and used technological devices—including televisions and monitoring equipment—to observe and manipulate events.
• Investigations uncover remnants of the Little Black Man’s collectibles, confirming that the place is not merely a divine artifact or viewing room.
• Chen Cheng recognizes the implications: the world may be an artificial “Script World,” with events, characters, and even history deliberately written and controlled.
• He orders the Barbarian King to lead them to the supposed “chief director,” likely connected to the crystal monitoring device. As they search, Chen Cheng becomes increasingly suspicious that even the Great Sage’s memories—and perhaps the world’s apparent history—may have been fabricated as part of another script.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng demonstrates deep loyalty to She Li, treating him as a brother rather than a subordinate. His fear of losing She Li reveals his emotional vulnerability and concern for those close to him.
• After realizing the Song Dragon paid a severe personal price to save She Li, Chen Cheng accepts responsibility and vows to help her achieve godhood.
• His understanding of reality changes dramatically. He shifts from viewing the world as a genuine mythological setting to suspecting that it is an engineered narrative controlled by an outside force.
• The Song Dragon is shown to be powerful but mischievous and emotionally sensitive. She resents Chen Cheng’s suspicion of her race, manipulates his fears somewhat, but ultimately acts out of genuine concern for She Li.
• She Li is saved at tremendous cost and gains the potential for extraordinary power, though his eventual physical transformation remains uncertain.
• Kui Niu acts as a blunt, skeptical voice, defending the Song Dragon’s explanation and criticizing the Little Black Man’s apparent manipulation.
• The Barbarian King becomes a guide and source of crucial information, recounting his earlier encounter with the Little Black Man and helping the group trace his movements.
• The Little Black Man is increasingly revealed as a manipulator who creates substitutes, monitors others, and possibly scripts reality itself.

Significant Themes

• Loyalty and brotherhood: Chen Cheng’s determination to protect She Li shows that personal bonds outweigh formal ranks or political roles.
• Transformation and identity: Dragonification raises questions about whether physical and biological change can alter a person’s mind, will, or humanity.
• Sacrifice and obligation: The Song Dragon’s painful sacrifice creates a moral debt that Chen Cheng immediately promises to repay.
• Reality versus fabrication: The machine forest and the Little Black Man’s surveillance reveal the possibility that the world’s history and supernatural events are staged or artificially constructed.
• Control and free will: The idea of a “Script World” suggests that characters may be acting within predetermined roles, challenging their ability to make genuine choices.
• Technology disguised as magic: Devices such as televisions, monitoring machines, and artificial substitutes blur the boundary between advanced technology, divine power, and fantasy.

Character Interactions

• Chen Cheng and the Song Dragon clash over She Li’s treatment, but their confrontation ends with mutual understanding and a stronger personal commitment.
• Kui Niu interrupts the Song Dragon’s teasing, exposing that she has emphasized unlikely dangers to frighten Chen Cheng.
• Chen Cheng’s gratitude softens the Song Dragon, whose embarrassment suggests growing emotional attachment or affection toward him.
• The Barbarian King shares his account with Chen Cheng and the others, shifting the group’s focus from She Li’s survival to uncovering the Little Black Man’s larger scheme.
• Chen Cheng assumes leadership, directing the group toward the “chief director” and beginning an investigation into who controls their world.

Summary of “Television Footage”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Cheng and Song Dragon follow Guste the Barbarian King through the forest of machines to its center, where they find an old black-and-white television, leather sofa, tea, and remote arranged as if someone had just left.
• The Barbarian King identifies the television as a strange artifact capable of displaying images. Chen Cheng immediately recognizes the setting and casually recreates the movements of the mysterious “Little Black Man”—turning on the television, pouring tea, and sitting on the sofa.
• Chen Cheng’s behavior confirms his suspicion that the Little Black Man was connected to him personally. He becomes furious, believing the artifact and the supposed “Godly Thought” may be remnants of the Ancient Civilization designed to manipulate or torment him.
• Before Chen Cheng can destroy the television, its static changes into footage of an ancient scientific experiment. Researchers are testing whether information can be preserved for thousands of years in a radio-frequency band.
• The experiment fails after fifteen thousand years because the stored data becomes distorted and the reading equipment breaks down. The researchers acknowledge that their original approach is flawed and decide to start over.
• In the following meeting, researcher Zhang Peng explains that their civilization can already compress all of its knowledge into a single radio frequency, but the rest of the system is ineffective.
• The chief engineer then announces a new plan: cooperating with Base 7458 to use biological and social data to develop “High-Dimensional Fixed-Point Brainwave Access Technology.”
• Chen Cheng realizes that this technology may explain the Sea of Magic—the shared mental realm through which mages access knowledge and magical inheritances.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng shifts from cautious suspicion to open anger. His familiarity with the television setup reveals a deep personal connection between the Ancient Civilization’s artifacts and his former life.
• He becomes increasingly convinced that the apparent divine revelations surrounding him are artificial constructions or deliberate psychological manipulation.
• Chen Cheng also demonstrates his superior understanding of the researchers’ concepts, allowing him to recognize the likely technological origins of the Sea of Magic.
• Song Dragon remains concerned about Chen Cheng’s condition after the earlier use of the divine artifact but accepts Chen Cheng’s reassurance.
• Guste the Barbarian King provides crucial confirmation that Chen Cheng’s actions resemble those of the Little Black Man, strengthening Chen Cheng’s theory.
• Zhang Peng is portrayed as outspoken and eager to assert his opinions, while the chief engineer is pragmatic enough to admit failure and redirect the project.

Significant Themes

• The manipulation of memory and perception: Chen Cheng suspects that supernatural experiences may actually be carefully constructed remnants of an ancient technological civilization.
• Technology mistaken for magic: The television footage presents advanced data storage and brainwave systems that may have become the foundation of modern magical phenomena.
• The persistence and decay of knowledge: The researchers struggle to preserve information across time, emphasizing the fragility of civilizations and their records.
• The relationship between the past and present: Chen Cheng’s former-life habits are reproduced in the ancient ruins, suggesting that his identity or memories may have been deliberately observed, preserved, or used.
• Scientific failure and adaptation: The researchers abandon unsuccessful theories and pursue a new interdisciplinary approach, showing how major breakthroughs emerge from recognizing flawed assumptions.

Character Interactions

• Song Dragon checks on Chen Cheng after noticing his trembling, showing concern and loyalty.
• Chen Cheng questions the Barbarian King about the Little Black Man’s behavior and uses his answer to confirm their resemblance.
• Chen Cheng confronts the unseen force behind the artifact, angrily accusing it of plotting against him.
• Within the recorded footage, Zhang Peng challenges the existing research direction, while the chief engineer initially manages the disagreement and ultimately accepts that the project must be rebuilt.
• The researchers’ discussion gives Chen Cheng the crucial connection between ancient scientific experiments, brainwave technology, and the magical Sea of Magic.

Chapter Summary: “Civilization Experiment”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Cheng connects the researchers’ mention of high-dimensional brainwave access to the Sea of Magic, but remains unsure how it relates to the current situation.
• The screen displays an aerial view of a primitive world inhabited by animals and a tribe in the early matriarchal clan stage of civilization.
• The footage reveals that the scene is actually a recording of the Ancient Ruins, where researchers are conducting civilization simulations through brainwave manipulation.
• Chief engineer Du Ke visits Lao Wen’s research team and proposes combining their work with a prewritten “civilization simulation script.”
• The experiment begins by transforming ordinary animals into powerful Magic Beasts:
  • One Magic Beast dominates the jungle.
  • Another later appears in the grasslands.
  • The jungle beast attacks the tribe, killing or injuring more than half its members and forcing the survivors to flee.
• The tribe’s displacement causes society to shift from matriarchal to patriarchal clan organization, while combat against beasts leads to the early development of Ancient Martial Arts.
• A young tribal warrior receives a magical inheritance in a dream and rapidly advances to Silver Rank, using magic to protect the tribe from the beast hordes.
• When the two Magic Beast Kings appear, the youth is helplessly defeated and killed.
• The tribe’s prayers trigger the next stage of the experiment: the youth’s consciousness encounters an illusory “God of Magic,” who offers power in exchange for belief.
• The youth accepts, reaches Platinum Rank, defeats both Magic Beasts, and seemingly saves the tribe—only to vanish immediately afterward.
• The researchers’ records reveal that the entire sequence was artificially designed. The experiment successfully guided the civilization’s development and controlled its thoughts, though it produced a high 72.3% off-target rate.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng becomes increasingly suspicious as he recognizes links between the ancient ruins, brainwave technology, and the Sea of Magic.
• Du Ke is presented as a confident, pragmatic researcher who treats the simulated civilization as an experimental script rather than a living society.
• Lao Wen appears more cautious and methodical, explaining that his team has achieved only partial progress and is still debating how to guide the civilization.
• The tribal youth progresses from an ordinary warrior into a magical champion, but his apparent heroism is revealed to be entirely engineered by outside forces.
• The tribe undergoes major social and cultural transformation—not through natural development, but through manipulated crisis, forced migration, warfare, and religious intervention.
• Chen Cheng, Kui Niu, and the others react with shock and unease, especially as they realize the “miracles” were simply stages in a controlled experiment.

Significant Themes

• Artificially engineered civilization: Social progress, religion, heroism, and historical change can all be manufactured by manipulating conditions.
• Control versus free will: The experimenters control the tribe’s environment and even its thoughts, raising questions about whether its choices or beliefs are genuine.
• The creation of myths and religion: The “God of Magic” is not a true divine being but an experimental construct used to produce a desired outcome.
• The ethics of experimentation: The researchers treat mass death, suffering, and cultural upheaval as data, exposing the horrifying detachment of scientific civilization.
• Historical determinism and social evolution: The shift from matriarchal to patriarchal society is portrayed as an unintended—or deliberately induced—result of environmental pressure and altered productive conditions.
• The hollowness of scripted heroism: The youth’s rise, sacrifice, and final victory resemble a classic legend, but the records reveal that every event was predetermined and manipulated.

Character Interactions

• Du Ke and Lao Wen interact as fellow researchers: Du Ke urges immediate cooperation and experimentation, while Lao Wen reports on the team’s incomplete progress.
• The researchers and the simulated tribe have an unequal relationship, with the researchers acting as unseen directors who alter nature, empower individuals, and shape social development.
• The youth and the tribe share a relationship of dependence: the tribe looks to him as its protector, and its collective prayers become the mechanism that enables his final transformation.
• The illusory God of Magic and the youth represent a direct act of ideological manipulation, as the figure offers power in return for belief.
• Chen Cheng and the observers serve as witnesses to the revelation, contrasting their emotional reaction with the researchers’ cold experimental terminology.

Chapter Summary: “Intimidation”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Little Black Man shows the group experimental footage suggesting that civilization, social development, and even the thousand-year Hero’s Game were deliberately designed by an ancient group.
• The revelation shocks Song Dragon, Kui Niu, and the others, who begin to fear that their lives have been controlled like puppets. However, Chen Cheng refuses to accept the footage blindly, recognizing that it comes from an enemy.
• Chen Cheng challenges Little Black Man’s claim that his violence is merely an act of rebellion against the ancient civilization. He points out that the Ancient Civilization is long gone and questions how Little Black Man could still exist.
• Angered by Chen Cheng’s words, Little Black Man attacks him by dragging him into his own shadow and forcing him into his Consciousness Void.
• Inside the void, Chen Cheng encounters countless demons and monsters, representing the filthy and corrupted faith Little Black Man is forcing into him. The contamination begins damaging his divine form and threatens to turn him insane or kill him.
• Chen Cheng realizes that he lacks the ability to properly purify the corrupted faith. At a critical moment, he remembers the Sword of Kings.
• The divine sword’s destructive power purges the contamination and allows Chen Cheng’s consciousness deity to annihilate all the demons in a single sweeping attack.
• Chen Cheng returns to reality and finds that the others have also been attacked and restrained by multiple copies of Little Black Man.
• He threatens to destroy the surrounding machinery unless the captives are released. He also deduces that Little Black Man’s true existence is connected to the endless forest of machines and that the Ancient Civilization’s high-dimensional technology preserved or intercepted him as information.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng remains skeptical and defiant despite the terrifying revelation. Rather than surrendering to despair, he questions Little Black Man’s narrative and exposes the contradiction between his claimed rebellion and his continued existence.
• Chen Cheng faces a major spiritual crisis when corrupted faith nearly overwhelms him. His knowledge of Faith Contamination allows him to understand the danger, while his memory of the Sword of Kings helps him survive.
• His successful use of the sword demonstrates both his growing power and his ability to remain calm enough to exploit a crucial weapon under extreme pressure.
• Little Black Man is revealed to be emotionally wounded and resentful. Though he claims to have rebelled against the forces controlling civilization, his actions have made him another oppressive manipulator.
• Little Black Man’s dependence on the machine forest and ancient technology suggests that he is not an entirely independent being, but a remnant or consciousness preserved through the Ancient Civilization’s systems.
• Kui Niu, Song Dragon, and the others are shaken by the possibility that their entire civilization was engineered, leaving them vulnerable to Little Black Man’s intimidation.

Significant Themes

• Free will versus manipulation: The group confronts the possibility that their history and civilization were predetermined by unseen powers.
• Truth and propaganda: The footage may contain genuine information, but because it is presented by an enemy, the characters must distinguish truth from psychological manipulation.
• Rebellion becoming oppression: Little Black Man claims to oppose those who controlled him, yet he repeats their methods by controlling and slaughtering others.
• Faith as both power and contamination: Divine power can strengthen gods, but corrupted faith can also distort, infect, and destroy them.
• Identity and survival: Little Black Man’s existence as a surviving thought or fragment raises questions about whether consciousness can endure independently of the original person.
• Resistance through self-knowledge: Chen Cheng survives because he understands his condition, recognizes the nature of the contamination, and remembers the tools available to him.

Character Interactions

• Chen Cheng and Little Black Man: Their confrontation is the chapter’s central interaction. Chen Cheng refuses to be intimidated, while Little Black Man responds to criticism with rage and a personal attack.
• Little Black Man and the group: Little Black Man attempts to frighten the group into submission by revealing their possible lack of autonomy, then physically restrains them through multiple manifestations.
• Chen Cheng and his inner consciousness: Chen Cheng’s awareness of Faith Contamination and recollection of the Sword of Kings enable him to regain control.
• Chen Cheng and the captives: After escaping the spiritual attack, Chen Cheng takes command of the situation, threatening the machines—and therefore Little Black Man’s true base—in order to force the release of the others.

Chapter Summary: “Gamble”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Little Black Man takes She Li hostage, threatening to kill him while simultaneously corroding his spiritual will.
• Chen Cheng hesitates to attack because the area is filled with machines. Destroying them might not kill Little Black Man and could instead destroy the entire facility and its surrounding Small World.
• Little Black Man exploits Chen Cheng’s concern for his companions and demands that he discard his sword—the only weapon capable of threatening him.
• Brother Octopus intervenes and proposes that Chen Cheng and Little Black Man swear a Godhead Oath: whoever breaks the agreement will die and disappear.
• Little Black Man accepts the general idea but attempts to establish terms that would prevent Chen Cheng from using the sword against him.
• When Chen Cheng remains suspicious and refuses to agree, Little Black Man threatens Noah and the others as well, trying to force Chen Cheng into submission.
• Chen Cheng realizes that Little Black Man’s fixation on the sword may reveal its true importance. He takes a gamble and declares, “Activate administrator privileges.”
• The sword activates a hidden system interface called Homecoming, revealing that it is the key to administrator authority. Little Black Man freezes in terror, confirming Chen Cheng’s suspicion.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng demonstrates restraint and strategic thinking. Although he is willing to risk himself, he refuses to abandon the people who depend on him. His apparent hesitation is actually part of a careful assessment of the situation.
• Chen Cheng also shows his willingness to gamble when all other options are exhausted. He recognizes that activating the sword’s administrator privileges is risky, but doing nothing would guarantee the loss of his companions.
• Little Black Man is shown to be manipulative and dangerous, using hostages to control Chen Cheng. However, his fear of the sword and his desperate attempts to avoid mutual destruction reveal that he is not invincible and does not truly wish to die.
• Brother Octopus acts as a self-interested mediator. He wants to prevent the destruction of the machines and Small World because he fears dying, not because he is concerned for the hostages. His intervention nevertheless gives Chen Cheng a possible way to expose Little Black Man’s weaknesses.
• She Li, Noah, and the others remain largely powerless hostages, their lives being used as leverage in the confrontation.

Significant Themes

• Gambling under impossible conditions: Chen Cheng must make a high-risk choice when every available option carries catastrophic consequences.
• Power and leverage: The confrontation is less about direct combat than about who can control the other’s vulnerabilities.
• Sacrifice and responsibility: Chen Cheng’s actions are guided by his responsibility toward his friends, family, and subordinates. He refuses to treat their deaths as acceptable collateral damage.
• Hidden power and deception: The sword appears to be merely a weapon, but is actually a key to the administrator system. Little Black Man’s repeated focus on it unintentionally exposes its deeper significance.
• Self-preservation: Despite his threats, Little Black Man clearly fears death, while Brother Octopus’s proposal reveals his own selfish desire to survive.

Character Interactions

• Little Black Man threatens She Li directly to force Chen Cheng into surrender.
• Chen Cheng and Little Black Man negotiate over the hostages and the sword, each trying to determine whether the other is bluffing.
• Brother Octopus interrupts the standoff and proposes the Godhead Oath, temporarily shifting the conflict from physical violence to formal agreement.
• Chen Cheng distrusts Brother Octopus’s motives and suspects that Little Black Man accepted the proposal too readily.
• Little Black Man escalates by threatening multiple captives, but Chen Cheng turns the situation around by invoking administrator privileges.
• The activation of Homecoming confirms Chen Cheng’s theory and leaves Little Black Man frozen, dramatically reversing the balance of power.

Chapter Summary: “Retreat Plan”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Cheng realizes that the mysterious “thing” has been trying to obtain the sword and has likely infiltrated the New World for a thousand years.
• He activates the Return Home System’s administrator panel and starts its antivirus program, identifying the “Godly Thought” or Little Black Man as a virus.
• The system begins a full self-check and launches a cleanup operation. As it does, the entire New World destabilizes: the nine suns flicker, climate and magical-energy circulation change, and divine patterns become visible throughout the Royal Capital.
• Chen Cheng discovers that the New World is actually an artificially created divine-artifact world. The nine “suns” are convergence points that regulate its day, weather, and magical energy.
• The Little Black Man releases Kui Niu, Guste, Song Dragon, She Li, and the others from its mental grasp, but only after subjecting them to personalized psychic torture based on their guilt, grief, racial memories, and spiritual weaknesses.
• Chen Cheng remains unaffected and continues purging the virus instead of pausing to help the others, prioritizing the destruction of the Godly Thought.
• Guste awakens first and attacks the frozen Little Black Man in rage, driven by the torment of experiencing White Crane, Giant Elephant, and others’ deaths again.
• Kui Niu awakens next and realizes that Guste’s attack may trigger a defensive mechanism that could help the Little Black Man escape. He attempts to alter causality so Guste’s fist will not strike the entity.
• The intervention backfires. When Guste hits the Little Black Man, it transforms into a black ribbon and attempts to enter Guste’s body, but Kui Niu’s causal distortion redirects it into Kui Niu instead.
• The system detects a “virus source outbreak” and begins separating the infected data. Chen Cheng recognizes this as an escape attempt and uses his administrator privileges to stop the data separation, though he cannot fully prevent the entity’s physical transfer.
• Kui Niu’s body begins to crack under the strain. The chapter ends by explaining the Little Black Man’s intended escape plan: possess Guste, trigger the system’s self-preservation response, and use the resulting expulsion to flee the Return Home System and survive in Guste’s body.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng: Becomes increasingly decisive and ruthless in his role as system administrator. He refuses to hesitate or be manipulated, focusing entirely on eliminating the threat.
• Guste: His anger and grief overwhelm him after reliving the deaths of his comrades, causing him to attack impulsively. His emotional vulnerability nearly becomes the means of the Little Black Man’s escape.
• Kui Niu: Demonstrates strong loyalty and clear judgment despite the Little Black Man’s attempts to turn him against the Empire. His decision to interfere is motivated by strategic concern, but his causal manipulation unintentionally makes him the entity’s new host.
• Song Dragon and She Li: Suffer severe psychological and spiritual trauma. Song Dragon experiences the deaths of countless dragons, while She Li is attacked through the accumulated resentment of broken swords, damaging his Way of the Blade.
• The Little Black Man/Godly Thought: Revealed to be highly calculating. It deliberately tailored its torture, anticipated the system’s defensive reactions, and prepared a contingency plan involving possession and escape.

Significant Themes

• Technology and divine power: The chapter merges computer systems, antivirus protocols, administrator privileges, and data separation with divine patterns, causality, and spiritual contamination.
• Manipulation and exploitation: The Little Black Man weaponizes the victims’ grief, guilt, and racial memories rather than relying solely on physical force.
• Sacrifice and collateral damage: The system’s potential escape-prevention measures resemble data centers abandoning infected data, raising the possibility that individuals such as Kui Niu may be sacrificed to protect the larger system.
• Free will versus influence: Kui Niu’s resistance to the entity’s accusations shows that personal loyalty and moral judgment can withstand psychological manipulation, though not necessarily its physical consequences.
• The danger of impulsive revenge: Guste’s understandable rage gives the enemy the opening it needs, showing how trauma can be turned into a weapon.

Character Interactions

• Chen Cheng and the Little Black Man: Their conflict is primarily a battle of administrator authority against a virus’s survival strategy. Chen Cheng refuses to let it escape through system protocols.
• Guste and the Little Black Man: Guste attacks it directly after being forced to relive the deaths of his companions.
• Kui Niu and Guste: Kui Niu tries to protect Guste—and the system’s cleanup process—by altering causality around Guste’s attack.
• Kui Niu and the Little Black Man: Kui Niu’s intervention accidentally makes him the entity’s host, placing him in immediate physical danger.
• The Little Black Man and the captives: It exploits each captive’s deepest trauma, using their own memories, racial suffering, and spiritual resentment to break them psychologically.

Summary of “Grief of the Departed”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Little Black Man’s elaborate plan is revealed. He manipulated Guste into escaping through the system’s antivirus self-check, then forced Guste to kill his own companions and repeatedly crushed his hopes of revenge.
• He also exploited Chen Cheng’s desire to destroy him, causing Chen Cheng to activate administrator privileges and open a breach in the sealed system. This allowed Little Black Man to use the system’s rules to remove the powers that had tormented him and attempt Soul Possession Rebirth.
• Little Black Man took precautions to prevent She Li and the others from interfering. However, Kui Niu—less suspicious and scheming than the others—awoke at the crucial moment.
• Due to a reversal of cause and effect, the possession target was accidentally changed from Little Black Man’s intended target to Kui Niu. The enormous amount of power transferred into Kui Niu’s body could not be contained, causing him to rapidly crack apart.
• Chen Cheng orders the ruin’s system to extract the power from Kui Niu. Although he successfully modifies the system’s permissions to bypass the Lifeform Virus, Kui Niu reveals that he has already fused with the entity responsible for the deaths of most of his tribesmen.
• Kui Niu alternates between asking Chen Cheng to let him die with the demon and begging to be saved so he can be absorbed and revived in a new body.
• Brother Octopus slaps Chen Cheng and warns him that the being speaking through Kui Niu is no longer truly Kui Niu. This snaps Chen Cheng out of his hesitation.
• Chen Cheng tests Kui Niu by asking a question connected to their first meeting. Kui Niu’s response and behavior confirm that the original Kui Niu is gone.
• Chen Cheng stops the extraction. The energy returns to Kui Niu, whose body dissolves completely. Before disappearing, he thanks Chen Cheng, suggesting that dying alongside the demon was his true final wish.
• Chen Cheng collapses in devastating grief. She Li supports him, while Guste, Noah, and the others mourn Kui Niu’s sacrifice. The chapter ends with Chen Cheng regaining control and recognizing that the larger crisis is still unresolved.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng: Experiences the death of someone close to him for the first time. His grief exposes his vulnerability and forces him to distinguish between preserving Kui Niu’s body and preserving Kui Niu’s identity. Though tempted to save him at any cost—even if it endangered another world—Chen Cheng ultimately chooses to let him die.
• Kui Niu: Demonstrates both loyalty and inner conflict. He accepts death as revenge against the demon, but also instinctively begs for survival. His final “thank you” indicates acceptance of Chen Cheng’s decision and peace with his sacrifice.
• Little Black Man: Is shown to be highly calculating, having engineered nearly every preceding event. His plan succeeds in causing immense destruction, but the possession mishap ultimately leads to his apparent destruction alongside Kui Niu.
• She Li: Acts as emotional support for Chen Cheng, drawing on his own experience of losing his parents and recognizing Chen Cheng’s grief.
• Brother Octopus: Provides blunt but crucial intervention, cutting through Chen Cheng’s hesitation despite the danger of confronting him.
• Guste: Is overwhelmed by guilt and grief, wishing he had been the one to die instead. His earlier hatred and desire for revenge are overshadowed by sorrow for Kui Niu.
• Noah and the others: Mourn Kui Niu while recognizing that his death protected their world from the Lifeform Virus.

Significant Themes

• Grief and loss: The chapter focuses on the devastating emotional and physical impact of losing someone regarded as family.
• Identity versus appearance: Although the possessed Kui Niu retains the same body and memories, Chen Cheng recognizes that he is no longer the person he knew.
• Sacrifice: Kui Niu’s death prevents the Lifeform Virus from spreading and saves Noah’s world, making his destruction both tragic and meaningful.
• Moral choice: Chen Cheng must choose between saving his companion through a dangerous revival and preventing the destruction of an entire world.
• The limits of control: Little Black Man’s intricate scheme is undone by an unforeseen reversal, showing that even carefully manipulated systems can produce unpredictable results.
• Family and companionship: Chen Cheng’s reaction reveals how deeply he has come to value his companions, while She Li’s support emphasizes shared experience and emotional solidarity.

Character Interactions

• Little Black Man manipulates Guste and Chen Cheng to advance his rebirth plan.
• Chen Cheng repeatedly communicates with the system while attempting to rescue Kui Niu.
• Kui Niu pleads with Chen Cheng both to stop the extraction and to save him, reflecting the conflict between his true will and the possessing entity.
• Brother Octopus physically interrupts Chen Cheng’s hesitation and helps him recognize the deception.
• Chen Cheng confronts the false Kui Niu with a personal question, confirming that his companion is gone.
• She Li comforts Chen Cheng through his collapse, while Guste, Noah, and the others collectively mourn Kui Niu’s death.

Chapter Summary: “Reincarnation”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The reincarnation system begins malfunctioning after Godly Thought’s death. Godly Thought had seized control of the part of the system responsible for processing the negative emotions and beliefs produced by living beings.
• Without someone taking over this authority, accumulated despair, resentment, and other “filthy faith” would eventually transform the New World into a Demon Realm.
• Chen Cheng activates the administrator authority and links the system’s processing function to his own consciousness.
• The connection exposes him to the combined malice, grief, despair, and unwillingness of all living beings. Black qi surrounds him as his mind is nearly overwhelmed.
• Using the Sword of Kings to shield his consciousness, Chen Cheng endures the torment and gradually learns how to process the filthy faith.
• Inspired by information left behind by Godly Thought, he begins treating the world itself as the source of the faith, effectively becoming a subordinate god of the World God.
• This allows him to absorb and purify the negative faith rather than be corrupted by it. His divinity strengthens, and he reaches the level of a True God.
• Chen Cheng adopts the title Reincarnation True Lord, reflecting his new responsibility over the world’s reincarnation and spiritual-filth processing system.
• During the process, he discovers and preserves Kui Niu’s final belief before death, creating something resembling a ghost and raising the possibility of reviving Kui Niu.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng demonstrates immense mental strength by surviving an authority that previously drove Godly Thought toward madness and Soul Possession Rebirth.
• He develops from a powerful individual into a divine administrator responsible for maintaining the world’s spiritual balance.
• Chen Cheng gains a new method of obtaining power directly from the world, eliminating the need to establish a church or gather conventional believers.
• His compassion and attachment to his allies are shown through his determination to preserve Kui Niu’s final consciousness and potentially restore him.
• Godly Thought, though dead, continues to influence events through the knowledge and methods he left within the system. His past solution becomes the key to Chen Cheng’s success.

Significant Themes

• The burden of divine authority: Controlling the world’s negative emotions requires enduring the suffering of all living beings.
• Faith as energy: The chapter presents faith not as inherently pure or impure, but as a form of thought and power that gods can use or be corrupted by.
• Order versus corruption: Chen Cheng’s role prevents accumulated despair from stagnating and creating a Demon Realm.
• Transformation through suffering: By surviving the system’s torment, Chen Cheng gains greater divinity and a new cosmic identity.
• Death and reincarnation: The preservation of Kui Niu’s final belief suggests that death may not be final and that consciousness can potentially be reconstructed.
• The dangers of power: Godly Thought’s fate illustrates how prolonged exposure to overwhelming spiritual negativity can destroy even an immortal being.

Character Interactions

• Chen Cheng’s companions become alarmed when black qi surrounds him, fearing that Godly Thought may have possessed or corrupted him.
• Chen Cheng reassures them—particularly the person addressing him as “Young Master”—and insists that he is still in control.
• His interaction with Godly Thought is indirect but important: Chen Cheng relies on Godly Thought’s remaining knowledge to understand and manage the filthy faith.
• His discovery of Kui Niu’s final belief creates a continuing emotional and narrative connection between the two characters, motivating Chen Cheng to seek a possible resurrection.

Chapter Summary: Out of the Abyss

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Cheng absorbs the soul-like remnant of Kui Niu into his own body because he cannot find a vessel capable of preserving it.
• Guste, devastated by Kui Niu’s sacrifice, asks to take Kui Niu’s place. Chen Cheng accepts, instructing him to protect and care for the Minotaur tribe as Kui Niu did.
• Chen Cheng deliberately keeps his theory that Kui Niu might still be revived secret. He fears that revealing uncertain hope could destroy Guste’s current reason to live, while Guste’s support is also politically important to the Restoration Group.
• Song Dragon urges everyone to leave the New World immediately. With Godly Thought destroyed, the spatial rifts connecting the New World to the Present World are beginning to close.
• Chen Cheng searches the ruins but finds little of value, then uses his administrator authority to create a spatial vortex and return everyone to the Present World.
• They emerge at Heaven’s Far North, where the former Abyss has collapsed into a massive geological rift filled with lava. This confirms that the Abyss has truly disappeared and that the Orc race’s thousand-year mission has ended.
• Guste reacts with both laughter and tears, overwhelmed by the completion of the mission and the loss of Kui Niu.
• Song Dragon briefly departs for Dragon Island, reminding Chen Cheng of their agreement and asking him to visit if he discovers a way to help her. She soon returns to warn him that a powerful human is approaching.
• The approaching figure is Ye Rong, commander of the Great Wall Army. Chen Cheng recognizes him as an ally.
• Ye Rong reports on events at the frontier and asks about Kui Niu, assuming that he is still alive but perhaps trapped or left behind while protecting the others.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng accepts greater responsibility by carrying Kui Niu’s soul and agreeing to preserve his legacy. He is burdened by guilt over leading the expedition that resulted in Kui Niu’s death and worries about facing the Minotaur tribe.
• Guste transforms from a grieving survivor into the successor to Kui Niu’s responsibilities. His vow to live and serve in Kui Niu’s place becomes the foundation of his continued sanity and purpose.
• Kui Niu remains absent physically, but his sacrifice and ideals continue to shape the actions of Chen Cheng and Guste. His possible revival introduces uncertain hope.
• Song Dragon shows increased trust in Chen Cheng by acknowledging their agreement and recognizing him as someone connected to the powerful human civilization of the empire. She remains independent and focused on strength rather than governance.
• Ye Rong demonstrates deep loyalty and confidence in Chen Cheng. His inability to imagine Kui Niu’s death emphasizes how extraordinary and shocking the loss is.

Significant Themes

• Sacrifice and legacy: Guste assumes Kui Niu’s duties, while Chen Cheng preserves Kui Niu’s soul and seeks a possible way to restore him.
• Grief and responsibility: Chen Cheng must confront his role in the expedition’s disastrous outcome, while Guste struggles to survive after losing the person he depended on.
• Hope versus reality: Chen Cheng keeps the possibility of Kui Niu’s revival secret because uncertain hope could either sustain or destroy Guste.
• The end of an era: The destruction of the Abyss fulfills the Orc race’s ancient mission and permanently changes the world’s geography and political situation.
• Political survival: Kui Niu’s death weakens Chen Cheng’s Restoration Group, making Guste’s allegiance valuable both emotionally and strategically.
• Transition and renewal: The collapse of the Abyss marks the end of the old threat, while the return to the Present World signals the beginning of a new conflict involving the five great kingdoms.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Cheng and Guste discuss Kui Niu’s death, with Guste formally kneeling and accepting the duty of becoming Kui Niu’s successor.
• Song Dragon pushes the group to escape before the spatial rifts close, showing practical concern despite her independent nature.
• Song Dragon and Chen Cheng reaffirm their agreement before she leaves for Dragon Island.
• Song Dragon warns Chen Cheng about Ye Rong, initially treating him as a dangerous enemy.
• Chen Cheng reveals that Ye Rong is his subordinate, surprising Song Dragon and highlighting the strength of Chen Cheng’s empire.
• Ye Rong eagerly asks about Kui Niu and offers to rescue him, unaware that Kui Niu has sacrificed himself. This sets up the emotional impact of Chen Cheng eventually having to reveal the truth.

Chapter Summary: “The Role of the Great Wall”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Cheng struggles to tell Ye Rong that Kui Niu has died, knowing that Ye Rong and Kui Niu were comrades for more than a century.
• Guste approaches Ye Rong, kneels, and repeatedly bangs his head against the ground, admitting that Kui Niu died because of him.
• Overcome with anger, Ye Rong punches Guste in the face. However, he ultimately refuses to punish or kill him because doing so would betray Kui Niu’s lifelong dream of peace and cooperation between humans and Orcs.
• Ye Rong reminds Guste that his life now belongs not only to himself but also to Kui Niu, whose final ideals Guste must carry forward.
• Chen Cheng realizes that as a ruler, he must bear responsibility not only for his own grief but also for the deaths and sacrifices of those who follow him.
• The group returns toward the Great Wall, passing countless corpses of Black Demons. These creatures are revealed to be corrupted Undying Corpses formed from tainted faith and driven to infect living beings.
• At the Thousand-Mile Bone Mountains, Chen Cheng recognizes that the region is saturated with dangerous tainted power. If left unchecked, it could transform the entire Northern Frontier into a demonic domain.
• Using his divine sight, Chen Cheng discovers that the Great Wall is not merely suppressing the taint—it is also absorbing it as a source of energy.
• This explains how the Great Wall has continued functioning and how the Little Black Man survived for a thousand years. However, the Great Wall could not prevent the Western Territory from suffering desertification, collapse, and the gradual leakage of the world’s power into the void.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng: Kui Niu’s death forces him to confront the true cost of leadership. His personal grief develops into a broader sense of responsibility for his followers and the future of the Northern Frontier.
• Ye Rong: Though devastated by Kui Niu’s death, Ye Rong suppresses his personal rage and chooses to honor Kui Niu’s ideals rather than seek revenge. His actions show both his grief and his discipline as commander of the Great Wall.
• Guste: Reduced from a proud Barbarian King to a grieving, repentant figure, Guste accepts responsibility for Kui Niu’s death. His silence suggests that he understands he must live in accordance with Kui Niu’s dream.
• Kui Niu: Though dead, Kui Niu’s influence remains central. His sacrifice and vision of human-Orc unity continue to shape the decisions of Ye Rong, Guste, and Chen Cheng.

Significant Themes

• The burden of leadership: Chen Cheng recognizes that a ruler must carry the grief of many people and accept that loyal followers may die during his rise.
• Sacrifice and legacy: Kui Niu’s death gains meaning through the ideals he leaves behind, particularly the pursuit of peace between humans and Orcs.
• Revenge versus reconciliation: Ye Rong chooses not to destroy Guste, demonstrating that preserving peace and honoring the dead can be more important than personal vengeance.
• The Great Wall as protector and sustainer: The Wall is both a defensive barrier against corruption and a mechanism that absorbs tainted power to maintain itself.
• The danger of corruption: The Black Demons and the Thousand-Mile Bone Mountains illustrate how spiritual and environmental corruption can spread, threatening entire regions and civilizations.
• Civilizational collapse: The Great Wall’s original role extended beyond military defense: it also prevented the world’s power from leaking away and helped delay the eventual collapse of the world.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Cheng and Ye Rong: Chen Cheng’s hesitation reflects his concern for Ye Rong, while Ye Rong’s emotional reaction reveals the depth of his bond with Kui Niu.
• Ye Rong and Guste: Their confrontation begins with violence but ends with Ye Rong sparing Guste and entrusting him with Kui Niu’s legacy.
• Chen Cheng and the returning group: The devastation caused by the Black Demons gives Noah and the others a terrifying view of the consequences of unchecked corruption.
• Chen Cheng and the Great Wall: Through his divine sight, Chen Cheng gains a deeper understanding of the Wall’s hidden function and its historical importance to the survival of the world.

Summary: “Secretly Crossing at Chencang”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Cheng and Ye Rong inspect the mountain of corpses beyond the Great Wall. Ye Rong reveals the hidden history of the site:
  • After the Great Wall was relocated, it gradually lost its original power because it no longer had a natural source.
  • By the fifth emperor’s reign, the corpses beyond the Wall had begun forming a Demon Realm, while an Abyss outbreak threatened to breach the defenses.
  • The master of the Demigod Temple used an artifact left by the first emperor to refine the demonic energy and channel it into the Great Wall, transforming the pollution into a power source.
• This revelation confirms to Chen Cheng that the Great Wall can still be used to seal the Northern Frontier. With his administrator authority, he believes he can repeat his ancestor’s feat and possibly transfer some of his own burden into the Wall as stored energy.
• Chen Cheng and Ye Rong return inside the Wall, where more than ten million Orcs from Beyond the Wall are establishing homes and a new community.
• Bu Jiu and Sinister report on the Orcs’ condition and mourn Kui Niu’s death. Sinister is particularly affected because, despite his usually hostile demeanor, Kui Niu had been one of his few true friends.
• Chen Cheng orders that only basic rules be established for the Orcs at first, with Guste eventually returning to govern them according to Kui Niu’s ideals.
• Chen Cheng investigates the five great kingdoms’ lack of visible retaliation after two of their commanders were killed.
• Sinister explains that enemy camps have been repeatedly sending out supply convoys. The Orcs have ambushed several, but the escorts consistently flee upon encountering them, abandoning the supplies.
• Chen Cheng examines the captured provisions with his Divine Eye and finds nothing suspicious. However, the massive amount of supplies being transported appears irrational, especially since no significant reinforcements have entered the enemy camps.
• Noah asks whether the logistics personnel are always the same and whether they return to their camps after fleeing. His questions reveal a possible blind spot: everyone has been assuming the supply escorts are unimportant ordinary soldiers, when they may be involved in a hidden strategy.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng becomes more confident in his ability to use the Great Wall strategically. He shifts from simply defending it to considering how it might support and store his own power.
• Ye Rong moves from withholding information to honestly explaining the Great Wall’s secret history once Chen Cheng recognizes that he knows more than he has admitted. His knowledge proves valuable in confirming Chen Cheng’s plan.
• Sinister shows his concealed emotional depth through his grief over Kui Niu. His bond with Kui Niu demonstrates that his harsh exterior does not prevent genuine loyalty or friendship.
• Bu Jiu and Sinister turn their grief into productive work, helping organize the displaced Orcs rather than remaining paralyzed by loss.
• Noah demonstrates his practical military insight. His experience with ordinary human armies allows him to notice the significance of the logistics troops, something the Transcendent-focused defenders overlooked.

Significant Themes

• Hidden history and concealed power: The Great Wall’s true function—as both a seal and a reservoir powered by refined demonic energy—has been deliberately kept secret.
• Turning corruption into strength: The dangerous demonic energy that threatened the Northern Frontier was transformed into a resource sustaining the Great Wall.
• Grief transformed into responsibility: After Kui Niu’s death, the survivors honor him by continuing his work and building a stable future for the Orcs.
• Strategic deception and overlooked weaknesses: The enemy’s apparently wasteful supply movements suggest a hidden plan. The chapter emphasizes that seemingly insignificant logistics forces may be more important than elite armies.
• Different military perspectives: Societies that rely heavily on Transcendents may underestimate ordinary soldiers, while Noah’s background helps him identify their potential importance.

Character Interactions

• Chen Cheng questions Ye Rong and forces him to reveal the Great Wall’s secret history.
• Chen Cheng, Bu Jiu, and Sinister discuss the Orcs’ resettlement and future governance.
• Sinister reports enemy movements and supply seizures to Chen Cheng, who analyzes the strategic implications.
• Noah’s question interrupts the investigation and gives Sinister and the others a new way to interpret the enemy’s behavior, suggesting that the true danger may be hidden among the supply escorts rather than in the supplies themselves.