Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: The Might of the Magic-Ban Formation

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Cheng’s Reincarnation Palm Seal clashes with Her’s ultimate-cold palm strike. The Reincarnation Law gradually dissolves Her’s icy force and transforms it into pure Magic Energy, which is absorbed by the Blood River formation beneath them.
• The three Church elders, Sadros among them, realize how powerful Chen Cheng has become after obtaining a Law Divine Core. Fearing that he may eventually threaten their religion, they resolve to kill him—even at the cost of their own lives.
• Her announces that the formation is fully charged and claims that she can now unleash her full strength. The suspended million victims, whose hatred has been deliberately cultivated by the Church, begin contributing to the formation and the awakening of the Corpseborn Spirit.
• Instead of retreating, Chen Cheng reveals the Magic-Ban Formation. A massive silver-white cube descends, instantly disrupting the Blood River formation and transporting everyone outside Sin City.
• The Magic-Ban Formation suppresses all Transcendent Magic Energy. The Church members, Her, and everyone nearby lose their divine powers and fall like ordinary humans. The Blood Rivers become ordinary blood, the Thorn Flowers wither, and the Corpseborn Spirit disappears.
• The formation proves dangerously effective in the unstable Land of Sin. Because the world’s laws are incomplete, the formation begins damaging the structure of the entire world rather than merely suppressing magic.
• Old Man Huang warns Chen Cheng that the Land of Sin may collapse if the formation is not withdrawn. Chen Cheng nevertheless uses his physical strength to overpower Her, grabbing her by the neck and beating her severely.
• Chen Cheng mocks the Church elders, warning that they may simply die of old age while their powers remain sealed. Old Man Huang begins to collapse because the formation has silenced his Dao Fruit and exposed his approaching natural death.
• Chen Cheng orders She Li to protect Old Man Huang from the Church’s Law Venerables. He then implies that he is about to do something further to Her, prompting the Church elders to desperately charge him despite their weakened, aging bodies.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng: Demonstrates both overwhelming magical skill and superior physical strength. He remains confident and adaptable, abandoning magical combat when necessary and revealing the Magic-Ban Formation as his decisive trump card. His control over the situation is tempered by the danger his formation poses to the entire Land of Sin.
• Her: Initially appears evenly matched with Chen Cheng and becomes confident once the Blood River formation finishes charging. However, after magic is suppressed, she is physically dominated and reduced to pleading with Chen Cheng to withdraw the formation.
• Sadros and the Church elders: Their fear of Chen Cheng intensifies into fanatic determination. They value the survival of their religion above their own lives and continue resisting even after losing their powers.
• Old Man Huang: His vulnerability becomes apparent when the Magic-Ban Formation suppresses his Dao Fruit. Having already reached the end of his lifespan, he begins dying once reduced to an ordinary mortal.
• She Li: Is entrusted with protecting Old Man Huang, showing Chen Cheng’s reliance on her in the increasingly dangerous aftermath.

Significant Themes

• Fanaticism versus self-preservation: The Church elders are willing to sacrifice themselves to eliminate Chen Cheng and preserve their faith.
• The danger of uncontrolled power: The Magic-Ban Formation is so effective in the fragile Land of Sin that it threatens to destroy the world itself.
• Magic versus physical strength: When magical attacks reach a stalemate, Chen Cheng proves that physical force can decide the battle.
• Mortality and vulnerability: Once divine power is removed, even powerful beings are exposed to age, weakness, and death.
• Religious exclusivity and extremism: The Church’s belief that all other gods are evil fuels its willingness to commit atrocities and sacrifice countless lives.

Character Interactions

• Chen Cheng and Her shift from a magical duel to a one-sided physical confrontation after the formation suppresses their powers.
• Sadros and the elders openly condemn Chen Cheng and declare their intent to kill him for the sake of the Church.
• Old Man Huang warns Chen Cheng about the world’s imminent collapse, while Chen Cheng assigns She Li to guard him.
• The Church elders plead and then attack when Chen Cheng threatens Her, revealing both their loyalty to the Divine Child and their desperation in the face of their helplessness.

Chapter Summary: “Divine Experiment”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Cheng defeats a group of elderly Church elders who try to protect Her, using Her’s body as a weapon and knocking them down.
• Her asks Chen Cheng to stop, warning that removing the True God—referred to as the God-Controlling—from his body may allow the apocalypse to descend upon the Present World.
• Chen Cheng rejects sacrificing the present for an uncertain future. He argues that allowing an Evil God to be summoned is an unacceptable violation and that people should not be forced to suffer for a supposedly better tomorrow.
• Chen Cheng manifests a deity behind him, which reaches into Her’s head and extracts a silver-gray spiritual thread and a twisted divine spiritual body.
• The extracted entity reveals itself as a Frost Giant. It angrily accuses the God of Light of deceiving it and vows revenge on behalf of the Frost Giants.
• Chen Cheng realizes that the Magic-Ban Formation prevents the Frost Giant from directly affecting the three-dimensional world. He threatens to destroy it using his Divine Kingdom Pure Land.
• The Frost Giant initially refuses to cooperate, claiming that the world’s eventual collapse will restore its power. Chen Cheng pressures it into releasing its Frost Divine Power so he can study the effects.
• The Frost Giant attempts to freeze the surroundings, but its Divine Power cannot interact with the world’s laws. It produces no physical ice, despite seeming overwhelmingly powerful in perception.
• Through questioning, Chen Cheng learns that divine beings normally manipulate “law-lines” to produce miracles. The stone or formation in this world suppresses those lines, leaving the Frost Giant’s power unable to manifest.
• Chen Cheng concludes that the Frost Giant has effectively become an incorporeal, powerless mortal within this environment. The Frost Giant insists that everyone is equally restricted and that it will recover its strength once the world barrier breaks.
• The Frost Giant bitterly accuses Chen Cheng of cheating and humiliating it, mistaking him for the God of Light. Her alone can hear the Frost Giant’s words, while the aged Church figures cannot.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng: Becomes more openly ruthless and confident, but his actions are guided by a firm moral position: he refuses to permit present suffering for an uncertain future. He also displays a strong analytical and experimental mindset, treating the Frost Giant’s predicament as an opportunity to investigate the world’s laws.
• Her: Remains calm and cooperative despite the danger. He accepts Chen Cheng’s judgment with little visible resistance and serves as the vessel through which the Frost Giant had been acting. His awareness of the Frost Giant’s words gives him a unique understanding of the situation.
• The Frost Giant: Is revealed to be powerful but arrogant, impulsive, and intellectually limited. Once separated from Her, it loses its ability to influence the world and is forced to negotiate with Chen Cheng. Its pride remains intact even while it is helpless.
• The Church elders: Their devotion to Her is shown through their attempt to defend him, though they are physically incapable of resisting Chen Cheng. Their age and weakness emphasize the changing balance of power.

Significant Themes

• Present suffering versus future salvation: Chen Cheng rejects the idea that people should be sacrificed for a hypothetical future or apocalypse-prevention plan.
• Power and environmental limitations: Divine strength is not absolute; it depends on access to the laws of the world where it is used.
• Knowledge through experimentation: Chen Cheng deliberately tests the Frost Giant’s abilities rather than relying on assumptions, revealing the mechanics of divine power.
• Arrogance versus adaptability: The Frost Giant’s confidence collapses when removed from its proper environment, while Chen Cheng’s practical thinking gives him control.
• Deception and mistaken identity: The Frost Giant believes Chen Cheng is the God of Light, highlighting the broader conflict among gods and the uncertainty surrounding their schemes.

Character Interactions

• Chen Cheng physically overpowers the Church elders and dismisses their pleas to spare Her.
• Her questions Chen Cheng’s decision but ultimately does not resist the extraction of the divine entity.
• Chen Cheng and the Frost Giant engage in a hostile exchange marked by threats, insults, and intimidation.
• Chen Cheng forces the Frost Giant to test its Frost Divine Power, turning their confrontation into a controlled experiment.
• Her silently overhears the Frost Giant’s complaints and Chen Cheng’s responses, while the elders remain unaware of the supernatural conversation.

Chapter Summary: “The Danger of Identity”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Cheng captures and mocks the Frost Giant’s descending spiritual will, pointing out that he can still use his own power despite the Frost Giant’s theory that the world should suppress outsiders equally.
• Enraged and humiliated, the Frost Giant’s spiritual projection explodes. However, this does not kill the actual Frost Giant; the projection is merely an anchor created through Her’s summoning ritual.
• The chapter explains the mechanics of the summoning:
  • Her’s body and mind serve as an anchor for the Frost Giant’s descent.
  • By channeling the Frost Giant’s Divine Power, Her could temporarily wield godlike strength.
  • Continued use would distort Her’s mind and eventually turn him into a subordinate god.
• The God of Light normally prevents foreign gods from descending by monopolizing the world’s Faith. Since everyone in the new era knows of the God of Light, other gods struggle to establish a foothold.
• Her succeeds because the God of Light deliberately gives up the necessary Faith, reveals the Frost Giant’s true name, and allows Her’s intense devotion to support the summoning.
• Chen Cheng threatens Her and the surviving Church elders, ordering them to pretend they saw nothing. He then removes the Magic-Ban Formation, partly to test whether the God of Light can read Her’s memories once magical suppression is lifted.
• With magic restored:
  • The Church elders recover from near death.
  • The grinding formation resumes destroying the revived Corpseborn Spirits.
  • A massive Divine Essence Tide emerges from the Sin Abyss, and Chen Cheng absorbs it all.
• The forces above Sin City divide into three groups:
  1. Her and the Church faction.
  2. The Green Snake King and the other Land of Sin legends.
  3. Chen Cheng and She Li.
• Scorpion Lady has already returned to Chen Cheng’s Divine Kingdom.
• Pigman King recognizes the opportunity to unite everyone against Chen Cheng and urges the gathered powers to surround and kill him, even though Chen Cheng has become a god.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng remains confident, dominant, and experimental. He treats the Frost Giant’s projection casually, threatens witnesses without hesitation, and uses the crisis to test the limits of the God of Light’s powers.
• Her is shown to be both a devoted believer and a vulnerable tool of divine descent. He is frightened by Chen Cheng and obeys his demand for silence, suggesting that his loyalty and survival instincts are now in conflict.
• The Frost Giant is portrayed as proud and easily provoked. Its rage causes the summoned projection to self-destruct, revealing the danger of allowing divine emotions to control the anchor.
• The God of Light emerges as a powerful but politically constrained deity. His control of widespread knowledge and Faith gives him dominance, yet older beings who remember other gods may still threaten his monopoly.
• Old Man Huang intends to retire to the Land of Sin rather than accept Chen Cheng’s offer of residence in the Divine Kingdom. He wishes to end his life peacefully after decades of conflict.
• Pigman King reveals himself as calculating and self-interested. He exploits the others’ grievances to create an alliance against Chen Cheng, primarily because he fears Chen Cheng may eventually punish him.
• Armored Turtle King and the Church elders are reminded of their past crimes and political vulnerabilities, making them potential allies in Pigman King’s proposed attack.

Significant Themes

• Identity and knowledge as sources of power: Simply knowing a god’s name can make someone a believer, allowing divine influence to persist even without conscious faith.
• The danger of divine possession: Summoning a god grants tremendous power but risks erasing the summoner’s identity and turning them into a subordinate vessel.
• Faith as political control: The God of Light’s supremacy depends not only on worship but on controlling what humanity knows. His monopoly over collective awareness prevents rival gods from gaining influence.
• Memory and the limits of control: The chapter suggests that forgetting does not eliminate knowledge completely, raising questions about whether divine powers can truly control human consciousness.
• Manipulation and alliances: The various factions are united only temporarily, with each character pursuing personal survival, revenge, or advantage.
• Power and experimentation: Chen Cheng repeatedly treats dangerous supernatural events as experiments, demonstrating both his confidence and his willingness to endanger others for knowledge.

Character Interactions

• Chen Cheng taunts the Frost Giant while pretending to calm it, intensifying the humiliation that causes its spiritual projection to explode.
• He exchanges a silent, fearful understanding with Her, then threatens Her and the Church elders into secrecy.
• Chen Cheng offers Old Man Huang a place in his Divine Kingdom, but Huang politely refuses and chooses retirement.
• Pigman King mocks Huang’s desire to retire and reminds the others of their past crimes and debts.
• Pigman King appeals to the Green Snake King, Armored Turtle King, and the Church elders, attempting to persuade them to join forces against Chen Cheng.
• His speech exposes the fragile balance among the factions: they may share a short-term enemy, but their motives and grudges remain deeply personal.

Chapter Summary: “Teaming Up”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Green Snake King refuses to join the Pigman King against Chen Cheng, citing an old kindness from the former Emperor, and returns to the Fufeng Domain.
• Old Man Huang also withdraws, claiming he is not truly a traitor and would serve the Emperor again if Chen Cheng restores the Empire.
• The Tortoiseshell King remains beside the Pigman King. Chen Cheng tries to recruit him, recognizing the immense defensive value of his nearly indestructible shell.
• The Tortoiseshell King instead proposes joining forces with the Pigman King to defeat Chen Cheng, but secretly suggests testing Chen Cheng first.
• Chen Cheng orders She Li to hold back the Pigman King while he confronts the Tortoiseshell King.
• The Tortoiseshell King retreats entirely into his shell, preventing Chen Cheng’s Divine Kingdom from invading it. Chen Cheng demands that he submit and become a Subordinate God, but the turtle challenges him to break his shell.
• More than ten Church Legendary fighters suddenly unite against Chen Cheng, revealing that they intend to eliminate both Chen Cheng and the Tortoiseshell King rather than benefit from their conflict.
• Their combined Holy Light Purification destroys Sin City and exposes the previously hidden Annihilation Formation, beneath which a gigantic humanoid figure lies in the void.
• Chen Cheng cleverly uses the Tortoiseshell King’s shell as a shield, causing the Church’s attack to damage the turtle only slightly.
• He then throws the Tortoiseshell King at the Church elders like a projectile. The turtle’s shell transforms into a spinning, tracking weapon, injuring one of the Church fighters.
• The Church realizes that Chen Cheng had secretly blocked the earlier attack himself, making it appear that the turtle had endured the full force. Though the deception is discovered, the Church’s formation has already been disrupted.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng demonstrates strategic intelligence and adaptability. Rather than simply overpowering the Tortoiseshell King, he exploits the turtle’s defense and turns him into a weapon against their common enemies.
• The Tortoiseshell King is shown to be cautious, self-interested, and highly resilient. His fear of Ye Rong’s past sword strike explains his defensive nature, but he is also willing to cooperate temporarily when it benefits him.
• The Pigman King becomes increasingly isolated as his potential allies depart. He remains hostile toward Chen Cheng and relies on the Tortoiseshell King for support.
• The Green Snake King and Old Man Huang reveal that their loyalty is conditional rather than absolute. Both avoid the conflict instead of committing themselves to the Pigman King or Church.
• She Li acts as Chen Cheng’s obedient combat subordinate, immediately attacking the Pigman King when ordered.
• The Church elders expose their ruthlessness by attacking both sides and attempting to profit from the conflict. Their coordination is formidable, but Chen Cheng’s deception leaves them vulnerable.

Significant Themes

• Conditional loyalty and shifting alliances: Former allies abandon the Pigman King when the political situation changes, while others cooperate only for survival or advantage.
• Strategy over brute force: Chen Cheng wins the exchange through deception, timing, and use of the Tortoiseshell King’s abilities rather than direct strength alone.
• Self-preservation: Nearly every major figure prioritizes survival and personal benefit over loyalty to the Empire, the Church, or former comrades.
• Defense as both strength and vulnerability: The Tortoiseshell King’s shell protects him from overwhelming attacks, but Chen Cheng’s clever use of it turns that defense into an offensive weapon.
• The collapse of established power: The destruction of Sin City and the exposed Annihilation Formation suggest that hidden forces and ancient threats are being revealed as the old political order disintegrates.

Character Interactions

• The Green Snake King rejects the Pigman King’s attempt to recruit him.
• Old Man Huang similarly distances himself from the conflict while leaving open the possibility of serving Chen Cheng in the future.
• Chen Cheng attempts to persuade the Tortoiseshell King to submit, but the turtle counters with defiance and negotiation.
• Chen Cheng and the Tortoiseshell King temporarily cooperate against the Church, using a staged defense and coordinated attack.
• The Church elders attack Chen Cheng and the turtle indiscriminately, confirming that they view both as enemies.
• Chen Cheng uses the Tortoiseshell King to scatter and injure the Church fighters, ending the chapter with the Church struggling to regroup.

Chapter Summary: “Backstab, Defection, Cooperation”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Cheng suddenly appears behind Legendary Evan and impales him with the Dragon Horn Sword, leaving him barely alive and suppressed within Chen Cheng’s Divine Kingdom.
• Her, previously lying injured on the ground, orders the Church’s eleven Legendaries to stop attacking Chen Cheng and instead target the Armored Turtle King.
• The Armored Turtle King attempts to manipulate the situation and asks Chen Cheng for help, but Chen Cheng hesitates because of Her’s sincere loyalty and request.
• The Church Legendaries unleash a coordinated assault. The Armored Turtle King transforms into his massive dragon-headed, turtle-bodied Divine Demon True Form and uses his shell as a shield, but he is severely wounded.
• The Legendaries combine their power to cast Divine Judgment, a devastating attack that tears through the Land of Sin. The Armored Turtle King’s body, Demigod Heaven-and-Earth, and Dao Fruit are all critically damaged.
• While the Divine Judgment is unfolding, Chen Cheng captures the Pigman King. He cuts through the Pigman King’s lava armor, defeats him physically, and hands him to She Li for safekeeping, intending to use him as a “great medicine” to increase his own strength.
• After the attack, the former city is reduced to a barren desert. The Armored Turtle King lies crippled and near death, while the Church Legendaries pause before killing him.
• Her proposes exchanging the Armored Turtle King for Evan and promises that the Church will no longer oppose Chen Cheng.
• Her reveals that the Church members will not return to the Present World. Since their failed plan and the slaughter they caused have made them sinners, they intend to remain in the Sin Abyss, spread their god’s glory, and atone for the rest of their lives.
• Chen Cheng questions whether the other Church Legendaries truly accept this decision and warns them that he will detect any deception with his Divine Eye.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng demonstrates overwhelming combat ability by defeating Evan, capturing the Pigman King, and controlling the battlefield. However, he also shows caution and strategic restraint, especially regarding the God of Light’s possible ability to bypass its supposed restrictions.
• Her emerges as a sincere and morally resolute leader. Despite his injuries, he protects Chen Cheng, redirects the Church’s attack, and chooses lifelong atonement rather than returning to the Present World.
• Legendary Evan is reduced from an attacking enemy to a helpless hostage, giving Chen Cheng leverage over the Church.
• The Armored Turtle King loses his opportunistic advantage. His attempt to benefit from the conflict fails, and he is left gravely injured, with his divine defenses and Dao Fruit nearly destroyed.
• The Church Legendaries reveal their willingness to trust Her and follow his moral decision, even when it means abandoning their former world and accepting permanent exile.
• The Pigman King is decisively subdued and retained by Chen Cheng as a resource for strengthening himself.

Significant Themes

• Backstabbing and shifting alliances: Chen Cheng betrays Evan’s expectations, while the Church changes targets and potentially abandons its previous hostility.
• Trust and conviction: The Church Legendaries follow Her because of their deep faith in him, while Chen Cheng evaluates whether their promises are genuine.
• Atonement and responsibility: Her accepts that the Church’s crimes cannot be erased and proposes serving the people of the Sin Abyss as lifelong penance.
• Power and strategy: The battle emphasizes the importance of leverage, hostages, timing, and exploiting enemies’ weaknesses rather than relying solely on strength.
• Uncertainty before greater powers: Chen Cheng remains wary of the God of Light, refusing to assume that its inability to attack him is absolute.

Character Interactions

• Chen Cheng taunts and attacks Evan, using him as both a defeated enemy and bargaining chip.
• Her directly appeals to the Church Legendaries, persuading them to attack the Armored Turtle King instead of Chen Cheng.
• The Armored Turtle King demands Chen Cheng’s assistance, but Chen Cheng chooses not to intervene, effectively allowing the Church’s assault to continue.
• Chen Cheng defeats the Pigman King and entrusts him to She Li, reinforcing their cooperation.
• Her negotiates with Chen Cheng, offering the Armored Turtle King in exchange for Evan and promising future neutrality.
• Chen Cheng challenges Her and the Church Legendaries to prove their commitment, setting up a tense decision over whether they will truly defect and remain in the Sin Abyss.

Chapter Summary: “Breakthrough in Strength”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The eleven Church members reluctantly honor the oath they made and stop attacking Chen Cheng. They trust the Divine Child’s judgment and refuse to believe that Her has betrayed the God of Light.
• Chen Cheng returns the wounded Evan to the Church after stabbing him only once. Evan’s injury rapidly heals through the God of Light’s power.
• In exchange for Evan, the Church hands over the severely injured Tortoiseshell King.
• Chen Cheng offers Tortoiseshell King a choice: die completely through the Reincarnation Principle or become his subordinate god. Tortoiseshell King chooses submission, hoping to survive.
• Chen Cheng absorbs Tortoiseshell King into his Divine Kingdom, acquiring the Defense Principle and three additional principles. This triggers a breakthrough in his cultivation and summons a terrifying Lightning Tribulation.
• To protect the others, Chen Cheng’s Divine Kingdom forces She Li and the Church members far away. She Li prepares to intervene, but Chen Cheng prevents him from doing so.
• Chen Cheng attempts to withstand the tribulation using Tortoiseshell King’s shell as a shield and then manifests a Black Tortoise Dharma Body through the Defense Principle. Nevertheless, the lightning severely damages him, leaving his life aura increasingly weak.
• The observers debate whether to help, but conclude that intervention would be pointless: if Chen Cheng fails, they cannot save him, and if he succeeds, he will likely become too powerful for them to defeat.
• After the thunderclouds disperse, Chen Cheng appears to be nothing more than a lifeless, charred corpse. Pigman King celebrates, believing Chen Cheng is finally dead.
• She Li immediately attacks Pigman King in response, but Pigman King uses a survival technique, shedding part of his body like a lizard shedding its tail.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng demonstrates increasing dominance and strategic control. He successfully bargains with the Church, absorbs Tortoiseshell King, and attempts a major breakthrough despite the extreme danger of the Lightning Tribulation.
• Tortoiseshell King abandons resistance and accepts becoming Chen Cheng’s subordinate god, revealing his strong desire to survive even after suffering severe injuries.
• Her and the Church members show continued loyalty to the God of Light and obedience to the Divine Child. Their willingness to honor the oath suggests discipline and trust within the Church.
• Evan survives Chen Cheng’s attack and gains a clearer understanding of the terrifying power of Chen Cheng’s Divine Domain.
• She Li remains loyal to Chen Cheng and acts as his protector. His immediate attack on Pigman King after Chen Cheng appears dead shows both his confidence and his readiness to defend Chen Cheng’s interests.
• Pigman King is revealed to be opportunistic and self-serving. He celebrates Chen Cheng’s apparent death because it seems to spare him from being devoured, but remains focused on escape rather than combat.

Significant Themes

• Oaths, faith, and loyalty: The Church members honor their promise and continue trusting the God of Light and the Divine Child, even amid confusion and danger.
• Power through absorption and transformation: Chen Cheng grows stronger by incorporating defeated beings and their principles into his Divine Kingdom.
• Survival versus dignity: Tortoiseshell King chooses submission over death, while Pigman King relies on evasive tactics and bodily sacrifice to stay alive.
• The danger of advancement: Chen Cheng’s breakthrough is not effortless; gaining greater power subjects him to a deadly tribulation that nearly destroys him.
• Uncertainty and deception: Chen Cheng’s apparent death creates immediate confusion. His true condition remains unknown at the chapter’s end.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Cheng negotiates with Her and the Church, exchanging Evan for Tortoiseshell King.
• Chen Cheng confronts Tortoiseshell King and offers him the choice between annihilation and servitude.
• She Li repeatedly attempts to protect Chen Cheng, but Chen Cheng’s Divine Kingdom deliberately keeps him away from the tribulation.
• Evan warns the others that Chen Cheng’s Divine Domain may soon make him impossible for them to defeat.
• Pigman King’s celebration of Chen Cheng’s apparent death provokes She Li into attacking him, leading to the chapter’s cliffhanger.

Summary: “A Leap in Strength”

Key Plot Points and Events

• She Li cuts off half of the Pigman King’s arm with the Heavenly Blade and prepares to finish him, but the severed limb attacks him independently, allowing the Pigman King to flee.
• She Li destroys the arm with Destruction Thunder, triggering a massive explosion. At that moment, Chen Cheng activates a spatial-stagnation ability, slowing the explosion and everyone within the ruins to an extreme degree.
• Chen Cheng emerges alive after apparently being reduced to charcoal by the Lightning Tribulation. He explains that the tribulation was not a fixed test of endurance but a transformative process that continued until he successfully merged the four Rules within his Divine Kingdom.
• Chen Cheng had technically died during the tribulation, but the combined powers of the Reincarnation and Life Rules, along with yellow earth beneath his Divine Soul, allowed him to be reborn inside his Divine Kingdom.
• The fusion of the Black Tortoise Rule with the other Rules granted him the ability to suppress spatial laws. Though not true spatial freezing, it gives him overwhelming control over the battlefield in the Land of Sin.
• Chen Cheng confronts and kills the fleeing Pigman King by cleaving off his head and extracting his remaining power, blood essence, and Lava Dao Fruit.
• He absorbs the Lava Dao Fruit into his Divine Kingdom, revitalizing the Crimson Flame Volcano region and gaining a new divine-law ability: Lava Armor.
• The chapter ends with Chen Cheng gaining greater versatility in combat, as the Lava Armor can regenerate, protect him, and transform into various weapons.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng undergoes a major breakthrough. He survives and completes the transformation caused by the Lightning Tribulation, moving to a significantly higher level of power.
• His understanding of Rules deepens, particularly regarding the fusion of Reincarnation, Life, and Black Tortoise Rules.
• He gains battlefield-wide spatial suppression, though its use consumes substantial Divine Power and cannot be selectively targeted.
• By absorbing the Pigman King’s Dao Fruit, Chen Cheng acquires Lava Armor and expands his combat options beyond his previous defensive abilities.
• The Pigman King shifts from confidence and attempted escape to terror and helplessness. His severed arm’s attack briefly protects him, but Chen Cheng’s new strength makes his defeat inevitable.
• She Li demonstrates formidable offensive power by cutting through the Pigman King’s arm, but Chen Cheng’s arrival and abilities overshadow even his attack.
• Her and the Church’s elders react with disbelief and surprise, recognizing that Chen Cheng has become powerful enough to intimidate or potentially overpower them.

Significant Themes

• Transformation through crisis: The Lightning Tribulation is portrayed as a process that forces genuine evolution rather than a simple trial of endurance.
• Death and rebirth: Chen Cheng’s survival depends on the fusion of Life and Reincarnation Rules, emphasizing renewal through destruction.
• Power through integration: Chen Cheng’s breakthrough comes from combining multiple Rules instead of relying on any single ability.
• The cost of strength: His spatial-stagnation technique is nearly unbeatable in the Land of Sin but consumes Divine Power, a resource he still struggles to obtain.
• Absorption and advancement: Defeating powerful enemies allows Chen Cheng to incorporate their Dao Fruits and abilities, turning victory into permanent growth.
• Dominance and deterrence: Chen Cheng deliberately uses his new power not only to kill the Pigman King but also to warn the Church’s elders of his strength.

Character Interactions

• She Li attacks the Pigman King and is forced to deal with the autonomous severed arm while the Pigman King attempts to escape.
• Chen Cheng’s spatial suppression interrupts the explosion and freezes the conflict in a state resembling slow motion, affecting She Li, the Pigman King, Her, and the Church elders alike.
• Chen Cheng directly confronts the Pigman King, condemning his foolish choice before killing him and extracting his Dao Fruit.
• His display of power leaves the Church’s older figures shocked, establishing a new balance of power and signaling Chen Cheng’s emergence as a major threat or rival.

Chapter Summary: “Return to the Present World”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Cheng experiments with his newly mastered lava-manipulation ability, shaping lava into various weapons such as spears, sabers, swords, and halberds. He discovers that his Acupoint Divine Ability can be attached to these weapons like an enchantment, transforming his physical attacks into powerful martial divine abilities with additional magical effects.
• After integrating his weapon techniques, martial body, and divine abilities, Chen Cheng concludes that he has reached the level of one of the strongest supreme experts in the world.
• He withdraws his Divine Domain, releasing the Church forces from spatial stasis. Although they remain wary, Chen Cheng warns them to honor their agreement and declares that he will not show mercy if they meet again on the battlefield.
• Chen Cheng jokingly asks She Li whether his display was impressive. She Li, despite having many questions, simply affirms that it was “very handsome.”
• Chen Cheng uses his Divine Domain to instantly transport Liphia and her companions across hundreds of thousands of miles. This enormous range shocks Evan and the others, demonstrating that his spatial abilities are even more frightening than his combat techniques.
• Her and the other Church members receive a Divine Revelation from the God of Light, ordering them to spread the God of Light’s faith throughout the Land of Sin. The revelation suggests that the God of Light intends to reclaim the region and prevent Karmak World from learning about the other Gods and Devils beyond it.
• Chen Cheng realizes that the Land of Sin may have served not only as a defensive buffer for Karmak Continent but also as an enclave where outside cultivation systems were quietly permitted. The God of Light now appears ready to eliminate this loophole, possibly because of the Apocalypse Crisis.
• Chen Cheng and his companions depart through the Sin Abyss. His Divine Kingdom passes through the stable spatial rift and expands into a safe passage, allowing She Li, Noah, and the others to return to the Present World.
• Chen Cheng notices that his Divine Kingdom instinctively wants to devour the Sin Abyss, suggesting that the rift contains a Dao principle capable of completing some of the laws missing from his Divine Kingdom. He suppresses the impulse for the moment.
• Rather than relying on his Divine Domain, Chen Cheng personally walks through the Void Turbulence to test his regenerative abilities. The spatial forces severely tear at his body, but he endures them, demonstrating why only Legendary experts—whose survival depends on their Dao Fruits rather than their physical bodies alone—can cross the abyss safely.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng reaches a major milestone in power. His abilities are no longer separate techniques; his martial body, weapons, divine abilities, and Acupoint Divine Ability have become a unified combat system.
• He displays increased confidence and playfulness, casually joking about his dramatic battle performance even after intimidating an entire group of Church powerhouses.
• His vast Divine Domain and ability to transport others over immense distances establish him as an extraordinary spatial expert.
• Chen Cheng also shows caution and curiosity. Although his Divine Kingdom is tempted to absorb the Sin Abyss, he restrains it and chooses to investigate its significance rather than act recklessly.
• She Li continues to act as Chen Cheng’s trusted companion and guide. He is awed by Chen Cheng’s power but remains emotionally supportive and helps lead the group back to the Present World.
• Her and the Church members shift from confrontation to submission and atonement, accepting the God of Light’s new mission after recognizing the overwhelming gap between themselves and Chen Cheng.
• Evan and the others are left stunned by Chen Cheng’s abilities, particularly his long-range Divine Domain.

Significant Themes

• Integration and transcendence: Chen Cheng’s strength becomes truly complete when his physical combat, weapon techniques, and divine abilities merge into one system.
• The scale of supreme power: The chapter emphasizes the extraordinary scope of Chen Cheng’s abilities, especially the immense range of his Divine Domain and his ability to manipulate space.
• Religious control and political maneuvering: The God of Light’s command reveals that the Land of Sin is strategically important and that divine powers are competing to control information, territory, and access to outside cultivation systems.
• Hidden structures of the world: The Sin Abyss is revealed to be more than a passage between worlds; it contains mysterious laws that might strengthen or complete Chen Cheng’s Divine Kingdom.
• Testing and growth: Chen Cheng deliberately exposes himself to the Void Turbulence to measure his regeneration, showing that advancement comes through controlled risk and experimentation.
• The limits of physical existence: The explanation of Legendary experts’ reliance on their Dao Fruits reinforces the chapter’s distinction between ordinary bodies and higher-level forms of life.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Cheng intimidates the Church forces while still maintaining a humorous, relaxed attitude afterward.
• His playful exchange with She Li contrasts with the seriousness of the battle and strengthens their sense of trust and familiarity.
• Her and the Church members move from potential enemies to reluctant participants in the God of Light’s larger plan.
• Chen Cheng withholds his theories about the Land of Sin and the Church from Noah and the others, preserving his knowledge and keeping the group focused on returning home.
• By leading the others through his Divine Kingdom while personally enduring the Sin Abyss, Chen Cheng both protects the group and demonstrates his increasingly independent mastery of power.

Chapter Summary: The Locked Codex

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Cheng’s wounds from the Void Turbulence heal rapidly, consuming Divine Power from his Divine Kingdom. He realizes that this regeneration rivals Brother Octopus’s famed Undefeated Body, while also understanding why powerful gods relentlessly seek Faith to replenish their energy.
• His surroundings suddenly blur, and he is transported from the Present World’s boundary into the Ruined Capital. The Present World’s oppressive laws immediately suppress his strength and prevent the free use of Transcendent abilities.
• Chen Cheng encounters the ruins of the former imperial palace beneath an eternal black sun. The site is not merely a destroyed city to him—it is the burial ground of his imperial ancestors. Overwhelmed by his bloodline’s emotional resonance, he kneels before the ruins.
• A violent earthquake strikes the Ruined Capital. She Li and the others struggle to endure the chaotic laws, leaving them unable to fly.
• Chen Cheng attempts to use his Divine Domain to carry the group into the air, but the World Heart around his neck activates first. Rather than lifting his body, it draws his soul upward while his physical body remains below.
• The World Heart carries Chen Cheng to the level of the black sun and projects a powerful purple beam into it. Space ripples outward, revealing countless magical runes that resemble the legendary Doomsday Codex.
• The group realizes that the World Heart is connected to the codex described in ancient prophecy: a book containing all magic, whose opening would supposedly bring about the world’s destruction.
• By extending his perception into the World Heart, Chen Cheng discovers the truth: Thirteenth Thorn Blossom had not been searching for the codex itself. Instead, he had placed a lock on the Doomsday Codex. To access it, Chen Cheng must find the key.

Character Development

• Chen Cheng gains a deeper understanding of the cost of divine power and the immense resources required to sustain godlike abilities.
• His connection to the imperial bloodline becomes emotionally significant. Seeing the ruins awakens grief, inherited memory, and a sense of responsibility toward the fallen imperial family.
• He demonstrates increasing awareness and insight, correctly connecting the World Heart to the Doomsday Codex and recognizing that the ancient legend had been misunderstood.
• His role shifts from merely possessing the World Heart to becoming the one who must unlock its sealed power.

Significant Themes

• The cost of power: Divine abilities, healing, and survival all require the expenditure of Divine Power, emphasizing that strength is never truly free.
• Inheritance and identity: Chen Cheng’s emotional response to the imperial ruins shows how bloodline and historical memory shape his identity.
• Misunderstood history and prophecy: The legend of the Doomsday Codex is revealed to be incomplete or distorted; the real issue is not simply finding the codex, but opening its lock.
• Destruction and rebirth: The ruined capital, black sun, and awakening magical runes evoke the collapse of an old world and the possible emergence of a new, dangerous power.
• Seals and hidden knowledge: The chapter reframes the World Heart as part of a locked mechanism, introducing a new quest for the key.

Character Interactions

• Chen Cheng reflects on Brother Octopus’s regenerative ability, comparing it to his own healing.
• His memories of Samlet’s historical accounts influence how he interprets the imperial ruins.
• She Li calls Chen Cheng back to the present during the earthquake and remains with the group as they struggle against the world’s suppression.
• The World Heart acts almost independently of Chen Cheng, carrying his soul upward and revealing its connection to the Doomsday Codex.

Summary of “Lure the Enemy”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The World Heart briefly releases a powerful burst before reverting to an ordinary black stone. Chen Cheng’s soul is violently pulled back into his body, confirming that the event was real.
• The disturbance around the Black Sun alerts the many factions waiting in the Ruined Capital for the legendary Codex. Church Law Venerables quickly begin sealing the area and hunting for the source.
• Chen Cheng discovers that his Divine Domain can protect only himself, making it impossible to escape while carrying She Li, Noah, and the others.
• To save the group, Chen Cheng orders She Li to hide everyone and evacuate after nightfall using the Shadow Demon. He then deliberately claims to possess the Codex, waving the Complete Compendium of Basic Magic Runes to attract the Church’s pursuit.
• She Li guides the others through hidden routes beneath the ruins to the former prince’s residence, a location where Transcendent power is chaotic and concealment is easier.
• Chen Cheng leads the Law Venerables far away from the group, then confronts them directly. The Venerables combine their powers into a Light God Avatar and demand the Codex.
• Chen Cheng attacks with the Armored Turtle King’s shell-shield and then breaks through the Church formation using his Dragon Scale Armor and Lava Greatspear.
• He tears through the Law Venerables with powerful spear techniques, combining the Six Directions Great Spear with other martial styles and the abilities embedded in his acupoints.
• The Church adapts by using some Law Venerables to restrain Chen Cheng while ordering the Light God Avatar to attack indiscriminately, even risking their own forces.
• When the Avatar strikes him, Chen Cheng meets its enormous fist with his own. Using his Divine Kingdom and Eye Opening, he identifies the Avatar’s Divine Power circulation nodes and destroys them with ordinary martial Dark Force, causing the giant fist to explode.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng demonstrates growing confidence, tactical intelligence, and self-sacrificial leadership. Rather than attempting an impossible group escape, he chooses to act as bait so the others can survive.
• His combat abilities have advanced dramatically. His spear techniques, physical strength, Divine Kingdom, Eye Opening, and acupoint-based divine abilities allow him to fight at a level comparable to the “monsters” he once admired.
• Chen Cheng also shows increasing mastery of precision combat: instead of overpowering the Light God Avatar directly, he analyzes its internal power structure and destroys it at its weakest point.
• She Li proves dependable and experienced. His familiarity with the Ruined Capital and its hidden routes enables him to protect Noah and the others.
• Noah and the other companions remain dependent on Chen Cheng’s planning, but they follow his instructions and trust him to create a path for their escape.

Significant Themes

• Sacrifice and leadership: Chen Cheng willingly places himself in danger to give his companions a chance to escape.
• Strategy over brute force: The chapter emphasizes deception, misdirection, terrain knowledge, and exploiting weaknesses rather than simply fleeing or overpowering every enemy.
• Adaptation and intelligence: Both sides adjust during the battle. The Church analyzes Chen Cheng’s tactics, while Chen Cheng responds by using precision and insight.
• Growth into power: Chen Cheng has become the kind of formidable fighter he once viewed with awe, marking a major stage in his development.
• Appearance versus reality: The ordinary black stone conceals the World Heart’s importance, while the apparently insignificant “ant-sized” punch destroys the Avatar’s massive fist through superior perception and technique.

Character Interactions

• Chen Cheng gives She Li direct responsibility for protecting the group and instructs him to take them to Wisdom Shield after escaping.
• He dismisses the group’s concern for him, insisting that taking them along would make them a burden and that he can reach Elder Melos more quickly alone.
• She Li relies on his past connection to the Ruined Capital and leads the others through concealed passages to safety.
• Chen Cheng taunts the pursuing Law Venerables, calling them to seize the “Codex” and provoking them into following him.
• The Law Venerables act collectively through their matrix formation and Light God Avatar, but Chen Cheng dismantles their coordinated assault through superior combat skill and analysis.

Summary of “The Old Fossils”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Cheng overwhelms the Law Venerables in close combat, destroying their massive dharma manifestation.
• The Law Venerables surround him and unleash a powerful laser barrage that reaches the Legendary Pinnacle. Rather than resisting directly, Chen Cheng opens his Divine Domain, where he possesses absolute control as the True God.
• He transports the Law Venerables to Crimson Flame Volcano, where lava and earthfire melt away their robes and reveal their robotic bodies.
• Chen Cheng discovers that the robots are remotely controlled through special antenna-like components built into their robes. Once the antennas are destroyed, their magic cores activate self-destruct mechanisms.
• He throws the Law Venerables out of his Divine Kingdom before they explode, preventing damage to his domain. Their destruction leaves no useful remains, frustrating Chen Cheng’s hope of studying their magic-and-technology fusion.
• Realizing that dusk has arrived and reinforcements will soon come, Chen Cheng deliberately seeks out a dangerous location to serve as a battlefield and distract pursuers, allowing She Li and the others to escape.
• He enters the ruins of the Imperial Royal Academy, the birthplace of the Empire’s policy of making knowledge accessible to all.
• The academy is filled with unstable Magic Energy, shattered magic arrays, and dangerous runes. Chen Cheng recognizes that the ruins could easily become a massive explosive trap.
• While waiting for enemies, he reads the Complete Compendium of Basic Magic Runes, creating a symbolic image of the new generation inheriting the ideals of the old.
• Several surviving former Imperial scholars—described as “old fossils”—confront him and insult him. Chen Cheng identifies them as former Academy Alliance members who betrayed the Empire.
• He condemns them for stealing royal texts, rejecting progress, allying with foreign enemies, rebelling, and murdering the Former Emperor, the Thirteenth Emperor.
• Chen Cheng attacks them, declaring that they will be sent to the Nether Spring to answer for their crimes. The old scholars initially hesitate but become eager to fight after realizing that Chen Cheng may possess the Empire’s divine artifact, the Codex.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng: Demonstrates overwhelming combat strength, tactical intelligence, and mastery of his Divine Domain. He avoids unnecessary risk against the Law Venerables’ strongest attack and uses the environment strategically. His emotional reaction at the academy reveals his respect for the Thirteenth Emperor’s ideals and his anger toward those who betrayed them. He also shows curiosity about advanced magic technology and a desire to understand the Law Venerables’ construction.
• The Law Venerables: Are revealed to be sophisticated robots controlled remotely through their robes. Their programming includes automatic self-destruction, emphasizing both their artificial nature and the God of Light’s insistence on secrecy.
• The old scholars: Initially appear authoritative and hostile, but their fear upon recognizing Chen Cheng exposes their guilt and vulnerability. Their greed for the Codex quickly overrides their caution, showing that their supposed loyalty to the Empire has been replaced by selfish ambition.

Significant Themes

• Magic and technology: The Law Venerables represent a highly advanced fusion of science and magic, while Chen Cheng’s wish to study them highlights the value of knowledge and innovation.
• Legacy and betrayal: The Imperial Royal Academy symbolizes the Thirteenth Emperor’s attempt to spread learning beyond the upper classes. The old scholars’ betrayal represents the corruption and abandonment of that ideal.
• Old versus new: Chen Cheng reading the academy’s foundational rune text amid the ruins symbolizes the continuation of progressive ideals through a new generation, despite the collapse of the old Empire.
• Justice and retribution: Chen Cheng views the former scholars as traitors who deserve punishment, framing the coming battle as judgment for their past crimes.
• Secrecy and control: The Law Venerables’ hidden controllers and self-destruct mechanisms show how powerful institutions prevent others from acquiring their secrets.
• Strategic sacrifice: Chen Cheng intentionally attracts powerful enemies and uses dangerous terrain to protect She Li and the others, balancing personal risk against the group’s survival.

Character Interactions

• Chen Cheng battles the Law Venerables, first enduring their coordinated attack and then defeating them within his Divine Domain.
• He indirectly confronts the hidden power controlling the Law Venerables, though the destruction of the robots prevents him from learning more.
• At the academy, Chen Cheng engages in a fierce verbal confrontation with the old scholars, accusing them of betraying the Thirteenth Emperor and violating the principles they once represented.
• The scholars respond with fear, then greed and aggression when they suspect Chen Cheng carries the Codex. Their decision to attack sets up the next confrontation.

Summary of “Demon-Slaying”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Cheng confronts a group of elderly former Royal Academy scholars, whom he condemns as traitors responsible for countless deaths.
• The old men form a nine-person military formation, synchronizing their Laws to create a human-shaped Magic-Ban Formation that disrupts Magic Energy and suppresses opponents.
• Chen Cheng identifies the formation’s weakness and unfolds his Divine Domain, causing it to collapse and severely damaging the elders’ Dao Fruits.
• The elders endure their injuries through secret techniques. When Chen Cheng attacks one with a lava spear and burns him away, the man revives through a hidden straw puppet body.
• The elders activate the buried Demon-Slaying Grand Array beneath the Royal Academy ruins. The formation attacks Chen Cheng through multiple forces:
  • Crushing gravity
  • Spatial distortion
  • Physical destruction
  • A spiritual fire aimed at his Spiritual Sense
  • Suppression of Divine Domains
• Although the formation nearly destroys Chen Cheng, he initially withstands it and mocks the elders.
• The elders sacrifice their Dao Fruits to strengthen the formation, allowing it to decompose Chen Cheng’s body at the level of fundamental Laws.
• Recognizing the danger, Chen Cheng stops acting carelessly. He combines body and soul, coats himself in lava armor, and uses a demonic shield to sever his connection with the formation.
• He escapes badly injured, with part of his body disintegrated, but his Life Laws begin healing him.
• Chen Cheng scatters yellow earth that transforms into soul-scattering rays, disrupting several elders while they control the formation.
• Their momentary loss of focus causes their suppressed Dao Fruit injuries to erupt, disrupting the formation’s control over the surrounding Magic Energy and triggering a massive chain explosion.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng demonstrates overwhelming confidence and combat skill, accurately analyzing the elders’ formation and dismissing its limitations against a Legendary-level opponent.
• His arrogance nearly becomes dangerous when he allows the Demon-Slaying Formation to fully activate and initially refuses to treat it seriously.
• After suffering substantial damage, Chen Cheng becomes more cautious and strategically combines his defensive artifacts, physical strength, and Laws.
• The elder scholars reveal themselves to be experienced, ruthless, and resourceful. They use coordinated formations, puppet bodies, Dao Fruit sacrifices, and the Royal Academy’s ancient research to challenge Chen Cheng.
• Despite their preparation, their injuries and dependence on unstable Magic Energy make them vulnerable to disruption.
• One elder’s puppet-revival technique shows that killing their physical bodies may not be enough to eliminate them.

Significant Themes

• Arrogance versus caution: Chen Cheng’s confidence gives him an advantage but also leads him to underestimate the Demon-Slaying Formation.
• The power of preparation and cooperation: The elders compensate for their individual limitations through formations, synchronized Laws, and ancient research.
• Persistence and survival: Both sides resist seemingly fatal damage—Chen Cheng through Life Laws and the elders through puppet bodies and Dao Fruit suppression.
• The danger of unstable power: The ruins’ violent Magic Energy becomes a weapon against the elders when their control falters.
• Justice and betrayal: Chen Cheng frames the battle as punishment for traitors whose actions caused mass deaths, giving the confrontation a moral dimension beyond personal combat.

Character Interactions

• Chen Cheng repeatedly insults and challenges the elders, calling them “old dogs” and “clay chickens and porcelain dogs.”
• The elders attempt to intimidate him by offering him a death comparable to that of the Thirteenth Majesty, but Chen Cheng rejects their demands and refuses to surrender the codex.
• Their exchanges shift from contempt to alarm as Chen Cheng breaks their formations, destroys one elder’s body, and survives the Demon-Slaying Array.
• The elders’ coordinated attacks temporarily overpower Chen Cheng, but his counterattack against their souls causes their formation to collapse into a catastrophic explosion.

Chapter Summary: “Indwelling Method”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After the explosion, the nine Academy Alliance elders survive but are badly burned. Some had used secret techniques and escaped into a spatial rift to avoid being killed.
• The elders recognize that Chen Cheng is too powerful to fight safely in the Ruined Capital and consider retreating.
• Chen Cheng refuses to let them escape and launches a rapid assault:
  • He uses his spear and Earth Fist to scatter the elders.
  • He transforms the spear into lava blades and cripples one elder, deliberately avoiding an immediate killing blow because he fears the elder may revive through Puppet Reincarnation.
• Within moments, four of the nine elders are defeated, leaving five.
• One remaining elder attempts to escape by revealing his Divine Demon True Form and using Demigod Heaven-and-Earth.
• Chen Cheng’s Divine Soul appears behind him and pierces his true form, exposing and destroying his Dao Fruit.
• The elder’s death causes a massive disturbance in the Ruined Capital:
  • Thunder erupts, Magic Energy becomes chaotic, and dark monsters are drawn out.
  • All cultivators in the area temporarily lose their Transcendent powers and become ordinary humans.
• Chen Cheng realizes that the dead elder had secretly used the imperial family’s Indwelling Method, which embeds a person’s Dao within the laws of heaven and earth.
• By destroying the elder’s Dao Fruit, Chen Cheng has effectively damaged heaven and earth’s laws, provoking a backlash that marks him as an enemy and interferes with his comprehension of the Dao.
• Scorpion Lady and Kui Niu emerge from Chen Cheng’s Divine Kingdom and help prevent the surviving elders from escaping.
• Chen Cheng confirms that neither subordinate was affected by the backlash, proving they remain distinct beings rather than being completely merged with him.
• The remaining elders acknowledge defeat and suggest that Chen Cheng has achieved something even the former emperors failed to accomplish.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng: Demonstrates overwhelming combat power, tactical awareness, and caution. Rather than simply killing the elders, he cripples one to prevent possible resurrection and investigates the consequences of the Indwelling Method. He also learns that destroying an indwelling cultivator can trigger heaven-and-earth backlash.
• The Academy Alliance elders: Their confidence collapses as Chen Cheng quickly overwhelms them. They shift from trying to defeat him to attempting escape and finally submit after witnessing the destruction of one elder’s Dao Fruit.
• Scorpion Lady and Kui Niu: Show loyalty by blocking the elders’ escape routes. Their immunity to the backlash clarifies their status as Chen Cheng’s subordinate gods rather than extensions of his existence.
• The defeated elder: His hidden reliance on the Indwelling Method makes his death more consequential than expected, causing the surrounding laws of heaven and earth to react violently.

Significant Themes

• Overwhelming power versus collective strength: Even nine powerful elders cannot withstand Chen Cheng once he takes the initiative.
• The dangers of immortality and resurrection: Chen Cheng’s concern over Puppet Reincarnation shows that defeating an enemy requires ensuring they cannot return.
• The relationship between individuals and cosmic law: The Indwelling Method links a cultivator’s Dao to heaven and earth, making the destruction of that Dao a violation of the world’s natural order.
• The cost of victory: Chen Cheng wins decisively, but the victory brings him a temporary backlash and makes heaven and earth hostile toward him.
• Imperial achievement and surpassing the past: The elders imply that Chen Cheng has accomplished what generations of emperors could not, elevating his significance beyond the immediate battle.

Important Character Interactions

• The elders attempt to justify retreat by calling Chen Cheng their junior, but he mocks their concern for etiquette while they are fighting to the death.
• Chen Cheng refuses to be distracted by their words and attacks without hesitation.
• Scorpion Lady and Kui Niu support Chen Cheng by preventing the surviving elders from fleeing.
• After witnessing Chen Cheng’s victory, the remaining elders openly admit defeat and address him as “Your Majesty,” acknowledging his extraordinary accomplishment.

Chapter Summary: “Monsters, Warriors”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Cheng condemns the four defeated elders, whom he views as shameless and unworthy of mercy.
• He imprisons their souls within his Divine Domain and places them in Kui Niu’s Reincarnation River, where they become new souls under its control. Their souls unexpectedly strengthen the river.
• Through torture and interrogation, Chen Cheng learns that the elders’ Death-Substitute Puppets came from relics excavated from ancient Imperial ruins.
• The elders’ Hosting Method and other secret techniques were modified from ancient Imperial cultivation methods, including a God-Ascension Method and an escape technique designed for traversing chaotic environments.
• Chen Cheng retrieves the location of the Empire’s hidden books. Although the ancient techniques may not benefit his own divine path, he intends to use them to advance the study of magic and help create an Age of Magic.
• He plans to give the recovered knowledge to Dean Adolf and other researchers so they can expand the Complete Compendium of Basic Magic Runes and restore lost Imperial techniques.
• After emerging from his Divine Kingdom at night, Chen Cheng is attacked by a humanoid monster. Examining it with his Divine Eye, he discovers that it is neither conventionally alive nor dead, but a body animated by chaotic, inactive Faith Divine Power.
• Chen Cheng realizes the monsters are former members of the Empire’s Divine Guard Army. They died while sharing the Thirteenth Emperor’s damage through a Battle Array, and after the Emperor’s death, the abandoned Faith Divine Power transformed them into mindless monsters.
• Moved by the tragedy of soldiers now hunting the civilians they once protected, Chen Cheng promises to seek justice for them and destroys every monster within his Divine Domain.
• He observes that scavengers use special fragments from the destruction of the Imperial Capital as firewood. These fragments temporarily restore normal rules within the area and repel the monsters.
• Chen Cheng discovers that his Divine Domain has expanded to more than two hundred li in the Present World—over twice its previous range—placing him among the strongest domain users.
• When he senses people approaching, he leaves rather than remain for another confrontation, focusing instead on his larger plans.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng becomes increasingly ruthless toward those he considers corrupt or dishonorable, but he also shows compassion toward victims of the Empire’s downfall.
• His Divine Domain and Reincarnation River grow significantly stronger after absorbing the elders’ souls.
• Chen Cheng’s goals expand beyond personal power: he remains committed to making magic accessible to everyone and preserving useful knowledge from the fallen Empire.
• His understanding of the Ruined Capital deepens as he identifies the true origin of its monsters and the consequences of the Thirteenth Emperor’s death.

Significant Themes

• Justice versus mercy: Chen Cheng does not forgive the elders, but he distinguishes them from the innocent soldiers who became monsters against their will.
• The consequences of power: The Thirteenth Emperor’s death and misuse of Faith Divine Power have created a lasting disaster for both soldiers and civilians.
• Preserving lost knowledge: Ancient Imperial techniques, even when flawed or outdated, may help advance magical research and benefit society.
• Life, death, and transformation: The monsters occupy an unnatural state between life and death, demonstrating how divine power can distort living beings.
• Responsibility and remembrance: Chen Cheng honors the fallen soldiers and vows to seek justice for those forced into monstrous forms.

Character Interactions

• Chen Cheng dominates and interrogates the four elders, extracting information about Imperial relics and secret techniques.
• Kui Niu and Scorpion Lady benefit from the power increase within Chen Cheng’s Divine Kingdom.
• Chen Cheng indirectly connects with Dean Adolf and other scholars through his plan to deliver the Empire’s knowledge for research.
• He has no meaningful conversation with the monster he captures, but his investigation reveals its tragic identity as a former Imperial soldier.
• His promise to seek justice represents a symbolic response to the suffering of the Imperial citizens and the fallen Divine Guard Army.

Chapter Summary: “The Calamity of the Common People”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After the Ruined Capital Code Incident, the ruined site is completely obliterated by an earlier massive explosion, leaving nothing behind for later arrivals to discover.
• In the Land of Sin, Kappa finds the Bull Devil King, gathers several Land of Sin Legendaries, and travels toward Sin City. They fail to find Chen Cheng’s group and instead encounter Her’s departing faction.
• Upon learning that the Divine Essence Tide in the Sin Abyss has been destroyed, the Land of Sin Legendaries blame Her and her allies. This sparks a prolonged conflict between:
  • Kappa’s side, seeking revenge and the preservation of its rule.
  • Her’s group, seeking to restore religious order.
• Several days later, Chen Cheng reaches a coastal town in the Engela Kingdom in disguise. He secretly reunites with She Li and helps evacuate him and the others from the Ruined Capital.
• Chen Cheng gives She Li the photographs and videos taken in the Matrix World for Melinda and the others, along with Windspirit Crystals and Wind Marrow Crystals intended for Fini.
• He distributes one Divine Soul to each member of Noah’s group and advises them not to use the souls to forcefully attain the Dao. Instead, they should use them to understand their own Dao and later complete Dao Integration with suitable treasures.
• Chen Cheng specifically suggests that Cai Yezi seek a Dao-attaining treasure through an exchange with the Elf race if necessary.
• After completing these arrangements, Chen Cheng travels east to a coastal city, where he investigates the worsening conditions among ordinary people.
• He learns from an elderly fisherman that the ongoing war against the Sea Clan and the northern expedition have led to mass conscription, oppressive taxation, widespread famine, and the abandonment of inland settlements.
• The old man reveals that the current king is widely blamed because he initiated the war, though the Church has secretly spread this interpretation among refugees.
• A newer religious faction led by Jamir and his allies is also distributing aid and promoting an alternative explanation: the king is allegedly being controlled or held hostage by the rulers of the five great kingdoms.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng becomes increasingly concerned with the consequences of the political and military upheaval on ordinary civilians. His questions about famine, taxes, and royal authority show him connecting the suffering around him to the Apocalypse previously described by Her.
• He also acts responsibly toward his companions by distributing resources, giving strategic advice about Divine Souls, and ensuring that his allies leave the dangerous Ruined Capital.
• Kappa and the Land of Sin Legendaries shift from searching for Chen Cheng to directly opposing Her’s faction after learning of the destruction of the Divine Essence Tide.
• Her’s group becomes embroiled in a major ideological and political struggle, attempting to restore religious order while being viewed as responsible for the Land of Sin’s losses.
• The elderly fisherman represents the fear and helplessness of common people under oppressive rule. Though desperate for money, he initially refuses to speak openly because criticizing the government can result in execution.
• Jamir and his allies are revealed to have expanded their influence beyond the inland regions, combining humanitarian relief with political and religious messaging.

Significant Themes

• The suffering of ordinary people: The chapter emphasizes that war affects civilians through conscription, taxation, famine, abandoned villages, and inflated food prices.
• The cost of political ambition: The rulers’ wars and struggles for power bring misery to people with no influence over government decisions.
• Propaganda and competing narratives: The Church blames the current king, while the newer faction claims that the five great kingdoms are manipulating him. Both religious groups use information to shape public opinion.
• The beginning of the Apocalypse: The famine, social collapse, and widespread death Chen Cheng observes suggest that the disaster Her predicted may already be unfolding.
• Religion as both aid and political power: The Church helps refugees while spreading its interpretation of events, and Jamir’s faction similarly combines charity with opposition to the established order.
• Responsibility and preparation: Chen Cheng’s distribution of Divine Souls and advice about Dao Integration reflects the need to prepare carefully for future crises rather than pursue immediate but unstable power.

Character Interactions

• Kappa and Her’s group: Their meeting turns into a violent ideological confrontation after Kappa’s faction blames Her’s side for destroying the Divine Essence Tide.
• Chen Cheng and She Li: Chen Cheng entrusts She Li with returning information, souvenirs, and cultivation resources to their allies, showing cooperation and mutual trust.
• Chen Cheng and Noah’s group: He gives them Divine Souls and practical cultivation guidance, particularly concerning Cai Yezi’s future Dao-attaining treasure.
• Chen Cheng and the fisherman: Chen Cheng initially uses the promise of purchasing the fisherman’s entire catch to gain his trust. The fisherman gradually reveals the truth about war, taxation, famine, and the Church’s influence.
• The Church and the common people: The Church provides aid to refugees while spreading anti-royal sentiment.
• Jamir’s faction and the refugees: Their charitable work wins influence while advancing the claim that the king is being manipulated by the five great kingdoms.

Summary of “The Commoners’ Lament”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Cheng reflects on the widespread wars ravaging the land and the instability of noble rule. Although he is troubled by the Apocalyptic Four Horsemen and the suffering caused by war, he admits that he does not yet have the power to end the conflicts.
• Disguised as a prosperous farmer, Chen Cheng pays an old fisherman for information about secret routes leading to the sea. He claims he wants to trade in the outer seas and escape the crushing taxes that have left even landlords’ households short of grain.
• The fisherman and nearby fishmongers become hostile when Chen Cheng asks about the sea routes. Such routes are essential to their livelihood, and they assume Chen Cheng is an advance agent for a rival inland gang.
• Chen Cheng quickly subdues and abducts Nefei, a one-armed middle-aged fisherman who appears to hold authority among the group. Using a lightness technique, he carries Nefei outside the city to a sea cliff.
• Nefei attempts to activate his Body-Tempering Inscriptions, but Chen Cheng effortlessly suppresses them, revealing a vast difference in power.
• Realizing Chen Cheng is likely a Legendary expert, Nefei kneels and begs him to intervene in the war and save the common people, especially those conscripted from the town.
• Chen Cheng initially reacts harshly, suspecting that Nefei is exploiting his apparent sympathy. However, Nefei’s willingness to suffer personally rather than see Chen Cheng punish the other fishermen moves him.
• Chen Cheng admits that he also wants the war to end but lacks the power to stop it yet. As a reward for Nefei’s compassion and courage, he restores Nefei’s severed arm through supernatural healing.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng: Shows both immense power and humility. Despite being capable of overwhelming ordinary warriors, he recognizes the limits of his influence and refuses to make false promises. His compassion toward Nefei reveals a strong desire to protect the weak, even while he pursues greater strength and knowledge.
• Nefei: Develops from a suspicious, defensive fisherman into a desperate but selfless representative of the common people. His willingness to plead for others despite fearing for his own life demonstrates courage and moral integrity.
• The fishermen: Their initial timidity and greed transform into fierce hostility when their survival is threatened, illustrating how desperation shapes the behavior of the lower classes.

Significant Themes

• Survival and desperation: Ordinary people may appear timid or opportunistic, but threats to their livelihoods can drive them to desperate resistance.
• The suffering of commoners: War, conscription, taxation, and noble oppression place unbearable burdens on ordinary families.
• Power and responsibility: Nefei believes a Legendary expert should be able to end the war, while Chen Cheng understands that even great power has limits. The chapter questions whether strength alone is enough to change society.
• Compassion amid violence: Nefei’s concern for others and Chen Cheng’s decision to heal him emphasize the value of protecting the vulnerable.
• Social inequality: The fishermen’s defensive unity against Chen Cheng contrasts with their inability to resist the nobles who exploit them, highlighting the complex structures that keep the lower classes oppressed.

Character Interactions

• Chen Cheng initially bargains with the old fisherman, but the conversation turns tense when he asks about sea routes.
• The surrounding fishmongers join the confrontation, treating Chen Cheng as a threat to their collective livelihood.
• Chen Cheng forcibly removes Nefei from the group and demonstrates the overwhelming gap between Legendary power and Body-Tempering cultivation.
• Nefei begs Chen Cheng to stop the war, while Chen Cheng challenges his assumptions and warns him not to mistake sympathy for weakness.
• Nefei’s selfless plea for the safety of others softens Chen Cheng, who responds by healing his missing arm and urging him to use his strength to protect the weak.

Chapter Summary: Entering the Twisted Realm

Key Plot Points and Events

• After Chen Cheng restores Nefei’s severed arm, Nefei becomes overwhelmed by despair upon learning that even a Legendary cannot stop the coming war.
• Remembering Chen Cheng’s words, his family, and the refugees suffering from famine, Nefei resolves to resist. He kneels and vows not to betray Chen Cheng’s expectations.
• Chen Cheng leaves Nefei behind, trusting him with the secret sea routes, and sails toward the open sea aboard his treasure ship.
• He reaches the waters surrounding the Twisted Realm and examines the Eye of the Storm with his Divine Eye. He discovers that it is actually a violently turbulent mass of laws and Magic Energy.
• To test the storm, Chen Cheng throws several Sea Clan members into it. They are destroyed before spatial transmission can carry them away, even when defensive techniques and magical artifacts are used.
• This reveals that the safe passage previously experienced by She Li, Noah, and the others was deliberately arranged. Old Ke and his companions had carefully created a controlled route, with the system’s consciousness preventing unauthorized entry.
• Chen Cheng concludes that the Crimson Ray Queen, who disappeared during the earlier crossing, likely did not survive.
• Studying the storm’s structure, Chen Cheng identifies its “flaw”: the Eye of the Storm is the unavoidable irregular point in the world’s laws, created by Old Ke and the others. By transforming himself into the Dao, Chen Cheng can follow the storm’s rotation and pass through safely.
• He enters the Eye of the Storm without defenses and emerges in the true Twisted Realm, a secluded paradise resembling an immortal island.
• There, he finds the island Samlet described and discovers an elven-style treehouse, indicating that elves inhabit the realm.

Character Developments

• Nefei changes from a despairing survivor into a determined rebel. Chen Cheng’s restoration of his arm and his appeal to Nefei’s loyalties inspire him to oppose the forces behind the war.
• Chen Cheng demonstrates greater confidence, ingenuity, and mastery of his abilities. Rather than entering the Eye of the Storm blindly, he experiments, analyzes its laws, and uses his God Ascender abilities to exploit its structure.
• Chen Cheng also gains a deeper understanding of Old Ke’s plans and the system’s role in protecting the passage between worlds.

Significant Themes

• Resistance born from suffering: Nefei’s personal pain and concern for his people transform despair into rebellion.
• The hidden design behind apparent accidents: The group’s previous journey into the system world was not random; it was carefully engineered and controlled.
• Knowledge overcoming brute force: Chen Cheng succeeds by understanding the laws governing the storm rather than overpowering them.
• The limits of power: Even powerful beings and defensive artifacts cannot survive the Eye of the Storm without the correct method of passage.
• Mystery and foreshadowing: The fate of the Crimson Ray Queen and the identity and purpose of the elves remain unresolved.

Character Interactions

• Chen Cheng restores Nefei’s arm and gives him final instructions, creating a bond of trust and responsibility between them.
• Nefei responds with a solemn vow of loyalty and rebellion.
• Chen Cheng’s experiments with the Sea Clan are not interpersonal exchanges but serve as practical tests that reveal the danger and deliberate design of the Eye of the Storm.
• The chapter ends with Chen Cheng approaching the elven inhabitants of the Twisted Realm, setting up a likely encounter with them.

Chapter Summary: “Trapped”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Cheng arrives at Melos and the Snow Maiden’s treehouse, but finds it abandoned. The unfinished food and water, along with the lack of magical restoration, suggest that the two left suddenly.
• He searches the surrounding area and finds no signs of combat or destruction, indicating that Melos did not leave because of a direct attack.
• Using the Reincarnation Principle, Chen Cheng extracts the lingering auras of Melos and the Snow Maiden. He then employs the dangerous tracking technique Thousand-Li Soul Pursuit, despite its severe risks to his spirit.
• The technique reveals that the Snow Maiden left first, followed later by Melos, who apparently went after her. Chen Cheng follows their trail.
• Meanwhile, Melos and the Snow Maiden are trapped beneath the thick ice cap of a frozen island governed by an extremely powerful Cold Law. Their strength has been heavily suppressed, leaving them unable to escape easily.
• The Crimson Ray Queen, who survived the earlier catastrophe through her Phase Weaponry, is revealed to be responsible for their predicament. She offers to free them if they agree to take her to the Divine Kingdom.
• The Queen claims to have discovered five hidden islands, each ruled by a different elemental Law. Although she initially believed the strange sea region was the Sea God’s Divine Kingdom, months of searching revealed no gods or divine structures—only violent and unusual Laws.
• Melos and the Snow Maiden reject the Queen’s offer because they do not know whether the Divine Kingdom exists or whether the Queen’s promises can be trusted.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng demonstrates his determination and growing power by risking spiritual damage to track the missing women. His confidence in his godlike soul strength allows him to use a technique that would be dangerous for ordinary mages.
• Melos shows responsibility and loyalty toward the Snow Maiden. Although she blames herself for following after her, she refuses to escape by sacrificing the Snow Maiden to the island’s Laws.
• The Snow Maiden becomes more self-blaming and desperate, believing her weakness caused their imprisonment. She is willing to absorb the island’s Law power and risk transforming into the Dao if it might give Melos a chance to escape.
• The Crimson Ray Queen is revealed to be resourceful and resilient, having survived the Twisted Realm’s dangers through her Phase Armor. However, her motives remain self-serving, as she attempts to manipulate the trapped pair into helping her find the Divine Kingdom.

Significant Themes

• Loyalty and sacrifice: Melos refuses to abandon the Snow Maiden, while the Snow Maiden is prepared to sacrifice herself for Melos.
• The dangers of forbidden power: Chen Cheng’s tracking technique and the Snow Maiden’s proposed absorption of external Laws both carry potentially fatal consequences.
• Uncertainty and deception: The characters lack reliable knowledge about the Twisted Realm Sea and the supposed Divine Kingdom, making the Crimson Ray Queen’s claims difficult to trust.
• Nature and elemental Laws: The hidden islands demonstrate how powerful Laws can shape entire environments, while also threatening to assimilate or destroy those who enter them.
• Persistence in the face of danger: Chen Cheng continues searching despite the risks, while the Crimson Ray Queen refuses to abandon her quest even after months of failure.

Character Interactions

• Chen Cheng investigates Melos and the Snow Maiden’s abandoned home and begins tracking them, setting up a likely rescue or confrontation.
• Melos and the Snow Maiden argue over whether the Snow Maiden should sacrifice herself to escape, with Melos firmly rejecting the idea.
• The Crimson Ray Queen attempts to bargain with them from outside the ice, offering freedom and information in exchange for their help locating the Divine Kingdom.
• The Snow Maiden directly challenges the Queen’s assumptions, pointing out that the frozen island may not be the Divine Kingdom she seeks.

Summary of “The Mad Crimson Ray”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Crimson Ray Queen returns to the island and discovers that Melos and the Snow Maiden have remained behind, while Chen Cheng and the others are missing. She assumes they entered the Divine Kingdom and becomes enraged that she has wasted months without finding a way inside.
• Believing the Snow Maiden would desperately want access to the Divine Kingdom and the power of the Ice and Snow Island, Crimson Ray decides to use her as bait to force Melos to reveal the entrance.
• When the Snow Maiden ventures into the forest, Crimson Ray uses her Phase Weaponry to steal a fragment of Ice Law. The Snow Maiden senses the law’s familiar aura and is drawn toward it.
• Crimson Ray attacks and attempts to abduct the Snow Maiden, but the Snow Maiden has advanced to the Subadult Stage and, because Crimson Ray is weakened by stealing the law, defeats her. Crimson Ray retreats and discards the stolen law fragment.
• After absorbing the fragment, the Snow Maiden grows stronger and pursues Crimson Ray to learn where it came from. Melos senses the battle and follows. Chen Cheng later arrives at the treehouse and traces the remnants of the confrontation.
• Crimson Ray ultimately traps Melos and the Snow Maiden beneath the ice of Ice and Snow Island. She demands that Melos explain how to reach the Divine Kingdom, but Melos honestly states that neither she nor the Snow Maiden knows and suggests that the Sea God rejected Crimson Ray.
• This destroys Crimson Ray’s remaining hope. She descends into madness, deciding to leave Melos and the Snow Maiden imprisoned beneath the ice until they die.
• As the Ice Law rapidly intensifies and Melos begins to weaken, the Snow Maiden proposes a desperate escape plan: she will absorb the surrounding Ice Law, creating a fluctuation that allows Melos to escape, even though the process may cost the Snow Maiden her life.

Character Developments

• Crimson Ray Queen: Her frustration over being excluded from the Divine Kingdom develops into obsession and then complete despair. Her strategic attempt to manipulate the Snow Maiden gives way to irrational cruelty once she realizes she cannot achieve her goal.
• Snow Maiden: She has grown significantly after the journey through the Northern Frontier, reaching the Subadult Stage and briefly overcoming Crimson Ray. Her protective loyalty toward Melos becomes especially clear when she willingly risks her life to save her elder.
• Melos: She remains calm, honest, and protective, refusing to give Crimson Ray false information. Her relationship with the Snow Maiden is close and mutually dependent, though she is physically endangered by the Ice Law’s suppression.
• Chen Cheng: He returns to the island and investigates the aftermath, but remains concealed while Crimson Ray and Melos confront one another.

Significant Themes

• Despair and madness: Crimson Ray’s identity and purpose are built around reaching the Divine Kingdom. When that hope collapses, her negative emotions overwhelm her judgment and morality.
• The danger of obsession: Her devotion to the Sea God and desire to become a god lead her to sacrifice months of effort, attack former companions, and eventually attempt to kill them.
• Sacrifice and loyalty: The Snow Maiden chooses to endanger herself so Melos can survive and continue guiding the elf race and supporting Chen Cheng’s larger mission.
• Reverence for divine power: Melos and the Snow Maiden remain in the Twisted Realm because they respect the power of true gods, while Crimson Ray’s resentment stems from feeling rejected by one.
• Growth through adversity: The Snow Maiden’s absorption of Ice Law symbolizes both her increasing strength and the risks involved in pursuing power.

Character Interactions

• Crimson Ray attempts to manipulate the Snow Maiden by exploiting her desire for the Ice and Snow Island’s power, but the Snow Maiden resists and defeats her.
• Melos rejects Crimson Ray’s demands and tells her that they do not know how to enter the Divine Kingdom, unintentionally deepening Crimson Ray’s despair.
• Crimson Ray retaliates by imprisoning Melos and the Snow Maiden under the ice.
• The Snow Maiden cares deeply for Melos, shielding her from the cold and ultimately offering to sacrifice herself so Melos can escape.
• Chen Cheng’s arrival adds tension, as he witnesses the consequences of the conflict while remaining undetected.

Chapter Summary: “Predicament”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Melos struggles against the Ice Law, which severely restricts her movements and steadily weakens her. Without Crimson Ray’s influence, she may soon die.
• Snow Maiden prepares to sacrifice herself, thinking of Chen Cheng’s disappearance and the younger siblings she left on Great Snow Mountain.
• Chen Cheng detects Ice and Snow Island through the Divine Eye and realizes that it is not a normal island but the physical manifestation of the Ice and Snow Law.
• As Chen Cheng approaches, the crazed Crimson Ray emerges from the island using her Phase Armor. Believing Chen Cheng has been favored by the Sea God while she was abandoned, she attacks him.
• Chen Cheng ignores her attacks because Melos’s aura is rapidly weakening. He eventually discovers that he cannot reach the island normally, despite flying directly toward it.
• Crimson Ray explains that he must either defeat or kill her to enter the island. Chen Cheng instantly subdues her with his Divine Domain and demands to know the method of entry.
• Crimson Ray, consumed by despair and jealousy, asks Chen Cheng to kill her and make her a Subordinate God. When he refuses and threatens to use Soul-Searching, she remains defiant.
• Chen Cheng forcibly searches her soul, enduring the risks of the technique because his Divine Soul gives him enough mental strength to overpower her.
• Through her memories, he learns the truth: Ice and Snow Island is the embodiment of the Ice and Snow Law, and ordinary entry is extremely difficult and too slow to save Melos.
• Crimson Ray could enter and leave because her Phase Weaponry allowed her to bypass the Law’s rejection. She had secretly used its coordination ability to bring Melos and Snow Maiden inside, though the effort damaged the equipment.
• Chen Cheng realizes that he must find a faster way to penetrate the Ice and Snow Law before Melos and the others perish.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng: Demonstrates urgency, overwhelming power, and a willingness to use brutal methods when Melos’s life is endangered. His Divine Soul and Divine Domain allow him to dominate Crimson Ray and extract the information needed to proceed.
• Crimson Ray: Her abandonment by the Sea God has driven her into madness. She becomes obsessed with the belief that outsiders received the favor she was denied, alternating between violent jealousy, despair, and a desire to be killed or accepted by Chen Cheng.
• Melos: Is portrayed as physically and spiritually deteriorating under the Ice Law, heightening the urgency of Chen Cheng’s rescue attempt.
• Snow Maiden: Shows self-sacrificial resolve and concern for her siblings, believing Chen Cheng will care for them if she dies.

Significant Themes

• Desperation and sacrifice: Melos and Snow Maiden face death while Chen Cheng races against time to save them.
• Abandonment and divine favor: Crimson Ray’s madness stems from feeling rejected by her god while others appear to receive divine protection.
• The danger of obsession: Crimson Ray’s longing for recognition transforms into jealousy, violence, and a desire for death.
• Power versus time: Chen Cheng has enough strength to overcome his enemies, but the Ice Law’s nature makes the rescue difficult because brute force alone is too slow.
• The cost of forbidden methods: Soul-Searching is dangerous and potentially destructive, yet Chen Cheng uses it because the situation leaves him no safer alternative.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Cheng and Crimson Ray: Their confrontation begins as a chase and escalates into a one-sided battle. Chen Cheng dismisses her attacks, subdues her instantly, and interrogates her through force when she refuses to cooperate.
• Crimson Ray and the Sea God: Though the Sea God does not appear directly, Crimson Ray’s resentment toward him motivates her actions and fuels her belief that she has been abandoned.
• Chen Cheng and Melos: Their relationship is defined by Chen Cheng’s urgent determination to save her, guided by the weakening aura detected through the Soul-Chasing Method.
• Crimson Ray, Melos, and Snow Maiden: Crimson Ray previously enabled them to enter Ice and Snow Island, but this assistance was concealed and ultimately left her Phase Weaponry damaged.