Chapter Summaries

Lin Sheng returned to the Falling Star after surviving the void storm, revealed the Meltform Phantom to the crew, and continued strengthening himself on the voyage to Sunstar. Meanwhile, Stoffer reported that a Wasteland Martial expert had appeared in the storm, prompting Mercury's Gaze to flee the region.

• Lin Sheng introduced the Meltform Phantom, which changed into a fox, and Feya explained that Mercury's Gaze had pursued the Falling Star.
• Feya ordered the Falling Star back toward Sunstar, while Lin Sheng trained and used Boundless Fusion to deepen the merging of his rule powers.
• The Meltform Phantom sensed Lin Sheng's rapid growth and secretly considered creating another true essence so it could escape him.
• Stoffer returned to the silver-white warship injured and ordered his fleet to withdraw immediately, claiming he had seen a Wasteland Martial expert withstand the void storm.
• Saman and the other captains accepted Stoffer's warning, and Saman ordered all warships to leave the star region at full speed.

Stoffer realized he had mistaken Lin Sheng for a Wasteland Martial expert and ordered his fleet to pursue the Falling Star. As Lin Sheng advanced his cultivation and the ship neared Sunstar, the crew entered an apparent vacuum belt that turned out to be a trap.

• Stoffer checked the Falling Star's tracking data, concluded its rescuer was not a Wasteland Martial being, and ordered Saman to pursue it at full speed.
• Lin Sheng broke through to the second realm of Erosion Martial and began cultivating the Thousand Tribulations Ashen Wheel Sutra.
• Anna played with the Meltform Phantom, while Feya told her they were nine days from Sunstar and that the company knew they were safe.
• Five days later, the Falling Star approached a vast vacuum belt, and Feya ordered the ship to pass through it at increased thrust.
• After the Falling Star entered the region, scans revealed a gray void filled with chaotic rule power, communications and navigation failures, and Feya recognized that it was a trap.

Mercury's Gaze trapped the Falling Star in a rules-turbulence field and launched a boarding assault, interrupting Lin Sheng's cultivation. Lin Sheng emerged, killed several attackers, crushed Black Shark, and turned his attention to Stoffer.

• Feya recognized the vacuum region as a trap, but eight silver-white warships disabled the Falling Star's weapons and surrounded it.
• Stoffer and Black Shark agreed to divide the spoils, then sent their forces to board the Falling Star and kill its crew.
• With the ship's defenses failing, Feya ordered the combat personnel to hold the hatches and Anna to take the noncombatants to the Safety Pod.
• The shutdown of the cultivation machines interrupted Lin Sheng's breakthrough, and he discovered Mercury's Gaze attacking the ship.
• Lin Sheng emerged from the Falling Star, killed or wounded several Third Limit Break attackers, and intercepted Black Shark as Stoffer headed for the control room.
• Lin Sheng transformed into a crimson giant, crushed Black Shark despite his Silver Astral Body, and turned toward Stoffer.

Lin Sheng killed Black Shark, Stoffer, and the other attackers, then helped the Falling Star capture three Mercury's Gaze warships. As the ship neared Sunstar, Feya told Lin Sheng he would receive eight billion Star Coins from the captured vessels, leaving him stunned.

• Lin Sheng crushed Black Shark, then killed Stoffer and the five remaining Third Limit Break experts who had boarded the Falling Star.
• Lin Sheng destroyed more than half of the eight silver-white warships, while Feya and the crew repaired the Falling Star and ensnared the three ships that tried to flee.
• Lin Sheng returned to cultivation after thanking Feya, and the Falling Star continued toward Sunstar with the three captured warships in tow.
• Three days later, Feya told Lin Sheng they would reach Sunstar in half a day and that he would receive eight billion Star Coins from the captured warships.
• Lin Sheng stared at Feya in disbelief after hearing the amount.

Lin Sheng learned why fourth limit break experts varied so greatly and heard that Cole had reached the demigod level by condensing the true essence of rules. As the Falling Star prepared to return to Forest City, Chris and Situ Ming mobilized to arrest the wanted Extradimensional Creature, and Xia Leisheng realized the situation had become troublesome.

• Feya told Lin Sheng that Stoffer and Black Shark were newcomers to the fourth limit break, while Cole had reached perfection and condensed the true essence of rules.
• Feya explained the tiers of rules and how mastering their true essence prepared Martial Corrosion Realm experts to become Wasteland Martial Beings.
• Cole waited at Forest City's starport for Feya's return and vowed that Mercury's Gaze would answer for targeting the Crimson Lightning Company.
• Chris learned the Falling Star would land that afternoon and summoned Situ Ming, then ordered Ma Ming to alert Cole, the Bureau of Affairs, and the Guard Army about an arrest.
• Mary told Xia Leisheng that Chris and Situ Ming planned to arrest the wanted Extradimensional Creature, and Xia Leisheng worried that the many notified powers would complicate matters.

Cole secured Forest City's starport for the Falling Star's arrival while Demonflame planned to seize Lin Sheng and ambush the gathered authorities. After landing, Lin Sheng sensed danger among the waiting forces and suspected his identity had been exposed.

• Cole prepared Zone C to receive the Falling Star and warned Chris that the Crimson Lightning Company would demand an explanation if no Extradimensional Creature was found.
• Demonflame revealed that he had condensed thirty-two strands of upper-tier inferno true intent and ordered his followers to ambush the forces at the starport, capturing the Extradimensional Creature alive.
• Chris and Situ Ming agreed to share the results of studying the Extradimensional Creature, each intending to gain control of it.
• Lin Sheng recovered aboard the Falling Star, prepared to accept the Crimson Lightning Company's offer, and approached Sunstar with Anna and the Meltform Phantom.
• The Falling Star landed as Cole's security personnel formed a barrier between it and the assembled forces, including Chris and Situ Ming.
• Lin Sheng sensed danger from the crowd and wondered whether his identity had been exposed.

Chris and Situ Ming exposed Lin Sheng as the supposed extraterrestrial life-form and pressured Cole to surrender him. When the Fighting Association attacked, Lin Sheng revealed overwhelming power, and Chris and Situ Ming confronted him directly.

• Chris identified Lin Sheng as the extraterrestrial life-form, and Situ Ming presented footage linking him to the Greenwood City massacre and other incidents.
• Anna and Feya defended Lin Sheng, but Cole yielded to the Bureau of Affairs and Guard Army, putting them to sleep and allowing the arrest attempt to proceed.
• More than a dozen Erosion Martial Fighters attacked Lin Sheng, who transformed into an eighteen-meter red giant and defeated them in moments.
• Chris and Situ Ming recognized Lin Sheng's demigod-level strength and attacked him together, while Lin Sheng charged back and their collision shook Forest City.

Lin Sheng revealed his fused Inferno and flesh powers, overwhelming Chris and Situ Ming before Lei De and Habi joined the fight. Outnumbered by four demigods, he broke through their assault and fled the Starport with them in pursuit.

• Lin Sheng healed from Chris and Situ Ming's attacks, then fused Inferno Black Flame with his flesh power and shattered Situ Ming's Vajra Hammer.
• Lin Sheng deflected Chris's Spatial Warblade and struck him into the Starport wall, but Lei De and Habi joined the battle alongside the wounded Chris and Situ Ming.
• The four demigods encircled Lin Sheng and attacked together, forcing him to defend with Heaven-Burning Inferno as he realized more powerful reinforcements could arrive.
• Lin Sheng exploded his cocoon to disrupt the demigods' assault, shrank into a streak of crimson lightning, and raced for the Starport exit.
• Chris, Lei De, Habi, and Situ Ming pursued Lin Sheng as he smashed through defensive installations and dodged their attacks.

Lin Sheng fought through a pursuit by four Demigods, then survived Demonflame’s ambush as the Crimson Prison Society tried to seize him. A Wasteland Martial named Prison Demon nearly captured Lin Sheng, but Xia Leisheng intervened, leaving the two powerful figures confronting each other across closing fissures.

• Cole carried Anna and Feya toward the Crimson Lightning Company's hovercar while Demonflame watched Lin Sheng escape and set off after him.
• Lin Sheng fought Chris, Situ Ming, Lei De, and Habi, injuring Situ Ming and Chris before breaking free and continuing toward the outskirts.
• Demonflame struck Lin Sheng with a spear of Inferno True Intent, but Lin Sheng survived and fled; Habi stayed behind to fight Demonflame while Lei De, Chris, and Situ Ming resumed the pursuit.
• A fissure opened ahead of Lin Sheng, and Prison Demon’s Blackflame hand restrained him as Lei De, Chris, and Situ Ming recognized the Wasteland Martial threat.
• Xia Leisheng’s lightning-wreathed finger stopped Prison Demon’s attack, and Xia Leisheng ordered Prison Demon to return to his Inferno.

Xia Leisheng rescued Lin Sheng from Prison Demon and brought him to the Fighting Association, where he offered to protect him if he became his disciple. Lin Sheng accepted, and Xia Leisheng left to deal with a new development while Mary rushed into the office and abruptly retreated upon seeing Lin Sheng.

• Xia Leisheng forced the Inferno rift to close, and Prison Demon dragged Demonflame through it before threatening Xia Leisheng.
• Xia Leisheng summoned Lin Sheng through a lightning passage and told him that his identity and past actions had made him a target.
• Xia Leisheng offered to clear Lin Sheng’s troubles and protect him if he became his disciple, while warning that leaving would expose him to pursuit.
• Lin Sheng accepted Xia Leisheng as his master, and Xia Leisheng declared him his only direct disciple.
• Xia Leisheng noticed that someone had arrived and left the office, while Mary rushed in, saw Lin Sheng, and quickly shut the door.

Xia Leisheng protected Lin Sheng from the Bureau of Affairs and the Guard Army by claiming him as his personal disciple and agreeing to an examination. After Lin Sheng recovered, Xia explained that he had chosen him to inherit the Iron Bone Boxing Gym’s legacy, leaving Lin Sheng to learn the truth about the Blood-Bone Heaven-Burning Art and the destroyed Iron Fist Gate.

• Akeqi and Shi Tian demanded that Xia Leisheng hand Lin Sheng over, but Xia declared Lin Sheng his disciple and agreed to a Bureau of Affairs examination in exchange for protection from further harassment.
• Raymond offered to help make Lin Sheng’s examination more lenient, while Shi Tian questioned Xia’s decision before leaving.
• Mary questioned Lin Sheng, then took him to a recuperation pod, where he fully healed from his injuries.
• Lin Sheng met Xia Leisheng in his office and asked why Xia had taught him the Blood-Bone Heaven-Burning Art and taken him as a disciple.
• Xia explained that the Iron Bone Boxing Gym’s visualization source was the corpse of a Bloodbone Titan and that Lin Sheng’s talent made him suited to inherit the Iron Bone Boxing Gym’s legacy.

Xia Leisheng explained that rules origin was finite, making Inferno advancement nearly impossible because the Crimson Prison Society controlled most of it, while the flesh path still had room for three more Wasteland Martial beings. Lin Sheng resolved to keep cultivating Inferno and find a way to claim its origin, while Anna set out to visit him with Feya and his silver fox.

• Xia Leisheng told Lin Sheng that the Blood-Bone Heaven-Burning Art came from the Iron Fist Gate and urged him to restore its glory while focusing his great path on flesh.
• Xia Leisheng explained that rules origin was finite and that the Crimson Prison Society’s nine Wasteland Martial beings had left almost no Inferno origin, while the flesh rule had enough origin for six beings and only three current claimants between Sunstar and Lagu Star.
• Lin Sheng decided to continue cultivating the Thousand Tribulations Ashen Wheel Sutra and considered killing an Inferno Wasteland Martial being to free up origin, while also resolving to prepare for the Bureau of Affairs’ review.
• Raymond allowed Anna to visit Lin Sheng at the Fighting Association, provided Feya accompanied her, and told her to take Lin Sheng’s little fox back.
• Raymond and Cole discussed the silver fox, which Cole said seemed to be an innate creature of the space rules, and Raymond ordered it returned to Lin Sheng.

Lin Sheng learned that the Bureau of Affairs would examine his nature and origins with the Sun Maiden Instrument, while Akeqi and the Kane Group might complicate the review. After Anna and Feya left, he resolved to investigate the instrument and the destruction trait before the assessment.

• Lin Sheng finished cultivating at the Fighting Association and considered seeking advanced Flesh Mutation Beasts to improve his flesh affinity.
• Anna and Feya visited Lin Sheng with the Meltform Phantom, and Feya warned him that the Bureau of Affairs review could reach the Judgment Court.
• Feya explained that the review would use the Sun Maiden Instrument to detect Lin Sheng's rules, racial origin, and soul, raising his concern that it could expose his altered body or identify him as an Inferno being.
• Anna returned the Meltform Phantom to Lin Sheng, and she and Feya promised to testify for him before leaving.
• Lin Sheng returned to the cultivation room and decided to research the Sun Maiden Instrument and the meaning of a destruction trait.

Lin Sheng researched the destruction trait, the Sun Maiden Instrument, and the Ghost Whale invasion, then faced the Judgment Court’s examination. Sun Maiden confirmed that he was not an innate Inferno being and had no destruction trait, but the hearing continued with accusations about his past killings and ties to the Oath of Embers.

• Lin Sheng used the Fighting Association’s highest-clearance terminal to learn that purgatory affinity was distinct from the destruction trait and to study the Sun Maiden Instrument.
• Lin Sheng found a sealed archive describing the Ghost Whale Clan’s ancient invasion of Sunstar and suspected his soul originated from Sunstar’s human race.
• After three days of training, Lin Sheng attended the public examination at the Alliance Judgment Court of Senluo Province.
• Sun Maiden examined Lin Sheng and reported that he was not an innate evil entity and had no innate destructive attributes or destruction trait.
• A financial-group representative and an Alliance Procuratorate representative accused Lin Sheng of killing agents and having ties to the Oath of Embers, and asked Sun Maiden to assess the evidence.

Lin Sheng faced accusations of brutality, cult ties, and endangering the Alliance as witnesses and memories were presented at his trial. Xia Leisheng offered to stand surety by guarding the Void Abyss for a century, but Lin Sheng interrupted the Sun Maiden’s assessment and began defending his actions and the Oath of Embers.

• The Sun Maiden displayed footage of Lin Sheng killing Marshall and others, and the Alliance inspector accused him of ties to the Eye of the Dead.
• Wang Jinfang, Zhou Ze, and Zhou Fang testified, and the Sun Maiden extracted memories showing Lin Sheng’s interactions with Nora.
• Kasjin presented He Ping and A-Huan as members of the Oath of Embers and claimed Lin Sheng led the group, while Raymond defended Lin Sheng and rebutted Kasjin’s accusations.
• Kasjin urged the tribunal to convict Lin Sheng as a dangerous extraterrestrial, and Xia Leisheng offered to vouch for him and guard the Void Abyss for one hundred years.
• Lin Sheng challenged the claim that he was an extraterrestrial and argued that his actions in Greenwood were self-defense and that the Oath of Embers resisted the Crimson Prison Society and the infernal threat.

The Sun Maiden’s true spirit test confirmed that Lin Sheng was human, clearing him of the tribunal’s accusations and restoring his protected status under Alliance law. He left with Xia Leisheng’s support, but the Kane Group and the Crimson Prison Society remained threats as he turned his attention to cultivating and finding Ghost Whale World.

• Lin Sheng agreed to the Sun Maiden’s in-depth test, which revealed that his soul was human and had no trace of parasitic possession.
• The Sun Maiden withdrew the allegations, ruled that Lin Sheng had acted in self-defense, and restored his freedom and protection under Alliance law.
• Xia Leisheng warned the tribunal that anyone who targeted Lin Sheng would make an enemy of him and the Fighting Association; Kasjin dismissed the inquiry as a misunderstanding and left.
• Anna, Feya, and Raymond congratulated Lin Sheng, while Xia Leisheng praised him and warned him about Kasjin and Prison Demon.
• Lin Sheng left the tribunal with his allies and resolved to reach the Third Realm of Erosion Martial while pursuing the search for Ghost Whale World.

Kasjin and Prison Demon agreed to cooperate to capture Lin Sheng, with Prison Demon claiming his soul and the Kane Group his body. After learning more about the dangers Lin Sheng had escaped and the fate of the Ghost Whale World, Lin Sheng returned to cultivation, determined to reach the erosion martial third realm.

• Prison Demon visited Kasjin in disguise and proposed taking Lin Sheng's soul in exchange for the Kane Group receiving his body; Kasjin agreed to cooperate.
• Lin Sheng told Xia Leisheng that he came from the Tian Yuan Ghost Whale, and Xia explained that the five great wills could erode a soul traveling through the Endless Void.
• Xia Leisheng offered to have the Association's Exploration Fleet search for the Ghost Whale World and said Mary would send Lin Sheng a Starfield Map.
• Xia Leisheng identified the enormous creature Lin Sheng saw as a controlled desolate tier being and said the Ghost Whale World was likely doomed after its origin was extracted.
• Mary questioned Lin Sheng about being human, and Lin Sheng sent her toward Xia Leisheng before returning to his cultivation room.
• Lin Sheng warned the Meltform Phantom to remain in its cat form, then began cultivating toward the erosion martial third realm.

Lin Sheng broke through to the Erosion Martial Third Realm and advanced the Thousand Tribulations Ashen Wheel Sutra, strengthening his abilities and deepening the fusion of his flesh and inferno rules. After secluded cultivation, he received the Alliance Starfield Map and learned that the Ghost Whale World was likely hidden in the unexplored Outer Domain.

• During forty-nine days of secluded cultivation, Lin Sheng used the Blood Essence Injection from Xia Leisheng to break through the Blood-Bone Heaven-Burning Art to the Erosion Martial Third Realm and the Thousand Tribulations Ashen Wheel Sutra to the Erosion Martial Second Realm.
• Lin Sheng saw his attributes rise by eleven points and found that thin lines had begun linking the Blood-Red Vortex Mark and Blackflame Mark as his flesh and inferno rules fused more deeply.
• Mary arrived with the Alliance Starfield Map and high-grade tempering potions, then was astonished to sense Lin Sheng's breakthrough.
• Mary explained that the Ghost Whale World was probably in the unexplored Outer Domain, beyond the mapped and controlled regions, and said the Fighting Association and Crimson Lightning Company were searching for it.
• Mary told Lin Sheng that Anna had visited several times and eagerly suggested he win over Director Raymond's daughter.

Two smiling strangers used their power to manipulate A-Huan and He Ping into believing they were old friends, then hinted that they had come for more than a visit. At the Fighting Association, Lin Sheng defeated Situ Ming and Chris's full-strength attack with his fused Blood Devour technique.

• A-Huan met two ordinary-looking strangers in an alley, and their touch erased his anger and made him trust them.
• The strangers coaxed A-Huan into revealing information about Lin Sheng and accompanied him to He Ping's Residence.
• He Ping recognized the strangers as threats, but their strange power filled his mind with false memories until he welcomed them inside.
• Lin Sheng fought Situ Ming and Chris in the Fighting Association's training arena and urged them to use their full strength.
• Lin Sheng merged his two marks and used Blood Devour to slice through both demigods' attacks and force them backward.

After defeating Situ Ming and Chris, Lin Sheng learned about demigod ranks and the challenges of reaching Wasteland Martial. He received news that a cultivation method for meltform rules had arrived and followed Mary to the Association archives to inspect it.

• Lin Sheng overpowered Situ Ming and Chris in a spar, and the two apologized and offered to help him.
• Situ Ming and Chris explained demigod ranks, rule tiers, and the difficult requirements for advancing to Wasteland Martial.
• Lin Sheng learned that he and Demonflame were roughly evenly matched at high-rank demigod strength, while Cole was likely stronger.
• Lin Sheng received messages from He Ping and Mary, postponed his meeting with He Ping, and went to see the meltform cultivation method Mary had found.
• Mary led Lin Sheng to a private chamber in the cultivation archives, where a virtual screen lit up before him.