Chapter Summaries

Wu Tong captured Komuro Takashi after finding him spying on the group, and the others decided to kill him rather than let him reveal what he had seen. As zombies approached, Wu Tong summoned Jizo Mitama and considered using Komuro’s protagonist status to erode the world.

• Komuro Takashi spotted Wu Tong’s group emerging from a vortex and fled down the stairs, unaware that zombies were overrunning the campus.
• Wu Tong opened a spatial rift in Komuro’s path, sending him to the group.
• Xiao Yan called for Komuro’s death, and Zhang Chulan falsely told him that Komuro had dared them to kill him.
• Gu Ruoli urged the group to stop joking and deal with Komuro before the zombies arrived.
• Wu Tong summoned nine Spirit Rings and drew Jizo Mitama, then wondered whether he could use Komuro’s protagonist status to erode the world.

Wu Tong killed Komuro Takashi and began eroding the protagonist status he had intercepted, hoping to use the Ruined World as a foothold to erode the Douluo World. As the process began, Zhang Chulan and the others went to the Yanhuang Region to help save people.

• Wu Tong reflected on his plan to erode the Ruined World and use it as bait to invade the Douluo World.
• Wu Tong stabbed Komuro Takashi with Jizo Mitama, killing him, and the Erosion Authority erased his body.
• The Brain of Wisdom confirmed it had intercepted Komuro Takashi's Protagonist Status and began eroding it with Jizo Mitama and the Erosion Authority, estimating the process would take three days.
• Gu Ruoli wondered why the protagonist had fallen so easily, and He Xi explained that the Ruined World had no World Consciousness or extraordinary power to protect him.
• Zhang Chulan, the hot-blooded elder group, Xiao Yan's group, and Old Master Zhongli prepared to help people in the Yanhuang Region.
• Wu Tong opened a Dimensional Teleportation Gate and sent Zhang Chulan and the others to the Yanhuang Region.

Wu Tong revealed that Soul of Darkness was the artifact spirit of his Human Emperor Banner, which gathered the spirits of the dead. Meanwhile, Busujima Saeko and Marikawa Shizuka escaped a zombie horde and saw Black Qi carrying a phantom toward the rooftop.

• Wu Tong stayed behind while the others scattered across the world to search for resources.
• Wu Tong summoned Soul of Darkness, who began gathering the vengeful spirits of the dead into her banner.
• Gu Ruoli recognized the banner as the Myriad Souls Banner, and Wu Tong corrected her by calling it the Human Emperor Banner and explaining that Soul of Darkness was its artifact spirit.
• Busujima Saeko led Marikawa Shizuka upstairs to escape a zombie horde.
• Busujima Saeko killed a zombie and watched Black Qi rise from its body, carrying a phantom toward the rooftop.

Busujima Saeko and Marikawa Shizuka rushed toward the rooftop, where Wu Tong’s group watched Soul of Darkness turn the zombies’ souls into more vengeful spirits. Wu Tong gave everyone the Human Emperor Banner’s refining method, leaving them able to make the soul-raising treasure themselves.

• Marikawa Shizuka screamed after seeing a soul, drawing nearby zombies toward her and Busujima Saeko.
• Busujima Saeko and Marikawa Shizuka hurried toward the rooftop, hoping someone there could save them.
• Wu Tong and the others left the rooftop as Soul of Darkness’s vengeful spirits destroyed approaching zombies and absorbed their souls into the Human Emperor Banner.
• Gu Ruoli and the others admired the banner’s ability to grow its forces, and Wu Tong agreed to share its refining method.
• Wu Tong sent each person a light that delivered the Human Emperor Banner’s refining method into their mind.

Wu Tong shared detailed instructions for refining the Human Emperor Banner, while Busujima Saeko and Marikawa Shizuka rested during their dangerous search for the source of the Black Qi. After the Black Qi changed direction, they continued forward toward the unknown force they hoped might save them.

• Wu Tong used the Herrscher of Sentience's authority to give everyone comprehensive instructions for refining the Human Emperor Banner.
• Star asked Uncle Yang whether he could make the required materials, but he explained that he could not create what he could not understand.
• Busujima Saeko and Marikawa Shizuka cleared the last Zombie from a classroom and barricaded its doors.
• Busujima Saeko noticed the Black Qi moving downward and suggested they rest rather than climb two more floors.
• After the Black Qi turned forward, Busujima Saeko and Marikawa Shizuka set out toward it, knowing they had few other chances to survive.

Wu Tong let Busujima Saeko and Marikawa Shizuka enter Soul of Darkness’s Black Qi domain and decided to recruit them. After explaining that he had saved them, he left Saeko cautiously assessing the powerful group around him.

• Wu Tong praised Busujima Saeko and Marikawa Shizuka’s courage and decided to take them in as future allies.
• Soul of Darkness let the two women pass through the domain, where Vengeful Spirits tore the souls from approaching Zombies.
• Marikawa Shizuka cowered behind Busujima Saeko, then relaxed when the spirits ignored them; her chest drew everyone’s attention and Little Shi struggled to confront her.
• Wu Tong stopped Little Shi and said the two women were people he had taken a fancy to, prompting the group to suspect he coveted them.
• Busujima Saeko sensed danger from Wu Tong and Little Shi, and Wu Tong told her he was her lifesaver and that the Black Qi domain belonged to him.

Wu Tong rescued Busujima Saeko and Marikawa Shizuka, who agreed to travel with him. In City H, the Dean thanked Zhang Chulan and Xiao Yan for saving the school, then recalled the heroes and their powers as the story shifted to their fortified survivor base.

• Busujima Saeko admired Wu Tong after he rescued her, while Marikawa Shizuka openly swooned over him.
• Wu Tong asked Busujima Saeko and Marikawa Shizuka about their plans, and they agreed to join his group.
• At First Yu Ying High School, the Dean thanked Zhang Chulan and Xiao Yan for helping save the survivors from the Zombies.
• The Dean recalled the powerful heroes who fought the Zombies, including a White-Haired Daoist Elder, a white-haired youth, a Suit-Wearing Old Man, a Golden Flame Girl, and a Giant Ruler Boy.
• The Dean looked at the school's stone walls and the stone spears impaling Zombies behind them.

Old Celestial Master and Lu Jin gathered survivors across City H and brought them to the school shelter, where they learned Zhongli had gone to another city. Zhongli watched over the ruined City S, leaving the story as he surveyed the devastation.

• Old Celestial Master mourned the heavy losses in City H and escorted the survivors he had rescued toward the school shelter.
• Old Celestial Master met Lu Jin, who had saved only a few hundred survivors, and urged him not to blame himself.
• The two Old Masters joined their groups and returned to the school after more than two hours on the road.
• Old Celestial Master asked Zhang Chulan where Zhongli had gone, and Zhang Chulan explained that Zhongli had left for another city after building a rock wall.
• Zhongli stood above City S and looked down at the silent, ruined city.

Zhongli witnessed the devastation of a Zombie-infested city and feared that Liyue might suffer the same fate. He claimed the world's Authority of rock, descended as Morax, and began clearing the city with a precise rain of stone spikes.

• Zhongli grieved over the ruined city and imagined Liyue facing the same catastrophe.
• He took control of the world's Authority of rock and revealed himself as the God of Rock, Morax.
• Remembering his resolve to bring peace during the Archon War, Zhongli decided to destroy the Zombies.
• Zhongli used Mystic Art: Precision Detection to identify targets across the city.
• He sent countless stone spikes crashing down, killing Zombies in the streets and inside buildings.

Zhongli wiped out the Zombies in the city, while the group watched his display and continued gathering resources and talented people across the world. Wu Tong brought everyone back to Toko City for a meal, where Kanna and Gabriel admitted they were hungry.

• Zhongli instantly destroyed all the Zombies in the city, and Tsukasa Kadoya uploaded the battle footage to the Dimensional Chat Group.
• The group praised Zhongli’s power and control, while Tsukasa Kadoya explained that he had gone to seek advice about spatial abilities.
• Fuhua and Cheng Lixue cleared Zombies, gathered resources, and rescued survivors in Europe, while Rimuru and his subordinates collected resources in Australia.
• Theresa deployed Valkyries in South America to collect resources and recruit talented people, while Himeko gathered resources in Africa and Ling Ying focused on collecting resources in North America.
• Wu Tong joked about the group’s smuggling methods, then created a clean space, set out a table, and used a Dimensional Teleportation Gate to bring everyone back to Toko City for dinner.

Marikawa Shizuka reunited with Minami Rika, who joined Wu Tong’s team, and the group prepared to leave Fujimi Academy. As they fought their way out, another Zombie tide met Underworld Soul’s wraiths.

• Marikawa Shizuka called Minami Rika, and a black portal brought Minami Rika to Shizuka and Wu Tong’s group.
• Marikawa Shizuka explained what had happened, and Minami Rika accepted Wu Tong’s invitation to join his team.
• The next day, Wu Tong led the group out of Fujimi Academy.
• Minami Rika spotted danger and warned Busujima Saeko, who retreated into Underworld Soul’s Wraith Domain.
• Underworld Soul sent wraiths from the Human Emperor Banner to battle the approaching Zombie tide.

Wu Tong explained the newly awakened Martial Souls of Busujima Saeko, Minami Rika, and Marikawa Shizuka, each of whom had received a powerful Top Martial Soul. After Marikawa Shizuka healed Saeko, Wu Tong reasoned that cognition and acquired information, more than bloodline, shaped a Martial Soul.

• Wu Tong told Busujima Saeko that growing stronger would let them face corpse tides without retreating.
• Wu Tong recalled awakening Martial Souls for Busujima Saeko, Minami Rika, and Marikawa Shizuka, who had each gained a Top Martial Soul.
• Busujima Saeko admired her Blood Blade, while Minami Rika handled her Soul-Reaping Sniper and considered its battlefield potential.
• Marikawa Shizuka noticed Saeko's wounds and used her Medical Kit's Unceasing Life skill to heal her.
• Wu Tong concluded that cognition and received information influenced Martial Souls, citing Minami Rika's sniper rifle, Shizuka's game-like Medical Kit, and He Caitou's cigar.

Wu Tong theorized that martial souls awakened according to a person’s cognition, meaning the system contained idealistic power. He shared the idea with the Dimensional Chat Group, where members recognized its potential and considered what it could mean for martial souls and their worlds.

• Wu Tong reasoned that inherited martial souls formed because clan members’ beliefs and bloodline information shaped their awakenings, while commoners’ limited experiences constrained theirs.
• After considering Marikawa Shizuka and Minami Rika’s awakened martial souls, Wu Tong concluded that his theory might be correct and that martial souls could embody idealistic power.
• Wu Tong realized that group members might awaken extraordinarily powerful martial souls and potentially help their worlds rise in level.
• In the Dimensional Chat Group, Rimuru and Xiao Yan discussed the resources they had collected, and Xiao Yan showed off everyday goods he had obtained.
• Wu Tong interrupted the chat to explain his discovery, and the group reacted with astonishment at the martial soul system’s potential.

Wu Tong urged the chat group to awaken Martial Souls and cultivate his improved God Ring Master system, only to discover they had dismissed it without reading his uploads. After explaining its near-limitless potential and path to Ninth Order, he left them impressed and described how God Ring Masters could grow by absorbing many forms of energy.

• Wu Tong proposed that the chat group members awaken Martial Souls and follow the Spirit Master path.
• Gu Ruoli said the group was hesitant because they doubted the Spirit Master system’s strength, and Wu Tong realized they had not read his uploaded improvements.
• Wu Tong explained that the improved system matched other cultivation systems in power and potential, with a Ring Condensation Method addressing its main limitation.
• Zhang Chulan and the others read the store description, which said God Ring Masters could advance through repeated revolutions toward Ninth Order.
• Wu Tong said First Revolution God Ring Masters gained a greatly extended lifespan and could absorb National Fortune, Destiny, Incense Power, Faith, and other energy to grow.

Wu Tong explained that the God Ring Master System could reach the Ninth Order, grant longevity, and be cultivated alongside other systems, prompting chat members to sign up for Martial Soul awakenings. The next night, he prepared an awakening ceremony at a cleared shopping mall and opened portals for the scattered group members, with Zhang Chulan rushing toward him as soon as he arrived.

• Seeker of the Dao explained that the God Ring Master System had Ninth Order potential but could not cross into the Tenth Order without greater comprehension.
• Seeker of the Dao said god rings could filter harmful energy and that the system could be cultivated alongside other systems.
• Dragon King Spews Water, Bu Yao Bi Lian, Don't Bully Young and Poor, March 7th, and Wandering the Mortal Realm signed up to awaken Martial Souls.
• Wu Tong agreed to awaken everyone’s Martial Souls that evening and said he was eager to see what they would awaken.
• The next night, Wu Tong prepared a ceremony on the top floor of a cleared shopping mall in Toko City and opened teleportation gates for the group members and their assistants.
• Zhang Chulan emerged through a gate and immediately hurried toward Wu Tong.

Wu Tong began awakening the visitors’ Martial Souls after hosting them for dinner, and March 7th was first in line. Her Martial Soul appeared as a miniature Star Rail Train engine, leaving her surprised but wistful as she remembered her time aboard it.

• Wu Tong knocked Zhang Chulan into a wall for making a suggestive scene, then invited everyone to eat before discussing their request.
• Wu Tong served an unlimited feast with the Gourmet Tablecloth, and he found the Sweet Flower Wine Chicken far too sweet.
• After dinner, Wu Tong prepared the Martial Soul awakening ritual and set the order, placing Zhang Chulan last.
• March 7th entered the Awakening Array, received a Soul Seal, and manifested a miniature model of the Star Rail Train engine.
• March 7th recognized the train and wondered why it had become her Martial Soul instead of the Star-Shattering, Space-Rending Great Lapis Sword, then recalled happy times aboard the train.

Wu Tong oversaw the martial soul awakenings, beginning with March 7th and Fuhua, and the group discovered that the new cultivation system could work alongside their existing powers. He ended with a database full of newly awakened martial souls after directing the Brain of Wisdom to analyze them.

• March 7th awakened the Star Rail Train martial soul and measured level 40 Innate Soul Power, then Wu Tong assigned her to help conduct awakenings.
• Fuhua awakened the Shield of Protection martial soul, tested at level 40 Innate Soul Power, and joined March 7th in helping the others.
• Wu Tong continued the ceremony for five hours, ending when Zhang Chulan awakened the Seal-Breaking Talisman martial soul and measured level 30 soul power.
• The group tested their new powers and found that the martial soul system did not conflict with their existing power systems and could complement their cultivation methods.
• Wu Tong saw dozens of new martial souls added to the database and had the Brain of Wisdom analyze them.

Wu Tong analyzed and collected the group members’ martial souls, then watched them exchange for and begin cultivating with his two methods. After sleeping through the night, he woke to Zhang Chulan showing off his new strength to Xiao Yan on the mall’s top floor.

• Wu Tong listed the powerful martial souls he had stored in his database, while He Xi and Gu Ruoli admired the abilities of their own.
• Gu Ruoli celebrated her Infinity Seal, and Zhang Chulan secretly used his Seal-Breaking Talisman on his Virginity Mole.
• The group members exchanged for the Ring Condensation Method and the God Ring Master Cultivation Method, then began cultivating as Wu Tong reflected on his pricing decision.
• Wu Tong went to sleep while the spatial barrier kept Zombies out of the group’s safe cultivation area.
• On the third morning in the Highschool of the Dead dungeon, Zhang Chulan showed Xiao Yan his four black Spirit Rings and bragged about his strength.

Zhang Chulan and Xiao Yan compared their Spirit Rings while Yao Lao praised the modified cultivation system, and Wu Tong learned that the Brain of Wisdom could erode the ruined world within twelve hours. Gu Ruoli asked Little Shi to lend her the Beloved Aura Martial Soul as a life-saving power.

• Zhang Chulan bragged to Xiao Yan about reaching level forty-nine in Soul Power, but Xiao Yan revealed his own five black Spirit Rings were even older.
• Yao Lao praised the cultivation system, showed off his six black Spirit Rings, and told Zhang Chulan and Xiao Yan to work harder.
• The Brain of Wisdom told Wu Tong it had completely analyzed and eroded the world's Protagonist Status, then explained that eroding the ruined world's unconscious World Consciousness would take twelve hours.
• Wu Tong sent the Brain of Wisdom to begin eroding the world and joined the others in their discussion.
• Gu Ruoli, having reached level fifty, begged Little Shi to lend her the Beloved Aura Martial Soul, and Little Shi agreed while protesting its description.

Little Shi let Gu Ruoli copy her Herrscher form onto a card, while Wu Tong’s group later wandered through the zombie-infested world and drew the attention of a band of armed scavengers. Wu Tong pretended that his companions needed protection and let the leader threaten them, curious to see what would happen.

• Little Shi gave Gu Ruoli permission to use her power, and Gu Ruoli created and stored a card showing Little Shi’s Herrscher form.
• After spending time together, the group remembered their purpose, said goodbye to one another, and set off around the world with only twelve hours left before they had to leave.
• Wu Tong suggested that the group wander without a plan and let newcomers practice their powers on Zombies.
• A Wanderer Team of several hundred armed people appeared and aimed their guns at Wu Tong’s group.
• Wu Tong signaled his companions to play along as the Wanderer Team’s leader threatened their supposed protectees and demanded to know how they had gained their abilities.