Chapter Summaries

Han Dong learned from Lisa how fallen knights were transformed into the dead and discovered that his left arm had helped him survive contact with the Black Lotus. Their journey through the Chaos Prison ended at Stone Village, where the dead gathered instead of in a conventional prison.

• Han Dong considered how contact with the Pool of Chaos and true death had changed his Sand Wall spell and might help him improve his Undead Priest's Arm.
• Lisa explained that she and the other knights in the Chaos Zone had died by choice and been reborn through the Black Lotus after suffering Deep Corruption.
• Lisa told Han Dong that the Black Lotus killed living people on contact, prompting him to fear that Commander Alex had nearly killed him and to credit his left arm with saving him.
• Lisa recounted how she had been corrupted by the Abyssal Demon Winosis during an expedition and later joined the dead in the Chaos Zone.
• Han Dong and Lisa reached Stone Village, a lotus-shaped settlement inhabited by dead Fallen Knights, instead of the prison Han Dong expected.

Han Dong arrived at Black Lotus Stone Village and met its bizarre Chaos Dead residents, including the village chief, Pain Sister, Steam Behemoth, and Oil Master. He wondered whether dying in the Pool of Chaos would make him one of them, then received lodging as Commander Alex’s guest.

• Han Dong surveyed Black Lotus Stone Village and learned about its unusual residents and their abilities.
• Han Dong imagined Commander Alex leading the village’s Chaos Dead into battle during the Great Expedition.
• Han Dong worried that dying in the Pool of Chaos would make him leave the Whisper Knight Order and join the Terminus Knight Order.
• After Lisa explained their visit, the village chief welcomed Han Dong as Commander Alex’s guest and arranged separate accommodations.
• Lisa continued as Han Dong’s maid and guide for his next few days in the Chaos Zone.

Han Dong stayed at Miss Lisa’s home in Black Lotus Village and learned that the dead villagers had to enter the Ancestor's Mansion to obtain Death Crystals. He decided to join Lisa on her next trip, leaving them to discuss how to prepare.

• Miss Lisa brought Han Dong to her house and agreed to serve him while he stayed in the village.
• Lisa explained that the villagers needed Death Crystals from the Ancestor's Mansion and risked being killed by powerful Otherworldly Demons imprisoned there.
• Han Dong learned that the mansion's demons had been killed by Commander Alex and that the dead could be permanently erased if they died again.
• Han Dong asked to accompany Lisa to the mansion the next day, and she warned him that the trip would be especially dangerous.
• Lisa invited Han Dong to discuss her past experiences on her bed, saying a maid should warm her master's bed.

Han Dong persuaded Lisa to explore the Ancestor's Mansion with him as a two-person team, then passed the village chief's perception test and won approval. With a warning that Tar Prison would be sealed within fifteen days, Han Dong and Lisa set out for the mansion.

• Lisa explained the mansion's dangers, its changing regions, and the Black Lotus rumored to offer true rebirth.
• Han Dong convinced Lisa to consider exploring as a two-person team, though she warned that such a small team would likely die and the village chief might refuse.
• Han Dong asked the village chief for permission and demonstrated his perceptive ability by sketching details of a team that had returned from the mansion.
• The village chief approved Han Dong and Lisa's two-person team and warned that Tar Prison would be sealed within fifteen days.
• Han Dong and Lisa followed a hidden path toward the Ancestor's Mansion as the landscape filled with deathly plants and withered trees.

Han Dong and Lisa entered the dangerous Ancestral Mansion in search of Death Crystals despite warnings about the powerful Abyssal Demons inside. After the mansion rearranged its interior and sealed the entrance behind them, a seductive voice drew Han Dong’s attention to a twisted vase.

• Han Dong chose to explore the Ancestral Mansion rather than one of its subsidiary areas, and Lisa used an exhausted crystal to gain permission to enter.
• The pair reached the mansion, which resembled a windowless prison filled with the cries of imprisoned Abyssal Demons.
• Han Dong ignored the Scarlet Count’s warning not to get greedy and entered the mansion with Lisa.
• The mansion’s interior rearranged around Han Dong and Lisa, leaving them in a corridor with a vase, a kerosene lamp, and a painting as possible places to search for crystals.
• A tempting woman’s whisper called to Han Dong, and a jade-like arm emerged from the twisted vase and beckoned to him.

Han Dong and Lisa followed a clue from a vase into a secret passage in the Ancestral Mansion. They found a chamber occupied by a powerful aberrant demon, and Lisa’s stress surged at the sight.

• Han Dong asked Lisa about the odds and risks of interacting with props in the mansion.
• Lisa suggested placing flowers in the seductive vase, and the interaction made its arm point toward an oil painting.
• Han Dong used the painting to open a secret passage and led Lisa inside.
• Han Dong and Lisa passed vases whose arms whispered to him and entered a large chamber.
• They found a crowned woman embedded in a giant flesh vase, holding the flower Han Dong had given her, and Lisa became distressed.

Han Dong and Lisa confronted Mariscia, a reborn Otherworldly Demon with the Pure Flesh Attribute, inside the Ancestral Mansion. Lisa crushed Mariscia’s body, but the hidden crystal remained, and dozens of identical flesh women appeared to threaten them.

• Han Dong identified the Flesh Attribute demon as a prisoner reborn through a crystal, while Mariscia became jealous of Lisa and attacked them.
• Lisa destroyed Mariscia’s flesh vase and body with Whirlwind Slash and Heavy Crush, but the chamber’s fleshly aura barely weakened.
• Han Dong suspected the crystal was the key to killing Mariscia and spread black sand across the chamber.
• Flesh Flowers grew through the sand, producing roughly thirty copies of Mariscia.
• The copies introduced themselves as Mariscia and threatened Lisa while claiming Han Dong for themselves.

Han Dong transformed his right arm into a Netherblood-infused blood hound to fight Mariscia’s flesh creatures. He and Lisa defeated the creatures, though Lisa was overwhelmed by the sight of Han Dong’s transformed form.

• Lisa explained that the flesh creatures’ Death Crystals could disperse through their bodies and that only powerful lethal abilities could kill them permanently.
• Han Dong told Lisa to focus on using Profanation while he tested his Black Vortex Body against the creatures.
• Han Dong invoked the Netherblood Skull and negotiated with the Earl for 50% control of his right arm.
• Han Dong fused his G-Virus, tentacles, the Earl’s blood hound, and Netherblood into a powerful new arm form.
• The blood hound tore the flesh women to pieces, while Lisa removed her helmet and vomited after seeing Han Dong’s transformation.

Han Dong used his assembled body, tentacle techniques, and netherblood to create a powerful Blood Hound Arm, then faced Mariscia in her flesh domain. He gave the Earl full control of the arm and prepared to fight alongside him at the bottom of the domain.

• Han Dong explained how his G Arm, Abyssal Transformation, Heteromorphization, and netherblood fusion formed his melee fighting method.
• The Earl used the Blood Hound Arm to destroy more than thirty of Mariscia’s Flesh Flowers while Lisa suppressed the lingering mental pressure with the Blasphemous Scripture.
• Mariscia’s flesh domain swallowed Han Dong and Lisa, and Han Dong knocked Lisa unconscious with the Sound of Mad Laughter before a crow carried her away.
• Han Dong reached the bottom of the domain and found Mariscia’s enormous true body, a crowned giant formed from countless female bodies.
• Han Dong granted the Earl full use of his right arm, summoned the Crow Staff, and stood ready to fight Mariscia together.

Starwen Mistmanto returned to the Terminus Knight Order and warned Commander Alex that Valen Nicholas had killed Mariscia in the Chaos Zone without being affected by its dangers. Alex asked to see evidence of the fight, and Starwen showed him a recording made from Chaos Pool Water.

• Starwen Mistmanto arrived at the Terminus Knight Order headquarters, where the knights showed him respect and caution as their former Commander and current Vice Commander.
• Alex greeted Starwen as his teacher, and Starwen struck him with his staff for failing to recruit Valen Nicholas.
• Alex explained that he had tried to recruit Nicholas, but Commander Hugo had won him over.
• Starwen warned Alex that Nicholas had killed Mariscia in the estate and seemed immune to contamination, pressure, and the Death Domain.
• Alex questioned whether Nicholas could really have killed Flesh Flower Mariscia, so Starwen used Chaos Pool Water to show him a recording of the battle.

After four hours of fighting, Han Dong and the Earl struggled to kill the endlessly regenerating Mariscia. Han Dong awakened the power of his Mummy Arm and used it to destroy her completely, leaving behind a Death Crystal.

• Han Dong and the Earl fought Mariscia for four hours, but she kept regenerating while the Earl grew fatigued.
• Han Dong concluded that Mariscia’s revival from a high-purity Death Crystal let her survive and asked the Earl to buy him time for a stronger attack.
• Han Dong severed his right arm so the Earl could fight independently, then meditated with the Crow Caller Staff to deepen his death intent.
• Han Dong’s Mummy Arm revealed its ancient Egyptian characters and scarabs as his consciousness reached an ancient tomb, awakening the Sand Domain and draining his Talent Tree’s energy.
• Han Dong used Grasp of Death to seize and consume Mariscia with black sand, killing her beyond her previous limit.
• Han Dong recovered a flawless Death Crystal from the sand and realized he should study ancient Egyptian civilizations in a future Destiny Journey.

After defeating Mariscia, Han Dong recovered in Black Lotus Village and began gathering Death Crystals to strengthen his left arm through the Egyptian Female Corpse. As the assessment ended and Mia searched for him, Han Dong remained in the Chaos Zone, where the graft on his arm became more complete.

• Han Dong took the unconscious Lisa down the mountain on a tentacle-drawn cart, then carved profane markings into her body to relieve her pressure.
• Han Dong used a high-purity Death Crystal to awaken the Egyptian Female Corpse and concluded that he needed more crystals to deepen their connection.
• Han Dong advertised himself as a free guide for teams exploring the Ancestral Mansion, then secretly led them toward dangerous aberrations and killed them for their crystals.
• After fifteen days in Tar Prison, Mia emerged half-spider and searched for Han Dong, while the God of Death and a regiment commander entered the prison.
• Han Dong used gathered Death Crystals in a golden pyramid, and the Hand of the Undying Priest grafted to his left arm became more complete.

Han Dong passed the Chaos Prison Area assessment and learned that his death abilities had Mythical-level contact with Chaos, with potential to rival the Old Kings. Commander Starwen rejected joint cultivation because of Han Dong’s ties to Commander Hugo, and Han Dong left focused on the coming Great Expedition.

• Han Dong returned to Commander Alex and Vice Commander Starwen after using a crystal coffin to seal himself near Chaos, and Alex marked his Will and Courage evaluation as passed.
• Vice Commander Starwen explained that Alex had tested Han Dong’s death abilities, which were connected to Anubis and close to Chaos.
• Starwen said Mythical-level contact gave Han Dong limitless potential and warned him not to rely too heavily on nonhuman power.
• Han Dong said he had chosen the Whisper Knight Order because of Commander Hugo’s offer and his interest in literary work.
• Starwen reacted angrily to Hugo’s name, rejected joint cultivation, and warned Han Dong that he could one day attain strength rivaling the Old Kings.
• Han Dong accepted the warning, reflected on balancing his body’s powers, and looked ahead to the Great Expedition.

After leaving prison, Han Dong reunited with his squad and discussed how the Great Expedition would be organized. The expedition’s mixed legions and equipment were still being finalized, and the Great Demon Commander was likely to lead the force.

• Han Dong and his reunited squad used Demps’s connections to receive Holy Light Baptism and stress relief, then visited the Magic Spring to recover.
• Wen Li celebrated that the group could join the Great Expedition, while Demps adjusted Han Dong’s Magic Circuitry and Abel’s meridians.
• Abel told Han Dong that his Behemoth Knight Order might join the Windwalk Knight Order and Black Rose Knights to form the fast reconnaissance unit called the Eternal Night Wolves.
• Abel explained that the Steam Knight Order’s financier would provide the expedition with power, fortresses, equipment, communications devices, and Power Armor.
• Demps said the Great Demon Commander was likely to become commander-in-chief and that at least four commander-level figures would participate.

After a week of studying Dark Magic at the library, Han Dong received an invitation from Newton to visit the Steam Knight Order headquarters and set out with Mia for Artisan Street. The chapter ended when Han Dong spotted Knight Charlie inside a clock shop.

• Han Dong spent a week reading Dark Magic books in the library while Mia studied beside him.
• A mechanical librarian delivered Han Dong a letter from Newton inviting him to the Steam Knight Order headquarters and offering him custom Power Armor.
• Han Dong invited Mia to accompany him, and they traveled to Artisan Street.
• Han Dong and Mia explored the machinery shops and goods on Artisan Street.
• Han Dong noticed Knight Charlie inside Old Man Charlie's Clock Shop.

Han Dong and Mia visited a watch shop and discovered that Knight Charlie was helping his adoptive father, Lindberg, there. After Han Dong showed Charlie an invitation to Steam City from Congreve Newton, Charlie warned him about Newton and offered to take them into the city without revealing the letter.

• Han Dong brought Mia into a watch shop, where they found Charlie assisting an old watchmaker named Lindberg.
• Han Dong noticed that Lindberg had repaired a watch fitted with miniature power sources and folding blades.
• Charlie introduced Lindberg as his adoptive father, a retired Senior Engineer who had helped design the clock tower.
• Han Dong showed Charlie an invitation to Steam City from Congreve Newton.
• Charlie warned Han Dong that Newton was dangerous and advised him not to show the invitation when they entered Steam City.

Charlie, Han Dong, and two companions entered Steam City, the secret technological hub embedded inside the Holy City. Han Dong was left awestruck by the city’s advanced machinery and its enormous power source, The Column of Steam.

• The chapter explained how Kito Leslie and other engineers proposed the Eternal Heart project, which council leaders expanded into the creation of Steam City.
• Charlie presented their identification and explained that he had come to address a problem involving Frankie Cand’s Mechanical Dolls and deliver a message from Lindberg to Vice Chairman Lu Lifu.
• Steam City’s security staff verified the group’s identities, issued them a Temporary Pass, and scanned them for contaminants before admitting them through a concealed entrance.
• Han Dong rode with his companions through the mountain interior and entered Steam City after passing identity verification at its copper gate.
• Han Dong marveled at Steam City’s advanced transport and machinery, especially The Column of Steam, which supplied power throughout the city.

Han Dong and Mia toured Steam City with Charlie, who explained how the Gold Master and Congreve Newton controlled the city through the Holy Ring. Charlie then brought them to his childhood friend Frankie Kande’s factory, where the arrival of Mechanical God Cult members angered him.

• Charlie explained that the Holy Ring served as the Mechanical God Cult’s sanctuary, the Steam Knight Order’s aerial fortress, and Newton’s monitoring center.
• Charlie warned Han Dong about the Mechanical God Cult and led him and Mia through Steam City to visit a friend’s factory.
• Han Dong saw that Steam City’s ordinary residents underwent extensive body modification and consciousness monitoring, while factory workers operated machinery themselves.
• Charlie introduced Han Dong and Mia to Frankie Kande, his childhood companion and the factory’s director.
• Charlie grew angry when he sensed Mechanical God Cult members had arrived, and Frankie went to deal with them.

The Mechanical God Cult sent a heavily armed priest squad to Frankie's factory to arrest its workers for a mental review, but Charlie secretly animated a half-finished doll to fight them. Han Dong calmed Charlie and offered to go with the priests to the Holy Ring, where he planned to meet Mr. Newton.

• The Mechanical God Cult's priests arrived at Frankie's factory with a compulsory arrest warrant and began restraining the workers.
• A half-finished Mechanical Doll suddenly attacked a priest, then caught the Steam Knight's powered axe, revealing Charlie's control through invisible threads.
• Han Dong held Mia's hand and rested his other hand on Charlie's shoulder, persuading him to leave the factory matter to Han Dong and reconnect with Frankie.
• Charlie calmed down and agreed to stay at the factory while Han Dong went to the Holy Ring with the priests.
• Han Dong announced from the second-floor corridor that Doctor Nicholas was conducting a life-mechanical experiment, but the priests did not recognize the name.

Han Dong used Congreve Newton’s letter to stop Knight Jonathan’s investigation of the Mechanical Doll factory and traveled with him to the Holy Ring. There, Newton personally welcomed Han Dong in his partially revealed Liquid Metal form.

• Knight Jonathan recognized Han Dong as the former Knight Tournament champion and demanded an explanation for the Mechanical Doll’s combat AI.
• Han Dong presented Newton’s letter and claimed the factory’s experiments were part of a private partnership, persuading Jonathan to leave the factory undisturbed.
• Han Dong departed with Jonathan, while Charlie repaired the factory and told Frankie that Han Dong’s partnership with Newton meant Charlie owed him two favors.
• Jonathan escorted Han Dong through the Column of Steam to the Holy Ring, where the guards and Jonathan knelt as Newton arrived to greet him.