Chapter Summaries

Xie Antong used the All-Knowing Eye to evade Lu Ce’s attacks while secretly adapting to Joy’s power and planning to seize it for herself. She deliberately left an opening, and Lu Ce’s axe struck her shoulder, exposing bone.

• Joy watched Xie Antong’s mind and wondered why she remained calm despite Lu Ce gaining the upper hand.
• Lu Ce taunted Xie Antong and urged her to surrender control to Joy, but she questioned why he was talking so much.
• Xie Antong used the All-Knowing Eye to calculate Lu Ce’s movements, dodge his attacks, and counterattack through his openings.
• Xie Antong revealed through her thoughts that she regarded Joy, not Sin, as her true target and intended to take Joy’s power for herself.
• Xie Antong deliberately faltered, allowing Lu Ce’s golden axe to strike her shoulder and expose bone.

Xie Antong survived Lu Ce’s axe strike when Joy’s power shielded her, and she realized Joy’s power could be weakened when it erupted. As Xie Antong and Lu Ce resumed their fight, the Sun secretly absorbed the lost divine power, while Joy noticed Its strength was decreasing.

• Lu Ce struck Xie Antong’s shoulder with his axe, but Joy’s divine power blasted him and the weapon away before the blow could kill her.
• Xie Antong inferred that Joy’s power had been spent and weakened, then taunted Lu Ce and treated her wound with a potion.
• The Sun absorbed the divine power Joy had lost and quietly kept his newfound advantage to himself.
• Lu Ce and Xie Antong fought again, with Xie Antong’s lack of combat experience forcing Joy to intervene repeatedly.
• Joy realized Its power was decreasing as the battle continued.

Joy discovered that Sun was absorbing its power while Lu Ce matched it in battle, leaving Joy increasingly vulnerable. Xie Antong tried to persuade Joy to surrender control of her body while lending her its power, but Joy had not yet agreed.

• Joy fought Lu Ce and realized his ability kept him roughly equal to her, while Xie Antong’s divided control caused her to falter.
• Joy traced the loss of its power to Sun, who admitted he had been devouring it and joined the fight amid flames.
• Joy recognized that the three-way battle was costing it power, and Lu Ce taunted it over its growing doubts and misjudgments.
• Xie Antong claimed that shared control was causing her mistakes and persuaded Joy to let her use her awakened ability.
• Xie Antong proposed that Joy give her full control of the body and its power, arguing she could use Sin’s ability more effectively, but Joy resisted.

Xie Antong tried to persuade Joy to give her control of its power, but Lu Ce’s attacks and the Hourglass of Life revealed that her lifespan was rapidly running out. After Sun knocked the hourglass away, Xie Antong realized she had to find another solution and stake her life on it.

• Xie Antong used negotiation tactics to urge Joy to hand over its power, claiming she knew Lu Ce’s weakness, but Joy remained suspicious.
• Lu Ce attacked Xie Antong while she was distracted, and she narrowly dodged his axe, suffering a cut to her nose.
• Lu Ce showed Xie Antong the Hourglass of Life and warned that her lifespan was draining away, while viewers and bettors increasingly favored his victory.
• Sun charged in and kicked the hourglass out of sight before fighting Lu Ce again to absorb energy.
• Xie Antong took a moment to steady herself and decided she had to find another way forward and stake her life on it.

Xie Antong took control from Joy and attacked Lu Ce at close range, using the fight to drain Joy Divine Power. She revealed that her plan was to consume as much of Joy’s source power as possible and declared herself Joy’s prison.

• Xie Antong decided to fight without using an Exit Coin as the Sun battled Envy and weakened Joy Divine Power.
• Xie Antong took most of the control from Joy, rushed Lu Ce, and sent the Sun flying on impact.
• Xie Antong pressed inside Lu Ce’s axe range and kicked him in the neck, sending him flying.
• Xie Antong fought Lu Ce at close quarters and traded injuries, forcing Joy Divine Power to erupt and drain.
• Xie Antong told Joy that her method was to become its prison.

Xie Antong fought Lu Ce at close range while Joy’s power protected her, and Sun absorbed the power they were wasting. As Joy pressed Xie Antong to merge with her, Xie Antong realized she could imitate Lu Ce’s control of the masks and declared that she was Joy’s prison.

• Xie Antong stayed close to Lu Ce, trading her own safety for attacks while Joy repeatedly used her source power to protect her.
• Sun recovered from his injuries and began absorbing the power Joy’s bursts released.
• Joy noticed her power draining and asked Xie Antong to merge with her, promising they could separate afterward.
• Xie Antong recalled Lu Ce’s masks and the lessons from their past encounters, then realized she could imitate how he controlled them.
• Xie Antong told Joy that her method was to be Joy’s prison and asked whether she was more like Joy than Joy was.

Xie Antong turned against Joy and tried to claim its power by brainwashing herself into believing she was like it. As Joy fought to take control of her body, she stabbed her own hand and injected herself with three shots, leaving her fate uncertain.

• Xie Antong revealed her true, unnerving expression and began convincing herself that Joy's power belonged to her.
• Lu Ce threw his axe at Xie Antong, but she narrowly dodged it without interrupting her murmured self-brainwashing.
• Envy mocked Xie Antong while treating his injuries, and viewers and veteran players recognized that the struggle over her possession had reached its crucial moment.
• Joy erupted through Xie Antong and forced her to one knee as it fought to regain control.
• Xie Antong stabbed her left hand to preserve her clarity, then injected herself with three shots in an attempt to assimilate and imprison Joy's power.

Xie Antong fought to reverse Joy’s possession while Sin intervened, turning the struggle into a silent battle among three entities. As seven-colored divine light erupted around Xie Antong and Lu Ce, Joy found itself trapped by their resistance and Sun’s sudden absorption of power.

• Xie Antong struggled to contain Joy’s power, while the Dragon Group and other observers watched in alarm as Jealousy approached her.
• Jealousy copied Xie Antong’s face and used his mask to join the possession struggle, linking their expressions in a silent contest.
• Sun watched the two of them, then absorbed the surging energy as seven-colored light enveloped Xie Antong and Lu Ce.
• Joy realized that Xie Antong, Lu Ce, and Sun had turned its possession attempt into a three-sided encirclement and cried out for them to let go.

Lu Ce, Xie Antong, and Sun endured Joy’s final assimilation, which destroyed the Haunted House and left them injured as Joy vanished. The game ended with Xie Antong identified as its only loser, but she declared that she had won.

• Sun absorbed Joy’s divine power while Lu Ce and Xie Antong fought through the final assimilation, and Joy warned that its Soul Imprint would mark and watch them.
• A surge of power wrecked the Haunted House and hurled Lu Ce, Xie Antong, and Sun through the air before Joy’s voice faded away.
• The Dragon Group’s elders wondered whether the assimilation had succeeded, while Lu Ce and Sun recovered among the ruins.
• Xie Antong explained that Joy’s Soul Imprint had marked its dispersed power and now marked her.
• The game announced its end, and Xie Antong admitted she was the only player who had lost before declaring, “I won!”

After the game ended, Xie Antong revealed that she had sealed the Joyful Power within herself, while Lu Ce confirmed she was no longer possessed. Lu Ce then removed his mask and showed Xie Antong his face, warning her that It was watching her.

• Lu Ce checked the hourglass and concluded that Xie Antong was recovering rather than dying.
• Xie Antong revealed that the will within Joy had disappeared and the Joyful Power was sealed inside her, though it could erode her mind.
• Sun left the game instead of fighting Lu Ce after boasting that he had snatched benefits.
• Lu Ce stopped his axe just short of Xie Antong's neck and confirmed she was not acting under Joy's influence.
• Xie Antong thanked Lu Ce for helping kill It, and Lu Ce explained that the God Slayer Medal absorbed an aura when he killed one.
• Lu Ce removed his mask to reveal his familiar face and warned Xie Antong that It was watching her.

After driving Joyful Power away, Lu Ce and Xie Antong discussed whether the gods could observe them and how players might use the game’s rules against them. Lu Ce achieved a Perfect Clear, unlocked Envy’s Overload State, and awoke to an alarm reporting an abnormal fluctuation of divine power.

• Lu Ce removed his mask, suffered severe dizziness, and warned Xie Antong that Joyful Power might still be watching her.
• Lu Ce said the power watching him was supposedly dead and suggested that the gods might be unable to observe players during the cleanup period after a game.
• Lu Ce urged Xie Antong to focus on the gods and argued that players’ cooperative relationships were unreliable, while opposition between them could be more dependable.
• The forced logout timer ended, and Lu Ce and Xie Antong vanished from the game.
• Lu Ce received a Perfect Clear, unlocked Envy’s Overload State, and heard an alarm report an abnormal fluctuation of divine power.

After his perfect clear, Lu Ce extracted the divine powers of Life and Joy, received new rewards, and examined an S-rank item called the Chaotic Chain. While he slept, Chosen Paradise announced another update, prompting the Dragon Group to suspect the game was reacting to players’ unusual performance.

• Lu Ce asked the game to extract the divine powers of Life and Joy while preserving them, and it agreed in exchange for points.
• The game awarded Lu Ce an SSS-rank perfect clear, his tenth consecutive perfect clear, a Two-Realm Backpack Slot, and several items, including two Divine Power Rings and the S-rank Chaotic Chain.
• Lu Ce read that the Chaotic Chain linked two people and randomly gave them effects, and that both had to agree before the link could be removed.
• Lu Ce fell asleep after reviewing his possessions, planning to return to the real world and prepare for his next game.
• Chosen Paradise announced another update, and the Dragon Group discussed how often the game had been introducing changes.

After Sin’s victory in the previous game, the game updated and offered Lu Ce an opportunity to ascend, which he refused again. It then tried to recruit other top players to challenge him, but they also declined, leaving the game to approach the player whose Peak List ranking had risen despite her loss.

• The Grand Elder and others watched Xie Antong’s final scene and speculated about the game’s next update.
• Lu Ce woke after the game ended and learned that a new version was about to begin.
• The game offered Lu Ce an ascension opportunity, but he refused and asked for another Divine Might Baptism instead.
• The game invited Perfect Life to challenge Sin for an ascension slot, but Perfect Life declined.
• The game approached Sun about fighting Sin, but Sun demanded a real reward in advance and rejected its vague offer.
• The game turned to the player whose Peak List ranking had risen sharply despite losing the previous game.

Xie Antong suspected the game’s public commendation was tied to its conflict with Sin and Lu Ce, so she pretended to hate Lu Ce and negotiated for a powerful reward. She obtained a weakened Divine Might Baptism just as the game announced a second stage of its update.

• The game publicly commended player Blank, revealing that Xie Antong’s ranking had risen despite her losing her game.
• Xie Antong suspected the reward and announcement were part of the game’s effort to oppose Sin, and worried that Lu Ce was in danger.
• When the game offered her a unique reward, Xie Antong demanded something that would help her kill Sin and asked for power enough to surpass him.
• Lu Ce recognized that Xie Antong was feigning hostility to fool the game and secure a better reward.
• After bargaining, Xie Antong obtained a weakened Divine Might Baptism, and the game announced the second stage of its update.

Chosen Paradise revealed the old players and offered them one chance to return to the game under severe conditions. Lu Ce suspected the update was aimed at him, and the Black Knight agreed.

• Chosen Paradise revealed that old players had participated before its descent and had been barred from returning after some committed unforgivable mistakes.
• Chosen Paradise stated that the Creator was third in the world but not among the absolute top tier.
• Chosen Paradise invited old players to enter the next game in three days, where they would face Hell Mode, increased death odds, and no ranking credit.
• Chosen Paradise said old players could use their former strength and weapons for this one game, but only those who cleared it would officially return.
• The Grand Elder told the Dragon Group's Elder Council to keep listening as they reacted to the announcement.
• Lu Ce guessed that the update was targeting him, and the Black Knight agreed.

Lu Ce questioned why the game was targeting him as it prepared to bring veteran players back for a deadly new round. Meanwhile, the Dragon Group's Grand Elder declared that the entire Elder Council would enter the game, and dormant forces around the world began to stir.

• Lu Ce and Hei discussed the return of veteran players, Hell Mode, and whether the game was deliberately targeting Lu Ce.
• Lu Ce wondered why the game was repeatedly changing its rules to oppose him, then received a call from Xie Antong.
• The Dragon Group elders suspected the game was using them to target Sin, but the Grand Elder said the opportunity was an open plot that no one could afford to refuse.
• The Grand Elder announced that he would not participate, then ordered every member of the Dragon Group Elder Council to enter the game.
• The elders agreed, and dormant forces throughout the world began acting as the new game rules took effect.

As old players returned for the next game, major groups prepared for their participation while Xie Antong warned Lu Ce that the game might be targeting him. Lu Ce acknowledged the danger but refused to skip the game, telling Xie Antong that fear meant she no longer had the right to stop him.

• Chiyo Eon watched the Chiyo Family's Ancestor emerge from her coffin after shedding layers of skin, and the Ancestor said they had preserved their lifespans for this moment.
• The Illuminati celebrated the old players' return, while Perfect Life ignored an organizational warning to avoid the next game and threw his phone into the sea.
• Lu Ce answered Xie Antong's call, and she warned him that powerful old players would return at full strength for the next game.
• Xie Antong feared the game was arranging a purge against Lu Ce and urged him to skip one round, but Lu Ce refused and said that if she was afraid, she no longer had that right.

Lu Ce warned Xie Antong that the game would intensify conflict and that she could skip the next round, while she struggled with fear and the corrupting power of Joy. As the old players prepared for their return and the game community provoked Sin to participate, Lu Ce posted a response on the discussion board.

• Lu Ce told Xie Antong that the coming game would heighten conflict and advised her not to participate if she was afraid.
• Xie Antong reflected on the old players and the gods, worried that the power of Joy was beginning to erode her.
• Players and spectators discussed the return of the old players, while wealthy veterans bought goods and organizations prepared for the coming game.
• The Illuminati and other groups sought to provoke Sin, and the black market opened bets on whether he would participate and survive.
• Lu Ce noticed the widespread provocations and posted a response on the game discussion board.

Lu Ce publicly declared that he would enter the game, then chose to become a player and was assigned to Hell Mode—Hell. He arrived in a crowded hall with Perfect Life, Chiyo Eon, and Xie Antong, where the game announced that everyone present was there because they had sinned.

• Lu Ce told the public channel he would join the game and taunted anyone who tried to challenge him.
• Sin’s declaration became a worldwide trending topic, while the Dragon Group, top players, and the Elder Council reacted to his decision.
• Xie Antong placed two large bets on an overseas website affiliated with the Illuminati.
• Lu Ce chose to enter the game as a player and put his weapons, including Black Knight, into his inventory.
• Lu Ce arrived in a crowded virtual hall in Hell Mode—Hell and spotted Perfect Life, Chiyo Eon, and Xie Antong among the players.
• A voice welcomed everyone to Hell and called them people with sin.

Lu Ce attacked and ate a piece of the bearded phantom before the game began, leaving his Gluttony Mask’s hunger and confusion intensified. An old player with an Ace of Spades tattoo prompted the phantom to explain the rules, and it announced that only one person could atone for their sins.

• A bearded phantom appeared and angrily confronted Lu Ce, who mistook it for a genie and asked about its lamp.
• Lu Ce recognized the blood-red Gluttony Mask and lunged at the phantom, biting off and eating part of its face.
• The phantom threatened Lu Ce, but he thanked it and demanded more because he was still hungry.
• Xie Antong noticed that Lu Ce’s confusion had intensified after he ate the phantom.
• An old player with an Ace of Spades tattoo asked the phantom to explain the rules, and it declared that only one person could successfully atone.