Chapter Summaries

After the battle, Mao Yong'an watched the Heaven Group bury and remember hundreds of fallen investigators, including Su Changqing, and wandered into the darkness of Eternal Night, shaken by the losses. Elsewhere, the five Star Lords hesitated to attack Shangjing City while a little girl scolded them, and Maitreya and the Bodhisattvas observed from Spirit Mountain.

• Mao Yong'an followed the investigators to a cemetery where they burned their fallen comrades and buried their ashes in earthen jars.
• The investigators recited the names of the living and carved the dead onto a boulder, honoring the tradition Li Xinghe had established.
• When the investigators called Su Changqing's name, no one answered, and Mao Yong'an realized that the former Action Department director had died.
• Mao Yong'an left the cemetery and wandered through Shangjing City into the darkness of Eternal Night, troubled by the deaths.
• A little girl berated the five Star Lords, who concluded there were no further ambushes around Shangjing City and continued to hesitate.
• Maitreya watched the Star Lords with the Bodhisattvas, who praised his judgment while a disguised Buddha joined in their flattery.

Five Star Lords charged Shangjing City after the little girl threatened to strip them of their positions, while Zhao Hai reflected on the investigators’ sacrifice. The Daoist Sect arrived to stop the attack, but its Old Man immediately considered retreating to make pills, leaving Lu Dongbin disgruntled.

• The little girl rejected a Star Lord’s suggestion to summon Spirit Mountain and threatened the five Star Lords with her king’s token.
• The five Star Lords formed a battle formation and charged toward Shangjing City as Maitreya praised the little girl and Zhao Hai mourned the investigators.
• The Daoist Sect’s Old Man and Lu Dongbin arrived, and the Old Man’s mental energy dispelled the pressure over Shangjing City.
• The little girl threatened to massacre the Daoist Sect, and the Old Man proposed returning to refine pills while Lu Dongbin regretted coming.

The five Star Lords attacked Lu Dongbin after the old Daoist failed to remember his combat techniques. As Lu Dongbin was wounded and the old Daoist finally tried to use a fire-controlling art, the fight remained unresolved.

• The little girl threatened the five Star Lords and the old Daoist, prompting the Star Lords to charge at Lu Dongbin.
• Lu Dongbin rushed the Star Lords and wounded one, but they surrounded him with their five-star formation.
• The old Daoist tried to help Lu Dongbin but could only remember hand seals for pill refining.
• The Star Lords realized the old Daoist could not use his combat arts and intensified their attacks, leaving Lu Dongbin with several wounds.
• Lu Dongbin warned the old Daoist that without him, Zhou Han would make the Daoist sect work, and the old Daoist began forming fire-controlling seals.

An old Daoist intervened to help Lu Dongbin fight the five Star Lords, but his hesitant study of basic techniques left Lu Dongbin under heavy attack. Maitreya chose to stay out of the battle, while the old Daoist fled from two Star Lords and Lu Dongbin continued facing the remaining three.

• The old Daoist used the Fire Control Technique on the five Star Lords, giving Lu Dongbin a brief reprieve, but their burns quickly healed.
• The Star Lords shifted to ranged attacks and kept Lu Dongbin trapped while watching the old Daoist’s hand seals.
• The old Daoist began studying the Compendium of Basic Daoist Techniques, prompting the Star Lords to attack Lu Dongbin more desperately.
• Maitreya considered attacking the old Daoist but decided to wait, suspecting Li Changgeng might have another backup plan.
• Two Star Lords charged at the old Daoist, who ran away while reading aloud, leaving Lu Dongbin to fight the other three.

Lu Dongbin and the old Daoist fought the Star Lords together after the old Daoist learned a basic lightning technique. The old Daoist’s lightning briefly paralyzed targets, but his aim failed during a crucial attack, leaving Lu Dongbin exposed.

• Li Xinghe offered to help Zhao Hai, but admitted he could not defeat the Star Lords, and Zhao Hai saw through his feigned illness.
• The old Daoist announced that he had learned a technique and struck a Star Lord with a bolt of lightning that briefly paralyzed him.
• The old Daoist paralyzed another Star Lord, allowing Lu Dongbin to slash the man’s chest before he escaped.
• The old Daoist’s next bolt hit a distant Star Lord instead of the one beside Lu Dongbin, who was kicked in the chest as the target fled.
• The old Daoist admitted that he was not proficient with the technique and told Lu Dongbin not to rush him.

The old Daoist unleashed increasingly powerful random lightning, striking Lu Dongbin, the five Star Lords, Maitreya, and the Bodhisattvas protecting the little girl. After ten minutes of torment, the old Daoist announced he had another trick to show Lu Dongbin, leaving everyone braced for what came next.

• The old Daoist repeatedly cast lightning that struck the Star Lords at random, badly burning the little girl and the Star Lord Lu Dongbin had slashed.
• Maitreya sent several Bodhisattvas to protect the little girl, then was struck by lightning himself.
• The old Daoist poured in more spiritual power and filled the area with continuous lightning, hitting everyone present, including Lu Dongbin and the Spirit Mountain group.
• Zhao Hai and Li Xinghe retreated into Shangjing City after being caught in the lightning, while the group endured the attack for ten minutes.
• The old Daoist took a deep breath and told Lu Dongbin to watch closely as he prepared another stunt.

The old Daoist trapped the five Star Lords in an eerie fire after his Imperial Thunder attack, then left with Lu Dongbin when his strength was spent. Maitreya ordered two Bodhisattvas to escort the stranded Heavenly Court girl away.

• The five Star Lords hoped the old Daoist’s Thousand Jun technique had failed, but an eerie blue fire rose beneath them.
• The old Daoist revealed that his fire could burn the Six Imperials, and Lu Dongbin lamented that he had wasted it on Star Lords.
• Exhausted, the old Daoist explained that the fire had taken him three years to find and consumed too much mental energy to control.
• Lu Dongbin supported the old Daoist as they flew away, calling out to Minister Zhao that their mission was complete and leaving Spirit Mountain’s people behind.
• Maitreya ordered two Bodhisattvas to escort the lone Heavenly Court girl away and held them responsible for her safety.

Two bodhisattvas escorted the little girl away while Maitreya’s forces waited outside Shangjing City, where Zhao Hai and Li Xinghe had returned to the walls. Maitreya ordered Spirit Mountain to withdraw, but a Buddha disguised as a bodhisattva stripped him of his authority and accused him of questionable motives.

• The bodhisattvas escorted the little girl toward the Heavenly Court’s base after she told them to hunt down the old Taoist.
• Maitreya chose to wait outside Shangjing City rather than send Spirit Mountain’s forces in.
• Zhao Hai and Li Xinghe returned to the city wall after the old Taoist had left, and Zhao Hai challenged Maitreya from a rocking chair.
• Maitreya ordered the bodhisattvas to withdraw, but they protested that retreat would disgrace Spirit Mountain.
• The disguised Buddha revealed his true aura, claimed authority over the Third Awakening of Eternal Night, and accused Maitreya of having improper intentions.

Baoshi Buddha took command of Spirit Mountain’s forces, accused Maitreya of conspiring with the Heaven Group, and led the Bodhisattvas to Shangjing City. As Baoshi Buddha struck at the city, Maitreya slipped free from his restraints but signaled Zhao Hai to remain silent.

• Baoshi Buddha overpowered Maitreya with his presence and persuaded the Bodhisattvas to side against him.
• Baoshi Buddha accused Maitreya of colluding with the Heaven Group and had him bound with a Hemp Rope.
• Baoshi Buddha led the Bodhisattvas toward Shangjing City, believing Spirit Mountain had the advantage and that Maitreya could be disposed of for his own gain.
• Baoshi Buddha demanded that Shangjing’s residents open the gates and kneel, then sent his Buddha Image’s palm down toward the city.
• Maitreya slipped free of the Hemp Rope, smiled at Zhao Hai, and gestured for him to stay silent.

Zhao Hai realized Maitreya was plotting against Spirit Mountain while Wang Ye returned to defend Shangjing City from Baoshi Buddha. Zhang Ziliang’s hidden preparations stopped the Buddha’s hand, leaving Wang Ye and Zhao Hai to await what came next.

• Zhao Hai suspected Maitreya intended to bury Spirit Mountain and considered the schemes behind his actions.
• Wang Ye struck Baoshi Buddha’s descending palm with the Ghost Messenger Blade, shattering it, but the palm soon re-formed.
• Wang Ye told Zhao Hai that Zhang Ziliang had given him two notes, one by mistake, and Zhao Hai concluded Zhang Ziliang had left a safeguard behind.
• Zhao Hai dismissed the threat and returned to pondering Maitreya’s plan while Wang Ye watched the re-forming hand.
• A rotten arm emerged from underground and dispersed Baoshi Buddha’s hand, and Wang Ye recognized its familiar aura.

Wang Ye watched Zhang Ziliang’s buried Godslayer force attack Baoshi Buddha, then chased Maitreya as he fled the battlefield. The fight continued with Baoshi Buddha struggling against the trapped warrior’s powerful arm.

• A buried warrior clawed at the earth but remained sealed beneath it, while Godslayer soldiers marched out to attack the Lingshan Bodhisattvas.
• Maitreya praised Zhang Ziliang’s preparations, then fled after noticing Wang Ye watching him.
• Wang Ye pursued Maitreya with the Ghost Messenger Blade, while Maitreya used a phantom to increase his speed.
• Maitreya gestured for Zhao Hai to leave one survivor, but Zhao Hai instead ordered Wang Ye to kill everyone.
• Baoshi Buddha roared as the buried warrior’s arm repeatedly drove him back.

Wang Ye chased Maitreya out of Shangjing, then feigned a relapse of his injuries to make Maitreya retreat without exposing his strength. After Maitreya finally left, Wang Ye reflected on Zhang Ziliang’s death and heard unfamiliar voices nearby.

• Wang Ye slowed his pursuit of Maitreya beyond Shangjing and pretended that his old injuries had flared up.
• Maitreya considered attacking Wang Ye but backed away when Wang Ye produced a Daoist-looking porcelain bottle.
• Maitreya secretly watched Wang Ye for half an hour, then left without learning whether Wang Ye had seen through his strength.
• Wang Ye waited before opening his eyes, lamented that chasing Maitreya had gained him nothing, and prepared to pay his respects to Zhang Ziliang.
• Wang Ye heard a young girl criticize Ling Mountain and another voice agree, so he concealed himself in the void to observe them.

After the little girl’s escort tried to kill her, she used a golden dragon scale to destroy him. Wang Ye then approached her and began persuading her that Heaven Group had exploited him, leaving her sympathetic to his complaints.

• The little girl and two Bodhisattvas returned to Shangjing, where Baoshi Buddha and the other Bodhisattvas were overwhelmed by the ghost soldiers; one Bodhisattva escaped with the girl.
• The surviving Bodhisattva prepared to kill the little girl, but she exposed him and unleashed a golden dragon that swallowed and killed him.
• The dragon scale burned to ashes, and the little girl cursed her misfortunes before walking away alone.
• Wang Ye appeared and told the girl that Heaven Group had never mattered much to him and had treated him like an idiot.
• The little girl agreed that Heaven Group had treated Wang Ye unfairly and joined him in condemning it.

Wang Ye pretended to seek refuge with the little girl and brought her to Shangjing City, while both secretly planned to betray the other. Meanwhile, Qingfeng Village’s coffin-carrying fighters prepared to loot Spirit Mountain, uneasy about their ancestors’ fear.

• Wang Ye persuaded the little girl to accept him into the Heavenly Court, then convinced her to let him tie her up and take her to Shangjing City to retrieve his belongings and burn Li Changgeng.
• Wang Ye and the little girl traveled toward Shangjing City, each privately intending to use the other and eventually kill them.
• At Shangjing City, Wang Ye called out Zhao Hai to get the guarded gate opened, then led the bound little girl inside.
• A group of coffin-carrying fighters from Qingfeng Village gathered near Spirit Mountain’s projection, planning a quick raid for its treasures despite their ancestors’ apparent fear.

Qingfeng Village's scavengers sacrificed clan elders and used their ancestors' corpses to break into the Lingshan projection, seeking its treasures. The ancestors crumbled upon entry, and the survivors scattered across Lingshan to loot it.

• Qingfeng Village's leader ordered the group to unleash corpses from their coffins, but the corpses exploded against Lingshan's barrier.
• The leader summoned four Second Generation Ancestors, and four elderly villagers gave their lives to awaken them.
• The Ancestors showed fear of Lingshan, but the leader ordered the villagers to control them and force their way inside.
• The Ancestors broke through Lingshan's barrier, though their bodies were nearly destroyed in the process.
• The villagers followed the Ancestors into Lingshan, where the four corpses collapsed into bones.
• The leader ordered the scavengers to regroup after twenty minutes, and they spread out across Lingshan to loot it.

Wang Ye visited Zhang Ziliang’s mourning hall and learned that restoring his body would not restore his mind or soul. Refusing to accept that Zhang Ziliang was gone, Wang Ye searched his sack for a blood-red flower in the hope that a miracle might still be possible.

• Wang Ye entered the Heaven Group Headquarters and asked whether Zhang Ziliang had left a body behind.
• Wang Ye found two coffins in Zhang Ziliang’s former office and, after a misunderstanding, learned that Zhang Ziliang lay in the larger one.
• Zhao Hai explained that Zhang Ziliang’s lifespan, mental power, soul, and brain had been exhausted, so restoring his body could at best leave him a living corpse.
• Wang Ye dismissed Zhao Hai’s concerns, opened Zhang Ziliang’s coffin, and insisted that having something left to remember him by was enough.
• Wang Ye searched his cloth sack and found a blood-red flower from an unfinished building during the Second Eternal Night, hoping it might bring a miracle.

Wang Ye used Merit Pool water and a human-faced flower to restore Zhang Ziliang’s body, but Zhang Ziliang woke without consciousness. Wang Ye left determined to revive him and improve the world, while Zhao Hai photographed Zhang Ziliang in a pose that made him seem alive.

• Wang Ye applied Merit Pool water to Zhang Ziliang and fed him the human-faced flower, causing his heart to beat and his eyes to open.
• Wang Ye and Zhao Hai realized that Zhang Ziliang was an empty shell with no consciousness.
• Wang Ye admitted his exhaustion and changed his goal to reviving Zhang Ziliang so Zhang Ziliang could save the world.
• Wang Ye wheeled Zhang Ziliang to the window, promised to make the world better and light the fireworks, then thanked Zhao Hai and left.
• Zhao Hai put a cigarette in Zhang Ziliang’s mouth and took a photograph that made him look alive.

After securing Zhang Ziliang at the Heaven Group, Wang Ye pretended to defect and escorted the little girl out of Shangjing City. The pair crossed the Wasteland toward a mysterious destination, with Wang Ye eyeing her valuable treasures and wondering what the Heavenly Court planned.

• Zhao Hai took the nearly burned-out cigarette from Zhang Ziliang and brought him to his office to sit while he worked.
• Wang Ye freed the little girl from prison, claimed he had obtained supplies for the Heavenly Court, and led her out of Shangjing City.
• Once they reached the Wasteland, Wang Ye removed the little girl's shackles and continued acting like her eager underling.
• The little girl showed Wang Ye her Dragon Pearl and other powerful treasures, while he silently considered how valuable they would be to steal.
• The little girl said they were almost at their destination, and Wang Ye recognized that they were near Lu Mansion, where a Heavenly Court Superhuman had appeared before.

Wang Ye followed the little girl to a corpse-filled lake in the Wasteland, where she ordered him to use his blood to awaken something beneath the water. He secretly added poison, toxic herbs, and stink bombs to the lake, and the terrifying presence stirred before sinking back into silence.

• The little girl led Wang Ye past Lu Mansion and deeper into the Wasteland, then stopped at a lake filled with corpses and ordered him to drip blood into it.
• Wang Ye cut his finger and added blood to the lake, where it agitated the ghosts and began awakening a powerful presence beneath the water.
• The little girl demanded more blood, and Wang Ye pretended to show devotion to the Heavenly Court as he cut his arm.
• Wang Ye secretly poured Elder Ge's pills, toxic Wasteland herbs, and Mao Yong'an's stink bombs into the lake along with his blood.
• The presence absorbed enough energy and fell silent again, while the ghosts gathered to consume the remaining energy and Wang Ye healed his wounds.

The little girl revealed that the Heavenly Court's King had been dismembered and sealed after a great battle, and that his body was slowly reassembling as the seal weakened. Wang Ye watched the King's foul-smelling leg and inscribed arm emerge, hiding his own connection to the humiliating damage as the King moved closer to awakening.

• The little girl explained that the King's limbs, torso, and head had been sealed after a battle, leaving him with less than a tenth of his strength.
• The little girl said the seal had weakened since Eternal Night's Third Awakening and that the King's torso would soon be reassembled.
• The little girl welcomed the King as a leg rose from the lake, but she and Wang Ye were overwhelmed by its foul stench.
• Wang Ye pretended to be outraged and vowed to punish whoever had insulted the King, concealing his guilt.
• A palm and arm arrived bearing the words “Prosperity, democracy, civility, harmony, freedom, equality, justice, rule of law, patriotism, dedication, integrity, friendship,” and Wang Ye wondered how the King would react upon waking.