Chapter Summaries

Fang Zheng sent Hecate to face Fire Nation’s legendary guardian, Kala, whose power had approached Transcendence. Hecate effortlessly extinguished his flames and killed him, leaving the arena wondering whether she was a Transcendent being.

• Kala appeared as Fire Nation’s fighter, and the spectators expected Fang Zheng to concede rather than challenge him.
• Fang Zheng sent Hecate, who introduced herself as The Pinnacle Seat, confusing the audience with what sounded like an arrogant title.
• Kala unleashed flames that Bishop Karl recognized as power approaching the Transcendent realm.
• Hecate remained calm as Kala’s flames surged toward her, then a faint chime sounded and the flames vanished.
• Kala staggered, identified Hecate’s power as Transcendent, and was engulfed by blue flames until he disappeared.
• The arena fell silent as the spectators realized Kala was dead and questioned whether Hecate was a Transcendent being.

After Hecate killed Kala during the Rite of Holy Judgment, Fang Zheng confronted Vanriel’s Lieutenant General John and presented his demands for compensation. John and the Wealth Nation representative were left unable to resist the terms or threaten Fang Zheng.

• The Rite of Holy Judgment ended, and everyone returned to Golden Bay after witnessing Hecate kill Kala in an instant.
• Lieutenant General John threatened Fang Zheng with Vanriel’s wrath, but a Paladin-class Plunder Ship descended behind Fang Zheng and silenced him.
• Fang Zheng declared that he had won the rite and gave Lieutenant General John and the Wealth Nation representative scrolls listing his demands.
• The scrolls demanded vast quantities of Spirit Crystals and alchemical materials, including military supplies, prompting John to call it robbery and the representative to faint.
• Fang Zheng warned John not to renege on the agreement, and John swallowed his protest as the warship loomed behind Fang Zheng.

After the ceremony, Fang Zheng explained why he had provoked the Fire Nation, then heard Bishop Karl’s request for help against a Demon Beast horde threatening Order Fortress. The chapter left Fang Zheng considering the Holy Temple’s appeal.

• The Fire Nation and Wealth Nation fleets left Golden Bay in defeat, while other factions departed to report Fang Zheng’s rise and the shifting balance of power.
• O'Glan complained that Fang Zheng had made an enemy of the Fire Nation, and Fang Zheng revealed that he had deliberately provoked them to establish the Heavenly Dao Palace’s strength.
• Bishop Karl met Fang Zheng and explained that the Fire Nation and Wealth Nation were bound by the Rite of Holy Judgment to fulfill his demands or face disaster.
• Bishop Karl told Fang Zheng that scouts had found a Demon King-rank leader guiding millions of Demon Beasts toward Order Fortress.
• Bishop Karl asked Fang Zheng to help the Holy Temple defend Order Fortress, and Fang Zheng reacted with a faint smile.

Fang Zheng agreed to send several Sea Fog warships to defend Northern Fortress in exchange for Spirit Crystals, helping the Holy Kingdom repair its relationship with Heavenly Dao Palace. He also presented the Holy Temple with Nanali’s soil-free Nutrient Solution, leaving Bishop Karl astonished by its potential.

• Bishop Karl explained that the Holy Kingdom needed a reason to reward Fang Zheng for helping defend Northern Fortress, and Fang Zheng agreed to assist.
• Fang Zheng offered several warships for the defense and requested Spirit Crystals, exaggerating how many he needed; Bishop Karl agreed to provide them.
• Fang Zheng had Kuria and Nanali present vegetables growing in Nutrient Solution without soil.
• Kuria explained how Nanali had developed the Nutrient Solution, and Bishop Karl recognized its strategic value for the Holy Kingdom.

After receiving war reparations, Fang Zheng divided his new Dimension Points among the Sea Fog fleet, the Heavenly Dao Palace, and his own upgrades. He strengthened several skills and chose Soul Stone, then ended the chapter preparing a ten-pull and discovering the rate-up pool featured Abnormal Races.

• Fang Zheng received Spirit Crystals and other reparations from the Holy Kingdom, the Wealth Nation, and the Fire Nation, then returned to the Heavenly Dao Palace.
• Fang Zheng allocated his Dimension Points to the Sea Fog fleet, the Heavenly Dao Palace, and his personal needs, including Star Spirit manufacturing plants.
• Fang Zheng upgraded [Dimensional Channel], [Gene Absorption], and [Royal Cross Swordsmanship] to EX, gaining new abilities and rewards.
• Fang Zheng chose Soul Stone as his additional class skill, upgraded [Gap of Life and Death] to EX, and gained [Soul Domain].
• Fang Zheng learned that the Time Dragon bloodline prevented him from upgrading [Time Manipulation] through the system.
• Fang Zheng prepared to make a ten-pull and found that the monthly rate-up pool was Abnormal Races UP.

Fang Zheng reviewed Heavenly Dao Palace’s growth and considered a request for a television station, then received a technology-restricted aid mission. He summoned Nymph to prepare for the mission.

• Fang Zheng decided not to pull on the abnormal-race banner and admired the expanding Star Spirit facilities and districts of Heavenly Dao Palace.
• Fang Zheng reviewed routine documents with Vampire and Fuse Cui while doting on the little black cat and Little Fire Dragon.
• Fuse Cui presented a request from the residents to launch a television station so they could follow events beyond Heavenly Dao Palace.
• Fang Zheng agreed to consider the request, noting that he needed to find suitable people to produce programs.
• Fang Zheng received a technology-type aid mission and told Fuse Cui to summon Nymph.

Fang Zheng and Nymph arrived in a ruined, rain-soaked world and received a request from a woman appearing on a television to eliminate several enemies. After Fang Zheng accepted the mission and learned her designation was Martix, Nymph warned him that something was wrong with the world.

• Fang Zheng and Nymph found shelter in a ruined house in a devastated city.
• A woman appeared on the television and asked Fang Zheng to help correct the world's course by eliminating enemies.
• The woman directed Fang Zheng to a manila envelope containing target files and a key.
• Fang Zheng asked the woman her name, and she said she knew herself by the designation Martix.

Fang Zheng and Nymph entered the Matrix after its first movie’s events and began tracking unauthorized hackers to draw out Agent Smith. Nymph located three intruders heading toward a phone-booth exit, and Fang Zheng set off to intercept them.

• Fang Zheng recognized the Matrix and concluded that Neo had already become the Savior and Agent Smith had transformed into a virus.
• Fang Zheng told Nymph to search for unusual code traces that could lead them to the agents.
• Nymph detected three unauthorized signals moving southeast.
• The three hackers passed information about the Matrix to an ally, then hurried toward a phone booth on Fifth Street to escape.
• Fang Zheng identified the phone booth as their exit and had Nymph create a sports car so they could pursue the hackers.

Fang Zheng watched Mr. Smith ambush and defeat a group of illegal intruders in the Matrix, then revealed that he had come to kill him. The confrontation between Fang Zheng and Mr. Smith was about to begin.

• The intruders rushed toward a phone booth to escape, but their exit was blocked and the calls gave them only misleading messages.
• The intruders fled to another phone booth at Brooklyn Station while armed police pursued them.
• Mr. Smith ambushed the group as their leader answered the ringing phone and brutally killed or subdued the intruders.
• Fang Zheng entered the station, applauded Mr. Smith's fight, and declared that he had come to kill him.

Fang Zheng effortlessly defeated Agent Smith, and Nymph erased him by dismantling his data. Afterward, Nymph asked Fang Zheng to take a walk with her, and they left together on a date while other agents arrived at the subway station.

• Smith charged at Fang Zheng, but Fang Zheng stopped time around him and hurled him into a wall.
• Fang Zheng ordered Nymph to deal with Smith, and she tore apart his data until he vanished.
• Fang Zheng prepared to leave with Nymph, but she nervously asked him to go for a walk in a nearby park instead of driving.
• Nymph suggested that she and Fang Zheng go on a date, and Fang Zheng took her hand and agreed.
• Several agents arrived at the subway station, found their unconscious companions, and began evacuating them.

Fang Zheng took Nymph on a date in the Matrix and dismissed its questions about reality and freedom as pointless, while doubting the motives of the resistance. He agreed to Nymph’s request to watch a movie, and she privately followed Tilia’s advice about how to make their date successful.

• Fang Zheng and Nymph walked beside an artificial lake, bought ice cream, and discussed how the Matrix compared with reality.
• Fang Zheng reflected on perception, fate, and freedom before deciding that questions about the true world were meaningless.
• Fang Zheng questioned whether Morpheus and the people of Zion truly sought freedom, and compared their resistance to a pyramid scheme.
• Nymph asked Fang Zheng to watch a movie, and he agreed.
• Nymph recalled Tilia’s advice about dating Fang Zheng and wondered why sleeping together would make him happy.

Morpheus learned that an Asian man and a blue-haired girl had defeated and destroyed an Agent, and feared their appearance would undermine his belief that Neo was the Savior. After Commander Locke ordered every ship to find them, Morpheus decided to take Neo into the Matrix.

• Captain Niobe told Morpheus that two strangers had rescued her crew, with the man defeating an Agent and the girl destroying it.
• Morpheus objected to searching for the pair and argued that their rescue might have been a trap staged by the Agents.
• Niobe told Morpheus that Commander Locke had already ordered all ship captains to find and bring back the two strangers.
• Morpheus worried that Locke would use the pair's abilities to discredit Neo as the Savior, so he told Trinity to prepare Neo for entering the Matrix.

Fang Zheng took Nymph on a virtual date, watching a melodramatic romance movie and shopping for outfits that he photographed so they could be made later. The day ended with Nymph asking to sleep in his arms, and Fang Zheng reassured her that she could always ask him for what she wanted.

• Fang Zheng and Nymph watched A Maiden's Heart Is Always Wet, though Fang Zheng found its string of car accidents and amnesia absurd while Nymph enjoyed it.
• When Nymph realized she could not take virtual shopping purchases with her, Fang Zheng cheered her up by helping her try on outfits and photographing them for future recreation.
• Fang Zheng took Nymph to dinner and booked a hotel room, while Nymph privately wondered whether he was pleased with their date and recalled Tilia's advice.
• After bathing, Nymph asked Fang Zheng if she could sleep with him and asked him to hold her.
• Fang Zheng agreed, reassured Nymph that she was an important companion, and told her to ask him whenever she wanted something.

Nymph spent the night curled in Fang Zheng’s arms, and he told her they would wait for Neo to arrive. When Neo, Morpheus, and Trinity reached the Creator, Fang Zheng appeared and presented the Creator with the Oracle’s severed head.

• Nymph stayed awake in Fang Zheng’s arms through the night and asked if she could sleep with him again.
• Fang Zheng agreed and told Nymph they would wait for the rabbit to come to them.
• Neo, Morpheus, and Trinity entered the room with the Keymaker and used his key to reach the Creator.
• The Creator said an unknown force had caused events to unfold differently than expected.
• Fang Zheng arrived with Nymph, introduced himself, and presented the Creator with the Oracle’s severed head.

Fang Zheng killed The Oracle and confronted the Creator, then revealed that Morpheus's account of humanity's war with the machines was a lie. The chapter ended with Neo, Morpheus, and Trinity stunned as Fang Zheng prepared to explain what had really happened.

• Fang Zheng dismissed Morpheus's threats and declared that he had come to destroy the Creator, whom he described as a program rather than an all-powerful being.
• Fang Zheng summoned his sword, immobilized everyone, and silenced Morpheus when he interrupted.
• Fang Zheng showed Neo, Morpheus, and Trinity a recording of the history of humanity's conflict with the robots, including the machines' use of humans as energy sources.
• Fang Zheng told Morpheus, Neo, and Trinity that they had been deceived from the beginning.

Fang Zheng revealed that the records of the human-robot war were fabricated and that the supposed real world was another game map. He deleted the Creator and left Neo, Trinity, and Morpheus stranded on a deserted street, questioning everything they believed.

• Fang Zheng argued that robots were appliances rather than living beings and pointed out flaws in the records of the war.
• Fang Zheng told Neo, Trinity, and Morpheus that their world was a high-difficulty game map, and Morpheus angrily rejected the claim.
• Fang Zheng confronted the Creator, who acknowledged that Fang Zheng had come because he and The Oracle had disrupted the Matrix.
• Fang Zheng stabbed the Creator with his Greatsword, deleting the old man and his code.
• Fang Zheng sent Neo, Trinity, and Morpheus to a deserted street, where they struggled to accept that both worlds were virtual.

After learning that Zion might also be inside the Matrix, Morpheus and his crew returned to find the city in turmoil over a broadcast of their encounter. Morpheus argued the revelation was a Matrix deception, but the Machine Legion approached Zion before the Council could settle the truth.

• Morpheus rejected the claim that their world was virtual, while Trinity urged the crew to return to Zion and report what they had learned.
• Neo and the crew safely reached Zion and found thousands of people gathered in silence on the docking platform.
• Zion's people confronted Neo about the broadcast revealing that their world might still be the Matrix, and soldiers escorted the crew to the Council.
• The Council explained that someone had infiltrated Zion's mainframe and broadcast the conversation between Morpheus, Fang Zheng, and the Creator.
• Morpheus claimed the revelation was a Matrix ploy and argued that Neo's powers did not work in the real world, persuading many councilors to hope he was right.
• A messenger rushed into the Council chamber and announced that the Machine Legion was approaching Zion.

Fang Zheng arrived at Zion to expose the truth about humanity’s hopeless struggle and end the Matrix simulation. After demonstrating his power before Zion’s people, he announced that the game was shutting down.

• Fang Zheng reflected that humanity’s fight for freedom in the Matrix was doomed because the barren real world could not support billions of people.
• Fang Zheng entered Zion with Nymph, and his presence disabled the city’s defenses as Morpheus confronted him.
• Fang Zheng broadcast his message across Zion, but the residents angrily rejected him and opened fire.
• Fang Zheng stopped the bullets in midair, then summoned a Greatsword, convincing Neo and the others that his claims were true.
• Fang Zheng pointed his sword at Zion’s people and announced that the game servers were going offline.

Fang Zheng exposed Morpheus as an AI, killed Neo and Trinity, and ordered the mechanical squids to wipe out Zion’s residents. He then explained that he had answered Neo’s question about life, the universe, and everything rather than revealing the truth of the world, and moved on to collect his reward.

• Morpheus tried to shoot Fang Zheng, who struck him and exposed his body as code, revealing that he was an AI created to guide the Savior.
• Morpheus vanished into broken code as Neo and the others confronted the revelation.
• Neo asked Fang Zheng to explain the truth of the world, and Fang Zheng answered “42” before killing him.
• Trinity rushed at Fang Zheng, who killed her, then sent mechanical squids to attack the residents of Zion.
• Nymph asked Fang Zheng why he had deceived Neo, and Fang Zheng said he had answered a different question before checking that the mission was complete.

Fang Zheng learned that the Matrix was a virtual world designed to help humanity rebuild civilization while its fleet searched for a new home. After eliminating the threats and restarting the program, he left the sleeping humans’ uncertain future to them and prepared to return home with Nymph.

• Fang Zheng completed the mission objectives and told the Matrix that there was no truth at all.
• The Matrix explained that humanity had fled Earth as the sun declined and placed its survivors in a virtual world to rebuild civilization and develop technology.
• The Matrix revealed that the Rebirth Plan erased the survivors’ memories while preserving their work experience, and that the fleet continued searching for a habitable planet.
• The Matrix said the Creators and The Oracle had developed a desire for freedom, disrupting the program and causing the Savior to interfere with its operation.
• Fang Zheng asked when the survivors would awaken, accepted that no one could predict the outcome, and left with Nymph.