Chapter Summaries

Ceres explained the agreement that governed war between the Frost Snow Empire and the Temple of Light, then appointed Locke to lead a new legion. Locke accepted the command and was ordered to reclaim the territory lost twenty years earlier.

• Ceres recognized Locke as a late-stage Saint-level Expert and offered him a legion command.
• Ceres explained that he had formed the Tsunami Legion by transferring elite soldiers rather than recruiting openly.
• Ceres revealed that the Fifth Legion had been destroyed after the Temple of Light secretly ambushed and killed the Frost Snow Empire’s Saint-level Expert.
• Ceres explained that five years earlier Bolton had advanced into the Saint Domain and formed another legion, but Ceres had delayed its attack while hoping for another Saint-level Expert to emerge.
• Ceres appointed Locke commander of the Sixth Legion, the Tsunami Legion, and ordered him to lead it through Bidia Territory to reclaim the lost land.

Locke arrived at the Tsunami Legion and claimed the command under orders from His Majesty Ceres, prompting Bolton to challenge him to another duel. As the legion gathered to watch, its soldiers expected the battle-hardened Bolton to win.

• Locke realized Bolton was the Saint Domain warrior who had attacked him and questioned whether Bolton was strong enough to lead the Tsunami Legion against the Temple of Light.
• Locke showed the military token and told Bolton that His Majesty Ceres had ordered him to become the legion’s new commander.
• Bolton rejected Locke’s claim and tried to go to the palace, but Locke reminded him that Ceres would know if he were lying and that Locke had already beaten him.
• Bolton accused Locke of cheating, so Locke offered another fight and promised to give up the command if Bolton defeated him.
• News of the duel spread, and tens of thousands of Tsunami Legion soldiers gathered at the training grounds, most believing Bolton would win because of his experience in the Frost Snow Legion.

Locke defeated Bolton in their Saint-level duel by deceiving Bolton’s Mental Strength with Phantom Clone, but Bolton attacked him after losing. Locke recovered from the lightning strike and stripped Bolton of his five senses.

• Bolton charged at Locke with his spear and used Thunderfall, but struck a Phantom Clone instead of Locke’s true body.
• Locke appeared behind Bolton and held a sword to his throat, declaring that Bolton had lost.
• Locke explained that he had concealed most of his Mental Strength and deceived Bolton’s Unity of Heaven and Man.
• Bolton blasted Locke with lightning, injuring him after losing the duel.
• Locke used the laws to expel the lightning from his body and heal himself, then invaded Bolton’s sea of consciousness and deprived him of his five senses.

Locke killed Bolton after Bolton launched a lightning attack during their fight. The Tsunami Legion soldiers saw Bolton’s death and realized Locke was a Saint Domain mage.

• Bolton mistook Locke’s apparent weakness for an opportunity to win and unleashed lightning at him.
• Locke used the Heavenly Dance Treasure Wheel to deprive Bolton of his five senses, but Bolton continued to control his lightning through the Unity of Heaven and Man.
• Locke formed a water droplet with his Magic Power and sent it through Bolton’s head, expanding it into a sphere that pulverized him.
• The Tsunami Legion soldiers watched Bolton disappear in the water and recognized that he had attacked Locke by surprise.
• Locke waited for a message from His Majesty Ceres, received none, and quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

After killing Bolton, Locke claimed command of the Fifth Legion and won the Tsunami Legion’s acceptance before ordering it to prepare for an expedition against the Temple of Light. Recovering from his wounds, he planned to strengthen his defenses as a warrior and improve Phantom Clone ahead of a campaign against two Saint Domain experts.

• Ceres ignored the conflict between Locke and Bolton because he prioritized gathering Power of Faith for the Overgod.
• Locke announced that he was Ceres’s newly appointed commander of the Fifth Legion and invited anyone who disputed his appointment to challenge him.
• The Tsunami Legion’s soldiers accepted Locke after witnessing Bolton’s defeat and his dishonorable sneak attack, and Locke ordered them to march in three days.
• Back in his tent, Locke used Water Therapy to recover and reflected that his warrior training had helped him survive Bolton’s attack.
• Locke decided to advance his warrior level and improve Phantom Clone so it could activate automatically when it sensed danger.
• Locke recalled that the campaign against the Temple of Light would pit the Tsunami Legion against the two Saint Domain experts who had killed the former Fifth Legion commander.

Locke led the Tsunami Legion from the Frost Snow Empire to begin a campaign against the Temple of Light, knowing he would face its two Saint-level Experts alone after killing Bolton. At the battlefield, he confronted a high priest and invoked the treaty that barred Saint-level Experts from fighting for the first three years of the war.

• Locke considered why Ceres had delayed the campaign and realized he had been left to face the Temple of Light's two Saint-level Experts alone after Bolton's death.
• The Tsunami Legion departed the Imperial Capital as crowds welcomed Locke, its Saint-level commander.
• Locke led more than a hundred thousand soldiers through Bidia Territory to the battlefield, where the Temple of Light had prepared defenses under two Saint-level High Priests.
• Locke confronted a high priest across the battlefield and warned that the Temple's leaders would die after the treaty's three-year prohibition on Saint-level combat ended.
• The high priest grew furious, while Locke noted that the Temple's higher-ups had betrayed the Frost Snow Empire by defecting to the Temple of Light.

Locke led the Tsunami Legion’s campaign to reclaim Frost Snow Empire territory while the Temple of Light’s Saint-level leaders waited for the three-year battle restriction to end. When they finally joined the fight, Locke revealed his Saint-level peak strength and unleashed a Forbidden Spell that overwhelmed the Temple of Light’s forces.

• The Temple of Light’s high priest admitted he needed to find another pure soul to increase his strength.
• Locke delegated battle command to the Frost Snow Legion’s division commanders, and the Tsunami Legion reclaimed territory over three years.
• The Temple of Light’s high priest and Knight Commander entered the battle after the three-year restriction ended.
• Locke released his Saint-level peak aura, frightening the Temple of Light’s two Saint-level Experts.
• Locke cast Water Forbidden Spell—Raging Waves, sending a massive black whirlpool tsunami down upon the Temple of Light’s soldiers.

Locke’s Water Forbidden Spell destroyed the Temple of Light’s forces and ended the three-year war, but the Tsunami Legion’s captains were angered when he said the reclaimed territory should be governed by nobles appointed by Ceres. The chapter ended with Locke asking the captains why they seemed so angry.

• Locke unleashed the Water Forbidden Spell, killing at least thirty thousand Temple of Light knights and forcing the survivors to surrender.
• Locke found the Temple of Light’s Saint-level warrior alive in the ruined battlefield, treated him to keep him alive, and carried him to camp.
• The Tsunami Legion’s five captains visited Locke to ask how he planned to develop the territory they had captured.
• Locke told the captains that Ceres would appoint nobles to govern the territory and that its future development was not his decision.
• The five captains grew angry at the prospect of losing the rewards they had fought for, and Locke asked them why they seemed upset.

Locke learned that retaken territory could become a legion commander’s fief, but he remained unsure whether to claim the Grand Duke title. After raising the Frost Snow Empire’s flag across the territory, he returned to Pu'er Village and asked his parents whether they would leave the village and become nobles.

• The five battalion commanders explained that they feared losing their chance at noble titles if Locke let nobles sent by Ceres govern the territory.
• Locke told the commanders he would consider becoming a Grand Duke and ordered them to raise the Frost Snow Empire’s flag throughout the territory.
• Locke left the injured Knight Commander in the guards’ care and flew to Pu'er Village, reaching it in less than five days.
• The villagers celebrated Locke’s return, and he told his parents about becoming Tsunami Legion commander and winning against the Temple of Light.
• Locke asked his parents whether they were willing to leave Pu'er Village and become nobles.

Locke accepted his parents’ decision to become nobles and planned to establish their territory after meeting His Majesty Ceres. He returned to his camp, where he found the Saint Domain warrior prisoner still alive and restrained.

• Manla decided that he and Locke’s mother would leave the village with Locke to become nobles.
• Locke told his parents he would first travel to the Imperial Capital to meet His Majesty Ceres, then have his soldiers build the territory’s city and manor.
• Locke arranged for Cole to collect their parents later and set off to handle his duties.
• Locke returned to camp and learned that the prisoner had broken free of his ropes, so a guard had cut off one of his hands as instructed.
• Locke entered his tent and saw the bloodied prisoner tied to a wooden restraint.

Locke confronted the Temple of Light's Knight Commander, a Saint-level Expert who had gained his power by sacrificing women with pure souls. After the Knight Commander feared Locke might kill him, Locke healed his wounds while keeping him alive for later use.

• Locke reflected that the Temple of Light's leaders and others sought power by sacrificing women with pure souls.
• The Knight Commander tried to provoke Locke into killing him but admitted he knew the Temple of Light's secrets.
• Locke said he had no interest in those secrets, making the Knight Commander fear that he had no value and could be killed.
• The Knight Commander remembered how he had risen to power through sacrifices and helped Archbishop Anderson kill a Saint-level mage from the Frost Snow Empire.
• Locke healed most of the Knight Commander's wounds but left his broken bones untreated, intending to use him later.

Locke announced that the territory granted to him by Emperor Ceres would be renamed Locke Territory and ordered five battalion commanders to build a major city there. After they left to begin preparations, Locke invaded the Temple of Light Knight Commander’s soul to examine its faint flame-like essence.

• Locke told Gask, Cross, Marik, Berkeley, and Dahl that he had become the Grand Duke of the territory and renamed it Locke Territory.
• Locke ordered the five battalion commanders to build a city capable of housing over a million people within half a year without disrupting residents’ lives, promising noble titles based on their performance.
• Gask and the other commanders pledged loyalty to Locke and left to organize the construction.
• Locke ignored the Knight Commander’s pleas and entered his soul space with his Mental Strength.
• Locke found that the Knight Commander’s soul had condensed into a faint flame and reached toward it.

Locke studied the Temple of Light Knight Commander’s soul, probing its connection to the laws and experimenting with its senses and memories. The experiments gradually confused the Knight Commander’s memories while giving Locke new insights for developing the Heavenly Dance Treasure Wheel.

• Locke cradled the Knight Commander’s soul and found its elemental essence similar to that of magical beasts.
• Locke examined the Knight Commander’s soul to study the sixth sense that allowed him to enter Unity of Heaven and Man.
• Locke learned that the Knight Commander’s Saint Domain soul could recover from careful experiments and carried marks of the laws.
• Locke used his observations to deepen his understanding of the laws and plan further development of the Heavenly Dance Treasure Wheel.
• Locke dissected the Knight Commander’s memories, sometimes deleting, sealing, or implanting recollections.
• The Knight Commander’s memories grew confused as he mistook planted memories for real experiences and forgot things he had actually done.

Locke uncovered how the Temple of Light gained influence in the Frost Snow Empire by promising power through sacrifices of women with pure souls. He learned how Feobo Ola, later known as Fyodor, secretly used those sacrifices to rise to the Saint-level and was expelled from his family.

• Locke ignored Feobo Ola's taunts and entered a state of comprehension while examining the Knight Commander's memories.
• Locke learned that the Pope had secretly recruited imperial elites by offering them power in exchange for finding women with pure souls and joining the Temple of Light.
• Feobo Ola, a low-ranking collateral member of the Ola Family, found a woman with a pure soul and secretly sacrificed her to advance from Rank 6 to Rank 8.
• After discovering how the women were used, Fyodor secretly sacrificed two more women and became a Saint-level Expert.
• The Ola Family expelled Fyodor after he killed family members who insulted him, and he later cooperated in an ambush that earned him the Temple of Light's title of Count.

Locke finished strengthening his soul defenses and learned that Gask had completed the prefectural city. He arrived at Locke City with Fyodor and ordered a rewards ceremony for the Tsunami Legion.

• Locke used his research into soul memories to seal away his past-life memories and built defenses around his soul with the Heavenly Dance Treasure Wheel.
• Gask reported that the prefectural city was complete and that about four hundred thousand people had moved there.
• Locke ordered Gask to gather the Tsunami Legion for a rewards ceremony in Locke City.
• Locke and Fyodor surveyed Locke City from above and saw its districts, Lord's Manor, and sparse outer neighborhoods.

Nearly half a year after the war, Locke oversaw Locke Territory’s recovery, granted the five Tsunami Legion commanders viscount titles, and returned to cultivation. Three months later, Cole took charge of Locke City while the commanders divided between city and landed nobility, and Locke remained secluded to study laws and the soul.

• Locke let people who could not accept the Frost Snow Empire’s return leave his territory, while focusing on protecting the rights of those who stayed.
• Locke praised the Tsunami Legion commanders for rebuilding Locke City and offered the five of them viscount titles, asking them to choose between becoming nobles of Locke City or landed nobles of Locke Territory.
• After the commanders left, Locke entered the cultivation chamber with Fyodor and resumed training.
• Three months later, Cole brought his parents and the Luqi Merchant Guild to Locke City and became its manager with Locke’s support.
• Two of the five commanders, including Gask, chose to become city viscounts, while the other three took adjoining fiefs as landed viscounts.
• Locke remained in seclusion, checking on his family and studying the Profound Mystery of laws and the soul.

After a long seclusion, Locke improved his Illusionary Fog and comprehended the Water Element profound mystery, but emerged to find that Cole and the two viscounts showed signs of old age. The chapter left Locke wondering how long he had been gone.

• Locke reflected on Soul Power, Spiritual Sense, and his decision to develop his illusion techniques rather than pursue transcendence.
• Locke destroyed Fyodor’s soul after stripping away his Fire Element profound mystery, which had deprived Fyodor of his Saint-level status.
• Locke assessed his gains in seclusion: his Illusionary Fog comprehension had increased and he had comprehended the Water Element profound mystery.
• Locke searched the lord’s manor for his parents, then found Cole managing affairs with the two viscounts.
• Locke noticed signs of old age on Cole and the two viscounts and wondered how long his seclusion had lasted.

After awakening from thirty-seven years of seclusion, Locke learned that both his parents had died and flew to visit their graves. Meanwhile, Cole continued his secret cooperation with Cross and Marik, arranging a search for the person they hoped could help them reach Saint-level.

• Locke appeared in the meeting hall, and Cross and Marik recognized him as the Grand Duke while Cole greeted him as his brother.
• Cole told Locke that thirty-seven years had passed and that their mother had died thirteen years earlier and their father five years earlier.
• Locke briefly grabbed Cole in anger, then apologized after Cross and Marik explained that their parents had forbidden Cole from interrupting his cultivation.
• Locke learned that his parents were buried beside the wooden house in Pu'er Village and flew there to visit their graves.
• Cole worried that Locke had discovered his cooperation with Cross and Marik, then ordered them to search Locke Territory secretly and insisted he would be first to use the person they found.

Cross and the other legion commanders planned to involve Cole in the Temple of Light’s sacrificial method so they could become Saint-level while remaining under Locke’s protection. Locke flew to Pu’er Village, where he visited the ruined house he had built and his parents’ graves.

• Cross and the other commanders weighed the chance to become Saint-level against the risk of betraying Locke, then agreed to draw Cole into their plan.
• Locke flew at full speed toward Pu’er Village, overcome by regret that he had failed to fulfill his duty to his parents in either life.
• Locke arrived at Pu’er Village and descended unseen among its residents.
• Locke saw that his old wooden house had decayed and become overgrown, while new shoots had sprouted from some timbers.
• Locke found his parents’ graves in the yard before the house.

Locke visited his parents’ graves, promised to protect Cole’s family, and returned to cultivation with new insights into the Water Law and the soul. Cole was relieved that Locke had not noticed his actions and expected his brother’s seclusion to last at least ten years.

• Locke cleared the weeds from his parents’ graves, spoke to them, and promised to keep Cole and his family safe while respecting his parents’ wishes to remain in the Underworld.
• Locke returned to his territory, sent Cole a message, and entered seclusion after making an initial breakthrough in Ice Sharpness and sensing sorrow within his soul.
• Cole heard Locke’s message and relaxed, believing his brother had not noticed what he had done.
• Cole expected Locke’s cultivation to keep him secluded for at least ten years and recalled how Locke’s sudden rise to Saint-level power had both excited and frightened him.