Chapter Summaries

Zhou Qing investigated the underground sludge that connected to Namiki's children's souls and discovered that his power could hold and potentially refine it. When he sat on Timidit's stone platform, the Hope Worms gathered into a strange pattern, hinting at a deeper secret.

• Timidit told Zhou Qing she had sensed the outside world through the sludge while trapped in the dark space.
• Zhou Qing followed Riko, Timidit, and Mahaha into the ravine beneath the cave and found the underground sludge.
• Zhou Qing used the Innate Internal Scripture Chart to hold a clump of sludge, realized it might boost his Soul Power, and chose not to refine it.
• Timidit explained that Hope Worms glowed when startled, while Mahaha eagerly ate them until Riko stopped it.
• Zhou Qing sat on Timidit's stone platform and activated his abilities, causing the Hope Worms to gather into a glowing pattern as Mahaha watched.

Zhou Qing’s Soul Power activated a projection of Namiki, who urged Timidit to live on. Timidit recalled how Dark had made her eat Namiki’s Child to survive on the Fourth Layer.

• Zhou Qing’s cultivation activated the Hope Worms, which projected Namiki’s recorded image.
• Dugu Bo and Riko realized the stone platform stored information and the Hope Worms displayed it.
• Namiki embraced Timidit as a projection and told her to make sure she lived on.
• Timidit knelt in the mud and blamed herself for ignoring Namiki when she needed help.
• Timidit remembered eating soup made from Namiki’s Child and seeing Dark prepare the newborn for food.
• Dark told Timidit that their group had to eat the living child to survive and pursue their goal of reaching the Eighth Layer.

Timidit refused Dark’s offer to kill him and broke down over her inability to face her past. Zhou Qing explained that Namiki had loved Timidit as her mother and had hoped she would overcome her pain, while revealing how Namiki’s wishes had created the village’s world and its rule of Equivalent Exchange.

• Dark handed Timidit a knife and hoped she would kill him, but she refused and confessed that she had always run away.
• Namiki’s phantom faded, and Riko and Mahaha comforted Timidit as she collapsed in the mud.
• Zhou Qing rose and told Timidit that Namiki had loved her as a mother and had not wanted to hurt her.
• Zhou Qing explained that Namiki’s Child and the children’s souls were extensions and fragments of Namiki, and that Namiki’s last child inherited her hatred of the village.
• Zhou Qing revealed that Namiki had wished for children and then a warm home, leading the Heart of Dreams to create an internal world governed by Equivalent Exchange.

Zhou Qing explained Namiki’s wishes for her children and revealed that Timidit’s fears had shaped Nami Village’s Guardian, Ifranci. The chapter left Timidit facing the task of confronting the fears within herself and the village.

• Timidit cried after hearing that Namiki had wished to give her children a warm home and help them grow into psychologically healthy people.
• Zhou Qing explained that Namiki had refused another use of the Heart of Dreams and that Hope had stayed in the cave to guard Namiki’s soul.
• Zhou Qing revealed that Hope’s body and strength had grown alongside Nami Village’s value, and that he had recorded Namiki’s memories and the village’s history.
• Timidit wiped away her tears herself and lamented that she had failed to understand Namiki’s message sooner.
• Zhou Qing told Timidit to face her fears, which existed within Nami Village and had given rise to its current Guardian, Ifranci.

Zhou Qing explained that Nami Village’s Guardian, Ifranci, had been created from Timidit’s fear of the man who abused her. He warned that the Guardian might awaken as the real Ifranci, and Timidit asked what she should do as Zhou Qing began laying out her options.

• Zhou Qing explained that Namiki's Child had unconsciously created Ifranci from Timidit’s fear, making the Guardian exempt from Nami Village’s rules.
• Timidit collapsed after learning the truth, and Mahaha and Riko helped her stand while urging her to be strong for Namiki's Child.
• Zhou Qing warned Timidit that Ifranci might grow intelligent enough to become the man she feared and threaten the village and its inhabitants.
• Timidit grabbed Zhou Qing’s sleeve and asked what she should do, and he began presenting her with two options.

Zhou Qing told Timidit that only she could defeat Ifranci and urged her to stop relying on her daughter and take responsibility as a mother. After leaving Timidit to gather herself, Zhou Qing arranged for Mahaha to help her climb out and sent Dugu Bo to investigate the Heart of Dreams in the Bell Tower.

• Zhou Qing explained that Timidit was the only one who could kill Ifranci, then urged her to find courage and take on her responsibility as a mother.
• Zhou Qing, Dugu Bo, Riko, and Mahaha climbed out of the ravine, leaving Timidit alone to consider his words.
• Zhou Qing asked Mahaha to wait by the ravine and carry Timidit to them when she climbed out, and Mahaha agreed.
• Zhou Qing asked Dugu Bo to find out from Dark what price was required to obtain the Heart of Dreams in the Bell Tower.
• Riko followed Dugu Bo to help him analyze what the Boss Lady and Timidit had told them.

Riko and Dugu Bo visited the Bell Tower to ask Dark what it would cost to obtain a Heart of Dreams, and he suggested trading part of the Undying Princess or having Riko stay in Nami Village. After leaving, Riko reasoned that Dark had become fixated on fulfilling Hope’s abandoned dream of leading the Explorers deeper into the abyss.

• Riko and Dugu Bo entered the Bell Tower, where Dark was preaching to the Fallen Ones and the Boss Lady was among the congregation.
• Dugu Bo asked Dark what payment would secure a Heart of Dreams, and Dark proposed part of the Undying Princess or Riko’s continued presence in the village.
• Riko recoiled at Dark’s offer and left the Bell Tower with Dugu Bo.
• The Boss Lady suggested bringing the Undying Princess into the village in pieces, making Dark sweat with alarm.
• Riko asked whether they should seek the Undying Princess, but Dugu Bo decided they should find Zhou Qing first.
• Riko concluded that Dark was likely trying to carry on Hope’s dream of exploring deeper and creating a homeland for the Explorers.

Riko deduced that Dark wanted her to use the Heart of Dreams to help the Fallen Ones explore deeper and believed he wanted Dugu Bo to eliminate the Undying Princess. Dugu Bo doubted her theory and headed with her toward Nami Market, where Zhou Qing had found Mr. Watch crafting firearms from Romantina’s Phoenix Wutong Staff.

• Riko reasoned that Dark wanted her to use the Heart of Dreams as a new way for the Fallen Ones to explore below the Seventh Layer.
• Riko suspected Dark wanted Dugu Bo to kill the Undying Princess, but Dugu Bo agreed only that her analysis made sense and privately doubted Dark was plotting against them.
• Dugu Bo told Riko they did not necessarily have to avoid seeking the Undying Princess and led her toward Nami Market.
• Zhou Qing found Mr. Watch in his shop, where Mr. Watch was finishing two shotgun-like Soul Tools made from Romantina’s Phoenix Wutong Staff.

Zhou Qing received two evolving Phoenix Wutong Mech-Staff firearms and Watch’s Soul Tool manual, learning that Watch hoped to pass on his knowledge and planned to transform his arm into a cannon for Namiki’s cause. As Zhou Qing headed to inspect the Red Iron Ore Field and meet the Five-tailed Fox, he ran into Dugu Bo, who mistook the weapons for a fire stick.

• Mr. Watch gave Zhou Qing the Phoenix Wutong Mech-Staff firearms, which could cultivate and evolve by absorbing Heaven and Earth Energy.
• Watch handed Zhou Qing a Black Tome on Soul Tools and Soul Engineers, asking him to find someone to inherit his knowledge.
• Watch revealed that Nami Village’s Fallen Ones had begun preparing to fulfill Namiki’s final wish, then melted Gold Soul Coins to prepare a Cremation Cannon for himself.
• Zhou Qing left to inspect the Red Iron Ore Field and meet the Five-tailed Fox, but encountered Dugu Bo in the market.
• Zhou Qing showed Dugu Bo the Phoenix Machine Staff, and Dugu Bo called it a fire stick.

Zhou Qing examined the red iron mining field and encountered the mysterious Recorder, whose electromagnetic malfunction prompted an unsettling question about its identity. The Recorder explained that it tracked changes in the Abyss Ruins, leaving Zhou Qing to suspect that it had been altered.

• Zhou Qing showed Dugu Bo the Phoenix Machine Staffs and explained that they were adjustable, fast-firing crossbows that could also serve as clubs.
• Zhou Qing, Dugu Bo, and Riko visited the Red Iron Ore Field, where Zhou Qing noticed the gravel produced static sparks and weak magnetism.
• Zhou Qing called out the Recorder hiding behind a boulder, and Riko recognized it as the figure they had seen in Nami Village.
• The Recorder began asking what it should be called, then spoke in a grand, fragmented voice before the windblown sand restored its normal manner.
• The Recorder said it recorded changes in the Abyss Ruins and that one Recorder existed on each level, though it did not know who had assigned the task.
• Zhou Qing suspected electromagnetic interference had triggered the Recorder's strange question and concluded that someone or something might have altered it.

Zhou Qing met Aitaljia, the Five-tailed Fox who wanted revenge on Nami Village for her mother and siblings. He agreed to help her break through the mountain wall, but insisted that one person must be spared—even after Aitaljia learned that person had eaten her siblings.

• Zhou Qing sensed the Five-tailed Fox hiding behind the boulder, and she leaped onto him and introduced herself as Aitaljia, the Undying Princess.
• Aitaljia said she wanted to avenge her mother and slaughter everyone in Nami Village who had eaten her siblings.
• Aitaljia explained that Zhou Qing could open a hole in the mountain wall to remove the force field and let her enter the village.
• Zhou Qing agreed to help Aitaljia, while privately intending to destroy Nami Village and kill its villagers as promised to Namiki.
• Zhou Qing told Aitaljia that one person could not be killed, but she replied that Timidit had eaten her siblings and therefore must die.

Zhou Qing and his companions traveled toward Aitaljia’s home and encountered a Dragon Mane Snail Dove hunting monsters in a gorge. After seeing its devastating Air Cannons, Zhou Qing wondered whether the enormous creature could be eaten.

• Zhou Qing told Aitaljia that her mother had secretly kept Timidit alive, but Aitaljia refused to believe it and said she would spare Timidit if her mother had truly forgiven her.
• Aitaljia asked the Recorder to escort Zhou Qing, Dugu Bo, and Riko to her home as guests.
• The group reached a gorge where a Dragon Mane Snail Dove pursued a herd of monsters and blasted them with powerful Air Cannons.
• Dugu Bo recognized the creature’s tremendous offensive power, while Zhou Qing reasoned that its shell-like tail helped produce the blasts.
• Zhou Qing asked Riko whether the Dragon Mane Snail Dove was edible, and she agreed they could try hunting one.

Dugu Bo defeated the Dragon Mane Snail Dove, the Fifth Layer’s strongest predator, and Zhou Qing’s group began preparing its poisonous corpse for food. Zhou Qing drained its blood with Soul Power, while Aitaljia watched in amazement.

• Dugu Bo endured the Dragon Mane Snail Dove’s Air Cannon, then broke its spine and crushed its skull.
• Riko recorded the creature’s poisonous blood and tried to butcher the corpse with a saw.
• Aitaljia stripped the Dragon Mane Snail Dove’s scales, fur, and bone spurs, but Zhou Qing stopped her from opening its abdomen.
• Zhou Qing hung the corpse over the canyon and drained its poisonous blood, using Soul Power to restart its heart.
• Aitaljia and Dugu Bo marveled at Zhou Qing’s method, which relied on sensing the creature’s blood circulation.

Zhou Qing and the others feasted on the Dragon Mane Snail Dove and learned more about Aitaljia’s Recorder. After Riko warned that Dark might be scheming over the Heart of Dreams, Aitaljia tore off her arm and urged Zhou Qing to trade it for the Heart.

• Zhou Qing collected the Dragon Mane Snail Dove’s blood and grilled its meat, then shared the feast with Dugu Bo, Aitaljia, and Riko.
• Aitaljia told Riko that she had found the Recorder buried in a cave and revived him by digging him out and stepping on him.
• The Recorder explained that a Soul Guidance Device let him draw on Heaven and Earth Energy to replenish himself.
• Zhou Qing stored leftover meat for his friends and heard Riko’s suspicions that Dark wanted the Heart of Dreams for a larger scheme.
• Aitaljia tore off her left arm and offered it to Zhou Qing as something to exchange with Dark for the Heart of Dreams, then handed it to Riko when Zhou Qing hesitated.

Zhou Qing helped Aitaljia begin cultivating and explained why Namiki had created her, including her hope that Aitaljia would learn to live beyond hatred. As Aitaljia remained barred from Nami Village, Zhou Qing reflected on the meaning of cultivation and experienced a surge in Soul Power.

• Zhou Qing realized Aitaljia could not regrow her severed arm because she was incomplete, then guided her Soul Power and taught her to stand and cultivate.
• Aitaljia tried to follow Zhou Qing and the others into Nami Village but was repelled by the barrier at the cave entrance.
• Zhou Qing told Dugu Bo that Namiki’s three wishes were to have children, raise them, and educate them, and explained why she had made Aitaljia and kept her outside the village.
• Zhou Qing considered how Aitaljia’s fixation on revenge might consume her and reflected on the importance of preserving one’s original heart.
• The Innate Internal Scripture Chart circulated within Zhou Qing, gathering Heaven and Earth Energy and greatly increasing his Soul Power.

Zhou Qing realized his cultivation had advanced dramatically through understanding the laws of heaven and earth, then explained the tragedy behind Nami Village and Namiki’s lingering resentment. He hoped to resolve the village’s two-hundred-year grudge peacefully, though Riko believed he and Dugu Bo planned to let Aitaljia enter and massacre its residents.

• Zhou Qing sensed that his Soul Power had surged close to the Soul Emperor realm after gaining insight into cultivation.
• Dugu Bo marveled at Zhou Qing’s rapid, stable growth and reflected that understanding the laws of heaven and earth could greatly accelerate cultivation.
• Zhou Qing explained that Nami Village had formed from Namiki, whose children’s spirits and the villagers’ guilt and resentment shaped the village and its Equivalent Exchange law.
• Zhou Qing decided he wanted to help Namiki achieve a complete rebirth and settle the two-hundred-year grudge peacefully.
• Riko misunderstood Zhou Qing and Dugu Bo’s intentions, believing they planned to break the village’s barrier, let Aitaljia in, and start a massacre.

Riko fled Zhou Qing and Dugu Bo after learning they planned to destroy Nami Village, but Zhou Qing believed the village’s residents would accept their fate. After helping Timidit recover and preparing her to face Ifranci, Zhou Qing sent her and Dugu Bo to find Riko while he entered the cave, where Romantina continued studying the brain cavity.

• Riko slipped away from Zhou Qing and Dugu Bo, hoping to prevent Nami Village from being destroyed.
• Zhou Qing used the Phoenix Wutong Mech-Staff and returned with Dugu Bo to the ravine, where Mahaha pulled Timidit up with his stretching tentacles.
• Zhou Qing helped Timidit recover, gave her food and the Phoenix Wutong Mech-Staff, and told Mahaha to take her to find Riko.
• Zhou Qing sent Dugu Bo along to help start the reckoning with Dark, then went alone into the cave.
• Romantina continued using Spiritual Power to study the brain cavity and plan an Inner Scenery World.

Zhou Qing interrupted Romantina’s meditation and shared roasted meat with her and Rabbitna while discussing Nami Village’s tremors and Namiki’s reincarnation. Hope agreed to Zhou Qing’s offer to move into his Inner Scenery World, but could not enter while still bound to Nami Village.

• Zhou Qing interrupted Romantina’s thoughts and shared roasted meat with her and Rabbitna.
• Hope told Rabbitna that he wanted Namiki’s final daughter, Jia, to become whole, and Rabbitna agreed to take Namiki deeper into the region.
• Rabbitna said that Aitaljia would find companions to explore with, while Hope wished he could watch her grow and become a father to her.
• Zhou Qing offered Hope a place in his Inner Scenery World in exchange for helping him observe the sun, moon, and stars, and Hope agreed.
• Hope discovered that he could not enter Zhou Qing’s Inner Scenery World because everything he possessed still belonged to Nami Village.

Riko told Dark that Zhou Qing and Dugu Bo planned to destroy Nami Village, and Dark traded her the Heart of Dreams before binding her as a hostage. Meanwhile, Mahaha carried Timidit toward the Bell Tower, where Ifranci attacked them, and Dark recognized him as the man Timidit feared from her past.

• Riko asked Dark what would happen to the Fallen Ones if Nami Village were destroyed, and he explained that they would disappear with it.
• Riko told Dark about Zhou Qing and Dugu Bo’s plan, and he gave her the Heart of Dreams in exchange for the information before binding her as a hostage.
• Mahaha carried Timidit toward the Bell Tower, but Ifranci rose from the street and attacked them with his mallet.
• Mahaha dodged Ifranci’s strikes with her extendable tentacles while Dark watched with Riko bound against him.
• Dark recognized Ifranci as the person Timidit had feared on the island, the man who had bought her.

Timidit struck Ifranci with the Phoenix Wutong Mech-Staff, opening a passage into Nami Village, and Aitaljia entered to attack the village’s Fallen Ones. Zhou Qing held back while Rabbit Girl went to find Riko, leaving Dark to widen the breach and the conflict unresolved.

• Timidit fired the Phoenix Wutong Mech-Staff at Ifranci, blasting through the mountain wall and being thrown backward by the recoil.
• Aitaljia rushed through the new passage, knocked Clockwork Gentleman aside, tore Miss Clock in half, and entered Nami Village.
• Ifranci healed its wound with the black sludge of Namiki’s children, but the sludge restored Aitaljia and regrew her severed arm.
• Aitaljia struck Ifranci into the Bell Tower and began devouring the village’s Fallen Ones, shocking Riko and Dugu Bo.
• Zhou Qing told Rabbit Girl to find Riko and stall Aitaljia, while Dark widened the passage and Zhou Qing chose not to intervene.