Chapter Summaries

Liu Di arrived in European Nation with Leip and Cooper and traveled to an Indo-African religious community to visit a friend. Leip explained that the community’s Holy Maiden had recently awakened and transformed its religious practices, while Liu Di questioned the origins of her title.

• Leip warned Cooper about Liu Di’s abilities, but Liu Di arrived in a tuk-tuk rather than the extraordinary transport Leip had implied.
• Liu Di greeted Leip and Cooper, and Cooper tested Liu Di’s strength with his mechanical arm without moving him.
• Leip, Cooper, and Liu Di traveled to a large Indo-African community where thousands gathered for a ceremony celebrating the Holy Maiden’s awakening.
• Leip described how the Holy Maiden had replaced Indian Buddhism with the Indo-African Religion and helped maintain public order.
• Liu Di asked whether the title “Holy Maiden” came from a Hindu custom that forced poor girls into sexual slavery at temples, and Leip confirmed it.

Liu Di learned that Gu Fan had been abducted from China and had become the Brahma temple’s saintess after resisting an assault and displaying a mysterious power. He recognized that power as Mental Power Manifestation and watched the procession continue with Gu Fan atop its pavilion.

• A religious procession passed Liu Di and his companions, and its chief saintess stared at Liu Di as she went by.
• When a believer challenged the three men for not kneeling, Cooper intimidated him into bowing.
• Leip told Liu Di that Gu Fan had been abducted from China sixteen years earlier and was chosen as a saintess because her birth date matched the Great Brahma God’s.
• Leip explained that Gu Fan stabbed the temple’s Attendant when he tried to assault her, then displayed an ability that caused the believers to worship her as their supreme saintess.
• Liu Di identified Gu Fan’s ability as Mental Power Manifestation and looked toward her with relief and admiration.

Liu Di recognized Gu Fan’s extraordinary spiritual power and decided she could help him counter Liu Shang. At the ceremony, he uncovered a plot to trigger chaos and target Gu Fan, then sent Cooper to investigate while Leip realized the conspirators were in trouble.

• Liu Di recalled Gu Fan’s early display of mysterious power and concluded she could help him defend against Liu Shang.
• Leip teased Liu Di about pursuing Gu Fan, and Liu Di asked him to help when the time came.
• Liu Di told Cooper where two hidden audio generators and three disguised attackers were positioned, warning that the devices and smoke grenades would incite a deadly panic.
• Cooper verified Liu Di’s claims and slipped into the crowd without alerting anyone.
• Liu Di told Leip that the planned attack was timed to sabotage the ceremony and target Gu Fan, and Leip concluded the attackers were finished.

Cooper eliminated the disguised cultists, and Liu Di led Leip and Cooper through the procession to the Harappa Rebirth Hall. After tasting the river’s so-called holy water, Liu Di sought entry to meet the chief saintess and asked whether an official recommendation could let him join the faith directly.

• Cooper reported that he had eliminated the threats, and Liu Di praised his operation and told him to withdraw the European Nation War Department agents on their way.
• Liu Di, Leip, and Cooper followed the procession for more than thirty kilometers to the Harappa Rebirth Hall, where thousands of believers waited to drink holy water.
• Liu Di tasted the river water and, with Magic Child’s analysis, determined that it was ordinary and non-toxic.
• Liu Di asked the monks to let him enter the palace and meet the chief saintess, but they refused and said newcomers had to kneel by the Bright River for ninety-nine days.
• Liu Di asked whether an official recommendation from the European Nation could exempt him from the usual requirements.

Liu Di tried to enter Harappa Palace and uncover Ye Rou’s scheme, but Ye Rou ordered the warrior monks to stop him. Leip revealed his identity and secured Liu Di a chance to enter, though Liu Di learned the Saintess was bathing and producing the so-called holy water.

• Lieutenant Governor Baker told Liu Di he could not enter Harappa Palace without his recommendation, while Ye Rou confronted Liu Di and threatened him.
• Liu Di sensed sand and ammonia on Ye Rou and suspected he was involved in shady business.
• Ye Rou ordered the Vaishya monks to take Liu Di down, but Leip revealed himself as the powerful Mr. Leip, leaving Baker scrambling to show respect.
• Leip asked Baker what position Liu Di would receive, and Liu Di demanded permission to enter and leave the palace freely.
• Ye Rou and Baker explained that the Saintess was bathing alone and would produce holy water, prompting Liu Di to realize it was bathwater.
• Liu Di decided to hurry into the palace and uncover Ye Rou’s scheme.

Liu Di entered the palace claiming he needed to rescue the bathing Saintess from a conspiracy, though he was eager to see her. After she dressed and revealed herself, Liu Di faced the masked Saintess, still distracted by her appearance.

• Liu Di persuaded Leip and Beck to let him enter the palace alone, while monk Ye Rou secretly hoped he would perish alongside Gu Fan.
• Liu Di ignored Magic Child's suggestion to inspect underground and continued through the palace toward the bathing hall.
• Liu Di saw the Saintess bathing and ordered Magic Child to fuse Black and White Joker DNA to prevent a nosebleed.
• The Saintess rose from the pool, dressed in a robe, and opened the screens to face Liu Di.
• Magic Child questioned whether the Saintess had been wearing anything underneath, and Liu Di said that was not the point.

Liu Di discovered that the alluring saintess who invited him to bathe was Han Dan, Gu Fan’s substitute, and reunited with the real Gu Fan. He warned her that Ye Rou planned to seize the church’s offerings and property, but neither of them knew what method Ye Rou intended to use.

• Han Dan teased Liu Di by inviting him to bathe, while Gu Fan watched and laughed from behind a pillar.
• Gu Fan revealed herself and told Han Dan to stop teasing Liu Di, then confirmed that she had used a substitute during the parade.
• Liu Di and Gu Fan joked together by the pool, and Gu Fan remarked that Liu Di looked the same as he had in the Brain Realm.
• Liu Di suspected Ye Rou resented Gu Fan and planned to eliminate her and take control of the church’s offerings and property.
• Gu Fan said she believed Liu Di but could not guess Ye Rou’s method, and Liu Di claimed that he knew.

Liu Di explained to Gu Fan that Ye Rou had prepared a hidden chemical trap beneath Harappa Palace, while Ye Rou told the believers that the gods would destroy the palace as punishment. The ground split open and lava engulfed the palace, leaving Liu Di and Gu Fan’s fate unknown.

• Liu Di told Gu Fan that Ye Rou had hollowed out the ground beneath Harappa Palace and planned to melt sand with magnesium, disguising the resulting magnesium nitride as soil.
• Ye Rou declared to the believers that Gu Fan had fallen into the Asura Path and that Shiva would destroy Harappa Palace with divine fires.
• Cooper tried to warn Liu Di, but Leip stopped him and said they should wait to see whether Liu Di survived.
• The earth trembled, cracks spread around Harappa Palace, and heat and crimson light surged from the fissures.
• Lava erupted and swallowed Harappa Palace as Ye Rou stood calmly before the destruction.

Liu Di and Gu Fan survived the inferno at Harappa Palace, and Liu Di guided the believers to interpret their survival as a divine trial and Gu Fan’s rebirth. The fire revealed a gigantic crystal flower, while Ye Rou’s plot was exposed and his chance to become Holy Son collapsed.

• As the flames weakened, Liu Di and Gu Fan appeared unharmed at the center of Harappa Palace, and Leip welcomed Liu Di as the unkillable cockroach.
• Ye Rou accused the pair of being protected by an evil god, but Liu Di asked the believers whether they had heard of Nirvana Rebirth.
• The believers interpreted the fire as a divine trial and Gu Fan’s transformation, connecting it to Harappa’s rebirth and the Chinese phrase Phoenix Nirvana.
• The solidified lava’s black outer shell peeled away, revealing a vast, transparent flower that shone like glass or diamond.
• Ye Rou realized Liu Di had prolonged the flames to refine the artificial lava into glass, leaving him unable to explain away his failed scheme.

Liu Di and Gu Fan stopped Ye Rou’s attempted power grab, then Gu Fan used her reputation as the Great Brahma God to unite religious factions across North America. Liu Di watched her preach peace and recognized that she intended to create a refuge for people in need.

• Liu Di declared Ye Rou had failed the trial, and Ye Rou was turned to sand, burned, and shattered before the believers.
• Liu Di reunited with Leip, gave him black mud as holy water, and told him that Deputy Governor Beck had colluded with Ye Rou to seize power and exploit religion.
• Liu Di planned to expand his business and technological defenses internationally, and he asked Gu Fan to visit his home after she handled a small matter.
• Gu Fan became known as the living Great Brahma God and united twenty-five small religious sects through sermons across the European Nation and surrounding regions.
• Liu Di watched Gu Fan preach unity and aid for the suffering, concluding that she sought to build a peaceful place rather than gain power.

Leip’s private jet was hijacked after General Cooper’s cybernetic body was taken over by a mysterious half-human, half-machine figure serving the Apocalypse Association. Meanwhile, Liu Di helped Gu Fan recruit Misha to become the new Saintess, leaving Gu Fan astonished by how quickly Misha agreed.

• Cooper warned Leip that Ye Rou’s remains were incomplete, but Leip dismissed his concerns and boarded his private jet with Cooper.
• A projected half-human, half-machine figure calling himself Chairman took control of Cooper’s cybernetic body and ordered him to serve the Apocalypse Association and Attendant.
• Cooper knocked Leip unconscious, killed both pilots, disabled the plane’s communications and radar, and diverted the jet over the sea.
• Gu Fan told Liu Di she wanted to rest but could not leave the sects without a successor, and she described Misha as a reluctant candidate for Saintess.
• Liu Di reunited with Misha at the palace and persuaded her to become Saintess in three sentences, stunning Gu Fan.

Misha met Liu Di and, inspired by his advice, planned to build a knowledge-based religion with its own armed force. Gu Fan revealed that she had already prepared Skanda, then named Misha the Wisdom Saintess as the religion began to grow.

• Misha eagerly reunited with Liu Di and asked how she should manage a religion.
• Liu Di advised Misha to use religion to give people hope and knowledge to improve their lives, inspiring her to call it the Knowledge Religion.
• Misha proposed forming an armed force, and Liu Di supported her; Gu Fan also agreed and reassured Misha of her trust.
• Gu Fan introduced Skanda, her armed force of guardian monks, and explained that she had secretly prepared it over eight years.
• Gu Fan created the title Wisdom Saintess for Misha in a religious ceremony, and the followers welcomed her new position.

Misha became Hinduism’s Wisdom Saintess, while Liu Di and Gu Fan left the religious building and planned to go to Binni University to find Gu Xiao. Liu Di contacted Leip to borrow a car, leaving the group ready to travel.

• Misha’s father proudly began worshipping a statue of Xian Liu Sheng and credited him with Misha’s success and the village’s prosperity.
• Liu Di admired Gu Fan after she changed out of her religious gown, and Magic Child teased him about his reaction.
• Misha waved goodbye to Gu Fan and changed her goal from marrying Liu Di to supporting him.
• Gu Fan said she wanted to visit Gu Xiao, and Liu Di said he would handle rescuing him after contacting someone.
• Liu Di called Leip to borrow a car for the trip to Binni University.

Liu Di and Gu Fan arrived at Binni University and found Gu Xiao struggling with the gap between his Brain Realm life and reality. After Gu Xiao met a beautiful woman he believed was Ning Xiang, Liu Di stopped him from pursuing her and told him to face reality.

• Liu Di and Gu Fan rode to Binni University in a luxury Lincoln, where Gu Fan leaned against Liu Di during the journey.
• Gu Fan and Liu Di found Gu Xiao sitting on a statue, and students explained that he had silenced psychology professors with his knowledge of classic texts.
• Gu Xiao confronted Liu Di and Gu Fan, admitted he felt disheartened, and said he would not search for Ning Xiang because she had married in reality.
• A woman in white dropped her scarf near Gu Xiao, and he became convinced at first sight that he had fallen in love with her.
• Liu Di returned the scarf to the woman and held Gu Xiao back as she drove away in a Rolls-Royce, then told him he had no chance with her.

Liu Di helped Gu Xiao learn about Hester Frolen and a special auction item that could earn him a chance to court her. Gu Xiao collected money from Gu Fan and turned to Liu Di for financial help.

• Gu Xiao vowed to find and marry the woman in the white trench coat, so Liu Di gave him a file identifying her as Hester Frolen, the daughter of a wealthy auction-house president.
• Liu Di told Gu Xiao that Hester's father planned to auction a pine-resin-sealed dormouse that he treasured as a symbol of his daughter's recovery, and that winning it could earn the winner his support in dating her.
• Gu Xiao said he had only 1,200 in his account, then asked Gu Fan for money; she gave him her card with around 500,000 euros in savings.
• Liu Di called Gu Xiao over and offered to help, saying he had nothing but money.

Gu Xiao entered the Picasso Auction Center to bid on Lot 53, the Amber Dormouse, with Liu Di promising to fund his purchase. He settled into the auction and watched the bidding begin, still unaware why the guests were paying attention to him.

• Gu Xiao questioned Liu Di's wealth, and Liu Di assured him that funds would arrive in time for him to win Lot 53.
• Liu Di told Gu Xiao that the Amber Dormouse had a set price of one hundred euros, and Gu Xiao confidently headed into the auction.
• At the Picasso Auction Center, Gu Xiao asked for a central seat and told the receptionist he wanted Lot 53, offering his phone so the staff could bid for him.
• A blond young man asked whether Gu Xiao wanted Lot 53, denied any interest himself, and wished him good luck.
• Gu Xiao took his seat with bidding number 001 as the auction began, then became captivated by a woman in a white trench coat.
• The auctioneer sold The Shepherd Boy for nine million euros, leaving Gu Xiao bewildered by its price and appearance.

Gu Xiao tried to buy Lot No. 53 at President Brown’s auction, but Lamb Joyce outbid him and announced he had 100 million euros ready. A mysterious stream of funds sent Gu Xiao’s bids soaring to 3.5 billion euros, and Liu Di revealed the money was a bride price, leaving Gu Xiao fainting and Joyce stunned.

• President Brown presented Lot No. 53, a small piece of amber with a 100-euro starting price, and Gu Xiao bid 200 euros.
• Lamb Joyce bid 5 million euros and declared that he intended to win Lot No. 53, while Liu Di told Gu Fan that the woman behind the item was Ning Xiang.
• Joyce announced that he had prepared 100 million euros and mocked Gu Xiao, who believed he could not afford to compete.
• After receiving messages on Gu Xiao’s phone, the elderly consultant bid 300 million euros, then raised the bid to 3.5 billion euros as Gu Xiao protested.
• The consultant read Liu Di’s message calling the money a bride price, and Gu Xiao fainted as Joyce’s father offered him another 100 million euros.

Gu Xiao woke at the Picasso Auction Center to discover Liu Di had paid 3.5 billion euros for him to buy Little Dormouse, and he was confronted with a woman who resembled Ning Xiang. After she revealed she was Ning Xiang, Gu Xiao remembered their life together in the Brain Realm and reunited with her, realizing Liu Di had orchestrated their reunion.

• Gu Xiao woke during the auction, fainted again after President Brown announced the 3.5 billion euro sale, and was carried to a VIP reception room.
• President Brown told Gu Xiao to call him Father-in-law and revealed Liu Di and Gu Fan, while a woman in a white trench coat waited nearby.
• The woman told Gu Xiao that buying Little Dormouse meant he had to marry her, but Gu Xiao said he would keep waiting for Ning Xiang and asked President Brown to return the purchase.
• The woman introduced herself as Hester Frolen and explained that her name meant “Fragrance,” prompting Gu Xiao to recognize her as Ning Xiang.
• Gu Xiao and Ning Xiang embraced as memories of their life and wedding in the Brain Realm returned to him.
• Gu Xiao realized Liu Di had arranged their reunion through a long-running scheme and thanked him.

Liu Di let Gu Xiao keep the 3.5 billion yuan he had spent and arranged for him to work at the auction house, while jokingly challenging him to earn his own fortune. As Liu Di and Gu Fan were leaving in a Lincoln sedan, Magic Child detected a bomb beneath it.

• President Brown revealed that Witnesses had acquired his auction house and apologized for failing to recognize Liu Di, but Liu Di refused a refund and called the money Gu Xiao's bride price.
• President Brown offered Gu Xiao a job at the auction house, and Gu Xiao accepted while insisting he wanted to rely on his own efforts.
• Gu Xiao guessed that Liu Di was secretly a billionaire, and Liu Di gave him a bank card locked for a year with a reward tied to Gu Xiao's future assets.
• Liu Di and Gu Fan left the auction center, and Gu Fan offered to repay the money Liu Di had lent Gu Xiao.
• Magic Child detected a bomb beneath the Lincoln sedan.

Liu Di discovered that the car’s driver had been part of an attempt to kill him and realized Leip was secretly warning him about a larger threat. As Liu Di left to investigate Qing Changpu, Leip remained trapped at a White House banquet, unable to expose the technology controlling him.

• Liu Di rescued Gu Fan from the car, set off the Picasso Auction Center’s fireworks, and kicked the bomb-rigged sedan away before it exploded.
• Liu Di spoke with Leip, interpreted his strained hints as a warning, and ordered Magic Child to investigate Qing Changpu.
• Liu Di asked Gu Fan to stay with Gu Xiao and left, while Little Xia and Little Qiu’s group stayed nearby to protect her.
• Leip attended a banquet he had not summoned and struggled to warn the gathered officials that a device embedded behind his neck controlled his speech and movements.