Chapter Summaries

Lin Qiye unleashed the Black Sun Sacrifice while Nie Jinshan redirected its beams to protect the island. In Huaihai City, the cub’s cry disrupted Bai Ze’s restraint, and Lin Qiye tried to steer the rampaging beast away from Tang Mingxuan.

• Lin Qiye summoned a massive black sun over the valley, and Nie Jinshan arrived with the Black Long Staff to deflect its crimson beams into the sky.
• Mad Demon Cao Yuan and An Qingyu restrained Bai Ze while Lin Qiye used the Black Sun Sacrifice to block its movements, and Lin Qiye ordered them not to kill it.
• Tang Mingxuan carried the sleeping cub through the flooded streets as Bai Ze’s rampage weakened the river’s surge.
• The cub woke and cried, causing Bai Ze to break free of An Qingyu’s threads and charge toward the riverbank as a waterspout surged through Huaihai City.
• Lin Qiye leaped onto Bai Ze, seized its horns, and tried to turn its advance away from the cub.

Lin Qiye used Tyrant's Wrath and Soul Domination Song to turn Bai Ze away from Huaihai City, then guided him into the aurora at the city's edge. As Lin Qiye's consciousness sank into darkness, he met a child who looked like him and called himself Lin Qiye, before Lin Qiye was pulled back toward the light.

• Bai Ze resisted Lin Qiye's attempts to stop him and charged toward Huaihai City with a tsunami of water behind him.
• Lin Qiye sang Soul Domination Song, took control of Bai Ze, and steered him away from the city.
• Lin Qiye lost control of Bai Ze and suffered the song's backlash, but expanded Mortal Divine Domain and gambled that Bai Ze could be saved by sending him into the aurora.
• Lin Qiye and Bai Ze vanished into the aurora, and Lin Qiye's consciousness fell into darkness.
• Lin Qiye met a child who looked like him and said he was Lin Qiye, then the child warned Lin Qiye to leave as his consciousness was pulled toward the light.

Bai Ze reunited with Tang Mingxuan and received the name Rainborn as the reconstructed world collapsed, while Tang Yusheng disappeared into the sea. Lin Qiye woke after crossing the boundary, and Li Kengqiang explained the danger before reflecting on the past.

• Bai Ze returned to Tang Mingxuan with the young beast, and Tang Mingxuan named it Rainborn before they vanished with the collapsing world.
• Tang Yusheng mourned at the eastern reefs, then stepped into the waves and disappeared.
• An Qingyu learned from Li Kengqiang that Lin Qiye might have become a vegetable after entering the fringe of consciousness.
• An Qingyu prepared to open Lin Qiye's skull, but Lin Qiye suddenly woke up with no memory of his dream.
• Li Kengqiang told Lin Qiye and the others that Huaihai City had been saved and Bai Ze had recovered, then lamented that they had not been able to do the same before.

Unable to sleep after the trial training, Lin Qiye asked Li Kengqiang about the real Huaihai City disaster and learned the truth about Bai Ze and Tang Mingxuan. Li Kengqiang revealed that the young Bai Ze had become Tang Yusheng, the youngest Night Watchman Commander, who was also on the island.

• Lin Qiye joined Baili Pangpang, An Qingyu, and Jiang Er by the campfire, where Cao Yuan reported that the island had no wild animals and Li Kengqiang brought them a giant fish as a thank-you gift.
• Lin Qiye asked Li Kengqiang what had really happened during the Huaihai City disaster, and Li Kengqiang explained that Yue Huai had corrupted Bai Ze and caused the disaster after infiltrating 007 Squad.
• Li Kengqiang said the squad drove Yue Huai away, then Tang Mingxuan killed Bai Ze as she had asked him to do if she could not withstand her corruption.
• Li Kengqiang revealed that Tang Mingxuan had been imprisoned and had entrusted him with the young Bai Ze, who later died.
• Li Kengqiang told the shocked Nightfall Squad that the young Bai Ze was now Tang Yusheng, the youngest Commander of the Night Watchmen, and was on the island.

Li Kengqiang and Tang Yusheng spoke about the tragedies of their past, while Lin Qiye found Yelander playing Go at the Psychiatric Hospital of the Gods. Lin Qiye realized Yelander had scattered the black stones in exactly the same positions twice, leaving him wondering what the strange move meant.

• Li Kengqiang brought Tang Yusheng a fish skewer and apologized, saying their past tragedies might have been avoided if they had performed like Lin Qiye and the others.
• Tang Yusheng reassured Li Kengqiang that his sacrifices had made Tang Yusheng's life and achievements possible.
• Lin Qiye learned that Li Yifei was playing chess with Yelander and went to the courtyard to see them.
• Li Yifei told Lin Qiye that Yelander had watched him and A Zhu play Gomoku, then made seemingly random moves when given a turn.
• Lin Qiye explained Go to Yelander, but Yelander scattered black stones across the board again.
• Lin Qiye noticed that Yelander's second scatter matched the first exactly in both the number and positions of the stones.

Lin Qiye visited Gilgamesh after learning that the Star Coin had erased his memories of the patient, and the two spent the night reviewing Gilgamesh’s past. The next morning, Commander Li began formal training and revealed that someone in the Nightfall Squad had nearly reached Human Apex.

• Lin Qiye noticed Yelander scattered the Go stones in the same positions for the third time, memorized the board, and told Li Yifei to record Yelander’s future games.
• Li Yifei told Lin Qiye that Gilgamesh wanted to see him, and Lin Qiye went to the fifth ward, where Gilgamesh explained that the Star Coin had caused Lin Qiye’s lost memories.
• Gilgamesh admitted that he had also lost most of his memories after using the Star Coin, and he showed Lin Qiye books and documents they hoped would help recover his past.
• Lin Qiye questioned Gilgamesh about his illness and memories, then listened as Gilgamesh began recounting their first meeting and other events from his stay at the hospital.
• After staying up all night with Gilgamesh, Lin Qiye returned to the Nightfall Squad’s training ground, where Commander Li announced that one of them had nearly reached Human Apex.
• Lin Qiye, Baili Pangpang, Cao Yuan, and Jiang Er looked toward An Qingyu, who smiled sheepishly.

Li Kengqiang explained that becoming a human apex required developing the body’s potential and overcoming a personal Heart Barrier through an extraordinary state of mind. He began training Lin Qiye and the others by introducing their new opponent, the third Commander-in-Chief, Tang Yusheng.

• Li Kengqiang explained that human apexes had exhausted their physical and mental potential, and that Ghost God's Pull could not affect them.
• Li Kengqiang described the Heart Barrier and explained how intense emotions or epiphanies could help someone overcome it, citing Fan Jin and Zhou Ping as examples.
• Lin Qiye recalled King Mask’s breakthrough after his teammates died and considered whether The Whisperer’s failure to become a human apex was related to the Heart Barrier.
• Li Kengqiang told the group their training would focus on physical potential and preparing them to break through the Heart Barrier, and forbade them from leaving until he was satisfied.
• Li Kengqiang began the training by presenting Tang Yusheng, the third Commander-in-Chief of the Great Xia Night Watchmen, as their opponent.

Tang Yusheng took Lin Qiye and the Nightfall Squad to the reefs and attacked them without warning, telling them to stay alive. After sending Lin Qiye, Baili Pangpang, and Cao Yuan flying and breaking through Jiang Er and An Qingyu’s counterattacks, he was caught by An Qingyu’s body trap as a blade struck at his back.

• Tang Yusheng led Lin Qiye and the others to the reefs, told An Qingyu to move the Black Coffin away, and froze the surrounding sea with his Heavenly Halberd.
• Tang Yusheng struck Lin Qiye and kicked Baili Pangpang into the sea before Cao Yuan charged at him with his blade.
• Tang Yusheng hurled his Heavenly Halberd at Cao Yuan, knocking him into the sea, while Jiang Er briefly stalled Tang Yusheng and An Qingyu attacked with crimson lightning.
• Tang Yusheng emerged nearly unharmed, wounded An Qingyu with the Heavenly Halberd, and punched into his lower ribs.
• An Qingyu trapped Tang Yusheng’s fist inside his body as a snow-white blade light slashed toward Tang Yusheng’s back.

Lin Qiye and the others trained against Tang Yusheng, who defeated them and left them gravely wounded for Li Kengqiang to treat. Meanwhile, Yue Huai and several powerful allies located Great Xia’s Dragon Eye and debated how to approach it.

• Lin Qiye wounded Tang Yusheng with Zhanbai, but Tang Yusheng trapped him in crushing seawater and beat him unconscious.
• Tang Yusheng brought Lin Qiye, Cao Yuan, Baili Pangpang, and An Qingyu ashore, and Li Kengqiang agreed to save them.
• Yue Huai studied a map of Great Xia’s dragon veins and identified the Dragon Eye nearby.
• Three massive shadows urged Yue Huai to attack, but he ordered them to hold back until they could strike with certainty.

Yue Huai replaced his own eye with a sea creature’s special eye to look for the guard of Great Xia’s National Destiny, while Lin Qiye and his squad woke up healing in steaming medicinal vats. The strange sight left Yue Huai and the sea shadows doubting they had found the right island.

• Yue Huai took a green eyeball from one of the massive sea shadows and implanted it in his own socket so he could see through its vision.
• Lin Qiye woke in a heated vat beside Baili Pangpang, Cao Yuan, and An Qingyu, whose injuries had been nearly healed.
• Baili Pangpang mistook the herbs and spices in the vats for ingredients to cook them, and Li Kengqiang explained they were for healing and deodorizing.
• Li Kengqiang told the squad to soak for about two more hours and fed wood to the fires beneath their vats.
• Yue Huai used the green eye to see the squad being boiled in vats, prompting the sea shadows to wonder if they had mistaken the island for Great Xia’s Dragon Eye.

Lin Qiye and the others recovered in medicinal baths before Li Kengqiang used poker to help them keep calm about breaking through the Heart Barrier. Deep beneath the island, Huo Qubing told Gongyang Wan to keep the Night Watchmen there as long as possible and revealed that hidden observers were watching the island.

• Yue Huai recognized Li Kengqiang and concluded that the island held Great Xia's National Destiny, so he chose to watch rather than act rashly.
• Lin Qiye and the others climbed out of the medicinal vats after their bodies had recovered, and Li Kengqiang proposed playing cards as their training.
• Li Kengqiang described the cruel ways to force a Heart Barrier breakthrough, including killing comrades or loved ones, and warned that such efforts might still fail.
• Huo Qubing told Gongyang Wan that Li Kengqiang was keeping the Night Watchmen on the island under the pretext of training and ordered her to delay them.
• Huo Qubing revealed that concealed observers were watching the island from far offshore and decided to play along with their attempt to gauge its strength.

Lin Qiye and the Nightfall Squad spent three days relaxing on an island while Yue Huai’s forces watched from offshore, unsure whether it guarded Great Xia’s National Destiny. After deciding to probe the island that night, Yue Huai sent three shadows ashore, while Lin Qiye slipped out of the shelter to attend to other business.

• Yue Huai and the shadows watched Lin Qiye and his companions play cards, then saw Li Kengqiang cancel their potential training while keeping their Heart Barrier training scheduled.
• For the next three days, Li Kengqiang led Lin Qiye and the others in island activities, leaving Yue Huai’s forces doubtful that they had found the right place.
• Yue Huai decided to test the island and ordered three shadows to infiltrate it from different directions after Li Kengqiang separated from the young people.
• Lin Qiye reflected on the team’s rare vacation, reviewed Gilgamesh’s lessons and Yelander’s chess records, then quietly left the underground shelter late at night.

Three Black Crocodiles infiltrated the island to attack the place they believed protected Great Xia’s National Destiny. Lin Qiye exposed one of them while practicing his song, then pursued it toward the island’s interior, where An Qingyu blocked its path with an ice wall.

• Three Black Crocodiles came ashore from different directions and headed toward the island’s depths.
• Lin Qiye’s Soul Domination Song struck one Black Crocodile, and Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi severed one of its tail-tentacles before it escaped.
• Lin Qiye shouted an enemy alert, and explosions sounded from the island’s other sides.
• The Black Crocodile fled toward the island’s interior, and Lin Qiye pursued it through the forest and a mountain.
• An Qingyu descended in front of the Black Crocodile and raised a thick wall of ice and snow to block it.

Lin Qiye, Cao Yuan, Baili Pangpang, and An Qingyu fought a Black Crocodile while Wang Qing and Tang Yusheng stayed hidden. Yue Huai identified the island’s guardians as former Night Watchmen commanders and ordered a full assault, sending nearly twenty Black Crocodiles toward the island.

• Cao Yuan repeatedly slashed the Black Crocodile, but it seized him with its tentacle and hurled him into a mountain wall.
• The Black Crocodile bit off half of An Qingyu’s body, and An Qingyu shifted to protect the Black Coffin as his body began regenerating.
• Lin Qiye and Baili Pangpang joined Cao Yuan against the Black Crocodile, with Baili Pangpang binding it using Earth Binding.
• Wang Qing and Tang Yusheng decided to remain hidden, while Tang Yusheng said the enemy had taken the bait.
• Yue Huai concluded that the island’s guardians were likely the souls of former Night Watchmen commanders, including Nie Jinshan, Li Kengqiang, Tang Yusheng, and Wang Qing.
• Yue Huai ordered a full assault, and nearly twenty Black Crocodiles surged from the sea toward the island.

Lin Qiye and the Nightfall Squad trapped a Black Crocodile and killed it with Lin Qiye’s Blood Red Guillotine and Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi. A vast force of Black Crocodiles was still approaching the island as the battle continued.

• Lin Qiye sensed a massive number of Black Crocodiles approaching and warned the others to focus on the one they were fighting.
• Mad Demon Cao Yuan drew the Black Crocodile’s attention while Lin Qiye and An Qingyu raised a wooden cage around the battlefield.
• Baili Pangpang used his Tai Chi Diagram to swap places with the Black Crocodile and keep it inside the cage.
• Lin Qiye completed a blood-colored Magic Array and summoned the forbidden spell Blood Red Guillotine.
• The Black Crocodile broke one of the wooden trunks and injured An Qingyu, but Lin Qiye pinned it with the guillotine and killed it with Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi.

Lin Qiye and the Nightfall Squad killed a Black Crocodile, then met Wang Qing as she battled more Makaras and directed them deeper into the island. Meanwhile, Nie Jinshan fought four Makaras alone and sent Tang Yusheng back to guard the waters after warning him that the big fish had come ashore.

• Lin Qiye killed a Black Crocodile with the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, and An Qingyu collected its corpse for research.
• Wang Qing arrived and trapped three Makaras with her Long Whip, telling Lin Qiye and the Nightfall Squad to head deeper into the island.
• Lin Qiye accepted Wang Qing's orders and led the Nightfall Squad toward the island's depths.
• Nie Jinshan fought four Makaras alone on the shore and refused Tang Yusheng's offer to help.
• Nie Jinshan warned Tang Yusheng that the big fish had come ashore and sent him to guard the nearby waters.

Lin Qiye and his companions found Yue Huai near the island’s hidden core, where he sought to uncover Great Xia’s National Destiny. An unseen force stopped Yue Huai and made every Black Crocodile on the island kneel, leaving Lin Qiye wondering who had intervened.

• Yue Huai used an ancient compass to locate the underground site where Great Xia’s National Destiny was hidden.
• Lin Qiye and his companions arrived and recognized Yue Huai, who ordered two Black Crocodiles to attack them.
• An unknown force froze the Black Crocodiles, restrained Yue Huai, and sent a spear from underground that he barely avoided.
• Every Black Crocodile across the island stopped fighting and knelt toward the hole beneath the valley.
• Cao Yuan questioned who had intervened, and Lin Qiye said the mysterious ability felt familiar.

Huo Qubing revealed himself as the Emperor of Domination and stopped Yue Huai from escaping the island. He allowed Tang Yusheng, whose mother Yue Huai had killed, to settle their grudge personally.

• Lin Qiye and the others realized that the figure controlling the valley was Huo Qubing, who possessed the Emperor of Domination.
• Huo Qubing dominated the Makara tribe and Yue Huai, prompting Yue Huai to break free with black lotus petals and flee toward the sea.
• Huo Qubing's spear shattered Yue Huai's black lotus petals, and his power continued controlling Yue Huai even after he left the island.
• Tang Yusheng confronted Yue Huai over the murder of his mother, Bai Ze, and declared that he would kill him.
• Huo Qubing learned of Tang Yusheng's grudge from Gongyang Wan and allowed Tang Yusheng to settle it himself.

Tang Yusheng fought Yue Huai at sea and killed him with help from Huo Qubing’s control over the island. After Tang thanked the Marquis, Huo Qubing called Lin Qiye down into the crack where his spear had vanished.

• Yue Huai realized Huo Qubing had released his restraints so Tang Yusheng could kill him, and he taunted Tang about his mother.
• Tang used his research on Yue Huai’s abilities to attack him with countless water blades, then transformed into Bai Ze and struck him into the sea.
• Tang battled Yue Huai beneath the waves for more than ten minutes before emerging with Yue Huai’s head and thanking Huo Qubing.
• Huo Qubing told Tang to retrieve and destroy Yue Huai’s body, then his spear and the Black Crocodiles vanished beneath the island.
• Huo Qubing called Lin Qiye down into the crack in the ground.

Huo Qubing summoned Lin Qiye beneath the earth, asked about Jialan and the island, and gave him a cryptic warning before sending him back. Lin Qiye then rejoined the Nightfall Squad, where Li Kengqiang explained the Makara infiltration and Yue Huai’s connection to Annihilating Brahma.

• Huo Qubing summoned Lin Qiye to the cavern beneath the fissure, where the Great Xia National Destiny surged like a golden river.
• Huo Qubing asked Lin Qiye whether he and Jialan had married and how he and his brothers were doing on the island.
• Huo Qubing gave Lin Qiye the cryptic words, “A thousand sails pass, all swallowed by mist and cloud; barefoot across the wilderness, ask your heart what it truly seeks,” then let him leave.
• Gongyang Wan asked whether Lin Qiye would understand Huo Qubing’s words, and Huo Qubing said he would understand when the time came.
• Lin Qiye returned to the surface and told Baili Pangpang, An Qingyu, and Cao Yuan about the meeting.
• Li Kengqiang explained that the Makara were stealthy Indian divine beasts and that Yue Huai served Annihilating Brahma, the half of Brahma that had fled into the Mist.