Chapter Summaries

Lin Qiye challenged An Qingyu to a wager over chess, seeking answers about his betrayal and the Time Maze. An Qingyu explained how the maze worked and suggested there was a way to navigate it safely, leaving Lin Qiye with a new lead.

• Lin Qiye and An Qingyu agreed that the winner of their chess game would get either an answer or a trip somewhere, but their game ended in a draw.
• Lin Qiye asked An Qingyu why he betrayed Great Xia, how the Cthulhu Mythos would deal with Great Xia, and what his trump card was, and An Qingyu refused to answer.
• An Qingyu explained that the Time Maze could be broken by overwhelming force or by discovering its pattern and escaping from within.
• An Qingyu described the maze as layers of different times and said that finding a Safe Passage would let someone choose which temporal layer to enter.

An Qingyu chose to visit Erhai Lake, where Jiang Er’s parents still missed her, and revealed that he had come to call her back. Meanwhile, Fang Mo recognized a red-eyed rat as suspicious just before divine lightning struck it.

• An Qingyu told Lin Qiye he wanted to visit Erhai Lake, and Lin Qiye brought him there.
• Fang Mo and the Demon Squad watched Fifth Brother eat until the restaurant ran out of food.
• Luan Lie and Ninth Sister noticed a fearless red-eyed rat, and Fang Mo recognized it as connected to An Qingyu before divine lightning struck.
• An Qingyu and Lin Qiye watched Jiang Er’s mother reminisce about her and discuss finding her a match.
• An Qingyu thanked Lin Qiye for giving him a chance to call Jiang Er back, then released a strange aura by the lake.

An Qingyu revealed that he had created Yu San, a self-aware Artificial God with Zeus’s laws, and used the Gate of Truth to exchange bodies with him, bypassing the Psychiatric Hospital of the Gods. As Lin Qiye attacked, An Qingyu warned him to look around before acting.

• Lin Qiye forcibly recalled An Qingyu to the Psychiatric Hospital of the Gods, but Yu San emerged at Erhai Lake amid Zeus-like lightning.
• Yu San told Lin Qiye that he was an independent clone, while An Qingyu explained that he had cultivated a god using the flesh and blood of a Supreme God.
• An Qingyu and Yu San used the Gate of Truth to exchange bodies, allowing An Qingyu to escape the hospital’s restraint.
• Lin Qiye drew Divine Calamity and attacked An Qingyu as lightning, a Six-Winged Angel, and Sword Intent converged on the scene.
• An Qingyu told Lin Qiye not to act rashly and urged him to look around.

An Qingyu launched a coordinated attack across Great Xia, trapping three cities in a fog that blocked mental and divine power while his forces struck the Demon Squad and all six border passes. Shen Qingzhu sent Great Xia’s defenders to the passes, but the chapter ended with news that the Black Goat had invaded near Xuehan Pass.

• An Qingyu activated crimson patterns beneath three cities, raising dense mist that isolated them and concealed his disappearance from Lin Qiye.
• Yu Er fought the Demon Squad in Shennongjia, collected blood from Luan Lie and Fang Mo, and left the fighters incapacitated.
• Lovecraftian Gods attacked all six of Great Xia’s War Passes, prompting Shen Qingzhu to order human gods and Human Apex fighters to respond.
• Headquarters received a report that the Black Goat had invaded from the direction of Xuehan Pass.

At Erhai Lake, An Qingyu opened the Gate of Truth and sought to revive Jiang Er while Lin Qiye tried to reach him through the disorienting fog. An Qingyu offered the gate whatever it wanted, leaving Lin Qiye blocked from intervening as the gate began to open.

• Lin Qiye sent Seraph to help repel the invading Lovecraftian Gods, then followed a Karma Thread through the fog toward An Qingyu.
• Lin Qiye saw An Qingyu summon the massive Gate of Truth above Erhai Lake and use twelve vials of blood to open it slightly.
• Yu Er and Yu Si blocked Lin Qiye and told him that An Qingyu intended to revive Jiang Er.
• Yu Si explained that the Gate of Truth could exchange anything for a sufficient price, while Lin Qiye questioned whether he could trust it.
• An Qingyu asked the Gate of Truth to sense the magnetic field where Jiang Er had dissolved and offered it whatever it wanted in exchange for bringing her back.

An Qingyu traded his emotions to the Gate of Truth to bring Jiang Er back, but the gate demanded more and began reaching for the rest of him. Lin Qiye interrupted the exchange and warned An Qingyu that the gate might keep raising its price until nothing remained.

• The Gate of Truth took An Qingyu's emotions as payment, leaving him unable to feel and searching him for more to collect.
• An Qingyu agreed to let the gate take whatever else it wanted as long as it spared his life.
• Lin Qiye struck the starlit tentacles with Zhanbai, then used Hand of Royal Authority to reach An Qingyu.
• Lin Qiye argued that the Gate of Truth had concealed the exchange's full price and might demand An Qingyu's life after taking everything else.

An Qingyu’s attempt to resurrect Jiang Er through the Gate of Truth recovered only part of her magnetic field, while Lin Qiye paid a terrible price to help. As the gate vanished, Yu Er and Yu Si confronted Lin Qiye, and An Qingyu turned to their official business.

• Lin Qiye gave his blood to the Gate of Truth and threatened to destroy its true body if it took everything without saving Jiang Er.
• The Gate of Truth released magnetic fields across Erhai Lake, and Jiang Er’s figure appeared before dissolving into streams of radiance.
• An Qingyu realized the gate had restored only part of Jiang Er’s magnetic field, leaving her without life, consciousness, or memories.
• Lin Qiye concluded that the Gate of Truth had demanded an enormous price for only a fragment of Jiang Er’s return.
• Yu Er and Yu Si appeared before the weakened Lin Qiye as An Qingyu announced that it was time to handle official business.

Shen Qingzhu approached the mire at Great Xia’s border as the Lovecraftian God’s attack swallowed him, while An Qingyu ambushed Lin Qiye at Erhai Lake with two Artificial Gods and tried to take him hostage. Lin Qiye fought back, but An Qingyu anticipated his techniques and evaded his Karma Threads.

• Shen Qingzhu learned that the War Passes were under attack, that a sword had halted the Black Goat, and that no news had come from Erhai Lake, then ordered someone to release Destiny Monk from Kunlun Mountain.
• Shen Qingzhu approached the mire-covered sea and was swallowed by a sludge head that emerged from the clouds.
• Lin Qiye found An Qingyu waiting with Yu Er and Yu Si, two Lord God level Artificial Gods, and realized An Qingyu intended to take him hostage to deter the Mortal World Sword Immortal.
• Lin Qiye drew Zhanbai and Divine Calamity and attacked An Qingyu, who blocked one blade and dodged the other.
• Yu Er and Yu Si struck Lin Qiye with lightning, but he emerged mostly unharmed and sent Karma Threads toward the three opponents.
• An Qingyu retreated before the Karma Threads reached him, and Lin Qiye realized An Qingyu seemed wary of something in the void.

Lin Qiye struggled against An Qingyu and two Artificial Gods while Destiny Monk arrived and discussed a risky plan to turn the battle around. The Spirit Medium Squad then appeared to support Lin Qiye, and Destiny Monk silently signaled his agreement as the fight continued.

• The two Artificial Gods took turns attacking Lin Qiye while An Qingyu kept his distance, hoping Lin Qiye would exhaust himself.
• Destiny Monk contacted Lin Qiye through their Karma Threads and proposed dying to let Lin Qiye become the God of Karma, but Lin Qiye argued it would not prevent An Qingyu from escaping through a clone.
• Lin Qiye proposed another risky plan, and Destiny Monk hesitated as Lin Qiye neared his limit.
• Yuan Wenling led the Spirit Medium Squad out of the fog to support Lin Qiye, but Lin Qiye ordered them to leave.
• Yu Er appeared and attacked the Spirit Medium Squad while An Qingyu threatened that the squad could be wiped out.
• Destiny Monk arrived, met Lin Qiye's gaze, and gave him an almost imperceptible nod.

Lin Qiye went with An Qingyu as a hostage, while Destiny Monk reassured the Spirit Medium team that they had nearly ruined an important plan. An Qingyu then brought Lin Qiye to Xuehan Pass, where the Black Goat remained as the pass was overwhelmed by blood rain and its survivors lost contact with headquarters.

• Lin Qiye offered to go with An Qingyu as a hostage, and An Qingyu accepted after Destiny Monk warned him not to trust the traitor.
• Lin Qiye left with An Qingyu and the two Artificial Gods, while Destiny Monk told Yuan Wenling they had nearly ruined something important and went to stop the Mortal World Sword Immortal.
• At Xuehan Pass, blood rain mutated most of the people, leaving the survivors trapped in the central control room without contact with headquarters as the Black Goat remained outside the wall.
• An Qingyu arrived with Lin Qiye and the two Artificial Gods, refused to let the Black Goat take Lin Qiye, and headed toward Great Xia's border.
• The Black Goat stayed over Xuehan Pass, and An Qingyu warned it that it was courting death.

An Qingyu withdrew the Lovecraftian Gods and took Lin Qiye toward Erhai Lake, prompting Zhou Ping to nearly strike the Black Goat before the Destiny Monk explained the plan. The chapter ended with Seraph Lin Qiye reporting that the plan was proceeding smoothly.

• An Qingyu ordered the Lovecraftian Gods to retreat and left with Lin Qiye, ignoring the Black Goat’s objections.
• Zhou Ping threatened An Qingyu with his Sword Intent, then turned his anger toward the Black Goat as it fled into the mist.
• The Destiny Monk explained that Lin Qiye’s Primordial Spirit Embryo should keep him safe while An Qingyu investigated the Lovecraftian Gods’ secrets.
• Seraph Lin Qiye entered the Sword Pavilion and told Zhou Ping and the Destiny Monk that the plan was proceeding smoothly.

After the battle, Lin Qiye decided to travel alone to Antarctica to solve the Time Maze and bring back Nyx, leaving Destiny Monk to manage the Night Watchmen. Meanwhile, An Qingyu carried Lin Qiye’s frozen body into Cthulhu’s nest, where Lin Qiye awoke inside a recreation of the Capital City Courtyard.

• Destiny Monk told Seraph Lin Qiye that Great Xia’s top fighters had suffered severe losses, and Lin Qiye chose to go to Antarctica alone.
• Lin Qiye ordered Destiny Monk to manage the Night Watchmen while he was away, then flew toward Antarctica.
• An Qingyu sealed Lin Qiye in a gray ice coffin and carried him through a mirror-image strait into Cthulhu’s nest.
• An Qingyu brought the ice coffin through a laboratory and corpse collection hall to a maple-covered courtyard.
• Lin Qiye awoke in the familiar Capital City Courtyard and realized An Qingyu had recreated it inside Cthulhu’s nest.

Lin Qiye questioned An Qingyu’s motives after finding himself sealed inside the recreated Capital City Courtyard, while An Qingyu prepared to target the Hidden Gods and detected a signal connected to Jiang Er. Meanwhile, Lin Qiye’s Seraph clone reached Antarctica to search for the Time Maze and spotted a group carrying a black sedan chair across the ice.

• Lin Qiye asked An Qingyu why he had recreated the Capital City Courtyard, and An Qingyu explained that he lived there and warned Lin Qiye not to cross the barrier because the Black Goat was outside.
• An Qingyu returned to his laboratory, learned that Divine Lust Heaven had moved south and the Hidden Gods’ actions were unknown, then ordered Yu Si to take five Lovecraftian Gods and destroy the Hidden Gods.
• An Qingyu detected chaotic signals on his laboratory equipment and murmured that he had found Jiang Er.
• Lin Qiye’s Seraph clone flew south to Antarctica to search for the Time Maze that could lead to Goddess of Night Nyx.
• Lin Qiye spotted more than a dozen figures crossing the Antarctic ice while carrying a black sedan chair that gave off an indescribable fragrance.

Lin Qiye followed a group from Divine Lust Heaven in Antarctica, defeated Harun, and transformed into him to infiltrate their search for the Time Maze. He learned that their mysterious Holy Lord was seeking something inside it and continued with the group, posing as Harun.

• Lin Qiye spotted a mixed group of gods carrying a black sedan chair through Antarctica and followed one of them after the group split up to search.
• Lin Qiye struck Harun unconscious, concealed him with a Magic Array, and transformed into his likeness.
• Lin Qiye returned to the group and heard the voice inside the sedan chair order them to keep searching for the entrance to the Time Maze.
• The Holy Lord promised the group another chance to taste the Forbidden Fruit if they found what they sought, revealing their affiliation with Divine Lust Heaven.
• A Lord God spoke privately with Lin Qiye while they walked, praising the Forbidden Fruit and suggesting he would endure a hundred years to taste it again.

Lin Qiye used Laifu to guide the foreign gods to the Time Maze’s apparent entrance, but the Holy Lord recognized the glowing vortex as a trap too late. The blast swallowed most of the group, and the Holy Lord identified the masked girl behind the ambush as Si Xiaonan, leader of the Hidden Gods.

• After the gods failed to find the Time Maze, Lin Qiye sent Laifu racing across the ice to draw them toward its entrance.
• Lin Qiye repeatedly redirected the search until the group reached a broad ice field, where a glowing vortex appeared after dark.
• The gods rushed toward the vortex, but Lin Qiye stayed back and watched as the Holy Lord warned them it was a trap.
• The vortex erupted with divine power and swallowed most of the group in a massive explosion.
• The Holy Lord confronted the masked girl standing above a giant wolf shadow and identified her as Si Xiaonan, leader of the Hidden Gods.

Lin Qiye recognized the false Si Xiaonan riding Demon Wolf Fenrir as Divine Lust Heaven attacked, then realized the Holy Lord was No. 22, the vanished Lust God's agent. No. 22 revealed a grotesque fused body and used a Golden Scepter to drain divine power before striking Fenrir.

• The false Si Xiaonan charged Divine Lust Heaven on Fenrir, and the wolf shattered Kubera's golden seal before overpowering two Lord Gods.
• No. 22 knocked from inside the black sedan chair and drained divine power from the unconscious Lesser Gods and the two Lord Gods.
• No. 22 emerged fused inside a shell of humanoid flesh, and Lin Qiye recognized him as the Lust God's agent from King's Treasury.
• No. 22 used the Golden Scepter to drain Fenrir's divine power, dodged its bite, and struck its head with a golden-lit palm.

Lin Qiye revealed himself after helping the masked girl escape No. 22, then explained that she had found the entrance to the Time Maze first. No. 22 and Divine Lust Heaven faced the entrance with Lin Qiye standing nearby, unsure why he was letting them pass.

• No. 22 crushed Fenrir beneath the ice, but the masked girl ambushed him and tried to take the King's Scepter fused into his body.
• No. 22 caught the girl and threatened her with the King's Treasure Sword, but Lin Qiye intervened and blocked the strike.
• No. 22 recognized Lin Qiye as Commander Lin of the Great Xia Night Watchmen after Lin dispelled his disguise.
• The masked girl and Fenrir vanished, and Lin Qiye pointed out that the moon's reflection revealed time near the river was still stuck in the past.
• Lin Qiye said the girl had found the Time Maze entrance before No. 22, then stepped aside and invited Divine Lust Heaven to enter, leaving No. 22 suspicious.

No. 22 waited in the Time Maze and repeatedly drained the gods' divine power to prepare an ambush for Lin Qiye. Lin Qiye evaded his first strike and overwhelmed the group with his six-winged form, demanding that they enter the maze or be forced in.

• No. 22 led the gods into the Time Maze while Lin Qiye stayed outside, watching them enter.
• No. 22 repeatedly used the King's Scepter to absorb the gods' divine power as he waited for Lin Qiye to appear.
• Lin Qiye delayed for hours, then sent his crimson cloak into the moonlight and followed through the void.
• No. 22 slashed at the cloak, but Lin Qiye appeared behind him and knocked him into the ground with Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi.
• Lin Qiye spread his golden domain and threatened the gods, asking whether they would enter the maze willingly or be chased inside.

Lin Qiye forced Divine Lust Heaven into the Time Maze and tested how its space-time shifts worked. He discovered that each step could carry them into the past or future, leaving the group to navigate the maze by following the same footprints.

• No. 22 dispersed the divine power he had plundered and led Divine Lust Heaven deeper into the maze rather than fight Lin Qiye.
• Two Lesser Gods vanished when they stepped onto the plain, so Lin Qiye had the others retrace the left one's exact position.
• Lin Qiye and the others crowded onto a tiny patch of ice, where No. 22 explained that newcomers pushed someone else off into another time.
• Lin Qiye carved a mark into the ice with the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, then led the group onward by repeating the same footprints.
• Lin Qiye found that his mark had vanished and concluded their latest step had taken them into an earlier time.

Lin Qiye mapped the Time Maze by marking the chronological order of its locations, then the gods abandoned him to use his method on their own. No. 22 led them farther away, where they began marking the ice themselves.

• Lin Qiye tested whether No. 22 could return to his original time and concluded that time in the maze was bound to space.
• Lin Qiye marked the ice with numbers to map the maze’s chronology, and the group followed his method as they advanced.
• After Lin Qiye carved “-14,” No. 22 and the other gods suddenly fled through the maze, leaving him behind.
• No. 22 and the gods reasoned that they could solve the maze without Lin Qiye and might even prepare an ambush.
• No. 22 led the others away from Lin Qiye’s route, and they began carving their own marks into the ice.