Chapter Summaries

After Huang Ji formed a smaller core team, Professor Hawking volunteered to be taken into space with Aomazo so he could witness alien civilization. With the spacecraft gone, Huang Ji prepared his followers for the coming fight against Dis by promising to raise them to S6.

• Huang Ji let members who wanted to leave receive high-ranking posts and shares of the Illuminati's slots, leaving only a handful to form Kunlun Ruins's new core team.
• Aomazo prepared to transport nearly three thousand unconscious people aboard eight spacecraft.
• Hawking arrived in his wheelchair, offered himself to Aomazo, and explained that he wanted to see alien civilization despite knowing he would likely die.
• Aomazo accepted Hawking without offering the Illuminati a reward and took him aboard his lead spacecraft as the fleet departed.
• Huang Ji sent a delayed command to the Nano Swarm inside Hawking and confirmed that Dis would be alone in the Solar System during the coming three months.
• Huang Ji told Lin Li and the others that he could help them become Perfect Humans and raise them to S6.

Huang Ji enhanced the Kunlun Ruins members with personalized Perfect Human Serum and explained how training and Dragonkin transformation could raise their combat strength. He sent the group to Hua Country in batches to search for Brando and ordered them to gather in the Great Northwest before the April 14 earthquake.

• Huang Ji modified Lin Li and the other Kunlun Ruins members, including Luo Yan, Wally, and One-Eyed Eagle, with Perfect Human Serum.
• Luo Yan explained that the serum raised the body's strength limit and that Huang Ji's Electrical Power training could help them reach S6 within weeks.
• Huang Ji enhanced Sophia's brain capacity and neural abilities while keeping her appearance mostly unchanged.
• Luo Yan transformed through Horn Manifestation and demonstrated that his S5 strength increased fourfold to S7.
• Huang Ji told the group he could teach them to transform with Nano Swarms and Electrical Power, potentially raising trained S6 members to S8.
• Huang Ji arranged for the group to travel to Hua Country in batches, search for Brando with government help, and meet in the Great Northwest before April 14.

Yu Mo Shuo and Gu Feng received the Illuminati delegation in Hangzhou to coordinate earthquake preparations and capture a traitor. Gu Feng identified the delegation’s leader, who called himself Huang Ji, as a liar and planned to watch him during their talks.

• Yu Mo Shuo reviewed preparations for the predicted earthquake and warned Gu Feng not to trust the Illuminati’s motives.
• Yu Mo Shuo and Gu Feng welcomed a hundred imposing New Humans led by Huang Ji and Luo Yan.
• The delegation traveled to a suburban compound while its members loudly admired Hangzhou’s scenery.
• Gu Feng reported that the man calling himself Huang Ji had lied about his identity and resembled a seventeen-year-old student in Magic City with an intellectual disability.
• Yu Mo Shuo told Gu Feng to conceal their suspicions and discreetly signal whether Huang Ji lied during their meeting.

Huang Ji negotiated with Yu Mo Shuo over the Nature Disruptor, Torch Dragon, and plans to travel to the northwest, while Gu Feng silently exposed several of Huang Ji’s lies. They agreed to cooperate in capturing Brando, and Yu Mo Shuo ordered his people to investigate Huang Ji’s real purpose before the group headed northwest.

• Huang Ji told Yu Mo Shuo that the Nature Disruptor was searching for Torch Dragon and would violently excavate it before leaving Earth.
• Huang Ji gave several explanations for why his group needed to meet the Disruptor, but Gu Feng signaled that most were lies; Yu Mo Shuo agreed to accompany them to the northwest.
• Huang Ji and Yu Mo Shuo divided responsibilities for capturing Brando, with Yu Mo Shuo’s people investigating and Huang Ji’s people carrying out the capture in Hangzhou.
• Yu Mo Shuo and Gu Feng reviewed the recorded meeting, and Yu Mo Shuo instructed State Security personnel to learn Huang Ji’s true purpose by observing his subordinates.
• The crew-cut man proposed building relationships with Huang Ji’s men and drinking with them to draw out information.

Huang Ji's group and State Security tracked down Ascenders scattered by Brando, while Yu Mo Shuo and Gu Feng pieced together the Illuminati's recent coup and Huang Ji's possible reasons for coming to Hua Country. The chapter ended with Yu Mo Shuo deciding to use the naive Lin Li as a way to learn more about the Illuminati.

• Huang Ji sent Alan to assess the occupied fertilizer factory, and Alan used tranquilizer rounds to take down seven Ascenders while State Security rescued the hostages.
• Huang Ji explained that Brando had scattered Ascenders across the Jiangzhe Area as cannon fodder to distract State Security, and he asked Yu Mo Shuo to hand captured Ascenders over to his group.
• Yu Mo Shuo and Gu Feng learned from captured Ascenders that the Double Pupils Faction had overthrown the Illuminati's leadership, forcing Brando to flee to Hua Country.
• Gu Feng argued that Huang Ji and Luo Yan might be seeking the Disruptor or trying to stop Brando from restoring the old Illuminati leadership.
• Gu Feng told Yu Mo Shuo that State Security had identified Lin Li as a former Fudan University student who was naive and easy to deceive, and Yu Mo Shuo decided to use him as their way in.

Huang Ji warned Yu Mo Shuo that Brando might be tracking State Security through spores, then traded a vial of serum for help arranging a cover identity. After Huang Ji called Brando directly, Brando believed his hideout had been exposed and fled Hangzhou with his team and two hostages.

• Huang Ji told Yu Mo Shuo that Brando might have planted spores on State Security personnel to evade capture.
• Huang Ji claimed he needed a normal identity and offered Yu Mo Shuo a vial of serum in exchange for government help.
• Gu Feng told Yu Mo Shuo that Huang Ji’s story was a lie, but Yu Mo Shuo accepted the deal and sent unexposed personnel to search for Brando.
• Huang Ji blocked the listening device in his room and called Brando, identifying himself as Hua Ji.
• Brando destroyed the phone, concluded that local contacts had exposed him, and hurriedly fled Hangzhou with Brandy, Digg, Flowran, Saya, and Royia.

Brando and his companions fled after Huang Ji tracked their safe house and tried to persuade them to surrender. When Brando saw State Security personnel converging on Magic City, he decided to follow them and investigate what was happening there.

• Brando abandoned his safe house and drove with Brandy, Digg, and the captives toward the countryside.
• Huang Ji called Brando and offered to let him keep his position as Sword-Keeper if he surrendered and released Royia.
• Brando realized Huang Ji knew they were in a truck, destroyed the phone, and led the group away on foot with Saya and Royia.
• Digg urged Brando to return the Ark of the Covenant and surrender, but Brando insisted they hold out for Dis.
• Brando and Brandy noticed that the State Security personnel tagged with Spore were converging on Magic City, so Brando chose to follow them.

Yu Mo Shuo and Yun Ge fabricated a medical explanation to help Huang Ji retrieve Cao Jing from school, while Brando’s group mistakenly concluded that Cao Jing was Hua Ji’s younger brother. The chapter ended with Brando ordering Brandy to hack into Cao Jing’s home, convinced he had found a way to track Hua Ji.

• Yu Mo Shuo and Yun Ge told Zheng Xuan that Cao Jing had a rare brain-cell disorder and offered to treat him, and Zheng Xuan agreed to consult his wife and Cao Jing’s Grandpa.
• Zhang Junwei recognized that the supposed Huang Ji was actually Cao Jing, then realized Lin Li’s presence meant the switch had been arranged by Huang Ji.
• Flowran followed Zheng Xuan and Cao Jing, planted spores on them, and reported what she had seen to Brando, Brandy, and Digg.
• Brando and Brandy decided that Cao Jing was Hua Ji’s secret younger brother and speculated that Hua Ji had returned to find his family.
• Brando told Brandy to use a tablet to hack into Cao Jing’s home, hoping to uncover who was protecting him and expose Hua Ji’s whereabouts.

Zheng Xuan was caught in Brandy’s attempt to abduct Cao Jing, while Huang Ji and Alan’s trap helped Yu Mo Shuo identify Brando’s scheme. Brando escaped the first ambush but was recognized by State Security while disguised as a homeless man, leaving him surrounded by powerful pursuers.

• Zheng Xuan traced a hacker’s intrusion to a nearby café, then saw Brandy arrive at his building with a dagger and called the police.
• Brandy broke into Cao Jing’s apartment, knocked Cao Jing unconscious, and fought off Zheng Xuan before Alan shot and wounded him.
• Brandy leaped from the building with Cao Jing and glided away, while Alan reported that the abductors had escaped and Yu Mo Shuo’s men sealed the area.
• Yu Mo Shuo realized Huang Ji had used Cao Jing to lure Brando out and ordered his people to find Brando.
• Brando disguised himself as a homeless man scavenging through trash, but an officer recognized his imposing presence and identified him.
• Brando punched the officer and fled as he sensed numerous S4 Peak fighters closing in around him.

Brando’s attempt to escape with Saya and Royia was thwarted by Evil Dragon and the Ninth Team, but Saya’s confusion gave Brando a chance to flee. After Evil Dragon revealed that Double Pupils had conquered the Illuminati, Saya finally understood his brother’s victory and chose to stand with him.

• Yu Mo Shuo’s forces and a sniper ambushed Brando and Digg, driving them into an alley where Evil Dragon confronted them.
• Evil Dragon fought Brando and Digg, but Brando used Saya as a hostage to force Evil Dragon to back off.
• Evil Dragon tossed Huang Ji’s Medical Pack onto Saya, which broke down the anesthetic and woke him.
• Saya mistook Evil Dragon for Kaluo and attacked him, allowing Brando to escape with his people.
• Evil Dragon told Saya that they had conquered the Illuminati and invited him to avenge Moore by killing Dis.
• Saya realized Evil Dragon knew he had secretly tried to save him and promised not to let him walk alone again.

Brando fled to a safe house with Royia and Flowran, only to be ambushed by Old Wang. Old Wang killed Digg and stayed behind to protect Sophia as she prepared to transplant Feis's brain, while Brando escaped into a city covered by more ambush teams.

• Brando escaped Yu Mo Shuo's encirclement and reached a safe house with Digg, Royia, and Flowran.
• Old Wang revealed himself inside the apartment and fought Brando and Digg, while Brando used his Lightsaber to drive him back.
• Brando fled through a window with Royia and Flowran, abandoning Digg to Old Wang.
• Old Wang broke Digg's leg and killed him after Digg refused to help kill Dis.
• Sophia revealed Feis's head in a case, and Old Wang stayed behind to protect her as she prepared the brain transplant.

Brando and Flowran escaped through an underground cable passage, but Grania and Coyote ambushed them at the exit. Flowran crippled Coyote to help Brando flee, then Grania spared her because Hua Ji planned to exchange her for Royia.

• Brando led Flowran through an underground route and explained that he had given Digg false escape information while keeping several routes in reserve with Brandy.
• Brando and Flowran reached the outskirts of Magic City, where Grania and Coyote attacked them as soon as Brando emerged.
• Brando fought back with his Lightsaber and Black Wand but was overwhelmed by Grania's close attacks and Coyote's Silver Hand Cannons.
• Flowran struck Coyote with her vibration power, severely injuring him and giving Brando a chance to escape.
• Brando threatened to kill Royia if Grania killed Flowran, and Coyote stopped Grania from attacking her.
• Grania and Coyote decided to keep Flowran alive for an exchange, trusting Hua Ji's plan to trade her for Royia and let Brando go.

Brando escaped Luo Yan’s ambush with Brandy after trading Royia for Flowran, then reasoned that Taicang and Shaxi Ancient Town were likely both watched. He chose a riskier escape route through the water plant and river.

• Brando hid in a flour mill warehouse, but Luo Yan ambushed him there after Hua Ji predicted his escape route.
• Luo Yan transformed into his stronger S7 form and surrounded Brando with Grania and Coyote, then offered to let him go if he released Royia.
• Brando demanded Flowran as well, then threw Royia to Luo Yan and escaped with Brandy using Iron Umbrella.
• After landing in a field, Brando and Brandy concluded that Taicang and Shaxi Ancient Town were both likely traps.
• Brando decided they would head to the riverbank and escape through the water plant’s sewage pipes.

Huang Ji tried to persuade Yu Mo Shuo to accept Huang Ji’s apparent death and cooperate with the Illuminati, while Yu Mo Shuo wrestled with the choice. Elsewhere, Adams confronted Brando’s fleeing group but let them pass, leaving Brando convinced Adams might still be an ally.

• Huang Ji revealed his alias as Hua Ji and offered to care for Huang Ji’s grandfather, presenting DNA reports that claimed he was the old man’s blood relative.
• Yu Mo Shuo resisted accepting Hua Ji’s story, while Gu Feng urged him to overlook the deception for the greater good; Yu Mo Shuo ordered an investigation into Hua Ji’s group through Lin Li.
• Brando’s group ran through the woods, where Adams ambushed them and revealed a transformation that made him far stronger than Brando.
• Brandy told Brando that Adams had resisted surrendering to Double Pupils until his forces were defeated, leading Brando to believe Adams remained loyal to the Illuminati.
• Adams refused Brando’s invitation to join him but stood aside as Brando, Brandy, Flowran, and Cao Jing escaped.

Brando chose a difficult mountain route to evade Hua Ji’s ambushes, but Amu attacked at the exit and forced the injured group to flee into a swamp. After they escaped Amu, Wally ambushed them at the mountain exit, and Flowran crippled him so Brando could escape.

• Brando chose the longer mountain route because its difficult terrain would help them evade ambushers, and the three crossed it safely.
• Amu ambushed them at the mountain exit with a Plasma Cannon, badly injuring Brando, Brandy, and Flowran.
• Brando led the group into a swamp and camouflaged them in the mud, fooling Amu into chasing past them.
• Brando, Brandy, and Flowran escaped the swamp and returned to the mountain exit, where Wally ambushed them.
• Brando told Flowran to flee and carry his message about the Ark of the Covenant to Dis, but Flowran attacked Wally and shattered his legs.

Brando fled with the badly injured Brandy while Flowran bought them time, but Hua Ji’s forces pursued him to the Yangtze River. Just as Brando was trapped in a net and believed he would die, Huang Ji offered him a hand and hot food.

• Flowran attacked Wally to help Brando escape, then kept drawing Wally away even as he injured her and pursued her.
• Brando carried Brandy to a water plant, treated him, and escaped from One-Eyed Eagle by fleeing through a drainage pipe into the Yangtze River.
• Brando swam through the river with Brandy on his back, but Huang Ji caught them in a steel net.
• Huang Ji reached down to help the exhausted Brando out of the water and invited him aboard for something hot to eat.

Huang Ji captured Brando, treated Brandy, and offered Brando a chance to live and join him. Brando pretended to agree while remaining committed to his cause, but after seeing Flowran alive, he outwardly pledged to help Huang Ji kill aliens.

• Huang Ji pulled Brando from the river, treated Brandy's injuries, and told Brando he would spare him.
• Brando learned that the person he had killed was only a passerby used as bait, and Yu Mo Shuo mourned the innocent man's death.
• Huang Ji offered Brando a chance to live if he listened, and Brando agreed while secretly planning to keep resisting.
• Amu and the others returned with Wally and Flowran, and Brando was shocked to discover Flowran had survived.
• Huang Ji explained that he had intended for no one to die and invited Brando to fight aliens with him.
• Brando claimed he would stop killing people and join Huang Ji, though he still believed Huang Ji's plan to kill Dis was doomed.

Huang Ji explained that he intended to kill the Nature Disruptor before the alien could seize Torch Dragon, while Old Chen’s drunken interrogation revealed the plan to Yu Mo Shuo. Yu Mo Shuo confronted Huang Ji and, after learning the scale of the Disruptor’s threat, vowed to stop him.

• Huang Ji persuaded Amu that Brando could become a powerful ally and said they would kill the Nature Disruptor.
• Old Chen’s team secretly drank water from special flasks while getting the sentries drunk, and Lin Li revealed that the group planned to kill aliens in the Great Northwest.
• Lin Li told Old Chen that Double Pupils had overthrown the Illuminati and sought to prevent humanity’s future extinction-level disasters.
• Old Chen sent the intelligence to Yu Mo Shuo, who ordered the building surrounded and confronted Huang Ji about the plan to kill the Disruptor.
• Huang Ji said the Disruptor was a lone interstellar adventurer who planned to rip open the Earth’s crust to take Torch Dragon, and Yu Mo Shuo vowed that this must never happen.

Huang Ji and Yu Mo Shuo agreed that humanity had to kill the Nature Disruptor to keep the Torch Dragon as its safeguard, while concealing the deed as an alien conflict. After Brando secretly warned Dis and betrayed the Double Pupils group, he prepared to serve as the new world’s Adam.

• Huang Ji told Yu Mo Shuo that the Nature Disruptor had come to Earth secretly and that humanity needed to kill him to protect the Torch Dragon, but Yu Mo Shuo agreed not to use military force.
• Huang Ji and his group recovered the Ark of the Covenant and planned to use it to lure Dis into a trap, while Brando realized their public plan was a ruse.
• With Yu Mo Shuo’s permission, Huang Ji arranged for the Winged God armor to be transported to Hua Country as the group prepared to head northwest.
• Brando escaped to a park and retrieved the hidden communication sphere, then recorded a message warning Dis that Hua Ji and the Double Pupils Organization planned to betray him.
• Brando buried the recording and tracking spores, marked the rebels’ destination near Yuzhu City, and vowed to serve Dis after the coming judgment.

Huang Ji brought Yu Mo Shuo and the others to Kunlun Pass, intending to lure the Nature Disruptor out by marking the location of Torch Dragon. He explained that ancient legends about Buzhou Fuzi, Nüwa mending heaven, and Torch Dragon described Earth’s ancient crisis when the Moon drew close, leaving the story with humanity’s ancestors having ended the age of Azure Heaven.

• Huang Ji told Yu Mo Shuo to draw his message about Torch Dragon on the ground in maltose to force the Nature Disruptor to appear and destroy it.
• Huang Ji explained that Torch Dragon lay beneath the region and that the Disruptor was searching for it using earthquakes because he did not know its precise location.
• Huang Ji revealed that Buzhou Fuzi had been a space elevator connecting Earth to the Moon when the Moon was close to Earth, and that the ancient Moon had been called Azure Heaven.
• Huang Ji explained that the Moon’s arrival caused darkness, disasters, and climate upheaval, while Nüwa stabilized it and Torch Dragon controlled the climate and illuminated the shadowed northwest.
• Huang Ji cited ancient texts describing Torch Dragon and the sunless northwest, then said humanity’s ancestors had ended the age of Azure Heaven.