Chapter Summaries

Guan Tong infiltrated Yingqi’s administrative building and rescued Shangyuan Zi, formerly known as Orochi Murasaki, from confinement. After learning that the Divine Child had approved the operation against him, Guan Tong asked Shangyuan Zi what she knew about the ruler and heard her offer her power in exchange for help investigating her parents.

• Guan Tong used a stolen identity card to reach the fifth floor and sent Shadow Lines through the confinement rooms as officials began searching the building.
• Guan Tong found Orochi Murasaki, brought her to his shelter, and escaped the administrative building before staff discovered her missing.
• Orochi Murasaki told Guan Tong that her real name was Shangyuan Zi and that a silver bracelet had been absorbing her Mind Power; Guan Tong destroyed it with his Space Domain.
• Shangyuan Zi revealed that Mu Tiancheng had proposed the attack on Guan Tong and that the Divine Child had approved it, though Mu had since committed seppuku.
• Guan Tong asked Shangyuan Zi about the Divine Child and told her to investigate her parents; she asked him to help search Yingqi’s archives and offered her power in return.

As the Cosmic Spore God Technique spread despite government warnings, Gao Liangwei proposed gathering its most devoted practitioners at designated sites that would secretly serve as quarantine zones. The higher-ups approved the plan, and preparations began across the country while most involved remained unaware of its true purpose.

• The Countermeasure Research Institute concluded that it could not stop the public from practicing the Cosmic Spore God Technique as people gathered both online and in public places.
• Gao Liangwei proposed directing practitioners to designated sites that would secretly function as quarantine zones in case they became dangerous parasites.
• Zhang Minglu and most meeting participants supported the proposal, which was submitted to the higher-ups and approved that day.
• Gao Liangwei received Highest Authority and responsibility for the Quarantine Zone Plan, then coordinated preparations with Official Departments.
• Authorities selected sites, publicized them as practice grounds, and secretly stationed armed forces nearby to seal the zones if needed.

Yoshino and Suzuki sought more time for the Antu bombing investigation, but the Banzhen director reassigned Suzuki to help investigate the administrative building infiltration. Guan Tong learned the full capabilities and background of Shangyuan Zi’s Yoru bloodline, then agreed to help her investigate her parents’ identities.

• The Banzhen director granted Yoshino more time on the bombing case but ordered Suzuki to assist with the administrative building investigation.
• Suzuki joined the investigation team and began using her Profiling ability to study surveillance footage of the disguised intruder.
• Shangyuan Zi explained to Guan Tong that her Yoru bloodline gave her powerful scales and the ability to transform people into obedient Serpent Servants.
• Guan Tong learned that Shangyuan Zi’s Chosen Group was favored by the Divine Child and that she had been confined for refusing to create a large number of Serpent Servants.
• Guan Tong agreed to help Shangyuan Zi investigate her parents’ identities, and she offered her power to him during their agreement.

At an academy meeting, Shi Jingyi argued that guiding students to use the Alien Spores responsibly might be better than suppressing all discussion of them, though Dean Zhou Qinfeng rejected her proposal. Afterward, Shi Jingyi wondered whether Fire Thief’s rules were designed to prevent humans from cooperating, and considered that people should resist by supporting one another.

• Dean Zhou Qinfeng convened a staff meeting after teachers reported students practicing the Cosmic Spore God Technique and asked how the academy should respond.
• Teacher Chen and Ouyang Shanyue explained that students were tempted by the spores’ ability to strengthen them and accelerate their Mind Power.
• Shi Jingyi admitted that she trained daily and felt the spores’ benefits, but said she stopped after her scheduled training and recommended guidance over suppression.
• Dean Zhou Qinfeng rejected Shi Jingyi’s proposal, and the teachers agreed to tighten academy rules and prohibit discussion of cultivation.
• Teacher Chen told Shi Jingyi that overly strict bans could make students more prone to secret use and addiction.
• Shi Jingyi wondered whether Fire Thief’s rules discouraged people from cooperating and thought humans should do the opposite of what their enemy wanted.

Guan Tong and Shangyuan Zi investigated her altered records and decided to use her as bait to draw out Lord Divine Child. At the Security Department, Suzuki used the Alien Spore to improve her profiling and identified the target as Shadow.

• Guan Tong arranged for Shangyuan Zi to commission Mask to obtain Yingqi’s official databases, and Mask delivered the files within an hour.
• Shangyuan Zi found that her records and those of her two teammates had stopped updating after they joined the Chosen Group, and their related persons had been erased.
• Mask said the deleted information might remain on local machines, so Shangyuan Zi agreed to act as bait to lure Lord Divine Child out.
• At the Security Department, Suzuki’s earlier profiling attempts produced bizarre images, and she resolved to use the Alien Spore after Lord Divine Child praised her work.
• Suzuki used her ability again and drew a figure surrounded by darkness; Lord Divine Child recognized it as a form of Shadow.

Yelena attended her grandmother's birthday banquet, where Rieka's ambush exposed his family's betrayal and left her surrounded by attackers. Meanwhile, the special task force pursued Shadow and Orochi Murasaki, and learned that Orochi had contacted two former team members.

• Sigaoxin drove Yelena to the Konia estate and waited outside while Rieka and Gaelkin prepared an ambush with Madam Konia's tacit approval.
• Madam Konia urged Yelena to give up the competition, then left after Yelena reaffirmed her intention to serve the country if chosen by her father.
• Rieka admitted he would have attacked Yelena regardless of her answer and ordered the ambushers to leave her barely alive.
• The special task force discussed Shadow's connection to Orochi Murasaki and planned searches for her and requests for information from North Star.
• The team leader learned that Orochi Murasaki had contacted two former team members, giving the task force a lead to find her and possibly Shadow.

Shangyuan Zi helped Guan Tong lure the Lord Divine Child’s trusted forces into a forest so he could capture one and learn the Lord Divine Child’s location. The Action Team teleported in and attacked Shangyuan Zi, leaving Guan Tong poised to spring his trap.

• Guan Tong arranged for Shangyuan Zi to contact Moon Fate and Faceless, using the meeting to draw out the Lord Divine Child’s subordinates.
• The Action Team and special task force planned a joint operation, despite concerns about provoking Shadow, and set out to capture him and Shangyuan Zi.
• Guan Tong monitored Moon Fate and Faceless as they entered the forest, anticipating that they would summon the main force with a Teleportation Item.
• Moon Fate and Faceless confronted Shangyuan Zi and defended the Lord Divine Child’s plan to turn ordinary people into Serpent Servants.
• Moon Fate used a scepter to summon the Action Team, whose commander ordered the teams to capture Orochi Murasaki as smoke spread around her.

Guan Tong used Shadow Domain to ambush the Action Team, whose abilities and items were overwhelmed by his superior Mind Power. After Yingqi’s reinforcements arrived, they found that Shadow and Shangyuan Zi had taken the commander, Suzuki, Moon Fate, and Wuyan Shi.

• Investigators lost all Action Team livestream feeds and failed to detect Shadow at the scene.
• Guan Tong plunged the forest into darkness and attacked the Action Team with Shadow Spears and Shadow Thorns, killing four members.
• Wuyan Shi’s disguise ability and Moon Fate’s [Moon Wheel] failed against Guan Tong, while the team’s attacks barely affected his shadow.
• Shangyuan Zi’s illusion made two Action Team members panic, and Guan Tong killed them with Shadow Thorns.
• Suzuki failed to Profile Guan Tong, and he decided to keep her alive before attacking the remaining team members.
• Yingqi’s reinforcements arrived five minutes later and found twelve bodies, with the commander, Suzuki, Moon Fate, and Wuyan Shi missing.

Sigaoxin fought to reach Yelena while Yelena used her training and Winter Sovereign ability to battle Rieka’s assassins. At North Star, officials discussed spore addicts, rejected experimenting on official Ascendants, and considered the uncertainty surrounding Shadow’s appearance in Yingqi.

• Gaelkin blocked Sigaoxin from entering Madam Konia’s estate, but she fought through his men with her hammer.
• Yelena used Mind Power Circulation to withstand Rieka’s surprise attack, then froze and shattered several attackers with her Winter Sovereign ability.
• Rieka ordered his men to pursue Yelena as she ran for the back of the room, and called General Puli to tighten the encirclement.
• Zhang Minglu reported that spore addicts in quarantine were improving physically but had shown no monstrous changes.
• Gao Liangwei forbade Zhang Minglu from experimenting with spores on official Ascendants such as Dragon Soul.
• Zhang Minglu warned that Shadow’s appearance in Yingqi could be used to attack North Star, and Gao Liangwei said they would act if Yingqi provided evidence.

Guan Tong interrogated the captured Yingqi team and learned what they knew about the Divine Child, while Shangyuan Zi argued for sparing Suzuki. Guan Tong decided to kill the Divine Child before the Rule ended and began considering how to use his accumulated Ascension Coins to strengthen other Ascendants.

• Guan Tong separated the captives for questioning and told Shangyuan Zi that he would not spare people who had tried to kill them.
• Suzuki described how the spores had helped her use her Profiling ability to connect Guan Tong to cases in Antu City and Yingqi headquarters.
• Guan Tong threatened the Action Team commander with Living Dead until the commander agreed to answer his questions.
• Moon Fate and the Faceless Clan offered to serve Shangyuan Zi, while Guan Tong learned that only the commander had useful information about the Divine Child.
• Shangyuan Zi asked Guan Tong to spare Suzuki, and he let her decide whether Suzuki could go, though he warned she might face harsh treatment after returning.
• Guan Tong said he planned to kill the Divine Child before the Rule ended, then considered putting his stored Ascension Coins toward strengthening other Ascendants.

Yelena survived Rieka’s attempt to eliminate her and emerged as the final victor in the succession struggle, while Guttman arrived and promised her an explanation. In Antu City, Yoshino learned that Wu Wang was a prolific bomber and discovered that Suzuki could not return from the investigation at headquarters.

• Sigaoxin found Yelena, warned her that Rieka had sealed off the estate and blocked teleportation, then agreed to draw the searchers away while Yelena disguised herself and hid among the corpses.
• Rieka’s men failed to find Yelena, and Guttman called to order Rieka to stop resisting after taking down General Puli.
• Gaelkin urged Rieka to blame the Alien Spore, but Guttman arrived and interrupted Rieka’s plea for mercy to ask where Yelena was.
• Yelena emerged from the mansion, confronted Guttman, and made clear she wanted an explanation for the attack.
• Yoshino ordered his team to review North Star’s videos of Wu Wang, and the investigators realized he had carried out numerous bombings that made his connections difficult to trace.
• Yoshino asked the headquarters director to send Suzuki back, but the director refused and abruptly ended the call.

The Divine Son learned that Shadow had attacked Yingqi and planned to use the incident against North Star at the next UHC conference. Guan Tong and Shangyuan Zi prepared a direct assault on the Divine Son’s residence for the following night, and Guan Tong planned to kill him with Phase Shift and the small space.

• The Divine Son dismissed the Public Security Administration director, ordered Xin to interrogate Suzuki again, and decided to accuse North Star at the next UHC conference.
• Guan Tong and Shangyuan Zi identified the Divine Son’s residence as the Falling Cherry Official Residence and discussed its snake crest and Shangyuan Zi’s surname.
• Guan Tong chose a frontal assault for the next night, assigning Shangyuan Zi to handle the other personnel while he confronted the Divine Son.
• Guan Tong planned to break through the residence’s barrier, use Shadow to locate the Divine Son, and kill him with Phase Shift and the small space.

Lu Cheng agreed to stop cultivating for seven days so Shi Jingyi could test whether he controlled his reliance on Alien Spore. Meanwhile, Zhang Minglu observed signs of a third parasitism stage and warned that the hosts might soon become fully parasitized, while Longhun revealed Silver Fox suspected a connection between Shadow and Guan Tong.

• Shi Jingyi asked Lu Cheng to stop Mind Power Circulation for seven days, and he agreed to prove he could resist the spores.
• Lu Cheng returned to his dormitory and stopped himself from cultivating, planning to study until the seven days passed.
• Zhang Minglu observed cultivators in Quarantine Zone No. 3 and learned that some had begun eating only once every two days.
• Zhang Minglu identified prolonged fasting as a likely third stage of parasitism and warned Longhun that parasitism might be complete by the fourth or fifth stage.
• Longhun told Zhang Minglu that Silver Fox suspected Shadow's identity was connected to Guan Tong after recognizing a resemblance in his build.

Guan Tong and Shangyuan Zi attacked Falling Cherry Official Residence, where Guan Tong struck down the Divine Child before escaping. The Divine Child survived by growing a new head and learned valuable details about Shadow’s abilities.

• Guan Tong bombed the street outside Public Security Headquarters to divert security officers from Falling Cherry Official Residence.
• Guan Tong released over a hundred Living Dead to assault the residence while Shangyuan Zi fought its guards and transformed one into a Serpent Servant.
• Guan Tong found the Divine Child’s protected room, switched places with Shadow, and used a spatial attack to destroy the back of the Divine Child’s head.
• An invisible guard named Xin slashed Guan Tong’s neck, but Guan Tong’s defenses stopped the blade; he then drove Xin off and escaped.
• The Divine Child revived after Xin cut off his damaged head, grew a replacement, and learned that Shadow’s spatial attack had destroyed one of his eight heads.

Lu Cheng struggled with insomnia and growing urges to resume spore-assisted training, and he decided to break his promise to Shi Jingyi. Meanwhile, the Countermeasure Research Institute suspected Guan Tong was Shadow and debated Yingqi’s demand that North Star help hunt him down.

• Lu Cheng spent the night unable to sleep and fought off persistent thoughts urging him to train in secret.
• After his roommate mentioned Guan Tong, Lu Cheng feared the spores would soon disappear and decided to seize the remaining time to improve his strength despite his promise to Shi Jingyi.
• Researchers at the Countermeasure Research Institute discussed reports that Shadow had killed Yingqi’s Divine Child, Yuze Chun.
• Gao Liangwei presented Guan Tong as a possible identity for Shadow and said investigators were seeking surveillance footage from Yingqi to confirm it.
• Gao Liangwei told the department heads that Yingqi threatened to leave the UHC unless North Star helped capture Shadow, and he planned to submit the Institute’s opposition to the threat to decision-makers.

After assassinating the Yingqi Son of God, Guan Tong gave Shangyuan Zi stolen records and invited her to help uncover the truth behind the Apocalypse Rules and related mysteries, but she declined. As the assassination stirred international debate over whether Shadow should be pursued, Xisiya Governor Gutman Konia announced his daughter Yelena Konia as his successor.

• Guan Tong gave Shangyuan Zi a data drive containing records stolen from Yingqi and confirmed that he had destroyed the Son of God's head.
• Guan Tong explained his goal of uncovering the truth behind the Apocalypse Rules, the Fire Thief, Mind Power, and other mysteries, and invited Shangyuan Zi to join him.
• Shangyuan Zi declined because she only wanted to find her parents and had nothing else to live for; Guan Tong revealed his real name before they parted.
• Yingqi called for a global warrant against Shadow, but UHC member states disagreed, while Ascendant's Home users debated his motives and possible punishment.
• Gutman Konia announced that his daughter, Yelena Konia, would succeed him as Governor of Xisiya.

Yelena prepared for her future as Xisiya’s Consul while weighing how to deal with Rieka, and Guan Tong rested in Yingqi as he considered his next steps. The authorities identified Guan Tong as Shadow, but he ignored their message and remained committed to his plans.

• Yelena argued with Sigaoxin about whether becoming Consul required her to change, then apologized and explained she wanted to remain true to herself.
• Yelena told Sigaoxin she planned to exile Rieka to Sainantata before gradually dismantling his supporters and eliminating the threat.
• Guan Tong returned to his forest shelter in Yingqi to rest and secretly watch for signs that the Divine Child might still be alive.
• Guan Tong learned that Yelena Konia had won the competition and would become Xisiya’s new Consul, but decided not to contact her.
• An official account messaged Guan Tong that it knew he was Shadow, and Guan Tong ignored the message.

Shi Jingyi recognized that Lu Cheng was hiding his continued spore use and refused to advance his lessons. Meanwhile, the authorities investigated Guan Tong’s connections after identifying him as Shadow, and Fang Qian realized he had known hidden information during Rule One but chose not to reveal her insight.

• Lu Cheng told Shi Jingyi he had gone seven days without practicing, but she saw through his lie and suspected he was addicted to the spores.
• Lu Cheng asked Shi Jingyi for advanced lessons, but she told him to strengthen his foundation instead.
• Silver Fox of the Countermeasure Research Institute approached Shi Jingyi to ask about Guan Tong.
• An investigator told Fang Qian that Guan Tong was Shadow and asked whether she could help restore official contact with him.
• Fang Qian recalled that Guan Tong had known about Sobering Mint Candy during Rule One, but decided not to share her suspicion with the investigator.

After learning that Guan Tong was Shadow, North Star officials found that his acquaintances were protecting his identity and urged him to explain the assassination publicly. Guan Tong considered how to defend himself with evidence and planned to investigate Sakura Residence.

• Xu Xiaotian, Wang Yan, Chen Na, and Li Meng withheld useful information about Guan Tong when investigators questioned them.
• Zhang Minglu told Gao Liangwei that Guan Tong’s acquaintances were concealing details about him, and Gao Liangwei ordered them to convey the authorities’ request for an explanation.
• Gao Liangwei warned that North Star might issue a warrant if Guan Tong refused to explain the assassination.
• Guan Tong read messages from acquaintances saying the authorities wanted to contact him or have him publicly explain the assassination.
• Guan Tong considered using his personal grievance and Shangyuan Zi’s account of the Divine Child’s plans as arguments, but realized he needed evidence.
• Guan Tong considered returning to Sakura Residence to investigate whether the Divine Child was dead and look for evidence of crimes.

Violence erupted in Pinglu City Quarantine Zone No. 3 as spore addicts entered the fourth stage of parasitism, prompting Zhang Minglu to order tighter monitoring and screening. He sought Shi Jingyi’s advice, but she could offer no remedy for spore addiction and revealed she was developing a combat technique called Mind Martial Arts.

• Several dozen practitioners attacked quarantine staff in Pinglu City Quarantine Zone No. 3, and armed forces suppressed the disturbance.
• Zhang Minglu and Longhun learned the attackers had turned violent because others refused to join their “big family,” and Zhang identified them as having entered the fourth stage of parasitism.
• Zhang Minglu ordered aggressive individuals isolated and told Longhun to check ascendants’ dietary records for signs of parasitism.
• Zhang Minglu warned Longhun that ascendants could also deteriorate and planned to screen the base for similar cases.
• Zhang Minglu asked Shi Jingyi about spore addiction among academy students, but she said she had no solution and had not recently spoken with Guan Tong.
• Shi Jingyi told Zhang Minglu she was researching a combat application of Mind Power that she would call “Mind Martial Arts.”