Chapter Summaries

Captain Luo Yan studied the Yellow Court Canon and prepared to advance into the Mystic Womb Realm, a transitional realm that strengthened the body and expanded Mystic Qi capacity. He began cultivating in a designated Training Hall room, where his first Mystic Aperture formed.

• Captain Luo Yan read the Yellow Court Canon and learned that the Mystic Womb Realm had three levels focused on gathering Mystic Qi and expanding branch meridians and Mystic Apertures.
• The next day, Captain Luo Yan brought the Strategic Affairs Department's potions to his private cultivation room in the Training Hall, where Li Meng had already been cultivating overnight.
• Captain Luo Yan let a researcher record his physical data, arranged the upgraded potions, and announced that he was beginning his cultivation.
• Captain Luo Yan used the Yellow Court Canon and the potions to compress Mystic Qi, then released it to fill and expand his Mystic Meridians.
• Captain Luo Yan guided more Mystic Qi through his meridians, and his first Mystic Aperture formed.

At Freedom Wings’ naval base, Loki warned Jane Fortes about the danger posed by powerful Eastern cultivators, then clashed verbally with Freeman. Caesar briefed the Transcendents on a plan to capture Jia Miao and exchange her for the Golden Apple, leaving Loki wary that the operation could spark a wider war.

• Loki told Jane that the Profound Comprehension Realm cultivators were dangerous and warned her to flee or surrender if she encountered Luo Yan.
• Freeman insulted Loki, and she mocked his obscur God Nomo and the Dogon tribe’s mythology before Caesar intervened.
• Caesar warned the Transcendents to keep their arguments within limits and began explaining the operation.
• Caesar identified Jia Miao as a key Strategic Affairs Department scholar and said they would capture her after she returned from a symposium in Lion City.
• Caesar explained that the plan was to exchange Jia Miao for the Golden Apple, while Loki warned that targeting her could ignite a war.

Caesar planned an interception to abduct Jia Miao, assigning Loki to capture her while he dealt with Hu Xuanyi and the Tianying Squad. In Jinge City, Luo Yan completed his breakthrough and entered the Lower Mystic Womb Realm.

• Caesar briefed his team on the Tianying Squad and assigned Loki responsibility for capturing Jia Miao.
• Caesar explained that the team needed to force Jia Miao’s plane to land and capture her before she reached Bangkok, where the White Elephant Group could protect her.
• Jane Fortes revealed she had received Gabriel's Seraphim Sword, and Caesar urged the team to prepare with Sacred Relics and sacrifices.
• Luo Yan formed twenty-nine Mystic Apertures in his inner world, laying the foundation for constructing a Yellow Court.
• Luo Yan announced that he had broken through into the Lower Mystic Womb Realm.

Bai Shaotang confirmed that the captains had safely entered the Mystic Womb Realm, paving the way for the Yellow Court Canon and Spirit Refining Method to usher in a new era. After celebrating with his friends, Luo Yan learned that Zhou Yucheng had yet to act against the Scarlet Ghost or pressure the Gou Mang Department.

• Bai Shaotang reviewed the captains’ successful breakthroughs and said the Yellow Court Canon could be released to cultivators at the Profound Comprehension Fifth Layer Realm.
• At a bar, Luo Yan described how the Mystic Womb Realm increased his Mystic Qi and let cultivators sustain their Spirit Suits more effectively.
• Luo Yan asked about the Spirit Refining Method, and Han Bai said Qin Feng had formed a Primordial Spirit while he and Fu Yan had not.
• On the drive back, Wan Qing said the Mystic Womb Realm would let her extend the Headless General’s liberation or briefly summon two liberated anomalies at once.
• Luo Yan read messages saying Zhou Yucheng had neither blamed the Gou Mang Department over the Nether Fish nor warned the Scarlet Ghost about its expanding forces.

Luo Yan arranged for the Black Shaman to consider promoting the Red Ghost to Shao Si Ming, while Jia Miao left the Return to the Ruins Symposium disappointed by its political focus. Hu Xuanyi’s flight home was intercepted by several rapidly approaching targets.

• Luo Yan explained that he had leaked information to conceal the Nether Fish and test how Zhou Yucheng and the Black Shaman would handle the Gou Mang Department’s growing power.
• Jia Miao criticized the symposium’s attendees for prioritizing politics over research and said closing Yanfu was the only way to secure lasting peace.
• Hu Xuanyi told Jia Miao he believed their efforts to close Yanfu would succeed, though she remained doubtful based on the data.
• Hu Xuanyi boarded a flight home with Jia Miao and his team, then told Wang Houtu that he could advance to the Mystic Womb Realm whenever he chose.
• The plane’s crew detected several fast-moving targets approaching, and Hu Xuanyi went to the cockpit, where he saw them beyond the clouds.

Hu Xuanyi and the Strategic Affairs Department team were attacked by drones, which disabled their aircraft and hijacked it before landing in a forest. As the team tried to summon their transport plane, Colonel Caesar emerged from the woods to confront them.

• Hu Xuanyi ordered the plane to attack the manta-shaped drones, but the drones evaded missiles and launched signal-disrupting fog and missiles of their own.
• The drones attached a device to the plane and triggered an electromagnetic pulse, disabling its electronics and engines before carrying it away.
• Hu Xuanyi told the team they had been hijacked and ordered them to protect Jia Miao and head toward the White Elephant Group's jurisdiction if they became separated.
• The drones landed the plane in a forest clearing, and Hu Xuanyi ordered Wang Houtu to fire a signal flare for their transport plane.
• A white flaming spear destroyed Wang Houtu's flare, and Colonel Caesar strode out of the forest carrying a bronze spear.

Caesar confronted Hu Xuanyi and the Strategic Affairs Department personnel, claiming his attack was a private operation and demanding they surrender. Hu Xuanyi deduced that Caesar wanted to trade Dr. Jia Miao for the Golden Apple, and the group fled as Caesar summoned Ares.

• Caesar told Hu Xuanyi that he had been expelled from Freedom Wings and was acting alone, then demanded that the group come with him.
• Hu Xuanyi suspected Caesar had an ambush of fourth-rank transcendent beings and reasoned that he wanted living hostages to negotiate for the Golden Apple.
• Hu Xuanyi identified Dr. Jia Miao as the irreplaceable target and ordered Pan Xing to take her away.
• Pan Xing carried Dr. Jia Miao toward safety as Pan Yu deployed mechanical dogs to evacuate the other personnel, while Caesar ordered his allies to stop them.
• Caesar raised his bronze spear, invoked Ares, and summoned the God of War's fiery phantom.

Hu Xuanyi trapped Colonel Caesar and the other Transcendents inside the Myriad Transformation Heavenly Palace, a shifting three-dimensional maze. Caesar opened a breach with Ares' Spear, allowing Jane Fortes, Loki, Freeman, and one other companion to escape while he and the rest remained trapped.

• Jane Fortes tried to reach Pan Xing and the others, but Hu Xuanyi's Mystic Art separated her and the other Transcendents inside the Myriad Transformation Heavenly Palace.
• Hu Xuanyi revealed that he had used his conversation with Colonel Caesar to prepare the maze and trap the Transcendents.
• Colonel Caesar ordered his companions to escape, contact headquarters for reinforcements, and pursue the Dragon Riders while he held Hu Xuanyi's attention.
• Using Ares' Spear and the God of War's ability to find weak points, Colonel Caesar blasted open a breach in the maze.
• Jane Fortes, Loki, Freeman, and one other Transcendent escaped before the breach closed, while Colonel Caesar and the others remained trapped.
• Jane Fortes requested reinforcements, and the survivors set out to continue the mission with their confidence shaken.

Luo Yan learned that Jia Miao and her Tianying Squad escorts had gone missing while returning from Lion City, and Bai Shaotang sent the Heavenly Fire Squad to find and rescue them. The squad flew toward Lion City prepared to strike Freedom Wings if the group’s disappearance proved to be a human attack.

• Luo Yan tested Prairie Fire’s new Domain ability and found that it strengthened flame powers while suppressing non-flame abilities for both allies and enemies.
• Bai Shaotang told Luo Yan that Jia Miao and the Tianying Squad had vanished after leaving Lion City, and said Freedom Wings or a Sky Ghost might be responsible.
• Bai Shaotang ordered the Heavenly Fire Squad to find Jia Miao and authorized Luo Yan to act freely if people were behind the disappearance.
• Luo Yan gathered his squad at the airport and boarded a transport plane bound for Lion City with their mechs being transported alongside them.
• During the flight, Zhang Tianyi, Yang Kui, and Bai? suspected Freedom Wings had taken Jia Miao in retaliation for the Golden Apple, and Luo Yan reminded them they had permission to hit back hard.

Luo Yan learned that Merlion remained neutral despite the Strategic Affairs Department’s support and maintained ties with Freedom Wings. In the Myriad Transformation Heavenly Palace, Caesar’s forces confronted Hu Xuanyi and Wang Houtu, and the fight began with Hu Xuanyi using costly Mystic Arts and Caesar deploying a Nether Titanium Grenade.

• Luo Yan received and shared information showing that Merlion stayed neutral while cooperating with Freedom Wings.
• Caesar and his Transcendents found Hu Xuanyi and Wang Houtu after destroying the Myriad Transformation Heavenly Palace’s other buildings.
• Hu Xuanyi used Mystic Light Tonics to maintain the Heavenly Palace and offered Caesar money to join the Strategic Affairs Department, but Caesar refused.
• Caesar ordered an attack, and Hu Xuanyi threw Profound Technique Capsules that unleashed Mystic Arts against the Transcendents.
• Caesar threw a Nether Titanium Grenade, and Hu Xuanyi raised golden Energy Barriers as black smoke spread from the blast.

Hu Xuanyi and Wang Houtu fought Caesar’s forces inside the Myriad Transformation Heavenly Palace as Nether Titanium Grenades weakened their defenses. Meanwhile, Luo Yan arrived in Lion City to investigate his missing personnel, but Gao Qing balked at sharing satellite records.

• Hu Xuanyi discovered that Caesar’s grenades released Nether Capital Stone particles that weakened Mystic Arts and barriers, and Caesar’s forces filled the plaza with Nether Fog.
• Hu Xuanyi and Wang Houtu endured the fog while Caesar ordered his troops to attack from a distance and wear them down.
• Hu Xuanyi created dozens of illusory plazas and challenged Caesar to identify the real one, enraging him.
• Luo Yan arrived in Lion City and asked Gao Qing to help investigate the missing personnel by providing satellite-record data.
• Gao Qing refused to provide the records immediately, and Luo Yan demanded to know whether the Merlion would offer any assistance.

Luo Yan demanded satellite records to locate Hu Xuanyi and the others, but Supervisor Gao Qing was shot dead just as he agreed to help. Luo Yan left Lion City with the Heavenly Fire Squad after confronting local forces, while Colonel Pruhler and Colonel Billy discussed intercepting them elsewhere.

• Luo Yan pressured Gao Qing to provide satellite records immediately and threatened anyone who delayed the rescue.
• A sniper killed Gao Qing, and Lion City forces surrounded Luo Yan and the others, accusing them of the shooting.
• Luo Yan subdued the officer, denied responsibility, and warned the forces not to attack as the Heavenly Fire Squad left the airport.
• Colonel Billy criticized the Merlion forces for letting Luo Yan leave, while Colonel Pruhler argued they should intercept the squad outside Lion City and focus on Dr. Jia Miao.

Luo Yan learned that Freedom Wings planned to capture Doctor Jia Miao and trade her for the Golden Apple, so he devised a plan to find her and help Captain Hu's team. Colonel Billy and Colonel Pruhler split their forces, with one group preparing to intercept the Dragonriders and the other heading to support Colonel Caesar; the chapter ended with Billy's team tracking two military jeeps outside Lion City.

• Byrne told Colonel Billy that Major Martin had returned, and Billy called the Beyonders together for a briefing.
• Colonel Billy announced that Freedom Wings would split into two teams: his would intercept the Dragonriders, while Colonel Pruhler's would support Colonel Caesar and search for Doctor Jia Miao.
• Luo Yan watched the briefing through Black Wu and identified Freedom Wings as the group targeting Doctor Jia to exchange her for the Golden Apple.
• Luo Yan ordered Deputy Captain Bai to use her anomaly to follow Pruhler's team and locate the town where Doctor Jia was being held.
• That night, Colonel Billy tracked two military jeeps as they drove through an underground tunnel outside Lion City.

Colonel Billy organized Freedom Wings’ ambush of Luo Yan’s convoy in a forest, while Luo Yan prepared his team for the attack. As sniper Martin took aim, Billy glimpsed a vision of his own fate: dying in flames.

• Billy ordered Freedom Wings to disable the jeeps and trap the convoy in the forest, explaining why they would avoid deploying mechs.
• Billy assigned Martin to target the driver or tires and organized the rest of the team to plant explosives and pin down the convoy.
• Luo Yan sent Bai? and Zhang Tianyi to support the Tianying Squad, then warned his team about snipers and traps as they approached the forest.
• Luo Yan and his companions entered the forest, while Martin waited for a chance to shoot at their tires.
• Sparrows watched the ambushers, and Billy saw a black-haired, red-eyed swordsman accompanied by a scarlet-robed figure before envisioning himself burning to death.

Luo Yan and the Heavenly Fire Squad launched a coordinated attack on Freedom Wings, killing the sniper and engaging the enemy superhumans. The battle continued as Yang Kui fought two close-combat agents while Murong Xuan and Li Yuqing countered the long-range attackers with summoned powers.

• Billy foresaw his possible death and clutched his holy cross, waiting for a chance to call on his god.
• Luo Yan learned the enemy positions from Murong Xuan, killed sniper Martin with a long-range sword strike, and escaped the jeep before it exploded.
• Two close-combat superhumans attacked the remaining jeep, but Yang Kui and Li Yuqing emerged and fought them, with Yang Kui holding his ground against their divine powers.
• Li Yuqing and Murong Xuan blocked the enemy's lightning, fireballs, and gunfire behind stone walls while Murong Xuan summoned Guandi Wusheng to attack the ranged fighters.
• Flaming three-legged sparrows swept over the enemy positions and bombarded the superhumans with explosive fire.

The Heavenly Fire Squad’s ambush turned against the attackers as its fighters overwhelmed the opposing transcendents. Luo Yan confronted Black colonel Billy, rejected his offer to join Freedom Wings, and unleashed the Fire Yang True Lord against Billy’s Holy Projection.

• Li Zhuqing’s Mystic Art and Divine Treasure ability scattered the opposing transcendents, but Martial Saint Guan Di arrived and attacked them with his saber.
• Martial Saint Guan Di used the Spring Autumn Saber Technique to counter the three transcendents’ attacks and threaten them with an azure dragon of saber light.
• Black colonel Billy realized his ambush was failing after Luo Yan killed Martin and the other attackers failed to stop the Heavenly Fire Squad.
• Luo Yan cut a fiery path through the forest and confronted Billy, who summoned the Angel of Strength, Euras, and offered him a place in Freedom Wings.
• Luo Yan expanded Blazing Flame’s Prairie Fire domain, summoned the Fire Yang True Lord, and ordered it to refine Euras.

Luo Yan fought Billy while the Fire Yang True Lord and Crimson Gold Heavenly Dragon attacked the Holy Projection, revealing that the projection could be harmed. As the pressure on Billy mounted, Luo Yan and a towering Skeleton General brought down a heavenly-fire saber against his Golden Cross.

• Billy realized the Fire Yang True Lord had injured the Angel of Strength's Holy Projection and used his propulsive force to push the Primordial Spirit away.
• Billy charged Luo Yan and punched at him, but Prairie Fire weakened Billy while Luo Yan's Blazing Flame wounded him with Flame Erosion.
• The Fire Yang True Lord and Crimson Gold Heavenly Dragon attacked the Holy Projection with sword light and dragon fire, wearing down Billy's defenses.
• Luo Yan summoned a Skeleton General whose heavenly-fire saber mirrored his strike, and Billy met the descending attack with an illusory Golden Cross.

Billy used a sacrifice to obtain Oua’s Destiny Torrent and changed the course of his fate as Luo Yan and Fire Yang True Lord closed in. Meanwhile, Pulle arrived in the nameless town, where Jane Fortes reported that Jia Miao and the others were trapped in a supermarket.

• In Lion City, the commander of the Merlion decided his forces could not interfere in the clash between Freedom Wings and the Tiangang Dragon Riders, though he feared they would eventually have to choose a side.
• Billy used the Force of Change to divert the Heavenly Fire greatsword, survived its impact, and realized Luo Yan and Fire Yang True Lord intended to wipe out his team.
• Billy offered his arms to Oua and received the Destiny Torrent divine grace, which he used to redirect his fate of being burned to death.
• Pulle and his team joined Jane Fortes and the others in the nameless town, where Jane reported that Jia Miao and the others had been forced into a supermarket and that their Nether Titanium Grenades were gone.

Colonel Pruhler and Jane Fortes prepared to attack the Dragonrider squad, but an unnatural darkness engulfed the building and severed most of the Awakened from their gods. As black arms began dragging people into the darkness, Jane ignited the Sword of the Seraphim and revealed that they were surrounded.

• Pruhler distributed Nether Titanium Grenades and told Jane Fortes that they would launch the assault in ten minutes, while warning her not to sacrifice herself to the gods unless absolutely necessary.
• The world outside abruptly turned pitch-black, and darkness flooded the building, cutting Pruhler off from his companions and Hephaestus.
• Jane Fortes used the Sword of the Seraphim to maintain a weak connection to the god, and Pruhler summoned Hephaestus with his relic hammer to drive back some of the darkness.
• Black arms seized Jace and then two more Awakened, pulling them silently into the darkness despite Pruhler's attempts to rescue them.
• Jane Fortes lit the holy sword with white flames and revealed black arms reaching for the group from every direction.

Zhang Tianyi reunited with the Pan siblings and explained Deputy Captain Bai’s Black Nether Heaven as it trapped Freedom Wings’ forces. After two enemies escaped the darkness, Pulle and Jean Fortes pressed on with their mission and prepared to fight the dragonriders.

• Pan Xing tested the approaching Zhang Tianyi in a brief fight, then confirmed his identity and brought him to Pan Yu.
• Zhang Tianyi told the Pan siblings that Deputy Captain Bai had used Black Nether Heaven to envelop the transcendent stronghold and explained how the darkness cut off and consumed its targets.
• Pan Xing warned Zhang Tianyi about Freedom Wings’ Nether Titanium Grenades, which released Nether Particles that weakened them.
• Two figures escaped Black Nether Heaven amid flames, while other figures were dragged back into the darkness; Zhang Tianyi gave the Pan siblings restorative potions as they prepared to defend Jia Miao.
• Pulle and Jean Fortes found that the rest of their group had not escaped, but resolved to continue their mission with Divine Grace and the grenades.
• Pulle invoked Hephaestus for the Zeus Armor and offered his other arm, or even both legs, to power it.