Chapter Summaries

Luo Yan rescued Li Kangyu from his captors and brought him to the supply point, where Liu Hongxin prepared to take them back to the base. They suspected Cai Andao was behind the abduction because he was searching for the Ink Stone Deposit, whose location remained uncertain.

• Luo Yan broke through the wall, rescued Li Kangyu, and identified himself as a member of the Jumang Department.
• The middle-aged man returned from fighting the insects, found Li Kangyu missing, and ordered his men to intercept him at the supply point.
• Luo Yan carried the nearsighted Li Kangyu through the wilderness, and they reached the supply point at dawn.
• Liu Hongxin welcomed Li Kangyu, arranged a vehicle back to the base, and heard that the captors wanted the Ink Stone Deposit's location.
• Luo Yan and Liu Hongxin suspected Cai Andao had arranged the abduction, while Li Kangyu explained that Cloud Ink Stone radiation had made their earlier survey data unreliable.

Luo Yan, Liu Hongxin, and Li Kangyu came under attack from an invisible team using laboratory-developed camouflage, which bombarded and overran their supply camp. A masked man survived the assault and killed Rat, revealing that he could detect the supposedly invisible attackers.

• Liu Hongxin and Li Kangyu discussed Cai Andao’s research into giant beasts and suspected invisibility technology.
• Luo Yan sensed the vehicle-preparation team’s auras vanish, spotted an incoming rocket, and knocked Li Kangyu down as the camp was bombarded.
• A middle-aged commander ordered his invisible team to kill everyone in the camp, including Li Kangyu, and the attackers hunted down survivors with thermal imaging.
• A masked man emerged from the ruins, and the commander sent Rat to sneak behind him and shoot.
• Purple-red blade light cut Rat and his pistol apart, while strange mist rose from Rat and entered the masked man.

Luo Yan used his Insightful Silver Eyes to expose the Chameleon Mercenaries’ stealth and killed nearly the entire team while protecting Li Kangyu. Their captain, Mass, denied knowing Cai Andao and refused to reveal their employer before charging Luo Yan in a fight to the death.

• Luo Yan detected the invisible Chameleon Mercenaries and killed Rat after he tried to attack from behind.
• Mass ordered his team to attack, but Luo Yan’s sword energy killed the mercenaries as they fled.
• Li Kangyu praised Minister Red Ghost’s abilities while Liu Hongxin protected him from stray bullets.
• Mass deactivated his stealth and told Luo Yan that the Stealth Suit had been given to the team as payment for an earlier mission.
• Mass denied knowing Cai Andao, refused to identify the current employer, and charged Luo Yan with resolve to die.

Cai Andao recalled how his obsession with the Ruins turned into a pursuit of wealth and influence, then learned that his kidnapping attempt against Li Kangyu had failed. After ordering an informant to visit Li Kangyu and test whether his involvement was suspected, Cai Andao focused on Red Ghost, while Luo Yan stayed behind at the supply point as Li Kangyu departed.

• Cai Andao remembered being expelled from the Ruins exploration team for opposing the Mythological Theory and later returning under Black Witch after being promised access to the Ruins.
• Cai Andao recalled turning to profit-making to pay for his son's treatment, then building his own influence and informant network within Black Witch.
• An informant told Cai Andao that the Chameleon Mercenary Group had failed to kidnap Li Kangyu and had been wiped out after tracking him to the Tianhao Department's supply point.
• Cai Andao suspected Red Ghost had killed Mas and his men, decided to wait for the Tianhao Department to begin mining before developing the Ink Stone Mine nearby, and ordered an informant to visit Li Kangyu.
• At the supply point, Li Kangyu and Liu Hongxin prepared to leave, while Luo Yan said he would stay behind and assured them that no one would attack them again.

Luo Yan entered the Forbidden Land and called a Ghost Infant Worm to summon Black Crone, then went to Cai Andao’s camp to collect interest from him. That night, Black Crone’s Evil Scripture afflicted the camp’s Mech Masters with terrifying madness.

• Luo Yan entered the dangerous zone, found a Ghost Infant Worm, and ordered it to bring Black Crone to him.
• At Cai Andao’s camp, Mech Masters played cards and dismissed a warning that the Command Center had detected an Overlord Spectrum Signal.
• The Mech Masters heard chanting associated with Black Crone’s Evil Scripture and began acting out violent delusions.
• The captain saw a woman’s face emerge from his stomach and heard her claim that they would be together forever.

Black Crone’s chanting drove the Grand Dao Group’s camp into a massacre, leaving the Mecha Squad captain as the last survivor before he killed himself. The next day, Mr. Yutian reviewed the surveillance footage, recognized Black Crone, and wondered why an Overlord Giant Beast had attacked the camp.

• Black Crone’s chanting caused the camp’s people to hallucinate, mutate, and die in grotesque ways.
• The Mecha Squad captain saw Black Crone outside the camp, then watched the woman he had abandoned emerge from his stomach before he shot himself.
• Luo Yan praised Black Crone and signaled her to withdraw before disappearing from the camp.
• Mr. Yutian arrived the next day and ordered the camp’s surveillance footage retrieved.
• Mr. Yutian saw Black Crone in the footage and questioned why an Overlord Giant Beast had attacked the camp.

Cai Andao learned that the Black Crone had destroyed his camp and killed Dr. Zhou Xianwen, leaving him unable to seek revenge. Meanwhile, Little Bug reached a seemingly abandoned village and was confronted by a woman who asked what her little sister had told him to do.

• Shi Yutian told Cai Andao that the Black Crone had attacked the camp and killed everyone there, including Dr. Zhou Xianwen.
• Cai Andao considered whether the Scarlet Ghost had directed the Black Crone, then dismissed the idea and accepted that he had suffered an irreparable loss.
• Little Bug escaped Yi Town through the mountains, relying on the Bamboo Tube to ward off beasts, insects, and parasites.
• Little Bug reached a village where a fresh corpse lay at the entrance and hesitated to go inside.
• A woman placed her hands on Little Bug's shoulders and asked what her little sister had asked him to do.

Hong Zhuang captured and consumed Little Bug, then followed a red snake away from Yi Town while searching for Qing Lian. The trail ended at a small hill, where she accused her sister of playing hide-and-seek.

• Hong Zhuang found Little Bug and questioned him about what Qing Lian had asked him to do.
• Hong Zhuang saw through Little Bug's attempt to escape and drained his body and head, leaving an empty corpse.
• Hong Zhuang returned to the Empress Temple in Yi Town and realized Qing Lian had already left.
• Hong Zhuang summoned a small red snake and followed it out of Yi Town.
• Around four in the morning, the snake stopped circling before a small hill, and Hong Zhuang called Qing Lian naughty.

Hong Zhuang searched a Surface Base for Qing Lian but failed to find her, while Qing Lian escaped and reflected on the weakening Primordial Tent and the Human Lord’s absence. Luo Yan returned to Jinge City, where Bai Shaotang arranged for him to meet Dr. Jia Miao and asked how far his Divine Treasure had evolved.

• Hong Zhuang followed the blood trail west, searched the Surface Base without being noticed, and left without finding Qing Lian.
• Qing Lian emerged from a mecha cockpit after Hong Zhuang departed and slipped out of the base unseen.
• Qing Lian decided to hide and recover, then saw that the Human Lord’s Primordial Tent had developed cracks and lamented that the Human Lord was gone.
• Luo Yan woke, left his camp, and continued toward Jinge City after the Tianhao Department began mining the Ink Stone Deposit under Yang Hao’s Mecha Squad.
• Bai Shaotang told Luo Yan that armed groups had grown more active and arranged for him to speak with Dr. Jia Miao about the Void Return.
• Bai Shaotang asked Luo Yan what stage his Divine Treasure had evolved to.

Luo Yan learned that the fifth transformation of his Divine Treasure required Primordial Source Liquid, which Bai Shaotang offered as a reward for killing Wu Zhiqi. After leaving headquarters, Luo Yan met Dong Huang and Bai Tong, who planned to return to Qingyang City for Sheng Yitian’s wedding.

• Bai Shaotang explained that the Strategic Affairs Department wanted to help Luo Yan advance his Divine Treasure because the Sky Devils feared the Eye of Dharma.
• Luo Yan admitted that his Divine Treasure had transformed four times, and Bai Shaotang praised him for trusting the Strategic Affairs Department.
• Bai Shaotang told Luo Yan that the fifth transformation required Primordial Source Liquid and offered to prepare it as his reward for killing Wu Zhiqi.
• Bai Shaotang said he would arrange Luo Yan’s meeting with Doctor Jia and have someone notify him.
• Dong Huang and Bai Tong intercepted Luo Yan and told him they had requested leave to return to Qingyang City for Sheng Yitian’s wedding.
• Bai Tong revealed that she had written a stage play about Sheng Yitian and Ziyan and planned to perform it as a one-person show with Bai Tong acting and herself narrating.

Luo Yan and Xiao Bai were praised by the Earthly Department Dragon Riders after Luo Yan slew Wu Zhiqi, and Hanna told them the Great Wall Plan was about to begin. The chapter ended with Luo Yan and Xiao Bai receiving promotions, as Luo Yan became a Dragon Rider Captain and considered the opportunities the plan could bring.

• Luo Yan and Dong Huang talked Xiao Bai out of performing her strange show publicly to protect the secret of her Divine Treasure.
• Luo Yan, Dong Huang, and Xiao Bai met Hanna in the dining hall, where she congratulated Luo Yan for slaying Wu Zhiqi and the Dragon Riders applauded him.
• Hanna explained that the Great Wall Plan would soon begin, with military bases planned at cleared Forbidden Lands, including one near Qingmu City.
• Luo Yan decided to ask Feiyu to approach Liu Wansheng about potential projects for the Gou Mang Department near Qingmu City.
• The Strategic Affairs Department announced promotions, making Luo Yan a Dragon Rider Captain and Xiao Bai a Dragon Rider Lieutenant.
• Luo Yan began reading about the benefits and privileges of his new captain rank.

Luo Yan learned that his promotion to Dragon Rider Captain gave him privileged access to resources and authority over local operations. In Qingyang City, Ziyan married Sheng Yitian despite her parents’ disapproval, while her brother Zining attended and gave her a house.

• Luo Yan learned that Dragon Rider Captains could exchange for special resources and command up to one squad of the Mecha Legion during local operations.
• Zining told Ziyan that their parents opposed her marriage to Sheng Yitian and would not attend the wedding, but he agreed to come himself.
• Ziyan and Sheng Yitian welcomed guests at Chengyang Restaurant, and Ziyan grew anxious when her family did not arrive.
• Sheng Yitian reassured Ziyan that having her was enough, and Zining arrived shortly before the auspicious hour.
• Zining insulted Sheng Yitian but gave Ziyan the keys to a detached house, which the newlyweds accepted.

At Sheng Yitian and Ziyan’s wedding, Zining objected to Luo Yan and his friends sitting at the main table, then changed his attitude after important guests showed Luo Yan great respect. The chapter ended with Zining learning that Luo Yan was a Dragon Rider Captain and apologizing for failing to recognize his status.

• Zining stopped Sheng Yitian from seating Luo Yan, Bai?, and Dong Huang at the main table, so they moved to another table.
• Dong Huang told Luo Yan that Ziyan’s parents had opposed the marriage and that Zining was difficult to deal with.
• Feng Qingyu arrived, asked for Luo Yan, and sat with him after Luo Yan initially declined the main table.
• Chu Yingwei arrived and explained that he had come after learning Dragon Rider Captain Luo Yan was in Qingyang City.
• Zining learned Luo Yan’s rank, praised Sheng Yitian for knowing him, and offered Luo Yan three cups of wine as an apology.

Zining persuaded Sheng Yitian’s parents-in-law to join the wedding gathering, and Xiao Bai entertained the newlyweds and their friends with a performance. After returning to the Strategic Affairs Department base, Luo Yan met Jia Miao to learn how to discover his primordial spirit’s name, then hurried off with her notes to study.

• Zining convinced Sheng Yitian’s reluctant father to come when she told him Commander Feng and Secretary Zhu Yingwei had attended the wedding.
• At the newlyweds’ home, Xiao Bai used Bai Tong to reenact how Sheng Yitian and Ziyan had met, earning applause from their friends.
• Luo Yan returned to the base and met Jia Miao at the 'Guixu' Civilization Research Laboratory to ask about primordial spirits.
• Jia Miao explained that a primordial spirit had a name and that the Sympathy Method or Subjugation Method could reveal it.
• Lin Wei gave Luo Yan Jia Miao’s two notebooks, and he hurried back to the Dragon Rider barracks to study them.

Luo Yan studied Jia Miao’s methods for naming an unnamed Primordial Spirit and spent months trying to communicate with his own. By autumn, he finally controlled it, called it Yan Bo, and summoned its sword.

• Luo Yan learned that an unnamed Primordial Spirit could be named through the Sympathy Method or the more dangerous Subjugation Method, and Jia Miao’s notes advised trying sympathy first.
• Luo Yan returned the notebooks to the laboratory and learned Jia Miao and Lin Wei had left for Guixu.
• The Strategic Affairs Department announced plans to build the Great Wall-01 military base at the former Misty Canyon base and recruited local survivors to help construct it.
• After months of practice, Luo Yan called his Primordial Spirit Yan Bo and watched it take on a fiery, armored form.
• Luo Yan ordered Yan Bo to draw its sword, and it pulled the Ancient Sword Shadow from the Vermilion Fire Jiaolong before Luo Yan declared that he could finally control his Primordial Spirit.

Luo Yan learned the Primordial Spirit’s name and gained the ability to control it freely, while Bai? and other members of the squad made cultivation breakthroughs. Wang Meng announced that Luo Yan and Bai? would transfer to the Earthly Hero Squad, where Luo Yan would become its captain, as the team prepared for a mission supporting the Great Wall Plan.

• Luo Yan learned the Primordial Spirit’s name through resonance, revealing its fire-god form and allowing it to use its Dao, Crimson Essence Fire.
• Bai? told Luo Yan she had broken through to the second layer of Profound Comprehension, and Luo Yan shared his own improvement with her.
• Murong Xuan explained that Earthly Department squads would take turns guarding five Great Wall bases under construction as part of the Great Wall Plan.
• Wang Meng announced that the squad would go on a mission and that Luo Yan and Bai? would transfer to the Earthly Hero Squad, with Luo Yan as captain and Bai? as his assistant.
• Li Yuqing congratulated Luo Yan and offered to celebrate, but Wang Meng told him to report to the new squad’s quarters that afternoon and advised him to train its members strictly.

Luo Yan and Bai? arrived at the Earthly Hero Squad barracks, where Luo Yan met the new members and established himself as their captain. After Xia Yan panicked at the sight of Bai?, Luo Yan put Bai? in charge of looking after her.

• Luo Yan and Bai? arrived at the Earthly Hero Squad barracks, and Bai? recalled how a cat had waited for its former owner after the squad was wiped out.
• Luo Yan entered the barracks and met Cao Feng, Mu Cheng, and Xia Yan, who had been discussing his appointment as captain.
• When Cao Feng brazenly sized him up, Luo Yan burned Cao Feng's eyes with his Qi Flow and warned him not to get presumptuous.
• Bai? explained that Dan Niang wanted to refine a human pill using Xia Yan, but Bai? had stopped her.
• Luo Yan assigned Bai? to stay with Xia Yan, and Bai? agreed to try despite her reservations.

Luo Yan’s squad investigated the disappearance of Strategic Affairs Department agents at Jiayuan Base, where their cases all intersected with the Twin Flower Bar. Xia Yan entered the bar under cover as a prospective employee, beginning the team’s investigation.

• Luo Yan explained that agents investigating the Heavenly Ghosts had gone missing at Jiayuan Base, and that each had visited the Twin Flower Bar.
• Luo Yan warned Cao Feng that Heavenly Ghosts were far more dangerous than giant beasts and outlined a plan to investigate the bar.
• Luo Yan’s squad members entered Jiayuan Base in separate groups to avoid attracting attention.
• Xia Yan, following Luo Yan’s instructions and Bai?’s orders, approached the Twin Flower Bar seeking a job that required little customer contact.
• A bar employee agreed to take Xia Yan inside.

Luo Yan and Bai? rented a room across from Twin Flower Bar to monitor Xia Yan’s new job and investigate the bar’s motives. Hei Yuan revealed a new ability by projecting images, and they watched Xia Yan enter the office of bar owner Ye Lan.

• Old Gun registered Luo Yan and Bai? as siblings at his inn and rented them Room 304 for three days.
• Bai? and Luo Yan discussed whether Xia Yan would succeed, and Luo Yan suspected the bar had an ulterior motive for hiring her.
• Bai? told Luo Yan that Hei Yuan was monitoring Twin Flower Bar and could now share images of what it saw.
• Hei Yuan projected an image of Xia Yan entering Ye Lan’s office, where the bar owner sat behind his desk.

Luo Yan and Bai? suspected something was wrong with Ye Lan, while Xia Yan joined Twin Flower Bar and Cao Feng found a lead on a missing intelligence agent. After the bar closed, Xia Yan began investigating and sensed someone watching her in the corridor.

• Luo Yan showed Bai? photos of Ye Lan, and they noticed differences between the photo and the footage before deciding to observe him.
• Xia Yan accepted a job at Twin Flower Bar, where Jiang Peizhen assigned her kitchen duties and warned her to stay off the fourth floor.
• Cao Feng asked the bartender about a missing intelligence agent, and the bartender recognized the woman in the photo from an incident at the bar.
• Ye Lan arrived at the bar, drawing a crowd of women who competed for his attention and bought his expensive cocktails.
• After finishing her shift, Xia Yan waited until the bar was quiet and left her room to investigate, then sensed a watcher and saw a swaying, boneless figure in the corridor.