Chapter Summaries

An exploration team looted an ancient First People temple and captured several First People, but the statue they carried awakened as the demon god Koimoi and slaughtered them. Inside the East Forgetting Stone, Chen Chuan sensed that his seed had merged with a lingering Nature Spirit fragment and decided to observe its development.

• Professor Nowitzki identified the temple as an ancient Pedia site, and the exploration team removed its valuables and a strange statue.
• The team set out for the nearest outpost with the statue, but First People attacked them along the road.
• The explorers captured five First People and killed four wounded ones, then forced the captives to follow the convoy.
• When the captives cried out Koimoi, the statue awakened, killed the exploration team, and walked away.
• The surviving First People escaped into the forest to warn their people that Koimoi had returned.
• Chen Chuan sensed that his seed had merged with a lingering Nature Spirit fragment and chose to keep watching it.

Chen Chuan studied a Xuan Sect Progenitor’s Demon Subduing Style at East Forgetting Stone and discovered a hidden source of further teachings. After traveling around Weishu Continent with Zhao Ming and the Guard Members, he returned as the Capital Fighter Invitational neared its end, where Head Xie warned that developments in Kavatua might be unfavorable to Great Shun.

• Chen Chuan focused on a mural’s mental power and began piecing together the Progenitor’s explosive Demon Subduing Style, intending to adapt its principles to his own fighting.
• A Profound Scholar rose and passed through the vine-covered cave wall; Chen Chuan followed and found crystalline markings that held further information about the style.
• Chen Chuan followed news of the Capital Fighter Invitational and saw that Federation competitors dominated the finalists, with only two Great Shun Fighters among the eight.
• Chen Chuan left East Forgetting Stone with Zhao Ming and the Guard Members, then toured Weishu Continent by airship for several weeks.
• After returning, Chen Chuan learned that the tournament had reached the semifinals, with one Great Shun Fighter facing three Federation competitors.
• Head Xie told Chen Chuan that his inquiries into Kavatua suggested the situation might be unfavorable to Great Shun.

Chen Chuan agreed to travel to Kavatua to deter its leaders from accepting integration into the Federation. After securing travel approval, he set off with the Guard Members, and as their train crossed the Central Rift Mountain Range, he discussed Kavatua’s choices with his companions.

• Head Xie told Chen Chuan that the Confidential Operations Division and the Strategic Affairs Department were coordinating on a major plan, while Kavatua’s leaders were negotiating with the Federation.
• Head Xie showed Chen Chuan his international influence rating and urged him to visit Kavatua as a show of Great Shun’s strength.
• Chen Chuan agreed, reviewed materials on Kavatua, and received travel authorization the next day.
• Chen Chuan and the Guard Members departed for Kavatua, arranging for an airship to meet them after their train crossed the mountains.
• During the journey, Chen Chuan and his companions debated why Kavatua’s leaders might accept integration into the Federation.

Chen Chuan’s party reached the Life Plateau and waited at the edge of the Second Tier for an airship that never arrived. When an invisible watcher tried to possess Wei Dong, Chen Chuan caught him and used Zhao Ming’s vision to find another hidden enemy, ending with Chen Chuan striking at the figure escaping from a gray buzzard.

• Chen Chuan and his party entered the Arcana Continent after a journey delayed by aggressive creatures near the Life Plateau.
• Chen Chuan’s group drove toward Kavatua and reached the edge of the Second Tier, where they waited for an airship that had failed to respond to their messages.
• Chen Chuan went ahead toward the Canyon Path, while a phantom entered the convoy and chose Wei Dong as a target to possess.
• Chen Chuan revealed himself, seized the phantom, and suspected that another Fighter was nearby watching for an opening.
• Chen Chuan borrowed Zhao Ming’s vision and spotted a suspicious Ying Continent Gray Buzzard in the woods.
• Chen Chuan’s Spiritual Light Beam struck the buzzard, and Chen Chuan swung a platinum-lit fist at the figure that escaped from it.

Chen Chuan defeated a divine aspect sent to attack him, then traveled with the delegation to Kavatua as he learned about unrest and the Federation’s political maneuvering. He arrived at Tulama Mountain’s sacred city, where the First People’s leaders prepared a formal reception and a wary man watched him from afar.

• Chen Chuan destroyed the attacking phantom with a punch and told Yuan Qiuyuan, Qin Qingque, and the others that the enemy had been dealt with.
• An airship arrived with Affairs Officer Song, who explained that unrest had damaged Kavatua’s Mooring Tower and that a commissioned group of political brokers was posing as the Federation’s delegation.
• Chen Chuan boarded the airship and learned that Deputy Head Lu had met the Great Priest twice, but the Great Priest had not declared a position on Kavatua’s possible entry into the Federation.
• Chen Chuan observed the aging feathered serpent that guarded Kavatua and considered how its decline might be influencing the Priest Council’s willingness to compromise.
• The airship reached Kavatua, where Deputy Head Lu, Wang Tongshan, a Pipaliti, warriors, and Divine Temple Handmaidens received Chen Chuan.
• A handmaiden offered Chen Chuan a Feather Crown and jeweled cane, while a man holding a Ceremonial Stone Axe watched him with astonishment and wariness.

Chen Chuan met with Xin Hongtu, the Great Chieftain’s elder brother and an opponent of Kavatua joining the Federation, to discuss how to stop the negotiations. Xin Hongtu proposed killing the Federation’s political brokers, but Chen Chuan cautioned that it could cost them the Priest Group’s support and promised they would still have a future because he was there.

• Pipaliti identified Amaru as Kavatua’s Divine Guard, whose apparent change in alignment worried the Great Chieftain’s supporters.
• Pipaliti escorted Chen Chuan and Deputy Head Lu through Kavatua City to an estate belonging to the Great Chieftain.
• Xin Hongtu welcomed Chen Chuan and explained that the Year of Hibernation and opposition from the Old Faction limited their ability to make political changes.
• Chen Chuan said he opposed Kavatua reaching an agreement with the Federation and asked Xin Hongtu what he intended to do.
• Xin Hongtu proposed killing the Federation’s political brokers, but Chen Chuan warned that the move could alienate the Priest Group and assured him that he could still secure their future.

Chen Chuan and Deputy Head Lu weighed how to stop Kavatua from siding with the Federation without provoking a wider conflict, while Amaru warned the nobles that Chen Chuan was a demigod. Amaru and the Purple-Robed Noble decided to seek a Federation demigod’s help in the sacred land and let the ancestors decide.

• Chen Chuan agreed with Deputy Head Lu that Kavatua should resolve its political crisis itself if possible, but said they still needed to act and told him to wait.
• Amaru told Kavatua’s nobles that Chen Chuan was an extremely powerful demigod, alarming them.
• The Purple-Robed Noble reassured the nobles by claiming Ikuss and the Federation would protect them, then privately asked Amaru whether they could defeat Chen Chuan.
• Amaru said he could not win against Chen Chuan and proposed that the Federation send a demigod to the sacred land instead of fighting in Kavatua.
• Amaru argued that the Great Priest would permit the visit and let the ancestors decide, and the Purple-Robed Noble agreed to try.

Chen Chuan investigated Kavatua and met Great Priest Ilipa Akya after Ikuss guided her to hear him. Their hours-long meeting left the upper nobles fearing that the Priest Group would side with Great Shun and thwart their plans.

• Chen Chuan spent seven or eight days learning about Kavatua’s people, nobility, and political disputes before asking to meet the Great Priest.
• Great Priest Ilipa Akya heard a new ritual calling for Koimoi, then received Ikuss’s guidance to meet Chen Chuan.
• Chen Chuan met Ilipa Akya in the God-Viewing Chamber and confirmed that he had heard part of Ikuss’s message.
• Ilipa Akya agreed to give Chen Chuan’s proposal a try and asked him to remain so the nobles would feel greater pressure.
• Chen Chuan stayed with Ilipa Akya for several hours, and the upper nobles panicked at the prospect of the Priest Group backing Great Shun.

The Purple-Robed Noble and Amaru worked to secure the Great Priest’s cooperation while weighing whether Kavatua should align with the Federation or Great Shun. A publicized contest between their representatives began as both sides traveled to the Hatikan Divine Temple, leaving Kavatua’s nobles anxious about the outcome.

• The Purple-Robed Noble told Amaru that the Great Priest had not refused his proposal, and promised to give her an answer within three days.
• Deputy Head Lu and Chen Chuan discussed how Kavatua’s nobles feared the Federation and how force could give the First People leverage.
• Kavatua learned that Great Shun and the Federation would settle their dispute through a fair confrontation under the Ancestor Spirit and Ikuss.
• A Federation fighter arrived in Kavatua, and Chen Chuan and the Purple-Robed Noble followed him toward the Hatikan Great Altar.
• Chen Chuan and the Federation fighter entered the temple as nobles questioned their decision, while an unseen observer recorded their remarks.

Chen Chuan and Wells Fantana were escorted to Hatikan's Rift to fight, and the Great Priest invited them into the ancestral sacred land. The two entered the Rift after its protective layer was lifted, leaving the battle and the promised gift ahead.

• Chen Chuan and Wells Fantana passed the temple's nature spirits and met at the gates, where Fantana said he had volunteered to fight and kill Chen Chuan.
• The priest opened the stone gates, and Fantana asked Chen Chuan about joining the Ascension Ladder; Chen Chuan said he had no interest.
• Chen Chuan and Fantana climbed to the Rift and found its light harmless while it was protected by the Great Priest's power.
• The Great Priest welcomed them and said the victor would receive a gift from Ikuss.
• The Great Priest removed the Rift's protective layer and entered, and Chen Chuan and Fantana followed her into the light.

Chen Chuan and Fantana entered Kuyanaka, where the Sacred Tree empowered Fantana as they prepared to fight over Quizatek’s future. Their duel began with Fantana revealing his power and transforming into a many-armed creature of crystalline light.

• Chen Chuan and Fantana saw Itzaka, the Sacred Tree, and the Great Priest explained that the First People could no longer contact Ikuss through it.
• Fantana drew strength from the Sacred Tree and said he was certain he would defeat Chen Chuan.
• The Great Priest left the Rift and decided to let the duel and the Sacred Tree determine Quizatek’s fate.
• Fantana raised his aura, spoke about the split-off consciousnesses fighting to avoid being absorbed, and turned his body into crystalline light.
• Chen Chuan met Fantana’s crystalline assault head-on, then recognized Fantana’s many-armed transformation as belonging to the Fusion Faction.

Chen Chuan fought Fantana beneath the Sacred Tree, countering his mental attacks, shifting body, and incorporeal techniques with his Spiritual Fire and Two Great Styles. After Chen Chuan landed several powerful blows, Fantana unleashed an explosive counterattack and pursued him as a cyan meteor of fire.

• Chen Chuan resisted Fantana's mental pressure and met his Spiritual Fire head-on.
• Fantana changed his attack, crawling over Chen Chuan and striking down with his limbs, but Chen Chuan spotted a pause in his rhythm.
• Chen Chuan used a Spiritual Impact, then followed with the Two Great Styles and a punch that forced Fantana to materialize.
• Chen Chuan sensed Fantana's shifting mental power and landed another blow, tearing open a gash in Fantana's crystalline body.
• Fantana expanded into a colossal form and attacked, but Chen Chuan and his spiritual image knocked him off balance and damaged him.
• Fantana returned to his original size, used an explosive secret technique, kicked Chen Chuan back, and charged after him as a cyan meteor of fire.

Chen Chuan used the Two Great Styles and Purity Faction techniques to suppress Fantana, exploiting the flaws in his shifting between the tangible and intangible. After stopping Fantana from unleashing a devastating Spiritual Impact, Chen Chuan’s spiritual form pinned him down and raised its Long Jian for another strike.

• Fantana charged Chen Chuan, but Chen Chuan countered with a knee and a barrage of punches that forced him back.
• Chen Chuan’s spiritual form struck Fantana with a giant palm, but Fantana escaped by scattering and reassembling at the cost of weakening his aura.
• Chen Chuan strengthened the Two Great Styles and sent his spiritual form, wielding a saber and Long Jian, into the battle alongside him.
• Chen Chuan seized Fantana as he tried to disperse, using his Pure and Tranquil Spiritual Radiance to catch the Mutated Tissue anchoring him.
• Fantana expanded and prepared a Spiritual Impact, but Chen Chuan’s spiritual form struck him with the Long Jian and suppressed the eruption.
• Chen Chuan’s spiritual form flipped Fantana facedown, pinned him with a knee, and raised the Long Jian to strike again.

Chen Chuan defeated Fantana on the Cloud Islet, destroying his original body and then eliminating the fused consciousness that escaped it. He claimed Fantana’s World-Fused Weapon and left satisfied with the fight, while hoping for a stronger opponent next time.

• Chen Chuan struck Fantana with his jian, overcame a simulated Judgment Court illusion, and severely dispersed Fantana’s body.
• Fantana separated the power fused into his body and fled as the main body was destroyed by Chen Chuan’s next blow.
• Chen Chuan drew the Snow Monarch Blade and attacked the escaped crystalline entity with his Spirit Manifestation and Spiritual Impacts.
• The entity blocked one attack with a World-Fused Weapon, but Chen Chuan cut through its body and caused its divine energy to erupt and vanish.
• Chen Chuan retrieved Fantana’s World-Fused Weapon and departed, satisfied with the fight but wishing for a stronger opponent.

Chen Chuan defeated Fantana and spent three days cultivating within the Sacred Tree’s Rift before emerging with gifts from Ikuss. As he and the Great Priest went to announce the outcome, the people outside the temple heard the sacrificial drums announcing Kavatua’s fate.

• Chen Chuan erased Fantana’s mental intent from the short blade, then cultivated inside the Rift for three days to strengthen his mutated tissue.
• Chen Chuan left the Rift, and the Great Priest and elderly priest learned that Fantana had become one with the Sacred Tree.
• Ikuss sent Chen Chuan a Crimson Orb, an irregular crystal, and a feather that allowed him to visit any place in Kavatua, including the Sacred Tree.
• The Great Priest invited Chen Chuan to join her outside, where Kavatua’s people had spent three days awaiting the result.
• Amaru challenged Beta about accepting defeat, but Beta insisted the Federation would win and that its allies would remain safe.
• The sacrificial drums sounded outside the Hati Great Divine Temple, signaling that Kavatua’s fate was about to be revealed.

Chen Chuan returned as the victor, and the Great Priest announced that Kavatua would deepen its alliance with Great Shun and end negotiations with the Federation. Xin Hongtu accused Beta of joining the Federation's New Sects and forced him to face a public oath, leaving Beta prepared to flee if the situation turned against him.

• Ikuss appeared above the temple as the crowd waited, and Chen Chuan emerged alongside the Great Priest after the contest.
• The Great Priest declared Great Shun the victor and announced that Kavatua would cooperate more closely with it and give the Federation delegation one day to leave.
• A Kavatua noble questioned whether the Priest Group had favored one side, and a Sacred Land Warrior executed him on the platform.
• Xin Hongtu accused Beta of joining the New Sects and presented evidence, including Beta's son Ilan, whom Beta had claimed was dead.
• Beta portrayed himself as a grieving father and denied Xin Hongtu's accusations, winning sympathy from the crowd.
• Xin Hongtu challenged Beta to swear before the Ancestor Spirit and under Ikuss's witness, and Beta quietly told Amaru to take him away if things went wrong.

Amaru killed Beta and eighty-seven Federation-aligned nobles to purge Kavatua’s corrupt faction, then died after Chen Chuan stopped his final attack. Chen Chuan returned to his manor and examined the red stone Ikuss had given him, considering whether it could help Zhao Ming reach the superlimit level.

• Beta swore that he had not betrayed Kavatua, but Amaru crushed his spine after the ancestors’ protection failed him.
• Amaru revealed that Beta had sent his son away as a hostage and that the boy had been Amaru’s son, then killed Beta.
• Amaru attacked and killed eighty-seven Federation-aligned nobles before his body began to collapse under the ritual’s power.
• Amaru lunged toward the Great Priest and Chen Chuan, and Chen Chuan stopped his fist as Amaru’s body erupted into Spiritual Fire.
• The Great Priest thanked Chen Chuan, who left the delegation and returned to his manor.
• Chen Chuan examined the red stone Ikuss had given him and considered using it to help Zhao Ming become a Superlimit Creature.

Chen Chuan examined the gifts from Ikuss, cultivated in the Sacred Tree Void, and learned that Kavatua wanted the Visiting Delegation to stay for protection. He suggested that Xin Hongtu build a force of his own and pointed him toward Akhtava.

• Chen Chuan put away the feathered serpent's life essence until he could learn whether using it might leave Zhao Ming under Ikuss's control.
• Chen Chuan tested the crystalline gift, identified it as a Life-Bound Weapon, and found that it could transform into a weapon suited to his Demon Subduing Style.
• Chen Chuan used the blue-green feather to open a Rift to the First People's sacred land and spent time cultivating in the Sacred Tree Void.
• Kavatua expelled the Federation brokers, and Chen Chuan heard that the Federation and Great Shun had shared first place in the invitational tournament.
• Xin Hongtu asked the Visiting Delegation to remain in Kavatua for protection, but Chen Chuan explained that it could not stay long and advised him to build a force of his own.
• Chen Chuan told Xin Hongtu that he should know Akhtava.

Xin Hongtu accepted Great Shun’s support and moved to launch reforms in Kavatua, while Chen Chuan arranged to seek intelligence on Gao Xinwen through the Resistance Organization. Elsewhere, Puppet returned from a commission and received a mysterious box from the old man who owed him a favor.

• Xin Hongtu agreed with Chen Chuan that Kavatua could recruit talent from outside and use Akhtava as a symbol to build support against the Federation.
• Xin Hongtu told Deputy Head Lu that Kavatua would adopt Great Shun’s reform plan, hire its technical and military personnel, establish factories and a Wu Yi Academy, and train troops to maintain Implant Bodies.
• Xin Hongtu asked Great Shun to assist Ikuss and offered resources from the Ancestral Land, including Mutated Plant samples and seeds, in exchange.
• Chen Chuan sent Luo Kaiyuan, accompanied by Wei Dong and Xiao Qi, to contact the Resistance Organization and obtain intelligence on Gao Xinwen.
• Puppet returned to the laboratory with his team after completing several commissions, and the old man presented him with a box as repayment for a favor.

Puppet accepted a new commission to retrieve a rare plant from the Convergence Zone after receiving a living branch that became his new Blood Staff. The mercenary group set out, unaware that their contact had secretly provided their information to the Federation’s Confidential Operations Division, which was pursuing them.

• Xuan Ge presented Puppet with a Mutated Plant branch, and Puppet found that it suited him as a Hand Cane and shattered a stone bollard with it.
• Abner offered Puppet commissions to capture an escaped Superlimit Creature or retrieve samples of a dangerous new plant, and Puppet chose the plant mission.
• Puppet ordered the group to rest for a day before entering the Convergence Zone, where they met their contact, Padding, and received detailed information.
• After the mercenary group departed, Padding learned that the Confidential Operations Division appreciated his cooperation in providing information about them.
• Padding told his armed guard that Blood Staff was wanted by the Federation and that the Division had also targeted the laboratory.