Chapter Summaries

Chen Chuan tested Akhtava’s combat skills and easily overcame his layered attacks, then explained how little chance Akhtava would have against a Throne Fighter. After they exchanged questions, Chen Chuan learned how Akhtava’s daggers and specialized Mutated Tissue supported his fighting style.

• Akhtava attacked Chen Chuan with daggers, Spiritual Impacts, smoke, and a decoy, but Chen Chuan read his tactics and evaded his sneak attack.
• Akhtava unleashed his strongest close-range Spiritual Impact, and Chen Chuan suppressed it with his own Spiritual Fire.
• Akhtava asked whether Chen Chuan’s power matched what he had used against a Throne Fighter, and Chen Chuan confirmed that Akhtava would have almost no chance against one.
• Chen Chuan asked about Akhtava’s daggers, and Akhtava explained that they were made from materials grown inside his body after he consumed ritualized seeds.
• Akhtava explained that he had cultivated specialized Mutated Tissue to store and rapidly release Spiritual Fire, while Chen Chuan considered the trade-offs of that extreme path.

Chu Zhixian met Councilor Emmons, who brought him to a New Holy Church where he saw an infant-like figure and was told he had received its blessing. Ten days later, Chen Chuan received intelligence locating the Primitive Sect’s likely headquarters on the Tanli Islands and considered attacking it.

• Chu Zhixian met Councilor Emmons by Moraleh Inner Lake and discussed their friendship, the delegation’s departure, and plans to control the power of Fighters.
• Emmons took Chu Zhixian to a New Holy Church, where Chu saw a smiling infant and heard a hymn before losing track of time.
• Emmons told Chu Zhixian that he had received the lord’s blessing and urged him to take the lord’s gift back with him.
• Chu Zhixian deleted the meeting records from his World Token and returned to the Foreign Affairs Hall.
• Ten days later, Chen Chuan collected Wan Song Company’s intelligence, which placed the Primitive Sect’s likely headquarters on the Tanli Islands and could not confirm whether it had higher-level power.
• Chen Chuan considered that the sect might worship something from the other side, then burned the intelligence and waited for the right opportunity.

Head Jiang prepared to leave the Federation after completing Great Shun’s mission, while Federation officials confirmed their agreement with True Person Ranming and began mobilizing for Operation Cornerstone. The chapter ended as departments gathered at Aurelian Palace and were ordered to prioritize the secret operation.

• Head Jiang rejected further investigation into Deputy Head Chu and ordered surveillance withdrawn before arranging the delegation’s departure for home.
• True Person Ranming told Vico Durant, Drian Krosal, and Wells Fantana that Celestial Master Lu had gone beyond the heavens and affirmed he would honor their agreement.
• Durant and Fantana approved proceeding with the original plan, and the Consul’s staff began sending orders across the capital.
• Olin briefed assembled officials on Operation Cornerstone, imposed strict secrecy, and ordered departments to commit their personnel and resources to the plan.

The Federation mobilized sects, foreign powers, and corporations to support its planned operation against the Celestial Mystery Sect. As responses came in, Gao Xinjian and Small Awakening Temple made their own preparations, while the International Investigation Group remained a possible complication.

• Olin ordered sect representatives to cooperate with the Federation, and the West Bank Council approved unconditional compliance by sects and organizations on Federation land.
• Federation officials invited foreign representatives and major companies to discuss the operation against the Celestial Mystery Sect and the recovery of Weishu Continent.
• Cassian urged Olin to notify the International Investigation Group, while Gao Xinjian warned that Origin Company could be the Federation's next target after Weishu Continent.
• Gao Xinjian agreed to provide three thousand combat Puppets but said Origin Company could not spare high-level personnel, and he suspected Mataiola might complicate the operation.
• Zhao Juexian decided Small Awakening Temple would assist because its disciples and properties were scattered across the world, and he sent Guang Yong to the Federation capital.

The New Light Sect and Primitive Sect agreed to join the Federation’s planned attack on the Celestial Mystery Sect, while the International Investigation Group struggled to preserve its authority. Krofenis Mataiola prepared to travel to the Federation and demonstrate the strength behind the World Ring’s order.

• Ilosser agreed to lead the New Light Sect’s participation and asked to meet Bishop Morton of the Primitive Sect.
• Cyrus Morton’s ritual was disrupted when three vessels exploded, and he received news of the Federation’s demand and Ilosser’s proposed meeting.
• Morton agreed that the Primitive Sect would join the operation and invited Ilosser to meet him at the ruins of the Old Sects on Aimon Continent in two days.
• Krofenis Mataiola learned that the Federation and Great Shun had reached an agreement without consulting the International Investigation Group, leaving the group unable to stop the operation.
• Mataiola ordered an airship prepared for the Federation and said he would show them the strength needed to uphold order.

After nearly a year in the Federation, Chen Chuan and the Second Visiting Delegation left Kavatua and returned to Seranocha Central Continent. There, representatives of the International Fighter Council approached Chen Chuan to discuss his restrictive agreement.

• Chen Chuan reviewed intelligence linking the Primitive Sect to the New Light Sect and anticipated that their leaders would join the siege against the Celestial Mystery Sect.
• Head Xie told Chen Chuan that their mission was complete and that the delegation would return to Great Shun in two days.
• Kavatua's people and leaders saw off the Second Visiting Delegation, and Ikuss blessed the departing members as their airships rose.
• Tao Huiya failed to return to the rendezvous, but her assistant delivered a Storage Sheath for Chen Chuan to take home.
• Chen Chuan and the First Visiting Delegation reunited in Seranocha Central Continent, where International Fighter Council representatives asked him to discuss the restrictive agreement.

Chen Chuan rejected a suspicious Safety Protocol agreement and arrested the two International Fighter Council representatives who presented it. He planned to take them home to investigate who was behind the attempt to restrict him, while Chu Zhixian learned of the arrests.

• The Council representatives presented Chen Chuan with a temporary supplementary Safety Protocol agreement and urged him to sign it.
• Gao Ming verified that the documents were genuine in appearance but discovered that the commission had not followed official channels.
• Chen Chuan refused to sign, accused the representatives of using the Fighter Council's name to control delegation leaders, and ordered Wu Han's security personnel to arrest them.
• Chen Chuan told Gao Ming to take the prisoners home and investigate who had authorized the agreement, while he focused on finding an opponent to help him break through Profound Cave Observation.
• Chu Zhixian's attendant told him that Chen Chuan had arrested the two Council representatives, and Chu Zhixian asked what had happened.

Chu Zhixian secretly reported the failed effort to restrain Chen Chuan, while Chen Chuan prepared to return to Great Shun aboard an airship carrying important Old Sect items and state secrets. After the airship departed, a pellet in Chen Chuan’s pocket began releasing radiant vapor.

• Chu Zhixian dismissed his attendant, concluded that Chen Chuan had uncovered a flaw in the attempt to restrain him, and began writing a report.
• Nearly seventy airships gathered, and Fan Zhentong asked Chen Chuan to help guard an unusually sturdy cargo airship carrying important items.
• Chen Chuan arranged for his team and luggage, then boarded the cargo airship with Fan Zhentong.
• Fan Zhentong explained that the Federation had returned Old Sect artifacts and assigned Chen Chuan to guard the airship’s bottom level while an Active Consciousness Entity and Fan Zhentong guarded the other levels.
• After the airship departed, Chen Chuan sat in stillness, but the pellet in his pocket trembled and released a vast cloud of radiant vapor.

Chen Chuan witnessed a vision of the Celestial Mystery Sect maintaining the World Ring and found records about its flaws, raising doubts about the Federation’s account of its operation. Fan Zhentong explained True Person Ranming’s offer to help the Federation seize control of the sect, but Chen Chuan’s question about Celestial Master Lu’s mission remained unanswered.

• Chen Chuan saw a vision of four Celestial Mystery Sect True Persons conducting the Great Return Ritual to protect the World Ring from a demonic monster beyond the heavens.
• A Profound Scholar from the vision led Chen Chuan to an unsealed Book Casket containing records of the Celestial Mystery Sect’s observations of flaws in the World Ring.
• Chen Chuan called Fan Zhentong and asked what intelligence True Person Ranming had given the Federation about the Celestial Mystery Sect.
• Fan Zhentong said Ranming wanted the Federation to help him become Celestial Master and had promised to open Weishu Continent to Federation and foreign commerce.
• Chen Chuan asked whether Ranming had explained why Celestial Master Lu went to the Other Side World to reinforce the sect’s ritual.

Chen Chuan learned from International Investigation Group records that the Celestial Mystery Sect had protected the World Ring, so he decided to stop the Federation’s planned operation against it. The Federation assembled its fighters and waited for the Great Shun Delegation to leave its territory, while Chen Chuan prepared to confront them despite the odds.

• Fan Zhentong warned Chen Chuan that the Federation might target Celestial Master Lu and explained that powerful leaders could favor replacing him with someone controllable.
• Chen Chuan asked Gao Ming to obtain the International Investigation Group’s records about the Celestial Mystery Sect and the World Ring.
• At Aurelian Palace, Cassian and Olin reported that six allied Throne Fighters and three Federation fighters were expected to join the operation, while Origin Company declined to participate after Xiang Boqing’s reported death.
• Gao Ming sent Chen Chuan the International Investigation Group’s records, including Mataiola’s confirmation that the Celestial Mystery Sect had helped extend the World Ring’s existence.
• Chen Chuan concluded that he needed to stop the Federation’s operation and prepared to face several Throne Fighters after the delegation left Federation territory.

The Federation prepared a massive civilian operation against the Da Shun Delegation, drawing global attention as Throne Fighters gathered aboard the Sky Leviathan. As Chen Chuan reached Gessefetu Continent with the delegation, he left with Fan Zhentong’s permission and a Lost Object to pursue his own purpose.

• Joan Robes approved the operation after Cassian and Olin assured him that Ran Ming and the Celestial Mystery Sect’s ritual would not jeopardize it.
• The Federation assembled the Sky Leviathan, publicized its role as a guardian of the operation, and began boarding government personnel, observers, and reporters.
• Lily Caldwell and Briggs boarded the airship, and Lily said she hoped to interview the Federation Hero and Chen Chuan.
• Chen Chuan told Fan Zhentong he intended to leave the Da Shun Delegation after reaching Gessefetu Continent, and Fan Zhentong supported his decision.
• Fan Zhentong gave Chen Chuan a copper Lost Object, which Chen Chuan recognized as useful, and Chen Chuan flew toward the main airship.

Chen Chuan left the Visiting Delegation to pursue a personal mission against the Celestial Mystery Sect, while Head Jiang and Head Xie freed him from the delegation’s restrictions. He departed the fleet with Zhao Ming, heading toward Federation territory by a route through the southern waters.

• Head Xie approved Chen Chuan’s departure, and Head Jiang declared that Chen Chuan had completed his duties and was no longer bound by the Visiting Delegation.
• Chu Zhixian suspected Chen Chuan planned to interfere with the negotiations and tried to send a warning to the Federation, but Head Jiang’s order forbidding outside contact stopped him.
• Chen Chuan told his Guard Members to obey Head Xie temporarily, then dressed in custom protective gear, took his weapons and Snow Monarch Blade, and left his External Implant Body behind.
• Chen Chuan planned to skirt the Federation through its southern waters before heading north to the Celestial Mystery Sect.
• Chen Chuan rose from his airship, and Zhao Ming joined him as they broke through the clouds and flew away.

As the Federation’s military procession headed toward Weishu Continent, Lily interviewed Ethan Walker, who boasted that he would prove himself superior to Great Shun’s Fighter. Meanwhile, Chen Chuan approached Federation territory cautiously, sensing powerful defenses and masking his strength as he tried to catch up with the operation.

• The Federation activated its National Defense Regulations as Robes instructed Rose to keep the figurehead in place and prevent him from interfering.
• Lily interviewed Ethan Walker, who said Great Shun’s Fighter had succeeded only because he had the opportunity and promised to prove himself.
• After the interview, Ethan’s assistant warned him that his remarks could provoke controversy, but Ethan refused to back down.
• Lily set off with Briggs to interview Mr. Cooper, the designer of the latest Active Consciousness Entities.
• Chen Chuan detected the Federation’s observation posts and an unseen force over its territory, so he merged his Second Self back into his body and reduced his apparent strength.

The Federation fleet approached Weishu Continent as its allied forces assembled for an attack on the Celestial Mystery Sect. The sect activated its Star Constellation Esoteric Ritual to defend Heavenly Pole Mountain, and its four True Persons prepared to face the invasion without the Celestial Master.

• Briggs identified the distant peak as Heavenly Pole Mountain while Federation observers discussed the expected conquest and division of Weishu Continent.
• Cassian and Olin coordinated the approaching fleets, as forces from the New Light Sect, Primitive Sect, Tower Whale, Deep-Sea Spiral, and Titan Plant Company arrived.
• True Person Gao Xu and the other True Persons suspected Li Kingdom had exploited the Celestial Master's absence to attack the sect.
• True Person Chonghua ordered the sect to activate the Star Constellation Esoteric Ritual and protect the Heavenly Mystery Thread until the Celestial Master returned.
• The ritual's thirty-six administrative seats and seventy-two scenic sites all responded, illuminating the land as the four True Persons prepared for the coming battle.

The Federation’s forces reached Weishu Continent and began their assault on the Celestial Mystery Sect, but Igor’s unexpected strike destroyed the first administrative center before the planned advance could begin. As Chen Chuan neared Heavenly Pole Mountain, Guang Yong of Small Awakening Temple intercepted him and urged him to wait for the celestial mystery to descend.

• Cassian briefed the assembled representatives on the Star Constellation Esoteric Ritual and identified the administrative centers as key defensive nodes to eliminate before advancing inward.
• The airship fleet reached Weishu Continent at dawn, and the Federation announced that it would reclaim the territory unless the Celestial Mystery Sect surrendered unconditionally.
• Igor unleashed two Spiritual Impacts that obliterated the first administrative center, prompting the fleet to charge into the continent and forcing Cassian to abandon his planned operation.
• Cassian learned that the operative from Small Awakening Temple had not arrived and that interference from the ritual had disrupted communications.
• Chen Chuan raced toward Heavenly Pole Mountain, where Guang Yong of Small Awakening Temple intercepted him and asked him to wait.

Chen Chuan fought Guang Yong, a Small Awakening Temple monk whose Exotic Powers trapped him in a shrinking space, while the Federation attacked Weishu Continent and the Celestial Mystery Sect prepared to summon heavenly aid. The chapter left the four True Persons channeling Divine Energy through the Sky Rift to receive four Heavenly Monarchs.

• Guang Yong revealed that Chen Chuan was trapped by his Penetrating Ability and attacked him with a giant golden palm, which Chen Chuan shattered with a punch.
• Guang Yong transformed into an image of Venerable Mōniē and used Grasping Void to make himself untouchable while warning that Chen Chuan's space to maneuver would keep shrinking.
• Federation airships attacked Weishu Continent's administrative seats, and Briggs stopped a security officer from shooting Lily's camera before the officer collapsed from a mysterious injury.
• True Person Chonghua judged that the Federation's attacks would buy the Celestial Mystery Sect half a day and assigned himself, Gao Xu, Ran Ming, and Long Xian to guard four directions.
• Chonghua, Gao Xu, Ran Ming, and Long Xian called upon their respective Heavenly Monarchs, and brilliant spiritual radiance descended through the Sky Rift into them.

True Person Chonghua and the other three used the Celestial Mystery Disk and a constellation ritual to manifest enormous divine aspects around Heavenly Pole Peak, strengthening their defenses against the Federation assault. As the Federation forces struggled to break through, the Primitive Sect and New Light Sect began a different ritual, leaving the attack’s outcome uncertain.

• True Person Chonghua and the other three activated the secret ritual and manifested four immense divine aspects around Heavenly Pole Peak.
• Briggs identified the figures as spiritual aspects, while Lily and other Fighters recognized that their power exceeded that of ordinary Throne Fighters.
• Klaus Field’s Spiritual Impact weakened before reaching True Person Longxian, and the divine aspect barely reacted.
• Igor charged True Person Gao Xu’s divine aspect, which struck him down with a sweep of its hand.
• Fantana said the display matched Ran Ming’s warning, and Durant ordered the Federation forces to continue testing the defenders rather than reveal the plan.
• The Primitive Sect and the New Light Sect abandoned attempts to destroy all seventy-two scenic sites and began placing ritual objects and chanting across the area.

The New Light Sect and Primitive Sect opened a rift on Weishu Continent, but the Celestial Mystery Sect’s suppression kept it small and unstable. Chen Chuan defeated Guang Yong on Vanacopa Continent and then flew toward Heavenly Pole Peak, leaving Guang Yong’s complete destruction uncertain.

• The Fighters aboard the airships forced open a patch of blank ground, and believers from both sects used ritual materials to begin opening a rift on Weishu Continent.
• The rift stopped growing at fist size, so Ilosser and Morton agreed to use their trump cards rather than abandon the effort.
• Chen Chuan sensed that Penetrating Ground was shrinking and waited for Guang Yong to attack.
• Guang Yong fired a Spiritual Impact, but Chen Chuan charged through it and opened a rift around him, breaking the Exotic Power.
• Chen Chuan battered Guang Yong’s Venerable Mōniē aspect until it shattered, and Guang Yong’s remaining spirit dispersed.
• Chen Chuan decided Guang Yong was out of the fight despite the possibility that part of his body survived in Small Awakening Temple, then flew toward Heavenly Pole Peak.

The New Light Sect and Primitive Sect used their Lost Objects to widen two rifts and summon powers from the Other Side World, while the Federation’s fighters struggled against the divine image. True Person Longxian then unleashed a devastating attack that destroyed nearby airships and scattered the sect followers, but Ilosser survived and spotted a possible weakness.

• The New Light Sect activated its eagle specimen’s gemstone eyes, and the Primitive Sect used its sculpture-like Lost Object to expand their rifts.
• Igor rose unharmed, Sivert Drakholm struck the divine image and regenerated after being torn apart, and Field of Giant Plant’s attack crumbled before it.
• The rear rifts grew large enough for the Primitive Sect’s mist and the New Light Sect’s beam to target True Person Longxian, while Ilosser and Morton advanced to attack him.
• True Person Longxian raised one finger, and his attack destroyed the flying airships and killed the gathered New Light Sect followers.
• Ilosser was hurled more than ten kilometers but survived, then recognized that the divine image’s power had limits and began considering his next move.

Long Xian’s divine image repelled the rift creature and revealed that the Celestial Mystery Sect could withstand repeated attacks through its secret ritual. As Iserlo’s group prepared another assault, Durant, Fantana, and Krosal brought out paired Lost Objects to break through the Sect’s defenses.

• Long Xian’s divine image destroyed the rift creature, purified its remains, and pulled the New Light Sect’s golden light from its body.
• Iserlo and Morton decided to gather their forces for a frontal breakthrough rather than seek information from the Federation.
• Cassian and Olin failed to contact the fighter from Small Awakening Temple and sent an airship to search for him.
• Durant, Fantana, and Krosal decided to act after Iserlo’s group made no progress.
• Fantana revealed an explosive Lost Object, and Krosal prepared the Trigger to multiply its power.