Chapter Summaries

Jiang Qiao watched a mirror reveal the process of connecting with the gods and learned from Liu Ping that reaching the Starry Sky meant passing through a Supernatural barrier wrapped around the world. Liu Ping explained how the Void Abyss paralleled and intersected with the material universe, leaving Jiang Qiao with a clearer account of the dangers beyond the sky.

• Jiang Qiao watched the mirror transform into a view of countless stars and wondered how the gods related to the Starry Sky.
• Jiang Qiao asked Liu Ping why the connection to the Starry Sky had required passing through a Vicious Ghost, darkness, and a strange tunnel.
• Liu Ping explained that the mirror showed the process of contacting gods and that reaching the Starry Sky required passing through the firmament.
• Liu Ping said the atmosphere was wrapped in Evil Spirits and twisted rules that acted as conceptual barriers, and that breaking the void led to the Void Abyss rather than true outer space.
• Liu Ping described the Void Abyss as a parallel, intersecting realm of rules and concepts whose phenomena corresponded to material events in the normal universe.

Jiang Qiao listened as Liu Ping explained secrets of the Starry Sky, the Void Abyss, and the supernatural, while he reflected on Liu Yuanyuan’s mysterious origins and rapid rise in strength. The mirror then showed a disturbing vision of Deity that left Jiang Qiao shocked but unharmed.

• Liu Ping described the Starry Sky, the Void Abyss, and supernatural secrets to Jiang Qiao and Liu Yuanyuan.
• Jiang Qiao considered Liu Yuanyuan’s unusual history, knowledge, and strength, and decided to speak honestly with her after the current matter was over.
• The Mirror World shifted from a brilliant Starry Sky to a distorted universe of barren planets and dripping, pus-like matter.
• Jiang Qiao saw the stars become enormous eyes and recognized the vision as an interpretation of Deity.
• Jiang Qiao realized the mirror had isolated Deity’s influence, though he suspected the eyes might only be an image created by the mirror.

Liu Ping used a mirror made with deity-contaminated material to isolate the group from a god’s influence as they observed its manifestation in the Starry Sky. The god of causality appeared around them, ready to witness any contract or promise they made.

• Liu Ping explained that the mirror could partially counteract a god’s influence but could not protect them if the god noticed them.
• Liu Ping said the group had come to the Starry Sky to summon the god of causality, where it was relatively more stable, and warned Jiang Qiao against studying gods through faith.
• The mirror’s image warped as stars became eyeballs and the scene receded into a special spacetime safeguard.
• The mirror, house, furniture, and people disappeared from the group’s perception while everyone remained conscious.
• Liu Ping identified the presence around them as the god of causality and said it would witness their contracts and enforce their promises.

Jiang Qiao learned how the causality deity enforced promises and negotiated an agreement with Liu Ping about his plan. They reached a deal that barred Liu Ping and his companions from becoming Jiang Qiao’s enemies, while requiring Jiang Qiao not to expose or sabotage the plan.

• Jiang Qiao understood that promises made under the deity’s authority could trigger severe causal consequences if he tried to evade them.
• Jiang Qiao proposed exchanging secrets about Yellow Springs Road and the era for help advancing Liu Ping’s plan in the future.
• Liu Ping required Jiang Qiao to keep the plan secret and not endanger it, while Jiang Qiao required Liu Ping and his companions not to act against him or send others after him.
• Liu Ping accepted Jiang Qiao’s condition, and they completed their first agreement under the deity’s authority.

After securing a divinely witnessed contract, Liu Ping explained Yellow Springs Road’s origins, its connection between the two worlds, and the dangers along its route. He revealed that the Red Moon Restaurant might offer a shortcut to the road, leaving Jiang Qiao eager to explore it.

• Liu Ping and the others completed a contract that prevented either side from breaking their agreements without bringing disaster.
• Liu Ping said Yellow Springs Road was a rift in the Void Abyss that connected this world to their homeland, and that ancient experts had split the underworld barriers to sever the connection.
• Liu Ping explained that one entrance to Yellow Springs Road lay in the Green Lotus Sect and another might be hidden behind an iron door in the Red Moon Restaurant.
• Liu Ping described records of a route from the restaurant through the Nether Sea and a suspended river to the latter half of Yellow Springs Road, and Jiang Qiao recognized it as a place he could access.
• Liu Ping described Yellow Springs Road’s dusk, ghost-filled scenery, temporal dangers, and foggy wasteland, where Yellow Springs Guides lit lamps and led travelers.

Liu Ping explained the Green Lotus Sect’s hidden agents and its beliefs about the supernatural’s inevitable spread. He revealed that his future plan with the sect was called the Ideal Realm.

• Liu Ping and Liu Yuanyuan explained the dangers of the Yellow Springs Road to Jiang Qiao.
• Liu Ping described the Green Lotus Sect as a decentralized organization whose hidden agents were scattered throughout other groups.
• Jiang Qiao asked how the sect protected its agents from exposure, and Liu Ping explained their safeguards and unusual communication methods.
• Jiang Qiao asked about the Green Lotus Sect’s ideals, and Liu Ping described how supernatural contamination forced people to abandon one world after another.
• Liu Ping told Jiang Qiao that his planned deal was connected to the Green Lotus Sect’s long-running project, the Ideal Realm.

Liu Ping explained to Jiang Qiao that Ideal Land was meant to escape the fate of their world and exist independently, a goal he said the Green Lotus Sect pursued with help from the gods. He used Half-Gods’ connection to the River of History to argue that beings beyond humanity might reach what humans could not, leaving Jiang Qiao to consider his case.

• Liu Ping described Ideal Land as an independent refuge beyond the confines of their world, and Jiang Qiao doubted that travel to other universes was possible.
• Liu Ping said he and the Green Lotus Sect had long worked toward Ideal Land and urged Jiang Qiao to consider that gods might achieve what humans could not.
• Liu Ping explained that the River of History contained the world's information and that Half-Gods could alter their historical records.
• Liu Ping said Half-Gods could return from history after death unless a god killed them, and that their historical images could make them difficult to attack.

Jiang Qiao challenged Liu Ping’s belief that gods could escape the River of History and asked how anyone could become a god. Liu Ping revealed that his plan was to help a being who had once been a god regain the Divine Seat, and Jiang Qiao suspected the Green Lotus Holy Mother was their target.

• Jiang Qiao questioned Liu Ping’s theory that gods could reach the riverbank and asked how one could become a god.
• Liu Ping cited Green Lotus Sect records claiming gods once existed in their homeland and that the Red Moon had been made from materials taken from the riverbank.
• Liu Ping said an earlier plan to get everyone ashore had been interrupted by the Abyss catastrophe.
• Liu Ping revealed that his group intended to help a being who had once been a god ascend to the Divine Seat again, then use its help to reach the riverbank.
• Jiang Qiao realized Liu Ping was likely referring to the Green Lotus Holy Mother.

Liu Ping explained that the Green Lotus Holy Mother had split herself apart to remove contamination and that the Green Lotus Sect was working to reunite her body. He asked Jiang Qiao to join the Paradise Plan, which relied on guiding history so the Holy Mother could return and lead them to the bank of the River of History.

• Jiang Qiao questioned why the Green Lotus Holy Mother remained hidden, and Liu Ping explained that she had imposed the restriction on herself after being contaminated in a battle against the native gods.
• Liu Ping said the Holy Mother had split herself apart and used the River of History to wash away the contamination, while other existences ambushed her to prevent her reunion.
• Jiang Qiao confirmed that Fishbone Temple was a tower in Xian'an City with a fish bone said to be a god's remains, and Liu Ping revealed that it was part of the Holy Mother's sacred body.
• Liu Ping said the Green Lotus Sect sought the Holy Mother's remaining body parts so she could return at full strength and guide them to Paradise by the bank of the River of History.
• Liu Ping explained that the sect promoted historical events to help the Holy Mother reunite and create obstacles for other gods, then invited Jiang Qiao to join the plan.

Jiang Qiao rejected Liu Ping’s plan to bring Green Lotus Holy Mother back, but agreed to limited cooperation under a contract. After returning to Yang City, he decided to wait three days before leaving the River of History and pressed Liu Yuanyuan about her identity.

• Jiang Qiao doubted Liu Ping’s story about the ideal homeland and suspected that bringing Green Lotus Holy Mother back served a hidden purpose.
• Jiang Qiao refused to join Liu Ping’s plan but agreed to limited cooperation in exchange for equal value, and they completed a contract under Divine Witness.
• Jiang Qiao, Liu Yuanyuan, and Don left the hotel and returned to Yang City, where Don remained unaware of the negotiation’s details.
• Jiang Qiao said they would wait three days and return to the Future World, avoiding further risks in the River of History.
• Jiang Qiao asked Liu Yuanyuan whether she intended to reveal her true identity.

After returning from the River of History, Jiang Qiao reviewed his new abilities and realized his combat power had reached the Ninth Step of Divinity Staircase. He felt confident that only the gods and the Simulator could truly threaten him.

• The Duke of Demon Port rewarded Don for clues about the ruins, while outside organizations and local experts gathered to contest the excavation.
• Jiang Qiao examined the Simulator and saw that his combat power had reached the Ninth Step of Divinity Staircase.
• Jiang Qiao reviewed Thunder Spirit’s six fused rules and its potential to become a concept.
• Jiang Qiao concluded that the gods and the Simulator were the only things that could truly threaten his life, and accepted that the Simulator might be a repair mechanism formed after the Red Moon shattered.

Jiang Qiao overheard Old Mai tell a grieving middle-aged man that the Black Shop Merchant had arrived in Demon Port and might help him. After the men left, Jiang Qiao learned from the waiter that the Black Shop Merchant sold secret information.

• Jiang Qiao considered the risks and potential benefits of gaining a Divine Witness mark.
• Old Mai visited the middle-aged man and argued with him over a disastrous sea voyage that had killed more than thirty people, including five of the man's brothers.
• Old Mai revealed that the Black Shop Merchant was in Demon Port and suggested they might help the man.
• The tavern waiter prevented the enraged man from fighting Old Mai, and both men left separately.
• Jiang Qiao asked the waiter about the Black Shop Merchant and learned that they were information brokers who sold secret intelligence.

Jiang Qiao visited the Secret Building, an intelligence shop known to outsiders as the Black Shop Merchants, and learned how it sold verified information at prices tied to the information’s tier. The chapter left him considering the organization’s reach and the suspicious sources behind its intelligence.

• Jiang Qiao changed his appearance to Yang Ling’s and entered the shop, where Paper People served as staff and guards.
• Jiang Qiao discovered that the lifelike Paper Person behind the counter had surface-level qi and blood, while the other Paper People performed separate duties.
• A beautiful Paper Person welcomed Jiang Qiao, recognized his immense strength, and offered him tea and pastries.
• Jiang Qiao asked about the Black Shop Merchants, and the Paper Person explained that the organization called itself the Secret Building.
• The Paper Person said the Secret Building sold only verified intelligence and charged according to its tier, explaining that higher-tier information cost more.

Jiang Qiao learned how the Secret Building priced information and was stunned when it quoted ten billion nether coins for the secret behind the unrest in Demon Port. He shifted to asking whether the Paper People could find Yang Ling.

• The Paper Person beauty explained that the Secret Building priced secrets by their owners' strength and by grades, with fees paid in nether coins made from lifespan.
• Jiang Qiao asked how much it would cost to learn who had caused the unrest in Demon Port before the Ma Dang Mountain ruins appeared.
• The Paper Person beauty quoted ten billion nether coins, saying the price included a first-visit discount.
• Jiang Qiao said he was not interested in that secret and asked whether the Secret Building could find Yang Ling.
• Jiang Qiao described Yang Ling as someone from the same place as the City God of Yan City and asked if they could locate him.

Jiang Qiao traded Starfall’s corpse to the Secret Building for information about Yang Ling. He learned that Yang Ling was in the Supernatural World and appeared to be the Great Elder of Tianyu Ancient Village.

• Jiang Qiao decided to search for his old friend Yang Ling and asked the Secret Building to find information about him.
• The Paper Person beauty quoted a price of three billion Nether Coins and assured Jiang Qiao that the Secret Building’s records were accurate.
• Jiang Qiao offered Starfall’s corpse in exchange, and the Paper Person beauty valued it at four billion Nether Coins.
• The Paper Person beauty gave Jiang Qiao the records, which revealed that Yang Ling was in the Supernatural World and was the Great Elder of Tianyu Ancient Village.

Jiang Qiao learned that Yang Ling was likely the Great Elder of Tianyu Ancient Village and that Tianyu’s searches through the underworld and Nether Sea focused on ruins connected to the ancient Daoist sects. The chapter left him considering Yang Ling’s search for the truth about the sects’ destruction and Tianyu’s plans to explore a newly discovered island.

• The Paper Person beauty told Jiang Qiao that the Secret Building had verified Yang Ling was likely Tianyu Ancient Village’s Great Elder.
• Jiang Qiao read the Secret Building’s account of Tianyu’s long-running searches for Early Nether Era ruins and artifacts linked to the Daoist sects.
• The report said Tianyu had found a potentially Early Nether Era island last year and planned to send another group from Demon Port next month.
• Jiang Qiao concluded that Yang Ling was searching for the Daoist sects’ remains to discover what happened to them during the Black Tide.

Jiang Qiao waited nearly a month for Tianyu Ancient Village as Demon Port’s factions maneuvered around the Ma Dang Mountain ruins and the Black Shop Merchant continued operating. When Tianyu Ancient Village finally arrived with a group of about three hundred people, Jiang Qiao spotted a familiar face among them.

• Liu Yuanyuan stayed in Demon Port, built connections, and told Jiang Qiao that His Grace the Duke had clashed with another major figure over the Ma Dang Mountain ruins.
• A reckless outsider repeatedly struck the Secret Building’s door and died, turning into a Paper Person before Demon Port’s Patrol Team carried him away.
• As more objects emerged from the ruins, Demon Port’s leaders and outside organizations formed shifting alliances and competed over how to divide the finds.
• About three hundred powerful people arrived outside Demon Port, and Jiang Qiao recognized them as Tianyu Ancient Village and saw a familiar face among them.

Jiang Qiao was confronted by Hong, a servant of Mr. Meishan, who demanded to know what he and Don had found in an ancient ruin. After Jiang Qiao destroyed Hong’s avatar, the attack also killed the man behind it, leaving Mr. Meishan’s side with a deadly new conflict.

• Jiang Qiao noticed Yang Ling and the Tianyu Ancient Village group arriving at Demon Port, then withdrew to avoid attracting attention.
• Hong appeared from the Ghost Domain and demanded to know what Jiang Qiao and Don had discovered in the ancient ruin.
• Jiang Qiao admitted entering the ruin with Don and mocked Hong for asking him instead of questioning the Duke.
• Jiang Qiao recognized Hong as a materialized avatar and shattered it before Hong could finish threatening him.
• Ten miles away, the man controlling the avatar began turning to ash and disintegrated in his room.

Jiang Qiao planned an expedition along the Yellow Springs Road and went to meet Yang Ling, whom he hoped to recruit. Yang Ling did not recognize Jiang Qiao, but became wary when Jiang Qiao revealed knowledge of his past.

• Jiang Qiao decided that the Yellow Springs Road was a better route home than the god-haunted lake and considered inviting Yang Ling and possibly Liu Yuanyuan to join him.
• Tianyu Ancient Village settled into its harbor grounds, and a woman told Yang Ling that its fleet would return in seven days for a dangerous voyage connected to the early Nether Era.
• Yang Ling sensed someone outside his window, dismissed the woman, and asked the visitor what he wanted.
• Jiang Qiao appeared in Yang Ling’s hall and claimed they had a connection despite not having met in many years.
• Jiang Qiao questioned Yang Ling about crossing from the Small World and mentioned the City God System, prompting Yang Ling to ask who he was.

Jiang Qiao revealed his connection to Yang Ling through the River of History, and Yang Ling recognized him as a fellow Daoist sect disciple. Yang Ling explained how he had severed his connection to the River of History to contain contamination, then described why the Tianyu Ancient Village explorers followed him.

• Jiang Qiao recounted meeting Yang Ling’s historical image in the Small World, and Yang Ling believed his account but questioned why he had helped Jiang Qiao.
• Yang Ling detected Jiang Qiao in the room, and Jiang Qiao showed him a Ball Lightning formed with the Thunder Art and Heavenly Talisman.
• Yang Ling realized Jiang Qiao was a Daoist sect disciple who had mastered both arts, and Jiang Qiao told him the sect had disappeared and its inheritance had survived by chance.
• Jiang Qiao and Yang Ling left the Tianyu Ancient Village encampment, and Yang Ling explained that contamination had forced him to abandon his Divine Seat and sever his connection with the early River of History.
• Yang Ling told Jiang Qiao that severing the connection had isolated the contamination but kept him from returning to the Half-God realm unless he eliminated it.
• Yang Ling said the Tianyu Ancient Village explorers had once been near death or had exhausted their potential, and that he had given them new life.