Ch. 361Three Troop Types, the Bronze Ancient Gate Beneath the Water!
Chapter Summary
Key Plot Points and Events
- Bai Zhou fully absorbs the knowledge stored in the Holy Relic Seal, including the transformation methods for three types of solar war machines:
- Sunflame Guards, the strongest and most difficult to create.
- Sun Knights, inferior but still extremely powerful standardized troops.
- Sunlight Soldiers, mass-producible units created by purifying existing dark biological puppets.
- He initially worries that “resurrection” might involve raising the dead, but realizes the process actually transforms corpses—or living people—into powerful weapons.
- The creation of Sunflame Guards requires heroic remains, dragon blood, rare solar materials, complex rituals, and numerous specialists. Bai Zhou concludes that even the Holy Relic Institute may never have successfully produced one.
- Bai Zhou learns that the legendary Sun Knights were not an Extraordinary cultivation path, but transformed living people who endured horrific procedures and became tireless, pain-insensitive war machines.
- Sunlight Soldiers are revealed to be purified dark puppets. Bai Zhou realizes that Major Luo’s Black Warriors might have met the requirements for conversion, suggesting Elder Wu’s technology may have been influenced by remnants of the Holy Relic Institute.
- The Holy Relic Seal guides Bai Zhou eastward through a vision, revealing a circular lake and a submerged bronze gate leading to the Holy Relic Institute’s Hidden Vault.
- While examining the previous Sloth’s treasures, Bai Zhou discovers a hidden black notebook written in the same handwriting as the Sloth’s Last Will.
- The notebook identifies its author as the 133rd Sloth and head of the Seven Sins Institute. It reveals that his mother came from a foreign land called Flourishing Sea and was the daughter of a Hunter.
- This information connects the notebook to the Hunter’s Last Will, the sealed Sinner’s Mark, and the mysterious A Box of Beginnings. All three react simultaneously, suggesting that the notebook or its contents may be a key to unlocking the box.
Character Developments
- Bai Zhou becomes more aware of the Holy Relic Institute’s hidden power and morally disturbing practices. He shifts from merely studying its inheritance to actively considering how its troop-creation methods could help him survive the approaching threats.
- He displays both ethical discomfort and practical ambition: he condemns the desecration and weaponization of corpses, yet recognizes the strategic value of Sun Knights and Sunlight Soldiers.
- Bai Zhou demonstrates increased analytical ability by connecting the Black Warriors, Elder Wu, the Holy Relic Institute, and the three solar troop types.
- His discovery of the notebook deepens his understanding of the previous Sloth and links his current investigation to the Hunter’s unresolved family history.
Significant Themes
- The corruption of sacred ideals: The Holy Relic Institute appears to represent order and righteousness, yet its “holy” forces are created through corpse desecration, brutal transformation, and weaponized purification.
- Power versus morality: Bai Zhou must weigh the usefulness of terrifying military forces against the disturbing methods required to create them.
- Hidden history and inherited knowledge: The chapter reveals that historical powers may have been built on incomplete, stolen, or misunderstood knowledge.
- Life, death, and identity: The Sun troops blur the boundary between corpses, living people, puppets, and machines, raising questions about whether transformed beings retain any human meaning.
- Connections across time: The notebook, Hunter’s Last Will, Sinner’s Mark, and A Box of Beginnings suggest that past figures and unresolved mysteries are converging.
Character Interactions
- Bai Zhou’s thoughts repeatedly reflect Ya’s warnings, particularly her prohibition against recklessly crossing the boundary between life and death.
- He connects the Holy Relic Institute’s troop methods with Major Luo’s Black Warriors and Elder Wu’s technology, implying indirect historical interaction between these forces.
- The Hunter’s Last Will reacts to the notebook’s revelation about his daughter, creating an emotional and mystical link between the Hunter and the previous Sloth.
- The Sinner’s Mark and A Box of Beginnings respond to each other and to the notebook, forming a mysterious chain reaction that hints at a concealed relationship or unlocking mechanism.