Chapter Summaries

As Saine prepared to leave, he told Wizard Civilization’s High-Level Experts that he would take Mechanical Civilization, Sky Net, and other potential sources of instability with him. After his Level-9 advancement, the Wizard World expanded and established a protective Inner Ring around itself, leaving Green to lead a stronger civilization.

• Saine formally handed Wizard Civilization’s leadership to Green and told its High-Level Experts he planned to take Mechanical Civilization and Sky Net with him.
• Saine explained that he would also remove certain Wizard Alliance forces to reduce internal instability after his departure.
• Befu asked Saine whom he intended to take away, and Saine tapped his Magic Staff and fell silent.
• Saine’s Level-9 advancement strengthened and expanded the Wizard World and improved its rules.
• The six great Guardians left the Wizard World and found they could still move freely and draw on Guardian rules within the new Inner Ring.
• A pale-white sphere of regular light enveloped the Wizard World, completing Saine’s Inner Ring plan.

Saine met with Silver Knight in the Eternal Kingdom Secret Realm and persuaded him to bring the Silver Soul World into deeper cooperation with Wizard Civilization. The Silver Soul World publicly joined the Wizard Alliance, while the Eight Directions Conglomerate remained unchanged and the Iron-Blood Civilization took its place within it.

• Saine traveled to the Silver Soul World's Eternal Kingdom Secret Realm to meet Silver Knight and discuss the Silver Soul World's future ties with Wizard Civilization.
• Saine proposed deeper cooperation, and Silver Knight agreed to discuss the matter with him.
• After their private discussion, the Silver Soul World publicly declared that it would join the Wizard Alliance.
• The Silver Soul World's accession left the Eight Directions Conglomerate's name and structure unchanged, as the Iron-Blood Civilization replaced it in the Conglomerate.
• Most of the Silver Soul World's Undead Dominators welcomed the move, expecting easier access to Wizard Civilization's goods and possible tariff exemptions.

As Saine prepared to leave the Wizard World, he arranged political gains for Green, entrusted Douglas with a Source Tracing Stone, and summoned Wizard Alliance Dominators to accompany him. The chapter ended with Mechanical Civilization entering the Magic Cube Space as blue streaks appeared above the Wizard World.

• Saine left Green to decide Wizard Civilization’s future and arranged for Green to announce the Silver Soul World’s admission to the Wizard Alliance.
• Saine gave Douglas the Source Tracing Stone and refused to leave him the higher-dimensional Origin Crystals.
• Saine summoned a group of Wizard Alliance Dominators, who prepared to answer his call.
• The Mechanical Civilization beings and Dominators left the Mechanical Secret Realm and entered the Magic Cube Space.
• Deep blue streaks of light appeared in the skies above the Wizard World.

Saine departed Wizard World for the Higher Dimensional Plane with selected Dominators, family members, and legions, while leaving many powerful figures and his descendants behind. After a small group saw him off, the Astral Realm’s eyes and the gray vortex vanished.

• Saine selected Little Tenth, Di'ersi Jia, Yin, the Red-Clothed Little Girl, and other Dominators to leave with him, but left Galaxy Star Safina, Silver Knight, and the Ai Youlan Butterfly Civilization Fleet Group behind.
• Saine gathered the departing Dominators and his wives, while leaving his descendants and disciples in Wizard World to help build the civilization.
• Lina hid the Death Scythe in a secret inheritance realm in Wizard World and gave Douglas, Naige'er, and Rogge authority to use it.
• Rose refused Master Naige'er's offer of Civilization Supreme Treasures, saying Saine could forge replacements for her in the Higher Dimensional Plane.
• Master Naige'er told Saine he felt they would meet again, and Saine stopped him from speculating about Lilith, Locke, and Dragon Mother.
• Saine sent his companions and legions into Cube Space, entered the gray vortex, and departed as the Astral Realm’s eyes and the vortex faded away.

After leaving the Material Star Realm, Saine reflected on the Star Realm’s unexplored rules and speculated about beings beyond Level 9. The gray vortex led him somewhere other than an Ash Channel, where Astral Realm Overseer Ming appeared with a request from the Astral Realm Will.

• Saine entered the gray vortex, and the diamond-shaped barrier around him dissipated as his Rule-based process advanced to 67%.
• Saine considered the mysteries of Level 10 and wondered whether Great God Pan Gu belonged to an even higher realm.
• Saine realized the vortex was not an Ash Channel or a Death Gate, despite having expected a challenging path.
• Saine spotted Astral Realm Overseer Ming hiding beside his left wing and called him out.
• Ming said the Astral Realm Will wanted Saine to do it a favor and insisted he had no ill intent.

Saine discussed the Astral Realm Will’s request with Overseer Ming, who explained that Saine would face backlash for disrupting the Material Star Realm’s balance. Saine agreed to consider helping after hearing the terms, and Ming revealed the mission was to destroy the Dreadful Treant Civilization.

• Ming told Saine that his actions had excessively disrupted the Astral Realm’s balance and that he would face backlash when traveling to a higher dimension.
• Saine compared his actions with Great God Pan Gu’s, arguing that Pan Gu had caused even greater disruption by killing the Enlightenment Prophet.
• Ming suggested Saine help the Astral Realm Will to offset the consequences of his actions instead of risking an unknown cross-dimensional passage.
• Saine said he would consider helping if the circumstances suited him, and Ming asked him to assist in destroying the Dreadful Treant Civilization.

After Saine learned that the Astral Realm Will wanted him to destroy the Dreadful Treant Civilization, he demanded all available information and discovered that it was a distant Top-Level Civilization with a living Level-9 Being and over a hundred Dominators. Astral Realm Overseer Ming said the Astral Realm considered the opposing forces comparable and suggested Saine could enlist individual powerful figures as reinforcements.

• Ming told Saine that the Astral Realm Will had assigned him a mission to destroy the Dreadful Treant Civilization.
• Saine asked Ming for every detail and piece of data about the civilization before deciding what to do.
• Ming explained that the Dreadful Treant Civilization was based far from Wizard Civilization, closer to the Immortal Domain, and outside his jurisdiction.
• Saine analyzed the information and objected that his Mechanical Civilization had only a little over twenty Dominators against the Treant civilization's more than a hundred.
• Ming said the Astral Realm Will judged their strengths comparable, suggested Saine seek individual powerful reinforcements, and added that the Astral Realm Will was on his side.

Saine studied Astral Realm Overseer Ming’s information and learned why the Astral Realm had forced the Dreadful Treant Civilization toward Dimensional Hegemony. He discovered that Jue Teng Tree Demon had remained in the Material Star Realm for twenty thousand years by taking root in the Nightmare Star Territory.

• Saine learned that the Dreadful Treant Civilization had become a target because Jue Teng Tree Demon refused to leave the Material Star Realm after advancing to Level 9.
• Saine read how a Level-9 Astral Realm Overseer had fought Jue Teng Tree Demon, shaken his origin, and forced the civilization onto the path of Dimensional Hegemony.
• Saine considered several ways he might remain in the Star Realm, but rejected the idea of becoming a holdout because he intended to pursue Truth Arcana.
• Saine used Ming’s information to determine that Jue Teng Tree Demon relied on a root-system rule and a special surrounding starry sky to resist the Astral Realm’s expulsion.
• Saine learned that Jue Teng Tree Demon had rooted himself in the independent starry sky known as the Nightmare Star Territory.

Saine assessed the Dreadful Treant Civilization’s strength and weighed the risks of fighting it, then bargained with Astral Realm Overseer Ming for support before deciding whether to intervene in the Dimensional War. Ming left to consult the Astral Realm Will while Saine waited, driven in part by his desire to investigate Jue Teng Tree Demon and the civilization’s unusual power.

• Saine concluded that the Dreadful Treant Civilization could grow much stronger and that its war against him would be difficult, though Jue Teng Tree Demon and its civilization had likely suffered losses in their recent Level-9 battle.
• Saine told Ming that he needed more rule-level allowances and substantial empowerment from the Astral Realm Rules.
• Saine demanded Rule Crystals and asked the Astral Realm Will to reduce the future Balance Rule Backlash faced by his son, Nasi Xiu.
• Saine made further demands during the lengthy negotiation and said he would decide whether to join the war after hearing Ming’s and the Astral Realm Will’s responses.
• Ming left to consult the Astral Realm Will, while Saine stayed in the gray Rule Vortex space, interested in studying Jue Teng Tree Demon and the Dreadful Treant Civilization.

Saine accepted the Astral Realm Will’s contract to lead the Mechanical Civilization against the Dreadful Treant Civilization in the Land of Exile. He learned he could not return to the Material Star Realm himself unless the war reached its decisive stage, though his Dominators could travel between the realms.

• Saine considered why the Astral Realm Will had chosen him to fight the Dreadful Treant Civilization in the Land of Exile.
• Astral Realm Overseer Ming returned with a Rule Contract containing most of Saine’s demands, including terms concerning Nasi Xiu.
• Saine negotiated further with the Astral Realm Will, then signed the contract as Ming imprinted it with his True Spirit.
• Ming told Saine to enter the Land of Exile and seize the initiative while the Dreadful Treant Civilization was still adjusting to the Dimensional Hegemony.
• Saine asked whether he could return to the Material Star Realm for helpers, and Ming said he could not, though his Dominators could travel and relay messages.
• Ming explained that Saine could leave the Land of Exile later if the Mechanical Civilization’s victory required an advance into the Nightmare Star Territory to eradicate the Dreadful Treant Civilization.

Saine entered the Land of Exile to begin the Mechanical Civilization’s war against the Dreadful Treant Civilization and summoned allies and resources to support the campaign. He left the story establishing reconnaissance and production bases while his envoys returned to the Material Star Realm to call for reinforcements.

• As Saine advanced through the gray Rule Vortex, he agreed with Overseer Ming that Ming would support him from afar but would not intervene in the Dimensional Hegemony.
• Saine asked Little Tenth to summon a limited number of Dominators, and he planned to call veteran allies including Dao Dali and other former battlefield comrades.
• Saine descended into the Land of Exile and ordered the Mechanical Civilization to conduct reconnaissance and build frontline fortress bases and manufacturing plants.
• Saine sent Little Tenth, Di'ersi Jia, Wojin, Lina, and others to recruit Dominators and secure logistical support from the Wizard Civilization, Immortal Domain, and Eight Directions Conglomerate.
• Saine instructed an Intelligent Robot to contact Agent Bond and bring all the God Crystals the Federation had produced in recent years.

The chapter describes the Dreadful Treant Civilization’s forced entry into dimensional hegemony and explains how Jue Teng Tree Demon built and controls its devouring, plant-based civilization. It leaves the Dreadful Treant Civilization poised as a tightly unified force driven by Jue Teng Tree Demon’s will.

• The Astral Realm Overseer damaged Jue Teng Tree Demon’s roots and triggered dimensional hegemony, leaving one of Jue Teng Tree Demon’s feet trapped in the Land of Exile’s Dimensional Battlefield.
• Jue Teng Tree Demon had devoured the previous era’s life and nourishment, nearly fused with the Mother Plane Will and Heart of the Plane, and spread its body across the Dreadful Treant World.
• Jue Teng Tree Demon seeded the Nightmare Star Territory, where its descendants rooted themselves in planes and sent at least half their resources back to the Dreadful Treant World.
• The Rolling Ball Treant grew from a sapling on a tiny meteorite fragment into a Level-7 Dominator and the center of the vast Rolling Ball Great World.
• The Dreadful Treant Civilization’s Dominators followed Jue Teng Tree Demon as a motherlike figure, and its unified strength was driven by Jue Teng Tree Demon’s will.

Saine assessed the Dreadful Treant Civilization’s formidable forces and focused on Jue Teng Tree Demon, whose power had grown by feeding on Dreadful Treant World and the Nightmare Star Territory. As the civilization’s leaders gathered underground to discuss their forced war against the Mechanical Civilization, they began asking how strong their opponent was.

• Saine reviewed the Dreadful Treant Civilization’s leading Dominators and worried that its strength could grow further as it prepared for war.
• Saine recognized Jue Teng Tree Demon as the greatest threat because it had endured in the Material Star Realm for twenty thousand years by drawing power from Dreadful Treant World and the Nightmare Star Territory.
• The chapter explained that Astral Realm Overseers had severely damaged and displaced Jue Teng Tree Demon’s roots, forcing the Dreadful Treant Civilization into Dimensional Hegemony.
• The Dreadful Treant Civilization’s leaders gathered in the Withered Vine Palace beneath Dreadful Treant World to discuss their opponent, the Mechanical Civilization.
• The White Feather Rebel King described the enemy as a technology-oriented Top-Level Civilization, and another Dominator asked how strong it was.

The Dreadful Treant Civilization debated the threat posed by the Mechanical Civilization, while the Layered Silver Tree tried to divine its hidden strength. Its probing triggered a devastating backlash that revealed a Level-9 being, and Saine sensed the disturbance from the Land of Exile.

• The Black-Horned Dung Beetle King mocked the Mechanical Civilization for having only a little over twenty Dominators, while Ancient Emperor Jing Jue warned against underestimating it.
• The Layered Silver Tree searched for the Mechanical Civilization’s core strength but could not see through the layers of mist.
• The Layered Silver Tree’s divination triggered a rule backlash that pierced its body and severely weakened it.
• The Layered Silver Tree identified a Level-9 being in a distant dimension, causing Jue Teng Tree Demon to open its eyes.
• Saine sensed the disturbance in the Land of Exile and looked toward the Layered Silver Tree’s spacetime coordinates.

Saine prepared for the Dimensional Hegemony while avoiding direct attacks on lower-level Dominators, and Dreadful Treant Civilization discovered that Mechanical Civilization had a Level-9 Being. The Jue Teng Tree Demon ordered its civilization to begin the war and promised support to key Dominators.

• Saine watched a Dreadful Treant Civilization Level-8 Dominator spy on him and reflected that his Level-9 status made him conspicuous.
• Saine explained that the Dimensional Hegemony would be decided partly by territorial control and that he could not freely attack Level-7 and Level-8 Dominators.
• Saine awaited reinforcements from Wizard Civilization, Immortal Domain, the Yan Emperor Divine Clan, and other members of the Eight Directions Conglomerate.
• The injured Layered Silver Tree and the other Dreadful Treant Civilization Dominators realized Mechanical Civilization had a Level-9 Being.
• The Jue Teng Tree Demon ordered Dreadful Treant Civilization to fully commence the Dimensional Hegemony and told Ancient Emperor Jing Jue to pass on the command.
• The Jue Teng Tree Demon gave the Layered Silver Tree a branch of its Life Tree Root and promised to address the other Dominators’ equipment needs.

Jue Teng Tree Demon prepared the Dreadful Treant Civilization for Dimensional Hegemony by ordering it to forge Civilization Supreme Treasures and mobilize its war potential. The civilization began gathering resources and seeking allies while Jue Teng Tree Demon remained troubled by the dangers of the Higher Dimensional Plane and the fate of the Dreadful Treant.

• Jue Teng Tree Demon announced that it would forge Civilization Supreme Treasures for the Dreadful Treant Civilization as it prepared to commit fully to Dimensional Hegemony.
• Jue Teng Tree Demon recalled discovering that the Dreadful Treant had likely died and wondered what awaited it in the Higher Dimensional Plane.
• The Dreadful Treant Civilization mobilized its war machine and began drawing resources from neighboring star regions without launching a full expansion.
• The Dreadful Treant Civilization devoured smaller civilizations and offered Plant Element and Life Element resources in trade to powerful neighbors.
• The Dreadful Treant Civilization considered hiring Star Realm Dominators and Combat Legions, intending to use fallen allies as nourishment if they died in battle.
• Jue Teng Tree Demon assigned Flying Illusion Flower Spirit to recruit Dominators and Combat Legions from large planes and Top-Level Civilizations.

The Jue Teng Tree Demon began recruiting powerful allies for the Dreadful Treant Civilization's Dimensional Hegemony and approached the Lord of Holy Spirit. The Lord of Holy Spirit remained undecided but warned that a powerful woman had once manipulated both sides of a Dimensional Hegemony.

• The Jue Teng Tree Demon contacted the Lord of Holy Spirit and offered an Ancient Tree Crystal in exchange for his help.
• The Lord of Holy Spirit initially refused, wary of opposing the Astral Realm Will, but reconsidered after learning the crystal was one of the Jue Teng Tree Demon's two Level-9 Life Crystals.
• The Lord of Holy Spirit said he might join with only a small number of Dominators and described a Dimensional Hegemony he had witnessed in the Despair World.
• The Lord of Holy Spirit explained that an overwhelmingly powerful woman had aided whichever side was losing, leaving both Top-Level Civilizations grievously damaged.
• The Jue Teng Tree Demon asked whether the woman was stronger than the Lord of Holy Spirit, who confirmed she was and said he still could not match her.

Jue Teng Tree Demon grew wary of the coming Dimensional Hegemony after learning more about the Mechanical Civilization, while Saine gathered allies and screened applicants for the war. A large host of Dominators arrived in the Land of Exile, leaving the Mechanical Civilization ready to face the Dreadful Treant Civilization.

• Jue Teng Tree Demon judged the Lord of Holy Spirit to have strong Level-9 potential, then contacted Dark Emperor and offered an Ancient Tree Crystal for a deal.
• The Mechanical Civilization and Dreadful Treant Civilization prepared for war while keeping their early moves restrained.
• Saine screened Dominators who volunteered for the Dimensional Hegemony, rejecting the injured Undying Star Dragon Warlock but accepting familiar allies such as Dao Dali.
• Bai Xing arrived with Usotos, Ya Zi, Suan Ni, and many Ocean Dominators, despite their disadvantage against plant-type foes.
• Master Tongtian, Tathagata Buddha, Nether River Old Ancestor, and numerous other Dominators joined Saine's forces in the Land of Exile.

Saine’s allies from several top-level civilizations arrived in the Land of Exile, strengthening his forces ahead of the coming war. Silver Knight raised an army of undead, and Dreadful Treant Civilization’s Dominators began arriving as well.

• Wizard Civilization and Eight Directions Conglomerate experts arrived to assist Saine, while Blazing Red Fox and Lan Qi brought two more Blue Fox Civilization Dominators without being asked.
• Iron-Blood Civilization’s Grand Elder Niggerhood offered to help, and Saine expected him to come if called.
• Saine’s allies and their supporting forces gathered in the Land of Exile as the energy tide grew more active ahead of war.
• Silver Knight raised hundreds of millions of undead from beneath the Land of Exile with the Eternal Spear.
• Dreadful Treant Civilization’s Dominators began arriving in the Land of Exile.

Saine and Zi You surveyed the Dimensional Battlefield, where the Mechanical Civilization had occupied two-thirds of the territory without engaging in major clashes. Saine discovered that the Dreadful Treant Civilization had brought entire worlds to the frontlines to strengthen its Giant Tree Dominators, leaving the coming battles uncertain.

• Over five hundred years, Saine's Mechanical Civilization occupied two-thirds of the Dimensional Battlefield while both sides built defensive lines and avoided major battles.
• Zi You recalled the heavy losses the Evil Tide Civilization had suffered to seize a similar share of a battlefield.
• Saine said he had been right to hold back the First Flame Emperor and other powerful allies after seeing the Dreadful Treant Civilization's preparations.
• Saine and Zi You observed five enormous Giant Plant Trees at the enemy frontlines, each accompanied by the entire plane where it had taken root.
• Zi You explained that bringing complete worlds to a battlefield before a Dimensional Hegemony ended was an astonishing feat that required considerable resources.