Chapter Summaries

Linsey and Red captured three undead Revivalists whose abilities matched Red’s, then questioned the surviving one. The Revivalist recognized Red as his master and urged her to reclaim her power at Black Mountain, leaving Linsey’s question about Red’s identity unanswered.

• Linsey sealed the cave after bringing back two Revivalist corpses and an unconscious captive, then told Red how the strange attackers had fought.
• Linsey identified the dead attackers as mutated Revivalists and confirmed that one had abilities matching Red’s.
• Linsey used his life source material to restrain the surviving Revivalist and questioned him about his origins.
• The Revivalist recognized Red, reacted with excitement and fear, and called her his master.
• The Revivalist urged Red to go to Black Mountain and reclaim her power.

Red questioned a Revived who mistook her for his master and learned that Dark Abyss planned for her to reclaim her power by devouring the Dragon Beast after it reached the Eighth Stage. The Revived discovered Red already possessed source essence, accused Linsey of stealing and defiling her corpse, and transformed to attack them.

• Red pretended to be the Revived's master and questioned him about the Dragon Beast, Dark Abyss, and the humans near Black Mountain.
• The Revived revealed that Dark Abyss had guided the Dragon Beast's growth and intended for Red to devour it once it reached the Eighth Stage.
• Red learned that Dark Abyss had sent the Revived to investigate the Crystal Mausoleum and ordered them to bring her back if they found her.
• The Revived sensed Red's source essence and Slaughter Power, then suspected Linsey had controlled her corpse.
• The Revived transformed into a mass of flesh and attacked as Red and Linsey warned each other.

The Reviver’s deathly power awakened an ancient soul inside Red, forcing it to fight the new soul born in her body for control. Linsey disrupted the ancient soul’s advantage and used the Mad Wisdom Wood Core to heal Red, leaving her conscious but exhausted in his arms.

• Linsey trapped the exploding Reviver between two walls, while its deathly power entered Red and began awakening her past consciousness.
• Red’s new soul and the ancient soul fought for control as Linsey discovered that the body belonged to a powerful being, but the soul he had traveled with was a new life.
• When the ancient soul gained the upper hand, Linsey stabbed Red with his lightsaber to disrupt its control.
• Linsey inserted the Mad Wisdom Wood Core into Red’s wound, and its roots healed her body as she collapsed into his arms.

After Red woke from the struggle between souls, Linsey verified her identity and learned what she had discovered about the ancient soul inside her. Red explained the Extinction Crown's history and said the soul could not rise again unless it reclaimed its former Source Material.

• Linsey harvested potatoes, cabbage, and wheat, then cooked stew while Red remained unconscious after the soul struggle.
• Red woke up, and Linsey appraised her to confirm that she was still herself and that the ancient soul remained inside her body.
• Red said she had discovered that her art followed the Slaughter Path and had gained only a few of the ancient soul's memories.
• Red revealed that the soul had been the Extinction Crown, who fought the Righteous Law Sword in the Elemental Realm and perished with him; she also identified Dark Abyss as the soul's subordinate.
• Red assured Linsey that the Extinction Crown could not rise again unless she reclaimed her former Source Material.

Linsey and Red realized Dark Abyss and the Dragon Beast had ways to communicate across the world, and they planned to exploit their conflict as five Revivalists approached. At Black Mountain, the Dragon Beast rejected Dark Abyss’s warning that its blizzard could disrupt its advancement and insisted it would claim the world’s power.

• Linsey warned Red that the Dragon Beast’s power could revive the soul inside her, but Red remained determined to reach Black Mountain and confront its malice.
• Linsey reasoned that Dark Abyss had detected events in Crystal Valley and sent orders to the Thousand Mountains Stone Forest, suggesting long-distance communication and that their actions against the Revivalists might be known.
• Linsey and Red agreed to exploit the conflict between Dark Abyss and the Dragon Beast, then spotted five approaching Revivalists.
• At Black Mountain, Dark Abyss’s thin subordinate warned the Dragon Beast that its blizzard could hinder its advancement, but the Dragon Beast refused to relent against its rebellious kin.
• The Dragon Beast declared that it would advance to the Eighth Stage and that the world’s power belonged to it, while the thin figure abandoned his objections and bowed before leaving.

After the blizzard ended, Linsey and Red learned that Dark Abyss had prepared a secret route and countermeasures for Red to use against the Dragon Beast. They reached Black Mountain after a long, covert journey and planned to tunnel beneath a suspicious river blocking their path.

• Linsey concluded that the Dragon Beast had used the blizzard to delay them, and he and Red resumed their journey when it stopped.
• Linsey and Red learned from captured Revivalists that Dark Abyss planned to guide Red through a secret passage beneath the glaciers and had prepared a way to counter the Dragon Beast.
• Red insisted on confronting the danger and using the preparations, despite Linsey warning her that infiltrating the Revivalists would be risky.
• Linsey and Red avoided further encounters and traveled in secret for months until they reached the glaciers surrounding Black Mountain.
• Red noticed a broad river that had appeared after the Expedition Team passed through, and Linsey proposed that they dig a tunnel beneath it with their tools.

Linsey and Red dug beneath a river and into the glacier near Black Mountain to avoid the Dragon Beast and reach their destination unseen. After finding a meltwater tunnel, they discovered that Linsey’s map could no longer scout the area ahead.

• Linsey and Red dug a tunnel beneath the river, avoiding its water because they suspected it was a trap set by the Dragon Beast.
• Linsey told Red that the Dragon Beast might be focusing on devouring her or dealing with the Dark Abyss, rather than creating obstacles along their route.
• Linsey and Red dug into the glacier beneath Black Mountain, hoping to bypass hidden measures and avoid being spotted on the surface.
• Linsey broke through an ice wall into freezing meltwater, then blocked the opening with Resource Conversion ice after pulling Red out of the way.
• Linsey and Red found an ice tunnel with places to stand and followed its meltwater, but Linsey’s Map Scouting became blurry ahead.

Linsey and Red cautiously explored the glacier beneath Black Mountain, avoiding fires and keeping their movements quiet as they searched for Dark Abyss’s setup. After falling through fragile ice into a vast, pitch-black cave, Linsey stopped Red from climbing back up and proposed investigating below.

• Linsey explained that Dark Abyss’s concealment measures restricted his scouting and told Red to attack immediately if he warned her of enemies.
• Linsey and Red spent a day cautiously crossing natural glacier tunnels, then camped without a fire and ate Meat Biscuits.
• After an uncomfortable night listening to the glacier creak, Linsey and Red continued exploring and entered a large ice cave.
• The brittle ice broke beneath them, and Linsey used his Vine Wood Whip to catch the wall and save Red from falling farther.
• Linsey and Red found a seemingly bottomless dark cave beneath the ice, and Linsey stopped Red from climbing back up so they could consider going down.

Linsey and Red descended beneath the glacier after Linsey’s quest revealed a hidden Icebound City. They found a toxic, glowing mushroom cavern and spotted something dark frozen beneath the ice, but had not yet uncovered what it was.

• Linsey told Red that his Task Bar had revealed a city beneath the glacier, and Red agreed to investigate with him.
• Linsey and Red climbed down the ice wall, where Linsey identified the glacier as ancient ice that had not formed naturally.
• They found a cavern lit by toxic Illusion Ice Mushrooms, so Linsey made protective gear before they reached the ground.
• Linsey gathered Illusion Ice Mushrooms and examined recipes for crafting potions and Icebound Water while Red kept watch.
• Red noticed a dark mass frozen beneath the ice and asked Linsey if it could be the Icebound City.

Linsey and Red excavated a black tower buried beneath the glacier and discovered an ancient city below it. After finding the city filled with Revivalists, Linsey dragged Red back inside and told her they had stumbled into the Revivalists' base.

• Linsey crafted Icebound Water, then joined Red in digging toward a dark structure buried beneath the glacier.
• Linsey and Red uncovered a black tower and entered it through an observatory where the ice no longer reached.
• Linsey found an empty platform and collected 127 Unknown Ancient Texts from the tower's library.
• Red spotted that the glacier ended below them, revealing a domed city lit by glowing green spheres.
• Linsey saw hundreds of dangerous Red Dots and identified a tumor-covered figure as a Revivalist.
• Linsey pulled Red back into the tower and told her they had found the Revivalists' base.

Linsey and Red infiltrated the Icebound City to investigate the Revivalists’ headquarters and followed a hidden map to a secret passage beneath a wardrobe. They reached a concealed chamber containing the estate owner’s treasure chest.

• Linsey sorted his equipment and discussed the Icebound City and the Revivalists’ lair with Red.
• Linsey and Red left the Black Tower through a second-floor window and crossed the city while avoiding notice.
• Linsey’s map revealed yellow neutral markers among the Revivalists, and he led Red toward a luxurious estate in the northwest.
• Linsey opened the wardrobe marked on the hidden map and discovered a hollow space behind it.
• Linsey broke the wardrobe’s old mechanism, forced open the hidden door, and led Red down to a chamber with a treasure chest.

Linsey and Red discovered the broken sword Brutal Domination, whose terrifying will forced them to drop it. Linsey identified it as the weapon of Invader Fanda and equipped it as an accessory, then an explosion shook the manor from the direction of the yellow markers.

• Linsey opened the chest in the secret chamber and found a broken sword, which overwhelmed him with fear when he touched it.
• Red tried to pick up the sword but dropped it after feeling the same terrifying force.
• Linsey used Item Information and learned that Brutal Domination belonged to Invader Fanda, Monarch of the Ravage Path, and required 230 Willpower to wield as a weapon.
• Linsey stored Brutal Domination and equipped it as an accessory, doubling his summon slots from one to two.
• An explosion shook the manor, and Linsey recognized that it came from the direction of the yellow neutral markers on his map.

Linsey and Red rescued three humans from a group of Revivalists in Icebound City’s Noble District. After Linsey and Red killed their attackers, reinforcements appeared on the map, forcing them to retreat with the survivors.

• Linsey and Red hurried toward the explosion site after Linsey sent bats ahead to watch for danger.
• Linsey arrived to find seven Revivalists surrounding three injured humans and immediately ordered Red to kill the Revivalists while sparing the humans.
• A Revivalist wounded A Hui with Withering Power, and A Hui cut off his own arm to stop it from spreading.
• Linsey killed one Revivalist with a wooden spear, while Red struck down several more, including one who recognized her as the Extinction Crown.
• Linsey and Red killed the remaining Revivalists, then Linsey spotted approaching reinforcements and urged the three humans to flee with them.

Linsey and Red rescued three survivors from a collapsed building and hid with them underground while the Revivalists searched above. Linsey learned the survivors came from the Courtyard in the Forest, the world beyond Black Mountain, and that they had entered through a secret passage to find a way around the Dragon Beast.

• Linsey told Red to lead the survivors away and dig a tunnel while he entered the ruins to help them.
• Linsey took Nan Ya’s corpse and carried the grieving one-armed man out as living corpses approached.
• Linsey and the survivors reached a natural cave, sealed the tunnel entrance, and escaped the Revivalists’ search.
• Bo Gong, Oma, and Ethan introduced themselves and explained that they had come from the Courtyard in the Forest to scout Black Mountain World.
• Bo Gong told Linsey that their team had hoped to bypass the seventh-stage Dragon Beast but had been attacked by a living corpse stronghold.

Linsey returned the bodies of the dead to Ethan and learned that the passage from the Courtyard in the Forest had been destroyed. He proposed exploiting the hostility between the living corpses and the Dragon Beast, then led the group deeper into the cave to find the corpses’ weapon or plan.

• Ethan begged Linsey to release Nan Ya’s body, and Linsey returned the collected corpses so Ethan could embrace her.
• Bo Gong told Linsey that the living corpses had destroyed the passage to the Courtyard in the Forest, leaving his group trapped in the ancient city.
• Linsey explained that the living corpses and the Dragon Beast were enemies and suggested provoking a fight between them.
• Oma urged Bo Gong to trust Linsey’s plan, and Bo Gong described Oma’s powerful scouting abilities as a perceiver.
• Linsey reassured Ethan, stored the bodies again, and led Red, Bo Gong, Oma, and Ethan deeper into the cave to find what the living corpses were preparing against the Dragon Beast.

Linsey agreed to help Bo Gong and the other Awakened escape the underground, while learning about the Courtyard in the Forest and its cities. As they reached the glacier, breaking through the soil caused ice to surge into the tunnel and freeze it.

• Bo Gong asked Linsey to lend a Meteorite Pickaxe or help dig a way out so the Awakened could report to the Courtyard in the Forest, and Linsey agreed in return for information about the outside world.
• Linsey's group changed course and traveled east underground, using their pickaxes to find or create a route toward the glacier.
• Bo Gong told Linsey about the Courtyard in the Forest's three cities and explained that Lord Lai Fenna had been driven back by the Dragon Beast, while a Seventh Stage wizard lived in Lookout Point City.
• Linsey's group broke through the soil and exposed the glacier, but ice began spreading through the tunnel, prompting Red to warn Linsey and pull him back.

Linsey discovered that the Dragon Beast had altered Black Mountain’s glaciers to trap intruders, forcing him and the others to return toward Icebound City. Guided by Oma’s sensory abilities, they reached a suspicious area beneath the city, where Linsey prepared to dig upward.

• Linsey sealed the tunnel with layers of soil after the altered glacier’s freezing power began spreading toward the group.
• Linsey discovered that the Dragon Beast’s power had made the glaciers dangerously cold and concluded that it was trying to trap him and Red.
• Bo Gong and his two companions apologized and agreed to follow Linsey’s earlier plan to investigate Icebound City.
• Linsey led the group underground toward the parts of the city where Revivalists were most concentrated, warning them to avoid detection by Dark Abyss.
• Oma sensed source essence fluctuations and an unusual smell above a guarded but empty area in the city’s southwest, and Linsey readied everyone to dig upward.

Linsey and his companions discovered an unstable Teleportation Array in a guarded building and learned that the Revivalists were mobilizing across Icebound City. They took advantage of the movement to travel underground toward a palace hidden by the map’s fog.

• Linsey’s group entered an apparently unguarded council chamber and found a Teleportation Array made from a single-use blueprint.
• Linsey explained that the array enabled random cross-world teleportation and buried Flame Bombs beneath it to trap anyone who tried to escape through it.
• Oma sensed the Revivalists gathering in large numbers, and Red understood their speech well enough to reveal that they were mobilizing against intruders in the city.
• Linsey led the group underground to exploit the reduced guard presence and continue moving through Icebound City.
• Linsey noticed that his map could not scout a palace ahead and decided that something must be hidden there.

Linsey and his group tunneled beneath the palace and discovered a vast underground sea of red-black liquid, which they realized was tied to the Extinction Crown’s plan to seize the Dragon Beast’s power. Dark Abyss appeared and recognized that Red’s soul was wrong, turning his fury on the humans.

• Linsey dug beneath the palace with Oma sensing ahead, and they found a deep tunnel leading to an enormous subterranean space.
• Linsey cautiously opened a hole into the cavern, revealing a red-black sea of deadly power that frightened the group.
• Linsey and Red realized the sea was likely part of Dark Abyss’s contingency plan for the Extinction Crown to take the Dragon Beast’s power.
• Dark Abyss appeared above the sea and initially mistook Red for his lord before sensing that her soul was wrong and accusing the humans.

Linsey and his companions encountered the powerful Revivalist Dark Abyss, who easily nullified Linsey’s attack and overwhelmed their defenses. Ethan sacrificed himself to shield the others and buy their escape, leaving his life-bound wall still blocking Dark Abyss.

• Linsey fired his strongest arrow at Dark Abyss, but Dark Abyss caught it and erased its powers before appearing beside the group.
• Oma retreated as Ethan attacked, while Bo Gong used his Mediator ability to weaken Dark Abyss’s will to fight.
• Dark Abyss caught Ethan’s sword and filled him with despair as he demanded that Red explain what had happened to his master.
• Ethan formed a wall with his Stronghold power, separated himself from the others, and sent Linsey, Red, and Bo Gong away while asking Linsey to bury Nan Ya.
• Ethan held Dark Abyss back with his shield until darkness killed him, but his life-bound wall remained standing as Dark Abyss vanished into the shadows.