Chapter Summaries

After Zhang Qing shared a map of the Imperial Cities, Great Xia's Crisis Response Team discussed their rivalries and decided to send an elite team into the Dark Realm. Zhang Qing then realized he could pressure Fan Adkin into sharing the Sixth Floor's Orthodox Sequence information by exposing his unpaid debt to Serpent Emperor City.

• Zhang Qing presented the Imperial Cities map to Great Xia's Crisis Response Team and explained the tensions between their rulers and Ruling Councils.
• Zhuge Yi recommended sending an elite team to negotiate among the Imperial Cities, and Li Wannian approved the plan.
• Li Wannian warned that players would soon reach the Sunrise Realm and that Great Xia needed a force capable of maintaining stability.
• Yun Xiaoxi told Zhang Qing and Li Wannian that the Sixth Floor held extensive Orthodox Sequence information that Fan Adkin had concealed.
• Zhang Qing realized Fan Adkin had not given Serpent Emperor City the Color Sequence information and planned to use his debt as leverage.

Zhang Qing and Li Wannian established plans for the Dark Realm, the Blood Dragon Army, and Great Xia’s preparations for Blue Star Fall. In Mountain City, players began trading and competing for shops, while Zhang Qing confronted Old Fan Deng about giving the Blood Dragon Army a true lineage.

• Zhang Qing and Li Wannian agreed to guide players from the Dark Realm into the Sunrise Realm while concealing Zhang Qing’s identity, expand the Blood Dragon Army, and use the celebrity group to secure resources and manage relations with other powers.
• Li Wannian rejected the Ministry of Technology’s Wandering Earth Project, and Great Xia focused on supporting people’s Dark Realm activity, introducing Nutrient Pods, and recruiting military personnel.
• Zhang Qing and Yun Xiaoxi logged in, where players sent caravans out of Mountain City under Blood Dragon Army banners and crowded Mo Li’s doorstep to secure shop leases.
• Mo Li organized an auction to lease shops in Mountain City, and Zhang Qing prepared for Fan Adkin’s arrival.
• Old Fan Deng visited Zhang Qing, who politely thanked him for cleansing marks before asking him to help give the Blood Dragon Army a true lineage.

Zhang Qing agreed to visit Serpent Emperor City and help a prince gain Color Sequence support so Old Fan Deng could reach the Serpent Venerable. In return, Old Fan Deng gave Zhang Qing the rare Imperial City-compatible Orthodox Sequence called Scale and nine Fate Stones, leaving Zhang Qing committed to the mission.

• Old Fan Deng asked Zhang Qing to go to Serpent Emperor City and help a prince obtain Color Sequence support during the succession competition, and Zhang Qing agreed.
• Old Fan Deng explained that the Serpent Venerable was about to molt and warned Zhang Qing that power came at a price.
• Zhang Qing recognized that Old Fan Deng needed him as an intermediary because Serpent Emperor City's Great Venerables would block the Sixth Floor from contacting the Serpent Venerable.
• Yun Xiaoxi asked Old Fan Deng for the Scale Orthodox Sequence, and he reluctantly agreed to give it to her side of the mission.
• Old Fan Deng promised Zhang Qing the Scale Orthodox Sequence and nine Fate Stones, then urged him to resolve the matter in Serpent Emperor City.

Zhang Qing assigned the Scale Orthodox Sequence to Ouyang Lin and gave Li Liming a Fate Stone slot while directing Great Xia's forces to prepare campaigns against War City and Qi City. Meanwhile, Silver Venerable refused Li Qi's request to oppose Zhang Qing unless Li Qi could secure a scale for him.

• Yun Xiaoxi explained that the Scale Orthodox Sequence was one of only two Imperial City-matched grades in the Dark Realm, and Zhang Qing gave its Inheritance Fate Stone to Ouyang Lin.
• Zhang Qing ordered Ouyang Lin to lead the Dragon Scale Army against War City and turn it into a Theater so Ouyang Lin could advance into a Sequence User.
• Zhang Qing gave Li Liming a Fate Stone slot and ordered the Blood Dragon Army to prepare to attack Qi City, while allowing Li Liming to apply for military Sequence slots.
• Li Qi asked Silver Venerable to help oppose Zhang Qing, but Silver Venerable said he wanted a scale from Serpent Venerable and left Li Qi to figure out how to obtain one.

Li Qi joined Doka and Mu Qiduo to disrupt player caravans, while the players countered with a real-time trade-route network. The Blood Dragon Army and Dragon Scale Army captured Qi City and War City, promoted Xi Fang and Ouyang Lin, and Zhang Qing went to fight Hu Feiyun.

• Li Qi formed the Special Delivery Squad with Doka and Mu Qiduo to attack player trade runs, while Fifth Generation Ghouls refused to join for fear of Zhang Qing.
• Rich Brother and other Great Xia players built a website that mapped caravans' locations in real time, helping them gather against Specter attacks.
• Tao Qi and Kimura's people abandoned War City and Qi City, ordering their armies to resist the Blood Dragon Army and Dragon Scale Army as they withdrew.
• After the Blood Dragon Army defeated Qi City's army, Xi Fang used Kati's Inheritance Fate Stone and completed his Trample Dao Lineage promotion, while Zhang Qing and others limited the Mark of Fate's effects.
• Ouyang Lin also completed his promotion, and the armies secured War City and Qi City for use as Theaters rather than opening them to players.
• Hu Feiyun reminded Zhang Qing of their promised fight, and the two rushed into the wilderness as onlookers gathered.

Zhang Qing and Hu Feiyun resumed their battle at Sequence Four, trading powerful attacks as Hu Feiyun revealed Tiger Imperial City's hard-control and movement skills. The fight escalated when Hu Feiyun activated Bloody Moment, and Zhang Qing spotted a green healing number above his opponent, revealing his life-steal ability.

• Zhu Zhen, Su Yue, Su Changqi, and the others watched as Hu Feiyun challenged Zhang Qing to fight.
• Zhang Qing and Hu Feiyun activated Full Armor Deployment and exchanged dozens of blows while building their strength.
• Hu Feiyun used Tiger Pounce and Tiger Roar, but Zhang Qing countered with Predation, Brilliance, and a Blood Dragon that knocked him back.
• Hu Feiyun charged through the Blood Dragon with another movement skill and struck Zhang Qing hard enough to shatter his White Shield.
• Hu Feiyun activated Bloody Moment, and he and Zhang Qing traded furious attacks as Zhang Qing noticed healing numbers above Hu Feiyun's health bar.

Zhang Qing fought Hu Feiyun to a draw, but Hu Bai'e interrupted just as Zhang Qing neared a moment of martial enlightenment. Afterward, Hu Feiyun and Zhang Qing's group both prepared to travel to Serpent Emperor City and pursue the Color Sequence.

• Zhang Qing used the Blood River to keep Hu Feiyun at a distance, while Hu Feiyun's Tiger Rush and Predation failed to break through his defenses.
• Hu Feiyun drew terrifying fist blades, triggering Zhang Qing's intense focus, but Hu Bai'e stopped the fight before Zhang Qing could reach enlightenment and declared a draw.
• Su Changqi identified Hu Feiyun's fist blades as a killing Authority Artifact, and Su Yue and Zhu Zhen recognized the danger posed by both Hu Feiyun and Zhang Qing.
• Hu Bai'e scolded Hu Feiyun for using the weapon before reaching the Transcendent level, then agreed to visit Serpent Emperor City with him.
• Yun Xiaoxi told Zhang Qing that Hu Ben said they would head to Serpent Emperor City after settling things at home, and she explained that the Orange System meant loyalty.

Zhang Qing prepared to travel with Hu Feiyun while Su Yue and Yang Man stayed behind to secure their positions. Above the Sky Dome, Hu Bai'e revealed Tiger Imperial City's expansionist ambitions, and Fan Adkin proposed a plan to strengthen Zhang Qing before his future advance to Transcendent.

• Zhang Qing returned to Mountain City, arranged affairs with Li Liming and Ouyang Lin, and set off with Hu Feiyun while Su Yue and Yang Man remained to pursue their own plans.
• Fan Adkin confronted Hu Bai'e for interrupting Zhang Qing's martial-path epiphany, and Hu Bai'e questioned whether Fan Adkin believed Zhang Qing could become a Sovereign.
• Hu Bai'e said Tiger Clan territory had not changed for a long time, leading Fan Adkin to realize Tiger Imperial City wanted to launch an Imperial City war and might have arranged for the Sheep Emperor City's Grand Elder to join its side.
• Fan Adkin proposed provoking Serpent Emperor City into hosting a Highness battle so Zhang Qing could obtain scales from Serpent Venerable's remains and improve his spiritual power.
• Fan Adkin said the scales could raise Zhang Qing's chance of reaching Transcendent by at least twenty percent, then offered resources to support his later progress, leaving Hu Bai'e surprised by the scale of the commitment.

Fan Adkin gave up trying to manipulate Zhang Qing and the Sixth Floor became his ally as Zhang Qing’s group headed for Serpent Emperor City. Meanwhile, Lin Tian advanced to the Sunrise Realm, discovered he had gained immense strength in reality, and was confronted at his door by Rich Brother Zhao Huanhuan.

• Fan Adkin admitted defeat and stopped trying to control Zhang Qing, making the Sixth Floor a true ally.
• Zhang Qing’s group set off for Serpent Emperor City with Hu Bai'e leading and Su Changqi clearing their way.
• Lin Tian took his Dawn Guild on an unauthorized trade route near Qi City and led them in hunting Specters to gather Attribute Points for his advancement.
• Lin Tian reached the Sunrise Realm, logged off, and discovered that his newfound power had warped a metal handrail and shattered his desk.
• Lin Tian searched the forums for evidence that Dark Realm power could transfer to reality, then answered a knock at his door and found Rich Brother Zhao Huanhuan outside.

Lin Tian was brought to the Imperial Capital and ordered, along with other Sunrise Realm players, to obey Great Xia's rules. As Sunrise Realm players multiplied, Li Wannian learned that a strong foreign player was in Bone City and considered destroying the city after Zhang Qing logged off.

• Zhao Huanhuan had Lin Tian sign a public security document and took him to the Imperial Capital.
• Lin Tian saw Sunrise Realm experts and guild leaders gathered at South Mountain, then attended a meeting presided over by Xi Fang of the Blood Dragon Army.
• Xi Fang told the players to obey Great Xia, report newly awakened Sunrise Realm players, and accept guild accountability; he also offered war missions with rewards that included chances to become Heavenly Demons.
• Guilds and merchant associations formed core teams that rapidly reached the Sunrise Realm, while Zhang Qing's support helped the military keep public order under control.
• Li Wannian learned from Xiao Qian that a powerful foreign player was in Bone City and considered wiping out the city after Zhang Qing logged off.

Zhang Qing and his companions entered Serpent Emperor City and learned about the Snake Race’s strict hierarchy and ruthless clan rivalries. After the Viper Clan invited them to its residence, Zhang Qing found the city’s scheming entertaining while Hu Feiyun felt uneasy.

• Zhang Qing noticed that most Snake Race members had snake tails, and Yun Xiaoxi explained that two-legged Snake Race members were generally associated with the Imperial City.
• Hu Bai'e explained that some major Snake Race clans had begun transforming, and Zhang Qing concluded that Mo Li’s appearance did not necessarily make her a triple agent.
• A Snake Race Sequence Four named Gusha invited Zhang Qing’s group to the Viper Clan residence, explaining that the Viper Clan had taken over the Silver Ring Border Army’s Color Sequence slots.
• Hu Bai'e explained that the Viper Clan had crushed the Silver Ring Border Army and that Serpent Emperor City’s major clans competed fiercely while keeping Zhang Qing’s group safe.
• Hu Feiyun complained that Serpent Emperor City’s schemes made him uncomfortable, while Zhang Qing said he found the city’s intrigues fun.

Zhang Qing and Hu Feiyun plotted to trade access to the Color Sequence for valuable treasures, including scales from the remains offered in the Serpent Emperor City's Succession Competition. As Zhang Qing and Yun Xiaoxi arrived in the city, the Viper Clan sheltered them under guard, unaware of the conspiracy unfolding around them.

• Zhang Qing persuaded Hu Feiyun to exploit the clans' competing interest in the Color Sequence and seek valuable gifts in exchange for access to it.
• Hu Feiyun revealed that the Succession Competition's prize included spiritual-power-enhancing scales, and Zhang Qing considered how to obtain them.
• Zhang Qing asked Hu Feiyun whether he had ever lost, prompting Yun Xiaoxi to realize he was suggesting Hu Feiyun throw a match.
• Hu Bai'e considered joining forces with Zhang Qing after the Tiger Imperial City's Elder Council backed a push for more territory, but struggled to plan how to secure a scale as a battle reward.
• Zhang Qing and Yun Xiaoxi arrived in the Serpent Emperor City as Sixth Floor representatives, drawing the major clans' interest in the Color Sequence.
• The Viper Clan housed Zhang Qing and his companions under Grand Venerable guards, who failed to notice their conspiracy because they could not monitor them freely.

The Great Xia faction debated its next campaigns and sought resources to strengthen its armies, while Yang Man mobilized forces for a punitive expedition against the White Cotton Clan. Reports that Monkey Emperor City's Silverback Border Army was assembling toward An City left the faction on alert.

• Ouyang Lin reflected on Zhang Qing's achievements as the Dragon Scale Army completed its core lineage, while Xi Fang, Zhou Chen, and Luo Hang's proposal to support Kata's transcendence was shelved over the risks of empowering someone outside Great Xia.
• The military considered campaigns toward Rabbit Emperor City and Tiger Imperial City and began targeting Sequence Users as resources for raising the Sunrise Realm.
• Yang Man recruited Li Liming's troops to accompany her to Sheep Emperor City and ordered the Tyrant Army to attack the White Cotton Clan over its collusion with the Abyssal Insect Ghoul Tribe.
• Yang Man left with the Tyrant Army and Li Liming's unit, while Pan Tong brought five hundred thousand Stone Army soldiers to hold the border under the stated pretext of a drill.
• Pan Tong reported that Monkey Emperor City's Silverback Border Army was assembling toward An City, prompting the Great Xia faction to send Mo Yun to negotiate.

Zhang Qing learned that Tiger Imperial City was preparing to make a move and concluded that a major war could soon sweep across the Dark Realm. He returned to Great Xia and told Li Wannian and Mo Yun to begin planning for wartime.

• Zhang Qing visited Hu Bai'e and presented his business plan with Hu Feiyun, seeking Tiger Imperial City's backing.
• Hu Bai'e endorsed Zhang Qing's plan and declared that Tiger Imperial City had never feared its opponents, which Zhang Qing took as a sign that the city wanted war.
• After logging off, Zhang Qing met Li Wannian and learned that the Silverback Border Army had gathered near An City and wanted an item he was expected to obtain.
• Mo Yun reported that the Silverback Border Army's commander was a calculating Sequence Six who would treat Zhang Qing as either a friend or an opponent depending on the item.
• Zhang Qing revealed Hu Bai'e's stance and predicted a large-scale war, then ordered Li Wannian and Mo Yun to prepare Great Xia for wartime.

Zhang Qing sold She Qi incomplete materials on the Color Sequence and arranged for him to develop a Loyalty Sequence User and choose Bone City for the Theater. The next day, Zhang Qing, Yun Xiaoxi, and Hu Feiyun explored Serpent Emperor City while Zhang Qing quietly pursued more potential customers.

• She Qi visited Zhang Qing, praised his achievements, and asked how to obtain the Color Sequence.
• Zhang Qing gave She Qi documents with key pages removed and agreed that Yun Xiaoxi would help form the binding.
• She Qi agreed to cultivate a Loyalty Sequence Three and choose Bone City for the Theater, then left with the documents.
• Zhang Qing revealed he had several hundred copies of the materials ready to sell and told Yun Xiaoxi that She Qi would serve as a template for future efforts.
• Zhang Qing, Yun Xiaoxi, and Hu Feiyun toured Serpent Emperor City, while Zhang Qing secretly sought out other potential customers.

The Tyrant Army learned that Imperial City Decree No. 2 would send all Transcendents to the upper level of the Sky City Battlefield, while Su Yue expanded the Short-toothed Ratfolk’s territory and saw an opening in the emptied Dark Realm. Fan Adkin condemned Tiger Imperial City’s blunt plan to support Zhang Qing but agreed to help cover it, offering refined gold carrying the aura of the Time Sequence.

• Yang Man and Yan Qingshan learned from Rock Venerate that Imperial City Decree No. 2 was about to be activated, forcing Transcendents and high-ranking Ghouls onto the upper level of the Sky City Battlefield.
• Su Yue led the Short-toothed Ratfolk and the Gnawing Border Army in seizing territory, while Yao Wang and the Dragon Scale Army gathered resources from slain Sequence Users.
• Cangzun informed Su Yue that Decree No. 2 would remove Transcendents from the Dark Realm, and she realized her army could take advantage of their absence.
• Fan Adkin explained that Tiger Imperial City had triggered a Kinship War to clear the Dark Realm for Zhang Qing, but worried the conspicuous plan would provoke the other Imperial Cities.
• Fan Adkin asked Ares for his semi-finished Mechanical Heart and added refined gold carrying the aura of the Time Sequence to their plan.

The upper-level battle on the Sky City Battlefield turned into a scramble for the Mechanical Heart and a wisp of Time Sequence aura, while Zhang Qing enjoyed gifts in Serpent Emperor City. She Qi returned with Sequence Three complete and a burly Snake Race man at his side.

• The upper-level battle spiraled into chaos until half the Mechanical Heart and a wisp of Time Sequence aura appeared, prompting the factions to fight over them.
• Fan Adkin told Ares that future cooperation with Tiger Imperial City must keep them in the dominant position, while they planned to prolong the battle and stir things up.
• Dark Realm Forum users learned that Bone City had been destroyed after She Qi turned it into a theater.
• Zhang Qing accepted gifts in Serpent Emperor City and planned to target scales from the Serpent Venerable's shed husk.
• She Qi returned and told Zhang Qing that he had completed Sequence Three, accompanied by a tall, burly Snake Race man.

Zhang Qing and Yun Xiaoxi completed an Orange System Support Sequence for She Qi, giving him a powerful defensive partner for Serpent Emperor City's upcoming Succession Competition. Zhang Qing began selling the template to rival Highnesses at the price of a Serpent Venerable's discarded Scale, and Hu Feiyun's pressure drove them toward buying.

• Yun Xiaoxi warned Zhang Qing that the Loyalty Sequence User had been forcibly advanced and would not survive three months, then helped bind him to She Qi.
• The burly man emerged carrying She Qi in his Viper Clan snake form, and She Qi discovered that possessing someone added defense without hindering his Beacon Skills.
• She Qi invited Zhang Qing to watch Serpent Emperor City's Succession Competition in about ten days, while Zhang Qing and Yun Xiaoxi discussed the Support Sequence's costly renewal scheme.
• Zhang Qing and Yun Xiaoxi decided to sell the completed template, naming one Scale from the Serpent Venerable's discarded remains as the price.
• Hu Feiyun approached the Highnesses on Zhang Qing's behalf, and fear of facing She Qi and other supported rivals pushed them toward buying the Support Sequence.

Zhang Qing and his allies spread the Color Sequence among Serpent Emperor City's princes, then escaped while Hu Feiyun provoked them into attacking him. Su Yue's Border Army retrieved them through a spatial passage, leaving Hu Feiyun's plan to use the assault as an excuse to mobilize Tiger Imperial City's Imperial Guard.

• Zhang Qing, Hu Feiyun, and Yun Xiaoxi slipped away from She Qi and entered the underground labyrinth, where Zhang Qing helped distribute the C-Color Sequence to princes from several clans.
• After discovering that orange Color Sequences were widespread, Serpent Emperor City's princes searched for Zhang Qing, but the Great Venerable refused to intervene.
• Zhang Qing told Hu Feiyun to claim he had forced Zhang Qing's actions, hoping the princes would attack and give Hu Feiyun grounds to call on Tiger Imperial City's Imperial Guard.
• Hu Feiyun taunted the Serpent Emperor City princes by showing off the Scale, and more than thirty of them surrounded him and Zhang Qing.
• Su Yue arrived with the Shuttle Border Army and brought Zhang Qing and Hu Feiyun away as the battle began.

After the Transcendents left for the Sky City Battlefield, rival clans and border armies plunged the Dark Realm into widespread conflict. Zhang Qing’s return gave Great Xia a chance to expand, and its leaders planned three campaigns to secure new borders and open the Grain Trade Route.

• Hu Feiyun led Tiger Imperial City’s guards against Serpent Emperor City, while Su Yue and Yang Man drew more Imperial Cities into the fighting over Zhang Qing.
• Border armies and clans across the Dark Realm attacked one another, turning the turmoil into a sprawling conflict that mostly targeted orthodox factions and independent lineages.
• The Grand Venerables largely stayed out of the fighting, treating it as training for the highnesses and leaving the rival forces free to act.
• Li Wannian and Zhuge Yi concluded that the conflict was too tangled to analyze as a whole and focused Great Xia’s plans on its own expansion.
• Great Xia planned to advance toward Tiger Imperial City from Rat Emperor City, toward Sheep Emperor City through Monkey Emperor City, and toward Rabbit Emperor City through Pig Emperor City.