Chapter Summaries

After the Dark Realm was restored, Zhang Qing persuaded the Lords to create their own universe rather than search for an Other Shore. They agreed to begin by preparing defenses against the Lightning Calamity, and the chapter ended with immense Sky-Piercing Pillars rising in the Imperial Cities as totems of their civilization.

• Zhang Qing explained his theory about the End of Time, then proposed creating a universe of their own because there was no Other Shore to reach.
• Little Lion, Ghoul Mother, the Imperial City Lords, and the other Lords agreed to recreate the universe and make their own future.
• Zhang Qing assigned the twelve Imperial City Lords and twelve Progenitors rotating duties to resist the Lightning Calamity.
• Zhang Qing proposed using the Steel Dark Realm's mass to build lightning rods, and the Lords began extracting materials to prepare defenses.
• The Lords raised steel Sky-Piercing Pillars in every Imperial City, carving them with Great Xia's history, inheritances, and achievements.

Zhang Qing returned with the Dark Realm and used Zhu Qi to draw out the Space Forbidden Venerable Lord, briefly giving Hao hope that the universe would weaken. The Divine Rule returned almost immediately, and Hao realized Zhang Qing had orchestrated the maneuver as part of a plan to kill him.

• Zhang Qing led the remaining twenty-one Venerable Lords and the Dark Realm back, while Yun Xiaoxi continued refining the Gold Divine Rule Star.
• Kid Brother dismissed the danger from the Gold Divine Rule and reflected on the universe's transformation, while Hao waited for a chance to act.
• Zhu Qi took a bite out of the universe's spatial structure and fled as the Space Forbidden Venerable Lord pursued him beyond the universe.
• Zhang Qing challenged the Space Forbidden Venerable Lord's right to carry the Divine Rule's power outside the universe, and it stopped chasing Zhu Qi and returned.
• Hao realized Zhang Qing had arranged the diversion and met his gaze, recognizing their conflict as a fight to the death.

Zhang Qing watched from outside the universe as Kid Brother negotiated with him while Hao and Star Array Civilization fought within. Hao then joined forces with Star Array Civilization against Kid Brother, creating a three-way battle that Zhang Qing observed to learn how the universe evolved.

• Zhang Qing told Kid Brother and Hao to continue fighting while he watched from outside the universe.
• Kid Brother asked what Zhang Qing wanted, and Zhang Qing demanded more of the universe's mass to supplement the Dark Realm.
• Zhu Qi returned and asked whether they should keep stealing mass, and Zhang Qing told him to continue slowly.
• Hao turned against Kid Brother and asked Star Array Civilization to join forces with him.
• Star Array Civilization agreed, and the battle resumed with Kid Brother facing the combined forces of Hao and Star Array Civilization.
• Zhang Qing watched the three-way battle because he wanted to understand the universe's Evolution.

Zhang Qing watched the universe’s conflicts to use Evolution to deduce how the universe emerged, while Progenitors and Sovereigns relaxed by swimming in the Chaos Sea. Little Loli discovered that the sea had stolen a fragment of her unique Reproduction Authority, and Zhang Qing realized the danger as his deductions accelerated.

• Zhang Qing observed the wars and planned to use Evolution to reverse-engineer the universe’s emergence, intending to gather universal mass himself.
• Little Lion and Little Loli invited the Sea Emperor to swim in the Chaos Sea, and their carefree outing inspired other Progenitors and Sovereigns to make it a regular activity.
• After nearly ten months, Little Loli sensed the Chaos Sea pulling at her Flesh and Reproduction Authorities and severing a tiny fragment of their power.
• Little Loli told Little Lion, who realized a small amount of his own power had also been drawn away, and she went to report the danger to Zhang Qing.
• Zhang Qing heard that the Chaos Sea had taken part of Little Loli’s authority, rapidly evolved his deductions, and recognized the seriousness of what had happened.

After the Progenitors and Exalted Lords’ actions stirred the Chaos Sea, Zhang Qing investigated and found embryonic universes evolving at a frantic pace. He warned everyone that their plans had been disrupted and the future had become unpredictable.

• Zhang Qing learned that Little Loli’s Reproduction Authority had been partially taken and left the ongoing battle to inspect the Chaos Sea.
• Zhang Qing arrived to find the Exalted Lords gathered and aware they had caused trouble.
• With Xiaoxi’s faith power, Zhang Qing entered a bubble in the Chaos Sea and watched a flower rapidly evolve into a supreme herb before withering away.
• Zhang Qing concluded that the Chaos Sea was nurturing embryonic universes and could not tell whether the group had caused the change or merely accelerated it.
• Zhang Qing warned everyone that the Chaos Sea might produce universes before they created their own, threatening the foundation and status they had planned to establish.

Zhang Qing discovered that Hao was nurturing a Survival Authority avatar to possess the Time Avatar, and decided to prepare his own plan to seize Time. He was called back by Yun Xiaoxi after something went wrong with the Metal Divine Rule Planet.

• Zhang Qing warned the Progenitors to keep stealing mass from the cosmos without alerting Kid Brother and to stop entering the Chaos Sea, where their Authorities could cause contamination.
• Zhang Qing sent the golden dragon through the River of Time to search for the Survival Authority and found both a Time Avatar and an infant avatar being nurtured by Hao.
• Zhang Qing realized Hao planned to use Survival to possess the Time Avatar, so he left the Years Dragon in the River of Time as his own backup plan to claim Time.
• Zhang Qing concluded that Hao and Kid Brother were both waiting for the Time Avatar to mature, while his departure from the cosmos kept his plans hidden.
• Yun Xiaoxi called Zhang Qing back because something had gone wrong with the Metal Divine Rule Planet.

Zhang Qing and Yun Xiaoxi discovered that the Gold Divine Rules were flowing into three thousand embryonic universes beneath the Chaos Sea, while the rules themselves were growing stronger. They suspected the Chaos Sea’s expansion was unlocking a power level beyond Venerable Lords, and Zhang Qing decided they needed to build up their reserves for the unknown future.

• Yun Xiaoxi showed Zhang Qing that the Gold Divine Rules were dissipating from the star in Flower Lord's sea of faith.
• Zhang Qing traced the streams of Gold Divine Rules to three thousand embryonic universes growing beneath the Chaos Sea.
• Zhang Qing told Yun Xiaoxi about the Venerable Lords and Progenitors roaming the Chaos Sea, and they agreed that disrupting the embryonic universes was too dangerous.
• Yun Xiaoxi demonstrated that the Gold Divine Rules had risen to the level of Forbidden Sequence authorities without her altering or fusing their power.
• Zhang Qing agreed that the Chaos Sea’s changes might be raising the entire power system beyond the Venerable Lord level, and said they should accumulate reserves.

Zhang Qing prioritized evolving the Dark Realm into a universe before the Chaos Sea gave rise to the Myriad Worlds. After the others stopped fighting over the Divine Rules, he sent three thousand incarnations into embryonic universes in the Chaos Sea to learn how to advance the Dark Realm.

• Zhang Qing told Yun Xiaoxi not to panic and made evolving the Dark Realm into a universe his top priority.
• Kid Brother realized Hao and Zhang Qing were waiting for the Divine Rules and threatened to rely on the Reincarnation Divine Rule to outlast them.
• Hao asked Zhang Qing to cooperate against Destiny, but Zhang Qing rejected his warning about the Ultimate Leap.
• The fighters stopped attacking, leaving Hao frustrated and the Star Array Civilization eager to catch up in the pursuit of Divine Rules.
• Zhang Qing declared he would leave, then sent three thousand incarnations into the Chaos Sea to merge with embryonic universes and study their development.

Zhang Qing observed the universe's gestation with Little Loli's help and discovered that the Chaos Sea contained the Aether of Creation, which might let the Dark Realm evolve into a universe. He summoned the Venerables to help capture it, beginning a large-scale operation.

• The Progenitors learned from Yun Xiaoxi that Zhang Qing had entered the Chaos Sea to observe the universe's gestation, and Little Loli used her Flesh Authority to find him.
• Little Loli empowered Zhang Qing with her Flesh and Reproduction Authorities, and they discussed how she had once helped bring Hu Sisi and the previous Sheep Venerable together.
• Zhang Qing used Little Loli's Authorities to study the universe's birth and realized that the Chaos Sea supplied its energy.
• Zhang Qing spotted a wisp of purple light in the Chaos Sea and identified it as the Aether of Creation, the root of the universe's birth.
• Zhang Qing summoned the Progenitors and Venerables, explained his plan to capture the Aether of Creation, and gathered twenty-four Venerables for the operation.

Zhang Qing failed to catch the Purple Qi with the Sovereigns’ Authorities alone, so Hu Feiyun and Yang Man proposed involving all transcendents across the Dark Realm. With their Authorities unified through the Cooperation Authority, Zhang Qing began forming a complete world, leaving the result of the effort unresolved.

• Zhang Qing entered the Chaos Sea with the Sovereigns’ Authorities but failed to catch the slippery Purple Qi because gaps remained between the Authorities.
• Hu Feiyun explained that the Dark Realm’s lineages and transcendents formed its full network of Authorities, and Yang Man proposed gathering everyone’s strength.
• Zhang Qing ordered the Sovereigns to mobilize every lineage faction and transcendent in the Dark Realm, while Great Xia assembled its transcendents.
• Yun Xiaoxi formed a Star Array above the Chaos Sea, and Zhang Qing revealed his Dragon Venerable True Body as the Dark Realm’s Authorities converged on him.
• Yang Man’s Cooperation Authority helped Zhang Qing integrate the gathered Authorities, and he sealed away his human nature to control their immense force.

Dragon Venerable captured a strand of Purple Qi to advance the Dark Realm, but its reaction with the Authorities began to endanger the Venerable Lords. Yun Xiaoxi reached Zhang Qing and brought him back to his senses, leaving the Dark Realm’s ascension unresolved.

• Dragon Venerable used a world woven from Authorities to seize a strand of Purple Qi in the Chaos Sea.
• The Purple Qi began solidifying the Authorities, threatening the Venerable Lords as Dragon Venerable continued his plan to make the Dark Realm ascend.
• The Venerable Lords tried to withdraw their Authorities, but the Cooperation Scepter beside Dragon Venerable kept the Cooperative Great Trend in place.
• Yun Xiaoxi spiritually called Zhang Qing, prompting him to put away the Cooperation Scepter and end the Great Trend.
• Zhang Qing returned to human form and told Hu Feiyun and the other Venerable Lords that Purple Qi reacted too violently with Authorities to be stored or transported.

Zhang Qing and the Sovereigns considered gambling everything by transforming the Dark Realm into a universe to escape the Chaos Sea’s constraints. After Sky City’s Sovereign reported their gathering to Hao, Zhang Qing gave everyone one day to decide before they met again at the Chaos Sea.

• Zhang Qing explained that the Chaos Sea’s instinct to draw on lifeforms caused authority and Purple Qi to create a vicious cycle that blocked their plans.
• Hu Feiyun suggested bringing the Dark Realm into the Chaos Sea and remaking it as a universe, though the transformation could destroy the Sovereigns and the Dark Realm’s native races.
• Sky City’s Sovereign fled into a universe after spying on the twenty-four Sovereigns, likely alerting Hao to their gathering.
• Zhang Qing told everyone to think for one day, then meet at the Chaos Sea.
• Zhang Qing walked through Great Xia’s Imperial Capital with Yun Xiaoxi, reflected on time and responsibility, and decided to visit the Elder Council to strengthen his resolve.

Zhang Qing told the Elder Council that he had secretly moved the Dark Realm into the Chaos Sea and now faced a gamble that could determine its future. He left them confronting the possibility that the Dark Realm’s transformation into a universe could destroy the Sequence system and unleash its Specters.

• The head of the Technology Department revealed that the Astral Exploration Department could no longer find stars, suggesting the Dark Realm had left its original world.
• Zhang Qing arrived with Yun Xiaoxi and told the Elder Council that the Dark Realm had been moved into the Chaos Sea, a refuge from a powerful enemy in the previous universe.
• Zhang Qing explained that he planned to gamble everything for the future, and Li Wannian and Zhang Zhengguo accepted that the crisis left little room to hesitate.
• Zhang Qing admitted he had no absolute confidence and warned that the Dark Realm’s rise into a universe could solidify Authorities into laws and collapse the Sequence system.
• Zhang Qing considered the consequences of that collapse for the Sovereigns, Progenitors, and Specters, and wondered whether Great Xia’s martial artists would have to contain the resulting danger.

Zhang Qing prepared Great Xia and the other Imperial Cities for the possible collapse of the Sequence system, then led the Venerable Lords and Progenitors in lowering the Dark Realm through the Lightning Calamity. When Hao and Kid Brother arrived to interfere, Zhang Qing sent his golden dragon to seize the Time Avatar they had been targeting, forcing them to leave.

• Zhang Qing ordered Great Xia to make technology its core combat strength, delegate the Mechanical Authority, and restart its production lines.
• The Progenitors accepted that they would have to fight to survive, and the gathered group encouraged one another before Zhang Qing led them into action.
• Twenty-five Venerable Lords pulled the Dark Realm downward while the Progenitors held back the Lightning Calamity's lightning.
• Hao arrived and offered to interfere, then Kid Brother appeared and questioned Zhang Qing's plan to drag the Dark Realm into the Chaos Sea.
• Zhang Qing sent the little golden dragon into the River of Time to attack the Time Avatar, prompting Kid Brother and Hao to rush back and defend it.

Zhang Qing forced the Dark Realm into the Chaos Sea and used Purple Qi to begin its ascension, even as its inhabitants were broken down and the Sovereigns’ authorities began to solidify. Ox Venerable Liu Jin fell from Sovereign power and descended into Great Xia, where the Border Army prepared to protect him.

• The Sovereigns and Progenitors accepted Zhang Qing’s all-in gamble and let the Dark Realm enter the Chaos Sea.
• Zhang Qing forcibly pressed the Dark Realm into the sea, where the realm and its living beings began to break down.
• Zhang Qing used Purple Qi to stabilize the Dark Realm and gathered the True Spirits of those who had been broken down so they could be reborn.
• Dragon Venerable brought back twenty-five strands of Purple Qi, and Zhang Qing distributed twenty-four among the Sovereigns and Progenitors as their authorities began to solidify.
• Ox Venerable Liu Jin began to fall, and Zhang Qing ordered him to descend within Great Xia’s borders.
• Liu Jin landed outside the Imperial Capital, where Great Xia’s Border Army protected him and began building a small city around him.

As the Dark Realm ascended and its authority solidified, Zhang Qing sent the Venerable Lords and Progenitors to Great Xia before falling into silence himself. The Sequence system collapsed, war spread across the Dark Realm, and Kid Brother realized Zhang Qing had fallen while battling Hao in the River of Time.

• Zhang Qing urged Liu Jin to survive and sent him to Great Xia as Ox Emperor City descended into chaos after the Ox Venerable fell.
• Zhang Qing sent Hou Qing, She Qi, Gou Mang, Zhu Qi, Little Loli, and the Progenitors to Great Xia or their lairs as their true bodies were solidified.
• Yun Xiaoxi told Zhang Qing to shed the Dragon Venerable True Body, but he refused and fell silent in the Great Xia Imperial Capital.
• The Sequence system collapsed, the Dark Realm lost its Imperial City privileges, and factions began fighting over its territory as Great Xia unleashed its industrial and military power.
• In the River of Time, Zhang Qing's Years Dragon collapsed, and Kid Brother told Hao that Zhang Qing had fallen and that the Fantasy System Venerable Lord's true body would soon be his.

After Zhang Qing’s apparent death, Kid Brother waited for her true body to nourish the Reincarnation Divine Rule and enable a universe restart, but it never arrived. Trapped in a solidified Dragon Venerable body, Zhang Qing searched for a way to survive by sensing the Dark Realm’s evolution and reaching for a divine rule.

• Kid Brother mocked Hao and the Star Array Civilization, then went to the River of Destiny to wait for Zhang Qing’s true body to mature the Reincarnation Divine Rule.
• Kid Brother waited at the vortex, but Zhang Qing’s true body did not appear, leaving him panicked about how to restart the universe.
• At Great Xia, Li Wannian asked Ouyang Lin whether the Venerable Lords could return after the Sequence system collapsed, and Ouyang Lin admitted he did not know.
• Zhang Qing realized his solidified Dragon Venerable body and the other Venerable Lords were sustained by fading remnants of power, so he needed to find a way to survive before they dissipated.
• Zhang Qing decided to gamble on comprehending a divine rule during the Dark Realm’s evolution and let his soul wander through the realm to sense it.

After the Dark Realm recognized Zhang Qing, he began pursuing the Water Law as a new power system while the universe awaited a restart that never came. Kid Brother searched the River of Destiny for Zhang Qing’s missing Venerable Lord true body, leaving Star Array Civilization and Hao convinced they had escaped the cycle.

• Zhang Qing concluded that Laws could replace the collapsed Sequences and chose the Water Law, entering it through his Chuan Blood Spring technique.
• Star Array Civilization and Hao waited for the universe to restart after Zhang Qing’s apparent collapse, but several days passed without a restart.
• Kid Brother searched the River of Destiny for Zhang Qing’s missing Venerable Lord true body and found no trace of it.
• Star Array Civilization and Hao realized the restart had stalled and prepared to return to the stage.
• Kid Brother blamed Zhang Qing for destroying his true body and leaving the Dark Realm depleted.

Zhang Qing used his spiritual connection with Yun Xiaoxi to enlist Great Xia’s fortune and National Destiny as a medium that could anchor his wandering soul in the new era. As Great Xia abolished the Elder Council and mobilized its forces, Zhang Qing pursued the Ultimate Leap from man to god while the others remained distracted by disputes.

• Zhang Qing asked Yun Xiaoxi to help him touch the nascent Water Law, but explained that his wandering soul needed a medium from the new era.
• Zhang Qing told Yun Xiaoxi to have Great Xia condense National Destiny so its fortune could carry him.
• Zhang Qing described mastering laws and becoming one with the universe as the true Ultimate Leap, then challenged Hao and Destiny to catch up.
• Yun Xiaoxi requested that Great Xia abolish the Elder Council system, and the authorities used her request to quell opposition.
• Great Xia reorganized its military and announced its return to the Dark Realm’s turmoil.

Great Xia used its National Destiny to sweep the surrounding factions and build a colossal ship that let Zhang Qing and the other Venerables and Progenitors survive the new era. As the group prepared to claim newly born Laws, the Star Array Civilization became the first in the cosmos to encounter the Wind Law, while the Chaos Sea neared a great eruption.

• Great Xia launched a devastating campaign against neighboring factions, with Yun Xiaoxi using the Gold Element Law to render their weapons useless.
• Great Xia held a memorial ceremony that drew on its flourishing National Destiny to create a colossal ship, which Zhang Qing and the other trapped Venerables and Progenitors boarded.
• Zhang Qing urged everyone to claim marks on Laws to survive, then announced that he intended to pursue the Water Law.
• Hao chased the growing Time Avatar while Kid Brother guarded the maturing Reincarnation Divine Rule, and the Star Array Civilization began searching for a Divine Rule of its own.
• The Star Array Civilization encountered the Wind Law in the nothingness at the edge of the universe, becoming the first cosmic power to touch a Law.
• The embryonic cosmos within the Chaos Sea formed faster, and the Chaos Sea began boiling as the Myriad Worlds approached their birth.