Chapter Summaries

Ji Jue consolidated his authority across the Seven Cities and worked to strengthen his Heavenly Origin foundation rather than seek a Federation Blessing on its terms. After Ling Shuo made Satria and Caruso wait for three days, Ji Jue finally approached the waiting leaders of the two Wild Bazaars.

• Ji Jue watched the Seven Cities flourish and sensed the Celestial Origin gathering around Red Firmament, bringing him closer to the Power of Life and Death Blessing.
• Ji Jue rejected seeking a Federation Blessing through official channels and followed Lü Garrison Chief's advice to build his own Heavenly Origin foundation and preserve his autonomy.
• Ji Jue expanded his influence across New Spring and Seven Cities, stirred up industry peers in Tower City and Thousand Isles, and sent loaded freighters toward the Northern Frontier.
• Ji Jue called Ling Shuo to ask whether Satria and Caruso had arrived, then told Ling Shuo to make them wait a full three days before meeting him.
• Ling Shuo made the leaders of Iron Hook District and Misty Reef endure the delay without showing impatience, and Ji Jue's voice finally sounded as he arrived to meet them.

Ling Shuo negotiated with Caruso and Satria while Ji Jue confronted them by phone, explaining that he rejected their kind of business and demanding they choose between peace and a Wild Bazaar contest. Caruso and Satria accepted the contest, staking their business and the Flowing Light Golden Spring against the appraisal certificate and Ji Jue’s promise to meet them if they won.

• Ling Shuo presented the unsigned appraisal certificate and demanded the remaining payment, and Satria offered a check while Caruso added a large apology payment for Ji Jue.
• Caruso asked Ji Jue why he had treated them with such contempt, and Ji Jue said he refused to do business with them because their pill trade was disgraceful and inefficient.
• Ji Jue challenged Caruso and Satria to choose between fighting and making peace, and Satria invoked a Wild Bazaar contest of victory and defeat.
• Caruso offered the Flowing Light Golden Spring as an additional stake and asked Ji Jue to meet them if they won.
• Ji Jue proposed that the winner take the appraisal certificate while the loser surrendered their disaster beast materials business, and Satria and Caruso accepted.
• Ling Shuo brought wine, and the three men drank to seal the agreement and begin the contest.

Ji Jue brought An Ran to the reef for the duel against Iron Hook and Mist Concealment, where An Ran identified Luo Bomo as a concealed Horn inheritor and began fighting him. After surviving Luo Bomo’s sudden escalation with a hidden layer of Scales, An Ran acknowledged his fear and resolved to kill him.

• Ling Shuo and his subordinates delayed the arrival of Ji Jue and An Ran, then prepared a lavish beachside waiting area for them.
• Caruso presented the agreed wager, and Ji Jue confronted him and Satria before An Ran recognized Luo Bomo’s Horn lineage and exposed the hidden design of his sword.
• An Ran and Luo Bomo began their deadly sword duel, with An Ran using projected sword qi to withstand Luo Bomo’s rapid attacks.
• Luo Bomo increased his speed and nearly killed An Ran, but a flash of Spiritual Substance-formed scales let An Ran counterattack and wound them both.
• An Ran told Luo Bomo he was afraid of dying because his loved ones would grieve, then declared that he was going to kill him.

An Ran and Luo Bomo fought a deadly duel on the barren reef while Ji Jue and Caruso watched. An Ran trapped Luo Bomo long enough to land a decisive attack, but the hidden plan ultimately targeted Ji Jue, whose body and consciousness were frozen as a black spike thrust toward him.

• An Ran and Luo Bomo unleashed their Rebirth Forms and fought at extreme speed, as An Ran used sword marks and Xuan Ying’s essence to restrict Luo Bomo’s movements.
• Luo Bomo wounded An Ran repeatedly, while An Ran completed a web of sword marks and unleashed a freezing counterattack.
• Luo Bomo blocked An Ran’s strike with the Swift Sword and revealed a hidden dagger, but An Ran used Ji Jue’s concealed Spiritual Substance sword, Chun Jun, to break both weapons.
• Luo Bomo stopped Lihen with his teeth as a second attacker emerged from the shadows, and Ji Jue seized the attacker with an invisible hand.
• Caruso froze Ji Jue with a small mirror, allowing a hidden accomplice to thrust a black spike toward him in the true killing blow.

Shalbah’s assassination attempt on Ji Jue failed when Ji Jue resisted the Abyss Mirror and survived the ambush, triggering a battle against three Transcendences. As Ji Jue’s allies struck back and killed Caruso, a disguised White Deer expert wounded Shalbah, leaving the attackers’ plan in disarray.

• Shalbah accepted Caruso’s contract to assassinate Ji Jue, but warned that the target had to be lured away from his Workshop and that success was uncertain.
• Shalbah used the Abyss Mirror to stun Ji Jue and launched a prepared strike with the Dust-Annihilating Thorn, but Ji Jue caught the weapon with his hands and countered.
• Ji Jue unleashed Zhanlu’s Thunder Pool, survived the resulting inferno, and faced Shalbah, Satria, Dead Sentry, and Waste Ruins as they prepared to attack him openly.
• Dead Sentry charged Ji Jue, but Dragon Mountain emerged from the Airship and knocked him away with a single punch.
• Old Lin killed Caruso by crushing his heart, then disappeared as Shalbah retreated through the Gate of Avici.
• A disguised White Deer Transcendence attacked Shalbah with Cliff Horn Spear, cut his face, and forced him out of concealment while Ji Jue taunted Satria about the consequences of fishing.

Ji Jue suspected Caruso and Satria were plotting against him and wondered whether Ling Liu had joined them. His investigation uncovered a wave of Wild Bazaar leadership changes and new branches, and Chen Xingzhou called before Ji Jue could contact him.

• Minkler and Ling Shuo watched Caruso and Satria’s reception-room recording and agreed their behavior felt suspicious.
• Ji Jue learned that Ling Liu had been acting normally, but suspected he was secretly working with Caruso and Satria against him.
• Ji Jue considered that Caruso and Satria might be trying to kill him to recover their lost face and interests.
• Ji Jue found that more than six Wild Bazaar branches had recently changed bosses and that more than four new branches had opened, including one in the Seven Cities.
• Ji Jue asked Ling Shuo about headquarters’ recent moves, then received a call from Chen Xingzhou before he could dial him.

After learning that East City's Wild Bazaar was plotting against him, Ji Jue discovered that branches across the Wild Bazaar were scrambling to prepare for a rumored new rank and special permits. The Hermit's plan had set off a covert race for power, and Ji Jue anticipated upheaval across the hidden world.

• Ji Jue told Chen Xingzhou that the Evil Transformation Cult might be behind the attempts on his life, and Chen Xingzhou revealed that East City's Wild Bazaar was involved.
• Chen Xingzhou explained that Ji Jue's growing influence over Seven Cities threatened East City's interests and made him a target.
• Ji Jue asked why Wild Bazaar branches were acting unusually, and Chen Xingzhou described rumors that the Hermit planned to change the rules and promote ambitious local leaders.
• Ji Jue realized special permits could let local leaders operate beyond their regions and compete for business across the Empire and Federation.
• Ji Jue recognized that Wild Bazaar branches were already racing to gather resources in anticipation of the permits, foreshadowing upheaval across the hidden world.

Ji Jue and Chen Xingzhou joined forces to fight for power as the Wild Bazaar descended into a brutal contest, while Ji Jue’s group confronted the rival Transcendences. An Ran awakened the calamity beast within himself, and reinforcements turned the battle decisively against Dead Sentry’s side.

• Ji Jue and Chen Xingzhou agreed that Chen Xingzhou would run in the election while Ji Jue helped him secure the position.
• Ji Jue attacked Waste Ruins and Dead Sentry with his weapons and powers as Satria ordered his subordinates to kill Ling Shuo.
• An Ran killed Luo Bomo, then put on the bone mask and transformed into the calamity beast Katu Naha to protect Ling Shuo.
• An Ran attacked Satria, while Ying Qulong shattered Waste Ruins’s Realm of Encirclement with lightning and Ji Jue redirected a lightning bolt into Waste Ruins.
• Ji Jue overwhelmed Dead Sentry with Pan Ying as Cliff Corner kept Shalbah trapped in Avici, leaving Dead Sentry’s side unable to escape or turn the battle around.

Ji Jue and Dead Sentry fought a brutal duel as Dead Sentry drew on the Devourer of Death Sacrifice and nearly killed him. Ji Jue survived by changing Sacrificial Masters and using [Mo Defense], then struck Dead Sentry’s heart with Pan Ying and defeated him.

• Dead Sentry unleashed the Great Swarm’s power and fought Ji Jue with weapons formed from his wounds.
• Ji Jue recognized the Devourer of Death Sacrifice behind Dead Sentry and raised Blood Wrist’s enhancement for their final clash.
• Dead Sentry completed his death-fueled transformation first, interrupted Blood Wrist’s enhancement, and shattered half of Ji Jue’s body with his scythe.
• Ji Jue switched to the Lord of Scars, sacrificed part of his life to remove the deathly manifestations, and restored himself.
• Ji Jue used [Non-Aggression] and [Mo Defense] to deflect Dead Sentry’s scythe by a hair and pierce his heart with Pan Ying.
• Pan Ying’s strike broke Dead Sentry’s immolation ritual, and Dead Sentry fell apart into dust.

After defeating Dead Sentry, Ji Jue helped the others capture and dismantle Waste Ruins, then checked on An Ran and oversaw the cleanup at Barren Reef. Shalbah watched the group leave without acting, while an unseen observer withdrew and lamented the missed chance to attack Ji Jue.

• Dead Sentry's death left Ji Jue with the Devourer of Death inheritance, which he decided would be more useful for tempering weapons and creations than for himself.
• Red Firmament, the Curtain, and Ying Qulong trapped Waste Ruins, and Ji Jue compressed the black sphere until Waste Ruins could no longer resist.
• Ji Jue and his allies extracted Waste Ruins's soul, body, Blessing, Matrix, and other materials, leaving only his skullcap.
• Ji Jue removed An Ran's mask and reassured him after his transformation, then spoke with Ying Qulong and met Old Lin, who praised him on Lao Zhang Tou's behalf.
• At Ji Jue's request, the group stacked the corpses into a mound and placed Dead Sentry's and Waste Ruins's heads beside Caruso's before leaving Barren Reef.
• Shalbah watched without intervening, while a distant observer also refrained from attacking and complained that the trip had been wasted.

After Satria returned to Iron Hook District gravely wounded, his rivals began plotting to seize power, but an East City envoy arrived with a doctor who removed the curse infecting him. Satria recovered enough to resume his role in Lord Han’s plans, while recognizing that Ji Jue would be pushed into another fight with him.

• After Caruso's death and Satria's disappearance, Iron Hook ship owners nearly formed an alliance to remove him, but Satria returned and crushed a prominent troublemaker.
• Himawan treated Satria with inheritance medicine, but Satria's wounds reopened as the contamination and curse overwhelmed the remedy.
• Meng Fengzuo arrived with a doctor sent by Lord Han, who used leeches to remove the mutation and residue from Satria's wounds.
• Meng Fengzuo promised that Lord Han would help stabilize Iron Hook District and prevent Ji Jue from running wild.
• Satria reasoned that Lord Han needed him alive and successful, but his continued survival would leave Ji Jue with no choice but to fight him again.

Ji Jue let Seven Cities’ enemies mistake its silence for weakness while he focused on Coast’s product launch. The chapter ended with a live drone demonstration revealing a town around The Tower being struck by a massive carpet bombing.

• Satria waited for Ji Jue to respond while Lord Han’s plans spread through Iron Hook District, but Seven Cities remained silent as attacks on its trade routes and business grew.
• Ji Jue reported Iron Hook and Misty Reef to the main association and demanded that they repay Seven Cities, but the Chieftain only acknowledged receiving the notice.
• Seven Cities ignored the mockery and prepared for the Coast Product Expo, where few people attended and Ji Jue presented the Raven reconnaissance drone and its swarm-control system.
• When reporters questioned Ji Jue about Iron Hook, he insisted that Coast pursued lawful business and moved on to a live demonstration in harsh sea conditions.
• The drone feed revealed The Tower and the surrounding ship-town before missiles began striking it, and the venue watched in stunned silence as the carpet bombing commenced.

Ji Jue launched a devastating missile attack that destroyed the Iron Hook District and forced Satria to flee. After the bombardment ended, a broadcast of the destruction left the conference audience stunned, until Ling Shuo began applauding and the others followed.

• Missiles and bombs struck the Iron Hook District, setting its docks, settlements, and assembly district ablaze.
• A missile hit the iron tower, which collapsed into the seawater as the bombardment spread across the district.
• Drones identified survivors and guided further strikes while Satria realized Ji Jue had launched an overwhelming attack.
• Himawan dragged Satria onto a speedboat, and they escaped as the district burned to ashes.
• The destruction broadcast ended, and Ling Shuo began applauding before the conference audience joined him.

Ji Jue destroyed Iron Hook District after giving the Wild Bazaar the announced seventy-two-hour warning, and the Chieftains acknowledged the complaint without intervening. The strike erased Satria’s district and privileges, wrecked East City’s standing, and left Meng Fengzuo facing a sprawling coalition he had never even recruited.

• Ji Jue’s drone launch footage showed the destruction of Iron Hook District and Satria’s escape, shocking the gathered factions and reporters.
• The Wild Bazaar headquarters replied to Satria’s complaint with “Chieftains have been informed,” while Iron Hook District disappeared from the registry and Satria lost his Spokesperson privileges.
• East City’s contacts abandoned Meng Fengzuo, blamed him for their losses, and refused to risk further involvement with Seven Cities.
• Meng Fengzuo assessed the damage and discovered that hundreds of businesses and more than twenty Wild Bazaar branches had targeted Seven Cities, though he had contacted fewer than half of them.

Ji Jue’s scheme left East City’s reputation damaged and forced Han Hui to settle Seven Cities’ claims, while Misty Reef remained under pressure. As outside powers demanded limits on Wild Bazaar’s escalating violence, the Chieftains let the branches bear the consequences of their own conflicts.

• Han Hui realized Ji Jue and Chen Xingzhou had used Iron Hook District’s destruction to lure East City into discrediting itself, and he accepted the setback rather than escalating the dispute.
• Meng Fengzuo led East City’s fleet to Seven Cities and handed Ling Shuo the materials owed under the contract, including the Flowing Light Golden Spring.
• Ling Shuo began reclaiming debts from those who had profited from the turmoil, while Ji Jue left Misty Reef untouched so its fear would drain East City’s attention.
• The Federation and Empire raised concerns about Wild Bazaar’s use of missiles, and the Taiyi Ring defended Ji Jue against demands for punishment.
• The Chieftains declined to issue new rules, released negotiation records about Iron Hook District, and warned that Wild Bazaar would not bear the consequences of its branches’ violence.

The Wild Bazaar announced a new system granting twenty Spokespersons cross-faction privileges, with branch representatives choosing them by vote. Ji Jue saw the election as the Hermit's way to reshape the Bazaar, while Ling Shuo feared the bloodshed and competition the new rules would bring.

• Amid escalating violence and economic disruption, Wild Bazaar representatives met with Yuan Xing to discuss the proposed changes to its rules.
• Yuan Xing warned that the Chieftains might cancel the new rules, prompting the representatives to urge him to proceed and agree to await an announcement.
• The Wild Bazaar issued a warning to branches breaking existing rules, then announced twenty cross-faction Spokespersons would be selected by a week-long vote, with each registered branch representative receiving one vote.
• Ji Jue concluded that the turmoil had helped secure acceptance of the voting system and that the Hermit intended to use the twenty Spokespersons to connect resources across the Bazaar.
• Ling Shuo expressed fear about the election, recognizing that votes and privileges could be transferred or withdrawn and that retaining them would fuel further conflict.

Ji Jue pledged Seven Cities’ vote to Chen Xingzhou and discussed the struggle to secure one of the Federation’s limited Wild Bazaar slots. He agreed to stir up the West Sea to distract Han Hui, then ordered Ling Shuo to begin releasing the goods as turmoil loomed.

• Ji Jue assured Chen Xingzhou that Seven Cities’ vote was his and asked about the status of the other branches.
• Chen Xingzhou said he had secured Haizhou’s votes but still faced a difficult contest for Cloud Province and Kunwu Plain, with only five Federation slots likely available.
• Chen Xingzhou explained that Han Hui and East City posed a particular threat, while other major cities had reasons not to claim the slots.
• Ji Jue agreed to use Seven Cities to stir up the West Sea and divert Han Hui’s attention from Haizhou.
• Ji Jue warned Chen Xingzhou to keep his little brother from going fishing, then told Ling Shuo to start releasing the goods.

The Wild Bazaar election set off violent conflicts across the Wilderness as branches fought over votes, while Ji Jue and Ling Shuo profited by selling weapons and equipment to the combatants. On the first night of the election, a bloodied representative from West Sea Shattered Reef arrived with gold and a large order, eager to return to the fighting.

• More than thirty Wild Bazaar branches changed Spokespersons overnight as attacks and armed clashes spread across the Wilderness and the high seas.
• Water Ghosts seized a cargo ship, but An Ran tracked down the mastermind after missiles destroyed their island lair, and Ji Jue ordered cargo ships to carry modified Peace Cats for protection.
• Wild Bazaar rankings shifted wildly as branches traded votes, South Abyss Wild Bazaar withdrew from the election, and Central City and Grand Capital remained near the top.
• Ji Jue's arms business boomed as Yan Chang and Ling Shuo reported soaring demand for weapons, ammunition, armor, and protective creations, while Seven Cities sold supplies throughout the West Sea.
• Chen Xingzhou realized that Ji Jue's sales alone could intensify the fighting across the West Sea, and a bloodied man from West Sea Shattered Reef brought Ling Shuo over two tons of ultra-pure gold and a stack of order forms.

Qiao Saike secured an interest-free loan and discounted weapons from Ling Shuo in exchange for Shattered Reef prioritizing Seven Cities’ goods and avoiding support for East City or Ash Port. The cargo revealed powerful exoskeletons and autonomous combat machines, and Qiao Saike launched a counterattack against Rotten Marsh to avenge the Spokesperson.

• Ling Shuo refused to sell Qiao Saike the weapons on his list, then offered Shattered Reef a loan conditioned on carrying Seven Cities’ goods and not giving its votes to East City or Ash Port.
• Qiao Saike signed the agreement and received a product catalog, learning that Shattered Reef qualified as a VIP client with a twenty-percent discount.
• Qiao Saike’s subordinates opened the cargo containers and found weapons, armored vehicles, drones, forty-one modified heavy exoskeletons, and sixteen mysterious metal cubes.
• Qiao Saike activated a cube, and a massive autonomous Mermaid machine unfolded and offered Coast Escort service.
• Qiao Saike declared that Shattered Reef had already won and ordered his men to counterattack Rotten Marsh and avenge the Spokesperson.
• The Revenge set sail at dusk, carrying the remaining Shattered Reef resisters into the night.

Qiao Saike and Shattered Reef forces annihilated Wan Deng and Ling Li in a surprise assault, making Qiao Saike the new Spokesperson and drawing a rush of buyers to Ling Shuo’s arms business. A bombing at Seven Cities Trade Association headquarters then threatened to strain relations with Shiye, but Ogao responded by having Meng Sang stay to serve Ling Shuo.

• Wan Deng and Ling Li celebrated their planned takeover of Shattered Reef before Qiao Saike’s forces launched a rocket attack on their banquet.
• Qiao Saike, the Avengers, and fourteen armored merfolk overwhelmed Wan Deng, while Elder Chu killed Ling Li with a surprise strike.
• After Wan Deng’s death, Qiao Saike became Shattered Reef’s new Spokesperson and began hunting Rotten Marsh survivors; footage of the assault brought crowds seeking weapons to Ling Shuo.
• Two bombers carrying Shiye Islands credentials exploded at Seven Cities Trade Association headquarters, killing two people and seriously injuring forty-seven, while Ling Shuo escaped unharmed.
• Ogao denied Shiye’s involvement and, seeking to strengthen ties with Ling Shuo, ordered Meng Sang to stay and serve him.