Chapter Summaries

Soul Emperor and Shadow Emperor discussed how to survive the Earth Tree Race’s impending attack and devised a plan to ambush its Level 210 experts. They agreed to strike one target at a time, though Shadow Emperor demanded the enemy troops’ resources and reserved the right to flee if the first ambush failed.

• Shadow Emperor warned Soul Emperor that Earth Tree Race forces had located the Soul Race in the Mist Cloud Star System and would arrive in six or seven hours, so the Soul Race needed to evacuate.
• Shadow Emperor explained that he and Soul Emperor could ambush a lone Level 210 Earth Tree Race expert, but the three experts were currently together and Shadow Emperor’s stealth would fail once he attacked.
• Soul Emperor proposed drawing the Earth Tree Race into splitting up, then using Soul Kings to hold off enemy forces while the two emperors attacked their leaders one by one.
• Shadow Emperor warned that the Soul Kings could not reliably restrain the many powerful Earth Tree Race members, and Soul Emperor revised the plan to retreat after capturing one Level 210 expert and target the others separately.
• Shadow Emperor agreed to help on the condition that he receive all the Earth Tree Race troops’ resources and treasures and could flee if the first target could not be quickly captured; Soul Emperor accepted.

Yi Chen manipulated the Soul Emperor into preparing an ambush for the Earth Tree Race troops while the Soul Race scattered to attack Mist Cloud Race planets. As Bunier and Blake arrived at the Soul Emperor’s location, the Soul Emperor escaped through a Space Crack and his followers destroyed it.

• Yi Chen revealed the Earth Tree Race troops’ approach to the Soul Emperor and secretly directed the Shadow Emperor to focus on the three trackers rather than the strongest enemies.
• The Soul Emperor and the Shadow Kings gathered their forces and sent Soul Race members to attack Mist Cloud Race planets, hoping to draw the Earth Tree Race troops apart.
• Bunier and Blake learned that the rebels attacking the Mist Cloud Race were the Soul Race, but they believed the Soul Emperor could not escape their forces.
• Yi Chen stayed hidden beside Bunier and continued draining his fortune as the Large Warship traveled toward the Mist Cloud Star System.
• Bunier and Blake sensed the Soul Emperor when the Large Warship arrived above his planet, but he escaped through a Space Crack and the Soul Race destroyed it.

Bunier and Blake rejected the Human Federation’s proposal to send a warship group after the Soul Emperor and devised a plan to counter the Soul Race’s hit-and-run tactics. They left their Large Warship behind and prepared to split up and search for the Soul Emperor without using communications.

• The Soul Emperor’s repeated escapes through Space Cracks left Bunier, Blake, and the Human Federation unable to pursue him quickly while the Soul Race seized more planets.
• Lu Qingxian proposed sending a fleet to destroy the Space Cracks, but Bunier and Blake decided the risks of leaks, ambushes, and the Shadow Emperor were too great.
• Blake suspected the Soul Race might attack the Earth Tree Race instead of continuing to flee, and Bunier agreed to bait them by splitting up their forces.
• Bunier ordered the Earth Tree Race members to leave the Large Warship while its crew stayed aboard, and he told the Human Federation executives not to use communications equipment.

The Shadow Emperor and Soul Emperor prepared an ambush against the Earth Tree Race, while Yi Chen secretly remained hidden among the Soul Kings. The Soul Emperor believed the plan was proceeding safely, unaware that the Shadow Emperor was deceiving him.

• Bunier and Blake sent Earth Tree Race forces to search separate Life Planets while they delayed their own advance toward the Soul Emperor.
• The Soul Emperor explained his plan to lure the two level 210 Earth Tree Race Experts away so the Shadow Kings could kill three trackers and escape.
• More than sixty Soul Kings emerged from the Small Jade Stone, and the Shadow Emperor concealed them while transmitting images and sounds through his perception.
• The Soul Emperor checked in with a Soul King, who reported that everything was normal and kept their communication open.
• Yi Chen remained inside his perception-blocking Flying Magic Treasure within the Shadow Emperor's stealth range, unseen by the Soul Kings.

Yi Chen used the Shadow Emperor to track Bunier and Blake while draining Bunier’s luck, intending to use the Soul Emperor as bait and discard him afterward. When Bunier and Blake arrived, the Soul Emperor discovered they were far stronger than expected and tried to flee as the Soul Kings began their attack.

• Yi Chen planned to kill the three Earth Tree Race trackers, then abandon the Soul Emperor and Soul Race while the Shadow Emperor stayed near Bunier and Blake to drain their luck.
• The Shadow Emperor found Bunier’s location, concealed the Soul Kings, and relayed information about Bunier and Blake’s team to Yi Chen.
• Yi Chen activated the Luck Incantation against Bunier as the group moved toward the life planet where the Soul Emperor was waiting.
• Bunier and Blake sensed the Soul Emperor and charged toward him, while the Shadow Emperor and a Soul King warned him that they were coming.
• The Soul Emperor recognized Bunier and Blake’s auras as level 220 strength, activated the Space Crack, and tried to escape as they attacked it.
• The Shadow Emperor ordered more than sixty Soul Kings to attack.

Bunier and Blake’s ambush failed to catch the Soul Emperor, while the Soul Race’s counterattack killed three Earth Tree Race trackers. The Soul Kings celebrated their plan, but Breel arrived before the Shadow Emperor could hide them, and Blake attacked in fury.

• Bunier destroyed the Space Crack, but the Soul Emperor escaped through it before the attack landed.
• More than sixty Soul Kings ambushed the three Earth Tree Race trackers, killing the two weaker members and trapping the expert with mental attacks.
• The Soul Kings killed the trapped expert, while the Shadow Emperor took Yi Chen away instead of concealing the attackers.
• The Soul Kings celebrated their plan to capture three Level 210 Earth Tree Race Experts, but Breel arrived before they could escape.
• Blake reached the battlefield, saw the three trackers had been killed, and attacked the Soul Kings with huge branches.

Bunier and Blake killed the Soul Kings but failed to find Shadow Emperor and Yi Chen, who had escaped using the Shadow Emperor’s concealment. After locating Soul Emperor on a nearby Life Planet, they led the Earth Tree Race and Human Federation forces there to attack.

• Bunier and Blake slaughtered the Soul Kings while Shadow Emperor watched from concealment with Yi Chen, then brought Yi Chen back beside the Federation Executives.
• Bunier and Blake searched the area but could not detect Shadow Emperor, who continued drawing luck from Bunier through Yi Chen’s Luck Incantation.
• Blake reminded Bunier that Marys could track Shadow Emperor and Yi Chen, so they planned to contact him after dealing with Soul Emperor.
• A level 190 Earth Tree Race member reported that Soul Emperor had appeared on a monitored Life Planet, where an Earth Tree Race force destroyed the Space Crack and fought to contain him.
• Bunier learned Soul Emperor’s location and led Blake, the Earth Tree Race members, and the Human Federation Executives toward the Life Planet.

Soul Emperor tried to reach Shadow Emperor after escaping an Earth Tree Race pursuer, but Shadow Emperor never answered and Soul Emperor feared their forces had been ambushed. Blake caught up with him and shattered his body, but Soul Emperor self-destructed before Breel could capture and torture him, leaving the Shadow Emperor’s fate unresolved.

• Soul Emperor failed to contact Shadow Emperor or any of the Soul Kings and concluded that Shadow Emperor and their forces might have been wiped out.
• Bunier and Blake searched the surrounding space, and Bunier sensed Soul Emperor hiding inside a meteorite before calling Blake over.
• Blake charged Soul Emperor, who fled and sent the surviving Soul Kings a final message to take the Soul Race and escape the Mist Cloud Star System.
• Blake struck Soul Emperor and split his body in two, while Breel prepared to capture his soul and force information from him.
• Soul Emperor self-destructed before Breel could trap him, leaving Blake furious that he could no longer make him suffer.

After the Soul Emperor’s death, Bunier and Blake planned to use the Mist Cloud Race to finish off the Soul Race and pursue the Shadow Emperor or the Human Race’s Supreme Expert. Their plan stalled when Marys could not be reached, raising fears that he had either turned against them or been killed.

• Bunier and Blake decided to exterminate the remaining Soul Race and enlist the Mist Cloud Race’s forces to help encircle them.
• Bunier ordered an expert skilled in tracking to join them and planned to search for the Shadow Emperor or the Human Race’s Supreme Expert.
• Bunier contacted the External Affairs Department, which asked Marys’s friend to find out his coordinates.
• After more than half an hour without a response, Bunier learned that Marys still could not be reached.
• Bunier and Blake feared Marys had refused contact or fallen to the Shadow Emperor, and regretted not arranging for him to stay with Morris.

Yi Chen drained Bunier’s luck and began drawing away Blake’s while the Human Federation prepared to unify the Local Galaxy Cluster. After Marys failed to make contact, Bunier arranged for more Earth Tree Race trackers to be sent, leaving Yi Chen and the Shadow Emperor to plan how to deal with them.

• Yi Chen finished draining Bunier’s luck, returned a small amount to him, and began extracting Blake’s luck.
• When Marys still had not made contact, Bunier gave up on relying on him and requested more Earth Tree Race members skilled in tracking and searching.
• Bunier told Lu Qingxian and the Federation Executives that the Federation could begin unifying the Local Galaxy Cluster early, with Earth Tree Race troops providing support.
• Bunier assigned Morris to oversee the Mist Cloud Race’s cooperation in exterminating the Soul Race and warned him to protect the high-level combatants from the Shadow Emperor.
• Yi Chen and the Shadow Emperor traveled aboard the warship to the Milky Way with Bunier and Blake, while Yi Chen drew away half of Blake’s fortune.
• Yi Chen asked the Shadow Emperor to have the Shadow Kings learn which trackers would be sent next and when they would arrive.

Yi Chen returned from the Exile Planet while Shadow Emperor focused on growing stronger and gathering information about the Earth Tree Race. As the Great Flame Empire expanded, news of the Earth Tree Race’s intervention against the Soul Race and its enormous gift of resources to the Human Federation alarmed the Local Galaxy Cluster’s major races.

• Yi Chen drained Blake’s fortune, returned a small amount to prevent an accident, then left with Shadow Emperor and returned to the Crimson Planet without him.
• Shadow Emperor stayed behind to pursue information on the Earth Tree Race’s plans and prioritize reaching level 210.
• The Great Flame Empire’s expansion continued smoothly as its army’s strength and ranged capabilities grew, while races across the Heavenly Spirit System watched anxiously.
• Morris destroyed the Mist Cloud Race’s Treasure Vault, forcing the Mist Cloud Race to help encircle the Soul Race as Earth Tree Race troops attacked its surviving high-end fighters.
• The Federal Parliament announced that the Earth Tree Race had given the Human Federation resources and treasures worth thirty quadrillion Low-Grade Immortal Stones, leaving the other races stunned and envious.

The Human Federation celebrated a vast resource gift from the Earth Tree Race and a breakthrough in recreating Yi Chen’s Alchemy. Citizens looked forward to rapid cultivation advances while debating Yi Chen’s disappearance and hoping to catch up with him and the Great Flame Empire.

• The Federal Parliament announced that the Earth Tree Race had given the Human Federation thirty quadrillion Low-Grade Immortal Stones, reviving citizens’ spirits.
• Federation citizens discussed rumors that Yi Chen had fled beyond the Local Galaxy Cluster and blamed him for nearly provoking the Earth Tree Race into destroying the Federation.
• The Military announced that Federal Research Institute geniuses, aided by an Earth Tree Race Expert, had recreated Yi Chen’s Alchemy and developed Spirit Pill formulas to raise citizens’ strength.
• The Military said mass refinement would begin, and citizens celebrated the prospect of free Spirit Pills and future cultivation breakthroughs.
• Citizens debated Yi Chen’s statues and speculated about his strength and the Great Flame Empire’s progress, while some urged the Federation to search for him and obtain a higher-level Chaos Art.

After the Human Federation broke its alliances with several races and began expanding its military, the races secretly gathered to discuss resistance. Yi Chen and the Shadow Emperor arrived unseen at their meeting place to learn what they planned.

• Federal Parliament accused several allied races of conspiring against the Human Federation and canceled their alliance contracts, while the military announced recruitment and expansion.
• The Human Federation celebrated the prospect of unifying the Local Galaxy Cluster, while the other races feared the Earth Tree Race’s support would make it invincible.
• The Supreme Experts of the Various Races agreed to hold an emergency meeting using warships they had secretly preserved.
• Yi Chen learned that the races had not yet chosen to surrender or flee, and summoned the Shadow Emperor to accompany him to their gathering.
• Yi Chen and the concealed Shadow Emperor reached the uninhabited rendezvous planet, where six Supreme Experts had already gathered without detecting them.

The Supreme Experts of the twenty hegemon-level races debated how to survive the Human Federation Alliance’s expansion and the Earth Tree Race’s intervention. They agreed to form small, powerful raiding squads to strike Human Federation garrisons while avoiding direct battles.

• The Ten Thousand Hands Race's Supreme Expert urged the gathered leaders to set aside their grudges and unite against the Human Federation Alliance.
• The Angel Race Holy Lord argued that surrender might be the only way to survive, while the Berserker Race Tribal Chief accused him of possibly betraying the secret meeting.
• The Ten Thousand Hands Race Tribal Chief urged the races to buy time in hopes that a major variable would weaken the Earth Tree Race or bring them a stronger ally.
• The Ten Thousand Hands Race's Supreme Expert identified the Earth Tree Race troops’ small numbers and long distance from the Local Galaxy Cluster as weaknesses.
• The Frost Race Great Emperor proposed using small forces to harass Human Federation troops, and the Berserker Race Tribal Chief recommended raiding squads of fewer than a hundred thousand.
• The Supreme Experts unanimously agreed to send high-end combatants in small raiding squads to attack Human Federation garrisons.

The Supreme Experts planned ways to attack the Human Federation, including forming assassination teams, and discussed recruiting a rising race in the Heavenly Spirit Star System. The Undying Monarch agreed to give that race room to rule the system in exchange for help against the Human Federation and support in defeating Grand Duke Bo Lai, while the alliance accepted that it might have to endure retaliatory massacres.

• The Undying Race Monarch proposed forming expert assassination teams to target Human Federation generals and military facilities.
• The Supreme Experts questioned whether the rising race in the Heavenly Spirit Star System could evade perception and Scanner scans, and asked the Undying Monarch to investigate its abilities.
• The Undying Monarch explained that persuading the race to join would likely require yielding control of the Heavenly Spirit Star System, and the Supreme Experts offered military help against Grand Duke Bo Lai in return.
• The Undying Monarch immediately accepted the offer, prioritizing victory in the Undying Race's internal struggle over retaining the Heavenly Spirit Star System.
• The Supreme Experts concluded that if the Human Federation retaliated by slaughtering their people on occupied planets, they would have to leave them there and scatter their armies to hide their raiding forces.

The twenty Supreme Experts agreed to divide their forces and harass the Human Federation, while Yi Chen planned to let the conflict develop before helping the races. The resistance began mobilizing, and the Undying Monarch unexpectedly questioned Duke Falla about a Black Tiger Race assassination team.

• The twenty Supreme Experts agreed to scatter their forces and attack the Human Federation’s expanding territory, while Yi Chen recognized that powerful Earth Tree Race experts could swiftly destroy their ambushes.
• Yi Chen and Shadow Emperor left the Defense Restriction, returned to the Crimson Planet, and stayed there to cultivate while Yi Chen waited for the races to suffer losses.
• After two days, the twenty Supreme Experts finalized their plan, contacted their factions, and ordered armies to hide across planets and asteroids.
• The races sent powerful fighters toward the Undying Star System to assassinate Grand Duke Bo Lai and force his subordinates to support the Undying Monarch.
• The Undying Monarch contacted Duke Falla, who expected to learn whether the monarch would help reclaim the Heavenly Spirit Star System, but instead asked about the Black Tiger Race Assassination Team.

The Undying Monarch told Duke Falla that the Human Federation planned to conquer the Local Galaxy Cluster and that the Various Races had allied against it. With an Assassination Team on its way to help defeat Grand Duke Bo Lai, Duke Falla reconsidered his position and saw that he might retain control of the Heavenly Spirit Star System.

• The Undying Monarch learned from Duke Falla that the Black Tiger Race's Assassination Team relied on only three treasures rather than an innate ability.
• The Undying Monarch ordered Duke Falla to break up the Heavenly Spirit Star System's armies and hide them near inhabited planets so they could attack Human Federation fleets.
• Duke Falla mistakenly thought the Human Federation would divide the Local Galaxy Cluster with its allies, then realized the Undying Monarch meant it would seize its allies' territories too.
• The Undying Monarch revealed that the Various Races had allied against the Human Federation and were sending an Assassination Team to defeat Grand Duke Bo Lai and take control of his armies.
• Duke Falla recognized that Grand Duke Bo Lai's advantage had suddenly weakened and was relieved he had never openly pledged allegiance to him.

The Undying Monarch ordered Duke Falla to withdraw half the Undying Race’s forces from the Heavenly Spirit Star System, while Yi Chen used their abandonment to accelerate the Great Flame Empire’s expansion. Meanwhile, the Human Federation’s invasion stalled as the Angel Race and other forces launched costly attacks on Federation garrisons.

• The Undying Monarch instructed Duke Falla to mobilize half his experts and army to support other star systems, and Duke Falla verified the order before complying.
• Yi Chen ordered Bai Ruoxin to spread the news that the Undying Race had abandoned the Heavenly Spirit Star System and its people.
• The Human Federation began mass recruitment and sent warship fleets toward surrounding star systems.
• The Angel Race abandoned its remaining life planets and launched increasingly widespread attacks on Federation garrisons, accepting heavy losses to inflict severe damage.
• Other races joined the attacks, forcing the Federal Military to consider whether it could occupy the Angel Race’s abandoned planets.
• The Federation Executives realized that the major races were resisting with coordinated countermeasures and that unifying the Local Galaxy Cluster would be far harder than expected.

Lu Qingxian and the Federation Executives asked Bunier and Blake to stop the Various Races’ attacks on Human Federation garrisons. Unable to locate the enemy leaders and unwilling to search as scouts, Bunier and Blake decided to wait for tracking specialists from the External Affairs Department.

• Lu Qingxian and the Federation Executives sought Bunier and Blake’s help against the Various Races’ attacks and harassment.
• Bunier and Blake learned that the enemy was exploiting the Human Federation’s slow Large Warships and weak planetary defenses by attacking garrisons across many planets.
• Marshal Tie Xue explained that moles could locate only a few enemy armies because the Supreme Experts and leaders of the Various Races concealed their locations from one another.
• Bunier proposed searching for the attacking armies, but Blake objected to serving as a scout, and they lacked enough forces to search safely.
• Bunier and Blake agreed to wait for External Affairs Department members skilled in tracking and searching methods.

Bunier and Blake prepared to reinforce the occupied Life Planets while arranging for tracking experts to join them, but Yi Chen and the Shadow Emperor learned of the plan and set an ambush for the departing warship. The ambush began when Titanbo slowed the warship with his time-control ability, leaving the tracking experts unaware that danger was near.

• Bunier ordered more troops and defenses for occupied Life Planets and planned to build permanent Space Cracks as the Federation Executives voiced their agreement.
• Bunier and Blake urged the External Affairs Department to send tracking specialists, and the department requisitioned two Earth Tree Race members for the Local Galaxy Cluster.
• Yi Chen and the Shadow Emperor learned of the specialists, traveled to the Earth Tree Star Cluster, and waited near the External Affairs Department’s Life Planet with Titanbo.
• A Large Warship carrying the specialists departed for the Local Galaxy Cluster, and Titanbo sensed it while Marys moved to intercept it.
• Titanbo used his ability to Control Time, slowing the Large Warship as its alarm system detected an abnormal time flow.