Chapter Summaries

Gu Qingshan and Iliya investigated the valley where the Demons Army had vanished, using a Magic Mirror and their powers to uncover clues. They found a dying Yellow Springs Soul-Devouring Demon, but it died after warning them that everything was over and they were finished too.

• Gu Qingshan and Iliya searched the empty valley and found no trace of the Demons Army.
• Gu Qingshan paid the Magic Mirror to replay sounds from the valley, revealing that the demons had withdrawn and a woman had sighed and sung afterward.
• Iliya raised a mountain range and confirmed that the ground beneath the valley contained no traps or structures.
• Gu Qingshan used the Supreme Ghost Repelling Exorcism Array to expose a Yellow Springs Soul-Devouring Demon hidden inside a boulder underground.
• The Soul-Devouring Demon said it had hidden from the other demons, warned Gu Qingshan and Iliya that they were finished, and dispersed into black mist.

Gu Qingshan realized Origin had arranged the monsters and clues to mislead him, and concluded that the Demon King's Order had withdrawn because Origin had already obtained what it wanted. Suspecting that the mysterious female voice belonged to a special existence, he rushed back toward the Lost World of the Gods while ringing a five-bell bracelet.

• Gu Qingshan and Iliya found the Demons Army gathered on the Ice Shell Layer and saw the demonized ones preparing to leave.
• Gu Qingshan reconsidered the deaths in the city and realized the Entropy Ghosts, Soul-Devouring Demons, and Purgatory monster could not have killed the victims as he had assumed.
• Gu Qingshan deduced that Origin had arranged their encounters to mislead him and had withdrawn because it had already gotten what it wanted.
• Gu Qingshan connected the mysterious female voice to a special existence and hurried back with Iliya toward the Lost World of the Gods.
• Gu Qingshan fastened a heavy bracelet of five bells around his wrist, and its ringing traveled through layers of space.

Gu Qingshan discovered that a demon had killed the survivors and stolen the gods’ treasure, while the War God Operating Interface warned that Origin’s Order was upgrading into Revolution. The Lord of Purgatory appeared to boast that the Nine Hundred Million Layer World’s defeat was certain, but Gu Qingshan rejected his threats and destroyed the blood symbol sustaining his projection.

• Gu Qingshan brought Iliya to Lola’s residence, ordered Mountain Girl to defend it, and went to investigate the temple.
• Iliya explained to Lola and the guards that a demon from the Six Paths World might be responsible, while Mountain Girl wondered whether the Cultivation World and Divine Martial World were also Six Paths Worlds.
• Gu Qingshan found the survivors and Old Reef dead in the temple, with the demon having taken the gods’ treasure.
• The War God Operating Interface warned that Origin had entered silence and that Revolution would launch in one day, spreading across three hundred million world layers and merging with the Demon King’s Order.
• The Lord of Purgatory appeared through a projection, declared the war’s outcome decided, and threatened Gu Qingshan with death.
• Gu Qingshan shattered the blood symbol with his sword, causing the flames and the Lord of Purgatory’s projection to vanish.

Gu Qingshan exposed the Heavenly Demons hiding in the temple and forced one to reveal that Origin had hired them to help obtain the gods’ materials. After killing the captive, he met Iliya and asked why his Heavenly Demon bells had not summoned them in this world.

• Gu Qingshan used Earth Sword’s divine power to reveal the Heavenly Demons and captured one with the incomplete Taiyi Sword Formation.
• Gu Qingshan tortured the Heavenly Demoness until she revealed that Origin had made a deal with her master, a Great Heavenly Demon, who had already returned to her own realm.
• Gu Qingshan learned that the Heavenly Demon World was too isolated for Origin to load orders into it, then killed the captive and left the temple.
• Gu Qingshan met Iliya, Lola, and the others in the plaza, where Iliya warned that Origin had obtained the gods’ materials and would grow stronger.
• Gu Qingshan showed Iliya his five Heavenly Demon bells and asked why they had not summoned the demons in this world.

Gu Qingshan secured Lola and her guards’ cooperation in the fight against Demon King's Order, then prepared for the decisive battle by issuing a final War God mission. He entered samadhi and drew Heaven and Earth toward a breakthrough, but held the breakthrough back as dark clouds gathered overhead.

• Lola vowed to sacrifice everything to destroy World Apocalypse Online, and she and her subjects agreed to follow Gu Qingshan’s arrangements.
• Gu Qingshan summoned Mountain Girl and the two swords, then issued the final War God mission to kill Demon King's Order, naming it Heavenly Punishment.
• Gu Qingshan sat on a Prayer Mat with the Heavenly Demon Bell floating above him and entered samadhi.
• Heaven and Earth responded to Gu Qingshan’s impending breakthrough with dark clouds and thunder, but no Heavenly Lightning fell because he had not truly begun breaking through.

Gu Qingshan endured a world-spanning divine tribulation while using the Heavenly Demon Bell to summon demons for his breakthrough. A powerful woman arrived, revealed the bell belonged to her daughter, and demanded an explanation from Gu Qingshan.

• Dark clouds covered the Lost World of the Gods, and Iliya realized Gu Qingshan was using the world laws and the bell to summon Heavenly Demons.
• Heretical Demons appeared, and Earth Sword drove them away while Gu Qingshan waited for Heavenly Demons to arrive.
• A grand display announced the arrival of a composed woman in black, who asked Gu Qingshan about his relationship with the Heavenly Demon he was waiting for.
• Gu Qingshan called the Heavenly Demon his business partner, and the woman took the bell after revealing it was her daughter's token.
• Gu Qingshan put away Earth Sword and struggled to explain how the bell had come into his possession.

Gu Qingshan faced the Primal Demon Mother, who accused him of deceiving her daughter, Li An, with a promise to give her a world. He was allowed to settle his debt to Li An before the Primal Demon Mother decided her fate.

• The Primal Demon Mother confronted Gu Qingshan and accused him of using Li An, but he insisted he had summoned her to repay a debt by giving her a world.
• The Primal Demon Mother opened a portal and summoned her daughters to witness what she called a human trick.
• Gu Qingshan learned that Li An had secretly eaten the soul of a Great Void Realm cultivator, leaving them without the proof he hoped to show her mother.
• The Heavenly Demonesses mocked Li An for believing Gu Qingshan, and the Primal Demon Mother declared that she might no longer be fit to remain Empress.
• Gu Qingshan interrupted and asked to settle his debt to Li An first, and the Primal Demon Mother gave him permission.

Gu Qingshan tried to prove that the world belonged to Li An despite the Primal Demon Mother's objections. He opened the gods' barrier with Tide Sound Sword, summoned the ocean and the Thunder Dragon, and left the demons stunned by his power.

• Gu Qingshan declared that he was giving the world to Li An, but the Primal Demon Mother argued that it belonged to the ancient gods or the Demon King.
• The Heavenly Demonesses confirmed that the divine barrier blocked passage, and the Primal Demon Mother accused Gu Qingshan of lying about his gift.
• Gu Qingshan summoned the Thunder Punishment Dragon and drew Earth Sword, making the demons hesitate before attacking.
• Gu Qingshan named the city Tide City and sent Tide Sound Sword to open the divine barrier across the sky.
• Gu Qingshan commanded Tide Sound Sword to bring down the ocean, submerging the world while keeping the plaza and its occupants safe.
• Gu Qingshan called the Thunder Dragon down around the plaza and asked the Primal Demon Mother whether she had any other questions.

Gu Qingshan offered Empress Li An a soul artifact as an advance payment for joining him in eliminating two hundred million demonized people. Li An accepted the alliance and gave the artifact to the Primal Demon Mother, who praised her as the rightful leader of the Heavenly Demon empire.

• The Primal Demon Mother and Ghost Mother questioned how Gu Qingshan would deal with two hundred million demonized people resistant to Heavenly Lightning.
• Gu Qingshan asked what the Heavenly Demons treasured, and Empress Li An explained the rarity and power of soul artifacts.
• Lola handed Gu Qingshan a bronze spear tip, which he gave to Li An to test; she used it to destroy the underwater temple in an instant.
• Gu Qingshan offered Li An the soul artifact as an advance payment and promised her the souls of the demonized people after their joint victory.
• Li An gave the spear tip to the Primal Demon Mother, who accepted it and declared that Li An should lead the Heavenly Demon empire.

Gu Qingshan prepared to join forces with Li An and the demons against two hundred million demonic cultivators, while securing a binding agreement with leaves from the Thorn Holy Tree. The chapter ended with Lola asking Gu Qingshan to help avenge her family, and he promised they would.

• The Primal Demon Mother learned that Gu Qingshan was close to the Thorn Birds and questioned his plan to defeat the demonic forces.
• Gu Qingshan proposed overwhelming the enemy with superior numbers and asked Li An to summon Heretical Demons to negotiate an alliance.
• Gu Qingshan asked Lola and Iliya for a contract to prevent the demons from betraying the alliance, and Iliya offered leaves of the Thorn Holy Tree.
• Gu Qingshan experienced the Holy Tree's immense power and learned that anyone who broke an oath sworn on a leaf would lose their abilities and soul to the tree.
• Lola asked Gu Qingshan to help avenge her parents and younger brother, and he promised they would.

As Gu Qingshan prepared to break through into the Saint Sealing Realm, Empress Li An explained how the Four Demons and Four Ghosts would control the heavenly tribulation’s eight positions. With the Primal Demon Mother securing the Heavenly Demon position, Gu Qingshan and Li An recruited the Blaze Devouring Demon King and outmaneuvered the greedy Shadow Demon King; six leaders remained to be persuaded.

• Empress Li An explained that four Demon Kings and four Ghost Kings would command the tribulation positions, while the Primal Demon Mother had already claimed the Heavenly Demon position.
• Li An summoned the Blaze Devouring Demon King and promised it a share of two hundred million souls if it left Gu Qingshan unharmed; it signed a Thorn Holy Tree Leaf contract.
• Gu Qingshan and Li An summoned the Shadow Demon King, which demanded gold in addition to the souls, and Lola supplied the Endless Golden Sand Holy Grail.
• When the Shadow Demon King tried to add another demand, Gu Qingshan killed one of its bodies with Earth Sword and had Li An summon it again.
• Gu Qingshan warned the Shadow Demon King that the other Demon Kings had signed with him and would unite against it; the Shadow Demon King accepted the original deal, signed a contract, and left with the Golden Sand Holy Grail.
• Li An and the Primal Demon Mother remarked that Gu Qingshan seemed more like a devil than the devils themselves.

Empress Li An summoned the Asura King to help with Gu Qingshan’s Heavenly Tribulation, and he agreed after recognizing an Asura blessing on Gu Qingshan. Li An then summoned the Ghost Kings, but only three appeared, leaving the Yellow Springs Ghost King’s absence unexplained.

• Gu Qingshan and Lola discussed why he kept strict terms while doing business with the Demon Kings.
• Empress Li An summoned the Asura King, who agreed to attend the Heavenly Tribulation after sensing two things tied to the Asura Race on Gu Qingshan.
• The Asura King told Gu Qingshan that he carried an Asura ruler’s blessing for helping an Asura King resolve an important problem, but kept the second connection secret.
• The Asura King postponed his planned war and ordered his army to attend the Heavenly Tribulation’s slaughter feast first.
• Empress Li An explained the Ghost Kings’ traits and summoned them, but the Starving Fallen, Bloodthirsty, and Mara-bodied Ghost Kings appeared while the Yellow Springs Ghost King did not.

As the war over Trist's sealed world escalated, the High Tower Guardian Association mobilized for the battlefield. In Sea Tide City, the Ghost Kings discovered that Gu Qingshan held the Yellow Springs Ghost King’s tribulation position, and a spell revealed his brutal past in Hell before they accepted the heavenly tribulation arrangements.

• The silver-bearded Guild Master learned that Trist had obtained the sealed world and that True Fiend Master was heading to the front, so he ordered the High Tower Guardian Association to join the battle.
• Empress Li An’s attempt to summon the Yellow Springs Ghost King failed, and the other Ghost Kings sensed that the position had appeared on Gu Qingshan.
• Gu Qingshan explained that he had used a secret art of false death to enter the Yellow Springs and revealed the Hell-Suppressing Ghost King Scepter, which had received the tribulation position in his place.
• The Bloodthirsty Ghost King used a pearl to show scenes of Gu Qingshan slaughtering dead souls and commanding Hell’s dead to devour invading fiends.
• After seeing Gu Qingshan’s past, the three Ghost Kings agreed that they had no objections to Empress Li An’s heavenly tribulation arrangements.

Gu Qingshan arranged for three Ghost Kings to help him face his tribulation, then began a breakthrough despite warnings that the Ancient Gods had made the lightning far more dangerous. Empress Li An offered him a safer path back to the Divine Martial World, but he chose to face the tribulation where he was and asked her to deliver a message to his master if he died.

• Gu Qingshan secured the three Ghost Kings’ agreement to help with his tribulation, and they exchanged tokens before returning to their Ghost Worlds.
• Gu Qingshan prepared to break through as the Primal Demon Mother warned that the empowered lightning could kill him, while Lola worried about his safety.
• The tribulation clouds formed, and the Primal Demon Mother recognized the Thunder Dragon as a sign of a Great Void Realm tribulation and urged Gu Qingshan to stop.
• Empress Li An offered to take Gu Qingshan to the Divine Martial World, where his tribulation would be weaker and his master could guide him, but he refused.
• Gu Qingshan asked Empress Li An to tell his master that he was grateful for her care and would repay her kindness if he had another life.

Gu Qingshan battled the opening manifestation of his heavenly tribulation while Empress Li An tried to protect him with armor. When the armor failed to equip itself, Lola revealed its history and began her coming-of-age rite, which could let her awaken the King's Armor.

• Gu Qingshan fought the Thunder Dragon with the Earth Sword and Six Realms God Mountain Sword, dispersing it after sustaining injuries.
• Iliya and Empress Li An warned Lola that the Thunder Dragon was only a prelude to a worsening tribulation and more deadly lightning.
• Empress Li An threw a suit of Heavenly Demon Armor toward Gu Qingshan, but it circled him and returned to its box without equipping itself.
• Lola admitted that the armor was the suit brought back by a Thorn King and said she had given it to Gu Qingshan before she could awaken it.
• Lola began her coming-of-age rite as the Thorn Guards gathered around her, and the Mother of the Holy Tree responded with a surge of power.
• Lola vowed to overcome her fear and declared that only a Thorn King could awaken the King's Armor.

Gu Qingshan fought through a heavenly tribulation while Lola climbed the Thorn Holy Tree to complete her coming-of-age ceremony. Lola awakened her royal powers and became Queen just as Soul Extinguishing Divine Lightning descended on Gu Qingshan, and she commanded it to wake up.

• Gu Qingshan battled the tribulation lightning and prepared to use its power to charge toward the Ice Shell Layer.
• The Thorn Holy Tree appeared, and Lola began climbing it to complete her coming-of-age ceremony while Gu Qingshan continued fighting the lightning.
• Gu Qingshan deliberately took a hit to help Lola overcome her fear of heights, and she climbed faster.
• After Gu Qingshan endured another lightning assault, Soul Extinguishing Divine Lightning emerged from the clouds and descended toward him.
• Lola reached the treetop, received three blessings and a thorn crown, and was hailed as Queen by the Thorn Guards.
• Lola cried, “In the King's Name,” and commanded the descending lightning to wake up.

Gu Qingshan escaped Lola’s coming-of-age tribulation and prepared to destroy the Demon King's Order, but time stopped as the armor Lola lent him revealed its history and powers. After Gu Qingshan promised to return it to Lola, the armor chose to fight alongside him, and he charged into battle.

• Gu Qingshan used Shape Shifting to make the Soul Extinguishing Divine Lightning strike the plaza, then flew toward the firmament to destroy the Demon King's Order.
• The armor revealed that Trist had attacked the Thorn Royal Family with four thorns, and that Lola survived because her father used the armor to protect her.
• Gu Qingshan refused to keep the armor and promised to return it to Lola, honoring her father’s wish that it protect her.
• The armor explained its vow to protect the Thorn Clan and agreed to fight alongside Gu Qingshan.
• Gu Qingshan learned the armor’s defensive abilities and that it had abandoned the True Fiend Master, then prepared to attack his enemies.

Gu Qingshan drew the tribulation away from the Underground World and into the Ocean Layer, then set his Flying Swords to undermine the Demons Army’s camp. With the possessed people still untouched and the lightning closing in, he prepared to rely on Earth Sword and Mountain Girl for the next stage of his plan.

• Gu Qingshan gathered the tribulation lightning by dodging its attacks, and the Primal Demon Mother realized what he was doing.
• Gu Qingshan sent Mountain Girl to the top of the sky, then had her use Shape Shifting to switch places with him and open a path into the Ocean Layer.
• Gu Qingshan led the ocean, tribulation lightning, and tribulation clouds out of the Underground World, leaving the Primal Demon Mother and Empress Li An behind.
• Gu Qingshan found the camps of the Demons Army and the possessed people, then sent his three Flying Swords to cut through the ice beneath the demons’ camp.
• As tribulation lightning closed in, Gu Qingshan called on Earth Sword to act and sent Mountain Girl away to carry out her part of the plan.

Gu Qingshan separated the demons’ camp from the possessed and drew the Shapeshifting Thunder Tribulation toward it. The demons’ camp was surrounded by the lightning, which surged toward it as Gu Qingshan prepared to face the consequences.

• A giant demon confronted the possessed, who mocked and insulted it when it demanded they quiet down.
• Earth Sword cut through the ice while Tide Sound carried the demons’ camp away on a rising seawater tide.
• Mountain Girl, disguised as a demon, misled the possessed long enough for the demons’ camp to escape; Gu Qingshan caught up with it.
• Gu Qingshan entered the camp as the Shapeshifting Thunder Tribulation pursued him, and the demons froze under its overwhelming presence.
• The tribulation lightning surrounded the demons’ camp and surged toward it from every direction.

Gu Qingshan endured a thunder tribulation that wiped out the Demons Army, then faced two hundred million possessed who had come to kill him. As they surrounded him, his prearranged wind tribulation began, and the Demon Army was about to arrive.

• Gu Qingshan held his ground against the tribulation lightning, then ran from the twelve lightning whips while the demons fled the camp.
• Gu Qingshan activated his Spark God of War title, freezing the demons and turning them back to attack him, while the tribulation killed them.
• The leader of the possessed ordered his people to rescue the demons after realizing the thunder tribulation might be connected to the enormous demon they had seen.
• The possessed arrived to find Gu Qingshan alone in the Demons Camp, with every demon dead and the thunder tribulation ending.
• The leader of the possessed demanded Gu Qingshan surrender so they could claim Origin’s reward, but Gu Qingshan refused.
• Gu Qingshan’s wind tribulation began as the Demon Army approached, setting his plan to wipe out the two hundred million possessed in motion.