Recaps

Fu Qian was about to receive treatment from Yuan Shan when Wen Li stopped her, warning that an unusual poison was spreading through the place. The chapter left the group facing evidence that the contamination could affect people who had not drunk the wine.

• Yuan Shan offered to treat Fu Qian with a black ball, and Fu Qian directed her to apply it to the hole in his stomach.
• As Yuan Shan prepared to begin, Wen Li grabbed her wrist and stopped her.
• Wen Li said an unusual contamination, or poison, was spreading through the place.
• Wen Li began coughing up wine despite not having drunk any, and Yuan Shan stopped the treatment.
• Fu Qian told Yuan Shan to trust Wen Li's judgment and noted that Wen Li had thrown up on him.

Wen Li revealed that a spreading poison was eroding the group’s sense of self and allowing the Dark Holy See to digest them. With the doors impossible to open and their abilities seemingly restricted, Yuan Shan questioned whether Fu Qian’s captivity was connected to the same effect.

• Fu Qian explained his reasoning to Yuan Shan, while Ji Liushuang sensed an unusual poison spreading through the group.
• Ji Liushuang and Professor Lisha failed to open or break the door, and Lisha’s strength could not move it.
• Wen Li stopped Lisha and said the poison was eroding their sense of self, trapping them so the Dark Holy See could digest them.
• Yuan Shan said she believed Wen Li and asked whether the erosion resembled what Fu Qian was suffering as a captive.

Fu Qian and the others suspected Lady Nepheli of poisoning the group, and Wen Li added details that made the accusation seem stronger. Nepheli admitted she had joined the journey out of curiosity and had stepped forward to see what Fu Qian would do.

• Yuan Shan pointed out that the poison's effects resembled Fu Qian's condition, prompting the group to consider whether the same person caused both.
• Lady Number Seven accused Lady Nepheli of poisoning them and volunteering to hide her role, and Nepheli acknowledged that the suspicion made sense.
• Wen Li recalled that Nepheli had been the last to board the bus and seemed to avoid sitting beside Fu Qian.
• Lady Nepheli admitted she had avoided Fu Qian but said she did not care much about escaping the sealed checkpoint.
• Nepheli said she had joined the journey because she was curious about Wen Li's plans, and had stepped forward to see what Fu Qian would do.

Fu Qian watched as Wen Li pressed Nepheli to identify another suspect after Nepheli defended herself over the poison’s effects. Nepheli pointed to Professor Lisha, then dismissed her and several others, leaving the group with a new but shaky line of suspicion.

• Nepheli claimed the change in Fu Qian was a coincidence and suggested it might reveal an interesting result.
• Wen Li asked Nepheli to explain what caused the coincidence and pushed her to identify another suspect.
• Nepheli singled out Professor Lisha, saying she seemed familiar and likely knew the answer.
• After Wen Li questioned Nepheli’s reasoning, Nepheli said Lisha might have had time to make arrangements because she arrived early.
• Nepheli dismissed Liu Shuang as an unlikely poisoner because she was a swordswoman, then said Lady Number Seven lacked the ability.

Nepheli criticized the Dark Holy See members, and Wen Li shifted suspicion toward Professor Lisha while revealing a method to test whether two suspects were guilty. The chapter left Lisha questioning why Nepheli was excluded after Wen Li stated that she believed Nepheli was innocent.

• Nepheli judged Lisha suspicious because she had arrived first, said Liu Shuang's specialty did not fit, and called Lady Number Seven incapable.
• Lady Number Seven thanked Nepheli, and Wen Li thanked her before turning to question Lisha.
• Lisha admitted Nepheli's reasoning made her seem more suspicious and asked what would happen if she could not prove her innocence.
• Wen Li told Lisha to identify another suspect, then revealed her Mythical Form and said she could test whether two people were guilty or both innocent.
• Lisha pointed out that Nepheli and Lisha were already two suspects, and Wen Li replied that she believed Nepheli was innocent.

Professor Lisha’s accusation of Su Gao backfired when Su Gao revealed that Lisha had activated the effect trapping everyone and had served as its catalyst. Lisha admitted it, leaving Fu Qian to recognize that Su Gao’s ability, Echoes, had let her see through the situation.

• Professor Lisha chose Su Gao as her next suspect, but Su Gao calmly denied being responsible and accused Lisha instead.
• Wen Li asked Su Gao for a reason, and Su Gao said she had known from the moment the door closed that the special effect was active.
• Su Gao explained that Lisha had served as the catalyst for the powerful effect, though warning the others would not have helped.
• Nepheli questioned Lisha, who admitted that she had activated the effect and had somehow known she could act as its catalyst.
• Fu Qian identified Su Gao’s ability as Echoes and understood how it had allowed her to see through the situation.

Su Zhiyan revealed that Professor Lisha had caused the disaster but could not undo it, and Su Gao refused to let Wen Li kill her. Fu Qian discovered his altered throat echoed from a shrine room and asked Lisha about her connection to the checkpoint, but she said the real sanctuary had already been that way when she arrived.

• Su Zhiyan identified Professor Lisha as the one behind the disaster and said the damage could not be undone.
• Professor Lisha confirmed she had set events in motion and had been contaminated herself, while Wen Li threatened to force her to remember a way to reverse them.
• Su Gao stopped Wen Li from killing Lisha, refusing to explain why he would protect her.
• Fu Qian noticed his altered throat echoed from a small shrine room and asked Lisha whether she was connected to the checkpoint.
• Professor Lisha said the real sanctuary had already been in that state when she arrived.

Fu Qian questioned Professor Lisha about the sealed level and argued that the group’s predicament was more than a plan to keep him captured. Su Gao revealed that they were trapped in a mental space where dying would worsen the contamination, and Fu Qian ended by claiming he had lured everyone there to claim them for himself.

• Fu Qian questioned Lisha about why the level had been sealed, but she said she did not know.
• Fu Qian suggested the sealed level and the group’s gathering might be part of a plan connected to him, and identified Lisha as an Academy elite.
• Wen Li confirmed that Fu Qian had been poisoned, while Su Gao explained that dying in this mental space would worsen the contamination and deepen their connection to it.
• Fu Qian argued that the space’s rules made it unlikely he had arranged the situation simply to escape capture.
• Lisha asked what his supposed method was, and Fu Qian claimed he had lured them all there so he could claim them for himself.

Fu Qian spun a conspiracy theory in which he had arranged the poisoning and the women’s presence, implicating Wen Li and Professor Lisha while probing how well the women knew one another. Their lack of apparent ties suggested they might all have gathered because of their connection to him, though probably not for the vulgar reason he claimed.

• Yuan Shan suggested Fu Qian could have used Wen Li and the handcuffs to help bring the victims to the checkpoint, and Fu Qian claimed he was an ordinary person who had relied on Wen Li’s protection.
• Wen Li accepted that Fu Qian’s theory sounded plausible but asked how he had sealed off the checkpoint, since that was not part of her role.
• Fu Qian said Professor Lisha was one of his accomplices but had not sealed off the checkpoint, and Lisha’s silence made the group reconsider her identity and motives.
• Fu Qian observed that none of the women stepped forward to clear one another, suggesting they were acting alone and might have gathered because of their connection to him.

Fu Qian questioned Nepheli about the technique causing his transformation, and their exchange revealed that she had once been called Dean and had triggered a foundational fallacy within him. As Fu Qian began to grasp the nature of his symptoms, Nepheli suddenly noticed something and demanded to know what he had done.

• Wen Li acted as though Fu Qian had everything arranged, then asked who his other ally was, stirring suspicion among the group.
• Fu Qian asked Nepheli how she had caused his symptoms, and she refused to explain unless he gave her a reason.
• Fu Qian called Nepheli “Dean,” and she admitted she had not heard that title in a long time.
• Fu Qian described his symptoms, and Nepheli explained that she had set off a fallacy at the foundation of the world inside his body.
• Fu Qian considered what Nepheli’s knowledge implied about her understanding of the world, but she abruptly asked what he had done.

Wen Li unleashed an aura of pleasure in the Dark Holy See, drawing a violent response from Yuan Shan and linking everyone’s sensations together. As Fu Qian watched the pleasure spread beyond himself, Wen Li’s pierced hand revealed a stream of rainbow-colored fluid.

• Nepheli realized that an extraordinary pleasure had appeared, and Wen Li admitted that she had caused it.
• Wen Li leaned close to Fu Qian as the candle connected to his heart burned down toward its expected limit.
• Yuan Shan attacked the candle with a black spike, but Wen Li blocked it and was pierced in the hand.
• Rainbow-colored fluid flowed from Wen Li’s wound, and Fu Qian suspected Yuan Shan had attacked to test Wen Li’s reaction to his possible death.
• A second wave of pleasure rose from Wen Li’s pain and spread to Lady Number Seven, showing that Wen Li had connected everyone’s pleasure.

Wen Li extinguished part of Fu Qian’s heartfire, pushing the sanctuary into a wave of pleasure that she hoped would help the captives communicate. Near death, Fu Qian questioned the six women about what they believed, but the chapter ended before he heard their response to his final question.

• Wen Li blew out a wisp of Professor Fu’s heartfire, leaving Fu Qian near death and filling the sanctuary with intense pleasure.
• Wen Li told Fu Qian she could no longer get him out and had created a better environment for him to talk with the others.
• Fu Qian asked Wen Li how many women remained, and she confirmed there were six.
• Fu Qian told the six women he was enjoying himself, and Yuan Shan said she believed him.
• Fu Qian said his mission was to reach the real sanctuary; Liu Shuang claimed to believe him, though Fu Qian suspected otherwise.
• Fu Qian asked whether the women believed the person he had been before or the person he was now.

Fu Qian deduced that the women had been instructed to save Professor Fu from being taken to the Holy See, even as their erased relationships and implanted beliefs made them distrust one another. He suspected Wen Li was also protecting him, then asked Su Gao whether she could escape.

• Fu Qian inferred that Liu Shuang distrusted his claim because Professor Fu had planted a warning in her mind not to believe him if he said he wanted to go to the Holy See.
• Wen Li indicated that she could not answer Fu Qian’s third question, said time was running out, and showed signs of strain from the battle and her growing True Self.
• Fu Qian concluded that the women were likely following instructions to save him, and that Professor Lisha’s attempt to poison him fit her effort to prevent his journey to the Holy See.
• Fu Qian asked Su Gao whether she could get out, and Su Gao said she could escape alone.

Su Zhiyan revealed that she had been poisoned but could still escape, and she chose to stay because she had unfinished business. Fu Qian realized she could help him escape only briefly, leaving him to decide how to use that chance and continue through the Dark Holy See.

• Su Zhiyan told the gathered women that she had been poisoned but could still leave, while Lady Number Seven removed her mask and asked why she stayed.
• Su Zhiyan said she had things to do and looked at Fu Qian, who recognized that she had stayed to help him despite the danger.
• Fu Qian thanked Su Zhiyan and asked about the third question, but she said she could not answer it.
• Fu Qian reasoned that the mission used the women's trust in him to make them doubt his statements and prevent him from entering the Holy See.
• Fu Qian asked how long Su Zhiyan could remain and whether she could escape, and she said she had no more than three minutes and could help him get out.

Fu Qian and Su Gao discussed why opening the door would not let the trapped group escape, and Fu Qian searched for another way to get help. He suspected Lady Number Seven was Rachel and asked her to open the door, but the chapter ended before she answered.

• Su Gao explained that the others were too deeply connected to the place to leave through the door, and that she could not destroy it or take Fu Qian out without exhausting her power.
• Fu Qian refined his ideas and concluded that someone would need to open the door while Su Gao stayed inside.
• Chief Yuan guessed that Fu Qian meant to call for help, and Fu Qian addressed Lady Number Seven as Rachel.
• Lady Number Seven's hesitant reaction led Fu Qian to suspect that she was Rachel and shared a secret agreement with him.
• Fu Qian asked Rachel to use her physical strength to open the door, while recalling a head named Li Min.

Fu Qian tried to persuade Rachel and Li Min to help him reach the Dark Holy See, while keeping Li Min’s hidden presence secret. When Rachel refused to be swayed, Liu Shuang drew her sword and threatened to kill her.

• Fu Qian reasoned that Li Min was concealed inside Rachel and had been guiding her through the gathering.
• Rachel warned Fu Qian that exposing herself would cost her the advantage of remaining hidden.
• Fu Qian asked Liu Shuang to convince Rachel that he intended to go to the Dark Holy See.
• Liu Shuang admitted she could not use the Heart-Questioning Sword Prison and urged Rachel to understand Fu Qian’s intentions.
• Rachel refused to give in, and Liu Shuang drew her sword and threatened to kill her within a minute.

Fu Qian escaped the holy sanctuary with Su Gao and the others after Liu Shuang persuaded Rachel to open the door. He feared the Seed of Ecstasy could still pursue them, and the group reached the sealed checkpoint with no clear way across.

• Liu Shuang persuaded Rachel to open the sanctuary's side door, and Rachel's action allowed Li Min to communicate through her shoulder.
• Fu Qian thanked Li Min and Rachel for helping him, then Su Gao carried him out while Wen Li unlocked his handcuffs.
• The group crossed the sanctuary's threshold, where the overwhelming pleasure and other sensations abruptly vanished.
• Su Gao hurried away with Fu Qian, who worried that the Seed of Ecstasy could still track them and affect the guests.
• Su Gao stopped at the sealed checkpoint and asked how they would get across.

Fu Qian and Su Gao reached the sealed checkpoint and found a local worker on duty. The worker suspected Fu Qian was an illegal border-crosser and accused him of carrying a stolen candlestick.

• Su Gao identified the worker as a regular checkpoint employee and suspected Yuan Shan had influenced the checkpoint while they were leaving.
• Fu Qian and Su Gao approached the guard booth, where the worker told them pedestrians did not need to be checked.
• Fu Qian asked what the checkpoint searched for, and the worker said it looked for people sneaking across the border in cars.
• The worker claimed he identified illegal travelers by looking at their eyes, then told Fu Qian he looked suspicious and smelled wrong.
• The worker pointed at the black candlestick Fu Qian had taken from the Dark Holy See and accused him of stealing it.

Fu Qian tested the checkpoint on foot and learned that only drivers could pass, while his encounter with Su Gao and the mission’s altered memories strengthened his suspicion that they were being sent into the Sea of Mind. He then had Su Gao take the candlestick and asked her to pierce his heart without killing him outright.

• Fu Qian admitted to taking the candlestick, and the checkpoint staff member told him pedestrians did not need inspection but could not pass through on foot.
• Fu Qian and Su Gao left the checkpoint, and Fu Qian concluded that the mission’s dreamlike setting, familiar women, and altered memories pointed toward the Sea of Mind.
• Fu Qian told Su Gao that driving was necessary and took the driver’s seat himself.
• Fu Qian gave Su Gao the candlestick and asked her to pierce his chest accurately without pushing it all the way through.

Fu Qian used the candlestick to reinforce his connection to the world, then drove with Su Gao toward the checkpoint to reach the Sea of Mind. The inspection staff member sensed that Fu Qian was close to death, but Fu Qian challenged him to name a rule that barred him from driving.

• Su Gao carefully pierced Fu Qian with the candlestick, helping him entangle himself more firmly with the world.
• Fu Qian drove toward the checkpoint and instructed Su Gao to answer only yes if questioned.
• Fu Qian told the staff member he was heading to the Holy See and explained that he had obtained a car for the inspection.
• The staff member's gaze went blank as he examined Fu Qian, but he later said Fu Qian looked like he was about to die.
• Fu Qian admitted that he was near death and asked whether any rule forbade him from driving.

Fu Qian persuaded the checkpoint staff to let him cross alone, claiming he needed to reach the Holy See because he was near death. Su Gao stayed behind as Fu Qian drove through the cleared checkpoint toward the Sea of Mind.

• Fu Qian explained that his apparent decline showed why he needed to go to the Holy See, and the staff member initially found his reasoning convincing.
• The staff member refused to let Fu Qian and Su Gao cross together, suspecting they were using her local identity as cover.
• Fu Qian said Su Gao had only driven him to the checkpoint and that he would cross alone, and Su Gao confirmed it.
• The staff member told Su Gao to get out and moved the traffic cone aside to let Fu Qian pass.
• Su Gao remained by the roadside as Fu Qian thanked the staff member and drove through the checkpoint.

Fu Qian crossed the checkpoint into a strange, living landscape that he recognized as connected to Your Excellency Stomach. After a figure warned him to avoid the Holy See and turn back, Fu Qian drove toward it anyway.

• A hoarse, sweet-scented figure invited Fu Qian to stay as he crossed the checkpoint, and he found the guard booth and surrounding road transformed into living membranes.
• Fu Qian recognized the biopunk structures as resembling Your Excellency Stomach’s power and suspected Warehouse’s mission involved the Holy See.
• Fu Qian reversed across the checkpoint and asked the figure whether the Holy See lay in the direction of the Dark Holy See.
• The figure warned Fu Qian not to go to the Holy See and urged him to turn back.
• Fu Qian turned the car toward the hotter region and drove toward the Holy See.

The narrator reached the White-Headed Holy See, where the Warehouse assigned a mission to defile the Primordial Anchor of Your Excellency Amnion. He touched the statue’s chin and completed the mission, successfully containing No. 1-330.

• The narrator drove through increasingly viscous, sweet-smelling terrain toward the White-Headed Holy See.
• He concluded that the earlier mental space had been the Warehouse’s indirect means of guiding him to this destination in the Sea of Mind.
• The narrator entered the Holy See and received the mission to defile the Primordial Anchor of Your Excellency Amnion.
• He examined the statue of a long-haired woman lying across a ball of fingers, then pinched its chin.
• The Warehouse announced that the mission was complete and No. 1-330 had been contained successfully.

Fu Qian destroyed Your Excellency Amnion’s White-Headed Holy See in the Sea of Mind, completing the task by touching its signpost while disguised as an outsider. The Warehouse’s evaluation revealed that Amnion had been using the refuge during a calamity, and Fu Qian wondered whether he had helped create the opening that let the Warehouse strike.

• Fu Qian touched the signpost, causing the White-Headed Holy See to crack apart and collapse.
• The Warehouse evaluated the task, awarding Fu Qian 20 Sanity Value and the Firstborn’s Vision.
• Fu Qian concluded that the task had sent him into the Sea of Mind as a disguised outsider to attack Your Excellency Amnion’s hidden refuge.
• Fu Qian inferred that Amnion had been in danger and had tried to use the Holy See as a safeguard when the Warehouse brought him there.
• Fu Qian wondered whether he had played a part in creating the window of safety that let the Warehouse act.

Fu Qian examined the special reward The Firstborn's Vision and recognized it as the bloodied ribbon once worn by God of Mourning. Its connection to Your Excellency Amnion and the Lord of Heaven raised new questions about the Sun God's identity, and Fu Qian ended by testing the ribbon's effect.

• Fu Qian received The Firstborn's Vision and wondered whether the Night Watchers had helped drive Your Excellency Amnion into a desperate situation.
• Fu Qian inspected the ribbon and noticed its golden stains were positioned like blood around a pair of eyes.
• Fu Qian recognized the ribbon from his vision of the tyrant's fall, when God of Mourning had worn it over their eyes.
• Fu Qian questioned whether Your Excellency Amnion, God of Mourning, and the Lord of Heaven were connected, and considered the significance of the titles Firstborn and Father.
• Fu Qian wrapped the ribbon around his head to test whether it would keep him far from suffering.