Chapter Summaries

Jiang Mian used her Formless disguise to clear Xu Xiaoan of suspicion while negotiating with Oblivion River, but the meeting was interrupted by the instructors breaking through Yuan Qi’s domain. After Zhong Yue confronted Jiang Mian, she staged an attack and escaped, leaving the instructors to deal with Yuan Qi.

• Jiang Mian refused Oblivion River’s offer to create a new identity and asked to exchange materials instead.
• The instructors broke into Yuan Qi’s domain, prompting Jiang Mian to disappear into the shadows and Oblivion River to withdraw its projection.
• Yuan Qi collapsed into a violent frenzy, and Zhong Yue rescued Xu Le and Xu Xiaoan before ordering the instructors to attack Yuan Qi.
• Zhong Yue confronted Jiang Mian after she emerged from Xu Xiaoan’s shadow, and she explained to herself that the performance helped protect Xu Xiaoan’s cover.
• Jiang Mian’s apparent attack burst harmlessly, and she fled at great speed while taunting Zhong Yue.

Zhong Yue questioned Shen Qiuyu about Xu Xiaoan’s possession, while Jiang Mian arranged to reach the infirmary and protect her. Xu Xiaoan endured an identity test that repeatedly broke through Jiang Mian’s defenses, until Shen Qiuyu entered and challenged the person beside her bed.

• Zhong Yue questioned Shen Qiuyu about Xu Xiaoan’s disappearance and accepted her account that they had stayed together.
• After leaving the office, Shen Qiuyu met Jiang Mian, who asked to hide in her shadow and accompany her to the infirmary.
• Jiang Mian concealed herself in Shen Qiuyu’s shadow as Shen Qiuyu headed to the infirmary.
• Xu Xiaoan sensed someone enter and begin a painful attack on her soul while she pretended to remain unconscious.
• Golden light repeatedly protected Xu Xiaoan before breaking, and Shen Qiuyu entered the infirmary and demanded to know who was there.

After resolving the immediate threat to Shen Qiuyu and Xu Xiaoan, Jiang Mian followed a map to a hidden settlement in the back mountain. She entered the dangerous underground city disguised as a mature woman and began exploring.

• Jiang Mian reassured Shen Qiuyu that no one would trouble them and explained that Xu Xiaoan's Death Mark would require time and growth to overcome.
• Jiang Mian retrieved Oblivion River's memory card, studied its map, and decided to visit the gathering place for high-tier materials.
• Jiang Mian left the dormitory and headed toward the back mountain, noticing that the camp's instructors and staff had been tied up for inspection.
• Jiang Mian followed the mountain ridge until sunset, found a cave entrance, and used Shadow Power to travel inside.
• Jiang Mian altered her appearance and clothing before stepping into a grim, blood-scented underground street, where wary residents watched her as she explored.

Jiang Mian explored the Underground Street and uncovered its illicit Suppressor trade, while Zhong Zhen ordered A Xiang to watch her because of the recent Apex Calamity. The chapter ended when a mysterious figure tossed Jiang Mian a small bottle and urged her to run.

• A Xiang reported Jiang Mian’s arrival to Zhong Zhen, who ordered him to keep her under surveillance.
• Zhong Zhen said a major event had occurred in the city and muttered about the Apex Calamity.
• Jiang Mian explored the Underground Street and learned that Calamity Cores, equipment, and Suppressors drove its trade.
• Jiang Mian noticed that people frequently mentioned a supplier with the surname Jiang and recalled the first-generation [Origin].
• A small, fully covered figure tossed Jiang Mian a bottle and shouted for her to run.

Jiang Mian faced Yuan Feng, a powerful Aberrant who attacked her for the suppressor bottle, and revealed her overwhelming strength when he trapped them in his domain. She stood alone after the domain burst, greeting the startled onlookers as a formidable woman arrived with a group.

• Jiang Mian recognized the bottle as a Type One Inhibitor and learned that Yuan Feng, a fifth-tier [Slaughter] Path Aberrant, was pursuing it.
• Yuan Feng tried to seize the bottle, then attacked Jiang Mian and trapped them both inside his [Cage of Ferocious Beasts] domain.
• Jiang Mian stopped Yuan Feng's strike with one hand and taunted him, showing that she had far greater strength than he expected.
• Onlookers gathered outside the domain and began betting on how long Jiang Mian would last.
• A well-dressed woman arrived with a large group as the domain turned black and burst, leaving Jiang Mian standing unharmed while Yuan Feng was gone.

Jiang Mian, disguised as Xu Miao, defeated Yuan Feng and convinced the Underground Street that she might have eaten him, then accepted an apology from its manager, Jiang Ning. After leaving, she caught A Xiang following her and demanded to know who had sent him.

• One Ear and the crowd suspected Jiang Mian had eaten Yuan Feng, while Jiang Mian let them believe she was dangerous.
• Jiang Ning apologized for her people, gave Jiang Mian a Spatial Equipment ring filled with Calamity Cores and a Suppressor, and led her thugs away.
• Jiang Ning warned her thugs to treat Xu Miao cautiously after seeing how quickly she defeated a Fifth-tier Aberrant.
• Jiang Mian sensed that her Fire Seed branding range had expanded and continued searching for her target.
• Jiang Mian called A Xiang out of a shadow and asked who had sent him, then reassured him that she would not eat him.

Jiang Mian subdued A Xiang and compelled him to reveal the power structure of the underground city. Learning that his boss Zhong Zhen was a Seventh-tier Aberrant backed by the authorities, she decided against confronting him directly and began planning her next move.

• A Xiang resisted Jiang Mian's demand for information, then attacked her with a shadow blade, but she caught it bare-handed and seized him in the darkness.
• Jiang Mian used her spirit-controlling method to make A Xiang obey and disclose that the underground city housed nine Sixth-tier Aberrants and was led by Zhong Zhen, the only living Seventh-tier Aberrant.
• A Xiang revealed that Zhong Zhen followed the [Slaughter] Path as the [Tyrant] and had powerful ties to the authorities, including a relative who was the Huang Yan War God.
• Jiang Mian released A Xiang from her control, chose not to challenge Zhong Zhen at his doorstep, and started devising a plan while deciding to deal with the person who had framed her.

Yu Xiaoxiao escaped into a hotel after using Jiang Mian as a decoy, then drank a stolen suppressor and discovered her scales were still spreading. Jiang Mian found her, overpowered her with the fire of [Doom], and left Yu Xiaoxiao terrified by saying she would pay for her mistake with her body.

• Yu Xiaoxiao escaped pursuers, discarded her disguise, and entered a hotel room with a stolen suppressor.
• Yu Xiaoxiao drank the suppressor but noticed that her scales seemed to have multiplied.
• Jiang Mian appeared in Yu Xiaoxiao's room and resisted her [Frozen Snowfield] domain.
• Jiang Mian used the fire of [Doom] to suppress Yu Xiaoxiao's ability and make her kneel in pain.
• Jiang Mian told Yu Xiaoxiao to pay for her mistake with her body, and Yu Xiaoxiao begged her not to eat her.
• Jiang Mian clarified that she had not said she would eat Yu Xiaoxiao.

Jiang Mian accelerated Yu Xiaoxiao’s Calamity Core formation, gained a clearer understanding of how cores were made, and ordered her new subordinate to help confront the Alliance’s three sixth-tiers. Meanwhile, Ye Chenyang continued his conversation with primordial Origin Jiang Ran, who realized he was not Yang Ze.

• Jiang Mian used the Fire Seed to accelerate Yu Xiaoxiao’s Calamity Core formation and observed how it condensed.
• Yu Xiaoxiao woke, called Jiang Mian “Sovereign,” and pledged to follow her orders.
• Jiang Mian ordered Yu Xiaoxiao to wipe out the Alliance’s three sixth-tiers, then stopped her when she involuntarily headed for the door and told her to bathe first.
• Ye Chenyang, using the identity Yang Ze, told Jiang Ran he would face Doom alone to pursue an answer.
• Jiang Ran asked Ye Chenyang whether he was really Yang Ze.

Ye Chenyang worried that the mysterious call tied to [Doom] could endanger Jiang Mian, and he prepared to confront the advancing Calamity. As Yun Zheng gathered the rain’s elements for an attack, Jiang Ran sent Ye Chenyang to hold off [Doom] while the others fought its minions.

• Jiang Ran recognized that Ye Chenyang was not acting as Yang Ze, but agreed to help him face [Doom] and told him to retreat if he could not win.
• Ye Chenyang recalled how the first-generation Apex beings had fought and feared that the call from beyond Ninth-tier might affect Jiang Mian after she absorbed [Formless].
• Four first-generation beasts appeared in the Mist, and the dragon’s movement sent violent winds and rain surging into the Ink River.
• Yun Zheng used [Return Origin Gather Annihilation] to gather the rain’s elements into a sphere aimed at breaking the beasts’ domains.
• Jiang Ran told Ye Chenyang to hold off [Doom] while the others dealt with its minions, and he sped toward the Ink River’s source.

Ye Chenyang confronted Doom during its evolution and discovered that its power came from the world’s laws, reinforcing his theory about the Cataclysm lineage. He let Doom continue downstream, where Yun Zheng was waiting, while two uninvited guests arrived at the Underground City Alliance headquarters.

• Ye Chenyang reached the source of Ink River and found Doom surging through the flood beneath unnatural black clouds.
• Doom swallowed Ye Chenyang, but he restrained it with Spatial Power and trapped it in his domain.
• Ye Chenyang asked where Doom’s momentum came from, and Doom pointed to the sky before he withdrew his domain and let it pass.
• Ye Chenyang concluded that Cataclysms descended from native life-forms infected by the Mist and that Doom’s evolution was difficult because of a clash with the world’s laws.
• Ye Chenyang expected Yun Zheng to intercept Doom downstream and believed Jiang Mian would avoid the same transitional difficulty when she evolved.
• At the Underground City Alliance headquarters, Chen Li watched a black-dressed girl read while a white-haired girl stood behind her, and sensed trouble was coming.

Jiang Mian approached Chen Li about joining his alliance and made clear she might take over as Alliance Master. Their conversation was interrupted by Qian Xiong, whose rude behavior drew Jiang Mian’s amused attention.

• Yu Xiaoxiao tried to project confidence while Chen Li wondered about Jiang Mian’s strength and background.
• Jiang Mian asked Chen Li whether his alliance was recruiting, and he offered her a place in name or even the Alliance Master position if she was stronger.
• Jiang Mian rejected joining in name and said she might take a turn in the Alliance Master’s chair.
• Qian Xiong barged into the office, insulted Yu Xiaoxiao, and asked Jiang Mian to introduce herself.
• Jiang Mian stopped Yu Xiaoxiao from retaliating and looked at Qian Xiong with amusement, reminded of an old acquaintance surnamed Li.

Jiang Mian revealed herself to Qian Xiong and Chen Li as Xu Miao, a fifth-rank being with the pinnacle Sequence 4, Chaos's Formless. After Qian Xiong attacked her inside his domain, Chen Li turned against him and offered to help Jiang Mian become Alliance Master.

• Jiang Mian agreed to introduce herself and revealed that she was Xu Miao, Sequence 4, Chaos's Formless.
• Qian Xiong doubted that Xu Miao could be the calamity pinnacle, but she asked whether she had ever claimed to be human.
• Qian Xiong opened his Blood Moon Hunting Ground, swapped places with Yu Xiaoxiao, and attacked Jiang Mian.
• Jiang Mian overwhelmed Qian Xiong's senses with darkness, and Chen Li used Inner Demon Tribulation on him.
• Chen Li told Jiang Mian that he would help her secure the Alliance Master position because he had had enough of the Alliance's idiots.

Jiang Mian took control of the Alliance after devouring Qian Xiong and learning about its operations. She appeared in the Alliance Master's seat before the gathered leaders, leaving the room silent.

• Jiang Mian asked Chen Li about the Alliance and learned that its Armory reclaimed and utilized Mutant Remains under Lu Yan's leadership.
• Jiang Mian told Chen Li to call a meeting and said she would handle what came next, while revealing she had planted a Fire Seed in him.
• Jiang Mian left for the meeting with Yu Xiaoxiao and said she was going to take over as Alliance Master.
• Chen Li faced Qian Daqiang's complaints and waited for Lu Yan to arrive before stepping aside from the Alliance Master's seat.
• Jiang Mian appeared in the Alliance Master's seat, and the conference room fell silent.

Jiang Mian took over the Alliance Master position from Chen Li by offering Lu Yan a share of abundant Calamity remains for his armory. The meeting ended with Lu Yan accepting her leadership, while Qian Daqiang's objections went unsupported.

• Chen Li yielded the Alliance Master's seat to Jiang Mian, and Qian Daqiang challenged the move.
• A meeting attendee reported that a woman in a black dress had eaten Yuan Feng, making everyone suspect Jiang Mian.
• Lu Yan silenced Qian Daqiang and asked Chen Li why he was stepping down.
• Jiang Mian offered Lu Yan access to Calamity remains in exchange for sixty percent of the profits and hinted at more help involving the [King of Cysts].
• Lu Yan accepted Jiang Mian as Alliance Master after inspecting the Spatial Equipment bracelet filled with Calamity remains.

Jiang Mian secured Xu Miao’s position as Alliance Master, used a mysterious power to punish Aberrants considering defection, and reassured them that Chen Li would handle daily affairs while she controlled resources. After the meeting, she called Lu Yan aside and asked if he wanted to go further.

• Chen Li announced Xu Miao as the Alliance’s new Alliance Master after Lu Yan accepted her terms.
• Jiang Mian’s power caused the Aberrants who considered defecting to suffer intense pain, and she warned them against betraying the Alliance.
• Jiang Mian said Chen Li would continue managing daily affairs and implied that Qian Xiong had been eaten.
• Jiang Mian left the meeting with Lu Yan, and Yu Xiaoxiao greeted her outside.
• Jiang Mian asked Lu Yan whether he wanted to go further.

Jiang Mian filled all seven Alliance armory warehouses with Calamity remains, then explained to Lu Yan that his progress had stalled because of the shackles on the [Cataclysm] Path and his incomplete ability. She left him believing she could help him overcome the limitation.

• Lu Yan wondered whether Jiang Mian knew how he could advance beyond the Sixth tier, and she led him and Yu Xiaoxiao to the armory.
• Lu Yan stacked his Calamity remains in the first warehouse, and Jiang Mian used shadows to fill it with more materials.
• Jiang Mian repeated the process until all seven warehouses were full, leaving Lu Yan and Yu Xiaoxiao stunned by the supplies.
• Jiang Mian told Lu Yan not to raise production too quickly and asked about his stalled progress after reaching the Sixth tier.
• Jiang Mian explained that shackles limited the [Cataclysm] Path and that Lu Yan's ability was incomplete, then confirmed she had a way to help.

Jiang Mian offered Lu Yan a place as her subordinate and had Yu Xiaoxiao spar with him to demonstrate her strength. After Yu Xiaoxiao defeated him, Lu Yan agreed to serve Jiang Mian, who moved to Dominate him.

• Jiang Mian told Lu Yan she wanted a subordinate who would answer when needed, then revealed she was Sequence 4, [Formless] of [Chaos].
• Jiang Mian opened her [Myriad Forms Scorched Embers] domain and told Yu Xiaoxiao to spar with Lu Yan.
• Yu Xiaoxiao used [Frozen Snowfield] and withstood Lu Yan's attacks, leaving him badly chilled despite his sixth-tier strength.
• Lu Yan knelt and offered to serve Jiang Mian, but she stopped him and told him to open his mind so she could begin Domination.

Jiang Mian modified Lu Yan’s Mental Body and set him to work learning how to make Spatial Equipment. Meanwhile, Xuanhuang harvested Calamity cores in the Void Realm, and Oblivion River investigated Jiang Mian’s soul imprints, suspecting her power might be linked to [Doom] rather than [Formless].

• Jiang Mian gently enveloped Lu Yan’s Mental Body with the Golden Crow’s power, then gave him King of Cysts cores to practice making Spatial Equipment.
• Jiang Mian planned to use Lu Yan’s equipment production to supply the Alliance and earn money from Calamity Cores.
• Xuanhuang destroyed a cluster of ordinary [Chaos] Calamities and collected their cores and Chaos Cores.
• Xuanhuang asked the Sea of Misfortune about the Dominator, and it said the Dominator had entered the fifth tier after mastering all four attributes.
• Oblivion River heard a report from a fifth-tier Aberrant whose soul imprint had nearly activated, then sent him away without giving orders.
• Oblivion River used [Abyssal Echo] and [Withering] to trace the imprint’s fatal outcome to a pitch-black flame, leading her to suspect Jiang Mian’s ability resembled [Doom].

Oblivion River suspected that Xu Miao was [Doom] in disguise and inferred that [Doom] was preparing to target every Apex. She planned to make contact and lure [Doom] out, while Jiang Mian later met Yin Mengyao and saw her new domain.

• Oblivion River concluded that Xu Miao was likely [Doom], who had stolen Xu Xiaoan's power and gained [Formless]'s abilities.
• Withering told Oblivion River that [Asura] had drawn three human Eighth-tiers into a fight on the West Side, then learned her suspicions about [Doom].
• Oblivion River told Withering that [Doom]'s target was every Apex and decided to test her suspicion through the two people in the training camp.
• Jiang Mian arranged a place for her clone in the Alliance office, withdrew her consciousness, and went downstairs to clear her head.
• Jiang Mian met Yin Mengyao, congratulated her on reaching the Fifth-tier, and asked to see her domain, the [Hundred Forms of Floating Life Scroll].