Chapter Summaries

Key Plot Points and Events

• Prince Chen visits the Solar Energy Laboratory, expressing concern about the external situation.
• Reilo reveals the laboratory's progress on a fission-type radioactive weapon, which could destroy a large city and cause long-term radioactive contamination.
• Prince Chen is captivated by Reilo's description of the weapon's power, but his thoughts are actually on his father's wisdom about the incompatibility of science and theology in this era.

Character Developments

• Prince Chen: Realizes the importance of resources in controlling scholars' power and understands his father's wisdom about the incompatibility of science and theology.
• Reilo: Eager to gain resources to support his research and dreams of stellar evolution, he sees the weapon's potential to provide him with Star Essence.

Significant Themes

• The power struggle between scholars and monarchs, with scholars' reliance on resources being their weakness.
• The incompatibility of science and theology in the current era, with science founded on self-doubt and theology on unwavering faith.

Character Interactions

• Prince Chen and Reilo: Misunderstand each other's intentions; Prince Chen sees Reilo's excitement as longing for his own dream, while Reilo thinks Prince Chen is captivated by the weapon's power.
• Reilo and Angelina: Reilo responds to Angelina's warning about the enemy attack by ordering an emergency state.

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Solar Energy Laboratory's defense measures are activated, plunging the lab into darkness.
• Reilo uses special glasses for night vision and explains the lab's defense mechanisms to Prince Chen.
• Reilo confronts and subdues Xiao Hei, a creature in the lab causing chaos.
• The Super Magic Houryin attempts to destroy the lab's magic array confinement but fails.
• Tree of Truth, a sentient being, emerges from the lab and injures Desert Knight Morse and a scholar, who then detonates his Magic Artifact, causing significant destruction in the town.
• Sword Saint Biang, angered by the destruction of his town, prepares to intervene.

Character Developments

• Prince Chen: Shows bewilderment and nervousness when faced with the lab's emergency situation.
• Reilo: Demonstrates his knowledge of the lab's defense mechanisms and his ability to handle Xiao Hei.
• Tree of Truth: Reveals its sentience and combat capabilities.
• Houryin: Shows disbelief at the lab's defense and curses after a scholar's self-detonation.
• Biang: Expresses anger and decides to intervene due to the destruction of his town.

Significant Themes

• Defense and offense in academia, with the lab's defense mechanisms and the attackers' strategies being key aspects.
• The consequences of carelessness and underestimation, as seen in Houryin's failed attack and the scholar's self-detonation.
• The importance of knowledge and preparation, as shown by Reilo's understanding of the lab's defenses and his handling of Xiao Hei.

Character Interactions

• Reilo and Prince Chen: Reilo explains the lab's defenses to Prince Chen, showing his role as a mentor or guide.
• Reilo and Xiao Hei: Reilo confronts and subdues Xiao Hei, demonstrating his ability to handle dangerous creatures.
• Houryin and the scholar: Houryin's attack leads to the scholar's self-detonation, highlighting the consequences of carelessness and underestimation.
• Biang and the town residents: Biang's anger and decision to intervene show his protective stance towards the town and its residents.

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Tree of Truth, now a powerful entity, defends the laboratory against the invading forces.
• Prince Chen and his group remain hidden, while Reilo and the laboratory personnel engage the intruders.
• The intruders, led by powerful scholars and warriors, breach the laboratory's defenses.
• Kedo and Mu Ya escape through a hidden slide, while a warrior is trapped in a secret room with a sonic boom trap.

Character Developments

• Peter Weir and Garington, high-ranking nobles, observe the battle but do not intervene yet.
• Houryin, the Over-Magic Power, and Morse, the Desert Knight, demonstrate their strength against Biang, the Sword Saint.
• Reilo and the laboratory personnel show their preparedness and courage in defending the laboratory.

Significant Themes

• The power of unity and preparation in facing adversity (Reilo and the laboratory personnel).
• The destructive nature of battles between powerful entities (the impact on the small town).
• The strategic importance of the laboratory and its contents (the focus of the invasion).

Character Interactions

• Peter Weir and Garington discuss their observations and plans.
• Houryin and Morse coordinate their attacks against Biang.
• Reilo gives orders to his team, demonstrating his leadership and strategic thinking.
• Kedo and Mu Ya work together to escape the trapped warrior.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Reilo creates a wraith using negative emotions from the Star Curtain World, which Connastor easily dispels.
• Connastor and the old man plan to destroy the solar energy reactor, which they believe is the laboratory's energy source.
• Reilo faces two powerful Earth Fighters in the underground laboratory, using his academic abilities to outmaneuver them.
• The laboratory's energy supply becomes unstable, causing alarms and red lights to flash.
• M, the town's guardian, arrives and freezes the ongoing battle with his power.
• Reilo and Lola manage to contain the leaking radiation from the destroyed solar energy reactor.

Character Developments

• Reilo demonstrates his academic prowess and strategic thinking, using traps and restrictions to outmaneuver the Earth Fighters.
• M shows his immense power and concern for the town's safety.
• Lola proves her competence in handling dangerous situations, successfully containing the radiation leak.

Significant Themes

• The pursuit of knowledge and power, even at great risk (Reilo's creation of the wraith and the laboratory's energy source).
• The consequences of reckless actions (the destruction of the solar energy reactor and the potential radiation leak).
• The responsibility of guardianship (M's intervention to protect the town).

Character Interactions

• Reilo and Connastor: Reilo's wraith is easily dispelled by Connastor, showing the power gap between them.
• Reilo and the Earth Fighters: Reilo uses his academic abilities to outmaneuver the Earth Fighters, demonstrating his strategic thinking.
• Reilo and Lola: Reilo shows concern for Lola's well-being, while Lola successfully contains the radiation leak, proving her competence.
• M and Reilo: M suspects Reilo of using him, while Reilo tries to reassure him about the situation.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Prince Chen ascends to the throne, feeling like everything is a dream.
• Corleon reveals that the Emperor died half a month ago, and Prince Chen's mother was forced to her death.
• Bailing mourns Wushuang Galli's death, blaming Shatuo.
• Reilo learns about Shatuo's actions and reflects on his own past with Shatuo.
• Reilo is tasked by the King to rebuild Red Ridge and exterminate the Shadow Hand Bandit Gang.
• Reilo successfully eliminates the Shadow Hand Bandit Gang and rescues dozens of women and girls, planning to settle them in Red Ridge.

Character Developments

• Prince Chen: Ascends to the throne, showing an aura of power and determination.
• Bailing: Struggles with the loss of Wushuang Galli and blames Shatuo.
• Reilo: Reflects on his past with Shatuo, grows in power and influence, and becomes more assertive.
• The nobles of Ando: Realize the shifting power dynamics in Ando and Reilo's growing influence.

Significant Themes

• Power and Ambition: Prince Chen's ascension, Reilo's growing influence, and the nobles' reactions highlight the theme of power dynamics and ambition.
• Loss and Grief: Bailing's mourning for Wushuang Galli and Gubo's self-blame emphasize the theme of loss and grief.
• Redemption and Forgiveness: Reilo's reflection on his past with Shatuo hints at the theme of redemption and forgiveness.

Character Interactions

• Prince Chen and Corleon: Their interaction shows Prince Chen's newfound power and Corleon's smugness.
• Bailing and Reilo: Bailing leans on Reilo for comfort, showing their close relationship.
• Reilo and the nobles of Ando: The nobles try to ingratiate themselves with Reilo, showing their awareness of his growing influence.
• Reilo and the rescued women: Reilo's decision to settle them in Red Ridge shows his concern for his territory's future.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ten years have passed since the previous chapter.
• A mysterious, 15 cm metallic flying object, containing two minuscule, black organisms, traverses the Storm Continent, destroying eleven civilizations deemed threatening.
• The flying object arrives at a mountain temple inhabited by fire-energy beings with butterfly-like wings and psychic antennas.
• A powerful, legendary creature, the Earth-Core Elk, descends and consumes the believers' offerings, then declares itself the God of the Hunt.
• The God of the Hunt uses its newfound power of law to calm the Wind Eye barrier, making it more habitable for weaker creatures.
• The flying object shoots a crystal at the Wind Eye barrier, causing a massive energy tide that destroys the temple and the stable structure of the Wind Eye, creating a death Vortex.

Character Developments

• The Earth-Core Elk evolves into the God of the Hunt, mastering the power of law and gaining the ability to draw upon faith power.
• The believers' faith in the God of the Hunt grows, but they are ultimately powerless against the destruction of their civilization.

Significant Themes

• The cycle of life and death in civilizations and worlds.
• The power of law and its impact on civilizations.
• The relationship between gods and their believers.
• The destructive nature of advanced civilizations towards lower ones.

Character Interactions

• The God of the Hunt interacts with its believers, receiving their faith and offering protection in return.
• The two minuscule organisms within the flying object communicate through mental wave resonance, deciding to destroy the nascent civilization in the most conventional and cost-effective manner.
• The God of the Hunt and the believers are powerless against the destruction caused by the flying object, highlighting the vast difference in power between civilizations.

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Grand Duchy hosts its third annual Alchemy Achievement Convention.
• Red Ridge Air Port is completed, marking Red Ridge's official status as the fourth city in Dubit Province.
• Reilo refuses to judge the Alchemy Achievement Convention, focusing on his duties as the principal of Red Ridge Alchemy Academy.
• King Gran sends Royal Magician Advisor Peter Weir to inquire about the progress of the radiation fission weapon.

Character Developments

• Reilo has matured and become more reserved due to his constant research and experiments.
• Lola has adapted to her identity as Reilo's wife and spends most of her time reading in a secret garden.
• Reilo's research in Lola's secret garden includes Moon Power, Star Body True Body, and divine specimens.

Significant Themes

• The pursuit of knowledge and power, as seen in Reilo's relentless research and the King's desire for the radiation weapon.
• The consequences of faith and its connection to divine power, explored through the follower of the Goddess of Wisdom and the divine specimens.

Character Interactions

• Reilo interacts with the nine graduating students of the Red Ridge Alchemy Academy and offers his blessings.
• Reilo and Lola attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Red Ridge Air Port together.
• Reilo meets with Peter Weir to discuss the progress of the radiation fission weapon.
• Reilo conducts experiments on a follower of the Goddess of Wisdom and a werewolf slave in Lola's secret garden.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Reilo's Radiant Power factories require massive investment, with a return of only 1 gram per month, sold to the Duchy at 5,500 gold coins per gram.
• The Duchy's annual military budget is 50 million gold coins, with Reilo's project demanding one-tenth of it.
• Only 14 factories have been completed due to Reilo's strict safety standards, one of which is owned by Xiao Kang's Star Merchant Guild.
• Reilo calls for a meeting with merchant guild heads to discuss accelerating Radiant Power production while maintaining safety.
• Reilo offers to sell energy to the factories at a preferential price, reducing their energy consumption costs to about one-fifth.
• Corleon and M inform Reilo about the upcoming Guardian assembly on Lei Hu Island, which could concern humanity's survival.

Character Developments

• Reilo: Shows his commitment to safety standards despite the financial implications, and later reveals his knowledge of the solar energy reactor's excess energy, demonstrating his strategic thinking.
• Xiao Kang: Shows his eagerness for profit and understanding of the value of knowledge.
• M: Reveals his role as a Guardian and his concern for humanity's survival.
• Corleon: Expresses his seriousness about the Guardian assembly and the potential threat from the dark world.

Significant Themes

• The struggle between safety and profit, as seen in Reilo's strict standards and the merchant guilds' concerns about investment.
• The power of knowledge, highlighted by Xiao Kang's comment and Reilo's control over the solar energy reactor's secret knowledge.
• The potential threat from the dark world and the need for humanity's protection, emphasized by M and Corleon.

Character Interactions

• Reilo interacts with the merchant guild heads, showing his authority and willingness to compromise on energy sales.
• Reilo, Xiao Kang, M, and Corleon discuss the Guardian assembly, revealing their concerns and plans for the future.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lei Luo and M travel to Lei Hu Island on the Mesopotamia Plateau, a dangerous and forbidden zone due to its peculiar magnetic field and the presence of high-intelligence magical beasts.
• They encounter a powerful humanoid beast, a Guardian of the Dark Web, and later reach a colossal structure serving as the Grand Hall of the Guardians.
• A Guardian assembly is held, attended by 16 Guardians, including M and the Dark Seal Master, Corleon. Reylo, a member of the Dark Web, is present as well.
• H, a mysterious conch-like Guardian, reveals the discovery of an ancient altar leading to a massive floating island secret realm with a peculiar marine civilization, the Haiqi Civilization, located about two-thirds of a Starveil unit away.

Character Developments

• Lei Luo: Demonstrates his mastery over his Thunder Phoenix and his ability to withstand the harsh environment of the Mesopotamia Plateau.
• M: Shows his high level of Dou Qi control, flying on a magic sword, and his status as a Great Guardian.
• H (Conch-like Guardian): Reveals his discovery of the Haiqi Civilization and provides biological specimens of the lowly male Haiqi.

Significant Themes

• The dangers and mysteries of the Mesopotamia Plateau and the forbidden zones within Starveil Land.
• The power dynamics and hierarchy within the Dark Web and the Guardian assembly.
• The discovery of a new civilization, the Haiqi Civilization, and its potential threat to Starveil Land.

Character Interactions

• Lei Luo and M: Travel together and interact briefly, with M providing explanations about the environment and the Dark Web.
• The Guardians: Interact during the assembly, asking questions and discussing the implications of the Haiqi Civilization's discovery.
• Reylo and the Guardians/Leaders: Reylo observes and listens to the interactions between the Guardians and other Dark Web members, feeling insignificant among the powerful attendees.

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Guardians' assembly votes to annihilate a mysterious civilization due to potential future threats, despite knowing little about it.
• The Guardians' Sky Fortress, a powerful war weapon, is revealed and begins its journey towards the target civilization.
• The Sky Fortress crosses the Aurora Great Empire and reaches the coastal region, facing the Wind Eye, a harsh death zone.
• The Guardians and Dark Web leaders prepare for battle as the Sky Fortress breaks out of the Wind Barrier.

Character Developments

• Reilo votes against the annihilation decision but is in the minority. He expresses concern about the situation at Red Ridge and the progress of the radiation weapon.
• Corleon, a Guardian, discovers that a sea creature's female can evolve without faith by absorbing the spirits and souls of males during mating.
• Judgment Judge, a surviving scholar from Finland, suggests a cooperative attack on the night of the full moon.

Significant Themes

• The threat of unknown civilizations and the potential consequences of their evolution.
• The importance of faith in human evolution and the advantage of a civilization that doesn't rely on it.
• The potential danger of cooperating with former enemies like Judgment Judge.

Character Interactions

• Reilo interacts with M, a Guardian, discussing the annihilation decision and the upcoming mission.
• Corleon interacts with Reilo, revealing his discovery about the sea creature's evolution and warning Reilo about Judgment Judge.
• Judgment Judge interacts with Corleon, suggesting a cooperative attack and splitting the spoils equally.

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Sky Fortress dives underwater to navigate through a violent death storm.
• It encounters an underwater oceanic vortex, which Corleon believes could be a remnant of an ancient civilization destroyed by a more powerful one.
• The fortress crosses a vast, dark trench, witnessing a colossal underwater creature.
• After navigating the deep sea for over ten days, the Sky Fortress encounters a massive floating island secret realm within the atmosphere.

Character Developments

• Reilo, now more mature and experienced, shows concern for the crew's safety and is affected by Corleon's story about the ancient civilization.
• The female warrior from the Dark Web demonstrates her bravery and composure when facing the unknown deep-sea creatures.

Significant Themes

• The unknown and terrifying depths of the ocean, contrasting with the familiar and safer land environments.
• The remnants of ancient civilizations and their potential destruction by more powerful ones, raising questions about humanity's own extinction risks.

Character Interactions

• Corleon shares his knowledge and theories about the underwater vortex with Reilo, revealing his wisdom and experience.
• Reilo and the female warrior from the Dark Web observe the deep-sea creatures together, showing a sense of camaraderie and shared awe.
• The elder carrying a giant shell on his back confirms that the floating island secret realm is their destination, based on the coordinates left by the Gulan Fairies.

Chapter Summary: Deep Sea Darkness (Four)

Key Plot Points and Events

• After destroying nearby Primitive and Temple Civilizations, the Sky Fortress reactivates its energy shield and sinks beneath the sea, leaving a small group of human scholars behind.
• The Guardians divide into separate teams to search for weaknesses in the floating-island realm and determine how to destroy it before the full moon.
• Corleon proposes a more ambitious strategy than triggering geological disasters: infiltrating the enormous floating meteorite island and accelerating its fall into the Star Curtain World. Its impact could cause devastation on an unimaginable scale.
• Corleon leads Reilo, Alder, and Audrey upward through the atmosphere toward the floating island. As they rise, natural energy becomes increasingly scarce, while powerful hurricanes and energy blades damage their true bodies.
• Reilo’s Thunder Phoenix is forced to leave because it cannot survive the thin-energy environment. Reilo then activates his unusual, miniature Stone Giant-like Star Body True Body.
• Reilo’s recent progress is revealed: his Moon Essence has greatly increased, his Mental Power has reached an advanced level, and the Moon Mark required for the Dream Moon Technique has reappeared. However, he still needs roughly ten more grams of Star Body Essence to reach the next major threshold, motivating his research into fission Radiation Weapons.
• After a difficult ascent, Corleon uses black smoke to carry the weakened Reilo, Alder, and Audrey to the top of the floating island.
• Upon arrival, Corleon rests to recover, warning that releasing Law Power too freely could alert powerful creatures nearby and compromise the scholars’ greatest advantage.

Character Developments

• Corleon demonstrates his ruthless strategic thinking by proposing to weaponize the entire floating island as a falling meteorite rather than merely destroying it through conventional force. His confidence suggests he is willing to attempt extremely dangerous methods.
• Reilo is shown to have advanced significantly since earlier events. His increased Moon Essence and Mental Power bring him closer to the abilities associated with the Dream Moon Technique. His miniature Star Body reflects his specialized research into gravity and stellar structures, though it leaves others uncertain about his true nature.
• Reilo remains deeply focused on developing fission Radiation Weapons, since one successful explosion could provide the Star Body Essence he needs for his next evolution.
• Alder and Audrey are revealed to be powerful fusion-true-body scholars, but even they struggle against the high-altitude environment. Their curiosity and observational abilities remain prominent.
• The Flame Demon Roarer, though not present during the ascent, is established as a master of geological destruction whose abilities can trigger massive natural disasters, but whose effectiveness depends on finding suitable crustal weaknesses.

Significant Themes

• War and escalating destruction: Humanity’s military methods have become increasingly sophisticated, moving from direct annihilation toward manipulating geology, gravity, and entire celestial bodies.
• Scientific power versus natural limits: The scholars possess extraordinary technology and knowledge, yet thin energy, atmospheric violence, and environmental changes still impose severe constraints.
• Risk and ambition: Corleon’s plan reflects the growing scale of scholarly warfare, where victory may require turning a floating island into a planet-destroying weapon.
• Concealment as a strategic advantage: The scholars must avoid exposing their Law Power because doing so could alert equally powerful creatures. Secrecy allows them to exploit their control of Law without relying on Faith Power.
• Evolution through research: Reilo’s development illustrates how scholars transform themselves through dangerous experimentation, combining knowledge, magic materials, and specialized evolutionary paths.

Character Interactions

• The Flame Demon Roarer coordinates the Guardians’ division and instructs them to report discoveries, establishing the mission’s organized military structure.
• Corleon persuades Reilo, Alder, and Audrey to abandon the standard search-and-destruction strategy and accompany him toward the floating island.
• Alder becomes fascinated by Reilo’s unusually small true body and attempts to study it, but Reilo’s Moonlight Mental Power repels him.
• Reilo’s physical weakness during the ascent contrasts with his advanced mental and magical abilities. Corleon repeatedly assists the group by using black smoke to carry the exhausted scholars.
• Despite their different specialties, the four cooperate under extreme conditions, reaching the island together and preparing for the next stage of the destruction mission.

Key plot points and events

• Corleon’s companions keep his law-like aura from leaking out while he recovers on a vast desert floating island, which Audrey suspects may be a remnant of the Gulan Civilization.
• Audrey and Reilo search the desert with their animal companions. Audrey finds a sea-beast shell, suggesting female sea beasts reached the island; Reilo finds an ancient Aurora Golden Mask.
• After several days, the group discovers a buried, ruined Magic Eye Pyramid. Its Gulan Fairy inhabitants appear to have died in a brutal conflict, mostly by killing one another. The group also finds enormous female sea-beast corpses, but few signs they caused the deaths.
• They reach the pyramid’s energy hub. Reilo subdues its strange guardian, learning that the hub still has ample power.
• Inside, they meet a living Gulan Fairy known as the Moon Song Prayer. Reilo detects that the being’s mental power carries a contaminating influence.
• The Moon Song Prayer explains that the Gulan Fairies summoned the Dark Mother, a creature that escaped their control. Over centuries, she grew powerful enough to drag the floating island down from beyond the atmosphere. Her offspring and mental influence contributed to the Gulan Fairies’ destruction.

Character developments

• Audrey uses her trained bulldog Beck to search for ancient remains and approaches the mystery through physical evidence.
• Reilo displays a gentle manner alongside ruthless effectiveness: he handles the energy-hub guardian and recognizes the danger in the Prayer’s mental power.
• Corleon remains focused on the island’s potential, becoming excited when he learns the energy hub still functions.
• The Moon Song Prayer reveals himself as a survivor burdened by his civilization’s fatal mistake.

Significant themes

• The consequences of unchecked ambition: the Gulan Fairies’ attempt to summon power created the force that destroyed them.
• Ancient mysteries and unreliable evidence: relics and ruins offer clues, but the cause of the massacre remains only partly explained.
• Cosmic horror: the Dark Mother’s immense reach and contaminating mental influence make the threat feel far beyond ordinary understanding.

Character interactions

• The companions divide their search duties while Alder stays behind to protect Corleon; Reilo’s comic bargaining with Whitey lightens the expedition’s mood.
• Audrey and Reilo present their discoveries to Corleon and Alder, prompting speculation about the island’s history.
• The group questions the Moon Song Prayer, while Reilo’s warning shifts the encounter from exploration to immediate caution.

Key plot points and events

• Corleon asks whether the pyramid’s energy core remains intact. The Moon Song Prayer says it has spent millennia absorbing eternal moon ice flame, intended to power revenge against humanity. The Gulan Fairies’ plan failed because the creatures they created destroyed them.
• Reilo begins questioning the Prayer about the moon, the ancient cataclysm, and the source of the flame. Before he can get answers, the Prayer succumbs to the Dark Mother’s corruption and attacks.
• The Prayer strikes Audrey’s transformed body and hurls her into the pyramid wall. Alder and Reilo defend themselves with an explosive artifact and an energy shield; Reilo reinforces the shield with silver runes.
• The Prayer regenerates its severed arms and attacks with azure fire. It overwhelms Reilo’s Gulan sand flame, freezing and then turning the ground to sand. Reilo recognizes the attack as eternal moon ice flame, a power that can annihilate matter and effectively strip away the world’s material foundation.
• Audrey recovers and re-engages, focusing on keeping the monster occupied and studying its weaknesses rather than trying to kill it outright.
• Corleon watches without intervening, wary that revealing his power could alert other dangerous beings and expose the guardians’ presence. After studying the enemy, he tosses Alder a bag of salt and tells him to sprinkle it on the monster.

Character developments and interactions

• Reilo is driven by curiosity, but the Prayer’s attack forces him into a fight. His quick use of Mithril Dust Seal and improvised rune-work shows ingenuity; witnessing the flame’s true nature also deepens his understanding of Gulan power.
• Audrey demonstrates resilience and tactical discipline: she recovers from a heavy blow, then shifts to observation and distraction to help uncover the enemy’s weakness.
• Alder reacts quickly under pressure, using his wand and a powerful explosive artifact to protect himself and Reilo. He is baffled when Corleon’s suggested weapon turns out to be ordinary salt.
• Corleon remains detached for strategic reasons, but his careful observation suggests he has identified a practical vulnerability.
• The Moon Song Prayer reveals the Gulan Fairies’ revenge plan, then loses control to the Dark Mother’s influence. Its regenerating body and destructive flame make it a formidable opponent.

Significant themes

• Ancient ambition and unintended consequences: The Gulan Fairies’ revenge scheme failed because their own creations turned against them.
• The cost and danger of forbidden power: The eternal moon ice flame is not merely a weapon; it threatens the physical world itself.
• Knowledge through danger: Reilo and Audrey treat the battle as both a survival struggle and an opportunity to uncover lost history and unfamiliar biology.
• Restraint and strategy: Corleon’s refusal to intervene reflects the risks of exposing power, while the others rely on observation, improvisation, and teamwork.

Key plot points and events

• Corleon recognizes that the frenzied Gulan Fairy’s extraordinary speed and strength come from a thin energy layer powered by a greater, terrifying being—not from the creature itself.
• Reilo uses a bubble filled with salt, reinforced by Spirituality, to attack the Fairy. The salt causes its body to blister and decay, weakening it enough for Audrey to escape its Eternal Moon Ice Flame. Audrey’s lightning strikes the creature, killing it; its ice flame freezes and erases a wide area before becoming Gulan Sand Flame.
• Reilo asks Corleon for the Fairy’s azure eye, offering two Raven’s Bites in exchange. Corleon gives him the eye without taking the offer, but expresses interest in Reilo’s Radiation Weapon research.
• Reilo sees the eye as a key to investigating the moon’s fundamental power. His research has led him to suspect that the moon is more than a celestial body and that a formidable will is connected to it.
• Corleon decides to use the energy hub on the floating island to split the island apart. He sends Alder, Audrey, and Reilo away while he prepares to act.

Character developments

• Reilo shows tactical initiative by exploiting the Fairy’s vulnerability and warns Audrey when he senses the danger of its ice flame. His determination to study the moon’s power is reinforced by acquiring the eye.
• Corleon remains obsessed with specimens, but shows unusual trust and respect toward Reilo, recognizing the value of his research.
• Audrey survives a dangerous fight but is forced to confront how powerful the Fairy was—even while weakened.
• Alder and Audrey are surprised by Reilo’s request, revealing their expectation that Corleon would never willingly part with such a rare specimen.

Significant themes

• Scientific inquiry and exploitation: Knowledge of a creature’s biology becomes a weapon, while rare remains are valued as research material.
• Power and hidden forces: The Fairy’s borrowed energy, the moon’s suspected will, and the energy hub all suggest that greater powers underlie visible events.
• Risk and ambition: Reilo pursues dangerous research, while Corleon plans to unleash the island’s stored energy to achieve his goal.

Character interactions

• Reilo’s salt attack and warning help Audrey survive the Fairy’s assault.
• Reilo negotiates with Corleon for the eye, but Corleon gives it freely and instead asks to see the results of Reilo’s Radiation Weapon work.
• Corleon’s sudden dismissal of the others leaves Alder, Audrey, and Reilo astonished as he turns his attention to the energy hub.

Key plot points and events

• On the Sky Fortress, Grand Guardian A questions Reilo, Alder, and Audrey about Grand Guardian K’s plan to destroy the Haiqi civilization. The earlier idea—using a weak point in the seabed to trigger a small earthquake—seems too limited to cause serious damage.
• Audrey says K has found another method but ordered them to keep it secret. A is frustrated: she commands a large assault force of sixteen Grand Guardians, including eight true gods, and is preparing to eliminate the civilization’s god-level beings.
• A scholar reports that female Haiqi rely on male Haiqi to reproduce and strengthen their mental power. If they can no longer reproduce, their immense mental power will collapse. This dependence could make the female Haiqi vulnerable.
• That night, the Guardians observe the Haiqi’s mass mating migration. Countless male Haiqi crawl onto islands, while huge female Haiqi ride gigantic sea creatures ashore and absorb the males’ mental threads. Hundreds of these enormous hosts arrive, demonstrating the scale and strangeness of the civilization.

Character developments and interactions

• Grand Guardian A is a formidable commander but also respects life and silently mourns civilizations she has destroyed. Her compassion does not soften her resolve to carry out the invasion. She is irritated by K’s secrecy and by scholars’ long-winded explanations.
• K (Corleon) remains absent, having found a new destruction plan that he has not disclosed to the others.
• Audrey, Reilo, and Alder report K’s decision, with Audrey revealing that the method is being kept secret.
• The scholar provides a crucial biological insight: female Haiqi depend on male Haiqi for both reproduction and the maintenance of their mental power.
• The Guardians and Dark Web leaders watch the Haiqi gathering with a mixture of disgust, awe, and apprehension, recognizing that the ocean conceals creatures of immense size and power.

Significant themes

• The cost of conquest: A acknowledges the lives lost in past campaigns, but mourning coexists with continued destruction.
• Alien forms of civilization: The Haiqi’s society is built not on temples or faith, but on reproduction and the exchange of mental power.
• The ocean’s hidden vastness: The arrival of colossal sea creatures reminds the observers that the deep sea contains life beyond their experience.
• Beauty and horror in nature: The mass gathering is simultaneously a grotesque spectacle and an impressive display of biological evolution.

Key Plot Points and Events

• The chapter introduces Flame Demon Roarer, a top royal academician from the Xilan Duchy, who possesses immense personal strength and has dedicated his life to studying natural laws.
• Roarer is located deep underground in a dormant volcano, preparing to activate the kinetic energy law of continental plates using a Vein Stone.
• He intends to trigger a natural disaster by harmonizing with the law's fluctuations, temporarily enhancing the quality of his law power and elevating himself to the level of a mid-tier demigod.

Character Developments

• Flame Demon Roarer is portrayed as a ruthless, powerful scholar who seeks to harness the destructive power of natural laws for his own gain.
• His dedication to research and understanding of natural laws has led him to the brink of becoming a demigod.

Significant Themes

• The pursuit of power and knowledge, and the consequences of unchecked ambition.
• The interconnectedness of life and destruction in the natural world.
• The struggle for dominance and control among various factions and civilizations.

Character Interactions

• Although there are no direct interactions in this chapter, the presence of other scholars and civilizations is implied, setting the stage for potential conflicts and alliances.

Key plot points and events

• The Eclipse Queen, a long-lived and intelligent female sea qi, reflects on the sea qi’s life cycle and the queens’ ancient campaign against the “evil” floating island. The Dark Mother has been asleep for centuries, and the Queen fears she will die before becoming a Divine Mother.
• A massive eruption devastates the islands, killing countless sea qi. A magma colossus emerges, and the Eclipse Queen attacks it with her giant red shrimp. The creature destroys them both with a vast fireball.
• The eruption is revealed as a deliberate demonstration of power by the Flame Demon Roarer of Xilan Duchy.
• A metal fortress rises from the seabed. Dark Web forces witness the destruction, then launch their assault under Great Guardian A.
• M assigns Reilo, Alder, and Audrey to approach from the edge of the battlefield. Their route is less likely to meet the main enemy force—but also has little support if danger finds them.
• The invading Starveil Land forces vastly outnumber the sea-domain civilization and expect to overwhelm it, unless something unexpected intervenes.

Character developments and interactions

• The Eclipse Queen’s confidence and curiosity give way to fear as disaster strikes; she nevertheless confronts the magma giant to protect her people.
• Audrey is stunned by the scale of the scholar’s engineered eruption. Alder recognizes the feat as an application of Natural Law: using a small force to unleash nature’s immense destructive power.
• Great Guardian A leads the assault, while M exercises command by directing Reilo, Alder, and Audrey to a separate, riskier approach.
• The three accept M’s order without hesitation and proceed together.

Significant themes

• Power and nature: The eruption demonstrates how learned power can trigger destruction on a natural scale.
• Mortality and legacy: The sea qi’s short-lived males serve reproduction, while queens fear failing to attain the next stage of existence.
• Civilizational conflict: The sea qi regard the floating island as an ancient evil, while Starveil Land now invades their homeland, underscoring the opposing sides’ different views of the conflict.
• Unequal risk and command: The main force advances with overwhelming strength, while smaller teams are sent to exposed fronts where they may have to face danger alone.

Key plot points

• The Dark Web’s guardian forces advance through the Gem Sea Islands, battling vast numbers of male Haiqi. The Lava Giant, X, leads a group of Extraordinary Scholars in clearing swarms of the creatures.
• Reilo, Alder, and Audrey head toward a remote area to hunt Haiqi queens, leaving most ordinary male Haiqi alone because they are so numerous.
• Alder recounts a previous guardian war, in which Dark Web members spent two years destroying the temples and communities that sustained an enemy’s divine power.
• The trio finds a Haiqi queen controlling both a giant crab and a Dark Web warrior. The warrior is attacking his companion, an archer who refuses to abandon him.
• Reilo argues they should try to save the warrior, both to help their ally and to study the queen’s unusual mind control. The group plans an attack: Reilo and his Thunder Phoenix will occupy the controlled warrior while the others target the queen.
• The Thunder Phoenix gains the advantage over the warrior, whose strength is limited by the queen’s control. Reilo considers using Harmless Suggestion as the fight continues.

Character developments and interactions

• Reilo shows tactical caution and curiosity, persuading the others that rescuing the controlled warrior may be possible and valuable. He relies on the Thunder Phoenix to fight while he looks for another way to help.
• Alder shares hard-won historical context and recognizes that Reilo’s unusual Mental Power may make him less vulnerable to the queen’s control.
• Audrey voices the practical danger of attacking the queen while the powerful warrior and crab protect her.
• The archer demonstrates loyalty by risking her life rather than harming or abandoning her companion.
• The controlled warrior remains dangerous despite struggling against the queen’s influence; the team must fight him without killing him.

Significant themes

• Loyalty versus necessity: The archer’s devotion complicates the battle, while the group must weigh saving the warrior against the risk he poses.
• Power and control: The queen’s Mental Power turns an ally into an enemy, and the limits of that control create an opening for resistance.
• The cost of war: Alder’s account underscores the prolonged brutality required to defeat enemies sustained by faith, while the present battle is likewise shaped by overwhelming numbers.

Key plot points and events

• Audrey transforms into a Butterfly-Winged Leopard and attacks the Sea Qi Queen, who is riding and controlling a massive deep-sea emperor crab. Audrey’s claws barely dent the crab’s armored body, and she has to evade its devastating counterattack.
• The crab catches Alder’s Rainbow Fish Elemental True Body and tears off its tail, leaving Alder badly exposed. He abandons the damaged form and unleashes his Particle Thunderstorm Technique, a finely controlled attack that cuts through one of the crab’s claws and strikes the Queen.
• The Sea Qi Queen shields herself with Mental Power, but a female archer—mounted on a Two-Horned Dragon Eagle—hits her with a specialized double-arrow attack that pierces the defense and wounds her.
• The Queen retaliates with a powerful Mental Power spike, bringing down the archer’s Dragon Eagle. The archer survives, but loses her mount.
• Audrey calls for the group to focus on the crab first. Despite the heavy casualties caused by the battle’s shockwaves, the attackers continue their assault, steadily covering the crab with wounds.

Character developments and interactions

• Audrey shows resolve and tactical judgment: after finding her own attacks ineffective, she directs everyone to concentrate on defeating the crab.
• Alder adapts quickly after his strongest defensive form is crippled. His Particle Thunderstorm Technique reveals exceptional precision and scientific ingenuity, though its power leaves him vulnerable if the crab lands another hit.
• The archer demonstrates the results of hard training through her powerful, carefully timed arrow technique. Her Dragon Eagle is lost to the Queen’s retaliation.
• The Sea Qi Queen is confident and ruthless, treating the surrounding Sea Qi as expendable. Unfamiliar with her opponents, she tries to understand Alder by comparing his elemental form to a host like her own.
• Audrey, Alder, and the archer coordinate their attacks against the Queen’s mount, shifting from individual strikes to a shared strategy.

Significant themes

• Adaptation and survival: Deep-sea creatures rely on overwhelming physical strength and armor, while the attackers counter with specialized abilities and tactical cooperation.
• Ingenuity versus brute force: Alder’s intricate technique and the archer’s practiced attack can injure foes that ordinary attacks cannot overcome.
• The cost of battle: The combat endangers even bystanders and causes severe losses, including the Dragon Eagle’s fall.
• Unusual forms of control: The Queen’s parasitic control of the crab is mirrored, in her eyes, by Alder’s command of his elemental form.