Chapter Summaries

Vazhatas led the Ghost Dreadnought to the Vortex Sea Eye, expecting to capture Dio, but discovered that the apparent human survivors were part of a trap. Kolorios erupted from the sea and threatened the Snakefolk as the chapter ended.

• Vazhatas dismissed concerns that the humans could spot his force and explained that informants had revealed their plans.
• The Ghost Dreadnought reached the Vortex Sea Eye, where Vazhatas ordered its cannons to fire on an assault boat and then led Snakefolk guards to capture the survivors.
• Vazhatas's guards hauled aboard the corpse of Letu, a Snakefolk who had vanished from Pandaer Base, and Vazhatas realized they had been tricked.
• Kolorios burst from the Vortex Sea Eye and roared that the Snakefolk had entered his domain and harmed his minions.

The White Phoenix Team boarded the Ghost Dreadnought while the elemental lord Kolorios fought Vazhatas in the boiling sea. After defeating the guards in their path, the team pushed toward the ship’s control room, where Geshwen and the Snakefolk commander prepared to repel them.

• Bai Xiaowen had a Skeleton Sword-and-Shield Soldier throw Kolorios’s core into the Vortex Sea Eye, summoning Kolorios and forcing Vazhatas to fight him in the boiling water.
• The White Phoenix Team rode the White Eagles to the Ghost Dreadnought and leaped aboard as its Snakefolk crew argued over whether to rescue Vazhatas or fire the cannons.
• Bai Xiaowen summoned Butcher, whose Rotting Poison Mist slowed the charging guards while the team fought its way across the deck.
• Bai Xiaowen ordered the team to find whoever commanded the ship and take control of the control room.
• Geshwen and the Snakefolk guard commander ended their argument and led a large force toward the intruders as the Ghost Dreadnought edged toward the Vortex Sea Eye.

The White Phoenix Team fought through Snakefolk forces as the Ghost Ship drifted toward the Vortex Sea Eye, and Bai Xiaowen identified the dangerous archer Geshwen and the bruiser Staze. After Staze trapped Rageclaw and Geshwen wounded Bai Xiaowen with a Critical Hit, Bai Xiaowen leaped toward Geshwen to stop her attacks.

• Qiao Rui warned that the Ghost Ship was heading toward the Vortex Sea Eye, and Bai Xiaowen urged the team to seize the Ghost Dreadnought quickly.
• Geshwen and Staze led the Snakefolk charge, and Bai Xiaowen used Insight to assess Geshwen as a level-ten Boss Tier archer.
• Staze caught Rageclaw with his chain and struck at him, but Han Xu blocked the blow while the Bone Warlock interrupted Staze’s follow-up attack.
• Geshwen fired Critical Hit arrows at Bai Xiaowen while Staze and the Snakefolk guards kept the White Phoenix Team occupied.
• Bai Xiaowen activated Swooping Flight and leaped across the battlefield toward Geshwen as she raised her bow to shoot him.

Bai Xiaowen’s team killed Geshwen and overwhelmed Staze’s guards, but Staze drove the Ghost Dreadnought toward the Vortex Sea Eye. Kolorios pulled the ship deeper into the vortex as Vazhatas escaped, leaving Bai Xiaowen’s team facing the dreadnought’s imminent destruction.

• Bai Xiaowen used Intimidation and a powerful martial-arts combo to nearly kill Geshwen, and Cecilia finished him with a Killing Shot Arrow as Qiao Rui and the Bone Warlock helped.
• Bai Xiaowen sent Li Shuyi, Cecilia, and Qiao Rui to seize the captain’s cabin while he and Han Xu fought Staze and the snakefolk guards.
• Bai Xiaowen’s Vengeful Spirit overcame Staze, but Staze refused to surrender and ordered the Ghost Dreadnought to charge toward the Vortex Sea Eye.
• The two Ghost Ships arrived as the Ghost Dreadnought entered the vortex, and Kolorios dragged it deeper into the sea eye.
• Vazhatas escaped the battle and swam toward the open sea while Staze laughed that the humans would go down with him.

Bai Xiaowen’s team seized the Ghost Dreadnought and fought to escape the Vortex Sea Eye while Kolorios tried to drag them back. Bai Xiaowen used the ship’s Magic Crystal Cannons to wound Kolorios and clear the way toward open sea.

• Bai Xiaowen and his teammates killed Staze and the remaining Snakefolk, while Qiao Rui steered the Ghost Dreadnought away from the whirlpool.
• Kolorios raised massive waves to pull the Ghost Dreadnought back toward the Vortex Sea Eye, and Bai Xiaowen ordered Qiao Rui to turn left.
• Bai Xiaowen reached the gun deck, fought the Snakefolk Gunners with his summoned creatures, and discovered he could power the Magic Crystal Cannons with Psionic Points.
• Bai Xiaowen adjusted the cannons and landed several shots on Kolorios, dealing about a third of his remaining Life Value.
• Kolorios plunged beneath the sea to heal, and Bai Xiaowen urged the Ghost Dreadnought onward.

After taking control of the Ghost Dreadnought, Bai Xiaowen explained why the team had let the Steam Elemental Lord Kolorios escape and prioritized hunting the wounded Snakefolk Lord Vazhatas. The Spirit Realm Rules then activated an S-Tier Scavenger mission offering a Wish Tree Fruit, which Bai Xiaowen examined before deciding whether to accept.

• Bai Xiaowen explained that killing Kolorios with the Magic Crystal Cannon would cost too many Psionic Points, yield limited rewards, and distract the team from pursuing Vazhatas.
• The Ghost Dreadnought led two captured Ghost Ships out of the Scorchflow Steam Sea, with the ships serving as a backup escape plan.
• The White Phoenix Team killed the last resisting Elite Snakefolk aboard the Yikeqiha and gained actual control of the Ghost Flagship.
• The Spirit Realm Rules activated the S-Tier Scavenger mission to destroy all Magic Crystal Cannons, kill Lucien, Glop, and Asmont, and destroy Amotava’s Consciousness Linker.
• Bai Xiaowen learned that the mission reward was a Wish Tree Fruit that could fulfill one limited wish, then continued examining its restrictions before accepting the mission.

The White Phoenix Team accepted a Scavenger quest to eliminate threats that did not belong in the Black Tide Plane and planned to continue hunting Vazhatas. While reviewing their spoils, they found an Abyssal Huntsman Garb suited to Cecilia.

• Bai Xiaowen accepted the Scavenger quest after the team concluded that the Spirit Realm Rules wanted them to oppose the Grand Overlord and destroy foreign technology.
• Bai Xiaowen and Qiao Rui planned to search for the wounded Vazhatas near the Scorching Current Sea while keeping the Yikeqiha’s Magic Crystal Cannons intact for the war.
• The White Phoenix Team reviewed their battle gains, including Rageclaw’s Strength increase and several treasure chests.
• Bai Xiaowen drew a five-star Enhancement Card from Geshwen’s Golden Treasure Chest, and Li Shuyi drew the Abyssal Huntsman Garb.
• Bai Xiaowen decided the Agility-focused armor would suit Cecilia better than Li Shuyi, who already had the Silverflow Robe.

Cecilia and Han Xu drew two Gold Equipment pieces, and Bai Xiaowen assigned the new ring to himself and the anchor chain to Han Xu. After searching the waters near Scorchflow Sea Eye, Bai Xiaowen learned that Yi-Yi had found Vazhatas, the lord of the Deep Sea.

• Cecilia drew the Gorgon Ring, and the team agreed that Bai Xiaowen should equip it.
• Han Xu drew the unbound Waist-Wrapped Anchor Chain, and Bai Xiaowen gave it to him.
• Bai Xiaowen planned a combination for Han Xu using Anchor Toss and Crushing Blow.
• Bai Xiaowen sent the Ghost Ships and his summons to search the waters near Scorchflow Sea Eye for Vazhatas.
• Yi-Yi spotted Vazhatas, the lord of the Deep Sea.

Bai Xiaowen and the White Phoenix Team confronted the recovering Vazhatas on an island and began fighting him. Vazhatas’s powerful defenses and evasive movement challenged the team, while Bai Xiaowen held Han Xu back until they could learn more about the warlord’s abilities.

• Vazhatas watched a White Eagle circling above the island before spotting his flagship and the approaching assault boats.
• Bai Xiaowen and his four companions came ashore, and he used Insight to assess Vazhatas’s injuries, attributes, and skills.
• Vazhatas declared that he was invincible at sea and charged Bai Xiaowen after Bai said the Prophecy Tablet had foretold his death.
• Qiao Rui weakened Vazhatas with Soul Melody while Delifa used Soul Drain, but Vazhatas dodged Bai Xiaowen’s and Cecilia’s ranged attacks with Serpentine Movement.
• Bai Xiaowen slowed Vazhatas briefly with Frost Shard, then summoned Butcher into his path while keeping Han Xu out of melee range.

The White Phoenix Team fought Vazhatas as Bai Xiaowen used Butcher and summoned skeletons to protect the team’s attackers from the boss’s devastating halberd. Vazhatas kept targeting Qiao Rui, but Bai Xiaowen’s summoned soldiers repeatedly took the main blows, leaving the battle ongoing.

• Butcher parried Vazhatas’s opening halberd strike, while the White Phoenix Team’s ranged attacks chipped away at Vazhatas’s health.
• Vazhatas charged at Bai Xiaowen with Formation-Breaking Thrust, but Butcher pulled Bai Xiaowen out of the attack’s path with his Meat Hook.
• Vazhatas struck Qiao Rui, dropping her Life Value by thirty to forty percent and fracturing one of her shoulders, then killed a Skeleton Champion that tried to block his next blow.
• Li Shuyi attacked Vazhatas from behind as he continued targeting Qiao Rui, who stood her ground and kept playing the Soul Flute at Bai Xiaowen’s command.
• Bai Xiaowen repeatedly summoned Skeleton Sword-and-Shield Soldiers to take Vazhatas’s primary halberd strikes in Qiao Rui’s place, and Vazhatas realized something was wrong after four such attacks.

The White Phoenix Team drove Vazhatas below half health through coordinated attacks and Qiao Rui’s weakening effect. Vazhatas entered a berserk second phase that ignored most negative effects, and Bai Xiaowen ordered the others to hold back as he walked toward the Snakefolk lord alone.

• Bai Xiaowen used Tether to pull Qiao Rui out of the path of Vazhatas’s Sea-Splitting Heavy Strike, and she renewed Soul Melody despite her fractured arm.
• Bai Xiaowen, Li Shuyi, Rageclaw, and the rest of the team weakened and attacked Vazhatas while Han Xu protected Rageclaw from the halberd.
• Qiao Rui healed Han Xu when his health fell dangerously low, allowing the team to continue attacking until Vazhatas’s Life Value dropped below one thousand.
• Vazhatas drove his halberd into the ground at half health, entered Berserk, and gained the Bloodied Twin Blades skill, which could restore his health when he killed enemies.
• Bai Xiaowen ordered the team to stop attacking and walked toward Vazhatas, who threatened to kill him.

Bai Xiaowen endured Vazhatas's overwhelming attacks to raise his strength through Agony Potential, then used Symbiosis to empower Rageclaw. The Awakening Skill quest advanced to a new step requiring Rageclaw to deal at least 40% of the damage in a Lord Tier kill, and Bai Xiaowen turned his attention to Vazhatas.

• Bai Xiaowen blocked Vazhatas's halberd attacks with his bone shield, taking heavy recoil damage until the shield shattered.
• Vazhatas struck Bai Xiaowen into a sea rock, but Bai Xiaowen emerged without being crippled because the damage had raised his strength beyond the shattering effect's threshold.
• Bai Xiaowen seized Vazhatas's wrists and revealed that his strength had risen to nearly 150, while Life Sharing with the Butcher helped him survive Vazhatas's attacks.
• Bai Xiaowen used Symbiosis to raise Rageclaw's strength above 100, completing the first step of his A+ Tier Awakening Skill quest.
• The Spirit Realm Rules opened the quest's second step, requiring Rageclaw to deal at least 40% of the damage in a Lord Tier kill, and Bai Xiaowen eyed Vazhatas.

Bai Xiaowen and Rageclaw killed Vazhatas while meeting the second Awakening Skill quest requirement. Rageclaw dealt 42.33% of the damage, completing Step II and unlocking Step III.

• Bai Xiaowen changed his plan after the quest required Rageclaw to deal at least 40% of the damage to Vazhatas.
• Vazhatas broke free and knocked Rageclaw back, but an invisible thief stole his halberds while Butcher and Bai Xiaowen pinned him down.
• Rageclaw activated Blood Frenzy and dealt repeated critical hits as Vazhatas struggled to fight Bai Xiaowen and Butcher.
• Bai Xiaowen released Vazhatas when his Life Value was low and killed him with a Blood Rage punch.
• Bai Xiaowen checked the quest notification and learned that Rageclaw dealt 42.33% of the damage, completing Step II and unlocking Step III.

Bai Xiaowen explained the final stage of his Awakening Skill quest and its conditions to the White Phoenix Team before they opened Vazhatas’s Dark Gold Chest. The first draw revealed Seastone Spire, an exceptional Dark Gold polearm, and Qiao Rui began the next draw.

• Bai Xiaowen explained that completing one of three objectives in the Elf, Dwarf, or Orc kingdoms would finish step III of his Awakening Skill quest, while failing or losing an objective would affect future explorations.
• Bai Xiaowen outlined his theory that the quest progressed from training to combat and then generated a plane-specific final objective.
• The White Phoenix Team opened Vazhatas’s Dark Gold Chest and found his head, which could be turned in to a Guardian Faction leader for Merit Points and reputation.
• Bai Xiaowen drew Seastone Spire, a bind-on-equip Dark Gold polearm with a powerful passive area attack.
• Qiao Rui selected another Dark Gold card, which flashed with green light.

After opening Vazhatas's chest, the White Phoenix Team obtained a Deep Sea King set component and Eden's Horn, then Bai Xiaowen decided to meet the Human Allied Forces' leaders. At a military conference in Chakaluo Port, Ahan introduced Bai Xiaowen as someone who could help defeat the Snakefolk, and Bai Xiaowen identified himself as Dio Skalboom.

• Li Shuyi drew the Deep Sea King's Pendant, and Cecilia drew the Golden-Tier item Eden's Horn from the chest.
• Bai Xiaowen praised the team's haul and said its improved strength would let it challenge more lords.
• Qiao Rui asked which demihuman kingdom Bai Xiaowen would approach for his Awakening Skill III mission, and he chose to meet the Human Allied Forces' leaders first.
• At the military conference in Chakaluo Port, Felix Friedheim, Ponga Graybeard, and Dorothea Goldenleaf criticized Ahan's failed plan to ambush the Snakefolk at Axon Island.
• Ahan had Catherine bring Bai Xiaowen into the meeting and described him as key to defeating the Snakefolk and saving the continent.
• Bai Xiaowen introduced himself to the assembled officers as Dio Skalboom and said he had a way to deal with the Snakefolk.

Bai Xiaowen proved his identity as the Prophet by presenting Vazhatas’s head, then learned that his new mission required uniting the continent’s kingdoms against the Abyss Faction. The alliance effort immediately faced resistance over old rivalries, leaving Bai Xiaowen to overcome deep divisions.

• Bai Xiaowen silenced doubts about his identity by revealing the head of Vazhatas, the Snakefolk commander, and the allied representatives recognized it.
• Bai Xiaowen submitted the Return of the Prophet mission, earned 7,000 Merit Points, and received the True Alliance mission to unite all seven kingdoms within thirteen days and eight hours.
• Bai Xiaowen told the representatives that they needed to gather the Seven Sacred Artifacts and unite their forces against the rising tides.
• Dorothea Goldenleaf refused to open Xisidir’s borders to the Orcs, while Ponga Graybeard declared that the Graybeard, Copperbeard, and Blackhammer families would not deal with Calchino’s merchants.

Bai Xiaowen persuaded the nations’ representatives to focus on clearing the Snakefolk from the Bonus Waters, then arranged to borrow Camelot’s mages to operate Vazhatas’s captured Ghost Dreadnought. As Catherine volunteered to join him, he grew wary of a possible Snakefolk traitor at Chakaluo Port and refused her and the archmages.

• Bai Xiaowen set aside his rejected alliance proposal and urged the representatives to clear the leaderless Snakefolk from the Bonus Waters and search for Balgra’s Retribution.
• Catherine said Camelot had sent twenty-three mages, including eight archmages, and offered them to operate the captured Ghost Dreadnought’s Magic Crystal Cannons.
• Ahan approved assigning Camelot’s mage corps to Bai Xiaowen, and Catherine eagerly volunteered to go aboard as his adjutant.
• Bai Xiaowen considered the possibility of a Snakefolk sympathizer at Chakaluo Port and said Catherine and the other archmages need not come because ordinary mages could operate the cannons.

Bai Xiaowen prepared the allied forces to attack the Snakefolk bases while secretly planning to lure the Snakefolk into fighting on the sea’s surface. He asked Ahan to help with his plan, pointing to the Ghost Dreadnought as bait.

• Bai Xiaowen asked Catherine and the other archmages to learn a basic frost spell within two days, then outlined preparations to destroy the Snakefolk nests in the Bonus Waters.
• Bai Xiaowen drilled the Kingdom of Camelot’s mage corps in using the Ghost Dreadnought’s Magic Crystal Cannons on an uninhabited island near Chakaluo Port.
• Bai Xiaowen explained to Qiao Rui that Spirit Realm characters could fire the cannons without spending Psionic Points, but their reload time was much longer.
• Bai Xiaowen met Ahan at sea and explained that he had suspected a Snakefolk sympathizer in Chakaluo Port based on earlier humans who had willingly joined the Abyss.
• Bai Xiaowen told Ahan that his true plan was to make the Snakefolk abandon their deep-sea advantage and fight on the surface, using the Ghost Dreadnought as bait.

Bai Xiaowen used a predicted Snakefolk attack to prepare the Ghost Dreadnought and its crew for battle, while the allied fleet continued its exercises near Chakaluo Port. The chapter ended with Yi-Yi arriving over Ahan’s command platform as the fleet trained.

• Bai Xiaowen explained to Ahan that the Snakefolk would be tempted to seize the Ghost Dreadnought rather than lose their undersea bases in the Bonus Waters.
• Bai Xiaowen and Qiao Rui scouted around the Ghost Dreadnought while the Camelot mages rested after practicing with the Magic Crystal Cannons.
• The Doom Bracelet showed Bai Xiaowen a vision of Snakefolk Ghost Ships and assault boats attacking at dusk, so he ordered everyone to prepare for battle.
• Li Shuyi understood Bai Xiaowen’s metaphor and identified the evening as the likely time of the attack.
• Bai Xiaowen sent Yi-Yi toward the waters south of Chakaluo Port, where Ahan and the allied fleet were conducting combat exercises.
• Yi-Yi arrived above Ahan’s command platform as Ahan looked up at the sky.

Ahan led the allied fleets east under Yi-Yi’s guidance, insisting the long-distance march was a military exercise despite the other nations’ objections. When Yi-Yi signaled the moment had come, Ahan revealed that a real naval battle was beginning, while Bai Xiaowen’s ship fought Ghost Ships and awaited reinforcements.

• Yi-Yi flew ahead, and Ahan ordered the allied fleets to suspend underwater combat training and follow his flagship east.
• The nations’ leaders objected, but Ahan threatened to send back any fleet that refused, so they followed him.
• Ahan halted the fleet for hours as Yi-Yi circled and glided, while the leaders waited without explanation.
• Yi-Yi cried out and flew east, prompting Ahan to order the fleets to prepare for naval combat and announce that it was not an exercise.
• Ghost Ships and Snakefolk assault boats attacked the Ghost Dreadnought, where Bai Xiaowen ordered the mages to fire the Magic Crystal Cannons at the Ghost Ships.