Chapter Summaries

Colin questioned a Descender about the Survivors and the All-Knowing Eye’s plans, then learned that he was expected to confront the Charred-Faced Holy Mother. The Descender offered to restore Colin’s strength and showed him a torn fragment of the Source of Light as an advance payment.

• Colin killed the first Descender and summoned another from his shadow, then demanded to know where his people were.
• The Descender said Colin had been contacted by the Enlightener and explained that the All-Knowing Eye wanted the Charred-Faced Holy Mother dealt with.
• Colin realized the Descender expected him to confront the Holy Mother because something hidden behind it mattered to the Descender and others.
• The Descender told Colin that more than ten thousand Survivors were trapped there and offered assistance to restore Colin’s strength.
• The Descender promised to answer three of Colin’s questions if he defeated the Holy Mother, then revealed a fragment of the Source of Light as an advance payment.

Colin confronted the Descender who had brought Black Night to the Survivors, while the man defended his actions and urged Colin to cooperate. The Descender offered rewards for Colin to defeat the Charred-Faced Holy Mother, leaving Colin wary of the dangerous secret behind the mission.

• Colin recognized the Descender as the one who had drawn Black Night to the Survivors and accused him of causing their disastrous battle.
• The Descender claimed that his actions had spared the Survivors from an even worse fate and had delayed the Countdown of the Land of Sin.
• Colin challenged the Descender’s claim that implanting Black Water in his mind had helped him, but the man insisted it had protected Colin from another threat.
• The Descender offered Colin three questions, a fragment of the Source of Light, a chance to rescue Survivors, and coordinates to a system component in exchange for his cooperation.
• Colin asked what the Descender would do if he refused, while the man explained that Colin only needed to defeat the Charred-Faced Holy Mother as others handled the rest.

The Descender told Colin that an Enlightener’s descent required a wonder, resistance among the oppressed, and a war, revealing that the million-strong army and the Holy Chrism Army were being used as sacrifices. Colin ordered Barton and the others to flee the Coastal Defense Line and was left weighing the Descender’s offer and hidden intentions.

• The Descender explained the three conditions for an Enlightener to descend and said a large-scale war around a wonder was still needed.
• Colin realized the million-strong army and the Holy Chrism Army were meant to become sacrifices for the Enlightener.
• Colin sent Barton and the others an urgent order to escape the Coastal Defense Line.
• The Descender offered to help save the Survivors if Colin agreed to act, while warning that the right time had not yet arrived.
• Colin dismissed the Descender without accepting or rejecting his offer, and the Descender glanced toward an empty spot before vanishing.

After a mysterious visitor vanished, Colin realized the Fallen Race and its gods were entangled in a hidden deal involving a million lives and a dangerous secret. Tempted by the promised Source of Light fragment and the chance to save Survivors, he weighed cooperation and considered consulting the system before deciding.

• Colin sealed away the information that flooded his mind and concluded that the gods behind the Fallen Race did not care about their followers.
• Colin suspected the Enlightener had brokered a secret deal that changed the Fallen Race's original mission to capture Survivors.
• Colin considered the promised Source of Light fragment, which could restore his body and help him pursue his own path, along with the chance to save tens of thousands of Survivors.
• Colin decided he needed to consult the system about the danger hidden in the Great Snow Mountain before making his choice.
• Shana came to check on Colin, and he reassured her that he would ask for her protection if he needed it.
• Colin kept his doubts about the system to himself and recognized that the Descender had unsettled him with a divide-and-conquer scheme.

Colin questioned whether the system could enforce promises made by powerful beings, then learned it could punish contract breaches by stripping authority. The system recommended that he participate in the Descender’s proposed event, while its inability to act against certain Unknown entities left Colin wondering about Black Night and the secret.

• Colin dismissed his suspicions about the system as a conspiracy by the Descender, while Shana sensed his confusion and agreed to protect him.
• The system announced that the World Channel and Trade Market would open, then initiated Colin’s Purifier mission and asked whether he had encountered anomalous individuals.
• Colin told Roger to reclaim Aberration flesh and blood from the Trade Market, exchange it with the Truth Shrine Order for Mist Points, and buy supplies in bulk.
• Colin told the system what had happened, and it recommended that he participate because the benefits would accelerate future actions.
• Colin asked how the system could enforce promises, and it revealed an Accountability Protocol that could compel contract breakers, even high-level lifeforms, to relinquish authority.
• The system said the protocol could not affect certain Unknown entities; Colin’s mention of Black Night was silenced, and he then asked whether the system knew the secret.

Colin questioned the system about the dangerous secret, the Special Talent incident, and abandoned buildings, then unsealed memories about a Descender whose honorific name suggested he wielded a rat swarm and caused turmoil. The system cut off Colin’s connection to the name and ended with a blood-red warning not to invoke it lightly.

• The system explained that knowing more about the secret lowered the chances of completing the mission, and Colin realized that his ignorance made him the best candidate.
• Colin asked why the Servant and Special Talent panels still refreshed while the system was dormant, but the system said he needed to learn the full circumstances behind the Special Talent incident.
• Colin asked the system to add a way to destroy buildings and reclaim them, and it promised to release an announcement about the function.
• The system said the Descender’s behavior matched observed data and asked Colin to unlock recently acquired memories for further analysis.
• Colin unsealed the memory and recited the Descender’s honorific name, identifying him as the Dominator of the Abyssal Rat Swarm and a likely source of chaos.
• The system cut off Colin’s emerging connection to the name and presented a blood-red warning against invoking it lightly.

Colin confirmed that his people were gathering safely and had Roger deliver more than 470,000 pieces of Aberration flesh to complete a mission. The submission earned him only 430,000 Mist Points, leaving him wondering where the rest had gone.

• Colin emerged from his inner world and asked Shana whether anything strange had happened, but the island had remained quiet.
• Colin contacted Barton and learned that roughly fifty thousand people were traveling to rendezvous with Li Hang's forces after escaping an interception.
• Colin contacted Roger and learned that more than 470,000 portions of Aberration flesh had been gathered for the mission.
• Cheng Jie delivered 476,491 pieces of Aberration flesh to the small Church in the Village of Miracles.
• The small Church absorbed the flesh, and Colin received 430,000 Mist Points, fewer than he expected.

Colin bought up Aberration flesh on the Trade Market and sent Roger more money, framing their profitable dealings as aid for struggling Survivors. He then checked the World and Chat Channels, where news of a friendly Fallen Race alliance surprised him and reminded him that such allies might complicate his plans to gain believers.

• Colin noticed a listing for cheap incomplete Aberration flesh with a plea for help and bought all ninety-nine portions.
• Colin sent the remaining money to Roger and told him to help poor Survivors, while Roger privately recognized the profits from their trading operation.
• Colin checked the World Channel and found that it now allowed ten messages, though he still had a red name and could post only once a day.
• Colin read a Chat Channel report that several hundred Gravekeepers had allied with Survivors and used evil spirits to repel hostile Fallen Race members.
• Colin considered that friendly Fallen Race members would be difficult for him to attack, which could prevent him from gaining believers.

Colin learned about the Gravekeepers, a comparatively peaceful Fallen Race, and noted that their sleeping god’s prophecy resembled one he had encountered before. After offering advice on approaching them with good food, he turned his attention to preparations and waited at the Floating Island’s edge for war.

• Colin read a Survivor’s account of the Gravekeepers, who kept to their territory, raised animals, and ate grilled food with chopsticks.
• Colin noticed that the Gravekeepers’ prophecy about the Stars resembled the apocalypse prophecy from the Floating Island, though he could not determine what the Stars meant.
• Colin used the Hint to learn about the Survivor’s question and advised others to approach the Gravekeepers with delicious grilled meat.
• Colin read reports that Aberration Flesh was being bought up to refine oil for explosives and considered the dangers of the deep sea.
• Colin stopped browsing the World Channel, went to the edge of the Floating Island, and waited while watching the Coastal Defense Line.

Colin prepared for the approaching war against the Charred-Faced Holy Mother, prioritizing the survival of his people as battle plans took shape. The System added a building-destruction feature and opened a shop selling construction materials, prompting Colin to suspect it was profiting from dismantled structures.

• Colin ordered more Wind Turbines and exoskeleton armor and told everyone to save people regardless of material cost.
• The System announced that Special Buildings could be destroyed and reverted to wooden cabins, with 70% of remaining construction materials returned.
• Colin discovered a Deregister option on the Floating Island and noted that destroying a building required a lengthy verification process.
• The System announced a Trade Market Shop selling Steel, Copper Blocks, Stone Blocks, and Rubber, and a Survivor beside Colin recognized the connection to the dismantling feature.

Colin realized the System’s public market intervention had lowered ore prices, then reviewed the updated Leaderboards before returning to his battle plans. Less than two hours later, the Holy Chrism Army arrived.

• Survivors cursed the System for skimming thirty percent from special-building sales, while Colin recognized that its intervention had also pushed down inflated ore prices.
• The System updated the Leaderboards, kept Colin first in battle power, construction, and resources, and replaced the Hunting Leaderboard with the Battle Power Leaderboard.
• Colin examined the rankings and learned that battle power accounted for a lord’s overall combat strength, while the Construction Leaderboard revealed details about other Survivors’ assets.
• Colin returned his attention to refining his battle plan, but a terrifying force erupted from the front less than two hours later.
• Colin looked up as the Holy Chrism Army arrived.

Colin watched the Holy Chrism Army battle the Fallen Races at the Coastal Defense Line and learned that the silver-armored Lord-level Aberrations grew stronger as they were killed. The Holy Chrism Army overwhelmed the Fallen Races, and the chapter ended with one soldier’s head smashed into the ground by a giant stone statue.

• Colin sensed the terror from the Coastal Defense Line and saw the Fallen Races and Children of Crimson react to it.
• Colin recognized four Lord-level Holy Chrism Army soldiers and realized that killing their ranks could make the survivors vastly stronger.
• The Fallen Races unleashed traps, spells, and other powerful attacks, but the Holy Chrism Army kept advancing and slaughtered tens of thousands with almost no losses.
• Colin observed that the Holy Chrism Army could resist mental attacks and poison, fight skillfully, cast spells, and use mysterious items.
• A giant stone statue hammered a Lord-level Holy Chrism Army soldier into the ground, crushing its head and helmet.

Colin watched the Holy Chrism Army slaughter the Fallen Race at the Coastal Defense Line, then witnessed the Fallen Race unleash lightning and blackstone tentacles against them. The Holy Chrism Army survived both attacks, and Colin was left thinking about the far more terrifying Charred-Faced Holy Mother he would soon face.

• A Holy Chrism Army soldier climbed a Giant and severed its head in less than a second.
• Colin watched the Holy Chrism Army cut through the Fallen Race and reach the Coastal Defense Line, leaving the first phase of the battle over.
• The Fallen Race unleashed a prolonged lightning barrage that broke the Holy Chrism Army into individual entities but did not kill them.
• The Fallen Race threw corpses from the walls, and blackstone tentacles emerged to attack the Holy Chrism Army.
• The Holy Chrism Army soldiers cut off their own heads, releasing pressure that destroyed the tentacles.
• Colin reflected on the Holy Chrism Army's resilience and stopped feeling amused when he remembered the Charred-Faced Holy Mother he would soon face.

As the Holy Chrism Army and the Fallen Race fought, Colin sensed the conditions for the Enlightener’s descent being met and absorbed a portion of the Source of Light. He ordered the Light Chasers to begin their battle plan, while Feng En’s territory struggled against the deadly cold and dwindling resources.

• The Holy Chrism Army breached the first wall, and the Fallen Race banished three Lord-level Aberrations to another world at great cost.
• Colin sensed the Fallen Race uniting in resistance and realized the Enlightener’s descent was near.
• The Coastal Defense Line fell still as the Enlightener’s arrival became imminent, and a sphere of light descended through a vortex.
• Colin crushed and absorbed the Source of Light, recovering from Depletion and gaining new knowledge about how to use it.
• Colin sent a sacred whisper to Shana and the other Light Chasers, ordering them to begin the battle plan.
• Feng En watched the cold damage his Level 4 Territory and feared that repeated repairs would exhaust their Mist Points.

Feng En and the other Survivors struggled to endure the unnatural cold and snowfall trapping them in the Level 4 Territory. Convinced they would soon die, Feng En prepared another attempt to escape, sensing that something was awakening.

• The Survivors huddled around bonfires and crowded into buildings to keep warm as strange snowflakes lowered their body temperatures.
• Feng En asked Feng Ke whether anyone had contacted Colin, but Feng Ke said they had not.
• Feng En recalled Colin’s help and the supplies recovered from nearby, but the snowfield’s dangers had left the Survivors trapped.
• Feng En ordered everyone to prepare for another attempt to break through, despite Feng Ke’s objection that the outside had grown more dangerous.
• Feng En told his brother and the other Survivors that something seemed to be awakening.

Feng En and Feng Ke prepared to leave the Great Snow Mountain, but Chen Xu urged them to climb to the summit and gather at the enormous church to face a Great Miracle-level monster. Feng En doubted the plan, though he learned that other Survivors believed defeating the monster was their only chance to escape the snowy lands.

• Feng Ke warned Feng En not to push himself while sensing the strange presence, and Feng En said they should prepare to break out.
• Feng En asked whether they could contact the Survivors who had gone downhill, but Feng Ke said they had received no reply.
• Feng En considered joining forces with the seven teams still in contact, which together numbered nearly ten thousand people.
• Chen Xu invited Feng En's group to climb to the church at the summit, claiming the mountain was the only place they could survive.
• Feng En found Regional Channel posts urging Survivors to gather at the summit and defeat a terrifying existence to escape the snowy wilderness.
• Feng En concluded that the summit's possible BOSS would be a Great Miracle-level monster and doubted anyone, even Colin, could defeat it.

Feng En learned that Colin’s Lamp Bearers and Light Chasers were leading survivors toward the Great Snow Mountain, so he agreed to join the climb. As he waited for the allied groups to arrive, someone claiming to be Lu Bai reached his territory, even though Chen Xu said the real Lu Bai was still on the way.

• Chen Xu told Feng En that a powerful force had appeared and was fighting its way toward the church at the mountain’s summit.
• Feng En learned the force belonged to Colin’s Lamp Bearers and included more than a dozen Light Chasers, and he decided that he and his people would join them on the mountain.
• Feng En, Chen Xu, and nearby groups agreed to gather at Feng En’s territory before taking the gentler route toward the summit.
• A vehicle arrived outside Feng En’s territory, and a Parchment message from Lu Bai said he had arrived.
• Chen Xu messaged Feng En that the real Lu Bai, along with Tang Songming and Shen Ya, was still half an hour away, leaving Feng En to wonder who had arrived.

Feng En’s group faced the arrival of Lu Bai’s convoy while a mysterious situation made it unclear whether the people outside were genuine or impostors. Feng En prepared the Survivors with lamps and protective items, then decided to question the arrivals directly.

• Feng En’s younger brother, Feng Ke, noticed his distress, and Feng En ordered everyone to stay within hurricane-lamp light and not open the door without his approval.
• Feng En showed the Parchment to the group and asked how they could determine whether the approaching Lu Bai was real.
• A Survivor suggested using mysterious items, so Feng En ordered them distributed for protection despite the risk of wasting them.
• Feng En warned that the situation might involve a Special Talent Curse and avoided contacting Chen Xu because he feared alerting either side.
• As the war chariots stopped outside the territory, Feng En decided to ask the arrivals directly who had a problem.

Feng En suspected that a curse had brought a duplicate Shen Ya to his gates, while messages from Lu Bai made the identities of both men uncertain. As Feng En tried to plan a response, Feng Ke alerted him to a major development on the Regional Channel.

• Feng En locked the territory gates and questioned Lu Bai, who asked why Feng En would not let him in.
• Feng En told Chen Xu that Shen Ya was outside his gates, and Chen Xu confirmed that Shen Ya was with his convoy.
• Feng En asked Chen Xu to check Shen Ya and have him send a message, but Lu Bai replied that he was with Chen Xu and had been tied up.
• Feng En considered that either man might be a copy, urged everyone to be careful, and told the people in the room to plan their response.
• Feng Ke interrupted Feng En and told him to check the Regional Channel because something huge had happened.

Feng En watched reports of strange, deadly disruptions spread through the Regional Channel and suspected they were meant to keep everyone from climbing the mountain. When Chen Xu’s messages suggested he had reached an apparently deserted version of Feng En’s territory, Feng En began doubting his identity, and a servant reported that people had suddenly disappeared.

• Feng En read reports of impersonators, vanished teams, and analysis and precognition items causing severe harm, then forwarded the information to Chen Xu and Lu Bai.
• Feng En suspected the chaos was intended to stop them from climbing the mountain, but the group could not confirm the cause or decide what to do.
• When Chen Xu failed to arrive at the agreed time, he told Feng En that he had reached a deserted territory matching Feng En’s and had entered its core building.
• Feng En grew suspicious that Chen Xu and the messages might be part of a deception, then heard a servant shout that people had suddenly disappeared.