Chapter Summaries

Xu Shi and Gu Yi investigated a suspected Heavenly Principle attack on the United Network, while Xu Shi considered confronting the attackers through the network himself. He and Gu Yi then visited the armory to inspect the new Xuanyuan mechs, where Gu Yi challenged Xia Wuyou to a match.

• Xu Shi ordered Gu Yi to trace the hackers behind the United Network sabotage and said he would act once they were found.
• Gu Yi objected to Xu Shi entering the network himself, but accepted his decision and agreed to investigate.
• Xu Shi invited Gu Yi to the armory to see the completed Xuanyuan mechs, and she eagerly went with him.
• Jiang Chengcheng showed Xu Shi and Gu Yi the mechs, including Gu Yi's custom rose-gold machine.
• Xia Wuyou arrived at the training grounds, and Gu Yi accepted her challenge to a match.

Gu Yi and Xia Wuyou tested their rival views on mechs and exoskeletons in a fierce sparring match, with Gu Yi piloting a heavily modified mech. As the fight continued, Xu Shi named her mech Bright Sight and asked Pan Feng to choose between mechs and Xia Wuyou’s exoskeletons.

• Xu Shi recalled how Gu Yi and Xia Wuyou’s disagreement over mechs and exoskeletons had led them to challenge each other to a match.
• Gu Yi charged Xia Wuyou in her pink mech and launched a barrage of Jiang Xiao Type II missiles, which Xia Wuyou stopped with her Gravity Domain.
• Pan Feng arrived, feared the women were fighting in earnest, and relaxed after Xu Shi explained that they were sparring.
• Gu Yi and Xia Wuyou fought to a stalemate as Gu Yi’s specially modified mech resisted the effects of Xia Wuyou’s domain.
• Xu Shi identified the mech’s thought-control system, named it Bright Sight, and discussed possible ability research with Jiang Chengcheng.
• Xu Shi asked Pan Feng whether she supported mechs or Xia Wuyou’s exoskeletons, and Pan Feng had not yet answered.

Xu Shi encouraged Pan Feng to trust her own judgment and recognize that strength was not tied to a particular weapon. After Gu Yi and Xia Wuyou fought to a draw, Pan Feng asked to study mech piloting, and Xia Wuyou agreed to teach her.

• Xu Shi questioned Pan Feng about whether she preferred exoskeletons or mechs, and she said that becoming stronger mattered more than the form her equipment took.
• Xu Shi praised Pan Feng’s answer and explained that true strength came from inner qualities and independent judgment, while Pan Feng realized he had hinted that her sister Pan Ling called her stupid.
• Pan Feng rushed to the training ground after Gu Yi and Xia Wuyou’s battle ended, and she helped bring the exhausted fighters out of the dust.
• Gu Yi and Xia Wuyou acknowledged that their fight had ended in a draw, while Xia Wuyou praised Gu Yi’s mech, Bright Sight, and Jiang Chengcheng offered to upgrade both it and Xia Wuyou’s Suwei suit.
• Xu Shi told Pan Feng that Xia Wuyou could pilot mechs, and Xia Wuyou agreed to give her extra lessons if she wanted to study mech piloting again.

Pan Ling reported that Mirror Lake County and Flowing Cloud Country had joined the alliance, and Xu Shi praised her work and authorized her to negotiate with A-class city-states. As the group teased Pan Ling and Pan Feng and Xia Wuyou talked about future children, an urgent message from Su Lin warned that the Qingyun Immortal Realm was in danger.

• Pan Ling told Xu Shi that Mirror Lake County and Flowing Cloud Country had joined the alliance, secured resources and trade opportunities, and agreed to watch for protagonists.
• Xu Shi explained the alliance's standards for admitting regions and praised Pan Ling, giving her authority to represent the alliance in future negotiations with A-class city-states.
• Pan Ling asked why everyone had been laughing, and Pan Feng confronted her for calling her an idiot before demanding that Pan Ling buy her dinner.
• Xia Wuyou asked Xu Shi whether their future children would take after him, and he joked with her about it.
• Gu Yi pointed out an urgent message on her Communication Bracelet: the Qingyun Immortal Realm was in danger and needed support.
• Xu Shi realized Su Lin had sent the warning from the Qingyun Immortal Realm and cursed as he understood that something had happened.

After Su Lin requested urgent support from Qingyun Immortal Realm, Xu Shi prepared to lead a fleet there while keeping Night Sin City guarded against a possible Heavenly Principle attack. He brought Xu Ying along as the fleet departed.

• Xu Shi reflected on Qingyun Immortal Realm's unusual cultivation systems and longevity, and recalled how he had persuaded its leaders to join the alliance as partners.
• Su Lin sent an urgent request for support, so Xu Shi ordered nearby combat teams to assist and arranged for a fleet to leave within an hour.
• Xu Shi assigned Gu Yi, Little Ling, and Jiang Chengcheng to oversee Night Sin City's affairs, and warned Gu Yi to stay behind because of the suspected hacker attack.
• Jiang Chengcheng gave Xu Shi an upgraded Yujing that he could control with his thoughts, then kissed him before he left.
• At the harbor, Xu Shi found that Xu Ying had insisted on joining the expedition, and he agreed to bring her along before the fleet departed.

Su Lin, Tang Shuang, and Lin Yue explored the Western Regions with Wolf King Mosuo He, assessing its people and environment for the Star River Federation. Their desert tour took a dangerous turn when a gigantic Sand Chirping Insect appeared before them.

• Su Lin won a bottle spin and chose the Western Regions as the group's first destination, despite Tang Shuang's suspicions that she had cheated.
• Mosuo He welcomed Su Lin, Tang Shuang, and Lin Yue at the Vast Sand Sea entrance and guided them into the desert.
• Su Lin considered how Night Sin City could win the Western Regions' support for the Star River Federation while the group recorded local customs and survival knowledge.
• Mosuo He watched the three women and mistakenly decided that quiet Lin Yue was a hidden mastermind.
• Mosuo He described the desert's Sand Wolves, poisonous Sand Chirping Insects, and bandits before Lin Yue spotted an enormous Sand Chirping Insect approaching.
• Su Lin and Tang Shuang were stunned by the creature's two-story size, and Su Lin complained that Mosuo He had not mentioned how large it was.

Su Lin, Tang Shuang, Lin Yue, and Mosuo He battled a colossal Sand Chirping Insect and the swarm living inside it. Just as the fight seemed under control, Tang Shuang realized the Sand Worms had most likely been artificially created.

• Su Lin recognized the Giant Sand Chirping Insect as a threat on par with Mosuo He and warned the others not to underestimate it.
• Tang Shuang attacked with Cloud Glaze spheres, badly wounding the giant insect and causing a swarm of smaller Sand Chirping Insects to pour from its wounds.
• Tang Shuang ordered her combat team to fire, while Mosuo He led his guards into the fight and Su Lin and Lin Yue attacked the swarm.
• Su Lin observed how Mosuo He and other Qingyun Immortal Realm cultivators used their abilities as the group fought the insects.
• Tang Shuang contacted Su Lin and said the Sand Worms were most likely artificially created.

Su Lin, Tang Shuang, and Mosuo He fought an attack by artificial Sand Chirping Insects in the Qingyun Immortal Realm while arranging reinforcements. As they lured the giant insect deeper into the desert, a bolt of lightning struck the battlefield and an unknown figure appeared.

• Tang Shuang discovered she could detonate the Sand Chirping Insects, leading Su Lin to suspect they were artificial creations connected to Heavenly Principle.
• Tang Shuang asked Mosuo He to seek local reinforcements, but the other regions were also facing serious trouble, so she requested Federation forces instead.
• Su Lin contacted Xu Shi, who said he was coming to the Qingyun Immortal Realm, then she and the others continued fighting while waiting for help.
• Mosuo He manifested an Azure Wolf and attacked the Giant Sand Chirping Insect, which retaliated with sharp mist and insect-made tentacles that devoured several people.
• Tang Shuang used decoy bombs to lure the giant insect deeper into the desert, but lightning struck the sands and turned them to glass as an unknown figure appeared.

Tang Shuang fought the Giant Sand Chirping Insect and β, a SS-rank Purger sent by Heavenly Principle, while trying to buy time for Xu Shi. Su Lin and Lin Yue joined her, but β revealed that 3,600 more Purgers were part of the Purge Plan.

• Tang Shuang identified the robed woman as a Purger from Heavenly Principle, and β admitted that she had caused the Sand Chirping Insect riot.
• β attacked Tang Shuang with lightning while the Giant Sand Chirping Insect unleashed yellow mist, forcing Tang Shuang to defend herself and assess the threat.
• Tang Shuang inferred that Heavenly Principle had begun a forceful purge and considered whether it was reacting to Xu Shi's accumulated interference across regions.
• Su Lin and Lin Yue joined Tang Shuang, and the three decided to hold out while Tang Shuang sent Xu Shi a warning.
• β intensified her attacks and revealed that the Purge Plan included another 3,600 Purgers.

Su Lin, Tang Shuang, and Lin Yue faced two SS-class Purgers while Beta claimed thousands more were poised to attack. As Xu Shi rushed to help, Xia Ke'an prophesied that hundreds of Purgers were already hidden around the world and would begin a coordinated Purge, leaving Xu Shi to organize defenses and seek another way to confront them.

• Beta claimed the Heavenly Principle had 3,600 SS-class Purgers, and Su Lin, Tang Shuang, and Lin Yue prepared to fight her and the other SS-class being.
• Xu Shi learned of the battle and asked Xia Ke'an to use her prophecy ability to assess the Purgers’ strength.
• Xia Ke'an revealed that Beta had exaggerated, but hundreds of Purgers were secretly positioned around the world and would launch the Purge Plan together.
• Xu Shi sent nearby SS-class allies to support Su Lin’s group and instructed Federation regions to prioritize defending A-class city-states.
• Xu Shi dismissed finding an SSS-class being as impossible and said they would need unconventional methods to face the coming threat.

Xu Shi decided to wait for Gu Yi to trace the Heavenly Principle’s network attack and planned to join her, while preparing to head for the Qingyun Immortal Realm. As he worried about Su Lin and the others, Xia Ke'an and Xu Ying comforted him, and the chapter ended with both of them massaging him.

• Xu Shi explained that Night Sin City should wait for Gu Yi’s feedback and that they could investigate the Heavenly Principle by tracing its hackers through the network.
• Xu Shi said Gu Yi would need his help and noted that the Heavenly Principle’s large-scale operation had not yet begun elsewhere.
• Xu Shi admitted he was worried about Su Lin and the others, and Xia Ke'an comforted him with a massage.
• Xu Ying came to check on Xu Shi, said she was a little afraid of the coming fight, and showed confidence in her combat ability.
• Xu Ying offered to massage Xu Shi, and Xia Ke'an joined her so they could massage him together.

Xu Shi voiced his doubts about whether their world was predetermined, but Xia Wuyou reassured him and helped him regain his resolve to confront Heavenly Principle. He ended the chapter confident in his plan, hinting that he had a secret advantage.

• Xia Wuyou found Xu Shi brooding over Heavenly Principle’s unusual attack and promised to stand by him.
• Xu Shi wondered whether their world was fictional and their choices had been scripted, prompting Xia Wuyou to joke that he might have been reborn.
• Xia Wuyou kissed Xu Shi and argued that the life and relationships they experienced still mattered, even if their world had been predetermined.
• Xia Wuyou urged Xu Shi to write the future himself, and he resolved to become an even greater villain than Heavenly Principle.
• Xu Shi and Xia Wuyou discussed his plan to locate and defeat Heavenly Principle, and he claimed he had a secret that gave him a ninety-nine percent chance of success.

Su Lin, Tang Shuang, and Lin Yue struggled to survive β’s lightning assault while Mosuo He and his guards fought the Sand Chirping Insect swarm. As they fled deeper into the desert, a cloaked middle-aged man appeared to face β and the Giant Sand Chirping Insect King, wondering if fighting monsters was what he owed Xu Shi.

• β grew furious that Su Lin, Tang Shuang, and Lin Yue kept evading her attacks and unleashed a stronger barrage of lightning.
• Mosuo He urged his guards to hold the line against the Sand Chirping Insects and promised to reimburse their supplies threefold.
• Su Lin, Tang Shuang, and Lin Yue decided to flee deeper into the desert and draw β away from the Qingyun Immortal Realm.
• β chased the three with the Giant Sand Chirping Insect King, using it as a mount and striking it when it lagged.
• A cloaked middle-aged man carrying a spear appeared before β and the Giant Sand Chirping Insect King, told the three to get behind him, and wondered if this fight was what he owed Xu Shi.

Cheng Gujian arrived to support Su Lin, Tang Shuang, and Lin Yue, then fought β and the Giant Sand Chirping Insect King. He committed to an all-out assault on β, determined to end the chaos in the Qingyun Immortal Realm.

• Su Lin and the others recognized Cheng Gujian, who told them to retreat while he faced β and the Giant Sand Chirping Insect King.
• Cheng Gujian provoked β and attacked the Giant Sand Chirping Insect King with the Power of Destruction, rapidly corroding its body.
• β abandoned the dying Giant Sand Chirping Insect King and attacked Cheng Gujian with repeated lightning strikes, which he destroyed with his spear.
• Tang Shuang gained insight into her Touch of Calamity by watching Cheng Gujian, while Lin Yue studied his spear.
• As their battle reached a stalemate, Cheng Gujian abandoned his defense and charged β through her lightning barrage, intent on ending the chaos.

Su Lin and the others watched Cheng Gujian gain the upper hand against “β” while learning from the SS-class battle. Mosuo He brought word that mutant beasts were causing trouble across the regions and that Alliance reinforcements had arrived, led by Dongfang Xiao.

• Su Lin, Tang Shuang, and Lin Yue watched Cheng Gujian exploit “β”’s inexperience and gradually overwhelm her.
• Mosuo He arrived with his group after dealing with the Sand Chirping Insects and reported that the other regions faced similar mutant-beast attacks.
• Mosuo He told Su Lin that the Northern Region was holding up while the Eastern and Southern Regions were also under attack, and said he had shared what they knew about the crisis.
• Su Lin and the others learned from their Communication Bracelets that Alliance reinforcements had arrived and were prioritizing the Eastern and Southern Regions.
• Lin Yue discovered that Dongfang Xiao, the little empress of the Hualan Empire, was leading the patrol army this season.

The chapter presented scattered scenes involving the Star River Alliance, the Land of Exile, and several other characters facing danger, duties, and difficult choices. It ended with the narrator mocking the wounded Mu, unaware it would be the last time.

• Xu Shi devised the Patrol Defense Army to address distrust among the Star River Alliance's regions.
• The Flying Fish Mercenary Group adapted to the Land of Exile and decided survival there might be possible.
• Tang Jian kept Emperor Meiji alive because his influence could make advice more effective than force.
• Lin Cheng postponed dealing with Zhao Qingnan and Xu Zhenglong until after returning home.
• A character accepted a mission that promised access to the Mage Tower.
• The narrator mocked Mu for being wounded, not knowing it would be the last time.

After "β" was killed, hundreds or thousands of SS-class "Purgers" continued preparing to deploy, leaving everyone facing another imminent crisis. Hong Yu reproduced part of Jiang Lishuo's palm technique, while Yun Xuan attacked Zhang Xiaoke and Zhang Zhijie led soldiers westward out of Manila City.

• Everyone realized that killing "β" had only eased the immediate crisis and that more SS-class "Purgers" would soon arrive.
• Hong Yu imitated a trace of Jiang Lishuo's Great Blazing Silence Palm using Metal and Spear Power.
• Yun Xuan dragged Zhang Xiaoke off his horse with Shaolin's Dragon Claw Hand and thrust his sword at him.
• Luo Ziliang instructed others to gather information overnight without revealing their presence, then left with Meng Enlong.
• The group descended through a burial chamber and reached an underground lake filled with dense life energy.
• Zhang Zhijie led fifteen hundred lightly equipped men out of Manila City in pursuit westward.

Gu Yi contacted Xu Shi through their spiritual world and reported that the situation was bad and strange. She dispersed the fog behind her, and Xu Shi looked at what she revealed before the text shifted into unrelated scenes.

• Gu Yi called out to Xu Shi in his mind from a thousand miles away.
• Xu Shi entered the spiritual world to meet Gu Yi and asked how things were.
• Gu Yi reported that things were not good and were strange.
• Gu Yi dispersed the fog behind her, and Xu Shi focused his gaze.

Xu Shi and Gu Yi discovered that the three supposed global hackers were AIs existing only within Ethernet, explaining why the Star River Federation had failed to find them. A system prompt indicated that Soul Kill had begun targeting Xu Shi again and had devised a scheme against him.

• Xu Shi and Gu Yi used their high spiritual power to identify the three figures as AIs rather than humans or Heavenly Principle artificial humans like "β."
• Xu Shi and Gu Yi realized why the Star River Federation had been unable to locate the supposed global hackers.
• Xu Shi learned from a system prompt that Soul Kill had renewed its targeting of him and devised a scheme against him.

Xu Shi entered a boundless white space, found that the door behind him had vanished, and used his psychic power to sense his surroundings. The chapter then shifted among separate encounters and missions before ending with a bus continuing its journey as a tour guide described local customs.

• Xu Shi stepped onto a glowing floor, discovered that the entrance had disappeared, and sensed his surroundings with his psychic power.
• Zhang Yixing got out of a car and was struck by a bullet that covered his clothes in red powder.
• Bai Ye saw a newcomer who looked exactly like the statue and portrait of Bai Yi, the founding patriarch of the White Tiger Sect.
• The Evil God tore through purple phantom light and pressed a claw against Emperor Taizu's glabella.
• The Spine Dragon Heavenly King dispatched the Blood Spine Dragon again to intercept and kill the scripture seekers after the loss of the Great General.
• A tour guide introduced local customs as the bus continued past pedestrians, buildings, and students in school uniforms.