Chapter Summaries

Uchiha Madara watched a White Snake regenerate through the cultivation pill in its body and discussed whether its healing ability could help cure disease. Helunaixing offered him the pill, but after Madara admitted he could not research it, Helunaixing dismissed him as an ordinary man with impractical ideas.

• Helunaixing explained that the cultivation pill let the White Snake regenerate, and Uchiha Madara watched its head section grow a new body while the tail section died.
• Uchiha Madara said the snake's healing ability might be studied to treat disease, while Helunaixing worried it could bring more war.
• Helunaixing gave the cultivation pill to Uchiha Madara, believing research might help fight disease.
• Uchiha Madara declined the pill, saying he lacked the medical knowledge and talent to study it.
• Helunaixing called Uchiha Madara an ordinary person whose ideas were impractical.

Uchiha Madara, Helunaixing, and Dales Yi traveled deeper into the White Forest toward the Seven-Colored Butterflies, while Helunaixing warned them that the route ahead held the forest’s greatest danger. They reached a cave that Helunaixing said they would pass through to arrive at their destination.

• Uchiha Madara and Helunaixing discussed whether Madara was truly formidable, while Dales Yi defended him.
• Helunaixing warned that the journey would grow more dangerous and teased Uchiha Madara about his lack of fame and skill.
• Dales Yi insisted that Uchiha Madara was hiding his true identity and was more capable than Helunaixing thought.
• Uchiha Madara asked why Helunaixing had brought them along, and Helunaixing said he needed their help to make a contribution before his time ran out.
• Helunaixing spotted the cave that would lead them to their destination, and the three travelers continued toward it.

Uchiha Madara, Dales Yi, and Helunaixing prepared to enter a small cave that Helunaixing called the most dangerous place on the Elzeran Continent. They reached the entrance with torches, still unaware of what awaited them inside.

• Helunaixing warned Uchiha Madara and Dales Yi that the cave held a terrifying danger and insisted on leading them.
• Uchiha Madara grew a sapling with his Wood Style and made torches, surprising Helunaixing with his ability to use two elements.
• Helunaixing said even the butterflies feared the cave and repeatedly warned the others that its threat would haunt them.
• Dales Yi grew nervous and suggested returning to No Man's Land, but Uchiha Madara reassured him that the small cave was unlikely to hold anything fatal.
• The three reached the entrance with their torches, and Helunaixing urged them to obey his commands once they went inside.

Uchiha Madara, Dales Yi, and Helunaixing entered a dark cave in search of the Seven-Colored Butterfly, where Helunaixing warned them that a dangerous creature had heard them. A giant spider emerged from behind a rock, but Uchiha Madara burned it to ashes.

• Uchiha Madara promised to protect Dales Yi as the three entered the black cave, with Helunaixing leading the way cautiously.
• Dales Yi and Uchiha Madara discussed the cave’s unnatural silence until Helunaixing warned them to keep quiet so they would not attract the creature.
• Helunaixing explained that the cave was only an entrance to a magical place where the Seven-Colored Butterfly lived.
• A faint rustle sounded ahead, and Helunaixing stopped, warning that the creature had heard them.
• A giant spider emerged from behind a rock, causing Helunaixing to flee to the back of the group.
• Uchiha Madara breathed a stream of flames at the spider and burned it to ashes.

Uchiha Madara and Dales Yi discovered that Helunaixing’s supposedly most dangerous magical beast was a giant spider that he feared, though they easily killed it. They continued deeper into the cave, with Uchiha Madara choosing to lead while Helunaixing complained about being mocked.

• Dales Yi asked whether the giant spider was dead, and Uchiha Madara confirmed it had been burned to ashes.
• Helunaixing opened his eyes, saw the spider was dead, and thanked Uchiha Madara and Dales Yi for saving him.
• Uchiha Madara realized Helunaixing’s terror came from his fear of spiders, and Dales Yi teased him about it.
• Helunaixing insisted his reaction was terror rather than fear and protested when Dales Yi and Uchiha Madara mocked him.
• Uchiha Madara offered to lead through the cave, and the group continued onward as Helunaixing warned that more giant spiders might be ahead.

Dales Yi, Uchiha Madara, and Helunaixing continued through the darkness after encountering a spider that had terrified Helunaixing. As they neared the exit, they discussed why people came to No Man's Land, and Dales Yi said most were escaping pursuit.

• Dales Yi teased Helunaixing for fearing spiders, while Uchiha Madara explained that deep-seated fears could not simply be overcome with bravery.
• The three continued toward a patch of light that appeared to be the exit, and Helunaixing said the spider had trapped him on his previous attempt to find the Seven-Colored Butterfly.
• Helunaixing explained that he had returned to No Man's Land and spent two days looking for someone to accompany him, without revealing that the danger was a spider.
• Dales Yi reasoned that people in No Man's Land had their own missions and would not take on a pointless task, and Helunaixing praised his growing understanding.
• When Uchiha Madara asked why people came to No Man's Land, Dales Yi said that only some sought the White Snake in the White Forest and most were fleeing disaster or pursuit.

Uchiha Madara, Dales Yi, and Helunaixing discussed No Man's Land and the limits of Dales Yi's abilities as they walked toward the cave exit. Helunaixing said the Seven-Colored Butterfly waited outside, while Dales Yi ended the conversation feeling pleased with Madara's praise before Helunaixing teased him about his intelligence.

• Dales Yi explained that criminals stayed in No Man's Land because authorities would face enormous losses trying to enter and the criminals would be caught if they left.
• Helunaixing said restless criminals would eventually leave No Man's Land and meet a bad end.
• As the three approached the cave's light, Helunaixing said the Seven-Colored Butterfly was outside and explained he had learned about it from textbooks despite never seeing it.
• Dales Yi said his weak physique made long journeys dangerous and lamented that he could not travel like a real man.
• Uchiha Madara told Dales Yi that character and ideas mattered more than physical strength, and Helunaixing praised his abilities.
• Helunaixing then mocked Dales Yi's intelligence and reminded him how pleased he had been when Helunaixing feared the giant spider.

Uchiha Madara, Dales Yi, and Helunaixing joked about Helunaixing’s family and his offer to take the two younger men as godsons. They reached a cave leading into a part of the White Forest that Helunaixing said was like another world, and prepared to enter.

• Helunaixing teased Dales Yi and praised Uchiha Madara for understanding how to assess a situation.
• Uchiha Madara suggested Helunaixing’s family might not be unfilial, but Helunaixing simply did not want to burden them.
• Helunaixing offered to take Uchiha Madara and Dales Yi as godsons, but both declined.
• Uchiha Madara said his clan’s abilities might explain his long life and youthful appearance, dismissing Helunaixing’s guess about dark magic.
• The three men reached a cave entrance, where Helunaixing warned that the forest beyond was utterly different from the White Forest outside.

Helunaixing led Uchiha Madara and Dales Yi out of the cave into a vast forest, but found it did not match the multicolored forest he had researched. The group decided to explore farther rather than turn back, unsure whether Helunaixing had taken the wrong route or trusted inaccurate information.

• Helunaixing led Uchiha Madara and Dales Yi out of the cave and into an enormous hidden forest.
• Dales Yi admired the forest and asked whether the multicolored butterflies lived there, but Helunaixing reacted with disbelief at the scenery.
• Helunaixing said the white forest did not match his research, which described a multicolored forest inhabited by multicolored butterflies.
• Uchiha Madara suggested they continue farther to investigate instead of giving up, and Dales Yi joked that books were lies.

Helunaixing, Uchiha Madara, and Dales Yi discovered that the forest was saturated with the aura of death and filled with human corpses. Though Uchiha Madara urged them to leave, Helunaixing chose to press on, and the three continued deeper into the forest.

• Helunaixing recalled that the textbook described a multicolored forest and Seven-Colored Butterflies, but the group had not found the place they expected.
• Dales Yi sensed a powerful aura of death in the forest and said it came from many human corpses.
• Uchiha Madara argued that they should leave because the forest was unrelated to their search and might be dangerous.
• Dales Yi and Helunaixing both favored investigating, and Helunaixing decided they should continue forward.
• Uchiha Madara accepted Helunaixing's choice and remembered that the old man had enjoyed adventure before.

Uchiha Madara reluctantly joined Helunaixing and Dales Yi to investigate the mysterious New World and the corpses in the White Forest of No Man's Land. After Helunaixing led them in the wrong direction, Dales Yi took over, and Madara suggested they stop for the night as darkness fell.

• Uchiha Madara agreed to explore with Helunaixing and Dales Yi after they argued that discovering the New World could make their names famous.
• Helunaixing said he wanted to find out what the New World contained and why it was full of corpses, while Madara insisted he cared only about Magic Stones.
• Dales Yi told Helunaixing that he had been leading them away from the aura of death, so Dales Yi took the lead and changed their direction.
• Uchiha Madara noticed that night was approaching and suggested they stop traveling because the unfamiliar area could be dangerous in the dark.
• Helunaixing questioned why Madara wanted to stop when he had been in such a hurry.

Uchiha Madara, Helunaixing, and Dales Yi stopped to rest in the White Forest despite the corpses scattered around them. They slept through the night and woke at dawn, still unsure what had killed the dead and preparing to continue toward the forest’s destination.

• Uchiha Madara decided the group should rest rather than travel through the White Forest at night, and Dales Yi welcomed the chance to sleep on the ground.
• Uchiha Madara used Wood Style to create three beds, surprising Helunaixing, who mistook the ability for nature magic.
• The three discussed the many corpses nearby and speculated that people might have been murdered and brought to the forest, but they could not explain what had happened.
• Dales Yi said their destination was close, and the group went to sleep despite Helunaixing’s concern about nighttime danger.
• At dawn, Uchiha Madara woke Helunaixing and Dales Yi, then said the uncomfortable forest had kept him from resting well.

Uchiha Madara, Helunaixing, and Dales Yi set out toward the source of the corpses and deathly aura in the remote forest. They encountered a hostile-looking white snake, and Uchiha Madara warned that it might attack if they continued.

• Uchiha Madara said he had gone without proper rest because of his mission, while Helunaixing urged him to take care of his health.
• Dales Yi woke and suggested the three of them set off to investigate why corpses had appeared in the remote area.
• Dales Yi led Uchiha Madara and Helunaixing onward as the smell of decay and fresh blood grew stronger.
• Uchiha Madara stopped the others after spotting a white snake coiled around a tree.
• Uchiha Madara noted that the snake's eyes showed hostility unlike those of the white snakes they had seen outside the forest, and warned it might attack them.

Uchiha Madara warned Helunaixing and Dales Yi that a White Snake in the forest would attack them, and it lunged at them after they passed its tree. They discovered it had claws, leading Uchiha Madara to suggest it was not the same species as the gentle White Snakes elsewhere.

• Uchiha Madara spotted a White Snake ahead and warned Helunaixing that it would attack them if they passed.
• Uchiha Madara led Helunaixing and Dales Yi beneath the tree, and the White Snake remained still until they had passed.
• The White Snake suddenly attacked the three, then stopped in midair as Helunaixing turned to face it.
• Helunaixing flipped the White Snake over, and Uchiha Madara and Dales Yi saw claws beneath its body.
• Uchiha Madara suggested that the clawed, aggressive White Snake was a different species from the White Snakes they had encountered before.

Uchiha Madara, Helunaixing, and Dales Yi found a cultivation pill inside a white snake with claws and debated whether it was a mutation or a new species. As they ventured deeper into the forest, clawed white snakes surrounded them, and the group realized the creatures were intelligent and had prepared for their arrival.

• Dales Yi suggested checking the white snake for a cultivation pill, and Helunaixing pulled one from its body.
• Uchiha Madara asked Helunaixing to preserve the pill, then led the group onward through the forest.
• The three noticed clawed white snakes perched in nearly every tree, watching them without attacking.
• Uchiha Madara and Helunaixing discussed the snakes' intelligence and the possibility that they were a new species.
• Dales Yi warned that the snakes had surrounded the group.

Uchiha Madara, Dales Yi, and Helunaixing were blocked by a mass of White Snakes while searching for the Seven-Colored Butterfly. Suspecting the snakes guarded corpses nearby, Uchiha Madara decided they would force a path through, and Dales Yi prepared to fight.

• The three men found themselves surrounded by White Snakes, and Helunaixing admitted he was seeking the Seven-Colored Butterfly for reasons beyond money.
• Helunaixing refused to reveal his true purpose, while Uchiha Madara accepted their arrangement of mutual assistance.
• Uchiha Madara connected the White Snakes’ blockade to the nearby source of corpse stench and suspected they were protecting something important.
• Uchiha Madara decided to clear a path through the snakes, and Dales Yi brought out his Demon Codex to attack.
• Uchiha Madara warned Dales Yi that using the Demon Codex would consume one of its contents each time.

Dales Yi summoned a Puppet Snake to negotiate with the White Snakes, but they attacked it, and Helunaixing drove them away. As the group continued, Uchiha Madara dismissed the idea that harming White Snakes would bring bad luck, and Helunaixing warned that those who defied fate met grim ends.

• Dales Yi summoned a Puppet Snake from the Demon Codex and sent it to tell the White Snakes to let them pass.
• The White Snakes attacked the Puppet Snake after refusing to retreat, and Helunaixing sent them flying with an invisible force.
• Helunaixing said he had avoided killing the White Snakes because they had no grudge against the group and there were so many of them.
• Uchiha Madara said he did not believe in fate and had always acted against it.
• Helunaixing warned Uchiha Madara that those who defied fate never came to a good end.

Uchiha Madara explained that the Magic Stone was only the first step toward his goal and that he intended to use it to return to his homeland, not affect the Elzeran Continent. Helunaixing reflected on his own life and encouraged Dales Yi to make the most of his youth.

• Uchiha Madara told Helunaixing that the Magic Stone was a key to his larger plan and that he would handle what followed on his own.
• Helunaixing worried that Uchiha Madara's use of the Magic Stone could bring disaster, but Uchiha Madara said the stones' effects depended on who used them.
• Uchiha Madara said he only wanted to use the black stones to return to his homeland and would not affect the Elzeran Continent.
• Uchiha Madara told Helunaixing that he had already done enough for the next generation, prompting Helunaixing to admit that he felt cast aside by the world.
• Helunaixing told Dales Yi that the world belonged to the young, while Dales Yi said he had limited abilities and Helunaixing advised him simply to be himself.

Helunaixing, Uchiha Madara, and Dales Yi continued through the forest, joking about Helunaixing’s age and celebrating their discovery of strange white snakes with legs. When the snakes returned in numbers, Uchiha Madara took the lead and prepared to deal with them.

• Helunaixing told Uchiha Madara and Dales Yi to keep moving forward instead of dwelling on the past, despite his annoyance at reminders of his limited lifespan.
• Dales Yi asked where Helunaixing had thrown the white snakes, and Helunaixing said they should be returning soon.
• Helunaixing and Dales Yi grew excited about discovering a creature unknown on the Elzeran Continent and imagined becoming famous explorers.
• Helunaixing objected to being called old and asked Uchiha Madara and Dales Yi to use his name instead.
• Uchiha Madara, Helunaixing, and Dales Yi heard hissing from the forest, and Uchiha Madara recognized that the white snakes had returned.
• Dales Yi worried that the snakes would surround them, so Uchiha Madara told him and Helunaixing to stay behind while he led the way.

Dales Yi tried to negotiate with the white snakes instead of fighting, while Uchiha Madara argued that strength was the only way to earn their respect. Dales Yi sent his black giant snake to speak with them again, and the group waited for it to return.

• Dales Yi proposed peaceful negotiations, but Helunaixing explained that the white snakes would not accept an outsider as their leader.
• Uchiha Madara argued that the forest had no rules and that strength determined who had the right to speak.
• Dales Yi warned that killing the spiritually revered white snakes would bring bad luck and asked for another chance to negotiate.
• Uchiha Madara gave Dales Yi one more chance, and Dales Yi sent his black giant snake toward the white snakes.
• Uchiha Madara and Helunaixing waited with Dales Yi as the negotiations dragged on, and Uchiha Madara wondered whether the black giant snake had been won over.