Chapter Summaries

Zhao Fu gained the Corpse Soldier class and grew stronger by killing corpse soldiers, using a cliff to defeat enemies beyond his strength. At level five, he discovered a fourth-rank general riding a corpse horse and planned to lure it over the cliff.

• Zhao Fu equipped the Corpse Soul Sword and Corpse Soul Armor, then killed a wounded corpse soldier and became a level-one Corpse Soldier.
• Zhao Fu hunted crippled corpse soldiers until he reached level two and gained fifth-stage cultivation strength.
• Zhao Fu lured corpse soldiers into a thicket beside a cliff and used their falls to gain experience, reaching level three.
• A squad leader overwhelmed Zhao Fu in battle, but Zhao Fu lured it over the cliff and discovered it gave four times the experience of an ordinary corpse soldier.
• Zhao Fu reached level five, became strong enough to kill squad leaders easily, and found a fourth-rank general riding a corpse horse.
• Zhao Fu decided to use the cliff to try to kill the general and learn more about the trial space.

Zhao Fu killed the intelligent Tier 4 Corpse General after luring it over a cliff, then used its drops and memories to learn how to complete the trial. He planned to build his forces and upgrade a corpse soul town into a small city, and then discovered a Corpse Village inhabited by corpse soldiers and corpse ghosts.

• Zhao Fu's traps failed to stop the Corpse General, so he fled while dodging its blade attacks and suffering several wounds.
• Zhao Fu lured the Corpse General onto a cliff, struck it as it tried to escape the fall, and killed it after it landed badly injured.
• Zhao Fu obtained Level 8 Corpse Soul Armor, a Corpse Soldier Token that could command 300 corpse soldiers, and a Memory Light Sphere containing the Corpse General's skills and memories.
• Zhao Fu learned that he had to obtain a Corpse Soul City to complete the trial, but decided to capture a corpse soul town and upgrade it into a small city instead.
• Zhao Fu set out to gather 300 corpse soldiers and discovered a Corpse Village containing both corpse soldiers and corpse ghosts.

Zhao Fu captured several Corpse soul Villages, building an army before defeating the leader of an advanced village and occupying it. He left with four thousand troops and used the advanced village as a base for further conquests.

• Zhao Fu led 300 corpse soldiers to capture a Corpse soul Village, killed its leader, and gained the submission of its corpse ghouls and soldiers.
• Zhao Fu tamed a corpse horse, captured another weakened Corpse soul Village, and brought its troops back to his forces.
• Over three days, Zhao Fu captured four small villages and one intermediate village, growing his army to more than two thousand.
• Zhao Fu used ambushes to weaken an advanced village, then led his army into battle and killed its Corpse soul Lord.
• Zhao Fu occupied the advanced village, increased his forces to four thousand, and continued conquering from it as his base.

Zhao Fu weakened a small town’s corpse forces, killed its Corpse General, and then fought the powerful Corpse Spirit Leader. The battle left Zhao Fu wounded and the Corpse Spirit Leader still attacking.

• Zhao Fu led ten thousand troops to a small town guarded by thirty thousand troops, a Corpse General, and a Corpse Leader.
• Zhao Fu lured the Corpse General into an ambush, fought it on horseback, and beheaded it after a fierce duel.
• Zhao Fu and his corpse ghosts killed several waves of corpse ghosts before he attacked the town and confronted the Corpse Spirit Leader.
• Zhao Fu wounded the Corpse Spirit Leader several times, but it struck him with a punch that sent him crashing into a wall.
• Zhao Fu coughed up blood, stood as the Corpse Spirit Leader charged, and slashed at it with a blood-red sword gleam.

Zhao Fu killed the corpse soul leader, captured its town, and tried to relocate it to escape the Corpse Spirit Lord’s hostility. The Corpse Spirit Lord arrived with a vast army and struck Zhao Fu down as he fled with the City-Building Stone.

• Zhao Fu fought the corpse soul leader, pierced its heart with a spear, and collected a Corpse Soul Blood Crystal and a Corpse Spirit Artifact.
• Zhao Fu occupied the town, turning its corpse ghosts and corpse soldiers into his subordinates, but learned that the Corpse Spirit Lord had become hostile.
• Zhao Fu chose to relocate the town and leave the region rather than face the City Lord and her Seal.
• The Corpse Spirit Lord arrived with more than a hundred thousand corpse ghosts, and Zhao Fu fled with the town’s City-Building Stone.
• The Corpse Spirit Lord struck Zhao Fu with a streak of blood energy, sending him into a rock and making him cough up blood.

Zhao Fu surrendered to the Corpse soul Lord to survive, then learned that the trial space could only be conquered by taking one of the four City Lord Seals. When two rival Corpse soul Lords attacked, Zhao Fu watched the battle and waited for a chance to act.

• Zhao Fu narrowly dodged the Corpse soul Lord’s attacks, then surrendered by offering her his City-Building Stone.
• The Corpse soul Lord accepted Zhao Fu’s surrender, converted him into a Corpse soul General, and kept him chained in Corpse Soul City.
• A week later, Zhao Fu learned that towns could not be upgraded into cities and that the four Corpse soul Lords fought over a chance to leave the trial space.
• Two Corpse soul Lords attacked, and Zhao Fu slipped away to watch their armies clash while searching for an opportunity.
• The female Corpse soul Lord wounded the old invader, but the young City Lord struck her from behind with a staff and sent her flying.

After the wounded corpse soul lord caught Zhao Fu trying to kill her, he used a Corpse-to-Sword talisman to turn her into the Corpse Soul Sword and seized control of Corpse Soul City. He chose to continue the trial and planned to attack the other injured City Lords, while the sword spirit agreed to cooperate in exchange for the chance to leave the trial space.

• The female corpse soul lord drove off the young and old corpse soul lords, but suffered severe injuries and retreated to recover.
• Zhao Fu approached the weakened corpse soul lord and tried to strike her, but she awoke and seized him by the throat.
• Zhao Fu used the Corpse-to-Sword talisman to transform the injured corpse soul lord into a first-grade Saint Armament, the Corpse Soul Sword.
• Zhao Fu took the City Lord Seal, occupied Corpse Soul City, and chose to stay in the trial space to pursue a higher evaluation.
• Zhao Fu told the Corpse Soul Sword's spirit that she could leave the trial space if she followed his orders, and she agreed to his plan.

Zhao Fu infiltrated and killed two injured corpse soul lords, then unified the Corpse Soul Space and completed the trial. He gained a corpse soul equipment blueprint and blood pool, and prepared to collect equipment before leaving.

• Zhao Fu sneaked into a Corpse Soul City and killed its healing lord, then claimed the city and gave the lord’s City Lord Seal to the female corpse soul lord who had become his sword spirit.
• Zhao Fu and the female corpse soul lord watched another battle, then attacked the victorious youth after he killed the opposing lord.
• Zhao Fu killed the youth and obtained the fourth City Lord Seal, triggering the trial’s completion and earning 5,000,000 Trial Points, the Corpse Soul Equipment crafting blueprint, and the Corpse Soul Blood Pool.
• Zhao Fu examined the rewards, noted that his storage ring and sword seal worked again, and began collecting Corpse Soul Equipment from the corpse soldiers.

Zhao Fu entered a trial in the Great Tang imperial palace with his powers sealed and died repeatedly after refusing to kneel before the emperor. He finally accepted his identity as the eunuch Xiao Fuzi, survived the emperor’s arrival, and began palace work while searching for a way to pass the trial.

• Zhao Fu appeared in Spring Sun Palace and learned that he was inside the Great Tang imperial palace with his powers sealed.
• When the emperor arrived, Zhao Fu only half-kneeled and was beaten to death for refusing to show proper respect.
• Zhao Fu returned to the start after dying, repeated the cycle several times, and eventually knelt on both knees to survive.
• Zhao Fu met the eunuch Xiao Gaozi, accepted the name Xiao Fuzi, and began wiping the palace floors while seeking a way to complete the trial.

Zhao Fu endured repeated deaths and humiliations in a trial where his status as a low-ranking eunuch left him powerless. After the other eunuchs beat him and cast him outside, he washed himself in a lake with a cold gaze and a strange smile.

• After Zhao Fu accidentally splashed filthy water on a noble young man, he struck back, was killed by guards, and returned to the path in a flash of white light.
• Zhao Fu avoided the young man on his next attempt, but the man beat him without cause and had guards kill him again.
• Zhao Fu knelt and showed deference when the young man appeared once more, then learned about the palace while working through the day.
• Back in his shared room, Zhao Fu refused to wash another eunuch's socks, punched the leading eunuch, and was beaten by the group despite Xiao Gaozi's attempt to intervene.
• The eunuchs threw Zhao Fu outside, and he later recovered enough strength to wash in a lake, his expression turning cold and strange.

Zhao Fu resolved to pursue the throne at any cost and used the Six Desires Demonic Qi to gain access to Shangguan Wan'er. With Shangguan Wan'er agreeing to help him, he headed to meet Empress Wu.

• Zhao Fu learned that Li Zhi was near death and decided to seize the throne, awakening the Earth Realm Mark and the Six Desires Immortal Scripture.
• Zhao Fu seduced He Hui and persuaded her to arrange a meeting with Shangguan Wan'er.
• Zhao Fu told Shangguan Wan'er that he knew about Empress Wu's rebellion, then used the Six Desires Demonic Qi to overpower her.
• Zhao Fu asked Shangguan Wan'er to introduce him to Empress Wu, and she agreed.
• Shangguan Wan'er dressed Zhao Fu and led him toward the great hall to meet Empress Wu.

Zhao Fu confronted Wu Zetian about her plan to rebel, but discovered she was real and recognized him as the Great Qin Imperial Prince. After their encounter, Wu Zetian agreed to help him seize the Great Tang throne on the condition that he treat her Wu Zhou well.

• Zhao Fu revealed that he knew of Wu Zetian's rebellion plot and declared that he had come to become emperor.
• Zhao Fu claimed Wu Zetian and the others were creations of the trial, but Wu Zetian regained her clarity and identified him as the Great Qin Imperial Prince.
• Wu Zetian asked Zhao Fu about her inheritor, Wu Qingniang, and he said she had become a formidable national inheritor.
• Zhao Fu's state of mind settled and his path as emperor became clearer after his encounter with Wu Zetian.
• Wu Zetian offered to help Zhao Fu complete the trial if he treated her Wu Zhou well, and Zhao Fu agreed.

Zhao Fu rose to control most of Great Tang’s military as Wu Zetian prepared to take power, but Li Zhi’s death forced them to delay any move for the throne. Wu Zetian then sent Zhao Fu several women, including Wei Xianger, the Tang princesses, and Yang Yuhuan.

• Wu Zetian appointed Zhao Fu to a seventh-rank post and presented her daughter, Li Lingyue, as his woman.
• Half a month later, Wu Zetian began her plan as Li Zhi fell critically ill, and Zhao Fu became General Who Stabilizes the Nation with control of seventy percent of Great Tang’s forces.
• Wu Zetian and Zhao Fu had loyal ministers executed or exiled, while Zhao Fu accepted gifts from officials seeking his favor.
• Li Zhi died, and Wu Zetian and Zhao Fu delayed their bid for the throne while Zhao Fu reviewed military reports and ordered the execution of the eunuchs and soldiers who had beaten him.
• Wu Zetian sent Zhao Fu Wei Xianger, Princess Yongtai Li Xianhui, Princess Changning Li Rushi, Princess Anle Li Guo'er, Princess Yongshou Li Tian'er, and Yang Yuhuan.

After Zhao Fu ascended the throne as emperor of Great Qin and completed the trial, he returned to Apocalypse World with Wu Zetian and the other women from the trial. He learned that the Trial Festival was nearly over and discovered he was no longer one of the eight inheritors.

• Wu Zetian gave Wei Xianger and her daughters, including Yang Yuhuan and Li Guo'er, to Zhao Fu, who accepted them and became intimate with them.
• Wu Zetian helped prepare for Zhao Fu's ascension, and an imperial edict declared him emperor of Great Qin.
• Zhao Fu ascended the throne, completed the trial, and was transported back to Great Qin City.
• Wu Zetian and the other women appeared in Apocalypse World alongside Zhao Fu, and he led them around Great Qin City.
• The people of Great Qin told Zhao Fu that the Trial Festival was on its sixth day, and he learned he was no longer among the eight inheritors.

Zhao Fu learned that he had not become one of the eight inheritors and studied the names of those chosen, wondering why he had failed. As the final day of the Trial Festival remained, the outside world was already discussing Great Qin’s prince missing the selection.

• Zhao Fu checked the exchange stele, saw that all eight inheritor positions and eggs had been claimed, and tried to understand why he had failed the trials.
• Zhao Fu considered whether his actions in the Corpse Soul Space or Great Tang space had cost him a place, then dismissed Wu Zetian as the likely cause.
• Zhao Fu read the eight inheritors’ names and exchanges: Arthur Tina, Akhenaten, Si Ji, Geluofei, Babilon, Oleg, Hanano Mai, and Ramis.
• Zhao Fu reflected that Shaluo might have become an inheritor if Great Qin had not defeated him and taken his artifacts, and he regretted losing the chance to claim the Wild Azure Dragon.
• Zhao Fu looked at the Earth Realm Mark and waited for the final day of the Trial Festival as people outside discussed his failure to become an inheritor.

After losing his expected place among the Eight Inheritors, Zhao Fu spent his remaining Trial Points and began constructing the Corpse Soul Blood Pool in Great Qin. The chapter left the pool’s setup underway as Zhao Fu prepared to cultivate powerful Death Clan monsters.

• People across Huaxia and foreign nations reacted to the Great Qin Imperial Prince’s absence from the Eight Inheritors, while Arthur Tina celebrated taking first place and Akhenaten questioned Great Qin’s exclusion.
• Zhao Fu accepted that he had not become an Inheritor and exchanged his five million Trial Points for useful items.
• Zhao Fu arranged lodging for Wu Zetian and the other women, and Wu Zetian asked to explore the new world.
• Zhao Fu began building the Corpse Soul Blood Pool, ordering workers to dig a pit and construct a rune-inscribed pool from Ghoststone.
• Zhao Fu placed the gray crystal at the bottom of the pool, activated its runes, and began adding human and beast corpses.

Zhao Fu tested the Corpse Soul Blood Pool, strengthened Great Qin’s spirit plants, and prepared new cities before entering the Trial Festival’s final trial with Xian Ru, Gao Li, and Nü Lü. They arrived in a crowded space with their powers restricted and a colossal staircase rising at its center.

• Zhao Fu used corpses, spirit herbs, and crystal stones in the Corpse Soul Blood Pool, creating ten Tier 3 corpse soul guards and a Tier 4 Corpse Soul Commander.
• Zhao Fu applied growth liquid to the Tree of Life and the Ginseng Fruit Tree, making both grow rapidly but leaving them short of the years needed to become usable.
• Zhao Fu rebuilt City-Building Stones and established four small cities, then learned that the final trial had begun and that outsiders with villages could participate.
• Zhao Fu gave an unassigned city to Nü Lü and entered the trial space with her, Xian Ru, and Gao Li.
• The four arrived among people from across the world, concealed their appearances with cloaks, and saw a vast staircase at the center of the space.

Zhao Fu and the three women climbed the heavenly stairway and reached a high platform where the human world’s powerful figures and eight inheritors had gathered beneath a seven-colored sphere of light. Nü Lü reunited with friends from the Clans, while Zhao Fu studied his rivals and recognized his half-brother Li Baiqing.

• Zhao Fu led Xian Ru, Nü Lü, and Gao Li up the heavenly stairway, enduring its growing pressure with ease while the women gradually struggled.
• Zhao Fu and the women reached the platform, where the eight inheritors and many influential figures had gathered around a seven-colored sphere of light.
• Zhao Fu spotted familiar figures including Wu Qingniang and examined Arthur Tina, Akhenaten, Si Ji, Geluofei, Babilon, and Hanano Mai.
• Zhao Fu recognized Li Baiqing, his half-brother and inheritor of the Great Tang Dynasty, and resolved to settle their matters in the future.
• Nü Lü asked Zhao Fu to visit the Clans’ group, then reunited with Brother Niu, Sister Li, Big Fatty, and Little Xi.

Nü Lü reunited with Xuanyuan Xiu, who tried to take her away, but she rejected him and affirmed her love for Zhao Fu. Xuanyuan Xiu withdrew from the trial, while Zhao Fu's arrival drew the attention of the inheritors gathered around them.

• Nü Lü reunited with Brother Ox and her other companions, then told them she had come with her husband.
• Xuanyuan Xiu tried to embrace Nü Lü and urged her to leave with him, but she told him she loved Zhao Fu and their relationship was over.
• Xuanyuan Xiu grabbed Nü Lü again, but she broke free and ran to Zhao Fu when he arrived.
• Zhao Fu acknowledged that he was the Great Qin Imperial Prince, and Nü Lü asked him to let her handle the dispute.
• Nü Lü firmly rejected Xuanyuan Xiu, who slowly vanished from Apocalypse World and withdrew from the trial.
• Wu Qingniang watched Zhao Fu with a grave expression and wondered why he seemed familiar.

Zhao Fu endured the final trial’s escalating pressure without difficulty and used King’s Power to help Nü Lü, Xian Ru, and Gao Li hold on. His effortless endurance and ability to support the three women stunned the other contestants, including the eight inheritors.

• The final trial began, and an invisible force pressed down on everyone while Zhao Fu felt no pressure at all.
• As the force increased, contestants who collapsed were pushed to the platform’s edge, and the survivors realized that enduring longer could bring greater rewards.
• Nü Lü, Xian Ru, and Gao Li struggled to withstand the pressure, and Zhao Fu mistakenly infused Gao Li with Six Desires Demonic Qi before suppressing it with King’s Power.
• Zhao Fu gave King’s Power to Gao Li, Xian Ru, and Nü Lü, allowing all three to keep enduring the trial.
• The contestants and eight inheritors were shocked when Zhao Fu remained relaxed while helping the three women.