Chapter Summaries

Adrian betrayed Hermans, stole his heart and demon core, and escaped through the Abyssal Gate before destroying it and trapping the invading demons in this world. The allied forces defeated the remaining demons, though the wood elves’ territory was left devastated and would take centuries to recover.

• Adrian removed You Taining’s Dimensional Anchor, bound Hermans with laws, and tore out his heart and demon core.
• Adrian entered the Abyss through the Abyssal Gate, then shattered it and cut off the demons’ route home.
• Burns killed the powerless Hermans, while the allied legends overwhelmed the remaining Sanctuary-level demons.
• Huo Ling’s projection vanished as the battle neared its end, and the surviving demons fled or were hunted down.
• The invasion ended with heavy losses, and the wood elves faced centuries of recovery from the battle’s destruction and contamination.

Huo Ling comforted Sylvia after telling her the Forest Sea battle was over, then returned to the Abyssal New Land to hunt for Sanctuary-level demons. He killed a newly advanced Vrock and planned to revive it for his aerial forces, then found the corpses of the demons it had defeated.

• Huo Ling told Sylvia that the Abyssal Gate in the Forest Sea had been destroyed and the Legendary demon killed, and he comforted her as she grieved.
• Sylvia chose to remain at the castle, and Huo Ling did not press her to return to the Forest Sea.
• After resting for two days, Huo Ling went back to the Abyssal New Land with his high-ranking undead to hunt demons above Gold rank.
• Huo Ling restrained a newly advanced Sanctuary-level Vrock with spells, stunned it, and killed it from a distance.
• Huo Ling decided to revive the Vrock for his aerial forces and followed its trail to hundreds of demon corpses, including more than a dozen Gold-rank demons.

Huo Ling spent half a year hunting force-grown Sanctuary demons in the Abyss’s New Land, turning their corpses into a formidable undead army. With thirty-seven Sanctuary-rank undead under his command and his funds depleted, he resumed preparations to expand from Kote Fortress.

• Huo Ling concluded that the Abyssal Will had force-grown Sanctuary demons by making them devour other demons’ heart cores.
• Huo Ling hunted down lone Sanctuary demons with his undead, retreating to Purgatory’s New Land to rest whenever he stayed too long.
• Huo Ling returned to Kote Fortress with twenty-one Sanctuary demon corpses and several hundred Gold-rank demon corpses.
• Huo Ling sacrificed resources and studied death rules until he had converted the corpses into undead, bringing his Sanctuary-rank force to thirty-seven.
• Huo Ling restarted his expansion plans and ordered Kote Fortress to prepare for another war.
• Huo Ling sent Lemures ahead of the main force under small groups of devils, intending to use them as cannon fodder and supplies for the undead.

Huo Ling returned to the Styx plain with a greatly expanded army and prepared to claim the territory while studying Purgatory’s rules. As demons gathered to defend the area, he waited for Sanctuary-rank enemies to attack his bait and expose themselves to his hidden undead forces.

• Huo Ling assembled more than 120,000 Skeleton Warriors, thousands of other undead, and tens of thousands of devils for his renewed campaign.
• Huo Ling’s army reached the previous battlefield, where the devils devoured several million demon larvae before he unfurled the Pioneering Decree.
• Huo Ling concealed his high-ranking undead inside the chariot fortress and stationed Sali and Carl outside as bait while his soldiers built defensive lines.
• Sanctuary-rank demons gathered around the army, and a Six-Armed Serpent Demon watched the revealed Abyssal rules.
• Huo Ling studied Purgatory’s rules as the opposing demons weighed their chance to drive away the invaders and gain the Abyss’s favor.

Sali and Carl lured Sanctuary-rank demons into a trap, allowing Huo Ling’s undead army to defeat them and clear the surrounding demons. After the demons adapted and gathered more than twenty Sanctuary-rank fighters for a large-scale assault, Huo Ling unleashed his hidden forces and began attacking them himself.

• Sali and Carl taunted the demons and drew Sanctuary-rank pursuers into a Greater Spatial Lock, where hidden Sanctuary-rank undead surrounded and killed them.
• The undead cavalry countercharged the remaining demons, while Huo Ling’s forces continued clearing low- and mid-rank demons in repeated sorties.
• The Sanctuary-rank demons learned to avoid Sali and Carl’s lures, so Huo Ling revealed some of his undead while keeping more hidden beneath his chariot fortress.
• After two days, more than twenty Sanctuary-rank demons launched a large-scale assault, and Huo Ling sprang his hidden undead trap.
• Huo Ling cast weakening spells and unleashed Scorching Eyes and Death’s Eyes as Death Guards pinned down the Balor Demons.

Huo Ling used Scorching Eyes and Death's Eyes to kill Sanctuary demons while his Death Guards held back a powerful Balor Demon. After weakening and binding the Balor, he forced it into the path of several Death's Eye rays, which struck it and left its fate unresolved.

• Huo Ling focused Scorching Eyes and Death's Eyes on Sanctuary demons, killing several of the weaker ones.
• A High Sanctuary Balor Demon fought three Death Guards, whose tower shields blocked its attacks.
• Huo Ling weakened the Balor with spells and directed Death's Eye rays at it, badly injuring and slowing it.
• Huo Ling bound the Balor with Wailing Chains and used Massive Flameburst's shockwave to push it away from the Death Guards.
• The Balor tried to flee, but three of five Death's Eye rays struck it as it struggled against the chains.

Huo Ling and his Sanctuary undead continued to destroy the Sanctuary demons, while his devil legions fought the demon hordes on the ground using disciplined formations and expendable front-line soldiers. The ground battle descended into close combat as the Legion Devils raised their shields against the demons’ spell-like attacks.

• Huo Ling killed an upper Sanctuary Balor Demon with Death's Eye rays, triggering its Body-Burning Explosion and scattering nearby forces.
• Huo Ling and his Sanctuary undead killed the remaining Sanctuary demons, with the four Death Warlords each slaying at least one.
• Huo Ling's Legion Devils used ranks of weaker soldiers to exhaust charging demons so stronger troops could finish them.
• Legion Devils fired Infernal Fire Crossbows into the demon ranks before the two sides clashed in close combat.
• Demons unleashed spell-like abilities at the Legion Devils, and a Gold-ranked Legion Devil veteran ordered his troops to raise their shields and defend.

Legion Devils held off a powerful Babau through coordinated sacrifice, while Sali directed the legion’s counteroffensive from Huo Ling’s command post. After war spells devastated the demon ranks, the Legion Devils teleported forward and charged.

• A Black Iron-tier Legion Devil infantryman sacrificed himself to block a Lightning Call, and the Legion Devils fought the demons in disciplined formation.
• Silver-tier Legion Devil guards pinned down a Babau while the Legion Devil veteran killed it, leaving only a few Legion Devils dead or injured.
• As the battle in the sky turned in Huo Ling’s favor, Sali ordered a counteroffensive from the command post beneath her chariot fortress.
• Sali directed the Third Caster Support Squad to bombard the demons, and its war spell killed or disabled hundreds.
• The Legion Devil veteran ordered his soldiers to charge, and their formation teleported forward to attack the battered demons.

Huo Ling’s forces defeated the demons after a brutal two-day battle, leaving him with a vast field of corpses and securing the region. As the Purgatory Will gained the upper hand, Huo Ling and his Sanctuary-tier followers began analyzing the newly revealed laws.

• Huo Ling deployed four Death Warlords ahead of the Dread Knights, whose charges and the legions’ coordinated attacks broke the demons’ formations.
• Sali ordered spellcasters to blast corridors through the enemy lines and used Legion Devils to block escape routes while Skeleton Warriors advanced.
• The battle ended on the evening of the second day, with Huo Ling killing sixteen Sanctuary-tier demons as others fled.
• Huo Ling led high-tier undead out to drive away Sanctuary demons lingering around the battlefield, then returned to claim the corpses for his forces.
• Huo Ling and his Sanctuary-tier followers analyzed the laws revealed by the conflict between the Purgatory Will and the Abyssal Will, with Huo Ling especially welcoming secondary laws of death.

Huo Ling’s legion processed the spoils of war, built defensive towers, and hunted demons while he studied Purgatory’s rules. As Purgatory’s will neared victory, Sali explained that the territory would receive an Infernal Blessing, and Huo Ling ordered the devils to assemble.

• Lemures and soldiers gathered demon corpses, while devils harvested valuable materials and skeletons collected Demon Worms for distribution.
• The devils began building defensive towers, and Huo Ling’s Dread Knights and Dark Warriors attacked demons gathering near the perimeter.
• After more than twenty days, Huo Ling observed that Purgatory’s will had nearly driven the Abyssal will out of the territory.
• Sali told Huo Ling that Purgatory’s victory would bring Infernal Blessing, which could speed cultivation and offer devils a chance to advance.
• Huo Ling promised to help Sali advance if he received the opportunity, then ordered him to assemble all the devils.

Huo Ling led a sacrifice that drove away the Abyss’s will and earned Purgatory’s blessing for himself and his forces. As the blessing transformed him and strengthened the devils, Huo Ling involuntarily changed into an adult red dragon.

• Huo Ling inspected his diminished army and gathered the devils and surviving Lemures beneath his chariot fortress.
• Huo Ling ordered a quarter of the demon corpses brought forward for the sacrifice.
• Two days later, the will of the Abyss was expelled, and Purgatory’s will descended upon the gathered devils.
• Huo Ling raised the Pioneer Lord’s token and commanded the devils to begin the sacrifice, offering the demon corpses while they chanted Purgatory’s hymns.
• Purgatory’s blessing gave Huo Ling, Sali, and Carl pillars of light, while luminous mist spread through the army and increased the devils’ strength.
• Huo Ling absorbed Purgatory’s laws as his body transformed, then involuntarily revealed his adult red dragon form.

After the battle to open up territory, Huo Ling received a powerful blessing from the Purgatory Will, which strengthened his body and granted him the title Purgatory Servant. Sali explained that their earlier castles had not earned them such blessings because they had reclaimed territory within the existing New Land rather than opening up Abyssal New Land.

• Huo Ling grew to twenty-three meters as the Purgatory blessing transformed his body and strengthened his close-combat abilities.
• Huo Ling checked his status and found that his physical attributes had roughly doubled since he became an adult red dragon.
• Huo Ling discovered that the Purgatory Will had granted him the title Purgatory Servant, which helped him decipher laws and preside over devils’ advancements more efficiently.
• Huo Ling saw that Sali and Carl had also grown stronger after receiving Purgatory’s blessing.
• Huo Ling asked why Sali and Carl had been weak when he first met them, and Sali explained that their former castles had been built on existing New Land rather than opened up in Abyssal New Land.

Huo Ling rewarded and advanced his devils after their victory, building up his labor force and promising further promotions for good work. In the Spirit Realm, Huo Chengguang fell asleep while playing and awakened from the nap with a stronger, more draconic form after Huo Ling’s progress enhanced his bloodline.

• Huo Ling directed advancement ceremonies that promoted devils into higher races, including nearly thirty thousand Lemures becoming Nupperibos.
• Huo Ling promised the Nupperibos further advancement if they worked hard building walls, and they cheered.
• Xiao Yue caught Huo Chengguang when he fell asleep in midair during a game and carried him to bed.
• Huo Chengguang transformed into a more draconic form as he slept, developing brighter scales, emerging horns, and Purgatory runes in his eyes.
• Huo Chengguang’s bloodline growth increased his strength until it matched that of a red dragon hatchling of the same age.

After securing the alluvial plain, Huo Ling began exploiting its resources and gathering Lemures to build a large devil town. Construction started on the town’s defenses and barracks, while Huo Ling kept expanding the workforce to speed the project.

• With the Abyssal Will driven out, demon eggs stopped washing up, and Huo Ling gained a secure foothold on the alluvial plain.
• Huo Ling began excavating the old Styx riverbed for resources and ordered devils from the surrounding fortresses to gather Lemures as laborers.
• More than two hundred thousand Lemures worked on the site as devils built defenses and processed demon corpses for undead troops.
• Huo Ling planned a large town modeled on New Southern City and began constructing an L-shaped outer wall and enormous barracks.
• Huo Ling promoted Nupperibos into Spined Devils to search for more Lemures, increasing the devils’ enthusiasm for work.

Mid-rank devils excavated the former Styx riverbed under Huo Ling’s supervision, where a Bone Devil’s jealousy of a Barbed Devil’s valuable discovery gave way to the revelation of a Fallen Soul Gold vein. The Dark Warriors secured the mine and reported the find, promising the Barbed Devil a great reward.

• Huo Ling supervised the excavation with liches, Death Guards, and intelligent Dark Warriors guarding against theft.
• A Bone Devil earned the Excellent Employee title after uncovering a massive ruby worth several hundred thousand Calamity Coins.
• The Bone Devil tried to take credit for a Barbed Devil’s discovery of a valuable piece of Fallen Soul Gold, but the Barbed Devil refused and called for Dark Warriors.
• The Barbed Devil told an elite Dark Warrior that it had found a Fallen Soul Gold vein, and the Dark Warriors sealed off the pit.
• The elite Dark Warrior inspected the vein, recorded the Barbed Devil’s contribution, ordered it to help guard the site, and reported the discovery to his superiors.

Huo Ling rewarded the Barbed Devil for discovering a Fallen Soul Gold vein, then urged the devils to work harder as Lavaheat Town took shape. He returned to the Spirit Realm with a small undead escort to sell resources and buy construction supplies, leaving his stronger undead to defend the town.

• Huo Ling learned that the Fallen Soul Gold vein could earn him tens of millions of Calamity Coins and praised the Barbed Devil for finding it.
• The Barbed Devil asked for a promotion, and Huo Ling advanced it in front of the other devils, encouraging them to uncover valuable materials.
• Huo Ling named the growing settlement Lavaheat Town as more than five hundred thousand Lemures worked on its walls.
• Huo Ling left most of his Sanctuary-tier undead behind to guard Lavaheat Town and teleported to the Forest Sea with four Death Guards and two Death Warlords.
• Huo Ling flew toward the fortress, expecting humanity to remain in the Forest Sea to profit from its operations while escaped demons continued to roam.

Huo Ling encountered Ren Jingchen outside the frontline fortress and learned that Ren Jinggeng had died during a demon hunt. Ren Jingchen asked Huo Ling to protect him from the Ren Family, but Huo Ling doubted he could help and remained wary of the circumstances surrounding the death.

• Huo Ling returned to the frontline fortress and saw Ren Jingchen with the battered remnants of Earl Nanhe's private troops.
• Ren Jingchen offered Huo Ling a valuable crystal as an advancement gift, but Huo Ling refused it.
• Ren Jingchen asked Huo Ling to save his life, explaining that his elder brother Ren Jinggeng had died in battle against demons.
• Huo Ling questioned whether Ren Jingchen had caused his brother's death, then doubted Ren Jingchen's account and asked how he expected Huo Ling to help.

Ren Jingchen asked Huo Ling to help him hunt down the demons who ambushed his force and avenge Ren Jinggeng, offering him a damaged Saint Domain-tier bone staff. Huo Ling accepted, and Ren Jingchen set out with him while ordering the surviving troops back to the fortress.

• Ren Jingchen dismissed his retainers and told Huo Ling that his family would likely investigate him over Ren Jinggeng's death if he returned to the fortress.
• Ren Jingchen asked Huo Ling to help him find and kill the demons who ambushed them, but Huo Ling initially refused because he was pressed for time.
• Ren Jingchen offered Huo Ling a damaged Saint Domain-tier magic staff, and Huo Ling accepted the offer and agreed to help him.
• Ren Jingchen argued with Ren Jinggeng's guard, who urged him to return to Pioneer Plains, and told the guard that their fates might be no better if they went back.
• Ren Jingchen ordered two retainers to lead the surviving soldiers back to the fortress while he left with Huo Ling to seek revenge.

Huo Ling helped Ren Jingchen track down and kill the demons that had attacked his group, then guarded him as he began attempting a breakthrough to the Sanctuary rank. The chapter ended with Ren Jingchen meditating on the battlefield and Huo Ling warning the retainer not to interfere.

• Ren Jingchen gave Huo Ling the coordinates, and Huo Ling teleported him and his retainer toward the battlefield.
• Huo Ling examined the abandoned battlefield, tracked the demons, and found more than two thousand hiding in a valley.
• Huo Ling summoned a Death Warlord and Dread Knights, then used Spatial Lock to prevent the demons from escaping as they were killed.
• Ren Jingchen identified the demons and a retainer’s spear, and Huo Ling gave him a crystal ball recording as proof of their revenge.
• Ren Jingchen began attempting a breakthrough to the Sanctuary rank, and Huo Ling cast a defensive spell over him.
• Huo Ling warned the retainer not to do anything stupid as he watched Ren Jingchen’s breakthrough.

Ren Jingchen broke through to the Saint Domain after Ren Jinggeng’s death, and Huo Ling escorted him and the family retainer back to the fortress. Huo Ling then sold demon materials, prepared to buy supplies for building a city, and returned to Blue Star to check on Wilmot.

• The family retainer abandoned his chance to attack Ren Jingchen when Huo Ling watched over the breakthrough.
• Ren Jingchen broke through from Gold rank to the Saint Domain and thanked Huo Ling for guarding him.
• Huo Ling led Ren Jingchen and the retainer back to the fortress, where Ren Jingchen prepared to return to Earl Nanhe's family.
• Huo Ling sold his demon materials and bought resources for his planned city, drawing on the valuable haul from mining the original Styx riverbed.
• Huo Ling returned to Blue Star to see how the gnoll shaman Wilmot was doing.