Chapter Summaries

Plot points and events

• Wu Yu reflects on a blond young man who could repeatedly revive, yet was trapped by Chief Constable Liu’s Water Prison. Liu plans to keep killing him while a life-and-death specialist from Withered Glory City investigates the limits of the talent.
• Searching the junk mound, Wu Yu finds a sophisticated golden crown but leaves it behind, judging it too risky. He chooses a small device containing a Space Chip instead.
• Using Soul Projection, he forces his way through the device’s data defenses. Its security system detects the intrusion, fails to connect to its network, and begins a self-destruct sequence, but Wu Yu erases the data and safely retrieves the chip.
• The chip holds hundreds of cubic meters of space, including body parts, treasures, numerous cards, and a living winged girl marked like an ancient angel. Wu Yu is surprised that people can be carried this way, but keeps her imprisoned until he understands the situation.
• He counts fifty Transcendent Gold-Grade cards and two Gold-Grade Dao Foundation cards. The latter contain Heavenly Silkworm Gloves and the Heavenly Silkworm Art, a technique from a family that was destroyed after no one could master it.

Character developments and interactions

• Wu Yu shows increased confidence after reaching Foundation Establishment: his divine sense and Soul Projection let him overcome advanced technology, though he remains cautious about unknown dangers.
• He is pragmatic rather than compassionate, choosing not to free the imprisoned girl and treating the Space Chip and its contents as potential resources.
• Wu Yu’s reflections on the blond man’s captivity remind him that even powerful abilities can be countered by stronger opponents and specialized methods.
• His thoughts turn to the Twilight Witch as a possible source of insight, but she remains asleep and is undergoing a mysterious transformation.

Significant themes

• Power has limits: seemingly unbeatable resurrection can be contained through specialized knowledge and force.
• Technology and cultivation: Wu Yu’s modern perspective and cultivation abilities give him an advantage over people who cannot recognize or access technological devices.
• Caution and exploitation: valuable discoveries bring risks, and Wu Yu prioritizes investigation and self-interest over immediate mercy.
• Hidden histories: the cards hint at lost techniques and the downfall of a family unable to master its own inheritance.

• Wu Yu sorts through his spoils: He finds a Golden-Grade Dao Foundation technique, the Heavenly Silkworm Art, and its matching Heavenly Silkworm Gloves. The gloves’ silk can become weapons, shields, ropes, or nets, and may control people as puppets when used with the Art. Wu Yu dislikes their appearance but keeps them. He also sets aside money and valuables to sell, while safely storing more disturbing items—including a little angel of uncertain origin.
• Liu Zheng’s group arrives: They ask Wu Yu about the missile-filled battle they saw in the sky. He explains that multiple Western Tower Climber teams were involved and that a powerful climber was captured. He warns them that the Government Office is formidable and that the city’s political situation is more dangerous than it appears. The group discusses why some climbers have been attacking locals: greed, looting, and abuse. Wu Yu gives Liu Zheng the equipment and valuables he has no use for; Liu promises to repay him.
• The demon wind mystery: Chen Lingling reports that the God of Calamity—one of the Five Turbid God’s deities—caused a demon wind decades ago that destroyed half the city. According to the city’s history, it should already have struck, yet there is no obvious sign of it. Chen suspects the record may be wrong or that the disaster has already arrived and been stopped.
• A rule about leaving the Great Ruins: Wu Yu privately asks Liu Zheng whether a Tower Climber can take locals out of a Great Ruins World. Liu answers firmly that no human from such a world can be taken away, regardless of spatial equipment or talent.
  Character developments and interactions: Wu Yu shows caution by hiding most of his spoils before visitors arrive, while remaining generous toward Liu Zheng and his weaker companions. Liu is practical and opportunistic, eager for useful equipment, but treats Wu Yu’s gift seriously. Chen Lingling emerges as a valuable investigator whose teleportation lets her gather information others cannot. The group’s reactions reveal their growing concern about the city’s power and the violence of other Tower Climbers.
  Themes: The chapter highlights the peril of greed and unchecked power, the importance of cooperation and reliable information, and the limits imposed by the Great Ruins’ rules. The unexplained demon wind also builds suspense around an approaching—or possibly already-resolved—catastrophe.

Plot points

• Liu Zheng reveals that the Federation has compiled extensive intelligence on Tower Climbers and their abilities. Despite reports of powerful talents involving pets, enslavement, and spatial powers, no one besides Wu Yu has found a way to bring living beings out of the Great Ruins World.
• The discussion turns to unusual and dangerous Tower Climbers, especially augmented humans. Liu Zheng suspects the troublesome Rat King may be one, and Wu Yu wonders whether it could be Zhao Xiaoming, who possesses the powerful item Flesh Bodhisattva.
• Liu Zheng invites Wu Yu’s group to hunt monsters in Frostsky Purgatory. Wu Yu agrees, but before they can go, the world abruptly falls silent and dark.
• The residents of the Zhao Residence—and apparently all other natives—have vanished. The group fears the arrival of Demon Wind, a phenomenon resembling the terrifying nights they experienced in True Martial City.
• Unable to reach any of the City of Five Defilements’ three safe locations, the group follows Wu Yu into the residence. He seals the doors and windows and uses the Evernight Lamp, empowering it with his essence blood. A dragon’s roar accompanies the lamp’s brightening, and its light drives away the unnatural cold.
• Just as Wu Yu notices something outside, his attention snaps toward it, leaving the immediate danger unresolved.

Character developments and interactions

• Wu Yu takes Liu Zheng’s intelligence seriously, reassessing what his own power and the disappearance of the “little angel” might mean. When the crisis begins, he stays composed, analyzes the situation, and leads the group to shelter.
• Liu Zheng shares Federation findings and complains about the Rat King’s growing strength. He trusts Wu Yu’s judgment during the emergency.
• Bai Xiaotian, Chen Lingling, Yu Tiezhu, and Yellow Town react with alarm but cooperate: they identify the possible threat, ask about safety, and follow Wu Yu’s instructions.
• Wu Yu’s use of the Evernight Lamp reveals the extraordinary force of his essence blood, impressing the others and briefly protecting the group.

Significant themes

• The limits of power: Even rare or advanced abilities cannot normally carry living beings out of the Great Ruins World, making Wu Yu’s apparent exception especially significant.
• Knowledge and uncertainty: Federation intelligence broadens the characters’ understanding, yet the sudden transformation of their surroundings shows how little they can predict.
• Leadership under threat: The group depends on Wu Yu’s calm decisions and resources as familiar reality gives way to supernatural danger.
• Foreshadowing and hidden connections: The Rat King’s suspected identity and Wu Yu’s concern about the “little angel” hint at unresolved links between the characters and wider events.

Key plot points and events

• A grotesque, human-skin aberration appears at Wu Yu’s door, imitating the maid who previously brought news and trying to lure him outside. Wu Yu recognizes the threat and refuses to respond.
• His various powers reveal the creature is neither a Temple believer nor a familiar monster from Frostsky Purgatory. He and Chen Lingling question whether the event is truly the “demon wind” described by locals.
• Wu Yu senses an enormous black vortex in the sky, apparently watching the world. Looking at it damages his Divine Sense, so he withdraws it and recovers using the Eternal Twilight.
• A violent storm reverses direction, blowing upward and clearing the darkness. The city returns to a dim, nightlike state. The aberration at Wu Yu’s door is swept away, but countless weaker-looking aberrations appear in the streets.
• Zhao Polu explains that demon wind is a recurring disaster sent by the God of Calamity. Residents are protected inside their homes by the Five Turbid God, but aberrations can beguile people into opening their doors.
• Believing the newly appeared monsters are weaker, Wu Yu’s group decides to test whether they can hunt them outside. Bai Xiaotian opens the residence gates, and the nearest creature’s severed head flies toward him.

Character developments and interactions

• Wu Yu remains cautious and analytical: he tests the aberration with his abilities, investigates the vortex, and avoids exposing the group to unnecessary danger. He also suspects Zhao Polu may not know—or may be withholding information about—the entity in the sky.
• Chen Lingling shares her understanding of demon wind and helps establish that the event does not match local accounts.
• Zhao Polu warns Wu Yu to remain indoors and explains the city’s protections and the disaster’s rules.
• Bai Xiaotian moves from relief to eagerness, proposing that the group exploit the apparently weakened monsters; his decision to open the gates immediately triggers an attack.
• The others gather around the Evernight Lamp during the storm and follow Wu Yu’s assessment once conditions seem stable.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus reality: The maid-like aberration is a deceptive lure, and the supposedly familiar disaster may conceal something far stranger.
• Knowledge and uncertainty: Wu Yu’s powers cannot identify the creatures or explain the vortex, while Zhao Polu’s account leaves major questions unanswered.
• Survival through restraint—and risk through curiosity: Staying inside offers protection, but the group’s desire to investigate or hunt may break that safety.
• Cosmic threat: The immense, apparently sentient vortex suggests a danger beyond the city’s ordinary understanding.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• During the demon-wind conditions, Bai Xiaotian, Liu Zheng, and other transcendents hunt the dangerous anomalies outside the city. Wu Yu observes the creatures’ varied abilities, including resistance to attacks, energy reflection, damage transfer, and soul assaults.
• Wu Yu flies out to hunt stronger anomalies. He discovers and kills a Dao Foundation–level purple worm with repeated blasts of Destruction Heavenly Thunder, then collects three Dao Foundation-grade Cards.
• Using lightning, talismans, and other abilities, Wu Yu kills dozens of Dao Foundation anomalies and hundreds of lesser ones in under two hours. Some creatures’ teleportation and flight-blocking abilities nearly damage his equipment, reminding him that his gear is becoming inadequate.
• He pauses to rescue a family trapped by an anomaly, kills the creature, and heals the survivors with Yi Wood Divine Light. A child offers him a shabby wooden horse; Wu Yu leaves with it without waiting to hear the child’s explanation.
• Later, after killing a gigantic anomaly and obtaining a Gold Card, Wu Yu hears a mysterious voice warn him that a monster king has noticed him. He escapes immediately, first flying away and then using Earth Escape. The pursuer appears to be comparable to a Golden Core cultivator, so Wu Yu leaves rather than risk fighting it.

Character developments

• Wu Yu demonstrates confidence and efficiency in combat, relying on powerful cultivation techniques rather than close-range fighting. His encounters also make him more aware of the limits of his equipment. Despite his focus on hunting, he chooses to help civilians and heal their injuries.
• Bai Xiaotian and the other hunters show initiative and courage, organizing into teams to face the anomalies.
• The unnamed child offers Wu Yu a treasured wooden horse, suggesting gratitude and trust after he saves the family.

Significant themes

• Preparation and survival: Anomalies have unpredictable abilities, and even powerful fighters must recognize when they are outmatched.
• Power balanced by caution: Wu Yu is strong, but he refuses to gamble against a likely Golden Core-level threat.
• Compassion amid danger: Wu Yu’s rescue and healing of the family show that he can act generously even while pursuing his own goals.
• The unknown: The warning voice and the monster king introduce a new mystery and a more dangerous threat.

Character interactions

• Hunters coordinate with one another, forming teams and negotiating support, while avoiding asking Wu Yu to join them because of the difference in their strength.
• Wu Yu silently assesses the other hunters’ situation, then conducts his own hunt independently.
• He briefly reassures the rescued family and heals them; the child thanks him and offers the wooden horse.
• A mysterious voice warns Wu Yu of the approaching monster king, prompting his immediate escape.

Plot and key events

• In the demon-wind chaos of City of Five Defilements, humans remain trapped indoors while Tower Climbers hunt anomalies outside. Wu Yu kills several anomalies in a house, then uses Heaven’s Return to shield himself and partially manifest the Chaos Spirit Realm.
• He discovers that the mysterious presence in his Sacred Hall Chip is an awakened golden-haired girl imprisoned inside a cage. She identifies herself as Gabriel, a Tower Climber from the Holy Fran Federation, and says the Chip belongs to her.
• Gabriel explains that she entered the cage soon after arriving in this world. Her team had been taking valuables by killing locals, but she claims she knew nothing of that. She had joined the Church after awakening with a gold talent and was subjected daily to having her divine blood drained and her wings cut off.
• Gabriel can open the cage herself. Suspicious, Wu Yu tests her with Spirit Realm power and confirms that she is immensely powerful but does not appear to be a threat.
• He learns that her angelic abilities are divided: her bones grant an unyielding soul, while her heart grants an undying body and enables another person’s infinite resurrection. Gabriel’s heart is missing; restoring it would remove that person’s resurrection ability.
• The chapter ends with Wu Yu realizing Gabriel has willingly given her body and its materials to serve as an energy source for a city in the Real World.

Character developments and interactions

• Wu Yu shifts from cautious suspicion to tentative trust as he questions Gabriel, checks her powers, and tries to reconcile her peaceful explanation with the exploitation he has witnessed.
• Gabriel is calm, sincere, and self-sacrificing. She describes severe bodily harm as an obligation rooted in her belief that “God loves the world,” and answers Wu Yu’s questions without apparent hostility.
• Their conversation is marked by sharp contrast: Wu Yu is skeptical and bewildered, while Gabriel remains composed and matter-of-fact—even about being used as a living resource.

Significant themes

• Faith and sacrifice: Gabriel’s devotion makes her accept extraordinary suffering as a duty.
• Exploitation beneath virtue: Her apparently holy role hides a system that uses her body and power for others’ benefit.
• Power and moral responsibility: Gabriel’s team’s violence against locals raises questions about what she knew and what her gifts enable.
• Trust and uncertainty: Wu Yu must judge Gabriel by her actions and verify her claims, rather than relying on appearances or declarations.

Plot points and events

• Gabriel reveals that she willingly allowed the Real World’s people to take her blood, heart, and bones, believing these sacrifices served God’s love for the world. Her blood became an energy source for a city, while the blond Tower Climber received her heart and bones to gain the talent Infinite Rebirth.
• The blond man and his companions imprisoned Gabriel so they could exploit her safely. Wu Yu explains how cruelly they treated her, but Gabriel insists they will be cleansed in heaven and says the Sacred Sun keeps the blond man alive.
• Gabriel cannot dispel the raging Demon Wind and admits she is much weaker than Wu Yu. She explains that she warned him of a monster-king ambush because he had saved ordinary people.
• Wu Yu learns that the blond man possesses a Stellar Module, a noble inheritance obtained in exchange for information about Gabriel. He had planned to use it with her heart and bone marrow to build a Mythic Cybernetic Body, but the attempt failed; the Module survived and remains with him.
• Wu Yu sees the Module as a valuable prize and decides to take Gabriel with him. After an awkward exchange about whether he intends to sleep with her, they leave to hunt eerie creatures.
• Three hours later, the storm has intensified and stronger creatures have appeared, including Foundation Establishment-level and Golden Core-level threats. Wu Yu and Gabriel narrowly escape a spatial eerie creature and return to the Zhao Residence with a large haul of Cards, including over twenty Golden Cards.

Character developments and interactions

• Gabriel is revealed as sincerely self-sacrificing rather than deceitful: despite being exploited, she remains calm, forgiving, and committed to her religious mission. She has little sense of what to do next and fears that stopping the Tower Climbers could leave her trapped.
• Wu Yu remains wary of human nature and skeptical of Gabriel’s saintliness, but recognizes her genuine kindness. His concern also turns practical when he learns about the Stellar Module; he takes her along while pursuing his own goals.
• Their conversation contrasts Wu Yu’s suspicion and pragmatism with Gabriel’s faith and selflessness. Her blunt, unsettling remarks about sex repeatedly leave him speechless.

Significant themes

• True sacrifice versus exploitation: Gabriel gives herself freely, while others profit from her generosity.
• Faith and moral judgment: Gabriel believes her abusers can be redeemed, while Wu Yu sees their actions as unforgivable.
• Power and value: Gabriel is treated as a source of blood, organs, and talent, while the Stellar Module represents another coveted resource.
• Survival amid escalating danger: The worsening storm and increasingly powerful creatures underline the risks of remaining in the Tower’s world.

Key events

• Wu Yu spends several hours fighting uncanny creatures amid the increasingly dangerous [Demon Wind], collecting many valuable Gold Cards and Incense Silver. The creatures vary widely in strength, and some have especially difficult or seemingly immortal abilities.
• The little girl, Gabriel, supports him with repeated blessings that restore health and mana and soothe the mind. She also saves injured natives by giving them her blood, which can heal severe injuries and corruption.
• Wu Yu returns to the living room with Gabriel. His companions are astonished by her angelic appearance and healing power, but accept her after learning she is a Tower Climber. Wu Yu offers little explanation, saying only that she is useful.
• The others report that they endured the [Demon Wind] for only about an hour. It grew so fierce that it threatened to strip away their flesh, and even an uncanny creature they had previously ignored had become much stronger.
• Wu Yu sorts his spoils, discarding most cards but keeping several rare Dao Foundation-grade items. He chooses to activate the [Flowing Wind, Light Cloud Boots], which replace his old shoes and let him ride the wind, alter their appearance, and enhance speed abilities. Testing them, he finds they increase his speed by roughly thirty percent.
• Confident in his growing strength and ability to escape danger, Wu Yu reflects that he can handle most Dao Foundation-grade uncanny creatures, though not the “King of Monsters.” He then heads to the backyard, where Zhao Yulian and others are gathered inside a formation.

Character developments and interactions

• Wu Yu remains pragmatic and self-assured, valuing Gabriel for her usefulness while keeping her nature private. His growing collection of powerful equipment reinforces his confidence, but he recognizes the limits of his strength.
• Gabriel shows her compassionate faith through healing blessings and blood-based cures, extending her care to both Wu Yu and the natives.
• Bai Xiaotian and the others are shaken by the worsening storm and impressed by Gabriel’s healing. They quickly drop their questions when Wu Yu signals he does not want to explain further.
• Chen Lingling notices that Gabriel is unusual and tactfully avoids pressing Wu Yu. Liu Zheng remains silent and visibly troubled.

Significant themes

• Power and survival: The storm and uncanny creatures grow more dangerous, making endurance, preparation, and escape essential.
• Compassion alongside pragmatism: Gabriel’s self-sacrificing healing contrasts with Wu Yu’s practical, results-focused approach.
• Growth through rewards: Wu Yu’s new boots symbolize his rapid advancement and give him greater mobility without making him invincible.

Plot points and events

• Wu Yu visits Zhao Polu and Zhao Yulian while the Demon Wind outside grows unusually fierce. Zhao Yulian explains that it normally ends when the Calamity God is satisfied, but this time it has lasted longer than expected.
• Zhao Polu describes the Zhao Clan’s precarious position and its strained relationship with local powers. He reveals that his friendship with Chief Constable Liu is based on shared interests between the Zhao Clan and the Three Great Sects.
• Zhao Polu explains that the Zhao Clan hopes to restore its strength by exploring Divine Ruins—remnants of defeated gods’ lands that the Silver Dynasty permits people to search.
• Zhao Yulian has gained sword intent and the potential to become a Heavenly Being, but Zhao Polu insists she return to the clan and rebuild her foundation first.
• Back at his room, Wu Yu recognizes that the unusual Demon Wind may signal wider changes to the disasters and resolves to stay cautious.
• He uses a Bloodstained Gemstone to enchant his boots with the Dao Foundation–ranked Blood Escape Technique. The enchantment also causes continuous blood loss, but Wu Yu removes the contamination with his Bronze Tripod.

Character developments and interactions

• Wu Yu gathers what information he can from the Zhao siblings, then shifts focus to preparing for danger. His confidence in his strength is balanced by a clear awareness that he cannot afford to be careless.
• Zhao Polu is candid about the Zhao Clan’s weakness and ambitions, but remains protective of the family’s future—especially in his insistence that Yulian strengthen her foundation before advancing.
• Zhao Yulian is newly confident and much stronger after gaining sword intent, though her next step remains subject to her clan’s plans. She and Wu Yu speak cordially.
• Wu Yu and Zhao Polu maintain a friendly rapport, while Zhao Polu’s sharp criticism of the Six Great Families reveals his disdain for their reliance on city protection.

Significant themes

• Uncertainty and preparation: The abnormal Demon Wind suggests familiar disasters may be changing, prompting Wu Yu to prepare rather than rely on his current power.
• Power, loyalty, and political interests: Alliances such as Zhao Polu’s with Chief Constable Liu are built on shared interests, while the Zhao Clan struggles to recover its status.
• Strength versus sound foundations: Yulian’s talent is impressive, but Zhao Polu values a properly rebuilt foundation over rapid advancement.
• Risk and adaptation: Wu Yu accepts a potentially costly escape enchantment, then uses his abilities to eliminate its drawback—turning a dangerous tool into a practical safeguard.

Key plot points and events

• After several hours of sheltering at the Zhao Residence, Wu Yu notices that the Demon Wind has ended. The Silver Token shows that the next disaster, the Demon Rain, will begin in just over eight hours.
• Knowing each disaster grows more dangerous, Wu Yu decides to use the lull to visit the Prefectural Office and the Hidden Shop. He tells his companions where to find the shop, and they leave to make use of the remaining time.
• Wu Yu puts the groggy little girl Gabriel into the Sacred Hall Chip, then visits Chief Constable Liu. He offers to help permanently kill the blond foreigner who keeps resurrecting.
• Chief Constable Liu arranges the necessary authorization and escorts Wu Yu to the Demon-Suppressing Prison. There, the foreigner is confined in a Water Prison filled with highly potent poison—dangerous even to Heavenly Beings, yet so far unable to stop the prisoner from reviving.
• Wu Yu asks to test whether he can kill the prisoner. Chief Constable Liu agrees, and prison guards approach carrying two Heavenly God Artifacts.

Character developments and interactions

• Wu Yu remains practical and forward-looking: he evaluates his aging equipment, anticipates the next disaster, and uses his abilities and reputation rather than attempting to bribe or threaten Chief Constable Liu. He also shows confidence in taking on the prisoner.
• Chief Constable Liu, usually imposing, is deeply concerned by the foreigner’s repeated resurrections. He eagerly accepts Wu Yu’s offer and personally rushes to arrange access.
• Wu Yu’s companions wake after the storm and leave to search for the Hidden Shop, grateful for the directions.
• Fan Wenshu, the Prefectural Office clerk, recognizes Wu Yu’s Rainbow Transformation and suspects he is the person officials from above were investigating. Afraid to interfere with a powerful Heavenly Being, he decides to report what he saw.
• Gabriel wakes and asks Wu Yu an inappropriate question; he shuts the exchange down by placing her in the Sacred Hall Chip.

Significant themes

• Escalating danger and preparation: The end of one disaster is only a brief reprieve before a worse one arrives.
• Limits of equipment versus personal power: Wu Yu reflects that ordinary Transcendent gear cannot keep pace with his growing cultivation or compare with Divine Abilities.
• The mystery of immortality: The foreigner’s ability to revive despite extreme poison raises the central question of how he can be killed permanently.
• Power and authority: Wu Yu’s status shapes how others deal with him, while even formidable officials remain cautious around higher-level fighters.

Key plot points and events

• After Chief Constable Liu removes the enormous Purple Mirror and heavy gray crutch, Wu Yu seals the cell and summons Gabriel from the [Sacred Hall].
• The Blond-Haired Youth begins regenerating once the poisonous water is gone. Wu Yu explains that the youth cannot be killed while he possesses Gabriel’s Sacred Heart.
• Wu Yu persuades Gabriel that loving all life includes valuing her own life, and that reclaiming her heart and bones is not wrong. As the youth wakes repeatedly and tries to intervene, Wu Yu knocks him unconscious.
• Gabriel accepts Wu Yu’s reasoning and reclaims her heart and bones. Their holy energy returns to her, restoring her health, while the youth collapses into mangled flesh.
• Wu Yu suppresses the resentful black vapor released from the youth and discovers and extracts an intangible chip near the youth’s ribs: the [Stellar Module]. He stores it after checking the body for anything else unusual.
• Chief Constable Liu enters after Wu Yu calls him in. Seeing that the youth no longer regenerates, he celebrates the end of the threat and says the Prefectural Office had planned to dispose of him completely.

Character developments

• Gabriel moves from self-denial to recognizing that she, too, is a mortal whose life matters. She chooses to reclaim what belongs to her, though she does so without celebrating the youth’s death.
• Wu Yu demonstrates patience and strategic control: he reasons with Gabriel, restrains the youth, suppresses the supernatural residue, and carefully searches for the source of the youth’s power.
• Chief Constable Liu shifts from hopeful concern to relief once he confirms the youth can no longer revive.

Significant themes

• Self-worth and compassion: Wu Yu reframes “God loves all” to include loving oneself; protecting Gabriel’s life need not contradict compassion for others.
• Limits of forgiveness: Gabriel’s mercy does not require her to keep sacrificing herself or preserve the life of someone who harmed her.
• Power and accountability: The youth’s ability to regenerate has made him a continuing danger, so ending that ability is treated as relief for those harmed.
• The supernatural and the technological: The revealed Stellar Module suggests that the youth’s seemingly miraculous survival is tied to a hidden, technological artifact.

Character interactions

• Wu Yu gently debates Gabriel’s beliefs rather than forcing her to act, helping her reach her own decision.
• The youth repeatedly tries to speak, but Wu Yu prevents him from disrupting Gabriel’s choice.
• Gabriel neither resists being returned to the [Sacred Hall] nor looks back at the youth.
• Wu Yu and Chief Constable Liu exchange information about the youth’s death and the authorities’ intended disposition.

Key plot points and events

• Chief Constable Liu uses several Heavenly God Artifacts to destroy the Blond-Haired Youth’s body and soul and erase all traces of him. Wu Yu is shocked, while Liu jokes that such precautions are ordinary for an experienced lawman.
• Outside the Heavenly Prison, Fan Wenshu is waiting for Wu Yu. He introduces him to an “esteemed person” at the Five Blossoms Inn.
• Wu Yu recognizes the guests as the two disguised women he previously encountered in the northwest. They invite him to hear their request.
• The white-robed woman reveals that she cannot rely on the Government Office or the army: the authorities are controlled by the Three Great Sects, and military action requires permission from the Five Turbid God.
• She describes a hidden valley eight hundred li from the City of Five Defilements, said to contain a world within itself, and offers Wu Yu half its contents if he helps her. Her offer triggers a hidden quest.

Character developments and interactions

• Wu Yu remains observant and direct. He detects the women’s disguises and challenges their false identities, but is candid that he knows nothing about who they really are.
• Chief Constable Liu is shown as ruthless and methodical in eliminating threats, yet lighthearted about his unsettling methods. He leaves promptly when Fan Wenshu approaches.
• Fan Wenshu acts as an intermediary, bringing Wu Yu to the women, but is dismissed once they want to speak privately.
• The white-robed woman shifts from cautious disguise to frankness after Wu Yu exposes her. She admits her desperate position and offers him a share of the hidden discovery. Her maid is nervous about being exposed.

Significant themes

• Power and institutional limits: Officials may offer help, but sect control and divine authority restrict what they can do.
• Secrecy and perception: Disguises, hidden places, and erased evidence shape the chapter; Wu Yu’s perceptiveness repeatedly cuts through concealment.
• Opportunity amid danger: The woman’s desperate appeal turns a mysterious ruin into a potentially valuable—but likely risky—quest.

Key plot points and events

• Wu Yu recognizes that the two disguised visitors have brought him into a hidden Gold-tier quest, “Sorrow of the Mountain Lord.” He can either help Xu Qinghe kill a Demonized Mountain Lord for its corpse and a Baleful Gem, or purify its parasitic anomaly for a reward from the King of Ferocious Beasts.
• Suspecting that the pair are hiding something, Wu Yu questions their motives. Xu Qinghe mistakes his doubts for distrust and removes her vinewood mask, revealing that she and her maid, Xiao Qing, had disguised themselves to avoid being recognized.
• Xu Qinghe explains that she is a legacy disciple of the True Essence Sect. Because the Government Office is jointly staffed by the Three Great Sects, revealing her presence could cause political trouble. She approached Fan Wenshu, a former True Essence Sect steward now working at the office, because he remains loyal to the sect.
• Xu Qinghe admits she has been searching for Demonized Mountain Lords to obtain their inner cores. She needs them to make a Heavenly God Artifact work, hoping it will help manage how her unusually powerful physique interferes with her martial training.
• She offers Wu Yu all the treasures if he helps kill the Mountain Lord. When she finally shows him the artifact—a strip of white cloth called Demonized Inner Armor—its description reveals that it consumes the wearer’s flesh and may permanently disable them. Wu Yu is appalled and questions whether it is legitimate.

Character developments and interactions

• Wu Yu remains cautious and perceptive, pressing Xu Qinghe for a truthful explanation instead of agreeing to a dangerous quest blindly. He listens to her account but becomes increasingly skeptical, especially when he sees the artifact’s cost.
• Xu Qinghe shifts from nervous concealment to openness, revealing her identity and motive under questioning. Though powerful and high-ranking, she comes across as inexperienced and overly trusting when she offers Wu Yu every treasure to secure his help.
• Xiao Qing, Xu Qinghe’s maid, is visibly worried when her mistress removes her disguise and follows suit herself.
• Xu Qinghe’s striking appearance and physical struggles are noted, but Wu Yu’s composed, respectful manner puts her at ease.

Significant themes

• Trust and secrecy: Xu Qinghe’s disguises and withheld details make Wu Yu wary, while the sect politics explain why she is afraid to seek official help.
• Power and vulnerability: Despite Xu Qinghe’s talent and status, her body complicates her training and leaves her reliant on a dangerous artifact.
• Risk beneath reward: The quest promises valuable treasures, but the artifact’s severe physical cost—and the Mountain Lord’s unknown strength—make the venture far from straightforward.

Key plot points and events

• Xu Qinghe recruits Wu Yu to help hunt the badly injured Demonized Mountain Lord. She wants its heart to upgrade her Demonized Inner Armor, which consumes her flesh but currently cannot target the areas she wants.
• Xu explains that her unusual body has long burdened her daily life and cultivation. She has used demonized equipment to reduce its effects, though she regards the condition as a problem rather than a gift.
• In return for Wu Yu’s help, Xu offers him everything from the valley except the demonized heart, including its ruins and hidden treasures.
• Wu Yu asks whether the Mountain Lord could be a King of Ferocious Beasts. Xu insists it is not, but Wu suspects the mission’s warning points to a powerful King secretly watching the creature—and that the valley may be a trap.
• Rather than refuse, Wu considers using the expedition to his advantage. Xu, encouraged by her maid Xiao Qing, offers him a rare red-quality True Primordial Spirit Blood Pill, which can boost Heavenly God’s Power and blood qi and improve a martial artist’s Dharma Form during a breakthrough.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Qinghe reveals her private motive and vulnerability, showing both her frustration with her body and her determination to change it. She is generous but appears to underestimate the danger surrounding the Mountain Lord.
• Wu Yu remains cautious and strategic. He questions Xu’s intelligence, recognizes the likely hidden threat, and weighs the mission’s risks against its rewards rather than committing immediately.
• Xiao Qing worries that Xu is offering too much, but Xu proceeds with the bargain.

Significant themes

• Power at a cost: Xu’s magical armor grants benefits by consuming her flesh, while its side effects remain difficult to control.
• Risk and opportunity: The valley’s valuable ruins may conceal a danger far greater than Xu realizes.
• Appearance, talent, and burden: Xu’s unusual physical traits may look like an advantage, but she experiences them as an obstacle.
• Trust and negotiation: Wu and Xu each have different motives, and the proposed alliance depends on balancing danger against valuable rewards.

Key plot points and events

• Wu Yu recognizes the True Primordial Spirit Blood Pill as a valuable treasure with a red-grade Dao Foundation. Though it has little use for his own cultivation, he wants it and reflects that he needs to learn more about the Martial Dao’s Divine Intent Realm.
• He decides to consult Zheng Ru after returning to the Real World, since few people in his circle specialize in the Martial Dao.
• Xu Qinghe offers the pill as payment for Wu Yu’s help against a Demonized Mountain Lord. Wu Yu hesitates, judging the danger too great for such a small reward.
• To secure the pill and redirect the mission, Wu Yu invents a warning: the Mountain Lord has a powerful backer, and an eldritch entity is parasitizing it. He claims they should target the entity instead of killing the Mountain Lord.
• Xu Qinghe accepts his plan and gives him the pill, hoping they can obtain demonized remains or a treasure to cure her condition. Wu Yu agrees, privately recognizing that he has successfully manipulated her.
• Xu Qinghe reveals a map of the ruins. Wu Yu’s Divine Sense identifies it as a spatial treasure that has locked onto multiple hidden coordinates.

Character developments and interactions

• Wu Yu shows caution rather than greed, but also a willingness to deceive when it serves his goals. He turns Xu Qinghe’s request into an opportunity to gain both the pill and access to the ruins.
• Xu Qinghe is determined to resolve her physical condition, even at personal risk. She is initially suspicious of Wu Yu’s hesitation, but becomes deferential once she believes he has uncovered a hidden threat.
• Xu Qinghe’s maid objects to giving away a sect-protected pill, but cannot overrule her mistress and watches anxiously.
• Wu Yu and Xu Qinghe negotiate: he presents himself as a knowledgeable protector, while she trusts his warning and trades the pill and map for his help.

Significant themes

• Deception and trust: Wu Yu’s fabricated warning persuades Xu Qinghe, showing how easily authority and apparent knowledge can shape another person’s choices.
• Risk versus reward: Wu Yu weighs the pill’s value against the danger of confronting the Mountain Lord and chooses a safer-sounding alternative.
• Cultivation paths and uncertainty: Wu Yu’s thoughts about the Divine Intent Realm highlight his limited knowledge of the Martial Dao and the differences between it and the Immortal Dao.
• Hidden value: The map appears ordinary but is revealed to be a rare spatial artifact, reinforcing the chapter’s focus on concealed opportunities.

Key plot points and events

• Wu Yu learns that Xu Qinghe’s Heavenly God Artifact can reveal the route to the Ruins and, at a cost, escape even the King of Ferocious Beasts. He agrees to help her and accepts a jade pendant that will signal when her formation is ready.
• After Wu Yu leaves, Xu Qinghe and her maid, Xiao Qing, reveal that their performance was deliberate: they are wary of him but urgently need a High Celestial’s help. They suspect he knows more about the Ruins than he should, yet decide to risk working with him.
• Wu Yu secretly listens using his divine sense while a Shadow of Darkness Card projects a convincing phantom elsewhere, concealing that he is still nearby.
• He releases the Little Girl and asks about her Stellar Module. She explains that it originated from an ancient Starry Stone Tablet imbued with a dead Godspawn’s power, later refined through generations into the modern Intangible Chip.
• Wu Yu offers to take her to the Evacuation Point. Though surprised he will neither kill nor exploit her, the Little Girl eventually agrees to evacuate.

Character developments and interactions

• Wu Yu remains composed and calculating: he accepts Xu Qinghe’s proposal while covertly checking her story, then treats the Little Girl with restraint and generosity. His unfamiliarity with the local magical technology contrasts with his confidence and resources.
• Xu Qinghe is cautious but practical. She recognizes the danger of trusting Wu Yu, yet chooses to proceed because time is short and his strength could help her.
• Xiao Qing helps Xu Qinghe maintain their act, then voices suspicions about Wu Yu’s knowledge and possible origins.
• The Little Girl is curious and teasing, initially testing whether Wu Yu intends to harm or manipulate her. His repeated assurances persuade her to accept his help.

Significant themes

• Trust and deception: Both sides conceal their intentions or test one another, while Wu Yu’s illusion lets him observe unseen.
• Power across worlds: Wu Yu’s foreign cards and cultivation give him advantages in a setting whose Heavenly Beings and technology are unfamiliar to him.
• Pragmatic cooperation: Xu Qinghe accepts a risky alliance, and Wu Yu chooses to help the Little Girl despite having little to gain.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Wu Yu brings the little girl who calls herself Gabriel to the return point. She probes him about his feelings and urges him to kill or torment her, but he refuses and lets her return when the countdown expires.
• After she disappears, Wu Yu recognizes that her words and behavior concealed a serious danger. He suspects her desire to provoke violence may be connected to the Blond-Haired Youth and the destruction of an entire real-world city.
• Wu Yu visits the Earth God’s Blessed Land, where several merchant caravans have arrived. He browses and buys goods from across worlds, including equipment, artifacts, materials, and pills.
• Back at the inn, Wu Yu summons the Winged Mountain Lord and hints that he may soon need help dealing with another mountain lord.

Character developments

• Wu Yu demonstrates strong self-control and caution, resisting an unnatural urge to attack Gabriel. His soul-refining cultivation and Mythic Cybernetic Body give him confidence, though he remains wary of the girl.
• Gabriel appears to crave being harmed or killed, but her motives and true nature remain uncertain. Wu Yu suspects she is far more dangerous than she lets on.
• The Earth God treats Wu Yu with greater respect, apparently recognizing his strength and spending power; he eagerly guides him around the new merchants.
• The Winged Mountain Lord enthusiastically accepts Wu Yu’s suggestion that he may get to fight, though he quickly restrains himself when Wu Yu gives him a look.

Character interactions

• Gabriel repeatedly tests Wu Yu’s resolve, but he refuses to explain himself or act on the violent impulses she stirs up.
• The Earth God welcomes Wu Yu into the Blessed Land and introduces him to its merchants and their wares.
• Wu Yu speaks with the merchants, makes purchases, and later tells the Winged Mountain Lord that a confrontation may be coming.

Significant themes

• Resisting manipulation: Wu Yu’s discipline keeps him from acting on emotions that may have been artificially induced.
• Hidden danger and uncertain truth: Gabriel’s apparently honest statements may conceal a much darker reality.
• Power and preparation: Wu Yu uses his resources and alliances to prepare for future threats.
• Interconnected worlds: The Earth Gods’ network of Blessed Lands enables trade across worlds, creating a distinctive supernatural commercial system.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Wu Yu finishes preparing for a dangerous quest to defeat an eerie being controlling the Demonized Mountain Lord and rescue the Mountain Lord. Though he estimates a 90% chance of success, he considers that far too risky and gathers specialized equipment.
• He tests the Dao Foundation treasure Beast-Binding Rope on the Winged Mountain Lord. It binds the tiger even as it grows larger and withstands its wind-blade attacks. Wu Yu releases it, retrieves the rope, and warns it to behave.
• After resting and drawing talismans, Wu Yu stores the Winged Mountain Lord in his Hundred-Thousand Mountains Spirit Realm and heads out.
• He secretly activates the Void Shadow Mark, a divine artifact that uses spatial power to shift him a short distance and leave a shadow at his former position. He confirms it can help him return across space, provided he remains within range.
• Wu Yu arrives at the Five Blossoms Inn, where Xu Qinghe and Xiao Qing have prepared a high-level Heavenly God Formation using ten small banners and a spatial item. Xu Qinghe announces that the setup is ready and directs Wu Yu to his position in the formation.

Character developments

• Wu Yu remains cautious and methodical, preparing multiple tools before confronting the threat. He also notices himself repeatedly contemplating slaughter for money, which he attributes to the blessing affecting his heart and spirit, though he believes its influence is limited.
• The Winged Mountain Lord is newly empowered by Wu Yu’s Spirit Realm and is visibly proud of its strength, but the rope’s demonstration makes it more wary and compliant.
• Xu Qinghe appears confident and pleased that the formation is complete, taking charge of the ritual and guiding Wu Yu.

Significant themes

• Preparation and risk management: Wu Yu treats even a high likelihood of success as insufficient and equips himself for different dangers.
• Power and control: The rope’s dominance over the Mountain Lord illustrates how specialized tools can overcome raw strength.
• Temptation and restraint: Wu Yu’s thoughts about slaughtering clans for wealth suggest a potentially troubling influence, but he recognizes and checks those impulses.
• Spatial power and cooperation: The Void Shadow Mark and the formation both rely on manipulating space, while the next step requires Wu Yu and Xu Qinghe to work together.

Character interactions

• Wu Yu praises, pets, restrains, and later stores the Winged Mountain Lord, whose pride gives way to grumbling caution.
• Xiao Qing alerts Xu Qinghe when Wu Yu arrives; Xu Qinghe recognizes him and welcomes him into the prepared room.
• Xu Qinghe explains the formation’s readiness and instructs Wu Yu where to stand as the ritual begins.

Key plot points and events

• In a Three Talents Formation, Xu Qinghe, Xiao Qing, and Wu Yu activate a spatial treasure that transforms into a transparent bird. It locks onto a destination beyond the City of Five Defilements, though the bird can perch only on Xu Qinghe.
• The group leaves the brightly lit city and enters a bleak, terrifying wilderness. Wu Yu produces the Evernight Lamp, whose light and warmth ease the women’s discomfort—but also seem to trigger a strange, fleeting reaction in their blood qi.
• When Xu Qinghe’s flight proves slow, Wu Yu carries both women and follows the bird’s spatial guidance at high speed.
• A giant black eagle attacks. Wu Yu kills it instantly, collects its Cards, and presses on. After several more beast attacks, he grows wary of attracting something more dangerous and flies low along the mountains.
• The bird’s spatial fluctuations indicate they are nearing their destination. Just as Wu Yu approaches, he senses danger and shifts the group aside; a massive black root lashes down where they had been.

Character developments and interactions

• Wu Yu remains calm and capable, quickly understanding how the treasure works. He shields the women from danger, but his straightforward manner—and his decision to carry them without warning—leaves them startled and embarrassed.
• Xu Qinghe is eager to display her treasure and probe Wu Yu about the Evernight Lamp, but she is also self-conscious about her limited flight ability. She keeps her curiosity in check when Wu Yu does not answer.
• Xiao Qing follows Xu Qinghe’s lead and shares her unease outside the city; she is especially embarrassed by Xu Qinghe’s involuntary reaction to the lamp.

Significant themes

• Safety versus wilderness: The bustling, illuminated city contrasts sharply with the silent, hostile world outside.
• Power and uncertainty: Wu Yu’s strength handles visible threats easily, yet the unexplained reaction to the lamp and the sudden root attack suggest deeper dangers.
• Trust and restraint: Xu Qinghe tests Wu Yu’s knowledge, while he chooses not to explain the lamp, maintaining a guarded distance.

Plot and key events

• Wu Yu discovers that an apparently ordinary ancient tree is a disguised Tree Monster. He kills it and finds signs that it was corrupted, raising concerns about contamination.
• He and Xu Qinghe disagree over how close the valley is to the City of Five Defilements, but resolve the confusion and fly toward it. Numerous Tree Monsters attack along the way; Wu Yu dispatches them easily, especially with the fire-based Bi Fang Talisman.
• The valley proves to be a Heaven-and-Earth Vista: its interior is much larger than its exterior. Wu Yu senses danger from above and lands rather than continuing to fly.
• Inside, the group encounters distorted terrain and hostile, tainted rocks. At night, Wu Yu fights many Tiger Wraiths and reflects that this Mountain Lord is far stronger than the weakened cub he once killed.
• Xu Qinghe’s spatial map confirms they have reached the correct valley and explains that its self-contained space can mislead visitors into traps or lucky discoveries.
• The Demonized Mountain Lord appears, furious that the intruders killed its Tiger Wraiths. Xu Qinghe attacks with a whip, sword techniques, and a sword formation, while Xiao Qing supports her with a magical artifact. The beast breaks the formation and nearly bites Xu Qinghe, but Wu Yu rescues her.
• Wu Yu judges that the Mountain Lord is powerful but impaired by its limited reason. He prepares to attack with Destruction Heavenly Thunder and the Bi Fang Talisman.

Character development and interactions

• Wu Yu remains alert and decisive, investigating the contamination, navigating the strange valley cautiously, and rescuing Xu Qinghe when she is in danger. He also recognizes that this opponent is not comparable to the weaker Mountain Lord he defeated before.
• Xu Qinghe is eager to prove herself and takes the lead in the fight, but learns that her attacks cannot pierce the Mountain Lord’s hide and must rely on Wu Yu’s intervention.
• Xiao Qing stays out of direct danger and contributes support, helping Xu Qinghe form a sword formation.
• The earlier awkwardness between Wu Yu, Xu Qinghe, and Xiao Qing is quietly set aside; they cooperate without discussing it.

Significant themes

• Deception and uncertainty: Ordinary trees conceal monsters, and the valley’s space misdirects travelers.
• Corruption and danger: Taint affects both the Tree Monsters and the valley’s surroundings.
• Power and experience: Wu Yu’s earlier victory came partly from luck; the current Mountain Lord presents a much greater challenge.
• Cooperation and limits: Xu Qinghe and Xiao Qing combine their abilities, but their efforts cannot overcome the beast without Wu Yu.