Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• He Qinglan observes a brutal “Sea Fish Fighting” match in an enormous undersea cage. Although he accepts predation as a natural law, he is disturbed by the unnatural condition of several fish.
• Among the twenty-eight creatures—including sharks, giant squid, orcas, and other predators—he identifies several apparently ordinary animals radiating an ominous black aura and deathly energy:
  • An unusually long electric eel
  • A large sea crab
  • Two enormous black-shelled lobsters
  • A swordfish with an exceptionally long bony spike
• He Qinglan realizes these creatures are mutated or contaminated and suspects that one of them, rather than the visibly powerful sharks or orcas, will ultimately win.
• The host explains the betting rules, comparing the event to a horse race. Guests may select two fish and wager anything from a small amount to millions of yuan.
• Shui Wuyuan bets one million yuan on the Mantis Shrimp, fish 27, and the Electric Eel, fish 18. Chiyan uses Jin Cancan’s large gold nugget to bet on the spiked Swordfish, fish 6.
• Their unusual choices attract ridicule because the guests believe the sharks, squid, or orcas are obviously strongest. Shui Wuyuan remains confident, implying that the others can only judge by appearances.
• The match begins when a bloody piece of meat is thrown into the cage. The smell triggers a massive frenzy, and the predators immediately begin fighting and devouring one another.
• Sharks initially dominate, tearing apart giant squid and other creatures. The audience becomes excited and cheers for their chosen favorites.

Character Developments

• He Qinglan: Becomes increasingly disgusted with the restaurant and its exploitation of mutated creatures. His concern shifts from the spectacle itself to the origin and wider existence of the contaminated fish.
• Shui Wuyuan: Demonstrates confidence and hidden knowledge by betting heavily on creatures that appear weak. His mocking calmness suggests he understands the fish’s true abilities.
• Chiyan: Participates boldly, wagering valuable gold on the strange spiked Swordfish. Her decision shows trust in her judgment—or in knowledge unavailable to the other guests.
• Jin Cancan: Holds the gold nugget used for Chiyan’s bet, indirectly contributing to the high-stakes wager.
• The guests and gamblers: Reveal their shallow reliance on appearances, overwhelmingly favoring the visibly powerful sharks and other large predators.

Significant Themes

• Appearance versus reality: The apparently weak fish may be the most dangerous, while the crowd misjudges them based on size and visible strength.
• Natural brutality and exploitation: The match turns the law of predation into entertainment and gambling, exposing the cruelty of both nature and human society.
• Hidden corruption and mutation: The black aura and deathly energy suggest a larger supernatural or environmental threat connected to contaminated sea life.
• Human greed and spectacle: Wealthy guests and online viewers treat mass slaughter as amusement, while the organizers profit from their excitement.
• Insight versus ignorance: He Qinglan and Shui Wuyuan perceive dangers concealed beneath the surface, contrasting with the spectators’ confident but superficial assumptions.

Character Interactions

• The host encourages the guests to gamble and uses the story of a previous ten-million-yuan winner to intensify their interest.
• Shui Wuyuan and Chiyan’s enormous wagers make them the center of attention and provoke disbelief from the other guests.
• Shui Wuyuan responds to the spectators’ judgment with silent mockery, emphasizing the gap between his knowledge and their ignorance.
• He Qinglan internally separates himself from the gamblers, rejecting the game even as he watches the same event and tries to understand its hidden dangers.

Chapter 71 Summary

Plot and key events

The underwater betting battle initially appears to favor the giant creatures, especially the great white sharks, giant squid, and orca. Spectators mock the smaller contestants—particularly the Mantis Shrimp and Electric Eel—as too weak to survive against creatures many times their size. However, the battle is secretly rigged by the organizers, who have placed control marks on the mutated sea creatures and intend to manipulate which “trump cards” win or die.
Shui Wuyuan intervenes when his chosen Electric Eel No. 18 and Mantis Shrimp No. 27 are about to be eaten. Using an invisible force, he restores their power. The Electric Eel unleashes a massive electrical attack that overturns a shark, while the Mantis Shrimp pierces a shark’s eye. Swordfish Chiyan also kills a shark by stabbing through its skull. The supposedly weak creatures suddenly become ruthless predators, shocking the audience and disrupting the organizers’ plans.
The battle continues for roughly twenty minutes. The three largest sharks and the orca are killed, while the giant squid is electrocuted and left floating helplessly. Only six creatures remain: two Mantis Shrimp, a giant crab, an Electric Eel, a Swordfish, and a translucent jellyfish. Their survival among the corpses of much larger creatures leaves the spectators stunned. Attention then turns to the unusual black, spiked shell of one Mantis Shrimp.

Character developments

• Shui Wuyuan quietly reveals his power and influence by breaking through the creatures’ restraints, transforming the battle and exposing his mysterious connection to the aquatic contestants.
• Mantis Shrimp No. 27 emerges as an exceptionally savage and powerful fighter, attacking far larger enemies without hesitation.
• Electric Eel No. 18 demonstrates overwhelming destructive ability once its strength is restored.
• Swordfish Chiyan proves equally lethal, killing a shark instantly.
• The battle organizers lose control of their supposedly obedient creatures and become increasingly desperate as their financial losses mount.

Significant themes

• The underestimated defeating the powerful: Small creatures overturn the presumed hierarchy by defeating sharks, an orca, and a giant squid.
• Freedom versus control: The organizers attempt to manipulate and suppress the creatures through control marks, but Shui Wuyuan’s intervention allows them to act independently.
• Corruption and exploitation: The battle is presented as entertainment and gambling, while the organizers secretly experiment on and manipulate mutated animals for profit.
• Hidden power and appearances: Creatures dismissed as weak reveal terrifying abilities, suggesting that outward size and appearance do not determine true strength.

Character interactions

Spectators ridicule those who chose the Mantis Shrimp and Electric Eel, indirectly insulting Shui Wuyuan’s judgment. The organizers react with panic when the controlled creatures break free, debating whether to interrupt the broadcast or destroy the evidence. Shui Wuyuan’s silent intervention contrasts with their frantic attempts to preserve the rigged spectacle, while the surviving creatures collectively turn the battle against the larger predators.

Chapter 143 Summary

Key plot points and events

After the initial slaughter, the surviving six marine creatures continue fighting under the restaurant’s orders. Their unnatural appearances—especially the monstrous electric eel, spiny swordfish, venomous jellyfish, and giant crab—cause diners and online gamblers to suspect that they are not ordinary sea creatures. The event organizer claims they were rare, vicious “Kings” salvaged from the deep sea, using this explanation to conceal the creatures’ true nature and protect the restaurant from suspicion.
The organizers attempt to manipulate the battle, ordering the Electric Eel, Mantis Shrimp No. 27, and Swordfish to be eliminated while arranging for Jellyfish No. 9 to win. The Swordfish, black-shelled giant Crab, and Mantis Shrimp attack the Electric Eel simultaneously. The eel unleashes a massive electrical discharge, and the resulting clash kills or gravely injures nearly all four creatures. Only Mantis Shrimp No. 27 and Jellyfish No. 9 remain.
The restaurant staff expect the jellyfish’s deadly venom to defeat the shrimp, but Mantis Shrimp No. 27 suddenly charges forward and tears the jellyfish apart before it can react. The shrimp becomes the unexpected champion, winning Shui Wuyuan a huge gambling payout.

Character developments

• Shui Wuyuan remains calm and confident throughout the event. His choice of the Mantis Shrimp proves correct, and he uses his family’s influence to prevent the restaurant from reducing or withholding his winnings.
• The event organizer grows increasingly nervous as the creatures fail to follow the intended battle pattern. His confidence collapses when the Mantis Shrimp defeats the restaurant’s trump card, the jellyfish.
• Mantis Shrimp No. 27 demonstrates intelligence, strength, and possibly independence from the organizers’ control by avoiding the earlier slaughter and decisively defeating the jellyfish.

Significant themes

• Deception and manipulation: The restaurant disguises the creatures’ abnormal qualities as rare deep-sea traits and attempts to control the battle’s outcome.
• Power and influence: Shui Wuyuan’s social status and family connections ensure that the restaurant honors its debt.
• Underestimating appearances: The seemingly fragile jellyfish is actually deadly, while the Mantis Shrimp, initially overlooked by the organizers, proves to be the true victor.
• Loss of control: The restaurant’s schemes begin to fail as the marine creatures act unpredictably and reveal abilities beyond ordinary animals.

Character interactions

The diners speculate about the creatures’ identities and place bets, while the organizer publicly reassures them and privately issues commands. Shui Wuyuan’s successful bet places him in direct tension with the organizer, who briefly considers cheating him. Shui Wuyuan’s veiled threat forces the organizer to promise an estimated payout of fifty million. Afterward, Shui Wuyuan declares that the victorious Mantis Shrimp should be treated like a king.

Chapter 72 Summary

Key plot points and events

After Shui Wuyuan says, “Rain God… bless you,” the enormous black Mantis Shrimp suddenly becomes highly energized. It charges through the supposedly indestructible electrified metal net and repeatedly smashes into the underwater restaurant’s glass wall before escaping into the open sea. The restaurant manager attempts to reassure the diners, claiming that the creature is harmless and that tracking devices will allow them to recapture it. However, a nearby mini-submarine sent after the shrimp is soon seen exploding, apparently after the Mantis Shrimp punches a hole through it. The restaurant guests panic, especially because the escape route leads toward areas used for underwater exploration. The manager abandons his calm façade and orders all ten capture boats to pursue the creature.

Character developments

Shui Wuyuan’s brief blessing appears to trigger or encourage the Mantis Shrimp’s violent escape, though he clearly did not intend for it to become so dangerous. The Mantis Shrimp is revealed to possess extraordinary intelligence, speed, strength, and determination, far beyond what the restaurant staff expected from an ordinary sea creature. The restaurant manager shifts from confident public spokesperson to alarmed commander once the danger becomes undeniable. The proprietress displays sharper judgment than the manager, immediately recognizing the threat posed by the shrimp.

Significant themes

The chapter emphasizes the danger of underestimating seemingly insignificant creatures and the consequences of attempting to control nature for entertainment. It also highlights the contrast between official reassurances and reality: the restaurant claims its defenses are impenetrable and the Mantis Shrimp harmless, but both claims are quickly disproven. The creature’s escape also reinforces themes of freedom, rebellion, and the unpredictable power of beings treated as mere spectacles.

Character interactions

Shui Wuyuan’s blessing is humorously interpreted by the Mantis Shrimp as encouragement. The diners react with confusion, fear, and outrage as the creature escapes. The proprietress openly challenges the manager’s dismissive attitude, warning that the shrimp could injure people. Meanwhile, the manager communicates with the capture team and orders a full-scale pursuit after learning that the creature has destroyed a submarine and may threaten treasure hunters and other civilians.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The restaurant manager orders the capture team to eliminate the mutated Mantis Shrimp within an hour, prioritizing the safety and comfort of the customers over capturing it alive.
• He apologizes to the guests and offers full refunds and compensation. By suggesting that the creature could become a fascinating specimen for photographs, he persuades most customers to remain and watch the outcome.
• Only one of the nine tables leaves. He Qinglan, Shui Wuyuan, and the others stay behind, while He Qinglan follows the Mantis Shrimp through the undersea glass corridor.
• He Qinglan realizes that the giant marine creatures were likely changed by severe pollution—possibly nuclear wastewater—and further altered through human experimentation.
• He suspects the Mantis Shrimp possesses both heightened intelligence and a deep hostility toward humans, rather than acting purely on instinct.
• Using his special connection to seafood, He Qinglan tracks the creature and witnesses it locate the cage containing the restaurant’s captive “fighting fish” and other mutated sea creatures.
• The Mantis Shrimp repeatedly fires water cannonballs at the cage’s electronic lock, destroying it with precise, deliberate attacks.
• It then communicates with the imprisoned creatures in a way humans cannot understand, triggering a coordinated uprising.
• A massive, badly decomposed tiger shark repeatedly rams the cage gate despite the high-voltage current running through it. Though the shark is eventually exhausted and appears dead, its sacrifice weakens the gate enough for it to begin opening.

Character Developments

• The restaurant manager demonstrates composure, salesmanship, and opportunism. He transforms a dangerous emergency into a spectacle that satisfies customers’ curiosity.
• He Qinglan becomes more investigative and observant, looking beyond the restaurant’s official explanation and analyzing the creatures’ mutations and behavior.
• The Mantis Shrimp is revealed to be highly intelligent, purposeful, and capable of planning, precision, communication, and leadership. It is not merely a monstrous animal but an organized revolutionary force.
• The captive sea creatures, especially the tiger shark, display courage and collective resistance. Their willingness to endure pain suggests desperation and a strong desire for freedom.
• Shui Wuyuan’s influence is indirectly emphasized: his blessing may have enhanced the creatures’ bodies and intelligence, though it did not create their hatred or goals.

Significant Themes

• Environmental destruction: Nuclear wastewater and human pollution are presented as forces capable of catastrophically deforming and endangering marine life.
• Human exploitation of nature: The restaurant confines mutated creatures for entertainment, food, and spectacle, revealing humanity’s role in creating and imprisoning the monsters.
• Freedom versus captivity: The Mantis Shrimp’s actions become an organized attempt to liberate the imprisoned creatures.
• Intelligence and moral ambiguity: The supposedly dangerous animals act with planning and solidarity, while the humans treat their suffering as entertainment.
• Commercialization of disaster: The manager exploits the guests’ fear and curiosity, turning a crisis into a potential tourist attraction.

Character Interactions

• The manager speaks with the capture team, demanding that the Mantis Shrimp be killed if necessary.
• He then addresses the frightened customers, apologizing and offering compensation while encouraging them to stay for the spectacle.
• He Qinglan remains with Shui Wuyuan and the others but separates from the group to observe the creature more closely.
• The Mantis Shrimp interacts with the captive marine animals through an unintelligible signal, coordinating their escape.
• The tiger shark directly assists the Mantis Shrimp by repeatedly striking the weakened cage gate, enabling the other creatures to begin escaping.

Chapter 73 Summary

Plot points and events

• Four sharks coordinate to smash open the undersea cage gate, releasing more than a hundred polluted, mutated, and specially modified marine beasts.
• Capture submarines arrive too late and are unable to contain the creatures, many of which lack tracking or control chips. The personnel retreat and warn headquarters, fearing a major disaster along Pearl City’s coast.
• The escaped beasts attack the Undersea Restaurant, ramming its glass walls and corridors. Sharks, mantis shrimp, black jellyfish, and other creatures appear throughout the facility.
• The restaurant is evacuated, but everyone is forced to queue at the single elevator leading to the surface. The alternative staff route passes through dangerous areas and may expose them to even more attacking creatures.
• Panic spreads among the guests. They cry, curse the restaurant, and condemn the fighting-fish exhibition and the pollution that created the mutated animals.
• He Qinglan encounters a gigantic shark with rotting flesh and pustules. Rather than fear it, he feels rage and sorrow, recognizing its attack as the desperate final violence of a creature whose environment and species have been destroyed.

Character developments

• He Qinglan displays unusual courage and emotional insight. His response to the shark shifts from self-preservation to sympathy and moral outrage over humanity’s destruction of nature.
• The restaurant staff and manager lose their composure as the crisis overwhelms their ability to control or reassure the guests.
• The capture teams are shown to be powerless against the uncontrolled marine creatures and wisely retreat instead of confronting them directly.
• The guests descend into fear, anger, and hysteria, revealing how quickly social order breaks down during disaster.

Significant themes

• Environmental destruction and revenge: The mutated beasts embody the consequences of pollution, experimentation, and the exploitation of marine life.
• Human arrogance versus nature: Human technology, cages, submarines, and weapons prove ineffective against living creatures driven by instinct and desperation.
• Moral responsibility: He Qinglan’s thoughts question humanity’s right to destroy ecosystems and manipulate life for entertainment.
• Fear and social collapse: Disaster exposes public anger, selfishness, and the spread of “Corrupting Miasma” from negative emotions.
• Life and survival: The sharks’ relentless attack reflects a brutal worldview in which survival depends on continuing to live, regardless of injury.

Character interactions

• The sharks act in coordinated cooperation, using the tiger shark’s body to break the cage gate.
• Capture personnel communicate frantically while deciding to withdraw and alert headquarters.
• Waiters and the manager attempt to evacuate and direct guests, but their authority and confidence collapse under pressure.
• Luo Luo brings He Qinglan to Shui Wuyuan and Chiyan during the evacuation.
• Guests collectively confront and blame the restaurant’s operators, while staff explain the dangers of using the only alternative escape route.

Chapter Summary

He Qinglan decides to investigate the origins of the vicious sea fish rather than simply escape or act as a conventional rescuer. He, Shui Wuyuan, Chiyan, and Luo Luo travel toward the western undersea corridor, with Luo Luo agreeing to guide them despite warning that the area has become extremely dangerous.
While traveling, He Qinglan questions Luo Luo about the Fishing Team responsible for capturing the sea creatures. Luo Luo claims he does not know their exact fishing locations because he works in a separate department, but he reveals that the team possesses ten deep-sea submersibles and two large fishing vessels. The larger ship captured dangerous creatures such as sharks, giant squid, and even an entire pod of seven or eight orcas. Chiyan condemns the team’s ruthlessness, while He Qinglan reflects on how the captured orcas may now view humans.
He Qinglan then asks where the Fishing Team’s ships and leader can be found. Luo Luo grows more guarded and urges the group to escape, warning that remaining in the area could result in their being eaten. He Qinglan confidently insists that he can survive even if the sea floods the facility, prompting Luo Luo to continue guiding them.
After passing through three transparent undersea corridors, the group reaches the western Undersea Fish Farm. The facility is actually a holding area for fighting fish, which are confined in large metal cages. Three of the seven cage sections have been opened, releasing at least three hundred vicious sea beasts. Nearly two hundred remain gathered around the control area, while the facility’s personnel have abandoned it.
Luo Luo explains that the Fishing Team has likely fled to one of the ships, intending to recapture or kill the released animals. Since the restaurant’s disaster could lead to criminal consequences, the people in charge want to eliminate the sea beasts before they can harm humans. He Qinglan challenges Luo Luo about whether he intends to intervene. Luo Luo denies having the ability or desire to help, instead claiming that the Sea God will punish humanity for its greed and foolishness.
Immediately afterward, the gathered sea creatures turn in unison and swim toward the surface. He Qinglan looks upward and sees the enormous shadow of a steel ship above them, suggesting that the fish are preparing to confront the Fishing Team.

Character Developments and Interactions

• He Qinglan remains curious, determined, and morally observant. He wants to uncover who transformed or exploited the fish, rather than blindly rescuing humans or fleeing.
• Shui Wuyuan continues to show unwavering loyalty and affection toward He Qinglan, declaring that he will follow him wherever he goes.
• Chiyan reacts cynically to the Fishing Team’s cruelty, particularly their capture of an entire orca pod.
• Luo Luo acts helpful but increasingly suspicious. His evasive answers and comments about the “Sea God” hint that he may know more about the situation or possess hidden motives and abilities.
• The group’s questioning of Luo Luo creates tension, especially when He Qinglan presses him about the Fishing Team and whether he will help the sea creatures.

Significant Themes

• Human exploitation of nature: The Fishing Team captures dangerous and intelligent marine animals for entertainment and profit, treating them as disposable resources.
• Moral consequences and revenge: Luo Luo’s reference to the Sea God suggests that humanity’s cruelty may provoke supernatural or natural retribution.
• Appearance versus reality: The beautiful undersea environment has become sinister, while Luo Luo’s cheerful appearance contrasts with his unsettling knowledge and ambiguous loyalties.
• Curiosity versus self-preservation: Although escape would be safer, He Qinglan chooses to investigate the cause of the disaster, prioritizing truth over immediate survival.

Chapter 74 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• A Huazhou official, Mr. Lu, confronts Matsumoto, a Fusang representative from the Matsumoto Group, over a disastrous batch of genetically modified fighting fish. He demands compensation and insists the fish be eliminated before they attack Pearl City’s tourists.
• Matsumoto remains calm and claims the company can control the fish using an ultrasonic lure. He orders the device activated, drawing more than two hundred mutated sea creatures toward a heavily armed ship.
• He Qinglan recognizes the danger of gathering so many savage creatures in one place. He suspects humanity is dangerously overconfident, especially since the Rain God and the true master of the sea have not yet intervened.
• He Qinglan, Luo Luo, and the others travel from the Undersea Feast restaurant to the surface. During the three-minute elevator ride, the weather changes dramatically: dark clouds gather, strong winds rise, and enormous waves begin forming.
• The fighting fish emerge near the ship, revealing themselves as grotesque monsters with shells, rotting bodies, extra heads and eyes, venomous spines, and other mutations.
• The creatures attack the ship relentlessly, ramming its steel hull despite constant gunfire and neurotoxin weapons. The ship’s attacks are repeatedly thrown off by the violent wind and waves, leaving only a few fish dead.
• Instead of retreating, the surviving fish grow more frenzied. A dangerous storm intensifies, bringing massive waves and heavy rain, while people along Pearl City’s shore begin fleeing for shelter.

Character Developments

• He Qinglan displays strong insight into the danger of the situation. He understands that the humans’ plan is reckless and senses that supernatural forces connected to the sea and weather may soon become involved.
• Luo Luo remains quiet and cooperative, guiding He Qinglan and the others to the surface while sharing his concern that the situation may become disastrous.
• Matsumoto maintains an unnervingly confident and composed demeanor. His faith in the ultrasonic control system suggests either arrogance or a hidden certainty about the fish’s behavior.
• Mr. Lu is furious and increasingly anxious. Though he initially demands action and trusts the ship’s weapons, the failure of the extermination plan exposes his helplessness.
• The ship’s employees shift from confidence to panic once the monsters appear, revealing how unprepared they are for the scale and ferocity of the attack.

Significant Themes

• Human arrogance and reckless control of nature: The humans assume technology can command and destroy creatures they have altered, but their plan quickly turns against them.
• The consequences of scientific experimentation: The fighting fish have become grotesque, violent mutations, embodying the destructive results of irresponsible biological manipulation.
• Nature’s overwhelming power: The storm and sea make the massive warship appear small and vulnerable, emphasizing that human technology cannot easily dominate the natural world.
• Imminent supernatural intervention: He Qinglan’s references to the Rain God and the master of the sea suggest that the storm may be more than a natural event and that greater forces are about to act.
• Revenge and rage: The mutated fish are portrayed as creatures driven by hatred and slaughter, turning the humans’ attempt to eliminate them into a violent retaliation.

Character Interactions

• Mr. Lu angrily threatens Matsumoto with financial punishment and sanctions, while Matsumoto responds with polite reassurance and confidence in his company’s methods.
• He Qinglan shares his observations with Luo Luo, warning him indirectly about the danger of the humans’ plan. Luo Luo responds cautiously and follows his lead.
• Matsumoto attempts to reassure Mr. Lu that the ultrasonic lure will work despite the worsening weather, but the fish’s attack soon undermines his assurances.
• The ship’s personnel react to the monsters with panic, while Mr. Lu tries to restore order by demanding that they use their weapons. Their increasingly desperate actions demonstrate the collapse of human control.

Chapter 75 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Shui Wuyuan realizes the sudden rain may not be natural; it could be caused by the master of the region.
• A violent storm intensifies around the sea. Massive waves, fierce winds, and thunder prevent the weapons aboard the Steel Maru from targeting the mutated sea monsters.
• The monsters gather together and repeatedly ram the ship, causing it to tilt dangerously despite its fortress-like construction.
• The captain warns Matsumoto Tianichiro and Lu Youwei that the ship may not survive and urges everyone to put on life jackets.
• Lu Youwei abandons any thought of fighting or recovering his losses. He decides that survival is the priority and plans to deny responsibility for purchasing the mutated fish, blaming Fusang instead.
• When the ship begins to overturn, Lu Youwei orders everyone to jump into the sea, believing the nearby shore offers a chance of survival.
• Lu Youwei and several employees jump overboard, while Matsumoto remains on the ship, calculating that the sea monsters will attack anyone who enters the water.
• Matsumoto’s prediction proves correct: the monsters immediately hunt the people in the water. Employees are bitten, maimed, or paralyzed by the creatures.
• Lu Youwei initially escapes the encirclement, but a huge mantis shrimp suddenly attacks him, piercing and splitting his body below the waist. His attempted escape ends in gruesome death.

Character Developments

• Lu Youwei shifts from anger and greed to desperate self-preservation. He reveals his cowardice and willingness to evade responsibility by blaming Fusang and denying his involvement.
• His selfishness remains evident even during the disaster, as he focuses on saving himself rather than protecting his employees.
• Matsumoto Tianichiro remains cold, observant, and calculating. He refuses to jump because he recognizes the danger posed by the monsters, showing greater tactical awareness than Lu Youwei.
• The captain and employees become increasingly terrified as the ship’s defenses fail and the crisis turns into a struggle for survival.

Significant Themes

• Consequences and retribution: Lu Youwei and the others suffer the consequences of exploiting and transporting dangerous mutated sea creatures.
• Human greed and environmental destruction: The chapter condemns the profit-driven disposal of nuclear wastewater and the secret experimentation that created the mutated marine life.
• Cowardice and moral responsibility: Lu Youwei attempts to escape blame rather than accept responsibility, but his evasiveness cannot save him.
• Nature’s overwhelming power: The storm and sea monsters render human weapons, wealth, and technological superiority nearly useless.
• False choices and survival: Jumping from the ship appears to offer safety, but the water is even more dangerous than the unstable vessel.

Character Interactions

• The captain urgently warns Matsumoto and Lu Youwei of the ship’s deteriorating condition.
• Lu Youwei angrily commands the crew and employees to abandon ship.
• The employees follow their boss into the sea, only to be attacked by the monsters.
• Matsumoto watches the Huazhou passengers jump and silently judges them, correctly anticipating their fate.
• Lu Youwei’s final confrontation is not with a human opponent but with the mutated mantis shrimp, which kills him just as he believes he has escaped.

Chapter 150 Summary

Key plot points and events

• Lu Youwei survives an attack by a giant mantis shrimp that tears open his abdomen but unexpectedly leaves him alive. Despite severe injuries and heavy blood loss, he desperately swims toward shore, believing rescue is within reach.
• Other badly wounded Undersea Feast employees are also still alive and swimming toward land, though the storm and rain prevent them from seeing one another.
• On shore, He Qinglan and Luo Luo debate whether the survivors’ escape is good fortune or another form of misfortune. Their injuries—especially Lu Youwei’s devastating wounds—mean that survival may lead to lifelong pain, dependence, and regret.
• The great ship, battered by attacking sea beasts, finally begins to capsize. Matsumoto Tianichiro escapes with two bodyguards in an inflatable raft, but the sinking ship creates a powerful whirlpool.
• Unable to escape the whirlpool in the raft, Matsumoto and his companions jump into the sea and swim for shore. Matsumoto curses Huazhou and resolves to return home and never sell altered sea beasts there again.
• Just as Matsumoto and nearly a hundred other survivors believe they are about to reach safety, the mutated sea beasts reappear ahead of them. Having circled around the sinking ship, they prepare a final attack.

Character developments

• Lu Youwei reveals an intense instinct for survival. His relief at remaining alive outweighs his immediate terror, though his injuries suggest a permanently damaged future.
• He Qinglan shows compassion and moral reflection, recognizing that survival may not truly mean a fortunate outcome.
• Luo Luo remains cold and judgmental, viewing the disaster as deserved punishment for the employees’ exploitation and experimentation on marine life.
• Matsumoto Tianichiro shifts from confidence and entitlement to panic, exhaustion, and hatred. His belief that he is favored by fate collapses as the disaster destroys his plans and threatens his life.

Significant themes

• Survival versus suffering: Staying alive is portrayed as both a blessing and a possible continuation of punishment, especially for those left permanently mutilated.
• Justice and retribution: Luo Luo frames the sea creatures’ attacks as repayment for the humans’ cruelty and experimentation.
• Cause and effect: The chapter emphasizes that exploitation and violence eventually produce consequences for the perpetrators.
• False hope: The survivors repeatedly believe they have escaped death, only to face renewed danger, intensifying the chapter’s sense of inevitability and despair.
• Human arrogance toward nature: Matsumoto’s belief that mutated sea creatures can be controlled and commercialized is shattered by the creatures’ coordinated revenge.

Character interactions

• He Qinglan and Luo Luo engage in a philosophical debate over whether the survivors’ escape is fortunate or tragic.
• Matsumoto commands his bodyguards to row away from the whirlpool, then is forced to work alongside them in the water.
• The survivors share a brief, silent sense of relief as they approach shore, unaware that the sea beasts have positioned themselves ahead of them for a final assault.

Chapter 76 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• A massive group of genetically modified sea beasts attacks Matsumoto Tianichiro and the other members of the capture team. Most victims escape alive but suffer horrific injuries, losing limbs and sustaining severe bites.
• The sea beasts deliberately spare Matsumoto and two others, focusing their attacks on them because they carry the strongest scent of blood from the creatures’ slaughtered companions. Following their deity’s command, the beasts keep the men alive while inflicting prolonged suffering.
• Pearl City’s maritime rescue team discovers over a hundred injured people scattered across the beach. The victims are terrified, covered in blood, and shouting about revenge and Matsumoto Group’s illegal research.
• Authorities connect the disaster to the escaped “fighting fish” from Undersea Feast Restaurant. The incident raises concerns about ocean pollution, genetic modification, and Fusang’s reckless experimentation.
• Lei Aotian is summoned to investigate. At headquarters, he finds He Qinglan, Shui Wuyuan, and Chiyan among the witnesses and is frustrated that trouble seems to follow them wherever they go.
• After confirming that the modified sea beasts were not created by Huazhou, Lei Aotian is relieved and allows innocent witnesses to leave. Pearl City bans swimming and coastal recreation, and the public quickly accepts the restriction after horrifying images spread online.
• Matsumoto Company in Fusang receives news of the incident but dismisses it, believing the creatures are harmless because their previous laboratory animals had control and self-destruct chips. The company arrogantly underestimates the danger and insults Huazhou.

Character Developments

• Matsumoto Tianichiro is singled out for especially brutal treatment, suggesting he bears particular responsibility for the sea beasts’ suffering. His attempt to draw a pistol fails when a tentacle restrains him.
• Lei Aotian acts responsibly by conducting a thorough investigation, though he is increasingly exasperated by the repeated involvement of He Qinglan, Shui Wuyuan, and Chiyan in supernatural disasters.
• Shui Wuyuan remains blunt and provocative, pointing out that the sea beasts’ failure to kill the attackers does not mean Fusang escaped the consequences.
• He Qinglan remains calm and reassuring toward Lei Aotian, treating the crisis lightly despite its enormous implications.
• The sea beasts are shown to possess intelligence, collective purpose, and loyalty to a powerful “deity.” Their actions are not random violence but deliberate revenge.

Significant Themes

• Revenge and justice: The sea beasts punish those responsible for exploiting and killing their kind, transforming victims into symbols of the consequences of cruelty.
• Human arrogance toward nature: Fusang’s researchers view their experiments as proof of scientific superiority and fail to recognize the danger of creating intelligent, powerful creatures.
• Scientific ethics and environmental abuse: The incident exposes the consequences of illegal genetic experimentation, pollution, and treating living beings as controllable products.
• Underestimation and hubris: Matsumoto Company assumes technology gives it complete control, while authorities and the public initially underestimate the sea beasts’ intelligence.
• The supernatural hidden within ordinary disasters: The attack appears to be a scientific accident, but the creatures’ obedience to a deity hints at a larger supernatural force.

Character Interactions

• The sea beasts collectively target Matsumoto and his companions, obeying their deity’s instruction to keep them alive rather than kill them.
• Rescue workers discuss the unexplained nature of the attack and identify possible links to Matsumoto Group’s illegal research.
• Lei Aotian reacts with disbelief upon seeing He Qinglan, Shui Wuyuan, and Chiyan again, while He Qinglan attempts to reassure him.
• Shui Wuyuan undercuts He Qinglan’s optimism with a sarcastic remark, shocking everyone present.
• Matsumoto Company’s officials mock Huazhou and dismiss the crisis, setting up a contrast between their arrogance and the sea beasts’ growing threat.

Chapter 152 Summary

Key plot points and events

In Fusang, scientists discuss the political consequences of Mr. Tian Yilang’s loss of authority and possible return home. They celebrate the development of increasingly dangerous biological weapons, including a sound-emitting dugong, a radioactive jellyfish, mutated sharks, and regenerating octopus monsters. They boast that these creatures could become an unlimited supply of weapons and even plan to eat freshly caught whale meat.
Meanwhile, He Qinglan, Shui Wuyuan, and Chiyan continue questioning Luo Luo during the storm. Although Pearl City is shut down and the seaside is sealed off, they insist that Luo Luo guide them to an old acquaintance—the Sea God. Shui Wuyuan directly exposes Luo Luo’s connection to the Sea Gods, causing Luo Luo to abandon his harmless, cheerful facade.
Luo Luo reveals that someone previously approached him with promises of increasing his king’s power and helping him become the sole god of the ocean. He Qinglan and Shui Wuyuan infer that this person is encouraging the Sea Gods to devour and eliminate one another. Realizing that his own king is injured, Luo Luo decides to flee and return to protect him.

Character developments

Luo Luo changes from a nervous, falsely amiable guide into a guarded and fiercely loyal servant of his king. His reaction confirms that he is not an ordinary human and that he possesses significant power, despite underestimating the three people questioning him. He becomes increasingly alarmed by their ability to uncover his secrets.
He Qinglan demonstrates calm intelligence, using Luo Luo’s words to extract information without openly threatening him. Shui Wuyuan is more direct and intimidating, immediately identifying Luo Luo’s allegiance and recognizing the danger behind the Sea Gods’ manipulation. Chiyan remains present as part of the powerful group pursuing the truth. The unnamed scientists in Fusang are shown to be enthusiastic, ruthless researchers willing to turn living creatures into weapons.

Significant themes

The chapter emphasizes the abuse of science and nature for military power, contrasting the scientists’ excitement over biological weapons with the destructive consequences their experiments may cause. It also introduces a larger supernatural conflict involving divine power, betrayal, and the attempted consolidation of authority. The idea that gods are being manipulated into killing one another highlights themes of ambition, exploitation, and power gained through indirect means. Loyalty is also central, particularly Luo Luo’s determination to protect his injured king despite his fear.

Character interactions

The scientists casually discuss weaponization and national supremacy while eating whale meat, revealing their arrogance and disregard for the creatures they exploit. He Qinglan tries to persuade Luo Luo to cooperate by offering him continued employment, but Shui Wuyuan cuts through the conversation and confronts him directly. Luo Luo responds defensively, condemning those who seek to obtain power through outside assistance. He Qinglan then cleverly connects Luo Luo’s statements to the possibility of a scheme targeting the Sea Gods. Shui Wuyuan recognizes the full danger of the plan, while Luo Luo silently realizes that the three “mortals” may possess power comparable to his king and chooses to escape.

Chapter 77 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Luo Luo tries to deceive He Qinglan, Shui Wuyuan, and Chiyan by asking to use the restroom, intending to escape.
• Inside, he reveals his true form as a conch spirit and uses a glowing, spinning conch shell to flee through the wall.
• The three gods easily see through his escape and follow him without difficulty, despite Luo Luo believing they are ordinary humans.
• Luo Luo returns to the Eastern Sea’s Undersea Palace, expecting to see his King, the Sea God.
• Before he can enter, the Sea God notices that Luo Luo has brought visitors. He Qinglan, Shui Wuyuan, and Chiyan reveal their divine identities as the Rain God, River God, and Fire God.
• The Sea God welcomes them and asks Luo Luo to escort them inside. Luo Luo is stunned to realize he has inadvertently led three extremely powerful gods directly to the palace.
• The gods begin discussing old times with the Sea God and the difficulties currently affecting her domain.

Character Developments

• Luo Luo is shown to be clever in attempting to escape but naïve and overconfident. He assumes the three gods are “stupid mortals,” only to discover that they have effortlessly tracked him to the bottom of the sea. His shock and confusion provide much of the chapter’s humor.
• He Qinglan, Shui Wuyuan, and Chiyan demonstrate their immense power by remaining unaffected underwater and following Luo Luo silently. Their differing reactions to his conch-based escape highlight their personalities: Chiyan mocks him, Shui Wuyuan dismisses him, and He Qinglan offers a more objective evaluation.
• The Eastern Sea God is introduced as a female-presenting deity who is currently experiencing difficulties. She is portrayed as welcoming and politically aware, particularly regarding the rivalry among the various Sea Gods.
• The chapter establishes that gods can choose their physical appearance and even change their apparent sex, since divine bodies are not bound by human gender distinctions.

Significant Themes

• The gap between appearance and reality: The three visitors appear to be ordinary people but are actually ancient and powerful gods. Luo Luo’s mistaken assumptions repeatedly lead him astray.
• Power and helplessness: Luo Luo’s elaborate escape is completely ineffective against beings vastly stronger than himself, emphasizing the enormous difference between spirits and gods.
• Divine hierarchy and rarity: Gods are extremely uncommon—fewer than fifty exist—making Luo Luo’s accidental encounter with three at once extraordinary.
• Ambition and territorial power: The Sea Gods’ inability to rule the entire ocean is a long-standing source of frustration. Control over the whole ocean represents the ultimate ambition for a Sea God, making promises of such power especially dangerous and tempting.
• Humor through misunderstanding: Luo Luo believes he has outsmarted his pursuers, while the gods view him as foolish and entertaining.

Character Interactions

• Luo Luo attempts to politely manipulate the three gods into waiting outside the restroom, but they immediately recognize his intention to flee.
• Chiyan, Shui Wuyuan, and He Qinglan critique Luo Luo’s unusual conch-shell transportation, mocking its appearance and lack of elegance.
• Upon reaching the palace, the three gods address the Sea God familiarly, suggesting a relationship stretching back thousands of years.
• The Sea God recognizes them as the Rain, River, and Fire Gods and asks Luo Luo to treat them respectfully.
• The chapter ends with Luo Luo overwhelmed by the realization that he has personally brought three legendary gods into his King’s domain.

Chapter Summary — Page 154

Key Plot Points and Events

• He Qinglan, Shui Wuyuan, and Chiyan meet Sea Twenty-One, a young Sea Deity who governs the seas around Huazhou and the southeastern region.
• The deities humorously debate the color of Sea Twenty-One’s golden tail, revealing their personal preferences: He Qinglan favors dark blue, Shui Wuyuan prefers rainwater-like transparency, and Chiyan enthusiastically supports fire red.
• Sea Twenty-One recognizes He Qinglan as Lord Clear Ripple and recalls the admiration her deceased sister, Sea Eleven, once had for him.
• She recounts how Sea Eleven saw He Qinglan walking across the moonlit sea and became so captivated by his presence that she rejected another Sea God’s pursuit.
• He Qinglan remembers Sea Eleven fondly, but Shui Wuyuan becomes visibly jealous, resenting the attention He Qinglan received from a deceased deity.
• The group learns that Sea Twenty-One is physically weakened because of scarce spiritual energy and severe pollution caused by corrupting miasma in the sea.
• Sea Twenty-One explains that Sea Eleven and other Sea Gods exhausted their divine power purifying polluted waters and protecting marine life, ultimately causing their deaths or dissipation.
• The discussion establishes that He Qinglan possesses exceptionally powerful Origin Power, likely including mastery over the “Water Origin,” allowing him to rival powerful deities such as Deep Earth and control Shui Wuyuan’s rainwater power.

Character Developments

• He Qinglan: Displays compassion and concern for Sea Twenty-One’s condition. His memories of Sea Eleven reveal his past influence and the sorrow he carries over fallen deities. His immense power and mastery of Water Origin are further confirmed.
• Shui Wuyuan: Shows strong romantic jealousy when Sea Twenty-One discusses Sea Eleven’s admiration for He Qinglan. His possessiveness is partly comic but also emphasizes how deeply he values He Qinglan.
• Chiyan: Remains direct and energetic, praising fire-red beauty and affirming He Qinglan’s extraordinary strength.
• Sea Twenty-One: Is introduced as a young, comparatively weak but dutiful deity. Despite her declining condition, she prioritizes protecting her sea and its creatures.
• Sea Eleven: Though already dead, she is characterized as beautiful, devoted, and self-sacrificing. Her memories and sacrifice deepen the emotional history surrounding the Sea Gods.

Significant Themes

• Divine freedom and individuality: Deities are entitled to choose their own appearances and identities, even when their forms differ from expectations.
• Sacrifice and responsibility: Sea Twenty-One and Sea Eleven place the survival of their people and territory above their own well-being.
• Environmental corruption and decline: The polluted sea and dying marine life reflect the destructive effects of corrupting miasma and the weakening of divine protection.
• Memory and loss: Sea Eleven’s lasting feelings for He Qinglan and his sadness over her death emphasize how relationships endure after a deity’s fall.
• Power beyond one’s domain: He Qinglan’s strength exceeds the limitations of the Clear Ripple River, suggesting that true divine power comes from mastering broader Origin Forces.
• Jealousy and affection: Shui Wuyuan’s resentment provides humor while revealing his deep attachment to He Qinglan.

Character Interactions

• The opening exchange about Sea Twenty-One’s tail establishes a playful dynamic among He Qinglan, Shui Wuyuan, and Chiyan.
• Sea Twenty-One speaks warmly of He Qinglan through Sea Eleven’s memories, creating both nostalgia for He Qinglan and jealousy in Shui Wuyuan.
• Shui Wuyuan attempts to redirect the conversation by asking He Qinglan who the most handsome deity is, but He Qinglan avoids answering.
• He Qinglan and Sea Twenty-One discuss the relationship between a deity’s power, their physical foundation, and the condition of their territory.
• Shui Wuyuan and Chiyan openly affirm He Qinglan’s exceptional abilities, reinforcing his status as one of the strongest deities present.

Chapter 78 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Sea Twenty-One discusses the moral dilemma facing the gods with He Qinglan, the Clear Ripple River God. She explains that she and Sea Eleven have chosen to reduce the world’s Corrupting Miasma gradually and give humanity room to survive.
• In contrast, Sea Twenty-Two of Fusang believes humanity’s pollution justifies exterminating humans entirely. He has chosen destruction over salvation and begins preparing a deadly “Sea Feast.”
• Sea Twenty-One asks He Qinglan whether gods should save the world or destroy it. He admits that he once desired destruction, but he never wanted innocent living beings dragged into humanity’s downfall.
• He Qinglan ultimately argues that humanity contains both good and evil, and that beauty and goodness should be given the chance to overcome corruption. He hopes people can save themselves.
• While Sea Twenty-One is encouraged by his answer, Sea Twenty-Two’s destructive plan begins in Fusang.
• At the Fusang Marine Biology Research Institute, researchers celebrate by eating illegally obtained whale meat. They mock environmental protections and dismiss concerns about pollution and biodiversity as hypocrisy.
• The research team leader suddenly begins bleeding from his ears, nose, and mouth. His blood changes into an unnatural bluish-green color resembling that of a deep-sea creature.
• After initially feeling nothing, he experiences overwhelming pain and collapses, screaming that something is biting him and consuming his organs. His suffering horrifies everyone in the institute, signaling the beginning of the Sea Feast.

Character Developments

• He Qinglan: Reveals his nuanced philosophy. Although he once considered destruction, he now values protecting innocent life and believes humanity should have the opportunity to change. His compassion and hope distinguish him from more radical gods.
• Sea Twenty-One: Shows uncertainty and moral responsibility. She seeks He Qinglan’s guidance because she is genuinely troubled by the power gods possess over mortal life. His answer gives her a measure of reassurance.
• Sea Twenty-Two: Is established as He Qinglan’s ideological opposite. He views humanity’s environmental destruction as grounds for total extermination and acts decisively on that belief.
• The research team leader and scientists: Their arrogance, greed, and disregard for environmental consequences make them representatives of exploitative humanity. Their confidence collapses when they become victims of the very marine forces they dismissed.

Significant Themes

• Salvation versus destruction: The chapter asks whether gods should preserve flawed humanity or eliminate it to protect the wider world.
• Moral complexity: Humanity is portrayed as neither wholly good nor wholly evil, making total judgment difficult.
• Environmental exploitation: The researchers’ whale consumption and contempt for conservation highlight human damage to nature.
• Hubris and consequences: The scientists believe their wealth and scientific status place them above moral accountability, but they are immediately punished by the sea.
• Hope and self-redemption: He Qinglan believes beauty, goodness, and human self-correction may overcome corruption, contrasting with Sea Twenty-Two’s fatalism.

Character Interactions

• Sea Twenty-One and He Qinglan engage in a serious philosophical conversation about divine responsibility and humanity’s fate. She values his judgment and seeks emotional and moral guidance.
• The author’s note adds playful romantic tension around He Qinglan, Sea Eleven, and Shui Wuyuan, teasing He Qinglan’s past reputation for attracting admiration.
• The research team interacts casually and arrogantly during dinner, reinforcing their shared disdain for environmentalists. Their mood shifts abruptly to panic when the team leader begins suffering the Sea Feast’s effects.

Chapter Summary

• Mass poisoning begins in Fusang: In an undersea research facility, the team leader suddenly collapses bleeding, followed by multiple staff members suffering severe pain and hemorrhaging. Panic spreads as workers suspect food poisoning or an attack.
• Nationwide seafood catastrophe: Similar incidents erupt across Fusang among wealthy families, ordinary households, restaurants, and parties. People who recently ate fresh seafood—including whale meat and live octopus—develop bleeding from every opening and agonizing internal damage.
• The crisis worsens despite precautions: Emergency broadcasts warn citizens to avoid recently caught seafood and eat land-based meats or stored frozen food instead. However, the illness continues to affect people who consume chilled fish, synthetic seafood products, or almost anything associated with the sea.
• Healthcare collapse and global response: Within three days, roughly one-fifth of Fusang’s population is infected, overwhelming the nation’s hospitals. Neighboring countries and major powers, including Huazhou, ban seafood harvesting and transport while investigating the contamination.
• Possible supernatural or ecological revenge: Lei Aotian compares the disaster to the Black Mayfly mass-coma incident in Bicheng. He suspects the catastrophe may be revenge by nature—or by a deity connected to Earth’s oppressed life forms. His fear intensifies when reports arrive of a major earthquake and a potentially erupting volcano in Fusang.
• Lei Aotian’s reaction: Believing environmental destruction may be provoking retaliation, Lei orders heavy fines for illegal fishing and demands renewed public promotion of environmental protection. His confused team reminds him they already work as environmental volunteers, revealing how deeply shaken he is.
• The Sea Deity revealed: The chapter ends by confirming that the seemingly nonexistent Sea Deity is real and silently observing Fusang’s suffering from above.

Character Developments and Interactions

• Fusang’s citizens and researchers shift from enjoying seafood and dismissing danger to experiencing terror, pain, and helplessness.
• Lei Aotian develops from a skeptical observer into someone who seriously fears a supernatural ecological force. His instinctive concern for environmental protection suggests growing awareness—or guilt—about humanity’s treatment of nature.
• Lei and his team interact tensely: he issues frantic orders, while they respond with confusion and try to reassure him that they already support environmental causes.
• The Sea Deity remains silent but is established as an active, watchful power behind—or at least connected to—the disaster.

Major Themes

• Nature’s retaliation: Human exploitation of the ocean may provoke catastrophic consequences.
• Human arrogance and denial: People trust quality inspections and continue consuming seafood even as warnings spread.
• Collective punishment and helplessness: The disaster affects all social classes and overwhelms modern medical systems.
• The supernatural emerging into reality: Events previously dismissed as impossible—such as divine revenge—are increasingly confirmed.
• Environmental responsibility: The chapter presents ecological protection not as an abstract ideal but as a matter of survival.

Chapter 79 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Long Xiao reveals that he manipulated Sea Twenty-Two into believing humanity deserved punishment for destroying nature. Sea Twenty-Two unleashes earthquakes, a tsunami, and a volcanic eruption across Fusang, intending to transform it into a “pure land.”
• Long Xiao then betrays Sea Twenty-Two. He throws a mysterious yellow crystal at the sea deity and declares that his true wish is to become a genuine god of the sea.
• The crystal enables Long Xiao to break through Sea Twenty-Two’s defenses and forcibly imprison and devour the deity’s divine power.
• As Long Xiao begins absorbing Sea Twenty-Two’s power, the earthquake, tsunami, and volcanic eruption suddenly weaken and pause, though the terrified people of Fusang do not realize why.
• He Qinglan, Shui Wuyuan, and Chiyan identify Long Xiao in the sky amid ash and Corrupting Miasma. He Qinglan recognizes him as the leader of the Human-Deity Group and identifies him as a rare “Human Demon”—a human who has entered demonhood.
• Shui Wuyuan and Chiyan attack Long Xiao before he can complete the absorption. Chiyan uses flames while Shui Wuyuan summons violent winds, dark clouds, and rain-like chains.
• Long Xiao anticipates their assault and uses a captured deity as a shield. Mu Sen, the Wood God, appears bound and imprisoned before him.
• Chiyan recognizes Mu Sen and is enraged that the once-kind deity has been captured and abused. He redirects his attack around Mu Sen and attempts to burn Long Xiao instead. The chapter ends as Long Xiao reacts with delighted, malicious laughter.

Character Developments

• Long Xiao openly reveals his ambition to transcend humanity and become a god. His manipulation of Sea Twenty-Two demonstrates his cruelty, cunning, and willingness to exploit both humans and deities.
• Sea Twenty-Two is shown to be powerful but naïve and easily manipulated. His desire to punish humanity makes him vulnerable to Long Xiao’s schemes.
• He Qinglan recognizes the severity of Long Xiao’s transformation and immediately understands that the yellow crystal is central to his ability to consume divine power.
• Chiyan displays intense loyalty toward the gods, especially Mu Sen. His shock and rage show how deeply he values the Wood God and despises Long Xiao’s actions.
• Mu Sen is revealed to be one of the deities captured by humans, indicating that the Human-Deity Group’s threat extends far beyond ordinary mortals.

Significant Themes

• Ambition and corruption: Long Xiao’s desire to become a god reflects the corrupting nature of absolute power and the lengths he will go to achieve it.
• Manipulation and betrayal: Long Xiao turns Sea Twenty-Two’s righteous anger toward humanity into a weapon, then betrays him once the deity has served his purpose.
• The limits of divine justice: Sea Twenty-Two believes humanity deserves punishment, but his simplistic judgment enables an even greater evil.
• Humanity versus godhood: The chapter explores the boundary between humans, demons, and deities through Long Xiao’s transformation into a Human Demon.
• Nature as both victim and weapon: Natural disasters are presented as forces that can be exploited by divine beings and manipulated by those seeking power.

Character Interactions

• Long Xiao flatters and deceives Sea Twenty-Two before turning against him.
• He Qinglan, Shui Wuyuan, and Chiyan unite to stop Long Xiao’s attempt to consume a god.
• Chiyan’s confrontation with Mu Sen’s captor shifts from a direct attack to a careful assault designed to avoid harming the imprisoned deity.
• Mu Sen’s appearance intensifies the conflict, revealing the personal and emotional consequences of Long Xiao’s rise.

Chapter 158 Summary

• Key events: Long Xiao reveals that his Divine Soul and fate are bound to the Wood God, meaning killing him would also kill the Wood God. Shui Wuyuan ignores the warning and attacks him with deadly rain arrows, forcing Long Xiao to stop draining Sea Twenty-Two’s Divine Power. Long Xiao panics and summons Deep Earth for help.
• Rescue and confrontation: He Qinglan intervenes, transforming Shui Wuyuan’s rain attacks into water ribbons and attempting to pull Sea Twenty-Two away. Deep Earth appears and seizes Sea Twenty-Two, declaring that he cannot allow Mu Sen—the Wood God—to die. He Qinglan and Deep Earth recognize one another as former allies, but now find themselves on opposing sides.
• Power struggle: Despite Deep Earth’s resistance, Shui Wuyuan and He Qinglan forcibly reclaim Sea Twenty-Two. Shui Wuyuan warns Deep Earth to choose whether he is an enemy or a friend. Deep Earth restores Mu Sen’s Spiritual Power and acknowledges that Shui Wuyuan has grown stronger, while suggesting that he and He Qinglan could still walk the same path—apparently the path toward destroying the world.

Character developments and interactions

• Shui Wuyuan displays ruthless resolve, showing that he is willing to kill Long Xiao despite the consequences. He also becomes intensely protective and possessive of He Qinglan, exploding with fury when Deep Earth advises He Qinglan to distance himself from him.
• He Qinglan acts as the mediator and restrains Shui Wuyuan’s destructive impulses. His history with Deep Earth creates emotional tension, but his loyalty increasingly appears to lie with Shui Wuyuan.
• Deep Earth is revealed as Mu Sen’s protector and a former close companion of He Qinglan. Though he opposes He Qinglan in the present conflict, he leaves open the possibility of reconciliation.
• Long Xiao shifts from arrogant defiance to fear and desperation once Shui Wuyuan’s attack becomes unavoidable. He remains fiercely determined to retain Sea Twenty-Two’s Divine Power.
• Chiyan condemns Deep Earth for obeying a Human Demon and is shocked by Shui Wuyuan’s overwhelming killing intent.
• Themes: The chapter explores shifting loyalties, the collapse of former friendships, and the idea that alliances are shaped by changing circumstances rather than fixed identities. It also emphasizes possessiveness, emotional bonds, and the conflict between personal attachment and larger ambitions—especially the implied plan to destroy the world.
• Ending: Deep Earth’s warning about Shui Wuyuan provokes him into nearly attacking. He Qinglan stops him in an intimate gesture, bringing their lips close and abruptly interrupting Shui Wuyuan’s rage.

Chapter 80 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• He Qinglan unexpectedly kisses Shui Wuyuan, instantly calming both Shui Wuyuan’s anger and the raging storm around them.
• Shui Wuyuan is stunned by the kiss and tries to take the initiative, but He Qinglan pulls away before he can respond. Shui Wuyuan is left visibly dazed and disappointed.
• Chiyan takes great amusement in Shui Wuyuan’s humiliation, pleased that He Qinglan can control the normally arrogant Rain God. However, Chiyan’s mood darkens when he reflects on Deep Earth’s apparent alliance with the Human Demon and wonders whether this is connected to the corruption and loss of his Origin Power.
• He Qinglan turns his attention to Sea Twenty-Two, who is severely weakened after having much of his Divine Power devoured and expending enormous Origin Power to cause disasters.
• Sea Twenty-One restrains Sea Twenty-Two and criticizes him for recklessly triggering earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic disasters. She points out that his actions endangered all living beings in the region, not merely the humans he wanted to punish.
• Sea Twenty-Two remains unapologetic. He insists that humans are corrupt, greedy pests who must be exterminated, arguing that some collateral deaths are acceptable when removing a “disease.”
• He justifies his actions as revenge for humans dumping heavily polluted, carcinogenic wastewater, claiming he is forcing them to suffer the consequences of their own cruelty.
• The chapter closes with Sea Twenty-Two acknowledging that humans are not only harmful to other species but are also capable of inflicting cruel harm on one another for selfish reasons.

Character Developments

• Shui Wuyuan: His anger toward He Qinglan disappears after the kiss. His stunned, vulnerable reaction reveals a softer and more emotionally affected side beneath his usual arrogance.
• He Qinglan: Demonstrates both emotional influence over Shui Wuyuan and restraint, calming him without allowing the situation to go further. He remains focused on the larger conflict rather than indulging in the romantic moment.
• Chiyan: Becomes openly entertained by Shui Wuyuan’s embarrassment and gains confidence that He Qinglan can keep him under control. His amusement gives way to concern and suspicion regarding Deep Earth’s choices.
• Sea Twenty-One: Acts as the voice of reason, physically restraining Sea Twenty-Two and condemning his indiscriminate methods. Her sadness suggests that she still cares about him despite opposing his ideology.
• Sea Twenty-Two: Is physically near death but remains fanatical and committed to destroying humanity. His hatred has become so extreme that he views mass destruction as justified and unavoidable.

Significant Themes

• Love and emotional disarmament: He Qinglan’s kiss immediately ends Shui Wuyuan’s anger, showing the power of intimacy to overcome conflict.
• Extremism and moral absolutism: Sea Twenty-Two reduces the world to a simple division between corrupt humans and innocent life, using this belief to justify genocide.
• Collateral damage and responsibility: Sea Twenty-One emphasizes that punishing humans through natural disasters also destroys countless innocent beings.
• Corruption and hypocrisy: Humans are condemned for pollution and exploitation, yet Sea Twenty-Two’s response mirrors the cruelty he despises.
• Humanity’s capacity for evil: The chapter acknowledges that humans can harm not only nature but also one another through selfish and vicious actions.

Character Interactions

• Shui Wuyuan and He Qinglan: Their argument turns into a sudden kiss, shifting their relationship from confrontation to romantic tension. He Qinglan retains control of the encounter, leaving Shui Wuyuan flustered.
• Chiyan and Shui Wuyuan: Chiyan mocks Shui Wuyuan’s failed attempt to reciprocate and enjoys seeing the normally dominant Rain God become helpless.
• Sea Twenty-One and Sea Twenty-Two: Sea Twenty-One restrains, reprimands, and challenges Sea Twenty-Two’s genocidal reasoning, while he remains defiant and refuses to regret his actions.
• He Qinglan and Sea Twenty-Two: Although they do not directly engage in extended dialogue here, He Qinglan’s defeat of Sea Twenty-Two has left the latter weakened, humiliated, and consumed by hatred.

Chapter Summary

Plot and events

Sea Twenty-Two observes the devastation caused by the natural disaster he unleashed upon Fusang. Though the disaster has stopped, at least a million people have died, and the nation is left traumatized. Sea Twenty-One confronts him, condemning his casual killing and warning that using so much Origin Power has severely damaged his foundation. She orders him to stop fighting and recover.
Sea Twenty-Two admits that a better method of dealing with humanity may exist, but still believes humans are unworthy of peacefully coexisting with nature. He accepts Sea Twenty-One’s reprimand, though he remains unconcerned about the possibility of “falling,” viewing it as an easy escape compared with the difficult pursuit of a meaningful ending.
He then encounters He Qinglan, Shui Wuyuan, and Chiyan. After Sea Twenty-Two dismisses He Qinglan as weaker than Sea Three, Qinglan casually slaps him into the seabed and traps him in a purifying water cage. Sea Twenty-One explains that Qinglan’s Origin Power has transcended the limits of a river and become the broader power of “water,” allowing him to overpower Sea Three even at sea. The cage begins purifying the Corrupting Power within Sea Twenty-Two, though the process is painful.
Meanwhile, the disaster ends without escalating further. Survivors begin rescue efforts, and Huazhou sends aid despite the strained relationship with Fusang. Shui Wuyuan mobilizes the Shui Corporation’s private rescue team, while He Qinglan, Shui Wuyuan, and Chiyan personally assist survivors. The section ends with Qinglan beginning to heal an injured child trapped beneath rubble.

Character development

• Sea Twenty-Two remains severe and distrustful of humanity, but shows some willingness to consider alternative solutions. His reckless use of Origin Power has left him physically weakened and close to collapse. His belief that a “beautiful ending” is worth pursuing reveals a fatalistic, self-sacrificial side.
• Sea Twenty-One acts as his moral counterbalance, challenging his cruelty and prioritizing coexistence, healing, and restraint. Her anger is tempered by genuine concern for his survival.
• He Qinglan is revealed to be far more powerful—and much less gentle—than Sea Twenty-Two expected. Beneath his elegant appearance, he is decisive, intimidating, and willing to discipline those who insult him. His later efforts to save civilians demonstrate his compassion.
• Shui Wuyuan and Chiyan contribute directly to the relief effort, emphasizing their willingness to help humans despite the catastrophe.

Significant themes

• Nature versus humanity: The disaster reflects the destructive consequences of humanity’s own relationship with nature, while the characters debate whether coexistence is possible.
• Power and responsibility: The gods’ immense abilities create moral obligations; Sea Twenty-Two’s disregard for life contrasts with Sea Twenty-One and Qinglan’s attempts to protect and restore it.
• Sacrifice and escape: Sea Twenty-Two views death or “falling” as an easy release, while others insist that enduring pain and seeking a better outcome is more meaningful.
• Compassion amid catastrophe: Rescue efforts and Qinglan’s healing of an injured child show that individual kindness persists even after mass destruction.

Character interactions

Sea Twenty-One reprimands and physically punches Sea Twenty-Two while urging him to recover. Sea Twenty-Two challenges He Qinglan’s strength and is immediately punished and imprisoned by him. Sea Twenty-One humorously reveals Qinglan’s past victory over Sea Three, shocking Sea Twenty-Two. Qinglan, Shui Wuyuan, and Chiyan then turn from confronting Sea Twenty-Two to helping the disaster’s survivors, highlighting the contrast between punishment and mercy.