Recaps

Lincon entered the Abyssal Ant Queen’s palace, where she offered to cooperate in exchange for learning how he wielded the power of light. After showing him her collection of human corpses, she revealed an Abyssal Core embedded in the wall.

• Lincon found the Abyssal Ant Queen waiting in a palace beneath the nest and learned she had deliberately allowed him to reach her.
• The Ant Queen explained that she had studied humans by extracting their brain fluid and offered to help Lincon expand his territory in exchange for learning about his power of light.
• Lincon followed the Ant Queen deeper into the palace, where she showed him human corpses sealed in amber-like walls and claimed their memories and emotions had become part of her.
• The Ant Queen argued that humanity could not escape the abyss and revealed a massive Abyssal Core embedded in the wall.

Lincon rejected the Ant Queen’s offer to share the Abyssal Core and attacked her instead. As the Ant Queen unleashed her mental assault and surrounded him with Aberrant Insects, she was shocked by how much stronger Lincon had become.

• The Ant Queen explained that the Abyssal Core could grant access to the Abyss and provide power to break through A-Rank, then offered to share it in exchange for learning the source of Lincon’s power.
• Lincon pretended to consider cooperating while the Ant Queen prepared to turn him into a puppet if he refused.
• Lincon ordered the War Treant to attack and declared that he would not cooperate with an invading species.
• The Ant Queen vanished and launched a vast mental assault as Aberrant Insects emerged from all around Lincon.
• The War Treant shielded Lincon and fought off the insects while Lincon searched for the Ant Queen and resisted her mental attack.
• The hidden Ant Queen wondered how Lincon had grown so much stronger in only a few days.

Lincon used his Nature Saint power and Composite State to find and expose the Ant Queen, then unleashed the Light-Dark Cherry’s Cherry Blossom Slash against her. The chapter ended with Luo Chiyou’s twin blades cutting through the Ant Queen’s hidden body.

• Lincon sensed the Ant Queen’s faint consciousness through her mental attacks and formed platinum armor with the Kindling Sunflower.
• Lincon charged through the Nature Barrier and burned the Aberrant Insects that tried to stop him.
• Lincon’s Dragon Fist dispersed the Ant Queen’s mental mist and revealed her tumor-like body, which contained a small Abyssal Core.
• Lincon struck the tumor and forced it to collapse, prompting a human head to emerge and attack him with a mental spear.
• Luo Chiyou shattered the spear and used Cherry Blossom Slash to cut through the head and pierce the Ant Queen’s hidden body.

Lincon overwhelmed the Ant Queen in the Abyss and captured her original body, forcing the Ant Guards and the swarming insects to submit. He then reached for the Abyssal Core to complete his class advancement mission.

• Lincon used the Light-Dark Twin Blades to split the Ant Queen’s body, then evaded two Ant Guards with a Void Dandelion seed.
• Lincon stopped the Ant Queen from escaping her living body and burned away her mental attack with the Kindling Sunflower’s flames.
• The Ant Queen summoned swarms of Aberrant Insects and larvae, but Lincon tore her original body from its shell and threatened her life.
• The Ant Guards knelt to Lincon, and the Ant Queen’s cry halted the charging insects and larvae.
• Lincon reached for the Abyssal Core embedded in the Ant Queen’s shriveled living body.

Lincon absorbed the Abyssal Core and advanced into the Dark Overlord, gaining dominion over dark creatures. He enslaved an Ant Guard as Number One and asked the Ant Queen to submit or die.

• Lincon touched the Abyssal Core, completed the hidden class advancement quest, and became a Level 41 Dark Overlord.
• Lincon overpowered the Ant Guards, killing one and stopping the other while the Ant Queen trembled in his grasp.
• Lincon applied an Overlord Mark to the surviving Ant Guard, severing its bond with the Ant Queen and making it loyal to him.
• Lincon named the enslaved Ant Guard Number One and ordered it to attack nearby Aberrant Insects.
• Lincon gave the Ant Queen a choice between submitting to him and dying.

Lincon marked the Ant Queen as his subordinate, gaining control of the Abyss Rift territory and learning more about the Abyssal World’s origins and its weakening restraints on Blue Star. He ordered her to breed an Insect Race army and, after learning she had no Life Fruit, waited to hear what other items she could offer.

• Lincon branded the Ant Queen with the Overlord Mark and confirmed she could still control dark creatures and breed the Ant Race.
• Lincon inspected his new Abyssal Territory model and learned it showed the Ant Queen and Ant Guard as his subordinates.
• The Ant Queen described the Abyssal World as a chaotic realm of constant slaughter and explained that Abyssal Lords had been promised a chance to become gods beyond the fissures, though Blue Star’s remnant will had long suppressed them.
• Lincon ordered the Ant Queen to destroy her human-corpse collectibles, stop converting corpses into dark creatures, and breed an Insect Race army.
• The Ant Queen warned that breeding B-Rank units would be slower without the Abyssal Core, then told Lincon she had no Life Fruit but possessed other items he might want.

Lincon inspected the Ant Race’s rare treasures and discovered that a Shapeshifting Tree could become a source of currency for Longwind City. After planning the nest’s future with the Ant Queen, he left the Abyss with several trees, materials, and the Ant Race following him.

• The Ant Queen presented Lincon with treasures including a Low-Grade Space Fragment, Shapeshifting Trees, Netherfrost Crystal Marrow, and Abyssal Blood Coral that produced Blood of a B-Rank Lifeform.
• Lincon found that the Seed Mark offered the Shapeshifting Tree advancement paths for Gold Coin, Silver Coin, and Copper Coin Trees, and devised a currency system for Longwind City.
• Lincon learned from the Ant Queen that more Abyssal races would arrive as Dark Erosion deepened, and discussed how the nest should develop to withstand future threats.
• Lincon took three Shapeshifting Trees and some materials with him, leaving the Abyssal Blood Coral in the nest and taking several bottles of its blood.
• The Ant Queen and thousands of Abyss Ant Clan insects watched as Lincon left the Abyss Rift.

After returning from the Abyss, Lincon discovered that his advancement to Dark Overlord had granted him the Trial Temple, a structure that nullified the Life Law and could let people train in deadly combat without truly dying. He realized it could transform Longwind City's training system, but wondered what using it would cost.

• Lincon left the Abyss Rift as the Ash Snow melted and Sunlight began to reach the land.
• Lincon returned to the Sacred Court, restored his symbiotic Spirit Plants to their original places, and ordered Luo Chiyou to receive visitors while he rested.
• After Lincon woke, Luo Chiyou told him Zhang Rui had visited and planned to return, and she revealed that Lincon carried an aura like the Ant Queen's.
• Lincon checked his Main Career Panel and discovered that his Dark Overlord advancement had granted the Trial Temple, where Life Law Nullification took effect.
• Lincon realized the Trial Temple could provide real combat training without permanent death and wondered what its cost would be.

Lincon built a Trial Temple in Misty Forest and tested its Life Law Nullification, learning that entrants could revive three times before being reset to where they entered. He left planning to fill the Temple with dangerous trial creatures and Spirit Plants so Longwind City's people could train there safely.

• Lincon chose a concealed site in Misty Forest for the Trial Temple and spent Longwind City's sole Temple Point to build it.
• Lincon and Luo Chiyou entered the Temple's underground palace, where Lincon killed a Carrion Rat to test the Temple's abilities.
• The Carrion Rat revived after each of its first two deaths, then stopped reappearing after Lincon killed it a third time.
• Lincon tested the same process on the other Carrion Rat and confirmed the Temple's three-revival limit and forced reset.
• Lincon left the Temple and planned to add dark creatures from the B-Rank Abyss Rift and training Spirit Plants to create varied trials.

Longwind City promoted nearly a thousand Provisional Subjects to Formal Subjects in a ceremony led by Zhang Rui. Lu Pingyan and You Qing received their certificates, with You Qing finding a handwritten welcome from the Longwind Lord and Lincon.

• The remaining Ash Snow melted as people gathered in the Provisional Subject Camp for the largest promotion ceremony yet.
• The chapter explained how the Sunlight Sunflower became Longwind City's flag symbol through its history of hope, sacrifice, and protecting the city's leaders.
• Zhang Rui presided over the ceremony and had staff distribute Formal Subject Certificates to the waiting Provisional Subjects.
• Lu Pingyan startled a staff member by answering her name with a loud shout, then received her certificate with You Qing's help.
• You Qing received her certificate and read a handwritten welcome signed by the Longwind Lord and Lincon.

Lu Pingyan and You Qing received their Formal Subject certificates as Longwind City unveiled Longwind Currency as its new legal tender. After the ceremony, the two entered the Inner City as Garrison Guard members and saw its orderly streets and shops.

• Lu Pingyan celebrated her certificate from the Lord, but You Qing showed her that all the certificates carried the same standard commendation.
• Li Yunfan watched the new subjects celebrate and found inspiration for expanding his book, Thunder Lord.
• Zhang Rui announced that Longwind City would issue gold, silver, and copper coins and use them as the standard for all city transactions.
• You Qing and Lu Pingyan agreed that currency would make trade more convenient and entered the Inner City after showing their certificates.
• You Qing and Lu Pingyan saw the Inner City's orderly streets and shops, which supplied businesses in the Outer City.

Newly promoted Formal Subjects Lu Pingyan and You Qing visited the Inner City, where they bought wine and learned about Longwind Currency before joining the residency-registration line. As they presented their identification, the familiar procedure reminded them of the peaceful nation before darkness came.

• Lu Pingyan admired the peaceful Inner City and hurried to a tavern to ask about its wine, while You Qing warned her not to delay.
• The tavern owner sold them Soul Jade Forget Worry and advised that exchanging gold for Longwind Currency early could be worthwhile; You Qing paid with a piece of gold.
• You Qing examined the unusually uniform Gold Coins and Silver Coins, suspecting their creation was connected to the Lord.
• You Qing and Lu Pingyan joined the long line at the Governing Hall, where they met Zhou Cang and He Su and showed them a Gold Coin.
• After waiting about half an hour, the group reached registration, and the clerk's request for identification reminded them of the peaceful Old Era.

You Qing registered as a Longwind City Formal Subject and received an identification card recorded by the Myriad-Knowledge Dome. After choosing to become a Mutant Creature Investigator, she collected the key to her new Mushroom House and savored having a home of her own.

• You Qing registered her identity through the Crystal Ring Mother Tree, which recorded her details and produced an official ID card.
• You Qing reunited with Lu Pingyan, Zhou Cang, and He Su, and Zhou Cang explained that they could claim housing and choose careers.
• Lu Pingyan and Zhou Cang chose the Garrison Guard, He Su chose Qingrang Academy, and You Qing chose to become a Mutant Creature Investigator.
• The group collected their keys from the Urban Planning Bureau and visited their Mushroom Houses.
• You Qing explored her new home, locked the door, and felt glad that she could live there.

Lincon explained to Luo Chiyou that he built systems and order in Longwind City because he wanted people to live with hope, not fear. As Longwind Currency entered use, residents celebrated their promotions and gathered in the Outer City, where the new money divided those who could afford wine from those who could not.

• Luo Chiyou questioned Lincon's effort to create the Trial Temple, an Identity Verification System, and Longwind Currency, and suggested ruling through force.
• Lincon told Luo Chiyou that fear only made slaves, while hope could inspire loyalty, and said he had already gained a city and people willing to help him.
• Luo Chiyou accepted Lincon's principles and asked him not to treat her like a tool.
• Newly promoted Formal Subjects settled into the quiet Inner City or went to the Outer City to meet old friends.
• At the Explosive Tavern, Zhou Cang praised Soul Jade Forget Worry, but Lu Pingyan drank the remaining wine before he could pour himself more.
• Customers paid with Longwind Currency at the tavern, while people with only a few Copper Coins watched others drink and realized how little they could afford.

Longwind Currency reshaped Longwind City’s economy, spurring new businesses, curbing fraud and speculation, and giving subjects and adventurers a convenient way to trade. As the currency spread, the Adventurer Guild expanded and the city’s commercial cycle grew stronger.

• Merchants from Black Iron City exchanged their gold for Longwind Currency and opened small shops near the Temporary Subject Camps, which the Governing Hall permitted as long as they followed market rules.
• Old Zhao finally exchanged his gold after Longwind City stopped distributing food for completed tasks, but learned the exchange rate had fallen and received far fewer Gold Coins than expected.
• The Governing Hall exposed counterfeiters and punished them by confiscating their property and expelling them, while Zhang Rui warned against market manipulation and the city curbed hoarding.
• Longwind City canceled task assignments for subjects who turned to business, preventing them from earning Contribution Points and advancing while they remained merchants.
• Adventurers used Longwind Currency to spend their high earnings on supplies and comforts in the city, and the Adventurer Guild expanded as more of them accepted tasks and ventured into the wasteland.

Two months after the Harsh Winter, Shen Xi settled into life as a free adventurer in Longwind City and accepted an invitation to the Adventurers' Night. At Explosive Tavern, she encountered wandering merchants, a new profession born from trade between Longwind City and surviving camps.

• Shen Xi, a former slave who had awakened as an ability user, joined the Gray Feather Squad as a free adventurer and became known for her precognition and combat skills.
• Bai Ge invited Shen Xi to Explosive Tavern for the Adventurers' Night, and Shen Xi agreed to go with her.
• Shen Xi and Bai Ge walked through Longwind City's brightly lit streets and entered the crowded tavern.
• Shen Xi saw adventurers, Garrison Guard members, and wandering merchants gathered at Explosive Tavern.
• Ability-user messengers had begun trading Longwind City supplies with camps across the Jiangzhou region, and others had copied the venture to profit from selling goods and bringing back rare materials.

Night Owl warned the Gray Feather Squad against reckless trading and revealing sensitive information as the members gathered in a tavern. A wandering merchant, Wang Hainian, then approached with his daughter Wang Xiaoyu and proposed doing business with the squad, leaving them curious about his offer.

• Night Owl told the Gray Feather Squad to enjoy the tavern but avoid drunken trouble and keep their abilities and future movements private.
• Bai Ge suggested becoming wandering merchants, but Night Owl warned him about the dangers and reminded the squad why they had chosen freedom and adventure.
• Wang Hainian introduced himself as a wandering merchant recently returned from a survivor camp, while his daughter Wang Xiaoyu proudly introduced herself as one too.
• Wang Xiaoyu traded playful insults with Bai Ge, who threatened to steal her teddy bear before Night Owl stopped the argument.
• Wang Hainian told Night Owl that he wanted to do business with the Gray Feather Squad, and the squad wondered what he had in mind.

Wang Hainian and Wang Xiaoyu offered the Gray Feather Squad a deal involving an Iron Tree being eroded by Meat Fields, whose fallen leaves could heal themselves. Night Owl asked Wang Hainian to reveal the danger at the site before deciding whether to cooperate.

• Wang Hainian asked Night Owl to discuss a private business deal, and the Gray Feather Squad moved to a soundproof room with him and Wang Xiaoyu.
• Wang Hainian showed the squad a hand-drawn map and explained that he had found a strange purple-lit valley containing an Iron Tree being eroded by Meat Fields.
• Wang Hainian produced a leaf-shaped fragment from the Iron Tree, and Bluebird found that it had an unusually complex structure that seemed almost alive.
• Wang Xiaoyu claimed the fragment could heal its own damage, and Shen Xi sensed an unusual vitality within it.
• Wang Hainian proposed that the Iron Tree and the Meat Fields might together produce the self-repairing effect and invited the Gray Feather Squad to investigate with him.
• Night Owl demanded a full account of the dangers after Wang Xiaoyu claimed the site was safe.

Wang Hainian’s discovery of an Iron Tree and Meat Fields guarded by a powerful Mutant Creature led the Gray Feather Squad to involve Longwind City’s authorities instead of risking a direct assault. Lincon examined a self-repairing metal leaf and approved Zhou Qing’s plans to investigate, assigning Four Dimensions to follow the team and handle the B-Rank threat.

• Wang Hainian described the dangerous Meat Fields and Iron Tree, and Night Owl refused to take the Gray Feather Squad into a mission that could mean facing a B-Rank Mutant Creature.
• Bluebird suggested reporting the discovery to Longwind City’s authorities, and Wang Hainian agreed to seek their help and offer his guidance.
• Night Owl passed the matter and the metal leaf to Zhou Qing, who reported the discovery to Lincon.
• Lincon crushed the metal leaf and watched its sealed vitality restore its shape, then judged the Iron Tree and Meat Fields worth investigating.
• Zhou Qing said he had arranged additional personnel, and Lincon approved the plan and assigned Four Dimensions to follow the team in case of the B-Rank Mutant Creature.

Longwind City prepared its first expedition beyond its borders after Wang Hainian’s report prompted Lord Lincon to mobilize the city’s forces. As the gathered teams set out, Wang Xiaoyu’s strength drew Lincon’s attention, while the Gray Feather Squad saw how far the city’s official fighters surpassed them.

• Lincon ordered Zhou Qing to bring Jiang Li along, and Zhou Qing mobilized Longwind City’s departments for an expedition.
• Wang Hainian brought his daughter Wang Xiaoyu to the Outer City gathering, where she nervously watched the Garrison Guard and the other assembled forces.
• Jiang Li relayed Lincon’s assessment that Wang Hainian and Wang Xiaoyu were strong, especially the little girl.
• Bai Ge admired the red-clad captain of the Light Office’s First Guard Squad, while Bluebird warned him that she was close to B-Rank.
• Shen Xi sensed that several gathered officials could kill her instantly and realized the Gray Feather Squad was outmatched by Longwind City’s official forces.
• Longwind City’s assembled personnel received the order to move out, and the Gray Feather Squad and Wang Hainian’s party followed.

Wang Hainian and Wang Xiaoyu led Longwind City's convoy into the wasteland toward Longwind City, where Luo Qian chose to blast a path through Death Swamp instead of taking a detour. After a massive explosion cleared the way, Luo Qian radioed Wang Hainian to continue leading the convoy.

• Wang Hainian and Wang Xiaoyu led five armored vehicles and more than a dozen Tree Spirit Guards out of Longwind Territory toward Longwind City.
• On the journey, Wang Hainian reflected on how Longwind City reminded him of the Old Era, while Wang Xiaoyu chatted excitedly about the convoy and the wasteland.
• At the edge of Death Swamp, Wang Hainian warned Luo Qian that the swamp's quicksand, mud, and Swamp Crocodiles made crossing dangerous.
• Luo Qian rejected Wang Hainian's suggestion to detour and led a group toward the swamp, intending to clear the route.
• Half an hour later, a huge blast sent a black slash and smoke above Death Swamp, and Luo Qian radioed Wang Hainian that the road was clear.

Luo Qian’s convoy crossed the dried-up Death Swamp and reached the mist-shrouded valley where a suspected B-Rank Mutant Creature lurked. As Jiang Li and the others entered to investigate, Lincon promised backup and told them to fight without restraint, leaving Jiang Li eager for the Trial Temple.

• Wang Hainian and the Gray Feather Squad found Death Swamp dried out, its Swamp Crocodiles trapped in a central mud pool, and watched the convoy cross after researchers collected samples.
• The convoy reached the valley, where Xu Qing identified the mist as mildly poisonous and distributed Thornbloom seeds to protect the group from its hallucinations.
• Wang Hainian revealed his self-replication ability, and Luo Qian sent his replica ahead to scout as the group entered the valley.
• A white-haired Rune Workshop researcher left the convoy to deal with an approaching C-Class dark creature, while Jiang Li sensed the danger deeper in the valley.
• Lincon told Jiang Li that Chen Siwei was following as backup and instructed the group to fight without restraint, promising to open the Trial Temple according to their performance.

The team reached the Meat Fields and the towering Iron Tree, where they encountered a B-Rank Eight-Headed Snake and fought to survive its attacks. Wang Xiaoyu awakened her stuffed bear to stop the snake’s tail from crushing her and Wang Hainian, leaving the battle unresolved.

• Luo Qian led the team through Wraiths and other Weird Calamities, letting the Garrison Guard fight them to build its combat experience.
• Wang Hainian’s duplicate found the Meat Fields and the Iron Tree, while Lincon observed the valley through the Void-Nesting Bird.
• An enormous Eight-Headed Snake attacked the team, and Luo Qian, Xu Qing, the Garrison Guard, and the Gray Feather Squad fought back.
• The snake’s tail swept toward Wang Hainian and Wang Xiaoyu, and Wang Hainian used his duplicates to slow it down.
• Wang Xiaoyu threw her stuffed bear and infused it with energy, transforming it into a giant bear that pinned the snake’s tail.

Luo Qian and Longwind City's fighters battled a B-Rank Eight-Headed Snake, but its regeneration and overwhelming strength turned the fight against them. Lincon monitored the clash for the Trial Temple before Chen Siwei arrived to face the creature.

• Wang Xiaoyu's giant bear pinned the snake's tail, giving Luo Qian an opening to cut off one of its heads with the Ghostshadow Sword Orchid.
• Jiang Li and Xia Xun attacked with flames and Rune-powered lightning, but the snake rapidly regrew its head and resisted their abilities.
• The Eight-Headed Snake neutralized Jiang Li's flames and tore through Xu Qing's vine barrier and Wang Xiaoyu's giant bear as the group struggled to hold it back.
• Lincon recorded the fighters' abilities for the Trial Temple and told the Void-Nesting Bird to call Chen Siwei into the battle.
• Chen Siwei descended between the snake and the exhausted fighters, blasting the creature backward and praising Longwind City's three professional paths.

Chen Siwei subdued the Eight-Headed Snake and forced it to agree to come to Longwind City, while Luo Qian's team packed up the Meat Fields and Iron Tree for transport. The convoy left the valley, followed by Chen Siwei escorting the chained Eight-Headed Snake toward Longwind City.

• Chen Siwei invited the Eight-Headed Snake to Longwind City, but when it attacked, she restrained it with her Magnetic Field Domain and threatened to cut off all eight heads.
• The Eight-Headed Snake lowered its heads and submitted after Chen Siwei began counting down.
• Luo Qian led the team to investigate the Meat Fields and Iron Tree, then packed the Iron Tree and samples of the Meat Fields for transport.
• Wang Hainian drove Wang Xiaoyu with the convoy as it left the valley carrying the gathered resources.
• Chen Siwei freed the Eight-Headed Snake from the stone pillars, bound it in stone chains, and led it after the convoy toward Longwind City's territory.