Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• The Silver Electricity Battery failed to feed the Strange Dragon, but the energy enhanced its abilities: its Dragon Breath became more destructive, and its speed increased dramatically. The boost lasted only a short time.
• A Level-10 Eerie Stone produced a similar result, strengthening the dragon’s breath in a different way. Chen Fan confirmed that high-level energy inherently boosts the Dragon Clan, with different energy types enhancing different aspects.
• Jiu Wu chose to test silver electricity himself. His innate dark sacred physique let him survive it, granting him extreme speed and powerful attacks while his cultivation rose quickly. He realized that the physique made him stronger than ordinary strange entities, not merely able to revive.
• Huang insisted on trying the experiment, but his body exploded instantly. Revived and deeply shaken, he questioned the value of his courage and ambition.
• Combat simulations showed that a silver-electricity-enhanced Level-40 Strange Dragon could move too quickly for ordinary targeting, breach a Level-30 City Wall with its Dragon Breath, and wreak havoc inside the Mortal Domain. Five could cause a major crisis if they reached the defenses—but dragons sent from far away could be intercepted before arriving.
• Months later, the Mortal Domain prepared to leave the War Mire for the World Battlefield. Chen Fan consulted the Heaven-Questioning Bell, unlocked a dark technology allowing the Vehicle Workshop to produce large war vehicles, and reviewed his plans for advancing the Good Cat and Sahara Continents.

Character developments

• Jiu Wu becomes more willing to endure pain and take risks to strengthen himself. His success reveals the unusual power of his dark sacred physique and his status as a “born King.”
• Huang suffers a blow to his self-image. His willingness to face pain cannot overcome the physical limits that cause him to die before he can feel it.
• Chen Jiutian demonstrates the caution required by his military role: despite trusting Jiu Wu, he considers restricting the transport of Strange Dragons because their enhanced form presents a serious security risk.
• Chen Fan remains strategic and ambitious, preparing for the World Battlefield, pursuing military technologies, and planning to develop multiple continental paths at once.

Significant themes

• Will versus reality: Huang’s experience shows that determination alone cannot overcome every physical limit; the world does not yield simply because someone refuses to give up.
• Power and adaptation: High-level energy is dangerous to most beings but can become a weapon when a species is naturally equipped to absorb or neutralize it.
• Trust versus responsibility: Chen Jiutian’s duty is to manage risk, even when that means questioning a trusted ally’s actions.
• Preparation and ambition: Chen Fan plans ahead, collecting resources and pursuing several avenues of development rather than relying on a single route.

Character interactions

• Researchers observe and record the experiments, while Jiu Wu persuades them to let him test the silver electricity.
• Jiu Wu encourages Huang to try, believing his resolve will be enough; Huang’s failure contrasts sharply with Jiu Wu’s success.
• Military Strategist silently observes Jiu Wu’s newfound willingness to suffer for greater strength.
• Chen Jiutian records the enhanced dragon’s threat and weighs the risks of allowing Jiu Wu to bring dragons to the Eternal Night Continent.
• Chen Fan consults the Heaven-Questioning Bell and reviews his plans with its advice as the Mortal Domain prepares to depart.

Key events

• The Continent Lords gather at Nameless Mountain to trade their remaining War Mire survival time. Chen Fan’s Mortal Domain exchanges all 85,000 days for Heavenly Dao Stones, rare items, and 21 dark technology source points.
• Chen Fan unlocks War Dividend, a seven-colored, War Continent-exclusive technology. Each same-level continent defeated adds a permanent 10% boost to the power of all defensive structures; every ten stacks also increase Continental Hardness.
• Chen Fan learns that a surrender alone does not count as defeat. A continent must formally surrender before Heaven and Earth, with nine sticks of incense, and agree to a tribute and term.
• The newly advanced fourth-level Good Cat Continent, led by Hao Mao, becomes the Eternal Night Continent’s first affiliated continent. Chen Fan sets tribute at the minimum 10% for an indefinite term, gaining one War Dividend stack.
• Chen Fan repays several second-level Continent Lords for dark technology source points he borrowed years earlier by giving them Continent Cores, enough for each to advance to third level. The gesture earns their gratitude and becomes a widely retold story.
• Chen visits the Huyi Continent, where Jiu Wu formally surrenders under the same terms. The Eternal Night Continent gains a second affiliate and a 20% defensive-structure boost.
• Chen learns that defeating a continent with its own affiliates would transfer those affiliates to him, adding still more War Dividend stacks. He recognizes that the World Battlefield is a struggle among War Continents.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Fan shifts from treating the trade as a resource exchange to recognizing affiliated continents as a strategic path to growing his military power. He remains cautious about older War Continents, whose accumulated technology may make them formidable.
• Hao Mao willingly formalizes his continent’s surrender, relieved when Chen explains the process and keeps the tribute low rather than demanding the planned 30%.
• Jiu Wu is enthusiastic about the agreement, though Chen is already focused on how to acquire more affiliated continents.
• Chen’s repayment of the Continent Cores reveals gratitude and loyalty to the sea domain where his rise began, strengthening his ties with its Continent Lords.

Significant themes

• Power through conflict and expansion: War Dividend rewards victory and turns conquest into lasting military strength.
• Strategic alliances and tribute: Affiliation offers logistical connections and ongoing resources, but also places the defeated continent under formal obligations.
• Gratitude and reciprocity: Chen’s repayment contrasts with others’ assumptions that his earlier borrowing was merely disguised coercion.
• The scale of the coming struggle: Chen’s growing strength is paired with awareness that established War Continents may be far more powerful than he realizes.

Plot points and events

• Eternal Night Continent sets out from the War Mire toward resource coordinates near the World Battlefield, a journey expected to take about two months. Its preparations include nine Energy Storage Pools, a final resource audit, and plans to build more Sky-Piercing Pillars.
• As the continent travels, former allies see it off. Li Kaixin vows to make Cautious Continent a fourth-level affiliated continent; Hao Mao and the Sahara Continent Lord discuss the possibility of advancing their own continent.
• Excellence Continent’s lord plans to use the Gold Grade building Heavenly Retrotrace to expose Eternal Night Continent’s past actions and provoke it into war. He is unsure whether the tactic will work against a Peace Continent, which has permanent protection unless it initiates conflict.
• Chen Fan asks Farmer Continent about its safety perimeter. Learning that a fifth-level continent uses 60,000 kilometers, he sets Eternal Night Continent’s own Safe Distance at 30,000 kilometers.
• Near the resource coordinates, Eternal Night Continent discovers Excellence Continent occupying the route. Chen Fan politely asks it to move, but its lord refuses. Since the rival remains inside the declared Safe Distance and blocks access to the resources, Chen Fan and his officers unanimously approve war. Chen Fan orders warning shots from the “Mirage” weapon and preparations for battle.

Character development and interactions

• Chen Fan remains cautious and methodical, emphasizing audits and energy-pool safety, but shows firm resolve when his boundary is challenged. He values reciprocal dealings and seeks advice from Farmer Continent.
• Li Kaixin expresses gratitude and loyalty, promising to work toward becoming Eternal Night Continent’s affiliate.
• Hao Mao reflects on his newfound security and discusses future advancement with the Sahara Continent Lord.
• Excellence Continent’s lord is calculating and confident, hoping to exploit Eternal Night Continent’s peaceful status; the refusal to yield turns his provocation into a direct confrontation.
• Chen Jiutian argues that failing to enforce the Safe Distance would undermine the Mortal Domain’s authority. Mr. Na is surprised by the decision to fight before Eternal Night Continent has even entered the World Battlefield.

Significant themes

• Preparation versus uncertainty: The Mortal Domain takes extensive precautions while approaching an unfamiliar, dangerous arena.
• Deterrence and reputation: A declared boundary has little meaning unless it is enforced.
• Peace and provocation: A protected, peaceful continent can still be drawn into conflict when its access or safety is threatened.
• Trust and reciprocity: Chen Fan sees practical cooperation and mutual assistance as the foundation of friendship.

Key plot points and events

• The Eternal Night Continent advances slightly toward the approaching Excellence Continent, signaling that it will not back down.
• Chen Fan’s strategists discover that the Excellence Continent has unlocked the military dark-technology node War Dividend. Chen Fan decides to test its strength by provoking a response, while remaining prepared to withdraw if the enemy proves too powerful.
• The Mortal Domain fires several hundred level-20 Sky-Piercing Pillars. The Excellence Continent retaliates with 300,000, including strategic weapons and a special weapon called Heavenly Retrotrace.
• Chen Fan orders the incoming attack intercepted and redirects one ordinary pillar toward the sea to measure its power. Its apparent lack of a War Dividend boost puzzles him.
• Chen Fan spots the unusual pink Heavenly Retrotrace and activates Unbreakable, a gold-grade structure that blocks one firepower strike. Rather than hitting the continent, the weapon’s light forms a vast projection in the sky.
• The projection exposes Chen Fan’s daily routine and then his private diary, revealing that nearly all his spare time and thoughts revolve around building Sky-Piercing Pillars and strengthening the Mortal Domain.
• The Excellence Continent’s psychological-warfare campaign backfires: its ruler becomes furious, while the people of the Eternal Night Continent learn how deeply Chen Fan worries about their safety.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Fan demonstrates caution and strategic discipline: he personally commands the defense, avoids risking the continent merely to test the enemy, and uses Unbreakable to counter the hidden weapon. The diary also reveals his anxiety, sense of responsibility, and guilt over past casualties.
• Chen Jiutian efficiently relays Chen Fan’s orders, even when he privately wonders whether using a one-time ability so early is wise.
• The Excellence Continent’s ruler is confident and aggressive, expecting Heavenly Retrotrace to undermine Chen Fan’s support. When the exposure instead portrays Chen Fan as relentlessly hardworking, his confidence turns to rage.
• The elderly adviser initially questions the scale of the counterattack, then tries to convince his ruler that Chen Fan’s apparent virtue is an act. He ultimately watches the scheme fail in silence.
• The citizens and Mortal Domain members watch the revelations together, discovering both how their Domain Lord lives and what motivates him.

Significant themes

• Psychological warfare can misfire: an attempt to expose an enemy’s private life instead reveals qualities that strengthen public trust.
• Responsibility and sacrifice: Chen Fan’s repetitive work is driven by fear of losing the continent and its people, as well as remorse for those who died in earlier battles.
• Preparation versus aggression: both sides demonstrate their power, but Chen Fan prioritizes intelligence, defense, and preserving the ability to retreat.
• Humor through contrast: the enemy expects scandalous secrets, but finds only diary entries about Sky-Piercing Pillars—leaving its ruler more rattled than the intended audience.

1. Key plot points and events

• A continent-wide broadcast reveals Chen Fan’s modest cave home, simple meals, and relentless work building up the Mortal Domain. Moved by his sacrifices, the people’s support surges, strengthening the Domain’s unity.
• Embarrassed by the exposure—and furious that Excellence Continent used a “Heavenly Retrotrace” to reveal his private life—Chen Fan orders a full assault. Excellence’s ruler pleads to withdraw and yield the shipping route, but Chen Fan refuses.
• The Mortal Domain launches a massive missile barrage, while the Mirage creates an illusion of an even larger attack. Terrified and confused, Excellence’s ruler fails to organize a defense. The continent is devastated, its ruling faction destroyed, and the Mortal Domain claims victory.
• The Eternal Night Continent advances toward Excellence, secures the area, and approaches the World Battlefield. Chen Fan reflects that its true combatants may be far more dangerous than the wandering continents he has defeated.
• The chapter also reveals Heaven’s Mandate Bestowed, the Mortal Domain’s first Pink-grade building: a slot machine that can grant powerful temporary auras. It has three extra uses earned through a special blessing tied to victories over equal-level continents.
• Chen Fan ends the day in high spirits, asking for two servings of dumplings.

2. Character developments

• Chen Fan is shown to be a tireless, anxious leader whose modest habits reflect his relentless focus on the Mortal Domain. The public exposure mortifies him, but his embarrassment quickly turns to anger and military action. His new building also reinforces his growing caution about unpredictable battlefield threats.
• Excellence’s ruler collapses under pressure, reacting with rage and disbelief rather than making sound decisions. He realizes too late that the missile barrage may be an illusion, missing his chance to defend.
• The elderly advisor finally challenges his ruler, calmly identifying his mistakes and urging him to think clearly. Though he admires Chen Fan, he remains loyal to his own continent.
• The Mortal Domain’s people and members gain renewed respect for Chen Fan, seeing him as someone who works alongside them rather than living in luxury.
• Jiu Wu watches the missile attack and suspects his Strange Dragons will not be needed, deciding to keep them in reserve for a future battle.

3. Significant themes

• Leadership through shared sacrifice: Chen Fan’s humble life inspires popular support and strengthens the Mortal Domain’s cohesion.
• The value and limits of hard work: The advisor argues that effort matters, but recognizing an opponent’s strength and making sound decisions matter too.
• Deception and perception in war: The Mirage’s illusion wins the battle by frightening the enemy into paralysis, not by exhausting its defenses as planned.
• Caution amid uncertainty: Chen Fan’s victories do not make him complacent; the World Battlefield may contain opponents with unexpected abilities.
• Private life versus public image: Chen Fan’s irritation at being exposed contrasts with the people’s admiration for what they see.

4. Character interactions

• The people respond emotionally to the broadcast of Chen Fan’s daily life, while Mortal Domain members privately realize how hard he has been working beyond their view.
• Crippled Monkey asks Chen Fan how to respond to Excellence; Chen Fan orders an attack, then vents inwardly about being exposed.
• Excellence’s ruler pleads with Chen Fan through the market interface, but Chen Fan rejects the offer. At home, the ruler’s advisor confronts him over his poor judgment, escalating their strained relationship.
• Chen Jiutian alerts Chen Fan to the newly empowered building. Chen Fan explains its blessing and the lucky member assigned to operate it.
• Chen Fan closes the chapter by returning to a familiar, ordinary comfort—dumplings—after the victory.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• The Mortal Domain completes its postwar “Dissection” of the Excellence Continent. It recovers nine trillion eerie stones, valuable materials, and a rare Gold Grade building Blueprint, Heavenly Retrotrace, whose effect is “Account Opening.”
• Chen Fan orders the Excellence Continent’s surviving population transferred to the Cautious Continent, despite the enormous cost of 288.9 billion eerie stones. He believes ordinary people should not be punished for their continent’s defeat.
• Over the following weeks, the Starforge and Land-Digging Machine strip the conquered continent of its resources. Its people are relocated, and the Starforge is set to consume the continent completely.
• During the Mortal Domain’s seventh Spring Examination, Chen Fan’s search for a resource site linked to the Heaven-Evading Strange Entity appears fruitless. The Heaven’s Mandate Token gives no signal, and exploration of both the seabed and the Fallen Firmament finds nothing.
• As Chen Fan prepares to abandon the search, the token suddenly glows. A gigantic, exceptionally fast sea creature rushes beneath the Flying Boat. The token’s lock reveals that the creature itself is tied to the missing Coordinates.
• Chen Fan orders the creature tracked, not attacked. The Mortal Domain uses Sky-Piercing Pillars to maintain surveillance while Jiu Wu leads five electrically powered Strange Dragons to intercept it.
• Chen Fan reaches the creature by teleportation. He recognizes it as an ancient Black Tortoise, likely tens of thousands of years old. When he shows it the Heaven’s Mandate Token, the normally indifferent creature erupts in fury and roars.

Character developments

• Chen Fan shows restraint and compassion by paying to evacuate the Excellence Continent’s civilians. He also demonstrates caution and strategic discipline by ordering the Black Tortoise tracked rather than attacked.
• Jiu Wu gets his first official mission with the Strange Dragons. He confidently intercepts the Black Tortoise and tries to greet it on Chen Fan’s behalf, though the Dragons’ intense heat briefly makes Chen Fan’s arrival troublesome.
• The Black Tortoise is introduced as immensely powerful, fast, and apparently detached from worldly events. Its sudden rage at the token reveals that it harbors a deep grievance connected to the Heaven-Evading Strange Entity.
• The Mortal Domain’s forces display growing coordination and technological capability, combining tracking systems, Sky-Piercing Pillars, Strange Dragons, and teleportation.

Significant themes

• Mercy amid conquest: Chen Fan distinguishes civilians from their rulers and accepts a heavy cost to spare innocent people.
• The burden of time: The Black Tortoise’s immense age gives it a perspective in which human lives and events seem fleeting and unimportant.
• Power and technological growth: The Mortal Domain’s sophisticated systems allow it to locate and intercept a creature that vastly outmatches ordinary forces in size and speed.
• The past resurfacing: The token awakens the Black Tortoise’s long-suppressed anger, hinting at an unresolved history with the Heaven-Evading Strange Entity.

Character interactions

• Wang Kui reports the campaign’s spoils and evacuation costs; Chen Fan calmly directs that the civilians be saved.
• Chen Fan coordinates with Chen Jiutian and the Strategist Pavilion to track the Black Tortoise, then orders Jiu Wu to intercept it.
• Jiu Wu addresses the creature informally and waits for Chen Fan to arrive, while the Black Tortoise watches him without responding.
• Chen Fan and the Black Tortoise silently regard one another until Chen Fan presents the token—triggering the creature’s furious reaction.

Plot and key events

• Chen Fan confronts an enraged Black Tortoise and discovers that the Heaven’s Mandate Token can unlock the sealed “Life Abyss” in its brood pouch. The pouch opens, releasing an ancient black box.
• The Black Tortoise gives Chen Fan a Pearl that will summon it to help him, then reveals that an immensely powerful being—not the Heaven-Evading Strange Entity—sealed its Life Abyss tens of thousands of years ago. The seal prevented it from giving birth, making the rescue especially meaningful.
• The Black Tortoise explains its remarkable speed: it learned to run by repeatedly fleeing from opponents it could not defeat.
• Chen Fan opens the box and finds a small sheet of paper with two handwritten characters. Back on the Eternal Night Continent, the Angler recognizes the container as a Starry Box, a supreme treasure that can store and simulate ideal conditions for any Heavenly Material or Earthly Treasure.
• The Angler identifies the paper as the legendary Seventh Sheet, supposedly left behind by the creator of the Primordial Continent. According to the tale, anything written on it becomes a law of Heaven and Earth. Chen Fan tries to write a rule granting the Mortal Domain unlimited resources, but his brush melts before he can write. The paper’s true nature and practical use remain uncertain.
• Chen Jiutian traces the Heaven-Evading Strange Entity’s missing Resource Coordinates to a cluster of four remote rare Islands. Wang Mazi’s team confirms that the Heaven’s Mandate Token detects a sealed space there. Chen Fan prepares to investigate.
• Meanwhile, the Sahara Continent reaches fourth level, and its lord celebrates the rapid progress with Hao Mao.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Fan remains composed when facing the Black Tortoise, negotiates its release, and accepts its Pearl. He is intrigued—and somewhat uneasy—about the Seventh Sheet’s immense alleged power, but decides to keep it hidden rather than display it. He also continues pursuing a deliberate plan: finish refining the Excellence Continent, claim the hidden resources, then enter the World Battlefield.
• The Black Tortoise shifts from fury to gratitude after Chen Fan frees it. Its humorously practical attitude—run from anyone stronger rather than fight—adds levity, while its reluctance to name its former captor emphasizes that being’s frightening power.
• The Angler reveals his true form as a Bronze Statue and recovers a fragment of memory upon seeing the Starry Box. His uncertain recollections suggest he once had an important past, but he cannot fully explain it.
• Xiaowen provides the biological explanation for the Life Abyss, clarifying that the seal endangered the Black Tortoise’s unborn offspring. The Heaven-Questioning Bell offers little help, frustrating Chen Fan by repeating information it has just overheard.
• Chen Jiutian and Wang Mazi support Chen Fan’s investigation: Jiutian uncovers the Islands’ history, and Wang Mazi’s team verifies the sealed location. Hao Mao and the Sahara Continent Lord reflect on how unexpectedly fast the Mortal Domain’s rise has been.

Significant themes

• Power and restraint: The chapter contrasts Chen Fan’s modest approach to testing treasures with the ancient being’s casual use of an artifact that could seal a creature for millennia.
• Survival and vulnerability: Despite its formidable defenses, the Black Tortoise survives by fleeing threats it cannot beat; its sealed Life Abyss also exposes the profound consequences of power wielded carelessly.
• Uncertain history and hidden potential: The Starry Box, the Seventh Sheet, and the Angler’s lost memories hint at a much older, more powerful history than Chen Fan understands.
• Persistence and planning: The long search for the Resource Coordinates rewards methodical investigation, while Chen Fan keeps his larger strategy in view.

Plot points and events

• Chen Fan and his companions locate a Blue Grade Primordial Continent Ore Island, the final resource site indicated by Heaven’s Mandate Token. Its estimated reserve is 12,000 jin of ore, a valuable resource that Chen Fan has the tools and facilities to mine.
• At the Token’s destination, Crippled Monkey digs up a decayed bronze coffin. When he damages it, the Token reacts, revealing that the coffin was the sealed location. Inside is only a note.
• The note is written by Heaven’s Mandate, a Heaven-Evading Strange Entity. It recounts a prophecy from Oracle Island: humanity and the Strange Entity Clan will eventually produce opposing Kings, whose final war will decide the world’s fate and bring peace.
• Heaven’s Mandate describes finding the Heaven’s Mandate Token, Godslaying Spear, and Heavenly Dao Scroll together on an unremarkable continent. He learned from the Scroll how to separate a defeated continent’s Heavenly Dao, but the note gives no further details about its contents.
• Chen Fan connects the Godslaying Spear’s history to the Eternal Night Continent, suggesting it may be special, may have been a former home of the unknown being who owned the treasures, or may have been a deliberate “investment” in a future Human King.
• The Heaven-Questioning Bell explains that Oracle Island’s prophecy may shape events by encouraging both factions to prepare for the predicted war. It also reveals that advanced wraith blood can uncover more writing on the note, possibly including information about the Heavenly Dao Scroll.
• The Bell has upgraded to Gold Grade and now offers proactive reminders—but charges 100 million Eerie Stones for each one.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Fan moves from delight at finding a rich resource island to unease as the note links his treasures, the Eternal Night Continent, and a potentially world-shaping prophecy. He doubts he is destined to be the Human King, rejects the idea as far-fetched, and worries that a future clash with Jiu Wu could entangle him in the Strange Entity faction’s destiny.
• Crippled Monkey uncovers the coffin with the Godslaying Spear, unwittingly breaking the seal and triggering the Token’s warning.
• Jiu Wu is identified by Chen Fan as a likely candidate for the Dark Monarch because of his innate dark sacred physique. Chen Fan cannot reconcile that possibility with their current relationship or imagine a future confrontation.
• The Heaven-Questioning Bell gives unusually unsolicited guidance, admits an unexplained dislike of Oracle Island, and reveals its new capabilities and fees. Chen Fan responds with dry irritation at its increased cost.

Significant themes

• Prophecy and self-fulfilling outcomes: Predictions may not simply reveal the future; belief in them can help bring that future about.
• Fate versus choice: Chen Fan resists being cast as a King and questions whether the foretold conflict is inevitable.
• Hidden histories and connections: The recurring appearance of the same artifacts suggests the Eternal Night Continent and Chen Fan’s rise may be tied to a deeper, still-unknown plan.
• Power and its costs: Valuable resources enable progress, but even knowledge and assistance—such as the Bell’s reminders—come at a price.

Plot points and events

• Chen Fan asks Jiu Wu to use his wraith blood to reveal a hidden message from the Heaven-Evading Strange Entity. The prophecy claims Jiu Wu will become the Strange Entity King and Chen Fan the human King. Chen Fan dismisses it as uncertain and urges Jiu Wu not to let it dictate his choices.
• The slip also contains a method for creating a Heavenly Dao: combine soil from a continent with four rare treasures, then add a wisp of chaos. Chen Fan lacks nearly all the ingredients; even the huge firmament-wall net needed to recover a dissipating Dao is beyond his resources.
• Chen Fan focuses on trade instead. He sells Daily Draw blueprints for enormous sums, bringing in hundreds of trillions of eerie stones and establishing a lucrative, ongoing revenue stream. His sales stir the Building Blueprint Market, while the Mortal Domain celebrates the “rain” of wealth.
• After Excellence Continent is fully refined, the Mortal Domain prepares to enter the World Battlefield. Chen Fan plans to use Heavenly Retrotrace to study a rival’s recent development, though he also sees it as a chance to expose someone else’s past after his own history was revealed.
• Chen Fan intends to make a dramatic entrance with the Under-Heaven Edict, which forces two factions and their territories into a decisive battle. He hopes one major conflict will establish his standing and draw in opportunistic supporters.
• On entering the World Battlefield, he encounters a live Under-Heaven Edict duel between fourth-level Didi Continent and Herbal Continent. He buys admission for himself and his companions to observe the contest and learn how the system works.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Fan remains practical and strategic: he comforts Jiu Wu, recognizes the limits of his resources, turns trade into a source of wealth, and prepares to use the World Battlefield’s rules to his advantage. Though he dislikes war, he plans one large, decisive confrontation.
• Jiu Wu is shaken by the prophecy, fearing it is a plot to kill him. Chen Fan reassures him, and Jiu Wu ultimately helps reveal the slip’s message.
• Wang Kui worries that using Heavenly Retrotrace might make an enemy of a hardworking rival. Chen Fan explains that he wants intelligence, not simply to undermine morale.
• Crippled Monkey urges Chen Fan to sell more Daily Draw blueprints; Chen Fan refuses for the moment, preferring to preserve demand.
• The Farmer Continent’s lord watches the market and reflects on his son: the son is trying harder, but may be slow because of limited ability rather than laziness.

Significant themes

• Choice versus prophecy: A prediction may shape expectations, but Chen Fan insists people choose their own paths.
• Wealth through strategy: Chen Fan treats war as a means of protecting assets, while commerce offers greater and more sustainable rewards.
• Power, spectacle, and reputation: His plan to provoke a large World Battlefield contest is intended to make his name known and determine who holds influence.
• Risk and uncertainty: The Heavenly Dao recipe, the underfunded resources, and the Edict’s all-or-nothing battles show how ambition carries potentially catastrophic costs.

Plot points and events

• Chen Fan observes the World Battlefield as Herbal Continent and Didi Continent prepare for an Under-Heaven Edict battle. Thunder Serpent Continent backs Herbal with vast quantities of Sky-Piercing Pillars, while the Strange Shadow Clan backs Didi with nearly a million Meatworm Wraiths and level-30 Thorns Strange Entities.
• Chen learns that supporters can earn war reparations if their chosen side wins. After casually contributing one batch of Sky-Piercing Pillars to Herbal, he assumes he is merely watching.
• When the three-day preparation period ends, the two continents are revealed to be nearly empty except for their walls and amassed weapons and troops. A sudden Ultimate Calamity: Blood Arena is announced: all preparation-period supporters are forcibly bound to their chosen faction, and the losing side’s reserves will be confiscated. The winning side’s top contributor will receive the rare title King of the Blood Arena.
• Chen discovers that Eternal Night Continent is now bound to Herbal’s faction. He cannot bring in outside resources, so he prepares to rely on what he already has: about 400 trillion Eerie Stones and nearly 100 million Sky-Piercing Pillars.
• The battle becomes a resource-heavy, faction-wide conflict—fourteen continents on Herbal’s side against nineteen on Didi’s, with humans and Strange Entity clans present on both sides. Both factions pour in reinforcements, and millions of Heaven-Questioning Cannons bombard Didi’s advancing forces.
• Chen has Jiu Wu test whether affiliated forces can join. The Retirement Clan sends 999 batches of Meatworm Wraiths; joining is optional, but any affiliate that participates risks losing its reserves too.
• Didi’s side gains a major advantage when the Strange Shadow Clan deploys 20,000 Hell Cavalry. Their combined shields let them smash through Herbal’s Coast City Wall, bringing Didi closer to victory. Chen holds back, waiting for the right chance to commit his resources decisively.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Fan shifts from curious spectator to cautious strategist once his single contribution binds Eternal Night Continent to the battle. Though pressured by allies to reinforce Herbal, he refuses to spend resources prematurely and plans to act for maximum impact.
• Jiu Wu provides tactical information, confirms that affiliated forces can choose whether to participate, and trusts that the Retirement Clan’s strength will eventually answer the Strange Shadow Clan’s mockery.
• Huang, a level-30 Thorns Strange Entity, is shaken to learn that beings of his rank can be supplied in large numbers. His hard-won achievement suddenly feels ordinary on the World Battlefield.
• Thunder Serpent Continent and Strange Shadow Clan lead their respective sides’ support efforts. Other Continent Lords urge Chen to contribute, while spectators debate the factions’ strengths. The Strange Shadow Clan insults the Retirement Clan, but Jiu Wu remains unfazed.

Significant themes

• Risk and commitment: A seemingly minor act of support can bind an entire continent and place all its reserves at stake.
• Scale and perspective: Resources and accomplishments that seem extraordinary in smaller conflicts are commonplace among major World Battlefield powers.
• Pragmatism over allegiance: The battle is not simply humans versus Strange Entities; participants fight for their chosen faction and survival.
• Restraint and timing: Chen’s strategy depends on conserving resources until he can make one decisive move.
• Reputation versus reality: The Retirement Clan’s modest name and small initial contribution conceal the possibility of greater strength.

Key plot points and events

• Didi Continent’s coalition launches a massive assault on Herbal Continent. Hell Cavalry smash a section of its walls, while Thunder Serpent Continent’s Sky-Piercing Pillars briefly destroy the first wave.
• The Strange Shadow Clan and its allies deploy millions of Heaven-Shrouding Strange Entities. Their linked damage-sharing ability makes them nearly impossible to kill, and servant foxes heal them as they advance.
• Thunder Serpent Continent rallies several allies to coordinate a barrage of Heavenly-Derivation Sky-Piercing Pillars, while a continent-wide protection formation temporarily shields Herbal Continent. The defense appears likely to fail when the enemy commits even more reserves.
• Chen Fan watches without intervening, judging that both sides are still concealing their true strength. He has prepared 278 groups of Heavenly-Derivation Sky-Piercing Pillars, but considers even that insufficient for the scale of the war.
• The Eastern Clan’s ruler reveals his real ambition: he has used the search for the Heaven-Evading Strange Entity’s Mandate as a pretext to leave the Wind-Eroded Land and defy his clan’s ancestral instructions. He kills the last elder opposing him and openly joins the world’s wars, backed by four Strange Dragons.
• Didi Continent’s coalition deciphers the Strange Shadow Clan’s coded signal and commits nearly all its forces, raising the number of Heaven-Shrouding Strange Entities to about five million. Herbal Continent’s defenses seem overwhelmed.
• As the protection formation fades and Thunder Serpent Continent’s pleas go unanswered, Chen Fan finishes his tea and announces that the Mortal Domain will take over the battle. Yongya Continent publicly confirms its entry just as the sky fills with new announcements.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Fan remains controlled and deliberately cautious, withholding the Mortal Domain’s strength until the enemy reveals its commitment. He has several contingency plans, including sending Jiu Wu and the Five Strange Dragons into battle, but worries this would expose Jiu Wu’s rare Dark Sacred Body—and still might not guarantee victory.
• Chen Jiutian reports the Mortal Domain’s vast stockpile and asks whether they can win. Chen Fan’s elaborate sequence of “final” plans leaves him bewildered.
• Thunder Serpent Continent’s lord shifts from confident coordination to frantic frustration as allies fail to respond and the defense collapses.
• The Eastern Clan’s king changes from a seemingly indifferent ruler into an openly rebellious conqueror. His clash with the elder exposes the divide between his ambitions and the clan’s isolationist traditions.
• Spectators and Continent Lords react with awe, fear, and occasional humor; their public chats reveal the battlefield’s scale and the growing panic on Herbal Continent’s side.

Significant themes

• Escalation and hidden reserves: Each side’s apparent limits prove misleading, turning the conflict into a contest of concealed resources and sudden commitments.
• Preparation versus uncertainty: Chen Fan’s extensive planning is tested by a war far larger than expected; even great reserves may not be enough.
• Tradition versus ambition: The Eastern Clan’s king rejects ancestral caution in favor of power, freedom, and a place in world events.
• The cost of war: Vast resources are burned, civilians watch in fear, and leaders struggle to keep allies from giving up.
• Suspense through restraint: Chen Fan’s delayed intervention builds toward a major turning point, ending on the Mortal Domain’s declaration that it will take over.

Concise Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• The Blood Arena battle begins heavily favoring the Didi faction: it has more continents and can deploy powerful high-ranking strange entities, while Herbal Continent cannot use its Gold Grade buildings.
• The Mortal Domain pours enormous reserves into Herbal Continent—protective formations, eerie stones, and millions of Sky-Piercing Pillars. A combined barrage destroys five million Heaven-Shrouding Strange Entities and wipes out Didi’s original strange tide, seemingly turning the battle in Herbal Continent’s favor.
• The Eastern Clan then reveals its strength, sending vast numbers of strange entities, five Sky-Covering Black Tortoises, and a Strange Dragon. Its defenses block the counterattack, while the Dragon’s breath quickly breaks Herbal’s protective formations.
• Herbal’s allies make a final collective effort, including a major contribution from the previously peaceful Qiqi Continent. Their combined firepower again weakens the Eastern Clan’s forces and the Black Tortoises.
• The Eastern Clan escalates dramatically, revealing immense reserves, more Strange Dragons, and its King, Wind Erosion. The apparent scale of the war leaves other Continent Lords stunned and fearful.
• Chen Fan activates his “final plan”: the Retirement Clan, led by Jiu Wu, joins the battle. Jiu Wu survives Wind Erosion’s attack and returns through resurrection, while his Strange Dragons and the Retirement Clan’s forces repeatedly revive to keep attacking the enemy tide.
• The Eastern Clan answers with an overwhelming force of Sky-Shading Wraiths. The Retirement Clan’s fighters cannot overcome it, and the Mortal Domain’s supplies are nearly exhausted. The chapter ends with Chen Fan preparing a mysterious “final-final plan,” leaving spectator mode and standing on the Northbank Defense Line.

Character developments

• Chen Fan remains calculating and pessimistic, having anticipated that the battle was not truly over after the first victory. As the Mortal Domain’s resources run out, he shifts from command through reinforcements to direct action, suggesting a deeper final measure.
• Wang Kui moves from awe at the apparent victory to grim concern as the Mortal Domain’s reserves are depleted.
• Jiu Wu reveals both formidable resilience and a brutal, battle-hungry side. His innate dark sacred physique lets him resurrect himself and his subordinates, but only while eerie stones remain.
• Wind Erosion, King of the Eastern Clan, proves arrogant and exceptionally dangerous, but his confidence is shaken by Jiu Wu’s unexpected survival and the Retirement Clan’s Strange Dragons.
• Qiqi Continent’s Lord turns from a self-described peaceful ruler into a committed participant, spending nearly all the continent’s reserves to support Herbal.
• The Continent Lords shift from celebrating victory to fear and resignation as the Eastern Clan’s true strength becomes clear.

Significant themes

• Sacrifice and solidarity: The Mortal Domain and its allies spend nearly everything to defend Herbal Continent; Qiqi’s contribution especially shows a peaceful faction choosing to fight.
• The cost and limits of power: Massive reserves can change a battlefield, but even extraordinary weapons and resurrection are finite when their supplies run out.
• Escalation and uncertainty: Each apparent turning point is overturned by a stronger counterattack, making victory increasingly hard to predict.
• Hope amid despair: The chapter repeatedly raises and crushes hope, ending on a symbolic image of ordinary people’s lights answering Chen Fan’s plea when the gods do not.

Character interactions

• Chen Fan directs the defense through Wang Kui and ultimately entrusts the battle to Jiu Wu.
• Jiu Wu and Wind Erosion clash directly; Wind Erosion appears to kill Jiu Wu, only for Jiu Wu to return and reveal his resurrection ability.
• The Retirement Clan’s Strange Dragons fight Wind Erosion’s dragons, displaying superior coordination and combat instincts despite being outnumbered.
• The Continent Lords’ chat captures the wider factions’ changing morale: bravado after the first reversal, panic at the Eastern Clan’s strength, and despair as Herbal’s resources dwindle.
• The chapter closes by contrasting the distant, unresponsive gods with the “lights of ten thousand homes”—a final connection between Chen Fan and the people whose lives the battle is meant to protect.

Plot points and events

• Across the Eternal Night Continent, people pray for the Mortal Domain’s survival. Their collective popular will activates “Lights of Ten Thousand Homes; Where the Lights Grow Dim,” a last-resort plan that lets buildings be constructed without cost.
• Chen Fan orders a vast defense deployment, but the Eastern Clan’s million hands of Heaven-Shrouding Strange Entities overwhelm the Mortal Domain’s apparent reserves. The continent’s final defenses seem close to collapse.
• Jiu Wu, fighting in the Blood Arena, believes he has failed the Domain Lord. His innate dark sacred physique awakens, transforming his hammer into a scarlet blade. He unleashes a devastating strike that makes the enemy formation bleed, but cannot break it.
• At the last moment, the Eternal Night Continent supplies the Herbal Continent with 9,999 volleys of Heavenly-Derivation Sky-Piercing Pillars—and then another 9,999. The bombardment annihilates the Eastern Clan’s forces and sinks the Didi Continent, reversing the battle completely.
• The Eternal Night Continent wins the Blood Arena with 99% contribution, earning the unique title Blood Arena God-King. Its allies receive rewards and titles as well. The defeated Eastern Clan is wiped out, and Strange Entity continents begin fleeing the battlefield.
• On the Hexagram Heaven Continent, a diviner who had predicted the Eastern Clan’s rapid rise is astonished by its sudden destruction. His bell cannot reveal who defeated it, despite costing him five million Eerie Stones.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiu Wu moves from despair and self-doubt to a fierce desire to protect the Mortal Domain. His extraordinary strike demonstrates his potential, even though it cannot win the battle alone. Once Chen Fan’s reinforcements arrive, Jiu Wu regains his confidence and celebrates the Domain Lord’s decisive intervention.
• Chen Fan remains outwardly composed while committing the Mortal Domain’s immense reserves to the fight. His actions reveal both the scale of his preparations and his determination to protect his people.
• Lin Mancang and the others watch Chen Fan’s departure with concern. Crippled Monkey remarks that the Young Master needs a wife, implying that he bottles up his emotions.
• Wind Erosion, the Eastern Clan’s commander, shifts from disbelief at Jiu Wu’s power to greedy anticipation of exploiting his physique, then finally faces despair as the Clan’s forces are destroyed.
• The elderly diviner and his apprentice discuss the dangers of the Boundary Battlefield and the Eastern Clan’s history. The apprentice’s final question exposes a humorous contradiction in the diviner’s claim to read celestial signs.

Significant themes

• Collective faith and popular will: ordinary people’s prayers become a practical resource that helps sustain the Mortal Domain.
• Hidden strength and decisive preparation: what appears to be a losing battle is reversed by reserves the enemy—and the spectators—never expected.
• Duty, power, and self-worth: Jiu Wu’s awakening comes from wanting to protect others, not from ambition or pride.
• The cost and unpredictability of war: long-standing legacies can vanish rapidly, and even powerful forces may misjudge what awaits them.
• Reputation and spectacle: the battle turns the Mortal Domain and Jiu Wu into legendary names, while other continents reconsider their alliances and safety.

Plot points and events

• The Eternal Night Continent wins the ultimate Blood Arena, and Chen Fan’s enormous contribution earns it the unique Blood Arena God-King title. Its benefits include full refunds of resources spent in future Blood Arenas, a tenfold multiplier to contributed forces, near-immunity to certain calamities, and the ability to identify blood arenas disguised as Under-Heaven Edicts.
• Because this title conflicts with the ordinary King of the Blood Arena title, Chen Fan must choose compensation. He selects the chance to unlock the Uncrowned King title rather than take vast quantities of eerie stones or a rare building blueprint.
• The Uncrowned King quest has three stages. Its first task is to make every continent and race in the World Battlefield submit to Eternal Night and pay tribute. Completing it would greatly speed construction and let Chen Fan build ten structures at once through the Lord Panel—an exceptionally powerful reward, but an immense challenge.
• Chen Fan receives the Blood Arena God-King Scepter, whose protections make him immune to oppressive auras and many forms of control, including sealing and spatial attacks. He changes its sinister appearance to resemble his old staff.
• At the victory banquet, Chen Jiutian asks about Jiu Wu’s devastating crimson attack. Xiaowen explains that it is a Dark Strange Art, a rare and formidable technique normally associated with high-ranking Strange Entities. Jiu Wu, however, used it without apparent harm despite being far below the usual level.
• Jiu Wu discovers that his crimson energy can form a controllable longblade resembling a King’s Exclusive Weapon, and that he may be able to resurrect certain defeated war-machine Strange Dragons. He plans to build Chen Fan a gigantic Nine-Five Dragon Chariot powered by nine dragons.
• Sanqi brings his classmates to the banquet and encourages them to act confidently. Later, Qian Xiaoping presents Jiu Wu with a first design for the chariot, which perfectly matches Jiu Wu’s vision.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Fan feels far more secure after the victory and the new scepter. He is pleased with the Uncrowned King reward, but recognizes that its first mission is daunting. At the banquet, he reaffirms his trust in Jiu Wu and encourages him to explore his powers without fear.
• Jiu Wu emerges as a potential powerhouse: his Dark Strange Art and unusual weapon suggest his innate dark sacred physique holds abilities beyond those already known. He remains modest and wants a peaceful-sounding name for his technique, while the others jokingly propose grandiose alternatives.
• Chen Jiutian is alarmed by Jiu Wu’s unexplained strength and seeks clarification, reflecting his caution and concern for the Mortal Domain’s safety.
• Crippled Monkey and other officials contribute to the convivial banquet, joking about naming Jiu Wu’s technique and teasing Chen Fan about finding a wife. Chen Fan shuts down the matchmaking suggestion, preferring to enjoy his dumplings.
• Sanqi tries to model confidence for his nervous classmates, turning his father’s advice into a lesson in courage.
• Qian Xiaoping shows how efficiently the Domain Lord’s staff can translate Jiu Wu’s ambitious idea into a concrete design.

Significant themes

• Power and responsibility: Chen Fan’s new title and Jiu Wu’s emerging abilities offer enormous advantages, but also bring difficult obligations and potential risks.
• Trust and loyalty: Chen Fan’s confidence in Jiu Wu contrasts with others’ understandable concern, strengthening their bond.
• Ambition and scale: The Uncrowned King mission and the proposed dragon-powered chariot both reflect the continent’s expanding reach and ambitions.
• Humor and ordinary comforts amid conflict: Banquet jokes, dumplings, and playful exchanges balance the chapter’s dramatic rewards and battlefield revelations.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• The day after the Blood Arena, Heaven and Earth distributes the defeated factions’ assets according to each side’s contribution. Chen Fan pays to retain all seventeen rare Islands, four valuable Strange Entity Blueprints, the available dark technology points, and twenty-three blank heavenly daos. The settlement also grants the Mortal Domain nine new affiliated races or continents, bringing its total affiliates to twelve.
• The new affiliates raise the “War Dividend” bonus to twelve stacks, increasing the power of the Mortal Domain’s defensive structures by 120%. The recovered heavenly daos can be assigned to manage territory or buildings, or monitor affiliated continents.
• The asset seizure proves remarkably comprehensive: resources, crops, reserves, warehouse goods, debts owed to the defeated factions, and even future receivables are collected. Their liabilities, however, are not treated as assets.
• At a meeting of senior officials, Chen Fan thanks the staff whose earlier work helped the Mortal Domain prepare for war. He warns against relying too often on the people’s crisis-powered “Heart That Embraces the World” ability and identifies three priorities: build reserves, learn more about the World Battlefield, and expand affiliations without constant warfare.
• Officials debate peaceful ways to bring other continents into the Mortal Domain’s sphere. Suggestions include encouraging continents to leave the battlefield temporarily, offering protection as insurance, or using deterrence. Chen Fan prefers low-maintenance affiliates, such as Strange Entity Clans, that provide tribute and War Dividend benefits without creating ongoing obligations.
• The Research Pavilion proposes a “Nine-Five Dragon Chariot,” powered by nine Strange Dragons and driven by Jiu Wu. Though it would consume most of the Mortal Domain’s Stellar Gold reserves, Chen Fan approves it as a deterrent for the upcoming diplomatic campaign.
• The Mortal Domain begins inviting World Battlefield Continent Lords to its first Exchange Conference, scheduled for one month later. Messengers travel by Flying Boat, with Strange Dragons waiting at a respectful distance to avoid provoking recipients.
• The Thunder Serpent Continent accepts its invitation courteously. In contrast, the Black Orchid Continent’s Lord threatens envoy Zhou Li. Zhou responds by preparing to kill himself rather than submit or bring shame on the Mortal Domain. Alarmed by the consequences, the Lord repeatedly prevents him from reaching a pillar and quickly apologizes, promises cooperation, and agrees to attend.

Character developments

• Chen Fan shifts from celebrating the spoils of victory to planning the Mortal Domain’s long-term security and influence. He remains pragmatic, favoring alliances that provide benefits without forcing his people to manage other continents’ conflicts.
• Jiu Wu gains confidence as a participant in leadership discussions. His proposal for an insurance-like protection system inspires further debate, even though Chen Fan rejects its risks.
• Zhou Li demonstrates fierce loyalty and a willingness to sacrifice himself to protect the Mortal Domain’s reputation. His theatrical resolve turns a hostile encounter into a diplomatic concession.
• The Black Orchid Continent Lord moves from suspicion and intimidation to panic and appeasement when he realizes harming Zhou Li could provoke the Mortal Domain’s overwhelming retaliation.

Significant themes

• Power as deterrence: The Mortal Domain’s military strength shapes diplomacy even when it does not attack; its restraint helps make invitations acceptable.
• Pragmatic expansion: Chen Fan wants influence and affiliation, but seeks arrangements that avoid constant war and administrative burdens.
• Collective contribution: Chen Fan credits the officials’ work before the battle—not only direct combat—for the Mortal Domain’s success.
• Loyalty and public reputation: Zhou Li’s dramatic stand shows how individual conduct can represent an entire faction and influence relations between continents.
• The cost of victory: The rewards are immense, but retaining them requires vast payments, and the Mortal Domain still faces shortages of reserves, high-end assets, and homegrown buildings.

Character interactions

• Chen Fan reassures embarrassed officials that their peacetime work helped make victory possible, then guides their debate toward sustainable expansion.
• Wang Kui, Chen Jiutian, Jiu Wu, and others offer competing strategies, revealing a tension between peaceful persuasion, protection, rules, and military coercion.
• The Mortal Domain’s envoys balance confidence with restraint: Long Ye’s respectful approach earns the Thunder Serpent Lord’s cooperation.
• Zhou Li’s confrontation with the Black Orchid Lord reverses the power dynamic. His refusal to be intimidated—and the danger his death would pose—forces the Lord to apologize and agree to attend.

Chapter Summary: “Pink Rare Island”

Key plot points and events

• A dozen enormous space rifts appear near the Eternal Night Continent. Chen Fan retreats out of the World Battlefield as a precaution, despite the continent’s strong resistance to spatial damage.
• Each rift releases one of the seventeen rare Islands Chen Fan won in the Blood Arena, conveniently delivering them directly to his shores.
• Chen Fan assesses the Islands:
  • Seven Blue-grade Islands have already been mined for Eerie Stone.
  • Six Strategic Islands can host Sky-Piercing Pillars, allowing them to fire over vast distances even when the continent moves away.
  • Two Interference Islands can divert enemy fire and will travel near the continent.
  • One pink-grade Divine Strange Island can generate a Strange Entity Blueprint after hosting more than 99 high-ranking entities of the same race. It has one use remaining; the first produced a Hell Cavalry Blueprint.
• Chen Fan considers which species to use for the remaining blueprint. Strange Dragons could become devastating if mass-produced, but the Mortal Domain has only nine and their birth rate is notoriously low. He decides to preserve the Island’s remaining use rather than choose prematurely.
• Chen Fan tries to buy the Gold-grade Ephemeral Bloom blueprint from the Gods and Devils Continent. The seller refuses, claims the listing was only for show, and raises its price dramatically. Chen Fan is furious and vows to buy it once his continent reaches level five.
• As the Mortal Domain prepares to host its first World Battlefield Exchange Conference, staff arrange an impressive arrival route showcasing the Sky-Piercing Pillars.
• Yellow Springs reports that a large shipment of Eerie Stone has arrived—the first proceeds from Chen Fan’s Slot Machines. He arranges its collection and sends food back to Yellow Springs.
• Two Yellow Springs Wraiths ask about White-Cut Chicken. Chen Fan learns they have been serving the Mortal Domain for years without official membership or an allowance, so he registers them and orders that they be paid and included in outings with Mr. Na.
• In Yellow Springs, Ming San remains puzzled that the two Wraiths keep finding excuses not to return home. Meanwhile, the Mortal Domain plants Otherworld Flowers in bulk for a still-experimental strategic building project.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Fan demonstrates his practical caution by retreating from the rifts, then quickly turns the Islands into military and logistical assets. He also shows compassion by recognizing the Wraiths’ service and correcting their lack of pay and status.
• The two Yellow Springs Wraiths have grown attached to life in the Mortal Domain. Their repeated excuses to avoid returning suggest they value its people, comforts, and food.
• Jiu Wu is frustrated that he cannot comprehend a second Dark Strange Art. Xiangyang notices the unusual half-trigram on Jiu Wu’s Blood Blade, while Huang explains that a second art may require another crisis. Jiu Wu soon redirects everyone’s attention to his daily group runs, which have helped his subordinates bond.
• Little Qiu plans the conference’s grand presentation, using a deliberately hazy view of the Sky-Piercing Pillars to make their numbers seem limitless.
• Mr. Na is revealed to be a friend of the Yellow Springs Wraiths and agrees to take them on food trips.
• Ming San is affectionate toward his grandson but cannot understand why the Wraiths keep claiming they are too ill to return.

Significant themes

• Preparedness and strategic planning: Chen Fan treats the Islands as solutions to military, storage, and defensive needs, while weighing the long-term value of the Divine Strange Island.
• Power versus scarcity: Mass-producing powerful entities could transform warfare, but rare populations and breeding limits make that ambition difficult.
• Community and recognition: The Wraiths’ unofficial service highlights the importance of acknowledging and fairly supporting those who contribute.
• Humor and ambition: Chen Fan’s outrage at the dishonest listing contrasts with his otherwise measured leadership, while his dream of mass-produced Strange Dragons reflects his grand ambitions.
• Building for the future: The exchange conference, Otherworld Flower cultivation, and experimental building project show the Mortal Domain preparing for growth beyond immediate survival.

Key plot points and events

• With the First World Battlefield Exchange Conference approaching, the Mortal Domain continues stripping resources from defeated continents. Jiu Wu has already hunted down and killed the fleeing Kings.
• Chen Fan investigates the former Eastern Clan continent, where jagged Wind-Eroded Stones encircle the land. The Heaven-Questioning Bell explains that the stones absorb the eastern Severing Winds, which help drive Yellow Springs westward; they may also protect continents traveling toward the Wind-Eroded Land. Chen orders the stones collected.
• Weiwei, Keke, and Tiantian work together to remove the stones, demonstrating that the Mortal Domain has capable allies who can handle tasks without Chen Fan’s direct involvement.
• World Battlefield scouting parties question survivors from the War Mire about the Eternal Night Continent. They learn that the Mortal Domain once greeted every continent there with a simultaneous Sky-Piercing Pillar bombardment, yet later traded fairly with those it had defeated. They also hear of its earlier victory over seven powerful third-level forces.
• Alarmed by the Mortal Domain’s reputation and enormous arsenal, Continent Lords conclude that the conference could be dangerous—but none dares refuse the invitation. They travel together for safety.
• At Jiangbei, the guests see more than ten thousand sets of Sky-Piercing Pillars and are further unnerved when nine Strange Dragons draw Chen Fan’s imposing Dragon Chariot to the city gates. Wang Mazi formally announces their arrival to the Domain Lord.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Fan balances administration with strategic curiosity. He wonders whether the world’s geography was deliberately designed and whether the Heaven-Questioning Bell remembers its past. He delegates the stone-gathering work once he sees his allies can manage it.
• The Heaven-Questioning Bell offers detailed knowledge about the Wind-Eroded Land and Yellow Springs. It reveals fragments of a possible past—perhaps it once grew on an island—but admits its memories are incomplete. Its fondness for Chen Fan is evident in its promise to beat up the Oracle Island entity for him.
• Weiwei, Keke, and Tiantian coordinate efficiently: Weiwei moves the stones, Keke swallows them, and Tiantian carries her into position.
• The visiting Continent Lords shift from cautious confidence to shared anxiety as they learn about the Mortal Domain’s history and see its weapons and Strange Dragons. They discuss whether displaying their own unusual transports will deter the Mortal Domain, but increasingly recognize that such displays may only advertise valuable assets.
• Wang Mazi expects the visitors to admire the city on arrival, but they recognize him from the Blood Arena instead, teasing him about his frequent commentary there. He maintains his courteous composure.

Significant themes

• Power beneath civility: The Mortal Domain’s “Nation of Etiquette” image coexists with overwhelming force. Its hospitality is real, but so is its capacity for devastating violence.
• Fear and deterrence: The conference’s invitation is formally polite, yet the Mortal Domain’s reputation, weapons, and spectacle make attendance feel compulsory.
• Cooperation and delegation: Mortal Domain members and allied creatures work together, allowing Chen Fan to trust others with practical responsibilities.
• A world shaped by interconnected forces: The Wind-Eroded Land’s winds propel Yellow Springs, prompting questions about the world’s design and the relationship between geography and natural systems.

Summary

Mortal Domain’s founder, Chen Fan, arrives at Mortal City with nine Strange Dragons and a towering war machine, intimidating the gathered Continent Lords. They fear they have been summoned to a trap, but Chen greets them warmly and invites them to a banquet.
The feast is astonishingly lavish: its 108 rare dishes include delicacies made from dragon blood, black-tortoise marrow, and other precious ingredients. The Continent Lords initially hesitate, then abandon their reserve and enjoy the meal. The food was inadvertently obtained by the Angler, who used Tiantian’s ability to locate a banquet prepared by the distant Food-Heaven Continent. The Angler destroys a magical tracker sent to find the stolen feast.
At Food-Heaven Continent, its leaders discover that 178 elaborate banquets ordered by a powerful Ninth-Level Strange Entity Clan have vanished. With only three days before delivery, they cannot recreate the food properly. The elderly ruler and his subordinate decide to prepare a deliberately inferior batch, hoping to trick the enemy—and perhaps make its king unknowingly eat contaminated food—rather than serve the Strange Entity Clan wholeheartedly.
After the meal, Chen reveals why he invited the Continent Lords: Mortal Domain wants every continent in the World Battlefield to become affiliated with it. In return for a ten-percent share of their resources for five years, Mortal Domain offers protection and mediation in disputes. Those who refuse must leave the battlefield within thirty days and may return after three months. Chen presents this as optional “continental insurance,” but his calm assurances and the threat of a second “mediation” make clear that Mortal Domain can use force.
The Continent Lords recognize the pressure behind Chen’s polite manner. The Black Orchid Continent is the first to agree, declaring that it will purchase Mortal Domain’s five-year protection.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Fan combines courteous hospitality with unmistakable military power. His “clear the area” policy is presented as insurance and mediation, but his gentle demeanor conceals a firm intent to bring the battlefield under Mortal Domain’s influence.
• The Continent Lords move from fear and suspicion to enjoyment of the feast, then to wary understanding of Chen’s offer. They negotiate cautiously, aware that refusal may carry risks.
• The Angler takes quiet pride in having supplied the banquet and demonstrates his recovered long-range abilities by destroying the tracker.
• Food-Heaven Continent’s ruler and subordinate shift from despair over the lost food to defiant, darkly comic resistance against the Strange Entity Clan.
• Li Kaixin of Cautious Continent celebrates both the feast and Chen’s promise to help his continent advance and become affiliated with Eternal Night Continent.

Themes

• Power and coercion: Polite language and generous hospitality can mask an ultimatum backed by overwhelming force.
• Protection as leverage: Chen frames affiliation as insurance, making submission appear beneficial and voluntary.
• Resistance and conscience: Food-Heaven Continent’s leaders weigh fear against loyalty to humanity and their ancestors’ principles.
• Abundance and absurdity: The extravagant banquet contrasts with the harshness of the battlefield, creating humor while revealing the vast resources and strange abilities at play.

Chapter summary

Key plot points

• At a banquet, 68 of 125 Continent Lords buy five years of insurance from the Mortal Domain; the other 57 withdraw temporarily from the World Battlefield. The arrangement helps Chen Fan complete the first phase of the Uncrowned King title quest and gain a major War Dividend boost.
• The completed quest lets Chen Fan build ten Sky-Piercing Pillars at once. The next phase promises a much larger reward—materials from fallen continents and the ability to build 100 pillars at once—but requires traveling to four distant regions and claiming six rare continent titles.
• Over the following months, the Mortal Domain develops rapidly. It builds hundreds of millions of Sky-Piercing Pillars, amasses vast Eerie Stone reserves, expands surveillance across the World Battlefield, and earns enormous revenue from selling Silver Electricity Batteries. New research buildings also raise its building-level cap.
• On New Year’s Day, year 08, Chen Fan says the Mortal Domain hopes to advance to a fifth-level continent and leave the World Battlefield within three years. Before the meeting can continue, Celestial Pivot detects several powerful continents and a Level-Five Strange Entity Clan approaching.
• Fifth-Level human continents publicly demand that Jiu Wu be surrendered and executed, claiming his Innate Dark Sacred Physique marks him as the prophesied Dark Monarch, a future threat to humanity. They threaten to destroy the Mortal Domain if it refuses.
• Chen Fan uses Ten Thousand Nations Pay Homage to summon four nearby Continent Lords to a compulsory banquet. They insist Jiu Wu must die, though one offers to let the Mortal Domain carry out the execution itself.
• Chen Fan challenges their certainty in the prophecy, asking whether killing the Dark Monarch before his rise would make it false. The Continent Lords dismiss this as irrelevant and repeat their ultimatum.
• Meanwhile, Level-Five Strange Entity clans arrive and openly proclaim loyalty to the future Dark Monarch, promising to protect him. The situation escalates into a wider crisis, ending with the World Battlefield in turmoil.

Character developments

• Chen Fan remains confident and pragmatic: he treats insurance, trade, research, and military preparation as parts of the Mortal Domain’s growth. When Jiu Wu becomes the center of a crisis, Chen Fan does not abandon him, instead attempting negotiation while preparing for the consequences.
• Jiu Wu shows fear and guilt, believing his existence may bring disaster to the Mortal Domain. He doubts whether Chen Fan and the others will risk war to protect a Strange Entity—especially when their opponents claim to act for humanity’s good.
• The Black Orchid Continent Lord has adopted Chen Fan’s hands-on approach to building: by working alongside Builders, he improves production and morale, and comes to understand the Mortal Domain’s success as the result of simple, consistent effort.
• Wang Mazi takes pride in the Commerce Pavilion’s success, especially the battery trade, which becomes the Mortal Domain’s largest source of income.
• The Fifth-Level Continent Lords present themselves as defenders of humanity, but their willingness to threaten the Mortal Domain reveals how firmly they prioritize the prophecy over Chen Fan’s judgment.

Significant themes

• Peace and prosperity through cooperation: The Mortal Domain’s growth comes from trade, mutual insurance, research, and practical work rather than constant warfare.
• Prophecy versus choice: The human Continent Lords treat prophecy as unquestionable, while Chen Fan points out that trying to prevent it may itself undermine its certainty.
• Fear, power, and moral certainty: Both human and Strange Entity factions claim to know what Jiu Wu represents. Their competing certainties threaten to turn him into the focus of a war.
• Loyalty and belonging: Jiu Wu’s crisis tests whether the Mortal Domain sees him as a valued member or merely as a dangerous being to surrender.
• Preparation beneath peaceful growth: The Mortal Domain’s prosperity is accompanied by stronger defenses, surveillance, and military technologies, suggesting peace may soon be tested.

Character interactions

• Chen Fan’s insurance offer is voluntary, and the Continent Lords respond with a mix of trust, caution, and withdrawal.
• The Black Orchid Lord learns from Chen Fan’s example and works directly with Builders, boosting their output through his presence.
• Jiu Wu confides his concern to Chen Fan; Chen Fan reassures him and goes alone to meet the human Continent Lords.
• At the banquet, Chen Fan calmly challenges the Lords’ reasoning, while they answer with threats and appeals to humanity’s greater good.
• The Strange Entity clans’ public declaration of support for Jiu Wu directly intensifies the confrontation, placing the Mortal Domain between hostile human powers and forces rallying behind the future Dark Monarch.

Chapter Summary: “King’s Banquet”

Key plot points and events

• During the two-hour Ten Thousand Nations Pay Homage gathering, Chen Fan is confronted by leaders demanding that he surrender Jiu Wu, whose innate dark sacred physique has led many to identify him as the Strange Entity Clan’s destined Dark Monarch.
• Chen rejects their claim to act for humanity, pointing out that they avoid fighting in the Boundary Battlefield while criticizing others. When they threaten to send other fourth-level continents into the World Battlefield, he warns that the Mortal Domain will attack any unauthorized arrivals.
• Once the gathering ends, Chen remains unconcerned: the Mortal Domain intends to stay in the World Battlefield, where stronger Strange Entity forces cannot reach it. He reassures Jiu Wu that he will not hand him over and jokes that a future calamity might help them escape the surrounding forces.
• Chen asks strategist Qian Xiaoping whether the Mortal Domain could withdraw through the Fallen Firmament. The idea may work, but they need to test how closely the fifth-level continents can monitor it. For now, Chen plans to use the pressure as time to build up the Mortal Domain’s reserves.
• The ruler of the Hexagram Heaven Continent suspects that Jiu Wu may be bait, intended to lure forces away from their territories and enable higher-level Strange Entity forces to act. His divination cannot reveal the Eternal Night Continent’s information, so he warns others not to rush into the gathering.
• A leader of the Gods and Devils Continent considers how persecution or betrayal could transform Jiu Wu into the true Dark Monarch. He decides to visit Chen and assess Jiu Wu himself.
• Meanwhile, a Ninth-Level Strange Entity leader confirms that he has long known a destined Dark Monarch has emerged. He is waiting for Jiu Wu to enter the Boundary Battlefield so he can kill him—and plans to celebrate with another lavish banquet afterward.
• The chapter ends with the Food-Heaven Continent’s banquet maker reflecting on the Strange Entity leader’s unusually generous payment for 178 banquet sets, and on the warning that the banquet is reserved for a monarch’s victorious return.

Character developments

• Chen Fan remains composed and pragmatic under pressure. He refuses to surrender Jiu Wu, rejects a direct confrontation with stronger forces, and focuses instead on survival, development, and a possible escape route.
• Jiu Wu is visibly anxious about being handed over, but Chen’s reassurance calms him. He still doubts that he could be a Dark Monarch and says he has never wanted to be a king.
• The Hexagram Heaven Continent’s ruler shows caution and skepticism, questioning the convenient timing and accepted assumptions surrounding Jiu Wu. He chooses warning and investigation over joining the crowd.
• The Gods and Devils Continent’s leader sees Jiu Wu less as an enemy than as someone whose treatment could shape his future. He becomes interested in meeting Chen and speaking with Jiu Wu.
• The Ninth-Level Strange Entity leader is revealed as patient, confident, and openly murderous beneath his courteous manner. His costly banquet was connected to the Dark Monarch’s emergence.
• The Food-Heaven banquet maker is wealthy after receiving full payment but remains uneasy, sensing that the money and the banquet’s prohibition may carry hidden consequences.

Significant themes

• Appearances and mistaken assumptions: Jiu Wu’s physique is treated as proof of his destiny, but several characters question whether that conclusion is correct—or whether it is part of a trap.
• Fate shaped by treatment: The possibility that betrayal and persecution could turn Jiu Wu into the very Dark Monarch others fear underscores how events may help create the destiny they claim to predict.
• Pragmatism versus heroism: Chen refuses to frame reckless combat as righteousness. He prioritizes protecting his people and strengthening the Mortal Domain.
• Power, patience, and preparation: Rather than provoke a battle he cannot win, Chen uses the standoff as an opportunity to develop and plan.
• Dark humor amid looming danger: Chen’s casual remarks, the Bell’s interruptions, and the extravagant banquet business contrast sharply with the approaching upheaval and threats of mass violence.

Character interactions

• Chen’s exchanges with the gathered continent leaders expose their hypocrisy, while his warning establishes that the Mortal Domain will defend its territory.
• Chen’s reassurance helps restore Jiu Wu’s confidence, and their conversation shows their trust and easy familiarity.
• Chen and Qian Xiaoping approach escape as a practical problem, weighing the Fallen Firmament plan without rushing into action.
• The Hexagram ruler and his attendant discuss the suspicious political situation, revealing the ruler’s caution despite his public reputation as a diviner.
• The Ninth-Level Strange Entity leader’s discussion with his subordinate clarifies his intention to confront Jiu Wu personally and his contemptuous view of humanity as providers of food.
• The banquet maker’s recollection of the transaction adds an unsettling, indirect connection between the political crisis and the chapter’s title.