Chapter Summaries

Chapter summary

Key plot points and events

• News of Lu Zihan’s death in the Goddess Country spreads among Xia Kingdom university students before the media confirms it. Rumors blame Zhang Hongxing or powerful conspirators, but First News later reports that Lu died by suicide after being swindled by Black.
• Several other victims come forward, prompting widespread public anger and demands that Black be punished. Netizens across the Xia Kingdom unite in a campaign against him, while military officials urge a forceful response.
• With the Grand Elder’s approval, Wang Desheng publicly gives Goddess Country Prime Minister Ball Wicks three days to hand Black over and explain the case.
• The Grand Elder reassures Wang that Zhang Hongxing and his Deep-Sea Behemoth are available if military force becomes necessary, though he initially keeps this backup plan quiet to prevent Wang from hesitating.
• Ball Wicks seeks help from Queen Isalia. She invokes the Goddess Country’s former imperial prestige and tells him to call on its old allies.
• Ball publicly rejects Xia’s demand, insisting Black is a Goddess Country citizen and that handling him is its own responsibility. He calls Xia’s pressure a provocation.
• Xia’s military leaders eagerly prepare to act. After competing for the assignment, the Egret Island Fleet is chosen. Wang protests Ball’s response, receives no answer, and the carrier strike group under He Sheng sails toward the Goddess Country.
• The following day, Zhang Hongxing begins a separate journey into the Pacific, riding a shark and conserving his Immortal Essence Power.

Character developments and interactions

• Wang Desheng makes a bold public demand but privately reveals his concern about having overstepped. The Grand Elder steadies him and confirms that Zhang can support a military display.
• The Grand Elder balances diplomacy with deterrence, keeping Zhang’s involvement in reserve while letting Wang appear firm.
• Ball Wicks first seeks Queen Isalia’s guidance, then adopts a defiant position toward Xia. He understands that the allies she refers to could strengthen the Goddess Country’s position.
• Queen Isalia presents herself as determined to reclaim the country’s former stature, directing Ball to seek support from old allies.
• He Sheng is thrilled to lead the naval operation and puts his fleet through intensive drills, while the sailors approach the mission with discipline.
• Zhang Hongxing acts independently, heading into the Pacific with limited power and resources to preserve.

Significant themes

• Rumor versus truth: Speculation about Lu Zihan’s death spreads before reliable reporting, showing how quickly misinformation takes hold.
• Public outrage and justice: The victims’ testimony transforms scattered rumors into a collective demand for accountability.
• Diplomacy backed by force: Xia publicly frames its actions as principled pressure while preparing military options; the Goddess Country counters with claims of sovereignty and appeals to its past prestige.
• National pride and power: Both countries’ leaders and citizens are influenced by reputation, historical identity, and displays of strength.

Key plot points and events

• Xia Kingdom’s military operation, “Punish No Matter the Distance,” sails toward Goddess Country to bring Black, accused of driving a Xia citizen to suicide, within reach of justice.
• During a broadcast from the carrier Egret Island, General He Sheng defends the mission against claims that it is an excessive use of military power. He argues that protecting citizens and honoring their families’ sacrifices are essential duties of the state.
• In response to the advancing fleet, Eagle Kingdom’s Prime Minister Ball Wicks has Black taken into custody and calls on allied nations for support. Several countries send naval forces, while Ball denounces Xia Kingdom’s actions as a treaty violation and threatens retaliation.
• Zhang Hongxing finds Nana and takes her along to frighten those opposing the Xia fleet. When the invulnerable sea beast appears beside the Egret Island group, the U.S. fleet halts on presidential orders, and many allied ships retreat.
• Ball angrily condemns the departing forces and asks Isalia what to do. She chastises him for failing to embody the empire’s former strength; when he proposes an immediate battle, she stops him, warning that it could destroy Eagle Kingdom.

Character developments

• He Sheng emerges as a resolute commander, framing the operation as a matter of justice and responsibility to the public rather than mere nationalism.
• Zhang Hongxing remains casual and teasing, but grows curious about whether anything has changed in Nana’s undersea world.
• Nana is eager to accompany her master, though Zhang Hongxing suspects her behavior may have changed for an unexplained reason.
• Ball Wicks appears increasingly blusterous and ineffective: his threats fail to deter Xia, and he depends on Isalia for direction.
• Isalia shows greater strategic caution, rejecting Ball’s rash call for battle.

Significant themes

• National dignity and protection of citizens: He Sheng presents the operation as a promise that Xia Kingdom will defend its people, wherever they are.
• Collective memory and resilience: The narration recalls Xia Kingdom’s history of defeat and recovery as the source of its determination not to accept mistreatment indefinitely.
• Power and deterrence: Nana’s presence changes the balance of the confrontation; the threat she represents makes even powerful naval forces withdraw.
• Rhetoric versus reality: Ball’s forceful speeches cannot compensate for his allies’ fear or his own poor judgment.

Character interactions

• Bomb questions He Sheng about public criticism; He answers by appealing to the bond between the country, its citizens, and their families.
• Zhang Hongxing teases Nana about her excessive flattery and asks about changes beneath the sea, then recruits her to help intimidate the opposing forces.
• Ball tries to rally allies and threaten Xia Kingdom, but their retreat leaves him isolated. His exchange with Isalia ends with her rebuking his weakness and preventing a reckless escalation.

Key plot points and events

• After leaving Queen Isalia, Prime Minister Ball Wicks goes to Parliament and announces that she has ordered the Great Eagle Empire to fight Xia without restraint.
• The announcement sparks arguments, but Ball urges the officials to obey for the empire’s glory. He appoints General Mark as commander-in-chief, with James and David accompanying him. The three—along with three others—control over 60 percent of the military and are key supporters of Isalia.
• Once the generals leave, Ball drops his conciliatory posture and takes charge of the remaining officials, beginning a discussion about the empire’s future.
• Meanwhile, the Egret Island carrier fleet broadcasts its drills live. The stream’s audience surges toward 100 million, largely because viewers want to see Nana, the enormous Deep-Sea Behemoth accompanying the fleet.
• At the viewers’ request, Zhang Hongxing agrees to let the crew film Nana up close and accepts an invitation to tour the carrier. Helicopters bring the camera crew and Zhang to the appropriate locations.
• Nana rises farther above the water for filming, stunning viewers. Zhang’s appearance on Nana’s head sends the stream’s comments off topic, as fans excitedly praise him and describe waiting for him at the airport.

Character developments and interactions

• Ball Wicks reveals political skill: he publicly presents Isalia’s order as a call for unity, channels the officials’ loyalty, and secures military backing. His confident move to the head of Parliament afterward hints at his own growing influence.
• Queen Isalia’s supporters show fierce loyalty, while critics openly question her judgment. Mark, James, and David enthusiastically accept their wartime roles.
• Zhang Hongxing is courteous toward the Xia servicemen and eager to tour the carrier. His popularity is so great that his appearance eclipses the military spectacle for many viewers.
• He Sheng coordinates with Zhang and accommodates the public’s request, arranging helicopters for the filming and visit.
• The livestream audience shifts from debating Nana’s name and marveling at her size to celebrating Zhang, showing how strongly he inspires public confidence.

Significant themes

• Power and political maneuvering: Ball uses rhetoric and loyal military allies to maintain Isalia’s authority while hinting at a broader political agenda.
• Public morale and spectacle: The livestream turns a military deployment into a shared national event.
• Charisma and confidence: Zhang’s presence inspires extraordinary public enthusiasm and reassurance, while Nana’s awe-inspiring appearance deepens the sense of Xia’s strength.

Plot points and events

• The Xia Kingdom’s carrier Egret Island hosts two new Sun-Chaser 21 fighters, powered by Nuclear-Powered Engines and equipped with Flight Formations. Their extraordinary speed, payload, and endurance make conventional carriers seem increasingly obsolete.
• Zhang Hongxing tours the ship with Commander He Sheng, who shows him even normally restricted areas.
• As Nana enters British waters, three British carrier groups approach. The British carrier Queen fires on her, and Nana responds by capsizing it, then overturning the other two carriers—the Invincible and the Prince. The remaining British ships flee, raising white flags.
• Amid the chaos, Ball Wicks moves to seize power. He launches an attack on Queen Isalia and organizes a fast-growing protest against her.
• At the palace, a black-robed man urges Isalia to join his group, claiming they are seeking their “last hope.” Ball arrives with Royal Guards, accuses the man of corrupting the Queen, and has him killed. Ball then openly asserts his authority over Isalia.
• The Xia delegation’s plans to demonstrate the Sun-Chaser 21 and conduct a live-fire exercise are derailed. Britain instead hands over Black, a Xia national wanted for conning women. He is terrified when escorted aboard Egret Island, and a reporter broadcasts his humiliation.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Hongxing is treated with exceptional trust aboard Egret Island because of his contributions to the new technology. He calls Nana back after her attack.
• Nana reacts decisively to the British attack, displaying overwhelming strength and turning a potential battle into a rapid surrender.
• He Sheng remains grim despite the victory, disappointed that the delegation cannot showcase the new fighters.
• Ball Wicks exploits the crisis to displace Isalia, showing himself to be ambitious and ruthless. He kills the black-robed man and tells Isalia that he will preserve the Empire’s glory.
• Isalia is pressured by both the black-robed man and Ball, and her control appears to be collapsing.
• Black is reduced to a frightened captive, unaware that his relatively minor crimes prompted a major diplomatic mission.

Significant themes

• Technological change: Nuclear-powered flight threatens to make aircraft carriers obsolete and redirects Xia’s ambitions toward spaceships.
• Overwhelming power and deterrence: Nana’s swift retaliation exposes the futility of confronting a vastly stronger force.
• Political opportunism: Ball uses military disaster and public unrest to take power.
• Declining imperial prestige: Britain’s surrender and internal upheaval turn its former imperial grandeur into public ridicule.

Key plot points and events

• The Xia Kingdom’s successful Operation “No Matter How Far” inspires patriotic pride at home and boosts the country’s standing abroad. Xia citizens overseas receive greater respect, and some people from other nations even pretend to be Xia citizens. One Xia-born child, moved by the operation, asks her mother to teach her the language.
• The aircraft carrier Egret Island begins its journey home after resupplying in the Eagle Kingdom. Nana, still recovering from injuries caused by the nuclear blast, has returned to the Pacific.
• In Shimen County, Zhang Bing takes Ziyue to the ruins of his family home. The village redevelopment stalled after Zhang Hongxing killed the men responsible for demolishing the house, and no one had been willing to take over the project until Zhang Bing intervened.
• Ziyue realizes Granny Shen may have repaired their spaceship and may possess a device capable of contacting Bluewater Planet. She fears that Tu Xiaoyao could follow them to Earth, potentially putting the planet at risk.
• Zhang Bing tells Zhang Hongxing about the possibility. Zhang Hongxing says Granny Shen is already dead, advises secrecy until the threat is confirmed, and urges his son to keep training. Worried about a possible alien fleet, he ends his visit with He Sheng.

Character developments and interactions

• Ziyue admits she has concealed important information about herself and her people. Fearing she has damaged Zhang Bing’s trust, she apologizes and promises greater honesty.
• Zhang Bing initially questions whether he can trust Ziyue, but her distress softens him; they embrace. He then contacts his father with her warning.
• Zhang Hongxing responds calmly but privately becomes concerned about a possible threat from Bluewater Planet. His teasing reminder to Zhang Bing to cultivate also hints at anxiety over the alien “romantic rival.”
• The Xia public and overseas community grow more openly proud of their national identity, while the child’s reaction shows how the operation strengthens cultural belonging.

Significant themes

• National pride and soft power: Military success earns respect abroad and encourages people to identify with Xia.
• Trust and honesty: Ziyue’s secrets strain her relationship with Zhang Bing, making openness essential to repairing it.
• Family protection and responsibility: Zhang Bing brings a potential planetary danger to his father, who balances caution with a desire to protect Earth.
• Uncertainty and looming danger: The possibility that Bluewater Planet can locate Earth introduces a major threat, though its likelihood remains unconfirmed.

Key plot points

• All twenty of Cherry Blossom Country’s nuclear power plants are destroyed overnight, crippling two-thirds of its power grid. With human involvement ruled out, the country’s leaders turn to prayer, while public protests spread.
• Emperor Shinjin uses the crisis to remove Prime Minister Koizumi Taro. Koizumi resigns and relocates his family to Treasure Island in the Xia Kingdom, hoping to escape political danger.
• Koizumi asks Governor Jiang Guozheng for help becoming a Xia citizen and offers to transfer 50 billion Cherry Blossom Currency. After consulting national leaders, Jiang learns the Xia Kingdom approves his naturalization. Later arrivals from Cherry Blossom Country are also admitted, and a new ethnic group—the Cherry Blossom People—is established.
• Zhang Hongxing, revealed as the man behind the power-plant destruction, heads into the Pacific with Nana. Now powerful enough to withstand extreme depths, he plans to investigate what she guards and search for evidence of Granny Shen’s spaceship.
• Nana takes him to an undersea mountain range and an enormous cave abode. Its gate bears the warning: “No Entry for the Living.”

Character developments and interactions

• Koizumi Taro shifts from embattled prime minister to cautious refugee, humbly appealing to Jiang and presenting citizenship as a sincere wish to join the Xia Kingdom. His family follows his lead.
• Jiang Guozheng is wary of Koizumi’s motives but agrees to seek guidance rather than decide alone. His conversation with Elder Xia leads to a collective national decision.
• Zhang Hongxing grows more confident in his new strength and presses Nana to take him to her hidden domain. Nana is visibly nervous and appears to have been concealing something, though Zhang lets it pass.
• Emperor Shinjin exploits the crisis to remove Koizumi from office.

Significant themes

• Power, accountability, and political instability: The destruction of the plants sparks protests and exposes how crisis can be used to reshape political leadership.
• Migration and national identity: The Xia Kingdom expands through incorporation and citizenship, welcoming newcomers without conquest.
• Trust and hidden truths: Zhang’s search for proof of Granny Shen’s story, alongside Nana’s secrecy, raises questions about what the cave contains and what has been concealed.
• The supernatural and the unknown: The leaders’ prayers and the mysterious, forbidden underwater cave frame the chapter’s events in a world where extraordinary forces may be real.

Plot points and events

• Zhang Hongxing visits Nana’s underwater home, a valley decorated with gold. Nana explains that the Sea Dragon boss she serves once lived there and warned her never to enter the frightening beast-head gate.
• Nana tries to stop Zhang from entering, but the beast-taming array compels her to obey him. She privately hopes he might find and bring back her boss.
• Zhang enters the gate and, within seconds, rises from Great Golden Immortal to peak Immortal Venerable.
• He meets two Earth-born experts, One Sword Immortal of Shushan and Mo Qianchou of Emei, both at the Immortal Lord level. They ask how he reached Earth with Immortal Venerable power.
• Zhang recounts falling through a spacetime rift thirty years earlier, cultivating in another plane, then finding a way back to Earth.
• The pair explain that Earth’s cultivators have battled demonic beasts arriving from the Classic of Mountains and Seas Plane. Earth’s strongest experts created a defensive array, sacrificing themselves and binding their power to it. Those bound to it can wield great strength but cannot leave or grow stronger.
• The array’s energy periodically opens spacetime rifts, sending people to other planes in the hope they will return powerful enough to help Earth. Zhang realizes his supposed accident was part of this plan and angrily demands to find the experts responsible.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Hongxing shifts from curiosity to shock, then fury when he learns his journey was engineered. His rapid rise in strength makes him a potential asset to Earth’s defense, but he resents being used without consent.
• Nana shows loyalty to her Sea Dragon boss but little personal attachment to Zhang; the array’s control over her forces her to let him proceed.
• One Sword Immortal and Mo Qianchou are initially suspicious, then excited to learn a human has returned from another plane. They explain Earth’s history and express regret, though they say the plan was set long ago and beyond their control.

Significant themes

• Sacrifice and survival: Earth’s cultivators gave up freedom and the chance to advance in order to protect humanity.
• Agency and consent: Zhang’s anger highlights the cost of treating individuals as instruments for a collective cause.
• Hope through risk: The dangerous, repeated opening of spacetime rifts is Earth’s desperate strategy for finding help beyond its borders.

Plot points and events

• Zhang Hongxing follows a passage to its end, expecting to find the thirty-seven Immortal Venerables resting. Instead, he sees them holding a defensive line against an enormous, relentless tide of strange, demonic, and ferocious beasts.
• The defensive array replenishes the fighters’ Immortal Essence Power but not their mental energy. Many are exhausted and have been injured repeatedly, and the group has endured this struggle for thousands of years.
• Zhang’s anger at the defenders fades as he understands their situation. He joins the battle after receiving a warning about beasts that can attack the mind or overpower the body.
• The chapter ends as Zhang channels his peak Immortal Venerable strength and a bolt of purple lightning from a mysterious inner thundercloud into one devastating punch. The other fighters are stunned by his power and debate whether he has reached a legendary higher realm.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Hongxing shifts from blaming the defenders to respecting their endurance. Confident and eager to display his strength, he dismisses Long Aotian’s teasing and enters the fight.
• Long Aotian, a low-stage Immortal Venerable with dragon blood, jokingly claims Zhang as his little brother and tries to make him call him “big brother.” He is shocked to learn Zhang is at the peak of the realm. Zhang teases him about his weak cultivation and mentions that Long’s sister Nana calls Zhang “Master.”
• One Sword Immortal understands the defenders’ exhaustion and does not share Zhang’s initial judgment. A kindly Immortal Venerable (identified as Yuan Ping later) warns Zhang about the beasts.
• The veteran defenders welcome Zhang’s arrival, since only a few Immortal Lords and lower-ranked cultivators have survived within the array. They continue fighting even while joking with the newcomers.
• The strongest defenders showcase their unusual weapons: Deng Jia’s bomb-like artifact causes huge explosions, Qian Sen’s rocket-shaped artifact strikes with incredible speed, and Yuan Ping’s rice-ear artifact launches blade-like grains.

Significant themes

• The cost of endurance: Restored physical power cannot prevent mental exhaustion, and long-term vigilance wears even Immortal Venerables down.
• Solidarity under pressure: The defenders persist together against an enemy that never retreats, while welcoming another powerful ally.
• Humility and changed perspective: Zhang’s view changes once he sees the reality behind the defenders’ struggle.
• Power and the unknown: Zhang’s purple lightning raises questions about whether he has surpassed the known limits of cultivation, while the defenders remain uncertain about what lies beyond the peak realm.

Key plot points and events

• Zhang Hongxing’s purple-lightning punch wipes out a huge swath of mutant beasts, stunning the other defenders. But the beasts keep coming, and the battle continues without pause for a month and a half.
• While the other Immortal Venerables take turns resting, Zhang fights continuously. He eventually proposes returning to Earth to bring back nuclear and hydrogen bombs, arguing that sustained explosive damage could be more effective against the beasts than their attacks.
• The others doubt his claims about modern technology, but accept his plan once he explains that he has not bound himself to the defensive array and can still recover his strength through his unusual cultivation method.
• Long Aotian privately gives Zhang a Dragon Pearl for Nana and asks him to tell her not to wait for him. He fears she will see that he is not the great leader he claimed to be, but also insists she must not enter the dangerous battlefield.
• Before Zhang leaves, Mo Qianchou asks him to visit Mount Emei and deliver a generations-old leadership token if the school still exists. One Sword Immortal also gives him a token, apparently asking him to visit Shushan.

Character developments

• Zhang Hongxing proves himself exceptionally powerful and tireless, but recognizes that strength alone cannot solve the defenders’ problem. He takes initiative by proposing a technological solution.
• Long Aotian shows insecurity beneath his bluster, admitting he fears Nana will discover his low standing among the Immortals. His concern for her safety is genuine, however.
• The Immortal Venerables move from disbelief and suspicion to trust, agreeing to hold the line while Zhang seeks help.

Significant themes

• Technology and cultivation: Modern weapons may rival or exceed the power of cultivators, challenging their assumptions about strength.
• Cooperation under pressure: The defenders depend on one another, and Zhang’s departure is possible only because they share responsibility.
• Pride versus vulnerability: Long Aotian’s boastful image contrasts with his fear of embarrassment and concern for Nana.
• Legacy and the passage of time: The requests to seek out Emei and Shushan highlight uncertainty about whether old schools and traditions have survived.

Character interactions

• Zhang explains his plan to the skeptical Immortals, who question his claims before ultimately entrusting him with the mission.
• Long Aotian confides in Zhang, gives him the Dragon Pearl, and pleads with him to keep Nana away from the battlefield; Zhang teases him but agrees.
• Mo Qianchou and One Sword Immortal entrust Zhang with tokens and requests tied to their former schools, extending his mission beyond bringing weapons back from Earth.

Key plot points and events

• Zhang Hongxing emerges from the beast-head gate after more than a month and gives Nana the Dragon Pearl, along with Long Aotian’s message that she need not keep waiting because his work will take a long time.
• Though hurt and doubtful at first, Nana swallows the pearl and resolves to train until she can find Long Aotian. It transforms her into a powerful, horned, black-scaled creature; she can also assume the form of a little girl.
• Zhang Hongxing agrees to take Nana with him and teach her cultivation. They land at T-Jin Port, where he buys her clothes and contacts the Grand Elder to report what he has seen and request nuclear and hydrogen bombs.
• While waiting for the elders’ meeting, Zhang Hongxing takes Nana around T-Jin. Her fascination with ordinary human life—and especially blowing bubbles—helps her connect with local children.
• Seeing a mother comfort her daughter, Zhang Hongxing thinks of his own wife and children and recognizes that his growing responsibilities have kept him away from home. He resolves to return to them after the Capital City trip.
• In Capital City, Zhang shows the Ten Grand Elders footage of the gate, the Mutant Beast attacks, and the Immortal Venerables defending against them. The elders are astonished but do not doubt him.
• The elders debate supplying the weapons. The Fourth Elder raises concerns about limited stockpiles, transport, and foreign reactions. Zhang argues the operation should be made public—possibly livestreamed—because the threat concerns all humanity. Some elders agree, while others fear foreign countries may exploit the situation. The decision remains unresolved at the chapter’s end.

Character developments and interactions

• Nana shifts from anxious waiting to determined action: she accepts Long Aotian’s message, embraces cultivation, and asks Zhang to mentor her. Her childlike curiosity also makes her more approachable to people on land.
• Zhang Hongxing acts as Nana’s messenger and guide, gently helping her adapt to human society. His encounter with the mother and daughter rekindles his awareness of his neglected family life.
• The Grand Elders take Zhang’s account seriously, but their discussion reveals the difficulty of balancing urgent military action, public disclosure, and international consequences.

Significant themes

• Loyalty and hope: Nana’s faith in Long Aotian motivates her to pursue cultivation and seek him out.
• Family and responsibility: Zhang’s realization that he has neglected his loved ones complicates his public duties and prompts him to plan a return home.
• Humanity-wide cooperation: The elders’ debate over publicizing the mission frames the coming conflict as a shared global responsibility, not solely one nation’s burden.
• The extraordinary meeting the ordinary: Nana’s wonder at bubbles and children’s play contrasts with the immense dangers surrounding the characters.

Key plot points and events

• After negotiations concluded, plans were set to transport personnel, supplies, and nuclear bombs to Zhang Hongxing’s specified Pacific location within six weeks.
• Zhang returned to Shimen with many gifts and spent time with his family. He and Li Xiuying agreed to take a trip together and make wedding photographs—a long-delayed honeymoon.
• After sharing a night talking about their past, the couple reunited intimately. Their renewed closeness was obvious to their children, who teased them and jokingly complained about not receiving new clothes or being left behind.
• The family resumed its routines: Zhang Jun returned to the Research Center, Zhang Ying took the children to school, and Zhang Bing and his wife continued developing their hometown land into a resort. Zhang Hongxing and Li Xiuying set off for Mount Emei, taking Nana along.
• Meanwhile, Zhang’s video stirred governments worldwide. Though many doubted its claims, Xia Kingdom’s decision to move a large number of nuclear bombs made them take the situation seriously. The video also triggered upheaval within the Eternal Life Society. The chapter ends inside its headquarters, where its powerful, artificially rejuvenated elders kneel before a masked leader.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Hongxing shows a warmer, more openly affectionate side as a husband and father, expressing regret over his long absence and planning a honeymoon with Li Xiuying.
• Li Xiuying responds to his attention with renewed joy and confidence. Their long conversation and reunion deepen their bond.
• The family responds with affectionate teasing: Zhang Ying, Zhang Jun, Lele, and Wenwen jokingly demand new outfits or a trip of their own. Zhang Jun also worries about the children’s education despite their extraordinary learning ability.
• Zhang Bing and his wife pursue an ambitious hometown development project, combining cultivation knowledge with advanced technology.
• The Eternal Life Society’s elders are introduced as experienced, formidable figures whose youthful appearance comes from special methods; their gathering signals serious internal conflict.

Significant themes

• Family and reconciliation: Zhang’s return gives him a chance to repair and renew relationships after decades apart.
• Love enduring through time: Zhang and Li Xiuying’s affection survives separation and flourishes once they are together again.
• Ordinary life amid extraordinary stakes: Domestic humor and travel plans contrast with nuclear preparations and global political alarm.
• Uncertainty and power: The chapter juxtaposes public disbelief about Zhang’s claims with governments’ cautious response and the Society’s destabilization.

Plot points and events

• Within the Eternal Life Society, Western members call for expelling the Easterners, blaming them for disrupting the Mars Project. Left Daoist argues that the newly surfaced video of immortal cultivators could offer a chance for cooperation.
• The society’s president rebukes the Western faction and reveals that, despite posing for decades as a prince of Lofu Palace, he is Eastern. He insists the society must remain focused on pursuing eternal life by any means.
• Left Daoist leaves with a third of the society’s members, hoping to seek longevity from the Immortal Venerables. The president lets them go, convinced they are heading to their deaths and privately doubtful that powerful immortals would spare such killers.
• Zhang Hongxing, Li Xiuying, and Nana visit Mount Emei. Leaving the tourist route, Zhang flies through a magical illusion that conceals the Emei School’s ancient halls.
• A sword-wielding young disciple appears, recognizes Zhang, and greets him with exaggerated reverence. He assumes Zhang has come to rescue the school from danger; Zhang asks what trouble it faces.

Character developments and interactions

• The president shows his authority by striking a disrespectful Western member and exposing his Eastern identity. Although he shares the society’s desire for eternal life, he is pragmatic and pessimistic about approaching the Immortal Venerables.
• Left Daoist remains idealistic, believing the society can cooperate with the immortals and obtain longevity. His disagreement with the president leads him to split the organization.
• Zhang Hongxing is confident and dismissive of the Buddhist associations of Mount Emei, but his attention shifts when the disciple mentions trouble.
• The young disciple is awestruck by Zhang and enthusiastically invents a heroic reason for his arrival, prompting Zhang to ask for a straightforward account.
• Li Xiuying and Nana accompany Zhang on the hike, with Nana serving as their photographer.

Significant themes

• Immortality and morality: The society’s pursuit of endless life conflicts with the possibility that its violent members may face judgment from the immortals.
• Power and hierarchy: The president’s authority keeps the society obedient, while the disciple’s exaggerated deference shows Zhang’s immense reputation.
• Faith and skepticism: Mount Emei’s Buddhist sanctity contrasts with Zhang’s lack of interest in Buddhist doctrine; the hidden dojo introduces supernatural reality beneath ordinary appearances.

Plot points and events

• Buddhist Zen Master Kongjian threatens to destroy the Emei School and claim its grounds unless he is defeated in a challenge.
• Zhang Hongxing returns the Buddha-Hand Horsetail Whisk to Mo Bufan, Emei’s young sect leader. The relic unlocks the sect’s lost cultivation manual, the Twelve Transformations of Heaven and Earth, and Mo instantly reaches foundation establishment, giving him the power to defend Emei.
• Zhang and his wife, Li Xiuying, tour the ancient Emei complex while its disciples prepare a meal.
• Meanwhile, Xia Kingdom begins transporting nuclear weapons toward the Pacific, arguing that the action is necessary to save humanity. Other governments condemn the move publicly but do not intervene.
• Facing a severe crisis caused by damage to its nuclear power stations, Cherry Blossom Country sends Haruko Amamiya to seek Xia Kingdom’s help. She offers Surfing Island for use as a free-trade port in exchange for assistance restoring electricity.
• The Second Elder accepts the proposal in principle and refers it to the Grand Elder. Xia Kingdom promptly sends 10,000 engineers to Cherry Blossom Country.
• Emperor Shinjin announces an alliance and the engineering mission, calming public protests. He is then stunned to learn that American forces are withdrawing from the region—news he wishes he had received earlier.

Character developments and interactions

• Mo Bufan shifts from an anxious, boasting leader to a confident defender of Emei after receiving the relic and regaining his school’s cultivation inheritance. He is deeply grateful to Zhang.
• Zhang Hongxing helps secure Emei’s survival but asks for no reward beyond a tour of the school with his wife.
• Li Xiuying, who has rarely traveled, is delighted by Emei’s architecture and atmosphere.
• Haruko Amamiya approaches the Second Elder with formal respect and offers to serve him personally if he helps her country. He awkwardly refuses her self-sacrificing gesture.
• Emperor Shinjin moves from desperation to relief when Xia Kingdom sends aid, then reacts with surprise and regret at the unexpected American withdrawal.

Significant themes

• Inheritance and restoration: Emei’s lost legacy returns through the Buddha-Hand Horsetail Whisk, restoring both its cultivation tradition and its ability to resist outside threats.
• Power and political leverage: Xia Kingdom’s nuclear shipments and Cherry Blossom Country’s offer of Surfing Island show how crises reshape international relationships.
• Public messaging and perception: Governments and media frame events strategically; the announcement of Xia Kingdom’s aid helps quiet Cherry Blossom Country’s protests.
• Unexpected change: Both Emei’s sudden renewal and the American military withdrawal alter the balance of power.

Key plot points and events

• The American troops withdraw from Cherry Blossom Country. Its people celebrate wildly and credit the Xia Kingdom with driving them away, expressing remorse for past hostility and gratitude toward Xia. Their reaction leaves Emperor Shinjin embarrassed that he allied with Xia and surrendered Surfing Island just before the withdrawal.
• The Cold Kingdom fears Xia’s displeasure and publicly admits its wrongdoing, retracts its territorial claims, and asks Xia to send troops. Xia’s Grand Elder politely refuses.
• The Outer Grassland celebrates its successful return to Xia. Xia promises to extend its nuclear-powered maglev train there within two years.
• On their travels, Zhang Hongxing and Li Xiuying meet Chu Yunxuan at Shushan. Chu invites them to visit his family, and they follow him up the mountain.
• At the summit, they meet Chu’s father, the Shushan Sect leader, and three Taoists. Chu mocks his father for allegedly swindling them. The sect leader demonstrates a wooden sword circling him, claiming he has developed sword qi; Chu dismisses it as a trick, prompting an angry outburst.

Character developments and interactions

• Emperor Shinjin is caught between relief at the Americans’ departure and shame over the timing of his alliance with Xia.
• The people of Cherry Blossom Country shift decisively toward gratitude and deference to Xia, making future opposition politically untenable.
• The Cold Kingdom’s president responds to public fear by confessing past wrongs and seeking Xia’s protection, while Xia declines to intervene.
• Zhang and Li continue their comfortable, companionable journey; Li encourages Zhang to accept Chu’s invitation.
• Chu Yunxuan remains skeptical of cultivation, apparently taking Zhang’s earlier claims about science too literally. His teasing relationship with his father is affectionate despite its sharp banter.
• Chu’s father proudly insists that his sword ability is real, while Chu challenges him; the three Taoists show respect toward Chu as the sect leader’s son.

Significant themes

• Power and political realignment: The American withdrawal reshapes neighboring countries’ relationships with Xia.
• Public memory, guilt, and gratitude: Cherry Blossom Country’s people seek to make amends for past hostility.
• Science versus cultivation: Chu’s skepticism contrasts with the story’s suggestion that cultivation exists and may itself be a form of science.
• Family affection beneath teasing: Chu and his father trade insults, but their exchange carries little genuine hostility.

Key plot points

• Zhang Hongxing tells Chu Yunxuan to broaden his idea of science, joking that immortal cultivation can be a new science. He gives Shushan’s leader the sect token and explains that the missing Eighth Sect Leader, One Sword Immortal, is alive.
• Zhang and Li Xiuying finish their visit to Shushan, take wedding photos, and return home with so many purchases that the family must distribute food and share other goods.
• Before leaving again, Zhang says goodbye to his family and urges each of them to look after their own lives. His growing habit of fussing over them reflects how attached he has become.
• In the Pacific, Xia Kingdom assembles a fleet carrying a thousand nuclear bombs and fifty hydrogen bombs for an expedition through the Beast-Headed Gate. The Eternal Life Society contributes ten warheads and is allowed to join, provided Zhang agrees to take them.
• Zhang divides the fleet into five groups and begins ferrying people and supplies more than 20,000 meters underwater. On the first descent, he brings Marshal Yang Zhan and a group of soldiers through the Gate, where One Sword Immortal and Mo Qianchou receive them.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Hongxing balances confidence in his extraordinary abilities with affection for his family. He teases Chu Yunxuan, reassures Shushan, and takes responsibility for transporting the expedition.
• Chu Yunxuan is stunned by Zhang’s father’s abilities and turns to Zhang for an explanation, but Zhang’s playful argument about “science” leaves him frustrated.
• Shushan’s leader is astonished to see the sect token and learns that One Sword Immortal remains alive. He responds with gratitude and promises of loyalty to Zhang.
• Li Xiuying is reluctant to part with Zhang after their month of closeness, while Zhang’s advice to his children and relatives reveals his increasingly domestic, nagging side.
• Marshal Yang Zhan and Zhang agree to let the Eternal Life Society join the expedition. The soldiers are awestruck by the deep-sea journey and bewildered by the world beyond the Gate.

Significant themes

• The story plays with the boundary between science and the supernatural, suggesting that unfamiliar disciplines may still be understood as science.
• Family affection and change are central: time with loved ones has softened Zhang and made him more openly caring.
• The chapter also emphasizes awe before the unknown, as ordinary soldiers encounter the deep ocean, the enormous Gate, and the strange environment beyond it.

Key plot points and events

• Zhang Hongxing brings 1,010 nuclear bombs, 50 hydrogen bombs, launch crews, and communications technicians to the battlefield against the mutant beasts from the Classic of Mountains and Seas Plane.
• His strategy relies not mainly on blast force or heat, which Immortal Venerables can match, but on radiation—an unfamiliar, lethal force the beasts may not withstand. He also hopes to broadcast or record the battle to persuade Earth’s governments to help produce and transport more weapons.
• Marshal Yang Zhan organizes the troops, communications setup, and Rocket Force under immense pressure.
• Zhang joins the fight, asks the Immortal Venerables to leave a clear launch corridor, and has Yuan Ping erect a protective barrier. His powerful attack impresses the soldiers, who realize his strength exceeds that of the Immortal Venerables.
• A test nuclear strike kills its target and causes nearby beasts to fall as well. Some beasts begin retreating, and the Immortal Venerables suspect radiation is responsible.
• A Moon-Swallowing Dragonfly, one of the rare and formidable named fierce beasts, arrives. The Immortal Venerables prepare for a full-force battle, and Zhang orders ten hydrogen bombs launched.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Hongxing demonstrates both overwhelming combat power and strategic thinking, coordinating technology and immortal cultivation rather than relying on either alone.
• Yang Zhan is shaken by the battlefield but quickly masters his fear and takes command. He trusts Zhang’s plan and carries out the nuclear launch.
• Yuan Ping volunteers to protect the group with his defensive treasure, earning the other Immortal Venerables’ confidence.
• The Immortal Venerables move from skepticism about mortal weapons to astonishment when the nuclear strike proves effective. Their exchange also reveals that, despite their experience, they know little about the radiation and wider universe.
• The soldiers’ admiration for Zhang grows after witnessing his attack.

Significant themes

• Cooperation across worlds and disciplines: Immortals, soldiers, scientists, and military technology must work together against a threat beyond Earth’s ordinary conflicts.
• The limits of conventional power: The Immortal Venerables’ strength is formidable, but unfamiliar scientific forces may succeed where their abilities have not.
• Responsibility under pressure: Yang’s composure and Zhang’s insistence on documenting the battle emphasize the burden of protecting humanity.
• An escalating threat: The arrival of the Moon-Swallowing Dragonfly raises the stakes just as the group begins to see results.

Key plot points and events

• Ten hydrogen bombs hit the Moon-Swallowing Dragonfly. He swallows them, appears to collapse, then gets back up and eats another mutant beast—revealing that the attack only briefly stunned him.
• Yang Zhan launches ten nuclear bombs at the advancing mutant beasts. The explosions kill many and create a radioactive dead zone, forcing the survivors to halt their charge temporarily. They remain nearby and may return after adapting to the radiation.
• Zhang Hongxing decides to enter the Classic of Mountains and Seas World to investigate why mutant beasts keep attacking Earth. Despite warnings about the powerful creatures inside, he leaves the Immortal Venerables to guard the passage and the people.
• After flying for many hours without finding an explanation, Zhang reaches a transparent boundary. Further exploration reveals that the realm is a square continent suspended in the void, enclosed by barriers.
• He discovers an enormous flaming bird carrying a red sun across the sky. Its route helps explain the realm’s extreme cold: it passes nearer the passage to Earth than the continent’s center.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Hongxing shows initiative and resolve, choosing to investigate the source of the attacks despite the Immortal Venerables’ warnings. He promises to proceed cautiously.
• Yuan Ping and the other Immortal Venerables caution Zhang against underestimating the realm, citing past encounters with fearsome beasts. They accept his decision and agree to protect the outpost.
• Yang Zhan responds quickly to the renewed mutant-beast charge, ordering the nuclear strike.
• The Moon-Swallowing Dragonfly’s apparent defeat briefly confuses both humans and beasts, but his recovery and predation restore the attackers’ momentum.

Significant themes

• The limits of technology: Nuclear weapons can disrupt the assault, but they do not eliminate the threat.
• Adaptation and survival: Mutant beasts may learn to tolerate radiation, while the text questions whether apparent deformities can be adaptations.
• Courage and caution: Zhang pursues answers despite danger, while his allies emphasize the need to respect the realm’s power.
• Discovery through exploration: Zhang’s journey shifts the focus from defending Earth to understanding the world—and potentially the cause—behind the invasion.

Key plot points and events

• Zhang Hongxing attempts to approach the Sun-Bearing Firebird but retreats when its presence triggers a powerful sense of mortal danger. The firebird notices him yet continues west without attacking.
• After more than half a month exploring the Classic of Mountains and Seas World, Zhang still cannot discover why mutant beasts are rushing toward Earth’s passage. He suspects something on Earth attracts them.
• He returns to the underwater passage on the eighteenth day. With only scattered beasts attacking, the Immortal Venerables have enjoyed an unusually peaceful break after thousands of years on guard.
• Zhang brings food, wine, and supplies back for the defenders. Meanwhile, Yang Zhan reports to Xia Kingdom’s Grand Elder, who promptly approves an additional reserve of two thousand nuclear bombs.
• The Immortal Venerables hold a three-day drinking feast. Before Zhang leaves, all thirty-seven give him a treasure; Yuan Ping’s vast spatial ring proves especially useful.
• Zhang delivers another large shipment, along with a thousand reserve nuclear bombs and the personnel needed to maintain and operate them, then returns to his hometown of Shimen.
• News breaks that American company MKST has completed its twenty-eighth spaceship test vehicle. Its president, Marcus Pollard, plans to pilot a lunar-orbit test flight himself, following numerous earlier failures.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang shows caution by withdrawing from the firebird, and generosity by supplying the defenders and accepting their gifts as tokens of friendship.
• The Immortal Venerables express deep gratitude for Zhang’s help and welcome the chance to rest, eat, drink, and socialize. Their exchanges reveal a close-knit, mutually appreciative group.
• Yang Zhan takes responsibility for reporting the underwater developments, while the Grand Elder responds decisively by strengthening Xia Kingdom’s nuclear reserves.
• Zhang’s encounter with the firebird underscores how vast the gap remains between his power and that of the strongest beings in this world.

Significant themes

• The limits of cultivation: The firebird may be a first-step Sage, a realm achieved through rare enlightenment rather than effort alone.
• Unanswered mysteries: The reason mutant beasts are drawn toward Earth remains unknown.
• Cooperation and gratitude: Earth’s survival depends on the long-standing defenders, national support, and Zhang’s practical contributions.
• The familiar amid the extraordinary: After millennia of guarding the passage, the Immortals treasure ordinary food, drink, and companionship.

Key plot points and events

• Public confidence in Xia Kingdom’s technological progress has risen after the Nuclear-Powered Engine, nuclear-powered fighter jets, and rumors of an aerospace aircraft carrier. As a result, people are less envious of Marcus’s repeated attempts to reach Mars and no longer use him to criticize their own wealthy entrepreneurs.
• Zhang Hongxing learns from the Eternal Life Society’s captive Immortal Venerables that Mars was once a flourishing realm—and perhaps the seat of the Heavenly Court—before the Hell Demon God’s influence turned it barren. He regards the Society’s life-extending evil arts with contempt and expects its members to remain imprisoned.
• Back home with his family, Zhang discovers that Nana has left to find her boss, Long Aotian. A farewell video confirms her intention. Zhang reassures Lele that Nana may return someday.
• Lele promises to take his grandfather somewhere fun, though he keeps the destination secret.
• At breakfast, Zhang sees that Ziyue has become part of the family and is visibly pregnant. He proposes setting Xiaobing’s wedding for the beginning of the next month, and the family agrees.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang enjoys returning to family life after his recent duties, spending time with his grandchildren and reconnecting with Li Xiuying.
• Lele misses Nana and considers her a close friend; Zhang comforts him without explaining Nana’s situation in detail.
• Zhang acknowledges that Xiaobing’s wedding was delayed because the family had been waiting for him to return, then takes the lead in setting a date.
• Ziyue’s pregnancy has helped her settle into the family, whose members—especially Li Xiuying and Zhang Ying—show her extra care. She blushes at the wedding discussion.

Significant themes

• Progress and national confidence: Xia Kingdom’s technological achievements ease public comparisons with foreign pioneers.
• The limits of immortality: Even powerful cultivators can die; endless life is an aspiration, not a certainty.
• Family and belonging: Nana’s departure, Lele’s affection, and Ziyue’s acceptance highlight the family’s bonds and changing household.
• Ordinary joys amid extraordinary events: After cosmic and political concerns, the chapter turns to breakfast, children, pregnancy, and wedding plans.

Key plot points

• Zhang Hongxing discovers that Zhang Ying has been receiving flowers from the same man for nearly three months. Lele has been secretly noticing the courtship but insists he wasn’t following his aunt.
• After Zhang Ying turns the man down, Zhang Hongxing secretly follows him. The suitor uses a villa and a car switch to mislead anyone tailing him, but Zhang Hongxing tracks him to the Xinzhou Military District.
• The man is the son of the district commander. His father urged him to pursue Zhang Ying to strengthen the family’s standing through her connection to Zhang Hongxing. The son has little interest in his father’s scheme—or in taking it seriously.
• Zhang Hongxing appears and warns the commander that the courtship must stop. The commander panics and agrees, while his defiant son mocks his fear and runs off, suggesting the matter may not be over.
• Zhang Hongxing takes Lele and Wenwen to the county zoo with Li Xiuying. There, Lele spots a foreign visitor tugging at the feathers of the famous Shimen Swan King.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Hongxing acts protectively toward Zhang Ying, but makes clear he will not use violence over the unwanted courtship. His warning terrifies the commander, though it fails to intimidate the commander’s son.
• Lele reveals his secret observations to his grandfather and is rewarded with a promised zoo trip. His curiosity drives the chapter’s opening and closing turns.
• The commander is eager to gain influence through Zhang Hongxing but crumbles when confronted by him. He tries to make his son comply, leading to a quarrel.
• The son is casual and rebellious, dismissing both his father’s matchmaking strategy and Zhang Hongxing’s reputation.
• Li Xiuying accepts Zhang Hongxing’s invitation to join the family outing.

Significant themes

• Family protection and boundaries: Zhang Hongxing intervenes to shield his daughter but chooses a warning rather than retaliation.
• Status and opportunism: The commander sees Zhang Ying’s marriage as a way to secure his family’s position.
• Reputation and power: Zhang Hongxing’s fame inspires fear and deference, though not everyone is deterred by it.
• A transition to a new mystery: The zoo’s celebrated Swan King—and the foreigner handling it—introduce a new point of tension at the chapter’s end.