Chapter Summaries

Plot points and events

• Qin Yumo catches CC while he is searching Heavenly Gate Island for female dogs. She asks him to help investigate why Chen Hao has suddenly grown old and become physically weak.
• CC refuses to betray Chen Hao, but quickly agrees when Qin Yumo promises to bring him a truckload of female dogs.
• Chen Hao tries exercising in his room but is too frail to do even one push-up. He avoids seeing Liu Yan, feeling ashamed of his condition.
• CC gets Chen Hao to let him in, ostensibly to ask about the growing bumps on his back, which appear to be wings. Their talk turns to Chen Hao’s sudden aging, but CC’s crude interruptions derail his attempt to explain what happened.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin Yumo shows new strength and healing abilities after returning to life in the Blood Coffin, and she can now understand CC. Though exasperated by his vulgarity, she persuades him to help.
• CC remains shameless and impulsive, but is also concerned about Chen Hao. His loyalty proves easy to bargain away, and his jokes repeatedly irritate Chen Hao.
• Chen Hao is increasingly debilitated and emotionally burdened, especially by his guilt toward Liu Yan. He begins confiding in CC, though the conversation goes poorly.
• Liu Yan tries to visit Chen Hao, but he refuses to see her.

Significant themes

• Physical decline and vulnerability: Chen Hao’s powerful spiritual energy cannot compensate for his rapidly aging body.
• Loyalty and self-interest: CC’s professed principles collapse when offered what he wants.
• Humor amid hardship: Crude banter and slapstick contrast with Chen Hao’s distress and the seriousness of uncovering the cause of his condition.

Key plot points and events

• Qin Yumo, Liu Yan, and Xiang Wencun argue over who should stay with the unconscious-looking, unwell Chen Hao. Liu and Xiang each claim a special relationship with him; Qin says she feels responsible because his condition is connected to her.
• Liu promises to bring in China’s best doctors, while Xiang doubts ordinary treatment can help. Their quarrel escalates into a contest over who is Chen Hao’s “official girlfriend” and who was his first love.
• Qin leaves to ask CC what happened. CC spins a dramatic account: Chen Hao made a deal with Horse Face, sacrificing his future happiness and even his life to save Qin. Shocked and guilt-ridden, Qin rushes back.
• Meanwhile, Chen Hao privately checks whether the supposed loss of his future happiness has affected him. Qin bursts into his room, accidentally finds him undressed, and causes an awkward, comic confrontation.
• Qin asks whether he suffered for her. Chen Hao denies it, but she says CC told her everything and connects the story to Horse Face. Chen Hao reacts sharply to the name, leaving Qin, Liu, and Xiang confused.

Character developments

• Qin Yumo shifts from trying to mediate the rivalry to being shaken by CC’s story and determined to confront Chen Hao. Her guilt and concern become clear, though her impulsive entrance creates slapstick embarrassment.
• Chen Hao tries to conceal his sacrifice, but his reaction to Horse Face suggests the bargain is real and emotionally significant. He is also comically preoccupied with whether he has truly lost his future happiness.
• Liu Yan and Xiang Wencun reveal their jealousy and competing claims to Chen Hao, while remaining concerned about his condition.
• CC acts as a mischievous mediator, using an exaggerated, tear-jerking story to push Qin Yumo toward Chen Hao—and securing a promised truckload of female dogs in return.

Significant themes

• Sacrifice and love: CC’s account presents Chen Hao’s supposed bargain as an extreme act to save Qin.
• Jealousy and romantic rivalry: Liu Yan and Xiang Wencun compete over their status and history with Chen Hao.
• Truth and concealment: Chen Hao denies the sacrifice, but his response to Horse Face undermines his denial.
• Comedy amid danger: The serious possibility that Chen Hao has traded away his life and happiness is repeatedly undercut by bickering, crude humor, and the accidental bedroom interruption.

Character interactions

• Liu Yan and Xiang Wencun trade insults while arguing over who has the stronger claim to care for Chen Hao.
• Qin tries to calm them, then turns to CC for the truth; CC manipulates her emotions with its account.
• Qin confronts Chen Hao while Liu and Xiang follow, producing an embarrassing scene before she presses him about his sacrifice.
• Chen Hao’s reaction to Horse Face becomes the chapter’s unresolved turning point, drawing all three women’s attention.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Hao tells Qin Yumo, Liu Yan, and Xiang Wencun the truth about his dealings with Horse Face and the supernatural world. He reveals that he sacrificed fifty years of his yang lifespan to save Qin Yumo.
• Qin Yumo is overwhelmed with guilt and gratitude, while Liu Yan recognizes the depth of Chen Hao and Qin Yumo’s bond and quietly steps aside.
• Xiang Wencun thanks Chen Hao and leaves after making clear she helped for his sake, not Qin Yumo’s.
• Later, Chen Hao and Qin Yumo reunite romantically. Chen Hao privately worries that losing lifespan has also affected his sexual vitality, though the two share a lighthearted moment about it.
• The next morning, the Heavenly Court Chat Group becomes active again. Chen Hao asks the immortals how to restore his lost lifespan. Erlang Shen suggests reclaiming it or extending it, and Chen Hao asks him for half a Peach of Immortality. Erlang Shen does not answer.

Character developments

• Chen Hao is honest about the cost of saving Qin Yumo and remains determined to find a way to recover his lifespan. His anxiety about his health is softened by his humor.
• Qin Yumo accepts Chen Hao’s extraordinary explanation and responds to his sacrifice with love, remorse, and renewed intimacy.
• Liu Yan accepts that Qin Yumo’s love for Chen Hao is stronger than her own and chooses to let him go without resentment.
• Xiang Wencun shows loyalty to Chen Hao while maintaining a playful, independent attitude.
• The immortals return to the chat after attending the Peach Banquet, but their responses range from teasing to potentially useful advice.

Significant themes

• Sacrifice and love: Chen Hao’s willingness to give up years of his life underscores the depth of his devotion to Qin Yumo.
• Acceptance and letting go: Liu Yan faces the difference between her feelings and Qin Yumo’s bond with Chen Hao, then withdraws gracefully.
• Supernatural and ordinary life: The chapter mixes life-threatening magical consequences with everyday romance, jokes, and chat messages.
• The cost of survival: Chen Hao’s lost lifespan remains a serious problem, and possible remedies appear scarce or difficult to obtain.

Character interactions

• Chen Hao’s confession brings Qin Yumo into an emotional embrace; Liu Yan witnesses it and leaves after a brief, gentle exchange with him.
• Xiang Wencun jokes about being a third wheel, thanks Chen Hao for the experience, and departs after expressing her gratitude to Qin Yumo.
• Chen Hao and Qin Yumo reconnect privately, with their affectionate banter easing the tension.
• In the group chat, Chen Hao trades jokes and requests with the immortals: Tang Sanzang tastelessly offers funeral services, while Erlang Shen proposes a solution and Chen Hao asks for a share of an immortal peach.

Plot points

• Guanyin Bodhisattva contacts Chen Hao to ask about the Queen Mother of the West’s Lace Holy Garment. Chen Hao invents an elaborate story about its magical powers and hints that Guanyin’s interest may be romantic.
• Guanyin unexpectedly assumes Chen Hao knows about a private matter involving someone named Li Wanji and asks him to keep it secret. Chen Hao is confused but eagerly suspects gossip.
• Guanyin offers him a remaining bite of a Peach of Immortality in exchange for lace lingerie. Chen Hao, hoping to recover his failing body, accepts immediately.
• He asks Qin Yumo for lingerie. After an awkward misunderstanding, she reveals a bedful of assorted pieces—ostensibly belonging to a friend. Chen Hao sends the whole collection to Guanyin.
• The exchange succeeds. Chen Hao eats the peach, and a powerful surge of Spiritual Power pours from his body before he collapses onto the bed.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Hao uses bluffing, humor, and opportunism to turn Guanyin’s curiosity into a chance at recovery. His desperation over his physical condition is clear.
• Guanyin Bodhisattva presents herself as detached from romance but shows strong curiosity about the lingerie and greedily requests the entire collection. Her mention of Li Wanji introduces a possible secret, though the chapter leaves its nature unclear.
• Qin Yumo teases Chen Hao about his condition and initially misunderstands his request. Her surprisingly extensive lingerie collection embarrasses him, but she helps him obtain what he needs.
• The exchanges between Chen Hao and Guanyin—and between Chen Hao and Qin Yumo—rely on comic misunderstandings, teasing, and innuendo.

Significant themes

• Comic irreverence: Revered heavenly figures are placed in mundane, suggestive situations.
• Bargaining and resourcefulness: Chen Hao turns an unusual request into a valuable trade.
• Vulnerability and hope: His humor masks anxiety about his failing body; the Peach of Immortality represents a chance to regain his strength.
• Secrets and gossip: The unexplained reference to Li Wanji hints at hidden affairs within the Heavenly Court.

Plot and events

• Chen Hao falls into a mysterious, month-long unconsciousness after eating the Peach of Immortality. Though doctors find no cause, his vital signs remain normal, and his face and organs gradually become younger.
• While he sleeps, the Vast Sea Group becomes Zhonghai’s dominant conglomerate, and the Heavenly Gate unites China’s Qi Refiners.
• Elsewhere, America collapses after the destruction of the Vampire and Werewolf clans. A violent, consciousness-eroding infection—named the T-Virus—spreads worldwide.
• A suspected case appears in Zhonghai, prompting strict local controls and concern among Chen Hao’s household. The group agrees that safety matters more than keeping businesses running.
• The chapter ends on a comic domestic scene: Long Guangsheng sneaks away to smoke, but Su Xiaoxiao catches him. He denies it, then accidentally swallows the cigarette while trying to hide it, making everyone outside laugh.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin Yumo and Liu Yan initially fear for Chen Hao, but settle into patient vigilance when his condition appears stable.
• Qin Yumo, Liu Yan, Haizi, and Long Guangsheng discuss the T-Virus and agree to follow precautions.
• Xiang Wencun jokes with Chen Hao’s parents about their generous cooking and blushes when Li Xia offers to cook for him every day.
• Long Guangsheng’s bluster contrasts with his obvious nervousness around Su Xiaoxiao, who knows his habits and confronts him playfully. Their bickering entertains the others.

Significant themes

• Fragile security: The Vast Sea Group’s success and China’s growing strength are overshadowed by a global catastrophe.
• Uncertainty and patience: Chen Hao’s unexplained sleep leaves his loved ones waiting without answers.
• Community and resilience: The characters prioritize collective safety over business during the outbreak.
• Humor amid crisis: Everyday teasing offers relief from the fear surrounding the T-Virus.

Plot points and events

• After a month unconscious, Chen Hao wakes suddenly and rushes to the bathroom, startling Su Xiaoxiao and Long Guangsheng. His uncontrolled urination leaves them soaked, and the others mistake their predicament for a romantic shower.
• Chen Hao’s family and friends rejoice at his recovery. He discovers that the Peach of Immortality has restored his lost vitality and made him look several years younger.
• Ravenous after waking, he eats ten bowls of rice. Learning he has been asleep for a month, he checks his phone and finds a huge backlog of messages.
• Chen Hao discovers that Tang Sanzang announced his death in the Heavenly Court Chat Group, prompting a stream of mournful messages. He also learns the Jade Emperor took over his Charlatan Shop while he was gone and apparently spent all its daoist merit points.
• When Chen Hao confronts him, the Jade Emperor claims the points were a reasonable management fee. Their argument over the vanished balance continues at the chapter’s end.

Character developments

• Chen Hao returns to full health, younger in appearance and appetite, and quickly resumes his familiar mix of irritation, confidence, and comic bluster.
• The Jade Emperor presents himself as a helpful caretaker, but bluntly defends using Chen Hao’s shop funds for his own management fee.
• Tang Sanzang emerges as a source of mischief, having confidently spread the false news of Chen Hao’s death.

Character interactions

• Chen Hao’s family and friends welcome him with relief and affection; Xiang Wencun and Haizi add teasing remarks about his appearance and appetite.
• Chen Hao’s accidental bathroom entrance creates an awkward encounter with Su Xiaoxiao and Long Guangsheng, whom he then jokes about to the group.
• Chen Hao clashes with the Jade Emperor over the shop’s missing merit points, while the Heavenly Court deities react to his supposed return from the dead with jokes and requests.

Significant themes

• Recovery and renewal: Chen Hao’s awakening and rejuvenated appearance mark a dramatic return to life.
• Comedy through misunderstanding: The bathroom incident and the deities’ mourning messages turn awkwardness and false assumptions into humor.
• Self-interest and accountability: Chen Hao’s dispute with the Jade Emperor raises the question of whether managing someone else’s property justifies spending their resources.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Hao discovers that the Jade Emperor has taken nearly all the shop’s earnings, claiming an exorbitant labor fee and an 80-percent share of monthly revenue. Chen Hao is furious but holds back from confronting him directly.
• To retaliate, Chen Hao tells the Queen Mother of the West that the Jade Emperor secretly took a million Daoist Merit Points. He sends her suggestive magical “treasures,” encouraging her to deal with the Jade Emperor.
• Qin Yumo summons Chen Hao to discuss a rapidly spreading global T-virus outbreak. The group suspects it may have originated in America and could be connected to Chen Hao’s recent actions against the Vampire and Werewolf clans.
• A live broadcast shows an infected man attacking and biting a reporter in Zhonghai City. Chen Hao orders everyone to remain on Heavenly Gate Island and flies to the outbreak site.
• He finds the city in panic, with traffic jams, smoke, fleeing civilians, and overwhelmed authorities. Near the airport, soldiers shoot an infected man dead and warn that his blood must not enter a nearby drain.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Hao’s anger at the Jade Emperor shifts into scheming: rather than confront him immediately, he recruits the Queen Mother of the West by reporting the theft and supplying her with tools to use against him.
• The Queen Mother reacts indignantly to the alleged embezzlement and readily joins Chen Hao’s plan.
• Faced with the outbreak, Chen Hao becomes serious and proactive. He recognizes that his past actions may have contributed to the crisis and feels responsible for finding its cause.
• Qin Yumo, Xiang Wencun, and Liu Yan brief Chen Hao on the pandemic and the group’s possible role; they stress preparedness and coordination with the Huaxia Qi Refiner Alliance.

Significant themes

• Greed and retaliation: The Jade Emperor’s shameless accounting turns a business dispute into comic revenge.
• Responsibility and consequences: Chen Hao fears the virus may be an unintended result of his actions and accepts that he must investigate.
• Crisis and social breakdown: The chaotic streets and overwhelmed responders show how quickly a global disaster can disrupt ordinary life.
• Containment and urgency: The soldiers’ concern about infected blood reaching the sewers underscores the danger of the virus spreading further.

Plot points and events

• Chen Hao arrives at a scene where soldiers are handling an infected body. He uses his Qi-refining abilities to seal the body inside a body bag and warns the soldiers to prevent the blood from reaching the sewers.
• The soldiers recognize him as a Qi Refiner. Their squad leader points a gun at him and demands his help, claiming it is his duty during the national crisis. Chen Hao refuses to be bullied and warns them against threatening him.
• Commander Xue arrives and insists that Chen Hao should feel honored to serve. When Chen Hao mocks him and tries to leave, Xue attacks.
• Chen Hao effortlessly lifts Xue into the air with his powers. When the soldiers aim their guns at Chen Hao, he disarms them and turns the weapons toward them.
• Gong Honglin appears, addresses Chen Hao as his master, and asks him to forgive the soldiers. Chen Hao releases Xue and the others, then asks Gong Honglin why he is there.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Hao demonstrates formidable power and confidence, but also restraint: despite being angered by the soldiers’ coercion, he does not intend to kill them and accepts Gong Honglin’s appeal.
• Commander Xue begins as an arrogant, forceful authority figure but is quickly exposed as outmatched. Even while suspended helplessly, he tries to preserve his authority by threatening Chen Hao.
• Gong Honglin shows deep respect and affection for Chen Hao, calling him “Master.” His intervention defuses the confrontation.
• The soldiers shift from dismissing Chen Hao to recognizing his abilities, then from confidence in Xue to fear when Chen Hao disarms them.

Significant themes

• Power and authority: Military rank and force do not guarantee control when confronted with greater ability.
• Respect versus coercion: Chen Hao rejects demands framed as duty when they are backed by threats rather than mutual respect.
• Restraint and reconciliation: Gong Honglin’s request gives Chen Hao a chance to end the conflict without further violence.
• Crisis and responsibility: The outbreak has brought hidden Qi Refiners into public life, raising questions about how people with extraordinary powers should serve society.

Plot points and events

• Chen Hao reunites with Gong Honglin, who is now leading Huaxia’s T-Virus research team. Gong credits Chen’s Golden Needle Technique for helping him gain prominence.
• Gong takes Chen to the Zhonghai research center and explains that the virus spreads through infected blood, typically via bites or scratches. Its rapid mutation makes a vaccine extremely difficult to develop.
• The researchers show Chen an infected man who has been confined for over ten days. The man’s condition has steadily worsened, leaving him violent, increasingly powerful, and no longer recognizably human.
• The infected man suddenly convulses and undergoes a drastic mutation: bone spikes erupt through his body. Chen orders Gong to evacuate everyone, and Gong obeys without question.
• The creature smashes through its reinforced containment glass and fires bone spikes throughout the laboratory. The room is devastated, but Chen remains unharmed and unmoved.

Character developments and interactions

• Gong Honglin is established as a respected, capable expert, but he still regards Chen as his master and trusts his judgment completely.
• Chen Hao remains composed in a crisis. He recognizes the danger and acts decisively to protect the researchers.
• Commander Xue is baffled by Gong’s deference to Chen and, frustrated by Chen’s disregard for his authority, takes out his irritation on his soldiers.
• The researchers move from explaining the virus’s dangers to confronting a sudden, catastrophic outbreak inside their own facility.

Significant themes

• The limits of science: Researchers have no effective treatment or vaccine because the virus evolves too quickly.
• Escalating biological horror: The infected change rapidly, becoming increasingly monstrous and dangerous.
• Authority and earned respect: Gong’s loyalty to Chen contrasts with Commander Xue’s conventional military rank.
• Hidden danger and foreshadowing: A drop of infected blood falls into a drain after the body bag is mishandled, suggesting the outbreak may spread beyond the research center.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Hao subdues an infected man with bone spikes and tries an Evil-Repelling Talisman, but it fails to suppress the T-Virus. When the man breaks free, Chen Hao kills him.
• Learning the man had been infected for about a month, Chen Hao warns Gong Honglin that the virus can rapidly make ordinary people nearly as powerful as Second Realm Qi Refiners—and may eventually destroy the world.
• Chen Hao meets with Chu Jinliang and Qiao Shan to discuss China’s preparations. Chu describes planned quarantine walls and shelters, but Chen insists that Qi Refiners must help defend them. He agrees to organize their cooperation.
• Zhonghai City’s shelters can hold only about 500,000 people, and one major shelter is still weeks from completion.
• An air-raid siren signals disaster: passenger planes, apparently overtaken by infection, crash into Zhonghai City despite military escorts. Chen uses more than a hundred clones to rescue survivors, but the destruction is too widespread to prevent heavy casualties.
• In the aftermath, infected people pour from the wreckage and attack the panicked crowds. Soldiers open fire, but more than a hundred additional infected emerge, overwhelming the defenders as they call for reinforcements.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Hao shows decisive leadership and formidable power, but the failed talisman reveals that conventional spiritual measures may not work against the virus. His grief at being unable to save everyone underscores the limits of his strength.
• Gong Honglin shifts from admiring Chen’s success to confronting the scale of the threat.
• Chu Jinliang and Chen are aligned on the need to mobilize Qi Refiners; Chu provides government plans and seeks Chen’s support.
• Qiao Shan acts promptly during the emergency, while Chen rushes into the disaster to help.

Significant themes

• Escalating catastrophe: The virus mutates quickly, spreads internationally, and turns even aircraft into instruments of mass destruction.
• Limits of power and preparedness: Chen’s abilities and military defenses cannot save everyone or contain the growing infected forces.
• Collective responsibility: Survival depends on government, military, and Qi Refiners working together.
• Human suffering amid collapse: The chapter emphasizes the helplessness of rescuers and the terror of civilians caught in the disaster.

Key plot points and events

• The infected outbreak has overwhelmed the crash site. Soldiers begin retreating, but Chen Hao arrives and uses the Golden Cudgel and Myriad Transformations to hold back the horde, allowing the troops to regroup and contain stragglers.
• A huge, grotesquely swollen infected emerges from the wrecked plane, with corrosive black blood leaking from its boils. Chen Hao charges to confront it.
• Back at Gate Island, Chen Hao confirms that the outbreak is spreading and that Zhonghai may be paralyzed within two days, with the rest of China in chaos within a week.
• He tells Xiang Wencun to contact Qi Refiners across the country and coordinate with local governments to build shelters.
• When Liu Yan tries to leave and retrieve her father, Chen Hao stops her, warning that the journey is too dangerous. He promises to send someone later.
• Seeking a solution, Chen Hao asks the immortals in his phone group about the virus. Their unfamiliarity and joking replies offer no help.
• Overwhelmed, Chen Hao is comforted by Qin Yumo. Their serious conversation turns into playful intimacy, ending with Chen Hao putting off the virus problem for the moment.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Hao proves capable under pressure, saving soldiers and taking charge of emergency preparations. Despite his confidence in combat, he is frustrated by the scale of the crisis and the lack of useful advice.
• Liu Yan is distressed and determined to reach her father, but Chen Hao restrains her and persuades her to wait.
• Xiang Wencun follows Chen Hao’s instructions to mobilize Qi Refiners; Long Guangsheng voices the group’s fear and receives reassurance.
• Qin Yumo offers Chen Hao emotional comfort and shares a teasing, flirtatious moment with him.
• The immortals’ banter—especially Sun Wukong and Erlang Shen’s quarrel—contrasts with the deadly situation on Earth.

Significant themes

• Crisis and responsibility: Chen Hao must shift from fighting individual threats to organizing a broader response.
• Personal bonds amid disaster: Liu Yan’s concern for her father and Qin Yumo’s support show how the outbreak affects intimate relationships.
• Limits of power and knowledge: Chen Hao can defeat infected physically, but neither he nor the immortals know how to stop the virus.
• Dark humor and tonal contrast: The immortals’ ignorance and Chen Hao’s flirtation provide comic relief against the approaching catastrophe.

Key plot points and events

• Zhonghai City descends into chaos as the military tries to confine residents during a citywide emergency. With communications and utilities down, civilians resist orders to go home.
• A man suddenly vomits blood and turns violent, biting his wife. Soldiers shoot them both, confirming the danger of infection.
• Infected dogs emerge from a pet shop. Gunfire kills some, but the dogs’ enhanced speed and strength overwhelm the troops and attack civilians. A soldier detonates a grenade to kill a dog attacking him, and the officer realizes the situation is beyond control.
• Similar outbreaks are occurring across Huaxia.
• On Heavenly Gate Island, Chen Hao begins coordinating with the military. He assigns Xiang Wencun to protect construction of a defensive base, Qin Yumo to guard civilians near oil wells, and other Qi Refiners to assist with rescue operations at air-raid shelters.
• Chen asks CC to accompany Xiang Wencun and protect her. CC’s exhausted, unsteady state is revealed to come from his many female-dog companions, whom he bids farewell before leaving.

Character developments and interactions

• The civilians’ initial defiance collapses into terror when the infection turns visibly violent.
• The military officer responds decisively but struggles to control the rapidly escalating outbreak.
• Chen Hao takes charge of Heavenly Gate’s cooperation with the military, organizing its people for defense and rescue.
• CC provides a brief comic contrast to the crisis: despite being sent on a serious mission, his weakness is explained by his extensive canine “harem.” Chen’s reaction shifts from concern to amused understanding.

Significant themes

• Collapse of public order: The outbreak overwhelms ordinary authority, turning streets into battlegrounds.
• Fear and uncertainty: With basic services cut and little information available, civilians distrust the military and face danger from both infection and panic.
• Cooperation in crisis: Chen Hao and the military coordinate defenses and relief efforts as the threat spreads.
• Dark humor amid disaster: CC’s romantic antics offer a moment of levity against the chapter’s mass violence and mounting catastrophe.

Plot points and events

• Chen Hao arrives by helicopter at Liu Yan’s blood-soaked villa to rescue Liu Shan and Liu Qi. He finds them hiding upstairs and clears the infected blocking their room.
• As the group escapes, an infected bites Liu Qi. Chen Hao kills it, amputates Liu Qi’s lower leg to prevent infection, and treats the wound with a Blue Light Potion.
• On the return trip, the helicopter spots civilians trapped on a rooftop. Chen Hao insists on rescuing as many as possible despite the aircraft’s limited capacity.
• Infected break onto the roof. Chen Hao destroys the entrance with his Golden Cudgel, keeping them from reaching the survivors.
• The crowd fights to board. Chen Hao ends the disorder by declaring that women and children will go first; an attempt by an obese man to buy a place is rejected.
• Chen Hao encounters his former girlfriend, Sun Jiaqi. She tries to embrace him, but he rebuffs her harshly. The chapter ends as the officer prevents the obese man from boarding because the helicopter is full.

Character developments

• Chen Hao demonstrates urgency, formidable power, and a willingness to take command. He also shows a strict, uncompromising side, especially toward Sun Jiaqi.
• Liu Shan is relieved and grateful to be rescued. Liu Qi is badly injured and loses his lower leg, leaving his survival uncertain.
• Sun Jiaqi is exposed as hoping to use her past relationship with Chen Hao and his military influence to improve her prospects. His rejection leaves her humiliated.
• The officer enforces the helicopter’s limits and manages the panicked crowd, though he defers to Chen Hao’s rescue decisions.

Significant themes

• Survival and sacrifice: Chen Hao accepts a painful emergency measure to save Liu Qi and risks himself to protect rooftop survivors.
• Scarcity and fairness: Limited seats create conflict, while Chen Hao’s “women and children first” rule prioritizes the vulnerable over wealth or status.
• The collapse of old values: The obese man’s offers of money show how wealth has lost its usual power amid catastrophe.
• A changed world—and changed relationships: The apocalypse leaves little room for old romantic expectations, as Chen Hao refuses to offer Sun Jiaqi special treatment.

Character interactions

• Chen Hao reassures Liu Shan by arriving to rescue him and Liu Qi, then takes charge of their escape.
• Chen Hao and the officer cooperate to clear threats and organize the rooftop evacuation.
• The rooftop survivors clash over who deserves a seat, prompting Chen Hao to impose an order.
• Sun Jiaqi seeks emotional and practical support from Chen Hao, but he rejects both, ending their encounter in public embarrassment.

Plot points and events

• Chen Hao stays behind as a helicopter evacuates survivors, then spots a fast-moving flock of black birds heading toward it. His warning comes too late: the birds shred the aircraft, and it crashes into a building.
• Chen Hao extinguishes the wreckage fire, but Liu Shan and Liu Qi are among the dead or fatally mutilated. He carries the survivors back to Liu Yan, who breaks down when she sees her father’s condition.
• Liu Yan angrily confronts Chen Hao for failing to keep his promise to bring her family back safely. Chen Hao accepts her grief and blame.
• An officer reports trouble at the Oil Rig. Fearing for Qin Yumo, Chen Hao flies there, using up much of his spiritual energy on the journey.
• At the rig, he discovers mutated marine creatures attacking. A giant, coral-covered serpent absorbs the Qi Refiners’ spiritual attacks, grows stronger, and releases a lightning surge that disables the rig’s systems and brings down helicopters. One crashes into the rig, killing civilians; two others fall into the sea.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Hao is shown as protective and determined, but also vulnerable to the limits of his power. He cannot save the helicopter’s passengers and feels deep guilt over the loss. He bears Liu Yan’s anger without defending himself, then rushes toward the Oil Rig out of concern for Qin Yumo.
• Liu Yan shifts from hopeful anticipation to shock and grief, then directs her pain at Chen Hao over his broken promise.
• The officer respects Chen Hao’s judgment and later alerts him to the emergency at the Oil Rig.
• The Qi Refiners’ attacks unintentionally strengthen the Mutant Serpent, revealing that conventional spiritual-power tactics can backfire.

Significant themes

• The fragility of survival: Even apparent rescue and safety can be destroyed in an instant.
• Power and its limits: Chen Hao’s strength cannot prevent every tragedy, and his spiritual energy is finite.
• Grief and blame: Liu Yan’s confrontation reflects how loss can turn sorrow into anger.
• An expanding catastrophe: Mutations have spread from land to sea, while familiar sources of power and defense prove unreliable.

Key plot points and events

• Qin Yumo leads the Qi Refiners against the Mutant Serpent, but its coral armor absorbs spiritual energy. The attackers suffer heavy losses until Chen Hao arrives and breaks through the surrounding sea monsters.
• Chen and Qin fight together. Recognizing the serpent as the swarm’s leader, Chen charges it while Qin clears his path.
• The serpent absorbs Chen’s spiritual-energy strike and retaliates with electricity, but Chen counters with Landmine, which draws on natural electricity and overwhelms it. He impales the serpent with the Golden Cudgel; the creature erupts in flame and dies. The remaining sea monsters retreat.
• More than a thousand people at the oil rig are dead or wounded. Chen and Qin conclude that the shelters are no longer safe and begin arranging an evacuation.
• Commander Chu secretly tells Chen that Zhonghai City has fallen to the T-Virus. The government plans to bomb the city at midnight to contain the outbreak, with evacuation scheduled to finish by 10 p.m. Chen is sworn to secrecy.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Hao shows confidence and tactical judgment in battle, adapting when the serpent absorbs his spiritual attack. Afterward, victory gives way to dread about the expanding infection and grief at the planned destruction of Zhonghai.
• Qin Yumo proves capable under pressure, leading the defense and fighting effectively beside Chen. She takes responsibility for counting casualties and organizing evacuation.
• Commander Chu reveals the enormity of the crisis and the painful choice facing the authorities. Though he insists the bombing is necessary, his exhausted voice betrays how difficult the decision is.
• Chen and Qin work smoothly as a team, while Chen’s call with Chu shifts the focus from a local battle to a catastrophic national emergency.

Significant themes

• Sacrifice and impossible choices: The planned bombing is presented as a desperate attempt to save the wider population at the cost of a city containing millions.
• The widening scope of disaster: Mutations across land, sea, and sky suggest that humanity’s remaining safe havens may disappear.
• Limits of protection and control: The oil rig’s defenses and planned shelters cannot withstand a threat growing faster than expected.
• Secrecy and responsibility: Chen must carry knowledge of the bombing without causing panic, even as he faces its moral weight.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Hao pulls Qin Yumo away from the civilian evacuation effort, saying the military can handle it. During their flight to Heavenly Gate Island, he warns that she may not see the view again after that night, hinting at an imminent catastrophe.
• Back home, Chen orders his family to move immediately into the protected Heavenly Gate Palace with whatever supplies they can carry. He refuses to explain, insisting that they follow his decisions for their own safety.
• Chen’s mother, Li Xia, recognizes his strain and reassures him that she and his father will stand by him. Chen promises to protect the family.
• A ten-hour countdown begins at Zhonghai City International Airport, where Xiang Wencun and a group of Qi Refiners are helping the military defend a nearly completed shelter against waves of T-Virus-infected attackers.
• A particularly large horde arrives. Xiang commands the defense, while CC transforms into a heavily armored, half-kirin spirit beast and charges into the infected. The excerpt ends with the battle still underway.

Character developments

• Chen Hao becomes unusually stern and decisive, taking responsibility for his family’s survival while keeping the coming danger to himself.
• Qin Yumo is troubled by Chen’s warning but supports him rather than pressing him, offering comfort and reminding him not to shoulder everything alone.
• Li Xia shows perceptive maternal concern and steadfast trust in her son.
• Xiang Wencun has earned the soldiers’ confidence through her leadership and combat skill.
• Sen Tai and Sen Ning display close sibling affection: Sen Tai sends Ning to safety, while she worries about him.
• CC grumbles about fighting but readily joins the defense with overwhelming force.

Significant themes

• Duty and sacrifice: Ordinary people and fighters alike take risks to protect the country and civilians.
• Family and trust: Chen’s relatives obey him despite not knowing why, and his mother’s support helps ease his burden.
• Leadership under pressure: Chen and Xiang make urgent decisions as time and safety run short.
• Approaching catastrophe: The countdown, Chen’s ominous warning, and the escalating infected attacks create a sense of impending disaster.

Character interactions

• Chen and Qin share a quiet, affectionate flight in which she senses his distress and offers reassurance.
• Chen’s family questions his orders, but Qin helps persuade them to act; Li Xia later comforts him privately.
• Xiang directs the soldiers and Qi Refiners against the horde.
• Sen Tai lovingly reassures Sen Ning before sending her behind the safety line, while CC joins the battle alongside Xiang’s forces.

Plot points and events

• An unexpectedly aggressive infected horde overwhelms the defenders. CC is surrounded by Infected Dogs; his roar cannot frighten them, and he can stop only some of the attackers.
• The dogs break through the military line. Sen Tai fights them off with his Spell Ring, but is bitten on the foot and hand, then dragged under by the horde.
• Xiang Wencun blasts the infected away with a sonic cry and tries to save Sen Tai, spraying him with Blue Light Potion. It heals his visible wounds, but cannot repair his internal injuries.
• Sen Tai asks Xiang to look after his sister, Sen Ning, and then to kill him before he turns. She cannot bring herself to do it. As the defenders are forced to retreat, Sen Tai urges her to leave and charges into the horde alone.
• Xiang and the others fall back into the Safe Zone, where the perimeter weapons briefly halt the infected. A woman among the horde then destroys the weapons with a spiritual shock wave.
• Chen Hao arrives and unleashes his Crimson Glow, reducing the horde and surrounding area to ash. He then recognizes a blackened figure rising from the destruction: Sen Tai, now apparently infected.

Character developments and interactions

• Sen Tai faces his likely death with resolve. His chief concern is Sen Ning, and he asks Xiang to pass a message to Hao: he did not die a coward. He ultimately chooses to face the horde rather than burden his comrades.
• Xiang Wencun risks herself to reach Sen Tai and refuses to abandon him, but accepts the soldiers’ retreat when the defense collapses. Her grief is intensified by her inability to grant his request for a quick death.
• Sen Ning tries to rush to her brother’s aid but is restrained and sedated by a soldier to keep her safe.
• Chen Hao arrives at the crisis and saves the defenders from the horde, only to be confronted with the apparent loss of his friend.
• CC fights fiercely against the Infected Dogs, showing sorrow and anger at seeing former members of his kind transformed.

Significant themes

• Loyalty and sacrifice: Sen Tai’s final thoughts are for his sister and his friends, and he willingly draws the horde’s attention away from them.
• The limits of rescue: Medicine can heal Sen Tai’s external wounds but not his fatal internal damage; Xiang’s determination cannot undo his fate.
• The horror of transformation: Sen Tai’s possible conversion is especially tragic because he had begged not to become one of the infected.
• A fragile defense: Even a fortified Safe Zone can be breached when its weapons are destroyed, leaving survival dependent on powerful allies such as Chen Hao.

Key plot points and events

• In the rain, Chen Hao faces Sen Tai, now controlled by the T-Virus. Though grief and anger overwhelm him, he cannot bring himself to attack his former friend. Xiang Wencun gives them space.
• Afterward, Xiang embraces Chen Hao and asks about Sen Tai. He cannot explain, and later tells her to give Sen Ning the truth. Sen Ning’s anguished sobs confirm that she has learned what happened.
• With four hours left in the countdown, Chen Hao, Xiang, CC, and Sen Ning fly to Heavenly Gate Island. They pass civilians watching them leave, while aircraft stream out of Zhonghai City. Chen Hao says the city’s population will eventually be infected.
• At Heavenly Gate Palace, Chen Hao gathers the others inside but refuses to explain what is coming. He traps them behind an invisible barrier and goes alone to the island’s highest peak.
• Three bombers arrive earlier than expected. A nuclear blast erupts over Zhonghai City, destroying it. Chen Hao watches helplessly, then returns to the palace just before the shock wave hits Heavenly Gate Island.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Hao is torn between duty and attachment: he grieves for Sen Tai, feels guilty leaving civilians behind, and keeps the impending disaster from his loved ones, choosing to face it alone.
• Xiang Wencun comforts Chen Hao and worries about how to tell Sen Ning. Later, she recognizes that he is hiding something and challenges him, but cannot stop him from isolating himself.
• Sen Ning is devastated by the loss of Sen Tai.
• Qin Yumo silently watches Chen Hao’s actions, sensing something is wrong without confronting him.
• Chen Hao’s relationships with Sen Tai and the group underscore the personal cost of decisions made during the crisis.

Significant themes

• Grief and irreversible loss: The rain mirrors the characters’ sorrow, while Sen Tai’s infection and Zhonghai City’s destruction make clear that the past cannot be restored.
• Sacrifice and helplessness: Chen Hao wants to save his friend and the city’s civilians but cannot; he can only protect those brought to the island.
• Secrecy and isolation: By withholding the truth and sealing the others inside, Chen Hao bears the approaching catastrophe alone.
• Hope amid catastrophe: The evacuation suggests a chance of survival, but the nuclear strike ends any hope of saving Zhonghai City.

Key plot points and events

• A nuclear blast destroys Zhonghai City. Chen Hao and the survivors at Heavenly Gate Palace watch the mushroom cloud rise, while the scale of the deaths remains unknown.
• Radiation contaminates the area for more than ten days. Qin Yumo checks the conditions outside and keeps everyone inside until it is safe.
• Chen Hao falls into stunned grief, staring toward the ruined city. Horse Face arrives with tens of millions of souls and takes them into the Crescent Pendant to process their afterlife paperwork.
• Once the radiation subsides, Chen Hao flies toward Zhonghai and sees the crater, ruined buildings, and charred victims. Overcome, he leaves. Afterward, a monstrous hand bursts from beneath the scorched earth.
• Qiao Shan brings Chen Hao to a secret military base to meet Chu Jinliang. Chu asks him to supply Electric Crystal material so the military can mass-produce batteries for humanity’s future shelters. Chen Hao agrees.
• Chu’s second request is for Chen Hao to represent Huaxia at a meeting in the Island Nation; the chapter ends before Chen Hao responds.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Hao is traumatized and guilt-ridden by the destruction and mass deaths. He accepts the military’s request to support the survival effort, setting aside personal wealth or ambition.
• Qin Yumo supports Chen Hao emotionally, protects others from radiation, and helps organize cleanup once it is safe.
• Horse Face comforts Chen Hao and takes responsibility for the enormous influx of souls.
• Chu Jinliang appears burdened by remorse, but continues to act on behalf of the military and humanity.
• Qiao Shan reassures Chen Hao that Chu did not make the nuclear decision alone and escorts him to the meeting.

Significant themes

• The catastrophic human cost of war and the helplessness of survivors.
• Grief, guilt, and the difficulty of accepting loss.
• Cooperation and sacrifice as necessary for humanity’s survival.
• A hint of further danger in the mysterious creature emerging beneath the destroyed city.

Chapter Summary: “Island Nation Summit”

Key plot points and events

• Chu Jinliang tells Chen Hao that the Island Nation claims to have developed a vaccine that suppresses the T-virus and is hosting an international summit to plan a response.
• Chen Hao questions the claim and wonders why the Island Nation would call a summit instead of sharing or mass-producing the vaccine. Chu agrees the announcement is suspicious but says Huaxia cannot ignore even a slim chance of finding a solution.
• With the summit beginning in three days, Chen Hao is assigned to lead Huaxia’s delegation and travel the next day. A local contact will meet him there.
• Chen’s phone regains signal at the secret base. Hoping to protect people from infected creatures, he asks Red Boy for stronger Barrier Talismans. Red Boy explains that a permanent barrier requires a Magic Array.
• Chen persuades Supreme Lord Lao to create a Sky Curtain Barrier by offering him exclusive distribution rights to French Fries. Lao agrees to prepare the necessary talismans in fifteen days, though the array will need a large supply of spirit stones to operate.

Character developments

• Chen Hao is committed to preventing further mass casualties, saying he will not fail as he believes he did before. He shows initiative by pursuing a large-scale protective barrier alongside the summit mission.
• Chu Jinliang recognizes Chen’s abilities and places Huaxia’s hopes in him, expressing deep trust and pride.
• Supreme Lord Lao initially refuses the request, then quickly changes his mind when tempted by the commercial opportunity, revealing both his pride in his expertise and his greed for a valuable reward.
• Red Boy points Chen toward the more suitable solution of a Magic Array rather than short-lived talismans.

Significant themes

• Hope amid uncertainty: The alleged vaccine offers a possible path forward, even though its sudden appearance raises doubts.
• Duty and sacrifice: Huaxia must take the risk of attending the summit because the potential stakes are enormous.
• Practical problem-solving: Chen pursues both international cooperation and magical protection to address the crisis.
• Self-interest and bargaining: Chen uses French Fries to motivate Lao, whose willingness to help depends heavily on the promised reward.

Character interactions

• Chen and Chu discuss the credibility of the Island Nation’s vaccine claim; despite their skepticism, Chu assigns Chen to lead the delegation.
• Chu’s faith in Chen contrasts with Chen’s own sense of responsibility for lives already lost.
• Chen asks Red Boy for improved barriers, and Red Boy redirects him to Supreme Lord Lao’s expertise.
• Chen and Lao trade teasing, manipulative messages: Chen dangles the French Fries deal, while Lao boasts of his skill and presses for his reward. They ultimately agree on the Sky Curtain Barrier, with Chen responsible for finding the spirit stones.