Chapter Summaries

Plot points and events

• Chen Hao reveals his plan to Chu Jinliang: build Sky Curtains, powerful barriers that can protect people from infected attacks and even nuclear strikes. He asks the military to organize a nationwide search for high-grade jade, a key resource for the project. The first Sky Curtain is scheduled to begin in fifteen days.
• Chen Hao gives the military Electric Crystals to power its secret high-tech weapons, while arguing that Sky Curtains are the more urgent, potentially decisive defense.
• He mobilizes his allies: Qin Yumo will help locate jade using her Qi-Viewing Art; Xiang Wencun returns to Nine Blades to prepare the clan for the outbreak and approach the Yun Family for its yellow dragon jade marrow.
• Chen Hao and CC depart for the Island Nation. A military officer gives Chen Hao the contact details of Wei Wuqing, a Chinese spy there who will assist them.

Character developments and interactions

• Chu Jinliang trusts Chen Hao’s judgment, readily agrees to the jade-gathering effort, and accepts the Electric Crystals for the military’s weapons.
• Qin Yumo parts from Chen Hao reluctantly but promises to carry out her mission.
• Xiang Wencun teases Chen Hao about his feelings for Qin Yumo. Their farewell reveals her affection and Chen Hao’s concern for her: he jokes that he would come rescue her if Nine Blades kept her there, while she struggles to hide her sadness.
• Chen Hao reflects on his distinct feelings toward the women in his life: love for Qin Yumo, affection for Xiang Wencun, and a sense of debt toward Liu Yan. He leaves his loved ones at Heavenly Gate Palace, believing it is safest there.
• CC provides comic relief with an extravagant, suggestive farewell to his dogs, prompting Chen Hao to hurry him along.
• Chen Hao remains wary of trust, questioning whether anyone can be relied upon completely in the collapsing world.

Significant themes

• Preparation and collective survival: The Sky Curtain plan depends on coordinating military, clan, and personal resources.
• Trust amid crisis: Chen Hao relies on allies but remains cautious about whom to trust.
• Love and separation: The goodbyes expose the emotional costs of taking on dangerous missions.
• Humor amid catastrophe: CC’s antics briefly lighten the chapter’s serious preparations.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Hao and CC arrive in the Island Nation, where airport security is unusually strict because of the T-Virus. The airport is crowded with people drawn by rumors that the country has developed a vaccine.
• Wei Wuqing, Chen’s local contact, drives him to Tianya Inn, a major hub for people of Chinese descent. Its owner, Tianya Guest, comes from a family that has lived in the Island Nation for generations.
• At the inn, security guards make Chen and Wei wait until their exact appointment time: Tianya Guest insists that appointments be observed to the minute.
• Once inside, Tianya Guest insults Chen as an inexperienced nobody. Chen responds boldly, and Tianya Guest attacks by hurling a cigar at him. Chen stops it with his Remote Object Retrieval ability, impressing the innkeeper.

Character developments

• Chen Hao remains confident and unawed by authority. He is curious about the Island Nation and its Chinese community, but his impression of Tianya Guest quickly turns negative.
• Wei Wuqing acts as Chen’s guide and tries to keep the meeting cordial. His nervous deference to Tianya Guest contrasts with Chen’s directness.
• Tianya Guest is introduced as exacting, proud, and openly contemptuous of Chen—though Chen’s displayed power makes him reconsider his assumptions.
• CC casually makes friends with nearby female dogs, providing a brief comic moment.

Character interactions

• Wei explains the Island Nation’s crowds and introduces Chen to Tianya Inn and its long-established community.
• Chen and Wei wait outside because they arrive five minutes early; Wei explains Tianya Guest’s strict punctuality.
• In the office, Tianya Guest belittles Chen, while Chen answers back and ignores Wei’s attempts to signal caution.
• Their confrontation escalates when Tianya Guest attacks with his cigar and Chen halts it in midair.

Significant themes

• Order and principle: Tianya Guest’s rigid punctuality reflects his insistence on rules and tradition.
• Pride and respect: Chen and Tianya Guest test each other’s status, refusing to yield.
• Uncertainty amid crisis: The rumored vaccine draws international crowds, while its existence remains secret and unverified.
• Cultural belonging: Tianya Inn’s Chinese architecture and generations-long history preserve a sense of heritage within the Island Nation.

Plot points and events

• At Tianya Inn, Tianya Guest attacks Chen Hao with flames after declaring that troublemakers must pay. Wei Wuqing begs him to stop, but Tianya Guest refuses.
• Chen Hao walks out of the fire unharmed, impressing and humbling Tianya Guest. Chen Hao says he has business to discuss, and Tianya Guest agrees to hear him.
• Chen Hao asks for information about the Island Nation Summit, where researchers are reportedly studying the T-Virus. Tianya Guest demands payment, first charging five million for the inn’s burned furniture—despite having caused the damage himself.
• For another ten million in total, Tianya Guest reveals that the Island Nation’s vaccine has reportedly stabilized infected patients and restored their human awareness.
• He claims the vaccine is connected to Yamata no Orochi, the Island Nation’s legendary serpent and a figure revered by the Ninja Clan. Its blood may suppress the virus, though Tianya Guest cannot confirm the rumor.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Hao remains composed under attack and refuses to be intimidated. Though irritated by Tianya Guest’s constant money demands, he pays to obtain the information.
• Tianya Guest is boastful, mercenary, and fond of theatrics. After his flames fail to harm Chen Hao, he shifts from aggression to business and repeatedly prolongs his revelations to attract attention and earn more money.
• Wei Wuqing tries to protect Chen Hao and defuse the confrontation. He also challenges Tianya Guest’s inflated compensation demand and recognizes the reference to Yamata no Orochi.
• The encounter shifts from a physical contest to a transactional exchange, with Chen Hao’s questions driving the discussion and Tianya Guest controlling the information through staged suspense.

Significant themes

• Power and pride: Chen Hao’s immunity punctures Tianya Guest’s confidence.
• Greed and the price of knowledge: Tianya Guest monetizes both damage he caused and the information he shares.
• Science and legend: The Island Nation’s apparent progress against the T-Virus may depend on a mythical creature, setting up a blend of research and folklore.
• Uncertainty and foreshadowing: The serpent’s role remains unverified, hinting at a potentially significant connection between Yamata no Orochi and the virus.

Key plot points and events

• Wei Wuqing settles Chen Hao into a hotel and says he will collect him for the summit the day after tomorrow. After leaving, Wei secretly reports that Chen Hao is exceptionally powerful. His unseen contact promises that nobody will escape the summit.
• Chen Hao goes to the hotel restaurant, where CC returns after exploring the local scene. Their joking conversation is interrupted when several Russians insult Chen Hao.
• When one Russian attacks with a chair, Chen Hao knocks him back with a flick of his finger. The other three transform into enormous black bears.
• Chen Hao stays seated and eating while CC defeats the bear-men. Chen then intimidates the remaining Russian into apologizing and paying for the restaurant damage.
• As Chen Hao and CC leave, they notice several people from the Island Nation following them. Chen chooses not to confront them yet, preferring to discover their intentions.

Character developments

• Chen Hao remains composed and confident, showing little concern even when faced with supernatural opponents. He stands up for Huaxia and uses the confrontation to make the Russians answer for their insult and the damage.
• CC is playful and crude, but proves capable in a fight, defeating three transformed bear-men with ease. His enthusiasm for the promised dragon bone motivates him to take them on.
• Wei Wuqing appears helpful, but his secret report and the threat aimed at the summit suggest he may be involved in a larger plot.

Character interactions

• Chen and CC trade teasing jokes before working together: Chen relies on CC to handle the bear-men while he finishes his meal.
• Chen confronts the surviving Russian, who shifts from insulting him to pleading for mercy and agreeing to pay.
• Chen and CC notice the Island Nation followers and agree, implicitly, to let them continue trailing them for now.

Significant themes

• Confidence and hidden strength: Chen and CC handle a seemingly dangerous attack with striking ease.
• Pride and prejudice: The Russians’ insult sparks the confrontation, and Chen insists they stop disrespecting people from Huaxia.
• Deception and looming danger: Wei’s secret call and the followers’ appearance foreshadow threats surrounding the upcoming summit.

Plot points and events

• Three men ambush Chen Hao in an alley and capture CC by pulling the spirit beast through a magical portal.
• Chen fights back, exposing the attackers’ clone technique and destroying their many duplicates. Their leader escapes after announcing that he is with the Yamata Society; Chen kills one attacker, while the other vanishes.
• Chen realizes the kidnappers are likely Island Nation ninjas. Though furious and worried about CC, he postpones retaliation until morning to rest.
• The next day, Chen asks Wei Wuqing about the Yamata Society, learns it is a major criminal and ninja organization, and heads directly to its mountain headquarters.
• At the summit, the organization’s president senses Chen’s arrival and orders Inoue Taichi—the man who captured CC—to deal with him.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Hao reacts fiercely to CC’s capture, demonstrating his combat strength and determination. He briefly reassures himself that CC can handle danger, but ultimately goes straight to the kidnappers’ base.
• CC eagerly charges into battle but is caught off guard by the portal; the chapter leaves CC’s fate unresolved.
• Inoue Taichi is revealed as CC’s captor and answers to the Yamata Society’s president. He accepts responsibility for confronting Chen.
• Wei Wuqing provides Chen with background on the organization, while the taxi driver offers a warning that Chen ignores.

Significant themes

• Loyalty and protectiveness: Chen’s anger and decision to pursue the kidnappers are driven by concern for CC.
• Escalation and retaliation: The ambush turns a brief encounter into a direct conflict between Chen and the Yamata Society.
• Confidence and danger: Chen’s belief in CC’s strength eases his anxiety, but CC’s capture shows that even a capable fighter can be vulnerable to surprise.

Plot points and events

• Chen Hao storms the Yamata Society’s mountain compound, effortlessly knocking aside its guards and demanding to know where his dog is.
• Inoue Taichi reveals he wants to keep the dog—a spirit beast—for himself. Chen Hao refuses and makes clear he is willing to fight.
• Inoue’s ninjas ambush Chen Hao with coordinated techniques: living leaves, snake-shaped attacks, earthen restraints, and a rain of spikes. Chen Hao’s Qi Armor blocks the initial assault, and the Golden Cudgel releases a Divine Dragon phantom that defeats four attackers.
• Inoue orders the remaining fighters to combine their earth-based techniques. They trap Chen Hao inside the powerful Earth Prison Technique and bombard him with earthen snakes.
• When the prison begins to threaten his defenses, Chen Hao activates the Giant Spirit Art, grows enormous, and bursts free. Inoue then commands his men to transform as well, setting up a clash between the enlarged fighters.
• The dragon’s roar also agitates the Seven-Colored Giant Snake inside the compound, drawing the attention of a white-robed elder who calmly soothes it.

Character developments

• Chen Hao is confident and formidable, but also observant: he recognizes the ninjas’ apparent reliance on earth power and considers what it might mean for his cultivation.
• Inoue Taichi shifts from smug confidence to alarm as Chen Hao defeats his forces and breaks the society’s strongest restraint technique. He remains defiant, ordering his men to transform and attack.
• The white-robed elder is shown as composed and familiar with the giant snake, though his assurances suggest he expects the confrontation to end soon.

Significant themes

• Power and self-reliance: Chen Hao rejects Inoue’s claim that the dog would be better off with him and defends what is his.
• Adaptation and escalation: Both sides respond to the other’s abilities by raising the scale of the fight, from ambushes to giant transformations.
• Cultivation and discovery: The ninjas’ earth techniques may offer Chen Hao clues toward obtaining earth elemental power, one of the elements he needs to reach the Core Formation Realm.

Character interactions

• Chen Hao and Inoue exchange taunts over the dog before their dispute becomes a direct fight.
• Chen Hao’s overwhelming attacks contrast with Inoue’s reliance on coordinated tactics and his followers’ ninjutsu.
• The white-robed elder comforts the agitated Seven-Colored Giant Snake, hinting at a connection between them and the compound’s larger events.

Chapter Summary: “A High Ninja Appeared”

Key plot points and events

• Chen Hao overwhelms Inoue Taichi’s ninjas in direct combat, shattering their sand-shaped bodies with his fists and Golden Cudgel.
• Inoue’s remaining men use the Quicksand Technique, trapping Chen Hao beneath the ground. He escapes in a powerful burst of light that blasts open a crater, unharmed.
• As Inoue is left terrified and unable to answer Chen Hao’s challenge, a white-robed elder arrives on a Seven-Colored Giant Snake. He identifies himself as Matsushita Tianyi, president of the Yamata Society and one of its four High Ninjas.
• Tianyi demands the return of his “dog,” but argues that Chen Hao’s killing of his men has made the matter much bigger. Chen Hao refuses to back down.
• Tianyi’s giant snake attacks. Chen Hao repels it with his cudgel and badly mangles its tail with his Divine Dragon Tail Whip.
• Tianyi summons venomous snakes from the forest and uses earth-element power to enlarge them, surrounding Chen Hao with thousands of giant snakes.
• Chen Hao counters by producing a vast number of clones, astonishing Tianyi and Inoue.

Character developments

• Chen Hao remains confident and resilient, surviving the quicksand trap and calmly facing both a High Ninja and an army of giant snakes. His ability to create so many clones reveals a skill that surprises even an expert ninja.
• Inoue Taichi shifts from confidence to fear after his strongest techniques fail to harm Chen Hao.
• Matsushita Tianyi enters as a composed, powerful authority figure, but Chen Hao’s strength and unexpected clone technique visibly surprise him.

Character interactions

• Chen Hao taunts Inoue after defeating his men, only to be caught in Inoue’s quicksand trap; he escapes and challenges Inoue again.
• Tianyi and Chen Hao exchange claims over the conflict: Tianyi demands his dog and objects to the deaths of his men, while Chen Hao insists he will see the fight through.
• Chen Hao and Tianyi test one another through their summons: Chen Hao damages Tianyi’s giant snake, and Tianyi responds by unleashing a mass of enlarged snakes.
• Inoue and Tianyi are both stunned by Chen Hao’s Clone Technique.

Significant themes

• Power and resilience: Chen Hao repeatedly survives techniques designed to overwhelm or kill him.
• Escalation and retaliation: A dispute over a dog and the defeat of Inoue’s men grows into a broader confrontation with the Yamata Society.
• Appearance versus ability: The ninjas’ imposing sand forms prove ineffective, while Chen Hao’s strength exceeds their expectations.
• Cultural contrast: Tianyi frames Chen Hao as a Huaxia Qi Refiner, setting up a contrast between Chinese cultivation and Japanese ninjutsu.

Plot points and events

• Chen Hao and Matsushita Tianyi turn their fight into a contest of clone numbers. Chen’s clones surpass a hundred, prompting Matsushita to push himself beyond his limits despite Inoue Taichi’s warning.
• Matsushita collapses and dies after exhausting his essence source; his clones and summoned snakes vanish. Chen insists he did not kill him—the ninja died from his own overexertion.
• Inoue initially threatens Chen, then immediately surrenders and begs for his life. He returns Chen’s dog, CC, who turns out to have been more interested in food than distressed captivity.
• Chen interrogates Inoue, learning that Yamata Society’s Ninjutsu is tied to earth elemental power. Matsushita was only the weakest of the Four Great Jōnin; the strongest, Harano Fujiyama, is expected at the Island Nation Summit.
• Inoue reveals the summit’s real purpose: the Island Nation is using a purported T-Virus vaccine to lure talented people and bring them under its control. The serum has shown limited effects but cannot truly suppress the virus.
• Chen spares Inoue but punishes him with Samadhi true fire. He leaves with CC, intending to attend the summit to expose the conspiracy.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Hao shows confidence and ingenuity in the clone contest, then shifts from combat to questioning. Though enraged by the deception, he ultimately restrains himself from killing Inoue and chooses to act against the plot.
• Matsushita Tianyi is proud and easily provoked. Chen’s taunts drive him to overreach, and his determination to prove himself contributes to his fatal collapse.
• Inoue Taichi moves from anger and bravado to abject fear and cooperation. He gives up information to save himself.
• CC reunites with Chen, comically claiming to have suffered while still having grease on his mouth and resisting leaving his food.

Significant themes

• Pride and self-destruction: Matsushita’s need to outdo Chen leads him to ignore warnings and exhaust himself.
• Deception and exploitation: The summit’s vaccine promise is a lure designed to manipulate desperate people during the apocalypse.
• Mercy and accountability: Chen spares Inoue’s life but ensures he faces punishment.
• Comic contrast: CC’s dramatic complaints undercut the danger and tension of the confrontation.

Plot points and events

• Chen Hao arrives at the Island Nation Summit with Wei Wuqing, disgusted by the venue’s propaganda celebrating the Island Nation’s technology.
• He recognizes the Russians he previously fought. Their composed leader prevents them from starting a confrontation, reminding them to focus on the summit.
• The organizers demonstrate their T-Virus vaccine by injecting an infected subject, which immediately becomes calm and convinces the audience that the vaccine works.
• While the crowd watches, a colorless, odorless toxin is released through the ventilation system. Chen Hao is immune but pretends to collapse; he tells CC to do the same.
• With the attendees unconscious, the host orders workers in protective suits to inject them with snake-gene toxin, intending to turn them into permanent puppets.
• Chen Hao spots Wei Wuqing among the conspirators. Wei approaches to inject him, but Chen Hao reveals he is awake and knocks Wei and his companions down with spiritual energy.
• Wei’s apparent betrayal becomes a fight: he dodges Chen Hao’s attack, reveals himself as a ninja, and summons other ninjas.
• Harano Fujiyama emerges with a huge black snake and confirms his identity. Chen Hao confronts him, accusing him of deceiving the world and threatening to kill him.

Character developments

• Chen Hao stays alert and resourceful, feigning unconsciousness to expose the plot and protect his position. Once discovered, he shifts immediately to open confrontation.
• Wei Wuqing is revealed as a turncoat working for the Island Nation, though he tries to dismiss the betrayal as a misunderstanding. His ninja disguise and agility show that he has concealed his abilities.
• The Island Nation’s host is exposed as a calculating villain: the vaccine demonstration is a distraction for a plan to poison and control the delegates.
• Harano Fujiyama appears as the apparent mastermind, confident enough to face Chen Hao directly.
• CC follows Chen Hao’s instructions and pretends to collapse.

Significant themes

• Deception and propaganda: The impressive summit and vaccine demonstration conceal a sinister plan.
• Betrayal and loyalty: Wei’s defection highlights how political allegiance can fail under pressure.
• Control and exploitation: The plot to make delegates “puppets” turns scientific claims into instruments of domination.
• Vigilance and resistance: Chen Hao’s caution and immunity let him uncover and challenge the conspiracy.

Character interactions

• The Russian leader restrains his angry subordinate, keeping the earlier feud from erupting at the summit.
• Chen Hao quietly coaches CC to fake unconsciousness.
• Wei mocks the seemingly helpless Chen Hao, then unsuccessfully tries to inject him; Chen Hao confronts him over betraying Huaxia.
• Chen Hao and Harano exchange threats as the chapter ends, setting up their confrontation.

Plot points and events

• More than a hundred ninjas attack Chen Hao, but he drives them back with three powerful techniques. Wei Wuqing is injured by the force of the assault.
• Harano Fujiyama transforms alongside the Black-Scaled Serpent, revealing Yamata no Orochi’s enormous eight-headed, eight-tailed true form.
• Chen Hao opens his Heavenly Eye and uses Crimson Glow to burn the serpent badly. Harano blocks the attack with earth walls, but the light destroys them; he retreats into the serpent to survive.
• Harano reveals that Yamata no Orochi has eight lives. Its wounds begin healing, and its remaining heads launch earth-element attacks at Chen Hao.
• Chen Hao counters with the Landmine Lightning Sphere. The blast devastates the arena and scatters Yamata no Orochi’s body into sand and earth. He notices a small crystal that may be the earth spirit source, while Harano reforms around it.
• Rather than fight through the serpent’s lives one by one, Chen Hao hurls the Golden Cudgel into Harano. He then ignites the staff with samadhi true fire, engulfing Harano and Yamata no Orochi in flames.

Character development and interactions

• Chen Hao remains confident and resourceful despite Harano’s transformation and apparent ability to regenerate. He adapts his tactics, shifting from powerful direct attacks to exploiting Harano’s incomplete recovery.
• Harano begins the fight intent on securing victory for his nation, but Chen Hao’s claimed destruction of the Werewolf and Vampire Clans visibly shocks him. He then relies on Yamata no Orochi’s durability and multiple lives, only to be caught off guard by the Golden Cudgel’s hidden fire.
• Chen Hao and Harano trade taunts throughout the battle, each dismissing the other’s power. Their exchange highlights Chen Hao’s confidence and Harano’s growing alarm.

Significant themes

• Power and adaptation: Each fighter escalates their abilities, and Chen Hao changes strategy when brute force is not enough.
• Myth made real: Yamata no Orochi’s legendary form and eight lives prove to be genuine.
• Limits of regeneration: Harano and the serpent can recover from immense damage, but Chen Hao seeks a way to overcome that advantage rather than accept a prolonged fight.
• Destruction and collateral damage: The battle’s escalating attacks wreck the arena and endanger spectators.

Key plot points and events

• Harano Fujiyama begs Chen Hao to spare him, offering the Yamata Society and the Earth Soul. Chen Hao keeps him trapped in Samadhi True Fire, questioning him about the Earth Soul and the antidote for the snake venom.
• Harano’s successive lives burn away. Chen Hao condemns him for endangering the world, and Harano dies threatening that the Yamata Society will pursue Chen Hao.
• Chen Hao absorbs the Earth Soul, strengthening his spiritual power. CC stops fleeing Yamata Society members, and Chen forces them to provide the antidote, saving the poisoned crowd.
• Chen reveals that the Island Nation fabricated the T-Virus vaccine story and that a worldwide outbreak is inevitable. The crowd reacts with anger and calls for retaliation.
• Chen asks for information about a metal-type spirit source. A Russian leader agrees to provide it in exchange for a secure shelter for Russia; Chen accepts and plans to travel there after returning to China.
• On the flight home, Chen learns from Supreme Lord Lao that the Sky Curtain magic array’s coverage can expand without limit, provided there are enough spirit stones to power its nodes. He realizes it may protect all of Huaxia.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Hao shows resolve and pragmatism: he refuses to bargain with Harano, secures the antidote, and prioritizes preparing for the global crisis. He also uses the promise of a shelter to negotiate for the metal source.
• Harano Fujiyama shifts from confident bargaining to desperation and rage, but never earns Chen’s mercy.
• CC remains loyal and protective, intercepting the escaping Yamata Society members; it also attacks Wei Wuqing when he tries to flee.
• The Russian leader initially guards his country’s secret but accepts Chen’s offer after recognizing its value.
• The crowd moves from gratitude for Chen’s rescue to outrage at the Island Nation’s plot.

Significant themes

• Accountability and justice: Harano’s willingness to risk humanity’s lives makes his death inevitable in Chen’s eyes.
• Cooperation amid crisis: Chen’s rescue and negotiations show that survival depends on people and nations sharing resources and working together.
• Preparation and hope: The expanding Sky Curtain offers a possible defense against the coming catastrophe, though it depends on sufficient resources.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Hao returns to China and learns that the nuclear strike on Zhonghai City has made the T-Virus outbreak worse: radiation mutated the Infected into stronger creatures, which are spreading into neighboring regions.
• He reports the Island Nation’s vaccine deception to Commander Chu Jinliang, who angrily condemns its leaders. They turn their attention to the Sky Curtain Plan; China’s spirit-stone collection is nearly complete.
• Reviewing the outbreak map, Chen Hao and Chu choose Yunjiang Province for the Sky Curtain because central China is currently safer and Nine Blades can help deploy it.
• Chen Hao then insists on flying to virus-ravaged Russia, though Chu questions the risk.
• During the flight, Chen Hao asks the Heavenly Court Chat Group how to save a world overwhelmed by monsters. After Red Boy proposes destroying it, Supreme Lord Lao explains that reshaping it would require the complete power of the five elements, a golden core, and a heavenly tribulation.
• Since Chen Hao is going to Russia to find the metal-type spirit source he lacks, this knowledge may fit his plan. He enters Russian airspace, jumps from the plane, and is immediately surrounded by strange flying creatures.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Hao remains focused under pressure, steering the discussion from outrage over the Island Nation to the urgent Sky Curtain Plan. His decision to enter Russia shows his resolve and willingness to take extreme risks. The prospect of reshaping the world gives his mission a new possible purpose.
• Chu Jinliang reacts furiously to the vaccine deception but quickly returns to practical crisis management, approving Yunjiang as the Sky Curtain site.
• Qiao Shan supports Chen Hao by briefing him on the crisis, arranging transport, and helping move the plan forward.
• In the chat group, Sun Wukong boasts of being able to eliminate the monsters, while Red Boy suggests destroying the world. Supreme Lord Lao offers the serious alternative of reshaping it; Tang Sanzang interrupts with comic, impractical advice about winning monsters over with love.

Significant themes

• Escalating catastrophe: Attempts to contain the epidemic can backfire, as the nuclear strike strengthens the Infected.
• Cooperation and strategy: The Sky Curtain depends on national resources and local allies, with Yunjiang chosen for both safety and support.
• Destruction versus renewal: Chen Hao rejects simply destroying the world and considers whether it can be remade.
• Resolve amid danger: His journey to Russia underscores the personal risks required to pursue a possible solution.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Hao descends into an area swarming with flying infected creatures. He kills them with lightning, then defeats a wave of mutated monsters using dozens of clones armed with Golden Cudgels.
• Russian soldiers witness his strength. Their officer, wary after losing most of his unit to infected creatures, hesitates to help—but Chen Hao handles the attackers alone and emerges unharmed.
• Chen Hao asks to see Commander Vasily, whom he previously met in the Island Nation. The soldiers take him to Vasily’s concealed mountain base.
• Chen Hao reveals that he has come for the metal-type spirit source. Vasily shows him a map of the source, located above a river of magma, and explains that a powerful three-headed, six-winged, golden-scaled creature now guards it.
• Chen Hao offers to kill the creature in exchange for the spirit source. Vasily agrees, asking in return for access to Chen Hao’s promised safe shelter.
• Vasily takes Chen Hao to meet the Bear Clan’s chief, whose surprised reaction—“He’s the one?”—ends the chapter.

Character developments

• Chen Hao displays overwhelming confidence and power, defeating a large group of infected without injury. He is direct in stating what he wants and negotiates on clear terms.
• Vasily remains practical and cooperative. He values the spirit source as part of his people’s heritage but is willing to trade it for protection.
• The Russian officer and soldiers shift from caution to astonishment after witnessing Chen Hao’s ability.
• The Bear Clan chief is introduced as skeptical or surprised by Chen Hao, setting up a possible challenge to the proposed deal.

Significant themes

• Power and survival: Extreme strength can mean the difference between life and death in the infected world.
• Negotiation and mutual need: Chen Hao can retrieve the spirit source, while the Bear Clan wants the safety of his shelter.
• Tradition versus necessity: The spirit source is a sacred relic to the Bear Clan, yet their inability to protect it makes a bargain necessary.

Character interactions

• Chen Hao’s effortless victory impresses the Russian soldiers and earns him access to Vasily.
• Chen Hao and Vasily negotiate a trade: the spirit source for Chen Hao’s help against its guardian, with shelter promised in return.
• Vasily introduces Chen Hao to the Bear Clan chief, who appears uncertain that Chen Hao is capable of fulfilling the deal.

Plot points and events

• Vasily introduces Chen Hao, leader of Huaxia’s Heavenly Gate, to Gergen, chief of the Russian Bearfolk. Gergen doubts Chen Hao’s strength based on his slight build and young appearance.
• Gergen summons Rafim, the Bear Clan’s strongest warrior, to test whether Chen Hao is worthy of negotiating. Chen Hao initially walks away, then calls Rafim out, drawing the base’s soldiers to watch.
• Rafim attacks with a spiritual-energy punch, but Chen Hao stands unharmed. A powerful force then throws Rafim aside when he tries another strike.
• Rafim transforms into a gigantic bear and charges, apparently pinning Chen Hao. The crowd celebrates until Rafim goes still, then collapses unconscious, revealing Chen Hao standing with one hand raised.
• Chen Hao approaches Gergen and asks whether they can now discuss business.

Character developments

• Chen Hao remains calm and confident despite being underestimated, proving his strength without visible effort. His apparent retreat is a deliberate turn into a direct challenge.
• Gergen begins skeptical and self-assured, confident Rafim can win, but is left impressed and unsettled by Chen Hao’s effortless victory.
• Rafim moves from contemptuous confidence to disbelief and pain as Chen Hao defeats him—even after his bear transformation.
• Vasily worries about the test but is vindicated in his confidence in Chen Hao.

Character interactions

• Gergen challenges Chen Hao’s legitimacy by making him face Rafim; Chen Hao answers the test with a public display of strength.
• Rafim repeatedly insults and attacks Chen Hao, while Chen Hao responds with taunts and overwhelming control.
• The soldiers first mock Chen Hao and cheer Rafim, then fall silent when their champion is defeated.
• Vasily points out to Gergen that they underestimated Chen Hao, who then returns the focus to negotiations.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus reality: Chen Hao’s slight build disguises exceptional power.
• Respect must be earned: Gergen’s authority is challenged by his insistence on judging Chen Hao through combat.
• Overconfidence and reversal: Rafim and the crowd assume size and reputation guarantee victory, only to be proven wrong.
• Composure as strength: Chen Hao’s calm contrasts with Rafim’s escalating aggression.

Plot points and events

• Chen Hao agrees to kill the mutated creature guarding the Metal-Type Spirit Source in exchange for the source and a safe shelter for Gergen’s people.
• As Chen Hao enters the cavern, Vasily tells Gergen that he is completely confident in Chen Hao, citing Chen Hao’s victories over Yamata no Orochi and America’s Vampire and Werewolf Clans.
• Chen Hao reaches a lava-filled chamber and finds the Spirit Source guarded by a huge, six-winged golden beast.
• He sends the Stone Statue Ghoul to attack. The Ghoul withstands the lava and lands a powerful blow, but the beast counters forcefully.
• Chen Hao tries to seize the source himself. When the beast attacks, he uses his Heavenly Eye’s Crimson Glow to badly injure it, but the technique drains much of his Spiritual Energy.
• The apparently defeated beast revives, and lava engulfs both Chen Hao and the Spirit Source. Chen Hao is injured as his Qi Armor breaks.
• The Spirit Source is carried by the lava into the beast’s mouth. Chen Hao summons the Stone Statue Ghoul for a renewed assault, and the beast—restored and strengthened after swallowing the source—collides with the Ghoul in a clash that shakes the cavern.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Hao is direct and self-assured, negotiating his reward before entering the danger. His confidence is tested when the beast survives his strongest attack and injures him.
• Vasily’s unwavering confidence in Chen Hao astonishes Gergen; the revelation of Chen Hao’s past victories changes Gergen’s understanding of his capabilities.
• Chen Hao and the Stone Statue Ghoul fight as a coordinated team, with Chen Hao directing the Ghoul through their mental link. Their battle remains unresolved at the chapter’s end.
• Gergen’s people remain wary of the cavern’s danger, while Chen Hao takes the risk on their behalf in exchange for shelter.

Significant themes

• Power and reputation: Chen Hao’s prior feats inspire confidence, but the golden beast proves that past victories do not guarantee an easy win.
• Risk and reward: Chen Hao’s bargain ties a dangerous mission to both a valuable prize and the survivors’ safety.
• Persistence and reversal: The beast appears defeated, only to recover by consuming the Spirit Source, turning victory into a new crisis.

Plot points and events

• The cavern trembles as Chen Hao’s battle with the golden beast escalates. On the surface, Gergen and Vasily decide not to enter, recognizing they would be powerless in a fight of this scale.
• The golden beast, strengthened by the metal-type spirit source, repeatedly overpowers the Stone Statue Ghoul and turns on Chen Hao.
• Chen Hao strikes with his staff, then uses Samadhi true fire, exploiting fire’s advantage over metal. The flames badly burn the beast, but it feigns defeat and lands a devastating punch, leaving Chen Hao badly injured.
• As the beast presses its attack, Chen Hao survives with Holy Light Protection and calls for the Stone Statue Ghoul’s underworld fire. He combines the white underworld fire with his own red Samadhi true fire.
• The two fires ravage the golden beast and destabilize the cavern. Chen Hao retreats into the Crescent Pendant, while the burning beast’s final convulsions trigger a catastrophe.
• Gergen orders a retreat. A fissure erupts with magma, swallowing the area as the mountain collapses inward; the group escapes because they withdrew in time.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Hao shows resourcefulness and resolve, using the five-elements principle to counter the metal-enhanced beast. His confidence briefly turns to danger when he approaches too soon, but he adapts by surviving the counterattack and combining two kinds of fire.
• The golden beast is immensely powerful and cunning, striking Chen Hao even while apparently defeated. Though consumed by flames, it remains dangerous to the end.
• The Stone Statue Ghoul cannot defeat the beast alone, but its underworld fire becomes crucial when paired with Chen Hao’s Samadhi true fire.
• Gergen and Vasily recognize their limitations, and Gergen protects the group by ordering a timely retreat.

Significant themes

• Ingenuity against overwhelming strength: Chen Hao wins ground by identifying and exploiting the beast’s elemental weakness.
• The danger of overconfidence: Approaching the seemingly defeated beast nearly costs Chen Hao his life.
• Cooperation and complementary strengths: The combination of Chen Hao’s heavenly fire and the Ghoul’s underworld fire proves more powerful than either alone.
• Survival through judgment: Gergen’s decision to retreat saves his people from the collapsing, magma-filled mountain.

Plot points and events

• After the golden beast and its mountain disappear, Chen Hao emerges unharmed. He tells Vasily that he has dealt with the beast and promises the Bear Clan will receive what he was promised in ten days.
• Gergen challenges Chen Hao over the Metal-Type Spirit Source, a sacred Bear Clan treasure. Chen Hao refuses to explain whether he obtained it and warns Gergen not to try to reclaim it. Gergen suppresses his anger, hoping Chen Hao will honor his promise to help the clan.
• On the flight home, Chen Hao absorbs the Metal-Type Spirit Source, gaining immense power. With only wood and fire powers left to acquire, he anticipates forming his core and facing a potentially world-destroying Heavenly Tribulation.
• Chen Hao considers how to absorb Samadhi True Fire, but Red Boy insists that even immortals cannot touch it safely. Chen Hao turns instead to the less dangerous Underworld Fire.
• Back in China, Chen Hao learns that Commander Chu has moved his family and others to Yunjiang Province. There, Huaxia has built a fortified base and deployed huge Electromagnetic Defense Cannons powered by Chen Hao’s Electric Crystals.
• Chu shows Chen Hao a chamber stocked with jade. Chen Hao says there is enough for now but orders the collection to continue, even if China must buy jade abroad.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Hao grows stronger by absorbing the Metal-Type Spirit Source, while shifting his focus toward obtaining the remaining elemental powers. He is decisive with Gergen but also honors his commitments.
• Gergen reveals how deeply he resents losing his clan’s sacred treasure, yet restrains himself because Chen Hao is far stronger and the Bear Clan depends on him.
• Chu Jinliang proudly shows Chen Hao the preparations, then agrees to keep gathering jade despite anticipating public criticism over the effort.
• Red Boy bluntly rejects Chen Hao’s hope of safely handling Samadhi True Fire, reinforcing the danger of Chen Hao’s next challenge.

Significant themes

• Power and sacrifice: Chen Hao’s growing strength comes with escalating risks, including the approaching Heavenly Tribulation.
• Trust and obligation: Gergen must trust Chen Hao to keep his promise despite the loss of the Bear Clan’s treasure.
• Preparation amid crisis: China mobilizes its people, technology, and resources against the looming threat, even when the reasons for some preparations—especially the jade collection—are not widely understood.

Plot points and events

• Chen Hao learns that the T-Virus is spreading faster than expected, with Infected already appearing in provinces near Yunjiang. Chu Jinliang says the defenses—including early-deployed Electromagnetic Cannons and gathered Qi Refiners—should withstand the initial waves.
• Chen Hao leaves Chu in charge of the defenses and briefly checks in with Qin Yumo, who is collecting jade in Guanglan Province.
• He travels to Nine Blades to seek wood grain power, which he needs before the heavenly tribulation expected after the Sky Curtain activates.
• The Saintess explains that she cannot grant him the power: even the Saintesses have only been recognized by it, and their sacred imprint is merely a trace. Ancient records offer little guidance on how to earn its recognition.
• Chen Hao asks her to teach him to draw wood grain patterns and spends five days practicing almost without rest. Despite hundreds of attempts, he cannot complete a single pattern.
• Meanwhile, the epidemic spreads across Huaxia. Chu Jinliang orders the perimeter troops to stop the first wave, expected to arrive that night, and worries that the world’s survival depends on Chen Hao.
• The chapter ends with Chen Hao frustrated by his lack of progress and the dwindling time.

Character development and interactions

• Chen Hao remains determined and confident, insisting that he can master a skill others consider impossible. His urgency grows as the outbreak worsens and his practice fails.
• The Saintess is candid about the limits of her knowledge but agrees to teach him. She encourages him after seeing his effort, while remaining realistic about his progress.
• Xiang Wencun greets Chen Hao affectionately and stands watch outside the practice area throughout his training.
• Chu Jinliang takes responsibility for the defense and shows concern for Chen Hao’s mission. Qiao Shan relays and carries out the order to defend the perimeter.
• Qin Yumo reassures Chen Hao that she is safe and plans to return to Yunjiang.

Significant themes

• Urgency and sacrifice: Chen Hao pushes himself through exhausting training as the crisis accelerates.
• Limits of knowledge and power: Even the Saintesses cannot explain how wood grain power truly works or how to gain its recognition.
• Hope under pressure: The defenders prepare for the coming attack while placing their hopes in Chen Hao’s uncertain breakthrough.

Plot points and events

• A soldier spots a huge horde of Infected approaching the defensive perimeter and reports that it will reach Zone One in ten minutes.
• Before the troops can withdraw, a vast swarm of blood-eyed, crow-like Flying Creatures appears overhead. Searchlights reveal the attackers—and expose the soldiers’ positions—so the troops open fire and destroy the swarm.
• The ground horde then charges. Mines and explosives tear through its first ranks, but more Infected keep advancing, forcing the defenders into a sustained barrage.
• A towering, crocodile-skinned Infected shrugs off ordinary missiles and appears to direct the horde. The officer orders the secret electromagnetic cannon fired; its blast devastates the battlefield and hurls the giant away.
• Believing the battle won, the soldiers celebrate. But the giant survives and suddenly charges the defenders, rolling into a destructive ball. The chapter ends amid renewed gunfire, explosions, and soldiers’ screams.

Character developments and interactions

• The soldiers move from alarm to confidence as they repel the airborne attack, then face renewed fear when the ground assault and giant Infected overwhelm their expectations.
• The officer remains decisive, ordering the troops to watch the skies, redirecting attention to the ground, and deploying the electromagnetic cannon. His brief relief turns to alarm when the giant returns.
• The artillery operator voices the troops’ shock at the giant’s apparent resistance to conventional weapons. The defenders’ celebrations underscore how quickly their confidence proves premature.

Significant themes

• False security: apparent victory quickly gives way to a more dangerous attack.
• Escalation and overwhelming odds: the threats arrive in successive waves, testing the limits of human defenses.
• Technology versus resilience: even a powerful secret weapon cannot guarantee the enemy is defeated.
• The cost of war: the final assault leaves the soldiers exposed to destruction and loss.

• The frontline falls: More than 100 kilometers from the battle, Commander Chu Jinliang learns from Qiao Shan that the soldiers defending the outer perimeter have all been killed. Their sacrifice bought time for the last Chinese refuge, but the infected are arriving at least three days earlier than expected. Chu orders the remaining troops to prepare and hopes Chen Hao will reach them in time.
• The air assault: At sunrise, a huge infected flock approaches. The refuge’s powerful artillery wipes out most of it, but an enormous red bird survives conventional fire, destroys an antiaircraft gun, and sends a gale across the battlefield with its wings. Two electromagnetic cannons finally knock it down. When it moves again, a renewed barrage kills it.
• The ground horde: Before the troops can celebrate, a vast land-based horde appears. Aircraft bomb the infected until the terrain is engulfed in fire. Yet three enormous creatures emerge from the flames: a tumor-covered lizard-like monster, a gigantic wolf, and the crocodile creature that previously broke through the frontline.
• Character developments and interactions: Chu’s grief over his fallen soldiers briefly threatens to overwhelm him, but Qiao Shan steadies him and reminds him that they chose to sacrifice themselves to protect the refuge. Chu regains his composure and focuses on the approaching danger. On the battlefield, officers and troops respond to each new threat with urgent orders, shifting from confidence in their firepower to alarm as the mutations prove increasingly formidable.
• Themes: The chapter emphasizes sacrifice, duty, and the strain of leadership under overwhelming loss. It also highlights the escalating danger of the T-Virus: radiation from nuclear weapons appears to have produced even stronger mutations, making humanity’s attempts to defend itself potentially part of the problem.