Chapter Summaries

Hulun was taken to a city and condemned as a heretic, while Heno and Brantai tried to intervene. As Hulun died at the stake, he released items from his vest into the surrounding world, and Qin Xiaoxia sensed a newly discovered Otherworld.

• Eight wilderness explorers brought the captured Hulun toward a city, but church officials arrested them and claimed Hulun was a heretic.
• Heno learned of the arrest and went with Brantai to the cathedral square, where Hulun was bound to a stake and the explorers were held prisoner.
• A Divine Official refused Heno’s appeal and ordered Hulun burned, despite Hulun’s pleas and protests.
• Hulun broke a chain with a burst of magic and extinguished the flames, but the guards restrained him and set the fire again.
• As he burned, Hulun burst a pocket of his Little Vest, scattering seven or eight glowing objects before he died.
• At Dawn Association Headquarters, Qin Xiaoxia sensed an unfamiliar presence and realized someone had found an undiscovered Otherworld.

After Akeniksen was burned, the Church searched for the crystal ornaments that had flown from the execution square and claimed the ones it found. Heno secretly kept one pendant, and the old city lord gave it to Brantai to hide.

• White-armored guards traced a projectile to a hole in a wall and discovered that someone had removed the object lodged there.
• Heno stopped a guard carrying a crystal pendant and inspected it while Brantai watched.
• Heno told Brantai that the Church's clergy were blaspheming by taking the treasures, then warned him to keep their criticism secret.
• The Church released the eight explorers but prepared a notice demanding that anyone who found a blasphemous object hand it over.
• At dinner, Heno showed the pendant to the old city lord, who gave it to Brantai and told him to hide it from the Church.

Qin Xiaoxia projected his consciousness into a new world and discovered that an Akeniksen had been captured and burned by followers of the Church of the God of Light. He learned more about the world by eavesdropping on a merchant caravan, then appeared in a noble household in Nolan City and decided to investigate cautiously.

• Qin Xiaoxia used an Accessory Call to project his thoughtform into a new world, where he found several Crystal Ornaments beside a sleeping creature.
• Qin Xiaoxia explored a palace-like religious complex and found a notice depicting an Akeniksen burned at the stake beside a Crystal Ornament.
• Qin Xiaoxia vowed to bring down the religion, then appeared near a caravan and overheard its boss and guards discuss smuggling, the church, and the Crystal Ornament taken from the executed Akeniksen.
• Qin Xiaoxia learned that the merchant had bought the accessory from a man in Nolan City and that the Akeniksen had reportedly resisted capture before being burned.
• Qin Xiaoxia projected his thoughtform into a room in Nolan City's central castle, watched Brantai practice swordsmanship, and wondered whether the Supreme God of Light might truly exist.

Qin Xiaoxia investigated whether faith could sustain gods, then projected his consciousness into the other world and followed Brantai’s convoy. When the Holy Knight Layt Solo killed two supposed criminals at the camp, Qin Xiaoxia sensed a strange energy resonance and realized the world was not simply without magic.

• Qin Xiaoxia discussed the possibility of faith-powered gods with Jilian and the Red Banshee, who suggested that creatures might have innate abilities to draw on worship.
• Qin Xiaoxia returned to observing Brantai and appeared in the young noble’s carriage as his convoy traveled through the wilderness.
• Brantai’s convoy made camp, where two injured men claimed bandits had attacked them and Brantai ordered that they be helped.
• After one man began explaining the attack, a short sword struck his head, and the other panicked as soldiers prepared for an assault.
• Layt Solo, a Holy Knight known as the Hand of Retribution, killed the surviving man and left after warning Brantai to better judge right from wrong.
• Qin Xiaoxia followed Layt Solo and sensed a brief, powerful energy resonance within him before the knight rode away.

Qin Xiaoxia learned about the Awakened during Brantai’s journey to the imperial capital, where Brantai presented tribute to the emperor. After Brantai left a private audience, the emperor seemed to sense Qin Xiaoxia’s Thoughtform, leaving Qin Xiaoxia wondering how the old man had detected him.

• Brantai’s guard captain explained that the holy knight who had intervened was the Hand of Retribution, and Brantai read about Awakened while Qin Xiaoxia listened.
• During the journey, Qin Xiaoxia gathered information about the world’s settlements, culture, and technology as Brantai’s party traveled toward the imperial capital.
• Brantai arrived at the imperial capital with a convoy of tribute and entered the palace to present it to the emperor.
• The emperor welcomed Brantai, invited him to a state banquet, and quietly asked whether his faith was devout before Brantai withdrew.
• Qin Xiaoxia stayed behind and watched the emperor, who waved through the air as if sensing the Thoughtform; Qin Xiaoxia wondered how he had detected him.

Brantai attended a party hosted by the second prince, where a strange encounter with Nicole hinted at a deeper purpose behind the gathering. The emperor revealed that he had summoned the young nobles to confront a powerful threat within the empire and prevent it from becoming like the Holy Kingdom of Light.

• Brantai accepted the second prince’s invitation to a gathering for young nobles, though he suspected it had a hidden purpose.
• At the party, Nicole approached Brantai, left her religious pendant on the table, and retrieved it after he tossed it back to her.
• After the ball, an attendant led Brantai to a study, where the second prince and seven other young nobles were waiting.
• The emperor entered the study, asked whether the nobles were devout, and said their families had sent them to deliver tribute for a reason.
• The emperor declared that a great cancer threatened the empire and that he would not let Qinggelie become another Holy Kingdom of Light.

The emperor’s plan to challenge the Church took shape in Nolan City, where Brantai’s family secretly prepared its forces. Heno tricked the bishop into sending the Demon Hunter Legion out of the city, and the combined troops marched toward a supposed rescue mission.

• Brantai returned to Nolan territory with the emperor’s secret orders and Imperial Token, prompting Lord Nolan to begin preparations against the Church.
• The Nolan Family removed devout soldiers from the city army and secretly added two thousand veteran scouts to its forces.
• A fabricated report about brigands drew five thousand soldiers of the 15th Imperial Army Corps out of Kaibin City toward Nolan City.
• Heno persuaded the bishop to send the Demon Hunter Legion out with Nolan City’s Red Leaf Army, claiming they needed to rescue the imperial troops.
• Heno led the assembled forces toward the supposed emergency while Qin Xiaoxia’s Thoughtform watched unseen.

Heno helped lead the slaughter of the Church of the God of Light’s forces across the Qinggelie Empire, and the emperor used evidence of the church’s conspiracy to justify stripping it of its armed power. Half a month later, the emperor examined mysterious crystal accessories and heard an inexplicable sigh in his study.

• Heno shot the Demon Hunter Legion’s fighters from the rift wall as the Empire Army and Red Leaf Army wiped out all four thousand legion members.
• Heno killed Nolan City’s bishop and the Divine Officials while soldiers purged the city’s church and the Demon Hunter Legion’s barracks.
• The Qinggelie Empire massacred the Church of the God of Light’s four major legions and publicly accused the church of conspiring with the eldest prince to overthrow the emperor.
• The emperor enacted laws banning the church from stationing troops or appointing bishops and archbishops, while allowing ordinary religious activities to continue.
• The emperor opened a box of seven crystal accessories sent by the old lord of Nolan and read a letter describing a curse from a being beyond the heavens.
• The emperor heard an unexplained sigh in his study, dismissed his attendants, and then heard it again beside him.

Qin Xiaoxia appeared before Emperor Wogevde and offered him a chance to extend his life and gain power in exchange for a price. Wogevde accepted, hoping the bargain would let him live long enough to change the world.

• Qin Xiaoxia spoke to Wogevde from beyond mortal sight, and Wogevde wondered whether the voice belonged to the Supreme God.
• Qin Xiaoxia revealed his thoughtform, which the emperor’s attendant could not see, while the attendant delivered news that western nobles had eliminated the Church’s armed forces.
• Qin Xiaoxia told Wogevde that mortals could live far longer and even ascend beyond their limits, then asked whether he wanted to keep living.
• Qin Xiaoxia connected his offer to Akeniksen’s dying curse and promised that gaining life and power might help change the world.
• Wogevde readily accepted the offer and asked Qin Xiaoxia what he had to do.

Qin Xiaoxia gave Wogevde a ritual to extend his life and warned him that altering his fate could bring resistance from the world. After Wogevde ordered his court to keep the encounter secret, Qin Xiaoxia returned to Dawn Association headquarters and prepared to rely on other candidates if the Qinggelie Empire’s ritual failed.

• Qin Xiaoxia warned Wogevde that changing his lifespan could alter the Qinggelie Empire’s fate and provoke disasters, then showed him the ritual and its materials.
• Wogevde recalled the ritual’s words and images, frightening the guards and attendants in his study.
• Wogevde ordered everyone to keep what they had seen and heard secret, threatened them with death, and called for Sendeke.
• Qin Xiaoxia returned to Dawn Association headquarters and considered Brantai, a merchant, and a Holy Knight as backup candidates.
• Qin Xiaoxia declared that the Otherworld would belong to them.

Wogevde ordered Sendeke to organize an unusual ceremony, while Holy Knight Laiyite Suoluo crossed the Qinggelie Empire and witnessed people celebrating the Church’s loss of power. As Laiyite left a tavern, Qin Xiaoxia encountered him again and judged his character favorably.

• Wogevde told Sendeke to delegate his other duties and organize a ceremony framed as an offering to the Supreme God.
• Sendeke accepted the order and immediately began work on the ceremony.
• Merchants celebrated the Church’s reduced power in a tavern in western Qinggelie.
• Laiyite Suoluo entered the tavern, bought food and supplies, and explained that he was leaving the empire.
• After seeing how people welcomed the Church’s fall, Laiyite questioned whether the Church had become corrupt, and Qin Xiaoxia encountered him again.

Laiyite Suoluo left the city and heard a travelers’ camp being attacked by robbers. After killing six robbers who were threatening two women, he was unnerved when their corpses spoke to him about the Church and his sense of justice, while the remaining robbers began shouting from the camp.

• Laiyite Suoluo left the city at night after the gate soldiers recognized him as a Holy Knight.
• Laiyite heard sounds in the wilderness and rode toward a travelers’ camp under attack by robbers.
• Laiyite killed six robbers who had chased two women, then told the women to hide nearby.
• Several of the dead robbers’ bodies spoke to Laiyite, questioning the Church and urging him to keep faith with the justice in his heart.
• Laiyite watched the bodies warily until the remaining robbers began shouting from the camp.

Leit killed the bandits who had attacked the travelers, then escorted two surviving women toward the nearby city. After Leit left, Qin Xiaoxia found a wounded bandit who had survived by playing dead and offered him a deal to keep his soul from falling into Hell.

• Leit hurled spears at the bandits looting the camp, then charged in and killed all twenty-three remaining bandits.
• Leit escorted the two rescued women toward the city and left them before its gates so he would not be seen.
• Qin Xiaoxia discovered that one bandit had survived because his heart was on the left side of his chest and he had fooled Leit by playing dead.
• The wounded bandit struggled to reach a camel horse but could not stand because of his injuries.
• Qin Xiaoxia appeared as a towering black-robed figure and offered the bandit a deal that would keep his soul from falling into Hell.

Qin Xiaoxia frightened a dying bandit into accepting a bargain, then took over his body and absorbed his soul. Badly wounded, he gathered medical supplies and money before fleeing the camp on a packhorse to find a safer place to recover.

• The bandit begged the Thoughtform to spare him from hell, and Qin Xiaoxia returned after driving away the Infernal Ghosts.
• The bandit accepted Qin Xiaoxia's bargain and let him seal his soul core, leaving his body unresponsive.
• Qin Xiaoxia entered the bandit's body, absorbed his soul, and learned the man's name was Felfeni.
• Qin Xiaoxia bound the chest wound and collected medical supplies and money from the camp.
• Qin Xiaoxia took two packhorses and left before guards or explorers could arrive.

Qin Xiaoxia escaped the massacre, treated his severe wounds, and stabilized his Thoughtform in the bandit's body. On Earth, Tao Xingzhi received Sun Wukong’s autograph before Mr. Yan asked about humanity’s plans for reaching other worlds, hinting that those plans would soon matter.

• After Qin Xiaoxia left, city guards arrived at the slaughtered camp with the two women and found nearly a hundred bodies.
• Qin Xiaoxia rode away, stitched and bandaged his chest and back wounds, and used food and deliberate control of his body to recover overnight.
• Qin Xiaoxia discovered that absorbing the bandit's soul had stabilized his Thoughtform, making it require little mental energy while he remained in the body.
• In a Kyoto café, Mr. Yan gave Tao Xingzhi a framed Sun Wukong autograph, which Tao accepted with excitement.
• Mr. Yan explained Dawn’s understanding of the Infinite Void and asked whether Tao had plans for opening passages to other worlds.
• Tao Xingzhi described humanity’s plans to develop the Otherworld, and Mr. Yan said those plans were destined not to gather dust.

Tao Xingzhi learned that Dawn expected to reach the Otherworld, while rumors of its progress stirred the scientific community. As Dawn prepared for Gou Junbao and Xiao Lili’s wedding, Qin Xiaoxia realized that Earth’s viruses and bacteria could trigger a catastrophic outbreak in a newly opened Otherworld.

• Qin Xiaoxia told Tao Xingzhi that Dawn expected the gates to the Otherworld to open and that Dawn needed to prepare for multiple possibilities.
• Rumors of Dawn’s progress spread through the World Anti-Dark Tide Convention Alliance and prompted leading scientists to debate ways to reach other worlds.
• Dawn’s friends gathered at headquarters to prepare for Gou Junbao and Xiao Lili’s wedding, while Qin Xiaoxia and Doudou browsed the scientific forum.
• Su Su shared a post proposing the use of viruses to wipe out an Otherworld’s fighting forces, and Qin Xiaoxia considered the danger Earth’s evolved microbes could pose to another world.

Qin Xiaoxia and the others discussed forum posts about using Earth’s knowledge and power in the Otherworld, then turned their attention to preparing for Brother Gou’s wedding at the Mystic Sanctuary. The chapter left Su Su facing the daunting task of cooking for at least eighty tables as the wedding grounds were transformed.

• Doudou and Qin Xiaoxia read alarming forum discussions about biological research, and Qin Xiaoxia explained that the participants treated the subject as an academic puzzle.
• Qin Xiaoxia shared Master Emptiness’s proposal to use Otherworld legends and Earth’s power to inspire worship and cooperation among intelligent inhabitants.
• Doudou, Su Su, and the Red Banshee were amused by Master Emptiness’s plan, and Qin Xiaoxia noted that forum members could come from many fields.
• Huang Jiutian reminded everyone that Brother Gou’s wedding was only hours away and assigned Su Su to cook for at least eighty tables.
• Su Su accepted the cooking challenge after Qin Xiaoxia encouraged her, while Doudou offered to help and was ignored.
• The group left the Empty Hall and saw the Mystic Sanctuary’s grounds decorated with transformed vines, flowers, floating water creatures, and a starry sky.

As Dawn Headquarters prepared for Gou Junbao and Xiao Lili’s wedding, Lilica toured friends around the grounds and shared stories about the Tree Shepherd, Thorn Child, and the Sage. The wedding invitation reached Gao Sheng at school, where it transformed into a paper crane messenger after Gou Junbao invited him to come.

• Lilica showed her friends the forbidden area guarded by Thorn Child and recounted how the Sage had subdued the Tree Shepherd, who later chose to remain his follower.
• Lilica led her friends past other wonders at Dawn Headquarters as wedding guests began arriving for Gou Junbao and Xiao Lili’s celebration.
• The chapter described Dawn’s Oath Mark, which let guests’ relatives live in ordinary society while discouraging them from betraying Dawn.
• Gao Sheng found Gou Junbao’s wedding invitation beneath an exercise book and saw that the wedding was less than seven hours away.
• Gou Junbao’s voice spoke through the invitation and told Gao Sheng to touch it if he wanted to attend; the invitation then folded itself into a paper crane messenger.

Gao Sheng brought his family to Gou Junbao and Xiao Lili’s wedding at Dawn Headquarters, where they encountered the Association’s extraordinary guests and mystic realm. Qin Xiaoxia delivered the Sage’s Address, and the ceremony began at dawn with flowers, ringing bellflowers, and music.

• Gao Sheng recognized Gou Junbao as a Dawn Association member and hurried home to bring his wife and son to the wedding.
• A paper crane carried the Gao family through a mystic realm to Dawn Headquarters, where Gou Junbao and Xiao Lili welcomed them.
• Gao Sheng introduced his family to the wedding guests and followed Gou Junbao’s advice to help his son make connections.
• Qin Xiaoxia gave the Sage’s Address, recalling Dawn’s history and blessing Gou Junbao and Xiao Lili’s marriage.
• Morning light spread across the venue as red blossoms opened, bellflowers rang, and plants played wedding music.

After attending Gou Junbao and Xiao Lili’s wedding, Qin Xiaoxia continued recovering in Felfeni’s body and traveled toward the Holy Kingdom of Light, following Leit to a Domia city-state. A Divine Official told Leit that the Qinggelie Empire was preparing a massive ancient sacrificial ritual, while laborers began hauling supplies up a mountain.

• Gou Junbao and Xiao Lili’s wedding impressed Dawn’s members and guests, and Qin Xiaoxia regarded it as a foundation of Dawn’s legacy.
• Qin Xiaoxia recovered enough to travel in Felfeni’s body, crossed out of the Qinggelie Empire, and headed toward the city-state where Leit was resting.
• Qin Xiaoxia studied Domia’s unusual city-state government and traveled along its busy trade routes while sensing the movements of Leit and Brantai.
• A Divine Official told Leit that the Qinggelie Empire planned a large ancient sacrificial ritual to apologize to the Supreme God and intended to build an altar atop a mountain.
• Laborers in the Qinggelie Empire began hauling carts of supplies and tools up the mountain for the ritual.