Chapter Summaries

Baru put thirty-two men through brutal magic-moss training and forced them to run to the Central District Building before sunrise. On the rooftop, he punished five men for taking beer without sharing and warned the group that he had only ten days to train them.

• Baru woke the thirty-two men by dousing them with ice water and ordered them to run fifteen kilometers to the Central District Building before sunrise.
• Blaze and the others sprinted across town, climbed twenty-six floors, and reached the rooftop after sunrise had begun.
• Baru announced that the men had failed the exercise and assigned them two more round trips before lunch as punishment.
• The magic moss on the men's limbs responded to the sunlight, spreading and giving them a brief sensation of warmth and renewed energy.
• Baru praised Dave, Heller, Edmund, Luma, and Neviz for grabbing beer, then kicked them into the railing for failing to share with their comrades.
• Baru told the men to value their ten days of training and declared that comrades in Dawn had to learn to share.

Cui Ying and her hiking group explored White Cloud Mountain while searching for the mysterious Monkey King. When agitated monkeys appeared to summon them deeper into the forest, Cui Ying and several others followed, leaving five hikers behind to set up camp.

• Lü Bing guided the eleven hikers through White Cloud Mountain and explained how strange fog had once led his group astray.
• The group spotted numerous macaques, and Cui Ying considered feeding them and following them to find the Monkey King.
• One agitated monkey called toward the hikers, then returned to its troop as the monkeys began moving deeper into the forest.
• Cui Ying decided to follow the monkeys, joined by the Mo siblings, Count, Xiao Mei, and a reluctant Lü Bing, while five hikers stayed behind.
• The group hurried after the troop, which slowed down as if waiting for them.

Cui Ying, Lü Bing, and their companions became lost in the dense forest as fog rose and a large troop of monkeys blocked their way back. The monkeys drove the six onward through the woods, leaving them like prisoners being led to an unknown destination.

• Lü Bing led the six through unusually lush woodland while Mo Shaoge took over clearing the path with the machete.
• The group noticed fog reducing visibility, so Lü Bing ordered everyone to follow their markers back and abandon the monkeys.
• Monkeys blocked the return route and pelted the group with rotten fruit and branches, while the GPS began malfunctioning.
• Mo Shaoge led a charge back along their markers, but the monkeys stopped them with another barrage.
• The monkeys signaled for the six to follow them, and the group continued deeper into the forest while leaving markers behind.

The group followed the monkeys to their injured Monkey King, where Lü Bing was struck by a strange force while examining a black split on the macaque’s neck. Mo Shaoge managed to slow the Monkey King’s bleeding and began stitching the wound, while Lü Bing remained unconscious.

• The six travelers followed the monkeys through the forest and reached a streamside shelter where the Monkey King lay unconscious.
• Cui Ying and Lü Bing examined the Monkey King and found a dark, three-inch split on his neck.
• As Lü Bing looked at the wound, a strange darkness seemed to move; he clutched his neck, collapsed, and passed out.
• The Monkey King’s wound began spurting blood, so Mo Shaoge pressed gauze against it while the others helped restrain and bandage him.
• Mo Shaoge found that the bleeding had slowed, then stitched the Monkey King’s wound as Lü Bing remained unconscious.

After the Monkey King's blood poisoned Mo Shaoge and Cui Ying and Lü Bing's condition worsened, Count brought the Special Security Team to the clearing. The rescuers evacuated the injured but also captured several monkeys, taking the unconscious Monkey King away from White Cloud Mountain.

• Mo Shaoge and Cui Ying developed severe itching after handling the Monkey King's blood and washed themselves in the stream.
• Mo Shaoge sent Count to find a signal and call the Special Security Team while Mo Qingxue and Dujuan'er stayed with the injured.
• Count reached the temporary camp before dark and guided soldiers and medics back into the forest.
• The medics treated Lü Bing's suspected poisoning and prepared him for evacuation while other rescuers loaded the Monkey King onto a stretcher.
• Soldiers captured several monkeys with net launchers and anesthetized them before leaving with the marked specimens.

Researchers removed the black mutated entity from Lü Bing and transferred it to a wild boar, while Huang Jiutian returned to Kyoto to investigate the Monkey King. He suspected the restrained macaque was awake and sensing signs that its magic power might be awakening.

• Researchers transferred the black substance from Lü Bing to a restrained wild boar, then stabilized Lü Bing after his carotid artery ruptured.
• Tao Xingzhi ordered Huang Jiutian to return to Kyoto as the investigation into the mountain incident continued.
• Huang Jiutian arrived in Kyoto and confirmed that Lü Bing's vital signs were stable, though his soul was damaged.
• At the research institute, Huang Jiutian suspected the restrained Monkey King was pretending to be unconscious and warned the researchers not to anesthetize him.
• Huang Jiutian sensed a possible awakening of magic power in the Monkey King before leaving to inspect the boar and collected toxic blood.

Huang Jiutian discovered that the dying wild boar might become dangerous after death and found that Cui Ying and Mo Shaoge were suffering from rapidly worsening corrosion. Unable to treat them, Tao Xingzhi arranged a televised appeal to draw the mysterious man’s attention, and Qin Xiaoxia and Su Su watched the broadcast in Kyoto.

• Huang Jiutian sensed a strange energy in the wild boar and warned that it might become dangerous after it died, prompting him to seal off the laboratory.
• Huang Jiutian examined Cui Ying and Mo Shaoge and concluded that they might not survive without help from someone who controlled magic power.
• Huang Jiutian asked Tao Xingzhi to use the news broadcast to reach the mysterious man, and Tao Xingzhi agreed to bring the patients to a guarded hospital in Kyoto.
• The evening news showed the patients’ unusual ulcerations and Huang Jiutian, making the appeal to the mysterious man obvious.
• Qin Xiaoxia and Su Su watched the broadcast outside a television shop, and Qin Xiaoxia remarked that Huang Jiutian looked good on camera.

Qin Xiaoxia challenged Su Su to overcome her lack of confidence before she took the lead in their upcoming encounter. His encouragement awakened a dramatic change in Su Su’s magic, leaving him unsure whether she might overdo it when they faced the large macaque.

• Qin Xiaoxia told Su Su that her lack of confidence, rather than her Magic Script or Magic Language studies, was holding back her power.
• He explained that Dawn was still weak despite its claims of long preparation and said Su Su needed to develop conviction and independence.
• Qin Xiaoxia encouraged Su Su by telling her that he believed in her as the Crystal Witch Su Su.
• Su Su’s magic power transformed, and she declared that she would make others tremble beneath the radiance of Daybreak.
• Doudou realized that Su Su’s magic had changed properties, while Qin Xiaoxia worried she might overdo her grandstanding when they confronted the large macaque.

At the hospital, Tao Xingzhi told Cui Ying and Mo Shaoge that the Special Security Team’s televised news report was meant to draw in people who could save them. A mysterious wind then swept through the sealed corridor, where Su Su and two companions appeared and demonstrated their overwhelming magic power before another voice intervened.

• Tao Xingzhi visited Cui Ying and Mo Shaoge, warned them not to panic if anything unusual happened, and confirmed that the news report was intended to reach their potential rescuers.
• In the corridor, Tao Xingzhi told Huang Jiutian that vegetation growth across the country’s forests and wilderness areas had exceeded normal figures.
• An unnatural gale erupted inside the enclosed hospital building, though the security posts reported everything was clear and the nearby clothes barely moved.
• Three hooded figures appeared in the corridor, and their leader, Su Su, said she had used the Soul Sigh Spell Formation to test whether Demons were among the Special Security Team.
• Su Su extinguished the gale and released terrifying magic power that nearly suffocated the team before a steady voice urged her to follow the Sage’s instructions and shielded them.

Su Su and her companions healed Cui Ying and Mo Shaoge from Plague Blood and met with Tao Xingzhi to retrieve the Original Host of the Plague Blood. Tao Xingzhi recognized their ties to the Dawn Association and offered cooperation, and he left with Echo Flower seeds while Qin Xiaoxia took a large macaque.

• Su Su’s companion identified the patients’ wounds as damage from Plague Blood and used magic to remove the toxins, leaving petals of the Flower of Life to restore their bodies.
• Su Su asked Tao Xingzhi to hand over the Original Host of the Plague Blood, and Tao agreed in exchange for answers to humanity’s questions.
• Tao Xingzhi told the mysterious visitors that he had learned of their history from ancient texts and carvings and asked them to convey his goodwill to the Sage of Dawn.
• Tao Xingzhi received Echo Flower seeds and a promise that his message would reach the Dawn Association, while Qin Xiaoxia took a large macaque.
• Doudou tugged at the macaque’s fur and asked whether she could keep it, making the Monkey King shiver in fear.

Cui Ying and Mo Shaoge recovered enough to begin treatment and research, while the Special Security Team assessed the risks and opportunities of contact with the Dawn Association. At the Mystic Realm garden, the Monkey King woke from pretending to be unconscious, surrounded by people and creatures he feared.

• Cui Ying and Mo Shaoge woke in pain, received painkillers and Flower of Life petals, and became subjects of recovery research.
• Tao Xingzhi and the Special Security Team discussed their first contact with the Dawn Association and concluded that its members could be reasoned with, while urging extreme caution and cooperation.
• Huaguo's authorities directed the Special Security Team to pursue intelligence and technology from Dawn and prepare for a possible Dark Tide and global upheaval.
• The Monkey King recalled how a strange black substance attacked him after he killed a beast, then worried about escaping the research institute and the dangerous things around him.
• In the Mystic Realm garden, Doudou and Red Banshee examined the apparently sleeping Monkey King while Qin Xiaoxia warned him to get up.
• The Monkey King sprang to his feet and watched the group warily.

Qin Xiaoxia used Wish Magic to awaken the Monkey King’s ability to understand and speak human language. The monkey chose to stay in the Mystic Realm and received the name Sun Wukong.

• The Monkey King fled from Qin Xiaoxia and the others, dodged the Demon Vines, and slammed into the Mystic Realm’s invisible wall when it tried to cross the river.
• Qin Xiaoxia recognized signs that the Monkey King might awaken magic power and asked Doudou to use Inspiration Sharing on it.
• Doudou used the gold coin to connect with the Monkey King, and the macaque gained new understanding and the ability to speak human language.
• Qin Xiaoxia offered to let the Monkey King return to White Cloud Mountain, but it chose to stay in the Mystic Realm.
• Qin Xiaoxia named the monkey Sun Wukong, and it joyfully celebrated having a name.

Qin Xiaoxia welcomed Wukong into Dawn and planned to guide his training, while the monkey explored the Association and bonded with Su Su and Doudou. Su Su began wondering about Qin Xiaoxia’s age and whether Dawn might once have had its own Monkey Sun.

• Qin Xiaoxia told Wukong to study and said another recruit could help teach him, then welcomed him as a student and planned to show him his mountain.
• Wukong raced around the mystic realm, and Su Su removed dangerous plants from him and urged him to behave more like a person.
• Qin Xiaoxia quietly hoped Wukong would live up to the name Sun Wukong and recreate the legend of the Handsome Monkey King.
• Su Su asked Doudou how old Qin Xiaoxia was, but Doudou and Mumu could not give her an answer.
• Doudou asked Su Su whether he looked handsome, and Su Su wondered if Dawn had once had its own Monkey Sun.

Doudou, Mumu, and the monkey binge-watched Journey to the West, inspiring the monkey to aspire to become the Great Sage Equal to Heaven. Meanwhile, Qin Xiaoxia designed armor for Dawn’s members and considered the challenges of making powerful equipment before the monkey announced his ambition.

• Doudou, Mumu, and the monkey watched Journey to the West for hours, with the monkey growing especially excited about Sun Wukong’s exploits.
• The monkey shook the ground with excitement, and Doudou threatened to stop the video before accepting his apology and promise of wild fruit.
• Qin Xiaoxia drafted designs for Saint’s Armament and Knight Armor while weighing the difficulties of crafting and enchanting equipment for Dawn.
• After the trio finished watching the videos, the monkey climbed onto Mumu and roared that he would become the Great Sage Equal to Heaven.

After recovering from their injuries, Cui Ying and Mo Shaoge returned to their ordinary lives, while the Monkey King recovered and sought them out to repay their kindness. He and Su Su invited the couple to join the Dawn Association, leaving them stunned by the offer.

• Cui Ying and Mo Shaoge recovered enough to leave the hospital and returned to their jobs after signing a confidentiality agreement.
• Cui Ying and Mo Shaoge strolled together and discussed her planned article about the forest changes.
• The Monkey King and Su Su waited at The Oriole's Pursuit for Cui Ying and Mo Shaoge, and the Monkey King stripped a potted tree of its leaves and urinated in it.
• Cui Ying and Mo Shaoge returned and met the talking Monkey King, who thanked them for helping save him.
• The Monkey King and Su Su invited Cui Ying and Mo Shaoge to join the Dawn Association, warning them that their unusual constitution could attract Demons.

Su Su and Monkey Sun visited Cui Ying and Mo Shaoge at The Oriole's Pursuit, where Cui Ying arranged an exclusive interview with the Dawn Association for the editorial team. Su Su used a crystal device to draw the interviewers into an illusory realm, leaving them stranded in a cold, hazy wilderness without her or Monkey Sun.

• Su Su and Monkey Sun pretended to leave after Cui Ying and Mo Shaoge hesitated, then revealed they had been joking and entered the office.
• Monkey Sun frightened new hire Zhao Xing and the editorial staff before Cui Ying introduced the visitors as Dawn Association members invited for an exclusive interview.
• Cui Ying and Mo Shaoge explained that they wanted their colleagues to have a chance to join Dawn, while Su Su warned that the Association would assess them.
• Zhao Xing recognized Monkey Sun as Sun Wukong, and Monkey Sun declared that he would one day inherit the title of Great Sage Equal to Heaven.
• Su Su activated a crystal device to project an illusory realm, and Cui Ying, Mo Shaoge, and the editors awoke at a conference table in a cold, gray wilderness without Su Su or Monkey Sun.

The editorial staff was transported through scenes of a world overrun by monsters, where humans and other creatures were slaughtered despite occasional acts of resistance. As the scenes continued, the world grew darker and colder, and both humanity and nature dwindled.

• Mo Shaoge and Zhao Xing led the editorial staff up a rocky slope, where they saw a winged snake monster feeding on a field of corpses.
• A wounded man severed one of the monster’s tentacles before it struck him down and swallowed him.
• A powerful figure attacked the snake monster with hurled rocks and killed it, then collapsed in exhaustion as the staff watched.
• The scene shifted to a lake where ghostlike water monsters drowned people, and lightning eventually destroyed the creatures; a person who fell into the lake drowned while the staff hesitated to help.
• The conference table carried the staff through more scenes of monster attacks, while the world grew colder and darker and the numbers of humans, animals, and plants declined.

In a frozen valley, the editorial staff and Mo Shaoge witnessed nine survivors gather and vow to bring an end to the world’s despair. The nine pledged their lives to spread the Light of Daybreak, and their magic formed a blazing light above them.

• The conference table arrived in a freezing, pitch-black valley, where the group feared humanity might have gone extinct.
• Mo Shaoge spotted a distant light, and the group found nine torches drawing closer through the darkness.
• Nine survivors, including the man who had slain the snake monsters, gathered near the conference table and spoke of their desperation and resolve.
• The nine declared that they would face death and failure rather than surrender, and vowed together to end the darkness.
• The nine swore to spread the Light of Daybreak with their flesh, blood, souls, and magic, then poured their power into a blazing Daybreak that lit the valley and mountains.

After witnessing Dawn’s history, the editorial staff learned how the Nine Sages gathered and began the mission to defend the world. Su Su took Cui Ying and Mo Shaoge to meet the Mentor, while the staff documented what they had seen and completed a long draft of their report.

• Su Su explained that the Nine Sages’ gathering marked the beginning of Dawn’s continuing mission, and showed the editorial staff the Daybreak emblem burned into her palm.
• Su Su invited Chief Editor Cui and Mo Shaoge to accompany her to meet the Mentor, while Monkey Sun left the conference room and the other staff asked to join.
• Cui Ying told the editorial staff to record their experience, keep Dawn’s affairs confidential, and wait to learn whether they could take part in future interviews.
• After Cui Ying and Mo Shaoge left with Su Su and Monkey Sun, the editorial staff worked late to record what they had witnessed.
• The sixteen staff members completed a 120,000-word first draft of Darkest Hour the following afternoon, and Count praised their work.

Cui Ying and Mo Shaoge visited the Mystic Realm and met Qin Xiaoxia, who welcomed them into Dawn and offered them important roles. They accepted their new responsibilities, while Monkey Sun began training with Mo Shaoge and Cui Ying returned to Shencheng to tell her colleagues the news.

• Su Su and the Red Banshee led Cui Ying and Mo Shaoge through the Mystic Realm to meet Qin Xiaoxia.
• Qin Xiaoxia welcomed the pair and shared a meal with them, easing their worries about joining Dawn.
• Qin Xiaoxia asked Cui Ying to organize Dawn’s intelligence, help represent the Association, and sometimes serve as a Demon Seeker, and offered to establish a branch Mystic Realm at her editorial office.
• Qin Xiaoxia asked Mo Shaoge to teach Sun Wukong martial arts, and Monkey Sun eagerly took him outside to begin training.
• Cui Ying returned to The Oriole's Pursuit editorial office in Shencheng to review "Darkest Hour" and share the good news.