Chapter Summaries

Chen Mu entered the Gray Layer searching for Bagnell and the others, but encountered hostile Uncard Flow forces and slaughtered the groups sent against him. He reached a much larger force led by a bald giant, who waited to confront him.

• Ban Ze learned that the King was an impostor after hearing that the King had asked about Fragrant Noodles, and he resolved to act.
• Chen Mu failed to contact the Great Rift Base and rushed toward voices, only to find five Uncard Flow practitioners who attacked him.
• Chen Mu killed four attackers with [Veil of Mist] and followed the fifth, discovering that hundreds of reinforcements were heading toward the fight.
• Chen Mu killed the Uncard Flow practitioners who stood against him, while many others fled ahead of him through the rift.
• A bald giant stopped the fleeing practitioners, heard their report, and prepared to face Chen Mu as he approached.

Chen Mu fought Ange, the Mohadi Domain’s strongest warrior, and discovered that his opponent’s overwhelming strength and explosive Air Technique made direct combat dangerous. After Chen Mu’s calculated [Zero Style] unsettled Ange but failed to finish him, the two stood at a distance, and Chen Mu inserted a card into his Wrist Device.

• Ange challenged Chen Mu, and they exchanged rapid punches that matched each other’s immense strength.
• When [Veil of Mist] failed to affect Ange, Chen Mu closed his eyes and used his calculation-based [Zero Style] to control the fight’s angles and pressure Ange.
• Ange adapted by unleashing powerful Air Technique axes from his hands, forcing Chen Mu to evade rather than block.
• Chen Mu used the [Big Loach] Airflow Card and his explosive leg strength to escape Ange’s pursuit, while Ange stopped and guarded his attack range.
• As the distance between them widened, Chen Mu inserted a card into his Wrist Device.

Chen Mu killed Ange with the full-power Triple Strike of [Evil Lord's Eyes], then recovered and pursued the fleeing Uncard Flow practitioners. The King learned of Ange's death and ordered his subjects to hunt Chen Mu down.

• Chen Mu struck Ange with repeated golden beams, finally piercing his forehead and killing him as the surrounding fighters fled in terror.
• Chen Mu buried Ange, recovered his perception through deep serenity, and followed the traces left by the fleeing Uncard Flow practitioners.
• The King learned that a Card Adept with a blood-red eye had killed Ange and briefly suspected the attacker might be Mo...
• The King rebuked his subjects for fleeing and ordered them to reclaim their honor by hunting Chen Mu.

Wei'a, Little Bu Mo, Su, and Yangshan Fei noticed that enemy forces had been redeployed, while the East Guard’s two Young Guard groups prepared for a clash. Lu Xiaoru’s Guard Battalion also discovered signs of an enemy buildup and set out to investigate.

• Su noticed that the four had encountered no enemies and suspected that the opposing forces had redeployed, prompting Wei'a and Little Bu Mo to hurry ahead.
• A silver-haired commander rallied his Young Guard group to avenge its previous defeat by Sang Hanshui’s group.
• Sang Hanshui inferred that something had changed on the battlefield, warned his disciplined Young Guard group to stay alert, and ordered it forward.
• Lu Xiaoru’s Guard Battalion defeated a group of Uncard Flow practitioners, and Xi Ruiyi observed that several enemy groups were heading back.
• Xi Ruiyi concluded that the enemy was gathering its forces, and Lu Xiaoru led the Guard Battalion to investigate.

Chen Mu fought off relentless uncard flow fighters until the approaching sandstorm and his exhaustion threatened to overwhelm him. His return was recognized by Wei'a, Little Bu Mo, Su, Yangshan Fei, Xiao Bo, Sang Hanshui, Lu Xiaoru, and Bagnell, who all launched their forces toward the battle.

• Chen Mu kept killing the uncard flow fighters from the air as a sandstorm approached and his perception began to run low.
• Xiao Bo and his second group spotted Chen Mu, while Sang Hanshui's first group and Lu Xiaoru's Guard Battalion saw him on One-Brow's screen and realized he had returned.
• Wei'a, Little Bu Mo, Su, and Yangshan Fei charged toward the enemy, and Xiao Bo ordered his group to attack.
• Sang Hanshui led the Young Guard's first group forward in an attack formation, while Lu Xiaoru and the Guard Battalion charged as well.
• Bagnell saw Chen Mu on the incoming screen, sounded the combat alarm, and ordered the Hunter Corps and Wood Character Camp to move out.

Wei'a and the others reunited with Chen Mu and helped the Card Adepts rout the Mohadi Domain’s Uncard Flow practitioners. As the King’s defenses forced the fleeing troops to split around his position, Bagnell quietly brought his force to the flank.

• Wei'a, Yangshan Fei, Su, and Little Bu Mo charged through the enemy ranks, and Chen Mu saw Wei'a approaching and shouted that he was back.
• Xiao Bo, Sang Hanshui, Unibrow Man, Lu Xiaoru, Xi Ruiyi, Wu Yu, and Zhu Heng joined the battle, while the Card Adepts’ coordinated attacks overwhelmed the Mohadi Domain’s forces.
• Chen Mu led the pursuit as the Uncard Flow practitioners began to rout, and the King ordered his tribes to defend their lines and direct the fleeing soldiers along the flanks.
• The King’s elite soldiers hurled javelins into the routed troops, stopping their charge and forcing them to split around the defensive position.
• Bagnell quietly led his force to the flank of the Mohadi Domain’s position.

Bagnell’s ambush and East Guard’s attacks routed the Mohadi Domain army, allowing Wei'a to reach the King. Wei'a killed the King, who revealed he was Tang Hanpei’s older brother, then walked away in tears as Bagnell watched.

• Bagnell positioned his troops on the enemy flank while Chen Mu led East Guard into view and rallied his returning forces.
• The King shamed the tribal chiefs, and the Mohadi warriors hurled Broadwing Javelins at Chen Mu’s formation.
• Sang Hanshui and Xiao Bo blocked the javelins and launched high-explosive bombs, while Bagnell attacked the disorganized enemy with the [Odi Burner] and [Threaded Sniper Shuttle].
• Chen Mu cleared a path for Wei'a, who charged through the fleeing soldiers toward the King.
• The King revealed he was Tang Hanpei’s older brother and asked Chen Mu about him; after Chen Mu said Tang was his enemy, Wei'a struck the King dead.
• Wei'a walked away in tears, while Bagnell stood watching and shed a tear.

After returning to East Guard, Chen Mu settled into peaceful life and accepted Bagnell’s decision to retire. To keep East Guard from being weakened by Bagnell’s departure, Chen Mu challenged Tang Hanpei to a duel six months later at the ruins of Luoyou City.

• Chen Mu returned to East Guard, where the public celebrated and the Federation’s major powers recalled their troops.
• Chen Mu shared a warm breakfast with Su Liu Cherou and agreed that Bagnell could retire after the old commander described his grief over King’s death.
• Chen Mu checked on Wei'a after his revenge, then sparred with him, while Chen Mu and Lei Zi later got drunk reminiscing about their unfinished card film.
• A month passed peacefully as Chen Mu and East Guard prepared for Bagnell’s retirement to become known; Chen Mu argued that Tang Hanpei was their greatest threat and that he had to act.
• Chen Mu publicly challenged Tang Hanpei to a duel in six months, and Tang Hanpei accepted, choosing the ruins of Luoyou City as the location.

Chen Mu returned to East Guard and saw the resources and people gathered to support him as the region launched a major research project for his coming fight with Tang Hanpei. The chapter ended with Bagnell reassuring Jiang Liang about Chen Mu’s chances, then mourning Celia alone in his garden.

• Xi Ping showed Chen Mu East Guard’s underground warehouse, where he had gathered rare materials for him.
• Alfonso, Ru Qiu, and Master Rennes welcomed Chen Mu at East Guard Academy, and Alfonso described East Guard’s card-crafting strength and vowed to help him win.
• East Guard’s mid- and high-level Card Crafters and card machinery experts assembled to begin the region’s largest research project.
• Xie Yanbai and Cao Zhengqiu discussed Chen Mu’s challenge to Tang Hanpei, while Luo Xiju explained why Tang Hanpei would prefer a duel with Chen Mu.
• Bagnell told Jiang Liang that Chen Mu had chosen the right strategy and was likelier to survive a life-or-death fight than Tang Hanpei.
• After Jiang Liang left, Bagnell mourned Celia and the garden they had once planned to grow together.

Six months after the Federation’s return to peace, Chen Mu faced Tang Hanpei in the decisive duel at the ruins of Luoyou City. Chen Mu defeated Tang Hanpei with the Energy Black Hole, and East Guard emerged victorious as Card Adepts outside the ruins lost their energy.

• Chen Mu and Tang Hanpei met above Luoyou City and agreed to fight, while the dying Xize watched their confrontation and passed away.
• Tang Hanpei summoned Wang Ge, an intelligent Energy Battle Puppet that countered Chen Mu’s attacks and overwhelmed him with energy attacks.
• Chen Mu used his metal box to release the Energy Black Hole, which devoured the surrounding energy and trapped Wang Ge.
• Chen Mu and Tang Hanpei lost control of the energy in their Wrist Devices and crashed into the ruins, where Chen Mu killed Tang Hanpei and identified the weapon as the Energy Black Hole.
• The Energy Black Hole drained energy from Card Adepts outside the ruins, and East Guard’s prepared Card Adepts gained the advantage as Chen Mu emerged to cheers.