Chapter Summaries

After the Giant Ridge Tunnel opened, Woman taught Liu Dao Wu about the path of self-verification. The United Government deployed troops and supplies to Sigma District, and Qin Siyang volunteered to take command there and develop it as a Satellite City.

• Woman left the tunnel celebration and returned to her stall, where she told Liu Dao Wu about the path of self-verification and offered to help him pursue it.
• After the tunnel opened, the United Government dispatched troops and convoys of supplies to restore order and support Sigma District.
• Qin Siyang expanded the Qin Character Legion to sixty thousand soldiers and ordered She Haqiang to station its Ace Brigade around Sigma District's Underground City.
• The United Government decided to make Sigma District a Satellite City rather than move its residents to the main Safe Zone.
• Qin Siyang volunteered to take command of Sigma District.

Qin Siyang was reassigned to Sigma District so he could build his own influence there while staying distant from the expected attack on the main Safe Zone. After he arrived to a grand welcome, the Woman reacted coldly to Liu Dao Wu’s gossip about his female confidantes.

• Qin Siyang volunteered to oversee Sigma District, and Qian Wendao approved the reassignment to spread the United Government’s strength and keep Qin Siyang safer if the main Safe Zone was attacked.
• Qin Siyang gave Edward authority over the Qin Character Legion’s deployments and asked He Feifei to handle the Ministry of Armaments’ documents.
• Qin Siyang traveled by the newly opened train to Sigma District as crowds in both regions saw him off and welcomed him.
• The Woman and Liu Dao Wu listened to the loudspeaker list Qin Siyang’s titles, and Liu Dao Wu speculated about which of his female confidantes might marry him.
• The Woman grew colder as Liu Dao Wu praised Qin Siyang and criticized the women rumored to be close to him.

Liu Dao Wu accepted the Woman’s advice to act more cautiously as his status and responsibilities grew. Meanwhile, Qin Siyang met with Gu Yunpeng, who pressed him to plan for the possibility that Secretary-General Qian might die, and Qin Siyang admitted he might take the title while delegating its main duties.

• Liu Dao Wu listened as the Woman warned him that his new standing meant he had more to lose and should avoid reckless confrontations.
• Liu Dao Wu bowed to the Woman and thanked her for her guidance.
• Qin Siyang arrived in the Sigma District and met Gu Yunpeng before they continued their conversation privately in Gu Yunpeng’s office.
• Gu Yunpeng urged Qin Siyang to consider who would lead the United Government if Secretary-General Qian died.
• Qin Siyang said he might accept the Secretary-General title, delegate its main responsibilities, and focus on becoming stronger and protecting the Safe Zone.

Qin Siyang reviewed Sigma District’s deployment with Gu Yunpeng, then returned to his Underground City shop to support its business and operations. He left Shi Tao two Tier Four Artifacts for Duan Chongfang and departed still wondering about the mysterious stallkeeper.

• Qin Siyang and Gu Yunpeng settled Sigma District’s outstanding problems and discussed how the tunnel had been built far faster than expected, with workers crediting the Mountain-Clearing God.
• Qin Siyang said he would visit his Underground City shop and make its resources available to support Gu Yunpeng’s operations.
• Qin Siyang spoke with Shi Tao, learned Duan Chongfang had left after finding no challenge among the Snake Cards, and left two Tier Four Artifacts for Duan Chongfang as compensation.
• Qin Siyang’s visit reassured Underground City residents, who crowded into his shop to buy goods and services.
• Qin Siyang saw the woman’s cigarette stall doing brisk business and wondered who she was.

Qin Siyang visited Johnny's Tavern and found Huo Dangkou running it under the name Ning Changyong. He bought Old Johnny's brewing recipe and asked Ning Changyong for help with another matter.

• Qin Siyang entered Johnny's Tavern and discovered that Huo Dangkou had taken over the business from Old Johnny.
• Qin Siyang revealed himself, and Huo Dangkou recognized him as Commander Qin and explained that Old Johnny had given him the tavern and brewing formula.
• Qin Siyang asked to learn the brewing method, and Huo Dangkou confirmed Old Johnny had allowed him to teach it to anyone.
• Qin Siyang offered Huo Dangkou twenty grams of Crimson Crystal for the Brewing Recipe, refusing to accept it as repayment for an old favor.
• Qin Siyang said he had one other matter he needed Huo Dangkou's help with.

Qin Siyang questioned Huo Dangkou about surviving World-Destroying Church higher-ups and asked him to search for Huan Kai. After resting and trying his hand at winemaking, Qin Siyang left Sigma District to investigate River Ridge, but he could not find the powerful wild cattle herd.

• Qin Siyang asked Huo Dangkou whether any World-Destroying Church Guardians might still be alive, and Huo Dangkou explained how they had used [Snake Cards] identities to evade Liu Yingfeng.
• Huo Dangkou suggested that Huan Kai might still be alive, so Qin Siyang paid him to look for Huan Kai.
• Qin Siyang learned winemaking from Huo Dangkou, traded for equipment and Grape Seeds, and began experimenting in his villa basement.
• After a brief rest, Qin Siyang left Sigma District in his Capsule Pod to explore River Ridge and search for the wild cattle herd.
• Qin Siyang searched the mountain ridges for the blue-green-haired cattle but found no trace of them.

Qin Siyang searched the mountains and river for the hidden Power Bull but failed to find him. After Qin Siyang left, Power Bull and the other guardians discussed how to help him survive the invaders, deciding that Sturgeon Crocodile should offer him a doubled Succession Trial reward.

• Qin Siyang searched the mountains from his Capsule Pod and then at low altitude, but found no sign of the bulls.
• Qin Siyang abandoned the mountain search and flew toward the river.
• Power Bull, Sturgeon Crocodile, and Red Carp emerged from concealment after Qin Siyang disappeared and identified him as the Eighth Domain's Domain Master.
• Power Bull explained that the invaders were sending groups of Domain Sequence Level Two fighters and that Qin Siyang could not defeat them without a breakthrough.
• Power Bull told Sturgeon Crocodile that Feather Eagle had said Qin Siyang earned a doubled reward through the Double Feather Blade, and proposed that he take Sturgeon Crocodile's Succession Trial.
• Sturgeon Crocodile agreed to invest in Qin Siyang, and Power Bull promised to cover the cost of the trial reward.

Margaret confronted Sima Ji on the riverbank over his silence and lack of gratitude for the First Domain’s aid. Meanwhile, Qin Siyang found a large god underwater and pursued it, but its speed kept pace with the Capsule Pod and the gap widened.

• Margaret tested the river water, burned her fingertips, and declared that the Eighth Domain’s suppressive force was exceptionally powerful.
• Granny Hua and Alan praised Margaret and blamed the domain boundary for delaying their mission, while Sima Ji refused to show gratitude.
• Margaret challenged Sima Ji over his silence and his choice to speak Chinese, and he answered with a mocking retort.
• Qin Siyang piloted the Capsule Pod through the great river, searching for large gods and ignoring ordinary ones.
• Qin Siyang spotted a large god with a plated, finned tail and chased it as it swam toward the bank near the Safe Zone.
• Qin Siyang switched the Capsule Pod to flight mode, but the large god accelerated in tandem and pulled farther ahead.

Qin Siyang lost sight of a fish-like Large God, then realized it had silently followed him and was waiting behind his Capsule Pod. Meanwhile, Sima Ji and Margaret’s argument over hierarchy and language escalated, and Margaret challenged his conduct as a Huaguo gentleman.

• Qin Siyang stopped pursuing the fish-like Large God, turned upstream, and traveled through the waters it had cleared of other Gods.
• Qin Siyang sensed something was wrong and saw the Large God’s enormous, tooth-filled mouth less than ten meters behind his Capsule Pod.
• Qin Siyang hesitated to flee, suspecting the Large God had followed him deliberately and wanted him to notice it.
• Sima Ji and Margaret clashed over freedom, discipline, and which language the group should speak, while Granny Hua and Alan tried to calm them.
• Margaret dismissed Sima Ji’s claim that the Eighth Domain was not his responsibility and asked whether he considered himself Huaguo’s pride.
• Margaret switched to Chinese and called Sima Ji the opposite of a traditional gentleman, prompting him to demand an explanation.

Margaret confronted Sima Ji over his betrayal of a friend, and Sima Ji threatened to kill her and join forces with the Eighth Domain's Domain Master. Meanwhile, Qin Siyang tested his theory about the fishlike Large God and found a way to reach a stalemate with it by stopping his Capsule Pod.

• Margaret accused Sima Ji of betraying his friend and breaking his oath to secure his position as Domain Master.
• Sima Ji declared that he would kill Margaret, help the Eighth Domain's Domain Master break through, and share his intelligence to challenge the First Domain.
• Margaret warned Sima Ji that the Eighth Domain's Domain Master might be the friend he had betrayed, but Sima Ji insisted they would cooperate.
• Qin Siyang swallowed a piece of God Remains, activated [Feast Kingdom], and let his Capsule Pod continue forward as the Large God's mouth approached.
• Qin Siyang noticed the Large God fled when pursued and followed when he retreated, so he stopped the Capsule Pod and watched the mouth stop closing as well.

Qin Siyang worked out that the giant fish was testing him and entered its dark throat to continue the Large God's [Succession Trial]. Meanwhile, Margaret yielded to Sima Ji and the other Domain Masters, agreeing to discuss invading the Eighth Domain and killing its Domain Master.

• Qin Siyang realized that fleeing from the giant mouth would lead to his death and decided to approach it again.
• Qin Siyang reversed the Capsule Pod toward the mouth, put on Olof's Tier Five Armor, and swam into the giant throat.
• Granny Hua and Alan made clear that they would side with Sima Ji rather than Margaret if the dispute became a fight.
• Margaret recognized she could not oppose the three Domain Masters and apologized to Sima Ji.
• Margaret agreed to discuss invading the Eighth Domain and killing its Domain Master.

Margaret brought specially made Wooden Boats to help the Domain Masters cross the Eighth Domain’s boundary, and the First Domain’s group set out across the river. Alan’s boat was struck by a giant cormorant, killing two rowers, while Alan clutched his Teddy Bear and lamented the blood on it.

• Sima Ji stopped threatening Margaret and asked what plan she had for entering the Eighth Domain.
• Margaret explained that the First Domain’s Wooden Boats concealed their passengers from gods and shielded them from the river water’s corrosive effects.
• Margaret tested a boat by crossing the river, then she and the three Domain Masters boarded four boats with their followers.
• Red Carp asked Power Bull whether the gods could stop the outsiders, and Power Bull explained that they could not attack humans without violating the rules.
• A giant cormorant struck Alan’s boat, slicing two rowers in half, while Alan watched from the bow and complained that blood had splashed onto his Teddy Bear.

Margaret led the invading fighters into the Eighth Domain, where its rules weakened them against native gods, and ordered them to avoid combat until they reached the Safe Zone. Near the Safe Zone, they captured a sequence level five ability user, whom Sima Ji killed so Liu Xiaofa could search his memories.

• Margaret explained that the Eighth Domain's rules weakened their defenses and attacks against its gods, and reminded the group that their goal was to kill the Domain Master.
• Margaret's party crossed the forest stealthily, with Sima Ji, Granny Hua, and Alan carefully avoiding the native gods.
• The group spotted a sequence level five ability user fighting a Vegetable-Feather Frog near the Safe Zone, and Alan pulled him into the forest.
• Granny Hua questioned the captive, who feared they were remnants of the World-Destroying Church.
• Sima Ji killed the ability user and told Liu Xiaofa to search his memories for information about the Eighth Domain.

Sima Ji’s group investigated a dead Sequence Ability User while Margaret mocked Sima Ji over his choice of deputies. A monitoring station detected the death outside the Safe Zone, prompting Battalion Commander Zhuang Zhong to order an immediate investigation.

• Liu Xiaofa used a metal glove to examine the dead Sequence Ability User’s skull as Margaret questioned Sima Ji about appointing deputies.
• Margaret mocked Sima Ji, who became angry but could not refute her remarks.
• Two sentries detected and reported the death of a sequence level five ability user outside the Safe Zone.
• Battalion Commander Zhuang Zhong arrived with armed elites, confirmed the report and coordinates, and ordered the exit gate unsealed.
• Zhuang Zhong rebuked a sentry for questioning the order, warning that outside invaders might have killed the ability user.

Liu Xiaofa reported that the Eighth Domain had a population of hundreds of millions, tens of millions of Sequence Ability Users, and a heavily organized defense. The invaders planned to kill the Domain Master and seize the population, but realized that conquering the Safe Zone would be difficult.

• Zhuang Zhong led elite soldiers through the Safe Zone gate into the fog to investigate the death.
• Liu Xiaofa told Sima Ji, Alan, and the others that the Eighth Domain had hundreds of millions of people because its first Chosen Ones had built a vast Safe Zone.
• Liu Xiaofa explained that the Domain Master had made sequence awakening and the paths of belief and self-verification public, helping tens of millions become Sequence Ability Users.
• Sima Ji and Margaret argued that the invaders could kill the Domain Master and take control of the population, dismissing the defenders as weak and disorganized.
• Liu Xiaofa revealed that the Domain Master had concentrated the population in a thousand strongholds and turned the Safe Zone into a war machine.
• Sima Ji noticed Liu Xiaofa signal him to stay silent, so he held back his question.

The invaders from the four domains agreed that the Eighth Domain’s Domain Master threatened their rule and resolved to kill him. As they headed toward the Safe Zone, Granny Hua trapped an investigating Patrol Battalion in an illusion while the others moved toward the Domain Master’s location.

• Liu Xiaofa confirmed with a Lie Detector that the Eighth Domain’s people willingly followed their Domain Master because he shared the method of sequence ability awakening and treated everyone equally.
• Alan and the other invaders agreed to kill the Eighth Domain’s Domain Master and bring the Eighth Domain under their control.
• The group sensed eight strong investigators approaching, and Sima Ji argued they should act quickly because the Eighth Domain’s suppression was steadily weakening them.
• Granny Hua used a Pink Rose to trap Zhuang Zhong’s Patrol Battalion in an illusion, making them circle trees as the invaders set off toward the Domain Master.

The Patrol Department discovered that Zhuang Zhong’s patrol was circling outside the Safe Zone after he went to investigate a death, prompting Yan Changfeng to warn Olof and request a level-one alarm. At an emergency meeting, officials debated how to respond while weighing the risk of a false alarm against a possible crisis.

• A monitoring analyst noticed Zhuang Zhong’s patrol circling outside the Safe Zone without reporting or signs of combat.
• The Patrol Department reported the suspicious movements to Yan Changfeng, who concluded that Zhuang Zhong might be under someone’s control.
• Yan Changfeng asked Olof to have the United Government sound a level-one alarm, and Olof agreed to raise the matter with Qian Wendao.
• Qian Wendao urgently convened the Safe Zone’s senior officials, and Yan Changfeng explained what had happened.
• Han Shuo warned that a false alarm could provoke protests from students frustrated by mandatory training, while Olof insisted they could not ignore a crisis unfolding before them.

Qian Wendao weighed the risks of a false alarm against leaving the Safe Zone unprepared for an attack, then ordered a level-one alert across every War Readiness Zone. As the people took their battle positions, Sima Ji and his companions entered the Safe Zone and realized their disguise had been detected.

• Xie Nanyun and other leaders debated whether to sound the alarm, fearing a false alert could undermine the United Government's credibility.
• Yu Renjie argued that failing to alert the Safe Zone before an actual attack would provoke even harsher backlash and could lead to rebellion.
• Qian Wendao ordered every War Readiness Zone to sound a level-one alert and switch to combat stance.
• The Safe Zone's alarms blared, and residents took up their assigned positions for battle.
• Sima Ji and his companions heard the alarm, and Alan wondered how the Safe Zone had detected his Puppet Disguise.

Sima Ji led Margaret and the others to attack War Readiness Zone 582, intending to demonstrate their power before striking the Eighth Domain Master. Wang Xugong ordered the zone’s defenders to bombard the approaching group, but the twenty invaders dodged both a massive fire attack and a laser barrage with astonishing speed.

• Sima Ji rejected Granny Hua’s suggestion to wait and decided to attack nearby War Readiness Zone 582 so the Eighth Domain would witness their strength.
• Liu Xiaofa endorsed Sima Ji’s plan, and Margaret ordered the group to prepare for the attack.
• Wang Xugong reviewed Zone 582’s defenses and received word that twenty unidentified, powerful fighters had entered the reconnaissance range.
• Wang Xugong ordered nearly ten thousand fire-Sequence users to attack the group and alerted Olof’s office.
• Margaret’s group vanished before the fire attack hit and reappeared beyond it, then dodged a laser attack launched by over ten thousand defenders.

War Readiness Zone 582’s forces failed to hit the twenty outside invaders, who dodged every attack, and the Safe Zone’s leaders prepared to test whether their defenses could withstand them. District Chief Wang Xugong rallied the front lines to stand firm, then told his anxious mother why he had not brought her to the zone.

• The conference room watched the twenty invaders evade War Readiness Zone 582’s mass attacks, and Qian Wendao and Chu Zhongxiong concluded that the attacks were effective even though they could not land.
• Qian Wendao ordered Olof to broadcast the battle across the Safe Zone and warned that the next test was whether their defenses could hold.
• War Readiness Zone 582’s residents watched the invaders dodge every attack, leaving the front-line fighters shaken and uncertain.
• Wang Xugong ordered the troops to cease fire, conserve their strength, and prepare to defend and counterattack, arguing that the invaders feared their attacks.
• Wang Xugong answered his mother’s call and said he had not brought her to War Readiness Zone 582 because she had never recognized her own faults.