Chapter Summaries

Li Qinghui lay mortally wounded after the battle, but refused Niu Douchong’s offer to leave the competition and seek treatment. As the Eighth Domain’s Domain Master approached to begin his Succession Trial, she insisted on conducting one final trial and seeing the person they had risked everything to protect.

• Li Qingshang said Li Qinghui was unlikely to survive, and Niu Douchong urged the sisters to withdraw and seek help.
• Li Qingyi blamed herself for Li Qinghui’s injuries, while Li Qinghui said no one was at fault and mourned that she would not become a god.
• Niu Douchong offered to leave the competition and take Li Qinghui to human healers, and Tuo He'an and Tuo Heyan praised his loyalty.
• Li Qinghui refused to leave because her departure could endanger the others and said she would rather die pursuing hope than live in regret.
• Li Qinghui sensed the Eighth Domain’s Domain Master approaching and insisted on completing his Succession Trial, partly to learn what kind of person he was.

Qin Siyang searched the murky river for a Large God, using the Giant-Eyed Moth’s vision skill to see underwater. He discovered enormous bones and was caught in a deadly attack, realizing the Succession Trial had begun.

• Qin Siyang activated the Giant-Eyed Moth’s vision skill to search the river and reflected that Medium Gods’ abilities might conceal secrets.
• Qin Siyang spotted enormous dark-red bone spikes embedded in the riverbed and wondered if they belonged to a Large God that had died in battle.
• Thousands of corpse-spotted fish-god bodies began sinking toward Qin Siyang, and he punched into the falling mass.
• The fish corpses swelled and exploded into bone spikes that pierced Qin Siyang’s Crimson Armor and flesh, while crimson liquid began eating away at his mind and will.
• Qin Siyang tried to flee but found his feet stuck in the mud, and he realized the Succession Trial had already started.

Qin Siyang deduced that the [Succession Trial] required him to identify and attack a distinctive fish god corpse, then struck the one without lividity. The trial began a faster second phase, and as poison weakened him, he found that all the falling corpses looked identical.

• Qin Siyang realized that attacking the fish god remains brought physical and poison attacks, while leaving them alone let their venom paralyze and poison him.
• Qin Siyang reasoned that passing the [Succession Trial] required attacking a specific corpse and searched the falling remains for a difference.
• Qin Siyang spotted a corpse without patches of lividity and pierced it with a precise jet of water.
• The corpse burst in brilliant crimson light, and the falling remains halted overhead.
• The remains resumed falling at more than twice their previous speed, poisoning Qin Siyang as he searched for another distinctive corpse.
• Qin Siyang found that every corpse in the second wave looked identical.

Qin Siyang passed the second round of the Succession Trial by finding the only clean patch in the poisoned riverbed, then faced a third round of spinning God corpses. He fought back with his strength but realized destroying the corpses would not solve the trial, leaving him searching for another answer.

• Qin Siyang noticed a gap among the falling corpses and discovered he could move through the sludge but could not escape the riverbed.
• Qin Siyang reached the clean patch beneath the gap, where the crimson poison could not enter, and passed the second round.
• Qin Siyang used antidotes and healing medicines from his Storage Box, but the trial continued as sharp, spinning corpses targeted his shelter.
• Qin Siyang activated [Origin Rampage Banquet Field] and smashed the attacking corpses, then realized the endless assault could not be stopped by fighting.

Qin Siyang discovered that breaking the red bone spikes was the key to surviving the third stage of Li Qinghui’s [Succession Trial]. After the attacking corpses vanished, the red mist overwhelmed him, and he awoke in a crimson space before the wounded Sacred Carp.

• The watching Gods reacted as Qin Siyang smashed the corpses but insulted the Red Carp, and Li Qingyi threatened to punish him.
• Qin Siyang realized the poison and relentless attacks would soon exhaust him, then noticed the intact red bone spikes nearby.
• Qin Siyang broke the bone spikes while fighting off the corpses, and all the attackers vanished when the final spikes shattered.
• The red mist surged, overwhelmed Qin Siyang, and knocked him unconscious.
• Qin Siyang woke in a crimson space and found the badly wounded Sacred Carp floating before him.

Qin Siyang met the dying Red Carp, who gave him the single-use skill [Feign Death and Rebirth] and explained how it would conceal him after his next death. As Red Carp appeared to die, Qin Siyang decided to try saving her with a potion.

• Qin Siyang learned that Red Carp was dying from injuries sustained in a battle and asked about his reward for passing her [Succession Trial].
• Red Carp praised Qin Siyang and said the gods had placed their hopes in him, while telling him he would have to overcome Invaders from other [Evolutionary Sequence Domains] himself.
• Red Carp gave Qin Siyang [Feign Death and Rebirth], which would automatically activate at his next death, hide his identity from humans and gods, and temporarily strip properties from his contracted materials.
• Red Carp coughed up blood and began to die, so Qin Siyang took a lifesaving potion from his Medical Kit and tried to save her.

Qin Siyang used his most powerful medicines to save the badly wounded Li Qinghui, the Red Carp, and watched as she recovered enough to speak. Li Qinghui thanked him, then teased him about how quickly he changed from calling her “Red Carp” to “Lady.”

• Qin Siyang injected the Red Carp with Zuo You’s potent revival drug and, seeing that she remained alive, treated her with the Medical Kit’s emergency medicines.
• Li Qinghui’s eyes, breathing, and wounds began to recover, and new red scales grew over her damaged body.
• After her injuries stabilized enough for her to hover, Li Qinghui thanked Qin Siyang.
• Qin Siyang questioned why Li Qinghui’s voice sounded feminine, and she explained that she had always been female and had hidden her real voice.
• Li Qinghui pointed out Qin Siyang’s change in how he addressed her, and he awkwardly denied that she had heard correctly.

After saving Li Qinghui, Qin Siyang used her careful answers to infer why distant Large Gods had attacked her and threatened the Eighth Domain. He concluded that they were trying to eliminate him because his rise endangered the Domain Masters they had backed, and he ended the chapter amused that even gods feared his potential.

• Li Qinghui thanked Qin Siyang for saving her, introduced herself by name, and asked what he was called.
• Qin Siyang asked who had injured Li Qinghui, and she told him that he could ask but she could not say.
• By testing her answers, Qin Siyang concluded that neither Power Bull nor Sturgeon Crocodile had fought Li Qinghui, and that the attackers came from elsewhere.
• Qin Siyang inferred that distant Large Gods had targeted him because they backed other Domain Masters and wanted to stop his rise in the Eighth Domain.
• Li Qinghui silently confirmed Qin Siyang's deduction, and he remarked that his future might already frighten the gods.

After Qin Siyang saved Li Qinghui with dozens of Junior Healing Artifacts, she reunited with her companions and explained what had happened. Niu Douchong concluded that Qin Siyang had risked his lifesaving medicine to bet on their alliance, and Li Qinghui shared his name as they wondered what the future held.

• Qin Siyang left the Great River for the Safe Zone, and Li Qinghui returned to the Eighth Domain after the Succession Trial.
• Li Qinghui told Li Qingshang, Li Qingyi, Niu Douchong, Tuo He'an, and Tuo Heyan that Qin Siyang had used dozens of Junior Healing Artifacts to save her life.
• Li Qinghui explained that she had not told Qin Siyang about the group's plan, and Li Qingshang defended his ability to deduce their support for him.
• Li Qingyi questioned why Qin Siyang had spent his precious medicine on Li Qinghui, but Li Qinghui said he had likely not known how badly she was wounded when he saved her.
• Niu Douchong suggested Qin Siyang had risked his medicine to bet on the group as allies, and Li Qinghui told them his name was Qin Siyang.

The Succession Envoy accused Li Qinghui of breaking the competition rules by accepting treatment from Qin Siyang and prepared to punish her. Niu Douchong found that the contract did not cover this case, so the Envoy withdrew his judgment and healed Li Qinghui, leaving her safe for now.

• The Succession Envoy confronted Li Qinghui about accepting treatment from Qin Siyang and declared that she would face Divine Punishment.
• Li Qingyi and Li Qingshang pleaded for Li Qinghui, with Li Qingshang offering to take the punishment in her place.
• Niu Douchong examined the Succession Contract and found that its punishment clause applied only when an Examiner gave an item to a candidate.
• The Succession Envoy admitted he had misjudged the rules, gave Li Qinghui a black feather that healed her wounds, and overlooked her revealing her name to a candidate.

Niu Douchong challenged the Succession Envoy’s false claim that Li Qinghui had broken the rules, saving her life and prompting the Large Gods to study their contract. Meanwhile, Frost Tiger refused to compensate Bellflower Grass for his brothers’ deaths, and an unknown observer prepared to start Qian Wendao’s Succession Trial.

• Niu Douchong explained that he had checked the [Evolutionary Contract] and found no rule forbidding Li Qinghui’s actions, leading the Succession Envoy to heal her and leave.
• Niu Douchong urged the Large Gods to read the [Evolutionary Contract] carefully so they could avoid future danger.
• Bellflower Grass demanded compensation from Frost Tiger for his brothers’ deaths, but Frost Tiger said the promised benefits would be paid and the losses were their own responsibility.
• Frost Tiger’s cold response left the surrounding Large Gods silent and heartsick despite their shared success in the Eighth Domain.
• An unknown observer hid near the Eighth Domain’s Safe Zone and planned to begin Qian Wendao’s [Succession Trial] when he came out.

Qin Siyang stayed in the Safe Zone and followed Qian Wendao’s advice to keep Red Carp’s information private, while Li Tianming prepared a new artifact to strengthen him. Outside the Safe Zone, a hidden observer grew frustrated that Qian Wendao and other promising targets would not come out, but expected William to arrive soon.

• Qian Wendao told Qin Siyang to remain in Sigma District and keep the information from Red Carp’s [Succession Trial] undisclosed.
• Li Tianming told Qin Siyang he had developed a tier five flying artifact that could help counter mental attacks, and Qin Siyang accepted it.
• Zhao Longfei declined to discuss important matters privately and directed Qin Siyang to speak with Qian Wendao instead.
• Qin Siyang handled United Government affairs, returned to his villa, and continued devouring Feather Eagle’s feathers while reflecting on his progress.
• A hidden figure outside the Safe Zone complained that Qian Wendao and other high-level ability users were not coming out, then said William would soon arrive.

On New Year's Eve, Qin Siyang learned that Gu Yunpeng had gained the Sturgeon Crocodile's [Succession Trial] skill and chose to show leniency toward the apparently insane Xiao Zhigang. The celebration ended peacefully, with Qin Siyang leaving Xiao Zhigang alone.

• Qin Siyang and the others held a remote New Year's greeting with leaders stationed in the War Readiness Zones and celebrated with Southern Glory students at his Shop.
• Gu Yunpeng told Qin Siyang that he had passed the Sturgeon Crocodile's [Succession Trial] and tested his new [Fear] skill on him.
• Olof reported that Xiao Zhigang had been found babbling and kowtowing in the street, and said he suspected Xiao was faking his madness.
• Qian Wendao asked Qin Siyang how to handle Xiao Zhigang, and Qin Siyang said to let him live because he no longer posed a threat.
• Qian Wendao agreed to leave Xiao Zhigang alone, and the New Year passed peacefully for Qin Siyang.

Qin Siyang learned that more than two hundred powerful invaders had launched coordinated attacks across the Safe Zone and Sigma District. The invaders included Sima Ji and the other returning leaders, as well as an elegant, apparently stronger commander, leaving the Safe Zone facing its most dangerous assault yet.

• Qin Siyang woke to a first-level alert and learned from Gu Yunpeng that the invaders had returned in far greater numbers.
• Gu Yunpeng reported that more than two hundred invaders had arrived without any apparent decline in their strength.
• A nearby explosion signaled the start of the battle as Qin Siyang and Gu Yunpeng joined the emergency conference.
• Olof reported that 207 invaders had split into small squads and were attacking multiple War Readiness Zones at once.
• Olof showed Qin Siyang an aerial image of Sima Ji and the other returning leaders standing around a suited man who appeared to outrank them.
• Qin Siyang watched the attacks across the War Readiness Zones and realized the threat might be far greater than the previous invasion.

As Domain Sequence invaders threatened the Eighth Domain, Niu Douchong warned Li Qinghui not to interfere, while the Woman explained that Sigma District had only a forty percent chance of survival. The chapter ended with her suggesting that obscure people had finally gained an opportunity to turn the tide.

• Tuo Heyan, Tuo He'an, and Niu Douchong watched hundreds of powerful invaders approach and feared the Eighth Domain could not withstand them.
• Li Qinghui wanted to attack, but Niu Douchong and Li Qingshang warned that interfering could bring the Succession Envoy and harm Qin Siyang's path as a [Miracle Worker].
• As the Underground City went into alert, Liu Dao Wu helped the Woman pack her stall and asked whether the invaders could be stopped.
• The Woman said she had done all she could, and that Sigma District had a forty percent chance of holding out if someone turned the tide in time.
• The Woman watched a meteor and said that unknown people had finally received their opportunity.

As the United Government coordinated defenses in War Readiness Zone 1, William confronted Sima Ji over leaving Chen Xiao'en behind, while Sima Ji concealed his distrust of the First Domain. A Lie Detector then called Sima Ji’s apology a lie.

• Qian Wendao watched William’s group wait outside War Readiness Zone 1 as reports came in and Wei Rulai reinforced the defenses.
• Granny Hua praised William for choosing to attack during the Huaguo New Year, and Margaret gave Sima Ji garbled reconnaissance reports caused by signal jamming.
• Sima Ji said he needed time to analyze the incomplete intelligence before planning troop movements.
• William questioned why Sima Ji had left Chen Xiao'en in the Seventh Domain, and Sima Ji explained that the domain was unstable after Liu Xiaofa’s death.
• Sima Ji apologized for not informing William sooner, and a Lie Detector from the Third Domain declared, “Lie.”

Sima Ji identified weak points in the Safe Zone’s defenses, and William ordered a concentrated assault on sixteen War Readiness Zones while Granny Hua led an elite squad toward another target. The enemy’s attacks intensified, leaving the Safe Zone’s leaders struggling to prevent the threatened zones from falling.

• Sima Ji identified sixteen weakly defended War Readiness Zones and recommended an elite squad probe a heavily fortified Safe Zone beyond Giant Ridge.
• William ordered Margaret to reorganize the Assault Squads and launch a second wave against Sima Ji’s targets, while Granny Hua volunteered to lead the elite squad.
• Granny Hua killed Shamu for secretly serving the First Domain and warned the other Division Chiefs against betraying her.
• The enemy concentrated attacks on the sixteen War Readiness Zones, and Zhao Longteng warned that Wei Rulai’s forces could not reinforce them in time.
• Qian Wendao asked how they could save the threatened zones, but the conference room fell silent.

War Readiness Zone 931 struggled to withstand a coordinated attack while reinforcements remained thirteen hours away. William and Sima Ji identified five weak points in the defenses and redirected the invaders to concentrate on them.

• Xia Qiuyu learned from Rong Xin that Zone 931's defensive line was under mounting pressure and that reinforcements would take thirteen hours to arrive.
• Xia Qiuyu apologized for bringing Rong Xin home, but Rong Xin insisted on defending his hometown and credited Xia Qiuyu with improving its defenses.
• William received the compiled battle reports and directed Margaret to deliver them to Sima Ji for analysis.
• Sima Ji narrowed the invaders' targets from sixteen areas to five weakly defended points.
• William ordered every squad to abandon its original target and focus its attacks on the five points, while Sima Ji predicted the defenses would eventually collapse.

With War Readiness Zone 931’s shield close to collapse and reinforcements unable to arrive, Rong Xin and Xia Qiuyu gambled on breaking the Anti-Aircraft Dome to turn nearby gods against the invaders. The invaders backed away from the gods, but the chapter ended when Qin Siyang noticed their numbers had increased again.

• More than twenty invaders joined the attack, bringing the force to over thirty and surrounding War Readiness Zone 931.
• The invaders’ coordinated assault weakened the zone’s shield, while Qian Wendao and Kav confirmed that communications were cut off and reinforcements were still over ten hours away.
• Rong Xin told Xia Qiuyu that the zone could shatter its blast-resistant glass to draw in gods, and he promised he could repair it before a large god entered.
• Xia Qiuyu agreed to the gamble, and Rong Xin ordered the Anti-Aircraft Dome shattered.
• Medium gods flew into the Safe Zone, forcing the invaders to halt their assault and evade them.
• Qin Siyang spotted the invaders outside War Readiness Zone 931 increasing in number again.

William ordered the invaders to concentrate their forces on War Readiness Zone 931, and their combined assault shattered its last defensive barrier. The invaders demanded that the exposed civilians surrender as slaves, then killed a guard and over a thousand soldiers when he resisted.

• William rejected the request to retreat and ordered all available invaders to attack War Readiness Zone 931 after consulting Sima Ji.
• Margaret relayed the orders, and within an hour invaders from nearly every War Readiness Zone had gathered around Zone 931.
• The invaders killed the gods who entered through the broken glass and launched a coordinated attack that shattered the zone’s defensive shield.
• A leader among the invaders told the civilians to kneel and surrender as slaves.
• A guard fired at the invaders, and one invader killed him and more than a thousand nearby soldiers with a gesture.