Chapter Summaries

Qin Siyang forced William to oversee the deaths of his subordinates until eighty survivors were chosen, then revealed that William and Margaret counted toward the limit. William killed two more people and left with the remaining invaders, finally confronting the suffering he had inflicted through the war.

• Qin Siyang ordered She Haqiang to take Odo’s body, then allowed volunteers from the Eighth Domain to kill William’s subordinates in a deadly draw.
• William restrained fleeing subordinates so they could not escape, and the invaders cursed him as they died.
• After eighty white-smoke balls had been drawn, William surrendered the seven remaining doomed subordinates to the Eighth Domain.
• Qin Siyang pointed out that eighty-two people remained aboard William’s boat, including William and Margaret, and demanded two more deaths.
• William killed two of his weakest subordinates with black smoke and departed with the survivors, recognizing the war’s suffering for himself.

After defeating William, Qin Siyang confirmed that the other battlefields were nearing victory and took a moment alone by the river to mourn the fallen. He reflected on the Eighth Domain’s devastating losses and accepted that, as the Swordbearer, he had to be willing to fight to protect its future; the war remained unfinished.

• Qin Siyang learned from Gu Weirong that the defenders were pursuing and encircling the collapsing enemy forces, and he asked them to capture prisoners for questioning.
• Zhao Longfei stopped Wei Rulai from interrupting Qin Siyang, who walked alone by the river and spoke to Old Qian.
• Qin Siyang told Old Qian and the fallen compatriots that he had succeeded, then let some of his anguish pass.
• Qin Siyang considered the millions of Eighth Domain casualties and the lasting pain and oblivion caused by war.
• Qin Siyang concluded that he must respect the cost of killing while remaining ready to fight, because the struggle would continue.

After Qin Siyang broke through to domain sequence level two, he read the fourth part of the [Apocalypse Fragment], which explained his new status and the responsibilities of becoming Star Lord. The fragment instructed him to seek out Large Gods with unknown trials, leaving him contemplating his next step by the river.

• Qin Siyang examined the transformed Path of Self-Verification and noticed his inner golden circle had grown brighter after his breakthrough.
• Qin Siyang read the new fourth part of the [Apocalypse Fragment], which identified his golden foundation as the foundation of self-enlightenment and urged him to compete to become Star Lord.
• The fragment explained that Star Lord would protect the people on Qin Siyang's planet, and Qin Siyang reflected on strength as a responsibility and as a consequence of loss.
• Qin Siyang found a white hair at his temple, let it drift away in the river, and considered how much sorrow had changed him.
• Qin Siyang learned he would need Sequence Potions and more Large Gods' trials, and that becoming Star Lord required seeking trials no one knew how to pass.

After the Eighth Domain repelled the First Domain’s invasion, Large Gods gathered at its border praised the Domain Master’s victory and asked Niu Douchong for permission to enter as Examiners. Niu Douchong accused them of seeking influence and rewards, but Mechanical-Bone Ape challenged whether he truly had authority to decide.

• Niu Douchong and the other Large Gods laughed after William’s party departed, then discussed the Eighth Domain’s surprising victory and its Domain Master’s rise.
• Mechanical-Bone Ape asked Niu Douchong to name a price for Admission Tickets that would let the Large Gods enter the Eighth Domain as Examiners.
• Dawn Horse and other Large Gods supported the proposal, while Tuo Heyan urged Niu Douchong to accept and Tuo He'an scolded him for speaking out of turn.
• Niu Douchong accused the Large Gods of seeking to curry favor with the Eighth Domain after witnessing its Domain Master’s potential as a [Miracle Worker].
• Mechanical-Bone Ape asked whether Niu Douchong was truly in charge of his people and called his thinking shortsighted.

The Mechanical-Bone Ape urged Niu Douchong and the other Large Gods to recruit more allies to help Qin Siyang, warning that their limited support could leave him vulnerable in future trials. He revealed he was a Path Guardian assigned to protect someone outside the First Domain, ruling out cooperation with Frost Tiger.

• The Mechanical-Bone Ape entered the Eighth Domain to privately discuss Qin Siyang’s prospects with Niu Douchong and the other Large Gods.
• He warned that Qin Siyang was still too weak to win the Succession Star Competition and that hostile Examiners could make future Succession Trials deadly.
• The Mechanical-Bone Ape argued that the six Original Followers had reached their limits and needed to bring in more allies to help Qin Siyang grow.
• He said he had lived on Earth for nearly a hundred years and could offer the Eighth Domain’s Domain Master more opportunities and information.
• The Mechanical-Bone Ape revealed he was a Path Guardian assigned to protect someone outside the First Domain, and said he would not cooperate with Frost Tiger.

The Mechanical-Bone Ape explained why first-clear effects could be crucial for the Eighth Domain’s Domain Master to reach domain sequence level five, and offered to help find unused trials. He suspected the missing merged domains were meant to appear in the ocean, where aquatic creatures might still have first-clear effects.

• Li Qingyi questioned whether the Mechanical-Bone Ape was truly a Path Guardian, and he cited his rare history of holding trials as evidence.
• The Mechanical-Bone Ape explained that the limited number of first-clear effects made it difficult for candidates to reach domain sequence level five.
• Niu Douchong doubted that the Mechanical-Bone Ape could provide enough first clears, but the ape said he knew where creatures with unused effects might be found.
• The Mechanical-Bone Ape described the six successful domain merges and noted that the Second and Sixth Domains had never been heard from.
• The Mechanical-Bone Ape reasoned that the missing domains' intended locations were likely connected to the ocean, where no candidates had searched for their Domain Guardian Spirits.

The Mechanical-Bone Ape joined Niu Douchong and the other Domain Guardian Spirits, then explained why no aquatic Large Gods had been discovered. It urged them to prepare Qin Siyang for a dangerous race against the First Domain to claim the sea’s first-clear opportunities.

• Tuo He'an and the others questioned whether Qin Siyang might forget their contributions, while the Mechanical-Bone Ape argued that following him was a gamble.
• Niu Douchong accepted the Mechanical-Bone Ape on behalf of all six Guardian Spirits and reassured the Red Carp and Sturgeon Crocodiles.
• The Mechanical-Bone Ape explained that aquatic Large Gods had no takers because humans had not explored the oceans during domain merges.
• The Mechanical-Bone Ape proposed charging selected outsiders admission to the Eighth Domain and keeping the Dawn Horse out.
• The Mechanical-Bone Ape said the First Domain might explore the oceans to consume the Large Gods’ first-clear effects, so Qin Siyang would need to seek breakthroughs at sea despite the danger.

After the war, the Safe Zone’s leaders gathered to celebrate their victory and discuss who would serve as Secretary-General. Qin Siyang declined the position, and the chapter ended with Gu Weirong using a Lie Detector to expose everyone’s attempts to dodge the job.

• Representatives from across the Safe Zone gathered in War Readiness Zone 1 and shared stories while celebrating their victory.
• Gu Weirong announced that he wanted to step down as Secretary-General and proposed that Qin Siyang replace him.
• The decision-making tier unanimously supported Qin Siyang, but he declined and urged Gu Weirong to remain in office.
• Olof also refused the position, while Gu Weirong and others jokingly tried to nominate Wei Rulai and Zhao Longfei.
• Gu Weirong’s Lie Detector exposed their excuses and sparked laughter among the gathered leaders.

Qin Siyang learned that Xiao Zhigang was dying from the backlash of his Sequence Ability after his son was killed, and that Xiao Zhigang wanted to see him. After hearing Chu Zhongxiong’s account of his brother’s murder, Qin Siyang admitted he had been using the identity of [Yu Gu] and promised to investigate the killer without revealing the dead man’s identity.

• Chu Zhongxiong told Qin Siyang that Xiao Zhigang was dying and wanted to see him, but Qin Siyang initially refused.
• Chu Zhongxiong explained that Xiao Zhigang had refused to cooperate with Sima Ji, and that Sima Ji killed Xiao Cunyuan after learning Qin Siyang was the Domain Master.
• Chu Zhongxiong said Xiao Zhigang’s [Symbiosis] ability had bound him to Xiao Cunyuan, so his son’s death caused a fatal backlash.
• Chu Zhongxiong revealed that an assassin from the World-Destroying Church had killed his brother, and that someone had paid [Yu Gu] to do it.
• Qin Siyang confessed that he had been using the identity of [Yu Gu] and promised to investigate the person behind Chu Zhongxiong’s brother’s death without breaking his promise to keep the dead [Yu Gu]’s identity secret.

Qin Siyang visited the dying Xiao Zhigang after Chu Zhongxiong explained their troubled history and passed on Xiao’s request to meet. Xiao sent his family out so he and Qin could speak alone, but the conversation had only just begun.

• Qin Siyang agreed to use [Yu Gu]'s identity to investigate, though he could not read the dead man's memories.
• Chu Zhongxiong explained that Xiao Zhigang had apologized before his death and asked him to arrange a meeting with Qin Siyang.
• Qin Siyang traveled to Xiao Zhigang's modest home and saw that Xiao had prepared his own funeral.
• Xiao Zhigang's wife and daughters were startled by Qin Siyang's arrival, and Xiao reassured them that Qin was no longer his enemy.
• Xiao Zhigang asked his family to leave, and Qin sat beside his bed as Xiao apologized for taking his time.

Qin Siyang visited the dying Xiao Zhigang, who confessed his failures and pleaded for his wife and daughters to be spared. After Xiao Zhigang died, Qin Siyang publicly gave the family a way forward by carving “Return from the wrong path” above their mourning couplet.

• Qin Siyang told Xiao Zhigang he had spared him because Xiao had not committed atrocities and had once introduced free school meals.
• Xiao Zhigang admitted that corruption had changed him and described how his son had abused him and his wife after he lost access to resources.
• Xiao Zhigang asked Qin Siyang to give his wife and three daughters a way forward, then died before he could say more.
• Qin Siyang informed Xiao Zhigang's family of his death and told them to prepare the funeral.
• Qin Siyang carved “Return from the wrong path” above the elegiac couplet, signaling that the Xiao family could live.

Li Tianming relied on Qin Siyang’s advice to realize Chen Fenghe might be holding back her wish to marry him, so he began to reconsider how he had treated their relationship. At home, he watched Chen Fenghe care for him and Xiaofei, but the chapter ended before he acted on Qin Siyang’s advice.

• Li Tianming discussed marriage with Qin Siyang, saying he and Chen Fenghe had not considered it amid their grief and workload.
• Qin Siyang argued that Chen Fenghe wanted to marry Li Tianming but would not raise it herself because she cared about his feelings and his late wife.
• Qin Siyang urged Li Tianming to take the initiative and propose to Chen Fenghe.
• At home, Li Tianming found that Chen Fenghe had prepared dinner and tidied up for him while Xiaofei read in his room.
• Chen Fenghe sat beside Li Tianming and watched him eat the meal she had made especially for him.

Li Tianming proposed to Chen Fenghe after realizing he could not leave their relationship undefined, and she accepted. With Li Pengfei happily supporting them, the two married in a grand ceremony officiated by Qin Siyang.

• Li Tianming proposed to Chen Fenghe with a ring made from titan reed inner leaf and bluewater glass ore, and she accepted.
• Quan Taibin sneezed while working at Nanrong University's Miracle Building and wondered if he would ever eat Qin Siyang's hot pot again.
• Li Pengfei overheard the proposal, enthusiastically approved of his father marrying Chen Fenghe, and relieved the couple's worries.
• Qin Siyang and Li Pengfei led Li Tianming and Chen Fenghe down the aisle, and Qin Siyang delivered an emotional speech as master of ceremonies.
• Zhao Sifang and Zhao Longfei regretted having married before Qin Siyang could officiate at their weddings.

After the Eighth Domain’s victory, Qin Siyang left the Ministry of Armaments’ routine affairs to He Feifei, while its leaders and staff kept their heads down and focused on work. Their reputation for avoiding worldly disputes earned the department the nickname “Immortal Sect.”

• The United Government’s departments handled interrogations, war records, and plans for a collective moment of silence as the Safe Zone recovered from victory.
• Qin Siyang learned from He Feifei that the Ministry of Armaments needed little of his attention and entrusted its internal affairs to her.
• He Feifei rejected suitors, kept her relatives in check, and focused on earning Qin Siyang’s trust through her work.
• Ma Liangcai and Wang Jilai accepted He Feifei’s greater visibility and chose to avoid disputes, mindful of their past as covert agents.
• The Ministry of Armaments’ staff followed their leaders’ example, prompting other departments to call it the “Immortal Sect.”

After the war, Qin Siyang hid underground to strengthen himself, using [Dueling Faith] to double his already enhanced attributes. The skill then revealed that its power depended on a succession test, and as Qin Siyang froze, a gigantic crow phantom appeared in the sky.

• Qin Siyang finished handling postwar matters and went underground to study ways to increase his strength.
• Qin Siyang took enhancement pharmaceuticals and activated [Taste of Godhood], [Vines Giant Strength], and [Domain Banquet Order] before using [Dueling Faith].
• [Dueling Faith] doubled Qin Siyang's stacked physical attributes and transformed him into his strongest state yet.
• The skill panel began verifying succession and warned that all gains from [Dueling Faith] would be reclaimed if succession failed.
• Qin Siyang became immobilized as a vast crow phantom spread across the sky and opened a silvery-white eye over the world.

Qin Siyang passed the [Evolution] inspection for [Duel], keeping its accumulated effects and acquiring a new skill that was locked until he personally killed a Large God. He returned to the Sigma District and planned to explore the limits of [Rivers and Mountains Feast Kingdom] after recovering and waiting for [Domain Banquet Order] to finish its cooldown.

• Qin Siyang learned that all three uses of [Duel] met the evolution requirements, and the inspection granted him a new skill.
• The new skill was sealed until Qin Siyang personally hunted down and killed a Large God, a task he considered impossible given his past encounters.
• Qin Siyang returned from the underground cavern to the Sigma District in his Capsule Pod and accepted the outcome of the skill's evolution.
• Qin Siyang planned to investigate the boundaries of [Evolutionary Sequence Domain] after [Domain Banquet Order] finished its cooldown and he had recovered.

After a peaceful evening, Qin Siyang browsed the new Warren Merchants' Association card rankings and found himself listed as the main Joker in all three decks. Nanrong University dominated the Wolf Cards list, while Zhao Longfei celebrated the school's rise and tried unsuccessfully to persuade Lin Yaman to let him smoke.

• Qin Siyang relaxed after his bath, ate a simple meal, and wondered where Wen Shu had gone.
• Qin Siyang read that the Warren Merchants' Association had reissued the Lion, Tiger, and Wolf Cards but discontinued the Snake Cards.
• Qin Siyang found himself named the main Joker in all three new decks, with Duan Chongfang as the Wolf Cards deputy Joker.
• Qin Siyang noticed Fu Wanli among the Wolf Cards and found that nine of the top ten ranked people came from Nanrong University.
• Zhao Longfei asked Lin Yaman to let him smoke in celebration, but she refused because he had broken their limit before.

Qin Siyang mapped the limits of the Eighth Domain before a deformed large god appeared at Giant Ridge. Taking the Power Bulls’ apparent nod as encouragement, he approached the god and found its poisonous miasma could not be dispersed, leaving him to seek a way to begin the Succession Trial.

• Qin Siyang used [Feast Kingdom] to inspect the Eighth Domain’s boundaries along the Great River and Giant Ridge, spotting watchers across the river.
• Qin Siyang decided to seek large gods for strength rather than rely on Sequence Potions.
• A deformed, flesh-like large god appeared near Giant Ridge as the Power Bulls gathered behind Qin Siyang.
• Qin Siyang interpreted the bulls’ head movements as a hint that he could handle the god and approached it.
• The god released thick green miasma that Qin Siyang’s Tier Six Long Spear could not disperse, and he concluded that he needed to get closer to start the [Succession Trial].

Qin Siyang reached the Taisui Banyan to begin its Succession Trial, which required him to feed the Large God blood despite its corrosive miasma. He found a way to deliver his blood by pinning his hand to the Banyan’s roots with his Tier Six Long Spear.

• Niu Douchong and the Mechanical-Bone Ape debated whether Qin Siyang could survive the Taisui Banyan’s trial, and Niu Douchong said he believed in the [Miracle Worker].
• Qin Siyang entered the miasma, protected himself from its worst effects, and approached the Taisui Banyan as its heartbeat grew louder.
• The Taisui Banyan murmured that it wanted to drink blood and raised its roots before Qin Siyang.
• Qin Siyang’s unarmored palm began to corrode in the miasma, so he realized he needed another way to give the Banyan blood.
• Qin Siyang drove his Tier Six Long Spear through his palm and into the Banyan’s roots, letting his blood flow into them.

Qin Siyang was trapped by the Large God, which drained his blood and attacked him with fleshy spikes while blocking his escape skills. With his medicine exhausted and his strength failing, he searched for a way to survive as his gaze fell on the shattered spikes.

• The Large God's roots trapped Qin Siyang's arm and drained his blood, preventing him from using [Feast Kingdom] to escape.
• Qin Siyang used medicine from Chen Fenghe to slow the blood loss, then fought off the Large God's fleshy spikes with his free hand and legs.
• As his blood loss weakened him, Qin Siyang ran out of medicine and suffered a wound when a spike pierced his Tier Five Armor.
• Qin Siyang failed to escape using [Taste of Godhood] and instead activated [Vines Giant Strength] to keep fighting.
• Qin Siyang noticed that the god's crown remained green while its roots and trunk turned red, then looked at the shattered remains of the fleshy spikes as he neared unconsciousness.