Chapter Summaries

Qin Siyang joined Old Johnny’s battle against Swati, a Domain Sequence Level Three fighter from the First Domain, and fought off her bone attacks. After Swati tried to negotiate by warning him about the Henry Family, Qin Siyang called out her stalling and admitted he was buying time too.

• Qin Siyang arrived to find Old Johnny badly wounded and learned that the black-robed woman, Swati, was Sequence Level Three.
• Qin Siyang destroyed Swati’s White Bone Centipedes, and Swati recognized him as the Domain Master of the Eighth Domain by his Godslayer Spear.
• Swati unleashed bone spikes that forced Qin Siyang to escape with [Feast Kingdom], then proposed they negotiate.
• Swati explained that Grant Henry had been the chosen successor of Sir Henry, one of the Twelve Nobles, and warned that Qin Siyang had made a dangerous enemy.
• Qin Siyang rejected Swati’s offer, explained why she would not abandon her standing in the First Domain, and said he knew she was stalling.
• Swati asked why Qin Siyang kept talking if he knew her plan, and Qin Siyang revealed that he was buying time as well.

Qin Siyang exposed Swati’s attack on Old Johnny as a fake image, and Hu Chan joined the group after passing the Succession Trial. Qin Siyang and Hu Chan killed Swati, then the group set out to find Professor Zhang and the others.

• Qin Siyang revealed that Old Johnny’s nearby figure was an illusion, and Old Johnny reappeared with Quan Taibin, Zhao Fengjun, and Hu Chan.
• Hu Chan told Qin Siyang that he had passed the Succession Trial, reached Domain Sequence Level Two, and enhanced his skills.
• Qin Siyang and Hu Chan teamed up against Swati while Old Johnny restricted her movements.
• Hu Chan warped the space and thickened the air, allowing Qin Siyang to trap Swati with his spear and kill her.
• Old Johnny urged the group to find the others, while Quan Taibin and Zhao Fengjun discussed the group’s insults and cooperation.

Qin Siyang and his companions searched for the missing Gu Weihong and Zhang Kuang while Hu Chan explained his plan to return for the Calamity Umbrella Mushroom’s [Succession Trial]. After they left, the Mechanical-Bone Ape learned the mushroom had abandoned the First Domain and was betting on the Eighth Domain to recover his losses.

• Hu Chan took the front passenger seat to help Qin Siyang search, while Old Johnny moved to the second row and urged them to find the others.
• Hu Chan told Qin Siyang that the Calamity Umbrella Mushroom would stay in the area for now and suggested they return to pass its [Succession Trial] after finding everyone.
• Qin Siyang and Hu Chan argued with Old Johnny about the urgency and risks of the search, and Qin Siyang chose to keep searching without holding back.
• After the Capsule Pod left, the Mechanical-Bone Ape confronted the Calamity Umbrella Mushroom, who explained that he had left Frost Tiger and the First Domain after losing money on their trials.
• The Calamity Umbrella Mushroom said he was letting Eighth Domain people pass his trial and had also wagered on the Eighth Domain winning, while the Mechanical-Bone Ape warned him that gambling less brought better luck.

After Hu Chan located a possible standoff involving Professor Zhang and two others, Qin Siyang decided the team should hide underground and recover before attempting a rescue. Old Johnny remained troubled about his missing younger brother, Zhang Kuang, as memories revealed his earlier life as a black-market alcohol trader.

• Hu Chan detected more than a dozen figures, including groups surrounding one another and prone figures he believed included Professor Zhang and the other two missing companions.
• Qin Siyang concluded the figures were likely in a standoff and ordered the team to rest until their skills and energy recovered before attempting a rescue.
• Qin Siyang drove the Capsule Pod underground and asked Quan Taibin to conceal it while the others rested or worked in their Spatial Artifacts.
• Old Johnny worried that he might never see Zhang Kuang again and reflected on his desire to find his brother and become a hero.
• The chapter recalled how Zhang Yang became a black-market trader who exchanged bulk baijiu for coats and watches across the border.

Zhang Yang recounted how he built a border liquor business, protected and supported his gifted younger brother Zhang Kuang, and prepared to marry his fiancée. Just as his life seemed to be flourishing, the apocalypse began on January 1, 1989.

• Zhang Yang started brewing liquor locally to cut costs, endured dangerous early batches, and eventually developed a successful distillery.
• Zhang Yang grew passionate about brewing and used drinking gatherings to build a broad network of connections along the border.
• After their parents died and relatives seized their inheritance, Zhang Yang struggled to support Zhang Kuang and keep him out of a violent life.
• Zhang Yang funded Zhang Kuang's education, and Zhang Kuang earned the city's highest exam score and entered Qingbei University.
• Zhang Yang met his fiancée after arranging emergency heart treatment for her mother, and they planned to marry the following spring.
• On January 1, 1989, a black bird swallowed the sun and the apocalypse descended upon Earth.

Zhang Yang’s memories traced his rise from a laborer in the Seventh Domain’s Outer District to a leader in the Eighth Domain, followed by his defeat and years spent hiding from Zhang Kuang. As Old Johnny, he feared he would never become a hero or reconcile with his younger brother.

• Zhang Yang recalled how Sima Ji’s coup against Yusi Wen Daoqian led to the Safe Zone’s division and his enslavement in the Outer District.
• Wen Daoqian inspired the Outer District’s laborers to resist and sent a note urging them to seize Apocalypse Fragments while he attacked the Inner District.
• Zhang Yang joined the assault, survived the fighting, and obtained an Apocalypse Fragment that took him to the Eighth Domain.
• Zhang Yang later led a faction against Chao Ding and the others, but Ander’s involvement helped bring about his side’s defeat.
• After learning Zhang Kuang had arrived in the Safe Zone, Zhang Yang hid in Sigma District, hoping to return as a hero before meeting him.
• Old Johnny looked at his reflection and wondered whether he was destined to be neither a hero nor a good elder brother.

Qin Siyang, Hu Chan, and Old Johnny launched a surprise attack on a group of ten foreign ability users, intending to eliminate them before checking whether Director Zhang’s group was nearby. Their plan began successfully, and Qin Siyang recognized Senior Duan on the battlefield.

• After recovering, Qin Siyang ordered the group to prioritize killing their enemies and instructed Hu Chan to trap all fourteen people in his strange space.
• Qin Siyang explained that the six Europeans and four black-robed figures facing off were unlikely to include Director Zhang’s three-person group, and the group prepared to attack.
• Hu Chan enclosed the battlefield in a sphere, and Qin Siyang and Old Johnny began killing the surprised Europeans.
• As more fighting erupted nearby, Qin Siyang spotted Senior Duan behind a shattered enemy and called out to him.

Qin Siyang and his allies defeated the First Domain attackers, including their brown-haired leader, then learned that the black-robed captives belonged to the World-Destroying Church. Their representative introduced himself as Gu Yunzheng of the Fifth Domain.

• Duan Chongfang and Dean Gu helped Qin Siyang kill two domain sequence level two enemies, and Qin Siyang noted that their teamwork had helped him eliminate five domain sequence opponents.
• Qin Siyang killed the brown-haired leader, who revived through a Life-Substitution Lamp before the spear’s lingering force killed him again.
• Hu Chan lifted two hidden black-robed figures, and Qin Siyang prepared to attack them until a captive asked him to stop.
• A black-robed man claimed the captives were from the World-Destroying Church and showed Qin Siyang photographs confirming the church had sent the breakthrough information.
• The middle-aged man revealed himself as Gu Yunzheng from the Fifth Domain.

Gu Weihong discovered that Gu Yunzheng was his nephew and learned that Gu Yunzheng’s parents had both died. The group put their reunion aside to continue searching for Zhang Kuang, who might have gone to the seaside.

• Gu Weihong recognized Gu Yunzheng’s name and confirmed that his parents were Gu Weilong and Zhou Nianlan.
• Gu Weihong explained his family ties, and Gu Yunzheng accepted him as his Fourth Uncle.
• Gu Yunzheng told Gu Weihong that Gu Weilong had died in the Sixth Domain and Zhou Nianlan had died when the Fifth Domain merged.
• Old Johnny and Qin Siyang urged the group to resume searching for Zhang Kuang, and Gu Yunzheng suggested checking the seaside if their search nearby failed.

Qin Siyang and the others searched Seaside in the Capsule Pod while Gu Weihong explained the Eighth Domain’s development and revealed that Gu Yunzheng had a counterpart in another world. The group debated whether their worlds were parallel realities or involved cloning, and Qin Siyang asked Zhaxi to tell him about Wen Daoqian after learning of his death.

• Qin Siyang expanded the Capsule Pod and brought Gu Yunzheng and the World-Destroying Church members aboard to search for their missing friends.
• Gu Weihong explained that the Eighth Domain had grown to hundreds of millions of people and credited Gu Weiyang with helping expand its Safe Zone; he identified Qin Siyang as the Domain Master.
• Gu Weihong told Gu Yunzheng that another Gu Yunzheng had been born to his parents in a place that seemed like a parallel world.
• Zhaxi said he was relieved that his parents still had a son in his original world, and he asked about Mr. Wen.
• Gu Weihong said Wen Daoqian had led the Eighth Domain and died protecting hundreds of thousands of people, leaving Qin Siyang shaken.
• Qin Siyang asked Zhaxi to tell him what he knew about Mr. Wen.

Qin Siyang and the others learned how Wen Daoqian resisted Sima Ji and why he left the Seventh Domain, then reached the coast while searching for Zhang Kuang. Gu Yunzheng warned them that cursed seawater and near-hourly tsunamis made the coastline extremely dangerous.

• Zhaxi described Wen Daoqian as a revered leader who protected Outer District residents and resisted Sima Ji after being driven from the Apocalypse Hall.
• Gu Yunzheng explained that Wen Daoqian had connections to his father, who left the Fifth Domain hoping to save people, and Qin Siyang revealed that Qian Wendao had told him he was from the Sixth Domain.
• Hu Chan announced that they had reached the coast and asked Gu Yunzheng to explain its dangers.
• Gu Yunzheng said the cursed sea air could kill ability users below the origin sequence and that frequent tsunamis could overwhelm even Origin Sequence Ability Users.

Qin Siyang learned more about the First Domain’s alliances with Large Gods and the danger of the Succession Star Competition, but insisted that his group would go to the Ocean to find Director Zhang and grow stronger. Gu Yunzheng urged him to defend the Safe Zone instead, and Qin Siyang questioned whether the First Domain could eventually produce a Star Lord.

• Gu Yunzheng explained that the post-Apocalypse Ocean was dangerously unlike the sea of the old world, and Qin Siyang insisted they would search for Director Zhang.
• Qin Siyang said the group had come to the Ocean to become stronger and ultimately defeat the First Domain.
• Gu Yunzheng revealed that some First Domain members had made deals with Large Gods, who mostly supported the First Domain in the Succession Trials.
• Gu Yunzheng guessed that the First Domain might offer the planet’s resources in return for that support and warned Qin Siyang that his chances of becoming a Star Lord were negligible.
• Gu Yunzheng advised Qin Siyang to use his Domain Master Skill to protect the Safe Zone, but Qin Siyang asked what would happen if someone from the First Domain became a Star Lord.

Qin Siyang explained to Gu Yunzheng why they had to take the initiative and revealed that large gods had guided him toward the Ocean. When Qin Siyang confirmed he had killed Granny Hua, the followers of the World-Destroying Church celebrated the death of their longtime enemy and began to see him as their possible savior.

• Qin Siyang told Gu Yunzheng that the Eighth Domain had to be breached and that passive defense would not offer a path to becoming Star Lord, and Gu Yunzheng agreed.
• Qin Siyang said the gods had guided him to seek large gods in the Ocean, prompting Gu Yunzheng to wonder whether they had chosen Qin Siyang as a potential Star Lord.
• Gu Yunzheng described Granny Hua's invasion of the Fifth Domain and the massacre she had led there.
• Hu Chan revealed that Qin Siyang had killed Granny Hua, and Qin Siyang confirmed that she was a domain sequence level four opponent.
• The followers of the World-Destroying Church celebrated Granny Hua's death, while Gu Yunzheng thanked Qin Siyang and his people began to revere him.
• Hu Chan questioned whether domain sequence level four was truly so formidable, citing their recent fight against Grant George and his attendant.

Gu Yunzheng explained that reaching domain sequence level four required first clears of three Large Gods' [Succession Trials], while Qin Siyang revealed he had already secured and shared many such clears. As a tsunami approached, Qin concluded that the Ocean was the likeliest place to find unclaimed trials needed for higher breakthroughs.

• Gu Yunzheng explained that domain sequence level four required first clears from three Large Gods, and said few people could achieve it because many trials had already been cleared.
• Gu Weihong and Hu Chan revealed that Qin Siyang had first-cleared every nearby Large God's trial and shared the methods with his allies.
• Qin Siyang asked about domain sequence level five, and Gu Yunzheng admitted he did not know its requirements.
• Qin Siyang reasoned that the Large Gods had directed him toward the Ocean because he needed to reach domain sequence level five to become a Star Lord.
• A tsunami arrived, and Qin Siyang concluded that the Ocean was the most likely place to find Large Gods' trials whose first clears remained available.

The Twelve Nobles of the Round Table discussed the failed offensive against the Eighth Domain and decided not to punish Baron William, while shelving his promotion and Margaret’s thirteenth seat. They then considered how to contain the Eighth Domain, whose Domain Master and advanced artifacts left them with few options beyond a blockade.

• Viscount Mary and Baron Henry criticized Baron William for losing over a hundred thousand Origin Sequence Ability Users, while Viscount Wilson defended him.
• Count Henry demanded accountability, but Marquis Madison challenged him over his own past defeat and dismissed the losses as replaceable.
• Duke Henry ruled that all Twelve Nobles shared responsibility for the jointly approved offensive and ended the dispute without assigning blame.
• Duke Henry shelved Baron William’s proposed promotion and Margaret’s thirteenth seat, and the nobles agreed to move on from the failed offensive.
• Count Taylor said a blockade was their only clear measure and described the Eighth Domain’s Domain Master and Tier Four Artifacts as far beyond the First Domain’s capabilities.

Duke Henry rebuked his relatives for relying on his power and pushing William toward Madison, warning that their family would be vulnerable after he and Madison died. William’s failure to conquer the Eighth Domain derailed the prepared contest between Duke Henry and Madison for the Star Lord position, leaving Duke Henry concerned about what would happen next.

• Count Henry, Baron Henry, Count George, and Baron George argued that William’s defeat should have been used to strip him of his title and complained about his faction’s growing strength.
• Duke Henry explained that his rank came from mastering many Large Gods’ Succession Trials, then criticized his relatives for relying on rewards he had given them rather than earning their own power.
• Duke Henry called Count Henry a disgrace compared with Taylor and challenged him for failing to secure available first clears while William had obtained twelve.
• Duke Henry warned that his family would be slaughtered by Adams and his allies after he and Madison died, blaming his relatives’ greed for driving William into Madison’s faction.
• Duke Henry revealed that he and Madison had prepared for a struggle over the Star Lord position after William conquered the Eighth Domain, but William’s failure had created a serious problem.

Duke Henry explained that the Large Gods had taught him how to become a Star Lord, but warned his family that the knowledge could not simply be copied from him. He left them to pursue their own answers in the Succession Star Competition.

• Duke Henry reflected on Pushpa’s death and the failed attack on the Eighth Domain, concluding that he and Madison might not live to become Star Lords.
• Duke Henry accused Count Henry of trying to learn the conditions for becoming a Star Lord and warned that his grandson was unprepared to inherit power.
• Duke Henry told Count George that changing circumstances could turn even a devoted family member against him after Duke Henry’s death.
• Duke Henry revealed that four Large Gods had each passed him part of the knowledge of becoming a Star Lord, and that some Gods had similarly informed Madison and Adams.
• Duke Henry described the Succession Star Competition as an open-book exam and warned that no one could simply copy his answers; Baron George asked whether copying was forbidden cheating.

Baron Henry gained Duke Henry’s permission to leave and avenge Grant, while quietly considering making his own breakthrough without waiting for Frost Tiger’s arrangements. In the Ocean, Qin Siyang emerged unharmed from a tsunami, but Hu Chan was cursed after entering the water and needed treatment.

• Baron Henry told Duke Henry that Grant and his companions, including Swati, had gone silent and were likely dead.
• Baron Henry identified Alan and Sima Ji as the likely killers and asked Duke Henry for permission to avenge Grant.
• Duke Henry allowed Baron Henry to leave, and Count George warned him to be careful if he went to the Ocean.
• Qin Siyang walked out of the receding tsunami unharmed, astonishing Gu Yunzheng and Zhao Fengjun.
• Hu Chan explained that he had entered the sea after seeing Qin Siyang endure it, but the seawater’s curse had left him injured.
• Qin Siyang objected to Hu Chan calling his inspection of the Ocean a plunge as Zhao Fengjun treated Hu Chan.

Qin Siyang and his companions planned how to overcome the Ocean’s curse and tsunamis so they could search for Zhang Kuang. Gu Weihong assigned the research to the medical and artifact experts, while Hu Chan invited Gu Yunzheng and the World-Destroying Church members to learn about a [Succession Trial].

• Qin Siyang said he could not take anyone into the Ocean because the curse and tsunamis threatened both people and the Capsule Pod.
• Gu Yunzheng’s followers praised his leadership, and Qin Siyang recognized that Gu Yunzheng’s worth went beyond fighting strength.
• Gu Weihong proposed having Old Johnny and Dean Zhao develop medicine against the curse while Professor Quan and he reinforced the Capsule Pod against tsunamis.
• Qin Siyang assigned the four experts to solve the Ocean problem and tasked Hu Chan and Duan Chongfang with protecting everyone.
• Hu Chan suggested that everyone pass the Calamity Umbrella Mushroom’s [Succession Trial], then invited Gu Yunzheng and his followers to hear the details.

After the group passed the Calamity Umbrella Mushroom's trial, Qin Siyang sent Gu Yunzheng and Hu Chan back to camp while he searched the deep sea for Zhang Kuang. He encountered strange gods underwater, and the Godslayer Spear asked why he seemed immune to curses.

• Qin Siyang and the others passed the Calamity Umbrella Mushroom's [Succession Trial] with Hu Chan's guidance.
• Hu Chan joined Gu Yunzheng's group to return to camp, while Qin Siyang and the others discussed whether Gu Yunzheng could be trusted and revealed that Old Johnny was Zhang Yang.
• Qin Siyang put on protective gear and entered the sea to search for Zhang Kuang as Duan Chongfang stayed behind to keep watch over the researchers.
• Qin Siyang found nothing near shore and swam into deeper waters, where he killed several strange gods for research.
• The Godslayer Spear asked Qin Siyang why he could travel underwater without being afflicted by curses, and Qin Siyang said he did not know.