Chapter Summaries

Kafka left the group to scout Giantwood Tower, while the others turned back and met Goff, who warned them about the tree and a deadly eye in the sky. Number Seven struggled against Mother Tree’s call and recalled Number One’s secret account, ending with Number Six’s suspicion that Chu Mu was being prepared as Farmer’s divine body.

• Number One died after roots pierced her heart, and Mother Tree passed her memories to the man, who cursed that Number Seven was still alive.
• Kafka headed toward Giantwood Tower alone despite Chu Mu and the others offering to accompany her, and the group turned back to wait for her.
• The group encountered Goff climbing out of a sewer, and he warned them that the tree at Giantwood Tower ate people and that looking at a coming eye in the sky would kill them.
• Number Seven fought exhaustion as she sensed Mother Tree calling to her and remembered Number One entrusting her with a secret version of the story.
• Number One recalled that Number Six had proposed Mother Tree and Farmer might be allies and that Chu Mu could be the divine body prepared for Farmer.

Number Seven revealed that she planned to sacrifice Chu Mu’s eyes to awaken Taiyi and save him, while Kafka had proposed a different, riskier sacrifice involving the Mother Tree. Chu Mu called out to the Eye of Order, leaving the group facing the truth about Kafka’s plan.

• The narration explained that Farmer had shattered his son’s family and Alliance to break his pride and make him obedient, while Number One entrusted Number Seven with testing Number Six’s conjecture before she died.
• Number Seven asked Chu Mu whether he trusted her, and he replied that he trusted his family, making clear that he did not include her.
• Number Seven revealed that she intended to offer Chu Mu’s eyes to the sleeping Taiyi so it would awaken and banish him from the world without his knowledge.
• Number Seven explained that killing an Aeon was nearly impossible and would require offering someone to the Mother Tree, which was likely to accept the sacrifice without acting.
• Herta said Kafka had told her that Farmer would be sacrificed, but Number Seven insisted that Kafka was sacrificing herself instead.
• Chu Mu clenched his fists, shut his eyes, and called out to the Eye of Order.

Chu Mu awakened the Eye of Order and rescued Kafka from the Mother Tree, but the power’s pain forced him to sleep as Taiyi revived. Kafka and Number Seven carried out their second plan, sacrificing Number Seven to the Mother Tree and bringing forth Xipe, the Aeon of Harmony.

• Chu Mu used the Eye of Order to seize the thread attached to the man at Giantwood Tower and learned that the Mother Tree had swallowed Kafka.
• Chu Mu tied the man’s thread to a Mother Tree vine, dragged him out as a puppet, and watched the Mother Tree devour him before it returned Kafka.
• Kafka reunited with Chu Mu, who fell asleep from the pain in his heart, while Taiyi’s enormous eye opened in the sky.
• Kafka told Number Seven she had chosen the second option, and Number Seven volunteered to be sacrificed to the Mother Tree.
• The Mother Tree pierced Number Seven and fused with the concept of home, giving birth to Xipe, the Aeon of Harmony.
• Herta revealed that she and Kafka had arranged the plan to make Chu Mu awaken the Eye of Order and spare him pain through the second option.

Kafka chose to gamble on the birth of Harmony rather than make Chu Mu suffer the betrayal he had endured before, and the Mother Tree, Number One, Number Six, and Number Seven formed the new Aeon as Taiyi was absorbed. After the Simulated Universe memory ended, the group discovered that a mysterious blue-haired clown resembling Sampo had taken Goff, raising Herta’s suspicion that a real Aeon had entered the simulation.

• Kafka chose the second option because she refused to repeat the choice that had made Chu Mu suffer in his previous life, while Herta explained that Number Seven had acted without knowing Harmony might be born.
• Number Seven became part of Xipe as the Mother Tree burned, and Taiyi’s flames surged into the new Path until the Eye of Order disappeared and Taiyi joined Harmony.
• The memory ended in flames, leaving Goff sobbing over the loss of his wife and unborn child as the others returned to the white space.
• March 7th spotted a blue-haired clown beside Goff, and the clown grabbed Goff and vanished.
• March 7th and Silver Wolf recognized the clown’s resemblance to Sampo, prompting Herta to recall that he had sold Chu Mu to her as the Ambrosial Arbor.
• Herta wondered whether a real Aeon had entered the Simulated Universe, and Stelle suggested that a fake Aha had invited the real one in.

Herta and Kafka pieced together the Aeons’ roles in the reenactment and debated Chu Mu’s ties to Propagation and other Aeons. The reenactment ended with Chu Mu still asleep as March 7th and Stelle carried him out, while mysterious voices spoke before the Simulated Universe fell silent.

• Herta identified Yaoshi, Fuli, Aha, and Xipe as involved in the reenactment and theorized that Tayzzyronth’s fallen Path had contributed to Xipe’s ascension.
• Herta considered whether Taiyi of Order had intended to broaden their Path through Xipe and connected Chu Mu’s past to the appearances of multiple Aeons.
• Kafka asked how Propagation had known Chu Mu, and Herta proposed that Propagation might have survived or that Chu Mu had known him before the Mother Tree gave birth to him.
• Herta, Kafka, and Silver Wolf prepared to leave the Simulated Universe, while March 7th and Stelle carried the sleeping Chu Mu out.
• After the others left, two unseen female voices discussed Chu Mu, Fuli, and Aha before the reenactment ended and the Simulated Universe fell silent.

March 7th and Stelle emerged safely from the Simulated Universe, where Herta revealed that they had encountered multiple Aeons and Himeko suspended their participation until the safety flaw was fixed. March 7th and Stelle found that Chu Mu was missing, though his red bead remained, and they sought to have it tested again while Stelle planned to use what she knew as leverage against Herta.

• March 7th and Stelle woke from their life-support pods, and Himeko confronted Herta about the Simulated Universe's safety risks after Herta said a group of Aeons had been involved.
• March 7th and Stelle noticed Chu Mu was missing and tried calling to him through his red bead, but it did not respond.
• Asta arrived, and March 7th asked her to arrange another test of the bead despite Asta trusting the earlier report that it was ordinary glass.
• March 7th told Asta that she and Stelle had seen Chu Mu in the Simulated Universe, but Stelle stopped her from revealing more and considered using the secret to demand better rewards from Herta.

Asta welcomed Mr. Screwllum to the Space Station, where March 7th asked him to examine her red bead. Screwllum found it was ordinary glass, but he and the others concluded that March 7th’s hope in it was what she had carried from Jarilo-VI into the Simulated Universe.

• Asta welcomed Mr. Screwllum, who arrived early for his meeting with Herta.
• Stelle and March 7th met Screwllum, and March 7th asked him to examine her red bead.
• Screwllum took the bead into Herta’s office while March 7th and Stelle waited outside.
• Screwllum returned and told March 7th that the bead was an ordinary glass bead made with outdated techniques.
• Screwllum explained that March 7th had carried her hope into the Simulated Universe, and the group proposed that hope was Them.

Herta, Screwllum, and Himeko determined that Chu Mu had merged with the concept of hope and was slumbering within it, while March 7th’s continued belief kept him distinct and alive. The group agreed to protect his identity, and March wondered why she had been chosen for the task.

• Herta told Screwllum and Himeko what had happened in the Simulated Universe and explained why they needed to keep Chu Mu’s identity secret.
• Herta and Screwllum concluded that Chu Mu was not inside the glass bead but had merged with the concept of hope and fallen asleep.
• Screwllum explained that March 7th’s belief had preserved Chu Mu as a tiny, distinct spark within hope.
• March thanked Himeko and Screwllum for encouraging her, and Himeko affectionately ruffled her hair.
• March questioned why she had been entrusted with protecting Chu Mu, and Stelle teased her by suggesting her simplicity might be her special quality.

March 7th wished for Chu Mu to go to the people who most wanted him, while Herta and Screwllum discussed the Simulated Universe and the Astral Express prepared to head to Penacony. The chapter ended with a worshipper invoking the Medicine King as a golden eye opened in the smoke.

• Screwllum advised March 7th to make one brief wish if she wanted Chu Mu to return, and March 7th chose to wish for him to go to the people who most wanted him there.
• Himeko told Herta that the Astral Express was headed to Penacony, and Screwllum speculated they might encounter Xipe there before Herta asked him to help fix the Simulated Universe's firewall.
• Himeko explained Penacony's history to Stelle as they returned to the Express with March 7th.
• March 7th told Stelle about her wish, and Stelle took pictures of her blushing while promising to make sure Chu Mu learned how wonderful she was.
• Kafka declined to make a wish, while Silver Wolf discovered that something had been erased from her gaming device and tearfully blamed her nemesis.
• A worshipper pleaded with the Medicine King for an Immortal Miracle of Abundance, and a golden eye opened amid the incense smoke.

Chu Mu discovered that he had merged with the Red Sun and gained the Authority of Manipulation, while a body fashioned by Yaoshi anchored him to the physical world. After waking in a temple devoted to Abundance, he tried to learn where he had been sent.

• Chu Mu viewed his body from above and learned to control it with threads through the Authority of Manipulation.
• Chu Mu discovered that the threads could control only inanimate objects and that using them consumed his origin power.
• Chu Mu closed his Vertical Eye, returned his consciousness to his anchored body, and worried that The Hunt might target him as an Abomination of Abundance.
• Chu Mu found Kafka and Silver Wolf absent, used the Eyeless Path to see through the smoke, and covered himself with a golden banner.
• Chu Mu sat on the offering table, picked up a fruit, and asked where he was.

Chu Mu found himself on Xianzhou Luofu in a body blessed by Yaoshi and discovered he had appeared among the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus. When Green Pheobe asked him to grant the group immortality, Chu Mu realized the gathering was illegal and spotted an armed force approaching.

• Chu Mu confirmed to the worshippers that he was an Emanator of Abundance and demanded to know where he was.
• Green Pheobe introduced himself as a member of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus and told Chu Mu they had summoned him during their monthly ritual on Luofu.
• Chu Mu recognized Luofu as Tingyun’s home and reflected on the Xianzhou Alliance’s history and its opposition to Abominations of Abundance.
• Green Pheobe asked Chu Mu to give the worshippers a way to attain immortality, confirming that the group sought selfish immortality rather than healing.
• Chu Mu questioned Green Pheobe about the group’s security, then opened his Third Eye and saw figures approaching with Formation Blades.

Chu Mu deduced that the Cloud Knights had come for a Pathstrider rather than him, then found a dead, suspicious man in an alley. He began using his Puppetry ability on the corpse, intending to lead it to the Cloud Knights and keep them away from the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus.

• Chu Mu watched the Cloud Knights surround the alleys while leaving one entrance open and reasoned that their target was probably a Pathstrider, not an Emanator.
• Chu Mu searched the alleys for the wanted person, hoping to hand him over before the Cloud Knights discovered the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus.
• Chu Mu spotted a motionless figure, told the believers to stay put, and entered the black-and-white fictional space.
• Chu Mu used his heavenly eye to recreate the terrain map and teleported to the suspicious man's location.
• Chu Mu found the man dead with a sword in his hand, a wound through his heart, and a deep slash across his back.
• Chu Mu threaded his power into the corpse, planning to puppet it toward the Cloud Knights so they would leave the believers alone.

Chu Mu revived the wounded Blade with the power of Abundance, then helped him evade the Cloud Knights. Jing Yuan confronted Blade and left Yanqing to fight him before rushing back to the Divine Strategy Office to address news that an Emanator of Abundance had infiltrated the Xianzhou.

• Chu Mu revived Blade, who reacted with anger and despair before recognizing Chu Mu and agreeing to follow his suggested escape route.
• Blade reached the port, where Jing Yuan and Yanqing intercepted him; Jing Yuan left to respond to an urgent message, leaving Yanqing to challenge Blade alone.
• Blade defeated Yanqing in a sword fight and escaped aboard a Starskiff.
• Jing Yuan returned to the Divine Strategy Office, where Fu Qing criticized him for laughing amid the highest-level alert over an infiltrating Emanator of Abundance.
• Jing Yuan told Fu Qing he wanted the others to relax despite the danger already facing the Xianzhou.

Fu Xuan worried over the Emanator of Abundance who had infiltrated the Luofu, while Jing Yuan explained why they could not confront him there. She devised a plan to guard the Ambrosial Arbor, reinforce security, and keep the Emanator under surveillance, then Jing Yuan left the matter in her hands.

• Fu Xuan complained that Jing Yuan had left her carrying most of his duties while an Emanator of Abundance remained on the Luofu.
• Jing Yuan said that a fight between Emanators could destroy much of the Luofu, so they could not attack the intruder while he stayed aboard.
• Fu Xuan suspected the Emanator might be after the Ambrosial Arbor and feared the Matrix of Prescience could not predict his goal.
• Jing Yuan argued that the situation remained under control as long as no other Emanator appeared to upset the balance.
• Fu Xuan proposed increasing security around the Ambrosial Arbor, requesting Cloud Knights from nearby Xianzhou ships, and openly surveilling the Emanator.
• Jing Yuan praised Fu Xuan's strategy and left the matter in her hands.

Fu Xuan assigned Qingque an investigation that required her to work away from the Divination Commission and submit daily reports. When Qingque discovered the assignment concerned an Emanator, she panicked, then decided to set aside her worries and keep playing Imperial Jade.

• Fu Xuan called Qingque while she was playing Imperial Jade during her shift and scolded her for slacking off.
• Fu Xuan explained that she wanted to develop Qingque into her deputy, despite Qingque's repeated efforts to avoid responsibility and recognition.
• Fu Xuan told Qingque she could manage her own time for the next few days but had to submit an investigation report every day.
• Qingque saw that her assignment involved an Emanator and feared she might die on the investigation.
• Qingque reflected on her directionless life, decided she had little to fear, and returned to playing Imperial Jade.

Chu Mu learned how the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus used the Xianzhou’s history and long-life species’ oppression to justify pursuing immortality and the mara-struck condition. Green Pheobe defended the sect’s idealized vision of the ancient Xianzhou and condemned the Alliance authorities for restricting the immortal Dao.

• Chu Mu realized the man who had returned from the dead had likely been captured, and he abandoned the hope of using the man’s corpse as a puppet.
• Chu Mu recalled how the Ten-Lords Commission regulated the deaths of long-life species and how immortality had led to population crises and mara-struck afflictions on the Xianzhou.
• A member of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus presented the sect’s teachings, calling longevity a form of cultivation and the mara-struck condition a path to immortality.
• Chu Mu asked Green Pheobe whether people in ancient times could all become immortals, and Green Pheobe affirmed that they could.
• Green Pheobe blamed the Alliance authorities for cutting down the Ambrosial Arbor and preventing long-life species from pursuing the immortal Dao.

Chu Mu questioned Green Pheobe about the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus and learned that their controlled mara-struck transformation depended on both cultivation and a potent medicine. The chapter left Chu Mu skeptical about the method’s hidden cost as Green Pheobe explained how the order restricted access to the medicine.

• Green Pheobe claimed the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus had ancient origins, then admitted the current organization had been founded less than thirty years earlier.
• Green Pheobe transformed into a massive, powerful mara-struck form while retaining his sanity, and Chu Mu recognized the power of Abundance.
• Chu Mu reflected on the price of immortality and doubted that the Disciples could control mara-struck without consequences.
• Green Pheobe withdrew his transformation, drank from a small bottle, and calmed his frenzied thoughts.
• Green Pheobe told Chu Mu that the medicine enabled the transformation but was available only to devoted members who had cultivated qi, established a foundation, and condensed an inner elixir.

Green Pheobe explained that some Xianzhou physicians viewed mara-struck transformation as cancer caused by immortal cells accumulating errors, and described how Dragon Coiling and Serpent Leaping kept those transformed lucid. Chu Mu learned that immortals used pills to preserve their original appearances, and suspected their cultivation practices were tests of obedience.

• Green Pheobe explained the theory that mara-struck transformation resulted from disordered immortal cells that divided without limit.
• Green Pheobe claimed Dragon Coiling and Serpent Leaping kept the mara-struck lucid and said the Denizens of Abundance embraced evolution more freely than the Xianzhou long-life species.
• Chu Mu challenged Green Pheobe by asking whether the Abundance blessing had cursed them with illness, and Green Pheobe reframed cancer as an evolutionary path.
• Chu Mu asked how immortals changed back after awakening their mara-struck form, and Green Pheobe described celestial bodies and Dust-Returning Form-Preserving Pills.
• Chu Mu suspected the cultivation practices were obedience tests designed to determine who deserved the great medicine.

Chu Mu learned that Dragon Coiling and Serpent Leaping used living Vidyadhara for their marrow and concluded that the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus were pursuing a demonic path. He asked Green Pheobe what he wanted, and Green Pheobe declared that the group intended to overthrow the Xianzhou Alliance.

• Chu Mu asked Green Pheobe about Dragon Coiling and Serpent Leaping and learned that Vidyadhara marrow was harvested from living subjects.
• Green Pheobe revealed that he was a Vidyadhara who had deliberately induced mara-struck conditions to gain power.
• Chu Mu suspected the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus were obtaining mara-struck bodies and abducting Vidyadhara, possibly with help from an official.
• Chu Mu reasoned that Vidyadhara marrow used the power of Permanence to bring order to the growth of mara.
• Chu Mu asked Green Pheobe what he wanted, and Green Pheobe said the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus wanted to overthrow the Xianzhou Alliance.

Chu Mu gained Green Pheobe’s trust so he could impersonate him and use him as a second body, arranging to stay at his home in Aurum Alley. As Green Pheobe prepared to introduce him to the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus’ Chief, Chu Mu reflected on his changing view of the Aeons and the family that kept him grounded.

• Chu Mu decided to impersonate Green Pheobe and questioned him about his household and background.
• Green Pheobe revealed he was a Vidyadhara with no parents and few social ties, and Chu Mu judged him an ideal puppet.
• Chu Mu asked for a quiet place to stay, and Green Pheobe invited him to his home and agreed to introduce him to his Chief the next day.
• Green Pheobe took Chu Mu to his home on Aurum Alley, where Chu Mu doubted the Interastral Peace Corporation’s promise to revive the shopping street.
• Chu Mu reflected on his encounters with Aeons, his family’s importance to him, and his uncertainty about how Blade was doing.