Chapter Summaries

Xu Ye accepted Chen Yu’s request to examine her uncle’s body and discovered that Zhong Little Hua was an Awakened who recognized him despite his changed appearance. Little Hua revealed that her great-uncle’s death involved the Matchmaker Society, while Xu Ye warned her to stay out of Awakened affairs.

• Chen Yu asked Xu Ye to examine her uncle’s body, which was being held at Holy Cross Hospital, and Lü Xiao Dao accepted the job in exchange for five Federation Currency worth of egg fried rice.
• The Bandit Lord sensed that Lü Xiao Dao carried spiritual qi matching Zhong Little Hua’s and suspected she had used psychological suggestion on him.
• Zhong Little Hua brought Xu Ye egg fried rice, and he confronted her about the spiritual qi he had sensed on Lü Xiao Dao.
• Little Hua admitted she had awakened naturally, recognized Xu Ye by his scent, and knew about the Blasphemer’s Diagram, but refused to explain how she had learned about Awakened matters.
• Little Hua told Xu Ye that the Matchmaker Society had been involved with her great-uncle before his sudden death and was disputing his assets.
• Xu Ye promised not to tell Chen Yu about Little Hua’s secrets, warned her not to use her ability, and gave her practice papers to complete.

Xu Ye investigated a suspicious death at Holy Cross Hospital’s morgue, where he learned the victim had been deliberately murdered. After he left, the morgue’s corpses sat up and stared after him.

• Zhong Little Hua gave Lu Xiaoyu test papers, persuaded her to let Zhong join the Wanderers' Society, and discovered a surveillance mushroom watching the siblings.
• Mo Suo suspected someone had killed Father Hall and prepared to carry out assassinations targeting Federation officials.
• Xu Ye traveled to Holy Cross Hospital to investigate the Matchmaker Society lead and entered the morgue using the Red Veil.
• Xu Ye spoke with a lucid remnant soul, then helped the dead morgue worker pass on.
• At Cabinet 40, Xu Ye and Bandit Lord found traces suggesting the deceased had been deliberately murdered.
• After Xu Ye left the morgue, its refrigerated cabinets opened and the corpses sat up, staring after him.

Xu Ye escaped the morgue after discovering that the Rose Society’s corpses had awakened, then stumbled upon a suspected infant sale and fled when the Heart of the Order Keeper raided the scene. He left Zhu Dalong trapped in the concrete and vanished into the night.

• The corpses in the morgue repeatedly sat up after Xu Ye left, and they revealed that they worshipped the Goddess of Gloom and planned to investigate him because he carried something belonging to their deity.
• Xu Ye left Holy Cross Hospital on foot and planned to tell Chen Yu about her husband's uncle's murder while searching for a Doctor Society pharmacist who could awaken Li Yunyao.
• In an abandoned park, Xu Ye saw a woman with a newborn meeting a masked man and suspected they were selling the baby.
• The Heart of the Order Keeper raided the park, and Xu Ye evaded their lights before encountering Zhu Dalong.
• Xu Ye used the Red Veil to pass through Zhu Dalong, then escaped over the park fence as Zhu Dalong discovered his feet were stuck in the concrete.

Zhu Dalong investigated a baby sale while Xu Ye learned the cases were part of a wider infant-trafficking problem. As the Golden Key countdown ended, Xu Ye and other key holders entered the Dreamscape, where Xu Ye received Awakening Charms and encountered Lü Xiao Dao.

• Zhu Dalong questioned a young substitute teacher who had sold her newborn daughter and learned that infant-trafficking cases had become increasingly common.
• Xu Ye told Chen Yu about the previous night, heard reports about the red-veiled man at Holy Cross Hospital, and realized that the corpses there might be connected to the Bandit Lord's warning.
• Xu Ye used the Golden Key as its countdown ended and checked on Li Yunyao, whose condition had worsened.
• Lü Xiao Dao prepared to enter the Dreamscape with his key, while Li Wan opened a gate with the Black Key as Shen Xinghai and Zhu Dalong watched.
• Xu Ye entered the Dreamscape, received three Awakening Charms for completing the first reward, and saw Lü Xiao Dao appear as a little Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Xu Ye and the other contestants received their second-round missions, including a team exploration of the Seventh Psychiatric Hospital with a hidden Black Key holder. Xu Ye returned to the Second Dreamscape Layer with three Awakening Charms, noticed flaws in the dream, and was interrupted by urgent knocking.

• The Holy Grail announced that round one ended with 20 Golden Key holders and 24 Black Key holders, giving the black side an advantage in round two.
• Xu Ye learned his team mission was to explore the Seventh Psychiatric Hospital with four people, one of whom held a Black Key, and discovered Lü Xiao Dao was his teammate.
• Li Wan received a two-person mission to rescue the Azure Sky Dragon from the District 7 Abandoned Cemetery in the First Dreamscape Layer.
• Ivy decided to flee her wedding to Shenchuan Lan to delay the planned war between the Federation and the Club.
• Xu Ye returned to his bedroom with three Awakening Charms, and the Bandit Lord pointed out misaligned floorboard patterns as evidence of the dreamscape’s flaws.
• Urgent knocking interrupted Xu Ye as he examined the floorboards.

Xu Ye accompanied Chen Yu as Federation investigator Shangguan Tian tried to bribe and threaten her into dropping her appeal over Old Mr. Wu’s death, revealing that he was tied to the Matchmaker Society and the case. After Xu Ye backed Chen Yu’s decision to continue, Shangguan Tian later intercepted him on the street with Count An Lu.

• Xu Ye visited Chen Yu’s apartment, where Zhong Little Hua teased him and her mother about dating, then threatened to expose his identity when he brought her more test papers.
• Shangguan Tian arrived to investigate Old Mr. Wu’s death, dismissed the murder claim, and threatened Chen Yu with the Matchmaker Society’s retaliation if she continued her appeal.
• Shangguan Tian revealed that he was a Matchmaker Society member, Old Mr. Wu’s business partner, and the person Chen Yu intended to accuse, then offered money to silence her and Xu Ye.
• Xu Ye rejected Shangguan Tian’s offer and supported Chen Yu’s decision to continue the appeal; afterward, he tutored Zhong Little Hua while Chen Yu prepared lunch.
• Xu Ye left Chen Yu’s home and headed toward a market, but Shangguan Tian’s sedan blocked his path, and Xu Ye spotted Count An Lu among the people who got out.

Xu Ye avoided Count An Lu’s attempt to recruit and silence him after his heart warned that taking action would get him killed. After Xu Ye left, Qin Yingying used a taboo deck to check whether anything was unusual about him, then Shangguan Qian drew a punishment card.

• Xu Ye met Count An Lu and accepted a hundred-thousand check while pretending to submit to his demands to retract his findings and leave the Doctor Society.
• Xu Ye’s heart warned that he would die if he seized Count An Lu, so he gathered information and left instead of attacking.
• Qin Yingying arrived with eight infants in her swollen belly, and Count An Lu and Shangguan Qian greeted her as their Saintess.
• Qin Yingying used the Drinking Table Playing Cards, and Shangguan Qian’s Wish Card reported that something about Doctor Xu was unusual but not a major problem.
• Shangguan Qian drew the Lady Card, and Count An Lu offered to take him to a club for a day of work entertaining wealthy clients.

Xu Ye connected the Matchmaker Society to the Lord of Darkfall’s suspected descent ritual and passed his suspicions to Li Wan while concealing his identity. After learning how the Awakening Charm worked, he prepared to enter the First Dreamscape Layer to find Count An Lu and break the Dreamscape.

• Xu Ye asked Li Wan to direct Shen Xinghai and the others toward investigating the Matchmaker Society, and suggested that they believe he might be connected to the Thunder Sound Society.
• Xu Ye returned to the Wangchun Building, where Zhou Nian explained why she was renovating the Apartment and stopped Lü Xiao Dao from summoning him to his room.
• Bandit Lord explained that the Awakening Charm sent Xu Ye to the First Dreamscape Layer for twenty-four hours, where Awakened contestants could die in reality and time followed the layer’s ongoing loop.
• Xu Ye decided to use the Awakening Charm that afternoon to find Count An Lu in the First Dreamscape Layer and shatter the Dreamscape.

The King of the Underworld learned that the Matchmaker Society was behind the Lord of Darkfall’s planned descent and prepared to return to the First Dreamscape Layer with Li Wan. Qin Yingying sensed danger and decided to return there as well, while Lü Xiao Dao used an Awakening Charm to go back without his sister noticing.

• Li Wan told the King of the Underworld about the Holy Grail’s mission and Xu Ye’s message, and she revealed that the Matchmaker Society was helping the Lord of Darkfall descend.
• The King of the Underworld announced that she would return to the First Dreamscape Layer to eliminate the Matchmaker Society and the Saintess, and told Li Wan to accompany her.
• Qin Yingying’s unborn infants warned her of danger, and she inferred that the Heart of the Order Keeper had discovered the Matchmaker Society’s role.
• Qin Yingying messaged the Matchmaker Society’s president and took out an Awakening Charm so she could return to the First Dreamscape Layer.
• Lü Xiao Dao pretended to go to sleep, then used an Awakening Charm to disappear from the room as Lu Xiaoyu watched and decided to message Doctor Xu.

Xu Ye passed the night waiting for a chance to investigate Count An Lu, then reunited with Li Wan and learned about the King of the Underworld’s plans and the tomb in District 7. Meanwhile, Alice ordered Lü Xiao Dao to guard a girl in Room 2001 before joining Xu Ye to deal with Count An Lu.

• Xu Ye gave a homeless young man two coins, and the man told him about the Wild Awakened Club and shared his mother’s warning about Shadow Spiders.
• Xu Ye considered whether the Shadow Spider story was a hint, then told the homeless man to find him if the whole world stopped wanting him.
• Li Wan regained his memories, but Zhang Qing struck him and knocked his wife’s urn to the ground before Xu Ye appeared.
• Li Wan reported that the Heart of the Order Keeper had gathered information quickly, that the King of the Underworld planned to act against the Matchmaker Society, and that the Illusion Overlord’s tomb was in District 7.
• Lü Xiao Dao encountered Alice and Wang Han outside Room 2001, and Alice ordered him to watch the girl inside while she went to meet Xu Ye and deal with Count An Lu.

Xu Ye used his heart’s simulations to prepare for an attack on Count An Lu, then entered the Red Fortune Company and struck. Count An Lu evaded the first assault, and the Saintess appeared as the confrontation began.

• Shangguan Tian went to seize Chen Yu and her daughter, while Zhong Little Hua recognized Xu Ye had likely entered the First Dreamscape Layer and prepared to kill whoever came next.
• Xu Ye’s simulations revealed interference in Count An Lu’s office and warned that a hand might steal one of his kidneys, but he decided to proceed with Alice and Bandit Lord’s help.
• Xu Ye entered the Red Fortune Company in spirit form and confirmed Count An Lu appeared to be alone.
• Xu Ye attacked Count An Lu from behind with a dagger, but An Lu ducked, fired his Silver Pistol, and floated to the ceiling as a Hydrogen Balloon.
• Count An Lu spotted a corridor appear behind Xu Ye and realized the Saintess had arrived.

Xu Ye discovered that Qin Yingying had returned as the vessel for the Lord of Darkfall, then followed the King of the Underworld and the Heart of the Order Keeper to East Grand Harbor. As the King fought Ji Ying, Xu Ye slipped toward the abandoned church to disrupt the ritual.

• Qin Yingying abducted Count An Lu and vanished through a spatial Taboo Object, leaving Xu Ye shocked by her return and the Lord of Darkfall's presence within her.
• The Bandit Lord traced Qin Yingying's escape to East Grand Harbor, and Xu Ye informed Li Wan so the King of the Underworld could respond.
• Xu Ye reached the harbor and saw Shen Xinghai and the King of the Underworld arrive with Zhu Dalong and a Rank B Taboo Object that plunged the area into darkness.
• The King of the Underworld confronted Ji Ying, whose Nightmare Eye protected nearby civilians from his attacks, and declared judgment on the Matchmaker Society for aiding an Otherworldly Deity.
• While the King of the Underworld fought Ji Ying and Shen Xinghai prepared to destroy the ritual, Xu Ye used the Red Veil to sneak toward the abandoned church.

Xu Ye entered the abandoned church and used his tentacles to drain an Abyss Woman, clearing the way through the distorted maze. In the church hall, Shen Xinghai and Father Hall fought with decoys and flame-powered movement as Xu Ye watched from the shadows.

• Xu Ye disguised himself and entered the abandoned church, where Heavenly Dao distortion had created a maze filled with Abyss Women.
• Xu Ye used his tentacles to drain an Abyss Woman, and the others fled from him into the walls.
• Xu Ye crossed the maze and reached the church hall, where Father Hall and Shen Xinghai were fighting.
• Shen Xinghai used Flame Leap to evade Father Hall and shoot at him while Xu Ye watched from the shadows.

Xu Ye and Shen Xinghai fought their way into the underground chamber to stop Qin Yingying’s ritual and the Lord of Darkfall’s return. Qin Yingying mistook Xu Ye for the father of her monstrous child and attacked them with a sound wave that sent Xu Ye’s blood surging toward her.

• Shen Xinghai used Alice’s illusion and Xu Ye’s attack to destroy Father Hall, then Xu Ye shot the priest in the head to prevent his Flesh Rebirth.
• Xu Ye told Shen Xinghai that Qin Yingying planned to give birth to the Lord of Darkfall’s lower half, and they hurried to the underground chamber.
• Shen Xinghai charged toward Qin Yingying as Count An Lu told Shangguan Tian to offer himself to the Lord of Darkfall.
• Shangguan Tian began crumbling into ash, and Qin Yingying declared that Xu Ye was the father of her child.
• Qin Yingying destroyed Shen Xinghai’s fire dragon with a shriek, injured Xu Ye, and pulled his blood toward herself.

Xu Ye, Shen Xinghai, and Ye Qingnuo stopped Qin Yingying from delivering the Lord of Darkfall’s projection, though a mysterious “Gift” appeared in her blood after the altar collapsed. Xu Ye then killed Count An Lu and used his ability to question the corpse.

• Shen Xinghai trapped Qin Yingying with the Mad Demon Lich’s arm bone as the Lord of Darkfall began emerging from her belly.
• Xu Ye, Shen Xinghai, and Alice attacked Qin Yingying, while Ye Qingnuo’s paper dagger struck the projection’s eye and helped destroy the altar.
• Ye Qingnuo stabbed the projection and explained that she wanted revenge because he had taken someone from her.
• Blood spread across the shattered altar and formed the Great Xia characters “Gift,” unsettling Shen Xinghai and Ye Qingnuo.
• Xu Ye killed Count An Lu despite his plea for mercy, then dragged his corpse into a church prayer room to question it.

Xu Ye absorbed Count An Lu’s memories and discovered that Speaker Auston served the Lord of Darkfall, while the other Supreme Speakers also represented gods. The King of the Underworld confronted Xu Ye, revealed her connection to Chen Dukang, and agreed to help him before he returned to the second dreamscape layer.

• Xu Ye absorbed Count An Lu’s soul and saw memories of Auston giving him the Demon Vein to use against Li Yunyao when the Lord of Darkfall descended.
• Xu Ye and Alice concluded that the Supreme Speakers were spokespeople for gods, and wondered which gods the remaining Speakers served and why one had died.
• The King of the Underworld confronted Xu Ye, accused him of helping bring down Ji Ying, and recognized him by the mark he carried from Chen Dukang.
• The King of the Underworld explained that Chen Dukang had warned her about the gods and said the older generation’s path toward becoming Ancient Sages was flawed.
• As Xu Ye’s Awakening Charm wore off, the King of the Underworld promised to return his body safely and chose to trust Chen Dukang’s faith in him.

Chen Dukang confronted Auston over humanity’s erased history, Earth, and the Lord of Darkfall, then escaped repeated attacks using his sequence talent. In the second dreamscape layer, Xu Ye found Zhong Little Hua with Shangguan Tian’s corpse and brought her inside.

• Chen Dukang rejected Auston’s offer to return to Sky City and accused its leaders of hiding humanity’s history from a hundred years ago.
• Chen Dukang deduced that Auston was the Lord of Darkfall’s representative and questioned him about Xu Ye, Earth, and Heavenly Abyss Star.
• Auston ordered his soldiers to kill Chen Dukang, but Chen repeatedly reappeared and finally vanished, leaving Auston behind.
• Zhong Little Hua dragged Shangguan Tian’s corpse to Xu Ye’s door after realizing she had forgotten how to dispose of it.
• Xu Ye recognized that Zhong Little Hua had likely killed Shangguan Tian, flicked her on the head, and pulled her inside, saying he would tell her mother they were doing practice tests.

Xu Ye discovered that the Lord of Darkfall had fused with his body as a dangerous pregnancy, leaving him nine months to find a way to survive. He ended the chapter by encountering Ivy next door, whose remarks seemed to stir the embryo.

• Xu Ye found Shangguan Tian dead, learned Zhong Little Hua did not want to attend school, and promised to teach her himself.
• Xu Ye heard that the Matchmaker Society's president had died and that Ivy had gone missing, then considered his plans for the psychiatric hospital and Li Yunyao.
• Xu Ye became nauseated while eating, and the Bandit Lord revealed that a pea-like object outside his stomach was the Lord of Darkfall, whose life was bound to his.
• The Bandit Lord warned Xu Ye that he had nine months to absorb the Deity's energy or find a way to miscarry, or he would die when it was born.
• Xu Ye disguised himself as Doctor Xu Bai and met his new neighbor Ivy, who recalled asking him whether men could get pregnant; his stomach reacted, and he shut himself inside.

Li Wan moved into the building and told Xu Ye that his trip to the abandoned cemetery had left him with missing memories, while Xu Ye considered investigating it himself. At lunch with the neighbors, Shenchuan Lan unexpectedly arrived and confronted Ivy.

• Li Wan moved into Room 2101, flirted with Zhou Nian, and then visited Xu Ye with seafood gifts.
• Li Wan told Xu Ye that he had explored the other passage beneath the District 7 cemetery but could not remember what he had seen.
• Xu Ye learned that Li Wan had returned home naked and suspected the Illusion Overlord had erased his memories; Li Wan also mentioned the Matchmaker Society president's death and declared he was willing to follow Xu Ye.
• Zhou Nian hosted lunch for Xu Ye, Li Wan, Ivy, and the other neighbors, and everyone except Zhou Nian joined the Wanderers' Society.
• Shenchuan Lan suddenly entered the restaurant, asked Ivy why she had not told him she was there, and drew Xu Ye's attention.

Xu Ye suspected that the Shenchuan Family and the Federation might be preparing for war, while Shenchuan Lan embarrassed himself at Ivy’s meal and then plotted against her allies. Ten days later, Lü Xiao Dao suffered a vision of the Great Fiend destroying the Land of Exiles and begged the Cat God to save him.

• Xu Ye concluded that the Shenchuan Family’s marriage alliance with the Federation could be part of a plan to start a war inside the Holy Grail’s Dreamscape.
• Xu Ye taunted Shenchuan Lan at Ivy’s table, and the others drove Shenchuan Lan away after Ivy refused his advances.
• Alice caused Shenchuan Lan to stumble into a garbage truck after he stepped on her, while Lu Xiaoyu photographed the accident.
• Shenchuan Lan told Matsumoto Naiko to delay killing Ivy’s companions and instead planned to target council members who opposed Mr. Airo.
• Ten days later, Lü Xiao Dao suffered a painful vision of the Great Fiend devastating the Land of Exiles and cried out to the Cat God for help.