Chapter Summaries

Xu Jiujiu arrived at the Sun Moon Imperial Palace seeking an audience with Xu Cheng, while ministers debated which corps would enter the Artificial Soul Ring pilot program. At the Destruction Hall, Xu Cheng learned that the God of Destruction wanted his approval to choose a successor, and he recognized the candidate’s name as Zhou Weiqing.

• Xu Jiujiu arrived at court to meet Xu Cheng, but Ju Zi told her he was absent and offered to have her wait.
• Qing Zhi, Huo Qing, and Wang Yiheng argued over which Soul Engineer Corps should take part in the Artificial Soul Ring pilot program, while Xu Jiangnian stayed silent.
• Xu Cheng told Tian Meng that both of his God-Given Soul Rings had reached three hundred thousand years and revealed his fourteen Soul Rings and Level 75 Soul Saint strength.
• A man at the Destruction Hall asked Xu Cheng to inspect a talented candidate for the God of Destruction’s succession, explaining that Destruction had made Xu Cheng their future master.
• Xu Cheng approved the God of Destruction’s plan, then stopped him after realizing the proposed successor was Zhou Weiqing.

Xu Cheng rejected Zhou Weiqing as the God of Destruction’s successor, then turned Tang San’s suspected scheme against him by arranging for Zhou Weiqing to seek the promised Asura Divine Seat. Later, Xu Cheng learned that Artificial Soul Ring technology was ready for wider use.

• Xu Cheng refused to let Zhou Weiqing succeed the God of Destruction, believing Zhou Weiqing might betray Destruction for Tang San.
• Xu Cheng learned Zhou Weiqing was waiting for news on the Vast Continent and ordered the God of Destruction to take him to Tang San instead.
• Xu Cheng explained that Tang San had saved Zhou Weiqing and promised him the Asura Divine Seat, and suspected Tang San had arranged for the God of Destruction to find him.
• Xu Cheng told the God of Destruction to publicize Tang San’s promise, expecting Zhou Weiqing’s request and a possible failed Divine Examination to damage Tang San’s standing.
• Elder Cheng reported that Artificial Soul Rings could simulate Soul Rings below a hundred thousand years, exceed ordinary age limits, and were ready for wider rollout after successful trials.

Xu Cheng learned that Artificial Soul Rings could be mass-produced and announced a military-wide pilot program that would let Soul Engineer Corps members register for customized rings. The commanders competed to have their corps chosen, but Xu Cheng declared that every corps would take part.

• Xu Cheng learned from Elder Cheng that Artificial Soul Rings could be produced at lower cost, though their soul skills would remain random.
• Xu Cheng planned to visit the Far North and the Clear Sky Sect, where he intended to retrieve the final fragment of the Rakshasa Demon Scythe.
• Qing Zhi, Wang Yiheng, and other military commanders gathered at Xu Cheng's residence to ask about the Artificial Soul Rings pilot program.
• Xu Cheng told the commanders that Artificial Soul Rings could let qualified soul masters equip ten-thousand-year rings as their third ring.
• The commanders argued over which Soul Engineer Corps should get the first trial, and Xu Cheng announced that every corps would be included in the program.

Xu Cheng discussed the far-reaching impact of artificial soul rings with Zhang Lexuan before Ji Juechen came to ask him for guidance at a combat bottleneck. A system reward then gave Xu Cheng basic interstellar warship blueprints and technology.

• Students at the Sun Moon Imperial Academy discussed rumors that artificial soul rings were mature and could avoid soul shock.
• Xu Cheng told Zhang Lexuan that artificial soul rings would transform the Sun Moon Empire, but advised her against trying one; she comforted him as he fell asleep.
• Xu Cheng woke to find Ji Juechen and Jing Ziyan waiting, while Xiao Hongchen, Ma Rulong, and Lin Xi prepared for their own advancement and the artificial soul ring program.
• Ji Juechen said he had reached a bottleneck and asked Xu Cheng for guidance instead of challenging him to a fight.
• A system notification awarded Xu Cheng basic interstellar warship manufacturing blueprints, including space jump technology and a Level 11 Starship Formation Soul Cannon.

Xu Cheng demonstrated his command of destruction power by defeating Ji Juechen and obliterating half the Trial Ground, then revealed to Jing Hongchen that space-jump technology could soon become possible. He left Jing Hongchen contemplating the prospect of interstellar travel while the Sun Moon Empire still needed to strengthen its warships.

• Xu Cheng considered the Abyssal Creatures' eventual arrival and decided the Sun Moon Empire should face them as a test before expanding into space.
• Xu Cheng defeated Ji Juechen in his own domain and showed him how precise destruction power could be, accidentally destroying half the Trial Ground.
• Jing Ziyan watched Xu Cheng's overwhelming demonstration, while Jing Hongchen told him repairs would cost at least forty million.
• Meng Hongchen suggested charging the repair bill to her brother, and Jing Hongchen agreed to summon him for a test of his ability to take over Mingde Hall.
• Xu Cheng told Jing Hongchen that a Soul Tool Formation could create space jumps between distant locations, potentially allowing interstellar exploration.
• Xu Cheng concluded that the warships still lacked sufficient strength and chose to keep a low profile to avoid drawing the Divine Realm's attention.

Xu Cheng rejected Xu Jiawei’s offer to surrender the Star Luo Empire, instead promising limited help while keeping the nation’s burdens on its ruler. He then prepared a covert operation against the Clear Sky Sect to seize the final Super Divine Artifact Fragment.

• Jing Hongchen told Xu Cheng that the first Interstellar Warship and four escorts could be built within three years, and Xu Cheng agreed to arrange military preparations.
• Xu Jiujiu told Xu Cheng that Xu Jiawei wanted to hand the Star Luo Empire over to the Sun Moon Empire and have the Xu Family return to being a sect.
• Xu Cheng refused to take over the Star Luo Empire, but told Xu Jiujiu he would help Xu Jiawei deal with corrupt nobles and keep the nation stable.
• Xu Cheng explained to Nana that the Star Luo Empire’s resources were already partly under his control and that Xu Jiawei would have to repair the nation as a test.
• Xu Cheng ordered Nana to summon Holy Spirit Cult forces and told Ju Zi to secretly assemble troops near Mingdu for a visit to the Clear Sky Sect.
• After reviewing aerial maps of the Clear Sky Sect, Xu Cheng planned a diversion to draw Da Ming and Er Ming away while he entered the sect to take the final Super Divine Artifact Fragment.

At the God Realm Committee meeting, Zhou Weiqing confronted Tang San over his broken promise to pass on the Asura Divine Seat, while the other gods challenged Tang San’s motives. Tang San tried to take Zhou Weiqing away, leaving the others wary of what he intended to do next.

• Evil summoned Zhou Weiqing to the committee meeting, where Zhou Weiqing recognized Tang San and excitedly confronted him about promising the Asura Divine Seat but never answering his calls.
• The God of Life, Goodness, and Destruction noted Tang San’s reaction and suspected his plans to control the Divine Realm.
• Tang San claimed Zhou Weiqing would need to undergo the Asura God’s trial, but the Goddess of Life questioned why Tang San had received the seat directly.
• The Goddess of Life accused Tang San of using her and pursuing his own goals, while Tang San maintained that Destruction’s actions would endanger the Divine Realm.
• Tang San patted Zhou Weiqing’s shoulder and invited him to leave with him, and Zhou Weiqing followed uneasily despite hoping to resurrect his deceased loved ones.

The God of Life considered preparing a successor as the God of Evil and God of Goodness praised two promising candidates. In the mortal realm, Xu Cheng agreed to give Ye Guyi a chance to gain a soul beast sacrifice and began considering whether she could help restore the shattered Angel God inheritance.

• The God of Evil and God of Goodness discussed returning to the Divine Realm, while the God of Life pondered finding a successor of her own.
• Ye Cheng asked Xu Cheng to take Ye Guyi to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well so she could seek a hundred-thousand-year soul beast sacrifice.
• Xu Cheng warned Ye Cheng that he could not guarantee the soul beasts would sacrifice themselves, and Ye Cheng accepted the uncertainty.
• Ye Guyi knelt before Xu Cheng and said she wanted to become the Angel God to fight evil and protect people.
• Xu Cheng considered that the shattered Angel God divine seat might be repairable and decided to train Ye Guyi during the planned attack on the Clear Sky Sect.

Xu Cheng led the Sun Moon Empire’s army into the Star Luo Empire, rejected Xu Jiawei’s offer of an escort, and quickly forced the Old Nobles to surrender. After Ye Guyi found a hidden chamber beneath Salokai’s estate, Xu Cheng hinted that her pursuit of justice required more than passion.

• Xu Cheng crossed into Star Luo territory and refused Xu Jiawei’s invitation to rest in the capital, ordering the army to continue its mission.
• The Star Luo royal guards watched the army pass and concluded that their empire had become subordinate to the Sun Moon Empire.
• Salokai, Duke Robin'er, and Lingwen argued over whether to negotiate, fight, or flee before learning that Xu Cheng’s army had reached the Duke’s Mansion.
• Xu Cheng’s forces overwhelmed the nobles, and the leaders surrendered; he ordered Ye Guyi to search the estate.
• Ye Guyi discovered a hidden chamber beneath the mansion and entered its long corridor as Xu Cheng remarked that passion alone could not make her an angel who wielded justice.

Ye Guyi rescued a chained girl from the Duke’s underground prison and brought her to Xu Cheng, who killed the kneeling nobles after asking Ye Guyi what judgment she would deliver. The rescued girl revealed herself as the Wooden Puppet Master and attacked after Xu Cheng rejected her request to join the Holy Spirit Cult.

• Ye Guyi found an unconscious, chained girl in the underground cavern, broke her shackles, and ordered her guards to search for other victims.
• Ye Guyi reported the nobles’ abuse to Xu Cheng and said they should be killed and their heads displayed on the city walls.
• Xu Cheng pointed at the kneeling nobles, causing their heads to burst, then asked Ye Guyi what should happen next.
• The girl revealed herself as the Wooden Puppet Master, an Evil Soul Master who had been imprisoned by the duke after he betrayed her.
• The Wooden Puppet Master asked Xu Cheng to make her his disciple, but he refused, and she unleashed her eighth soul skill, Soul Summoning.

Xu Cheng exposed the Wooden Puppet Master's failure to control the guards, then used an illusion to challenge Ye Guyi's certainty about justice. After showing her the victims' true crimes, he left her shaken but said her ordeal was meant to transform her and might prepare her to restore the angel godhood.

• Xu Cheng revealed that the guards' souls were not under the Wooden Puppet Master's control and identified himself as the Holy Spirit Cult's Holy Son.
• Xu Cheng summoned a Gray Gate, whose chains dragged the Wooden Puppet Master inside as Ye Guyi watched.
• Xu Cheng used an illusion to make Ye Guyi believe she had been driven to kill herself, then snapped her back to reality.
• Xu Cheng showed Ye Guyi the three headless corpses and explained that the supposed good man and the other victims had been Evil Soul Masters.
• Xu Cheng told Ye Guyi not to judge people hastily and explained to Ye Cheng that the ordeal was meant to transform her and could lead toward restoring the angel godhood.

Xu Cheng’s forces seized Star Luo nobles’ wealth and advanced toward the Clear Sky Sect while Xu Jiawei committed to aligning with the Sun Moon Empire. Tang San realized the Clear Sky Sect was under attack, leaving him and his allies facing an immediate crisis.

• Xu Cheng ordered troops to empty a noble’s mansion, execute resistance, and send two battalions against the Spirit Bird Sect and Salokai’s mansion before the rest marched on the Clear Sky Sect.
• Xu Jiawei told the empress he had agreed to join the Sun Moon Empire’s cause and viewed the captured nobles as his pledge of allegiance.
• A messenger reported that Grand Duke Robin'er, Lingwen, Salokai, and their trusted followers had been executed and their mansions stripped, so Xu Jiawei sent forces to secure Parsak Province and threatened anyone stirring up trouble.
• Tang San, Da Ming, and Er Ming discussed the Sun Moon Empire’s strength and Tang San’s inability to contact his true body, while Tang San resolved that Destruction must not discover the situation first.
• An explosion sounded near the Clear Sky Sect, and Da Ming realized it was under attack before setting out to investigate.

Xu Cheng and Bibi Dong recovered the final fragment of the Rakshasa Demon Scythe while the Sun Moon Empire’s Soul Engineer Corps attacked Clear Sky Sect. Bibi Dong began restoring the divine artifact, and Electrolux moved them into the Netherworld Realm to prevent her from contacting the Divine Realm; Tang San remained under attack outside.

• Tang San ordered Da Ming and Er Ming to fight as the Sun Moon Empire’s Soul Engineer Corps overwhelmed Clear Sky Sect’s defenders.
• Xu Cheng entered the Treasure Pavilion, where Bibi Dong killed the white-bearded elder and his two companions after Xu Cheng used an illusion to confuse them.
• Xu Cheng took the elder’s key and led Bibi Dong underground, where they found the main body of the Rakshasa Demon Scythe.
• Bibi Dong joined the final fragment to the scythe and began restoring the Super Divine Artifact with the Rakshasa Godhood.
• Electrolux moved everyone into the Netherworld Realm, explaining that Bibi Dong could not contact the Divine Realm from within his world.

Bibi Dong restored the Rakshasa Demon Scythe and summoned the Divine Realm to punish Xu Cheng and Electrolux for imprisoning her. Xu Cheng used the Destruction Temple’s authority to appear as the God of Destruction, leaving Bibi Dong terrified when she realized she had accused him directly.

• Bibi Dong’s purple cocoon dissolved into the Rakshasa Demon Scythe, repairing it and restoring her divine soul and power.
• Bibi Dong threatened Xu Cheng and Electrolux with divine punishment, claiming she had notified the Divine Realm.
• Xu Cheng used the Destruction Temple’s authority to intercept the aura heading toward the Divine Realm and present himself as the God of Destruction.
• Bibi Dong appealed to the apparent God of Destruction and demanded that Xu Cheng and Electrolux be punished for trying to imprison her.
• Xu Cheng revealed himself within the illusion and asked Bibi Dong if she wanted to accuse him, leaving her stunned that he was the God of Destruction.

Xu Cheng and Electrolux destroyed the Rakshasa God's remaining divine sense, while Da Ming and Er Ming battered the Sun Moon Empire's shield at the Clear Sky Sect. A new Rakshasa divine soul appeared and stopped Da Ming's attack, revealing the empire's true purpose.

• Xu Cheng ordered Electrolux to destroy Bibi Dong's trapped divine sense, and Electrolux overwhelmed it in the Netherworld Realm.
• Da Ming and Er Ming attacked the Sun Moon Empire Soul Engineer Corps' defensive shield as Ye Yulin's forces used the Sun Moon Divine Needle against Clear Sky Sect disciples.
• The Combined Defensive Soul Tool cracked under the Ferocious Beasts' assault and then shattered.
• A purple-haired girl carrying a sickle cut off Da Ming's tail as he charged the exposed corps.
• Da Ming and Er Ming recognized the girl's overwhelming aura as a newly formed Rakshasa divine soul, and Xu Cheng stroked her hair as she complained.

Xu Cheng forced Da Ming and Er Ming to abandon thoughts of revenge by revealing that the Sun Moon Empire could monitor the Clear Sky Sect, then withdrew his troops. He decided to visit the Star Luo Empire’s capital and negotiate control of its border defenses, leaving Xu Jiawei’s empire poised to become a strategic partner of the Sun Moon Empire.

• The Rakshasa girl severed Da Ming’s tail, and Xu Cheng warned Da Ming and Er Ming that the Sun Moon Empire could track the Clear Sky Sect wherever it went.
• Xu Cheng displayed a live overhead view of the Clear Sky Sect, convincing Da Ming that retaliation could endanger the sect, and Da Ming vowed to fight only if the Sun Moon Empire attacked again.
• Xu Cheng ordered his elite troops to withdraw from the Clear Sky Sect.
• An orderly reported that Xu Jiawei had sent congratulations from the Star Luo Empire’s capital, and Ye Yulin and Crow said the empire had chosen to align with the Sun Moon Empire.
• Xu Cheng decided to visit Xu Jiawei and negotiate joint defense or the handover of the Star Luo Empire’s border garrisons.

Xu Jiawei accepted Sun Moon Empire's dominance and agreed to let it deploy troops in Star Luo, while Xu Cheng left him on the throne for now. At Shrek, the elders argued over the growing threat and whether to fight, as Xuan Zi wondered what future remained for the academy.

• Xu Jiawei welcomed Xu Cheng to the Star Luo Imperial Capital as commoners celebrated the Sun Moon Empire and its army.
• Xu Jiawei submitted the Star Crown Sect to the Sun Moon Empire, and Xu Cheng allowed him to remain emperor while requesting troops along Star Luo's borders.
• Xu Jiawei offered Star Luo's resources, including its army, for Sun Moon to use.
• At Sea God Pavilion, Elder Song condemned Xu Jiawei's submission, while Elder Zhuang and Elder Lin warned that Star Luo's alignment threatened Shrek.
• Xian Lin'er urged Shrek to fight, but Yan Shaozhe argued that Ancestor Ah Yin's protection and Shrek's remaining strength made open war too dangerous.
• Xuan Zi drank in silence and wondered what choice his Martial Uncle would have made and where Shrek's future lay.

Yan Shaozhe clashed with Shrek Academy’s elders over the Soul Tool Department’s funding and resigned as dean of the Martial Soul Department when they refused to protect its budget. He left Shrek the next day after warning Qian Duoduo that catching up to the Sun Moon Empire’s soul tool technology could take centuries or longer.

• Yan Shaozhe argued that Shrek should reduce the Soul Tool Department’s funding, while Xian Lin'er and Elder Song defended its development.
• Yan Shaozhe warned that Shrek’s finances could not sustain the Martial Soul Department if it received only a fraction of the budget, but the elders rejected his appeal for equal funding.
• When Elder Song offered the Martial Soul Department forty percent of the resources, Yan Shaozhe resigned as dean and endured angry accusations from Elder Song and Xian Lin'er.
• The next day, Qian Duoduo alone came to see Yan Shaozhe off because Elder Song had threatened to expel anyone who did so.
• Yan Shaozhe asked Qian Duoduo whether he could catch up to the Sun Moon Empire’s soul tool technology in three hundred, five hundred, or a thousand years, then departed.

During Shrek Academy’s admissions season, Bei Bei defended the academy’s strict standards against a nobleman who praised the Sun Moon Empire. On the plaza, Zhou Yi returned as a Soul Tool Department teacher under Fan Yu’s protection, while Mu Jin and the Martial Soul Department could do little about it.

• Bei Bei confronted a nobleman causing trouble at the admissions desk and revealed his Soul Emperor strength.
• Bei Bei rejected the nobleman’s criticism of Shrek’s admission requirements, and the nobleman and his son left.
• Bei Bei warned the remaining applicants that Shrek would not accept students who failed to meet its standards.
• Zhou Yi stood with the Soul Tool Department’s new students after Fan Yu had helped restore her position and transfer her there.
• Fan Yu told Mu Jin to stop targeting Zhou Yi, and Mu Jin held back despite Zhou Yi’s provocative expression.
• Fan Yu resolved to help Zhou Yi settle the score with the Martial Soul Department.

Shrek’s Martial Soul Department struggled with shrinking funding and a steep decline in qualified recruits, while the Sun Moon Empire celebrated drawing students from Star Luo. Xu Cheng chose to keep weakening Shrek gradually rather than block its remaining route through the Star Dou Great Forest, leaving their rivalry to build toward the tournament in three and a half years.

• Elder Gong complained to Elder Bai about the Beast Arena’s losses and threatened to quit after the academy’s funding cuts, then left when Elder Bai refused to change the Sea God Pavilion’s decision.
• Qian Duoduo and Xian Lin'er agreed to preserve the Martial Soul Department teachers’ salaries and student-development funds as Elder Bai’s minimum conditions.
• Elder Bai examined the Martial Soul Department’s enrollment list and found only 823 qualified applicants, with no Soul Elders and fewer than seventy Soul Grandmasters.
• Jing Hongchen celebrated the Sun Moon Empire’s expanded intake of two thousand students, including 623 above rank twenty, after it recruited from Star Luo.
• Xu Cheng rejected Jing Hongchen’s suggestion to block the Star Dou Great Forest route and decided to keep weakening Shrek gradually until they could defeat it decisively.