Chapter Summaries

Lingchen rescued Tingyun and the Minghuo Merchant Group from Phantylia, whose renewed plans against the Luofu sought an undying body and greater strength. After revealing that five Aeons had blessed him, he offered to let Phantylia continue her plan and provide what she wanted.

• Phantylia threatened to replace Tingyun as part of her renewed scheme to obtain the Luofu's Ambrosial Arbor and strengthen herself.
• Lingchen wiped out the attacking Antimatter Legion and Denizens of Abundance, then appeared before Phantylia as Tingyun rushed into his arms.
• Lingchen obtained complete Domination Authority, used a Herrscher of Fire Character Card, and received a Herrscher of Corruption Character Card from checking in before Phantylia.
• Phantylia appealed to their shared blessing from Nanook, but Lingchen revealed that he had received blessings from five Aeons.
• Lingchen offered Phantylia an undying body and permission to continue her plan while privately intending to punish her by making her serve Tingyun and the others.
• Phantylia concluded that the Luofu already knew about her involvement.

Lingchen defeated Phantylia inside the Pure Land and offered her a choice: take her true form to the Luofu, continue her plan to gain a body through the Ambrosial Arbor, and serve him afterward, or face the consequences. Phantylia resisted but was tempted by his promises of power, safety, and freedom from destruction.

• Lingchen explained that the Luofu's general was using the scheme to expose hidden collaborators, then said he helped the Luofu because he hoped to win more wives.
• Lingchen took Phantylia into the Pure Land and challenged her to fight while promising not to interfere with her plans if she left his people alone.
• Lingchen overwhelmed Phantylia with his Authority of [Fire] while Tingyun and the merchants repaired their ship outside.
• Lingchen told Phantylia to go to the Luofu in her true form, use the Ambrosial Arbor to create a body, and follow him, but Phantylia refused.
• Lingchen promised Phantylia power, safety, and freedom from destruction, and she began to feel tempted despite fearing what he intended for her.

Lingchen forced Phantylia to agree to stay with him after her plan ended, then assigned her to try reforming civilizations marked as evil by Celenova. He changed the plan so Phantylia would no longer impersonate Tingyun, and Tingyun was left deciding whether to return to the Luofu.

• Lingchen subdued Phantylia and made her choose between becoming a test subject for Herta and Ruan Mei or staying with him after gaining a physical body; Phantylia agreed to stay.
• Lingchen told Phantylia to leave normal civilizations alone and try saving the civilizations Celenova had marked as negative, while allowing her to destroy those beyond hope.
• Lingchen marked Phantylia and told her to continue her plan, warning that only an Aeon could erase his mark.
• Tingyun asked Lingchen whether he was finished, and he teased her before explaining that Phantylia had been meant to take her appearance.
• Lingchen changed the plan so Phantylia would take someone else's appearance, sent the others to Jarilo-VI, and let Tingyun choose whether to return to the Luofu.
• Tingyun considered returning to the Luofu despite the intense maneuvering she expected there.

Lingchen prepared to enter the story as Otto Apocalypse, while Phantylia took on Bianka Ataegina’s identity. On the Astral Express, March 7th and Stelle discussed their familiarity with Lingchen and wondered whether he had traveled back in time to affect their pasts.

• Lingchen promised Tingyun he would send her to Jarilo-VI when the right opportunity came, then returned her to the Luofu and sent the others to Belobog.
• Lingchen had Phantylia transform into Bianka Ataegina and used a True Blank Card to extend the Otto Apocalypse Character Card’s duration.
• Lingchen received the Authority of [Burning] and some Imaginary Energy, then activated the Otto Apocalypse Character Card without taking in Otto’s memories.
• March 7th and Stelle relaxed in March 7th’s room and discussed Lingchen’s status, the arriving fleets, and the possibility that he might reward them.
• Stelle told March 7th she had studied temporal paradoxes and proposed that missing memories of Lingchen might return if he traveled into the past; the two then described their feelings of familiarity with him.

The Astral Express crew discussed staying on Jarilo-VI to help its recovery and earn funds, but Kafka interrupted their meeting with news of a Stellaron crisis on the Luofu. She asked them to change their destination, leaving Himeko and the others wary of Lingchen’s possible involvement.

• March 7th and Stelle counted their recent mission earnings and discussed how much Cocolia trusted them.
• Himeko asked the crew whether they should head to Penacony or remain on Jarilo-VI, and Welt, Stelle, March 7th, and Dan Heng supported staying.
• Dan Heng explained that the supplies arriving on Jarilo-VI far exceeded the planet’s needs and suggested asking Bronya about selling some externally.
• Kafka projected herself onto the Astral Express, and Himeko challenged her for interrupting the crew’s meeting.
• Kafka revealed that a Stellaron crisis had broken out on the Luofu and asked the crew to change their destination.
• Welt and March 7th questioned whether Lingchen’s presence on the Luofu would make a crisis more likely, and Welt warned that Lingchen might be scheming there too.

The Astral Express Crew chose to answer Kafka’s warning and travel to the Luofu, leaving Dan Heng to stay aboard the Express. Meanwhile, Lingchen met Firefly and Silver Wolf at the Luofu’s port.

• Welt and Himeko concluded that the Luofu crisis could be dangerous and agreed that the Astral Express should go there.
• March 7th, Stelle, and Pom-Pom joined the decision to help, while Dan Heng said he would stay aboard the Express when they arrived.
• Himeko ordered Stelle and March 7th to finish small tasks, and the Express prepared to jump in half a System Hour.
• Lingchen met Firefly and Silver Wolf near the Jade Gate in Starskiff Haven.
• Silver Wolf teased Firefly about choosing her outfit for Lingchen, and Lingchen praised Firefly’s appearance.

Lingchen discovered that Firefly’s necklace had cured her entropy syndrome, and Firefly thanked him after choosing to open it. As Silver Wolf grew closer to him too, Lingchen urged her to find new things to enjoy in life.

• Firefly told Lingchen she had chosen him and confirmed that her entropy syndrome was cured.
• Lingchen sensed Silver Wolf’s feelings, brought her real body to them, and drew her into his arms.
• Firefly reassured Silver Wolf that she could lean on Lingchen, and Silver Wolf accepted while denying any special interest.
• Firefly showed Lingchen the opened gemstone from her necklace and explained that it had restored her health and freedom to live outside Sam.
• Silver Wolf recalled how Firefly’s cure had surprised Kafka, and Lingchen encouraged Silver Wolf to pursue new experiences instead of falling into despair.

Lingchen, disguised as Otto, met Luocha and traveled with him while the system upgraded his Character Card limit. At the Jade Gate, Welt, Stelle, and March 7th encountered mara-struck Cloud Knights and a mysterious girl who defeated them.

• Lingchen strengthened Firefly and Silver Wolf's accessories before they left through a Spatial Gate.
• Lingchen checked in before Luocha, received the False God Otto Character Card, and upgraded the system to allow five Character Cards at once.
• Disguised as Otto, Lingchen spoke with Luocha about their pasts and persuaded him to travel together.
• Welt, Stelle, and March 7th arrived at the Jade Gate and found Cloud Knights turning mara-struck and attacking their comrades.
• A girl confronted the mara-struck and quickly defeated them before Welt could react.

Bianka escorted Welt, March 7th, and Stelle to the Palace of Astrum, where Tingyun prevented her from avoiding the Helmsman. Elsewhere, Lingchen traveled with Luocha, coveted the remnant of [Propagation] in his coffin, and obtained a Fu Hua Character Card upon meeting Li Sushang.

• Bianka introduced herself to the Astral Express party, and her resemblance to Earth's Bianka made Welt worry that Earth had been exposed.
• Welt explained their docking circumstances, and Bianka escorted the party to the Palace of Astrum to clarify their arrival with the Helmsman.
• Bianka tried to leave to fight mara-struck soldiers, but Tingyun arrived and told her that the Helmsman was waiting for her.
• Luocha defeated mara-struck soldiers with [Abundance] power, while Lingchen considered obtaining an [Abundance] blessing and the remnant of [Propagation] in Luocha's coffin.
• Li Sushang mistook Lingchen and Luocha for twins, and Luocha introduced Lingchen as Otto Apocalypse.
• Lingchen received a Fu Hua Character Card for checking in before Li Sushang, who questioned both men about their presence.

Lingchen steered Luocha and Li Sushang toward the Palace of Astrum while Welt and the Astral Express Crew met with Yukong and Jing Yuan. After March 7th shared Kafka’s warning, Jing Yuan asked the crew to help investigate the threat behind the Luofu’s crisis.

• Lingchen secretly asked Huohuo to find Xueyi, then Li Sushang offered to escort him and Luocha out.
• Yukong welcomed Welt and the others, assured them the Luofu could handle the Stellaron, and told them they could explore with support from the Sky-Faring Commission.
• Yukong explained Lingchen’s influence on the Xianzhou and invited March 7th to speak freely about the warning she had heard.
• March 7th relayed Kafka’s warning, and Jing Yuan appeared by projection to discuss the unknown enemy and the need for evidence.
• Welt and March 7th offered the Astral Express Crew’s help, and Jing Yuan asked them to bring Kafka to meet the Divination Commission’s diviner.

Welt encountered Otto and Luocha outside the Palace of Astrum and realized that the man wearing Otto’s face was the real Otto, not Void Archives or an alternate self. Otto provoked Welt by invoking his father and defending his faith in human nature, leaving Welt to suppress his anger and consider how to handle Otto’s return.

• Jing Yuan agreed that the Astral Express crew could ask the Diviner about Kafka after her interrogation, while keeping the Xianzhou’s own questions and plans close.
• Lingchen’s group appeared outside the Palace of Astrum with Luocha and Otto, and Welt reacted with alarm at their familiar faces.
• Welt initially suspected Luocha and Otto might be alternate selves or Void Archives, but Otto recognized him as Welt Yang and exposed himself as the real Otto.
• Otto taunted Welt about his father and claimed that he should be thanked for his influence, prompting March 7th and Stelle to sympathize with Welt.
• Otto said he trusted human nature, and Welt calmed himself rather than attacking him on the Xianzhou.

Welt confronted Otto on the Luofu while Tingyun arranged for Luocha to stay under supervision and Jing Yuan entrusted Otto’s case to Welt. Otto then escaped Welt’s attempt to detain him, leaving Welt to recognize the power behind his disappearance.

• Welt asked Luocha to remain in his accommodations while Tingyun arranged for Bianka to escort him.
• Jing Yuan agreed to Welt’s plan for Luocha and left Otto’s affairs to Welt after receiving Lingchen’s message.
• Welt questioned Otto about his purpose on the Luofu and whether he had caused the crisis.
• Welt used black-hole gravity to pin Otto in place, but Otto said he had only come to say hello.
• Otto vanished amid golden feathers, and Welt recognized the power behind his escape.

Welt abandoned the search for Otto and continued investigating the Luofu crisis with Tingyun, while Lingchen spoke with Aha and Herta in the Pure Land. Later, Lingchen visited the overworked Qingque as the crisis kept the Luofu’s officials busy.

• Welt explained that Otto had regained Void Archives-like abilities and decided the group should focus on the Luofu’s urgent crisis instead of searching for him.
• Aha told Lingchen that an Aeon he had been longing for would come to the Luofu, then left to cultivate followers there.
• Herta told Lingchen that Ruan Mei wanted to conduct research in the Pure Land, and Lingchen agreed to let them try studying him.
• Herta invited Lingchen to eat cake she planned to make that night, and he accepted.
• Tingyun, Welt, and Stelle reassured Li Sushang that she had helped uncover the crisis and said they would rely on her.
• Qingque complained that Fu Xuan had given her even more work during the crisis, and Lingchen arrived to visit her.

Lingchen learned that six million Borisin had infiltrated the Luofu and helped Qingque improve her divinations for the secret operation against them. He then confronted Phantylia, discovered she had arranged to draw the Swarm toward the Luofu, and threatened to imprison her in an unending cycle of suffering.

• Qingque told Lingchen that Lingsha's drug had revealed six million Borisin on the Luofu, including about a hundred thousand who had replaced residents.
• Lingchen reassured Qingque, helped refine her divination techniques, and left her to continue her work on the Borisin operation.
• At the Sleepless Earl, Lingchen confronted Phantylia, disguised as Bianka, and asked whether Zephyro had accepted her plan to contact the Luofu's Borisin.
• Phantylia admitted Zephyro had refused, while Lingchen revealed she had contacted Abundance remnants and the Antimatter Legion and had arranged to transport a Curio that attracted the Swarm.
• Lingchen used the Paths of Harmony and Remembrance on Phantylia and threatened to control and imprison her repeatedly, leaving her terrified.

Phantylia accepted that Lingchen had anticipated her escape attempt and decided to continue following his plan, while Lingchen checked on Huohuo and then disguised himself to meet Welt's group. Fu Xuan and Kafka realized the apparent Otto was actually Lingchen, who had arranged the encounter for his own amusement.

• Phantylia recognized that Lingchen had foreseen her plans and chose to find Dan Shu and carry out his instructions.
• Lingchen met Huohuo, reassured her, and reminded her that she could rely on him as she continued her work at Fyxestroll Garden.
• Lingchen disguised himself as Otto and approached Welt's group on their way with Kafka.
• Fu Xuan challenged the supposed Otto, then recognized that he was not the real Otto and played along with Lingchen's act.
• Welt confronted the disguised Lingchen, who provoked him by recalling their old friendship.
• Kafka inferred that Fu Xuan knew the blond man was Lingchen because she bore him no ill will.

Otto disappeared from Welt and Fu Xuan after hinting that he had arranged a surprise, then began operating under the identity of Luocha at the Alchemy Commission. Meanwhile, Sparkle accepted Lingchen’s role as Sirin and realized that her feelings for him had given her existence an anchor.

• Otto used the Feather of Misfortune to vanish, and Fu Xuan agreed only to assign people to search for him because the Luofu had no grounds to arrest him.
• Sparkle asked Lingchen to let her join his plans, and he offered her the role of Sirin in a recreation of the Second Honkai Eruption.
• Sparkle transformed into Sirin and agreed to find her own opportunity to enter the stage while Lingchen went to the Alchemy Commission.
• Lingchen’s words about Sparkle’s importance moved her, and she accepted his affection, feeling that her heart was no longer lonely.
• Otto, disguised as Luocha, approached Dan Shu and offered to fulfill her wishes, including her desire for revenge.
• Dan Shu dismissed her followers and began speaking with Otto privately, while he concealed his intentions behind the Luocha identity.

Lingchen met Jingliu in Cloudford, revealed his interest in her, and learned that her Mara-Struck state had narrowed her focus to slaying a god. When Jingliu’s brutality began to surface, Lingchen restrained and enveloped her with his powers of Purification and Domination.

• Otto told Dan Shu an embellished story about his lost Saintess and offered the coffin’s contents to support her plans, arranging a pickup in Cloudford.
• Luocha waited in Cloudford for Jingliu while Fu Xuan ordered the Divination Commission to monitor his contacts.
• Lingchen intercepted Jingliu, received a Herrscher of Rebirth Character Card from the system, and claimed power over five Paths.
• Aha appeared as a cat to dispute Lingchen’s claim, but Lingchen threw him through portals before telling Jingliu the incident had been an illusion.
• Jingliu asked Lingchen’s objective, and he admitted he wanted her while promising not to interfere with her mission.
• Jingliu’s Mara-Struck brutality emerged as she focused on slaying a god, so Lingchen used Purification and Domination to restrain her.

Lingchen purified Jingliu, leaving her clear-minded but overwhelmed by remorse for her past actions. He promised to revive Baiheng and the dead Cloud Knights by traveling into the past, and Jingliu agreed to a kiss—only for Lingchen to claim it did not count because she was wearing a blindfold.

• Lingchen purified Jingliu and watched her memories and guilt return as her mind cleared.
• Lingchen reassured Jingliu that her actions were not entirely her fault and explained his power over Paths and his intention to obtain the Remnant of [Propagation].
• Lingchen promised to restore the real Baiheng and the Cloud Knights who died because of Jingliu by traveling into the past.
• Jingliu admitted that Lingchen felt familiar to her, and Lingchen speculated that his future self had saved and hidden people to prevent changes to history.
• Lingchen proposed that Jingliu seal their deal with a kiss, and Jingliu kissed him after weighing the promise against her reluctance.
• Lingchen said the kiss did not count because Jingliu was wearing a blindfold, frustrating her.

Lingchen and Jingliu watched as Luocha was tricked into fighting the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus, then intervened with the Ten-Lords Commission. Luocha was detained over suspected collaboration and his resemblance to Otto, and he asked Lingchen to return the coffin, which he said was vital to him and the Xianzhou Alliance.

• Jingliu removed her blindfold and kissed Lingchen, while Luocha denied making a deal with the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus.
• The disciples accused Luocha of reneging on an agreement and attacked him, and he fought back as Lingchen and Jingliu watched from afar.
• Xueyi and the Ten-Lords Commission guards arrived and detained Lingchen on suspicion of colluding with the disciples and evading surveillance.
• Lingchen explained that he knew Otto and claimed to have watched Otto and Luocha, while Luocha insisted he was not Otto and had come to seek cooperation.
• Luocha agreed to go to the Ten-Lords Commission but asked Lingchen to return the coffin, saying it could only be opened by him and concerned the Xianzhou's future.

Lingchen played with Luocha’s expectations about his coffin and later reunited Jingliu with Jing Yuan, who was surprised to see his former master free of mara. Jingliu thanked Lingchen for curing her, while Jing Yuan accepted that his master had changed.

• Luocha asked Xueyi to take him to the Ten-Lords Commission, and Xueyi and Wu Bian took away a stone infused with his power of Abundance.
• Lingchen checked in before Xueyi, obtained Hanya’s Character Card, and converted it into a Blank Card.
• Jingliu joined Lingchen, and they discussed Luocha’s coffin and Dan Shu before Lingchen praised Jingliu and she thanked him for curing her.
• Lingchen and Jingliu went to the Seat of Divine Foresight, where Jing Yuan discussed the Luofu’s growing troubles and rejected Lingchen’s offer to make them all disappear.
• Jing Yuan recognized Jingliu, noted that she was still wanted by the Xianzhou, and learned that Lingchen had cured her mara affliction.