Chapter Summaries

Nihemo enlisted Weiya to help block Guan’s escape while Feiluo’s forces destroyed Lunduo and prepared to leave Base 9 with the Real Person Society. Dongguan safely approached a dark storm, reached Universe Level Ninth Order, and remained unaware of a massive shadow closing in on his spaceship.

• Nihemo told Weiya that Guan had betrayed him, and she agreed to alert the Immortals and Dark Division to guard the dark storms.
• Feiluo ordered Lunduo killed after declaring that soul-enslaved people could not be saved, and Lunduo destroyed himself in an explosion that cost the defenders many World Lords.
• The Real Person Society and the Noren Family arranged to gather their people and leave Base 9, while Feiluo reflected on humanity’s hope of surviving the Divine Venerable’s awakening.
• Dongguan approached a dark storm, and Qiong confirmed that its power had fallen below the Immortal threshold.
• Dongguan broke through to Universe Level Ninth Order as a massive shadow silently approached his spaceship through the dark storm.

Dongguan used the Illusion-Light Vine and the spaceship’s cannon to injure Satu, the Dark Lord guarding the wormhole, and escaped toward the passage. Meanwhile, Nihemo’s forces reached the travel point to intercept him, and the Divine Venerable began stirring beneath the Light and Dark Continent.

• Dongguan’s spaceship encountered Satu in the Dark Storm, escaped his pursuit, and damaged the Illusion-Light Vine while using it to distract him.
• Weiya arrived at Base 9 with reinforcements, and Nihemo learned from Satu that a silver-white spaceship had escaped the Dark Storm.
• Nihemo killed the captive Blue-Armored Man after extracting information about the spatial passage, then traveled with Weiya and his clone to the travel point to wait for Dongguan.
• The Divine Venerable’s body trembled beneath the continent, prompting the beings in the underground palace to announce that its awakening was near.
• Dongguan returned to confront Satu and used the Illusion-Light Vine, an illusion crystal, and the spaceship’s cannon to crack Satu’s core before Satu escaped with part of his body.
• Dongguan collected Satu’s remains and continued toward the wormhole, while the wounded Satu retreated to a Void Continent and prepared to sleep for a long time.

Dongguan escaped the Secret Realm through a wormhole after confronting Nihemo, but the Divine Venerable’s power injured him and temporarily disabled his spirit eye. As Dongguan began seeking contact with the wider universe and weighing whether to reveal the Secret Realm, Nihemo received permission and a token to travel outside and learn how its rules might be changed.

• Dongguan refused Nihemo’s offer to return the Primordial Embryo Stone and submit, then fired the ship’s cannon to evade him and enter the wormhole.
• The Divine Venerable appeared, found Satu asleep, and chose not to pursue Dongguan before relocating the Secret Realm.
• Dongguan sensed that the Secret Realm had moved, but an invisible force followed his causal thread and left him badly injured, with his spirit eye unusable.
• Dongguan concluded that he could still track the Secret Realm, but decided to recover, contact the universe, and postpone selling its location until he could protect himself and secure a good price.
• Nihemo asked to change the Secret Realm’s order, and the Divine Venerable gave him a Hexagonal Token and permission to explore the universe before proposing changes.

Dongguan reached the Guchen Universe Country and learned that returning to the Dry Witch Universe Country would take ten years. He headed for Obscured Moon Star, where he killed thirteen ambushers and took their spaceship.

• Dongguan disguised himself in white armor, traded Supervisor Doff a Universe Crystal for a star map, and hypnotized him into forgetting the encounter.
• Qiong identified their location as the Shadow Star System in the Guchen Universe Country and reported that the nearest points of the two Universe Countries were over two billion light-years apart.
• Dongguan chose to travel to Obscured Moon Star and switched from the conspicuous Qiongluo Ship to a captured C-class vessel before approaching the planet.
• Thirteen attackers ambushed Dongguan's ship near an asteroid belt, but Dongguan killed their leader and the other twelve fighters.
• Dongguan had Qiong take control of the attackers' D-class spaceship and continued toward Obscured Moon Star in it.

Dongguan fought Obscured Moon Star's lord, Yinie, after Yinie mistook him for a Flying Fish Bandit. Dongguan defeated Yinie, but stopped pursuing him after learning the clash was a misunderstanding, and Yinie invited him onto the planet.

• Yinie dismissed the slave trader Nabu and learned that the Flying Fish Bandits were approaching Obscured Moon Star.
• Dongguan arrived in a stolen Flying Fish Bandits spaceship, and Yinie destroyed it before confronting him.
• Dongguan blocked Yinie's Yan Shen Armament attacks, then struck back and tore apart Yinie's body, forcing him to flee.
• Yinie warned Dongguan that his grandfather would retaliate and said he had sent information through the Virtual Universe Network.
• Dongguan explained that he had taken the spaceship from men who had attacked him, and Yinie confirmed the misunderstanding after checking the evidence.
• Yinie apologized and offered to have someone receive Dongguan on Obscured Moon Star.

Dongguan obtained Guchen Universe Country citizenship and explored the Virtual Universe with Youyue, reflecting on why people retreat into games and what gives life meaning. He said he cultivated to witness and experience reality’s endless possibilities, while Yinie grew concerned that the Flying Fish Bandits might threaten Obscured Moon Star.

• Dongguan visited Longyue City’s administrative building with Youyue and obtained Guchen Universe Country citizenship, with Yinie covering the processing fee.
• Youyue reported Dongguan’s plans to register for citizenship and open a Virtual Universe Network account, prompting Yinie to suspect he might be connected to the Flying Fish Bandits and worry about their nearby presence.
• Dongguan and Youyue entered the Virtual Universe, where he tried the Azure Snow World game and observed how spending money could speed progress within its rules.
• Dongguan explained to Youyue that people who saw no hope in reality might become addicted to games, and that he did not look down on them.
• Dongguan said his life’s meaning was to witness and experience reality’s endless possibilities, and that cultivation gave him the means to pursue that journey.

Dongguan withdrew ten thousand hunyuan units from his father's five-star account and learned that his hidden Divine Plant Essence was worth far more, though selling it could expose the Wood and Grass Divine Cauldron. He began arranging his future in Guchen Universe Country by ordering the Illusion-Light Vine's cultivation and deciding to register as a Universe Mercenary before leaving Obscured Moon Star.

• Dongguan verified his identity and transferred ten thousand hunyuan units from the third tier of his father's account.
• Qiong told Dongguan that his Divine Plant Essence was worth over ten billion hunyuan units but warned him not to sell or use it openly.
• Dongguan ordered Qiong to cultivate the Illusion-Light Vine to Immortal Level and decided to remain in Guchen Universe Country rather than return to the Dry Witch Universe Country.
• Qiong explained the main paths for an expert's development, and Dongguan chose to register as a Universe Mercenary.
• Dongguan received emails granting him Silver VIP status at the Giant Axe Arena and informing him of upcoming Guchen auctions.
• Dongguan decided to register as a mercenary, buy a spaceship, and leave Obscured Moon Star.

Dongguan registered as a Universe Adventurer and paid to pass the Apprentice Mercenary Assessment, then began searching for missions to build the points needed to qualify for a One-star Mercenary assessment. After asking Qiong to monitor suitable missions, he considered his remaining tasks and wondered how his old acquaintances on Earth had changed in the hundred years since he left.

• Dongguan registered as a Universe Adventurer and asked to take the Apprentice Mercenary Assessment at the Obscured Moon Star branch.
• Naif explained that Dongguan's peak Universe Level strength made the normal assessment unfair, and Dongguan paid one thousand Universe Coins to complete it immediately.
• Dongguan learned that becoming a One-star Mercenary required 10,000 mercenary mission points, and Naif explained how assessment missions became available.
• Dongguan reviewed the mercenary mission list in the Virtual Universe and told Qiong to prioritize nearby, low-risk missions that offered points.
• Qiong reminded Dongguan that accommodation, contacting Earth, and cultivation remained on his schedule, and Dongguan wondered what his old acquaintances were like after a hundred years.

Dongguan bought Sea Spirit Star and received ships from Yinie before leaving Obscured Moon Star. Yinie and Youyue discussed Dongguan’s growing strength, the Golden Frost Family’s interest in him, and Youyue’s plans to pursue a life of her own.

• Dongguan chose Sea Spirit Star and negotiated with Naka to buy it for 780,000 Universe Coins, with a hundred Star Level slaves included.
• Yinie confronted Nabu over the Flying Fish Bandits’ attacks on slave traders and forced him to accept triple the previously discussed terms.
• Dongguan met Yinie, learned about the attacks on slave traders, and accepted ten D-class and a hundred C-class spaceships.
• Dongguan departed Obscured Moon Star aboard a silver-white spaceship as Yinie told Youyue that the Golden Frost Family had been informed about him.
• Youyue said she intended to stop drifting through life and pursue her own ambitions, and Yinie raised a glass to her change and success.

Dongguan arrived at Sea Spirit Star, where he abolished its generations-old system of selecting and selling slaves and assigned his retainers to manage the planet. As he settled into his new home and returned to the Virtual Universe, a distant organization removed Sea Spirit Star from its target list.

• Dongguan trained in the Virtual Universe's Killing Field, created the blade technique "Yin and yang divide dusk and dawn," and decided to join a dojo to gain access to better training simulations.
• Qiong showed Dongguan sparring missions that offered mercenary points, and he accepted two before reaching Sea Spirit Star.
• Dongguan arrived at his estate on Sea Spirit Star and ordered the planet's inhabitants to develop normally instead of selecting slaves for sale.
• Dongguan gave his hundred retainers numbered names, assigned them duties, and left the estate's management to Qiong.
• Dongguan entered the Virtual Universe from his castle to reconnect with old acquaintances.
• A surveillance agent reported that Dongguan had ended Sea Spirit Star's slavery system, and a Base Supervisor crossed the planet off an organization's target list.

Dongguan returned after spending far longer than expected in a Cosmic Secret Realm, reuniting with Luo Feng, Zhang Gui, Zhang Yu, Hong, and Thunder God in the Virtual Universe. He explained that his Universe Level ninth-order cultivation came from the secret realm’s different flow of time, and he learned that only five years had passed for his friends.

• Dongguan finished sparring with Jiang Mo, earned more points, and considered taking a nearby one-star mercenary qualification mission.
• Dongguan learned that the Genius Battle was about to begin and confirmed that a World within a World had been discovered on Canglan Star about a year earlier.
• Dongguan traveled to Black Dragon Mountain Island and met Luo Feng, then asked him to gather their friends so he could explain what had happened.
• Zhang Gui, Hong, Thunder God, and Zhang Yu joined them, and Zhang Yu initially mistook Dongguan for a virtual image before recognizing him and embracing him.
• Dongguan told the group he had reached Universe Level ninth order and would be unable to return from the Guchen Universe Country for at least ten years.
• Dongguan revealed that he had spent about a hundred years in a Cosmic Secret Realm while only five years passed on Earth, and Babata explained that powerful beings could distort time.

Dongguan established the Heaven-Observing Palace to monitor Sea Spirit Star’s two civilizations while allowing them to develop independently, guided by his desire to cultivate in an atmosphere of hope. After rejecting Jiang Mo’s offer to join his faction for a chance at the August Dojo, Dongguan prepared to enter seclusion.

• Dongguan listened to Land Spirit Race residents discuss their newfound freedom and considered how Sea Spirit Star’s civilizations should develop.
• Dongguan summoned his twelve subordinates and tasked them with serving as Heaven-Observing Emissaries in the Heaven-Observing Palace, which would observe the two civilizations and help selected explorers enter the universe.
• Dongguan explained to Qiong that he wanted Sea Spirit Star to flourish because its hopeful atmosphere would benefit his state of mind, not because he expected gratitude or sought to cultivate subordinates.
• Dongguan received an email from Jiang Mo inviting him to join a faction in exchange for a chance to qualify for the August Dojo, but he decided to refuse.
• After handling Sea Spirit Star’s affairs, Dongguan decided to enter seclusion.

Dongguan spent a year studying the Primordial Embryo Stone, strengthening his Winged Human form and deepening his understanding of the Laws of Light and Time before attending the Guchen Junior Auction. He bought a mysterious Crystal Race travel journal after recognizing references to the Light-Dark Secret Realm, leaving him with a potentially useful clue to investigate.

• Dongguan engraved details from the Primordial Embryo Stone's secret patterns into his mental image, improving his claw attacks and Beast God Intent Realm while gaining a little insight into the Laws of Light and Time.
• After a year of cultivation, Dongguan attended the Guchen Junior Auction and considered whether Hong, Thunder God, Luo Feng, and Zhang Gui might qualify for the upcoming Genius Battle.
• Dongguan passed on a Domain Lord Level Initial Universe study slot because he could not use it until reaching Domain Lord Level.
• At the auction, Dongguan watched the Mysterious Information Crystal's translated excerpts and recognized details that seemed to describe the Light-Dark Secret Realm.
• Dongguan bid 12.1 billion Universe Coins to win the Crystal Race travel journal.

Dongguan bought an August Dojo recommendation slot and the Flame Star Beast's damaged Origin Core at auction. After confirming his membership and reading the guide, he decided to prepare for the Secret Art Tower before traveling to August Planet and to check Luo Feng and the others' strength.

• Qiong explained that Immortal Dry Leaf Grass could imitate the Nine Great Divine Weapons and might eventually control up to a million leaves.
• Dongguan bought an August Dojo recommendation slot for 118.2 billion Universe Coins.
• After hearing that the Flame Star Beast's Origin Core could help with comprehension, Dongguan bought it for 140 Hunyuan Units.
• Dongguan confirmed his August Dojo membership, declined immediate teleportation to August Planet, and read that newcomers had to spend seven days on their highest reachable Secret Art Tower floor to establish access.
• Dongguan decided to prepare Secret Arts before visiting August Planet and to check how strong Luo Feng, Hong, Thunder God, and Zhang Gui were.

About a month after the auction, Dongguan tested Hong, Thunder God, Luo Feng, and Zhang Gui in a training battle to assess their readiness for the Genius Battle. He then judged Zhang Gui’s chances slim and began an experiment that might help his son improve by inscribing Flame Star Beast secret patterns into Zhang Gui’s Mental Space.

• Luo Feng, Dongguan, and the others discussed how Earth’s crisis had eased and what they had bought at the auctions, including Luo Feng’s Yan Shen Armament.
• Hong and Thunder God praised Zhang Gui’s Fire Illusion Eye, and Dongguan proposed testing the four brothers at peak Star Level before the Genius Battle.
• Dongguan fought the four together, parried their coordinated attacks, and used Light Break to end the long training match.
• Dongguan told Zhang Gui that Luo Feng had a stronger chance of reaching the Dry Witch Universe Country’s top 1,000, while Zhang Gui, Hong, and Thunder God would need luck and further improvement.
• Dongguan bound a Flame Star Beast and proposed copying its secret patterns into Zhang Gui’s Mental Space, hoping the experiment would help him advance in the Genius Battle.

Dongguan studied the Primordial Embryo Stone and accepted a One-star Mercenary Qualification Mission to rescue Youyue from the Bloodslaughter Group. As he traveled toward the Chaotic Star Domain, Yinie learned why his grandfather had barred him from joining the mission and that Yi Weitu planned to escort him to August Planet.

• Dongguan learned from the Crystal Race travelogue that the Primordial Embryo Stone could become a special lifeform, considered possessing its future Light Lord, and decided to prepare a possession secret art.
• Qiong showed Dongguan a mercenary assessment involving the Bloodslaughter Group, and he recognized Youyue as its highest-ranked rescue target.
• Yinie told Dongguan that Youyue had been captured while escorting a shipment and explained that her father, Immortal You Zhou, had failed to negotiate her release.
• Dongguan accepted the mission despite its dangers, promised to do his best to find Youyue, and departed Sea Spirit Star for Liubo Star.
• Yinie confronted Immortal Yi Weitu and Immortal You Zhou, who explained that the mission was partly meant to strengthen their bargaining position and that the Bloodslaughter Group might use Yinie as another hostage.
• Yi Weitu told Yinie he would take him to August Planet and said he was already traveling toward Obscured Moon Star.

Zhang Gui comprehended a trace of the Fire Origin Law and gained confidence before the Genius Battle, while Dongguan encouraged him to cultivate for himself. As the tournament began, Dongguan used the Eye of Cause and Effect to narrow down Youyue’s location and prepared to enter the Virtual Universe for the Preliminary Tournament.

• Zhang Gui told Dongguan that he had comprehended a trace of the Fire Origin Law, then admitted he felt inferior to his father.
• Dongguan reminded Zhang Gui to focus on surpassing himself, and Zhang Gui agreed to continue cultivating independently.
• Luo Feng, Zhang Gui, Hong, and Thunder God signed up for the Genius Battle as Earth’s representatives.
• On Liubo Star, Dongguan reviewed his mercenary mission and asked Qiong to identify the targets guilty of excessive slaughter.
• Dongguan used the Eye of Cause and Effect to narrow Youyue’s location to a region spanning more than a hundred stellar systems.
• On the day the Preliminary Tournament began, Dongguan logged into the Virtual Universe on Black Dragon Mountain Island.

Zhang Gui fought his way through the Preliminary Tournament, using his spear and illusions to defeat a powerful Saber Woman on the final day and place 192nd in his World Zone. Meanwhile, Dongguan discovered that Qiong Luo survivors still existed and learned that their people had fractured after King Huozhen’s disappearance; he then left to meet Yinie.

• Zhang Gui entered World Zone 22, killed a burly ape-man, and defeated ten attackers with an illusion and a sweeping spear strike.
• Dongguan noticed Wuhai Qiong Luo’s ranking and searched for information about the Qiong Luo Race, learning that survivors had escaped King Huozhen’s slaughter but later split into branches.
• Dongguan decided to investigate King Huozhen’s disappearance and left the Virtual Universe to attend to his mercenary mission.
• On the final day, Zhang Gui fought Saber Woman, whose Water Origin Law and stronger domain initially gave her the advantage.
• After they defeated the hidden geniuses who attacked them, Zhang Gui used an illusion to defeat Saber Woman in their renewed duel.
• Zhang Gui placed 192nd in World Zone 22 and passed the Preliminary Tournament, while Dongguan headed to the Guchen Continent to meet Yinie.

Dongguan used the Eye of Cause and Effect to trace Akaso’s hatred toward Yan Jianxiao, but found the target in the same space-sealed region where Youyue might be held, preventing an immediate rescue or revenge. He began healing Akaso and identified another Shacao Planet culprit as their next target.

• Dongguan gave Yinie the suspected location of Youyue, and Yinie brought the information to Yi Weitu and You Zhou.
• Dongguan found Akaso, Shacao Planet’s former leader, and took him away after showing that he had cleared nearby Planetary Level beasts from the settlement.
• You Zhou concluded that the inaccessible region might be the Bloodslaughter Group’s headquarters, concealed by the Blood-Killing Marquis’s Space Secret Technique, and decided to seek their teacher’s help.
• Dongguan followed Akaso’s karmic thread to Yan Jianxiao’s location but could not reach him because the same Space Secret Technique concealed the region.
• Dongguan gave Akaso three drops of a healing treasure and showed him another target, whom Akaso recognized as one of the men who had helped slaughter Shacao Planet.

Dongguan killed a red-haired domain lord while completing his mercenary mission, then broke through to the domain lord level and began advancing further. He returned to the Virtual Universe and revealed his breakthrough to Luo Feng, Hong, Zhang Gui, and Thunder God, who had failed the Arena Group Battle.

• Dongguan infiltrated a hidden base, killed the brocade-clad youth, and fought the red-haired domain lord until he defeated him with Yin-Yang Divides Dusk and Dawn.
• The dead domain lord’s elder brother arrived, discovered his son and brother had died, and slaughtered everyone left in the base.
• Dongguan left for another barren planet and broke through to the domain lord level, forming a Life Core and seeing changes in his Beast God Diagram and gene multiplier.
• Dongguan ordered Qiong to provide Divine Plant Essence so he could advance to the domain lord first stage peak.
• At Nine Star Bay, Thunder God lamented that he had failed the Arena Group Battle while Luo Feng, Hong, and Zhang Gui had passed.
• Dongguan joined them, and Hong noticed his new aura; Dongguan confirmed that he had become a domain lord, surprising Luo Feng.