Chapter Summaries

Qi Sheng learned that Di Nian had encountered powerful Primordial Monsters and discovered a Rule Domain beneath the High Tower. Unable to claim it yet, Qi Sheng launched a global quest for players to purify the Dark Cavern’s corrupted Domain Node, and players began gathering for the expedition.

• Di Nian reported to the dark red eye that Primordial Monsters had interfered in his battle, and the eye warned him not to underestimate the world’s dangers.
• The dark red eye began using the High Tower’s energy to create Evil Spirits for Di Nian.
• Qi Sheng used the Guide to analyze the Domain Node beneath the High Tower and learned it was a Rule Domain called Heavenly Abyss, with the trait “myriad forms furnace.”
• Qi Sheng decided to reclaim the Dark Cavern’s Domain Node and announced the global hidden quest “Purify the Node” to all players.
• Major Guilds and unaffiliated players discussed the quest and prepared to pursue its rewards.
• Half an hour after the announcement, players across the Emperor Tomb Mountain Range began heading toward the Dark Cavern on the Blood Plains.

The Apocalypse Technology Guild, led by Yang Tianxuan, revealed its Spirit-Energy Firearms while fighting Iron-Shelled Insects, attracting attention from players on the Forum. After learning that Testing Tower abilities could aid weapons research, the guild began planning a utility-focused “Sage” build.

• Players crowded the Dark Cavern for the purification mission while recruitment messages filled the Regional Voice Channel.
• A Forum video showed black-clothed players using Spirit-Energy Firearms to shoot Iron-Shelled Insects, prompting players to debate whether they were cheating or using real-world technology.
• The Apocalypse Technology Guild members, led by Yang Tianxuan, used firearms they had made with Engraving Knives and Spirit Stones to demonstrate their weapons in battle.
• The guild members found that each bullet consumed Sacrificial Power, but they continued the field test to showcase the guild and attract potential recruits.
• After a guild member reported that Testing Tower abilities such as Brain Overclocking and Well of Spirit could help with weapons development, Yang Tianxuan and the others tested them and conceived a utility-focused “Sage” build.

Qi Sheng monitored the players’ advance through the Dark Cavern as their deaths and spending increased his Sacrificial Power income. Guide then alerted him that the players had found a First-Generation Primordial, Qi Eater, leaving Qi Sheng eager to see what would happen.

• The players reached the third underground level, where they fought stronger Iron-Shelled Insects and Cavernfolk while mining higher-quality Primordial Energy Stone.
• Qi Sheng decided not to spend the players’ share of Sacrificial Power, using only his own cut unless special circumstances arose.
• Hundreds of players fought chaotically, sometimes attacking each other over friendly fire and dropped Carapace Essence, but their steady reinforcements cleared the passage after 692 players died.
• The players split at a fork and encountered Qi Eater, a chained First-Generation Primordial whose breathing replenished mental energy and vitality.
• Guide reported the discovery to Qi Sheng, who immediately focused on the Primordial.

Players continued purifying the Dark Cavern and mining its third underground floor, where a rare deposit of Soul Crystals sparked a fight that spread into a large-scale clash between guilds. The chapter left the mine and its surroundings in chaos as players joined the first major civil war on the servers.

• Players killed and contained the Primordial Monster Qi Eater, earning rewards and giving everyone another Life Soul option.
• Li Zheng and his buddies queued to enter the mine and mined the rock walls while they waited.
• A regional notification announced that a player had found a level 5 Soul Crystal, which could grant Body Tempering experience when consumed.
• Eat Dirt used his Eagle-Headed Demon Form to scout the disturbance and discovered at least twenty Soul Crystals embedded in a nearby wall.
• Li Zheng and his buddies joined the fight over the ore as players from across the mine flooded into the brawl.
• After a Drunken Feast Group player was killed by Divine Wing Guild members, Li Siyu and the two guilds' allies clashed outside the mine.

Broken Star watched the players’ baffling behavior while searching for his missing Shuttlecraft. Meanwhile, the Drunken Feast Group defeated the Divine Wing Guild in a battle over Soul Crystals, and Qi Sheng allowed the rivalry to continue because it drove players to grow stronger.

• Broken Star struggled to understand why the players fought their own kind and risked their lives to save him, and he suspected they had taken his missing Shuttlecraft.
• The Drunken Feast Group gathered allies and marched to the Blood Plains to fight the Divine Wing Guild over Soul Crystals.
• Li Tie used his artifact spirit battle axe to overwhelm the Divine Wing Guild, which suffered a crushing defeat after more than an hour of fighting.
• The Divine Wing Guild offered to buy sacrificial power at a steep price to strengthen its members before seeking revenge.
• Qi Sheng observed the clash and decided not to interfere, believing competition would motivate players to grow stronger.

Qi Sheng tasked Ultra-Dimensional with developing an armament system for players, then investigated the Eclipse Race through a player's perspective. Yue Dong learned that an unknown account had altered Star Network’s fundamental laws, leaving the Eclipse Race facing a threat beyond its control.

• Qi Sheng visited Ultra-Dimensional and asked her to create a player armament system that could adapt between human and monster forms.
• Qi Sheng gave Ultra-Dimensional access to the remaining sacrificial power and left to return to the Primordial Sacrificial Altar.
• Yue Dong questioned Star Network about the mysterious account, and Star Network said its information had been tampered with by someone with superior permissions.
• Yue Dong recalled that neither he nor a Level 1 Bio-Brain could access the account’s information, prompting him to seek help from Star Network.
• Yue Dong realized the tampering could let the unknown intruder cripple the Star Network or destroy Eclipse City.

Yue Dong questioned the Star Network Bio-Brain about the unknown power that had altered its laws and ordered an investigation into Darklands access. Meanwhile, Qi Sheng learned the Eclipse Race was investigating him but postponed recruiting other races until he had more Sacrificial Power.

• Star Network told Yue Dong that an incomprehensibly powerful manipulator had altered its supposedly unchangeable laws and was unlikely to pose a threat to the Eclipse Race.
• Star Network explained that the Cracked Version of the Darklands might have provided some players with free slots, but it could not identify them or trace the manipulator.
• Yue Dong asked Star Network to investigate the Cracked Version and notify the department managing the Darklands to look for players who entered by other means.
• Qi Sheng learned that the Eclipse Race had begun investigating him and decided to prioritize recruiting Human Federation players before approaching other races.
• Qi Sheng considered using the dark tide and the promise of real-world powers to recruit alien races later, while keeping the Monster World's secrets hidden for now.
• Guide compared Qi Sheng to a demon who traded power for souls, and Qi Sheng listened as Guide warned him to beware of fellow townsfolk.

Qi Sheng reviewed the players’ growth and anticipated a future battle against Di Nian’s evil spirit army. Meanwhile, explorer Lu Xing discovered Windwave Pool, recorded its plants, and encountered a powerful primordial monster as his livestream viewers urged him to let them fight it.

• Qi Sheng checked the players’ progress, noted their struggle to capture the Dark Cavern, and considered Di Nian’s coming attack a stepping stone for their future conquests.
• Lu Xing explored the northwest of the Emperor Tomb Mountain Range and discovered Windwave Pool, earning sacrificial power for revealing the region.
• Lu Xing recorded three unfamiliar plants and added them to his Forum encyclopedia thread while livestreaming his travels.
• A viewer warned Lu Xing that something was watching him from across the pool, and Lu Xing approached the creature so Guide could analyze it.
• Guide identified the creature as a level-seven Wonder Butterfly, a fourth-generation primordial that controlled wind, and Lu Xing’s viewers urged him to leave it for them to fight.

After the livestream audience recognized Wonder Butterfly’s Wind Control ability as a potentially universal Life Soul, they urged Lu Xing to capture it. Lu Xing repeatedly charged the level-7 Primordial Monster, but Wonder Butterfly kept knocking him down, leaving the fight unresolved.

• Forum spectators gathered in Lu Xing’s livestream, and Nightfall Is Coming explained that Wonder Butterfly’s Wind Control could make travel and combat much easier.
• Urged by the viewers, Lu Xing approached Wonder Butterfly in Eagle-Headed Demon Form and was blown away by its wind.
• Lu Xing repeatedly attacked while the viewers insisted Wonder Butterfly would run out of mental power, but he was battered for half an hour.
• As Lu Xing prepared to quit, viewers tipped him Sacrificial Power, which he used to buy a Healing Potion and recover.
• After healing several times, Lu Xing finally got close to Wonder Butterfly, but it struck him on the head and knocked him to the ground.

Lu Xing encountered Wonder Butterfly again at Windwave Pool, where it bullied him until he died. Players then realized Wonder Butterfly would flee from stronger challengers and began urging Lu Xing to fight it again; he finally agreed and set out for Windwave Pool.

• Lu Xing watched Nightfall Is Coming's group reach Windwave Pool, but Wonder Butterfly flew away before they could challenge it.
• Lu Xing returned to Windwave Pool and was attacked by Wonder Butterfly, which repeatedly knocked him down and killed him.
• Players tried sending both a level 10 player and someone near Lu Xing's level to challenge Wonder Butterfly, but it fled from both.
• Players concluded that Wonder Butterfly fixated on Lu Xing and flooded his livestream with encouragement and tips to persuade him to fight it.
• Lu Xing resisted at first, then agreed to try again and set out for Windwave Pool.

Lu Xing repeatedly challenged the Wonder Butterfly and lost, then spent two days leveling up his Eagle-Headed Demon Form before returning to Windwave Pool. He found that the butterfly had also grown stronger and faced it again, with the outcome still uncertain.

• Lu Xing challenged the Wonder Butterfly twice, first in Eagle-Headed Demon Form and then with a battle blade, but it defeated him both times.
• After respawning, Lu Xing decided to improve his strength before trying again and searched for a team to grind monsters with.
• Lu Xing spent forty-eight hours grinding and raised his Eagle-Headed Demon level to 11.
• Lu Xing resumed his livestream and returned to Windwave Pool, where he found the Wonder Butterfly waiting.
• Lu Xing analyzed the Wonder Butterfly and learned it had become a Fourth-Generation Primordial with Hunting Level 13, then watched it dive toward him.

Lu Xing bought a Spirit-Energy Firearm from the Arms Dealer Guild and returned to Windwave Pool to challenge Wonder Butterfly, convinced he could finally win. Wonder Butterfly blocked his bullets with Wind Blades and beat him again, leaving Lu Xing in tears and vowing not to trust his livestream viewers.

• Qi Sheng followed Lu Xing's ongoing challenge and learned that Wonder Butterfly had gained six Hunting Levels by bullying Lu Xing and receiving power from the world.
• Lu Xing returned to the game determined to defeat Wonder Butterfly, while his livestream viewers encouraged him and suggested buying weapons from the Arms Dealer Guild.
• Lu Xing contacted Big Killer, bought a Spirit-Energy Firearm for 150 Sacrificial Power, and renamed his livestream "Battle of Revenge."
• Lu Xing tested the gun on Blood Corpses as he traveled to Windwave Pool, then declared that his victory was certain.
• Wonder Butterfly blocked Lu Xing's bullets with Wind Blades and battered him, while the livestream viewers laughed at his failed challenge.
• Lu Xing broke down in tears and swore he would never trust his livestream viewers again.

After Lu Xing gave up on challenging Wonder Butterfly, the players continued their failing campaign against the Black-Armored Soldiers in the Dark Cavern. Qin Ye proposed using Psionic Bombs in suicide attacks, and the popular plan led Yang Tianxuan to recall the Apocalypse Technology Guild’s core members to produce them.

• Lu Xing decided to grow stronger before challenging Wonder Butterfly again after repeated defeats.
• The Corrosion Core controlled the Black-Armored Soldiers, whose strength overwhelmed the players’ army in repeated battles.
• Weapon Master proposed having players carry Psionic Bombs into the Black-Armored Soldiers and detonate them at close range.
• Players debated and endorsed the tactic, and Qin Ye’s proposal rose to the top of the Forum’s trending rankings.
• Yang Tianxuan recalled the Apocalypse Technology Guild’s core members to Emperor Tomb Village to produce Psionic Bombs.

After two days of preparation, the players launched coordinated suicide attacks and defeated the Black-Armored Soldiers in the Dark Cavern. They headed toward the underground palace to destroy the Corrosion Core and claim their quest rewards.

• Woshnidie ordered the players to charge the Black-Armored Soldiers with Psionic Bombs, and the first assault damaged many of them but failed to win.
• The Apocalypse Technology Guild increased Psionic Bomb production as players organized another attack and the guild gained orders, members, and income.
• Two days later, Woshnidie led a two-wave offensive, with the first wave scattering to avoid blasts from their teammates’ bombs.
• The first wave reduced the Black-Armored Soldiers to fewer than a hundred, and the second wave charged in and killed the survivors.
• The celebrating players advanced toward the underground palace to destroy the Corrosion Core and collect their quest rewards.

After the players purified the Dark Cavern, Qi Sheng’s Emperor Tomb Village expanded and gained a regenerating spirit-ore resource area. Meanwhile, Evil Eye told Di Nian about the dangers of the Monster World and the coming war of devouring, leaving Di Nian determined to grow stronger.

• The players completed the collective quest, and the Dark Cavern’s corrupted domain node was purified and absorbed into Emperor Tomb Village.
• Emperor Tomb Village expanded, gaining a southern entrance to the Dark Cavern, where spiritual proliferation continually produced spirit ore.
• Qi Sheng considered how easier access to resources could increase player activity and his income, and began planning a trading house with transaction commissions.
• Evil Eye told Di Nian that the node domain they had planned to occupy had vanished, possibly because the Monster World’s expansion had altered the world’s structure.
• Evil Eye explained that the Monster World could become the evil spirits’ future core world and recounted how a warrior named Black Insect had died to Ice Blade.
• Di Nian set aside his arrogance and prepared to grow stronger as the evil spirit army’s war of devouring approached.

Qi Sheng reviewed the players’ gains from the Dark Cavern battle and decided to recruit two thousand more players. Meanwhile, Ding Xiu failed to obtain download access, but Tong Xin finally began downloading the game after collapsing from exhaustion.

• Qi Sheng reviewed the four Primordial traits contained in the Dark Cavern and decided to spend two million Sacrificial Power recruiting two thousand players.
• Ding Xiu asked Xiao A to access the download link, but it revealed that his high-frequency attempts had been detected as cheating.
• Tong Xin quit his job and spent three days trying to download the game after Drunken Milk’s earnings made him fear being left behind.
• Tong Xin collapsed onto his computer desk, and the webpage began downloading the game at 0.01%.

Two thousand new players arrived in Emperor Tomb Village, where they struggled with the Waning Crescent scenario’s dangerous monsters as Qi Sheng anticipated the Sacrificial Power they would eventually generate. In the real world, Tong Xin finally downloaded Darklands, but his access was revoked because he failed to enter within 24 hours, leaving him sobbing while his friends assumed he had logged in.

• Two thousand new players entered Emperor Tomb Village, tested the game’s realistic feedback, and sought parties, mining work, or guilds to help them survive.
• Qi Sheng expected the new players to become a future source of Sacrificial Power and decided that early death costs would eventually be deducted from them.
• Tong Xin woke after sleeping for 28 hours, found his Darklands download complete, and transferred the game file to his Game Pod.
• Tong Xin entered the virtual desktop, but a notification told him his access had been revoked and the game files shredded because he had not entered within 24 hours.
• Tong Xin’s friends congratulated him in the kindergarten group and offered to help him level, while he cried himself unconscious in his Game Pod.
• Four hours earlier, Qi Sheng had ordered Guide to revoke unused access after 24 hours and give the vacant slot to another player.

Zhou Xiao used a timing technique to kill a Blood Corpse, then met Broken Star, who offered him level-seven Spirit Ore to locate a missing Shuttlecraft. Zhou Xiao refused after explaining that other players had sacrificed it to Emperor Zhao, and learned that Broken Star followed Against the Tide.

• Zhou Xiao used Petrification between the Blood Corpse’s attacks, broke its neck, and killed it for Evolution Points and Sacrificial Power.
• Broken Star confronted Zhou Xiao and demanded to know where the Shuttlecraft had gone.
• Zhou Xiao and Broken Star argued over whether he was responsible for the actions of other players, then Broken Star offered him a level-seven Purple Soul as a reward.
• Zhou Xiao refused the offer and said players had sacrificed the Shuttlecraft to Emperor Zhao.
• Broken Star explained that Emperor Zhao had disappeared and that he and his people now followed Against the Tide.

Qi Sheng learned more about the Against the Tide Legion and the gods who once served Emperor Zhao. Meanwhile, Broken Star offered Zhou Xiao a chance to join the Legion, then left him a Heavenly Talisman Race combat technique in an Information Stone.

• Qi Sheng heard Broken Star describe the Against the Tide Legion’s growth and learned from Guide how Emperor Zhao’s gods and their followers exchanged sacrificial energy.
• Guide explained that the Against the Tide God was likely one of the Eight Pole Gods, who had no direct subordination to the Four Gods.
• Zhou Xiao told Broken Star that his Shuttlecraft was likely gone for good, but taboo censorship erased parts of his explanation whenever he mentioned Emperor Tomb Village.
• Broken Star invited Zhou Xiao’s Player Race to join the Against the Tide Legion in exchange for protection and the chance to learn its powers.
• Zhou Xiao asked for tangible benefits, so Broken Star gave him an Information Stone containing a basic Heavenly Talisman Race combat technique and flew away.

Zhou Xiao obtained the Heavenly Talisman Combat Skill from an information stone and demonstrated how it granted body tempering experience by absorbing spiritual energy. After he revealed that God of Wealth had given him the skill, players began searching for the special NPC in hopes of receiving gifts.

• Zhou Xiao absorbed an information stone and obtained the Tier 2 Heavenly Talisman Combat Skill, which let him cultivate spiritual energy for body tempering experience.
• Players discussed the skill on the Forum, where Zhou Xiao posted a video showing its movements and progress gains.
• Players asked Zhou Xiao how to obtain a body tempering combat skill, while some compared it with exercise and other ways to gain experience.
• Zhou Xiao explained that God of Wealth had given him the skill, leading players to identify God of Wealth as a special NPC who distributed money and opportunities.
• Players searched for traces of God of Wealth, hoping to receive gifts of their own.