Chapter Summaries

Han Shuo broke the spatial barrier and defeated the Light Pope and his Demigod mage, taking the Holy Grail and capturing the mage’s soul. The consciousness imprisoned inside the Grail revealed that it was a traveler between Planes sealed by Jia’er, a Late Stage Upper God serving the God of Light.

• The consciousness in the Holy Grail warned Han Shuo that the Light Pope would soon stop time across the area and explained how to break the spatial barrier.
• Han Shuo found the emerald-marked Spatial Rift and struck its central point, collapsing the barrier around the Light Pope and his companion.
• Han Shuo froze the Light Pope with the Mystic Ice Demon Flame Art and killed the Demigod mage, then captured the mage’s surviving soul in his ring.
• Han Shuo seized the Holy Grail and asked its consciousness about its identity and origin.
• The consciousness said it was a traveler between Planes and had been sealed inside the Holy Grail by Jia’er, one of the God of Light’s Three Great Light Guardians.

Han Shuo learned that the soul sealed in the Holy Grail belonged to a powerful Space-Time Laws practitioner who had been imprisoned by Jia'er, a late-stage Upper God. Han Shuo killed the Light Pope and kept the Grail, agreeing to help its prisoner only after he grew strong enough to trust him.

• The imprisoned man explained that Jia'er had separated his Divine Soul from his Divine Body and sealed him inside the Holy Grail after a battle during the War of the Gods.
• Han Shuo learned that Jia'er knew the Grail was on the Qio Continent but was unlikely to send anyone for it unless something major happened.
• The man assured Han Shuo that he could not threaten him while trapped in the Grail and said he had no interest in the continent's Faith Power.
• Han Shuo killed the frozen Light Pope, collected his soul, and took the group's valuables and equipment.
• Han Shuo refused to release the prisoner for now but promised to reconsider once he understood the danger and had grown stronger.
• The prisoner offered to answer Han Shuo's questions about higher-level planes, and the two agreed to their deal.

Han Shuo returned to Babylon Academy after killing the six attackers, including the Light Pope, and told the gathered dignitaries what had happened. He gave the Church of Light’s divine artifacts to Van Razer to sell, offering a way to support the impoverished Southern Border.

• Han Shuo sent the worried Little Skeleton back to the Undead World and returned to the academy square.
• Van Razer demanded that Lawrence provide compensation and basic support for the Southern Border’s soldiers and families.
• Han Shuo revealed that the Light Pope and five other attackers had all died, shocking everyone in the square.
• Lawrence and the others reacted to Han Shuo’s strength, while Han Shuo joked with Old Hahn about Almerick.
• Han Shuo gave Van Razer the Church of Light’s divine artifacts, saying they could fund the rebuilding of two legions.

Han Shuo gave the Church of Light’s sacred artifacts to Emias and agreed to provide Van Razer with 1.5 million gold coins for the Southern Border. After the imperial dignitaries departed, he declined to lead the Dark Curtain, saying his ambitions now extended beyond it, and Candida recalled why he had recruited him.

• Han Shuo recognized Emias’s interest in the Church of Light’s sacred artifacts and offered them to him, while Van Razer teased Emias before handing them over.
• Van Razer demanded 1.5 million gold coins for the Southern Border, and Han Shuo agreed to provide the money from Brettel City.
• The imperial dignitaries left after expressing their excitement about Han Shuo’s power and the Lancelot Empire’s prospects.
• Candida apologized for the Dark Curtain’s failure to prevent the attack, and Han Shuo reassured him that the organization had still minimized the damage and punished the culprits.
• Candida offered Han Shuo leadership of the Dark Curtain, but Han Shuo declined because it was too small for his ambitions.
• Candida explained that he had recruited Han Shuo because he saw his ambition, determination, and mysteries, and Han Shuo joked about his good qualities.

Han Shuo reunited with Lisa at the academy and revealed their relationship to Fanny, Phoebe, and Emily. Phoebe rejected Lisa and clashed with Han Shuo, who left with Lisa after telling Phoebe to leave if she could not accept him.

• Han Shuo recalled his early days at the Necromancy Department's Supply Storeroom with Fanny, Phoebe, and Emily, then admitted he had seen Lisa.
• Fanny explained Lisa's long-standing feelings for Han Shuo, and Lisa arrived after finishing absorbing the memories he had left in her soul.
• Phoebe accused Lisa of pursuing Han Shuo for his status, while Fanny and Emily defended Lisa's love for him.
• Han Shuo told the women that Lisa was their younger sister and demanded that they treat her well.
• Phoebe refused to accept Lisa, so Han Shuo told Phoebe to leave if she could not stand him and departed with the sobbing Lisa.
• Phoebe burst into tears after Han Shuo left.

After Phoebe’s jealous outburst, Han Shuo left Lisa and returned to the Death Cemetery to refine three Spirit Demons from the souls of the Light Pope, the Old Shaman, and a demigod mage. As the Spirit Demons began evolving, his recovered necromancy External Incarnation gained new insight from battle and felt close to reaching the middle stage of Lower God.

• Han Shuo reassured Lisa that Phoebe would calm down, sent Lisa back to the academy, and left Osen City after speaking with Almerick.
• Han Shuo returned to the Death Cemetery, where his two External Incarnations continued recovering from their injuries.
• Han Shuo prepared a formation with rare materials and his Natal Blood Essence to refine Spirit Demons.
• Han Shuo cast the demigod mage’s, the Old Shaman’s, and the Light Pope’s souls into the formation, then supplied the three Spirit Demons with Demonic Essence until they entered dormancy.
• Han Shuo took medicinal pills and rested while his fully recovered necromancy External Incarnation descended into the Death Cemetery, encouraged by its improved mastery of Death Element power.

Han Shuo explored the lowest level of the Death Cemetery and learned that the Underground World's lowest level might offer a path to greater power. After recovering, he returned to Osen City and agreed to visit the Calamity Church headquarters as its campaign against the weakened Church of Light advanced.

• Han Shuo passed through the final barrier of the Death Cemetery and found a mirror containing a message from the owner of the Skeleton Magic Staff.
• The message explained the secret to godhood and directed Han Shuo to seek the lowest level of the Underground World for a way to advance further.
• Han Shuo absorbed a Death Element Divine Crystal and let his three bodies recover in the Death Cemetery before leaving, while three spirit demons continued evolving.
• Han Shuo returned to Osen City and contacted Woaofu, who arrived with Bert Zili and urged him to visit the Calamity Church headquarters.
• Woaofu told Han Shuo that the Calamity Church had destroyed over a hundred churches and killed thousands of followers while the Church of Light reeled from Han Shuo's victory.
• Han Shuo agreed to accompany Woaofu and Bert Zili to the Calamity Church headquarters.

Han Shuo traveled with Woaofu and Bert Zili through the Tukla Desert to the hidden underground headquarters of the Calamity Church. After sensing the vast settlement and its inhabitants, he saw the church’s Pontiff emerge to welcome him.

• Han Shuo learned that the Calamity Church had deliberately filled the Tukla Desert with deadly creatures and hazards to protect its headquarters.
• Woaofu explained that the Church of Light knew the Calamity Church was in the desert but feared launching a full-scale attack against its defenses.
• Han Shuo detected thousands of people and a spacious headquarters beneath the dunes despite its concealing Barriers.
• A lift rose from beneath the sand carrying the Calamity Church’s Pontiff, a powerful Base God, and a scrawny Demigod.
• Woaofu and Bert Zili knelt to greet the Pontiff, and Han Shuo realized the Pontiff had personally come to welcome him.

Han Shuo arrived at the Calamity Church headquarters, where the Pontiff welcomed him warmly and treated him as the church’s hope. He reunited with Belinda and Edwin, eased their fears about their past conflicts, and began touring the underground headquarters with them.

• The Pontiff greeted Han Shuo at the lift and said the church had waited nearly ten years for his return.
• The Pontiff introduced Belinda and Edwin as Han Shuo’s guides, and Han Shuo exchanged greetings with his old acquaintances.
• As the group descended into the underground headquarters, the Pontiff described the church’s history of hiding from the Church of Light and praised Han Shuo for weakening its enemies.
• After the Pontiff and other leaders left, Belinda and Edwin nervously asked Han Shuo where he wanted to look around.
• Han Shuo told Belinda and Edwin he had forgotten their past conflicts and would not punish them, then asked them to show him around the headquarters.

Han Shuo toured the Calamity Church headquarters with Edwin and Belinda, then encountered the Hexhorn Clan King of the Soul-Quelling Clan, an old enemy. After overpowering the king and pinning him against a wall, Han Shuo warned him that killing him would be easy and demanded they talk.

• Edwin and Belinda showed Han Shuo the underground Calamity Church, where its followers were cheerful because the Church of Light had weakened and they hoped to reunite with their families.
• Belinda and Edwin explained that Han Shuo’s actions had helped weaken the Church of Light and inspired the Calamity Church’s followers.
• Han Shuo sensed powerful beings beyond a sealed ironstone gate, and the Hexhorn Clan King of the Soul-Quelling Clan emerged with two subordinates.
• The Hexhorn Clan King did not recognize Han Shuo until Han Shuo altered his divine sense, then accused him of stealing his belongings and attacked.
• Han Shuo blocked the king’s physical and soul attacks, pinned him to a wall, and held the Heavenly Demon Blade to his neck before ordering him to behave and talk.

Han Shuo confronted the Hexagon Clan King and questioned him about his race’s powers and their past dispute over the Elemental Origin Crystals. He offered several crystals from his Spatial Ring, and the king recognized something he desperately wanted among them.

• Han Shuo subdued the Hexagon Clan King, then told Edwin and Belinda to stand aside while he questioned the Hun Gua Clan members.
• The Hexagon Clan King revealed that his people sensed souls innately and evolved by absorbing special energies, gaining another horn with each evolution.
• Han Shuo learned that the Elemental Origin Crystals he and his companions took from Talaga Gorge had been intended to help a clansman evolve to six horns.
• The Hexagon Clan King repeatedly called Han Shuo a thief and said he would stop if Han Shuo returned the stolen crystals.
• Han Shuo produced several crystals from his Spatial Ring, and the Hexagon Clan King stared at them with sudden excitement.

Han Shuo settled his debt with the Hexagon Clan King by giving him a Sea Dew Green Crystal, then consulted McKinley about the Main Gods of Death and Destruction. He was summoned to meet the Calamity Church’s Pontiff and Elders, where he learned an Elder wanted to take his Skeleton Magic Staff.

• Han Shuo gave the Hexagon Clan King a Sea Dew Green Crystal to settle their old debt, and the King agreed not to call him a little thief again.
• Han Shuo asked why the Hexagon Clan King had not sought him out earlier, and learned that an attack had delayed him.
• Han Shuo went to a secret chamber and asked McKinley about the allied Main Gods of Death and Destruction; McKinley advised him to prove his value to their faction to avoid becoming expendable.
• McKinley introduced himself to Han Shuo, who put away the Holy Grail and reflected on his choices.
• Woaofu and Bert Zili came to escort Han Shuo to meet the Pontiff and Elders, warning that the church’s oldest Elder wanted him to surrender the Skeleton Magic Staff.

Han Shuo entered the Calamity Church’s Hall of Elders, where he embarrassed Kiron Luo in a soul-power clash and charmed the Elders by pretending to be innocent. When the Hexhorn Clan King arrived, the Elders expected him to attack Han Shuo over their past conflict, but he did not strike.

• Woaofu told Han Shuo how Kiron Luo’s plague had once turned the Calamity Church into the continent’s enemy and how Kiron later became its most influential Elder after the Pontiff.
• Kiron Luo secretly probed Han Shuo’s soul, but Han Shuo struck back and then claimed Kiron was slandering him, winning the Elders’ approval with his false innocence.
• The Pontiff introduced Han Shuo as Brian, and the Elders warmly praised him as one of their own.
• The Hexhorn Clan King and two Five-Horned subordinates entered, and the Pontiff explained their people’s historic role in the Calamity Church’s wars.
• Kiron Luo reminded the Hexhorn Clan King that Han Shuo had taken his things and that they had met in Talaga Gorge, but the Clan King still did not attack.

Han Shuo joined the Calamity Church’s Elder Hall, where the Hexagon Clan King declared him stronger than everyone present and the Pontiff welcomed him as a church member. Kiron Luo challenged Han Shuo’s place in the church and demanded the Skeleton Magic Staff, but Han Shuo angrily confronted him over his past failures.

• The Hexagon Clan King told the elders that Han Shuo was stronger than he was and stronger than everyone in the hall.
• The Pontiff invited Han Shuo to sit beside him, while the Hexagon Clan King ignored Kiron Luo’s invitation and joined Han Shuo instead.
• The Hexagon Clan King asked about the energy stones, and Han Shuo said he had obtained all of them from their source.
• The Pontiff closed the Elder Hall and declared that Han Shuo and the Hexagon Clan King belonged to the church, but Kiron Luo disputed Han Shuo’s affiliation.
• Han Shuo said he had come to acknowledge his place in the church, while Kiron Luo demanded that he surrender the Skeleton Magic Staff for testing.
• Han Shuo called Kiron Luo an old bastard and accused him of nearly bringing the church to ruin through his past mistake.

Han Shuo silenced the Calamity Church Elders by overpowering Kiron Luo, then secured an honorary Elder position and control of the Church’s operations in the Lancelot Empire and Brettel City. The Pontiff told him the Altar would open in five days and that he had to attend.

• Han Shuo unleashed his Divine Domain, seized Kiron Luo by the neck, and warned the Elders that he had the strength to be arrogant.
• At the Pontiff’s request, Han Shuo spared Kiron Luo’s life but broke the finger he had used to point at him, then threw him into a wall.
• The Elders stopped resisting Han Shuo, and the Pontiff made him an honorary Elder with authority over the Church’s forces in the Lancelot Empire and Brettel City.
• The Pontiff gave Han Shuo information about the Church’s members, international agreements, and bases, and assigned Woaofu and Bert Zili as his subordinates.
• The Pontiff informed Han Shuo that the Altar would open in five days and that he was required to attend.
• After the Council session ended, the Pontiff laughed with Han Shuo about Kiron Luo’s humiliation.

Han Shuo reassured the Calamity Church's fat Pontiff that he had no interest in taking control, then attended the Evil God Sacrifice Ceremony and won the believers’ fervent support with a speech. The ceremony ended with the crowd calling his name, while the Pontiff recognized Han Shuo’s influence among the church.

• Han Shuo demonstrated his mastery of the Law of Destruction, guided the fat Pontiff, and promised he would not compete for control of the Calamity Church.
• The church Elders brought Han Shuo gifts and sought his favor, while Woaofu and Bert Zili enjoyed higher status as his subordinates.
• Five days later, the fat Pontiff escorted Han Shuo to the Evil God Sacrifice Ceremony, where believers loudly called out to him before the Pontiff could begin.
• Han Shuo urged the believers to leave their underground refuge and openly stand against anyone who opposed them.
• The believers erupted into cheers for Han Shuo, and the fat Pontiff told him he was better suited to lead the church.

During the Calamity Church’s sacrifice, Han Shuo spoke with Tailuoke, an Upper God of destruction, who revealed that powerful factions were preparing to enter the Qio Continent over a mystery in the Underground World. Han Shuo faced the coming threat with grim resolve, determined to protect his loved ones and seize the crisis as an opportunity.

• The Calamity Church began its sacrificial rites, and Han Shuo watched the Altar while pretending to kneel.
• A blood figure appeared in the Blood Pool, and Tailuoke introduced himself to Han Shuo as an Upper God of destruction.
• Tailuoke offered Han Shuo protection and a place among his faction, then revealed that he wanted access to the bottommost level of the Underground World.
• Tailuoke ordered Han Shuo to power the Death Cemetery’s Plane Teleportation Array and find a route to the Underground World’s third level before allies arrived in about half a month.
• Tailuoke warned that the Ice and Snow God Temple and the Church of Light might send Deities through another Plane Teleportation Array guarded by the Ancient Giant Dragon.
• After the sacrifice ended, Han Shuo worried about the danger to himself and his loved ones, then resolved to face the arriving powerhouses.

After leaving the Calamity Church, Han Shuo trained in the Death Cemetery while preparing for the danger posed by the Ancient Giant Dragon and its allies. Emily, Phoebe, and Fanny visited him, but the Ancient Giant Dragon discovered the cemetery and charged toward them.

• Han Shuo left the Calamity Church headquarters and returned to the Death Cemetery, where he checked the Spirit Demons and prepared the Plane Teleportation Array.
• Han Shuo resolved to grow stronger, had his Death Element External Incarnation absorb a Death Element Divine Crystal, and studied the Nine Transformations Realm with his main body.
• Han Shuo sensed visitors approaching the Death Cemetery and went outside to find Emily, Phoebe, and Fanny.
• Emily helped Phoebe reconcile with Han Shuo, and Phoebe tearfully made up with him.
• Han Shuo warned the three women that the area was dangerous, then sensed the Ancient Giant Dragon approaching and announced, "He's here!"

Han Shuo stopped the Ancient Giant Dragon from crashing through the Death Cemetery’s Barrier and learned that the dragon had come alone. As the two began their battle, Han Shuo vanished from sight while the dragon sensed a threat nearby.

• Han Shuo ordered Emily, Phoebe, and Fanny to stay inside the Death Cemetery, then rushed out with his other bodies to intercept the Ancient Giant Dragon.
• Han Shuo used his Destruction Element External Incarnation, Death Element External Incarnation, and original body together to deflect the dragon’s attack and throw him away from the Barrier.
• Han Shuo admitted that he had killed the dragons in Dragon Valley and blamed the Ancient Giant Dragon for trapping him in the Abyss Realm.
• Han Shuo confirmed that the Ancient Giant Dragon had come alone, and both declared their intention to kill the other.
• The Ancient Giant Dragon attacked with waves of earth, but Han Shuo flew clear, claimed he would become Qio Continent’s new guardian god, and vanished while the dragon sensed him nearby.

Han Shuo launched a surprise attack on the Ancient Giant Dragon as the dragon approached the Death Cemetery, and the two unleashed powerful attacks against each other. The dragon tore into Han Shuo’s clouds, where Han Shuo’s hidden Demonic Treasures exploded and engulfed him in devastating assaults.

• The Ancient Giant Dragon shrank into an old man and headed toward the Death Cemetery, expecting Han Shuo to attack before he reached it.
• Han Shuo sent a spiked blood sphere and Bone Spears at the dragon, who blocked the Bone Spears with an Earth Wall and evaded the blood sphere’s attack.
• Han Shuo summoned dark clouds infused with Death, Destruction, and an unknown power, while the dragon raised hills and hurled a meteorite into them.
• The dragon sensed Han Shuo inside the clouds and transformed to tear into them, believing his attacks had badly injured Han Shuo.
• Han Shuo’s Explosive Destruction Beads and Heavenly Demon Jade Flame Shuttle erupted inside the clouds, burning through the dragon’s Earth Armor and battering his body and soul.
• The Bloodlust Banner swept toward the dragon’s head as he screamed in pain.