Chapter Summaries

Han Shuo was ambushed by five masked Upper Gods who trapped him with a combined binding force and overwhelmed his Divine Domain. He escaped by detonating Explosive Destruction Beads and cutting the restraints, then held all five attackers at bay as Lolth and the Divine Guards arrived.

• Han Shuo sensed danger but could find no threat until five masked Upper Gods emerged from distorted space and bound him with their combined power.
• Han Shuo merged the Divine Domains of his External Incarnations, but the five attackers released their own Divine Domains and steadily forced his back.
• Han Shuo used an External Incarnation to throw Explosive Destruction Beads behind the attackers and sent the Seventeen Flying Swords to sever the links restraining him.
• The Explosive Destruction Beads blasted the five attackers, and Han Shuo broke free, sent the Seventeen Flying Swords after their leader, and summoned Demon Heads to engage the other four.
• Lolth and the Divine Guards rushed to the battle and saw Han Shuo keeping all five Upper Gods occupied on his own.

Han Shuo, Lolth, and the Divine Guards turned the ambush against five masked Upper Gods, and Han Shuo killed one with Avici Hell while the Myriad Demon Cauldron collected his divine soul. The short leader escaped with one companion using a spatial scroll, leaving two ambushers surrounded as Han Shuo ordered the Divine Guards to kill them.

• Lolth and Bolands rallied the Divine Guards to attack the five ambushers from a distance, helping Han Shuo contain them.
• Han Shuo trapped the weakest ambusher in Avici Hell and killed him with the Seventeen Flying Swords.
• The Myriad Demon Cauldron collected the dead Upper God's divine soul, while Han Shuo continued to pressure the short leader and observed Lolth holding off another attacker.
• The short leader used a spatial scroll to escape with one companion after Han Shuo warned Lolth to retreat from the light curtain.
• Han Shuo offered the two remaining ambushers a chance to reveal their identities, but when they tried to break out, he ordered the Divine Guards to kill them.

Han Shuo’s Divine Guards killed two masked Upper Gods, and the Myriad Demon Cauldron devoured their souls. Han Shuo secretly tracked the two attackers who escaped and discovered they had returned to Field, Laklison, Dolores, and their group near a hidden cave.

• Han Shuo and Lolth trapped the two masked Upper Gods while Bolands directed the Divine Guards to wear them down; the Cauldron Spirit devoured their souls after they died.
• Bolands confirmed the dead attackers were strangers, and Han Shuo ordered the Divine Guards to keep the incident secret, including from the Saint Family.
• Han Shuo sent a demon head to follow the escaping attackers while he stayed with the Divine Guards and resumed their training.
• The demon head followed the two attackers to a concealed cave, where Dolores greeted them and asked Field whether the attack had succeeded.
• Field told Laklison that the attack had failed and three Upper Gods had not returned; Laklison then led the group toward Cloudswallow City.

After discovering that the Broadhurst Family had backed the ambush against him, Han Shuo resolved to strengthen the Han Family and asked Lolth about recruiting powerful unaffiliated deities. Lolth pointed him toward the dangerous Chaos Lands, and six days later Han Shuo and the Fifth Divine Guards Office reached the Flying Cloud Mountains.

• Han Shuo learned that the ambushers included members of Cloudswallow City's Broadhurst Family and recalled the Demon Head he had sent to investigate.
• Han Shuo concealed his concerns from Lolth, then decided the Han Family needed more upper gods to face the threat of the Broadhurst Family.
• Lolth told Han Shuo that the Chaos Lands held many unaffiliated upper gods but were extremely dangerous.
• Lolth revealed that she had nearly been killed in the Chaos Lands, and Han Shuo promised to accompany her there and help her take revenge.
• Han Shuo and Lolth shared an awkward exchange before Han Shuo continued toward the Flying Cloud Mountains with the Fifth Divine Guards Office.
• Six days later, Han Shuo arrived at the Flying Cloud Mountains without encountering further trouble.

Han Shuo and his companions explored the Flying Cloud Mountains ahead of the other Divine Guard groups, collecting unusual plants for his alchemy. After Blood Spirit consumed Blood Spirit Grass, Han Shuo discovered a blood-red rock beneath the streambed that could provide material for a weapon suited to Blood Spirit.

• Han Shuo had Bolands divide the Divine Guards into nine squads to survey the Flying Cloud Mountains while his Demon Heads explored the range.
• The Divine Guards collected unusual plants, and one brought Han Shuo several dozen blades of Blood Spirit Grass.
• Han Shuo gave most of the Blood Spirit Grass to Blood Spirit, who consumed it and felt the power purify the blood in his body.
• The Divine Guard led Han Shuo and Blood Spirit to the stream where he had found the grass, and Blood Spirit gathered the remaining blades for Han Shuo.
• Han Shuo used his Seventeen Flying Swords to excavate the streambed and lifted out a large blood-red rock, identifying it as material for Blood Spirit's weapon.

Han Shuo discovered that the blood-red rock was blood crystal, a material uniquely suited to Blood Spirit, and forged it into a broad sword. Blood Spirit claimed the unfinished weapon and found that it resonated with his Blood God Sutra.

• Han Shuo explained that the blood crystal could affect nearby creatures’ blood and that Blood Spirit alone was immune to its influence.
• Blood Spirit touched the crystal and sensed that its power was purer than the energy in blood spirit grass.
• Blood Spirit chose to have the crystal forged into a sword, and Han Shuo refined it with flames into a broad sword.
• Lolth arrived and watched in amazement as Han Shuo forged the weapon by hand.
• Han Shuo rinsed the finished broad sword and let Blood Spirit pick it up; Blood Spirit felt its power and cheered that he loved it.

Han Shuo forged a blood-crystal broad sword for Blood Spirit and Explosive Destruction Beads for Lolth, who wore them as a bracelet. As the seven Divine Guards divisions gathered in the Flying Cloud Mountains, Wallace and Andrei discussed the Fifth Division’s prospects and whether Kamelita might marry Han Shuo to ease tensions between the Han and Saint Families.

• Han Shuo gave Blood Spirit the blood-crystal broad sword, which Blood Spirit drew into and out of his body as he bonded with it.
• Lolth asked Han Shuo to forge her a weapon, and he made Explosive Destruction Beads with her blood and strung them into a bracelet.
• Over the following half-month, the remaining Divine Guards divisions and members of the major families arrived in the Flying Cloud Mountains for the competition.
• The other divisions and Wallace were surprised by the Fifth Division’s stern, steady bearing, and Wallace told Andrei that the Fifth Division might not finish last.
• Andrei suggested that Wallace add stakes involving Kamelita’s marriage to Han Shuo, arguing that their union could resolve future conflict between the Han and Saint Families.

Wallace weighed Andrei’s proposal to strengthen ties with Han Shuo’s rising family but hesitated because Han Shuo had many women and Kamelita showed no closer bond with him. Before the Flying Cloud Mountains competition, Han Shuo challenged Ralph’s Second Division and proved he could force Ralph back, setting up their rivalry in the contests.

• Wallace told Andrei he would wait before deciding whether to encourage a marriage between Han Shuo and Kamelita.
• Han Shuo spent time with Heitian, Qinglin, and Kamelita while the Fifth Division remained in its assigned area to conserve strength.
• Ralph arrived at Qinglin’s office and declared that he would defeat Qinglin and lead the Second Division to victory.
• Kamelita argued with Ralph over his harsh training methods and asked Han Shuo to teach him a lesson, but Han Shuo initially refused to interfere in Saint Family affairs.
• After Ralph dismissed Han Shuo’s ability, Han Shuo predicted Ralph would place third and challenged the Second Division’s record; Ralph attacked, and Han Shuo stopped his strike and knocked him back.
• Ralph withdrew, promising to settle the matter in the competition, while Han Shuo warned that the Second Division might also lose its team title.

Han Shuo angered Ralph by declaring that the Fifth Division would defeat the Second Division, then secretly prepared for the coming competition. As the captains and commanders gathered for the ceremony before the contest, Ralph caught Han Shuo refusing to kneel in worship of the Darkness Main God.

• Han Shuo left Qinglin's camp after Qinglin and Heitian praised him, while Kamelita realized he had been hiding his strength.
• Han Shuo assured Kamelita that the Fifth Division would defeat Ralph's Second Division in the team competition.
• Ralph returned to the Second Division's camp and ordered Jifan to exceed the casualty limit when fighting the Fifth Division, promising to take responsibility.
• Han Shuo heard about the casualty allowance and gave secret instructions to Blood Spirit, Gilbert, Bolands, and Barnard.
• Three days later, Wallace gathered the Divine Guard Captains and company commanders, gave a speech, and led the ceremony honoring the Darkness Main God.
• Han Shuo only bowed instead of kneeling, and Ralph noticed and watched him with a sneer.

Han Shuo deflected Ralph’s accusation of blasphemy, then learned the rules for the seven-division competition and watched the teams depart for the Flying Cloud Mountains. As Wallace’s artifact revealed the competition area to the spectators, Han Shuo worried that his private orders to Barnard would be exposed.

• Ralph accused Han Shuo of failing to kneel before the Main God, but Han Shuo denied it and presented himself as the victim of slander.
• Heitian revealed that Han Shuo and Ralph had argued days earlier, while Casper and the other family heads voiced their trust in Han Shuo; Wallace ended the dispute as a misunderstanding.
• Wallace explained that each division would send up to a hundred Divine Guards to find or seize hidden divine crystals over seven days, with cooperation between teams forbidden.
• Ralph quietly instructed Jifan before the teams left, while Han Shuo’s relaxed Fifth Division contrasted with the intense Second Division.
• Wallace and Andrei used a Space Divine Artifact to display the competition grounds on a sand table, and Han Shuo realized his orders to Barnard might be seen.

During the Divine Guard competition, the teams searched for hidden divine crystals while the observers watched their progress on Wallace’s sand table. As the crystals ran low, the Seventh Division attacked Han Shuo’s Fifth Division, while the Second Division headed toward Camilla’s crystal-rich Fourth Division.

• Wallace explained how the hidden divine crystals and their energy signals worked as the seven teams spread across the competition grounds.
• Bolands divided the Fifth Division into nine squads and proposed that they find crystals first, then rob the Second Division; the team followed his plan.
• The Sixth Division found the first divine crystal, but Camilla’s Fourth Division later took the lead with a series of finds while Bolands’s Fifth Division remained near the bottom.
• After most crystals had been found, Jifan led the Second Division toward Camilla’s Fourth Division to seize its larger supply.
• Baten’s Seventh Division attacked Han Shuo’s Fifth Division, which Baten considered the weakest opponent.

Han Shuo’s Fifth Division overwhelmed Baten’s Seventh Division with a coordinated wedge formation, shocking the spectators and prompting accusations of cheating. Han Shuo defended his guards’ strength as the battle continued toward the Seventh Division’s divine crystals.

• Baten and Geluxi expected Han Shuo’s Fifth Division to be an easy target, but Baten’s Seventh Division attacked first and prevented Geluxi’s team from joining in.
• Bolands led Gilbert, Blood Spirit, and the Fifth Division’s guards in a wedge formation through the Seventh Division’s defenses to seize its divine crystals.
• Bolands ordered Gilbert not to kill the opposing guards, and Tuno realized his team could neither stop the three leaders nor find an opening around the flanks.
• Wallace, Andrei, and the other spectators watched the Fifth Division overwhelm the Seventh Division, while Baten and Ralph accused Han Shuo of cheating.
• Han Shuo denied having an Upper God in his team and said that coordination allowed guards of equal strength to produce greater offensive power.

The Fifth Division defeated the Seventh Division and took its divine crystals without injuring anyone, while the Second Division overwhelmed the Fourth, Sixth, and Third Divisions through ruthless attacks. The chapter ended as the Fifth Division advanced toward the Second Division for their anticipated clash.

• Ralph questioned whether Bolands, Blood Spirit, and Gilbert were Upper Gods, but Andrei confirmed that the Divine Power Testing Crystal had cleared them to compete.
• Bolands, Blood Spirit, and Gilbert broke through the Seventh Division's defenses, surrounded its Divine Guards, and took their divine crystals without killing anyone.
• Baten conceded defeat to Han Shuo, who confidently promised Qinglin that the Fifth Division would beat the Second Division.
• Jifan led the Second Division in injuring Fourth Division Divine Guards and seizing their divine crystals, then defeated Geluxi's Sixth Division and Heitian's Third Division.
• The Fifth Division advanced toward the Second Division, drawing the attention of Wallace, Andrei, and the other spectators.

The Fifth Division used Bolands’s precise formations to trap and overwhelm Jifan’s Second Division, despite the Second Division’s greater individual strength. After a Second Division Divine Guard died when his teammates failed to help him, the observers questioned whether Ralph’s unit truly had teamwork.

• Jifan led the Second Division into battle against the Fifth Division, while Bolands ordered his men to hold a defensive formation and let the attackers enter.
• Bolands directed coordinated attacks that trapped the Second Division, while Blood Spirit and Gilbert charged at Jifan.
• Camilla, Heitian, and Geluxi praised the Fifth Division’s teamwork and mocked Ralph, until Wallace told them to stop.
• A Second Division Divine Guard died after his teammates withdrew instead of helping him, and Andrei blamed the unit’s lack of cooperation.
• A second Second Division Divine Guard died in similar circumstances, and Baten challenged Ralph over his men’s failure to protect one another.

Han Shuo’s Fifth Division routed Ralph’s Second Division in the team competition through superior coordination, and Qinglin conceded before the First Division had to fight. Wallace declared Han Shuo the winner, reprimanded him lightly over the casualties, and postponed the Divine Guard Captains’ competition for three days, while Ralph stayed behind after Wallace discreetly signaled him.

• Bolands’s coordinated attacks exposed the Second Division’s lack of trust and teamwork, causing its Divine Guards to suffer heavy casualties while Blood Spirit and Gilbert fought Jifan and five guards.
• Andrei urged Ralph to stop the battle, but Ralph refused until Wallace ordered him to command Jifan to cease fighting.
• With the Second Division defeated and Qinglin conceding for the First Division, Wallace declared the Fifth Division the winner.
• Han Shuo defended his men against Wallace’s accusations, and Andrei and the other leaders supported him; Wallace gave him only a light reprimand.
• Wallace ended the team competition, let the victors keep their divine crystals, and scheduled the Divine Guard Captains’ competition for three days later.
• As the others left, Wallace discreetly signaled Ralph, who stayed behind.

Wallace reassured Ralph that his authority and the Second Division would remain secure, though he warned Ralph he was unlikely to defeat Han Shuo in the upcoming captain competition. Han Shuo celebrated the Fifth Division’s victory with Heitian and Qinglin, received a visit from Jiya, and ended up in trouble with Qinglin over his remarks about women.

• Wallace told Ralph that the Second Division’s position and Ralph’s standing would not be affected by the loss, then cautioned him that he was no match for Han Shuo.
• Ralph left determined to avenge his humiliation in the Divine Guard Captain competition three days later.
• Heitian and Qinglin visited Han Shuo to celebrate the Fifth Division’s victory and were surprised to meet Lolth, whom Han Shuo introduced as a Han Family guard.
• Jiya visited Han Shuo to thank him for avenging her aunt Camilla and praised his leadership of the Fifth Division before leaving with a suggestive show of interest.
• Heitian and Qinglin teased Han Shuo about Jiya’s interest, and Qinglin grew angry when he said that seeing beautiful women gave him a headache.

Han Shuo rewarded the Fifth Division’s Divine Guards by letting them keep the competition’s divine crystals, strengthening their loyalty and his plans to make them the Han Family’s foundation. He then went to the hot springs to find Lolth, where Roxi and the other female Divine Guards eagerly tried to attract his attention.

• Qinglin warned Han Shuo to watch out for Ralph in the Divine Guard Captains’ competition, while Heitian remained devoted to her despite her lack of feelings for him.
• Barnard presented Han Shuo with the divine crystals won by the Fifth Division, but Han Shuo told the guards to divide them among themselves.
• The Divine Guards cheered at Han Shuo’s generosity, and Han Shuo recognized that their growing loyalty could help establish a force devoted to the Han Family.
• Han Shuo asked Bolands to develop the Divine Guards into the Han Family’s foundation, and Bolands promised to win them over.
• Han Shuo visited the female guards’ hot spring area to find Lolth, where Roxi introduced herself and the other women tried to entice him.

Han Shuo secretly peeped at the bathing Divine Guards before Lolth caught him and demanded that he put away his Demon Head. As Lolth explained why the Chaos Lands lay beyond the Main Gods’ control, Han Shuo decided to go there and conquer it.

• Han Shuo ignored Roxi’s flirtation and walked toward the hot springs, while the female Divine Guards admired him and hoped for his attention.
• Han Shuo used a Demon Head to observe the bathing Divine Guards, but Lolth noticed and angrily ordered him to withdraw it.
• Han Shuo put away the Demon Head and asked Lolth about the Chaos Lands, prompting her to explain its lawless location between the Space-Time and Fate Divine Domains.
• Han Shuo recalled Wallace’s conversation with Ralph and worried that the Han Family’s growing power could eventually bring it into conflict with the Saint Family.
• Han Shuo saw the Chaos Lands as a place where the Han Family could escape the Main Gods’ restrictions and resolved to visit and conquer it.

Han Shuo strengthened the Fifth Division and earned the great families’ respect after its victory, while Ralph challenged him at the next competition gathering. As the lots were drawn, Han Shuo began to wonder whether Qinglin might be interested in him.

• Han Shuo left the hot spring area without spying on the female Divine Guards, and Barnard distributed the battle’s Divine Crystals among the guards.
• Bolands began reviewing the Fifth Division’s performance and taught its Divine Guards to credit Han Shuo and identify themselves with the Han Family.
• Three days later, the family heads and Divine Guard Captains gathered again, and their attitudes toward Han Shuo had changed after the Fifth Division’s victory.
• Wallace announced the competition rules, and Ralph challenged Han Shuo, who accepted.
• Heitian said he would concede if he drew Qinglin, and Qinglin told him she preferred men with backbone.
• Han Shuo noticed Qinglin’s unusual look and wondered whether she might be interested in him.

Han Shuo and Ralph traveled to the Competition Area for their duel, while Wallace and the others watched through a Sand Table. A sudden mist obscured the fight, and Wallace suspected Han Shuo had deliberately created it.

• Qinglin drew a blank lot, while Heitian was matched against Camilla and Baten against Geluxi.
• Wallace sent Han Shuo and Ralph to the Competition Area with Andrei, who warned Han Shuo not to seriously injure or kill Ralph.
• Andrei and Ralph exchanged tense remarks before Ralph charged into the arena to fight Han Shuo.
• Wallace, the family heads, and the other captains watched the duel through the Sand Table as Jiya’s father, Casper, questioned her interest in Han Shuo.
• A mass of pale mist covered the fighters in the Sand Table, and Andrei told Wallace that someone had deliberately caused it.
• Wallace concluded that Han Shuo had likely created the mist to keep everyone from seeing how he fought.