Chapter Summaries

Lu Xiao, Calamity, and Ruiqi avoided being contaminated by the Cages, but the tentacled God began reviving from their severed arms while Old Feis remained motionless. Just as Lu Xiao prepared to sacrifice himself, Antie arrived empowered by the last uncontaminated Cage.

• Lu Xiao sensed that the darkness had tainted the Cages and warned Calamity and Ruiqi not to inject themselves.
• When Lu Xiao's syringe turned into a tentacle that wrapped around his arm, he tore off the arm; Calamity and Ruiqi followed suit, and all three shadows coiled around the severed limbs.
• The severed arms sprouted dense, black tentacles that Lu Xiao recognized as signs that the tentacled God was reviving, while Old Feis remained motionless.
• Calamity tried to invoke Death, but Ruiqi stopped him, and Lu Xiao realized the First Prototype had also been restrained by a black film.
• As Lu Xiao reached into his chest to pull out his heart, Calamity announced that Antie had recovered.
• Antie emerged with the last uncontaminated Cage embedded in his chest, radiating power as heat and water vapor filled the area around the reviving God.

Antie used his control over water and cold to freeze and destroy the god’s severed arms, then collapsed from the effort. Lu Xiao and Ruiqi waited to see whether the god or Old Feis would recover, then left as other factions approached, while Liv remained underground wondering how the battle had ended.

• Antie stripped water from Lu Xiao and Ruiqi and formed ice needles, which froze the god’s severed arms into crystals.
• Antie crushed the frozen arms and said he had destroyed all the god’s cells, then collapsed and was carried away by Calamity to the Prison Doctor.
• Lu Xiao and Ruiqi waited, but the ice crystals did not move and Old Feis and the other god remained unable to recover beneath deathly substances.
• Lu Xiao lamented that his XP packs were gone, and Ruiqi urged him to leave before powerful factions arrived.
• The First Prototype carried half of Old Feis’s body away with Lu Xiao, while Liv stayed underground and wondered whether the fighting was over.

Daimon found Liv buried at the battlefield and took her to Morati City, where she tried to charm her demon guard. Meanwhile, Lu Xiao carried the recovering Old Feis away, and Old Feis explained that Night and Death had only sent a little power into the battle.

• After Lu Xiao and the others left, Daimon and two Great Demons reached the battlefield, sensed something familiar, and dug Liv out of the ground.
• Daimon took Liv to Morati City and refused her request to contact her leader, explaining that the leader had rejected him in the past.
• After Daimon left Liv under guard, she tried to seduce the Great Demon watching her, who could only stare.
• Old Feis awoke as Lu Xiao carried him, regrew his body, and said Night had nearly erased his divinity.
• Old Feis told Lu Xiao that Death's power had killed the First Prototype and that neither Night nor Death had personally joined the fight.

Lu Xiao learned why powerful beings did not come to Hell themselves, while Nico and Gambler arrived at a ruined dam to find the comrade they had come to bring home. Gambler recognized the wandering Prison Warden-Dart and called out to him.

• Old Feis guessed that whatever drew beings to Hell was too fragile to withstand power beyond that of Gods.
• In the Present World, Nico chased a blur and accidentally smashed it apart, then asked Gambler who they had come to find.
• Gambler told Nico they had come to bring home one of the boss's comrades-in-arms, whom she would have to call Uncle.
• Nico and Gambler reached a bloodied estuary and spotted a headless, limbless figure wandering across a ruined dam.
• Gambler pressed his fist to his heart and solemnly called out to Prison Warden-Dart, saying he had come to take him home.

Gambler explained the state of the present world to Nico after bringing her to meet Dart, the Prison Warden who had guarded the Dam since the Prison fell. Humanity was clearing the world and preparing for a long war, while rival factions fought and the Saints pursued their own schemes.

• Nico asked how Dart had ended up at the Dam, and Gambler explained that Dart had guarded the place since the Prison fell and kept Outsiders at bay.
• Gambler recounted how Dart had closed nearly all the Gates to the Dark Prison, leaving only a few routes open and keeping the fighting largely away from the present world.
• Gambler described the factions battling across Europe: Great Brahma and the demons fought each other fiercely but united against Outsiders, while Angel hunted Adam and the Church struggled to compete with Great Brahma.
• Gambler said the Saints Faction had captured people exploiting the apocalypse and used many of them for experiments into evil arts.
• Gambler predicted that brutal competition among the Saints’ researchers would eventually produce a deity who forged their own path to godhood.

Gambler set rules for Evil Magic research while remaining unaware that Bai Suoyi was leading the group. At the Taoist temple on Mount Kunlun, Dan Qingrong confronted Zhang Chu over his loyalty to the mortal world and their dead child, until an ancestral voice defended him and appeared as a human-shaped phantom.

• Gambler required Evil Magic research subjects to be screened and confirmed as humans guilty of unforgivable crimes, threatening anyone who harmed innocents.
• Bai Suoyi was revealed to be leading the Evil Magic research group after returning to the Saints with Lucilla.
• Dan Qingrong asked Zhang Chu whether he had recovered his memories, then accused him of causing their son Dan Guofeng's death by asking for the child to leave the mountain.
• Dan Qingrong threatened to destroy the mortal world so Zhang Chu would not abandon her, while unseen ancestors rebuked him.
• Zhang Chu knelt and kowtowed, promising to return and atone once the Present World was stable, and an ancestral voice defended him as a tall phantom formed from incense smoke.

Zhang Chu refused to let Dan Qingrong destroy the Present World, even as she grieved over Guofeng and their thousand-year separation. The Phantoms sided with Zhang Chu and urged Dan Qingrong to let him go, but she returned in her true body and confessed why she had kept him near.

• Zhang Chu told Dan Qingrong that he had urged them to part because he feared they would not survive if the world ended, and he refused to step aside when she threatened to destroy the Present World.
• Dan Qingrong collapsed in grief as fragments broke from her face, while Zhang Chu and the humanoid Phantom stood in her way.
• A Phantom reminded Dan Qingrong of the kind Daoist name she had given Zhang Chu, then moved behind him to repay the debt he owed Guofeng.
• A burly Phantom and the other Phantoms joined Zhang Chu, telling Dan Qingrong they owed Guofeng their lives and would no longer run away.
• Dan Qingrong left the room, then returned in her true body and told Zhang Chu she had waited a thousand years, rebuilt his corpse, and made him a puppet because she could not bear to lose him.

Dan Qingrong dismantled Zhang Chu’s puppet body while confessing her love and grief over Feng'er, then restored him to flesh and blood. Zhang Chu awoke overwhelmed by a strange sense of loss, where a Little Daoist Boy claimed to be his grandmaster and called him Father.

• Dan Qingrong told Zhang Chu that she blamed both of them for Feng'er's death and accused him of breaking his promise to bring Feng'er back safely.
• Dan Qingrong sent the Phantoms away, then dismantled Zhang Chu's puppet body while explaining that being a hero meant bloodshed and sacrifice.
• Dan Qingrong cradled and kissed Zhang Chu's decaying heart as the Mask lay among the scattered puppet parts.
• Zhang Chu regained consciousness alone with his body restored to flesh and blood, but felt an overwhelming sense of loss.
• A Little Daoist Boy appeared, called Zhang Chu his father, and threatened to purge their sect before other Daoist boys stopped him.

Zhang Chu left the Taoist Temple with his recovered Lightning Authority and eleven sect elders reborn in infant bodies, while Gambler proposed a violent way to bring Dart back. The chapter left Gambler asking Nico to help subdue Dart.

• Zhang Chu learned that the eleven daoist boys were his sect elders and that they called him Dad.
• Zhang Chu left the Taoist Temple with the elders, and one of them gave him the Lightning Authority Dan Qingrong had confiscated.
• Zhang Chu realized Dan Qingrong had used the Trait of Procreation to give the elders physical bodies for their spiritual bodies to inhabit.
• Gambler told Nico that they should beat Dart until he could not move, then carry him back.

Nico fought Dart at the river mouth, but his authority trapped her in a vision of a blood-soaked sea and left her helpless. Gambler called for Lu Xiao to descend, and Lu Xiao prepared to inspect the situation before deciding whether to answer.

• Nico gave Gambler her gold chain and beads, then leaped from the cliff to confront Dart.
• Nico and Dart exchanged more than a hundred physical blows before Nico revealed her enormous jellyfish form.
• Dart's authority overwhelmed Nico with a vision of a scarlet moon and marine creatures tearing at her, leaving her pleading for help.
• Gambler severed one of his fingers and prayed to Man-made Calamity to descend.
• Lu Xiao sensed Gambler's call, and Old Feis advised him to inspect the caller and sever part of his consciousness before descending.

Lu Xiao entered Gambler’s consciousness and learned that Dart had taken over his other daughter’s body and was threatening her life. He persuaded Old Feis to help descend into the Dark Prison, but was shocked to discover that Old Feis had invaded his consciousness world directly.

• Lu Xiao split off a consciousness and found Gambler praying in the Dark Prison, with a jellyfish nearby that Gambler identified as Dart inside Lu Xiao’s daughter.
• Gambler explained that Lu Xiao’s daughter had been affected by Dart’s authority, and Lu Xiao told him to continue the Summoning Ritual while he prepared to descend.
• Lu Xiao asked Old Feis to help subdue his corrupted friend, but Old Feis initially refused because the friend might be a deity.
• Lu Xiao hinted that Doctor needed materials for Biological Armor, prompting Old Feis to agree to descend and help the friend.
• Old Feis spoke directly into Lu Xiao’s mind, revealing that he had entered Lu Xiao’s consciousness world while his body remained in the real world.

Lu Xiao learned that he was effectively invincible against intruders in his consciousness world, but Old Feis revealed he had sent only part of his consciousness. Lu Xiao then descended into the Unknown Divine Hall to reach Gambler, where Old Feis lost contact with his main consciousness and demanded to see through Lu Xiao’s eyes.

• Calamity explained that Lu Xiao could control the rules in his consciousness world and overpower anyone who entered it.
• Old Feis revealed that he had sent only a portion of his consciousness, ending Lu Xiao and Calamity’s hopes of beating him there.
• Lu Xiao touched Gambler’s point of light in his consciousness world and descended into the Unknown Divine Hall as a transfer point.
• Old Feis said he had lost contact with his main consciousness and warned Lu Xiao that an anchor point would let it detect him if he left.
• Lu Xiao refused to let Old Feis borrow his eyes and said he needed to hurry to help his friend, though he believed Nico would not fall quickly.

Lu Xiao tried to calm Nico after she lost control, using his blood and a gentle voice to awaken her. Nico snapped awake, while Lu Xiao discovered that Night was pursuing Old Feis inside his Consciousness World.

• Lu Xiao arrived beside Gambler and learned that Nico was lashing herself with her tentacles, though they did not know whether Dart had lost consciousness.
• Lu Xiao asked Gambler to move away, then used a bribe to reach Nico, who was floating high above the Estuary.
• Lu Xiao stroked Nico's bell and let his blood run over it while soothing her, and Nico heard his voice in a vision of a deadly, crowded sea.
• Nico snapped awake after Lu Xiao's voice dispelled her fear.
• Old Feis demanded to see through Lu Xiao's eyes and complained that Night was chasing him inside Lu Xiao's Consciousness World.
• Lu Xiao saw Night pursuing Old Feis and realized that he was beginning to become contaminated.

Lu Xiao let Old Feis take full control of his body so they could restrain Dart and help Nico. When Old Feis used God's Authority on Dart, they encountered a terrifying scene that seemed to embody despair, just as a wave of hideous creatures descended on them.

• Nico awakened and revealed her true form as Dart charged at her again.
• Lu Xiao agreed to relinquish control of his body, and Old Feis took over, discovering that Lu Xiao could withstand a God's Authority.
• Old Feis leaped from Nico's bell and struck Dart with emerald-green light, causing the eyes on Dart's tentacles to burst.
• Lu Xiao and Old Feis saw a red moon, twisted figures, and a massive wave filled with monstrous creatures; Old Feis said the scene was more than an illusion and filled them with despair.
• The wave reached them, and countless creatures leaped down toward Lu Xiao and Old Feis.

Lu Xiao relived Dart’s desperate battle against the Outsiders, with Old Feis controlling his body until distorted figures killed him. He emerged from the vision at the peaceful Dam, where Dart greeted him.

• Old Feis used Lu Xiao’s body to fight the monsters on the giant fish and broke through the hundred-meter wave, but distorted figures severed Lu Xiao’s limbs and head.
• As he fell, Lu Xiao realized he was witnessing Dart’s past battle against the Outsiders and acknowledged the sacrifice Dart had made alone.
• Lu Xiao opened his eyes to find the red moon gone and the sea calm beneath golden sunlight.
• Lu Xiao stood atop the Dam and saw Dart waiting at its opening in camouflage fatigues.
• Dart smiled at Lu Xiao and said, “Mr. Lu Xiao, you came to see me again. How wonderful.”

Lu Xiao reunited with Dart, who revealed how he gained the authority called despair and asked Lu Xiao to eat him before he lost control. Lu Xiao agreed, and after Dart shared his real name and an unusual burial wish, Lu Xiao returned to the present with Old Feis controlling his body.

• Lu Xiao and Dart reunited by the sea, and Dart recalled how a blue whale saved his torso after his head was cut off.
• Dart explained that the experience gave him the authority called despair, which he had used against Lu Xiao by instinct.
• Dart asked Lu Xiao to eat him so Lu Xiao could become a god, but Lu Xiao initially refused and told him to lose control if necessary.
• Dart revealed his real name, Chen Jingting, and asked Lu Xiao to eat him; Lu Xiao agreed after Dart insisted.
• Dart asked Lu Xiao to bury him in an open place and leave a hole containing Lu Xiao's shit as his grave.
• Lu Xiao returned to the present, where Old Feis gave him back control of his body, and Lu Xiao pulled Old Feis's thumb from his nostril.

Lu Xiao revived Dart by giving him his own heart, losing power and falling into a deep sleep as a result. A day later, the Warden checked on the unconscious Lu Xiao and the others, then asked Gambler whether he was ready to go to Hell.

• Lu Xiao offered Dart his heart as a bribe, then placed it in Dart's chest to heal him.
• Dart regenerated his limbs and head, while Lu Xiao's ontological rank fell and he lost consciousness.
• Old Feis took control of Lu Xiao's body and left with Dart, noting that Lu Xiao would wake after his soul recovered.
• A day later, the Warden visited Lu Xiao in the Containment Room and heard from Gambler that Lu Xiao would eventually wake.
• Dart told the Warden that he felt well and showed no sign of losing control; the Warden then asked Gambler if he was ready to go to Hell.

Gambler and Dart returned to Hell with supplies for the Ninth Group Army, while Warden stayed behind to manage the Present World. Prison Doctor examined the sleeping Lu Xiao but could not find a way to treat his soul, leaving his recovery uncertain.

• Gambler chose to travel to Hell, and Warden urged Dart to join the fighting there if his condition allowed.
• Warden sent Gambler through the gateway with instructions to ask Prison Doctor to try waking Lu Xiao sooner, and Gambler offered to stay if Warden needed help.
• Gambler, Dart, and Nico arrived at the Ninth Group Army’s encampment with Lu Xiao and a convoy of supplies, including nuclear warheads.
• Zhang Weidong ordered soldiers to drain the trucks’ diesel and grew eager to recruit more Minotaurs, while Niu Bo ran from him and they chased each other into Zhou.
• Gambler and the others brought Lu Xiao to Prison Doctor, who concluded that Lu Xiao’s condition involved his soul and admitted he had no treatment plan.

Lu Xiao struggled inside his Consciousness World as “Night” threatened to overwrite his identity, while Old Feis warned that Lu’s reduced ontological rank had left him unable to stop it. Lu decided to trust Old Feis’s promised solution for now, keeping Mad Dog as a last resort.

• The Prison Doctor warned Liu Ni that taking Lu’s symptoms into herself would likely collapse her soul, and said they had to trust Old Feis’s judgment.
• Inside the Consciousness World, Old Feis scolded Lu Xiao for lowering his ontological rank and failing to hide his true name, while the light representing “Night” kept expanding.
• Lu Xiao realized that “Night” occupied nearly seventy percent of his shrunken Consciousness World and would replace him if its consciousness finished downloading.
• Lu Xiao considered summoning Mad Dog, prompting Old Feis to claim he had found a solution and ask to be let out.
• Lu Xiao decided to give Old Feis’s solution a chance and planned to summon Mad Dog if it failed at the last moment.

Old Feis dragged Ruiqi to Lu Xiao’s Containment Room, hoping she would help treat him, then left her alone with Liu Ni. Calamity and Prison Doctor fled the room, leaving Ruiqi and Liu Ni to trade insults while they listened anxiously outside.

• Old Feis seized Ruiqi and pulled her from her Containment Room despite her resistance, while Doctor told the Researchers to wait and see and alerted Calamity.
• Old Feis pushed Ruiqi into Lu Xiao’s room and left, where she found Liu Ni and Prison Doctor beside Lu Xiao’s hospital bed.
• Liu Ni insulted Ruiqi, and Prison Doctor reprimanded her for being rude.
• Calamity rushed into the room, noticed the awkward scene, then returned with an excuse to leave with Prison Doctor.
• After the Steel Doors closed, Ruiqi and Liu Ni argued, while Calamity and Prison Doctor pressed their ears to the wall outside.