Chapter Summaries

Calamity, Prison Doctor, and Old Feis mistook the sounds from Lu Xiao’s room for an intimate encounter, but Doctor revealed that Ruiqi and Liu Ni were fighting. After they were separated, Old Feis blamed the brawl on his attempt to help Lu Xiao and his failure to explain himself.

• Calamity, Prison Doctor, and Old Feis eavesdropped outside Lu Xiao’s room and assumed the sounds meant he was getting intimate with someone.
• Doctor explained that Ruiqi and Liu Ni were fighting, using surveillance footage to confirm it.
• Doctor opened the door, and Calamity and Prison Doctor separated Ruiqi and Liu Ni as they traded insults.
• Liu Ni accused Ruiqi of coming to Lu Xiao’s room with intentions, while Ruiqi said Liu Ni had called her an old fox spirit.
• Old Feis called the fight a misunderstanding and admitted he had failed to explain his plan to help Lu Xiao.

After Old Feis revealed Lu Xiao’s condition, the group debated how to save him and concluded that Ruiqi’s succubus contract was the quickest option. The Doctor then sought another way to restore Lu Xiao’s rank, but Old Feis warned that consuming a god’s remains could kill him.

• Old Feis explained that Lu Xiao had asked him to lie about his soul and revealed that Lu Xiao’s true condition involved a powerful being trying to corrupt him.
• Dart tried to return Serial Number 05 to Lu Xiao, but the Doctor stopped him and explained that doing so would not restore Lu Xiao’s rank and could make Dart lose control again.
• Old Feis said a succubus contract with Ruiqi could raise Lu Xiao’s rank quickly, while Liu Ni offered to take on his symptoms and was warned that she would likely be corrupted.
• Ruiqi and Liu Ni began arguing, so the Prison Doctor and Calamity escorted them from the room.
• The Doctor asked whether eating the remains of a god could restore Lu Xiao’s rank, but Old Feis warned that Lu Xiao’s current body might not withstand the energy and could explode.

Doctor and the others rejected a Succubus Contract as too dangerous and chose to restore Lu Xiao by feeding him divine flesh and authorities. As hunters set out and the Minotaurs joined Zhang Weidong’s forces, Niu Bo immediately challenged Gambler to prove his power by manifesting a nuclear bomb.

• Niu Bo warned that a Succubus Contract could expose Ruiqi to corruption, so the group decided to feed Lu Xiao deities until he regained his rank.
• Doctor assigned Dart to hunt with Ruiqi, Nico to hunt with Niu Bo, and kept Old Feis to aid Lu Xiao inside his Consciousness World; Amilia would supply targets.
• Niu Bo offered Zhang Weidong King-level Minotaurs as deputy squad leaders, and Zhang agreed to bring them into the Ninth Group Army.
• After Niu Bo and Gambler reached the surface, Gambler explained that his authority was 'illusion' and claimed he could manifest anything.
• Niu Bo demanded that Gambler manifest a nuclear bomb, leaving Gambler unable to answer his challenge.

Nico and Gambler investigated Niu Bo while Dart and Ruiqi pursued a deity, and Antie discovered that Liv had been left behind. Liv lived under Daimon's guard in Morati City, where Daimon arrived as she wondered whether Antie would come for her.

• Nico noticed that she could sense no life aura from Niu Bo and warned Gambler, who told her not to act rashly.
• Dart and Ruiqi flew toward the area where Amilia had reported a lone deity searching for succubi.
• Antie woke in the hospital and learned from Prison Doctor, Doctor, and Calamity that none of them had seen Liv.
• Doctor sent for Amilia, who located Liv living under house arrest in Daimon's residence in Morati City.
• Liv confirmed that her companion had sent word of her location and wondered whether Antie would come find her.
• Daimon entered the garden with Ding Dan and Wayne as the demon deity guarding Liv knelt before him.

Ding Dan left Morati City for the Holy City with Liv and another succubus, after Daimon offered Liv to the High Priest. Liv feared being treated as a commodity by Ding Dan, but found comfort in imagining Antie coming to rescue her.

• Daimon pointed out Liv to Ding Dan and offered her to the Holy City's High Priest, while Liv asked to bring another succubus along.
• Ding Dan told Wayne to stay in Morati City and departed with the two succubi.
• Morati asked to return to the Holy City with Ding Dan, but Ding Dan told him to remain as the city's lord and said his possessions would not come free.
• Liv asked Ding Dan not to give her to the High Priest, and Ding Dan told her she could get lost.
• Liv imagined Antie coming to collect her, and Ding Dan abruptly sat upright and stared ahead.

Great Lord Kaitlin confronted Ding Dan and pressed him to choose who should rule the Royal City, then revealed Morati badly injured in Daimon's grasp. After Kaitlin vanished, Daimon explained that Morati had likely challenged him and had his blood drained, while Ding Dan demanded an answer and continued on his way.

• Great Lord Kaitlin stopped Ding Dan's Throne and asked whether Daimon or Morati should be in charge of the Royal City.
• Ding Dan avoided choosing, and Daimon appeared carrying a barely breathing Morati.
• Ding Dan demanded to know what Kaitlin had done to Morati, and Kaitlin vanished after Daimon took Ding Dan's side.
• Daimon told Ding Dan that Kaitlin had likely drained Morati's blood after Morati challenged him as city lord, and promised to give Ding Dan an answer.
• Ding Dan accepted Daimon's promise and departed on his Throne.

Gambler’s team captured a hidden Wanderer Clan and brought them back as bait, while Dart and Ruiqi waited at another settlement for a Deity to arrive. When the Deity appeared and approached Ruiqi, Dart opened his many eyes and trapped him in a terrifying vision, leaving him on his knees in fear.

• Gambler sent Nico to seize every creature in a hidden Wanderer Clan, intending to use its unidentified Deity as bait for a rescue attempt.
• Niu Bo returned to Doctor’s Experiment Room, while Gambler went to wash dishes and the settlement’s forces prepared an ambush.
• Dart and Ruiqi arrived at a small Wanderer Settlement and waited without attacking its residents.
• Ruiqi’s Desire Authority overwhelmed the Wanderers, and the Deity they sought arrived after about half a day.
• The Deity approached Ruiqi, but Dart opened the eyes on his tentacles and made the Deity see a nightmare of monstrous spiders.
• The Deity dropped his spiked club and slowly sank to his knees in terror.

Dart returned to the Base with Ruiqi after killing a deity who died in terror when Dart stirred his despair. Calamity explained that Gambler’s capture of an intelligence deity was bait for an expected attack, while Ruiqi admitted she wanted to sign a contract with Lu Xiao because he was handsome.

• Dart picked up the dead deity’s Authority Change and headed back to the Base with Ruiqi.
• Calamity told Dart that Gambler had captured an intelligence deity alive and prepared the Base for the faction’s likely counterattack.
• Dart described the spider-like creature he had seen, but Calamity said he did not recognize it and advised him not to dwell on it.
• Dart took the corpse to Chef, while Ruiqi asked Calamity whether she could still sign a Succubus Contract with Lu Xiao.
• Ruiqi told Calamity she wanted the contract because Lu Xiao was handsome, and denied that she was trying to attach herself to someone powerful.

As the enemy approached, Calamity reflected on the human soldiers’ courage and admitted that their fighting spirit made him think of his lost home. Meanwhile, Prison Doctor and Liu Ni began feeding the incapacitated Lu Xiao through a needle inserted into his stomach.

• Calamity told Ruiqi that the human soldiers feared failure despite showing no fear, and said their determination made him think of his own race.
• Ruiqi reflected on humanity’s unity and relentless training, and Amilia appeared to signal that the enemy had arrived.
• Chef prepared liquid food for Lu Xiao while Prison Doctor carried it to the hospital room.
• Prison Doctor instructed Liu Ni to operate on Lu Xiao, and she cut open his abdomen and inserted an indwelling needle.
• Prison Doctor poured the liquid food through a funnel into Lu Xiao’s stomach, leaving Liu Ni unnerved by the rough procedure.

Lu Xiao recovered after Prison Doctor and Liu Ni fed him Deities' flesh and blood through a funnel inserted into his abdomen. He piloted the First Prototype to the surface, where he saw an enemy swarm whose creatures resisted shellfire and corroded the mechanical dogs with green slime.

• Prison Doctor poured four buckets of prepared Deities' flesh and blood into Lu Xiao, temporarily slowing Night's expansion in his Consciousness World.
• Lu Xiao woke, discovered the funnel and needle in his belly, and complained that the others had not treated him like a human.
• Liu Ni and the others surgically removed the needle from Lu Xiao's stomach.
• Lu Xiao asked Gambler about events outside, then visited Shuns and piloted the First Prototype to the surface.
• Lu Xiao saw caterpillar-like creatures corrode the mechanical dogs with slime and beetle-like creatures shrug off shells with their dark carapaces.

Lu Xiao learned that the Ninth Group Army was being overwhelmed by the Zerg and helped Commander Zhang Weidong prepare to retreat. Calamity revealed that their only chance to turn the battle around was to kill the Brain Worm, which was protected by every Zerg above King-level.

• Calamity told Lu Xiao that the Zerg had pushed the Ninth Group Army back and that Old Feis, Dart, and another god were tied down fighting three Zerg gods.
• Lu Xiao found Zhang Weidong retreating with the army’s equipment, and Zhang explained that the Zerg’s formations and resistance to thermal weapons made withdrawal necessary.
• Calamity explained that the Zerg had adapted to artillery and developed ranged attackers, making the battle appear lost.
• Calamity said the swarm would scatter if its Brain Worm were killed, but its defenses were formidable.
• Lu Xiao realized that the Zerg’s high-level fighters were likely guarding the Brain Worm, and Calamity confirmed that every Zerg above King-level was protecting it.

Lu Xiao and Calamity went underground to reach the Swarm and attempt to kill its Brain Worm in a single strike. Lu Xiao found the Brain Worm inhabiting a general and destroyed it, but the general’s body was left headless as the Swarm began to screech.

• Calamity explained that nuclear weapons could prompt the Zerg to evolve and overwhelm humanity, and said the Brain Worm was as fragile as an ordinary human.
• Lu Xiao proposed entering the Swarm’s territory underground and killing the Brain Worm instantly, so he and Calamity set out without the First Prototype.
• As they approached, Calamity explained the roles of the Brain Worm and Mother Worm and warned Lu Xiao to flee if his first strike failed.
• Lu Xiao burst from the ground during Calamity’s diversion and spotted a general with antennae and medals who was hosting the Brain Worm.
• The general pierced Lu Xiao’s body, but Lu Xiao reappeared beside him and smashed his head, killing the Brain Worm.
• As the Swarm screeched, Lu Xiao caught the general’s headless body and apologized for not being able to leave it whole.

Lu Xiao killed the Brain Worm, letting the Ninth Group Army turn back and defeat the disorganized swarm. At the memorial for the Second Infantry Division, Lu Xiao stayed away and asked Doctor to withdraw the army to the Present World, but Doctor refused, then went to Shuns's Experiment Room.

• Lu Xiao killed the Brain Worm, threw the swarm into chaos, and told Calamity to notify the army that it no longer needed to retreat.
• After learning the Brain Worm was dead, Zhang Weidong ordered the Ninth Group Army to turn around and attack the bugs.
• At the Base, Zhang Weidong presided over a memorial for the Second Infantry Division, whose 8,792 members, including commander Li Liguo, had been wiped out.
• Lu Xiao left the memorial and told Doctor he was not used to such scenes.
• Lu Xiao asked Doctor to withdraw the army to the Present World, but Doctor said humanity could not retreat from the war.
• Doctor left for Shuns's Experiment Room while Lu Xiao stayed behind on the sofa.

The Doctor proposed using Swarm shells and bodies for the Biological Armor project, then told Shuns he would begin his Deification Ritual. At the infirmary, Liu Ni asked Zhang Weidong about Liu Commander, while Zhang comforted the wounded soldiers before finally admitting his own grief.

• The Doctor gave Shuns a plan to use beetle-like Swarm shells for armor and the remaining insects as material for extracting crude oil, and Shuns agreed to research it using the Mother Worm.
• The Doctor told Shuns he was suspending his other projects to begin his Deification Ritual.
• After the memorial service, Liu Ni asked Zhang Weidong whether the man he remembered was Shadow, and Zhang said he preferred to call him Liu Commander.
• Zhang Weidong comforted wounded soldiers by promising to ask the state to find them wives once they returned, lifting the mood in the infirmary.
• Outside the tent, Zhang Weidong struggled to smoke as Liu Ni sat beside him, and he said the soldiers could cry but he could not.

Zhang Weidong told Liu Ni how he had come to respect Liu Guang, while she still failed to learn why Liu Guang had treated his own child cruelly. Meanwhile, Ivan gathered Calamity’s elemental waste and began an alchemy ritual to create an authority, with Lu Xiao and the others watching.

• Zhang Weidong recounted his rivalry with Liu Guang and explained how Liu Guang’s charisma had won the Ninth Group Army’s loyalty.
• Zhang Weidong asked Liu Ni what Lu Xiao meant to her, then compared their attachments to Liu Guang and Lu Xiao.
• Liu Ni left the conversation without learning why Liu Guang had been cruel to his own flesh and blood.
• Chef served the group sliced remains of a god, and Calamity ate the most as Ivan repeatedly added food to his plate.
• Calamity went to the toilet, where Ivan collected the pure elemental substance he excreted and carried it to his Experiment Room.
• Ivan drew an intricate alchemy array outside the Base as Lu Xiao, Old Feis, and Niu Bo watched his attempt to create an authority.

Ivan completed an alchemy array to exchange rare elements for authority, and the resulting upheaval left him with a beating multicolored heart. The chapter ended as an emerald flame appeared in his eye sockets, signaling that his attempt to attain godhood had worked.

• Lu Xiao worried that a being might already hold authority over alchemy, while Shuns tried to reassure him as Ivan slowly engraved the array over two days.
• When Ivan completed the array, a pillar of light rose into the sky, dark clouds gathered, and rain fell across Hell.
• Calamity explained that his excreted elements contained water, and Niu Bo’s reaction brought forth wind and fire that evaporated the rain.
• The array’s light dimmed, Ivan’s soul fire went out, and aggregated elements crawled into his rib cage and formed a heart.
• Prison Doctor recognized the heart’s steady rhythm as a sign of success, and an emerald flame appeared in Ivan’s eye sockets.

Ivan became a Deity and revealed that his Authority was Exchange, while publicly claiming it was alchemy. Niu Bo revealed that he was one of the Gods and asked to become Ivan’s Chosen One so he could study alchemy.

• The Prison Doctor tested Ivan with the first doll he had carved, and Ivan calmly recalled its history, confirming that he had not been corrupted.
• Ivan privately told Lu Xiao that his Authority was Exchange, then told everyone that it was alchemy.
• Niu Bo asked to become Ivan’s Chosen One, explaining that someone who mastered a Rule could decide who was allowed to use it.
• Lu Xiao asked Niu Bo to reveal his Ontological Rank, and Niu Bo transformed into a Minotaur a kilometer tall, revealing that he was one of the Gods.
• Ivan looked to Lu Xiao for his opinion on Niu Bo’s request, while the Prison Doctor privately grumbled about Ivan’s success.

Lu Xiao learned that Great Lord Kaitlin had seized control of the Holy City and stripped Ding Dan of his authority. He went to Nico’s Containment Room, where he found her gambling amid smoke and machines.

• Amilia returned late and told Lu Xiao that his Holy City informants had been rooted out.
• Amilia revealed that Great Lord Kaitlin, not Yi Hao, had taken control of the Holy City and removed Ding Dan from power.
• Amilia described Kaitlin’s brutal rule, during which slavery spread, Hell’s population plunged, and thirteen races were wiped out.
• Lu Xiao recognized Kaitlin as a dangerous opponent and went with Dart to visit Nico.
• Lu Xiao entered Nico’s Containment Room and found it filled with gambling tables, slot machines, smoke, and foul air.
• Nico smoked a cigar and fed coins into a slot machine.

Lu Xiao and Dart left for the Holy City with Nico after deciding to deal with the threat there before confronting the Gambler. In the city, Kaitlin tortured Yi Hao and mocked him for Ding Dan’s failure to return, while Lu Xiao’s group arrived at the rebuilt Holy City.

• Nico broke a slot machine, and Lu Xiao destroyed the garish cap on her head before they left the Containment Room.
• Lu Xiao asked Dart how many layers of skin the Gambler had, and Dart said the Deity’s skin would quickly grow back.
• Dart carried Lu Xiao and Nico toward the Holy City instead of using Doctor to teleport them, since they did not know Kaitlin’s power.
• Kaitlin tortured the battered Yi Hao in Ding Dan’s bedchamber and taunted him about Ding Dan not returning to see him.
• Lu Xiao, Dart, and Nico arrived outside the rebuilt Holy City and saw its white, salt-crystal-adorned buildings and central palace dome.

Lu Xiao and his companions reached the Holy City, disguised themselves, and encountered Ding Dan, who needed Lu Xiao’s help. Morati explained that Great Lord Kaitlin had attacked him and pursued Ding Dan after Ding Dan met with Great Lord Daimon, and that Kaitlin had come directly to the Holy City.

• Lu Xiao, Dart, and Nico admired the glittering city and traded jokes and poetic lines before deciding to disguise themselves.
• Lu Xiao used his Authority to turn Nico into a Succubus and Dart into a two-horned Demon, though Dart’s tentacles remained visible.
• Ding Dan approached with Morati and two unfamiliar Succubi, and Morati asked Lu Xiao for help.
• Morati told Lu Xiao that Ding Dan had reached an understanding with Great Lord Daimon in the Demon Royal City and attracted Great Lord Kaitlin’s attention.
• Morati explained that Kaitlin attacked him and pursued Ding Dan, then unexpectedly came straight to the Holy City after Great Lord Daimon intervened.