Chapter Summaries

Qin Ze and the others sailed out with Xia Huai'an as the Flying Circus Man searched for the humpback whale sea beast. A strange golden light drew sea beasts across the stormy water, and the humpback whale's call suddenly sounded near the cruise ship.

• Xia Huai'an led Qin Ze and the others aboard the cruise ship, which sailed into worsening rain alongside two armed escort ships.
• Giant Overlord widened the Flying Circus Man's search for the humpback whale sea beast after the crew found no trace of it.
• Something struck the Flying Circus Man, and Captain Hook and Giant Overlord spotted a brilliant light moving beneath the sea as sea beasts pursued it.
• Giant Overlord sent a clone into the water to inspect the light, then had the Flying Circus Man turn and chase it.
• Qin Ze watched the strange light through his clones' eyes while Huai Xu and the others discussed how to spend their merit points.
• A distant, ethereal call sounded over the storm, and Qin Ze recognized the humpback whale sea beast.

A high-level humpback sea beast attacked the Ocean-going near Thousand Streams Island, destroying its escort frigates and splitting the supply ship in two. Qin Ze escaped with Xia Huai'an and the professional team in a lifeboat, but the beast began hunting the survivors as they headed toward the island.

• After the whale appeared in the storm, Qin Ze warned that it was a sea beast, and Xia Huai'an ordered the frigates to attack it.
• The frigates dropped depth charges and fired their main guns, but the high-level sea beast shrugged off the attacks and destroyed both frigates.
• The sea beast rammed the Ocean-going, tore open its hull, and forced the crew to abandon ship.
• Qin Ze helped Xia Huai'an escape in a lifeboat with the professional team as the sea beast broke the Ocean-going in two and began hunting the survivors.
• Qin Ze draped his coat over the trembling Xia Huai'an, told her help was coming, and then said she smelled good.

Qin Ze and the others fought to escape a humpback whale, but the beast destroyed their boat and nearly swallowed them. Captain Hook’s Flying Circus Man arrived to save them, only for its old cannon to explode on its first shot.

• Lu Tongtong used her ability to steer the boat through the whale’s attacks, while Qin Ze blocked its water arrows with the Black Tortoise Shield.
• Qin Ze and Fatty made a fog of steam to confuse the whale, then Qin Ze used talismans to lift the boat above the water.
• The whale struck the airborne boat with its tail, forcing Qin Ze and the others to jump into the sea as it charged to swallow them.
• Giant Overlord shot the whale with a red beam, and Captain Hook’s Flying Circus Man arrived to rescue the group.
• Captain Hook ordered the main cannon fired, but the old cannon exploded when a clone loaded and fired it.

After the Flying Circus Man rescued Qin Ze and the others from the sea, it brought them to Thousand Streams Island. The group settled into a hotel, recovered from the shipwreck, and prepared to continue their mission.

• The old granny cannon burst, throwing the gunner clone into the sea, while Giant Overlord saved Captain Hook from falling overboard.
• The humpback whale escaped underwater, and the Flying Circus Man rescued Qin Ze, Xia Huai'an, and the others.
• Captain Hook brought the group to a musty cabin and told Lu Tongtong that her cultivation was not strong enough to join the Circus.
• Qin Ze steamed Xia Huai'an's and Lu Tongtong's wet clothes dry, and the group rested during the voyage.
• The Flying Circus Man reached Thousand Streams Island, where Xia Huai'an arranged lodging and learned that a freighter would arrive the next day.
• After recovering at the hotel, Qin Ze and the professional team left in the drizzle to complete their mission.

Qin Ze and his team delivered Professor Xu’s request to collect his sea beast samples, but the island’s sea closure left them waiting for a ship back to Sea Capital. Professor Xu discussed his research into sea beasts and their link to the vanished otherworld, unaware that no new sea beasts would be born.

• Qin Ze and the professional team verified their identities with Professor Xu and accepted his black package of samples for delivery to Sea Capital.
• Qin Ze told Professor Xu that a sea beast had sunk all three of their ships and that they had to wait for a supply ship to return.
• Professor Xu asked about the attacker and identified the giant humpback whale as Little White, a normally gentle level-seven sea beast that had recently grown aggressive.
• Professor Xu explained that sea beasts mutated because of an energy field linked to the otherworld, and that its fluctuations had vanished when the otherworld entrance disappeared.
• Professor Xu said he hoped to apply the sea beast mutation process to humans, while Qin Ze privately believed the idea could not be realized.

Qin Ze learned more about Professor Xu’s sea-beast research and realized the professor had described the same glowing mass Captain Hook’s group encountered. After Xia Huai'an ordered the team to stay on the island until she returned to Sea Capital, Qin Ze disguised himself and went to a tavern to gather information.

• Qin Ze and the clones argued over whether to share their Source of the World, while Professor Xu explained his research and recent sea-beast agitation.
• Qin Ze connected Professor Xu’s sighting of a glowing mass pursued by sea beasts to Captain Hook’s group’s encounter.
• Xia Huai'an told Qin Ze’s team to remain on the island and wait to return to Sea Capital with her.
• Qin Ze disguised himself as a burly, bearded man and went to a tavern to listen for information about ships and the glowing mass.
• An intoxicated man sat beside Qin Ze and asked whether he had just arrived on the island.

Qin Ze heard Wang Laoliu’s account of a dragon’s corpse and a strange light supposedly behind the sea beasts’ rampage, but the bartender revealed Wang was a habitual liar. Qin Ze left the tavern after ordering his clones to follow Wang Laoliu.

• Qin Ze bought Wang Laoliu a beer after the man claimed the sea beasts were fighting to become the new Dragon King.
• Wang Laoliu described seeing a thousand-meter dragon’s corpse near Steamed Bun Island, sea beasts feeding on it, and a brilliant light that preceded their attacks on ships.
• A sailor accused Wang Laoliu of changing his story, and Wang stormed out after insisting the dragon had been a level-nine sea beast.
• The bartender told Qin Ze that Wang had been rescued half-dead seven days earlier and came to the tavern nightly to swindle drinks with stories about dragons and lights.
• Qin Ze said the story mixed truth with lies, paid for his drink, and told his clones to follow Wang Laoliu.

Qin Ze’s clones abducted Wang Laoliu and forced him to mark the supposed dragon corpse’s location, confirming Qin Ze’s suspicion that Laoliu was hiding his strength and luring people toward the sea. After Giant Overlord learned that sailors were already heading to Steamed Bun Island over the spreading story, Qin Ze decided the Flying Circus would go out to sea the next day.

• Wang Laoliu was ambushed by masked figures, who beat him and demanded the dragon corpse’s location near Steamed Bun Island.
• Qin Ze learned from his clones that Wang Laoliu had cooperated readily and suspected the man was concealing his strength while drawing people toward a mysterious stretch of sea.
• Giant Overlord reported that sailors from several ships had recently sailed for Steamed Bun Island after hearing stories about a dragon corpse and a ball of light.
• Qin Ze decided the Flying Circus would repair its ship and head out to sea the next day.

Qin Ze took the Flying Circus Man from Thousand Streams Island toward Steamed Bun Island in search of the Dragon King's treasure, while Fairy revealed that she was also hunting at sea. Near their destination, a huge swarm of sea beasts surrounded the ship, and Qin Ze prepared for battle.

• Qin Ze and Captain Hook finished preparing the Flying Circus Man and departed Thousand Streams Island for Steamed Bun Island.
• A weathered sailor told Qin Ze that twenty-two ships had already left for Steamed Bun Island, then gave him a bottle and wished him luck.
• Qin Ze learned in the chat group that Fairy had gone to sea after hearing the Dragon King had died and was searching for treasure.
• Giant Overlord steered the Flying Circus Man as it neared Steamed Bun Island, until the sonar detected more than twenty fast-moving sea beasts approaching.
• Qin Ze saw a dense mass of sea beasts churning the water and prepared the ship's crew for battle.

Qin Ze and the crew of the Flying Circus Man fought off a pack of sea beasts and reached Steamed Bun Island, where they found the enormous corpse of a level-nine Sea Serpent King. As they approached it, the ship suddenly accelerated, though Giant Overlord insisted he had not touched anything.

• Qin Ze used Fog of War to confuse a charging pack of sea beasts, but an intelligent ball of light rallied them to attack the Flying Circus Man.
• Qin Ze ordered a cannon shot, then launched a gunner clone from the cannon when the ammunition proved defective; the clone struck the ball of light and caused a huge explosion.
• After waiting to see whether the ball of light would return, Qin Ze let the sea beasts leave the fog and continued toward Steamed Bun Island.
• Qin Ze chose to search for the rumored dragon corpse, and Giant Overlord steered toward the coordinates Wang Laoliu had provided.
• The crew found a nearly thousand-meter-long level-nine Sea Serpent King floating on the sea, and Qin Ze ordered Giant Overlord to bring the ship closer.
• The Flying Circus Man suddenly accelerated toward the corpse, and Giant Overlord claimed he had not touched anything.

Qin Ze and the clones survived Little White destroying their ship and pursued them across the sea to Steamed Bun Island. After reaching shore, they spotted ragged figures emerging from the bushes.

• Little White launched the Flying Circus Man into the air and smashed it apart, leaving Qin Ze to carry the clones toward Steamed Bun Island.
• Qin Ze and the clones evaded attacks from pursuing sea beasts by gliding and riding a wave created with Water Release.
• Qin Ze struck the sea beasts with a pillar of golden lightning, and Giant Overlord's companions blasted several with self-destruct attacks.
• Little White dove into the deep, and Water Release swept Qin Ze and the clones onto Steamed Bun Island.
• Qin Ze noticed bite marks on the dragon corpse before a clone spotted several ragged figures emerging from the bushes.

Qin Ze questioned Scarface and learned that more than sixty sailors had been stranded after seeking a level-nine sea beast’s corpse. While Qin Ze’s clones explored the island, he and the sailors sheltered in a cave and waited for help; late that night, a brilliant light over the sea woke him.

• Scarface told Qin Ze that sea beasts had wrecked their ships while they pursued the level-nine sea beast’s corpse, leaving the survivors stranded on the island.
• Captain Hook grandly introduced himself, but Scarface questioned his claim and advised Qin Ze to replace him, prompting Captain Hook to leave in a huff.
• Scarface explained that electromagnetic interference had disabled their communication devices and that the sailors had found nothing unusual while exploring the island.
• Qin Ze reassured Scarface that help would come, while Brother Devour and the others traveled from Sea Capital toward the island with Mist Lord keeping Fog of War active.
• A brilliant light suddenly shone over the sea late that night and woke Qin Ze.

Qin Ze waited on Steamed Bun Island for his clones to arrive while sea beasts gathered around a mysterious light near Thousand Streams Island. As Fairy got lost trying to reach the island on foot, Captain Hook found a hidden cave entrance, but Qin Ze’s view went dark just as he began to explore.

• Qin Ze watched sea beasts gather around a glowing ball near the dragon corpse, and Scarface said the phenomenon occurred every few nights near Thousand Streams Island.
• Qin Ze told Scarface that his people would arrive the next day, and Giant Overlord later brought back a huge sea beast for the sailors to butcher.
• Qin Ze read the chat group and learned Fairy had lost her phone and was running across the sea without finding Steamed Bun Island.
• Captain Hook claimed he had clipped through a bug into a cave containing man-made objects, and Qin Ze switched to the scout clone’s view to investigate.
• Qin Ze saw the scout clone inside a limestone cave, but the screen suddenly went black.

Qin Ze investigated a fissure where his clones had died and discovered that a blood sacrifice formation was hidden inside the mountain. He destroyed it with lightning, drawing Wang Laoliu out of the forest and confronting him about luring people to the island.

• Qin Ze reviewed a clone’s sudden death inside a cavity and went to investigate with Giant Overlord, Scarface, and their men.
• Captain Hook showed Qin Ze a narrow fissure, and two clones descended the cliff to enter it.
• A clone squeezed through the fissure, losing an arm along the way, and Qin Ze saw that the cavity contained a formation that killed intruders instantly.
• Qin Ze sent a pillar of lightning through the opening, destroying the formation and provoking an angry voice from the forest.
• Wang Laoliu emerged, and Qin Ze accused him of luring people onto the island for a blood sacrifice.

Qin Ze and his clones found Wang Laoliu’s blood sacrifice array and learned that it was meant to convert the orb stolen from a Sea Serpent King. After Wang Laoliu revealed the sacrifice was planned for noon, Qin Ze ordered him to set the array up again.

• Wang Laoliu woke to find Qin Ze and the sailor clones had destroyed his array, then threatened them with his level-four strength.
• Giant Overlord appeared behind Wang Laoliu, who immediately dropped to his knees and begged for mercy.
• Qin Ze questioned Wang Laoliu, who explained that his company’s deputy manager had taken an orb from a Sea Serpent King and ordered a blood sacrifice to convert it.
• Wang Laoliu told Qin Ze that the manager planned to sacrifice a hundred people at noon, with everyone on the island serving as offerings.
• Qin Ze asked Wang Laoliu to rebuild the array.

Qin Ze took control of the blood sacrifice formation, killed Wang Laoliu, and went to investigate the Sea Serpent King’s corpse. When the orb of light contested his recovery of the Source of the World and called sea beasts to attack, Qin Ze and his allies began fighting back.

• Qin Ze replaced Wang Laoliu’s mental imprint in the formation, then kicked Wang Laoliu into it and burned his remains.
• Qin Ze sent Scarface and his followers to hide in a cave, disguised himself as Wang Laoliu, and headed out to the Sea Serpent King’s corpse.
• Qin Ze’s key detected six points of the Source of the World in the corpse, but the orb of light emerged and contested his attempt to recover them.
• Qin Ze attacked the orb with lightning as sea beasts swarmed him, and a Unicorn Shark tried to swallow him before he destroyed it.
• Brother Devour and the Circus crew arrived by ship, while Mist Lord covered the waters in Fog of War and Qin Ze created ice floes for his clones to fight from.

The clones cleared a path through the sea beasts while Brother Devour fought Little White underwater to protect the ship. Qin Ze completed his contest for the Source of the World, recovering only 4.6 units after the light sacrificed nearly a hundred sea beasts, and suspected the sacrifice had come at a price.

• The clones used ice floes as mobile bases and coordinated attacks to clear sea beasts from around the ship and push toward the horde's center.
• A sea beast struck the ship from underwater, shattering its reinforced hull covering, so Brother Devour dove in while the Mist Lord concealed the ship with Fog of War.
• Brother Devour found Little White, let it swallow him, and battered its stomach until it spat him out and fled.
• Qin Ze and Dharma King struggled to hit the evasive ball of light as the surrounding sea beasts gathered around it and died simultaneously.
• Qin Ze struck the glowing ball of light and recovered 4.6 units of the Source of the World, then concluded it had used the sea beasts as sacrifices to extract the source from the dragon corpse.

Qin Ze and his allies defeated the sea beasts, then hid their ship and prepared to ambush the shipping company’s manager on Steamed Bun Island. After Qin Ze tricked the manager into believing the blood sacrifice formation was ready, the manager began an operation to retrieve the Source Pearls.

• Qin Ze told Brother Devour to hide the ship behind the island and brought Dharma King and ten others ashore to join Giant Overlord.
• Qin Ze used Wang Laoliu’s token to confirm the formation was ready, then told Dharma King and the others that the manager had taken the bait.
• The manager arrived with armed men, and Qin Ze claimed the island’s survivors were asleep after he had burned incense for them.
• The manager noticed the dragon corpse had been stripped to bone, and Qin Ze explained that the ball of light had killed the sea beasts and refined the corpse.
• The manager realized the ball of light had already refined the Source of the World and ordered his men to begin the operation.
• The manager’s armed ship dropped black cylinders into the sea around the dragon corpse.

The manager trapped the light-bulb fish in a barrier, killed it, and took a blue bead, then brought a box back to the island for a blood sacrifice. Qin Ze stabbed him while disguised as Wang Laoliu, and a masked group charged out of the woods.

• The manager lured sea beasts with sonic waves, trapped the light-bulb fish inside a barrier, and slowed it with a gravity field.
• The armed ship blasted the light-bulb fish until the manager extracted a blue bead from its body.
• The manager returned to the island with a brown box and ordered Qin Ze to activate the blood-sacrifice formation.
• Qin Ze followed the manager, stabbed him in the waist, and revealed his true face after the manager accused Wang Laoliu of betrayal.
• Forty or fifty people wearing beast masks charged out of the woods.

Captain Hook, Brother Devour, and the sailor clones boarded and captured an armed ship after the Fog of War disabled its systems. With the ship under their control, the Circus prepared to turn its attention to the ongoing fight on the island.

• The armed ship's captain discovered that fog had disabled the ship's radar, sonar, fire-control systems, and communications.
• Captain Hook and the sailor clones used the fog to ram the armed ship and board it, while the self-detonation group attacked recklessly.
• The first mate fought off several waves of clones, but Brother Devour killed him before he could unleash his ultimate.
• Brother Devour helped the Circus defeat the remaining crew, and the captain surrendered with the people left aboard.
• Captain Hook celebrated taking the armed ship, while the Mist Lord reported that the prisoners had been restrained and secured.
• The boarding battle ended, but the fight on the island was still underway.