Chapter Summaries

Bai Heng pushed his fusion with the Suiyang toward completion by carving himself with the Soul Severance Sword, hoping to draw the Calamity of the Finality’s attention. As the battle against Shuhu left the Xianzhou Luofu’s defenders near defeat, Bai Heng descended in a black sun and offered Shuhu the blessing of destruction.

• The Ancient Dragon confirmed that Bai Heng’s trial was over and began fusing with him, but said they still had not gained the Calamity of the Finality’s notice.
• Bai Heng asked whether dying in the illusion would affect reality, then repeatedly stabbed himself with the Soul Severance Sword to demonstrate destruction.
• Bai Heng’s blood and flames formed a totem as black-gold horns grew from his head and the Calamity of the Finality welcomed him above the tower.
• In the Bloodstained Prison Realm, Dan Feng battled Shuhu in dragon madness while Tengxiao used his own body to pin Shuhu beneath the Divine General’s blade.
• Jingliu fought the undying abominations with Zhilí but collapsed from her wounds as Shuhu continued devouring the battlefield’s life.
• Bai Heng descended through black flames onto Shuhu’s branches and offered Shuhu the blessing of destruction.

Bai Heng used the power of Destruction to defeat and suppress Shuhu, but after the battle, another presence took control of his body and claimed Shuhu’s seed. The chapter ended with that presence declaring it could become a higher existence.

• Bai Heng unleashed deathly energy and black flames against Shuhu, while the Divine General severed one of Shuhu’s branches before it could reach The Ambrosial Arbor.
• Bai Heng’s dragon-shaped attack tore through Shuhu and destroyed its flesh, ending the blood rain and revealing the starry sky.
• The soldiers celebrated the Cloud Knights’ victory as Bai Heng approached the seed Shuhu had left behind, injured by the backlash of his final strike.
• Jingliu and Bai Heng arrived with the unconscious Dan Feng, and Bai Heng reassured Jingliu before suddenly suffering a sharp pain in his head.
• Bai Heng’s demeanor changed, and a new presence in his body seized Shuhu’s seed and spoke of becoming a higher existence.

The Ancient Dragon overwhelmed Jingliu after consuming Shuhu’s seed, but Bai Heng reclaimed control of his body and stopped the attack. He placed the Soul Severance Sword in Jingliu’s hand and asked her to kill him.

• The Ancient Dragon rejected Jingliu’s claim that he was not Bai Heng, consumed Shuhu’s seed, and regained his strength.
• The Ancient Dragon struck Jingliu down and prepared to kill her with the black sun.
• Bai Heng snapped off his dragon horns to regain control and made the Ancient Dragon’s attack disappear.
• Bai Heng picked up the Soul Severance Sword and resisted the Ancient Dragon’s attempts to take control again.
• Bai Heng knelt beside Jingliu, placed the sword in her hand, and asked her to kill him.

Bai Heng relived Jingliu killing him in the simulation, then woke in the Luofu inn after the simulation ended. Cleared of suspicion and released, he stepped into the familiar streets and decided to visit the Alchemy Commission.

• In the simulation, Jingliu killed Bai Heng with the Soul Severance Sword, kissed him, and blinded herself with black silk as grief overwhelmed her.
• The simulation ended, and Bai Heng received rewards, including the five-star Sword Heart talent and 400 new attribute points.
• Bai Heng woke in the inn where the Cloud Knights had detained him and learned the Ten-Lords Commission had cleared him of involvement in prohibited drug sales.
• The Cloud Knights apologized and released Bai Heng, who retrieved his belongings without seeking compensation.
• Bai Heng walked through the Luofu streets, felt an unexpected sense of belonging, and decided to go to the Alchemy Commission for a foot massage.

Bai Heng learned how the Luofu remembered his past with Jingliu and received a ticket to a play about their story. At the Divination Commission, Fu Xuan discovered that the person Jingliu was seeking was on the Luofu.

• Bai Heng read accounts of the Shuhuo Uprising and learned how the High-Cloud Quintet fell apart and Jingliu was detained and later succumbed to mara.
• Bai Heng asked Technician Wang Gang about his own history, and Wang Gang described how Luofu stories had turned Bai Heng and Jingliu into a legendary couple.
• Wang Gang gave Bai Heng an extra ticket to a play about Bai Heng and Jingliu, and Bai Heng decided to treat the outing as a vacation.
• Jingliu visited Fu Xuan at the Great Calculation Array, and Fu Xuan told her that the person she sought was on the Luofu.

After discovering a statue of himself and watching plays about the Luofu’s recent crisis and his past, Bai Heng realized how many people from his life were tied to the events unfolding there. On his way to find an inn, he sensed someone approaching in the frost and blocked a sudden sword strike.

• Bai Heng saw the statue of himself in Xuanye Square and wondered whether Jing Yuan would still recognize him.
• Bai Heng watched plays about Huànlóng’s attack and the Xianzhou’s history, learning that Jing Yuan, Jingliu, Blade, and Dan Heng were connected to the crisis.
• Bai Heng watched a final play about himself and Jingliu, which reminded him of their years together.
• Bai Heng left the theater and headed toward an inn on a quiet lodging street.
• Bai Heng felt frost and a presence closing in behind him, then blocked a sudden sword strike with Nameless.

Bai Heng encountered Jingliu on the Xianzhou, where she attacked him and demanded to know why he had forgotten the sword techniques she taught him. After Bai Heng used the Life Simulator to boost his physical attributes, Jingliu still subdued him, and he asked why he remembered her despite forgetting everything else across seven hundred years of reincarnation.

• Jingliu emerged from the cold mist and attacked Bai Heng, calling him her disciple and asking why he no longer called her Master.
• Bai Heng spent 400 attribute points on Strength and Agility, enabling him to withstand Jingliu's strikes for a time.
• Jingliu intensified her assault, but Bai Heng remained outmatched and worried their fight would attract the Cloud Knights.
• Bai Heng grabbed Jingliu around the waist to bring the fight to a halt, but she reversed their positions and pinned him down.
• Jingliu criticized Bai Heng's swordsmanship and asked why he had forgotten her teachings, and Bai Heng asked why he remembered only her after seven hundred years of reincarnation.

Jingliu took Bai Heng shopping and shared snacks with him, while he reflected on her long solitude and the bond she still remembered. After Bai Heng removed her veil at a teahouse, Jingliu asked when he would marry her.

• Jingliu explained that people on the Luofu would mistake her for an actress rather than recognize her as the former Sword Champion.
• Jingliu offered Bai Heng candied hawthorns, but Bai Heng paid because she had no Credits.
• Bai Heng accompanied Jingliu through the streets, bought food at a teahouse, and resolved to keep her company during his stay on the Xianzhou.
• Jingliu agreed to let Bai Heng remove her black veil, revealing her face and dark-red eyes.
• Jingliu asked Bai Heng when he would marry her.

Jingliu confronted Bai Heng over their seven-hundred-year-old marriage promise, then began teaching him swordsmanship. Jing Yuan learned Bai Heng had returned to the Luofu, but Jingliu froze both men before they could reunite.

• Jingliu reminded Bai Heng that he had defeated her seven hundred years earlier and that she had promised to marry him, then threatened him with her sword when he hesitated.
• Bai Heng assured Jingliu he intended to marry her after defeating her formally in the arena, and Jingliu decided to begin teaching him swordsmanship immediately.
• Fu Xuan told Jing Yuan that the person Jingliu had been waiting for had returned to the Luofu, and Jing Yuan celebrated by asking Yanqing to bring out his fine wine.
• Bai Heng rushed into the Tactical Stratagem Bureau calling for Jing Yuan to save him, but Jingliu's sword energy froze both Bai Heng and Jing Yuan in ice.
• Fu Xuan left to attend to her official duties, while Yanqing said he would fetch Jing Yuan's wine.

Bai Heng reunited with Jing Yuan and Jingliu on the Xianzhou Luofu, where he discussed his mission and his uncertain future with them. After Jing Yuan arranged for Bai Heng and Jingliu to share the only guest room, Jingliu revealed she was still conscious and kissed him.

• Bai Heng told Jing Yuan that he worked for the Interastral Astronomical Society and was loyal only to himself.
• Bai Heng asked Jingliu to go easier on him during sword training, but she insisted that real combat would help him improve.
• Bai Heng explained that he had come to investigate the Yaksha Emblem, the Aeon of the Hunt, Yaoshi, and the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus.
• Jing Yuan offered to gather the information and arranged for Bai Heng and Jingliu to stay in the Tactical Stratagem Bureau's only guest room.
• Jingliu told Bai Heng that her Mara-Struck body was cold, then held his arm and kissed him.

Bai Heng handled his Xianzhou project paperwork while Jing Yuan teased him about the bite wound Jingliu had left the night before. After Jingliu promised to take responsibility and invited him to bathe with her, Bai Heng answered with a request for soup.

• Bai Heng found Jing Yuan resting in the pavilion, and Jing Yuan told him the project documents had been sent to his mailbox.
• Bai Heng asked Shilna to organize the documents and submit them to Professor Edmond, then told her he would return in seven days.
• Shilna told Betty that Bai Heng had once secured a year of research funding and helped restore her homeworld by discovering Titanium Core.
• Bai Heng finished his work handover at six o'clock and greeted Jingliu, who said she would take responsibility for biting him.
• Jingliu invited Bai Heng to bathe with her, and he solemnly asked her to give him some soup instead.

Bai Heng and Jingliu spent time together after bathing, and Bai Heng tried to make their outing feel like a date. He told Jingliu he liked her, leaving her to consider what liking someone meant.

• Bai Heng peeled five hot spring eggs and brought them to Jingliu after she finished bathing.
• Jingliu ate all five eggs despite saying they were not good, because Bai Heng had given them to her.
• Bai Heng bought Jingliu a cup of Immortality Joy Tea and suggested they look around instead of going to the training grounds.
• Jingliu questioned how someone could know whether they liked another person, and Bai Heng described waiting for someone as an example.
• Bai Heng placed his hand on Jingliu's hair and told her he liked her, saying neither of them needed to be humble.

Bai Heng took Jingliu on a date through the Xianzhou, where they bought two Fire-lick Rabbits for her to care for. As the rabbits captured Jingliu’s attention, Bai Heng suggested visiting a shop that sold roasted rabbit.

• Jingliu accepted Bai Heng’s tea and walked with him through the Xianzhou, sharing snacks and letting him hold her hand.
• Bai Heng examined two Fire-lick Rabbits at a stall and negotiated their price down to two hundred Credits.
• Jingliu removed her black veil briefly, and Bai Heng placed the rabbits in her arms.
• Jingliu grew fond of the rabbits and fed them snacks, leaving Bai Heng jealous of their attention.
• Bai Heng pointed out a roasted braised rabbit shop and suggested they go in to save another rabbit.

Bai Heng and Jingliu traveled to Starskiff Haven, where a happy moment taking a photo with Dabao and Erbao ended when Jingliu was struck by painful memories and ran away. In the Prison of Confinement, Jingliu fought her mara and remembered that she had once killed Bai Heng, fearing she would forget him before she could spend a lifetime with him.

• Bai Heng joked with Jingliu about the names of the two Fire-lick Rabbits, and Jingliu briefly smiled.
• At Starskiff Haven, Bai Heng and Jingliu posed for a photo with Dabao and Erbao, and the passerby captured Jingliu gazing at Bai Heng.
• Jingliu suffered a stabbing pain, handed the rabbits to Bai Heng, and ran away, leaving him to wonder aloud why their mother had abandoned them.
• That night, Jingliu unleashed ice in the Prison of Confinement while struggling against mara and memories of killing Bai Heng.
• Jingliu recalled wanting to marry Bai Heng and share his hundred years, but feared her memories of him would fade.

After six days of grueling sword training with Jingliu, Bai Heng left the Luofu and received the sealed remnant soul of Di Kui from Jing Yuan. Before departing, he sent two Fire-lick Rabbits and teasing letters to Jingliu, who received them through Fu Xuan.

• Bai Heng trained with Jingliu each day and recovered twenty percent of his former strength in six days, while befriending Qingque at the Alchemy Commission.
• Bai Heng arranged for Xiao Si to take him home, gave Qingque a salted-fish pendant, and departed with Jing Yuan seeing him off.
• Jing Yuan returned the sealed remnant soul of Di Kui to Bai Heng and promised that neither he nor the Hunt would become Bai Heng's enemy if he used it for power.
• Fu Xuan delivered two Fire-lick Rabbits and Bai Heng's letters to Jingliu, who faintly smiled at his teasing messages.

Bai Heng learned that Ruan Mei was on Punklorde for an academic event and decided to change course to visit her. He left the starship headed for the planet, where Ruan Mei offered to meet him or explore with him.

• Bai Heng messaged Ruan Mei to say his business trip was over, and she sent him a photo from Punklorde and invited him to attend her academic event as her assistant.
• Bai Heng searched for information about Punklorde and learned it was known for advanced hacking and Silver Wolf, a famous hacker from the planet.
• Bai Heng asked Xiao Si to check the distance to Punklorde, and Xiao Si said the starship could reach it in about half a day.
• Bai Heng asked Ruan Mei whether his visit would disrupt her plans, and she said it would not and offered to explore the planet with him instead.
• Bai Heng told Ruan Mei he was changing course and instructed Xiao Si to set Punklorde as their destination.

Bai Heng traveled to Punklorde to meet Ruan Mei, bringing her pastries after a brief stop at an Interastral Peace Corporation branch. He arrived at her hotel room with Xiao Si, and Ruan Mei greeted him before announcing that she needed to give him a routine physical examination.

• Bai Heng stopped at an Interastral Peace Corporation spaceport to collect freshly baked local pastries for Ruan Mei, delaying his arrival on Punklorde.
• Bai Heng and Xiao Si rode through Punklorde's rainy neon city to the Bololunzi Hotel, where scholars and notable figures were staying ahead of an online academic exchange conference.
• Bai Heng checked in and took Xiao Si with him to Ruan Mei's room on the sixty-seventh floor.
• Bai Heng introduced Xiao Si to Ruan Mei, and Xiao Si called her his sister-in-law before leaving them alone.
• Bai Heng complimented Ruan Mei's outfit and suggested they wear matching clothes, and Ruan Mei agreed to contact Qing Tu before saying she needed to examine him.

Bai Heng reunited with Ruan Mei on Punklorde, where she examined his injuries and asked about his time on the Xianzhou. He stayed the night with her, but as they prepared to exchange stories, her teasing made him realize her words sounded familiar.

• Ruan Mei examined Bai Heng by touch and noticed his old injuries and improved physique.
• Bai Heng claimed his injuries came from studying swordsmanship on the Xianzhou, then put off telling Ruan Mei about his experiences.
• Ruan Mei heated pastries with an Aetherium Chip, and Bai Heng described the treats as they ate together.
• After night fell, Ruan Mei bathed and asked Bai Heng why he had been staring at her feet.
• Bai Heng wrapped himself in a thick quilt before they began telling stories, and Ruan Mei teased him about being afraid she would get handsy.
• Bai Heng recognized that Ruan Mei's teasing sounded familiar.

Bai Heng accompanied Ruan Mei to an academic forum on Punklorde, where Herta joined them and bickered with Ruan Mei over milk tea. After Ruan Mei presented her research on resurrecting an Emanator of the Propagation, a reporter asked whether she had someone she was fond of and whether he was watching her lecture.

• Ruan Mei told Bai Heng that the academic forum was a pretext for attending an auction featuring curios that had attracted the Genius Society's attention.
• At the forum, Herta complained that Ruan Mei had stood her up, then bought out nearby milk tea and dessert shops so she could choose a drink.
• Herta offered Bai Heng a chance to become her research subject, but he refused; Ruan Mei then claimed she had a photo of Herta's real body, provoking Herta.
• Ruan Mei opened the academic forum with a presentation on resurrecting an Emanator of the Propagation, and Bai Heng applauded afterward.
• A reporter from the Interastral Peace Weekly asked Ruan Mei whether she had someone she was fond of and whether he was present to watch her lecture.

At an interastral academic forum, Ruan Mei revealed that she had a lover but protected his identity, leaving Bai Heng relieved. As the auction began, Duke Inferno Afrit appeared and invited the venue to witness Destruction’s feast.

• Ruan Mei told the forum that she already had a lover and confirmed he was present, but refused to let the reporter identify or address him.
• Bai Heng worried that revealing their relationship would expose him to assassination or threats, then felt relieved when Ruan Mei kept his identity secret.
• After the academic presentations ended, Herta gave Bai Heng a tablet to browse the auction items and described the Origin Chip, one of the two finale items.
• A bodyguard whispered an urgent message to Herta, who told Bai Heng to leave with her.
• Duke Inferno Afrit appeared behind the opening curtain and invited everyone to stay for Destruction’s magnificent moment and the night’s feast.