Chapter Summaries

The first child born since the Xianzhou Daiyu’s reconstruction arrived safely, bringing celebration across the ship and proving that its inhabitants could have children. Meanwhile, Xiahou Chan reported that the Garden had reclaimed sixty percent of the Ayinai System, with a campaign to recover the remaining planets still ahead.

• Houyhnhnms mocked the Xianzhou natives, expecting them to panic, while Daiyu’s officials anxiously waited for Yu Xian’er to give birth.
• Ayinai arrived at the Alchemy Commission and calmed the gathered officials; Yao Gao later reported that Yu Xian’er and her daughter were safe.
• Ayinai blessed the newborn with her power of existence, then Qingzhu carried the baby to her parents.
• Qingzhu declared a day off, and Daiyu celebrated the birth with decorations, free gifts, and shop discounts.
• Xiahou Chan told the legion leaders that the Garden had regained control of sixty percent of the Ayinai System and identified the important planets still to be retaken.

After receiving news that the Xianzhou’s newborn was safe, Xiahou Chan celebrated with the Alliance Army. Once the festivities ended, he ordered a surprise attack on a Garden granary stronghold, hoping the apparent revelry had lowered the enemy’s guard.

• A communications soldier told Xiahou Chan that the Xianzhou’s mother and newborn daughter were safe, and the generals celebrated the news.
• Xiahou Chan declared a day of celebration, giving most personnel leave and allowing the patrols to have drinks with their meals.
• Amo and Xiaohe returned from an assassination mission and joined the celebration, where Amo drank until he fell asleep.
• After the other generals left, Xiahou Chan asked Elder Ge about the army’s preparations for a surprise attack.
• Elder Ge confirmed the Alliance Army was ready, and Xiahou Chan ordered the troops to check their equipment before attacking the Garden’s granary stronghold in two hours.

Xiahou Chan’s forces prepared surprise attacks on the Garden’s agricultural and steel planets while Qi Tianque sensed a powerful, evil presence near the Garden. On the agricultural planet, Amo killed the Garden’s commander and helped the Alliance Army secure victory.

• Xiahou Chan ordered his forces to attack the agricultural planet and coordinated with Wanmeng’s forces to seize the steel planet.
• Amo reported that he had cleared the main walkway, and Xiahou Chan ordered every army to take its assigned planet.
• Qi Tianque warned Wanmeng that a presence near the Garden was more powerful than Xiahou Chan, and stopped her from attempting a risky divination.
• Amo killed the Garden commander and the officers in the command room while the Alliance Army attacked.
• The Alliance Army captured the agricultural planet and found Amo and Xiaohe calmly drinking fruit wine beside the command table.

After Amo and Xiaohe cleared an enemy headquarters, they learned that the Guard Corps had withdrawn from the Bountiful Nation rather than sacrifice civilians used as human shields. Amo condemned the commander’s call for civilian deaths and rushed to help, while Ayinai and a god of preservation considered whether he might be worthy of power.

• Amo and Xiaohe confirmed they had wiped out the enemy headquarters, and the commander ordered his troops to clear the battlefield.
• A communications soldier reported that Elder Ge’s Guard Corps had suffered heavy casualties in the Bountiful Nation after enemy forces used civilians as human shields.
• The commander argued that civilians could be sacrificed for victory, so Amo slapped him and threatened to kill him if he spoke of the greater good again.
• Amo left to assist the Guard Corps, and Xiaohe warned the shaken commander to watch his words.
• Ayinai showed Amo to a middle-aged man associated with preservation, who said he would not grant power without knowing whether Amo’s convictions were genuine.
• Aha spied on Ayinai and the man, then Ayinai froze him, slapped off his mask, and hurled him away.

Amo persuaded Elder Ge to lend him fifty Guard Corps personal guards so he could break the deadlock at Bountiful Nation, staking his life on the mission. That night, he led the guards through the city's barrier and divided them to attack key locations, then approached the city lord's residence with ten men.

• Elder Ge asked Amo how to overcome Bountiful Nation's use of civilians as shields, and Amo requested fifty Guard Corps personal guards.
• Amo made a military pledge to bring Elder Ge his head if he failed, and Elder Ge sent him with the fifty guards.
• At night, Amo had Xiaohe attach herself to him and cut through Bountiful Nation's barrier with a saber formed from the power of Nihility.
• Amo split the guards among the city lord's residence, communications station, barracks, granary, and the soldiers' gathering place.
• After the ten guards with him killed the defenders outside the city lord's residence, Amo led them toward its gates.

Amo slaughtered the city lord and nobles in Bountiful Nation's manor, then welcomed the Alliance Army into the city. Elder Ge praised Amo's conduct and decided he was the best candidate for the new chief judge, while Ayinai and a man discussed his killing and his Path.

• Amo killed the city lord and ordered the guards to execute the nobles and seize their property to fund the army.
• Ayinai watched the massacre, while a man argued that killing to protect could be considered Preservation.
• After Bountiful Nation's barrier was lifted, Amo reported to Elder Ge that all fifty guards had returned without casualties.
• Elder Ge questioned Amo's followers, admired Amo's decisive and rational conduct, and judged him the best candidate for the new chief judge.
• The next morning, Elder Ge looked at Amo with such affection that Xiaohe stepped in front of him and glared at Elder Ge.

Wanmeng’s forces captured the steel planet with relatively few casualties, and she ordered them to await reinforcements before attacking the Garden. Meanwhile, Qingzhu’s army revealed its feigned weakness, wiped out the Houyhnhnms, and prepared to bury its dead as the next battle approached.

• Wanmeng noted the Garden’s silence and ordered her troops to stay on the steel planet until reinforcements arrived from the agricultural planet.
• Qingzhu killed a Houyhnhnm commander with her spear, then ordered the Manifest Existence Army to leave no enemies alive.
• Muyun revealed that he had faked his death to lure the Houyhnhnms in, then shot a bow-wielding enemy with his gun.
• The Manifest Existence Army killed all the Houyhnhnms, losing a hundred soldiers in the fighting.
• Qingzhu ordered the fallen soldiers buried and their families registered for compensation.

Qingzhu ordered the Xianzhou to take the Ambrosial Arbor while Dong Tian revealed his new power and summoned the Garden’s forces for a final battle. As the Alliance Army prepared to attack, Elder Ge and the Guard Corps declared Amo the new head of the Garden of Existence.

• Qingzhu ordered the Xianzhou to seize the Ambrosial Arbor and keep it from the enemy.
• Dong Tian emerged from seclusion with a mutated right arm whose power he said Abundance could temporarily suppress, then killed a messenger by draining his life force.
• Dong Tian ordered the Garden’s forces to gather at the guardian planet and prepare to fight the Alliance Army.
• Xiahou Chan ordered the Alliance Army to prepare for the final battle and assigned Amo, supported by Wanmeng, Tianque, and Elder Ge, to confront Dong Tian.
• Xiahou Chan said he would remain with the main force to face a possible Emanator-level enemy.
• Elder Ge and three hundred Guard Corps members proclaimed Amo the new head of the Garden of Existence and pledged to serve him.

Amo agreed to become the new head of the Garden of Existence after Elder Ge explained that the organization needed new leadership and rules. Elder Ge then remembered how Dong Tian’s genius and convictions had once made him seem like a promising candidate to lead the Garden.

• Amo questioned why Elder Ge had chosen him, and Elder Ge said the Garden needed new leadership and had to abandon its old, power-driven ways.
• Elder Ge explained that his nearly five hundred years of service were nearing their end and that he wanted to find a successor before his soul returned to the Corridor of Existence.
• Amo accepted Elder Ge’s support and agreed to become the new Garden head, while Xiaohe and the Guard Corps welcomed his decision.
• Elder Ge recalled meeting Dong Tian at a Garden research conference, where Dong Tian unveiled the planet-piercing Antenna and declared his ambition to become Garden head.
• Dong Tian argued that a weapon’s moral purpose depended on its wielder, convincing Elder Ge that he had once been a suitable candidate to lead the Garden.

Elder Ge explained Dong Tian’s extraordinary scientific and martial abilities, while Xiahou Chan and the others assessed the threat he posed. In space, Ayinai learned that Dong Tian had refused the mechanical sphere’s invitation because of her.

• Amo asked Elder Ge what kind of person Dong Tian was, and Elder Ge described him as a conceited genius who created the Garden’s Antenna and its advanced soldiers and equipment.
• Elder Ge explained that the Antenna could draw on the Garden’s energy reserves and that Dong Tian had developed a martial technique capable of destroying tissue from the point of impact.
• Elder Ge showed the injury Dong Tian had inflicted on him and said Dong Tian’s extra arms had overwhelmed him.
• Xiahou Chan and Wanmeng concluded that Dong Tian might possess Emanator-level strength without an Aeon’s blessing.
• Ayinai asked the mechanical sphere why Dong Tian had refused its invitation, and it replied that he had refused because of her.

Ayinai (humanity) fought with Nous after it photographed her and stored the image. Meanwhile, Xiahou Chan led the Alliance Army to confront Dong Tian at the Garden of Existence headquarters, where Dong Tian demanded Elder Ge’s surrender.

• Ayinai (humanity) accused Nous of misjudging her feelings for a young man, and Nous photographed her flushed face and uploaded the image to its database.
• Ayinai (humanity) smashed Nous with her scepter until the mechanical sphere was destroyed, while Nous complained that her attack was unsporting.
• Xiahou Chan ordered the Alliance Army to advance on the Garden of Existence headquarters, and Wanmeng divined that their quiet journey held no danger.
• Xiahou Chan halted the fleet when it reached the golden-lit Garden Army, and Dong Tian appeared by projection in the Alliance Army’s council chamber.
• Elder Ge denounced Dong Tian for toppling the goddess’s statue, purging dissenters, and conducting illegal experiments, and Dong Tian demanded that Elder Ge and his Guard Corps submit or be destroyed.

Dong Tian and Xiahou Chan prepared for battle as the Alliance Army attacked the Garden of Existence. Wanmeng led a force toward the Garden’s planet, where she ordered the ships to approach a different landing area under stealth.

• Dong Tian told Xiahou Chan he would kill him to prove he deserved to be the Emanator of Existence.
• Dong Tian’s aide reported that the Garden’s legions and supplies were ready, and Dong Tian chose to let the Alliance land for a head-on battle.
• The Alliance and Garden fleets began exchanging fire, and Xiahou Chan ordered Wanmeng, Amo, and Qi Tianque to take troops to the planet and cut off the Garden’s ground support.
• Wanmeng and Amo diverted a million soldiers, while Amo urged Elder Ge to rebuild the Garden if it could not be changed.
• Four Alliance frigates escorted the transports past the Garden’s interceptors, and Wanmeng ordered the ships to use stealth and circle away from the open landing area.

Amo and the Guard Corps attacked the Garden Army’s Heavy Armor Corps to open a path for the Alliance Army. With Qi Tianque’s music restoring Amo, he continued fighting through the armored soldiers as the larger battle surged forward.

• The frigates’ bombardment threw the Garden Army’s flank into disarray, and Elder Ge explained the Heavy Armor Corps’ strength and weaknesses to Amo and Xiaohe.
• Amo led the three hundred Guard Corps soldiers into battle, and Xiaohe joined with him by becoming his black cloak and Nihility sword.
• Amo’s Nihility strike split a Heavy Armor Corps soldier and his shield, allowing Elder Ge and the Guard Corps to break through the formation.
• Wanmeng’s Daiyu Manifest Existence Army and the Alliance Army poured onto the battlefield as the fighting threw the Garden Army’s ranks into chaos.
• Qi Tianque played his divine-artifact piano to steady and restore Amo, who dodged a shield attack and killed two armored soldiers.

Wanmeng and Amo helped the Alliance Army turn the ground battle against the Garden Army, but Dong Tian recognized the Heart of Nihility around Amo’s neck and deployed the Garden’s most powerful starship, the Aynais. The chapter ended as the Aynais arrived over the battlefield and unleashed a devastating attack on the Alliance Army.

• Wanmeng used her star chart to strike the Garden Army with a meteor and shield the Alliance Army from its artillery.
• Amo held Elder Ge back until the modified warriors drew close, then led the Guard Corps into battle alongside the Manifest Existence Army.
• Dong Tian spotted the black stone around Amo’s neck, believed it was the Heart of Nihility, and ordered the Aynais deployed.
• The Aynais jumped to the battlefield, where its energy beam killed tens of thousands of Alliance Army soldiers.
• Elder Ge recognized the Aynais from the unification war as Dong Tian taunted him from the starship.

The Aynais appeared on the battlefield, forcing Xiahou Chan to confront Dong Tian, while the Alliance Army and Garden forces clashed below. The battle continued with Xiahou Chan and Dong Tian trading lethal blows and Daiyu’s soldiers charging for merit.

• The Aynais descended onto the battlefield, and Elder Ge warned that its main cannon could destroy a planet.
• Dong Tian waited aboard the Aynais until Xiahou Chan arrived, then challenged the Emanator to fight.
• Dong Tian attacked Xiahou Chan with a tri-edged spike, but Xiahou Chan blocked him and launched a rapid counterattack.
• The Alliance Army and the Garden forces fought fiercely below as Manifest Existence Army soldiers pursued enemies for merit.
• A Manifest Existence Army soldier killed a Garden recruit who had asked whether they feared death.

Dong Tian transformed into a monstrous creature with power that rivaled an Emanator, forcing both armies to retreat from the battlefield. After Dong Tian wounded Xiahou Chan, Xiahou Chan launched a furious counterattack while Amo and Xiaohe prepared to face the monster.

• The Garden Army fell back as Xiahou Chan and Amo confronted Dong Tian, who mocked them and then unleashed a hidden power.
• Dong Tian was swallowed by a black vortex and emerged as a grotesque eight-limbed creature whose dripping liquid dissolved a soldier, prompting Wanmeng to order a general retreat.
• Dong Tian's aura suppressed Xiahou Chan, while Xiaohe warned Amo that the power within Dong Tian was terrifying.
• Dong Tian blocked Xiahou Chan's halberd and struck him away, but retreated from Amo's blade after sensing its power of Nihility.
• Xiahou Chan recovered and wounded Dong Tian with a sudden attack, then challenged him as Dong Tian formed foul weapons in all eight hands.

Amo and Xiahou Chan fought Dong Tian until Qi Tianque’s music disrupted the battle and Wanmeng helped protect him. Xiahou Chan’s final strike split Dong Tian in two and sent a golden blade of Existence across four star systems, destroying ships and planets as Qingxin ordered a search for survivors.

• Amo and Xiahou Chan battled Dong Tian, and Amo wounded him while Xiaohe shielded Amo from a heavy blow.
• Dong Tian charged a black energy ball as Amo drew on the Nihility, but Qi Tianque’s piano music disrupted both of them and caused Dong Tian’s attack to backfire.
• Dong Tian attacked Qi Tianque, but Xiahou Chan and Wanmeng weakened the blow; Amo then severed four of Dong Tian’s arms, and Xiahou Chan cut him in half.
• Xiahou Chan’s strike continued through space as a golden blade, destroying countless ships and planets across four star systems.
• Qingxin ordered her ships to search the planetary debris for survivors and blamed Xiahou Chan for nearly costing her life.

After Xiahou Chan killed the apparent Dong Tian, Elder Ge betrayed the Alliance Army by killing Qi Tianque and revealed that he had secretly controlled Garden for years. He exposed the real Dong Tian, whom he had imprisoned and experimented on, and attacked him before the gathered soldiers.

• Xiahou Chan killed Dong Tian, and the Garden soldiers surrendered as the battle ended.
• Elder Ge tore out Qi Tianque's Halovian core and crushed it, killing him despite Xiahou Chan and Amo's protests.
• Elder Ge said Qi Tianque had been an obstacle to his plan and revealed that his display of loyalty to Ayinai and Garden had been an act.
• Elder Ge explained that he had kidnapped the real Dong Tian, created an impostor, and secretly controlled events while seeking power.
• Elder Ge summoned the imprisoned real Dong Tian, who urged Amo to kill the traitor, then slashed Dong Tian with his sword.

Elder Ge tried to recruit Amo to help him rule the Ayinai System, but Amo refused, so Elder Ge entered a cultivation chamber with Dong Tian’s corpse to claim its power. When Amo’s Nihility-enhanced strike opened the chamber, Elder Ge emerged transformed, and Dong Tian revealed that Elder Ge had stolen power from the seal containing Voracity.

• Elder Ge invited Amo to join him in ruling the Ayinai System, but Amo refused because he would not associate with a traitor.
• Elder Ge threatened to destroy Amo, then entered the cultivation chamber with Dong Tian’s corpse to obtain its power.
• At Xiahou Chan’s urging, Amo and Xiaohe struck the chamber with a Nihility-enhanced blade, and the chamber opened.
• Elder Ge emerged from the chamber transformed into a monster, while Dong Tian recognized the evil aura surrounding his Broodmother device.
• Dong Tian accused Elder Ge of tampering with the seal beneath the Garden and releasing Voracity’s power, and Elder Ge admitted he had taken some power from it.

Elder Ge revealed that he wielded Oroboros’s power and threatened to devour the Alliance Army and Garden Army. Wanmeng tried to protect the retreating forces as Elder Ge killed Dong Tian, and the Aynais’s main cannon blasted Elder Ge through several mountains, though he survived.

• Wanmeng identified the being sealed beneath the Garden as Oroboros, the Aeon of Voracity, while Elder Ge seized Dong Tian and Amo with divine power.
• Elder Ge opened the giant mouth in his abdomen and began pulling the Alliance Army and Garden Army toward him, so Wanmeng ordered a retreat and used her star charts and robe to defend the survivors.
• Elder Ge pierced Dong Tian’s heart and threw aside his corpse, prompting the Aynais to fire its fully charged main cannon at him.
• The cannon blast shattered Elder Ge’s shield and hurled him through three mountains, but he survived with Emanator-level power, and the Aynais began recharging its main cannon.