Chapter Summaries

Shen Heng’s group ambushed a late fourth-tier Swooping Wing Bat in an isolated valley, using Han Ling’s shot to cripple its wing before Wang Hu took it on. After a prolonged fight, Wang Hu killed the beast.

• Shen Heng led the group toward an isolated valley along the Swooping Wing Bat’s flight path and planned a sneak attack.
• Shen Heng assigned Qin Yu to conceal them and Han Ling to wound the bat, while Wang Hu agreed to fight it after it was injured.
• Qin Yu concealed the group, and Han Ling shot the Swooping Wing Bat at the base of its right wing.
• Wang Hu launched himself into the air, grabbed the bat’s intact left wing, and slammed it into the valley floor.
• Wang Hu fought the wounded bat for a long time and killed it with a claw strike to its chest.

Shen Heng and the others discovered a huge unknown crystal whose energy seemed to reflect properties of the Plateau Erosion Zone, and decided to take it back for study. When a Fifth Tier Calamity Beast approached, they fled with the crystal, while the beast searched the valley and then flew after them.

• Shen Heng had Wang Hu remove the enormous ice-blue crystal from the Swooping Wing Bat’s claws, and the group examined its strange energy.
• Zhou Xuan sensed that the crystal’s energy was cold, corrosive, and heavy, and Shen Heng suspected it was unique to the Plateau Erosion Zone.
• Shen Heng ordered the group to take the crystal back for the Research Department and use Zhou Xuan’s Yin Soldiers to carry it.
• Shen Heng sensed the approaching Fifth Tier Calamity Beast and led everyone to abandon the bat’s materials and flee with the crystal.
• The lion-and-tiger-like Calamity Beast searched the valley, sensed a direction with its forehead crystal, and flew after the group.

Shen Heng and the others tried to evade the Calamity Beast that was tracking them, but Qin Yu’s concealment could not hide them while they moved. They hid underground as the beast searched and attacked above, and Shen Heng identified it as a late fifth-tier Profound Crystal Griffin, almost S-Class.

• Wang Hu, Shen Heng, Zhou Xuan, and the others fled with a crystal, puzzled that the Calamity Beast had found them after they killed the Swooping Wing Bat.
• Shen Heng stopped the group and had Qin Yu conceal their traces, but the beast continued toward them and tracked them again when they moved.
• Shen Heng told Zhou Xuan to ask the Lord of the Land to create an underground shelter, and the group descended into a cavern while Qin Yu concealed their location.
• A winged Calamity Beast hovered above them, searched the ground, and attacked with a blast of freezing energy as the group waited underground.
• Shen Heng identified the beast as a late fifth-tier Profound Crystal Griffin, almost S-Class.

Shen Heng’s group tried to flee the Profound Crystal Griffin, but it repeatedly found them and forced them back underground. As they struggled to understand how it tracked them, Shen Heng suspected the beast might be using sound, though he doubted it.

• Shen Heng’s group waited underground until the Profound Crystal Griffin left, then emerged and tried to escape.
• Shen Heng sensed the Profound Crystal Griffin approaching again, so Zhou Xuan lowered everyone underground.
• Zhou Xuan proposed repeatedly surfacing and fleeing to lure the beast toward the base, but Shen Heng rejected the plan as too risky.
• Shen Heng considered how the Profound Crystal Griffin was tracking them and wondered whether it could perceive sound.

Shen Heng suspected the Profound Crystal Griffin was tracking them through the enormous ice-blue crystal and argued that keeping it would offer little protection. The group prepared to test whether the crystal had been marked, while Shen Heng proposed taking a small piece and leaving the main body behind.

• Shen Heng reasoned that the Profound Crystal Griffin found them by sensing their presence, then connected its pursuit to the ice-blue crystal.
• Qin Yu suggested that the Profound Crystal Griffin had marked the crystal so it could locate them.
• Shen Heng proposed leaving the crystal behind and departing to test whether it was the source of the tracking.
• Wang Hu questioned whether abandoning the crystal would jeopardize the group’s chance to delay the Erosion Zone, but Shen Heng argued it would buy little time.
• Shen Heng suggested taking a small piece of the crystal and leaving the rest behind.

Shen Heng and the others waited out the Profound Crystal Griffin’s repeated searches, then chipped off a small piece of the crystal and escaped after Qin Yu masked its presence. The Griffin returned to the ruined hiding place and, realizing it had been tricked, roared in fury.

• Shen Heng warned the group that the Profound Crystal Griffin might double back, and they remained hidden as it circled and searched several times.
• After the Griffin flew away, Shen Heng cut a palm-sized piece from the crystal while Qin Yu weakened its presence and Zhou Xuan raised the group to the surface.
• Shen Heng led everyone away, monitoring the sounds around them as they traveled to a distant mountaintop.
• The Profound Crystal Griffin returned to their former hiding place and paused when it sensed the crystal had been there before.
• Qin Yu guessed that the Griffin was trying to understand the repeated crystal signal, and the Griffin roared before diving toward the ground.

Shen Heng and his companions returned to the base after escaping a marked Profound Crystal Griffin, then Li Daoyi examined them and questioned them about their mission. He sent the group to rest and asked Shen Heng to report the details.

• Shen Heng and Zhou Xuan watched the Profound Crystal Griffin attack the ground before Shen Heng decided the group should return to base.
• Two days later, a wall guard spotted five unidentified humanoids, and the base confirmed they were Supervision Bureau members returning from a mission.
• Li Daoyi examined Shen Heng and his companions, then heard how they escaped the late fifth-tier Profound Crystal Griffin without using the Azure Talisman Jade.
• Li Daoyi praised Qin Yu's useful ability and scolded Zhou Xuan for wanting to invoke Ultraman, then sent the group away to rest.
• Li Daoyi stopped Shen Heng and told him to report the mission details.

Shen Heng reported his exploration of the Plateau Erosion Zone, including an unfamiliar crystal that might aid the Ruins Realm’s invasion of Blue Star. The command center reviewed the zone’s immense size and Calamity Beast numbers, then discussed the uncertain consequences of its collapse.

• Shen Heng presented the ice-blue crystal, and Li Daoyi said it was unknown and might be ore unique to the Plateau Erosion Zone.
• Shen Heng proposed that the crystal was either a cultivation resource for a high-tier Calamity Beast or a means of helping the Ruins Realm invade Blue Star, and Zhang Weijun ordered the Research Department to investigate the latter possibility.
• Zhang Weijun and the others examined a map showing more than a dozen Calamity Beast groups, while Shen Heng reported that he had found neither a Light Gate nor the zone’s boundary after traveling over a thousand kilometers.
• Zhou Zhenguo and Zhang Weijun estimated that the Erosion Zone could contain tens of thousands of Calamity Beasts, and Li Daoyi said even their numbers would have little effect on Jiang Lin.
• Li Daoyi explained that the Erosion Zone might return to the Ruins Realm, disappear, or descend onto Blue Star if it collapsed, and said both humans and Calamity Beasts were trying to prevent its collapse.

After returning from their mission, Shen Heng and the commanders discussed the Calamity Beasts’ guarded positions and the dangers within the Erosion Zone. Shen Heng later advised Gu Lingxuan on assembling an exploration team, while he began considering forming a team of his own.

• Zhang Weijun, Zhou Zhenguo, and Wang Yuanshan discussed how the Calamity Beasts had held back to avoid collapsing the Erosion Zone, while Li Daoyi studied locations guarded by large numbers of beasts and possible fifth-tier Calamity Beasts.
• Liang Yanhao asked Wang Hu whether the depths of the Erosion Zone were dangerous, and Wang Hu said they could be either very dangerous or very safe.
• Zhang Weijun praised Shen Heng’s mission and told him his rewards would be deposited and that he should rest.
• Shen Heng met Gu Lingxuan, learned that Qi Yue and Cao Mingyu had joined her exploration team, and advised her to recruit someone with a scouting ability.
• After Gu Lingxuan left, Shen Heng looked toward the city wall and considered forming a team.

Han Ling and Lin Zhaoran discussed the dangers and terrain deep inside the Erosion Zone, while Shen Heng continued searching for suitable squad members. He learned that only about half the base’s inspectors had formed teams, and the chapter ended as Lü Wenrui explained why many were reluctant to go out.

• Han Ling described the towering trees, varied terrain, and dangerous Calamity Beasts inside the Erosion Zone to Lin Zhaoran and Yu Yanhui.
• Lin Zhaoran said her squad included members from two other cities, while Han Ling said her group had only returned the day before.
• Shen Heng declined a middle-aged inspector’s request to join his squad because the man’s abilities did not fit the team’s needs.
• Lü Wenrui told Shen Heng that the base had faced two small beast tides and said he had wanted to explore outside, but his captain had refused.
• Lü Wenrui explained that roughly half the inspectors had formed teams, while others doubted they would be selected, feared the danger, or worried about burdening stronger teammates.

Shen Heng continued assembling his team and accepted Zhou Xuan and his captain, Zheng Guoming, to fill frontline and crowd-control roles. Qin Yu told her captain, Wu Jianping, that Shen Heng had invited them to join, and Wu encouraged her to go without him.

• Lü Wenrui offered to recommend potential teammates to Shen Heng, but Zhou Xuan arrived and asked if he and his captain could join Shen Heng's squad.
• Shen Heng learned that Zhou Xuan's captain, Zheng Guoming, had a B-Class Rockskin Body ability and accepted them both onto the team.
• Zhou Xuan and Lü Wenrui traded barbs while Shen Heng considered whether to recruit two more members before beginning missions.
• A young man praised Qin Yu's ability for helping their group avoid a direct fight with the Profound Crystal Griffin and asked her to decide by that night whether to join his team.
• Qin Yu told Wu Jianping that Shen Heng had invited them to join his team, and Wu Jianping urged her to go while saying he would stay behind.

Shen Heng briefed the Supervision Bureau on supplies, stamina, and other risks of exploring the Erosion Zone before leading his team out. Their mission was to follow the Swooping Wing Bat’s route and search for the crystal, and the chapter ended as they set off.

• Shen Heng explained that teams should manage food, water, and stamina carefully, seek help or return to base when supplies ran low, and use Calamity Beast flesh or blood only as emergency substitutes.
• Zhou Xuan praised Shen Heng’s precautions, and Shen Heng explained that he had considered what could happen if Zhou Xuan’s water supply were unavailable.
• Wang Hu noticed that he was the only member of the temporary team who had left and reflected that Zhou Xuan and Qin Yu did not suit his team’s combat needs.
• A staff officer told the members that their mission details and Calamity Beast maps had been sent to their captains and urged them to protect themselves.
• Shen Heng showed his team a route southeast from their farthest exploration point and said they would follow the Swooping Wing Bat’s path to search for the crystal and discover its purpose.
• Shen Heng ordered the team to move out.

Wang Hu's squad detected an approaching group of Calamity Beasts and prepared to fight. Several days later, Shen Heng's team found a valley containing many Calamity Beasts and crystals, one of which appeared to have been damaged; the crystals emitted faint ripples.

• Huang Jun sensed about a dozen Calamity Beasts approaching from the northwest, led by one likely fourth-tier beast, and Wang Hu ordered his squad to prepare for battle.
• After seven days of exploration without finding the target crystal, Zhou Xuan asked Shen Heng whether they should continue searching, and Shen Heng set a plan to search for two more days before returning.
• Shen Heng's team reached a valley containing over two hundred Calamity Beasts, including an early fifth-tier beast and more than twenty fourth-tier beasts.
• Shen Heng spotted enormous crystals scattered through the valley and noticed that one had an unusually smooth corner and that the crystals released faint ripples.

Shen Heng discovered that the Calamity Beasts had arranged crystals across a valley in an apparent formation, guarded by an overwhelming force. He concluded the crystals likely stabilized the Ruins Realm’s space to let it deploy more or stronger Calamity Beasts, leaving the team to consider the threat this posed to Blue Star.

• Shen Heng reported finding the previously encountered crystal and several similar crystals, which emitted periodic pulses of energy from different locations.
• Shen Heng revealed that over two hundred Calamity Beasts guarded the valley, including twenty-three fourth-tier beasts and one early fifth-tier beast, making an assault impractical.
• Zhou Xuan and Han Ling reasoned that the site was less important than the Profound Crystal Griffin’s location, and Shen Heng suspected there were other sites like it.
• Shen Heng asked how the Ruins Realm could overcome its inability to deploy large or powerful forces, and Han Ling suggested it might seek to stabilize the Erosion Zone.
• Shen Heng concluded that the crystals were probably used to stabilize the Ruins Realm’s space so it could deploy more or stronger Calamity Beasts.

Shen Heng and Zhou Xuan tried to find a way to learn more about the crystals in the valley, so they lured a One-Horned Lizard away from its post with footprints. The One-Horned Lizard followed the trail and was suddenly attacked by several figures, including a familiar two-legged bug.

• Shen Heng warned that the humans might have to abandon the Erosion Zone if nuclear bombs stopped working, and he proposed targeting a crystal at the valley’s edge.
• Zhou Xuan’s plan to burrow in and steal a crystal was dismissed because Fourth Tier beasts could detect nearby disturbances.
• A Shadow Wolf reported strange activity to the One-Horned Lizard, then returned claiming it had found tracks resembling those of humans.
• The One-Horned Lizard examined the footprints, decided three humans had passed through, and followed the trail with the Shadow Wolf.
• The One-Horned Lizard was struck by a sudden attack and glimpsed several figures, including the two-legged bug it recognized.

Shen Heng and his companions captured a fourth-tier One-Horned Lizard and prepared to interrogate it. As the others took up watch, Zhou Xuan wondered how Shen Heng would communicate with the beast.

• Shen Heng recalled how he used his ability to lure a fourth-tier Calamity Beast out after his first attempts went awry.
• Shen Heng suspected the One-Horned Lizard recognized him from their earlier encounter, and he and Zhou Xuan examined a bump beside its horn.
• Shen Heng explained that interrogating the One-Horned Lizard would take time and energy, then asked the others to watch for danger while he worked.
• Han Ling and the others spread out to keep watch, while Zhou Xuan climbed a tree and considered whether the One-Horned Lizard spoke human language or Shen Heng spoke beast language.

Shen Heng questioned a groggy One-Horned Lizard about crystals stabilizing the space and learned that the Ruins Abyss Court Council had ordered its tribe to enter the new world. The chapter left him aware of the threat’s scale and the Council’s involvement, but without knowing where the other sites were or how to destroy them.

• Shen Heng used his powers to keep the One-Horned Lizard drowsy while questioning it.
• The One-Horned Lizard said the crystals stabilized the space and that the Lion King had ordered them guarded.
• The One-Horned Lizard revealed that the crystals could allow fifty thousand third-tier Calamity Beasts to enter each year and seventh-tier lords to enter after three years.
• Shen Heng asked about other sites and how to destroy them, but the One-Horned Lizard knew little about them.
• The One-Horned Lizard said the chief had sent it to the new world under instructions from the Ruins Abyss Court Council.

Shen Heng questioned the One-Horned Lizard about the Ruins Abyss Court Council and its tribe, learning that the council issued orders to tribes and that the beasts mined ore for food. The interrogation ended with the lizard naming its tribe the Arcane Lizards.

• Shen Heng learned that the One-Horned Lizard knew the Ruins Abyss Court Council only by name and had heard of it twice, including an order to travel to a new world.
• The One-Horned Lizard recalled that the council had once directed two nearby tribes to end a conflict, though it did not know why.
• Shen Heng concluded that the council was loosely managed and that most Calamity Beasts likely knew little about it.
• The One-Horned Lizard told Shen Heng that its tribe sent it to watch low-breed creatures mine ore, which the beasts ate and sometimes shipped elsewhere.
• Shen Heng asked the One-Horned Lizard for its tribe's name in the Ruins Realm, and it answered, "Arcane Lizards."

After learning that Seventh Tier beings could enter the Erosion Zone in three years, Shen Heng’s group decided to report their findings and leave the two Calamity Beasts alive to avoid alerting the valley. Shen Heng’s suggestion made the One-Horned Lizard initially forget the encounter, but its memories returned, and it decided to flee its post rather than report the humans.

• Shen Heng told Zhou Xuan and the others that the crystals stabilized the Erosion Zone and that Seventh Tier beings could enter in three years, and the group discussed delaying the Calamity Beasts.
• Shen Heng stopped Zhou Xuan from killing the One-Horned Lizard and the other beast, then suggested the One-Horned Lizard overlook the encounter so it would not report them.
• The One-Horned Lizard woke with a headache, accepted the Shadow Wolf’s explanation for its absence, and returned to the valley without remembering the humans clearly.
• The One-Horned Lizard stole extra food from another Fourth Tier beast and later sat thinking about its meal.
• The One-Horned Lizard’s memories returned as the lump on its forehead grew warm, and it realized the humans had learned the information through it.
• Fearing that reporting the leak would get it killed and that the humans would attack its post, the One-Horned Lizard decided to move somewhere safer.

After returning to base, Shen Heng reported his discoveries about the Arcane Lizards and the Ruins Abyss Court Council to Li Daoyi and the commanders. The chapter ended with Li Daoyi warning that reaching the seventh tier in three years would be difficult and that one person’s advancement would not be enough to face an invasion from an entire world.

• Shen Heng explained to Li Daoyi how the Arcane Lizards grew horns and developed abilities as they advanced through the tiers.
• Li Daoyi agreed to share Shen Heng’s intelligence with headquarters, and they noted that the other exploration teams had not returned yet.
• Shen Heng recounted his expedition to Zhang Weijun, Zhou Zhenguo, and Wang Yuanshan, including what he had learned about the Ruins Abyss Court Council.
• Zhang Weijun asked whether seventh-tier Calamity Beasts could enter the Erosion Zone in three years, and Shen Heng confirmed that they could.
• Li Daoyi said he might reach the seventh tier within three years but warned that crossing the sixth-to-seventh-tier hurdle was uncertain and that one person would not be enough to repel the invasion.