Chapter Summaries

Cao Yiyi and the others fled from a badly injured sixth-tier Profound Crystal Griffin, while Li Daoyi and Jiang Xingwei prepared to act against a distant Calamity Beast force. The Griffin steadied itself and roared after the escaping group as Jiang Xingwei rested with the Heavenly Ridge Boundary Stele nearby.

• Cao Yiyi warned the group that even a wounded sixth-tier Profound Crystal Griffin was too strong for them to fight, so everyone hurried away.
• Cao Yiyi took the Stone-Armored Beast from Han Ling to help her fly faster and conserve Origin Power.
• Han Ling noticed that the blue crystal embedded in the Griffin's forehead had several cracks and looked brighter than it had a year earlier.
• The Profound Crystal Griffin steadied itself, fixed its gaze on the fleeing humans and the living Calamity Beast among them, then roared.
• Li Daoyi and Jiang Xingwei surveyed a distant Light Gate surrounded by Calamity Beasts, and Jiang Xingwei began regulating his breathing before their planned action.

Han Ling and Cao Yiyi’s group struggled to escape the gravely wounded Profound Crystal Griffin as Han Ling ran low on ammunition and no one could hold it off for long. Han Ling suggested Zhou Xuan take them underground, but he warned that the Griffin could catch them and attack through the earth, leaving them with no escape.

• Han Ling used Marrow-Exploding Bullets to slow the pursuing Profound Crystal Griffin and warned the group that she was nearly out of ammunition.
• Cao Yiyi asked the group for a way to stop the Griffin or escape, but Wang Hu and the two members from Chongshan City could not help; Zhou Xuan said he could attack from range only briefly.
• The Griffin fired several pillars of light, forcing the group to alter their flight path as two blasts struck a mountain ahead.
• Cao Yiyi considered splitting up so the Griffin might catch only one or two people, while Han Ling continued firing to slow its pursuit.
• Han Ling asked Zhou Xuan to take everyone underground, but he explained that the group would move too slowly and the Griffin could catch them and attack through the ground.

Cao Yiyi chose to follow Zhou Xuan underground rather than split up and leave someone to the Profound Crystal Griffin. The group began their escape as the Griffin launched another icy attack, forcing Wang Hu and the others to hold it off.

• Zhou Xuan explained that his God Invocation ability let him control earth and travel underground, but warned that using it could kill them all.
• Cao Yiyi proposed splitting up so the Profound Crystal Griffin could pursue only one person at a time, though someone would certainly die.
• With the Griffin closing in, Cao Yiyi chose to try escaping underground, and Wang Hu, Han Ling, and Zhou Xuan agreed.
• Zhou Xuan invoked the Earth God and led everyone down to the ground, where he began preparing to travel underground.
• The Profound Crystal Griffin fired icy breath at the group, and the Wind Howl inspector and Wang Hu moved to block it.

The Profound Crystal Griffin overwhelmed Wang Hu and pursued the group as Zhou Xuan led them underground. The Griffin began pounding into the earth above them, while Zhou Xuan’s explanation of the limits of his burrowing ability was cut short.

• The Profound Crystal Griffin’s icy breath knocked Wang Hu to the ground, and Cao Yiyi directed the group to fend off its next attacks.
• Zhou Xuan told the group they could go, then sank them underground as the Griffin charged.
• The Profound Crystal Griffin realized the humans had burrowed away and began attacking the ground above them.
• Underground, Zhou Xuan continued channeling Origin Power into the earth while Han Ling checked on him.
• Wang Hu asked why Zhou Xuan’s current burrowing method differed from the one used at the Eye of Earth Marrow, but another impact from above interrupted Zhou Xuan’s answer.

Zhou Xuan could not outrun the Profound Crystal Griffin underground, and the inspectors debated leaving the Stone-Armored Beast behind, though abandoning it would only help slightly. As the Griffin drew closer, Cao Yiyi apologized for her mistaken judgment and proposed staying behind to hold it off while Zhou Xuan took the others to the surface.

• Zhou Xuan explained that he had to reinforce and carry their underground space to keep it from collapsing under the Profound Crystal Griffin’s attacks, but the Griffin was still catching up.
• Wang Hu suggested abandoning the Stone-Armored Beast, and Han Ling said she would agree if doing so could help them escape.
• Zhou Xuan said leaving the Stone-Armored Beast behind might help a little but would not significantly increase their speed.
• Cao Yiyi apologized for choosing the plan that had put everyone in danger, and Han Ling, Wang Hu, and the inspectors accepted that her judgment had been a battlefield decision.
• As the Griffin came within roughly two hundred meters, Cao Yiyi offered to stay behind and hold it off while Zhou Xuan took the others back to the surface.

As the Profound Crystal Griffin pursued them underground, Cao Yiyi revealed that she was nearly sixth tier because her Contract ability traded her talent and growth potential for cultivation progress. Han Ling recognized that Cao Yiyi could lend them abilities or Origin Power and proposed another plan, leaving the group to consider it.

• Cao Yiyi offered to stay behind and hold off the Profound Crystal Griffin, but admitted she was not good at fighting.
• Cao Yiyi told Wang Hu and the others that she was nearly sixth tier and explained that her Contract ability let her trade away talent and growth potential for cultivation progress.
• Cao Yiyi clarified that she had helped Lord Xingwei cultivate faster, easing the inspectors' suspicions about how resources were being used.
• With the Griffin drawing closer, Cao Yiyi offered to borrow the others' combat abilities, and Wang Hu asked whether she could lend them her own.
• Han Ling learned that Cao Yiyi could lend out most of her Origin Power and proposed another plan for everyone to consider.

Han Ling proposed forcing the wounded Profound Crystal Griffin to retreat by making it believe they could kill it, then revealed a plan to lend Cao Yiyi’s Origin Power to Zhou Xuan for one powerful attack. The group accepted the risky gamble as they prepared to confront the beast.

• Han Ling told Zhou Xuan to stop descending and go back up, then proposed forcing the Profound Crystal Griffin to retreat by worsening its injuries.
• Cao Yiyi warned that the Griffin’s defenses and speed made the plan unlikely to work, even with her lending someone her Origin Power.
• Wang Hu volunteered to try, but Cao Yiyi argued that he would struggle to pierce the Griffin’s defenses or hit its wounds.
• Han Ling said they needed to break through the Griffin’s defenses and revealed that she intended Cao Yiyi to lend her Origin Power to Zhou Xuan.
• Han Ling explained that Zhou Xuan’s Profitable Golden Spear could add Origin Power from Origin Crystals to his own for a powerful attack.
• Cao Yiyi asked what they would do if the attack failed, and Wang Hu declared it was one more gamble as the group prepared to face the Griffin.

Han Ling and the others debated whether to follow her plan to confront the Profound Crystal Griffin or Cao Yiyi’s plan to let some escape. The group settled on Han Ling’s plan, while Yao Guanyu’s concern for his family left him struggling to accept the risk.

• Cao Yiyi offered to hold back the Profound Crystal Griffin so the others could flee, but the group stayed silent.
• Wang Hu asked Zhou Xuan, Yao Guanyu, and Jiang Yue to choose between the plans; Zhou Xuan and Jiang Yue supported Han Ling’s plan, while Yao Guanyu backed Cao Yiyi’s.
• Wang Hu confirmed that four people supported Han Ling’s plan, and no one else objected.
• Yao Guanyu argued that confronting the Griffin could leave everyone dead, but Wang Hu challenged him to state whether he would flee alone.
• Yao Guanyu apologized and agreed to carry out the plan, explaining that his wife and daughter were still outside and he wanted to survive.

As the Profound Crystal Griffin pursued them underground, Zhou Xuan used his control over the earth to guide the group beneath a mountain and escape to the surface. Han Ling then asked Inspector Cao to draw up a contract, leaving the group preparing for their next move.

• Zhou Xuan warned that the Profound Crystal Griffin was tracking their route upward and could attack them if they surfaced directly.
• Cao Yiyi suggested luring the Profound Crystal Griffin underground, but Zhou Xuan told everyone to trust his plan and poured Origin Power into the earth.
• As the Griffin closed to within meters, Zhou Xuan shifted the surrounding soil and carried the group along a route that widened their distance from it.
• The group emerged on the surface among towering mountains, with the Profound Crystal Griffin still beneath one of them.
• Han Ling called to Inspector Cao, who began tracing pale golden marks in the air to draw up a contract.

Cao Yiyi transferred more than ninety percent of her Origin Power to Zhou Xuan through a contract so he could use it in the coming fight. As the mountain trembled with the Profound Crystal Griffin drawing near, Zhou Xuan replenished his external battery with Origin Crystals despite struggling to contain the borrowed power.

• Cao Yiyi created a Temporary Origin Power Transfer Agreement, and she and Zhou Xuan signed it by pressing Origin Power-coated fingers to the contract.
• The contract took effect, and Cao Yiyi's Origin Power flooded into Zhou Xuan until his reserves reached roughly seven times his own amount.
• Zhou Xuan said he could hold the borrowed power for a few minutes, and Han Ling told the Stone-Armored Beast to bring over the box of Origin Crystals.
• Zhou Xuan absorbed Origin Power from the crystals while Han Ling explained that they functioned like an external battery.
• The rumbling grew louder, and the mountain began to tremble as the group waited for the Profound Crystal Griffin.

As the Profound Crystal Griffin neared the surface, Zhou Xuan absorbed the collected Origin Crystals but still lacked enough stored power to match the Origin Power in his body. He gathered the others’ remaining crystals and unleashed Profitable Golden Spear at the bulging mountainside, leaving the attack’s effect unknown.

• Jiang Yue and the others waited as the mountain shook and cracked, signaling that the Profound Crystal Griffin was approaching the surface.
• Zhou Xuan finished absorbing the collected Origin Crystals, but said his stored Origin Power had only reached the late fifth tier and remained short of his current power.
• Han Ling, Cao Yiyi, Wang Hu, and the others gave Zhou Xuan their remaining Origin Crystals, which he absorbed as the mountain continued to rumble.
• Zhou Xuan concentrated his Origin Power at his fingertips and fired Profitable Golden Spear into the bulging mountainside where the Profound Crystal Griffin was about to emerge.

Zhou Xuan’s powerful attack badly wounded the Profound Crystal Griffin, but the team chose to stand their ground rather than flee. As Han Ling sensed the standoff turning against them, the Griffin suddenly charged, knocking Wang Hu aside.

• Zhou Xuan’s attack exploded through the mountainside, but the Profound Crystal Griffin emerged from the dust alive and wounded.
• Wang Hu argued that fleeing would invite pursuit and persuaded the group to gamble that the Griffin’s injuries would keep it from fighting them.
• Cao Yiyi apologized, and Han Ling told her, “War is just like this.”
• The group faced the injured Profound Crystal Griffin in a tense standoff while Han Ling tried to understand why the situation felt wrong.
• The Profound Crystal Griffin suddenly lunged at the humans, and Wang Hu stepped in front of the group before a claw swipe sent him flying sideways.

The inspectors fought the severely injured Profound Crystal Griffin, but its sixth-tier body and remaining defenses let it withstand most of their attacks while knocking them aside. Han Ling kept firing and fighting until the Griffin sent her flying again, leaving her sniper rifle cracked and the battle unresolved.

• Captain Wang was sent flying by the Profound Crystal Griffin, and a teammate urged the group to attack because Zhou Xuan had already wounded it further.
• Jiang Yue attacked with wind blades, but the Griffin blocked them with its wings and dispersed his stronger strike and Han Ling’s Acid Mist with icy breath.
• The Griffin knocked Yao Guanyu and Jiang Yue aside, and Han Ling fired Marrow-Exploding Bullets that inflicted only slight damage before it reached her and sent her flying.
• The inspectors repeatedly attacked the Griffin, targeting its wounds, while it blocked their blows with its wings, claw, tail, and head and repeatedly knocked them down.
• Han Ling forced herself to stand after another blow and saw that her sniper rifle was badly scratched and cracked.

As the team’s battle against the Profound Crystal Griffin deteriorated, Han Ling sent the Stone-Armored Beast away to survive and then returned to the fight. Zhou Xuan and the others debated retreating, while Han Ling reacted to Cao Yiyi’s idea of breaking through the Griffin’s defenses.

• Han Ling told the Stone-Armored Beast to flee, but stayed behind to continue fighting because of the team’s mission.
• The Stone-Armored Beast asked Han Ling to flee with her, then left after Han Ling refused.
• Zhou Xuan raised a stone wall to help a teammate defend against the Profound Crystal Griffin, but it crumbled on impact.
• Zhou Xuan asked the team whether they should retreat, and Wang Hu warned that they had little chance of escaping at close range.
• Cao Yiyi apologized and said that, with more Origin Power, she could borrow the others’ abilities to break through the Griffin’s defenses.
• Han Ling froze and looked toward Cao Yiyi after hearing her describe how she might break through the Griffin’s defenses.

As the humans prepared to retreat, Zhou Xuan worried that the Profound Crystal Griffin would target him and asked Sister Han to coordinate their escape. Instead, Sister Han’s reply suggested she wanted to try one more time, and the Griffin’s counterattack sent a human flying in a trail of blood.

• The humans debated how to retreat while continuing to hold off the Profound Crystal Griffin, and Zhou Xuan feared it would pursue him first.
• Zhou Xuan asked Wanying to contact Sister Han and proposed a plan that might let them both escape.
• Sister Han replied, “No, let's try one more time,” leaving Zhou Xuan confused.
• The injured Profound Crystal Griffin endured the humans’ attacks and struck down a charging fighter with its tail.
• The Griffin smashed through a mass of rock and incoming attacks, then slammed its claw into a human’s raised arms and sent him flying, bleeding.

The Profound Crystal Griffin shifted its goal from fighting the humans to killing Inspector Han, breaking her sniper rifle and striking her down. As the beast claw descended toward her, Han Ling raised the jade pendant, leaving her survival uncertain.

• The Profound Crystal Griffin slammed into the battlefield, then fought off the Calamity Beast-like human and assessed the injured humans around it.
• The Profound Crystal Griffin recognized Inspector Han as the key threat and pursued her while the other humans tried to reach her.
• Han Ling fired at the Griffin, but it neutralized her shot, shattered her sniper rifle, and struck her across the ground.
• Han Ling stood amid her injuries, noticed Stone nearby, and raised her jade pendant as the Profound Crystal Griffin brought its claw down.

Han Ling used the Azure Talisman Jade’s sealed wind blades to severely injure the Profound Crystal Griffin, which survived and confronted the group before retreating. Zhou Xuan and the others flew to check on Han Ling, who realized the beast may have been assessing them and might have attacked again if she had not struck.

• Han Ling controlled the Azure Talisman Jade’s wind blades, directing them through the snow curtain to wound the Profound Crystal Griffin.
• The Profound Crystal Griffin fired a pillar of light at Han Ling, but she continued sending wind blades toward it instead of fleeing.
• The wounded Profound Crystal Griffin emerged from the snow curtain with a missing forelimb and wing, then watched the group as they feared it could still fight.
• The Profound Crystal Griffin turned away and retreated as the gale rose again, and Zhou Xuan led the others toward Han Ling while Wang Hu watched the beast leave.
• Han Ling confirmed that she was only slightly injured and considered that the Profound Crystal Griffin might have been assessing the group before deciding whether to attack again.

After Han Ling said a Stone-Armored Beast had saved her from the Profound Crystal Griffin, Zhou Xuan and the others rushed to treat its severe injuries. The Stone-Armored Beast learned it might survive, but Zhou Xuan’s treatment knocked it unconscious.

• Han Ling told Zhou Xuan that the Stone-Armored Beast had pushed her out of the Profound Crystal Griffin’s attack and asked for rapid-healing gel to save it.
• Zhou Xuan and the others gathered more than three canisters of gel, and Zhou Xuan flew over to treat the wounded Stone-Armored Beast.
• The Stone-Armored Beast asked whether Han Ling was safe, and Zhou Xuan realized it had risked its life to save her.
• The Stone-Armored Beast could not stop its bleeding with Origin Power, so Zhou Xuan used electricity to make it faint before treating the wound.

After the battle with the Profound Crystal Griffin, the group discussed the Stone-Armored Beast’s potential and Zhou Xuan’s powerful attack. Wang Hu tried to recruit Zhou Xuan to Chongshan City, but Zhou Xuan rejected him with an insult about his height.

• Zhou Xuan treated the unconscious Stone-Armored Beast while Wang Hu explained that its B-class threat rating would limit its usefulness in serious fights.
• Wang Hu pointed out that the Profound Crystal Griffin had lost a claw and a wing, and Jiang Yue said they could return later to collect the Origin Crystals.
• Wang Hu praised Zhou Xuan’s Profitable Golden Spear and invited him to come to Chongshan City.
• Zhou Xuan considered why he preferred staying with Shen Heng and realized Wang Hu had tried recruiting someone from Shen Heng’s team before.
• Zhou Xuan told Wang Hu he did not want to join the team of someone who was too short.

After the battle, Han Ling and Cao Yiyi discussed the powerful Azure Talisman Jade, while Zhou Xuan’s blunt remark got him chased by Wang Hu. As Shen Heng’s group traveled back with injured teammates, he worried about the plan to capture a Sixth Tier Calamity Beast, then spotted distorted space surging toward them.

• Zhou Xuan said he did not want to join Wang Hu’s team because Wang Hu was too short, then tried to take back the remark as Wang Hu chased him.
• Cao Yiyi apologized to Han Ling for the Azure Talisman Jade being used, and Han Ling realized the talisman in her hand was cracked and its light had faded.
• Qin Yu reassured Xu Ruiyu that Shen Heng was fine and only needed treatment from a healer after they returned.
• Shen Heng rode on a Calamity Beast’s back and considered the plan to capture and interrogate a Sixth Tier Calamity Beast.
• Shen Heng noticed distorted space surging toward the group from the horizon.