Chapter Summaries

Ziyue questioned the hidden history of the correctors and postponed seeking answers until after she had helped Jiangnan survive. In White Cloud City, Jiang Xiaoling activated a mark to summon nearby correctors, and Ziyue and A Li sensed its signal.

• Ziyue recognized modern research suits and Federation language in the mission, deepening her suspicions about the King of Qin and Heavenly Secrets.
• Jiang Xiaoling weighed whether to activate his mark, fearing the correctors might have betrayed humanity but knowing he was running out of time.
• As his family grieved and seemed to accept his impending fate, Jiang Xiaoling decided to take a chance and leave them out of danger.
• Jiang Xiaoling slipped into a dark alley and activated the mark to reveal his location to nearby correctors.
• Ziyue and A Li felt the signal from the southeastern sky and turned toward it.

Ziyue and A Li received a summons from a boy in the southeast, but Heavenly Secrets escaped before they could question him. Chen Qing chose to fight in both the north and southeast, while Heavenly Secrets traveled southeast with Wang Ye and Liu Yu to observe Chen Qing and the King of Qin.

• Ziyue and A Li realized Heavenly Secrets might have received the same summons, but found he had escaped through the Heavenly Secrets Cave.
• Chen Qing learned Heavenly Secrets had fled and insisted Jiangnan must fight on both fronts to secure land and resources before ancient beings grew stronger.
• Ziyue agreed to take A Li southeast, while Chen Qing stayed with Ao Zhen and Tian Heng to defend the north.
• Heavenly Secrets traveled through the southeast with Wang Ye and the Duke of Song, Liu Yu, who had been missing.
• Heavenly Secrets told Wang Ye he had saved Chen Qing before and now wanted to understand both Chen Qing and the King of Qin before choosing what to do.

Jiang Xiaoling returned home to find his family being brutalized by the Southern Barbarians, but an old Corrector named Huang stopped him from intervening. Huang explained that Jiang Xiaoling had been used as bait and that the crisis in White Cloud City targeted Chen Qing, then asked Jiang Xiaoling to explain what he knew.

• Jiang Xiaoling ran home after realizing the Southern Barbarians might search for him, but arrived to find his family’s corpses displayed and his mother and sisters chained and whipped outside their home.
• Madam Jiang spotted Jiang Xiaoling and silently urged him to flee, but an old man grabbed him before he could rush toward his family.
• The old man identified himself as a Corrector and told Jiang Xiaoling that the Southern Barbarians had been empowered by the Ghost Temple and that four Ghost Generals could appear in White Cloud City.
• Huang explained that the Correctors had ignored Jiang Xiaoling because someone had judged him unimportant and used him as bait, while the city’s trap was aimed at Chen Qing.
• Jiang Xiaoling recognized Huang as Painted Skin Mister, and Huang asked him what a Corrector was and why he knew so much.

Jiang Xiaoling bargained with Painted Skin Mister for help saving his family, revealing that the Correctors had been sent to overthrow the previous players and restore the world's balance. Painted Skin was shaken by the revelation that their arrival had been planned and warned Jiang Xiaoling that humans and demons could never truly coexist, while a white-robed young man spotted Painted Skin in White Cloud City.

• Jiang Xiaoling refused to share information until Painted Skin Mister agreed to help save his family, and they settled on a bargain for that night.
• Painted Skin asked what a Corrector was, and Jiang Xiaoling explained that Correctors were volunteers sent to overthrow the previous players and restore the world's balance.
• Painted Skin grabbed Jiang Xiaoling and demanded to know whether the world was fake, but released him after Jiang Xiaoling warned that death could erase his memories.
• Painted Skin recalled that a woman who had once cared for him killed him after discovering he was a demon, and warned Jiang Xiaoling that his family might turn against him if they learned what he was.
• A white-robed young man spotted Painted Skin's puppets in the streets, and Mr. Origami asked whether they should capture Painted Skin because he had once been a traitor.

Chen Qing entrusted Tian Heng and the West Sea Army with the southeastern campaign, giving them a chance to build prestige and compete with the Battle God Army. Tian Heng accepted responsibility for taking White Cloud City as Chen Qing and Ao Zhen prepared to confront hidden powerful fighters, with the opening of the Underworld making time scarce.

• Tian Heng reported that the West Sea Army had assembled and hoped the campaign would earn it greater public faith and recruits.
• Chen Qing explained that he had chosen Tian Heng to strengthen the West Sea Army and balance the faction’s military forces.
• Tian Heng told Chen Qing that six Southern Barbarian nations had sent more than seven hundred thousand troops into Southeast Commandery, including about one hundred thousand in White Cloud City.
• Tian Heng said his experience fighting the Southern Barbarians under Lu Ming made him confident he could take White Cloud City.
• Chen Qing gave Tian Heng full responsibility for the southeastern campaign while he and Ao Zhen dealt with the hidden high-end combatants.

Jiang Xiaoling and Painted Skin Mister realized White Cloud City had been prepared for an attack, while Painted Skin feared the mysterious man who had entered the city and refused to help rescue Jiang Xiaoling’s family. Outside the city, Chen Qing’s forces found their assault blocked by an East Sea Barrier, and Chen Qing stepped forward to deal with it.

• Painted Skin Mister explained that the Southern Barbarians’ curfew suggested their commander had predicted an attack, and he argued that Jiangnan was likely targeting White Cloud City because of Jiang Xiaoling.
• Painted Skin Mister revealed that a mysterious man had entered the city and that Youyun Jellyfish were helping him hide; he then refused to risk rescuing Jiang Xiaoling’s mother and elder sisters.
• A sudden blast shook White Cloud City, and a colorful East Sea Barrier filled the sky above it.
• Tian Heng’s spell-powered cannons failed to breach White Cloud City’s defenses, while Ao Zhen recognized the formation and warned that a prolonged fight would strain their forces as the Underworld battle continued.
• Chen Qing sighed and offered to handle the East Sea Barrier, surprising Tian Heng and Ao Zhen.

Chen Qing unleashed the West Sea Dragon Palace’s Divine Wind Grand Formation and shattered the East Sea barrier protecting White Cloud City. He then empowered the West Sea Army to storm the city, while the King of Qin wondered how Chen Qing had wielded the formation.

• Chen Qing advanced toward White Cloud City as Ao Zhen and Tian Heng watched to see whether he could break the East Sea barrier.
• Chen Qing activated the Divine Wind Grand Formation, summoning a torrent of wind that cracked the ground and the barrier.
• Chen Qing concentrated the wind on his fingertip and popped the barrier, astonishing Ao Zhen, Tian Heng, Mr. Origami, and the King of Qin.
• The King of Qin speculated that Chen Qing might have possessed someone with the West Sea Dragon King’s bloodline, but could not explain the power he had witnessed.
• Chen Qing ordered the army to storm the city, and the West Sea soldiers surged forward with azure light in their eyes.
• The West Sea Army swept through the Southern Barbarian soldiers by the gates as Ao Zhen recognized the forceful advance from the Dragon Palace’s past campaigns.

Jiangnan’s army attacked White Cloud City, where Southern Barbarian soldiers trusted their Ghost Mother’s protection and newly enhanced strength. Chen Qing shattered the city’s barrier, and the Jiangnan troops advanced through the defenders’ arrows as Tian Heng realized they were following Chen Qing instead of his commands.

• Southern Barbarian soldiers on White Cloud City’s wall boasted about their new strength and prepared to defend against Jiangnan’s army.
• Jiangnan’s weapon blasted the battlements, but the city’s barrier protected the defenders until Chen Qing shattered it with one finger.
• The Southern Barbarian general ordered his soldiers to fire poisoned arrows, but the Jiangnan troops continued advancing in formation without slowing.
• The defenders recognized they had little chance of victory, and their general begged his lord to intervene.
• Tian Heng watched Chen Qing lead the soldiers onto the battlements and realized his trained elites obeyed Chen Qing over him.

Chen Qing used the power of faith to stir the West Sea Army into a frenzy, leaving Tian Heng fearful of losing control of his soldiers. As Chen Qing’s heavily armored forces overwhelmed the Southern Barbarian defenders, the King of Qin and Mr. Origami watched and considered how to seize his strength.

• Tian Heng realized Chen Qing had influenced the West Sea soldiers and worried that Chen Qing could control him as well.
• Chen Qing sensed Tian Heng’s fear and reflected that Divine Path Lords could influence followers through their faith and emotions.
• Chen Qing’s armored West Sea Army broke through the city defenses and slaughtered the Southern Barbarian soldiers on the walls.
• Mr. Origami and the King of Qin were shocked by the army’s strength, while the King of Qin said they would know more once they seized it.
• The King of Qin looked toward a group of transparent objects hidden behind them.

Chen Qing and Ao Zhen reached White Cloud City and followed Painted Skin Mister’s scent, while Painted Skin Mister realized Chen Qing was tracking him. He admitted he feared the person behind Chen Qing, leaving the identity of that person unresolved.

• Chen Qing and Ao Zhen crossed White Cloud City, and Chen Qing questioned what trap his opponent could have prepared.
• Chen Qing found the filthy alley Ziyue had described and reasoned that the summons targeting his companions had somehow excluded him.
• Chen Qing recognized Painted Skin Mister’s scent and followed it, while Ao Zhen watched him use the Dragon Breath Spell.
• Painted Skin Mister warned Jiang Xiaoling that they were being tracked and explained that he had more than a thousand informants in the city.
• Painted Skin Mister complained that Chen Qing had followed their trail and told Jiang Xiaoling that he feared the one behind Chen Qing.

Chen Qing tracked Jiang Xiaoling after Painted Skin Mister abandoned him, then questioned the boy about the Correctors and the Divine Path Style. Jiang Xiaoling asked Chen Qing for his real-world name and was shocked when he answered, “Pu Yunchuan.”

• Painted Skin Mister escaped inside a transparent jellyfish, leaving Jiang Xiaoling to flee on his own.
• Chen Qing followed Jiang Xiaoling’s scent to a residence, where the boy stood beneath the flayed bodies of his father and servants.
• Jiang Xiaoling called Chen Qing a Corrector and asked why Painted Skin Mister feared him.
• Chen Qing explained that his group had suffered conflicts and memory loss, while Jiang Xiaoling questioned how Chen Qing knew about the Divine Path Style.
• Jiang Xiaoling asked Chen Qing to recall his real-world name, and Chen Qing answered “Pu Yunchuan,” leaving the boy stunned.

Chen Qing was seized by an East Sea Youyun Jellyfish and dragged into a hidden underground network beneath White Cloud City, while the King of Qin abducted Jiang Xiaoling. The King of Qin revealed that he was Number One and that Pu Yunchuan shared his reincarnated body, carrying the only item that could contact the higher-ups.

• An East Sea Youyun Jellyfish emerged from underground, paralyzed Chen Qing, and dragged him into a vast subterranean construction beneath White Cloud City.
• Ao Zhen pursued Chen Qing through the underground passages after recognizing the creature as a Youyun Jellyfish.
• The King of Qin identified Jiang Xiaoling as Corrector Forty-One and took him away using the East Sea’s Water Release Technique.
• The King of Qin explained that he had built underground cities as a safeguard while sealing the divine statues and that underground waterways let him bring East Sea water to White Cloud City.
• The King of Qin revealed that he was Number One, that two souls had reincarnated into one body, and that the contact item was on Pu Yunchuan.

In a barren world maintained by robots, Excavator No. 175904 received an unexpected invitation to Data City and was summoned to meet Officer Wu Xiaoli. There, he learned that the red mark above his head meant the Federation had selected him as cannon fodder for an attempt to conquer the Demon World.

• Excavator No. 175904 received an invitation to Data City, and Old Zhang warned him that the summons might bring trouble.
• Excavator No. 175904 arrived in Data City and resisted a woman’s invitation to visit the red-light district so he could report as ordered.
• Excavator No. 175904 saw Zhang Keyun flying on a sword and learned from a blond man that high-level adventurers could live for thousands of years.
• The AI directed Excavator No. 175904 to his designated location, and a red light appeared above his head.
• The blond man said the Federation was marking people as cannon fodder to conquer the Demon World, Pu Yunchuan’s hardest world.

Major General Wu Xiaoli reported that the five existing virtual worlds could no longer support the growing digital population, while a summoned excavator learned how the Federation had built its digital society and restricted ordinary workers’ leisure. The chapter ended with a soldier calling the excavator a descendant of the designers, leaving him confused about his origins.

• Major General Wu Xiaoli told the five regions’ leaders that their worlds were overcrowded and new data zones were urgently needed.
• The chapter recounted how the apocalypse drove humanity online, and how virtual entertainment worlds were created to prevent unrest among digital workers and appease technical elites.
• The system explained the history of digital civilization to Excavator No. 175904, who realized ordinary laborers were deliberately kept overworked and restricted from Data City.
• A burly man in military uniform praised the excavator’s stable genes and called him one of the designers’ descendants.
• Excavator No. 175904 questioned how he could have descendants when he believed new generations were synthesized from genes.

Wu Xiaoli presented the Demon World as a vast game world whose reincarnation system could ease overcrowding, extend digital lifespans, and satisfy the powerful. A Central China legislator questioned its safety, and Wu Xiaoli admitted it was currently safe, though the project’s ability to let people leave the game world remained a concern.

• Wu Xiaoli explained that the Demon World could hold tens of billions of people and that its reincarnation system helped prevent digital Alzheimer’s disease.
• The chapter described how limited game-world capacity and high costs for residency and reproduction had caused resentment among professionals, while powerful residents sought worlds with higher ceilings and longer lives.
• Wu Xiaoli argued that conquering the Demon World could provide room for ten billion players and let them experience repeated lives while retaining their core personalities.
• A legislator from Central China asked whether the Demon World was safe, and Wu Xiaoli replied that it was safe at present.
• The chapter revealed that conservative opponents feared the Demon World because people inside it could come out.

A soldier explained why the Demon World was considered dangerously powerful yet too valuable for the Federation to abandon, while the young miner wondered what any of it had to do with him. At an assembly, Wu Xiaoli revealed that Central China had sent the game’s developers into it twenty years earlier, leaving the representatives stunned.

• A uniformed soldier told the young miner that game characters and their powers could manifest in Data City, and warned that demons from the Demon World could become strong enough to destroy the world.
• The soldier explained that the Federation kept funding the Demon World because its reincarnation system might make eternal life possible.
• Wu Xiaoli explained to the assembly that powerful original players resisted newcomers, while later arrivals often defected, making the Demon World difficult to control.
• A Northern Europe Region representative questioned how Central China had obtained the genes of the game’s deceased designers.
• Wu Xiaoli revealed that Central China had sent the first batch of developers into the game twenty years earlier.

Wu Xiaoli negotiated the Federation’s involvement in the Demon World project and told Jiang Xiaoling that he would train before entering the game. She revealed that his ancestor was the game’s chief designer, Jiang Cheng.

• Council members condemned Central China for secretly researching the project, but they agreed that other regions could earn extra entry slots through significant contributions.
• Wu Xiaoli explained that Central China would select three descendants of the developers and required other regions to supply energy to send their own people into the game.
• The regions accepted Central China’s energy terms after hours of negotiations, while Wu Xiaoli left to meet Jiang Xiaoling.
• Wu Xiaoli told Jiang Xiaoling he would undergo a year of military and mission training because powerful data entities threatened to break through the game interface.
• Jiang Xiaoling asked who his ancestor was, and Wu Xiaoli identified him as Jiang Cheng, one of the game’s two chief designers.

As the King of Qin escaped White Cloud City with Jiang Xiaoling, he revealed that a traitor in Data City had sabotaged the Correctors’ mission twenty years earlier. Wu Xiaoli realized someone may have secretly sent extra people into the game, and feared the Demon World might already have infiltrated Data City.

• The King of Qin carried Jiang Xiaoling out of White Cloud City and warned him that Chen Qing could not be stopped by the shutdown code.
• Jiang Xiaoling learned that Data City had implanted disintegration codes in its Correctors and that he was expected to investigate the missing group from twenty years earlier.
• The King of Qin said he had erased the first batch’s memories after a traitor derailed their nearly completed mission.
• The King of Qin told Jiang Xiaoling and Wu Xiaoli that more than the planned seventy-six Correctors had entered the game, suggesting someone in Data City had added infiltrators.
• Wu Xiaoli reconsidered the King of Qin’s account and feared that the Demon World had already infiltrated Data City.

Chen Qing realized the King of Qin had used the Youyun Jellyfish to draw him away from Jiang Xiaoling, but Ao Zhen rescued him before he could be taken farther. Chen Qing deduced that the King of Qin had fled through the lake toward the East Sea and pursued him, while Jiang Xiaoling remained uneasy about going with the King of Qin.

• Chen Qing recognized that the Youyun Jellyfish were meant to drag him away while the King of Qin took Jiang Xiaoling.
• Ao Zhen killed the jellyfish holding Chen Qing and rescued him after clearing the others from the area.
• Chen Qing reasoned that the lake beneath White Cloud City connected to the East Sea and realized the King of Qin might have chosen the water route.
• Chen Qing jumped into the lake, and Ao Zhen followed after asking whether he suspected the King of Qin had gone by water.
• The King of Qin explained to Jiang Xiaoling that the jellyfish had been a diversion and that they were heading for the East Sea, while Jiang Xiaoling felt uneasy about his safety.

The King of Qin and Jiang Xiaoling discussed Pu Yunchuan’s unexpected arrival, his possible connection to powerful elites, and whether they could cooperate with him. In Data City, Wu Xiaoli heard that releasing Pu Yunchuan might allow them to alter his disintegration program, but the chapter ended with an aged voice asking whether that was technically feasible.

• The King of Qin learned that Pu Yunchuan had broken the lake’s formations and warned Jiang Xiaoling that he was nearly as powerful as a Dragon King.
• The King of Qin suspected that powerful elites had concealed Pu Yunchuan’s data upload and brought him into the game, possibly with his memories cut down.
• Jiang Xiaoling asked why the King of Qin opposed Pu Yunchuan, and the King of Qin worried that a hidden disintegration program could control him.
• Wu Xiaoli asked a technical officer how they could remove Pu Yunchuan’s disintegration program, and he offered investigating the powerful figure behind it or letting Pu Yunchuan out as the two options.
• Wu Xiaoli and the other officers balked at releasing Pu Yunchuan until an aged voice asked whether it was technically feasible.