Chapter Summaries

Elder Zhang approved an attempt to recruit Chen Qing and connect him to Data City so his Disintegration Program could be removed. The King of Qin rejected the plan and went to wait in the East Sea, while the authorities continued to regard him as under control.

• A technician told Elder Zhang and Wu Xiaoli that opening a reverse passage was feasible but carried serious risks, and Elder Zhang argued that Chen Qing could help them defeat the ancient beings.
• Jiang Xiaoling told the King of Qin that his orders were to approach Chen Qing, assess the danger, and potentially bring him to Data City to remove his Disintegration Program.
• The King of Qin condemned the plan, refused to accompany Jiang Xiaoling, and chose to wait in the East Sea in case trouble arose.
• The King of Qin said he had forgotten his own name, then vanished as a powerful figure resembling Number One approached.
• Wu Xiaoli reported that Number One opposed the plan but remained on standby, and Elder Zhang ordered that he stay on the normal list while they continued observing him.

Chen Qing met Jiang Xiaoling at the East Sea after failing to catch the King of Qin, while the King of Qin revealed his plans to Mr. Origami. Chen Qing returned to find Jiangnan’s campaign in Southeast Commandery succeeding, but he had learned a troubling truth.

• Chen Qing found Jiang Xiaoling waiting at the entrance to the East Sea and agreed to take him out so he could explain what happened.
• The King of Qin met Mr. Origami and said they had temporarily avoided their ticking time bomb, then planned to wait until they identified the government’s hidden monitor.
• The King of Qin and Mr. Origami discussed whether Heavenly Secrets or Five Poisons was the government’s spy and why the King of Qin believed Chen Qing would join his plan.
• Tian Heng’s forces captured five commanderies in two days, bringing all of Southeast Commandery close to falling under Jiangnan’s control.
• Chen Qing returned from the East Sea unable to celebrate the military victories because he had learned a truth.

After learning that his world and its inhabitants might be artificial, Chen Qing shut himself away and questioned whether his life and feelings were real. Ao Zhen’s faith in him helped him move forward, and he returned to Jiang Xiaoling demanding the full story of the Corrector Plan.

• Chen Qing spent two days and nights isolated, questioning his identity and the reality of the people around him.
• Ao Zhen reassured Chen Qing that she still believed in him, and he regained his resolve to continue.
• Jiang Xiaoling reported that Tian’s legion had captured four southeastern cities in two days while Chen Qing was absent.
• Elder Zhang ordered Wu Xiaoli to win Chen Qing’s cooperation and keep information about him from the four great families.
• Chen Qing met Jiang Xiaoling and demanded to know everything about the Corrector Plan.

After learning that he had died long ago and that the Federation wanted his help reclaiming the Demon World, Chen Qing questioned its motives and negotiated for guarantees. The Federation revealed its Disintegration Program, leaving Chen Qing concerned that whoever sent him into the world might still be able to destroy him.

• Jiang Xiaoling explained the history of the data world, and Chen Qing learned that he had died and been absent from its history for many years.
• Jiang Xiaoling explained that Chen Qing was an anomaly: the Federation had no genetic records for him, and the Corrector Plan had sent in multiple batches over time.
• Chen Qing asked what the Federation wanted, and Jiang Xiaoling offered energy and technical support in exchange for helping the Federation establish a foothold in the Demon World.
• Chen Qing challenged the Federation to guarantee his interests before he helped it fight the ancient players and unlock the Primordial Version.
• After Chen Qing asked what contingency kept new Correctors under control, Jiang Xiaoling disclosed the Disintegration Program.
• Chen Qing pointed out that the Federation had no Disintegration Program for him, but warned that the person who sent him in might still have one and asked the Federation to remove it.

Chen Qing weighed whether to return to the real world and focused on verifying the alleged disintegration program before the Federation could control him. Meanwhile, Elder Zhang and Wu Xiaoli planned to recruit him by demanding access to Jiangnan Academy, though Jiang Xiaoling questioned whether Chen Qing would agree.

• Chen Qing reconsidered the Federation's offer to send him back, realizing that his old world might be gone while his life and responsibilities remained in this one.
• Chen Qing suspected that someone had secretly placed him in the Corrector Plan and resolved to investigate the disintegration program in his body.
• Wu Xiaoli and the technical expert discussed controlling Chen Qing with a disintegration program, while Elder Zhang ordered experiments to prepare a transmission channel that could send him back if needed.
• Elder Zhang proposed asking Chen Qing for resources and sending Federation personnel to Jiangnan Academy instead of placing troops under the Principal God's control.
• Wu Xiaoli recognized that Federation engineers could study the Dragon Palace legacy at Jiangnan Academy, but Jiang Xiaoling doubted Chen Qing would let outsiders enter his power base.

Jiang Xiaoling brought his traumatized mother and sister toward Jiangnan, where he hoped to rebuild their lives under Chen Qing’s protection. Meanwhile, southeast landowners fled by selling their fields to the King of Qin, whose growing power made their future return uncertain.

• Chen Qing sent Jiang Xiaoling back to Jiangnan with two Yaksha generals while he went to the front to oversee the campaign.
• Jiang Xiaoling comforted his mother and fed his older sister aboard a riverboat, promising that Jiangnan would offer them safety and a fresh start.
• Jiang Xiaoling explained that wealthy households were allowed to flee because Chen Qing wanted them to exchange their land for safety in Jiangnan.
• A wealthy landowner questioned why his family had sold all their fields, but his father argued that the King of Qin’s offer was generous and warned against expecting to reclaim their old status later.

Jiang Xiaoling met Old Tian at Jiangnan Academy and agreed to consider a match between his sister and the Tian Household’s grandson. As the Tian family hurried away, Mr. Heavenly Secrets appeared, and Jiang Xiaoling recognized him as Number Three.

• Tian Yannian found his father at Jiangnan Academy, where Old Tian searched for a promising business opportunity and spotted Jiang Xiaoling.
• Jiang Xiaoling told Old Tian he had received advance admission to the academy, prompting Tian Yannian to ask about his betrothal prospects.
• Old Tian proposed that his twelve-year-old grandson marry Jiang Xiaoling’s sister, and Jiang Xiaoling accepted the idea pending further discussion.
• Jiang Xiaoling reflected that the Tian Household could accept his sister’s circumstances and help her move on from her painful past.
• Mr. Heavenly Secrets approached Jiang Xiaoling, who recognized him as Number Three.

Jiang Xiaoling learned that Heavenly Secrets was Number Three, who had cut contact with the Federation twenty years earlier. Heavenly Secrets warned that if the Federation sent many Correctors into this world, humans and demons would go to war.

• Jiang Xiaoling stopped himself from reporting Number Three after Heavenly Secrets urged him to think before acting.
• Jiang Xiaoling asked why Number Three had cut contact, and Heavenly Secrets said the King of Qin's defeat had taught him that humans and demons could not coexist.
• Heavenly Secrets explained that people in this world would reject Correctors as demons if they learned their identities, despite the bonds they formed with them.
• Heavenly Secrets urged Jiang Xiaoling not to let the Federation send its people into this world, warning that it would lead to war and mass slaughter.

Heavenly Secrets tried to persuade Jiang Xiaoling to reconsider the Federation’s plan, while the King of Qin believed Chen Qing’s homeland could not survive the coming invasion. Back home, Jiang Xiaoling saw how much his family had settled into Jiangnan and began to hope that Chen Qing’s conquest might let him reunite with his dead father.

• The King of Qin told Mr. Origami that Heavenly Secrets could not stop the Federation’s invasion and was following Chen Qing out of naive hope for a human homeland.
• Heavenly Secrets urged Jiang Xiaoling to consider what would happen if Chen Qing were controlled, then disappeared and left Jiang Xiaoling conflicted.
• Jiang Xiaoling returned to his family in Jiangnan and saw that his mother and sister had grown happier in their new home.
• Jiang Xiaoling told his mother that Old Master Tian Hesong wanted his direct-line grandson to marry his sister, and his mother agreed to discuss the match if the Tian Household accepted her past.
• Jiang Xiaoling wondered whether Chen Qing’s conquest of Southeast Commandery could bring the Underworld there and give his family a chance to reunite with his father.

Jiangnan’s leaders debated the strategic importance of Tiannan Pass as their forces suffered heavy losses trying to capture it. Tian Heng and Chen Qing remained determined to take the pass, despite the Southern Barbarians’ strong defenses and the presence of an expert.

• Shen Shiyi praised two yaksha generals after they slaughtered tens of thousands of evil ghosts, while Murong Bingyun reflected on their strength and loyalty to Shen Shiyi.
• The judge warned Shen Shiyi that Jiangnan’s forces had been stalled at Tiannan Pass for four days and could not sustain the losses much longer.
• Wei Gongcheng explained that taking Tiannan Pass was essential to protect Jiangnan’s southeastern rear and that abandoning the campaign would waste its sacrifices.
• Tian Heng and Chen Qing examined the heavily defended pass and concluded that an expert was helping the Southern Barbarians resist their attacks.
• Chen Qing and Tian Heng resolved that Tiannan Pass had to be taken, despite the mounting losses and risk to Jiangnan’s morale.

As Jiangnan’s forces pressed Tiannan Pass, the Southern Wilderness coalition struggled with shortages and infighting, especially over the Azi Kingdom’s delayed reinforcements. After Shen Qi revealed the dispute, Chen Qing recognized the opening and Tian Heng devised a way to capture the pass.

• At Tiannan Pass, Meng Yan and the other generals demanded that the Azi Kingdom’s envoy explain why its reinforcements had not arrived, and threatened to use Azi people as offerings.
• The envoy revealed that the Azi Kingdom was still preparing its troops, while the coalition’s leaders considered using offerings early to strengthen their soldiers despite the resulting weakness.
• Shen Qi used his Thousand-Eye Technique to show Chen Qing and Tian Heng the enemy’s internal dispute, and they identified the coalition’s infighting as an opportunity.
• Chen Qing explained that the Southern Wilderness could produce only a limited number of enhanced soldiers because building Ghost Temples and preparing sacrifices took time.
• Tian Heng concluded that the Azi Kingdom was pursuing its own interests, and after learning about the soldiers’ temporary boost and later weakness, said he knew how to take Tiannan Pass.

The ruler of the Azi Kingdom planned to exploit the allied army’s weakness and seize territory rather than send reinforcements to Tiannan Pass. With Yuchi Feihu offering cooperation from the King of Qin, he promised the Azi Kingdom a chance to destroy the pass’s garrison and expand, but the kingdom’s great general doubted the claim.

• The old emperor explained that the Azi Kingdom’s lack of resources had kept it trapped in the Great Western Basin, and argued that Ghost and God Temples offered a chance to strengthen its army and seize land.
• The prince and generals warned that betraying the six allied kingdoms could invite retaliation, but the old emperor said their forces were weakened and urged a swift land grab.
• The old emperor called Yuchi Feihu into the hall and said he had come to cooperate with the Azi Kingdom.
• Yuchi Feihu offered to help wipe out the Tiannan Pass garrison and promised the Azi Kingdom could occupy twenty or thirty cities while the other kingdoms rebuilt their armies.
• The Azi Kingdom’s great general mocked Yuchi Feihu’s boast and challenged his claim that he could destroy the garrison at Tiannan Pass.

Yuchi Feihu secured the Azi Kingdom’s agreement to delay its reinforcements by one or two days while publicly promising to arrive within three. Chen Qing explained why he believed the deal was genuine, then revealed that the Azi Kingdom’s Ghost and God Temple might be encouraging its king’s ambitions.

• Yuchi Feihu proposed that the Azi Kingdom send reinforcements a day or two late, and the king and Grand General Long accepted the plan.
• Yuchi Feihu asked the Azi Kingdom to promise arrival within three days while secretly delaying its troops, making the alliance conditional on that arrangement.
• Chen Qing told Tian Heng to prepare for the assault after learning Feihu had reached an agreement.
• Shen Qi and Tian Heng questioned whether the deal was a trap, but Chen Qing argued that cooperating offered the Azi Kingdom a better chance to expand.
• Chen Qing said the Azi Kingdom’s Ghost and God Temple would likely tempt its king to cooperate, leaving Tian Heng and the others puzzled about the ghost gods’ role.

Chen Qing deduced that rival Ghost Domain factions had established temples across the Southern Wilderness and that King Chujiang was behind the Azi Kingdom. He ordered an attack on Tiannan Pass, while Quefeng met with King Chujiang, who warned that players could be killed.

• Chen Qing reasoned that the Ghost Domain was divided among rival factions and that King Chujiang likely backed the Azi Kingdom's rapid Ghost Temple expansion.
• Chen Qing explained his deduction to Tian Heng and Ao Zhen, and Ao Zhen confirmed King Chujiang's longstanding enmity with King Xiang.
• Chen Qing ordered Tian Heng to prepare an attack on Tiannan Pass that night to pressure its defenders into using a second blessing.
• At the Azi Kingdom's central Ghost Temple, Quefeng asked King Chujiang whether Chen Qing could take Tiannan Pass, and King Chujiang affirmed that Chen Qing could threaten those above.
• King Chujiang reminded Quefeng that players could be killed, referring to his past deception and Quefeng's long sealing.

Quefeng learned from King Chujiang that the Reshuffling Plan and its harvest were approaching, while Chen Qing’s army pressured Tiannan Pass with repeated assaults. The exhausted defenders decided to seek approval for a second blessing in three days, hoping Azi Kingdom’s reinforcements would arrive in time.

• King Chujiang warned Quefeng that powerful figures above were nearing the harvest, and Quefeng lamented that they had never been free.
• Chen Qing’s Jiangnan soldiers attacked Tiannan Pass at midnight, suffering heavy casualties as the defenders hurled spears from the walls.
• Chen Qing withdrew his troops at dawn and ordered them to rest before resuming the siege at noon the next day.
• Meng Yan confronted the Azi Kingdom envoy about delayed reinforcements, and the envoy promised they would arrive within three days.
• Meng Yan told the Southern Barbarian generals to seek approval for a second blessing in three days because the defenders could not endure the siege much longer.

Meng Yan and the allied generals faced the imminent fall of Tiannan Pass, but the Dragon Mother’s envoys refused to intervene while Chen Qing remained inactive. Meng Yan took unified command and planned a risky counterattack, while the Dragon Mother revealed that Chen Qing was a Corrector.

• After losing a third of his troops, Meng Yan met the allied generals and begged the envoys to help defend Tiannan Pass.
• The Dragon Mother refused to intervene because Chen Qing had not acted, and she warned the generals they would die if they lost the pass.
• Meng Yan decided to use their dangerous blessing method early and proposed feigning a retreat before counterattacking the Jiangnan soldiers.
• Zhou Yun and the other generals agreed to put Meng Yan in unified command and prepare their troops for the plan.
• The Dragon Mother and the envoys discussed Chen Qing’s strength, and the Dragon Mother identified him as a Corrector.

The Dragon Mother warned the other faction leaders that Chen Qing could become a threat like the King of Qin and urged them to unite against him. As night fell, Chen Qing led another assault on Tiannan Pass.

• The Dragon Mother linked Chen Qing to the long-remembered Pu Yunchuan and warned that he could grow powerful enough to threaten the ancients.
• The other leaders doubted Chen Qing could eliminate the second version’s factions, while the Dragon Mother privately remained uneasy about him.
• The Dragon Mother proposed that they form an allied army and keep pressure on Chen Qing if he captured Tiannan Pass, offering a soul contract and promising not to interfere in the southeast or Jiangnan.
• The leaders agreed that Chen Qing would remain their primary enemy, even if he failed to take the pass.
• Night fell, and Chen Qing once again ordered his soldiers to storm the walls of Tiannan Pass.

Meng Yan lured Jiangnan’s troops onto Tiannan Pass before using the envoys’ second blessing to empower his soldiers, but the attackers retreated before he could trap them. Chen Qing stopped Meng Yan’s pursuit, while the Dragon Mother and the other envoys could not intervene because they had exhausted their power.

• Meng Yan ordered his soldiers to rain ghost-flamed spears on the Jiangnan troops as they climbed Tiannan Pass.
• Meng Yan had half his soldiers hold back, allowing Jiangnan troops to seize the battlements before he ordered a retreat.
• The envoys empowered the waiting Southern Barbarian soldiers with black spirit bodies, but the Jiangnan troops abruptly withdrew.
• Meng Yan led his enhanced soldiers in pursuit, only for Chen Qing to summon a gale that halted them.
• Meng Yan called for the envoys, but the Dragon Mother and the others could not act after using their power on the blessing.

After Chen Qing captured Tiannan Pass and much of the southeast, Central China’s leaders debated whether to publicize his success and commit more resources to his forces. In the Southern Wilderness, Dragon Mother realized Chen Qing had anticipated the alliance’s Second Blessing and fled, suspecting a traitor among them.

• Jiang Xiaoling reported Chen Qing’s victories and his observations in Jiangnan to his superiors.
• Elder Zhang and Wu Xiaoli discussed Chen Qing’s territory, the Divine Path Style, and whether his army could fight the ancient powers.
• Elder Zhang decided not to publicize Chen Qing’s success, despite warnings that Central China’s energy supply was strained and that sending people to Jiangnan without a safety assessment was dangerous.
• Dragon Mother led several players in flight after Chen Qing withdrew his troops, explaining that he had forced the Southern Wilderness Alliance to use Second Blessing as part of a trap.
• Dragon Mother told the confused man in gray that Chen Qing’s knowledge of their plans meant there was a traitor among them.

The Dragon Mother suspected that King Chujiang’s faction was exploiting the assault on Tiannan Pass to expand in the Southern Wilderness, and she fled with a gray-clad Divine Martial man. Quefeng ambushed them, but the Dragon Mother’s Dragon Saliva Incense let the man stop his strike; Quefeng then withdrew, leaving his intentions toward Chen Qing unresolved.

• The Dragon Mother warned the gray-clad man that King Chujiang might be cooperating with Chen Qing to weaken their forces and expand from the Azi Kingdom.
• The Dragon Mother explained that losing Tiannan Pass would leave their Transcendents vulnerable, and she and the gray-clad man continued fleeing.
• The gray-clad man’s eyes turned red after he inhaled Dragon Saliva Incense, and he caught Quefeng’s sudden strike at the Dragon Mother.
• The Dragon Mother admitted she had only bluffed when she claimed to sense Quefeng, then identified him and confronted him about King Chujiang releasing him.
• Quefeng dropped the heads of the people below Tiannan Pass and withdrew without killing Chen Qing, whom he admitted had evaded him.