Chapter Summaries

Shen Hui questioned a Fallen God who offered to become a god of his Creation World in exchange for its sources of faith, learning that Fallen Gods survived by plundering other gods’ faith in another space. When the Fallen God threatened him, Shen Hui pointed it toward the darkness surrounding it, where a colossal figure emerged.

• The Fallen God contacted Shen Hui and offered to become a god of his Creation World in exchange for the faith belonging to his god seeds.
• Shen Hui challenged the Fallen God’s claims, and it explained that gods could survive their worlds’ destruction by drawing on other gods’ Power of Faith.
• The Fallen God refused to explain how to enter its space unless Shen Hui let it become a god and bind itself to him.
• The Fallen God threatened to reveal Shen Hui’s world coordinates and summon more Fallen Gods if Shen Hui refused.
• Shen Hui told the Fallen God to look toward the darkness, where a colossal figure emerged and a giant octopus tentacle swept out.

Shen Hui and Cthulhu overwhelmed the fallen god, who was consumed by the Death World's darkness and left behind divinity. Shen Hui gave the purified divinity to the Sky Tentacle, whose growth revealed a massive trunk-like form, and he considered plundering other divine negative worlds to fuel further growth.

• Cthulhu seized the fallen god in the darkness and overwhelmed him after Shen Hui demanded information about the world where the gods came from.
• Cthulhu engulfed the fallen god in madness and fear, then threw the remaining dark red divinity to Shen Hui.
• Shen Hui had the World Will repair the spatial rift and purified the fallen god's divinity, removing its bloody power.
• Shen Hui gave the purified divinity to the Sky Tentacle, whose roots expanded as thunderstorms spread and intensified.
• Shen Hui saw a huge black, trunk-like segment emerge above the Sky Tentacle's roots and wondered whether it was part of a giant tree.
• Shen Hui considered plundering other divine negative worlds to obtain more power of faith.

Shen Hui created SCP-999, the Tickle Monster, and sent him into the Death World to see what effects his joy-inducing powers would have there. The chapter ended in a remote town, where child laborer Lei Keming stayed behind to work because his sick mother could lose her position.

• Shen Hui considered ways to gain more Divine Power, including spreading Eldritch Beings and attracting Fallen Gods, but recognized the risks and difficulty.
• Shen Hui used World Origin Power to create SCP-999, a playful creature that brought happiness and could ease mental suffering.
• Shen Hui realized that SCP-999 might absorb negative emotions and become dangerously addictive in the Death World, so he sent him there to observe the consequences.
• In a remote town near Arkham, impoverished children worked on a plantation to help their families.
• Lei Keming refused to stop weeding and play with the other children because he had to take over his sick mother's work or risk someone taking her position.

Lei Keming tried to keep his mother’s Warpstone-mining job while she suffered from Dark Erosion Syndrome, but the other workers made his work deliberately difficult. Alone deep among the Warpstone heaps, he heard a strange chittering sound.

• Lei Keming worried that his ill mother would lose her job and prayed to Abomination for their salvation.
• Lei Keming went to the Warpstone worksite and insisted he could keep his mother’s position despite the workers’ mockery and warnings.
• A worker offered to have someone take over the job while Lei Keming received half the wages, but Lei Keming refused because he feared losing the position and the pay.
• The workers took the usable tools and claimed the easiest mining areas, leaving Lei Keming poor equipment and the hardest area deep inside the Warpstone heaps.
• Lei Keming reached a mining spot alone and heard a strange chittering sound nearby.

Lei Keming found a cheerful creature in the Warpstone mine that lifted his spirits and brought it home to his mother, who suffered from Dark Erosion Syndrome. The creature eased her mental symptoms, and her return to work sparked a stir in their community.

• Lei Keming encountered the Tickle Monster in the mine, and it made him feel happy and at ease.
• Lei Keming finished his mining quota and took the Tickle Monster home to his mother.
• The Tickle Monster jumped onto Lei Keming's mother and dispelled her fear and despair, though the mutation in her arm remained.
• Lei Keming's mother returned to work at the Warpstone mine the next day, prompting people in the community to ask how she had been cured.

Lei Keming and his mother turned the Tickle Monster’s ability to ease Dark Erosion Syndrome into the Church of Light, whose growing influence drew the Foundation’s attention. The Foundation captured SCP-999 and began studying it, while considering using it to contain SCP-682.

• Lei Keming’s mother founded the Church of Light and used the Tickle Monster to treat people with Dark Erosion Syndrome, attracting devoted followers.
• The Church of Light grew to more than a thousand members, and its followers’ strange abilities and doctrines alarmed Steam City’s authorities.
• A Foundation task force uncovered the Tickle Monster, arrested Lei Keming and his mother, and killed the followers who attacked during its seizure.
• The Foundation classified the Tickle Monster as SCP-999 and found that it absorbed negative emotions, created spiritual pleasure, and caused dependence in anyone who touched it.
• The Foundation began researching SCP-999 as a possible aid for Dark Erosion Syndrome and planned to use it to pacify SCP-682, while restricting access to prevent dependence.

After leaving the Death World, Shen Hui found Ye Long waiting at the World Association headquarters and offered to teach him about Creation Worlds. He explained that Heroes could advance beyond Transcendent quality and gain divinity, then revealed that his own Heroes far surpassed Ye Long’s.

• Shen Hui returned from the Death World and replied to Qingxue’s messages while ignoring Huang Lingheng’s requests to attend a Night Organization meeting.
• Shen Hui met Ye Long outside and learned they were still waiting at headquarters while the Laughing Moon Cult investigation continued.
• Shen Hui invited Ye Long into the garden and explained Creation World levels beyond ten and Hero qualities beyond Transcendent.
• Ye Long proudly revealed that he had five Hero Units, with Perfect as their highest quality, while Shen Hui said he had nine Heroes.
• Shen Hui told Ye Long that his highest-quality Hero was Saint Ascension, leaving Ye Long confused about what it meant.

Shen Hui explained Saint Ascension quality to Ye Long, inspiring him to design a human mother that would unite his insect-human cultivation world. As Ye Long began planning the creation, Zhiyue and Zhuge Hongjing arrived to say they could leave after one last visit to the Laughing Moon Cult.

• Shen Hui explained that quality represented a being’s level of existence and potential, and that a Saint Ascension-quality Hero could raise a Creation World beyond the Divinity Lock.
• Ye Long realized he should view his Creation World from a higher perspective and create a Hero Unit that broke convention.
• Ye Long proposed creating a human mother who would rapidly produce cultivators and connect them through a collective-consciousness neural network.
• Shen Hui encouraged Ye Long to pursue the idea, and Ye Long began thinking through the resources and effort it would require.
• Zhiyue and Zhuge Hongjing told Shen Hui and Ye Long that they needed to visit the Laughing Moon Cult once more before leaving that day.

Shen Hui and Ye Long attended a final briefing about the Laughing Moon Cult, the Giant God Cult, and the upcoming Chaos Forbidden Domain competition before returning to the Water District. Shen Hui reunited with Qingxue and walked with her, asking what had happened after she left with The High Priestess and what authority she possessed.

• President Chi Yan warned Shen Hui, Ye Long, Zhiyue, and Zhuge Hongjing that Laughing Moon Cult remnants might act again and told them to report suspicious activity rather than act alone.
• Chi Yan said Fan Hao would announce details about the Chaos Forbidden Domain and its competition soon, then dismissed the group.
• Zhuge Hongjing and Zhiyue left, while Ye Long invited Shen Hui to organize dinner with Qingxue, Xiao Xiangyan, and their friends.
• Shen Hui and Ye Long returned to the Water District, and Ye Long went to arrange the meal as Shen Hui went to meet Qingxue.
• Qingxue ran to Shen Hui, hugged him, and invited him to meet her parents, but he postponed the visit because they had dinner plans.
• Shen Hui and Qingxue set off for a walk, and he asked where she had gone with The High Priestess and what her authority was.

Shen Hui and Qingxue discussed the Tarot Club’s teachings, Qingxue’s authority as The Lovers, and the plan to enter the Chaos Forbidden Domain. The chapter ended with Shen Hui offering to introduce Qingxue to two Tarot Club members from the Night Organization.

• Qingxue told Shen Hui about meeting The Fool and learning that their world might have been created, and Shen Hui admitted he thought the teaching could be true.
• Qingxue became distressed at the possibility that their world was fake, but Shen Hui reassured her that their feelings were real and encouraged them to seek the truth as Transcendents.
• Qingxue explained that her authority let her lend Shen Hui the power of her Creation World, while keeping part of its effect secret.
• Qingxue asked about Shen Hui’s Tarot Club advancement ritual, but he avoided answering and changed the subject to the Chaos Forbidden Domain.
• Qingxue said The Fool planned to lead the Tarot Club members into the Chaos Forbidden Domain, and she expected the method of competing for entry spots to be decided soon.
• Shen Hui revealed that the man and woman who had confronted him after school were Tarot Club members and offered to introduce them to Qingxue as fellow members of the Night Organization.

Shen Hui and Qingxue attended a gathering where Ye Long confirmed that entry to the Chaos Forbidden Domain would be decided through competition, then Shen Hui walked Qingxue home. At her residential complex, they met her parents, who were heading to a Mutual Aid Society meeting to learn how to escape danger and find shelter.

• Ye Long confirmed that people from every district would compete for slots to enter the dangerous Chaos Forbidden Domain, and said family matters were part of why he wanted to go.
• Shen Hui advised Ye Long not to risk going, while Ye Long said Shen Hui's presence made Xiao Xiangyan's worries unnecessary.
• After the gathering, Shen Hui walked the tipsy Qingxue to her residential complex and noticed residents leaving late at night.
• Qingxue introduced Shen Hui to her parents, who welcomed him and invited him to their home.
• Qingxue's mother explained that she and Qingxue's father were going to a Mutual Aid Society meeting to learn how ordinary people could escape danger and seek shelter.

Shen Hui visited Qingxue and questioned her parents about the Mutual Aid Society, which was distributing supplies and teaching disaster preparedness. After agreeing to meet Qingxue at a hotel, he left to investigate the Giant God Cult at the underground black market.

• Shen Hui teased Qingxue at her home, then asked whether she knew about the Mutual Aid Society and its powerful backers.
• Qingxue's parents returned with eggs from a Mutual Aid Society event and said the society was giving aid and teaching people how to respond to supernatural disasters.
• Shen Hui prepared to leave, but Qingxue's father invited him to stay, and Qingxue walked him downstairs.
• Qingxue suggested they spend the night at the Heavenly Spring Grand Hotel, and Shen Hui agreed to meet her there after handling something important.
• Shen Hui told Qingxue his task involved the Giant God Cult, then headed to the underground black market to look for information about it and the Laughing Moon Cult.

Shen Hui met with the Giant God Cult enforcer to learn about the cult’s plans after the Laughing Moon Cult’s collapse. He learned the High Priest wanted members to secure places in the Chaos Forbidden Domain, then left with instructions to act as they saw fit until summoned.

• Shen Hui entered the crowded underground black market and noticed many young people buying resources to strengthen their Creation Worlds.
• Shen Hui bought a mask and encountered the Giant God Cult enforcer outside the underground dueling arena.
• The enforcer recognized Shen Hui as Death God and brought him to his lounge, where Shen Hui asked about the Laughing Moon Cult’s recent actions.
• The enforcer told Shen Hui that the Laughing Moon Cult’s created world had fallen apart and that the High Priest wanted members to secure chances to enter the Chaos Forbidden Domain.
• The enforcer said the High Priest would summon members with a recognizable signal and advised Shen Hui to be careful.

Shen Hui and Qingxue went to the Land of the Unfettered to strengthen themselves before entering the Chaos Forbidden Domain. There, Qingxue reunited with her former adventure group, and Shen Hui's status in Red Night frightened a member who had insulted him.

• Shen Hui and Qingxue decided to challenge the Borderlands and traveled to the Land of the Unfettered.
• Qingxue greeted Sister Xiu, the leader of her former Starry Night Adventure Group, while one of its members flirted with her.
• Shen Hui confronted the young man, who insulted him without knowing who he was.
• Sister Xiu recognized Shen Hui and revealed his status in Red Night to Qingxue.
• The young man remembered Shen Hui's reputation and nervously apologized.

Shen Hui and Qingxue learned from Sister Xiu that Unclaimed Worlds in the Land of the Unfettered had begun fusing in abnormal ways. They headed toward the entrance to challenge worlds and investigate the phenomenon.

• Shen Hui surprised Qingxue when she learned the Lord of Night held him in high regard and might choose him as the next Lord of Night.
• Sister Xiu asked Shen Hui whether he was investigating the chaos affecting worlds, and he admitted he did not know about it because he had not returned to Red Night recently.
• Sister Xiu explained that Unclaimed Worlds in the Land of the Unfettered sometimes fused into sick, disordered worlds with incompatible systems.
• Sister Xiu said the Starry Night Adventure Group and other organizations were challenging Unclaimed Worlds to investigate the cause.
• Shen Hui agreed to look into the phenomenon and followed Qingxue toward the entrance to the Land of the Unfettered.

Shen Hui challenged Unclaimed Worlds, absorbing a dying insectoid world and then invading the powerful cultivation world of the Lingxi Realm. As the Lingxi factions organized to fight what they believed were Outer Heavenly Devils, another familiar Creation World began merging with the Death World.

• Shen Hui and Qingxue agreed to challenge Unclaimed Worlds separately so Qingxue could observe the effect of her authority.
• Shen Hui's Death World devoured a resource-starved insectoid world, expanding by only a few hundred kilometers.
• Shen Hui connected the Death World to the level-five cultivation world, the Lingxi Realm, and its Mist of Lost Direction spread across the land.
• The Lingxi Realm's holy lands called on cultivators to join an expedition against the Outer Heavenly Devils in the mist.
• Shen Hui sensed a new surge of death power as a familiar Creation World appeared above the Death World and began merging with it.

Qingxue used her authority to fuse her polluted Superpower-system Creation World with Shen Hui’s Death World, raising the unified world to level nine and empowering its inhabitants. As cultivators invaded the Death World, its eldritch forces and mist devastated their ranks, prompting Lingxi Realm’s sleeping powerhouses to awaken.

• Qingxue’s Creation World fused with the Death World, unifying their worldviews and raising the Death World from level seven to level nine.
• The fusion strengthened the cultists and eldritch beings in Qingxue’s world through the flow of faith and divinity.
• Qingxue appeared before Shen Hui and explained that her authority had severed her challenge against another Creation World and joined her world to his instead.
• Cultivators from the level-five Immortal Cultivation Creation World attacked the Death World’s mist, where the Skaven Ratmen were overwhelmed and the mist and eldritch beings corrupted the invaders.
• As the cultivators’ ranks collapsed, Lingxi Realm’s ancient forefathers and secluded powerhouses awakened to face the calamity.

Immortal Venerable Xingyun revealed that the Nine Heavens Divine Diviner had been corrupted after divining the calamity, and the assembled elders watched as he became a monster. The Divine Diviner mistook the black vortex beyond the Mist of Lost Direction for the Immortal Realm and flew toward it, transforming further as he went.

• Immortal Venerable Xingyun told the gathered elders that the Nine Heavens Divine Diviner had been corrupted by a mysterious force after seeing a great terror.
• Immortal Venerable Xingyun opened his small world, and the transformed Nine Heavens Divine Diviner emerged, mumbling that the truth could not be spoken or named.
• The Nine Heavens Divine Diviner cried that their world was purgatory and that their path to ascension was wrong, then declared the black vortex to be the Immortal Realm.
• The Nine Heavens Divine Diviner flew toward the Mist of Lost Direction, changing into a tentacled, many-eyed monster as he shouted that he had finally reached the Immortal Realm.

The Lingxi Realm’s cultivators charged into the Mist of Lost Direction, where the Death World drove them mad and consumed them along with their world. After Qingxue’s Creation World separated from Shen Hui’s, they reunited and discussed using her authority to help him again.

• The mighty cultivators of the Lingxi Realm resolved to enter the mist and fight for their world.
• Shen Hui and Qingxue watched the cultivators face creatures in the mist as the Death World and Qingxue’s Creation World overlapped.
• The Lingxi Realm’s cultivators were corrupted by the mist, descended into madness, and perished.
• The Mist of Lost Direction swallowed the Lingxi Realm, which the Death World absorbed and consumed.
• Qingxue’s Creation World separated from Shen Hui’s, and Qingxue returned to him.
• Qingxue offered to connect to Shen Hui’s Creation World again if he needed help, and they agreed to keep improving themselves.

Shen Hui investigated why several Unclaimed Worlds had far fewer resources than their development levels suggested and discovered that an unknown invader had stripped one world of its resources before vanishing. After devouring that world, he went to ask other creators about the shortage and found that many had noticed their recent challenges yielded fewer resources.

• Shen Hui observed that the technological Unclaimed World had regressed from level three to level two and used Abomination to gather its inhabitants' memories.
• Shen Hui learned from the memory fragments that an unknown force had invaded the world more than ten years earlier, plundered nearly all its resources, and left no clear memories of what happened.
• Shen Hui reasoned that the invader's ability to leave after taking resources did not fit any method he knew, and suspected the same force had affected other Unclaimed Worlds.
• Shen Hui devoured the resource-poor world, returned to his body, and left Qingxue to continue her challenge.
• Shen Hui overheard creators complaining that their recent challenges yielded fewer resources, while others linked the problem to unusual times and an increase in challengers.