Chapter Summaries

Shen Xing examined the rewards from the leaderboard and the war demon general, including a Tier Two Lord’s Heart, a dangerous War Demon General Heart, and the epic greatsword [Twilight Purgatory]. He decided to postpone his advancement until after the Rain God avatar challenge and saved the weapon for Hellscream, then watched Hellscream’s troops return to the territory.

• Logan told Shen Xing that an [Advanced Blacksmith's Manual] might help him break through to advanced blacksmith, and Shen Xing left the smithy to inspect more loot.
• Shen Xing examined the [Lord's Heart] and chose to wait a day before advancing because the Rain God avatar challenge was restricted to lords below Tier Two.
• Shen Xing inspected the War Demon General Heart, judged its fusion too dangerous to attempt immediately, and considered Hellscream as a possible candidate.
• Shen Xing examined [Twilight Purgatory], admired its powerful attributes and effects, and decided it would suit Hellscream once he reached the required level.
• Hellscream and his travel-worn troops returned through the city gates.

Shen Xing used the Proof of Hero to help Hellscream begin his breakthrough into a hero. He then offered Gorehowl the dangerous War Demon General Heart, and Gorehowl agreed to merge with it despite the risk of death.

• Shen Xing told the returning troops to rest and kept Hellscream behind to offer him the Proof of Hero.
• Hellscream hesitated, but Shen Xing persuaded him that advancing would help him lead the territory, so Hellscream crushed the seal and began his transformation.
• Gorehowl watched Hellscream's breakthrough with envy but resolved to grow stronger and catch up to him.
• Shen Xing offered Gorehowl the War Demon General Heart and warned that merging with it could kill him.
• Gorehowl accepted the risk, and Shen Xing tossed him the heart to begin the merge.

Shen Xing watched Gorehowl endure the violent power of the War Demon General’s heart while Hellscream completed his transformation into a hero. Hellscream gained powerful orc-focused skills and new territory duties, while Gorehowl’s breakthrough remained unresolved.

• Shen Xing watched the heart’s energy devastate Gorehowl, who briefly regained control long enough to put his burst eyeballs back into their sockets before the blood mist hid him.
• Hellscream completed his transformation beneath a pillar of sacred light and advanced to a hero unit with a 30% increase to all attributes.
• Shen Xing examined Hellscream’s new Orc War Soul and Desperate Brawl skills, noting their powerful effects on orcs and the potential cost of using fallen orcs to strengthen survivors.
• Hellscream saluted Shen Xing, who told him that becoming a hero was only the beginning.
• Shen Xing tested Hellscream’s new abilities to demolish and construct buildings and recruit units, allowing him to help manage the territory.

Gorehowl completed his fusion with the Heart of the War Demon General, awakening as a powerful War Knight and advancing to Tier Two. Shen Xing examined Gorehowl’s new war-based abilities and limitless-growth talent, recognizing their potential while noting that the actual gains would depend on the scale of each battle.

• Gorehowl’s fusion stirred bloodlust among the territory’s combatants before he emerged from the blood mist transformed.
• System notifications revealed Gorehowl’s hidden War Knight class, boosted attributes, new skills and talent, and advancement to Tier Two at level 14.
• Shen Xing inspected Power of War and Declaration of Strife and considered how the latter could make enemies attack one another from a distance.
• Shen Xing discovered that Authority of War permanently increased Gorehowl’s attributes through battles and wars, with no stated upper limit.
• Shen Xing concluded that Gorehowl’s new abilities were exceptionally powerful but that his growth would depend on how much each battle increased his attributes.

Shen Xing celebrated Gorehowl’s advancement and tested his new weapon, then logged out and read his friends’ reactions to the rankings. The chapter ended with Qin Lang asking whether Shen Xing was offline.

• Gorehowl advanced to Tier Two as a War Knight, and Shen Xing praised him while he and Hellscream discussed sparring.
• Shen Xing gave Gorehowl Twilight Purgatory, and its power activated in Gorehowl’s hands, greatly boosting his combat strength.
• Shen Xing reviewed Hellscream’s and Gorehowl’s attributes, then built two windmills and logged out of the territory.
• Shen Xing read the Jiangcheng Heavenly Pride group’s discussion about his first-place ranking, while members tried to identify him as Spark.
• Qin Lang told Shen Xing and Xu Jiayi that he had placed 894th and described his family’s reaction; Xu Jiayi said her mother had called after she made the top hundred.
• Qin Lang tagged Spark and asked Shen Xing whether he was offline.

After placing first on the leaderboard, Shen Xing prepared with Xu Jiayi and Qin Lang for the Rain God Illusory Realm and went to sleep as the rain eased. Meanwhile, Jiangcheng officials selected Shen Xing and his two teammates for the Spiral Labyrinth and began discussing support for top-ranked lords.

• Shen Xing agreed with Xu Jiayi and Qin Lang to prepare for the Rain God Illusory Realm challenge together.
• Xia Wanyin congratulated Shen Xing and told him she had placed in the top three hundred.
• Shen Xing watched the rain ease over the White Dragon River, then went to sleep.
• Director Zhang Yu told Jiangcheng officials that Shen Xing would be nurtured as a Heavenly Star seed and that Jiangcheng had five slots for the Spiral Labyrinth.
• Director Zhang Yu allocated slots to Shen Xing, Xu Jiayi, Qin Lang, Zhou Zheng, and Jiang Rong.
• The officials began discussing support policies for lords who had ranked near the top of the leaderboard.

After Shen Xing received Platinum Member privileges, he traveled to the Pioneer Association to sell his Boss soul and buy materials for the Hell War Chariot. He reached the crowded trading area, where he planned to begin his transactions.

• Shen Xing learned that his account had been upgraded to Platinum Member, with waived trading fees and faster matching and delivery.
• Shen Xing decided to visit the Pioneer Association to sell his Boss soul and buy construction materials and the Advanced Blacksmith's Manual.
• Shen Xing summoned Fried Chicken and flew toward the city center, receiving a message reminding him to obey the new air traffic rules.
• Shen Xing landed near the Pioneer Association, sent Fried Chicken back to the Land of Mist, and entered the building without being recognized.
• Shen Xing took the elevator to the third-floor trading area and found it crowded with hundreds of stalls and many newcomers.

Shen Xing visited the Jiangcheng Pioneer Association to trade a Leader Rank soul for contribution points and buy materials, recruitment scrolls, and an Advanced Blacksmith's Manual. After the quoted costs exceeded the soul's value, he offered a Dark Gem and a Boss One Star Soul for buyback as well.

• Shen Xing bypassed the ordinary counter after his platinum membership was recognized and met trading department manager Ding Han in a private reception room.
• Ding Han offered Shen Xing 93,000 contribution points for his Tier Three Leader Rank soul, and Shen Xing accepted.
• Shen Xing ordered 500 each of Dark Steel, Fel Stones, and Hellfire Seeds, plus 100 Black Moon Knight Recruitment Scrolls and an Advanced Blacksmith's Manual.
• Ding Han quoted 19,000 contribution points for the materials, offered to gather thirty scrolls first at about 650 points each, and said the manual cost 32,000 points.
• Shen Xing declined an interest-free advance and presented a Dark Gem and a Boss One Star Soul for buyback.

Shen Xing bought materials, scrolls, and blueprints to strengthen his territory, then upgraded his troop barracks and Great Bonfire and socketed an Ice Gem into the burial ground. He gave Da Hou and Big Demon advancement materials and told them to absorb them and break through.

• Shen Xing sold a Dark Gem and two souls to Ding Han, then spent most of his contribution points on territory resources and blueprints.
• Shen Xing returned home on Fried Chicken and sent two advancement materials and one piece of Black Spirit Wood into the Land of Mist.
• Shen Xing found that his Orc Barracks and Lesser Demon Lair had reached Elite ★★, while his Skeleton Archer Den had reached Elite ★.
• Shen Xing began upgrading the Great Bonfire to level 3 and socketed an Ice Gem into the burial-ground tombstone, chilling the area and strengthening the skeleton archers.
• Shen Xing summoned Da Hou and Big Demon, gave each an advancement material, and told them to absorb it and break through.

Shen Xing prepared his troops for the Rain God Illusory Realm challenge, where the top hundred lords would compete to damage the Rain God's avatar. As the midnight start approached, Shen Xing assembled his ten chosen fighters while Lachlan prepared to take first place from him.

• Da Hou and Big Demon advanced, bringing Shen Xing's territory to eight Tier Two powerhouses.
• The system announced that the Rain God Illusory Realm challenge would begin at midnight and rank lords by damage dealt to the Rain God's avatar.
• Shen Xing chose eight Tier Two powerhouses and two lemures to accompany him, and saw that his first-place leaderboard position gave him a 10% damage bonus.
• Shen Xing assembled his ten fighters and warned them that the illusory realm might be dangerous.
• Lachlan gathered ten peak Transcendent Rank troops and vowed to reclaim first place from Shen Xing.

A woman in red prepared her followers to fight the Rain God's avatar, while Shen Xing and the other top lords entered the Rain God Illusory Realm for a damage-output challenge. As the live broadcast drew worldwide attention, the lords sized up their rivals before their platforms began shaking.

• A woman in red told her ten followers to help her take first place in the illusory-realm battle against the Rain God's avatar.
• Shen Xing discovered that mounts counted toward his unit limit, withdrew two dretches, and entered the portal with seven commanders.
• Shen Xing's group arrived on a small platform in the middle of a vast black lake, where platforms carrying the other lords floated beneath a crescent moon.
• Lords around the world watched the live broadcast and discussed Shen Xing, the other contenders, and betting on the challenge.
• The one hundred lords surveyed one another's troops; Shen Xing spotted Xu Jiayi, and the platforms began shaking violently.

The Rain God Illusory Realm challenge began, and Shen Xing and the other top hundred lords fought powerful level 19 Rain God Avatars. As the battles unfolded across the lake, the lords watching the live feeds debated who would score the first kill.

• A massive whirlpool formed in the lake, and the system announced the 60-minute Rain God Illusory Realm challenge and its rules.
• Water droplets emerged from the whirlpool and transformed into Rain God Avatars, including the umbrella-wielding Hanging Curtain who faced Shen Xing.
• Shen Xing ordered his troops to surround Hanging Curtain, while Xiao Hei shielded himself and Gorehowl from its attacks and the others struck from range and the flanks.
• Lachlan sent ten Transcendent Rank experts against his Rain God Avatar, while a woman in a red dress unleashed blood-red bats on hers.
• Xu Jiayi used Xiao Xiao to withstand an Avatar's attacks while her archers fired from behind, and the watching lords argued over who would get the first kill.

Shen Xing learned that the Rain God avatars could regenerate through a hidden water core, then tried to expose and destroy one with his troops. His attack evaporated the water but earned no leaderboard damage, and a longsword suddenly lunged toward Xiao Hei’s shoulder.

• Shen Xing and the other lords repeatedly destroyed Rain God avatars, but the avatars regenerated from the surrounding water.
• Dolores Jones claimed the first kill after her bats covered the platform, putting her first on the leaderboard.
• Leina told Shen Xing that she had seen a transparent droplet inside the avatar that was likely its core.
• Shen Xing coordinated attacks to make the avatar burst apart, then froze the platform and ordered Hellscream to strike the exposed water core with a fiery tornado.
• The attack left Shen Xing’s leaderboard damage at zero, and a longsword suddenly thrust toward Xiao Hei’s shoulder.

Shen Xing and the other lords learned to kill the Rain God Avatars by exposing and destroying their hidden water cores, then faced the second phase’s rain and debuffs. As the battle continued around the shrinking platforms, Shen Xing sent Da Hou and Big Demon to help Xu Jiayi, improving her fighting efficiency.

• Leina spotted the water core on Xiao Hei and destroyed it, while Shen Xing’s group moved to another platform as the old one began collapsing.
• Shen Xing’s team killed another Rain God Avatar, and he shared the water-core strategy with Xu Jiayi, who used it to raise her damage.
• More lords learned the method, and the leaderboard shifted as the Rain God Avatars’ combined health fell below 70 percent.
• The Rain God activated the Rain of Weeping, disabling shields and buffs, increasing gravity for flight, and stacking movement and cooldown penalties.
• Shen Xing sent Da Hou and Big Demon to support Xu Jiayi, whose limited frontline had left her unable to deal enough damage.

Shen Xing and the other lords continued attacking the Rain God clones until their health fell below 40%, triggering the challenge’s third phase. A gigantic chained water giant emerged from the lake and unleashed a wave across the field, leaving the survivors facing its next attack.

• Gorehowl used Fire of War to destroy Rain God clones while Leina struck their water cores, and the rankings shifted as Dolores held first place and Xu Jiayi entered the top ten.
• Shen Xing encountered a blue-haired man who threatened him without giving his name, then spoke with Dolores, who expressed an unsettling desire to capture him.
• When the Rain God clones’ health dropped below 40%, a thousand-meter water giant rose from the lake’s whirlpool, still bound by chains.
• The giant struck the lake and sent a devastating wave across the field, so Shen Xing’s group and Hellscream’s group flew into the air to escape it.
• The water giant began raising the lake with both hands, and the surviving lords felt a terrifying pressure descend upon them.

Shen Xing watched Gorehowl avenge Hellscream, who had been teleported out after taking a hit from the Rain God clones, while the top lords unleashed their strongest forces. With five minutes left in the challenge, the clones’ total health fell to 10.5%.

• Shen Xing saw Hellscream shield Gorehowl from the Rain God’s water chains and fall into the lake, unaware that he had only been teleported out.
• Gorehowl believed Hellscream was dead, gained a massive combat boost, and destroyed Rain God clones with powerful attacks.
• Gorehowl’s assault rapidly raised Shen Xing’s damage and widened his lead over Lachlan.
• Lachlan sent his half-dragon Leader Rank troops into battle, while Dolores unleashed a blood swamp and swarms of bats.
• Asada Hitomi, Wu Wen, Xu Jiayi, and the other lords used their strongest troops and abilities against the clones.
• The Rain God clones’ total health dropped to 10.5% with five minutes remaining in the challenge.

Lachlan attacked Shen Xing to overtake him in the rankings, but Shen Xing’s troops killed one of Lachlan’s Leader Rank fire dragons and forced him to retreat. Shen Xing chose not to pursue, and Lachlan abruptly stopped in midair.

• With fewer than twenty lords remaining, Lachlan flew toward Shen Xing and ordered his two fire dragons to attack.
• Shen Xing’s troops blocked the dragon breath, while Gorehowl and the blood wolf dragged one fire dragon down and killed it on the ice.
• Black Arrow froze the lake around the battlefield, prompting Lachlan to flee with his remaining fire dragon.
• Spectators praised Shen Xing’s strength, while Shen Xing declined Xiao Hei’s suggestion to pursue Lachlan.
• Lachlan suddenly stopped in midair after flying only a short distance.

Lachlan and Asada Hitomi ambushed Shen Xing, who sacrificed himself to protect Leina. Grief awakened Leina’s sealed power, and she incinerated her attackers and the Rain God clone, leaving Shen Xing in first place as the illusory realm shattered.

• Lachlan revealed that Asada Hitomi and her assassin squad had joined his attack on Shen Xing.
• Shen Xing shielded Leina from the daggers, died from his wounds, and urged her to keep fighting.
• Leina awakened her sealed hero skill and unleashed devastating black-red flames across the realm.
• The flames killed Lachlan, Asada Hitomi, the nearby lords and troops, and eventually destroyed the Rain God clone.
• Shen Xing rose to first place in the rankings, and the Rain God Illusory Realm shattered.

After the Rain God Illusory Realm challenge ended, Shen Xing learned that Leina’s forbidden flames had killed the Rain God avatar and secured him first place. His fighters returned to his territory, where he held the unconscious Leina and began to understand the danger of her power.

• The challenge ended, and lords and Jiangcheng Pioneer Association officials reacted to Leina’s flames and Shen Xing’s unprecedented first place on both leaderboards.
• Shen Xing returned to his territory and reassured Hellscream, Big Demon, and Da Hou that nobody truly died inside the secret realm.
• The leaderboard awarded Shen Xing first place, then upgraded his reward to a Legendary Rain God’s Blessing and granted him three Rain God’s Tears of Hope and a Holy Chalice of Rain.
• Gorehowl, Xiao Hei, Black Arrow, and Leina returned; Shen Xing saw that Leina was unconscious and dressed in a fiery red robe.
• Gorehowl and Xiao Hei told Shen Xing that Leina’s flames had killed everyone in the realm, including the Rain God avatar, and that the fire harmed allies as well as enemies.
• Shen Xing realized Leina had avoided using her power because it could not distinguish friend from foe, then lifted her gently into his arms.

After Leina collapsed from exhausting herself in the Rain God Illusory Realm, Shen Xing arranged for Nimue to care for her and examined the rewards that had upgraded his Rain God's Blessing to legendary. He discovered powerful bonuses and two epic items, leaving him to consider whether to use the Rain God's Tears on his troops or his Golden Ancient Tree Seed.

• Shen Xing had Hellscream take him to a cabin, where he laid the unconscious Leina on a bed and asked Nimue to look after her.
• Shen Xing told Nimue to give Leina only Moon Well water or Moonlight Bread, then went outside as the rain eased.
• Shen Xing checked the legendary Rain God's Blessing and found that it doubled crop growth and yield, raised territory members' secondary profession levels by one, and lasted three years.
• Shen Xing inspected the Rain God's Tears of Hope and learned they could boost attributes, awaken water talents, accelerate plant growth, or empower plant-type troops.
• Shen Xing considered using the tears on his troops or the Golden Ancient Tree Seed, then examined the Holy Chalice of Rain and its rain-summoning and flood effects.