Chapter Summaries

Shen Hao used the Demon Domain to let Xiaobai absorb and fuse with the shadow of a transcendent existence. Xiaobai gained the Shadow Controller ability, and Shen Hao discovered that she could use shadows to shake objects and buildings.

• Shen Hao expanded the Demon Domain around the city and saw the full size of the shadow that had once been bound to a contractor.
• Shen Hao gathered the shadow and placed it against Xiaobai's exposed core, which absorbed and fused with it.
• The system told Shen Hao that Xiaobai had gained the Shadow Controller ability, and her core returned to her body.
• Shen Hao ordered Xiaobai to test her new ability, and she made the shadows in the room move, shaking the objects and the entire building.
• Shen Hao stopped Xiaobai before the building could collapse and concluded that her shadow control made her a powerful helper.

After Xiaobai grew stronger, Shen Hao read the Horror Game’s major update and concluded that the game’s creator and the Lord of the Netherworld were enemies, making his Demon class an unintended force opposing the players. The new Contractor system promised players the power to command supernatural beings, including gods.

• Shen Hao returned Xiaobai to his inventory and saw that her fusion with the shadow had raised her constitution to 750, though he had only 105,000 Fear Points left.
• Five days later, Shen Hao read the Horror Game’s update, which allowed players to form teams for S-rank and higher Instances and gave players bonuses when Instance difficulty suddenly changed.
• The update required players to enter an Instance every seven days and temporarily increased rewards for completing missions; Shen Hao welcomed the more frequent matchmaking but suspected he would receive no rewards.
• Shen Hao reasoned that the game’s creator and the Lord of the Netherworld were enemies, that his Demon class was tied to the Lord, and that players survived his attacks because the creator resurrected them after Instances.
• The update introduced more opportunities for players to qualify as Contractors, letting them contract with and command supernatural beings, even gods.

The game’s update revealed the benefits of becoming a Contractor and increased the odds of new players being selected. Shen Hao was matched with the SS-rank Instance Home of Evil Ghosts, where he planned to hunt the players using his intelligence and powers.

• The Alliance Guild revealed that Contractors could command supernatural beings and merge with them to gain long life and supernatural power.
• The game announced that the chance of being selected as a player would gradually increase to one in a thousand.
• Shen Hao suspected the game’s creator was accelerating its plans, then welcomed the chance to enter a new Instance.
• Shen Hao was matched with the SS-rank Home of Evil Ghosts and noted that the Alliance Guild had likely hidden guides to reserve clearing opportunities for its members.
• Shen Hao learned that players had to kill the guards and free the evil ghosts, while he expected to become a guard tasked with killing the players.
• Shen Hao resolved that none of the players would escape, regardless of whether they tried to survive or clear the Instance.

Shen Hao entered the Home of Evil Ghosts as its warden and discovered his new ghostly body, abilities, and missions. When ten players arrived in two teams, he armed himself with the warden’s soul-binding chain and went out to hunt them.

• Shen Hao entered the Home of Evil Ghosts and became its warden, an Instance boss tasked with guarding the prison.
• Shen Hao checked his new stats and abilities, finding that his spirit had risen to 700 and that he could control the guards and bind souls with chains.
• Shen Hao received missions to kill all humans who entered and destroy the Home of Evil Ghosts so the jailers could rest in peace.
• The system announced that his prey had entered, and Shen Hao saw two teams totaling ten players on the street.
• Shen Hao picked up the warden’s chain, wrapped it around himself, and left his room to greet the players.

Xu Chao’s team discussed the appearance of a second team in the same SS-rank Instance and worried that the game update might make it more dangerous. After Li Xingyu admitted he had been studying the Netherworld’s culture, He Ru asked what he had learned about its connection to their world.

• Xu Chao, He Ru, Tang Yun, Wei Changping, and Li Xingyu learned that another team had entered the Instance and would complete the mission with them.
• Xu Chao hoped the two teams might share rewards, while Tang Yun said rewards were allocated by team and Wei Changping warned that the Instance might change and become harder.
• Xu Chao dismissed his teammates’ fears, but Wei Changping and He Ru cautioned that the SS-rank Instance could be dangerous if it changed.
• Tang Yun caught Li Xingyu peering through the gate of residence number one, and Xu Chao and Wei Changping warned him not to endanger the team.
• Li Xingyu apologized and explained that he studied the Netherworld’s culture and history because its language, writing, and architecture resembled their own.
• He Ru asked whether Li Xingyu had figured out the connection between the Netherworld and their world.

Li Xingyu explained that the Netherworld’s gods powered its technology and contributed to human longevity, but the group shifted focus to clearing the Instance. After learning Wei Changping could create barriers, they prepared to kill the guards and destroy the Home of Evil Ghosts.

• Li Xingyu told the group that the Lord of the Netherworld imprisoned supernatural beings and drew on their power to supply the world’s technology and extend human lifespans.
• Xu Chao and Wei Changping redirected the conversation toward surviving and clearing the Instance, and Wei suggested destroying the Home of Evil Ghosts to release its prisoners.
• Tang Yun proposed killing all the guards to find a way to destroy the Home of Evil Ghosts, and Wei Changping revealed he was a level 30 Boundary System Ability User.
• Tang Yun said he had a way to deal with the warden, and the group set out to attack the first guard before another team could act.
• Li Xingyu stayed with the group despite caring more about studying the Netherworld than clearing the Instance.

Tang Yun’s team waited in residence No. 7 to ambush a guard, but when the guard failed to appear, they discovered the Instance Boss blocking the courtyard. Tang Yun prepared to confront him, claiming she had a way to defeat him and gain another helper.

• Tang Yun’s plan led the five into empty residence No. 7, where Wei Changping prepared to trap the guard in a barrier.
• The courtyard gate opened, but the guard never entered the house, and the five waited in silence.
• Tang Yun and the others decided to leave residence No. 7 and search for the guard themselves.
• Tang Yun opened the door, saw the warden standing in the courtyard, and told the others the Boss was blocking their way out.
• Tang Yun said she had a way to deal with the Boss and instructed Wei Changping to trap him in his barrier as she opened the door.

Tang Yun appeared to control the warden, the boss of the Home of Evil Ghosts, and her team believed the Instance would be easy to clear. But as they celebrated, the warden attacked He Ru without Tang Yun's command.

• Tang Yun and the others found the courtyard empty, then discovered the warden had appeared behind them.
• Wei Changping trapped the group inside a barrier while Tang Yun used her soul ability to control the warden.
• After several minutes, Tang Yun announced that she had succeeded, and the others praised her.
• Tang Yun ordered the warden to walk to the door, apparently proving her control over him.
• While the group focused on praising Tang Yun, the warden turned around and wrapped his chain around He Ru's neck.

The warden strangled He Ru after Tang Yun lost control of him, forcing the others to flee. Shen Hao then pulled He Ru’s soul from her body, beginning her transformation into an evil ghost in the Home of Evil Ghosts.

• The warden tightened his chain around He Ru’s neck, and Tang Yun failed to regain control of him.
• Li Xingyu suspected the warden had never been controlled and had been pretending to be weak.
• Wei Changping lowered his barrier, and he, Xu Chao, Tang Ru, and Li Xingyu fled, leaving He Ru behind.
• The warden strangled He Ru, and Shen Hao received 1,500 Fear Points for her death.
• Shen Hao pulled He Ru’s soul from her body, and her fear and pain began turning her into an evil ghost.

Tang Yun led Xu Chao, Wei Changping, and Li Xingyu to the warden’s residence to search for clues and possibly meet another team. Inside the warden’s upstairs office, they encountered a doll whose strange influence kept them from suspecting her.

• Tang Yun convinced Xu Chao, Wei Changping, and Li Xingyu to go to the warden’s residence instead of hiding or following the guide.
• The four reached residence number 151 and found the first floor empty.
• Tang Yun led the group upstairs to the warden’s study, where Li Xingyu headed for the bookshelf.
• A little girl doll emerged from behind the bookshelf, and the four felt affection for her and could not consider that she might be suspicious.

Tang Yun, Xu Chao, Li Xingyu, and Wei Changping became obsessed with a doll inside the Instance and nearly fought over who would claim her. Tang Yun realized the doll had manipulated them, but as the group tried to leave, the surroundings changed and a chill swept through them.

• The four played with the doll and then argued over which of them should take her out of the Instance.
• Tang Yun suggested asking the doll to choose, but the doll jumped out the window and ran to a nearby house, drawing the four after her.
• When they could not find the doll in the house, the four argued again until Tang Yun realized they had been tricked.
• The four discovered their Mental Attributes had plummeted and understood that the doll had been controlling their feelings.
• As they turned to leave, the scenery around them changed and a chill swept in from all sides.

Tang Yun, Wei Changping, Li Xingyu, and Xu Chao encountered He Ru as a vengeful ghost in the Home of Evil Ghosts. Xu Chao escaped her attack only to realize his teammates were dead and the barrier had trapped him with the warden.

• Tang Yun and the others tried to flee room 48 but found a ghost blocking the doorway.
• The group recognized the ghost as He Ru, and she plunged them into darkness before attacking Xu Chao.
• He Ru strangled Xu Chao, but a barrier appeared and stopped her from killing him.
• Xu Chao thanked Wei Changping, then noticed the warden inside the barrier while his teammates stayed silent.
• Xu Chao realized the barrier had trapped him and that Tang Yun, Wei Changping, and Li Xingyu had been killed.

The warden tortured Xu Chao before killing him, earning Shen Hao 2,000 fear points. When Shen Hao tried to kill the three surviving players, a new Instance mechanic dispelled his Possession and teleported them away, leaving him eager to hunt them again.

• Xu Chao begged for mercy, but the warden strangled him and then let him breathe before blocking his escape.
• The warden severed Xu Chao’s leg with a chained axe and then decapitated him.
• Shen Hao gained 2,000 fear points from Xu Chao’s death and prepared to kill the three remaining players.
• Shen Hao’s Possession over the three players was suddenly dispelled, and they regained their senses.
• The three players vanished as the game system teleported them out of danger, and Shen Hao realized the Instance had introduced a new mechanic.

After the warden’s attack left Xu Chao dead, Tang Yun, Wei Changping, and Li Xingyu discovered that the Instance’s special bonuses had greatly strengthened them. They decided to keep trying to clear the Instance, and Wei Changping teleported them into a house so Tang Yun could control more evil ghosts.

• Tang Yun, Wei Changping, and Li Xingyu realized they had returned to the Instance’s starting point after losing consciousness and finding Xu Chao dead.
• Tang Yun and Wei Changping discovered their attributes had doubled and their abilities had gained powerful effects suited to fighting ghosts.
• Li Xingyu found that he could see the boss’s abilities and attributes, resist mental attacks, recover quickly from injuries, and summon soul-purifying lightning.
• Tang Yun proposed taking control of more evil ghosts, and Wei Changping agreed to help her.
• Wei Changping expanded his barrier and teleported Tang Yun and Li Xingyu into a nearby house.

Tang Yun, Li Xingyu, and Wei Changping used their enhanced abilities to overpower and control more than forty evil ghosts in the Home of Evil Ghosts. Confident in their growing force, they set out to find the warden and take revenge.

• Wei Changping teleported Tang Yun and Li Xingyu together and boasted about his enhanced abilities.
• Tang Yun stopped the ghost chef’s attack and took control of him, then subdued a faceless woman playing a zither.
• Wei Changping transported the group through more than thirty rooms, where Tang Yun controlled every evil ghost they encountered, including the strongest one.
• Tang Yun explained that her control would not last beyond the Instance and stopped after commanding more than forty evil ghosts.
• The three marched through the Home of Evil Ghosts with their ghost army and went to seek out the warden.

Tang Yun, Wei Changping, and Li Xingyu returned to the warden’s residence to search for clues, but found the office ransacked by the other team. When the warden arrived, they prepared to trap and kill him for revenge.

• Tang Yun led Wei Changping and Li Xingyu to search the warden’s office for clues to clearing the Instance.
• The three found the office wrecked and suspected the other team had searched it first.
• Tang Yun and Wei Changping worried the other team had gained the same buffs and might have killed the warden or found the solution.
• They heard the warden’s chain approaching and realized he was still alive.
• Wei Changping raised a barrier filled with holy light, and the warden appeared in the doorway.

Wei Changping, Tang Yun, and Li Xingyu confronted the warden, confident their boosted attributes would let them defeat him. The warden revealed a terrifying ability that trapped them in a crimson realm beneath a monstrous eye, and Li Xingyu realized they had already lost.

• Li Xingyu identified the warden’s Possession and Mental Perception skills, and the three lured him outside.
• Wei Changping bound the warden with holy light while Tang Yun’s evil spirits attacked him.
• The warden used Soulfire to set the evil spirits ablaze, revealing another ability.
• Wei Changping’s holy-light swords vanished as the surroundings transformed into a crimson realm beneath a huge, terrifying eye.
• Li Xingyu recognized the warden’s ability and realized the three had already lost.

The warden trapped Wei Changping, Li Xingyu, and Tang Yun inside his Demon Domain, where his power prevented them from using their abilities against him. Tang Yun was left alive after nearly being strangled, but the warden blocked her escape with an axe, while Wei Changping and Li Xingyu fled.

• Li Xingyu identified the warden’s power as Demon Domain and explained that it had no weaknesses and made him ruler over everything inside it.
• Tang Yun attacked the warden with Soul Heavy Blow, but the Demon Domain rebounded her mental power and the warden strangled her with his chain.
• Wei Changping tried to create a barrier, but the domain crushed it, so he and Li Xingyu ran in opposite directions.
• The warden released Tang Yun from the chain and did not pursue the fleeing men.
• Tang Yun recovered and tried to escape, but the warden blocked her path with a sharp axe.

Shen Hao tortured Tang Yun and Wei Changping to death in the Demon Domain, leaving Li Xingyu as the last survivor. Li Xingyu tried to kill himself to avoid Shen Hao, but his wound healed, and Shen Hao appeared before him.

• Shen Hao killed Tang Yun through prolonged torture, then cut off her head and continued hunting the two survivors.
• Wei Changping hid in a house until Tang Yun's head fell beside him, then Shen Hao caught and tortured him to death.
• Shen Hao gained 3,000 Fear Points for Wei Changping's death and turned his attention to the last survivor.
• Li Xingyu decided to slit his own throat rather than die at Shen Hao's hands, but his wound rapidly healed.
• Shen Hao appeared before Li Xingyu, who realized he had lost his chance to kill himself.

Shen Hao tortured and killed Li Xingyu, earning Fear Points before setting out to find another team. Meanwhile, Qiu Ming’s team approached its objective, confident they could clear the Instance despite having seen an unknown evil power.

• Li Xingyu failed to kill himself, and Shen Hao cut off his hands and tortured him until he was nearly broken before killing him.
• Shen Hao received 3,500 Fear Points, deactivated Demon Domain, and decided to prepare surprises for the other team.
• Wu Yong, Qiu Ming, Fang Jing, and Huo Jun discussed the giant eye that had appeared in the sky and concluded that the Instance remained manageable.
• Qiu Ming led the team toward their destination, noting that they already had the key quest item and were nearly ready to clear the Instance.