Chapter Summaries

Qin Yan used Lu Chi’s authority to pressure Li Wenqing into raising ten thousand taels to secure Li An’s release. The chapter ended with Qin Yan and Lu Chi dining in the jail while Li An was beaten nearby.

• Qin Yan finished his strike-resistance training and learned that Lu Chi had ordered Li An arrested.
• Qin Yan visited the Azure Blade Gang and told Li Wenqing that Li An’s trouble required ten thousand taels in compensation and several days in jail.
• Li Wenqing agreed to raise the money, then began selling off his property.
• Qin Yan ate hot pot with Lu Chi in the jail, where Lu Chi ordered the jailers to beat Li An harder.

Qin Yan and Lu Chi took Li Wenqing’s apology money, then used accusations against the Fuqing Gambling House to launch a raid. Li Wenqing tried to kill Qin Yan, but Qin Yan defeated him and left him gravely injured.

• Li Wenqing sold off most of his properties to raise ten thousand taels, while Qin Yan secretly bought many of them at a discount.
• Li Wenqing delivered the silver to Lu Chi, who divided it with Qin Yan and agreed to help target the Fuqing Gambling House.
• Qin Yan and Lu Chi arranged for Captain Lü and the constables to raid the gambling house over its crimes, including murder, fraud, and violence against debtors.
• Li Wenqing recognized Qin Yan’s betrayal and attacked him with the Azure-Scale Saber, but Qin Yan dodged the blows and caught the saber barehanded.
• Qin Yan kicked Li Wenqing through a building, leaving him with a crushed chest and barely any breath.

Qin Yan brought down the Azure Blade Gang and drove off the Black Dragon Gang’s attempt to claim its territory. He renamed his growing organization the Infinite Martial Arts School and began arranging its disciples and headquarters, while secretly preparing for a journey to the forest blessed land.

• Qin Yan defeated Li Wenqing and had him and his accomplices imprisoned, then let Li Ping'er go after she swore not to seek revenge.
• Shi Hu told Qin Yan that Tie Peng had escaped, while Ye Xian decided the Cao Gang should wait before moving into the Azure Blade Gang’s territory.
• Zong Xiaoshan crushed the Black Dragon Gang’s men and declared the former Azure Blade Gang territory belonged to Qin Yan, with Captain Lü and the authorities backing him.
• Qin Xiaoyi reported that Qin Yan’s group had about a hundred men, and Qin Yan renamed it the Infinite Martial Arts School and ordered it to stop operating gambling dens or bullying people.
• Qin Yan appointed Zong Xiaoshan deputy head, set up inner and outer disciples, assigned the school’s headquarters and branch, and secretly instructed Qin Xiaoyi and Zong Xiaoshan to help him reach the forest blessed land.

Qin Yan took up his post as Demon-Suppression Envoy in Qinghe Town and went to investigate the dangerous Mass Grave Mound. He arrived at the Green Mountain Army camp and introduced himself to Lu Xiao and the others as the new Demon-Suppression Commandant.

• Imperial disaster relief grain arrived in Qinghe Town, and Qin Yan hired Huang Chao as his businesses’ bookkeeper.
• Qin Yan investigated the missing grave goods and learned that Liao Qian’s uncle and family had vanished after Liao Qian died.
• Di Feng explained that Qin Yan could recruit five Demon-Searching Guards and warned him that the situation at Mass Grave Mound was worsening.
• Qin Yan tasked Di Feng with finding someone to serve at the Cremation Site, then headed to Mass Grave Mound.
• Qin Yan saw the foul Qi around the mass graves and passed through the guards after showing his Demon-Suppressing Bureau token.
• A black-armored soldier escorted Qin Yan to Lu Xiao, where Qin Yan paid his respects as the Demon Suppression Commandant.

Qin Yan arrived at the mass grave as a newly appointed Demon Suppression Commandant and offered to clear its weaker evil entities. He tested a massive battle saber forged for him, leaving everyone astonished by his strength.

• Lu Xiao recognized Qin Yan's Demon Suppression Commandant token and praised him, while Daoist Chen and the Azure Sun Abbey elders recalled Qin Yan's past feats.
• Qingyunzi and Lu Xiao explained that a wounded Green-Clothed Walking Corpse, other monsters, and a concealed evil presence threatened the mass grave.
• Qin Yan said he could easily exterminate ordinary fierce ghosts and volunteered to reduce the number of evil entities inside.
• Qin Yan vanished at extraordinary speed, convincing the others that he could enter the mass grave and escape danger.
• Zong Xiaoshan brought Qin Yan the newly forged saber, and Qin Yan lifted and swung it with such force that the onlookers were stunned.

Qin Yan entered Mass Grave Mound to scout its evil entities and discovered that Yin Sha Qi had awakened many resentful souls and walking corpses. He captured ten ghosts in the Soul-Nourishing Purification Bottle, destroyed the rest nearby, and began slaughtering the rising corpses.

• Qin Yan tested the oversized saber made for him by the Ironware Workshop and entered Mass Grave Mound alone.
• Qin Yan used Qi-Reading Technique to sense the concentrated Yin Sha Qi and the evil entities gathered among the graves.
• Qin Yan captured an old ghost in the Soul-Nourishing Purification Bottle, intending to feed it to the ghost in the Curse Jade.
• Qin Yan captured nine more evil entities, filling the bottle to its limit, then destroyed the remaining nearby ghosts with his saber.
• Qin Yan saw walking corpses rising from the graves and began cutting them down with his blood-red saber.

Qin Yan discovered and destroyed a formation channeling Yin Sha Qi through the Mass Grave Mound, then fought the enraged ghosts and captured the Zheshen Ghost. After a Wailing Ghost escaped toward the entrance, Qin Yan crushed it in front of the Azure Sun Abbey master and rushed off to pursue more fleeing spirits.

• Qin Yan found Yin jade formation nodes beneath the Mass Grave Mound and broke them, sending the gathered Yin Sha Qi back to the deep pool.
• More than twenty evil creatures attacked Qin Yan, but he shattered their shackles and killed many with his Blood Sha Qi and saber.
• Qin Yan subdued the Zheshen Ghost and dragged him into the Soul-Nourishing Purification Bottle.
• The Wailing Ghost fled toward the Mass Grave Mound entrance, where the Azure Sun Abbey master and Lu Xiao prepared to stop it.
• Qin Yan arrived first, crushed the Wailing Ghost, apologized to the Azure Sun Abbey master, and ran after other fleeing ghosts.

Qin Yan discovered that a powerful Sha was being nurtured beneath Mass Grave Mound and warned that disturbing it could bring disaster to Qinghe Town. The Demon-Suppressing Bureau mobilized Youshan Prefecture’s Demon-Suppression Envoys and alerted its superiors.

• Qin Yan killed most of the Yin Souls at Mass Grave Mound, sensed a formidable presence beneath the deep pool, and told the master of Azure Sun Abbey about it.
• The abbey master examined the terrain and concluded it had gathered death Qi to nurture Sha for hundreds of years, warning that disturbing it could cause a great calamity.
• Qin Yan and the abbey master returned to camp, where Qin Yan explained the danger to Lu Xiao and ordered him to guard the site while Chen Min gathered supplies to seal it off.
• Qin Yan sent an urgent report to the Demon-Suppressing Bureau in Youshan Prefecture through a courier.
• Zhao Zhen read Qin Yan’s report, alerted his superiors, and ordered nearly all Demon-Suppression Envoys in Youshan Prefecture to proceed to Qinghe Town.

Di Feng told Qin Yan about the Southern Demon-Suppressing General, Qin Zhu, and explained the martial realms beyond Qi Origin as Qin Yan considered his own strength. After Di Feng left, Xiaoxuan returned and helped Qin Yan feed a Vengeful Ghost to the Curse Jade, while Qin Yan began considering how to use the Zheshen Ghost’s formidable telekinetic power.

• Di Feng warned Qin Yan that someone had altered the terrain at Mass Grave Mound and said the Demon-Suppressing Bureau would send a general to deal with the fiend.
• Di Feng explained that Qin Zhu, the Southern Demon-Suppressing General, was a Third Realm Supreme Grandmaster, and outlined the Xiantian, Grandmaster, and Supreme Grandmaster realms.
• Qin Yan reflected that he could not cultivate Qi, relied on vital blood essence and Sha Qi, and still lacked a clear measure of his strength.
• Di Feng told Qin Yan he had found the person Qin Yan had asked him to locate, and Qin Yan agreed to meet them.
• Xiaoxuan returned to Qin Yan’s home and reacted fearfully to the Soul-Nourishing Purification Bottle, then silenced the Zheshen Ghost with a cry.
• Qin Yan used the Curse Jade to devour a Vengeful Ghost and considered the Zheshen Ghost’s telekinetic power and the ghost-control technique Monk Zhixing had left behind.

Qin Yan used the Soul-Control Curse to bind the Zheshen Ghost to his dagger, then fed the ghost his blood and Qi and learned about its ability to inflict telekinetic injuries. He took the ghost to Tiger Head Mountain, where it killed the bandits in the stronghold at his command.

• Qin Yan inscribed a ghost-control vessel on his dagger and forced the Zheshen Ghost into it with the Soul-Control Curse.
• Qin Yan tortured the Zheshen Ghost with Blood Sha Qi until it submitted, then gave it blood and Qi to help it recover.
• Qin Yan learned that the Zheshen Ghost could break limbs or heads with its ability.
• Qin Yan traveled to the bandit stronghold on Tiger Head Mountain and ordered the ghost to attack the bandits' crotches.
• The Zheshen Ghost killed the bandits in the stronghold, while Qin Yan watched without sympathy.

After burning the bandits’ bodies, Qin Yan returned to Qinghe Town and joined Zhao Zhen and the Demon-Suppressing Bureau at Mass Grave Mound. They learned that a centuries-old evil creature lay beneath the pool and might be sealed rather than fought, while the discovery raised suspicions of a traitor among the Mojin Xiaowei.

• Qin Yan punished the Zheshen Ghost for directing killing intent at him, then returned to Qinghe Town.
• Zhao Zhen arrived with the Demon Suppression Commandants, and Qin Yan led them to Mass Grave Mound.
• The Bureau’s feng shui master identified the site as an ominous Yin Burial Dipper and warned that a powerful evil creature had developed beneath the pool.
• Li Xuanzhen questioned why the late emperor’s Mojin Xiaowei had missed the site, and Zhao Zhen ordered everyone to keep the discovery secret after suspecting a traitor.
• Ma Daren introduced Qin Yan to the other Commandants and explained that the Bureau would likely seal the site until it could afford to deal with the evil creature.

Qinghe Town prepared to seal Mass Grave Mound as the Demon-Suppressing Bureau gathered experts and learned that the pool connected to the Underworld. Qin Yan improved his fighting skill and met Southern Demon-Suppressing General Qin Zhu, then Zhao Zhen summoned him into the council hall.

• Jiang Fuji feared that the horror beneath Mass Grave Mound could destroy Qinghe Town and hoped to finish his term without further trouble.
• Qin Yan learned that the pool beneath Mass Grave Mound was an entrance to the Underworld, a yin world inhabited by demons and evil entities.
• Qin Yan surpassed the speed of sound with his punches and developed the Sonic Boom Fist.
• An enormous azure bird arrived above Qinghe Town, bringing Southern Demon-Suppressing General Qin Zhu.
• Qin Zhu addressed the assembled Demon-Suppressing Bureau members before the leaders went to discuss the situation in the council hall.
• Zhao Zhen called Qin Yan into the council hall, surprising him.

Qin Yan proved his extraordinary spiritual perception to the Demon-Suppressing Bureau’s leaders, clearing their suspicions about how he discovered the danger beneath Mass Grave Mound. As Zhao Zhen was assigned to lead the extermination, Qin Zhu ordered Qin Yan to guard a group of noble young masters and keep them away from the mound.

• Qin Yan explained that his powerful spiritual sense had led him to discover the danger beneath Mass Grave Mound and report it to Zhao Zhen.
• Qin Yan identified the contents of three sealed boxes, proving his perception and drawing the interest of the other commandants.
• Zhao Zhen praised Qin Yan and claimed him as his subordinate as the commandants recognized the value of his talent.
• Qin Zhu ordered Zhao Zhen to lead the effort to destroy the evil creatures at Mass Grave Mound, with the others assisting.
• Qin Zhu assigned Qin Yan to protect the noble young masters and secretly told him to stop them from going to Mass Grave Mound.

After being excluded from the Mass Grave Mound operation, Qin Yan was assigned to accompany young members of the Xu family and their cousin. When a drowned man’s body could not be retrieved from the river, Qin Yan sensed an evil presence beneath the water.

• Zhao Zhen advised Qin Yan to accept his assignment and focus on becoming stronger so others would take him seriously.
• Qin Yan met Xu Ziheng, Xu Zixin, and Zhang Jing, warning them that curiosity about evil entities could get them killed.
• Di Feng told Qin Yan that a man had died upstream and his body could not be pulled from the river, so Qin Yan and the Xu family group went to investigate.
• Di Feng explained that Yan Hong’s body had remained upright underwater despite Wang Qing’s repeated attempts to retrieve it.
• Qin Yan saw a dark shadow beneath the river and Sha Qi around Yan Hong’s corpse, confirming that something unclean was preventing its recovery.

Qin Yan tricked Zhang Jing into helping retrieve Yan Hong’s corpse, only to discover that a River Nether had seized him. Qin Yan attacked the entity and plunged into the river, leaving the others on the bank with no sign of him.

• Wang Qing returned the Yan couple’s money but refused to retrieve Yan Hong’s corpse, so Qin Yan recruited Zhang Jing by appealing to his pride and chivalry.
• Qin Yan and Zhang Jing took a bamboo raft to the corpse, and Zhang Jing entered the icy river with a rope tied around his waist.
• As Zhang Jing looped a rope around Yan Hong’s hand, a River Nether grabbed his ankle and dragged him under.
• Qin Yan pulled Yan Hong’s corpse onto the raft, recognized the River Nether, and yanked Zhang Jing out of the water.
• Qin Yan struck the River Nether with a Demon-Subduing Pestle, then plunged into the river; Zhang Jing and Yan Hong’s corpse reached the bank, but Qin Yan was nowhere to be seen.

Qin Yan defeated River Nether in the river and found a jade turtle containing spiritual essence, while a strange vortex of corpses remained hidden in the abyss. Back on shore, he persuaded Yan Tao and Chang Cuihua to burn their son’s tainted corpse, then convinced Wang Qing to become a Corpse-Burning Patrol Commissioner.

• Zhang Jing returned to shore and realized Qin Yan had used him as bait to draw out the Water Ghost.
• Qin Yan chased River Nether into an underwater abyss, restrained it with Buddhist prayer beads, and destroyed its spiritual body with the Blood Sha Hand Seal.
• Qin Yan followed a stream of Sha Qi to a jade turtle containing spiritual essence, then swam back to the surface as human corpses began circling in a vortex below.
• Qin Yan warned Yan Tao and Chang Cuihua that Yan Hong’s corpse could rise again, and they agreed to burn it.
• Wang Qing placed a Corpse-Suppressing Coin in Yan Hong’s mouth while the corpse burned.
• Qin Yan promised to support Wang Qing if he encountered dangerous corpses, and Wang Qing agreed to become a Corpse-Burning Patrol Commissioner.

After defeating Yan Hong, Qin Yan examined the jade turtle he had found, cultivated overnight, and bought an eighty-year-old lingzhi for medicinal wine. As experts gathered to suppress the evil beneath Mass Grave Mound, a group of mysterious figures discussed the sealing effort and Granny Tang remained unconcerned.

• Qin Yan returned home with the jade turtle, tried to make it recognize him with his blood, then cultivated through the night and increased his strength, speed, and spirit limits.
• Shi Hu told Qin Yan that his seventh uncle had found an eighty-year-old lingzhi, and Qin Yan paid twelve hundred taels for it.
• Qin Yan sent Zong Xiaoshan to buy the herbs needed to make medicinal wine from his lingzhi.
• Buddhist and Daoist experts arrived in Qinghe Town as the Demon-Suppressing Captains prepared to clear Mass Grave Mound and the county yamen recruited laborers to alter its terrain.
• At a remote village, a black-bearded man and an effeminate scholar discussed the experts gathered at Mass Grave Mound, and Granny Tang said they could let the authorities seal the place.

Qin Yan investigated the White Family after learning that Bai Yunzeng dealt with tomb robbers, then discovered he was raising a Ghost Baby and had promised it another living sacrifice. Qin Yan destroyed the ghost and captured Bai Yunzeng, accusing him of raising a ghost and killing people.

• Qin Yan learned that Bai Yunzeng bought antiques from tomb robbers and went to inspect the White Family's shop and estate.
• Qin Yan sent Zheshen Ghost to watch the White Estate, and the ghost reported Yin Qi, recent deathly Qi, and signs that Bai Yunzeng was raising a little ghost.
• Qin Yan secretly entered the White Estate and saw Bai Yunzeng worshipping a clay figure that housed a Ghost Baby, promising it another living sacrifice.
• Qin Yan threw a Demon-Subduing Pestle through the Ghost Baby, destroying it.
• Qin Yan stormed into the room, crushed Bai Yunzeng's thigh, twisted his arm, and accused him of raising a ghost and killing people.

At the county jail, Bai Yunzeng confessed that an unnamed scholar had taught him to raise a ghost and had received the burial artifacts, including a bronze pot that contained a powerful Yin soul. Before the Demon-Suppressing Bureau could learn more, the scholar killed Bai Yunzeng with a Paper Man and vanished into the night.

• Zhao Zhen brought Qin Yan to the jail, where Kong Zhao used his Silk-Thread Ghost to torture Bai Yunzeng.
• Bai Yunzeng confessed that a young scholar had taught him to raise a ghost and received the burial artifacts he obtained from tomb robber Liao Qian.
• Bai Yunzeng explained that a bronze pot had contained a powerful Yin soul, which the scholar captured after it devoured Liao Qian's soul.
• A painter produced a portrait of the scholar, and Zhao Zhen ordered Qin Yan to circulate it and investigate.
• A Paper Man flew through the jail window and cut Bai Yunzeng's throat; Zhao Zhen and Kong Zhao attacked it, but it burned to ash.
• The effeminate scholar stroked a white fox and disappeared into the night.

After a prisoner was killed by a paper man, Qin Yan and the Demon-Suppressing Bureau searched Qinghe Town for the powerful evil cultivator responsible. A witness led them to Min Family Village, where they searched Min Xingzhi’s home and found coffins and urns but no immediate sign of evil.

• Zhao Zhen ordered a town-wide search, while Qin Yan warned the others that the paper man’s master was exceptionally dangerous.
• After a day of searching, Qin Yan heard a traveler describe a finely dressed person carrying a fox on the road west of town.
• The constables identified Min Family Village as suspicious and reported that Min Xingzhi lived there with an old servant.
• Zhao Zhen and his men questioned an old woman, who said Min Xingzhi was kind and had no known strange visitors.
• Min Xingzhi and his servant Min Zhong let the officials search their house, where Qin Yan found several empty coffins and the group saw seven urns arranged before an incense table.