Chapter Summaries

Wang Xiaofeng and Ma Hongjun followed the village chief into an underground refuge where villagers lived in fear of monsters. The chief revealed that Vampire Bats had driven them underground and that Soul Masters sent from Tore City had failed to stop the more powerful creature; he hoped the newcomers could escape and get help from Spirit Hall.

• Wang Xiaofeng noticed that cave-ins in the underground passages lined up with the Wooden Houses above and suspected the village’s plight was more complicated than the chief had suggested.
• The village chief brought Wang Xiaofeng and Ma Hongjun to a crowded underground refuge, where villagers worried about dwindling supplies and men prepared to risk gathering food and water.
• Wang Xiaofeng and Ma Hongjun offered the village chief wine and asked him why the villagers lived underground.
• The village chief explained that Vampire Bats had begun draining livestock and people half a year earlier, forcing the villagers to use old passages built to hide from Mountain Bandits.
• The village chief said Soul Masters from Tore City had failed to catch the cunning monster, and he urged Wang Xiaofeng and Ma Hongjun to escape and seek help from Spirit Hall.

After learning little more from the old man, Wang Xiaofeng and Ma Hongjun were awakened by a dispute over several young men who had disappeared while collecting rainwater. Wang Xiaofeng offered to search for them, but as the crowd sought a guide, a figure slipped away unnoticed.

• Wang Xiaofeng gave up questioning the old man, who grumbled as he left with his empty wine gourds.
• Wang Xiaofeng and Ma Hongjun ate, settled down to rest, and were awakened by an argument about young men who had not returned from collecting rainwater.
• Wang Xiaofeng learned that the old man had ordered the young men out despite their original assignment to guard the passage, prompting their relatives to demand an explanation.
• Wang Xiaofeng addressed the crowd, accidentally stunning several people with his amplified voice, then offered to search for the missing men with Ma Hongjun.
• Wang Xiaofeng asked for a volunteer to guide them, while an unseen figure slipped away from the edge of the crowd.

Wang Xiaofeng left the village with Ma Hongjun and the Old Village Chief to find water, then confronted a gigantic flying monster whose strength rivaled a Soul Emperor. The clash left Wang Xiaofeng uncertain that he could defeat it alone.

• The Old Village Chief volunteered to guide Wang Xiaofeng and Ma Hongjun to a Water Well.
• Wang Xiaofeng, Ma Hongjun, and the Old Village Chief emerged from an underground tunnel and set out after Wang Xiaofeng sensed no nearby danger.
• Wang Xiaofeng heard wings overhead and sent Ma Hongjun ahead with the Old Village Chief.
• A lightning flash revealed an enormous black monster, and Wang Xiaofeng met its attack with the Gourd and Adamantine Defense.
• The impact drove Wang Xiaofeng back and left his arms numb, as he judged the monster to have Soul Emperor-level strength.

Ma Hongjun and the Old Village Chief were trapped by a swarm of Vampire Bats, but Ma Hongjun's Phoenix Martial Soul held them off until the bats fled. Wang Xiaofeng rejoined them and found five drained corpses by the village well.

• Ma Hongjun revealed his four Soul Rings and deterred the Vampire Bat swarm from attacking.
• The Vampire Bats abruptly fled, and Wang Xiaofeng rejoined Ma Hongjun and the Old Village Chief.
• The Old Village Chief led them to one of the village's deep wells, where Wang Xiaofeng found five shriveled corpses.

Wang Xiaofeng returned to the underground refuge with Ma Hongjun and the dead villagers, then told the survivors he would leave to seek help from the nearest Spirit Hall. The villagers were left with a month’s supply of food as Wang Xiaofeng and Ma Hongjun prepared to face the monster’s threat by finding help.

• Old Village Chief saw the five dead villagers and collapsed in grief as Ma Hongjun tried to comfort him.
• Wang Xiaofeng wrapped the five bodies in silk cloth, stored them in his Martial Soul Space, and told Ma Hongjun they were going back.
• Wang Xiaofeng and Ma Hongjun returned to the underground refuge, where the young guards asked about the village and the missing villagers.
• The survivors saw the five bodies, and Wang Xiaofeng pointed out the food he had saved to last them a month.
• Wang Xiaofeng told the survivors he and Ma Hongjun would leave to seek help from the nearest Spirit Hall because they could not defeat the monster.

After overhearing the villagers, Wang Xiaofeng learned that Soul Masters had been disappearing while investigating the monsters, and suspected someone in the village was aiding the enemy. He decided to pretend to retreat, then strike at the Vampire Bat King's lair, though its location remained unknown.

• Wang Xiaofeng overheard villagers reveal that several Soul Master groups and a level thirty-eight Soul Elder had disappeared after setting out to hunt monsters.
• Wang Xiaofeng explained what he had learned to Ma Hongjun, who struggled to follow his reasoning.
• Wang Xiaofeng suspected someone had lured the Vampire Bat King to the village and was monitoring their movements.
• Ma Hongjun realized that someone among the villagers might be working for the enemy, and Wang Xiaofeng approved of his deduction.
• Wang Xiaofeng moved the straw covering the underground passage entrance as the rain eased.

Wang Xiaofeng and Ma Hongjun searched for the vampire bats’ nest and found it in a cave cut into a ravine. They slipped past the patrols and reached the depths of the cave.

• Wang Xiaofeng reasoned that the villagers’ attackers would ambush the only road out and that the vampire bats’ nest was likely a cave.
• Wang Xiaofeng and Ma Hongjun searched the mountain range from opposite sides until Ma Hongjun found a ravine with a cave and vampire bats flying in and out.
• Wang Xiaofeng and Ma Hongjun hid their scents, took Obstacle Avoidance Pills, and descended the ravine to reach the cave.
• Wang Xiaofeng used the Calabash Vine to help Ma Hongjun across to the cave entrance after Ma Hongjun began to fall.
• Wang Xiaofeng and Ma Hongjun used the Calabash Vine to absorb sound and passed the patrolling vampire bats before reaching the cave’s depths.

Wang Xiaofeng and Ma Hongjun discovered Ice Ling Grass in the cave, which Wang Xiaofeng wanted for dangerous cultivation experiments. After collecting the plants, Wang Xiaofeng examined indistinct carvings on the cave walls.

• Wang Xiaofeng stopped when the path ended and pointed out a faint glow, which Ma Hongjun guessed might be a fortuitous encounter.
• Wang Xiaofeng recognized the glowing plants as Ice Ling Grass and explained that its leaves could reduce the risk of cultivation deviation.
• Wang Xiaofeng carefully collected the Ice Ling Grass, leaving a few roots behind so the plants could grow again.
• Ma Hongjun dug alongside Wang Xiaofeng and asked for a share of the Gold Soul Coins from their find.
• Wang Xiaofeng examined blurred figures and energy-circulation markings carved into the stone walls but could not decipher them.

Wang Xiaofeng and Ma Hongjun discovered the remains of Soul Masters who had vanished while helping the village and resolved to eliminate the Vampire Bat King and the person controlling it. They waited in ambush and found the two arriving, but the Vampire Bat King summoned a huge swarm of bats to search for them.

• Wang Xiaofeng examined the skeletal remains and concluded they likely belonged to Soul Masters sent to aid the villagers.
• Wang Xiaofeng warned Ma Hongjun that they had to kill the Vampire Bat King and the person behind it to protect the village and its neighbors.
• Wang Xiaofeng and Ma Hongjun surveyed the cave, then hid and waited for the Vampire Bat King and its master.
• The Vampire Bat King arrived with a pale, red-eyed man and ordered the bats to find Wang Xiaofeng and Ma Hongjun.
• The Vampire Bat King sent out a swarm of bats more than three times the size of the one Ma Hongjun had faced before.

Ma Hongjun and Wang Xiaofeng attacked the vampire-like Soul Master, but he survived the Phoenix flames and countered with blood-based soul skills. Ma Hongjun’s fiery phoenix was being overwhelmed by the vampire man’s tentacles while Wang Xiaofeng continued dodging them.

• Ma Hongjun unleashed an enhanced Phoenix Flame attack that charred the Vampire Bat King and the vampire man but failed to defeat them.
• Wang Xiaofeng hurled his gourd at the vampire man, who blocked it with a blood net created using his Second Soul Ring.
• The vampire man drank from a jade bottle and used his Fourth Soul Skill, Blood Barrage, to create a mass of spiked tentacles.
• Ma Hongjun transformed into a fiery phoenix to resist the tentacles, while Wang Xiaofeng dodged their attacks with ease.
• The tentacles battered Ma Hongjun’s phoenix form until its flames began to dim.

Wang Xiaofeng distracted the vampire man long enough for Ma Hongjun to unleash a devastating Phoenix attack, but the vampire survived and tried to ambush him. Wang Xiaofeng killed the vampire man, while the escaped Vampire Bat King fled with its followers to seek refuge with its eldest cousin.

• Wang Xiaofeng questioned the vampire man about killing humans, and the man explained that he believed Soul Masters were evolvers who should rule humanity.
• Ma Hongjun unleashed his powerful Phoenix flames, destroying the vampire man's blood defenses and scorching the cavern.
• The vampire man survived by using Blood Pool to escape into the ground, then tried to stab Ma Hongjun from behind.
• Wang Xiaofeng caught the vampire man's wrist, broke his arm, and killed him, after which Ma Hongjun helped clear away the remains.
• Wang Xiaofeng and Ma Hongjun decided to report the incident to Spirit Hall, while Ma Hongjun wondered about approaching them after their recent conflict.
• The injured Vampire Bat King escaped with its followers and headed to its eldest cousin's home to recover.

Wang Xiaofeng and Ma Hongjun made sure the Vampire Bats were gone, then continued east toward the border between the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire. They reached Tanding City before sunset, while the rescued village was renamed Saint Village in their honor.

• Wang Xiaofeng and Ma Hongjun stayed several days to eliminate the remaining Vampire Bats, and Wang Xiaofeng left Moon Dew where the Ice Ling Grass had grown.
• The bandits on the secluded path kept watch until Spirit Hall soldiers arrived, revealing that the threat to their village was gone.
• The village was renamed Saint Village, and its people erected two stone statues to honor the Soul Masters who had saved them.
• Five days after leaving the village, Wang Xiaofeng and Ma Hongjun crossed the wilderness and desert to reach the border between the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire.
• Wang Xiaofeng and Ma Hongjun traveled east along the official road, and Wang Xiaofeng secretly left a Silver Soul Coin with the farmer who had fed them.
• Wang Xiaofeng guided Ma Hongjun to Tanding City, the reputedly unconquered fortress, before sunset.

Bibi Dong reviewed Spirit Hall’s intelligence on Shrek and learned that Xiao Wu had been spotted in the Star Dou Great Forest while Oscar was making contacts in the Heaven Dou Empire. Meanwhile, Wang Xiaofeng and Ma Hongjun reached Tanding City after nightfall and camped outside its closed gates.

• Bibi Dong punished Zhang Ping, Sun Kai, Qi Ya'na, Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan, sending the last three to train in Death Canyon for three years.
• Ghost Douluo gave Bibi Dong a dossier reporting that Xiao Wu had been seen in the Star Dou Great Forest and describing the current activities of Dai Mubai, Zhu Zhuqing, Ning Rongrong, and Oscar.
• Bibi Dong learned that Oscar had opened a grilled sausage shop in Kaqi Town and was befriending mercenaries, then reviewed reports about Wang Xiaofeng and Ma Hongjun.
• Wang Xiaofeng and Ma Hongjun walked most of the day before arriving at Tanding City after the drawbridge had been raised.
• Wang Xiaofeng and Ma Hongjun set up camp outside the city, cooked a large meal, and ate their stored provisions.

Wang Xiaofeng and Ma Hongjun entered Tanding City after waiting in a long queue to register and pay for a three-day stay. At the Moon Light Hotel, Wang Xiaofeng unexpectedly reunited with Nidya.

• Wang Xiaofeng stayed awake cultivating outside their tent while Ma Hongjun struggled to sleep amid the noisy encampment.
• Wang Xiaofeng and Ma Hongjun joined the crowd entering Tanding City and paid ten Copper Soul Coins each for bamboo registration tiles.
• Wang Xiaofeng and Ma Hongjun explored the bustling city and set out to find an inn and a large meal.
• Wang Xiaofeng recognized the Moon Light Hotel and prepared to leave, but Nidya called out to him from behind.

Wang Xiaofeng and Ma Hongjun arrived at the Moonlight Hotel with Nidya, where they met Nidya’s maid Xiao Yu and received rooms and a lavish meal. After Nidya let them rest, Ma Hongjun decided he would visit Big Boss Dai the next day, after eating more of the hotel’s food.

• Nidya led Wang Xiaofeng and Ma Hongjun into the Moonlight Hotel, where Xiao Yu greeted them and mistook Wang Xiaofeng for Nidya’s husband.
• Wang Xiaofeng gave Xiao Yu a Brocade Pouch containing dried Ginseng Doll leaves, and Xiao Yu hurried off to arrange the two best rooms.
• Wang Xiaofeng and Ma Hongjun ate so much that they exhausted two of the hotel’s head chefs.
• Nidya left Wang Xiaofeng and Ma Hongjun to rest in their rooms after their meal.
• Ma Hongjun said he planned to visit Big Boss Dai the next day, after eating enough hotel food to get sick of it.

An elegant young man learned that Nidya had been close with Wang Xiaofeng and set out to confront the man he thought was seducing his sister. Unaware of the danger, Wang Xiaofeng spent the afternoon shopping with Nidya, who revealed she had bought the goods for his parents.

• A servant told the young master that Nidya had arranged rooms for two unfamiliar young men and seemed close to one of them.
• The young master crushed his folding knife and ordered his horse and Battle Armor prepared so he could confront the man near Nidya.
• Ma Hongjun slipped away, leaving Wang Xiaofeng to shop with Nidya for two hours and carry their many bags.
• Nidya chose a food cart for dinner, and Wang Xiaofeng eagerly ate the ordinary food.
• Wang Xiaofeng asked why Nidya had bought so many things, and she said they were for his uncle and aunt, making him choke.

Wang Xiaofeng and Nidya discovered that Nidya’s family home was near the address he had been given, while an elite force surrounded them. Nidya recognized the Black Armor Army, and her Second Brother arrived, announcing that he knew she had found a boyfriend.

• Wang Xiaofeng told Nidya that his parents’ address was near Zhou King’s Mansion, and Nidya reacted with alarm because she had grown up there.
• Wang Xiaofeng noticed soldiers covertly clearing the streets and prepared his martial soul while Nidya suggested they keep shopping.
• Nidya discovered that the Black Armor Army had surrounded them and warned Wang Xiaofeng that the soldiers had come for her.
• Nidya’s Second Brother arrived on horseback and called out to her about finding a boyfriend, leaving Nidya embarrassed.

Wang Xiaofeng faced Nidya’s second brother, who charged at him on a Four-Legged Horse Beast after mistaking him for a man mooching off his sister. Wang Xiaofeng blocked the thunderous charge with his Gourd and sent Nidya toward the Black Armor Army soldiers.

• A four-hundred-year Four-Legged Horse Beast arrived with Nidya’s masked second brother, who pointed his spear at Wang Xiaofeng.
• Nidya explained that her family did not yet know about their relationship and warned Wang Xiaofeng that her second brother was level fifty-eight.
• Wang Xiaofeng handed Nidya’s gift bags to the Black Armor Army soldiers as her second brother prepared the Zhou Family Spear Technique.
• Nidya’s second brother charged at Wang Xiaofeng on the Four-Legged Horse Beast amid lightning.
• Wang Xiaofeng expanded his Gourd to block the charge without moving and threw Nidya toward the soldiers.

Wang Xiaofeng fought Second Young Master Zhou and used the clash to make his apparent defeat look convincing. Second Young Master Zhou left after landing a final blow, while Wang Xiaofeng lay on the ground.

• Wang Xiaofeng blocked Second Young Master Zhou's killing-intent pressure and spear attacks with the Gourd, impressing him enough to make him intensify the fight.
• Second Young Master Zhou struck Wang Xiaofeng with a powerful spear blow that forced him to retreat across the stone pavement.
• Wang Xiaofeng dodged Second Young Master Zhou's thrust, then pretended to be caught off guard when the spear swept into the Gourd and made him spit blood.
• Second Young Master Zhou discarded the Overlord Spear and struck Wang Xiaofeng in the chest with his palm, sending him crashing to the ground.
• Second Young Master Zhou praised Wang Xiaofeng through gritted teeth, mounted the Four-Legged Horse Beast, and ordered his troops to fall back.

Wang Xiaofeng and Nidya continued shopping as Nidya explained her family history and why she used the name Nidya. Elsewhere, Ma Hongjun left a restaurant after eating enough to exhaust its kitchen staff.

• The Black Armor Army disappeared, and Nidya exposed Wang Xiaofeng's act of being gravely injured before helping him clean off the dust.
• While Nidya shopped, Wang Xiaofeng asked about her family, and she explained her parents' conflict with her maternal grandfather and her two names, Nidya Belford and Zhou Wenxiu.
• Nidya described her brothers, younger sister, and numerous cousins while continuing to buy cosmetics and other goods.
• Ma Hongjun returned to the road after intervening when traveling Soul Masters tried to dine and dash, then eating so much that the restaurant's three head chefs were exhausted and it had to close for the day.