Chapter Summaries

He Ao investigated the Shedding Shadow Club after linking its suspected Oak Street location to the pattern of murders and learned that Elifia had seen its flyers. As he waited for the club’s promoter, he received Yang De’s assessment of the powerful factions converging on Eren, then encountered a flyer whose image revealed a disturbing supernatural performance.

• He Ao mapped the murder sites and noticed that earlier victims were more concentrated within three kilometers of Oak Street, where the suspected Shedding Shadow Club might be located.
• Elifia told He Ao that she had seen the club handing out flyers at a nearby plaza and led him there before going to pack her belongings.
• He Ao waited at the plaza while reading Yang De’s report about Moonlight, World Tree, Dawn, and Hao Yi potentially competing for the ruins passage in Eren.
• A little girl offered He Ao a rose and then a Shedding Shadow Club flyer, whose image appeared to show a dancer shedding her skin as she performed.
• He Ao read the flyer’s details: the club was at 72 Oak Street, held performances nightly at 10:00 p.m., and offered free admission with the flyer.

He Ao followed a mysterious flyer to the Shedding Shadow Club, where a dance tried to expose him to the Mysterious Shadow's power. As the dancer attempted to transform him into a servant or kill him, He Ao rejected her choices and announced a third option.

• He Ao learned that a flower-selling girl had passed him a flyer at the request of an unidentified woman, then went to Oak Street for the Shedding Shadow Club's ten o'clock performance.
• He Ao entered the club and found a dead greeter controlled by a shadow; Moonlight's Zane and two young Transcendents arrived soon afterward.
• The club's performance began, and the dancer's power enthralled the audience, controlled Zane, and tried to erode He Ao's soul, but Hyperthymesia repelled its shadowy tentacle.
• He Ao sensed that the dancer's ritual was linked to a Ruin and a Space-Time Anchor Point bound to the descending god.
• The dancer's phantom confronted He Ao and tried to make him a servant or transform him into Claws and Teeth, but He Ao chose a third option as a roaring train smashed through the wall.

He Ao interrupted a ritual at the club, killed the monster formed from the ritual’s host, and escaped aboard the Verola. After identifying a Dawn operative at the scene, he left the hotel to investigate and deliberately create a vortex that would expose hidden enemies.

• The Verola crashed into the club, breaking the ritual and freeing He Ao as the audience fled; He Ao’s clone arrived and killed the Waiter with the Shadowless Sword.
• The ritual’s power flowed back into its host, transforming her into a monster, and He Ao fought her while his main consciousness entered the clone.
• He Ao used Mental Interference to destroy the woman’s unstable soul, killing her as the shadows and the Mysterious Shadow vanished.
• He Ao left the ruins aboard the Verola while Moonlight arrived, and the middle-aged man collapsed after reporting that the Master of the Verola had killed the monster.
• He Ao marked a Dawn operative who had watched from a rooftop, then left the hotel intending to uncover hidden enemies and create a vortex himself.

Moonlight assessed Hao Yi as a possible B-rank threat while He Ao investigated the contaminated World Tree branch and the Mysterious Shadow’s pursuit. After dreaming of the approaching Black Shadow, He Ao learned that people across South City were having similar dreams and assured the Military Police Captain that they would not die.

• Rhodes ordered Moonlight to investigate the Shedding Shadow Club and prepare for Hao Yi’s arrival, while Anlun and Enke traveled to Eren.
• He Ao used the marked Dawn C-rank to draw out the Boss, then learned from Yang De that the club’s dancing woman was Rose, a World Tree member who had entered the ruins as a D-rank.
• He Ao suspected the World Tree’s Jordan branch had been largely contaminated by the Mysterious Shadow and asked Yang De and Li Le for information about its personnel and location.
• He Ao returned to the martial arts school, shared lamb skewers with Elifia, and later dreamed that a Black Shadow was entering the yard.
• The Military Police Captain told He Ao that many people in South City had reported dreams of eerie shadows, and He Ao said they would not die as Li Le’s intelligence file arrived.

He Ao investigated the World Tree suspects and found that two were missing while two had died, then began tracing Lani’s last movements near Oak Street. He also learned from Elifia’s boxing practice how Main World martial arts could focus energy into a limb, leaving him with a new idea for a combat technique.

• He Ao reasoned that Dawn's Boss might cooperate with the primitive church to pursue Verola or the Space-Time Anchor Point, and reviewed Li Le's files on four suspected World Tree members.
• He Ao identified Lani and Gade as the dead people he had encountered, while noting Li Le's suspicion that they had been secret lovers.
• He Ao observed Elifia refining her boxing technique, corrected her stance, and realized its movements could direct energy into specific limbs.
• He Ao tested the idea in a taxi and estimated that crude energy concentration could boost his explosive power by ten to fifteen percent.
• He Ao found Andrew's and Leanna's residences empty, confirmed that Lani and Gade's homes were sealed by Moonlight, and concluded that two suspects were missing and two were dead.
• He Ao asked people near Oak Street about Lani, and a water-stall Boss said she had hurried into the street the night before she was murdered and was later driven back out.

He Ao investigated Lani and Gade’s secret and uncovered the evidence that the World Tree’s Ruodan branch had been corrupted by the Mysterious Shadow. After learning how Lani and Gade were caught up in the branch’s ritual, he headed out to help others survive.

• He Ao hired Thin Man to find Lani and Gade’s room in Wilante Street.
• He Ao found photos showing Lani and Gade had been secret lovers and used their backgrounds to locate the World Tree branch near Niuke Street.
• He Ao discovered Gade’s bloodstained notes describing the corrupted branch, its deadly worship, and Lani’s escape attempt.
• He Ao concluded that Gade had tried to reach Moonlight for help but had become a servant of the Mysterious Shadow, while Lani had remained under the church’s control and died.
• He Ao left the apartment, telling Thin Man he was going to make sure some people lived until next week.

He Ao discovered a hidden eighteenth street on Niuke Street and entered the shadow-covered World Tree branch to investigate. Inside, he sensed twisted prayers and prepared to face whatever waited in the darkness.

• He Ao used Super Memory to find the concealed street that ordinary passersby could not perceive.
• He Ao killed a man watching him, found a triangular crown badge on the body, and sent a photo of it to the Military Police Captain.
• He Ao entered the shadowed street and found a small gate leading toward World Tree's Ruodan branch.
• He Ao spotted a fresh footprint outside the courtyard and judged that a powerful C-Rank visitor had recently approached the branch.
• He Ao drew the Bone Sword and entered the dark courtyard as twisted praise from the building invaded his mind.

He Ao fought his way through the shadows in the World Tree’s Ruodan branch, killing the monsters and power nodes that guarded the stairs. After reaching the third floor, he encountered two frightened men just as a woman’s voice came from farther down the corridor.

• He Ao crossed the shadow-filled courtyard and entered the building, where he killed a ceiling monster whose death weakened the seal over the stairs.
• On the second floor, He Ao killed Andrew, then questioned a talking punching bag about the people above him.
• He Ao tricked the punching bag into revealing its hostile nature and cut it in half when it attacked.
• He Ao climbed toward the third floor, and Scarface fled back upstairs after seeing him approach.
• A short-haired man ran from He Ao when he reached the third-floor landing, just as a languid female voice sounded from the corridor.

He Ao defeated Liana on the fourth floor and discovered that the Puppeteer, the World Tree’s Ruodan branch leader, had returned to the building. In a separate scene, his avatar finished preparing a reagent from Jin Ya’s Talent Sequence.

• Liana tried to seduce He Ao, then attacked him with the two Thin Men’s help, but He Ao wounded her with the Bone Sword and knocked her out with the Miracle Wand.
• He Ao cut off Liana’s left wing, left her unconscious, and moved the two emaciated Thin Men into an office for safety.
• He Ao explored the empty fourth floor and found evidence that Gade’s office had once held a six-inch photograph.
• He Ao spotted the Puppeteer entering the courtyard, and the two saw each other through the shadows.
• He Ao’s avatar sealed a newly prepared Hidden Magician reagent made using Jin Ya’s Talent Sequence.

He Ao confronted Puppeteer and his shadow-controlled puppets at the World Tree’s Jordan branch, then destroyed the B-class monster and the ritual sustaining Puppeteer’s master’s descent. The building collapsed, the shadow vanished, and Puppeteer’s soul dissipated as the train stopped beside He Ao.

• He Ao faced Puppeteer, who revealed that Gade, Andrew, and Liana had become puppets and offered He Ao a chance to submit.
• Puppeteer summoned a towering B-class shadow monster, and He Ao fought through its attacks to reach Puppeteer.
• He Ao used mental interference and the Bone Sword to cut Puppeteer, whose soul began to merge with the shadows as a vast presence appeared in the sky.
• He Ao activated Mountain Collapse and Tsunami against the courtyard, targeting the ritual array on the fifth floor.
• The Old Building collapsed, severing the passage for the shadowy presence; Puppeteer’s soul dissipated, and the train stopped beside He Ao.

After destroying the Primitive Church’s headquarters, He Ao investigated links between the Restoration Organization and Dawn, helped Elifia refine her martial arts, and drew a portrait of her missing father. He then woke in the silent city to find the advancing shadow outside his room and greeted it, confirming his suspicions.

• He Ao brought the two surviving Thin Men to Doctor Lei Cheng, who could only keep them alive with glucose while seeking hospital help.
• He Ao learned that the dead man’s crown emblem belonged to the Restoration Organization and suspected the group was connected to Dawn through its C-class members.
• He Ao returned to the martial arts school, corrected several flaws in Elifia’s boxing technique, and helped her improve her movements.
• He Ao asked Elifia to describe her missing father and drew a portrait for her to keep.
• He Ao woke in the silent city and found the shadow standing outside the inner room, closer than before, then told it, “You’re here.”

He Ao investigated the old assassination cases and learned that Moonlight had publicly summoned Hao Yi to Vistru Street 17, while Yang De urged him to withdraw from the increasingly dangerous situation in Eren City. He Ao stayed to investigate a possible ritual site, where he rescued three youths from a monster and sensed hidden crimson power in the alley.

• He Ao noticed that reports of suspicious people near Jin Ya's later victims clustered in the years before their murders, suggesting she had been watching them in Ruodan.
• Li Le told He Ao that Moonlight's headquarters at Vistru Street 17 was locked down, and He Ao saw Moonlight's public invitation for Hao Yi broadcast throughout the city.
• Yang De urged He Ao to leave Eren City, but He Ao explained that Hao Yi had destroyed the World Tree's Ruodan branch and that a god's descent threatened the city.
• He Ao returned to the alley where Lani had been killed and saw three youths enter past the barriers.
• A monster attacked the youths, and He Ao used the Bone Sword to pin it to the wall and save them.
• He Ao sensed crimson power concealed in the alley's wall and recognized it as part of a possible ritual before leaving.

After waking in the body of the disgraced Young Marquis Qin Hu, a modern special forces soldier realized that powerful enemies had framed him and sent him to die on the frontier. Facing deliberate abuse in the Vanguard camp, Qin Hu decided to use his remaining silver to secure help from Centurion Li Xiaokun.

• Qin Hu woke in a military tent and learned that he had inherited the identity of the spoiled Champion Marquis, who had been accused of molesting the Chang'an Princess and exiled to the front.
• Qin Hu recalled how Chen Ruoli had accused him of numerous crimes, and concluded that the Chen household and his cousin had colluded to destroy him for their own gain.
• Qin Hu and his attendant Qin An were ordered into the freezing night, while two sentries extinguished their warming fire and left them exposed to the storm.
• Qin An, weak and near collapse, asked Qin Hu whether they would survive, and Qin Hu resolved to protect him and return to the capital to take revenge.
• Qin Hu asked Qin An how much silver remained and decided to approach Centurion Li Xiaokun, the person in charge of the Vanguard camp.

After transmigrating into the disgraced Young Marquis Qin Hu, a modern special forces soldier found himself exiled to the front and targeted by enemies in the army. Facing a freezing night with his attendant Qin An, he resolved to use his remaining silver to approach Centurion Li Xiaokun.

• Qin Hu awakened in a military camp and recovered the memories of his predecessor, who had been framed for molesting the Chang'an Princess and impeached by his fiancée, Chen Ruoli.
• Qin Hu realized that the Duke of Chen's household, the princess, and his older male cousin had reasons to conspire against him and seize the Champion Marquis's fortune.
• Qin Hu and Qin An went out to patrol in a violent snowstorm, while two sentries extinguished their bonfire and left them without shelter.
• Qin An feared they would not survive, and Qin Hu decided to keep them alive and eventually return to the capital to settle accounts.
• Qin Hu asked how much money they had, learned Qin An had twenty taels of silver, and decided to approach Centurion Li Xiaokun.

He Ao shifted his sword grip and slashed, meeting a narrow black blade that appeared from the void. The chapter ended at the clash.

• He Ao raised his hand and changed his sword from a forward grip to a reverse grip.
• He Ao lifted his wrist and slashed diagonally forward.
• A narrow, pitch-black blade extended from the void and collided with the invisible sword blade.

Key Plot Points and Events

• The chapter begins with a mysterious figure communicating with He Ao while concealing their appearance.
• The figure reveals their identity after Claude's death.
• The story is set in a world where various strange powers have invaded, dividing the world into two distinct ends.
• In the Great Qian Empire's Yang Province, a young man named Yun Hong finishes reading "Nine Provinces Immortals and Demons".
• The human race is at a critical juncture, with chaotic world demons emerging and real people stepping up to save the world.

Character Developments

• He Ao: He is introduced as someone who is communicating with a mysterious figure, suggesting he is involved in secretive activities.
• Mysterious Figure: This character is revealed to be around forty or fifty years old and is likely a significant figure in the story, given their conversation with He Ao.

Significant Themes

• Power and Identity: The mysterious figure's revelation of their identity to He Ao suggests that power and identity are closely linked in this world.
• Chaos and Order: The division of the world into two distinct ends, with some revering the strange powers as gods and others rebelling against them, highlights the theme of chaos versus order.

Character Interactions

• He Ao and the Mysterious Figure: Their interaction suggests a power dynamic, with the mysterious figure holding more power and influence. Their conversation hints at a shared secret or goal.
• Yun Hong and the World: Yun Hong's reading of "Nine Provinces Immortals and Demons" foreshadows his potential involvement in the world's chaos and his role in the story.

He Ao struggled to keep the mysterious shadow's corruption from taking control of his soul and activated the False Master's bracelet to buy himself time. The chapter ended before the bracelet's effect was revealed.

• The mysterious shadow's corruption continued to echo in He Ao's mind and threaten his soul.
• He Ao spoke at length to buy time to stabilize his sanity.
• He Ao activated the False Master's bracelet.

He Ao killed the maddened Ruona Ti and survived the Mysterious Shadow’s failed attempt to assimilate him. With the city’s sky restored and the witnesses left behind in the ruins, He Ao drank the potion for Talent Sequence 72: Hidden Magician and disappeared into the night.

• Ruona Ti touched He Ao’s False Master’s Bracelet, and its cognitive contamination shattered his already unstable sense of identity.
• As Ruona Ti’s madness spread through the exhibition hall, He Ao used the Bone Sword to destroy the Energy Cores sustaining the black radiance.
• Ruona Ti regained enough reason to fight fiercely, but He Ao pulled the Short Sword from his chest and drove the Bone Sword through Ruona Ti’s heart and final Energy Core.
• The Verola destroyed the incomplete Ritual Array, ending the Mysterious Shadow’s attempt to send power into the Main World and allowing the gray sky to clear.
• He Ao took the mithril test tube, drank the potion for Talent Sequence 72: Hidden Magician, and walked into the night, leaving the ruins and their dead behind.

He Ao briefed the Research Institute on the bizarre incident that had put hundreds of thousands of Eren residents to sleep, then assessed the new powers he had gained as a Hidden Magician. As Moonlight waited for reinforcements and the city returned to uneasy normalcy, He Ao approached the Count to confirm something.

• He Ao told Yang De, Ji Po, and Wu Lan about the distorted sites, the giant monster, and the mass coma, and they concluded that a citywide killing phenomenon had likely been interrupted; Yang De said the Dean would arrive by the next morning.
• He Ao reviewed his Hidden Magician abilities, the improvements to Hyperthymesia, and the extra use of Mountain Collapse and Tsunami he had gained after killing Ruona Ti.
• He Ao left his hotel, spoke with the Military Police Captain about Moonlight's plan to stall for reinforcements, and heard the Captain say that the sun was out.
• That night, He Ao found the Count in a northern-district alley and said he wanted to confirm something.

He Ao traced Ruona Ti’s likely Secret Base to an undeveloped corner of Ruodan National Park and began searching the suspected sites. Meanwhile, Li Cheng examined Rhodes and the giant snake at Moonlight’s headquarters, concluding that the same skilled fighter had killed both; he then asked He Ao how he was feeling.

• He Ao reasoned that Ruona Ti had likely hidden his Secret Base in the former royal garden, now Ruodan National Park, and narrowed the search using records and memories from Court Chamberlain Earl Telen.
• He Ao used Hyperthymesia to survey the hillside, boarded the Verola, and headed to another suspected location to search for the base.
• Li Cheng examined Rhodes’s corpse and determined that bizarre forces had transformed him into a monster with power likely reaching B-rank.
• Li Cheng examined the giant snake and concluded that it had been allied with Rhodes, restrained on the rooftop, and killed by the same opponent who killed Rhodes.
• Li Cheng inferred that Rhodes’s killer was a resourceful fighter wielding a Transcendent Item, then asked He Ao how he was feeling.