Chapter Summaries

Jiang Rui returned home to find two intruders searching for something, then fought them before a Night Watch agent killed one of them. He discovered the agents had been waiting for him and recognized Coffee, leaving him facing Emily with an energy gun aimed at him.

• Jiang Rui discovered that a familiar guarding his home had died and hurried back in a taxi, worried that someone might have taken his Extraordinary Points card.
• Jiang Rui found a man and woman searching his shop, and Great Sage confirmed that an item had been touched but nothing was missing.
• The intruders attacked Jiang Rui with a blade and a mental assault, but he evaded them in Wraith form and charged at the woman.
• A blonde woman shot the intruder with a beam weapon, killing her, and Jiang Rui recognized her as Emily, the Night Watch agent.
• Emily and Dennis discussed the Iron Throne emblem on the corpses and revealed they had been waiting for Jiang Rui; Emily raised her energy gun as he greeted her.

Jiang Rui agreed to help Emily after learning she planned to use him as bait while investigating Lilith and the missing item. Emily left him with Dennis, and Jiang Rui prepared to clean up after the confrontation.

• Emily lowered her gun after confirming the item was not with Jiang Rui and offered him five thousand Extraordinary Points to cooperate.
• Emily explained that she would spread news of Lilith’s visit and use Jiang Rui as bait, while Dennis joked about the compensation if Jiang Rui died.
• Jiang Rui revealed Lilith Yejiewen Ekaterina’s full name, and Emily said that meant Lilith thought highly of him and that he owed Emily another favor.
• Jiang Rui questioned why Emily would use him as bait to find an item, and Emily explained that her main duty was preserving New York’s stability.
• Emily left for the street, told Dennis to arrange for the corpse to be handled, and warned them not to touch its military property.
• Dennis told Jiang Rui that Emily relied on him because he could make coffee, and Jiang Rui decided to shower before returning to his bedroom.

Jiang Rui went out to gather information while Emily worried that Lilith’s True Name declaration meant Jiang Rui had become her kin. Emily warned Dennis that vampires might be targets of the New York crisis, then left to visit her old friend Phyllis.

• Jiang Rui complained that Emily had used him as bait and that he had gained nothing from the two corpses, then decided to go out and gather information.
• Emily considered the gap between Sequences and demigods and wondered whether Jiang Rui had become Lilith’s kin after Lilith declared her True Name.
• Emily warned Dennis that vampires should be careful and suspected Bleach’s appearance was connected to an unknown effect that might be activated at the cost of vampire lives.
• Dennis and Emily discussed the danger to Brent and the fear surrounding Bleach as Emily criticized the Night Watch’s failure to identify him.
• Emily left to visit her old friend Phyllis, and Dennis realized that the visit might lead to trouble.

Jiang Rui followed a cat-form superhuman to a hidden gathering market while searching for Fane. After surveying the market and reflecting on his interest in the secrets of reality, he told the Black Cat to take him to Fane.

• Jiang Rui asked the Black Cat if he was going to find Fane, and the cat agreed to guide him.
• Jiang Rui considered using his intimidating aura to obtain information and weighed his curiosity about the real world against the safety of R'lyeh.
• The Black Cat led Jiang Rui through an alley to a hidden entrance that opened into a supernatural gathering market.
• Jiang Rui surveyed the market's traditional factions and storefronts, then told the Black Cat to take him to Fane.

Jiang Rui followed Black Cat, who was known as Dixi, through a rough New York neighborhood to a traditional tavern. Dixi introduced him to the patrons as Your Majesty, and Jiang Rui’s True Ancestor aura silenced the tavern as he asked where to find Fane.

• Dixi led Jiang Rui past locals who thanked him, then pleaded with Jiang Rui to spare the men who had insulted him.
• Jiang Rui sensed Dixi was a native Sequence 8 Ascender and questioned him about R'lyeh as they reached a traditional tavern.
• Dixi transformed from a black cat into a pale, youthful boy, surprising Jiang Rui with his apparent talent.
• Dixi told the bartender that Jiang Rui was seeking Fane, and Jiang Rui removed his mask and asked where Fane was.
• Jiang Rui’s True Ancestor aura spread through the tavern, silencing everyone.

Jiang Rui entered Fane’s gambling den and used his Majesty of the Demon Lord to clear the room. He left Fane alone with him, and Fane eagerly asked how he could help.

• A tavern owner mistook Jiang Rui for an Exalted One, ushered him and Dixi inside, and the patrons speculated about his identity and the witch’s arrival in New York.
• The owner led Jiang Rui and Dixi to Fane, then hurried away in fear after bringing them to the back room.
• Jiang Rui recognized Fane by his goblin-like appearance and ordered Dixi to wait outside.
• Jiang Rui released his aura, making Fane’s bodyguards and customer flee the room.
• Fane ingratiated himself with Jiang Rui and asked what he could do for him.

Jiang Rui questioned Fane about Lilith’s purpose in New York and learned that she had reportedly left for Kentucky, though the report was uncertain. Fane explained that supernatural information circulated through encrypted channels and the dark web, giving Jiang Rui insight into how Ye Xiaoqian’s Sprout had grown.

• Jiang Rui asked Fane what Lilith had come to New York to do, and Fane said there were rumors she had partnered with The Truth Society.
• Jiang Rui asked whether Lilith had fled New York, and Fane reported that Night Watch intelligence placed her in Kentucky that afternoon.
• Jiang Rui questioned the accuracy of the Kentucky report, and Fane admitted that his sources outside New York were unreliable.
• Jiang Rui asked how information traveled from other places, and Fane explained that supernaturals used encrypted channels and the dark web.
• Jiang Rui realized that information spread online and understood how Ye Xiaoqian’s Sprout had grown.

Jiang Rui considered whether to connect with New York’s underground intelligence channels and whether to build or join a faction. After Fane revealed his organization’s access point, Jiang Rui remained undecided and planned to ask Dixi what he wanted first.

• Fane offered to connect Jiang Rui to an intelligence channel, explaining that access required identity verification and clearance.
• Fane opened a concealed safe produced by the Felison Conglomerate, and the Great Sage explained how technological equipment could appear in reality.
• Jiang Rui reflected on the people and teams he had come to trust and accepted that individual strength alone could not contend with factions.
• Jiang Rui considered taking over Fane’s intelligence organization but worried about its possible Sequence 5 backer and his own True Ancestor aura.
• Jiang Rui thought about placing one of his own people in the organization and decided to ask Dixi what he wanted before making a choice.

Jiang Rui asked Fane for intelligence on the Night Watch and discovered that his identity on the Gleaming Sewer was tied to Sprout. The chapter ended with Jiang Rui learning he had Level 6 access as a Sprout Pioneer, despite not knowing he belonged to the organization.

• Jiang Rui asked Fane about the Night Watch and received news of recent deaths, factional conflict, and Emily Rei Bazar taking charge in New York.
• Fane showed Jiang Rui the Gleaming Sewer intelligence platform, where a listing identified the Grim Reaper as the official suspect codename Vampire Slayer.
• The platform scanned Jiang Rui and revealed his profile as Moe King, a Level 6 user affiliated with Sprout and welcomed as a Sprout Pioneer.
• Fane realized Jiang Rui was part of Sprout's core team, while Jiang Rui was shocked to learn he had joined the organization without knowing it.
• Jiang Rui asked how high Level 6 access was and admitted he had not known he belonged to Sprout before that day.

Jiang Rui investigated the Gleaming Sewer, learned that Sprout’s platform was an intelligence-gathering system, and left after buying a clue about the Vampire Slayer. His careless remarks convinced Fane that Sprout belonged to Jiang Rui, while an overconfident patron prepared to probe Jiang Rui as he departed.

• Jiang Rui examined the Gleaming Sewer and realized it was a virtual venue that collected intelligence and recorded users’ actions.
• Jiang Rui left Fane’s tavern after asking about Washington and making Fane buy the Vampire Slayer clue, which consisted of the words “High Table.”
• Jiang Rui’s attempt to learn more about the High Table with the Great Sage’s All Things ability failed.
• Jiang Rui told Fane that he had only asked about Lilith, and Fane interpreted the remark as a hint that Sprout belonged to Jiang Rui and that he should make this known.
• Jiang Rui and Dixi walked toward the exit as the tavern fell quiet, while a patron with a concealment-based probing ability activated it against Jiang Rui.

Jiang Rui’s hidden nature drove a tavern patron who spied on him into madness, triggering a violent outbreak of aberrations that Fane contained with radiant gates. Jiang Rui left with Dixi, while Dixi learned the cause of the disaster and resolved to act on what he had discovered.

• A transcendent used Cloud Piercing Vision on Jiang Rui, and the Ghost Mask’s backlash turned him into a monster as Jiang Rui and Dixi left the tavern.
• The transformed patron attacked his companions, and chaos spread through the tavern as Fane suppressed the aberrations with radiant gates.
• Fane learned that Nuss had used Cloud Piercing Vision on the blue-haired guest, then killed Nuss’s surviving companion and ordered the Night Watch to handle the incident.
• Jiang Rui and Dixi traveled by lightning to Chinatown, where Jiang Rui projected a pocket watch to check the time and suggested they eat.
• Dixi received messages about the tavern incident, murmured that gods must not be gazed upon directly, and followed Jiang Rui with a determined expression.

Jiang Rui learned why Dixi had stayed with Fane and offered him two paths: join the Bookeria Family or become Jiang Rui’s subordinate. Dixi had not yet chosen when the chapter ended.

• Jiang Rui questioned Dixi about his age, abilities, and reasons for serving Fane rather than joining the Night Watch.
• Dixi explained that a fugitive from the Guta Clan had taught him magic and left him the Sequence 7 Night Bringer before surrendering to the Night Watch and killing himself.
• Dixi asked Jiang Rui for protection, and Jiang Rui agreed.
• Jiang Rui offered Dixi a chance to join the Bookeria Family and seek an R'lyeh Contract, or become Jiang Rui’s subordinate and build his own power.

Jiang Rui accepted Dixi’s loyalty and used True Name Impartation to strengthen him, triggering a hidden trait that connected Dixi’s growth to his own. He discovered that hidden traits could evolve abilities in unexpected ways, though he still did not know what other traits his powers possessed.

• Dixi refused to leave New York and pledged to serve Jiang Rui as his eyes in the city.
• Jiang Rui accepted Dixi’s loyalty and used his True Name powers to intimidate and empower him.
• True Name Imprint activated during the impartation, prompting Jiang Rui to ask Great Sage about hidden traits.
• Great Sage explained that abilities could have hidden traits revealed through development or experimentation.
• Jiang Rui learned that True Name Impartation had evolved Dixi’s life rank and formed a connection that would let Dixi’s enhancement grow as Jiang Rui grew stronger.

After blessing Dixi and giving him a Command Seal, Jiang Rui considered developing his abilities and headed out to enjoy the nightlife. He arrived at a crowded bar just as two people crashed through its doors, locked in a struggle.

• Jiang Rui blessed Dixi, gave him a scythe-shaped Command Seal, and sent him away; Dixi wondered whether Jiang Rui was an Outer God named Rimuru Tempest.
• Jiang Rui asked Great Sage to make his food spicier, regretted the pain, and discussed whether to develop traits that could strengthen his followers.
• Jiang Rui discovered that Dixi had left without paying the restaurant bill, then went out to visit a bar.
• Jiang Rui found a crowd waiting outside the bar, and two figures burst through the doors fighting and refusing to let go of each other.

Jiang Rui witnessed Emily confront Phyllis and Phyllis’s Sovereign master in New York, where Emily asked whether someone had stopped her superior officer. Meanwhile, Lilith sought a former ally’s help at the University of Kentucky, offering a blood-contract favor in exchange for a Quantum Relic to get her back to London.

• Jiang Rui saw Emily subdue Phyllis, who revealed that she wanted Emily to meet her master.
• Phyllis’s Sovereign master appeared, and Emily asked whether someone had stopped her superior officer.
• Lilith entered a University of Kentucky laboratory and asked an old man for help evading the blockade around her.
• Lilith offered the old man a blood-contract favor in exchange for a Quantum Relic that could return her to London.

Jiang Rui learned that a demigod conflict might erupt in the United States and decided to flee to his family home. After Phyllis offered Emily an apprenticeship, a parchment appeared beside Jiang Rui, leaving him startled as he prepared to run.

• In Xia Country, an old man cheated at chess while a golden-eyed girl called him shameless.
• The Light Chasers commander ordered his organization to follow a new leader and distributed a file labeled “Divine Dragon.”
• A man vanished near a trash can, leaving a corpse behind in a park.
• Jiang Rui overheard that the Twisted Ones’ conflict with Nightmare could draw demigods into a battle in the United States, so he resolved to return to his family home.
• A phantom told Emily that the United States had been chosen because the other major powers had powerful guardians, then offered her a chance to become an apprentice.
• Emily rejected Phyllis’s teasing and walked away with the parchment, while another parchment appeared beside Jiang Rui as he turned to leave.

Jiang Rui entered Fallen Heaven at Emily’s invitation, where the succubus Phyllis tried to seduce him and explained her feelings for her goddess. The chapter left Jiang Rui asking how succubi proved their true love, and Phyllis answered that they were willing to die for each other.

• Phyllis noticed Jiang Rui and invited him into Fallen Heaven to be entertained, explaining that the Devil’s Scroll would not activate unless he signed his True Name.
• Jiang Rui entered the bar with Phyllis, wary of the invitation and the powerful figure who had sent it.
• Phyllis flirted with Jiang Rui and offered to spend the night with him, but he resisted and asked about her relationship with Emily.
• Phyllis said she loved Emily and explained that succubi’s proof of true love was being willing to die for each other.

Jiang Rui learned that Phyllis was a Voidspawn whose unnamed master had arranged their meeting, and he realized the parchment might be tied to the authority over fate. Meanwhile, Emily investigated three Aberrants at a sealed tavern, destroyed their bodies, and sensed malice near a black cat.

• Jiang Rui asked Phyllis about her master, and she said she had forgotten the master's name but could not reveal it.
• The Great Sage warned Jiang Rui that someone with authority over fate could weave events to draw him into a predetermined path, so Jiang Rui decided Emily might know the master's identity.
• Emily reprimanded the agency chief for delaying the report about three Aberrants and reviewed their files at the sealed tavern.
• Emily found the three twisted Aberrants beyond saving and burned their corpses with flames of destruction and corrosion.
• Emily prepared to confront Fane, sensed malice, and spotted a black cat climbing onto the windowsill.

Emily investigated Fane’s account of the Ascendants’ mutations and grew suspicious of the newly arrived Excellency. Meanwhile, Jiang Rui left Phyllis’s reception, learned more about her attendants, and heard from Dixi that Emily now knew of his existence.

• Emily found no flaw in Dixi’s appearance, then forced Fane to retell what had happened with the rookie Ascendants.
• Emily headed to Times Square and admitted she was concerned about the mysterious blue-haired, masked Excellency and his possible connection to the Twisters.
• Jiang Rui refused Phyllis’s advances, then joined Ushi and Bigu downstairs and ordered a Rainbow Delight.
• Dixi prayed to Jiang Rui through the Command Seals and reported that Emily had encountered him at Fane’s place.
• Jiang Rui told Dixi that Fane had not betrayed him and praised Dixi for handling the encounter well.

Jiang Rui weighed how to handle Emily, the hell-dwellers, and the growing danger around New York, then decided to prioritize getting stronger while keeping his main body safe. He vanished into the night as Phyllis watched from the bar and wondered whether he believed in fate.

• Jiang Rui warned Dixi that Emily might have a talent related to fate and told him to avoid getting involved wherever she was.
• Jiang Rui left the bar with the parchment scroll and used the Great Sage to store it in his inventory, hoping to shield it from a demigod's prying eyes.
• Jiang Rui discussed with Ciel whether his Avatar could keep functioning while he traveled to another world, learning it would have little combat strength without his main body's support.
• Jiang Rui considered using his Avatar to befriend Emily while his main body pursued the unknown Excellency's game, but also weighed hiding in R'lyeh to grow stronger.
• Jiang Rui vanished into the night, while Phyllis floated above the bar and asked whether he believed in fate.