Chapter Summaries

Meng Anli resisted the corpse demon’s attempts to provoke and deceive her, then wagered that her friends could withstand its tricks. The demon showed her Mo Ziqian and Guang Ling arguing, leaving Meng Anli convinced they were both real but unable to identify the illusion affecting them.

• Meng Anli stayed calm when the corpse demon reinforced its barrier, then watched as it used a black gale to bring Mo Ziqian and Guang Ling before her.
• The corpse demon challenged Meng Anli to wager her body if her friends failed to avoid its tricks, and Meng Anli demanded that it kill Meng Shiwan and Meng Xiuchen if she won.
• Meng Anli realized Meng Shiwan and Meng Xiuchen had sent the corpse demon, while the demon accidentally revealed that they had used something to control it.
• Mo Ziqian and Guang Ling argued over past incidents as they searched for their missing companions, and Meng Anli judged that both were real despite the corpse demon’s interference.
• The searchers found nothing, their storage rings would not open, and Guang Ling began to suffer in the worsening heat and lack of water.

The Corpse Demon disguised himself as Zhou Jinyi and tried to lure the thirsty Guang Ling into drinking from his waterskin. Meng Anli exposed the disguise but was tricked into smashing a bracelet, leaving Guang Ling convinced she had harmed an innocent disciple.

• Mo Ziqian left Guang Ling alone, giving the Corpse Demon a chance to transform into Zhou Jinyi and offer Guang Ling water.
• Meng Anli rushed out of the barrier, kicked the disguised Corpse Demon, and warned Guang Ling that Zhou Jinyi was fake.
• The Corpse Demon insisted his bracelet proved his identity, while Meng Anli argued that smashing it would reveal the truth.
• Meng Anli smashed the bracelet, and the Corpse Demon vanished in a cloud of smoke.
• Guang Ling checked his own bracelet, saw that Zhou Jinyi's name was gone, and accused Meng Anli of being an impostor.
• Meng Anli realized she had fallen for the Corpse Demon's trick as his laughter echoed from the black mist.

Meng Anli tried to convince Guang Ling and Mo Ziqian that she was real and that impostors had infiltrated their group, but they believed she was the Corpse Demon. The jade pendant appeared to identify her as a demon, and Guang Ling and Mo Ziqian attacked her.

• Meng Anli stopped Mo Ziqian from giving Guang Ling water after spotting signs that he might be a Corpse Demon, but Guang Ling accused her of being fake.
• Guang Ling and Mo Ziqian rejected Meng Anli's explanations and demanded that she prove her identity with the jade pendant.
• Meng Anli tied Mo Ziqian with the Immortal Binding Rope and agreed to the test, but the jade pendant lit up in her hand.
• Guang Ling tested the pendant himself, found it inactive, and accused Meng Anli of being a Corpse Demon.
• Guang Ling and Mo Ziqian attacked Meng Anli, and the three fought to a standstill.

The corpse devil discovered that Meng Anli was a devil and manipulated Mo Ziqian and Guang Ling into attacking her, while Yun Jing debated whether to end the academy trial. Meng Anli survived the assault and refused to let the corpse devil declare a winner before his scheme was complete.

• The corpse devil realized he had used no illusion on the jade pendant and concluded that Meng Anli was a devil, while Meng Shiwan wondered how the righteous path and Great Emperor Dangmo would react.
• Yun Jing and the instructors discussed whether to rescue Meng Anli and the others, and Yun Jing decided to watch a little longer.
• Mo Ziqian struck Meng Anli, and Guang Ling kicked her to the ground before demanding to know where the real Anli and the others were.
• Meng Anli escaped on colored feathers, while Mo Ziqian convinced Guang Ling she was a fake and helped him head to the stream.
• The corpse devil confronted Meng Anli and told her she had lost, but she insisted they wait until his scheme had run its course before deciding the winner.

The Corpse Demon used Guo Lie’s appearance to turn Guang Ling against Meng Anli, then escaped after provoking her into breaking Guo Lie’s bracelet. Meng Anli and Guang Ling continued onward together under suspicion, while the Corpse Demon watched and prepared to escalate his scheme.

• The Corpse Demon praised Meng Anli for guessing he had a chain of schemes and considered raising her into a Demon Lord.
• Meng Anli found Guang Ling and Mo Ziqian by a stream, where the Corpse Demon appeared as Guo Lie and accused Meng Anli of stealing Zhou Jinyi’s score.
• When Guo Lie threatened Guang Ling with a fireball, Meng Anli attacked him with water, and the Corpse Demon broke Guang Ling’s bracelet before vanishing.
• Guang Ling blamed Meng Anli for harming Zhou Jinyi and Guo Lie, and the two argued until Mo Ziqian urged them to reconcile.
• Mo Ziqian suggested the Meng Anli with them might be fake, and the trio continued onward while wary of one another.
• The Corpse Demon watched from the shadows and decided it was time to administer a strong dose of medicine.

The Corpse Demon trapped Meng Anli in a barrier and impersonated her, provoking her companions while trying to steal Chu Feibai’s bracelet. He broke the bracelet and made Chu Feibai vanish, leaving Meng Anli furious and trapped as the others realized the impostor was not her.

• The Corpse Demon trapped Meng Anli and transformed into her appearance as Guang Ling and Mo Ziqian went to investigate cries for help.
• The disguised Corpse Demon confronted Chu Feibai, who accused him of stealing teammates and threatened Lu Yao and Zhu Rongyao to force him to break his bracelet.
• The Corpse Demon said he valued points over their lives, leading Lu Yao, Guang Ling, and Mo Ziqian to recognize that he was not Meng Anli.
• The Corpse Demon tricked Mo Ziqian into helping him attack Chu Feibai, then stole Chu Feibai’s bracelet during the struggle.
• The Corpse Demon smashed Chu Feibai’s bracelet, making him vanish, while Meng Anli watched helplessly from behind the barrier.

Meng Anli realized that the Corpse Demon was connected to her emotions and deduced that he was formed from severed Three Corpses. She began examining her heart and confronting the grief and hatred she had kept buried, while her friends grew divided over the Corpse Demon's actions.

• The Corpse Demon threw Zhu Rongyao toward the Black Bear Demon, but Lu Yao pulled him out of danger before the group escaped into the forest.
• The Corpse Demon coaxed Zhu Rongyao into forgiving him, while Meng Anli noticed that the barrier around her grew stronger as her distress increased.
• Meng Anli connected the barrier and the Corpse Demon's power to her emotions and guessed that he was a demon formed from severed Three Corpses.
• Meng Anli meditated and accepted that her mother's phantom was a delusion, promising to meet her again once she had grown strong enough.
• Meng Anli faced memories of the Meng family's abuse and resolved to sever the buried hatred before it could damage her divine sense.

Meng Anli cursed the Meng family from within her sea of consciousness while the Corpse Demon continued impersonating her and convinced the group to divide into two watch shifts. The Corpse Demon’s plan seemed to proceed smoothly until the Black Bear Demon attacked its group.

• Meng Anli unleashed her anger at the Meng family, while the observers worried she might suffer qi deviation and Yun Jing remained confident.
• The Corpse Demon proposed watch shifts, but Mo Ziqian suggested two groups so no one would have to stand guard alone.
• Guang Ling, Zhu Rongyao, and Mo Ziqian persuaded the Corpse Demon to accept the plan, and Lu Yao ensured she would stay in its group.
• Guang Ling and Zhu Rongyao kept watch for three hours without incident.
• Less than half an hour into the Corpse Demon’s group’s watch, the Black Bear Demon pounced on them.

Mo Ziqian and the others battled the Black Bear Demon while trying to expose the Corpse Demon’s disguise. Mo Ziqian revealed that he knew they were inside an illusion realm and proposed a wager to win Meng Anli’s return and their escape.

• Mo Ziqian, Guang Ling, Zhu Rongyao, and Lu Yao fought the Black Bear Demon, with the Corpse Demon joining them as the demon grew stronger.
• Guang Ling accused the Corpse Demon of pretending to be Meng Anli, and Mo Ziqian noticed the Black Bear Demon’s attacks weakened whenever the Corpse Demon spoke.
• Mo Ziqian challenged the Corpse Demon to identify when the real Meng Anli had been with them and when the Corpse Demon had impersonated her.
• Lu Yao questioned whether the Corpse Demon dared to admit the truth, and he accidentally exposed himself by saying he did not know his own gender.
• Mo Ziqian proposed that if he won the wager, the Corpse Demon would return Meng Anli and let them leave the illusion realm; the Corpse Demon was surprised that Mo Ziqian had recognized it.

Mo Ziqian deduced that the real Meng Anli had been with Zhu Rongyao, and the Corpse Demon admitted defeat but refused to honor their wager. After capturing Mo Ziqian, Guang Ling, and Lu Yao, the Corpse Demon tried to divide them, but their trust in Anli and one another left him questioning who had truly been led around by the nose.

• Mo Ziqian explained that Anli's score had not changed when Guo Lie and Zhu Rongyao were eliminated, then deduced that the real Anli had been present before Zhu Rongyao was tied up.
• The Corpse Demon agreed to Mo Ziqian's wager, and Guang Ling and the others backed Mo Ziqian when he accepted the risk of losing.
• After Mo Ziqian proved correct, the Corpse Demon refused to release Anli unless the others stayed with him, so Guang Ling threatened to fight.
• The Corpse Demon captured Mo Ziqian, Guang Ling, and Lu Yao with streams of black mist, while they remained confident they would see Anli again.
• Mo Ziqian revealed that the group's apparent discord had been an act, and Guang Ling said they trusted Anli's reasons for taking points.
• The Corpse Demon vowed to separate them repeatedly, but Mo Ziqian replied that they would reunite just as many times.

Meng Anli used the Three Corpses Demon's weakness to defeat and humiliate him, saving Mo Ziqian and the others. After the demon escaped with the Black Bear Demon, Meng Anli turned her attention to Meng Shiwan and Meng Xiuchen's points.

• Mo Ziqian taunted the Three Corpses Demon, exposing its fear and forcing it to reveal its faceless form.
• Meng Anli appeared and split the Three Corpses Demon apart with three Azure Water Swords, then reunited and split it again when Zhu Rongyao complained about being thrown into the Black Bear Demon's mouth.
• Meng Anli bound the demon with the Immortal Binding Rope and had Zhu Rongyao throw it into the Black Bear Demon's mouth, after which the bear fled with it.
• Meng Anli's group celebrated their victory, and Meng Anli noticed Meng Shiwan hiding behind a tree and running away.

Meng Anli wounded Meng Xiuchen while Meng Shiwan pushed him into the sword’s path, then sowed suspicion between the siblings with pointed words and an apparent act of kindness. After an eagle shattered Meng Shiwan’s storage ring and exposed her hidden supplies, Meng Xiuchen began to question how he had treated Meng Anli, while she and her companions planned to make the siblings turn on each other.

• Meng Shiwan pushed Meng Xiuchen into the path of Meng Anli’s Azure Water Sword, then blamed the injury on Meng Anli and an illusion.
• Meng Anli questioned Meng Shiwan’s concern for her injured brother and praised her suspiciously borrowed words, making Meng Xiuchen hesitate.
• Meng Anli offered Meng Xiuchen a pill and left after saying she would deal with Meng Shiwan but would not exploit his injury.
• A giant eagle shattered Meng Shiwan’s storage ring, revealing pills and other supplies that made Meng Xiuchen recall how generously Meng Anli had once shared with her brothers.
• Meng Xiuchen rejected Meng Shiwan’s attempt to tend his wound and left her, while Meng Anli and her companions discussed sowing discord between the siblings.

Meng Xiuchen discovered Meng Shiwan stealing points and learned that she denied recognizing him to justify robbing him. After Meng Anli confronted Meng Shiwan, the two prepared to fight.

• Meng Xiuchen overheard disciples describing Meng Shiwan's point thefts, then followed her to see for himself.
• Meng Shiwan kicked a disciple out of the trial by destroying his bracelet, then struck Meng Xiuchen and accused him of impersonating her Third Brother.
• Meng Anli, Guang Ling, and Mo Ziqian watched and deduced that Meng Shiwan was pretending not to recognize Meng Xiuchen so she could steal his points without blame.
• Meng Shiwan took Meng Xiuchen's bracelet and shattered it, gaining his points before thanking him and revealing her score was only thirty-two points behind Meng Anli.
• Meng Anli appeared before Meng Shiwan, pursued her when she fled, and faced her force-infused whip attack.

Meng Anli defeated Meng Shiwan, took her points, and exposed her attempts to play the victim in front of Anli’s companions. After Meng Shiwan was expelled from the forest, she tried to turn to Meng Xiuchen for help, but he coldly reminded her that she still needed thirty-two points to catch up to Meng Anli.

• Meng Anli caught Meng Shiwan’s whip, overpowered her, and transferred all her points onto her own bracelet.
• Meng Anli nearly strangled Meng Shiwan, then inflicted agonizing pain on her hands while leaving no visible injuries.
• Mo Ziqian, Lu Yao, Guang Ling, and Zhu Rongyao defended Meng Anli and dismissed Meng Shiwan’s accusations.
• Meng Anli released Meng Shiwan’s bracelet, and Meng Shiwan was sent out of the forest as disciples confronted her over the points she had stolen.
• Meng Shiwan escaped the disciples and lunged toward Meng Xiuchen, but he dodged her and reminded her that she was thirty-two points behind Meng Anli.

Yun Jing judged Meng Shiwan and Meng Xiuchen for colluding with corpse demons, expelling them from the academy and banning them from competitions for eternity. He left their lives intact because Meng Anli had held back and still had more to do.

• Meng Shiwan realized the World-Observing Mirrors had exposed her actions and tried to blame Master Zhang for encouraging her to win glory for the academy.
• Master Zhang and Master Wang denied knowing about the disciples' collusion with corpse demons, while Meng Shiwan claimed Meng Anli was also a devil.
• Yun Jing dismissed the corpse demons' accusations against Meng Anli and ruled that Meng Shiwan's proven collusion warranted expulsion and a lifelong ban from academy competitions.
• Meng Shiwan and Meng Xiuchen received their expulsion notices, and Yun Jing explained to Yuan Tuo that Meng Anli had held herself back.
• Yuan Tuo agreed to protect Meng Anli while she continued playing, and Yun Jing resumed watching the World-Observing Mirrors.

Meng Shiwan was beaten by the disciples she had wronged, then asked the Corpse Demon to take her in. After Meng Anli’s group entered the secret realm, they arrived at Zeshui Village and followed a young cowherd toward the village chief’s home.

• The disciples beat Meng Shiwan until she collapsed, then left her behind.
• The Corpse Demon found Meng Shiwan, agreed to take her in, and showed her how badly her face had been injured.
• Meng Anli returned as the forest competition’s first-place winner, and Yun Jing selected six groups of thirty disciples to enter the secret realm.
• The headmasters of the four great academies opened the secret realm, and the selected disciples were transported to a mountain village.
• Guang Ling startled a young cowherd, but Meng Anli calmed him and learned that they were in Zeshui Village.
• The cowherd offered to take Meng Anli and the group to his home, then suggested they visit the village chief because his own family had too little water.

Meng Anli and her companions entered a strange mountain village and stayed with Cang Er and his courteous mother while investigating the village's secrets. Meng Anli suspected the mystery involved Cang Er's parents and prepared to investigate further.

• Meng Anli secretly followed the shepherd boy to the village chief's home and saw that the chief's eyes were unfocused, though he moved without difficulty.
• The shepherd boy led Meng Anli to his home, where Cang Er's mother welcomed her and the others with tea.
• When Meng Anli mentioned the woman's husband, the madam grieved that he had died five or six years earlier, and Cang Er hinted that people who mocked him had met with retribution.
• The madam invited the group to stay overnight, and Meng Anli told Lu Yao she suspected the mystery concerned Cang Er's parents.
• The madam initially called Cang Er to sleep with her, but agreed to let him stay with Guang Ling after he pleaded to remain with him.
• Meng Anli wrote a message on the table for Lu Yao, asking her to cover for her and contact her through the Communication Mirror if anything happened.

Meng Anli mapped the village and found that households around its water-bound outer edge had suffered illness, disability, or loss, while most families inside were whole and happy. The group remained unsure what the village wanted from them, and the next day they learned that Grandpa Shugen'er had died.

• Meng Anli flew through the village and found households marked by missing family members, illness, disability, and abandonment.
• After Meng Anli returned, Guang Ling recounted the tragedies Cang Er had described, while Meng Anli mapped the village and compared its inner and outer households.
• Mo Ziqian noted that the village chief's family was whole and happy and suspected him, while Meng Anli also pointed out a wealthy, healthy elderly couple living by the water.
• Madam made no request the next day, and Meng Anli, Mo Ziqian, Zhu Rongyao, and Guang Ling accompanied Cang Er to herd sheep.
• On the main road, Cang Er learned from an uncle that Grandpa Shugen'er had died the previous night.

Meng Anli investigated Shugen's sudden death and Madam Shugen's illness, while growing more suspicious of Cang Er's Mother and the village chief. Yin Heling revealed that the village's waterways formed a Dragon Trapping Array, and the village chief invited Meng Anli to his home before Mo Ziqian said Cang Er was looking for her.

• Cang Er and Meng Anli went to Shugen's home, where the village chief declared Shugen dead from sorrow and Madam Shugen revealed that she had consumption.
• Meng Anli noticed Cang Er's Mother hiding in the crowd, and Lu Yao confirmed that both Shugen's death and Madam Shugen's illness were real.
• Yin Heling told Meng Anli how the village chief had gone blind and gained medical and feng shui skills, prompting Meng Anli to question the village's foul waterways and poor feng shui.
• Yin Heling recognized Meng Anli's sketch of the surrounding waterways as a Dragon Trapping Array, and the village chief approached them and explained that villagers had fouled the water by dumping waste.
• The village chief invited Meng Anli and her companions to his home for tea, but Mo Ziqian arrived to tell her that Cang Er was looking for her.

Meng Anli and her companions discovered that the village was trapped inside a Dragon Trapping Array and sought the person who had damaged it. While investigating Shugen'er's soul-returning night, they witnessed a mysterious attack that left Madam Shugen near death.

• Meng Anli asked Guang Ling and Mo Ziqian about the Dragon Trapping Array, learning that it enclosed the village with water and could be damaged by removing a soul-anchoring stake or pouring filth into it.
• Meng Anli and her companions decided to find whoever had damaged the array before confronting the dragon or freeing it.
• Meng Anli searched the village at night for several days but found no clues, then waited for Shugen'er's soul-returning night.
• Disguised as a crow, Meng Anli watched as Shugen's voice called Madam Shugen to join him, while a cold voice warned that a Demonic Beast was present.
• The village chief and villagers rushed in after an attack, finding Chu Feibai bewildered and Madam Shugen vomiting blood and near death.