Chapter Summaries

With ten days left before the Third Awakening of Eternal Night, Zhang Ziliang visited Zhang Xiao’s laboratory and received plans for a modified grenade. He urged her to move her lab to the Wasteland for safety, and she agreed to share a meal with him before he left for danger.

• Meng Po resumed beating Wang Ye with her cane, while a petite figure formed from yin energy watched from above the Post Office.
• Zhang Xiao tested an eyeball in blood and revealed she had already finished modifying grenades and was working on a new project.
• Zhang Xiao gave Zhang Ziliang plans for a mass-produced grenade that could paralyze and restrain targets while suppressing the sound of its explosion.
• Zhang Ziliang suggested moving Zhang Xiao’s laboratory to the Wasteland so she could survive if he died, then invited her to eat rabbit at home that evening.
• Zhang Xiao agreed to go home and tearfully asked Zhang Ziliang to come back alive; he promised he would and left after teasing her.

Zhang Ziliang reunited with Zhang Xiao over a late-night dinner and asked about her progress on Five Senses. After she left to return to her experiments, he remembered how she had joined his household as a hungry child.

• Zhang Ziliang returned to his dusty house, cleaned the courtyard, and cooked dinner while waiting for Zhang Xiao.
• Zhang Xiao arrived, teased Zhang Ziliang about being late, and took digestive tablets before eating his overly salty cooking.
• Zhang Xiao told Zhang Ziliang that Five Senses could be ready in fifteen days, though with a lower safety rate.
• Zhang Xiao explained that she joined Jade Pool because formations improved her experiments and gave her a chance to protect herself and seek revenge.
• Zhang Xiao returned to her experiments, and Zhang Ziliang watched her leave while recalling the day she had first asked him for food.

Zhang Ziliang and Zhang Xiao parted ways, each committed to continuing the work that would protect humanity. Wang Ye trained with Meng Po, then considered the Post Office and the approaching Third Awakening of Eternal Night, with nine days remaining.

• Zhang Ziliang left the courtyard after reflecting on his remaining time and his debts, while Zhang Xiao watched him go and resolved to follow the road he had paved.
• Wang Ye finally landed a punch on Meng Po during their sparring, then kept challenging her until she left to attend to matters in the Underworld.
• Wang Ye recovered, realized his strength and combat experience had improved, and tried to challenge the Post Office, whose little figure dispersed into yin energy.
• Wang Ye remained uneasy about the Post Office's second floor and weighed the uncertain plans of the factions ahead of the Third Awakening of Eternal Night.
• Wang Ye noted that the Heaven Group was badly outmatched, planned to speak with Zhang Ziliang, and counted down the nine days left before the awakening.

Wang Ye considered investigating a secret realm in Qinyuan Residential Area, while Zhang Ziliang visited Zhao Hai in his cell and revealed that he planned to kill him before his own impending death. Zhao Hai learned he had at most twelve days left and remained imprisoned as the two parted.

• Wang Ye left the Post Office after considering whether his current strength could overcome the secret realm in Qinyuan Residential Area.
• Zhang Ziliang met Zhao Hai in his cell, and the two discussed their confidence, motives, and ways of reading one another.
• Zhang Ziliang admitted that he wanted to kill Zhao Hai and explained that he could not leave the Heaven Group in Zhao Hai's hands after his own death.
• Zhao Hai realized Zhang Ziliang was going to die soon, possibly because of the Sword Cultivation Technique, and asked who he intended to kill, but Zhang Ziliang refused to say.
• Zhang Ziliang told Zhao Hai that he had at most twelve days left, refused his request for a better room, and said goodbye.
• Zhao Hai drank the liquor and asked whether Zhang Ziliang had poisoned it.

Zhang Ziliang poisoned Zhao Hai, who accepted his fate and drank the wine before falling asleep. In Buddha Kingdom, Maitreya tried to tear down Buddhist statues for gold, only to discover most were stone inside, while the bodhisattvas refused to help and left him to deal with the fallout.

• Zhang Ziliang told Zhao Hai the poison would erase his mental strength and consciousness within thirty days, then revealed the wine was alcohol mixed with water.
• Zhao Hai drank the wine, dispersed the energy in his body, and fell asleep as the alcohol corroded him.
• Maitreya ordered the bodhisattvas to smash the Buddhist statues and extract their gold so they could abandon Buddha Kingdom and move to a hidden base.
• The bodhisattvas refused to take responsibility, so Maitreya entered a temple and smashed a statue himself.
• Maitreya discovered the statue was stone inside and found that most statues in Buddha Kingdom were likewise stone with only a golden outer layer.
• Maitreya asked about the abbots, learned they were all dead, and left while the bodhisattvas stayed silent.

Wang Ye returned to Qinyuan Residential Area to investigate its connection to Lu Qing and the underworld. At Heavenly Group Headquarters, Li Xinghe sent Li Hongtian away as preparations for the Third Awakening of Eternal Night neared completion, privately reflecting on the burden of leading the group.

• Wang Ye returned to Qinyuan Residential Area and reasoned that Lu Qing had planted the photographs and used the Post Office to guide Xiao Si to him.
• Wang Ye suspected that Qinyuan Residential Area was a fragment of an underworld secret realm because of the ghosts within it.
• Li Hongtian reported to Li Xinghe that the Heaven Group's preparations were complete.
• Li Xinghe joked with Li Hongtian about their family having no descendants, then sent him away while pretending to face his final days.
• Li Xinghe stood at the window and wondered why he had made himself the group leader, saying the seat carried a lot of pressure.

After surviving the ghost-filled Building Four, Wang Ye found a mysterious blood-drawn map and set off to investigate it despite the time pressure before Eternal Night’s Third Awakening. Meanwhile, Meng Po and Du Ziren prepared to open the underworld’s ancient gates.

• Wang Ye escaped Building Four as it collapsed, realizing it had been a powerful ghost habitat and blaming the white-furred monkey for setting him up.
• Wang Ye found an intact severed finger that had formed the Ghost Domain, along with an incomplete map pointing toward a location not far from Shangjing.
• Wang Ye decided to follow the map despite having only eight days before Eternal Night’s Third Awakening and estimated the trip could take five days.
• Meng Po met Du Ziren, Zhong Kui, and the others in the Wasteland as they prepared for the underworld’s return.
• Du Ziren donned his royal robes, declared himself Lord of Mount Luofu, and commanded the gates of the underworld to open.

Du Ziren and the Underworld fought to weaken the Buddhist chains sealing the Bronze Gate, while Xiao Wu and Xiao Er strained themselves to help. At Dragon Tiger Mountain, Zhou Han and Lu Dongbin caught the old Daoists secretly working at a pill furnace, and one elder's excuses only made Zhou Han angrier.

• Du Ziren used the Ghost Seal to command the Bronze Gate to open, but Buddha's chains suppressed it.
• Zhong Kui, Black and White Impermanence, Cui Jue, and Meng Po summoned their faith and joined the effort to wear away the chains' scriptures.
• Xiao Wu advanced toward the gate with Xiao Er's help, then sat down to recite scriptures as both of them suffered from the strain.
• Zhou Han and Lu Dongbin caught the old Daoists gathered around a pill furnace after they had claimed to be unwell and in seclusion.
• An old Daoist called Zhou Han a demoness by mistake, then blamed Meng Po, leaving Zhou Han increasingly furious.

Zhou Han confronted the Daoist Sect’s elders about their lack of preparation for the Third Awakening of Eternal Night, while Lu Dongbin reminded her why she cherished the sect. She forced the elders to send at least two people with her, leaving them to argue over who would be the second unlucky volunteer.

• The old Daoists hid their pill furnace when Zhou Han arrived, and she asked why the Daoist Sect had survived despite its strength.
• Lu Dongbin told Zhou Han that the sect’s unambitious, pure-hearted nature made it worth protecting, and she accepted that they were family.
• Zhou Han chased the elders and returned with one of them, then demanded to know their preparations for the Third Awakening of Eternal Night, which was eight days away.
• The captured Daoist offered Bigu pills and hiding in a remote ravine as the sect’s plan, so Zhou Han ordered at least two elders to go with her.
• The four remaining elders argued over who should volunteer as the second person, while the captured Daoist already counted as the first.

Wang Ye gathered paranormal items in the Wasteland as the Third Awakening of Eternal Night drew near, with only seven days remaining. At Ghost Gate Pass, Zhang Ziliang spent his free time painting peaceful scenes and remembered meeting Zhang Xiao.

• Zhou Han led two old Taoists out from Dragon Tiger Mountain while Lu Dongbin flew ahead on his sword.
• Wang Ye took a Boy's ball, threatened him with a cleaver, then continued collecting supplies in the Wasteland.
• Wang Ye drained blood from a plant-type ghost disguised as an old tree and headed toward a marked location.
• Zhang Ziliang relaxed in his office and painted a lively vision of Ghost Gate Pass.
• Zhang Ziliang painted the scene of his first meeting with Zhang Xiao.

Zhang Ziliang finished a series of paintings before admitting he still needed to live long enough to serve as the Heaven Group’s final trump card. Wang Ye searched a remote wilderness for the treasure marked on his map, found three suspicious trees, and ordered Long-Eared Buddha to attack them.

• Zhang Ziliang painted Li Xinghe, and a drop of blood from his nose sharpened the portrait into his most perfect work.
• Zhang Ziliang stored his paintings in a safe, swallowed a pill to restore his strength, and told Yang Chen he planned to sacrifice himself for the Heaven Group during the Third Awakening of Eternal Night.
• Yang Chen said he could keep Zhang Ziliang from dying, but Zhang Ziliang ignored him.
• Wang Ye searched the mapped wilderness with Long-Eared Buddha and found no obvious sign of treasure.
• Wang Ye used his inherited ability to detect three black auras near three old trees and asked Long-Eared Buddha to attack them.

Wang Ye tested the three old trees with Long Ear’s golden lotus petals to discover how their formation worked. He suspected the third tree sustained the formation, leaving him considering whether to preserve it rather than destroy it.

• Long Ear threw a petal at the first tree, which sent it through a spatial rift toward his head, and Wang Ye intercepted it.
• Wang Ye had Long Ear test the second tree, which unleashed a powerful spiritual counterattack that Wang Ye blocked.
• Long Ear tested the third tree, but it showed no reaction to the petal.
• Wang Ye reasoned that the third tree might absorb energy to sustain the formation, and he smiled at the possibility of keeping it intact.

Wang Ye tested whether the formation could enhance paranormal items, discovering that it strengthened them but could also shatter them unpredictably. He began experimenting on cheap scraps from Yaochi while the long-eared phantom watched in stunned silence.

• Wang Ye threw a human-faced ball into the formation and found that it returned with its energy doubled, then grew stronger through repeated enhancements.
• Wang Ye kept testing the ball until it exploded during another round, showing that enhanced items could shatter.
• Wang Ye tested a crystal eyeball and found it also shattered after five enhancements, while a small bronze ornament survived and transformed into a higher-grade item.
• Wang Ye started testing cheap scraps from Yaochi, turning his treasure hunt into a series of enhancement experiments as the long-eared phantom watched.

Wang Ye spent the afternoon testing how many times different weapons could be enhanced by using a formation that reflected attacks. After realizing Long Ear could trigger the formation for him, Wang Ye suspected Long Ear had understood the trick all along and had kept quiet to spare his pride.

• Wang Ye discovered that ordinary items usually shattered after two enhancements, while successful enhancements raised an item's quality and brought it close to its limit.
• Wang Ye enhanced his Boning Knife five times, then stopped himself from risking another enhancement despite being tempted by the gamble.
• Wang Ye enhanced his Bone-Scraping Knife five times and grew exhausted from repeatedly taking the formation's counterattacks himself.
• Wang Ye realized Long Ear could attack the formation in his place, since the formation only required an attacker to use half their strength.
• Wang Ye handed Long Ear a bone-chopping knife and concluded that Long Ear had known the trick all along but had stayed quiet to avoid embarrassing him.

Wang Ye strengthened the Ghost Messenger Blade through the formation and debated risking a sixth attempt. Long-Eared suggested testing the Boning Knife first, and the chapter ended with the knife emerging safely from the spatial rift.

• Wang Ye had Long-Eared throw the Ghost Messenger Blade through the formation five times, increasing its strength by a total of twenty-five percent.
• Wang Ye considered a sixth enhancement for the Ghost Messenger Blade, but Long-Eared avoided advising him.
• Long-Eared suggested testing the lower-quality Boning Knife before risking the Ghost Messenger Blade again.
• Wang Ye warned Long-Eared he would have to compensate him if the Boning Knife shattered, then handed it over.
• Long-Eared threw the Boning Knife into the formation, and it burst back through the spatial rift with great momentum.

Wang Ye exploited the formation to enhance his weapons and other items until it collapsed, revealing a vast blood pool and the remains of a giant. He used the blood to resume the story in the three pages of paper, where the underworld had grown powerful but the Heavenly Court and Spirit Mountain deceived the dead.

• Wang Ye and Long Ear enhanced the Ghost Messenger Blade for the sixth time, and Wang Ye strengthened several other items before stopping.
• Wang Ye kept feeding supernatural items into the formation until the three trees vanished and the illusion gave way to a blood lake surrounding a gigantic skull and hand.
• Wang Ye suspected the giant corpse might belong to the owner of the severed finger, then tossed the three pages of paper into the blood to continue their story.
• Wang Ye hid Long Ear inside his cloth bag and watched the underworld develop over several hundred years, with Black and White Impermanence becoming feared figures among ordinary people.
• The story revealed that the Heavenly Court and Spirit Mountain presented death as a pleasant escape, though the dead who reached them would instead suffer.

The Heavenly Court and Spirit Mountain tried to eliminate the Daoist Sect, but the Daoists vanished while scattered across remote mountains refining pills. As A Nian’s barrier weakened, the Underworld broke through its enemies’ encirclement, and its Five Direction Ghost Emperors began striking back; the chapter leaves Li Changgeng crippled after Maitreya’s betrayal.

• The Daoist Sect dispersed to remote places to refine pills, frustrating the Heavenly Court and Spirit Mountain’s plan to destroy them.
• After thirty years of searching, the Heavenly Court and Spirit Mountain captured only five Daoists and suspended their extermination plan.
• As A Nian’s protective barrier weakened, the Underworld’s Five Direction Ghost Emperors led a successful breakout and return attack against the encirclement.
• The Five Direction Ghost Emperors began hunting Heavenly Court and Spirit Mountain forces, while Li Changgeng, Maitreya, and Lu Qing gained renown as strategists.
• Li Changgeng and Maitreya lured Du Ziren into a trap, but Spirit Mountain’s forces failed to arrive and the Underworld sent reinforcements.
• Lu Qing defeated Li Changgeng and permanently halted his cultivation progress; Li escaped with his life, and Maitreya was suspected of betraying him.

As the Heavenly Court and Mount Ling moved to destroy the underworld, Wang Ye and the Buddha confronted its defenders at the Bronze Gate. A mysterious barefoot youth intervened, stopping Wang Ye’s lightning attack and revealing that the underworld had an unexpected protector.

• The war between the underworld, the Heavenly Court, and Mount Ling grew bloodier, while cracks spread through the land and the fallen powerful beings’ souls dissipated into the air.
• Wang Ye and the Buddha entered the fight, badly wounding the Five Direction Ghost Emperors and driving them back to the underworld; everyone returned except Lu Qing.
• Wang Ye declared that the underworld must cease to exist, and Meng Po condemned the Heavenly Court while vowing that resistance would rise again.
• The Buddha told Meng Po that the underworld’s lack of power equal to theirs, rather than profit, had led to its destruction.
• Wang Ye sent lightning at the underworld’s defenders, but an ordinary fishing rod blocked it, and a young man in a black robe appeared and insulted him.

The black-robed youth forced the King and Buddha to agree not to interfere with the underworld for a hundred years. Afterward, the King and Buddha revealed that their apparent confrontation had been staged to draw him out, and they planned to use the underworld to rebuild the world.

• The black-robed youth threatened the King with relentless attacks, and the Buddha negotiated a hundred-year truce for the underworld.
• The King accepted the agreement, and the black-robed youth departed after praising Meng Po and warning the underworld that its safety would last only a hundred years.
• Zhong Kui questioned Lu Qing about leaving the battle, and Lu Qing said he had preserved some survivors so the underworld would not be wiped out.
• Wang Ye watched the scene blur and shift to the King's bedchamber, where the King and Buddha discussed their true intentions.
• The King and Buddha admitted they had expected the black-robed youth to appear and planned to use the underworld as an opportunity to rebuild the world.

Wang Ye investigated the colossal skeleton, found a red crystal embedded in its skull, and used it to strengthen the Ghost Messenger Blade before the skeleton collapsed. Meanwhile, Zhong Kui and the underworld group struggled to break the Buddha’s seal as Du Ziren endured its force and Xiao Wu worked against it near the Bronze Gate.

• Wang Ye noticed red light lingering in the skeleton’s eye sockets and found a crystal embedded in its skull.
• Wang Ye pulled out the red crystal and fitted it into the second slot of the Ghost Messenger Blade, which began radiating killing intent.
• The skeleton shook, cracked, and collapsed, and Wang Ye collected several bone fragments before leaving.
• Zhong Kui urged the exhausted underworld group onward as they neared breaking the Buddha’s seal.
• Du Ziren faced the seal’s force while Xiao Wu undermined it near the Bronze Gate, and Meng Po guarded against an attack.