Recaps

Fang Cheng refined cross-world wish power in the Inner Scenery World and discovered that Cheng Jiashu was in mortal danger. He entered Cheng Jiashu’s consciousness and arrived at a besieged ancient temple, where a soldier confronted him.

• Fang Cheng burned away the polluted black mist with Solar True Fire and absorbed the purified wish power, strengthening the Inner Scenery World and the Solar Mental Network.
• Fang Cheng realized Cheng Jiashu’s star was flickering as his consciousness collapsed, so he sent his will through the Solar Mental Network into Cheng Jiashu’s Sea of Consciousness.
• Fang Cheng appeared on a mist-shrouded mountain path and followed sounds of battle to an ancient temple under attack.
• Fang Cheng entered the temple as soldiers killed monks and ransacked the grounds, then saw General Kong Hai demanding a Buddhist Secret Treasure from Master Kong Hai.
• A spear-wielding soldier spotted Fang Cheng and demanded to know who he was and why he had trespassed.

Fang Cheng fought Jiang Chen, who had taken control of Cheng Jiashu during the dreamlike massacre at Lone Peak Temple. After knocking Jiang Chen down, Fang Cheng trapped his arms and neck in a joint lock and choke, leaving their struggle unresolved.

• Fang Cheng stopped a soldier’s spear, snapped it, and killed the soldier with a kick to the head.
• Fang Cheng struck the mounted general with his Qilin Arm and shattered his iron mask, revealing Cheng Jiashu beneath it.
• Cheng Jiashu briefly regained control and begged Fang Cheng to kill him, but Jiang Chen suppressed him and resumed the attack.
• Fang Cheng recognized Jiang Chen’s control of Cheng Jiashu and dodged his halberd strikes while searching for a way to save his friend.
• Fang Cheng closed in after evading Jiang Chen’s Phoenix Triple Nod, threw him to the ground, and trapped him in a choke and armbar.

Fang Cheng freed Cheng Jiashu from Jiang Chen’s possession, but Jiang Chen escaped and raised an army of a thousand ghouls. Fang Cheng stood alone at the Mahavira Hall entrance and began fighting them as Cheng Jiashu took shelter inside.

• Fang Cheng used solar true fire and a Cross Armbar to drive Jiang Chen from Cheng Jiashu’s body, and Cheng Jiashu warned him not to pursue the fleeing ghost.
• Cheng Jiashu explained that Jiang Chen had lured him into a nightmare in the Western Mountains, while Fang Cheng joked about how he had entered the subconscious realm.
• Black mist transformed the temple ruins and the fallen Yu Dynasty soldiers into ghouls, surrounding Fang Cheng and Cheng Jiashu with a thousand monsters.
• Jiang Chen accused Cheng Jiashu of betraying his ancestor, and Cheng Jiashu denied that the bloodthirsty ghost was a worthy Cheng Clan ancestor.
• Fang Cheng sent Cheng Jiashu into the Mahavira Hall and attacked the charging ghouls with solar flames, killing several as the army reached the steps.

Fang Cheng used his golden solar true fire to annihilate Jiang Chen’s ghoul army and break the Ten Thousand Ghosts Subjugation Formation. As Jiang Chen threatened to trap him and Cheng Jiashu in his Corpse Qi Domain, Fang Cheng prepared to attack the one controlling it.

• Fang Cheng fought through the ghouls with martial strikes, then unleashed solar true fire that burned through their corpse qi and destroyed the horde.
• Cheng Jiashu watched Fang Cheng’s overwhelming victory and realized how much stronger he had become.
• Jiang Chen questioned Fang Cheng’s origins, and Fang Cheng mocked him for demanding an introduction without giving his own.
• Cheng Jiashu denounced Jiang Chen as the ancestor who had ruined the Cheng Clan, while Jiang Chen claimed his dream domain was unbreakable and threatened to wear down their souls.
• As Jiang Chen’s Corpse Qi Domain weighed on Cheng Jiashu, Fang Cheng straightened a broken spear and declared that he would kill Jiang Chen rather than wait him out.

Fang Cheng overwhelmed Jiang Chen’s corpse-qi clones with hundreds of Flame Spears and destroyed him in a massive explosion. With Jiang Chen gone, the Dream Space collapsed, and Fang Cheng withdrew his consciousness into his Inner Scenery World.

• Fang Cheng detected Jiang Chen hiding in the mist and attacked him with a Flame Spear, forcing him out of hiding.
• Jiang Chen split into multiple clones, but Fang Cheng kept launching Flame Spears and used the domain’s boundaries to trap and destroy them.
• Fang Cheng surrounded Jiang Chen’s remaining clones with hundreds of Flame Spears and ignored Jiang Chen’s offer of treasures, cultivation insights, and an alliance.
• Fang Cheng unleashed a concentrated volley that engulfed Jiang Chen’s clones in a huge explosion, while Cheng Jiashu watched from the hall.
• With Jiang Chen gone, the Dream Space began collapsing; Cheng Jiashu was swept away, and Fang Cheng returned his consciousness to his Inner Scenery World.

After defeating the thousand-year-old ghost in Cheng Jiashu’s dream, Fang Cheng gained enough experience to advance Muay Thai to Grandmaster-level and received 12 free attribute points. He invested them in constitution, reaching 95, then ate a huge late-night meal as Cheng Jiashu woke from an unsettling dream.

• Fang Cheng discovered that the battle in Cheng Jiashu’s dream had advanced Muay Thai to Grandmaster-level and earned him experience in several other skills.
• Fang Cheng put all 12 free attribute points into constitution, raising it from 83 to 95 and strengthening his body.
• Fang Cheng went downstairs to Old Factory Street and ate a large meal to replenish the energy his body had consumed.
• Fang Cheng paid the stall owner and headed toward the Sleeve Building, reflecting that Cheng Jiashu’s supernatural troubles could bring him more experience.
• Cheng Jiashu woke up shivering in his villa, turned off the air conditioner, wrapped himself in a blanket, and decided he needed to sleep earlier.

Fang Cheng reported to Special Search Team Headquarters with Ma Donghe and Hou Peng, completed his onboarding, and learned about the building and its departments. The chapter ended with Lu Tianming recognizing Fang Cheng from the Western Mountains incident and hurriedly fleeing from him.

• Fang Cheng reflected on his recent work for the Illumination Society and postponed hunting Jiang Chen's remaining followers until Cheng Jiashu recovered.
• Ma Donghe and Hou Peng joined Fang Cheng at headquarters, where Wei Zheng escorted them through the fast-track registration process.
• Fang Cheng, Ma Donghe, and Hou Peng completed biometric screening, received their magnetic cards, and signed confidentiality agreements.
• Wei Zheng explained the headquarters layout and the departments where Ma Donghe and Hou Peng would serve.
• Lu Tianming spotted Fang Cheng in the corridor, remembered the Western Mountains incident, and abruptly fled; Wei Zheng identified him as a section chief in the Internal Investigation Department.

Fang Cheng joined the Special Search Team and was assigned to a temporary post in its Medical Department while waiting for newcomer training and his transfer to the Sanatorium. As he settled into headquarters, he recognized old acquaintance Gao Jin, who passed him without realizing who he was.

• Wei Zheng warned Fang Cheng, Ma Donghe, and Hou Peng about the Internal Affairs Department and described a secretive group rumored to operate within the Intelligence Department.
• Fang Cheng recognized Gao Jin and his subordinates Zhou Liang and A Li, but Gao Jin only found Fang Cheng vaguely familiar and moved on.
• Wei Zheng delivered Hou Peng to the Intelligence Department's Information Section and Ma Donghe to the Operations Department's Fourth Squad.
• Wei Zheng told Fang Cheng that Officer Shi had arranged a temporary Medical Department post at the Sanatorium, though Fang Cheng would first attend newcomer training.
• Wei Zheng introduced Fang Cheng to Head Nurse Li Man, who welcomed him to the Medical Department and showed him to an empty workstation.

Fang Cheng drove Ma Donghe and Hou Peng home from the Special Search Team and confronted a reckless driver during rush-hour traffic. After Ma Donghe used his credentials to dismiss a traffic stop, Fang Cheng's driving skill advanced to Expert Level.

• Fang Cheng drove Ma Donghe and Hou Peng out of headquarters while they discussed their first day in their departments.
• Fang Cheng thought about his upcoming training and transfer to the Western Mountains, where he planned to investigate Jiang Chen's burial site and the Ancient Civilization Ruins.
• A Black Civic cut off Fang Cheng, so he skillfully blocked it and forced it to stop near an exit ramp.
• The Civic's occupants, who had infiltrated Dongdu City for a mission, fled when they heard a police siren.
• A traffic officer stopped Fang Cheng, but Ma Donghe showed his Special Search Team credentials and claimed they were pursuing suspects, allowing them to leave.
• Fang Cheng received a panel notification that his driving skill had reached Expert Level.

After reaching Expert Level in driving, Fang Cheng discovered that his new Driving Intuition let him read vehicles and navigate traffic with extraordinary precision. He returned home to celebrate his first day with the Special Search Team, reassured his family about the job, and shared a warm dinner with them.

• Fang Cheng drove through Wanghu Town’s chaotic evening traffic effortlessly, demonstrating the new Driving Intuition special effect granted by his Expert Level driving skill.
• Fang Cheng wondered whether his affinity for vehicles might eventually let him operate planes, boats, ships, or even mecha with similar ease.
• Fang Cheng arrived at his family home with two bags of standard-issue gear and told Li Biyun, Li Zhenhua, and Li Dingjian that his first day at the Special Search Team had gone smoothly.
• Li Zhenhua tried to persuade Li Biyun to let him drink to celebrate, but Fang Cheng sided with his mother and suggested tea instead.
• Over dinner, Li Biyun, Li Zhenhua, and Li Dingjian advised Fang Cheng to stay safe and avoid trouble, and Fang Cheng reassured them that his Medical Department role was relatively safe.

Fang Cheng completed recruit training, befriended several future colleagues, and left the seaside base. At the gate, he encountered Cheng Jiashu, who offered him a ride.

• During the final log-carrying run, Fang Cheng supported Lin Chen and hid how easily he handled the drill.
• The instructor announced that Class Three had finished recruit training, and the recruits packed up and exchanged contact details.
• Fang Cheng reached the base gate alone after Ma Donghe and Hou Peng had left separately.
• Cheng Jiashu stopped his sports car beside Fang Cheng and offered him a ride.

Cheng Jiashu told Fang Cheng how Jiang Chen’s possession attempt revealed that the ghoul king’s true body and surviving primordial spirit might still be hidden in the Western Mountains. After locating the likely site, Cheng Jiashu drove Fang Cheng toward the restricted area to investigate.

• Cheng Jiashu picked Fang Cheng up from the Special Search Team Seaside Base and explained that Jiang Chen had trapped him in a nightmare after he touched a polluted Buddha statue.
• Cheng Jiashu said Jiang Chen had targeted him because he was the ghoul king’s fifty-second-generation direct descendant and could serve as a vessel for resurrection.
• Cheng Jiashu recounted how Jiang Chen’s attack on Lone Peak Temple opened a gate to the Netherworld and transformed him and his soldiers into ghouls.
• Cheng Jiashu explained that his ancestor had manipulated Cheng Clan descendants through dreams for generations and that he had pretended to cooperate to learn Jiang Chen’s secrets.
• Cheng Jiashu told Fang Cheng he had nearly confirmed the location of Jiang Chen’s true body and drove him toward the Western Mountains to see the site.

Fang Cheng and Cheng Jiashu investigated Ancient Locust Village and concluded that Jiang Chen's true body was likely hidden in an Inner World connected to the ruins of the Cheng Clan's former Family Secret Realm. They planned to infiltrate the village guardians, and Fang Cheng ended the chapter by thinking of a suitable candidate for the mission.

• Fang Cheng and Cheng Jiashu surveyed Ancient Locust Village and noticed that its vegetation and surroundings seemed unnaturally lifeless.
• Cheng Jiashu revealed that the village had once housed the Cheng Clan's Family Secret Realm, which collapsed fifty years earlier, and deduced that its remnants might have become an Inner World hiding Jiang Chen's true body.
• Cheng Jiashu explained that Jiang Chen needed to consume living souls to preserve his consciousness and that the village guardians likely conducted sacrifices for him.
• Cheng Jiashu warned that interrogating a guardian could alert Jiang Chen, so he proposed sending an undercover applicant to discover how to enter the Inner World.
• Fang Cheng offered to go undercover, but Cheng Jiashu argued that they were too handsome and proposed sending someone simple-minded instead; Fang Cheng thought of a suitable person.

Fang Cheng sent Xu Hao to Ancient Locust Village to work as a Village Guardian and investigate the village’s secrets. Xu Hao secured the job, and Fang Cheng waited for him to uncover a way into the Inner World and learn Jiang Chen’s whereabouts before the full-moon ceremony.

• Fang Cheng called Xu Hao and instructed him to infiltrate Ancient Locust Village as a Village Guardian while investigating an old zombie.
• Xu Hao found the Village Guardian recruitment notice online and called Supervisor Wu to apply, brushing aside the recruitment questions with boasts about his strength and experience.
• Supervisor Wu agreed to hire Xu Hao and told him to bring identification to Ancient Locust Village on the thirteenth of the lunar month.
• Xu Hao celebrated his new assignment by practicing the Great Sun Burning Body Art and declaring he would test it against the ghosts.
• Fang Cheng recalled that he and Cheng Jiashu had surveyed Ancient Locust Village and planned Xu Hao’s undercover mission.
• Fang Cheng noted that only four days remained until the full-moon sacrificial ceremony and waited for Xu Hao to find a way into the Inner World and locate Jiang Chen.

Fang Cheng trained by YuLong Lake and tested the range and power of his True Qi External Release, striking the water from nearly thirty meters away. After confirming his progress in Palm Technique, Tai Chi, and Qi Gong, he headed home before reporting to the Sanatorium in the Western Mountains for his new job.

• Fang Cheng practiced Palm Technique and Tai Chi, using qi threads to slice apart a venomous snake that attacked him.
• Fang Cheng demonstrated Tai Chi's gentle force and struck a dawn redwood with a long-range lash of compressed qi.
• Fang Cheng fired Spiral Force across YuLong Lake, where it struck the water roughly twenty-nine meters from shore.
• Fang Cheng checked his skill experience gains and decided to focus his training on Palm Technique and Tai Chi.
• Fang Cheng left the woods as the town woke, planning to eat breakfast at home before reporting to the Sanatorium in the Western Mountains.

Fang Cheng reported to the Western Mountains Emerald Valley Sanatorium as a rehabilitation therapist and settled into the staff dormitory. Lin Yue warned him to stay away from the restricted facility on the Back Mountain, which Fang Cheng glimpsed from his window.

• Fang Cheng passed the guard post and reported to the Department of Traditional Medical Rehabilitation in Building 3.
• Master Sun welcomed Fang Cheng, forgot his name several times, and introduced him to Lin Yue.
• Lin Yue explained the department’s treatments and emergency medical duties before taking Fang Cheng to his dormitory in Building 6.
• Lin Yue gave Fang Cheng his room key, described the sanatorium’s facilities, and warned him not to leave the dormitory after midnight or enter the fenced Back Mountain area.
• Fang Cheng saw fortified buildings, armed patrols, and a military helicopter beyond the fence, then unpacked and cleaned his room.

Fang Cheng arrived at an emergency where Zhao Gang’s fractured spine and internal bleeding left the doctors unable to operate safely. He used finely controlled true qi to begin repositioning a bone fragment, and the chapter ended with it shifting slightly.

• Fang Cheng heard Master Sun and Lin Yue treating the badly injured Zhao Gang and entered the emergency area.
• The attending doctor explained that Zhao Gang’s spinal fracture and ruptured spleen made surgery or transport dangerously risky, while Master Sun and Lin Yue could not attempt a reduction.
• Zhao Gang agreed to let Fang Cheng try, and Fang Cheng examined the injury using true qi perception.
• Fang Cheng decided to adapt Entangling Silk Force to wrap and guide the vertebral fragments, then began working on Zhao Gang’s spine.
• Fang Cheng slowly pulled the largest fragment about seven millimeters, producing a faint click that startled Master Sun and the others.

Fang Cheng used true qi to realign Zhao Gang’s shattered L1 vertebra and temporarily stabilize it, restoring movement in Zhao Gang’s toes. After Zhao Gang was rushed to surgery, Fang Cheng’s astonishing treatment made him the talk of the Sanatorium.

• Fang Cheng repositioned Zhao Gang’s spinal fragments and used his Bone Setting skill to form a temporary Qi Energy Sheath around the vertebra.
• Fang Cheng asked Zhao Gang to move his toes, and the Attending Doctor confirmed Zhao Gang’s plantar reflex had returned.
• Fang Cheng warned the Attending Doctor that the fixation would last about three hours and urged him to treat Zhao Gang’s abdominal injuries first.
• The Attending Doctor sent Zhao Gang to emergency surgery, while Fan Biao thanked Fang Cheng and offered help from the Intelligence Department.
• Master Sun asked about Fang Cheng’s teacher, and Fang Cheng claimed he had learned from an elusive recluse before heading to lunch with Lin Yue.
• Nurses and staff spread stories of Fang Cheng’s treatment throughout the Sanatorium.

Fang Cheng trained his palm techniques at the sanatorium and considered his plans for developing his medical and martial skills before the coming full moon. Meanwhile, Xu Hao spent a sleepless second night undercover in Ancient Locust Village, increasingly convinced its villagers and guards were inhuman.

• Fang Cheng practiced Palm Technique, Tai Chi, and Qi Gong, producing powerful currents of qi that disturbed objects in his dormitory.
• Lin Yue invited Fang Cheng for food and offered breakfast, hoping to grow close to him after witnessing his medical skill, but Fang Cheng declined.
• Fang Cheng reflected on using his sanatorium position to treat patients and build his skills, while waiting for Xu Hao's intelligence from Ancient Locust Village.
• Fang Cheng noted that the full moon was approaching, considered the danger in the Western Mountains, and planned to remind Cheng Jiashu to prepare.
• Xu Hao lay awake in his shabby room in Ancient Locust Village, recalling the villagers' unnatural smiles and the Village Guardian's freezing body.

Xu Hao followed a midnight procession to Ancient Locust Village’s abandoned Ancestral Hall, where Supervisor Wu fed skinned animals and the villagers’ blood to the Big Black Well. He realized the village was a feeding ground and suspected Jiang Chen’s true body was beneath the well, but someone suddenly put a hand on his shoulder as he tried to retreat.

• Xu Hao steeled himself to continue his undercover mission and prepared to investigate the village’s fifteenth-day sacrifice.
• After hearing a cart rumbling through the fog, Xu Hao followed a procession of villagers carrying White Paper Lanterns, with Supervisor Wu hauling a bloodstained cart.
• At the Ancestral Hall, Supervisor Wu threw skinned animals into the Big Black Well, where unseen mouths tore them apart.
• The villagers each cut their wrists and let their blood drip into the well while Xu Hao watched from behind a stone lion.
• Xu Hao concluded that the villagers were feeding the creature in the well and suspected it held Jiang Chen’s true body, but a hand suddenly landed on his shoulder as he tried to leave.

Xu Hao used the Great Sun Burning Body Art to destroy the Village Guardian who attacked him, then became trapped in the shifting fog of Ancient Locust Village. Surrounded by a horde of Village Guardians and badly wounded with his true qi nearly spent, he watched the mist part behind him to reveal a passage.

• Xu Hao threw the first Village Guardian and discovered ordinary attacks could not hurt the zombielike man, then killed him with a qi-powered punch that drove a centipede from his throat.
• Xu Hao fled after Supervisor Wu called out, but the thickening fog disoriented him and repeatedly led him back toward the Ancestral Hall.
• More than a dozen Village Guardians surrounded Xu Hao in an alley, and he fought them with the Great Sun Burning Body Art.
• The Village Guardians wounded Xu Hao as his true qi ran low, and the remaining monsters closed in.
• The thick mist suddenly parted behind Xu Hao, revealing a passage.

Xu Hao was captured by Supervisor Wu and bound as an offering in Ancient Locust Village after his attempt to investigate Jiang Chen was cut off from the solar mental network. As the village’s sacrifice began, Director Qian and Supervisor Wu prepared to offer him to the Master, whose return they believed would grant eternal life.

• Supervisor Wu ambushed Xu Hao, knocked him unconscious, and ordered him brought in as an offering.
• As night fell, figures carrying White Paper Lanterns gathered at the abandoned well for Ancient Locust Village’s sacrificial ritual.
• Xu Hao woke tied to a post beside the Big Black Well, with a bound Village Guardian and the corpse of the vessel he had damaged nearby.
• Xu Hao failed to reach the President through the solar mental network and confronted Supervisor Wu and Director Qian beside the well.
• Supervisor Wu explained that Xu Hao’s vitality made him a valuable vessel, but that he would replace the one Xu Hao had destroyed in the sacrifice.
• Director Qian and Supervisor Wu spoke of the Master’s return and the blessing of Eternal Life.

Qian Dongming and Supervisor Wu began a blood sacrifice in Ancient Locust Village to resurrect their master, Jiang Chen, while Xu Hao remained bound nearby. The ritual awakened an ancient presence in the Big Black Well, and Jiang Chen began to emerge.

• Qian Dongming revealed that he had spent decades funding the ghouls and supplying living people as blood food, while Supervisor Wu explained their promised transformation into zombies.
• Supervisor Wu began the sacrifice as villagers and Village Guardians entered the courtyard and gathered around the Big Black Well.
• Supervisor Wu recited a prayer that turned the full moon blood-red and enclosed Ancient Locust Village in thick black fog.
• Qian Dongming bled into the well, and twelve burly men tore apart two Village Guardians and fed their remains to the well.
• The gathered villagers and guardians repeatedly cut their own throats, directing their blood into a formation that awakened a powerful presence below.
• Qian Dongming and Supervisor Wu hailed their king as a huge blue-gray hand emerged from the well, revealing that Jiang Chen was about to crawl out.

Jiang Chen emerged from the well, drained villagers for strength, and ordered his followers to investigate the man who had damaged his divine soul. Xu Hao revealed that the man was nearby, just as a blazing golden figure crashed into the courtyard.

• Jiang Chen climbed from the well, killed villagers with his bone spurs, and absorbed their blood essence and souls.
• Jiang Chen recognized Xu Hao’s strong blood qi but ordered him imprisoned until his impure aura dissipated.
• Jiang Chen ordered the roads sealed and operations halted while he recovered, then warned Qian Dongming that taking Zombie Ancestor true blood could turn him into a mindless corpse.
• Jiang Chen transmitted the image of the man who had injured him to Supervisor Wu and ordered him to investigate without alerting the target.
• Xu Hao told Jiang Chen that the man he sought was nearby, and Jiang Chen threatened to extract Xu Hao’s soul.
• A golden, flame-trailing figure pierced the mist barrier and crashed into the Ancestral Hall courtyard.

Fang Cheng arrived at the village courtyard and confronted Jiang Chen, rescuing Xu Hao from the zombie king’s attack. After blocking Jiang Chen’s bone spurs and revealing he knew about his abilities from Cheng Jiashu, Fang Cheng vanished and reappeared behind him, poised to strike.

• Fang Cheng descended in a blazing impact, emerged from the wreckage, and faced Jiang Chen while Xu Hao called for his help.
• Jiang Chen attacked Xu Hao with a bone spur, but Fang Cheng appeared in time to catch it and burned away the deathly aura on his palm.
• Jiang Chen invoked his Inner World and attacked with four bone spurs as Fang Cheng met him with his golden true qi.
• Jiang Chen used his Space Jump ability to launch a four-sided attack, but Fang Cheng blocked it with a golden halo.
• Fang Cheng revealed that Cheng Jiashu had told him about Jiang Chen’s abilities, then vanished and reappeared behind Jiang Chen as Jiang Chen’s attack missed.