Chapter Summaries

Jia Wei recounted how he became close to Liu Xiongyuan’s son, woke to find him and three colleagues murdered, and was convicted after turning himself in. He came to suspect that his brother, Jia Shu, had orchestrated the killings, but had no evidence; Qiu Tu and Liu Fuping left the interrogation room to discuss his account.

• Jia Wei described being assigned to the Administrative Office, where he befriended Liu Xiongyuan’s son during field training.
• Jia Wei said he woke after a night of drinking to find Liu Xiongyuan’s son and three colleagues dead, then fled and later turned himself in to Yan Chen.
• Jia Wei explained that the review panel convicted him based on the evidence and his confession, while Yan Chen later reduced his sentence to exile.
• Jia Wei said Jia Shu had discouraged his efforts to investigate and that he suspected Jia Shu was the real killer, though he had no evidence.
• Qiu Tu asked Jia Wei whether he could prove Jia Shu’s guilt, then left the interrogation room with Liu Fuping to discuss the case.

Yan Chen learned that the Security Department had arrested Director Qin and sealed the Qin Family compound, then discovered that the evidence he had locked in his safe was missing. Qiu Tu concealed his role in the events, leaving Yan Chen shaken and uncertain whom to trust.

• Cao Dabiao delivered evidence against Director Qin to Yan Chen, who locked it in his office safe.
• The Security Department arrested more City Hall officials, and Ji Chen reported that Vice President Tian had also been detained.
• Yan Chen and Qiu Tu returned to Yan Chen's villa, where Ji Chen revealed that Director Qin had been taken away and the Qin Family compound sealed.
• Yan Chen questioned Dai Yukang, who said the Qin Family had worked with the Alliance and that the arrest had Shelter approval.
• Yan Chen had someone check his safe and learned that the black metal box was there but the evidence inside was gone, while Qiu Tu privately celebrated his plan's success.

After Jia Shu’s case analysis ended in a political compromise, Qiu Tu considered how to secure his promotion without Yan Chen’s support. He left Tang Feifei’s office with a plan to seek Committee Member Jiang’s help through Liu Fuping.

• Inspector Tang advised Qiu Tu that Yan Chen’s objection could be overcome, though a deputy director without the director’s support would face limits and obstruction.
• The Supervisory Committee’s case meeting ended without direct evidence, with those present expecting Jia Shu to be punished lightly and allowed to return after lying low.
• Tang Feifei told Qiu Tu that Inspector Tang was her uncle, and Qiu Tu said he would keep working to prevent Yan Chen from opposing his promotion.
• Secretary Bai hinted to Director Tian that his bureau’s equipment request might depend on whether he had offended Section Chief Huang.
• Qiu Tu headed to find Liu Fuping, intending to ask Committee Member Jiang for help and deepen their relationship.

Qiu Tu arrested Secretary Bai at his villa while Wu Zhi reviewed Qiu Tu’s casework to build a case against him. The chapter ended with Yu Zhengyi learning that Qiu Tu had seized Secretary Bai before the Investigation Department could detain him.

• Qiu Tu led his men into Secretary Bai’s villa, where Zhu Huoyan and Li Xian subdued the guards blocking the entrance.
• Secretary Bai reviewed Qiu Tu’s Authorization Order and calmly allowed Qiu Tu to handcuff him.
• Wu Zhi examined Qiu Tu’s records and marked procedural violations that could be used to suspend him.
• An investigator told Yu Zhengyi that Qiu Tu had taken his trusted subordinates and arrested Secretary Bai, shocking Yu Zhengyi.

East Industry State's army entered Sixth Shelter and met Consort Xi's Royalist Faction in Hope North City, while the Cheng Family discovered that Rain Butterfly was the girl who had once escaped them. At the banquet, Tang Feifei delivered Qiu Tu's demand for Consort Xi to surrender, and Rain Butterfly's Dark Soldiers took control of the City Lord's Mansion.

• East Industry State's ninety thousand troops crossed into Border State and reached Hope North City, where Consort Xi welcomed Tang Feifei, Rain Butterfly, and other officers.
• The Cheng Family investigated Rain Butterfly and confirmed she was the orphan girl who had escaped after the Zhao Family implanted her with the Butterfly Transformation Gu.
• Cheng Hong feared Rain Butterfly and Qiu Tu's power, then planned to contact Elder Zhao and seek cooperation with the Kou Family against East Industry State's army.
• At the banquet, Tang Feifei told Consort Xi that Qiu Tu demanded her surrender, and Consort Xi rejected the demand.
• Rain Butterfly said the Royalist Faction could not resist the Kou Family and East Industry State's forces, then deployed the Dark Soldiers to seize control of the City Lord's Mansion.

Qiu Tu staged his departure from the Edge Area, secretly remaining there while Consort Xi resumed control of the 7th Shelter. That night, Consort Xi launched a coup, destroying the Wei Family and seizing the central command as the Royalist Faction began taking control of the states and cities.

• Qiu Tu reorganized his allies across the shelters, strengthened his factions, and gained control of eighteen regions, meeting the standard for the Seventh Order.
• Qiu Tu resigned his positions in the Sixth and 7th Shelters, temporarily fell to early Sixth Order, and appointed Consort Xi to succeed him as head of the 7th Shelter.
• Qiu Tu and Zhu Wu crossed the Isolation Mountain Range, convincing the Edge Area's informants that they had gone to the Core Area, then secretly returned with Rain Butterfly's help.
• Qiu Tu met his trusted subordinates and traveled toward East Industry State, where he secretly entered the Boundless Mind Sea to await Yan Yan's plan.
• At 20:00, Consort Xi's forces cut communications at the 7th Shelter's central command, then arrested or killed resisting elders and wiped out the Wei Family.
• At 21:30, the Royalist Faction began seizing control of states and cities, while most local armies failed to receive their mobilization orders.

Qiu Tu explained how Consort Xi’s political position depended on King Kang’s Heir, then revealed that he had deduced she used her Bloodline Demon Fetus ability to kill King Kang and planned to exploit the Kou Family and Qiu Tu. Consort Xi admitted her scheme, while Qiu Tu began laying out how she intended to frame him after eliminating the Kou Family.

• Qiu Tu argued that Consort Xi’s authority depended on the Royalist Faction’s loyalty to King Kang’s Heir, leaving her vulnerable if the child did not survive.
• Qiu Tu deduced from Consort Xi’s past and King Kang’s declining health that she had used a hidden ability to drain his life through her pregnancy.
• Consort Xi admitted that her Bloodline Demon Fetus ability had killed King Kang and explained that the demon fetus would return the absorbed life to her when it died.
• Consort Xi revealed that she had left the Sixth Shelter to bait the Kou Family into acting and to secure outside allies as potential scapegoats.
• Qiu Tu concluded that Consort Xi intended to eliminate the Kou Family, hand power to him, then kill the demon fetus and frame him so she could take control.

Qiu Tu arranged a meeting with Secretary Tao while keeping his distance from Liu Fuping, then returned home to prepare for the threats surrounding him and Shen Ling Shuang. He found Shen Ling Shuang enthusiastically assembling a battered workbench.

• Qiu Tu approved Song Qing's request for a day off, then warned her to avoid unfamiliar men because the Evil God had not left.
• Qiu Tu asked Liu Fuping to contact Director Liu and Committee Member Jiang; she secured a meeting with Secretary Tao for the following morning, while Director Liu remained unconvinced.
• Qiu Tu drove Liu Fuping home and declined to go upstairs, deciding he needed to make arrangements for Shen Ling Shuang amid the looming threats.
• Qiu Tu checked the countdowns for the Evil God's Appreciation, the United Front's Revenge, and the Threat in the Dark, then drove through the busy Old Alley Street night market.
• Qiu Tu returned home and found Shen Ling Shuang sweating as she hammered together a battered workbench.

Qiu Tu took Shen Ling Shuang’s potions and met Tao Yaoyao, Committee Member Jiang’s confidential secretary, who tried to recruit him. He offered to send Jiang a gift that night and asked Liu Fuping to stop reporting information about him, leaving her stunned.

• Qiu Tu examined Shen Ling Shuang’s three potions, kept the Steel Spirit Potion, and drove to the Investigation Department after scolding Eagle and A Kun for refusing to lend Shen Ling Shuang a communicator.
• Liu Fuping brought Qiu Tu to meet Tao Yaoyao, Committee Member Jiang’s confidential secretary and the liaison for Liu Fuping’s group in New Realm City.
• Tao Yaoyao praised Qiu Tu’s achievements and invited him to name his terms for joining Committee Member Jiang’s side.
• Qiu Tu declined to negotiate immediately and said he would send Committee Member Jiang a grand gift that night if Jiang was sincere.
• Qiu Tu asked Liu Fuping whether she had reported his strained relations with Yan Chen and Jia Shu, then requested that she stop reporting information about him to Jiang or Director Liu.

Tang Feifei handed Jia Shu over to the Supervisory Committee while Qiu Tu explained how he had used the Unscrupulous Dummy and his allies to expose and capture him. As Qiu Tu considered the mysteries surrounding Jia Shu, Yan Chen revealed that the man who had arrived at his study was actually Jia Wei.

• Tang Feifei brought the battered Masked Suit Man to the villa and left Jia Shu in the Supervisory Committee’s custody before heading toward the gunfire.
• Qiu Tu repaired the Unscrupulous Dummy and reviewed how he had used it, his allies, and the Ownership Seal to lure Jia Shu into attacking and secure his arrest.
• Qiu Tu restored his Mental Power and wondered about Jia Shu’s connection to the Evil God Girl, the Suit Men, and his own death and transmigration.
• Qiu Tu examined Jia Shu’s file and paused over the entry naming his younger brother.
• Yan Chen told the man brought to his study that he had caused too much trouble, then identified him as Jia Wei rather than Jia Shu.

Qin Shuman told Qiu Tu that she was returning to the Shelter for a plan related to Area Masters, while warning him that Lin Chuan had captured the Military Department spies using a list Qiu Tu had once provided. As Qiu Tu advanced his Deputy Speaker Plan by having the Captain refine Earth Vein Nodes, a Law Projection erupted from his office, announcing that someone was advancing to Fourth Order.

• Qin Shuman told Qiu Tu she was leaving New Realm City for the Shelter and shared information about its new Area Master plan.
• Qin Shuman revealed that Lin Chuan had used a list Qiu Tu had provided months earlier to capture the Investigation Department's spies in the Military Department.
• Qiu Tu saw Qin Shuman off, exchanged messages with her, then went to the New World Area to begin his plan.
• Qiu Tu ordered the Captain to refine an Earth Vein Node in Dock Sea Area while searching for more nodes.
• Lin Chuan considered killing the captured spies, Jiang Zhenpeng struggled to contain an enemy's indirect attacks, and Ai Li investigated a possible Fourth-Order advancement by Qiu Tu.
• A black Law Projection burst from Qiu Tu's office and spread over New Realm City, prompting the city to suspect that another Calamity Descendant was advancing to Fourth Order.

Qiu Tu told La Riluo what he had learned from God King Gu Tian about the Immortal Three Giants’ plan to alter Ancient World’s attribute by unleashing the power of the Immortal Path. Their wager continued as La Riluo teased him, and Qiu Tu grew increasingly stirred while explaining the danger.

• La Riluo grabbed and teased Qiu Tu while asking about Mo Li’s intelligence, then wagered that she would grant him any condition if his information proved more useful.
• La Riluo relayed Mo Li’s findings, but Qiu Tu recognized that God King Gu Tian had already given him more detailed intelligence.
• Qiu Tu explained that God King Gu Tian was a trusted member of the Immortal Heavenly Tomb who had helped prepare for the Immortal Three Giants’ arrival in the West.
• Qiu Tu told La Riluo that the Immortal Three Giants planned to change Ancient World’s attribute rather than destroy the entire world.
• Qiu Tu explained that the Three Giants had built a Dead Silence World filled with deity corpses and hibernating Immortal Deities, intending to detonate it and flood Ancient World with Immortal Path power.
• La Riluo became engrossed in Qiu Tu’s explanation, while her continued teasing made him increasingly stirred.

Zhao Ji reached Eighth Order Peak and arrived at the Crimson Territory, where she learned that Qiu Tu had killed three God King avatars. She and Qiu Tu planned to target the six people ahead of him in the Heavenly God Trial rankings, just as Tian Qi arrived seeking a meeting with Zhao Ji.

• Zhao Ji's advancement shook the Boundless Mind Sea, and Tian Qi wondered whether it was time to make a choice.
• Zhao Ji left her hiding place, destroyed a Puppet Insect Tribe with golden flames, and hurried to the Crimson Territory to check on Qiu Tu.
• Zhao Ji subdued Doris after Doris joked about Qiu Tu holding someone at night, then learned that Qiu Tu had killed the North God King, East Divine King, and West Divine King avatars.
• Zhao Ji examined the battlefield and confirmed that Qiu Tu had defeated the three God King avatars, then learned his Trial ranking remained eighth because the God Kings did not count as Trial Takers.
• Zhao Ji proposed killing the six people ranked ahead of Qiu Tu so he could reach second place in the Heavenly God Trial.
• A butler told Doris that Tian Qi had arrived and wanted to meet Zhao Ji about an important matter.

Qiu Tu visited Secretary Bai at the Investigation Department, where he learned that Yan Chen could reach him across the surrounding cities and that East City offered a possible escape route. Remembering that he had once saved Secretary Bai, Qiu Tu chose to meet Yan Chen despite Secretary Bai’s warning.

• Qin ZhengGuang recalled investigating Qiu Tu and remained confused by the conflicting signs linking him to Secretary Bai, Yan Chen, and the investigation of the Qin Family.
• After Qin ZhengGuang drove him to the Investigation Department, Qiu Tu warned him to stay in his office and went upstairs to Secretary Bai’s office.
• Secretary Bai hinted that Yan Chen’s influence extended across nearby cities, while East City could serve as a route of escape.
• Qiu Tu remembered saving Secretary Bai two years earlier and realized Secretary Bai was still trying to protect him.
• Secretary Bai offered to notify Yan Chen that Qiu Tu wanted to report his work, and Qiu Tu accepted.

Qiu Tu arrived at the Execution Department with Zhao Ji and Mo Li, only to be blocked from entering because his appointment had not been announced. After Qing E intervened and Han Hai God King completed Qiu Tu’s onboarding, Qiu Tu asked about receiving his fifteen Heavenly God vassals, and Han Hai’s reaction hinted at trouble.

• Qiu Tu welcomed Zhao Ji and Mo Li, while Mo Li offered to help him and provoked Zhao Ji with sweet, pointed remarks.
• Qiu Tu led the two women to the Execution Department, where a guard refused him entry because he had not received notice of Qiu Tu’s appointment.
• Qiu Tu contacted Qing E, who arrived and got the guard to let them enter; Han Hai God King greeted them and blamed the obstruction on a communication delay.
• Qing E left after handing Qiu Tu over to Han Hai God King, while Mo Li mocked the Order Shrine’s supposed efficiency and Han Hai hurried to complete Qiu Tu’s onboarding.
• Qiu Tu asked Han Hai God King to arrange the fifteen Heavenly Gods assigned as his vassals, and a sharp glint appeared in Han Hai’s eyes.

Qiu Tu organized the evidence against the Qin Family and prepared to move his investigation forward while keeping his intentions hidden from Fourth Master Qin and Qin ZhengGuang. He left the Qin Family compound for the Investigation Department in Qin ZhengGuang’s car, where he promptly fell asleep.

• Qiu Tu gathered Fourth Master Qin’s original evidence, Chen Feng’s teams’ reports, and Lin Zuo’s intelligence, then reviewed them ahead of the evidence deadline.
• Qiu Tu reported to Qin Shuman, arranged the day’s duty rotation, and left the annex for the Investigation Department.
• Fourth Master Qin called Qiu Tu to ask about the investigation, and Qiu Tu claimed the Political Department could arrest suspects on a lead and joked that it had never made a wrongful case.
• Qiu Tu hinted that his team expected a reward, and Fourth Master Qin promised the Qin Family would send gifts of appreciation.
• Qiu Tu met Qin ZhengGuang outside the Qin Family gates, accepted a ride to the department, and fell asleep during the drive.

Qiu Tu learned how the Earth Vein Flower could help him advance and decided to use Dusk Night’s information to deflect Zhao Ji’s anger over Mountain Root. He imprisoned Dusk Night, used his new Punishment God Domain ability to take Dusk Night’s form, and left for Lang Yue City as news of his Fifth-Order advancement spread.

• Dusk Night explained that an Earth Vein Flower could raise an area's energy level, connect scattered areas, and let Qiu Tu advance to Sixth Order with a single area.
• Qiu Tu learned that the rare Earth Vein Flower was highly valuable and resolved to obtain one.
• Dusk Night mocked Qiu Tu’s chances against Zhao Ji, but Qiu Tu revealed he could tell her that the Mist Veil Society held Mountain Root and let her decide whether to confront them.
• Qiu Tu used Punishment God Domain to imprison Dusk Night, then transformed into him and gained his appearance, aura, and Calamity Abilities at Qiu Tu’s own level.
• Qiu Tu left the New World Area for Lang Yue City, and news of his Fifth-Order advancement spread across East Industry State.

Qiu Tu used the recording tape and surveillance footage to control Tan Huimin while questioning her about her marriage to Zheng Tao. He suggested Zheng Tao knew why they had no children and had grown cold toward her, leaving Tan Huimin shaken as he pressed her to face her suspicions.

• Qiu Tu surprised Tan Huimin while she cleaned his office and stopped her from moving by threatening to expose the recording tape and surveillance footage.
• Qiu Tu questioned Tan Huimin about her childless marriage to Zheng Tao, and she claimed they had chosen not to have children for the sake of Zheng Tao’s career.
• Qiu Tu said his intelligence showed that Tan Huimin wanted a child but that neither she nor Zheng Tao had medical problems.
• Qiu Tu suggested Zheng Tao knew the reason they had no children and described how his affection and attention toward Tan Huimin had dwindled.
• Tan Huimin tried to stand and challenge Qiu Tu, but he forced her back down and asked whether she had followed Zheng Tao to New Realm City to win back his heart.

Ilena dismissed Heavy Stone God King’s objections and explained to Qing E why she chose to treat Qiu Tu sincerely despite doubts about his loyalties. Qiu Tu then demanded control of the Execution Department, prompting Heavy Stone God King to openly accuse him of spying for hostile forces.

• Heavy Stone God King urged Ilena to delay Qiu Tu’s meeting with Mo Se, but Ilena refused and took Qing E to the rear hall.
• Qing E warned Ilena that Qiu Tu remained under suspicion, and Ilena said she wanted to guide him through sincere treatment rather than push him away.
• Qiu Tu recognized the significance of meeting a Order Path giant and considered how it could help him fulfill Lao Bai’s task.
• Qiu Tu asked Han Hai God King for the Execution Department’s personnel and financial records and summoned its department Superiors and idle God Kings to a meeting.
• Heavy Stone God King challenged Qiu Tu’s authority and accused him of using the assignment to gather intelligence for hostile organizations.

Qiu Tu used his promotion, growing strength, and secretive intelligence network to win Tang Feifei’s renewed interest, then asked her to teach him martial arts through another intense sparring session. The next morning, he sent Cao Dabiao to gather their people for important business as Tang Feifei reminded him that he still had to arrest Bai Yu and face Huang Shangzong’s trusted subordinate.

• Qiu Tu kept his intelligence sources secret and boldly told Tang Feifei that he aimed for a position above hers.
• Qiu Tu said he wanted to learn martial arts, and Tang Feifei turned his request into another fierce bout of practical training.
• After Qiu Tu fell asleep, Tang Feifei reflected on his rapid rise and considered whether he might earn her family’s support.
• Qiu Tu woke the next morning feeling only slightly sore, then called Cao Dabiao and ordered him to gather their people and bring their guns to Director Tang’s front door.
• Tang Feifei warned Qiu Tu that he still had to arrest Bai Yu and handle trouble from Huang Shangzong’s trusted subordinate.