Chapter Summaries

Ye Chen and Xu Tianchen made plans to leave Mingdu for the dangerous Starry Night Mountain Range under a research project, while Ye Chen encountered a mysterious boy whose aura radiated pure evil. The chapter left Ye Chen preparing to depart with Xu Tianchen in three days and wary of the new threat.

• Ye Chen, Xu Tianchen, and Liu Yaxuan discussed how a research project could let Ye Chen leave Mingdu without endangering his classmates.
• On his way back to his dormitory, Ye Chen sensed a peer with an aura of ultimate evil, and the mysterious boy nodded at him before disappearing into the crowd.
• Ye Chen suspected the boy belonged to the Holy Spirit Cult and wondered how the boy seemed to recognize him.
• Ye Chen returned to his dormitory, meditated, and continued working toward converting thirty percent of his soul power into liquid form.
• The next evening, Xu Tianchen told Ye Chen that Yin Fan had approved their departure for a research project in three days.

Ye Chen and Xu Tianchen walked through Mingdu before three Eight Rings Evil Soul Masters ambushed them, apparently targeting Xu Tianchen. Ye Chen carried Xu Tianchen into the darkness to evade pursuit, leaving them racing to escape the attackers.

• Ye Chen and Xu Tianchen discussed Mingdu and Shrek City as they walked away from Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy.
• Ye Chen sensed killing intent aimed at them and told Xu Tianchen to turn back toward the academy at the next intersection.
• The two fled using Xu Tianchen's flying Soul Tool, but three Eight Rings Evil Soul Masters emerged from nearby high-rises and pursued them.
• Ye Chen recognized the attackers as likely connected to Xu Tianran and considered using his Small World, but decided the risk was too great.
• Ye Chen put away his flying Soul Tool, spread his dark wings, scooped up Xu Tianchen, and vanished into the darkness.

Ye Chen and Xu Tianchen walked through Mingdu when Ye Chen sensed an ambush targeting Xu Tianchen. Three Eight-Ring Evil Soul Masters pursued them, and Ye Chen carried Xu Tianchen into the darkness to escape and draw them away.

• Ye Chen and Xu Tianchen discussed Mingdu and Shrek City as they walked toward the city center.
• Ye Chen sensed killing intent directed at them and told Xu Tianchen to turn back toward the academy at the next intersection.
• Three Eight-Ring Evil Soul Masters attacked from nearby high-rises, and Ye Chen recognized them as the likely pursuers.
• Ye Chen decided to lure the Evil Soul Masters away from the crowded street rather than risk fighting them there.
• Ye Chen spread his dark wings, picked up Xu Tianchen, and vanished into the darkness.

Ye Chen led three Eight Rings Evil Soul Masters away from the busy district and used his Sky Burning Domain to overwhelm them with four kinds of Origin Fire. He realized their crimson eyes and evil aura matched what he had encountered in the Extreme North, but the three self-destructed before he could question them, leaving Ye Chen injured and determined to eliminate the Holy Spirit Cult.

• Ye Chen brought Xu Tianchen to a construction site, then threw him away and told him to return to the academy and keep the encounter secret.
• Ye Chen faced three cloaked Evil Soul Masters, whose crimson eyes seemed familiar to him.
• Ye Chen unleashed the Sky Burning Domain, and its holy flames suppressed the three Evil Soul Masters and burned away their evil energy.
• Ye Chen recognized that the three's condition resembled what he had found among the Titan Snow Demon Clan, then retreated as they self-destructed.
• Ye Chen concluded that the Evil Soul Masters and the Extreme North events might have the same source, and flew toward the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy.

Ye Chen lured three Evil Soul Masters away from Xu Tianchen and used his Sky Burning Domain to attack them. He realized their condition matched what he had found in the Extreme North, but the three self-destructed before he could question them, leaving him determined to eliminate the Holy Spirit Cult.

• Ye Chen sent Xu Tianchen back to the academy alone and told him to keep the encounter secret.
• Three cloaked Evil Soul Masters attacked Ye Chen, who recognized their scarlet eyes as strangely familiar.
• Ye Chen unleashed the Sky Burning Domain and used four Origin Fires to burn away the Evil Soul Masters’ evil energy.
• Ye Chen recognized the same condition he had found in the Titan Snow Demon Clan and withdrew as the three Evil Soul Masters self-destructed.
• Ye Chen concluded the Holy Spirit Cult might be connected to the events in the Extreme North and flew toward the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy.

After Ye Chen fought off the Evil Soul Masters, he returned to Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy with Xu Tianchen, who helped shield him from an investigation. Ye Chen warned Xu Tianchen that Xu Tianran would eliminate anyone he saw as a threat, and the two continued their cautious friendship.

• A black-robed youth watched the aftermath of Ye Chen’s battle and vanished after criticizing the Evil Soul Masters.
• Ye Chen met Xu Tianchen near Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, and Xu Tianchen warned that the academy would investigate the commotion.
• Xu Tianchen offered to protect Ye Chen from scrutiny by returning with him, since the academy would avoid interfering in imperial family affairs.
• Ye Chen warned Xu Tianchen that Xu Tianran would stop at nothing to remove threats, and promised to help him when possible.
• Xu Tianchen told Ye Chen that he had arranged to buy grain, while Ye Chen insisted on repaying him to avoid giving Xu Tianran leverage.

After Ye Chen fought off the Evil Soul Masters, Xu Tianchen helped him avoid scrutiny at Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy. Ye Chen warned Xu Tianchen about Xu Tianran’s ruthless ambition, and they continued their friendship while agreeing to keep their dealings beyond reproach.

• A red-eyed youth appeared at the construction site after Ye Chen left, disparaged the Evil Soul Masters, and vanished.
• Ye Chen met Xu Tianchen near the academy, where Xu Tianchen explained that the disturbance had alerted its leaders and offered to shield Ye Chen from investigation.
• Ye Chen warned Xu Tianchen that Xu Tianran would eliminate anyone he considered a threat and promised to help him during his exchange-student stay.
• Xu Tianchen and Ye Chen entered the academy without being questioned, and Xu Tianchen said he had arranged to buy the grain.
• Ye Chen insisted on repaying Xu Tianchen for the grain so Xu Tianran could not use a gift as leverage against him.

Ye Chen suspected that the black-robed youth he had seen at the academy was the sealed entity linked to the controlled Evil Soul Masters, and he prepared to investigate the Starry Night Mountain Range. Two days later, he departed with Xu Tianchen, Liu Yaxuan, and Yue to uncover what was happening there.

• Ye Chen connected the academy attack by three Evil Soul Masters to the black-robed youth mentioned by Bi'er and wondered if the youth was the entity sealed in the Moon Laurel Secret Realm.
• Ye Chen told Fan Yu he would join Yin Fan's research project, then recorded his findings and prepared to leave for the Starry Night Mountain Range.
• Yin Fan told Ye Chen he would be away at Ming De Hall for a week, confirmed that four students would travel together, and gave Ye Chen a token to defend himself.
• Ye Chen studied Soul Tool production in the laboratory while Yin Fan was available to teach him.
• Two days later, Ye Chen set out with Xu Tianchen, Liu Yaxuan, and Yue to investigate the Starry Night Mountain Range.

Ye Chen suspected that the Evil Soul Masters’ attack was connected to a black-robed youth he had encountered and the entity sealed in the Moon Laurel Secret Realm. After preparing for his investigation, he set out with Xu Tianchen, Liu Yaxuan, and Yue for the Starry Night Mountain Range.

• Ye Chen connected the Evil Soul Masters’ attack to the black-robed youth Bi’er had seen in the Extreme North and resolved to stay cautious.
• Ye Chen told Fan Yu he would join Yin Fan’s research project, and Fan Yu mentioned that Huo Yuhao had also left the academy for a project.
• Ye Chen recorded the day’s discoveries, then learned from Yin Fan that he would be away at Ming De Hall for a week and that the trip could last no longer than half a month.
• Yin Fan gave Ye Chen a token and warned him not to let anyone push him around at the academy.
• Ye Chen departed for the Starry Night Mountain Range with Xu Tianchen, Liu Yaxuan, and Yue to investigate the region.

Ye Chen traveled west from Mingdu with Xu Tianchen, Liu Yaxuan, and Yue, reflecting on Yue’s mysterious past and the Sun Moon Empire’s advanced Soul Tools. At Fengtian City, the guards greeted Xu Tianchen as their City Lord.

• Ye Chen learned from Xu Tianchen that Yue had joined their laboratory four months earlier, around the time she had met Ye Chen in the Star Dou Forest.
• Yue overheard Ye Chen and Xu Tianchen discussing her and urged them to hurry, while Liu Yaxuan warned that they needed to return within half a month.
• The four left Mingdu using flying Soul Tools and traveled toward the western border, with Ye Chen noting their technological advantage over Shrek Academy’s Soul Tools.
• Xu Tianchen led the group to Fengtian City and assured Ye Chen that his cousin could not reach them there.
• Two guards bowed to Xu Tianchen at the city gates and addressed him as the City Lord.

Ye Chen traveled west from Mingdu with Xu Tianchen, Liu Yaxuan, and Yue, learning more about Yue’s mysterious past and the Sun Moon Empire’s Soul Tools. They reached Fengtian City, where the guards revealed Xu Tianchen was its City Lord.

• Ye Chen learned that Yue had joined Yin Fan’s laboratory four months earlier, around the time he encountered her in the Star Dou Forest.
• Yue overheard Ye Chen and Xu Tianchen discussing her and urged them to hurry, and the four departed Mingdu using flying Soul Tools.
• Xu Tianchen led the group to Fengtian City and said they would stay there overnight before continuing west.
• At the city gate, the guards bowed to Xu Tianchen and welcomed him back as City Lord.

Ye Chen learned that Xu Tianchen was the young City Lord of Sky Wind City and heard how royal rivalries had left him vulnerable to assassins. The group settled at the City Lord's Mansion, and Ye Chen and Xu Tianchen prepared to continue their journey while expecting danger ahead.

• Xu Tianchen led Ye Chen and the others to the City Lord's Mansion and revealed that Sky Wind City was under his control.
• Xu Tianchen explained that he was a low-status prince whose mother had secured him the city, and that his brothers who received cities had faced repeated assassination attempts.
• Xu Tianchen apologized for his earlier oversight and said he had survived several attacks by Evil Soul Masters.
• Ye Chen hinted that he might help Xu Tianchen in the future, depending on his actions.
• Ye Chen declined to tour the city, and Xu Tianchen warned that their peaceful journey so far made him fear that greater threats lay ahead.

Ye Chen learned that Xu Tianchen was a fifteen-year-old prince and the City Lord of Sky Wind City, and heard how his position had put him in danger from assassins. The group settled at the City Lord's Mansion and prepared to continue their journey, wary that greater threats still lay ahead.

• Xu Tianchen led Ye Chen and the others to the City Lord's Mansion in Sky Wind City.
• Xu Tianchen explained that he had received Sky Wind City despite his low status as a prince born to an ordinary concubine.
• Xu Tianchen revealed that his brothers who received important cities had faced assassination attempts, and that he too had been targeted by Evil Soul Masters.
• Ye Chen forgave Xu Tianchen for his earlier oversight and left open the possibility of helping him in the future.
• Xu Tianchen offered to show the group around the city, but Ye Chen declined because they needed to travel the next morning.
• Xu Tianchen and Ye Chen agreed that the peaceful journey so far felt ominous and that they should remain careful.

At the City Lord’s Mansion, Ye Chen and Han Yue questioned why they felt compelled to travel toward the Death Forest, suspecting an unseen influence. The group left before dawn for the dangerous journey, with the truth awaiting them near their destination.

• Xu Tianchen showed Ye Chen and Han Yue to their rooms while Liu Yaxuan went to prepare dinner.
• Ye Chen felt an unexplained dread and questioned Han Yue about why she had joined the trip despite knowing it was not a research mission.
• Han Yue asked Ye Chen why he wanted to go, leading him to suspect that an unseen force was influencing his decision, as it had before on an island in the Southern Border.
• Ye Chen, Xu Tianchen, Liu Yaxuan, and Han Yue shared Liu Yaxuan’s dinner, then gathered before dawn to begin their journey toward the Death Forest.

Ye Chen and Yue questioned why they felt compelled to travel toward the Starry Night Mountain Range, and Ye Chen suspected the influence of a primordial object. After a quiet night at the City Lord's Mansion, Ye Chen, Xu Tianchen, Liu Yaxuan, and Yue set out toward the Death Forest.

• Xu Tianchen showed Ye Chen and Han Yue their rooms at the City Lord's Mansion while Liu Yaxuan went to prepare dinner.
• Ye Chen felt an unexplained dread growing stronger as he neared his destination and went out for fresh air.
• Ye Chen asked Yue why she had joined the journey, and her counterquestion made him realize he could not explain his own urgency to go.
• Ye Chen recalled a similar compulsion near the Bitter Bamboo Forest and mysterious volcano and suspected it was connected to primordial objects.
• Liu Yaxuan served dinner, and Ye Chen teased Xu Tianchen about cherishing his wife.
• At dawn, Ye Chen, Xu Tianchen, Liu Yaxuan, and Yue gathered to set out toward the Death Forest.

Ye Chen and his companions reached Starry Night City and learned that the authorities had sealed off the Starry Night Mountain Range, though locals refused to explain why. They entered the mountains at night and found the stars transformed overhead as Ye Chen sensed an unknown call ahead.

• Ye Chen waited at an inn to gather information, then learned from a frightened adventurer that the authorities had imposed martial law on the Starry Night Mountain Range.
• Ye Chen decided the group would enter at night to avoid the authorities’ watch, and the four checked their supplies before leaving the inn.
• Ye Chen and the others reached the mountains and proceeded on foot to avoid attracting attention.
• Ye Chen felt an intensifying palpitation and an unseen call as the group entered the forest beneath its dazzling, unfamiliar stars.
• Xu Tianchen warned Ye Chen that the authorities had deployed detection Soul Tools and troops around the restricted area.

Ye Chen and his companions reached Starry Night City and learned that the authorities had sealed off the Starry Night Mountain Range, which concealed a dangerous situation. They entered the forest at night, where Ye Chen sensed a mysterious call and encountered a sky full of unusually bright stars, while Xu Tianchen warned him about detection Soul Tools ahead.

• Ye Chen waited at an inn with Xu Tianchen, Liu Yaxuan, and Yue to gather information about the Starry Night Mountain Range.
• Ye Chen learned from an adventurer that the authorities had sealed off the mountain range and forbidden people from discussing it.
• Ye Chen decided the group would enter at night, and the four checked their supplies before leaving the inn.
• Ye Chen led the others to the mountain range, where he felt growing unease and a mysterious call.
• Ye Chen and his companions entered the forest on foot, and Ye Chen saw stars shining far more brightly overhead.
• Xu Tianchen warned Ye Chen that detection Soul Tools and nearby troops guarded the area ahead.

Ye Chen and his companions crossed the blockade into the Starry Night Mountain Range, where they discovered a lifeless forest filled with desiccated human and soul beast corpses. Ye Chen sensed that the mysterious call he had felt came from deep within the forest, but the cause of its devastation remained unknown.

• Beneath the mountain range’s starlight, Ye Chen felt his physical strength increase, though he hid the change from the others.
• Ye Chen detected two sixth-grade Soul Tools guarding the way into the mountain range’s interior and explained how they could pass them.
• Ye Chen used his Spiritual Power to block the Soul Tools while the group crossed the blockade, memorizing their structure as he went.
• Xu Tianchen called Ye Chen to the top of a hill, where the group saw a withered forest strewn with corpses.
• Ye Chen sensed no life in the devastated forest and suspected that the call he had felt came from its depths.

Ye Chen and his companions crossed the blockade into the interior of the Starry Night Mountain Range, where they discovered a vast forest drained of all life. Ye Chen sensed that the force calling to him lay deep within the desolate woods.

• Ye Chen felt the starlight strengthen his body, while Yue secretly experienced the same effect.
• Ye Chen used his Spiritual Power to find two sixth-grade detection Soul Tools and explained how the group could pass between their detection zones.
• Ye Chen temporarily blocked the Soul Tools, and the four crossed the blockade without being detected.
• Xu Tianchen called Ye Chen to the hilltop, where the group saw withered trees and human and soul beast corpses across a lifeless forest.
• Ye Chen sensed that the call he had felt was coming from deep within the Death Forest.

Ye Chen and his companions entered Death Forest, where Xu Tianchen and Liu Yaxuan were forced to retreat when the forest drained their life force. Ye Chen sensed something belonging to him at the forest’s center, and Yue identified it as a divine object before rushing ahead.

• Xu Tianchen told Ye Chen that Death Forest had once been small and was now no longer expanding.
• Ye Chen entered Death Forest and found that its sacred aura was purifying his body without harming him.
• Xu Tianchen and Liu Yaxuan briefly entered but retreated after the forest drained their life force and cracked their arms.
• Xu Tianchen stayed behind with Liu Yaxuan, and Ye Chen promised to help him resolve his inner demon after they returned to the academy.
• Ye Chen sensed a divine object at the center of Death Forest, and Yue rushed toward it without suffering any apparent effects.