Chapter Summaries

The Whisperer invaded Lin Qiye’s mind, hoping to uncover his secrets, but was forced into the Psychiatric Hospital hidden within Lin Qiye’s mental world. Lin Qiye welcomed him at the hospital entrance, leaving The Whisperer trapped inside.

• The Whisperer attacked Lin Qiye’s soul while Ma Yitian restrained Baili Pangpang and the others with help from the Blazing Vein Earth Dragon.
• The Whisperer explored the mist in Lin Qiye’s mental world and discovered the Psychiatric Hospital of the Gods.
• A figure in a white lab coat kicked The Whisperer through the hospital gates, which then slammed shut behind him.
• The Whisperer encountered A Zhu, who mistook him for a child laborer tricked into working at the hospital.
• Lin Qiye appeared, sent A Zhu back to the laundry room, and welcomed The Whisperer to his Psychiatric Hospital.

Lin Qiye defeated The Whisperer inside the Psychiatric Hospital, where Nyx nearly destroyed his soul before Lin stopped her. Merlin explained how he could use the connection between The Whisperer’s projection and true body to disrupt the latter’s mind, and Lin considered making him insane.

• The Whisperer attacked Lin Qiye, but his soul strike was absorbed by Lin’s white coat, and Lin threw him into the hospital courtyard.
• The Whisperer approached Nyx, who restrained him, shrank his soul, and trapped him in a painful black sweater.
• Lin Qiye called out to Nyx to spare The Whisperer, and she stopped the attack and tossed him into a study.
• Merlin told Lin Qiye that Abyssal Magic could exploit the projection’s connection to The Whisperer’s true body and force another soul into it.
• Lin Qiye considered Merlin’s proposal to make The Whisperer mentally unstable.

Lin Qiye prepared to face the enemies outside the Psychiatric Hospital while Nyx explained how he could wield her power through his Divine Personality. Merlin finished dealing with The Whisperer's projection by turning it into a pug, and Lin Qiye left to confront the waiting enemies.

• Merlin used Abyssal Magic to separate The Whisperer's projection from its original body while Lin Qiye waited outside.
• Li Yifei told Lin Qiye that he had unexpectedly reached the 'River' realm.
• Nyx explained that Lin Qiye could temporarily wield the authority of 'Night' by letting her soul enter his Absolute Darkness Divine Forbidden Zone, though doing so would strain him.
• Merlin returned with The Whisperer's projection transformed into a confused pug.
• Lin Qiye decided to leave the Psychiatric Hospital and surprise the enemies waiting outside.

Lin Qiye defeated The Whisperer, but Ma Yitian and the Blazing Vein Earth Dragon remained as threats. As the dragon prepared to destroy everyone, Instructor Hong attempted to sacrifice himself to save the others, but Lin Qiye stopped him.

• Lin Qiye awoke unharmed after defeating The Whisperer, freeing Baili Pangpang and the others from their chains.
• Ma Yitian and the Blazing Vein Earth Dragon turned against the group, and the dragon began charging a massive fireball.
• Ma Yitian escaped into a rock wall while Instructor Hong prepared to break through to the Sea realm and open a path for the others.
• Instructor Hong took out his emblem and readied a hidden needle to force his breakthrough, but Lin Qiye stopped him and returned the emblem.
• Lin Qiye quoted the Night Watch oath and declared that he would not let another tragedy happen before facing the dragon.

Lin Qiye summoned the Goddess of Night’s power and used darkness to neutralize the Blazing Vein Earth Dragon’s attack, then moved their battle from underground to the night sky. He left Baili Pangpang, Instructor Hong, and the others to escape through the passage he had opened, and faced the dragon above the clouds.

• Lin Qiye summoned the Goddess of Night, whose soul merged with him and transformed his appearance as night engulfed the cavern.
• Lin Qiye cut through the Blazing Vein Earth Dragon’s massive fireball and erased it in darkness.
• Lin Qiye pierced a passage through the rock, then used Night Flicker to take himself and the Blazing Vein Earth Dragon to the sky.
• Baili Pangpang, Instructor Hong, and their companion climbed toward the surface on Baili Pangpang’s golden sword phantom.
• Lin Qiye faced the Blazing Vein Earth Dragon above the clouds and declared that the night was his domain.

Lin Qiye used Nyx’s power to defeat the Blazing Vein Earth Dragon in the sky and kill it before it could reach the ground. After Nyx warned that carrying her soul again for six months could cause irreversible harm, Lin Qiye collapsed unconscious before reaching the dragon’s corpse.

• Lin Qiye drew the Blazing Vein Earth Dragon away from the ground and weakened it with Absolute Darkness Erosion.
• Lin Qiye pinned the dragon with Lord of Night's Judgment and battered it with Thousand Stars Fall.
• The wounded Blazing Vein Earth Dragon fell toward the ground, but Lin Qiye struck through its head and killed it.
• Lin Qiye sensed the dragon’s soul and hurried toward its corpse, hoping to use it as summoning material.
• Nyx left Lin Qiye’s body and warned him not to carry her soul for six months.
• Lin Qiye collapsed in the mountains, lamented losing the dragon corpse, and lost consciousness.

Instructors found Lin Qiye unconscious beside his bloodied saber, then discovered the headless Blazing Vein Earth Dragon and suspected he had killed it. Underground, Instructor Hong and Lin Qiye’s companions agreed to hide his connection to a god, but their ascent was interrupted when a black shadow attacked Baili Pangpang.

• Instructor Han Li and the other instructors found Lin Qiye unconscious in the forest and carried him onward.
• The instructors discovered the headless Blazing Vein Earth Dragon and suspected Lin Qiye had killed it.
• As Yaoguang carried them upward, Instructor Hong told Baili Pangpang and Shen Qingzhu not to reveal Lin Qiye’s possible connection to a god.
• Baili Pangpang, Shen Qingzhu, and Instructor Hong agreed to coordinate their accounts of what had happened.
• A black shadow burst through the rock wall, struck Baili Pangpang, and made Yaoguang’s golden sword shadow vanish.

Instructor Hong, Baili Pangpang, and Shen Qingzhu fought Ma Yitian in the collapsing passage, and Shen Qingzhu sacrificed himself to destroy Ma Yitian’s soul. Instructor Hong escaped with Baili Pangpang as the cavern was buried, leaving only a faintly glowing jade fragment.

• Baili Pangpang tricked Ma Yitian into thinking Lin Qiye had died, but Ma Yitian attacked the group with earth spikes and narrowed the passage.
• Shen Qingzhu, Baili Pangpang, and Instructor Hong coordinated their attacks; Baili Pangpang wounded Ma Yitian’s soul, and Instructor Hong pierced his chest and sent him plunging down the passage.
• Ma Yitian survived by taking a drug and surged upward inside a fire tornado, forcing Instructor Hong to prepare to hold off the flames while Shen Qingzhu and Baili Pangpang waited on his blades.
• Shen Qingzhu secretly took Instructor Hong’s emblem, leaped into the fire tornado, and used the Soul Severing Blade to destroy Ma Yitian’s remaining soul.
• Shen Qingzhu recited the Night Watchmen’s oath as Instructor Hong carried the unconscious Baili Pangpang upward through the flames.
• The Blood Stains the Sky power extinguished the flames and buried the underground cavern, leaving a faintly glowing jade fragment in the darkness.

Instructor Hong and Baili Pangpang escaped the collapsing underground cavern, while Shen Qingzhu was presumed dead. The Whisperer found Shen Qingzhu still barely alive and offered to heal him in exchange for becoming his follower.

• Instructor Hong and Baili Pangpang were rescued from the cavern, and Instructor Hong said Shen Qingzhu remained below.
• Yuan Gang learned that the cavern had collapsed and searchers found no signs of life, so he ordered everyone to withdraw.
• The Whisperer arrived at Jinnan Mountain and struggled with a strange voice disrupting his mind.
• The Whisperer discovered Shen Qingzhu's charred body underground and realized he was still alive.
• The Whisperer offered to heal Shen Qingzhu and make him stronger if he believed in him and became his follower.

The Whisperer restored Shen Qingzhu and recruited him as a follower, unaware that the Heaven Returning Jade had blocked his soul brand. Lin Qiye woke in the infirmary and learned that everyone believed Shen Qingzhu had died in the burning cavern, while Baili Pangpang insisted on searching for him.

• The Whisperer healed Shen Qingzhu in his divine realm after Shen agreed to join the followers.
• The Whisperer gave Shen Qingzhu a Soul Contract, and Shen pressed it to his brow and pledged to follow him.
• After The Whisperer left, Shen revealed that the Heaven Returning Jade had blocked the soul brand, leaving him free of The Whisperer's control.
• Lin Qiye woke in the infirmary and heard Baili Pangpang insist that someone could not be dead.
• Instructor Han Li told Lin Qiye that Shen Qingzhu had jumped into the burning cavern to save Instructor Hong and Baili Tumming, and Baili Pangpang rushed out to search for him.

Instructor Han Li told Baili Pangpang that Shen Qingzhu had died in the cave, but Lin Qiye still felt the loss was unreal. As the recruits faced their final night at Training Camp, Baili Pangpang reflected on what it meant to become a Night Watchman.

• Instructor Han Li explained that investigators found charred remains identified as partly belonging to Shen Qingzhu and argued that he could not have survived the cave collapse.
• Lin Qiye comforted Baili Pangpang, heard his account of Shen Qingzhu's last actions, and privately doubted that Shen Qingzhu was really dead.
• Baili Pangpang told Lin Qiye they would keep quiet about his temporary feminine appearance, but Cao Yuan overheard and reacted in shock.
• Lin Qiye, Baili Pangpang, and Cao Yuan gathered on the infirmary roof for grilled meat, where Baili Pangpang said he was beginning to understand what becoming a Night Watchman meant.

Lin Qiye, Baili Pangpang, and Cao Yuan discussed joining the Night Watchmen and forming a Special Squad before the Training Camp’s oath ceremony. At the ceremony, the rookies received medals for their rescue operation, and Shen Qingzhu was posthumously honored for sacrificing his life.

• Baili Pangpang decided to join the Night Watchmen after returning to Guangshen, while Cao Yuan invited Lin Qiye to visit him in Huaihai City.
• Baili Pangpang proposed that Lin Qiye form a Special Squad someday and recruit him and Cao Yuan; Lin Qiye promised to find them if he got the chance.
• The next morning, Lin Qiye and Baili Pangpang arrived early at the training grounds, where rookies gathered for the oath ceremony.
• Yuan Gang announced that every rookie who took part in the rescue operation would receive a Spark Medal.
• Yuan Gang announced Shen Qingzhu would receive the Starlight Medal posthumously, and the instructors and rookies saluted him.

Lin Qiye and the other recruits received their Night Watchman equipment and swore their oath beneath Great Xia’s red flag. After saying goodbye to his friends, Lin Qiye was the last Night Watchman to leave New Recruit Training Base No. 039.

• Lin Qiye received his Star Saber, cloak, and emblem as Yuan Gang explained what the three pieces of equipment represented.
• Yuan Gang led the recruits in swearing their oath beneath Great Xia’s red flag, officially making them Night Watchmen.
• Cao Yuan and Baili Pangpang said goodbye to Lin Qiye as their fellow recruits left the training camp.
• Lin Qiye found the box of Rolex watches Baili Pangpang had left under his bed and packed it in his suitcase.
• Lin Qiye took one last look at the empty training camp and left through its iron gate as the last Night Watchman to depart.

Lin Qiye returned to Cangnan and learned that a Human Apex called Master Chen had come to investigate the suspected godly fluctuations at Jinnan Mountain, where Lin Qiye had fought the Blazing Vein Earth Dragon. As Master Chen questioned Team 136 about Lin Qiye, he told Chen Muye that he had worked hard over the past ten years.

• Hong Ying picked Lin Qiye up at the military checkpoint and told him Team 136 had expected him to return, though they mistakenly thought he had ranked poorly at the Training Camp.
• Hong Ying told Lin Qiye that a Human Apex had come to Cangnan to investigate the suspected godly fluctuations near Jinnan Mountain.
• Lin Qiye realized the investigation could uncover traces of his battle with the Blazing Vein Earth Dragon and asked which Human Apex had arrived.
• At Heping Agency, Master Chen questioned Chen Muye and Wu Xiangnan about the Jinnan Mountain incident and Lin Qiye.
• Wu Xiangnan described Lin Qiye’s past deeds and Team 136’s high opinion of him, while Master Chen stayed for tea.
• After Wu Xiangnan left to make more tea, Master Chen told Chen Muye that he had worked hard over the past ten years.

Lin Qiye returned to Cangnan and officially reported for duty with Team 136, whose members welcomed him home. They discussed a string of uncanny murders that might involve a Mystery, while the still-uncaught Secret Thief continued stealing parts of supernatural corpses.

• Lin Qiye returned to the villa with Hong Ying, unpacked, and kept his emblem close before heading to the office.
• Lin Qiye reported for duty to Team 136, and Chen Muye welcomed him as the team prepared dinner.
• Wu Xiangnan said a Human Apex had spent the afternoon chatting and drinking tea with the team after a brief work report.
• Wen Qimo described the fourth victim in a series of murders, whose body had been nailed to a wall and whose death was captured on camera.
• Wen Qimo said the footage showed the victim floating as nails pierced him and his fingers vanished, while the team had made no progress investigating.
• Hong Ying explained that the Secret Thief had stolen parts from four Mysteries, including half of a Frostvine corpse transported by the disposal unit.

After returning to Team 136, Lin Qiye learned that the mysterious Secret Thief had begun hunting Mysteries and volunteered to help catch him. At the Psychiatric Hospital, Lin Qiye considered the Blazing Vein Earth Dragon’s fate, and the dragon transformed into a naked human woman to prove its worth, prompting him to hire her.

• Hong Ying told Lin Qiye that the Secret Thief had moved from stealing Mystery corpses to killing Mysteries, while Chen Muye and Leng Xuan insisted that the Night Watchmen would pursue him.
• Lin Qiye and the others toasted his return to Team 136, and Lin Qiye later went to the Psychiatric Hospital to decide the Blazing Vein Earth Dragon’s fate.
• Lin Qiye found that the Blazing Vein Earth Dragon could be hired as an orderly but could not perform any of the tasks he suggested.
• The Blazing Vein Earth Dragon transformed into a red-haired woman, and Lin Qiye hired her.

Lin Qiye hired the Blazing Vein Earth Dragon as the hospital’s fourth attendant, naming her Hong Yan, and discovered she struggled with ordinary human customs. He then found Merlin playing with the Magic Cube in the reading room.

• Lin Qiye made the Blazing Vein Earth Dragon accept a contract by pressing her fingerprint onto it, and the hospital gave her a cyan uniform and the number 004.
• Lin Qiye named the red-haired attendant Hong Yan after she rejected his first choice, Erniu.
• Li Yifei and A Zhu met Hong Yan, and Li Yifei warned Li Yifei to take care of her because her situation was special.
• Hong Yan bit Li Yifei’s hand and then tried to eat the pug, which frightened the dog into crashing into a wall and fainting.
• Lin Qiye went to the reading room and found Merlin handling the despondent Magic Cube, who greeted him as Director.

Lin Qiye asked Merlin how to heal the eternal, soul-damaging wounds inflicted by Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, but received no practical solution. The next day, he joined Wen Qimo at a tavern crime scene and learned the details of Sun Xiao’s brutal murder.

• Lin Qiye asked Merlin about treating wounds caused by Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, and Merlin suggested destroying the weapon, finding another healing divine weapon, or hoping for a miracle.
• Lin Qiye left Merlin’s study, concluding that healing Wu Xiangnan’s hand would be difficult.
• Lin Qiye and Wen Qimo visited a tavern sealed off after a suspected Mystery-related killing and met Xiao Hei from the specialized response department.
• Xiao Hei told Lin Qiye and Wen Qimo that waiter Sun Xiao had been found dead in the tavern’s back courtyard.
• Xiao Hei explained that Sun Xiao had been nailed to the wall, killed by a nail through the heart, and had all ten fingers severed.

Lin Qiye, Wen Qimo, and Little Black investigated Sun Xiao’s murder at the tavern and watched camcorder footage showing an invisible force nail him to a wall. Lin Qiye noticed discrepancies in the evidence and asked to examine the bodies from three earlier similar cases.

• Lin Qiye questioned the small amount of blood at the scene, and Little Black explained that severed fingers would not cause heavy bleeding.
• Wen Qimo and Lin Qiye watched the tavern camcorder footage, which showed Sun Xiao being lifted and pinned to the courtyard wall by iron nails as his fingers disappeared.
• Lin Qiye pointed out that the footage showed Sun Xiao’s fingers vanishing bit by bit, while the autopsy said they had been cleanly severed, and asked where the fingers had gone.
• Wen Qimo concluded that the Mystery could turn invisible or manipulate objects, cut off fingers, and weakly affect nearby electronics, but said those traits were too broad to identify it.
• Lin Qiye asked to review the files and examine the bodies from three earlier similar cases.

Lin Qiye went to the morgue to examine the first three victims in the severed-finger case, but discovered that a suspicious orderly had stolen their bodies. He pursued the van and alerted Wu Xiangnan, while the orderly revealed himself as a young man who challenged Lin Qiye to catch him.

• Lin Qiye noticed a gray rat at the bar and felt an unexplained sense of familiarity before heading to the police station morgue.
• On the way to the morgue, Lin Qiye saw an orderly pushing a covered body cart and felt that the man seemed familiar.
• The forensic examiner told Lin Qiye that someone had taken the three victims’ bodies using credentials and claimed they were being transferred to Huaihai City.
• Lin Qiye spotted the orderly loading the bodies into a black van, leaped across rooftops, and called Wu Xiangnan to report the vehicle and its license plate.
• The orderly removed his mask in an alley, revealed himself as a young man, and challenged Lin Qiye to catch him.