Chapter Summaries

Liang Qu discovered that Marshland Kingdom could improve Old Toad’s fortune, but its effects and Jiang Huai’s favor were not enough to help him advance. He revived Pai Xiao Xing’s offspring and began a plan to use the Ghost Mother’s power to move Old Toad into the underworld, leaving the attempt’s outcome unresolved.

• Wu Cangshou identified King of Huai as the key to Old Toad’s remaining chance at life, and the Big Frogs offered Liang Qu their treasures for help.
• Liang Qu gave Old Toad Dew Seeds and allocated Jiang Huai’s favor to him, then learned that entering Marshland Kingdom increased Old Toad’s fortune but did not yet make advancement possible.
• Liang Qu concluded that Old Toad might advance if Marshland Kingdom were nested within the underworld, and he had the Weng Family refine Qi and Blood Pills from Lord Net’s remains.
• Liang Qu used the Ghost Mother’s Ritual to revive Pai Xiao Xing’s offspring, then arranged for himself, Wu Cangshou, Old Toad, and the others to enter Marshland Kingdom while the offspring was frozen again.
• Long E Ying used the Ghost Mother’s arms to shift Pai Xiao Xing’s offspring from the position of life to the position of death, as the group’s plan began.

Liang Qu brought Old Toad and the other demons into the underworld, where Old Toad began attempting to advance into a Great Demon, then reshaped King Chu and Yi Chen in the Blood River and recruited them to work for him. Back at Suyu Pavilion, Lao Mengyao told the Blood Ape that the Heavenly Fire Sect was offering him a year of extra salary as a Settlement Fee.

• Long E Ying confirmed Liang Qu remained within the Ghost Mother’s cavern, while Long Yanrui offered to help patrol or dig the harbor.
• Liang Qu led Wu Cangshou, Old Toad, Frog Guerrilla, and Fat Catfish through Pai Xiao Xing’s offspring into the underworld, where they discovered they had arrived as souls without their bodies.
• Liang Qu brought Old Toad into the Marshland Kingdom to improve its chances of becoming a Great Demon, then returned to the Blood River in his true body.
• Liang Qu used the Blood River to restore King Chu and Yi Chen, offering King Chu work in exchange for the chance to see the Demon Empress and the little Imperial Prince again.
• King Chu and Yi Chen agreed to resume their old work of rebellion and robbery, then corrected themselves to call it restoration.
• The Blood Ape emerged from seclusion, and Lao Mengyao told him the Heavenly Fire Sect was offering him an extra year of salary as a Settlement Fee.

Liang Qu consulted the Dragon Lord about the Heavenly Fire Sect’s new Elder stipend and learned that Whale Emperor and Da Li’s Grand Ancestor might be building three connected realms while competing to choose their generals. After Liang Qu collected thirty-six First Grade Blood Treasures, Old Toad emerged from its stone transformation as a Great Demon, drawing the Frog King’s attention.

• Lao Mengyao told Liang Qu that newly appointed Elders could claim an extra year’s salary in Blood Treasures, and she described Xi Ziyu’s four failed marriage matches.
• Liang Qu canceled Spirit Transformation to show Lao Mengyao his human form, then left for the Heavenly Fire Sect before the new year.
• Liang Qu asked the Dragon Lord about the stipend and the Eastern Sea Great Hunting Assembly, and the Dragon Lord theorized that Whale Emperor and Da Li’s Grand Ancestor aimed to create three realms and recruit generals.
• The Dragon Lord suggested that the Great Hunting Assembly was meant to select generals, and Liang Qu collected thirty-six First Grade Blood Treasures from the Heavenly Fire Sect.
• Old Toad’s gray Frog Stone cracked and shattered as it emerged amid Seven-Colored Treasure Light, while the Frog King sensed the change beneath dark clouds over the Jiang Huai Great Marsh.

Liang Qu coordinated allies to protect the transforming Old Toad as its advancement drew a fierce lightning tribulation. He redirected the bolt through the weak boundary of the underworld to help the Dragon King's shadow escape, while Old Toad emerged from its stone shell and Ghost Mother's ritual began.

• Frog King summoned the clan and allies as Old Toad's advancement darkened the skies, while Martial Saints and Demon Kings gathered at Jiang Huai Great Marsh.
• Liang Qu learned that Dragon Lord wanted to use Old Toad's lightning tribulation to open a crack between the underworld and the living world, and Dragon Lord warned him about the risks of weakening the Dragonfolk's Bloodline Shackles.
• Liang Qu chose to draw down the first bolt at the underworld's weakest boundary, and Fat Catfish carried the transforming Old Toad out of Marshland Kingdom as the gathered humans and demons struck together.
• The lightning vanished into Dragon King's Lair, where Dragon Lord's shadow escaped with Liang Qu; Liang Qu transformed into the Blood Ape and fled toward the Blood River.
• Old Toad burst from its stone shell, and Long E Ying poured blood-red pills into the blood trough to advance Ghost Mother's ritual.

Old Toad completed his transformation into a Great Demon, and Liang Qu and the others helped him withstand the heavenly tribulation. Following Old Toad’s orders, Liang Qu trapped the lightning inside a cage of Water Pillars, and Old Toad offered the contained tribulation as payment for them to temper their bodies.

• Old Toad shed his stone skin and became a Great Demon as the Marshland Kingdom sank through the underworld and returned to its living bodies.
• Liang Qu and the Martial Saints and Demon Kings worked together to break apart the Lightning Dragons striking the Great Marsh.
• The tribulation intensified, and Liang Qu discovered that his Spirit Transformation made the White Ape especially vulnerable to the lightning, so he used distilled water to reduce the burning pain.
• Old Toad directed Liang Qu to plant Water Pillars around the battlefield, and Liang Qu formed a cage that trapped the lightning tribulation.
• Old Toad told nine people to enter the contained tribulation and use it to temper their bodies, calling it his payment.

Old Toad succeeded in ascending to Great Demon and arranged the heavenly tribulation so Liang Qu and the other experts could temper their bodies and grow stronger. After the tribulation ended, Liang Qu emerged with an eighty-twofold Root Sea and considered his next steps, while news of the Eastern Sea Great Hunting Assembly remained absent.

• The frogs emerged from the water and learned that Old Toad had trapped lightning inside water pillars to temper the experts, then cheered as he appeared atop a pillar after his successful ascension.
• Old Toad was struck by a Lightning Dragon when his Yellow Leather Bag covered his head, fell into the marsh, and Wu Cangshou confirmed that he had become a treasure Great Demon.
• Liang Qu absorbed the tribulation lightning to strengthen his body and Root Sea, which grew from thirty-seven and a half times its original size as golden patterns appeared on his Primordial Yang peach tree.
• The lightning tribulation ended after benefiting Liang Qu, King Su, King Jing, King of Yue, Old Monk, Turtle King, and the other participants.
• Liang Qu emerged with an eighty-twofold Root Sea, and Frog King forgave the debt he owed for help against the Flood Dragon.
• Liang Qu watched the Frog Clan celebrate the New Year and wondered why there was still no news about the Eastern Sea Great Hunting Assembly.

Liang Qu celebrated the New Year Festival with his friends in Dragon Palace, planned new attractions for Pingyang, and helped Treasure through the lightning tribulation. The Whale Emperor’s envoy announced that the Eastern Sea Great Hunting Assembly would take place in five years, with a Snail Fruit—a Small Fruit of Position—as its first prize.

• Liang Qu showed Xiang ChangSong and the others around Dragon Palace, then celebrated with them over Xu Zishuai’s plum wine and discussed his plans for waterways and New Year tourism.
• The Old Toad woke to discover that Da Pang and Er Pang had eaten his treasure and battered them in a rage.
• Liang Qu thanked King Su and King Jing for helping save Treasure, then arranged Vortex Escape Paths and Pillars of the Heavens to develop travel routes around Pingyang.
• Liang Qu approved Xu Yuelong’s plan to build a large bathhouse on Pingyang Mountain and agreed to take thirty percent of the profits.
• Yun Bo informed Liang Qu that the Eastern Sea Great Hunting Assembly was provisionally scheduled for five years later and revealed the Snail Fruit, a Small Fruit of Position, as its first prize.

Liang Qu reviewed the Whale Emperor’s Hunting Assembly rewards, recognized that the Snail Fruit prize was likely the Small Fruit of Position he wanted, and continued overseeing Pingyang’s rapid development. After learning that the Beaver Clan would send a delegation, he used Spiritual Descent to investigate Loulan and then arrived in Southern Border to find Li Xianghan praying.

• Yun Bo explained the Hunting Assembly’s Heaven Pill rewards and asked Liang Qu to suggest changes in exchange for Small Root Sea Pills.
• Liang Qu and Xu Yuelong realized the Snail Fruit was a Water Calamity Rank Fruit that the Southern Border would covet, and Xu left to plan a mountain bathhouse.
• Liang Qu expanded the Shadow Play business, inspected Shangrao, and learned that Su Guishan had negotiated for over a hundred Great Beavers to visit Pingyang.
• The Beaver Clan delegation met the Great Beaver, while Liang Qu received reports that Little Mirage Dragon had reached Loulan, Fist had found a mineral vein, and Awei had begun refining his Natal Gu.
• Liang Qu used Spiritual Descent to confirm that the Snail Fruit had likely come from Loulan, then sent Little Mirage Dragon to watch for Da Shun caravans.
• Liang Qu used Spiritual Descent again and arrived in Green Pattern Valley, where Li Xianghan was kneeling in prayer beside an array of supplies.

Liang Qu secretly took control of Li Xianghan’s Natal Gu refinement and evolved Awei into a Great Demon, leaving Li Xianghan bound to the centipede instead. Green Pattern Valley celebrated her apparent breakthrough, while Liang Qu discovered that the praise and rewards for Awei could provide him with a new source of Marsh Essence.

• Liang Qu descended into Awei, overheard Li Xianghan’s protectors, and secretly redirected her Natal Gu refinement through Vortex Divine Armor.
• Liang Qu gathered enough Marsh Essence from Treasure Fish and water-element plants to evolve Awei into a Great Demon.
• Li Xianghan mistook Awei’s evolution for feedback from her constitution and intensified the refinement, but Liang Qu replaced her intended imprint with his own.
• Li Yilin and the gathered Southern Border cultivators celebrated Li Xianghan’s supposed achievement, and Li Xianghan fainted as Liang Qu withdrew his consciousness.
• Awei ate pills bestowed by Green Pattern Valley’s Grand Shamans, and Liang Qu realized that helping Li Xianghan win prestige could earn Awei further rewards.

Liang Qu used Awei’s immense cultivation feedback to help Li Xianghan advance to Hunting Tiger, then urged her to pursue rewards and challenge the other Southern Border Saintesses. Back at the Treasure Vault, he persuaded Old Toad that the missing Treasure Fish were an investment in producing greater returns, before Old Toad revealed he had found a Phoenix Fairy Fish.

• Liang Qu ordered Li Xianghan to learn Da Shun Official Speech and told her he would help her become the Southern Border’s foremost Saintess.
• With Liang Qu’s [Spiritual Descent] amplifying Awei’s feedback, Li Xianghan cultivated and broke through to Hunting Tiger in a single day.
• Liang Qu encouraged Li Xianghan to ask Green Pattern Valley for treasures and challenge Yun Qianlan, Yu Aoshan, and other young talents.
• Liang Qu discovered that Awei’s new Divine Powers included versatile poisoning and powerful, storable healing through [Dewdrop].
• Liang Qu admitted to Old Toad that he had used Treasure Fish and convinced him they were an investment in producing more Treasure Fish.
• Old Toad shooed Long E Ying away and quietly told Liang Qu that he had found a Phoenix Fairy Fish.

Liang Qu and Old Toad found and captured the elusive Phoenix Fairy in Grotto Heaven Lake with Fat Catfish’s help, then accepted Dongtian Sect’s hospitality and investment. Meanwhile, Li Xianghan’s rise to fame was challenged by news that Yun Qianlan also had a Great Demon Natal Gu, leaving Li Xianghan furious.

• Old Toad told Liang Qu that Phoenix Fairy was in Grotto Heaven Lake and agreed to share the Treasure Fish as a reward for Liang Qu’s service.
• Liang Qu and Old Toad searched Grotto Heaven Lake, spotted Phoenix Fairy, and summoned Fat Catfish to catch it and carry it into Marshland Kingdom.
• Feng Ying invited Liang Qu to tour Dongtian Sect, where he gained one hundred thousand taels in investment, enjoyed a meal, and collected more Treasure Fish.
• News spread that Li Xianghan had contracted Heaven Centipede as her Natal Gu and advanced to Hunting Tiger, prompting Xu Haitao’s forces to mark her as a rising threat.
• Li Xianghan heard Yun Qianlan claim that her own Natal Gu had also become a Great Demon, and she angrily ordered Heaven Centipede to get her.

Li Xianghan used the Golden Winged Heavenly Centipede to overpower Yun Qianlan’s Red-eyed Jade Snake, while Liang Qu arranged to exhibit the Phoenix Fairy Treasure Fish and continued expanding his fiefs. The chapter ended with Liang Qu using Spiritual Descent and catching Li Xianghan celebrating under her quilt.

• Li Xianghan faced Yun Qianlan’s challenge in the wisteria corridor, and her Golden Winged Heavenly Centipede wounded Yun Qianlan’s Red-eyed Jade Snake in one strike.
• Liang Qu and Long E Ying examined the Phoenix Fairy Treasure Fish, and Liang Qu decided to raise it and charge visitors to see and touch it.
• Long E Ying discovered that the Gold and Silver Cup had disappeared from its storage chest, apparently consumed by slime.
• Long E Ying promoted the Phoenix Fairy exhibition, which drew more than four hundred visitors and earned over three thousand taels in one day.
• Liang Qu organized plans for his fiefs and learned that the Whale Emperor had taken the Rank Fruit from Loulan.
• Liang Qu used Spiritual Descent and found Li Xianghan gleefully celebrating her victory beneath her quilt.

Liang Qu collected the gifts Li Xianghan had received at her banquet and arranged for her to pursue more rewards at the Insect Valley Festival. He left Green Pattern Valley through a river using Awei’s newly enhanced divine-power support.

• Li Xianghan showed Liang Qu the banquet gifts, including a fresh Water-element Great Pill from the Tusi, and he fed the pill to Awei.
• Liang Qu learned the remaining gifts were worth roughly four hundred to five hundred thousand taels and postponed transferring them until the following month.
• Li Xianghan proposed that the Insect Valley Festival could bring more rewards, and Liang Qu approved the plan and told her to cultivate toward burying a Divine Power Seed.
• Liang Qu instructed Li Xianghan to publicly call his pet beast Awei, then his cultivation feedback caused her strength to surge.
• Liang Qu selected a silver necklace from the treasure chest and flew from Green Pattern Valley to a river, where Awei formed the Vortex Escape Path.

Liang Qu reviewed Yi Xing County’s expanding infrastructure and improving finances, then ordered preparations for ceremonies across the Thirteen Ports. As he began assigning tasks, Little Mirage Dragon announced that it had found three young members of its clan.

• Liang Qu established the Eternal Spring Tree in Nan Xun Village and funded stone roads linking the county’s main attractions.
• The Hedgehog reported that land and water projects were nearing balanced income and expenses, while King of North Water had become a major source of revenue for the underwater Demon Court.
• Liang Qu ordered Quan Yuxuan and Quan Guangqin to prioritize Shadow Play cinemas across the ports and instructed the Hedgehog to consider a pilot program easing road-pass restrictions.
• Liang Qu ordered all thirteen ports to hold distinctive River God Sacrifice ceremonies, beginning in Yi Xing County on June 6th and ending at Blue Lake in mid-July.
• Little Mirage Dragon announced that it had found three little Mirage Clan bugs.

Liang Qu evolved the Mirage Clan worms into Mirage Clams and discovered their shared-dream ability, then used it to develop dream-based games and secure court approval for portraits of Martial Saints and kings. The Sacred Emperor tried the games in a dream, and Liang Qu began preparing their launch in Yi Xing County before the River God Sacrifice.

• Liang Qu spent Marsh Essence evolving one Mirage Worm into a Mirage Clam and discovered that Mirage Clams could overlap dreams, share information, and trap enemies together.
• Little Mirage Dragon revealed that the West Water Turtle King had more than sixty Mirage Clan members, so Liang Qu rushed to recruit them for a money-making project.
• The Sacred Emperor tried Liang Qu’s dream game, lost a match as the Frog King, then explored the World Hegemony strategy game as Da Shun’s human race.
• Liang Qu ordered Shadow Play and Dream Shadow launched together in Yi Xing County before the River God Sacrifice, with Wen Shiyun demonstrating the games.
• E Ying explained that seeking court authorization for portraits would win the court’s favor and prevent disputes with the kings later.

Wen Shiyun brought his classmates to Yi Xing County for the Hero Combat Tournament, where the bustling streets, unusual residents, and extensive attractions amazed visitors from across Da Shun. Liang Qu finished preparing the festival grounds, and the River God Sacrifice began at noon, with the tournament and fireworks still to come.

• Wen Shiyun showed his classmates tickets to the Hero Combat Tournament and led them through the Reed Marsh toward the celebration.
• Wen Shiyun's group met He Hanyu and Fang Yanling amid crowds marveling at Yi Xing County's broad, chilled stone road, unusual animal residents, and street food.
• Benbo'erba introduced the River God Sacrifice, thanked the Sacred Emperor, border soldiers, officials, and Huaiyin Martial Hall volunteers, and announced the day's events and attractions.
• Liang Qu managed the festival crowds and attractions, while Xu Yuelong reported that Volcano Hall was running short on food as revenue surged.
• Wen Shiyun joined He Hanyu at the village elders' viewing stand, and a drummer announced the start of the River God Sacrifice at noon.

Liang Qu staged a spectacular River God Sacrifice in Yixing, earning ten times the usual River's Favor and impressing the crowds. After overseeing the festival's safety and preparations, he left visitors anticipating the Hero Assembly, which Benbo'erba announced would begin in two hours.

• Drums and horns signaled the auspicious hour as Xiang Fangsu began the River God Sacrifice, while He Hanyu and Wen Shiyun watched from the altar steps with a large black dog.
• Liang Qu arrived on a war chariot amid ten thousand mist-made horses and three giant beasts, then used the cloudlike Mist Beasts to stage a dramatic sacrifice without real slaughter.
• Liang Qu received 9.1124 River's Favor from the sacrifice, raising his River Rule Degree to 1.3.
• After the ceremony, visitors praised Yixing's attractions and wondered when the Martial Saints and Demon Kings would appear at the Hero Assembly.
• Liang Qu returned to the Eternal Spring Tree to supervise crowd safety, sanitation, and preparations, then told Long Whiskers to warm up the crowd with stories and introductions to the assembly's heroes.
• Benbo'erba announced that the Hero Assembly would begin in two hours and invited visitors to eat and rest before it.

Liang Qu unveiled dream games powered by the Jiang Huai Great Marsh’s Mirage Clan, letting visitors control Martial Saints and Demon Kings in battles. After the demonstrations drew an eager crowd, Benbo’erba announced the five-versus-five River God Competition, whose winning team would receive permanent use of five Mirage Clan members.

• Liang Qu’s Martial Hall disciples entered dreams linked by Dragon Spirit Silk as the Little Mirage Dragon and Benbo’erba prepared a county-wide presentation.
• Benbo’erba introduced heroes based on Martial Saints, Great Shamans, and Demon Kings, then showed them fighting in interactive dream games.
• Wen Shiyun explained that visitors could control the heroes in different games and that Mirage Clan dreams could also help cultivate martial arts.
• Benbo’erba announced a lottery with prizes, and the Sea Market Master supplied silver as the Big Frogs rushed to participate.
• Liang Qu switched the displays to a five-versus-five team game, and Benbo’erba announced that the winning team would receive permanent use of five Mirage Clan members within Ying Chun Tower.

Liang Qu launched the World Hegemony exhibition match in Yi Xing County, drawing a crowd with Xu Zishuai’s commentary and advertisements for local merchants. The first ticket sales exceeded half a million, and Liang Qu planned to carry the tournament through the other twelve ports.

• Benbo'erba introduced World Hegemony, and Xu Zishuai explained the hero bans, selections, classes, map, shops, and three paths during the exhibition match.
• Sea Market Master and Hai Yun appeared as in-game merchants while Benbo'erba and Xu Zishuai promoted Yi Xing County’s goods and attractions.
• The red team defeated the blue team in the exhibition match, after which crowds rushed to buy tickets for the tournament draw.
• Liang Qu explained to Xu Zishuai that he would run events at all thirteen ports and use World Hegemony to draw visitors along the route.
• A fleeing thief was pinned down by Liang Qu’s Black Gold weapon, and Martial Hall disciples detained him.
• Hedgehog reported that 567,500 tickets had been sold by the end of Shen Time, bringing in 569,046 taels and three qian.

Liang Qu celebrated the River God Sacrifice’s huge ticket sales while explaining how he planned to use entertainment, souvenirs, and shared profits to draw visitors to Yixing. He then proposed funding mandatory martial training so ordinary people could reach the Bone Barrier, but left to prepare for the competitions before the idea could be pursued.

• Hedgehog reported that the River God Sacrifice had sold over 569,000 taels’ worth of tickets, with hundreds of thousands of visitors expected, and Liang Qu described plans to attract customers from across the region.
• Liang Qu explained how he would divide the festival’s proceeds among the Martial Saints, Demon Kings, Turtle King, and court, while subsidizing Benbo'erba cloth dolls to make them lasting souvenirs of Yixing.
• Liang Qu proposed covering the cost of martial training for Good Family Sons so they could reach the Bone Barrier and create more value over their longer working lives; Xu Zishuai, Xu Shi, and Long E Ying considered the idea’s implications.
• Liang Qu dismissed the proposal as a distant possibility, went downstairs to arrange the competitions, and received word that the Insect Valley Festival would be held on July 21.
• Liang Qu told E Ying that he would help her bury the second Divine Power Seed after finishing his work.