Chapter Summaries

Big Bear’s unnatural strength alarmed Xi Tianlong and Wolf Seven, so Xi Tianlong raised a powerful defensive barrier. Qin He used the barrier to trap himself inside with Xi Tianlong and revealed that he had entered willingly.

• Big Bear withstood Wolf Seven’s charge through brute force, prompting Wolf Seven to warn Xi Tianlong that something was wrong with him.
• Xi Tianlong activated his Tortoise Shell Dragon Talisman, enclosing himself and several Lesser Demons in a barrier that no one below the Dao Palace Realm could break.
• Confident behind the barrier, Xi Tianlong mocked Big Bear and ordered Wolf Seven to kill him.
• Qin He recognized the barrier as a chance to isolate Xi Tianlong and used Shape-Shifting to enter it unnoticed.
• Qin He revealed himself to Xi Tianlong and greeted him from inside the barrier.

Qin He entered Xi Tianlong’s supposedly impenetrable defensive barrier and began beating him while Wolf Seven and Wolf Nine failed to break in. He then prepared to saw off Xi Tianlong’s dragon horns as Marquis of Purple Robes arranged to record the scene.

• Xi Tianlong panicked when Qin He appeared inside the defensive barrier and called for Wolf Seven and Wolf Nine to save him.
• Wolf Seven and Wolf Nine combined their strength to attack the barrier, but could only make it flicker.
• Qin He taunted Xi Tianlong, then grabbed him and slapped him in front of the two wolves.
• Qin He took out a rusty saw and began sawing at the base of Xi Tianlong’s dragon horn.
• Marquis of Purple Robes put away the transfer document and urged his deputy to record the scene with a Memory Crystal.

Qin He sawed off Xi Tianlong’s Dragon Horns while Wolf Seven and Wolf Nine failed to break the protective barrier, and Marquis of Purple Robes refused to help them. Wolf Seven considered regrowing the horns and denying what happened, then turned its gaze on the witnesses, leaving Marquis of Purple Robes fearing they would be silenced.

• Qin He sawed off both of Xi Tianlong’s Dragon Horns, leaving Xi Tianlong convulsing on the ground.
• Wolf Seven and Wolf Nine demanded help from Marquis of Purple Robes, but he and the other experts refused to interfere.
• Qin He suggested that the demons use their secret art to regrow Xi Tianlong’s horns and conceal the incident.
• Wolf Seven realized the Bloodwing Bat King could help restore the horns and considered denying the event and killing the witnesses.
• Wolf Seven looked toward Marquis of Purple Robes and the other witnesses, making Marquis fear they were about to be silenced.

Qin He escaped Wolf Seven by using Xi Tianlong as a distraction, while the Marquis of Purple Robes and his companions fled as well. Days later, the authorities reported the battle at Mingling Mountain to the Capital City, which acknowledged the request to investigate.

• The Marquis of Purple Robes and his companions backed away as Wolf Seven watched them, allowing Qin He to carry out his plan.
• Qin He escaped the defensive barrier with Xi Tianlong, prompting Wolf Seven to chase him.
• Qin He hurled Xi Tianlong at Wolf Seven, forcing it to stop and catch him while Qin He fled into a stream.
• The Marquis of Purple Robes and his companions escaped into the night, leaving their Horned Scale Horses behind, and Wolf Seven spat blood in fury.
• Several days later, local authorities reported the battle and the deaths of more than thirty Leopard Demons and wolf riders to the Capital City.
• Seven days later, the Marquis of Purple Robes' Residence replied, “Understood.”

Huan Qingwu learned that the Demon Flood Dragon Envoy Group had fallen, leaving her with little hope of escaping Cuiqing Brothel, while Wei Wu discovered Qin He was in Lin'an City and grew resentful that he had not come to help. Qin He visited the Purple Thorn Merchant Guild to trade, ending by asking whether the shopkeeper would buy leopard penis.

• Huan Qingwu heard that the Demon Flood Dragon Envoy Group was dead or scattered and realized escaping Cuiqing Brothel would be harder without them.
• Wei Wu learned that Qin He was in Lin'an City and recognized his signature attack in reports about the envoy group’s destruction.
• Wei Wu felt relieved to know Qin He was alive, then angrily wondered why he had not contacted or rescued him.
• Qin He sneezed repeatedly at the Purple Thorn Merchant Guild, and the little shopkeeper took him into a private reception room.
• Qin He asked the little shopkeeper whether he would buy leopard penis.

Qin He sold the Leopard Demon’s remains to the young shopkeeper, who tried to persuade him to pursue Xi Tianlong for his Dragon Horns. Qin He revealed that he already had Xi Tianlong’s horns but refused to sell them, saying he still had enough money to spend.

• Qin He sold the Leopard Demon’s hide, bones, penis, Inner Core, and claws to the young shopkeeper, who explained that leopard parts fetched less than tiger parts.
• The young shopkeeper asked whether Qin He planned to pursue Xi Tianlong for his Dragon Horns and warned him that Xi Tianlong had returned to the Myriad Demon Kingdom.
• Qin He revealed a pair of Dragon Horns and confirmed they belonged to Xi Tianlong, shocking the young shopkeeper.
• The young shopkeeper asked why Qin He had not offered the Dragon Horns earlier, and Qin He said he did not want to sell them because his money was still enough to spend.

Qin He refused to sell the Dragon Horn until Du Ziteng offered to treat him to drinks at Zui Xian Ju. There, Qin He recognized the madam who had abused Lin Xiao'e and entered the pleasure house intending to deal with her.

• Qin He took back the Dragon Horn and refused Du Ziteng's repeated attempts to buy it.
• Du Ziteng offered Qin He drinks at Zui Xian Ju, and Qin He agreed because someone there needed to be dealt with.
• Du Ziteng brought Qin He to Zui Xian Ju, a ninth-rank pleasure house in Lin'an.
• The madam recognized Du Ziteng as Young Master Du, while Qin He recognized her from Lin Xiao'e's Shadow Play.
• Qin He recalled how the madam had abused Lin Xiao'e and left her to die, after which Demon Seeding people took her.

Qin He visited Zui Xian Ju with Du Ziteng and noticed that the frail madam carried an unusual ghostly aura. After they declined the brothel’s girls, he witnessed the madam’s cruelty toward the women in her care and learned that she and the pimp planned to kidnap two sisters.

• Qin He saw ghostly aura emanating from Zui Xian Ju’s madam when she welcomed him and Du Ziteng.
• Qin He refused the girls brought to their private room, and Du Ziteng sent his girl away as well.
• The madam berated two girls for failing to attract customers, then went to the rear courtyard to inspect two women dying from illness.
• The madam ordered laborers to sack and discard the two women despite their pleas for mercy.
• The pimp told the madam he planned to kidnap two widowed sisters from a village sixty li outside the city, and she approved the plan.

Qin He attacked the madam and turtle master over Lin Xiao'e's death, defeating them despite his Mortal Body Realm appearance. He left them restrained and suffering in the woodshed, hoping they would draw out the powerful people behind them.

• Qin He told the madam and turtle master he had come to kill them in revenge for Lin Xiao'e's death.
• The turtle master charged Qin He, but Qin He knocked him down with one strike of the Nine-Toothed Rake.
• The madam tried to flee, then attacked Qin He with black qi when he blocked her path.
• Qin He evaded the black qi and immobilized the madam with an iron nail bearing Inscriptions.
• Qin He dragged both captives into the woodshed, pinned them with Corpse Suppressing Nails, marked them, and went upstairs to drink.

Qin He learned about the Great Jing Empire’s political situation while drinking with Du Ziteng, who revealed his knowledge of the court and powerful factions. Returning to the rear courtyard near curfew, Qin He saw people bring in two struggling figures in burlap sacks, apparently women.

• Qin He caught Du Ziteng secretly transferring wine into his jars while filling his own with water, then listened as Du Ziteng explained his precarious work at the Purple Thorn Merchant Guild.
• Du Ziteng told Qin He about the Crown Prince, the Marquis of Purple Robes, the old emperor, and the powers influencing the Great Jing Empire.
• Qin He concluded that the empire’s stability depended chiefly on the Myriad Demon Kingdom’s actions and the Crown Prince’s position, and Du Ziteng praised his summary.
• Qin He and Du Ziteng talked until curfew approached, then Du Ziteng paid the bill and left.
• Qin He returned to the rear courtyard and saw several people bring in two burlap sacks containing struggling figures who appeared to be women.

Qin He disguised himself as the brothel keeper and discovered that his men had kidnapped twin girls from Chu Family Village. When the men refused to return them, he killed them and was left deciding how to protect the girls.

• Qin He inspected the bound twin girls and learned from Thunder-Mouth that the men had taken them from Chu Family Village.
• Qin He ordered Thunder-Mouth and the others to return the girls, but they argued that the girls had no surviving male relatives and the court would not intervene.
• Qin He grew angry after hearing that the court had denied the border deaths and killed Thunder-Mouth and the other five men with Corpse Suppressing Nails.
• Qin He looked at the frightened girls and struggled to decide what to do with them in the dangerous Capital City.

Qin He taught two women powerful martial techniques, then returned to the Corpse Burning Room and let Ma Fei handle the cremation of six corpses. He left the tortured pimp and madam waiting for death, but Ma Fei soon warned him that the fire had caught the roof beam.

• Qin He passed the two women the Great Strength Divine Fist, Lion's Roar, and Copper Skin Iron Bones Technique before leaving with the spoils of battle.
• Qin He cleansed six corpses, then released Ma Fei from his birdcage so he could burn them.
• Ma Fei carried the corpses to the three furnaces and carefully tended the flames while Qin He examined the pimp and madam.
• Qin He told the pimp and madam they would have to wait until tomorrow to die, then lay down to rest.
• Ma Fei shouted for Qin He to save the fire because the roof beam had caught fire.

During the Cold Departure Festival, Cuiqing Brothel staged a grand parade to compete with rival pleasure houses, while Qin He visited the lantern fair along the Qu River. He sensed something ominous as blood-red lanterns rose over the city and warned Ma Fei that ghosts would run wild that night.

• Cai Linglong followed Wei Wu's suggestion and sent Cuiqing Brothel's courtesan queens parading through Lin'an City, with Huan Qingwu leading and Wei Wu forced to join them.
• Qin He wandered the festival streets with Ma Fei, still displeased after Ma Fei's botched attempt to burn corpses had damaged the house and its Corpse Burning Furnace.
• Qin He and Ma Fei reached the banks of the Qu River, where lantern-lit boats and bright displays filled the water and shore.
• A sudden cold gust made the lantern flames waver, and Qin He sensed something wrong as blood-red lanterns began rising above the city.
• Qin He told Ma Fei that ghosts would run wild that night.

Qin He and Ma Fei witnessed a supernatural incident as blood-red lanterns appeared over the Qu River and began snatching souls. After nearly everyone fell unconscious, Qin He saw Wei Wu dressed as the top courtesan.

• Ma Fei asked Qin He whether the ghosts would fear cultivators, and Qin He explained that the lanterns signaled a dangerous Supernatural Incident.
• Blood-red lanterns rose over the Qu River, prompting terrified people to flee as elderly onlookers cried, "Blood Lanterns Soul Snatching, Hundred Ghosts Ascending!"
• Ma Fei looked at a lantern and collapsed as his Illusory Shadow appeared inside it.
• Qin He tried to seize a lantern with his hand and the Power of Merit, but realized it existed in the cracks between spaces.
• People across both banks fell silent under the lanterns, and Qin He felt his soul being pulled as he carried Ma Fei away.
• Qin He stopped beside a parade float when he recognized Wei Wu leaning against it, dressed as the top courtesan.

Qin He found Wei Wu reduced to Rabbit Sir and carried him away, then noticed Huan Qingwu. In Lin'an City, the Crown Prince refused to mobilize against the Blood Ghost Soul Snatching, leaving Marquis of Purple Robes without the inner cabinet’s support as a blood-red replica of the city formed.

• Qin He found Wei Wu, was angered that he had become Rabbit Sir, and planned to buy back the Tiger Penis to try to undo the Chaos of Yin and Yang.
• Qin He hoisted Wei Wu onto his shoulder and noticed Huan Qingwu.
• Marquis of Purple Robes urged the Crown Prince to act against the Blood Ghost Soul Snatching, warning that it could kill at least a hundred thousand people.
• The Crown Prince refused to disturb the Emperor’s breakthrough and dismissed Marquis of Purple Robes.
• Marquis of Purple Robes sought support from Yan Hui and the inner cabinet, but they avoided backing him.
• A blood-red sea of lights gathered above Lin'an City, revealing a ghostly replica filled with shadowy souls and corpses.

A Supernatural Incident trapped Lin'an City's crowds inside a dark, mirrored Ghost Domain, where Cai Linglong tried to lead the Cuiqing Brothel courtesans toward safety. When a Phantom Ghost procession ordered everyone to keep silent and clear the road, people who screamed were killed, leaving the crowd in greater terror.

• The people from Cuiqing Brothel and the surrounding crowds panicked after finding themselves in the blood-soaked Ghost Domain.
• Cai Linglong ordered the flower carriage forward and told everyone to stay quiet as they searched for a way out.
• A Phantom Ghost procession emerged from the mist, and its gong bearer demanded silence and that the crowd clear the road for the County Official's sedan chair.
• Cai Linglong moved the flower carriage aside, and Wei Wu pulled Huan Qingwu down from it.
• The gong-bearing Phantom Ghost turned toward two people who were screaming, and their heads exploded; more people were killed as the crowd continued to panic.

Wei Wu, Huan Qingwu, and the survivors crossed a ghost domain where supernatural beings imposed deadly rules through their words. After the crowd survived several encounters, Wei Wu opened his eyes and discovered everyone else had vanished, leaving only footprints leading into the mist.

• The Phantom Ghost passed through, and people who made too much noise died as their heads exploded under its spoken law.
• A group of children played a game that forbade movement and speech, killing dozens who moved or cried out.
• The carriage driver identified the spirits’ words as rules, and the survivors followed later processions’ commands to cry, congratulate, or kneel.
• A Confucian scholar invoked a rule against looking or listening, and the crowd shut their eyes and covered their ears.
• After a long silence, Wei Wu opened one eye and found that everyone except Huan Qingwu had disappeared, with footprints leading into the mist.

Wei Wu and Huan Qingwu found that the group had vanished, leaving no footprints or bodies, and continued alone through the mist. Wei Wu removed Huan Qingwu’s Demon Locking Rings, restoring her strength, and they set off to find an exit as a thunderous sneeze sounded behind them.

• Wei Wu and Huan Qingwu discovered that the group’s footprints ended abruptly and that everyone had disappeared.
• Huan Qingwu asked Wei Wu to remove her Demon Locking Rings, and he agreed after Cai Linglong was nowhere to be found.
• With her strength restored, Huan Qingwu told Wei Wu she might use him as a scapegoat and led the way forward.
• Wei Wu hurried after Huan Qingwu, and a thunderous sneeze mixed with lightning rumbled from deep within the mist.

Qin He searched Ghost Domain City for his stolen bird and pot, encountering a frightened scholar and Cai Linglong’s group. When he asked where the woman without undergarments was, the three women began stripping, leaving him shocked and confused.

• Qin He examined his tangible replica body and equipment, then started exploring the mist-shrouded replica of Lin'an City.
• Qin He stopped a nervous scholar, who said he had accidentally seen a woman wearing nothing underneath and pointed behind him.
• Qin He encountered Cai Linglong and her terrified group, but could not find Wei Wu or Illusion Butterfly Demoness.
• Qin He asked where the woman without undergarments was, and the three women began removing their clothes.
• Qin He recoiled and demanded to know why they were stripping when he had only asked a question.

Qin He discovered that his words could compel the crowd to obey, then confronted a night patrol soldier whose red-eyed attack made people’s heads explode. His unusually hard head let him survive, and he beat the soldier down while realizing it could keep regenerating.

• Qin He tested his command over the crowd by making them obey him, and Cai Linglong exposed him as a human after he ordered them to torment her.
• Cai Linglong charged Qin He, but a night patrol soldier arrived and announced that mortals were forbidden to travel during the Nethernight Curfew.
• The soldier attacked Qin He with a hidden red-eyed power, but Qin resisted it and dragged the soldier from its horse.
• Qin He repeatedly struck the soldier, whose face and head regenerated, while a bystander’s head exploded after looking at it.
• Qin He realized his hard head had saved him from the soldier’s attack and began battering it with his Great Iron Shovel.