Chapter Summaries

Lin Shuguang joined Shen Hongxue and the Hejian Sect on their way to investigate the village, where they found the settlement burned to ruins and discovered a hidden underground entrance. As he prepared to follow the others below, the long-absent Pay-to-Win system reappeared with a question about whether the Slaughter Blade could seize gods’ power.

• Meng Yitang warned Lin Shuguang that the Hejian Sect’s mission was dangerous and told him they were facing living dead.
• Lin Shuguang followed Shen Hongxue’s group toward the village while using his perception and questioning Meng Yitang about the Hejian Sect.
• At the village, Shen Hongxue and the others found the houses burned and no bodies, then Lin Shuguang uncovered a coffin containing an underground entrance.
• Shen Hongxue led the group underground, and Meng Yitang urged Lin Shuguang to follow him.
• Lin Shuguang sensed an unusual magnetic field from the entrance and wondered about the village’s secrets before the Pay-to-Win system appeared again.

Lin Shuguang triggered a Destined Soul upgrade quest requiring ten thousand kills and tore through the Living Dead to rescue the trapped Hejian Sect members. Shen Hongxue recognized him as Director Lin of Huai City’s Special Management Bureau, and Lin Shuguang turned to face her beside an underground river.

• Lin Shuguang saw that his Destined Soul upgrade quest required ten thousand kills and that he was only a hundred kills short.
• Lin Shuguang rescued Meng Yitang from the Living Dead, told him to cover their retreat, and charged deeper into the passage.
• Lin Shuguang carved through the Living Dead and reached Shen Hongxue and the other Hejian Sect members, telling them to leave if they did not want to die.
• Shen Hongxue chased after Lin Shuguang while the others fled, and the two reached an underground river.
• Shen Hongxue identified Lin Shuguang as Director Lin, Division Chief of the Special Management Bureau’s Seventh Section, and asked why he had joined her team under an alias.

Lin Shuguang questioned Shen Hongxue about the underground river and the living dead, then used her hints to learn about the Ancient Corpse Tribe and her sect. He agreed to consider helping her only if she took him to her sect, leaving their alliance dependent on a bargain.

• Shen Hongxue revealed that she had recognized Lin Shuguang and asked him for help, but he initially refused to hear her out.
• Lin Shuguang and Shen Hongxue discussed the underground river, and Shen Hongxue concluded that the villagers had gone upstream.
• Shen Hongxue explained that the living dead might be connected to the Ancient Corpse Tribe, whose undead army once terrorized the continent before the tribe's king and royal family died suddenly.
• Lin Shuguang asked about the Great Qian Dynasty, and Shen Hongxue accidentally revealed that her sect might have records about it.
• Lin Shuguang offered to help Shen Hongxue if she took him to her sect, and she eagerly accepted the possibility while he insisted on an exchange of benefits.

Lin Shuguang arrested Captain Zhang and his companions from Dongning City after uncovering their plan to steal intelligence from the Research Institute. He learned that Zhang Yaolai was an Eastern Ying spy and was asked to lead a top-secret operation to use him to trace the spy network back to Eastern Ying.

• Shen Hongxue asked Lin Shuguang for his contact information while she decided whether to take him to her sect, and Lin reported the cavern to Si Qianjun.
• Si Qianjun told Lin that the people from Dongning City had taken the bait and that he could reel them in.
• Captain Zhang planned to raid the Research Institute and steal intelligence, but Lin arrived at the teahouse and arrested him and his companions.
• Si Qianjun explained that Zhang Yaolai was an Eastern Ying native who had infiltrated Dongning City, and that the Governor intended to follow the trail back to Eastern Ying.
• Si Qianjun persuaded Lin to take charge of the top-secret mission, and Lin agreed after hinting that he expected something in return.

After staging Zhang Yaolai’s escape and using him as bait, Lin Shuguang exposed an Eastern Ying spy operation in Huai City and captured its leader. The Special Management Bureau began phase two, but Lin Shuguang’s car suddenly exploded as the chapter ended.

• Si Qianjun placed Huai City under martial law after Zhang Yaolai escaped, and ordered the division chiefs to capture him within three days.
• Lin Shuguang disrupted businesses backed by Zhou Mojun while Eastern Ying agents investigated Zhang Sang’s apparent escape.
• Watanabe Sang learned Zhang Yaolai had been arrested and led three black-robed martial artists in an attack on the prisoner transport.
• Lin Shuguang emerged from the transport, killed two attackers, defeated Watanabe Sang, and revealed that the escape had been a trap.
• Lin Shuguang took Watanabe Sang away and received orders to proceed with phase two, while his car then erupted in flames.

Lin Shuguang recognized Watanabe Hashimoto’s connection to the Ancient Corpse Tribe and used the Slaughter Blade’s third ability, Cold Hibernation, to overpower him. Watanabe was left dying, while Lin Shuguang planned to keep him alive for questioning.

• Watanabe Hashimoto rose from the rubble after using a secret technique that made him stronger, and Lin Shuguang recognized the Ancient Corpse Tribe’s aura in him.
• Lin Shuguang questioned Watanabe about Zhang Yaolai and the missing intelligence, but Watanabe attacked instead of cooperating.
• Lin Shuguang unleashed Cold Hibernation, freezing the street and forcing Watanabe to break free with a burst of power.
• Watanabe blocked Lin Shuguang’s strike with earth armor, but Lin Shuguang drove him into the ground and overwhelmed him.
• Lin Shuguang said Watanabe was still useful, then brought his blade down and left him dying.

Lin Shuguang learned more about the Hidden Sects and Eastern Ying’s plans, then consumed eight Treasure Medicines to strengthen his attributes. Meanwhile, the Ancient Corpse Tribe identified an enemy to the east, and the Blood-Colored Demonic Saber told Lin Shuguang that Corpse Worms feared lightning but offered no help protecting his family.

• Lin Shuguang asked Si Qianjun about the Hidden Sects, and Si Qianjun explained that most were ordinary factions with incomplete legacies.
• Lin Shuguang told Si Qianjun that Eastern Ying’s agents were connected to the ancient corpses, and Si Qianjun revealed that a mission to stop Eastern Ying’s plan had begun.
• Si Qianjun gave Lin Shuguang eight Treasure Medicines, which Lin Shuguang refined to raise all four attributes by more than two hundred points each.
• The Ancient Corpse Tribe performed a sacrifice, and its shaman declared that their mortal enemy was to the east, prompting the tribe to roar for bloodshed.
• The Blood-Colored Demonic Saber told Lin Shuguang that Corpse Worms feared lightning, but fell silent when he asked how to protect his family.

Lin Shuguang practiced channeling lightning into his soul, then learned the higher-ups planned to investigate the Hejian Sect and agreed to accompany Si Qianjun. On the drive there, Lin Shuguang drove recklessly over a mountain road, sending their off-road vehicle flying.

• Lin Shuguang studied lightning cultivation and repeatedly tried to draw lightning into his soul, eventually learning to control the lightning rays a little before exhaustion forced him to rest.
• Si Qianjun told Lin Shuguang that Watanabe Hashimoto had provided intelligence and that the higher-ups planned to send specialists undercover into Eastern Ying; Lin Shuguang refused to take part.
• Si Qianjun teased Lin Shuguang about dating and told him that the Hejian Sect was a Hidden Sect connected to the Ancient Corpse Tribe, then asked him to come along on a visit that weekend.
• Two days later, Lin Shuguang met Si Qianjun and drove them toward the Hejian Sect, ignoring Si Qianjun's pleas to slow down.
• Lin Shuguang's off-road vehicle sailed through the air over the mountain road as Si Qianjun shouted at him.

Lin Shuguang and Si Qianjun arrived at the hidden Hejian Sect with Political Department officials for an exchange meeting, discovering that the sect’s mystical atmosphere concealed some rather ordinary tricks. As the meeting began amid tension over the sect’s hostility toward outsiders, Shen Hongxue heard that visitors had been admitted and continued seeking information about the Ancient Corpse Tribe.

• Lin Shuguang and Si Qianjun reached the inn ahead of the Political Department delegation, presented the secret order, and entered the Hejian Sect’s hidden grounds with the officials.
• Lin Shuguang spotted dry-ice fog machines, and Si Qianjun realized that the sect’s supposed immortal mist was being produced artificially.
• Elder He rebuked the visitors and later scolded Lin Shuguang for looking around, but Elder Cheng’s group removed him after the officials feared Lin Shuguang might react.
• A Hejian Sect elder apologized for Elder He’s hostility, explaining that he had been hurt by outsiders years earlier.
• Shen Hongxue heard that outsiders had entered the sect and thought about Lin Shuguang’s potential role in stopping the Ancient Corpse Tribe’s revival, then went to the Study Pavilion to research.

Lin Shuguang reunited with Shen Hongxue at the Hejian Sect and returned to talks about the Ancient Corpse Tribe, where he sensed a savage presence. An explosion sent the sect elders rushing to the rear mountain, where a chained coffin began violently resisting its restraints.

• Shen Hongxue helped Lin Shuguang evade the Study Pavilion guards and watched him return to the Main Hall.
• Si Qianjun teased Lin Shuguang about returning with a girl's scent as discussions continued about the Ancient Corpse Tribe and a nationwide screening.
• Lin Shuguang sensed a savage presence through a strange magnetic field, then an explosion shook the area and the Hejian Sect elders rushed out.
• Shen Hongxue warned Lin Shuguang and the others to stay in the hall before hurrying to the rear mountain, but Lin Shuguang and Si Qianjun followed.
• The Sect Master, elders, and disciples strengthened an Eight Trigrams Formation around a chained, talisman-covered coffin as it thrashed violently.

As the Hejian Sect struggled to contain the Fierce Beast, Lin Shuguang demanded access to its ancient legacy texts in exchange for helping. The coffin broke open after the sect members released their chains, and Lin Shuguang unleashed a lightning-wreathed Draw and Slash at the Corpse Person.

• Shen Hongxue asked Lin Shuguang to help, but Elder He refused to accept assistance from outsiders.
• Lin Shuguang told Si Qianjun he wanted to read the Hejian Sect's ancient legacy texts and said he could defeat the Fierce Beast in three strikes at most.
• Si Qianjun offered help in exchange for access to the texts, and Lin Shuguang struck Elder He with his Mental Power when he objected.
• Sect Master Mo agreed to let Lin Shuguang read the texts and ordered everyone to retreat when Lin Shuguang told them to release the chains.
• The released Corpse Person smashed open the coffin, and Lin Shuguang attacked it with a lightning-wreathed Draw and Slash.

Lin Shuguang killed the Hejian Sect’s Fierce Beast with three saber strikes, ending the sect’s decades-long burden and earning its gratitude. After joining the celebration, he entered the Study Pavilion to read the sect’s ancient records, then asked Shen Hongxue what she had wanted to say.

• Lin Shuguang struck the Corpse Person back into the ground twice, and Sect Master Mo asked him to kill the Fierce Beast.
• Lin Shuguang’s final slash shattered the Fierce Beast’s bones and killed it, earning him 60,000 cal of blood energy.
• The giant corpse struck Elder He and sent him flying again as the Hejian Sect elders and disciples thanked Lin Shuguang.
• Sect Master Mo called the sect to celebrate, while Lin Shuguang left the formalities to Si Qianjun and followed Shen Hongxue to the Study Pavilion.
• Lin Shuguang read the Hejian Sect’s historical records, then asked Shen Hongxue what she had wanted to say.

Lin Shuguang secretly learned Hejian Sect techniques while searching its books for information about Corpse Worms. After enjoying the sect’s feast, he shamelessly arranged to stay for a few more days, leaving Sect Master Mo uneasy as Si Qianjun and the others departed.

• Lin Shuguang examined the Hejian Sect’s soul cultivation method and concluded that practitioners lacked the mental power to use it successfully.
• Lin Shuguang secretly paid to learn several techniques as he browsed the Study Pavilion, then asked Shen Hongxue to find books about Corpse Worms.
• After Sect Master Mo summoned them to dinner, Lin Shuguang invited Shen Hongxue to join the meal and praised the sect’s food.
• Lin Shuguang asked to stay at the Hejian Sect for a few more days, and Sect Master Mo reluctantly agreed.
• Lin Shuguang saw Si Qianjun and the others off at the sect entrance, then turned to Sect Master Mo and addressed him as “Brother Mo.”

Lin Shuguang left the Hejian Sect after learning its martial arts and returned to Huai City, where Bai Heng reported that the city was stable and Lin was nearing the Profound Connection Realm. Back at Lin's Shop, Lin Shuguang learned Pei Xi had visited and found her message teasing him about being away for three days.

• Lin Shuguang reviewed the skills and blood energy he had gained at the Hejian Sect, then left after Sect Master Mo warned him about his strong killing intent.
• Shen Hongxue hurried to Sect Master Mo with news of unusual activity in the west as Lin Shuguang departed the mountain.
• Bai Heng picked up Lin Shuguang and reported that the bureau had eliminated seven spatial tunnels, transferred arrested Eastern Ying people, and stabilized Huai City.
• Lin Shuguang returned to the shop, where Mother Lin asked about Pei Xi's visit and urged him to pick up Xiao Xi from archery class.
• After charging his phone, Lin Shuguang replied to his missed messages and read Pei Xi's teasing text about his three-day absence.

Pei Xi gave Lin Shuguang a sachet to ward off Corpse Worms, then Thousand Faces told him Silver Flame was missing. Lin Shuguang tried to make Nightmare repay Silver Flame’s debt and later asked Si Qianjun for more cultivation resources.

• Pei Xi met Lin Shuguang outside the Lin Family Shop, asked how he had dealt with the Corpse Worms, and gave him a scent-masking sachet.
• Thousand Faces told Lin Shuguang that Silver Flame was missing and hinted that he had hidden something from Nightmare’s headquarters.
• Lin Shuguang demanded that Nightmare repay the money Silver Flame had borrowed in its name, then sent Thousand Faces a barrage of threats as he fled.
• Lin Shuguang messaged Silver Seraph demanding repayment, and a Nightmare operative monitoring the communicator reported the message to the intelligence chief.
• Lin Shuguang went to the Special Management Bureau and asked Si Qianjun for more cultivation resources, claiming the supplies from Beining City and Dongning City were not enough.

Lin Shuguang accepted an urgent Ezhou assignment to recover stolen intelligence and tracked the suspects to the Star Sword Martial Hall. He found Duan He at a villa, captured him, and treated his attempt to offer a bribe as an additional offense.

• Si Qianjun assigned Lin Shuguang to find Duan He and Luo Jian, who were suspected of stealing top-secret intelligence and hiding at the Star Sword Martial Hall.
• Lin Shuguang killed Li Qian and Guo Hao at the martial hall, found crates of gunpowder, and called for specialists to secure them.
• Lin Shuguang tracked Duan He to a villa and captured him as he tried to flee, while Duan He's lover remained in the room.
• Duan He offered Lin Shuguang three million and asked what it would take to be released, and Lin Shuguang told him that openly bribing a Special Management Bureau Director was an additional offense.

Lin Shuguang was summoned to the Great Qian Dynasty and killed Xing Dong while helping Xie Hejian, then returned to his own world. At the Hejian Sect, Shen Hongxue discovered a new rule honoring people surnamed Lin and the bearer of a token as the sect’s benefactor.

• Ezhou agents discussed Lin Shuguang’s fearsome reputation, while Si Qianjun told him to rest after hearing their report.
• The Blood-colored Demonic Saber summoned Lin Shuguang to the Great Qian Dynasty and brought him to a ruined temple, where he reunited with Xie Hejian.
• Xing Dong and the Black Army Gate surrounded the temple, and Xie Hejian prepared to face them over their past feud.
• Lin Shuguang offered to kill Xing Dong, then slew the Black Army Gate sect master with two saber strikes and drove off his followers.
• Lin Shuguang returned to his body and complained that he could not claim Xie Hejian’s promised reward.
• At the Hejian Sect, Shen Hongxue found an ironclad rule directing the sect to honor people surnamed Lin and the bearer of a token because the patriarch owed him his life.

Lin Shuguang used his soul to summon lightning and killed a giant Corpse Worm, causing residents to mistake the spectacle for a miracle. After reporting the incident to Si Qianjun, he learned the Hejian Sect had invited him back, while Sect Master Mo confirmed that Lin held the Tongtian Token.

• Lin Shuguang projected his soul into the daylight and wondered whether he could draw inexhaustible lightning from heaven and earth.
• A massive Corpse Worm emerged from the clouds, and Lin summoned divine lightning to destroy it, gaining more than sixty points of Mental Power.
• Residents witnessed the lightning and falling sparks, mistook them for a miracle, and the authorities cordoned off the compound.
• Lin told Si Qianjun that he had killed a Corpse Worm, and Si said the Hejian Sect had invited him to visit again.
• Meng Shenzhou called Lin about Huai City's supposed miracle, while Shen Hongxue asked Sect Master Mo if they had found the wrong person; Mo said the Tongtian Token confirmed they had not.

As Spring Festival approached, Lin Shuguang shopped with Lin Xiaoxi, shared homemade food with the Special Management Bureau’s on-duty soldiers, and learned he had to accompany Si Qianjun on a visit to the front lines. The chapter ended with Lin Shuguang spotting a huge, faint cluster of blood energy hidden deep beneath the Bureau.

• Lin Shuguang took Lin Xiaoxi shopping, where they met Pei Xi and her younger brother and bought sugar figurines.
• Lin Xiaoxi said she liked both Pei Xi and Song Wan, leaving Lin Shuguang puzzled.
• Lin Shuguang helped Lin Haiyang put up couplets, then brought homemade food to the soldiers on duty at the Special Management Bureau.
• Si Qianjun told Lin Shuguang to join him that evening for the city's visit to the frontline units, and Lin Shuguang went to cultivate while he waited.
• Si Qianjun found another recruitment letter from the Demon Suppression Division and called the Governor to complain about its attempts to recruit Lin Shuguang.
• Lin Shuguang's divine soul surveyed the Bureau and discovered a huge, faint cluster of blood energy beneath it.

Lin Shuguang met Liu Yue of Oriental Biotech at a formal reception, rejected her request for help entering Huai City, and ordered an investigation into her company. He then celebrated the New Year with his family, while Huang Qisheng and Chang Jun’s group welcomed the holiday in the Demon Capital.

• Lin Shuguang failed to approach the underground red light and resumed cultivating until Si Qianjun summoned him.
• Lin Shuguang and Si Qianjun attended a reception with Political Department representatives, where many guests avoided Lin Shuguang.
• Liu Yue introduced herself as a representative of Oriental Biotech and asked Lin Shuguang to support the company’s entry into Huai City, but he warned her and refused.
• Lin Shuguang told the driver to take him home and texted Bai Heng to investigate Liu Yue and Oriental Biotech.
• Lin Shuguang reunited with his family for New Year’s, while Huang Qisheng gave red envelopes to Chang Jun and the others in the Demon Capital.