Chapter Summaries

Yan Qing visited Yaoshi Yuan and collected supplies she had prepared for the next mission to the Land of Gathering Demons. As he tried to leave, Yaoshi Yuan repeatedly caught his sleeve, and he guessed she wanted a hug.

• Yaoshi Yuan gave Yan Qing a selection of rare supplies she had gathered for the group's next mission.
• Yan Qing told Yaoshi Yuan he would spend five days and four nights in the Land of Gathering Demons and declined her offer to accompany him.
• Yan Qing asked about Wu Qiu and Shi Dong, and Yaoshi Yuan said Wu Qiu had recovered while Shi Dong was still withdrawn.
• Yaoshi Yuan silently held onto Yan Qing's sleeve when he tried to leave, then denied wanting a hug.
• Yaoshi Yuan caught Yan Qing's sleeve again after releasing it, and Yan Qing asked whether he could hug her.

Yan Qing tried to understand why Yaoshi Yuan kept him close, then hugged her while she read a comic and fell asleep beside her. He woke to find her in his arms and realized he had accidentally squeezed her chest.

• Yan Qing asked Yaoshi Yuan why she had hugged him, then hugged her after she accepted his explanation that he was her leader.
• Yaoshi Yuan caught Yan Qing as he tried to leave and led him to the bed so he could hug her while she read.
• Yan Qing discovered Yaoshi Yuan was reading a comic adaptation of "Primordial Dao Venerable" and read beside her as they held hands.
• Yan Qing grew sleepy and fell asleep on Yaoshi Yuan's bed.
• Yaoshi Yuan moved into Yan Qing's arms, and he instinctively squeezed her chest before waking in alarm.

Yan Qing realized Yaoshi Yuan was nervous about drawing close to him, so he offered her a reason to stay and spent time listening to her talk about wine. The chapter left them sharing a quiet moment before Yan Qing departed for five days of training.

• Yaoshi Yuan calmly let Yan Qing’s hand remain on her chest, but her flushed face and increasingly rapid speech revealed her nervousness.
• Yan Qing repeatedly lowered and returned his hand, observing Yaoshi Yuan’s reactions until she blushed and forced herself to keep reading.
• Yan Qing guessed that Yaoshi Yuan struggled to approach him because she did not know how to express her feelings or justify drawing close.
• Yan Qing asked whether Yaoshi Yuan wanted him to stay longer, and she agreed because they would not see each other for five days.
• Yaoshi Yuan shared her Drunken Immortal Brew with Yan Qing, and he promised to bring her Jiangnan’s chilled Five-Flower Tea next time.
• Yan Qing listened as Yaoshi Yuan discussed fine wines and understood that her recent distance came from uncertainty about how to approach him.

Yan Qing and Yaoshi Yuan shared an awkwardly intimate visit before he entered the Land of Gathering Demons to pursue a potentially powerful reward. Yaoshi Yuan later confided in Shi Dong, while Yan Qing followed Night Four's route deeper into the secret realm.

• Yan Qing and Yaoshi Yuan discussed wine, awkwardly acknowledged his sword hilt pressing against her, and embraced before she left, telling him not to die.
• Back in his room, Yan Qing worried over his uncertain relationships with Yaoshi Yuan and Shang Xin Lei, then checked his Storage Ring and entered the Land of Gathering Demons.
• Yan Qing activated the Flesh Cage bracelet's Die and Live Again mutation and headed toward the high tower's roulette, hoping to reach the Fourth Revolution Puppet Warehouse.
• Yaoshi Yuan returned to Taibai Mountain Military Town, drank a jug of wine, and cracked the floor in a burst of frustration.
• Shi Dong asked Yaoshi Yuan about her visit with Yan Qing, and Yaoshi Yuan admitted she had felt scared but not uncomfortable before making Shi Dong promise not to tell Wu Qiu.

Yan Qing used the Yellow Springs Old Guard transformation to obtain a resurrecting Dragon Attendant, then explored a Dimensional Bookstore in the Land of Gathering Demons. He left the bookstore puzzled by its counterfeit goods and annoyed that someone had taken every copy of Journey to the West.

• Yan Qing transformed his card into three Puppet Card choices and selected Dragon Attendant, whose resurrection trait was added by Yellow Springs Old Guard.
• Yan Qing summoned the Dragon Attendant, learned he could not use the tower roulette again until the next day, and set out toward the town center.
• Yan Qing entered a Dimensional Bookstore and found familiar-looking but counterfeit drinks alongside shelves of old books and comics.
• Yan Qing noticed every copy of Journey to the West was missing and wondered why the locals had not taken Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Water Margin as well.

Yan Qing discovered that combining his Dragon Attendant’s resurrection abilities with Die and Live Again rapidly raised its attack power, then rode the Ascension Stone Pillar’s unprotected lift toward the sky. From above, he spotted people on the ground running toward him.

• Yan Qing used Die and Live Again on his Dragon Attendant and defeated a wild Dragon Attendant and Bronze Dragon, summoning two resurrecting Dragon Attendants and boosting their attack power to 1,000.
• Yan Qing gained ascension progress and a Transformation Card, which he used to give his Original Dragon Attendant extra health and Taunt, though the Puppet remained damaged after battle.
• Yan Qing chose to focus on strengthening the Dragon Attendant and cautiously selected opponents, knowing its health would limit how many battles it could survive.
• Yan Qing sat on the Ascension Stone Pillar’s seat and triggered its ascent, only to discover it had no safety bar or seat belt.
• As the seat climbed high above the Land of Gathering Demons, Yan Qing gripped the armrests in fear and noticed people on the ground running toward him.

Murong Hui was pursued through the Land of Gathering Demons by seven assassins using weapons and relics specifically prepared to counter her. After a falling stone chair splashed the group with yellow mud that disabled Defense Barriers, Murong Hui seized the opening and killed one of her attackers.

• Murong Hui used her Lightning Battle Blade to fend off volleys from six Mighty Bull Greatbows, while the Yaksa assassin's Vengeful Spirit Lure repeatedly restricted her movement.
• Murong Hui realized the assassins had planned to provoke Purple Tribulation True Person and used jade pendants and pills to escape and recover as they pursued her.
• Murong Hui reached a stone pillar beside a yellow mud swamp and tried to use the pillar for cover, but the Yaksa assassin split his archers into groups to watch every angle.
• Murong Hui noticed a stone chair falling from the pillar and tried to flee, but its impact splashed yellow mud over her and the assassins.
• Murong Hui realized the yellow mud had disabled their Defense Barriers and killed a dazed archer with a golden-boot kick.

Yan Qing survived the mud-pit drop and was drawn into a fight between Murong Hui and Yaksa assassins after they attacked him. He and his summoned dragon servants defeated the assassins, and the chapter ended with Murong Hui eagerly questioning him before they both vomited from the mud’s stench.

• Yan Qing landed in the mud pit, watched Yaksa assassins fight Murong Hui, and saw a stone path rise out of the swamp.
• A Yaksa assassin ordered archers to shoot Yan Qing, but their arrows failed to penetrate his Mountain Heart Protecting Mirror.
• Yan Qing summoned two Skeleton Flying Dragons to attack the archers while he fought the Yaksa assassin with twin swords.
• The dragon servants killed the archers, and Yan Qing killed the Yaksa assassin when he tried to flee.
• Murong Hui rushed over, praised Yan Qing for commanding demons, and promised to protect him in exchange for an explanation.
• Yan Qing vomited after Murong Hui’s mud-covered clothes stained his new clothes, and Murong Hui vomited too before asking if he wanted some.

Yan Qing reluctantly teamed up with Murong Hui after she used her map and persistence to persuade him to let her follow. They headed toward the Puppet Cage, while Yan Qing realized that the Land of Gathering Demons’ facilities offered a faster way to strengthen his puppet than hunting monsters.

• Yan Qing washed off the filth from the Shit Pit while Murong Hui boasted about her family and followed him despite his attempts to leave.
• Murong Hui demonstrated that her Shadow Dance Messenger speed made her difficult to stop, then used her map of the Land of Gathering Demons to persuade Yan Qing to travel with her.
• Murong Hui admitted she was intrigued by Yan Qing and wanted to become his friend; she offered to repay him and even pretended to cry until he let her touch the Dragon Attendant Puppet.
• Yan Qing agreed to team up with Murong Hui and chose the Puppet Cage from the nearby facilities marked on her map.
• Yan Qing saw that the Dragon Attendant Puppet had reached 15/30 ascension progress from the Drop Tower and concluded that entertainment facilities were a more practical way to grow stronger than hunting monsters.

Yan Qing told Murong Hui that Ying Ru Shi had defected from Qi, and the two discovered the Puppet Cage in the Land of Gathering Demons. Meanwhile, Ying Ru Shi defeated the pursuing Bai Bao Guard with Escape into the Empty Gate, then returned to the Thieves' Den badly injured and exhausted.

• Murong Hui promised to keep Yan Qing's demon-controlling bracelet secret, and Yan Qing relayed Ying Ru Shi's message that she had killed the Bai Bao Guard commander and defected from Qi.
• Murong Hui said she would return to support Ying Ru Shi after leaving the Land of Gathering Demons and counted Yan Qing's help as three favors owed.
• Yan Qing and Murong Hui found the Puppet Cage, whose warning explained that grabbing a puppet required a strong Puppet Card.
• Ying Ru Shi, unable to use the Mortal World Eye, used Escape into the Empty Gate to evade and defeat eight Bai Bao Guard members.
• Ying Ru Shi returned to the Thieves' Den with severe injuries, removed her bloody bandages, and took Blood Replenishment Pills.

Ying Ru Shi’s identity as White Fox was revealed to Yellow Dog, Black Wolf, and Red Snake, who comforted her and praised her resistance to Ying Le. When she refused to abandon her fight in Qi, they chose to join her, and she fell asleep after her teammates left to prepare for dinner.

• Yellow Dog discovered Ying Ru Shi was White Fox and praised her for defecting from Qi and fighting Ying Le’s forces.
• Black Wolf and Red Snake reassured Ying Ru Shi and comforted her as she broke down crying over years of hardship.
• Ying Ru Shi vowed to remain in Qi and continue assassinating Ying Le’s lackeys, even at the risk of her life.
• Yellow Dog, Black Wolf, and Red Snake agreed to accompany Ying Ru Shi and help dismantle Ying Le’s rule using her insider knowledge.
• Red Snake went to prepare dinner, while Yellow Dog and Black Wolf left Ying Ru Shi to rest; she drifted back to sleep.

Ying Ru Shi woke from a vivid dream in which the Thieves' Den members rejected and mocked her, then realized the encounter had been an illusion shaped by the Mortal World Eye. Fearing the dreams would eventually drive her to harm people in reality, she chose the Land of Gathering Demons as her next destination to recover before her final journey.

• Ying Ru Shi woke, prepared to join the Thieves' Den for dinner, and waited alone as the evening passed.
• Ying Ru Shi became convinced that Yellow Dog, Black Wolf, and Red Snake had abandoned and deceived her, and she broke down in despair.
• Ying Ru Shi discovered that the door closed on its own and realized Yellow Dog, Black Wolf, and Red Snake had never visited her.
• Ying Ru Shi recognized that the Mortal World Eye had likely created a dream that mixed hallucinations with her hopes of friendship and support.
• Ying Ru Shi decided she needed to recover before her next mission and selected the Land of Gathering Demons on her map of Qi.

Yan Qing used Blood Sacrifice Ascension to transform the Dragon Attendant into an Ascension Dragon Attendant, then tested its new Soul Transference trait with Murong Hui. As they continued searching for another Dragon Attendant, Yan Qing and Murong Hui suddenly experienced Spirit Sight.

• Yan Qing used the Blood Sacrifice Ascension card on the Dragon Attendant, which gained new attributes and the Soul Transference trait.
• Yan Qing and Murong Hui tested Soul Transference against three demons and discovered the spirit dragon remained until the battle ended.
• Murong Hui helped Yan Qing navigate toward another Dragon Attendant and asked to use his Flesh Cage bracelet, but he refused.
• Yan Qing and Murong Hui suddenly sensed a change, and Yan Qing's vision shifted into black-and-white lines as Spirit Sight activated.

Yan Qing used Through-Glow World to save himself and Murong Hui from a powerful sniper’s attack, then followed her to a secure Hot Spring Cabin. They relaxed together, and Murong Hui said her happiness was enough for both of them.

• Yan Qing triggered Through-Glow World and cut apart a black spear that had been aimed at him and Murong Hui.
• Yan Qing pulled Murong Hui out of the attack’s path and told her he had repaid her help by saving her twice.
• A bell rang, Yan Qing’s six collected Puppet Cards vanished, and a new Ascension Dragon Attendant appeared beside him.
• Murong Hui led Yan Qing to a secure Hot Spring Cabin where they could rest.
• Murong Hui brought grilled meat and orange juice to share with Yan Qing in the hot spring.

The Skeleton Scroll recorded a second trialist with a Foundation Establishment Pill reward, prompting northern heralds to seek the secret behind the scroll. As Ru Luojing and Wei Weiwei organized a search for the Bandage Person, Du Lizhu hurried away to spread the news, and the Land of Gathering Demons descended into turmoil.

• Heralds gathered around the Skeleton Scroll after it displayed two trialists and their Foundation Establishment Pill rewards.
• The heralds realized that finding the scroll’s secret could let them obtain pills and protect their clans from Ying Le’s rule.
• When a herald claimed the Bandage Person was with Murong Hui, Ru Luojing pressed Du Lizhu about whether the Murong Family was hiding him.
• Chu Lin challenged Ru Luojing’s assumptions, while Wei Weiwei declared she would pursue the opportunity to obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill.
• Ru Luojing and Wei Weiwei recruited heralds to search for the trialists, while Chu Lin left to act alone.
• Du Lizhu and other low-ranked heralds hurried away to spread the news, leaving the Land of Gathering Demons on the brink of a struggle.

Yan Qing and Murong Hui spent the night in the Hot Spring Cabin after another assassination attempt, deciding that the Dragon Attendants would guard them while they slept together downstairs. As Murong Hui worried about Little Fox, Yan Qing softly called her Chichu.

• Yan Qing and Murong Hui discussed the assassin, and Murong Hui chose to stay with him rather than hide alone in the cabin.
• Yan Qing moved their bedding downstairs and summoned two Dragon Attendants to protect them while they slept.
• Murong Hui pulled Yan Qing into the makeshift sleeping fortress, and he agreed to share the blanket with her.
• Murong Hui wondered why Yan Qing had never considered abandoning her, and he explained that the assassin was not enough to make him retreat.
• Murong Hui worried that Little Fox was pushing herself too hard, and Yan Qing quietly called Murong Hui Chichu.

Yan Qing and Murong Hui planned to gather Dragon Attendants in the Land of Gathering Demons to strengthen Yan Qing’s puppets before hunting stronger demons. Murong Hui chose to stay with Yan Qing despite being able to seek outside protection, and the two set out together.

• Yan Qing woke to find Murong Hui’s foot lodged in his nose, and she joked that a little pain was normal the first time.
• Yan Qing made sandwiches for breakfast, and he and Murong Hui discussed hunting third-turn demons or collecting Dragon Attendants to strengthen his puppets.
• Yan Qing decided to gather Dragon Attendants, aiming to raise two puppets close to fourth-turn combat strength by the end of the day.
• Murong Hui told Yan Qing that she could leave the Land of Gathering Demons on its fifth day and contact her family, but she chose to stay because assassins might target her at the camp.
• Yan Qing praised Murong Hui’s beauty and usefulness, and she teased him before he kicked her and told her to lead the way.

Ying Le’s cavalry stormed the Land of Gathering Demons camp while pursuing Prince of Lanling, who had slipped past the camp and entered the ruins. After learning about a Foundation Establishment Pill and a Bandage Person, Ying Le planned to use Yang Feng’s terrain-altering token to follow her niece.

• A sentry spotted approaching cavalry, and the Bai Bao Guard charged through the camp’s defenses, destroying tents and scattering its occupants.
• Ying Le arrived in a War Chariot and demanded to know whether anyone had seen Prince of Lanling.
• Ying Le interrogated Yang Feng by probing his eyes, learned that Prince of Lanling had gone deeper into the Land of Gathering Demons, and healed his injured eye.
• Ying Le stopped Yang Feng from volunteering to kill Prince of Lanling, explaining that she was her beloved niece and might be too strong for him.
• Several First Rank Heralds emerged from the ruins and told Ying Le about the Foundation Establishment Pill and the Bandage Person.
• Ying Le decided to keep watch on Prince of Lanling and asked Yang Feng for his terrain-altering token.

Yan Qing and Murong Hui dealt with people secretly following them, then used a Teleportation Gate to travel across the Land of Gathering Demons while looking for a Dragon Attendant. When a powerful battle erupted near the East Gate, Murong Hui sensed that Little Fox was in danger and hurried there with Yan Qing.

• Yan Qing detonated a Great Fortune Dragon Chariot among the buildings where their watchers hid, warning them not to target him.
• Yan Qing obtained a Blue Flame Dragon Motorcycle Puppet and learned that it could be mounted or armed onto another Mechanism Puppet.
• Murong Hui led Yan Qing through a hidden Teleportation Gate from the south to the northwest, then persuaded him to call her Sister Hui.
• An explosion erupted near the East Gate, and Murong Hui sensed that Little Fox was there and rushed toward the fighting with Yan Qing.
• Yan Qing changed into his Ronin Rain Boots so he could keep pace with Murong Hui as they headed for the East Gate.

Ying Ru Shi fled into the Land of Gathering Demons, believing she could evade Ying Le, but Bai Bao Guard cornered her with a large-scale assault. As Yang Feng trapped her in mud with the Earth Spirit Gauntlet, Murong Hui gave Yan Qing a map of the area.

• Ying Ru Shi rested and reflected on Ying Le’s past before the synchronized march of Bai Bao Guard jolted her awake.
• Ying Ru Shi used her Shadow Spider Boots to flee, but Bai Bao Guard launched a sweeping rain of arrows that blocked her route.
• Bai Bao Guard turned the ground to mud, trapping Ying Ru Shi and closing in on her.
• Ying Ru Shi dodged a halberd strike and tried to escape over a wall, but Yang Feng turned the wall to mud with the Earth Spirit Gauntlet.
• Murong Hui watched the distant battle from a hill and handed Yan Qing a map of the Land of Gathering Demons.