Chapter Summaries

Zhang Yang defended his village against the Deer Demon's army, using a coordinated ambush to kill the Red Eagles and the Level 19 Black-Skinned Mountain Monster. The Deer Demon remained protected at a distance, while Zhang Yang's side gained a complete Mountain Monster demon soul and valuable spoils.

• Zhang Yang chose to target the giant monster first, hoping its death would frighten the Deer Demon into retreating.
• The Deer Demon's forces attacked, and Zhang Yang briefly activated Level 2 Protection to draw in the Red Eagles before shutting it off.
• Wu Yuan and nineteen elite soldiers hurled wooden spears at the diving Red Eagles and killed all nine.
• Zhang Yang taunted the Deer Demon, but it stayed behind its protection barrier three hundred meters away.
• Wu Yuan struck the Black-Skinned Mountain Monster with five Imprisonment Spears, killing it instantly.
• Zhang Yang's forces obtained a complete Mountain Monster demon soul, 600 Energy, a Fragment of Hope, Mountain Monster materials, and a Giant Wolf Tooth Club.

Zhang Yang’s forces fought off the deer demon army after Wu Yuan was swallowed by a black-smoke monster, and Zhang Yang discovered he could control Imprisonment Spears through his Soul Force Field. They killed the Great Horned Deer Lord and gained a fragmentary Village Building Order, a Fragment of Hope, and other rewards.

• Wu Yuan and Zhang Yang’s troops killed more than half the charging Azure Wolves and armored deer demons before the deer demon sacrificed its antlers to summon a black-smoke monster that swallowed Wu Yuan.
• Zhang Yang used the Imprisonment Spell to bind the monster and free Wu Yuan, but the enemy forces surged toward the stockade and overwhelmed the defenders.
• With an Azure Wolf Demon about to attack him, Zhang Yang projected his soul and controlled an Imprisonment Spear, killing thirteen Azure Wolves and two armored deer demons.
• The Great Horned Deer Lord broke Zhang Yang’s soul threads, but an Elite Sword and Shield Soldier threw an Imprisonment Spear and shattered its Level 3 Protection.
• Zhang Yang controlled two more Imprisonment Spears and struck the Great Horned Deer Lord’s chest, killing it and earning a fragmentary Village Building Order, a Fragment of Hope, and other rewards.

Zhang Yang used a Gray Fragment of Hope to drive the Abyssal Ghost out of Wu Yuan, then destroyed it after it tried to possess him. He discovered the kill had given him an Abyssal Ghost Tribe Mark that increased the chance of being attacked by the tribe, while his village’s energy and demon-soul wealth surged.

• Zhang Yang found the black-smoke monster contaminating Wu Yuan’s body and used a Gray Fragment of Hope to force it out.
• Zhang Yang imprisoned the Abyssal Ghost, but it broke free and possessed him; his B-minus-grade soul destroyed it from within.
• Zhang Yang received 750 energy, a complete Abyssal Ghost Soul, and an Abyssal Ghost Tribe Mark that increased the likelihood of attacks from the tribe.
• Zhang Yang assessed his demon souls and sold the incomplete ones, leaving his village with 10,380 energy and earning 17,500 more energy from the sale.

Zhang Yang cultivated a Village Imp to explore for ore and help preserve the Wood Demon Tower, then began upgrading the village’s building order after the Great Horned Deer Lord’s defeat. The upgrade would take 82 hours and unlock two additional Level 5 buildings, leaving him to choose whether to use a blueprint for a random Great Horned Deer building.

• Zhang Yang decided to use the demon souls to strengthen his soldiers rather than himself and cultivated a Village Imp using five Azure Wolf Demon Souls.
• The Village Imp told Zhang Yang it could shelter in the Wood Demon Tower, where its Yin Energy would extend the tower’s lifespan, and explained how it could level up.
• Zhang Yang ordered the imp to stay hidden and search underground for valuable ores, then told Wu Yuan and the others to stand down, clean the battlefield, and recover.
• Zhang Yang used the damaged black Village Building Order to start upgrading his village, spending energy to raise the upgrade chance while saving the Great Horned Deer Civilization Code Blueprint.
• The upgrade began and expanded the village to one square kilometer, with an 82-hour completion time and two additional Level 5 buildings available for selection.

Zhang Yang planned the village’s next development and sought Wu Yuan’s advice on assigning demon souls to his soldiers. He left the archers’ enhancement for later so they could first make Eagle Feather Armor-Piercing Arrows.

• Zhang Yang chose a Level 5 Residential House and a Farmland for the Village Building Order upgrade, prioritizing residents and farmers.
• Zhang Yang inspected the Giant Wolf Tooth Club, found it too heavy for his subordinates to use, and decided it could be melted down once the Blacksmith Shop was built.
• Zhang Yang summoned his soldiers and asked Wu Yuan how to use the Mountain Monster and Deer Demon Lord demon souls.
• Wu Yuan recommended using the Mountain Monster soul on Sword and Shield Soldiers and the Deer Demon Lord soul on Elite Archers, citing compatibility.
• Zhang Yang assigned the Mountain Monster soul to enhance Sword and Shield Soldiers and planned to use the Deer Demon Lord soul for six Elite Archers and four Elite Spearmen.
• Qin Yidao asked to delay the archers’ enhancement until they made arrows, and Zhang Yang agreed to provide the feathers, teeth, and Wu Yuan’s help.

Zhang Yang used the Village Building Order to transform Song Dachui and three other Elite Sword and Shield Soldiers into powerful, specialized fighters, then assigned them to guard the village. He recruited fifty more soldiers and learned that the Training Instructor, Qin Ge, could unlock hidden unit types only after the village met demanding growth requirements.

• Zhang Yang spent 5,000 energy to ensure a successful enhancement after the Mountain Monster's demon soul showed high compatibility with the four soldiers.
• Song Dachui, Wang Mumu, Duan Kuan, and Zhou Datou emerged as towering fighters with distinct weapons and roles, forming a complementary elite squad.
• Zhang Yang ordered the four men to patrol and guard the village together, and tasked Wu Yuan with helping make Eagle Feather Armor-Piercing Arrows.
• Zhang Yang recruited fifty soldiers and ordered the junior instructor to train twenty Sword and Shield Soldiers, twenty Spearmen, and ten Archers.
• The instructor, Qin Ge, explained that hidden unit types required a small town, a level-five Training Ground and instructor, and a population of at least 1,000.
• Zhang Yang checked Qin Ge's attributes and noticed that he was a special NPC who received a daily salary of one energy.

Zhang Yang recruited Zhao Tiezhu, a junior craftsman with the potential to make basic items with attributes, and assigned him to help produce arrows. He then asked Wang Mumu about the defensive Mountain Monster Battle Rune, hoping to use monster materials to strengthen equipment and village structures.

• Zhang Yang reviewed the village's defenses and decided he needed a craftsman to help build structures and improve anti-air defenses.
• Zhang Yang recruited Zhao Tiezhu and discovered that his craftsmanship skills gave him a small chance to create gray-quality items with attributes.
• Zhang Yang ordered Wu Yuan and the others to teach Zhao Tiezhu bow and arrow making and have him produce ten thousand arrows.
• Zhang Yang summoned Wang Mumu and asked about his defensive Battle Rune and its connection to his Iron Wall talent.
• Zhang Yang considered using monster blood and materials to apply Battle Runes to armor, walls, the castle, and gates.

After Wang Mumu explained that Battle Runes could not be copied from their visible patterns, Zhang Yang sought another path to understand how demonic energy powered Talismans and Battle Runes. He used his Soul Force Field to extract a tiny amount of low-level demonic energy, but the Village Building Order rated it as trash and offered to refine it for 1,000 energy points.

• Wang Mumu told Zhang Yang that Battle Runes were imprinted throughout his body and could not be replicated simply by drawing their visible patterns.
• Zhang Yang considered the dangers of the world and concluded that he needed to build an overwhelming advantage to keep his village alive.
• Zhang Yang reasoned that he could study demonic energy and work backward to develop rules for drawing Talismans and Battle Runes.
• Zhang Yang used his Soul Force Field to separate wolf demon blood and capture a tiny strand of its demonic energy, exhausting himself in the process.
• The Village Building Order reported that Zhang Yang had purified 0.1 units of low-level demonic energy, labeled its quality trash, and offered to refine it into usable mana for 1,000 energy points.

Zhang Yang purified Demonic Energy, discovered the Azure Wolf Essence within it, and learned that it would make future purification of Azure Wolf blood far easier. After dawn, Wu Yuan reported that the village could not properly assemble Eagle Feather Armor-Piercing Arrows, and Zhang Yang said he would handle the problem before reinforcing the demon souls.

• Zhang Yang recovered his Soul Power, then used his Soul Force Field to analyze a strand of Demonic Energy and experienced the Azure Wolf's wild essence.
• Zhang Yang concluded that the Azure Wolf Essence was a precious, enduring spiritual quality that would reduce the effort of purifying Azure Wolf blood by ninety percent.
• Zhang Yang noted that the Village Building Order had no information mapping for the Azure Wolf Essence, and he had also purified 0.01 units of magic power.
• Wu Yuan told Zhang Yang that the villagers could not bind the Eagle Feather Armor-Piercing Arrows to the required standard, making them dangerous to use with a Strong Bow.
• Zhang Yang told Wu Yuan to have Qin Yidao and the others rest, promising to solve the arrow problem before performing demon-soul reinforcement in an hour.

After learning that three Ghost Tribe Recruits had been spying on his village, Zhang Yang prepared its defenses and began crafting powerful Wolf Fang Arrows. He left the village braced for an attack from an unknown enemy and planned to equip ten Elite Archers with the arrows.

• A Village Imp told Zhang Yang that three enemy imps were moving underground and had assessed the village’s warriors and defenses.
• Zhang Yang ordered the Village Imp to guard the Wood Demon Tower, sent Wu Yuan and Song Dachui’s men to patrol, and put Qin Yidao and ten Elite Archers through enhancement in the small fort.
• Zhang Yang concluded that the enemy had known about the deer demon and might launch an attack now that its forces were gone.
• Zhang Yang used soul force and magic power to fuse arrow shafts, Azure Wolf fangs, and Red Eagle feathers into Wolf Fang Arrows.
• Zhang Yang planned to make as many arrows as possible and give three to each of the ten Elite Archers.

Zhang Yang’s newly promoted Captain-grade archers received Wolf Fang Arrows just as a force of wolf-headed enemies arrived and attacked his returning soldiers. After identifying the enemy’s limited force as a blockade, Zhang Yang ordered a charge and rushed out with an Imprisonment Spear.

• Qin Yidao and the other nine archers advanced to Captain-grade, gaining powerful skills and Captain-grade Great Bows, but they had no arrows until Zhang Yang crafted ten Wolf Fang Arrows.
• Zhang Yang continued extracting Demonic Energy from the Azure Wolf’s blood until the Village Imp warned him that at least six enemies were approaching.
• Zhang Yang ordered the village’s soldiers and recruits to retreat, while Wu Yuan’s group returned under fire from distant Captain-grade archers; Song Dachui and three others, including Wu Yuan, were wounded.
• Zhang Yang activated the Fog of War and saw eight wolf-headed enemies—six archers and two shield-bearers—more than four hundred meters away.
• Zhang Yang concluded that the enemy was trying to blockade the village with a small force, rejected Qin Yidao’s suggestion to circle around, and charged out with the last Imprisonment Spear.

Zhang Yang’s forces fought off a wolfman archer vanguard, then he used the spoils to strengthen his archers and staged a desperate fortress expansion for the enemy’s spies. He left the story preparing to turn the enemy’s surveillance into part of a trap while relying on his layered defenses.

• Zhang Yang led nine captain-level archers in a sudden volley that killed three wolfman archers, while the enemy wounded six of his own.
• Qin Yidao killed a fourth wolfman archer, and the surviving wolfmen retreated into the forest as Zhang Yang ordered his troops back to the fortress.
• Zhang Yang received four captain-level demon souls and valuable bows and arrows, then learned that at least eight enemy imps were watching the village.
• Zhang Yang recruited two archers, used demon souls to upgrade them, and exchanged four Fragments of Hope for twelve iron shovels.
• Zhang Yang ordered his soldiers to expand the fortress in view of the spying imps, pretending to be exhausted while secretly planning defenses that included captain-level archers, Imprisonment Spears, and his Soul Force Field.

Zhang Yang expanded his hilltop fortress and prepared for the mysterious enemy, reasoning that it would soon attack after dealing with the deer demon’s forces. The fortress was added to the Village Building Order system, unlocking village prosperity and recording gains for artisan Zhao Tiezhu.

• Zhang Yang nurtured a second ironwood tree, and Duan Kuan felled it so Wu Yuan could make spears and arrow shafts.
• Zhang Yang reasoned that the deer demon had relied on Heavy Armored Deer Horn Cavalry to deter the mysterious enemy and expected that enemy to attack within two days.
• Zhang Yang spent the day developing his defenses while the enemy stayed away, and the Level 1 fortress was completed before evening.
• Zhang Yang planned to make Wolf Fang Arrows, then agreed to add the fortress to the Village Building Order system.
• The system unlocked Village Prosperity and awarded Zhao Tiezhu proficiency for helping build the fortress and manufacture arrows.

Zhang Yang’s fortress fought off a Jackalman army, using its elevated walls and coordinated archers to inflict heavy losses before the enemy used imps to dispel the Fog of War and launch a sudden counterattack. The Four Berserker Bears intercepted the charging shield soldiers, and the battle continued at the fortress walls.

• Zhang Yang ordered the fortress to prepare for an attack by Jackalmen and hired Training Ground instructor Qin Ge to fight.
• Qin Yidao and the other archers killed several Jackalman Captain Archers with coordinated fire as the enemy advanced.
• The Jackalmen sent imps to swallow the Fog of War, allowing their archers to kill three of Zhang Yang’s Captain-Level Archers in a surprise volley.
• The remaining Jackalman Captain Archers were killed, and the shield soldiers rushed toward the fortress walls.
• Wu Yuan and the other defenders struggled to stop the charge, so Song Dachui, Wang Mumu, Duan Kuan, and Zhou Datou leaped out and fought the Jackalmen together.

Zhang Yang and his forces repelled a Jackalman assault on the city wall, but suffered heavy losses while the Jackalman chief and any hero remained absent. Zhang Yang concluded the chief had focused on strengthening its troops, then sent the wounded for treatment and prepared to expand his territory.

• Zhang Yang activated the Soul Force Field and killed thirty of the thirty-eight Jackalman captains who leaped onto the wall, then collapsed from exhaustion.
• Wu Yuan and the remaining soldiers killed the seven surviving Jackalman captains, suffering seven deaths and six severe injuries.
• The Four Berserker Bears slaughtered the Jackalman infantry below the wall, while the remaining infantry and Elite Archers fled into the forest.
• Zhang Yang reasoned that the Jackalman chief had followed the Charisma-Led Troop Command Style, investing in its soldiers instead of its own strength.
• Zhang Yang sent Wu Yuan and the other severely wounded soldiers into the Wood Demon Tower, ordered the instructor surnamed Qin to resume training the recruits, and prepared to organize the spoils and expand.

After defeating the Jackalman Village Chief’s forces, Zhang Yang traded thirty complete Captain-Level Monster Souls for a Resurrection Dice and revived his fallen soldiers. He then upgraded his Village Imp into a Ghost Priest, strengthening the Wood Demon Tower as his village recovered from battle.

• Zhang Yang examined the Golden Scales’ second trading mode and exchanged thirty complete Captain-Level Monster Souls for a Resurrection Dice.
• Zhang Yang used the dice to revive the twelve fallen soldiers, restoring his force to its pre-battle numbers.
• Zhang Yang used three incomplete ghost souls to upgrade his Village Imp into a Soul Reaper Ghost.
• Zhang Yang spent more ghost souls and other materials to evolve the Soul Reaper Ghost into a Ghost Priest.
• The Ghost Priest entered the Wood Demon Tower, whose healing effects and other attributes improved.

Zhang Yang prepared farming tools, assessed the village’s population and prosperity, and recruited workers while planning a second Residential House. He arranged for Instructor Qin Ge to build a Level 3 house so the novice craftsmen could learn by watching.

• Zhang Yang obtained two Iron Plows and assigned four Elite Spearmen to pull them, then inspected the Level 5 Residential House and realized the village needed to expand its population.
• Zhang Yang calculated that the village had 40 prosperity and a Livability Index of 4, then recruited eight craftsmen, eight Lumberjacks, two butchers, and two cooks from the second-generation residents.
• Zhang Yang exchanged Fragments of Hope for tools and supplies, sent the Lumberjacks to cut wood, and assigned the cooks to prepare lunch.
• Zhang Yang chose a site west of the hill and began laying the foundation for a new Residential House with help from soldiers and craftsmen.
• Zhang Yang offered Qin Ge 1,000 energy points, and Qin Ge agreed to build a Level 3 Residential House as a model for the craftsmen.

After learning of a quarry southeast of the village, Zhang Yang investigated the deer demons’ former settlement and discovered its vast, exposed plains and unfinished castle. Hundreds of Heavy Armored Deer Horn Cavalry drove Zhang Yang and his soldiers away, leaving him convinced the force was too dangerous to challenge.

• A soldier reported that Wu Yuan’s men had found a stone quarry southeast of the village, and Zhang Yang gathered soldiers to inspect it.
• Wu Yuan told Zhang Yang that the quarry’s mountain-monster miners had disappeared and that the Great Horned Deer’s village lay beyond it.
• Zhang Yang and his group found the deer demons’ unfinished, unusual castle across a broad clearing and judged the open terrain dangerous.
• As Zhang Yang’s party turned to leave, two or three hundred Heavy Armored Deer Horn Cavalry charged from the woods and forced them to flee.
• The cavalry stopped at the forest’s edge, and Zhang Yang concluded that the deer demons’ former territory was now occupied by wild monsters.

Zhang Yang organized his village’s construction, farming, and military preparations while spending five days crafting enchanted wooden spears. After the new Residential House was completed, he assessed his craftsmen and residents, then realized he would need a faith organization to support the village and pass on his abilities.

• Zhang Yang abandoned plans to exploit the distant quarry for now and sent Wu Yuan’s people back carrying stone.
• Zhang Yang checked Qin Ge’s work, recruited craftsmen and farmers, and assigned Wu Yuan to oversee preparations for the village’s defenses and expansion.
• Zhang Yang spent five days crafting wooden spears while armed patrols deterred demons, including a powerful flying demon, from approaching the village.
• After the Level 3 Residential House was completed, Zhang Yang promoted the three most proficient craftsmen to lead construction and assigned the others to make bows and arrows.
• Zhang Yang distributed the new house to ten promising young men and concluded that normally recruited residents were less obedient than his original recruits.
• Zhang Yang reflected on the challenges of passing down his abilities and decided to consider establishing a faith organization.

Zhang Yang established a Level 3 Mountain God Temple by enfeoffing nine Red Eagle fragmented souls, gaining useful village effects and talismans. He then inspected the newly cultivated farmland and learned that its first harvest would bring prosperity, leaving him focused on the village’s future growth.

• Zhang Yang chose to build a Mountain God Temple and replaced his crude first attempt with one built by the craftsmen.
• Wu Yuan carved a statue resembling his fallen comrade Duan Jiu, and Zhang Yang used nine Red Eagle fragmented souls to enfeoff the mountain god.
• The awakened mountain god submitted to Zhang Yang when Wu Yuan and the Four Berserker Bears confronted it, completing the Level 3 Mountain God Temple.
• Zhang Yang received the temple’s prosperity and building effects, then bought sixty talismans and gave them to Wu Yuan for the patrol team.
• Zhang Yang inspected 210 mu of cultivated land and learned it had produced twenty-one plots of Level 5 Farmland, whose first harvest would grant Village Prosperity.