Chapter Summaries

Lin Yu and Qin Siyu discussed the Hidden Snake and the threat it might pose before an unseen player appeared and revealed that Diviner had hired him to test Lin Yu. The stranger threatened Qin Siyu as a hostage, but Lin Yu refused to show concern, leaving the stranger puzzled about whether he belonged to Order.

• Qin Siyu suggested the Hidden Snake might have been hunting for flesh and blood, while Lin Yu warned that more could be lurking in the inn.
• Qin Siyu decided to continue toward Nine Cold Mountain rather than return to her village, hoping to earn enough to help its residents.
• An unseen voice spoke in the room, and Lin Yu concealed himself; the stranger said he had not abducted Lin Yu and identified him as a Director.
• Lin Yu learned that the stranger had tested him with the Hidden Snake after accepting benefits from Diviner, while Old Zheng failed to locate him.
• The stranger threatened to take Qin Siyu hostage, but Lin Yu said he would only be able to find the stranger if he attacked her, prompting Qin Siyu to protest that Lin Yu was leaving her to it.
• The stranger questioned whether Lin Yu was really a member of Order after Lin Yu showed no concern for Qin Siyu's safety.

Lin Yu refused to yield to Cold Cicada’s threats against Qin Siyu and deduced where the concealed Player was hiding. He confronted Cold Cicada on the roof, where Cold Cicada acknowledged Lin Yu’s ability and reputation.

• Qin Siyu urged Lin Yu not to let Cold Cicada use her as leverage, while Cold Cicada suspected Lin Yu was pretending not to care about her.
• Qin Siyu tried to escape in a cloud of yellow smoke, but Cold Cicada’s silver threads trapped her and cut her weapon apart.
• Lin Yu revealed that he had tracked Cold Cicada and blasted open the roof to confront him.
• Lin Yu explained that Cold Cicada’s cautious, controlling nature and dislike of fighting helped him deduce his location.
• Cold Cicada praised Lin Yu and said he understood why Lin Yu was valued despite being only Tier 2.

Lin Yu confronted Cold Cicada in Martial Town, using Old Zheng and a series of feints to create openings in their fight. Cold Cicada survived the attacks and summoned over a hundred Snake Yaoguai, while Lin Yu prepared to face his opponent’s backup with backup of his own.

• Cold Cicada removed his Smiling Mask and acknowledged that Lin Yu had discovered his location, but insisted Lin Yu could not defeat him in a direct fight.
• Lin Yu attacked with the [Soul-Chasing Life-Severing Spear], and Cold Cicada countered with Sleeve Arrows, silver threads, and poisonous golden powder.
• Cold Cicada sensed a deception and redirected his silk to defend himself as Old Zheng, disguised as Lin Yu, attacked with [White Bone Flowing Light].
• Cold Cicada's saber sprang from its sheath and blocked Old Zheng's strike, then Cold Cicada and Lin Yu clashed again with their Divine Artifact-grade blades.
• Cold Cicada played a jade flute, summoning dozens of Yaomo auras and over a hundred Snake Yaoguai in the inn, while Qin Siyu warned Lin Yu.

Cold Cicada summoned three Snake Yaoguai Demon Lords and the King of Absolute Mountain to confront Lin Yu, confident that no helper could defeat him. Lin Yu prepared to summon a native of the Prison Mountain Realm, while Cold Cicada ordered the Demon Lords to capture him alive.

• Dozens of powerful Snake Yaoguai surrounded Lin Yu as he used [Guest Appearance Invitation] to call for help.
• Cold Cicada explained why he thought Lin Yu's possible allies would be suppressed or too weak to threaten him.
• Scarlet smoke revealed the Jueshan Blood-Poison Demon Lord, the Gu-Heart Soul-Seizing Demon Lord, the Sun-Coiling Moon-Melting Sacred Lord, and the King of Absolute Mountain.
• Old Zheng identified the three Demon Lords as the greatest Snake Yaoguai in their respective domains.
• Cold Cicada guessed Lin Yu might summon Yun Fengyang, whom he knew was imprisoned in the Eternal Prison.
• Cold Cicada asked the Demon Lords to capture Lin Yu alive, and they prepared to act.

Lin Yu rejected the Snake Yaoguai’s peaceful offer and summoned Zhu Qiansi to fight them. Zhu Qiansi revealed Cold Cicada’s connection to a Deity of shadows and pain, then defeated Jueshan Blood-Poison Demon Lord with her poison, Regret.

• Sun-Disc Moon-Melting Saint Lord offered to capture Lin Yu without harming him or his friend, while Cold Cicada warned that Lin Yu was unlikely to accept.
• Lin Yu refused to surrender and summoned Zhu Qiansi, offering her Fragments of Fate for defeating the three Snake Yaoguai.
• Zhu Qiansi sensed that Cold Cicada carried Authority from a Deity who ruled over shadows and pain.
• Zhu Qiansi attacked Jueshan Blood-Poison Demon Lord, severed her snake-shaped sword, and wounded her with Spider Silk.
• Jueshan Blood-Poison Demon Lord used blood poison against Zhu Qiansi, but Zhu Qiansi recovered, consumed the mist, and struck her with the poison Regret.

Zhu Qiansi used her regret poison to incapacitate Jueshan Blood-Poison Demon Lord, but Sun-Disc Moon-Melting Saint Lord intervened and fought her. Zhu Qiansi pierced Sun-Disc with a hidden spider leg and altered her fate, only for Sun-Disc to reveal that she had grafted the wound onto another Snake Yaoguai.

• Zhu Qiansi overwhelmed Jueshan Blood-Poison Demon Lord with regret until Gu-Heart Soul-Seizing Demon Lord intervened and began dispelling the poison by clouding her consciousness.
• Sun-Disc Moon-Melting Saint Lord stopped Zhu Qiansi from reaching Jueshan and sent Gu-Heart to help Xian.
• Sun-Disc used the Dark Prison Black Lotus to decay Zhu Qiansi while blocking her Karma Threads with more black lotuses.
• Zhu Qiansi revealed a hidden spider leg, pierced Sun-Disc's abdomen, and flooded the wound with spider silk.
• Zhu Qiansi used the Karma Threads to alter Sun-Disc's past fate, but Sun-Disc revealed that the wound had been displaced onto a different Snake Yaoguai.

Zhu Qiansi used the Sun-Disc Moon-Melting Saint Lord’s bond with the Snake Yaoguai to threaten the Prison Mountain Realm, while Lin Yu escaped with Qin Siyu and Zhu Qiansi. Cold Cicada accepted that they had lost the encounter but revealed he had left a way to track them.

• Zhu Qiansi revealed that she could use the Sun-Disc Moon-Melting Saint Lord’s connection to the Snake Yaoguai to kill many of them through the Karma Threads.
• The Sun-Disc Moon-Melting Saint Lord threatened Zhu Qiansi, but Zhu Qiansi explained that Lin Yu and Qin Siyu had already escaped.
• Zhu Qiansi used another Fragment of Fate to vanish with her Karma Threads, leaving the Sun-Disc Moon-Melting Saint Lord, Cold Cicada, and the other Demon Lords behind.
• The Sun-Disc Moon-Melting Saint Lord apologized to Cold Cicada for failing to keep Lin Yu and Zhu Qiansi there, while Cold Cicada said the encounter had revealed Lin Yu’s methods and trump cards.
• Cold Cicada reassured the Demon Lords that he had left something on Lin Yu and Zhu Qiansi that would let them track their whereabouts.

Lin Yu rescued Qin Siyu from the Demon Lords and carried her toward Nine Cold Mountain, explaining that a mark left by Cold Cicada would let their pursuers track them. He chose to enter the mountain because he wanted them to follow, then plunged toward the ground with Qin Siyu.

• Lin Yu carried the shaken Qin Siyu away from Martial Town, and she thanked him for saving her.
• Qin Siyu asked how Lin Yu summoned the Thousand-Eyed Thousand-Silk Demon Lord, and he said that he was a demon in a sense.
• Lin Yu explained that Zhu Qiansi had returned to his Item Space injured and could not fight again soon.
• Lin Yu told Qin Siyu that Cold Cicada had marked her, allowing the Demon Lords to track them.
• Lin Yu said he wanted the pursuers to find them, stopped in midair, and plunged toward Nine Cold Mountain with Qin Siyu.

Lin Yu discovered Cold Cicada’s covert tracking measure on Qin Siyu and decided to use it to lure Cold Cicada and his allies into a trap. He brought Qin Siyu to Nine Cold Mountain, where he revealed that he was a genuine Yaomo and could disguise her as his captured blood food.

• Lin Yu recognized Cold Cicada’s tracking measure inside Qin Siyu and reasoned that Cold Cicada believed it had gone undetected.
• Lin Yu planned to exploit the tracking measure to ambush Cold Cicada and his three Snake Yaoguai Demon Lord helpers before Diviner’s conflict with Jian Cunyi was settled.
• Lin Yu concluded that learning Diviner’s plans for the Prison Mountain Realm was essential to understanding the wider struggle among the factions.
• Lin Yu carried Qin Siyu down to a boulder on Nine Cold Mountain, where she felt the Yaomo aura in the air.
• Lin Yu released Yaomo aura from his Crest, confirmed to Qin Siyu that he was a genuine Yaomo, and said he could pass her off as captured blood food.

Lin Yu and Qin Siyu found Nine Cold Mountain strangely empty and decided to seek a Yaomo cave dwelling for clues and rare resources. Lin Yu brought out a Demon-Sniffing Gu to locate one, while Qin Siyu wondered how he could have connections across so many opposing factions.

• Lin Yu and Qin Siyu noticed that no Yaomo or Daoist Sect members were near their path on Nine Cold Mountain.
• Lin Yu considered whether they had entered a Demon Lord’s territory, but believed his Yaomo-like aura might earn him respect.
• Qin Siyu proposed raiding a Yaomo cave dwelling and revealed that she had once stolen and sold a Twelve-Guans Yaomo’s treasures.
• Lin Yu agreed to seek a cave dwelling, hoping to find rare materials and learn about the Diviner’s plans.
• Lin Yu produced a Demon-Sniffing Gu, and Qin Siyu recognized it as a costly tool commissioned from the Five Poisons Sect.

Lin Yu followed the [Demon-Sniffing Gu] through the hidden paths of Nine Cold Mountain and discovered that Yaomo had gathered inside the mountain. A bear Yaomo and his porcupine companion mistook Lin Yu and Qin Siyu for Yaomo guests attending a birthday celebration, and introduced themselves as Giant Bear Great Sun and Furious Pig Howls at Heaven.

• Lin Yu released the [Demon-Sniffing Gu] and followed it over a steep slope to a concealed path inside Nine Cold Mountain.
• Qin Siyu explained how the mountains' complex terrain and caverns gave Yaomo places to hide from the Human Race.
• Lin Yu detected several Yaomo gathered nearby, then sensed another Yaomo approach and lock onto him and Qin Siyu.
• Lin Yu released his demonic qi, causing the approaching Yaomo to mistake him for one of their kind rather than a human.
• The bear Yaomo introduced himself as Giant Bear Great Sun and explained that he and the porcupine Yaomo were attending their host's five-hundredth birthday.
• The porcupine Yaomo introduced himself as Furious Pig Howls at Heaven.

Lin Yu talked his way into joining Daybreak and Heavenhowl’s birthday visit to Meng Qingjun, then used his strength and his connection to the Thousand-Eyed Thousand-Silk Demon Lord to win their trust. He offered Qin Siyu as a birthday feast dish, leaving Qin Siyu wondering if he would really end up on the table.

• Daybreak and Heavenhowl questioned Lin Yu about his identity and why he had come near their friend’s Cave Dwelling.
• Lin Yu claimed he had arrived by chance and wanted to meet Meng Qingjun, while the two Yaomo argued over whether to trust him.
• Daybreak and Heavenhowl suspected Lin Yu might be using them to harm Meng Qingjun, but Lin Yu said he was not their enemy.
• Lin Yu revealed his spider silk could wound them instantly and said the Thousand-Eyed Thousand-Silk Demon Lord was his blood relative.
• Daybreak and Heavenhowl accepted Lin Yu’s strength, and Lin Yu presented Qin Siyu as a possible birthday feast dish.

Lin Yu accompanied Daybreak and Heavenhowl to Meng Qingjun’s birthday banquet at the Ten Thousand Flowers Cave. After the hosts presented a wild ginseng gift, Lin Yu offered Meng Qingjun the captured human martial artist Qin Siyu, leaving him to decide whether to keep or eat her.

• Daybreak and Heavenhowl led Lin Yu through a coniferous forest to Meng Qingjun’s cave and told him Meng Qingjun’s mother had been a powerful Demon Lord who died long ago.
• Lin Yu entered the vast Ten Thousand Flowers Cave, where dozens of demons were already celebrating Meng Qingjun’s five-hundredth birthday.
• Daybreak and Heavenhowl gave Meng Qingjun a carefully harvested, centuries-old ginseng root, which he ordered stored in his medicine workshop.
• Meng Qingjun pretended to notice Lin Yu only after accepting the gift, and Daybreak and Heavenhowl introduced Lin Yu as a powerful demon they had met on the road.
• Lin Yu wished Meng Qingjun a happy birthday and presented Qin Siyu, a captured human martial artist, as his gift.

Qin Siyu escaped the kitchen after defeating two rabbit spirits and discovered that a mysterious voice called Mr. Zheng was accompanying her as a magical artifact spirit. Mr. Zheng told her that Lin Yu had sent her to clean out the Great Demon's cave dwelling.

• Qin Siyu knocked out one rabbit spirit and killed the other when they tried to butcher her, then freed herself from her ropes.
• Qin Siyu considered escaping through the kitchen flue or exploring the cave dwelling and discovered that the white-haired old man hanging above the pot was still alive.
• The old man asked Qin Siyu to let him down and explained that a Great Demon had captured him after his hired martial artist failed him.
• A voice from Qin Siyu's left shoulder identified itself as Mr. Zheng, a magical artifact spirit sent by Lin Yu to watch over her.
• Mr. Zheng explained that Qin Siyu had been capable of handling the rabbit spirits and told her to clean out the cave dwelling.

Old Zheng observed Qin Siyu’s cautious response to a captive hanging in a yaomo’s cave and revealed that the stranger was more valuable than the cave’s treasures. Qin Siyu discovered he was master artisan Wei Jian and rescued him from falling into a pot of boiling water, though Wei Jian suspected she had played a trick on him.

• Old Zheng recalled Lin Yu’s instructions to watch Qin Siyu and judged her acting less formidable than Lin Yu’s.
• Old Zheng told Qin Siyu that the captive was concealing his identity and might be an unexpected windfall.
• Qin Siyu questioned the old man, who identified himself as Wei Jian, the Two Mountains and Six Hells’ Greatest Artisan.
• Qin Siyu recognized Wei Jian’s priceless craftsmanship and changed her tune, agreeing with his admonishment about caution.
• A throwing knife cut Wei Jian’s bindings, and Qin Siyu used a chain to pull him away from the boiling pot.
• Wei Jian accused Qin Siyu of making a fool of him, but she denied it, and he accepted her explanation.

Qin Siyu used her acting skills to win Master Wei Jian’s trust and persuaded him to raid the demon’s treasure stores before escaping. Guided by Old Zheng, they reached the storeroom, where Qin Siyu eagerly prepared to loot it.

• Qin Siyu pretended to be an upright martial artist and earned Master Wei Jian’s admiration after rescuing him.
• Qin Siyu claimed her teacher had died fighting demons and explained why she could not reveal her school’s name, and Master Wei Jian accepted her story.
• Qin Siyu suggested they take the demon’s treasures, and Master Wei Jian agreed that it would weaken the demons and benefit humanity.
• Old Zheng urged Qin Siyu to leave the kitchen with Master Wei Jian while the cave was unusually quiet.
• Guided by Old Zheng, Qin Siyu led Master Wei Jian to the storeroom and looked forward to opening its treasure chests.

Meng Qingjun woke to find the Ten Thousand Flowers Cave Dwelling plundered and many of its Yaomo dead, while Lin Yu suspected he had arranged the attack. Meng Qingjun denied it and argued they had both been victims, leaving them facing the possibility of a shared enemy.

• Meng Qingjun woke with a headache after drinking at his five hundredth birthday banquet and realized his cave dwelling had been raided.
• He discovered that about a third of the Yaomo guests and servants had been killed, while the rest were unconscious and the cave’s valuables had been stolen.
• Meng Qingjun examined the destruction and unusual corpses, concluding that other Yaomo were likely responsible for the attack.
• Lin Yu woke and accused Meng Qingjun of drugging the food and wine to murder him.
• Meng Qingjun pointed to his own weakened state and the cave’s losses as evidence that he was also a victim, and suggested they had a common enemy.

Lin Yu secretly orchestrated the attack on Meng Qingjun’s birthday gathering, killing some Yaomo and using the chaos to rob the cave dwelling. He persuaded the surviving Meng Qingjun that other Yaomo were responsible and considered how the guests’ anger could help him take down a Snake Yaoguai Demon Lord.

• Lin Yu explained how he had put the cave dwelling’s Yaomo to sleep, killed some of them, and collected their bodies and souls.
• Qin Siyu swept the cave dwelling’s supplies and treasures while Lin Yu prepared to help Meng Qingjun investigate the attack.
• Lin Yu guided Meng Qingjun toward blaming other Yaomo, and Meng Qingjun concluded that multiple attackers skilled in poison and soul methods had struck.
• Meng Qingjun boasted of his Demon Lord bloodline and Heavenly Demon blessing, and Lin Yu asked which Demon Lord was his ancestor.
• Lin Yu reflected that he had killed guests at several celebrations and calculated that the surviving Yaomo might help him fight a Snake Yaoguai Demon Lord.

Lin Yu revealed his fox-demon form to learn Meng Qingjun’s background, and discovered that Meng Qingjun was the son of his late sister, the Six Desires Demon Lord. After hearing how Meng Qingjun’s mother died and why he had hidden his aura, Lin Yu promised to protect him and explained that he had been guarding the Desire Origin for him.

• Lin Yu revealed his red fox ears and seven tails and asked Meng Qingjun whether he knew the Six Desires Demon Lord.
• Meng Qingjun revealed his white fox ears and eight tails and said that the Six Desires Demon Lord had been his mother; Lin Yu realized he was Meng Qingjun’s uncle.
• Lin Yu explained that Meng Qingjun’s maternal grandfather had fathered him with another fox, and cited his power of desire as proof of his connection to Meng Qingjun’s mother.
• Meng Qingjun told Lin Yu that the Dao Ancestor had killed his mother and that she had warned him to conceal his aura until he became a Demon Lord or three hundred years had passed.
• Lin Yu embraced the grieving Meng Qingjun and claimed he could wield the Desire Origin to reach Demon Lord-level power, though overuse could damage his origin.
• Lin Yu said he believed his sister had left the Desire Origin for him to protect Meng Qingjun, and promised to give it to his nephew so he could grow stronger.

Lin Yu persuaded Meng Qingjun to send the Ten Thousand Flowers Cave Dwelling’s survivors across Nine Cold Mountain to search for clues and recruit allies, while secretly steering them toward blaming the Dark Prison Snake Yaoguai. After leaving, Lin Yu reflected that Meng Qingjun’s five hundred years had given him far less worldly experience than Lin Yu had expected.

• Lin Yu’s planted suggestions and fabricated traces led the surviving yaomo to suspect the Dark Prison Snake Yaoguai and join Meng Qingjun in seeking revenge.
• Lin Yu proposed dispersing the guests across Nine Cold Mountain to search for clues and gather support from other yaomo.
• Meng Qingjun agreed to organize the search and told Lin Yu to protect himself, placing his safety above recovering the stolen belongings.
• Lin Yu left the cave dwelling to investigate and considered how easily he had deceived the five-hundred-year-old Meng Qingjun.
• Lin Yu concluded that Meng Qingjun’s long life had brought little experience because cultivation and isolation had left him with few opportunities to learn from events.