Chapter Summaries

The rebels destroyed Guangling City's array and scattered its cloud of wishes, while Xu Yi realized Meng Temple Master's incantation might draw wish-force. As the battle resumed, two First-Realm Mortal Transformation experts drove Xu Yi into a distant forest and pursued him.

• The rebels used Three-tailed Candle Yin Dog blood to break the array protecting Guangling City's cloud of wishes, and Huang Temple Master gathered the drifting wish-force before it burst apart again.
• Xu Yi watched Huang Temple Master and suspected Meng Temple Master's incantation was meant for wish-force, but he held back from using it.
• Ming Liding angrily ordered his troops to attack, and the two armies returned to close combat.
• Two First-Realm Mortal Transformation experts charged Xu Yi, overwhelmed him, and pursued him into a distant forest.
• Cheng Yan tried to follow Xu Yi, but Zhong Wu stopped him, while Li Tang lamented the loss of their wish-beads to Huang Wei.

Xu Yi used a cloud of wishes to master the Guidance of Wishes Art and convert the remaining wish power into more than a hundred Wish Pearls. After refining 108 of them, he triggered a sudden upheaval as the will of Heaven surged through him.

• Huang Wei sent Li Tang a voice transmission, and Li Tang sent a Second Realm expert in a hemp robe after Xu Yi.
• Xu Yi escaped Li Jue, Guo Si, and the hemp-robed expert by fleeing to a secluded mountain cave.
• Xu Yi gathered a cloud of wishes and used it to master all three levels of the Guidance of Wishes Art.
• Xu Yi channeled the remaining wish power into Meng Temple Master's tortoiseshell and produced more than 120 Wish Pearls.
• Xu Yi refined 108 Wish Pearls, and the will of Heaven surged through him as the sky seemed to split open.

Xu Yi broke into the First Realm and was ambushed by Zhan Hong, a Second Realm expert hired to kill him. Xu Yi overwhelmed Zhan Hong with his formidable body and sword intent, then revealed his monkey form and trapped him in a towering curtain of water.

• Xu Yi left the stone chamber after breaking through and hurried back toward the battlefield, but Zhan Hong struck him from behind.
• Zhan Hong attacked with a giant-foot technique, but Xu Yi countered with an equally powerful foot and shattered Zhan Hong's leg.
• Xu Yi broke Zhan Hong's four light walls with the Heart Severing Sword, forcing him to flee into a nearby river.
• Xu Yi shaped the river into a net, lifted Zhan Hong inside a vast curtain of water, and revealed himself as a black, short-tailed monkey.
• Zhan Hong recognized Xu Yi as a member of the Demon Race, and Xu Yi sent the curtain of water surging toward him.

Xu Yi returned from killing Zhan Hong and took command of the battered Fifth Unit, saving its wounded and ordering an assault on the enemy's right flank. Li Tang and Huang Wei obeyed his orders while plotting to hold him responsible after the battle.

• Xu Yi killed Zhan Hong, collected his resources, and found forty-seven Wish Pearls among them.
• Xu Yi reached the battlefield, revived the gravely wounded Cheng Yan, and learned that Li Tang had led the Fifth Unit while Xu Yi was away.
• Xu Yi ordered Zhong Wu to evacuate the soldiers too badly wounded to fight, overruling Li Tang's objection that military rules forbade retreat.
• Xu Yi assembled the Fifth Unit and ordered Li Tang and Huang Wei to join him at the spearhead of an attack on the enemy's right flank.
• Li Tang and Huang Wei secretly resolved to endure the assault and discuss Xu Yi with Zhao Ling after the battle as two figures rushed toward them from the enemy ranks.

Xu Yi led the Fifth Company through the enemy formation, capturing Li Jue and Guo Si and using them as shields. After promising the soldiers the entire reward, he ordered Li Tang and Huang Wei to join him in another charge, forcing them to submit.

• Li Jue and Guo Si attacked Xu Yi, but he seized them and charged into the enemy ranks with them as shields.
• Xu Yi led the Fifth Company through the enemy formation; five soldiers died, and Li Jue and Guo Si were battered to dust.
• Xu Yi promised to give the company the entire reward, winning the soldiers' loyalty while Li Tang and Huang Wei suspected his motives.
• Xu Yi ordered Li Tang and Huang Wei to join him in charging the enemy centurion, and the two apologized and agreed to obey.
• Xu Yi ignored their pleas to withdraw the order and charged ahead.

After the army crushed the rebels, Xu Yi received recognition and rewards for his company’s breakthroughs and prepared to meet Zhao Ling. Zhao Ling welcomed him warmly, but Xu Yi directly raised his fear of being harmed by his own people, leaving Zhao Ling’s response unresolved.

• Li Tang and Huang Wei charged the enemy lines and were killed as the battle escalated into a decisive victory for the military forces.
• Xu Yi returned to camp, where the Record of Merit Officer awarded him and his company for breaking through the enemy lines; Xu Yi distributed the company’s hundred wish beads.
• Xu Yi counted his wish beads and decided to save them rather than refine them immediately, then learned from Zhong Wu that Zhao Ling had agreed to meet him.
• Zhong Wu warned Xu Yi that Zhao Ling might have arranged the plot against him, but Xu Yi went to Zhao Ling’s tent anyway.
• After exchanging praise, Xu Yi asked Zhao Ling about Li Tang and Huang Wei and said he feared dying at the hands of his own people; Zhao Ling laughed and reassured him.

Xu Yi asked Zhao Ling to help secure the Dongshan Prefecture post, offering eighty wish pearls to fund the move. After leaving Zhao Ling’s tent, Xu Yi returned to find an unknown middle-aged man already inside, undetected by both Cheng Yan and himself.

• Xu Yi told Zhao Ling he wanted to leave Fanyang Prefecture and compete for the Dongshan Prefecture post, and Zhao Ling agreed the move would benefit them both.
• Xu Yi offered Zhao Ling eighty wish pearls to secure support from Commander Shen and the commandant’s office advisers.
• Zhao Ling resolved to help send Xu Yi to Dongshan Prefecture, even if he had to contribute some wish pearls himself.
• Xu Yi returned to his tent and found an unfamiliar middle-aged man reading inside, having evaded Cheng Yan’s and Xu Yi’s senses.

Xu Yi discovered that the dying rebel leader Zhu Shisan was a fellow Night Walker serving the Sect Master. Zhu Shisan passed him the mission to find the old prefect’s treasure and return its Sun Radiance Token, then died, leaving Xu Yi to conceal the encounter and continue the search.

• Zhu Shisan appeared in Xu Yi’s tent, revealed his identity, and showed him a seal matching the Sect Master’s.
• Zhu Shisan explained that he had once been a leading contender to become prefect before being framed for the old prefect’s suspicious death and forced to raise a rebellion.
• Zhu Shisan told Xu Yi to find the old prefect’s treasure and return the Sun Radiance Token to the Sect Master, then died after using a fatal secret art to locate him.
• Xu Yi dissolved Zhu Shisan’s corpse, gathered his belongings, and found notes explaining that Night Walkers could contact one another only through a life-ending secret art when desperate.

Xu Yi studied the Seven Aversion Palace Locking Formation before meeting with Zhao Ling, who returned twenty Wish Pearls and gave him a guide to Dongshan Prefecture. After Commander Ming summoned him, Xu Yi noticed a Weeping Blood Stone stele at the Fanyang Prefect's compound and learned it had been erected about a decade earlier.

• Xu Yi found a hide bearing the Seven Aversion Palace Locking Formation and studied the formation through the records in his Ruyi Pearl.
• Zhong Wu told Xu Yi that Sima Zhao had arranged a meeting, and Xu Yi went to see Zhao Ling.
• Zhao Ling returned twenty Wish Pearls to Xu Yi and gave him a booklet about Dongshan Prefecture's people and customs.
• Xu Yi ate lunch with Zhao Ling, then left after receiving a summons from Commander Ming.
• At the Fanyang Prefect's mountain compound, Xu Yi noticed a Weeping Blood Stone stele and learned it had been erected about a decade earlier.

Xu Yi secured his appointment to Dongshan Prefecture, recruited soldiers for his new command, and set out with a much larger force than expected. Meanwhile, Ming Liding faced complaints from officers whose elite veterans had followed Xu Yi.

• Xu Yi met Ming Liding, promised to deliver Dongshan Prefecture’s tribute, and left after a brief audience.
• Xu Yi returned to camp, learned the soldiers were eager to follow him, and asked Zhong Wu to recruit thirty or forty men.
• Xu Yi received his Army Commander’s seal and set out for Dongshan Prefecture with thirty-odd soldiers.
• Zhong Wu caught up with Xu Yi and brought fifty-six recruits, many of them familiar veterans who had left their companies to serve him.
• Regimental Commanders complained to Ming Liding that Xu Yi had taken their elite soldiers, while Ming Liding rebuked them and felt relieved Xu Yi was gone.

Xu Yi arrived at Dongshan Prefecture with his veteran soldiers and found Cheng Yan maimed after Zheng Bahuo punished him for refusing to kneel. When a gold-armored young man threatened Cheng Yan, Xu Yi killed him in front of Gong Chao and Zheng Bahuo, leaving the officials stunned.

• Xu Yi welcomed the newly recruited veterans into his army and warned them to obey his orders as they pledged their lives to him.
• Xu Yi led his troops to the Dongshan Prefecture government office, but Cheng Yan did not return after announcing their arrival.
• Xu Yi and his soldiers charged into the government compound, where three companies confronted them and Gong Chao praised their battle-hardened discipline.
• Xu Yi found Cheng Yan hanging from a flagpole with both lower legs broken, and Zheng Bahuo admitted he had punished him for refusing to kneel.
• After a gold-armored young man threatened to cut out Cheng Yan's tongue, Xu Yi endured their attacks and tore off the young man's head, shocking Gong Chao and the others.

Xu Yi defended Cheng Yan from Zheng Bahuo’s attack and prevented the confrontation from becoming an open battle. Gong Chao then proposed that Xu Yi and Zheng Bahuo compete for the post of prefect of Dongshan Prefecture.

• Xu Yi stopped Xu Yi from carrying out further harm to Cheng Yan, and Zhong Wu’s men moved to seize Cheng Yan.
• Xu Yi praised Cheng Yan for standing firm on his behalf, then blocked Zheng Bahuo’s purple lightning attack and challenged him to fight openly.
• Gong Chao intervened and urged Zheng Bahuo to restrain his anger, preventing the soldiers from starting a battle.
• Zheng Bahuo apologized to Gong Chao after learning that Xu Yi’s actions had left him with little room to retaliate.
• Gong Chao explained that Zhongshan Prefecture had sought reinforcements from both Shuanghe and Fanyang Prefectures, then proposed choosing the better candidate for prefect of Dongshan Prefecture.

Xu Yi challenged Gong Chao’s proposed contest for the Dongshan Prefectural Commander post and agreed to negotiate with Huang Kai on Fengqi Mountain by the next day. After arranging his troops, Xu Yi returned to camp, where Zhong Wu arrived with another report.

• Gong Chao proposed that Xu Yi and Zheng Bahuo compete to resolve the threat posed by Huang Kai, a powerful demon on Fengqi Mountain.
• Xu Yi offered Zheng Bahuo the first attempt, but Zheng Bahuo avoided facing Huang Kai and accepted Gong Chao’s revised terms.
• Gong Chao made Xu Yi’s task to meet Huang Kai, convey the authorities’ position, and present evidence by the next day.
• Xu Yi set up camp, briefed his squad leaders, and ordered his soldiers to avoid rash action.
• Zhong Wu entered Xu Yi’s tent, eager to share another report.

Zhong Wu warned Xu Yi that Huang Kai’s power and apparent immunity suggested hidden backing, but Xu Yi still went to Fengqi Mountain. As Gong Chao and Zheng Bahuo celebrated what they expected to happen to him, Huang Kai prepared to hear a newly captured troupe perform.

• Zhong Wu told Xu Yi that Huang Kai was a powerful demon with possible official backing and no obvious weakness.
• Xu Yi asked Zhong Wu to persuade Gong Chao to withdraw the assignment, and Zhong Wu hurried away on a pretext.
• Xu Yi left camp the next morning and entered Fengqi Mountain, while Gong Chao watched through his Ruyi Pearl.
• Gong Chao and Zheng Bahuo mocked Xu Yi and arranged for Prefectural Judge Cao to join them.
• Huang Cheng told Huang Kai that his men had captured a troupe able to perform The Tale of Long Bo, and Huang Kai ordered them to gather for the show.

Xu Yi arrived at Fengqi Mountain to meet Huang Kai, but the Great King’s spear tested him before he could speak. After Xu Yi caught the weapon and proved his strength, Huang Kai asked why he had laughed, and Xu Yi answered with a pointed lament.

• Huang Kai watched a play about Long Bo with his officials and rewarded the performers.
• A leopard-headed demon reported that the magistrate of Dongshan Prefecture had arrived, then revealed a half-eaten human hand and was killed by Huang Kai’s spear.
• Huang Kai ordered Xu Yi brought in and attacked him with the black steel spear.
• Xu Yi caught the spear barehanded and slammed it into the floor, breaking the tiles.
• Huang Kai praised Xu Yi’s skill and asked why he had laughed, and Xu Yi lamented that meeting Huang Kai was worse than hearing of him.

Xu Yi used stories of virtuous commoners to persuade Huang Kai that humans could not be treated as prey, and Huang Kai banned his monsters from devouring people. The hall then learned that Xu Yi was the newly appointed governor of Dongshan Prefecture, whose arrival threatened to bring a major storm to Fengqi Mountain.

• Huang Kai demanded that Xu Yi explain why he was unworthy of his reputation, and Xu Yi challenged him over the monsters eating people.
• Xu Yi told Huang Kai the story of Wang Huizhi, whose spontaneous snowy-night journey revealed his carefree and refined nature.
• After Huang Kai welcomed Xu Yi and offered him a seat, Xu Yi recounted Dai Feng’s acts of loyalty, generosity, and virtue.
• Huang Kai bowed to Xu Yi, admitted his ignorance, and decreed that any monster who devoured commoners would suffer the same fate as his vanished table.
• Huang Cheng asked Xu Yi’s name and purpose, recognizing him as the newly appointed governor of Dongshan Prefecture.

Xu Yi used stories of Guo Jie and Yuan She to stir Huang Kai’s admiration for heroic virtue before leaving Fengqi Mountain, while Gong Chao’s banquet with Zheng Bahuo and Prefectural Judge Cao continued as they waited for Xu Yi’s deadline to pass.

• Xu Yi praised Huang Kai’s willingness to learn, then recounted how Guo Jie showed mercy and humility despite insults and violence.
• Xu Yi told Huang Kai about Yuan She’s generosity, mourning, and aid to others, and urged him to look beyond the mountains and emulate worthy heroes.
• Xu Yi left the hall, and Huang Cheng feared that Xu Yi had won Huang Kai over and doomed Fengqi Mountain through persuasion.
• At the banquet, Gong Chao toasted Zheng Bahuo and Prefectural Judge Cao, who agreed to help and asked Gong Chao to hand Zheng the seal.
• Gong Chao said he would wait another quarter-hour for his agreement with Xu Yi to expire before calling soldiers to clear Zheng Bahuo’s name.

Xu Yi returned from Fengqi Mountain and demanded the seal, but Gong Chao and Zheng Bahuo tried to overturn their wager with Prefectural Judge Cao Neng’s support. Just as Zheng Bahuo claimed his family background gave him the advantage, Huang Kai arrived and praised Xu Yi, leaving everyone stunned.

• Xu Yi returned before the deadline and used a Ruyi Pearl to show images from Fengqi Mountain, while Zheng Bahuo challenged whether he had met Huang Kai.
• Xu Yi argued that the wager required him only to enter and leave Fengqi Mountain, but Cao Neng declared that official appointments could not be decided by a wager.
• Gong Chao invoked the rule favoring kin and the well-born, claiming Zheng Bahuo’s prominent family gave him the advantage over Xu Yi.
• Huang Kai entered the hall, praised Xu Yi as a hero, and bewildered Cao Neng, Gong Chao, and Zheng Bahuo.
• Zheng Bahuo angrily demanded to know who Huang Kai was.

Xu Yi secured the post of prefect of Dongshan after Huang Kai killed Zheng Bahuo and forced the remaining officials to hand over the seal and documents. Huang Kai disbanded Fengqi Mountain and set out to seek heroes, leaving Xu Yi in control of the prefectural office as he began addressing the region’s problems.

• Huang Kai recognized Zheng Bahuo’s arrogance and killed him with his black steel spear after Xu Yi yielded the prefecture to him.
• Huang Kai threatened Cao Neng and Gong Chao, and Gong Chao handed Xu Yi the seal and official documents.
• Xu Yi offered Zheng Bahuo’s scattered wish beads to Huang Kai, who told him to use them for the people of Dongshan Prefecture.
• Huang Kai revealed that he had disbanded Fengqi Mountain, gave Xu Yi an IOU promising to repay Dongshan, and left to travel the world.
• Xu Yi returned to the prefectural office, announced that he had become prefect, and ordered Zhong Wu to summon the district official who had stayed behind.

Xu Yi learned that war, population losses, and rampant unorthodox sacrifices had left Dongshan Prefecture in a dire financial state, while the authorities might still demand taxes based on prewar figures. He moved to secure his authority by appointing his own officials to rebuild the prefectural administration.

• Li Ping described the population losses in Anlu, Jingshan, and Fengle and explained why he had chosen to support Xu Yi.
• Xu Yi asked whether Dongshan Prefecture’s taxes could be reduced, but Li Ping warned that the authorities might calculate them using prewar population figures and effectively increase the burden.
• Li Ping revealed that rampant unorthodox sacrifices were draining wish power, making it impossible to estimate the remaining Wish Pearls.
• Li Ping advised Xu Yi to appoint section chiefs before the Prefectural Judge and Prefectural Guard Captain arrived and constrained his authority.
• Xu Yi assembled his officers and appointed Zhang Jian, Li Xin, Zhong Wu, and Li Ping as the Four Section Chiefs, filling the other named posts with his own men.