Arc 5The Forbidden Zone Plot

Fu Qian investigated Henrik’s rampage and the theft of Blood of Thorns, uncovering a Native Council scheme tied to Chen Xing’s ascension. After killing Deng Feizhou, Fu Qian posed as a Native Council member and waited to deal with Chen Xing.

  • Fu Qian entered the Night Watchers’ base in disguise, broke into the Forbidden Zone, and escaped Yuan Shan after discovering her holding a damaged black cocoon together.
  • Fu Qian stayed with Wen Li and fought Henrik when he attacked the Chen Clan, helping keep Henrik occupied until Chen Xing brought him down.
  • Yuan Shan showed Fu Qian the corrupted corpse in the Forbidden Zone, and Fu Qian admitted he had broken into the sealed area and injured Night Watchers.
  • Chen Mingda revealed that he had accepted a deal to cross a threshold, killed Chen Mingfei, and became a vessel for a fragment of the Native Council before Chen Xing destroyed it and advanced to demigod.
  • Fu Qian confronted Deng Feizhou, who admitted that Blood of Thorns had helped Chen Xing ascend and that he had possessed Chen Mingda to cover the advancement.
  • Deng Feizhou trapped Fu Qian and stalled for Chen Xing, but Fu Qian broke through his defenses and killed him.
  • Fu Qian cleaned Deng Feizhou’s room and waited for Chen Xing, then posed as a Native Council member and heard Chen Xing defend Chen Mingda’s death as a necessary sacrifice.
Chapters 102–126 Vol. 2 Read

Ch. 102The Hunter Craved Blood

Fu Qian posed as a bookstore owner in Shangjing and was confronted by Night Watcher Qin Feng, who knew his real identity and questioned why he had forged his records. Qin Feng's head suddenly exploded, and Fu Qian discovered in a mirror that he was wearing someone else's face.

  • Fu Qian equipped his new skills and found himself posing as a bookstore owner in Shangjing.
  • Fu Qian sold a customer a book without checking it, then closed the bookstore early and sent the other customers away.
  • Qin Feng, captain of the Shangjing Night Watchers' First Squad, Second Team, entered the store and confronted Fu Qian about his forged identity.
  • Qin Feng identified Fu Qian as Fang Xun, an Eighth Order Transcendent, and demanded to know why he had come to Shangjing.
  • Qin Feng's head swelled and exploded, spraying blood and brains across the bookstore as Fu Qian dodged away.
  • Fu Qian checked his reflection and realized the face he was wearing was not his own.

Ch. 103A Hunter's Thirst for Blood (II)

Fu Qian, disguised as Fang Xun, was taken to the Night Watchers' base after Qin Feng died in his bookstore. There, he met a woman whose presence revealed her to be another demigod.

  • Fu Qian examined his mask and suppressed aura, then decided to remain at the bookstore and present himself as Fang Xun.
  • Two Seventh Order Night Watchers arrived, found Qin Feng's headless corpse, and questioned Fu Qian about the explosion.
  • The Night Watchers escorted Fu Qian to their Shangjing base and placed him in an interrogation room.
  • A woman in a white robe entered the room, and Fu Qian sensed that she was a demigod.

Ch. 104The Hunter Craved Blood (III)

Fu Qian endured questioning by Yuan Shan, the demigod director of the Night Watchers’ Shangjing branch, after Qin Feng’s head exploded at his shop. Cleared of immediate suspicion, Fu Qian overheard a clue that pointed him toward Houhai Manor as he raced to find the Blood of Thorns before the Night Watchers.

  • Yuan Shan introduced herself as the Night Watchers’ Shangjing director and questioned Fu Qian about Qin Feng’s death.
  • Fu Qian described Qin Feng’s head swelling and exploding, while resisting Yuan Shan’s subtle mental attack and claiming he had distrusted Qin Feng.
  • A poker-faced Night Watcher showed footage of another person’s head swelling and bursting, matching Fu Qian’s account.
  • Yuan Shan apologized for her subordinates’ earlier conduct and had a young woman escort Fu Qian out.
  • Fu Qian overheard Yuan Shan tell the poker-faced man to watch several locations and caught the name Houhai Manor.

Ch. 105The Hunter Craved Blood (4)

Fu Qian disguised himself as Zha Yingjun to infiltrate a banquet at Houhai Manor and watch for the suspected thief. He spotted Wen Li there, then kicked her away after hearing a faint whine.

  • Fu Qian traveled to Houhai Manor and knocked out a Transcendent driving a luxury sports car, taking his clothes and invitation.
  • Fu Qian changed his appearance to resemble Zha Yingjun and entered the manor’s banquet, where he noticed a suspected Night Watcher searching the room.
  • Fu Qian spotted Wen Li among the banquet guests and realized she had not recognized him.
  • Fu Qian heard a faint whine and immediately kicked Wen Li away.

Ch. 106The Hunter Craved Blood (5)

Fu Qian saved Wen Li from a deadly attack at the banquet, where Chen Xing and the Night Watchers tried to capture a disguised assailant. The assailant escaped, and Fu Qian left with his identity and aura memorized while the banquet guests questioned him.

  • Fu Qian kicked Wen Li out of the way as a lethal strike killed several guests, then noticed a suspicious middle-aged man fleeing the banquet hall.
  • A force field slowed everyone, and Chen Xing attacked the middle-aged man, who changed into a bald figure and escaped through a window.
  • The Night Watchers pursued the escapee, while Fu Qian chose not to follow and faced questions from Chen Mingfei.
  • Chen Mingfei's older brother defended Fu Qian, and Wen Li thanked him for saving her.
  • The poker-faced Night Watcher returned and told Chen Xing the pursuit had failed.

Ch. 107107. The Hunter Craved Blood (6)

Fu Qian met Wen Li after the banquet and learned that she had recognized him despite his disguise. After discovering that the Night Watchers were hunting Henrik, the thief who stole the Blood of Thorns, Fu Qian left with the unconscious Zha Yingjun.

  • Fu Qian noticed a car following him, pulled over, and discovered Wen Li had tracked him down.
  • Wen Li explained that Fu Qian's reaction at the banquet and a familiar sensation when he kicked her had revealed his identity; Fu Qian showed her his second disguise.
  • Wen Li told Fu Qian she had heard that Henrik stole an item from the Night Watchers and fled, and Fu Qian realized Henrik was carrying the Blood of Thorns.
  • Wen Li gave Fu Qian her business card and invited him to visit her home.
  • Fu Qian returned to where he had hit a tree, loaded the unconscious Zha Yingjun into the car, and drove away.

Ch. 108The Hunter Craved Blood (7)

Fu Qian disguised himself as a low-ranking Night Watcher and infiltrated the base to stir up trouble and learn what the Night Watchers were guarding. After knocking out three people, he opened a door to an underground chamber and encountered a foul smell.

  • Fu Qian returned to the Night Watchers' base, disguised himself as a member he had seen leave, and entered using the man's ID.
  • He headed to a suspicious area near the black spire, where a young woman demanded a permit to enter a sealed underground section.
  • Fu Qian distracted the woman and guards, then knocked all three unconscious with surprise attacks.
  • He pushed open the guarded black door, descended a spiral staircase, and opened another metal door at the bottom.
  • Fu Qian stepped into the space beyond and noticed a terrible stench.

Ch. 109The Hunter Craved Blood (Eight)

Fu Qian entered the Night Watchers’ underground base and found Yuan Shan containing a monstrous anomaly tied to the stolen Blood of Thorns. After Yuan Shan tried to capture him, Fu Qian unleashed his Mythical Form and escaped, while Yuan Xian warned the others that he was not Henrik.

  • Fu Qian explored the underground base and followed living veins to a damaged room where Yuan Shan was holding a black cocoon together.
  • Yuan Shan sensed Fu Qian through the trembling veins, and he fled as she and several powerful subordinates moved to stop him.
  • Yuan Shan confronted Fu Qian and questioned his return, mentioning his unauthorized breach and stolen materials.
  • Yuan Shan cast a net of black bands over Fu Qian, but he activated his Mythical Form and blasted through the bands and the hall with tendrils.
  • Fu Qian used a tendril to propel himself outside and escape, and Yuan Xian stopped the others from pursuing him, warning that he was not Henrik.

Ch. 110The Hunter Craved Blood (Nine)

After escaping the Night Watchers’ base, Fu Qian learned that Henrik had stolen something from the Forbidden Zone and may be targeting Wen Li. He agreed to protect her, hoping Henrik would come after her and make his mission easier.

  • Fu Qian escaped after fighting Yuan Shan and decided his attempt to stir up trouble at the Night Watchers’ base had gone well.
  • Wen Li visited Fu Qian and told him that Henrik had once guarded a Night Watchers’ warehouse before stealing an important material and becoming bloodthirsty.
  • Fu Qian asked Wen Li about the Forbidden Zone, and she admitted she belonged to the Mental System.
  • Wen Li said someone with hostile intent had followed her and asked Fu Qian to protect her.
  • Fu Qian agreed, suspecting Henrik might come after Wen Li, and got into her waiting car without settling payment.

Ch. 111The Hunter Craved Blood (10)

Fu Qian accompanied Wen Li to her manor in Shangjing, where Chen Mingda warned her that the Night Watchers’ headquarters had been breached and urged her to seek shelter. The news made Wen Li briefly suspect Fu Qian was connected to the attack, while Fu Qian wondered why the details had spread so quickly.

  • Fu Qian confirmed that two months had passed since the upgrade incident while Wen Li thanked him for agreeing to help protect her.
  • Wen Li and Fu Qian arrived at her Shangjing manor, where the Wen Family butler told them a guest was waiting.
  • Chen Mingda greeted Wen Li, and Fu Qian introduced himself as Fang Xun and claimed he had come to stay with her after an accident at home.
  • Chen Mingda told Wen Li that an intruder had broken into the Night Watchers’ headquarters despite Yuan Shan being present, and warned her to limit her outings because Henrik might be targeting her.
  • Chen Mingda invited Wen Li to stay at Houhai Manor, but she declined and chose to remain at home with Fu Qian’s help.
  • After Chen Mingda left, Wen Li wondered whether Fu Qian was linked to the attack, while Fu Qian questioned why the news had spread so quickly.

Ch. 112The Hunter Craved Blood (11)

Fu Qian learned about Wen Li’s improved mental abilities and tested her new Emotion Amplification power. That night, a maid appeared at his door and invited him to play a game.

  • Wen Li told Fu Qian that advancing had strengthened her body, sharpened her ability to sense emotions, and given her Emotion Amplification.
  • Wen Li explained that the Chen Clan cultivated mental power through the Qian Ji Jue and that Chen Mingda had likely reached a bottleneck.
  • Fu Qian asked Wen Li to use Emotion Amplification on him, and the subtle effect made him realize he was hungry.
  • Wen Li arranged quiet accommodations for Fu Qian, and he spent the evening watching the bamboo grove from his window.
  • A maid appeared at Fu Qian’s door and said she wanted to play a game with him.

Ch. 113The Hunter Craved Blood (12)

Fu Qian was trapped in a deadly pill-choice game by a blood-controlling intruder, but broke free and destroyed the creature hiding inside the maid. He still did not know who was behind the attack, though the growing activity around him suggested his actions had drawn out his enemies.

  • Fu Qian found a vacant-eyed maid waiting with two capsules and learned that choosing the harmless one would kill her and free him, while refusing to choose would turn him into amber.
  • Fu Qian rejected the red-and-green choices, mocked the game’s designer, and broke out of the blood-red amber restraint.
  • Fu Qian pursued the hairless rabbit that burst from the maid and struck it with his Scarlet Whip, then used Tyrant's Fist to stop it from escaping.
  • Fu Qian identified himself as the Executor and crushed the creature, which had apparently hidden inside the maid to control her and spring the trap.

Ch. 114The Hunter Craved Blood (13)

After an attacker controlled a maid and tried to force Fu Qian into a deadly game, Wen Li took him to visit Deng Feizhou, her father’s powerful old friend. Deng revealed that another Chen Clan member had been killed, and Fu Qian connected the strange attacker to a question Yuan Shan had asked him.

  • Fu Qian told Wen Li that someone had controlled a maid and sent her to attack him, leaving Wen Li shaken by the breach of her home.
  • The next morning, Wen Li asked Fu Qian to accompany her on a visit, and he agreed despite the danger.
  • Wen Li told Fu Qian that the hostility she had sensed had disappeared and explained that her father’s trusted friend Deng Feizhou was their destination.
  • Wen Li brought Fu Qian to Deng Feizhou’s residence and described the recent attacks and her suspicion that someone had followed her.
  • Deng Feizhou told Wen Li that another Chen Clan member had been killed and that the Chen family and Night Watchers were searching for Henrik.
  • Fu Qian recalled that Yuan Shan had asked whether the Night Watcher killed in his shop had spat anything out, suggesting a connection to the mysterious attacker.

Ch. 115The Hunter Thirsts for Blood (14)

Fu Qian told Deng Feizhou and Wen Li that Yuan Shan was investigating a similar case, then learned that Henrik had stolen a dangerous item grown from a demigod’s corpse in the Night Watchers’ Forbidden Zone. Fu Qian and Wen Li suspected Deng Feizhou knew more than he had let on, and as they prepared to leave, Chen Mingfei approached them.

  • Fu Qian claimed Yuan Shan had asked whether anyone had vomited, using the story to connect the controlled maid to the Night Watchers’ investigation and gauge Deng Feizhou’s reaction.
  • Deng Feizhou explained that Henrik had guarded the Night Watchers’ Forbidden Zone and stolen an item that had grown from a demigod’s corpse.
  • Fu Qian concluded that the stolen item was Blood of Thorns and suspected Yuan Shan was staying at the base to contain the Forbidden Zone’s spreading tendrils.
  • Wen Li accompanied Fu Qian toward the Night Watchers’ base, saying she felt unsafe at home and more secure with him.
  • Wen Li told Fu Qian that Deng Feizhou’s emotions had shifted when Yuan Shan was mentioned, and Fu Qian suspected Deng Feizhou was concealing information.
  • As Fu Qian and Wen Li were about to leave, Chen Mingfei hurried over with a group of people.

Ch. 116The Hunter Craved Blood (15)

Wen Li and Fu Qian encountered Chen Mingfei while the Chen Clan searched for the rogue Night Watcher Henrik. Henrik ambushed them, and Fu Qian fought back, badly injuring him without managing to bring him down.

  • Wen Li introduced Fu Qian as her friend when Chen Mingfei questioned them, then declined his offer to move into the Chen manor.
  • Fu Qian pulled Wen Li aside just before Henrik plunged into the Chen Clan group and killed several members.
  • Henrik targeted Wen Li, but Fu Qian kicked her out of his path and dodged Henrik’s follow-up attacks.
  • Fu Qian struck Henrik with five Air Bullets, then used Internal Organ Critical Hit on his wounded back.
  • Henrik’s organs spilled out, but he stayed alive and howled as Chen Mingfei scrambled away.

Ch. 117The Hunter Craved Blood (16)

Fu Qian fought the transformed Henrik while trying to avoid revealing his abilities and searching for Blood of Thorns. Deng Feizhou arrived and drove Henrik off, leaving the monster loose.

  • Henrik devoured severed limbs and transformed into a powerful beast, then charged at Fu Qian.
  • Fu Qian dodged Henrik’s attacks and lashed him with a whip while Wen Li used Emotion Amplification against him.
  • Henrik turned on Chen Mingfei after the injured disciple screamed, but Deng Feizhou rescued him and attacked Henrik.
  • Henrik leaped onto a rooftop to escape, and Deng Feizhou briefly restrained him before Henrik broke free and vanished.

Ch. 118A Hunter's Thirst for Blood (17)

Fu Qian and the others regrouped after Henrik escaped, and the Night Watchers invited Fu Qian to meet Yuan Shan. Yuan Shan confronted him about his strength and his recent banquet intrusion, then began discussing business.

  • Deng Feizhou praised Wen Li for facing Henrik, while Chen Mingfei reflected on how poorly he had performed and feared Fu Qian's strength.
  • Chen Mingda and the poker-faced Night Watcher arrived, learned that Henrik had nearly reached demigod level, and heard that Fu Qian had kept him occupied.
  • The poker-faced Night Watcher asked Fu Qian to meet chief Yuan Shan, and Wen Li joined him on the way to the Night Watchers' base.
  • Yuan Shan welcomed Fu Qian and asked about the report that he had hijacked Zha Yingjun's car and attended a banquet while Zha was unconscious.
  • Fu Qian admitted he had taken Zha's car to attend the banquet without an invitation, and Yuan Shan accepted his explanation before turning to business.

Ch. 119Hunters Crave Blood (18)

Fu Qian questioned Yuan Shan about the Night Watchers’ interest in Wen Li, and she took him into the Forbidden Zone to explain the corruption sealed there. She revealed that Henrik had been affected by a dangerous corpse, while the cause of the recent disturbances remained uncertain.

  • Yuan Shan assured Fu Qian that the Night Watchers were unlikely to punish him for his clash with Zha Yingjun, then asked why he had attended the banquet.
  • Fu Qian claimed he had once been entrusted with protecting Wen Li, and Yuan Shan led him through a hidden elevator to the Forbidden Zone.
  • Yuan Shan explained that Henrik had guarded the Forbidden Zone for years and that his mind had deteriorated even as his life force grew to demigod level.
  • Yuan Shan showed Fu Qian a sealed corpse whose ability to grow stronger by eating people had produced persistent corruption that caused exposed people to crave flesh.
  • Yuan Shan said Wen Li was being monitored because her ability was unusual, and mentioned that Henrik had stolen a dangerous object and someone had recently injured three Night Watchers during a break-in.
  • Fu Qian admitted that he had been the one who broke into the Forbidden Zone and injured the Night Watchers.

Ch. 120Hunters Crave Blood (19)

Fu Qian told Yuan Shan he suspected Henrik was being manipulated by a secret organization, and she revealed that the Native Council might be behind the plot. After Yuan Shan explained the dangerous mutation caused by the stolen item, she told Fu Qian that Henrik had been found.

  • Fu Qian admitted to entering the Night Watcher base and explained why he believed Henrik had accomplices.
  • Fu Qian described the assassination attempt involving a maid and a talking rabbit, and Yuan Shan considered his account credible.
  • Yuan Shan told Fu Qian that the secretive Native Council was suspected of corruption, curses, and possibly manipulating Henrik.
  • Yuan Shan explained that the stolen item had caused the corpse remains to mutate and destabilize nearby sealed corpses.
  • Yuan Shan offered Fu Qian a place among the Night Watchers, but he refused, and she then told him that Henrik had been found.

Ch. 121The Hunter Thirsts for Blood (20)

Fu Qian accompanied Yuan Shan to help capture Henrik, who had been fighting Poker Face and Chen Xing. Henrik broke free of Yuan Shan’s restraints and transformed, but Chen Xing slowed him long enough to strike him down, and his body fell apart.

  • Yuan Shan ordered Fu Qian to accompany her outside the Forbidden Zone and left the old man to guard the reinforced seal.
  • Yuan Shan and Fu Qian reached the remote location and found Poker Face and Chen Xing fighting Henrik with their allies.
  • Yuan Shan bound Henrik in layers of black nets, but he broke free when she tried to speak with him.
  • Henrik transformed and shattered the restraints, then lunged at the people around him.
  • Chen Xing used his ability to slow Henrik and struck his skull, causing Henrik to collapse and fall apart.

Ch. 122A Hunter's Thirst for Blood (21)

Fu Qian exposed Chen Mingda as a traitor who had made a deal with the Native Council, and Chen Mingda transformed and killed Chen Mingfei. A fragment of the Council’s consciousness emerged from Chen Mingda’s body, showed interest in Fu Qian’s item, and was smashed by Chen Xing.

  • Fu Qian suspected Chen Mingda and provoked him with accusations and repeated lashes.
  • Chen Mingda transformed, revealed that he had accepted a deal to cross a threshold, and killed Chen Mingfei.
  • Yuan Shan confronted Chen Mingda, but his head burst and a fragment of the Native Council’s consciousness spoke through his body.
  • The fragment said it had taken the item and asked about the interesting object in Fu Qian’s hand.
  • Chen Xing smashed the fragment’s grotesque head with one punch and appeared to age ten years.

Ch. 123The Hunter Craves Blood (22)

Chen Mingda’s corpse attacked Chen Xing, but Chen Xing’s grief triggered a sudden advancement to demigod and disintegrated the remains. After the Night Watchers left, Fu Qian decided he could begin his mission without restraint.

  • Chen Xing prepared to leave Chen Mingda’s body behind, but bloody flesh sprang from the corpse and wrapped around him.
  • Chen Xing’s aura surged, and his power disintegrated the tendrils and Chen Mingda’s corpse as he advanced to demigod.
  • Yuan Shan congratulated Chen Xing, who left without speaking to the Chen Clan members; Poker Face ordered the area around the remains sealed.
  • Yuan Shan thanked Fu Qian for exposing Henrik’s innocence and offered to recruit him, but Fu Qian declined and said he could help for a fee.
  • Yuan Shan and the Night Watchers left, and Fu Qian concluded that he could begin his mission without holding back.

Ch. 124The Hunter Craved Blood (23)

Fu Qian confronted Deng Feizhou at his residence, accusing him of conspiring with Chen Xing to use Blood of Thorns to help Chen Xing ascend. Deng Feizhou explained that the item had been a necessary material and agreed to help Fu Qian ascend if he could obtain another one by killing Old Man Chen.

  • Fu Qian suspected Deng Feizhou of helping orchestrate the theft and Henrik’s death, then went to Deng Feizhou’s residence alone.
  • Deng Feizhou attacked Fu Qian as he entered, but Fu Qian blocked him with a tentacled arm and proposed a deal.
  • Fu Qian accused Deng Feizhou and Chen Xing of sacrificing Chen Mingda to help Chen Xing become a demigod, and Deng Feizhou confirmed that Blood of Thorns had been a means to ascend.
  • Deng Feizhou told Fu Qian that the Night Watcher base had held the only item of its kind and that he would need to offer something valuable to receive help ascending.
  • Fu Qian asked whether killing Old Man Chen would make the item form on his corpse again, and Deng Feizhou said he would help if Fu Qian could bring it to him.

Ch. 125Hunter Thirsts for Blood (Twenty-Four)

Fu Qian questioned Deng Feizhou about his powers and learned why he had possessed Chen Mingda to conceal Chen Xing’s advancement to demigod. Deng Feizhou revealed the Native Council’s ambitions and admitted Chen Xing was on his way, leaving Fu Qian trapped with only minutes before their confrontation.

  • Deng Feizhou explained that Tyrant's Fist contained a curse and that he could share the senses of people he possessed.
  • Deng Feizhou demonstrated how painful it was to split off part of himself and said he had possessed Chen Mingda to cover for Chen Xing’s advancement to demigod.
  • Deng Feizhou described the Native Council’s aim to free humanity from its limits, while Fu Qian compared his ideas to those of Lu Ming and pressed him for the demigod advancement method.
  • Deng Feizhou revealed he had been stalling until his scheduled meeting with Chen Xing and warned Fu Qian that the newly advanced demigod was coming.
  • Fu Qian realized Deng Feizhou had trapped him behind invisible walls and asked how Deng Feizhou knew he was not the one stalling for time.

Ch. 126The Hunter Craved Blood (25)

Fu Qian killed Deng Feizhou and waited in his place for Chen Xing, a newly ascended demigod, whom he drew into a conversation by pretending to belong to the Native Council. Chen Xing accepted the cover story and explained why he had allowed his son Chen Mingda to die, leaving Fu Qian face-to-face with him.

  • Fu Qian used Law Remnants and Mythical Form to break Deng Feizhou's defenses, then killed him with repeated attacks.
  • Fu Qian cleaned the room, sat in Deng Feizhou's chair, and waited for Chen Xing to arrive.
  • When Chen Xing came at eight, Fu Qian used his tendril to make him believe he had a connection to Deng Feizhou.
  • Fu Qian claimed Deng Feizhou had left and presented himself as a Native Council member who had helped allay Yuan Shan's suspicions.
  • Chen Xing questioned Fu Qian, then said he had accepted Chen Mingda's death as a necessary sacrifice because the Chen family needed a demigod.
Arc 5 of 113