Chapter Summaries

Fu Qian told Selena about the Rebirth Club’s deep roots and the possibility that one of its members had advanced to New God, then drew her into a web of clues about its activity in Shangjing. Selena suspected the Club was pursuing Death Master’s legacy, while Fu Qian warned that its plans might be more complicated than they appeared.

• Selena said she had mistaken the Academy of Revelation for an organization like the others, and Fu Qian explained that the Night Watchers knew about his actions in the Archipelago.
• Fu Qian admitted he was interested in the Rebirth Club’s accumulated technology and said its roots ran deeper than they seemed.
• Fu Qian told Selena that someone in the Rebirth Club might have advanced to New God, and said the Night Watchers might know of it but Yuan Shan probably did not.
• Fu Qian listed Great Fortune Ming King, the bugs, and Death Master as clues linking the Rebirth Club to events in Shangjing.
• Selena asked whether the Rebirth Club and Great Fortune Ming King were seeking Death Master’s legacy, and Fu Qian cautioned that the Club might have more than one motive.

Fu Qian explained to Serena that his interest in Shangjing and the vampires came from the moon and from several converging academic interests, not an all-encompassing scheme. He admitted he still wanted to learn why the Rebirth Club was interested in vampires.

• Serena connected the Rebirth Club, Great Fortune Ming King, Taylor, and the Death Master’s mark to the vampires and realized Gulad had been at the center of events.
• Fu Qian told Serena he had come because of the moon and said he had known Him before the Red Moon’s oracle appeared.
• Fu Qian explained that the oracle and other events had partly been coincidences and denied being able to influence Higher Beings.
• Serena asked Fu Qian about his motives, and he said he was an academic who had stayed in Shangjing because several interests converged there.
• Fu Qian admitted he still wanted to understand why the Rebirth Club was interested in vampires.

Fu Qian asked Selena to pursue advancement so he could study how vampire bloodlines affected the process and potentially contact Red Moon. Selena accepted the proposal cautiously, saying she needed time to inherit Embo’s legacy.

• Fu Qian reassured Selena that he wanted her to advance further and study the role of vampire bloodlines.
• Selena doubted she could reach the Second Order, but Fu Qian urged her to learn from Embo’s ambition and experience.
• Fu Qian privately considered that helping Selena advance could reveal bloodline secrets and give him a chance to check on Red Moon.
• Selena asked whether Yuan Shan would object, and Fu Qian said he would present the work as his own project.
• Fu Qian explained that the Rebirth Club also wanted to uncover bloodline secrets, and Selena agreed to try to inherit Embo’s legacy.

Selena agreed to Fu Qian’s offer of support for her advancement, and he returned the bloodline Secret Treasure he had taken from Taylor. After she left, Fu Qian closed the Midnight Bookstore and used the Anywhere Door to return to his laboratory.

• Selena accepted Fu Qian’s proposal to help her advance, recognizing the opportunity and the danger posed by the Rebirth Club.
• Fu Qian gave Selena the bloodline Secret Treasure that could conceal its user, which he had taken from Taylor.
• Selena realized Fu Qian had been behind the earlier incident and lamented the Rebirth Club’s strength and the foolishness of the plan against it.
• Selena left to prepare, while Fu Qian wondered how long Shangjing’s night sky could endure and hoped she would bring good news.
• Fu Qian closed the Midnight Bookstore and used the Anywhere Door to return to his laboratory.

Fu Qian returned to the academy and questioned Liu Shuang and Wen Li about their work. He tested Liu Shuang’s sword strike, then challenged Wen Li, whose attack began as the group meeting turned violent.

• Fu Qian returned to find Liu Shuang and Wen Li sharing tea and talking about the Gospel Group.
• Liu Shuang explained that Wen Li had offered useful suggestions, and Wen Li asked whether they could use Fu Qian’s transportation chair.
• Fu Qian asked the women to report their progress and ordered Liu Shuang to attack him at full power.
• Liu Shuang wielded the Sword in the Stone and thrust at Fu Qian, who stopped the blade with two fingers.
• Fu Qian challenged Wen Li, and she extended her hand toward him with a dreamlike attack.

Fu Qian used his restored supernatural perception to check whether Wen Li and Ji Liushuang had been affected by the Dark Holy See mission, then tested The Firstborn's Vision while they attacked him. The vision revealed that Liu Shuang had concealed three sword strikes, though Fu Qian could only describe what he saw as three swords.

• Wen Li struck Fu Qian with full force, and he declared that she passed his test.
• Fu Qian covered his eyes with a ribbon and asked Ji Liushuang to attack while he used The Firstborn's Vision.
• Liu Shuang pierced Fu Qian's palm with a sword, leaving him absorbed in admiring the wound until he reassured her that he was fine.
• Fu Qian asked where Liu Shuang had aimed, and she named his brow, chest, and eyes.
• Fu Qian explained that he had seen three swords, surprising Wen Li and Liu Shuang.

Fu Qian tested Liu Shuang’s Sword Heart Clarity by explaining how he had perceived several real swords at once, then considered whether her swordsmanship might be connected to her bloodline. After his palm healed and he screamed, Professor Lisha stormed into the laboratory.

• Fu Qian explained that he had seen three real swords and knew which one he could reach for, confusing Wen Li and Liu Shuang.
• Liu Shuang recognized Fu Qian’s description as similar to her Sword Intent, and Wen Li identified it as Sword Heart Clarity.
• Fu Qian asked whether the Sword Participation Institute had studied the origin of Liu Shuang’s Sword Intent, and she said its instructors considered it an untraceable stroke of luck.
• Fu Qian wondered whether Liu Shuang’s Sword Heart Clarity and cultivation talent were connected to her bloodline and her connection to the Unseen Hill’s deep power.
• Fu Qian’s palm healed, and after he let out a sudden scream, Professor Lisha burst into the laboratory in anger.

Fu Qian summoned Professor Lisha with the Bone Horseshoe Crab and discussed her growing workload on the archive project. He suggested forming a proper working group and delegating administrative work, leaving Lisha to consider how to manage the expanded project.

• Fu Qian used the Bone Horseshoe Crab to summon Lisha, who arrived annoyed that he had not asked someone to fetch her.
• Lisha learned that Fu Qian’s expedition had gone well, then reported that the dean’s standards had more than doubled her workload on the archive project.
• Fu Qian sympathized with Lisha’s situation and proposed replacing her makeshift team with a formal working group that she would lead.
• Fu Qian suggested that Lisha’s assistant handle administration so Lisha could focus on her research.

Professor Lisha left to ask Cas for recommendations for the work group after Fu Qian encouraged her to take that step. Fu Qian then advised Ji Liushuang to keep the Ji Clan out of the escalating conflict between An Jing and Siren, but she resolved to voice her opinion as Next Patriarch.

• Fu Qian suggested that Professor Lisha ask Cas to recommend people for the work group, and she hurried off to find him.
• Fu Qian reflected that the assignment might help Lisha integrate into the academy, while checking that the Burial Scroll had not harmed her.
• Fu Qian asked Liu Shuang whether her family was facing trouble, and she explained that the Ji Clan was debating whether to join the conflict between An Jing and Siren.
• Fu Qian advised Ji Liushuang to keep the Ji Clan low-profile because the Night Watcher might intervene if events grew too chaotic.
• Ji Liushuang decided to share her view despite her limited influence as Next Patriarch, and Fu Qian reminded her of her other identity.

Ji Liushuang decided to warn the Ji Clan against becoming fully involved in the conflict, despite the uncertainty surrounding the Rebirth Club’s role. Fu Qian suggested the club might soon make another move, and then asked Wen Li about her progress.

• Fu Qian explained that Ji Liushuang’s position as Next Patriarch gave her influence but little certainty that she could reclaim power in the Ji Clan.
• Ji Liushuang considered using her identity as the Rebirth Club’s saintess to warn the Ji Clan, but recognized that the club’s part in the conflict could make her words seem suspicious.
• Ji Liushuang concluded that her opposition to full involvement would still signal that the Ji Clan should slow down, and planned to report back and visit her mother if needed.
• Fu Qian warned that the Rebirth Club might make another move soon, and Ji Liushuang said she would take advantage of it if the situation allowed.
• Fu Qian turned to Wen Li and asked whether she had found a way to advance further.

Fu Qian discussed Wen Li’s rapid advancement and the Night Watchers’ possible interest in her title and test results, assuring her that she should tell the truth if questioned. After dinner with Wen Li and Ji Liushuang in the lab, he stepped through an illusory door and disappeared.

• Wen Li told Fu Qian that Professor Weilong and the Spirit Ash Institute were focused on confirming her condition was stable and had no plan for her reaching the Second Order.
• Fu Qian explained that the Night Watchers might review Wen Li because of her title, and that the Institute’s test reports could help assess her safety.
• Wen Li asked how to explain what had happened, and Fu Qian told her to tell the truth and said he would take responsibility.
• Fu Qian, Wen Li, and Ji Liushuang ate a team dinner in the lab, with fish from the Midnight Diner.
• Fu Qian warned Ji Liushuang and Wen Li not to slack off, then stepped through an illusory door and vanished from their view.

Fu Qian used the bookstore’s new Illusory Gate to visit the Gods' Burial Ground, where he heard the Doomsday Melody from the Sea of Ashes and discovered the floor had begun to rot with crimson liquid. The strange changes suggested that events in the Sea of Ashes had affected the Burial Ground, and Fu Qian was left investigating the connection.

• Fu Qian returned to the bookstore after completing examinations for Liu Shuang, Miss Wen, and Professor Lisha, and confirmed that none showed signs of reverse contamination.
• Fu Qian used the spike on the bookstore chair to open a gate to Liliana's Hideout in the Gods' Burial Ground.
• Fu Qian heard the Doomsday Melody that had played by the Inverted Lake in the Sea of Ashes.
• Fu Qian explored the worn hideout and considered whether the storms there represented ancient destruction.
• Fu Qian found that the floor where Liliana had wept was rotten, riddled with holes, and seeping crimson liquid reminiscent of the Blood Lake.

Fu Qian discovered that Blood Lake’s influence had reached Senior Liliana’s hiding place and used the Firstborn's Vision to find footprints invisible to the naked eye. He traced them to a higher floor overlooking Liliana’s former quarters, suggesting someone or something had watched her there.

• Fu Qian found a tiny white worm in the debris and recognized it as the kind that lived in Blood Lake, raising concerns that its boundaries were being breached.
• Fu Qian put on the Firstborn's Vision and noticed an unusual trace in an otherwise empty part of the room.
• Fu Qian realized the trace was a set of footprints and considered whether they belonged to Senior Liliana or someone who had visited after her death.
• Fu Qian followed the footprints backward through the hallway and up the spiral staircase to a higher floor.
• Fu Qian reached a vantage point overlooking Liliana’s former quarters, where someone could have watched her without disturbing her.

Fu Qian investigated strange footprints near Liliana’s Hideout and suspected they were traces of a Night Watchers surveillance method. He left the ruins to explore the surrounding bubble, where an unseen historical trace attacked and wounded him, leaving the path ahead blocked by an ancient force.

• Fu Qian recalled an earlier encounter with a suspected Night Watchers alert method and considered whether someone had been watching Liliana.
• Fu Qian decided not to return to the city and walked away from Liliana’s Hideout to investigate the bubble.
• Fu Qian observed that space and time kept jumping around him as the storm cycled, yet he still did not reach the bubble’s edge.
• Fu Qian put on The Firstborn's Vision and encountered a conceptual trace that attacked him and injured his shoulder.
• Fu Qian understood the attack as a sealed-off event from the past, in which an Ancient Guardian wielding the Sword of Heavenly Punishment had barred passage.

Fu Qian retraced his path through the strange ruins, returned to his bookstore, and used his recorded coordinates to reach the Blood Lake. There he found traces of the First Generation Dark Moon and a Soul Butterfly, strengthening his suspicion that the site was the Dragon King's Burial Ground.

• Fu Qian walked backward through the storm to retrace his route, but Senior Liliana was still nowhere to be found.
• Fu Qian returned through the illusory door to his bookstore as morning broke in Shangjing.
• Fu Qian used the ring tied to Su Gao to open a door to his recorded location in the Blood Lake.
• Fu Qian found that the Brooding Phoenixes had decayed, leaving only bone remnants and a ruined phoenix feather.
• Fu Qian discovered blood-red flowers shaped like those associated with the First Generation Dark Moon and found a Soul Butterfly among them.

Fu Qian discovered that the Soul Butterflies and flowers in the Burial Ground might be remnants of the Dragon King, who seemed to have died there. Believing he had arrived too late to meet his old acquaintance, Fu Qian chose to stay and face whatever danger awaited.

• Fu Qian found a Soul Butterfly and connected its resemblance to the Dragon King's scales with the strange flowers, corrupted surroundings, and Doomsday Tune in the Burial Ground.
• Fu Qian released the butterfly and followed it, then found another trapped in the bloody filth.
• Fu Qian saw a large swarm of Soul Butterflies dancing over the blood, their pattern faintly outlining the Dragon King's wings and suggesting his garments were all that remained of him.
• Fu Qian noticed threadworms gathering nearby and suspected the area held many of the detector-like variety.
• Fu Qian decided not to retreat, climbed onto a protrusion, unsealed The Firstborn's Vision, and called out to the Dragon King.

At the place where the Dragon King fell, Fu Qian used The Firstborn's Vision to perceive the Dragon King's corpse and discovered he could eat its flesh. His actions drew the attention of another self-proclaimed apostle of the Dragon King, who transformed into a dragonlike creature as Fu Qian watched.

• Fu Qian put on The Firstborn's Vision and saw a vision of the Dragon King's corpse being devoured by zombies.
• Fu Qian used the vision to eat the Dragon King's flesh, then encountered a figure who asked whether he was also an apostle of the Dragon King.
• Fu Qian claimed they were the same and shaped his hand into a claw resembling the Dragon King's Dimensional Poison.
• The other apostle rejected Fu Qian's claim and transformed into a pale, slick, clawed creature with a reptilian head.

Fu Qian challenged the Apostle’s claim to be closer to the Dragon King, while suspecting the encounter might be a test. After recognizing the Apostle’s devotional gesture as a sign connected to the Dragon King’s oaths, Fu Qian imitated it to prove his own claim.

• Fu Qian defended his use of Dimensional Poison as closer to the Dragon King’s power, provoking the Apostle’s anger.
• The Apostle turned toward the Dragon King’s cenotaph and made a solemn gesture with his claws.
• Fu Qian considered whether the Apostle was a genuine believer or a Night Watcher testing him.
• Fu Qian recognized that the gesture resembled the grasping of the three umbilical cords used to forge an oath.
• The Apostle waited for Fu Qian to answer the challenge, and Fu Qian flawlessly copied the gesture.

Fu Qian’s pose stopped the thousand-year storm and brought the Dragon King back through the Soul Butterflies. He confronted the furious Higher Being and demanded that it return what it had taken from him.

• Fu Qian noticed the Soul Butterflies settle into dragon-wing shapes as the thousand-year storm abruptly stopped.
• Brother Apostle asked the date, then insisted that the special day had not yet arrived.
• The Soul Butterflies gathered into the Dragon King’s form, and Fu Qian recognized its roar from Dragon Peak and Forsaken Prison.
• Fu Qian called the Dragon King insufficiently dragon-like, provoking a furious roar.
• Fu Qian admitted he was responsible and demanded that the Dragon King return what it had taken from him.

Fu Qian confronted the Dragon King and recognized the Scarlet Fever it was using as a remnant tied to the Tyrant. After surviving a claw strike and claiming part of the contamination, he watched the Dragon King spread its wings and reveal a form that seemed wrong.

• Fu Qian prepared to attack the Dragon King, but the motionless apostle began coughing up red mist that formed the Dragon King's body.
• Fu Qian identified the mist as Scarlet Fever and connected the Dragon King to a remnant of the Tyrant.
• The Dragon King attacked Fu Qian with a giant Scarlet Fever claw, and Fu Qian let it strike him.
• Fu Qian confirmed that the Scarlet Fever remained aligned with the Tyrant and claimed a wisp of it from the claw.
• The Dragon King roared, spread its wings, and revealed a body that made Fu Qian question its form.