Chapter Summaries

Fu Qian posed as Lu and questioned the patrons at the inn, learning that they were waiting for a blessing tied to the ruins and an ancient dragon. He warned that more bloodshed was certain, then left after noticing three cloaked figures in a dark corner.

• Fu Qian accepted Nora’s drink and pretended to recognize Old Man Tir as the Hand of Justice.
• Tir told Fu Qian that the blessing had not appeared yet and that they might have to keep waiting to see the ruins’ former glory.
• Nora asked whether the blessing would return, and Fu Qian insisted that something was bound to happen.
• When Nora asked if the Ancient Dragon would appear, Fu Qian cryptically predicted bloodshed if he used his right hand.
• Fu Qian warned that the deaths were only beginning, confirmed that lodging was free, and left after noticing three silent, hooded patrons.

Fu Qian waited in the rest area for the guest he expected while the blessing’s feather-storm began to fall. A cloaked figure arrived and sat across from him, and Fu Qian recognized the figure as Lorraine's Son.

• Old Man Tir, Nora, and the artisan decided to wait for the blessing rather than leave.
• Fu Qian went to the rest area, where Gerard let him pass after Fu Qian explained he needed to rest.
• Fu Qian settled in a quiet room and waited as the feather-storm began to fall, eroding his flesh.
• A cloaked figure appeared, froze the feathers, and sat opposite Fu Qian.
• Fu Qian looked at the figure and recognized Lorraine's Son.

Fu Qian met Lorraine's Son, Elina, and Cross at Dragon Peak Inn and questioned them about their interest in the Ancient Dragon's Blessing. Elina revealed that they had come seeking the Ancient Dragon, though they were not certain it would appear.

• Fu Qian recognized Lorraine's Son as the willful fetus controlling Lorraine's body and noted that Elina and Cross had escaped the Angel Dungeon with it.
• Fu Qian invited Lorraine's Son, Elina, and Cross into a quiet room and admitted that he had deliberately provoked Lorraine's Son.
• Elina apologized for Lorraine's behavior and explained that Lorraine's will had vanished, while Fu Qian revealed he knew about her and the fetus.
• Elina calmed Lorraine's Son when Fu Qian's movement made it agitated, and Fu Qian asked whether the group had come for something they absolutely needed.
• Elina said their goal was the Ancient Dragon, but admitted they were not sure it would appear.

Fu Qian learned why Elina's team had come to the ruins and considered how to identify the Oathbreaker. He left the conversation convinced that the coming blessing would turn bloodier, and contemplated killing everyone until the mission restarted.

• Elina explained that the ruins were tied to an ancient dragon cult and that the Ancient Dragon was an extraordinary creature rather than a true god.
• Elina said her team wanted to obtain something precious to the Siren and trade it for an item the Siren possessed.
• When Elina asked whether this year's blessing would bring more bloodshed, Fu Qian said he would create more himself if necessary.
• Fu Qian assessed the Siren, the Ji Clan, Elina's trio, and the wanderers, but found their conflicts too weak to explain the Oathbreaker's deadly fate.
• Fu Qian considered killing everyone in sight and letting the mission restart as a way to identify and protect the Oathbreaker.

Elina and Fu Qian reached an understanding that their group would avoid interfering with each other while pursuing the Ancient Dragon. Gerard then arrived with Siren’s remaining members and confronted them after another person was found dead.

• Elina reasoned that she could cause bloodshed herself if necessary, and Fu Qian agreed not to break his promise unless bloodshed occurred.
• Elina assured Fu Qian that the group intended to target only the Ancient Dragon.
• Gerard returned with a crowd from Siren and questioned Elina and Fu Qian about what they had been doing.
• Fu Qian deduced that someone had died because Gerard’s group had one fewer member than before.
• Fu Qian explained that he and Elina had agreed to work together, and Elina realized the new death meant she would not have to cause bloodshed herself.

Elina agreed to work with Fu Qian and joined Gerard in returning to the tavern, where Fu Qian examined a woman killed by a strange crystal curse. He suspected the delayed, long-distance method of murder had been chosen to make alibis useless, leaving the identity and motive of the killer unresolved.

• Elina told Gerard that her group had decided to work with Mr. Lu during the coming blessings because their interests aligned.
• Gerard asked Elina's group to accompany him, and Fu Qian readily agreed.
• Fu Qian and the others returned to the tavern, where the patrons remained after the woman's death.
• Fu Qian examined the woman, whose flesh, blood, and bones had turned into crystals.
• Fu Qian reasoned that the curse could kill from a distance with a delay and wondered whether the method had been chosen to undermine alibis.

After a second murder, Gerard accused Fu Qian and restrained him with the supernatural item Sinking Anchor. Fu Qian tested the chain’s immense weight, then moved his unbound right hand as the confrontation continued.

• Gerard asked Fu Qian to prove his innocence, and Fu Qian refused while remaining defiantly calm.
• Amir mocked Gerard and the Siren Group, prompting Gerard to attack with Sinking Anchor.
• Sinking Anchor wrapped around Fu Qian and weighed him down as Gerard said he could not leave.
• Fu Qian tested the chain’s resistance, then moved his unbound right hand.

Fu Qian used his gray eye to trap the transcendent beings in a dream and demonstrate his power. He declared that he would intervene in both transcendent and ordinary affairs, then identified himself as the Native Council.

• Fu Qian revealed the eye in his palm, causing the world to lose its color and the onlookers to feel overwhelming danger.
• Elina realized the scene was likely a dream and calmed Lorraine, choosing to wait rather than disrupt Fu Qian's apparent control.
• Fu Qian explained that he had used Clear Dream and Law Remnants to weaken and deceive the group, while Lorraine resisted the dream more than the others.
• Fu Qian walked through Gerard's Sinking Anchor restraints, lifted the anchor, and attacked Gerard with shards from an exploding bottle without harming the onlookers.
• Fu Qian declared that he would handle the affairs of transcendent beings and ordinary people, then named Blood Melting Soul Transformation, Blasphemy Against God Deceiving Fate, and the Native Council.

Fu Qian let Gerard expose him as Ji Ping, a supposed Ji Clan scion with the Gray Descent talent, provoking alarm and suspicion among the people trapped in the inn. Amir insisted the Ji Clan had no interest in Siren’s people, and Fu Qian denied being the person Gerard had named, leaving the reason for the powers’ restraint unclear.

• Gerard accused Fu Qian of being connected to the Ji Clan and called him Ji Ping, claiming he had once left the clan after failing to inherit his talent.
• The inn’s spectators recognized Ji Ping’s name and suspected Fu Qian was using the terrifying Gray Descent talent.
• Amir rejected Gerard’s accusation, arguing that a Ji Clan ally would not use such an obvious disguise, and declared that the clan had no interest in Siren’s people.
• Fu Qian suggested he might be a resentful clan outcast trying to provoke conflict, then denied being Ji Ping.
• Fu Qian reflected that Siren and the Ji Clan seemed to be avoiding a direct clash despite their apparent hostility.

Fu Qian questioned who was engineering the deaths and suspected the Oathbreaker might be behind the attempt to create chaos. When the blessing appeared, Gerard chose to continue the mission with the Siren and Ji Clan, while other groups withdrew and Nora waited for Tir to decide what to do.

• Fu Qian reasoned that the suspicious deaths might be meant to stir conflict and draw him into the situation, though he doubted Elina's team was responsible.
• Gerard tried to take Fu Qian back to verify his identity, but the blessing appeared before he could finish.
• Gerard ordered the Siren to follow the original plan and left Fu Qian behind at the shop.
• Fu Qian accepted the proprietress's liquor while the Siren and Ji Clan set out toward the blessing.
• Several other groups chose to retreat, and Nora asked Tir to decide whether their group would continue.

Nora, Old Man Tir, and the artisan decided to continue exploring after learning that Ji Ping might be impersonated, while Fu Qian stayed behind to drink and talk with Manager Sunny. Fu Qian then walked away despite the Sinking Anchor’s supernatural resistance, and he suspected Sunny was pretending to be affected by the Clear Dream.

• Nora and Old Man Tir secretly discussed the possibility that Fu Qian was Ji Ping and whether the Native Council’s actions threatened Siren.
• Old Man Tir persuaded Nora and the artisan to stay and explore, reasoning that the confusion would distract Ji Clan and Siren and reduce competition.
• Fu Qian remained in the shop with Elina and spoke with Manager Sunny while the other patrons questioned his decision to linger.
• After finishing his wine, Fu Qian grabbed the iron anchor and walked out against its supernatural resistance, astonishing the people in the shop.
• As Fu Qian approached the ruins, he judged that Manager Sunny seemed unusually unaffected by the Clear Dream and was pretending otherwise.

Fu Qian entered the Ancient Dragon faith’s vast, radiant grounds, where golden liquid rained from an overhead river, and made his way to Old Man Tir and Nora’s shelter. He caught a glittering drop of the strange rain just before entering, leaving its effects unknown.

• Fu Qian used Sinking Anchor to appear restrained as he entered the radiant grounds of the Ancient Dragon faith.
• Fu Qian found the sprawling complex deserted and struggled to figure out how he would locate the Oathbreaker.
• Fu Qian dodged golden raindrops as they fell from a river of liquid suspended above him.
• Fu Qian knocked on a bronze door, and Old Man Tir and Nora let him inside.
• Fu Qian reached into the rain and pulled back a glittering drop between his fingers.

Fu Qian caught a valuable Soul Butterfly and gave it to Nora’s group, then deliberately tested its mind-bending reflection. He resisted its influence, while Tir explained that the golden rain could make people more vulnerable to the butterfly’s spell.

• Fu Qian caught a Soul Butterfly, released it, and caught it again as Nora and the others marveled at its rarity.
• Fu Qian offered the butterfly to Nora, explaining that he would need to go with Gerard after the blessing ended.
• Tir warned Fu Qian that looking at the butterfly’s mirrored wing could beguile him, but Fu Qian examined his reflection anyway.
• Fu Qian saw wormlike creatures emerging from his reflection and briefly felt compelled to pull them out, but resisted the spell and stopped.
• Tir explained that the golden rain also affected people’s minds and made them more susceptible to the Soul Butterfly.

Fu Qian questioned Old Man Tir’s group about the blessing, the Ancient Dragon, and how to leave, then gave them another Soul Butterfly as a warning to flee. Tir and his teammates hurried away while Fu Qian headed deeper into the hall and sat on its enormous throne.

• Fu Qian asked Old Man Tir about the strange sight in the sky, the Ancient Dragon, and the danger of Soul Butterflies.
• Tir explained that the Ancient Dragon had appeared from above before, that its victims were decapitated, and that people generally had to wait for the blessing to end before leaving.
• Tir said Soul Butterflies tended to appear near the Ancient Dragon, and Fu Qian formed a second Soul Butterfly and offered it to Nora.
• Tir urged Nora and their other teammate to flee the area, while Fu Qian walked deeper into the hall and sat on the throne.

Fu Qian sat in the Ancient Dragon’s grand hall and discovered the creature was a powerful, huntable force rather than a true god. After it attacked him and he stopped its strikes, Lorraine intervened with a holy arrow, driving the dragon away.

• Fu Qian waited on the golden chair as the Ancient Dragon appeared above the hall, revealing wings made of scales like those of Soul Butterflies.
• The Ancient Dragon watched Fu Qian, then withdrew into the golden river and secretly launched a powerful spear at him.
• Fu Qian caught and shattered the spear, and the Ancient Dragon revealed itself and hurled a crystal meteor at him.
• Fu Qian stopped and destroyed the meteor, then challenged the Ancient Dragon to face him directly.
• Lorraine shot the Ancient Dragon with a holy arrow, interrupting its breath attack and making it vanish in a burst of illusory feathers.

Fu Qian met Elina, Lorraine, and Cross in the hall after the Ancient Dragon fled, and they discussed tracking the wounded creature. Their conversation was interrupted when Gerard and the Siren special-ops team arrived, leaving both groups startled to find Fu Qian there.

• The Ancient Dragon fled after gaining a slight disadvantage, and Fu Qian stayed by the golden throne instead of pursuing it.
• Elina, Lorraine, and Cross entered the hall, and Elina asked Fu Qian whether he had fought the dragon.
• Elina explained that Lorraine had injured the dragon and marked it for tracking, while admitting they had considered using Fu Qian as bait.
• Fu Qian suggested ending their temporary alliance, but told them they could stay and warned that things might get lively.
• Gerard and the Siren special-ops team burst through a stained-glass window, and Gerard froze when he recognized Fu Qian.

Fu Qian confronted Gerard and the Siren members at Dragon Peak Inn, then welcomed Amir and the Ji Clan inside. As Amir began explaining their arrival, a torrent of golden light burst through the window and swallowed Fu Qian on his throne.

• Gerard led the Siren members through the broken window and questioned Fu Qian, who said he had walked there carrying Sinking Anchor.
• Gerard suspected Elina and the others had helped Fu Qian, while Elina regretted staying with him because it could look like they were still allies.
• Fu Qian questioned Gerard about the Siren group splitting up and suffering losses, then claimed the inn and invited them to rest.
• Fu Qian called for the people outside to use the front door, and Amir entered with the Ji Clan members.
• Amir told Fu Qian the Ji Clan had come because they saw signs of a dragon, but a golden torrent burst through the window and swallowed Fu Qian on his throne.

Elina watched the Siren use a demigod fishman’s head and an apparition of a deep-sea creature to trap the Ancient Dragon, while Fu Qian remained unharmed after the dragon’s attack. Gerard claimed the hunt was under control, but Fu Qian’s attention turned to the cage and the distinction between mermaids and fishmen.

• The Ancient Dragon ambushed Fu Qian with a destructive torrent, and a singing head in Gerard’s golden cage became visible.
• Elina recognized the Siren’s preparations as serious and restrained Lorraine from intervening as the Ancient Dragon began to retreat.
• A hazy purple tentacled apparition seized the Ancient Dragon and blocked its escape, making Elina believe the Siren had won the hunt.
• Elina saw that Fu Qian had survived the attack unharmed and heard him accuse the Ancient Dragon of coveting his Golden Throne.
• Fu Qian asked whether the cage held a demigod mermaid’s head, and Gerard corrected him that it was a demigod fishman’s head.

Gerard left Fu Qian pinned beneath the Sinking Anchor as the Ancient Dragon was dragged down, while Elina and her companions prepared to leave. A lightning barrage shattered the hall but missed its apparent target, and Elina suspected Kelson and the Siren were responsible.

• Gerard thanked Fu Qian for his help, then left with the Siren party while the Ancient Dragon struggled against the tentacles.
• Amir's group also departed, and Elina asked Fu Qian if he needed help before leaving with Cross and Lorraine.
• A vast forest of silver-serpent lightning engulfed the hall, but Lorraine's halo shielded Elina and Cross.
• Fu Qian said the attack had gone wide and pointed out that the area around the hunting target had taken most of the damage.
• Elina wondered whether the Siren had fired the barrage and whether Kelson had arrived.

Fu Qian and Elina realized Kelson was behind the lightning attack, which exposed the Ancient Dragon as an illusion and drove its true form into the open. As Kelson pursued the fleeing blessed creature, Fu Qian shed his disguise and prepared to intervene, confirming that his old friend was the demigod chasing it.

• Fu Qian and Elina concluded that Kelson, the Sirens’ representative, was behind the lightning jungle and that his attack was not aimed at them.
• Elina saw the Ancient Dragon disintegrate into an illusion, then watched a small blessed creature flee as lightning pursued it.
• Elina and her team left the hall after Fu Qian reminded them to use the front door.
• Fu Qian watched Kelson’s lightning tear through the creature’s defenses as it fled toward the ruins.
• Fu Qian broke free of his stone-like disguise and confirmed that Kelson was the pursuer.