Chapter Summaries

Shi Lan and the injured Shi Feng received treatment at a clinic in Shuangyue City, where Shi Lan learned that wild beasts had been attacking people. She was shocked to discover that Du Baisheng had never heard of demon beasts, despite their invasion, and wondered why the Demon-Suppressing Army was concealing the danger in the city.

• Du Yue'er treated Shi Lan's wounded left hand and told her to rest it for at least a month.
• Du Yue'er gave Shi Feng medicine, and Du Baisheng later found that his inner breath remained steady despite his severe injuries.
• Du Baisheng introduced himself and Du Yue'er, then told Shi Lan that wild beasts had recently grown violent around Shuangyue City.
• Shi Lan told Du Baisheng that she and Shi Feng had come from Tenglong City and were fleeing demon beasts.
• Du Baisheng said no one in Shuangyue City had heard of demon beasts in nearly a hundred years, leaving Shi Lan questioning why the Demon-Suppressing Army was concealing the danger.

Shi Lan learned that Shuangyue City’s city lord had concealed news of the Demon Race invasion and accepted a quest to uncover why. The next morning, black-armored soldiers tested Du Yue’er with a glowing stone, recorded her details, and warned the clinic not to leave the city; Shi Lan followed them.

• Shi Lan told Du Baisheng about the Demon Race invasion, and he explained that the city lord’s private troops had arrived while the city relied on the residence for outside news.
• Shi Lan worried about the danger around Shuangyue City and accepted Samsara’s side quest to uncover why the Demon Suppression Army was concealing information.
• Two black-armored soldiers arrived at the clinic and asked for Du Baisheng’s thirteen-year-old granddaughter.
• Du Yue’er touched a stone slab that glowed red, then answered the soldiers’ questions as one recorded her details in a ledger.
• The soldiers warned the clinic not to leave the city, and Shi Lan followed them from a distance.

Shi Lan followed the Demon-Suppression Army as its soldiers surveyed Twin Moon City, then learned that their recruitment drive was meant to bolster forces against demon beasts. She planned to investigate by joining, but found the city had been locked down so nobody could leave.

• Shi Lan watched the soldiers test residents with a stone slab and record those who produced black or red light.
• Worried by the soldiers’ visit, Du Baisheng prepared to leave Twin Moon City, but Shi Lan persuaded him to wait while she investigated.
• Shi Lan learned that the rare herbs Shi Feng had used for her cultivation cost thousands of taels, and realized he had understated their price.
• The soldiers posted a recruitment proclamation offering a hundred gold to those who passed selection for the City Lord’s private army.
• Shi Lan decided to check out the recruitment, but a masked soldier stopped her at the city gate and told her Twin Moon City was under lockdown.

Shi Lan learned that Twin Moon City had been locked down, then prepared for a selection at the City Lord's Estate that offered gold and entry into the City Lord's private army. The chapter ended as the first contestant stepped up to test his strength against a mysterious stone.

• Shi Lan learned from a restaurant owner that Twin Moon City was under lockdown and told Du Baisheng they could not leave.
• Shi Feng woke at the clinic, drank water, and told Shi Lan that joining the Demon-Suppression Army might earn them healing pills and a chance to escape.
• Du Yue'er changed Shi Lan's dressing and found that her wound had healed unusually quickly.
• Shi Lan went to the City Lord's Estate, where Nie Yangze announced a strength test offering gold and places in his private army.
• A burly man volunteered to be the first to strike the stone.

Shi Lan joined the Demon-Suppression Army recruitment test and passed with the second-deepest fist mark. She and the other twenty-five successful candidates entered the city lord’s residence and arrived before Nie Yangze.

• A burly man failed the fist-strength test, and black-armored soldiers beat another man who also fell short of the requirement.
• Yan Shan passed the test with a seven-inch-and-five-tenths mark, and only a handful of the martial artists who followed him succeeded.
• Shi Lan passed with a seven-inch-and-nine-tenths mark after adding strength to her punch, surprising the soldiers and drawing Yan Shan’s serious attention.
• The test ended with twenty-six people passing; a black-robed man ranked first, Shi Lan second, and Yan Shan third.
• A black-armored soldier led the successful candidates into the city lord’s residence, where they saw Nie Yangze seated in the great hall.

Shi Lan and seventeen other martial artists joined the Demon-Suppressing Army after Nie Yangze revealed that the demon beast calamity threatened Twin Moon City and offered to protect two loved ones per recruit. Shi Lan brought the injured Shi Feng back to the City Lord’s Manor, then joined the other recruits at a training ground, where an officer in distinctive black armor arrived.

• Nie Yangze gave the martial artists the choice to take their rewards and leave or join his force, and eighteen stayed to enlist.
• Nie Yangze revealed that the recruits would join the Demon-Suppressing Army and that each could bring up to two loved ones to safety.
• Shi Lan realized the limit meant she could bring only Shi Feng and left the manor under the watch of two Demon-Suppressing soldiers.
• Shi Lan returned to the clinic, reassured Du Yue'er and Du Baisheng that she was not leaving Twin Moon City, and took Shi Feng back to the manor.
• After settling Shi Feng into a room, Shi Lan went to the training ground, where the eighteen recruits gathered and an armored figure with crimson markings arrived.

Huangfu Yun explained why Shuangyue City’s people had to remain behind its walls and fight the demonic beasts, despite the likely fall of the city. He also revealed that a Skycloud Treasure Ship would evacuate talented children and their families before the defenders prepared to risk their lives.

• Huangfu Yun introduced himself as a centurion and told the eighteen martial artists that Shuangyue City had an eighty percent chance of falling.
• Jiang Li urged the Demon-Suppression Army to end the curfew and escort the people out, but Huangfu Yun explained that past evacuations had led to near-total losses and could trigger panic across the region.
• Huangfu Yun declared that Shuangyue City’s residents would live or die with the city, completing Shi Lan’s side quest.
• Shi Lan asked about the registered children and the stone slab, and Huangfu Yun explained that a Skycloud Treasure Ship would take talented children and eligible relatives to safety.
• Huangfu Yun said people with black Root Bone talent could board alone and people with red talent could bring one relative, then told the martial artists to prepare to leave their lives behind.

Shi Lan joined Huangfu Yun's Demon-Suppressing Army and learned that he had discovered she was a woman, but he promised not to revoke her two places aboard the Cloudsoar Treasure Ship. Jiang Li then asked to buy her second place, revealing that the spots could be transferred.

• Huangfu Yun distributed Demon-Suppression Tokens, and Jiang Li, Yan Shan, Shi Lan, and the other martial artists bound themselves to the Demon-Suppressing Army by offering their blood.
• Huangfu Yun welcomed the eighteen recruits and told them to cherish the next two days with their families before their armor arrived.
• Huangfu Yun privately told Shi Lan he knew she was a woman, assured her that her two shipboard places were safe, and warned her that she would receive no special treatment in battle.
• Shi Lan returned toward Shi Feng's room, where Jiang Li stopped her and asked whether she would sell him her second place aboard the Cloudsoar Treasure Ship.
• Jiang Li told Shi Lan that City Lord Nie had confirmed the places could be transferred.

Shi Lan traded with Jiang Li for spirit crystals and discovered that they greatly strengthened her through the Jade Forging Art. Huangfu Yun brought her repaired Demon Suppression Army armor and confirmed that her injured brother Shi Feng would need to recover after they reached the Shengwu Immortal Sect.

• Jiang Li offered Shi Lan twenty thousand gold and three spirit crystals for her place aboard the Cloudskimming Treasure Ship, and Shi Lan accepted the crystals while returning the gold.
• Shi Lan cultivated with one spirit crystal for nearly two hours, greatly increasing her strength and healing her arm, but the crystal was spent.
• Huangfu Yun brought Shi Lan a repaired suit of heavy black armor taken from a fallen comrade because Twin Moon City had no women's armor.
• Huangfu Yun examined Shi Feng, told Shi Lan that his severe injuries were not life-threatening, and said he could recover after they reached the Shengwu Immortal Sect.
• Shi Lan put on the armor and inspected her reflection in the mirror.

Shi Lan used two system draws to obtain Bone-Strengthening Pills and Cloudflying Boots, then broke through to the eighth level of Body Tempering Realm. After recovering and meeting Jiang Li’s family, she learned the Cloudsky Treasure Ship would arrive in Twin Moon City the next morning.

• Shi Lan drew Bone-Strengthening Pills and Cloudflying Boots, discovering that the boots doubled her speed and eased the weight of her armor.
• Shi Lan took Bone-Strengthening Pills through the night and broke through to the eighth level of Body Tempering Realm.
• Shi Lan found that her wound had healed, then washed and changed with help from two maids.
• Jiang Li brought his wife and children to visit, and his children knelt to thank Shi Lan for ensuring their mother would survive.
• Jiang Li told Shi Lan that the Cloudsky Treasure Ship would arrive in Twin Moon City the next morning, so he had brought his family to meet her in advance.

Shi Lan returned to the clinic to tell Du Baisheng and Du Yue'er that the Cloud Soaring Treasure Ship would arrive the next day, then went back to the City Lord's Manor and trained with a new halberd technique from Samsara. After pushing herself in combat simulations, Shi Lan heard Shi Feng wake up.

• Shi Lan learned that Jiang Li's wife, Tang Yan, would accompany her, and Jiang Li left with his wife and child.
• Shi Lan told Du Baisheng and Du Yue'er to board the Cloud Soaring Treasure Ship the next day, claiming she would leave Twin Moon City later with the Demon-Subduing Army.
• Samsara gave Shi Lan the three-form technique Burning Heaven's Three Halberds and explained that some former hosts had become powerful, though few had severed their bindings and survived.
• Shi Lan practiced with the Violetstar Sevenstar Halberd in simulations, defeating packs of Ironback Wolves before being overwhelmed by two hundred and fifty.
• Shi Lan returned from the virtual space at midnight, and Shi Feng awoke after coughing twice.

Shi Lan and the others prepared to board the Cloudsoaring Treasure Ship as the city gathered its gifted youths and children for evacuation. Shi Lan left Shi Feng with Tang Yan and joined Jiang Li, while the ship began taking aboard the selected people.

• Shi Lan learned the Cloudsoaring Treasure Ship had arrived and carried Shi Feng to the main hall.
• The Shengwu Immortal Sect's young general ordered everyone not boarding to leave, and Shi Lan knocked Shi Feng unconscious before entrusting him to Tang Yan.
• Shi Lan asked Tang Yan to look after Du Baisheng and Du Yue'er, then left with Jiang Li as the families said their farewells.
• The young general opened the hall's dome, and a golden beam lifted the selected people onto the Cloudsoaring Treasure Ship.
• Nie Yangze went to gather the remaining qualified youths and children, including Du Baisheng and Du Yue'er.

Du Baisheng and Du Yue'er left Twin Moon City aboard the Cloudsoar Warship, while the departing general supplied Huangfu Yun and the Demon Suppression Army with weapons and medicine. Shi Lan joined the newly equipped recruits as Huangfu Yun prepared to lead them outside the city to hunt demon beasts.

• Du Baisheng abandoned most of his luggage and boarded the Cloudsoar Warship with Du Yue'er, while Shi Lan watched them depart from the manor gate.
• The armored general left Huangfu Yun's forces ballistae, crossbows, bolts, arrows, healing powders, a Demon-Slaying Platform, and Bloodburst Pills before departing with his people.
• Huangfu Yun ordered the martial artists to assemble at the drill grounds, where Shi Lan arrived in armor with the other recruits.
• Huangfu Yun demonstrated the Demon-Breaking Crossbow, and the recruits each took one crossbow and twenty fine-steel bolts.
• At dawn, Huangfu Yun dismissed the veterans and announced that he would lead the new recruits out of the city to hunt demon beasts.

Shi Lan competed for a squad leader position in the Demon Suppression Army and won one of the four jiao horses. After the challengers were settled, Huangfu Yun ordered the new squad leaders to rest before gathering at the east gate.

• Huangfu Yun arranged one-on-one contests among the forty-one newcomers, with four jiao horses as rewards for the squad leaders.
• Shi Lan defeated Jiang Li in the first round, and Jiang Li conceded after recognizing her strength.
• Shi Lan won her later matches, while the other finalists accumulated injuries and one finalist forfeited.
• Jiang Li challenged Yan Shan for his squad leader position, but Yan Shan conceded after eyeing the jiao horses.
• Huangfu Yun handed out medicinal powder and ordered everyone to gather at the east gate after lunch, while warning the squad leaders not to ride recklessly or disturb residents.
• Shi Lan and the other three squad leaders hurried to mount their jiao horses.

Shi Lan and the hastily assembled fighters left Twin Moon City under Huangfu Yun’s command and reached a valley where he prepared an ambush. The chapter ended as nearly a thousand demonic beasts and wild animals charged toward their formation, with the fighters readying their crossbows.

• Shi Lan prepared her weapons and joined the other fighters at the east gate, where Huangfu Yun led them out of Twin Moon City beneath the Suppress Demons banner.
• Huangfu Yun led the group nearly seventy li to a mountain valley, shooting a mountain leopard with his Demon-Breaking Crossbow along the way.
• Huangfu Yun entered the valley alone, then returned and ordered the fighters to form up and ready their crossbows.
• A horde of nearly a thousand demonic beasts and wild animals charged out of the woods toward the valley entrance.
• Shi Lan planted her halberd, took up her crossbow, and stepped to the front as the fighters formed ranks and nocked their arrows.

Huangfu Yun led the newcomers in a battle against a demonic beast horde, using the fight to toughen them up. Afterward, he identified Shi Lan’s Violetstar Sevenstar Halberd as a rare high-grade magic treasure and explained the realm beyond Xiantian.

• Huangfu Yun ordered the soldiers to fire volleys of crossbow bolts, killing or disabling many beasts before the horde reached the formation.
• Huangfu Yun ordered the army to charge, and Shi Lan and the riders fought through the horde with their weapons.
• After nearly half an hour of fighting, the group returned to the valley entrance without any deaths, and Huangfu Yun revealed that he had brought the beasts to train the newcomers.
• As the soldiers camped and ate roasted demonic beast meat, Huangfu Yun asked Shi Lan about her halberd and warned her that she could not protect it alone.
• Huangfu Yun identified the Violetstar Sevenstar Halberd as a high-grade magic treasure and told Shi Lan that the Earthly Baleful Realm followed the Xiantian Realm.

After three days of fighting demon beasts outside Twin Moon City, Shilan returned with Huangfu Yun’s troops and used her last spirit crystal to recover. She then joined Jiang Li for wine on the roof, where he introduced her to Autumn Dew.

• Huangfu Yun told Shilan he had been stuck at the peak of the ninth level of the Xiantian Realm for nearly four years and cautioned her to be careful.
• Shilan declined Jiang Li’s invitation to bathe, took a Bone-Strengthening Pill, and cultivated while the troops recovered their arrows and cleaned up.
• Over three days, Huangfu Yun led the troops through repeated battles against thousands of demon beasts; Shilan broke her left arm, and her dragon horse broke three ribs.
• After encountering three groups of wandering demon beasts, Huangfu Yun ordered the troops back to Twin Moon City, where he gave everyone half a day off.
• Shilan bathed, absorbed her last spirit crystal, and regained some movement in her broken arm.
• Jiang Li brought wine to Shilan’s room, and the two drank on the roof while he told her the wine was called Autumn Dew.

Shi Lan learned from Huangfu Yun why the Demon-Suppressing Army stayed to fight despite receiving no reinforcements: it protected civilians and earned inheritable Battle Achievements. Huangfu Yun revealed that the Human Race's Records could pass those achievements to soldiers' relatives and might even resurrect the fallen, then warned Shi Lan that casualties were likely as the army began hunting nearby demon beasts.

• Shi Lan discussed wine and sorrow with Jiang Li, who drank until he fell asleep.
• Huangfu Yun told Shi Lan that no reinforcements would come to Cloud Mountain Gorge and that the imperial edict ordered the army to fight the Demon Race to the death.
• Huangfu Yun explained that the army fought to protect civilians and its members' families, and that soldiers earned Battle Achievements for their service.
• Shi Lan discovered her Demon-Suppressing Token showed 1,320 Battle Achievements, which could be passed to blood relatives if she died.
• Huangfu Yun revealed that the Human Race's Records could transfer Battle Achievements and potentially resurrect fallen soldiers, then warned Shi Lan of coming casualties as he began daily demon-beast hunts.

Shi Lan and the Demon Suppression Army fought demonic beasts day after day near Twin Moon City as casualties mounted and rumors unsettled the city. After breaking through to the ninth layer of the Body Tempering Realm, Shi Lan received a system quest to reach the Xiantian Realm within one month or be eliminated.

• Shi Lan joined Huangfu Yun and the Demon Suppression Army in a battle against more than a thousand demonic beasts, and the soldiers won with no deaths in their ranks.
• Huangfu Yun led the troops through further battles that day, during which five new recruits and two veterans died and Shi Lan suffered renewed injuries.
• Shi Lan received healing medicine and recovered overnight, then spent more than ten days joining the army's repeated hunts as the demonic beast hordes drew closer to Twin Moon City.
• Shi Lan refined demonic beast meat with the Jade Forging Art until she broke through to the ninth layer of the Body Tempering Realm.
• The system issued Shi Lan a one-month quest to reach the Xiantian Realm, with elimination and system self-destruction as the failure penalty.

Shi Lan received a new mission to kill one thousand powerful demonic beasts, then joined the Demon Suppression troops in preparing Double Moon City’s defenses as a beast attack approached. Nie Yangze urged the city’s residents to help defend the walls and wait for the Cloudsoar Treasure Ship, which he privately expected to return only after Double Moon City was retaken.

• Shi Lan received a mission to kill one thousand demonic beasts at or above the ninth level of the Body Tempering Realm in exchange for Innate Spiritual Blood, then resumed cultivating.
• Huangfu Yun led the troops onto Double Moon City’s walls, showed them the Nine-Bow Ballistae, and kept them on alert as demonic beasts approached.
• Shi Lan learned that Nie Yangze’s martial artists had declined to join the Demon Suppression troops, though they remained to help defend the city.
• Nie Yangze’s notice called for archers and crossbowmen, and he told the gathered residents that demonic beasts surrounded the city and the Cloudsoar Treasure Ship would return.
• Some residents headed to the city walls to help defend Double Moon City, while Nie Yangze privately thought the ship would return when the city was retaken.