Chapter Summaries

Chen Xi accepted Ademos's assignment to handle trouble within the Black Moon Empire and arranged to operate under a disguised identity while pursuing the Crow Brigade's full potential. Ademos strengthened her disguise and reserved Ten Thousand Year Ice Spring for later, leaving Chen Xi and Lin Yue alone to discuss her lack of a teleportation ability.

• Ademos told Chen Xi that faith had strengthened her aura and that the Lord's Cross gave her authority second only to his in the Black Moon Empire.
• Ademos tasked Chen Xi with dealing with corrupt or troublesome nobles, and she agreed to kill anyone who went too far.
• Chen Xi proposed concealing her identity from most of the empire and acting through an identity created with the Crow Brigade's ability.
• Ademos blessed Chen Xi's Phantom Shadow disguise so that gods below the sixth rank could not see through it within the Black Moon Empire.
• Ademos said the Church had used up the current Ten Thousand Year Ice Spring supply but had reserved most of the next batch for three months later.
• After Ademos left, Chen Xi complained that she had no teleportation ability, and Lin Yue told her to steal one.

Lin Yue discovered that her Regression ability could now return her up to a year and let her choose the month, giving her and Chen Xi more time to prepare for the Lamenter. After learning of Iseriel and Todds’s deaths, they discussed the unknown culprit and left Gu Yu hopeful that a future Regression could save them.

• Chen Xi estimated that she could briefly match a lower Sixth-Rank Transcendent, though she still could not handle the Lamenter.
• Lin Yue told Chen Xi that touching the Lord's Cross had awakened her ability to regress up to a year and choose a specific month.
• Lin Yue and Chen Xi left the meeting room and told Gu Yu that they had not identified who killed Iseriel and Todds.
• Lin Yue wondered whether the Lamenter was responsible, but Chen Xi dismissed the possibility because it had not descended and its range was too vast.
• Gu Yu said her family had restored her position as their top Saintess candidate, and Chen Xi reminded her that Lin Yue could save the dead through Regression.

Chen Xi, Lin Yue, and Gu Yu left the Red Dragon Duke’s Mansion after Ademos found a possible target for the teleportation ability. They arrived in Feide City and discussed their next move in a dim alley.

• Lin Yue told Gu Yu that she had been saved in earlier regressions, and Gu Yu pretended to be moved before Chen Xi called out her acting.
• Chen Xi received Ademos’s report about a mindless sea fish that teleported between bodies of water in the Molten Iron Realm and might soon leave it.
• Chen Xi decided that the group would leave the Duke’s Mansion, and Gu Yu discarded most of the supplies she had packed.
• Aveline and Isha came to see them; Isha hesitated to ask to leave with them and instead wished them a safe journey.
• Chen Xi, Lin Yue, and Gu Yu said goodbye to the mansion’s residents and used Lin Yue’s God Speed Necklace to teleport to Feide City.

Chen Xi, Lin Yue, and Gu Yu waited in Fide City for its teleportation array to activate while discussing their journey and the missing Iseriel. Their quiet evening was interrupted when a bloodied, scarred Second Rank Transcendent burst into the tavern, leaving Gu Yu to consider whether to intervene.

• Chen Xi asked Lin Yue how much of her God Speed Necklace’s teleportation allowance remained, and Lin Yue said she had used thirty thousand kilometers.
• The three travelers found an inn in Fide City and planned to wait two days for its teleportation array to activate.
• While drinking at the tavern, Gu Yu complained about having no chance to fight, and Lin Yue asked whether Chen Xi had heard anything about Iseriel.
• A bloodied young man with centipede-like scars, scarlet eyes, and a bloodied sword burst into the tavern and blocked its only exit.
• Chen Xi teased Gu Yu for wishing for trouble, but Gu Yu said she wanted to observe the young man before deciding whether he was an enemy.
• The tavern owner finally stepped forward to address the young man.

Chen Xi, Gu Yu, and Lin Yue subdued a frenzied Transcendent and learned that Marquis Hilton had stopped an earlier investigation into similar cases. After Chen Xi revealed her authority, Qin Yuwan identified Hilton as the one who halted the inquiry, and Chen Xi set out to confront him.

• Gu Yu froze the attacker with ice cones while keeping him alive for questioning, and the tavern owner said he did not know him.
• Transcendents Qin Yuwan and Yan Chiyue arrived and brought Chen Xi, Gu Yu, and Lin Yue to the eastern district headquarters.
• Qin Yuwan explained that ordinary citizens had occasionally gone mad and gained the power of Legends from the same lineage for about a year.
• Chen Xi showed Casper's silver badge and her Western-tier aura, prompting Qin Yuwan to name Marquis Hilton as the person who stopped the investigation.
• Chen Xi told Qin Yuwan and Yan Chiyue to prepare for possible promotions, asked where Hilton was, and left with Gu Yu and Lin Yue.

Chen Xi explained why she had to handle Marquis Hilton herself and went with Gu Yu and Lin Yue to his estate. She confronted Hilton about obstructing the Cardinal Directorate’s investigation, noticing a sinister red aura beside him.

• Chen Xi told Gu Yu that Hilton’s high status made it impossible to delegate the matter and said the Black Moon Empire was her home because she had absorbed one of its Lord’s Cross relics.
• With Qin Yuwan’s guidance, Chen Xi, Gu Yu, and Lin Yue found Hilton’s luxurious residence and entered after the guards saw Chen Xi’s ducal silver insignia.
• Chen Xi and her companions waited in a garden pavilion while the guards summoned Hilton, and she said she would kill him if he tried to flee.
• Hilton arrived at the pavilion, and Chen Xi demanded to know why he had obstructed the Cardinal Directorate’s investigation.

Chen Xi exposed Hilton as the source of a crimson aura and defeated him in her Death Duel Domain before questioning him. Lin Yue took over the interrogation and concluded that Hilton was suffering from mental contamination, though he remained outwardly composed.

• Chen Xi noticed a bloody stench around Hilton, and he launched his Domain Expansion against Gu Yu after realizing she had discovered him.
• Chen Xi activated her Death Duel Domain first and destroyed Hilton's skeletal attacks with countless slashes.
• Chen Xi stopped Hilton from trying to kill himself and attempted to learn the truth about his crimson aura, but Insight was blocked by a blood mist.
• Chen Xi summoned Lin Yue, who used her Land of Dim Light domain and studied Hilton's reactions.
• Lin Yue concluded that Hilton's consciousness remained his own but had been subtly altered by mental contamination.

Lin Yue exposed Marquis Hilton’s secrets, and Chen Xi killed him when he tried to attack. Their investigation pointed to irreversible mental contamination and a possible connection to Iseriel and Todds’s deaths, so the group put the wandering-fish matter aside and prepared to investigate further.

• Lin Yue confronted Marquis Hilton with his secrets, and he died when the suicide ability he had prepared pierced his body with bone spikes.
• Chen Xi told Hilton’s guards that she had executed him for treason and dismissed them after Casper’s orders confirmed they should cooperate with her group.
• Chen Xi explained to Gu Yu that Hilton had made the first move, and Lin Yue identified his condition as irreversible mental contamination.
• Chen Xi updated Ademos and Casper, then raised the possibility that Iseriel and Todds’s deaths were connected to the Scarlet Incident; Casper replied that he was coming.
• After transporting Hilton’s corpse to the Transcendent Central Bureau Headquarters, Chen Xi met Qin Yuwan and Yan Chiyue, who were nervous about Hilton’s death.

Chen Xi, Lin Yue, and Gu Yu visited the North Wind Territory dungeon to investigate a Transcendent who had lost control and was gnawing on his own flesh. As they reached the second level, Gu Yu volunteered to explain the dungeon after Chen Xi teased her about her lack of knowledge.

• Chen Xi reassured Yan Chiyue and Qin Yuwan that the Transcendents they had encountered showed no signs of crimson contamination, then asked about the prisoner in the dungeon.
• Qin Yuwan reported that the imprisoned Transcendent had gone completely out of control and was gnawing on his own flesh, so Chen Xi asked to see him.
• Qin Yuwan led Chen Xi, Lin Yue, and Gu Yu through the dungeon, explaining its levels and the devices used to suppress Transcendents.
• The white-haired old man opened the guarded cell on the second level and let the group inside.
• Chen Xi teased Gu Yu for not explaining the dungeon herself, and Gu Yu indignantly volunteered to do so.

After learning that Duke Hilton had arranged for a West-tier prisoner to be transferred just before Fide City's teleportation array opened, Chen Xi sent Lin Yue to intercept the transfer and prepared the city for danger. At the portal, Lin Yue found Corleone Vitali and killed his companion Samuel, leaving Vitali exposed.

• Gu Yu explained the dungeon's third level, and Qin Yuwan revealed that Duke Hilton had arranged for a West-tier prisoner to be transferred away the previous day.
• Lin Yue and Chen Xi suspected the transfer was connected to Hilton's death, but Chen Xi realized the prisoner might leave through Fide City's teleportation array at midnight.
• Chen Xi sent Lin Yue to the portal, assigned Gu Yu and Qin Yuwan to guard the infected Transcendent and the Cardinal Directorate, and requested emergency support from Casper.
• At the crowded teleportation array, Samuel told Corleone Vitali that Hilton was dead and that they would soon escape through the portal.
• Lin Yue appeared behind Vitali holding Samuel's severed head and said she had found him.

Chen Xi and Lin Yue killed Vitali after Chen Xi revealed her Fifth Rank power, then collected Vitali, Samuel, and Samuel’s head before returning to the Transcendent Cardinal Directorate. There, they learned a deacon was waiting for them in a meeting room.

• Chen Xi killed Vitali with a slash before Vitali could deploy her domain, and Lin Yue’s Shadow Puppet failed to control her; Vitali convulsed and exploded.
• Chen Xi explained that Samuel was still alive because his head had been severed but not destroyed, and she and Lin Yue packed up Vitali’s corpse, Samuel’s body, and his head.
• Chen Xi and Lin Yue disguised themselves, left the teleportation array, and used Lin Yue’s teleportation ability to return to the Transcendent Cardinal Directorate.
• Chen Xi and Lin Yue argued over their teleportation destination and raced out of the dungeon, where a Directorate member told them a deacon was waiting in the meeting room.

Chen Xi and Lin Yue returned to the conference room after confronting the infected, and the group discussed how the crimson aura affected Transcendents. They concluded that low-tier Transcendents died quickly while high-tier ones suffered gradual changes, and they waited for Duke Casper and a necromancer to arrive.

• Gu Yu invented a story that Chen Xi was Duke Casper’s illegitimate daughter to calm the Cardinal Deacon, then got caught when Chen Xi and Lin Yue returned.
• Chen Xi brought back body bags containing Vitali and Samuel, noting that Samuel was not dead.
• Qin Yuwan reported that the infected person had lost control and burst apart, as the other low-tier Transcendents had.
• Lin Yue concluded that crimson aura contamination rapidly killed low-tier Transcendents and gradually altered the cognition of high-tier ones.
• Lin Yue reassured Gu Yu that infection required a special medium and said Chen Xi could detect hidden infections.
• Chen Xi said Duke Casper and the necromancer should arrive by three in the morning, and the group resumed waiting.

While waiting in Fide City, Chen Xi, Gu Yu, and Lin Yue browsed the Black Moon Western Kingdom's Otherwalker Forum and found rumors about themselves. Chen Xi discovered that the forum knew their squad's name, Black Rose, and confronted Gu Yu, who appeared to be hiding something.

• Chen Xi searched Fide City with her domain but found no trace of the crimson aura.
• Chen Xi and Gu Yu tried playing a game while Lin Yue browsed the Otherwalker Forum.
• Chen Xi read posts about herself and threatened to deal with the media outlets spreading rumors.
• Chen Xi searched for Lin Yue and found forum posts describing her as a cursed maiden and hidden force.
• Chen Xi realized the forum's use of the name Black Rose meant Gu Yu had likely revealed their squad name.
• Chen Xi called out Gu Yu and demanded an explanation after bringing her phone screen over with water.

Chen Xi, Gu Yu, and Lin Yue traced the leak of their squad codenames to Lin Yue, who had shared them to preempt embarrassing nicknames. Their discussion ended when Casper arrived with a silver-haired girl and asked what had happened.

• Chen Xi confronted Gu Yu about the squad codenames appearing online, and Gu Yu explained that she had shared surface-level information with her family but denied revealing the codenames.
• Lin Yue admitted that she had deliberately leaked the squad codenames, while suspecting Gu Yu’s family had leaked the ability information.
• Lin Yue showed the group a forum list of insulting titles for famous Black Moon Empire Transcendents and explained why she had spread information beforehand.
• A magical aura filled the meeting room, and Casper arrived with a silver-haired girl after Mr. Bolton teleported them there.
• Casper asked Chen Xi, Gu Yu, and Lin Yue to explain the situation.

Chen Xi and her companions asked Phyllis to investigate the dead Transcendents, but her spell caused a destructive mass of black mist to form. Marsha erased it with the power of death, and Phyllis began considering how to win her favor.

• Chen Xi recounted the group's experiences to Casper and Phyllis, then Lin Yue placed the corpses before Phyllis.
• Phyllis examined the corpses with black mist, which transformed into a volatile mass of magic that threatened to destroy everything nearby.
• Phyllis urged everyone to flee, but Marsha appeared and annihilated the mist with the origin of death.
• Casper introduced Marsha as a sixth-tier deity and the Black Moon Empire's second bearer of a Lord's Cross.
• Phyllis recognized Marsha as a possible path to advancing her undead power and considered approaching her, while Gu Yu praised Marsha as her god.

Chen Xi and Lin Yue presented Marsha and the Crow Brigade as powerful forces while Phyllis investigated the failed attempt to bypass the ability controlling the corpses. The group learned that Samuel was still alive, leaving a possible lead on the mastermind.

• Chen Xi and Lin Yue told Phyllis that Marsha was a sixth-rank god and the Crow Brigade’s leader, and Phyllis recalled hearing of the group’s actions against Evil Flower.
• Chen Xi redirected the discussion to Iseriel and Todds’s deaths and asked Phyllis why her black mist had exploded.
• Phyllis explained that she had tried to overcome the ability’s restraint and suspected its user was either at peak fifth rank or sixth rank.
• Chen Xi washed away the traces around the corpses, while Andres erased the twisted mist with the concept of death.
• Gu Yu revealed that Samuel was still alive, and Lin Yue uncovered his sleeping head from a shadow-wrapped bag.

Phyllis began interrogating Samuel's severed head while Chen Xiya discussed the investigation into Iseriel with Casper. Chen Xiya suspected the recent incidents shared a mastermind, then privately teased Lin Yue about her bad luck before cutting off their shadow connection.

• Chen Xiya confirmed Samuel was a living specimen and gave Phyllis permission to interrogate him in the Cardinal Directorate's interrogation room.
• Phyllis sent her skeletons to carry Samuel's head to the interrogation room and promised to uncover crucial information within half an hour.
• Casper told Chen Xiya that the investigation into Iseriel had made no progress, and Chen Xiya reasoned that the Iseriel case and the appearance of powerful figures might share a mastermind.
• Chen Xiya thought about her plans to resolve matters in the royal city, including Gu Yu's Saintess Selection, Zhu Li's Ice Spring, and the Black Moon Empire's treasury.
• Chen Xi privately asked Lin Yue whether her repeated misfortune seemed suspicious, and Lin Yue accused her of wanting to leave before Chen Xi cut off their shadow connection.

Chen Xi discovered that the Crow Brigade’s reputation was generating Wish Power and planned to use it to evolve her Immortality Blessing before facing the Lamenter. After Phyllis’s interrogation failed to uncover clues from Samuel, Chen Xi watched as Phyllis began a ritual to summon his soul.

• Chen Xi saw that Marsha’s membership in the Crow Brigade had produced 151% Wish Power and planned to gather the remaining power needed to evolve her Immortality Blessing.
• Chen Xi planned to survive the Lamenter’s attacks for about two minutes while Rain Lord’s domain regressed his lifespan.
• Phyllis reported that Samuel had been immune to mental and physical pain, so she could find clues only by examining his corpse.
• Gu Yu insisted on joining Chen Xi and the others to inspect Samuel, but the sight of his body made her dry-heave and flee.
• Chen Xi used her Mask Ability to steady herself while Phyllis began a ritual to call Samuel’s soul back, and the corpse moved.

Chen Xi followed the fading crimson blood aura left by Samuel and learned that its slow pace meant their unknown target was only sixth rank. After contacting Ademos through the Lord's Cross, she learned how to summon him to her side as the investigation continued.

• Phyllis restored Samuel's mangled corpse before it crumbled to ash, and Chen Xi followed the crimson blood aura drifting away from it.
• Phyllis judged that the target was sixth rank and urged Chen Xi to bring Marsha; Chen Xi informed her teacher and called Ademos for help.
• Chen Xi cut through a stone wall with Water Blade to follow the aura without damaging the real Cardinal Directorate.
• Ademos explained that Chen Xi could contact him through the Lord's Cross and teleport him to her by forming teleportation arrays in their shared space.
• Chen Xi ended the connection and continued after the aura, while Lin Yue asked whom she had been talking to.

Chen Xi, Lin Yue, Phyllis, and Casper followed Phyllis’s tracking spell out of Fide City and into the Black Mist Woodland. The scarlet blood aura continued deeper into the forest, while Chen Xi asked Casper why the woodland was so foggy.

• Lin Yue revealed that she had attached shadow substance to Chen Xi and teased her for being distracted by a phone call from Ademos.
• Phyllis explained that Return of the Dead tracked the target’s location when the spell was activated and could later help reveal the mastermind’s face.
• The group followed the winding scarlet blood aura for ten minutes, leaving the Cardinal Directorate’s jurisdiction and heading toward the Black Mist Woodland.
• Phyllis could not sense the exact distance to the target, but the four entered the woodland without hesitation.
• Chen Xi asked why the forest was so foggy, and Lin Yue and Phyllis both looked to Casper as the local.