Chapter Summaries

Qin Xi agreed to spare Mediocre Death God if he revealed everything he knew, but refused to let him keep his cultivation. Daoist Yangmei protested the decision, and Qin Xi began reaffirming his promise to the others.

• Qin Xi told Mediocre Death God he could save his life but would have to give up his cultivation.
• Mediocre Death God protested, then agreed to the condition because he feared Qin Xi would otherwise kill him.
• Daoist Yangmei, Xiao Yu, and the others reacted angrily to Mediocre Death God's chance of survival, while Ao Xin kept her thoughts to herself.
• Daoist Yangmei urged Qin Xi to grant Mediocre Death God only a quick death, but Qin Xi said he had already promised to spare him if he revealed every secret he knew.

Qin Xi questioned the Mediocre Death God about the Masked Man’s hideouts and forces, promising to let him leave that night. The Mediocre Death God began explaining how the Masked Man had built his strength.

• Qin Xi stopped Daoist Yangmei from continuing to pressure the Mediocre Death God, and Daoist Yangmei left the prison cage to sit nearby.
• Qin Xi asked the Mediocre Death God to reveal the Masked Man’s Human Realm residences, likely hiding places, and force arrangements.
• The Mediocre Death God said the Masked Man had many footholds in the Human Realm and commanded both Primordial World followers and human agents.
• Qin Xi asked how the Masked Man had gathered such a vast force, and the Mediocre Death God said his cultivation technique wielded destructive power.
• Qin Xi acknowledged that the Masked Man’s brutal technique absorbed other people’s power to increase his own.

Mediocre Death God explained how Masked Man used his cultivation method to recruit followers and expand his forces. He revealed that Masked Man controlled much of North Goose City and had hidden bases throughout the Human Realm.

• Mediocre Death God told Qin Xi that Masked Man offered people cultivation methods to make them kill and gain strength in exchange for serving him.
• Mediocre Death God revealed that Masked Man's largest Human Realm force was in North Goose City, where more than half the city had become his believers.
• Daoist Yangmei was shocked to learn how much of North Goose City Masked Man controlled.
• Mediocre Death God said Masked Man built forces in hidden caves and raised Black-Clad Men there.
• Mediocre Death God added that Masked Man also used basements beneath ordinary civilian houses as bases.

Qin Xi learned that the Masked Man had hidden underground palaces, forces in North Goose City, and caves in remote mountains, making him difficult to track down. Qin Xi ordered Daoist Yangmei to cripple the Mediocre Death God's cultivation and release him, then left troubled by how to find and defeat the Masked Man.

• Qin Xi realized the Masked Man's hidden bases and influence made him difficult to find.
• Qin Xi ordered Daoist Yangmei to cripple the Mediocre Death God's power and let him go.
• Ao Xin urged Daoist Yangmei to obey Qin Xi's order.
• Daoist Yangmei crippled the Mediocre Death God's cultivation as he screamed in the dungeon.
• Qin Xi left the prison thinking about how to locate and eliminate the Masked Man.

Qin Xi and his companions returned to the courtyard and considered where the Masked Man might be hiding in the Human Realm. Daoist Yangmei urged a broad search, but Qin Xi refused Ouyang Qing’s offer to send out the Fox Clan, worried it would put them in danger.

• Qin Xi walked back to the familiar alley with Ouyang Qing and Di Qun, lost in thought.
• Qin Xi asked where the Masked Man might hide, and the group considered the dangers of searching deserted mountains or North City.
• Daoist Yangmei struck the table and called for every force to search for the Masked Man.
• Ouyang Qing offered to send the Fox Clan to search, but Qin Xi declined to protect them from the Masked Man.

Qin Xi gathered the group’s Big Bosses to discuss the Masked Man after narrowing down his range. He learned that the attacks had continued, with many disciples lost, and asked Leona what had happened to her.

• Qin Xi agreed to contact the Big Bosses and brought everyone into his room.
• Qin Xi connected to the video Chat Group, where the Big Bosses appeared unusually subdued.
• Nine-to-Five Admiral told Qin Xi that eight more of his disciples had been lost.
• Forever Seventeen-Year-Old Girl said she had lost more than a dozen disciples and slammed her hand on the table in anger.
• Qin Xi asked Leona about her losses.

Qin Xi learned that disciples had gone missing or died across several sects, and suspected the Masked Man was draining their energy to heal his injuries. Ancestor Hongjun reported that more than twenty of his disciples had been killed and vowed to retaliate against anyone who targeted his side.

• Leona told Qin Xi that five disciples from the Peak of the Snow Mountain were missing.
• Qin Xi suspected the Masked Man was behind the disappearances and deaths, using the disciples' energy to recover.
• Leona said she would investigate how many disciples the surrounding sects had lost.
• Qin Xi asked Ancestor Hongjun about his sect, and Daoist Yangmei noticed Hongjun's suppressed fury.
• Ancestor Hongjun said more than twenty of his disciples had died and vowed to strike back if anyone targeted his people again.

Qin Xi revealed that the Masked Man had once maintained a broad network of underground palaces beneath ordinary homes in the Human Realm. The group realized that finding him could require searching an enormous number of civilian residences.

• Daoist Yangmei vowed to find the Masked Man after learning they had discovered his location.
• Forever Seventeen-Year-Old Girl pressed Qin Xi to share what he had learned from Mediocre Death God.
• Qin Xi explained that the Masked Man’s former influence had spread widely across the Human Realm.
• Qin Xi revealed that the Masked Man used to live in underground palaces beneath ordinary houses.
• Forever Seventeen-Year-Old Girl concluded that they might have to investigate every civilian home, and Qin Xi said that was one possibility.

Qin Xi revealed that Masked Man had won the devotion of North Goose City's millions of residents and built powerful Black-Clad Men forces across the Human Realm. The group realized tracking him would be difficult, but Forever Seventeen-Year-Old Girl vowed not to let him go.

• Qin Xi said Masked Man might be in North Goose City, where the people followed his teachings and regarded him as immortal.
• Leona realized that Masked Man had effectively controlled a major city with millions of residents.
• Qin Xi revealed that Masked Man was raising powerful Black-Clad Men in caves throughout the Human Realm's uninhabited mountains.
• Wukong and the others were shocked by the scale of Masked Man's forces and influence.
• Qin Xi said the information came from Mediocre Death God and warned that finding Masked Man would be difficult.
• Forever Seventeen-Year-Old Girl suppressed her anger and told Qin Xi she still would not let Masked Man go.

Ancestor Hongjun decided to travel to the Human Realm to find Masked Man and help Qin Xi. Qin Xi coordinated precautions with the group as nearby sects began responding to the threat.

• Ancestor Hongjun told Qin Xi he planned to leave his sect and search for Masked Man in the Human Realm.
• Qin Xi worried about the disciples left behind, but Ancestor Hongjun said he had forbidden them from leaving the sect without permission.
• Ancestor Hongjun told Qin Xi and Daoist Yangmei he would travel alone and expected to arrive in three to five days.
• Qin Xi urged the group to tally missing disciples in nearby smaller sects and warn them to stay alert.
• Nine-to-Five Admiral said he had already sent out a notice, while Forever Seventeen-Year-Old Girl said nearby sects had begun pulling back after dismissing her earlier warning.

Qin Xi and the others discussed the difficulty of tracking down Masked Man, who had multiple powerful hideouts in the Human Realm. Wukong offered to help, and Qin Xi objected that his appearance would attract too much attention, but Wukong reminded him that he could use the Seventy-Two Transformations.

• Qin Xi reassured Forever Seventeen-Year-Old Girl that they would deal with Masked Man if they encountered him.
• Neeko asked Qin Xi whether he had enough help and offered to join the hunt for Masked Man.
• Wukong interrupted Neeko and volunteered to go to the Human Realm himself.
• Qin Xi stopped Wukong, saying his monkey-like appearance would draw attention.
• Wukong told Qin Xi he could use the Seventy-Two Transformations to disguise himself.

Qin Xi refused Wukong’s offer to help fight the Masked Man for now and urged everyone to prepare their loved ones in case trouble came. He apologized for making them suffer, but Di Qun and Leona reminded him that the Masked Man was responsible, as Qin Xi continued to blame himself for the chaos.

• Qin Xi told Wukong he would ask for help if Hongjun could not find the Masked Man or their strength proved inadequate.
• Wukong accepted Qin Xi’s refusal after Qin Xi promised he would ask for support if needed.
• Qin Xi urged everyone to make arrangements for those close to them and apologized for the trouble they had endured because of him.
• Di Qun told Qin Xi not to blame himself because the Masked Man had caused the mess.
• Qin Xi admitted he believed his dark side had stirred up the trouble, while Leona urged him not to take responsibility for the Masked Man’s destruction.

Qin Xi ended the group discussion and planned to search the Human Realm for the Masked Man, promising to call on the others for help if needed. He learned that Ouyang Qing had gathered the Fox Clan’s forces nearby, giving Qin Xi resources to pursue the Masked Man’s true base.

• Qin Xi told Ancestor Hongjun to find him in the Human Realm when he had good news.
• Qin Xi said he would search the Human Realm and ask the group for help if he found the Masked Man and could not defeat him; the group agreed to assist.
• Forever Seventeen-Year-Old Girl said she would return to calm herself, and Qin Xi ended the Chat Group session.
• Qin Xi asked Ouyang Qing about the Fox Clan’s influence in the Human Realm, and Ouyang Qing said he had moved their forces from other cities nearby.
• Qin Xi resolved to use every available resource to find the Masked Man’s base and destroy it, whatever the cost.

Qin Xi learned that Ouyang Qing had searched the Human Realm’s single-story houses without finding the Masked Man, and decided to wait for Ancestor Hongjun before investigating North Goose City. The group began preparing for the search while Ao Xin and Di Qun worried about Qin Xi’s calm approach.

• Ouyang Qing told Qin Xi that he had searched the Human Realm’s single-story houses and found underground palaces, but no sign of the Masked Man.
• Qin Xi praised Ouyang Qing and said they would change their search direction.
• Qin Xi told Daoist Yangmei to prepare for Ancestor Hongjun’s arrival and the manpower he would bring.
• Qin Xi instructed Ouyang Qing to avoid major moves and wait until they could investigate North Goose City together.
• Ao Xin and Di Qun worried about Qin Xi’s unhurried manner.

Qin Xi decided the Masked Man was likely still hiding in North Goose City and told everyone to prepare for a fierce battle within two or three days. The others withdrew, leaving Qin Xi and Daoist Yangmei in the courtyard.

• Ao Xin urged Qin Xi to search the two remaining possible hideouts, but Qin Xi said the Masked Man was probably not in the caves and forests.
• Qin Xi reasoned that the injured Masked Man was likely still in North Goose City, where it was easier to come and go.
• Di Qun calmed Ao Xin and told her to trust Qin Xi's plan.
• Qin Xi dismissed everyone and ordered them to prepare for a battle within two or three days.
• Di Qun and Ao Xin withdrew after Di Qun noticed Qin Xi's exhaustion.

Daoist Yangmei and Qin Xi discussed the likely battle with Masked Man after Ancestor Hongjun arrived. Qin Xi resolved to eradicate Masked Man despite the risks, and Daoist Yangmei promised to stay by his side.

• Daoist Yangmei asked Qin Xi whether finding Masked Man would lead to a brutal fight.
• Daoist Yangmei reasoned that Masked Man had likely chosen North Goose City as a safe base to absorb the captured disciples' abilities.
• Qin Xi said they had to eradicate Masked Man, whatever effort it required.
• Daoist Yangmei asked whether Qin Xi was prepared to disregard all consequences, and Qin Xi said Masked Man's destruction of the Primordial World and Human Realm left him no choice.
• Daoist Yangmei pledged to stay by Qin Xi's side and urged him to rest.

After three days, Ancestor Hongjun arrived at Qin Xi's courtyard, and Qin Xi welcomed him to dinner before discussing their target range. The group gathered around the table, ready to talk after the meal.

• At dinner, Qin Xi wondered who was knocking at the courtyard gate and suspected Ancestor Hongjun had arrived.
• Daoist Yangmei opened the gate and recognized Ancestor Hongjun, greeting him with a hug.
• Ancestor Hongjun brushed Daoist Yangmei aside and asked Qin Xi whether he had a specific target range.
• Qin Xi invited Ancestor Hongjun to eat first, and the others stood to greet him as he joined them at the table.

Daoist Yangmei, Qin Xi, and Ancestor Hongjun shared a meal before discussing the Masked Man’s whereabouts. Qin Xi and Ancestor Hongjun agreed that the Masked Man was likely in North Goose City, where they would have to confront him.

• Hong Lian brought Daoist Yangmei another stool, and Ancestor Hongjun arrived looking exhausted from his travels.
• Ancestor Hongjun told Daoist Yangmei to eat before they talked, and Daoist Yangmei gave him a piece of meat out of concern for his effort.
• After the meal, Qin Xi led Ancestor Hongjun to his room, where they spoke privately.
• Ancestor Hongjun asked Qin Xi where the Masked Man was, and Qin Xi guessed he was in North Goose City, where he was revered and could absorb the captured sect disciples.
• Ancestor Hongjun said Qin Xi’s prediction matched what he had already suspected.

Qin Xi resolved to kill the Masked Man and destroy his forces, accepting that the fight might severely damage his cultivation and body. Ancestor Hongjun agreed to help him recover, while Daoist Yangmei remained worried as they prepared to go to North Goose City.

• Qin Xi said he would kill the Masked Man and destroy all of his forces if he found him in North Goose City.
• Ancestor Hongjun agreed that the Masked Man was a growing threat and promised to find heavenly treasures to heal Qin Xi after the fight.
• Daoist Yangmei worried that Qin Xi's confrontation with the Masked Man would cause serious consequences.
• Qin Xi told Daoist Yangmei that he was willing to suffer grave injuries or spend decades recovering if he could destroy the Masked Man and his forces.
• Ancestor Hongjun and Daoist Yangmei accepted Qin Xi's decision and said no more.

Qin Xi decided that he, Daoist Yangmei, and Ancestor Hongjun would leave for North Goose City the next day to find the Masked Man. Ancestor Hongjun and Qin Xi went to sleep, while Daoist Yangmei lay awake worrying about the danger of the coming battle.

• Daoist Yangmei asked Qin Xi when they would set out to find the Masked Man.
• Qin Xi chose to leave for North Goose City the next day and assured the others that he would survive.
• Ancestor Hongjun returned to bed to rest before the coming battle.
• Daoist Yangmei went to his own bed and worried that Qin Xi might suffer serious injuries.
• Qin Xi and Ancestor Hongjun quickly fell asleep while Daoist Yangmei remained troubled.