Chapter Summaries

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Tie emerges from his month-long cultivation session in the underground palace, having consumed all twenty-one Earth Element Crystals.
• He realizes the immense difficulty and time required to advance to Earth Knight, estimating it would take 330 years at his current cultivation speed.
• Zhang Tie decides to focus on acquiring more Earth Element Crystals and improving his mind-splitting ability to accelerate his cultivation.
• He orders the Hurricane Legion's elite special forces to prepare for battle in the Kare Mountains after the Lantern Festival.
• Zhang Tie implements harsh punishments and severe laws in the three cities under Huaiyuan Hall's control to protect the weak and maintain order.

Character Developments

• Zhang Tie's cultivation has improved, allowing him to split his mind four ways, but he understands the immense challenges ahead for advancing to Earth Knight.
• His determination to protect the weak and maintain order in the cities under his control grows, reflecting his experiences and empathy for ordinary people.

Significant Themes

• The arduous nature of knight cultivation and the scarcity of resources in the current age.
• The struggle of ordinary people and the need for protection and justice in chaotic times.
• The importance of harsh punishments and severe laws to maintain order and deter crime.

Character Interactions

• Zhang Tie interacts with the director of the commander's headquarters, issuing orders and discussing the Hurricane Legion's affairs.
• Zhang Tie's decisions and actions reflect his concern for the common people and his resolve to protect them, showing his growth as a leader and a knight.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Tie moves into the legion commander's residence, experiencing luxurious services and care.
• He meets Ai Mei and Ai Xue, twin masseuses who serve him with their unique Battle Qi techniques.
• Zhang Tie visits his family in Star-Gazing City incognito.

Character Developments

• Zhang Tie demonstrates self-control and acceptance of his new status, following the customs of the place.
• Zhang Tie's mother and father show unwavering support and dedication to him, accumulating blessings through good deeds.

Significant Themes

• The accumulation of virtue and blessings to maintain one's position and safety.
• The contrast between Zhang Tie's new luxurious life and his family's humble efforts to support him.

Character Interactions

• Zhang Tie interacts with Ai Mei and Ai Xue, maintaining professional boundaries despite their intimacy.
• Zhang Tie communicates with his elder brother, Zhang Yang, through a remote-sensing crystal, learning about his family's actions and expressing his gratitude through tears.

Plot Points and Events

• The chapter takes place in Star-Gazing City on the eve of the Lunar New Year, amidst the ongoing Holy War.
• Zhang Tie observes the city's changed demographics and the struggles of refugee families.
• He visits the Golden Roc Bank to meet with Tang De, who has been posing as the bank manager.

Character Developments

• Zhang Tie's Knight's Heart has improved, allowing him to perceive events happening in nearby rooms.
• Tang De is revealed to have a secretive sexual encounter in his office.

Significant Themes

• The impact of the Holy War on civilians, particularly refugees.
• The disparity between the privileged and the suffering.
• Zhang Tie's growing awareness of the abilities of his Castle of Black Iron's inhabitants.

Character Interactions

• Zhang Tie and Tang De's reunion is tense, with Zhang Tie discovering Tang De's infidelity.
• Zhang Tie shows Tang De the construction plans for the Sacred Ice Island Kingdom's capital, leaving him amazed.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Tie hands over the complete blueprint for the capital of the Sacred Ice Island Kingdom to Tang De.
• Zhang Tie learns he can buy four earth-element crystals per year through Golden Power Way at a preferential price of one hundred thousand gold coins each.
• Zhang Tie decides to distribute porridge to the hungry in Huaiyuan Prefecture and entrusts this task to Tang De, giving him fifty thousand gold coins annually.
• Zhang Tie buys a suitcase full of ordinary clothes at sale prices in Star-Gazing City and returns to the Hurricane Legion's garrison.

Character Developments

• Zhang Tie shows his growing wealth and influence, spending hundreds of thousands of gold coins without blinking.
• Tang De is moved by Zhang Tie's trust and considers him family.
• Zhang Tie demonstrates his compassion and responsibility, wanting to help those in need in Huaiyuan Prefecture.

Significant Themes

• Wealth and its influence on society.
• Compassion and responsibility towards the less fortunate.
• The relationship between Zhang Tie and Tang De deepens.

Character Interactions

• Zhang Tie and Tang De reminisce about their past in Black Flame City, strengthening their bond.
• Zhang Tie entrusts Tang De with distributing porridge to the hungry, showing his trust in Tang De's abilities.
• The Hurricane Legion's senior officers are curious about the contents of Zhang Tie's suitcase, reflecting their respect and awe for him.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Tie visits Tai'an City to meet with Phyllis, the Crown Prince of the Norman Empire, as a courtesy return visit.
• Phyllis asks Zhang Tie what he would do if he were the Emperor of the Norman Empire, to which Zhang Tie responds that he would abandon the empire completely without a second thought.
• Zhang Tie returns to the Hurricane Legion command headquarters on New Year's Eve.
• The Zhang Family celebrates New Year's Eve in Great Xia, with Zhang Tie's family and in-laws present.

Character Developments

• Zhang Tie demonstrates his strategic thinking and willingness to adapt in the face of adversity.
• Phyllis shows interest in Zhang Tie's perspective on the Norman Empire's situation.
• Zhang Tie's family in Great Xia enjoys prosperity and harmony, with his parents considering future plans for their family.

Significant Themes

• Adaptability and flexibility in the face of change and adversity.
• The importance of people over material possessions and territory.
• The value of family and the desire to protect and provide for loved ones.

Character Interactions

• Zhang Tie and Phyllis discuss the Norman Empire's situation, with Zhang Tie offering unconventional advice.
• Zhang Tie's family and in-laws celebrate New Year's Eve together, showcasing their unity and harmony.
• Elder Mu Yuan discusses future plans with Zhang Tie's father, including the possibility of investing in Jinhai City.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Tie spends New Year's Eve sending messages to his family in Great Xia using a remote-sensing crystal.
• He decides to enter seclusion in the underground palace to cultivate.
• Zhang Tie transforms his appearance using the Illusory Body Divine Bloodline, adopting the guise of a sinister, cunning devil named Golas.
• He leaves the Hurricane Legion base, flying north on the Thunder Falcon in disguise.

Character Developments

• Zhang Tie demonstrates his responsibility towards his family, understanding that his actions impact their future.
• He shows his determination to grow stronger and stay alive, seeing strength as crucial in chaotic times.
• Zhang Tie exhibits his cunning and strategic thinking in his disguise and plan to infiltrate the north.

Significant Themes

• Family responsibility and the impact of one's actions on loved ones.
• The importance of strength and power in chaotic times.
• Disguise and deception as tools for survival and success.

Character Interactions

• Zhang Tie interacts with his family in Great Xia through messages, strengthening his resolve.
• He communicates with Heller, who understands Zhang Tie's intentions and wishes him luck.
• Zhang Tie does not interact with anyone else in the legion command residence, as he enters seclusion and leaves in disguise.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Tie, now a Knight, flies over 4,000 km from Huaiyuan Prefecture to the northern Blakerson Human Corridor without being detected.
• He crosses the Kare Mountains and the Selnes Plains, entering Devil Race-controlled territory in the Virov Federation.
• Zhang Tie spots Glevi City, the industrial hub of the southern Virov Federation, and decides to strike it.
• He infiltrates a lavish building in the city, finding a cocktail party where men are drinking and women are naked, and a man is being tortured.

Character Developments

• Zhang Tie demonstrates his growth as a Knight, flying long distances undetected and making strategic decisions.
• The Arthur Family, the ruling family of the Virov Federation, is revealed to be a Three-Eyed Society family, betraying humanity and enslaving their people.

Significant Themes

• The power and responsibility of Knights in the Holy War.
• The betrayal of human families, like the Arthur Family, who secretly support the Devil Race.
• The harsh reality of life under Devil Race control, with people reduced to slaves and tortured.

Character Interactions

• Zhang Tie interacts with no one in this chapter, but his actions are driven by his desire to strike against the Devil Race and the Three-Eyed Society, and to protect human interests.
• The Arthur Family and their guests are shown interacting in a lavish, cruel manner, highlighting their disregard for human life.

Key Plot Points and Events

• A reception hosted by Fiterich Arthur features a cruel spectacle involving a caged man, his wife, and daughter.
• The man in the cage is revealed to be a former editor-in-chief who opposed the Arthur Family.
• Zhang Tie, disguised as an old man, arrives and uses his powerful battle skills to massacre everyone present, including Fiterich.

Character Developments

• Zhang Tie: He demonstrates his growth as a powerful Knight, using his mental energy and battle skills to efficiently kill his enemies.
• Fiterich Arthur: His cruelty and disregard for human life are fully revealed. He meets his end at Zhang Tie's hands.

Significant Themes

• Cruelty and Indifference: The reception attendees' callous enjoyment of others' suffering highlights the theme of cruelty and indifference.
• Power and Justice: Zhang Tie's intervention showcases the theme of power being used to deliver justice.

Character Interactions

• Zhang Tie vs. Fiterich Arthur: Their interaction is one of predator and prey, with Zhang Tie efficiently eliminating Fiterich and his associates.
• Zhang Tie vs. The Guests: Zhang Tie's massacre of the guests serves as a brutal display of power and retribution.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points

• Zhang Tie eliminates two ordinary women (enslaved victims) in the City Lord's Manor, feeling melancholy but hardening his heart for the "Holy War"
• Using memories extracted from Fiterich (Arthur Family), Zhang Tie systematically massacres the entire City Lord's Manor — 317 people killed, including 34 Arthur Family members and Fiterich's two sons (one only 12, yet already a brutal murderer of 30+ victims)
• He releases ten Tracking Touches (invisible spiritual marks) on the garden lawn for later use
• He loots a safe (4 million gold notes + high-grade potions), destroys the combination to hide his Soul-Seizing Forbidden Art secret, and sets the manor ablaze
• He waits until the 6,000-man City Guard Corps fully assembles, then attacks from the air with a Battle Qi python, slaughtering thousands before they can react
• He destroys all seven Grave Tower Demons outside the city (vulnerable mother worms of Puppet Worms) and kills 30,000–40,000 demonized puppets
• Escapes northwest as a white meteor; a small black beetle (his incarnation, beyond-body) lands on a crabapple leaf in the city to observe the aftermath

2. Character Developments

• Zhang Tie: Deepens into a cold, iron-hearted killer when facing Three-Eyed Society remnants, yet shows residual humanity (melancholy over innocents, releasing hypnotized slaves). Demonstrates operational brilliance: patience (waiting for troops to assemble), efficiency (targeting command + mother worms), and caution (concealing forbidden arts). His bloodlust is framed as righteous vengeance, not mere cruelty.

3. Significant Themes

• Holy War morality: The justification of atrocity against "scum" — evil must be exterminated root and branch, even minors
• Power asymmetry: Knights vs. mortal soldiers = predator vs. plankton; no amount of numbers matters
• Strategic targeting: Destroy the commanders and the "heart" (mother worms) to cripple an army
• Secret identity / hidden arts: Protecting forbidden knowledge (Soul-Seizing) even amid chaos

4. Character Interactions

• Minimal dialogue; almost entirely combat. Interactions are one-sided slaughter of soldiers and demonized puppets.
• Indirect interaction with slaves: knocked unconscious, then awakened to flee
• Followers/hunters: the black beetle incarnation arrives post-massacre, set to monitor the city's reaction
  Overall: A pure action/violence chapter establishing Zhang Tie's operational doctrine—strike hearts (command, mothers), eliminate all traces of evil, preserve secrets—and setting up a follow-up via his hidden incarnation.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Tie sets fire to the City Lord's Manor and waits in the garden, disguised as a beetle.
• Servants and slaves flee the manor, while some loot valuables and set fires before leaving.
• People enter the garden, loot the corpses, and leave. Zhang Tie expects retaliation from the Arthur Family and the Devil Race.
• Six knights, including two from the Arthur Family (Sigri and Dimash) and two from the Devil Race, arrive at the City Lord's Manor.
• Zhang Tie attaches Tracking Touches to the knights without them noticing.

Character Developments

• Zhang Tie demonstrates patience and cunning, waiting for his enemies and preparing for their arrival.
• Sigri, an Arthur Family retainer knight, is introduced as cold, solemn, and eerie.
• Dimash, another Arthur Family retainer knight, is reintroduced as an old acquaintance of Zhang Tie's.

Significant Themes

• Revenge and Retaliation: Zhang Tie expects retaliation from the Arthur Family and the Devil Race for his actions.
• Power Dynamics: The arrival of six knights highlights the power struggle between the Arthur Family, the Devil Race, and Zhang Tie.
• Survival and Adaptation: People fleeing Glevi City and Zhang Tie's disguise as a beetle emphasize the need for survival and adaptation in this harsh world.

Character Interactions

• Zhang Tie interacts with the knights indirectly by attaching Tracking Touches to them.
• The knights interact with each other through their shared purpose of finding and eliminating Zhang Tie.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Six Knights, including Ent from the Evis Family, are dispatched to find and eliminate the Knight who raided Glevi City.
• Zhang Tie, disguised as a beetle, follows Ent for three days before changing his strategy to wait for Ent on a mountaintop.
• After seven days, Ent flies alone towards the capital of the High Cloud Empire, allowing Zhang Tie to ambush and kill him.
• Zhang Tie then attacks the capital, destroying Evis Family castles, the imperial palace, and killing Grave Tower Demons before disappearing.

Character Developments

• Zhang Tie demonstrates his strategic thinking and patience in waiting for Ent.
• Ent shows his combat skills but is ultimately no match for Zhang Tie.

Significant Themes

• Patience and strategic planning (Zhang Tie's ambush of Ent).
• The power dynamics between the Devil Race, Three-Eyed Society, and human Knights.
• The destructive consequences of Zhang Tie's actions on the occupied territories.

Character Interactions

• Zhang Tie and Ent engage in a fierce, close-quarters battle, resulting in Ent's death.
• Zhang Tie's actions in the High Cloud Empire's capital draw the attention of the Devil Race and Three-Eyed Society, intensifying their pursuit of him.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Tie returns to the Castle of Black Iron after raiding the High Cloud Empire's capital and killing a Three-Eyed Society knight.
• He decides to cultivate peacefully in the Castle of Black Iron, ignoring the chaos he's caused.
• Two days later, a seven-colored butterfly appears in the valley where Zhang Tie entered the Castle of Black Iron, followed by the demon marshal.

Character Developments

• Zhang Tie becomes more cautious and strategic, understanding the importance of using stillness to control movement in war.
• He realizes that killing a Three-Eyed Society Earth Knight is necessary to obtain a powerful Bloodline Fruit.

Significant Themes

• Caution and Strategic Thinking: Zhang Tie learns the importance of careful planning and strategic thinking in war, as demonstrated by Heller's advice.
• Power Accumulation: Zhang Tie understands that he needs to steadily improve his combat power before he can face more powerful enemies.
• The Price of Power: The rarity of Bloodline Fruits and the difficulty of obtaining them highlight the high cost of gaining power.

Character Interactions

• Zhang Tie interacts with Heller, who provides valuable advice and warnings about the Devil Race's capabilities.
• Zhang Tie interacts with Little Tree, reviewing his gains and understanding the conditions for producing Bloodline Fruits.

Summary

Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Tie spends 36 days in Castle of Black Iron, cultivating his Mind-Splitting Technique and Advanced Swift Movement Technique.
• He discovers that the Devil Race and Three-Eyed Society are searching for him in the valley where he hid, using powerful Battle Qi strikes and human slaves to dig up the area.
• Zhang Tie transforms into a little black beetle and leaves Castle of Black Iron to investigate, witnessing the brutal treatment and death of a human slave.

Character Development

• Zhang Tie becomes more cautious and vigilant after realizing that the Devil Race and Three-Eyed Society can track him.
• He witnesses the harsh conditions and brutal treatment of human slaves, which further solidifies his resolve against the invaders.

Significant Themes

• The harsh reality of war and occupation, as seen through the suffering of human slaves.
• Zhang Tie's growing awareness of the Devil Race's tracking methods and the need for increased caution.

Character Interactions

• Zhang Tie observes the interaction between two human slaves, Harvey and Shuke, as Shuke succumbs to his injuries and is killed by demonized puppets.
• Zhang Tie witnesses the cruelty of the invaders' overseer, who lashes Harvey and orders him to continue working despite his grief.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Tie infiltrates a Devil Race tent using his beetle incarnation to gather information.
• He learns about the Soul-Chasing Spirit Butterfly, which can track a specific person's aura within 300 km, and the Level Two Alert activated in the occupied territory due to his actions.
• Zhang Tie enters the Mountain of Light to search for information about the Soul-Chasing Spirit Butterfly.

Character Developments

• Zhang Tie demonstrates his cunning and adaptability by using his beetle incarnation to gather information undetected.
• The two Three-Eyed Society knights, Saixi and Kelong, show their concern for their mission and the threat posed by Zhang Tie.

Significant Themes

• The power of information and knowledge.
• The risks and rewards of acting alone versus in pairs, as seen in the Level Two Alert.
• The value of life and the willingness to gamble it, as demonstrated by Zhang Tie's decision to enter the Mountain of Light despite the high cost.

Character Interactions

• Zhang Tie interacts with the two Three-Eyed Society knights indirectly through his beetle incarnation, learning crucial information about the Soul-Chasing Spirit Butterfly and the Level Two Alert.
• Zhang Tie interacts with the Mountain of Light's search service, learning about the Soul-Chasing Spirit Butterfly's market value and its role in the fall of Great Xia's Great Wilderness Sect.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Tie reads an article about Soul-Chasing Spirit Butterflies, which can track knights based on their unique 'soul scent' within a 300km radius for up to 72 hours.
• The article suggests that the Great Wilderness Sect's destruction might be linked to these butterflies, either due to a mutated butterfly or the sect's inability to be tracked by them while using Soul-Entrusting Beast-Taming Art.
• Zhang Tie realizes the danger of being tracked by multiple Soul-Chasing Spirit Butterflies while using his art, potentially leading to exposure and increased peril.

Character Development

• Zhang Tie grapples with the risks and consequences of continuing his operations behind enemy lines, considering retreat but ultimately deciding to press on.

Significant Themes

• The article highlights the double-edged nature of powerful tools, which can be beneficial but also pose significant risks.
• Zhang Tie's internal struggle and ultimate decision to continue his mission emphasize his resolve, responsibility, and commitment to his goals.

Character Interactions

• Zhang Tie's thoughts about his parents' pride and comfort serve as a driving force for his decision, reflecting his strong family bond and desire to make them proud.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Knight Kelong receives Earth Element crystals from a steward of the Lucas Family.
• Knight Saixi leaves the tent, allowing Zhang Tie to follow the steward onto an airship.
• Zhang Tie infiltrates the airship and targets the Lucas Family steward.
• The airship returns to Saren City, the capital of the Beian Kingdom, under Devil Race rule.
• Steward Pruden meets with Adam, the head of the Lucas Family and ruler of the Beian Kingdom.

Character Developments

• Zhang Tie demonstrates his stealth and infiltration skills, setting the stage for future actions against the Lucas Family.
• Steward Pruden becomes unwittingly attached to a small black beetle, which Zhang Tie has sent to gather information.

Significant Themes

• The war of attrition and guerrilla warfare that Zhang Tie plans to wage against the Devil Race and the Three-Eyed Society.
• The power dynamics between the Devil Race, the Three-Eyed Society, and the human families under their control.
• The impact of the Devil Race occupation on the lives of ordinary people, as seen in the desolation of Saren City.

Character Interactions

• Knight Kelong and Knight Saixi discuss their cultivation plans.
• Steward Pruden interacts with the Lucas Family head, Adam, reporting on his mission.
• Zhang Tie infiltrates the airship and interacts with Steward Pruden through the small black beetle.

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Level Two alert in the Devil Race's occupied territories is lifted after two months of searching for the black-robed Knight.
• The Lucas Family holds a spring banquet in the Beian Kingdom's royal palace.
• Zhang Tie infiltrates the Lucas Family's secret chamber, steals their treasures, and plants alchemical bombs.
• Zhang Tie attacks the Lucas Family's spring banquet, killing Adam and Kelong Knight.
• Zhang Tie escapes Saren City, leading the Devil Race and Three-Eyed Society Knights on a chase.
• The chase ends at the valley where Zhang Tie had previously killed Ent, taunting the Demon Marshal with the question "Still digging?"

Character Developments

• Adam, the Lucas Family head, is revealed to be a member of the Three-Eyed Society and the usurper of the Beian Kingdom's throne.
• Kelong Knight is revealed to be a retainer elder of the Lucas Family.
• Zhang Tie's patience and intelligence-gathering efforts pay off as he thoroughly understands the Lucas Family's secrets.
• The Demon Marshal's pride is humiliated by Zhang Tie's taunt.

Significant Themes

• The struggle between the Devil Race, the Three-Eyed Society, and the human resistance.
• The importance of intelligence and detailed planning in warfare.
• The theme of patience and perseverance in the face of adversity.

Character Interactions

• Adam and Kelong interact as members of the Lucas Family, with Adam showing favor to Kelong.
• Zhang Tie interacts with the Lucas Family members and the Knights of the Three-Eyed Society and the Devil Race, using his beetle incarnation and intelligence-gathering abilities to gain the upper hand.
• The Demon Marshal interacts with the Knights under his command, leading them on a chase after Zhang Tie.

Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The chapter focuses on the impact of Golas, the Black-Robed Knight, on the Devil Race-occupied territories over the past two and a half years.
• Golas has been systematically destroying Grave Tower Demons and decimating Three-Eyed Society families, causing widespread fear and disruption.
• The Devil Marshal halts the Devil Race legion's southward advance due to Golas's activities and decides to lead an all-out push to the southern end of the Blakerson Human Corridor.

Character Developments

• Golas: His reputation and fear factor have grown significantly. He is now considered a ghost and a true nightmare by the Devil Race and Three-Eyed Society families.
• The Devil Marshal: He becomes increasingly determined and ruthless in his pursuit of Golas and his plans for the Blakerson Human Corridor.

Significant Themes

• Fear and its consequences: Golas's actions have instilled fear in the hearts of the Devil Race and Three-Eyed Society, leading to disruptions in their rule and plans.
• The power of a single individual: Golas's actions highlight the impact one person can have on the course of a war and the lives of many.
• The struggle for control: Both the Devil Race and the Three-Eyed Society families are desperate to regain control of the situation and eliminate Golas.

Character Interactions

• The Devil Marshal and the heads of the Three-Eyed Society families: Their interactions are tense and strained due to the ongoing threat posed by Golas. The Devil Marshal's decision to lead an all-out push south further emphasizes the desperate situation they face.
• Golas and the Devil Race/Three-Eyed Society: Their interactions are characterized by fear, hatred, and a cat-and-mouse game, with Golas always managing to stay one step ahead.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Tie stays in Murna City to disrupt the Three-Eyed Society's plans.
• He seizes a vast amount of wealth and Earth Element Crystals from the Timothy Family.
• Zhang Tie advances to a six-scale Black Iron Knight after cultivating with the Earth Element Crystals.
• He decides to release the rat he had saved and brought into the Castle of Black Iron.
• A group of people from the town at the foot of the Divine Mountain brings offerings to worship Zhang Tie.

Character Developments

• Zhang Tie's cultivation progresses rapidly due to his looting of Earth Element Crystals.
• The rat, Zhang Tie's first Soul-Possessing Beast, expresses a desire to find a mate and start a family.
• The people from the town show devotion to Zhang Tie, indicating their settled and content lives within the Castle of Black Iron.

Significant Themes

• Zhang Tie's continuous growth and advancement in cultivation.
• The theme of freedom and choice, as seen in the rat's desire to leave the Castle of Black Iron and the people's decision to worship Zhang Tie.
• The consequences of Zhang Tie's actions on the lives of others, both positively (the people in the town) and negatively (the Three-Eyed Society families).

Character Interactions

• Zhang Tie interacts with the rat, showing understanding and empathy for its desires.
• Zhang Tie discusses the offerings with Heller, showing trust in his decisions and willingness to help the people in the town.
• The people from the town show devotion and respect towards Zhang Tie, indicating a shift in their perception of him from a savior to a god-like figure.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Tie emerges from the Castle of Black Iron to find Murna City eerily empty and silent.
• He discovers that all cities in the Devil Race's occupied territory are similarly deserted.
• Zhang Tie finds the Dicarlo Plains swarming with demonized puppets, confirming that the Devil Race has turned the occupied territory's inhabitants into undead.
• He learns from a captured Three-Eyed Society member that the undead are marching towards the Kare Mountains.
• Zhang Tie returns to the Hurricane Legion's garrison in Huaiyuan Prefecture and resumes his cultivation.

Character Developments

• Zhang Tie experiences immense grief and anger upon discovering the fate of the occupied territories' inhabitants.
• His resolve to defeat the Devil Race and the Three-Eyed Society strengthens.
• Zhang Tie's cultivation progresses rapidly within the Elemental Realm, with seven hands of spiritual energy aiding him.

Significant Themes

• The cruelty and devastation of war, as seen in the fate of the occupied territories' inhabitants.
• Zhang Tie's growing determination to fight against the Devil Race and the Three-Eyed Society.
• The importance of cultivation and self-improvement in preparation for the upcoming trials.

Character Interactions

• Zhang Tie interacts with no one in this chapter, as he is either in the Castle of Black Iron or alone in the underground palace.
• However, his actions and thoughts are driven by his memories of his friends and the people he has encountered, fueling his resolve to fight against the Devil Race and the Three-Eyed Society.