Chapter Summaries

Fu Qingyang learned from Guan Ya that Yuanshi Tianzun had cleared Yin-Yang Town’s hardest route and killed Li Xianzong, so he edited the report to conceal a hidden item. The news spread across the official forum, while Zhang Yuanqing enjoyed the praise and then opened Yin-Yang Recluse’s cultivation journal.

• Fu Qingyang read Guan Ya’s report and decided to omit the hidden item from the database guide.
• Call Me Queen posted an account of Yuanshi Tianzun’s feats, and the forum erupted in debate before the administrator confirmed Li Xianzong’s death.
• Xie Lingxi read the forum discussion and told her father that reconnecting her with Yuanshi Tianzun would require two items and ten million in cash.
• Auntie Little Round learned that Yuanshi Tianzun had killed Li Xianzong and concealed her shock from her former guide.
• Zhang Yuanqing woke refreshed, read the praise on the forum, and opened Yin-Yang Recluse’s cultivation journal.

Zhang Yuanqing read Yin-Yang Recluse’s Record of Cultivation, learning about the Water-Fire Sect, the Lady of Three Paths Mountain, and the Yin-Yang Robe’s dangerous obsession with immortality. After testing Spirit Roaming and overhearing Demon Eye’s plans, he returned to the office and asked Guan Ya about the earliest Spirit Realm Walkers.

• Zhang Yuanqing read that Yin-Yang Recluse had mastered the Frostfire Refining Art, repeatedly lost to the Lady of Three Paths Mountain, and later became obsessed with immortality.
• Zhang Yuanqing learned that Yin-Yang Recluse had founded Yin-Yang Town and entered a dream of immortality, then decided to verify whether he and the Lady of Three Paths Mountain had truly existed in history.
• Demon Eye killed a corrupt official and agreed to hunt the Stop-Killing Palace Master after Silver Moon told him she had injured civilians and that Li Xianzong had been killed by Yuanshi Tianzun.
• Zhang Yuanqing tested Spirit Roaming, discovered its limits, and floated through his relatives’ apartments before returning to his body.
• Zhang Yuanqing asked Guan Ya how long the first Spirit Realm Walkers had lived and when they had appeared.

Zhang Yuanqing and Guan Ya speculated that the Spirit Realm had been created by powerful beings and discussed what its purpose might be. After Fu Qingyang offered him a future path to leadership, Zhang Yuanqing learned the comprehensive examination would test whether he was the Demon Lord’s successor and called Auntie Little Round for advice.

• Guan Ya told Zhang Yuanqing that the first Spirit Realm Walkers appeared in the late Qing and early Republican eras, and they discussed how the Spirit Realm might have been created to drive factional conflict.
• Guan Ya said the Five Elements Alliance’s upper ranks likely knew more about the Spirit Realm, then warned Zhang Yuanqing to keep their conversation secret.
• Li Dongze sent Zhang Yuanqing to Fu Family Bay, while Elder Sun learned that Yuanshi Tianzun’s victory over Li Xianzong had revived jokes about him being muddleheaded and ordered Yuan Ting to endure another ten days of harsher training.
• Fu Qingyang told Zhang Yuanqing he could form a new squad, promote Guan Ya, and potentially take over as Kangyang District deacon after advancing to Saint; he also said the comprehensive examination would begin in two days.
• Ling Jun relayed Elder Sun’s request that Zhang Yuanqing be asked whether he was the Demon Lord’s successor during the examination, and Fu Qingyang agreed.
• Worried about the examination and his secrets, Zhang Yuanqing called Auntie Little Round for advice.

Zhang Yuanqing asked Auntie Little Round to join his guild, explaining that he trusted her and would accept the consequences, but she balked at the guild’s name and said she would think about it. Two days later, he attended the Songhai Branch’s comprehensive physical examination, where he hoped the Divine Physician Detector might reveal the cause of his chronic headaches.

• Zhang Yuanqing called Auntie Little Round to ask Master Wuhen about the Tiger Tally and invited her to join his guild.
• Zhang Yuanqing explained his beliefs about good and evil, and Auntie Little Round agreed to consider joining before rejecting the guild name, Return of the Dead.
• Little Round told Master Wuhen about Zhang Yuanqing’s invitation and ideals, and Master Wuhen told her to verify them for herself.
• Zhang Yuanqing arrived at Tang Hospital with Second Team for the mandatory comprehensive examination and learned that the Divine Physician Detector could identify illnesses and special-ability control.
• The detector diagnosed Li Dongze with erosive gastritis, found Jingwei, Guan Ya, and Teng Yuan generally healthy, and listed several conditions for Wang Tai before Zhang Yuanqing took his turn.

Zhang Yuanqing’s medical scan repeatedly failed to reveal his condition, deepening his suspicions that his mysterious illness was not ordinary. He then faced a psychological evaluation with Doctor Sun, whose intimate questions caught him off guard.

• The detector repeatedly froze while scanning Zhang Yuanqing, but its final diagnosis declared him healthy; Wang Tai insisted the item had not malfunctioned.
• Zhang Yuanqing wondered why the detector had begun to warn him before stopping, and recalled that doctors had never explained his sudden headaches or the miracle drug his mother brought from abroad.
• Zhang Yuanqing and Wang Tai privately confirmed that the detector had self-awareness in the form of artificial intelligence.
• The Second Team completed its psychological evaluations, with each member receiving a diagnosis, before Zhang Yuanqing entered Doctor Sun’s consultation room.
• Doctor Sun asked Zhang Yuanqing detailed questions about his private viewing habits, leaving him stunned by how precisely they seemed to target him.

Zhang Yuanqing underwent a psychological evaluation and then faced Fu Qingyang’s Tiger Tally examination, which forced him to admit he had dealt with Evil Profession members. The chapter ended with Fu Qingyang asking whether he was the Demon Lord’s successor.

• Doctor Sun questioned Zhang Yuanqing about his preferences, family, childhood, and views on Evil Profession members, then assessed his mental state as normal but advised against giving him an overly important position.
• Zhang Yuanqing rejoined the waiting group and learned that Doctor Sun’s questions about pornography had not been standard questions.
• While waiting for the Tiger Tally examination, Zhang Yuanqing reasoned that his accidental contacts with Evil Profession members were unlikely to cause serious trouble.
• Fu Qingyang used the Tiger Tally to ask whether Zhang Yuanqing was a mole for Dark Night Rose, and Zhang Yuanqing truthfully denied it.
• Under the Tiger Tally’s pressure, Zhang Yuanqing admitted to dealings with Ashamed to be a Father and explained how he had passed messages for him; Fu Qingyang said he would report the matter to Dog Elder.
• Fu Qingyang asked Zhang Yuanqing whether he was the Demon Lord’s successor, and Zhang Yuanqing turned pale.

Zhang Yuanqing resisted Fu Qingyang’s Tiger Tally with the black moon in his sea of consciousness, then joined the White Tiger Guard. After learning more about his mysterious medicine and hearing that Palace Master had returned seriously injured and wanted to see him, he went to her suite.

• A black full moon shielded Zhang Yuanqing from the Tiger Tally, allowing him to deny being the Demon Lord’s heir and convince Fu Qingyang.
• Fu Qingyang invited Zhang Yuanqing into the White Tiger Guard, and Zhang accepted the offer.
• Zhang Yuanqing wondered about the black moon and his chronic headaches, then called his mother to ask where she had obtained his medicine.
• Xie Lingxi told Zhang Yuanqing that Palace Master had returned seriously injured and urgently wanted to see him.
• Fu Qingyang and Dog Elder discussed the screening for Dark Night Rose members, and Fu reported that Zhang was not the Demon Lord’s inheritor.
• Zhang Yuanqing reached the hotel suite and learned from Xie Lingxi that Palace Master was waiting for him in her room.

Zhang Yuanqing learned that the Demon Eye Heavenly King had followed the Stop-Killing Palace Master to Songhai and warned the authorities, while recruiting Xie Lingxi into his guild. At the reopened Lord of Weapons Cult black market, its new boss offered rewards for information on the Palace Master and called for evidence against Zhang Yuanqing.

• The Stop-Killing Palace Master told Zhang Yuanqing that Demon Eye had injured her and pursued her to Songhai, then described his power and his fixation on punishing corrupt officials.
• Zhang Yuanqing reported Demon Eye’s arrival to Fu Qingyang, who alerted Dog Elder; both urged Zhang to stay hidden.
• Zhang Yuanqing invited Xie Lingxi into his guild, Return of the Dead, and she enthusiastically accepted.
• Aunt Little Round attended the reopening of the Lord of Weapons Cult’s Songhai black market, where its new boss offered rewards for information on the Stop-Killing Palace Master.
• The new boss called on the crowd to collect evidence of criminal wrongdoing by Yuanshi Tianzun, shocking Aunt Little Round.

After Demon Eye Heavenly King put a bounty on evidence of Yuanshi Tianzun’s crimes, Zhang Yuanqing learned the bounty was a calculated threat and considered how to trap the Sovereign. At the same time, he discovered allegations against bureau chief Zhou Yan and Demon Eye began investigating one of her accusers.

• Demon Eye Heavenly King offered rewards for evidence of Yuanshi Tianzun’s crimes, and Auntie Little Round warned Zhang Yuanqing about the bounty.
• Zhang Yuanqing identified Demon Eye Heavenly King as the one targeting him, and Auntie Little Round warned that reporting the black market could put her in danger.
• Little Round found a note saying that someone had gone to Songhai for revenge and had prepared carefully.
• Chen Yuanjun told Zhang Yuanqing that bureau chief Zhou Yan was accused of corruption and protecting loan sharks, and Zhang decided to investigate her secretly.
• Zhang Yuanqing considered coordinating with the Five Elements Alliance elders to ambush Demon Eye Heavenly King at the black market.
• Demon Eye Heavenly King confronted a man who had reported Zhou Yan’s alleged crimes and asked to discuss the evidence inside.

Demon Eye Heavenly King investigated a report about corrupt officials and loan sharks, then killed Zhou Yan for protecting them. As Zhang Yuanqing prepared for coming Spirit Realm challenges, Demon Eye Heavenly King used his Bewitching Eye to search Songhai for Spirit Realm Walkers.

• Demon Eye Heavenly King used his ability to convince a middle-aged man that he was a Disciplinary Committee official, then heard the man's account of loan sharks and Zhou Yan's corruption before leaving without taking the evidence.
• Zhang Yuanqing and Guan Ya discussed using Explosion Flower seeds to deter Demon Eye Heavenly King, and Guan Ya warned him about upcoming arena battles and a large-scale slaughter instance.
• Zhang Yuanqing listed his priorities: avoiding Demon Eye Heavenly King's bounty, preparing for his solo instance, competing in the arena tournament, and getting ready for the slaughter instance.
• Demon Eye Heavenly King abducted Zhou Yan, recited her alleged crimes, and threw her from a rooftop.
• Demon Eye Heavenly King unveiled his Bewitching Eye and scanned the area, locating his first Spirit Realm Walker target.

Kou Beiyue encountered Demon Eye Heavenly King, while the Heavenly King massacred a lending company and began searching for Yuanshi Tianzun. After Kou Beiyue called Little Round for help from a nightclub, she realized he was trapped and thought of Yuanshi Tianzun as his possible rescuer.

• Demon Eye Heavenly King restrained Kou Beiyue, learned he was an independent Bewitching Demon, and tried to recruit him before secretly Marking him.
• The Mistress of Stop-Killing Palace ordered her members to leave Songhai temporarily because Demon Eye Heavenly King had put a bounty on them.
• Zhang Yuanqing saw news footage of Demon Eye Heavenly King's massacre at Huiteng Finance and learned that the company was linked to the corrupt director Zhou Yan.
• Demon Eye Heavenly King received word that Yuanshi Tianzun might attend Songhai University and decided to stake out the campus.
• Kou Beiyue called Little Round from Red Dragon Nightclub, saying he had assassinated an official Walker and was trapped by enemies.
• Little Round realized she could not reach Kou Beiyue in time and thought of asking Yuanshi Tianzun for help.

Little Round asked Zhang Yuanqing to rescue Kou Beiyue from a nightclub surrounded by official Walkers. Zhang Yuanqing infiltrated the club disguised as Kou Beiyue and drew the search team outside, giving Kou Beiyue a chance to escape.

• Kou Beiyue told Little Round that six official Walkers and nightclub security were searching for him at the Red Dragon Nightclub.
• Little Round contacted Zhang Yuanqing, who agreed to rescue Kou Beiyue but refused to help him fight the authorities directly.
• Zhang Yuanqing raced to the nightclub, learned Kou Beiyue was hiding in a private room, and planned to lure the pursuers away.
• Zhang Yuanqing used the Disguise Ring to take Kou Beiyue's appearance, entered the nightclub under Night Roaming, and told Kou Beiyue to wait for his signal.
• An official Walker searched Kou Beiyue's private room, but a report that someone had rushed outside drew him away from the disguised Zhang Yuanqing.

Zhang Yuanqing rescued Kou Beiyue from the Five Elements Alliance agents and learned that Kou had tried to kill an executive he blamed for his sister’s death. A smiling young man in a sports headband appeared as Zhang and Kou discussed whether violence could answer violence.

• Zhang Yuanqing fought off the Earth Monster and wounded the level-three Wood Demon before the white-suited deacon and his agents arrived.
• Zhang Yuanqing used a Daoist robe and a burst fire hydrant to extinguish the deacon’s flaming spear, then provoked the deacon into chasing him away from Kou Beiyue.
• Kou Beiyue escaped through the alleys and called Little Round, who agreed to join Zhang Yuanqing’s gang after learning he had saved Kou.
• Zhang Yuanqing met Kou Beiyue and asked why he had attempted to assassinate a Five Elements Alliance executive.
• Kou Beiyue said the executive had abused and killed his sister, then killed Kou, who received a Role Card and returned to life.
• A young man wearing a sports headband appeared and praised the idea of using violence to cleanse the world.

Zhang Yuanqing encountered Demon Eye Heavenly King while accompanying Kou Beiyue and talked his way out of danger after passing the Bewitching Demon’s interrogation. Little Round told Master Wuhen she planned to join Yuanshi Tianzun’s faction, while Demon Eye Heavenly King befriended Zhang Yuanqing and marked his Spirit Realm identity.

• Demon Eye Heavenly King confronted Zhang Yuanqing and Kou Beiyue, who mistook him for a possible enemy and challenged him.
• Zhang Yuanqing praised Kou Beiyue’s refusal to harm innocents and argued that a person’s actions, not their profession, defined whether they were good or evil.
• Demon Eye Heavenly King Bewitched Zhang Yuanqing and questioned him about crimes, but found no grounds to kill him.
• Demon Eye Heavenly King asked Zhang Yuanqing what he thought of Yuanshi Tianzun, and Zhang Yuanqing described Yuanshi Tianzun as more noble and upright than himself.
• Little Round told Master Wuhen she planned to join Yuanshi Tianzun’s faction, and Master Wuhen expelled Kou Beiyue from Wuhen Hotel until he reformed.
• Demon Eye Heavenly King added Zhang Yuanqing as a friend, marked Yuan Ting of the Taiyi Sect, and left.

Zhang Yuanqing cleansed the Mark on Kou Beiyue, agreed to investigate Chiyue An’s role in Kou Beiyue’s sister’s death, and reported his encounter with the Demon Eye Heavenly King to Fu Qingyang. After recruiting Little Round into his faction, he received a call from his mother arranging a meeting with a business partner.

• Kou Beiyue told Zhang Yuanqing that Chiyue An, a Level 4 Fire Master and Five Elements Alliance executive, had killed his sister, but admitted he knew little about the circumstances.
• Little Round told Kou Beiyue that Master Wuhen had expelled him from the team, and Zhang Yuanqing offered to investigate Chiyue An as part of his duties.
• Zhang Yuanqing used the Demon Subduing Pestle to purify Kou Beiyue’s Mark, then purified himself when he suspected the Demon Eye Heavenly King might have marked him too.
• The Demon Eye Heavenly King discovered that his Mark had been purified and ordered a subordinate to investigate Yuan Ting, while Zhang Yuanqing reported the encounter and Kou Beiyue’s case to Fu Qingyang.
• Zhang Yuanqing recruited Little Round into his faction, told her he would investigate Kou Beiyue’s matter, and asked her to help him find a Level 3 Bewitching Demon.
• Zhang Yuanqing’s mother called and said she could arrange for him to meet the business partner she had mentioned earlier.

Zhang Yuanqing investigated Chiyue An, then met with Bill Tarantino after learning that Ante Pharmaceuticals supplied the pills that eased his headaches. Bill revealed that the medicine was designed to repair injuries to the soul, leaving Zhang Yuanqing stunned.

• Zhang Yuanqing searched the official database for Chiyue An and decided to investigate him discreetly before turning any evidence over to Fu Qingyang.
• Demon Eye Heavenly King accused Zhang Yuanqing of purifying his Mark and threatened to track him down, so Zhang Yuanqing shut off his secondary SIM card.
• Zhang Yuanqing called Bill Tarantino at Ante Pharmaceuticals and traveled to International Building to meet him.
• Annie escorted Zhang Yuanqing to Bill Tarantino's office, where he explained that the medicine was intended to repair injuries to the soul.

Zhang Yuanqing learned that Ante Pharmaceuticals’ pills treated Spirit Realm Walkers’ soul injuries, but he still did not know how his own soul had been hurt. After reviewing Kou Yusi’s case, he discovered that Chiyue An had framed Kou Beiyue for her murder and set out to confront the public security officer who covered it up.

• Bill Tarantino and Annie discussed Ante Pharmaceuticals’ pills, and Zhang Yuanqing inferred they were made to treat Spirit Realm Walkers’ mental trauma.
• Annie tested Zhang Yuanqing with Seduction, while Bill asked her to stay in contact with him and arrange a meeting with the president.
• Zhang Yuanqing asked Kou Beiyue for his sister’s details, then consulted Chen Yuanjun and Guan Ya about investigating her case.
• Zhang Yuanqing read the case file and found that the authorities had blamed Kou Beiyue for imprisoning, abusing, sexually assaulting, and murdering Kou Yusi.
• Kou Beiyue explained that Chiyue An had spread rumors against him and driven his parents from their hometown after he returned from the dead and fled the morgue.
• Zhang Yuanqing identified the case officer as Kong Liangping and arranged to meet him with Kou Beiyue at ten that night.

Zhang Yuanqing and Kou Beiyue broke into Kong Liangping’s home and used Bewitchment to uncover the truth about Kou Yusi’s case and the trafficking operation at Bronze Sparrow House. After Kou Beiyue demanded revenge, Zhang Yuanqing insisted they find evidence and bring down the people behind it, and they set out to investigate.

• Zhang Yuanqing used his charm technique to get past security and entered Kong Liangping’s apartment with Kou Beiyue.
• Kou Beiyue Bewitched Kong Liangping, who confessed that he had helped frame Kou Yusi on orders from Director Lu and the special department.
• Kong Liangping revealed that Kou Yusi had been held at Bronze Sparrow House, where Master Wu and powerful guests exploited trafficked women.
• Kou Beiyue wanted to kill Kong Liangping, but Zhang Yuanqing stopped him from killing an important witness.
• Zhang Yuanqing warned that they needed evidence to expose the wider conspiracy, then agreed to investigate Bronze Sparrow House with Kou Beiyue.

Zhang Yuanqing and Kou Beiyue headed to Bronze Sparrow House to investigate Master Wu’s crimes before Chiyue An and his allies could cover them up. After possessing a frequent patron, Zhang interrogated Cao Jing and learned about the abuse of the women, the recordings and ledger used to blackmail clients, and Chiyue An’s involvement.

• Kou Beiyue agreed to work with Zhang Yuanqing, who weighed ways to expose Bronze Sparrow House and decided to gather intelligence there first.
• Zhang Yuanqing traveled with Kou Beiyue to Xinyuan Road, left his body under Kou’s watch, and sent his spirit into Bronze Sparrow House.
• Zhang Yuanqing possessed a frequent patron and questioned Cao Jing, who described how Lord Wu lured and coerced women into serving clients.
• Cao Jing told Zhang Yuanqing that Lord Wu recorded the women and clients, kept a ledger of patrons, and controlled many other businesses.
• Cao Jing identified Chiyue An as a violent client who had abused her, and Zhang Yuanqing knocked her unconscious after questioning her.

Zhang Yuanqing killed Lai Wan and learned that Chiyue An had sent three Spirit Realm Walkers to protect Master Wu at Bronze Sparrow House. Zhang Yuanqing and Kou Beiyue launched their attack, but Sacred Music thwarted Zhang Yuanqing’s first strike, and the casino was raided by two masked men.

• Zhang Yuanqing killed Lai Wan and absorbed his lingering spirit, discovering that Chiyue An was Master Wu’s backer and had sent three supernatural bodyguards.
• Zhang Yuanqing returned to Kou Beiyue and told him they would attack immediately.
• At the casino, Master Wu gambled with Seven Blades, Green Pine, and Sacred Music while exploiting the women held at Bronze Sparrow House.
• Zhang Yuanqing’s invisible Willow Blade nearly struck Seven Blades, but Sacred Music’s soul-piercing cry disrupted the attack and drove Zhang Yuanqing’s spirit away.
• Sacred Music identified the attacker as a Level 3 Night Wanderer, and two masked men burst into the casino claiming to be conducting an anti-crime raid.