Chapter Summaries

Mu Yang returned to Qingxi County after killing the Gecko Demon and learned that Xue She had been badly injured. He healed Xue She with a Tier 4 Healing Pill, then returned to his courtyard, where Li Chuang welcomed him and received a high-grade martial art before leaving.

• Mu Yang permanently solidified the Windcloud Dantian Construction Method and Tiger Roar Dantian Construction Method after killing the Tier 4 Gecko Demon.
• Zhou Heng told Mu Yang that Xue She had been injured, and Mu Yang went with him to visit Xue She.
• Mu Yang examined Xue She and gave him a Tier 4 Healing Pill, which healed his broken limbs in about half a quarter of an hour.
• Mu Yang returned to his clean courtyard and learned that Li Chuang had been maintaining it while he was away.
• Mu Yang gave Li Chuang the high-grade Dragon-Subduing Tiger-Subduing Blade Technique before Li Chuang went home.

Mu Yang enhanced the Gecko Demon's corpse and equipped it, gaining powerful regeneration and greater physical strength. He then joined Lei Xing and the others on their journey toward Water-Splitting Sect, leaving the chapter as they traveled through Strongman Mountain.

• Mu Yang equipped a fifth-rank Small Sleeve Bag, doubling his solidified storage space to over eleven thousand cubic meters.
• Mu Yang enhanced the Gecko Demon Corpse, raising Sturdy Physique and Limb Regeneration to purple quality; Limb Regeneration could then restore missing internal organs but not the head.
• Mu Yang equipped the enhanced corpse and gained enough strength to reach 9.03 million jin of one-arm strength.
• The next day, Mu Yang met Lei Xing and the others after greeting acquaintances at the County Office, and they left Qingxi County for Strongman Mountain.
• After two days of travel without finding new demons, Lei Xing told the group that Water-Splitting Sect lay beyond Strongman Mountain, another dozen or so days ahead.

Mu Yang arrived at the Water-Splitting Sect with Lei Xing and learned that Sect Master Fei Wei had gone to watch the Mirage Serpent alone, carrying the sect’s ancestral Water-Splitting Sword. Before they could set out to meet him, a roar from the serpent’s valley suggested that something had gone wrong.

• Lei Xing brought Mu Yang to the Water-Splitting Sect’s great hall and introduced him to Huang Jingchen, the sect’s strongest young martial artist.
• Huang Jingchen told Lei Xing that Fei Wei had gone to the deep pool after the Mirage Serpent stirred and had taken the ancestral Water-Splitting Sword and a Soul-Calming Bell.
• Lei Xing proposed that she and Mu Yang go meet Fei Wei at once, and Mu Yang agreed.
• A roar rang out from the distant valley, briefly disrupting the disciples and affecting Huang Jingchen.
• Lei Xing urged Mu Yang and Huang Jingchen to hurry toward the Mirage Serpent because something serious might have happened.

Fei Wei attacked the Mirage Serpent while it underwent Bloodline Reversion, hoping to stop it from becoming a flood dragon. His artifact-grade Water-Splitting Sword disrupted the transformation, leaving the serpent changed but incomplete and furious.

• Fei Wei entered the pool and discovered the Mirage Serpent was growing limbs and a swelling head as it transformed into a flood dragon.
• The Mirage Serpent recalled its rejection by Clearwater Dragon Palace and vowed revenge on the Flood Dragons and the Water-Splitting Sect.
• Fei Wei attacked with seven Water-Splitting Swords, but they only caused minor wounds while the Mirage Serpent focused on its transformation.
• Fei Wei used the Water-Splitting Sword to strike the Mirage Serpent’s vital point and blasted its scales and flesh apart.
• The Mirage Serpent survived with sharp claws but no horns, and it raged at Fei Wei for turning its transformation into a failure.

Mu Yang arrived in time to save Fei Wei from the Mirage Serpent, which had grown stronger after its failed transformation into a jiao. As Lei Xing, Fei Wei, and Huang Jingchen joined the fight, Mu Yang struck the beast’s tail with one punch and blew it apart.

• The Mirage Serpent struck Fei Wei into a rock wall and then attacked him with blades of water.
• Mu Yang blocked the water blades, and Lei Xing and Huang Jingchen arrived beside the injured Fei Wei.
• Fei Wei explained that the Mirage Serpent had nearly transformed into a jiao, but its failed breakthrough had left it physically stronger.
• Mu Yang charged the Mirage Serpent, and Fei Wei, Lei Xing, and Huang Jingchen followed rather than retreating.
• The Mirage Serpent swung its tail at Mu Yang, who met it with a punch and shattered the tail.

Mu Yang shrugged off the Mirage Serpent’s Five Senses Manipulation and turned its water attack against it by forming a colossal Water Flood Dragon. Fei Wei, Lei Xing, and Huang Jingchen recovered from the illusion, but they were left staring in shock at Mu Yang’s creation.

• Mu Yang blasted off much of the Mirage Serpent’s tail with a single strike, forcing it to retreat and switch to its illusion technique.
• The Mirage Serpent used Five Senses Manipulation to trap Fei Wei, Lei Xing, and Huang Jingchen in a vision of its childhood home, the Ten Thousand Snake Den.
• Mu Yang quickly shattered the illusion, then took control of the water rope the Mirage Serpent had wrapped around his neck.
• Mu Yang formed a massive water-blue Water Flood Dragon, whose roar broke the others out of the illusion.
• Fei Wei recognized that the apparent Flood Dragon was made of water and suspected Mu Yang had summoned it.

Mu Yang killed the sixth-tier Mirage Serpent with his Water Flood Dragon and collected its corpse and remains. Afterward, Lei Xing beat Fei Wei for implying she had an affair with Mu Yang, while Huang Jingchen explained their behavior as a way of communicating.

• The Mirage Serpent panicked at the Water Flood Dragon and tried to flee, but Mu Yang's summon caught and restrained it.
• The Mirage Serpent begged for its life, but Mu Yang crushed its head and killed it with two punches.
• The kill permanently solidified several pieces of equipment and methods, and Mu Yang stored the corpse and gathered its blood and flesh for Little Black.
• Huang Jingchen and Lei Xing were astonished by Mu Yang's strength, while Fei Wei mistook him for a senior who had taken an interest in his junior sister.
• Lei Xing repeatedly punched Fei Wei for his insinuation, and Huang Jingchen told Mu Yang that it was his master's and martial aunt's way of communicating.

Lei Xing and Fei Wei discussed how to repay Mu Yang for defeating the Mirage Serpent and whether he could help find Lei Xing's missing husband, Fu Yu. Fei Wei agreed to offer the Water-Splitting Sect’s treasured forging materials and blueprint to secure Mu Yang’s help.

• Fei Wei marveled at Mu Yang’s youth and strength, then asked Lei Xing what the sect should give him in thanks.
• Lei Xing proposed giving Mu Yang the Water Condensation Forging Method and asking him to help because Fu Yu had been missing for nearly two months.
• Fei Wei agreed that the method could be given as repayment for Mu Yang’s help, but noted they could not also use it to request another favor.
• Fei Wei offered the sect’s underwater coldstone and Water-Splitting Sword Forging Blueprint as a separate incentive for Mu Yang to help find Fu Yu.
• Lei Xing ignored Fei Wei’s attempted embrace and asked him where the promised treasures were.

Mu Yang equipped the Mirage Serpent demon corpse and used its abundant qi-blood to open his brow and eye Spirit Apertures, greatly strengthening his body and soul. As he considered what to equip next, Lei Xing came to his door late at night.

• Mu Yang examined the Mirage Serpent demon corpse's abilities and equipped it.
• Mu Yang opened his brow aperture, increasing his soul strength and physical strength.
• Mu Yang opened his eye aperture, further enhancing his strength, soul, and vision.
• The Mirage Serpent's attributes increased Mu Yang's strength, defenses, and Water Control power.
• Lei Xing arrived at Mu Yang's door late at night, her eyes red, and he opened it to find her standing below his line of sight.

Lei Xing asked Mu Yang to help find her missing husband Fu Yu, a Slayer Commander who disappeared while investigating the Shunyuan River. Mu Yang agreed after learning that the case involved a powerful Azure Snail Demon, and Lei Xing mistook his eagerness for selfless concern.

• Lei Xing explained that her Water-Splitting Sect gifts were thanks for Mu Yang's help, while her request to find Fu Yu was personal.
• Lei Xing told Mu Yang that Fu Yu had disappeared two months earlier near Azure Snail Mountain while investigating missing Demon Slayer Bureau personnel.
• Lei Xing offered Fu Yu's saved Merit as a reward and described the late Sixth Rank Azure Snail Demon believed connected to the disappearances.
• Mu Yang eagerly asked whether monsters were involved and agreed to help Lei Xing find Fu Yu.
• Lei Xing concluded that Mu Yang had agreed out of chivalry, while Mu Yang privately wanted directions to Azure Snail Mountain.

Lei Xing thanked Mu Yang and arranged to obtain mission intelligence about her missing father, Fu Yu, before they traveled together to Anshun Prefecture. After she left, Mu Yang examined her gift and discovered it included a method and blueprint for forging magical artifacts.

• Lei Xing told Mu Yang that her daughter, Fu Ya, was the deputy hall master of the Internal Affairs Hall and had privately shared intelligence about Fu Yu's disappearance.
• Mu Yang proposed traveling with Lei Xing to the Anshun Prefecture branch the next morning so they could pursue the Azure Snail Demon sooner.
• After Lei Xing left, Mu Yang equipped the sleeve pouch and identified its contents as a Water Condensation Forging Method, a Water-Splitting Sword Forging Blueprint, and blue-glowing ore.
• Mu Yang learned that the forging method could create magical artifacts and that the blueprint included the Water-Splitting and Torrential Current inscriptions.
• Mu Yang considered the Water-Splitting Sword's effects but decided he preferred fighting with his fists unless he found a heavier magical artifact.

Mu Yang equipped the Water Condensation Forging Method and mastered its basic forging inscriptions, then used one to upgrade his Black Gold Four-Edged Mace from fourth tier to sixth tier. After seeing how much true qi and soul power inscription consumed, he prioritized recovery and concluded that he still needed to kill demons.

• Mu Yang equipped the Water Condensation Forging Method and absorbed its forging knowledge and five basic forging inscriptions.
• Mu Yang carved a Fortification Inscription into his Black Gold Four-Edged Mace using his finger and true qi.
• The inscription consumed one hundred thousand strands of true qi and more than half of Mu Yang’s soul power, raising the mace to sixth tier and improving its effects.
• Mu Yang decided to equip Qi-Replenishing Pills and Blood Strengthening Pills to recover before continuing his plans.
• Mu Yang concluded that he still needed to kill demons to strengthen himself.

Mu Yang and Lei Xing left the Water-Splitting Sect to find Fu Ya and seek information about Fu Yu. On the road to Anshun Prefecture City, Lei Xing described her family and the major powers in the region, including Ghost Lamp Temple near the border with Anyuan Prefecture.

• Huang Jingchen greeted Mu Yang at dawn and corrected two disciples who mistook his respect for fear.
• Lei Xing and Fei Wei met Mu Yang in the main hall, and Lei Xing punched Fei Wei when he teased her about having no one else to tease.
• Mu Yang and Lei Xing set out from the Water-Splitting Sect on their horses, and Mu Yang noted that Little Black was nearing the mid-Third Rank.
• As they rode toward Anshun Prefecture City, Lei Xing told Mu Yang about her husband Fu Yu and their daughter Fu Ya.
• Lei Xing named the Demon Slayer Bureau, the Water-Splitting Sect, local lineages, and Ghost Lamp Temple among the region's notable powers.

Mu Yang and Lei Xing traveled to Anshun Prefecture to investigate the disappearance of Fu Yu and a Slayer Commander. After meeting Fu Ya and collecting the case records, they continued northwest, where Mu Yang's horse Little Black advanced to the mid third rank.

• Lei Xing told Mu Yang about Ghost Lamp Temple, a formidable Liang Province sect that suppressed supernatural threats but had never produced a seventh-rank martial artist.
• Mu Yang and Lei Xing reached Anshun Prefecture and went directly to its Demon Slayer Bureau branch.
• Fu Ya gave Mu Yang the records about the Azure Snail Demon and the disappearances of Ge Feiwu, Fu Yu, and other Bureau members near the Shunyuan River.
• Mu Yang and Lei Xing left the Bureau and traveled northwest; five days later, Little Black advanced to the mid third rank after Mu Yang fed it.
• Lei Xing asked what Mu Yang fed Little Black, and Mu Yang revealed that he gave it Flood Dragon and Mirage Serpent flesh and blood.

Mu Yang and Lei Xing reached the Shunyuan River to investigate Fu Yu’s disappearance and decided to confront the Azure Snail Demon. Mu Yang found the demon’s location underwater, while the chapter ended with the author discussing the novel’s animated comic adaptation.

• Mu Yang and Lei Xing met Xie Xu and three other Demon-Seeking Captains at the empty garrison near Azure Snail Mountain, where Xie Xu reported finding only traces of Fu Yu.
• Mu Yang proposed finding and questioning the Azure Snail Demon, and Lei Xing agreed despite warning that locating and subduing it could be difficult.
• Mu Yang told Xie Xu’s group to wait ashore, then dove into the Shunyuan River while the others realized how fast and powerful he was.
• Mu Yang used Water-Seeking Demon-Tracking to locate the Azure Snail Demon and rode a current toward it.
• The author described the animated comic’s release, production, pacing, and uncertain prospects for a sequel.

Mu Yang confronted the Azure Snail Demon beneath the Shunyuan River and tested his reforged Black Gold Four-Edged Mace against its attacks and defenses. After Mu Yang stopped the demon’s High-Speed Spiral with one hand and shattered its shell, the Azure Snail Demon begged him for mercy.

• Mu Yang followed the Water-Seeking Demon-Tracking Technique to the Azure Snail Demon’s lair and learned that the demon had reached Sixth Rank Perfection.
• The Azure Snail Demon fired a Water-Arrow Barrage at Mu Yang, who shattered the arrows with his Black Gold Four-Edged Mace.
• Mu Yang struck the demon’s shell with the mace, but the blow left only a white mark, and the Azure Snail Demon mocked him.
• The Azure Snail Demon began its High-Speed Spiral, but Mu Yang stopped the shell from turning by gripping one of its protrusions.
• Mu Yang broke through the Azure Snail Demon’s shell with his fist, and the demon asked whether it was too late to beg for mercy.

Mu Yang interrogated the Azure Snail Demon about the deaths of Fu Yu, Ge Feiwu, and the Demon Slayer Bureau captains at the Shunyuan River camp. After learning that Ghost Lamp Temple had seized Ge Feiwu and the others, Mu Yang killed the demon and collected its remains for Little Black.

• Mu Yang smashed open the Azure Snail Demon's shell, dragged it out, and forced it to answer his questions.
• The Azure Snail Demon revealed that Ge Feiwu had secretly abducted people and fed them to it in exchange for staying quiet in the Shunyuan River.
• The Azure Snail Demon said Ghost Lamp Temple monks had attacked Ge Feiwu's camp, subdued him and the others, and taken them away.
• Mu Yang killed the Azure Snail Demon with a powerful punch and gathered its blood and flesh for Little Black.

Mu Yang killed the Sixth Rank Azure Snail Demon and returned to the riverbank with its corpse, then told the Demon Slayer Bureau captains about Ge Feiwu’s collusion with Monsters and his suspicion that Ghost Lamp Temple was connected to Fu Yu’s disappearance. When Xie Xu warned that Ghost Lamp Temple might refuse an investigation, Mu Yang said he would make them cooperate.

• Mu Yang permanently solidified several equipment methods after killing the Azure Snail Demon and expanded his storage by equipping six sleeve bags.
• Mu Yang left the riverbed and returned to Lei Xing, Xie Xu, and the others with the Azure Snail Demon’s corpse.
• Mu Yang recounted the Azure Snail Demon’s testimony and revealed that Ge Feiwu had colluded with Monsters.
• Lei Xing asked whether Fu Yu’s disappearance was related to Ghost Lamp Temple, and Mu Yang said it was a strong possibility.
• Xie Xu warned that Ghost Lamp Temple might refuse an investigation, and Mu Yang said they would make it cooperate.

Mu Yang equipped the Azure Snail Demon's Corpse and used its Blood Qi to open his third and fourth Spirit Apertures, greatly increasing his strength. After testing the corpse’s traits, he prepared to continue toward Ghost Lamp Temple with the others.

• Xie Xu reassured the Demon Slayer Bureau captains that they were only accompanying Mu Yang and Lei Xing to investigate Ghost Lamp Temple.
• Mu Yang left the group, found a secluded branch, and equipped the Azure Snail Demon's Corpse.
• The corpse’s Blood Qi let Mu Yang open his Nasal Aperture and Oral Aperture, raising his physical strength and improving his smell and taste.
• Mu Yang tested Azure Snail Shell Defense, Water-Arrow Barrage, and High-Speed Spiral, finding the shell defense especially powerful.

Mu Yang and the Demon Slayer Bureau Captains reached Ghost Lamp Town to investigate whether Ghost Lamp Temple was connected to Fu Yu’s disappearance. There, Mu Yang seized a girl who had been following them, and after she proved she carried a First-Class Demon Slayer Bureau token, someone shouted for him to let go of her young lady.

• Xie Xu and the other Captains doubted that Ghost Lamp Temple was involved, but Mu Yang and Lei Xing decided to investigate it in person.
• Mu Yang noticed a girl following the group and dragged her into an alley by the neck.
• The girl claimed she was from the Demon Slayer Bureau and accidentally pulled a red embroidered dudou from her sleeve bag before producing a Bronze Token marked First-Class.
• Mu Yang verified the token and released the girl, while Xie Xu wondered why he did not recognize her.
• A sharp female voice shouted, “You bastard! Let go of my young lady!”