Chapter Summaries

Mu Yang broke through to the Channel-Opening Realm and opened four major meridians, greatly increasing his strength and dantian capacity. After equipping the Fish Demon Corpse, he gained further physical and soul-strengthening effects and decided to ask about joining the mission against the Water Transport Gang.

• Mu Yang used the Strong Wind Pulse-Opening Method to open the Hand Shaoyang Pulse and break through to the Channel-Opening Realm.
• He opened the Hand Taiyang Pulse and Hand Shaoyin Pulse, increasing his strength and expanding his dantian.
• Mu Yang equipped the Fish Demon Corpse, and its Blood Qi helped him open the Hand Taiyin Meridian.
• The Fish Demon Corpse's traits doubled Mu Yang's soul strength and increased his physical strength by three hundred thousand jin.
• Mu Yang judged that he could take down the Water Transport Gang and planned to ask about joining the purge mission after advancing tomorrow.

Mu Yang tested his attributes and discovered that his enhancement limit remained purple after reaching the Fifth Rank. In Qinghe Prefecture, Elder Liang reported the Water Transport Gang and Pingwei Escort Agency cases to Yuan Yin, who ordered an operation against the gang, while Yuan Yuan volunteered to lead it.

• Mu Yang tested Chilling Corpse Poison, Water Ghost Minions, and Water Control, then confirmed that his Air-Dried Pork could not be enhanced past purple quality.
• Elder Liang visited Yuan Mansion and told Yuan Yin about Fan Lang, Mu Yang's fight with the Catfish Minion, and Bao Tian's death.
• Yuan Yuan recognized Mu Yang's name and told Yuan Yin that she and Lei Jiaojiao had encountered him while eliminating ghosts in Guaizi Alley.
• Yuan Yin approved splitting Pingwei Escort Agency's routes between two escort agencies and ordered a surprise attack on the Water Transport Gang with support from Constabulary personnel.
• Yuan Yuan asked to lead the operation against the Water Transport Gang, and Yuan Yin later studied a map of Liang Province and wondered why His Majesty had established Six Fan Gate.

Mu Yang visited the Internal Affairs Hall and revealed that he had opened a Major Meridian after studying the Meridian Clearing Method. Elder Liang and Yuan Yuan were left stunned by his breakthrough to the Channel-Opening Realm.

• Mu Yang met Lei Sai and Zhou Yao while buying breakfast, and they ate together before riding to the Demon Slayer Bureau.
• Mu Yang told Lei Sai and Zhou Yao that he was going to the Internal Affairs Hall, leaving Lei Sai to guess that he wanted to investigate the Water Transport Gang.
• Elder Liang and Yuan Yuan discussed finding help for an assignment because the other First-Class Demon-Seeking Captains were away on missions.
• Mu Yang arrived and explained that his dantian qi had reached Perfection, allowing him to open a Major Meridian.
• Mu Yang demonstrated qi gathered beyond his body, confirming to Elder Liang and Yuan Yuan that he had reached the Channel-Opening Realm.

Mu Yang was promoted to First-Class Demon-Seeking Captain and volunteered to lead a cleanup operation against the Water Transport Gang. At the Armory, he chose the Mystic Ice Dantian Construction Method after finding no lightning-attributed option.

• Elder Liang tested Mu Yang with a Demon-Appraising Mirror, confirmed his promotion, and upgraded his Bronze Token to First-Class.
• Yuan Yuan proposed that she and Mu Yang lead the Water Transport Gang cleanup, and Mu Yang accepted the assignment for that night.
• Elder Liang instructed Mu Yang and Yuan Yuan to gather at the Martial Arts Arena at the hour of the Pig and send seized items to the Front Hall.
• Mu Yang visited the Armory with one Earth Grade Inferior Merit and three Mystic Grade Superior Merits from recent missions.
• Mu Yang searched the Dantian Construction Method catalog for an unusual attribute, failed to find a lightning method or the Pure Heart method, and chose the Mystic Ice Dantian Construction Method.

Mu Yang exchanged for a Meridian Clearing Method and the Seven-Injury Fist, then revealed that his promotion to First-Class Demon-Seeking Captain had earned him enough Merit to afford the martial art. Later, he joined a gathering of Demon-Seeking Captains at the Martial Arts Arena, where Li Xiulian realized his new rank.

• Mu Yang chose the Origin-Rectifying Meridian Clearing Method and then selected the Seven-Injury Fist, which cost three Earth Grade Inferior Merits.
• Lei Sai asked how Mu Yang could afford the Seven-Injury Fist, and Mu Yang said he had received promotion benefits.
• Lei Sai realized Mu Yang had been promoted to First-Class Demon-Seeking Captain, and Zhou Yao confirmed it.
• Mu Yang went alone to the Martial Arts Arena late at night, where Demon-Seeking Captains had gathered for joint missions.
• Li Xiulian saw Mu Yang standing beside Yuan Yuan and realized he had become a First-Class Demon-Seeking Captain.

Elder Liang sent the Demon Slayer Bureau to raid the Water Transport Gang after evidence suggested its members had colluded with demons, with Yuan Yuan and Mu Yang leading the operation. They rendezvoused with the Constable Office forces, who prepared to seal the gang's headquarters and capture the Cao Brothers.

• Elder Liang named the Water Transport Gang as the target and ordered the squads to kill anyone who resisted.
• Elder Liang appointed Yuan Yuan as captain and Mu Yang as deputy, astonishing the Demon Slayer Bureau members who knew how quickly Mu Yang had risen in rank.
• Elder Liang ordered the squads to rendezvous with the Constable Office, secure the gang's leaders, and capture the Cao Brothers.
• Yuan Yuan and Mu Yang led the squads out into the night toward the Water Transport Gang's headquarters.
• Shen Chongyuan waited with the Constable Office's squad leaders and warned them to stay alert because Yuan Yuan and Mu Yang were leading the raid.

Mu Yang arrived with the Demon Slayer Bureau as a First-Class Demon-Seeking Captain, startling Jiang Zhao and impressing Shen Chongyuan. He greeted Dai Wang as an old friend and gave him pills before the group prepared to discuss how to raid the Water Transport Gang.

• Yuanyuan and Mu Yang led the Demon Slayer Bureau’s Captains to meet Shen Chongyuan and the constables.
• Yuanyuan introduced Mu Yang as a newly promoted First-Class Demon-Seeking Captain, and Jiang Zhao recognized him as the man in Zhu Yong’s portrait.
• Mu Yang walked over to Dai Wang and greeted him as a friend, surprising the constables and the Demon Slayer Bureau’s Captains.
• Mu Yang gave Dai Wang a Healing Pill, a Detoxification Pill, and a Qi-Replenishing Pill, then returned to Yuanyuan and Shen Chongyuan.
• Shen Chongyuan described the Water Transport Gang’s layout and asked how to arrange the operation.

Yuan Yuan and Shen Chongyuan divided their forces to attack the Water Transport Gang, while Cao Xiu and Cao Ding realized the Demon Slayer Bureau might be involved. As the assault began, Cao Xiu pretended Cao Ding had betrayed him, then attacked him before Mu Yang, Yuan Yuan, and Shen Chongyuan intervened.

• Yuan Yuan assigned squads to surround the Water Transport Gang, and Shen Chongyuan dispatched Sun Wenyuan, Jiang Zhao, Dai Wang, and Peng Zhou to their posts.
• Cao Xiu received word that constables were mobilizing, and Cao Ding warned that the Demon Slayer Bureau might be backing the operation.
• Cao Xiu revealed that the Catfish Minion and Fan Lang had both gone missing, alarming Cao Ding about the gang's exposure.
• When fighting erupted outside the courtyard, Cao Xiu kicked Cao Ding into a wall and accused him of spreading Taboo Mantras to sabotage the gang.
• Mu Yang, Yuan Yuan, and Shen Chongyuan appeared atop the courtyard wall and stopped Cao Xiu's charge with silver needles.

Cao Xiu fled into the artificial lake after Yuan Yuan and Shen Chongyuan confronted him, intending to escape through an underground river and later save Cao Ding. Mu Yang pursued him underwater and overwhelmed him with Black Water True Qi, leaving Cao Xiu battered and disoriented as Mu Yang struck again.

• Yuan Yuan demanded that Cao Xiu surrender, but he leapt into the lake to escape.
• Shen Chongyuan explained that Cao Xiu was especially dangerous in water, and Yuan Yuan and Shen Chongyuan initially abandoned the pursuit.
• Mu Yang used Water Control to propel himself through the lake after Cao Xiu.
• Cao Xiu prepared to escape through a hidden passage and vowed to find a way to save Cao Ding.
• Cao Xiu attacked Mu Yang with Wave Palm, but Mu Yang's Control Dragon Roar shattered the waves and slammed Cao Xiu into a stone wall.
• Mu Yang appeared before the bloodied, choking Cao Xiu and struck him with a fist.

Mu Yang killed Cao Xiu underwater, and Cao Ding revealed his brother’s crimes before charging Mu Yang and dying by his hand. The team returned to the Demon Slayer Bureau with the Water Transport Gang collapsing and Mu Yang gaining merit and martial arts manuals.

• Mu Yang surfaced with Cao Xiu’s corpse after killing him in the lake, astonishing Yuan Yuan and Shen Chongyuan.
• Cao Ding confessed that Cao Xiu had tortured and murdered young women with help from a Fish Demon, and explained that he had spread the Taboo Mantra to expose him.
• Cao Ding charged Mu Yang without using martial arts, and Mu Yang killed him with one punch.
• With both Cao brothers dead, the team returned to the Demon Slayer Bureau to report the mission while others handled the gang’s collapse.
• Yuan Yuan received five Mystic Grade Superior Merits, and Mu Yang received one Earth Grade Inferior Merit along with Cao Xiu’s Black Water Meridian Clearing Method and Layered Wave Palm.

Mu Yang questioned Yuan Yuan’s belief that he was kind, then went to the Demon Slayer Bureau to browse missions despite his team’s rest day. He found only Mystic Grade missions and asked a clerk for help, leaving the reason there were no Earth Grade missions unresolved.

• Yuan Yuan asked whether Mu Yang had considered sparing Cao Ding, and Mu Yang asked if she thought he was kind.
• Yuan Yuan recalled Mu Yang’s past actions and called him kind, but Mu Yang replied that those he had killed might disagree.
• Mu Yang rode Little Black away, then visited the Demon Slayer Bureau the next morning to accept missions while Qin Yuan’s team rested.
• Mu Yang browsed the mission board and found only Mystic Grade Superior missions or lower, with no Earth Grade missions listed.
• Mu Yang asked a clerk why no Earth Grade missions were available, and the clerk greeted him after seeing his First-Class token.

Mu Yang learned that Earth-Grade Missions were assigned privately and found out the Blessed Land selection would take place in half a month. He accepted three Mystic Grade Superior missions and rode toward the first target, a Turtle Demon near Zou Family Village.

• Mu Yang asked Elder Liang for an Earth-Grade Mission and learned that such missions were assigned directly because high-rank demons were rare.
• Elder Liang told Mu Yang that the Blessed Land selection was half a month away and encouraged him to seek a high ranking.
• Mu Yang chose three Mystic Grade Superior missions targeting a Turtle Demon, a Tiger Demon, and a Fish Demon, planning to hunt additional demons along the route.
• Mu Yang calculated that his journey would let him encounter ten demons in total and rode Little Black to Zou Family Village.
• Mu Yang arrived near sunset and headed to the valley northwest of the village to find the Turtle Demon.

Turtle demon Wutou ignored its mother’s warning about humans and was killed by Mu Yang’s Wind Blade. After the kill permanently solidified four Dantian Construction Methods, Mu Yang considered which Fourth Rank items to equip next for his mission.

• Wutou ate human corpses and decided to wait only a few days before hunting humans again.
• Wutou attacked Mu Yang with a Water Jet, but Mu Yang beheaded it with a Wind Blade.
• Killing Wutou permanently solidified Mu Yang’s four equipped Dantian Construction Methods.
• Mu Yang stored Wutou’s corpse and fed its head to Little Black, estimating the horse was close to advancing.
• Mu Yang stopped for the night and considered equipping Fourth Rank items before continuing his mission.

Mu Yang equipped the Turtle Demon corpse, tested its traits, and combined Water Jet with Water Control to create a controllable water dragon. After strengthening his soul with Zhimeng near Zou Family Village, he traveled onward and the record described his slaying of demons, including a Fourth Rank Tiger Demon at Tiger Roar Mountain.

• Mu Yang equipped the Turtle Demon corpse, gained 750 strands of Upper-grade True Qi, and barely opened the Foot Shaoyang Meridian while increasing his strength and defensive abilities.
• Mu Yang tested Water Jet and used Water Control to shape its conjured water into a miniature Flood Dragon.
• Mu Yang equipped three pills that granted poison resistance and improved vision, then rode Little Black toward Zou Family Village to use Zhimeng.
• Mu Yang spent the night near Zou Family Village absorbing the essence of sleeping villagers to strengthen his soul, then left with Little Black in the morning.
• The record stated that Mu Yang slew a Fourth Rank Turtle Demon and two Third Rank demons, while Black Wind consumed demon remains and advanced to Mid Second Rank.
• The record stated that Mu Yang reached Tiger Roar Mountain and slew its Fourth Rank Tiger Demon to protect the local villagers.

After equipping the slain Tiger Demon and testing its abilities, Mu Yang traveled to Poison Miasma Swamp to hunt a Fourth Rank Snake Demon. He found two Fourth Rank Snake Demons there, leaving him with an unexpected chance to fight both.

• Mu Yang equipped the Tiger Demon corpse, gaining strength and two abilities that he tested together, then added traits from two Third-Order Demon Corpses and a Bone-Strengthening Pill.
• Mu Yang used a map to locate Poison Miasma Swamp, where a Fourth Rank Snake Demon was said to live.
• Mu Yang sent Little Black to wait somewhere safe and entered the swamp, finding that his pills protected him from the poisonous miasma.
• Mu Yang detected movement in the water and spotted a Fourth Rank Snake Demon about five or six zhang long.
• As Mu Yang prepared to attack, a second Fourth Rank Snake Demon surfaced nearby.

Mu Yang killed two Fourth Rank Snake Demons and used their deaths to permanently solidify several equipped items. After equipping their corpses and gaining strength and True Qi, he considered his remaining Fourth Rank loot and began enhancing equipment.

• Mu Yang killed the male Snake Demon with a Wind Blade while it was courting the Half-Body Snake Demon.
• Mu Yang blocked the Half-Body Snake Demon's Bone-Eroding Snake Venom with a Water Flood Dragon, pierced her abdomen, and broke her neck after she stopped resisting.
• Mu Yang used the two Snake Demons' deaths to permanently solidify more equipment, then stored their heads and equipped their corpses.
• Mu Yang gained 60,000 jin of strength and 1,500 strands of True Qi from the Snake Demon Corpses, advancing the tempering of his fifth Major Meridian.
• Mu Yang rejected the treasure armor and weapons as equipment options, placed three weapons in the Enhancement Material Slot, and held a Small Sleeve Bag.

Mu Yang enhanced his sleeve bag and left the Poison Miasma Swamp, where he encountered Chu Ning of Medicine King Valley and Yuwen Shukuang of Thunder Sect. The two recognized his Demon Slayer Bureau uniform and approached him with their intentions unclear.

• Mu Yang enhanced several Fourth-Rank items, combining the blue sleeve bags into a purple one and equipping it to expand his storage space.
• Mu Yang equipped a Healing Pill, bringing his solidified healing traits to five, then left the Poison Miasma Swamp.
• Yuwen Shukuang and Chu Ning arrived at the swamp seeking a Beauty Snake and spotted Mu Yang’s horse near the entrance.
• Mu Yang emerged from the poisonous miasma, and Chu Ning and Yuwen Shukuang recognized him as a Demon Slayer Bureau official.
• Chu Ning introduced herself and Yuwen Shukuang, and Mu Yang asked whether they needed something while keeping a hand on his weapon.

Mu Yang refused Chu Ning and Yuwen Shukuang’s demand to buy the Beauty Snake’s corpse, so Yuwen attacked him. The chapter ended with Mu Yang catching Yuwen’s lightning-charged blade with his bare hand.

• Mu Yang told Chu Ning that the Beauty Snake was dead and refused to sell its corpse, despite her offer of three Tier 4 Pills.
• Yuwen Shukuang threatened Mu Yang, while Chu Ning raised her offer and hinted that he should reconsider.
• After Mu Yang refused again, Chu Ning asked Yuwen Shukuang to handle him, and he launched a lightning-charged blade strike.
• Chu Ning expected Mu Yang to be killed, but Mu Yang stood his ground and caught Yuwen’s blade with his bare hand, shocking them both.

Mu Yang killed Yuwen Shukuang before he could use the Violent Thunder Pill, then killed Chu Ning and searched their belongings. He found a Three-Pole Life-Prolonging Pill and left the marsh with their supplies.

• Yuwen Shukuang wounded Mu Yang and tried to take the Violent Thunder Pill to strengthen his lightning True Qi.
• Mu Yang used Soul Howl to stun Yuwen Shukuang, stole the pill, and killed him with a strike to the head.
• Mu Yang turned on Chu Ning and killed her before she could finish invoking her background.
• Mu Yang searched both corpses and found a Three-Pole Life-Prolonging Pill in Chu Ning's medicine pouch.

Mu Yang equipped Chu Ning's Three-Pole Life-Prolonging Pill and discovered pills and martial arts manuals in Yuwen Shukuang's and Chu Ning's sleeve bags. After finding a booklet titled Detailed Explanation of Hidden Meridians, he wondered what it contained.

• Mu Yang replaced his Healing Pill with Chu Ning's Three-Pole Life-Prolonging Pill, whose effects restored him and protected his internal organs.
• Mu Yang inspected Yuwen Shukuang's Violent Thunder Pill and sleeve bag, finding lightning-based martial arts, weapons, and a Thunder Body-Tempering Pill.
• Mu Yang decided he could use the Thunder Body-Tempering Pill with the life-prolonging pill to strengthen and recover his internal organs.
• Mu Yang searched Chu Ning's sleeve bag and found pills, medicinal supplies, martial arts manuals, and an old booklet called Detailed Explanation of Hidden Meridians.