Chapter Summaries

Mu Yang learned that the Channel-Opening Realm could open twenty-four Hidden Meridians in addition to its twelve Major Meridians, then equipped a manual to master them. He resumed hunting demons, and the account left him searching for a Fourth Rank Fish Demon at Sancha River.

• Mu Yang read Detailed Explanation of Hidden Meridians and learned that opening all thirty-six meridians could greatly increase True Qi conversion and support cultivation in the Sixth Rank Aperture-Opening Realm.
• Mu Yang equipped Detailed Explanation of Hidden Meridians, gaining Perfection-level proficiency in its techniques.
• Mu Yang destroyed Yuwen Shukuang and Chu Ning’s corpses, disposed of their remains in the Poison Miasma Swamp, and left on Little Black.
• Mu Yang slew two Fourth Rank Snake Demons in the Poison Miasma Swamp, and Black Wind consumed part of their remains to increase its demonic power.
• Mu Yang killed a Third Rank demon that was devouring people and collected its corpse; Black Wind later consumed part of it.
• Mu Yang arrived at Sancha River while searching for a Fourth Rank Fish Demon.

Mu Yang found a trace of demonic aura in Sancha County and discovered constables forcing an old woman to surrender her granddaughter as a page for the River Goddess. He stopped them, and the kneeling constables claimed they were on the same side as the Demon Slayer Bureau.

• Mu Yang arrived in Sancha County and noticed its red decorations, empty streets, and oppressive atmosphere.
• Mu Yang followed a faint trace of demonic aura to a courtyard after hearing an old woman plead for her child.
• A bearded constable tried to strike the old woman while holding her granddaughter, Nannan.
• Mu Yang severed the constable's arm with a Wind Blade and freed Nannan.
• The constables dropped their weapons and knelt, identifying themselves as Sancha County Office constables, while Mu Yang questioned their claim that they were on the same side.

Mu Yang learned that Sancha County’s officials kidnapped children for yearly sacrifices to the River Goddess, killed the constables who had targeted a little girl, and set out to rescue another child. Meanwhile, Magistrate Sun Shixin continued organizing the sacrifices and met with a strange scaled-headed figure in his study.

• The constables told Mu Yang that Sancha County selected sixty-six children each year as offerings to the River Goddess, and an old woman begged to take her granddaughter’s place.
• Mu Yang promised that no one would be sacrificed again, killed the constables, and left the girl with her grandmother.
• A boy begged Mu Yang to save his little sister, and Mu Yang told him to lead the way.
• At the County Office, Clerk Zheng rewarded constables for bringing in children while Sun Shixin ordered ten more children gathered for the River Goddess.
• Sun Shixin returned to his study, where a tall, bald figure with scale-like coverings on its head thanked him for his help.

Mu Yang confronted the corrupt Demon-Seeking Captain Sun Yingjie at the Sancha County Office, demanding to know about the River God Festival and the missing children. Sun Yingjie prepared to attack him, but the demon and Magistrate Sun Shixin arrived, leaving the confrontation poised to escalate.

• Clerk Zheng delivered ten drugged and bound children to Sun Shixin and the bald demon, who then went to investigate a cry of violence outside.
• Mu Yang killed two constables at the County Office gates while the youth who had guided him watched nearby.
• Sun Yingjie introduced himself and tried to deflect Mu Yang's questions about the River God Festival with an invitation and an offer to search the river for medicinal herbs.
• Mu Yang demanded to know where the children were, and Sun Yingjie dropped his friendly pretense and prepared to order his two accomplices to attack.
• The bald demon emerged with Sun Shixin and urged Sun Yingjie to stop wasting words on Mu Yang.

Mu Yang rejected Sun Shixin’s claim that sacrificing children to demons protected Sancha County and killed the magistrate. When Sun Yingjie and two Captains attacked, Mu Yang killed all three with ease, leaving the county constables to face him.

• A youth accused Sun Shixin and the Sun Clan of feeding children, including his little sister, to demons in the river.
• Sun Shixin argued that the River God Festival had reduced annual demon-caused deaths from thousands to fewer than three hundred and invited Mu Yang to join them in protecting the city.
• Mu Yang condemned Sun Shixin for sacrificing the weak and striking a deal with demons, then charged and killed him with his Black Gold Four-Edged Mace.
• Sun Yingjie ordered two Captains to attack Mu Yang, but Mu Yang caught and shattered Sun Yingjie’s saber before killing him.
• The two Captains’ blades could not harm Mu Yang, and he killed both men with a tiger-claw grip and a blow from his Long Mace.

Mu Yang and Little Black killed the remaining constables at the County Office, then Mu Yang defeated and slew a Fifth Rank Crab Demon. The crab demon’s dying claim that its mother was the Flood Dragon’s wife did not stop Mu Yang, and a system notification confirmed the kill.

• The constables fled after Sun Shixin and Sun Yingjie died, but Mu Yang’s Wind Blades and Little Black killed them as they ran.
• The bald, burly man revealed himself as a Fifth Rank Green-Shelled Crab Demon and attacked Mu Yang.
• Little Black rescued the youth from the Crab Demon’s attack and carried him to safety.
• Mu Yang shattered the Crab Demon’s pincer, destroyed its eyes, and broke its shell with successive attacks.
• The Crab Demon begged for its life and invoked its mother, but Mu Yang punched through its heart and killed it.
• A system notification confirmed that Mu Yang had slain a Fifth Rank Crab Demon.

After killing the Green-Shelled Crab Demon, Mu Yang stored its corpse and accepted four Sleeve Bags from a youth who praised him for killing Sun Shixin. Clerk Zheng then revealed that Sun Shixin had secretly sacrificed people to the Green-Shelled Mother Crab for years.

• Mu Yang examined the Green-Shelled Crab Demon Corpse and stored it in his Sleeve Bag Space rather than equipping it in an unsuitable place.
• The youth retrieved four Sleeve Bags from the headless corpses and handed them to Mu Yang.
• Mu Yang led the youth through the County Office and met Clerk Zheng outside the study.
• Clerk Zheng accused Sun Shixin of coercing officials and using children as sacrifices for the River God Festival.
• Clerk Zheng revealed that the River Goddess was a Green-Shelled Mother Crab and that Sun Shixin had secretly sent young men to be sacrificed in the river.

Mu Yang rescued the children held by Clerk Zheng and learned that Sun Shixin had drugged ten more of them. After the children woke, Xiao Yan thanked Mu Yang for saving him and his sister Xiao Xun, prompting Mu Yang to give Xiao Yan an Iron Mountain Lean martial arts manual.

• Mu Yang ordered Clerk Zheng to return the children from the County Office to their homes within an hour.
• Mu Yang learned that Xiao Yan's sister, Xiao Xun, was among ten children Sun Shixin had taken to his study.
• Clerk Zheng lit Spirit-Awakening Incense, waking the ten children from the effects of Soul-Bewitching Incense.
• Xiao Yan calmed the children, reunited with Xiao Xun, and thanked Mu Yang for saving them.
• After learning their names, Mu Yang handed Xiao Yan an Iron Mountain Lean martial arts manual.

Mu Yang took control of Sancha County after destroying the River God Festival’s perpetrators, then purged the county office and great families while reporting the case to the Demon Slayer Bureau. With the county in bloody disarray, he turned to equipping Meridian Clearing Methods to prepare for the Green-Shelled Mother Crab.

• Mu Yang abolished the River God Festival, ordered Sancha County’s officials to remain in the city, and killed several who resisted or showed defiance.
• Mu Yang ordered Clerk Zheng and the county staff to confiscate the Sun Clan’s and other great families’ estates, while sending a report about Sancha County to the Demon Slayer Bureau through his Bronze Token.
• Mu Yang forced the officials to confess their crimes and name their accomplices, then killed nearly everyone in the hall, leaving a few minor clerks alive to help with the handover.
• Mu Yang examined Sun Yingjie’s Sleeve Bag and the confiscated goods, deciding to sell them to the Demon Slayer Bureau for Merit.
• Mu Yang took out four Meridian Clearing Methods and began equipping them in preparation for confronting the Green-Shelled Mother Crab.

Mu Yang equipped the Origin-Rectifying and Black Water Meridian Clearing Methods, rapidly opening meridians and advancing into the Late-Stage Channel-Opening Realm. He considered which methods to equip next while reserving a slot for the Green-Shelled Crab Demon corpse.

• Mu Yang equipped the Origin-Rectifying Meridian Clearing Method and opened the fifth, sixth, and seventh Major Meridians, nearly opening the eighth.
• Mu Yang equipped the Black Water Meridian Clearing Method and opened the eighth Major Meridian, reaching Perfection in the Mid-Stage Channel-Opening Realm.
• Mu Yang synchronized his True Qi to open the ninth Major Meridian, then opened the tenth and broke through into the Late-Stage Channel-Opening Realm.
• Mu Yang reached one million one hundred and twenty thousand jin of one-arm strength and fifteen thousand threads of True Qi.
• Mu Yang reviewed the Green Bag and Thunder Meridian Clearing Methods and considered their prerequisites while reserving an equipment slot for the Green-Shelled Crab Demon corpse.

Mu Yang opened all twelve Major Meridians, which then advanced in quality and greatly improved his speed and True Qi circulation. He equipped the Seven-Injury Fist and demonstrated its powerful combined hard-and-soft force.

• Mu Yang equipped the Thunder Dantian Construction Method and Thunder Meridian Clearing Method, opening the final two Major Meridians and reaching 1.22 million jin of strength in one arm.
• After all twelve Major Meridians opened, they absorbed his remaining True Qi and advanced from White to Blue quality, increasing his circulation and movement speeds.
• Mu Yang chose to equip the Seven-Injury Fist, gaining its techniques and the Hard and Soft Combined trait.
• Mu Yang tested the Seven-Injury Fist by firing a pinpoint strike into a roof beam, then detonating it from within and shattering it.

After gaining strength from the Green-Shelled Crab Demon, Mu Yang received a warning from Qinghe Prefecture's envoy about the political danger of killing Sancha County officials. He suspected the new emperor might be moving against the Demon Slayer Bureau and prepared to focus on the River God Festival the next day.

• Mu Yang equipped the Green-Shelled Crab Demon's corpse, opened an Auxiliary Meridian, and tested traits that increased his strength and defenses.
• The Demon Slayer Bureau's Huang Can team arrived, and Mu Yang briefed them on Sancha County and handed over the surviving officials.
• Officials from Qinghe Prefecture arrived, and Mu Yang learned that the young appointees would take over Sancha County's leadership.
• At a banquet, Fu Rui told Mu Yang that Prefect Lu considered the dead officials deserving of their fate but warned him to be cautious because the Demon Slayer Bureau stood at the crest of the storm.
• After Fu Rui left, Mu Yang speculated that the new emperor might want to diminish the Demon Slayer Bureau and decided to solidify his equipment before the River God Festival.

A Water-Splitting Sect disciple entered the Sancha River cavern to test his sword and discovered the Green-Shelled Mother Crab with the Little Flood Dragon. The Little Flood Dragon killed the disciple and his senior brother, then the gongs from the surface signaled that their runaway son had returned for mealtime.

• The Little Flood Dragon promised to take the Green-Shelled Mother Crab to Clearwater Dragon Palace after he reached Sixth Rank.
• Hao Ben entered the cavern and challenged the Green-Shelled Mother Crab with his Water-Splitting Sword, but his attacks barely marked her shell.
• Hao Ben summoned his senior brother, and Senior Brother Di arrived and cracked the crab's claw with a sword strike.
• The Little Flood Dragon transformed into a flood dragon, swallowed Senior Brother Di, and then swallowed Hao Ben.
• The Little Flood Dragon checked on the injured Green-Shelled Mother Crab, and they heard gongs and drums from the surface signaling mealtime.

Mu Yang lured the Green-Shelled Mother Crab to the river’s surface and killed it with his Seven-Injury Force. As the crab called for a mysterious “Your Highness,” the system permanently solidified several equipment methods, leaving six free Equipment Slots.

• Mu Yang waited on a small boat while musicians used ranked instruments to lure the Green-Shelled Mother Crab from the river.
• The Green-Shelled Mother Crab asked Mu Yang where Sun Shixin and the offerings were, and Mu Yang told her that Sun Shixin and her son were dead.
• Mu Yang fought the Green-Shelled Mother Crab, shattered one of her pincers with a punch, and then struck her chest with Seven-Injury Force.
• The Green-Shelled Mother Crab cried, “Your Highness, save me,” before Mu Yang killed her.
• The system permanently solidified several equipment methods after Mu Yang killed the fifth-rank Crab Demon, leaving six free Equipment Slots.

After Mu Yang defeated the Green-Shelled Mother Crab, a Little Flood Dragon emerged from the river and swore to avenge Qing'er. It summoned Sinking Rain over Sancha County, leaving Mu Yang to face a powerful new threat as the rain crippled the people’s ability to move and circulate true qi.

• Mu Yang stored the Green-Shelled Mother Crab’s corpse and examined its fifth-rank equipment effects.
• The people of Sancha County celebrated Mu Yang’s victory, believing the river demon had been defeated.
• A Little Flood Dragon burst from the river, destroyed Mu Yang’s boat, and accused him of killing Qing'er.
• Huang Can, Fu Rui, and the people on the riverbank recognized the flood dragon’s overwhelming power and feared for Sancha County.
• The Little Flood Dragon vowed to kill Mu Yang and everyone in Sancha County, then cast Sinking Rain, which slowed true qi circulation and made bodies feel heavy.

Mu Yang fought the Little Flood Dragon through a storm and proved strong enough to withstand its attacks. He then seized control of the Sancha River’s waves and formed a Water Flood Dragon that attacked the Little Flood Dragon, leaving the people on shore in awe.

• Mu Yang sensed that the Little Flood Dragon’s rain briefly disrupted his true qi, then watched it gather the water into a powerful tail strike.
• Mu Yang combined three abilities to punch the Little Flood Dragon’s water-wrapped tail, shattering the torrent and injuring its scales.
• The Little Flood Dragon summoned towering waves across the Sancha River, terrifying Huang Can and the others on shore.
• Mu Yang stopped the giant wave and reversed its flow, shaping it into a colossal Water Flood Dragon.
• The Water Flood Dragon bit the Little Flood Dragon, while the Little Flood Dragon failed to regain control of the water and Huang Can began to revere Mu Yang.

Mu Yang killed the Little Flood Dragon with Seven-Injury Force, then discovered two Water-Splitting Sect disciples alive inside its stomach. Di Ren and Hao Ben thanked him for rescuing them, and Hao Ben produced a demon corpse from his sleeve pouch.

• Mu Yang used Water Control to overpower the Little Flood Dragon and pinned it with the Water Flood Dragon.
• Mu Yang struck the Little Flood Dragon’s forehead with Seven-Injury Force, killing it and permanently solidifying several fifth-rank pills.
• Mu Yang found a faint movement in the Little Flood Dragon’s abdomen and cut it open, freeing Di Ren and Hao Ben.
• Di Ren explained that he and Hao Ben had been swallowed while investigating a cave beneath the river and had survived inside protective True Qi shields.
• Hao Ben thanked Mu Yang and produced a demon corpse covered in sword wounds from his sleeve pouch.

Mu Yang received Qi-Storing Crystals from Di Ren and discovered that equipping them could permanently increase his true qi limit, then accepted Hao Ben’s underwater demon-tracking secret art. Di Ren and Hao Ben departed for Qinghe Prefecture, where Hao Ben invited Mu Yang to watch the Blessed Land Grand Selection.

• Hao Ben offered Mu Yang the corpse of a Fourth-Stage Fish Demon, which happened to be Mu Yang’s mission target.
• Di Ren gave Mu Yang ninety-seven Qi-Storing Crystals, and Mu Yang discovered that each could permanently increase his true qi limit by one hundred wisps.
• Hao Ben gave Mu Yang the Water-Seeking Demon-Tracking Technique, which sensed lingering demonic qi in water currents and required water-attribute true qi.
• Di Ren and Hao Ben left to meet their fellow disciples in Qinghe Prefecture, and Hao Ben invited Mu Yang to watch him compete in the Blessed Land Grand Selection.
• Mu Yang agreed to attend the selection.

After defeating the demons at Sancha River, Mu Yang returned to the county town and examined the entries from the Little Flood Dragon's corpse. The flood dragon offered nine entries, including four purple ones, and Mu Yang was pleased by the discovery.

• The townspeople revered Mu Yang as a river god, and he left the follow-up work to Fu Rui and the county officials.
• Mu Yang met Xiao Yan, who asked why Mu Yang was so much stronger than other members of the Demon Slayer Bureau.
• Mu Yang told Xiao Yan he likely owed his strength to body tempering, inspiring the boy to train harder.
• At the County Office, Mu Yang equipped the Green-Shelled Mother Crab's corpse and gained its strength and qi-blood benefits.
• Mu Yang inspected the Little Flood Dragon's corpse and discovered its nine entries, four of them purple quality.

Mu Yang equipped the Flood Dragon corpse and gained a huge increase in strength, qi-blood, soul power, and defense. He discovered that duplicate Water Control entries amplified the ability, leaving him eager to seek out monsters with large families.

• Mu Yang equipped the Flood Dragon corpse, opened four Hidden Meridians, and increased his single-arm strength to nearly three million jin.
• Mu Yang tested his boosted soul strength and Flood Dragon Scales, finding that his soul range reached five kilometers and his defense resisted even his strongest attacks.
• Mu Yang compared the flood dragon’s attack entries and found that its Water Dragon Tail was difficult to combine with his other techniques.
• Mu Yang summoned a Water Flood Dragon and discovered that a second Water Control entry doubled its size for the same true-qi cost.
• Mu Yang decided he would seek out monsters with large families to collect more duplicate entries.