Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Wu Da identifies the stone platform as an altar. The surrounding stone False Gods had sacrificed themselves to gather their Killing Intent into the seated leader, potentially increasing its strength by a full major realm.
• The team presses on because they have found no mission clues and cannot afford to return empty-handed. They follow a slippery mountain path to a stone-pillared forest entrance, where intense Killing Intent and cries that attack Divine Consciousness threaten them.
• Inside, they find the enormous leader False God dead, pinned to the ground by a pillar-sized spear. Wu Er concludes it died in battle; Wu Da, Zhu Qingsha, and Liu Ji infer that the other False Gods empowered it for a fight against a formidable enemy, but it still lost.
• Qin An reasons that the spear may have been left behind to keep the dead False God from reviving. Then he alone hears a hoarse voice warn that “Mirage” has gone mad and is killing anything that catches his interest. The voice urges them to flee, saying Mirage’s form is about to descend on Ten Thousand Stone Forest.
• Qin An immediately orders a retreat. The group escapes to the path’s beginning, where they watch the forest shake violently. The chapter ends as an unexpected event begins.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin An stays decisive and observant: he interprets the spear’s presence, responds quickly to the private warning, and leads the retreat. The voice’s warning leaves him with urgent questions about Mirage.
• Wu Da shares his knowledge of the sacrificial ritual, but is unsettled when the evidence does not match his initial understanding. Wu Er’s terse insight helps him revise his explanation.
• Wu Er remains reserved but makes the key deduction that the giant False God “died in battle.”
• Liu Ji urges caution, identifies the danger to Divine Consciousness, and helps assess the enemy’s likely power.
• Zhu Qingsha contributes to the group’s reasoning, recognizing the logic of the sacrifice and questioning why the spear was left behind.
• The team acts as a disciplined unit, using a coordinated formation and obeying Qin An’s urgent command without delay.

Significant themes

• Sacrifice and power: The False Gods gave their lives to strengthen their leader, yet even that power could not secure victory.
• Uncertainty and inference: The team must draw conclusions from fragmentary clues in a dangerous, unfamiliar place.
• Duty versus survival: The mission demands progress, but the warning forces the group to prioritize escape.
• A looming, unstable threat: The mysterious warning and shaking forest suggest Mirage may be an unpredictable danger on a vast scale.

Key plot points and events

• The Ten Thousand Stone Forest rises and assembles into a hundred-zhang stone False God. Its overwhelming killing intent damages the minds of anyone with weak Divine Consciousness, explaining why Mountain Patrol Silver Generals have been going mad.
• Qin An recognizes the creature as a genuine Unity Realm opponent. The group tries to retreat, but the False God seals them in with a vast barrier of interlocking rocks and attacks.
• Their combined techniques barely chip the creature’s fist, and they are thrown against the stone wall. As it forms a stone spear, Qin An realizes that the mad Mirage controls the forest and has turned the stone False God against them.
• With their escape routes closed, Liu Ji, Wu Da, Wu Er, and Zhu Qingsha prepare to fight to the death. Qin An considers using his Death Substitution Needle to flee, but stays because he wants to uncover the wider conspiracy threatening the Evil Extermination Division.
• A mysterious voice reveals that the False God is powerful externally but fragile inside. Qin An tells the others to distract it, then races into its mouth.
• From inside the creature, Qin An attacks its vulnerable core. The False God convulses and collapses as he strikes, and the group watches its life force rapidly fade.
• When the dust clears, a dark-robed figure appears. The chapter ends with the others instinctively avoiding his gaze, leaving his identity and intentions unresolved.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin An moves from assessing the danger to taking a calculated, extreme risk. His choice reflects both courage and his determination to investigate the conspiracy, not merely survive.
• Liu Ji and the others show loyalty and resolve, accepting that they may die while creating an opening for Qin An. Once he reveals a possible plan, their despair turns to hope and they fight harder to draw the False God’s attention.
• Wu Da and Wu Er act in tandem, openly pledging to protect Qin An even at the cost of their lives.
• Zhu Qingsha pushes her self-enchantment to its limit, using blood to intensify the technique. She and the others interpret Qin An’s dangerous entry into the creature as proof of his courage and composure, deepening their respect for him.

Significant themes

• Courage under impossible odds: The group refuses to surrender even when victory seems unattainable.
• Trust and cooperation: The others risk themselves to give Qin An the chance to exploit the False God’s weakness.
• Appearances versus reality: The seemingly invincible creature is vulnerable within, while the final dark-robed figure’s ominous appearance raises new questions.
• Duty and the pursuit of truth: Qin An stays not only to survive the mission but to pursue clues about a threat to the Evil Extermination Division.

Plot points and events

• Qin An kills the Unity Realm False God formed from the Ten Thousand Stone Forest and takes its valuable False Soul. The group realizes that his strength—not luck—was what kept them alive.
• With the deeper mystery of the Mirage still unresolved, Qin An urges everyone to leave the battlefield. Before they can go far, the ground convulses, people entering the Mirage fall dead, and the Mirage’s killing intent fills the world.
• A pair of enormous, blood-red eyes appears in the sky and pursues the group. Qin An judges that they cannot outrun it and prepares to fight.
• A mysterious voice speaks directly into Qin An’s mind, directing him east to a gate that can lead out of the Mirage. Trusting the voice, he leads the others toward it.
• As the group nears the gate, the eyes fire crimson beams. A blast of chaotic light from the gate intercepts them, giving Qin An and his companions time to escape through.
• They emerge in an unfamiliar landscape of mountains, river, and a wooded island. Qin An addresses the unseen figure who guided them. The island trembles, and a vague humanoid shape forms from killing intent. The others ready themselves, but Qin An tells them the entity likely has a purpose beyond killing them.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin An is established as both exceptionally powerful and composed under pressure. He leads the group through successive dangers, trusts the mysterious voice despite uncertainty, and recognizes that the figure who saved them probably wants to communicate.
• Liu Ji, Wu Da, and Wu Er are shaken by Qin An’s strength and increasingly rely on his judgment. Wu Da and Wu Er show their respect openly, while Liu Ji helps assess the danger.
• Zhu Qingsha drops her seductive manner and becomes visibly intimidated by Qin An’s power and the Mirage’s pressure.
• The group’s trust in Qin An is reinforced when they follow his unexplained decision to run east without demanding proof. At the new location, their instinct to prepare for danger contrasts with Qin An’s restraint.

Significant themes

• Power and earned authority: Qin An’s deeds command the group’s respect more effectively than status or persuasion.
• Trust amid uncertainty: The group survives by following Qin An, while Qin An risks trusting a voice whose identity and motives remain unknown.
• Escalating, mysterious danger: The Mirage appears to be a living, hostile force, and its true nature—and the larger secret behind it—remain unresolved.
• Survival and cooperation: Even after a costly battle, the characters prepare to fight together when escape seems impossible.

Chapter Summary: “The Ruins Emerge”

Key plot points and events

• A powerful young man in black appears before Qin An and his companions. Liu Ji recognizes him as a False God, far more powerful than the blood-red presence they encountered in the Mirage.
• Qin An deduces that the stranger is a consciousness born from a fragment of the Ancient Battlefield Ruins. The False God confirms his identity and introduces himself as Gu Yi.
• Gu Yi reveals that he once helped Jin Fengyu rise through the Mountain Patrol ranks, and praises Qin An’s judgment and conduct.
• To keep sensitive information from spreading, Gu Yi seals Liu Ji and the others inside a barrier of Killing Intent, then speaks to Qin An privately.
• Gu Yi explains that the ruins are losing control to a mysterious False God. Long ago, that being pursued a wounded True Dragon into the ruins. Gu Yi concealed the dragon, but the intruder turned against him, and the two fought to a stalemate.
• The enemy has since driven many False Gods in the ruins mad by making them cultivate the Divine Soul Refinement Technique. Half of them have succumbed. Gu Yi cannot stop this without weakening the ruins and leaving himself vulnerable.
• Gu Yi says Qin An is uniquely able to reach him: Qin An can enter the Mirage and possesses all three forms of Heaven-Earth-Human True Intent. Gu Yi urges him to warn Jin Fengyu and prepare the Mountain Patrol Golden Generals, since the enemy’s eventual takeover could bring catastrophe to Xunyang Prefecture.
• Qin An agrees to deliver the warning and asks to leave with his companions. Before releasing them, Gu Yi presents Qin An with a wooden box as a gift; its contents are not yet revealed.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin An remains composed and practical. He identifies Gu Yi through deduction, speaks to him without deference or fear, and focuses on the urgent task of warning Jin Fengyu and strengthening himself.
• Gu Yi shifts from an intimidating, potentially dangerous presence to a candid ally. He admires Qin An’s talent and temperament, trusts him with a world-shaking secret, and offers him a useful gift.
• Liu Ji and the others are awed by Gu Yi’s power but recognize that the barrier is meant to protect the secret, not harm them. Liu Ji accepts that waiting is their only option.
• Gu Yi and Qin An establish a direct working relationship: Gu Yi supplies the intelligence and access; Qin An will carry the warning to the authorities.

Significant themes

• Power and responsibility: Qin An’s rare abilities make him the only person able to receive and act on Gu Yi’s warning.
• Secrecy and trust: Gu Yi limits who can hear the truth, while choosing Qin An because he believes he can handle it.
• Pragmatism under pressure: Qin An prioritizes communication and cultivation rather than lingering over praise or ceremony.
• Hidden threats and unstable control: The ruins’ apparent order conceals a spreading crisis that could endanger an entire prefecture.

Chapter Summary: “Return to the Division, Enter Seclusion”

Key plot points and events

• Gu Yi gives Qin An a carved black box containing a pale bead. The bead holds a phantom of Gu Yi capable of delivering one full-strength strike—powerful enough to kill even a Unity Realm expert at its peak.
• Gu Yi warns Qin An to share what he has learned with Jin Fengyu. With Mirage gone mad and other False Gods active, survival depends on cooperation. He also invites Qin An to visit his ruins once the crisis in Xunyang Prefecture has passed.
• Gu Yi releases Liu Ji and the others from his concealment and sends the group out of the Ancient Battlefield Ruins. They return to the Cave with the Bronze Gate.
• Back at the Evil Extermination Division, Qin An asks Zhou Yuanfeng to send Jin Fengyu an urgent, confidential message, then returns to his quarters to rest before resuming training.
• Elsewhere, Situ Shen surveys the bodies of hundreds of demons and False Gods killed after refusing his offer to learn the Divine Soul Refinement Technique. He learns Qin An has returned and that Zhou Yuanfeng has secretly contacted Jin Fengyu.
• Situ Shen rejects the suggestion to kill Zhou Yuanfeng, preferring to keep him alive as a possible source of information. He then orders Mount Lu and Tiger Cave to provoke a mission that might lure Qin An into an ambush. Both factions have Unity Realm experts, and Situ Shen expects Qin An to die if they attack.
• Situ Shen continues pursuing his plan on behalf of the Black-Robed False God, threatening another faction with either cooperation or slaughter.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin An accepts Gu Yi’s dangerous but valuable gift without hesitation, then prioritizes getting information to Jin Fengyu and returning to his cultivation. His companions’ gratitude and admiration show the trust he has earned.
• Gu Yi acts as Qin An’s benefactor and warns him that even formidable individuals cannot survive the coming crisis alone. He also demonstrates his power by effortlessly ending the killing intent that had isolated Qin An’s companions.
• Liu Ji, Wu Da, Wu Er, and Zhu Qingsha openly pledge their loyalty to Qin An after he saves them. They discuss his potential to become a Mountain Patrol Golden General and possibly reach the Unity Realm first among Silver Generals.
• Zhou Yuanfeng respects Qin An’s discretion, asks no further questions, and uses a special channel to send Jin Fengyu the secret message.
• Situ Shen reveals both ruthlessness and strategic patience: he has his followers massacre opponents, but chooses not to kill Zhou Yuanfeng because keeping him alive may prove useful. He treats Qin An as a target in a larger political wager.

Significant themes

• Cooperation in the face of overwhelming danger: Gu Yi stresses that survival requires allies, prompting Qin An to contact Jin Fengyu.
• Trust and loyalty: Qin An’s companions repay his rescue with sincere pledges, while Gu Yi’s gift signals confidence in him.
• Power and moral corruption: Situ Shen pursues influence and the Divine Soul Refinement Technique through manipulation, ambush, and murder.
• Preparation and urgency: Qin An’s rare defensive treasure, secret message, and training plans all reflect the need to prepare for escalating threats.
• Fate, strategy, and risk: Situ Shen frames events as a wager, while attempting to shape Qin An’s choices by arranging a deadly mission.

Key plot points and events

• Xunyang Prefecture has been unusually quiet: Demon and False God activity has fallen, leaving local officials puzzled about what lies behind the calm.
• After extensive study in the Confidential Archives, Qin An reaches Scholar level 15, a major advancement. His reading and comprehension improve, he gains greater returns from training, and his Mind Method Talents reach Perfection in the Inner God Realm. A new Talent strengthens the attributes attached to his Mind Methods.
• Confident that he is ready to pursue a Supreme Foundation, Qin An sets out to cultivate toward the Unity Realm and exchanges for a new Mind Method.
• Jin Fengyu returns after receiving Qin An’s urgent message. Qin An tells him what he learned from Gu Yi: Situ Shen is targeting the Ancient Battlefield Ruins. Jin Fengyu is alarmed and plans to coordinate with Green Luo and the other Mountain Patrol Golden Generals.
• Jin Fengyu warns Qin An that the Demon factions Mount Lu and Tiger Cave appear to be plotting against him. He urges Qin An not to approach them before reaching the Unity Realm.
• Qin An privately considers that destroying those factions could earn him the Merits needed to become a Mountain Patrol Golden General, despite assuring Jin Fengyu he will not act rashly.
• After Jin Fengyu leaves, Qin An begins studying the Ultimate Darkness Heart Sutra, hoping to combine its darkness attribute with his seven existing attributes. He memorizes it quickly and begins cultivating it; the chapter ends as Smoke starts to appear.

Character developments

• Qin An turns his prolonged study into a major leap in power and prepares to pursue the Unity Realm. His ambition remains strong: even with several serious enemies, he is already thinking about how to gain the strength and standing needed to confront them.
• Jin Fengyu acts as a trusted mentor and ally. He takes Qin An’s warning seriously, prioritizes strategic coordination, and tries to restrain Qin An’s risky impulses.

Significant themes

• Preparation and transformation: Qin An’s disciplined study creates a qualitative improvement that may enable his next breakthrough.
• Ambition versus caution: Qin An sees danger as an opportunity for advancement, while Jin Fengyu emphasizes survival and timing.
• Hidden threats beneath calm: The prefecture’s reduced disturbances do not mean the underlying danger has passed; plots involving Situ Shen and rival factions continue.

Character interactions

• Local Prefecture Generals gossip about Qin An’s habits, then fall silent when Jin Fengyu warns them not to speak carelessly about him.
• Qin An and Jin Fengyu exchange intelligence: Qin An reports the threat to the Ancient Battlefield Ruins, while Jin Fengyu alerts him to the plots of Mount Lu and Tiger Cave.
• Jin Fengyu recognizes Qin An’s interest in attacking the factions and cautions him; Qin An outwardly agrees but privately remains focused on his plans.

Key plot points and events

• Qin An perfects the Ultimate Darkness Heart Sutra, then tries to advance his cultivation by fusing the Bodhi Golden Dragon Seven Star Art with the Dark Cloud Heart Sutra.
• The first fusion attempt fails, costing him fifty Demon Consciousness. Burning more Vital Blood fuels a second attempt, which succeeds: he creates the Bodhi Golden Dragon Eight Extremes Art at Initial Proficiency.
• The breakthrough brings him into the Unity Realm, where Divine Consciousness and True Essence merge into a single, far more powerful force.
• Needing Merits to become a Mountain Patrol Golden General—and gain access to higher-level missions—Qin An searches for a difficult assignment. He accepts a mission to exterminate Demons from Mount Lu and the Tiger Cave, suspecting it is a trap connected to Situ Shen.
• Qin An travels to Southguard County, where the Demons have slaughtered half the population. He sees mourners carrying coffins and learns that the county magistrate died from wounds sustained fighting the Demons.

Character developments

• Qin An makes a costly, deliberate sacrifice to achieve a major cultivation breakthrough. His new strength fills him with pride, but he quickly returns to practical planning and remains alert to possible enemies’ schemes.
• The scale of Southguard County’s losses affects even Qin An’s normally composed temperament, stirring a fierce desire for vengeance.
• The local soldiers and constables are exhausted by grief and fear, but Qin An’s arrival revives their hope that the county has not been abandoned.

Significant themes

• Sacrifice and advancement: Qin An spends Demon Consciousness and burns Vital Blood to reach a higher realm.
• Power and responsibility: His new strength is matched by the need to earn rank and confront threats beyond himself.
• Grief, justice, and vengeance: The devastation in Southguard County makes the Demons’ crimes personal and gives the mission emotional weight.
• Cunning and risk: Qin An recognizes that the assignment may be bait, but chooses to pursue it for both its rewards and the chance to eliminate his enemies.

Character interactions

• Qin An’s colleagues at the Evil Extermination Division gossip and wager about how many enemies he will kill on his next mission, reflecting his reputation for leaving destruction in his wake.
• At Southguard County’s gate, a soldier collapses from the relief of seeing an official arrive; another explains how long they have waited for aid. The first soldier then laughs with renewed hope, believing their dead will be avenged.
• The surviving constables kneel and plead with Qin An to avenge the magistrate, who died defending the county.

Plot points and events

• At the Southguard County yamen, Qin An finds the magistrate’s mutilated body and hears the magistrate’s mother plead for justice. She reports that the demons mentioned gathering at the Black Water River.
• Qin An rides to the river and finds six Inner God Realm demons feasting on corpses. They boast that an insider in the Evil Extermination Division—Mountain Patrol Golden General Situ Shen—is helping them evade detection.
• The demons recognize Qin An too late. He kills them, captures one Deer Demon, and learns that the Deer Lord and Mountain Lord are hiding several hundred li south in a natural formation.
• Qin An kills the captive after extracting the information, then heads straight for the demons’ headquarters.
• Meanwhile, the Deer Lord and Mountain Lord discuss using Situ Shen’s intelligence to kill Qin An and exploiting the opportunity to stockpile human victims as “Blood Feast.”
• Qin An arrives, throws the dead demons’ bodies into the valley, and confronts the two lords, declaring it is time to settle their accumulated grudges. He launches his attack.

Character developments

• Qin An acts decisively on behalf of Southguard County’s victims. His resolve to repay blood debts—and rise to Mountain Patrol Golden General—drives him to pursue the demons without delay. His Unity Realm strength lets him absorb Demon Souls with far greater capacity.
• The magistrate’s mother moves from grief and helplessness toward hope after Qin An promises to seek justice.
• The Deer Demon is terrified into revealing the demons’ hideout, but Qin An kills it once it has served its purpose.
• The Deer Lord and Mountain Lord are confident in their plan, Situ Shen’s assistance, and their shared appetite for human slaughter; their confidence is challenged by Qin An’s sudden arrival.

Significant themes

• Justice and vengeance: Qin An treats the massacre as a debt that must be repaid in blood.
• The cost of corruption and betrayal: Situ Shen’s alleged cooperation allows demons to prey on people and evade the authorities.
• Dehumanization and cruelty: The demons treat human bodies as food and discuss preserving victims for future feasts, underscoring the scale of their brutality.
• Resolve in the face of grief: Qin An’s intervention gives the victims’ family a measure of hope, even as the violence continues.

Character interactions

• Qin An comforts the magistrate’s mother, listens to her account, and promises to avenge her son and Southguard County.
• Qin An confronts and kills the demons at the river, then interrogates a surviving Deer Demon for the location of the leaders.
• The Deer Lord and Mountain Lord discuss their plans and reliance on Situ Shen while their followers celebrate.
• Qin An’s arrival interrupts their celebration and turns the chapter toward an imminent battle.

Plot points

• Qin An confronts the demons of Mount Lu and the Tiger Cave, including the Unity Realm leaders, the Deer Lord and the Mountain Lord.
• The lesser demons attack first, expecting Qin An to be outmatched. He quickly kills many of them with Cold Star and absorbs their Demon Consciousness.
• The two leaders then attack together. Qin An reveals that he has reached the Unity Realm and uses the Three-Blade Fusion Method to split the Mountain Lord in two.
• Qin An overpowers the Deer Lord. When the Deer Lord offers the remaining demons and the Tiger’s Demon Soul as a bargain, Qin An refuses: he says the demons’ deaths are owed for the massacre of Southguard County and the county magistrate’s fatal wounds.
• The Deer Lord unleashes a suicidal technique that drives him mad, but Qin An kills him with the Seven-Star Blood-Burning Demon-Sealing Hand.
• Qin An finishes off the surviving demons and absorbs the leaders’ Demon Souls and the others’ Demon Consciousness. His haul is worth nearly four Demon Souls.
• With both demon strongholds eliminated, Qin An heads back to the Evil Extermination Division to seek promotion to Mountain Patrol Golden General and learn Xunyang Prefecture’s greatest secret. A mysterious Black-Robed Figure emerges from the ruins after he leaves.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin An demonstrates a major leap in strength: despite the demons’ belief that he remains at the peak of the Inner God Realm, he has reached the Unity Realm. He fights decisively and rejects the Deer Lord’s attempt to bargain, motivated by justice for Southguard County rather than mere reward.
• The Deer Lord and Mountain Lord begin overconfident, using lesser demons to test and weaken Qin An before joining forces. The Mountain Lord is killed almost immediately; the Deer Lord’s confidence gives way to fear and desperate pleading, then suicidal rage.
• The lesser demons shift from eager attackers to terrified survivors, but are ultimately killed while unconscious after Qin An’s final attack.
• The Deer Lord’s appeal to Qin An’s self-interest—offering treasure and captives—is rejected, underscoring the conflict between the two leaders’ greed and Qin An’s sense of responsibility.

Significant themes

• Justice and retribution: Qin An frames the battle as repayment for the deaths and suffering inflicted on Southguard County.
• Hidden strength and underestimation: The demons misjudge Qin An’s cultivation, and that mistake proves fatal.
• Caution versus ambition: The demon leaders try to calculate their advantage, but their caution cannot compensate for Qin An’s power.
• Power and its rewards: Victory brings Qin An substantial resources and advancement, while the closing appearance of the Black-Robed Figure hints that larger dangers remain.

Plot points and events

• Situ Shen arrives too late to stop Qin An’s attack and finds the aftermath of his slaughter. He realizes Qin An has reached the Unity Realm and become a serious threat. Rather than take responsibility for failing to kill him, Situ Shen plans to report the news to the Black-Robed False God and continue gathering demonic forces for the coming wager.
• Qin An returns to the Evil Extermination Division and requests an immediate Merit calculation to see whether he qualifies for promotion to Mountain Patrol Golden General. The Archives are stunned by the record that he has destroyed Mount Lu and the Tiger Cave, two major demon forces. His Merit result will take several days.
• In private, Qin An decides to strengthen his combat skills and other proficiencies. He begins training his Butcher Profession at a local shop, intending to develop his Blade and Fist Techniques alongside his broader abilities.
• Liu Yi and Green Luo travel toward Xunyang Prefecture. Liu Yi, now in the Unity Realm, is eager to reunite with Qin An and show off her new strength. Green Luo warns her not to reveal a dangerous secret about Xunyang Prefecture to Qin An until he reaches the Unity Realm.
• Liu Yi reaches Qin An’s lodgings and waits for him. When he returns at night, he senses something amiss, draws his blade, and cautiously approaches the house. Liu Yi springs out and challenges him with a palm strike. Qin An counters with a fist, and their clash sends Liu Yi sliding back. He recognizes that she has reached the Unity Realm—but assumes she still lacks the Merits for promotion. Liu Yi, astonished by his strength, asks whether he reached the Unity Realm before her.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin An is increasingly formidable and publicly recognized for his achievements, but remains focused on disciplined training and wary of danger. His quick reaction to Liu Yi’s surprise attack shows his habitual caution.
• Situ Shen acknowledges that he underestimated Qin An, but remains self-serving: he shifts responsibility for the failed mission to the Black-Robed False God while pursuing his own plans.
• Liu Yi returns with a major increase in strength and is playful and competitive with Qin An. Their friendly test of strength ends with her surprised by how powerful he is.
• Green Luo acts as a protective mentor, restraining Liu Yi and keeping her from disclosing information that could endanger Qin An. Liu Yi agrees, despite having intended to tell him.
• The Prefecture Generals and Archives staff react to Qin An’s accomplishments with awe, envy, and respect, reinforcing his growing reputation.

Significant themes

• Rapid growth and rivalry: Qin An and Liu Yi have both advanced to the Unity Realm, turning their reunion into a contest of strength.
• Power and responsibility: Qin An’s new standing brings recognition, but he continues to prioritize preparation rather than status.
• Secrecy and protection: Green Luo’s warning suggests hidden dangers surrounding Xunyang Prefecture and shows how knowledge can itself put someone at risk.
• Ambition and self-interest: Situ Shen’s response contrasts with Qin An’s steady discipline, as he pursues his own agenda rather than accept blame.

Plot points and events

• Liu Yi visits Qin An intending to show off her new Unity Realm cultivation and invite him on a high-reward mission. Their brief exchange reveals that Qin An has also reached Initial Proficiency in the Unity Realm—and is stronger than she is.
• Liu Yi explains that she needs Merits to become a Mountain Patrol Golden General. Qin An agrees to join her mission, offering to let her take the Merits she needs for promotion and accept what remains.
• When Liu Yi worries that this would leave him short, Qin An reveals he already has enough Merits because he destroyed the demon factions Mount Lu and Tiger Cave. Liu Yi is stunned by the scale of his recent achievements.
• Their mission is scheduled for roughly two months later. Its target is the Inner Demon, a False God sustained by people’s obsessions. Liu Yi and her grandmother found a one-use talisman in a Secret Land that can isolate an area from outside thoughts, creating an opportunity to destroy it. Preparing the talisman will take time.
• Before leaving to gather supplies, Liu Yi reveals Xunyang Prefecture’s “Great Secret”: it is a Testing Ground for the Divine Soul Refinement Technique. The plan is to make its people powerful enough to control demons and False Gods, potentially bringing peace. Qin An raises the danger of crossing the Red Line; Liu Yi begins explaining that powerful factions disagree over the project.

Character development and interactions

• Qin An remains composed and practical. He accepts the mission for its Merits and because he values Liu Yi, while also protecting his time for his cultivation and professions.
• Liu Yi arrives confident but is repeatedly surprised by Qin An’s strength, accomplishments, and accumulated Merits. Her playful teasing and familiarity with him remain intact, though she is visibly humbled.
• Their exchange is friendly and candid: Liu Yi shares the mission and secret, while Qin An asks focused questions and challenges the plan’s risks.

Significant themes

• Ambition and advancement: Merits, cultivation, and promotion shape both characters’ choices.
• Obsession and its consequences: Human fixations give rise to the Inner Demon, making it difficult to eradicate permanently.
• Power as an experiment: The Divine Soul Refinement Technique may protect Xunyang Prefecture, but its large-scale use could create danger.
• Political conflict and uncertainty: The Testing Ground reflects competing interests among higher authorities, and its outcome remains unresolved.

Key plot points and events

• Liu Yi explains the political conflict surrounding the Divine Soul Refinement Technique. Situ Shen supports it, while Liu Yi’s side opposes it because the technique could kill half the people of Xunyang Prefecture and might cause irreversible harm.
• Xunyang Prefecture is being treated as a disposable testing ground by powerful figures beyond it. The conflict will culminate in a deadly battle once the opposing sides are evenly matched; neither side has a fixed timetable.
• Until then, Liu Yi’s faction can weaken Situ Shen’s forces by hunting demons and False Gods. Qin An decides that, for now, his priority is to grow stronger so he can survive and protect others.
• Liu Yi leaves to prepare for her Inner Demon, planning to meet Qin An in Xunyang Prefecture.
• Time passes peacefully, then Qin An receives a Gold Token and becomes the first person in many years promoted to Mountain Patrol Golden General. His rapid rise from Ding County makes him famous across the prefecture as “Blade and Fist Dual Mastery.”
• Qin An reaches Level Fifteen in both Butcher and Blacksmith. Their talents reach Perfection in the Inner God Realm, and each profession gains new abilities: Butcher improves blade techniques’ attributes, while Blacksmith can imbue forged items with spirit and enhance their capacity to bear attributes.
• He reforges his Soft Armor and Cold Star with Eight-Colored True Essence. The armor’s defenses improve markedly; as he turns to Cold Star, he senses an unusual change in the weapon.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin An absorbs the scale of the political crisis without being overwhelmed by it. He remains pragmatic, prioritizing cultivation and preparation over trying to influence events beyond his current power. His promotion and profession advances mark major gains in both status and combat capability.
• Liu Yi reveals the stakes with unusual seriousness, showing how heavily the looming conflict weighs on her. She and Qin An agree that becoming stronger is the best way to protect themselves and as many innocents as possible.
• Their conversation is direct and trusting: Liu Yi explains the situation and asks Qin An’s intentions; he listens, answers cautiously, and accepts her departure without ceremony.

Significant themes

• Power and helplessness: Even high-ranking figures may be powerless against forces beyond their reach.
• The cost of ambition: The Divine Soul Refinement Technique promises power at the price of mass civilian deaths.
• Survival through strength: Qin An treats personal growth as the practical means to endure the coming conflict and protect others.
• A disposable world: The powerful regard entire regions as expendable testing grounds, underscoring the cruelty and scale of the world beyond Xunyang Prefecture.

Chapter Summary: “The Deduction, and Liu Yi’s Return”

Key plot points and events

• Qin An discovers that the Cold Star Blade has developed a fully awakened consciousness through his repeated reforging. It recognizes him, can move and attack independently, and can perform his blade techniques—including the Seven-Star Ruthless Blood Transformation Blade—while Qin An fights with both fists. This lets him combine attacks in ways he could not before.
• Back at the Evil Extermination Division, Qin An studies two dark-attribute techniques. His talents quickly bring both the Darkened Wind and Snow Blade and the Shadow Demon Fist to Perfection.
• His first attempts to fuse these techniques with his existing skills fail because his Talent is insufficient. He burns Demon Souls and Vital Blood to force the deductions:
  • The Seven-Star Ruthless Blood Transformation Blade merges with the Darkened Wind and Snow Blade into the Eight Extremes Ruthless Blood-Transforming Blade, an eight-attribute technique at Initial Proficiency of the Unity Realm.
  • The Seven-Star Blood-Burning Demon-Sealing Hand merges with the Shadow Demon Fist into the Eight Extremes Blood-Burning Demon-Sealing Hand, also at Initial Proficiency of the Unity Realm. Its increased power outweighs the Shadow Demon Fist’s usual loss-of-reason drawback.
• Qin An recognizes that his offensive abilities have grown substantially, but his defense and movement still need improvement. He plans to cultivate those next.
• Liu Yi returns after more than two months away and confirms that preparations for their mission against the Inner Demon are complete. She and Qin An ride out that night.
• After traveling continuously and changing horses, they arrive at a vast mountain range. Liu Yi reveals that a County Seat lies there.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin An grows more confident in his combat potential, especially after gaining a sentient weapon and two powerful Unity Realm techniques. At the same time, he remains practical: he worries about his limited Demon Souls and knows his defenses and mobility lag behind his offense.
• The Cold Star Blade changes from a weapon Qin An controls directly into a loyal, semi-independent combat partner. It responds to his summons and can fight alongside him.
• Liu Yi returns eager and energized by the opportunity to eliminate the Inner Demon, a mission that could help her advance toward the prestigious rank of Mountain Patrol Golden General. She takes the initiative in setting out, while Qin An agrees readily.
• Their exchange is brief and businesslike: Qin An correctly guesses that Liu Yi has finished the preparations, and she confirms it before they depart together.

Significant themes

• Power gained through sacrifice: Qin An spends Demon Souls and burns Vital Blood to overcome the limits of his Talent, trading precious resources for strength.
• Preparation amid danger: Even with formidable new attacks, Qin An is aware of his vulnerabilities and plans to strengthen his defense and movement.
• Ambition and advancement: The Inner Demon mission offers both a chance to confront a serious threat and an opportunity for Liu Yi to pursue higher rank.
• Partnership: Qin An’s awakened blade and his alliance with Liu Yi both expand his ability to face danger through cooperation.

Key plot points and events

• Qin An and Liu Yi reach the forest concealing Wholeheart County, where every resident has moved under the influence of the Inner Demon.
• Liu Yi explains the danger: residents’ obsessions feed the demon. Killing or imprisoning them would intensify those obsessions, making the demon stronger; even indirect attempts have no effect because of a mysterious restriction.
• Their plan is to use Liu Yi’s talisman to sever the residents’ connection to the Inner Demon. To activate it, they must burn it at the county’s strongest point of obsession.
• Disguised in ordinary clothing and Human-Skin Masks, they enter the county by posing as worshippers who want to awaken and release their obsessions. The talisman also conceals them from the demon, but they must avoid arousing suspicion among the residents.
• The guards admit them after searching them. Inside, they see a grim environment covered in written obsessions. They are directed to empty lodging and told that someone will instruct them in the Inner Demon’s teachings the next day.
• Once alone, Qin An asks Liu Yi what they should do next. Their discussion is interrupted by approaching footsteps outside the door.

Character developments

• Qin An is skeptical and practical, questioning why the demon cannot simply kill or imprison its followers. He quickly grasps the danger and agrees to the disguise plan, though he wants clear instructions before proceeding.
• Liu Yi shows both determination and strain: she is eager to advance within the Evil Extermination Division, but is troubled by the difficulty of using the talisman and the risks of entering the county.

Character interactions

• Qin An challenges Liu Yi’s explanations and helps expose the limits of their knowledge about the Inner Demon.
• The pair coordinate their disguises and rehearse a convincing cover story, presenting themselves to the guards as people seeking the demon’s blessing.
• Liu Yi gives Qin An a quiet signal at the gate, warning him to stay composed and avoid drawing attention.

Significant themes

• Obsession as power: Personal desires, from ordinary needs to grand ambitions, can become a force that sustains something monstrous.
• The danger of coercion: Attempts to control or harm the Inner Demon’s followers may deepen the very obsession that empowers it.
• Deception and vigilance: The protagonists must blend into a hostile community while concealing their true purpose.
• A corrupted sanctuary: Wholeheart County appears to offer people a place to release their burdens, but its devotion and obsessive inscriptions make it oppressive and disturbing.

Chapter Summary

• A mysterious warning: Soon after Qin An and Liu Yi arrive in Wholeheart County, a haggard woman named Zhao Lan knocks on their door. She warns them that the Inner Demon feeds on people’s obsessions and that, in three days, the Deep Obsession Ceremony will bind the county’s residents to him. She claims her own obsession—saving her sick child—ended when the child died, leaving her clearheaded.
• The test is exposed: Qin An and Liu Yi pretend they intend to offer up their obsessions. Zhao Lan then reveals that she was testing them: because they passed, they can supposedly become the lord’s aides at the ceremony. After she leaves, Qin An explains that her story about being kept as a cautionary example made no sense; the Inner Demon would have no reason to retain someone whose presence might make newcomers doubt him. Zhao Lan was an impostor probing their intentions.
• A risky search begins: Liu Yi produces a bead that detects the strongest Killing Intent. Although they have just been tested, Qin An argues that this is the safest moment to investigate: their hosts are unlikely to test them again immediately, and waiting could bring more complications before the ceremony. Liu Yi agrees, and they slip out into the night.
• The trail leads to a guarded square: The bead guides them to a large square with a raised platform, an indistinct statue, offerings, and hundreds of prayer cushions. Martial-world guards patrol the area closely. The bead points to the platform, but reaching it will be difficult. Liu Yi says their Talisman Paper must be activated near the platform and takes the time of an incense stick to work, leaving them with a serious obstacle.

Character Developments and Interactions

• Qin An remains observant and pragmatic. He recognizes Zhao Lan’s account as a test only after noticing a flaw in her explanation, then uses the encounter to decide how to proceed. He takes the initiative in choosing to investigate immediately.
• Liu Yi is vigilant and capable, ready to defend them when the visitor arrives. She trusts Qin An’s judgment once he explains his reasoning, while also providing the tool and knowledge needed for the search.
• Zhao Lan first appears frightened and sincere, recounting her grief over her dead child, but her sudden “crazed” reveal shows that her warning was a performance designed to assess the newcomers.

Significant Themes

• Obsession and loss: Zhao Lan’s story suggests that an obsession can disappear when its object is lost, while the Inner Demon exploits people’s deepest desires.
• Trust and deception: The apparent warning is itself a trap, and survival depends on reading motives rather than accepting appearances.
• Urgency versus caution: Qin An chooses to act while the danger may be momentarily reduced, despite the uncertainty surrounding the county and its ritual.

Key plot points and events

• Qin An and Liu Yi need to burn a Talisman Paper near the Inner Demon’s heavily guarded ceremony platform, but its aura could expose them.
• Qin An creates an Isolation Formation using Liu Yi’s hair and Eight-Colored True Essence, concealing the paper’s aura. They return to their lodging and wait for the Deep Obsession Ceremony.
• While waiting, they observe that Wholeheart County’s residents and martial fighters show signs of madness. They conclude the Inner Demon is building a following and may eventually expand beyond the county; the Evil Extermination Division is holding back to avoid making the threat worse.
• The next morning, Zhao Lan escorts them to the ceremony, saying that newcomers will be freed from their obsessions if they join the Inner Demon’s group.
• Liu Yi secretly ignites the Talisman Paper inside her sleeve. The Formation hides the flames, smoke, and aura as it burns.
• The ceremony reveals its true purpose: newcomers are ordered to murder bound residents by cutting them a thousand times, supposedly to cast off their obsessions. Many react with horror, but also with excitement.
• Qin An learns that attendees have apparently done this before. With the paper still burning, he tells Liu Yi that once their mission is finished, the people there do not need to live.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin An proves resourceful by devising the Isolation Formation, then shifts from cautious planning to fierce, explicit intent to kill after witnessing the ceremony’s cruelty.
• Liu Yi trusts Qin An’s ingenuity and follows his lead. She carries out the concealed burning, but is unsettled by the strength of his killing intent.
• Zhao Lan displays zeal for the Inner Demon and treats the ceremony as a benevolent path to release from suffering.
• Qin An and Liu Yi work closely together: she raises the risk of the Talisman Paper’s aura, he solves it, and they coordinate discreetly during the ceremony. Their discussion also exposes their differing knowledge: Liu Yi understands the Division’s strategy, while Qin An probes what the ceremony implies about the followers’ past actions.

Significant themes

• Obsession and corruption: The promise of freedom from obsession disguises a ritual that encourages horrific violence.
• The danger of restraint: The Evil Extermination Division avoids intervention because killing followers may strengthen the Inner Demon, leaving the threat to grow unchecked.
• Complicity and moral choice: The newcomers’ mixture of revulsion and excitement suggests how readily obsession can turn people toward cruelty.
• Secrecy and strategy: The mission depends on concealment and patience, but the ceremony pushes Qin An toward a direct, lethal response.

Plot points and events

• Qin An and Liu Yi discover that the Deep Obsession Ceremony is a murderous ritual: attendees are encouraged to stab people trapped in a net, supposedly to win the favor of “Lord Inner Demon.”
• Seeing the entranced crowd’s delight in past killings, Qin An decides the perpetrators cannot be left to face ordinary justice. Liu Yi silently agrees to keep their actions secret.
• To delay the ceremony while Liu Yi completes a talisman, Qin An sows discord by demanding that all attendees receive equal treatment. He repeatedly exploits disputes over who gets to perform the ritual first.
• The old officiant, secretly at the peak of the Inner God Realm, loses patience and attacks Qin An. Qin An catches him, snaps his neck, then kills the armed men who rush him.
• A huge supernatural face appears in the sky and becomes a white-haired man in green, who threatens Qin An. Liu Yi raises the now-spent talisman and confirms it is complete.

Character developments

• Qin An shows strategic restraint as well as lethal resolve: rather than attack immediately, he manipulates the crowd’s sense of fairness to buy time, but kills without hesitation once the officiant attacks.
• Liu Yi accepts Qin An’s decision to bypass the authorities and protect him by keeping quiet. She also works steadily to finish the talisman, trusting Qin An to hold the crowd’s attention.
• The old officiant shifts from confident control to mounting frustration, then reveals his strength and aggression when Qin An’s stalling undermines the ritual.
• The crowd moves from fanatical excitement to resentment and argument, then collapses into panic when violence breaks out.

Significant themes

• Justice versus rules: Qin An and Liu Yi believe the ceremony’s brutality warrants death, despite the danger of violating their organization’s strict rules.
• Manipulation and fairness: Qin An turns the crowd’s competing ideas of fairness against the officiant, showing how easily collective conviction can be redirected.
• Fanaticism and moral corruption: The attendees treat murder as spiritual purification and even savor memories of past killings.
• Faith as a tool of control: The officiant invokes the Inner Demon’s wrath to silence objections and preserve his authority.

Character interactions

• Qin An and Liu Yi share an unspoken partnership: she accepts his plan and uses the talisman while he buys her time.
• Qin An challenges the officiant on the ceremony’s own terms, provoking disputes among newcomers and returning attendees.
• The officiant attempts to control the crowd through threats, then attacks Qin An directly; Qin An kills him and his defenders.
• The supernatural figure’s arrival shifts the confrontation from the ceremony’s organizers to a more powerful apparent enemy.

Key plot points and events

• Qin An and Liu Yi reveal themselves as the Evil Extermination Division’s Mountain Patrol Golden and Silver Generals. A sealing treasure cuts off the area, knocks out the townspeople, and prevents the Inner Demon from using them as leverage.
• The Inner Demon attacks with a swarm of phantoms. Qin An destroys them with a single sword strike, while Liu Yi presses the attack with powerful palm techniques.
• The Inner Demon vanishes and attacks them through their deepest emotional vulnerabilities.
• Liu Yi is trapped in memories of her abandonment as a baby, her adoptive mother’s kindness, and the demon attack that killed her village and mother. The Inner Demon tempts her with a world where her adoptive mother lives and her birth parents suffer revenge.
• Liu Yi rejects the illusion. She accepts that the dead cannot return and reaffirms her commitment to her teacher, her oath to protect Xunyang Prefecture, and her resolve to destroy demons and False Gods. The trap shatters.
• The Inner Demon’s attempts to manipulate Qin An fail so completely that it panics and collapses. Qin An explains that his ambition to reach the world’s summit is not an obsession: he trusts himself to pursue it without the demon’s help.

Character developments

• Liu Yi confronts her grief and guilt but distinguishes them from her true guiding purpose. Her devotion to her teacher and her protective oath prove stronger than the temptation to rewrite the past.
• Qin An shows confidence and self-possession. He sees ambition as a goal he can achieve through his own effort, rather than a longing the Inner Demon can exploit.
• The Inner Demon shifts from arrogant confidence to fear when its psychological attacks fail, especially against Qin An.

Significant themes

• Obsession and self-doubt: The Inner Demon exploits desires people feel unable or afraid to fulfill. Qin An argues that a goal backed by confidence is not an obsession.
• Grief and acceptance: Liu Yi honors her adoptive mother by accepting her death rather than surrendering to an artificial reunion.
• Resolve and duty: Liu Yi’s oath to protect others gives her a firm identity beyond her painful past.
• Self-reliance: Both heroes resist the demon’s false gifts, relying instead on their own convictions and strength.

Character interactions

• Qin An and Liu Yi coordinate their reveal and attacks, then face the Inner Demon’s psychological assault separately.
• Liu Yi’s memories connect her adoptive mother’s compassion and Green Luo’s mentorship to the path she later chose.
• After escaping her illusion, Liu Yi expects to help Qin An, only to find that he has already defeated the Inner Demon through sheer certainty in his own path.

• Qin An defeats the Inner Demon: The Inner Demon attempts to kill everyone with the Divine Soul Refinement Technique, but Qin An seals him with the Eight Extremes Blood-Burning Demon-Sealing Hand. Qin An offers to spare him in exchange for information, jokingly claiming to be the “Honest and Dependable Young Gentleman.”
• A dangerous conspiracy is exposed: The Inner Demon reveals that a Black-Robed False God gave him the technique and instructed him to control people across Wholeheart County. Their deaths would provide the False God with their divine souls—an enormous potential advantage in the coming war. After hearing the secret, Qin An kills the Inner Demon despite his promise to let him live, dismissing the promise as naïve when dealing with a False God.
• Qin An and Liu Yi fight the crowd: Once the illusion dissolves, the people who had served the Inner Demon attack Qin An and Liu Yi in their madness, furious that their “obsessions” have been disrupted. The two conclude that the crowd has blood on its hands and slaughter them. Liu Yi agrees with Qin An’s judgment and joins him without hesitation. They part afterward: Qin An returns toward the Evil Extermination Division, while Liu Yi stays to handle another assignment and clean up the scene.
• The enemy learns of the threat: Days later, the Black-Robed False God meets with the Tower Master and Situ Shen. They acknowledge the Inner Demon’s death and Qin An’s growing reputation. Situ Shen then reveals that the Chief Prefecture Head is about to return, suggesting a major shift in the impending war.
  Character developments and interactions: Liu Yi recognizes that she has lost the confidence she once had, while Qin An’s self-belief impresses her and helps restore her sense of purpose. Their easy teasing and mutual respect deepen into trust, especially when she backs his decision to fight. The Inner Demon is revealed as fearful and self-preserving, and Qin An’s calculated deception underscores his ruthless pragmatism. Meanwhile, the Tower Master is impatient with Situ Shen, but the Black-Robed False God urges restraint.
  Themes: The chapter contrasts confidence with resignation, explores the moral cost of vengeance and justice, and emphasizes the danger of mass manipulation. It also highlights Qin An’s willingness to deceive enemies when he believes the stakes justify it—and foreshadows a larger conflict with the Chief Prefecture Head’s return.

Key plot points and events

• Situ Shen tells the Tower Master and the Black-Robed False God that Xunyang’s Chief Prefecture Head is returning. The Tower Master panics, recalling that the Chief once nearly killed him with a single strike.
• The Black-Robed False God reassures him that their plan has the approval of powerful superiors, whom even the Chief cannot defy. Situ Shen suspects the Chief is returning either to take up a higher post or—more likely—to oversee the plan, though he admits they lack details.
• Xunyang Prefecture enjoys an unsettling period of peace. Ordinary people are safe, but the Evil Extermination Division searches unsuccessfully for clues, sensing danger beneath the calm.
• Qin An reaches Level Fifteen in both Physician and Dancer. His Physician abilities improve medicines and their ingredients, while his Dancer abilities can boost allies’ combat strength and identify weaknesses in opponents’ movement techniques.
• Using merits and Demon Souls, Qin An masters the Shadow Shield body-guarding technique. He then merges it with his Seven-Star Dharma Form, burning Vital Blood and spending years in meditation to create the Eight Extremes Dharma Form—a powerful defense combining eight-colored True Essence with Shadow Shield’s corrosive effect.
• Qin An begins studying a movement technique called Shadow Demon Clone, intending to preserve enough Demon Souls to develop another major technique.

Character developments

• Situ Shen remains measured and analytical, weighing the Chief Prefecture Head’s possible motives rather than giving in to fear.
• The Tower Master is revealed as deeply traumatized by his past defeat and remains frightened even after being reassured.
• The Black-Robed False God acts as a calming authority, relying on the plan’s backing from higher powers.
• Qin An continues growing through disciplined cultivation. His new support and combat-analysis abilities complement his rapidly improving defensive power.

Significant themes

• Calm concealing danger: Public life seems peaceful, but the hidden threat and unresolved plan make the quiet feel ominous.
• Fear versus confidence: The Tower Master’s personal terror contrasts with the False God’s confidence in political protection and Situ Shen’s cautious reasoning.
• Growth through sacrifice and persistence: Qin An gains his new defensive technique only after repeated effort, long meditation, and burning Vital Blood.
• Power and authority: The Chief Prefecture Head’s reputation inspires fear, while the mysterious approval of those “above” shapes the factions’ decisions.

Character interactions

• Situ Shen informs the other two leaders of the Chief’s return and offers his interpretation of its purpose.
• The Tower Master’s alarm prompts the Black-Robed False God to calm him and emphasize the plan’s powerful backing.
• Qin An’s interactions are chiefly with his own cultivation system: he uses his new professions, manuals, and Demon Souls to strengthen himself, ending the chapter by turning to Shadow Demon Clone.