Chapter Summaries

Plot points

• Hu Yan’er learns that the Evil Extermination Division and the Half-Demon Alliance have attacked shops tied to Demons and False Gods. She realizes the earlier warning was a diversion, leaving the Auction Pavilion vulnerable.
• Expecting the Division to target the Pavilion next, Hu Yan’er orders the Fox Women to regroup. She plans to seize the attacked shops’ resources and return to Fox Clan territory, hoping the wealth will buy the clan’s protection.
• Hu Fen’er arrives at the Folding Pavilion and finds it deserted. Her search uncovers the shop’s buried, murdered staff, deepening her suspicion that someone is orchestrating events in the Black Market.
• A messenger tells Hu Fen’er to return to the Auction Pavilion. On the way, the Fox Women are ambushed by the Evil Extermination Division; half are killed in the opening exchanges.
• Hu Fen’er attacks, but Qin An intercepts her. Despite his lower cultivation, his Three-Blade Fusion breaks her Fox Woman Dharma Form and kills her. The Division quickly defeats the remaining Fox Women.
• Qin An collects Hu Fen’er’s Demon Spirit, acknowledges Zheng Rou’s performance, and orders the Bronze Dao Marshals to advance on the Auction Pavilion.

Character developments and interactions

• Hu Yan’er shifts from anger to cold pragmatism. Recognizing that the Fox Clan’s operation is exposed, she chooses survival and material gain over preserving its original plan.
• Hu Fen’er moves from confusion to understanding the trap, then leads her forces urgently toward the Auction Pavilion. Her confidence in her superior cultivation proves misplaced when Qin An’s technique overwhelms her.
• Qin An demonstrates lethal skill and authority, defeating a much stronger opponent and directing the Division’s next move.
• Zheng Rou fights effectively alongside Qin An, earning his respect as a capable Bronze Dao Marshal, though he believes her temperament could improve.
• The messenger’s warning prompts Hu Fen’er’s return, but the Division’s ambush shows that the Fox Women’s movements are being anticipated.

Significant themes

• Deception and misdirection: A false warning and the discovery of buried bodies suggest that events in the Black Market are being manipulated from behind the scenes.
• Survival and self-interest: With their scheme exposed, the Fox Women consider abandoning their post and using stolen resources to secure their own safety.
• Strength versus apparent rank: Qin An’s victory shows that cultivation level alone does not determine combat power.
• Escalating conflict: The Fox Clan’s confrontation with the Evil Extermination Division is now effectively underway, with the Auction Pavilion as the next likely target.

Key events

• After learning that Hu Fen’er’s forces were nearly wiped out, Hu Yan’er decides the Auction Pavilion is no longer safe. She orders the Fox Women to take only what they can carry and flee through a secret passage that leads hundreds of miles away.
• As the group advances, Hu Yan’er vows to retaliate against the Evil Extermination Division by slaughtering human villages and forcing the Division to protect them.
• Hu Yan’er senses danger in a chamber where the passage routes meet. There, Qin An and nearly a hundred Evil Extermination Division members are waiting.
• Li Changfeng, the Folding Pavilion’s leader, revealed the passage to save himself. Qin An refuses his plea for mercy and kills him.
• Qin An orders the Division to attack. The Fox Women abandon their bundles and fight, while Hu Yan’er confronts the Bronze Dao Marshals.
• Hu Yan’er’s powerful attacks injure several opponents, but she is also badly hurt. She unleashes a seductive Secret Art that weakens and distracts many fighters, at the cost of half her remaining lifespan.
• As she attacks a vulnerable Marshal, a sudden gust carrying Blood and Qi Power arrives, interrupting the assault. The chapter ends on this cliffhanger.

Character developments and interactions

• Hu Yan’er shifts from a calculating leader focused on building the Fox Clan’s resources to a desperate fighter determined to escape. Her hatred of the Division drives her toward revenge on civilians, and she is willing to sacrifice much of her lifespan to survive.
• Qin An remains firm and unsparing: he rejects Hu Yan’er’s proposed truce and Li Changfeng’s plea for clemency, then directs the assault.
• Li Changfeng is revealed as the informant who exposed the passage. He acts out of fear and self-preservation, but Qin An judges his past crimes unforgivable and executes him.
• The Fox Women follow Hu Yan’er into the passage and fight to the end once trapped. The Bronze Dao Marshals initially have the advantage, but Hu Yan’er’s strength and Secret Art make her a serious threat.

Significant themes

• Betrayal and survival: Li Changfeng’s disclosure saves him temporarily but brings the fleeing Fox Demons into a trap.
• Revenge and collateral harm: Hu Yan’er plans to punish ordinary villagers to retaliate against the Division.
• The cost of power: Hu Yan’er’s last-resort Secret Art may help her escape, but it halves her remaining lifespan.
• No easy escape: The passage meant to guarantee safety becomes a battlefield, and both sides are driven into a fight with no clear retreat.

Key plot points

• Qin An rushes to aid the Bronze Dao Marshals fighting Hu Yan’er, a Fox Clan fighter at Perfection in the Shattered Void Realm. His powerful Blood-and-Qi Secret Art surprises her, despite his much lower cultivation.
• Hu Yan’er counters with her Fox Woman Dharma Form, but Qin An’s golden Dharma Form helps him resist her bewitching influence. He combines repeated attacks, his spirit-guided saber, and the Nine-Turn Dragon’s Roar Shadow Steps to keep her under pressure.
• A dozen Bronze Dao Marshals recover from Hu Yan’er’s enchantment and join the assault. Their combined blows wound her, while Qin An uses healing Pills to recover from his own injuries.
• Qin An traps Hu Yan’er’s wrist with a technique that restricts her movement, leaving her unable to properly wield her Dharma Form. The Marshals strike again, bringing her down. Qin An kills her and absorbs her Demon Spirit.
• With their leader dead, the Fox Women’s resistance collapses. The Evil Extermination Division quickly finishes the remaining enemies. Qin An collects Demon Spirits and Merits, pleased with the results.
• Zheng Rou, battered but alive, approaches Qin An. He looks past her at something behind her, leaving the chapter on a brief cliffhanger.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin An demonstrates that his strength far exceeds what his cultivation level suggests. He fights strategically, uses his allies’ attacks to wear Hu Yan’er down, heals when injured, and finishes the battle decisively. The other Bronze Dao Marshals regard him with awe.
• Hu Yan’er shifts from confidence to disbelief, then desperation as Qin An repeatedly attacks and her own strength is worn away. She dismisses him as an insignificant opponent at first, but ultimately recognizes him as a serious threat.
• The Bronze Dao Marshals recover from Hu Yan’er’s enchantment and coordinate their attacks with Qin An, playing a crucial role in defeating her.
• Zheng Rou survives the battle despite her low cultivation and near-fatal close calls, though she is visibly injured.

Significant themes

• Strength beyond rank: Qin An’s abilities allow him to challenge an opponent far above his cultivation level.
• Cooperation and timing: Qin An’s power matters, but the Marshals’ coordinated attacks create the opening that defeats Hu Yan’er.
• Pragmatism in battle: Qin An uses every advantage—including healing Pills, his saber, and Hu Yan’er’s moment of distraction—to survive and win.
• The spoils of victory: The battle is both a fight for survival and a source of Demon Spirits and Merits for Qin An.

Key plot points and events

• After the battle in the Black Market, Qin An discovers bundles of valuables Hu Yan’er was trying to escape with. They contain weapons, pills, treasure, money, and twenty Demon Spirits.
• Qin An keeps the Demon Spirits and persuades the Bronze Dao Marshals to divide the remaining goods among themselves, arguing that they earned them and that the Division’s unwritten rules need not be mentioned.
• The group searches the Auction Pavilion, takes its most valuable items, and leaves lesser goods behind to support their official account of the operation. Zheng Rou agrees to write the report while omitting the illicit division.
• The Black Market’s surviving shopkeepers reflect on the devastation, relieved that their businesses had stayed within the rules.
• Yu Jiu, an envoy from the Seven-Color Fish Sect, arrives seeking resources and learns that the Black Market has been devastated. Hoping to avoid punishment from his sect’s master, he decides to hunt down the person who killed a Catfish Demon. He recruits a local crucian carp Demon and orders the water Demons under the sect’s influence to search for the killer.
• Qin An returns to his routine of work and training. More than a month later, his Physician Profession reaches Level Seventeen, and he heads to the Confidential Archives.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin An shows confidence and pragmatism: his battlefield prowess has earned the Bronze Dao Marshals’ awe, and he uses that authority to persuade them to take the hidden spoils. He sees claiming resources as necessary so long as it does not violate his own principles.
• Zheng Rou initially objects to dividing the goods, but yields to Qin An’s silent warning and later agrees to conceal the arrangement in her report.
• The Bronze Dao Marshals shift from fearing Qin An’s strength to following his lead. They accept the spoils and keep quiet about the scheme.
• Yu Jiu is introduced as an anxious but resourceful representative of the Seven-Color Fish Sect. He commands a local river Demon to help him investigate, hoping to turn the Catfish Demon’s death into a way to escape blame.
• The crucian carp Demon readily obeys Yu Jiu and undertakes the search.

Significant themes

• Power and authority: Qin An’s strength gives him influence beyond the battlefield, while Yu Jiu relies on his rank to command local Demons.
• Morality and self-interest: Qin An weighs principles against survival and advancement, while the group chooses secrecy over strict adherence to institutional rules.
• Consequences and shifting danger: The Black Market’s destruction unsettles its survivors and sets a new hunt in motion, suggesting that the operation may have further repercussions.
• Routine and progress: Qin An’s steady daily work eventually produces a milestone, with his profession advancing to Level Seventeen.

Plot points and events

• Qin An’s Physician Profession reaches Level 17, bringing all five medical talents to Unity Realm Perfection and greatly deepening his expertise.
• At the Confidential Archives, he selects the Baleful Sea Dharma Form, a technique that creates a protective field of baleful intent and strengthens a practitioner’s Dharma Form. He spends his remaining Merits on Demon Spirits.
• After mastering the technique, Qin An attempts to merge it with his Nine-Turn Dharma Form. His initial effort fails, so he burns a large amount of Blood Essence until he succeeds, creating the Nine-Turn Baleful Sea Dharma Form.
• The new technique gives his Dharma Form Shattered Void Realm defensive power and, with its enhancement, the ability to withstand attacks from an opponent at Shattered Void Realm Great Completion.
• Qin An plans to advance his Dancer, Formation Master, and Alchemist Professions. He also prepares for a promised expedition with Wu Yunfeng to Myriad Poison Cloud Peak, where he hopes to earn Merits and find Mystic Void Grass. The mountain is infamous for poisonous mists and lethal creatures.
• That evening, Qin An trains his Dancer Profession. Meanwhile, far from the Skycloud Circuit, Yu Jiu enjoys a fresh human-blood feast and indulges in the company of a Clam Spirit, confident the Evil Extermination Division cannot reach him there.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin An grows more capable both as a physician and a cultivator. He is methodical and ambitious, readily risking his Blood Essence to strengthen his defenses, while carefully preparing for the dangerous journey ahead.
• Wu Yunfeng, head of the Hundred Physicians Hall and a Gold Circuit Marshal, is preparing for the Myriad Poison Cloud Peak trip, though he does not appear directly.
• Yu Jiu is shown as arrogant and hedonistic. The Crucian Carp Demon flatters him and offers to supply more human captives; a Clam Spirit serves him.
• Qin An’s interactions are mostly with the Archives staff, whom he approaches to exchange for a cultivation method and Demon Spirits. The other Bronze Dao Marshals observe him as he returns.

Significant themes

• Relentless self-improvement: Qin An combines profession advancement, study, and cultivation to overcome limitations.
• Power through risk and sacrifice: His breakthrough requires burning substantial Blood Essence, showing the cost of rapid advancement.
• Preparation amid danger: The coming journey to Myriad Poison Cloud Peak demands knowledge and caution, even for powerful cultivators.
• Predation and moral contrast: Qin An’s disciplined pursuit of strength contrasts sharply with Yu Jiu’s casual exploitation of humans as food.

Chapter Summary: “Departure for Myriad Poison Cloud Peak”

• Yu Jiu identifies Qin An as the catfish demon’s killer. At the crucian carp demon’s underwater residence, Yu Jiu—an arrogant medicine servant of the Seven-Color Fish Sect—learns that Qin An, a newly arrived Bronze Dao Marshal from Xunyang Prefecture, killed the catfish demon. The crucian carp demon warns that Qin An must be unusually capable, but Yu Jiu dismisses the concern.
• Yu Jiu plots revenge. Hoping to make up for his earlier failure to the Black Market, he wants to return with Qin An’s head rather than simply report what he has learned. The crucian carp demon says Qin An is heading to Myriad Poison Cloud Peak, so they agree to wait and attack him after he comes back. Yu Jiu fears the peak’s dangers and hopes Qin An survives long enough for him to kill him.
• Yu Jiu’s cruelty is emphasized. He indulges in food, treasures, and sexual abuse, while the crucian carp demon flatters and serves him in hopes of gaining favor. The demon brings Yu Jiu two captive human women, underscoring the brutality of the underwater demons.
• Qin An receives a warning. Three days later, as he prepares to travel, an unfamiliar messenger delivers a letter from Zhao Ruyue. She warns that a Seven-Color Fish Sect demon and several aquatic demons intend to kill him; her information comes through a Half-Demon contact embedded among them. Qin An decides to deal with the threat after his trip to the peak.
• Qin An and Wu Yunfeng prepare to depart. At the Physician Hall, Wu Yunfeng is impressed that Qin An can identify his antidotes by smell. He offers Qin An medicinal ingredients to guard against poison, but Qin An produces a poison-resistant Compound Pill he made himself. Wu Yunfeng is astonished by Qin An’s skill in both medicine and alchemy, as well as his combat potential. Qin An declines to become Wu’s disciple and keeps the details of his abilities private.
• The chapter ends with a setup for the journey. Wu Yunfeng agrees to explain why he is going to Myriad Poison Cloud Peak, but the chapter cuts off just as he begins.

Character Developments and Interactions

• Qin An remains focused and composed: he postpones responding to the assassination warning and avoids revealing too much about his abilities. His broad talents continue to impress others.
• Yu Jiu is revealed as vain, self-indulgent, and vindictive; he sees killing Qin An as a way to redeem himself.
• Wu Yunfeng grows increasingly impressed by Qin An and offers him mentorship and practical protection, though Qin An politely refuses the apprenticeship.
• The crucian carp demon acts as Yu Jiu’s deferential informant and accomplice, using flattery and promises of future rewards to secure favor.
• Zhao Ruyue, though absent in person, helps Qin An by warning him of the planned attack.

Significant Themes

• Power and ambition: Yu Jiu seeks to restore his standing through revenge, while Qin An places greater value on cultivating his own strength.
• Hidden danger beneath apparent calm: Qin An’s peaceful routine is interrupted by a warning of a planned attack.
• Self-reliance and versatility: Qin An’s ability to develop skills across multiple professions becomes a source of strength—and a closely guarded secret.
• Cruelty and exploitation: Yu Jiu’s treatment of captives contrasts sharply with the mutual respect and practical assistance between Qin An and Wu Yunfeng.

Plot points and events

• Wu Yunfeng explains that he wants to capture a Thousandlegs Centipede from Myriad Poison Cloud Peak. Its venom resembles the Poison Cultivation he practices and could substantially increase his strength.
• He reflects on the dangers of life in the Skycloud Circuit: even powerful figures must keep growing stronger to survive. Qin An understands, having faced deadly threats and political schemes throughout his journey.
• Wu Yunfeng offers Qin An support but says his connection to Li Moyun makes involvement in princely factional politics risky. Qin An replies that he wants to become strong enough to support others himself.
• Wu Yunfeng gives Qin An a map showing a comparatively safer route through the peak. They travel to the mountain, send their horses back, and enter after taking precautions against poison.
• Their first obstacle is the Myriad Poison Flower Sea. A poisoned bird falls into it and dissolves, revealing how deadly it is. Qin An identifies more than a hundred interacting poisons but cannot determine a safe crossing.
• Wu Yunfeng produces a crystal-like pearl and tells Qin An that he will need his help to get across.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin An shows sincere empathy for Wu Yunfeng’s fear of death, as well as ambition and independence: he would rather become a source of strength for others than rely on powerful patrons. He is also pragmatic, trusting Wu Yunfeng’s expertise when faced with a challenge beyond his own knowledge.
• Wu Yunfeng reveals the vulnerability beneath his authority and explains his pursuit of the centipede as a means of survival. He respects Qin An’s outlook, encourages him, and shares responsibility by giving him the route map.
• Their relationship is marked by mutual respect: Wu Yunfeng praises Qin An’s skills, while Qin An appreciates his offer of support and follows his guidance on the mission.

Significant themes

• Survival through strength: In a perilous world, power must be continually earned to prolong life.
• Self-reliance and earned support: Qin An believes true security comes from becoming strong enough to stand behind others.
• Danger and cooperation: Even skilled experts cannot master every threat alone; navigating the mountain will require both men’s abilities.

Key plot points and events

• Wu Yunfeng gives Qin An a Precious Orb containing more than ten thousand medical techniques he has spent years sealing inside it. Qin An can use his medical expertise to select techniques that counter specific poisons.
• Wu Yunfeng explains that he plans to absorb the toxins himself while Qin An uses the orb to neutralize them. Though this leaves his life in Qin An’s hands, Wu Yunfeng says he trusts him based on Li Moyun’s account of Qin An’s character. Qin An promises not to betray that trust.
• In the sea of flowers, Wu Yunfeng draws poison into his body while Qin An works the orb. A poisonous flower produces a demon in the form of an old woman, which Wu Yunfeng swiftly destroys. He then gives Qin An its Demon Spirit.
• The flowers combine into a giant man-eating bloom. Qin An supplies a medical technique that lets Wu Yunfeng turn the poison against it, destroying the creature and withering the sea of flowers.
• After the pair leave, a grotesque humanoid monster emerges, consumes the remaining poison, and secretly follows them.
• Qin An and Wu Yunfeng reach a dark cave on the route to the Open Wilderness, where Wu Yunfeng hopes to find a formidable poisonous creature. Inside, they discover poisonous animal remains fused into the walls. Neither knows why the cave attracts poisonous creatures. A distant light appears as they press on, just before an unforeseen event.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin An proves capable of using the orb quickly and effectively. He accepts Wu Yunfeng’s trust without lengthy assurances, staying true to his principle of honoring mutual trust.
• Wu Yunfeng reveals both his extensive medical knowledge and his formidable Poison Cultivation. He shows confidence in Qin An, protects him from the flower demon, and warns him that the cave may force him to defend himself.
• Their partnership shifts from a cautious arrangement to a working alliance: Wu Yunfeng absorbs and fights the poison while Qin An identifies and supplies the countermeasures.

Significant themes

• Trust and responsibility: Wu Yunfeng risks his life by relying on Qin An, who treats that reliance as a moral obligation.
• Cooperation and complementary strengths: Wu Yunfeng’s ability to endure and wield poison works together with Qin An’s medical skill.
• Escalating danger and the unknown: The flower field’s destruction does not end the threat; a hidden monster follows them, and the cave presents new unexplained hazards.

Plot points and events

• Qin An and Wu Yunfeng cross a violently shaking passage. Wu Yunfeng says the tremors are a familiar, harmless feature of the route.
• They emerge onto a deceptively peaceful grassland. Wu Yunfeng reveals that it is saturated with lethal poisons hidden beneath its lush appearance.
• Wu Yunfeng’s Poison Cultivation shields them as they cross, while Qin An uses the Precious Orb’s medical arts to neutralize poisons that get through. Their combined abilities let them traverse the grassland safely.
• After they leave, a grotesque humanoid monster appears. It absorbs the grassland’s poisons, then attacks the mountain itself—a Venomous False God—draining its poisonous gas and converting it into cultivation. It then pursues Qin An and Wu Yunfeng.
• Qin An and Wu Yunfeng reach scorched ground beside a seemingly bottomless Gorge. Wu Yunfeng explains that the Thousandlegs Centipede lives there, periodically emerging to absorb poison as it tries to become a Demon. He expects it to appear that day.
• At the Gorge’s edge, Wu Yunfeng suddenly looks astonished; the reason is not yet revealed.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin An remains cautious and focused, trusting Wu Yunfeng’s experience while contributing his own medical skill. He shows composure under pressure and avoids wasting attention on conversation during the dangerous crossing.
• Wu Yunfeng demonstrates his knowledge of the Forbidden Land and relies on Qin An’s specialized abilities. He acknowledges that bringing Qin An makes the journey safer and faster.
• Their partnership is practical and complementary: Wu Yunfeng suppresses most of the poison, while Qin An remedies what escapes.
• The humanoid monster is introduced as a powerful, greedy predator that can absorb immense quantities of poison and pursue the travelers.

Significant themes

• Deceptive appearances: The beautiful grassland hides lethal danger.
• Cooperation and complementary strengths: The pair survive by combining Poison Cultivation and medical arts.
• Predation and transformation: The monster consumes poison—and even the mountain’s essence—to strengthen itself, while the centipede likewise seeks transformation into a Demon.
• Escalating danger: Even as the travelers advance, a powerful pursuer follows close behind.

Plot points and events

• Wu Yunfeng discovers that the thousand-legged centipede has disappeared from the gorge. He and Qin An descend to investigate, finding evidence of a violent struggle but no clear sign of whether the creature survived or where it went.
• Unable to track it, they decide to return. Wu Yunfeng gives Qin An the promised Mystic Void Grass, explaining that he had kept it in his possession and claimed it was elsewhere to avoid pressure from colleagues seeking it.
• Qin An consumes the grass, strengthening his Peerless Foundation. The pair then find their way blocked by an immense cloud of poisonous Black Mist.
• Wu Yunfeng recognizes poisons from several areas they crossed mixed together in the mist. Qin An suspects a powerful creature has absorbed them—and may have swallowed the centipede as well.
• A humanoid monster emerges. Wu Yunfeng identifies it as a Thousand-Poison Puppet, a creature that can combine vast numbers of poisons and is drawn to Wu Yunfeng’s Poison Cultivation. It attacks, and Wu Yunfeng counters with a storm of poisoned Silver Needles as Qin An prepares to support him.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin An honors his agreement despite the failed search, carefully examines the tracks, and uses his medical expertise to interpret the poisonous mist. He remains alert but takes a supporting role once Wu Yunfeng explains the puppet’s interest in him.
• Wu Yunfeng is visibly shaken by losing the centipede, but still keeps his bargain and gives Qin An the Mystic Void Grass. His explanation reveals his practical caution about the politics of the Evil Extermination Division.
• Their cooperation is based on a clear transaction, yet mutual trust grows: Wu Yunfeng promises further compensation for another expedition, and Qin An offers to accompany him again.

Significant themes

• Danger and uncertainty: The gorge’s darkness, the missing centipede, and the puppet’s sudden attack show how little the characters can predict in the Myriad Poison Cloud Peak.
• Power and adaptation: The Thousand-Poison Puppet’s ability to absorb and combine poisons makes it a threat unlike ordinary creatures.
• Trust, bargains, and political self-preservation: Wu Yunfeng fulfills his agreement while concealing the Mystic Void Grass to avoid factional pressure.
• Knowledge as survival: Qin An’s tracking and medical skills, along with Wu Yunfeng’s knowledge of the archives, help them understand the danger—but not yet overcome it.

Chapter Summary

Plot points and events

• Wu Yunfeng battles the Thousand-Poison Puppet with his silver needles. He pierces it through the chest, but the puppet heals itself with poisonous qi and attacks again.
• The puppet grows more dangerous, sprouting over a thousand arms, each carrying a different poison. Qin An uses the Precious Orb’s healing arts to disperse the poison, letting Wu Yunfeng strike again and smash the puppet apart.
• The puppet reassembles once more. Qin An suspects that someone may be controlling it, and Wu Yunfeng realizes the fight is turning against him: the puppet absorbs his poisonous qi and grows stronger.
• Wu Yunfeng decides they must flee. The puppet transforms to run on all fours, catches him off guard, and wounds him. He then grabs Qin An and escapes, with the puppet in pursuit.
• Wu Yunfeng explains that poisonous creatures cannot leave Myriad Poison Cloud Peak, so reaching its boundary should save them. As they run, Qin An questions whether they can outrun the puppet and proposes a different, risky plan: “smash the cauldrons and sink the boats.”

Character developments and interactions

• Wu Yunfeng displays formidable poison-path skill and persistence, but the battle exposes the limits of his specialty. He accepts Qin An’s warning, shifts from fighting to survival, and takes responsibility for getting Qin An out.
• Qin An remains observant and practical. He supplies Wu Yunfeng with pills, supports him with the Precious Orb, recognizes the puppet may not be truly defeated, and begins considering an alternative to simply fleeing.
• Their relationship is cooperative: Qin An strengthens Wu Yunfeng’s efforts and warns him of danger; Wu Yunfeng trusts his judgment enough to act on it and pulls him to safety.

Significant themes

• Appearances can mislead: The puppet repeatedly seems defeated, only to heal or re-form.
• Adaptation and escalating danger: The puppet changes its body and tactics, while Wu Yunfeng’s attacks become less effective.
• Survival over achievement: They abandon their hunt for the Thousandlegs Centipede when the threat becomes too great.
• Teamwork under pressure: Wu Yunfeng’s combat skill and Qin An’s support and insight are both essential, though the chapter ends with their escape still uncertain.

Key plot points and events

• While fleeing Myriad Poison Cloud Peak, Qin An proposes turning the Thousand-Poison Puppet’s poisonous qi into a substitute for the Thousandlegs Centipede’s, saving them a return trip.
• Qin An explains that Wu Yunfeng can destroy the puppet once more, while the Precious Orb’s medical techniques might suppress the poison that normally lets it reassemble. Wu agrees to try the plan only if escape is impossible.
• The puppet catches up. Wu uses his remaining secret technique, empowering his Silver Needles with vital blood to break the creature apart. Qin An rapidly releases medical techniques from the orb, suppressing its poisonous qi.
• Wu destroys the puppet’s remains and captures its emerald poison bead. He is delighted that its potent qi may raise his cultivation.
• Near the mountain’s boundary, a far more powerful figure concealed in Black Mist appears and attacks. Qin and Wu escape by crossing the boundary, beyond which the figure will not follow.
• Elsewhere, Yu Jiu indulges in a degrading display of power over a female Water Demon while his subordinates watch. A messenger reports that Qin An has left the mountain and is heading to the Evil Extermination Division.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin An demonstrates quick strategic thinking and exceptional medical expertise, becoming essential to both the puppet’s defeat and Wu’s success. He remains focused on returning to his duties.
• Wu Yunfeng risks his life and spends vital blood to stop the puppet. He recognizes Qin An’s contribution and openly expresses gratitude.
• The two work in close coordination: Wu provides the force needed to break the puppet apart, while Qin suppresses its poison. Their brief celebration gives way to renewed fear when the mysterious figure appears.
• Yu Jiu is portrayed as cruel, arrogant, and provocative; the Crucian Carp Demon privately resents his conduct but does not challenge him because of his rank and strength.

Significant themes

• Cooperation and complementary skills: Wu’s combat power and Qin’s medical knowledge succeed where either would likely fail alone.
• Resourcefulness under pressure: Qin adapts the Precious Orb’s contents into an improvised countermeasure.
• Ambition and risk: Wu pursues stronger poisonous qi despite the danger, while both men must abandon triumph for survival.
• Unease and looming danger: The Black-Mist figure’s overwhelming power hints at threats beyond the defeated puppet, and the final report sets up Qin An’s next encounter with the wider conflict.

Key plot points and events

• Yu Jiu learns that Qin An has left Myriad Poison Cloud Peak with only an elderly physician and assumes he will be easy to kill. He gathers more than a hundred Water Demons, including the Crucian Carp Demon, and sets out to intercept them.
• On the ride back to the Evil Extermination Division, Qin An and Wu Yunfeng trade stories. Wu Yunfeng explains that a disciple’s betrayal destroyed his faction and killed his followers; after surviving, he joined the Division and rose to become a Gold Circuit Marshal.
• The pair encounter Yu Jiu’s ambush on the Imperial Road. Yu Jiu threatens Qin An, but Qin An calmly asks Wu Yunfeng to handle the fight.
• Wu Yunfeng reveals his rank and kills Yu Jiu with a poisoned silver needle. He then wipes out the other Water Demons with Silver Needles.
• While Wu Yunfeng expects to impress Qin An, Qin An immediately harvests the demons’ spirits and souls. Wu Yunfeng laughs at his resourcefulness and calls him an interesting find.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin An shows confidence without needless pride: he readily accepts Wu Yunfeng’s help and focuses on collecting useful spoils afterward.
• Wu Yunfeng emerges as a formidable fighter as well as a physician. His painful past explains his determination and rise through the Division. He enjoys mentoring—and showing off to—Qin An, but is amused by Qin An’s practical priorities.
• Yu Jiu is arrogant and overconfident, dismissing Qin An and underestimating Wu Yunfeng. His certainty proves fatal.
• The Crucian Carp Demon briefly senses that the ambush may be a mistake, but the promise of rewards quiets his doubts.

Significant themes

• Arrogance versus sound judgment: Yu Jiu’s contempt blinds him to the danger, while Qin An’s calm pragmatism serves him well.
• Resilience after loss: Wu Yunfeng turns the destruction of his faction into motivation to rebuild his life through service.
• Different forms of strength: Qin An’s willingness to accept help, Wu Yunfeng’s lethal skill, and Qin An’s eye for resources all contribute to survival.
• Mentorship and respect: Wu Yunfeng’s experience complements Qin An’s talent, creating a warm, increasingly amused rapport between them.

Key plot points

• At the Evil Extermination Division, Silver Dao Marshal Zhu Xueshuang reviews her subordinates’ reports. Her superior, Gold Circuit Marshal Li Moyun, visits late at night to ask specifically about Qin An.
• Zhu reports Qin An’s successes, including his role in the Ghost Market. Li instructs her to keep watching him and report anything unusual. He admits that Wu Yunfeng’s interest in Qin An has made him reconsider the young marshal’s potential—and sees Qin An as a possible way to build ties with Wu.
• Li tells Zhu to brief Qin An on an upcoming major mission when he returns, since he is inexperienced and the Confidential Archives contain little useful information about it.
• The next day, Qin An returns from accompanying Wu Yunfeng on a mission. He has earned Merits and helped Wu obtain the poison he sought. Wu departs at once to work on improving himself.
• Back in his quarters, Qin An plans his advancement: he will first raise his Dancer, Alchemist, and Formation Master professions to Level Seventeen, beginning with Dancer because he can practice it in his room.
• Elsewhere, Yu Tian, an Essence Transformation cultivator of the Seven-Color Fish Sect, emerges from the sea. Enraged by the deaths of Yu Jiu and another associate, he sets out to find whoever has opposed his sect.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Moyun shifts from indifference to cautious interest in Qin An, partly because Wu Yunfeng values him and may be open to closer ties. He gives Zhu practical instructions to support Qin An before the coming mission.
• Zhu Xueshuang remains dutiful and professional, reporting Qin An’s record and agreeing to monitor and prepare him.
• Qin An stays composed despite the attention he attracts and focuses methodically on developing his abilities.
• Wu Yunfeng respects Qin An and rewards his assistance, but is too eager to use the acquired poison to linger with him.
• Yu Tian is introduced as a powerful, vengeful threat motivated by the deaths of members of his sect.

Significant themes

• Merit and advancement: Qin An’s progress depends on both mission contributions and deliberate cultivation across multiple professions.
• Power, patronage, and political calculation: Li’s interest in Qin An is tied not only to talent but also to the influence of Wu Yunfeng.
• Preparation and institutional hierarchy: Zhu’s oversight and the warning about the upcoming mission highlight the importance of guidance and information.
• Escalating danger: Yu Tian’s pursuit suggests that earlier conflicts have consequences still to come.

Key plot points and events

• In the rain-soaked Imperial Road, Yu Tian investigates the death of his younger brother, Yu Jiu, and confirms that Qin An killed him. Though he accepts that death is ordinary in the violent world, he feels obliged to avenge Yu Jiu as both his elder brother and superior.
• Yu Tian destroys a passing carriage and kills its occupants, then devours the demon who had failed to stop Yu Jiu’s death. Drawing strength from the rain, he vows to learn more about Qin An’s support within the Evil Extermination Division before pursuing him.
• More than a month later, Qin An exchanges his merits for the Skycloud Movement Technique and Demon Spirits. After reaching Dancer Level 17, all his profession talents attain Unity Realm Perfection.
• Qin An uses his Dancer talents to master the Skycloud technique instantly. When he cannot directly fuse it with his Nine-Turn Dragon’s Roar Shadow Steps, he burns Blood Essence to fuel a deduction. He successfully combines them into the Nine-Turn Dragon’s Roar Shadow Windcloud Steps, a movement technique at Initial Proficiency in the Shattered Void Realm.
• The new technique greatly improves Qin An’s movement and makes him difficult for even a Great Completion Shattered Void opponent to restrain. He believes he could fight someone at Great Completion, though he would need treasures to face someone at Perfection.
• Qin An plans to raise his Alchemist and Formation Master professions next, then focus on advancing his Mind Method. Before resuming training, he completes his monthly pill quota at the Dragon Palace shop and receives twenty Demon Spirits.
• The Dragon Demon praises Qin An’s earlier plan: it helped the Third Dragon Princess win the trust of the Dragon Palace’s allies and strengthen her authority. Qin An asks what the Alchemist Alliance has been doing; the Dragon Demon begins to explain that it is in serious difficulty.

Character developments and interactions

• Yu Tian emerges as a ruthless, rain-empowered avenger. He treats Yu Jiu’s death as part of the natural order but acts on family and rank-based obligation, killing both bystanders and a subordinate in the process.
• Qin An continues to advance through calculated training, deduction, and resource management. He remains confident but realistic about the limits of his current strength, and credits the Third Dragon Princess’s resolve rather than claiming sole credit for her success.
• The Dragon Demon is deferential toward Qin An and sincerely impressed by his strategic contribution. Their exchange also points toward the Alchemist Alliance’s troubles.
• Yu Tian and Qin An do not meet, but Yu Tian’s revenge vow creates a looming threat to Qin An.

Significant themes

• Revenge and duty: Yu Tian’s personal grief is framed as an obligation arising from his status as Yu Jiu’s brother and superior.
• Power through adaptation: Qin An combines techniques and burns Blood Essence to overcome limitations, while Yu Tian draws strength from the rain.
• Violence and moral indifference: Yu Tian’s indiscriminate killings underline a world where strength and survival eclipse ordinary notions of justice.
• Strategy and earned authority: Qin An’s plan helps the Third Dragon Princess gain influence, but its success also depends on her own resolve.

Summary

Key plot points and events

• Qin An learns that the Alchemist Alliance is losing business. After the Dragon Palace ended its dealings with them, it shared some surplus pills with other factions. More importantly, Qin An’s success inspired independent alchemy groups to offer effective Specialized Pills, prompting many factions to reduce their reliance on the Alliance.
• The Dragon Demon promises that the Dragon Palace will monitor the Alliance and may support Qin An discreetly if needed. Qin An leaves with twenty Demon Spirits, intending to improve his Formation Master proficiency before a major assignment arrives.
• Over the next several days, Qin An trains steadily, making progress but remaining some distance from Level Seventeen.
• Zheng Rou delivers a message from Zhu Xueshuang: a major assignment is imminent, and Zhu wants to speak with Qin An alone.
• Zhu reveals that the assignment concerns a Forbidden Land. She explains that such places are widespread across the Skycloud Circuit, extremely dangerous, and rich in resources. Their origins are unknown, and records about them are restricted to those undertaking related assignments or reaching Silver Dao Marshal rank.
• Qin An questions why the authorities do not clear out the smaller Forbidden Lands. Zhu says the answer involves a broader, complicated situation and a rule governing Forbidden Lands, but the chapter ends before she explains it.

Character developments

• Qin An continues preparing for the coming assignment and considers his future within the Evil Extermination Division. He prefers the freedom of Mountain Patrol work to the administrative burden he expects at higher ranks.
• The Dragon Demon is impressed by Qin An’s growing presence, despite no apparent increase in his cultivation, and suspects he has improved another cultivation method.
• Zhu Xueshuang remains measured and private, but shares restricted knowledge with Qin An because of the assignment.
• Zheng Rou appears shy and flustered while delivering Zhu’s message.

Significant themes

• Competition and influence: Qin An’s success is encouraging other factions to challenge the Alchemist Alliance, showing how one breakthrough can reshape an industry.
• Preparation and gradual progress: Qin An builds his skills patiently rather than expecting rapid advancement.
• Power, duty, and freedom: Qin An weighs the security and rank of official service against the independence of field work.
• Danger and reward: Forbidden Lands threaten those who enter them, yet their resources help sustain the Circuit—suggesting their existence is tied to a larger system.

Character interactions

• Qin An questions the Dragon Demon about the Alliance’s losses and receives the Dragon Palace’s assurance of discreet support.
• Zheng Rou nervously informs Qin An that Zhu Xueshuang has summoned him.
• Zhu and Qin An discuss Forbidden Lands, their dangers, resources, and restricted history; Qin An’s questions lead toward the unexplained rule that prevents their destruction.

Key plot points and events

• Qin An asks Zhu Xueshuang about forbidden lands. She explains that after a land is heavily plundered, it seals itself off; eventually, its dangers and treasures are restored. Each forbidden land has a particular focus, unlike the Ancient Battlefield Ruins, which contain a broader range of resources.
• Zhu assigns Qin An a mission to the medium-sized Gang Wind Mountains, a wind-focused forbidden land. The Evil Extermination Division wants to secure its supreme treasure, the Gang Wind Heart, which helps Essence Transformation Realm cultivators practice wind-based methods.
• Other wind-affiliated demons, False Gods, and human factions may also enter, and the Division will not prevent them. Qin An receives records on the mountains and is told the group will depart within three days.
• Li Moyun secretly assesses Qin An and concludes that all of Qin An’s cultivation methods have reached the Shattered Void Realm. He also learns of Qin An’s unusual breadth of talent across blacksmithing, formations, alchemy, and medicine.
• At the Alchemist Alliance, Zhang Tianyi presses the Alliance Master over lost business and proposes a drastic solution: killing Qin An.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin An shows curiosity and strategic thinking, quickly grasping both the nature of forbidden lands and the competitive stakes of the mission. He plans to use the three days before departure to study the records and continue advancing his professions.
• Zhu Xueshuang explains the Division’s rules and mission plans. She reveals that she withholds forbidden-land information from Bronze Dao Marshals because it might tempt them to pursue resources independently and disrupt the Division’s order.
• Li Moyun becomes more interested in Qin An after learning the full extent of his abilities. He believes Qin An must first survive to Essence Transformation before he can be trusted with greater responsibilities. He tells Zhu to let Qin An handle the Alchemist Alliance unless it goes too far.
• Zhang Tianyi grows impatient with the Alliance Master’s lack of a concrete plan, escalating from complaints to openly advocating Qin An’s murder. The Alliance Master remains tense but initially restrains his response.

Significant themes

• Power and restraint: Forbidden lands offer great rewards but operate under rules beyond human control; institutional secrecy is meant to prevent reckless exploitation.
• Competition over resources: The Gang Wind Heart’s value draws multiple groups into conflict, while Qin An’s success threatens the Alchemist Alliance’s interests.
• Exceptional potential and risk: Qin An’s many talents impress Li Moyun, but his growing reputation also makes him a target.
• Institutional pressure and moral compromise: Faced with declining business, the Alchemist Alliance considers violence rather than adapting to competition.

Plot points and events

• Zhang Tianyi pressures the Alchemist Alliance Master to kill Qin An, arguing that the Alliance’s declining resources and influence will eventually leave it exposed to its enemies.
• The Alliance Master initially objects: openly attacking a Bronze Dao Marshal would violate the Evil Extermination Division’s Iron Law and could get the entire Alchemist Alliance destroyed.
• Zhang proposes disguising Qin An’s death as a mission accident in the dangerous Gang Wind Mountains. Rather than involve their own people or their contact in the Division, they will pay the Azure Mystic Bird Tribe—a demon faction with wind powers—to kill him.
• The Alliance Master agrees to provide the large quantity of Pills the tribe demands, payable only if it succeeds.
• Days later, Qin An finishes a period of Formation Master training, though he has not yet reached Level Seventeen. He joins Zhu Xueshuang and other Bronze Dao Marshals as they depart for the Gang Wind Mountains.
• At the mountains, four Silver Dao Marshals and a large contingent of Bronze Dao Marshals gather. Zhu begins briefing the group with a map. The mission’s immediate hazard is the Gang Wind, which rises every two hours and can tear through flesh and marrow; cultivators must endure it with a Body-Guarding Technique until it subsides.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Tianyi is ruthless and decisive. He manipulates the Alliance Master’s fear of losing power, dismisses his objections, and forces him to choose between cooperating and being left behind.
• The Alliance Master shifts from alarm and hesitation to reluctant agreement. He accepts the assassination plan because he fears the Alliance’s collapse and his own vulnerability.
• Qin An remains focused on improving his Formation Master proficiency, then prepares for the mission. He appears unaware of the plot against him.
• Zhu Xueshuang leads the expedition efficiently and formally, giving no unnecessary speeches. The Silver Dao Marshals keep their distance from one another and manage their groups separately.

Significant themes

• Political self-preservation and corruption: The Alliance’s leaders prioritize survival and power over law or loyalty.
• Deception and plausible deniability: Zhang plans to exploit the dangers of a forbidden land to disguise a deliberate murder as an accident.
• Power and coercion: Zhang secures the Alliance Master’s cooperation by exposing his fears and threatening to act without him.
• Danger and uncertainty: The mission combines natural hazards, hostile inhabitants, and rival factions, making the Gang Wind Mountains a setting where an assassination could be concealed.

Key plot points and events

• Silver Dao Marshal Zhu Xueshuang orders the Evil Extermination Division to search the Gang Wind Mountains in teams of ten, spreading out from all sides to find the Gang Wind Heart. Because the heart could appear anywhere, she argues that the risks of splitting up are unavoidable.
• She instructs anyone who finds it to ignite a Signal Flare so the others can converge, and warns that anyone obstructing the Division—human, demon, or False God—is to be killed.
• Qin An’s team reaches its assigned area and pauses to choose a leader. Liu Ping and Moonlit Night both volunteer, but disagree over whether judgment or strength matters more. They settle the question with a brief duel; Moonlit Night wins, and the group accepts her leadership.
• Elsewhere, Azure Mystic Bird demons enter the mountains. Their leader, Azure Feather, receives a portrait of Qin An and orders his followers to kill him if they encounter him, while continuing the search for the Gang Wind Heart.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhu Xueshuang shows both resolve and respect: she acknowledges the danger of the plan and bows to the Bronze Dao Marshals, thanking them on behalf of Skycloud Circuit’s people.
• The Bronze Dao Marshals respond with solidarity, affirming their duty to protect the region despite the risks.
• Qin An stays quiet during the leadership dispute, preferring not to seek authority. He reassures Zheng Rou, who visibly trusts and relies on him.
• Zheng Rou begins the journey looking timid, but gains confidence when she sees Qin An.
• Moonlit Night proves her combat ability and takes command after defeating Liu Ping. Liu accepts the loss without protest, and she credits his willingness to admit defeat.
• Azure Feather reveals that Qin An is a specific target, adding a personal threat to the broader search.

Significant themes

• Duty and sacrifice: The Division’s members accept danger as part of protecting their home and its people.
• Unity versus fragmentation: The search requires teams to spread out, but each team must cooperate and choose clear leadership to avoid becoming disorganized.
• Practical leadership: Moonlit Night’s victory settles the immediate dispute, while the encounter highlights competing ideas of leadership—judgment versus strength.
• Rising danger and conflict: Humans, demons, and False Gods are converging on the mountains, and Qin An faces a targeted threat as the Gang Wind’s arrival draws near.

Key events

• A sudden, powerful Gang Wind sweeps through the Gang Wind Mountains. Moonlit Night orders everyone to use defensive techniques; the group withstands the storm, though Zheng Rou struggles.
• Qin An expands his Nine-Turn Baleful Sea Dharma Form to shelter Zheng Rou. The storm eventually passes, leaving the landscape damaged—but it rapidly restores itself.
• The team continues toward the mountain’s mid-slope after nightfall, where they discover the Cloudwind Sword Sect being overwhelmed by two demon factions: the Swiftwind Leopard Demons and Wind Heaven Serpents.
• Moonlit Night orders the Bronze Dao Marshals to help. They swiftly turn the battle and kill the demons, saving the surviving humans.
• As the team prepares to leave, Cloudwind Sword Sect elder Qian Yu warns that people attempting to leave the mountain are being killed by invisible Gang Wind. He shows a severe wound; Qin An identifies it as the result of Killing Intent.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin An demonstrates both the resilience of his Dharma Form and compassion toward Zheng Rou, protecting her when her own defenses are faltering. He downplays the gesture as aid to a former ally.
• Zheng Rou is reminded of her late father’s protection and feels grateful for Qin An’s kindness. She masks her emotion with a playful eye-roll.
• Moonlit Night acts decisively as commander: she directs the group through the storm, makes the call to rescue the Cloudwind Sword Sect, and ensures the team lowers its defenses only when the wind has passed.
• Qian Yu expresses gratitude indirectly through his warning, giving the group crucial information about the new danger.

Significant themes

• Duty and solidarity: Moonlit Night’s group helps fellow humans in danger, even though the rescue is a detour from their mission.
• Protection and memory: Qin An’s intervention recalls Zheng Rou’s father and highlights how kindness can offer comfort amid grief.
• Risk and responsibility: Moonlit Night’s command role brings both authority and danger, while the group’s mission carries unexpected hazards.
• The Forbidden Land’s power: The Gang Wind both devastates and is followed by rapid natural recovery, underscoring the mountains’ strange, dangerous nature. The final warning introduces an even more mysterious threat: lethal Killing Intent.