Chapter Summaries

Qing Mo and Qing Lin killed a Rock-Armored Sandworm and recovered its Magic Core before reaching a settlement that had been displaced by the Snake-People. The guards explained that the Snake-People had occupied the settlement’s oasis, leaving Qing Mo and Qing Lin to learn more about the danger ahead.

• Qing Mo severed the Rock-Armored Sandworm’s feelers and killed it with Silent Flying Dagger.
• Qing Lin searched the sandworm’s skull and found a Magic Core, which Qing Mo stored after washing her hands.
• Qing Mo and Qing Lin continued through the desert and found a settlement that was not marked on their map.
• The settlement guards initially told Qing Mo and Qing Lin to leave, but Qing Mo revealed his Seven-Star Dou Practitioner strength and earned their respect.
• The dark-faced guard told Qing Mo that Snake-People had occupied the settlement’s oasis, forcing the residents to move.

Qing Mo learned that Snakefolk had seized an oasis and joined Black Face’s group in a planned effort to retake it. He hoped the expedition would help him find a wood-attribute serpentine magical beast, while he wondered whether the Snakefolk’s movements were connected to the Green Lotus Heartfire.

• Black Face told Qing Mo that Snakefolk had occupied the oasis three days earlier, killing its manager, Master Mu, as he helped the residents escape.
• Black Face explained that the Snakefolk’s deep incursion and decision to garrison the oasis were unusual, raising fears they might target Stone Desert City.
• Black Face said the survivors planned to retake the oasis with help from Battle Masters sent by the Mercenary Association, and Qing Mo agreed to join after hearing that a Snakefolk Battle Master controlled a Tier-Two Hibiscus Snake.
• Xiao Hu led Qing Mo and Qing Lin to a temporary tent, brought them water and food, and registered them as members of the Desert Iron Mercenary Group.
• Qing Mo considered whether the Snakefolk were searching for the Green Lotus Heartfire, then decided the campaign offered his best chance to find a wood-attribute serpentine magical beast.

Qing Lin sensed a group of Snake-People nearby, but Qing Mo decided they posed no immediate danger and rested before being invited to a meeting. He left Qing Lin at the camp while Xiao Hu led him to hear Young Master Lu’s plan to retake the oasis.

• Qing Lin told Qing Mo she sensed about twenty or thirty Snake-People nearby, including one stronger than him, but Qing Mo decided to rest because they seemed far away.
• Qing Lin prepared Qing Mo’s supplies, gave him a massage, and nestled beside him while he slept.
• Xiao Hu woke Qing Mo and invited him to Young Master Lu’s meeting for experts above Five-Star Dou Practitioner, where Lu planned to discuss retaking the oasis and avenging Master Mu.
• Qing Mo agreed to attend, but Xiao Hu said Qing Lin could not enter because she did not meet the strength requirement.
• Qing Lin offered to wait behind, and Qing Mo told her not to wander before following Xiao Hu to the meeting.

Qing Mo joined a mercenary meeting and silenced two men who insulted him before Lu Sheng revealed plans to reclaim the oasis and avenge Master Mu. The mercenaries prepared for a night raid, with reinforcements led by a Five-Star Battle Master expected the next day.

• Xiao Hu led Qing Mo to the meeting tent, where Qing Mo entered with Qing Lin and was mocked by two brothers from the Blood Knife Mercenary Group.
• Qing Mo threw a knife that cut the thin brother’s cheek and warned the pair to stay silent, while a refined man intervened and invited Qing Mo to sit beside Black Face.
• Lu Sheng arrived, thanked the mercenaries for supporting him, and asked them to help reclaim the oasis and avenge his adoptive father, Master Mu.
• Lu Sheng reported that Snake-People had seized the oasis and left thirty elite warriors there, led by a Three-Star Battle Master with a Second-Order Hibiscus Snake.
• Lu Sheng announced that two Battle Masters, including a Five-Star Battle Master, would arrive the next day, then explained that the mercenaries would launch a night raid.

Qing Mo prepared to join Lu Sheng’s planned assault on the Snake-People, though his real aim was to obtain the Magic Core of a second-tier Hibiscus Snake. After collecting supplies and bringing Qing Lin with him, he joined the mercenaries as they assembled for the night’s attack.

• Lu Sheng assigned the mercenaries roles for an assault planned for the night after reinforcements arrived, with Qing Mo considering how to target the second-tier Hibiscus Snake.
• Black Face invited Qing Mo to join his group’s guerrilla attacks, but Qing Mo declined because he preferred ambushes and was focused on the Hibiscus Snake’s Magic Core.
• Qing Mo told Qing Lin she would accompany him and hide nearby while he used his Falling Leaf Flying Daggers.
• Niu Da gave Qing Mo supplies reserved under the first echelon’s standards and urged him to help recover Master Mu’s body for a ten-thousand-gold reward, but Qing Mo refused.
• After preparing his Silent Flying Daggers, Qing Mo joined the mercenaries at night as Lu Sheng rallied them to avenge Master Mu and reclaim the oasis.

Lu Sheng led a mercenary force with Lin Xiao and Liu Shi to attack a Snake-People camp in the Tagore Desert. After Qing Mo silently killed the sentries, Lu Sheng broke through the gate and led the charge into the camp.

• Lu Sheng welcomed Lin Xiao and Liu Shi, then explained the plan to attack the camp and leave its Battle Master leader and Mujin Snake to them.
• Lin Xiao led the group toward the oasis and proposed attacking the two Snake-People sentries directly, but Lu Sheng called on Qing Mo to eliminate them quietly.
• Qing Mo used Falling Leaf Flying Daggers to kill both sentries before they could raise the alarm.
• Lu Sheng searched the sentries for a key, found none, and broke down the camp gate with Mountain-Breaking Fist.
• Lu Sheng charged through the gate, followed by the mercenaries.

Lu Sheng’s mercenaries attacked the Snake-People camp, and Qing Mo recovered his Dou Qi before helping kill the Mujin Snake. Lin Xiao killed the fleeing Snake-People leader and declared victory, leaving the oasis ravaged by the battle.

• Lu Sheng led the surprise attack on the Snake-People camp while Qing Mo retreated with Qing Lin to recover his Dou Qi.
• The Snake-People leader and the Mujin Snake attacked, and Lin Xiao and Liu Shi fought them to a stalemate.
• After recovering, Qing Mo used a Silent Flying Dagger to pierce the Mujin Snake’s vital point as it attacked Liu Shi.
• Liu Shi finished off the wounded Mujin Snake with his Black-Iron Greatsword.
• The Snake-People leader fled, but Lin Xiao caught him and smashed his head apart.
• Lin Xiao returned with the leader’s corpse and announced that the humans had won.

After helping the mercenaries defeat the Mujin Snake, Qing Mo obtained its Magic Core and used it to help Qing Lin attempt a breakthrough. Qing Lin successfully reached Fighter, leaving Qing Mo relieved and celebrating her achievement.

• Qing Mo helped Lin Xiao and Liu Shi defeat the Mujin Snake, though the battle cost the mercenaries more than a dozen lives.
• Lin Xiao and Liu Shi praised Qing Mo, learned that he was the Desert Iron Mercenary Group’s third commander, and gave him the Mujin Snake’s Magic Core.
• Qing Mo returned to the temporary gathering site and prepared the Magic Core and medicinal paste for Qing Lin’s breakthrough.
• Qing Mo warned Qing Lin to circulate her Dou Qi using the Jade Serpent Divine Art as she absorbed the Magic Core’s energy.
• Qing Lin endured the energy flowing through her meridians and successfully broke through to Fighter, and Qing Mo congratulated her.

After leaving the Tagore Desert, Qing Mo and Qing Lin encountered a Sand-Crowned Viper, revealing that Qing Lin could already use a trace of her Jade Snake Triple-Flower Eyes to control snake-type Devil Beasts. They continued toward Stone Desert City, where Qing Mo planned to celebrate her power.

• Xiao Hu praised Qing Mo for killing the Mujin Snake, and Lin Xiao and Liu Shi gave him a ten-thousand-gold reward voucher.
• Qing Mo and Qing Lin left the gathering site and headed back to Stone Desert City.
• Qing Lin sensed a Sand-Crowned Viper hiding beneath a dune before Qing Mo detected it.
• Qing Lin used a faint trace of the Jade Snake Triple-Flower Eyes' power to tame the viper, and she told Qing Mo she could control snake-type Devil Beasts as strong as a Nine-Star Battle Master.
• Qing Mo praised Qing Lin, lifted her into the air, and promised to celebrate with her in Stone Desert City.

Qing Mo found the badly wounded Xue Lan in the Tagore Desert and learned that the Desert Iron Mercenary Group had been ambushed by Snake-People after the Poison Dragon Mercenary Group abandoned them. He carried Xue Lan to the battlefield and left her hidden nearby as he prepared to intervene.

• Qing Mo and Qing Lin spotted Xue Lan staggering across the desert, and Qing Mo rushed to support her.
• Xue Lan told Qing Mo that Snake-People had trapped the Desert Iron Mercenary Group and that Chief Captain Xiao Ding and the others were in grave danger.
• Xue Lan explained that the Poison Dragon Mercenary Group had fled while the Desert Iron Mercenary Group fought to rescue them, leaving Diao Zhen surrounded and Xue Lan to escape for help.
• Qing Mo sent Qing Lin to follow at her own pace and carried Xue Lan quickly toward the battlefield.
• Qing Mo found bodies scattered across the sand, concealed Xue Lan in a dune hollow, and turned toward the fighting.

Qing Mo saved Xiao Ding from the Snake-Person Battle Master and helped turn the losing battle into a victory, though the Desert Iron Mercenary Group suffered heavy casualties. After Qing Lin returned with the tamed Scarlet-Scaled Sand Python, Xiao Ding and Xiao Li vowed to take revenge on the Poison Dragon Mercenary Group.

• Qing Mo waited for an opening and killed the Snake-Person Battle Master with a Silent Flying Dagger just as the warrior was about to kill Xiao Ding.
• The surviving Snake-People fled, the Scarlet-Scaled Sand Python burrowed into the sand, and the exhausted Desert Iron Mercenary Group mourned their dead.
• Xiao Ding thanked Qing Mo, regretted trusting Lin Qi, and heard the survivors blame the Poison Dragon Mercenary Group for the ambush.
• The Scarlet-Scaled Sand Python returned with Qing Lin and Xue Lan, and Qing Mo explained that Qing Lin had used a special Dou Technique to control it.
• Xiao Li and Xiao Ding rallied the survivors to recover and then fight the Poison Dragon Mercenary Group to the death.

Xiao Ding and Xiao Li grieved the Desert Iron Mercenary Group’s losses and agreed to follow Qing Mo’s plan for revenge. Qing Mo recruited Datou and Heizi to lure Luo Yi out of the Poison Dragon Mercenary Group’s base, setting the plan in motion for the next day.

• Xiao Li raged over the Mercenary Association’s ruling and wanted to attack the Poison Dragon Mercenary Group, but Xiao Ding stopped him and urged him to wait for an opportunity.
• Qing Mo arrived and told Xiao Ding and Xiao Li that he had a plan that could bring about their enemies’ deaths the next day; they agreed to follow it.
• At home, Qing Mo asked Datou and Heizi to lure Luo Yi to a narrow stretch of desert in exchange for the antidote and their freedom.
• Datou and Heizi warned that Luo Yi was confined and guarded, but Qing Mo explained that Luo Tai and Lin Qi would be away the next day.
• Qing Mo offered to let Datou and Heizi join the Desert Iron Mercenary Group if they succeeded, and both men agreed to lure Luo Yi out.

Datou and Heizi tried to reach Luo Yi at the Poison Dragon Mercenary Group’s headquarters but were turned away, so Datou devised a plan to lure Luo Yi out. The chapter ended with Heizi heading back to Qing Mo to arrange a staged disturbance at the headquarters gate.

• Datou and Heizi discussed their chance to join the Desert Iron Mercenary Group and agreed to focus on getting Luo Yi out.
• The guards at the Poison Dragon Mercenary Group’s headquarters refused Datou and Heizi entry and drove them away.
• Datou rejected Heizi’s suggestion to sneak over the wall and came up with a plan to create a disturbance at the front gate.
• Datou planned to enter over the back wall during the commotion, tell Luo Yi that the Desert Iron Mercenary Group had discovered a gold-sand mine and planned to assassinate Luo Tai, then lead him out by a side path.
• Datou sent Heizi to explain the plan to Qing Mo and remain nearby to help close the net once Luo Yi was lured out.

Datou infiltrated the Poison Dragon Mercenary Group's compound while Li Hu and two Desert Iron mercenaries staged a public confrontation at the front gate. The guards were overwhelmed by the crowd's accusations as one hurried inside to call for help.

• Datou waited for the front-gate commotion, then silently climbed over the rear wall.
• Li Hu and his two companions accused the Poison Dragon Mercenary Group of abandoning the Desert Iron brothers who died protecting them.
• When the guards said Luo Tai and Lin Qi were away, Li Hu and his companions tried to force their way inside.
• A guard shoved Li Hu, and the three men fell to the ground, loudly claiming the Poison Dragon guards had beaten them.
• Passersby surrounded the gate and condemned the guards, who could not make themselves heard.
• One guard urged his companion to go inside and call someone out.

Datou deceived Luo Yi with a story about a Gold Sand Mine and a plot against Luo Tai, then tempted him to seize the mine for the Poison Dragon Mercenary Group. Luo Yi grew excited by the prospect of the wealth, leaving his next move undecided.

• Luo Yi learned that the Desert Iron Mercenary Group had blocked the Poison Dragon Mercenary Group's front gate and ordered a mercenary to drive them away.
• Datou reached Luo Yi and claimed he had overheard Qing Mo and the other groups planning to mine a Gold Sand Mine and assassinate Luo Tai.
• Datou convinced Luo Yi that Xiao Ding had lured Luo Tai and Lin Qi to the Mercenary Association while Qing Mo and Qing Lin led the mining team out of the city.
• Datou urged Luo Yi to seize the mine for its wealth, and Luo Yi began imagining what he could buy with the gold.

Datou lured Luo Yi into believing they could ambush the Desert Iron Mercenary Group at the Gold Sand Mine, then led him out of Stone Desert City. The chapter left Luo Yi following Datou’s plan, unaware that Datou intended to use him as a token of allegiance to the Desert Iron Mercenary Group.

• Datou persuaded Luo Yi that they could steal the Gold Sand Mine by attacking the Desert Iron Mercenary Group after its members had finished mining.
• Datou pressured Luo Yi to act alone by claiming the credit and riches would otherwise have to be shared, and Luo Yi agreed to go.
• Datou and Luo Yi sneaked out through the compound’s back door and headed for the city gate by a secluded route.
• At the gate, Datou exchanged glances with Dan Zai, then pretended to find Xiao Hei’s trail marks leading north.
• Datou took Luo Yi out of Stone Desert City, intending to offer him as proof of loyalty to the Desert Iron Mercenary Group.

Li Hu and two Desert Iron Mercenary Group companions confronted the Poison Dragon Mercenary Group over their dead brothers, turning the dispute into a public scene. Commander Wang intervened and persuaded them to leave for now, while Captain Yu remained uneasy about their motives.

• Captain Yu arrived with armed mercenaries and ordered Li Hu and his companions to leave, but Li Hu accused the Poison Dragon Mercenary Group of breaking its promises and silencing them.
• Onlookers joined in condemning the Poison Dragon Mercenary Group, and Li Hu demanded that Luo Tai and Lin Qi apologize to his dead brothers.
• Captain Yu secretly sent a subordinate to summon the City Guard, and Commander Wang arrived with soldiers to restore order.
• Commander Wang heard both sides and urged the Poison Dragon Mercenary Group to explain itself after its leaders returned.
• Li Hu agreed to leave for Commander Wang's sake but warned that the Desert Iron Mercenary Group would fight if Luo Tai and Lin Qi did not answer for the deaths.
• Captain Yu watched them depart, feeling frustrated and suspicious that they had staged the confrontation deliberately.

Li Hu’s group confirmed Luo Yi had escaped Stone Desert City, while Datou led him into the desert as part of Qing Mo’s plan. Datou knocked Luo Yi unconscious and brought him to Qing Mo, Qing Lin, and Xiao Hei at the grove.

• Dan Zai told Li Hu that Qing Mo’s men had escorted Luo Yi out of the city and into the desert.
• Li Hu defended Qing Mo and Qing Lin against his companions’ suspicions about Qing Lin’s ability to control magical beasts.
• Datou led the exhausted Luo Yi toward the Wind-Eroded Forest, then struck him unconscious with a slab of sandstone.
• Datou carried Luo Yi to the desert poplar grove, where Qing Mo, Qing Lin, and Xiao Hei were waiting.

Qing Mo gave Datou and Heizi antidotes and accepted them into the Desert Iron Mercenary Group, but Qing Lin killed them with a Sand Sea Giant Python after they left. Qing Mo then told Qing Lin to torment Luo Yi without killing him while they waited for Luo Tai.

• Qing Mo gave Datou and Heizi antidote pills and confirmed they would join the Desert Iron Mercenary Group.
• Datou and Heizi swallowed the pills, recovered from their poison, and headed toward Stone Desert City.
• A Sand Sea Giant Python burst from the sand and swallowed Datou and Heizi at Qing Lin's command.
• Qing Mo praised Qing Lin and told her to take revenge on Luo Yi without letting him die.
• Qing Lin summoned dozens of venomous snakes around Luo Yi.

Qing Lin used her control over venomous snakes to punish Luo Yi in Poplar Forest after he awoke and found himself surrounded. Qing Mo left her to deal with him and warned her not to ruin his face, intending to make Luo Tai recognize his son.

• Luo Yi awoke with a venomous snake on his chest and screamed for Datou, but Qing Mo and Qing Lin watched from nearby.
• Qing Lin summoned dozens of venomous snakes, and Luo Yi begged for help and offered a hundred thousand gold coins for his life.
• Qing Mo told Qing Lin that they could kill Luo Yi and then take the gold from his father, and Qing Lin agreed.
• Qing Lin sent the snakes to bite Luo Yi while Qing Mo walked to the edge of the forest and reminded her to leave his face recognizable.