Chapter Summaries

Key plot points

• After the earlier looting and violence, order returns at Li Family Village, where refugees again seek food and wealthy families watch warily.
• Xie Yu performs a rite at the village entrance, using the altar, Copper Coins, lantern, water, and white banners to hear and address the grievances of the 314 murdered tenant farmers.
• She guides the souls toward the Huai River, telling them their resentment will dissolve and their old identity as members of Li Family Village is over. One by one, they enter the river.
• Once the last soul departs, the village’s dark red haze and killing intent vanish, and moonlight returns.
• Xie Yu honors the Dragon Queen and Dragon King Stronghold steward Yusu. Witnesses erupt in praise, recognizing the Xie Household as a new, fourth major power capable of dealing with evil spirits.
• Xie An supports his exhausted sister. She praises his killing of Hua Qianxiong, but says one task remains. When he assumes it is killing Granny Gu, she dismisses that as unimportant and tells him to come with her.

Character developments and interactions

• Xie Yu demonstrates both spiritual authority and compassion: she listens to the dead, acknowledges their suffering, and gives them a path to peace. The ordeal leaves her unsteady, though she is pleased by the ceremony’s success.
• Xie An hears the victims’ traumatic stories through his Truth-Listening ability. He is deeply moved, restrains himself from interrupting the ritual, and feels pride in his family’s achievement. He tends to Xie Yu afterward.
• The refugees and villagers shift from fearful observers to vocal supporters, seeing the Xie Household as a source of protection and hope.
• Mai Wenshan and the Canal Gang watch anxiously from the crowd; Wenshan fears the Xie ceremony will succeed, while Mai Qiuyun remains dazed.

Significant themes

• Justice and release: The ritual gives voice to people whose lives were marked by exploitation and murder, then helps them let go of their suffering.
• Compassion amid violence: Xie Yu treats the spirits not merely as threats but as victims deserving to be heard and guided.
• Power and social change: The Xie Household’s success establishes it as a new force in Qingwu County, potentially reducing the community’s dependence on the Daoists of Returning Dragon Abbey.
• Family loyalty and shared achievement: Xie An’s pride in his family and care for Xie Yu frame the ceremony as the culmination of their long, quiet struggle.

After the Deliverance in Li Family Village, Xie Yu took Xie An toward the Dragon King Stronghold and explained that the Xie Household’s future depended on the Dragon Queen facing the Inner City’s Three Divine Spirits. Xie An recognized Xie Yu as his long-lost elder sister and revealed that he was her younger brother, Xie Mingxi, leaving them reunited in tears.

• After the 314 tormented souls received Deliverance, Zhu Youcai struck his gong once more and crumbled into ashes.
• Xie Yu chose Chen Mo to accompany Xie An and said she would take them to the Dragon King Stronghold for shelter.
• Xie Yu explained that the Dragon Queen had to withstand the Three Divine Spirits for the Xie Household to become a fourth great power, while Xie An would remain safe at the stronghold.
• At the village’s edge, Xie An met Gao Hanwen, the Dragon King Stronghold’s Fourth Steward, while Xie Yu left to stand beside the Xie Household’s master in the inner city.
• Xie An embraced Xie Yu and told her he knew she was his elder sister and that he was her younger brother, Xie Mingxi; Xie Yu broke into tears.

Key plot points and events

• Xie Yu’s secret identity is exposed when Xie An recognizes her as his sister. They embrace, and she admits how proud she is that he has grown into someone capable of making his own way.
• Sharing a farewell drink beneath the moon, Xie Yu pours wine out for their mother and reassures Xie An that she and their father will be safe under the Dragon Queen’s protection. She then leaves for the inner city.
• Gao Hanwen explains that the Xie family invested heavily in Dragon King Stronghold to secure Xie An’s future. Their wealth and support have helped the stronghold grow in secret for more than a decade.
• On the carriage ride, Gao reveals that Xie Yu was once a prodigy at Returning Dragon Abbey. After a disastrous conflict with the inner-city Xie Clan, she was near death. Their father secured her rescue by pleading with the stronghold and offering a million taels; she then joined the stronghold and began cultivating the Dragon Queen’s Spirit Preservation Method.
• The group reaches Dragon King Stronghold, a fortified compound hidden in Wild Boar Forest. A young woman identified as the Young Priestess is waiting at the gate to welcome Xie An.

Character developments

• Xie Yu reveals both her deep affection for Xie An and her bold, free-spirited nature. Though she is warm and gentle with him, Gao’s story suggests she is formidable and volatile with others.
• Xie An learns the extent of his family’s sacrifices on his behalf. Their devotion fills him with gratitude but also a heavy sense of responsibility as he enters a new world at the stronghold.
• Gao Hanwen acts as a teasing but informative guide, revealing the family’s history and the stronghold’s structure while showing envy of Xie An’s close bond with his sister.
• Chen Mo silently reflects on the contrast between Xie Yu and her own younger brother, and volunteers to drive after recognizing Gao’s skill.

Significant themes

• Family devotion and sacrifice: Xie Yu and their father have endured great hardship and made enormous sacrifices to protect Xie An.
• Farewell and uncertainty: The siblings’ moonlit drink is a tender parting, with Xie Yu’s safety and future still uncertain.
• Duty and gratitude: Xie An’s knowledge of his family’s investment in his future becomes both a source of comfort and a weight on his shoulders.
• Hidden identities and long-planned schemes: Xie Yu’s concealed past and the Xie family’s decade-long support of the stronghold reveal a larger plan whose full purpose remains unclear.

Character interactions

• Xie Yu and Xie An share an emotional reunion, a drink, and a final exchange of advice and affection.
• Gao Hanwen teases the siblings, then comforts Xie An and explains his family’s ties to the stronghold.
• Xie An questions Gao about his sister and the organization, while Chen Mo supports the group by taking the reins.
• At the stronghold’s gate, the Young Priestess’s personal welcome signals that Xie An is an important arrival.

Summary

Key plot points and events

• Xie An arrives at the Dragon King Stronghold with Gao Hanwen and is welcomed by Lingxi, the Young Priestess. Gao explains that she is a powerful martial artist, second only to the stronghold’s chief and High Priest, and one of only three people permitted to speak directly with the Dragon Queen.
• Lingxi treats Xie An with unusual deference, explaining that his family has greatly supported the stronghold and hinting that he may one day become its Holy Son. Xie realizes his father and sister have carefully prepared his position within the organization.
• Lingxi takes Xie away from the stronghold to intercept Granny Gu before she can reach the county seat. She reveals that the yellow lantern can convey information: through it, she knows about Xie’s recent fights and his mastery of the Spirit Preservation Method.
• Lingxi explains that the Dragon Queen noticed Xie when he mastered the method in just one day and personally ordered the interception. The Dragon Queen’s main purpose, she says, is to meet him.
• Granny Gu’s speeding carriage is abruptly stopped by an unseen force and wrecked. Recognizing the lantern, Granny Gu kneels and apologizes to the Dragon Queen.
• The lantern transforms into the Dragon Queen, who ignores Granny Gu and turns toward Xie. He sees her golden, slit-pupil eyes for the first time.

Character developments

• Xie An learns that his family’s influence within the stronghold is far greater than he realized. He is impressed by Lingxi’s abilities but grows uneasy when he discovers how much the Dragon Queen can perceive through the lantern.
• Lingxi is revealed as highly capable, confident, and politically influential. Though proud toward Gao Hanwen, she is warm and deferential toward Xie, whom she sees as a future Holy Son and an exceptionally talented disciple.
• Gao Hanwen is sidelined during the welcome and lightly grumbles about Xie’s privileged treatment, showing both his familiarity with Lingxi and his awareness of Xie’s elevated status.
• Granny Gu shifts from a dangerous pursuer to a frightened supplicant when she recognizes the Dragon Queen’s presence.
• The Dragon Queen moves from a mysterious presence associated with the lantern to a direct, seemingly formidable figure whose attention is fixed on Xie.

Significant themes

• Power and hierarchy: Martial skill, religious authority, family wealth, and supernatural influence all shape status within the stronghold.
• Destiny and political preparation: Xie discovers that his family has been positioning him for a major role, possibly as future Holy Son.
• Surveillance and uncertainty: The lantern’s ability to reveal Xie’s actions—and the Dragon Queen’s awareness of his rapid progress—makes him question how much control or privacy he has.
• Talent and hidden assistance: Others interpret Xie’s achievement as peerless natural ability, while he knows it came from his own unusual advantage, underscoring the gap between appearance and reality.

Character interactions

• Lingxi openly favors Xie, stopping him from bowing and inviting him to call her “Little Sister,” while dismissing Gao Hanwen’s attempt to speak.
• Xie struggles with the awkwardness of addressing the powerful Young Priestess informally but accepts after learning how deeply his family has supported the stronghold.
• On the road, Lingxi feeds Xie, shares what she knows about him, and reassures him that the Dragon Queen has already approved of him.
• When Granny Gu arrives, Xie prepares to fight, but Lingxi insists they wait. The Dragon Queen’s intervention then forces Granny Gu into submission and sets up a direct encounter with Xie.

Plot points and events

• Xie An encounters the Dragon Queen’s immense spiritual presence and realizes she could destroy him effortlessly. Despite his fear, he privately imagines one day reaching her power—and perhaps challenging her.
• The Dragon Queen speaks with Lingxi, then kills Granny Gu instantly with an unexplained supernatural technique. A plaque identifying Granny Gu with Double Happiness Hall falls from her clothes.
• The Dragon Queen flies toward the county seat. Lingxi explains the Spirit Preservation Method’s stages: Inner Vision follows spirit preservation; outer illumination progresses through Spirit Communion, Shared Communion, and Divine Manifestation.
• Lingxi says the Dragon Queen praised Xie An and ordered her to guide his training. She also explains that Divine Manifestation would make the practitioner and Dragon Queen effectively one.
• Lingxi takes Granny Gu’s corpse and plaque to help Xie An’s father and Elder Sister negotiate with the Inner City. Xie An is told to hide at the Dragon King Stronghold while the High Priest handles any attempt to arrest him.
• The Dragon Queen has gone to confront the Inner City’s ruling Big Three, apparently acting early because she is pleased with Xie An. Xie An is eager to witness the confrontation.

Character developments and interactions

• Xie An is shaken by the Dragon Queen’s power but becomes more ambitious after learning her abilities may be attainable through cultivation. He resolves to pursue Inner Vision and wonders whether the Dragon Queen was once human.
• The Dragon Queen shows unusual interest in Xie An, praises him, and intervenes on behalf of his family by going to confront the Big Three.
• Lingxi shifts to a warmer, more supportive attitude, explains the cultivation system, and helps Xie An’s family by carrying evidence to the county seat.
• Granny Gu is revealed to be tied to Double Happiness Hall and is killed before she can plead for mercy.

Significant themes

• Power and ambition: Xie An’s fear of overwhelming power turns into the ambition to attain it himself.
• Cultivation and transformation: The Spirit Preservation Method offers a gradual path from self-awareness to sharing—and potentially embodying—the Dragon Queen’s power.
• Protection and political conflict: Xie An’s family and the Dragon King Stronghold maneuver against the Inner City’s entrenched rulers, while the Dragon Queen’s intervention raises the stakes.

Plot points and events

• After killing Li Wenyu and Hua Qianxiong in public, Xie An decides it is too dangerous to enter Qingwu County. He returns to Dragon King Stronghold instead, carrying the Dragon Queen’s now-dark yellow lantern.
• The stronghold feels unnerving. At night, recruits on the training ground practice the Spirit Preservation Method, sometimes falling into violent madness. Steward Gao Hanwen says the method requires a resilient birth chart and prior training in the Iceheart Art.
• Gao gives Xie An a tour, explaining the stronghold’s key locations: the Merit Transmission Hall, Stillness Hall, and restricted Sacrificial Hall, where the Dragon Queen resides.
• Xie An settles into a courtyard with Chen Mo. She suspects the Dragon Queen may be dangerous, having smelled blood near the Sacrificial Hall. Xie An cautions her to be discreet and explains that the Dragon Queen has so far shown them no hostility. He says she has gone to fight the Inner City’s Three Divine Spirits.
• Xie An tells Chen Mo to watch for the lantern to relight as a sign of the Dragon Queen’s return. He plans to remain at the stronghold for several days, then falls asleep from exhaustion.
• At dawn, Gao warns that County Deputy Li Xianghe and Wen Zaiqing, Li Wenyu’s master, have surrounded the stronghold and demand Xie An be handed over. Gao urges Xie An and Chen Mo to hide in the Sacrificial Hall, which the attackers supposedly will not dare enter.

Character developments and interactions

• Xie An prioritizes safety after his public killings, but remains observant and composed amid the stronghold’s disturbing practices. He also tries to steady Chen Mo and weighs whether the stronghold’s sinister atmosphere may be part of Qingwu County’s true nature.
• Chen Mo admits fear despite her martial-world experience. She notices the bloodlike smell near the Sacrificial Hall and grows more anxious, but follows Xie An’s instructions.
• Gao Hanwen acts as a welcoming guide and ally, then urgently warns Xie An when the stronghold is surrounded.
• The Dragon Queen remains absent, but her presence shapes the chapter: she resides in the forbidden Sacrificial Hall and has gone to confront the Inner City’s divine spirits.
• The chapter ends by placing Xie An in immediate danger from Li Xianghe and Wen Zaiqing, whose arrival makes the consequences of his earlier killings unavoidable.

Significant themes

• Danger and refuge: The stronghold offers protection from the city, yet its eerie rituals and secluded halls make it unsettling in its own right.
• The cost of power: The recruits’ torment shows how difficult and dangerous the Spirit Preservation Method is.
• Fear and composure: Chen Mo’s unease contrasts with Xie An’s efforts to stay measured and practical.
• Consequences and looming conflict: Xie An’s choice to kill powerful men has provoked retaliation, setting up the next confrontation.

Key plot points and events

• Because Xie An killed Li Wenyu—the son of County Deputy Li Xianghe and a disciple of Returning Dragon Abbey—Gao Hanwen takes Xie An and Chen Mo to the stronghold’s forbidden sacrificial hall to hide them. The High Priest arranged it, though she is away dealing with events outside.
• The hall’s courtyard is ominous: its giant red candles smell of blood and contain Sinking Qi, which Xie An warns Chen Mo not to approach.
• Li Xianghe and Abbey Senior Lecturer Wen Zaiqing arrive with a large force to search for Xie An. They are led by the imposing young master Wan Zheyu, whose aura is so strange that Xie An cannot tell whether he is living or spectral.
• When Gao Hanwen tries to insist Xie An is not there, Wan Zheyu beats him brutally and threatens to burn the stronghold unless Xie An is handed over.
• High Priest Granny Ma tries to intervene, but Wan Zheyu refuses to negotiate. As he prepares to crush Gao Hanwen underfoot, stronghold master Chen Qingshuo appears, carrying the bloodied Gao.
• Wan Zheyu reveals old hostility between Chen and his father, accuses Chen of harboring rebellious ambitions, and demands Xie An, threatening to kill everyone in the stronghold.

Character developments and interactions

• Xie An stays cautious and observant. He uses Qi-Gazing to assess the visitors, recognizing that Wen Zaiqing has some evil Qi and that Wan Zheyu’s aura is uniquely bewildering.
• Chen Mo is frightened by the candles’ ominous presence and instinctively keeps close to Xie An.
• Gao Hanwen risks himself to protect Xie An, but is overwhelmed and savagely injured by Wan Zheyu.
• Granny Ma attempts to calm Wan Zheyu and protect Gao, but is intimidated by his power and status.
• Chen Qingshuo finally intervenes, setting up a confrontation with Wan Zheyu and exposing a history of conflict between their families.
• Wan Zheyu is established as arrogant, violent, and politically powerful; even Li Xianghe and Wen Zaiqing defer to him.

Significant themes

• Power and intimidation: Wan Zheyu uses his status and force to dominate officials and the stronghold.
• Loyalty and protection: Gao Hanwen and Granny Ma put themselves at risk while shielding Xie An and their community.
• Mystery and supernatural danger: The sacrificial hall’s candles and Wan Zheyu’s strange aura hint at deeper forces beyond ordinary politics.
• Old conflicts and rebellion: Wan Zheyu’s accusations against Chen Qingshuo suggest the present crisis is tied to a longer political struggle.

Key plot points and events

• After Wan Zheyu brutally stomps Gao Hanwen, Chen Qingshuo intervenes and prevents him from killing the officer. Xie An watches from inside the Sacrificial Hall, alarmed that Dragon King Stronghold is surrounded and may be overwhelmed.
• Xie An uses Qi-Gazing to assess the fighters. Granny Ma appears formidable but weaker than Wan Zheyu, while Chen Qingshuo’s tangled aura seems even stronger; Xie cannot determine his exact level.
• Wan Zheyu orders the Sacrificial Hall searched, dismissing the Dragon Queen as an illegitimate “evil spirit.” Chen blocks the way, insisting that outsiders must not disturb her seclusion.
• Granny Ma confronts the intruders: she repels Li Xianghe with an uncanny touch, then clashes with Wen Zaiqing in a strange exchange that leaves nearby trees and weeds withered.
• Wan Zheyu threatens to burn down the stronghold. Chen agrees to let the search proceed on the condition that nothing inside is damaged and the Dragon Queen is not disturbed. He secretly tells Xie An to hide and not touch anything.
• Wan Zheyu reveals his real aim: kill Xie An and investigate the Dragon Queen’s sanctuary while she is away meeting powerful divine figures. He keeps Chen and Granny Ma occupied outside as Wen Zaiqing and Li Xianghe lead squads into the hall.
• Chen tells Granny Ma he has used the Spirit Preservation Method to warn Xie An. Though the Sacrificial Hall is deadly to outsiders, Chen is certain Xie An will be safe because he is “Xie Mingxi.”

Character developments and interactions

• Xie An remains cautious but curious, weighing escape against staying to see whether the stronghold—and his father’s investment—can withstand the attack.
• Chen Qingshuo proves both powerful and strategic: he protects the hall, bargains to prevent its destruction, and secretly guides Xie An to safety.
• Granny Ma defends the stronghold with unusual, possibly supernatural techniques, but worries that Xie An may be endangered inside the hall.
• Wan Zheyu emerges as ruthless and calculating, using the search as cover for both revenge against Xie An and a chance to uncover the Dragon Queen’s secrets.
• Li Xianghe and Wen Zaiqing hesitate before Chen’s reputation and Granny Ma’s abilities, but follow Wan Zheyu’s orders.
• The chapter also highlights the trust between Chen and Xie An, and the stronghold’s loyalty to Xie because of his family’s ties and the Dragon Queen’s regard for him.

Significant themes

• Power and reputation: Chen’s standing makes even armed officials hesitate, while Xie’s Qi-Gazing reveals the gulf between ordinary fighters and the county’s strongest.
• Faith and legitimacy: Wan Zheyu challenges the Dragon Queen’s status as a divine being, reflecting a struggle over who has authority to define the sacred.
• Loyalty and protection: The stronghold’s defenders risk themselves for Xie, while Chen’s confidence in him stands against Granny Ma’s understandable fear.
• Hidden danger and mystery: The Sacrificial Hall is both sanctuary and perilous repository of secrets, and the Dragon Queen’s absence gives her enemies an opportunity to investigate.

Chapter Summary: “The Eerie Altar”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xie An and Chen Mo hide behind the Sacrificial Hall while Wan Zheyu, the County Deputy, and Wen Zaiqing search Dragon King Stronghold for them.
• Xie An observes the confrontation outside. Granny Ma easily injures Li Xianghe, despite his perfected Dark Force, and then clashes with Wen Zaiqing in a battle of “sinking qi.” Their exchange silently kills nearby vegetation.
• Wan Zheyu orders the stronghold burned unless the gates are opened. Chen Qingshuo buys Xie An and Chen Mo time by negotiating with the invaders and secretly instructs them to hide inside the Sacrificial Hall.
• Inside, they discover a terrifying six-story tower containing countless suspended corpses, dripping blood, mysterious channels carved into the floor, and a black coffin on a sacrificial platform.
• Xie An uses Qi-Gazing and sees the coffin filled with an abyss-like concentration of sinking qi. Through Truth-Listening, he hears countless indistinct whispers from inside the coffin and murmurs coming from elsewhere in the hall.
• Xie An and Chen Mo climb to the second floor to hide. An iron chain suddenly attacks Chen Mo, then stops before Xie An and seems to inspect him. Its strange behavior leaves Xie An confused and uneasy.
• The search party eventually enters the hall. Li Xianghe orders his men to search the upper floors and investigate the chains. As the constables and Daoists enter, the enormous vermilion doors slowly close by themselves.

Character Developments

• Xie An remains observant and composed despite the supernatural danger. His worldly experience and confidence allow him to assess the relative strength of the forces outside, while his Qi-Gazing and Truth-Listening abilities reveal hidden aspects of the altar and coffin.
• Chen Mo becomes increasingly frightened and dependent on Xie An’s guidance. Though an experienced martial artist, the eerie atmosphere and supernatural phenomena leave her visibly shaken.
• Granny Ma is revealed to possess astonishing power, capable of seriously injuring Li Xianghe with a casual strike and matching Wen Zaiqing in a clash of sinking qi.
• Chen Qingshuo demonstrates loyalty and resourcefulness by negotiating with Wan Zheyu to create an opportunity for Xie An and Chen Mo to escape detection.
• Li Xianghe and Wen Zaiqing take command of the search, showing their determination to capture Xie An and their willingness to invade the forbidden Sacrificial Hall.

Significant Themes

• The unknown and supernatural dread: The coffin, corpses, whispers, and self-moving chains create an atmosphere of escalating horror.
• Hidden power: Sinking qi is shown to be more versatile and destructive than Xie An previously understood, suggesting deeper mysteries surrounding his own abilities and the martial world.
• Knowledge versus fear: Xie An’s supernatural senses give him information others lack, but even he is unsettled by what he discovers.
• Entrapment and loss of control: The characters enter the hall to hide from danger, only to find themselves inside an even more ominous and possibly living structure.

Character Interactions

• Xie An reassures and leads the frightened Chen Mo throughout the escape.
• Granny Ma’s confrontation with Li Xianghe and Wen Zaiqing establishes the immense difference in strength among the major martial figures.
• Chen Qingshuo secretly communicates with Xie An while publicly negotiating with Wan Zheyu.
• The iron chain’s unnatural examination of Xie An suggests a mysterious connection between him and the Sacrificial Hall—or whatever inhabits it.
• Li Xianghe’s forces enter just as Xie An and Chen Mo are trapped upstairs, ending the chapter on a tense cliffhanger.

Key plot points and events

• The Sacrificial Hall doors mysteriously close by themselves and resist every attempt to open them. Both Li Xianghe, an expert martial artist, and Wen Zaiqing, a powerful Daoist, fail to move them.
• Li Xianghe admits to himself that Dragon King Stronghold is far more dangerous than he expected. He nevertheless wants Xie An arrested to avenge his son, whom Xie publicly executed.
• Wen Zaiqing decides to search the altar and destroy the black coffin associated with the Dragon Queen, while Li Xianghe leads the constables upstairs to capture Xie An.
• On the second floor, Xie An and Chen Mo hide as a chain hangs nearby. A constable identifies Xie and urges his men to seize him, but the chain suddenly attacks the advancing constables, piercing their heads. The nimble constable flees.
• Li Xianghe’s group encounters the aftermath: the chain descends carrying the dead constables, including their fleeing leader, and drains their blood upward along its links.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Xianghe shifts from confidence in his official authority to growing dread. Though cautious about the hall’s supernatural signs, his anger and desire for revenge keep him pursuing Xie An.
• Wen Zaiqing remains composed and authoritative, using Daoist methods to test the doors and directing the search. Even he recognizes the hall’s unusually powerful yin energy.
• The nimble constable seeks credit and promotion but avoids leading the attack himself; when the chain strikes, he panics and runs—only to be caught.
• Xie An and Chen Mo remain concealed, while the constables’ attempt to capture Xie triggers the chain’s attack. The chapter ends before their fate is revealed.
• Li Xianghe and Wen Zaiqing coordinate their efforts but split up: Li pursues Xie, while Wen investigates the Dragon Queen’s shrine.

Significant themes

• Authority versus the supernatural: Court rank, martial strength, and Daoist skill prove ineffective against the hall’s force.
• Revenge and ambition cloud judgment: Li’s personal vengeance and the constables’ hopes of promotion lead them deeper into danger.
• Growing dread and entrapment: The sealed doors, heavy yin energy, mist, hanging corpses, and blood-draining chain make the hall feel like a trap closing around the intruders.

Li Xianghe and his constables were killed by iron chains while trying to escape the tower. Xie An reached the first floor unharmed and challenged Wen Zaiqing to capture him.

• Li Xianghe sent A Biao and A Hu down the stairs to scout, but iron chains impaled them.
• Li Xianghe fled ahead of the constables, who were killed by a torrent of chains; another chain caught and killed Li Xianghe.
• Xie An and Chen Mo watched from the second-floor stairwell as the constables died.
• Xie An noticed that the chains killed anyone who came upstairs except him, then headed downstairs with the Five-Venom Blood Saber.
• Xie An reached the first floor and challenged Wen Zaiqing to come catch him.

Plot points and events

• Trapped in the Sacrificial Hall, Wen Zaiqing hesitates to attack Xie An after seeing Li Xianghe and dozens of constables dead, their bodies suspended above the altar. The stairs appear deadly to anyone who approaches them.
• Xie An taunts Wen, then pretends to accept his challenge, exploiting Wen’s fear until the older man refuses to leave his safe position.
• Wen proposes a “fair fight” in the courtyard. Xie counters by demanding that Wen cut off his right hand, turning Wen’s own talk of fairness against him.
• Xie warns that the Dragon Queen may return at any moment and offers Wen a supposed escape: sever an arm, prove he is no threat, and Xie will open the door.
• To make the danger seem undeniable, Xie starts upstairs. Wen’s attempt to break the sealed hall fails, and a priest he throws toward the stairs is instantly killed by a chain.
• Convinced he has no choice, Wen cuts off his right hand. Xie then reveals the promise was a joke.

Character developments and interactions

• Xie An stays composed and manipulative, using ridicule, threats, and the hall’s supernatural danger to control Wen without confronting him directly. He makes clear that Wan Zheyu—not Wen—is his real target.
• Wen Zaiqing, initially proud and furious, becomes increasingly frightened and desperate. His status as a powerful Senior Lecturer cannot overcome his fear of the Dragon Queen and the lethal stairs; he ultimately mutilates himself to escape.
• Chen Mo accompanies Xie as they move toward the stairs, while the other priests remain under Wen’s authority and share the hall’s danger.
• Xie and Wen’s exchange becomes a contest of nerve: Wen tries to dictate the terms of a fight, while Xie repeatedly turns those terms into traps.

Significant themes

• Fear versus pride: Wen’s rank and anger prove useless once danger overwhelms his confidence.
• Deception and psychological power: Xie wins by controlling Wen’s expectations rather than by fighting him.
• The cost of desperation: Wen sacrifices his hand because he believes Xie’s false offer is his only way out.
• Uncertain supernatural danger: The hall’s unseen force—and the possibility of the Dragon Queen’s return—keeps everyone under pressure.

Key plot points

• Xie An taunts Wen Zaiqing from the stairs, exploiting the fact that Wen cannot activate the Spirit Preservation Method or form a clear image of the White Jade Goddess inside the Sacrificial Hall. Though enraged, Wen is too frightened to cross the stairs’ threshold.
• Xie An’s insults strike at Wen’s pride, causing him to lose composure and repeatedly spit blood. Wen’s followers try to comfort him, but none dares pursue Xie An upstairs.
• Xie An explains to Chen Mo that he is using the hall’s eerie influence and Wen’s arrogance to wear him down. He plans to keep pressuring Wen, then either kill him if he breaks or wait for the Dragon Queen’s return.
• They worry that Wan Zheyu, waiting outside with a large force, may enter. Xie An concludes that the old stronghold chief must handle that threat.
• Xie An notices that thousands of chains converge toward a single point above the tower. He suspects a powerful, intelligent presence is at the top, but resists investigating because of the stronghold chief’s warning.
• After more taunting, Xie An meditates with the Spirit Preservation Method. The Red-Cloth Statue appears vividly in his mind, prompting him to question whether it is actually the Dragon Queen.

Character developments and interactions

• Xie An proves calculating rather than confident: he recognizes Wen’s pride as a weakness and uses it to control the encounter, while remaining aware that Wen and especially Wan Zheyu could overpower him. His curiosity about the tower’s secrets is checked by caution.
• Wen Zaiqing shifts from fury and threats to humiliation and despair. His pride makes him especially vulnerable to Xie An’s taunts, and his inability to use the Spirit Preservation Method deepens his fear.
• Chen Mo admires Xie An’s tactics, supports his plan, and joins in insulting Wen at his request.
• Wen’s Daoists defend and comfort him, but their anger does not overcome their fear of entering the hall’s forbidden space.

Significant themes

• Pride as a weakness: Wen’s self-image makes psychological attacks more damaging than physical ones.
• Fear and forbidden power: The Sacrificial Hall disables spiritual practice and imposes an unseen boundary, suggesting rules and forces beyond the characters’ understanding.
• Caution versus curiosity: Xie An senses immense danger in the tower but chooses to heed warnings rather than investigate.
• Uncertainty of identity and belief: The Red-Cloth Statue’s appearance instead of the Dragon Queen raises doubts about who—or what—the Spirit Preservation Method truly preserves.

Plot

• Xie An suspects the Red-Cloth Statue and the Dragon Queen may be different beings. He plans to compare what others visualize during the Spirit Preservation Method, but for now he cultivates inside the Sacrificial Hall, where the method proves more than twice as effective.
• Wen Zaiqing, badly wounded and enraged, challenges Xie An. Xie taunts him and gives him false hope that he might survive the hall’s deadly Iron Chain. When Wen finally charges up the stairs, the chain crushes him.
• Xie An and Chen Mo kill the remaining Daoists from Returning Dragon Abbey. Their blood drains into the Altar and flows into the Black Coffin.
• Drawn by an uncanny sense of familiarity, Xie An approaches the coffin. Inside lies the Dragon Queen’s body, dressed in a torn Xiuhe Dress and red veil. Xie lifts the veil and is shocked by what he sees.

Character developments and interactions

• Xie An remains composed under pressure and uses his understanding of the hall, along with calculated taunts, to make Wen trigger the trap. His confidence is tempered by growing curiosity and unease about the Red-Cloth Statue and his connection to the coffin.
• Wen Zaiqing shifts from wounded, humiliated resistance to reckless fury. Xie’s insults—especially his attack on the White Jade Goddess—push him into the fatal charge.
• Chen Mo curses Wen, then fights alongside Xie. She admires his cleverness but is also frightened by his ruthlessness.
• The Daoists’ panic after Wen’s death ends in their slaughter by Xie and Chen.

Themes

• Cunning versus brute force: Xie wins by manipulating his opponent and exploiting the hall’s rules rather than matching Wen’s strength.
• Pride and provocation: Wen’s wounded ego makes him vulnerable to Xie’s bait.
• Mystery and identity: The Red-Cloth Statue, Dragon Queen, and Xie’s unexpected bond with the coffin suggest a deeper connection still unrevealed.
• Sacrifice and ominous power: The Altar absorbs the slain Daoists’ blood, hinting at a ritual or awakening.