Chapter Summaries

Reborn in the Primordial Wilds: Expanding the Frontier with Merit
98 summaries

Ch. 1Crossing into the Great Wilderness, Unlocking the Merit Mall

Chapter Summary: Crossing into the Great Wilderness, Unlocking the Merit Mall

Key Plot Points and Events

  • After completing a difficult surgery at Nanshan Hospital, doctor Li Yuanchu falls asleep and experiences a mysterious vision of a palace, an ancient Daoist, and cryptic verses about immortality and higher heavens.
  • He suddenly awakens in a primeval wilderness, inhabiting the body of a weak, eight-year-old tribal boy. His modern-world memories remain intact, while the original owner’s memories reveal that humanity is struggling to survive among powerful beasts.
  • The tribe worships Nüwa, regarded as the creator and protector of humanity. Tribal sacrifices are performed to gain protection from the wilderness.
  • While returning to the tribe’s cave, Li Yuanchu witnesses a massive battle between approximately one hundred wild boars and the tribe’s warriors. The tribe’s giant chief fights the strongest Pig Demon.
  • The chief saves Li Yuanchu from falling rocks but is badly injured during the battle. Li Yuanchu retrieves the chief’s fallen spear and throws it to him, allowing the chief to kill the leading Pig Demon and drive away the herd.
  • Because Li Yuanchu appeared during the battle, the tribe mistakenly blames him for the chief’s condition and prepares to sacrifice him. Li Yuanchu insists that he can save the wounded chief.
  • The chief’s mother, the tribal healer, believes Li Yuanchu may be their only chance and allows him to try.
  • Using his modern medical knowledge and the tribe’s available materials, Li Yuanchu requests large amounts of clean water and begins preparing a fire by drilling wood.
  • His unfamiliar actions alarm the tribe, who mistake the fire-making process for a possible heavenly disaster.
  • Just as Li Yuanchu begins his attempt to treat the chief, a mysterious system announces that he has obtained 100,000 Merit Points and asks whether he wants to activate the Merit Mall, revealing the likely source of his supernatural advantage.

Character Developments

  • Li Yuanchu shifts from a modern surgeon to a survival-minded healer in a dangerous prehistoric world. He remains calm and rational despite his transmigration and impending execution.
  • His medical training, practical knowledge, and willingness to take risks become his main advantages.
  • Li Yuanchu demonstrates compassion by trying to save the chief, even though the tribe distrusts him and intends to sacrifice him.
  • The tribal chief is established as a powerful and self-sacrificing leader. Despite his own danger, he protects Li Yuanchu from falling debris.
  • The chief’s mother initially follows tribal custom but displays maternal courage and compassion by giving Li Yuanchu permission to treat her son.
  • The tribal warriors are shown to be suspicious and bound by tradition, but some are willing to observe Li Yuanchu rather than immediately stop him.

Significant Themes

  • Transmigration and adaptation: Li Yuanchu must adapt modern knowledge to a brutal prehistoric environment.
  • Knowledge versus superstition: His medical and technological methods conflict with the tribe’s ritualistic beliefs and fear of unfamiliar phenomena.
  • Compassion and sacrifice: The chief saves Li Yuanchu, and Li Yuanchu attempts to repay him by risking his own safety to provide medical aid.
  • Humanity’s vulnerability: The tribe’s dependence on Nüwa and its constant struggle against giant beasts emphasize the fragile position of humans in this world.
  • The emergence of destiny and power: The Merit Points system suggests that Li Yuanchu’s actions may allow him to gain supernatural resources and influence the fate of the tribe.

Character Interactions

  • Li Yuanchu encounters the mysterious Daoist only in a vision before being transported to the wilderness.
  • The chief protects Li Yuanchu during the Pig Demon attack, creating an immediate bond despite their inability to communicate verbally.
  • Li Yuanchu assists the chief by returning his spear, directly enabling the chief to defeat the leading Pig Demon.
  • Afterward, the warriors blame Li Yuanchu for the chief’s near-death and attempt to sacrifice him.
  • Li Yuanchu argues with the warriors and appeals to the chief’s mother, who overrules their objections and grants him a chance to help.
  • The chapter ends with the tribe watching anxiously as Li Yuanchu makes fire, while the Merit Mall system appears for the first time.
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Ch. 2Tribal Split

Chapter Summary: “Tribal Split”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Li Yuanchu performs emergency surgery on the severely injured tribal chief using primitive tools: Pig Demon tendons as thread, sharpened teeth as needles, hot water for cleaning, and herbs and animal hide for dressing.
  • The chief initially suffers intense pain, causing the tribe to suspect Li Yuanchu is torturing him. The chief’s mother defends Li Yuanchu and allows the operation to continue.
  • The surgery succeeds and stops the internal bleeding, though the chief’s survival remains uncertain because of the risk of infection.
  • Li Yuanchu discovers that he has accumulated 150,000 Merit Points—100,000 from teaching people to create fire and 50,000 from performing the surgery. He realizes that future acts of teaching and saving lives may also generate Merit.
  • He learns that becoming the Human Ancestor would grant him access to an ownerless Primordial Treasure, giving him greater motivation to compete with other exceptional members of the Human Race.
  • Li Yuanchu teaches the tribe how to make and use fire, insisting that it is a useful tool rather than a heavenly disaster. He also introduces cooked meat, which amazes the tribespeople with its flavor.
  • Conflict grows between Li Yuanchu and the tribe’s second-in-command. The latter believes fire is an omen of calamity and demands Li Yuanchu’s expulsion, while the chief’s mother and younger brother regard him as a savior.
  • The tribe eventually splits. The second-in-command leaves with most of the able-bodied warriors and a large Pig Demon, while the remaining group consists mainly of women, children, and elderly people, with only three able-bodied men.
  • Li Yuanchu organizes the remaining tribe to butcher, drain, and preserve the giant Pig Demons, preventing their blood from attracting other beasts. The meat supply is enormous, but he worries that its spiritual energy will eventually dissipate.
  • The chief awakens and shows astonishing recovery. His injury has already healed enough for him to move lightly, demonstrating the extraordinary physical constitution of the primordial Human Race.
  • Li Yuanchu cautiously gives the chief small amounts of soup, realizing that the tribe needs better containers and more practical tools.

Character Developments

  • Li Yuanchu grows from a frightened outsider into a capable leader, healer, teacher, and organizer. He remains cautious but refuses to abandon his principles even when threatened.
  • His understanding of Merit develops significantly. He recognizes that civilization-building—teaching fire, language, medicine, and survival skills—can help him accumulate power and compete for the title of Human Ancestor.
  • The chief’s mother becomes Li Yuanchu’s strongest protector. Though she remains suspicious and keeps watch over him with a bone needle, she trusts his intentions enough to defend his medical treatment.
  • The chief’s younger brother also supports Li Yuanchu, physically blocking the second-in-command from interfering.
  • The second-in-command is revealed to be distrustful, conservative, and politically ambitious. His opposition to fire and Li Yuanchu provides the pressure that ultimately fractures the tribe.
  • The chief remains unconscious for much of the chapter but survives the operation and begins recovering, validating Li Yuanchu’s methods.

Significant Themes

  • Civilization versus ignorance: Fire, cooked food, language, medicine, and food preservation represent the first steps toward organized human civilization.
  • Innovation versus superstition: The tribe interprets fire as a disaster, while Li Yuanchu views it as a tool that can protect, nourish, and advance humanity.
  • Leadership and resistance to change: Li Yuanchu leads through practical knowledge, but progress creates fear and political division.
  • Merit through human advancement: The chapter establishes that Li Yuanchu can gain power not only through combat but by improving the lives of others.
  • Fragility and survival: Primitive medical conditions make the chief’s life uncertain, while infection, predators, hunger, and internal conflict threaten the tribe.
  • The beginnings of human society: The tribe’s split shows how differing beliefs about progress can shape the future of the Human Race.

Important Character Interactions

  • Li Yuanchu clashes with the second-in-command over whether the chief’s surgery and fire-making are helpful or dangerous.
  • The chief’s mother initially distrusts Li Yuanchu but ultimately defends him and follows his medical instructions.
  • The chief’s younger brother supports Li Yuanchu by preventing the second-in-command from disrupting the cooking and teaching.
  • The tribespeople gradually accept Li Yuanchu’s innovations after tasting cooked meat and seeing the benefits of fire.
  • Li Yuanchu and the chief’s mother spend the night watching over the chief, creating a tense but cooperative relationship despite her lingering suspicion.
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Ch. 3Eight-Nine Mystical Art

Chapter Summary: “Eight-Nine Mystical Art”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Li Yuanchu leads members of the tribe, including the chief’s younger brother, to collect materials for pottery. He teaches them to make vine baskets, dig and dry river silt, build simple kilns, and shape clay into jars and bowls.
  • The tribe’s first pottery firing is largely unsuccessful: only eight pieces out of more than twenty survive, including one large jar. Feng Xu studies the failures, improves the kiln design, and begins a second firing.
  • To explain his advanced knowledge, Li Yuanchu claims that the Holy Mother taught him in the forest. The chief’s mother accepts this explanation without suspicion.
  • He creates a written language based partly on Oracle Bone Script. By teaching five characters each day, he earns Merit Points and gradually gives every tribe member a personal name.
  • The chief becomes Feng Sui, his younger brother becomes Feng Xi, and the chief’s mother becomes Feng Ling. Li Yuanchu abandons his former name and renames himself Feng Xu, adopting the tribe’s surname.
  • After witnessing Feng Xu’s achievements, Feng Sui declares him the tribe’s wise man and grants him authority over the tribe’s work.
  • Feng Xu proposes increasing the tribe’s population by trading with neighboring tribes for women and children, while also expanding pottery production for future trade.
  • That night, Feng Xu spends 160,000 Merit Points to obtain the Eight-Nine Mystical Art, receiving its complete cultivation knowledge instantly. He discovers that its price in the Merit Mall has risen to one million points afterward.

Character Developments

  • Feng Xu/Li Yuanchu grows from a knowledgeable outsider into the tribe’s recognized leader and organizer. He demonstrates practical ingenuity, teaches technology and writing, and willingly accepts a new identity within the tribe.
  • Feng Sui shifts from chief to active supporter of Feng Xu, recognizing his abilities and formally giving him authority.
  • Feng Xi, the chief’s younger brother, shows curiosity and enthusiasm by copying Feng Xu’s pottery-making efforts. His protective behavior toward the drying clay reflects his investment in the new craft.
  • Feng Ling, the chief’s mother, accepts Feng Xu’s supernatural explanation, reinforcing his growing sacred or exceptional status.
  • The wider tribe becomes more cooperative and emotionally invested as members receive individual names and learn basic communication through speech, gestures, and writing.

Significant Themes

  • Civilization through knowledge: Fire, pottery, writing, names, and organized labor mark the tribe’s gradual movement from primitive survival toward civilization.
  • Power and authority: Practical achievements allow Feng Xu to gain social status, showing that knowledge becomes a form of political power.
  • Identity and belonging: By taking the name Feng Xu, Li Yuanchu symbolically leaves his previous life behind and becomes part of the tribe.
  • Faith as an explanation for the unknown: The tribe interprets Feng Xu’s knowledge as divine blessing rather than questioning its true source.
  • Cultivation and strength: The chapter emphasizes that survival in the Primordial World ultimately depends on personal power, motivating Feng Xu to obtain the Eight-Nine Mystical Art.
  • The limits of advancement: Pottery requires experimentation and failure, while the cultivation art requires extraordinary talent, establishing that progress is gradual and difficult.

Character Interactions

  • Feng Xu works closely with Feng Xi while making pottery, demonstrating techniques that Feng Xi imitates.
  • Feng Ling questions Feng Xu about his knowledge, giving him the opportunity to establish the story of receiving the Holy Mother’s blessing.
  • Feng Xu teaches the entire tribe characters, pronunciations, names, and practical uses for pottery, creating stronger communal bonds.
  • Feng Sui publicly elevates Feng Xu to the position of wise man and requires the tribe to follow his arrangements.
  • Feng Xu advises Feng Sui and the other men about increasing the tribe’s population, blending practical planning with an awkward but accepted discussion of reproduction.
  • The chapter ends with Feng Xu privately advancing his own cultivation after spending the Merit earned through his contributions to the tribe.
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Ch. 4Bustling with Activity

Chapter Summary: “Bustling with Activity”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Yuanshi Tianzun unexpectedly gains Merit but cannot determine its source through divination. An ancient voice—his Teacher—reveals that the Merit resulted from karma formed with him and promises repayment in the future. Yuanshi accepts this and returns to cultivating Primordial Violet Qi.
  • Feng Xu begins practicing the Eight-Nine Mystical Art, progressing through the First Transformation of tempering his meridians and cautiously beginning the Second Transformation, which strengthens his internal organs.
  • He starts cultivating Spirit Sense, using meditation to replace sleep. He discovers that cultivation leaves him energized rather than fatigued.
  • In the morning, Feng Xu practices Taiji Fist, combining physical training with the circulation of qi and blood. Feng Xi finds the movements strange but does not interrupt him.
  • The Wind-Fire Tribe becomes increasingly active after the invention of pottery. Feng Xu organizes the tribe to:
    • Gather and process clay
    • Cut and prepare wood
    • Make brick molds
    • Produce and dry brick blanks
    • Stockpile firewood and plant ash
    • Prepare larger kilns for pottery and future brick production
  • Feng Xu plans to travel to other tribes to trade and observe the outside world. He decides that Feng Xi will lead the expedition, while ten strong elders accompany them.
  • Feng Sui initially wants to go as well because he fears for Feng Xu’s safety, but Feng Xu convinces him to remain and defend the tribe against possible attacks from former members who might return.
  • Feng Xi swears to the Holy Mother that he will protect Feng Xu.
  • Feng Xu and Feng Sui also discuss child supervision, recognizing that the tribe’s children frequently wander into danger. Feng Xu recommends gentle but firm discipline and closer monitoring.

Character Developments

  • Feng Xu grows into a capable leader, cultivator, organizer, and teacher. He balances personal cultivation with improving the tribe’s economy, technology, safety, and future development.
  • He becomes more pragmatic and managerial, joking that his plans resemble a modern “nine-to-nine-six” work schedule and admitting he is becoming like a capitalist.
  • Feng Xi demonstrates loyalty and courage. He supports Feng Xu’s plans, helps with construction and clay work, and voluntarily promises to protect him during the expedition.
  • Feng Sui remains protective of Feng Xu and deeply responsible for the tribe. Although worried, he accepts that staying behind is necessary and agrees to oversee the tribe.
  • Yuanshi Tianzun receives mysterious Merit but trusts his Teacher’s explanation and continues his cultivation without pressing the matter.

Significant Themes

  • Cultivation and self-improvement: Feng Xu develops both his physical body and Spirit Sense, learning that disciplined cultivation can provide vitality rather than exhaustion.
  • Civilization and technological progress: Pottery, bricks, kilns, writing, and organized labor mark the tribe’s transition from a primitive community toward a more advanced society.
  • Leadership and responsibility: Feng Xu recognizes that progress requires planning, labor allocation, resource management, and protection of the community.
  • Collective society versus individual concerns: The tribe shares resources and raises children collectively, but this creates problems such as weak parental supervision and children wandering into danger.
  • Trust and loyalty: Feng Xi’s oath and Feng Sui’s concern emphasize the strong bonds among the tribe’s leaders.
  • Hidden karma and divine causality: Yuanshi’s unexplained Merit hints that Feng Xu’s actions may be influencing powerful figures and the larger cosmic order, even without his knowledge.

Character Interactions

  • Yuanshi Tianzun receives a mysterious explanation from his Teacher regarding the Merit he has gained.
  • Feng Xi questions Feng Xu’s unusual boxing and later works closely with him on clay gathering, kiln construction, and expedition planning.
  • Feng Xu reassures Feng Sui that he will be safe and explains why Feng Sui must remain behind.
  • Feng Xi supports Feng Xu and promises to protect him.
  • Feng Xu instructs Feng Sui on organizing labor, supervising children, preparing for possible attacks, and maintaining the tribe’s long-term development.
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Ch. 5Lin Tribe

Chapter Summary: “Lin Tribe”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Feng Xu, Feng Xi, and sixteen other members of the Wind-Fire Tribe leave at dawn carrying large amounts of mud-wrapped roasted meat to trade.
  • Feng Xu scouts ahead through the dangerous Great Wilderness Mountains. His recently strengthened Spirit Sense allows him to detect and avoid powerful beasts.
  • After several days, the group discovers a tribe living in tree nests. Feng Xi negotiates with its leader, who reveals that another group from the Wind-Fire Tribe recently passed through and that their leader was believed to be dead.
  • The Wind-Fire group explains that the leader is still alive and offers dried meat in exchange for women and children. After prolonged bargaining, they agree to exchange meat according to weight: eight hundred jin of meat for five women and sixteen children.
  • The visitors establish a temporary camp and light a fire. The Lin Tribe initially believes the fire is a dangerous “heavenly calamity,” but Feng Xu demonstrates that it can be safely controlled.
  • Feng Xu gives the tribe roasted meat and teaches them how to make fire by rubbing wood together. He warns them not to cook openly yet, since the smell could attract predators.
  • That night, Feng Xu observes the Great Wilderness and witnesses a moving mountain, which Lin Sen identifies as the Great Wilderness Mountain God.
  • Feng Xu names the tree-dwelling leader “Lin Sen,” gives names to the adult members of the tribe, and formally names the group the Lin Tribe.
  • Feng Xu offers to teach Lin Sen more characters so he can name future tribe members himself. They agree to maintain contact, establishing friendship and cooperation between the two tribes.
  • Feng Xu reflects on his Merit system and realizes that teaching existing characters can still generate Merit as more members of the Human Race learn them. He then begins cultivating.

Character Developments

  • Feng Xu demonstrates growing strength, perception, leadership, and practical wisdom. His Spirit Sense makes him an effective scout, while his willingness to share fire, food, writing, and names shows his broader civilizing mission.
  • Feng Xi acts as the group’s chief negotiator and leader during the trade, balancing the tribe’s needs with the unfamiliar customs of the Lin Tribe.
  • Lin Sen develops from an unnamed, isolated tribal leader into the recognized founder of the Lin Tribe. He becomes fascinated by names, writing, fire, and the concept of friendship.
  • The Lin Tribe members begin adopting Wind-Fire technology and social practices, especially fire-making, written names, and intertribal cooperation.

Significant Themes

  • The advancement of civilization: Fire, cooked food, writing, names, and organized trade represent major steps forward for primitive Human Race societies.
  • Knowledge as a shared inheritance: Feng Xu refuses to monopolize fire or literacy, believing such discoveries belong to all humanity.
  • Naming and identity: Giving people personal names and the tribe a formal name creates individual identity, social structure, and a sense of collective belonging.
  • Cooperation over isolation: Trade and friendship allow weaker tribes to survive and develop through mutual aid.
  • Humanity’s vulnerability in nature: The immense beasts, dangerous mountains, and scarcity of food emphasize the harshness of the Great Wilderness.
  • Merit through cultural influence: Feng Xu recognizes that teaching existing knowledge can produce long-term Merit as it spreads throughout humanity.

Important Character Interactions

  • Feng Xi negotiates with Lin Sen over the value of women, children, and meat, revealing differing tribal customs and economic pressures.
  • Feng Xu reassures Lin Sen about fire and proves its usefulness by sharing roasted meat.
  • Feng Xu teaches Lin Sen fire-making and writing, creating a mentor-student relationship.
  • Feng Xu names Lin Sen and the tribe, while Lin Sen repeatedly practices his new identity.
  • Their discussion of friendship establishes a lasting alliance between the Wind-Fire Tribe and the newly named Lin Tribe.
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Ch. 6Black Snake Through the Forest

Chapter Summary: “Black Snake Through the Forest”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Feng Xu spends a rest day improving the Lin Tribe’s tree-dwelling infrastructure. With Lin Sen’s support, he organizes the construction of:
    • Wooden ladders
    • A rope-and-pulley lifting platform
    • Safer, larger treehouses with railings and woven walls
    • Grass roofs and clay insulation
    • Elevated stoves for cooking
  • The new treehouses greatly improve the tribe’s safety and comfort. Feng Xi is impressed and asks whether similar homes can be built for his own tribe. Feng Xu also discusses future brick houses and teaches Lin Sen how to prevent and respond to fires.
  • Feng Xu earns significant Merit for inventing the lifting device and constructing the first treehouse, while later treehouses provide him with a continuing source of Merit.
  • While cultivating and roasting meat at night, Feng Xu unknowingly attracts a giant black Snake Demon. The creature silently attacks the tribe, swallowing three treehouses and the people inside them.
  • Feng Xi transforms and confronts the Snake Demon, while Lin Tribe warriors activate their Bloodline Powers and attack as a group. Though injured and overwhelmed, the Snake Demon escapes.
  • Feng Xu blames himself for the deaths because his cooking drew the creature to the tribe. Lin Sen reassures him that such dangers are an unavoidable part of life in the Great Wilderness.
  • Determined to prevent another attack, Feng Xu sets out with Feng Xi and Lin Sen to locate the Snake Demon’s lair. After two days, they discover it battling the mountain’s ruler, a massive Giant Eagle, near its nest.
  • The Snake Demon is attempting to eat the Eagle King’s eggs. Feng Xu and his companions join the fight, striking the snake with enormous boulders and forcing it to release part of the eagle’s wing.
  • During the attack, Lin Sen is thrown toward the edge of a cliff and begins rolling toward the precipice, leaving the chapter on a dangerous cliffhanger.

Character Developments

  • Feng Xu demonstrates practical ingenuity by introducing mechanical devices, improved construction methods, insulation, and fire safety. His role shifts further from cultivator to leader and technological problem-solver.
  • His cultivation remains at the First Transformation despite his Body Tempering reaching the Second Transformation. He continues strengthening his internal foundation before pursuing more advanced Spirit Sense training.
  • After the Snake Demon’s attack, Feng Xu develops a strong sense of guilt and responsibility. His grief quickly turns into determination to protect the Lin Tribe and eliminate the threat.
  • Lin Sen becomes increasingly trusting of Feng Xu’s ideas, assigning him more helpers and embracing the new treehouses. He also shows courage and loyalty by joining Feng Xu’s search for the Snake Demon.
  • Feng Xi continues to act as a powerful protector. He saves Feng Xu during the initial attack, confronts the Snake Demon directly, and later joins the search despite recognizing the danger.
  • The Snake Demon is established as a massive, intelligent, and highly dangerous predator capable of stealth, speechless strategic attacks, and fighting powerful creatures such as the Eagle King.
  • The Eagle King is introduced as the dominant creature of the mountain. Its desperation to defend its eggs reveals a protective and parental side despite its immense power.

Significant Themes

  • Innovation and progress: Feng Xu’s inventions improve survival in a dangerous world, showing how knowledge and organization can transform tribal life.
  • Human vulnerability in nature: Even careful improvements cannot eliminate the threat posed by powerful beasts in the Great Wilderness.
  • Responsibility and guilt: Feng Xu feels accountable for the deaths caused by the meat’s scent, while Lin Sen emphasizes that tragedy is part of their harsh environment.
  • Community cooperation: The tribe’s construction projects and collective defense demonstrate the importance of shared labor and unity.
  • Protection and survival: Feng Xu, Feng Xi, Lin Sen, and the Eagle King all act to defend their people, tribe, or offspring.
  • Progress versus danger: The new technology brings safety and comfort, but its use—particularly the elevated cooking fire—also inadvertently creates a new risk.

Important Character Interactions

  • Feng Xu explains his construction ideas to Lin Sen, who supports him despite not fully understanding them and provides workers.
  • Feng Xu teaches Lin Sen about pulley systems, improved houses, and fire prevention, strengthening their partnership.
  • Feng Xi admires the new treehouses and discusses bringing similar improvements to his own tribe.
  • Lin Sen saves Feng Xu during the Snake Demon’s first attack, while Feng Xi leads the physical defense.
  • Feng Xu blames himself for the deaths, but Lin Sen rejects that blame and reminds him of the realities of the wilderness.
  • Feng Xu, Feng Xi, and Lin Sen form a united team to track the Snake Demon.
  • They join forces with the Eagle King against the Snake Demon, though Lin Sen is endangered at the end of the chapter.
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Ch. 7The Eagle King's Goodwill

Summary of “The Eagle King’s Goodwill”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

  • Lin Sen nearly falls during the battle, but Feng Xu rescues him.
  • Feng Xi and the Giant Eagle defeat the Snake Demon, with Feng Xi delivering the final blow.
  • The Giant Eagle explains that he has avoided attacking the Human Race because doing so would incur karma, since humanity was created by Sage Nüwa.
  • The Eagle King consumes the Snake Demon’s heart and gallbladder, gaining power that may soon allow him to advance to the Earth Immortal realm.
  • Feng Xu’s group salvages the demon’s useful remains, including its skin, tendons, fangs, blood, and meat.
  • Using the Merit Mall, Feng Xu transforms the snakeskin into a limited Storage Bag capable of holding up to sixty tons of ordinary goods.
  • The group offers the remaining snake meat to the Eagle King, especially emphasizing its value for his unborn child. In return, the Eagle King gives Lin Sen a rare, multicolored black tail feather.
  • Lin Sen invites the Eagle King to visit the Lin Tribe after his child hatches. The Eagle King agrees, recognizing that both sides could benefit from an alliance.
  • After returning to the Lin Tribe, Feng Xu begins cultivating to strengthen himself and help secure the Human Race’s future.
  • The next morning, Feng Xi leads another expedition. After five days, they reach a marshland inhabited by another Human Race tribe.
  • The travelers discover abundant rice growing in the marsh and begin collecting seeds to bring home.
  • When the marsh tribe confronts them for taking the rice, Feng Xu returns what they gathered and explains that they seek trade rather than theft.
  • The marsh tribe, which lives on bamboo rafts and survives on rice and fish, agrees to host them.
  • Feng Xi proposes trading food for rice and members of the tribe, but the negotiations become tense when the marsh tribe demands twice as much meat as payment.
  • Feng Xu intervenes, defending the value of the trade and revealing that he—not Feng Xi—is responsible for making decisions.
  • Rather than continue negotiations immediately, Feng Xu suggests that both sides rest and discuss the agreement later.

2. Character Developments

  • Feng Xu demonstrates resourcefulness and strategic thinking. He solves the logistical problem of transporting the Snake Demon by creating a Storage Bag and carefully manages relations with the Eagle King and the marsh tribe.
  • Lin Sen becomes more politically aware and follows Feng Xu’s instruction in diplomacy. He respectfully offers the Eagle King friendship, helping establish a potential alliance for the Lin Tribe.
  • Feng Xi remains a capable warrior and leader, killing the Snake Demon and leading the later expedition. However, his direct approach to negotiation is balanced by Feng Xu’s greater diplomacy and judgment.
  • The Giant Eagle/Eagle King is portrayed as intelligent, principled, and politically pragmatic. He rejects needless hostility toward humans, accepts the demon meat for his unborn child, and agrees to visit the Lin Tribe while seeking allies of his own.
  • Feng Xu’s broader goal becomes clearer: he is working not only to survive but also to improve agriculture, trade, technology, diplomacy, and the overall strength of the Human Race.

3. Significant Themes

  • Alliance-building and diplomacy: Survival depends on forming relationships with powerful beings and neighboring tribes rather than relying only on force.
  • Practical development: Tools such as the Storage Bag, improved housing, agriculture, and trade are essential steps toward strengthening civilization.
  • Mutual benefit over exploitation: Feng Xu returns the rice to demonstrate peaceful intentions and offers the Eagle King the Snake Demon’s meat instead of taking everything for himself.
  • The struggle for survival: Food, transportation, shelter, and access to resources remain constant concerns for the Human Race.
  • Power and political awareness: Both the Human Race and the Eagle King recognize that future security requires allies. Even apparently generous actions are connected to long-term strategy.
  • Civilization and adaptation: The marsh tribe’s bamboo rafts, fishing methods, and rice-based lifestyle show how different Human Race communities adapt to their environments.

4. Character Interactions

  • Feng Xu rescues Lin Sen during the battle, reinforcing their cooperative relationship.
  • Feng Xi and the Eagle King work together to kill the Snake Demon.
  • The Eagle King explains his moral stance toward humanity and accepts the group’s offering after Lin Sen presents Feng Xu’s carefully chosen argument.
  • Lin Sen formally invites the Eagle King to the Lin Tribe, creating the possibility of a future alliance.
  • Feng Xu guides Lin Sen’s speech and etiquette, showing his role as teacher and strategist.
  • Feng Xu and Feng Xi cooperate in salvaging the Snake Demon and later in collecting rice.
  • Feng Xu negotiates with the marsh tribe after Feng Xi initially proposes the exchange. Their interaction highlights Feng Xu’s authority and the tribe’s surprise that a child directs important decisions.
  • The final conversation ends with a temporary pause in negotiations, leaving the future trade agreement unresolved.
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Ch. 8Sacrificing to the Water God

Chapter Summary: “Sacrificing to the Water God”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Feng Xu and Feng Xi spend the night on their bamboo raft because the riverside tribe refuses to host them.
  • Feng Xu demonstrates unfamiliar but useful practices:
    • He cooks rice properly in a clay pot instead of eating it raw.
    • He teaches the tribe how to make and safely use fire.
    • He explains how to clean and cook fish.
  • The tribal chief is impressed by the cooked rice and roasted meat and asks how to obtain pottery and learn fire-making. Feng Xu offers knowledge freely, though he explains that pottery will not be available until the following year.
  • Feng Xu successfully catches an enormous fish using a crude bamboo fishing rod and straw rope. Rather than continue using the inefficient tool, he teaches the tribe how to make fishing nets from tree fibers.
  • While working on the net, Feng Xu and Feng Xi hear children crying and discover that the tribe is carrying out its annual sacrifice to the Water God.
  • Four children are tied to a bamboo raft and sent onto the river as an offering to a powerful aquatic demon believed to protect the tribe.
  • Feng Xu initially hesitates to interfere, fearing that provoking the creature could bring greater disaster, but he ultimately cannot tolerate the sacrifice.
  • When the monster attacks, Feng Xu kicks the sacrificial raft away and uses the creature’s enormous mouth to propel himself back. Feng Xi follows, leaving the demon enraged and circling the raft.

Character Developments

  • Feng Xu continues acting as a teacher and civilizing influence, introducing cooking, pottery use, fire control, fishing methods, and rope-making.
  • His generosity is emphasized when he teaches fire-making without demanding payment, reflecting his desire to help humanity develop.
  • Feng Xu also reveals a growing determination to oppose demons and protect human beings. The children’s sacrifice reminds him of earlier victims killed by a snake demon and strengthens his resolve to eventually destroy such creatures.
  • Feng Xi proves physically stronger and more perceptive than Feng Xu, especially in detecting distant sounds and understanding the tribe’s customs. However, he is cautious about confronting the Water God underwater and warns that even several powerful fighters may be unable to defeat it in its own environment.
  • The tribal chief shifts from suspicion to admiration. He appreciates Feng Xu’s knowledge and recognizes the practical value of fire, cooked rice, fishing tools, and nets.

Significant Themes

  • Civilization and practical knowledge: Cooking rice, controlling fire, making pottery, fishing, and weaving rope represent incremental advances that can improve human survival.
  • Generosity versus exploitation: Feng Xu shares knowledge freely, contrasting with the tribe’s expectation that useful goods must be traded.
  • Human vulnerability: The tribe’s dependence on sacrifices demonstrates how weak and fearful humans remain in a world dominated by powerful demons.
  • Moral responsibility: Feng Xu struggles between respecting another tribe’s customs and intervening to save innocent children.
  • Conflict between humanity and demons: The Water God’s sacrifice exposes the predatory relationship between the demon and the tribe, while Feng Xu’s actions mark the beginning of open resistance.

Character Interactions

  • Feng Xu and the chief bond over a shared meal, with the chief reacting in amazement to properly cooked rice and roasted meat.
  • Feng Xu patiently teaches the chief about fire and fishing, while the chief shows willingness to learn and trade.
  • Feng Xi and Feng Xu discuss whether to interfere with the sacrifice. Feng Xi urges caution, while Feng Xu ultimately decides that they must act.
  • The chapter ends with Feng Xu and Feng Xi confronting the Water God indirectly, after disrupting its attempt to devour the sacrificial children.
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Ch. 9Battle on the Water

Chapter Summary: “Battle on the Water”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Feng Xu frees the children who had been tied up as sacrifices to appease the tribe’s supposed water god. The tribe’s chief and elders condemn him, fearing that his actions will provoke the creature beneath the river.
  • Feng Xu uses his remaining Merit to refine the bark and rope into a low-grade Houtian Merit Spirit Treasure: the Heavenly Net and Earthly Web.
  • While Feng Xu is occupied with the refinement, Feng Xi protects the raft and the children from the aquatic demon. He dodges its attacks, navigates through expanding whirlpools, and finally kicks the children and raft toward safety before being dragged underwater himself.
  • Feng Xi transforms into a sixty-foot giant using his Bloodline Power and forcibly holds open the monster’s jaws to avoid being swallowed.
  • Feng Xu completes the treasure and uses the net to reverse the river’s flow, capturing a giant golden carp over thirteen hundred feet long, along with countless other fish. Feng Xi escapes from the carp’s mouth and returns to the surface.
  • The group reaches shore. Ordinary fish are released or slaughtered, while the giant carp is prepared for execution and preservation as food.
  • The carp begs for mercy, arguing that eating humans is merely its natural instinct and that other demons would attack the tribe even if it were killed.
  • Feng Xu offers to spare it only if it swears a Heavenly Dao oath never to eat humans again and to protect the nearby Human Race from other demons. The carp reluctantly agrees.
  • The chapter ends with Feng Xu asking the chief how many people the carp has eaten, indicating that the carp’s fate has not yet been fully decided.

Character Developments

  • Feng Xu demonstrates decisiveness, resourcefulness, and moral authority. He risks his Merit to create a powerful treasure, rescues the children, captures the water demon, and refuses to be swayed by the tribe’s cowardice or the carp’s excuses.
  • Feng Xi proves his loyalty and bravery by repeatedly shielding Feng Xu and the children. His willingness to sacrifice himself—being dragged underwater so the raft can escape—highlights his courage and devotion.
  • The tribal chief is exposed as fearful and politically weak. He initially supports sacrificing the children but later apologizes and defers major decisions to Feng Xu.
  • The golden carp shifts from a threatening water demon to a desperate prisoner. Although it argues that predation is natural, it ultimately accepts an oath-bound role as the tribe’s protector.
  • The rescued children become recognized by Feng Xu as his own tribespeople, reinforcing his responsibility toward them and distinguishing him from the tribe that abandoned them.

Significant Themes

  • Courage versus superstition: The tribe relies on sacrifice and fear, while Feng Xu confronts the real source of the danger directly.
  • Responsibility and leadership: Feng Xu assumes responsibility for people who were not originally under his protection, while the tribe’s leaders attempt to avoid responsibility.
  • Power and justice: Feng Xu emphasizes that the defeated party cannot dictate terms. However, he also shows pragmatism by sparing the carp when it can serve a protective purpose.
  • Nature versus morality: The carp claims that eating humans is simply instinct, but Feng Xu rejects instinct as a justification for violence and imposes a moral oath.
  • Alliance and survival: The harsh environment forces humans and demons to negotiate coexistence, especially because eliminating one threat cannot guarantee safety from others.
  • Merit and cultivation: Feng Xu’s accumulated Merit becomes both a weapon and a tool for protecting people, while the completed treasure hints at his future growth in power.

Character Interactions

  • Feng Xu orders Feng Xi to hold off the demon while he refines the treasure, showing their trust and coordinated teamwork.
  • Feng Xi protects Feng Xu and the children through direct physical sacrifice, while Feng Xu later saves him by capturing the carp with the Heavenly Net and Earthly Web.
  • The chief and elders initially oppose Feng Xu, but after he defeats the water demon, they kneel and apologize.
  • Feng Xu rejects the tribe’s repeated title of “immortal,” maintaining distance from their reverence and clarifying that the children are his tribespeople.
  • Feng Xu interrogates and negotiates with the golden carp, combining intimidation with practical diplomacy. The chief is consulted before the carp is spared, though the final judgment remains in Feng Xu’s hands.
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Ch. 10Rebuilding the Marsh Tribe

Chapter Summary: “Rebuilding the Marsh Tribe”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Feng Xu learns that the Marsh Tribe has suffered for decades from attacks by a giant fish demon in the river. More than 160 people had been sacrificed to appease it.
  • The tribe’s “water god,” a Giant Golden Carp, admits to eating around fifty or sixty people, though Feng Xu holds it responsible for all the deaths carried out in its name.
  • Feng Xu punishes the carp by removing 1,600 scales and cutting off two fin bones. He spares its life but threatens to exterminate its entire clan if it or its descendants continue eating humans.
  • Feng Xu proposes that the tribe offer land-animal meat to the carp annually in exchange for its protection. The chief agrees.
  • Feng Xu trades 4,000 jin of dried meat to the Marsh Tribe for twenty women, thirty children, and 500 jin of rice seeds. These people join his growing community.
  • He appoints Jiang Ze as the tribe’s chief and formally names the settlement the Marsh Tribe.
  • Feng Xu identifies the tribe’s main problems: river monsters, dampness, flooding, and people freezing to death during winter.
  • He leads the construction of elevated bamboo-and-wood houses built on charred foundation piles. The houses include ventilation, straw curtains, mud floors for safe fires, and separate toilets.
  • While the houses are built, Feng Xu teaches the tribe to weave fishing nets. The nets greatly improve their fishing and provide him with additional Merit.
  • The tribe catches several young Golden Carp, but Feng Xu orders them released. He creates a written character for “Golden Carp” and gives the giant fish the title “Carp King.”
  • After seven days, Feng Xu and his group leave the Marsh Tribe. The tribe’s population has increased to forty-two adults and forty-seven children, up from the original eighteen travelers.
  • During the next leg of the journey, Feng Xu finds an injured wolf cub. He insists on keeping and taming it despite Feng Xi’s warnings. The cub unexpectedly speaks and reveals that it is the son of the Heavenly Demon Wolf King.

Character Developments

  • Feng Xu becomes increasingly authoritative and pragmatic. He is willing to punish supernatural threats harshly, but he also seeks practical compromises that benefit both humans and demons.
  • He continues developing as a leader and civilizer, improving housing, food production, fishing, population growth, and education. His Merit system motivates him to spread useful skills throughout the Human Race.
  • Feng Xi remains Feng Xu’s dependable assistant and moral counterbalance. He helps punish the carp, construct the settlement, monitor the wolf cub, and question Feng Xu’s impulsive decisions.
  • Jiang Ze gains a formal identity as the Marsh Tribe’s chief and is encouraged to visit the Wind-Fire Tribe to learn writing and naming customs.
  • The Giant Golden Carp/Carp King loses centuries of cultivation and suffers severe physical punishment, but he also receives protection, food, and an official title. His relationship with humans shifts from predator and feared deity toward a controlled protector.
  • The wolf cub is introduced as intelligent, proud, and connected to a powerful demon lineage. Its injured and vulnerable state contrasts with its claim to noble ancestry.

Significant Themes

  • Civilization through practical improvements: Feng Xu advances the Human Race through housing, fishing technology, fire safety, agriculture, literacy, and social organization.
  • Justice and responsibility: Feng Xu holds the carp accountable not only for its personal actions but also for the deaths committed under its authority as a supposed water god.
  • Coexistence between humans and demons: The carp is not simply killed; instead, Feng Xu establishes a mutually beneficial arrangement in which it protects humans in exchange for food.
  • Leadership and cultural development: Naming people and places, teaching writing, and spreading technology help transform scattered groups into an organized civilization.
  • Merit and progress: Everyday inventions—houses, fishing nets, baskets, fire, pottery, and literacy—are linked to Feng Xu’s accumulation of Merit, blending spiritual advancement with material development.
  • Compassion versus practicality: Feng Xu shows mercy toward the carp and wolf cub, but his methods remain forceful and utilitarian. His insistence that the wolf is a “dog” humorously reflects both his affection and his desire to tame the unfamiliar.

Important Character Interactions

  • Feng Xu confronts and punishes the Golden Carp while Feng Xi assists, establishing Feng Xu’s dominance over the former water god.
  • Feng Xu negotiates with Jiang Ze, turning the carp’s protection into a formal exchange between the tribe and the demon.
  • Feng Xu teaches the Marsh Tribe practical skills and works alongside its people, earning their gratitude and loyalty.
  • At departure, Feng Xu invites Jiang Ze to the Wind-Fire Tribe, emphasizing cooperation and the spread of knowledge among human settlements.
  • Feng Xu and Feng Xi debate whether the injured wolf should be eaten or domesticated. Feng Xu’s fascination wins out, and the wolf’s ability to speak reveals a new and potentially dangerous connection to the Demon Race.
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Ch. 11Meeting the Second-in-Command Again

Chapter Summary: “Meeting the Second-in-Command Again”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Feng Xu and Feng Xi encounter a starving white wolf cub. Feng Xu intimidates it into claiming it is a dog, teaches it to bark, names it “Little White,” and keeps it as a pet. The Merit Mall identifies it as a late-Mysterious-Immortal Heavenly Demon Wolf King and ruler of the Western Great Wilderness Mountains, though its unusual white coloring suggests it may be a mutant or rejected offspring.
  • While traveling, the group discovers a barren, ominous-looking mountain. Nearby, more than twenty former members of the Wind-Fire Tribe are trapped by a coordinated pack of wolves led by an Earth-Immortal Wolf King.
  • Feng Xu and Feng Xi intervene by rolling logs and boulders down the mountain, disrupting the wolves’ formation. Feng Xi rallies the humans, while Feng Xu creates the illusion that a large force of warriors is attacking. The wolves retreat after suffering heavy losses.
  • The rescued group is led by the tribe’s former second-in-command. He is shocked to learn that Chief Feng Sui survived his injuries and that the tribe now has abundant food. Feng Xu also reveals that he has become the tribe’s appointed wise man.
  • The group returns to a nearby cave to rest. Several wolves secretly follow them, indicating that the Wolf King has not abandoned the hunt.
  • Feng Xu investigates the strange mountain and discovers that it is a rich iron-ore deposit. He gathers ore, cuts wood, and begins preparing charcoal and a kiln, intending to establish iron smelting and improve the Human Race’s technological and military strength.
  • The chapter ends with Feng Xu planning how to eliminate the Wolf King, recognizing that the creature is too powerful and intelligent to be safely captured with his current cultivation.

Character Developments

  • Feng Xu: Demonstrates his cunning, humor, leadership, and practical intelligence. He protects former tribesmen despite their past desertion, uses deception effectively in battle, and immediately recognizes the strategic value of the iron mine.
  • Feng Xi: Continues to act as Feng Xu’s close partner and executor. He helps organize the rescue, commands the former comrades during the battle, and supports Feng Xu’s investigations.
  • The white wolf cub/Little White: Its apparent identity as a Heavenly Demon Wolf King contrasts sharply with its current helpless state. It submits to Feng Xu after being threatened and begins behaving like a domesticated dog, though its true origins and potential remain uncertain.
  • The second-in-command: Reappears as a proud, ambitious, and skeptical leader of the deserters. He initially dismisses Feng Xu, but the rescue and news of Feng Sui’s survival force him to reconsider the tribe’s strength and leadership.
  • Feng Sui: Although absent, his survival becomes a major turning point. His popularity and benevolent treatment of the tribesmen explain why many deserters may still wish to return.
  • The Wolf King: Revealed as cautious and tactically intelligent. Rather than fighting personally, it commands the pack from the rear and continues tracking the humans after retreating.

Significant Themes

  • Cunning versus brute force: Feng Xu relies on intimidation, deception, terrain, and psychological warfare rather than direct combat.
  • Forgiveness and tribal loyalty: Feng Xu chooses to save former clansmen despite their decision to leave and their previous willingness to sacrifice him. He prioritizes shared identity and resistance to an external enemy.
  • Leadership and legitimacy: The tribe’s survival, food abundance, and Feng Xu’s appointment as wise man undermine the deserters’ assumptions and restore the authority of Feng Sui’s faction.
  • Technological advancement: The iron mine represents a major opportunity for the Human Race to develop tools, weapons, and infrastructure, signaling a shift from survival toward civilization-building.
  • Hidden power and transformation: Little White’s weakness disguises its extraordinary identity, while the barren mountain conceals valuable resources. Both suggest that appearances can be misleading.
  • Conflict between humans and demons: The battle reinforces the broader struggle between the Human and Demon Races, with Feng Xu viewing the wolf attack as a threat to all human compatriots.

Important Character Interactions

  • Feng Xu humiliates and domesticates the wolf cub by forcing it to call itself a dog and rewarding it with meat.
  • Feng Xu and Feng Xi privately discuss whether to rescue the besieged humans and devise a coordinated plan to disrupt the wolves.
  • Feng Xi reconnects with the former tribesmen, using his familiarity with them to rally their counterattack.
  • The second-in-command challenges Feng Xu’s authority, but Feng Xi’s respect for Feng Xu confirms that the young man holds an important position in the tribe.
  • Feng Xu investigates the iron mountain with Feng Xi while the second-in-command dismisses the site as dangerous.
  • The second-in-command mocks Feng Xu’s pet wolf, unaware of its true identity, while Feng Xu continues treating Little White as a dog.
  • The chapter closes with Feng Xu observing the remaining wolves and preparing for a confrontation with their Wolf King.
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Ch. 12Building a Camp

Chapter Summary: “Building a Camp”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Feng Xu begins establishing a permanent settlement near the mountain rather than immediately focusing on iron production. He orders the construction of a wooden palisade, trenches, latrines, and defensive obstacles to protect the group from surrounding wolves.
  • He negotiates with the ambitious second-in-command, offering him independence under the authority of the Wind-Fire Tribe. In exchange for managing the strategically important mountain, the man agrees to remain and becomes the chief of a new branch settlement.
  • Feng Xu names the settlement the Red Iron Tribe and renames the former second-in-command Iron Mountain, along with giving names to the other settlers.
  • The settlement’s political structure is established: Iron Mountain may govern local affairs, but must obey orders from Feng Sui and meet production quotas set by the Wind-Fire Tribe. Women and children remain with the main tribe, allowing Feng Xu to retain influence over the new tribe’s future generation.
  • Construction of a primitive iron furnace begins, and after monitoring the process for a full day and night, Feng Xu successfully produces iron.
  • He forges the first iron tool of the Primordial World: an iron axe. After enhancing it through artifact-refining techniques, he creates the Mountain-Cleaving Axe, a magical artifact that earns him Merit and becomes vastly more effective than stone tools.
  • Iron Mountain witnesses the power of iron and begins to respect Feng Xu’s intelligence and leadership.
  • Feng Xu establishes additional furnaces and begins forging hammers and spears. He plans to equip every warrior with a spear and use shield walls to counter the wolves’ speed and coordination.
  • As the wolf pack gathers and probes the settlement’s defenses, Feng Xu learns that the surrounding mountainous terrain offers the wolves many escape routes. He decides to delay the confrontation and carefully prepare for his single chance to capture the Wolf King with a magical treasure.

Character Developments

  • Feng Xu demonstrates strategic leadership, political insight, and practical ingenuity. He combines military defense, resource development, political control, and education rather than relying solely on force.
  • Iron Mountain, initially contemptuous and determined to become independent, gradually accepts Feng Xu’s offer after recognizing that it gives him authority while preserving ties to the main tribe. His attitude changes significantly after seeing iron tools and realizing Feng Xu can transform seemingly useless resources into powerful assets.
  • Feng Xi remains a quiet but vigilant supporter of Feng Xu, following instructions and protecting him without interfering in the negotiations.
  • The settlers begin transitioning from a loose expeditionary group into an organized community. They receive names, assigned duties, and a shared purpose under the Red Iron Tribe.
  • The children are required to study five characters each day, showing Feng Xu’s effort to shape the group’s future through literacy and discipline.

Significant Themes

  • Leadership through incentives and control: Feng Xu wins Iron Mountain’s cooperation by offering authority and benefits while retaining ultimate control through quotas, obedience requirements, and custody of women and children.
  • Civilization and technological advancement: The transition from stone tools to iron marks a major technological leap, increasing the tribe’s ability to build, defend itself, and expand.
  • Strategic patience: Feng Xu understands that immediate confrontation with the wolves would be dangerous. He prioritizes defenses, preparation, reconnaissance, and choosing the right moment to strike.
  • Knowledge as power: Feng Xu’s understanding of metallurgy, organization, education, and military tactics gives him influence despite his youth.
  • Naming and identity: By naming the settlement, Iron Mountain, and the other people, Feng Xu creates new identities and reinforces social order.
  • Balancing freedom and authority: The Red Iron Tribe is given local independence, but only within a larger hierarchy controlled by the Wind-Fire Tribe.

Character Interactions

  • Feng Xu calmly confronts the second-in-command’s desire for independence and persuades him through a concrete offer of leadership.
  • Feng Xi silently supports Feng Xu during the tense negotiation, reinforcing Feng Xu’s authority through his presence.
  • Feng Xu defines Iron Mountain’s responsibilities and privileges, establishing a formal relationship between the two tribes.
  • Feng Xu teaches Iron Mountain and Feng Xi the iron-smelting process, turning them into potential leaders with technical knowledge.
  • Iron Mountain tests the Mountain-Cleaving Axe and, after witnessing its superiority, develops genuine respect for Feng Xu.
  • Feng Xu directs the entire group in construction, education, metallurgy, and military preparation, gradually transforming them into a disciplined and organized settlement.
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Ch. 13Seeking Aid

Summary of “Seeking Aid”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Feng Yuqi and Tie Song travel through the dangerous Great Wilderness to seek reinforcements for the Wind-Fire Tribe, which is surrounded by a large wolf pack.
  • Yuqi recalls her childhood as a sacrificial offering to the Water God. Feng Xu rescued her and the other children by trapping the Water God in a golden net, then welcomed them into the Wind-Fire Tribe.
  • Feng Xu later teaches the rescued children writing and organizes a plan to break the wolf pack’s siege. Since the tribe’s warriors cannot all leave safely, someone must travel to nearby tribes for help.
  • Yuqi volunteers despite Feng Xu’s objections. Her heightened sensitivity to scents allows her to detect six wolves watching the tribe, proving her usefulness.
  • Feng Xu chooses Tie Song to accompany her. He gives the girl the name Feng Yuqi, formally making her part of the tribe, and styles her hair with an eagle-feather hairpin.
  • During the journey, Yuqi and Tie Song hide in a burrow, but wolves eventually discover them. They flee as the pack grows larger.
  • Tie Song climbs a giant tree for safety, only for a gigantic wolf king—an Earth Immortal-level beast—to appear and surround them.

Character Developments

  • Feng Yuqi is shown to be intelligent, emotionally resilient, and highly perceptive. Once a resigned sacrificial child, she has gained purpose and determination after being rescued. Her desire to help Feng Xu reflects her growing loyalty and affection toward him.
  • Feng Xu is established as a compassionate but practical leader. He values the lives of his people, challenges their cowardice, and carefully prepares Yuqi and Tie Song for their mission. Naming Yuqi demonstrates his acceptance of her as family.
  • Tie Song is cautious and dependable. Though initially uncertain, he recognizes Yuqi’s abilities and accepts her as a valuable companion. He protects her during their escape.
  • The rescued children and warriors are portrayed as brave and straightforward, responding strongly when Feng Xu questions their courage.

Significant Themes

  • Found family and belonging: Yuqi moves from being rejected and sacrificed by her original tribe to being accepted as a member of the Wind-Fire Tribe.
  • Hope and changed destiny: Feng Xu’s rescue transforms Yuqi’s passive acceptance of death into an active desire to live, learn, and contribute.
  • Courage and sacrifice: The mission requires someone to risk death for the survival of the entire tribe.
  • Leadership and cooperation: Feng Xu seeks a strategic solution rather than relying only on strength, emphasizing alliances and mutual benefit.
  • The value of knowledge: Writing and education represent a new way of understanding and changing the world.

Character Interactions

  • Yuqi’s bond with Feng Xu begins when he rescues her and teaches her language. Her decision to undertake the mission is motivated primarily by gratitude and devotion to him.
  • Feng Xu repeatedly tries to protect Yuqi because of her age, but ultimately respects her resolve and abilities.
  • Tie Song evaluates Yuqi practically rather than dismissing her as a child, agreeing that her scent-based perception may improve their chances.
  • The chapter ends with Yuqi and Tie Song united against an overwhelming threat: an expanding wolf pack led by a massive Earth Immortal wolf king.
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Ch. 14Feng Xu's Conscience

Chapter Summary: “Feng Xu’s Conscience”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Tie Song activates his bloodline and grows into a fifteen-meter giant to fight the Wolf King, but the beast overwhelms him.
  • Feng Yuqi tries to help by attacking the Wolf King with a branch, but both she and Tie Song are thrown aside.
  • Just as the Wolf King is about to kill them, the Eagle King swoops down, wounds it, and carries both humans to safety.
  • Yuqi notices that the Eagle King’s feathers resemble the feather she wears, suggesting a possible connection between them. The Eagle King leaves without explanation.
  • Back at the camp, Feng Xu organizes the Human Race’s mining and defense efforts. They use their limited iron to produce hammers, picks, saws, and other tools.
  • Because the wolf pack is gathering near the settlement, the warriors maintain nightly watches while women and children remain in the cave.
  • Feng Xu hopes a nearby tribe will accept an alliance against the wolves. He offers them seventy percent of the spoils, planning to keep only thirty percent—or merely the wolf pelts—to secure their cooperation.
  • The camp begins producing wooden carts to transport ore more efficiently. The carts earn Feng Xu Merit and reduce the burden of manual labor, though rough terrain limits their usefulness.
  • Feng Xu reflects on future infrastructure, cultivation, military organization, and the Human Race’s long-term survival before the Witch-Demon War.

Character Developments

  • Tie Song demonstrates courage by confronting the Wolf King despite the overwhelming difference in strength. He prioritizes Feng Yuqi’s safety and shields her from attack.
  • Feng Yuqi shows bravery and initiative by trying to fight the Wolf King herself. Her feather’s similarity to the Eagle King’s feathers deepens the mystery surrounding her origins.
  • Feng Xu continues developing practical technologies and defensive systems, but he begins questioning whether constant labor truly improves people’s lives.
  • Feng Xu briefly considers using even children as labor because of their extraordinary strength, then rejects the idea after recognizing the danger of becoming detached from ordinary people. This reveals his growing moral self-awareness.
  • Feng Xi remains deeply loyal to Feng Xu and trusts his judgment, though he privately worries about protecting him. He also accepts Feng Xu’s belief that present hardship can create a better future.
  • Feng Xu’s relationship with the warriors is improving, particularly with Iron Mountain, whose attitude toward him has softened.

Significant Themes

  • Conscience and leadership: Feng Xu questions whether progress is worthwhile if it causes people to lose their freedom and spend every day working.
  • The danger of treating people as resources: His thoughts about exploiting children reveal the tension between utilitarian leadership and respect for human dignity.
  • Progress versus quality of life: Tools, carts, mining, and defenses improve survival prospects but also create more obligations and labor.
  • Cooperation and survival: Feng Xu is willing to give up most material rewards to form an alliance against the wolves, emphasizing collective security over immediate gain.
  • The rise of civilization: The chapter highlights early technological development, infrastructure, military organization, and the beginnings of systematic cultivation.
  • Humanity’s uncertain future: Feng Xu hopes to strengthen the Human Race before the coming Witch-Demon War, while wondering whether they will become a dominant force or remain vulnerable to higher powers.

Important Character Interactions

  • Tie Song protects Feng Yuqi during the Wolf King’s attack, while Yuqi attempts to defend him in return.
  • The Eagle King unexpectedly intervenes, saving both of them and hinting at a mysterious bond with Yuqi.
  • Feng Xu and Feng Xi debate whether the nearby tribe will accept their proposed alliance and whether the Human Race’s current workload is justified.
  • Feng Xu asks Feng Xi to correct him if he ever acts wrongly, showing that he values moral accountability despite his growing authority.
  • Feng Xi reassures Feng Xu that his actions have improved everyone’s lives, though his unspoken concern remains protecting Feng Xu personally.
  • Feng Xu leaves Feng Xi to teach the children while the camp continues mining, construction, and defense preparations.
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Ch. 15Night Raid by the Wolf Pack

Chapter Summary: Night Raid by the Wolf Pack

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Feng Xu prepares the tribe for an expected attack by forging over twenty giant spearheads, assembling long spears for the warriors, and helping complete the camp’s outer defenses.
  • Using materials from the Giant Golden Carp, a boar demon, snakes, and an eagle, Feng Xu creates a powerful composite bow called the Dragon-Snake Bow. It is a top-grade Houtian Dharma Artifact suited to his cultivation.
  • He also makes twenty reusable Mysterious Feather Arrows, combining the carp’s water spiritual power with the eagle feathers’ wind force.
  • The Wolf King returns, and the missing tribesmen sent to seek reinforcements are presumed to be in danger. Since the wolf den has not been found, Feng Xu devises a plan to lure the wolves close with large amounts of boar meat.
  • At night, the wolf pack attacks. The camp’s trench, wooden spikes, flaming barricades, and spear formation slow and repel the wolves.
  • Feng Xu uses the Dragon-Snake Bow to fire twenty arrows into the wolves’ exposed necks, killing or fatally wounding several. He later fires more arrows as the wolves retreat.
  • The wolf pack fails to breach the camp and suffers heavy losses: over thirty wolves die, while roughly ten more are carried away. Around one hundred combat-capable wolves remain.
  • The Wolf King never enters the battle, preserving its strength. Feng Xu concludes that the camp is safe from ordinary wolves but remains vulnerable if the Wolf King attacks directly.
  • Feng Xu orders a search for the wolf den and plans to seek aid from nearby tribes if reinforcements do not arrive within three days.

Character Developments

  • Feng Xu demonstrates growing ingenuity and technical skill by inventing and forging the Dragon-Snake Bow. His artifact-forging ability improves through the use of Dharma power rather than conventional methods.
  • He also proves himself a capable strategist, using bait, fire, defensive structures, and coordinated weapons to exploit the wolves’ hunger and weaknesses.
  • Despite his confidence, Feng Xu experiences tension and fear while facing the enormous wolves, but he controls his emotions and performs with precision.
  • Feng Xi acts as Feng Xu’s trusted informant and battlefield partner, returning with news of the Wolf King and helping interpret Feng Xu’s plan.
  • Iron Mountain helps organize the camp’s defenses and questions Feng Xu’s risky bait strategy, showing caution and practical judgment.
  • The warriors become more prepared and unified, relying on new armor, giant spears, and formation tactics to defend the settlement.

Significant Themes

  • Ingenuity versus overwhelming force: The tribe survives not through superior individual strength, but through weapons, preparation, traps, and teamwork.
  • Adaptation and technological progress: Feng Xu continually transforms available natural materials into increasingly effective tools and weapons.
  • Strategic patience: The Wolf King and Feng Xu both avoid reckless action, waiting for the right opportunity to strike.
  • Civilization against wilderness: The fortified camp, organized defenses, and crafted weapons represent the tribe’s attempt to establish security in a dangerous, untamed world.
  • Victory versus true safety: Although the attack is repelled, Feng Xu recognizes that the wolf threat will remain until the Wolf King and its den are eliminated.

Character Interactions

  • Feng Xi informs Feng Xu of the Wolf King’s return and the failure of the reinforcements to arrive.
  • Feng Xu reassures Feng Xi about the camp’s chances while explaining that he wants to destroy the wolf pack completely, not merely survive each attack.
  • Iron Mountain challenges Feng Xu’s decision to use boar meat as bait, prompting Feng Xu and Feng Xi to clarify the trap’s purpose.
  • Feng Xu directs the warriors to prepare, rest in shifts, and maintain the defenses, while the group cooperates effectively during the night assault.
  • After the battle, Feng Xu and Feng Xi agree to investigate the wolf den and potentially seek help from neighboring tribes.
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Ch. 16Rest and Recuperation

Chapter Summary: “Rest and Recuperation”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • After the wolf attack, Feng Xu organizes the tribe’s recovery efforts. The people process wolf hides through scraping, soaking, oiling, kneading, beating, and smoking, producing durable and more comfortable leather. The meat is preserved for food, while bones are made into weapons, tools, decorations, and other necessities.
  • Feng Xu continues training Little White to behave like a domesticated dog. He questions whether the wolf cub can eat wolf meat, prompting Little White to conceal its identity as a Heavenly Demon Wolf and insist that it is merely a dog.
  • Little White has adapted to cooked food and now dislikes raw meat. Its dependence on Feng Xu has grown, and it increasingly enjoys the security, food, and comfort of life among humans.
  • Feng Xu reviews the seven rules governing Little White: surrendering hunting gains, avoiding unjustified attacks, obeying or openly challenging Feng Xu, controlling its behavior in camp, reporting contact with wilderness demons, seeking permission before killing, and never deceiving its master.
  • After three days without reinforcements, Feng Xu travels with Little White and Feng Xi to another tribe. They find signs of a fight and follow them to the place where Tie Song and Yuqi disappeared, but Little White cannot recover their scent. Feng Xu concludes that the trail was lost after the Eagle King carried them away.
  • They reach an underground human settlement hidden beneath grass-covered pits. The tribe’s inhabitants are extremely weak because they have spent long periods hiding underground from the wolf pack.
  • Feng Xu discovers that Tie Song and Yuqi were rescued by the Eagle King and arrived at the settlement only the previous day. The people have been starving because they have been unable to hunt safely.
  • Feng Xu gives them raw fish from his supplies so they can eat before discussing aid or trade. The danger posed by the nearby wolves prevents them from lighting fires or leaving openly.
  • Seeing the tribe’s miserable conditions deepens Feng Xu’s understanding of how vulnerable the Human Race is. He resolves to improve humanity’s collective strength rather than relying only on individual warriors.

Character Developments

  • Feng Xu becomes increasingly practical and compassionate. He teaches survival skills, organizes labor, distributes food, and recognizes that the Human Race’s problems cannot be solved through isolated acts of bravery.
  • Little White grows more obedient and domesticated. It accepts Feng Xu’s rules, enjoys its secure life, prefers cooked food, and behaves more like a household dog than a savage demon wolf. Its relationship with Feng Xu becomes affectionate and mutually comfortable.
  • Feng Xi accompanies Feng Xu during the search and journey, though she plays a less prominent role in the chapter.
  • Tie Song and Yuqi are revealed to be alive after being rescued by the Eagle King, but they are weakened by their difficult journey.
  • The underground tribe’s chief and inhabitants are portrayed as frightened and physically weakened by prolonged concealment, emphasizing the human population’s desperate condition.

Significant Themes

  • Survival and adaptation: The tribe uses every available resource—hide, meat, bones, underground homes, and concealment—to endure the wilderness.
  • Civilization versus instinct: Feng Xu’s tanning methods, food preparation, rules, and organized labor represent the gradual movement from primitive survival toward civilization.
  • Security and domestication: Little White’s transformation shows how stable food, shelter, and social order can reshape even a dangerous creature’s behavior.
  • Human vulnerability: The underground tribe demonstrates that hiding can preserve life but also weaken people and prevent long-term development.
  • Collective strength and long-term planning: Feng Xu realizes that humanity must improve as a whole to survive in the Primordial World and eventually avoid the next Tribulation Cycle.
  • The enormity of time: The revelation that a Tribulation Cycle lasts 6.48 billion years reinforces how distant Feng Xu’s goals are and how urgently progress must begin.

Character Interactions

  • Feng Xu teases Little White about eating its own kind, causing it to quickly deny being a Heavenly Demon Wolf.
  • He rewards Little White with wolf meat and reinforces its domesticated behavior through affection, food, and discipline.
  • Little White recites and follows Feng Xu’s household rules, showing that it has accepted his authority while still retaining some personality and independence.
  • Feng Xu assists the starving underground tribe by providing fish and listening to the chief’s explanation of their situation.
  • His interactions with the refugees shift from possible judgment to sympathy as he recognizes that their fear and weakness are consequences of the Human Race’s precarious position rather than simple cowardice.
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Ch. 17Preparing for Battle

Chapter Summary: “Preparing for Battle”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Feng Xu, Feng Xi, Tie Song, and Feng Yuqi regroup in Feng Xu’s spacious pit and share their limited supply of cooked meat.
  • Feng Xu learns that the Eagle King rescued Feng Xi and Feng Yuqi, apparently because of the hairpin he had given Yuqi.
  • Tie Song explains that the nearby tribe’s chief initially rejected an alliance against the wolf pack, fearing that his people lacked food and would be attacked during the journey.
  • Feng Xu realizes the tribe’s fear of the wolves can be used to persuade them. He warns Chief Kun Tai that the wounded wolf pack will soon resume hunting and may discover their hidden settlement.
  • By combining threats about the wolves with promises of food and a share of the spoils, Feng Xu convinces the tribe to join the campaign. The tribe has over eighty people but only about twenty warriors, reflecting the severe losses suffered by humanity.
  • Feng Xu names the tribe the Lukun Tribe, leaves them enough food for up to twenty days, and leads them back to the Red Iron Tribe.
  • Upon returning, Feng Xu organizes extensive preparations:
    • The Lukun warriors help produce weapons and equipment.
    • He enforces strict discipline, rewarding obedience with food and punishing disobedience.
    • The tribe manufactures javelins to provide greater range than spears.
    • Feng Xu designs and constructs catapults, carts for transporting them, and special projectiles made from scale powder, charcoal, resin, vines, and greased cords.
    • Large quantities of stone ammunition are prepared for the coming battle.
  • Scouts locate the wolf pack after crossing two mountain ridges. The pack contains more than five hundred wolves, including roughly one hundred large wolves over ten zhang long.
  • Feng Xu studies the terrain and develops a strategy: the Red Iron Tribe will attack directly, drive the wolves toward a valley, and allow the Lukun Tribe to ambush and surround them.
  • Because the Lukun warriors have lived in fear of the wolves for so long, Feng Xu assigns Tie Song to command them during the battle.

Character Developments

  • Feng Xu becomes increasingly strategic and pragmatic. He uses both genuine information and calculated exaggeration to manipulate Chief Kun Tai into accepting the alliance. He also demonstrates leadership by organizing labor, enforcing discipline, designing weapons, and planning the battlefield.
  • Feng Xi and Tie Song continue serving as Feng Xu’s trusted assistants. Tie Song takes on a formal command role over the Lukun warriors.
  • Feng Yuqi remains connected to the Eagle King through the hairpin Feng Xu gave her, revealing the unexpected influence of Feng Xu’s earlier actions.
  • Chief Kun Tai changes from distrustful and hesitant to cooperative after Feng Xu convinces him that refusing the alliance would leave his tribe vulnerable and starving.
  • The Lukun warriors begin shifting from isolated survivors into organized members of a larger military force, though their fear and lack of experience remain concerns.

Significant Themes

  • Survival through cooperation: The scattered human tribes must unite to resist stronger supernatural predators.
  • Leadership and manipulation: Feng Xu protects the tribes while using fear, incentives, and selective exaggeration to secure obedience.
  • Human weakness and resilience: The low number of warriors and absence of elders reveal the enormous casualties humanity has suffered, yet the tribes continue adapting.
  • Technology as a force multiplier: Javelins, catapults, armor, formations, and organized logistics allow humans to challenge physically superior wolf demons.
  • Fear versus discipline: The Lukun Tribe’s terror of the wolves must be transformed into coordinated military action.
  • Preparation and strategy over brute strength: Feng Xu understands that humans cannot defeat the wolf pack in a simple direct confrontation and instead relies on terrain, ambushes, ranged weapons, and organization.

Character Interactions

  • Feng Xu questions Tie Song and Feng Xi about the Lukun Tribe and uses their information to shape his approach.
  • He negotiates directly with Chief Kun Tai, balancing promises of food with warnings about the wolves’ return.
  • Feng Xu imposes strict expectations on the newly allied Lukun warriors, establishing authority while preventing them from being placed in the most dangerous positions.
  • He assigns Tie Song to command the Lukun Tribe, showing both trust in Tie Song and caution about relying on frightened outsiders.
  • The chapter ends with the tribes united and equipped, ready to begin the planned assault on the wolf pack.
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Ch. 18Decisive Battle with the Wolf Pack

Chapter Summary: “Decisive Battle with the Wolf Pack”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • The Red Iron Tribe launches a planned assault against the wolf pack, sending thirty-one warriors: twenty Red Iron warriors, ten Lukun warriors, and Feng Xu.
  • A larger support force has already prepared an ambush site. Over fifteen days, the tribes construct six trebuchets, Fire-Scale Bombs, Shrapnel Bombs, Bone Caltrop Bombs, and hundreds of stone projectiles.
  • Feng Yuqi gives Feng Xu a short knife made from polished wolf fangs, showing her growing ability to communicate normally.
  • The human force establishes its artillery position thirty li from the wolf pack. The Wolf King detects their preparations and decides to attack before they can build stronger defenses.
  • The trebuchets bombard the approaching wolves in stages:
    • Stone shot disrupts their formation and causes trampling casualties.
    • Bone Caltrop Bombs slow and injure the ordinary wolves.
    • Shrapnel Bombs tear into the pack, especially its weaker members.
    • Fire-Scale Bombs create a wall of phosphorus fire and cause further panic.
  • Although the Wolf King repeatedly adapts to the attacks and rallies his troops, the pack suffers enormous losses. Feng Xi, Iron Mountain, and the other warriors add to the damage with volleys of javelins.
  • When the wolves reach close combat range, Feng Xu uses the Dharma Treasure Heavenly Net and Earthly Web, capturing twenty battle wolves.
  • The Wolf King narrowly avoids capture by sensing the treasure’s power and changing direction at the last moment. He escapes to warn the Heavenly Demon Wolf King about the rapidly developing Human Race.
  • The remaining giant wolves are killed, and the human warriors pursue the fleeing pack toward a prepared ambush site.
  • Two days later, the remnants reach the designated location. Only the Wolf King, thirty battle wolves, and more than a hundred ordinary wolves remain.
  • More than twenty wolf cubs are discovered during the pursuit and sent back to the Red Iron Tribe under Little White’s leadership.

Character Developments

  • Feng Xu demonstrates increasing tactical skill and composure. He coordinates the bombardment carefully, uses multiple weapons in sequence, and waits until the wolves are close before deploying his Dharma Treasure.
  • Feng Xu also recognizes his limitations: his cultivation is not yet strong enough to capture the Wolf King, and using the Dharma Treasure greatly drains his power.
  • Feng Yuqi shows meaningful personal growth. Her speech has improved enough for her to communicate normally, and she expresses concern for Feng Xu by giving him a handmade weapon.
  • The Wolf King proves highly intelligent and adaptable, quickly learning how to counter the trebuchets and escaping the Heavenly Net and Earthly Web. However, his anger and fear cause him to misjudge the battle and overlook the destruction of most of his pack.
  • The Red Iron and Lukun warriors become more coordinated and courageous. The Lukun warriors initially struggle with the new weapons but gain confidence through encouragement and successfully participate in the bombardment and defensive preparations.
  • Little White takes on a leadership role by guiding the captured wolf cubs back to the tribe.

Significant Themes

  • Technological and strategic advancement: The Human Race’s rapid development of siege weapons allows it to overcome a physically superior enemy.
  • Preparation versus strength: The humans cannot match the wolves individually, so they rely on planning, traps, coordinated attacks, and specialized weapons.
  • Adaptation and escalation: Both sides continually develop counters, with the Wolf King adapting to the artillery while the humans escalate from stone projectiles to fire and magical restraint.
  • The rise of the Human Race: The Wolf King recognizes that the humans are becoming an increasingly serious threat and may soon challenge established supernatural powers.
  • Limits of power: Feng Xu’s Dharma Treasure is formidable but not absolute; his low cultivation and limited magical reserves prevent him from capturing the Wolf King.
  • Leadership and unity: The battle highlights cooperation among several tribes and the emergence of new leaders within the Human community.

Important Character Interactions

  • Feng Yuqi gives Feng Xu the wolf-fang knife and urges him to return safely, creating a warm, personal moment before the battle.
  • Feng Xu directs the Lukun warriors and encourages them when they hesitate to use the unfamiliar trebuchets.
  • The Wolf King repeatedly rallies the wolves with howls, suppressing their panic and maintaining the assault despite mounting losses.
  • Feng Xi and Iron Mountain lead the warriors in launching javelins while Feng Xu fights from Feng Xi’s shoulder.
  • Feng Xu and the Wolf King engage in a brief contest of strategy and magical power: Feng Xu attempts to capture him with the Heavenly Net and Earthly Web, but the Wolf King reacts quickly enough to escape.
  • The pursuit culminates in the human warriors taking control of the wolf cubs, symbolizing the pack’s defeat and the Human Race’s growing dominance.
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Ch. 19Encirclement and Annihilation

Summary: “Encirclement and Annihilation”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • The defeated wolf pack flees from the pursuing humans, having lost the will to fight. The Wolf King knows a counterattack might succeed, but his terrified, demoralized followers refuse to risk their lives.
  • After four days, the pack enters a valley leading into Ape Demon territory. The Wolf King hopes to invoke the Heavenly Demon Wolf King’s name and obtain protection from the Ape Demons, though he worries the powerful White Ape may have ulterior motives.
  • The humans execute a carefully planned ambush designed by Feng Xu:
    • Catapults bombard the wolves with stone balls and Shrapnel Bombs.
    • Logs and boulders roll down from both sides of the valley.
    • A concealed pit filled with spikes collapses beneath the wolves.
  • The Wolf King clears the pit, but Feng Xi and Iron Mountain throw spears that pierce both of his hind legs. His mobility and combat ability are severely reduced.
  • Iron Mountain and the warriors attack the ordinary wolves, while Feng Xu pursues the injured Wolf King. The Lukun Tribe warriors hesitate because of their deep fear of the wolves, but Tie Song, the Red Iron Tribe warriors, and several Marsh Tribe women join the assault.
  • The Wolf King reaches an earthen wall blocking his escape. He survives arrows and numerous spears, knocks Tie Song aside while Tie Song protects the women, and climbs over the wall.
  • Just as the Wolf King appears likely to escape into the forest, the Eagle King attacks from above. Wind blades shatter the Wolf King’s hind legs and cut deeply into his neck, leaving him unable to move.
  • The Wolf King gives up resistance. Feng Xu captures him with a golden Dharma Treasure net.
  • The Eagle King claims the Wolf King’s internal organs as compensation, revealing that his intervention was likely intentional rather than coincidental.

Character Developments

  • Wolf King: His authority collapses as the wolf pack becomes too frightened to obey aggressive orders. Though cunning and physically powerful, he is gradually weakened by exhaustion, injuries, and coordinated human tactics. His final surrender marks the destruction of his confidence and hope of escape.
  • Feng Xu: Demonstrates strategic intelligence by selecting the valley and organizing a layered ambush. He remains focused on capturing the Wolf King but also shows concern for his allies, especially after Tie Song is knocked down.
  • Feng Xi and Iron Mountain: Both contribute decisive attacks by throwing spears that cripple the Wolf King. Iron Mountain also fights the ordinary wolves directly, displaying strength and courage.
  • Tie Song: Protects the less experienced women by taking the impact of the Wolf King’s charge himself. Although he believes he has failed, Feng Xu reassures him that he did his best.
  • Eagle King: Appears aloof and claims he merely happened upon the battle, but his timing suggests he deliberately waited until the Wolf King was weakened. His demand for the Wolf King’s internal organs reveals a practical, self-interested motive.
  • The Lukun and Marsh Tribe warriors: The battle exposes the Lukun warriors’ lingering fear of the wolves, while the Marsh Tribe women begin participating directly in combat.

Significant Themes

  • Fear versus loyalty: The wolf pack’s refusal to fight shows how fear can destroy loyalty and hierarchy, even under a powerful leader.
  • Strategy overcoming strength: The humans defeat a much stronger enemy through preparation, terrain, traps, coordinated attacks, and persistence rather than individual power.
  • The cost of survival: Both the wolves and humans make sacrifices to survive; the Wolf King loses his pack and body, while Tie Song risks himself to protect others.
  • Hidden motives and political uncertainty: The Wolf King fears the Ape Demons’ intentions, while the Eagle King’s “coincidental” intervention suggests that powerful figures rarely act without personal gain.
  • Power and vulnerability: Even a demon who has cultivated for thousands of years can be brought down once isolated, exhausted, and strategically outmaneuvered.

Important Character Interactions

  • The Wolf King’s inability to rally the wolves highlights the collapse of his leadership.
  • Feng Xu comforts Tie Song after the failed attempt to stop the Wolf King, strengthening their trust.
  • Tie Song protects the Marsh Tribe women during the Wolf King’s charge, demonstrating solidarity between different groups.
  • Feng Xu thanks the Eagle King formally, but internally distrusts his explanation for appearing at the decisive moment.
  • The Eagle King dismisses Feng Xu’s gratitude and demands the Wolf King’s internal organs as payment, establishing a transactional relationship between them.
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Ch. 20Post-Battle Distribution

Summary: “Post-Battle Distribution”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Feng Xu returns to the battlefield with the Eagle King to help conclude the wolf hunt.
  • The wolf pack has been almost entirely wiped out. More than a hundred wolves are dead, while the allied forces suffer only minor injuries and no fatalities.
  • The captured Wolf King is executed by Feng Xi after Feng Xu decides it is too dangerous to keep such a cunning, powerful creature alive.
  • The battlefield is cleared, and the spoils are prepared for distribution among the Red Iron Tribe, Wind-Fire Tribe, and Lukun Tribe.
  • Kun Tai of the Lukun Tribe attempts to claim the reward originally promised, but Tie Song and Feng Xi criticize the tribe for failing to help when the Wolf King escaped.
  • Feng Xu settles the dispute fairly but firmly:
    • The Wind-Fire Tribe receives the Wolf King, sixty wolf pelts, and the wolf cubs.
    • The Lukun Tribe receives two cartloads of supplies.
    • The Red Iron Tribe receives the remaining spoils and therefore gains the largest share.
  • Kun Tai accepts the reduced reward with gratitude, recognizing that two carts of supplies are still far more than the Lukun Tribe expected.
  • Feng Xu stores the Wolf King’s remains and returns to cultivate.
  • He considers how to use Merit to improve the Human Race’s cultivation and discovers the Witchblood Secret Art, a system involving blood pools, battle marks, and blood medicine.
  • Feng Xu realizes the technique could allow humans to cultivate passively while working, potentially strengthening the entire race. However, fierce-beast blood is too violent for ordinary humans, so it must be modified with medicinal herbs.
  • He purchases the “Ginseng Compendium of a Hundred Medicines,” containing Zhen Yuanzi’s extensive knowledge of herbs, medicinal properties, and preparation methods.
  • The transfer of this knowledge unexpectedly causes Zhen Yuanzi to sense that he has gained Merit, setting up a mystery about how Feng Xu’s actions affect distant powerful figures.

Character Developments

  • Feng Xu demonstrates leadership, strategic judgment, and political balance. He rewards contribution but refuses to honor the Lukun Tribe’s original claim after its members failed to help at a crucial moment.
  • Feng Xu also shows long-term vision, focusing not only on immediate battle gains but on creating cultivation methods that can benefit the entire Human Race.
  • Feng Xi has grown more familiar with Feng Xu’s speech and leadership style, even adopting some of Feng Xu’s phrasing. He acts decisively in executing the Wolf King.
  • Kun Tai becomes embarrassed and humbled after being confronted about his tribe’s cowardice, but he ultimately develops greater respect and gratitude toward Feng Xu.
  • Tie Song/Iron Mountain remains blunt and contemptuous toward weakness and cowardice, mocking Kun Tai before Feng Xu intervenes.
  • The Wolf King accepts death calmly, embodying the harsh natural law of the Great Wilderness: strength determines survival, and defeat carries no shame.
  • Zhen Yuanzi becomes unknowingly connected to Feng Xu’s progress when knowledge derived from his past research generates Merit for him.

Significant Themes

  • The law of strength and survival: The Wolf King’s death reflects the brutal but accepted order of the Great Wilderness, where the strong rule and the weak perish.
  • Justice and proportional reward: Feng Xu balances generosity with accountability, ensuring the Lukun Tribe receives compensation without rewarding its failure to contribute fully.
  • Leadership and diplomacy: Feng Xu maintains authority while avoiding needless conflict, turning a potentially divisive distribution into an accepted settlement.
  • Collective advancement: Feng Xu’s greatest concern shifts from individual strength to improving the Human Race as a whole through accessible cultivation.
  • Knowledge as a form of power: Herbal knowledge and alchemy may allow Feng Xu to adapt a dangerous Witch technique into a safe method usable by ordinary humans.
  • The tension between progress and exploitation: Feng Xu briefly imagines using passive cultivation to make people stronger while they work, then recognizes the morally troubling implications of that idea.
  • Unexpected consequences of innovation: Feng Xu’s use of Zhen Yuanzi’s accumulated knowledge produces Merit for its original source, suggesting that knowledge, Merit, and influence may spread across time and distance.

Character Interactions

  • Feng Xu and the Eagle King cooperate in returning to the battlefield and finishing the operation.
  • Feng Xu consults Feng Xi about the battle and authorizes the Wolf King’s execution.
  • Tie Song confronts Kun Tai over the Lukun Tribe’s failure to assist, while Feng Xi reinforces the criticism.
  • Iron Mountain mocks the Lukun Tribe by suggesting they receive only weak wolves, increasing Kun Tai’s humiliation.
  • Feng Xu intervenes diplomatically, acknowledges the Lukun Tribe’s limited contribution, and grants them two carts of supplies.
  • Feng Xu’s later interaction is indirect: by purchasing Zhen Yuanzi’s accumulated alchemical knowledge, he causes Zhen Yuanzi to receive Merit without either man yet understanding why.
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