Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Unable to break the Resurrection Point’s Azure Barrier, Qin Shujian abandons the attempt to reach the trapped players and turns to the village’s Core Token.
• Niu Feng and the bandits clear the area around the token. Qin absorbs it rather than destroying it for life source, gaining faction experience. The village collapses, and its players are forcibly logged out and randomly reassigned.
• Qin reunites with the Bull Demon Lord, credits the Bull Demon Cave for its assistance, and declines an invitation to visit, citing the demon calamity. He leaves the Bull Demon Cave on friendly terms, with permission for Liangshan Stronghold to enter and leave the Lion-Tiger Plains freely.
• On the return journey, Niu Feng asks why Qin spared the Bull Demon Cave. Zeng Hong explains that antagonizing the powerful Chengyun Trading Company would outweigh the benefits of taking it over. Qin adds that the demon calamity is the greater priority and that Liangshan needs time to consolidate.
• Players post footage of the attack online. The videos draw widespread attention, especially because Qin kills the novice village chief in one move and Liangshan’s bandits surround the Resurrection Point, killing players as they respawn.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin Shujian shows strategic restraint: despite his strength and earlier interest in attacking the Bull Demon Cave, he avoids provoking the Chengyun Trading Company and prioritizes the demon calamity and consolidation.
• The Bull Demon Lord is deferential and relieved to preserve his faction. He grants Liangshan open access to his territory, recognizing that refusing would not protect him if Qin chose to attack.
• Niu Feng and Zeng Hong clash over the Bull Demon Cave. Niu Feng questions Qin’s decision; Zeng Hong dismisses his ignorance of the Chengyun Trading Company. Niu Feng bristles but holds back.
• The players trapped at the Resurrection Point welcome the village’s destruction as a way out of being spawn-camped.

Significant themes

• Pragmatism over conquest: Qin weighs political consequences and strategic priorities rather than taking every available target.
• Power and unequal relations: The Bull Demon Lord’s “friendly” concessions reflect Liangshan’s overwhelming advantage.
• Escalating NPC threat: Players’ shock at being trapped and killed at their spawn underscores how dangerous Qin and Liangshan have become.
• Faction growth and consolidation: Liangshan has expanded rapidly, but Qin recognizes the need to stabilize its gains before pursuing more uncertain enemies.

Plot points and events

• A live game update introduces a ten-minute resurrection delay, increasing by ten minutes for each death that day up to an hour. It also removes Resurrection Point restrictions, allowing players to revive anywhere in a public area of their Novice Village. Players suspect the second change is meant to prevent another NPC from repeatedly killing them after they respawn.
• In Novice Village No. 17561, the update devastates the players’ defense against the Demon Calamity. Their near-instant resurrection had enabled them to resist the Undead Skeletons through sheer numbers.
• Chen Chen, Xu Ziqing, and Wu Quan recognize that the skeletons’ source must be the being released from the valley’s seal. Before they can act, a powerful Skeleton Knight appears and pursues them. More Skeleton Knights enter battles across the plains, turning the players’ already desperate defense into a rout.
• In the valley, the Undying Evil Lord—stronger after absorbing energy from the living—decides he needs far more power to recover. He uses a bone mirror to observe the players, then opens a blood-red portal and enters it.
• The Undying Evil Lord appears directly on the battlefield. The players recognize him as a major boss and try to stop him, but his “Evil Spirit Slash” sweeps through both players and undead, causing them to explode and strengthening the attack with their blood mist.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Chen remains clear-headed under pressure: he identifies the likely source of the calamity and orders the group to flee when the Skeleton Knight appears.
• Xu Ziqing openly fears that the village cannot hold out much longer.
• Wu Quan spots the Skeleton Knight and warns the others, prompting their retreat.
• The Undying Evil Lord is revealed as an ambitious, severely injured but immensely powerful enemy. He dismisses the players as weak and treats the region as a source of energy for his recovery.
• Players who initially band together to intercept him quickly realize the danger when he begins a devastating attack.

Significant themes

• Power balanced against consequence: The resurrection update removes the players’ most effective advantage, making death carry growing costs.
• Escalating catastrophe: Stronger enemies arrive as the players’ defenses weaken, shifting the battle rapidly toward disaster.
• Predation and survival: The Evil Lord views living beings as fuel, while the players fight to preserve their village and survive.

Key plot points and events

• The Undying Evil Lord’s single sword strike wipes out roughly ninety percent of the players and nearby undead in its path. The remaining players are overwhelmed as he orders his forces to resume their assault.
• Away from the battle, Qin Shujian checks the life source he gained from the destruction of Novice Village No. 51169: more than thirteen thousand points.
• Though he considers using that power to break the Mortal Domain’s limits, Qin realizes his body is already close to the point where further cultivation could make it explode. Breaking the shackles could also raise the entire Mortal Domain’s power—and free the nearby Evil Fiend from its suppression.
• He decides to postpone the attempt until after dealing with the Demon Calamity. Instead, he spends life source to further develop the Black Tiger Saber Technique.
• In the Desolate Void, he witnesses the technique’s moves and forms. A black tiger phantom then roars above Liangshan Stronghold, startling beasts across the region and briefly waking the Bull Demon Lord, who senses a terrifying presence before it vanishes.

Character developments

• Qin Shujian feels newly wealthy from his immense life-source gains, but tempers his ambition with caution. He recognizes both the physical danger of exceeding his limits and the wider threat that a breakthrough could unleash.
• The Bull Demon Lord is shown to be sensitive to Qin’s power, though he cannot identify its source and soon dismisses the sensation as possibly a dream.
• The surviving players are left demoralized by the enormous gap between their strength and the Undying Evil Lord’s.

Significant themes

• Power and its price: More resources do not guarantee safe progress; Qin’s body may not withstand further advancement.
• Restraint versus ambition: Qin postpones a potentially transformative breakthrough because its risks extend beyond himself.
• Escalating danger: The Mortal Domain’s limits suppress powerful beings, and breaking them could alter the balance of the whole region.
• Overwhelming disparity: The players’ defeat highlights how helpless ordinary fighters are against the Undying Evil Lord.

Character interactions

• The Undying Evil Lord commands the undead to attack, while the surviving players struggle to resist.
• Qin weighs his options internally, then chooses to strengthen his saber technique rather than risk breaking the Mortal Domain’s shackles.
• The black tiger phantom’s roar affects the beasts around Liangshan and reaches the Bull Demon Lord, indirectly linking Qin’s advancement to the wider threats nearby.

Key plot points

• Qin Shujian advances the Black Tiger Saber Technique from Heaven-Man Unity to Dao Entry, spending 10,000 Life Source and leaving him with 3,129.
• The breakthrough frees the technique from its set moves and forms, grants him Blade Intent, and greatly increases his strength. He can now break through the Mortal Domain Shackles, but chooses to wait until after dealing with the Evil Fiend.
• A black tiger phantom appears over Liangshan, alarming the bandits. Qin reassures his subordinates that it was simply the result of studying a technique.
• Zheng Fang reports that a settlement for newly recruited youths is taking shape and that they have been taught the first three levels of the Body Tempering Scripture. Many cannot read, so training will take time.
• Qin orders the Intelligence Hall to watch the Undying Plains and report any spread of the demon calamity. He also worries that Gu Feng has not yet delivered the promised weapons and armor.
• Qin senses a demonic presence spreading over the Undying Plains and wonders whether his new strength will be enough to face the Evil Fiend.
• At the ruins of Novice Village No. 17561, the Undying Evil Lord commands the undead to resume plundering lives. Purple lightning reacts to his power, revealing that the world’s shackles constrain Evil Fiends.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin Shujian gains a major martial breakthrough and heightened perception, but remains cautious: he postpones breaking through and focuses on the looming threat.
• Zheng Fang respectfully reports on settlement and training preparations; his background as a teacher makes him a natural choice to oversee instruction.
• Wang Tiezhu acknowledges Qin’s order to monitor the Undying Plains.
• The Undying Evil Lord demonstrates command over the undead and frustration at the limits imposed on his kind. His order to kill more people signals renewed danger.

Significant themes

• Power and its cost: Qin’s breakthrough is formidable but consumes a vast amount of Life Source.
• Restraint and preparation: He delays a new realm breakthrough and organizes his people rather than acting impulsively.
• Rising calamity: Qin’s perception of the spreading evil, alongside the Evil Lord’s command, foreshadows escalating conflict.
• World-imposed limits: The purple lightning and the Evil Lord’s remarks establish that supernatural forces are constrained by the world’s shackles.

• The invasion begins: The Undying Evil Lord sends tens or possibly hundreds of thousands of revived skeletons out of the Undying Plains and into Liangshan Territory. Qin Shujian’s sentries raise the alarm, and he orders the stronghold to meet the invasion in battle.
• Liangshan mobilizes: Qin also warns Niu Feng and Zeng Hong to fight the forces entering the Rubble Forest and report any developments. With more than a hundred men already stationed there and casualties from an earlier battle still unrecovered, roughly three hundred bandits remain available at the stronghold. Qin considers them a powerful force: even the weakest are at the sixth layer of Entering Martial.
• The first clashes: At the border, the bandits initially cut down ordinary skeletons with ease. Zhao Shanlin identifies their heads as their weakness and rallies his comrades to target them.
• A stronger enemy emerges: Zhao is ambushed by a Skeleton Knight mounted on a Bone Horse. The knight’s speed and strength suggest it is at least at the seventh, perhaps eighth, level of Martial Entry—far stronger than Liangshan’s intelligence reports indicated. Zhao stands his ground, using evasive footwork and the Hundred Battles Saber Technique he learned through Liangshan’s shared martial-arts resources. More Skeleton Knights arrive, ranging from the sixth to eighth levels, and the bandits begin suffering casualties.
  Character developments and interactions: Qin shifts from anxious anticipation to calm resolve once the invasion begins, confident in Liangshan’s strength but alert to threats on multiple fronts. Zhao proves resourceful and composed: he discovers the skeletons’ weakness, directs other fighters, and adapts his tactics against a formidable opponent. His duel with the Skeleton Knight marks a turning point from an easy defense to a genuinely dangerous battle.
  Themes: The chapter emphasizes preparation and collective defense, while showing how unexpected enemy strength can overturn confident assessments. Liangshan’s shared training and growing power give its fighters an advantage, but the arrival of elite enemies makes clear that numbers and strength alone may not prevent losses.

Plot and key events

• The Demon Calamity resurrects fallen bandits as undead, who attack their former comrades. Nearly half the border bandits are already dead when Qin Shujian arrives; Zhao Shanlin has slain a Skeleton Knight but is badly wounded.
• Qin and his men join the battle. Qin’s Dao-entry Black Tiger Saber Technique destroys undead souls, making him especially effective against the skeletons. He kills a Skeleton Knight with one strike, then wipes out every skeleton within a hundred feet with a powerful saber attack.
• The undead army continues advancing despite its losses, so the Liangshan fighters return to battle. Meanwhile, the Undying Evil Lord senses thousands of soul flames extinguished and decides to investigate the powerful opponent, whom he calls a “future general.”

Character developments and interactions

• Qin Shujian displays overwhelming strength and confidence, while recognizing that those killed by the Demon Calamity are permanently lost—not like bandits slain by players, who can revive. He views the undead invasion as a direct threat to his territory.
• Zhao Shanlin, injured after a desperate victory, welcomes Qin’s reinforcements and urges the bandits to fight on.
• Zheng Fang and the other bandits are awed by Qin’s ability, with Zheng wondering whether the gulf in power comes from Qin’s higher cultivation level. They set aside their surprise and resume fighting.
• The Undying Evil Lord shifts from curiosity to concern as the scale of his army’s losses becomes clear, and prepares to confront or assess the force responsible.

Significant themes

• The cost of war: Deaths caused by the Demon Calamity are irreversible, raising the stakes for Qin and his people.
• Power and its limits: Qin’s refined technique and immense reserves let him annihilate large numbers of enemies, leaving others struggling to explain the gap in strength.
• Escalating conflict: The undead invasion has drawn the attention of its ruler, setting up a direct encounter between Qin and the Undying Evil Lord.

Key events

• Qin Shujian uses the Dao-level Black Tiger Saber Technique and his newly comprehended saber intent to cut through the skeleton army, preventing it from advancing into Liangshan.
• The Undying Evil Lord appears, strengthens the undead with his presence, and recognizes Qin as a rare fighter who has reached the martial entry limit.
• The Evil Lord offers Qin immortality, power, and command of the undead if he submits. His words carry a bewitching influence, but Qin breaks it with his saber intent and identifies him as the source of the demon calamity.
• Qin attacks, and the two fight in a prolonged, high-speed duel. Although the Evil Lord initially forces Qin back, Qin’s skill and resistance keep the fight closely contested.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin Shujian displays confidence, discipline, and formidable ability, combining immense physical strength, azure true qi, saber intent, and advanced movement. He refuses the Evil Lord’s offer without hesitation.
• The Undying Evil Lord reveals both his ambition and arrogance: he sees Qin as a valuable potential undead servant and offers submission only once, then attacks when refused. He is surprised by Qin’s saber intent and strength.
• Xu Yuanming and Zheng Fang witness the duel while fighting the skeletons. Xu is astonished by the combatants’ speed; Zheng recognizes his own Five Elements Eight Trigrams Step in Qin’s movements and realizes Qin has surpassed his mastery.

Significant themes

• Freedom versus domination: The Evil Lord promises power and eternal life, but frames obedience as “purification”; Qin rejects the offer and fights for himself.
• Limits and exceptional strength: The Mortal Domain constrains even powerful beings, yet Qin’s martial-entry-limit cultivation and saber intent let him challenge an ancient Evil Fiend.
• Mastery and surpassing one’s teacher: Qin’s use of Zheng Fang’s technique shows how a student can carry a teaching beyond its original master.

Key plot points and events

• Qin Shujian upgrades the Five Elements Eight Trigrams Step to Heaven-Man Unity, spending several hundred life-source points. His speed more than doubles, letting him surprise the Undying Evil Lord and land a powerful blow with Thousand Mountain Blood.
• Both fighters are badly strained. Qin’s blood and qi are running low, but he has more than seven thousand life-source points available. The Undying Evil Lord recognizes that killing Qin would cost him too much, so he retreats through a blood-red ring, warning that he will kill Qin when they meet again.
• The Demon Calamity’s skeletons withdraw with their master. Qin stops his men from pursuing, orders the wounded treated and guards posted, then leads a group to check the Rubble Forest.
• The calamity has already retreated there as well. The Hall of Piercing Clouds and Hall of Martial Might have lost nearly half their strength, and Niu Feng and Zeng Hong were badly injured. Qin returns to Liangshan after sending help to the two halls.

Character developments

• Qin reveals both tactical growth and composure: he uses his newly mastered movement skill to challenge a vastly dangerous foe, conceals his fatigue, and chooses caution over pursuit.
• The Undying Evil Lord’s confidence is shaken. He still regards martial-entry fighters as insignificant, but accepts that Qin is too costly to kill while he remains injured.
• Qin becomes more conscious of the gap between Liangshan and the Demon Calamity, making him more receptive to Gu Feng’s earlier proposal to form an alliance.

Significant themes

• Strength and limits: Even great reserves and skill cannot erase the danger posed by a stronger enemy or prolonged combat.
• Strategic restraint: Qin values survival and future preparation over a reckless pursuit or costly victory.
• Unity against a greater threat: The devastation suffered by the two halls underscores the need for cooperation against the Demon Calamity.

Character interactions

• The Undying Evil Lord and Qin exchange blows and threats, with the Evil Lord withdrawing rather than risk worsening his injuries.
• Zhao Shanlin praises Qin, and the bandits join in; Qin accepts the acclaim lightly before directing them back to their duties.
• Qin orders his forces not to pursue the retreating enemy and sends some men to support the two battered halls.

Summary

The author announces the book’s move to paid chapters and thanks editor Sheng Xia for securing a Three Rivers recommendation and a featured promotion, which helped the book complete its new-release campaign. It is the author’s first Three Rivers recommendation, and they hope the launch will bring strong initial subscriptions.
The author lays out bonus-chapter rewards tied to subscriptions, monthly votes, and reader tips, with additional rewards for Silver and Gold Alliance tips. They also share that they recently lost their job and feel uncertain about whether to seek new work or write full-time, while worrying about the financial pressure of relying on writing.

Character and interaction notes

This is an author’s personal announcement rather than a story chapter, so it contains no fictional plot or character development. The author addresses readers directly, asks for their support through subscriptions, votes, and tips, and promises to work hard to meet bonus targets. They mention having more than 100,000 characters prepared and say 37 paid-release chapters—nearly 120,000 characters—have already been posted.

Significant themes

• Support and reciprocity: Reader engagement is linked to bonus chapters and the author’s commitment to produce more.
• Ambition and pressure: The author hopes to make the book’s launch successful but is anxious about financial stability.
• Work and dedication: They emphasize their stockpile, writing capacity, and willingness to push themselves to deliver frequent updates.

Plot and key events

• Gu Feng arrives at Liangshan Stronghold with a caravan, expecting to find devastation after the Demon Calamity. Instead, he learns that Qin Shujian repelled it and even fought the Undying Evil Lord, the Evil Fiend behind the calamity.
• Impressed by Qin’s strength, Gu Feng recruits Liangshan’s help for a coordinated assault. The Chengyun Trading Company and allied forces plan to attack the spreading calamity at noon the following day, with Liangshan striking from another direction.
• Gu Feng’s supplies are inventoried: 500 ninth-rank Whiteblade Sabers, 500 sets of protective Blue Robes and Iron Armor, ordinary clothing, and enough grain for 1,000 people for six months. The equipment greatly improves Liangshan’s fighters.
• Meanwhile, the calamity advances toward Flying Leaf City, destroying villages and killing thousands. City Lord Zhang Baicheng orders his 13,000 troops to hold it back, though he doubts they can succeed alone.
• Gu Feng arrives in Flying Leaf City with thirteen high-level experts and coordinates its defense with Zhang. The city prepares to join the broader offensive.
• Liangshan reports heavy losses: nearly 200 of its 500-plus veteran fighters have died. Qin distributes the new weapons and armor, then announces that Liangshan will attack the Undying Plains at noon the next day.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin Shujian is increasingly recognized as a powerful leader: he calmly reveals that he faced the Undying Evil Lord, accepts responsibility for Liangshan’s losses, and turns grief into a planned counterattack.
• Gu Feng shifts from concern for Liangshan to admiration and confidence in Qin. He sees Qin’s strength as a major factor in the coalition’s chances and acts as the key organizer between Liangshan, Flying Leaf City, and allied factions.
• Zhang Baicheng is stern and patriotic, demanding that his generals defend the city, but privately recognizes how vulnerable Flying Leaf City is. Gu Feng’s arrival and reputation give him renewed confidence.
• Zhang Tieniu voices the bandits’ anger over their fallen comrades and urges retaliation. Xu Yuanming cautiously questions the attack’s risk, but accepts Qin’s explanation that the assault is coordinated rather than impulsive.
• Zheng Fang helps manage the supplies and report the losses, supporting Qin’s efforts to rebuild the stronghold’s fighting force.

Significant themes

• Leadership and reputation: Qin’s proven strength changes how other factions assess Liangshan, while the Chengyun Trading Company’s standing helps rally support.
• Collective resistance: The calamity is too dangerous for isolated forces; survival depends on coordinated action among Liangshan, Flying Leaf City, and regional allies.
• The cost of conflict and resolve: Liangshan’s severe casualties underscore the price of fighting, but the deaths strengthen the bandits’ determination to retaliate.
• Preparation and adaptation: New weapons, armor, supplies, and alliances restore confidence and help transform the defenders from a vulnerable stronghold into a more capable force.

• Battle begins: A vast Demon Calamity—an advancing mass of undead skeletons, mounted Skeleton Knights, and giant skeletal creatures—marches toward Flying Leaf City’s army, corrupting the land and killing vegetation. Commander Hong Bin steadies his uneasy soldiers by invoking Great Zhao’s long record of defeating such threats. Though he understands the danger, retreat is impossible under Zhang Baicheng’s orders, and his old battle spirit returns.
• The army’s defense: Hong Bin waits until the enemy is close before ordering three thousand archers to fire ten volleys. Thousands of skeletons fall, but arrows rarely stop them: only the destruction of their soul flames is fatal, and the undead keep advancing. At half a li, the infantry draws blades and charges. The two forces collide in a brutal melee.
• Reinforcements join: Chang Sheng leads more than a thousand members of the Hundred Victories Gang into battle on the right flank, while another force attacks from the left. Gu Feng and Zhang Baicheng remain behind with the archers, keeping powerful fighters in reserve in case the still-unseen evil fiend appears. More than a dozen martial-entry tenth-level experts ride into the fighting, inflicting heavy losses.
• Hong Bin and Chang Sheng in combat: Hong Bin fights at the front, destroying a giant skeleton and then killing a powerful Skeleton Knight by piercing its soul flame. When more Knights target him, he faces them without fear. Chang Sheng urges his fighters to aim for skeletons’ heads, but recognizes that the Gang would likely be overwhelmed without the city army taking the brunt of the attack.
• Character developments and interactions: Hong Bin shifts from disciplined restraint to fierce, confident leadership, protecting his soldiers as their commander. Chang Sheng fights partly because the Trading Company’s promise leaves him little choice, but also because he understands that the Calamity could eventually threaten his Gang. Zhang Baicheng is grimly determined, while Gu Feng confidently assures him the threat will be defeated and asks the experts to help.
• Themes and outcome: The chapter emphasizes courage, military duty, cooperation among rival or independent forces, and the shared danger that makes resistance necessary. It also stresses the overwhelming scale of the Demon Calamity: even elite martial-entry tenth-level fighters cannot overcome its seemingly endless numbers, and the battle remains unresolved.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• The Bull Demon Lord leads a huge beast horde toward the Demon Calamity. Wang Hu meets them at the Rubble Forest and guides them through the cleared route on Qin Shujian’s orders.
• Once the beasts have passed, Qin gathers more than three hundred Liangshan Stronghold fighters and leads them into the Undying Plains to confront the Calamity. The expected skeletons are initially nowhere to be seen, suggesting they have gone elsewhere to attack.
• In his valley, the Undying Evil Lord responds to the invasion by empowering five skeletons with dark-red crystals, then spreads his remaining demonic mist through the ground, raising buried bones across the plains.
• The Bull Demon Cave’s beasts and Liangshan’s forces both meet the revived undead and enter battle. The Bull Demon Lord discovers that a black skeleton can wound him despite his formidable defenses.
• Qin Shujian faces two unusually powerful black skeletons. Though they attack quickly, his superior cultivation, saber technique, and footwork let him overwhelm them and destroy one.
• At Flying Leaf City, the army continues to resist the Calamity through rotating exhausted soldiers out of the line. Its numbers remain stubbornly high, and every living creature it kills can be corrupted and added to its ranks. The chapter ends as an unexplained streak of black light flashes across the battlefield.

Character developments and interactions

• Wang Hu feels intimidated by the Bull Demon Lord and his enormous horde, but steadies himself by remembering his position and confidently carries out Qin’s instructions. The Bull Demon Lord accepts Liangshan’s assistance and offers thanks to Qin.
• Qin Shujian takes the initiative in coordinating Liangshan and the Bull Demon Cave against the Calamity. He remains confident when confronted by powerful skeletons, relying on his proven strength rather than underestimating the danger.
• The Bull Demon Lord is eager to test his recently increased strength, but his wound from the black skeleton makes him recognize that the Calamity includes opponents at his level.
• The Undying Evil Lord shows the scale of his power—and its cost—by creating elite undead and reviving buried skeletons, though the effort visibly weakens him.
• Gu Feng and Zhang Baicheng reflect on the Calamity’s frightening nature. Zhang explains that its ability to turn the dead into new enemies makes it grow with every battle and devastates soldiers’ morale.

Significant themes

• A self-reinforcing enemy: The Calamity grows through the deaths it causes, making delay increasingly dangerous.
• The psychological cost of war: Soldiers must fight former comrades who have been corrupted, leaving little room for hesitation or mercy.
• Leadership and cooperation: Qin’s planning brings the Liangshan fighters and Bull Demon Cave forces into a united defense.
• Power and its limits: Individual strength matters, but even powerful fighters can be threatened by the Calamity’s elite creatures.

Plot points and events

• Qin Shujian’s forces battle the skeleton hordes in the Undying Plains. Two exceptionally fast black skeletons ambush the fighters, killing one expert and forcing Hong Bin and Chang Sheng to defend themselves.
• Qin leads the assault, cutting down thousands of undead with his saber intent, which destroys their soul flames. His bandits fight effectively with their improved equipment and rotate through a defensive formation to recover their strength.
• The Undying Evil Lord suddenly intervenes. He offers Qin a chance to surrender his soul in exchange for becoming the Mortal Domain’s Domain Lord.
• Qin refuses the offer and jokingly invites the Evil Lord to become a hall master at Liangshan Stronghold instead. The Evil Lord attacks, and the two clash.
• Seated on a Bone Throne, the Evil Lord declares himself invincible within his domain, empowering the skeletons around him. Qin counters his overwhelming aura with the will behind his saber technique, breaks his protective barrier, but is then blasted back by the Evil Lord’s palm strike.
• Qin immediately resumes the attack, unleashing a barrage of saber strikes. Though the Evil Lord is much stronger here than in their previous encounter, Qin resolves to kill him before he can recover further.

Character developments

• Qin Shujian demonstrates confidence, defiance, and strategic resolve. He recognizes the Evil Lord’s increased power but chooses to press the attack rather than retreat, seeing him as a future threat to Liangshan.
• The Undying Evil Lord reveals both his ambition and his limits: he wants to use Qin’s talent for his plans, yet remains bound by the restrictions placed on evil fiends. His confidence in his domain’s power turns the fight into a direct contest of wills.
• Hong Bin and Chang Sheng prove capable and composed against the black skeletons, though both recognize the danger they pose.
• Niu Feng and the other bandits work as a coordinated force, adapting to fatigue with rotating shifts.

Significant themes

• Defiance against apparent supremacy: Qin rejects the Evil Lord’s claim of invincibility and challenges it with his own resolve.
• Power and its limits: The Evil Lord is extraordinarily strong in his domain, but his status as an evil fiend still binds him; Qin’s human physical limits, meanwhile, have been pushed to their peak.
• Preparation and cooperation: Qin’s saber intent makes him especially effective against undead, while the bandits’ equipment and rotation system help them endure a battle of attrition.
• Striking before a threat grows: Qin decides that confronting the Evil Lord now is safer than allowing him time to regain strength.

Character interactions

• The black skeletons ambush the allied fighters, prompting Hong Bin and Chang Sheng to defend themselves against near-peer opponents.
• Qin leads and protects his troops while they fight and recover in turns.
• The Evil Lord attempts to recruit Qin by offering him power; Qin counters with a playful invitation to join Liangshan.
• Their exchange quickly becomes a clash of convictions: the Evil Lord asserts dominion over his territory, while Qin answers with a direct challenge and attacks.

Plot points and events

• Qin Shujian’s exceptionally deep reserves let him unleash a devastating saber technique against the Undying Evil Lord. The attack destroys the Bone Throne and damages the Lord’s bone armor, but Qin receives no sign that he has defeated him.
• The Evil Lord dismisses Qin’s chances of having much strength left. Qin answers with a sudden, forceful counterattack, slashing across his throat and further enraging him.
• The Evil Lord summons the demon calamity’s power. Skeletons across the battlefield rapidly weaken as their strength flows to him, forming a black hurricane that blocks Qin’s next attack.
• At Flying Leaf City, Zhang Baicheng recognizes the change and orders the army to destroy the weakened skeletons before the Evil Lord can benefit from them. Gu Feng deduces that the Evil Lord is drawing on the calamity because Qin is threatening him, and urges the city’s strongest fighters to join Qin in the Undying Plains.
• Zhang leaves the army under Yang Yong and Chen Zhong’s command and sets out with Hong Bin. Other tenth-level experts follow. Meanwhile, the Bull Demon Lord’s beastfolk, saved from defeat by the skeletons’ sudden weakening, rally and counterattack.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin Shujian shows both formidable endurance and caution: he presses his advantage but stays alert because he knows the Evil Lord may not be dead. His bold counterattack catches the Lord off guard.
• The Undying Evil Lord shifts from confidence to fury after being wounded. He responds by drawing on the demon calamity, apparently accepting the cost because Qin poses a grave threat.
• Zhang Baicheng puts the broader fight ahead of guarding his position, quickly committing to destroy the calamity and support Qin.
• Gu Feng uses his knowledge of evil fiends and the demon calamity to interpret events and persuade the city’s experts to act.
• The Bull Demon Lord turns the beastfolk’s fear and exhaustion into a renewed assault, choosing to capitalize on the opening rather than dwell on its cause.

Significant themes

• Power has a price: The Evil Lord’s attempt to reclaim the calamity’s power weakens the very skeleton army that sustains it.
• Cooperation against overwhelming threats: Qin’s duel draws the city’s strongest fighters into action, while the army and beastfolk exploit the same opening.
• Caution and decisive action: Qin refuses to assume victory, while Zhang, Gu Feng, and the Bull Demon Lord act quickly once the enemy’s weakness appears.

Plot points and events

• The Undying Evil Lord gathers the demon calamity’s power, draining the remaining skeletons and forming a black hurricane around himself. The transformation makes him a grave threat even to Qin Shujian.
• Qin orders Niu Feng and the Liangshan bandits to retreat rather than face the fiend. The Evil Lord explains that he is absorbing the calamity’s power to overcome Qin, though doing so sacrifices the calamity’s future growth.
• Unable to penetrate the hurricane, Qin spends his accumulated Life Source to rapidly advance the Iron-Forging Technique to its tenth level, gaining Indestructible Body, then raises Flowing Water Force to its tenth level, producing powerful Spiral True Qi.
• The combined power overwhelms Qin’s body and transforms him physically. He unleashes it against the hurricane, splitting it open and interrupting the Evil Lord’s absorption.
• Qin repeatedly strikes the Evil Lord, driving him from the air and forcing him to defend himself. As Qin’s blood and qi continue to surge dangerously, he focuses everything into an increasingly devastating attack, culminating in the manifestation of a dragon-like force along his spine and his most powerful slash yet.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin Shujian shifts from cautious assessment to desperate, all-out combat. He knowingly pushes his body beyond its limits to gain enough strength while preserving the Mortal Domain’s restrictions, and becomes so consumed by the fight that he sees only the need to survive.
• The Undying Evil Lord regains some of his innate power and confidence, but is shocked when Qin suddenly breaks through his defenses and interrupts the absorption.
• Niu Feng and the bandits obey Qin’s order to withdraw, recognizing that the Evil Lord’s aura makes direct combat futile.

Significant themes

• Power at a cost: Qin’s rapid advancement gives him a chance to fight, but risks catastrophic damage to his body.
• Desperation and survival: Both opponents make extreme choices because neither can afford to let the other prevail.
• The danger of accumulated power: The demon calamity’s combined energy creates a qualitative leap in the Evil Lord’s strength, while Qin similarly converts accumulated Life Source into a sudden, perilous surge.
• Limits and restraint: Qin avoids breaking the Mortal Domain’s constraints, knowing that doing so could make the Evil Lord even more dangerous.

Key events

• Qin Shujian reveals that his qi-blood has transformed into a great dragon and delivers a devastating saber strike, killing the Undying Evil Lord. The blow shatters the fiend’s armor and leaves a massive scar in the ground.
• Though exhausted afterward, Qin is astonished that the fiend is truly dead. The system confirms the kill and awards him 10 Fortune points.
• As Qin’s companions prepare for the powerful figures approaching, he chooses to wait and assess them rather than attack.
• Gu Feng arrives with Zhang Baicheng, the lord of Flying Leaf City, and other leaders. They recognize the destruction as evidence of a fierce battle, and Gu Feng introduces Qin as a formidable ally.
• Qin points out the black powder left behind as the Undying Evil Lord’s remains. Gu Feng tests it with a jade pendant; the powder rapidly corrodes it, confirming it is essence-eroding bone powder—the unmistakable trace left when an evil fiend dies.
• The newcomers accept that Qin has slain the nearly immortal fiend responsible for the Demon Calamity. Gu Feng and the others bow in gratitude and respect.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin Shujian demonstrates extraordinary strength, reaching dragon-transformed qi-blood and defeating an enemy others believed could only be sealed. His initial disbelief at the victory gives way to calm caution when new powers approach.
• Gu Feng arrives expecting a joint effort to defeat and reseal the fiend, not kill it. After confirming the remains, he acknowledges Qin’s unprecedented achievement and offers thanks on behalf of the domain.
• Zhang Baicheng explains the significance of the remains and recognizes that Qin’s feat will be remembered for generations.
• Chang Sheng initially doubts Qin’s claim, but the test of the powder and the reactions of Gu Feng and Zhang Baicheng convince him.
• The visiting leaders move from uncertainty to deference, while Qin maintains a measured, courteous manner toward them.

Significant themes

• The limits of conventional power: Within the Mortal Domain, dragon-transformed qi-blood makes Qin nearly invincible.
• Breaking accepted boundaries: Evil fiends were thought almost impossible to kill; Qin’s victory overturns that belief.
• Proof and credibility: The corrosive remains provide material confirmation of an extraordinary claim.
• Respect earned through action: Qin’s reputation and authority grow not through titles, but through the deed of ending the Demon Calamity.

Key plot points and events

• Qin Shujian practices the Seven Leaves Piercing Flowers Palm to burn off his excessive blood qi. Though he reaches consummate mastery, the relief is temporary: his blood qi keeps recovering, and he realizes he must break through the Mortal Domain’s limits or risk his body bursting.
• His attribute panel shows extensive mastery of several tenth-level Mortal Tier manuals, alongside 10 fortune points gained after killing the Undying Evil Lord.
• He learns that fortune points can fuse cultivation manuals beyond their original rank or turn objects into Fortune Treasures. The fusion interface offers uncertain outcomes: combining more compatible manuals improves the odds, but some techniques conflict.
• Qin Shujian commits six compatible manuals—Body Tempering Scripture, Everlasting Spring Technique, Tiger-Subduing Body Tempering Art, Bedrock Technique, Flowing Water Force, and Iron-Forging Technique—and spends three fortune points. The fusion produces an unnamed manual and immediately grants him its twelfth level.
• The breakthrough triggers a thunderclap heard across the Starflare Mortal Domain. Qin’s blood qi converts into true qi, then condenses into blue-green liquid in his dantian. As the transformation continues, he senses unseen shackles descending and sees black threads stretching across the domain.

Character development

• Qin is driven by urgency: his extraordinary blood qi has become a threat as well as a source of strength.
• He is cautious about the fusion’s uncertain probabilities, but ultimately gives in to intuition and risk. His decision marks a willingness to gamble for a greater breakthrough.
• His awareness expands during the breakthrough, allowing him to perceive forces beyond the ordinary sky.

Character interactions

• Qin acts alone in this chapter. The only wider response is that beings across the Starflare Mortal Domain look up at the thunderclap; no other characters directly engage with him.

Significant themes

• Power and its costs: Qin’s immense strength creates a dangerous pressure he must release or surpass.
• Risk versus certainty: He weighs a predictable but limited advance against the uncertain promise of fusion.
• Breaking limits and hidden constraints: The new cultivation level appears to push beyond Mortal Tier boundaries, while the descending shackles and black threads suggest deeper restrictions governing the world.

Key plot points and events

• Qin Shujian realizes the black threads binding the Starflare Mortal Domain are restraints preventing anyone from surpassing Martial Entry. He draws Thousand Mountain Blood and severs them with one strike.
• The restraints’ destruction transforms the domain: spiritual energy floods in, space stabilizes, and new plants emerge. People, beasts, and players throughout the region absorb the energy, with the Liangshan Stronghold at its center.
• After more than an hour, the system announces that the Starflare Mortal Domain has become a True Domain. Qin names it the Liangshan True Domain and receives the Liangshan Domain Lord title, which strengthens his cultivation, defense, offense, and cultivation speed within its borders.
• The system offers Qin the chance to establish a sect. He chooses Liangshan as its foundation, and the mountain rises and becomes larger and more verdant. He names the sect the Origin Sect; the Liangshan Stronghold is renamed, and its bandits become sect members.
• Qin’s subordinates gather and ask what lies beyond Martial Entry. He explains that the next realm is True Martial, in which cultivators condense True Essence. He demonstrates its power by forming an azure palm strike that scatters the clouds above Liangshan.

Character developments

• Qin Shujian advances beyond Martial Entry and becomes the Liangshan True Domain’s favored Domain Lord. He also shifts from leading an outlaw stronghold to founding a sect, though he keeps its base at Liangshan.
• Zheng Fang, Xu Yuanming, and the other followers are awed by Qin’s transformation and newfound power. Their deference grows, and they begin addressing him as Sect Master.
• Zhang Baicheng recognizes that Qin is the likely figure responsible for breaking the domain’s restraints.
• The Bull Demon Lord, beasts, and inhabitants seize the influx of spiritual energy to strengthen themselves.

Significant themes

• Breaking limits: Qin treats the domain’s restraints not as an absolute boundary, but as something to overcome.
• Power and transformation: His breakthrough changes the entire domain and creates new opportunities for its inhabitants.
• Institutional growth: The transition from stronghold to sect marks Liangshan’s evolution into a more established organization.
• Reverence and hierarchy: Qin’s overwhelming power reshapes how his followers relate to him and establishes a new standard of cultivation.

Character interactions

• Qin’s actions indirectly affect everyone in the domain, who respond by absorbing the sudden influx of spiritual energy.
• Zheng Fang corrects himself from “Chief” to “Sect Master,” reflecting the stronghold’s new status and Qin’s elevated position.
• Xu Yuanming asks Qin about the realm beyond Martial Entry, then sees him demonstrate True Martial power firsthand.

Key plot points and events

• After directing Zheng Fang and others to manage the newly advanced Liangshan True Domain, Qin Shujian studies his breakthrough.
• He names his fused cultivation method the Origin Canon and spends 6,000 Life Source points to raise it from Level 12 to Level 13. This boosts its three components—Longevity, Indestructible Body, and Shattering Astral True Essence—and pushes his base realm to True Martial Third Level. His title and faction bonuses raise his effective realm to True Martial Tenth Level.
• Qin reflects on how blood qi and true qi nourish one another, viewing Martial Entry and True Martial cultivation as stages of a unified process. He is satisfied that fusing multiple methods into the Origin Canon yielded greater gains than simply advancing one method.
• News of Liangshan’s advancement spreads. Other powers send people to investigate the new True Domain and its likely Domain Lord.
• Players receive system announcements confirming Qin’s breakthrough, the domain’s advancement, the founding of the Origin Sect, and the opening of Sect Mode. Players can now choose resurrection points and seek sects for better cultivation methods and status.
• The players react with shock and excitement. Many recognize Qin as the feared Liangshan Stronghold Chief who destroyed several Novice Villages, but are relieved that his rise has not brought another attack. They focus instead on finding and joining his sect.
• In the real world, Wang Renbin proposes testing Sect Mode by sending players in Liangshan to join the Origin Sect. He also suggests leaving some high-level players in other Mortal Domains to attempt the first True Martial breakthrough there. His contact approves, while warning that this may hinder their broader development.
• Wang Renbin learns that his organization has made progress with cultivation methods and is eager to return.

Character developments

• Qin Shujian becomes significantly stronger and more confident in his decision to create the Origin Canon. His cultivation advances alongside Liangshan’s rise, establishing him as the new domain’s overwhelmingly powerful leader.
• Wang Renbin shifts from reporting on events to planning how his group can exploit the new systems. The news about cultivation-method research visibly excites him.
• The middle-aged contact remains measured and strategic, approving experimentation while emphasizing its costs.

Significant themes

• Growth through synthesis: Combining cultivation methods proves more powerful than improving a single technique in isolation.
• Mutual cultivation and balance: Blood qi and true qi strengthen each other, reflecting the chapter’s idea that different paths can converge on the same goal.
• Power reshapes society: Qin’s breakthrough transforms not only himself but also the domain, the player experience, and the attention Liangshan receives from outside forces.
• Opportunity and trade-offs: Sect membership and early breakthroughs offer major benefits, but pursuing them may divert resources from other goals.

Character interactions

• Qin dismisses Zheng Fang and the others to focus on his own breakthrough, then privately assesses the results.
• Players discuss Qin’s reputation and the new chance to join the Origin Sect, turning fear of him into cautious interest.
• Wang Renbin consults his middle-aged contact about testing Sect Mode and pursuing breakthroughs in other domains. The contact gives him discretion but stresses the strategic costs, then shares the promising news about cultivation research.

Plot points and events

• Liangshan’s ascension into a True Domain has dramatically enlarged the mountain, destroying the villages at its foot but causing no casualties.
• Qin Shujian learns the Origin Sect has only about 2,200 taels of silver, while rebuilding it properly will cost at least 20,000. He briefly considers robbery, then dismisses it as beneath his new status.
• Gu Feng of the Chengyun Trading Company arrives to meet Qin. He explains that a newly ascended True Domain’s spiritual energy draws in neighboring Mortal Domains; as they later ascend, they will merge into it, expanding the domain and the Origin Sect’s influence.
• Gu Feng offers the Trading Company’s help with the Origin Sect’s construction, framing it as compensation for Qin’s role in defeating the evil fiend and ending the Demon Calamity.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin notices Zheng Fang’s status has changed to “Origin Sect Disciple,” suggesting the old Liangshan Stronghold positions have been replaced by the sect’s structure. He also sees that Zheng’s attributes now resemble his own.
• Qin’s new status as Domain Lord changes how others treat him. Gu Feng approaches him with marked deference and praise, and Qin recognizes the Trading Company is eager to cultivate ties with someone of his power and potential.
• Zheng Fang provides a practical assessment of the sect’s finances and rebuilding needs. Gu Feng, meanwhile, acts as a knowledgeable guide to the wider consequences of domain ascension.
• Qin welcomes Gu Feng’s offer, which conveniently addresses the urgent shortage of funds.

Significant themes

• The burden of leadership: Qin’s growing power and prestige do not eliminate ordinary concerns such as money and construction.
• Influence and reciprocity: Qin’s achievement attracts powerful organizations seeking a relationship with him, while Gu Feng presents assistance as repayment for past service.
• Growth and interdependence: A True Domain’s ascension sets off changes beyond its borders, linking the fortunes of neighboring territories to Liangshan’s rise.
• Status and legitimacy: Qin’s role as Domain Lord commands greater respect than his former position as sect leader.