Chapter Summaries

Qi Wu recognized the Hellhound as an eighth-rank servant of the Goddess of Night and decided it had to be destroyed. When the beast charged the northern end of the defensive line, he teleported Jiang Qingyue and Gale there to reinforce it, where the Hellhound arrived unharmed by the defenders’ shell.

• Qi Wu identified the Hellhound as a dangerous servant of the Goddess of Night and prepared to attack it.
• The Hellhound avoided Qi Wu and charged toward the northern end of the defensive line, prompting Qing Xiaoran to worry that Iron Buddha’s team might not stop it.
• Qi Wu offered to reinforce the northern end and teleported there with Jiang Qingyue and Gale.
• Qi Wu, Jiang Qingyue, and Gale arrived at the northern end as the Hellhound reached the battlefield and shrugged off a shell.
• Qi Wu faced the charging Hellhound and ordered everyone to prepare for battle.

Qi Wu intervened when the Hellhound overwhelmed Iron Buddha and dragged the monster away from the northern defenses with Blue. The Hellhound broke free and prepared a combined attack, while Qi Wu called for two others to join the fight.

• The Hellhound charged the northern defenses, but Iron Buddha stopped it with Iron Bone.
• The Hellhound attacked Iron Buddha and the defensive line with flames and corrosive breath, forcing him to defend them with Vajra Barrier.
• Qi Wu appeared behind the Hellhound and used Blue to drag it away from the defenses.
• The Hellhound broke free by unleashing its power, then gathered all three breath attacks to strike Qi Wu.
• Qi Wu called for two others to attack, and a figure shot forward from behind him.

Gale, Jiang Qingyue, and Iron Buddha worked together to trap and badly wound the Hellhound, but its final beam threatened Gale. Qi Wu blocked the attack and discovered that the hooded Gale was a beautiful girl, leaving him surprised.

• Gale wounded the Hellhound from behind, and Jiang Qingyue collapsed the ground to trap it in a pit.
• Iron Buddha struck the Hellhound's exposed belly while Jiang Qingyue raised stone spears to pin it down, giving Gale a chance to slash its wounded abdomen.
• As the Hellhound gathered a final beam and fired at Gale, Qi Wu appeared and stopped the attack with Limitless.
• Gale's hood fell away, revealing her pale blue hair and delicate face, and Qi Wu blurted out that he had thought she was his bro.

Qi Wu defeated the eighth-rank Hellhound and helped Jiang Qingyue bind it so she could gain its power. Jiang Qingyue acquired Hellfire and demonstrated an explosive new combination with her Earth Ability.

• Gale's hood came off, revealing that she was a woman, and Qi Wu healed her injured leg while teasing her.
• The Hellhound launched three streams of destructive breath, but Qi Wu dispersed them with a casual wave.
• Qi Wu teleported to the Hellhound and knocked it unconscious with a point-blank Red strike.
• At Qi Wu's urging, Jiang Qingyue used Demon-Binding Chains to subdue the Hellhound and draw it into her magic circle.
• Jiang Qingyue gained Hellfire and combined it with her Earth Ability to make a clay bird that exploded on impact.

Qi Wu taught Jiang Qingyue to shout “Art is an explosion” when using her Clay Bomb technique, and her emotional resolve made the attack far more powerful. After celebrating the result, Qi Wu asked Gale why she wore a hood every day.

• Jiang Qingyue showed Qi Wu her Clay Bomb technique, and he taught her to shout “Art is an explosion” while using it.
• Jiang Qingyue felt humiliated as Qi Wu loudly demonstrated the slogan in front of everyone.
• Jiang Qingyue gathered her resolve, shouted the slogan, and launched a Clay Bomb that exploded more powerfully than before.
• Jiang Qingyue excitedly confirmed that the slogan had strengthened her attack, while Gale watched in resignation.
• Qi Wu asked Gale why she wore a hood every day.

After the mission, Qi Wu joked with Gale and discussed the unusual Demon tide with Iron Buddha, warning that spiritual energy revival had begun. He agreed to share his predictions at a meeting chaired by Wolf Team and looked forward to asking about the [Abyssal Grand Prison] check-in location.

• Qi Wu teased Gale about hiding her face, and she grew more comfortable with the team's acceptance.
• Iron Buddha thanked Qi Wu for helping drive back the beast tide and subdue the Hellhound.
• Qi Wu told Iron Buddha that the Demon tide signaled the start of spiritual energy revival and warned it could upend the existing order.
• Iron Buddha said Wolf Team would gather the Nanjiang Bureau captains for a meeting when he returned, and Qi Wu agreed to share his views.
• Qi Wu headed back with Jiang Qingyue and Gale, eager to ask Wolf Team about the [Abyssal Grand Prison] check-in location.

At an emergency meeting, Wolf Team told the Nanjiang Bureau’s senior operatives that high-level Demon incidents were increasing, and Qi Wu predicted spiritual energy revival would begin within two months. Luo Bai challenged Qi Wu’s credibility, and Qi Wu realized Luo Bai saw him as a romantic rival over Feng Yuyao and prepared to retaliate.

• Wolf Team summoned Nanjiang’s A-rank captains and eighth-rank operatives, including Qi Wu, to an emergency meeting.
• Wolf Team reported that high-level Demon incidents had sharply increased and asked Qi Wu to explain his spiritual energy revival theory.
• Qi Wu said a new spiritual energy tide had arrived and predicted that true spiritual energy revival would begin within two months.
• Luo Bai mocked Qi Wu’s prediction and questioned his judgment, arguing that the Bureau’s experts had found no evidence of revival.
• Qi Wu realized Luo Bai was hostile because he believed Qi Wu was Feng Yuyao’s romantic rival, and resolved to put him in his place.

Qi Wu verbally humiliated Luo Bai during the meeting, then learned headquarters had ended his probation and promoted him to an A-rank team captain. After the meeting, Qi Wu asked Wolf Team where the entrance to the Abyssal Grand Prison was, and Wolf Team reacted sharply to the question.

• Qi Wu mocked Luo Bai for attacking him over Feng Yuyao and spiritual energy revival, making Luo Bai furious.
• Luo Bai began releasing spiritual energy to attack Qi Wu, but Wolf Team suppressed him and ordered him to sit down.
• Wolf Team announced that headquarters had ended Qi Wu's probation early and granted him full operative status with the authority and duties of an A-rank team captain.
• Qi Wu asked how much of a raise and overtime pay the promotion included, while Wolf Team assigned patrols, intelligence-sharing procedures, joint-operation plans, and weekly mission requirements.
• After the meeting, Qi Wu privately asked Wolf Team which direction the entrance to the Abyssal Grand Prison was in, and Wolf Team's expression changed.

Qi Wu persuaded Wolf Team to let him visit the Abyssal Grand Prison if he won the bureau-wide Selection Tournament, then encountered the hostile Luo Bai outside the office building. The tournament was a month away, and Luo Bai confronted Qi Wu over becoming an A-rank captain.

• Qi Wu told Wolf Team that a powerful senior had recommended the Abyssal Grand Prison as a place to hone his abilities, but Wolf Team warned that it was deadly and access was restricted.
• Qi Wu repeatedly pressed Wolf Team for permission to visit, and Wolf Team promised to apply to headquarters and take him there if he took first place in the Selection Tournament by defeating every A-rank team.
• Qi Wu accepted the condition eagerly and left to prepare, while Wolf Team wondered whether Qi Wu had a plan and felt both anticipation and foreboding about the tournament.
• Luo Bai blocked Qi Wu outside the office building and accused him of using a trick to become an A-rank captain.
• Qi Wu mocked Luo Bai for confronting him just to show off his anger.

Qi Wu provoked Luo Bai with a reminder of his feelings for Yu Yao, then decided he needed to lead the Salvation Team to first place in the Selection Tournament to gain access to the Abyssal Grand Prison. He began intensive training with Jiang Qingyue and Gale before leaving to take a solo mission.

• Luo Bai threatened to defeat Qi Wu at the Selection Tournament, but Qi Wu taunted him and walked away without fighting.
• Qi Wu realized that winning the Selection Tournament would earn him entry to the Abyssal Grand Prison, so he planned a month of intensive training for the Salvation Team.
• In the Virtual Battlefield, Qi Wu easily defeated Jiang Qingyue and Gale in a sparring match and advised them to improve their battlefield control and subtlety.
• Qi Wu told Jiang Qingyue and Gale to continue training without him while he undertook a solo mission, and they urged him to be careful.

Qi Wu accepted the S-rank mission to eliminate or seal the Red-Clothed Female Ghost in Willow Town, despite warnings that it required an expert or team. He set off alone toward western Nanjiang City, eager to face the demon.

• Qi Wu met Iron Buddha at the mission hall, where Iron Buddha warned him against taking dangerous missions alone.
• Qi Wu selected the S-rank mission about the Red-Clothed Female Ghost, who had caused at least seventeen people to disappear.
• Qi Wu ignored the terminal’s recommendation for teamwork and confirmed that he would take the mission solo.
• Nearby Psychics reacted with shock as Qi Wu left the hall and headed toward Willow Town.

Qi Wu found Wang Xiaoyu, the sole survivor of the Red Moon Theater incident, and learned that a red-clothed woman’s singing could make listeners disappear. After giving Wang money for her mother’s medical bills, he prepared to investigate the theater with Wang as his guide.

• Qi Wu went to Wang Xiaoyu’s apartment building and rescued her from three thugs threatening her over a debt.
• Wang confirmed that she was the Red Moon Troupe survivor, and Qi Wu identified himself as a member of the 749 Bureau.
• Wang recalled that the red-clothed woman sang, and that Auntie Li and Uncle Wang disappeared after hearing her singing.
• Qi Wu gave Wang a 749 Bureau bank card to help pay her mother’s medical bills.
• Wang volunteered to lead Qi Wu to the theater, and he agreed to protect her.

Qi Wu brought Wang Xiaoyu into sealed Willow Town to investigate the S-077 mission, and she guided him toward the theater as he protected her from the town’s supernatural influence. When the theater’s song began and a blood mist rushed toward them, Qi Wu recognized the arrival of a ghost domain.

• Qi Wu used Teleportation to bring Wang Xiaoyu to Willow Town and showed the guard his authorization for the S-077 mission.
• Qi Wu entered the town with Wang Xiaoyu, whose local knowledge helped them navigate the eerie streets.
• Qi Wu expanded his cursed energy to shield Wang Xiaoyu from the town’s oppressive chill and mental whispers.
• Wang Xiaoyu guided Qi Wu through Wish Lane toward the theater and recognized the ominous song that had affected Auntie Li.
• Qi Wu suppressed the song’s influence and spotted the theater across a bridge as a dark red blood mist surged toward them.

Qi Wu overpowered the Red-Clothed Female Ghost’s domain, escorted Wang Xiaoyu out of danger, and returned alone to investigate the ghostly wedding feast. The Red-Clothed Female Ghost appeared onstage, and Qi Wu prepared to face her.

• Qi Wu used Unlimited Void to crush the Red-Clothed Female Ghost’s blood-mist domain and shield Wang Xiaoyu.
• Qi Wu teleported Wang Xiaoyu outside the old town, told a trainee agent to protect her, and suggested that her supernatural ability might be awakening.
• Qi Wu returned to the opera house and walked through the blood mist into a silent wedding feast filled with ghostly guests.
• Qi Wu analyzed the ghost domain’s rules as the curtain opened and the Red-Clothed Female Ghost appeared onstage in bridal attire.

Qi Wu defeated the ghostly wedding guests and uncovered the domain’s rule that assigned intruders the role of groom. He followed the maid into the bridal residence to meet the Red-Clothed Female Ghost and discover what awaited him there.

• The Red-Clothed Female Ghost finished her dance, and hundreds of ghostly guests turned their attention toward Qi Wu.
• Qi Wu identified the domain’s watching rule and annihilated the ghostly guests with the power of Red.
• A ghost maid invited Qi Wu to meet the young lady and share the nuptial cup.
• Qi Wu realized the domain had assigned him the groom’s identity and accepted the invitation.
• The curtain revealed a wedding-decorated traditional building, and Qi Wu entered to see the young lady’s true face.

Qi Wu met the Red-Clothed Female Ghost in her bridal chamber and mocked her makeup until she flew into a rage. As she attacked, his fusion increased to 67%, and he prepared to counter with Domain Expansion: Unlimited Void.

• Qi Wu entered the Red-Clothed Female Ghost’s boudoir, where she tried to seduce him and drain his yang energy.
• The Red-Clothed Female Ghost asked Qi Wu to lift her bridal veil, and he agreed.
• After seeing her face, Qi Wu criticized her century-old makeup and styling.
• The Red-Clothed Female Ghost lost control, transformed into a monstrous form, and lunged at Qi Wu.
• Qi Wu gained 999 provocation points, raising his fusion to 67%, and began Domain Expansion: Unlimited Void.

Qi Wu defeated the Red-Clothed Female Ghost and sealed her inside the red embroidered shoe. When Wang Xiaoyu touched it, her supernatural ability awakened and revealed the ghost’s tragic past.

• Qi Wu used his domain to destroy the Red-Clothed Female Ghost’s Ghost Domain and weaken her.
• Qi Wu sealed the Red-Clothed Female Ghost inside the red embroidered shoe and left the collapsing domain.
• Wang Xiaoyu met Qi Wu outside the Old Theater and asked to examine the shoe.
• Wang Xiaoyu’s supernatural ability awakened, forming a mirror that showed the female ghost’s life, betrayal, and drowning.
• The mirror shattered, and Wang Xiaoyu turned pale and began to fall backward.

Wang Xiaoyu awakened the rare intelligence-type ability Shadow Trace Manifestation and joined the 749 Bureau’s Intelligence Division for training. Qi Wu collected 4,000 contribution points for the Willow Town mission, but his plans to celebrate were interrupted by Gale challenging him after advancing his ability.

• Wang Xiaoyu collapsed after tracing memories from an object, and Qi Wu stabilized her while identifying her ability as Shadow Trace Manifestation.
• Qi Wu warned Wang Xiaoyu that using her ability could strain her mind and arranged for the 749 Bureau to train her.
• Qi Wu brought Wang Xiaoyu to the Intelligence Division, where Liu Xin welcomed her and promised a mentor and training courses.
• Qi Wu collected 4,000 contribution points for completing the Willow Town mission and referring Wang Xiaoyu to the Bureau.
• Gale messaged the Salvation Squad that his ability had advanced and challenged Qi Wu.

Qi Wu tested Gale's newly advanced Blue Steel Flame against his Limitless in a virtual battle, then assessed what she needed to improve. After the training, Jiang Qingyue asked about dessert, and Qi Wu pulled the red Embroidered Shoe from his pocket.

• Qi Wu joined Gale and Jiang Qingyue in Virtual Battlefield Room 7 to test Gale's new ability, Blue Steel Flame, with her Demon-Slaying Blade.
• In a simulated ruined city, Gale's flames began burning at Qi Wu's Limitless, but he repelled her attack with a precise application of Red.
• Qi Wu explained that Gale needed greater spiritual power and stronger, sustained output to break through his defense.
• Gale and Qi Wu continued fighting for two hours, leaving Gale exhausted while Qi Wu advised her to improve her control and balance her bursts with sustained power.
• Jiang Qingyue asked Qi Wu to buy her a strawberry-chocolate crêpe, and Qi Wu took the red Embroidered Shoe from his pocket.

Jiang Qingyue permanently sealed the Red-Clothed Female Ghost with her Demon God Curse Mark and gained the new ability Netherflame Absorption. Qi Wu praised her and took her for crepes, while the exhausted Gale was left asking to come along.

• Jiang Qingyue used the Demon-Binding Chains to seal the eighth-rank demon inside the Embroidered Shoe, enduring its struggles for nearly ten minutes.
• The Embroidered Shoe turned to ash in Qi Wu's hand, and he sensed that the Red-Clothed Female Ghost had been contained inside Jiang Qingyue's Demon God Curse Mark.
• Jiang Qingyue discovered that she had gained Netherflame Absorption, which converted resentment and spiritual power into ghost fire that could attack souls and strengthen her abilities.
• Qi Wu praised Jiang Qingyue and offered to buy her strawberry-and-chocolate crepes with double cream.
• Jiang Qingyue followed Qi Wu out of the Training Ground as Gale weakly called after them and asked for double crepes, too.