Chapter Summaries

Lu Changsheng fought Zheng Tu through an exhausting battle, outlasting his opponent before Zheng Tu triggered the underground palace’s collapse. Lu Changsheng survived the falling rocks but was trapped beneath the ruins and began digging toward the surface.

• Lu Changsheng and Zheng Tu fought fiercely for hours in the underground chamber.
• Zheng Tu swallowed Bloodthirsty Orbs to boost his strength, while Lu Changsheng used the Blood Burning Secret Art and Source Energy Points to keep fighting.
• As Zheng Tu’s essence blood ran out, he unleashed a powerful final slash and activated a mechanism that caused the underground palace to collapse.
• Zheng Tu died beneath the falling rocks, and Wei Rong and the others were crushed in the collapse.
• Lu Changsheng endured the cave-in with his defenses but became trapped under massive rocks, so he began digging with the Pig-Slaughtering Blade.

Lu Changsheng returned from a dangerous mission, gained renown while leading more operations against the Scent Worship Cult, and raised his Overlord Blade to consummate mastery. After the county yamen and Demon Suppression Department received a lead on Du Ling’s whereabouts, he learned that powerful experts might join the operation.

• Lu Changsheng dug out from underground and returned to the Demon Suppression Department, where he reported the mission and saw that many martial artists had not returned.
• Over the next ten-odd days, Lu Changsheng led five missions against Scent Worship Cult strongholds, suffered casualties, and earned a reputation for his blade techniques.
• Lu Changsheng spent 160 Source Energy Points to raise the Overlord Blade to consummate mastery, then demonstrated its increased power by splitting a falling leaf with a precise strike.
• After another ten days of searching for Du Ling, Lu Changsheng arrived at the Demon Suppressor office and heard Yue Shulan say that there was news about where Du Ling was being held.
• Yue Shulan warned Lu Changsheng that Deputy Hall Master-level experts or Black Armored Army commander Wei Shaoxuan might take part in the operation, and he thanked her for the reminder.

Lu Changsheng joined a force led by Wei Shaoxuan to rescue Du Ling from Fulong Manor, where they fought the Black Mountain Bandits and the Scent Worship Cult. After the enemy retreated and searches of the manor’s underground cells failed to find Du Ling, Lu Changsheng opened another chamber at the far end.

• Qin Ruobing announced that whoever found Du Ling first would receive a High-tier Secret Technique, and the Demon Suppression Department’s martial artists gathered with Wei Shaoxuan’s Black Armored Army.
• Wei Shaoxuan led the combined force out of the county city and surrounded Fulong Manor after several days of travel.
• Liu Shiqi and Wei Zhongyuan confronted the rescuers, and Wei Shaoxuan fought both while the two forces clashed.
• Liu Shiqi ordered a retreat, and Wei Shaoxuan sent his people to search the manor for Du Ling instead of pursuing them.
• Lu Changsheng searched several underground chambers, then cut a chain and opened a cover in the manor’s far corner.

Lu Changsheng rescued Du Ling and other captives, but a warning suggested one of the women carried an unknown energy field. He accepted a secret technique from Du Wentao and began learning Three-Fold Wave, while Du Wentao hoped Lu Changsheng would grow stronger and continued searching for his missing sister.

• Lu Changsheng freed Du Ling and the other prisoners, then noticed a warning that an unknown energy field was among the women.
• Lu Changsheng suspected Du Ling might have been tampered with but chose not to investigate or report her without evidence.
• Two days later, Du Wentao praised Lu Changsheng and gave him a wooden box containing a secret technique.
• After Lu Changsheng left, Du Wentao and a man in white discussed his potential, and Du Wentao wondered whether his missing younger sister was well.
• Lu Changsheng recorded the Three-Fold Wave manual and judged it a powerful technique that could strengthen him considerably.

Lu Changsheng learned that the massacre of County Magistrate Du Wentao’s family was tied to his sister’s romance with a man connected to the Black Mountain Bandits, then investigated a suspicious death on West Street. The chapter ended with him examining a man who appeared to have died without injuries, wearing a strange smile of satisfaction.

• Lu Changsheng cultivated at home while a red-robed woman ordered her subordinate to tend to the spirit seed inside Du Ling, confident her plan could proceed unseen.
• Lu Changsheng met Yue Shulan, who told him the County Magistrate’s family had been killed after Du Wentao arranged the death of his sister’s lover, a man rumored to be a chieftain’s illegitimate son.
• Yue Shulan said Du Wentao’s sister had disappeared after the massacre, leaving her fate unknown.
• After several quiet days, Lu Changsheng was asked to investigate strange incidents on West Street and went with a constable to a private residence.
• Lu Changsheng examined a corpse with no visible wounds and a faint, satisfied smile, leaving him wondering whether the man had died from pleasure.

Lu Changsheng investigated a string of mysterious deaths and discovered that a Scent Worship Cult Protector was draining men to cultivate a spirit seed for Du Ling. He killed Ye Yuzhen, but the Venerable Master ordered a Bone Forging expert to target him.

• Lu Changsheng learned that several men had died in the same way, and the Demon Suppression Department assigned him to investigate the killings.
• Ye Yuzhen lured lecherous men into her room, drained them, and sent a black cat to deliver a pink pearl to Du Ling.
• Lu Changsheng traced the victims' shared vice to Joyful Street and confronted Ye Yuzhen there.
• Lu Changsheng killed Ye Yuzhen with his Pig-Slaughtering Blade and learned she was a wanted Scent Worship Cult Protector.
• The Venerable Master learned of Ye Yuzhen's death and ordered a Bone Forging expert to go after Lu Changsheng.

Lu Changsheng survived an assassination attempt by a Scent Worship Cult Bone Forging expert while patrolling the Cang River and reported the attack to Qin Ruobing. After waiting at home and gathering enough Source Energy Points, he perfected the Nine Spiral Transformations.

• Lu Changsheng patrolled the Cang River and was ambushed by a masked elderly woman wielding a sword.
• Lu Changsheng countered her attack, used the Nine Spiral Transformations to escape her reach, and watched her flee into the river as Black Armored Army soldiers arrived.
• The failed assassin reported to the red-robed Venerable Master, who ordered her to receive punishment.
• Lu Changsheng reported the assassination attempt to Qin Ruobing, who promised to discuss it with the County Magistrate.
• After three days of searching for Fire Crystals, Lu Changsheng spent 200 Source Energy Points and perfected the Nine Spiral Transformations.

After his movement technique reached the transcendent realm, Lu Changsheng joined the Demon Suppression Department’s citywide purge of the Scent Worship Cult. He led a team through the western city, killing cultists at multiple strongholds.

• Lu Changsheng tested his newly transcendent movement technique and found that it produced sixteen afterimages and surpassed Bone Forging experts in speed.
• Qin Ruobing ordered teams led by official Demon Suppressors to purge assigned areas of the city, and Lu Changsheng received the western district.
• Lu Changsheng set out with Tian Ziying, Yan Ziqian, and Yan Ziqiang, then killed a tavern proprietor identified by intelligence as connected to the Scent Worship Cult.
• Four cultists emerged from the tavern and tried to flee, but Lu Changsheng cut them down before they could escape.
• Lu Changsheng led his three teammates through several more Scent Worship Cult strongholds, killing large numbers of Muscle Refining martial artists as their respect for him grew.

Lu Changsheng perfected the Tiger Roar Golden Bell Shield and continued investigating the Scent Worship Cult while secretly building his strength. After tracking a suspicious pattern near the County Magistrate’s residence, he confronted Hu Yuhe at a cult operation in the eastern city.

• A red-clad woman ordered the Scent Worship Cult’s remaining strongholds to hide their activities while she pursued an item in the county yamen’s treasury.
• Lu Changsheng’s swift blade earned him renown in Changping County, and he spent the following weeks practicing martial arts and mining for Source Energy Points.
• Lu Changsheng used Source Energy Points to perfect the Tiger Roar Golden Bell Shield, whose defense withstood his blade and appeared strong enough to resist most early Bone Forging martial artists.
• After observing a black cat repeatedly enter and leave the County Magistrate’s residence, Lu Changsheng followed clues to cultists draining men’s essence to nourish an evil spirit.
• Lu Changsheng approached a house in the eastern city, where Hu Yuhe appeared and challenged him, sensing that he was a dangerous Bone Forging expert.

Lu Changsheng killed Hu Yuhe and several Scent Worship Cult martial artists, then perfected Three-Fold Wave and prepared to break through to Bone Forging. Controlling the Pangolin and the Blazing Fire Ant colony, he defeated four Scorpion Kings and continued sweeping the volcano crater for Fire Crystals.

• Lu Changsheng killed Hu Yuhe in three moves, then killed two more Muscle Refining martial artists from the Scent Worship Cult before returning home near dawn.
• After secretly investigating for over ten days, Lu Changsheng raised Three-Fold Wave to mastery and found it could temporarily increase his strength by about fifty percent.
• Lu Changsheng controlled the Blazing Fire Ant colony to sweep toward the volcano crater, collecting Intermediate Fire Crystals and raising his Source Energy Points to 130.
• A huge Fire Armored Scorpion swarm attacked, and Lu Changsheng used Soul Strike to kill two of its four Scorpion Kings before defeating the other two in close combat.
• The surviving scorpions retreated, and Lu Changsheng gathered their corpses for the ant larvae before leading the colony onward to excavate another large deposit of Fire Crystals.

Lu Changsheng gathered Fire Crystals in the crater, then spent five hundred Source Energy Points to create the top-tier Silver Arm Technique and broke through to Bone Forging. He began striking the Scent Worship Cult’s plans in Changping County, but after a series of successful ambushes, a Blood Exchange powerhouse forced him to flee.

• Lu Changsheng explored the crater with his ant army, gathering Fire Crystals until he had 600 Source Energy Points and preparing to cultivate the colony further.
• Lu Changsheng fused his Muscle Refining martial arts into the Silver Arm Technique, spent 500 Source Energy Points, and raised his strength to roughly a hundred thousand jin.
• After familiarizing himself with his breakthrough, Lu Changsheng disguised himself and killed two Bone Forging members of the Scent Worship Cult during a night raid.
• Lu Changsheng continued ambushing cult members every few days, remaining undetected until Wei Zhongyuan appeared and pursued him across the rooftops.
• Lu Changsheng escaped Wei Zhongyuan and returned to his courtyard, suspecting the cult had hidden forces and a secret route outside the city.

Lu Changsheng devastated the Three Rivers Gang’s trade convoys, killing Hall Master Wang Yong and forcing the gang to close its route to the prefectural city. After more than half a year of hunting threats around the county, he fused his remaining skills and gained three new cultivation arts, leaving him stronger as the martial world grew more chaotic.

• Lu Changsheng ambushed Three Rivers Gang convoys and killed Liao Ziqin and Wang Yong despite their attempt to trap him.
• Lu Changsheng continued attacking the gang’s convoys, prompting it to close the trade route to the prefectural city.
• Over the next half year, Lu Changsheng patrolled the county and killed demons, evil creatures, Scent Worship Cult martial artists, and Black Mountain Bandits.
• Fang Qing warned Lu Changsheng that demon men had attacked neighboring Clearwater County, and he reassured her that he would be careful.
• Lu Changsheng fused his blade, movement, and defensive arts, creating Profound Origin Chop, Giant Cauldron Art, and Cloud Mist Steps, and raised Three-Fold Wave to consummate mastery.

Lu Changsheng joined four other Demon Suppressors to investigate the disappearance of Guokou Village, only to find it hidden within a Calamity Domain. The village’s apparent chief, Liu Jingshu, revealed a bizarre marriage rule, leaving the team trapped with an ominous choice.

• Qin Ruobing told Lu Changsheng that he could take an assessment for promotion to Profound-rank Demon Suppressor, and he accepted.
• Lu Changsheng met Chen Qiushi, Zhu Zhiquan, Zhao Qinhong, and Zhao Bin, and the team traveled to investigate Guokou Village’s disappearance.
• The team found only empty mountains where the village should have been, then entered a forest and were transported into a Calamity Domain containing Guokou Village.
• Liu Jingshu introduced herself as the village chief, survived Zhu Zhiquan’s attack, and summoned a group of red-clad brides.
• Liu Jingshu told each of the five men to choose a bride, marry her, and consummate the marriage within fifteen days to earn the right to leave.

Lu Changsheng distrusted Liu Jingshu’s account of the bride-selection rules but let Chen Qiushi and the others choose their brides. He chose Liu Jingshu herself, followed her to a prepared cottage, and withstood her attack, leaving her to try another approach.

• Chen Qiushi and the others agreed to choose brides and asked what love between a man and a woman was.
• After the brides answered, Chen Qiushi and the others selected women they believed might be human, while Lu Changsheng concluded every bride on the platform was a Specter.
• Lu Changsheng chose Liu Jingshu as his bride, and she accepted before taking him to a thatched cottage.
• Liu Jingshu tried to claw out Lu Changsheng’s heart, but his Giant Cauldron Art shielded him from her attack.
• Liu Jingshu offered Lu Changsheng tea and then asked whether he wanted to hear her story.

Lu Changsheng learned more about Liu Jingshu’s past and the ancient conflict between humanity and demons while his teammates waited until the final day to test the Ghost Bride’s curse. Chen Qiushi and the others were killed after consummating their marriages, leaving Lu Changsheng alone as he headed to retrieve their Record Stones.

• Liu Jingshu recounted her life in the Divine Capital and speculated that the Divine Emperor had lost a battle against the demons, while Lu Changsheng explained that the Heavenly Demon Sect was a human traitor organization she had refused to join.
• Chen Qiushi and his teammates each waited for the others to test their brides, while Lu Changsheng noticed that the village’s energy readings increased as he walked west.
• On the final night, Chen Qiushi consummated his marriage with Qing He, who revealed herself as a Ghost Bride, killed him, and absorbed his body.
• The Ghost Bride also swallowed Zhu Zhiquan and the others, leaving Lu Changsheng as the only survivor of the team.
• Lu Changsheng ignored Liu Jingshu’s advances and went to retrieve his teammates’ Record Stones.

Lu Changsheng escaped the Calamity Domain after destroying the stone stele tied to Liu Jingshu, then reported his mission and used his stored energy to advance the Silver Arm Technique. As the county grew uneasy over his return as the only survivor, the Chen Family began plotting around his impending promotion.

• Lu Changsheng collected the dead martial artists’ belongings and Record Stones, then resisted Liu Jingshu’s attack and reached the hut containing two top-grade Soul Stones and a cyan stone stele.
• Lu Changsheng absorbed the Soul Stones, shattered the stele, and escaped into the forest as the village vanished; Liu Jingshu watched him leave and vowed they would meet again.
• Lu Changsheng returned to the county and told Qin Ruobing about the mission, and she praised him for taking the Record Stone as protection against trouble at his promotion ceremony.
• Lu Changsheng spent 200 Source Energy Points to raise the Silver Arm Technique to Minor Mastery, bringing his strength to Bone Forging perfection.
• Two figures in the Chen Family discussed Lu Changsheng’s return as the sole survivor and his upcoming advancement to the main hall.

Lu Changsheng’s promotion ceremony was interrupted by a Chen Family martial artist accusing him of responsibility for four deaths, but Lu exposed the men’s disgraceful conduct with a Record Stone and was promoted to Profound-rank Demon Suppressor. He kept a low profile afterward as the Scent Worship Cult remained quiet and continued sending black cats to the County Magistrate’s residence.

• Lu Changsheng received notice of his promotion and spent Source Energy Points to advance Profound Origin Chop to Minor Mastery.
• At Lu Changsheng’s promotion ceremony, a Chen Family martial artist questioned why he alone had returned from the mission, prompting the crowd to suspect him.
• Lu Changsheng played Chen Qiushi’s Record Stone, revealing the four men’s conduct during the mission and silencing the accusation.
• Qin Ruobing dismissed the objections, and Yao Chen officially promoted Lu Changsheng to Profound-rank Demon Suppressor.
• Lu Changsheng returned home with the Fang siblings and later kept training and gathering spiritual items while his reputation spread.
• Over the next half month, the city stayed peaceful, while Lu Changsheng observed the group sending black cats to the County Magistrate’s residence.

Lu Changsheng led a team from the Demon Suppression Department to escort intercepted tax silver and grain back to Changping County, but Scent Worship Cult members ambushed the convoy. He charged at their Bone Forging leader, He Wanpeng, as the battle began.

• A woman in a blood-red robe ordered her subordinate to begin the next stage of the spirit seed plan while officials watched the cultists more closely.
• After tax silver and grain shipments were intercepted, Qin Ruobing assigned Lu Changsheng to lead a team escorting supplies between the county city and nearby towns.
• Lu Changsheng’s team collected the convoy at Nanfu Town and set out for the county city alongside the Black Armored Army.
• He Wanpeng and more than twenty Scent Worship Cult members ambushed the convoy beside a dense forest.
• Lu Changsheng charged at He Wanpeng and struck with his saber as both sides rushed into battle.

Lu Changsheng defeated He Wanpeng, completed the convoy mission, and was appointed a Patrol Envoy, using his new freedom to help government forces against the cults. The chapter ended as Yue Shulan’s convoy was surrounded by Scent Worship Cult fighters led by the mid-stage Bone Forging expert Shang Yunbo.

• Lu Changsheng killed He Wanpeng after concealing his full strength, and the government forces routed the Scent Worship Cult members.
• Lu Changsheng safely delivered the grain and silver, then gained renown through escort missions and repeated clashes with cultists.
• Xiao Tianci, Qin Ruobing, and He Chunlin agreed to appoint swift Demon Suppressors as Patrol Envoys, and Qin Ruobing named Lu Changsheng to the role.
• Lu Changsheng accepted the golden Patrol token, then spent more than ten days rescuing government forces and earning eighty-five minor merits.
• Yue Shulan and the Black Armored Army escorted a convoy without Lu Changsheng, but Shang Yunbo and his men surrounded them on the road.

Lu Changsheng rescued Yue Shulan, Zhang Changda, and their companions from the Scent Worship Cult, then helped secure safer assignments for them. As the cult began targeting the Demon Suppression Department’s Patrol Envoys, Lu Changsheng prepared to explore the mountains through the pangolin’s body to strengthen himself.

• Shang Yunbo nearly killed Zhang Changda while the Scent Worship Cult overwhelmed Yue Shulan and the other government fighters.
• Lu Changsheng rushed in, joined Zhang Changda’s attack, and killed Shang Yunbo with a swift strike, sending the cultists fleeing.
• Lu Changsheng reassured Yue Shulan and her companions that he would address their dangerous assignments and later reported their situation to Qin Ruobing, who transferred them to a safe route.
• Lu Changsheng continued patrolling and training, while Yue Shulan and her companions visited him and grew closer to him over the following days.
• A woman in red ordered a subordinate to select swift Protectors to intercept the Demon Suppression Department’s Patrol Envoys.
• Lu Changsheng entered the pangolin’s body to explore the mountains and seek further ways to increase his strength.