Recaps

Shen Fei's intervention helped Su Ming discover his resolve to cultivate and protect others, while Shen Fei continued investigating the Dark Guild and strengthening himself. The chapter ended with Shen Fei training for the threats facing Glory City and hoping Su Ming would grow stronger.

• Su Ming fought off three noble children who were bullying a child, then returned the child's herbs.
• Shen Fei asked Su Ming what he planned to do, and Su Ming vowed to grow strong enough to stop bullies and injustice.
• Su Ming called out his name and promised Shen Fei he would keep getting stronger before Shen Fei left the alley.
• Shen Fei visited the Black Market, identified new shops as fronts for the Dark Guild's prohibited inscription materials, and memorized their locations and managers.
• After returning to the Sacred Family estate, Shen Fei took a Soul-Gathering Pill and cultivated with the Dark Prison Reincarnation Art.

Shen Fei visited the City Lord's Mansion and learned that Nie Li's Ten Thousand Demons and Spirits Array could greatly strengthen Glory City's defenses. After returning to the Sacred Family estate, he began studying inscriptions, determined to build his own strength while secretly aiding the city.

• Shen Fei submitted the Sacred Family's supply paperwork and learned from Steward Wang that the City Lord's Mansion was installing Nie Li's Ten Thousand Demons and Spirits Array.
• Shen Fei heard that the array could subdue a Legend Rank Demon Spirit Master when complete and handle Black Gold Rank demon beasts even in its unfinished state.
• Shen Fei tried to glimpse the array from outside the inner courtyard but left without seeing its workings.
• Shen Fei returned to the Sacred Family estate and dismissed Shen Yue's boasts about being able to defeat Nie Li.
• Shen Fei connected Nie Li's efforts to strengthen Glory City with his own secret work against the Dark Guild, then began reading Fundamentals of Inscription.

Shen Fei defied Shen Hong’s order to wait and secretly headed to the City Lord’s Mansion during the Dark Guild’s attack. After killing a fleeing attacker and finding evidence of the Guild’s plans, he reached the burning inner courtyard, where a powerful battle awaited him.

• Shen Hong ordered the Shen family guards to hold back until Ye Zong stabilized the situation.
• Shen Fei slipped out through a rear gate, summoned the Shadow Mantis, and raced toward the City Lord’s Mansion.
• A masked Dark Guild member attacked Shen Fei in an alley, and Shen Fei killed him with the Shadow Mantis’s Life-Bound Blade Slash.
• Shen Fei found a Dark Guild Deacon Token and a map marking inner-city warehouses, then continued toward the mansion’s inner courtyard.
• Shen Fei entered the ruined, burning courtyard and approached a dazzling battle marked by repeated lightning explosions.

Nie Li used the Grand Unity Array to kill a black gold rank Abyssal Troll while Shen Fei watched from hiding. The battle left Shen Fei humbled but determined to help protect Glory City, and he left to deliver a defense map and change his plans.

• Shen Fei watched as the Abyssal Troll battered Nie Li’s array, while Ye Zong stood ready to intervene.
• Nie Li strengthened the array with his essence blood, struck the troll with a powerful lightning bolt, and drove his sword into its head, killing it before collapsing.
• Ye Zong carried Nie Li back to his room, and Shen Fei left the City Lord’s Mansion, shaken by the gap between them.
• Shen Fei decided Glory City would not fall as it had in his previous life and resolved to anonymously deliver the defense map, revise his cultivation plans, and learn basic inscriptions.

Shen Fei returned from the battle at the City Lord's Mansion and resolved to strengthen himself while supporting Glory City's defense. After making rapid progress in cultivation and inscription study, he wondered who could have defeated Nie Li in his previous life and decided he could not rely on Nie Li alone.

• Shen Fei copied the Dark Guild's Defense Map and planned to leave it anonymously at the City Lord's Mansion's guard barracks.
• Shen Fei revised his cultivation plan, increasing his Soul-Gathering Pills and Shadow Mantis practice and adding daily study of inscriptions and arrays.
• Shen Fei concealed his involvement in the battle when Shen Hong asked whether he had gone out, while Shen Yue complained that Nie Li had relied on an array to kill the Abyssal Troll.
• Shen Fei doubled his nightly training and, in less than a month, reached the threshold of gold rank 3-star and learned to recognize most patterns in simple defensive arrays.
• Shen Fei wondered who could have defeated Nie Li in his previous life and decided to try engraving his first basic inscription the next day.

At the Victory Banquet, Shen Fei watched Ye Han return to Glory City and suspected that his polished manners concealed an ambition to control the city. Ye Han’s public gift to Ye Ziyun sparked a confrontation with Nie Li, which ended with Nie Li openly taunting him about his absence during the Abyssal Troll’s attack.

• Shen Fei avoided the crowd at the Victory Banquet and sat with Xiao Ning'er, who told him Ye Han had returned after years of training.
• Ye Zong entered with Ye Han, whose arrival drew praise from the banquet guests as they speculated about his talent and future as city lord.
• Ye Han offered Ye Ziyun an Ice Jade Bracelet, but she declined it, and Nie Li took the gift on her behalf.
• Shen Fei told Xiao Ning'er that Ye Han’s attention to the family heads and public display toward Ye Ziyun suggested he was calculating how to gain power.
• Ye Han criticized Nie Li for pursuing clever shortcuts, and Nie Li retorted that Ye Han had been absent when Glory City needed him; Ye Han’s expression darkened.

At the banquet, Nie Li challenged Ye Han over his absence during the attack on Glory City, while Ye Han presented himself as a worthy heir and drew support from influential families. Shen Fei warned Xiao Ning'er that Ye Han’s return could spark a struggle for succession, then left determined to protect the city and prepare for the dangers ahead.

• Nie Li called attention to Ye Han’s failure to return during the Dark Guild raid, and Ye Han admitted fault while mocking Nie Li’s narrow experience.
• Members of minor families and Shen Yue praised Ye Han, while Shen Fei told Xiao Ning'er that Nie Li was more capable but would eventually leave Glory City.
• Ye Han withdrew from the argument and left after giving Nie Li a hostile look; Nie Li let Ye Ziyun keep the Ice Jade Bracelet.
• Xiao Ning'er asked Shen Fei about his future, and he kept his plans secret while privately resolving to defend Glory City and protect its people.
• Shen Fei cautioned Xiao Ning'er that Ye Han might use any means to secure the city lord’s position and said Shen Hong would likely support him.
• After the banquet, Shen Fei followed Shen Hong and Shen Yue out, anticipating growing conflict and continuing to cultivate the Dark Prison Reincarnation Art.

After the Victory Banquet, Shen Fei took Xiao Ning'er to meet Su Ming and offered him a Mercenary Association patrol captain position. Su Ming accepted the responsibility and learned that his benefactor was Shen Fei, while Shen Fei and Xiao Ning'er left the alley.

• Shen Fei invited Xiao Ning'er to walk beyond the western outskirts, and she agreed to get away from the banquet and her family affairs.
• Shen Fei and Xiao Ning'er visited Su Ming at his poor home, where they saw signs of his family's hardship and his mother's illness.
• Shen Fei offered Su Ming an appointment as captain of an outer patrol squad and warned him about the dangers and responsibilities of the job.
• Su Ming vowed to protect the western villages, and Xiao Ning'er stopped him from kneeling to thank Shen Fei.
• Shen Fei told Su Ming to register at the association's western office without mentioning his name, then revealed that he was Shen Fei.
• Su Ming watched Shen Fei and Xiao Ning'er leave, then held the appointment document with renewed hope.

Shen Fei secured Xiao Ning'er's help in buying inscription supplies at a steep discount, while prioritizing materials for Nie Li's restoration work. After receiving news that Su Ming had joined the Mercenary Association's outer patrol, Shen Fei bought supplies and began practicing inscription patterns.

• Xiao Ning'er offered the Winged Dragon Family's help, and Shen Fei asked for a discount on inscription materials; she promised him internal prices, forty percent below market.
• Shen Fei asked Xiao Ning'er to prioritize Nie Li's core materials for restoring the two Legendary Fragments, and she warned him that Ye Han and tensions within the Sacred Family could pose a danger.
• The next morning, Shen Fei received notice that Su Ming had passed his examination and been assigned to the Mercenary Association's outer patrol.
• Shen Fei bought fifty sheets of Basic Defense Talisman Paper and ten sets of Portable Inscription Armor from the Winged Dragon Family's shop at internal prices.
• After returning home, Shen Fei stored the supplies and practiced engraving a Defense Pattern onto Talisman Paper.

Shen Fei gave Su Ming pills and cultivation manuals, then helped him organize a small squad of under-resourced cultivators. The chapter left Su Ming with supplies, safe places for his people, and instructions to prioritize their survival.

• Shen Fei visited the Mercenary Association and gave Su Ming pills and basic cultivation manuals to distribute among suitable people.
• Su Ming told Shen Fei he planned to gather fellow cultivators into a small squad and search the Black Market for determined commoners who lacked resources.
• Shen Fei gave Su Ming addresses for three safe places where his people could stay.
• Shen Fei urged Su Ming to think carefully and keep his people alive before leaving the association.

Shen Fei watched Nie Li face Ye Han and discussed their strengths with Xiao Ning'er. Nie Li used his agility to turn the Golden-Armored Ground Dragon's charge against Ye Han, who withdrew after being forced back, while Shen Fei warned Xiao Ning'er not to get involved with Su Ming.

• Shen Fei arrived at the academy and joined Xiao Ning'er to watch Nie Li and Ye Han prepare to fight.
• Xiao Ning'er explained that Ye Han had formidable cultivation but fought too conservatively to keep up with Nie Li.
• Nie Li dodged the Golden-Armored Ground Dragon's attacks and used its own momentum to knock it off course.
• Nie Li struck Ye Han's protective barrier, forcing Ye Han to retreat and then recall his Demon Beast.
• Nie Li nodded to Shen Fei and Xiao Ning'er before heading to class, and Shen Fei told Xiao Ning'er not to get involved with Su Ming.

Shen Fei joined Nie Li at the Omnidirectional Spatial Array, where Nie Li revealed he had repaired a Legendary defensive inscription and was preparing to activate an ancient inheritance space. Shen Fei agreed to enter with him and watched Nie Li finish the array’s intricate inscriptions.

• Xiao Ning'er told Shen Fei that Nie Li wanted to meet him urgently at the Omnidirectional Spatial Array.
• Shen Fei went with Xiao Ning'er to the City Lord's Mansion, where Nie Li and his companions were working on the array.
• Nie Li told Shen Fei that he had repaired the defensive Legendary Inscription scroll and restored the damaged offensive scroll to Black Gold Rank.
• Nie Li explained that the array could open an ancient elder inheritance space and asked Shen Fei to accompany him inside.
• Shen Fei agreed, then watched Nie Li carefully repair the array’s remaining lines.

Xiao Xue, Lu Piao, and Xiao Ning'er talked while Nie Li worked to repair a formation. As the formation neared completion, the four of them joined Nie Li and Shen Fei to inspect it.

• Xiao Xue asked Lu Piao whether Nie Li could unravel the formation, and Lu Piao said he trusted Nie Li and planned to follow him when he left Glory City.
• Lu Piao told Xiao Xue that Nie Li had helped him improve his cultivation, and Xiao Xue asked whether he would tell her before leaving.
• Xiao Ning'er joined Xiao Xue and Lu Piao, and they discussed Lu Piao's training and his growing closeness with Nie Li.
• Xiao Ning'er watched Shen Fei study Nie Li's carving technique while Xiao Xue and Lu Piao teased each other.
• Nie Li finished correcting the formation's patterns and inspected their flow, and Xiao Ning'er announced that it was nearly ready.
• Xiao Xue, Lu Piao, and Xiao Ning'er walked over to join Nie Li and Shen Fei at the formation.

Nie Li led Shen Fei and the others through a vast underground swarm of Red Ghosts, using the Shadow Demon to conceal their movements and misdirect the creatures. They skirted a Netherlight Behemoth and reached a passage, but the chapter ended just as everything changed.

• Nie Li warned the group not to merge with their Demon Spirits and used the Shadow Demon to scout a safe route through the Red Ghosts.
• Shen Fei merged with his Shadow Mantis and followed Nie Li while the others moved quietly behind them.
• Nie Li used the Shadow Demon's threads to distract Red Ghosts and open gaps as the group crossed the crowded plain.
• The group found an open area the Red Ghosts feared, and Shen Fei sensed an enormous creature nearby.
• Nie Li identified the creature as a Netherlight Behemoth and led the group around its tentacles toward a passage.
• The group reached the area behind the Netherlight Behemoth, and everything changed suddenly.

Shen Fei protected the poisoned Xiao Ning'er while the group fought the Netherlight Behemoth, and Nie Li used the Fragment Page to destroy the giant creature. The group survived and retreated through the passage, with Xiao Ning'er still unconscious but recovering.

• Xiao Ning'er was caught by the Netherlight Behemoth’s tentacles and paralyzed by their toxin, and Shen Fei reached her and fought to protect her.
• Shen Fei held off the creature’s endless tentacles while Nie Li struggled to maintain the Shadow Demon’s form.
• Nie Li used the Fragment Page to fire a golden beam that struck the Netherlight Behemoth and made its body disintegrate.
• The Netherlight Behemoth collapsed, and the tentacles released Shen Fei as Xiao Ning’er’s breathing steadied.
• Du Ze confirmed Xiao Ning’er was recovering, while Lu Piao and Xiao Xue helped the weakened Nie Li.
• Shen Fei carried Xiao Ning’er after the others through the dust and entered the passage.

Shen Fei and the others reached an underground gravestone after the Red Ghosts fled, and Shen Fei sensed an ancient aura on it that shared the origin of his Dark Prison Reincarnation Art. He and Xiao Ning'er waited for Nie Li, who remained transfixed before the stele.

• Xiao Ning'er awoke on Shen Fei's back, and he set her down and explained that he had carried her because the Netherlight Behemoth's poison had paralyzed her.
• The group followed Lu Piao deeper into the passage after he heard a sound, then found Red Ghosts fleeing from a powerful pressure below.
• Nie Li led the group down a slope to a black gravestone and became motionless as he stared at its face.
• Shen Fei sensed that an ancient aura sealed in the gravestone shared an origin with his spiritual power and the Dark Prison Reincarnation Art.
• Xiao Ning'er urged Shen Fei to focus on understanding the danger before them, and he touched the stele before stepping back to wait for Nie Li.

Nie Li recovered after being drawn into the ancient gravestone’s fragmented intent and explained that its inscriptions had been deliberately destroyed. The group chose to continue deeper into the Black Prison World, leaving the stele for later study.

• Lu Piao and Xiao Xue questioned Nie Li after he stood motionless before the stele, and Nie Li said he had seen fragmented images from an ancient expert’s gravestone.
• Nie Li said the damaged inscriptions could not be pieced together and that the stele might mark an important location in the Black Prison World.
• Xiao Xue asked whether the group should continue, and Nie Li decided they should explore ahead before returning to study the stele.
• Lu Piao wondered whether the gravestone was connected to Emperor Kongming or the stele in Gulan City, but Nie Li said they needed to compare their findings later.
• Nie Li asked Shen Fei whether he had sensed danger, and Shen Fei agreed that the journey would not be peaceful.
• Xiao Ning'er steadied herself and followed beside Shen Fei as the group headed deeper into the passage.

Nie Li warned Shen Fei not to protect the Sacred Family, and Shen Fei reaffirmed his resolve to reject the family’s crimes. The group reached an underground village, where Nie Li went ahead to negotiate while the others waited for his signal.

• As the group advanced through the passage, Nie Li told Shen Fei that the Sacred Family was corrupt and urged him to put the greater good above blood ties.
• Shen Fei recalled the Sacred Family’s collusion with the Dark Guild and his own investigation into its crimes, confirming that he had no intention of saving it.
• Nie Li spotted a guarded village ahead and instructed the group to wait while he went to negotiate; Du Ze was assigned to watch for danger.
• While they waited, Lu Piao and Xiao Xue quietly bickered, Du Ze meditated, and Xiao Ning'er reassured Shen Fei that he could make his own choice.
• Shen Fei told Xiao Ning'er he knew what he should do and would not let family ties erase the Sacred Family’s wrongdoing.

Nie Li introduced himself as a descendant of the Silver Radiance Family, and Sikong Hongyue brought him and his companions to meet the head of the Silver Wing Family. The group reached the family hall, where Shen Fei noticed a badly tortured man with black wings chained to a pillar.

• Nie Li greeted Sikong Hongyue in the ancient language of the Ulan Empire and claimed his ancestors belonged to the Silver Radiance Family.
• Sikong Hongyue recognized the Silver Wing Family's shared lineage with the Silver Radiance Family and agreed to escort Nie Li's group to meet her royal father.
• Nie Li and the others followed Sikong Hongyue through the underground village to the family head's residence.
• Shen Fei spotted a wounded black-winged man chained to a pillar in the hall and wondered why the Silver Wing Family had tortured him.

Nie Li and his companions attended a guarded welcome banquet at the Silver Wing Family residence, where Sikong Hongyue questioned Shen Fei about their origins and inheritance. As the banquet ended, Shen Fei prepared for their first night under watch while they pursued the Scarlet Blood Crystal and the Teleportation Array.

• Sikong Yi welcomed Nie Li and his companions to a banquet, while guards watched them throughout the hall.
• Sikong Hongyue questioned Shen Fei, who used the name Su Tian, about their tribe, Nie Li's inheritance, and Sikong Yi's illness; Shen Fei gave careful answers that concealed their deception.
• After Sikong Hongyue left, Shen Fei warned the group that the Silver Wing Family would keep testing them, and Du Ze reported guards were watching them inside and outside the residence.
• Shen Fei noticed Duan Jian bound behind a pillar and surmised Nie Li wanted him for his Black Dragon Bloodline.
• Sikong Yi grew tired and ended the banquet, leaving Shen Fei to prepare for the group's first night in the watched Guest Courtyard.

Nie Li secured Duan Jian from Sikong Yi under the pretense of using him to test medicine, while secretly planning to awaken his black dragon bloodline. The group settled into the watched Guest Courtyard and prepared to appease Sikong Yi, gather Scarlet Blood Crystals, and locate the Teleportation Array before escaping.

• Nie Li persuaded Sikong Yi to hand over Duan Jian by claiming he needed someone to test his medicine on.
• Nie Li told his companions he would only give Sikong Yi a little hope of recovery until they obtained Scarlet Blood Crystals, then they would escape through the Teleportation Array.
• Nie Li explained that he planned to restore Duan Jian and eventually awaken his suppressed black dragon bloodline.
• Sikong Hongyue reported on the guests, and Sikong Yi ordered increased surveillance while instructing her to ration Scarlet Blood Crystals and keep watch on Nie Li.
• Shen Fei organized watches at the Guest Courtyard, and Nie Li planned to use medicine preparation as a reason to investigate the mines, storehouse, and Teleportation Array.

Nie Li offered to break Duan Jian’s Bloodline Seal in exchange for his lifelong loyalty, and Duan Jian accepted the bargain and swallowed a Healing Pill. As Nie Li’s companions went to cultivate, Shen Fei overheard the Silver Wing Family’s plan to kill Nie Li after extracting his medicine formula and recognized that Nie Li was already maneuvering against them.

• Nie Li offered to awaken Duan Jian’s Black Dragon Bloodline and help him take revenge if Duan Jian swore lifelong loyalty to him.
• Duan Jian pledged himself to Nie Li and swallowed a Top-grade Healing Pill without hesitation.
• Sikong Yi praised Lei Zhuo for testing his medicine, while Sikong Hongyue warned that he might have hidden motives; Sikong Yi planned to obtain the complete formula before killing him.
• Shen Fei overheard Sikong Yi and Sikong Hongyue discussing their plan, then hid as Nie Li and his companions left the secret chamber.
• Nie Li told Lu Piao, Du Ze, and Xiao Ning'er that Duan Jian had been given an opportunity, and he led them away to cultivate.
• Shen Fei concluded that Nie Li had used Duan Jian’s awakening to gain a loyal subordinate and deceive the Silver Wing Family.

Shen Fei cultivated in the Silver Wing Family stronghold while tracking the others’ progress, then broke through to gold rank 3-star. He concealed his new strength and went to check on Duan Jian, where he met Nie Li.

• Shen Fei inspected the Scarlet Blood Crystals Sikong Yi had sent, assessed Nie Li’s strategy, and began cultivating with the crystals’ energy.
• Duan Jian endured his bloodline awakening while Xiao Ning'er, Lu Piao, and Du Ze cultivated; Xiao Ning'er broke through to gold rank on the third day.
• On the sixth night, Shen Fei shattered his cultivation barrier and reached gold rank 3-star, then stabilized his realm before dawn.
• Shen Fei concealed his aura and walked to Duan Jian’s secret chamber, where he found Nie Li listening outside the door.
• Nie Li greeted Shen Fei, who asked how Duan Jian was doing inside the chamber.

Duan Jian emerged from the secret chamber restored and pledged his life to Nie Li, who ordered him to hide his strength and keep wearing his chains. At the mine, Nie Li and Shen Fei found a soldier whipping an old man and threatening the old man's grandchild, and someone caught the soldier's whip.

• Duan Jian knelt before Nie Li, thanked him for granting him a new life, and pledged his life to his master.
• Nie Li told Duan Jian to conceal his wings and strength, put the chains back on, and follow his instructions.
• Nie Li and Shen Fei left the Silver Wing Family estate and walked to the mine.
• Nie Li and Shen Fei saw a soldier whipping an old man while the old man's grandchild begged him to stop.
• As the soldier turned his whip toward the child, a hand reached in and caught the lash.

At the Silver Wing Family mine, Nie Li intervened when a soldier whipped an old man and learned that the child, Stone, was bound by a slave brand. Shen Fei explained the mine’s harsh controls to Xiao Ning'er and said he understood their purpose but did not condone them, while Nie Li returned to his room after deciding that ten years was too long to free Stone.

• Nie Li stopped a soldier from whipping the old man and spoke gently to the child, Stone.
• The old man begged Nie Li to save Stone, but Sikong Hongyue refused to let the boy leave because his slave brand would kill him beyond the mine.
• Shen Fei left the mine with Nie Li, reflecting on the children who had died in his previous life.
• Nie Li said the blood brand could only be removed at Gold Rank and that Stone would take at least ten years to reach it.
• Nie Li returned to his room, and Shen Fei told Xiao Ning'er what had happened at the mine.
• Shen Fei explained why the Silver Wing Family used blood brands and whips, then told Xiao Ning'er that he understood the measures but did not condone them.