Recaps

Nie Li negotiated with Sikong Yi for the Radiance Stones and permission to leave the Underground Rift, while Sikong Yi tried to keep Nie Li’s friends as hostages. Nie Li agreed to gather herbs with five Gold Rank guards and Duan Jian, and he and Shen Fei planned to evade their escorts once they reached the surface.

• Lu Piao told Nie Li that Sikong Yi had found more than sixty Radiance Stones and wanted him at the hall.
• Sikong Yi offered to gather herbs for Nie Li but insisted that Nie Li’s friends remain behind, prompting Nie Li to say he needed to collect the herbs himself.
• Sikong Yi proposed sending guards with Nie Li and keeping his friends at the estate; Nie Li agreed to take five Gold Rank guards and Duan Jian.
• Nie Li thanked Sikong Yi and said he would leave the next morning, while Shen Fei noticed Sikong Hongyue appraising him.
• After leaving the hall, Nie Li told Shen Fei that the guards were meant to watch them and that they could shake them off after reaching the surface.

Shen Fei refused Sikong Hongyue’s attempt to draw him into a private conversation and considered the risks surrounding Nie Li’s journey the next day. He remained in the Guest Courtyard with the others, where Sikong Yi’s hostages were temporarily safe, and stabilized his Gold Rank 3-Star cultivation.

• Sikong Hongyue invited Shen Fei to walk with her, but he politely declined and said he had matters to discuss with Nie Li.
• Xiao Ning'er watched Sikong Hongyue approach Shen Fei, then quietly left the courtyard after the invitation was refused.
• Shen Fei concluded that Sikong Hongyue wanted to gain influence through him and decided not to give her an opening.
• Shen Fei reflected that Sikong Yi’s five Gold Guards would escort Nie Li and Duan Jian under the guise of protection, but suspected Nie Li had a plan to evade them.
• Shen Fei checked the courtyard’s surveillance, then circulated the Dark Prison Reincarnation Art and confirmed his Gold Rank 3-Star cultivation had stabilized.

Nie Li arranged for Shen Fei and Duan Jian to escape the Silver Wing Family stronghold while evading Sikong Yi’s guards. After Nie Li and Duan Jian left with five guards, Shen Fei slipped out to follow them, sensing movement ahead on the northern route.

• Nie Li told Shen Fei that Sikong Yi planned to keep them hostage and laid out an escape plan involving Duan Jian and the northern exit.
• Nie Li and Shen Fei agreed that Shen Fei would follow after a delay while Duan Jian and Nie Li dealt with the five Gold Rank guards.
• At first light, the scar-faced guard and four others mocked Duan Jian, but Nie Li stopped them by saying he needed Duan Jian for medicine testing.
• Nie Li and Duan Jian left the courtyard surrounded by the five guards as Shen Fei watched from his room.
• Shen Fei waited for the guards’ shift change, slipped out through the rear wall and a side gate, and followed their route using the Shadow Mantis’s perception.

Sikong Yi ordered Sikong Hongyue to kill Duan Jian after Nie Li returned with the medicinal formula, while revealing his desire to leave the Dark Realm. In the wilderness, Nie Li’s group ambushed their weakened guards, and the chapter ended with Nie Li, Duan Jian, and Shen Fei continuing onward.

• Sikong Yi told Sikong Hongyue that Duan Jian had to die once Nie Li delivered the formula, and said he hoped to leave the Dark Realm after uniting its families.
• Nie Li’s group encountered Red Ghosts, and the five guards fought them off before stopping to rest.
• At Nie Li’s command, Duan Jian attacked the exhausted guards and defeated them despite being wounded.
• Shen Fei emerged from hiding, and the Shadow Mantis killed the last guard still standing.
• Nie Li, Duan Jian, and Shen Fei left the fallen guards behind and continued toward brighter daylight.

Nie Li disguised Duan Jian with cloud clay before the three entered a town governed by the Divine Flame Family. They passed through the gates without being recognized and continued along the busy main street as Nie Li surveyed the shops.

• Nie Li used cloud clay to alter Duan Jian’s face so the Silver Wing Family would not recognize him.
• Duan Jian described the Divine Flame Family’s rivalry with the Silver Wing Family and its administration of the town.
• The three reached the town gates, where Divine Flame guards glanced at Duan Jian but let them pass.
• Duan Jian explained how the Divine Flame Family had organized the town’s former open-air market into shops.
• Nie Li examined the goods at shops and ore stalls as the group walked along the main street.

Nie Li found a black crystal marrow in a town market and gave it to Shen Fei for his dark-attribute cultivation. After exploring the mining district, the three headed back to the Silver Wing Family outpost while Nie Li asked Duan Jian about the town's control.

• Nie Li bought a crusted black stone from an alley stall with wheat cakes and dried beast meat.
• Nie Li identified the stone as black crystal marrow and gave it to Shen Fei, who accepted it and agreed to help him in the future.
• Nie Li, Shen Fei, and Duan Jian passed through the town toward the mining huts, and Shen Fei warned that he needed to return before Sikong Hongyue noticed his absence.
• The three left the town and retraced their route toward the Silver Wing Family outpost.
• Nie Li asked Duan Jian about Sikong Yi's attempts to take control of the town, and Duan Jian said the Divine Flame Family and four allied families had repeatedly repelled him.

Shen Fei encountered a mysterious old man on the road, who suppressed his powers before giving him a surge of dark spiritual energy and calling it an opportunity. The old man warned that it would only count if Shen Fei came out alive, leaving Shen Fei uncertain whether to return to the Silver Wing Family's outpost.

• Shen Fei reflected on Nie Li's plan and continued toward the Silver Wing Family's outpost with the black crystal marrow.
• A grinning old man appeared in Shen Fei's path and suppressed his spiritual energy, leaving him helpless on the road.
• The old man released Shen Fei and said that Shen Fei shared a fated connection with him.
• The old man touched Shen Fei's brow and poured pure dark spiritual energy into his body.
• The old man warned Shen Fei that the opportunity only counted if he came out alive, while Shen Fei weighed whether to continue toward the outpost.

Shen Fei endured a relentless assault on his soul in the Soul Sea and realized Old Man Black Prison had planted the Dark Prison Reincarnation Art inside him as a trap. He held on to his memory of returning home to Glory City, but the pain continued to erode his identity.

• Shen Fei lost consciousness as soon as he stepped onto the gravel and was overwhelmed by pain inside the Soul Sea.
• Shen Fei realized the Dark Prison Reincarnation Art was a seed planted by Old Man Black Prison to tear apart his soul.
• Shen Fei remembered the peace he felt beneath the gates of Glory City and used that memory as an anchor.
• Shen Fei endured repeated cycles of his soul being crushed and reassembled as his memories and sense of self faded.
• Shen Fei continued resisting even as he nearly forgot his name and where he came from.

Shen Fei endured his inner demon’s attacks and accusations in his soul sea as he faced the doubts behind his resolve to protect Glory City. After the demon knocked him down, Shen Fei rose with a smile, and the confrontation remained unresolved.

• Shen Fei recovered in his soul sea and recognized the figure who appeared as his inner demon.
• The inner demon mocked Shen Fei’s motives, arguing that Nie Li could protect Glory City without him.
• The inner demon took Nie Li’s form, choked Shen Fei, and urged him to return to his former, peaceful life.
• Shen Fei pried the demon’s hand from his throat and declared that he had no reason to stay in his place after receiving a second chance.
• The inner demon punched Shen Fei to the ground and questioned his ability to protect Glory City, but Shen Fei stood back up with a slight smile.

Shen Fei defeated and absorbed his Inner Demon, gaining a clearer will and a new perception through his left eye. An old man gave him a powerful cultivation art before vanishing, leaving Shen Fei to return to the Silver Wing Family's outpost while hinting that he might overthrow a powerful figure.

• Shen Fei used the Dark Prison Reincarnation Art to compress his Inner Demon into a ball of light and swallowed it, purifying his Soul Force and strengthening his resolve.
• Shen Fei discovered that his left eye could perceive rapid movements in detail.
• The old man gave Shen Fei a higher-level cultivation art and told him to nurture his Demon Spirit.
• Shen Fei bowed to the old man, who faded away, and then returned to the Silver Wing Family's outpost.
• The old man reappeared in the wilderness and murmured that Shen Fei, a Great Perseverer, might overthrow a certain powerful figure.

Shen Fei and Xiao Ning'er planned a hidden escape route in case the Silver Wing Family turned against them. After Xiao Ning'er left, Shen Fei studied a powerful cultivation technique, strengthened his Shadow Mantis with black crystal marrow, and began conditioning his body to keep pace with his rapidly growing soul force.

• Shen Fei told Xiao Ning'er that Nie Li and Duan Jian had reached the town and were scouting routes, while she reported that Sikong Hongyue had asked about him.
• Shen Fei and Xiao Ning'er agreed that Lu Piao, Du Ze, and Xiao Xue would remain in the guest courtyard while they went out to plant explosive inscriptions along the rock walls.
• Shen Fei studied the old man's cultivation technique and found that it circulated soul force faster and refined it more efficiently than the Dark Prison Reincarnation Art.
• Shen Fei fed the black crystal marrow to his Shadow Mantis, which absorbed its energy and grew stronger.
• Shen Fei recognized that his body lagged behind his cultivation, so he practiced basic stances and fist forms to build resilience before going out with Xiao Ning'er the next day.

Shen Fei and Xiao Ning'er secretly placed four inscriptions along a route to the Teleportation Array, then returned to the courtyard and waited for word from Nie Li. Shen Fei trained with his new cultivation technique, gradually adapting his meridians to the flow of spiritual power.

• Xiao Ning'er led Shen Fei through the outpost's back alleys and placed four hidden inscriptions that could blast open a route near the Teleportation Array.
• Shen Fei and Xiao Ning'er returned to the courtyard, where Lu Piao reported that no one had disturbed them.
• Shen Fei told the others to stay inside until Nie Li sent word and said he had gained a new cultivation technique that had purified his spiritual power.
• Shen Fei practiced body movements for two hours, then circulated spiritual power with his new technique to help his meridians adapt.

After finishing his cultivation, Shen Fei asked Xiao Ning'er for help correcting a flawed inscription curve. Sikong Hongyue invited him to stroll and drink wine, and he accepted, leaving Xiao Ning'er worried but determined to protect the person she cared about.

• Shen Fei finished cultivating, changed his robe, and went to Xiao Ning'er with a question about an inscription.
• Xiao Ning'er explained that Shen Fei's curve turned too sharply and demonstrated how to extend it so spiritual power would flow smoothly.
• Sikong Hongyue arrived and invited Shen Fei to stroll and drink wine.
• Shen Fei accepted Sikong Hongyue's invitation after seeing Xiao Ning'er grip her teacup anxiously, then reassured her before leaving.
• Xiao Ning'er trusted Shen Fei's reassurance and resolved not to let anyone take the person she cared about.

Sikong Hongyue questioned Shen Fei about his view of the Black Prison World, then invited him to the Moon Listening Tower for wine and food. Shen Fei noticed Silver Wing Family guards and blocked streets around the building as he entered, suspecting the meal was a trap.

• Sikong Hongyue asked Shen Fei what he thought of the Black Prison World, and he called it a place where the strong devoured the weak.
• Sikong Hongyue challenged Shen Fei by pointing out that the outside world was much the same.
• Sikong Hongyue invited Shen Fei to the Moon Listening Tower for wine and food.
• Shen Fei spotted Silver Wing Family guards at the entrance and figures blocking nearby side streets.
• Shen Fei entered the Moon Listening Tower, prepared to respond as the situation demanded.

Sikong Hongyue invited Shen Fei to the Moon Listening Tower, assessed his family standing, and tried to recruit him into the Silver Wing Family. Shen Fei politely deferred, noticed a fleeting chill after drinking, and parted from her at the Guest Courtyard entrance.

• Sikong Hongyue asked Shen Fei what he thought of the Silver Wing Family and how it compared with his own family.
• Sikong Hongyue probed Shen Fei about his low standing in his family and invited him to join the Silver Wing Family.
• Shen Fei declined to decide immediately, saying he needed to think it over.
• Sikong Hongyue stood close while refilling Shen Fei's cup, but he shifted away from her touch.
• Shen Fei felt a faint chill after draining his wine, then continued the polite conversation without comment.
• Sikong Hongyue walked Shen Fei back to the Guest Courtyard and urged him to consider her offer.

After returning from Sikong Hongyue’s invitation, Shen Fei reassured Xiao Ning'er and considered the Silver Wing Family’s attempt to recruit him. Both he and Xiao Ning'er cultivated through the night, while Sikong Hongyue remained confident that he might accept her offer.

• Shen Fei returned to his room, where Xiao Ning'er had waited for him beside her Inscription Diagrams.
• Shen Fei replaced Xiao Ning'er's cold tea with warm water, and she told him he did not have to go if a similar situation happened again.
• Xiao Ning'er gathered her diagrams and returned to her room, asking Shen Fei not to cultivate too late.
• Shen Fei judged Sikong Hongyue's offer of friendship to be a calculated attempt to gain influence over Nie Li's group, then began cultivating.
• Xiao Ning'er reflected on wanting to stand beside Shen Fei and began cultivating her Wind-Thunder Sky Sparrow power.
• Sikong Hongyue returned to her room, repeated her invitation to Young Master Su, and considered her next move.

Shen Fei and Xiao Ning'er went into town with a Silver Wing Family guard, where the poor quality of the market goods revealed how difficult life was there. After Shen Fei gave the guard healing pills, he led them toward the Silver Wing Trading Company to browse.

• Shen Fei invited Xiao Ning'er for a walk, while Xiao Xue stopped Lu Piao from joining them and sent him back to practice.
• A Silver Wing Family guard escorted Shen Fei and Xiao Ning'er into town at the patriarch's order.
• Shen Fei and Xiao Ning'er examined the town's low-quality goods and noticed how carefully the locals treated them.
• Shen Fei gave the guard healing pills, prompting him to offer more attentive help.
• The guard led Shen Fei and Xiao Ning'er toward the Silver Wing Trading Company's largest local shop.

Shen Fei and Xiao Ning'er visited the Silver Wing Trading Company, where Xiao Ning'er admired an inscribed hairpin. Shen Fei bought it for her, and they prepared to leave the shop.

• A tall guard brought Shen Fei and Xiao Ning'er into the Silver Wing Trading Company.
• An assistant showed Xiao Ning'er a Silver Rank hairpin that could fire a short-range arrow of spiritual energy.
• Shen Fei noticed Xiao Ning'er liked the hairpin and paid for it with healing pills.
• Shen Fei offered the hairpin to Xiao Ning'er, who accepted it and tucked it inside her robe.
• Shen Fei told the assistant they were finished looking, and the pair left the shop.

After returning from the Silver Wing Trading House, Shen Fei and Xiao Ning'er discussed their plan to leave the Silver Wing Family's territory the next day and prepared for the escape. The chapter ended with Sikong Hongyue entering the still-lit main hall, where Sikong Yi was waiting.

• Shen Fei and Xiao Ning'er returned to the Guest Courtyard with the tall guard, then thanked him and went inside.
• Xiao Ning'er unwrapped the hairpin and put it on, and Shen Fei told her it looked beautiful.
• Xiao Ning'er worried whether Nie Li would return in time, and Shen Fei reassured her that he would and reviewed their escape plan.
• Shen Fei and Xiao Ning'er wished each other rest before she returned to her room and he began cultivating.
• Sikong Hongyue entered the main hall, and Sikong Yi opened his eyes slightly and stopped tapping the chair armrest.

Sikong Yi ordered Sikong Hongyue to recruit Su Tian and planned to kill him and Lei Zhuo’s group if he refused, or secretly eliminate the others if he agreed. The next morning, Shen Fei and Xiao Ning’er prepared for the day, unaware that Sikong Hongyue would approach Su Tian again.

• Sikong Hongyue told Sikong Yi that Su Tian had not committed to joining the Silver Wing Family.
• Sikong Yi ordered her to ask Su Tian again and, if he refused, obtain Lei Zhuo’s prescription and treatment method before killing Lei Zhuo, Su Tian, and their companions.
• Sikong Yi said that if Su Tian agreed, Lei Zhuo and the others should be ambushed after leaving Silver Wing territory, with their deaths blamed on demon beasts.
• Sikong Hongyue returned to her room and wondered what choice Su Tian would make, aware that her father did not truly trust outsiders.
• Shen Fei recovered through cultivation, dressed and armed himself, then met Xiao Ning’er as they prepared for the day.

Shen Fei stalled Sikong Hongyue with a discussion about joining the Silver Wing Family until explosions struck the mine. Sikong Hongyue realized the blast was a diversion and accused him of conspiring with Lei Zhuo.

• Sikong Hongyue visited Shen Fei at the Guest Courtyard while Xiao Ning'er hid nearby and followed their plan.
• Sikong Hongyue offered Shen Fei the position of elder if he joined the Silver Wing Family.
• Shen Fei kept Sikong Hongyue occupied until a series of explosions shook the mine and sent smoke billowing into the sky.
• Sikong Hongyue drew her sword and accused Shen Fei of causing the explosion, but he calmly denied leaving the room.
• Sikong Hongyue deduced that the mine blast was a diversion and accused Shen Fei of planning it with Lei Zhuo.

Shen Fei and his companions faced Sikong Hongyue after an explosion opened a breach in the Guest Courtyard wall. Shen Fei overpowered her and left her kneeling and wounded in the courtyard.

• An explosion blasted a passage through the Guest Courtyard's eastern wall.
• Shen Fei attacked Sikong Hongyue as she rushed into the courtyard, and she blocked his first strike.
• Sikong Hongyue revealed her peak Gold Rank 5-Star aura and charged toward the breach, but Shen Fei intercepted her.
• Sikong Hongyue's sword strike met Shen Fei's Shadow Mantis forelimb, and Shen Fei forced her back with overwhelming strength.
• Shen Fei kicked Sikong Hongyue into a stone wall, leaving her bleeding and kneeling as he declared, "You lost."

Shen Fei refused Sikong Hongyue’s offer to join the Silver Wing Family, saying their opposing allegiances left no possibility of working together. He left with Xiao Ning'er and the others, while the wounded Sikong Hongyue remained behind, puzzling over his remark that someone else would kill her.

• Shen Fei stopped when Sikong Hongyue called him Su Tian and asked why he would leave after the Silver Wing Family had offered him status and resources.
• Shen Fei acknowledged Sikong Hongyue had treated him well but refused to join her family because they stood on different sides.
• Sikong Hongyue accused Shen Fei of sparing her out of softness, and he replied that someone else would kill her.
• Shen Fei left with Xiao Ning'er and the others before the Silver Wing Family's pursuers arrived.
• Sikong Hongyue struggled to her feet and murmured, "Duan Jian?"

Shen Fei and the others reached the hidden rendezvous cave and waited for Nie Li, recovering from their escape. Nie Li and Duan Jian arrived after sabotaging the Silver Wing Family, and the group planned to leave through a southern route once the guards moved north.

• Shen Fei led Xiao Ning'er, Lu Piao, Xiao Xue, and Du Ze through a marked passage to the concealed cave Nie Li had chosen as their rendezvous point.
• Shen Fei treated a shallow wound from his fight with Sikong Hongyue while the others rested and kept watch.
• Nie Li and Duan Jian arrived, and Nie Li explained that they had destroyed the Silver Wing Family's workshop restrictions, freed its enslaved people, and caused fires that distracted the guards.
• Shen Fei and Nie Li concluded that the Silver Wing Family would be weakened and occupied for months, while escaped slaves and nearby powers would add pressure.
• Nie Li proposed resting another hour before leaving by an old southern route, and Shen Fei and the others began recovering as the guards' pursuit faded northward.

After returning to Glory City, Shen Fei mapped the Dark Guild’s bases and learned that a million-strong beast tide would reach the city in three days. Suspecting the Dark Guild had triggered it, he set out under cover of night to warn the City Lord’s Mansion and eliminate its agents.

• Nie Li and his companions returned from the Ruins, and Shen Fei went back to the Sacred Family estate alone.
• Shen Fei recorded the Dark Guild’s three bases, its seven hidden Demon Spirit Masters, and Adjutant Ma’s role in diverting military supplies.
• City Guard officers told Shen Hong that a million-strong beast tide could reach Glory City within three days.
• Shen Fei suspected the Dark Guild had brought the beast tide forward and planned to attack the city from within and without.
• Shen Fei fused with the Shadow Mantis and slipped out of the estate, heading toward the City Lord’s Mansion unseen.