Chapter Summaries

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.

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.