Chapter Summaries

The You Zui Hunting Team escaped the demon pack with help from a Chaos Spell cast by the Ouroboros Hunting Team. Zheng Qing appeared to agree to Andrew Taylor’s alliance proposal, but exposed the apparent Andrew as an impostor and ordered an attack.

• Zheng Qing led the You Zui Hunting Team northwest to escape the confused demons and regroup with the team that had cast the Chaos Spell.
• The team met Andrew Taylor and the Ouroboros Hunting Team, and Zheng Qing said he would agree to an alliance if they survived.
• Zheng Qing noticed Andrew’s restored rings and the fishman behind him, then signaled Zhang Jixin and Blue Fatty to stay alert.
• Zheng Qing cast Tearful Sneeze when he shook Andrew’s hand, revealing that the figure’s face was an illusion.
• Zheng Qing shouted for the team to move, and Blue Fatty struck the apparent Ouroboros hunters, flattening them into mist.

Zheng Qing confronted a water demon that had trapped members of the Ouroboros Hunting Team and forced it to release them. He rescued the hunters, learned the demon had mistaken Andrew Taylor for a wolf demon, then teleported his team away as the pursuing wolves arrived.

• Zheng Qing identified the water mirror demons as retainers of a water demon and threatened the pond with Transformation Potion unless it released its captives.
• The water demon released three hunters, but Zhang Jixin pointed out that Andrew Taylor and Julian were still missing.
• The water demon spat out Andrew Taylor’s deerskin hat and claimed it had eaten him after mistaking his wolf scent for that of a wolf demon.
• Zheng Qing demanded Julian’s release, but the water demon insisted only four hunters had fallen into the pond, so Zheng Qing threw the ampoule into the water.
• Zheng Qing used Teleportation Talismans to withdraw his team, and the White Wolf Demon King arrived to find the wizards gone.

After escaping the Water Mirror Demon, Zheng Qing and the surviving hunters rested and exchanged accounts of the monsters and losses they had suffered. The survivors learned that both hunting teams had lost companions, while the strange hunting ground and its Puppet remained dangerous.

• Zheng Qing checked the hunting ground’s unmoving sun, then collapsed to rest after using many Teleportation Talismans to escape the Water Mirror Demon.
• Omega and Amber recovered, and Fatty Xin mourned Lan Que, whom the White Wolf King had eaten.
• Zhang Jixin described how the Youzui Hunting Team had killed a Vine Demon and a bull demon before monkey demons and wolf demons attacked their camp, where Xiao Xiao died.
• Zheng Qing revealed that the Puppet’s appearance had made anything possible, and he examined Xiao Xiao’s shattered Black Frame Glasses.
• Omega explained that Ouroboros had been overwhelmed by snake demons, lost Julian, and later fell into the Water Mirror Demon’s illusory pool while trying to rescue their captain.

Zheng Qing helped Youzui and Ouroboros form a new hunting team and assign its roles after their two teams exchanged information. As the group began preparing a Four Symbols Array for a safe camp, Omega and Fatty Xin argued over the animals they had captured.

• A Mountain Sparrow watched a weevil until Omega magically pulled it toward the hunters, frightening it into shrieking.
• Omega presented the Mountain Sparrow as a possible match for Amber's Vermilion Bird requirement, while Fatty Xin offered a Sand Cat and argued that it qualified as a feline.
• Zhang Jixin stopped Omega and Fatty Xin from arguing and urged them to finish the defensive array while Zheng Qing rested.
• Zheng Qing arranged for Youzui and Ouroboros to form a new hunting team, with Zhang Jixin as Lead Hunter, Fatty Xin as left support, Amber as right support, Omega as Scouting Hunter, and Iseni as roaming hunter.
• Zheng Qing stepped down to serve as substitute and quartermaster, balancing the six people in the new team.
• Amber organized the hunters to gather the four great elements and construct a Four Symbols Array to conceal their camp and mislead pursuing demons.

Amber completed the Four Symbols Array to draw down star power without harming its animal subjects, then advised the hunters to rest. Iseni woke to find the green frog gravely wounded and a vast horde of monsters gathered beyond the array.

• Amber explained that the Four Symbols Array would use the animals’ ancestral connections to sense the Four Symbols and draw down the stars’ power, not sacrifice them.
• Amber warned the hunters to conserve their strength, and the group fell asleep on the hill.
• Iseni woke thirsty in the small puddle and found the green frog near death with deep claw marks on its back.
• Iseni saw a dense mass of demons and monsters gathered beyond the array and shouted that the enemy was attacking.

A vast gathering of demons converged on the hunters’ hidden position after the White Wolf Demon King sensed the enticing scent nearby. Zheng Qing realized the demons had not yet located them, but his right eye began to hurt and revealed a bright crimson flame in his palm.

• The White Wolf Demon King sensed the familiar scent, enlarged its body, and howled to alert the demons across the grassland.
• The demons’ howl threw the young hunters inside the Four Symbols Array into panic as they debated whether to flee or fight.
• Zheng Qing observed that the demons were scanning the area rather than focusing on the array, and concluded they had not found the hunters.
• Hearing Amber mention Oster’s Guardian reminded Zheng Qing of his earlier experience with it, and he suddenly realized something before pain struck his right eye.
• Zheng Qing told the hunters to prepare, then went to the puddle and uncovered his right eye, revealing a bright crimson flame dancing in his palm.

Zheng Qing realized the demons had repeatedly tracked him and concluded that he was endangering his hunting team. He put his companions to sleep, left the Four Symbols Array alone, and drew the demon horde after him toward the horizon.

• Zheng Qing recognized his crimson right eye and recalled several encounters in which demons had singled him out.
• Zheng Qing decided the demon horde had been drawn by him and feared his presence would put his companions in danger.
• Zheng Qing pressed the Crimson Flame back into his eye, suffered a severe headache, and then tied Jia Ma Talismans to his legs.
• Zheng Qing cast three spells to put his companions to sleep and left the Four Symbols Array without leaving them a note.
• Zheng Qing taunted the demons and raced beyond their first line of defense, prompting the horde to chase him.

Zheng Qing fled across the wilderness with a horde of demons and monsters pursuing him, relying on six Jia Ma Talismans until exhaustion made him collapse. When a Rat Demon lunged for him, dark crimson flames erupted from his body and burned it to bones.

• Zheng Qing ran across the wilderness while praying to the gods to speed his Jia Ma Talismans and keep him safe.
• As the talismans burned away and his strength failed, Zheng Qing staggered and collapsed with the demon horde closing in.
• A flying Rat Demon raced ahead of the pursuing monsters and lunged at Zheng Qing's eye.
• Dark crimson flames engulfed the Rat Demon and reduced it to dry bones.

Zheng Qing awoke surrounded by demons after crimson flames and a black shadow burned through the creatures that approached him. He found himself facing a vast demon horde, dominated by a black tiger demon.

• Crimson flames enveloped Zheng Qing and made the demons hesitate, but the demon kings gradually drove their weaker subordinates into the fire.
• The flames burned through the demons until they faded, whereupon a black shadow rose from Zheng Qing and stared at the horde with glowing red eyes.
• Zheng Qing regained consciousness but kept his eyes shut, then reached into his Gray Cloth Bag and prepared to use Flowing Fire Talismans.
• Zheng Qing opened his eyes, found himself amid black ash and bones, and saw a demon horde surrounding him.
• Zheng Qing noticed a black tiger demon standing before the horde, its presence overpowering the other demons.

Zheng Qing lay helpless among a vast horde of demons, unable to use his talismans because of a crippling headache. He woke beside a blood-covered black tiger demon, which had eaten the other demons and was playing with a severed monkey head.

• Zheng Qing watched rival demon groups gather around him and prepared to defend himself with talismans.
• A severe headache struck whenever Zheng Qing tried to unfold a talisman, and he fainted after trying again.
• Zheng Qing woke and realized he was still alive when he felt a talisman in his Gray Cloth Bag.
• Zheng Qing found the black tiger demon beside him, covered in blood and playing with the monkey demon's head.
• Zheng Qing shut his eyes and pretended not to see the tiger's grisly play.

Zheng Qing woke beside the Black Tiger Demon and discovered that it had slaughtered the demons across the hunting ground. He tried to leave, but the tiger followed him as his chest pain forced him to slow down.

• Zheng Qing woke and saw the Black Tiger Demon dozing beside him with the monkey demon's head beneath its paws.
• Zheng Qing spotted dead demons covering the wilderness, including the White Wolf Demon King planted headfirst in the ground.
• Zheng Qing abandoned his plan to attack the tiger and politely asked whether it was hungry.
• Zheng Qing limped away, but the Black Tiger Demon got up and followed him.
• Zheng Qing ran, but chest pain returned while the tiger trotted after him at a leisurely pace.

Zheng Qing, stranded in the hunting ground and followed by a black tiger demon, processed the dead demons for valuable materials while worrying about his missing teammates. The tiger let him work and even carry hides on its back, leaving Zheng Qing baffled about what it intended.

• Zheng Qing gave up trying to outrun the black tiger demon, then remembered his teammates and resolved to make his death useful by salvaging the dead demons.
• The black tiger let Zheng Qing collect materials from the demon corpses while it played with a monkey demon's head.
• Zheng Qing filled his bottles and jars with demon parts, pulverized the bones for powder, and bundled the remaining hides.
• Zheng Qing draped the heavy hides across the black tiger's back, and the tiger accepted them as Zheng Qing wondered what it was plotting.

Matthew Callan’s hunting team searched a vast, empty hunting ground after the demons vanished, leaving him worried that they would fail the competition. Nanjian’s white marten finally found a tiger demon approaching from the east, and Matthew ordered the team to prepare for battle.

• Matthew established a Forward Camp beneath a large Eucalyptus Tree and sent hunters to search in all four directions for demons.
• The search teams found no signs of demons across distances of up to fifty kilometers, leaving Matthew anxious about the empty hunting ground.
• Nanjian’s white marten returned from the east and reported that a tiger demon was approaching, still about twenty li away.
• Matthew ordered the hunting team to assemble and prepare for battle.

Zheng Qing wandered through the hunting ground with a tiger demon following him, unable to understand why it had spared him, while he searched for a way out. Nearby, Matthew’s hunting team prepared a trap for the tiger and its supposed Chang Gui, unaware that the black-robed figure was Zheng Qing.

• Zheng Qing asked the tiger demon to help him find the Puppet’s Great Secret Treasure, but it gave no response, so he headed away from his teammates to avoid leading the tiger to them.
• Zheng Qing used a Cloud-Climbing Talisman to float forward while the tiger followed with bundles of hides on its back.
• Matthew’s hunting team confirmed the tiger was less than eight hundred meters away and discussed its unstable demonic aura readings.
• Nanjian and Nankai identified the black, hunched figure before the tiger as a Chang Gui, and Matthew ordered the team to use a Blazing Sun Talisman once their trap was triggered.
• Ilena looked toward the approaching tiger and figure with uncertainty, but she dismissed her concern as an illusion.

Zheng Qing was caught in a hunters’ trap while following the Black Tiger Demon, and the Cullen Hunting Team watched from concealment. Ilena insisted he was their classmate, but Matthew suspected he had made an agreement with demons and questioned why the rest of the You Zui Hunting Team was missing.

• Zheng Qing ran out of power in his Cloud-Climbing Talisman and walked into a trap that bound him in vines and hoisted him upside down from an Eucalyptus Tree.
• Zheng Qing called for help and demanded that the Black Tiger Demon free him, but the demon ignored him and played with a monkey demon’s head.
• Ilena confronted Adam Carlisle O'Brien for blocking her from rescuing Zheng Qing, while Matthew studied Zheng Qing from inside the Cullen Hunting Team’s concealment formation.
• Ilena vouched that the trapped wizard was the real Zheng Qing and had not been infected or transformed, but Matthew questioned whether he had made an agreement with demons.
• Matthew asked why the Black Tiger Demon had not eaten Zheng Qing and where the rest of the You Zui Hunting Team was, leaving the hunters silent.

The Cullen Hunting Team debated whether to trust Zheng Qing, and Ilena left the formation to confront him. She used the Peach Blossom Incantation to free him from the vines, leaving them together beneath the tree as the Black Tiger Demon watched.

• Ilena said only Zheng Qing could answer her question and went out to confront him, while the others stayed behind to keep watch.
• Nanjian said her divination predicted danger without real harm and that Zheng Qing did not look like a bad person.
• Adam urged the team to use Matthew Karen as a go-between, and Matthew said Zheng Qing and Ilena were close because he tutored her in Rune.
• Zheng Qing struggled in vain to escape the vines and asked the Black Tiger Demon to help him.
• Ilena arrived and used the Peach Blossom Incantation to free Zheng Qing from the vines.
• The Black Tiger Demon pinned the monkey head beneath its paw and watched Ilena in confusion.

Zheng Qing reunited with Ilena and explained why he had separated from the You Zui Hunting Team, while discovering that the blood clot in his right eye had disappeared. Ilena confirmed that he had no demon blood, leaving the reason demons had pursued him unresolved.

• Zheng Qing treated his injured hands with Ilena’s Snake Oil and explained that the black tiger demon had killed other demons instead of eating wizards.
• Ilena said Matthew and the others were patrolling, and Zheng Qing revealed that he had deliberately avoided his You Zui teammates to protect them.
• Ilena showed Zheng Qing his reflection, and he discovered that the blood clot in his right eye had vanished.
• Zheng Qing explained his suspicion that demons chased him because he had demon blood or special flesh, and that the tiger demon had spared him for the same reason.
• Ilena used her Gypsy witch arts to assure Zheng Qing that he did not have demon blood.

Zheng Qing explained that the black tiger had driven away and killed the wild monsters, leaving him with nearly all their spoils. He persuaded the Cullen Hunting Team to seek out the other teams and share the spoils among all the freshmen, while he stayed behind with the tiger.

• Ilena verified Zheng Qing's account, and he told the Cullen Hunting Team how the black tiger had killed the monsters and how he had collected their spoils.
• Matthew Karen despaired that Zheng Qing had taken the prey the Cullen Hunting Team needed to win the competition.
• Zheng Qing urged the team to cooperate with the other hunting teams, warning that the Puppet might turn the winners into monsters.
• Matthew argued that following the Puppet's demands and winning was their only way out, but Zheng Qing pointed out that his bag held most of the monsters' valuable parts.
• Zheng Qing offered the spoils to the Cullen Hunting Team on the condition that they belonged to all the freshmen, and Matthew softened when Zheng Qing said he trusted him.
• Ilena asked what Zheng Qing would do, and he said he would stay with the black tiger while the team searched for the others.

The Cullen Hunting Team debated who should remain behind while delivering a gray cloth bag, but a landslide revealed a gigantic creature buried beneath the cliff. The creature emerged as a dragon, leaving the hunters sprawled and terrified.

• Ilena offered to stay behind as the team’s diviner, but Nanjian insisted that she should remain instead, and Nankai objected to either of them being left alone.
• Nankai pointed out that Nanjian’s Little White Sable was tugging at the black tiger’s whiskers, while Ilena whispered to Zheng Qing about the tiger’s strange behavior.
• A cliff collapsed, revealing a huge amber-colored object, and Nankai rushed over to touch what he thought was a treasure.
• The amber object opened a pitch-black eye, and a powerful creature burst out from beneath the earth.
• Matthew identified the enormous monster as a dragon, while Zheng Qing muttered about roasted swallow meat as the hunters lay stunned.

Zheng Qing and the other young wizards faced a giant dragon corrupted by demonic qi in the hunting ground, while the Black Tiger Demon appeared to confront it. The sky’s warnings identified the dragon and another demon as unmarked threats, and officials ordered the competition terminated and hunters evacuated.

• Nanjian identified the dragon as a demonic beast corrupted by demonic qi, and Matthew urged everyone not to provoke it.
• The dragon fixed its gaze on Zheng Qing as the young wizards realized they were badly outmatched.
• The Black Tiger Demon emerged and stood between the young wizards and the dragon.
• The dragon prepared to attack, but the Black Tiger Demon pointed toward the darkening sky, prompting everyone to look up.
• Ilena realized the rumbling was a warning broadcast that reported an unmarked high-intensity demon and an unmarked ultra-high-intensity demon in the hunting ground.
• Dozens of figures appeared at the Center of the Hunting Ground, including Thomas, as the broadcast ordered the competition stopped and hunters evacuated.