Chapter Summaries

Old Ninth and his allies defeated Xiaodao and the Kou Island Students after their anesthetic powder failed, then let the Lei Zis attack them. Little White Tiger rejected Xiaodao Yuki’s appeal to spare his younger brother and challenged the Black Sun Mercenary Corps as the Lei Zis resumed the assault.

• Xiaodao used anesthetic powder to knock down Old Ninth and the others, but Hi Dog resisted it because Bai had taught him to seal his senses and pores.
• Old Ninth and the others revealed they were unharmed, and Old Sword explained their defenses against poison while Little White Tiger broke the floor beneath the Kou Island Students.
• More than a hundred Lei Zis surrounded the students, and Old Sword severed Xiaodao’s wrist tendons as the group began attacking them.
• Little White Tiger answered a call from Xiaodao Yuki, who asked him to spare his younger brother and invoked the Black Sun Mercenary Corps’ reputation.
• Little White Tiger refused to show Xiaodao Yuki respect, mocked the mercenaries for staying out of the Dragon Kingdom, and ordered the Lei Zis to continue attacking.

Xiao Yuan interrogated Kui Xing about why he came to Ice Prefecture and learned that a film may contain a map to a treasure connected to awakening beyond the ninth level. Meanwhile, Xiaodao Yuki persuaded Black Sun’s commander to support a revenge mission against Little White Tiger.

• Xiao Yuan threatened Kui Xing with Transformed blood until he revealed that he had come to seize a roll of film from a woman and was not working with Kou Island.
• Kui Xing explained that the film contained evidence of Kou Island’s human experiments and a map that might lead to a treasure capable of unlocking what lies beyond nine awakenings.
• Xiao Yuan told Kui Xing to report that further incursions into Ice Prefecture would be met with death, then ordered her men to kill him if he tried to leave.
• Xiaodao Yuki asked Black Sun’s commander to let him avenge his younger brother, offering his thirteen-percent stake in the mercenary corps.
• The commander agreed to consider Xiaodao Yuki’s plan to take the Black Shadow Squad and a thousand elite troops into the Dragon Kingdom.

The Ninth Master's group examined an abstract map recovered from Xiaodao and decided to have a Capital University professor help decipher it. In the Capital, a European Capitalist Faction leader arranged for Xiaodao Yuki and mercenaries to target Little White Tiger in exchange for Federation support and patents.

• Old Sick found photographs hidden in Xiaodao's remains, including an indecipherable map, and Xiao Yuan argued that it was genuine and should not yet be handed to White Garment.
• Xiao Yuan proposed abducting Capital professors to interpret the map, but Little White Tiger said a Capital University professor was visiting their school and offered to approach him.
• A man in a white suit persuaded Old Master Ma to let mercenaries enter the Northeast, with their fighting restricted to Chun Prefecture and Ice Prefecture.
• The man explained that he was targeting Little White Tiger to appease the Federation and secure patents, while insisting that strengthening the Dragon Kingdom remained his goal.
• The man ordered his younger brother to contact Kui Xing in Ice Prefecture and have him assist Xiaodao Yuki when an opportunity arose.

Xiaodao Yuki and the Ruan Family plotted to kill Fang Mu and destroy Chun Prefecture’s mine on Fei Island, believing Black Sun’s mercenaries could overwhelm its defenders. Cody’s force was lured into a prepared trap, where Fang Mu and Guan Lei confronted them as Nuclear Cannons opened fire.

• Xiaodao Yuki sent Cody and Black Sun’s mercenaries to work with Ruan Lie, kill Fang Mu, and sabotage the mine.
• Ruan Lie agreed to rebel after Cody showed him a secret order promising Federation troop deployment, and he assigned Ruan Mi to help attack the mine.
• Ruan Mi seduced Brother Jia into letting the trucks pass the mine’s roadblock without inspection.
• Cody’s mercenaries stopped in a basin surrounded by Chun Prefecture’s forces, where Fang Mu and Guan Lei revealed the ambush.
• Guan Lei taunted Cody as Nuclear Cannons fired from the hills.

Xiao Yuan and Kui Xing confirmed that the attack on Fei Island had been anticipated, while Fang Mu’s forces revealed that Ruan Lie had never joined the mercenaries’ plot. Trapped between the Nuclear Cannon and the Lei Zis, Cody and his mercenaries faced a brutal counterattack.

• In Ice Prefecture, Xiao Yuan explained that she had predicted the attack on Fei Island and had monitored the Ruan Family, though Ruan Lie had given her no excuse to remove him.
• On Fei Island, Ruan Lie revealed that he had refused to betray Chun Prefecture and that Fang Mu had arranged the mercenaries’ ambush from the start.
• Guan Lei ordered his forces to fire and promised the mercenaries a chance to leave if they survived five minutes, while the Lei Zis blocked the mine’s exit.
• Cody attacked Jia Ge with his Gatling gun, but Jia Ge endured the gunfire and crushed the weapon’s barrels before holding Cody in place.
• The Nuclear Cannon struck, and as the blast tore through the basin, the Lei Zis charged the surviving mercenaries without retreating.

Xiaodao realized the figures waiting on Fei Island were police and tried to flee, but Dragon Kingdom fighter aircraft sank the European Capitalist Faction’s ship and killed its mercenaries. Guan Lei and Fang Mu then confronted Tian Guang over the destroyed ship, with Guan Lei demanding reimbursement and warning him not to trouble the Guan Family.

• Ruan Lie told Xiaodao that Cody and the others had stolen the Mine’s Nuclear Cannon, and Xiaodao headed for Fei Island.
• Xiaodao recognized the figures on the wharf as cops and ordered his boat back toward the ship, while Lei Zi reported the failed interception to Fang Mu.
• Three fighter aircraft attacked the European Capitalist Faction’s ship, sinking it and killing the mercenaries aboard; Xiaodao then cursed at the man who answered Ruan Lie’s phone.
• Guan Lei told Ruan Lie that the Seventh Fleet had destroyed the ship after it entered an exercise area, and Fang Mu apologized for the trouble.
• Guan Lei called Tian Guang, claimed the ship had been sunk as an exercise target, and demanded ten million for ammunition and labor while warning Tian Guang not to trouble the Guan Family.

Little White Tiger visited Professor Wen in Demon City to ask him to identify an ancestral map, but Professor Wen and his wealthy students insulted him and dismissed his modest gift. When they learned who he was, they hastily changed their tune, but Little White Tiger refused their belated offer and left the professor begging for a chance to help.

• Little White Tiger arrived at Professor Wen’s courtyard with gifts and asked the professor to identify a map showing his ancestral home.
• Tian Ke mocked Slut and disparaged his family while Professor Wen treated Slut as a servant despite claiming he was caring for him.
• Slut knocked Little White Tiger’s gifts to the ground, and Professor Wen refused to help after seeing the modest Northeast specialties.
• Little White Tiger prepared to leave, but Tian Ke recognized his name and realized he was the notorious figure from Chun Prefecture.
• Professor Wen reversed his refusal and begged to examine the map, but Little White Tiger declined and said he would return with Old Ninth unless the professor begged him.

Tian Ke bribed Professor Wen to secretly decipher Little White Tiger’s map, while Professor Wen assaulted Xiaodie and confessed to having her father killed. Broken Shoe killed Professor Wen and then demanded to see Little White Tiger, leaving the enforcers unsure how to explain the death to Eighth Master.

• Tian Ke persuaded Professor Wen to study Little White Tiger’s map for his family in exchange for money.
• Xiaodie visited Professor Wen, who tried to assault her and threatened her brother while admitting he had caused their father’s death.
• Broken Shoe heard Professor Wen’s confession, attacked him, and killed him with a fountain pen after being stabbed.
• Two enforcers arrived and complained that Broken Shoe had killed Professor Wen before Eighth Master’s planned arrangements were complete.
• Broken Shoe clung to an enforcer and demanded to see Little White Tiger so he could report something important.

Tian Ke learned that Professor Wen had died before he could reveal the map’s location, but Tian Ke had secretly photographed the map and discovered it might lead to Emperor Ying’s Sword. Little Pig learned the Tian Family had the map and gave Broken Shoe three days to decipher it, then insisted on confronting Tian Ke himself.

• Tian Ke watched Professor Wen’s burning courtyard and concluded that Little White Tiger had killed the professor to conceal the map’s location.
• Tian Ke explained that the map might lead to Emperor Ying’s Sword, a legendary treasure that could become a powerful Wasteland Artifact, and decided to take his secret photograph back to the Capital.
• Little Pig questioned Broken Shoe and learned that Professor Wen had sold information about the map to Tian Ke of the Tian Family.
• Little Pig ordered his men to kill everyone who had visited Professor Wen’s home, but spared Broken Shoe after he promised to decipher the map within three days.
• Little Pig told Old Ninth that the map was with the Tian Family and took responsibility for fixing the problem himself, despite Old Ninth offering to send Black Master after Tian Ke.

Tian Ke tried to bring a map revealing the location of Emperor Ying's Sword back to the Capital, but the Lei Zis ambushed him at the airport. Little Pig and Little Chicken reached Tian Ke despite the guards, but an airport Awakened stopped their attempt to kill him and left the two Lei Zis wounded.

• Tian Ke told Tian Guang that the map revealed Emperor Ying's Sword and headed for the Capital with it.
• Little Pig and the Lei Zis attacked Tian Ke outside the airport, and Little Chicken shot him as his bodyguards carried him inside.
• The Lei Zis fought their way past the airport guards, while Little Pig shot Tian Ke in the foot and threatened him over the phone with Tian Guang.
• Airport reinforcements surrounded the Lei Zis, but Little Pig pressed his gun to Tian Ke's face as Little Chicken taunted the guards.
• An airport Awakened stopped Little Pig's shot with a protective barrier and pierced Little Pig and Little Chicken with a saber.
• Tian Ke mocked the wounded Lei Zis, and one of his bodyguards charged at Little Pig.

After Little Pig was critically injured at the airport, Little White Tiger vowed revenge and sent Old Ninth to kill Tian Ke. In the Capital, the Tian family searched for Old Ninth while trying to decipher a treasure map.

• Little White Tiger learned that airport guards had critically injured Little Pig and Tian Ke, and he threatened to wage war on the Tian family.
• Tian Ke fled to the Capital, and Little White Tiger called Old Ninth and ordered him to kill Tian Ke.
• Five days later, Tian Ke urged Tian Guang to find Professor Wen’s former student, Li Que, for help deciphering the map.
• Tian Bo warned Tian Ke to stay in the hospital because Old Ninth had entered the Capital.
• Tian Guang said their search had found no trace of Old Ninth, leaving the Tian brothers alarmed by his disappearance.

Broken Shoe’s family was attacked by Tian Family Awakened who demanded he go to the Capital, and his mother was burned to death when he resisted. Little White Tiger killed the attackers, spared Broken Shoe, and gave him a chance to seek revenge on Tian Ke.

• Broken Shoe’s mother urged him to flee after he angered Little White Tiger’s people, but Tian Family men arrived and ordered him to come to the Capital.
• Tian Ke ordered the men to kill one of Broken Shoe’s family members when he refused, and the leader burned his mother to ashes.
• Ji Min and Little White Tiger arrived with Awakened; Little White Tiger killed two Tian Family men and executed their leader after calling Tian Ke to threaten him.
• Little White Tiger spared Broken Shoe, who demanded money and a ticket to the Capital so he could kill Tian Ke.
• Little White Tiger gave Broken Shoe a dagger and told him to forget what happened to Little Pig, while Broken Shoe swore to kill Tian Ke.

Old Ninth infiltrated the hospital to kill Tian Ke, who was about to undergo surgery, despite the Tian Family’s strong security. The chapter ended with Old Ninth revealing himself outside the operating room and starting his attack.

• Old Ninth told Little White Tiger that the Tian Family’s guards had kept him from reaching Tian Ke, but vowed to kill him for hurting Little Pig.
• A two-toned-haired young man arrived at the hospital, vanished from the front desk with a snap, and headed for the operating room.
• Tian Guang and Tian Bo waited with the family, wary that Old Ninth might attack while Tian Ke underwent surgery.
• The elevator opened to reveal two dead Tian Family guards, and Old Ninth called Tian Guang from Chun Prefecture.
• Old Ninth appeared through the Emergency Exit with a Chainsaw, started it, and threatened to kill the Tian Family in order.

Old Ninth attacked the Tian Family at the hospital, using illusions and his chainsaw while they tried to stop him. After Tian Ke survived surgery, Guan Ming and Security Department officers intervened, and Old Ninth used proof of his mental illness to avoid arrest before signaling to an unknown man.

• Old Ninth killed Xiao Pei with a chainsaw, then used illusions to evade Master Gu and slap him during their fight.
• Tian Guang and Tian Bo realized Old Ninth might be stalling, just as Tian Ke emerged safely from surgery.
• Guan Ming arrived with two Security Department officers, and the Tian Family demanded that they arrest Old Ninth for Xiao Ming's murder.
• Old Ninth gave the officers a booklet proving he was mentally ill, preventing them from sentencing him, and warned Tian Guang that Tian Ke would die.
• Old Ninth threatened to escape any psychiatric hospital, then exchanged a nod with a masked man in a white coat who hurried downstairs.

Little White Tiger used Old Ninth’s attack and a hidden bomb to kill Tian Ke in front of the Tian Family, turning their conflict into open revenge. Tian Guang ordered his family to decipher the map and prepare to confront Chun Prefecture at the treasure site.

• Tian Ke woke in the hospital after Old Ninth killed Xiao Ming, and he vowed to take revenge once he was discharged.
• Little Pig called Tian Ke and revealed that he, Little Chicken, and Little White Tiger were watching, while Little White Tiger warned Tian Guang not to harm his brothers.
• Little Pig dialed a number, and a phone rang from Tian Ke’s abdomen; Tian Guang found a stitched wound before the bomb inside Tian Ke exploded, killing him.
• Tian Guang ordered Tian Bo to watch Old Ninth and keep him in the psychiatric hospital, then decided to decipher the map and settle the conflict with Chun Prefecture at the treasure site.
• Tian Guang told his people to contact Xiaodao and support his revenge.

Tian Guang and Tian Bo reviewed footage showing Old Ninth’s illusion had enabled Broken Shoe to kill Tian Ke. After leaving the psychiatric hospital, Old Ninth agreed to join Broken Shoe on a sea voyage to find the decoded map location when an Eight-Star Converted Beast surfaced at the next full moon.

• Tian Guang, Tian Bo, and Master Gu watched the operating-room footage and concluded Old Ninth had used an advanced triggered illusion to help kill Tian Ke.
• Guan Ming scolded Old Ninth for acting without the Guan Family’s help, while Old Ninth bragged about his ties to the Old Man and praised Broken Shoe for the operation.
• Broken Shoe revealed he had decoded the map location and said they needed to reach the sea during the full moon in three days to avoid an Eight-Star Converted Beast.
• Old Ninth broke his handcuffs, offered to protect Broken Shoe and his sister, and agreed to leave for the sea with him.
• Old Ninth kicked down a wall and left by taxi while the Awakened stationed outside pretended not to notice.

Tian Guang arranged for Kojima to enter Ice Prefecture and exploit the Tian Family’s feud with Chun Prefecture. Kojima planned to kill Earthworm and Hungry Ghost to provoke a wider conflict, leaving his forces ready to strike after dark.

• Tian Bo watched Old Ninth escape the Capital, and Tian Guang ordered A Dong to track him so they could follow him to the treasure.
• Tian Guang told Tian Bo he had arranged for Kojima to enter Ice Prefecture and intended to use the conflict to avenge the Tian Family.
• Kojima arrived in Ice Prefecture with masked ninjas, warned them not to underestimate the Dragon Kingdom, and explained his plan to turn the European Capitalist Faction against the Guan Family.
• Kojima chose Earthworm and Hungry Ghost as targets, hoping their deaths would make Little White Tiger and the Guan Family retaliate against the Ma Family and the European Capitalist Faction.
• Kojima ordered Da Xiang to kill Hungry Ghost and led another team to target Earthworm, then told his men to regroup for five hours before moving out after dark.

Earthworm was ambushed while walking with Little Sugar, but she revealed overwhelming power and identified herself as Sword Crane. The attackers were left facing a Demon Ancestor who had chosen to protect Earthworm.

• Earthworm walked through Ice Prefecture with Little Sugar, and Xiaodao and his disguised ninjas prepared to ambush him.
• Xiaodao’s group attacked Earthworm, who was wounded while pushing Little Sugar out of the way and then fled with her.
• Little Sugar erased Xiaodao’s blade aura with a glance and killed three pursuing ninjas, while Earthworm hid her and ran to draw the attackers away.
• Earthworm returned to kiss Little Sugar before leaving, then shouted to lure Xiaodao and the ninjas after him.
• Little Sugar came out holding a Tang saber and killed four ninjas, explaining that Earthworm’s injury had made her unhappy.
• Little Sugar revealed her overwhelming presence to Xiaodao and introduced herself as Sword Crane.

Little Sugar defeated Xiaodao and left Ice Prefecture City to confront her mortal enemy, promising Earthworm she would return. As Xiaodao died in the snow, he learned that Hungry Ghost had also overwhelmed his team and killed Da Xiang.

• Little Sugar used her saber to ruin Xiaodao’s body and vitality, then warned him to tell his backers not to harm Little Explosion.
• Earthworm arrived with reinforcements, and Little Sugar reunited with him before explaining that she had to leave to face her mortal enemy.
• Little Sugar promised to return and have a child with Earthworm, granted Third Uncle the power of Heavenly Dao, and vanished as the Two-Headed Flood Dragon approached.
• Earthworm collapsed from his earlier wound, and Third Uncle also fell unconscious after Little Sugar’s power took effect.
• Xiaodao called his team and learned that Hungry Ghost had defeated the Fifth Awakening fighters and eaten Da Xiang.
• Xiaodao died in the snow, blaming Tian Guang as the wind and snow buried him.

Third Uncle reunited with Smoke Fiend in a vision and inherited his name and legacy, while Little White Tiger’s group prepared to sail for Emperor Ying’s Sword. A Dong discovered Old Ninth’s plan and arranged to have his people follow by sea.

• Smoke Fiend appeared to Third Uncle in the hospital and comforted him as Third Uncle mourned the Old Man and Smoke Fiend.
• Smoke Fiend asked Third Uncle to inherit his name and protect Black Mountain Town, and Third Uncle agreed.
• Xiao Fei relinquished reincarnation and dissolved into smoke, entering Third Uncle as he awoke with Smoke Fiend’s power.
• Ji Min arranged for Little White Tiger, Old Ninth, and their companions to sail aboard the Xingluo to the Death Caverns in search of Emperor Ying’s Sword.
• A Dong deduced that Old Ninth was heading out to sea and called his superiors to prepare a ship to follow him.