Chapter Summaries

Ji Zekai proposed tricking Great Xia into believing the Sky Serpent Guild had allied with the Shuddering Joker, hoping to make Dark Shadow come and kill the boss. Stina opposed the scheme and urged the guild to apologize and compensate Great Xia, but Ji Zekai called for a vote.

• Ji Zekai explained that his plan was to make Great Xia think the Joker was secretly forcing the Sky Serpent Guild to kill Great Xia players.
• Stina warned that Dark Shadow was capable of defeating the epic-grade boss and argued that the guild should apologize and compensate Great Xia.
• Ji Zekai mocked Stina's proposal and suggested putting the disagreement to a vote.

After the Sky Serpent Guild chose to target Great Xia players in the Los Angeles Ruins, Qin Feng saw through the plan and prepared to act on his own scheme involving the Shuddering Joker and the Trembling Hut. While constructing a Life Source Array, he gained the ability to freely redistribute his greater resistances, leaving him far stronger against Greater Affixes.

• The Sky Serpent Guild voted to contact North American officials and arrange attacks on Great Xia guild members, blaming the Shuddering Joker, while Stina privately sought Fuxiao.
• North American guilds ambushed Great Xia players returning to the ruins, and Qin Feng learned about the attacks from Late Night, Light Rain.
• Qin Feng reasoned that the Shuddering Joker could not be behind the attacks and decided to intervene rather than let North America use him to kill the boss for free.
• Qin Feng began constructing a Life Source Array in the Magma Church, which would reduce future Hideout-related lifespan costs by 84%.
• Qin Feng used Shield Disintegration on the Blade of Judgment and learned the Legendary Tier skill Child of the Greater, allowing him to freely reallocate his greater resistances even during combat.

Qin Feng evolved Vanish Without a Trace to Legendary Tier and Child of the Greater to Ancient Grade, greatly strengthening his Greater Affix defenses. With the Life Source Array completed, he traveled to the Los Angeles Ruins to find the Shuddering Joker, while North American guild players continued attacking Great Xia players.

• Qin Feng transferred his Greater Affix resistances into Whisper Resistance and evolved Vanish Without a Trace to Legendary Tier, giving its corpse explosion a chain effect.
• Qin Feng evolved Child of the Greater to Ancient Grade, increasing his Greater Affix resistance and reducing his Greater Affix meters every second.
• After the Life Source Array was completed, Qin Feng revived Gray Chicken and teleported to the Los Angeles Ruins at a reduced lifespan cost.
• Qin Feng found the Los Angeles Ruins overrun by players trapped in nightmares and flew out with Gray Chicken and Osilio to locate the Shuddering Joker.
• North American guild players continued attacking Great Xia players, unaware that Dark Shadow had arrived in the city.

Qin Feng tracked the Shuddering Joker Erniros through the Los Angeles Ruins and discovered that its Trembling Hut had hidden inside a guild Hideout. After locating the hut, he used Ancient God Language to intimidate the Joker, leaving it bristling.

• Qin Feng and Osilio searched the Los Angeles Ruins while Qin Feng kept Umbral Perception's Ancient Grade effect disabled so the Trembling Hut would not flee.
• Shuddering Joker Erniros killed twelve players fighting over a Silver Grade boss, then turned invisible and absorbed their lifespan.
• Qin Feng observed the Joker and concluded that its movement was limited because the Trembling Hut had not relocated.
• Qin Feng found the Trembling Hut inside a classroom in the Gold Tier Torture Academy Hideout, where it had reconstructed itself from a corpse despite the Defensive Barrier.
• Qin Feng spoke Ancient God Language beside Erniros, making the Shuddering Joker bristle.

Qin Feng intimidated and killed the Shuddering Joker, then entered the Trembling Hut’s Hideout and resisted its Nightmare and Instant Death auras. The Trembling Hut submitted and created a female Shuddering Joker, whom Qin Feng told to try pleasing Osilio instead.

• Qin Feng used the Ancient God Language and threatened the Shuddering Joker with the destruction of every corpse in the Ruins until it stayed put.
• Qin Feng struck the Shuddering Joker with a lethal combo, detonated its Throat Slit damage, and destroyed its remains with Blooming Curse.
• Qin Feng rode Osilio to the Trembling Hut’s Hideout and nullified its Defensive Barrier with the Blade of Judgment.
• Qin Feng entered the Trembling Hut’s Nightmare and Instant Death aura, where his resistances and Child of the Greater kept his meters from rising dangerously.
• The Trembling Hut submitted and created a female Shuddering Joker, and Qin Feng suggested it make a female dragon joker to please Osilio.

Qin Feng made the Trembling Hut his subordinate and planned to collect protection money from Los Angeles players while using its expanded reach to control the city. After learning about a hidden informant in the Sky Serpent Guild, he set out to pressure the North Americans and began by attacking a guild team.

• Qin Feng negotiated an agreement with the Trembling Hut: it would collect one day of lifespan per player each day, and he would take five thousand years daily.
• Qin Feng knocked two hundred million HP off the Trembling Hut to activate its third phase, then ordered it to move into the Teleportation Array room and block escape routes.
• Qin Feng gave Osilio a female dragon Joker, which frightened Osilio, then flew with him over the Los Angeles Ruins.
• Late Night, Light Rain told Qin Feng that Great Xia players had logged off to avoid attacks and that an unnamed Sky Serpent Guild insider had warned them; Fuxiao could reveal the insider’s identity.
• Qin Feng concluded that the insider had only partially helped Great Xia and might be useful in managing his protection-money scheme.
• Qin Feng told a humanoid shadow Joker to watch and learn, then leaped from Osilio and charged an armed North American guild team.

Qin Feng disguised his attacks as the Shuddering Joker and killed North American teams hunting Great Xia players, plunging Los Angeles into chaos. The Sky Serpent Guild learned Dark Shadow had arrived at its Hideout, unaware that Qin Feng had come to lead them into a deeper trap.

• Zhang Jingchen and his twenty-three teammates boasted about hunting Great Xia players before Qin Feng killed them all with Dark Night Ring Blade and sent them into the Nightmare State.
• Qin Feng continued hunting teams while concealing his identity, posing as the Shuddering Joker, and sent Fuxiao a friend request.
• Los Angeles guilds panicked as news spread that the supposed boss had killed the teams sent to hunt Great Xia players.
• At the Noble Restaurant, Stina Mosel warned Ji Zekai and the others that they should have apologized to Great Xia, while the guild leaders realized their plan had failed.
• Guards told the Sky Serpent Guild leaders that Dark Shadow had arrived outside their Hideout, and they prepared to meet him, not knowing Qin Feng had already reached an agreement with the boss.

Qin Feng confronted the Sky Serpent guild outside the Noble Restaurant and asked what they would offer for him to eliminate the Epic Grade Shuddering Joker. The guild leaders debated the price, with Stina advocating a substantial payment while Ji Zekai resisted.

• The old man in a suit ordered Ji Zekai to deal with Dark Shadow before arranging to repaint the Noble Restaurant's grotesque murals.
• Qin Feng waited outside the Hideout's Defensive Barrier as Sky Serpent's elite players watched him warily.
• Stina greeted Qin Feng in Great Xia's language and asked what he required in return for eliminating the Shuddering Joker.
• Qin Feng told Stina to make him an offer, then listened as she and the other guild leaders discussed compensation.
• Ji Zekai suggested a thousand years of lifespan, but Stina argued that they should offer at least ten thousand years.
• Stina called Ji Zekai the real joker and warned that the Joker outside was racking up kills while he was feeding him.

Qin Feng exploited the North American authorities by taking lifespan payments to kill two Shuddering Jokers, then turned on the officials when they tried to delay his balance. The chapter ended with him cutting through their platinum-tier Defensive Barrier and killing players inside the hideout.

• Stina negotiated an eight-thousand-year lifespan payment with Qin Feng, and the old man in the suit delivered half as a deposit.
• Qin Feng returned a minute later with the corpse of the Shuddering Joker, and the North American authorities delayed paying the remaining four thousand years.
• When another Shuddering Joker called Puluowang appeared, Qin Feng secured ten thousand years of lifespan and killed it as well.
• After Ji Zekai again said the balance would have to wait, Qin Feng accused the North American authorities of defaulting and slashed open the Defensive Barrier.
• Qin Feng killed Th3Klash3r, Mr. J, AlpoTic, and other players inside the hideout.

Qin Feng killed six Sky Serpent Organization leaders, spared Stina, and convinced her that the Shuddering Joker multiplied whenever it was killed. He offered to negotiate with the Joker for another ten thousand years of lifespan, then returned to the Judgment Grounds to judge the six captives.

• Qin Feng destroyed the Hideout’s Defensive Barrier and sent Ji Zekai, the old man in a suit, Stina’s suitor, and three others to the Judgment Grounds, while sparing Stina.
• Stina stopped a mage from attacking the invisible Qin Feng and offered to transfer the remaining payment.
• Qin Feng warned Stina that killing the Shuddering Joker only made more Jokers appear and demanded the remaining six thousand years of lifespan.
• Qin Feng offered to negotiate with the Joker for ten thousand years of lifespan, and Stina said she would consult her superiors.
• Qin Feng vanished and returned to the Judgment Grounds, where Ji Zekai and the other five captives realized their surroundings were dangerous.

Qin Feng judged six Sky Serpent Organization leaders in the Judgment Grounds after examining their memories and exposing their crimes. His judgment strengthened the Blade of Judgment, while the six were sent to punishments reflecting their deeds.

• The six Sky Serpent leaders, including Ji Zekai and an old man in a suit, arrived in the White Jade Maze and wondered where they were.
• Qin Feng returned to the White Jade Platform with Gray Chicken, where Ashasiss called it a Hell Phoenix and Qin Feng warned that its ancestor might have been beaten by her.
• Gray Chicken and Osilio argued until Qin Feng tossed Gray Chicken to Osilio, and Ashasiss said they should be made into soup.
• Qin Feng examined the six leaders' memories, finding that Ji Zekai had framed compatriots, killed workers, and arranged the operation targeting Qin Feng in Magic City.
• Qin Feng judged all six, spending nearly fifteen hundred years of lifespan and increasing the Blade of Judgment's base attributes by 13% and its divinity limit by 13 points.
• Ji Zekai was sent to Knife Mountain Punishment, four others were sent to Boiling Oil Punishment, and the sixth was condemned to face women he had mistreated, who threatened him with scissors.

Qin Feng finished judging six enemies in the Punishment Illusion, then brought North American and Great Xia guild representatives together with Shuddering Joker Asasinger to arrange protection fees in Los Angeles. The meeting began with Qin Feng setting out the price and enforcement terms.

• Qin Feng watched Ji Zekai and the others endure endless punishments, then declined Ashasiss's offer to spend divinity swapping Huang Ziqing and Gao Xiaoyi's punishments.
• Qin Feng returned to the Noble Restaurant Hideout, where Stina escorted him to a protection-fee meeting with North America's top guild leaders and Fuxiao.
• The North American leaders treated Qin Feng cautiously because six of the Sky Serpent Guild's leaders had disappeared after he killed them.
• Shuddering Joker Asasinger arrived as the Trembling Hut's negotiator and threatened the guild leaders before taking a seat opposite Qin Feng.
• Qin Feng distributed Light and Shadow Crystals and began the negotiations, including a plan for the Shuddering Joker to hunt anyone who had killed members of the fourteen Great Xia guilds.

After Qin Feng presided over a deal that put Los Angeles under the Shuddering Joker’s protection, he collected lifespan from Stina and returned to River-Sea City to prepare for his next instant-kill target. The River-Sea City authorities assembled a team to help lure out the Unclean Overlord of Pollution.

• Qin Feng, Stina Mosel, Fuxiao, the Shuddering Joker, and Los Angeles guild leaders agreed that the guilds would pay weekly lifespan as protection money.
• The Shuddering Joker stationed the Trembling Hut at Los Angeles’s Teleportation Array, and players who tried to leave without paying were killed.
• Stina became head of the Los Angeles Security Group, while the deal’s announcement drew worldwide attention and prompted many Los Angeles players to return and pay.
• Qin Feng decided to target River-Sea City’s Unclean Overlord of Pollution, an Epic Grade boss whose shield he believed he could overcome.
• Qin Feng collected the remaining sixteen thousand years of lifespan from Stina and returned to River-Sea City’s Soul-Cleansing Grounds.
• The River-Sea City authorities assembled an official force of 240 people to help Qin Feng lure out the boss.

Qin Feng noticed Yang Xiaoya and Evil Dragon Roar fighting the White Bone Guild over a Spider Queen and intervened when their opponents tried to steal the boss. He killed the boss and the White Bone Guild players, leaving Aowu wondering whether Dark Shadow had come to help Yang Xiaoya.

• Qin Feng flew past a dried-up waterfall and spotted Yang Xiaoya fighting alongside Evil Dragon Roar against the White Bone Guild for a Spider Queen.
• The White Bone Guild used crowd control and force-taunt skills to pull the weakened boss away from Evil Dragon Roar.
• Qin Feng suddenly killed the Spider Queen and the White Bone Guild players near it, awarding the boss to Evil Dragon Roar.
• The remaining White Bone Guild players recognized Dark Shadow and fled, but Qin Feng killed them as well.
• Aowu asked Yang Xiaoya whether Dark Shadow really knew her.

Yang Xiaoya’s guild learned that Dark Shadow had helped them and joined An Yu’s force on its way to meet him. Osilio brought the group down into the canyon, leaving Qin Feng to greet the arriving players and Osilio’s teasing offer of wives.

• Yang Xiaoya denied knowing Dark Shadow, while Aowu and the others speculated that he had come to protect her.
• After finding out An Yu’s force was heading to help Dark Shadow, Aowu asked to join, and An Yu accepted after getting Qin Feng’s approval.
• The Evil Dragon Roar players followed the official force to a mist-filled canyon where an Epic Grade boss lurked below.
• Osilio flew up to the group and offered to carry them down in batches, telling anyone who wanted to be Dark Shadow’s wife to board first.
• At the bottom of the cliff, Osilio arrived with the players and teased Qin Feng that he had brought him wives.

Qin Feng brought Gu Yixue and more than two hundred players to the River of Pollution to level while waiting for its boss to appear. When Eldritch God Murmurs surged through the area and the boss’s tentacles emerged, Qin Feng attacked.

• Osilio brought Gu Yixue to Qin Feng first, teasing that she wanted to be his wife, before returning to ferry the other players into the canyon.
• Qin Feng led the group to the River of Pollution, a level 25–30 Disaster Zone, and told them to grind monsters while they waited for the boss.
• An Yu and the others questioned Qin Feng’s claim that he could instantly kill an Epic Grade boss when it appeared.
• Qin Feng shared lifespan with players who had not brought enough and promised to distribute some of the boss’s Diamond Tier loot.
• After more than three hours, Eldritch God Murmurs spread through the underground area, rapidly raising everyone’s Whisper Meters as the boss’s tentacles burst from the river.
• Qin Feng struck at the emerging boss with the Blade of Judgment and the Star-Killer Blade.

Dark Shadow killed the Epic Grade Unclean Overlord of Pollution in seconds, leaving An Yu and the others stunned. After the Eldritch God's whispers faded, Gray Chicken tried to drag the boss's corpse from the river but found it too heavy to move.

• An Yu struck the Unclean Overlord of Pollution and realized her damage could barely affect its 330-million HP bar.
• Dark Shadow cut the boss's health in half, nullified its regenerating shields, and killed it with Instant Annihilation before it could enter its invulnerability phase.
• The players watched Dark Shadow kill the Epic Grade boss in seconds, and the Eldritch God's whispers stopped.
• Qin Feng asked Gray Chicken to pull the boss's corpse from the river so Greedy Hand's loot would not fall in.
• Gray Chicken tried to drag the corpse with its claws but could only shift it slightly because it was too heavy.

After Qin Feng and the others dragged the Epic Grade octopus out of the River of Pollution, he collected its rewards and examined a powerful Legendary Tier ring. The chapter ended as he turned his attention to the Legendary Tier Assassin Skill Book.

• Qin Feng and the others dragged the giant octopus corpse out of the River of Pollution, triggering a global announcement for the Epic Grade boss kill.
• Stina heard the announcement and realized she had become the most influential figure in the Los Angeles Ruins.
• An Yu asked Qin Feng about his damage multipliers and learned that he relied on skills to stack weak-point hit adjustment.
• Qin Feng used Greedy Hand on the octopus corpse and gained 4,200 Evolution Points along with other rewards.
• Qin Feng found a Legendary Tier Assassin Skill Book and the Three-Phase Ring, whose effect raised his two lower stats to match his highest stat.

Qin Feng evolved Endless Blood and retrieved Merciless Cut to strengthen his bleed damage and Instant Annihilation combo. He then upgraded Abyssal Slow Curse and reached into the Abyssal Curse Vase, but obtained an Abyssal Silence Curse that was unlikely to help against his current bosses.

• Qin Feng evolved Endless Blood to Mythic Tier, increasing the damage, frequency, and duration of his bleeding effects.
• Qin Feng retrieved Merciless Cut, whose Legendary effect increased his total damage against targets suffering from his bleeding.
• Qin Feng calculated that his strengthened bleed combo could deal up to 250 million to 400 million damage to Epic Grade bosses, though the Jianghai Ruins stone golem remained too resistant to defeat in one combo.
• Qin Feng evolved Abyssal Slow Curse to Ancient Grade, removing its risk of drawing him into the Abyss.
• Qin Feng reached into the Abyssal Curse Vase and obtained the Epic Grade Abyssal Silence Curse, then hoped to find a more useful Abyssal skill next time.

Qin Feng strengthened his combat power, planned to seek the Deathwing Angel bloodline after Desolation Spread began, and spent two days helping Great Xia defeat Diamond Tier bosses. He had warned Great Xia’s officials about the coming Desolation Spread, prompting them to prepare.

• Qin Feng returned to the Soul-Cleansing Grounds, evolved five Assassin damage skills to Legendary Tier, and gained 15,000 Physical Attack.
• Qin Feng planned to obtain a Deadwing Feather and visit the Kyoto Ruins after Desolation Spread began, where he could investigate the Idol Demon, the KEY Guild, and an NPC he was seeking.
• Qin Feng farmed monsters for two days, accumulated over 8,100 Evolution Points, and helped Great Xia kill six Diamond Tier bosses.
• Great Xia’s officials used Qin Feng’s Diamond Tier equipment and assembled Stripping squads to improve their chances of clearing Jadeite Tier bosses.
• Qin Feng informed Great Xia’s officials about Desolation Spread, and they began intensive preparations.