Chapter Summaries

Jiang Chen used his newly acquired abilities to fight Chen Ren, a Blood-Clad Ghost, and summoned a vast dragon of weapons to break the ghost’s curse. As Jiang Chen’s weapons swept toward Chen Ren, the ghost unleashed the cursed corpse of a dead bird to block them.

• Jiang Chen grew stronger with Tongtian Lion's Roar and Weapon Control Technique, then struck Chen Ren and endured the ghost’s curse attack.
• Chen Ren drove Jiang Chen deep underground with a crimson palm and demanded his heart.
• Sister Hong watched from a distance, feared Jiang Chen could not defeat the Blood-Clad Ghost, and then saw weapons fly toward him after his cry of “Arms, come.”
• Jiang Chen shattered Chen Ren’s crimson palm with a dragon of summoned weapons and declared that Chen Ren could not stomach his heart.
• Chen Ren unleashed the cursed corpse of a dead bird to block Jiang Chen’s weapon dragon.

Jiang Chen destroyed Chen Ren’s monstrous body, but Chen Ren’s shadow escaped and vowed revenge. Jiang Chen caught it, learned it could return as long as the patients’ evil thoughts remained, and eagerly invited it to find him again.

• Jiang Chen shredded Chen Ren’s shadow with weapons and crushed its blood-colored barrier, driving Chen Ren into a monstrous transformation.
• Chen Ren lunged at Jiang Chen, but Jiang Chen’s Heaven-Piercing Lion’s Roar blasted its body apart.
• Chen Ren’s remaining shadow fled at great speed, and Jiang Chen recognized an aura like the Knocking Old Man’s incarnation.
• Jiang Chen completed his demonization, pursued Chen Ren, and stomped on its shadow before it could escape.
• Chen Ren claimed it was immortal as long as the patients’ evil thoughts remained, and Jiang Chen gave it his contact details and asked it to return.

Jiang Chen killed Chen Ren and discovered a blood-red record identifying him as patient number two in the Third Ward, an eerie place whose secrets he planned to investigate through his new clearance. After returning home, Jiang Chen woke early and offered the Netherworld Branch Office gatekeeper half his wages to help wake everyone in the building.

• Jiang Chen comforted Chen Ren, then crushed him with a golden lion's leg and gained 12,000 Ghost Qi from the embryonic fierce soul.
• Jiang Chen found a blood-red medical record marked Third Ward and patient number two, and decided to investigate it once his information clearance came through.
• Jiang Chen confirmed Chen Ren was dead, returned home with Sister Hong, and saw his Ghost Qi total reach 210,000.
• Jiang Chen arrived at the Netherworld Branch Office before dawn and offered the gatekeeper half his wages to help wake everyone in the building.

Jiang Chen took over Wei Changwu’s job of waking the Netherworld Messengers and discovered how severely understaffed the Jiangbei Branch Office was. He began waking them with his Megaphone, provoking Xu Lei and earning ghost qi from her and her Companion Ghost.

• Wei Changwu trusted Jiang Chen with the duty roster and his payroll card after learning from Sun Zhengwen that Jiang Chen was a known prodigy.
• Jiang Chen found that the branch office had only a fraction of its former sleeping staff because Netherworld Messengers were away on assignments.
• Jiang Chen woke Xu Lei by blasting a loud recording outside her room, earning ghost qi when she cursed him.
• Xu Lei’s Companion Ghost attacked Jiang Chen, who pinned and beat it until its screams forced Xu Lei to get up.
• Jiang Chen teased Xu Lei about sleeping late and left, while she scolded her own Companion Ghost for provoking him.

Jiang Chen used Uncle Wei’s authority to wake every Netherworld Messenger in the building before completing his level-two access approval with Yang Chuan. After reviewing evidence from Jingjiang Resettlement Community, he returned to Uncle Wei and promised to keep coming in each morning.

• Jiang Chen broadcast a noisy wake-up call through the Netherworld building and startled a female Netherworld Messenger, but only greeted her before moving on.
• Jiang Chen woke the messengers on every floor, including Yang Chuan, and used Uncle Wei’s authority to make Yang Chuan tolerate the disruption.
• Yang Chuan told Jiang Chen his access approval had come through, but Jiang Chen insisted on finishing his wake-up rounds before going to the Director’s Office.
• Jiang Chen completed the lengthy process for level-two access and showed Yang Chuan records from Jingjiang Resettlement Community.
• Yang Chuan found signs that a female ghost’s death had been manipulated and wondered whether Jiangbei was connected to a larger plan.
• Jiang Chen returned to Uncle Wei, who praised his dedication, and promised to help handle any coworkers’ complaints about the morning wake-up service.

Jiang Chen accepted Uncle Wei’s savings and heard how the old man’s family was lost to a Paranormal Incident and how he later served the Netherworld. At home, Jiang Chen searched the Underworld App and learned that the wards originated from the cursed Happiness Psychiatric Hospital, a force powerful enough to defeat a Netherworld Yama.

• Uncle Wei gave Jiang Chen his bank card containing 36 million and asked him to bury him with a straw mat and two cigarettes after he died.
• Uncle Wei recounted how a Paranormal Incident destroyed his family and how he joined the Netherworld, where his teammates eventually died one by one.
• Jiang Chen left Uncle Wei, checked his ghost qi gains, and worried that the old man’s belief that he had little time left hinted at danger.
• Jiang Chen searched the Underworld App’s ward files and learned that Happiness Psychiatric Hospital had become cursed after its patients died and cursed it.
• Jiang Chen discovered that the Hospital Cursed by the Curse had grown into a terrifying power that had even dealt a major setback to a Netherworld Yama.

Jiang Chen read the history of the cursed hospital and its surviving wards, then prepared for the next day's Black Market. After discovering that Sister Hong had advanced to E+, he invited her along, but she feared he would involve her in illegal business.

• Jiang Chen learned that the previous Yama King had destroyed the old cursed hospital, leaving eight wards, three of which still survived.
• Jiang Chen checked the Seventh Ward's Patient Record, packed it with the other records and Train Ticket, and planned his Black Market purchases.
• Jiang Chen decided to visit Chen Xue at the Black Market and give her some things he no longer needed.
• Jiang Chen discovered that Sister Hong had reached E+ after refining two portions of fortune with the Big Dipper Seven-Star Secret Technique.
• Jiang Chen invited Sister Hong to the Black Market, but she worried that he would get her involved in something illegal.

Jiang Chen and Sister Hong visited the Black Market, where Chen Xue celebrated her breakthrough and befriended Sister Hong. When Chen Xue noticed her guard following them, Jiang Chen insisted they slow down so the man would not lose them.

• The Qin family’s Big Brother ordered Xiao Yu expelled after the family released DNA test results, and warned Fourth Master Qin not to involve Tiancheng in trouble with the Netherworld.
• Chen Xue told Jiang Chen she had broken through and introduced him to the C-Class expert guarding her.
• Jiang Chen introduced Chen Xue to his landlady, Sister Hong, who quickly charmed Chen Xue by praising her.
• Chen Xue spotted her guard following them, and Jiang Chen told her to slow down so the guard would not lose them.

Jiang Chen exposed nearly every counterfeit item on a Black Market stall after its owner insulted him, drawing the attention of buyers and the White Market enforcement team. The stall owner was expelled and blacklisted, while nearby sellers hurried to make their own stalls look legitimate.

• Jiang Chen and his companions slowed down and stopped along the way, making the middle-aged Unusual Person tailing them doubt whether they had noticed him.
• Qin Yu heard the report that Jiang Chen's group was heading toward the Black Market's east gate and raged while tormenting a woman to celebrate his plans against Qin Ze.
• When the stall owner told Jiang Chen to stop touching goods he could not afford, Jiang Chen loudly identified the counterfeits one by one, prompting buyers to demand refunds.
• The White Market enforcement team arrived, confiscated the stall owner's belongings, blacklisted him through the Underworld App, and expelled him from every White Market.
• Nearby stall owners nervously replaced their goods and invited Jiang Chen to inspect their stalls.

Jiang Chen searched the Black Market for a weapon, bought supplies, and reunited with Han Yue, who offered to help him access the exclusive Treasure Pavilion. Han Miao agreed to arrange an introduction, giving Jiang Chen a chance to shop for higher-grade Magical or Ghost Artifacts.

• Jiang Chen bought fifty Essence-Gathering Pills, sold several Ghost Artifacts, and gave enhanced weapons and pills to Chen Xue and Sister Hong.
• Jiang Chen failed to find a weapon that met his new standards before Han Yue recognized him and recalled how he had saved and pinched her during their previous encounter.
• Han Yue invited Jiang Chen and his companions to a private room, where she offered help with Black Market problems and explained that the Treasure Pavilion sold higher-quality items.
• Jiang Chen asked Han Yue to help him enter the Treasure Pavilion to buy an upper-grade Magical Artifact or Ghost Artifact.
• Han Yue brought her brother Han Miao, a pseudo-B-Rank expert, who agreed to help Jiang Chen gain entry.

Han Miao brought Jiang Chen and his companions into the Black Market’s Treasure Pavilion, where Elder Qi showed them dangerous ghost artifacts. Jiang Chen bought a damaged supreme-grade ghost artifact hammer for 270,000 points after receiving a discount.

• Han Miao led Jiang Chen and his companions through a guarded passage and a formation to the Treasure Pavilion.
• Elder Qi recognized Jiang Chen’s ability and welcomed the group into the pavilion, where he explained that its artifacts were sold at fixed prices.
• Jiang Chen examined the ghost artifacts and became fascinated by a damaged scarlet hammer from the Human Meat Slaughterhouse Incident.
• Elder Qi explained the hammer’s history and danger, then offered to sell it to Jiang Chen for 300,000 points.
• Jiang Chen agreed to buy the hammer, and Elder Qi gave him an additional ten-percent discount because he was Han Miao’s friend.

Jiang Chen lured the assassin Zheng Xu away from the Black Market and captured him using the Kui Ox Drum. He tortured Zheng Xu with Steel Nails until the assassin agreed to reveal who had hired him.

• Jiang Chen bought a massive Ghost Artifact, and Elder Qi warned him to find an elder to suppress it within half a day.
• Qin Yu ordered Zheng Xu to follow Jiang Chen and attack him after he left the Black Market.
• Jiang Chen and Sister Hong drove to a deserted district, where Jiang Chen led Zheng Xu into the alleys.
• Zheng Xu attacked Jiang Chen with a dagger, but Jiang Chen used the Kui Ox Drum to daze him and disarm him.
• Jiang Chen pinned Zheng Xu's hands and legs to a wall with Steel Nails until Zheng Xu agreed to tell him everything.

Jiang Chen learned that Qin Yu had hired Zheng Xu to kill him and began planning how to retaliate while avoiding a direct attack on the Qin family. Sister Hong lured Qin Yu into admitting his crimes, and Jiang Chen called Captain Qiu as the trap closed.

• Jiang Chen questioned Zheng Xu, who revealed that Qin Yu had hired him to kill Jiang Chen because the Qin family suspected him of Qin Ze's death.
• Zheng Xu explained that Qin Yu was difficult to prosecute without recorded proof, and Jiang Chen considered targeting Qin Yu through his allies rather than destroying the Qin family himself.
• Qin Yu left the Black Market with his entourage and vowed to punish anyone who had harmed the Qin family.
• Sister Hong approached Qin Yu in distress, and he admitted to ordering Jiang Chen's death and threatened to abduct her.
• Sister Hong revealed that she had been drawing out Qin Yu's confession, and Jiang Chen emerged and called Captain Qiu for help.

Qiu Hong and the Netherworld Messengers arrested Qin Yu and the Qin family after confronting them over their plot against a Female Unusual Person. The Martial Sect's successor arrived at the Black Market, where Qin Yu called out for help from Cousin Tiancheng.

• Qiu Hong confronted Qin Yu, who claimed he had only approached the woman because he was bewitched by her beauty.
• A middle-aged Qin family man challenged Qiu Hong's authority, but Wu Tong overpowered him, and the Netherworld Messengers arrested the group.
• Qiu Hong prepared to take the Qin family back to the Netherworld as Qin Yu protested that he would not go to Purgatory.
• Grandmasters and Unusual Persons welcomed the Martial Sect's successor, a powerful young woman, as she entered the Black Market with an elderly companion.
• Qin Yu called out to Cousin Tiancheng to save him as the Martial Sect Disciples prepared to enter.

Qiu Hong crushed Qin Tiancheng in a single move after Qin challenged him over the Netherworld Messengers detaining his relatives. On the way home, Jiang Chen remembered the assassin in his trunk and hid him in a haunted apartment, where he bound and restrained him.

• Qin Tiancheng approached Qiu Hong and asked him to release the Qin family members, but Qiu told him to get lost.
• Qin Tiancheng challenged Qiu Hong, who invoked the Netherworld rules and slammed him face-first into the concrete with one move.
• Qiu Hong warned the onlookers that the Netherworld held authority in Jiangbei, then left with the other Netherworld Messengers as Jiang Chen called after him.
• Sister Hong remembered that the assassin was still in Jiang Chen's trunk, and Jiang Chen decided to deliver him to the Netherworld Messengers the next morning.
• Jiang Chen and Sister Hong hid Zheng Xu in an empty haunted apartment, where Jiang severed his tendons, tried several rumored power-sealing methods, and nailed him to a wall.

Jiang Chen learned that Jiang Hongyu planned to challenge the blood corpse believed to be in Qishan Village, and he uncovered a mystery about a corpse-born child connected to the village. He prepared to upgrade his equipment before the mission.

• Zhao Erhu told Jiang Chen that Jiang Hongyu, the Martial Sect's successor, had arrived and explained her strength and Seven Injury Fist.
• Zhao Erhu said Jiang Hongyu was investigating the blood corpse believed to be in Qishan Village to test the limits of C-Class strength.
• Jiang Chen searched for information about Qishan Village and found that a corpse retriever had once recovered a woman carrying a child from the Qishui.
• Jiang Chen realized the corpse-born child might have become a powerful monster like Young Ba, though the records gave no clue what had happened to it.
• Jiang Chen decided to upgrade his items and drove to Sunward Middle School because he feared the hammer could wreck his home.

Jiang Chen returned to Sunward Middle School, enhanced the Bloodthirsty Skull-Crushing Hammer into the Death-Curse Yin God Hammer, and prepared powerful Elixirs. He left for the outskirts to test the hammer on a ghost.

• Jiang Chen revisited the Ghost School at Sunward Middle School, remembered his past battle, and mourned the absence of the old beggar and Starving Ghost.
• Jiang Chen enhanced the Bloodthirsty Skull-Crushing Hammer four times, transforming it into the Death-Curse Yin God Hammer.
• Jiang Chen judged that the hammer could threaten high-level blood-clad ghosts and fierce souls, though wielding it at full power would exhaust him.
• Jiang Chen enhanced Essence-Gathering Pills, made Spirit-Origin Pills, and prepared Blood-Spirit Pills capable of regrowing severed limbs.
• Jiang Chen drove toward the outskirts to find a ghost and test the Yin God Hammer's abilities.

Jiang Chen tested the Death-Curse Yin God Hammer on the ghost girl Liang Qiqi and discovered it could absorb and unleash the curses of ghosts it killed. The next morning, he brought an injured Netherworld prisoner to the branch office and eagerly asked for the duty roster so he could try new ways to wake people up.

• Jiang Chen sang with the ghost girl Liang Qiqi, then tricked her into agreeing to consecrate his hammer.
• Jiang Chen killed Liang Qiqi with the Death-Curse Yin God Hammer, engraving her curse and name into it.
• Jiang Chen discovered that the hammer could absorb ghosts' curses and activate the curses engraved on it.
• Jiang Chen went home after testing the hammer, then arrived at the Netherworld Branch Office early the next morning with an injured prisoner.
• Jiang Chen asked Uncle Wei to hand over the duty roster so he could try new ways to wake people up.

Jiang Chen woke the Netherworld Messengers by chasing Xu Lei’s Companion Ghost through the office with his Yin God Hammer. He left after warning them he would return the next day, convinced that helping them rise early was the right thing to do.

• Jiang Chen found Xu Lei’s Companion Ghost on the first basement level and chased her with his Yin God Hammer, claiming he was giving her a morning massage.
• Xu Lei’s Companion Ghost fled down the corridor, alarming the Netherworld Messengers, who armed themselves against the apparent threat.
• Jiang Chen appeared at the corridor’s end with the girl on his hammer and greeted the Netherworld Messengers with “Happy early rising.”
• The Netherworld Messengers recognized Jiang Chen and complained when he warned them he would return to check on them later.
• Jiang Chen left, reflecting that waking the messengers was a good deed and that someone had to uphold the right path.

Jiang Chen woke the Netherworld Messengers by frightening them, then heard Qiu Hong explain the investigation into the attempt on his life and the Crime Department expert pursuing Qin Yu’s mastermind. He learned that the expert was the Underworld App user Old Wang Slacking Off, whose advice he had already read.

• Jiang Chen scared Netherworld Messengers awake across the floors, using Companion Ghosts as targets and alarming Qiu Hong’s squad with the prospect of future wake-up duties.
• Jiang Chen suggested building a remote wake-up system, and Qiu Hong and the squad warned that it would require the director’s approval.
• Qiu Hong told Jiang Chen that evidence implicated Qin Yu in the attempt on his life, but a Crime Department expert believed someone else had masterminded it and wanted to question the suspects in Purgatory.
• Qiu Hong described the expert as a highly capable Think Tank member who had mastered many skills and was protected because he could not become a Netherworld Messenger.
• Qiu Hong revealed that the expert posted tutorials under the username Old Wang Slacking Off, and Jiang Chen recognized him as the author of a post about manipulating a married ghost couple.