Chapter Summaries

March 7th, Stelle, Guinaifen, and Jiang Yu explored Fyxestroll Garden, where the Netherworld Officers nearly detained them for entering a restricted area. They recognized Jiang Yu before arresting the group, and Hanya, Xueyi, and Huohuo arrived to greet them.

• March 7th, Stelle, Guinaifen, and Jiang Yu followed the mountain trail through Fyxestroll Garden, recording the eerie scenery and avoiding Netherworld Officers on the path.
• The four heard unexplained footsteps and descended the stone steps into the garden proper.
• Netherworld Officers surrounded the group and ordered them detained, but one Military Attendant recognized Jiang Yu and stopped the others.
• A Military Attendant asked Jiang Yu why he had come to Fyxestroll Garden, and Hanya, Xueyi, and Huohuo approached to greet him.

Jiang Yu explained his unusual theory about ghosts and Heliobi to Guinaifen, Stelle, March 7th, and Hanya. Hanya offered him a Ten-Lords Commission Judge post overseeing punishment, but he refused, while the others decided the role suited him perfectly.

• Little Gui wondered whether Hanya was human or a ghost, and Stelle explained Jiang Yu’s rule that anything able to affect someone could also be fought.
• Jiang Yu described how someone trapped by a ghost could change a floor sign and believe in reaching the desired floor, causing that belief to become reality through the ghost’s influence.
• Hanya said Heliobi were ordinary life-forms, and Little Gui recalled Jiang Yu’s view that many forms of life could seem like ghosts to baseline life-forms.
• Hanya told Jiang Yu the Ten-Lords Commission wanted him to become a Judge responsible for punishment because he had taken the Mirror Holder and Phantylia to Aha’s Fragmentum Factory, but Jiang Yu declined.
• Hanya called Guinaifen unemployed, prompting Guinaifen to defend her work as a performer and streamer, while Jiang Yu joked that he was unemployed despite owning the factory.
• Hanya, Xueyi, and Huohuo reconsidered the appointment and concluded Jiang Yu was ideally suited to be a Judge in charge of punishment.

After Guinaifen explained why she had returned to the restricted area, Jiang Yu revealed that ghosts were present and demonstrated how one could affect Tail. The Judges and Huohuo were left considering the spirits’ existence and nature.

• Hanya questioned Guinaifen about returning, and Guinaifen admitted she wanted to film ghosts and monsters for video material.
• Guinaifen told Hanya and Xueyi that Jiang Yu had seen ghosts on their way there, and Jiang Yu claimed there were sixty-three nearby.
• Huohuo panicked at Jiang Yu’s warning, and he took her hand and comforted her.
• Jiang Yu asked an unseen spirit to grab Tail, and Tail broke through his seal, startled and shouting that someone had touched his butt.
• Jiang Yu explained that ghosts were usually harmless and described them as beings that might perceive dying people’s memories as their own.

Huohuo and Little Gui reacted to the revelation of ghosts and the appearance of Mr. Tail, while Hanya explained why the visitors should be told about the abnormalities in Fyxestroll Garden. Hanya took charge of receiving them, leaving the group poised to hear her explanation.

• Huohuo clung to Jiang Yu after Mr. Tail's demonstration convinced her that ghosts existed, while Little Gui focused on the visible Heliobus.
• Little Gui mistook Mr. Tail for a ghost, recovered from her fright, and asked to speak with him, but he brusquely refused.
• Jiang Yu urged Huohuo to leave with the group, and Xueyi told Huohuo to see the guests out after Little Gui questioned her about Mr. Tail.
• Hanya argued that the visitors should be told why Fyxestroll Garden was abnormal and offered to explain the situation herself.
• Xueyi agreed, and Hanya addressed her sister in an affectionate tone before beginning her explanation.

Hanya explained that escaped heliobi were dangerous spirits feeding on sentient beings’ thoughts, and that the Ten-Lords Commission planned to contain them at Fyxestroll Garden. After learning that Little Fish could destroy heliobi by approaching them, Guinaifen offered to help investigate, but Xueyi ordered the visitors escorted out.

• Hanya told Guinaifen and the others that escaped heliobi had settled in Fyxestroll Garden and warned them to leave after asking their questions.
• Hanya explained that heliobi fed on emotions, possessed vulnerable hosts, and could eventually drain their bodies; Tail insisted he was dangerous, while Huohuo clarified that he was sealed and could not harm anyone.
• Hanya described the Ten-Lords Commission’s plan to complete a Form-Binding Evil-Warding Formation and said Tail believed Little Fish could destroy heliobi simply by approaching them.
• Guinaifen realized that other supernatural incidents on the Xianzhou might involve escaped heliobi and eagerly offered to help Hanya investigate.
• Xueyi refused Guinaifen’s offer and ordered the uninvolved visitors to leave immediately.

As the group left Fyxestroll Garden, Jiang Yu proposed using Heliobi to consume the turbulent emotions that contribute to people becoming Mara-Struck. His idea left March 7th and Stelle worried that the Heliobi might be headed for the same fate as the Fragmentum Factory’s monsters.

• Huohuo led the group out of Fyxestroll Garden, and Jiang Yu said he had a new idea to discuss with Bailu.
• Little Gui joked about filming Mr. Tail for a paranormal video, but Tail demanded to know what he would get in return.
• March 7th asked why Tail was always with Huohuo, and Huohuo explained that he was sealed in her tail.
• Jiang Yu suggested that Heliobi could feed on extreme emotions and thereby treat or delay Mara-Struck, with the Alchemy Commission and Ten-Lords Commission testing the idea.
• Tail moved away from Jiang Yu, while March 7th and Stelle recalled Jiang Yu’s earlier plans for the Fragmentum Factory and worried about the Heliobi.

After Guinaifen vanished in Fyxestroll Garden, Jiang Yu and Stelle searched a courtyard and confronted a sinister reflection in a giant mirror. The reflection pulled them into a mirror world, where they remained trapped as they continued looking for Guinaifen.

• Huohuo led Jiang Yu, March 7th, Stelle, and Guinaifen through a deserted shortcut in Fyxestroll Garden.
• Guinaifen disappeared, so Jiang Yu and Stelle entered a bamboo grove to search while March 7th stayed with Huohuo.
• Jiang Yu and Stelle followed eerie green flames into a courtyard, where a gate shut behind them and they found a huge bronze mirror.
• Stelle's reflection turned sinister and reached out of the mirror, but Jiang Yu grabbed its wrist and tried to pull it out.
• The mirror toppled and engulfed Jiang Yu and Stelle, transporting them into a mirror world.
• Jiang Yu wondered whether entering another mirror world would lead deeper inside, but Stelle told him to focus on finding Guinaifen.

Jiang Yu and Stelle explored the Horrific Maze, where Jiang Yu mocked Cirrus’s attempt to sound mysterious and drove her to attack. Cirrus possessed Stelle to shield herself from Jiang Yu, leaving Stelle afraid he might slap her anyway.

• Jiang Yu and Stelle chose random paths through the maze, then Jiang Yu kicked down a courtyard wall after locating the voice behind it.
• Cirrus taunted them about their battle with Phantylia, and Jiang Yu corrected her, explaining that they had captured Phantylia and put her to work in his Factory.
• Jiang Yu criticized Cirrus’s poor research and theatrical performance until she shouted at him and sent ghostly fire rushing toward him.
• Jiang Yu scattered the first cluster of ghostly fire with his sleeve, but Cirrus circled behind Stelle and possessed her with another cluster.
• Cirrus taunted Jiang Yu from beside Stelle, while Jiang Yu began rolling up his sleeve and Stelle feared he might slap her.

Jiang Yu forced Cirrus to reveal that Huohuo was nearby, then led Stelle after Huohuo’s paper figures through Ignamar’s illusory maze. He ignored the maze’s puzzle and kicked open a sealed door, only to find another identical path beyond it.

• Jiang Yu stopped his slap when Cirrus shouted and offered to help him and Stelle escape the maze in exchange for help evading the Ten-Lords Commission.
• Jiang Yu rejected Cirrus’s offer and threatened to take her to the Prison of Deep Seclusion, but agreed to follow her lead when she revealed Huohuo’s paper talismans.
• Cirrus guided Stelle to follow the floating paper figures, and they found a supernatural storybook whose puzzle hints Jiang Yu had already memorized.
• Jiang Yu kicked down a sealed door before the group solved its puzzle, then found another path like the one behind them.

Jiang Yu and Stelle found Huohuo, but Cirrus possessed Stelle and used her voice to torment Huohuo. Tail confronted Cirrus, while Huohuo remained frightened and Jiang Yu had yet to act against the possession.

• Jiang Yu rejected Cirrus’s claim that he had promised to help her escape the Ten-Lords Commission, and Stelle challenged Cirrus as well.
• Jiang Yu and Stelle found Huohuo, who asked about Guinaifen and March 7th and begged Jiang Yu to take her with them.
• Cirrus used Stelle’s voice to frighten Huohuo, then made Stelle insult her and the Ten-Lords Commission.
• Jiang Yu comforted Huohuo and called Cirrus a beast after Stelle agreed with him.
• Tail told Cirrus to stop tormenting Huohuo and condemned her for hiding in Stelle’s body.

Cirrus taunted Tail and distressed Huohuo, while Huohuo gave Stelle a talisman that helped her regain control. Jiang Yu examined Huohuo’s talismans for a way to suppress Cirrus, who began explaining why the Heliobi had gathered in Fyxestroll Garden.

• Cirrus mocked Tail for being trapped inside Huohuo, and Tail angrily demanded that she leave Stelle’s body.
• Huohuo handed Stelle a paper talisman that temporarily suppressed Cirrus’s influence, then explained her fears and doubts about working for the Ten-Lords Commission.
• Stelle reassured Huohuo that her talisman had helped, while Tail awkwardly urged Huohuo to stop crying.
• Jiang Yu examined Huohuo’s talismans and considered using them to remove Cirrus from Stelle without hurting her.
• Cirrus asked Huohuo why the Heliobi had gathered in Fyxestroll Garden, and Huohuo guessed it was for team building before Cirrus began to explain.

Cirrus recounted Flint Emperor’s battle with Teng Xiao, but Stelle and Huohuo challenged her account before Tail revealed how wary he was of Jiang Yu. The group learned how Huohuo first encountered Tail, while Tail remained convinced Jiang Yu was uncanny and could affect Huohuo’s luck or fate.

• Cirrus described Flint Emperor’s battle against Teng Xiao, but Stelle said the spectacle sounded unimpressive and Huohuo pointed out that records showed Flint Emperor had been utterly defeated.
• Cirrus explained that Flint Emperor had scattered into spirit fragments and mocked Tail for being subdued by Huohuo.
• Huohuo recalled finding Tail as a dying ball of fire when she was little and saving him, only for him to try to eat her before the Judges intervened.
• Cirrus joked that Tail could have used Huohuo’s body to turn the Xianzhou upside down, and Tail said Jiang Yu was the one hurdle he could never overcome.
• Tail reflected that Jiang Yu’s strange abilities and presence seemed to have improved Huohuo’s luck, though he could not explain how.

Jiang Yu used the talisman inscriptions he had just studied to pull Cirrus out of Stelle and decided to send her to work in Aha's Fragmentum Factory as punishment. Cirrus accepted her situation for the moment, while Tail feared the factory would be far worse than she understood.

• Cirrus explained that she wanted to challenge the general and return beyond the heavens, while Tail and Huohuo warned her not to try escaping.
• Jiang Yu claimed he could help Cirrus return beyond the heavens and modified the Heliobi-suppressing inscriptions on Huohuo's talisman.
• Jiang Yu pressed his hand against Stelle's stomach and yanked Cirrus out of her body with a rope of inscriptions.
• Jiang Yu told Cirrus she would work as a therapist in his factory to make amends for possessing Stelle and making Huohuo cry.
• Tail recalled the factory's oppressive conditions and realized Cirrus would likely spend the rest of her life there.

Jiang Yu led Huohuo, Stelle, Tail, and Cirrus through the maze and followed Xueyi’s voice through a mirror to a floating island filled with bronze mirrors. When the illusion presented three false mirrors, Jiang Yu prepared to solve the problem himself with Black Cleave.

• Jiang Yu tied Cirrus up like a balloon and led the group through the maze, kicking open doors as they searched for an exit.
• Xueyi contacted the group through a mirror and told them to pass through it to escape the maze.
• The group crossed the mirror and landed on an island above Fyxestroll Garden, where Xueyi’s voice guided them through two correct mirrors.
• Huohuo and Tail recognized that the three mirrors before them were all false and reasoned that the illusion was trying to delay them.
• Jiang Yu handed the Cirrus-brand balloon to Huohuo, stepped away, and summoned Black Cleave.

Jiang Yu shattered the illusory barrier and rescued Stelle, Huohuo, and Cirrus from the falling island. They returned safely to Fyxestroll Garden, where Xueyi heard what had happened and Cirrus was left humiliated.

• Jiang Yu summoned Black Cleave and destroyed the floating island, sending Stelle, Huohuo, Cirrus, and himself falling through the clouds.
• Jiang Yu caught Stelle and Huohuo, then recaptured the slowly falling Cirrus with the inscribed rope.
• Jiang Yu used a gust of wind to descend with the others to Fyxestroll Garden, where Xueyi was surprised to see them arrive from the sky.
• Huohuo greeted Xueyi, while Cirrus angrily questioned her staring and Xueyi replied that Cirrus was unlike any Heliobus she had seen.
• Stelle, Jiang Yu, and Huohuo told Xueyi what had happened inside the illusion, and Xueyi looked at the humiliated Cirrus with sympathy.

Xueyi explained that a powerful Heliobus named Ignamar had trapped Fyxestroll Garden in an illusion and proposed that Huohuo might have to face it. Cirrus offered a plan to provoke Ignamar into splitting apart, leaving the Ten-Lords Commission ready to seal its weakened fragments.

• Xueyi told Huohuo that she might have to deal with the powerful Heliobus after the Ten-Lords Commission’s officials lost contact, while Huohuo doubted her own abilities.
• Xueyi and Tail urged Huohuo to trust herself, and Cirrus mocked Tail for claiming to have subdued her.
• Cirrus proposed that the group move to Swallowsong Pavilion and explained how external stimuli could make a powerful Heliobus like Ignamar split into fragments.
• Xueyi agreed that the Commission could seal Ignamar’s fragments once it weakened, then questioned why Cirrus was helping them.
• Cirrus listed several possible motives for helping and glanced at Jiang Yu, prompting Xueyi to wonder whether Cirrus’s former host had been as impulsive as him.

Cirrus secured Jiang Yu’s promise that he would waive her punishment and grant her freedom if she helped resolve the crisis. She lured Ignamar into challenging Stelle, setting up a fight against the Underworld Officials he sent after them.

• Cirrus asked Xueyi to promise her freedom, and Jiang Yu offered to make the decision himself if Cirrus helped.
• Xueyi confirmed that the Ten Lords would honor Jiang Yu’s decision, and Cirrus agreed to help.
• Cirrus borrowed Stelle’s body and called out to Ignamar, provoking him by claiming her pawn had captured Phantylia.
• Ignamar accepted Cirrus’s challenge and sent his Underworld Officials to attack her and Stelle.
• Huohuo worried about fighting their comrades, but Stelle volunteered to knock them out, and Cirrus accepted her offer.

Jiang Yu and his companions prepared to fight Ignamar’s Heliobi-controlled puppets, and Xueyi gave them a Moonhide Gourd to capture the Heliobi. Jiang Yu used Black Cleave to bring the gourd to life and sent it after the possessed Underworld Officials.

• Xueyi accepted Jiang Yu’s offer to help and gave Stelle, Huohuo, and Jiang Yu a Moonhide Gourd for sealing the Heliobi.
• Huohuo gathered her courage to face the enemy, while Tail teased her and privately worried about Jiang Yu’s strange abilities.
• Jiang Yu asked Xueyi whether the Moonhide Gourd was a weapon against Heliobi, then tossed it to Black Cleave.
• Black Cleave animated the Moonhide Gourd, and Jiang Yu ordered it to capture the Heliobi possessing the Underworld Officials.
• The Moonhide Gourd grew arms and legs and ran off, while Stelle wondered what her Belobog trashcan friends would look like with limbs.

Jiang Yu used Black Cleave to animate the Moonhide Gourds, sending them to capture the Heliobi gathered by Ignamar. Xueyi and Huohuo set out to suppress the possessed puppets and prepare the Form-Binding Evil-Warding Formation, while the gourds began overpowering Underworld Officials.

• Stelle imagined turning a trash can into an awakened weapon, and Jiang Yu told her and Huohuo to have Black Cleave animate their Moonhide Gourds.
• Xueyi gathered more Moonhide Gourds to strengthen the squad tasked with managing the Heliobi.
• Xueyi and Huohuo agreed to split up and defeat Ignamar's possessed puppets before meeting at Qingqiu Terrace to activate the Form-Binding Evil-Warding Formation.
• The group encountered animated Moonhide Gourds overpowering possessed Underworld Officials and absorbing Ignamar's fragments.
• Huohuo trembled at the gourds' piercing screams, and Tail scolded her for losing her courage.

Jiang Yu and the others reached Xueyi’s formation, where the Animated Moonhide Gourds had captured Ignamar’s fragments and March 7th had escaped her illusion. When Guinaifen tried to strike a gourd, Ignamar briefly spoke through her before the gourds stopped her, and Cirrus sided with Jiang Yu.

• Cirrus asked Jiang Yu whether he or Jing Yuan was stronger, and Jiang Yu said he was while admiring Jing Yuan’s Heaven-and-Earth Manifestation.
• Huohuo spotted the Animated Moonhide Gourds heading toward the formation and led Stelle and Jiang Yu to join Xueyi.
• March 7th told the group she had escaped the illusion on her own, while Xueyi reported defeating the possessed Underworld Officials and preparing to seal Ignamar’s fragments.
• Guinaifen approached the gourds and tried to strike one, but it caught her arm and threw her aside as Ignamar spoke through her.
• Jiang Yu identified the gourds and taunted Ignamar, while Cirrus flew to Jiang Yu’s side and mocked Ignamar for being frightened.