Chapter Summaries

Lin Hao and his allies prepared to expand their foothold in Great Jin, bringing useful insects, weapons, and reinforcements to Zong Tianqing’s western expedition army. After deciding to establish Anxi as a base and deter the Russians rather than destroy them immediately, Lin Hao learned that the craftsmen had begun casting a gun body.

• Lin Hao studied Zong Tianqing’s Golden Body notes with Gong Zichun, the Great General, and Li Yanbing, while Zong Tianqing returned to oversee the western expedition army.
• Lin Hao cultivated to the Golden Body Eighth Turn and planned to use stalactite to continue advancing as his allies trained and prepared specialized firearms.
• Lin Hao brought an Insect Cattle and a Tree-Planting Bug into Great Jin, and Zong Tianqing welcomed them at the military camp outside Loulan.
• Zong Tianqing reported that the Russian army had withdrawn but remained near the Western Regions, and proposed seeking appointment as Anxi Jiedushi to establish a lasting base there.
• Lin Hao agreed to Zong Tianqing’s plan, ordered a warning for the Russians, and went to inspect the craftsmen’s initial gun-body casting.

Lin Hao helped stabilize the Great Desert and Western Regions, married Rebana, and negotiated with an English bank representative over Insect Cattle. A peace treaty between the Great Jin Court and Russia prompted Zong Tianqing’s expected recall to court, leaving Lin Hao and Zong uneasy about who might seek control of the Northwest.

• Lin Hao tested the eight black-iron cannons, rewarded the metalworking teacher, and accepted Zong Tianqing’s invitation to review a memorial.
• Zong Tianqing suggested Lin Hao marry Rebana to help stabilize the region, and Li Yanbing approved the match before Rebana pounced on Lin Hao.
• Over the next month, Zong Tianqing’s army pacified the Northwest, Loulan began rebuilding, and Lin Hao confirmed that the growing Insect Cattle and Tree-Planting Bugs drew no further attention from the world will.
• Judy of Fengjin Bank met Lin Hao and Zong Tianqing, offered to waive a year of loan repayments for Insect Cattle, and said the Great Jin Court had signed a Non-Aggression Treaty with Russia.
• Judy predicted that Zong Tianqing would be recalled to court and appointed Grand Secretary, while Zong and Lin Hao suspected that someone at court wanted control of the Northwest.

Zong Tianqing arranged for Lin Hao to remain in command of the frontier while he returned to the Capital, but Beile Aguduo arrived with an imperial appointment and took over at Anxi. After Zong Tianqing departed, Aguduo planned to summon Lin Hao and bring the Western Expedition New Army under his control.

• Judy left with two Insect Cattle and a Tree-Planting Bug after agreeing to another low-interest loan, and Zong Tianqing petitioned to keep Lin Hao in command and place Anxi under his authority.
• Zong Tianqing and Lin Hao traveled to Anxi, where Zong Tianqing supervised construction of the Arsenal and learned that Beile Aguduo had arrived with the Imperial Edict.
• Aguduo greeted Zong Tianqing respectfully, introduced Long Li, and revealed that he had obtained an imperial marriage decree involving the Loulan Princess.
• After the Imperial Edict was read and a banquet was held, Zong Tianqing set out for the Capital and left Aguduo overseeing Anxi and the Arsenal.
• Once Zong Tianqing's convoy had departed, Aguduo ordered a messenger to summon Lin Hao and discussed asserting control over the Western Expedition New Army.

Lin Hao infiltrated the Kato Dojo's Anxi station and took command of its disciples, then went to the Arsenal construction site as Aguduo and Long Li faced an Earthly Kingdom of God assassination attempt. He joined the fight, killed Aguduo, and turned toward Long Li as the battle continued.

• Lin Hao captured Kimura Shinya, took his place, and used his Kato Style swordsmanship to enter the Anxi station and command its disciples.
• Lin Hao ordered the disciples to monitor the governor-general's residence and spent two days receiving reports before preparing to follow Aguduo to the Arsenal.
• At the Arsenal, Earthly Kingdom of God fighters attacked Aguduo and Long Li, while Jin personal guards opened fire and disrupted the battle.
• Lin Hao arrived in time to slice an armor-piercing shell aimed at Xu Zhicheng, then charged Aguduo despite the injured fighter's objections.
• Lin Hao struck Aguduo with multiple Kato Style afterimages, leaving him mortally wounded, and turned to fight Long Li.

Lin Hao killed Aguduo and Long Li during the Earthly Kingdom of God's ambush, then helped Xu Zhicheng's forces take Anxi City and left with treasury silver and stalactite. Back in Loulan, he accepted Aguduo's invitation to Anxi and announced he would bring troops to help defend the city.

• Lin Hao killed Long Li with a palm strike, and Xu Zhicheng's forces killed the Kato Dojo disciples after Lin Hao withdrew.
• Xu Zhicheng led his men into Anxi City, where the city guards and wealthy families fled; he opened the granaries and ordered food distributed.
• Lin Hao returned to Loulan carrying treasury silver and stalactite, then discussed Anxi's administration and defense with Li Yanbing.
• Sai Qihei and his companion arrived to invite Lin Hao to Anxi, but the Great General mistook them for impostors and had them beaten and interrogated.
• After Sai Qihei presented official documents and Zong Tianqing's letter, Lin Hao agreed to attend Aguduo's banquet and said he would bring men to help defend Anxi.

Lin Hao took control of Anxi City after Aguduo’s death, killed Xie Zhou when he challenged his authority, and ordered a report to the throne. Elsewhere, Kato Masayuki planned to lure out the Transmigrator who had taken his Saintly Weapon, while Zong Tianqing persuaded the Grand Secretariat to appoint Lin Hao as Jiedushi of the west.

• Lin Hao ordered Yin Saide to take over Anxi City’s defenses and summoned the city’s officials and local leaders to the governor-general’s residence.
• Xie Zhou accused Lin Hao of overstepping, but Lin Hao blamed the Xie Family for collaborating with the rebels and killed Xie Zhou with his Primordial Hand.
• The assembled officials and local families praised Lin Hao, and he ordered Sai Qihei to write a truthful memorial about the events in Anxi.
• Kato Masayuki concluded that the Transmigrator who had defeated him possessed his Saintly Weapon, and he planned to lure the opponent out by competing for valuable items.
• Zong Tianqing persuaded the Grand Secretariat to recommend Lin Hao as Jiedushi of the west, arguing that his appointment would help preserve stability.

After securing his appointment as Jiedushi of Anxi, Lin Hao arranged for Yin Saide to oversee Guanzhong and traveled to Shanghai to investigate reports of clashes over Evacuation Items. He arrived with Wang Xiaojing and learned that the city’s river was haunted by dangerous water ghosts.

• Lin Hao accepted the Imperial Edict appointing him Jiedushi of Anxi and received a reward of stalactite from the court.
• Lin Hao left Yin Saide in charge of Guanzhong, visited Xilao Pass, and spoke with Du Yao about Evacuation Items and fighting among Transmigrators in Shanghai.
• Lin Hao contacted Zong Tianqing, received intelligence about Evacuation Items and Transmigrator factions, and decided to investigate Shanghai.
• Lin Hao used the Settlement’s anchor point to arrive in Jiangbei with Wang Xiaojing, who explained Shanghai’s foreign concessions and electric lights.
• Wang Xiaojing warned Lin Hao that aberrations haunted the river and dragged people underwater, so they sought a boat to cross.

Lin Hao and Wang Xiaojing visited the Old Godfather Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, where they met its shareholders Ji Hong and Zhao Qing and exchanged information about their worlds and cultivation systems. The chapter left Lin Hao learning that Ji Hong’s first world was threatened by Shadow Fiends and that Shanghai’s Evacuation Item was difficult to find and remove.

• Lin Hao and Wang Xiaojing crossed the river to Shanghai and chose to visit the relatively neutral Old Godfather Chamber of Commerce rather than the Axe Gang or Crocodile Gang.
• Lin Hao inspected the chamber’s soap and canned food, recognized that they used Abyss-related products, and asked to speak with the boss.
• Ji Hong and Zhao Qing met Lin Hao and Wang Xiaojing upstairs, and Lin Hao introduced himself under the false name Lin Sheng.
• Ji Hong warned Lin Hao that the large Evacuation Item in Shanghai had drawn attention from every side and would be difficult to evacuate.
• Ji Hong told Lin Hao that his group’s first world was being overrun by Shadow Fiends, then described how Internal Force could supplement this world’s martial arts.

Lin Hao traded a Wind Breathing dagger for Ji Hong and Zhao Qing’s Great Qian cultivation method, then learned of an industrial Settlement whose people might possess a top-tier technique and an Evacuation Item. After considering the danger posed by Kato Masayuki, Lin Hao went undercover in Shanghai and immobilized Liang Chen at the Paramount casino.

• Lin Hao and Ji Hong exchanged Wang Xiaojing’s purple Wind Breathing dagger for a collection of Great Qian cultivation methods and equipment, and Zhao Qing offered to help them obtain concession passes.
• Ji Hong arranged for Lin Hao and Wang Xiaojing to be photographed, but Patrol Office officers briefly stopped them while investigating the Evacuation Item before Ji Hong cleared up the misunderstanding with their boat tickets.
• Lin Hao summoned shadow copies of Ji Hong and Zhao Qing, learned that an industrial Settlement allied with the Earthly Kingdom of God likely possessed a top-level cultivation method, and began studying the Pure Yang Skill.
• Lin Hao considered Kato Masayuki’s presence in Shanghai and decided to watch the more visible Transmigrator groups while gathering stalactite and cultivating.
• Lin Hao entered the Paramount casino in the International Settlement and struck Liang Chen’s acupuncture points, immobilizing the Axe Gang boss.

Lin Hao impersonated Liang Chen and agreed to help the Japanese search for the Evacuation Item, learning that it was the ancient bell at Jing’an Temple. While leading an Axe Gang search of Punan, he identified Zhang Hui’s pharmacy as the likely hiding place and decided to visit that night.

• Lin Hao sealed Liang Chen’s acupoints, killed him through his shadow, and took his place as leader of the Axe Gang.
• Su Hao arranged a meeting with Asada Emi, who told Lin Hao that the Evacuation Item was the ancient bell in Jing’an Temple and asked him to search Punan.
• Asada Emi explained that the Japanese had created minor supernatural incidents in Punan as a pretext for searches, and Lin Hao agreed to lead the investigation.
• Zhang Hui treated patients at his clinic and learned that the Axe Gang had begun searching the neighborhood for the source of the String Puppet incidents.
• Lin Hao inspected Zhang Hui’s pharmacy, sensed Zhang’s powerful cultivation and the residents’ support for him, then planned to return that night.

Lin Hao joined Painter and Puppeteer’s forces to attack the group carrying the Evacuation Item, while the defecting informant was killed after his intelligence was confirmed. Tang Jingyuan led Qian Feng and Zhang Hui toward escape, but Earl Cage trapped them in his Ghost Domain and attacked with resurrecting blood-red skeletons, leaving Lin Hao to assess the S-rank Ghost Tamer’s power.

• Lin Hao learned that his actions had helped the informant locate Yonghui’s fighters, then joined Painter and Puppeteer’s group at a warehouse.
• Puppeteer tortured the informant to verify his intelligence, and Lin Hao and the others agreed he was no longer useful before Puppeteer snapped his neck.
• Tang Jingyuan warned Qian Feng and Zhang Hui that their group had been exposed and led them out of Punan Pharmacy with the Evacuation Item.
• Painter and Puppeteer’s Anomalies trapped the escaping group, but Tang Jingyuan destroyed the puppet attackers and revealed his strength as the ninth-ranked expert on the Earth Ranking.
• Earl Cage arrived and sealed the area inside his red-lit Ghost Domain, then sent blood-red skeletons to attack Tang Jingyuan and the others.
• Lin Hao watched the skeletons revive and realized that Earl Cage was restraining his own Anomaly, so its full power was greater than what he had shown.

Lin Hao ambushed Earl Cage inside the blood-red Ghost Domain, but Earl Cage’s defeat unleashed the anomaly and drew Kato Masayuki into the domain. After battling and killing Kato Masayuki, Lin Hao sealed the Blood Moon in the Demon Blade, ending the Ghost Domain.

• Lin Hao approached Earl Cage disguised as Liang Chen, then ambushed him with an Iai slash and pinned his shattered body with Sealing Swords.
• As Earl Cage weakened, the Blood Moon opened into a many-pupiled eye, the Ghost Domain expanded, and it dragged Kato Masayuki and nearby civilians inside.
• Kach’s lingering obsession blamed Kato Masayuki, who fought through the domain’s attacks and began draining Kach’s will while Lin Hao hid nearby.
• Lin Hao revealed himself in the Mysterious Black Mecha and battled Kato Masayuki with Floating Soldiers, Kato Style attacks, and cannon fire before killing him and claiming [Muramasa].
• Lin Hao used the Demon Blade, [Edict], and [A Promise Worth a Thousand Gold] to seal the Blood Moon, causing the Ghost Domain and its creatures to disappear.

Lin Hao defeated Sword Saint Katō, contained the Blood Moon Ghost Domain, and rescued Tang Jingyuan, Qian Feng, and Zhang Hui. After trapping hostile Transmigrators and arranging a trade with the survivors, Lin Hao prepared to leave Shanghai, while Kaiqi’s curses at Katō hinted that ordinary people might know more about the battle than Tang Jingyuan thought.

• Tang Jingyuan, Qian Feng, and Zhang Hui defended ordinary people from monsters as Lin Hao fought Kato Masayuki in his Mysterious Black Mecha and killed him.
• Lin Hao charged at the Blood Moon, contained the Class-S aberration in the Demon Blade, and pulled the remaining Transmigrators into its Ghost Domain.
• Lin Hao sealed Painter, Puppeteer, and their aberrations inside the Ghost Domain, then left Tang Jingyuan, Qian Feng, and Zhang Hui unharmed.
• Lin Hao revealed his identity, offered Qian Feng three evacuation slots for the bronze bell, and agreed to trade Qi-Blood Martial Arts for the Indestructible Diamond Divine Skill.
• Lin Hao learned Tang Jingyuan’s perfected saber technique, gave Qian Feng a Walkie-Talkie, and discussed changing locations before reinforcements arrived.
• Tang Jingyuan suggested that ordinary people had not witnessed the full fight, but Lin Hao noted that they might have heard Kaiqi cursing Katō.

After the Punan incident, Lin Hao traveled from Shanghai to Hankou with Wang Xiaojing and Qian Feng’s group, carrying supplies for an evacuation. They survived an ambush by bandits posing as members of the Earthly Kingdom of God, then reached the rendezvous and Lin Hao returned with the surplus stalactite.

• Fili accused Japan’s Sword Saint Katō of killing Count Kach and demanded an explanation from Suzuki Kazutani, while investigations into the Punan incident continued in secret.
• Lin Hao collected his concession pass from Ji Hong and prepared to transport stalactite and other supplies to the evacuation point in Hankou.
• Lin Hao studied Suzuki’s Saintly Weapon, Muramasa, and practiced its Shinshin-ryu sword techniques as he traveled with Wang Xiaojing and Qian Feng’s group.
• Bandits stopped Lin Hao’s truck and threatened the group, but Lin Hao caught their leader’s bullet and Wang Xiaojing and Qian Feng’s group killed the attackers.
• Lin Hao and the others reached Hankou, met the evacuation party, distributed the silver dollars, and Lin Hao returned with the surplus stalactite.

Lin Hao strengthened his Golden Body and Ghost Domain while the School Settlement made contact with the Industrial Park and arranged a machinery exchange. He planned to gather better stalactite, reach Golden Body Perfection, and survive Tribulation Lightning before investigating Great Jin’s Daoist Arts.

• Lin Hao ordered scouts to search for the Industrial Park and learned that the desert’s New World was a dangerous modern-wasteland world, so he told the explorers to focus on gathering intelligence.
• Over a month, Lin Hao reached the ninth turn of the Golden Body, perfected the Indestructible Diamond Divine Skill and [Shinshin-ryu], and used the Demon Blade’s Ghost Domain to summon the dead, including Kato Masayuki.
• Li Yanbing told Lin Hao that the School Settlement had found the Industrial Park, whose survivors had never received the school’s broadcasts because snowy mountains blocked their signal.
• Professor Liu negotiated with Qian Feng, and the Industrial Park agreed to trade spare machine tools for useful creatures and other supplies while sending engineers to the school for an exchange.
• Lin Hao used nearly all his Wish Power and decided to seek older stalactite, refine his Golden Body further, and postpone studying Great Jin’s Daoist Arts until after he became a Martial Saint.

Lin Hao investigated the Old Godfather Chamber of Commerce’s closure, killed a supernatural investigator who challenged him, and ordered the business restored. His intervention reached Garrison Commander An, who abandoned his attempt to extort the chamber and moved to free its people after receiving a call from Grand Secretariat Minister Zong Tianqing’s Butler.

• Wang Xiaojing told Lin Hao that the Old Godfather Chamber of Commerce had been sealed, possibly over the Punan Evacuation Item incident, and Lin Hao went to the Patrol Office to investigate.
• Lin Hao presented an authorization from the Grand Secretariat’s Attendants’ Office, then accused Feng Yun and the others of targeting the chamber for profit.
• When a Ghost Tamer challenged Lin Hao, Lin Hao killed him with a teacup and dispersed the supernatural entity reviving from his corpse.
• Lin Hao ordered the Patrol Office to return the chamber’s people unharmed, and Feng Yun agreed to release them while privately seeking confirmation of Lin Hao’s authority.
• Shopkeeper Cheng and Zhao Qing met Garrison Commander An to seek Old Ji’s release, but An demanded Hundred-Year Stone Stalactite and hinted at exploiting Zhao Qing.
• After a call from Grand Secretariat Minister Zong Tianqing’s Butler, Garrison Commander An returned Shopkeeper Cheng’s gift and took soldiers to free the chamber’s people.

Lin Hao defeated Kato Junichirō after Feng Yuan tried to use the Patrol Office and Japanese support to seize the Old Godfather Chamber of Commerce. After revealing himself as the Anxi Jiedushi, Lin Hao took the injured Kato to the Kato Dojo to settle an old grievance, where he challenged the dojo’s disciples.

• Feng Yuan arrived with Kato Junichirō and Chinese-district police to seize Lin Hao and the released merchants, claiming the chamber was linked to the Punan Paranormal Incident.
• Kato Junichirō attacked Lin Hao, who crippled him with the Primordial Hand as Feng Yuan’s confidence collapsed.
• Garrison Commander An arrived with soldiers, recognized Lin Hao as the Anxi Jiedushi, and arrested Feng Yuan and his associates for questioning.
• Lin Hao took Kato Junichirō to the Kato Dojo, while Ji Hong, Zhao Qing, and Shopkeeper Cheng agreed to follow Lin Hao’s lead.
• Lin Hao introduced himself at the dojo, declared a challenge, and shattered its signboard with a fragment of the stone steps.

Lin Hao annihilated the Kato Dojo’s remaining fighters, then met Rola Hayes, an S-Rank Ghost Tamer who offered him tickets to an international-water allocation of an Evacuation Item. After learning about Rola’s Dream Weaver and her hints about Divine Arts, Lin Hao prepared to investigate the suspicious event with her.

• Lin Hao killed the Kato Dojo disciples who attacked him, then defeated Inagaki Taisuke and Ono Masahiko and carved a taunt into the dojo.
• Rola Hayes arrived, reviewed a constable’s memories of the fight, and let Lin Hao leave without punishment.
• Rola invited Lin Hao for tea and told him that an Evacuation Item from Southern Monkey Island would be allocated in international waters, offering him two tickets to the cruise ship.
• Lin Hao suspected the event was bait connected to what had happened in Punan, but accepted the tickets after Rola offered to accompany him and keep him safe.
• Rola revealed that her supernatural entity, the Dream Weaver, created mental illusions that could inflict matching damage in reality, and Lin Hao’s Swarm Will resisted its influence.
• Rola said she was an Italian countess and warned Lin Hao against seeking knowledge of Divine Arts.

After Lin Hao defeated Kato Dojo, the Great Jin Court discussed rewarding him while Japan’s Combined Fleet prepared to monitor the Beihai Navy. Lin Hao boarded the Titan cruise ship with Rola Hayes, learned about its powerful Ghost Tamer guards and auction, and began planning to seize evacuation slots and other lots.

• Ji Hong and the other Transmigrators celebrated Lin Hao’s victory, while Garrison Commander An used the news to justify a harsher investigation of Feng Yuan and the accused traitors.
• Emperor Kangding’s court debated the risk of Japanese retaliation, and Zong Tianqing persuaded the emperor to reward Lin Hao with Thousand-Year Stone Bell Milk.
• Suzuki Hegu learned that Kato Dojo had fallen, declined to approach the Titan because Sea King was aboard, and ordered increased intelligence gathering on the Beihai Navy.
• Lin Hao boarded the Titan with Rola Hayes, who explained that Sea King and Dream Demon Pierce guarded the ship and that Sword Saint Suzuki could provide support.
• Rola used her mental abilities to make Lin Hao and herself inconspicuous as they entered the cruise ship and headed toward the auction venue.
• Lin Hao found Thousand-Year Stone Bell Milk and evacuation slots on the auction list, then told Rola he wanted to take the Evacuation Item and other lots rather than simply buy a slot.

Lin Hao and Rola attacked the Titan cruise ship, releasing the Painter’s and Puppeteer’s anomalies to distract its defenders while Lin Hao seized the auction goods. They escaped as Sea King and Dream Demon rampaged, leaving the ship overrun by anomalies.

• Lin Hao and Rola watched the animal fights while discussing their plan to raid the auction and take its goods.
• Rola killed the bunny girl who had overheard them, and Lin Hao released the Painter’s and Puppeteer’s anomalies into the venue.
• Sea King emerged to confront the intruders, but Lin Hao’s mecha cut him apart and pinned him with the Blood Moon Ghost Domain.
• Rola trapped Pierce in a dream woven around the two rampaging anomalies while Lin Hao gathered the Evacuation Item, medicines, and other auction lots.
• Pierce sacrificed himself to unleash Dream Demon, but Lin Hao briefly restrained it, took Rola, and escaped as Sea King and Dream Demon overwhelmed the Titan.
• Lin Hao flew toward Shanghai with Rola in his arms and kissed her beneath the moonlight.