Recaps

Duo En and Duo Xi investigated the Soul Tree, but Andy captured Duo Xi and brought her to Xu Le. After questioning Duo Xi about Meilis and the Red Moon Holy Temple, Xu Le offered her soul energy in exchange for information about Meilis’s plans.

• Zhou Bi convinced Duo En and Duo Xi that he had revealed everything about his arrangement with Xu Le, and the two left him and Jin Mingzhu behind.
• At the Soul Tree, Duo Xi nearly gave in to the Soulfire’s temptation, and Duo En broke her neck to shock her back to her senses before they split up to investigate.
• Andy appeared beside Duo Xi, cut off her head, and carried it to Xu Le, who pulled out her tongue twice when she threatened him.
• Duo Xi explained that Meilis was the Red Moon Holy Temple’s deputy head and wanted Xu Le dead, then warned him that Meilis had sent Duo En and would keep trying to kill him.
• Xu Le offered Duo Xi access to soul energy in exchange for information about Meilis’s methods and intentions.

Xu Le recruited Duo Xi into an ongoing bargain for Soulfire in exchange for information and arranged for her to pursue her mission against him in Zion. Meanwhile, Duo En fought off a swarm of Night Demons outside Lighthouse, while an unseen observer decided to wait for her in Zion.

• Xu Le let Duo Xi experience the Soulfire and promised further relief from her soul craving in exchange for useful information or tasks.
• Duo Xi told Xu Le she was headed to Zion to assess the situation and kill him, and he asked her to follow her mission and notify him when she arrived.
• Andy gave Duo Xi a blue petal to use when her craving returned, and Xu Le left through a spatial gateway.
• Duo En investigated drained Black Tide Oddity corpses outside Lighthouse and sensed darkness gathering around her.
• Duo En fought and killed more than thirty Night Demons and a parasitic Ghost-Type Oddity before the remaining Night Demons retreated.
• An unseen observer watched Duo En through the Night Demons and said they would wait for her in Zion.

Xu Le arranged to face an assassination by Duo En and Duo Xi, sending his friends away before leading a convoy into the wilderness. Duo En attacked the convoy, killed a Red Moon Warlock, and left Xu Le’s fate unresolved.

• Xu Le told Toad that the Red Moon Holy Temple intended to kill him and refused to flee to the Ancient God Realm because his friends and lover were in Zion.
• Duo Xi and Duo En arrived in Zion, then read a report saying Xu Le would travel into the wilderness to recruit Mountain God.
• Xu Le persuaded Ai Li to stay behind with Wang Shu and set out with a convoy of elite Zion Enforcers, while Duo Xi and Duo En followed.
• Duo Xi and Duo En chose to ambush the convoy before it reached Mountain God's territory, and Duo En launched the attack.
• Duo En evaded the guards' fire and decapitated a Red Moon Warlock, after which the Law Enforcers opened fire.

Duo En attacked Xu Le’s convoy, but Xu Le and the Law Enforcers fought back with their weapons, familiars, and abilities. After surviving their heaviest attack, Duo En was revealed to be a puppet controlled by a dainty woman, leaving her true threat unresolved.

• Duo En endured the Law Enforcers’ concentrated energy fire, while Duo Xi attacked the convoy to draw their attention and was blasted apart.
• Duo En struck at the Law Enforcers and charged Xu Le, whose counterattack and allies’ intervention gave the squad an opening to attack her together.
• Duo En crushed the Black Sword Familiar’s head, broke Toad’s leg, and was injured when Toad stabbed out one of her eyes.
• Xu Le, the Law Enforcers, and their allies bombarded Duo En with lightning and Guyinduo dice, leaving her body badly damaged.
• The smoke cleared to reveal that Duo En was a puppet, and a dainty woman appeared on her shoulder.

Xu Le and the convoy’s Law Enforcers fought Duo En and Duo Xi, but their opponents overwhelmed the group. Xu Le used his strongest attack to destroy Duo En’s Puppet and send the wounded back to Zion, yet Duo En emerged stronger and left him facing a seemingly hopeless fight.

• Duo En revived her Puppet with a bloody mist while Xu Le and the Law Enforcers attacked, and Duo Xi returned to the battlefield.
• Duo Xi softened the ground as Duo En attacked, disrupting the Law Enforcers and letting the sisters overwhelm them.
• Xu Le summoned the Boundary-Crossing Gate and used Teleportation Scrolls to send wounded fighters back to Zion while fighting off Duo En and her Puppet.
• Xu Le unleashed the Night Demons to distract Duo En and Duo Xi, then helped the survivors escape before facing Duo En with Toad.
• Xu Le trapped Duo En with threads of fate and destroyed her Puppet with a powerful sword strike, but Duo En survived and revealed greater strength.

Duo En captured Xu Le and broke his Substitute Life Technique, but Xu Le arranged for Toad to kill him with the Steel Fork so the Red Moon Holy Temple could not take him alive. News of Xu Le’s death reached Zion, where Ai Li concealed her hope that he might return and Li Wen prepared to pressure the temple.

• Duo En defeated Xu Le, disabled his Substitute Life Technique, and decided to take him back to the Red Moon Holy Temple.
• Xu Le transformed into a vessel for the Soul Tree, summoned Toad, and had him pierce his heart with the Steel Fork.
• Duo En and Duo Xi confirmed Xu Le’s death and decided to report to Mother and prepare for Zion’s protests.
• A wounded soldier told Ai Li and Wang Shu that Xu Le had been ambushed, and Ai Li sent word to Minister Li Wen.
• Ai Li found the Tree mark still bright on her back, then put on a black suit and concealed her feelings.
• Secretary Liu informed Li Wen that Xu Le had been attacked, and Li Wen ordered preparations to pressure the Red Moon Holy Temple.

Xu Le awakened after using Light of Hope to revive and secretly traveled from Zion to Tianrui Lifeng, leaving Zion to develop without him. He reunited with Chi Xiao in the Mother Tree Realm, learned about her long-life reward, and arrived in the airship’s hold with Ding Ke as they prepared to begin new lives under new identities.

• Xu Le revived inside a cargo crate aboard an airship bound for Tianrui Lifeng and decided to stay hidden while Zion developed in his absence.
• Xu Le entered the Mother Tree Realm and told Chi Xiao that he could still identify her rewards despite the Gundo Mother Tree rejecting him.
• Xu Le explained the value of Chi Xiao’s Mystery-Longevity fruit and learned that eating too many Longevity Fruits could cause Guyinduo Power to accumulate and repel Red Moon Spirit Energy.
• Chi Xiao offered Xu Le help in Tianrui Lifeng through the Revolutionary Army Headquarters and White Monkey, and she accepted him as a friend.
• Xu Le returned to the airship’s hold, freed Ding Ke from another crate, and told it to act like a normal cat when they began their new lives in Tianrui Lifeng.

Xu Le arrived in Tianrui Lifeng hoping to start a new life as a mercenary, but discovered that gangs provided protection while the city’s government seemed corrupt. After skipping the Evil Wolf Gang’s fee, he was taken by Law Enforcers to a registration office, where he expressed interest in becoming a mercenary and adventurer.

• Xu Le disguised himself as a Tianrui Lifeng mercenary and boarded an airship with Ding Ke.
• Members of the Evil Wolf Gang demanded protection money, but let Xu Le go when he refused; he learned from a passenger that gangs provided protection in Tianrui Lifeng.
• After two days of travel, Xu Le arrived in the wall-less city, where Evil Wolf Gang members pointed him out for not paying and civilians treated him as suspicious.
• Two Law Enforcers took Xu Le to register as a newcomer, and Captain Zhang brought him to an old building.
• Xu Le told Captain Zhang that he had come as a tourist and dreamed of becoming a mercenary and adventurer, prompting Zhang to react with eager approval.

Xu Le used fear magic and lightning to punish the corrupt guards at an old-era headquarters in Tianrui Lifeng, then emerged in a new disguise. He introduced himself to the Evil Wolf Gang as Red Beard-Ding Ke.

• Xu Le heard Captain Zhang and another guard plot to extort him, then used Breath of Fear to incapacitate Xiao Liu.
• Xu Le crafted a bearded monocle disguise from junk and confronted Captain Zhang, who mistook him for someone sent by the Evil Wolf Gang.
• Captain Zhang shot at Xu Le, but Xu Le was unharmed, blasted Captain Zhang's thigh with coins, and killed a fleeing subordinate before finishing Captain Zhang.
• Xu Le attacked the guard headquarters, killing those who resisted and leaving the others with lasting fear as the building collapsed and burned.
• The Evil Wolf Gang cordoned off the scene and kept the public away before Xu Le emerged in a red suit and called himself Red Beard-Ding Ke.

Xu Le maintained his Redbeard Ding Ke disguise in Tianrui Lifeng, intimidated the Evil Wolf Gang, and found lodging while learning how the cities reacted to his reported death. He decided to become a mercenary, but an unexpected visitor knocked on his tavern room door that night.

• Xu Le acted like a crazed outsider, killed a Guard Hall guard despite the Evil Wolf Gang leader's warning, and then left the area with Ding Ke.
• Xu Le and Ding Ke explored the Harvest District, bought cat toys, and rented a room at the Wooden Door Little Tavern.
• Xu Le overheard that Zion was confronting the Red Moon Holy Temple over his reported death, while Lighthouse's protests had little influence and Tianrui Lifeng watched the dispute.
• Xu Le told Ding Ke he planned to become a mercenary in Tianrui Lifeng, though he had not decided whether to work independently or join a corps.
• After Xu Le and Ding Ke went to bed, someone knocked on their door and offered them service.

Xu Le encountered the Red Flower Society after discovering that a parasitic spider tied to Rose’s forces was infecting one of its workers. He intimidated Thirteen Sister, then agreed to consider working with her for a fee, leaving her convinced that his support could help the gang rise.

• Xu Le let a hostess into his dark room, where his Soul Tree branches restrained her and he discovered a parasitic spider inside her lungs.
• Xu Le recognized the spider as possibly connected to Rose and learned that Thirteenth Sister of Changfeng Road had sent the hostess to recruit him for the Red Flower Society.
• Thirteen Sister arrived with two thugs, and Xu Le restrained the thugs and briefly seized her by the throat before letting her go.
• Xu Le named fifty thousand as his price for taking action, and Thirteen Sister promised to send him an apology gift the next morning.
• After Xu Le shut the door, Thirteen Sister trembled from his fear-inducing aura and concluded that securing his help could let the Red Flower Society expand.

Xu Le joined a thirty-person pioneering mission in Tianrui Lifeng, where the casual recruitment and fearless mercenaries unsettled him. The team set out with guide Bai Jing, and she began briefing them on dangers outside the city.

• Xu Le heard the Red Flower Society arrange gifts to secure a connection with him, then left the Little Tavern to explore Tianrui Lifeng and find work.
• Xu Le visited Mercenary Square, studied its memorials to warriors, and chose pioneering mission 1033 from the crowded mission screen.
• Xu Le registered as a Red Moon Warlock and learned the mission paid a standard Level 2 Warrior wage, had no details, and would leave as soon as its thirty-person team filled.
• The receptionist, Bai Jing, recruited the remaining mercenaries and became the guide for Xu Le's hastily assembled team.
• Bai Jing led the team onto an old steam-powered bus, introduced herself, and warned that uncontrolled desires could attract a heart-tearing Succubus.

Xu Le traveled with Bai Jing and a group of mercenaries on a pioneering mission in Tianrui Lifeng, learning how dangerous and disorganized the work could be. After a Burrowing Worm damaged their bus, the group stopped to repair it, and Bai Jing warned Xu Le away from a poisonous plant as he examined it.

• Bai Jing introduced the pioneering mission and advised the mercenaries not to betray their teammates in the wilderness.
• Bai Jing sat beside Xu Le on the bus, recognized him as a newcomer, and explained the dangers of missions and her own experience as a guide.
• Bai Jing gave Xu Le her business card and invited him to join her on a future mission, but he refused to share much about himself.
• A Level 2 Burrowing Worm struck the bus, and Bai Jing attacked it while the mercenaries got out and prepared to defend themselves.
• After the bus's wheel hub was damaged, Bai Jing ordered the group to repair it and camp in the exposed area.
• Xu Le examined an unfamiliar plant with the Soul Tree, and Bai Jing warned him that it was poisonous.

Xu Le explored the wilderness around the Mercenary camp, harvested toxins from plants, and destroyed a nest of Burrowing Worms with Thunderlight. He returned with worm meat, and after telling Bai Jing it tasted fantastic, watched her and Ding Ke discover how awful it was.

• Ding Ke questioned why Xu Le kept his distance from Bai Jing, and Xu Le said he wanted to follow his own path by studying the world and pursuing advancement.
• An old Mercenary told Bai Jing that Xu Le was the feared Red Beard-Ding Ke who had killed more than a dozen people at the Changfeng Road Guard Hall, leaving her confused about the rookie she had met.
• Xu Le stripped toxins from wilderness plants, then encountered a nest of Burrowing Worms after leaving the camp and destroyed them with his Thunder Buddha technique.
• Xu Le cut meat and collected juices from a Burrowing Worm before returning to camp and asking Bai Jing whether the meat was edible.
• Xu Le called the worm meat delicious, prompting Bai Jing and Ding Ke to taste it; Bai Jing grimaced and Ding Ke vomited.

Xu Le cultivated by the lake, then confronted a Level 4 Black Spirit Serpent and used his Soul Tree to consume it. Bai Jing watched as the serpent withered and a tree rose from the lake, leaving her to wonder whether it was a Guyinduo Tree.

• Xu Le discussed justice and strength with Bai Jing before spending the night absorbing Moon Spirit at camp.
• Bai Jing followed Xu Le’s footprints to the lake and found Ding Ke, who confirmed Xu Le was underwater.
• Ding Ke called into the lake, and Xu Le surfaced atop a Level 4 Black Spirit Serpent.
• Xu Le let the serpent inject its venom while his Soul Tree took root inside its body.
• The Soul Tree consumed the Black Spirit Serpent, which shriveled away as a large tree grew in the middle of the lake.

Xu Le and Bai Jing reached the ruins of an advanced city from the Second Era and began exploring Mission 1033 with a group of Mercenaries. When Slime Oddities attacked, one Mercenary was badly wounded, and Xu Le noticed another danger inside a nearby building.

• Xu Le grew a nameless blue tree that produced a strange fruit, gave the fruit to Bai Jing, and called himself a Tree Herder.
• Bai Jing led the team toward the mission site, where they passed charred burrowing worm corpses and discovered a sprawling Second Era city.
• Bai Jing assigned the newcomers to her group and began exploring the area with Xu Le and the other Mercenaries.
• Xu Le pushed a young Mercenary out of the way when a Level 3 Licking Ghoul attacked, but a second Slime Oddity emerged and tore into a female Mercenary's thigh.
• Xu Le noticed something lurking in the dark entrance of a nearby building.

Xu Le and Chang Fengle searched a ruined shopping mall while Xu Le taught the novice about wilderness dangers and combat. After an explosion drew them to Bai Jing's group, they found Bai Jing had killed a Level 2 Skeleton Lizard.

• Bai Jing left the wounded Juna behind with food and water, and Xu Le explained to Chang Fengle how her injuries and Heart Energy fluctuations could attract Oddities.
• Xu Le and Chang Fengle searched the mall, where Xu Le shot a Living Corpse and later killed Oddities hiding in the restroom.
• Xu Le taught Chang Fengle about scouting, coordinating with teammates, targeting Oddities, and controlling lustful Heart Energy.
• An explosion prompted Xu Le and Chang Fengle to hurry toward Bai Jing's group, where Bai Jing finished off a Level 2 Skeleton Lizard and asked Xu Le if her moves were good.

Xu Le helped Bai Jing’s mercenary team clear a thirty-one-story building, advising them to rest before confronting a Level 3 Oddity and secretly empowering Bai Jing to defeat it. He planted a seed in a Level 4 Oddity on the top floor, and the group discovered a fruit-bearing Soul Tree there, leaving Bai Jing wondering what Xu Le was trying to accomplish.

• Xu Le advised Chang Fengle that warriors should rely on firearms and ranged weapons when possible, and Chang Fengle recognized that the exhausted team should rest before continuing.
• Bai Jing ordered the team to rest on the thirtieth floor, but a Level 3 Licking Crawler burst through a wall and attacked her.
• Xu Le used his ability to enhance Bai Jing with lightning, allowing her to cut down the Licking Crawler.
• Xu Le flew to the top floor, killed the Oddities surrounding a Level 4 Malignant Tumor, and planted a seed in its brain.
• Xu Le returned and spoke with Chang Fengle about Tianrui Lifeng and its goal of smashing the Red Moon Holy Temple.
• The team reached the thirty-first floor and found a fruit-bearing Soul Tree, while Bai Jing asked Xu Le what he was trying to do.

Xu Le distributed special Fruits that he had infused with non-destructive lightning power, and Chang Fengle gained a body-enhancing ability after eating one. Bai Jing agreed to test the ability by fighting Chang Fengle, leaving the trial just as she struck at him.

• Bai Jing warned the Mercenaries to secure the top floor, and they found twelve Fruits among Xu Le’s strange trees.
• Xu Le ate a Fruit and urged the Mercenaries to eat theirs, explaining that they were not Guyinduo Fruits and might be confiscated if appraised.
• Chang Fengle ate his Fruit, sparked electricity from his mouth, and learned that the power enhanced his body rather than granting lightning control.
• Xu Le explained to Bai Jing that he wanted to give people another way to grow stronger, and she agreed to help test the Fruits.
• Bai Jing challenged Chang Fengle and thrust her blade’s hilt at him before he could finish preparing.

Xu Le tested the lightning-granting fruits on the Mercenaries, and Chang Fengle gained a powerful new attack while Bai Jing ate a mixed fruit that showed no effect. After the team moved into an alley, Bai Jing became separated from everyone and suspected a Ghost-Type Oddity had trapped her in an illusion.

• Bai Jing defeated Chang Fengle in one exchange, and Xu Le realized his lightning fruit experiment needed a better demonstration.
• Bai Jing questioned Xu Le about the fruits’ risks and whether they interfered with Guyinduo Fruits; Xu Le said they did not, and she ate a mixed fruit containing Heart Energy, darkness, lightning, Guyinduo, and Red Moon.
• Chang Fengle used his new lightning enhancement to shatter a concrete pillar with one slash, and the Mercenaries saw that the fruits boosted combat strength by roughly ten to thirty percent.
• Bai Jing’s mixed fruit showed no visible effect as the team cleared three buildings without injuries, while Chang Fengle improved under Xu Le’s combat instruction.
• Bai Jing ordered the team onward instead of resting near the injured Ju, then went ahead with Old Wang to scout the alley.
• Bai Jing realized Old Wang and the rest of the team had vanished and wondered whether a Ghost-Type Oddity had trapped her in an illusion.

Xu Le killed the Silk Floss influencing the group, then watched Bai Jing fight her way through their illusion. Bai Jing awakened her Fruit's lightning, Heart Energy, and darkness, destroyed the Oddities sustaining the hallucination, and returned to reality beside Xu Le.

• Xu Le told Old Wang to cover his ears, then annihilated the nearby Silk Floss with Dark Particles.
• Xu Le found Bai Jing trapped in an illusion and watched from a rooftop as she fought endless Shadow Beasts.
• Bai Jing steadied her resolve, awakened her Fruit's lightning and Heart Energy, and struck down crowds of Shadow Beasts.
• Bai Jing unleashed darkness that consumed the Silk Floss and ended the illusion.
• Bai Jing realized she had been hallucinating, and Xu Le told her that everything was false except power.

Xu Le explained that Bai Jing’s lightning, Heart Energy, and darkness powers had been real and remained within her, while she struggled with her need for strength and distrust of Warlocks. After Xu Le encouraged her to trust her talent, Bai Jing awakened her power and filled the other Mercenaries with fear.

• Bai Jing questioned Xu Le about the powers she had briefly wielded, while he reassured her that the team and Old Wang were safe.
• Back at camp, Xu Le drew the shortest watch lot and stayed up guarding the team as Bai Jing sat apart, troubled by her experience.
• Bai Jing reflected on her family’s needs and her desperate desire for power, then approached Xu Le to ask how she could regain her abilities.
• Xu Le told Bai Jing that the Fruit’s powers were already hers and that her self-doubt had prevented her from using them.
• Bai Jing focused and awakened her power, causing the eight other Mercenaries to wake from nightmares as she recognized it as fear.

Bai Jing secretly experimented with the Guyinduo Fruit’s Heart Energy and discovered that her sorrow could spread to nearby Mercenaries. The next day, she lured a Mountain Troll out of its cave with anger-infused Heart Energy and prepared to attack it with darkness.

• Xu Le warned Bai Jing that Heart Energy was dangerous and urged her to develop her power through her own thinking and understanding.
• Bai Jing mourned her mother and accidentally spread sorrow to nearby Mercenaries, then resolved to master the fruit’s power in secret.
• Chang Fengle teased Xu Le about his relationship with Bai Jing, and Xu Le told him to stop gossiping and focus on cultivation.
• Bai Jing found a huge pile of dung, left the group alone, and tracked it to a Mountain Troll’s home.
• Bai Jing sent anger-infused Heart Energy into the cave, drew out the Mountain Troll, and launched her strongest darkness attack.

Bai Jing secretly tested the Power of Darkness, killed a Mountain Troll, and began training with Xu Le to control her rapidly growing abilities. After several days of dramatic improvement, she asked why her darkness powers caused chaos, and Xu Le suggested she lacked the Lord of Darkness’s recognition.

• Bai Jing used Dark Particles to contaminate a Mountain Troll, then destroyed it with Dark Chaos Blade and burned its corpse to conceal her power.
• Bai Jing returned to the Mercenaries, and Xu Le warned her that uncontrolled use of the Power of Darkness could corrupt her.
• Bai Jing asked Xu Le to help her master Lightning, Heart Energy, and the Power of Darkness, and he began guiding her.
• Over the following days, Bai Jing rapidly improved, killed eleven Oddities in forty seconds, and began meditating to keep her judgment abreast of her growing strength.
• Bai Jing asked Xu Le why her Power of Darkness produced chaos, and he said she might not have gained the Lord of Darkness’s recognition.

Xu Le and Bai Jing’s exploration team encountered dense water vapor that threatened to suffocate them, apparently linked to the death of another mercenary. Bai Jing asked Xu Le to save the team, and he ordered everyone to gather firewood, hinting that a decisive fire could help them escape.

• Xu Le’s dark power surrounded him, leading Bai Jing to believe he was connected to the Lord of Darkness and to resolve to grow stronger.
• During the mission, Bai Jing became increasingly withdrawn and powerful, while Xu Le and the mercenaries continued exploring.
• The team found the suffocated body of a veteran mercenary, cremated him, and resumed their search.
• Xu Le detected unnatural water vapor, and Bai Jing suspected it could cause suffocation before ordering the team to retreat.
• The vapor grew denser and made breathing difficult, so Bai Jing pleaded with Xu Le to protect the mercenaries.
• Xu Le told the team to gather firewood and prepare a fire, calling the flames decisive to their fate.