Chapter Summaries

Yue Wen broke into Qimo Tuo's Storage Ring and found the Snake Mountain Bronze Cauldron along with several strange artifacts. After opening the cauldron and discovering a matching black card and a black-scaled egg he identified as the Mountain Spirit, he was bitten by the creature hidden inside.

• Yue Wen broke through the Storage Ring's restrictions and found Qimo Tuo's keepsakes, demon blades, Magical Artifacts, and Demon Spy No. 17 badge.
• Yue Wen removed the Snake Mountain Bronze Cauldron from its case and used nine drops of blood essence to open it.
• Yue Wen found a Snake Mountain Hu Family card matching the one his parents had left him, along with a black-scaled egg.
• Yue Wen picked up the egg, which uncoiled into a little snake and bit his wrist.

Yue Wen hatched a Phantom Spirit Demon Snake from the Snake Mountain Bronze Cauldron, bonded with it, and named it Shousui. He had Da Long translate a dragon-script character on a bronze plate, revealing an angry note left by the ancient Dragon-Controlling Emperor at Snake Mountain Tiger Tomb.

• Yue Wen learned that the newborn Phantom Spirit Demon Snake had hatched from the cauldron’s egg using his blood essence and could heal him and transform into shapes its size and spiritual power allowed.
• Yue Wen named the hungry snake Shousui and planned to let it feed on demon and monster corpses rather than his blood essence.
• Yue Wen recognized the bronze plate’s design as dragon script and paid Da Long five pieces of Evil-Suppressing Money to translate its character.
• Da Long translated the character as a note from the Dragon-Controlling Emperor, who recorded his fury at Snake Mountain Tiger Tomb and his conflict with the Sand-Buried Demon Kingdom and other enemies.
• The Dragon-Controlling Emperor’s note said he had weakened Snake Mountain Tiger Tomb’s inhabitants and ordered future Dragon Hall officials to investigate anyone who survived it.

Yue Wen learned that the Dragon Hall was ordered to investigate anyone who survived Snake Mountain Tiger Tomb, deepening his suspicions about his parents’ disappearance and making him determined to win the Ascendant Dragon Assembly. Da Long then revealed that the Dragon-Controlling Emperor, Song Xiu, had borrowed the Dragon Clan’s spiritual power to attain godhood and apparently never repaid it.

• Yue Wen connected the Dragon Hall’s rule about Snake Mountain Tiger Tomb survivors to his missing parents and questioned whether the Dragon Hall had apprehended them.
• Yue Wen decided he might have to win the Ascendant Dragon Assembly to enter the Dragon Hall and find out what happened to his parents.
• Da Long angrily rejected the accepted history of the Dragon-Controlling Emperor and said Song Xiu had borrowed the Dragon Clan’s spiritual power to attain godhood.
• Da Long explained that the Dragon Clan’s Four Seas Immortal Pools stored spiritual energy for its descendants to survive periods without spiritual energy.
• Yue Wen realized the nine True Dragons said to have served Song Xiu had actually watched him as creditors, and Da Long implied that Song Xiu never repaid his debt.

Yue Wen considered the little snake’s possible ties to the Demon Snake Emperor, then secretly had several dangerous items appraised at the Treasure Forest in City Five. After collecting refined Corpse-Scent Jade and taking precautions against being tracked, he returned to City Seven without selling the items.

• Yue Wen reasoned that the bronze cauldron had contained the little snake and remained cautious that it might obey the Demon Snake Emperor inside Snake Mountain.
• Yue Wen watched Zhao Xing'er and Big White spar, then rode to the Treasure Forest branch in City Five wearing Qimo Tuo's aura-concealing mask.
• Liu Bo identified Yue Wen's Lightning Spirit Snake Bind as a Heavenly Artificer Sect restraint artifact and explained how it pursued and shocked its target.
• Liu Bo identified the purple pills as Demon Soul-Devouring Mist Pills and the tiny Immortal-Hiding Crossbow as a weapon loaded with poisonous Shadow-Eroding Steel Needles.
• Liu Bo identified the water-preserved scale as a highly toxic Turbulent Sea Fish scale and offered to buy Yue Wen's sinister treasures, but Yue Wen declined for the time being.
• Yue Wen disguised his route through the rundown district, collected the refined Corpse-Scent Jade from Diamond Granny, and returned to City Seven on the Little E-Scooter.

Yue Wen, Zhao Xing'er, and Qi Dian attended Wang Lu's Bone-Transforming Sect disciple acceptance gathering while searching for Flame Ghost Hall elder Gongsun Mo. As Jiangcheng's unorthodox leaders arrived, Qi Dian explained how several notorious sects had built their unusual practices and influence; Gongsun Mo had not yet appeared.

• Yue Wen entered the gathering under the alias Wen Mo, presenting Zhao Xing'er and Qi Dian as his corpse puppets.
• Yue Wen and his companions learned that Wang Lu had been expelled from the Bone Immortal Shrine for using its bone-transforming power to make boneless chicken feet, and was recruiting staff for new shops.
• Qi Dian explained that Fan Biao had founded the powerful Tree-Bark Garb Sect by borrowing the forms of tree demons instead of skinning humans or animals.
• Zha Fengjin arrived with three exhausted tiger demons, and Qi Dian explained how she had founded the Happy Tiger Sect by harvesting their yang energy.

Yue Wen attended the Bone Dissolving Sect’s initiation ceremony while hiding Zhao Xing'er and Qi Dian as Corpse Puppets, but Zhao Xing'er repeatedly attacked people and drew unwanted attention. The chapter ended with Yue Wen doubling down on his arrogant act after Zhao Xing'er knocked another guest unconscious.

• Gongsun Mo arrived at the ceremony, and Yue Wen’s group identified him as their debt target and waited for a chance to confront him later.
• Zhao Xing'er punched a Wild Wolf Sect disciple who tried to grope a waitress, and Yue Wen claimed he had attacked because the disciple disrespected a woman he wanted.
• After Yue Wen revealed Ahei Mo’s insignia, the Wild Wolf Sect disciple’s leader apologized and withdrew.
• A Bone Dissolving Sect disciple tried to wipe Zhao Xing'er’s sleeve, so she punched him into a wall; Gongsun Mo and Yue Wen apologized to Wang Lu and settled the dispute.
• When a guest heard Qi Dian speak after bumping into him, Zhao Xing'er slammed the man headfirst into the floor, and Yue Wen planted his foot on the unconscious man and demanded an answer.

Wang Lu and Gongsun Mo each mistook Yue Wen’s debt-collection visit for a warning from Ahei Mo, while Yue Wen mistakenly believed Gongsun Mo was an honest debtor. After Yue Wen accepted Gongsun Mo’s payment and a talisman, Chang Ye barged into the Bone Dissolving Sect’s apprenticeship ceremony to confront the Flame Ghost Hall disciple who had hit his younger brother.

• Wang Lu and Gongsun Mo privately worried that Ahei Mo had sent Yue Wen to punish them over tribute money.
• Yue Wen told Gongsun Mo to repay his debt, and Gongsun Mo offered a deposit of eighty thousand Talisman Currency coins, promised to repay double, and gave Yue Wen a Three Yin Life-Taking Talisman.
• Yue Wen, Zhao Xing'er, and Qi Dian realized Gongsun Mo had paid far more than the debt to Diamond Granny and decided to leave with the money.
• As Wang Lu began the apprenticeship ceremony, Chang Ye burst in and demanded to know which Flame Ghost Hall disciple had hit his younger brother.
• With the crowd pointing at him, Yue Wen asked Chang Ye which younger brother he meant.

At Wang Lu’s disciple initiation ceremony, Yue Wen used newly acquired tricks and a brutal group beating to defeat Chang Ye, a drug-fueled Medicine Dragon who challenged him. Yue Wen slipped away afterward, but he and his companions discovered that their pursuer was a Supernatural Affairs Bureau captain.

• Chang Ye confronted Yue Wen over his injured younger brother and challenged him to fight, but Yue Wen stalled until Chang Ye attacked.
• Yue Wen hit Chang Ye with a Demon Soul-Devouring Mist Pill, bound him with Lightning Spirit Snake Bind, and joined Zhao Xing'er and Qi Dian in kicking him unconscious.
• Wang Lu resumed the initiation ceremony, and Yue Wen left the clubhouse with Zhao Xing'er and Qi Dian while the other evil cultivators kept their distance.
• After detecting a follower, Yue Wen lured her into an alley and shot her with an Immortal-Hiding Crossbow loaded with a Shadow-Eroding Steel Needle.
• Zhao Xing'er found a Supernatural Affairs Bureau captain’s badge on the paralyzed woman, alarming Yue Wen.

Yue Wen and his companions rescued Captain Lan Zhi after mistaking her for an enemy, then learned that the Supernatural Affairs Bureau was tracking the Flame Ghost Hall and the revived Fan Baimo. Wang Shoucai recruited them to help follow Gongsun Mo, and Yue Wen accepted after hearing the promised reward included training in the Demon-Locking Secret Realm.

• Yue Wen, Zhao Xing'er, and Qi Dian brought the poisoned Lan Zhi to the City Seven Branch Bureau, where Wang Shoucai arranged her treatment.
• Wang Shoucai explained that the Bureau suspected Fan Baimo had entered Jiangcheng City and was investigating Gongsun Mo and the Bone Dissolving Sect gathering.
• Wang Shoucai revealed that Lan Zhi had followed Yue Wen after he appeared as an unusually convincing Flame Ghost Hall disciple, and that Captain Fang had lost track of Gongsun Mo.
• Wang Shoucai asked Yue Wen's group to keep posing as evil cultivators, find Gongsun Mo through his disciple, and watch for Fan Baimo.
• Wang Shoucai offered an official commission, a Demon Beast keeping permit, and training in the Demon-Locking Secret Realm; Yue Wen accepted enthusiastically.

After completing their assignment, Yue Wen, Zhao Xing'er, and Qi Dian collected their payment and had Diamond Granny upgrade their magical artifacts. Qi Dian discovered his ancient sword only produced fake sword qi to scare enemies, but his bluffing abilities made the display convincing enough to fool Jingang Meng.

• On the way back, Yue Wen inferred that Gongsun Mo feared a powerful creditor and planned to investigate him later, while arranging to approach Gongsun Mo's disciple in two days.
• The trio reported their completed assignment to Diamond Granny, who agreed to upgrade their artifacts in exchange for the collected debt.
• Two days later, Diamond Granny returned Yue Wen's enhanced Flying Sword Bracelet and Zhao Xing'er's staff, which now held a Fire Serpent Glazed Eye.
• Diamond Granny explained that Qi Dian's restored ancient sword generated impressive but harmless fake sword qi to frighten intruders.
• Qi Dian combined the Bluffing Sword with his Flash Technique and Thunderclap Art, and Jingang Meng mistook him for an immortal.

Yue Wen and the Supernatural Affairs Bureau used a staged confrontation with Gongsun Mo’s disciple to make Gongsun Mo contact him. Gongsun Mo proposed meeting that night and revealed that Flame Ghost Hall planned to establish a Jiangcheng City Branch Hall, offering Yue Wen the position of its first Branch Hall Master.

• Wang Shoucai briefed Yue Wen, Zhao Xing'er, and Qi Dian on Gongsun Mo’s disciple Ma Long and gave Yue Wen a Sensing Jade Talisman for emergencies.
• Yue Wen kicked open Ma Long’s funeral supplies shop, and Zhao Xing'er and Qi Dian quickly overpowered Ma Long and his corpse puppets.
• Yue Wen posed as Wen Mo and told Ma Long to pass Gongsun Mo a message demanding that he call before nightfall.
• Ma Long called Gongsun Mo, who apologized and contacted Yue Wen several minutes later.
• Yue Wen warned Gongsun Mo that an undercover agent had attended the disciple acceptance ceremony, and Gongsun Mo proposed a private meeting that night.
• Gongsun Mo revealed that Flame Ghost Hall planned to establish a Jiangcheng City Branch Hall and offered Yue Wen the post of first Branch Hall Master.

Yue Wen met Gongsun Mo at the funeral shop and learned that the Flame Ghost Hall was preparing to establish a Jiangcheng City branch. Gongsun Mo believed the selection was intended to make Yue Wen branch leader, and Yue Wen proposed a test involving the Supernatural Affairs Bureau.

• Lan Zhi admired Yue Wen’s undercover skills and decided she wanted to learn from him.
• Gongsun Mo welcomed Yue Wen, had Ma Long apologize, and sent Ma Long outside to guard the shop.
• Yue Wen told Ma Long that weakness was the original sin, inspiring Ma Long to stop resenting him and resolve to become stronger.
• Gongsun Mo explained that Ahei Mo had ordered him to organize a branch leader selection and assumed Yue Wen was meant to win it.
• Yue Wen insisted the selection should be fair and suggested that candidates prove their courage and insight by breaking through the Supernatural Affairs Bureau’s blockade.

Flame Ghost Hall announced a dangerous selection trial for its River City branch master, giving the Supernatural Affairs Bureau a chance to lure Ahei Mo into a trap. As Yue Wen prepared to infiltrate the contest, a mysterious youth revealed plans to use the winner to challenge Ahei Yan.

• A Flame Ghost Hall disciple found a note ordering Astral Realm candidates to attack the Dark Fiend Grove and escape with a Dark Fiend Fruit to qualify as branch master.
• The Supernatural Affairs Bureau monitored the message’s delivery through Blazing Flame Bar and planned to use the selection to capture Ahei Mo, with Yue Wen acting undercover.
• Perfected One Fengguang ordered the Bureau to support Yue Wen, while Yue Wen counted on Gongsun Mo and the Bureau to help him reach the finals without exposing his abilities.
• Lan Zhi recorded Yue Wen’s habits as lessons to imitate, prompting Wang Shoucai to question her choice of examples.
• In the mountain forests of Jiangcheng City, a mysterious youth ordered his burly disciple to compete for branch master and said his two Black Silver Corpse Puppets should secure victory.
• The youth said he intended to train the disciple until he could defeat the youth’s treacherous former disciple, Ahei Yan.

Yue Wen brought Zhao Xing'er and Qi Dian to City Six's Psychiatric Hospital to buy medicine that could strengthen their bodies. Old Bai demonstrated his wildly misnamed Resurrection Potion, then revealed a jelly-like Double-Strength Double-Strength Pill and its slogan, leaving the trio to consider his eccentric remedy.

• Yue Wen explained that he wanted pills to strengthen Zhao Xing'er and Qi Dian because they could not rely on Supernatural Powers while he was disguised as an evil cultivator.
• Yue Wen, Zhao Xing'er, and Qi Dian found Old Bai experimenting with his Resurrection Potion, which reanimated a rabbit, a rat, and a roast chicken in bizarre forms.
• Zhao Xing'er smashed the dancing roast chicken, and the trio helped Old Bai clean up the reanimated creatures before refusing his offer of chicken.
• Yue Wen asked Old Bai for pills that increased strength or hardened the body, while warning that he wanted to avoid unwanted side effects.
• Old Bai presented his improved Double-Strength Double-Strength Pill, a colorful gel that he said doubled the effect of ordinary Double-Strength Pills.
• Old Bai announced the pill's slogan: “Cheers, double-strength double-strength!”

Yue Wen bought pills from Old Bai before joining Flame Ghost Hall’s dangerous selection for River City branch leader. As the candidates entered the Dark Fiend Grove, Yue Wen held back to assess his rivals, then sent Zhao Xing'er to smash open the formation gate.

• Yue Wen bought five Double-Strength Double-Strength Pills and two Ironclad General Pills from Old Bai, then asked about buying resurrection potions.
• Gongsun Mo gathered the Flame Ghost Hall candidates outside the Dark Fiend Grove and announced that they had to retrieve a Dark Fiend Fruit to pass the first round.
• Blade Demon challenged Gongsun Mo’s rules, while Tang Mo objected to the danger; Gongsun Mo defended the selection and urged the candidates to act quickly.
• Gongsun Mo warned Yue Wen that Blade Demon and the other local disciples might target him, and Blade Demon’s group agreed to attack Yue Wen if they encountered him.
• The candidates entered the grove and broke through its formation, with Blade Demon and Meng Yan displaying their strength.
• Yue Wen waited until the others had entered, then sent Zhao Xing'er to blast open the formation gate with Zombie Hopping Fist.

Yue Wen and the Supernatural Affairs Bureau ambushed the Flame Ghost Hall disciples searching for Dark Fiend Fruit in the Dark Fiend Grove. After Lan Zhi killed Blade Demon, Yue Wen prepared a staged fight with Wang Shoucai to hide his role in the ambush.

• Tang Mo disguised herself inside a tall Corpse Puppet, but Fang Qingcang attacked and exposed her before she escaped.
• Blade Demon rushed toward Tang Mo after hearing her call for help, then Lan Zhi ambushed and killed him with the Celadon Branch and a sword strike from behind.
• Yue Wen met Wang Shoucai, collected the Dark Fiend Fruit, and explained that they would stage a convincing fight to clear him of suspicion.
• Zhao Xing'er drank a strength-enhancing item and sent Wang Shoucai flying with one punch, while Yue Wen shouted that the Astral Realm guard was with him.

Yue Wen used Zhao Xing'er and Qi Dian to stage brutal-looking fights against Supernatural Affairs Bureau captains while rescuing Tang Mo. He met Gongsun Mo’s retreating group and let Tang Mo claim that Wen Mo had killed three captains, leaving Gongsun Mo astonished.

• The demonic cultivators fled the Dark Fiend Grove as Supernatural Affairs Bureau captains pursued them.
• Yue Wen empowered Zhao Xing'er with pills and sword techniques, and she chased Wang Shoucai while Qi Dian knocked Black Gloves down in a staged attack.
• Zhao Xing'er and Qi Dian struck Wang Shoucai, who cooperated by pretending to be badly injured.
• Yue Wen sent Zhao Xing'er and Qi Dian to help Tang Mo, and they made Fang Qingcang appear to be defeated.
• Yue Wen carried Tang Mo toward the hillside and encountered Gongsun Mo and the injured survivors.
• Yue Wen blamed a mole for the ambush, and Tang Mo told Gongsun Mo that Wen Mo had killed three captains.

Gongsun Mo suspected Meng Mo of being the mole after his Dark Fiend Fruit appeared to have been picked long before he claimed, and Meng Mo attacked rather than agree to face the Hall Master. Meng Mo’s thoughts revealed that he had secretly become Fan Baimo’s agent, though he believed he had done nothing wrong, and he decided to kill the others and blame the Supernatural Affairs Bureau.

• Wen Mo, Gongsun Mo, and the surviving disciples fled and met Meng Mo, who said he had found a Dark Fiend Fruit without encountering enemies.
• Gongsun Mo compared Meng Mo’s fruit with Yue Wen’s and concluded that its thick frost meant it had been picked at least an hour earlier.
• Meng Mo accused Gongsun Mo of framing him, while Gongsun Mo became convinced that Meng Mo was the mole and challenged him to visit the Hall Master.
• Meng Mo recalled that Fan Baimo had recruited him to infiltrate the Flame Ghost Hall and compete for the Branch Hall Master position.
• Fearing that the Hall Master would expose his allegiance, Meng Mo attacked with his two Corpse Puppets and resolved to kill the survivors and blame the bureau.

Yue Wen's scheme to frame Meng Mo unraveled into a direct fight when Meng Mo attacked, and Zhao Xing'er killed him after Yue Wen's counterattack. The surviving Flame Ghost Hall disciples praised Wen Mo as a great hero, unaware of the full extent of Yue Wen's plotting.

• Yue Wen had arranged the ambush to make himself appear loyal and powerful while setting Meng Mo up as the suspected mole.
• When Gongsun Mo tried to bring Meng Mo before the Hall Master, Meng Mo erupted and sent his Corpse Puppets after the others.
• Zhao Xing'er met the attack, and Meng Mo detonated his Corpse Puppets in a storm of yin energy.
• Yue Wen escaped the blast with Qi Dian and Zhao Xing'er, then used a Demon Soul-Devouring Mist Pill to weaken Meng Mo.
• Meng Mo tried to seize control of Zhao Xing'er with a Secret Art, but she struck him dead and returned to Yue Wen.
• Gongsun Mo and Tang Mo praised Wen Mo for killing Meng Mo and protecting Flame Ghost Hall, calling him its great hero.

After the Dark Fiend Grove selection ended in disaster, Yue Wen secured support as the likely Flame Ghost Hall Branch Hall Master and made plans to hide the losses from Ahei Mo. Gongsun Mo returned to his secret life as Old Man Sun and tried to contact Diamond Granny about his corpse puppets, but her reply left him confused and his message failed to send.

• Yue Wen declined to claim the Branch Hall Master position outright and arranged a future final against Tang Mo, who agreed to fight him.
• Yue Wen persuaded Gongsun Mo to understate the selection's losses and conceal the mole from Ahei Mo.
• Yue Wen offered to recruit thirty to fifty cultivators to pose as Flame Ghost Hall disciples when Ahei Mo visited for the final.
• Gongsun Mo instructed the surviving disciples to keep the losses secret, then changed into his Old Man Sun disguise and headed home.
• Gongsun Mo messaged Diamond Granny about retrieving his corpse puppets, but her reply that she was at his mother's grave confused him, and his response failed to send.