Chapter Summaries

Cao Xianming calculated the Demoness Pickup Truck’s location and rushed his convoy toward it after discovering it was under attack. At the truck, Mang Dabiao and Long Ya fought off the encircling shadows, while Long Ya continued sniping despite her injuries.

• Cao Xianming used the Demoness Pickup Truck as the only object near Yang Yong whose location he could calculate and learned it was surrounded and under attack.
• Cao Xianming ordered Xiao Ma to wake everyone, and his convoy of more than a thousand people set out toward the truck.
• More than a dozen shadows surrounded the damaged Demoness Pickup Truck, which kept moving despite having no driver; Long Ya was absent from the vehicle, leaving a small bag of golden corn kernels on the passenger seat.
• Mang Dabiao smashed one shadow with his hammer, and the others paused as if they were afraid of him.
• Long Ya fired from a nearby slope, landing headshots on several shadows despite her numb shoulder and a burn on her hand.

Long Ya exhausted all three hundred rounds of her Lone Fang Sniper Rifle while dark figures swarmed the slope, preparing to die alongside Dean Granny. Yezi awoke and unleashed Climbing Vine, which devoured the Eerie and sent the others fleeing.

• Long Ya fired all three hundred rounds at the dark figures, suffering burns and hearing damage as they closed in.
• With her rifle empty and the Eerie surrounding her, Long Ya clutched the Low-Grade God-Sealing Banner and braced herself to die with Dean Granny.
• Yezi appeared in a burst of green light and planted a Green Seed in the rock.
• Climbing Vine spread across the slope, pierced and drained the dark figures, and absorbed the light they left behind.
• The remaining Eerie felt fear and fled as the vines pursued them.

Mang Dabiao met Long Ya after she survived the dark shadows and learned she was Yang Yong’s disciple. When Cao Xianming arrived, Long Ya realized his help might offer hope of finding the moving Paradise Service Area and rescuing the children in her care.

• Mang Dabiao arrived as Yezi’s vines cleared the last dark shadows and sensed a faint contract fluctuation from the Demoness Pickup Truck.
• Mang Dabiao confronted Long Ya, who aimed her empty sniper rifle at him until he identified himself as Yang Yong’s pet.
• Long Ya told Mang Dabiao she was Yang Yong’s disciple, and he greeted her with exaggerated friendliness.
• A convoy arrived, and Mang Dabiao told Long Ya that Cao Xianming, a Data Analyst Sequence, was with it.
• Long Ya recognized Cao Xianming as the Old Cao Yang Yong had said might help locate the Paradise Service Area.
• Cao Xianming stepped out of the lead vehicle and examined a flickering data model.

Cao Xianming learned that Yang Yong was likely alive and led the convoy toward Black Water Marsh while Long Ya hoped to find her missing siblings. Meanwhile, Yang Yong faced an ancient woman on the ninth level of the Demon-Locking Ancient Tomb.

• Cao Xianming showed Long Ya footage of her attack and said Yang Yong had identified the Paradise Service Area as a likely eerie domain.
• Cao Xianming concluded that Yang Yong was probably alive but could not determine his location, then assessed Black Water Marsh as a lower threat.
• Cao Xianming ordered the convoy to head for Black Water Marsh, and Long Ya set out with the Small Banner and Lone Fang Sniper Rifle.
• Long Ya promised Dean Granny that she was going to find her little brother and sisters, Xiaotian, Yaya, and Guoguo.
• On the ninth level of the Demon-Locking Ancient Tomb, Yang Yong looked at an ancient woman as she turned her gaze toward him.

Yang Yong reached the ninth floor of the ancient tomb and met a demon creature who offered her thousand-year-old demon core to the Thousand-Hammer, Hundred-Refinement Furnace in exchange for freeing her and the Companion Soul beneath the stone platform. As Huang Pi's true body roared closer, Yang Yong questioned whether he could trust her.

• The girl revealed her aquatic demon features and explained that the furnace had drained the creatures on the first eight floors and refined their remnant souls into materials for Yang Yong's ring.
• The girl said she had watched the thoughts of tomb visitors for countless years and expected Huang Pi to reach her first.
• The girl warned that Huang Pi intended to devour her demon core and Companion Soul, then offered Yang Yong a deal to free them after the furnace consumed her essence.
• Yang Yong asked why he should trust her, and the girl offered a wisp of pearly white light as collateral.
• Huang Pi's true body roared from beyond the ninth-floor entrance, shaking the stone walls and sending fragments falling.

Yang Yong faced Huang Pi on the tomb’s ninth level and realized Huang Pi had deliberately used their coming battle to trigger the Blood Mutation Curse within himself. Huang Pi began to shake as the pollution in his body neared a second aberration.

• Yang Yong prepared the Thousand-Hammer, Hundred-Refinement Furnace and Four Yang God-Sealing Banner, then let Huang Pi enter so he could trap him inside.
• The Nine Nether Yuanchen White Bone Ring reacted eagerly to Huang Pi, but Yang Yong ignored it and studied the blood-red threads spreading through Huang Pi’s fur.
• Yang Yong confronted Huang Pi about returning after losing his soul fragment, and Huang Pi revealed that the fragment was not his only source of power.
• Huang Pi explained that the Red Moon’s calamity mist and the Blood Mutation Curse sustained him, and that he had come to provoke a battle and force a second aberration.
• Yang Yong recognized Huang Pi had intentionally let him destroy the soul fragment, while Huang Pi shook as the pollution within him built toward a transformation.

Yang Yong used his White Bone Rings to force the blood-colored Eerie out of Huang Pi, whose body had been fighting between two opposing consciousnesses. As the Second Ring devoured the phantom, it begged Yang Yong to spare it and offered information about the wasteland and the Mechanical City Eerie.

• Huang Pi drew in disaster fog and mutated further, claiming that Yang Yong’s attacks had broken his shackles.
• Yang Yong sent two White Bone Rings toward Huang Pi, and Huang Pi recoiled in fear of the Nine Nether Yuanchen White Bone Ring.
• Huang Pi’s two consciousnesses struggled over whether to attack or retreat, twisting his body against itself.
• Yang Yong released the Four Yang God-Sealing Banner and let the Second Ring strike Huang Pi’s chest, dragging out a blood-colored phantom.
• The phantom begged Yang Yong for its life and offered knowledge of disaster fog patterns, mutation sites, Eerie lairs, survivor strongholds, and the Mechanical City Eerie.

Yang Yong was trapped in an illusion of the university he had never reached, then returned to the ninth-floor ruins after it shattered. The White Bone Ring swallowed the blood-red phantom before Yang Yong could keep it, and he saw that Huang Pi had changed further.

• The blood-red phantom showed Yang Yong an illusion of the day he was meant to report to university, and Yang Yong recognized it as his deepest regret.
• Yang Yong ran toward the school gate, but the illusion cracked apart before he could enter, and he awoke in the ninth-floor ruins.
• Yang Yong questioned the girl in green, then resolved to remember the phantom’s attack on him.
• Yang Yong considered keeping the phantom in the Second Ring so it could show him the illusion again, but the ring swallowed it completely.
• The childlike voice said the phantom had tasted good, and Yang Yong turned to find that Huang Pi’s body had changed after its dark red markings vanished.

Yang Yong watched Huang Pi crumble to ash, then left the emptied Demon-Locking Tower as Cao Xianming’s convoy approached. He headed toward the convoy, aware that the Paradise Service Area and the children still awaited him.

• Huang Pi regretted its actions as its body shriveled and crumbled into ash.
• Yang Yong remarked that Huang Pi had been drained dry, while Huang Santainai silently merged back into the tomb’s ward.
• The girl in green shed a tear, and Yang Yong asked what she was crying for before leaving the ninth level.
• Yang Yong climbed out of the well and saw Cao Xianming’s convoy approaching from the east.
• Yang Yong turned toward the convoy, murmured Old Cao’s name, and continued onward while thinking of the Paradise Service Area and the children.

Yang Yong returned to the village and summoned Huang Santainai to repair its array patterns using a new doll body. Long Ya and the others arrived with a convoy, and Yang Yong greeted the survivors as they began settling in and preparing the village.

• Yang Yong gave Huang Santainai a lucky baby doll body, and she entered it to inspect and correct the village's array patterns.
• The Demoness Pickup Truck led a convoy into the village, and Long Ya rushed to embrace Yang Yong as he told her he was alive.
• Cao Xianming scanned the village with his Data Model, while Zheng Xiaofeng hugged Yang Yong and Liu Hong greeted him.
• Yang Yong promised Liu Hong titanium-alloy ear guards, directed He Jing to a room suitable for a potion lab, and gave Peng Fan details about the village entrances.
• Peng Fan went to organize defenses, while Lao Zhang approached Yang Yong from the rear of the convoy.

Yang Yong settled the convoy into the village and assigned Wang Jie to lead farming with Ideal Grain Seeds, while Cao Xianming warned that their food would last only three days. As Yang Yong organized the survivors and Long Ya’s lodging, Huang Santainai’s work on an array and the village’s underground tomb remained in the background.

• Yang Yong directed Lao Zhang to house the elderly and children and secure the village, then appointed Wang Jie to handle farming and promised her seeds.
• Huang Santainai drew and redrew array patterns by the old well, darkening the soil and leaving a scorched smell.
• Cao Xianming reported that the village’s underground tomb could shelter the survivors and that nearby soil and groundwater could support crops, but warned that food would last at most three days.
• Yang Yong saw the hungry survivors entering the village and ordered Zheng Xiaofeng to use the warehouse by the entrance.
• Cao Xianming explained that Zheng Xiaofeng’s density breakthrough made him exceptionally tough and that the White Bone Banner would be needed to fight him.
• Long Ya asked where she would stay, and Yang Yong said she would live with him beside the old well while Granny Huang stayed underground; Huang Santainai objected to Yang Yong’s claim that she liked the dark.

As Huang Santainai repaired the village’s barrier, Yang Yong noticed a strangely controlled column of smoke beyond the northern ridge and concluded that capable outsiders were nearby. He quietly mobilized Peng Fan and Liu Hong while the villagers continued receiving rations.

• Huang Santainai, in Fuwa form, repaired the restriction barrier around the village, and Yang Yong sensed something moving beneath the tomb.
• Yang Yong spotted a thin column of smoke beyond the northern ridge, and Cao Xianming’s data showed it was rising too straight for a natural fire.
• Yang Yong concluded that someone was controlling the fire and said the people responsible were no ordinary survivors.
• Yang Yong quietly informed Peng Fan, who sped up his preparations, then gave Liu Hong instructions that sent him toward the village entrance.
• Yang Yong returned to the grain-drying yard, watched Lao Zhang distribute food, and saw Wang Jie writing in her notebook as the smoke grew thicker.

Yang Yong discovered that Huang Santainai had repaired a village array that sealed threats inside rather than protecting against anything outside, as an enormous Earth Dragon approached from beyond the ridge. He learned Qi Peiliang had stayed in Mechanical City, leaving Yang Yong to face the approaching Eerie without his long-range Danger Sense.

• Huang Santainai told Yang Yong that the repaired array was a cage designed to keep things inside the village from escaping, not to keep outside threats out.
• Yang Yong saw movement beyond the ridge, and the distant plume of smoke abruptly vanished as a familiar vibration rose from underground.
• Yang Yong ordered Cao Xianming to get everyone into the village while he remained behind with the Four Yang God-Sealing Banner and White Bone Ring.
• Yang Yong recognized the approaching creature as an Undying species, Earth Dragon, and asked Cao Xianming where Qi Peiliang was.
• Cao Xianming said Qi Peiliang had stayed in Mechanical City, and Yang Yong resolved to rely on himself as the Eerie aura drew closer.

Yang Yong discovered that Yezi could command the Earth Dragon because they shared Jiang Chen’s bloodline, and he ordered it to stay away from the village. He then realized Mang Dabiao had abandoned their contract to follow a green snake in the ancient tomb, leaving Yang Yong to decide what to do about the Twin Demons trapped below.

• Yang Yong lured the Earth Dragon away from the village, but it kept tracking him through its connection to the World Tree Sapling.
• Yang Yong woke Yezi and asked her to command the Earth Dragon; it stopped and approached her obediently.
• Yang Yong suspected Jiang Chen had deliberately left Yezi’s bloodline rank high enough to control the Earth Dragon, and he told Yezi to keep it from disturbing the village.
• Yezi ordered the Earth Dragon to burrow underground and sleep, and Yang Yong confirmed it stayed beneath the soil.
• Yang Yong sensed Mang Dabiao was far away and concluded he had followed the green snake in the ancient tomb; Yang Yong then considered whether to release the Twin Demons below.

Yang Yong discovered that Zhao Hu had survived the village catastrophe by using a Berserker forbidden art, but the escape had left him gravely weakened. After warning Zhao Hu that his fire could expose the village, Yang Yong weighed whether to bring him back and left the decision unresolved.

• Yang Yong spotted black smoke rising from the Back Mountain and found Zhao Hu roasting corn beside a fire.
• Yang Yong examined Zhao Hu and realized the forbidden art had burned away much of his blood essence and damaged his foundation.
• Zhao Hu explained that he had escaped the Eerie Tide by burning more than half his blood essence after Yang Yong left the village.
• Yang Yong warned Zhao Hu that the smoke and fire could attract Eerie and reveal the village's location.
• Zhao Hu admitted he had lit the fire only to survive the cold, while Yang Yong considered the risks of bringing him back.

Yang Yong chose not to bring the badly injured Zhao Hu into Ancient Well Village, instead giving him supplies and arranging for the Red-Clothed Female Ghost to watch over him. Yang Yong then entered the village, intending to have Cao Xianming examine him and uncover Jiang Chen’s scheme.

• Zhao Hu admitted that his forbidden art had left him barely able to move or fight, and Yang Yong confirmed that his injuries came from backlash rather than eerie contamination.
• Yang Yong refused to take Zhao Hu into the village because his condition could endanger the formation, but promised to find him a safe hiding place away from Back Mountain.
• Yang Yong gave Zhao Hu instant noodles and Wound Medicine, ordered him not to wander or leave traces, and said he would return after handling urgent matters.
• Yang Yong released the Red-Clothed Female Ghost and ordered her to watch Zhao Hu and report anything unusual.
• Yang Yong checked that the Earth Dragon remained asleep, then entered Ancient Well Village planning to have Cao Xianming examine him for signs of Jiang Chen’s scheme.

Yang Yong returned to the village as its survivors prepared homes, fields, defenses, and food for the community. He left the women learning to identify safe wild greens while the village’s preparations continued.

• Yang Yong entered the village, aware that Jiang Chen’s planted schemes might already be moving despite the Array Patterns sealing the area.
• Lao Zhang and Xiao Ma helped survivors fumigate their new homes with burning pine branches to mask the lingering stench.
• Wang Jie directed survivors to prepare fields, irrigation channels, and Ideal Grain Seed for planting.
• Huang Santainai worked to transform the Dragon-Trapping Formation into a killing formation, and Yang Yong watched before moving on.
• A plump older woman taught the women to distinguish Silver-Thread Bitter Greens and Dew-Condensing Vine Seedlings from poisonous plants, while Yang Yong observed.

Yang Yong went to the village kitchen to learn about wild vegetables but was mistaken for an ordinary newcomer and challenged while serving porridge. Xiao Ma revealed Yang Yong’s status, and Yang Yong left after mocking the porridge server; Cao Xianming was calculating what had happened.

• Yang Yong tasted porridge offered by a little girl, then was pushed into serving it to the hungry villagers.
• Yang Yong filled a bowl generously, and the fat man serving at another pot rebuked him for wasting food.
• Yang Yong ignored the fat man until Xiao Ma arrived and identified him as a Sequence Transcendence practitioner and the group’s strongest Artifact Refiner.
• The fat man apologized in fear, but Yang Yong mocked his weight and left the courtyard without serving the porridge.
• Cao Xianming calculated for Yang Yong, whom he said had gone among ordinary people and been mistaken for a freeloader.

Yang Yong revealed that he had stockpiled enough Ideal Grain Seeds to feed the convoy of more than a thousand people for over half a year. After the seeds were planted at Ancient Well Village, the corn began growing at an astonishing speed, and Cao Xianming organized the villagers to prepare for harvesting and storage as the Blood Moon approached.

• Yang Yong showed Cao Xianming and Lao Zhang his stockpile of Ideal Grain Seeds, which could feed the convoy for more than half a year.
• Lao Zhang watched the planted corn break through the soil and grow rapidly in the fields west of Ancient Well Village.
• Cao Xianming explained that the Ideal Grain Seeds matured within twenty-four hours and told Lao Zhang to organize workers and track the harvest.
• Lao Zhang asked whether the corn was edible, then saw a cornstalk flowering and ran to organize the villagers.

The village celebrated its first successful corn harvest, and Cao Xianming saw that the food crisis had been stabilized for now. As the Blood Moon approached, he remained concerned about the village’s defenses, the Protective Array, Dragon Tooth’s calculations, and Yang Yong.

• The villagers crowded around the cornfield, and a man confirmed that the ripe corn was edible and sweet.
• Lao Zhang organized a ration line that prioritized children and the elderly, giving a mother and daughter an extra ear of corn.
• Lao Zhang threw his secretly saved ear into the distribution basket and told the young accountant to record it as wastage.
• Cao Xianming assessed the harvest and planned to save seed and store the remaining corn so the group could become self-sufficient in food.
• Cao Xianming saw the Blood Moon’s red mark deepening above the ridge and turned his attention to Yang Yong, who stood by the Old Locust Tree.