Chapter Summaries

Han Shuo survived the traps Belinda and Edwin had laid for him, then pretended to be unconscious while the Calamity Church and the Rainbow Sickle Mercenary Group clashed. As Edwin turned to pursue Florida, Han Shuo attacked him, but Edwin’s shield slowed the Demon-Slaying Edge and left the fight unresolved.

• Yilian’s corpse exploded, but Han Shuo blocked the blast and used his demonic essence to neutralize the poison in the blood-scented air.
• Han Shuo realized someone had transferred his sealed demonic blood from Belinda into Yilian, and he pretended to be unconscious when Belinda and Edwin approached.
• At Edwin’s urging, Belinda shot Han Shuo several times; one arrow struck his calf, but he kept up the act until Edwin judged him sedated.
• Florida arrived with the Rainbow Sickle Mercenary Group, and Edwin revealed himself as a dark archmage of the Calamity Church and killed several mercenaries with his spells.
• As Edwin prepared to pursue Florida, Han Shuo sprang up and stabbed him in the back with the Demon-Slaying Edge, then lunged at his neck with his violet-lit hand.

Han Shuo fled from the dark Archmage Edwin while harrying Florida and trying to kill him before he could reach Sun Radiance Valley. After Trunks intervened against Florida’s mercenaries, Han Shuo escaped Edwin by leaving Florida behind, then appeared at the valley entrance to block Florida’s path.

• Han Shuo escaped Edwin’s Hand of Death and pursued Florida, striking him with Bone Spears as they fled.
• Trunks attacked the Rainbow Sickle Mercenary Group’s experts and urged Han Shuo to continue after Florida while he held them off.
• Han Shuo kept slowing Florida with Bone Spears and Dark Mist, then fled as Edwin arrived and left Florida to face the Archmage.
• Florida attacked Edwin with Light Shackles combined with lightning magic, but Edwin broke free, and Florida fled toward Sun Radiance Valley.
• Han Shuo appeared in front of the valley palisade and blocked Florida’s path with a cruel grin.

Han Shuo fought Florida to stop him from escaping, severely injuring him before the Rainbow Sickle Mercenary Group arrived and forced Han Shuo to retreat into Sun Radiance Valley. He reunited with Emily, told her about Yilian’s death and his encounters with Florida and Edwin, and learned that Loretta had invited them to the Jialuo Mercenary Group headquarters.

• Han Shuo confronted the weakened Florida and broke through his Bone Prison, but Florida’s magic wand delayed his killing strike.
• A Fire Mage and the Rainbow Sickle Mercenary Group arrived; Florida ordered his men to kill Han Shuo, then fainted from his injuries.
• Harris protected Han Shuo inside Sun Radiance Valley, while Edwin entered the valley and warned Han Shuo that he would remember him.
• Han Shuo met Emily at the Dark Curtain Stronghold and explained that Yilian had died and he had nearly been killed.
• Emily mourned Yilian and worried about Florida and Edwin, while Han Shuo reassured her that they could return to the Death Cemetery if necessary.
• Grandpa Kambi told Emily that Loretta had invited her and Han Shuo to the Jialuo Mercenary Group headquarters.

Han Shuo and Emily met Trunks, who returned to Sun Radiance Valley to avenge the old commander and Annie by killing Florida. After Trunks explained his history with Florida, the group reached Loretta, who challenged Han Shuo to take a punch before discussing a deal over the shop.

• Emily told Han Shuo that Phoebe had come looking for him, then explained that the Jialuo Mercenary Group knew Dark Curtain controlled the shop.
• Trunks arrived after fighting former Rainbow Sickle Mercenary Group members and told Han Shuo that Florida had escaped but remained badly injured.
• Trunks explained that Florida had betrayed the Rainbow Sickle Mercenary Group, causing the old commander's death and Annie's disappearance, and said he had returned to take revenge.
• Trunks joined Han Shuo and Emily on their way to meet Loretta, whom Trunks knew from his earlier time in Sun Radiance Valley.
• Loretta asked Han Shuo to take a punch as a test before he would discuss handing over the shop, and Han Shuo braced himself to meet the attack.

Han Shuo clashed with Loretta and negotiated the Jialuo Mercenary Group's help in pursuing Florida, securing the cursed shop in return. Afterward, Trunks proposed that he and Han Shuo build their own mercenary force, and Han Shuo eagerly agreed to discuss the plan.

• Han Shuo and Loretta exchanged a powerful blow, and Trunks recognized that Loretta had reached the strength of a third berserk transformation.
• Loretta learned that Han Shuo had helped injure Florida with Edwin's assistance, then discussed Han Shuo's interest in the cursed shop.
• Han Shuo agreed to kill Florida with the Jialuo Mercenary Group providing intelligence and limiting Rainbow Sickle forces, in exchange for the shop and information about Edwin's movements.
• Trunks proposed using his experienced mercenaries and Phoebe's funding to establish an independent force centered in Sun Radiance Valley, and Emily endorsed the idea.
• Han Shuo agreed to return with Trunks and Emily to discuss building their own mercenary group.

Han Shuo agreed to lead a new mercenary group funded by Phoebe and staffed by Trunks’s former Rainbow Sickle comrades. After giving Trunks weapons forged by the Dwarves, Han Shuo named the group the Soul Annihilation Mercenary Group, and Trunks set out to register it.

• Trunks told Han Shuo, Phoebe, and Emily that dozens of former Rainbow Sickle Mercenary Group members were waiting nearby and that he needed funds to establish a new group.
• Han Shuo brought out a large hoard of gems and jade, and Phoebe agreed to exchange them for gold, give Trunks thirty thousand gold coins, and keep the rest for Han Shuo’s needs.
• Emily and Trunks identified Han Shuo’s strange bow as Lolth’s cursed bow, which could drain its user’s life force but might once have amplified Lightning Element magic.
• Han Shuo gave Trunks weapons forged by the Dwarves, and Trunks insisted Han Shuo become the group’s leader so Emily and Phoebe would support it.
• Han Shuo accepted the leadership and named the group the Soul Annihilation Mercenary Group, after which Trunks went to register it.

Han Shuo absorbed Chu Canglan’s memories and gained new confidence as his cultivation advanced, while Gilbert recovered and the Earth Armor Zombie showed signs of intelligence. After learning Florida had awakened and was preparing to attack, Han Shuo returned to the Dark Curtain base and proposed defending it with an array.

• Han Shuo and Gilbert hunted high-level magic beasts in the Dark Forest, allowing Gilbert to recover from his injuries by absorbing their Magic Beast Cores.
• Under a waterfall, Han Shuo fully digested Johnny’s soul and deciphered many of Chu Canglan’s memories, including secret cultivation methods and formulas.
• Gilbert reported that the Earth Armor Zombie had absorbed the Earth Essence Qi; the zombie trapped Gilbert in a fissure after he mocked it, and Han Shuo warned him not to provoke it in its territory.
• Han Shuo took Gilbert through the Teleportation Array to the Dark Curtain base, where Emily reported that Florida had awakened and planned to attack them, while Edwin and Belinda had visited the Jialuo Mercenary Group.
• Han Shuo reasoned that Loretta would not join Edwin against them before Florida was dead, then told Emily they needed to defend their base with an array deployment.

Han Shuo prepared the cursed shop as a defense against Edwin by building the Shura Illusion Soul Formation and a water-ghost trap. After the formation’s eerie activation drew the Jialuo Mercenary Group’s attention, Han Shuo concealed its effects and reassured Harris.

• Han Shuo occupied the Water-Extreme Land shop and had Emily and Phoebe gather cold-yin materials while Gilbert accompanied them.
• Han Shuo summoned Skeleton Warriors to clean the shop and used Wraiths and other materials to prepare two defensive formations.
• Emily, Phoebe, and Gilbert returned to find the courtyard transformed, and Gilbert handed Han Shuo a bottle of virgins’ yin blood.
• Han Shuo completed the Shura Illusion Soul Formation, briefly unleashing a hundred shrieking ghosts before sealing them inside the six pillars.
• Emily cast a soundproof barrier as Han Shuo activated and then concealed the formation when Harris arrived to investigate reports of blood-red light and terrifying shrieks.
• Harris noticed Gilbert and left in disgust after Han Shuo admitted that Gilbert was his friend, while Gilbert protested that Han Shuo had ordered him to collect the blood.

Han Shuo settled into the remodeled shop and helped Trunks establish the Soul Annihilation Mercenary Group while testing his magic. When Little Skeleton was summoned from another plane, the Purple Demon Eye unleashed a force that attacked them both, and the eyepatch burned away.

• Trunks visited Han Shuo's new shop, met Gilbert, and declined to stay because he still feared its curse.
• Trunks told Han Shuo that he had recruited friends and applied to establish the Soul Annihilation Mercenary Group, and Han Shuo made the shop their base.
• Han Shuo gave Trunks forty thousand gold coins for the mercenary group and practiced Undead Sky in the courtyard.
• Han Shuo sensed Little Skeleton's urgent call and summoned him from another plane as a giant undead Knight appeared behind him.
• The Purple Demon Eye attacked Han Shuo and Little Skeleton, and although Little Skeleton put on his eyepatch, it burst into flames and disintegrated.

Han Shuo absorbed the powerful soul energy sealed in Little Skeleton’s Purple Demon Eye and entered deep cultivation. While he remained in seclusion, Emily, Gilbert, Phoebe, and Trunks learned that the Rainbow Sickle Mercenary Group was approaching and prepared to defend him.

• The Purple Demon Eye’s power entered Han Shuo’s body, where his demonic nascent soul absorbed and purified it as he used the Demon Transformation Art.
• Han Shuo drained the Purple Demon Eye and began cultivating in seclusion, while Little Skeleton opened the door and warned Emily and Gilbert not to disturb him.
• Emily and Gilbert recognized Little Skeleton and left Han Shuo’s room undisturbed.
• Two days later, a Jialuo Mercenary Group guard reported that a group was approaching, and Emily suspected it was the Rainbow Sickle Mercenary Group.
• Phoebe, Emily, Gilbert, and Trunks discussed defending Han Shuo until reinforcements arrived, then Emily ordered them to secure his room as riders approached.

Trunks, Emily, Phoebe, and Gilbert faced an attack on Han Shuo’s shop, where Little Skeleton’s Bone Blade killed three scouts before the main force arrived. The attackers included two Archmages and Gabriel, whose unexpected appearance left the defenders facing a powerful new threat.

• Little Skeleton controlled the Little Bone Blade from Han Shuo’s room, killing three scouts whose souls were absorbed by the courtyard’s stone pillars.
• Emily identified two approaching Archmages, but crossbow fire knocked the Bone Blade away as more than a dozen armed attackers stormed the courtyard.
• Andy confronted Trunks and defended Florida, while the lightning Archmage urged them to kill the defenders quickly.
• A blue-green-robed figure revealed himself as Gabriel, startling Emily and Phoebe with his arrival.

Gabriel and the mercenaries attacked Emily’s group while Little Skeleton fought back, until the battle triggered the magic array in the courtyard. As sinister winds and death energy filled the area, the six pillars awakened and began attacking everyone, while Edwin and Belinda watched from a distance.

• Gabriel overwhelmed Trunks and Gilbert, but Little Skeleton’s bone blade forced him to defend himself while Andy and the lightning Archmage directed mercenaries and magic at Emily’s group.
• Emily caught the fireballs with a darkness spell as she and the others dodged lightning, and Gabriel knocked Little Bone Blade to the ground.
• Little Skeleton answered Gabriel’s challenge, recovered the bone blade, and attacked him with seven bone spikes before charging into the mercenaries.
• Arrows and weapons struck Little Skeleton, disrupting his attacks and sending the seven bone spikes crashing into an Asura Stone Pillar.
• The courtyard array activated, filling the area with death energy as the six bone pillars came alive and attacked; Emily directed her allies to nearby safe spots.
• More members of the Jialuo Mercenary Group entered the courtyard, while Edwin and Belinda watched the blood-red light and supernatural disturbance from afar.

The Rainbow Sickle Mercenary Group attacked the courtyard, where its arrays and Little Skeleton slaughtered the intruders while Gabriel held out. After the arrays faded, Han Shuo’s allies wounded Gabriel and Han Shuo saved Emily from a hidden archer, then emerged with a terrifying aura of slaughter.

• The courtyard’s arrays trapped the Rainbow Sickle Mercenary Group in illusions as water ghosts dragged three mercenaries into the well and the others turned on one another.
• Little Skeleton killed the frenzied mercenaries, but Great Swordmaster Gabriel survived by defending himself with silver battle aura.
• Andy and the Lightning Element Archmage fled as Loretta approached, while Edwin and Belinda followed them; the arrays then faded, leaving Gabriel surrounded by corpses.
• Gilbert, Belinda, Trunks, and Little Skeleton attacked Gabriel, who escaped toward the roof badly wounded after Trunks and Phoebe struck him.
• A hidden archer shot at Emily, but Han Shuo’s Demon-Slaying Edge shattered the arrow and saved her; the archer escaped after warning that Emily would not be so lucky next time.
• Han Shuo stopped his companions from pursuing the archer and appeared with blood-red eyes and a powerful aura of slaughter, shocking Emily, Trunks, and the others.

After suppressing his bloodlust, Han Shuo learned more about the Rainbow Sickle Mercenary Group’s new experts and received intelligence on their compound. He rejected Loretta’s expected plans and proposed stirring up greater chaos in Sun Radiance Valley.

• Han Shuo regained control of himself, praised Little Skeleton for fighting well, and reunited with Trunks and Emily.
• Loretta and Harris arrived after the battle, and Han Shuo identified the fallen attackers as members of the Rainbow Sickle Mercenary Group.
• Han Shuo warned Loretta that Great Swordmaster Gabriel, an ally of Aski, had fought with the attackers.
• Loretta identified the female archer as Makexin and the lightning Archmage as Asa, then had Harris give Trunks a scroll detailing the Rainbow Sickle Mercenary Group and its compound.
• Loretta offered the shop and tax exemptions if Trunks’s group helped eliminate Florida before the leadership battle.
• Han Shuo told Trunks that they should not follow Loretta’s arrangements and declared that he would make Sun Radiance Valley even more chaotic.

Han Shuo used the rivalries among Sun Radiance Valley’s four powers to plan attacks on the Monroe Family and the Rainbow Sickle Mercenary Group. As Edwin and Belinda began assaulting the Rainbow Sickle base, Han Shuo and his companions launched their own destructive raid.

• Han Shuo explained the four powers’ strengths and ambitions to Trunks, then ordered him to disguise himself and attack the Monroe Family.
• Han Shuo took Emily, Phoebe, and Gilbert toward the Rainbow Sickle Mercenary Group’s base, intending to exploit the chaos and kill some of its members.
• Han Shuo revealed that Edwin and Belinda had followed Andy and might be targeting Florida at the Rainbow Sickle base.
• After Edwin and his allies attacked the central building with an Ironclad Puppet Beast and three Hands of Death, Han Shuo ordered Gilbert to destroy the valley’s buildings while he plunged into the attack.
• Little Skeleton steadied himself with his bone spikes and descended after Han Shuo.

Han Shuo joined Edwin and Belinda's assault on the Rainbow Sickle Mercenary Group, unleashing a forgotten Necromancy spell and slaughtering the mercenaries. As the Bloodlust Realm's power drove him toward cultivation deviation, he stopped to regain control, while Little Skeleton summoned dark creatures to guard him.

• Han Shuo descended into the valley and used Undead Sky to weaken the mercenaries while empowering his dark creatures.
• Edwin and Belinda recognized the mysterious Necromancy as a spell they believed belonged to the Calamity Church.
• Han Shuo ignored Edwin's greeting and killed mercenaries as his strength and Fiendish Aura grew.
• The fear and resentment surrounding Han Shuo muddled his mind and warned him that cultivation deviation was near.
• Han Shuo put away the Demon-Slaying Edge and sat cross-legged to calm himself.
• Little Skeleton summoned nearby zombies and abominations, which respectfully gathered around Han Shuo.

Han Shuo resisted the killing urge at the center of the Necromantic Veil while Edwin, Belinda, and Gilbert attacked the Rainbow Sickle Mercenary Group. When Ferguson’s Light’s Radiance dispelled the veil, Little Skeleton alone remained unharmed, prompting Ferguson to demand Han Shuo’s death and Edwin to insist he be rescued.

• Han Shuo calmed himself amid the slaughter as Little Skeleton and the other Dark Creatures guarded him.
• Edwin and Belinda demolished a building, while Gilbert attacked the valley from the air with fire and venom.
• Ferguson cast Light’s Radiance, dispelling the Necromantic Veil and causing Han Shuo’s summoned Dark Creatures to suffer; Little Skeleton remained unaffected.
• Edwin and Belinda fled, while Gilbert escaped Ferguson’s Light Sword Slash with help from Emily.
• Ferguson ordered the Light Knights to surround Han Shuo, then recognized that Little Skeleton could withstand light magic and resolved to kill him; Edwin realized the same and vowed to rescue him.

Han Shuo escaped Ferguson and the Light Knights with the Blood-Rending Demonic Escape Art, then recovered at a frozen pool and discovered that the ordeal had strengthened him. Hearing weapons clash near the Monroe Family’s location, he changed course to investigate.

• Ferguson ordered the Light Knights to kill Han Shuo, while Edwin and Belinda flew down to rescue him.
• Han Shuo sent Little Skeleton away and triggered the Blood-Rending Demonic Escape Art, blasting several Light Knights and vanishing from the valley.
• Ferguson ordered Asa to gather every detail about Han Shuo, while Edwin decided the Calamity Church should seek Han Shuo’s cooperation.
• Han Shuo emerged from a frozen pool, expelled dark-red vapor, and flew toward Sun Radiance Valley.
• Han Shuo realized the demonic escape technique had used the baleful energy around him and that his physical strength had grown stronger.
• Han Shuo heard weapons clashing near the Monroe Family’s location, changed course, and flew toward it.

Han Shuo and Trunks escaped the Monroe Family’s mountain after Trunks’s mercenaries helped spark a battle between the family and a bandit force. As they headed back toward Sun Radiance Valley, Han Shuo sensed a call from the Dark Forest and realized the Earth Armor Zombie had broken free.

• Han Shuo spotted Trunks’s men harassing the Monroe Family while a large bandit force fought the family, then warned Trunks that the Monroe Family’s elite troops were returning.
• Trunks signaled his mercenaries to scatter and withdrew with Han Shuo through the woods to the road to Sun Radiance Valley.
• Trunks explained that his men had redirected a merchant caravan toward the Monroe Family, drawing the bandits into a fight, and described the region’s bandit groups, including Gustav and Janet.
• Han Shuo reasoned that the bandits and mercenaries both served Sun Radiance Valley’s trade, and Trunks agreed that the valley’s powers tolerated the bandits for that reason.
• Han Shuo told Trunks he needed to return to the valley and revealed that he had sensed a call from the Dark Forest, which he recognized as a signal from the Earth Armor Zombie.

After returning to Sun Radiance Valley, Han Shuo went to the Death Cemetery to meet the newly formed Earth Armor Zombie and three Yin Demons. He practiced using the Yin Demons to create false bodies, then decided to send the inexperienced zombie back to Little Skeleton’s plane, where Little Skeleton promised to look after him.

• Han Shuo returned to Sun Radiance Valley, reassured Emily and Phoebe, and hurried to the Death Cemetery after sensing a call from the Dark Forest.
• Han Shuo summoned the Earth Armor Zombie and saw that he had gained lustrous armor and control over earth-based abilities.
• The Earth Armor Zombie showed Han Shuo the three Yin Demons, which Han Shuo brought under his command and used to create three false bodies.
• Han Shuo practiced making the Yin Demons appear and disappear while the Earth Armor Zombie quickly learned to identify his real body.
• Han Shuo decided to send the inexperienced Earth Armor Zombie back to his original plane and summoned Little Skeleton to meet him.
• Little Skeleton welcomed the Earth Armor Zombie and gestured that Han Shuo could trust him to keep the zombie safe.