Recaps

After Shi Guang's subdued graduation, she and Yu Sheng left Ink Academy together and traveled to Autumn Water City to confront Shen Yanchang, the general Shi Guang had waited sixteen years to kill. They studied the city's defenses and planned to act on the eighteenth, while Shi Guang's memories of the night she last saw Shen Yanchang resurfaced.

• Shi Guang briefly attended her Graduation Ceremony and left Ink Academy without showing much emotion.
• Yu Sheng and Shi Guang rode out of Jiangcheng together, leaving Ink Academy behind.
• Yu Sheng told Shi Guang what he had learned about Shen Yanchang and negotiated a price for his intelligence network.
• Yu Sheng promised to help Shi Guang kill Shen Yanchang for free, and they discussed waiting until the eighteenth to act.
• Yu Sheng and Shi Guang studied a detailed map near Autumn Water City, while Shi Guang recalled Shen Yanchang watching her from afar, his face covered in blood.

Yu Sheng and Shi Guang prepared to kill Shen Yanchang, the man responsible for trapping Shi Guang in Sin City, and watched as he escorted prisoners toward the city. Just after the convoy passed through a canyon without incident, an explosion rang out.

• Yu Sheng asked Shi Guang whether their revenge required killing Shen Yanchang in one blow or confronting him with taunts, and she said only the result mattered.
• Yu Sheng and Shi Guang returned to Autumn Water City and hid in a tree to watch for Shen Yanchang.
• Shen Yanchang flew out of Autumn Water City and escorted a dozen prisoners toward Sin City while scouting from the air.
• Yu Sheng followed the convoy along a mountain path, and Shi Guang later took another route.
• Shen Yanchang led the soldiers and prisoners through a canyon, checked for an ambush, and continued toward Sin City.
• After the convoy emerged from the canyon and the soldiers relaxed slightly, a deafening boom rang out.

Yu Sheng and Shi Guang lured Shen Yanchang away from the Reserve Corps and attacked him, while explosions kept the soldiers and Autumn Water City's City Lord from interfering. As Shen Yanchang neared defeat, he recognized Shi Guang and realized she was the one behind his grudge.

• Yu Sheng and Shi Guang used explosions to separate Shen Yanchang from the Reserve Corps, then Shi Guang knocked the soldiers and prisoners unconscious.
• Yu Sheng and Shi Guang attacked Shen Yanchang from multiple directions, wounding him as he tried to stall for help.
• The City Lord of Autumn Water City rushed toward the fight, but Yu Sheng set off more explosions on the city's outskirts and forced him to stop.
• Shen Yanchang asked what he had done to deserve the attack and threatened Yu Sheng and Shi Guang with being wanted or exiled to Sin City.
• Shen Yanchang noticed the mole by Shi Guang's eye and recognized her, saying, "So... so it was you..."

Yu Sheng and Shi Guang killed Shen Yanchang in revenge for her parents, then surrendered themselves to Autumn Water City’s Guard Bureau. While awaiting the consequences, they tried to fulfill another wish by asking for dinner there.

• Yu Sheng and Shi Guang defeated Shen Yanchang, and Shi Guang fatally wounded him after he admitted he had sacrificed her parents.
• Yu Sheng killed the dying Shen Yanchang with his sword, and he and Shi Guang voluntarily surrendered to the Autumn Water City Lord.
• Yu Sheng cited his Four-Pattern Cloud Merit and asked the City Lord to take the unconscious soldiers to Sin City while he and Shi Guang reported to the Guard Bureau.
• Yu Sheng texted someone about evidence, then entered the Guard Bureau with Shi Guang and announced they had killed Shen Yanchang.
• Yu Sheng checked their wish list and politely asked the alarmed guards whether they could have dinner.

Yu Sheng and Shi Guang waited at the Guard Bureau after learning there were no staff meals, and added beating up Chu Huai to their wish list. Yuan Qingshan confirmed that Shen Yanchang had ties to the Demon Domain, and Yu Sheng revealed that he and Shi Guang had killed all the informants who entered Sin City; the chapter left the Qiushui City Lord deciding whether they could leave.

• A guard told Yu Sheng and Shi Guang that the Guard Bureau had no staff meals, so Shi Guang crossed that item off their wish list and added beating up Chu Huai.
• Yu Sheng and Shi Guang waited quietly at the Guard Bureau until the Qiushui City Lord returned and ordered them taken into custody.
• Yuan Qingshan called the Qiushui City Lord and revealed that Shen Yanchang had ties to the Demon Domain, had killed a deputy general's family, and had planted informants in Sin City.
• Yu Sheng explained that 1,362 people had entered Sin City during Shen Yanchang's rotations, only 158 remained by the time they arrived, and they had killed them all.
• The Qiushui City Lord and Yuan Qingshan were stunned by Yu Sheng's account, and Yu Sheng asked whether they could leave.

Yu Sheng left the Guard Bureau after the City Lord of Autumn Water City accepted his account and agreed to trust him. Yu Mo explained that he believed Yu Sheng completely because Shen Yanchang had long been marked for execution, though he insisted the law would apply even to Yu Sheng if he were guilty.

• The City Lord of Autumn Water City trusted Yu Sheng despite still doubting that Shen Yanchang had ties to the Demon Domain, and Yu Sheng left with Shi Guang discussing food.
• The City Lord of Autumn Water City set aside his confusion and prepared to request another Sixth Awakening expert to replace Shen Yanchang.
• Yu Mo told Yuan Qingshan that revealing his identity to the City Lord of Autumn Water City could have made Yu Sheng look guilty of using connections to secure his release.
• Yu Mo argued that the law must apply even to Yu Sheng, because excusing wrongdoing based on merit would corrupt the Human Race.
• Yu Mo declared that he believed Yu Sheng completely and revealed that Shen Yanchang had been on his blacklist and had committed crimes warranting execution.
• Yuan Qingshan questioned why Yu Mo had not simply shown him the evidence against Shen Yanchang instead of explaining at length.

Yu Sheng and Shi Guang traveled together to fulfill wishes from their old notebook, encountering several disappointments and helping a woman remember Zhao Mazi. They then confronted Chu Huai at the Light Group and asked whether the food at the Guard Bureau was good.

• Yu Sheng and Shi Guang enjoyed paomo in Firefly City and set out for Starry Sky City, where they learned its nightly lantern festival had ended years earlier.
• In Ink City, Yu Sheng and Shi Guang visited the red-light street and learned that Zhao Mazi had died seven years earlier while thinking of Huang Li.
• A woman led Yu Sheng and Shi Guang to Huang Li, and Yu Sheng recounted Zhao Mazi's story to her before they marked the wish as completed.
• Yu Sheng and Shi Guang went to the Light Group, where Yu Mo welcomed them and they hauled Chu Huai out of his room.
• Yu Sheng asked Chu Huai whether the food at the Guard Bureau was good, while Shi Guang blocked his retreat.

Yu Sheng and Shi Guang confronted Chu Huai over a boast he had made years earlier and beat him for three minutes. Chu Huai returned to the meeting room and cursed Yu Mo, who had Confucian Scholar drag him away for another beating, leaving Chu Huai absent from work for three days.

• Yu Sheng read Chu Huai a note recording his old claim about the Guard Bureau's food and his early days in Sin City, then waited outside with Shi Guang.
• Chu Huai went outside, confident that his Sixth Awakening made him stronger than Yu Sheng and Shi Guang.
• Yu Sheng and Shi Guang used their Awakening Objects to beat Chu Huai for three minutes, then considered continuing before letting him go.
• Chu Huai returned to the meeting room and cursed Yu Mo for stripping him of authority and sending him after Soul Hunt.
• Yu Mo smiled as Confucian Scholar dragged Chu Huai away and beat him for half an hour, and Chu Huai missed work for the next three days.

Yu Sheng and Shi Guang completed nearly every task in their Notebook, leaving only their revenge against their fathers, which they postponed until Yu Sheng reached the Ninth Awakening. As Yu Sheng admitted he might have no reason to live after fulfilling his wishes, Shi Guang said her own wish was to help him fulfill them and that she would go wherever he went.

• Yu Sheng and Shi Guang crossed off their final completed task and found the remaining entry: killing their fathers, Shen Yanchang and Yu Sanshui.
• Shi Guang asked when Yu Sheng might reach the Ninth Awakening and whether Yu Sanshui would still be alive; Yu Sheng said he would keep cultivating and they agreed to put the task on hold.
• Yu Sheng wondered what he would do after fulfilling his wishes and said he might kill himself, protect others, or fight in the Demon Domain.
• Shi Guang said Yu Sanshui was still alive and revealed that her own wish was to help Yu Sheng fulfill all his wishes.
• Shi Guang told Yu Sheng she would go with him, even if he chose to slaughter the Demon Domain.

Yu Sheng and Shi Guang gathered weapons and armor before asking Yu Mo for permission to enter the Demon Domain together, but he initially insisted that only one of them could go. Recognizing that pressure would only drive them away, Yu Mo let them leave and began planning a gentler way to keep Yu Sheng connected to the Human Race.

• Yu Sheng and Shi Guang visited the Gold Ingot Group, where Sun Wen showed them hidden weapons that Yu Sheng stored in the Mountains and Rivers Bottle, and they each put on beast-hide armor.
• Yu Sheng stopped at the Light Group and asked Yu Mo to let him and Shi Guang go to the Demon Domain together; Yu Mo refused, saying the Human Race needed one of them to survive.
• Yu Mo reconsidered after seeing Yu Sheng's reaction and acknowledged that forcing either of them to serve the Human Race would only provoke resistance.
• Yu Mo told Yu Sheng he could become the Ink Pavilion Head if he stayed under the Human Race's protection rules, but Yu Sheng left with Shi Guang without stopping.
• After they departed, Yu Mo devised a plan to approach Yu Sheng more warmly, while the Light Group's employees talked about how Yu Sheng and Shi Guang had beaten up its leaders.

Ji Hong explained to Old White Ape that they should undermine the Eight-Tailed Fox by proving themselves to the Demon Gods rather than plunging Skyvault Ravine into open war. Their scheming ended in an argument when Old White Ape realized Ji Hong’s discarded tea had flavored his wine for two years.

• Rumors about Yu Sheng, Shi Guang, Chu Huai, and Yu Mo spread through the Light Group, irritating Yu Mo when they threatened his image.
• Old White Ape asked Ji Hong whether they should fight the Eight-Tailed Fox or proceed slowly, since its remaining loyalists would resist desperately.
• Ji Hong said the Demon Gods viewed their rivals as hounds and that he and Old White Ape should make the Eight-Tailed Fox seem unfit to remain Hound King.
• Ji Hong explained that they could gain the Demon Gods’ favor by provoking the Eight-Tailed Fox into actions that displeased its masters.
• Old White Ape learned that Ji Hong had poured tea into a stream that flowed back around, and that the water had been used to make his wine.
• Old White Ape cursed Ji Hong for giving his wine a tea flavor.

Ji Hong tested Old White Ape’s strength and reinjured him, then learned the White Ape Clan’s bloodline was secure. After three days of planning, they chose Barbarian City as the first target in their bid to gain influence in the Outer Domain.

• Ji Hong confirmed Old White Ape was at the seventh level and painfully reopened his injuries, saying the treatment would spare him from another ordeal for two years.
• Ji Hong asked about the White Ape Clan’s surviving members, and Old White Ape revealed that a male and female had continued the bloodline and had their bloodlines strengthened with rare treasures.
• Old White Ape returned to Skyvault Ravine, where his reputation and Ji Hong’s backing helped him conduct business without being challenged.
• After three days of discussions, Ji Hong and Old White Ape agreed to seek influence in the Outer Domain by taking control of three nearby Demon Clan cities, starting from Eagle Ravine Mountain.
• Old White Ape proposed targeting Barbarian City, a chaotic city nominally controlled by the Eight-Tailed Fox, as the site of their first contest.

Old White Ape announced a plan to send three level-six Azure Birds to bring order to Barbarian City, provoking Eight-Tailed Fox into accepting the contest and preparing a show of force. Eight-Tailed Fox sent three Cheetahs and ordered killings to remind Skyvault Ravine that it still held authority.

• Ji Hong and Old White Ape chose Barbarian City for a contest of wits and selected three level-six Azure Birds to represent their side.
• Old White Ape publicly condemned Eight-Tailed Fox and announced that Azure Bird (One), Azure Bird (Two), and Azure Bird (Three) would put Barbarian City in order within a month.
• Seven-Tailed Fox urged Eight-Tailed Fox to punish Old White Ape for the provocation, but Eight-Tailed Fox decided to accept the challenge and demand an appearance fee.
• Eight-Tailed Fox ordered Seven-Tailed Fox to announce Cheetah (One), Cheetah (Two), and Cheetah (Three) as its representatives and to kill several outspoken opponents without harming anyone from the God Race.
• Eight-Tailed Fox wondered whether Ji Hong would raise the cultivation technique and questioned whether Ji Hong's heart still belonged in the Demon Domain.

Yu Sheng and Shi Guang took a back route out of the Demon Domain to avoid the Ink Pavilion’s one-percent service fee, while Zhong Yushu tried to defend the charge. After Shi Guang explained why she had previously paid the full fee, Yu Sheng offered Zhong Yushu a secret half-percent bribe, and Zhong Yushu stepped aside.

• The Eight-Tailed Fox declared that every living being in the Demon Domain was its piece and that Ji Hong and Old White Ape would eventually disappear.
• Zhong Yushu asked Yu Sheng and Shi Guang why they had not left through the Demon-Suppressing Pass, and Yu Sheng said they were avoiding its one-percent service fee.
• Zhong Yushu learned that Shi Guang had paid the full fee on previous trips and worried that the Ink Pavilion might lose her goodwill.
• Shi Guang said she had refused a personal discount because it would break the rules and make her a target.
• Yu Sheng said they were taking the back door because no one would see them, then offered Zhong Yushu a half-percent bribe.
• Zhong Yushu silently stepped aside, and Yu Sheng thanked him.

Yu Sheng and Shi Guang entered the Thousand-Li Demon Plain and agreed to split their gains equally despite Shi Guang offering him a larger share. Yu Sheng disguised himself as a White Ape to lure Demon Beasts into Shi Guang’s path, and she quickly killed five fourth-level beasts.

• Zhong Yushu realized Yu Sheng’s arrangement could earn him money and tried to justify accepting it, then sat alone on the mountaintop.
• Yu Sheng and Shi Guang reached the Thousand-Li Demon Plain and debated how to divide their spoils, with Shi Guang proposing sixty percent for herself because she knew the area better.
• Yu Sheng demonstrated his strength and the Mountains and Rivers Bottle’s storage space, but agreed to split the spoils evenly without explaining why.
• As they traveled deeper into the plain, Yu Sheng put on a White Ape hide and posed as a fourth-level Demon Beast while Shi Guang pursued him.
• Yu Sheng lured several Demon Beasts away from their herd, and Shi Guang killed five fourth-level beasts in sixteen minutes.

Yu Sheng and Shi Guang used a staged hunt to lure a cautious sixth-level falcon demon beast into attacking, then killed it together. The falcon died bewildered by the humans’ alliance with a disguised demon beast.

• Yu Sheng stored the demon beast corpses and asked Shi Guang where they could find sixth-level beasts.
• Shi Guang led Yu Sheng to a bamboo grove, where they staged a chase and made her appear gravely injured.
• A sixth-level falcon watched the scene, grew tempted by Shi Guang’s blood energy, and charged in to claim her.
• Yu Sheng struck the falcon from behind while Shi Guang attacked from the front, and they severely injured it.
• Yu Sheng hit the falcon again with a hammer, killing it before it could understand their deception.

Yu Sheng and Shi Guang used disguises and staged injuries to lure Demon Beasts, sparking rumors and a craze for white apes. After the beasts learned to recognize and avoid them, Yu Sheng and Shi Guang found themselves with no targets left on the Demon Plain.

• Yu Sheng and Shi Guang repeatedly pretended to be gravely injured and trapped Demon Beasts, while humans mistook Yu Sheng for a tamed white ape and drove up white ape prices.
• Yuan Zhong bought a dyed yellow ape, discovered the scam, and had the merchant arrested after announcing that his grandfather was Yuan Qingshan.
• Demon Beasts spread warnings about the white ape and fled whenever they saw Yu Sheng, so he changed into a yellow ape disguise and resumed hunting with Shi Guang.
• The Demon Beasts began avoiding Shi Guang regardless of Yu Sheng’s disguise, forcing Shi Guang to hide in a skin while Yu Sheng posed as a human.
• After a month of hunting and thwarting the Demon Beasts’ traps, Yu Sheng and Shi Guang found that the remaining beasts fled from them, while the seventh-level Demon Beasts stayed out of the conflict.

Yu Sheng and Shi Guang left the Demon Plain for Barbarian City, but turned back to kill more demon beasts after the beasts gathered to celebrate their departure. Upon reaching the city, Yu Sheng learned it held many high-rank demons and wondered whether slaughtering them could bring out his fourth awakening object.

• Shi Guang told Yu Sheng that Barbarian City was a chaotic trading hub where humans could enter, though leaving alive depended on their strength.
• Yu Sheng and Shi Guang traveled east across the Demon Plain, where hunting squads greeted them from afar.
• After the demon beasts gathered and roared in relief at their departure, Yu Sheng and Shi Guang turned back and killed dozens of lower-level beasts.
• Yu Sheng and Shi Guang continued toward Barbarian City, killing occasional demons along the way and storing their carcasses in the Mountains and Rivers Bottle.
• Shi Guang told Yu Sheng that Barbarian City held mostly level-five and level-six demon beasts, with occasional demon kings, and Yu Sheng regretted that he could not slaughter the whole city.

Yu Sheng entered Barbarian City with Shi Guang after convincing its Fire Lion gatekeeper that his ten sixth-level Demon Crystals qualified him to enter. Inside, the demons feared him, while the city’s growing unrest and impending reforms left the Fire Lion considering whether to leave.

• Shi Guang explained Barbarian City’s entry requirements and its rules for transactions, while Yu Sheng hung Demon Crystals around his neck as proof of funds.
• The Fire Lion gatekeeper rejected Yu Sheng’s fifth-level Demon Crystals, so Yu Sheng replaced them with ten sixth-level crystals.
• The Fire Lion let Yu Sheng pass and falsely claimed that killing Fire Lion Clan members at the gate was forbidden; Shi Guang told Yu Sheng that was not a real rule.
• After Yu Sheng entered, the Fire Lion feared he might be a human at the seventh awakening and decided to leave once it had earned its wages because Barbarian City was becoming unstable.
• As Yu Sheng and Shi Guang walked through the city, nearby Demon Beasts backed away from Yu Sheng in fear, and he asked Shi Guang why they were afraid.

Yu Sheng and Shi Guang entered Barbarian City, where the Demon Beasts watched them with hostility. Meanwhile, the Azure Birds and Cheetahs argued over their orders and agreed to report to their superiors before deciding what to do next.

• Yu Sheng and Shi Guang walked into Barbarian City, making nearby Demon Beasts retreat from them.
• The Demon Beasts discussed the Human Race’s expansion and warned that further encroachment would provoke a counterattack.
• Azure Bird (One) and Cheetah (One) taunted each other over War God Ji Hong’s involvement in Barbarian City.
• Azure Bird (Three) said they were all pawns expected to turn on one another, but Cheetah (One) rejected the idea that they could be allies and left with the other Cheetahs.
• The Azure Birds judged the Cheetahs dangerous and decided to request instructions and report what they had observed in Barbarian City.

Azure Bird (One), Azure Bird (Two), and Azure Bird (Three) investigated who secretly controlled Barbarian City and assessed the surrounding demon factions. They planned to report the Great Rift Valley’s possible involvement to their Master and proceed with their task, reasoning that the hidden power would not dare kill them outright.

• Azure Bird (One) sent a tiny bird carrying a message and said they would wait for instructions from their Master.
• Azure Bird (Two) reviewed the tribes around Barbarian City and ruled out the Thousand-Li Demon Plain, the Ten Thousand Demon Forest, and Hundred Desolate Mountain as the force controlling it.
• Azure Bird (Two) explained that many Great Rift Valley tribes could be behind Barbarian City, though Golden Toad and Moon Wolf were unlikely candidates.
• Azure Bird (One) sent another bird to report the Great Rift Valley information to their Master.
• Azure Bird (Three) said uncovering the hidden controller was not part of their task and argued that their actions would force that power to reveal itself.
• Azure Bird (One) reasoned that the hidden power would not risk killing them because they represented Skyvault Ravine and War God Ji Hong.

Azure Bird (One) and Cheetah (One) used their authority as envoys to provoke Barbarian City and force its inhabitants to carry out sweeping construction projects. Yu Sheng and Shi Guang watched from the crowd, while the envoys tried to draw out the unseen power behind the city.

• Azure Bird (One) sent Azure Bird (Two) and Azure Bird (Three) into hiding to recruit followers while it drew attention to itself.
• Cheetah (One) and Azure Bird (One) appeared in public, boasting about their backing and competing over whose platform would be taller.
• Yu Sheng and Shi Guang discussed asking the envoys why they had come, deciding to wait until fewer people were around.
• Azure Bird (One) suspected the unseen power behind Barbarian City was watching and used its provocations to force it to act or risk losing the city.
• Demon Beasts spent a day hauling stones and building two rough platforms as the envoys issued orders to construct more buildings, pave roads, clear weeds, and dig toilets.
• The envoys invoked Skyvault Ravine, the War God, and the Demon Lord to brand anyone who resisted a rebel, leaving Barbarian City's inhabitants complaining.

Barbarian City prepared an auction featuring treasures and residence qualifications from Skyvault Ravine, drawing Demon Beasts back despite strict entry checks. As rival schemes for the Demon Lord’s qualifications stirred brief violence, Azure Bird and Cheetah continued their hostile standoff.

• Many Demon Beasts fled Barbarian City, but an auction announcement soon drew them back with the promise of Skyvault Ravine treasures and a residence qualification.
• Heavenly Star Leopard, Earthfire Wolf, and Golden Shuttle Eagle guarded the gates, enforcing asset and strength requirements for entry to Ji Hong’s auction.
• The Demon Lord offered personal belongings and three Skyvault Ravine qualifications, including two to be awarded by a vote among Barbarian City’s Demon Beasts.
• Two disguised humans took advantage of the ensuing disorder to kill sixth-level Demon Beasts, but the fighting ended after two days when the rivals realized they needed others’ support.
• Azure Bird and Cheetah traded insults from raised platforms and remained poised to fight.

Yu Sheng and Shi Guang discussed robbing the goods gathered for an auction in Barbarian City, where Yu Sheng’s Demon Crystal necklace kept hostile Demon Beasts at a distance. They agreed to act before the auction and began planning how to divide the risk and supplies.

• Yu Sheng wore a Demon Crystal necklace and then added a seventh-level Demon King's Demon Core, forcing nearby Demon Beasts to keep their distance.
• Shi Guang told Yu Sheng that Barbarian City was holding an auction of items from Skyvault Ravine, including Demon Plants that could help them cultivate faster.
• Yu Sheng proposed robbing the auction goods before the auction, and Shi Guang agreed.
• Yu Sheng warned that powerful Demon Beasts in the city could cause trouble if they joined forces and suggested Shi Guang wait outside to help him escape.
• Shi Guang refused to stay behind, saying she would take forty percent of the supplies and therefore had to do forty percent of the work.

Yu Sheng cultivated in Barbarian City while waiting for Shi Guang to find the auction goods, then was pulled into a building by Cheetah, who revealed his undercover identity as the Mountain-Guarding Old Man. Cheetah warned Yu Sheng not to steal his supplies, while Yu Sheng questioned whether the senior had become too immersed in his role.

• Shi Guang agreed to search Barbarian City for the auction goods and told Yu Sheng to meet her that night.
• Yu Sheng cultivated through his Demon Crystal while nearby Demon Beasts mistook his focus for a sinister fascination and fled from him.
• The Mountain-Guarding Old Man dragged Yu Sheng into a building and said he would keep him safe at the foot of the mountain.
• Yu Sheng said he had come to make money, and the Mountain-Guarding Old Man warned him not to steal his supplies.
• The Mountain-Guarding Old Man explained how he had infiltrated the Cheetah Clan over three years and hoped to earn Lady Seven-Tailed Fox's favor.
• Yu Sheng asked whether the Mountain-Guarding Old Man was at the Eighth Awakening and wondered if he had become too deep in character.