Recaps

Yu Sheng returned to Hundred Desolate Mountain with Shi Guang and rested while Army-Breaker’s Soldiers guarded him. Yu Sanshui found Yu Sheng but could not approach, so he waited nearby, planning to reconnect with him and ask for help removing his ring and reaching Above the Ninth Awakening.

• Yu Sheng left the gorge carrying Shi Guang instead of going to one of the deep mountains.
• Army-Breaker’s Soldiers rested on the outskirts, then stood guard when Yu Sheng arrived and went to sleep.
• Yu Sanshui searched for Yu Sheng while hiding his energy to avoid attracting the Demon Gods.
• Yu Sanshui found Yu Sheng but decided not to approach the vigilant soldiers.
• Yu Sanshui hid nearby and planned a heartwarming father-son conversation to persuade Yu Sheng to remove his ring and explain how to reach Above the Ninth Awakening.

Yu Sheng slept through the night while Yu Sanshui stood guard, and the Human Race celebrated the Reserve Corps’ staged victory over a Demon Clan raid. Yu Sheng’s reputation as Army-Breaker’s leader soared, leaving him hailed as a War God.

• Yu Sheng slept for hours while the Reserve Corps soldiers kept him and Shi Guang warm and cooked Demon Beast meat, and Yu Sanshui reluctantly guarded them before falling asleep.
• Demon Clan troops attacked Demon-Suppressing Pass, where a small force of soldiers fought them off while most of the troops slept elsewhere.
• Human Race forums spread reports praising the Reserve Corps and Army-Breaker after the raid ended with minimal casualties.
• People admired Army-Breaker’s soldiers for their insults against the Demon Clan and celebrated their fearless reputation.
• A photograph of Yu Sheng punching Old White Ape circulated, and the Human Race praised Yu Sheng as a War God despite not knowing what had happened.

The Secretary feared the Light Group would discover that he had started the rumor about Yu Sheng, while Chu Huai let the gossip spread and searched for Soul Hunt operatives. Chu Huai tried to recruit a hidden watcher, but got no reply.

• The Secretary panicked after seeing a photo of Yu Sheng at Demon-Suppressing Pass and worried the Light Group would trace the rumor back to him.
• Ink Pavilion members reported the Secretary’s strange behavior to the Light Group, but Chu Huai told them to keep him and let him spread gossip about Yu Sheng.
• Chu Huai ordered his Second Group to watch a suspected Soul Hunt operative disguised as a newspaper seller, then called off the pursuit because he suspected the man was bait.
• Chu Huai ordered surveillance equipment placed around the street and complained about being stuck catching spies while others were on the front lines.
• Chu Huai addressed an unseen watcher and offered to join Soul Hunt, but received no response.

Chu Huai discovered signs that Soul Hunt had copied an Awakening Object and began using a covert operation to trace their network, confident he could exploit their caution. Yu Sheng dreamed of a warm coffin turning into a vision of Sin City, where he saw himself as a dangerous five-year-old holding a dagger.

• Chu Huai concluded that Soul Hunt had exposed itself in Mobei City and decided to hunt down its members to prove his value to the Light Group.
• Chu Huai asked a Light Group member about covert-operation preparations and learned that technicians had detected severe network fluctuations while he was alone in his office.
• Chu Huai ordered the Light Group to investigate the anomalous network traffic while continuing overt arrests to draw Soul Hunt's attention.
• Chu Huai dismissed Soul Hunt as cautious and planned to use its network specialist's trail to find more important targets.
• Yu Sheng dreamed of warm, gentle voices around him before the coffin and his surroundings turned cold and revealed Sin City.
• Yu Sheng saw a numb, cold five-year-old version of himself holding a small dagger in Sin City.

Yu Sheng recalled a buried memory of his childhood in Sin City, when he killed a group of men and Little Girl silently stayed by his side. After waking, he wondered whether Shi Guang's words had begun unlocking his memories and remembered how he had come to accept her.

• Five-year-old Yu Sheng slaughtered the men who threatened him and Little Girl, then studied the wounded to learn how to kill them precisely.
• Little Girl tried to move the bodies alone, and Yu Sheng helped her bury them in a secluded pit.
• Yu Sheng woke beneath the moon as Army-Breaker soldiers watched him with concern.
• Yu Sheng wondered why the memory had surfaced and whether Shi Guang's words were unsealing his forgotten past.
• Yu Sheng recalled that he had accepted Shi Guang while watching her stubbornly follow him, first pretending to be cold and later becoming genuinely so.

Yu Sheng led Army-Breaker's Soldiers away from Hundred Desolate Mountain overnight, leaving Yu Sanshui asleep and unaware. The next morning, Yu Sanshui was gored by a wild boar, and his fury flared as the boar realized its charge had barely hurt him.

• Yu Sheng ordered Army-Breaker's Soldiers to leave Hundred Desolate Mountain at night so Old White Ape would not focus on them.
• Yu Sanshui slept through the soldiers' departure and woke the next day to find their camp empty.
• Yu Sanshui cursed Yu Sheng and charged around the valley searching for Army-Breaker.
• A sixth-level wild boar mistook Yu Sanshui for an easy target and charged him.
• The boar's tusks tore Yu Sanshui's clothes and caused a minor wound, prompting Yu Sanshui to glare at it with red eyes.

Yu Sanshui tortured a boar to vent his anger, but the animal went mad and gored him twice. He then examined the tracks at Army-Breaker’s camp and concluded that Yu Sheng and the others had gone deeper into the Demon Domain as a diversion.

• Yu Sanshui blocked the fleeing boar and tormented it, repeatedly healing its injuries with a medicinal pill.
• The boar went mad, and Yu Sanshui’s phantom collar appeared and punished him for swearing.
• The boar charged Yu Sanshui again, gored him in the backside, and disappeared into the mountains.
• Yu Sanshui recovered and walked toward Army-Breaker’s camp, where he studied the footprints.
• Yu Sanshui decided that Yu Sheng and the others had gone deeper into the Demon Domain to mislead him.

Yu Sheng tested the Mountains and Rivers Bottle and his newly responsive Awakening Objects before leading Army-Breaker’s Soldiers deeper into the Demon Domain. Yu Sanshui struggled toward Demon-Suppressing Pass, then collapsed after Yu Sheng tormented him again.

• Yu Sanshui endured severe pain whenever he tried to think, fashioned a walking stick, and hobbled toward Demon-Suppressing Pass.
• Yu Sheng experimented with the Mountains and Rivers Bottle, concluding that its control worked only at close range and that its surface held its storage space.
• Yu Sheng found that the Phoenix Hammer responded more smoothly and seemed at least a third stronger after the woman’s embrace.
• Yu Sheng ordered Army-Breaker’s Soldiers to keep moving deeper into the Demon Domain while they carried Shi Guang on a makeshift stretcher.
• Yu Sanshui collapsed on a plain, trembling and foaming at the mouth after Yu Sheng tormented him again.

After enduring Yu Sheng’s remote torment, Yu Sanshui realized Sun Wen’s Awakening Object had likely been distorting his judgment and suspected Sun Wen had reached the Eighth Awakening. Now on guard, Yu Sanshui resumed pursuing Army-Breaker across the Wasteland.

• Yu Sanshui endured another bout of convulsions, then spent three hours recovering and reconsidering his route toward Yu Sheng.
• Yu Sanshui realized his choices had repeatedly led him away from Yu Sheng and suspected Sun Wen’s Awakening Object was influencing his judgment.
• Yu Sanshui wondered whether Sun Wen had reached the Eighth Awakening, since his luck enhancement could now affect someone at the Ninth Awakening.
• Yu Sanshui recovered, set off after Army-Breaker, and expected to catch sight of it within a day if nothing unexpected happened.

Sun Wen celebrated reaching the Eighth Awakening and planned to join Zhao Zicheng and Lin Xiaoxiao at Demon-Suppressing Pass, where the fighting had been strangely uneventful. Just as he prepared to leave, he sensed that someone powerful was targeting Yu Sheng.

• Sun Wen bragged to Zhao Zicheng about reaching the Eighth Awakening and teased him about eventually reaching the Seventh.
• Sun Wen called Lin Xiaoxiao, who saw through his plan to show off, while Zhao Zicheng explained that the Demon Clan’s attacks were brief and the front line was almost entirely peaceful.
• Sun Wen eagerly decided to go to Demon-Suppressing Pass with A Tai and bring food and wine so he could show off to the gathered soldiers.
• Sun Wen suddenly sensed that someone strong was targeting Yu Sheng.

After sensing that Yu Sheng was safe despite an attempt to sever their connection, Sun Wen set out with A Tai for Demon-Suppressing Pass. Meanwhile, Yu Mo and Old White Ape discussed the stalled war, and Old White Ape announced that seven Demon Kings from the Taowu Clan would attack the next day.

• Sun Wen sensed that Yu Sheng was in good condition and making progress, though someone had tried to disrupt their connection.
• Sun Wen hung up, changed out of his restrictive suit, and invited A Tai to go have fun.
• Yu Mo accused Old White Ape of dragging out the fighting while hunting for Yu Sheng and Army-Breaker.
• Old White Ape claimed he would not abandon his allies and announced that seven Taowu Clan Demon Kings would attack Demon-Suppressing Pass the next day.

Yu Mo learned that Old White Ape planned to target the God Race and sent their conversation to Yuan Qingshan, while the Demon-Suppressing Pass kept its troops in place. Back at the Demon Domain’s main camp, Old White Ape mourned his friendship with Ji Hong and resolved to keep him alive as long as he could.

• Yu Mo questioned Old White Ape’s plan to attack the God Race first and suggested testing the waters with smaller tribes, but Old White Ape insisted the Demon Beasts were his family and promised to test the Taowu Clan’s strength.
• Old White Ape told Yu Mo that Ji Hong had been busy in Skyvault Ravine and that he hoped Ji Hong could complete his mission, even if doing so caused him serious trouble.
• Yu Mo sent Yuan Qingshan a text summarizing his conversation with Old White Ape, while the Demon-Suppressing Pass kept its troops in place.
• Old White Ape told Young White Ape that he missed Ji Hong’s terrible tea, then dismissed him.
• Alone, Old White Ape imagined another life in which he and Ji Hong could have been friends and vowed to keep Ji Hong alive as long as possible.

Young White Ape prepared a fast strike against Army-Breaker, while Old White Ape assigned two trusted Demon Lords to restrain Yu Sheng and authorized killing him if the chance arose. Old White Ape warned Young White Ape to hide Yu Sheng’s death and destroy all traces, then urged him to keep learning before inheriting the White Ape Clan.

• Young White Ape told Old White Ape he had assembled the Jungle Leopards, Snow Eagles, and Fire Lions for a swift attack on Army-Breaker.
• Young White Ape said the plan depended on someone holding Yu Sheng back, and Old White Ape assigned two trusted Demon Lords to help.
• Old White Ape told Young White Ape to kill Yu Sheng if possible, despite the risk of angering Yu Mo.
• Young White Ape promised to bring back Yu Sheng’s corpse, so Old White Ape scolded him and ordered him to burn the body, scatter the ashes, and erase all evidence.
• Old White Ape questioned whether Young White Ape was ready to inherit the White Ape Clan, and Young White Ape vowed to complete the mission and keep learning.

Old White Ape mocked Yu Mo on the Human Race forums, but Yu Mo cut off his signal and sent a Reserve Corps soldier to deliver a replacement phone and a warning. The soldier rode away unharmed, leaving Old White Ape furious and ordering the Demon Beasts to teach him a lesson and steal his cigarettes.

• Old White Ape posted mocking comments and a drawing about Yu Mo on the Human Race forums, drawing praise from users who expected Yu Mo to kill him.
• Old White Ape lost his phone signal and complained that Yu Mo had cut him off from the forums.
• A Reserve Corps soldier rode alone to the Demon Clan Camp, gave Old White Ape a new phone, and delivered the general's warning to stop talking shit on the forums.
• The soldier dared Old White Ape to kill him, then lit a cigarette and rode back to Demon-Suppressing Pass.
• Old White Ape angrily ordered the Demon Beasts to teach the soldier a lesson and snatch his cigarettes.

Old White Ape’s Demon Kings stole a Reserve Corps soldier’s cigarettes, provoking him to curse the Demon Beasts before riding away. Old White Ape then suspected Yu Mo had hidden an important forum clue and called him to ask about it.

• Old White Ape ordered the two avian Demon Kings to stop the soldier, and they took his remaining cigarettes and lighter.
• The soldier cursed the Demon Beasts over the stolen cigarettes, then rode away after giving them the middle finger.
• Old White Ape tried smoking, enjoyed it, and complained that his phone could only make and receive calls.
• Old White Ape recalled a forum post about the Light Group and late-night threats, suspecting Yu Mo had kept him from seeing an important clue.
• Old White Ape entered Yu Mo’s number and placed a call.

Old White Ape and Yu Mo each suspected the other knew the truth about a forum post exposing Yu Mo’s identity, and their exchange left both trapped in an endless cycle of second-guessing. Yu Mo ordered Chu Huai to arrest the scholar who had written the post, leaving the baffled scholar imprisoned.

• Old White Ape called Yu Mo to ask for his forum account back, while pretending he had not read the trending post.
• Yu Mo hinted that Old White Ape had read the post, and Old White Ape denied it while trying to learn what it contained.
• After the call, Old White Ape and Yu Mo separately weighed two possible explanations for the other’s behavior and grew increasingly suspicious.
• Yu Mo called Chu Huai and ordered him to arrest the scholar and keep him imprisoned until the Human Race won and Old White Ape died.
• Chu Huai complied, and the scholar was arrested without understanding why his angry forum post had led to prison.

A scholar tried to rally public opinion against Yu Mo but was quickly arrested, averting a possible clash between the Human Race and the Demon Domain. In the Demon Domain, Yu Sheng’s raid force prepared to attack a larger faction, while Yu Sanshui arrived and discovered Yu Sheng could activate the Collar from far away.

• A scholar published a denunciation of Yu Mo, but his post was removed and he was soon imprisoned.
• Yu Sheng’s Army-Breaker’s Soldiers destroyed eight small tribes, then urged him to target a major faction for better rewards.
• Yu Sheng agreed to continue moving away from Demon-Suppressing Pass and practiced activating the Collar with the Mountains and Rivers Bottle.
• Yu Sanshui appeared from at least a hundred li away and told Yu Sheng the Collar had restrained him at that distance.
• Yu Sheng asked whether the Collar would work differently at close range, and Yu Sanshui panicked and begged him not to try it.

Yu Sheng tested the Collar and Mountains and Rivers Bottle on Yu Sanshui, whose pain became so severe that he tried to kill Yu Sheng before the Collar subdued him again. Yu Sanshui begged for water, but Yu Sheng refused, and the chapter ended with Yu Sheng deciding the lake water was safe to drink.

• Yu Sheng summoned the Mountains and Rivers Bottle while testing the Collar, intensifying Yu Sanshui’s agony as he convulsed on the ground.
• Yu Sanshui suddenly sprang up and tried to grab Yu Sheng’s throat, but Yu Sheng activated the Collar and forced him back into pain.
• Yu Sheng concluded that the Collar could restrain someone at the Ninth Awakening but might not stop a highly pain-tolerant person from acting unexpectedly.
• Yu Sanshui asked Yu Sheng for water, but Yu Sheng politely refused and said Yu Sanshui was still alive because he was Yu Sheng’s father.
• Yu Sheng dismissed Army-Breaker’s Soldiers, examined the nearby lake, and decided its water was drinkable.

Yu Sheng and Yu Sanshui recovered beside the lake and talked about Yu Sanshui’s decision to spare Yu Sheng when he was a child. Their conversation left Yu Sheng uncertain about who he had become and Yu Sanshui unsure whether he regretted his choice.

• Yu Sanshui drank from the lake, regained some strength, and asked Yu Sheng if they could talk.
• Yu Sheng told Yu Sanshui that he had once hated him but no longer did because Yu Sanshui had given him a chance to survive.
• Yu Sheng said he did not know whether he would kill a child to reclaim what was his, and reflected that his actions since leaving Sin City had changed how he saw himself.
• Yu Sheng lit a cigarette but kept it for himself while Yu Sanshui breathed in its scent.
• Yu Sanshui recalled that he had had many reasons to kill Yu Sheng as a child but could never bring himself to do it, then shrugged when Yu Sheng asked if he regretted it.

Yu Sanshui admitted that he regretted sending Yu Sheng to Sin City, while Yu Sheng remained wary but offered him a cigarette. After they spoke more calmly, Yu Sheng asked whether Yu Sanshui still wanted to know the path Above the Ninth Awakening, and Yu Sanshui said it remained his obsession.

• Yu Sanshui accused Yu Sheng of never trusting him, then confessed that he regretted sending him to Sin City and ruining his childhood.
• Yu Sheng listened without reacting, stubbed out an unlit cigarette, and offered Yu Sanshui one from a more expensive pack.
• Yu Sanshui recalled smoking six packs in one night while agonizing over whether to kill Yu Sheng, and said he had once been a notorious chain-smoker.
• Yu Sheng said Yu Sanshui had had two chances to kill him just then, but Yu Sanshui did not deny it.
• Yu Sheng asked whether Yu Sanshui still wanted to know the path Above the Ninth Awakening, and Yu Sanshui answered that it was his obsession.

Yu Sheng refused to tell Yu Sanshui about a path beyond the ninth awakening, then admitted he did not know one himself. Yu Sanshui rejected that answer and decided to stay close to Yu Sheng, leaving Yu Sheng surprised that he had not tried to kill him.

• Yu Sanshui described how ninth-awakening cultivators had reached a dead end and said Li Mocheng was the only one still progressing.
• Yu Sanshui asked Yu Sheng to share any knowledge of a path beyond the ninth awakening and offered to make amends, but Yu Sheng refused.
• Yu Sheng said they needed to leave because the Demon Domain would not leave them alone, and admitted he did not know how to advance beyond the ninth awakening.
• Yu Sanshui refused to believe Yu Sheng and resolved to stay close to him, convinced he could still find a way forward.
• Yu Sheng said he had expected Yu Sanshui to kill him and was surprised by his response.

Yu Sheng lent Yu Sanshui a set of clothes, and the two traveled through the Demon Domain with Army-Breaker's troops. Yu Sanshui hid his Ninth Awakening strength and blended in until a card game exposed him as a target for a soldier’s hustle.

• Yu Sheng gave Yu Sanshui clothes from his Mountains and Rivers Bottle after Yu Sanshui asked to borrow them.
• Yu Sanshui changed, tidied his appearance, and followed Yu Sheng and Army-Breaker's troops through the Demon Domain.
• Yu Sanshui explained that he could conceal his Ninth Awakening strength as long as he did not release his energy.
• Yu Sanshui joined the soldiers for cards and lost cigarettes to a bashful young man who revealed four aces.
• A bearded soldier exposed the young man’s scheme, and Yu Sanshui tried to coax him into playing another card game.

Yu Sanshui warned Yu Sheng that two Demon Lords and their soldiers would arrive within half an hour, but Yu Sheng refused to abandon Shi Guang and Army-Breaker's Soldiers. He chose to save them by ordering Yu Sanshui to stay behind and fight, leaving Yu Sanshui stunned that Yu Sheng would sacrifice his Ninth Awakening bodyguard.

• Yu Sanshui asked whether Yu Sheng could fight or escape Demon Lords, then warned him that two Demon Lords and their soldiers were approaching.
• Yu Sheng said he could not leave Shi Guang or Army-Breaker's Soldiers behind, even though staying meant they would all be in danger.
• Yu Sanshui suggested Yu Sheng would sacrifice himself to save the others, but Yu Sheng said he intended to sacrifice Yu Sanshui instead.
• Yu Sheng explained that he could command Yu Sanshui to hold off the enemy while he and the soldiers escaped, giving them time to disappear.
• Yu Sanshui protested that he was a Ninth Awakening bodyguard and realized Yu Sheng had changed since leaving Sin City, though not in a way that spared him.

Yu Sanshui desperately tried to convince Yu Sheng not to sacrifice him, proposing ways to escape or turn the pursuit against their enemies. Yu Sheng silently considered the options, leaving Yu Sanshui anxiously waiting for his decision.

• Yu Sanshui argued that his Ninth Awakening strength made sacrificing him a waste, though Yu Sheng said he would still choose Yu Sanshui's death over Shi Guang and the others dying.
• Yu Sanshui pleaded to offer suggestions and proposed fleeing while using his Ninth Awakening perception to stay ahead of the pursuers.
• Yu Sanshui suggested leaving traps to wear down the pursuers over a week, then offered a riskier plan to infiltrate Army-Breaker's Soldiers and kill their senior leadership if Yu Sheng could hold off two Demon Lords for a minute.
• Yu Sanshui urged Yu Sheng to trust his speed and help them run, while Yu Sheng pondered without answering and left Yu Sanshui trembling with anxiety.

Yu Sheng sent Yu Sanshui and Army-Breaker's Soldiers away while he stayed behind to hunt the pursuing Demon Lords. Yu Sanshui’s relieved response left Yu Sheng more distrustful of strangers, and he prepared to follow after the others.

• Yu Sheng proposed that Yu Sanshui lead the pursuers away while he ambushed them from behind, and Yu Sanshui agreed.
• Yu Sanshui carried the sleeping Shi Guang and led Army-Breaker's Soldiers away after Yu Sheng ordered them to follow him.
• Alone by the campfire, Yu Sheng decided that Yu Sanshui’s relief showed his earlier words were false and reflected on how kindness toward strangers could bring danger.
• Yu Sheng put out the fire, checked the camp, and used the Hammer to strike the footprint-covered ground.