Chapter Summaries

Ink Academy’s freshmen reacted to a senior student’s extraordinary awakening as Qiu Xiaoxiao plotted against the academy. At Demon-Suppressing Pass, Chu Yu struggled to depict the coming battle and asked Yu Sheng what people lived for.

• Wang Youcai and Qi Tian left to prepare for the Freshman Tournament, while Li Zi stayed beside Lin Xiaoxiao as she slept.
• Qiu Xiaoxiao blamed Zong Ren for abandoning her, vowed that the Divine Cult would survive, disguised herself as an old woman, and slipped into the crowd.
• Cong Yunfeng warned the soldiers that seventh-level Demon Beasts could attack Demon-Suppressing Pass the next day and told recruits to avoid the battlefields.
• Chu Yu admitted she could not bring herself to paint the cruel scenery at the pass and recalled that Cong Yunfeng had called her its faith.
• Yu Sheng offered Chu Yu food, and she asked him whether people lived to eat or ate to live.

Yu Sheng delivered meals at Demon-Suppressing Pass while Chu Yu confided her fear that more people would die. At dawn, the Mirage Dragon launched another surprise attack, and Yu Sheng began considering where it was hiding as the soldiers fought back.

• Chu Yu told Yu Sheng she was afraid of the deaths to come and asked what she should do, but he declined to advise her and gave her a meal instead.
• Yu Sheng delivered meals, checked his weapons, and sensed that the fourth object inside his Scroll was nearly revealed and might be an animal.
• The Mirage Dragon appeared at dawn, used its skill to place demon beasts atop Demon-Suppressing Pass, then vanished into the mist.
• Cong Yunfeng rallied the soldiers, who sprang into action and caught the attacking demon beasts off guard.
• Yu Sheng deduced that the Mirage Dragon had fled southwest and wondered if it was hiding on a mist-covered mountain before returning to the battle and killing demon beasts.

Yu Sheng fought the Azure Bird Clan chief while Cong Yunfeng demanded that he hold it off for three minutes to protect the soldiers. Yu Sheng used a Dragon Python scale to create an opening and escaped, then faced the chief again with a murderous aura.

• Yu Sheng adapted to the battlefield and continued killing demon beasts as the Azure Bird Clan chief identified him and attacked.
• Cong Yunfeng intervened with energy arrows, then asked Yu Sheng to hold off the Azure Bird chief for three minutes; Yu Sheng agreed.
• The Azure Bird chief tried to attack nearby soldiers, but Yu Sheng struck at it and drew its attention back to himself.
• The Azure Bird chief restrained Yu Sheng with its demon aura and declared that killing him would help its clan enter Skyvault Ravine.
• Yu Sheng revealed a Dragon Python scale, briefly freezing the Azure Bird chief and nearby demons so the soldiers could kill the demons around them.
• Yu Sheng teleported away and faced the Azure Bird chief again, bleeding but radiating a fierce murderous aura.

Yu Sheng endured the Azure Bird Clan Chief’s attacks while waiting for his abilities to refresh, then used the Phoenix hammer to break through its wind barrier and launch a surprise strike. He brought the flaming hammer down on the Azure Bird’s back, leaving the outcome of the blow unclear.

• The Azure Bird Clan Chief pursued Yu Sheng, but the Dragon Python’s scale temporarily suppressed it as Yu Sheng ran along the city wall.
• When the scale’s aura faded, the Azure Bird attacked with wind blades and a tornado, but Yu Sheng escaped by teleporting and restored his stamina with the Mountains and Rivers Bottle.
• With forty seconds left, Yu Sheng charged through the Azure Bird’s wind attacks and shattered its spatial domain by striking a tornado with the Phoenix hammer.
• Yu Sheng teleported above the Azure Bird and, after replenishing his energy with the Mountains and Rivers Bottle, smashed the flaming hammer into its back.

Yu Sheng and Cong Yunfeng killed the Azure Bird Clan Chief, but both were left gravely wounded and surrounded by Demon Beasts. Just as Yu Sheng considered escaping, Sun Wen arrived with a Giant carrying a gravestone and stepped in to protect him.

• Yu Sheng planted seeds in the Azure Bird Clan Chief's wound, then used the energy from his bottle mark to summon the Dragon-Patterned Staff after the Azure Bird suppressed the vines.
• Cong Yunfeng kept his promise to hold out for three minutes and shot the Azure Bird Clan Chief through its Demon Core, killing it.
• Low-level Demon Beasts rushed toward the wounded Yu Sheng and Cong Yunfeng, and Cong Yunfeng fired one final arrow to block the beasts near Yu Sheng.
• Cong Yunfeng urged Yu Sheng to leave and prepared a spherical explosive, while Yu Sheng considered teleporting to the inner wall of Demon-Suppressing Pass.
• A Giant carrying a gravestone landed in front of Yu Sheng and knocked back two fourth-level Demon Beasts as Sun Wen walked up beside him.

Yu Sheng recovered and returned to the battle while Ink Academy’s students and teachers fought off the demon beasts at Demon-Suppressing Pass. The Vice Principal challenged the Commander, while the Principal and Old White Ape agreed to keep fighting indirectly, calling it “Cloud Fighting.”

• Mu Yu used the Gravestone to restrain and tear apart Low-Level Demon Beasts as A Tai and Zhao Zicheng fought nearby.
• Sun Wen offered Yu Sheng healing medicine for credits, but Yu Sheng drank it and revealed he had an entire Ice Lotus, which the Azure Wolf Clan’s chief had given him.
• After recovering his strength, Yu Sheng charged back into the demon beast horde, while Sun Wen hid among the corpses.
• Xu Yuanqing drew multiple sixth-level demon beasts into his own fight as Ink Academy teachers spread the other sixth-level beasts away from the crowds.
• The Vice Principal confronted the Commander, who accepted the challenge and met him outside the fortifications.
• The Principal and Old White Ape declined to fight each other directly and agreed to retaliate against each other’s forces instead, an arrangement Old White Ape called “Cloud Fighting.”

Ink Academy forced the demon beasts to retreat from Demon-Suppressing Pass, while Old White Ape earned their trust as they regrouped. After the battle, Yu Sheng told Cong Yunfeng that he had fought instead of fleeing because escape would not end the danger.

• Old White Ape ordered the demon beasts to withdraw, and Ink Academy's principal pursued them with soldiers and ranged attacks.
• The Eagle Ravine Mountain commander returned to camp, realized the tribes had suffered heavy losses, and thanked Old White Ape for withdrawing the troops.
• The commander left to report and bring reinforcements, while Old White Ape urged the tribes to heal and expressed concern for their survival.
• Old White Ape privately reflected that the tribes were likely doomed, though he still offered them kindness in case it brought future benefits.
• After the battle, Cong Yunfeng asked Yu Sheng why he had fought so recklessly instead of escaping.
• Yu Sheng told Cong Yunfeng that running away would not last and that escaping danger required killing the person threatening him.

After surviving the battle at Demon-Suppressing Pass, Yu Sheng explained to Cong Yunfeng why he had followed the Pass’s rules, while the two reflected on the cost of breaking them. As the remaining soldiers prepared for an even harder fight without expected reinforcements, Zhao Zicheng admitted that the deaths around him had left him scared and powerless.

• Cong Yunfeng questioned Yu Sheng about his fight with the Sixth Level Demon Beast, and Yu Sheng said he had not killed it and had considered escape only a thirty-percent chance.
• Yu Sheng told Cong Yunfeng that people had to follow the rules of each place to fit in and survive, and that breaking rules brought little benefit and a high chance of death.
• Yu Sheng learned that Cong Yunfeng was in the Reserve Corps and privately reconsidered his doubts about the corps.
• At sunset, the soldiers at Demon-Suppressing Pass faced dwindling numbers and likely no reinforcements, while Chu Yu had still not joined the fighting.
• Zhao Zicheng brought Yu Sheng the last boxed meal and told him that Sun Wen, Mu Yu, and A Tai were occupied with cutting up Demon Beasts and carrying the wounded.
• Zhao Zicheng told Yu Sheng that the deaths of Senior Student Qian, Senior Student Liu, and many soldiers had made him feel frightened and powerless.

At Demon-Suppressing Pass, Zhao Zicheng told Yu Sheng how the war and the deaths around him had made him increasingly afraid of losing his friends. Yu Sheng awkwardly reassured him, and Zhao Zicheng regained his confidence before challenging a veteran to hit him.

• Zhao Zicheng recalled his first killing, his fear of being left behind by Yu Sheng, and his growing fear that more people would die, including Yu Sheng.
• Yu Sheng admitted that he had felt fear and sadness too, then told Zhao Zicheng to take living seriously.
• Zhao Zicheng cheered himself up by declaring that the Blood-Colored Twin Fiends were fearless.
• Yu Sheng told Zhao Zicheng that he had reached this point through his own efforts and that he was glad they had formed their duo.
• Zhao Zicheng shouted the duo's slogan from the pass wall, then challenged a bemused veteran to hit him for at least an hour.

As Dawn Pass prepared a major offensive into the Demon Domain, Yu Mo ordered wartime controls to protect the plan and considered whether Old White Ape could be drawn into the conflict. Lin Xiaoxiao gave up her attempt to join the fight at Demon-Suppressing Pass after learning she owed Ink Academy over four hundred credits.

• Sun Yingxiong urged Yu Mo to skip another probing attack and launch an offensive from Dawn Pass into the Demon Domain within three hours.
• Yu Mo ordered Sun Yingxiong to impose wartime controls and lock down the cities to guard against Soul Hunt, the Lawless Outlaws Specialty Store owner, and the Evil Cult remnants.
• Yu Mo wondered whether Old White Ape could see through his plan and whether luring him to Demon-Suppressing Pass might bring an even greater gain.
• Lin Xiaoxiao tried to leave Ink Academy to earn merit at Demon-Suppressing Pass, despite being assigned to lead the 141st Cohort to the Freshman Tournament.
• Li Zi told Lin Xiaoxiao that Ink Academy would waive her debt of over four hundred credits if she stayed to lead the team, so she turned back.

Shen Feng and the other freshmen discussed Shi Guang and Qi Tian before dispersing to cultivate. At Dawn Pass, a scarred commander ordered the soldiers to march into the Demon Domain, beginning an offensive after more than a hundred years.

• Shen Feng, Li Zi, and the others discussed Shi Guang’s strength and their debts, while Qi Tian claimed he had fought her and suffered an injury.
• Yuan Zhong revealed that Shi Guang had kicked Qi Tian and nearly shaved his head after he insulted her, and that he had posted a video of Qi Tian crying on the Campus Forum.
• Shen Feng urged the freshmen to focus on cultivation because he felt close to his Second Awakening, and the group dispersed.
• At dawn, a white-haired, scarred commander at Dawn Pass ordered the soldiers to move out.
• A giant stone stairway rose from beneath Dawn Pass, and soldiers charged down it into the Demon Domain as energy spears killed creatures that might have raised the alarm.

Dawn Pass routed the Demon Clan before reinforcements brought the fighting to a standstill, and Yu Mo used the battle reports to plan support for Demon-Suppressing Pass and investigate the Demon Domain’s communications. Meanwhile, the Commander believed Demon-Suppressing Pass was exposed and prepared to invade, while Old White Ape concealed his true thoughts behind praise.

• Dawn Pass’s soldiers surprised the Demon Clan, routed its forces, and later advanced thirty li before both sides settled into a wary stalemate.
• Yu Mo learned that the Demon Clan had received reinforcements within five hours and ordered a division and Elder Sun sent toward Demon-Suppressing Pass, along with secret surveillance of routes out of human cities.
• Cong Yunfeng ordered the soldiers at Demon-Suppressing Pass to prepare for battle and remain alert for surprise attacks.
• The Commander concluded that Dawn Pass’s troops had been diverted and planned to attack Demon-Suppressing Pass and invade human territory.
• Old White Ape praised the Commander’s plan while privately regarding him with cold indifference.

The Demon Domain mobilized its forces for a planned assault on Demon-Suppressing Pass, while its leaders interpreted Sun Yingxiong’s arrival as a sign that the humans were desperate. Ji Hong remained wary of the sudden war as Fei looked forward to victory and the Commander dreamed of ruling Skyvault Ravine.

• Skyvault Ravine ordered Eagle Ravine Mountain, Thousand-Li Demon Plain, and nearby powers to send forces to Demon-Suppressing Pass, with Fei set to oversee the battle.
• Sun Yingxiong appeared atop Demon-Suppressing Pass and released his aura, which the Commander took as an attempt to intimidate the demons.
• Ji Hong warned Fei that the sudden war seemed suspicious, but Fei eagerly anticipated breaking through the pass and earning a place in Skyvault Ravine.
• Dragon Python suspected the humans had a reason for their actions and resolved to flee if the fighting turned dangerous.
• The Commander told Ji Hong that the human forces were attacking Dawn Pass and that Skyvault Ravine had ordered them pinned down, then imagined unifying the Demon Domain under its rule.

As the Demon Domain forces massed against the undermanned Demon-Suppressing Pass, Cong Yunfeng ordered noncombatants to withdraw while Yu Sheng distributed useful fruits and offered Heavenly Fragrance Flowers to Cong Yunfeng and Xu Yuanqing. The chapter ended with Xu Yuanqing handing Yu Sheng a note that Cong Yunfeng suspected was an IOU.

• Cong Yunfeng watched the Demon Domain forces gather and ordered Support System soldiers unable to fight to leave the pass.
• Sun Wen withdrew after a phantom Gold Yuanbao appeared over him and its golden energy entered Yu Sheng.
• Yu Sheng shared a variety of dangerous fruits with Zhao Zicheng, Mu Yu, and A Tai, explaining their effects.
• Yu Sheng gave Cong Yunfeng a Heavenly Fragrance Flower, saying he had another and that repaying Cong Yunfeng was his rule.
• Yu Sheng gave a second Heavenly Fragrance Flower to Xu Yuanqing, who wrote him a note that Cong Yunfeng suspected was an IOU.

Sun Yingxiong prepared for the Demon Domain’s assault while Zhong Yushu’s forces fought on outside Dawn Pass, unaware that their apparent advance served the demons’ plan to pin down the Human Race. As Fei launched a direct attack and Mirage Dragon shrouded the demon camp in a star-filled projection, Yu Sheng recognized a familiar lake and realized Mirage Dragon’s body was worth a fortune.

• Sun Yingxiong rejected Cong Yunfeng’s suggestion of demon suppression and hoped the battle would buy the Human Race another year of peace.
• Zhong Yushu pretended to be frustrated as his troops advanced into the Demon Domain, while a Demon Lord taunted him that the demons had successfully tied down the Human Race’s main forces.
• Qiu Xiaoxiao considered leaving Jiangcheng and decided the Freshman Competition would provide the opportunity she needed as Goddess of the Divine Cult.
• Fei ordered the demons to attack Demon-Suppressing Pass openly and summoned Mirage Dragon to create a vast, star-filled projection over their camp.
• Yu Sheng studied the projection, spotted a familiar lake near Mirage Dragon, and concluded that the creature was a walking treasury.

Sun Yingxiong confronted Fei and Dragon Python outside Demon-Suppressing Pass, using his Human Tide world to attack them. As Fei realized Sun Yingxiong was nearing the Ninth Awakening, Sun Yingxiong embraced his old identity as the God of Slaughter and prepared for battle.

• Sun Yingxiong taunted Fei and Dragon Python, then left Demon-Suppressing Pass to fight them.
• Dragon Python concealed himself in black mist while Sun Yingxiong urged him to withdraw from the conflict.
• Sun Yingxiong unleashed his Human Tide world, sending its illusory figures against Fei and Dragon Python.
• Fei recognized that Sun Yingxiong's world was nearing perfection and feared he was about to break through to the Ninth Awakening.
• Sun Yingxiong welcomed the chance to fight and revealed that he had once been called the God of Slaughter.

As Sun Yingxiong fought Fei and Dragon Python, Chu Yu released the soldiers guarding her and joined the battle at Demon-Suppressing Pass. The principal of Ink Academy fought Old White Ape, quickly overpowering him.

• Sun Yingxiong summoned his golden sword, deflected Fei's attack, and charged into the black mist to fight Dragon Python.
• Chu Yu thanked the soldiers guarding her, declared that her words were their orders, and prepared to face the demon beasts at the pass.
• Demon beasts launched a sudden assault, and Zhao Zicheng, A Tai, Mu Yu, and Yu Sheng fought alongside the generals and soldiers.
• Old White Ape challenged the principal of Ink Academy to a fight away from the walls to avoid harming others.
• The principal fought Old White Ape, kicked him down after three minutes, and charged at him again.

As Demon-Suppressing Pass was overwhelmed by demon beasts, Zhong Yushu ordered the human soldiers to fight to the death, while Sun Yingxiong called on Chu Yu to act. Chu Yu’s book opened above her as the array beneath her lit up, leaving the pass’s final trump card about to be revealed.

• Old White Ape fought the Principal while the human forces struggled against the demon beasts at Demon-Suppressing Pass.
• The Mountain-Guarding Old Man kept watch over the mountain and ordered scouts to remain vigilant for an attack.
• Zhong Yushu urged his soldiers to kill the demons at any cost and preserve a spark for the human race if the pass fell.
• Demon beasts swarmed onto the walls, and Cong Yunfeng called for Demon-Suppressing to be activated.
• Sun Yingxiong told Chu Yu it was her turn, and the book above her opened as the array lit up.

At Demon-Suppressing Pass, Chu Yu used her blood to activate an array that summoned the souls of fallen awakeners, with each new step raising the awakening level of those summoned. Outside the pass, Fei urged Dragon Python to keep fighting Sun Yingxiong rather than retreating.

• Chu Yu stepped onto a sheet from her book and activated the first array, trapping the demon beasts inside the pass as first-awakening souls appeared.
• Chu Yu raised a second array, summoning more powerful souls, and the demon beasts realized she was calling the dead defenders of Demon-Suppressing Pass.
• A sixth-level demon beast ordered an attack on the array, while the humans and demons inside the pass stopped fighting to watch Chu Yu.
• Yu Sheng continued killing demon beasts as Fei shouted at the array from outside the pass, unable to make his voice reach within.
• Fei called Dragon Python a coward for focusing on defense, and Dragon Python abandoned his retreat and charged Sun Yingxiong again.

Chu Yu raised the Demon-Suppressing Pass’s formations, summoning the souls of the human race’s awakened while the cost rapidly aged and weakened her. She asked the Sages to ascend the pass once more and suppress the demons.

• Old White Ape told the Ink Academy principal that keeping him alive could be useful, and the principal eased his attacks.
• Chu Yu raised the third and fourth formations, summoning countless souls across the Demon-Suppressing Pass as blood seeped from its bricks.
• Chu Yu raised the fifth formation, growing paler and older as she smiled at the human soldiers and told them to keep it up.
• Chu Yu raised the sixth formation, turning completely white-haired as the souls of Sixth Awakening Persons appeared above the pass.
• Sun Yingxiong shouted for Chu Yu to stop, but she stood upright and asked the Sages of the human race to ascend the pass and suppress the demons.