Chapter Summaries

Chu Yu completed the pattern across Demon-Suppressing Pass and rallied the Reserve Corps as the souls of the Sages joined the battle against the Demon Beasts. When two Demon Gods threatened the pass and targeted her, Chu Yu invoked Li Mocheng and took a step, summoning aware Seventh Awakening souls to fight.

• Cong Yunfeng and the Reserve Corps honored Chu Yu as the patterns spread across Demon-Suppressing Pass, while Xin Yongfeng and Sun Yingxiong also paid tribute.
• Zhong Yushu urged the Human Race to break through the mountains, and the awakened souls charged the Demon Beasts while avoiding human soldiers.
• A Demon God attacked Sun Yingxiong and threatened Chu Yu, but the Old Woman confronted it and a second Demon God appeared.
• Chu Yu challenged the Demon Gods and named Li Mocheng, whose soul rested beneath the pass.
• Chu Yu took a step on a sheet of white paper, aging visibly as Seventh Awakening souls emerged with faint awareness and entered the battle.

The Old Woman drove the Demon Gods away from Demon-Suppressing Pass, while Zhong Yushu forced the Demon Lord to retreat to Skywind Mountain and ordered it to keep its forces inside for three days. The battle ended with the human defenders holding their ground, though Zhong Yushu had to stop an overeager fighter from charging into the mountain.

• The Old Woman taunted the two Demon Gods and invoked Li Mocheng, making them withdraw from Demon-Suppressing Pass.
• The Old Woman supported the exhausted Chu Yu, who continued watching the battle and considered drawing the scene.
• Zhong Yushu overpowered the wounded Demon Lord and ordered it to keep Skywind Mountain's forces within its territory for three days.
• The Demon Lord led its remaining Demon Beasts back into Skywind Mountain, and Zhong Yushu's Sixth Awakening fighter asked to wipe out the mountain.
• Zhong Yushu kicked the eager fighter and asked whether fighting the Demon Beasts could make them any money.

Zhong Yushu ordered the Reserve Corps to gather demon plants before reinforcements arrived, while the battle at Demon-Suppressing Pass ended with the heroic souls returning to the crimson bricks. As the souls vanished, Yu Sheng felt his heart come alive and said he liked the rules there.

• Zhong Yushu told a Reserve Corps general that the Demon Domain would send reinforcements within two days and gave him one day to gather demon plants.
• The Demon Lord blamed Eagle Ravine Mountain for the defeat and resolved to complain to Skyvault Ravine.
• After the last demon beast fell, Chu Yu thanked the heroic souls and led the soldiers in saluting them.
• Zhao Zicheng, Mu Yu, A Tai, and Yu Sheng saluted the souls, while Yu Sheng felt his heartbeat quicken and said he liked the rules there.
• The heroic souls merged into the crimson bricks after looking back at the homes and peace they had protected.

The Human Race won a decisive battle at Demon-Suppressing Pass, though Old White Ape and Fei suffered devastating losses. Sun Yingxiong killed Dragon Python and returned to the pass, where he rallied the defenders as the Demon Domain fell silent.

• The Principal gravely wounded Old White Ape, but the Commander rescued him and fled while Old White Ape lamented the destruction of his tribe.
• Sun Yingxiong rejected Fei’s plea to end the fighting and attacked the two Demon Lords.
• Fei unleashed its power, but Dragon Python took the opportunity to hide behind it; Sun Yingxiong killed Dragon Python during the clash.
• Fei mourned Dragon Python, swore revenge on Sun Yingxiong, and left the battlefield.
• Sun Yingxiong carried Dragon Python’s corpse to Demon-Suppressing Pass, pinned it beside the gate plaque, and declared that all who attacked the Human Race would be slain.
• The Reserve Corps echoed Sun Yingxiong’s declaration, while Skyvault Ravine fell silent before the victorious defenders and Chu Yu.

Sun Yingxiong watched the Demon Lord’s forces scatter, then learned that Chu Yu’s unusual Awakening Object had cost her lifespan. The chapter ended with Chu Yu unconscious after the battle and Sun Yingxiong reflecting on the price she had paid.

• Ji Hong left for Eagle Ravine Mountain, and Sun Yingxiong called him a traitor before the demon beasts fled across the Thousand-Li Demon Plain.
• Chu Yu collapsed from exhaustion after the battle, and the Reserve Corps soldiers carried her to her chair.
• Sun Yingxiong told Cong Yunfeng to care for Chu Yu and traded cigarettes with Yu Sheng and Cong Yunfeng.
• Sun Yingxiong explained that Chu Yu’s Awakening Object was a Wordless Book that could not be upgraded and had unusual reactions under particular conditions.
• Sun Yingxiong revealed that Chu Yu’s Awakening Object had severe side effects and sacrificed her lifespan.

Sun Yingxiong explained that Chu Yu’s Awakening Object consumed her lifespan, and that the array was preserving her remaining life. Yu Sheng urged Cong Yunfeng to keep working rather than grieve over what they could not change, as Chu Yu was still alive and expected to live for ten years.

• Sun Yingxiong explained that Chu Yu’s Awakening Object shortened her lifespan, with each use costing more depending on how many steps she took.
• Sun Yingxiong said Ink Pavilion estimated Chu Yu could hold the pass for ten years, and that the array locked in her blood and vital essence.
• Sun Yingxiong saluted Chu Yu and left after warning the others not to let her leave the array.
• Yu Sheng continued extracting Demon Cores while Cong Yunfeng questioned his apparent lack of grief.
• Yu Sheng told Cong Yunfeng that mourning could not save Chu Yu and that they should focus on what they could still do.

After the battle at Demon-Suppressing Pass, the Mountain-Guarding Old Man and Sun Yingxiong met on a mountain and traded a Demon Core and cigarettes. They tricked a young fire-type Awakener into lighting their cigarettes, then sent him away on patrol.

• Cong Yunfeng joined Yu Sheng in working to become stronger so Chu Yu would need to use her Awakening Object less often.
• As the Reserve Corps soldiers slept on the bloodstained wall, A Tai kept watch against a possible Demon Clan attack.
• The Mountain-Guarding Old Man and Sun Yingxiong exchanged solemn-sounding remarks about the moon and all living beings, but the Mountain-Guarding Old Man admitted he had been improvising.
• Sun Yingxiong offered the Mountain-Guarding Old Man a Demon Core and cigarettes, and the old man complained about the core and the lack of a lighter.
• The Mountain-Guarding Old Man and Sun Yingxiong got a young fire-type Awakener to summon his Awakening Object and close his eyes so they could light their cigarettes.
• After taking the young man's lighter, the two elders praised him and used energy to send him off on patrol.

Sun Yingxiong gave the Mountain-Guarding Old Man a Dragon Python Demon Core so he could reach the Eighth Awakening and guard Eagle Ravine Mountain against a possible Demon Domain attack. After arranging the deal, Sun Yingxiong embarrassed himself by taking a young Reserve Corps member’s lighter and then discovering it was not the lighter in his pocket.

• The Mountain-Guarding Old Man refused Sun Yingxiong’s Demon Core, insisting he had once defeated his peers and would not fall behind them in reaching the Eighth Awakening.
• Sun Yingxiong threw the Demon Core to the Mountain-Guarding Old Man and explained that the Demon Domain might attack Eagle Ravine Mountain now that Chu Yu guarded the Demon-Suppressing Pass.
• The Mountain-Guarding Old Man accepted the Demon Core but lamented that using it would make his path of advancement imperfect.
• Sun Yingxiong mocked the Mountain-Guarding Old Man’s complaints and said he would not need to guard the mountain in two years.
• Sun Yingxiong summoned the young Reserve Corps member to light his cigarette, scolded him for using his Awakening Object despite having a lighter, then realized the lighter in his pocket was not the young man’s.

Sun Yingxiong told the Mountain-Guarding Old Man that he expected to reach the Ninth Awakening within two years, leaving the old man to wonder what role he would have afterward. At Demon-Suppressing Pass, Chu Yu woke to the soldiers’ relief and watched them resume their work, reflecting that they too deserved to be fought for.

• Sun Yingxiong said he would need a replacement to guard the mountain once he reached the Ninth Awakening, and suggested the Mountain-Guarding Old Man might become the Ink Pavilion’s new pavilion master.
• Sun Yingxiong left after threatening to deduct the cost of the cigarettes from the old man’s pay, then suppressed him with energy when the old man cursed him.
• The Mountain-Guarding Old Man examined the Demon Core, admitted he still needed help to reach the Eighth Awakening, and called for Yu Sheng to return.
• Chu Yu awoke at Demon-Suppressing Pass and reassured the worried soldiers that she was all right.
• Cong Yunfeng sent the soldiers back to work, and Chu Yu watched them care for the dead, clean the walls, and prepare food.
• Chu Yu reflected that the soldiers were among the best people in the world and that she should not fight or paint only for herself.

Chu Yu painted the battle at Demon-Suppressing Pass while a young doctor urged her to rest and praised her beauty. As the pass’s work ended, Yu Sheng prepared to return to the Demon Domain, and Zhao Zicheng and Mu Yu voiced their determination to catch up with him.

• Chu Yu continued painting the battle scenes despite her frailty, leaving the seven sheets of paper blank rather than depicting herself.
• The young doctor told Chu Yu she was beautiful and vowed to find a way to help her recover; Chu Yu thanked her and stored the finished painting.
• Yu Sheng told Zhao Zicheng he planned to enter the Demon Domain again in hopes of catching a major target.
• Zhao Zicheng admitted he could not keep pace with Yu Sheng yet and vowed to grow strong enough to fight beside him.
• Mu Yu appeared and declared he would reach the Fifth Awakening within two months, prompting Yu Sheng to regret that Zhao Zicheng’s gray aura had dissipated.

Yu Sheng discovered that describing his strength could provoke gray aura from Zhao Zicheng and Mu Yu, while A Tai simply praised him. At Demon-Suppressing Pass, Xu Yuanqing tried to claim rewards for his battlefield kills, but the vice principal recast him as a selfless donor in front of the soldiers.

• Yu Sheng told Mu Yu and Zhao Zicheng about his kills and expected chance of reaching the fifth awakening, causing gray aura to spread above Zhao Zicheng.
• Yu Sheng tested whether his progress would provoke Cong Yunfeng, but Cong Yunfeng showed no reaction and left.
• Mu Yu and Zhao Zicheng avoided further conversation with Yu Sheng, while A Tai eagerly praised his strength.
• Cong Yunfeng and the other Sixth Awakening Persons thanked Ink Academy after the battle and announced a week of alternating duty and rest for the battalions.
• Xu Yuanqing listed the demon beasts he had killed and asked for his rewards to be paid quickly in money, but the vice principal knocked him to his knees and told the soldiers he had pledged the money to Demon-Suppressing Pass.

After the battle at the Demon-Suppressing Pass, Yu Sheng prepared to return to the Demon Domain and arranged to have his collected Demon Beasts and Demon Plants taken back. Sun Wen offered to buy the haul for his new specialty shop, while Xu Yuanqing fixated on its value.

• The Vice Principal restrained Xu Yuanqing, publicly thanked him in place of Ink Academy, then dragged him away with the academy students.
• Yu Sheng accepted Cong Yunfeng's damaged car and said he planned to return to the Demon Domain.
• Yu Sheng asked Ink Academy's convoy to transport the Demon Beast corpses and Demon Plants he summoned.
• Xu Yuanqing appraised the haul at roughly three hundred million and declared that he would become the richest man in the Human Race.
• Sun Wen revealed he had opened a specialty shop and offered to buy Yu Sheng's haul for ten percent above Xu Yuanqing's estimate.

Yu Sheng agreed to supply Sun Wen’s Demon Domain specialty store, while Xu Yuanqing failed to join the venture. In the Demon Domain, Ji Hong devised a plan for Fei to take control of the Thousand-Li Demon Plain under the pretext of protecting Dragon Python’s tribe, then volunteered to oversee it himself.

• Yu Sheng agreed to accept eighty million for the Fire Lion and supply Sun Wen’s planned specialty store, but Sun Wen refused Xu Yuanqing’s request to invest.
• Yu Sheng drove away while Xu Yuanqing was still pleading with Sun Wen to let him join the business.
• Fei returned to Eagle Ravine Mountain wounded after surviving Sun Yingxiong, and Ji Hong praised him while privately reconsidering his intelligence.
• Fei complained that the Thousand-Li Demon Plain’s backing would bring trouble, and Ji Hong proposed taking it over temporarily to protect Dragon Python’s descendants.
• Fei ordered Ji Hong to move on the Thousand-Li Demon Plain, protect Dragon Python’s tribe, and report the plan to Skyvault Ravine.
• Ji Hong volunteered to personally oversee the Thousand-Li Demon Plain until Fei found a suitable replacement, and Fei approved.

After Ji Hong left, Fei revealed that his apparent weakness had been an act and confronted the severely injured Old White Ape about his loyalty. Old White Ape tried to stab his own Demon Core on Fei’s command, but Fei stopped him at the last moment.

• Ji Hong warned Fei that Old White Ape was intelligent and should be used cautiously, then left Eagle Ravine Mountain.
• Fei recovered from his injuries while pretending to remain asleep and called Old White Ape out of hiding.
• Old White Ape knelt before Fei and insisted that he was loyal and willing to die for him.
• Fei summoned a Rhino Horn and ordered Old White Ape to give up his Demon Core as proof of loyalty.
• Old White Ape immediately thrust the Rhino Horn toward his heart, but Fei immobilized him just as it touched his skin.

Fei tested Old White Ape’s sincerity and asked for his judgment of Ji Hong’s loyalty and fate. Satisfied with Old White Ape’s advice, Fei acknowledged him and let him choose a position, which Old White Ape proposed should let him monitor Ji Hong on Fei’s behalf.

• Fei freed Old White Ape and made him kneel in his own blood before asking what he thought of Ji Hong’s assessment of him.
• Old White Ape declared his loyalty to Fei and said he could not be certain whether Ji Hong truly served the Demon Domain or had selfish motives.
• Fei asked whether Ji Hong should be killed or kept, and Old White Ape advised keeping him until he was no longer useful.
• Fei offered Old White Ape a choice of positions, and Old White Ape asked to serve as Ji Hong’s deputy general so he could watch him for Fei.
• Fei happily approved Old White Ape’s proposal.

Fei appointed Old White Ape one of Eagle Ravine Mountain's twelve Demon Kings and ordered him to investigate Ji Hong, while healing his wounds with blood essence. Old White Ape and Ji Hong then met as wary allies, analyzed Fei's weaknesses, and agreed their future deadly contest would come after they had used their alliance to grow stronger.

• Fei appointed Old White Ape a Demon King, gave him authority over the Thousand-Li Demon Plain, and told him to investigate Ji Hong's intentions.
• Fei healed Old White Ape's injuries with a drop of blood essence, then sent him away to report back.
• Old White Ape met Ji Hong east of Eagle Ravine Mountain and explained why he had not exposed Ji Hong to Fei.
• Ji Hong and Old White Ape analyzed Fei's injuries, behavior, and ability to bide his time, concluding that he was not as powerful as he appeared.
• Ji Hong and Old White Ape discussed their eventual battle to the death and affirmed that, for now, they were staunch allies who would share the Thousand-Li Demon Plain.

Ji Hong and Old White Ape prepared to claim territory in the Demon Domain while eyeing Eagle Ravine Mountain. At Ink Academy, nine returning students were mourned, the principal handed authority to the vice principal before announcing his retreat, and Sun Wen remained stuck kneeling until he offered a large donation.

• Ji Hong and Old White Ape discussed their foothold in the Demon Domain, then Ji Hong headed to claim territory on the Thousand-Li Demon Plain.
• The returning students arrived at Ink Academy, where nine bell tolls marked classmates who had died, and the students bowed in mourning.
• The principal announced that he was entering the Eighth Awakening and leaving Ink Academy in the vice principal’s hands, but refused to give up his position or salary.
• Zhao Zicheng and the others learned about the vice principal’s many paid roles and calculated his income, while Sun Wen complained about his own earnings.
• The principal vanished to begin his retreat, and Sun Wen remained kneeling in the square until he offered Ink Academy another ten million.

Sun Wen used his Awakening Object and money to show off at Ink Academy, only to lose another five million when the Vice Principal took him up on a deal to beat Xu Yuanqing. In the deep mountains, Yu Sheng reunited with the Mountain-Guarding Old Man, who urged him to hunt Fei, but Yu Sheng chose to remain on the Thousand-Li Demon Plain.

• Sun Wen amplified his voice across Ink Academy, drew the cameras, and later offered five million for a lavish dinner cooked by the Vice Principal.
• The Vice Principal brought Sun Wen dinner and took the five-million card, then Xu Yuanqing jumped from his room and repeatedly slapped Sun Wen for disrupting his cultivation.
• Sun Wen offered another five million to have the Vice Principal beat Xu Yuanqing, and the Vice Principal accepted, leaving Sun Wen to pay and Xu Yuanqing to boast about his supposed worth.
• Xu Yuanqing returned to his room with the dinner and resumed cultivating with a Demon Crystal.
• The Mountain-Guarding Old Man welcomed Yu Sheng into the deep mountains and asked whether he planned to enter the Demon Domain again.
• The Mountain-Guarding Old Man proposed luring Fei from Eagle Ravine Mountain so they could kill him, but Yu Sheng said he would stay on the Thousand-Li Demon Plain because he did not know the other areas.

Yu Sheng told the Mountain-Guarding Old Man that he had a lead on the Mirage Dragon and agreed to trade its Demon Core for an equal share of their future gains. The old man began explaining what he knew about the elusive beast.

• The Mountain-Guarding Old Man said he was nearing the Eighth Awakening, but Yu Sheng barely reacted.
• Yu Sheng named the Mirage Dragon as his target and said he had a general direction for tracking it.
• The old man offered to share his knowledge in exchange for the Mirage Dragon's Demon Core, which could help him advance.
• Yu Sheng agreed but demanded that they split their shares fifty-fifty, and the old man accepted.
• The old man described the Mirage Dragon's weak physical abilities, strong deceptive powers, and three false lairs before beginning to explain his past failure to catch it.

The Mountain-Guarding Old Man warned Yu Sheng about the Mirage Dragon and gave him decades of research to improve his chances of killing it. Yu Sheng entered the Thousand-Li Demon Plain to hunt it, while Old White Ape and Ji Hong searched for the missing Ice Lotuses and headed toward the Fire Lion Clan.

• The Mountain-Guarding Old Man explained the Mirage Dragon’s false lairs, deceptive aura and illusions, and warned Yu Sheng that it must be killed in one strike.
• The old man gave Yu Sheng his records on the Mirage Dragon, said he could delay his Eighth Awakening by only a week, and promised to keep Yu Sheng safe if he returned.
• Yu Sheng read the records through the night, then entered the Thousand-Li Demon Plain disguised as an ordinary azure wolf.
• Old White Ape and Ji Hong found that the lake where two Ice Lotuses had grown was no longer frozen and wondered whether Dragon Python had taken them.
• Old White Ape and Ji Hong gave up searching the lake and set off toward the Fire Lion Clan to seek its precious treasure.