Chapter Summaries

Old White Ape learned that Yu Sheng had devastated the Yellow Springs Graveyard and considered him a threat to the Demon Domain. He shared his vision of a peaceful, orderly Demon Domain, then sent the Demon King away to train for that cause.

• The Demon King told Old White Ape that Yu Sheng had slaughtered many Demon Beasts and Demon Kings in the Yellow Springs Graveyard, leaving it weakened for years.
• Old White Ape recognized Yu Sheng as the young human responsible and said he needed to find a way to deal with him.
• The Demon King said he regretted that Yu Sheng had not killed more of the graveyard’s inhabitants, describing the place as a source of torment and suffering.
• Old White Ape described his dream of a safe, orderly Demon Domain where every demon could live peacefully and pursue their own dreams.
• Old White Ape said future generations might remember the Demon Clan’s struggle against human control as an inspiring story, then dismissed the Demon King and urged him to train for their cause.

Old White Ape learned that Yu Mo had spread speakers broadcasting human culture throughout the Demon Domain, but he saw the campaign as an opportunity rather than a threat. He planned to use the resulting unrest to strengthen the Demon Domain and provide indebted talents with a way to earn Demon Crystals.

• The Demon King left Old White Ape inspired by his speech about learning from human history.
• A white ape reported that speakers broadcasting messages about human culture had appeared throughout the Demon Domain and gave one to Old White Ape.
• Old White Ape recognized the speakers as Yu Mo’s counterattack, removed the battery, and ordered that recovered speakers be sent to him for music and announcements.
• When the young white ape asked how to contain the unrest, Old White Ape said it could expose weak-willed Demon Beasts and strengthen the Demon Domain’s cohesion.
• Old White Ape explained that easily incited Demon Beasts could serve indebted talents, who needed Demon Crystals to repay their debts and an outlet for their pressure.

Old White Ape explained how to undermine the Human Race by attacking the Reserve Corps’ reputation and trust rather than its strength. He proposed spreading rumors that Demon Domain agents had infiltrated the new recruits, even if the recruits were innocent.

• The young white ape realized Old White Ape could use the Human Race’s response to the public opinion offensive to encourage enlistment and weaken the Reserve Corps from within.
• Old White Ape rejected the young white ape’s suggestion to place hidden agents in the Reserve Corps, explaining that such infiltration had not changed the war’s outcome.
• Old White Ape trampled his flower bed and showed the young white ape how destroying or damaging beautiful things stirred people’s emotions.
• Old White Ape explained that the Reserve Corps drew strength from its courage, its cause, and the Human Race’s trust in its reputation.
• Old White Ape proposed spreading a rumor that Demon Domain spies had joined the Reserve Corps during enlistment, warning that even innocent recruits could be met with suspicion.

Old White Ape explained how rumors and covert schemes could weaken the Human Race’s Reserve Corps, then warned a young white ape not to mistake praise for sincere promises. The young white ape left subdued, told to think carefully before accepting anyone’s words.

• The young white ape questioned whether rumors about the Reserve Corps could affect the Human Race, and Old White Ape explained that suspicion among recruits could weaken their bonds.
• Old White Ape said he would avoid sending troops until the Demon Domain could launch a real war, when inexperienced Reserve Corps soldiers might become vulnerable.
• Old White Ape taught the young white ape that placing many low-cost schemes could create opportunities, even if most came to nothing.
• Old White Ape praised the young white ape as a possible future leader of the White Ape Clan, and the young white ape grew inspired.
• Old White Ape revealed that he had told similar things to many clansmen and cautioned the young white ape against trusting praise without judgment.
• The young white ape left dejected, while Old White Ape told him to think more about what he had said.

After rumors spread that the Demon Domain had planted sleeper agents among young recruits, the Ink Pavilion exposed and executed the rumor-mongers, but suspicion lingered. Yuan Qingshan announced a new unit called Army-Breaker and urged young people to enlist, leaving the new force flooded with applications and the public questioning whether it could live up to its purpose.

• Old White Ape surveyed the ruined flower bed and eagerly began tending it again.
• Rumors claimed the Demon Clan had sent New Year's gifts as a trap to recruit young people and plant sleeper agents among them.
• The Dark Pavilion arrested and executed the people behind the rumors during a brief livestream, but public discussion continued.
• The Reserve Corps posted the statement, "With my blood, I shall win clear skies," as the online debate began to quiet.
• Yuan Qingshan publicly defended the young recruits and announced the formation of Army-Breaker, calling on it to plant its banner atop Skyvault Ravine.
• Young people submitted so many applications to Army-Breaker that the registration portal nearly crashed, while people questioned whether the new unit could fulfill its role.

Yuan Qingshan and Qi Changshan discussed how the new Army-Breaker group would affect the Reserve Corps, while Yu Sheng and Shi Guang quietly parted before setting out on separate paths. Yu Mo prepared an elaborate, embarrassing welcome for Yu Sheng in Ink City.

• Yuan Qingshan worried that establishing Army-Breaker might make the Reserve Corps feel neglected, but Qi Changshan said both groups would be driven to compete harder.
• Yu Sheng and Shi Guang decided to part, with Yu Sheng going to Ink Pavilion and Shi Guang remaining in the Demon Domain to pursue the Seventh Awakening.
• Yu Sheng and Shi Guang packed their belongings, left their home, and accidentally departed without letting their neighbor get into the elevator.
• Yu Mo organized the Light Group outside Ink City's gates and planned banners, flowers, and a scripted welcome for Yu Sheng.
• Yu Mo assigned Chu Huai the role of a big, dumb oaf, and Chu Huai glared at him as Yu Mo insisted he follow instructions.

Yu Mo’s welcome ceremony for Yu Sheng went awry when he learned Yu Sheng had already reached the Light Group by train. Yu Mo escaped the humiliating procession, leaving Chu Huai and the others to carry the decorations through the city under threat of having their pay docked.

• Yu Mo waited for Yu Sheng at the entrance, confident that his elaborate welcome ceremony would impress him.
• Yu Mo learned Yu Sheng had already arrived at the Light Group by train and told the others to carry the banners and flowers through the city instead.
• Yu Mo claimed he could not join because of his poor reputation, then fled by car and ordered the others to follow through with the procession.
• Chu Huai told the group to throw away the decorations, but Yu Mo threatened to dock ten years’ pay if they did.
• Chu Huai picked up a bouquet and hurried away from the group, leaving the others to realize he had run off too.

Yu Mo welcomed Yu Sheng to Ink City with an embarrassing public display, then asked about his progress toward the Seventh Awakening and his ability to face stronger opponents. Yu Sheng said he was still far from the Seventh Awakening and could not yet challenge a Demon Lord, leaving him as a potential safeguard in a future war with the Demon Domain.

• A woman from Sin City grabbed a bouquet, prompting the crowd to scramble for flowers and abandon their banners.
• Yu Mo greeted Yu Sheng and showed him the Light Group members performing an extravagant welcome outside.
• Yu Sheng saw Chu Huai among the crowd and tried to leave, but Yu Mo shouted for security and dismissed the welcome as an accident.
• Yu Mo asked Yu Sheng how far he was from the Seventh Awakening, and Yu Sheng indicated that he still had a considerable way to go.
• Yu Sheng said he could escape from a Demon King but would struggle to escape a Demon Lord, and he had not yet understood the laws of the Eighth Awakening.
• Yu Mo considered Yu Sheng a reserve safeguard for himself and the Human Race if a war with the Demon Domain went badly.

Yu Mo arranged for Yu Sheng to enter a medicinal pool and prepare to reach the sixth awakening, while planning to make his name famous so he could become Ink Pavilion Head. A series of online posts then began publicizing Yu Sheng’s achievements and raising his profile across the Human Race.

• Yu Mo told Yu Sheng that he would need to take over as Ink Pavilion Head upon reaching the seventh awakening and ordered him to rest before entering the medicinal pool the next day.
• Yu Mo told the Light Group’s senior leaders that the Human Race had reached a development bottleneck and would have to rely on its people to fight for survival over the next ten years.
• Yu Mo’s plans left the banner-holding members outside the Light Group building embarrassed and resentful after they realized he had blamed the security guards for letting them in.
• A post about Yu Sheng’s potential to become the Human Race’s youngest seventh-awakening cultivator spread online, sharing details of his background and achievements.
• A longtime forum user posted about Yu Sheng’s past trip into the Demon Domain, and another post soon called him the number one of the fifth generation.

An online post declaring Yu Sheng the undisputed number one of the Fifth Generation sparked a wave of debate and led to a public ranking that placed him thirteenth, behind Sun Wen and a popular actor. The actor feared Yu Mo would punish him for taking the top spot, while his manager suspected Yu Mo and the Light Group were promoting Yu Sheng.

• A trending post praised Yu Sheng as the leading figure of the Fifth Generation, prompting people online to question his achievements and debate the claim.
• People created a public ranking in which Sun Wen placed second, Yu Sheng placed thirteenth, and an actor famous for playing heroes against Demon Beasts took first place.
• The actor's manager woke him, and he posted a video asking people not to call him the number one of the Fifth Generation, saying he was only at the Third Awakening and supported the Ink Pavilion and Reserve Corps.
• Fans flooded the actor's comments with praise, and he panicked that Yu Mo might summon him and kill him for stealing Yu Sheng's spotlight.
• The actor's manager suspected that the Light Group had arranged the sudden news about Yu Sheng to promote him and warned the actor against taking attention away from Yu Sheng.

Yu Mo delayed the Light Group’s next move against Yu Sheng until the inauguration ceremony, planning to release information when public doubts peaked. He then decided to produce a lavish television series praising Yu Sheng and settled on the title “Once There Was a Demon-Suppressing Pass.”

• An actor posted an awkward everyday-life video and praised Yu Sheng, causing his ranking to fall from first to second and easing his fears of Yu Mo.
• Yu Mo told the Light Group to let doubts about Yu Sheng grow until the inauguration ceremony, then release figures one by one to strengthen Yu Sheng’s position.
• Yu Mo ordered the Light Group to recruit people to curse Yu Sheng and stir up public opinion.
• Yu Mo dismissed concerns about the actor and said he might provide him with resources, then proposed making a two-hundred-episode series praising Yu Sheng.
• Yu Mo rejected several possible titles before choosing “Once There Was a Demon-Suppressing Pass” and said he would ask Sun Wen to invest.

Yu Mo learned of Old White Ape’s scheme to undermine Yu Sheng and anticipated the Human Race’s breakthrough plans. Old White Ape responded by publicly congratulating Yu Sheng and offering the Human Race a choice designed to sow doubts about his appointment as Ink Pavilion Head.

• Yu Mo dismissed a Light Group member, then guessed that Old White Ape’s interest in making a TV series served a deeper purpose and vowed to make a more popular show.
• Old White Ape heard that Yu Mo had countered his Army-Breaker move and that the Human Race was publicizing Yu Sheng while revealing only part of his record.
• Old White Ape suspected Yu Mo was preparing Yu Sheng for the Ink Pavilion Head position and using the publicity to pressure him.
• Old White Ape ordered Young White Ape to congratulate Yu Sheng in advance and help spread his name throughout the Human Race.
• Old White Ape planned to offer five years of peace and the Thousand-Li Demon Plain if the Human Race chose anyone but Yu Sheng, intending to stir rumors and weaken support for Yu Sheng’s appointment.

Old White Ape planned to undermine Yu Mo’s efforts to make Yu Sheng a hero by collecting information and turning the Human Race against him. At the Ink Pavilion, Yu Sheng entered a Medicine Pool and began clearing his own meridians, leaving the two old men unsure what they were needed for.

• Old White Ape explained that he would smear Yu Sheng’s name and make the Human Race doubt him, even if the scheme failed to secure the Thousand-Li Demon Plain.
• Old White Ape ordered the young White Ape to gather every detail about Yu Sheng’s life, personality, contacts, and actions.
• Old White Ape anticipated how Yu Mo might retaliate against the Demon Domain and wondered whether he would attack through persuasion or direct action.
• At the Ink Pavilion, Yu Sheng entered the energy-filled Medicine Pool to absorb its energy and clear his meridians.
• The two old men watched Yu Sheng endure the pain and work on his meridians himself, then joked that Yu Mo had summoned them only to make them feel useless.

Yu Sheng endured the Medicine Pool’s violent energy as the Mountains and Rivers Bottle calmed it and strengthened his body. He continued absorbing the pool’s vast reserves, leaving the two Support System Awakened elders wondering whether he could reach the Ninth Awakening.

• Two old men considered knocking Yu Sheng out or leaving, but stayed because they feared he would die in the Medicine Pool without their help.
• Yu Sheng endured the pool’s punishing energy as his meridians, bones, muscles, and organs grew stronger.
• The Mountains and Rivers Bottle appeared above Yu Sheng, softened the energy, and projected phantom mountains, rivers, and beasts before fading back into his body.
• The pool’s energy continued flowing steadily into Yu Sheng, and his strength rose rapidly.
• Yu Sheng absorbed half the Energy Fluid without stopping, prompting the two elders to marvel at his capacity and consider the possibility that he could reach the Ninth Awakening.

Two old men struggled to supply enough Energy Fluid for Yu Sheng’s breakthrough, fearing that protecting him through the ninth awakening could exhaust the human race’s reserves. After they left him alone, his awakening objects appeared and formed a radiant world around him as he sensed the breakthrough.

• Two old men vowed to protect Yu Sheng until he reached the ninth awakening and worried that the Energy Fluid supply was running out.
• One old man left to request more Demon Crystals while the other watched Yu Sheng absorb energy from the Medicine Pool.
• For an hour, the old men kept turning Demon Crystals into Energy Fluid until Yu Sheng’s absorption slowed and the power of rules began to crack space around him.
• The exhausted old men left the room to avoid Yu Sheng’s uncontrolled breakthrough strength.
• The Dragon-Patterned Staff, Mountains and Rivers Bottle, Phoenix Hammer, and Light Blue Pearl appeared around Yu Sheng and formed a unique world with him at its core.

Yu Sheng advanced to the seventh awakening after realizing that what he truly wanted to create was a home, not a new world. He emerged to find Yu Mo waiting in the cold, who laid out a plan to announce Yu Sheng as the next Ink Pavilion Head.

• Yu Sheng questioned whether creating a new world was truly what he wanted and realized that home was where his heart felt most at peace.
• A phantom of Yu Sheng's newly purchased home took shape, and he entered the seventh awakening as the youngest person in Human Race history to reach it.
• Yu Sheng opened the door and found Yu Mo waiting outside in the cold, visibly ill but enthusiastically praising him.
• Yu Mo told Yu Sheng to rest for two days before holding a press conference to announce him as Ink Pavilion Head, which would draw the attention of the Demon Domain.
• Yu Sheng calmly agreed and walked away, leaving Yu Mo to complain that he had hoped for some comfort.

Yu Mo’s attempt to make Yu Sheng worry about him failed, so he bullied a Light Group member instead. At Demon-Suppressing Pass, soldiers wondered why the Demon Domain kept sending gifts and announcing that Yu Sheng would become Ink Pavilion Head.

• Yu Sheng told Yu Mo that people at the Sixth Awakening did not get fevers, exposing his act and prompting Yu Mo to wipe the powder from his face.
• Yu Mo blamed a Light Group member for the failed idea and repeatedly threatened to dock his pay while accusing him of silently cursing his boss.
• The Light Group member endured Yu Mo’s rambling until he put in his earphones and tuned him out.
• Several Demon Lords announced that the Demon Domain congratulated Yu Sheng on becoming Ink Pavilion Head and hoped for happy cooperation.
• Reserve Corps soldiers at Demon-Suppressing Pass discussed the Demon Domain’s daily announcements and gifts, which Elder Chu had ordered them to bring back.

Yu Mo used the Ink Pavilion to mock Old White Ape with increasingly absurd public offers to surrender, then spread the message into the Demon Domain through Eighth Awakening fighters and released bird Demon Beasts. The chapter left the Human Race’s information campaign underway as the birds carried a second wave of audio messages into enemy territory.

• Human defenders at the four passes complained of boredom and joked about invading the Demon Domain, though they knew the higher-ups would not approve.
• Yu Mo anticipated Old White Ape’s attempt to drive a wedge between the Human Race and Yu Sheng and decided to turn the tactic around.
• The Ink Pavilion posted a demand for Old White Ape to step down, claiming the Human Race would cede half its territory, then escalated the offer to all its land, wealth, and leaders’ lives.
• After deleting the first two posts, the Ink Pavilion published, “A shame, we really did want to surrender...” while Eighth Awakening fighters shouted the messages from all four passes.
• Yu Mo arranged for the Human Race to release low-level bird Demon Beasts with built-in sound systems, sending a second round of audio messages into the Demon Domain.

Old White Ape recognized Yu Mo’s avian-message campaign as a crude but effective threat and decided to retaliate by publicly praising Yu Mo with a deliberately ridiculous poem. He left Young White Ape to spread the surrender offer and poem outside Demon-Suppressing Pass, hoping to undermine Yu Mo’s plans by making the Human Race see him as a spotless hero.

• Old White Ape explained that the Eleven God Race’s shared interests kept his position secure despite calls for him to abdicate.
• Old White Ape told Young White Ape to announce that he would surrender the Demon Domain if the Human Race dismantled Demon-Suppressing Pass.
• Old White Ape improvised a nonsensical poem praising Yu Mo and ordered Young White Ape to reproduce it exactly outside the pass.
• Old White Ape said he wanted to disgust Yu Mo and whitewash him as a hero, making the Human Race feel guilty and disrupting his plans.

Old White Ape ordered rumors about Yu Mo spread and prepared to pursue trouble involving the God Race’s growing debts. Two days later, Yu Sheng prepared to take over as Ink Pavilion Head amid public skepticism, with the handover ceremony about to begin.

• Old White Ape told Young White Ape to spread rumors that Yu Mo liked elderly women, was kept by rich women, and liked being a grandson.
• Young White Ape reported Yu Sheng’s publicly known achievements, and Old White Ape guessed Yu Mo was saving a major reveal for Yu Sheng’s Inauguration Ceremony.
• Old White Ape said he would stop monitoring the Human Race and seek rewards when the God Race’s creditors came to collect their debts.
• At Ink Pavilion headquarters, Yu Mo inspected Yu Sheng in his formal clothes and said the preparations for the ceremony were perfect.
• The Ink Pavilion’s announcement and endorsements publicized Yu Sheng’s unprecedented appointment, while viewers in the livestream questioned the handover and demanded an explanation.