Chapter Summaries

Murong Yunji’s Second Brother secretly sought to align with Jiangnan, convinced that the northern snake demons posed a threat and that Jiangnan might be able to resist them. After he arranged for the snakes to ambush the people coming to North Sea City, countless giant snakes rose from the bloody sea to face a lone person.

• Murong Yunji’s Second Brother argued that the northern families should accept the snake demons’ benefits but prepare alternatives because the demons might be treating them like livestock.
• Second Brother urged his companions to build ties with Jiangnan, citing its defense of North Sea City and Chen Qing’s gains from the Ancient Dragon Palace.
• Second Brother warned that Murong Yunji might be gathering intelligence and that their eldest brother had grown strange after practicing the Infinite Spirit Curse.
• Second Brother admitted he had leaked word of the coming smuggling operation to the northern monsters and silenced the messenger.
• Giant snakes erupted from the blood-filled waters of North Sea City and faced a lone person as the ground trembled.

Yuchi Feihong confronted the giant pythons besieging North Sea City and revealed overwhelming power, drawing out the legendary Earth Mother. He stopped her charge with one arm and challenged her to awaken fully, leaving the battle poised to begin in earnest.

• Yuchi Feihong raised a massive blue wave with a single step, washing away the blood-red waves and making the giant pythons recoil.
• Yuchi Feihong revealed his black-scaled form, and the Earth Mother emerged from underground and swallowed thousands of fleeing pythons.
• Yuchi Feihong killed the charging pythons in an instant and waited as the Earth Mother began activating her full bloodline.
• The Earth Mother lunged at Yuchi Feihong, but he stopped her charge with one scaled arm without moving.
• Yuchi Feihong told the Earth Mother she was still half-asleep and gave her another quarter of an hour to prepare.

Yuchi Feihong defeated the Earth Mother and gathered its flesh while Murong Yunfei approached him and Murong Yunji arrived with a blood sorcerer to extract its essence. In Yanyun City, Wang Shiyu returned with the black lamp and declared that Chen Qing was the King of Qin.

• Murong Yunfei left his hidden position on the snowy mountain and approached Yuchi Feihong, who accused the Murong Family of leaking news about Jiangnan's arrival.
• Yuchi Feihong explained that the Murong Family's hiding place had been too close to the Earth Mother and continued collecting the monster's flesh.
• Murong Yunji arrived with a thousand people and a young blood sorcerer, who used spells to condense the Earth Mother's blood essence into crystals.
• Murong Yunfei told Murong Yunji that their eldest brother had been acting strangely, and she asked him to explain.
• Wang Shiyu returned to Yanyun City carrying the black lamp, which drove back the giant snakes surrounding him.
• When the woman in white asked how Chen Qing compared with the King of Qin, Wang Shiyu said that Chen Qing was the King of Qin.

Wang Shiyu told a woman that Chen Qing was Pu Yunchuan, the King of Qin, and that a second King of Qin had appeared while the first remained alive. In Jiangnan, Chen Qing learned that the Three Lives Eye still existed despite his having deleted it from the world’s original version, and he asked the Mirror Demon when it had been born.

• In Yanyun City, Wang Shiyu identified Chen Qing as Pu Yunchuan by the scent and structure of his spirit body, while the woman warned him not to expose himself.
• Wang Shiyu explained that he had stayed in the mortal world because fates had changed and that Pu Yunchuan’s spirit body was a major variable.
• Wang Shiyu told the woman that the King of Qin was still alive and wandering the world, even though another Pu Yunchuan had been born as Chen Qing.
• Wang Shiyu and the woman discussed the two Kings of Qin, whose unpredictable destinies pointed toward a greater upheaval, and decided to wait for Chen Qing to join the plan to trap the Yang God.
• In Jiangnan, Chen Qing questioned the Mirror Demon after learning that someone possessed the Three Lives Eye, a talent he had deleted from the game’s original version.
• Chen Qing asked the Mirror Demon if it remembered when it was born.

Chen Qing questioned the Mirror Demon about its past and discovered it had been active for only a thousand years, despite knowing of the Heavenly Duke Codex. The Mirror Demon hinted that Chen Qing’s existence and the presence of two Pu Yunchuans were wrong, leaving Chen Qing wondering who was patching the world and what lay beyond it.

• Chen Qing confronted the Mirror Demon about his sense that it was hiding something, and it admitted its memories only went back a thousand years, to when Yu Ji first found it during the Warlock Dynasty.
• Chen Qing questioned the Mirror Demon about the Heavenly Duke Codex, and it said it knew its origins but could not reveal everything it knew.
• The Mirror Demon warned Chen Qing that his existence was wrong and asked whether he wondered why there were two Pu Yunchuans in the world.
• Chen Qing pressed the Mirror Demon about what it knew, but it warned him to stop asking because revealing more could bring consequences.
• Chen Qing concluded that the world seemed like a blueprint receiving patches and wondered who was applying them.

Yuchi Feihong learned that wild giant pythons were difficult for Heavenly Python Palace to control, explaining why they avoided the frozen lands near Northern Wolf Pass and why the northern passage could be safe. Murong Yunliu revealed that his brothers had practiced the Infinite Spirit Arts and developed disturbing symptoms after stopping, while their eldest brother had undergone a sinister change.

• Murong Yunliu told Yuchi Feihong that giant pythons avoided the frozen ground near Northern Wolf Pass and that an envoy had once guided a Murong family member through areas where the snakes craved human flesh.
• Yuchi Feihong recalled Chen Qing's theory that Heavenly Python Palace could not control its lesser demons, leading it to establish boundaries and leave some regions safe.
• Murong Yunliu described an envoy whose aura seemed powerful enough to swallow the Northern Wolf Kingdom, and Yuchi Feihong eagerly wondered about meeting him.
• Murong Yunliu told Murong Yunji that their eldest brother had changed after practicing the Infinite Spirit Arts, which an envoy had offered as a secret method for spellcasters.
• Murong Yunliu admitted that he and his brothers had also practiced the arts, stopped a month earlier, and felt something wrong with their bodies; at his nod, the men unfastened their upper garments.

Murong Yunji learned that the Murong Family had been testing the suspicious Nascent Soul Method and revealed that she had broken through using the Dragon Transformation Method. After agreeing to examine her eldest brother, she learned a northern envoy had arrived to visit the family.

• Murong Yunliu told Murong Yunji that the Murong Family had stopped cultivating the Nascent Soul Method after suspecting it had changed their eldest brother’s personality.
• Murong Yunji examined Murong Yunliu and revealed that she had surpassed the cultivation limit, convincing him that Jiangnan offered a safer path forward.
• Murong Yunji identified the power in Murong Yunliu as an embryo formed from spiritual power and promised to ask Jiangnan’s scholarly spellcasters to investigate the method.
• Murong Yunji displayed the Dragon Transformation Method and invited her brothers to visit Jiangnan to learn about it.
• Murong Yunji said she would inspect her eldest brother at Northern Wolf Pass, but a message arrived that an envoy from the north was visiting the Murong Family.

Murong Yunji and Yuchi Feihong reached Northern Wolf City and learned that the earth spirit revival had poisoned the grasslands and caused demons to multiply at a terrifying rate. After noticing that every envoy brought a precious Earth Mother and that Murong Yuntian had tracked their journey, Murong Yunji began to suspect an envoy was traveling with them.

• Murong Yunliu told Murong Yunji that poisoned grass had forced the Northern Wolf Kingdom to slaughter its livestock, leaving ordinary people dependent on demon meat delivered by giant pythons.
• Murong Yunji and Yuchi Feihong reached Northern Wolf City and saw mountains of demon corpses beside an enormous Earth Mother.
• Murong Yunliu explained that ice wolves now produced huge litters that matured within a month, and the giant pythons kept their numbers from overwhelming the kingdom by providing demon meat.
• Murong Yunji questioned why every envoy brought an Earth Mother despite their great value and wondered why no one had retaliated after one was killed in North Sea City.
• Murong Yuntian greeted the group at the city gate, prompting Murong Yunji to suspect that an envoy was among their companions.

Murong Yunji and Yuchi Feihong arrived in Northern Wolf City and learned that three envoys from the north had gained the support of competing powers. As the city emptied and political upheaval loomed, they suspected a spy was among their party and resolved to report to Chen Qing.

• Murong Yuntian greeted Murong Yunji at the city gate, and the group was surprised by his sudden change into a refined, talkative man.
• Murong Yuntian explained why Murong Yunji had stayed away for decades, recalling her former military influence and the Murong Family's decline after their father's death.
• Murong Yunji noticed the deserted streets and black lamps outside every household, and Murong Yuntian said the Moon Nether Envoy had persuaded the imperial family and Beiyu Family to adopt them.
• Murong Yuntian described the Black Lotus Envoy's agreement with the Murong Family and the arrival of the Radiant Sun Envoy, whose past visits had coincided with upheaval in other kingdoms.
• Murong Yuntian urged the group to keep Murong Yunji's return secret, while Murong Yunji and Yuchi Feihong concluded that Northern Wolf Kingdom might face internal strife and that a spy could be traveling with them.
• Murong Yunji and Yuchi Feihong decided to report what they had learned to Chen Qing as soon as possible.

Murong Yunji consulted Chen Qing through a costly Dragon Palace mirror about suspicious cultivation methods, black lamps, and rival envoys in the Northern Wolf Kingdom. Chen Qing warned that the Nascent Soul Method might be a trap and suspected the factions were using local families as proxies in a contest for control.

• Murong Yunji judged that neither her eldest nor second brother was telling the whole truth, then contacted Chen Qing through the secret mirror.
• Murong Yunji reported the black lotus, the black burning lamps, and the Nascent Soul Method; Chen Qing said the method was fake and warned her to stop her brothers from cultivating it.
• Chen Qing identified the black lamps as Yin-Yang Road treasures containing vicious ghosts and advised Murong Yunji to avoid them.
• Chen Qing explained that the three envoys likely represented rival Heavenly Python Palace factions using local families as proxies to compete for control of the Northern Wolf Kingdom.
• Chen Qing warned Murong Yunji and Yuchi Feihong that their presence might draw the factions' attention and urged them to act cautiously, especially because a mole might be among them.

Murong Yunji joined the Murong Family’s reception of the Radiant Sun Envoy, who identified Yunji’s Dragon Transformation Method and challenged its value. When Yunji assumed the woman represented the Heavenly Python Palace, the envoy denied it and plunged Yunji’s vision into a gray-and-white world.

• Murong Yunliu told Murong Yunji that the envoy had arrived, and Yunji went with Murong Yuntian and her brothers to welcome her.
• Murong Yunji and the Shen Family members were struck by the envoy’s alluring appearance, while Murong Yuntian remained composed and hosted her.
• The envoy discussed the Infinite Spirit Method with Murong Yuntian and recognized that Murong Yunji had obtained the Dragon Transformation Method.
• The envoy criticized the Dragon Transformation Method’s limitations, prompting Murong Yunji to defend it as a Jiangnan advantage and question the Heavenly Python Palace’s methods.
• The envoy denied ever claiming to belong to the Heavenly Python Palace, then used an unknown power that turned Murong Yunji’s world gray and white.

A barrier envoy tried to persuade the Murong Family to reject Black Lotus's spirit-focused cultivation method and consider her own, while Beiyu Jing spoke with Emperor Dugu Yunqing about the kingdom's divided loyalties. The emperor wondered whether siding with Jiangnan could bring it into the struggle.

• The envoy created a barrier around the Murong Family and warned that their cultivation method left warlocks vulnerable to martial artists, urging Murong Yuntian to examine her method.
• The envoy invited Murong Yunji, a friend from Jiangnan, to review the cultivation method as well.
• Beiyu Jing met Emperor Dugu Yunqing inside a barrier at the imperial palace and explained that her family had joined Nether Moon's side.
• The emperor lamented that foreign envoys were drawing the great families into conflict and that he could neither stop them nor restore imperial authority.
• The emperor asked Beiyu whether Jiangnan would have the standing to intervene if he chose to side with it.

Xiao Mingxue enjoyed exploring Liuzhou and returned home to the warmth of Chen Qing’s mother, easing Wei Gongcheng’s concerns that she might meddle in local affairs. Chen Qing gathered the seven Underworld officials to explain the capital’s retreat amid rising demonic threats and raised whether Liuzhou should expand and intervene in the Northern Wasteland.

• Xiao Mingxue explored Liuzhou with Yun Niang, then hurried home for the old madam’s duck soup.
• Wei Gongcheng watched Xiao Mingxue and concluded that her gentle behavior eased his worries about her interfering in local affairs.
• Chen Qing assembled all seven Underworld officials at the prefectural office to discuss growing unrest across the Central Plains.
• Chen Qing explained that stronger demons and monsters had weakened the capital’s control, prompting it to recall officials and troops from some regions.
• Wei Gongcheng understood why Chen Qing had built up Jiangnan’s forces after hearing of devastating insect demon attacks in Qinghe.
• Chen Qing asked the officials to consider expanding their territory and entering the struggle in the Northern Wasteland.

Chen Qing discussed Jiangnan’s expansion plans and decided to intervene in the Northern Wolf Kingdom’s proxy war to prevent the north from monopolizing newly awakened demons. He chose to cooperate with Wang Shiyu’s faction and sent Ziyue north, who asked to bring A Li and have her undergo Dragon Transformation.

• Tian Heng assessed possible expansion routes and warned that advancing toward Tiannan, the southeast, or the seas would stretch Jiangnan’s forces.
• Chen Qing explained that factions from the Heavenly Python Palace were competing for control of the Northern Wasteland’s kingdoms, including the strategically important Northern Wolf Kingdom.
• Chen Qing argued that Jiangnan needed a foothold in the north before demons awakened by the melting Arctic could strengthen the giant serpents there.
• Chen Qing proposed cooperating with Wang Shiyu’s faction, and the group agreed to divide the Northern Wolf Kingdom equally if they won it.
• Chen Qing and Ziyue decided that Ziyue would lead the mission north, and Ziyue asked to bring A Li so she could undergo Dragon Transformation.

A refugee family fleeing monstrous dangers argued over whether Jiangnan could offer safety, and the old father sent Liangzi to carry the dying Yanzi toward its boundary. A flying centipede caught them before they could reach it, tearing Yanzi from Liangzi as they fell from a cliff.

• The old man urged his family to conserve their scarce boiled water, but they discovered that little Yanzi was barely breathing.
• The old man argued that the family had to flee because the Southern Barbarians and monsters made staying home too dangerous, and he insisted Jiangnan remained safe.
• The old man ordered Liangzi to carry Yanzi toward Jiangnan's boundary, even if she died on the way, while his wife protested.
• Liangzi ran through the forest with Yanzi on his back as a gigantic centipede pursued them.
• Liangzi leaped from a cliff toward the boundary marker, but the flying centipede caught up and tore Yanzi from his back along with part of his flesh.

A burly young man and his sister arrived at the Yunzhou Underworld after dying while fleeing a centipede demon, and he begged the judge to save their parents still trapped beyond Jiangnan. The judge explained that the Underworld could not reach outside its borders, but Shen Shiyi’s war horn sounded and summoned every ghost soldier to the administration tower.

• The burly young man rushed up the steps to reunite with Yanzi and realized that both siblings had died.
• The masked judge determined that the siblings had reached the Yunzhou Underworld after fleeing the centipede demon into Jiangnan.
• The burly young man pleaded with the judge to rescue his parents, but the judge said the Underworld could not cross Jiangnan’s border.
• A battlefield horn sounded for the first time, and Shen Shiyi ordered all enlisted ghost soldiers to report to the administration tower in armor.
• The judge and the departed souls learned that war was about to begin.

Elder Liu explained that Jiangnan’s Underworld had fought off Yin-Yang Road evil spirits while Jiangnan reclaimed the West Sea, revealing the danger behind outward expansion. Ziyue proposed expanding into Southeast Commandery to secure the southern wilderness and its resources, and Chen Qing considered the risks posed by the Four Kings and other threats.

• Elder Liu told the young judge that Jiangnan’s Underworld had faced a brief war during the campaign to reclaim the West Sea.
• Elder Liu explained that expanding Jiangnan’s territory opened the Underworld’s barrier against the Yin-Yang Road, allowing evil spirits to invade until the living-world territory was secured.
• The young judge realized that Jiangnan’s planned expansion into Southeast Commandery meant another war.
• Ziyue argued that the southern wilderness’s demons could provide blood essence for reviving the Dragon Palace and that Jiangnan should try to recruit sealed monsters.
• Ziyue said Southeast Commandery offered a relatively safe route that could avoid the Four Kings of the Yin-Yang Road.
• Chen Qing recalled that Southeast Commandery had a troublesome presence of its own.

Yuchi Feihu, Shen Shiyi, and Shen Lao'er investigated Yuerong City and found Southeast Commandery’s people fleeing after the Southern Barbarians massacred Bishan City. Shen Lao'er explained why the region was vulnerable and why the Southern Wilderness was a comparatively safe target for Jiangnan’s expansion, while the group considered the dangers of the coming campaign and the threat of the Yin-Yang Road.

• Yuchi Feihu and Shen Shiyi saw crowds fleeing Yuerong City, and Shen Shiyi asked Shen Lao'er why the southeastern people were abandoning their homes.
• Shen Lao'er explained that man-eating monsters in the forests and the Southern Barbarians’ invasion had turned the region’s former advantages into dangers.
• Shen Lao'er said the Southern Barbarians were suited to mountain warfare, while the court’s withdrawal of troops and the massacre at Bishan City left southeastern families with little reason to stay.
• Shen Lao'er explained that the Southern Wilderness was a safer expansion target than the court, the northern powers, or the Dragon Palace-controlled seas, though Jiangnan’s advance carried risks.
• Shen Shiyi recalled the millions of evil ghosts outside the West Sea barrier and worried that the Yunzhou Underworld could not hold them off during a war of expansion.
• The group set out to assess how long conquering the southeast would take, how to defeat the Southern Barbarians, and whether deadly beings threatened the region’s Yin-Yang Road.

Five-year-old Jiang Xiaoling faced being sacrificed by the Southern Barbarians, and persuaded his parents to flee despite their fear that escape was impossible. Meanwhile, the King of Qin and Mr. Origami plotted to force Jiang Xiaoling to use a summoning device, leaving his family’s next move uncertain.

• Jiang Xiaoling secretly realized his family was about to hand him over to the Southern Barbarians, who intended to sacrifice him, and cursed the system operator for placing him in danger.
• Jiang Xiaoling asked his father whether he would be fed to evil ghosts, and his father hugged him and promised not to surrender him.
• Jiang Xiaoling suggested that his family run away, and his mother urged his father to flee after recounting how the Southern Barbarians had tortured Old Wang’s family.
• Jiang Xiaoling’s father agreed they had to escape but despaired because the city gates were guarded and the streets were controlled by the Southern Barbarians.
• In East Sea City, the King of Qin told Mr. Origami that he had created the crisis to force Jiang Xiaoling to use a summoning device.
• Mr. Origami told the King of Qin that he had changed, and the King of Qin accepted that his scheme might at least narrow down Jiang Xiaoling’s location.

Heavenly Secrets awoke after nearly a month and told Ziyue about a dream involving humanity’s last group of correctors. After A Li failed to penetrate his sealed memories, Ziyue realized the dream had shown a woman from the modern world.

• Mr. Origami asked the King of Qin about the memories he had lost, and the King of Qin said everyone would learn the truth soon.
• Heavenly Secrets woke in Liuzhou and learned from Ziyue that Chen Qing had returned safely using Wang Ye’s Flying Star Mark.
• Ziyue told Heavenly Secrets she was heading north to compete with established guilds for territory and urged him to recover in Jiangnan.
• Heavenly Secrets described dreaming of a woman who spoke of humanity’s last group of correctors, and Ziyue questioned him about what he had said in his sleep.
• Ziyue had A Li search Heavenly Secrets’ memories, but A Li could not break through the memories sealed within him.
• Ziyue learned that the woman in Heavenly Secrets’ dream appeared to come from the modern world.