Chapter Summaries

Wei Gongcheng and the officials in Liuzhou debated how to respond to Tian Heng’s suspected rebellion while fearing an attack on the city or the Fighter Army. Meng Sheng lured Old Wolf away from the south gate, then triggered a signal at Great Azure Mountain as Shen Lao'er and the Mountain God prepared to act.

• Wei Gongcheng learned that scouts sent toward the West Sea had not returned, and Shen Shiyi urged him to activate Liuzhou’s city protection formation.
• Shen San explained that activating the formation could expose Liuzhou to a surprise attack on the Fighter Army, while leaving it down risked a sudden assault on the city.
• Meng Sheng invited Old Wolf to drink and eat venison at Great Azure Mountain, and Old Wolf left his post at Liuzhou’s south gate.
• At Great Azure Mountain, Meng Sheng revealed that he had deliberately lured Old Wolf there, then a surge of energy shot into the sky and Old Wolf realized Meng Sheng had made his move.
• After sensing the disturbance, Shen Lao'er and the Mountain God of Great Azure Mountain agreed that it was time for them to act.

Meng Sheng lured Old Wolf away from Liuzhou as Wei Gongcheng activated the city's defensive array and sent Youyun Jellyfish scouts to summon the Battle God Army. Tian Heng returned to the West Sea forces, revealing that their plan had anticipated Wei Gongcheng's response and that he was heading out to destroy the Battle God Army.

• Meng Sheng told Old Wolf that the plot had moved Great Azure Mountain beyond his return range, and Old Wolf spotted Tian Heng and the Four Generals of the West Sea waiting for him.
• Wei Gongcheng gave ten Youyun Jellyfish orders to deliver and explained to Xu Hu that he had used Old Wolf as bait to protect Liuzhou.
• Shen Shiyi entered the Underworld Grand Array's core, and the array's energy enveloped Liuzhou City.
• West Sea forces spotted the Youyun Jellyfish scouts as they slipped away, while Zhou Tengbin and a scarlet-eyed man discussed Wei Gongcheng's scheme.
• Tian Heng returned wounded, said he could not kill Old Wolf, and learned that Wei Gongcheng had activated Liuzhou's array to notify the Battle God Army.
• Tian Heng set out to destroy the Battle God Army, saying no one in Jiangnan would remain to oppose the West Sea once it was defeated.

The Ancient Demon clan prepared to destroy Chen Qing’s Jiangnan faction and seize the advantage across the realm, while setting plans in motion against the Xiao Household and King Xiang. The chapter ended with Duke of Song, presumed dead, arriving outside the capital with a companion.

• The Ancient Demon clan revealed that Tian Heng had originally been sent to kill Chen Qing and later joined his ranks as part of their scheme.
• Tian Heng led his army toward Jiangnan, while the Ancient Demons stayed behind to guard against Xu Hu and Wei Gongcheng.
• The red-robed woman said King Chujiang and agents among King Xiang’s followers were ready to strike once the ghost soldiers reached the border.
• Duke of Song arrived outside the capital with a companion, despite having already received a grand funeral.

Mu Hongqing used his art to guide a grateful former sailor into helping him and Liu Yu enter the capital unnoticed. Liu Yu hinted that Mu’s hidden methods could threaten his bond with his disciple, Chen Ying, before they turned to the important task Lord Ziyue had assigned them.

• A gate guard recognized Mu Hongqing as the commissioner who had saved his sister from water ghosts years earlier and welcomed him into the capital.
• Mu Hongqing’s companion revealed that his art planted cause and effect, letting him find indebted people and use their gratitude to secure help.
• Mu Hongqing and Liu Yu passed through the gate without attracting attention.
• Liu Yu joked that Mu Hongqing’s disciple, Chen Ying, might reject him if she learned about his art.
• Mu Hongqing reminded Liu Yu that they had come to handle the important task Lord Ziyue had assigned them.

Mu Hongqing and Liu Yu discussed the Capital’s hostile spirits, the Four Great Ghost Kings, and the mysterious power hunting Liu Yu and Ziyue. They suspected that power was moving against King Xiang’s forces and left off as Liu Yu began to reveal the Mother and Child Ghosts Temple’s weakness.

• Mu Hongqing and Liu Yu found the Capital deserted and discussed why its atmosphere was colder and more hostile than Jiangnan’s.
• Liu Yu explained that he had come to stop an ancient power from occupying the Capital, identifying it as the force that had hunted him and Ziyue for years.
• Liu Yu described his failed efforts to uncover the power’s origins, while Mu Hongqing connected its moves to the Celestial Master Mansion.
• Mu Hongqing reasoned that the power might exploit King Xiang’s absence and an infiltrated faction to attack his forces.
• Liu Yu confirmed their suspicions and said the Mother and Child Ghosts Temple had a major weakness, prompting Mu Hongqing to ask what it was.

The old Celestial Master warned the emperor that the Mother and Child Ghosts Temple was the weakness of his ghost army, while urging him to coexist with the Ancient Demons. At the Yuchi Residence, Yuchi Peng stood with his father against joining the Ghost Temple faction, then sensed Mu Hongqing’s arrival.

• The emperor asked whether one person could threaten his foundation, and the old Celestial Master explained that destroying the Mother and Child Ghosts Temple would extinguish the lamps sustaining the Ghost Generals.
• The old Celestial Master offered the emperor and King Xiang a share of the future if they coexisted with the Ancient Demons, and warned that defiance would make the emperor the last ruler of the human race.
• At the Yuchi Residence, Yuchi Peng brought his father food as the subordinate families pressed the Yuchi Household to join the imperial family’s Ghost Temple faction.
• Yuchi Peng told his father that Jiangnan’s gentle spiritual power differed from the resentment-based power of the Ghost Temple, and that Bloodline families should resist demons rather than become them.
• Yuchi Peng sensed that Mr. Mu Hongqing had arrived, and his father recognized that the Yuchi Household owed Mu Hongqing a great debt.

Mu Hongqing warned the Yuchi family head that His Majesty was trapped in Cloud Capital and the capital faced a calamity. He explained that Cloud Capital planned to seize the emperor’s ghost army, but the Yuchi family questioned how it could do so and why Mu Hongqing had come to them.

• Mu Hongqing visited the Yuchi family head, who recalled the divine herb that had saved Yuchi Peng and his mother and the favor the family owed him.
• Mu Hongqing said he had rescued his younger sister from the Lu family and stayed with her in Jiangnan for years.
• Mu Hongqing warned that His Majesty was trapped in Cloud Capital and that the capital would soon fall into chaos.
• Mu Hongqing explained that the Mother and Child Ghosts Temple kept the Gate of Yin and Yang open, enabling the emperor’s ghost army to exist.
• The Yuchi family head questioned how Cloud Capital could seize the army, and Yuchi Peng asked whether Mu Hongqing was speaking on Chen Qing’s behalf.
• Mu Hongqing said Lord Ziyue had decided to reveal the secret.

Old Yuchi asked Zhang Xun to open the Ghost Temple for the younger members of the Yuchi Household’s subordinate houses, while secretly trying to learn who might seize control of the capital. Zhang Xun agreed to arrange it that night, leaving Mu Hongqing and Liu Yu unsure who could take the capital so quickly.

• Old Yuchi visited Zhang Xun and refused to change the Yuchi Household’s stance on becoming Ghost Generals.
• Zhang Xun described the benefits of symbiosis with Ghost Generals, while Old Yuchi doubted his claims and asked about His Majesty.
• Old Yuchi explained that his subordinate households were close to rebelling and asked Zhang Xun to open the Ghost Temple for their younger members.
• Zhang Xun agreed to speak with the temple priests, General Luo, and the other noble households, and said he could arrange it that night.
• Old Yuchi returned home and told Mu Hongqing what he had learned; Mu Hongqing and Liu Yu wondered who else could quickly take control of the capital.

Wei Gongyu and the Wei Household’s younger members prepared to accept a Ghost Temple blessing while resenting the Yuchi Household for delaying them, but one quiet relative condemned their ingratitude. In the Yuchi Household’s inner hall, the Yuchi family head assured Mu Hongqing that his recruits among the vassal families were reliable and hinted that the Wei Household had another promising young talent besides Wei Gongcheng.

• Wei Gongyu warned the Wei Household’s younger members not to complain openly as they prepared to enter the Ghost Temple and receive a blessing.
• The younger members blamed the Yuchi family head for keeping the Wei Household out of Jiangnan’s gains and delaying its access to a Ghost General blessing.
• A tall, thin Wei Household man silently judged his relatives as ungrateful and shortsighted, recalling how Wei Gongcheng had been mistreated before rising to prominence.
• Mu Hongqing questioned whether the Yuchi family head’s young recruits could be trusted to infiltrate suspicious families and gather information about a possible rebellion.
• The Yuchi family head defended his judgment of people and told Mu Hongqing that the Wei Household had another promising young talent besides Wei Gongcheng.

At the Ghost Temple, Muye, the White Bone King, unexpectedly chose to select a human vessel himself. He noticed Wei Gongxing, who had hoped not to attract attention, and asked his name.

• Wei Gongyu and the other noble family members entered the vast Ghost Temple and waited nervously for the ritual to begin.
• The priest explained that the Ghost Generals on the Yin-Yang Road would choose among the kneeling children.
• Muye arrived and announced that he would choose someone himself, declining the priest’s offer to arrange a strong direct descendant’s body.
• Muye inspected the children and noticed that Wei Gongxing sighed with relief after Muye initially passed him.
• Muye turned back, asked his name, and Wei Gongxing introduced himself as the noble families watched resentfully.

Wei Gongxing was singled out by the King of White Bones, who demanded to know why he had no ambition to become a symbiotic host. Meanwhile, the Yuchi patriarch explained to Mu Hongqing that Wei Gongxing was a brilliant commander whose talents he had kept hidden, and Wei Gongxing ended the chapter on his knees before a powerful figure he believed intended to rebel against the emperor.

• The King of White Bones noticed Wei Gongxing’s lack of ambition and pressed him to explain why he had no expectations of being chosen as a symbiotic host.
• The Yuchi patriarch told Mu Hongqing that Wei Gongxing was a gifted commander who had helped turn the northern campaign around, then concealed his accomplishments to avoid attention.
• The Yuchi patriarch warned that Wei Gongxing could become a dangerous double-edged sword if given the chance to rise, and Mu Hongqing said he wanted to meet him.
• Wei Gongxing knelt before the powerful figure and begged forgiveness, convinced that the man intended to rebel against His Majesty.

Wei Gongxing openly refused Muye but impressed him with his perceptiveness, and Muye took him into the temple and revealed plans to rebel. Meanwhile, news of a powerful Ghost General’s reincarnation reached the Yuchi Household, where Mu Hongqing and the family head suspected Wei Gongxing had been chosen.

• Wei Gongxing told Muye he feared being drawn into a dangerous scheme, and Muye chose him for his intelligence despite his refusal.
• Muye led Wei Gongxing through a strange mist that separated them from the crowd, then asked him to assess the danger and chances of rebellion.
• Wei Gongxing reasoned that the capital was vulnerable but likely had hidden defenses, and that success depended on whether Muye could control King Xiang’s three hundred thousand Ghost Generals.
• Muye asked Wei Gongxing to join the plot and revealed that his unusual eyes were the Thousand Mechanisms Pupil.
• A steward told the Yuchi family head and Mu Hongqing that a top-tier Ghost General had reincarnated, and both men guessed that Wei Gongxing was the one chosen.

Wei Gongxing deduced that the Duke of Yan was the Ghost Temple’s inside man, while Yuchi Peng and Liu Yu concluded that the White Bone King’s public appearance was meant to hide a larger infiltration plan. The Yuchi household prepared to wait for intelligence from Wei Gongxing before deciding whether to act or flee.

• Wei Gongxing told the White Bone King that the Duke of Yan was likely the inside man and that the White Bone King’s open descent was meant to divert attention.
• Liu Yu explained to Yuchi Peng that the Ghost Temple’s forces were drawing attention while preparing to possess mortals in large numbers, and urged him to track their allies and resources that night.
• Yuchi Peng realized the enemy might have a way to turn mortals into Transcendents within hours, despite the usual adjustment period for Martial Souls.
• Mu Hongqing questioned why the Yuchi household would not inform the Duke of Ying, but the old Yuchi household head insisted they needed reliable intelligence before acting.
• The old Yuchi household head said Wei Gongxing would bring back crucial intelligence and revealed that the household had made preparations beforehand.

At court, officials argued over how to assign the newly awakened recruits while Wei Gongxing held the foremost seat as King Xiang’s Ghost General. Muye accepted command of the reestablished City Defense Guard, leaving Wei Gongyu wary of the newcomers’ unexplained plans.

• Wei Gongxing attended court in the foremost seat, and the officials debated how to place the new recruits amid a shortage of manpower.
• The Duke of Ying and the Duke of Yan argued over whether the recruits should reinforce the Imperial Guard or the Martial Temples.
• Shen Mao proposed rebuilding the City Defense Guard and placing Wei Gongyu in command.
• Muye agreed to the arrangement through Wei Gongyu, saying he would leave for the front once King Xiang returned.
• Wei Gongyu wondered why the newcomers had joined the City Defense Guard instead of infiltrating the Imperial Guard or Martial Temples.

The emperor and King Xiang assessed possible threats to the capital and suspected the Duke of Yue might be organizing a new force. On New Year's Eve, Wei Gongyu's patrol discovered an unsettling concentration of people at the southeastern Martial Temple, where scarlet-eyed members of his household revealed something was wrong.

• The emperor explained to King Xiang why the Imperial Guard and the Ghost Temples' priestly guard would be difficult for rebels to control, then suspected the Duke of Yue of building a separate force from new recruits.
• Wei Gongyu and the other young patrolmen complained that Wei Gongxing had ordered them out on patrol while taking the best yin ground for himself.
• Wei Gongyu's squad arrived at the southeastern Martial Temple and found far more people there than their assignment called for.
• Wei Gongyu sensed something strange among the crowd, and a fellow Wei Household youth saw more than a dozen of their brothers standing silently with scarlet eyes.

Wei Gongyu discovered that scarlet-eyed Wei Household youths had become puppet-like and followed Wei Gongxing, who was possessed by the White Bone King, to the Ghost Temple. Muye killed Lu Sheng and broke the temple’s powerful barrier, leaving the figure who appeared inside to shock Lu Sheng.

• Wei Gongyu noticed that the scarlet-eyed youths were mostly overlooked Wei Household children and watched them march toward the Ghost Temple while he and Wei Gonglin collapsed in terror.
• Lu Sheng confronted Wei Gongxing, recognizing Muye within him, and refused to stand aside because he remained loyal to King Xiang.
• Muye swiftly beheaded Lu Sheng, refined his blood and qi into a crystal, and swallowed it despite the strain his attack placed on Wei Gongxing’s body.
• Lu Sheng revealed that King Xiang had prepared a ninth-level Earthly Fiends barrier around the Ghost Temple and warned that the Imperial Guard could not stop it.
• Muye shattered the barrier instantly, and a figure appeared inside the Ghost Temple, leaving Lu Sheng stunned.

Lu Sheng learned that King Chujiang had a powerful ally and was killed after King Chujiang ordered Muye to begin the ritual. The Southeast Ghost Temple's released resentment alerted the city's leaders and summoned the Imperial Guard, while King Chujiang prepared to face them with Quefeng.

• Lu Sheng recalled King Chujiang's history and realized Muye had a powerful backer.
• A flesh-and-blood expert emerged from the Ghost Temple with an aura as powerful as King Chujiang's, and Lu Sheng recognized that the temple could sustain him.
• King Chujiang ordered Muye to begin the ritual, and Muye crushed Lu Sheng's head when he refused to surrender.
• The Southeast Ghost Temple released a stream of yin energy, prompting the Duke of Yan and Zhang Xun to suspect the temple had been taken over.
• The Duke of Yan ordered the Imperial Guard into the city as signal flares filled the sky.
• Muye warned King Chujiang that the Imperial Guard was coming, and King Chujiang revealed that the expert had merged with him and addressed him as Quefeng.

White Phoenix sensed an impossible Dragon King Level presence near the capital as the Imperial Guard mobilized against the crisis at the Southeast Ghost Temple. Lord Muye’s plan ended with the Duke of Ying and the Duke of Yan dead and the Imperial Guard surrendering, while the high priest recognized how precisely human nature had been anticipated.

• White Phoenix sensed a powerful presence near the capital and wondered how the other part of himself could have emerged.
• The Marquis of Xinye ordered the Imperial Guard into the city, and nearly ten thousand soldiers assembled around the Southeast Ghost Temple.
• The Duke of Ying and the Duke of Yan called for the Marquis of Anqing to come out, but an unseen attacker killed them and the other leaders without warning.
• The high priest announced that the dukes had been executed for rebellion and offered the Imperial Guard a pardon if they withdrew from the city.
• The Imperial Guard generals knelt and agreed to leave, while the high priest privately credited Lord Muye with calculating their actions precisely.

Liu Yu explained how King Chujiang escaped the limits of the southeastern Ghost Temple and seized control of the capital, while warning that the newcomers’ unexplained power likely carried a hidden cost. Muye and the red-eyed scions then set out to capture another Ghost Temple, leaving the Xiao Household’s forces seemingly unable to stop them.

• Wei Gongyu and the others reported that King Chujiang had appeared outside the southeastern Ghost Temple, and Liu Yu explained that ancient beings could not remain long beyond places rich in spiritual energy.
• Liu Yu concluded that King Chujiang had used a planted pawn and the deaths of the Duke of Ying and others to turn the Imperial Guard against the Xiao Household.
• Liu Yu and the Yuchi household head suspected the newly empowered Martial Soul wielders had skipped body training through a method with a serious side effect.
• Liu Yu warned that control of all three Ghost Temples would let King Chujiang hold hundreds of thousands of northern ghost soldiers hostage, and he hoped Wei Gongyu had left clues for them.
• After the Duke of Yan’s rebellion spread through the army, Muye drove ten thousand Imperial Guards from the capital and led the red-eyed young scions toward the next Ghost Temple.

Zhang Hao tried to withdraw the south gate Imperial Guard from the capital, but Yuchi Peng urged him to help investigate the power behind the rebels. Zhang Hao remained unwilling to risk his soldiers without reliable information, leaving Yuchi Peng to pursue answers on the road of the dead.

• Zhang Hao told his subordinate that the Imperial Guard had followed orders and should stay out of the conflict after the Duke of Ying died.
• Yuchi Peng confronted Zhang Hao at the south gate, but Zhang Hao refused to act without proper military orders.
• Yuchi Peng argued that staying neutral could cost Zhang Hao future trust and revealed that Lord Muye had killed himself.
• Yuchi Peng said the red-eyed newcomers had gained their formidable powers in only a few days and suspected the power had severe side effects.
• Yuchi Peng proposed finding the dead Wei Gongxing on the road of the dead, but Zhang Hao refused to gamble his soldiers' lives on the plan.