Chapter Summaries

Shen Xing traveled toward Flowing Oil Valley to observe a secret exchange between Weideng Royal City and the Church of Blood Origin. The deal began after Knight Captain Grayson arrived late, struck down Elder Owen, and ordered the goods brought forward.

• Shen Xing slowed Fried Chicken as he approached Flowing Oil Valley to avoid being detected.
• The Blood Origin Cult believers waited for the Weideng Royal City delegation, and Lady Saintess decided they would wait longer for Grayson.
• Knight Captain Grayson arrived with more than a hundred knights and demanded to inspect the goods before handing over his own.
• Elder Owen tried to stop Grayson from leaving, so Grayson struck him with a shockwave and warned the Blood Origin Cult against further disrespect.
• Lady Saintess asked whether the exchange would continue, and Grayson ordered the goods brought forward.
• Fallen Overseers approached carrying large boxes.

Shen Xing considered how to intercept the trade between Knight Captain Grayson and the Blood Origin Cult, then had Gorehowl use Declaration of Strife on both groups. In Flowing Oil Valley, Grayson killed Deacon Eli during a dispute over missing Greater Soul Stones, and the trade descended into a confrontation.

• Grayson displayed his chests of supplies, and the Blood Origin Cult revealed Purple Abyss Holy Blood and Pure Black Blood for Lord Haidesen.
• Shen Xing and his companions watched from the mist and judged that attacking the formidable groups directly would be too risky.
• Gorehowl offered to use Declaration of Strife, and Shen Xing approved as Gorehowl sent its red light toward both groups.
• A Blood Origin Cult member accused Grayson of pocketing a fifth of the Greater Soul Stones, and Grayson killed him with an axe strike.
• The woman in white demanded an explanation, but Grayson dismissed the threat of reporting him to the bishop and Lord Haidesen.

The Blood Origin Cult and Grayson’s Lion Knights clashed after Grayson killed more cult followers despite agreeing to leave. Shen Xing watched from afar, pleased that his schemes had sparked the battle and hoping to kill Masters afterward.

• A dog-nosed Blood Origin Cult follower named Wright killed a Lion Knight, prompting Grayson and the woman in white to threaten each other with a fight.
• Grayson pretended to withdraw, then killed more than a dozen gray-robed cult followers with a surprise axe strike.
• The woman in white ordered the Blood Origin Cult to attack, and Grayson led the Lion Knights into a charge.
• Shen Xing watched the battle through a telescope and explained that Gorehowl’s Declaration of Strife had helped provoke the fighting.
• Shen Xing decided to wait for the two sides to weaken each other before trying to kill one or two Masters.
• Da Hou asked to watch through the telescope, and Shen Xing came up with an idea.

Shen Xing watched the battle between the Lion Knights and the Blood Origin Cult through a projected telescope and sent Onyxia to help secretly. The cultists and their Saintess unleashed their true strength, leaving Grayson badly injured before he transformed into a humanoid lion.

• Shen Xing projected the Flowing Oil Valley battle for his companions, inadvertently revealing the fighters with x-ray vision, and explained that the Blood Origin Cult might have more power to show.
• Grayson overwhelmed the Saintess with a powerful charge and axe strike, embedding her in a rock wall and severely injuring her.
• Shen Xing told Onyxia to assist the fighters in secret, and she vanished into the shadows.
• The Blood Origin Cult activated a bloodline secret art, breaking the Lion Knights' formation, while the Saintess recovered and unleashed a tracking barrage of stars that devastated Grayson.
• Grayson survived the barrage in a crater and began transforming into a humanoid lion as he vowed to kill the Saintess.

Shen Xing waited for the battle at Flowing Oil Valley to weaken both sides before sending his forces to ambush the survivors. Grayson killed the remaining Blood Origin Cult believers, but Hellscream’s attack and the ensuing assault wiped out the Lion Knights and exposed Shen Xing’s scheme.

• Shen Xing watched the evenly matched battle and told Da Hou to wait until one of the Master Rank fighters won.
• Grayson defeated the woman in white, who transformed amid a burst of blood qi and escaped through spatial fluctuations.
• Grayson slaughtered the last Blood Origin Cult believer and planned to blame the battle on the dead Asians.
• Hellscream struck Grayson from several kilometers away with Split the Sky, bypassing his defenses and gravely wounding him.
• Shen Xing’s forces descended on the remaining Lion Knights and killed them in a barrage of attacks.
• Grayson recognized that Shen Xing’s forces had set him up, but a pitch-black dragon claw struck before he could finish his accusation.

Shen Xing killed Grayson Hughes and collected the spoils from the battlefield and cargo crates in Flowing Oil Valley. He opened Grayson's backpack and uncovered more valuable resources, including Ancient Spirit Wood.

• Shen Xing killed Grayson Hughes with a single blow, while the injured woman escaped using a teleportation skill.
• Shen Xing let the woman escape and ordered his forces to clear the battlefield and collect the equipment and materials.
• Shen Xing stored the recovered knight armor, weapons, and Blood Origin Cult supplies, including 4,000 Greater Soul Stones and 100 kilograms of Mithril.
• Shen Xing looted Grayson's Mad Demon Battle Axe, armor, Tier Four soul, advancement material, and Kodo Beast backpack.
• Shen Xing opened the backpack and obtained Soul Stones, Vinar coins, and three pieces of Ancient Spirit Wood.

After defeating the Blood Origin Cult and the Lion Knights, Shen Xing returned to his territory with a vast haul and began sorting through the spoils. He chose to bring the badly injured Xiao Zuanfeng back for treatment and was examining the captured horse armor when the chapter ended.

• Shen Xing ordered Leina to burn the corpses and his troops to erase their own traces while preserving the enemies’.
• Shen Xing learned that Xiao Zuanfeng was gravely injured, then ordered Fordring to take him back and try to save him.
• Shen Xing returned to the territory on Fried Chicken and counted thousands of Greater Soul Stones, tens of thousands of Soul Stones, and other loot.
• Shen Xing examined the Lion Knights’ armor and decided to give the purple sets to the Black Moon Knights and the gold set to Fordring.
• Shen Xing took out a set of Lion Knights Full Barding and began inspecting it.

Shen Xing examined powerful equipment and blueprints from his spoils, including a Mad Demon Battle Axe for Hellscream and plans for siege weapons and stronger walls. He decided to upgrade all 470 sections of the territory’s city wall, but the required materials made him hesitate.

• Shen Xing stored adaptive horse armor and Tungsten Steel Spears, planning to equip the Black Moon Knights with them.
• Shen Xing examined the Mad Demon Battle Axe and decided it would give Hellscream a major combat boost by resetting his skill cooldowns.
• Shen Xing evaluated blueprints for a Large Storm War Crossbow and specialized bolts, then planned to have Logan and the others produce several crossbows.
• Shen Xing learned the Level 3 Alloy City Wall blueprint and chose to upgrade the territory’s 470 wall sections.
• Shen Xing saw the enormous material cost of the wall upgrade and reacted with dismay.

Shen Xing examined the blood essences and other loot he had obtained, discovering that one could help experts reach Grandmaster Rank. He fitted an Unknown Fragment into his seven-petaled lotus lamp, triggering a dazzling transformation that left its full effects unknown.

• Shen Xing upgraded his territory walls at a cost of 700,000 Soul Stones.
• Shen Xing examined Pure Black Blood and Purple Abyss Holy Blood, learning that they could advance experts but that both carried risks.
• Shen Xing decided to keep his identity secret if he sold the blood essences, since Weideng Royal City and the Blood Origin Cult might hunt him.
• Shen Xing inspected the Voice of the Hundred Beasts skill book and decided to trade it for a mental skill.
• Shen Xing matched the Unknown Fragment to a missing petal on his seven-petaled lotus lamp and fitted it into place.
• The lotus lamp erupted in green light, dispelled fog within ten thousand meters, and appeared to transform into a sacred object.

Shen Xing repaired the Unknown Lotus Lantern with its first fragment, unlocking a group teleport and starting a quest to collect all seven fragments. After beginning a bonfire upgrade and giving Yu Feifei a valuable skill book, he prepared to go to the Anomaly Handling Bureau, while Yu Feifei stayed at his house to study.

• Shen Xing restored part of the Unknown Lotus Lantern, gaining a five-second invincibility barrier and a teleport for up to 100 allies, and triggered the Lost Lotus Flame quest at 1/7 fragments.
• Shen Xing began upgrading the Great Bonfire to a Sacred Flame Platform and assigned Logan and Aqi to reforge equipment and make Storm Crossbow Bolts.
• Shen Xing prepared to visit the Anomaly Handling Bureau to sell a Tier Four soul and trade Knight's Broken Blade materials.
• Yu Feifei brought Shen Xing seafood congee, and he gave her the Voice of the Hundred Beasts skill book she had been seeking.
• Yu Feifei accepted the skill book and decided to study it at Shen Xing's house while he was away.

Shen Xing visited the association to exchange a Leader Rank soul and other materials, and learned that Elder Wang had broken through to Master Rank. After Shen Xing sold the soul, Jiang Rong began arranging materials for him.

• Shen Xing left Yu Feifei at his home and flew to the association on Fried Chicken.
• Players in the lobby crowded around Shen Xing for photos and questions, so he messaged Ding Han for help.
• Ding Han and security guards escorted Shen Xing to the top floor, where Elder Wang and Jiang Rong were waiting.
• Elder Wang told Shen Xing that the Rain and Dew Essence and Shen Xing's lotus seed had helped him break through to Master Rank.
• Shen Xing showed Jiang Rong a Leader Rank soul and other materials, and she offered 856,000 contribution points for the soul.
• Shen Xing asked Jiang Rong to exchange the other materials for advancement materials, and the payment appeared in his account.

Shen Xing received an Exoskeleton Armor Blueprint as a reward and learned that Zhang Yu knew his territory’s location near the Blackwing Plains. He then spent nearly all his contribution points on materials and blueprints, including a Level 4 Lightning Tower Blueprint, before leaving the Pioneer Association.

• Zhang Yu gave Shen Xing the Exoskeleton Armor Blueprint and told him the Spiral Labyrinth would open in a week.
• Zhang Yu explained that the bounty Gideon had posted had helped reveal Shen Xing’s territory near the Blackwing Plains, though few people knew its location.
• Shen Xing asked how quickly Zhang Yu could reach the Blackwing Plains, considering whether he could seek help against Lord Haidesen.
• Shen Xing bought 45 Thunder Cores, 127 Pure Water Stones, an Advanced Blacksmith Shop Blueprint, and a Level 4 Lightning Tower Blueprint for nearly all his contribution points.
• Shen Xing left the Pioneer Association through the internal staff passage to avoid being surrounded.

Shen Xing returned home to find Yu Feifei had cleaned his house and cooked him shrimp congee, then traveled back to the Land of Mist with three blueprints. He built and upgraded blacksmith shops and examined a powerful Level 4 Lightning Tower blueprint, leaving the territory ready for further construction.

• Fried Chicken carried Shen Xing home, where he found Yu Feifei resting after cleaning and cooking; she asked to stay at his house with Duoduo while he was away, but he refused.
• Shen Xing ate Yu Feifei's shrimp congee, then sent materials and blueprints to the Land of Mist and returned there.
• Shen Xing examined the Exoskeleton Armor blueprint and learned it could greatly enhance troops, then considered the possibility of future mechas.
• Shen Xing built four blacksmith shops and began upgrading his original shop to an advanced blacksmith shop.
• Shen Xing examined the Level 4 Lightning Tower blueprint, which could upgrade a Level 3 arrow tower to attack multiple enemies with chain lightning, magic piercing, and paralysis.

Shen Xing expanded his territory’s defenses and food production plans, then used the Lotus Pond’s time acceleration to cultivate with his commanders ahead of the Spiral Labyrinth. At Flowing Oil Valley, a knight discovered the corpse horde, and a powerful order of knights arrived hours later.

• Shen Xing ordered Hellscream to build arrow towers and upgrade forty of them into lightning towers.
• Shen Xing inspected the fields and Finger Worm breeding area, noting the wheat harvest and the need to expand food supplies.
• Shen Xing activated double Time Acceleration in the Lotus Pond and discovered it did not let him use Life-Sacrifice Evolution more than once per day.
• Shen Xing and his commanders spent two days cultivating inside the Lotus Pond while only half a day passed outside.
• A silver-gray armored cavalryman encountered the corpse horde in Flowing Oil Valley and fled, and a heavily armed order of knights arrived several hours later.

A cavalry regiment investigated the massacre at Flowing Oil Valley and blamed the Blood Origin Cult, while a wounded woman approached the golden light surrounding Shen Xing’s territory. Shen Xing inspected newly reforged equipment and equipped his commanders and Black Moon Knights, leaving the territory’s forces substantially better armed.

• The greatsword knight’s cavalry regiment found Knight Commander Grayson and the Lion Knights dead, concluded that Grayson had provoked a battle with the Blood Origin Cult, and rode off to demand an explanation from the cult’s bishop.
• A severely wounded woman fled through the black mist toward a golden light and collapsed just before reaching it.
• Shen Xing and Leina visited Aqi’s blacksmith district, where Aqi showed them more than a hundred sets of reforged armor and weapons.
• Shen Xing gave Hellscream the Mad Demon Battle Axe and gave Fordring the Knight Commander’s Heavy Armor, upgrading both commanders’ equipment.
• Xiao Hei and Upper Rank One distributed the remaining gear to more than eighty Tier Two knights and over fifty peak Tier One knights, while Shen Xing set aside horse armor for the Kodo Beasts.

Shen Xing chose to rescue the unconscious Blood Origin Saintess and let her recover while his territory continued to grow. After she awoke, he visited her and asked where she thought she was.

• Shen Xing ordered the wounded Blood Origin Saintess to be brought inside and treated, wary of the sealed power Fordring sensed within her.
• Shen Xing spent the next two and a half days cultivating as his arrow towers repelled increasingly powerful monsters.
• The territory's advanced blacksmith shop finished upgrading, while Shen Xing improved his control over two metal spheres.
• Onyxia reported that the Saintess had awakened, and Shen Xing went with Leina to visit her.
• The Saintess asked Shen Xing where she was.

Shen Xing persuaded the injured Yiweishi to remain in his territory and accepted her damaged compass as thanks. After Yiweishi revealed her white beast ears, Shen Xing inspected the compass and learned that its guidance consumed luck and could carry a curse.

• Shen Xing introduced himself to Yiweishi, who thanked him for saving her and tried to leave despite her injuries because a powerful enemy might pursue her.
• Shen Xing urged Yiweishi to recover in his territory and promised to defend her, raising her favorability toward him.
• Yiweishi gave Shen Xing a damaged compass that had guided her to his territory, and he accepted it after she insisted.
• After Shen Xing and Leina left, Yiweishi removed her headscarf and revealed her trembling white beast ears.
• Shen Xing told Leina to keep watch over Yiweishi, then examined the compass and discovered its guidance cost luck and that its past users had suffered an eternal curse.

Shen Xing used the Wishing Needle to locate a monster gathering place and then hurried to the Blackwater River after Gorehowl found its ferryman. He stepped onto the Soul-Ferrying Boat despite its ten-year lifespan fare, and the attempted deduction failed.

• Shen Xing sacrificed one point of Luck to activate the Wishing Needle, but the Flower of Mist consumed the cost and the compass marked a route to a monster gathering place.
• Gorehowl reported finding the ferryman near the Blackwater River, and Shen Xing flew there with Leina, Onyxia, and old Fordring on Fried Chicken.
• The boatman demanded ten years of lifespan from anyone who boarded the Soul-Ferrying Boat.
• Shen Xing changed into his Ruin Black Dragon form and stepped onto the boat, but the system reported that the lifespan deduction had failed.

Shen Xing paid the Soul-Ferrying Boat’s fare for his subordinates and crossed the Blackwater River with them. A mysterious fisherman failed to catch a Soul Crystal Bream, then explained that its Soul Crystal could help Master Realm experts condense a Primordial Soul and reach the Grandmaster Realm.

• Shen Xing offered to pay the lifespan fare for Fordring, Leina, and the others, earning their admiration.
• The boatman accepted Shen Xing’s payment, and Fordring, Gorehowl, Leina, and Onyxia boarded the boat while the orc squads returned to the territory.
• A powerful creature struck the boat, but the boatman drove it away with his bamboo pole.
• Shen Xing discovered a hidden passenger fishing for Soul Crystal Bream and apologized after the old man noticed his appraisal.
• The fisherman lost his catch and told Shen Xing that a Soul Crystal could greatly strengthen the soul and save a Master Realm expert years on the path to Grandmaster Realm.

Shen Xing learned about the Soul Crystal Bream and traveled with his companions toward the Blackwater River’s white fog, where the boatman began fishing with rare, light-infused bait. As the boatman fought a powerful catch beneath the river, he summoned a vast ghostly claw.

• The boatman explained that every part of the Soul Crystal Bream was valuable and that its Soul Crystal could help Masters form a Primordial Soul.
• Shen Xing tested his lantern and learned that the Blackwater River suppressed light, while the boatman saved his flint-mine bait for the fish gathering at the river’s center.
• The boatman warned the passengers not to leave the boat or answer voices as they entered the white fog, where eerie pleas and sobs surrounded them.
• The boatman cast a ball of bright red light as bait, hooked a powerful creature, and began wearing it down while Shen Xing explained the need for patience.
• As the red light dimmed and the struggle continued, the boatman unleashed spiritual power and formed a huge black ghostly claw above the river.