Chapter Summaries

Xu Chunliang and the others were trapped in a deadly game run by the pearl Buddha girl, who turned a proud martial artist into one of the skeletons surrounding them. The chanting stopped just as another man swung his saber at the green-clad swordswoman, leaving the group unsure what would happen next.

• The green-clad swordswoman sliced open the pearl Buddha girl's blanket, revealing her grotesque body, and the girl began a game called becoming a Buddha.
• Xu Chunliang stayed still during the girl's chanting, while Li Baiyi and Yinjian followed his lead and held back their companions.
• The pearl Buddha girl chose a proud martial artist, named him an asura among the eight legions of heavenly dragons, and had tentacles devour him into a skeleton.
• A man who had been protecting the green-clad swordswoman turned on her and swung his saber at her head as the others cheered.
• The Buddha's chanting stopped just as the saber was about to strike.

Xu Chunliang and Li Baiyi watched the Pearl Buddha Maiden’s deadly game and worked out that the golden light and the darkness might be opposing forces. After moving close enough to attack, they struck together, but the chanting stopped mid-assault, leaving the outcome uncertain.

• The scarred face on the back of the Pearl Buddha Maiden’s head ordered the white-bone Buddhas to devour the woman in green, then condemned the saber-wielding man to become an arhat.
• Xu Chunliang’s first attempt to retreat ended when the Buddha maiden immobilized and killed him; after the scene reset, he moved forward instead, and Li Baiyi cautiously followed.
• As the game continued, Xu Chunliang observed that the tentacles targeted people nearest the darkness and reasoned that the Buddha maiden and the sarira’s golden light might not be allies.
• Xu Chunliang and Li Baiyi advanced until they stood within five steps behind the Buddha maiden, then exchanged a silent understanding and prepared to attack.
• Xu Chunliang summoned a three-headed eerie tiger with his saber while Li Baiyi unleashed a sword strike, but the Buddhist chanting stopped as they attacked.

Xu Chunliang broke free of the Buddha Maiden’s suppression by reciting the Heart Sutra, then endured repeated deaths until he used the Kiss of Death to weaken the hidden blue eye. He found a cold bead in the darkness and encountered Li Baiyi, who was still dodging an imaginary strand of black hair.

• Xu Chunliang and Li Baiyi recited the Heart Sutra, allowing them to move after the Buddha Maiden’s chant stopped.
• Xu Chunliang shattered the Buddha’s light, but black hair killed him repeatedly as he tried to climb the statue.
• On his one hundred and forty-third reset, Xu Chunliang used the Kiss of Death to weaken the blue eye hidden in the darkness.
• Xu Chunliang found an icy bead on the stone slab and continued through the darkness.
• Xu Chunliang found Li Baiyi rolling and dodging an unseen attack, and Li Baiyi recognized him.

Xu Chunliang and Li Baiyi emerged from the darkness into a grove and found Brother Dao and Brother Axe beside a fresh grave. Brother Axe had eaten the grave’s white rice, and monk-faced worms burst from his body, killing both brothers as Xu Chunliang and Li Baiyi fled.

• Li Baiyi guessed that the black-haired eerie would no longer attack them and followed Xu Chunliang through the darkness.
• Xu Chunliang and Li Baiyi reached a grove, heard someone nearby, and entered cautiously with their weapons ready.
• Brother Dao mourned the dead beside a fresh grave while Brother Axe ate the cold white rice left as an offering.
• Xu Chunliang warned Brother Axe that eating the rice was dangerous, but Brother Axe’s stomach began to hurt and worms emerged from his body.
• Monk-faced worms crawled out of Brother Axe and covered Brother Dao, killing him as Xu Chunliang and Li Baiyi retreated into the woods.

After escaping the graveyard, Xu Chunliang and Li Baiyi discovered a hillside covered in mysterious black towers inscribed with Buddha Script. As they realized the Ruin Realm might be connected to an ancient age of Buddhas, Xu Chunliang warned that they were in trouble.

• Xu Chunliang and Li Baiyi escaped the forest and discussed the bizarre Buddhist establishment they had fled.
• Xu Chunliang revealed that he was also in the Demon-Slaying Bureau, and Li Baiyi again proposed that his sister marry him.
• Xu Chunliang led Li Baiyi toward strange black shapes on the hillside, joking that he treated life and death as toys.
• Xu Chunliang and Li Baiyi found towers of black stone, and Li Baiyi recognized their inscriptions as Buddha Script.
• Li Baiyi wondered whether the Ruin Realm came from a ten-thousand-year-old world ruled by Buddhas, while Xu Chunliang said they were in trouble.

Xu Chunliang and Li Baiyi fought the eighteen strange buddhas guarding the Buddhist Sect's pagoda forest, but the buddhas overwhelmed them. Xu Chunliang then woke on a black stone bridge over a river of wailing souls, chained and unsure how he had arrived there.

• Xu Chunliang and Li Baiyi watched eighteen rotten, gold-painted buddhas emerge from the pagodas and warn trespassers they would be sent to hell.
• Xu Chunliang challenged the buddhas, and Li Baiyi turned back to fight beside him rather than abandon him.
• Xu Chunliang and Li Baiyi shattered one palm each, but Xu Chunliang's brass knife broke against a buddha.
• Xu Chunliang tried to attack again with the knife hilt, but his attempt to create a black slash failed as five buddhas struck him with their long-reaching arms.
• Xu Chunliang woke on a black stone bridge in white mist, with chains bound around his arm and the cries of the dead sounding nearby.

Xu Chunliang escaped the Buddha guardians’ illusion in the pagoda forest and rescued Li Baiyi. After learning about possible ways to leave the Ruin Realm, he gave Li Baiyi the Pearl Buddha Maiden’s pearl to test an old saying.

• Xu Chunliang recognized the hellish Naihe Bridge as an illusion, broke free, and attacked eight Buddha guardians with Li Baiyi’s sword.
• Xu Chunliang dragged the unconscious Li Baiyi away from the pagoda forest and claimed that a dangerous killing move had let him defeat the Buddhas.
• Li Baiyi explained that the capital had been sealed against Ruin Realms by the Dust-Sweeping Formation, created through the sacrifice of 36,381 people.
• Li Baiyi described several possible ways to escape a Ruin Realm and said an old saying linked a pearl held in the mouth with coming and going freely.
• Xu Chunliang gave Li Baiyi the pearl from the Pearl Buddha Maiden, and Li Baiyi recognized it as the one they had sought.

Li Baiyi used the pearl to gain Buddhist power and discover the way out, then followed Xu Chunliang east across a black road to Naihe Bridge. They encountered a monstrous centipede stitched from human bodies, and Li Baiyi realized they were surrounded.

• Li Baiyi swallowed the pearl, saw the way east, and gained some of the Buddha's power.
• Xu Chunliang took Li Baiyi's Elegant Heart Sword, carved a wooden saber from a tree trunk, and returned the sword.
• Xu Chunliang and Li Baiyi followed the road east until they reached a black stone bridge over a river full of human bodies.
• Xu Chunliang destroyed a chain with his wooden saber when it shot from the fog toward him.
• A giant house-centipede monster made of naked human bodies climbed from the river, and Li Baiyi warned Xu Chunliang they were surrounded.

Xu Chunliang and Li Baiyi fought human centipedes on a stone bridge before Xu Chunliang was swallowed and killed in the river. He revived on the bridge and used Li Baiyi, whose Buddhist pearl shielded them, as a weapon to charge through the monsters.

• Xu Chunliang struck a human centipede with his wooden saber and was knocked into the river, while Li Baiyi's Buddhist pearl burned another centipede and protected him.
• Xu Chunliang was entangled by black hair and attacked by river monsters as a thirteen-eyed creature rose from the riverbed to lunge at him.
• Li Baiyi jumped into the river to save Xu Chunliang but could not find him.
• Xu Chunliang found himself inside a monster's mouth, stabbed its flesh, and died when his head struck its teeth.
• Xu Chunliang revived on the bridge, grabbed Li Baiyi by the ankle, and swung him into the human centipedes as his Buddhist pearl shielded them.

Xu Chunliang and Li Baiyi reached a giant Buddha that transformed into a mountain of Human Worms bearing the faces of the dead. After Xu Chunliang died trying to reach the frame behind them, he rolled back and began fighting through the swarm with Li Baiyi, spending all 168 attribute points to improve his Eerie Tiger Saber.

• Xu Chunliang and Li Baiyi reached a huge golden Buddha at the end of the bridge, and it bent down to smile at them.
• The Buddha collapsed into a mass of white flesh worms with familiar faces, which became Human Worms and swarmed toward the pair.
• Xu Chunliang realized the Human Worms were dead appendages, tried to reach the frame behind them, and was buried by the swarm and killed.
• After rolling back, Xu Chunliang pulled Li Baiyi onto the bridge and explained that the worms were endless appendages, asking him to find a way to deal with the Buddha.
• Xu Chunliang swung Li Baiyi through the Human Worms and spent all 168 attribute points to make his Eerie Tiger Saber proficient.

Xu Chunliang watched Li Baiyi die after Li Baiyi shattered the Buddha skeleton’s skull, then awakened a deathly power that erased the Ruin Realm’s creatures before killing himself. Time rolled back to the battle, where Li Baiyi found Xu Chunliang using a human-worm’s spine as a blade instead of throwing him at the skeleton.

• Xu Chunliang used Li Baiyi as a weapon to kill human-worms and launch him at the Buddha skeleton.
• Li Baiyi entered Moon Glow Grade and shattered the skeleton’s skull, but the skeleton killed him with a jade-white finger.
• Xu Chunliang pulled a human-worm’s spine free and resonated with death after witnessing Li Baiyi’s corpse be destroyed.
• Xu Chunliang spread death across the Ruin Realm, then drove the spine blade into his own head to die.
• The will above departed, space and time shattered, and the battle rewound with Li Baiyi asking Xu Chunliang to throw him toward the skeleton.

Xu Chunliang defeated the white skeleton, but a mad Buddhist being hidden in its finger bone invaded his body and mind. After Xu Chunliang survived and escaped the Ruin Realm with Li Baiyi, he discovered his bones had advanced to Solar Halo Grade and kept that power secret.

• Xu Chunliang used Kiss of Death to unleash black saber intent that destroyed the white skeleton and killed the human insects, then collapsed as a winged finger bone shattered his breastbone.
• The finger bone transformed into a mad little man, entered Xu Chunliang’s body, and tried to destroy his mind, but Xu Chunliang’s inner world overwhelmed it and a rusty iron hook killed it.
• Xu Chunliang awoke outside the Ruin Realm beside Li Baiyi and checked his panel, which showed 235 attribute points and Solar Halo Grade bones.
• Xu Chunliang tested his bones with Li Baiyi’s Elegant Heart Sword, then hid the finger bone’s effects and considered using his new strength against Jin Jun.
• Li Baiyi said he would return to the capital to investigate the pearl he swallowed and promised to arrange for his sister to meet Xu Chunliang while keeping their Ruin Realm meeting secret.

After recovering from the Buddhist Ruin Realm, Xu Chunliang returned to his quiet routine of work and hunting monsters. Liu Xin ordered Liu Jiu to kill Xu Chunliang and Zhou Dafu without evidence, and the chapter ended with Xu Chunliang killing a female monster while Zhou Dafu was murdered at home.

• Shi Qin told Xu Chunliang he should let him know if he fell ill again, while Xu Chunliang kept his entry into the Buddhist Ruin Realm secret.
• Xu Chunliang resumed working at the Demon-Slaying Bureau and hunting monsters at night, then went to Fireworks Lane with his newly forged brass knife.
• Liu Jiu reported that Xu Chunliang and Zhou Dafu were suspects in Liu Jie’s death, and Liu Xin ordered both men killed without proof.
• Liu Jiu killed Zhou Dafu’s wife and child, then pierced Zhou Dafu’s throat and tore out his heart.
• Xu Chunliang killed a sleeping female monster with a starlight-colored blade, raising his attribute points to 265.

Xu Chunliang repeatedly died in attempts to fight Liu Xin and the hidden Crimson Dawn Realm expert, Liu Jiu, then tried to survive by bargaining with them. After Liu Xin swore not to harm him, Xu Chunliang began describing his encounter with a Ruin Realm and the mysterious Life Silver.

• Liu Xin entered Xu Chunliang's room and said he would avenge his younger brother Liu Jie by killing him.
• Xu Chunliang used 200 attribute points to advance to Moon Glow Grade, but Liu Jiu repeatedly pierced his chest and killed him.
• Xu Chunliang revealed that he knew Liu Jiu was hiding behind him and asked Liu Xin to talk instead of fighting.
• Liu Xin swore to spare Xu Chunliang and keep Liu Jiu from harming him if Xu Chunliang revealed his secrets.
• Xu Chunliang said he had entered the Ruin Realm at Guo Family Village, seen a rusty steelyard scale surrounded by corpses, and received eighty-eight taels of Life Silver.

Xu Chunliang led Liu Xin and Liu Jiu to Guo Family Village, where they sought the creepy artifact he had discovered. Guo Si agreed to take them to worship the Scale Immortal, and Xu Chunliang kept his distance as they approached the courtyard.

• Xu Chunliang revealed that he had hidden eighty-eight taels of Life Silver in a stove, and Liu Xin had it retrieved.
• Liu Jiu concluded that Xu Chunliang had encountered a powerful creepy artifact rather than a Ruin Realm, and Liu Xin decided to seek it out.
• Liu Jiu secretly considered betraying Liu Xin and claiming the artifact for himself, but agreed to first confirm it existed.
• Xu Chunliang led Liu Xin and Liu Jiu to Guo Family Village, where they saw the dead Liu Yong and Guo Si waiting in the darkness.
• Xu Chunliang asked Guo Si to let Liu Xin and Liu Jiu pay respects to the Scale Immortal, and Guo Si led them toward the courtyard.
• As they reached the courtyard wall, Xu Chunliang stepped back, determined not to die before Liu Xin and Liu Jiu.

Xu Chunliang watched Liu Jiu attack the Scale Immortal, only for the cursed scale to kill him and erase him from Liu Xin’s memory. The scale then spared Xu Chunliang, bound a small scale weight to his wrist, and promised to come when he needed it.

• Guo Si and Liu Yong entered the courtyard and knelt among hundreds of worshippers around the steelyard scale.
• Liu Jiu unleashed his spiritual energy, killed dozens of black-clad figures, and advanced toward the scale before the darkness trapped and hanged him among the corpses.
• Liu Xin began forgetting Liu Jiu, and Xu Chunliang stabbed him in the neck before fleeing the village.
• At the willow tree, Xu Chunliang tried to kill himself after confirming his rollback point, but a small scale weight blocked his knife as the Scale Immortal appeared overhead.
• The scale beam stroked Xu Chunliang with five corpses, attached the weight to his wrist, and promised to come whenever he needed it.

Xu Chunliang secretly disposed of traces of the Liu family’s visit, then rescued a dying girl named Yuhu and helped her begin recovering. After preparing to hunt strange entities at a newly opened restaurant, he advanced to the Moon Glow Realm and set out for the east of Fan City.

• Xu Chunliang discovered that the hook scale had taken back his Life Silver and cleaned up all traces of Liu Xin and his servant.
• Xu Chunliang heard that Zhou Dafu’s entire family had been wiped out and spent the day at the Demon-Slaying Bureau with Shi Qin.
• Xu Chunliang found children throwing dirt at a dying girl, fed her, and brought her home for Physician Wei to treat.
• Xu Chunliang gave the girl medicine, learned that her name was Yuhu, and urged her to keep living so she could repay him.
• Xu Chunliang disguised himself and headed to the Wine Pool and Meat Forest to seek strange entities and earn attribute points.
• Xu Chunliang spent two hundred attribute points to advance to the Moon Glow Realm, gaining the ability to fly for short periods.

Xu Chunliang survived an encounter with towering monsters by following Blind Chen’s instructions to stay silent and still. After the creatures passed, Blind Chen discovered that Xu Chunliang had seen the characters on their faces and said he had an affinity with immortals.

• A chilling darkness spread through the alley, and Blind Chen told Xu Chunliang to press against the wall, put out the lantern, and neither think, speak, nor breathe.
• Giant cloth-wrapped creatures with [immortal] written on their faces approached beneath a swarm of enormous black paper cranes.
• Xu Chunliang drew his blade and was killed when strips of rag pierced him, then found himself back at the wall as the encounter began again.
• Xu Chunliang obeyed Blind Chen and stayed still until the creatures passed and the starlight returned.
• Blind Chen introduced himself and, after learning Xu Chunliang had seen the creatures’ faces without dying, declared that he had an affinity with immortals.

Blind Chen warned Xu Chunliang that Yin Immortals were searching Fan City for souls, but Xu Chunliang went to the Wine Pool and Meat Forest anyway. Blind Chen exposed the establishment as a hellish slaughterhouse where Human Cook was refining a life-prolonging pill from the city’s people, then faced ten royal deathsworn.

• Blind Chen told Xu Chunliang that the Yin Immortals were underworld soldiers seeking souls and gave him three talismans to hide from them.
• Blind Chen sent two green snakes to investigate the Wine Pool and Meat Forest, where Human Cook cut one of them in two.
• Blind Chen transformed the building into its true appearance: a blood pool surrounded by corpses and human flesh served to the guests.
• Blind Chen accused Human Cook of killing Fan City’s people to make a Three Corpses Life-Prolonging Pill for the emperor and linked him to the slaughter of Wood City.
• Human Cook laughed as ten red-veiled figures surrounded Blind Chen, who recognized them as the royal deathsworn of Blood Pagoda.

Blind Chen fought the Blood Pagodas, who beheaded him, but he revived through a straw figure and set out to find Xu Chunliang. Xu Chunliang arrived at the Wine Pool and Meat Forest and began dining, unaware of the violence that had just taken place there.

• Blind Chen rejected the Blood Pagodas’ claim that they served the world and fought them to stop the emperor’s pill-making.
• The Blood Pagodas used red threads to match Blind Chen’s speed, then cut off his head and left his body for Human Cook.
• Blind Chen’s straw figure transformed into a blind child, who reentered Blind Chen’s body; Blind Chen fashioned a paper head and escaped.
• Blind Chen decided to search for Xu Chunliang, whom he had encountered earlier that night.
• Xu Chunliang entered the Wine Pool and Meat Forest, ordered wine, and squeezed Leng Cui’s buttock as he sat down.