Wu Xie unexpectedly inherits the Mark of Light and joins Zhang Qiling, Hei Xiazi, and Wang Pangzi to explore their first underground palace, where they encounter the Shadow Cult for the first time. They battle the Shadow Cult over the fragments, venturing to the Insect Valley of Yunnan, an ancient Shu sacrificial altar in Sichuan, and a tomb in a cave in western Hunan. They find a serpent-god statue infused with light, the Queen of the Forbidden Women, and Hei Xiazi’s old acquaintance, the “Thunder Listener.” Zhang Qiling sacrifices himself to awaken Wu Xie. What will become of Wu Xie’s despair and awakening, and the bond between Zhang Qiling and Wu Xie that binds them through life and death?
