Chapter Summaries

Ouyang Ming and Wu Erke’s first-generation MetalGreymon proved that a mechanical body could use a demon beast’s Spirit Sea, but its low rank left the design with limited practical value. The Beast God proposed using Spirit Blood Worms instead, giving the researchers a better direction as Chu Xinghe realized the Beast God was helping him again.

• Wu Erke praised the mechanical body’s demon-beast Spirit Sea as a solution to its stamina problem, then judged it only fourth or fifth rank.
• Douding'er promised to keep developing stronger Spirit Seas, while the Grand Elder encouraged everyone to continue along the newly opened path.
• Chu Xinghe relaxed, believing he had escaped Ma Liang’s attempt to involve him in the project, until the Beast God suggested using spirit beasts with existing Spirit Seas.
• The Beast God removed the Spirit Sea from the MetalGreymon and explained that Spirit Blood Worms were especially suitable because they were born with powerful Spirit Seas.
• The Beast God told the group that Spirit Blood Worms lived in Cloud River Valley and hinted to Chu Xinghe that he would keep helping him.

The Beast God volunteered to help Ma Liang research Spirit Blood Worms for mechanical bodies, despite Chu Xinghe’s attempts to stop him. As Chu Xinghe prepared to leave for the Land of Bewildered Spirits, the Vast Heaven Holy Land’s disciples and elders loaded him with supplies and parting gifts.

• The Beast God explained that Spirit Blood Worms had powerful Spirit Seas and could support mechanical bodies, and Ma Liang praised him for the discovery.
• Chu Xinghe warned that Spirit Blood Worms could trigger deadly chain explosions, but the Beast God said he could control them and would stay at the Vast Heaven Holy Land to help with the research.
• The Vast Heaven Holy Land members praised the Beast God, while Chu Xinghe cursed the trouble he had brought upon himself by giving the Beast God Heart to him.
• Senior Brother Feng Fei brought Chu Xinghe chests of spirit stones and reminded him to stay safe on his journey.
• Ma Liang, Ouyang Ming, and Ouyang Ling gave Chu Xinghe unusual treasures, divine weapons, poison, and medicinal powders to take along.
• Sister-in-law Jiuli gave Chu Xinghe baskets of pastries, which he carefully stored as potentially life-saving supplies.

As Chu Xinghe prepared to enter the Star Gate, his fellow disciples and elders brought him gifts and supplies, showing how much they cared about him. Gu Mingchao’s treasured grasshopper doll and request for a matching one moved Chu Xinghe to promise he would return, leaving him resolved to try to survive for everyone awaiting his gifts.

• Chu Xinghe’s fellow disciples brought him books, pills, talismans, and more than a thousand jin of blood to help him beyond the Star Gate.
• Gu Mingchao offered Chu Xinghe the Flame Divinity, but Chu Xinghe refused because he believed it would not help inside the Spirit-Sealing Domain.
• Gu Mingchao showed Chu Xinghe the grasshopper doll he had kept since Chu Xinghe’s first gift and asked him to bring back an identical one for Ji Ya.
• The Grand Elder and other disciples asked Chu Xinghe to bring them gifts too, and Chu Xinghe promised he would.
• Chu Xinghe changed his plan and resolved to do his best to survive the Star Gate journey for the people waiting for him.

Vast Heaven Holy Land and people across the Four Continents loaded Chu Xinghe with supplies and prayers before he entered the Land of Bewildered Spirits to rescue those trapped beyond the Star Gate. Once inside and out of sight, Chu Xinghe threw his shoe to choose a direction.

• Vast Heaven Holy Land prepared enormous quantities of supplies for Chu Xinghe, while the Four Continents' forces sent treasures and the Xinghe Haters' Group organized prayers for him.
• Zheng Yu and Hua Xichen asked to accompany Chu Xinghe, but he refused and reassured them that he would bring everyone back.
• Chu Xinghe privately admitted he was uncertain he would survive, though he planned to try to return and had a backup plan involving his Qiankun ring.
• Experts and ordinary people gathered at the Land of Bewildered Spirits to see Chu Xinghe off, and he entered the mist alone.
• Gu Mingchao demanded a view of Chu Xinghe through the Haotian Mirror, but the Spirit-Sealing Domain blocked the image.
• After he could no longer see anyone outside, Chu Xinghe took off his shoe and threw it to determine which way to go.

Chu Xinghe followed his shoe deeper into the Land of Bewildered Spirits, collected abundant rare treasures, and fled from a mysterious voice that seemed to know his fears. He recognized the pursuer as An Ying, who had survived in the land by hiding and was finally reunited with him.

• Before Chu Xinghe set out, Hua Xichen gave him a map, but Chu Xinghe trusted his shoe to guide him instead.
• Chu Xinghe followed his shoe’s direction deeper into the Land of Bewildered Spirits, where he gathered more than fifty rare treasures.
• A plaintive voice offered Chu Xinghe treasures and a trusted aide position, prompting him to flee from the presence charging through the mist.
• The pursuer called himself An Ying and explained that he had been trapped in the Land of Bewildered Spirits since Feng Fei’s teleportation formation sent him there.
• An Ying revealed that he had hidden after seeing a mysterious force draw out Fan Sheng’s soul, then clung to Chu Xinghe in relief at finally getting a chance to escape.

An Ying revealed that he had survived in the Land of Bewildered Spirits by impersonating Chu Xinghe, collecting its treasures, and waiting for Chu Xinghe to arrive. He insisted on joining the Vast Heaven Holy Land, but Chu Xinghe declared that he wanted to go farther into the Land of Bewildered Spirits, leaving An Ying stunned.

• An Ying explained that he had used Chu Xinghe’s appearance and borrowed luck to survive, and had lured Chu Xinghe into the Land of Bewildered Spirits so he could follow him out.
• An Ying gave Chu Xinghe treasures and storage rings he had collected from the Land and from the corpses of those who died there.
• An Ying argued that his past work for the Vast Heaven Holy Land qualified him to join, and said he would become Chu Xinghe’s new number one confidant.
• Chu Xinghe realized An Ying could rival Ma Liang in schemes to help the Vast Heaven Holy Land and worried that the two would overwhelm him with surprises.
• An Ying called Chu Xinghe his junior brother, but Chu Xinghe said he intended to go farther into the Land of Bewildered Spirits rather than leave, stunning An Ying.

Chu Xinghe entered the Land of Bewildered Spirits to rescue those taken by the Star Gate and confront the Star Ghost Clan, while An Ying reluctantly decided to follow him. Chu Xinghe used his Shoe Art to find the way, and the Star Gate appeared before them.

• Chu Xinghe told An Ying he intended to enter the Star Gate, rescue the people inside, and deal with the Star Ghost Clan.
• An Ying argued that the danger and distant calamity were not their concern, but realized he might be trapped forever if Chu Xinghe went without him.
• An Ying caught up with Chu Xinghe and decided to enter with him, hoping to survive and become one of Chu Xinghe's trusted aides.
• Chu Xinghe used his Shoe Art to choose their direction, and the fog thinned until the Star Gate appeared before An Ying.

Chu Xinghe entered the Star Gate after discovering it was devouring the Land of Bewildered Spirits, but arrived in an unfamiliar world where spiritual power did not work. He headed toward a distant city after night suddenly fell and firelights appeared on the horizon.

• Chu Xinghe and An Ying realized the Star Gate was consuming the mist and power of the Land of Bewildered Spirits, confirming the Great Sage and Elder He's worst theory.
• Chu Xinghe tested An Ying by warning that the trip could be fatal, then entered the Star Gate; An Ying followed after him.
• Chu Xinghe emerged alone on a country road in a strange world, and the Star Gate vanished before An Ying appeared.
• A farmer drove a six-legged horse cart past Chu Xinghe, who found that the world had no spiritual power and no visible sun.
• Chu Xinghe walked toward the farmer's destination, but the sky abruptly turned dark and he spotted distant firelights that appeared to mark a city.

Chu Xinghe entered Clearwater City and was mistaken for an eminent monk from the Buddha Domain until the Soulless Bell exposed him as a Soulless Ghost. When the city’s defenders summoned a Vajra to kill him, Chu Xinghe destroyed it with one finger, leaving everyone at the gate stunned.

• Chu Xinghe reached Clearwater City, where the farmer identified him as a Buddha Domain monk and the guards ushered him toward the gate.
• The Soulless Bell rang above Chu Xinghe, revealing him as a Soulless Ghost, and the guards attacked him.
• Chu Xinghe knocked the guards down without killing them, then shattered two axes thrown by a man who called him a Vajra Realm Soulless Ghost.
• The man ordered the Hundred Buddha Formation activated, and the guards summoned a golden Vajra to slay Chu Xinghe.
• Chu Xinghe pierced the Vajra’s hand and struck between its brows, shattering it while the people at the gate watched in silence.

Chu Xinghe defeated the Buddha Domain’s summoned Vajra with one finger, then fled Clearwater City rather than let its defenders sacrifice themselves against him. Su Ye and Su Tong realized the soulless ghost had spared the city and feared he might be in the Bodhi Realm, so they planned to seek help from a Bodhi.

• Chu Xinghe recognized that the Vajra was a Mental Power phantom, then shattered it with one finger after its attack failed to harm him.
• The guards who had contributed their Mental Power collapsed, while Chu Xinghe sensed that the Vajra’s righteous, yang power resembled Evil Repeller and opposed the Star Gate’s yin Qi.
• Su Tong ordered the Buddha Domain members in Clearwater City to defend the city through blood sacrifice, so Chu Xinghe decided to withdraw rather than let them die.
• Chu Xinghe vanished at great speed, and the city’s defenders mistakenly cheered when Su Ye descended, believing the Vajra had driven him away.
• Su Ye and his elder brother Su Tong concluded that Chu Xinghe had spared the city and might have reached the Bodhi Realm, and Su Ye prepared to report the incident and seek a Bodhi’s intervention.

Chu Xinghe rested outside Clearwater City, puzzled by the Buddha Domain’s righteous defenders and their apparent lack of connection to the Star Gate. Injured and separated from Chu Xinghe, An Ying reached the city and confidently approached its guards while disguised as Chu Xinghe, unaware they believed he was the Soulless Ghost who had just attacked them.

• Chu Xinghe decided to rest outside Clearwater City before seeking a chance to learn about the unfamiliar world.
• An Ying woke injured in a nearby forest, realized Chu Xinghe was missing, and headed toward Clearwater City.
• Vajra Su Ye arranged for the city to hold its defenses while awaiting a Bodhi expert, and guards watched arrivals closely.
• An Ying followed a caravan to the gate, relying on his confidence and Thousand Illusions Phantom Art to pass as Chu Xinghe.
• A guard recognized An Ying’s appearance as the escaped Soulless Ghost and was stunned when An Ying openly approached him.
• An Ying asked the bewildered guard why there was blood on the ground.

An Ying disguised himself as Chu Xinghe and approached Clearwater City, where the guards mistook him for the attacker who had come earlier that night. Vajra and Su Tong captured and beat him, leaving An Ying imprisoned in the Soul Control Grand Array and unable to explain why he had followed Chu Xinghe.

• An Ying approached the city gate and confidently asked the guards what had happened, but they surrounded him and summoned Vajra.
• An Ying gave his name as Chu Xinghe, and Vajra arrived and struck him, breaking his shoulder and knocking him through the city gate.
• Vajra ordered the guards to seize An Ying and take him to the Soul Control Grand Array after An Ying demanded to know how his disguise had been exposed.
• A guard explained that they recognized An Ying because he had come to the city twice in one night and injured them during his earlier visit.
• Vajra Su Ye and Su Tong confronted An Ying in the Soul Control Grand Array, where Su Tong and the guards beat him while demanding to know his purpose.
• An Ying admitted he had followed Chu Xinghe but did not know why Chu Xinghe had come to Clearwater City.

An Ying endured torture in Clearwater City, escaped the Soul Control Grand Array by transforming into an insect, and vanished while Su Tong ordered a citywide search. Meanwhile, Chu Xinghe learned about the Buddha Domain and its Soulless Ghosts before Su Tong confronted him in a restaurant, where Chu Xinghe swiftly turned the tables on his attackers.

• An Ying told Su Tong he had come to save someone, but Su Tong misread his answers and ordered him beaten.
• An Ying realized the Soul Control Grand Array did not suppress him, used the Thousand Illusions Phantom Art to become an insect, and escaped after biting one of his guards.
• Su Tong learned An Ying had escaped and ordered his subordinates to search Clearwater City.
• Chu Xinghe gathered information in a restaurant about the Buddha Domain, the Buddha Light Pagoda, its cultivation realms, and the Soulless Ghosts.
• Su Tong found Chu Xinghe in the restaurant and ordered his men to seize him, but Chu Xinghe snatched a whip and lashed the first attacker across the face.

Chu Xinghe searched Clearwater City for the people taken to the Buddha Domain, but his overwhelming strength led him to clash with Su Ye and Venerable Wrathful-Eyed Bodhi. After defeating them without killing anyone, he walked into a street where another Chu Xinghe appeared, leaving both sides frozen in confusion.

• Chu Xinghe lashed the man who had beaten An Ying, then left the tavern to search for the Soulless Ghosts taken to the Buddha Domain.
• Su Ye attacked Chu Xinghe, who broke Su Ye’s arm with a punch and continued on his way.
• Venerable Wrathful-Eyed Bodhi attacked Chu Xinghe with sound waves and a giant bell, but Chu Xinghe shattered them and destroyed his Dharma Aspect.
• Venerable Wrathful-Eyed Bodhi stopped Su Tong from pursuing Chu Xinghe, warning that the stranger had shown no killing intent and could have killed them all.
• Another Chu Xinghe emerged from a nearby corner, and both he and the people in the street froze as they faced each other.

An Ying returned to Clearwater City disguised as Chu Xinghe and bluffed Venerable Wrathful-Eyed Bodhi, but his anger led him to attack the man who had whipped him before, exposing his weakness and getting him captured. The Buddha Domain sealed An Ying and sent him to the dungeon, where Venerable Wrathful-Eyed Bodhi chose to send him to the Buddhas rather than interrogate him.

• An Ying transformed into Chu Xinghe and returned to Clearwater City, where Venerable Wrathful-Eyed Bodhi mistook him for the powerful fighter who had just left.
• An Ying bluffed the city’s people by saying he would spare them, then tried to whip the man who had beaten him and was struck in return.
• Su Tong recognized that An Ying’s power had vanished again and ordered the others to capture him.
• Venerable Wrathful-Eyed Bodhi sealed An Ying and had him taken to the dungeon, where the whip-wielding man beat him.
• Venerable Wrathful-Eyed Bodhi declined to interrogate An Ying and told Su Tong he would contact the Buddha Domain and send him to the Buddhas.

Su Tong realized An Ying had endured his interrogation with disdain, while the Vast Heaven Holy Land’s leaders concluded that the Star Gate had cut off Chu Xinghe’s connection to his Divinity. As Chu Xinghe traveled toward Mount Sumeru to investigate the Soulless Ghosts, Venerable Wrathful-Eyed Bodhi’s captive Chu Xinghe vanished beneath the bell during transport.

• Su Tong realized An Ying’s apparent enjoyment during torture had actually been disdain for the punishment.
• The Beast God and Lu Chengqing explained that the Star Gate had weakened the link between Chu Xinghe and his Divinity, leaving the Divinity asleep and unreachable through the Haotian Mirror.
• Chu Xinghe learned that the Soulless Ghosts had appeared around the time the Land of Bewildered Spirits opened and had been suppressed rather than killed, then set out for Mount Sumeru to find their souls.
• Venerable Wrathful-Eyed Bodhi escorted An Ying, trapped beneath a Buddhist bell, out of Clearwater City toward Mount Sumeru.
• As Venerable Wrathful-Eyed Bodhi began a displacement technique, the Chu Xinghe beneath the bell disappeared, while a little flower watched nearby.

An Ying escaped Venerable Wrathful-Eyed Bodhi by transforming into a little yellow flower, but a Fragrant Bear trampled him and used nearby flowers to clean itself after relieving itself. Two brothers then gathered the Bear Incense-soiled flowers, leaving An Ying horrified as they planned to grind them up.

• An Ying transformed into a little yellow flower, and Venerable Wrathful-Eyed Bodhi failed to detect him while searching the area.
• Venerable Wrathful-Eyed Bodhi accidentally trampled An Ying as he stamped his feet in anger, then left.
• A Fragrant Bear relieved itself near An Ying and wiped itself with grass and flowers, pulling An Ying up by the roots.
• Two brothers collected the Fragrant Bear's valuable Bear Incense and decided to gather the soiled flowers to grind them up.
• The brothers picked up An Ying along with the flowers, and he realized they intended to grind him up.

An Ying, trapped in the form of a little flower, was collected by two hunters who mistook his resilience for proof that he was a treasure and subjected him to one bizarre attempt after another to destroy him. By the next day he had regained Chu Xinghe’s form and was roasting a black bear, while claiming not to remember what the hunters had done after taking him to dry their Bear Incense.

• The hunters brought An Ying, disguised as a flower, home with the Fragrant Bear’s Bear Incense and tried to crush him in a mortar.
• The brothers realized the flower could not be smashed and decided it was a treasure, then took it to a millstone and tried to grind it up.
• The hunters tried cutting and burning An Ying, but he remained unharmed even after being blackened by the flames.
• The brothers took An Ying to the place where they were drying the Bear Incense, and he regained Chu Xinghe’s form the next day.
• An Ying roasted a battered-looking black bear and claimed he could not remember what had happened after the hunters took him away.

Chu Xinghe traveled toward Mount Sumeru to find the prodigies trapped in the Buddha Domain, while Venerable Wrathful-Eyed Bodhi recruited two allies to capture him. As Chu Xinghe approached Mount Sumeru with a caravan, he learned that Wrathful-Eyed Bodhi was seeking advancement to Venerable and pretended to support him.

• Chu Xinghe learned that the Buddha Domain was not inherently hostile and decided to focus on finding the trapped prodigies and sending them home.
• Venerable Wrathful-Eyed Bodhi told Venerable Duoluo Bodhi and Venerable Wumeng Bodhi that Chu Xinghe had overpowered him, then asked them to help capture him.
• The three Bodhis planned to trap Chu Xinghe in Duoluo Bodhi's Myriad Heavens Buddha Realm and arranged for Luoyin Bodhi to detect his approach to Mount Sumeru.
• Chu Xinghe traveled with a caravan toward Mount Sumeru and heard that the ten-year Venerable advancement conference was underway.
• When a traveler asked whether he supported Venerable Wrathful-Eyed Bodhi, Chu Xinghe agreed, recognizing him as the man he had nearly slapped to death.

Traveling toward Mount Sumeru, Chu Xinghe learned how the Venerable Promotion Assembly awarded scarce venerable positions and heard that Wrathful-Eyed Bodhi had drawn an allegedly rigged three-point task to suppress a Soulless Ghost. Chu Xinghe realized Buddha Mochuan had actually set Wrathful-Eyed Bodhi against him, making the task far more dangerous than anyone at the caravan understood.

• Chu Xinghe traveled with a caravan bound for Mount Sumeru because he lacked the means and knowledge to travel there alone.
• Chu Xinghe learned that Bodhi Realm cultivators needed a venerable position to earn a second baptism from the Buddha Light Pagoda, and that only ten candidates could receive one every ten years.
• Caravan members explained that Venerable Wrathful-Eyed Bodhi had drawn a three-point task to suppress a Soulless Ghost, which other Bodhis considered an unfairly easy assignment.
• Chu Xinghe realized the task was to capture him and that Wrathful-Eyed Bodhi would be facing an opponent far beyond his abilities.