Recaps

Wang Chen fought off a coordinated group of Gray-Eyed Bandits, using Meteor Fire Talismans and the Fire Crow Sword to slaughter most of them. After killing an assassin who attacked from behind, Wang Chen faced the six remaining bandits and prepared to strike with his Fire Crows.

• The Gray-Eyed Bandits surrounded Wang Chen with coordinated attacks, and he used twelve Meteor Fire Talismans to disrupt their formation.
• Wang Chen controlled the Fire Crow Sword to kill more than ten bandits, earning Human Virtue points as his mana rapidly drained.
• Wang Chen replenished his mana with the Evil-Exorcising Net and continued cutting down the bandits, deepening his mastery of the Sword Control Technique.
• An assassin attacked Wang Chen from behind, but the Evil-Dispelling Talisman slowed him, allowing Wang Chen to kill him with a Vajra Fist strike.
• Wang Chen recalled the Fire Crow Sword after most of the bandits had fallen, then raised his arms and summoned Fire Crows against the six remaining attackers.

Wang Chen finished defeating the Gray-Eyed Bandits, collected their heads, and returned to the Yunyang Sect with a huge haul he planned to turn in discreetly. Back at Sunset Peak, he spent his Human Virtue improving his combat skills and resolved to keep strengthening his Flying Sword.

• Wang Chen killed the last Gray-Eyed Bandit with the Evil-Exorcising Net and confirmed that all thirty-seven had been Evil Spirits.
• Wang Chen packed the thirty-five surviving heads separately, burned the headless corpses, and left Ruined City despite an enraged roar from the Evil Nest.
• Wang Chen returned to the Yunyang Sect and submitted only one head at the Sect Affairs Hall, planning to turn in the rest gradually.
• Wang Chen returned to Sunset Peak and set aside 1,110 Human Virtue for future Sword Control Technique upgrades.
• Wang Chen used his remaining Human Virtue to raise Fire Crow Technique, Basic Talisman Crafting, and Object Manipulation Technique to Great Perfection.

Wang Chen tested the Great Perfection Fire Crow Technique and practiced swordsmanship in a secluded valley when Elder Chang Chun unexpectedly appeared. Chang Chun offered to take Wang Chen as his true disciple for five thousand Lower Spirit Stones, then left after Wang Chen refused, warning him not to practice swordsmanship because it was too noisy.

• Wang Chen unleashed a Heavy-Winged Fire Crow that shattered a massive boulder, demonstrating the power of his Great Perfection Fire Crow Technique.
• Wang Chen practiced the Sword Control Technique and refined his swordsmanship with his Fire Crow Sword in the valley.
• Elder Chang Chun appeared and asked whether Wang Chen was a disciple of Sunset Peak.
• Chang Chun recognized Wang Chen's talent and offered to make him a true disciple for five thousand Lower Spirit Stones.
• Wang Chen said he could not pay, and Chang Chun departed after warning him not to practice swordsmanship because it was too noisy.

After Changchun departed, Wang Chen continued practicing the Sword Control Technique and later attended Sunset Peak’s annual Dharma Discussion. There, he met Pang Zitong while sharing snacks and books, just as the event began.

• Wang Chen reflected on Changchun’s conduct, moved to a secluded spot, and continued cultivating the Sword Control Technique until the peak discussion approached.
• Wang Chen arrived early at Sunset Peak’s training ground, concealed his presence, and settled down with a stool, books, and sunflower seeds.
• Pang Zitong asked Wang Chen for pumpkin seeds, sat beside him, and tried to learn what he was reading.
• Wang Chen introduced himself to Pang Zitong, and they chatted while cracking seeds and sharing Wang Chen’s Spirit Peaches.
• The Hour of the Snake bell rang, officially opening Sunset Peak’s annual Dao Discussion.

At Sunset Peak’s discourse contest, Zhao Huai'an challenged Lu Hong and defeated him with a single sword strike, overturning the peak’s balance of power. Wang Chen watched Zhao Huai'an’s victory and sensed an unusual aura of fate around him.

• Wang Chen and Pang Zitong stopped eating sunflower seeds and sat quietly when a Purple Mansion Elder began the contest.
• The elder explained that disciples could challenge last year’s representatives for a place among the top ten and true disciple status.
• Zhao Huai'an challenged Lu Hong, renewing their well-known rivalry before the assembled disciples.
• Lu Hong accepted the challenge, but Zhao Huai'an defeated him with one sword strike and left him badly injured.
• The elder declared Zhao Huai'an the winner, and Wang Chen sensed that a dazzling aura of fate surrounded him.

Zhao Huai'an dominated Sunset Peak's Dao discussion, defeating every challenger and claiming the chief true disciple position. Wang Chen arranged for Pang Zitong to make him a low-cost mechanical puppet to tend his Spirit Fields, while Zhao Huai'an's sudden rise left Wang Chen wary but uninvolved.

• Zhao Huai'an defeated Lu Hong and three other challengers with a single move each, taking the foremost seat at the Dao discussion.
• Wang Chen learned that Pang Zitong, a member of the Purple Mansion Pang Clan, specialized in mechanical puppets and offered to build one for his Spirit Fields.
• Pang Zitong agreed to make Wang Chen a budget spirit-planting puppet for one thousand Lower Spirit Stones, with rice and spirit fruits accepted as payment.
• The Dao discussion resumed the next morning and ended quickly, with Zhao Huai'an claiming a place among the ten disciples and taking Lu Hong's chief true disciple position.
• Wang Chen noted that Zhao Huai'an had reached the ninth layer of Qi Condensation in a few months and agreed with Pang Zitong that his future could go either way.

Wang Chen watched the Nine Peaks Dao Discussion conclude, where Zhao Huai'an, Lin Feng, Xiao Hongyi, and other prodigies earned places among the ten true disciples. Afterward, he prepared for the Tianyun Immortal Gathering by crafting talismans and improving his Object Manipulation and Sword Control techniques, but became so absorbed in training that he nearly missed the gathering.

• The Nine Peaks Dao Discussion showcased prodigies including Lin Feng and Xiao Hongyi, who defeated their opponents and entered the top ten alongside Zhao Huai'an.
• Sect Master Ji Guantao presented rewards to the ten new true disciples and named them candidates to become his disciples.
• Wang Chen reflected on the spectacle and on his acquaintance with Pang Zitong, who had told him about the other prodigies.
• Wang Chen found that Grand Completion Basic Talisman Crafting reduced his material and mana costs but barely improved the power of his talismans, so he prepared a batch to sell at the Tianyun Immortal Gathering.
• Wang Chen raised Object Manipulation Technique to Grand Completion and Sword Control Technique to Great Accomplishment, doubling his Flying Sword's control range and increasing its power.
• Wang Chen became so engrossed in practicing Flying Sword techniques that he nearly missed the Tianyun Immortal Gathering.

Wang Chen tallied his talisman earnings before Pang Zitong delivered the Spirit Plant Puppet, which Wang Chen paid for in full and named Wood Kui. After sharing a hotpot meal, Wang Chen tested the puppet with Yuan Yuan, leaving him with a new helper for his spirit plants.

• Wang Chen counted the Spirit Stones from his talisman sales and realized material costs had consumed most of his earnings.
• Pang Zitong visited Wang Chen in the snow and delivered the Spirit Plant Puppet.
• Pang Zitong showed Wang Chen how to activate and control the puppet, and Wang Chen paid him seven hundred Spirit Stones and spirit rice worth three hundred Spirit Stones.
• Wang Chen invited Pang Zitong to stay for hotpot, and the two ate, drank Spirit Rice Wine, and chatted.
• Wang Chen tested the puppet with Yuan Yuan, then named it Wood Kui.

Wang Chen celebrated New Year's Eve with Yuan Yuan and used Wood Kui to make spring planting far easier. When countless large fish flooded the creek to eat spiritually rich peach blossoms, he followed the stream into a nearby valley to investigate.

• Wang Chen prepared a lavish New Year's Eve feast, and he and Yuan Yuan watched the stars until the new year arrived.
• Wood Kui plowed and sowed all fifty mu of Wang Chen's Spirit Fields, leaving him more time to cultivate and fish.
• Wang Chen and Yuan Yuan found the creek crowded with river fish, including large black carp leaping onto the bank.
• Wang Chen followed the stream upstream and discovered the fish were fighting over peach blossom petals from a valley.
• Wang Chen recognized the petals' strong water spiritual energy, caught a carp that swallowed one, and entered the valley with Yuan Yuan to look for peach trees.

Wang Chen became trapped in a peach blossom formation in Nameless Valley, but Yuan Yuan led him through it to a hidden tomb. He discovered the tomb belonged to Changchun’s late wife, and Changchun appeared, moved by the poem Wang Chen had offered.

• Wang Chen entered a peach blossom formation and found that he could neither walk out nor fly away on the Willow Leaf Flying Boat.
• Wang Chen followed Yuan Yuan underground and escaped the formation into the valley’s deepest part, where he found a waterfall, a pool, and a stone pavilion.
• Wang Chen read the tombstone naming Huang Yuqiu and respectfully offered a poem before preparing to leave.
• Changchun appeared and recited the poem’s lines, then asked Wang Chen who had written it.

Changchun sent Wang Chen away with a peachwood talisman and told him to return alive in half a month, then Yunyang Sect conscripted him for a Clear Realm operation against Evil Spirits. Wang Chen crafted talismans to prepare and seek profit before boarding a Yunyang flying ship for the mission.

• Changchun praised the poem Wang Chen had offered at the gravestone, gave him a peachwood talisman, and told him to return alive in half a month.
• Wang Chen received a mandatory Crane Message ordering him to Sunset Peak, where Elder Mo Yangping announced a Clear Realm operation against Evil Spirits in three days.
• Mo Yangping said Mu Qingqiu would lead the operation, supported by seventy Purple Mansion cultivators and fifteen flying ships, and promised generous merit rewards.
• Wang Chen returned home and devoted himself to making Exorcism Talismans and protection talismans to sell for Spirit Stones.
• Three days later, Wang Chen boarded a Yunyang flying ship at Sunset Peak.

Wang Chen traveled with Sunset Peak disciples aboard a Yunyang Sect Flying Ship dispatched for the Clear Realm operation. The ship repelled a flock of demon birds with ease, leaving the excited disciples eager for a real battle as it continued toward an unknown destination.

• Wang Chen rode one of Sunset Peak's four Flying Ships and quietly cultivated while the other disciples formed groups.
• Wang Chen gave a peach to a delicate-looking youth who was trembling from his fear of heights.
• The Flying Ship descended after flying through the clouds, though the Sunset Peak disciples did not know their destination or enemy.
• A flock of long-necked demon birds attacked the Flying Ship with Wind Blades, but its golden defenses blocked them.
• The Flying Ship's heavy crossbows killed hundreds of the birds, and the remaining birds fled as the ship continued onward.

The Yunyang Sect attacked Five Tiger Stronghold after accusing it of sheltering Evil Cultivators, destroying its defenses and ordering Sunset Peak disciples to pursue its fleeing residents. Wang Chen joined the pursuit after kicking a frightened disciple off the flying ship.

• The Yunyang Sect demanded that Fei Bin deactivate Five Tiger Stronghold's formation and submit to inspection.
• Fei Bin pretended to agree, then ordered the stronghold's towers to attack the Yunyang flying ship.
• A Purple Mansion cultivator shattered the defensive formation with a giant palm, and the Yunyang Sect ordered its disciples to kill those who resisted.
• Hundreds of Sunset Peak disciples leaped from the flying ship to pursue the fleeing Rogue Cultivators.
• Wang Chen kicked a trembling youth clinging to a cabin door off the flying ship and set out after the fleeing residents.

Wang Chen hunted Five Tiger Stronghold’s Rogue Cultivators alone after Yunyang Sect’s disciples dispersed into the forest. He killed a Rogue Cultivator who tried to ambush him, then encountered another fleeing Rogue Cultivator, who attacked him with poisoned Black Fiend Nails.

• Wang Chen left a delicate-looking fellow disciple behind and entered the forest to hunt Rogue Cultivators.
• A gray-clad Rogue Cultivator pretended to surrender, then threatened Wang Chen and was swiftly killed; Wang Chen took his head and Storage Bag.
• Wang Chen found a concealed tunnel leading toward Five Tiger Stronghold and continued through the empty forest.
• Four Sunset Peak disciples chased a bloodied Rogue Cultivator toward Wang Chen.
• The fleeing Rogue Cultivator fired three poisoned Black Fiend Nails at Wang Chen.

Wang Chen killed a Rogue Cultivator who attacked him, then refused Du Yuankui and three Sunset Peak disciples’ demand to surrender his Storage Bag. When they tried to bully him, Wang Chen struck first, killing one disciple and badly injuring another as Du Yuankui and one survivor fled into the forest.

• Wang Chen repelled three poisoned Black Fiend Nails with his fist, killing the Rogue Cultivator and gaining six Heavenly Merit.
• Wang Chen yielded the Rogue Cultivator’s head to four pursuing Sunset Peak disciples, but Du Yuankui accused him of taking a Magic Tool and demanded to inspect his Storage Bag.
• Du Yuankui and the other disciples surrounded Wang Chen and threatened to teach him how to behave, prompting Wang Chen to attack.
• Wang Chen killed the strongest disciple with a Gengjin Finger and blasted the other three with Meteor Fireballs.
• One Sunset Peak disciple died, while Du Yuankui and another disciple survived through their body protection Magic Tools and fled into the forest.

Wang Chen killed the fleeing Song Kai and Du Yuankui after they attacked him, then left the forest. A hidden Rogue Cultivator took a bronze seal from the scene and realized he could exploit the killing, but a sword suddenly sent him flying.

• Song Kai fled, but Wang Chen’s Heavy-Winged Fire Crow Technique burned him to ash.
• Du Yuankui used Shrink Ground into Inch to escape, but Wang Chen’s flying sword severed him and he died.
• Wang Chen collected Du Yuankui’s Storage Bag, disposed of the bodies, and left the forest.
• A middle-aged Rogue Cultivator emerged from hiding and took a bronze seal Du Yuankui had dropped.
• The Rogue Cultivator considered exploiting the fact that Wang Chen and Du Yuankui were fellow Yunyang Sect disciples, but a sword struck him and sent him into the air.

After killing the hidden Rogue Cultivator, Wang Chen counted his spoils and discovered Du Yuankui’s movement technique, Shrink Ground into Inch. He learned its Law Seed in a concealed cave, then headed back to the Yunyang flying ship when its horn summoned the disciples.

• Wang Chen killed the concealed Five Tiger Stronghold Rogue Cultivator, collected his head, and burned his body with the two Sunset Peak disciples’ corpses.
• A Purple Mansion cultivator watched the Sunset Peak disciples’ stars vanish from a chart aboard the Yunyang flying ship without showing emotion.
• Wang Chen counted his gains: seven kills, 45 Heavenly Merit, five heads for rewards, six Storage Bags, and numerous valuables.
• Wang Chen found Du Yuankui’s Jade Slip containing Shrink Ground into Inch, along with the Mandarin Duck Mirrors Du Yuankui had once given him.
• Wang Chen learned the Shrink Ground into Inch Law Seed, then flew toward the Yunyang flying ship after its horn summoned the disciples to return.

During the Yunyang Sect’s inspection of Yellow Mud Stronghold, Wang Chen uncovered a hidden chamber and found a man tainted by evil. He trapped the attacker in a net, leaving the man screaming as the chapter ended.

• Wang Chen searched a poor cultivator’s home and used an Evil Detection Talisman on a woman and her daughter, finding no evil in either of them.
• Wang Chen noticed the woman’s relief and exposed the secret tunnel beneath a stone slab.
• A man sprang from the tunnel and attacked Wang Chen with concealed weapons, but Wang Chen’s Vajra Fist struck him back into the tunnel.
• The woman pleaded with Wang Chen to spare the man, while Wang Chen entered the underground chamber and confirmed the man carried an evil aura.
• The man lunged at Wang Chen with clawed fingers, and Wang Chen trapped him in a net.

Wang Chen killed a corrupted cultivator, spared the man’s wife and daughter, and left them food before continuing his inspection of the settlement. When he went to help a Sunset Peak disciple surrounded by Rogue Cultivators, a sudden Sword Light cut through the crowd.

• Wang Chen recalled the Heavenly Net to Punish Evil and killed the dying middle-aged cultivator after promising to spare his wife and daughter.
• Wang Chen returned the cultivator’s ashes and Storage Bag to the sallow-faced female cultivator, adding food and warning her to take care of herself.
• Wang Chen told Rongrong to live bravely if she wanted revenge, then marked the household as inspected with a Yunyang Sect emblem.
• Wang Chen found a Sunset Peak disciple arguing with Rogue Cultivators who demanded compensation for a damaged Magic Tool.
• A dazzling Sword Light flashed before Wang Chen could intervene, and heads flew into the air.

Wang Chen witnessed Xie Yaoxiu reunite with her younger brother and reveal that she had become a Purple Mansion cultivator before the Yunyang Sect’s flying ship departed. After the Rogue Cultivators fell into a bloody frenzy, Mu Qingqing recruited Ji Wanrong as her disciple.

• Xie Yaoxiu and the Yunyang Sect’s true disciples arrived at Yellow Mud Stronghold, where Xie Yaoxiu punished her younger brother for sneaking away and revealed she had become a Purple Mansion cultivator.
• Wang Chen hid from the group, then watched Rogue Cultivators loot the corpses after Xie Yaoxiu and the others departed aboard a flying Magic Tool.
• The Yunyang flying ship summoned its disciples, and a rainbow-robed woman named Mu Qingqing arrived at Yellow Mud Stronghold, annoyed that the Yunyang Sect had scared away an old ghost.
• Mu Qingqing provoked the Rogue Cultivators into fighting one another, then noticed Ji Wanrong watching from a stone fort.
• Ji Wanrong asked to learn how to kill a bad person, and Mu Qingqing offered to take her as a disciple; Ji Wanrong accepted and learned that Mu Qingqing belonged to the Joyous Union Sect.

Wang Chen and the other Sunset Peak disciples witnessed five Yunyang flying ships attack a Ruined City and reveal a giant Evil Spirit beneath it. After the ships badly wounded the creature and drove it to flee, the elders ordered the disciples to sweep the Evil Nest for materials and double Merit Points.

• Wang Chen kept a low profile aboard the flying ship as the Clear Realm operation continued and casualties mounted among the Sunset Peak disciples.
• Five Yunyang flying ships assembled and bombarded a mist-covered Ruined City, exposing a vast crater and a hidden Evil Spirit.
• The giant Evil Spirit accused the elders of breaking their word, but an aged voice mocked its demand and the ships attacked it again.
• The Evil Spirit’s limbs were severed, and it fled while three flying ships pursued it.
• An elder ordered the disciples aboard Wang Chen’s ship and another to search the Evil Nest for Yin Qi Beads and other yin-baleful materials in exchange for double Merit Points.
• Wang Chen and the other disciples leaped from the ships and rushed to sweep the nest.

Wang Chen hid beneath Ruined City to rest, then spent Heavenly Merit to raise his Spiritual Root before an earthquake dropped him into a deep fissure. He reached the bottom and found an underground river.

• Wang Chen avoided the other disciples and dug a secret chamber where he slept through most of the day.
• After waking at dusk, Wang Chen ate and spent 100 Heavenly Merit to increase his Spiritual Root to six points.
• As Wang Chen prepared to return to the surface, a violent tremor shattered the ground beneath him and sent him falling.
• Wang Chen stopped his fall by gripping the fissure wall, then climbed down until he reached an underground river.

Wang Chen encountered a Blood God Son while exploring an underground river and fought to survive after the malevolent spirit ambushed him. He trapped it with the Heavenly Net to Punish Evil, but the creature began to break free as Wang Chen struggled to hold it.

• Wang Chen found the corpse of a Yunyang Sect true disciple floating down the underground river and realized something dangerous lay upstream.
• A Blood God Son attacked Wang Chen, and he dodged its crimson strike with Shrink Ground into Inch.
• Wang Chen's Exorcism Talismans barely affected the Blood God Son, and it caught his Fire Crow Sword despite his counterattack.
• Wang Chen struck the Blood God Son's left eye with Gengjin Finger and recovered his damaged Fire Crow Sword.
• Wang Chen charged in and trapped the Blood God Son with the Heavenly Net to Punish Evil, but the creature began loosening the net while he fought to restrain it.

Wang Chen fought to subdue Blood God Son, a powerful Grudge-grade evil spirit, using the Heavenly Net to Punish Evil and his own talisman techniques. After destroying it, he gained 1007 Human Virtue and confirmed that the treasure could help him claim rewards from valuable targets.

• Blood God Son struggled against the Heavenly Net to Punish Evil and attacked Wang Chen's mind, but the Primordial Dao Stele and Dragon-Subduing Sarira restored his clarity.
• Wang Chen continued draining Blood God Son's evil power and struck it with Gengjin Finger as it began swelling and resisting again.
• Wang Chen carved an Evil-Quelling Talisman into his palm with the secret Blood Talisman technique, suppressing Blood God Son's final struggle.
• The Heavenly Net to Punish Evil drained Blood God Son until Wang Chen recalled it, then he burned the weakened spirit with a Heavy-Winged Fire Crow.
• Wang Chen received 1007 Human Virtue and concluded that he had found a way to gain rewards when using the treasure against high-value targets.

Wang Chen survived the battle with the Blood God Son, returned from the sect’s Clear Realm operation with substantial rewards, and went to Peach Blossom Valley seeking guidance on reaching the Purple Mansion. The chapter left him pursuing the next step in his cultivation.

• Wang Chen recognized the limits of his strength after killing the Blood God Son, collected a sinister blood-red bone from its remains, and escaped the collapsing underground space.
• Wang Chen returned to the surface, joined the recalled Sunset Peak disciples, and spent the following days clearing four Evil Nests with his fellow sect members.
• Wang Chen returned to his manor, comforted the lonely Yuan Yuan, and rested before reviewing his mission rewards and gains.
• Wang Chen decided he needed a guide to the Purple Mansion and headed to Peach Blossom Valley the next day.