Chapter Summaries

An unidentified ambusher killed Tian Xueqing despite the desperate intervention of his Refined Corpse and Gao Kang. Gao Kang then struck the ambusher from behind, sending him crashing to the ground.

• An ambusher launched a sudden punch at Tian Xueqing, and Tian Xueqing's Refined Corpse intercepted it.
• The ambusher shattered the Refined Corpse's fist and arm, then continued toward Tian Xueqing.
• Gao Kang transformed into his zombie form and rushed to stop the ambusher, but the ambusher ignored him and crushed Tian Xueqing's head with a punch.
• Gao Kang struck the ambusher from behind with a powerful punch, blasting a deep imprint into his back and knocking him to the ground.

Chen Yan’s Wood Spirit Physique incarnation survived Gao Kang’s fatal punch and revealed itself as Huai Qing of Black Mountain, terrifying Tian Xuelin, Han Tianhu, and Gao Kang. Chen Yan then entered the fight and charged the three men after declaring that they should die.

• Gao Kang’s punch shattered the ambusher’s heart, but the figure stood up unharmed and healed completely.
• The figure revealed himself as Huai Qing of Black Mountain, the Thousand-Year Tree Spirit suspected of reaching Spirit Transformation.
• Tian Xuelin and Gao Kang feared Huai Qing had learned of Mount Lao Daoist Sect’s plan to attack Black Mountain.
• Chen Yan stepped forward, confronted Tian Xuelin, Gao Kang, and Han Tianhu, and told them to die.
• Chen Yan stomped through the bluestone pavement and charged toward the three men.

Chen Yan fought Han Tianhu with the protection of Saint Guan’s Dharma Body and overpowered the Martial Innate in a direct clash, destroying the Heavenly Supervision Department’s main hall. The collapse echoed across Changze Commandery City as Deng Yuanpeng met with Old Ghost Wan.

• Chen Yan charged at Tian Xuelin and the others, and Han Tianhu stepped in to block his punch.
• Chen Yan invoked Saint Guan’s Dharma Body and met Han Tianhu’s astral-force punch head-on.
• Chen Yan’s strength overwhelmed Han Tianhu, who was sent crashing into a pillar as the main hall collapsed around them.
• The destruction of the Heavenly Supervision Department rang through Changze Commandery City.
• Deng Yuanpeng discussed matters with Old Ghost Wan, the Ghost Cultivator overseeing Changze Commandery.

Deng Yuanpeng and Old Ghost Wan discussed Black Mountain’s newly awakened Demon King and planned to exploit Mount Lao Daoist Sect’s attack to bring Black Mountain back under the Ghost King’s control. Their plans unraveled when Black Mountain’s five-thousand-strong army approached Changze Commandery City, followed by a thunderous explosion at the Heavenly Supervision Department.

• Old Ghost Wan told Deng Yuanpeng that Black Mountain’s Thousand-Year Tree Spirit had reached Spirit Transformation and condensed a demon core.
• Old Ghost Wan revealed that Black Mountain had severed contact with the Ghost King, and Deng Yuanpeng feared it might threaten the Deng Family.
• Old Ghost Wan said Mount Lao Daoist Sect intended to attack Black Mountain and that the Ghost King planned to intervene later and absorb it.
• A soldier reported that five thousand Mountain Spirits and Ghosts were less than sixty li from Changze Commandery City, and Deng Yuanpeng realized Black Mountain was attacking.
• A thunderous boom sounded at the Heavenly Supervision Department, and Deng Yuanpeng asked where it had come from.

Deng Yuanpeng and Old Ghost Wan learned that fighting had broken out at the Heavenly Supervision Department and feared Black Mountain was attacking Changze Commandery from within. As Old Ghost Wan went to aid the Tian Family and Deng Yuanpeng prepared the commandery soldiers, Zhang Tianzheng’s concealed Dragon Sparrow Army force readied to target Deng Yuanpeng.

• Deng Yuanpeng and Old Ghost Wan concluded that Black Mountain might be exploiting a strike on the Tian Family to leave Changze Commandery City vulnerable.
• Old Ghost Wan agreed to support the Tian Family and keep Tian Xuelin alive, while Deng Yuanpeng promised to prevent Black Mountain’s demon soldiers from entering the city.
• Old Ghost Wan told Deng Yuanpeng to take Shi Zhiyong for protection, gather five thousand commandery soldiers, and then reinforce him.
• Zhang Tianzheng and Pang Li watched the Deng Family residence with the two hundred elite Dragon Sparrow Army soldiers secretly gathered nearby.
• Pang Li asked whether they should aid Chen Yan, but Zhang Tianzheng insisted they follow Chen Yan’s order and make Deng Yuanpeng their sole target.

Zhang Tianzheng and Pang Li prepared to ambush Deng Yuanpeng while the Ghost Cultivator left the Deng Family residence. They discovered Shi Zhiyong was guarding Deng Yuanpeng, but Zhang Tianzheng resolved to proceed with the plan as Deng and Shi set out to gather support.

• Zhang Tianzheng recalled the young man's order to kill Deng Yuanpeng if he left to mobilize five thousand Changze Commandery Soldiers.
• A powerful Ghost Cultivator flew from the Deng Family residence toward the Heavenly Supervision Department, and Zhang Tianzheng and Pang Li recognized their chance to act.
• Deng Yuanpeng left the residence with Shi Zhiyong, whom Zhang Tianzheng recognized as another Refining Essence into Qi cultivator.
• Zhang Tianzheng decided to carry out the ambush despite Shi Zhiyong's presence, and Pang Li agreed to make the arrangements.
• Shi Zhiyong warned Deng Yuanpeng that his safety required gathering the residence guards, and Deng agreed before heading to the military camp.

Chen Yan fought Han Tianhu while the Wood Spirit Physique confronted Gao Kang at the Heavenly Supervision Department. After Gao Kang fled, the Wood Spirit Physique unleashed Sea of Trees Descent, surrounding the department with a sudden forest and leaving Changze Commandery stunned.

• Chen Yan used the Wood Spirit Physique’s power to trade blows with Han Tianhu, while Tian Xuelin realized the danger and searched for a way to escape.
• Gao Kang recognized the Wood Spirit Physique as Huai Qing and hesitated to flee, fearing the strength of a Refining Qi into Spirit Transformation cultivator.
• The Dragon Sparrow Army captured Tian Xuelin as he tried to reach the edge of the battlefield, and Gao Kang refused to rescue him.
• Gao Kang declared that the Mount Lao Daoist Sect would remember the grudge and fled after the Wood Spirit Physique released its Demonic Power.
• The Wood Spirit Physique cast Sea of Trees Descent, raising over a hundred towering trees around the Heavenly Supervision Department and shocking the citizens of Changze Commandery.

The Wood Spirit Physique trapped Gao Kang and fought him while Chen Yan battled Han Tianhu on the ground. Chen Yan unleashed the Dragon Sparrow’s blade aura and killed Han Tianhu, leaving Gao Kang’s fight unresolved.

• The Wood Spirit Physique’s Sea of Trees Descent blocked Gao Kang’s escape, and Gao Kang attacked after believing his opponent’s soul was injured.
• The Wood Spirit Physique met Gao Kang’s Netherworld Corpse Claw with his palm, and the two fought evenly as their battle continued overhead.
• Chen Yan kept fighting Han Tianhu despite the latter’s blazing True Gang punch and inexhaustible stamina.
• Chen Yan drew the divine saber Dragon Sparrow and formed a savage blade dragon from its blade aura.
• Chen Yan’s blade dragon tore through Han Tianhu, killing him before Tian Xuelin and the others.

Chen Yan killed Gao Kang with the Five Thunders and the Wood Spirit Physique, then trapped Old Ghost Wan as thunderous blasts erupted elsewhere in Changze. The chapter revealed that Deng Yuanpeng and Shi Zhiyong had been ambushed on their way to the military camp by armored soldiers and a Plum Mountain Daoist.

• Chen Yan reached the late Grandmaster realm and joined the Wood Spirit Physique in attacking Gao Kang, who was driven into a pit.
• Chen Yan used the Thunder Department Seal to call down a powerful lightning bolt, and the Wood Spirit Physique finished Gao Kang with a strike through the brow.
• The Wood Spirit Physique blocked Old Ghost Wan from escaping, while Chen Yan declared the outcome settled and thunderous explosions sounded across Changze.
• A quarter hour earlier, Deng Yuanpeng and Shi Zhiyong set out for the commandery army camp with more than a hundred Deng residence guards.
• An ambush struck the group with lightning, killing several guards, and Shi Zhiyong identified the Daoist leading the black-armored soldiers as belonging to Plum Mountain Dao.

Zhang Tianzheng and the Dragon Sparrow Army confronted Shi Zhiyong, who attacked them while dismissing their Blood Thunder Curse Arquebuses. Zhang Tianzheng ordered his soldiers to fire at close range, killing Shi Zhiyong with a barrage of lightning.

• Deng Yuanpeng suspected the Plum Mountain Dao disciples and Dragon Sparrow Army might be connected to an alliance between Mount Lao and Black Mountain.
• Shi Zhiyong charged Zhang Tianzheng with a defensive cauldron overhead and summoned poisonous Green Scaled Green Snakes to attack him.
• Zhang Tianzheng held his position as Shi Zhiyong closed in, while Pang Li and the Dragon Sparrow Army waited with their Blood Thunder Curse Arquebuses.
• At Zhang Tianzheng's command, the soldiers fired together, engulfing Shi Zhiyong and his snakes in lightning.
• The lightning dispersed, revealing Shi Zhiyong's charred corpse as the onlookers fell silent.

Zhang Tianzheng’s Dragon Sparrow Army killed Shi Zhiyong and wiped out Deng Yuanpeng’s guards before heading toward the Changze Commandery Soldiers’ main camp. Meanwhile, an army of Dragon Sparrow soldiers and Black Mountain Demon Soldiers arrived outside Changze Commandery City, leaving the city gates shut in panic.

• The Dragon Sparrow Army’s Blood Thunder Curse Arquebuses killed Shi Zhiyong, terrifying Deng Yuanpeng and his guards.
• Deng Yuanpeng and his guards fled, but Zhang Tianzheng shot Deng Yuanpeng dead and ordered his soldiers to kill the remaining guards.
• Pang Li reported that Deng Yuanpeng and all his guards had been executed, and Zhang Tianzheng took Deng Yuanpeng’s military tally and head.
• Zhang Tianzheng led the Dragon Sparrow Army toward the Changze Commandery Soldiers’ main camp for their next mission.
• An army of eight hundred Dragon Sparrow soldiers and five thousand Black Mountain Demon Soldiers appeared outside Changze Commandery City, and the frightened city guards shut the gates.

Xu Ji’s forces attacked Changze Commandery City, and the Forest Giants broke through its gates while Zhang Tianzheng had already subdued the commandery soldiers. With the city taken, Xu Ji ordered Wang Liang and Lang Xing to secure it and led the remaining troops to reinforce his lord.

• Xu Ji relayed his lord’s order to attack Changze Commandery City and warned Enbatu to restrain the Forest Giants after the city fell.
• Enbatu led one hundred armored Forest Giants carrying battering rams toward the gates as the city guards panicked and their arrows failed to harm them.
• Zhang Tianzheng subdued the five thousand Changze Commandery Soldiers, leaving the city with only a few dozen guards to defend it.
• The Forest Giants smashed down Changze City’s gates, and Xu Ji ordered Wang Liang and Lang Xing to guard the city and prevent anyone from entering or leaving.
• Xu Ji led the remaining soldiers and demon soldiers into the city to reinforce his lord.

Chen Yan and the Wood Spirit Physique killed Old Ghost Wan after Black Mountain’s forces seized Changze Commandery City. With the city under his control, Chen Yan ordered the Tian and Deng Families destroyed and the city’s wealthy compelled to surrender their grain.

• Old Ghost Wan realized the Deng Family ambush had likely killed Shi Zhiyong and found himself trapped between Chen Yan and the Wood Spirit Physique.
• The Wood Spirit Physique rejected Old Ghost Wan’s appeal to avoid war, and Chen Yan charged him with the Dragon Sparrow Saber.
• The Wood Spirit Physique bound Old Ghost Wan with vines while Chen Yan struck him down with Demon Slaying.
• Xu Ji reported that Changze Commandery City was entirely under Chen Yan’s control.
• Chen Yan ordered Xu Ji to seize assets, exterminate the Tian and Deng Families, and requisition grain from wealthy clans and merchants.

Chen Yan took control of Changze Commandery City and began organizing its administration and relief for disaster victims, while Xu Ji purged corrupt officials and clans. The city had stabilized, but Chen Yan learned that its food supplies were running low.

• Chen Yan appointed Li Taibai Chief Clerk and tasked him with conducting a census and recruiting capable administrators.
• Chen Yan kept the city under lockdown as corrupt officials, criminals, and powerful-clan scions were executed, while soldiers distributed porridge and built shelters for disaster victims.
• Xu Ji purged the commandery soldiers and arrested Rebirth Cult followers who tried to incite the victims into rebellion.
• After seven days, patrols and harsher law enforcement restored order, and city residents found life improved despite the powerful clans and merchants fearing Chen Yan.
• Chen Yan questioned Xu Ji about the grain supply, and Xu Ji reported that little food remained after raids on wealthy clans and merchants.

Chen Yan assessed Changze Commandery’s severe food shortage and the scale of its starving population, then assigned Yuantong and Zhang Tianzheng to rebuild the Heavenly Supervision Department and suppress supernatural threats. The chapter left them preparing to recruit Flying Fish Guards across the commandery.

• Xu Ji reported that Changze Commandery City had requisitioned 280,000 dan of grain and held no more than 500,000 dan in total.
• Li Taibai reported that the city held 438,972 residents and 46,538 refugees, with the refugee count expected to reach 100,000 in a month.
• Li Taibai estimated Changze Commandery’s population at over 1.5 million and described its limited farmland, poor yields, and devastated harvests.
• Chen Yan summoned Yuantong and Zhang Tianzheng and appointed them Changze Commandery Pacification Commissioners to reorganize the Heavenly Supervision Department.
• Chen Yan ordered Yuantong and Zhang Tianzheng to recruit clean Demon Cultivators as well as humans into the Flying Fish Guards and clear demon and ghost threats from every township, with the Dragon Sparrow Army available to assist.

Chen Yan planned to restore safety and improve food supplies across Long Marsh Commandery after taking the city. He ordered the Heaven Supervision Department reorganized and began preparations for local spirit defenses, land reclamation, improved farming, and sanitation as news of the conquest reached the Mount Lao Daoist Sect and Qianzhong Commandery.

• Chen Yan appointed Yuantong and Zhang Tianzheng to reorganize the Long Marsh Commandery Heaven Supervision Department and purge threats across the commandery.
• Chen Yan instructed Yuantong and Zhang Tianzheng to record worthy local ghosts and demons as candidates for appointment as City Gods and Land Gods.
• Chen Yan ordered Li Taibai and Xu Ji to organize disaster victims to reclaim wasteland and dig canals in exchange for relief.
• Chen Yan ordered the construction of toilets with water-collecting pits, the collection of organic materials for fertilizer and biogas, and penalties for relieving oneself elsewhere.
• Chen Yan told Xu Ji to have Qin Chong send Fine Iron Ore to Long Marsh Commandery City so local blacksmiths could forge plows.
• News of Black Mountain's capture of Long Marsh Commandery City reached the Mount Lao Daoist Sect and Qianzhong Commandery.

The Seven Paths of Mount Lao debated how to respond after Black Mountain took Changze Commandery and its tree spirit reached Spirit Transformation. The meeting ended with the Corpse Dao agreeing to confront the tree spirit.

• The Witch Dao's decision-maker reported Changze Commandery's fall and asked the Seven Paths whether to fight or make peace.
• The Corpse Dao and Beast Taming Dao argued against yielding, while Hu Meiniang and Wu Changsong warned that Black Mountain had powerful allies and other forces might exploit a conflict.
• Situ Yin blamed the Seven Paths for not killing Chen Yan earlier, but Wu Changsong pointed out that Qianzhong Commandery's old ghost might side with Black Mountain.
• Azure Wolf called for war, but Wu Changsong asked which faction would face the Spirit Transformation tree spirit, leaving the decision-makers silent.
• The Corpse Dao's decision-maker finally declared that his faction would handle the tree spirit.

Mount Lao Daoist Sect and Qianzhong Commandery both planned attacks on Black Mountain, while Chen Yan prepared for the coming conflict and continued reorganizing Changze Commandery. The chapter ended with the crisis closing in as the commandery’s demon-clearing, reconstruction, and god-enfeoffment plans advanced.

• The leaders of the six Daos agreed to attack Changze Commandery City, with the Corpse Dao leading and Wu Changsong’s Gu Dao watching Qianzhong Commandery.
• The Ghost Prefect learned that Huai Qing had killed Wan Yan and ordered Yuan Ji to lead three thousand Yin Soldiers to seize Black Mountain.
• Chen Yan anticipated retaliation from Mount Lao Daoist Sect and Qianzhong Commandery and prepared to defend Changze Commandery and Black Mountain.
• Yuantong and Zhang Tianzheng led the Heavenly Supervision Department and Dragon Sparrow Army in clearing supernatural threats across Changze Commandery.
• Lang Xing led three thousand Black Mountain Demon Soldiers against bandits, while Li Taibai and other officials organized one hundred thousand disaster victims to reclaim land and dig canals.
• The Qing Ji Sisters continued bringing lists of good demons and ghosts who could be enfeoffed as City Gods and Earth Gods.

Chen Yan held an Enfeoffment Ceremony outside Changze Commandery City, appointing more than a hundred verified good demons and ghosts as City Gods and Earth Gods to protect the people. With Changze Commandery stabilized, he turned to preparing for the expected retaliation from Mount Lao Daoist Sect and Qianzhong Commandery, while the new flow of prayer power offered a path to strengthen himself.

• After the Heavenly Supervision Department and Dragon Sparrow Army purged many towns and villages, Chen Yan verified Xu Ji’s list of good demons and ghosts with Spirit Sight.
• Little Iron Pillar remembered his family’s deaths, his desperate flight, and how Chen Yan’s rule had given him food and hope.
• Chen Yan enfeoffed Zheng Yong, Zheng Fenghua, Yu Ziqing, Green Ox Manghan, and more than a hundred others as City Gods and Earth Gods, granting them power and binding them to protect their regions.
• The new gods and spirits departed to safeguard their territories, while disaster victims prepared to return home and the Rebirth Cult’s branches in Changze Commandery had been uprooted.
• Chen Yan considered the threat from Mount Lao Daoist Sect and Qianzhong Commandery, noted that the Thunder Fire Cannon was still at least a year away, and planned to spend merit to increase his own strength.
• The enfeoffments brought Chen Yan a steady supply of Incense and Fire Prayer Power, which could help him advance Spirit Striking beyond the Second-Rank Divine Striking.

Chen Yan used Heavenly Official's Blessing to gain three days of enlightenment and focused it on the Dragon Elephant Wisdom Skill. He reached Innate Perfection and completed the Dragon Elephant Golden Body, while the resulting golden radiance drew the reverence of Changze Commandery's citizens.

• Chen Yan reviewed his cultivation and saw that his merit had reached 129,000, including the 100,000 merit that unlocked Heavenly Official's Blessing.
• Chen Yan activated the blessing, and the Heavenly Official granted him three days of enlightenment.
• Chen Yan chose to improve the Dragon Elephant Wisdom Skill so he could strengthen his combat power against Mount Lao Daoist Sect and Qianzhong Commandery.
• Chen Yan rapidly advanced the technique through its final layers, causing a thunderclap that Zhang Tianzheng and Yuantong heard from the Heavenly Supervision Department.
• Chen Yan reached the thirteenth layer, completed the Dragon Elephant Golden Body, and attained Innate Perfection as a golden phantom appeared above him.