Chapter Summaries

Sun Lingtong discovered that the Transformation Spirit existence in the cave had died, then uncovered a trove of Nascent Soul-level earth-element materials inside its stone sphere. As she struggled to break into the sphere’s inner layer, her hands began turning to stone, leaving her trapped by an unknown petrification effect.

• Sun Lingtong used the Ten Thousand Miles Swimming Dragon to confirm the Transformation Spirit existence was dead and inferred that the black-robed cultivators had come to pay their respects.
• A black-robed cultivator sent a Flying Letter into the cave, but Sun Lingtong swallowed it with the Ten Thousand Miles Swimming Dragon, cutting off its connection.
• Sun Lingtong cracked open the stone sphere and excavated numerous Nascent Soul-level earth-element treasure materials while the four black-robed cultivators eventually left.
• The sphere’s inner layer resisted her efforts and began regenerating a fragile Stone Skin from gathered earth-element spiritual energy.
• The Mechanism Swimming Dragon sounded an alarm as Sun Lingtong’s hands turned to stone, and her mana, pills, and spells failed to stop the petrification.

Sun Lingtong pursued the Six Caves Sect envoys into their mountain stronghold while Ning Zhuo helped the Ten Thousand Miles Swimming Dragon follow them through the void. After discovering that the sect leaders had murdered the envoys and recognizing his mother’s stolen Mechanism Vehicle, Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong were exposed and fled under attack.

• Sun Lingtong discovered that the treasure materials had petrified him, warned Ning Zhuo by Flying Letter, and pursued the Six Caves Sect envoys.
• Ning Zhuo marked the four envoys with Life Hanging by a Thread and helped Sun Lingtong use the Ten Thousand Miles Swimming Dragon to follow them through the void.
• The envoys reported their failure to the Demon Heart Cave Master, Blood Shadow Cave Master, and Poison Scorpion Cave Master, who killed them and absorbed their hearts, blood, and poison.
• The Poison Scorpion Cave Master gave the Demon Heart Cave Master a Mechanism Vehicle that Ning Zhuo recognized as the one his mother had used during her pregnancy.
• The Demon Heart Cave Master sensed something foreign in the envoys’ hearts, discovered the Ten Thousand Miles Swimming Dragon, and attacked it as Sun Lingtong tried to escape into the void.
• The Blood Shadow Cave Master’s bloody light struck the fleeing mechanism dragon, while Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong spat blood and Ning Zhuo fainted.

Ning Jiu Fan and Han Zhou were ambushed by three Golden Core cultivators while Zhu Xuanji and Shen Lingshu watched from concealment and uncovered the trap’s lethal safeguards. Elsewhere, Sun Lingtong and Ning Zhuo escaped the Six Caves Sect’s pursuit, and Ning Zhuo said he had a way to reach Thousand Peaks Forest despite their damaged mechanism vehicles.

• Ning Jiu Fan and Han Zhou were trapped in an array by three Golden Core cultivators, and Ning Jiu Fan fought them while withholding Yuan Lao to avoid a possible trap.
• Zhu Xuanji and Shen Lingshu observed the battle and identified the array’s defenses against Yuan Lao, including Bewitching Soul Incense, a Demon Slaying Platform, a Demon Binding Rope, and a Mystic Qi Absorbing Pouch.
• Shen Lingshu suspected the Meng Family had arranged the assassination, while Zhu Xuanji and she decided to let Ning Jiu Fan’s fate decline briefly so they could test whether Ning Zhuo’s fate-linked powers would reveal themselves.
• Sun Lingtong piloted the Ten Thousand Miles Swimming Dragon to escape the Six Caves Sect, then used a Mechanism Puppet to wake the unconscious Ning Zhuo.
• Sun Lingtong admitted that the escape had injured her and damaged both mechanism vehicles, while Ning Zhuo comforted her and said he had a way to reach Thousand Peaks Forest.

Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong reached Green Forest Immortal City, where they learned that Old Monster Stone’s petrification was caused by the divine ability Stone Casting Earth Treasure. They sought help from the renowned physician Zhang Chongyi, but found that he had closed his clinic and enlisted in the army, so Ning Zhuo went to find him at the military camps.

• Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong traveled to Green Forest Immortal City while Sun Lingtong struggled to slow her petrification.
• Ning Zhuo entered the city, bought intelligence, and learned that Old Monster Stone had wielded the divine ability Stone Casting Earth Treasure.
• Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong concluded that they needed outside help and decided to consult the famous physician Zhang Chongyi.
• Ning Zhuo found Iron Righteousness Medical Hall closed and learned from Zhang Chongyi’s apprentice that the physician had enlisted and was at a military camp.
• Ning Zhuo left through the west gate and approached the White Jade Army Camp to seek Zhang Chongyi.

Ning Zhuo brought Sun Lingtong to Imperial Physician Zhang Chongyi, who diagnosed her spreading petrification as a Dao injury and explained that curing it required identifying its cause and finding an Earth Element Grandmaster. Zhang could not treat Buddha Physician Meng Yaoyin’s severe Aberration Dao injury, and the chapter ended with Ning Zhuo deciding that he and Sun Lingtong would enlist in the Red Flower Camp to gain leverage over her treatment.

• Ning Zhuo used his abilities to gain entry to the Red Flower Army Camp, where he met Zhang Chongyi.
• Zhang Chongyi recognized the Stone Skin spreading across Sun Lingtong’s hands as an earth-element Dao injury and halted its progress with ointment.
• Zhang explained that Sun Lingtong’s injury required identifying its underlying principle and obtaining an Earth Element Grandmaster, while warning that he might soon be sent to the front.
• Ning Zhuo showed Zhang Buddha Physician Meng Yaoyin, but Zhang identified her injury as originating from the Aberration Dao and said he could not treat it.
• Zhang offered Ning Zhuo treatment for Sun Lingtong in exchange for military service, but Ning left without accepting and told Sun Lingtong they needed to enlist on their own terms.

Mu Lan declined Zhang Chongyi’s advice to recruit Ning Zhuo before investigating him, while Ning Zhuo used his skills and resources to bring three Golden Core cultivators together. The chapter ended after Liu Er, Guan Hong, and Zhang Hei swore brotherhood and Ning Zhuo revealed valuable Nascent Soul-level materials to fund their recruitment.

• Mu Lan told Zhang Chongyi she would investigate Ning Zhuo rather than rely on rumors, then returned to her military duties.
• Ning Zhuo watched cultivators argue over which army camp to join and observed Liu Er and Zhang Hei meet at a restaurant.
• Ning Zhuo joined Liu Er, Zhang Hei, and Guan Hong, influenced Zhang Hei and Guan Hong, and encouraged the three to form their own force.
• Zhang Hei proposed that Liu Er, Guan Hong, and Zhang Hei swear brotherhood in his Pear Garden, and the three completed the oath.
• The three determined Liu Er would be eldest, Guan Hong second, and Zhang Hei third, then discussed the cost of recruiting troops.
• Ning Zhuo offered Mystic Yellow Mother Stone, Blood Demon Stone, and Netherworld Black Soil, astonishing the three cultivators.

Ning Zhuo helped Liu Er, Guan Hong, and Zhang Hei secure weapons and establish the Three Generals Camp, then was appointed Military Advisor. When cultivators challenged his appointment, he used powerful Wood Element spells to silence them.

• Ning Zhuo gifted Liu Er, Zhang Hei, and Guan Hong Nascent Soul Level Treasure Materials, earning their favor and a place in their command.
• At Jin Li's workshop, the three generals commissioned weapons, while Ning Zhuo sold Jin Li several Treasure Materials, received a token, and chose an Iron Thorn Fan.
• Liu Er, Guan Hong, and Zhang Hei obtained military seals, and Ning Zhuo and Zhang Hei helped fund and build their camp with defensive arrays.
• Ning Zhuo and Zhang Hei advertised the Three Generals Camp's recruitment terms, drawing in large numbers of cultivators.
• Liu Er named Ning Zhuo Military Advisor, prompting objections from recruits.
• Ning Zhuo unleashed Tree World Descent and Life-Stealing Flower Bloom across the Troop Deployment Platform, silencing the challengers and establishing his authority.

Ning Zhuo used his wealth and secret methods to persuade Imperial Envoy Zhao Xi to cooperate and help the Red Flower Camp, then revealed to Zhang Chongyi that he was an Earth Element Grandmaster who could treat Sun Lingtong. The chapter ended with Zhang Chongyi stunned and Sun Lingtong urging them to begin.

• Ning Zhuo explained to Liu Er, Guan Hong, and Zhang Hei that he had joined their camp to seek vengeance against the Six Caves Sect and fulfill his lineage's assignment, not to pursue a post in Two Injections Country.
• The Golden Halberd Army and Imperial Envoy Zhao Xi arrived in Green Forest Immortal City, and Mu Lan stormed out of the banquet after denouncing Zhao Xi for demanding bribes.
• Ning Zhuo offered Zhao Xi Nascent Soul Level treasure materials and secretly influenced him to agree to cooperate with the Three Generals Camp and grant Ning Zhuo a favor.
• When Zhao Xi delayed the Red Flower Camp's military supplies, Ning Zhuo intervened and covered the shortfall, earning Zhang Chongyi's gratitude.
• Ning Zhuo released Sun Lingtong and revealed to Zhang Chongyi that he was an Earth Element Grandmaster, surprising Zhang Chongyi as Sun Lingtong urged them to begin treatment.

Zhang Chongyi treated Sun Lingtong’s petrified arm with medicinal liquid and silver needles, while Ning Zhuo devised spells to guide its recovery. After healing Sun Lingtong’s left arm, they discovered that she had used the injury to cultivate her body through the Heaven-Born Earth-Nurtured Fetal Breath Great Method, leaving them to reconsider whether to treat the remaining petrification.

• Zhang Chongyi prepared a medicinal liquid from five herbs and used it with silver needles to expose the principles within Sun Lingtong’s petrified arm to Ning Zhuo.
• Ning Zhuo quickly comprehended the earth-element principles and devised three spells, while Zhang Chongyi created supporting treatments with different risks.
• Ning Zhuo and Zhang Chongyi chose a long-term herbal treatment, and Ning Zhuo devised fire- and wood-element spells to precisely control his earth-element spell.
• Ning Zhuo and Zhang Chongyi restored Sun Lingtong’s left arm, and Ning Zhuo noticed that its flesh and bones were stronger than the rest of her body.
• Sun Lingtong explained that she had practiced the Heaven-Born Earth-Nurtured Fetal Breath Great Method while petrified, and Zhang Chongyi suggested that they need not hurry to cure the remaining injury.

Mu Lan learned of Ning Zhuo’s remarkable talents and considered him as a possible partner to resolve her worsening internal injuries, though she postponed dual cultivation until after the coming campaign. Ning Zhuo decided to study medical arts so he could safely treat Dao injuries himself, then returned to find Liu Er, Guan Hong, and Zhang Hei examining an account book.

• Zhang Chongyi told Mu Lan that Ning Zhuo had grandmaster-level attainments in several elements and had helped resolve the army’s supply crisis.
• Zhang Chongyi warned Mu Lan that her Profound Gold Armor Piercing Art was worsening her injuries and recommended dual cultivation with a compatible man.
• Mu Lan considered Ning Zhuo as a possible candidate but asked Zhang Chongyi to discreetly learn whether he had a marriage contract, and decided to postpone the matter until after the campaign.
• Ning Zhuo reflected on the risks of using Dao injuries to strengthen his body and resolved to master medical arts so he could treat himself and his Mother.
• Ning Zhuo returned to the Three Generals Camp and found Liu Er, Guan Hong, and Zhang Hei gathered around an account book.

Ning Zhuo calculated that maintaining the Three Generals Camp would cost far more than its funds could sustain, and he considered ways to raise money while watching the generals drill. He and Sun Lingtong then planned to recover Old Monster Stone and discussed asking Zhang Chongyi to help remove the Blood Shadow techniques from the Mechanism Swimming Dragon, though Ning Zhuo intended to bind him with secret techniques for security.

• Liu Er, Zhang Hei, and Guan Hong welcomed Ning Zhuo and left him to calculate the Three Generals Camp’s accounts.
• Ning Zhuo estimated that military expenses would reach 18.9 million Low-Grade Spirit Stones, while the camp’s funds could last only three months.
• Ning Zhuo watched Liu Er, Guan Hong, and Zhang Hei drill the troops in a Triangular Arrow Formation and considered helping cover the funding shortfall.
• Ning Zhuo told Sun Lingtong he would seek cheaper supplies and new income, including bulk medicinal pills and selling Jade Steel Heavy Armor to the camp.
• Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong agreed that recovering Old Monster Stone could solve their financial problems, but they first needed to repair the Mechanism Swimming Dragon and remove its Blood Shadow techniques.
• Ning Zhuo proposed asking Zhang Chongyi for help and revealed that he planned to use Life Hanging by a Thread and My Buddha Heart Demon Seal on him for security.

Ning Zhuo sought Zhang Chongyi’s help to remove the Blood Mark Shadow Tracking Art from the Ten Thousand Miles Swimming Dragon, and they arranged for Jin Li to use his artifact-refining furnace. After the Dragon entered the furnace, Ning Zhuo cultivated and wrestled with his temptation to dual cultivate with Mu Lan, leaving the decision unresolved.

• Ning Zhuo asked Zhang Chongyi to remove the Blood Mark Shadow Tracking Art from the Ten Thousand Miles Swimming Dragon, and Zhang Chongyi said they needed a Nascent Soul Level furnace.
• Zhang Chongyi proposed that Ning Zhuo dual cultivate with Mu Lan, but Ning Zhuo declined for the time being, citing the importance of his Original Yang and the need for his Lineage’s approval.
• Jin Li agreed to help in exchange for Ning Zhuo’s Nascent Soul Level treasure material, and Ning Zhuo accepted the cost of using the faster, more damaging method.
• Ning Zhuo, Sun Lingtong, Zhang Chongyi, and Jin Li chose the fastest method, then watched as the Ten Thousand Miles Swimming Dragon entered Jin Li’s furnace for several days of refining.
• Ning Zhuo returned to Three Generals Camp and cultivated with his magical artifacts and Spirit Food, but remained frustrated by his slow progress.
• Ning Zhuo reflected on the potential benefits and lasting consequences of dual cultivation with Mu Lan and remained uncertain whether she was the right Dao companion.

Han Zhou taught the Ning Family branch the Bitter Cold Scripture and tested its usefulness in the mines, where he discovered a rich Jade Nurturing Profound Steel cavern containing Cyan Moon Steel. Ning Jiu Fan reported the find to Zhu Xuanji, while Zhu Xuanji and Shen Lingshu questioned whether Ning Zhuo had linked Han Zhou’s fortune to Ning Jiu Fan’s.

• Han Zhou taught the Bitter Cold Scripture to the Ning Family branch cultivators and asked Ning Youfu to take him to the mine to test it.
• Han Zhou used the scripture to excavate ore, then uncovered a vast cavern of top-grade Jade Nurturing Profound Steel and refused his share of the proceeds.
• Han Zhou sensed Cyan Moon Steel hidden deeper in the cavern, and Ning Youfu dug out a sample and sealed the discovery for further surveying.
• Ning Youfu reported the deposit to Ning Jiu Fan, who informed Zhu Xuanji and the current town mayor at their banquet.
• Zhu Xuanji asked Shen Lingshu whether Ning Zhuo had used Life Hanging by a Thread to link Han Zhou’s fortune to Ning Jiu Fan’s, and Shen Lingshu noted that Ning Jiu Fan’s fortune remained unusually high.

Zhu Xuanji and Shen Lingshu discussed Ning Jiu Fan’s rising fortune and Shen Lingshu’s plan to use it against Meng Kui, while Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong returned to the cavern to mine the stone sphere. Ning Zhuo used Life Hanging by a Thread to activate a formation, comprehend Stone Casting Earth Treasure, and begin forming its divine power prototype.

• Shen Lingshu explained that Ning Jiu Fan’s fortune could have risen through his own circumstances and outside aid, and she decided to keep holding his fortune to mislead Meng Kui before releasing it at a critical moment.
• Jin Li finished refining the Ten Thousand Miles Swimming Dragon, which had become fifty percent damaged, and offered to repair it on credit, but Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong declined.
• Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong spent their remaining spirit stones, including funds from Three Generals Camp, to travel through the void back to the cavern in the Ten Thousand Miles Swimming Dragon.
• Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong excavated the stone sphere, but its inner layer and the Treasure Materials inside remained impervious to their tools.
• Ning Zhuo arranged staff heads and talismans into a formation, connected its key points with Life Hanging by a Thread, and used the formation to study the stone sphere’s Stone Casting Earth Treasure power.
• Ning Zhuo comprehended Stone Casting Earth Treasure and formed a rapidly growing divine power prototype in his mind.

Ning Zhuo learned the Stone Casting Earth Treasure divine power to help Sun Lingtong break through Old Monster Stone’s defenses, while Sun Lingtong uncovered a way to strengthen herself through the Fetal Breath Spirit Boat. The chapter ended as Lu Hongtu’s Six Caves Sect prepared to force Old Monster Stone to join the fight against Two Injections Country.

• Ning Zhuo studied Old Monster Stone’s active Stone Casting Earth Treasure divine power and helped Sun Lingtong break through the stone sphere’s inner defenses, then stopped to recover before mastering the power fully.
• At Ten Thousand Medicines Valley, Hua Gu Zi and Lin Shanshan argued over Ning Zhuo and challenged each other to spar at the Martial Arts Arena.
• Sun Lingtong explained how the Heaven-Born Earth-Nurtured Fetal Breath Great Method resonated with Stone Casting Earth Treasure, and Ning Zhuo asked her to teach him the method.
• Sun Lingtong placed the Fetal Breath Spirit Boat against the stone sphere and used its power to strengthen her body, while memories of Old Monster Stone surfaced in her Heart Field.
• Lu Hongtu arrived with Demon Heart Cave Master and Blood Shadow Cave Master, prepared to compel Old Monster Stone to join the resistance against Two Injections Country.

Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong were trapped in Old Monster Stone’s cave when Lu Hongtu, Demon Heart, and Blood Shadow arrived to recruit Old Monster Stone for a battle against Two Injections Country. They disguised themselves as Old Monster Stone and agreed to the mission under pressure, leaving the cave bound by the Ginseng Beard Dragon King’s Divine Decree.

• Ning Zhuo discovered Sun Lingtong using the Fetal Breath Great Method to learn Old Monster Stone’s memories, but an activated formation trapped them and prevented the Ten Thousand Miles Swimming Dragon from traversing space.
• Lu Hongtu, Demon Heart, and Blood Shadow entered the cave to summon Old Monster Stone, while Ning Zhuo restored the stone sphere’s appearance and Sun Lingtong impersonated its deceased owner.
• Sun Lingtong used Old Monster Stone’s memories to challenge Lu Hongtu over their failed earth-vein expedition and claimed Old Monster Stone would leave Thousand Peaks Forest rather than join the war.
• Lu Hongtu offered the Western Pure Land as an inducement and revealed plans to ambush Two Injections Country’s Golden Halberd Army near its route to Wood Wheel Town.
• Under threat and bound by the Ginseng Beard Dragon King’s Divine Decree, Sun Lingtong and Ning Zhuo agreed to participate, and Lu Hongtu left the Western Pure Land before departing with Demon Heart and Blood Shadow.

Lu Hongtu gave the Western Pure Land to Old Monster Stone after sensing that he was near Spirit Transformation, while Ning Zhuo, Sun Lingtong, and the stone sphere remained bound by the Ginseng Beard Dragon King's Divine Decree. Back at the Three Generals Camp, Ning Zhuo proposed using military funds for divination, leaving Liu Er to consult Zhang Hei and Guan Hong.

• Lu Hongtu explained that Old Monster Stone was close to Spirit Transformation and that offering the Western Pure Land would build goodwill and potentially draw him into conflict with the Ginseng Beard Dragon King.
• Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong emerged from their disguise after the Nascent Soul Cultivators left and realized that all three of them were bound by the Divine Decree.
• Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong decided not to seek help or excavate Old Monster Stone's remains, then stored the stone sphere in the Ten Thousand Miles Swimming Dragon and returned to Green Forest Immortal City.
• Ning Zhuo returned to the Three Generals Camp, worried that he would be caught between the Divine Decree and the coming ambush of Two Injections Country's army.
• Ning Zhuo told Liu Er that he had divination skills and asked to spend military funds on an array to predict the camp's prospects, so Liu Er went to consult Zhang Hei and Guan Hong.

Ning Zhuo secured Liu Er, Guan Hong, and Zhang Hei’s support for his supposed divination while secretly preparing to meet the coming ambush under the Divine Decree. As Lin Bufan joined the Ning Family’s plans against Meng Kui and Ning Zhuo acquired materials to transform the stone sphere, Ning Zhuo found an unexpected use for the Five Viscera Temple Spirit Divine Art and asked Sun Lingtong for demonic sacrificial techniques.

• Guan Hong supported Ning Zhuo’s proposed divination, and Liu Er agreed to let him conduct it in secret.
• Ning Zhuo told Sun Lingtong they would obey the Divine Decree, avoid harming their allies, and transform the stone sphere to display Nascent Soul Level combat strength.
• Lin Bufan met Ning Jiu Fan, agreed to secretly ambush Meng Kui, and advised Ning Jiu Fan to wait near Fire Persimmon Mountain for a chance to claim the Ten Thousand Year Fire Essence.
• Ning Zhuo exchanged Old Monster Stone’s earth-element Treasure Materials with Jin Li for a large supply of materials, then left Green Forest Immortal City to redesign the stone sphere.
• Ning Zhuo realized the Five Viscera Temple Spirit Divine Art could help transform the sphere and improve his cultivation, so he asked Sun Lingtong for demonic arts that used the body in sacrifices.

Ning Zhuo sold treasure materials to fund his purchase of three demonic blood-sacrifice arts, then used them to create a new method for refining his spleen with Old Monster Stone’s earth essence. He successfully formed an outer god, an Earth Element Spleen Temple, and left himself eager to continue.

• Ning Zhuo sold treasure materials around Green Forest Immortal City, then spent most of his Spirit Stones on three blood-sacrifice arts at Complete Book Tower while hiding his identity.
• Ning Zhuo studied the Blood Demon Disintegration Minor Art, Dead Moon Offering Song, and Sky Burial Grand Ceremony, then improved the Five Viscera Temple Spirit Divine Art into a blood-sacrifice method.
• Ning Zhuo burned Old Monster Stone’s stone sphere to gather spiritual essence, and Sun Lingtong shook the sphere until its Ten Thousand Year Earth Essence flowed out.
• Ning Zhuo asked Sun Lingtong to ignite the cremation flames, cut out his spleen, and refined it with Old Monster Stone’s spirituality using his new method.
• Ning Zhuo restored the refined spleen to his body, creating an Earth Element Spleen Temple that retained the organ’s original functions.

Ning Zhuo tested his new Earth Element Spleen Temple, fitted it into a stone sphere, and returned to Three Generals Camp with a grim prophecy. The camp received orders to march to the front, and despite Ning Zhuo’s warnings and the heavy fog, Sun Gan ordered the army onward with Three Generals Camp bringing up the rear.

• Ning Zhuo used the Earth Element Spleen Temple to absorb and refine spiritual qi, then installed it in the stone sphere and spent two days modifying the sphere into a more capable mechanism.
• Ning Zhuo returned to Three Generals Camp and told Liu Er his prophecy poem, warning that the coming campaign would bring danger and casualties, though Liu Er interpreted it more optimistically.
• A military messenger ordered Three Generals Camp to join the main army’s march at dawn, and Liu Er, Zhang Hei, and Guan Hong pledged to face the campaign together rather than retreat from danger.
• Sun Gan ordered the army to march through heavy fog, punished Liu Er for delaying the vanguard, and assigned Three Generals Camp to bring up the rear.
• Ning Zhuo apologized for Liu Er’s punishment, but Liu Er dismissed his guilt and ordered Three Generals Camp to remain vigilant on the journey.