Chapter Summaries

Fang Yuan won contests against the Bandit Monkey King to reduce the Zhang Clan caravan’s losses, then continued cultivating on the journey to Golden Mountain and advanced to Rank 2 middle stage. After the caravan split between Yellow Family Village and Gold Family Village, Zhang Zhu urged Shang Xin Ci to expel Fang Yuan and Bai Ning Bing as suspicious.

• Fang Yuan defeated the Bandit Monkey King, earning the Zhang Clan caravan passage and drawing attention from other lineages.
• Fang Yuan refused Shang Xin Ci’s gift of one hundred and fifty Primeval Stones, saying he had acted to repay her kindness.
• Fang Yuan repeatedly won and deliberately lost contests as the caravan crossed Bandit Monkey Mountain, reducing the Zhang Clan’s losses and becoming famous.
• Fang Yuan rejected recruitment offers, kept cultivating despite Bai Ning Bing’s warning, reached Rank 2 middle stage, and gained one Crocodile Strength Gu’s permanent strength.
• At Golden Mountain, the caravan split between Yellow Family Village and Gold Family Village, and Zhang Zhu privately advised Shang Xin Ci to expel Fang Yuan and Bai Ning Bing.

Shang Xin Ci and Zhang Zhu discussed their suspicions about Fang Yuan and Bai Ning Bing, but Shang Xin Ci chose to trust them. Fang Yuan then sought a business partnership with her, and she entrusted all her goods to him.

• Zhang Zhu told Shang Xin Ci that Fang Yuan and Bai Ning Bing seemed suspicious, but she argued that their actions showed gratitude rather than ill intent.
• Shang Xin Ci told Zhang Zhu that protecting him and Xiao Die mattered more to her than preserving the caravan's goods.
• Fang Yuan and Bai Ning Bing bought milk in Gold Family Village, and Fang Yuan explained that exposing some of their secrets could help them gain trust.
• After realizing Shang Xin Ci had prevented Zhang Zhu from testing them, Fang Yuan approached her and offered to manage borrowed goods for a fifty-fifty split of the profits.
• Shang Xin Ci agreed to place all her goods under Fang Yuan's management, while Zhang Zhu questioned her decision and she affirmed her trust in her own judgment.

Fang Yuan bartered Shang Xin Ci’s goods for a higher-value opportunity and learned that a Gold Family Young Master was secretly selling Spring Autumn Cicada. He agreed to buy the precious Gu, seeing a chance to gain primeval stones and impress Shang Xin Ci despite the risk of provoking the Gold Family.

• Fang Yuan exchanged Shang Xin Ci’s goods with Gold Family Gu Masters, ignoring Xiao Die’s protest that the goods could fetch more in Shang Clan City.
• Fang Yuan assessed his business experience and decided he could multiply the goods’ value several times through legitimate trade.
• A Gold Family Gu Master privately offered Fang Yuan Spring Autumn Cicada, and Fang Yuan bargained the price down while questioning whether the goods were genuine.
• The Gu Master revealed that the Spring Autumn Cicada belonged to the clan leader and had been secretly taken by the Young Master, who did not know its strategic importance.
• Fang Yuan realized the sale could disrupt the Gold Family’s plans and decided to buy the Spring Autumn Cicada for profit and to make an impression on Shang Xin Ci.

Fang Yuan turned the Gold Clan's attempt to reclaim its Spring Autumn Cicada into a profitable deal, selling it back for eight thousand Primeval Stones. The caravan departed with Shang Xin Ci's share secured, while the Gold Clan Leader ordered his men to watch the Zhang Clan for signs that they knew the clan's secret.

• Xiao Die and Zhang Zhu urged Shang Xin Ci to stop Fang Yuan from trading away their goods, especially the unsellable Spring Autumn Cicada.
• A Gold Clan guard asked Shang Xin Ci to return the Spring Autumn Cicada and offered three thousand Primeval Stones, then raised the offer to five thousand.
• Fang Yuan refused the guard's offers and countered with eight thousand Primeval Stones, pointing out that other buyers also held some of the cicada.
• Shang Xin Ci asked Fang Yuan to sell, and the guard accepted his price; Fang Yuan then assigned half the proceeds to Shang Xin Ci under their agreement.
• The Gold Clan Leader learned about the deal and ordered Gu Masters to watch the caravan until it left Golden Mountain's territory and kill anyone who went to Yellow Family Village.

Fang Yuan traded his way across several mountain villages, helping Shang Xin Ci grow her commercial skills as the caravan approached the dangerous wilderness of Howling Moon Mountain. During an Azure Wolf Pack attack, he ignored the losses to his borrowed goods and focused on advancing to Rank 2 high-stage.

• Fang Yuan sold goods and bought specialty timber at Soulwood Mountain, then gathered Blue Oil Raindrops at Giant Rain Mountain.
• Fang Yuan sold his oddly shaped soulwood to an elder of the Great Fang Family, earning substantial profits and drawing attention to Shang Xin Ci's trading talent.
• As the caravan entered Howling Moon Mountain, Shang Xin Ci invited Fang Yuan to dinner, but he refused and continued cultivating with Bai Ning Bing's help.
• An Azure Wolf Pack attacked the camp and breached its defenses, but Fang Yuan refused to seek shelter with Shang Xin Ci and stayed in his tent.
• The wolf pack retreated after a fierce attack, leaving three Gu Masters dead and the caravan's goods badly damaged; Fang Yuan had lost nearly a thousand primeval stones but advanced to Rank 2 high-stage.

The caravan endured repeated beast attacks and heavy losses as it crossed Howling Moon Mountain and White Tiger Mountain. Bai Ning Bing realized Fang Yuan was behind the attacks, and Fang Yuan confirmed it as a Cold Jade Owl Cat horde assaulted the camp.

• The caravan suffered repeated wolf-pack attacks in Howling Moon Mountain, then lost cargo and a deputy leader while crossing White Tiger Mountain.
• As attacks continued and the caravan dwindled, Fang Yuan lifted a cart from the mud and explained the black powder on its axle as lubricant.
• Bai Ning Bing examined the powder and realized Fang Yuan had been taking deliberate steps that might have drawn the beast hordes.
• A large Cold Jade Owl Cat horde attacked the caravan’s riverside camp, forcing the defenders to retreat to their second line.
• While Fang Yuan and Bai Ning Bing carried a crate to build a barricade, Bai Ning Bing accused Fang Yuan of luring the beasts, and Fang Yuan admitted he had done so.

Fang Yuan concealed the true extent of his losses from the caravan while waiting for an opportunity, but a White Feather Flying Elephant herd ambushed the merchant caravan at Ivory Mountain. In the chaos, Zhang Zhu lost track of Shang Xin Ci and fled from the elephants as Chen Xin pursued him.

• Bai Ning Bing questioned Fang Yuan about his interest in Shang Xin Ci, and Fang Yuan explained that hiding his plans from allies helped him detect suspicion.
• After the caravan survived another beast attack, Jia Long and Chen Shuang Jin argued over which clan should bear the greatest defensive burden.
• The caravan reached Ivory Mountain, where White Feather Flying Elephants suddenly attacked and devastated its people, beasts, and goods.
• Zhang Zhu drew an elephant away from Shang Xin Ci, survived its attacks, and hurried back to find her missing.
• Chen Xin ran toward Zhang Zhu with three White Feather Flying Elephants chasing him, and Zhang Zhu fled instead of helping.

Fang Yuan assassinated Zhang Zhu during the chaos caused by the flying elephants, while Chen Xin survived by hiding underground. After the caravan suffered devastating losses, Shang Xin Ci endured the painful decision to leave injured people behind and continued onward with Fang Yuan and Bai Ning Bing.

• Fang Yuan killed Zhang Zhu with bone spears and let a White Feather Flying Elephant trample the body, while Chen Xin escaped using Buried Earth Gu.
• Shang Xin Ci and Xiao Die emerged from the rainforest and found the caravan nearly destroyed, with only a little over a hundred survivors gathered.
• Bai Ning Bing comforted Shang Xin Ci and concealed that Zhang Zhu was dead when Shang Xin Ci asked about him.
• Jia Long ordered the survivors to abandon cargo and leave, forcing Shang Xin Ci to walk away from injured people pleading for help.
• Fang Yuan supported Shang Xin Ci until she regained her composure, then told her to do only what lay within her power and keep a clear conscience.
• Shang Xin Ci thanked Fang Yuan sincerely, while Bai Ning Bing privately knew he had orchestrated the disasters.

After the caravan’s losses, Shang Xin Ci sacrificed her goods to protect herself and sought Fang Yuan’s help. Fang Yuan promised to protect her in return for the kindness she had shown him and Bai Ning Bing.

• A deputy leader reported that only 137 people remained, and caravan leaders argued over how to divide the ownerless goods.
• Shang Xin Ci proposed that the groups pool their goods and offered the Zhang Clan’s goods without compensation.
• Shang Xin Ci comforted Xiao Die, accepted that Zhang Zhu was likely dead, and decided they would rely on themselves.
• Shang Xin Ci brought her savings to Fang Yuan and apologized for giving away goods he had lent her.
• Fang Yuan returned the Primeval Stones and promised to do his utmost to protect Shang Xin Ci, repaying her for sheltering him and Bai Ning Bing.

Fang Yuan revealed to Shang Xin Ci that he and Bai Yun were Demonic Path Gu Masters, and she accepted his protection despite knowing his past. When Ou Fei tried to take Shang Xin Ci by force, Fang Yuan revealed his cultivation and killed him, leaving the caravan witnesses shocked.

• Fang Yuan told Shang Xin Ci that he and Bai Yun were Demonic Path Gu Masters with lives on their hands, and asked her to help them pose as Zhang Clan Gu Masters.
• Shang Xin Ci accepted Fang Yuan's protection and asked him to call her Xin Ci.
• Ou Fei barged into the tent, struck Xiao Die, and tried to seize Shang Xin Ci.
• Fang Yuan stopped Ou Fei and kicked him through the tent, then revealed himself as a Gu Master when Ou Fei attacked again.
• Fang Yuan pierced Ou Fei with Spiral Bone Spear Gu and killed him with a powerful punch.
• The onlookers were stunned to learn Fang Yuan was a Gu Master, while Shang Xin Ci realized he was indeed a Demonic Path Gu Master.

Fang Yuan killed Ou Fei and provoked Ou Yang Gong into a fight, then used a trick to create an opening for Bai Ning Bing to kill him. The two revealed their formidable strength and kept the merchant caravan’s leaders from daring to attack.

• Fang Yuan openly admitted killing Ou Fei and blamed Ou Yang Gong for failing to discipline his son before attacking him.
• Fang Yuan fought Ou Yang Gong, using his borrowed Snow Silver Primeval Essence and Rank 3 Gu to gain the upper hand despite his apparent Rank 2 cultivation.
• Jia Long intervened as Ou Yang Gong neared defeat, but Fang Yuan’s false claim of friendship made Ou Yang Gong retreat cautiously.
• Bai Ning Bing ambushed Ou Yang Gong with three spiral bone spears and killed him.
• Bai Ning Bing revealed his peak Rank 3 strength, and Fang Yuan stood with him as the caravan’s leaders halted their advance.

Fang Yuan and Bai Ning Bing killed Ou Yang Gong and Ou Fei, then used their peak Rank 3 strength to force the caravan leaders to accept Shang Xin Ci’s cover story. The leaders discussed how to exploit the pair, while Chen Shuang Quan warned Chen Xin that evidence meant little without strength.

• Fang Yuan and Bai Ning Bing intimidated the caravan after killing Ou Yang Gong and Ou Fei.
• Shang Xin Ci introduced them as the Zhang Clan’s Hidden Elders, and the leaders accepted the explanation to avoid confronting them.
• Jia Long publicly called the killings justified, invited Fang Yuan and Bai Ning Bing to a meeting, and took charge of the camp when they declined to participate.
• The caravan leaders privately questioned the pair’s origins and agreed to offer them goods so they would help protect the caravan.
• Chen Xin told Chen Shuang Quan that Fang Yuan and Bai Ning Bing’s bone spears linked them to Zhang Zhu’s death, but Chen Shuang Quan explained that evidence could not overcome their strength.

Fang Yuan and Bai Ning Bing protected Shang Xin Ci and Xiao Die through repeated beast attacks, earning their trust as the caravan traveled to Tombstone Mountain. At the mountain’s foot, Fang Yuan decided the caravan had outlived its usefulness and planned to kill Chen Xin along with everyone else.

• Fang Yuan considered Chen Xin a dangerous loose end and prepared for the possibility that he had learned the truth about Zhang Zhu’s death.
• Fang Yuan led Shang Xin Ci and Xiao Die through the rainforest during a Crocodile Elephant attack and killed an elephant that charged them.
• The caravan continued toward Tombstone Mountain through further beast attacks, while Fang Yuan and Bai Ning Bing kept Shang Xin Ci and Xiao Die safe.
• The caravan reached Tombstone Mountain, where Fang Yuan recalled the mountain’s history and its recurring population of zombies.
• At the caravan camp, Fang Yuan decided Chen Xin and the rest of the caravan had to die so that no witnesses remained.

Ding Hao sent his zombie army to attack the weakened caravan, hoping to complete the Second Generation Zombie King's trial and become his disciple. As the camp's defenses began to falter, Fang Yuan entered the battle and saved a Gu Master from a Black Hair Zombie.

• Ding Hao recalled how he had trained on Tombstone Mountain, learned of the Second Generation Zombie King's inheritance, and spent years killing travelers and gathering zombies to meet its final trial.
• Ding Hao ordered his zombie army to surround and attack the caravan, and the camp's guards raised the alarm when hundreds of zombies appeared.
• Jia Long and the caravan's Gu Masters organized a defense, using ranged attacks to destroy many White Hair Zombies until their primeval essence began to run low.
• Ding Hao sent more than fifty Black Hair Zombies against the weakened defenses, and they smashed through part of the wooden wall and broke into the camp.
• Fang Yuan killed a Black Hair Zombie that was about to attack a fallen Gu Master, then turned his attention to the battlefield.

Fang Yuan used the zombie siege to identify Ding Hao, who was secretly directing the horde, and manipulated the caravan’s breakout attempts to locate him. After leading a small group toward Ding Hao’s hiding place, Fang Yuan killed his two companions and faced Ding Hao’s Green Hair Zombies alone.

• Fang Yuan recognized that Ding Hao was controlling the coordinated zombie horde and deduced that he was hiding somewhere with a view of the battlefield.
• Fang Yuan seized command of the divided caravan and organized successive breakout probes to rule out possible routes and pinpoint Ding Hao’s position.
• Ding Hao shifted zombies to block the probes, but Fang Yuan exploited a weakened section of the horde and escaped with two Gu Masters.
• Ding Hao sent two Green Hair Zombies against Fang Yuan’s group, and Fang Yuan fought one while the other overwhelmed his companions.
• Fang Yuan suddenly shot and killed the two Gu Masters with spiral bone spears, leaving Ding Hao shocked as both Green Hair Zombies faltered.

Fang Yuan convinced Ding Hao that he was the Second Generation Zombie King's eldest disciple and won his secret cooperation. He returned to the caravan camp, where Shang Xin Ci and the others welcomed him, while Bai Ning Bing recognized that he was scheming again.

• Fang Yuan named Ding Hao and claimed that the Second Generation Zombie King had sent him to inspect Ding Hao's loyalty and qualifications.
• Ding Hao recalled his Green Hair Zombies and accepted Fang Yuan's claim after Fang Yuan explained the stone tablet and demonstrated his cultivation.
• Ding Hao revealed that he had three Green Hair Zombies, more than one hundred and twenty black-haired zombies, and nearly four thousand White Hair Zombies.
• Fang Yuan falsely claimed to have two Blue Hair Zombies, advised Ding Hao on raising them, and instructed him to secretly cooperate in staging a scene.
• Fang Yuan returned safely to the camp, where Shang Xin Ci blamed herself for holding him back and Fang Yuan reassured her while Bai Ning Bing noticed his subtle signal.

Fang Yuan led Shang Xin Ci and Xiao Die out of the zombie horde, staging a heroic rescue while secretly directing Ding Hao to attack the caravan. After the survivors were killed, Fang Yuan murdered Ding Hao and burned his body to conceal his involvement.

• Fang Yuan withdrew with Shang Xin Ci, Xiao Die, and Bai Ning Bing, then fought through weakened zombies as Ding Hao covertly held back their attacks.
• Fang Yuan deliberately let a White Hair Zombie wound him, winning Shang Xin Ci and Xiao Die’s concern before leading them out of the encirclement.
• Fang Yuan promised to return for the trapped caravan members, but instead sent Shang Xin Ci and Xiao Die onward while he returned to Ding Hao.
• Fang Yuan ordered Ding Hao to kill the remaining caravan members and conceal the evidence, then accepted the Primeval Stones and discussed Ding Hao’s gains.
• Fang Yuan distracted Ding Hao with a warning about a supposed survivor and killed him with a bone spear.
• Fang Yuan burned Ding Hao’s corpse and Gu worms, then left the battlefield to prevent the Shang clan from tracing the attack to him.

Fang Yuan parted from Shang Xin Ci at Shang Clan City to avoid an investigation that could expose his Gu, while preserving her trust for a future meeting. After Shang Xin Ci entered the city, Shang Yan Fei sensed a new bloodline connected to his own.

• Fang Yuan claimed a Green Hair Zombie had chased him, prompting the group to continue their journey through the mountains.
• Fang Yuan's cultivation advanced from Rank 2 high-stage to the peak stage as the group traveled toward Discuss Mountain.
• At Shang Clan City, Fang Yuan announced that he and Bai Ning Bing would part ways with Shang Xin Ci and Xiao Die.
• Shang Xin Ci vowed to repay Fang Yuan, then entered the city with Xiao Die as Fang Yuan and Bai Ning Bing watched.
• Fang Yuan explained that he had separated from Shang Xin Ci to avoid the Shang Clan's investigation and to keep his Gu hidden.
• Shang Yan Fei sensed a new bloodline originating from his own and wondered how it had appeared.

Shang Yan Fei reunited with Shang Xin Ci, his daughter, and she fainted from the turmoil of seeing him. Meanwhile, Fang Yuan and Bai Ning Bing entered Shang Clan City and went to the Four Seasons Restaurant, where Fang Yuan sought a seat on the fourth floor.

• Shang Yan Fei found Shang Xin Ci in the outer district and recognized her as the daughter he had with a Zhang Clan maiden.
• Shang Xin Ci realized Shang Yan Fei was her father, became overwhelmed, and fainted; Shang Yan Fei caught her and took her and Xiao Die away.
• Fang Yuan and Bai Ning Bing entered Shang Clan City by paying the gate guards, despite a Bai Family Village wanted poster naming them.
• A broker mistook Bai Ning Bing for a man and offered him women at an inn before realizing he was female.
• Fang Yuan and Bai Ning Bing entered the Four Seasons Restaurant, and Fang Yuan chose the fourth floor, which served Rank 3 Gu Masters.

Fang Yuan and Bai Ning Bing ate together in Shang Clan City while each plotted how to overcome the other before Fang Yuan reached rank 3. After hearing that Shang Xin Ci had arrived and seeing the Yi Family caravan enter the city, they reached the inner-city gate and learned entry cost one hundred Primeval Stones each.

• Fang Yuan and Bai Ning Bing shared an expensive meal while privately weighing how to defeat or control one another.
• Fang Yuan heard rumors that Shang Yan Fei had appeared at the southern gate and concluded that Shang Xin Ci's arrival matched his memories.
• Fang Yuan and Bai Ning Bing watched the Yi Family caravan arrive aboard a Flying Sky Blue Whale, bringing news of a Rank 5 Gu for auction.
• Fang Yuan and Bai Ning Bing walked through Shang Clan City's outer city and reached the entrance to the inner city.
• The gatekeeper told Fang Yuan and Bai Ning Bing that each had to pay one hundred Primeval Stones to enter.