Chapter Summaries

Yuan Ming’s group captured the Crimson Gold Centipede and escaped the Guiyuan Sect cultivators, then Yuan Ming searched Cui Wu Ran’s memories and confirmed his collusion with them. The chapter left Yuan Ming with proof that the Core Formation methods were genuine, though the Flower Transferring Willow Technique was incomplete.

• Yue Rong, Gu Sanniang, and Zuo Qinghui’s group fought the Unicorn Man and his allies, while Lin Po turned on the Unicorn Man and was swallowed by the Crimson Gold Centipede.
• Zuo Qinghui freed Yue Rong and Gu Sanniang from tracking insects and helped them escape as the centipede attacked the Guiyuan Sect cultivators and swallowed Cui Wu Ran.
• Zuo Qinghui, Flower Branch, and the centipede escaped through the fog, while the Unicorn Man’s group pursued Shi Chuan after learning a tracking worm remained attached to him.
• Yuan Ming emerged from beneath the sand with Zuo Qinghui and Flower Branch, explaining that he had avoided killing the Guiyuan Sect disciples and had only wanted the centipede.
• Yuan Ming had the centipede spit out Lin Po and Cui Wu Ran, then searched Cui Wu Ran’s memories and discovered he had lured Foundation Establishment cultivators to the Guiyuan Sect for years.
• Yuan Ming confirmed that both Core Formation methods were genuine, but much of the Flower Transferring Willow Technique was missing.

Yuan Ming uncovered the Guiyuan Sect’s captive mine and learned that Wulu was imprisoned there, then arranged for his Split Soul in Zuo Qinghui’s body to be captured so he could infiltrate the sect’s flying boat. The prisoners were nearing their destination, where an attempted escape by a bald prisoner was brutally stopped.

• Yuan Ming learned from Cui Wu Ran’s memories that the Flower Transferring Willow Technique had motivated Cui Wu Ran and Steward Liao to serve the Guiyuan Sect, then killed Cui Wu Ran and searched the gaunt old man’s memories.
• The gaunt old man’s memories revealed a Guiyuan Sect mine where a Core Formation Stage cultivator experimented on captives by transplanting demonic beast body parts; Yuan Ming also saw Wulu among the mine slaves, but the old man died before revealing the mine’s location.
• Yuan Ming controlled the Crimson Gold Centipede with his Split Soul, killed it, and followed the Guiyuan Sect cultivators’ route, hoping to locate the mine by tracking their return journey.
• Yuan Ming disguised Zuo Qinghui and arranged for Guiyuan Sect cultivators to capture him, allowing the Split Soul to enter the flying boat with the prisoners.
• After five days aboard the flying boat, Zuo Qinghui noticed that a bald prisoner’s faulty Neck Ring sometimes let his cultivation recover, but Guiyuan Sect guards bound and wounded him when he tried to help the others escape.

Zuo Qinghui arrived at a heavily guarded underground mine where cultivators were forced to extract Flame Scale Ore and mortals worked other deposits. After the prisoners were inspected and divided among overseers, Zuo Qinghui was assigned to Shen Mangxing with two other frail cultivators.

• A guard tortured the bald, brawny prisoner with a healing pill and an automatically triggered dagger, warning the others to obey.
• The flying vessel brought the prisoners to the mine, where the guards discussed a shortage of workers and increased Flame Scale Ore quotas.
• Zuo Qinghui observed the underground mine, its harsh labor, and the strict surveillance of both mortal and cultivator slaves.
• A cultivator examined the new prisoners for hidden Storage Artifacts, then called Zhu Si, Shen Mangxing, and Chen Shang to collect workers.
• Zhu Si and Chen Shang selected the stronger cultivators, while Shen Mangxing received the weaker and older prisoners, including Zuo Qinghui.

Zuo Qinghui, She Yu, and Xu Che learned about life as Mine Slaves and the possibility of escaping it by joining the Guiyuan Sect at the cost of luring others into captivity. Meanwhile, the Unicorn Man reported his failed expedition to Elder Hai, who revealed that the two shared a strained father-son relationship.

• Zhou Peng brought Zuo Qinghui, She Yu, and Xu Che to the dormitory and explained that repeated top mining rankings could earn a slave mark and entry into the Guiyuan Sect.
• Xu Che protested that the path required harming others, but Zhou Peng argued that prisoners had few choices and taught Zuo Qinghui and She Yu how to use the mining artifacts.
• Zuo Qinghui asked Zhou Peng about his missing friend Wulu, and Zhou Peng said he might find him among the other dormitories after the miners returned at night.
• The Unicorn Man admitted to Elder Hai that he had captured only fourteen people and lost the Crimson Gold Centipede, while Liao Zhong asked to join the sect permanently.
• Elder Hai accepted Liao Zhong's request, then asked the Unicorn Man whether he still resented his father and why he would not ask for mercy.

Fang Dafu rejected Elder Hai’s attempt to restore him to his ancestral clan, while Yuan Ming’s Split Soul recruited the desperate Xu Che to serve the Nether Moon God. The Split Soul then searched the mine for Wulu and found mine slaves forced to fight for the amusement of Guiyuan Sect disciples.

• Fang Dafu told Elder Hai that he would not abandon the name and memories of his mother, and Elder Hai let him leave without punishment.
• Yuan Ming’s Split Soul possessed Xu Che and promised to help him escape if he served the Nether Moon God; Xu Che agreed and began praying.
• The Split Soul named Zuo Qinghui as Xu Che’s messenger, then resumed searching the mine for Wulu.
• The Split Soul found the Combat Arena, where a wounded mine slave fought a Stone Lizard while Guiyuan Sect disciples watched and wagered.
• Senior Brother Gong refused to stop the fight despite the mine slave’s danger, saying he did not care if the man died.

Yuan Ming’s Soul Crow reunited with Wulu in the mine and began planning to free the Mine Slaves, while investigating the mine’s layout and its mysterious formation. His search led him to a hidden underground room, where he found the tortured but living Mu Li just as someone approached.

• A mine overseer ordered a guard disciple to capture the Stone Lizard, while Wulu served wine to the cultivators and hid his resentment.
• Yuan Ming contacted Wulu through his Soul Crow and asked him to help rescue the Mine Slaves; Wulu agreed and was told to coordinate with Zuo Qinghui.
• Yuan Ming’s Soul Crow mapped the mine, identified several formation nodes, and found that the only exit was guarded by Guiyuan Sect cultivators.
• Yuan Ming searched the core formation cultivator’s residence, discovered a hidden door, and flew down into an underground room.
• Yuan Ming recognized the living, mutilated prisoner as Mu Li, his former companion from Jade Luo Cave.
• Someone approached the underground room and opened a door.

Elder Hai replaced Mu Li’s heart with a demonic beast heart, but Mu Li died when the graft destabilized. Yuan Ming returned to Zuo Qinghui and planned to free the Mine Slaves carefully, while the next day the miners learned about earning Contribution Points and followed Shen Mangxing toward the mine.

• Elder Hai transplanted a demonic beast heart into Mu Li, causing Mu Li’s cultivation to rise to the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage before his body became unstable and he died.
• Elder Hai fed Mu Li’s corpse to a demonic beast and began choosing another test subject from the imprisoned Mine Slaves.
• Yuan Ming’s Split Soul returned to Zuo Qinghui and resolved to plan carefully before attempting to free the Mine Slaves.
• Zuo Qinghui learned from Zhou Peng that miners earned Contribution Points based on their ore production, which could be used for daily necessities or better meals.
• Zuo Qinghui explained the Contribution Points system to Xu Che, and Shen Mangxing led the group toward the mine after breakfast.

Zuo Qinghui recruited Xu Che and She Yu into the Nether Moon God’s plan to free the mine slaves, explaining the obstacles they would overcome together. At the Combat Arena, Wulu showed Zuo Qinghui the undefeated Feng Ling, who had avoided mining for years through his winnings.

• Zuo Qinghui told Xu Che that the Nether Moon God intended to free all the mine slaves and argued that freedom had to be fought for.
• She Yu joined their conversation, and Zuo Qinghui outlined a plan to remove the Neck Rings, tamper with the formation, rally the cultivators, and have his master confront the Core Formation Stage cultivator.
• Xu Che offered to work on the formation nodes, while She Yu agreed to spread the faith among the mortal mine slaves.
• Zuo Qinghui explained that the Nether Moon God sought no reward for helping them escape, and the three returned to mining.
• At the Combat Arena, Wulu told Zuo Qinghui that Feng Ling had won all 271 of his fights against demonic beasts and had not mined for years.

Feng Ling won another Combat Arena match and heard Zuo Qinghui’s plan to lead the Mine Slaves in an uprising, but privately discovered Wei Chang intended to betray him to Guiyuan Sect. Feng Ling killed Wei Chang before he could leave.

• Feng Ling defeated a Tusked Boar Beast, and Wei Chang told him they were close to earning enough Contribution Points to leave the mine.
• Zuo Qinghui asked Feng Ling to help organize the Mine Slaves for a planned uprising, and Feng Ling said he needed time to consider it.
• Wei Chang promised Zuo Qinghui he would persuade Feng Ling, while Zuo Qinghui revealed that Feng Ling had already agreed and was settling private matters.
• Feng Ling secretly cultivated by absorbing spiritual energy into his flesh and swallowing live Copper-Shelled Beetles.
• Wei Chang watched Feng Ling cultivate, then packed his belongings to leave, intending to betray him to Guiyuan Sect.
• Feng Ling confronted Wei Chang over his betrayal and snapped his neck.

Yuan Ming and his companions launched their assault on the Guiyuan Sect’s mine, while Elder Hai continued his experiments and the mine slaves carried out their own plan. The attack was underway, the mine’s restrictions had been weakened, and Feng Ling had killed two demonic beasts in the Combat Arena.

• After killing Wei Chang, Feng Ling concealed his body and later agreed to join Zuo Qinghui and Wulu’s plan with other influential mine slaves.
• Yuan Ming, King Kong, and Flower Branch attacked the mine, using illusions to overcome guards while King Kong killed a Foundation Establishment guard and fought the responding cultivators.
• Yuan Ming used the Blood Transformation Knife to destroy a restriction pillar, weakening the mine’s defenses, and continued toward the next pillar.
• Elder Hai successfully joined a third-grade fire-attribute Ape Demon’s arm to the unconscious Shi Chuan, then left his chamber after an alert reported an intruder.
• At the Combat Arena, Feng Ling killed two Leopard Demonic Beasts by snapping their necks, drawing cheers from the spectators.

Feng Ling escaped the White Rock Tanuki fight when the mine’s protective restriction was triggered, then confronted and killed Chen Shang after recovering his magic power. He revealed that his revenge was for a white-clothed young woman Chen Shang had killed in Wugou City eight years earlier.

• Chen Shang and Zhu Si wagered a Golden Feather Saber against a bottle of Pulse Solidifying Pills on whether Feng Ling could defeat the White Rock Tanuki.
• Feng Ling and Zhou Zhuang fought the beast, but fled the combat platform when the mine tunnel’s protective restriction began to activate.
• A Purple-black Vine emerged and coiled around Feng Ling’s Neck Ring as Chen Shang sent Liao Zhong and Zhu Si toward the underground cavern.
• Feng Ling ambushed Chen Shang with rock spikes and a blue long saber after revealing that his magic power had returned and his Neck Ring was gone.
• Purple-black Vines restrained Chen Shang and disrupted his magic power, allowing Feng Ling to destroy his dantian with the blue saber.
• Feng Ling asked Chen Shang if he remembered the white-clothed young woman he had killed in Wugou City eight years earlier.

Feng Ling avenged his daughter by torturing and killing Chen Shang, while Flower Branch and Zuo Qinghui freed the cultivator mine slaves and launched a revolt against the Guiyuan Sect. The freed cultivators overcame their fear after Zuo Qinghui killed Liao Zhong, but the battle remained deadlocked as reinforcements arrived.

• Feng Ling tortured Chen Shang for murdering his daughter, then killed him and several patrolling guards.
• Flower Branch broke the mine slaves’ Neck Rings, restoring their magic power, while She Yu and Xu Che set out to destroy the cave formation’s Array Eyes.
• Zuo Qinghui and Feng Ling helped free dozens of Foundation Establishment Realm mine slaves, but many recoiled in fear when Guiyuan Sect cultivators attacked.
• Feng Ling led the charge against Zhu Si, while Zuo Qinghui killed Liao Zhong with the Blood Star Cylinder and rallied the mine slaves to fight.
• The mine slaves pushed the Guiyuan Sect forces back, but the sect’s cultivators regrouped as reinforcements arrived, leaving the battle at a stalemate.

Zuo Qinghui and Feng Ling led the mine slaves in overthrowing the Guiyuan Sect guards and freeing their fellow captives, while King Kong fought Elder Hai in the underground cavern. The uprising gained momentum, but the battle against Elder Hai continued as King Kong shattered the ice trapping his spear and struck back.

• Feng Ling organized the freed Foundation Establishment Realm mine slaves into groups to defeat the Guiyuan Sect guards and rescue the remaining captives.
• The mine slaves overwhelmed the guards, freed the Qi Refining Stage prisoners, and rallied under Zuo Qinghui and Feng Ling to fight for their freedom.
• King Kong rampaged through the underground cavern to draw the guards away while Yuan Ming and the others worked to destroy the formation arrays.
• Elder Hai emerged and attacked King Kong with the Cold Flame Bone Blade, but King Kong fought him off with the Purple Star Nine Dragon Spear.
• Elder Hai froze the Purple Star Nine Dragon Spear inside a Blue Ice Mountain, and King Kong smashed the mountain apart and sent its fragments toward him.

Yuan Ming used the Silver Token to disrupt the mine’s protective array and helped King Kong escape Elder Hai’s attack. He then overcame Elder Hai with the Soul Crows and killed him, while the Mine Slaves attacked the Guiyuan Sect guards and Fang Dafu was pulled underground.

• Elder Hai trapped King Kong with the array, but King Kong tore free and was badly injured by Elder Hai’s combined attacks.
• Yuan Ming used the Silver Token to isolate the core Array Eye, shutting down the array chains that bound King Kong.
• Yuan Ming’s Soul Crows and Soul Annihilation Sword disrupted Elder Hai, while a yellow-scaled hand seized Fang Dafu and dragged him underground.
• Feng Ling, Zuo Qinghui, and the Mine Slaves charged the Guiyuan Sect guards as King Kong joined the fight against them.
• Yuan Ming engulfed Elder Hai in the Crow’s Cry Illusion Technique and killed him with the Blood Transformation Knife.

After defeating Elder Hai and freeing the mine slaves, Yuan Ming celebrated their victory with a speech about freedom and his own past. The gratitude and faith of the gathered cultivators and mortals helped him break through in the Nether Moon Art, and he ended the chapter having briefly swept the mine with his newly expanded Spiritual Sense.

• Yuan Ming searched Elder Hai's residence, collected his experimental records and supplies, killed the captive demonic beasts, and destroyed the basement and four-story building.
• After the Guiyuan Sect cultivators died or fled, Yuan Ming told the freed mine slaves that they themselves had overturned the mine and urged them to celebrate their freedom.
• The freed cultivators and mortals directed a surge of faith power toward Yuan Ming, and he absorbed it while cultivating the Nether Moon Art.
• Zuo Qinghui explained to Xu Che and the others that his lord was Yuan Ming, the author of Children's Storybook, and that he followed him by choice.
• Yuan Ming's soul power formed a white halo in his sea of consciousness, marking a breakthrough, and his Spiritual Sense briefly covered the mine before he withdrew it.

Yuan Ming broke through to the fifth level of the Nether Moon Art, gained new abilities, and agreed to let Xu Che follow him after Xu Che embraced his ideas about freedom. Wulu then revealed that he served a far-reaching cultivation lineage and disclosed the burden of his thirteen infiltration missions, leaving Yuan Ming to hear that Wulu had spent fifty years living as a spy.

• Yuan Ming used aspiration power to break through to the fifth level of the Nether Moon Art, strengthening his soul abilities and awakening Emotional Stirring.
• Yuan Ming spoke with She Yu, Feng Ling, and Xu Che about their plans after escaping the mine, and Xu Che asked to follow him.
• Xu Che affirmed that he would make his own choices about revenge, becoming Yuan Ming's first cultivator believer and joining him alongside Zuo Qinghui.
• Wulu took Yuan Ming aside and revealed that he secretly served a widespread cultivation lineage with twelve Core Formation elders, warning him that he had killed Elder Hai.
• Wulu told Yuan Ming that he had infiltrated thirteen sects over fifty years, spending two to seven years in each mission.

Wulu revealed his past as an undercover agent, gave Yuan Ming cultivation techniques and a Dawn identity token, and departed to seek freedom and a chance to form a Core. After tending to the mine’s aftermath, Yuan Ming met the mortal leaders who had gathered to thank the Nether Moon God.

• Wulu told Yuan Ming how he had lived under multiple identities, explained his escape from his Lineage, and gave him the Hidden Yuan Art and Vein Condensing Pill Art.
• Wulu warned Yuan Ming about reports of the Eastern Sea islands, handed him the Dawn token for his Wu Chen identity, and cautioned him about Pei Jianghai and Dawn’s deputy alliance leader.
• Wulu declared that he would keep only the name Wulu and flew away from the mine.
• Yuan Ming retrieved his Silver Token, healed King Kong’s frozen arm, recalled Thunder Rain, and asked Feng Ling to help locate the beetles.
• Zuo Qinghui told Yuan Ming that the mine’s mortal believers wanted to meet him, and Yuan Ming went to the settlement with Xu Che.
• Bai Qi, Rong Zhuang, and Qiao Saibei knelt before Yuan Ming as the mortal mine slaves chanted the Nether Moon God’s name.

Yuan Ming freed the mine’s mortals and arranged to evacuate them with the ore, while Fang Dafu learned of Elder Hai’s death and reluctantly considered returning to the Hai Family. Aboard the departing flying ship, Yuan Ming studied Battle Formations and began devising a formation for his Soul Crows.

• Yuan Ming told the freed mortals they could leave and promised to find them a place to settle, then ordered them to board the flying ship with the ore and arranged for the spirit beasts to be taken or released.
• Uncle Ding told Fang Dafu that Elder Hai had been killed and urged him to return to the Hai Family to claim his father’s assets.
• Fang Dafu initially refused to acknowledge his ancestry, but after Uncle Ding pressed him to avenge Elder Hai and protect the family fortune, he asked what he should do.
• Uncle Ding gave Fang Dafu Storage Pouches and Spirit Beast Bags containing valuables and test subjects, including Shi Chuan, and they flew toward the Guiyuan Sect stronghold.
• The next day, Yuan Ming departed the mine aboard the flying ship with more than a thousand mortals and a large load of ore.
• Yuan Ming studied Elder Hai’s Battle Formation books and considered forming his Soul Crows into a formation powered by soul power.

Yuan Ming rescued and resettled the mine slaves, returned to Sand Trap City, and successfully condensed a Soul Core. He left the Soul Core in his dantian, where it began drawing in spiritual power to prepare a false core and ease his future Core Formation.

• Yuan Ming studied Elder Hai's complete Flower Transferring Willow Technique and Yin Luo Art, then decided to settle the rescued mortals somewhere outside the Black Wind Desert.
• Yuan Ming removed the mortals' brands, established a village in a remote valley, appointed Qiao Saibei, Bai Qi, and Rong Zhuang to manage it, and hid the flying vessel and its ore.
• Yuan Ming returned to Sand Trap City with Xu Che and Zuo Qinghui, used an illusion to disguise them at the gates, and assigned Xu Che to oversee the Nether Moon Divine Cult in the outer city.
• Yuan Ming prepared the Big Dipper Star Soul Formation and began condensing a Soul Core, drawing on power of faith and soul power from his Split Souls to complete it.
• Yuan Ming moved the completed Soul Core into his dantian, where it began gathering spiritual power around itself to form a false core.

After reaching the peak of Foundation Establishment, Yuan Ming traveled to Purple Thunder City with Zuo Qinghui, King Kong, and Flower Branch to investigate Xu Che’s clues about Pill Washing Spirit Liquid. The group entered the city and met Xu Che, who was ready to report on his findings.

• Yuan Ming stabilized his newly formed soul pill, bought two years’ worth of Insect Pills, and sent Xu Che to Purple Thunder City to search for Pill Washing Spirit Liquid.
• After more than a year of cultivation, Yuan Ming reached the peak of Foundation Establishment Late Stage, while Zuo Qinghui advanced to Foundation Establishment Middle Stage.
• Yuan Ming found King Kong transformed after eating Brass Beetles and practicing a breathing method that tempered his internal organs; King Kong said his strength had greatly increased.
• Yuan Ming picked up Flower Branch and traveled with Zuo Qinghui and King Kong to Purple Thunder City, where he paid the entrance fee and entered without trouble.
• Xu Che emerged from the shadows near the city gate and greeted Yuan Ming, who asked how things were going.