Chapter Summaries

Ma Gu and Wei Zi'an fought off the Flowing Cloud Sect disciples, while Lu Qing confronted their Gray-Clad Man leader. After Lu Qing's gaze exposed the danger he faced, the Gray-Clad Man abandoned his disciples and fled.

• Ma Gu used the Mountain Sea Saber to drive back more than a dozen Flowing Cloud Sect disciples.
• Lu Qing allowed Wei Zi'an to join the battle, and Wei Zi'an killed a disciple with the One Qi Staff Method.
• Wei Zi'an joined Ma Gu, and together they wounded or killed several more disciples and pressed the remaining fighters back.
• The Gray-Clad Man raised his bow to shoot Ma Gu and Wei Zi'an, but Lu Qing warned him to put it down.
• Realizing Lu Qing was terrifyingly powerful, the Gray-Clad Man abandoned his disciples and fled.

Lu Qing and his companions killed the Flowing Cloud Sect attackers on the road, including their Gray-Clad Man elder, and hurried toward the town to rescue Zhao Qianlin’s captured companions and stop the massacre. They reached the town entrance and found corpses lying amid the stench of blood.

• The Gray-Clad Man fled, but Lu Qing killed him with pebbles after Ma Gu and Wei Zi'an had kept the other Flowing Cloud Sect disciples occupied.
• The remaining Flowing Cloud Sect disciples lost their nerve, and Ma Gu and Wei Zi'an killed them all.
• The Old Doctor sent Lu Qing and the others toward town after Zhao Qianlin explained that the Flowing Cloud Sect was killing townspeople and had captured her master, Senior Brother, and Junior Sister.
• Zhao Qianlin told them that the Flowing Cloud Sect's Young Sect Master had brought his followers to town and intended to torture the captives.
• Ma Gu drove the carriage at full speed, and the group arrived at the town to find a heavy stench of blood and several corpses at the entrance.

Lu Qing and the others entered Clear Wind Town and found the Flowing Cloud Sect disciples torturing Fang Tao, Da Shi, and Fang Rou. When the Effeminate Youth threatened Xiao Yan, Lu Qing killed Elder Qiu with one punch and crushed the Young Sect Master beneath his foot.

• Old Doctor sensed survivors hiding in Clear Wind Town and led the carriage toward Clear Wind Inn, where the Flowing Cloud Sect disciples were still present.
• Ma Gu charged into the inn, defeating the guards, while Lu Qing and the others discovered Fang Tao, Da Shi, and Fang Rou injured and captive.
• The Effeminate Youth threatened Xiao Yan, and Lu Qing attacked Elder Qiu when he tried to shield the Young Sect Master.
• Lu Qing killed Elder Qiu with a single punch and struck down the Flowing Cloud Sect disciples who tried to protect their Young Sect Master.
• The Effeminate Youth begged for mercy and threatened Lu Qing with his family’s power, but Lu Qing crushed his head with a stomp.

Lu Qing avenged the slaughtered townsfolk by killing the Flowing Cloud Sect Young Sect Master and the disciples who had followed his orders. As the Old Doctor treated the survivors, the Flowing Cloud Sect Grand Elder discovered that Xuan'er was dead.

• Lu Qing crushed the Young Sect Master to death after learning of his cruelty toward Xiao Yan and the townsfolk.
• A Flowing Cloud Sect disciple revealed that the Young Sect Master had ordered the town's slaughter and abused anyone who disobeyed.
• Lu Qing refused the disciples' pleas for mercy and killed them with pebbles as they tried to flee and seize hostages.
• Zhao Qianlin and Ma Gu freed Fang Rou, Fang Tao, Da Shi, and the two tortured Senior Brothers, while the Old Doctor treated their injuries.
• The Grand Elder saw Xuan'er's shattered jade token and realized that Xuan'er had died.

After Mo Xuan’s death threw the Flowing Cloud Sect into turmoil, Lu Qing remained troubled by the massacre in Clear Wind Town and decided to visit the sect. The Old Doctor agreed to accompany him, revealing that he was more than a medical practitioner.

• The Grand Elder discovered that Mo Xuan’s jade tablet had shattered, blamed Mo Xuan’s father for failing to notice his departure, and ordered an investigation into the killer.
• The Flowing Cloud Sect learned that its Young Sect Master had been killed, stirring turmoil throughout Cloud Province.
• Lu Qing and the townsfolk burned the corpses in a pit using his red Medicinal Liquid, leaving only ashes and glassy earth behind.
• Lu Qing told the Old Doctor that his heart would not be at peace unless he visited the Flowing Cloud Sect.
• The Old Doctor agreed to go with Lu Qing and said that he was not only a medical practitioner.

The Old Doctor resolved to seek justice for Clear Wind Town by confronting the Flowing Cloud Sect, and he and Lu Qing set out for Cloud Province. After they left, Fang Tao realized they had claimed to have business there to draw the sect’s attention away from the town.

• The Old Doctor explained that the Medicine Saint’s teaching had inspired him to fight the world’s evil, beginning with justice for Clear Wind Town.
• Lu Qing reassured Fang Tao and the others that the Flowing Cloud Sect could not yet know about the killings, while Fang Tao provided a map of Cloud Province’s major factions.
• The Old Doctor declined the townsfolk’s gifts, told them not to hide the group’s destination, and left for Cloud Province with Lu Qing and their companions.
• The townsfolk knelt to see the group off, and Fang Rou asked Fang Tao what the Old Doctor had meant by his parting words.
• Fang Tao realized the Old Doctor and his group were going to Cloud Province to draw the Flowing Cloud Sect away from Clear Wind Town.

After leaving Clear Wind Town, Lu Qing taught the Old Doctor a method for absorbing spiritual qi and revealed his powerful divine soul techniques. The Old Doctor began studying the method, and Lu Qing sensed spiritual qi stir around him.

• Fang Tao told Fang Rou and the others that Lu Qing and the Old Doctor had deliberately drawn the Flowing Cloud Sect away to protect Clear Wind Town, and they worried but accepted that they could not stop them.
• Lu Qing and his companions followed Fang Tao's map toward Cloud Province and stopped to rest in a valley that evening.
• Lu Qing explained to the Old Doctor that absorbing spiritual qi required reaching the Innate Realm, opening Qi Apertures, and learning the ancient Qi Eating Method.
• Lu Qing used Divine Soul Transmission to teach the Old Doctor the Li Water Swallowing Breath Method, astonishing him with the strength of Lu Qing's Divine Soul Power.
• The Old Doctor began studying the method as Lu Qing recovered from the mental strain and sensed spiritual qi stirring around his master.

The Old Doctor mastered the Li Water Swallowing Breath Method enough to cultivate Spiritual Power, breaking through to the peak of Innate Lesser Completion. Lu Qing learned that Spiritual Power might lead beyond the Innate Realm, but its growth remained limited by heaven and earth’s current laws as they traveled toward Cloud Province.

• The Old Doctor studied the Li Water Swallowing Breath Method while Lu Qing and Ma Gu discussed heading directly to the Flowing Cloud Sect, and the group continued its journey.
• Lu Qing practiced the simplified Lesser Body Nourishing Fist with Xiao Yan and sensed that the Earth Spirit Pearl continued strengthening his body and Divine Soul.
• The Old Doctor drew in nearby spiritual qi, emerged from his tent, and told Lu Qing he had cultivated Spiritual Power and reached the peak of Innate Lesser Completion.
• Lu Qing inspected the Old Doctor’s information and learned that his master possessed water- and fire-aspected Spiritual Power alongside Innate True Qi.
• The Old Doctor explained that Spiritual Power might be nourished by Innate True Qi, but it would dissipate over time because heaven and earth could not yet sustain greater cultivation.

Lu Qing and his companions encountered Flowing Cloud Sect disciples on the road, and Lu Qing killed or incapacitated them after they attacked the carriage. He exposed the crimes of their leader, Hong Houyi, who was left stunned by Lu Qing’s knowledge of his past.

• Lu Qing recognized the approaching riders as Flowing Cloud Sect disciples after they threatened the carriage and attacked it with whips.
• Lu Qing killed the first attackers with hidden pebbles, while Ma Gu fought Elder Hong, an Inner Organs Realm expert, and was knocked back.
• Lu Qing struck Elder Hong’s saber with a pebble, then revealed that he had killed the Flowing Cloud Sect’s Young Sect Master.
• Elder Hong fled, but Lu Qing broke his legs with hidden weapons and caught him on the road.
• Lu Qing rejected Elder Hong’s defense of the sect and named him Hong Houyi, exposing how he had murdered his sister-in-law and elder brother.
• Hong Houyi screamed that he was the one his brother and sister-in-law had sent to claim Lu Qing’s life.

Lu Qing used Divine Soul Illusion to make the last Flowing Cloud Sect Elder strangle himself, then learned that the Silver Moon Sect was rallying Cloud Province’s sects to confront the Flowing Cloud Sect. The group continued toward the sect after resting at a tea stall, where they heard the confrontation was set for three days later.

• Lu Qing revealed the maroon-faced man’s buried crime and made him see the ghosts of the brother and sister-in-law he had murdered, causing him to die by strangling himself.
• Lu Qing explained his illusion technique and the man’s crime to the Old Doctor, Wei Zi'an, and Ma Gu as the group buried the bodies and continued toward the Flowing Cloud Sect.
• Lu Qing and his companions stopped at a tea stall to rest and overheard Martial Artists discussing the Flowing Cloud Sect’s hunt for its Young Sect Master’s killer and its plundering of other sects.
• Brother Wang said the Silver Moon Sect Master planned to unite Cloud Province’s sects after a Flowing Cloud Sect Elder killed his personal disciple, and the gathered Martial Artists learned they would confront the Flowing Cloud Sect in three days.

Lu Qing and his companions discussed how Flowing Cloud Sect had learned of its Young Sect Master's death so quickly, then reached an abandoned Mountain God Temple and met the travelers they had seen at the tea stall. Old Doctor Chen agreed to travel with Mister Xu's group toward Flowing Cloud Sect the next day, while Ping'er failed to win Xiao Li's affection.

• Lu Qing suspected Flowing Cloud Sect had an Exotic Treasure that revealed its Young Sect Master's death, and considered the possibility that someone there possessed an immortal cultivation inheritance.
• Lu Qing's group stopped for the night at an abandoned Mountain God Temple, where they reunited with the young pair and Mister Xu's party from the tea stall.
• Ping'er tried to befriend Xiao Li with food, but Xiao Li avoided her and hid in Lu Qing's embrace.
• Old Doctor Chen agreed to accompany Mister Xu's group toward Flowing Cloud Sect the next day.
• Lu Qing prepared dinner as the Mountain God Temple filled with the smell of cooking.

Lu Qing prepared a feast of roast rabbit and fish for his companions and introduced Senior Xu and his disciples to his homemade seasonings, including spicy Six Yang Pepper powder. As everyone enjoyed the meal, a noisy commotion suddenly arose outside the Mountain God Temple.

• The Old Doctor and Senior Xu followed the aroma outside and found Lu Qing roasting rabbits and fish over a bonfire.
• Lu Qing shared the crispy roast rabbit with the group, and Senior Xu praised it as a peerless delicacy.
• Lu Qing explained his chili powder, made from Six Yang Pepper, and Senior Xu and his male disciples enjoyed its spicy flavor while the young woman struggled with the heat.
• Lu Qing cooked more dishes for the travelers, who ate with delight.
• A noisy commotion suddenly came from outside the Mountain God Temple.

Lu Qing’s group was ambushed at the Mountain God Temple by Wu Tian and his mountain bandits, who had massacred a town and threatened Xu Ping. Lu Qing had Ma Gu capture Wu Tian, then killed him and ordered Ma Gu and Wei Zi’an to eliminate the bandits.

• Wu Tian and his bandits surrounded the temple, forced their way inside, and demanded the travelers surrender their valuables and Xu Ping.
• Wu Tian showed the group a young woman’s severed head and admitted he had slaughtered her town after she and her father rejected his marriage proposal.
• Lu Qing ordered Ma Gu to capture Wu Tian, and Ma Gu severed Wu Tian’s arms before bringing him back to Lu Qing.
• Lu Qing killed Wu Tian after he refused to order his archers to fire, prompting the bandits to attack.
• Hidden attackers fell from the walls and rooftops as Ma Gu and Wei Zi’an charged into the courtyard and began killing the remaining bandits.

Lu Qing and his companions defeated a bandit attack at a Mountain God Temple and agreed to travel with Xu Ping’s group toward the Flowing Cloud Sect. The Old Doctor revealed a premonition that Xu Ping and her companions faced immense peril, and two days later the travelers reached Flowing Cloud Town.

• Lu Qing, Ma Gu, and Wei Zi'an killed the bandits who surrounded the temple, then helped bury the bodies and the young girl's head.
• The Old Doctor told Lu Qing that he had sensed Xu Ping and her companions would face grave danger and die unnatural deaths, so they decided to stay with them and help if needed.
• Lu Qing and Xu Ping’s group rested at the temple overnight, then set off together the next morning after sharing breakfast.
• Two days later, Lu Qing and his companions arrived at Flowing Cloud Town with Xu Ping’s group.

Lu Qing and the Old Doctor avoided entering Flowing Cloud Town, where sect leaders had gathered to confront Flowing Cloud Sect over its abuses and the deaths of their disciples. After Wang Pan tried to deflect their accusations, the Sect Master of Silver Moon Sect seized him and threatened to kill him unless Mo Zhen came out.

• Lu Qing sensed powerful martial artists gathered in Flowing Cloud Town and agreed with the Old Doctor to stay in the nearby forest and observe from afar.
• The Sect Master of Silver Moon Sect and the Vice Palace Master of Hundred Flowers Palace arrived at a restaurant where Wang Pan was hosting representatives of the gathered sects.
• Wang Pan claimed Mo Zhen was in seclusion and dismissed the complaints against Flowing Cloud Sect as misunderstandings caused by rogue disciples.
• The Sect Master of Silver Moon Sect accused Wang Pan of twisting the truth about his disciple's death and Flowing Cloud Sect's extortion, then attacked him.
• The Sect Master of Silver Moon Sect crushed Wang Pan's shoulder, seized him by the neck, and threatened to kill him unless Mo Zhen appeared.

Mo Zhen appeared just as the Silver Moon Sect Master was about to kill Wang Pan and offered to hand over Flowing Cloud Sect’s offenders and compensate the other sects. When the visitors refused his repeated invitations to go up the mountain, Flowing Cloud Sect’s Innate Realm Grand Elder revealed a town-wide formation and declared that he would kill them all.

• The Silver Moon Sect Master loosened his grip on Wang Pan after others urged him not to kill Mo Zhen’s disciple, but he scattered Wang Pan’s Blood Qi Power and threw him aside.
• Mo Zhen arrived, and the Silver Moon Sect Master demanded justice for his slain fifth disciple and Flowing Cloud Sect’s raids on other sects.
• Mo Zhen offered to hand over the imprisoned offenders and compensate the raided sects twofold, but the Silver Moon Sect Master grew suspicious when Mo repeatedly invited them up the mountain.
• When the visitors refused to go, Mo Zhen summoned Flowing Cloud Sect’s Grand Elder, whose Innate Pressure immobilized the gathered Martial Artists.
• The Silver Moon Sect Master invoked the Holy Decree and the Innate Realm Ancestors of Silver Moon Sect and Hundred Flowers Palace, but the Grand Elder shook a small flag and vowed to kill everyone in the town-wide formation.

Lu Qing and the Old Doctor discovered that the Hook-nosed Old Man had unleashed a Blood Flesh Soul Refining Array that was dissolving the people of Flowing Cloud Town. As they rushed to break it, they found Yan Tianhua and Mo Hu fighting outside the array, with Mo Hu overpowering Yan Tianhua.

• The Hook-nosed Old Man activated a blood-colored flag, spreading black mist through Flowing Cloud Town and dissolving its residents.
• Lu Qing recognized the gray barrier as a simplified Blood Flesh Soul Refining Array and learned that destroying more than nine of its eighteen nodes would collapse it.
• Lu Qing and the Old Doctor set out to locate the array’s nodes, while Lu Qing’s companions stayed behind to guard their belongings.
• The Round Fatty Middle-aged Man saw Lu Qing and the Old Doctor hurry toward the town and realized the danger was serious.
• Yan Tianhua attacked the array’s barrier, but Mo Hu emerged and blocked his strike.
• Mo Hu declared that he planned to refine Yan Tianhua’s resentful soul, then struck him with overwhelming force and blasted him away.

Lu Qing and the Old Doctor joined the Silver Moon Sect's Grand Elder to attack the Flowing Cloud Sect's Grand Elder, who was using an array to overpower him. Lu Qing discovered how to locate and destroy the array nodes, giving the group a way to break the formation as the Black-robed Figure struggled to defend it.

• The Black-robed Figure used the array's power to fight the Silver Moon Sect's Grand Elder, who risked his life to hold him back.
• Lu Qing and the Old Doctor launched a surprise attack that badly wounded the Black-robed Figure, but the array's power kept him alive and healed him.
• The Old Doctor's sword qi and the Silver Moon Sect's Grand Elder's attacks forced the Black-robed Figure to gather the array's defenses at one section of the light screen.
• Lu Qing sensed the array's operation and fired an arrow that destroyed a distant array node, then told his companions to keep attacking while he broke eight more.
• Lu Qing destroyed a second node with another precise arrow, and the Black-robed Figure realized that Lu Qing's archery threatened the array.

Lu Qing, the Old Doctor, and the sword-wielding man destroyed the Blood Flesh Soul Refining Array and entered Flowing Cloud Town, where they found the Mo Hu brothers draining the townspeople and sect members. The brothers prepared to fight with the Blood Soul Banner, but the Old Doctor attacked them first with two fierce strands of sword qi.

• The Old Doctor battered the formation while Lu Qing destroyed its nodes, breaking the gray light screen and then all eighteen nodes as the Black-robed Figure fled into town.
• The Black-robed Figure found the Hook-nosed Old Man surrounded by drained victims and learned that the Blood Soul Banner could still be used despite the formation's destruction.
• The Hook-nosed Old Man left the survivors in Mo Zhen's custody and went to confront the newcomers with his Junior Brother, confident in the Blood Soul Banner.
• Lu Qing, the Old Doctor, and the sword-wielding man followed trails of blood through Flowing Cloud Town and encountered the Mo Hu brothers atop a rooftop.
• The Old Doctor identified the brothers and immediately sent two fierce strands of sword qi at them.

Lu Qing and the Old Doctor confronted Wu Yuan and his junior brother, who wielded the Blood Soul Banner. The Old Doctor fought Wu Yuan inside the Blood Light Domain while Lu Qing faced the wounded Black-robed Figure, revealing strength that stunned his opponent.

• The Old Doctor’s sword qi wounded Wu Yuan and severed the Black-robed Figure’s arm, while Lu Qing identified Wu Yuan and his Blood Soul Banner.
• Lu Qing sent the sword-wielding man to rescue the Cloud Province survivors and used his Seven Stars Linked Pearls arrows to wound the Black-robed Figure.
• Wu Yuan unfurled the Blood Soul Banner, engulfing the Old Doctor in a hundred-meter Blood Light Domain as Lu Qing stayed outside.
• The Black-robed Figure attacked Lu Qing at close range, but Lu Qing met his staff with a barehanded punch and forced him back more than ten steps.