Chapter Summaries

Lu Qing selected rice and wheat seeds and began using the Spirit Pointing Method to nurture Spirit Grain. Meanwhile, a group of Innate Realm experts targeting him arrived outside Cang County Town and waited for nightfall, while Old Doctor Chen entered the Wei family residence.

• Lu Qing selected rice seeds with a spell, but the villagers refused his silver, and Old Man Lin gave him a sack of prized wheat seeds.
• Lu Qing prepared a basin of life-giving liquid and began soaking the selected rice seeds to nurture Spirit Grain.
• A group of Innate Realm experts suspected Lu Qing was the person they sought and planned to seize members of the Wei family for interrogation after dark.
• Old Doctor Chen entered Cang County Town and visited the Wei family, asking Wei Xinghe for medicinal herbs for villagers he had treated.
• Old Doctor Chen stayed for dinner at the Wei residence, while the lurking experts silently appeared outside the town after dark.

The Old Doctor stopped Elder You and the Avici Pavilion assassins from abducting Wei Xinghe and Madam Wei, defeating them with his domain and flying sword. After learning the attackers belonged to the sect behind the Holy City killings, he asked Lu Qing to come and help decide what to do with the captives.

• Elder You led a group of intruders into the Wei Residence, where they attacked Madam Wei and Wei Xinghe.
• The Old Doctor unleashed his domain to suppress the attackers and sent Madam Wei to safety beside Wei Xinghe.
• Elder You used an Exotic Treasure to break free and escape, but the Old Doctor’s flying sword struck down the remaining intruders.
• The Old Doctor questioned the wounded captives and learned they were Avici Pavilion assassins who recognized him as the Master of the Youth who killed Xuan Ming and the others.
• The Old Doctor asked Wei Xinghe to send word to Lu Qing, and Wei Xinghe also arranged for the Old Ancestor to return.

Lu Qing rushed to the County Town after learning Avici Pavilion assassins had attacked Wei Xinghe and the others, then confirmed the captured men’s identities and interrogated them about the entrance to Hanging Sky Mountain Secret Realm. He killed three assassins when they refused to answer, and the last one began to talk as Lu Qing killed the other.

• Wei Shanhai told Lu Qing that Doctor Chen had subdued Avici Pavilion assassins at the Wei Residence, and Lu Qing activated the mountain formation before speeding to the County Town.
• Lu Qing entered the County Town unnoticed and met Doctor Chen and Wei Xinghe at the Wei Residence, where he learned that one powerful assassin carrying an Exotic Treasure had escaped.
• Lu Qing used his mysterious insight to confirm that the captured men were Avici Pavilion assassins and demanded the location of Hanging Sky Mountain Secret Realm’s entrance.
• When the assassins denied knowing the location, Lu Qing killed Leng Xin and Leng Yi, then said only one of the remaining two could live if he answered.
• One assassin shouted that he would talk, but Lu Qing killed the hesitant assassin before he could respond.

Lu Qing killed the Avici Pavilion assassins who attacked the Wei family, learned the location of the Secret Realm, and escorted Wei Xinghe and his family from the city to Nine Li Village. Yan Canghai watched them leave with growing unease and considered making a decision he had long delayed.

• Lu Qing questioned the surviving assassin about the Secret Realm, then had Wei Xinghe kill him after learning the location and that Hanging Sky Mountain controlled the entrance.
• Lu Qing and Old Doctor discussed the remaining village consultations and the new Spirit Field before Lu Qing arranged for Wei Xinghe and Madam Wei to leave the city for safety.
• Yan Canghai visited Wei Residence after sensing the battle, then personally opened the city gates so Lu Qing and the Wei family could depart.
• Lu Qing escorted Wei Xinghe and his family to Nine Li Village, where Wei Zi'an learned that Avici Pavilion assassins sent by Hanging Sky Mountain had targeted his parents.
• Lu Qing returned to Half-Mountain Courtyard and told Wei Shanhai that the Wei family was safe in the village.

Lu Qing planted Spirit Grain with the Old Doctor and gave him a jade slip on cultivating spiritual herbs to help treat villagers afflicted by Disease Evil Qi. Meanwhile, Elder You found Nine Li Village but avoided approaching it, then discovered a horrifying massacre at Azure Cloud Sword Pavilion and heard its disheveled attacker demand that Xiao Jian Wen reveal where something was hidden.

• Lu Qing, the Old Doctor, Xiao Yan, and Xiao Li planted Spirit Grain in the new Spirit Field, and Lu Qing watered it with the Spiritual Rain Technique.
• The Old Doctor told Lu Qing that villagers increasingly suffered from Disease Evil Qi, so Lu Qing inscribed a jade slip about spiritual herb cultivation for him to study.
• Lu Qing cultivated with the Five Elements Gourd refining his spiritual power, while Yan judged that he was progressing rapidly toward the middle stage of Qi Refinement.
• Elder You spotted Nine Li Village’s protective array but withdrew rather than risk approaching the cultivation site.
• Elder You traveled to Ji Zhou, followed a trail of grievous karmic resentment, and found a disheveled figure draining people until only their skins remained at Azure Cloud Sword Pavilion.
• The disheveled figure demanded that the injured Xiao Jian Wen reveal where a hidden object was, while bound survivors watched in terror.

The Disheveled Figure tortured Xiao Jian Wen for the location of the Azure Cloud Sword Pavilion’s Ancestral Inheritance treasure, but Xiao Jian Wen refused to reveal it and died. After the Disheveled Figure burned the Pavilion and left to pursue the escaped disciples, Elder You emerged from hiding and was discovered by an unseen speaker.

• The Disheveled Figure seized a young disciple and drained his blood and essence until Xiao Jian Wen agreed to reveal the treasure’s location in exchange for the captives’ release.
• Xiao Jian Wen made the Disheveled Figure wait half an hour so the disciples could escape, then refused to disclose the treasure’s whereabouts.
• The Disheveled Figure used the Soul Refining Great Art on Xiao Jian Wen, torturing him to death without learning where the treasure was hidden.
• The Disheveled Figure burned the Azure Cloud Sword Pavilion, suspected Xiao Jian Wen had sent the treasure away with the fleeing disciples, and set off after them using Demonic Qi marks.
• Elder You climbed down from the Pavilion’s gate after the Disheveled Figure left, but an unseen speaker called him vermin hiding in the shadows.

Elder You escaped the Disheveled Figure with a magical artifact and decided to return with news of the outside world. At Nine Li Village, Lu Qing discovered that the belief tree had become spiritually aware and could bless villagers who tied Red Ropes to it.

• The Disheveled Figure attacked Elder You, but Elder You escaped on a Black Halo artifact and fled into the night.
• Elder You examined the cracked Shuttle-shaped Jade Talisman, resolved to return, and hurried away from Azure Cloud Sword Pavilion.
• Grandpa Zhang and the Village Elders brought Lu Qing to the belief tree, whose growth and unusual energy had drawn the villagers' attention.
• Yan explained that the tree had condensed Incense Power from the villagers' faith, and Lu Qing's ability revealed that it could protect the village and bless villagers who tied Red Ropes to it.
• Lu Qing reassured the villagers that the spiritually aware Letter Tree was a good sign, and the villagers scolded their sons for disrespecting it.

Lu Qing broke through to Qi Refining Great Perfection during a three-day retreat in the Jade Cave Chamber, then returned to Nine Li Village as the Spirit Grain ripened. He harvested the crop with his Universe Qi Bag, planned a village feast using the Spirit Rice, and asked Grandpa Mu to weave the stalks into mats or meditation cushions.

• Lu Qing absorbed spiritual energy in the Jade Cave Chamber and broke through to Qi Refining Great Perfection, impressing Yan with his rapid progress.
• Lu Qing returned to Nine Li Village and warned himself to caution the villagers about the increasingly dangerous Ten Thousand Mountains.
• Lu Qing found the Old Doctor, Grandpa Zhang, and other elders worried that the ripe Spirit Grain would fall from its stalks before it could be harvested.
• Lu Qing used the Universe Qi Bag to collect the Spirit Grain and cut down the stalks in moments, astonishing the elders.
• Lu Qing promised Grandpa Zhang to treat the village to Spirit Rice the next day and asked Grandpa Mu to weave the stalks into mats or meditation cushions.

Lu Qing hosted Nine Li Village with a lavish feast of Spirit Rice and meat while Wei Xinghe learned that his missing son, Wei Zihao, had been found near the prefectural city. Wei Zi'an urged the family to consult Lu Qing and the Old Ancestor before approaching him, and Wei Xinghe agreed to wait until after the banquet.

• Lu Qing prepared a feast for the villagers, impressing them and Ma Gu with his knife skills, while Xiao Tian delivered chickens, ducks, fish, and other ingredients.
• Grand Steward Wei told Wei Xinghe, Madam Wei, and Wei Zi'an that scouts had found Wei Zihao near the prefectural city with several Azure Cloud Sword Pavilion survivors, apparently hiding from danger.
• Wei Xinghe prepared to go retrieve Wei Zihao, but Wei Zi'an warned that the family should first seek advice from Lu Qing and the Old Ancestor.
• Wei Xinghe agreed to wait until after the banquet, then brought his family to Lu Qing's home, where Wei Shanhai and Old Chen were already present.
• Lu Qing began serving the feast, and the aroma of his braised meat drew the attention of everyone in the courtyard.

Lu Qing hosted the villagers and Wei family with a feast featuring his newly harvested Spirit Rice, which proved delicious and nourishing. After learning that Wei Zihao was hiding near the provincial capital, Wei Xinghe resolved to find him, and Lu Qing prepared a sword-shaped Jade Talisman.

• Madam Wei and the others admired Lu Qing’s dishes and marveled at the Spirit Rice’s appearance and fragrance.
• Lu Qing thanked the villagers for supporting him and Xiao Yan, then invited everyone to enjoy the feast.
• The guests ate Lu Qing’s braised pork and Spirit Rice, discovering that the rice nourished the body and strengthened cultivation.
• Lu Qing offered Wei Shanhai several hundred jin of Spirit Rice, and Wei Shanhai explained that he wanted it for Wei Zihao and Wei Zi An.
• Wei Xinghe told Lu Qing that spies had spotted Wei Zihao hiding near the provincial capital, likely from the force behind the Azure Cloud Sword Pavilion’s destruction.
• Wei Xinghe said he intended to go to the provincial capital to find his son, and Lu Qing took out a sword-shaped Jade Talisman.

Wei Xinghe traveled to the state prefecture to investigate Wei Zihao’s whereabouts, carrying protective talismans from Lu Qing. Back in Nine Li Village, Xiao Yan broke through into the Qi Refining Realm, but Lu Qing sensed that Wei Xinghe had activated a talisman.

• Lu Qing gave Wei Xinghe a Sword Talisman, a Light Spirit Rune, and an Aura Concealing Rune before Wei Xinghe set out for the state prefecture.
• Wei Xinghe entered the state prefecture unseen and met with a household spy, who revealed that Wei Zihao had been found but seemed changed.
• Xiao Yan broke through into the Qi Refining Realm and condensed her Innate Body while Lu Qing and Xiao Li watched over her.
• Old Doctor and Wei Shanhai arrived and praised Xiao Yan, who asked Lu Qing to teach her how to fly.
• Lu Qing sensed that the talisman he had given Wei Xinghe had been activated.

Lu Qing sensed that Wei Xinghe’s talismans had been destroyed and raced to State Prefecture City, where he discovered a demonic array threatening its inhabitants. Inside the city, Wei Xinghe fled his corrupted son Wei Zihao and heard Lu Qing’s voice as Lu Qing tried to contact him.

• Lu Qing sensed that Wei Xinghe had used and lost his Aura Concealing Rune and Sword Talisman, then hurried toward State Prefecture City with Xiao Li.
• Lu Qing and Yan identified the black barrier around the city as a demonic array, and Lu Qing discovered it was meant to turn the citizens into blood food to forge a demonic body.
• Wei Xinghe confronted his transformed son Wei Zihao, who urged him to serve the Demon Lord and tried to capture him.
• Wei Xinghe used his Light Spirit Rune to escape Wei Zihao, but knew he had to get out of the city before the rune expired.
• Lu Qing connected with the trace of Divine Soul Power in Wei Xinghe’s talisman, and Wei Xinghe recognized his voice.

Wei Xinghe escaped Wei Zihao and warned Lu Qing that the State Prefecture City was trapped in a deadly array. Outside the city, Lu Qing began destroying its nodes with powerful magic arrows, drawing the Demon Lord's attention as he prepared to stop the attacks.

• Wei Xinghe contacted Lu Qing through his Light Spirit Rune and reported that an evil cultivator's array was draining the people of the State Prefecture City.
• Lu Qing told Wei Xinghe he was already outside the city and urged him to hide while he worked to break the array.
• Wei Zihao found Wei Xinghe and attacked, but Wei Xinghe escaped using his Light Spirit Rune as his possessed son pursued him.
• Lu Qing identified the array's outer nodes and destroyed one with a magic arrow, then fired three more arrows that weakened the array further.
• The Disheveled Figure ordered his black-rune followers to find and kill the attacker, while repeated blasts disrupted the blood mist around his Black Bone Sword.

The Disheveled Figure accelerated his blood sacrifice of Cang Prefecture City after formation nodes were destroyed, while Wei Xinghe rallied the City Lord and other Innate Realm cultivators to protect the citizens. Outside the city, Lu Qing faced four attackers sent from within the formation and stopped them with a burst of yellow light before striking.

• The Disheveled Figure lamented that damage to his formation had slowed the blood mist gathering around the Black Bone Sword, then intensified the formation and sent Black Qi Serpents raining into the city.
• Wei Xinghe told the City Lord and the other Innate Realm cultivators that an evil cultivator planned to blood-sacrifice the city and that an expert outside was breaking the formation.
• Wei Xinghe persuaded the City Lord and the other cultivators to help stop the Black Qi Serpents from killing citizens, and they set out together.
• Lu Qing saw four figures rush from the city, recognized their hostile aura, and watched them charge without giving him a chance to speak.
• Lu Qing froze the four attackers with yellow light, causing them to spit blood, then clenched his fist and struck.

Lu Qing subdued four controlled Azure Cloud Sword Pavilion disciples and destroyed more nodes of the demonic array surrounding State Prefecture City, forcing its caster, Li An, to leave the city. Lu Qing learned Li An was the reincarnated Dark Night Demon General and fired a powerful arrow at him after revealing that he knew his secret.

• Lu Qing used Earth Vein Yuan Magnetic Power to pin down four Azure Cloud Sword Pavilion disciples whose black runes revived their fighting strength.
• Lu Qing destroyed six array nodes with two volleys of arrows, weakening the black barrier around State Prefecture City.
• The Disheveled Figure flew toward the city gate as the State Prefecture City Lord and Wei Xinghe rallied the defenders, while Wei Zihao also headed for the gate.
• Lu Qing recognized the Disheveled Figure from their encounter in Holy City and learned that he was Li An, reincarnated body of the Dark Night Demon General under Black Heaven Demon Lord.
• Li An refused to leave the array’s protection and taunted Lu Qing about the dangers of fortune, but Lu Qing revealed that he knew Li An’s master and loosed a charged arrow toward the gate.

Lu Qing battled the Disheveled Figure, destroying array nodes and forcing him to absorb the demonic array into the Heavenly Demon Bone Sword. The Disheveled Figure swallowed the sword and transformed inside a Black Qi Cocoon, but after Lu Qing attacked, a monstrous figure emerged and struck him between two gigantic black hands.

• Lu Qing identified the Black Bone Sword as the array core and destroyed another array node with a redirected Magic Arrow.
• The Disheveled Figure withdrew the array into the Black Bone Sword, freeing Wei Xinghe and the other cultivators to flee the city.
• The Disheveled Figure swallowed the sword and formed a Black Qi Cocoon as he attempted to break through into the Foundation Establishment Realm.
• Lu Qing attacked the cocoon with Eight Directions, shattering the city gate but failing to kill the figure inside.
• A gigantic black hand emerged from the dust and attacked Lu Qing, and a second hand caught him in a pincer strike as Wei Xinghe cried out.

Lu Qing killed the Demonic Cultivator after discovering its demonic body was only half-finished, then captured the black light that escaped its corpse. The fourth Heaven and Earth Dao Sound rang out, loosening the world’s restraints on powerful cultivators, and a mysterious ball of Merit Light entered Lu Qing’s glabella aperture.

• Lu Qing used his Heavenly Meteorite Iron War Blade to sever the monster’s limbs, pierce its chest, and finally kill the severely wounded Demonic Cultivator.
• Lu Qing recognized that the Demonic Cultivator had formed only a half-finished demonic body, then used the Universe Qi Bag to collect its corpse and the small cauldron to swallow the escaping black light.
• The fourth Heaven and Earth Dao Sound sounded after the Demonic Cultivator’s death, and Lu Qing sensed that heaven and earth’s restrictions on powerful cultivators had loosened.
• Lu Qing ordered Xiao Li to stand guard and found a familiar ball of Merit Light inside his glabella aperture.

After defeating the Demonic Cultivator, Lu Qing learned that heaven and earth had bestowed Merit Light on him, then found and subdued the missing Wei Zihao. Lu Qing set out with Wei Xinghe and the cursed Azure Cloud Sword Pavilion disciples, but hinted that the dead Demonic Cultivator might still offer a way to remove their talismans.

• Lu Qing discovered that his Merit Light had been bestowed for killing the Demonic Cultivator and saving the people of the State Prefecture City, while Yan explained its benefits but knew no way to use it.
• Wei Xinghe realized that Wei Zihao had vanished, and Lu Qing sensed him hiding in the city and brought him back unconscious.
• Lu Qing explained that Wei Zihao's mind was lost to the Demonic Cultivator's curse and that the curse consumed life force, so they needed to return to Nine Li Village quickly.
• Lu Qing and Wei Xinghe departed with Wei Zihao and the wounded, cursed Azure Cloud Sword Pavilion disciples, then continued their journey on foot after Lu Qing's flight exhausted his available power.
• When Wei Xinghe lamented that the dead Demonic Cultivator could no longer reveal how to remove the talismans, Lu Qing said there might still be a way and asked him to stop traveling for now.

Lu Qing confronted the captured Demonic Cultivator’s divine soul and forced him to submit through Divine Soul Enslavement. The Demonic Cultivator taught Lu Qing how to temporarily stop the talismans draining Wei Zihao and the Azure Cloud Sword Pavilion disciples, and Lu Qing began downloading the control method.

• Lu Qing entered the Li Fire Cauldron’s Spirit Artifact Space, where Yan released the Demonic Cultivator’s divine soul from its Spatial Prison.
• The Demonic Cultivator warned Lu Qing that his abundant fortune would burden him with karma, but Lu Qing revealed that he knew the demon had once served as one of the 108 Demon Generals under Black Heaven Demon Lord.
• Lu Qing demanded that the Demonic Cultivator remove the talismans controlling the Azure Cloud Sword Pavilion disciples, then began refining his divine soul when he refused to comply.
• Facing destruction, the Demonic Cultivator agreed to become Lu Qing’s servant, and Lu Qing placed a Divine Soul Imprint upon his True Spirit.
• The Demonic Cultivator said he could not yet remove the talismans but taught Lu Qing the method to temporarily stop them from functioning.
• Lu Qing began a simulated download of the talisman-control method transmitted through the Divine Soul Imprint.

Lu Qing restored Wei Zihao and the Azure Cloud Sword Pavilion disciples’ minds, then learned from them how the Demonic Cultivator had destroyed their sect and controlled them. After sensing that the fourth Heaven and Earth Dao Sound had stabilized the world’s laws, Lu Qing realized he could advance toward Foundation Establishment without the former restrictions and looked ahead to Hanging Sky Mountain.

• Lu Qing dissolved the Demonic Qi imprints controlling Wei Zihao and the others, restoring their senses, and Wei Xinghe explained their condition.
• Wei Zihao and the other disciples recounted how their Martial Granduncle had destroyed the Azure Cloud Sword Pavilion, stolen its secret treasure, and forced them to set up formation nodes in State Prefecture City.
• Lu Qing gave the disciples medicine and promised to take them to Cang County, while he ordered the enslaved Demonic Cultivator to recover and later remove their talismans.
• Lu Qing kept the Demonic Cultivator alive for now to learn about his origins in the Tian Yuan Great World, despite Yan's warning that Divine Soul Enslavement was not infallible.
• Lu Qing sensed that the fourth Heaven and Earth Dao Sound had made the world’s laws more complete, removing the restraints on his cultivation and strengthening his confidence about confronting Hanging Sky Mountain.