Chapter Summaries

Wu State’s army attacked a Haizhou border fortress while Yuan Han and Xu Dingchun learned that the Three Phases Bodhisattva had been killed. As Wei He and Yao Wan fled toward Zhentao City, Xu Dingchun ordered an ambush, and Wei He asked Yao Wan to keep his strength secret.

• Yuan Han’s forces overran a Haizhou border fortress, and he drove back Cui Rong’s attempted breakout with a short spear.
• Xu Dingchun learned that the Three Phases Bodhisattva had been beaten to death by a Xuanmiao Sect Patrol Envoy and ordered his remaining Five Stabilizations Masters to intercept the killers.
• Wei He and Yao Wan raced along the official road toward Zhentao City while Yao Wan questioned how they would report the incident to the sect.
• Wei He asked Yao Wan to conceal his strength until he could better protect himself, and she challenged his claim that he was still vulnerable.

Wei He and Yao Wan were ambushed by three True Realm experts seeking revenge for Three Phases Bodhisattva. Wei He unleashed his Ascension State and killed two attackers, while the One-eyed Monk fled with Wei He in pursuit.

• Wei He struck down a hidden True Realm expert, then faced the One-eyed Monk, the woman in pink, and the bearded Madman Han alongside Yao Wan.
• The three attackers entered the True Realm and used the Four Symbols Break the Army array to assault Wei He and Yao Wan.
• Yao Wan entered the True Realm and fought the One-eyed Monk while Wei He held off the other two attackers.
• After the attackers found an opening to strike, Wei He activated Ascension and crushed the blade-wielding Chun Niang.
• Wei He killed Madman Han and chased the fleeing One-eyed Monk, who gradually pulled farther ahead.

Wei He and Yao Wan fought the pursuers separately, killing the pink-dressed woman and the One-eyed Monk. Xu Dingchun found the monk’s remains and ordered a retreat, while Wei He reunited with an injured Yao Wan.

• Wei He pursued the One-eyed Monk, leaving Yao Wan to fight the pink-dressed woman, whom she killed after using a secret technique.
• Wei He caught the exhausted One-eyed Monk, overwhelmed him with Returning True Force, and took his belongings.
• Xu Dingchun found the One-eyed Monk’s remains and wrongly concluded the Xuanmiao Sect had set an ambush.
• Xu Dingchun sent a retreat signal, collected Fourth Brother’s belongings, and dispatched masked secret guards to investigate Wei He’s trail.
• Wei He reached Yao Wan at a sheltered hillside and found her badly injured from repeatedly using secret techniques.

Wei He and Yao Wan returned to the Xuanmiao Sect with news of the Wu Army’s advance, while hiding Wei He’s role in killing several powerful enemies. After a month of secluded cultivation, Wei He reached the final stage of Fixed Perception and opened his chamber door to see the world through Hyperperception.

• Wei He and Yao Wan reported the Black Pine Town outpost incident to the Xuanmiao Sect’s leaders, who discussed the Wu Army’s two-front advance and suspected an internal cover-up.
• Wei He and Yao Wan concealed that Wei He had killed four enemies, planning to tell Yuan Du Zi the truth privately, and Wei He went to the outer mountain to post a missing-person task for Zhou Muqing.
• Wei He secluded himself at home to continue Fixed Perception while the Xuanmiao Sect and Haizhou forces fought the Wu Army and dealt heavy losses to its commanders and Buddha Lords.
• After more than a month, Wei He reached the final step of Fixed Perception and prepared to seal his Hyperperception.
• Wei He opened his quiet chamber door, ready to see the real world through his Hyperperception eyes.

After leaving seclusion with hyperperception activated in both eyes, Wei He saw the terrifying creatures and ash that ordinary people could not perceive and learned how his Returning True Force protected them. He sealed his perception and hurried to Xuanmiao Sect to seek guidance, while Tianhai Island felt unusually cold and quiet.

• Wei He emerged from his meditation chamber and saw the courtyard covered in writhing growths and drifting ash.
• Wei He recognized his wife, Wan Qingqing, beneath the strange fuzz covering her, then watched Oriole's Laugh Wind freeze the growths and draw unseen strands from her.
• Wei He used Returning True Force to clear the fuzz from Wan Qingqing and block the wind from taking anything further from her.
• Wei He sealed his hyperperceiving eyes with Phantom Armor, said goodbye to Wan Qingqing, and left for Xuanmiao Sect to learn about hyperperception.
• Wei He noticed Tianhai Island was colder and quieter than usual as he hurried toward the sect.

Wei He returned to the Xuanmiao Sect and asked Yao Wan what supersensory perception revealed about the world. Yao Wan and Cheng Wan explained Floating Matter, Ghost Wind, and Life Qi, then agreed that Wei He could ask Yuan Du Zi to show him the dangers visible at a higher level of Fixed Sense.

• Wei He saw reduced activity in the residential and commercial districts and increased ship inspections at the docks before returning to the mountain gate.
• Wei He found Yao Wan eating with Cheng Wan and asked Yao Wan about what she had seen after opening her supersensory eyes.
• Yao Wan warned Wei He about Floating Matter, and Cheng Wan explained that Ghost Wind carried away Life Qi, which sustained a body's lifespan.
• Cheng Wan contrasted the Daoist effort to conserve Life Qi with the True Blood Path's reliance on other creatures' Life Numbers.
• Wei He asked how soon he could undergo a second Fixed Sense, and Yao Wan said he could choose when but warned that each stage revealed greater dangers.
• Cheng Wan suggested asking Yuan Du Zi to lend Wei He her perception, and Yao Wan agreed that he could try walking with his supersensory perception open.

Yao Wan urged Wei He to explore the surroundings with supersensory perception active so he could see the Truth for himself, and he began preparing to leave the mountain. Meanwhile, armies clashed at the border of Taizhou as Wushi Sect disciples faced a group of enormous strangers.

• Yao Wan and Cheng Wan advised Wei He to explore near the sect, avoid strong wind zones, and skip the sect competition.
• Wei He encountered Ouyang Luo, who invited him to join the newcomers’ alliance and offered to transfer Shangguan Xing to him, but Wei He declined and left with an entry token.
• Ouyang Luo and Ouyang Jing discussed a banquet and plans to impress two senior disciples from Yunxian Terrace.
• Wei He searched Daode Palace for Zhou Muqing, found no trace of her, and returned home to prepare for an expedition beyond the mountain.
• At the border of Taizhou, two armies charged into battle while Wushi Sect Daoists watched several enormous figures approach; a tiger-striped man named Lin challenged them to a contest.

Dingguang Buddha Lin Shu’s forces crushed Taizhou’s army, prompting Chen Taihe to coordinate defenses with the Wushi Sect and Wanfei Palace. Meanwhile, Wei He used his heightened perception at Tianhai Island and saw a hidden world filled with gray-black seas, parasitic creatures, and Greed Worms.

• Dingguang Buddha Lin Shu let one Wushi Sect fighter escape to draw the Three Main Peaks into battle, then sent Shanxing Bodhisattva to kill Taizhou general Chen Duanrui and rout his army.
• Chen Taihe convened a council, learned that Wushi Sect and Wanfei Palace would send help, and ordered star-stone formations to defend against Bloodline Aberrant attackers.
• Wang Shaojun received a letter from Wei He in Haizhou and was delighted to hear from his old friend.
• Wei He went to Tianhai Island with Chang Xuezong and prepared to examine the world using his heightened perception.
• When Wei He opened his eyes, the bright sea appeared as a gray-black ocean covered in strange matter and parasitic creatures, and Chang Xuezong identified the swarms as Greed Worms.

Wei He explored the True World around Tianhai Island with Chang Xuezong, learning about its creatures and hazards while noticing a secret realm that seemed familiar. Meanwhile, Wang Shaojun weighed whether to leave Taizhou for a renewed opportunity in Haizhou as pressure mounted on the Wu Army and his family.

• Wei He saw Greed Worms, a Human-faced Worm, and the Floating Matter covering Tianhai Island while Chang Xuezong explained the dangers of the True World.
• Wei He discovered dark-red mooring bollards that appeared only under hypersense, then followed Chang Xuezong to a beach where they encountered a gentle Wheel Snail.
• Chang Xuezong showed Wei He the light surrounding Xuanmiao Sect's blessed land and identified a nearby building as the entrance to a secret realm containing a powerful suppressed True Beast.
• Wei He felt that the secret realm's pointed roof was familiar and followed Chang Xuezong away after hearing warnings about the Wheel Snail's shell.
• Wang Shaojun considered whether to leave for Haizhou after a letter revived his abandoned hopes, while worrying about the Wu Army's conflict and his family's future.

Wang Shaojun considered whether to abandon his family’s foundations to enter a mysterious realm, while Wei He explored a dangerous extraordinary site with Chang Xuezong and learned more about resonance and aberration. The chapter ended with Wan Ling and Wan Xuetian fleeing Central Province after its fall, gathering the surviving members of the Wan Family.

• Wang Shaojun’s wife told him she would support his decision, and her presence helped him settle on an answer.
• Chang Xuezong and Wei He sailed away from Tianhai Island and visited the enormous glowing stone dragon called Stone Dragon Coil beneath the sea.
• Chang Xuezong warned Wei He that a second resonance without sufficient Mysterious Lock Vigor could cost him most of his consciousness.
• A sailor developed a Plague Worm during the acid rain, and Chang Xuezong explained that its emergence meant the sailor’s illness was improving.
• Mo Duo and Gongsun Ru invaded Central Province, destroyed Dragon Court, and left the capital in ruins.
• Wan Ling and Wan Xuetian fled the fallen province with the scattered survivors of the Wan Family after its main force abandoned them.

Wan Ling fled the Xue Family’s attack on the Wan Lineage convoy with two young relatives, while Wei He cultivated the Mysterious Lock Skill in Haizhou and considered how to use the Boundary-Breaking Pearl. The Wan Lineage scattered into the forest as pursuers closed in, and Wei He continued developing his strength.

• Wan Xuetian agreed to let Wan Ling return to Haizhou and gathered food and water for her.
• The Xue Family’s Black Ear Iron Cavalry spotted the Wan Lineage convoy and fired a signal flare to summon their forces.
• Wan Xuetian ordered the clansmen to abandon their baggage and scatter, then entrusted Wan Xianzong and Wan Ying to Wan Ling.
• Wan Ling led the two children into the forest as the Xue Family’s pursuers shouted for the scattered refugees to be surrounded and captured.
• In Haizhou, Wei He completed his daily force conversion while cultivating the first layer of the Mysterious Lock Skill.
• Wei He considered using the Boundary-Breaking Pearl to cultivate secondary disciplines alongside his primary technique.

Wei He studied the second level of the Mysterious Lock Skill and learned that it required preserving a deity in his heart and nurturing it with Returning True Force and mental strength. He considered using powerful gods from his previous life, but hesitated over whether his resources could support them and began weighing other possibilities.

• Wei He concluded that his immense Returning True Force and the Whale Flood Art let him focus on advancing his main cultivation technique rather than learning martial techniques or secret arts.
• Wei He read the Mysterious Lock Skill manual and learned that its second level required visualizing a deity, while later levels nurtured and activated its sealing power.
• Wei He examined twelve illustrated deities, including the Nine Village Sky Sealing God, Nubadun, and the Sword God, and considered choosing one of them.
• Wei He realized he could preserve deities from his previous life, such as God or the Three Pure Ones, whose long histories and many believers might strengthen them.
• Wei He worried that his mental strength and Returning True Force might not sustain a powerful deity, and he also considered preserving scientific concepts such as the solar system, the Milky Way, or the universe.

Wei He tested fictional, legendary, real, and scientific images as possible deities for Spirit Nurturing, discovering that authenticity and familiarity strongly affected conversion efficiency. After achieving a high conversion rate with Black House Mountain, he visited Yuan Du Zi to ask how to choose a deity, and she explained that the goal was usable power that he could successfully cultivate in time.

• Wei He found that his invented God of All Corruption produced no transformed force, while the Heavenly Net Three-Eyed Great Emperor from the Secret Manual converted about one-tenth of the Returning True Force.
• Wei He failed to nurture Pangu and Nuwa, then succeeded slightly with an image of the sun and converted six out of ten units by visualizing Black House Mountain.
• Wei He went to Yunxian Terrace and passed a confrontation between visiting sect members and Xuanmiao Sect disciples at the Mountain Lock gate.
• Wei He found Yuan Du Zi and asked about choosing between fictional and real deities for Spirit Nurturing.
• Yuan Du Zi told Wei He to focus on the power he wanted, whether he could cultivate it successfully, and how long the process would take.

Wei He learned how Divine Preservation worked and created a deity diagram based on universal gravitation. Elsewhere, Wan Ling and two children were rescued from pursuit, but a Chaos God Cult scholar targeted them to lure Wei He out before Zhou Muqing confronted him.

• Yuan Du Zi explained Divine Preservation's rankings, completion requirements, and how a deity's power depended on understanding, prompting Wei He to choose a new approach.
• Wei He rejected the sun as a deity because his scientific knowledge was limited, then formed a Divine Preservation diagram of Universal Gravitation.
• Wan Ling fled through the forest with two children while a gray-clothed Xue Family man pursued her and urged her to join his family.
• Masked Myriad Poison Sect fighters killed the pursuer and carried Wan Ling and the children away, but a middle-aged Chaos God Cult scholar appeared and defeated the group.
• The scholar recognized Wan Ling's connection to Wei He and planned to use her to draw him out, but Zhou Muqing arrived and confronted him.

Wei He chose Universal Gravitation as his stored deity and began converting his force, but paused when Zhou Muqing returned and reported that Chaos God Cult experts had attacked Wan Ling. After learning of a gathering at Green Peak Lake, he set out with Zhou Muqing to confront the cult, while its leaders discussed Xuanmiao Sect’s defenses.

• Wei He chose Universal Gravitation for his stored deity and began converting his abundant Returning True Force into deity force.
• Zhou Muqing returned to Wei He after surviving an attack, having reached Ming Gan with the help of the Mysterious Heart Pill, and said she had rescued Wan Ling from Chaos God Cult pursuers.
• Wei He reunited with Wan Ling at Wei Mansion, learned the Wan Family had been destroyed, and left despite her warning not to go out.
• Zhou Muqing told Wei He that Chaos God Cult higher-ups would gather at Green Peak Lake in the Five Spirits Snow Plain, and he agreed to take her along.
• At Green Peak Lake, two Chaos God Cult figures discussed Xuanmiao Sect’s contraction and the loss of many of their secret guards.

Bora and Zhou Muqing arranged to lure Wei He into a trap for the Guangci Cult, but Wei He approached the pavilion undetected and decided to leave after recognizing the danger. Zhou Muqing then deliberately cried out to alert the people inside, leaving Wei He exposed as a suffocating aura spread from the pavilion.

• Bora assured a fellow Guangci Cult member that Zhou Muqing would lure Wei He out while his protector was unavailable.
• Wei He and Zhou Muqing crossed the snowfield, where Wei He used his heightened sight to observe the True Inner Scene.
• At the pavilion, Zhou Muqing secretly sent an insect to contact the Guangci Cult, but its reply asked where Wei He was.
• Wei He silently dealt with nearby sentries and approached the pavilion with Zhou Muqing, unaware of her betrayal.
• After deciding the pavilion held Guangci Cult members and choosing to withdraw, Wei He watched Zhou Muqing fall and cry out, alerting the people inside.

Wei He’s escort to Green Peak Lake turned out to be a Guangci Cult ambush orchestrated with Zhou Muqing, but he revealed overwhelming Returning True Force and killed the attackers. He killed Zhou Muqing as well, then remembered to loot the bodies before the scene shifted to a bloodline steed racing toward a vast military camp.

• Wei He realized Zhou Muqing had betrayed him when Guangci Cult members surrounded them and Bora welcomed her back from the mission.
• Wei He unleashed his Returning True Force, sending Bora’s subordinates flying and shocking Bora with his immense power.
• Bora transformed and attacked Wei He, but his force annihilated her head; he then hunted down and killed the remaining Guangci Cult fighters.
• Wei He discovered Zhou Muqing was afflicted by a strange condition and killed her with a palm strike before leaving the snowy lakeside.
• Wei He returned to loot the bodies, while a bloodline steed galloped toward a sprawling military camp.

The Great Yuan commanders debated how to counter Wu State’s invasion and decided to prioritize Taizhou while forcing the Xuanmiao Sect to relocate. Meanwhile, Wei He continued transforming his Returning True Force and discovered it was developing an attractive force that compressed inward.

• Li Zhouzhao told the allied commanders that Wu State had launched a three-pronged assault and that Central Province had lost more than half its territory.
• Xu Shaowen urged the alliance to answer Wu State’s use of Grandmaster Moduo with Grandmasters of their own, but Ouyang De said the Eastern Sect could not provide help.
• Li Zhouzhao said True Lord Jin Ding would join the other sects and that a Star Formation would weaken any Grandmaster who infiltrated the allied army.
• Chen Ling argued that the army should save Taizhou instead of Haizhou and proposed compensating the Xuanmiao Sect so it would relocate; Li Zhouzhao accepted the plan.
• Wei He transformed more Returning True Force into second-layer Mysterious Lock Vigor and found that it had gained a faint attraction that compressed the force within him.

Wei He continued cultivating the Mysterious Lock Skill and discussed deity contemplation and Warrior Attendants with Yao Wan. After emerging from seclusion, he learned Wang Shaojun had refused his offer and heard Lou Shengyue claim her family had a lead on a Blackline Whale.

• Wei He developed ideas about Gravity God's attraction, then focused on converting his Returning True Force while seeking guidance from Yao Wan and other seniors.
• Yao Wan told Wei He she would soon leave on a journey and asked about his vacant Warrior Attendant positions; he agreed to consider the candidates who had sought her help.
• After more than two months of secluded cultivation, Wei He emerged to find four people waiting outside his cave, sent by Yao Wan to seek Warrior Attendant positions.
• Wei He read Wang Shaojun's letter and learned that Wang had declined to join him because his family and responsibilities prevented him from leaving.
• Wei He offered one Warrior Attendant position and asked the candidates about his conditions; Lou Shengyue said her family had found a lead on a Blackline Whale, though obtaining it would be difficult.

Wei He agreed to accompany Lou Shengyue’s family in pursuit of a Blackline Whale, while learning that many Xuanmiao Sect experts were leaving on distant trips. He feared the sect was being infiltrated, as the chapter revealed a plan to destroy it and Yuan Du Zi prepared to relocate the sect.

• Wei He dismissed three candidates, including Ni Shucheng, and heard Lou Shengyue explain that Daoist Sanyun had repeatedly defeated her family’s attempts to hunt a Blackline Whale.
• Wei He confirmed the whale was the kind he needed and agreed to accompany Lou Shengyue’s family on another expedition in exchange for a Warrior Attendant position.
• Wei He suspected danger after learning that many Full Real experts had recently left Xuanmiao Sect.
• Xiao Li and a woman discussed their plan to lure away nearly half of Xuanmiao Sect’s experts before a fifty-thousand-man force and the Hall of Buddhist Worship attacked the sect.
• Yuan Du Zi offered Xiao Ling Green Eye Ointment and learned that he wanted her to prepare a relocation plan for Xuanmiao Sect.
• Yuan Du Zi told Green Plum that the sect would relocate and that they would reinforce its seal before leaving.