Chapter Summaries

As the Nine Nether Forbidden Ground collapsed, Chen Sanshi escaped the cultivators closing in and promised the dying Mo Zhu he would pass on his talisman inheritance and protect his grandson. After slipping out disguised as Mo Zhu, Chen Sanshi learned that Cao Zhi was waiting to meet Cao Xie.

• Chen Sanshi gathered spiritual plants as the Guardian Envoy's Cave Mansion collapsed, then tried to deliver Fang Qingyun's Jade Flute and a jade pendant to Jiang Xiyue, who rejected both.
• Wei Rui led cultivators toward the cave mansion, and Jiang Xiyue flew out alone to confront them while Chen Sanshi escaped in another direction.
• Chen Sanshi killed a cultivator who tried to rob him, then found the gravely wounded Mo Zhu hiding in a willow tree.
• Mo Zhu entrusted Chen Sanshi with his possessions and the True Talisman Classics, asking him to teach the inheritance to his grandson and protect him; Mo Zhu then died.
• Chen Sanshi disguised himself as Mo Zhu and passed through the guarded exit as the forbidden ground continued collapsing.
• At the Heavenly Sword Sect, Cao Zhi waited to meet Cao Xie.

Chen Sanshi returned to Tianshui Continent after his daughter Yunmei was born, investigated the Bai family’s troubles, and refined a powerful martial pill. He then explored the True Talisman Classics and discovered that Mo Zhu’s inheritance was far greater than he had claimed.

• Chen Sanshi stayed in the palace for Yunmei’s birth, discovered that she had a spirit root, and named her before leaving for Tianshui Continent.
• Chen Sanshi learned that the Blind Woman had killed more than a hundred people in the Nine Nether Forbidden Ground and that Seven Kill Sect activity had increased across Beiyang Dao.
• Chen Sanshi warned Bai Liangbi that the Golden Essence Mud Embryo might have been tampered with, but Bai Liangbi said it had shown no signs of interference and invited him to meet Qingxu Sect envoys.
• Chen Sanshi gave Bai Liangbi a Phoenix Luan Stone Beast to ripen, then refined a Thousand Origin Sacred Martial Pill and advanced to True Force Mid Stage progress 437/500.
• Chen Sanshi examined the True Talisman Classics and found himself in a dark space filled with tens of thousands of enormous, golden talismans.

Chen Sanshi reached True Force Late Stage and developed a plan to draw Elder Shouzhong away, while the Bai family’s fear deepened after Bai Lao Wu was killed in the dungeon. He collected the Phoenix Luan Stone Beast, refined a Breakthrough Pill, and met with Qu Lingchuan and the others to arrange ships and fulfill Old Man Mo Zhu’s request, but Qu Lingchuan demanded more in return.

• Chen Sanshi opened all twenty-four True Ones, advanced to True Force Late Stage, and gained Drawing Fire, letting him wield multiple flames through his spear arts.
• Chen Sanshi considered luring Elder Shouzhong away by provoking a crisis among his disciples and arranged to settle the Teleportation Array matter before its five-year deadline.
• Chen Sanshi and Bai Chaotong found Bai Lao Wu and the dungeon guards dead, prompting Bai Lao Qi and other family members to urge Bai Liangbi to surrender the clan’s treasured artifact and move the family.
• Bai Liangbi gave Chen Sanshi the ripened Phoenix Luan Stone Beast and yin-fiend medicinal materials, then asked him to keep their pill refining confidential.
• Chen Sanshi refined a Breakthrough Pill, disguised himself as Mo Zhu, and met Qu Lingchuan, Deng Wuchang, and Zinan; Zinan delivered five warships, and Qu Lingchuan raised his price after receiving the pill.

Chen Sanshi secured Qu Lingchuan’s help with the Teleportation Array and coordinated plans with the Slay Immortal Sect as the Heaven and Earth Seal’s loosening approached. He then visited Mo Lin to fulfill his promise to pass on Mo Zhu’s True Talisman Classics and cultivation knowledge.

• Chen Sanshi offered Qu Lingchuan the Fire Lingzhi and priority on another Core Formation Spirit Material, while Dongfang Jingxing swore an oath on Chen Sanshi’s behalf; Qu Lingchuan then swore to open the Teleportation Array when asked.
• Chen Sanshi asked Deng Wuchang and Zinan to consider a long-term partnership and told them to answer in a year.
• Chen Sanshi rebuked Dongfang Jingxing for acting without permission, then ordered him to notify General Wang and gather forces near Great Marsh Market for the plan to lure the tiger from the mountain.
• Shangguan Siheng told Chen Sanshi that the Slay Immortal Sect would stand with the Eastern Continent and reported that the Seven Kill Sect had slaughtered a pair of Mother-Child Blood Fiend Flood Dragons before coming to Beiyang Dao.
• Chen Sanshi asked Shangguan Siheng to investigate the Demonic Cult’s plans and discussed providing manpower for his own plan.
• Chen Sanshi visited Mo Lin and confirmed that Mo Zhu had died, intending to give him a copy of the True Talisman Classics and pass on his cultivation insights.

Chen Sanshi plotted to draw Shengyun Sect into conflict while hunting the demonic cultivator who had been abducting people in Dusk Valley. When he and Shangguan Siheng finally cornered the culprit, his mask fell away and revealed Patriarch Bai.

• Mo Lin decided to head south to Tianshui and join an immortal sect, and Chen Sanshi gave him pills and a contact in Beiyang Dao.
• After another half year of cultivation, Chen Sanshi saw Shengyun Sect preparing the Demon Subduing Great Array as disappearances continued in Dusk Valley.
• Masked demonic cultivators ambushed five Shengyun Sect disciples near Ronghua City, killing four and leaving Zhu Qingfeng badly wounded.
• Elder Shouzhong assigned Peng Rui and Wang Jun to investigate the demonic cultivators, while Chen Sanshi arranged ambushes to draw Shengyun Sect into action.
• Chen Sanshi and Shangguan Siheng caught the demonic cultivator draining Bai Lao Qi in Dusk Valley, and Chen Sanshi struck him hard enough to knock off his hood and expose Patriarch Bai.

Chen Sanshi and Shangguan Siheng subdued Bai Liangbi, who confessed that he had used the Great Blood Refining Method to kill family members and claimed his father had consented. Bai Liangbi led Chen Sanshi to a hidden cave and revealed that the Bai family’s treasured heirloom was Breath Soil, which could produce an endless supply of cultivation resources.

• Chen Sanshi and Shangguan Siheng fought Bai Liangbi, who wielded the Ten-Thousand-Year Shocking Spirit Willow before calling a halt and asking them to conceal what had happened.
• Bai Liangbi deceived the arriving Bai clansmen, then explained to Chen Sanshi that he had used the Great Blood Refining Method on his father and killed Fifth Brother and Seventh Brother for betraying the clan.
• Bai Liangbi asked Shangguan Siheng to leave them alone with Chen Sanshi, while Shangguan Siheng accepted a Jade Slip containing the Great Blood Refining Method.
• Bai Liangbi led Chen Sanshi into a concealed cave beneath the medicine valley and revealed that the Bai family’s treasured heirloom was Breath Soil, which could create an endless supply of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures.

Chen Sanshi learned that the Bai family’s Huangtian Breathing Soil could cultivate endless resources, while Bai Liangbi planned to use the Golden Essence Mud Embryo to protect it. Shangguan Siheng warned that Bai Liangbi’s dragon blood might be part of a Seven Kill Sect trap, but Bai Liangbi suspected Chen Sanshi wanted the treasure and turned against him.

• Bai Liangbi showed Chen Sanshi the Huangtian Cloud Sea and explained how it endlessly expanded and accelerated the growth of spiritual plants.
• Bai Liangbi recounted how the Bai family obtained Huangtian Breathing Soil, how Sikou Tu betrayed them, and why he intended to cultivate the Golden Essence Mud Embryo to deter their enemies.
• Chen Sanshi questioned why the Demon Suppression Division had allowed Bai Xifeng to obtain the Golden Essence Mud Embryo, suspecting that it concealed a trap.
• Shangguan Siheng warned that the dragon blood Bai Liangbi had used in the Great Blood Refining Method might be Mother-Child Blood Fiend Flood Dragon blood tied to the Seven Kill Sect.
• Chen Sanshi urged Bai Liangbi to stop cultivating until they understood the danger, but Bai Liangbi accused him of coveting the Breathing Soil and called him a wolf with savage ambitions.
• Chen Sanshi asked Shangguan Siheng whether the Great Blood Refining Method could affect Bai Liangbi’s mind.

Bai Liangbi prepared to forge the Mud Sculpture Golden Body while Chen Sanshi and the Slay Immortal Sect guarded Dusk Valley against the Demonic Sect’s plans for the Resting Soil. As Great Han unified the Eastern Continent, Chen Sanshi ordered an expedition into Tianshui and agreed to take his veteran companions with him.

• Bai Liangbi insisted on continuing his demonic cultivation and entrusted Chen Sanshi with guarding Dusk Valley during his seclusion, granting him access to the Bai family medicine vault.
• Chen Sanshi strengthened Dusk Valley’s defenses and moved Tianyong City forces there, while Cao Dongjun, Zhao Xun, and Jiang Shang watched from afar and planned to seize the Resting Soil after Bai Liangbi forged his Golden Body.
• In May of Tianwu’s fifteenth year, Chen Sanshi left Dusk Valley to inspect the approaching crisis at Great Marsh Main Peak and returned to Chang’an at the Heavenly Strike Army’s request.
• Xu Wencai announced that Qing had surrendered, completing Great Han’s unification of the Eastern Continent.
• Chen Sanshi ordered five thousand Heavenly Strike Army soldiers to prepare for an expedition into Tianshui, appointed its generals, and agreed to bring his veteran companions after they clamored to join him.

Chen Sanshi ended his cultivation and learned that the demon cultivators planned to turn Bai Liangbi into a dragon puppet using the Mother-Child Blood Fiend Flood Dragon’s blood. Bai Liangbi broke through to the Golden Body Realm as the transformation began, and Chen Sanshi revealed his true identity to propose a way to save the Bai Family.

• Peng Rui and Wang Jun followed Tianyong City captains to their Mountain God Temple base, where Su Can and Yu Ji confirmed that the ambushes were bait for Shengyun Sect.
• Chen Sanshi reached the Foundation Establishment Mid Stage, prepared to draw Elder Shouzhong toward the Mountain God Temple, and ordered Dongfang Jingxing to evacuate Yu Ji and Yu Lie.
• Shangguan Siheng reported that dragon blood could be used to make puppets, and Chen Sanshi realized that the demon cultivators meant to control Bai Liangbi and use a blood sacrifice to devastate Beiyang Dao.
• Chen Sanshi and Shangguan Siheng broke into Bai Liangbi’s cave and warned him that the demonic arts would turn him into a puppet, but Bai Liangbi said another soul was already devouring him.
• Bai Liangbi absorbed the Golden Essence Mud Embryo and reached the Golden Body Realm, then resolved to attack the Zhu and Qian families before losing himself.
• Chen Sanshi stopped Bai Liangbi and revealed that Xiao Feng was his alias, identifying himself as Chen Sanshi, known on Tianshui Continent as Chen Lei.

Chen Sanshi secured Bai Linxun’s pledge to bring the Bai family and Huangtian Breathing Soil to Great Han, then sent him toward Mount Dafeng to trigger a phenomenon while Shangguan Siheng helped delay their enemies. At Mount Dafeng, Peng Rui’s Shengyun Sect force was trapped in a formation and attacked by deadly flames, with no way out.

• Chen Sanshi offered the Bai family refuge in Great Han in exchange for Huangtian Breathing Soil, and Bai Linxun agreed to submit the clan and hand over the treasure.
• Bai Liangbi died after becoming a Dragon Puppet, and Chen Sanshi ordered Bai Linxun to take the Breathing Soil to Mount Dafeng while Shangguan Siheng arranged a pseudo-third-rank formation.
• Peng Rui led Shengyun Sect disciples from Great Marsh Market to attack the Mountain God Temple at Mount Dafeng, but they found it empty and were caught in a dense-fog formation.
• Pang Jingxuan identified the trap as a Nine Palaces Soul-Bewildering Formation, while Peng Rui’s disciples were burned by arrows wreathed in powerful flames.
• Pang Jingxuan realized the formation was pseudo-third-rank and admitted he could not break it, leaving the Shengyun Sect force trapped.

Elder Shouzhong left the Demon Subduing Great Array to rescue the disciples trapped on Mount Dafeng after a seven-colored phenomenon appeared near Dusk Valley. There, he broke the formation and fought Cao Dongjun’s dragon puppet, realizing he had been lured away through a scheme involving the missing Breathing Soil.

• Zhu Qingfeng and Li Sheng reported blood sacrifices across Beiyang Dao and pleaded for the trapped Shengyun Sect disciples on Mount Dafeng to be rescued.
• Elder Shouzhong saw the seven-colored auspicious radiance and flew from Great Marsh Main Peak toward Mount Dafeng, leaving Li Sheng to guard the Demon Subduing Great Array.
• Elder Shouzhong shattered the Nine Palaces Soul-Bewildering Formation, while Qi Cheng ordered the Tianyong City captains to scatter and retreat.
• Elder Shouzhong and the Shengyun Sect disciples attacked the exposed captains, as Wang Zhi covered Qi Cheng and Dongfang’s escape.
• Cao Dongjun arrived with the dragon puppet made from Bai Liangbi and accused Elder Shouzhong of taking the Breathing Soil.
• Elder Shouzhong realized he had been drawn into a scheme and clashed with Bai Liangbi’s puppet.

Chen Sanshi led the Heavenly Strike Army against the cultivators of Great Marsh Main Peak, using the Eighteen Underworld Soldiers Rolling Thunder Formation to turn Great Han’s national fortune into deadly lightning. As the battle became a bloody melee, Li Sheng trapped Chen Sanshi in his Mirror Moon Sword Art, and Chen Sanshi answered his challenge to compete in martial arts.

• Chen Sanshi rallied the Heavenly Strike Army and ordered it to attack Great Marsh Main Peak.
• The army’s formation summoned heavenly lightning, killing Zhu Qingfeng and driving the cultivators into a panic until Li Sheng urged them to fight back.
• Zhao Kang and the captains from Tianyong City joined the formation as both sides clashed, and Xu Wencai directed lightning into the soldiers’ weapons and armor.
• Peng Rui attacked Chen Sanshi with his flying sword, but Chen Sanshi’s Crimson Flame Fire Dragon shattered the sword qi before Li Sheng intervened to save Peng Rui.
• Li Sheng challenged Chen Sanshi over the deaths of his clansmen and attacked with the Mirror Moon Sword Art, surrounding Chen Sanshi with illusory sword qi.
• Chen Sanshi dismissed Li Sheng’s claim of superior martial skill as the Mirror Moon Sword Qi closed around him.

Chen Sanshi placed the Huangtian Breathing Soil at Huayao Palace, bringing an auspicious phenomenon to Great Han and promising a supply of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures. On Tianshui Continent, Cao Xie captured Cao Dongjun, took control of the dragon puppet through a sword forged from Cao Dongjun’s spine, and ordered his descendants to search for Chen Sanshi.

• Chen Sanshi summoned the Huangtian Breathing Soil from the scroll and placed it at Huayao Palace, where its clouds spread over the mountain.
• Chen Sanshi tasked Xu Yunhuan with cultivating the treasures, proclaimed an amnesty, reduced taxes, and began plans for a second recruitment of cultivators with spiritual roots.
• Golden Core cultivators arrived at Great Marsh Market and blamed Elder Shouzhong for the Demon Subduing Great Array’s destruction as they sought the whereabouts of the Breathing Soil.
• Cao Dongjun fled toward the border, but Cao Xie immobilized him, searched his memories, and learned that the Breathing Soil had reached Chen Sanshi.
• Cao Xie severed Cao Dongjun’s connection to the dragon puppet, forged Cao Dongjun’s spine into a sword for Cao Zhi, and killed Cao Dongjun.
• Cao Xie told Cao Zhi to search for Chen Sanshi and ensure the two little beggars were properly settled.

Chen Sanshi improved his cultivation skills, taught his disciples new breathing techniques, and learned that Cao Xie was alive and the Ancestral Vein had begun to revive. Wei Xuan retired from service and died soon after, leaving Chen Sanshi facing a growing threat and the loss of an old companion.

• Chen Sanshi advanced his formation and puppet skills, cultivated overnight, and realized he needed a stronger spiritual vein and the Dragon Scripture’s remaining content.
• Chen Sanshi taught Su Can, Yu Ji, and Yu Lie the Mirror Sun and Mirror Moon Breathing Techniques, which he had developed from the Li family's sword art.
• Zhao Kang brought captured Guiyuan Sect Disciples to court, and Dongfang Jingxing learned that Cao Xie of Heavenly Sword Sect had ordered them to search for Cao clan descendants.
• Wei Xuan reported that the Ancestral Vein had begun to revive, prompting Chen Sanshi to consider destroying it with the Spirit Extinguishing Great Formation.
• Wei Xuan asked Chen Sanshi to guide his grandnephew, then left Tianyong City; he and his wife, Song Guizhi, died and were buried together at Mount Mang.

After half a year of cultivation in Hundred Flowers Valley, Chen Sanshi opened his Heart Gate and prepared to hunt at Black Obsidian Mountain for merit and resources. As he flew toward the mountain, he noticed someone following him through the clouds.

• Chen Sanshi practiced the Dragon Scripture until his heart became glazed crystal and the Heart Gate opened, advancing his Dragon Scripture to True Force Late Stage.
• Chen Sanshi prepared his Law-Devouring Cicadas, talismans, bow, and other equipment before leaving Hundred Flowers Valley to hunt.
• At Feilai Peak, Chen Sanshi received hunting supplies and heard that the war might soon involve mortals, prompting him to worry that the ancient demons had gained a method like his Mystic Pearl.
• Xue Xianrong and several disciples invited Chen Sanshi to hunt with them, but he politely declined and left the sect alone.
• Chen Sanshi studied the Black Obsidian Mountain map and Myriad Beast Compendium while flying, then noticed someone following him in the clouds.

Chen Sanshi hunted spirit beasts in Black Obsidian Mountain with Qingniao and the White Jade Spirit Snake, ultimately killing a powerful Iron-Spined Bull Python. As he headed back, he encountered an injured woman claiming to be a Guiyuan Sect disciple, but he drew his sword on her.

• Chen Sanshi entered Black Obsidian Mountain and sent Qingniao and the White Jade Spirit Snake ahead to find prey.
• Chen Sanshi and his spirit companions hunted five spirit beasts before the White Jade Spirit Snake led him to an Iron-Spined Bull Python.
• The Iron-Spined Bull Python overwhelmed Chen Sanshi at first, but Qingniao’s soul attack and the White Jade Spirit Snake’s bow attack helped him expose and strike its vulnerable point.
• Chen Sanshi killed the Iron-Spined Bull Python with Dragon Abyss, collected its valuable remains, and left the swamp to avoid drawing attention.
• A bloodied woman claiming to be a Guiyuan Sect disciple asked Chen Sanshi for help, and he stopped and thrust his sword toward her face.

Chen Sanshi rescued a girl with a rare Yin Spiritual Root from an Immortal Master Landlord, then returned to Great Han and completed preparations for Tianyong City’s first Foundation Establishment cultivators. He refined Foundation Establishment Pills and explained how official seals would let cultivators remain in Eastern Continent despite the Heaven and Earth Seal’s suppression.

• Chen Sanshi saw mortals suffering under Immortal Master Landlords and rescued Chen Er Ya, whose Yin Spiritual Root had drawn his attention.
• Chen Er Ya tried to kill Chen Sanshi and then herself, but accepted his offer to cultivate after Azurebird killed the landlord; Chen Sanshi renamed her Yunchuan.
• Chen Sanshi exchanged his sect rewards, learned that Elder Yuling and Jiang were away, and returned to Great Han to prepare Foundation Establishment Pills for Tianyong City.
• Xu Wencai presented the new Ninth Rank Immortal Official system and a Black Ice Platform list of officials suspected of disloyalty; Chen Sanshi ordered proven collaborators quietly executed and the others monitored.
• Chen Sanshi taught Bai Chaotong alchemy and refined eight Foundation Establishment Pills, then gathered Tianyong City’s cultivators and explained that official ranks and seals could protect them from Eastern Continent’s Law Suppression.

Chen Sanshi awarded ranks and Official Seals to the cultivators gathered at the White Jade Plaza, then assigned Zinan and Deng Wuchang new tasks. At a family banquet, he discovered Chen Duhe was secretly developing an Incense Martial Path, supported his decision, and left for Tianshui Continent the next day to pursue further breakthroughs.

• Emperor Tianwu oversaw the awards ceremony, granting ranks and Foundation Establishment Pills to cultivators and explaining the magical Official Seals.
• Chen Sanshi tasked Zinan with arranging Official Seals and sent Deng Wuchang to Tianshui Continent to obtain formation inheritances.
• Chen Sanshi praised Xu Yunhuan's spiritual-plant cultivation and gathered his family for a banquet, where he noticed Chen Duhe was absent.
• Chen Sanshi found a hidden chamber filled with shrines and incense burners, and Chen Duhe explained that he was developing the Incense Martial Path without worshipping any god.
• Chen Sanshi agreed to let Chen Duhe pursue his own path as long as he did not harm the innocent, and the two returned to the family banquet.
• Chen Sanshi left for Tianshui Continent the next day, intending to advance his cultivation and prepare for Core Formation and the Golden Body Realm.

Chen Sanshi learned that Qingxu Sect’s Supreme Elder was undergoing a Nascent Soul tribulation while the sect prepared to send cultivators to the border wars and Dragon Elephant City. When Cao Xie arrived to investigate Chen Sanshi, True Person Yuling protected him, and a sudden sword strike interrupted their confrontation.

• Chen Sanshi spent more than half a year cultivating alone in Hundred Flowers Valley and failed to absorb the Red Lotus Karmic Fire.
• Lord of Mount Tai beat Young Taoist Sixteen and took his Storage Bag, while Chen Sanshi gave Sixteen medicine for his injuries.
• Chen Sanshi watched the strange phenomena above Taiyuan Peak as the Supreme Elder faced a heavenly tribulation, then learned Qingxu Sect was mobilizing cultivators for the border war and Dragon Elephant City.
• Representatives from nine Nascent Soul upper sects arrived to observe the Supreme Elder’s breakthrough, and Sixteen warned Chen Sanshi to wear the mask True Person Yuling had given him before meeting Cao Xie.
• Cao Xie demanded to investigate Lu Shengzhi and prepared to use a soul-searching technique, but True Person Yuling stood between them.
• A furious voice called out to Cao Xie as a sword strike arrived, and Cao Xie recognized it as a divine ability.

Zhang Huaiqing interrupted Cao Xie’s confrontation with Chen Sanshi, but Cao Xie still soul-searched Lord of Mount Tai before leaving. Chen Sanshi learned that Zhang Huaiqing knew his identity and accepted True Person Yuling’s help preparing for Core Formation, then chose to travel to Dragon Elephant City for a chance to obtain Jade Dew of Creation; Cao Xie later told two Nascent Soul Cultivators that Zhang Huaiqing had reached the Mid Nascent Soul Stage.

• Zhang Huaiqing arrived in the courtyard and stopped Cao Xie from attacking Chen Sanshi, assuring Cao Xie that Chen Sanshi was not the person he sought.
• Cao Xie captured Mu Chutai and tortured him with a soul search, then left with Zhang Huaiqing after finding no new information.
• Chen Sanshi helped Mu Chutai recover, and True Person Yuling explained that Zhang Huaiqing had protected him partly because he wanted to use his Huangtian Breathing Soil.
• True Person Yuling gave Chen Sanshi spirit materials for Core Formation and offered to hunt a third-realm Demonic Beast, but Chen Sanshi chose to seek Jade Dew of Creation at Dragon Elephant City instead.
• True Person Yuling agreed that Chen Sanshi could accompany his Second Senior Sister to Dragon Elephant City while his Eldest Senior Sister remained injured.
• Cao Xie met two Nascent Soul Cultivators and reported that Zhang Huaiqing had broken through directly to the Mid Nascent Soul Stage.