Chapter Summaries

Chen Mu expanded his movement beyond Luandu County and discovered that Qi Refining cultivators were buried inside many Meridian Apertures beneath the City God Dao Field. Horrified by the system’s hidden cost and fearing he could suffer the same fate, he stayed inside the Statue Grotto-Heaven, while Li Buxian worried that he lacked enough Yellow Millet Wine to advance safely.

• After improving his Lingbao Shuji Pian, Chen Mu traveled through Jiangyang, Yutang, and Longxi counties but still could not leave the Statue Grotto-Heaven.
• Chen Mu examined the City God Dao Field’s Earth Vein Apertures and found a Qi Refining cultivator hidden inside one of them.
• Chen Mu inspected thirty-one Meridian Aperture nodes and discovered Qi Refining cultivators in fourteen, linking them to the construction of City God Dao Fields.
• Li Buxian realized that his limited supply of Yellow Millet Wine could not restore his Spirit God before his remaining two-year term ended.
• Chen Mu feared that he and his former peers might have been destined to become materials for the City God Dao Field, and he stopped sending his Divine Sense Projection outside.

Chen Mu discovered that advancing the Lingbao Shuji Pian strengthened both the Statue Grotto-Heaven and his Yin Spirit Divine Power, then wondered whether it had also changed the Dragon Locking Well. Li Buxian began reciting a Heavenly Demon scripture to seek help with his cultivation, and Chen Mu appeared just in time to hear him.

• Chen Mu decided to remain hidden in the Statue Grotto-Heaven because the Dragon Locking Institute might have ways to counter his Breath-Stopping Supernatural Ability.
• As he settled into life in the Dao Field, Chen Mu noticed its Jade Dew had become unusually alluring and seemed to carry the qualities of Return Vitality Soup.
• Chen Mu realized that the Lingbao Shuji Pian had strengthened his Yinling origin and increased his Yin Spirit Divine Power by thirty percent.
• Chen Mu suspected the Lingbao Shuji Pian might also be changing the Bottomless Pool inside the Dragon Locking Well.
• Li Buxian read the Yanyue Scripture and decided to worship a Heavenly Demon to help replenish his Spirit God and advance his cultivation.
• Chen Mu's Divine Sense Projection appeared as Li Buxian began reciting the scripture.

Chen Mu discovered that Incense Vital Qi from Qiluo Mountain flowed into Dragon Locking Well and affected the Yellow Millet Wine, then used a Heavenly Demon Spirit Seed to help Li Buxian. When the seed successfully parasitized Li Buxian, Chen Mu realized the result might reveal how to free his Flesh and Blood True Body from the City God Dao Field.

• Chen Mu saw Li Buxian chanting the Yanyue Scripture and recognized its resemblance to the Heavenly Demon Curse.
• Chen Mu observed Incense Vital Qi flowing into Dragon Locking Well and entering the Yellow Millet Gourd, connecting the qi to Yellow Millet Wine brewing.
• Chen Mu spent half a month cultivating and worrying that he could not escape the City God Dao Field.
• Chen Mu sent a Heavenly Demon Spirit Seed into Li Buxian's room, and Li Buxian swallowed it eagerly.
• The Spirit Seed parasitized Li Buxian without resistance, leaving Chen Mu shocked and eager to learn why it had worked.

Chen Mu disguised himself as a vengeful enemy, abducted Xie An from Jiangyang County, and tested whether the Heavenly Demon Spirit Seed could parasitize another Nether God Transformation practitioner. The seed took root, giving Chen Mu a way to link his Flesh and Blood True Body to his Heavenly Demon Body over unlimited distances and potentially escape the Statue Grotto-Heaven.

• Chen Mu suspected that Li Buxian's Nether God Transformation had altered his constitution and decided to test the Heavenly Demon Spirit Seed on another practitioner.
• Chen Mu disguised himself as a dark-faced fat man and ambushed Xie An, the City God Temple keeper of Jiangyang County, as he entered the county.
• Chen Mu defeated Xie An and carried him through Yutang County to a forest in Luandu County to avoid being observed by the other Living Gods.
• Chen Mu pressed a Heavenly Demon Spirit Seed into Xie An's brow, and the seed successfully parasitized him.
• Chen Mu realized that cultivating the Nether God Transformation in his Flesh and Blood True Body could let it remain linked to his Heavenly Demon Body over great distances and escape the Statue Grotto-Heaven.

Chen Mu confirmed that cultivators who had undergone the Nether God Transformation could host Heavenly Demon Spirit Seeds, then traced the connection to Li Buxian. Li Buxian realized the connection led to the City God statue and assumed the City God could not confront him—until Chen Mu manifested before him.

• Chen Mu successfully planted Heavenly Demon Spirit Seeds in temple keepers from four nearby counties and concluded that the Nether God Transformation enabled them to host the seeds.
• Chen Mu decided to use his connection with Li Buxian to learn the Nether God Transformation.
• Li Buxian absorbed Seven Emotions Power and sensed that a hidden Qi Mechanism connected him to the City God statue.
• Li Buxian suspected the City God was the Great Heavenly Demon, then reassured himself that the City God could not manifest in the mortal world.
• Li Buxian promised the City God he would fulfill any request if they ever met, and Chen Mu appeared before him.

Chen Mu investigated why the Qing Nang Chapter had not advanced and learned that Nether God Transformation cultivation depended on Yin Nether Insects. To leave the Statue Grotto-Heaven, he planted a Heart-Linking Gu in his own body and began practicing again.

• Li Buxian mistook Chen Mu for a Heavenly Demon Path colleague impersonating the City God, then recognized Chen Mu as Gongsun Sheng and offered his help.
• Chen Mu studied the Qing Nang Chapter for two days but gained no experience from the Gray Wall.
• Li Buxian explained that Nether God Transformation cultivation required Incense Vital Qi and that the Qing Nang Chapter altered a cultivator’s constitution.
• Chen Mu concluded that the guiding methods were intended for Yin Nether Insects and realized he needed one in his body to cultivate the Nether God Transformation.
• Chen Mu used the Heart-Linking Rope to plant a Heart-Linking Gu in himself, then practiced the guiding methods and sensed a second heartbeat.

Chen Mu cultivated the Qing Nang Chapter in the Dragon Locking Well, hoping to complete it and escape the City God Dao Field’s restraints, but his progress stopped just short of completion. Li Buxian revealed that Tiandu Pool was required to stimulate Nether God Blood Essence, then again offered to send Chen Mu to the Mountain Search Camp.

• Li Buxian found his Nether God Transformation’s blood essence surges had stopped as the Heavenly Demon Seed strengthened his Upper Fetus Spirit God.
• Li Buxian urged Chen Mu to join the Mountain Search Camp, but Chen Mu refused and threatened to report Li Buxian’s allegiance to the Heavenly Demon Path.
• Chen Mu cultivated the Qing Nang Chapter in the Dragon Locking Well, drawing in Incense Vital Qi and spreading Yin Nether Insects throughout his body.
• After more than twenty days, Chen Mu found the Qing Nang Chapter stuck at 9999/10000 and could not produce Nether God Blood Essence.
• Li Buxian told Chen Mu that Tiandu Pool was necessary to cultivate the Qing Nang Chapter successfully and once more offered him a Mountain Search Camp recommendation.

Chen Mu refused Li Buxian’s plan to send him to the Mountain Search Camp and discovered that he needed Tiandu Pool to advance his Qing Nang Chapter. After abducting Xie An for information, Chen Mu learned that rising Incense Vital Qi might bring the Dragon Locking Institute—and a Tiandu Pool—to nearby Jiangyang County.

• Li Buxian urged Chen Mu to join the Mountain Search Camp, but Chen Mu said he wanted to remain in Qiluo Mountain.
• Chen Mu found that his Qing Nang Chapter could not progress without a Blood Sac and concluded he needed Tiandu Pool to obtain Nether God Blood Essence.
• Chen Mu disguised himself as a revenge-seeker, accidentally attacked Xie An while Xie An was impersonating Xie Huan, then abducted him.
• Xie An told Chen Mu that Tiandu Pools were usually near the commandery seat or military camps, far from Luandu County.
• Xie An explained that Jiangyang County’s rising Incense Vital Qi could attract the Dragon Locking Institute to establish a branch, potentially bringing a Tiandu Pool nearby.
• Chen Mu realized his cultivation of the Lingbao Shuji Pian had caused the rise in Incense Vital Qi and decided to wait for the institute to come.

Chen Mu learned that a Heavenly Demon Spirit Seed let its host sense and refine the Seven Emotions, and gave Xie An the Yanyue Scripture Lower Chapter to test. Meanwhile, Li Buxian considered reporting Gongsun Sheng to the Dragon Locking Institute, but the seed forced him to do an involuntary split, leaving him suspecting it punished thoughts against Gongsun Sheng.

• Xie An explained that Yellow Millet Wine replenished the Upper Fetus Spirit God and warned that reporting the abnormal vital qi through the Xie Family could delay the Dragon Locking Institute.
• Xie An asked Chen Mu for an incantation to refine the Seven Emotions, and Chen Mu realized the Yanyue Scripture Lower Chapter might contain it.
• Chen Mu gave Xie An the Yanyue Scripture Lower Chapter to test and returned to the Statue Grotto-Heaven, focused on escaping Dagan.
• Li Buxian reflected that the Heavenly Demon Seed had strengthened his Spirit God and let him prepare for the Nine Transformations of the Underworld God without Yellow Millet Wine.
• Li Buxian considered reporting Gongsun Sheng to the Dragon Locking Institute, but the Heavenly Demon Seed made him leap into an involuntary split.

Chen Mu learned that Qiluo Mountain’s incense vital qi had doubled, drawing the Dragon Locking Institute and the Flying Horse Camp to Luandu County. When the camp established a Tiandu Pool, he realized it could provide the Nether God Blood Essence he needed to escape the Statue Grotto-Heaven.

• Chen Mu told Li Buxian to report Luandu County’s changed incense vital qi to the Dragon Locking Institute, then revealed that Qiluo Mountain’s improved Yellow Millet Wine could have supported Li Buxian’s cultivation of the Nine Transformations of the Underworld God.
• Yuan Dong and his siblings arrived at Qiluo Mountain, confirmed that Luandu County had abundant vital qi, and announced a Dragon Locking Institute branch and a Flying Horse Camp recruitment point near Ganzi Mountain.
• Yuan Dong told Li Buxian that his temple keeper term would be extended by five years and brought him Purple Gold Yellow Millet Gourds, leaving Li Buxian bitter over the path he had chosen.
• Chen Mu watched the Dragon Locking Institute and Flying Horse Camp establish themselves around Ganzi Mountain, pleased that either force might give him access to a Tiandu Pool.
• Chen Mu sensed a disturbance at the Flying Horse Camp and saw Yuan Dong summon a Tiandu Pool inside a White Jade Tripod using a Crimson Embroidered Ball.
• Chen Mu decided to find a way into the camp and use the Tiandu Pool to draw Nether God Blood Essence, condense a Blood Sac, and escape the Statue Grotto-Heaven.

Chen Mu tested whether the Breath-Stopping Supernatural Ability could hide him from the Dragon Locking Institute by infiltrating its branch construction crew on Ganzi Mountain. After exposing and subduing a spy, he learned the Institute had no new detection methods, leaving him free to join the Flying Horse Camp and cultivate.

• Chen Mu learned from Li Buxian that the Dragon Locking Institute used the Dragon Locking Well and Spirit Searching Disk to detect Qi Refining cultivators.
• Chen Mu disguised himself as Zhong Han and spent two days working near the Dragon Locking Institute branch without being detected.
• Xie Ji recognized that Chen Mu was impersonating Zhong Han after Chen Mu gave the wrong password, then attacked him.
• Chen Mu used Hundred Mile Qi Seal to immobilize Xie Ji, knocked him unconscious, and planted a Heavenly Demon Spirit Seed in him.
• Xie Ji revealed that he was a spy for the Xie Family and confirmed that the Dragon Locking Institute still relied on the Spirit Searching Disk to find Qi Refining cultivators.
• Chen Mu learned the spy's actual password and decided he could join the Flying Horse Camp and cultivate without concern.

Chen Mu enlisted in Flying Horse Camp under Zhong Han’s identity to gain access to Tiandu Pool and learn the Qing Nang Chapter, but the recruits’ illiteracy delayed his plans. His Training Ground expanded southward, prompting him to consider infiltrating Goose Sheep Dao to obtain a method for forging a Dao Foundation.

• Xie Ji recognized Chen Mu disguised as Zhong Han during recruit screening but found nothing suspicious on the Spirit Searching Disk and let him enter Flying Horse Camp.
• Chen Mu planned to use the camp’s upcoming Tiandu Pool ritual to master the Qing Nang Chapter and free his Flesh and Blood Body from the Deification Contract’s restraints.
• Chen Mu became a squad leader and helped Liang Dabao and the other recruits study the Qing Nang Chapter, but their illiteracy and slow progress prevented the camp from opening Tiandu Pool.
• Chen Mu continued cultivating the Lingbao Shuji Pian while waiting for the recruits to memorize the chapter.
• Chen Mu broke through to the sixth rank, and the Training Ground expanded its power into three more counties south of Luandu County.
• Chen Mu realized the expansion followed uncovered City God Temples and considered extending into Goose Sheep Dao’s territory to seek a method for forging a Dao Foundation.

Chen Mu used Divine Bewilderment to teach the Flying Horse Camp recruits the Qing Nang Chapter in their sleep, helping them prepare to cultivate the Nether God Transformation. During the camp’s Tiandu Pool ritual, he condensed Nether God Blood Essence and transformed his heart into a Blood Sac, bringing the Qing Nang Chapter to its limit.

• Chen Mu hypnotized sleeping recruits and made them repeat the Qing Nang Chapter through the night.
• Yuan Xian arrived at the Twenty-Ninth Institute, warned Yuan Dong and his siblings that thieves might target Luandu County’s City God statue and vein nodes, and ordered them to guard the area.
• Liang Dabao told Chen Mu that Hu Lao San claimed he had learned the Qing Nang Chapter from a teacher in a dream, prompting Chen Mu to consider giving Liang Dabao the same dreams.
• After more than ten days, five hundred recruits gathered at the Flying Horse Camp, where Xie Ji and the other institute members conducted the Tiandu Pool ritual.
• Chen Mu entered a mist-filled realm, received a mass of blood that became Nether God Blood Essence, and watched his Yin Nether Insects merge into his heart to form a Blood Sac.
• Chen Mu saw that the Qing Nang Chapter had reached its limit.

Chen Mu absorbed the Heavenly Demon Spirit Seed and broke free of the City God Dao Field, then decided to leave Dagan to seek Qi Refining inheritance. Before departing, he learned that someone planned to seize or destroy the Qiluo Mountain City God statue, putting him in danger.

• Chen Mu used Divine Bewilderment power to put the recruits in Flag B3 to sleep, then absorbed the Heavenly Demon Spirit Seed and extended his link to the Heavenly Demon Body.
• Chen Mu crossed the boundary of the Qiluo Mountain City God Dao Field and flew beyond its reach, confirming that he could travel freely outside Dagan.
• Chen Mu examined his Nether God Transformation and Heavenly Demon abilities, sensed the Seven Emotions Power, and chose to visit Goose Sheep Dao before the Hundred Thousand Mountains.
• Chen Mu visited the City God Temple and found Li Buxian chanting the Heavenly Demon's incantation in the main hall.
• Li Buxian told Chen Mu that someone wanted to seize the Qiluo Mountain City God statue and that damaging it would harm the City God, causing Chen Mu to realize his own life was at risk.

Chen Mu learned that the City God deity statue was at risk while its training ground’s meridian points had yet to merge with the Earth Vein, so he stayed at Flying Horse Camp and joined the Dragon Locking Warriors’ recruit group. After discovering that the Warriors were raising the meridian points instead of securing them, he attacked one of them, convinced they were trying to harm him.

• Xie Ji explained that hidden forces wanted to seize the City God deity statue and that damage to it could harm the Living God bound inside.
• Xie Ji said Dragon Locking Warriors would help merge the training ground’s meridian points into the Earth Vein, and warned Chen Mu not to interfere.
• Three days later, Chen Mu stayed at Flying Horse Camp and joined recruits accompanying the Dragon Locking Warriors to Small Wild Mountain.
• Chen Mu used Divine Sense Projection to observe a Dragon Locking Warrior raising a meridian point, then found that the other Warriors were raising all the points across Luandu County.
• Chen Mu froze the recruits with Divine Bewilderment, rushed to the mountain peak, and knocked the black-robed Dragon Locking Warrior unconscious.
• When Xie Ji confronted him, Chen Mu insisted that he had struck first because the Dragon Locking Warriors were trying to harm him.

Chen Mu discovered that Yuan Xian had become a Calamity Demon and was attacking Li Buxian while trying to seize the City God statue. After Yuan Xian hid in the Lingxu Grotto-Heaven and assaulted Chen Mu, Chen Mu entered the hidden realm and left Yuan Xian gravely wounded.

• Chen Mu captured and interrogated the Dragon Locking Warriors, learning that Yuan Xian had ordered them to prepare to move the City God statue.
• Yuan Xian attacked Li Buxian at Qiluo Mountain and revealed that he had become a Calamity Demon after failing to complete the Twelve Transformations of the Underworld God.
• Chen Mu arrived, rescued Li Buxian, and faced Yuan Xian, who vanished into the Lingxu Grotto-Heaven and attacked him with invisible strikes.
• Li Buxian explained how Yuan Xian could hide in the Lingxu Grotto-Heaven, and Chen Mu used his Heavenly Demon Body to see the hidden realm.
• Chen Mu entered the Lingxu Grotto-Heaven and used Manifestation Possession and Heavenly Dipper Ten Directions to sever Yuan Xian's hand and calf, leaving him unable to rise.

Chen Mu used the Tongyou Method to accelerate the City God Dao Field’s transformation until its statue was secured in Luandu County. Yuan Xian then brought him a Qi Refining cultivator inheritance, leaving Chen Mu with the secret art he had been seeking.

• Chen Mu crippled Yuan Xian, forced him to recite the Heavenly Demon Curse, and planted a Heavenly Demon Spirit Seed in him.
• Chen Mu learned that Dragon Locking Warriors used the Tongyou Method to borrow Netherworld Ghost Patterns from Nine Netherless Hell, then began using it to accelerate the Dao Field’s transformation.
• With a Dragon Locking Warrior’s guidance, Chen Mu learned to summon Linglong Ghost Marks and continuously activate them without risking backlash.
• Over two months, Chen Mu helped integrate all forty-five vein nodes in Luandu County into the Earth Vein, making the City God statue immovable and safe.
• Yuan Xian returned to Qiluo Mountain with a White Jade tablet containing a Qi Refining cultivator secret art, which Chen Mu eagerly accepted.

Chen Mu stabilized the Dark Cloud Talisman and discovered that the Exquisite Jade Disk could produce Primordial Qi, though only in tiny amounts. He realized he needed Yinhun to gather more and enlisted Li Buxian, leaving Li Buxian worried that Chen Mu would drag him into trouble.

• Chen Mu cultivated the Dark Cloud True Method until he could condense a stable Dark Cloud Talisman, but learned it consumed substantial mana and required Primordial Qi for Spirit Aperture Refinement.
• Using the Exquisite Jade Disk, Chen Mu detected a fleeting thread of Primordial Qi and drew it into his finger, confirming that the disk created an environment where Primordial Qi could appear.
• Chen Mu found that the Primordial Qi gathered by the Dark Cloud Talisman was negligible and suspected Yinhun in the Five Ghosts Bag had caused Primordial Qi to appear there in the past.
• Li Buxian captured two Yinhun in Purple Gold-Patterned Gourds while planning to cultivate the Nine Transformations of the Underworld God and eventually escape Gongsun Sheng.
• Chen Mu emerged from a black vortex, took Li Buxian's gourds, and ordered him to capture more Yinhun; Li Buxian then suggested Yuan Xian help, prompting Chen Mu to warn that he could expose the suggestion to Yuan Xian.

Chen Mu cultivated the Dark Cloud True Method and discovered that the Five Ghosts Bag could gather and store Primal Chaos Qi produced from Yinhun. After completing the method’s first tier, he began Spirit Aperture Refinement and confirmed that the process worked.

• Chen Mu planned his cultivation priorities and used the Five Ghosts Bag to gather Primal Chaos Qi from Yinhun, finding that it could store the Qi before it dissipated.
• Over the following month, Chen Mu cultivated inside the Statue Grotto-Heaven while Li Buxian and the other temple keepers gathered more Yinhun for him.
• Chen Mu advanced the True Hearing Technique and Kuishui Yinlei, completed the Tongyou Curse, and filled the first tier of the Dark Cloud True Method.
• Chen Mu learned that the completed first tier granted Return to One, which let him stop Spirit Aperture tempering if Primal Chaos Qi threatened his Divine Aperture.
• Chen Mu used Primal Chaos Qi to refine his Nine-Layered Divine Aperture for a day, then found that its talismans had recovered with greater toughness.
• Chen Mu concluded that the Five Ghosts Bag and Yinhun could sustain his Spirit Aperture Refinement even if the Earth Vein of Yunzhou changed and the Buried Spirit Spring disappeared.

Yuan Xian confirmed that his Divine Demon Will no longer showed signs of backlash and sought information about the Heavenly Demon Path, while Chen Mu continued tempering his Spirit Aperture and faced a shortage of Yinhun. He decided to use the Heart-Linking Rope and Five Ghosts Bag to try breeding Yinhun himself.

• Yuan Xian learned that records of the Heavenly Demon Path were scarce and asked Li Buxian about Gongsun Sheng, then proposed sending Gongsun Sheng far away.
• Chen Mu reflected that completing Spirit Aperture tempering would take fourteen or fifteen years, but considered the pace promising compared with Song Wuji's progress.
• Li Buxian explained that forced relocations and longer lifespans had reduced the supply of Yinhun, and Chen Mu rejected using condemned prisoners as an alternative.
• Chen Mu watched villagers being relocated to Southern Shu and considered using the Heart-Linking Rope's Heart-Linking Gu to create Yin Soul Monsters with the Five Ghosts Bag.
• Chen Mu began activating the Heart-Linking Rope to divide Heart-Linking Gu, hoping to breed enough Yinhun to speed up Spirit Aperture tempering.