Chapter Summaries

Chen Mu was invited by Lei Wen to help the Lei Family build Ferry Boats for Goose Sheep Dao’s relocation from Yunzhou to Haizhou. He accepted a Mustard Seed Spell to study and planned to decide within three days, while suspecting that mastery of the spell would determine whether he could join the crossing.

• Chen Mu completed his thirteenth Spirit Aperture Refinement and realized that his body needed time to transform between refinements.
• Lei Wen visited Chen Mu and explained that Goose Sheep Dao was preparing to relocate to Haizhou by Ferry Boats across the Heaven-Reaching River.
• Lei Wen offered Chen Mu secret techniques, White Jade, Dao Merit, and safe passage with the Lei Family in exchange for helping build the boats.
• Chen Mu accepted a wooden box containing the Mustard Seed Spell and promised to answer within three days.
• Chen Mu secretly followed Lei Wen and saw him recruiting cultivators with skills related to Spell Talismans and Prohibitions, giving them Mustard Seed Magic Talisman Jade Slips.
• After deciding the invitation was likely genuine, Chen Mu concluded that the Mustard Seed Spell was also a test and resolved to study it diligently.

Chen Mu joined the Lei Family Artifact Refining Group by demonstrating modest skill with the Mustard Seed Spell, then secretly practiced it while helping imprint talismans on the turtle shells used to build Ferry Boats. As he worked to improve his cultivation, he focused on completing the Dark Cloud True Method in hopes of speeding up his bodily transformation.

• Chen Mu saw Lower Academy Disciples arriving at E'yang Mountain and suspected the elders were preparing to abandon Goose Sheep Dao's territory.
• Chen Mu learned three Mustard Seed Spell talismans in three days and passed Lei Wen's recruitment test for the Lei Family's shipbuilding effort.
• Lei Wen arranged for Chen Mu and other cultivators to travel to the Pingjiang Dao Field to help build ships.
• After joining the Lei Family Artifact Refining Group, Chen Mu secretly practiced the Mustard Seed Spell while pretending to tire after imprinting talismans on a turtle shell.
• Chen Mu reflected on his River Chariot cultivation and decided to raise his Dark Cloud True Method experience to Tier 4 to seek faster bodily transformation.

Chen Mu perfected the Dark Cloud True Method, making his Spirit Aperture refinement more efficient as work on the Water Repelling Shuttle advanced inside the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Turtle. While inspecting the turtle’s inner wall, he discovered a Crimson-Eyed Ghost Mark among its patterns and worried about what it might mean for the ferry he would ride.

• Chen Mu reached the limit of the Dark Cloud True Method, gained three thousand Dark Cloud Talismans, and began refining his Spirit Aperture with greater precision.
• Chen Mu calculated that he could complete the Second Turn of the Divine Aperture within a month and finish River Chariot cultivation in under two years.
• Lei Wen announced that the shuttle’s external Magical Prohibition was complete and led the cultivators inside the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Turtle to build its interior.
• Chen Mu noticed that red lines in the turtle’s inner wall resembled Water Repelling Spell Talismans and realized the turtle might have gained water-repelling properties from Water Repelling Beads.
• Chen Mu spotted a tiny Crimson-Eyed Ghost Mark in the turtle’s inner wall and feared that beads he had sold might have introduced it.

Chen Mu discovered that the Dragon Locking Institute had secretly marked the Water Repelling Shuttles and captured its spy, Luo Fan, to learn how the marks worked. He found thirteen marked shuttles and planned to erase every imprint at once before E'yang Mountain relocated.

• Chen Mu detected a hidden Yin Spirit Divine Power mark inside a Water Repelling Shuttle and suspected the Dragon Locking Institute planned an ambush during the relocation.
• Chen Mu watched the shuttle fleet, erased the mark, and captured Gray-Haired Old Man Luo Fan when he came to inspect it.
• Luo Fan attacked Chen Mu with his Thousand Illusory Demon Shadow Transformation, but Chen Mu subdued him with the Five Dragon Manifestation and planted a Heavenly Demon Spirit Seed in him.
• Luo Fan identified the marking technique as the Qianji Imprint and explained that a Dragon Locking Warrior had left it on his body.
• Chen Mu used the Tongyou Method Incantation to capture the imprint's Ghost Pattern Qi Mechanism, then found hidden Qianji Imprints on thirteen of the Water Repelling Shuttles.
• Chen Mu decided to erase all the imprints together shortly before the relocation so the Dragon Locking Institute could not replace them in time.

Chen Mu completed the Divine Aperture’s Second Turn, continued building Water Repelling Shuttles for the Lei Family, and sold Water Repelling Beads to strengthen his reserves. In the Market, he detected a Qianji Imprint on a young woman and realized he had found another Dragon Locking Institute spy.

• Chen Mu completed the Divine Aperture’s Second Turn, improving his mana and strengthening his body.
• Chen Mu learned that Goose Sheep Dao planned to sell Water Repelling Shuttle boarding slots, though the high price would force many travelers into labor contracts.
• Chen Mu focused on mastering the Qianji Imprint and Kuishui Yinlei while continuing his shipbuilding work for the Lei Family.
• Chen Mu sold Lei Hong eleven high-grade Water Repelling Beads and received nearly four thousand pieces of White Jade.
• Chen Mu detected a Qianji Imprint on a young woman in the Market and recognized her as a likely Dragon Locking Institute spy.

Chen Mu captured the Dagan spy Mu Long and offered to repair her damaged Blood Sac in exchange for her help finding other agents. After Mu Long brought him numerous spies and he learned Dragon Locking Institute had no large-scale plans against Goose Sheep Dao, Chen Mu felt safer about leaving Yunzhou with the core relocation team.

• Chen Mu tried to capture the woman in the Wooden Cabin, but she broke free from his Hundred Mile Qi Seal and nearly struck him before Five Dragons Qi restrained her.
• Inside Thousand Lantern City, Chen Mu identified the woman as a Seven Nether God Transformations warrior with a damaged Blood Sac and used Heart-Linking Gu to begin repairing it.
• Mu Long agreed to obey Chen Mu if he repaired her Blood Sac, and he recruited her by promising to teach her the Seven Emotions Curse.
• Mu Long urged Chen Mu to kill Dragon Locking Institute spies, but he persuaded her to help quietly and gave her the Eastern Extreme Longevity Scripture.
• Over the following days, Mu Long brought Chen Mu two or three Dagan agents each day, and he implanted them with Heavenlly Demon Spirit Seeds.
• Chen Mu learned that only a dozen or so agents were assigned to the Qianji Imprint mission and concluded that he could safely leave Yunzhou with the Goose Sheep Dao relocation team.

Chen Mu advanced his Mustard Seed Spell while Goose Sheep Dao prepared to relocate and sell Water Repelling Shuttles. After Mu Long proposed searching Thunder Accumulation Hall for spies, Chen Mu restrained her and continued cultivating, achieving the third turn of the Divine Aperture.

• Chen Mu imbued a turtle shell with mana and realized the Mustard Seed Spell could contain objects in a tiny space, then studied the Water Repelling Shuttle for the Thousand Mile Household Bag Miniature Art.
• Over the following months, Goose Sheep Dao expanded its shuttle construction, and a sect called the Three Yin Sect bought the third Water Repelling Shuttle with ancestral secret arts.
• Mu Long brought an unconscious figure to Chen Mu and said she planned to search Thunder Accumulation Hall for Dragon Locking Institute agents.
• Chen Mu warned Mu Long against provoking Goose Sheep Dao's elders and gave her the Heavenly Demon Seven Emotions Curse to study.
• Chen Mu refined his Divine Aperture to its third turn, tested his strength, and reminded himself that he still had a long way to go.

Chen Mu bought the Five Thunder Treasure Scroll and prepared supplies for Goose Sheep Dao’s journey through the Hundred Thousand Mountains, while continuing to refine pills and strengthen his cultivation. He left the Scripture Repository without learning more about the Dao Foundation Realm and planned further provisions for the trip to Haizhou.

• Chen Mu tested his Kuishui Yinlei and decided to seek a more advanced Thunder Art at Goose Sheep Dao.
• Chen Mu visited the Market to buy information and supplies for crossing the Hundred Thousand Mountains.
• Chen Mu exchanged 8,500 Dao Merit and 6,000 White Jade for the Five Thunder Treasure Scroll, then searched the Scripture Repository for information about later cultivation stages.
• Chen Mu refined Tongxi Baizhang Pills using East Ridge miasma and began making Fasting Pills for the journey.
• Chen Mu planned to ask Lei Hong for Exotic Beast Meat and buy daily necessities in quantities sufficient for a hundred people.

Chen Mu prepared for Goose Sheep Dao’s relocation by gathering supplies, refining Vermilion Feather swords, and securing passage to Haizhou. He received a Jade Token for Boarding the Pingning Hao and learned that Lei Cheng, whom he had secretly investigated, would oversee the shuttle.

• Chen Mu embedded a Mustard Seed Magic Talisman into a Water Repelling Shuttle while maintaining his disguise as an ordinary cultivator.
• Chen Mu bought Pingjiang Dragon Carp and Gold Essence from Lei Hong, then activated his Sword Box Gourd to produce two Vermilion Feather magical swords.
• Chen Mu noticed that the Qianji Method was gaining proficiency as a result of his Qianji Imprint and considered using it to control swords and monitor distant areas.
• Chen Mu continued preparing for the migration, but regretted that he would not have another year to improve his cultivation before traveling to Haizhou.
• Lei Wen gave Chen Mu a Jade Token for Boarding the Pingning Hao, departing in five days, and said Lei Cheng would oversee the shuttle.
• Chen Mu recognized Lei Cheng as the Lei Family elder he had secretly watched while investigating the family.

Chen Mu left E'yang Mountain aboard the Pingning Hao Water Repelling Shuttle as Goose Sheep Dao relocated to Haizhou. He settled into the vessel, concealed his cultivation aid, and prepared to advance his Spirit Aperture tempering during the journey.

• Mu Long told Chen Mu she would remain on E'yang Mountain and explained that new Qi Refining cultivators were buying the mountain, while she had received no orders to target the Water Repelling Shuttle.
• Five days later, Chen Mu boarded the Pingning Hao Water Repelling Shuttle with Lei Hong, leaving behind the Lower Academy Disciples who lacked Primordial Talismans and dharma power.
• Chen Mu visited Xinyuan Tea House daily to improve his True Hearing Technique and gather rumors from the shuttle's passengers.
• Chen Mu explored the shuttle's mirrored streets and towers, then returned to the small building arranged by the Lei Family.
• Chen Mu used the Minor Three Talents Light Blocking Restriction to hide the Exquisite Jade Disk, replenished his dharma power, and resolved to advance his Spirit Aperture tempering during the voyage.

Qiu Jinwu bargained with the Black Hole’s voice to learn how to reach the Heavenly River Law Realm, while Chen Mu practiced the Five Thunder Treasure Scroll and benefited from fresh Exotic Beast Meat. The fleet entered the Heaven-Reaching River, where Qiu Jinwu’s plan to move its people into the Law Realm could begin.

• Qiu Jinwu learned that the other half of the Dragon Pearl was in the Heavenly River Law Realm and that he would need to break apart the fleet’s Prohibition to move people inside in small batches.
• Chen Mu replenished the Dark Cloud Talisman’s Primal Chaos Qi, practiced the Five Thunder Treasure Scroll, and tested its precise lightning attacks.
• Chen Mu ordered Exotic Beast Meat from Lei Hong after learning that the Water Repelling Shuttle’s Kui Niu Drum could kill Mutant Beasts.
• Chen Mu found that Return Vitality Soup made from fresh Exotic Beast Meat increased his cultivation gains, which he suspected came from the meat retaining the beasts’ Divine Essence.
• The Water Repelling Shuttle descended into a vast ravine as the fleet left the Ping River and entered the Heaven-Reaching River.

Chen Mu learned that the fleet’s linked Kui Niu Drums should protect it from even a Great Demon, but a gigantic purple-blue eye attacked and hurled the Pingning Hao Water Repelling Shuttle away from the fleet. He woke to find the shuttle wrecked and stranded, with the Kui Niu Drum damaged and captain Lei Cheng unconscious.

• A school of monster fish surrounded the Pingning Hao, then formed a giant eye that stared at the fleet before vanishing, frightening Chen Mu.
• Lei Hong explained that the fleet’s Water Repelling Shuttles were linked by the Kui Niu Magic Restriction and that Dao Master Qiu could use their combined power to resist a Great Demon.
• Chen Mu completed his forty-first Spirit Aperture tempering and reassured himself that Goose Sheep Dao had prepared for dangers along the voyage.
• The giant eye reappeared, unleashing lightning and an overwhelming life pulse; the Kui Niu Drum exploded, and the Pingning Hao spun away into the depths of the Heaven-Reaching River.
• After the shuttle crashed into mud, Chen Mu found it isolated from the fleet, with buildings wrecked, the Kui Niu Drum damaged, and Lei Cheng unconscious.

Chen Mu discovered that Lei Hong had concealed the severity of Lei Cheng’s injuries while Huang Jian and Chai Song plotted to seize the Water Repelling Shuttle and sacrifice people at E'yang Mountain. Chen Mu revealed himself as Lei Cheng, killed Huang Jian, captured Chai Song, and forced Lei Hong to submit.

• Chen Mu used the True Hearing Technique and saw that Lei Cheng was still unconscious despite Lei Hong’s claims that his injuries were minor.
• Huang Jian and Chai Song planned to take control of the Water Repelling Shuttle, drain E'yang Mountain’s Earth Spirit Vital Qi, and use the Nightmare Victory Curse Method against Lei Cheng.
• Lei Hong paid Chen Mu with five Red Jade Coins for Mutant Beast meat to repair the Water Repelling Shuttle and claimed Lei Cheng would appear the next day.
• Huang Jian exposed Lei Hong’s impersonation of Lei Cheng and attacked him in the main hall to seize control of the ship.
• Chen Mu appeared disguised as Lei Cheng, killed Huang Jian with lightning, and stopped Chai Song from escaping.
• Chen Mu bound Lei Hong and hinted that he knew the Divine Bewilderment Soul-Searching Secret Method, so Lei Hong immediately claimed that he had followed Chen Mu’s plan.

Chen Mu learned that the Water Repelling Shuttle could not be fully repaired without the secret Kui Niu Magic Restriction, so he studied its construction and sought another way to restore it. After discovering unusual Netherworld power beneath the Heaven-Reaching River, he decided to replace the Kui Niu Drum with himself as the vessel’s control core.

• Lei Hong told Chen Mu that the Kui Niu Drum was badly damaged, its secret repair art was unknown to the crew, and the shuttle’s hull remained too fragile for a safe voyage.
• Chen Mu revealed that Lei Cheng was recovering, then persuaded Lei Hong to work with him to get the Water Repelling Shuttle moving again.
• Chen Mu studied the shuttle’s construction plans and learned that the Kui Niu Drum connected and controlled the vessel’s Magical Prohibitions.
• After the crew found no Mutant Beasts nearby, Chen Mu used River of Forgetfulness Water to soften Bone Bricks so they could be used to repair the hull.
• Chen Mu discovered that Yellow Springs Crossing worked again because Netherworld power had reached the area, and he suspected serious trouble in the Heaven-Reaching River.
• Chen Mu concluded that his Five Thunder Art could replace the Kui Niu Drum as the shuttle’s control core, then began cultivating while Lei Hong organized the crew to dismantle buildings.

Chen Mu used the Mountain Bearing Scripture to link the Yin Soul Monsters in his Five Ghosts Bag and successfully piloted the Water Repelling Shuttle for sustained travel. With the shuttle moving again, he planned to rejoin the Goose Sheep Dao fleet, though he worried about its condition after the encounter with the Big Eyeball monster.

• Chen Mu concluded that his own Divine Essence could not sustain the Water Repelling Shuttle and decided to use the Mountain Bearing Scripture to share the burden among Yin Soul Monsters.
• Lei Hong and Lei Cheng deposited White Jade Coins into a Deep Well, then watched Chen Mu's Black Smoke Secret Art kill bandits who tried to rob them.
• The Kui Niu Drum reappeared amid Black Smoke, and the Water Repelling Shuttle rose from the riverbed and sailed forward steadily.
• Chen Mu confirmed that thousands of Yin Soul Monsters could power the Mountain Bearing Scripture while the remaining monsters produced Primal Chaos Qi.
• Chen Mu fully tested the Water Repelling Shuttle and resolved to find the Goose Sheep Dao fleet, worrying that the Big Eyeball monster might have badly damaged it.

Chen Mu used a Tianhe Compass to set course for the Hai Character Tianhe Water Mansion and concealed the Water Repelling Shuttle with Breath-Sealing Stones. After Lin Su and Tantai Zong failed to capture the shuttle, Lin Su recognized Chen Mu as Gongsun Sheng, someone believed to have fallen into the Yin Nether Underworld.

• Lei Cheng explained that the group needed to reach the Hai Character Tianhe Water Mansion and gave Chen Mu a Tianhe Compass to guide them.
• Lin Su and Tantai Zong spotted a damaged Water Repelling Shuttle through their smoke screen and tried to seize it for military merit.
• Chen Mu embedded Breath-Sealing Stones in the shuttle, then used his True Hearing Technique to investigate a force that briefly dragged it downward.
• Tantai Zong's attempt to capture the shuttle failed when it vanished from their view, and Lin Su recognized the black-robed Daoist as Gongsun Sheng.

Chen Mu completed the True Hearing Technique and discovered that it could transmit his hearing through his magical power, while Lin Su and Tantai Zong failed to track the Water Repelling Shuttle. The shuttle continued through the Heaven-Reaching River, with Chen Mu now able to scout far ahead through his Vermilion Feather Sword.

• Lei Hong gave Chen Mu a sample of fresh Exotic Beast Meat and tried to persuade him to buy more, while Chen Mu concealed that his younger appearance came from advancing his cultivation.
• Chen Mu practiced the True Hearing Technique to anticipate dangerous underwater currents, then saw that it had reached its limit and gained a much greater passive scouting range.
• Tantai Zong used the Spirit Searching Disk with Lin Su’s Myriad Miles Sky-Viewing Mist to locate the Water Repelling Shuttle, but the shuttle turned away from the Crossing the Yellow Springs Secret Art and vanished from their detection.
• Lin Su decided to abandon the pursuit and focus on accumulating military merit to master the Twelve Transformations of the Underworld God.
• Chen Mu discovered that his completed True Hearing Technique let him hear movements around a Vermilion Feather Sword more than thirty li away.

Chen Mu used his True Hearing Supernatural Ability to locate injured Mutant Beasts and prepared to leave Yunzhou with the Lei brothers. After three days, the Water Repelling Shuttle reached the Hai Character Tianhe Water Mansion.

• Qi Refining cultivators captured an injured Purple Long Serpent after Chen Mu detected it with his True Hearing Supernatural Ability.
• Chen Mu considered cultivating the Heavenly Demon Armor Secret Art and worried about the Seven Siblings of Wushan, who had been captured by Nether God Transformation practitioners.
• Lei Cheng estimated that the shuttle would reach its destination within three days, and Chen Mu warned the Lei brothers not to expose him to Qiu Jinwu.
• Chen Mu moved Exotic Beast Meat into the Five Ghosts Bag to feed the Yin Soul Monsters.
• Lei Cheng guided the Water Repelling Shuttle down to the enormous stone mountain of the Hai Character Tianhe Water Mansion.

Chen Mu disguised the Pingning Hao Water Repelling Shuttle and hid his presence as it entered the flooded Tianhe Water Mansion to rendezvous with the Goose Sheep Dao fleet. Dao Lord Qiu Jinwu immediately suspected a Condensing Orifice wild cultivator was aboard, leaving Chen Mu exposed despite Lei Cheng's convincing explanation.

• Chen Mu modified the Pingning Hao and arranged for Lei Cheng to pilot it in a way that would make its damage seem genuine.
• Chen Mu and the others entered the flooded Tianhe Water Mansion and descended toward the Qiulong Fire Path.
• Chen Mu gave Lei Cheng a Breath-Sealing Stone containing the Vermilion Feather Sword so he could monitor the meeting with the Goose Sheep Dao.
• Qiu Jinwu accused Lei Cheng of having a Condensing Orifice wild cultivator aboard, and Lei Cheng blamed the shuttle's damage on his own piloting.
• Qiu Jinwu first seemed to accept Lei Cheng's account, then revealed he believed Lei Cheng had made up a convincing lie.

Chen Mu helped repair the Pingning Hao and considered joining Goose Sheep Dao as it traveled toward Haizhou. Meanwhile, Qiu Jinwu secretly prepared to use the rebuilt Kui Niu Drum to send everyone into the Heavenly River Law Realm, and Chen Mu left to refine pills before the shuttles departed.

• Qiu Jinwu told Lei Cheng to treat Gongsun Sheng as an ally and try to recruit him as a guest elder of Goose Sheep Dao, while secretly planning to sacrifice him to refine the Dragon Pearl.
• Chen Mu put off deciding whether to join Goose Sheep Dao and helped the Qi Refining cultivators rebuild the Pingning Hao in the Qiulong Fire Path.
• Qiu Jinwu asked a voice appearing in a Black-Red Flame to imprint the Heavenly River Law Realm portal into the new Kui Niu Drum so everyone aboard could be pulled into the realm.
• Chen Mu helped modify the Water Repelling Shuttles, then received medicinal herbs and Gold Essence from Lei Hong in exchange for refining Foundation Cultivation Pills.
• Chen Mu examined the new Kui Niu Drum, heard that the Huang Family's ancestor Huang Jiu had likely died, and learned the shuttles would depart within three days before returning to refine pills.