Chapter Summaries

Chen Mu discovered that a hostile Qi Mechanism had been hidden in the Kui Niu Drums and secretly erased it from most of the Water Repelling Shuttles. When Qiu Jinwu led the fleet into the Heavenly River Law Realm to claim a Dragon Pearl, only twenty-seven shuttles followed him, leaving him furious and baffled.

• Chen Mu identified a cold, tyrannical Qi Mechanism inside the new Kui Niu Drum and suspected that an expert had targeted the Pingning Hao.
• Chen Mu and the Lei brothers agreed to investigate the other Water Repelling Shuttles, and Chen Mu began removing the hidden Qi Mechanism from drums on shuttles without Condensing Orifice cultivators.
• Lei Wen sensed a disturbance near his shuttle’s Kui Niu Drum but dismissed it, while Chen Mu continued his secret work through the night.
• At dawn, Qiu Jinwu and Old Ghost Jia sent the fleet through a black opening into the Heavenly River Law Realm, where they found a Dragon Pearl inside a volcano.
• Qiu Jinwu discovered that only twenty-seven Water Repelling Shuttles had entered the realm because their Dragon Qi had been erased, and Old Ghost Jia suspected the same person behind an earlier sabotage.

Chen Mu and his companions escaped after discovering that Qiu Jinwu was capturing the Goose Sheep Dao fleet to serve as sacrifices for a scheme involving the Dragon Locking Institute. Two days later, they hid aboard the Pingning Hao deep in the Qiulong Fire Path as Chen Mu concealed the shuttle’s aura and considered Qiu Jinwu’s betrayal.

• Chen Mu realized the Water Repelling Shuttles whose cold Qi Mechanism had been erased were missing, and he ordered Lei Hong and Lei Cheng to flee into the Lava Lake.
• Lei Wen followed the Pingning Hao into the depths, while Qiu Jinwu summoned lava Dragon Claws that seized the fleet’s shuttles and hurled them into a Black Hole.
• Chen Mu used the Mountain Bearing Scripture to accelerate the Pingning Hao and escape Qiu Jinwu’s attack.
• Qiu Jinwu asked the Vertical Pupil Black Hole whether there were enough sacrifices, and learned that around one-seventh of Yunzhou’s Qi Refining cultivators had entered the Heavenly River Law Realm.
• Two days later, Chen Mu concealed the Pingning Hao with Breath-Sealing Stones and suspected Qiu Jinwu had betrayed his Sect for a chance to advance his Dao Path.

Chen Mu prepared the Water Repelling Shuttle for the journey through the Qiulong Fire Path, helped conceal it from view, and continued cultivating while avoiding exposure of his past counterfeit sales. After his Culinary skill advanced, he discovered the Nine Revolutions Spirit Capturing Curse and began studying its incantation.

• Chen Mu refined Vermilion Feather Swords and tested one outside the Water Repelling Shuttle, finding that Yellow Springs Crossing still worked along the Qiulong Fire Path.
• Chen Mu gave Lei Cheng a Jade Plate bearing the Minor Three Talents Light Blocking Restriction and supplied the Lei brothers with a jar of Foundation Cultivation Pills.
• Chen Mu helped the artifact refiners install Light Blocking Restrictions and hid a Crimson-Eyed Ghost Mark beneath his foot when Lei Hong approached.
• Chen Mu noticed that nearly half his Dark Cloud Talismans had disappeared, marking another washing and bringing him closer to Divine Aperture Sixth Turn.
• The refiners completed the shuttle's disguise as a lava-scorched rock, and Lei Cheng continued piloting it without encountering pursuit or danger.
• Chen Mu saw that his Culinary skill had reached Tier 7, learned of the Nine Revolutions Spirit Capturing Curse, and began examining its incantation.

Chen Mu refined and drank Spirit Nurturing Wine aboard the Pingning Hao, then woke to find the shuttle had been transported from the Qiulong Fire Path into a frozen world. Qiu Jinwu had brought the Water Repelling Shuttle into the Heavenly River Law Realm, while Chen Mu and the others faced an unknown power that had put them all to sleep.

• Chen Mu extracted thirty-three drops of Spirit Nurturing Wine from Exotic Beast Meat and prepared Return Vitality Soup from the remains.
• Chen Mu drank the Spirit Nurturing Wine with a meal, then fell asleep after checking that the Qiulong Fire Path seemed safe.
• Chen Mu awoke to a landscape of ice and snow and realized the Water Repelling Shuttle had been moved into another world.
• Qiu Jinwu brought the Water Repelling Shuttle into the Heavenly River Law Realm and discussed the Loach Dragon Pearl and a possible replacement for it.
• Chen Mu found that he could not contact the nine Vermilion Feather Swords, while Lei Cheng and Lei Hong realized everyone aboard had been made to sleep.

Chen Mu and the Water Repelling Shuttle crew found themselves stranded in an icy Cave Heaven with no signs of human habitation, but he discovered that its Earth Spirit Vital Qi gathered in water. He planned to create a living Ghost Gate Pass to escape and began preparing the difficult process of teaching his Yin Soul Monsters Yellow Springs Crossing.

• Chen Mu ordered Lei Hong to send out scouting teams and Lei Cheng to calm the Water Repelling Shuttle crew, then used the Qianji Method to replace the Talisman Seeds lost with his nine Vermilion Feather Swords.
• Chen Mu investigated a mysterious Cold Pool whose water held abundant Earth Spirit Vital Qi and whose six Purple-Blue Fish could not be caught.
• Lei Hong reported that scouting teams found no human habitation within three hundred miles, while Chen Mu explained that the surrounding Earth Spirit Vital Qi was concentrated in water.
• Chen Mu concluded that the icy world was likely a Cave Heaven and believed he could leave by creating a Ghost Gate Pass.
• Chen Mu tasked Lei Hong and Lei Cheng with organizing hunts for mutant beasts, whose flesh and blood would supply the Bottomless Pool, while he worked on an artifact for Shrink Ground and Move Form.
• Chen Mu took out his Five Ghosts Bag and began trying to teach his Yin Soul Monsters Yellow Springs Crossing so they could form a living Ghost Gate Pass.

Qiu Jinwu began carving a secret pattern into Huang Jiu to seize the Loach Dragon Pearl, while Chen Mu struggled to teach a Yin Soul Monster the Yellow Springs Crossing Secret Art. When bloodline guidance drew Goose Sheep Dao descendants away from the Pingning Hao, Chen Mu learned that many elders might be nearby, but Lei Cheng refused to follow the apparent trap; Chen Mu revealed that all thirty-nine deserters had been killed.

• Qiu Jinwu told Huang Jiu that he needed the Loach Dragon Pearl to cultivate a Primordial Spirit and began carving patterns into his forehead.
• Chen Mu repeatedly failed to imprint Yellow Springs Crossing into a Yin Soul Monster, then used Spirit Nurturing Wine to recover his depleted Upper Fetus Spirit God.
• Lei Cheng told Chen Mu that thirty-nine collateral descendants had left the Pingning Hao after sensing a bloodline pull toward the north, where Goose Sheep Dao's Condensing Orifice elders might be.
• Lei Cheng refused Chen Mu's suggestion to search for the Lei Family Ancestor, warning that the bloodline guidance could be a trap, and Lei Hong also declined to go.
• Chen Mu revealed that all thirty-nine missing cultivators had been killed eight hundred li away by three red lines, leaving Lei Hong afraid that Chen Mu had been ready to kill him too.

Chen Mu discovered that the Lei Cheng brothers had nearly led the Pingning Hao into a trap, then worked to refine Spirit Nurturing Wine while continuing his preparations to escape the Cave Heaven. In the Heavenly River Law Realm, Qiu Jinwu opened a rift above Jie Tian Peak, where a gigantic Purple-Blue Giant Eye appeared as he cried out for the Dragon Pearl.

• Chen Mu warned Lei Cheng and Lei Hong that he knew about their bloodline summons and sent them away, suspecting it had been a trap that could have exposed the Pingning Hao.
• Chen Mu considered making more Vermilion Feather Swords but decided to improve the Nine Cups Calculation Scripture so he could calculate a more accurate landing point for Ghost Gate Pass.
• Chen Mu spent the night transmitting a secret art to Yin Soul Monsters and calculated that teaching all the monsters in his Five Ghosts Bag would take months.
• Chen Mu used the Nine Revolutions Spirit Capturing Curse to extract Essence Spirit from Mutant Beasts in the Bottomless Pool and fill a jade vat with Spirit Nurturing Wine.
• The Black Crescent Blade and Hollow Bone Ball plunged into the vat and swallowed much of the wine before Chen Mu pulled them out and demanded that they spit it back.
• Qiu Jinwu summoned a giant Purple-Blue Giant Eye through a rift above Jie Tian Peak and called for the Dragon Pearl.

Lian Xi learned that the Dragon Pearls were Root Vessels, but Qiu Jinwu’s attempt to seize their Spiritual Mechanisms failed when they escaped. Meanwhile, the two silver streams entered Chen Mu’s Brow Secret Aperture, and Qiu Jinwu’s search for the missing mechanisms ended without a clear lead.

• Lian Xi learned from the vertical-pupil Black Hole that the Dragon Pearl was a Root Vessel comparable to a Spiritual Treasure Immortal Platform.
• Qiu Jinwu used golden threads and his dark-red Dragon Pearl to capture the blue Dragon Pearl, but the threads broke and both Spiritual Mechanisms escaped, leaving the pearls dull and gray.
• Chen Mu found that his Nine Cups Calculation Scripture produced inconsistent landing-point marks, then continued cultivating with Earth Spirit Vital Qi from the Cold Pool.
• A Purple-Blue Fish turned into two silver streams that entered Chen Mu’s Brocade Pouch; the pouch exploded, and black and white streaks entered his Brow Secret Aperture.
• Qiu Jinwu asked Lian Xi to track the escaped Spiritual Mechanisms, but Lian Xi’s Secret Art showed that they seemed to be everywhere, leaving Qiu Jinwu without a usable trail.

Chen Mu discovered that Yin Fault Yang Deviation was connected to the Outer Path Heavenly Demon and that strengthening it improved the accuracy of the Nine Cups Calculation Scripture. Qiu Jinwu agreed to help capture Qi Refining cultivators for Old Ghost Jia’s plan to recover the Dragon Pearl Spiritual Mechanism.

• Chen Mu found that Yin Fault Yang Deviation rejected the Spirit Nurturing Spell but eagerly consumed Spirit Nurturing Wine, then absorbed Yin Spirit Divine Power in his Brow Secret Aperture.
• Lei Hong explained the differences between Magic Artifacts and Spiritual Treasures, and Chen Mu suspected Yin Fault Yang Deviation was an artifact of the Outer Path Heavenly Demon.
• Yin Fault Yang Deviation released cold white mist that vanished into the void, alerting the bald young man in the Statue Grotto-Heaven to its connection with the Heavenly Demon Body.
• Qiu Jinwu agreed to help Old Ghost Jia capture Qi Refining cultivators alive so they could serve as Dragon Pinning Stakes in the Exquisite Magic Restriction.
• Chen Mu found that his Nine Cups Calculation Scripture produced much more accurate landing-point calculations after Yin Fault Yang Deviation strengthened the Heavenly Demon Body, and he resolved to keep feeding it.

Chen Mu noticed the Cold Pool’s Purple-Blue Fish disappearing and its Earth Spirit Vital Qi dwindling, then resolved to leave the Cave Heaven rather than confront the Dagan Dragon Locking Institute. Meanwhile, Lian Xi tracked Lei Cheng and the others in search of the Dragon Pearl Spiritual Mechanism, but an unseen voice confronted him before he could approach.

• Chen Mu used Yin Fault Yang Deviation to improve his calculations of the Vermilion Feather Swords’ locations, then found that one Purple-Blue Fish had vanished and the remaining fish drenched him with water.
• Elder Liu and more than a hundred Goose Sheep Dao Qi Refiners tried to use the Immortal Rope to escape the Heavenly River Law Realm, but Qiu Jinwu and Lian Xi captured them.
• Lian Xi realized he could not track a Thunder Surname Qi Refiner and suspected that the Dragon Pearl Spiritual Mechanism was concealed near him, so he hid the discovery from Qiu Jinwu.
• After more than a month, Chen Mu found that only three Purple-Blue Fish remained and the Cold Pool’s Earth Spirit Vital Qi had fallen by half; he suspected the Dagan Dragon Locking Institute and decided to seek a way out.
• Chen Mu sensed the Sevenfold Heart-Linking Gu source near him, chose not to pursue revenge against Lu Ku and Shang Huan, and discovered that his Dark Cloud True Method had advanced to Divine Aperture Sixth Turn.
• Lian Xi tracked Lei Cheng and the others to the Extreme North ice field, but an unseen speaker repeatedly demanded to know how he had found them.

Chen Mu captured Lian Xi, who had been secretly tracking the group and trying to seize the Dragon Pearl Spiritual Mechanism. After learning that Qiu Jinwu might arrive within three days, Chen Mu ordered everyone to speed up their work and prepare to leave, while Lian Xi secretly planned to lead Spirit Venerable to them.

• Lian Xi attacked a shadow with Three Thousand Crows Kill, but Chen Mu appeared beside him and trapped him with his Dao Foundation Dharma Aspect.
• Chen Mu recognized Lian Xi as the person behind the incident at Yun Chong Lower Courtyard, and Lian Xi identified him as Li Moliang before offering to help evade Qiu Jinwu.
• Lian Xi warned Chen Mu that Qiu Jinwu would soon arrive and could track them, then claimed he could disrupt Qiu Jinwu's search.
• Chen Mu summoned Lei Cheng and Lei Hong at the Ice Cave and ordered the Hunting Team to capture as many Mutant Beasts as possible before they left in three days.
• Lian Xi explained how his Substitute Straw Dolls and aura-confusing spell could delay Qiu Jinwu, while secretly expecting Spirit Venerable to find them in two days.

Chen Mu prepared to escape the Cave Heaven with Lei Cheng and Lian Xi, but discovered the Heavenly Net Earthly Trap sealing Ghost Gate Pass. He used the Seven Souls Dao Soldiers to remove the Seven Siblings of Wushan from the City God Dao Field, then sent the Water Repelling Shuttle through the gate.

• Chen Mu decided to leave immediately and had Lei Cheng prepare to pilot the Water Repelling Shuttle while he confined Lian Xi in Thousand Lantern City.
• Chen Mu combined three thousand Yin Soul Monsters to form Ghost Gate Pass, but the Heavenly Net Earthly Trap sealed it.
• Chen Mu used Lingbao Shuji Pian to locate the Seven Siblings of Wushan, who had become core pulse points of the City God Dao Field.
• Chen Mu activated the Seven Souls Dao Soldiers and pulled the Seven Siblings of Wushan out of the City God Dao Field, causing its power and the Heavenly Net Earthly Trap to collapse.
• Chen Mu collected the seven gourds, signaled Lei Cheng, and watched the Water Repelling Shuttle fly into Ghost Gate Pass.

Qiu Jinwu and Old Ghost Jia tried to track the Water Repelling Shuttle after it escaped the Heavenly River Law Realm, but Chen Mu sealed its tracking marks with Breath-Sealing Stones. Chen Mu then bound Lian Xi to him with the Nightmare Victory Curse Method, leaving Lian Xi captive aboard the shuttle.

• Qiu Jinwu and the Vertical Pupil Black Hole discussed how the Dragon Pearl Spiritual Mechanism had hidden its aura in the Cave Heaven Spring Eye, and Old Ghost Jia promised to find the fugitives once the turmoil settled.
• Qiu Jinwu used an emerald-green disc to track the Water Repelling Shuttle, but its signal vanished, prompting him to threaten Old Ghost Jia over the Dragon Pearl and City God Dao Field.
• Chen Mu found four Crimson-Eyed Ghost Marks on the Pingning Hao and buried them beneath Breath-Sealing Stones to block tracking.
• Chen Mu confronted Lian Xi about withholding that the Heavenly River Law Realm's void was sealed, then agreed to keep him aboard in exchange for information.
• Chen Mu used the Nightmare Victory Curse Method to link a Clay Doll to Lian Xi, and Lian Xi revealed that he had learned the secret art from the Thousand Mountains Scripture.

Chen Mu learned that the Dragon Pearl Spiritual Mechanism in his Brow Secret Aperture could help Qiu Jinwu cultivate a Primordial Spirit, making their conflict more dangerous. He concealed Lian Xi inside Thousand Lantern City and examined the Seven Souls Dao Soldiers, wondering how they connected to the Underworld.

• Lian Xi explained that Root Vessels aided Heavenly Demon cultivation and that Qiu Jinwu wanted the Dragon Pearl to help nurture a Primordial Spirit.
• Chen Mu realized the Spiritual Mechanism was likely the missing core of Qiu Jinwu’s Dragon Pearl and worried about provoking the powerful cultivator.
• Chen Mu wrapped Lian Xi in Breath-Sealing Stones and sent him back into Thousand Lantern City to hide him from any tracking mark.
• Chen Mu sensed life force growing inside the Seven Souls Gourds and concluded that the Seven Souls Dao Soldier method imitated the creation of Yinling in the Underworld.
• Chen Mu wondered whether the seven Yin Soul Monsters were the original people reborn or merely carried their memories, then stored the Seven Souls Gourds in the Five Ghosts Bag.

After reaching Haizhou, Chen Mu learned that the Qianji Sect controlled the region’s sects and that he might need to work as a Dao Soldier to obtain Dao Foundation Charts. He believed Haizhou would keep him safe from pursuit, but Qiu Jinwu was waiting at the Renxu Tianhe Water Mansion and spotted a familiar newcomer.

• Chen Mu completed the fifty-ninth refinement of his Divine Apertures and discussed with Lian Xi how to obtain Dao Foundation Charts from the Qianji Sect.
• Lian Xi explained that Haizhou’s Ninety-Nine Sects served the Qianji Sect and exchanged resources and secret techniques for training Dao Soldiers.
• After more than four months of travel, Chen Mu reached Haizhou and discovered that Yellow Springs Crossing could not open a gateway there, suggesting the Dragon Locking Institute could not track him through Netherworld power.
• Qiu Jinwu waited at the Renxu Tianhe Water Mansion with a bald young man, expecting the stolen Spiritual Mechanism to lead its owner there.
• Qiu Jinwu recognized a tall, sturdy newcomer stepping off a White Ghost Shuttle.

Chen Mu avoided the Renxu Tianhe Water Mansion because he suspected Qiu Jinwu was waiting there, then traveled on to evade pursuit and sent Lei Cheng and Lei Hong away. After reaching the remote Dingyou Tianhe Water Mansion alone, he began looking for a place to settle down.

• Qiu Jinwu watched Lei Wen join the Yinshan Sect and grew suspicious when Goose Sheep Dao cultivators stopped arriving, concluding that the person carrying the Dragon Pearl Spiritual Mechanism had avoided the Renxu Water Mansion.
• Chen Mu refused to enter the Renxu Water Mansion, used the Pingning Hao to travel onward, and warned Lei Cheng and Lei Hong to hide from Qiu Jinwu.
• Lei Cheng and Lei Hong agreed to leave the Water Mansion within two days, while Chen Mu bound Lian Xi and sent him away in Thousand Lantern City.
• Chen Mu concealed the Pingning Hao, traveled alone to the remote Dingyou Tianhe Water Mansion, and monitored its gate for more than ten days.
• Chen Mu decided it was time to find a place to settle down after nearly half a year of continuous travel.

Chen Mu settled in Dingyou Tianhe Water Mansion and found a way to replenish his dwindling White Jade by selling Tongxi Baizhang Pills. Meanwhile, Qiu Jinwu considered signing Qianji Sect’s Dao Soldier Contract in exchange for help locating the Dragon Pearl Spiritual Mechanism.

• Chen Mu reviewed his Five Thunder Treasure Scroll progress, admired his Divine Aperture, and worried that his savings had fallen to 13,065 White Jade.
• Chen Mu decided to sell Tongxi Baizhang Pills to meet demand among cultivators suffering from poison in Misty Forest.
• At Xu Character Tianhe Water Mansion, a young man offered to help Qiu Jinwu search for the Dragon Pearl Spiritual Mechanism if he signed Qianji Sect’s Dao Soldier Contract.
• Chen Mu, disguised as Song Jiang, sold one hundred Tongxi Baizhang Pills to Shopkeeper Yang for 1,800 White Jade.

Chen Mu cultivated the Five Thunder Curse and found a way to store Exotic Beast Meat, then learned that Haizhou’s sects guarded Demon seals. The chapter ended when his new defensive art unexpectedly killed a passerby with lightning.

• Chen Mu used Ghost Gate Pass in the Five Ghosts Bag to create a Bottomless Pool for storing Exotic Beast Meat and reached the limit of the Five Thunder Treasure Scroll.
• Chen Mu gained the Five Thunder Curse, a protective art, and decided to cultivate the Heavenly Demon Armor next.
• Shopkeeper Yang told Chen Mu that Demonic Energy from a seal incident at Hundred Illusions Sect had contaminated Misty Forest and increased demand for Tongxi Baizhang Pills.
• Chen Mu learned that Haizhou’s Ninety-Nine Sects guarded Demon seals so Qianji Sect’s Dao Soldiers could use Demonic Energy to cultivate Secret Arts.
• A passerby walked past Chen Mu, and his Five Thunder Curse automatically struck the man with Kuishui Yinlei, reducing him to ash.

Chen Mu traced the attack on him to Old Yang, cursed the man into a prolonged sleep, and continued cultivating until his Divine Aperture completed its eighth transformation. Meanwhile, Qiu Jinwu prepared to sign a Dao Soldier Contract in exchange for help finding Spiritual Mechanism and refining a Dragon Pearl.

• Chen Mu realized the dead middle-aged man had tried to mark him with a Secret Art and suspected Old Yang of orchestrating the attack.
• Chen Mu stopped selling Tongxi Baizhang Pills at Tianshui Pavilion and used the Nightmare Victory Curse Method to keep Old Yang asleep.
• Chen Mu cultivated in the Water Mansion for several months, completing his Divine Aperture's eighth transformation and advancing his Heavenly Demon Armor and Giant Spirit God techniques.
• At the Xu Character Tianhe Water Mansion, Jiao Shi asked Qiu Jinwu to recite the Pure Yang Incantation and sign a Dao Soldier Contract.
• Jiao Shi promised that his father would help Qiu Jinwu seek out Spiritual Mechanism and refine a complete Dragon Pearl.

Chen Mu completed River Cart Perfection and gained Innate Qi, while Qiu Jinwu and his companions arrived in Dingyou Water Mansion seeking a Spiritual Mechanism. The Spirit Seeking Bead stopped responding near Chen Mu’s alley, and Qiu Jinwu began searching everyone there.

• Chen Mu visited Hongshuang Tower to calm his restless emotions, then sensed the immense power of Jiao Yufei and regained his composure.
• Seven days later, Chen Mu completed the fourth stage of Qi Refining, achieved River Cart Perfection, and produced Innate Qi.
• Qiu Jinwu learned from Jiao Shi that the Spiritual Mechanism was in Dingyou Water Mansion and hired Jia Tian to help locate it.
• Chen Mu found that Innate Qi could nourish and repair his body, transform his Heavenly Demon Body, and draw the attention of Yin Fault Yang Deviation.
• Qiu Jinwu, Jiao Shi, and Jia Tian reached Dingyou Water Mansion, but the Spirit Seeking Bead stopped moving near Chen Mu’s alley.
• Qiu Jinwu suspected Jiao Shi’s Spirit Seeking Bead had been tampered with and began searching the alley and its residents.