Chapter Summaries

Chen Mu devised a way to escape Demon-occupied Huodao Star by smuggling Vermilion Feather Swords aboard Zhou Tong’s Five Cloud Shuttle and using them as anchors for Ghost Gate Pass. He left a seventh sword aboard as Zhou Tong hurried construction, narrowly avoiding detection.

• Lan Xiuzhu told Meng Qingchan that Pure Yang Dao and other Dao Ancestors were involved in bringing Demons of Nether Demon Heaven into the mortal world, prompting her to leave without learning more.
• Chen Mu decided to escape Huodao Star by having Vermilion Feather Swords ride aboard Zhou Tong’s Five Cloud Shuttle and serve as landing anchors for Ghost Gate Pass.
• Chen Mu continued training the Nine Cups Calculation Scripture so he could calculate a safe landing point across the void.
• Zhou Tong and Fei Zhao inspected the Five Cloud Shuttle’s construction after sensing a disturbance, but Zhou Tong found nothing unusual and urged the Dao Soldiers to finish quickly.
• Chen Mu used the Giant Spirit God to monitor the valley and realized Zhou Tong had nearly detected the seventh Vermilion Feather Sword he had hidden aboard the shuttle.

Chen Mu watched Zhou Tong and Fei Zhao's fight destroy the nearly completed Five Cloud Shuttle, ending his plan to escape Huodao Star aboard the Vermilion Feather Sword. With the other elders and Dao Soldiers apparently corrupted by the Nether Demon Bloodlight, he decided to use the Heavenly Demon Body as the Ghost Gate Pass's landing point and escape Yunzhou as soon as he arrived.

• Chen Mu successfully used the Nine Cups Calculation Scripture to locate a misty valley and estimated that the Five Cloud Shuttle would soon be finished.
• Zhou Tong and Fei Zhao attacked each other, wrecking the Five Cloud Shuttle and scattering or killing many Dao Soldiers; Li Jiu refused to help Zhou Tong and flew away.
• Chen Mu concluded that the Nether Demon Bloodlight had caused the elders and Dao Soldiers to turn against one another, leaving him unable to escape aboard the Vermilion Feather Sword.
• Zhou Tong used the Contract Edict to summon the Dao Soldiers, then ordered them to attack Fei Zhao and Li Jiu as traitors.
• Chen Mu rejected relying on Zhou Tong and planned to use the Heavenly Demon Body to guide the Ghost Gate Pass to Yunzhou, then flee across the Hundred Thousand Mountains.

Chen Mu tried to enter Huodao City disguised as a Three-eyed Nether Demon, but the real Yi Tu San appeared at the gate and exposed him. Meanwhile, Meng Qingchan used her control over the stars to arrange Yi Tu San’s return, then agreed with Lan Xiuzhu to begin breaking through the Thirty-Two Layers of Heaven at Huodao Star.

• Chen Mu tested the Nine Cups Calculation Scripture, decided to improve its accuracy before using it to reach the Heavenly Demon Body, and worried that he lacked enough demon beast flesh to activate Ghost Gate Pass.
• Chen Mu discovered that Nether God Transformation made him comfortable under Nether Demon Heaven’s bloody light, transformed himself into a Three-eyed Nether Demon, and headed for Huodao City.
• At the city gate, Chen Mu claimed to be Yi Tu San, but the real Yi Tu San appeared behind him and accused him of being a disguised cultivator from Hundred Intentions Heaven.
• In Heavenly Pass City, Meng Qingchan revealed that she had secretly arranged for Yi Tu San to return and agreed to Lan Xiuzhu’s plan to start breaking through the boundary at Huodao Star.

Chen Mu’s attempt to enter Huodao City in disguise was exposed when a Sky Rift opened and demons flooded into the city. He fled to Thousand Lantern City, then began hunting demons outside the city with refined Mili Heaven Demon Poison, hoping to gather enough resources to leave Huodao Star within a month.

• Chen Mu disguised himself as a Three-eyed Underworld Race member, but the Sky Rift opened above Huodao City and its force broke his disguise before he could enter.
• Chen Mu escaped the Three-eyed Nether Demons as countless demons poured through the Sky Rift, then hid in Thousand Lantern City and learned that demons across Huodao Star were fighting.
• Chen Mu decided to hunt demons outside Huodao City and use the Mili Heaven Demon Poison he had refined with the Plague Immortal Method.
• Chen Mu tested the poison on a colony of Wolf-headed Bats, killing them all, then gathered their corpses and blood with Five Ghosts Black Smoke.
• Chen Mu used the Nine Cups Calculation Scripture to locate a group of Red-Eyed Water Apes and set off toward his next hunting ground.

Chen Mu discovered that the Nether Demon Bloodlight had mutated Zhou Tong, Li Jiu, Fei Zhao, and their Dao Soldiers, prompting him to flee Huodao Star. After mastering Ghost Gate Pass, he escaped to Yunzhou and arrived safely near Qiluo Mountain.

• Chen Mu found Zhou Tong and the Huodao City Dao Soldiers transformed into violent, blood-eyed beings that the Nine Cups Calculation Scripture identified as Nether Demon Heaven Demons.
• Chen Mu used the Vermilion Feather Sword to find Li Jiu, Fei Zhao, and their Dao Soldiers, who had also mutated and were fighting for territory.
• Chen Mu advanced the Nine Cups Calculation Scripture to tier 5 and realized it could retrieve existing information, allowing him to locate the Heavenly Demon Body in Luandu County, Yunzhou.
• Chen Mu completed Ghost Gate Pass, gathered his belongings from the Underground Cave, and used the gate to leave Huodao Star.
• Meng Qingchan sensed Chen Mu's departure but set aside her resentment to focus on devouring Star Lord Jiao Mu.
• Chen Mu emerged near Qiluo Mountain and confirmed that he had safely returned to Yunzhou.

Chen Mu discovered that the Nine Cups Calculation Scripture had sent him to an unfamiliar region, where he found a City God Dao Field and a Yinling Living God. He left Zhang'an County to live in seclusion in the mountains, planning to cultivate the Jade Cicada Secret Manual and wait out the danger.

• Chen Mu realized he had landed in an unfamiliar mountain region instead of Qiluo Mountain and traveled through the forest to Zhang'an County.
• A waiter told Chen Mu that the county's City God was inviting the gods, and Chen Mu went to Cuiping Mountain to investigate.
• Chen Mu witnessed the City God statue transform into a Yinling Living God and decided to leave Zhang'an County.
• Chen Mu settled on a secluded mountain two hundred li south of Zhang'an County, where he counted his cultivation resources and considered his plans.
• Chen Mu set aside his Dao Soldier Contract backlash and began cultivating the Jade Cicada Secret Manual.

After months of cultivation in the mountains, Chen Mu learned that he was in Kangzhou and adjusted his training around his most important Secret Arts. When a Calamity Demon attacked his cottage, he devoured it and welcomed the Yin Soul Monsters it yielded.

• Chen Mu advanced the Jade Cicada Secret Manual to its ninth layer and increased the distance of Vertical Rainbow Light.
• While listening to people in Zhang'an County, Chen Mu heard that Great Hong had submitted to the Great Zhou Empire and realized he was in Kangzhou.
• Chen Mu chose to focus on cultivating the Jade Cicada Secret Manual, the Plague Immortal Method, the Heavenly Demon Body, and the Divine Embryo.
• A Calamity Demon crept into Chen Mu's cottage at night and tried to eat him.
• Chen Mu used Candle Dragon Transformation to devour the Calamity Demon, gaining Yin Soul Monsters and declaring that he wanted to encounter more Calamity Demons.

Chen Mu discovered that newly captured Yin Soul Monsters were stealing essence from the Bottomless Pool and began planting Heavenly Demon Spirit Seeds in them, but more Calamity Demons soon arrived. Through the Vermilion Feather Sword, he learned that Yunshan had been directing Calamity Demons toward Cloud Mist Mountain, leaving Chen Mu to realize Yunshan was responsible for the influx.

• Chen Mu refined Yin Spirit Divine Power from the Five Ghosts Bag and noticed that the growing number of Yin Soul Monsters accelerated his Heavenly Demon Body's transformation.
• Chen Mu caught newly transformed Yin Soul Monsters secretly draining flesh-and-blood essence from the Bottomless Pool and decided to plant Heavenly Demon Spirit Seeds in them.
• Chen Mu planted a Spirit Seed in one Yin Soul Monster, then five Calamity Demons arrived at his mountain cottage.
• Di Xing confronted Yunshan about the Calamity Demons, but Yunshan warned that publicizing a way to deal with them could provoke Great Zhou and worsen the chaos.
• Chen Mu overheard Yunshan admit that he had been directing Calamity Demons to Cloud Mist Mountain and realized Yunshan had caused the recent influx.

Chen Mu refined the Heavenly Demon Spirit Seeds until they could control nearly ten thousand Yin Soul Monsters, allowing him to keep gathering Yin Souls without risking the essence in Bottomless Pool. Meanwhile, Di Xing persuaded Yunshan to lend his Ghost God Token to lure a powerful Calamity Demon toward Zhang'an County, though the danger to Cloud Mist Mountain remained uncertain.

• Chen Mu spent days refining the Heavenly Demon Spirit Seeds with the Plague Immortal Method, finally strengthening them enough to implant nearly ten thousand Yin Soul Monsters.
• Chen Mu discovered that the Yin Soul Monsters weakened inside Thousand Lantern City and moved quickly to implant them with Spirit Seeds before they died.
• Yunshan taunted Di Xing for helping him obtain a Ghost God Token and half of Zhang'an County's Incense Vital Qi.
• Di Xing warned Yunshan that rapid cultivation could expose him to divine and demonic backlash, then offered Yellow Millet Wine in exchange for borrowing the token.
• Di Xing convinced Yunshan to lure one powerful Calamity Demon toward Zhang'an County, and Yunshan agreed.

Chen Mu’s quiet cultivation in Cloud Mist Mountain was disrupted when he discovered that an unseen Calamity Demon was draining his vital essence and weakening the surrounding wildlife. He fled Zhang'an County and hid in Thousand Lantern City, but the depletion worsened, suggesting the threat had followed him.

• Chen Mu cultivated the Jade Cicada Secret Manual, built up twelve thousand Yinhun in his Five Ghosts Bag, and wondered about the connection between them and the Thousand Mountains Scripture.
• After Yunshan disappeared and Chen Mu heard faint murmuring at night, he noticed that the Soul Seizing Yuan Returning Technique was drawing far more vital energy than before.
• Chen Mu realized that his own spiritual essence and vital essence were being siphoned away, and he found that plants and animals nearby had also grown weak.
• Chen Mu moved his Thatched Cottage into Thousand Lantern City and fled five hundred li into Cloud Mist Mountain before taking refuge in the city.
• After spending a day recuperating in Thousand Lantern City, Chen Mu discovered that the depletion had worsened and feared the Calamity Demon was right beside him.

After using Ghost Gate Pass to draw the Calamity Demon out of himself and send it into the River of Forgetfulness, Chen Mu confronted Di Xing and took control of him and Yunshan. He demanded half of Zhang'an County's Incense Vital Qi to restore his cultivation resources.

• Yunshan dismissed Di Xing's worries about the Calamity Demon, while Chen Mu continued to suffer its draining effects in Cloud Mist Mountain.
• Chen Mu used Ghost Gate Pass to summon the River of Forgetfulness's power, which stripped the Calamity Demon from him and carried it away.
• Chen Mu confronted Di Xing at Cuiping Mountain City God Temple, defeated him with Candle Dragon Transformation, and implanted a Heavenly Demon Spirit Seed.
• With Di Xing's help, Chen Mu lured Yunshan back to Zhang'an County and implanted a Heavenly Demon Spirit Seed in him.
• Chen Mu demanded half of Zhang'an County's Incense Vital Qi from Yunshan, who reluctantly agreed.

Chen Mu stopped Di Xing and Yunshan from luring more Calamity Demons to Cloud Mist Mountain, then traded them a cultivation scripture for Incense Vital Qi. After months of cultivation, Chen Mu reached the limit of the Jade Cicada Secret Manual, formed his Dao Foundation, and saw that the Gray Wall was actually an enormous Stone Gate.

• Chen Mu ordered Di Xing and Yunshan to stop bringing Calamity Demons to Cloud Mist Mountain and gave them the Eastern Extreme Longevity Scripture in exchange for Incense Vital Qi.
• After Chen Mu left, Yunshan persuaded Di Xing to accept the order and consider the relationship with Chen Mu over the long term.
• Chen Mu used the Ghost Face Bronze Token to draw Incense Vital Qi into his Five Ghosts Bag and refined it into Return Vitality Soup and Spirit Nurturing Wine.
• Chen Mu cultivated for several months, then used nine strands of Jade-White Innate Qi to complete the Jade Cicada Secret Manual and form his Dao Foundation.
• The Gray Wall receded from Chen Mu's vision, revealing its boundaries and its true form as an enormous Stone Gate.

After forming his Dao Foundation, Chen Mu discovered he could absorb Heavenly Star Vital Qi and developed a powerful, adaptive body-protecting Qi Mechanism. While visiting Zhang'an County, he questioned Yunshan about the Seven Emotions Curse and left him alarmed by suggesting it might have side effects.

• Chen Mu realized that his Dao Foundation let him absorb sunlight as Heavenly Star Vital Qi and inferred that Earth Vein Prohibitions converted it into Earth Spirit Vital Qi.
• Chen Mu sensed his body continuing to transform and found that his innate Qi Mechanism could adapt to resist his Three Yin Slaying Demon Qi.
• Chen Mu visited Zhang'an County and reflected on how the City God Dao Field system had improved ordinary people's lives.
• Chen Mu learned that Yunshan's Seven Emotions Curse had cleared the whispers in his mind and could let him attempt the Nine Transformations of the Underworld God within a month.
• Chen Mu teased Yunshan about possible side effects of the Seven Emotions Curse, frightening Yunshan and Di Xing.

Chen Mu left Cloud Mist Mountain for Great Zhou, hoping to find Qi Refining cultivators connected to the Yellow Springs Sect in the Henglian Mountain Range. At Fulóng Ridge, a powerful Great Zhou cultivator appeared, knew Chen Mu by his alias Gongsun Sheng, and ordered him to join the Dragon Locking Institute.

• Chen Mu rejected Di Xing’s suggestion to lure more Calamity Demons and asked Yunshan where to find Qi Refining cultivators; Yunshan pointed him toward Great Zhou and the Yellow Springs Sect in Yizhou.
• Chen Mu used Innate Qi to nourish his Cloud Mirage Heavenly Demon Body and the Seven Siblings of Wushan Gourds, then stored Incense Vital Qi before leaving Cloud Mist Mountain with Di Xing.
• Chen Mu and Di Xing traveled southwest for half a month, keeping to the edges of towns and cities until they reached Fulóng Ridge on the Great Zhou border.
• Chen Mu parted from Di Xing and climbed to Fulóng Ridge’s highest peak, intending to continue toward the Henglian Mountain Range.
• A square-faced middle-aged man emerged from a rift in space, identified Chen Mu as Gongsun Sheng, and demanded that he come with him to the Great Zhou Dragon Locking Institute.

Di Xing’s recommendation brought Chen Mu face-to-face with the Hongdu Dean, who mistook him for a Yellow Springs Sect infiltrator. After discovering Chen Mu was a Dao Foundation Qi Refining cultivator, the Dean transformed to capture him, but then vanished without attacking again.

• Di Xing praised Chen Mu’s ability to suppress Calamity Demons to the Hongdu Dean and recommended him to Great Zhou’s Dragon Locking Institute.
• The Hongdu Dean accused Chen Mu of being a Yellow Springs Sect disciple, and Chen Mu denied it.
• Chen Mu instinctively fired Kuishui Yinlei at the Hongdu Dean, who dodged by entering the Lingxu Grotto-Heaven and recognized the attack as a Yellow Springs technique.
• The Hongdu Dean attacked Chen Mu with Heavenly Snake Breath Attack, but Chen Mu’s Dao Foundation Qi Mechanism stopped his hand blade.
• The Hongdu Dean transformed into a giant snake-headed monster and declared he would capture Chen Mu, then entered the Lingxu Grotto-Heaven and failed to reappear.

Chen Mu tracked Hong Yi into the Lingxu Grotto-Heaven and captured him after the Candle Dragon Transformation overwhelmed him. He implanted a Heavenly Demon Spirit Seed in Hong Yi so he could use him to find the Yellow Springs Sect.

• Chen Mu used the Nightmare Curse and Nine Cups Calculation Scripture to locate Hong Yi after Bai fled.
• Hong Yi ran through the Lingxu Grotto-Heaven, mistook Chen Mu for a terrifying creature, and tried to escape.
• Chen Mu followed Hong Yi between the Lingxu Grotto-Heaven and the outside world, then used the Candle Dragon Transformation to pin and incapacitate him.
• Chen Mu realized the Lingxu Grotto-Heaven amplified the Candle Dragon Transformation and decided to study the cave later.
• Chen Mu implanted a Heavenly Demon Spirit Seed in Hong Yi, intending to make him guide Chen Mu to the Yellow Springs Sect.

After learning from Hong Yi how Great Zhou used Calamity Demons and Incense Vital Qi, Chen Mu traveled to Anqing City seeking the Yellow Springs Sect and its cultivation inheritance. Hong Xiaoqing offered to arrange his entry into the sect’s Sacred Heart Lower Courtyard, but only if Chen Mu signed a Dao Soldier Contract that threatened him with Netherflame Burning Heart.

• Chen Mu healed Hong Yi and used the Heavenly Demon Spirit Seed to make him feel close to Chen Mu despite his lingering hostility.
• Hong Yi explained that Di Xing had directed him to guide Chen Mu toward the Dragon Locking Institute, and that Great Zhou kept Calamity Demons in circulation to prevent Outer Realm Demons from descending.
• Hong Yi revealed that Great Zhou accepted refugees to generate Incense Vital Qi from ordinary people, and Chen Mu realized the City God Dao Field helped sustain this system.
• A month later, Chen Mu arrived in Anqing City and decided to seek the Yellow Springs Sect for a complete cultivation inheritance.
• Hong Xiaoqing offered Chen Mu entry to the Sacred Heart Lower Courtyard in exchange for a Dao Soldier Contract, and Chen Mu smiled after recalling that he had mastered the Nine Lives Tribulation Splitting Art.

Chen Mu arrived at Bai Family Village with Bai Xiaoqing and sought a route into the Yellow Springs Sect through the Sacred Heart Academy. Bai Shou agreed to contact the Academy and assigned Bai Xiaoqing to host him, leaving Chen Mu waiting in the village.

• Bai Xiaoqing explained that mountain strongholds recruited outside cultivators to serve as Dao Soldiers, and Chen Mu took the Earth-Treading Carriage he had offered as a gift.
• At Bai Family Village, a young Bai relative warned Chen Mu that the Dao Soldier Contract lasted thirty years and carried serious risks; Chen Mu used spell seals to make the youth fall twice.
• Bai Shou appeared before Chen Mu and Bai Xiaoqing, and Chen Mu introduced himself as a Dao Soldier of the Qianji Sect who had been displaced by demonic chaos.
• Chen Mu asked Bai Shou for a way to enter the Yellow Springs Sect, and Bai Shou agreed to send word to the Sacred Heart Academy.
• Bai Shou asked Bai Xiaoqing to treat Chen Mu well while he remained in the village and returned to his closed-door cultivation.

Chen Mu joined the Sacred Heart Academy’s Lower Courtyard after traveling with Bai Shou to Hidden Thunder Ravine and signing a service Contract. He began exploring the Academy’s Scripture Repository, where he had been promised a Spiritual Treasure secret scroll.

• Chen Mu congratulated Bai Shou on his cultivation and obtained Green Needle Tea from him by pressing for tea leaves.
• Bai Shou told Chen Mu that his service Contract had been shortened to fifteen years, and Chen Mu pretended to worry about its penalties before signing.
• Chen Mu and Bai Shou reached Hidden Thunder Ravine, where Luo Ding offered to help Chen Mu return to the Qianji Sect but learned he preferred to stay in Yizhou.
• Chen Mu signed the Contract before Luo Ding and joined the Sacred Heart Academy, receiving permission to choose a scripture or cultivation manual from the Scripture Repository.
• Chen Mu entered the Scripture Repository and looked forward to choosing a Spiritual Treasure Creation Secret Scroll.

Chen Mu learned about Internal and External Spiritual Treasure refinement and chose the Yellow Springs Gourd Creation Method, then prepared to travel to Shuanghua Courtyard for a three-year post. Bai Shou revealed that he had received Heart Nurturing Pills for recommending Chen Mu, while Chen Mu wondered whether he had chosen his method too hastily.

• Mao Shiyuan explained that Internal Refinement built a Spiritual Treasure slowly from Innate Qi, while External Refinement used prepared materials as a faster shortcut with a later cost.
• Chen Mu chose the Internal Refinement Method and selected the Yellow Springs Gourd Creation Method, one of the Yellow Springs Sect's three great Spiritual Treasure Secret Scrolls.
• The next morning, Chen Mu found Bai Shou waiting to guide him to Shuanghua Courtyard, where he would serve for three years.
• Bai Shou said Dean Luo had rewarded him with three Heart Nurturing Pills and explained that the Sacred Heart Scripture could cultivate Root Vessels through both internal and external methods.
• Bai Shou promised to send Chen Mu two sections of Green Needle Tea Root and offered to explain the Yellow Springs Gourd's prospects during their journey.