Chapter Summaries

Chen Mu arrived at Shuanghua Courtyard and learned that its disciples raised Twin Flower Rabbits, whose numbers were tied to Sacred Heart Academy’s safety. After the Academy Supervisor departed, Chen Mu began preparing to cultivate the Yellow Springs Gourd Creation Method.

• Bai Shou warned Chen Mu that Internal Refinement Methods were difficult to cultivate but could offer a far-reaching Dao Path, and Chen Mu resolved to persist with the Yellow Springs Gourd Method.
• Bai Shou explained that the Earth-Treading Carriage detoured around dangerous areas, including Moon-Reflecting Lake, where a Meridian Opening Golden Toad lived.
• After more than ten days of travel, Chen Mu and Bai Shou reached Shuanghua Courtyard, where San Zhangli told Chen Mu that the courtyard’s safety and rabbit-raising duties affected Sacred Heart Academy.
• San Zhangli showed Chen Mu the Twin Flower Rabbits and Yellow Sprout Rice Spirit Field, then departed the following morning after briefing him on his responsibilities.
• Chen Mu entered the Spirit Communication Hall, offered incense to Ancestor Luofu Dao, and began studying the Yellow Springs Gourd Creation Method, considering how Dao Foundation magical power could support Spiritual Treasure forging.

Chen Mu struggled to cultivate the Yellow Springs Gourd while serving as guardian of Shuanghua Courtyard, and Luo Ding prepared a trap to lure Netherworld Ghost Sect disciples there. A month later, Chen Mu had made slow progress and watched the Twin Flower Rabbits use their earth-escape ability before they fled when he considered cooking them.

• Chen Mu repeatedly failed to condense the Yellow Springs Gourd’s Spiritual Treasure Primordial Talismans, eventually reaching only 5 proficiency after a night of practice.
• Bai Shou told Luo Ding that the man sent to Shuanghua Courtyard was likely connected to the Dragon Locking Institute and would probably reveal the valley’s location.
• San Zhangli reported that five Academy Supervisors and a teleportation Magical Prohibition were ready at Hidden Thunder Ravine to capture anyone who attacked Shuanghua Courtyard.
• After a month of practice, Chen Mu had raised the Yellow Springs Gourd to 2116 proficiency and reflected on how his completed Dao Foundation sustained his efforts.
• Chen Mu watched the Twin Flower Rabbits escape the Five Ghosts Little Paper Man with their innate earth-escape ability, then saw them all flee when he considered cooking them.

Chen Mu discovered that Shuanghua Valley’s Twin Flower Rabbits carried Yin Nether Insects and could force Calamity Demons into the Netherworld, making them a defense for Sacred Heart Academy. He realized Shuanghua Courtyard could become a target for the Great Zhou Dragon Locking Institute and worried that the academy had sent him to guard a dangerous place without warning him.

• Chen Mu noticed the Five Ghosts Little Paper Man controlling Twin Flower Rabbits and suspected the rabbits were linked to Yin Soul Monsters, so he stopped himself from eating them.
• Chen Mu questioned Lu Wo at the Affairs Office but learned only that Twin Flower Rabbits bred easily and their bones could be used to make Earth-Treading Carriages.
• Chen Mu used the Lingbao Shuji Pian to inspect Shuanghua Valley’s Magical Prohibition and found twelve hidden locations disconnected from its White Jade disc.
• Chen Mu discovered a Soul Stabilizing Stake in an underground cave and realized the twelve blind spots each concealed one.
• After several days of observation, Chen Mu saw Yin Nether Insects parasitizing newborn rabbits and recognized the process from Luandu County.
• Chen Mu deduced that Calamity Demons that devoured too many rabbits would be dragged into the Netherworld, then feared the Great Zhou Dragon Locking Institute would attack Shuanghua Courtyard and blamed Sacred Heart Academy for sending him there without explaining the danger.

Chen Mu advanced his Yellow Springs Gourd refinement while securing Shuanghua Courtyard from discovery, then turned Bai Xiaoqing into a loyal servant when he came to deliver Green Needle Tea Root. Nearly a month later, Chen Mu completed the first stage of the treasure’s refinement, while Luo Ding remained frustrated that the Dragon Locking Institute still had not acted.

• Chen Mu mastered another difficult stage of constructing the Yellow Springs Gourd Primordial Talisman, then decided he had to return to Shuanghua Courtyard to cultivate near its Earth Vein and protect its location.
• Luo Ding demanded an explanation from Bai Shou for why Chen Mu had not reported to the Dragon Locking Institute, and Bai Shou revealed that he had sent Bai Xiaoqing to deliver Green Needle Tea Root and gather intelligence.
• Chen Mu intercepted Bai Xiaoqing, bound him, and used the Heavenly Demon Spirit Seed to make him loyal before bringing him to Shuanghua Valley.
• More than twenty days later, Chen Mu fused the Yellow Springs Gourd Primordial Talisman with the River Chariot Divine Aperture and completed the first stage of refinement.
• Luo Ding questioned why the Dragon Locking Institute had still not moved, while Bai Shou grew increasingly anxious that neither Chen Mu nor Bai Xiaoqing had revealed Shuanghua Valley.

Chen Mu discovered that the Lingbao Shuji Pian could help him condense Spiritual Treasure Primordial Talismans, greatly improving his progress on the Yellow Springs Gourd. Meanwhile, his quiet handling of Dragon Locking Institute spies kept Shuanghua Valley out of the Academy’s traps, and another spy’s arrival left him exasperated.

• Chen Mu planted Bai Xiaoqing’s Green Needle Tea Root near a gathering point of Earth Spirit Vital Qi, then lamented his slow progress refining the Yellow Springs Gourd.
• Chen Mu realized the Lingbao Shuji Pian could assist with his internal Spiritual Treasure cultivation and successfully condensed a new Spiritual Treasure Primordial Talisman after nine attempts.
• Luo Ding and San Zhangli discussed traps that captured Netherworld Ghost Sect attackers, noting that Shuanghua Valley had seen no incident and suspecting Chen Mu had dealt with the scouts.
• Chen Mu questioned a captured Dragon Locking Institute spy, used a Heavenly Demon Spirit Seed to make him promise to spread a false account, and sent him back.
• Chen Mu returned to the Spirit Communication Hall, where the Giant Spirit God’s Bronze Dharma Bell signaled another spy; he complained that the sect’s Lower Courtyards and villages had failed to clear out their spies.

Luo Ding suspended plans to attack Shuanghua Valley, while Chen Mu successfully advanced the Yellow Springs Gourd and found that the Lingbao Shuji Pian accelerated his cultivation. In Anqing City, Hong Yi drew Dragon Locking Institute envoy Lin Zhi toward the Eastern Extreme Longevity Scripture to protect Chen Mu’s secrets and his own schemes.

• Luo Ding ordered San Zhangli to halt operations against Shuanghua Valley after their scouting failed to expose it and they secured thirty-nine Heavenly Capital Blood Sacs.
• Chen Mu completed the second stage of the Yellow Springs Gourd by using the Lingbao Shuji secret art to help condense its Primordial Talisman.
• Hong Yi told Lin Zhi that Shuanghua Valley was a decoy, then invited him to investigate suspicious matters by reading the Eastern Extreme Longevity Scripture.
• Chen Mu tested his upgraded Lingbao Shuji Pian and found that it greatly reduced the attempts needed to form a Yellow Springs Gourd Primordial Talisman.

Chen Mu discovered that Shuanghua Valley’s Soul Stabilizing Stakes could turn Heavenly Star Vital Qi into Jade Dew, allowing him to feed his Yin Soul Monsters, and decided to use the Bone Ball and Dark Moon Blade to further train his Lingbao Shuji Pian. Meanwhile, Luo Ding advanced his plan to unite the Twelve True Forms through the Yama Sacred Heart.

• Chen Mu completed the third stage of the Yellow Springs Gourd’s Spiritual Treasure Primordial Talisman and found that studying the Earth Vein prohibition could not further improve his Lingbao Shuji Pian.
• Chen Mu investigated the Soul Stabilizing Stakes and discovered that they could transform Heavenly Star Vital Qi into Yin Nether Jade Dew.
• Chen Mu sent Yin Soul Monsters across Shuanghua Valley to gather Jade Dew and use it to strengthen them.
• Luo Ding found that the Sacred Heart Method could contain the Twelve True Form Bloodline and planned to complete his Yama Sacred Heart with Heart Nurturing Pills.
• Chen Mu prioritized the Yellow Springs Gourd and Lingbao Shuji Pian, then chose Yin Fault Yang Deviation’s Bone Ball and Dark Moon Blade as new practice targets.

Luo Ding and Dean Xiao argued over false reports about Twin Flower Rabbits at Shuanghua Valley, while Lin Zhi helped explain away the missing scouts. In Shuanghua Valley, Chen Mu improved his Lingbao Shuji Method and awakened a powerful Yin-Yang Qi ability through Yin Fault Yang Deviation, though he found the artifact’s aura disturbingly sinister.

• Luo Ding accused Dean Xiao of breaking their agreement, and Dean Xiao challenged the claim that Twin Flower Rabbits were being raised in Shuanghua Valley.
• San Zhangli blamed the failed searches on demon effigies, and Lin Zhi added that the scouts’ strength had been limited, easing Dean Xiao’s suspicions.
• Chen Mu advanced Lingbao Shuji Pian to Tier 8 and found that he could condense new Spiritual Treasure Primordial Talismans much faster.
• Chen Mu used Yin Fault Yang Deviation to destroy a bronze incense burner and discovered that the artifact could unleash a powerful Yin-Yang Qi attack.
• Chen Mu admired the new ability’s strength but worried that Yin Fault Yang Deviation looked more sinister than a proper Qi Refining cultivator’s artifact should.

Chen Mu’s Yin Soul Monsters ambushed an infiltrator in Shuanghua Valley, while their eerie antics convinced residents that the valley was haunted. After rival supervisors decided to transfer Chen Mu elsewhere, he discovered that the Soul Stabilizing Stake’s core used Netherworld Ghost Patterns and planned to study them with the Tongyou Method.

• Xiao Liang and the Black-robed Man infiltrated Shuanghua Valley’s underground cave, where paper men and Yin Soul Monsters attacked them.
• Lu Wo warned Chen Mu that people believed Shuanghua Valley was haunted, and Chen Mu blamed the strange incidents on mountain drafts while scolding the paper men for frightening residents.
• Luo Ding learned that Dean Xiao’s elite Dragon Locking Warrior had vanished in Shuanghua Valley and ordered Chen Mu transferred to a remote Lower Courtyard.
• Chen Mu recognized Netherworld Ghost Patterns in the Soul Stabilizing Stake and decided to experiment with the Tongyou Method to understand its core.

Chen Mu cultivated Yellow Springs Gourd and studied the Netherworld Ghost Patterns in the Soul Stabilizing Stakes, capturing two patterns with mixed results. San Zhangli then ordered him transferred away from Shuanghua Valley, and Chen Mu agreed to leave.

• Chen Mu rested from cultivating the Yellow Springs Gourd and used the Tongyou Method to capture the Fortress Wall Ghost Mark from a Soul Stabilizing Stake.
• Chen Mu tested the mark on his rocking chair, making it even noisier, and replaced it with an eighth-generation chair.
• More than twenty days later, Chen Mu captured a Ghost Pattern from the second Soul Stabilizing Stake but found no new entry on the Grey Stone Gate.
• San Zhangli told Chen Mu he was being transferred away from Shuanghua Valley, and Chen Mu agreed to pack and leave.

Chen Mu finally left Shuanghua Courtyard after finishing most of his study of the Soul Stabilizing Stakes’ Ghost Patterns, then traveled north to take over Tangshan Courtyard. He arrived safely and hoped his new post would remain peaceful.

• San Zhangli pressed Chen Mu to leave Shuanghua Courtyard, and Chen Mu departed after learning the eleventh Ghost Pattern and packing up his belongings.
• Chen Mu retrieved the surviving Green Needle Tea root and flew away from Shuanghua Valley.
• While traveling northwest in an Earth-Treading Carriage, Chen Mu found that the Earth-Escaping Golden Toad had left its lakeside habitat and camped safely in Thousand Lantern City Cave Heaven.
• Chen Mu traveled through the mountains for more than twenty-five days, crossing into the snowy northern lands before finding the warm, green valley of Tangshan Courtyard.
• The Patrol Institute supervisor helped Chen Mu take over Tangshan Courtyard, and Chen Mu prayed at the portrait of Ancestor Luofu Dao for continued peace.

Chen Mu settled into Tangshan Courtyard and continued refining the Yellow Springs Gourd while practicing Ghost Patterns. After mastering the Yama True Aperture and testing the completed Soul Stabilizing Stake, he found it could produce Yin Nether Jade Dew for feeding his Yin Soul Monster.

• Chen Mu planted Green Needle Tea Roots near the hot spring pool and finished setting up his secluded home at Tangshan Courtyard.
• Chen Mu surveyed the surrounding area with Vermilion Feather Swords and confirmed Tangshan Courtyard was quiet and safe for cultivation.
• Chen Mu failed another attempt to refine the Yellow Springs Gourd, then cooked and ate a Silver Scale Fish.
• Chen Mu completed the Soul Stabilizing Stake's final Ghost Pattern and gained the Yama True Aperture.
• Chen Mu tested the stake in an underground cavern and confirmed it could convert Heavenly Star Vital Qi into Yin Nether Jade Dew.

Chen Mu continued cultivating at Tangshan Courtyard while its Soul Stabilizing Stakes suppressed a would-be Calamity Demon who tried to destroy the spiritual land. Afterward, Chen Mu improved his artifacts and discovered that Tang Zong had been hiding the courtyard’s increased Silver Scale Fish harvest, leaving Tang Zong owing him the withheld Fish Kings.

• A brown-clothed man tried to become a Calamity Demon and reshape the Earth Vein, but the Soul Stabilizing Stakes suppressed his transformation and five Paper Men immobilized him before Black Smoke Balls consumed him.
• Chen Mu heard a distant scream, checked the unresponsive Giant Spirit God, and returned to cultivating his Yellow Springs Gourd.
• Chen Mu refined Yin Fault Yang Deviation with the Lingbao Shuji Pian, improving its activation and the power of its Yin-Yang Qi Divine Ability.
• Chen Mu drew vital qi from Tangshan Courtyard’s springs and streams so the Lower Courtyard cultivators could harvest Silver Scale Fish.
• Tang Zong offered Chen Mu a Silver Scale Fish King and admitted that he and the Earth-Treading Department had concealed the increased fish production and withheld part of the catch.
• Chen Mu demanded that Tang Zong repay all the Fish Kings withheld during the previous months, and Tang Zong reluctantly agreed.

Chen Mu continued cultivating at Tangshan Courtyard, learning that the Star Shift had increased Earth Spirit Vital Qi and demanding more Silver Scale Fish from Tang Zong. Months later, refugees arrived with news that an Outer Realm Demon had destroyed Nihe Courtyard, leaving Chen Mu worried about Tangshan Courtyard and where he could flee.

• Chen Mu enjoyed Silver Scale Fish King broth, then decided not to pressure Tang Zong further because it could disrupt life at Tangshan Courtyard.
• Chen Mu refined the Yellow Springs Gourd and discovered that Green Needle Tea had sprouted as Earth Spirit Vital Qi grew denser.
• Tang Zong explained that the Star Shift had increased Heavenly Star Vital Qi in Yizhou and admitted the Upper Courtyard knew about the rising Silver Scale Fish production.
• Chen Mu demanded another Silver Scale Fish King from Tang Zong, insisting that Tang Zong still owed him fish from earlier months.
• Several months later, refugees reached Tangshan Courtyard, and Chen Mu learned that an Outer Realm Demon had caught Nihe Courtyard unprepared and destroyed it.

Chen Mu investigated signs that Netherworld Calamity Demons might have caused the attack on Nihe Courtyard, but Bai Shou assured him the disaster was an Outer Realm Demon counterattack. Chen Mu learned Bai Shou was secretly plotting to lure the Netherworld Ghost Sect to capture him, and secretly overheard the scheme.

• Chen Mu questioned refugees from Nihe Courtyard and learned a youth had eaten sickly Twin Flower Rabbits before the rabbits were replaced.
• Bai Shou arrived to help defend Tangshan Courtyard, telling Chen Mu that Outer Realm Demons had launched a final counterattack after the Yellow Springs Sect attacked them beyond heaven.
• Bai Shou and Myriad Laws Hall cultivators strengthened Tangshan Courtyard's Mountain Protection Magic Restriction as refugees gathered and demons ravaged Yizhou.
• Bai Shou secretly dug through the rock beneath Tangshan Courtyard and found the core Meridian Aperture of the Primordial Earth Vein Magical Prohibition.
• Bai Shou prepared to use a Ghost Embroidered Ball to draw the Lingxu Grotto-Heaven there so Netherworld Ghost Sect disciples could capture Chen Mu for a reward.
• Chen Mu secretly heard Bai Shou's plan and realized Bai Shou intended to have him buried alive as the foundation of a City God Dao Field.

Chen Mu killed Bai Shou after Bai Shou tried to use the Contract Edict to control him, then discovered a powerful spear among Bai Shou’s belongings. After checking that the Myriad Laws Hall cultivators were rebuilding the Mountain Protection Magic Restriction, Chen Mu wondered whether to flee amid suspicions of a deal between Sacred Heart Academy and the Kangzhou Dragon Locking Institute.

• Bai Shou accused Chen Mu of being a Dragon Locking Institute spy and tried to force him to surrender with the Contract Edict.
• Chen Mu restrained Bai Shou and killed him with Yin Yang Qi, while the Contract Edict’s Netherflame Burning Heart failed to harm him.
• Chen Mu searched Bai Shou’s belongings and found a heavy spear artifact with exceptionally sharp force qi.
• Chen Mu questioned the Myriad Laws Hall cultivators, confirmed they were rebuilding the Mountain Protection Magic Restriction, and secretly marked their Qi Mechanisms.
• Chen Mu suspected Luo Ding and Sacred Heart Academy had dealings with the Kangzhou Dragon Locking Institute and wondered where he should go if he fled.

Chen Mu stayed hidden at Tang Mountain while Demons ravaged Yizhou, preparing an escape route and avoiding contact with Sacred Heart Academy after it went silent. He sent Tang Zong to seek help from the Yellow Springs Sect’s Upper Courtyard, while continuing to strengthen his magic tools and defenses.

• Chen Mu investigated Tangshan Courtyard’s residents, expanded patrols, and prepared three Vermilion Feather Swords as escape anchors a thousand li away.
• Surviving disciples reported that Demons had overrun Lower Courtyards and strongholds across Yizhou, so Chen Mu continued sheltering refugees only after checking them for suspicious motives.
• Tang Zong reported that Sacred Heart Academy had suddenly lost contact, and Chen Mu forbade anyone from contacting or investigating it.
• Chen Mu ordered Tang Zong to report Sacred Heart Academy as destroyed to the Yellow Springs Sect’s Upper Courtyard, with help from surviving disciples, to draw its intervention and trouble Luo Ding.
• Chen Mu continued refining the Yellow Springs Gourd, Yin Fault Yang Deviation, and other magic tools, and planned to practice the Heavenly Demon Armor.

With contact to the Upper Courtyard lost and Yizhou in turmoil, Chen Mu found a way to strengthen his defenses by completing the Five Ghosts Bag with Yama True Aperture Ghost Patterns. He leaves off cultivating Yin Nether Insects through Silver Scale Fish, hoping to turn them into Yin Soul Monsters.

• Chen Mu learned that Academy Supervisor Qian had left for the Outer Heaven Star, then told Tang Zong to keep gathering information and trying to contact the Upper Courtyard.
• After Tangshan Courtyard stayed isolated but peaceful for months, Chen Mu discovered twelve gaps in the Five Ghosts Bag’s talisman network that matched the parts of the Yama True Aperture Ghost Pattern.
• Chen Mu embedded the Ghost Patterns into the Five Ghosts Bag, enabling it to convert Celestial Stars into Yin Nether Jade Dew and hold Ghost Gate Pass for quick use.
• Chen Mu realized he could use the Heart-Linking Rope to plant Sevenfold Heart-Linking Gu in Silver Scale Fish and cultivate Yin Nether Insects.
• After seven or eight days, Chen Mu confirmed the Gu had spread through the Silver Scale Fish and planned to transform them into Yin Soul Monsters.

Chen Mu expanded his cultivation of Yin Soul Monsters by taking control of Tangshan Courtyard’s Silver Scale Fish with Tang Zong’s cooperation. Months later, he advanced the Yellow Springs Gourd’s refinement to the sixth order and resolved to focus more on the Lingbao Shuji Pian.

• Chen Mu tested the Heart-Linking Rope by cultivating Yin Soul Monsters from Silver Scale Fish and decided to expand the operation across Tang Mountain.
• Chen Mu planned to demand Tangshan Courtyard’s fish, but Tang Zong readily offered the Silver Scale Fish, dried fish, and a tour of the storeroom.
• Chen Mu inspected the storeroom, took several Gold Essence Ore Ingots and two pieces of smoked fish jerky, and returned to the eastern mountainside.
• With Tang Zong’s help, Chen Mu implanted Heart-Linking Gu in the valley’s fish and fry, while wondering whether the Heart-Linking Rope was a high-grade treasure.
• After several months, Chen Mu’s Yellow Springs Gourd reached the sixth order, and he decided to practice the Lingbao Shuji Pian more intensely.

Chen Mu harvested more than two thousand Yin Soul Monsters, strengthened them, and continued cultivating the Five Ghosts Bag and Yellow Springs Gourd. After planting Heart-Linking Gu in a new batch of fish fry, he tested the Candle Dragon Transformation and found its power had increased significantly.

• Chen Mu harvested 2,321 Yin Soul Monsters from Silver Scale Fish and added them to the Five Ghosts Bag.
• Chen Mu implanted Heavenly Demon Spirit Seeds in the new Yin Soul Monsters and taught them the Jade Gate Curse and Mountain Bearing Scripture.
• Chen Mu patched the Five Ghosts Bag, cultivated his techniques, and concluded that the Innate Qi released when Spiritual Treasure Primordial Talismans collapsed strengthened his body.
• Chen Mu planted Heart-Linking Gu in 2,933 Silver Scale Fish fry and noted the Heart-Linking Rope's mysterious ability to produce Yin Nether Insects.
• Chen Mu summoned the Candle Dragon Dharma Body and discovered that its power had increased by thirty percent, leaving him grumbling that his unorthodox techniques kept outpacing his orthodox cultivation.