Chapter Summaries

Jiang Fan investigated the Saint Sect in Yunlan City and discovered that its healing baptisms left spiritual marks and depleted recipients’ innate potential. His observations led him to suspect the sect was using charity and rituals to control the city, and the chapter ended with a hungry man condemned to be burned for accidentally knocking over an incense burner.

• Jiang Fan noticed that the baptism drained recipients’ innate potential and left them with faint spiritual marks, while Wuchen briefly met his gaze.
• Jiang Fan watched the Saint Sect’s activities over two days and found that it controlled its rapidly growing following while withholding aid from nonbelievers.
• Jiang Fan followed a strange fragrance to a shantytown, where the Saint Sect distributed porridge only after people knelt and prayed before an incense burner.
• Jiang Fan sensed a featureless statue inside a hut and recognized its altar as resembling a scene from Holy Land texts.
• A starving man accidentally knocked over the incense burner, and a gray-robed man sentenced him to be burned as his daughter and the crowd pleaded and shouted for punishment.

A woman in blue intervened when the Saint Sect tried to burn a beggar for blasphemy, defeating several gray-robed men and freeing him and his daughter. Wuchen arrived with reinforcements, let the family leave, and asked the woman which sect she belonged to.

• Jiang Fan watched as the woman in blue challenged the Saint Sect’s execution and refused to leave when its men threatened her.
• Several gray-robed men attacked the woman in blue, but she wounded them with a single sword strike and cut the beggar free.
• The beggar and his daughter thanked the woman in blue, then urged her to escape when the Saint Sect called for reinforcements.
• A squad of gray-robed men surrounded the woman in blue, and Wuchen arrived to hear what had happened.
• The woman in blue sent the beggar and his daughter away, and Wuchen allowed them to go before asking her which sect she came from.

Jiang Fan watched Wuchen defuse a confrontation with a woman in blue, then secretly attached his divine sense to her. Wuchen reported her to the Masked Man, who ordered her eliminated and warned his followers to guard their plans in Yunlan City as the newly appointed Patrol Envoy approached.

• Wuchen ordered the gray-robed men to clean the holy temple and repent, and the woman in blue warned him not to act under the Saint Sect’s banner before leaving.
• Jiang Fan judged that Wuchen had handled the woman carefully and secretly attached his divine sense to her.
• Wuchen descended into the temple’s underground chamber and told the Masked Man that the woman might be a disciple of a major sect or Holy Land.
• The Masked Man ordered Wuchen to eliminate the woman and to watch for unusual people as Holy Land disciples arrived in Yunlan City.
• The Masked Man told the plump old man to prepare for the newly appointed Patrol Envoy, warning that another death could alert the Holy Land.

A masked man and an old man discussed their plans to control the new Patrol Envoy, while the woman in blue learned from Li Liu and Xiao Lian that the Saint Sect terrorized Yunlan City. She gave Li Liu money to leave with his daughter, while the masked man remained committed to his secret plan.

• The old man reassured the Masked Man that they could keep the new Patrol Envoy in Xiliu Manor and believed Mystic Heaven Holy Land did not suspect the previous envoy's death.
• After the old man left, the Masked Man conjured Dark Red Flame and vowed that the Holy Master would soon make the Holy Lands and Patrol Envoys kneel.
• The woman in blue reunited with Li Liu and Xiao Lian after leaving the porridge site, and Li Liu warned her that the Saint Sect had become dangerous.
• Li Liu and Xiao Lian described the Saint Sect's coercive demands, suspicious deaths, and disappearances in Yunlan City.
• The woman in blue realized the Saint Sect's punishments were a means of intimidation and control, and Li Liu said he planned to flee the city with Xiao Lian.
• The woman in blue gave Li Liu a pouch of silver so he and Xiao Lian could leave Yunlan City and start over elsewhere.

After helping Li Liu and Xiao Lian escape Yunlan City, the woman in blue was ambushed by six black-clad Saint Sect cultivators and defeated their attackers. Wuchen revealed his power and nearly killed her, but a young man’s arrival interrupted him.

• The woman in blue gave Li Liu and Xiao Lian silver and urged them to leave Yunlan City, then suspected the Saint Sect would come after her.
• Six black-clad cultivators ambushed the woman in blue, and she killed all of them.
• Wuchen emerged from hiding, admitted the men were his subordinates, and said he could not let the woman in blue live.
• The woman in blue attacked Wuchen, but his mid-stage Emperor realm cultivation overwhelmed her and he broke through her Tianqing Sword Art.
• As Wuchen prepared to kill the woman in blue, a young man arrived with an overturned wooden cart and asked whether he had seen something he should not have.

Jiang Fan confronted Wuchen after the woman in blue exposed the Saint Sect’s crimes and mistakenly asked him to help fight. Jiang Fan defeated Wuchen effortlessly and began questioning him about the sect’s purpose in Yunlan City, leaving Wuchen unconscious before he could answer.

• Wuchen recognized Jiang Fan from the Saint Sect’s public gatherings and suspected he was hiding his identity.
• The injured woman in blue accused the Saint Sect of disappearances and draining believers’ Life Origin, then urged Jiang Fan to help kill Wuchen.
• Jiang Fan told the woman to stand down and recover, then dismissed Wuchen as a cult rat.
• Wuchen attacked Jiang Fan with a lethal light sword, but Jiang Fan dodged and seized him by the throat without using spiritual power.
• Jiang Fan demanded to know the Saint Sect’s goal in Yunlan City, and when Wuchen refused to answer, Jiang Fan touched his brow and knocked him unconscious.

Jiang Fan killed Wuchen and learned that the Saint Sect’s local operation was connected to a mysterious Hall Master, while Su Ying insisted on investigating the cult herself. After returning to the inn, Jiang Fan prepared to leave Yunlan City, but heavy footsteps suddenly surrounded the entrance.

• Jiang Fan searched Wuchen’s memories, learned that Wuchen had few secrets beyond his connection to a Hall Master, and killed him.
• Su Ying thanked Jiang Fan and introduced herself as a World Traveler of Tianqing Holy Land, then urged him to help investigate the Saint Sect.
• Jiang Fan warned Su Ying that the Saint Sect might send another killer, refused to help, and left her behind.
• Su Ying decided to investigate the Saint Sect in Yunlan City on her own and erased traces of the fight before leaving.
• Jiang Fan paid his inn bill, planned to check out the next day, and returned to his room to prepare for taking up his post.
• Heavy footsteps approached the inn and surrounded its entrance.

Jiang Fan was escorted by Zhao Qianjun and the Yunlan Guard to the Patrol Office, where he questioned the commander about the previous Patrol Envoy, Song Yu. Zhao Qianjun revealed that he and Song Yu had been close friends before Song Yu died suddenly in seclusion, and they arrived at Xiliu Manor before Jiang Fan could ask more.

• Zhao Qianjun led the Yunlan Guard into the inn and formally welcomed Jiang Fan as the Patrol Envoy.
• Jiang Fan challenged Zhao Qianjun about discovering his whereabouts so quickly, then agreed to go with him to the Patrol Office.
• The innkeeper realized Jiang Fan was a Holy Land Patrol Envoy and decided to advertise the inn’s connection to him.
• Jiang Fan rode with Zhao Qianjun through Yunlan City toward Xiliu Manor and learned that Zhao had once been an Inner Sect disciple of Mystic Heaven Holy Land.
• Zhao Qianjun said he and Song Yu had been close friends and that Song Yu had died suddenly while cultivating in seclusion.
• Zhao Qianjun announced that Xiliu Manor was just ahead as Jiang Fan began asking more about Song Yu’s death.

Jiang Fan arrived at the Mystic Heaven Holy Land’s stronghold in Yunlan City and met the city’s major faction leaders, who assured him the Saint Sect posed no threat. After they left, he confronted Zhao Qianjun about allowing Lin Yuanshan to use Xiliu Manor for the welcoming banquet.

• Jiang Fan arrived at the stronghold and was greeted by leaders from Yunlan City’s major families, sects, and forces.
• Jiang Fan declined their welcoming banquet, saying he was tired and would host them another day.
• Jiang Fan asked the leaders about the Saint Sect, and Lin Yuanshan and Liu Wangchuan described it as a harmless group that helped commoners.
• Jiang Fan dismissed the leaders after hearing their assurances about the Saint Sect.
• Jiang Fan asked Zhao Qianjun who had arranged the banquet and accused him of letting Lin Yuanshan treat Xiliu Manor as the Lin family’s property.

Jiang Fan imposed new rules on the Yunlan City Patrol Office, ordered information on the city’s factions, and reopened the investigation into Song Yu’s death. After reviewing the files, he suspected the faction records had been altered and questioned whether Song Yu’s dossier could be trusted.

• Jiang Fan confronted Zhao Qianjun about the factions’ control over Yunlan City and ordered outsiders barred from Xiliu Manor, detailed faction records compiled, and Song Yu’s files gathered.
• Jiang Fan told Zhao Qianjun that he would investigate Song Yu’s unclear death, while privately suspecting Zhao Qianjun’s motives and recognizing that Yunlan City’s factions made it difficult to find trustworthy allies.
• Zhao Qianjun delivered the requested dossiers and records that evening, reporting that the factions had verbally supported Jiang Fan’s ban on entering Xiliu Manor.
• Jiang Fan read through records on the Lin family and Qingxia Sect, then concluded that the faction files seemed too perfect and might have been altered.
• Jiang Fan turned his attention to Song Yu’s dossier and wondered whether it had been doctored as well.

Jiang Fan uncovered hidden evidence that Song Yu’s death may have involved the Lin Family and the Saint Sect, while the medical officer who recorded it had disappeared. He hosted a banquet for Yunlan City’s factions, leaving their true loyalties unresolved.

• Jiang Fan found concealed testimony in Song Yu’s records alleging that Song Yu had investigated the Lin Family’s ties to the Saint Sect and suspected them of causing his death.
• Jiang Fan reviewed Yunlan City’s factions and found that over seventy percent appeared aligned with the Saint Sect, with no forces clearly loyal to Mystic Heaven Holy Land.
• Jiang Fan ordered Zhao Qianjun to invite every clan and sect in Yunlan City to an inauguration banquet, then learned that Li Zhuanggao had vanished after Song Yu’s death.
• Jiang Fan told Zhao Qianjun not to continue searching for Li Zhuanggao, but privately suspected that someone had silenced him.
• Three days later, Jiang Fan welcomed Yunlan City’s faction leaders to a banquet at Xiliu Manor, where Lin Yuanshan publicly pledged cooperation.

Jiang Fan warned Yunlan City's factions that the Patrol Office's rules must be obeyed and arranged for them to supply its guard with personnel. When Su Ying arrived with a warning about the Saint Sect, Jiang Fan dismissed her and ordered her thrown out.

• Jiang Fan told the faction leaders that Xiliu Manor was off-limits to outsiders and warned them not to undermine the Patrol Office as they had during Song Yu's tenure.
• Lin Yuanshan and the other leaders pledged to obey the rules and cooperate with the Patrol Office.
• Jiang Fan asked the factions to provide personnel for the Patrol Office's guard, and they promised more than a thousand people in total.
• Su Ying forced her way toward the banquet, identifying herself as a World Traveler of Tianqing Holy Land with urgent news about Yunlan City's safety.
• Su Ying accused the Patrol Office of ignoring the Saint Sect's harm to the people, and Jiang Fan ordered the guards to throw her out.

Jiang Fan feigned arrogance and indifference at a banquet while secretly investigating the forces behind Yunlan City’s Saint Sect. After Su Ying left determined to expose the corruption herself, Jiang Fan decided to use her as a public distraction while he investigated from the shadows.

• Jiang Fan dismissed Su Ying’s accusations at the banquet, and Lin Yuanshan helped portray her as a fame-seeking World Traveler.
• Su Ying was driven out of Xiliu Manor and vowed to expose the Saint Sect and Jiang Fan, relying on herself.
• After leaving the banquet, local powers agreed to cooperate with Jiang Fan for now and arranged to kill Su Ying because she knew too much.
• Jiang Fan told Zhao Qianjun not to investigate Su Ying’s claims and ordered him to manage the handover with the major factions.
• Alone in his quarters, Jiang Fan revealed that his aggressive act was meant to lower the factions’ guard and decided Su Ying could draw out their enemies while he investigated secretly.

Su Ying realized she could not expose the Saint Sect alone and contacted Senior Brother Wang for help. Meanwhile, the Saint Sect learned she was still alive and prepared to deal with her, while also keeping watch on the new Patrol Envoy.

• Jiang Fan's three Mental Imprints entered Su Ying's arm and left a faint lotus-shaped mark, which she failed to notice.
• The Masked Man and an old man discovered that Su Ying had survived and appeared at the Patrol Office, and they arranged for someone to deal with her.
• The old man dismissed the new Patrol Envoy as an arrogant young man, but the Masked Man insisted that the Saint Sect keep watching him.
• Su Ying concluded she could not investigate the Saint Sect alone and contacted Senior Brother Wang through a cyan jade token.
• Su Ying told Senior Brother Wang about the Saint Sect's abuses and the Patrol Envoy's refusal to help, and he warned that Yunlan City's forces might have colluded with the Saint Sect.

Su Ying called on Wang Shouyi to help root out the Saint Sect’s influence in Yunlan City, but seven black-clad attackers ambushed her before aid could arrive. As the attackers prepared to kill her, a petal protected Su Ying and slew them all.

• Su Ying persuaded Wang Shouyi to gather nearby World Travelers and join her in a crusade against the Saint Sect in Yunlan City.
• After Su Ying ended the communication, an attacker’s strike tore through the wall, and three Emperor-realm men in black assaulted her.
• Su Ying struggled against the three attackers while still injured from her battle with Wuchen.
• Four more masked men entered, surrounded Su Ying, and revealed that they served the Saint Sect alongside Yunlan City’s major clans and sects.
• The middle-aged leader explained that they backed the Saint Sect’s plan to make the Holy Land and Patrol Envoys kneel before the Holy Master, then tried to kill Su Ying.
• A petal produced a golden barrier that repelled the leader and a streak of sword energy that killed all seven attackers.

Su Ying survived an ambush and mistakenly believed Jiang Fan had placed a protective power on her, which strengthened her resolve to fight the Saint Sect. Jiang Fan used the attack and his new recruits to investigate the sect’s network, while Su Ying built an alliance of World Travelers and continued striking across Yunlan City.

• Su Ying’s wrist mark unleashed sword energy that killed seven attackers, and she credited her Master with protecting her.
• Jiang Fan watched through the Mental Imprint and linked the Lin Family and Liu Wangchuanchuan’s faction to the Saint Sect based on the attackers’ techniques and words.
• Zhao Qianjun reported that 1,273 recruits from Yunlan City’s major families and sects had joined the Patrol Office, and Jiang Fan inspected them.
• Jiang Fan secretly marked recruits with suspicious auras so he could track their movements and connections.
• Over the next three months, Jiang Fan reorganized Yunlan City while Su Ying allied with World Travelers from various Holy Lands and led attacks against the Saint Sect.

Over three months, Jiang Fan watched Su Ying’s World Travelers disrupt the Saint Sect and mapped Yunlan City’s shifting alliances while keeping the Patrol Office out of their conflicts. A message from the Wanbao Chamber of Commerce warned that the Saint Sect planned a sacrificial ritual to summon its Holy Master tomorrow at midnight, and Jiang Fan prepared to draw in the net.

• Su Ying’s World Travelers investigated the Saint Sect and stirred up conflicts across Yunlan City, while Jiang Fan tracked the major forces and mapped their relationships.
• Jiang Fan identified the Wanbao Chamber of Commerce as the remaining uncertain force and considered whether to act against it.
• Zhao Qianjun reported another clash between the Lin Family and outside-sect disciples, but Jiang Fan refused to intervene and suspected Zhao of serving the Lin Family’s interests.
• A black-clad messenger left Jiang Fan a note warning that the Saint Sect planned a major move and final sacrificial ritual tomorrow at midnight to welcome the Holy Master’s descent.
• Jiang Fan recognized the messenger as an agent of the Wanbao Chamber of Commerce, accepted the warning as a sign of Qian Duoduo’s alignment, and decided it was time to draw in the net.

Jiang Fan reported the Saint Sect’s plans to his master, while Su Ying and disciples from the four Holy Lands prepared to disrupt the sect’s ritual in Yunlan City. On the night of the ritual, they infiltrated the temple and began entering the underground palace.

• Jiang Fan sent his master a report about the Saint Sect and its planned sacrifice, and his master told him to proceed with his plan.
• Su Ying told Wang Shouyi and the other Holy Land disciples that the Saint Sect’s base lay beneath the eastern temple and that a ritual to welcome the Holy Master would take place at midnight the next night.
• Wang Shouyi planned for the disciples to destroy the ritual core and confront the Masked Man, and the gathered disciples agreed to take part.
• The next night, Wang Shouyi led the disciples to the temple, where they found the courtyard empty and suspected that the Saint Sect members had gone underground.
• Wang Shouyi left one team to guard outside and led the other two teams after Su Ying into the main hall.

Wang Shouyi and the Holy Land disciples entered the underground palace to stop the Masked Man’s ritual, only to discover they had been lured into a trap to become offerings themselves. Su Ying’s Lotus Mark unleashed an azure sword that severed the chains and wounded their enemies, but the mark vanished as the sword light faded, leaving her fearful of what came next.

• Wang Shouyi led the group into the underground palace, where they found the Masked Man extracting the believers’ source power for the Holy Master’s descent.
• A rumble from the stairs alerted the Masked Man, and blood-red runes raised a barrier that trapped the group.
• Lin Yuanshan and Liu Wangchuan revealed that they had leaked information to lure the Holy Land disciples into becoming the final offerings.
• Wang Shouyi formed a battle formation, but the Masked Man shattered its barrier and sent the disciples crashing into the walls.
• Su Ying’s Lotus Mark released an azure sword that severed the blood-red chains and cut off the Masked Man’s hand, while also blasting Lin Yuanshan and Liu Wangchuan backward.
• The azure sword light scattered and Su Ying’s Lotus Mark disappeared, leaving her convinced that their situation was hopeless.

Jiang Fan appeared at the altar and freed Su Ying and the Holy Land disciples from the Saint Sect’s chains, revealing himself as the newly appointed Patrol Envoy. He confronted Lin Yuanshan, Liu Wangchuan, and the Masked Man, then exposed Qian Duoduo as the one who had lured him into the trap, with Zhao Qianjun emerging from the shadows.

• Lin Yuanshan declared that Su Ying’s mark was spent, and the Masked Man bound the weakened group with blood-colored chains to drain their Life Origin into the altar.
• Jiang Fan appeared, shattered the chains, and freed Su Ying and the other Holy Land disciples.
• Su Ying recognized Jiang Fan as the man who had saved her before, while Lin Yuanshan and the Masked Man identified him as Patrol Envoy Jiang.
• Jiang Fan questioned Lin Yuanshan, Liu Wangchuan, and the Masked Man about their trap, and Lin Yuanshan accused him of hiding his abilities and manipulating events at Xiliu Manor.
• Jiang Fan called Qian Duoduo out of the shadows and accused him of using a note to lure him into the trap; Qian Duoduo’s smile faded as he admitted Jiang had figured it out.
• Jiang Fan credited Commander Zhao with alerting him, but Zhao Qianjun emerged and denied ever giving him a reminder.