Chapter Summaries

Shang Lingxi completed her possession of Wei Yuehua’s body and explained that she remained at mid Core Formation while she adjusted to her new body. Qin Fengming returned her two magic treasures and asked about her husband’s spirit-beast research, learning that she remembered some of his findings.

• Qin Fengming guarded Shang Lingxi while she cultivated in Wei Yuehua’s body, keeping a talisman ready as protection.
• Shang Lingxi emerged after more than a dozen hours and told Qin Fengming that she had fully controlled the body.
• Shang Lingxi said her cultivation remained at mid Core Formation and that she needed to refine her magical power and create a new intrinsic magic treasure.
• Qin Fengming returned two magic treasures that had belonged to Shang Lingxi, and she offered to answer his questions.
• Qin Fengming asked about Senior Phantom’s spirit-beast studies, and Shang Lingxi said his treatise was elsewhere but she remembered some of its contents.

Qin Fengming showed Shang Lingxi his red beast, and she identified it as a rare Crimson Fox Rat born from a Musk Moon Fox and a Sky Piercing Rat. Their conversation also revealed that Shang Lingxi did not know the black fragment’s origins and that the Azure Winged Mantis egg had hatched on its own, leaving Qin Fengming excited by the implications.

• Qin Fengming summoned his red beast, and Shang Lingxi identified it as a Crimson Fox Rat, offspring of a Musk Moon Fox and a Sky Piercing Rat.
• Shang Lingxi explained that the beast was difficult to raise but could develop powerful abilities, and Qin Fengming concealed how he had tamed it.
• Qin Fengming asked Shang Lingxi about the black fragment from the inner cavern, and she said she did not know what it was.
• Shang Lingxi explained that Brother Xing had given her the Azure Winged Mantis egg, which had hatched unexpectedly on its own.
• Qin Fengming became excited after Shang Lingxi's account answered a question he had been considering.

Qin Fengming learned why Yue Langxing had left Shang Lingxi and comforted her before the two formed a sworn sibling bond. Shang Lingxi began preparing to reforge her life-bound magic treasure with Qin Fengming’s Ethereal Stone, leaving him to guard the cave.

• Shang Lingxi explained that Yue Langxing had returned to the heart of the Yuanfeng Continent to seek materials for breaking through the Integration bottleneck and had never come back.
• Qin Fengming reassured Shang Lingxi that Yue Langxing might still be alive, and she asked him to call her elder sister.
• Qin Fengming and Shang Lingxi formally accepted each other as sworn siblings.
• Shang Lingxi said she needed rare materials to reforge her God-Swaying Umbrella, and Qin Fengming gave her three storage rings of materials.
• Qin Fengming presented Shang Lingxi with a large Ethereal Stone, and she entered the cave chamber to refine her magic treasure while he stayed to guard her.

After Shang Lingxi finished reforging the God-Swaying Umbrella, she told Qin Fengming that Wei Yuehua’s memories revealed the Nourishing Yin Wood was held by the Blood Fox Alliance. Qin Fengming learned that two Core Formation cultivators would arrive to escort it to Dijing City and concluded that taking the divine wood seemed hopeless.

• Qin Fengming meditated for four months while Shang Lingxi reforged the God-Swaying Umbrella.
• Shang Lingxi thanked Qin Fengming for keeping watch and revealed that she had learned the whereabouts of the Nourishing Yin Wood from Wei Yuehua’s memories.
• Shang Lingxi said the Nourishing Yin Wood was stored within the Blood Fox Alliance, and only the branch leader knew its exact location.
• Shang Lingxi explained that two Core Formation cultivators would arrive in three months to escort the Nourishing Yin Wood to Dijing City.
• Qin Fengming considered the Blood Fox Alliance’s security and the incoming cultivators, then judged that they had little hope of obtaining the Nourishing Yin Wood.

Shang Lingxi and Qin Fengming devised a plan to infiltrate the Blood Fox Alliance and steal the nourishing yin wood by disguising themselves as Wei Yuehua and Zhang Bing. After destroying their cave’s entrance, they set out together for the alliance.

• Shang Lingxi explained that breaking into the Blood Fox Alliance’s guarded grounds directly would be too difficult, then revealed her ability to imitate Wei Yuehua using a transformation art.
• Qin Fengming transformed himself into Zhang Bing and proposed posing as a man Shang Lingxi had rescued after he nearly suffered cultivation deviation.
• Qin Fengming and Shang Lingxi finalized their cover story and left the cave abode together.
• Shang Lingxi used her jade hairpin magic treasure to destroy the tunnel leading to the cave.
• Qin Fengming summoned the White Swift Boat and invited Shang Lingxi aboard; she piloted it at greater speed than he had managed.

Qin Fengming and Shang Lingxi returned from Demon Beast Valley and headed for the Blood Fox Alliance stronghold to seek the Nourishing Yin Wood. At the stronghold, Zhang Bing heard that Hong Lu had secretly summoned several Marketplace managers, then learned Hong Lu had arrived to see him.

• Shang Lingxi copied the secret manual on Restrictive Spells for Qin Fengming after he returned it to her.
• Qin Fengming and Shang Lingxi decided to enter the Blood Fox Alliance disguised as Wei Yuehua and wait for two Core Formation cultivators before seeking the Nourishing Yin Wood.
• Zhang Bing asked Shi Sheng about events in the alliance, and Shi Sheng reported that Hong Lu had secretly summoned several Marketplace managers.
• Zhang Bing told Guo Kai to deliver spirit herbs and Golden Crystal to alliance members to secure their support.
• A youth reported that Hong Lu had arrived at the hall to see Zhang Bing.

Qin Fengming and Shang Lingxi impersonated Zhang Bing and Wei Yuehua to infiltrate the Blood Fox Alliance compound and learn about the Nourishing Yin Divine Wood sealed in the Zhenji Pavilion. They discovered that entering the pavilion required a second Restriction Token, so they had to wait for the Alliance to send it to Quzhou.

• Guo Kai warned Zhang Bing that Hong Lu had repeatedly humiliated Shi Sheng, and Zhang Bing had the visiting steward brought into the hall.
• Hong Lu visited Zhang Bing, who claimed he had nearly died practicing a secret art and thanked Hong for overseeing the branch in his absence.
• After Hong Lu left, Zhang Bing accused him of coveting the Quzhou banner chief position and asked Shi Sheng about the Zhenji Pavilion's security.
• Zhang Bing and his disciples discussed the suspected Nourishing Yin Divine Wood and prepared to withdraw, unaware that Qin Fengming and Shang Lingxi were impersonating Zhang Bing and Wei Yuehua.
• Qin Fengming explained to Shang Lingxi that the pavilion required two Restriction Tokens and that the second token was not yet in Quzhou.
• Qin Fengming and Shang Lingxi agreed to wait for the Alliance's messengers before entering the pavilion and verifying the wood themselves.

Shang Lingxi explained why Nascent Soul cultivators were barred from Quzhou: the region served as a staging ground for the Three Realms War, and hidden teleportation arrays and deadly restrictions had to be protected. She also revealed how she and Yue Langxing had once entered Quzhou while fleeing pursuers and nearly died escaping its restrictions.

• Qin Fengming asked Shang Lingxi why the Blood Fox Alliance had sent Core Formation cultivators rather than Nascent Soul cultivators to seek the nourishing yin wood.
• Shang Lingxi explained that the Three Realms War began when weakened boundaries let cultivators travel between the planes of humans and beasts, demons, and ghosts.
• Shang Lingxi said Quzhou housed the Yuanfeng Empire's staging ground and hidden teleportation arrays, so Nascent Soul cultivators were forbidden from entering.
• Shang Lingxi revealed that Nascent Soul cultivators who had secretly entered Quzhou disappeared, and that cultivators there had to leave the region to undergo the Nascent Soul tribulation.
• Shang Lingxi told Qin Fengming that she and Yue Langxing had entered Quzhou while fleeing hundreds of pursuers and had barely escaped several powerful restrictions.
• Qin Fengming concluded that the major sects had turned Quzhou into a defensive bridgehead and depleted its resources to prevent demons and ghosts from using it.

Shang Lingxi warned Qin Fengming that Shi Sheng and Guo Kai had shown signs of hiding something, and the two disciples secretly reported to Hong Lu. Hong Lu’s plot to oust Zhang Bing continued, while Yin Bizhu reported that she had discovered nothing suspicious.

• Shang Lingxi told Qin Fengming she had sensed unusual spiritual fluctuations from Shi Sheng and Guo Kai and a faint divine sense nearby.
• Shi Sheng and Guo Kai entered a hidden passage beneath a wooden bed and met Hong Lu in a cavern.
• Shi Sheng and Guo Kai reported Zhang Bing’s plans and confirmed that the Nourishing Yin Wood was genuine.
• Hong Lu revealed that he had planted the two disciples among Zhang Bing’s followers and was working with Elder Situ to replace Zhang Bing as Flag Master.
• Yin Bizhu appeared before Hong Lu and said she had detected nothing suspicious about the disciples’ report.

Hong Lu and Flag Master Yin negotiated a secret plan involving the Nourishing Yin Wood and an ambush on Radiant Tiger Alliance cultivators. Elsewhere, Guo and Wen debated how to secure the wood without provoking conflict, until news arrived naming the escorts for an early supply delivery.

• Flag Master Yin assured Hong Lu that her side could defeat Xiao Yong, Li Ling, and Wei Yuehua, while Hong Lu confirmed that Xiao and Li were the likely visitors from Changzhou.
• Hong Lu and Flag Master Yin agreed to keep their plan secret as she promised the operation would succeed and Hong Lu could become a flag leader.
• Guo told Wen that his disciple’s report about the Nourishing Yin Wood was likely true, and Wen warned that seizing it would require more people.
• Guo proposed notifying Elder Gong and intercepting the Blood Fox Alliance, but Wen rejected the plan to avoid exposing the matter and causing discord between the alliances.
• A talisman informed Flag Leader Guo that next quarter’s supplies would arrive early, escorted by Fang Cheng and Fei Xiangyi.

Qin Fengming monitored possible threats inside the Blood Fox Alliance and searched its cargo for rare items. He found a dark wooden box that a Core Formation cultivator had specifically requested, leaving him curious about its contents.

• Flag Leader Guo learned that Fang Cheng and Fei Xiangyi were coming to help the Quzhou Merchant Alliance confront the Blood Fox Alliance.
• Qin Fengming reconsidered Shang Lingxi's warning about Shi Sheng and Guo Kai and sent two white beetles to observe them.
• Five days before the Blood Fox Alliance's visitors were due, Qin Fengming decided to inspect the alliance's stored goods.
• Qin Fengming entered the cargo cavern disguised as Zhang Bing and examined the alliance's rare items.
• Qin Fengming noticed a dark wooden box that Deputy Flag Master Wu had requested for Senior Wei.

Qin Fengming found three Flame Condensing Pills intended for a Core Formation senior and decided to take them to Dijing City, while considering how to earn spirit stones for Shang Lingxi’s Crimson Fox Rat. Disguised, he visited the Radiant Tiger Alliance’s shop to sell something and asked to speak with its shopkeeper.

• Qin Fengming learned that the Blood Fox Alliance had obtained three Flame Condensing Pills for Senior Wei through Deputy Flag Master Wu’s dealings with the Changzhou Merchant Alliance.
• Qin Fengming said he would carry the pills to Dijing City and discuss the matter there, then left the cave without finding anything else he wanted.
• Qin Fengming recalled refining around twenty thousand talismans and decided to search the Marketplace for ways to earn spirit stones to support the Crimson Fox Rat’s growth.
• Qin Fengming disguised himself and went to the Radiant Tiger Alliance, one of the Yuanfeng Continent’s most prominent merchant alliances.
• Qin Fengming asked a shop assistant to bring the shopkeeper so he could discuss selling something.

Qin Fengming brought a vast supply of talismans to the Radiant Tiger Alliance in Quzhou to exchange them for spirit stones. After Yin Bizhu agreed to buy all twenty thousand at eighty spirit stones each, she asked where he cultivated.

• Qin Fengming insisted on speaking with the person in charge of the Radiant Tiger Alliance and met Flag Master Yin Bizhu.
• Yin Bizhu used her bewitching voice on Qin Fengming, but he quickly resisted its effects.
• Qin Fengming showed Yin Bizhu a Fire Python Talisman and an Immortal Binding Talisman and said he had fifteen thousand and five thousand, respectively.
• Yin Bizhu offered eighty spirit stones per talisman, and Qin Fengming handed over twenty thousand talismans for inspection.
• Yin Bizhu confirmed the quantity and arranged payment before asking Qin Fengming where he cultivated; he replied that he had no fixed abode.

Yin Bizhu offered Qin Fengming a chance to join Manghuang Mountain as a talisman-crafting disciple in exchange for refining talismans for the Yaohu Alliance. Qin Fengming accepted her terms and asked her to provide materials for ten thousand talismans so he could first deliver the agreed five thousand.

• Yin Bizhu asked whether Qin Fengming had refined the talismans himself, and he said he had.
• Yin Bizhu explained that she could introduce Qin Fengming to Manghuang Mountain’s talisman-crafting Grand Elder, who was seeking a successor.
• Qin Fengming considered the opportunity valuable for his cultivation and agreed to refine five thousand high-grade beginner talismans for the Yaohu Alliance each year in exchange for the introduction.
• Yin Bizhu said she would give Qin Fengming a jade pendant bearing her family ancestor’s divine sense imprint, but required him to refine five thousand talismans before the introduction.
• Qin Fengming agreed and asked Yin Bizhu to provide enough materials for ten thousand talismans so he could refine the first five thousand.

Qin Fengming agreed to craft talismans for Yin Bizhu’s Radiant Tiger Alliance in exchange for a token to seek entry into Manghuang Mountain, with the obligation limited to fifty thousand talismans over ten years. After he left, Yin Bizhu reported to Senior Wei that Zhang Bing seemed unaware of the leak about the divine tree, though his unusual restraint worried her.

• Qin Fengming decided to visit Manghuang Mountain, and Yin Bizhu agreed to provide him with a token after he crafted talismans for the Radiant Tiger Alliance.
• Qin Fengming and Yin Bizhu exchanged cultivation insights, then checked the spirit stones and materials delivered to them.
• Qin Fengming asked to limit his service, and Yin Bizhu set the agreement at fifty thousand talismans over ten years.
• Qin Fengming accepted the terms and left after Yin Bizhu personally escorted him out of the Radiant Tiger Alliance.
• Yin Bizhu told Senior Wei that Zhang Bing appeared unaware of the leak concerning the divine tree, but she questioned why he had been acting so quietly.

Qin Fengming weighed how to secure the divine wood as the Blood Fox and Flying Wolf Alliances prepared to intercept one another’s people. Information from his Silver Sheath Worms confirmed that Zhang Bing’s disciples had made suspicious contacts, leaving him certain that others knew about the Nourishing Yin Wood.

• Yin Bizhu secured the old man’s agreement to intercept Xiao Yong and Li Ling while she handled the rest of her plan.
• Qin Fengming visited the Blood Fox Alliance’s Marketplace in disguise and considered how to deal with the arriving cultivators and obtain the divine wood.
• Guo Haitao, Fang Cheng, Wen Tai, and Fang Cheng’s wife planned to ambush the Blood Fox Alliance’s people and discussed who would capture each target.
• Qin Fengming retrieved his Silver Sheath Worms and learned that Shi Sheng and Guo Kai had each made two suspicious moves.
• Qin Fengming concluded that the Nourishing Yin Wood had become known to other people, though he could not identify Guo Kai’s contact.

After learning that several factions knew about the Nourishing Yin Wood, Qin Fengming and Shang Lingxi considered how to escape with it. Zhang Bing received an order requiring him and Wei Yuehua to leave Quzhou, while Qin Fengming planned to use the leak and two suspicious disciples to create confusion.

• Qin Fengming considered the danger posed by merchant alliances and other factions learning about the Nourishing Yin Wood.
• Two Blood Fox Alliance stewards, Xiao and Li, delivered Elder Ming’s secret order to Zhang Bing, who agreed to leave Quzhou with Wei Yuehua.
• Hong Lu concealed his hostility and planned for Zhang Bing to be killed after he left the station.
• Qin Fengming told Shang Lingxi that the order would let them travel with the divine wood and that he intended to exploit Zhang Bing’s suspicious disciples to spread the news.
• Shang Lingxi doubted she could protect Qin Fengming from Core Formation cultivators, but Qin Fengming insisted he could escape them.

Zhang Bing met with Shi Sheng and Guo Kai before guiding Xiao Yong, Li Ling, and Wei Yuehua to a hidden Blood Fox Alliance pavilion to inspect a rare treasure. After confirming the treasure was nourishing yin wood, the group prepared to take it to the alliance headquarters in Dijing City.

• Zhang Bing told Shi Sheng and Guo Kai that he would be away for several months and ordered them to record goods and monitor Hong Lu.
• Shi Sheng and Guo Kai left together, and Zhang Bing later headed to the Blood Fox Alliance storehouse.
• At midnight, Zhang Bing led Xiao Yong, Li Ling, and Wei Yuehua to the hidden Zhenji Pavilion in Quzhou.
• Xiao Yong used two tokens to reveal the pavilion and remove the barrier around a wooden box containing a piece of purplish-black wood.
• Xiao Yong and Li Ling examined the wood and confirmed it was nourishing yin wood.
• Xiao Yong asked Zhang Bing to secure the treasure as they prepared to return to the alliance headquarters in Dijing City.

Zhang Bing agreed to carry the Nourishing Yin Wood as the Blood Fox Alliance escort set out from its stronghold. As their pursuers tracked them, the group changed course eastward instead of continuing toward Dijing City.

• Zhang Bing reasoned that the Blood Fox Alliance had chosen him to carry the Nourishing Yin Wood because it trusted his loyalty, then stored the tree and joined the escort.
• Xiao Yong led Zhang Bing, Li Ling, and Wei Yuehua from the stronghold, while two voice-transmission talismans flew away after them.
• Xiao Yong carried the group toward Dijing City on a fast flying treasure, and Qin Fengming worried about whether their pursuers would find their route.
• Elder Mi used a spirit beast to track the four, and five pursuers set off after them on a flying shuttle.
• After a brief rest, the four changed direction and flew eastward instead of continuing toward Dijing City.

As Qin Fengming and his companions flew toward Dijing City, Wolf Leap Mountain’s Supreme Elder Geng Zhongtang mobilized the sect to search for them. He revealed to the sect master and his two Direct Disciples that Wolf Leap Mountain served the Flying Wolf Alliance, then offered them the chance to seek Core Formation through the alliance.

• The old man surnamed Xiao flew east for more than two hours before changing course toward Dijing City, while Qin Fengming questioned his caution.
• Geng Zhongtang received a message ordering him to seal off the area around Dijing City and join the search if he found four cultivators.
• Geng Zhongtang summoned Wolf Leap Mountain’s cultivators and ordered them to watch a vast area south of the sect for a swift spiritual-power fluctuation.
• Geng Zhongtang told sect master Jianfeng and his two Direct Disciples that Wolf Leap Mountain had been founded by the Flying Wolf Alliance to oversee Quzhou’s resources.
• Geng Zhongtang explained that he had to recommend three peak Foundation Establishment cultivators to the alliance, where they would receive support to attempt Core Formation, and the three pledged to meet the sect’s expectations.