Chapter Summaries

Su Mu repaired a damaged stone bridge for a skinny old man, who gave him a yellow paper said to help a dead person reincarnate. After earning 80,000 Favor Points, Su Mu insisted on joining the old man to repair more bridges.

• The skinny old man accidentally dropped his hammer into the river twice, and Su Mu retrieved it and repaired the bridge himself.
• The skinny old man praised Su Mu’s repair skills and offered him a reward, but Su Mu refused payment because the work was part of his job.
• The skinny old man gave Su Mu a yellow paper that could help a deceased person reincarnate if their karma was not too complicated.
• Su Mu offered to escort the limping old man, but the old man said he still had other damaged bridges to repair.
• The system awarded Su Mu 80,000 Favor Points for maintaining River Channel Order, so he insisted on accompanying the old man to the next bridge.

Su Mu traveled with Old Ten on a Black Wooden Boat toward Old Ten’s force, discovering that debtors powered the boat by turning its propellers. Impatient with the journey, Su Mu reversed and accelerated the River of Time, frightening Old Ten, who worried about the karmic consequences.

• Old Ten took Su Mu aboard a Black Wooden Boat made of Netherwood and explained that it was shared property used by his force.
• Su Mu discovered that about a hundred strange, lifeless creatures powered the boat by manually turning its propellers to repay their debts.
• Old Ten introduced himself as the tenth in his family and said his force relied on Su Mu’s work maintaining order on the river.
• When Old Ten said the journey would take two or three more days, Su Mu used his Water Control Mystical Power to reverse the current and speed it up tenfold.
• Old Ten feared that Su Mu’s actions would rewind time across the worlds along the river and create immense karma, but Su Mu said he did this all the time.

Su Mu and the gaunt old man traveled by Black Wooden Boat to a tributary where a broken Reincarnation Bridge had left the waters black and foul. Su Mu prepared to repair the bridge, but the old man stopped him and summoned special materials.

• The old man put a Little Ghost in charge of guiding the boat so he could avoid accruing more karma.
• With Su Mu controlling the water, they completed a journey of three days in less than three hours and entered an unfamiliar tributary.
• They reached a stretch of black, foul-smelling water, and the old man explained that countless fish corpses had piled up because the Reincarnation Bridge was broken.
• Su Mu dispersed the mist, revealed the severed stone bridge, and examined it before preparing to repair it with ore from his Space Ring.
• The old man warned that the bridge required special materials and clapped his hands, summoning a creature from the woods by the riverbank.

Su Mu repaired a broken stone bridge with unusual materials brought by the gaunt Old Man’s subordinates, earning 20,000 Favor Points before setting off for the next stretch of river. The Black Wooden Boat struck something with a violent crash, leaving the gaunt Old Man asking what had happened.

• The gaunt Old Man introduced Little Ox and Little Horse, who had brought specially crafted stones from home.
• Su Mu repaired the stone bridge in half an hour while the gaunt Old Man, Little Ox, and Little Horse watched in disbelief.
• The system awarded Su Mu 20,000 Favor Points for maintaining the riverway’s stability and peace.
• Su Mu ordered the gaunt Old Man to lead him to the next place and used Water Control Mystical Power to speed the Black Wooden Boat along.
• The gaunt Old Man sent a Little Ghost to guide them while Little Ox and Little Horse went to brew tea, but the boat crashed into something and stopped.

Su Mu smashed a World Barrier to avoid a detour, then repaired ten stone bridges and completed the old man's assignment in one day. With night falling, he accepted the old man's invitation to stay at a nearby residence.

• Su Mu's boat struck a stone embankment, and the old man blamed Little Ghost for giving directions along an outdated route.
• Rather than take a detour, Su Mu shattered the embankment, unknowingly breaking a World Barrier and connecting two tributaries whose worlds would now be exposed to war.
• Su Mu repaired a stone bridge and earned Favor Points, then decided not to rebuild the embankment because it would waste time and earn him nothing.
• Su Mu repaired ten stone bridges and completed the old man's assignment, earning two hundred thousand Favor Points in one day.
• The old man invited Su Mu to stay at a nearby residence, and Su Mu agreed before Little Ox and Little Horse took the helm.

Su Mu visited an underworld residence beside the River of Time, where Old Ten explained the Three Lives Tree and its reincarnation fruits. Su Mu plucked the tree’s largest fruit, leaving Old Ten horrified for reasons he had not yet explained.

• Old Ten brought Su Mu to a small underworld courtyard beside the River of Time and served him Severance Wine.
• Su Mu noticed the glowing fruits on the courtyard’s massive tree and asked Old Ten what it was.
• Old Ten explained that the Three Lives Tree held the souls of powerful beings, whose fruits preserved memories and insights for their next lives.
• Su Mu asked to take a fruit and plucked the largest Three Lives Fruit before Old Ten could finish answering.
• Old Ten dropped his bowl and trembled at Su Mu’s choice, while Su Mu asked what was wrong.

Su Mu compensated Old Ten with three Ginseng Fruits after accidentally plucking the Three Lives Tree’s main fruit, then left the Underworld tributary. As he approached its confluence, he saw a woman waiting for him on the water.

• Old Ten panicked when Su Mu plucked the Three Lives Main Fruit, which he feared would bring severe punishment from his superiors.
• Su Mu gave Old Ten three Ginseng Fruits and offered his address so the seniors could seek compensation from him.
• Old Ten accepted the gifts and spent the night guarding Su Mu’s courtyard while Su Mu slept.
• Su Mu thanked Old Ten for his hospitality and departed, saying he had duties to return to.
• Su Mu stopped near the tributary’s confluence when he saw a woman standing on the water and waiting for him.

Su Mu met the Dark-Robed Woman, who asked whether he would revive a loved one or allow them to be reborn if he commanded reincarnation. His answer led her to tentatively side with him, though Su Mu suspected she was not present in her true body.

• The Dark-Robed Woman appeared before Su Mu and said she had planted the Three Lives Tree, but returned the Lantern Fruit when he offered it back.
• The Dark-Robed Woman asked whether Su Mu would revive a deceased family member or let them be reborn under his command of reincarnation.
• Su Mu said he would not revive his daughter, choosing instead to protect her next life or let her live out the life she had already been given.
• The Dark-Robed Woman was moved by Su Mu's answer and decided to temporarily stand on his side.
• Su Mu asked the Dark-Robed Woman whether she was present in her true body.

The Dark-Robed Woman revealed why she had chosen Su Mu to inherit control of reincarnation, while warning that powerful beings were already joining forces against him. Su Mu returned home, increased his River Affinity to 36%, and planted the Lantern Fruit after failing to eat or refine it.

• The Dark-Robed Woman left after telling Su Mu they would meet again and advising him to make use of the Lantern Fruit.
• The Dark-Robed Woman recalled that she had chosen Su Mu because he admitted his selfish desires while maintaining principles, but worried he could not defeat the beings conspiring against him.
• Su Mu returned home with 300,000 Favor Points and spent them to raise his River Affinity to 36%.
• The Little Fox waited for Su Mu to return, then went back beneath the tree to sleep after he arrived.
• Su Mu tried to refine the Lantern Fruit for three hours without success, then planted it outside his courtyard and watered it with river water.
• A faint sound came from the soil where Su Mu had planted the Lantern Fruit.

Su Mu dreamed that the sprout he had planted became a mysterious figure and disappeared into the River of Time, then found the sprout gone and failed to track it down. Meanwhile, Old Ten told Lord Three Emperors that the Three Lives Main Fruit had been picked by the senior guarding the river and revealed that all eleven bridges were already repaired.

• Su Mu fell asleep while cultivating and dreamed that his sprout grew into a tree, became a faceless person, bowed to him, and vanished beneath the river.
• Su Mu woke to find the sprout missing and searched the river with the little Killer Whale, but they found no trace of it.
• Lord Three Emperors confronted Old Ten and asked whether the Empress had visited or said anything.
• Old Ten admitted that the senior guarding the river had picked the Three Lives Main Fruit, and Lord Three Emperors concluded the Empress would handle the matter.
• Old Ten reported that all eleven stone bridges had been repaired, crediting the senior guarding the river, and Lord Three Emperors asked what reward he had offered.

Su Mu reunited with Old Man Zero, who warned him that someone might be targeting him. While patrolling alone, Su Mu discovered three tributaries flowing upward over a cliff and struggled to climb the strange inverted waterfall.

• Old Ten learned that his leader had granted him a year off, but he found the leave less satisfying than stealing brief moments of leisure.
• Su Mu met Old Man Zero fishing on the river, and Zero warned him to stay alert because someone had their eye on him.
• Su Mu spent the night trying to identify whom he might have offended, then left Little Fox behind before setting out on patrol.
• Su Mu found three tributaries flowing in parallel and discovered that their waters surged up a cliff like an inverted waterfall.
• Su Mu stilled the fast current and climbed the waterfall, reaching the top after struggling against the increasing heaviness beneath his feet.

Su Mu discovered an altar hidden above the inverted waterfall and was swallowed by its Golden Toad Bronze Statue. He devoured the toad from within, reached the Half-Step Immortal Emperor Realm, and received 200,000 Favor Points as the altar collapsed.

• Su Mu examined the Golden Toad Bronze Statue, the burned incense, and the runes beneath the water, then identified the incense burner as the altar's formation eye.
• Su Mu reignited the incense, awakening the Golden Toad, which activated the formation and swallowed him.
• Su Mu resisted the toad's suction, then used the Heaven Swallowing Magic Art to devour its energy and break through to the Half-Step Immortal Emperor Realm.
• Su Mu emerged from the toad as it vanished, and he found the altar cracked, its runes shattered, and the waterfall flowing normally again.
• The system awarded Su Mu 200,000 Favor Points for his exceptionally impressive completion.

Su Mu escaped the Golden Toad, caught more toads for soup, and fed them to Nannan. In the Ice Wasteland Demon Realm, three rulers discussed the long-missing expedition to the legendary Saint Medicine Garden, and one decided to enter the abyss himself.

• Su Mu took the incense burner from the Golden Toad’s altar, destroyed its formations, and left the waterfall.
• Su Mu found a toad, tied it up with water grass, and threw it into the river; the Golden Toad later escaped a muddy ditch with hundreds of followers and ordered them to scatter.
• Su Mu caught several more fleeing toads and made bullfrog soup for Nannan, promising to catch more during his next river patrol.
• In the Ice Wasteland Demon Realm, three figures discussed how thirty thousand years had passed without the return of those sent through the abyss.
• One of the three figures rose and said he would go to the abyss himself in search of the legendary Saint Medicine Garden.

The Lord of Ice Wasteland entered the Saint Medicine Garden to find medicine for his dying Sacred Ancestor and was transformed into a tiny weasel by the garden’s laws. After gathering several fruits, he was caught by Little Brown Bear and imprisoned in Su Mu’s iron cage.

• The Lord of Ice Wasteland ignored his advisers’ warnings and entered the abyss, hoping to bring back medicine to save the Sacred Ancestor and protect the Ice Wasteland Demon Realm.
• He emerged as a tiny black weasel in the Saint Medicine Garden, where he plucked four Saint Medicine Fruits and set his sights on a fruit-laden tree.
• Little Brown Bear pinned the Lord of Ice Wasteland by the tail, knocked the fruits from his mouth, and carried him away.
• Little Brown Bear tossed the Lord of Ice Wasteland into Su Mu’s iron cage, where he failed to bend the bars.
• A familiar voice spoke behind the imprisoned Lord of Ice Wasteland, and he turned around stiffly.

The Icefield Demon Lord learned that the Saint Medicine Garden was the River of Time guardian’s vegetable garden and found his old enemies imprisoned beside him. Three thousand years after his departure, his brothers in the Ice Wasteland Demon Realm decided to go find him, believing he had gathered too many divine medicines to carry alone.

• The Icefield Demon Lord recognized the imprisoned Little Viper as Suoluo Old Ancestor, who explained that he had been captured after entering the Saint Medicine Garden in a weakened form.
• Suoluo Old Ancestor revealed that the garden stood on the River of Time and belonged to the supreme being guarding it, leaving the Icefield Demon Lord despairing over his fate.
• The Icefield Demon Lord recognized Yuan Old Demon and laughed at finding his Azure Demon Realm rival and his followers imprisoned too.
• The Icefield Demon Lord and Yuan Old Demon fought until Little Brown Bear struck them with a wooden stick and ordered them to behave.
• The Icefield Demon Lord told Yuan Old Demon that his Second Brother and Third Brother remained in the Ice Wasteland Demon Realm and would eventually threaten Azure.
• Three thousand years after the Icefield Demon Lord left, the Ice Wasteland Third-in-Charge persuaded the Ice Wasteland Second-in-Charge to go find him, reasoning that his lit Soul Lamp meant he was safe and had collected many divine medicines.

The Ice Wasteland Second-in-Charge and Third-in-Charge followed their First Brother to the Saint Medicine Garden, where the three were captured and reunited in the Iron Cage. Su Mu arrived after hearing that an unusually fast thief had evaded the Five Little Ones, and began searching the garden for it.

• The Ice Wasteland Second-in-Charge and Third-in-Charge decided to follow First Brother rather than inform the Sacred Ancestor, hoping to bring back divine medicine and surprise him.
• The two brothers arrived at the Saint Medicine Garden, transformed into field mice, and were caught by the brown bear while trying to steal medicinal herbs.
• The brothers found their imprisoned First Brother, the Icefield Demon Lord, and Yuan Old Demon laughed as the reunion left all the captives sharing the same fate.
• Su Mu came to the Vegetable Garden after Nannan reported that a fast thief had stolen herbs and evaded the Five Little Ones.
• Su Mu spread his Divine Sense across the garden to find the thief.

Su Mu caught a King Cobra that had been stealing in his vegetable garden and imprisoned it, where it quickly became the cage’s dominant animal. Meanwhile, after thirty thousand years of growth, Xiao Huo prepared to travel to the Shepherd Heaven Alliance’s headquarters to seek approval for Endless Fire Domain to become a Lower Immortal Domain.

• Su Mu caught the elusive King Cobra and reassured the Five Little Ones that their failed pursuit was not their fault.
• Su Mu put the King Cobra in the large iron cage, where the other animals cowered before it and some began currying favor with it.
• Endless Fire Domain flourished under Shepherd Heaven Alliance support, and Xiao Huo reached the great completion of True Immortal while governing it.
• Xiao Huo prepared to seek an Immortal Domain Law Crystal from the Shepherd Heaven Alliance after Endless Fire Domain met the requirements to become a Lower Immortal Domain.
• Yao Lao warned Xiao Huo about the assessment at the Ancient Desolate Immortal Domain, and Xiao Huo set out hoping to advance both his domain and his own standing.

Xiao Huo traveled aboard a Shepherd Heaven Alliance ark with envoy Yun Tian to compete for an Immortal Domain Law Crystal. After arriving in Ancient Desolate, he faced the prospect of competing against Wang Lin, who was said to have received guidance from the Third Alliance Master.

• Xiao Huo left the Sang Huo Great Hall aboard a silver ark sent by the Shepherd Heaven Alliance.
• Xiao Huo met Yun Tian, a peak True Immortal Realm envoy who explained that the journey to Ancient Desolate would take three days.
• Yun Tian told Xiao Huo that the Endless Fire Domain would compete against the Lin Yue Domain, led by Wang Lin, and the Tian Zhu Domain, led by Zhang Xiaofan, for one Immortal Domain Law Crystal.
• Yun Tian warned Xiao Huo that Wang Lin might have received guidance from the Third Alliance Master, leaving Xiao Huo under pressure despite his domain's strength.
• After three days, the ark crossed into Ancient Desolate, where Xiao Huo sensed far richer spiritual energy and was stunned by the world below.

Xiao Huo arrived in the Ancient Desolate Immortal Domain and prepared to compete for a place for himself and the Endless Fire Domain. At the assessment site, he met Wang Lin and Zhang Xiaofan, and a powerful Daoist-robed man appeared before them.

• Yun Tian brought Xiao Huo to Luo'an City and offered him a place to stay before the assessment.
• After seeing the Ancient Desolate Immortal Domain’s prosperity, Xiao Huo resolved to establish himself there and raise the standing of the Endless Fire Domain.
• Purple-Robed Men escorted Xiao Huo through formations to an assessment plaza, where he met Wang Lin, who sought to advance the Lin Yue Domain.
• Zhang Xiaofan arrived, and the three Domain Masters stood together on the plaza.
• A powerful man in a Daoist robe appeared on the elevated platform before Xiao Huo, Wang Lin, and Zhang Xiaofan.

Zhang Taixuan tested Xiao Huo, Wang Lin, and Zhang Xiaofan for future Domain Lord roles through strength, talent, and Original Heart assessments. Xiao Huo and Wang Lin passed the first two tests, while Zhang Xiaofan failed them; the final assessment began with all three meditating.

• Zhang Taixuan introduced himself as chief examiner and announced the three assessments.
• Wang Lin defeated his stronger clone in five shichen, Xiao Huo did so in seven, and Zhang Xiaofan failed to defeat his within ten shichen.
• Zhang Taixuan gave the three pills to restore them, then declared that Wang Lin and Xiao Huo passed the strength assessment while Zhang Xiaofan's later results would not count.
• The talent gates turned gold for Xiao Huo and Wang Lin and blue for Zhang Xiaofan, with red required to pass.
• The three sat on transformed meditation cushions for the Original Heart Assessment, and Zhang Taixuan reacted when one cushion suddenly changed.