Chapter Summaries

Chu Mu realized the Fourth Order War Puppet incorporated flesh-and-blood techniques that let it absorb spiritual qi and heal itself, then went to meet the Array Dao Nascent Soul. He waited in a reception hall with the other Golden Core Artifact Refiners.

• Chu Mu counted the Artifact Refiners gathered to repair the War Puppet and noted that most native Chen Family refiners lacked advanced weapon-refinement skills.
• Chu Mu drew the War Puppet and discovered its internal structure resembled a human body, with concealed traces of Flesh Demon Puppet techniques.
• Chu Mu concluded that the War Puppet could absorb spiritual qi and heal minor damage, though its severe destruction made that ability insufficient.
• A paper crane delivered a voice transmission, and Chu Mu carefully erased traces of his presence before leaving his residence.
• Chu Mu joined the other Golden Core Artifact Refiners in the stone reception hall and waited for the Array Dao Nascent Soul.

Chu Mu presented his repair plan for the Chen Family’s Sect Protecting War Puppet and was appointed to lead the repair. After receiving a fragment of the puppet’s refinement method, he studied it while the other Golden Core Artifact Refiners reviewed his plan.

• The Chen Family’s mutated Array Dao Nascent Soul summoned the Golden Core cultivators and offered a request of the clan to whoever proposed a feasible repair plan.
• Chu Mu and eight other Artifact Refiners submitted Jade Slips, and the Nascent Soul singled out Chu Mu’s plan as the strongest.
• The Nascent Soul placed Chu Mu in charge of repairing the war puppet, urged the others to cooperate, and gave Chu Mu a fragment of its refinement method.
• Chu Mu distributed his repair plan to the other Golden Core cultivators and began examining the refinement fragment.
• After reviewing Chu Mu’s plan, the other Artifact Refiners recognized the gap in their skills and accepted his leadership.

Chu Mu led the Golden Core artifact refiners in planning the repair of the Chen Family’s Fourth Order War Puppet, using fragmentary records to clarify most of its construction. As he considered what to request from the Chen Family, he realized the repair’s extra materials for anticipated losses might offer him an opportunity to profit.

• Chu Mu answered the artifact refiners’ questions and won their confidence before presenting a detailed repair plan for the war puppet.
• Chu Mu led a day-and-night discussion in which the artifact refiners refined the plan and gained a new appreciation of his expertise.
• After returning to his residence, Chu Mu compared the fragmentary refinement records with his deductions and clarified at least eighty percent of the war puppet’s construction.
• Chu Mu considered requesting Azure Purple Crystal and materials for a Lifebound Treasure to carry his Blade Intent, but recognized that the requirements might be beyond the Chen Family’s means.
• Chu Mu realized that the Chen Family would likely prepare surplus spiritual materials to cover repair losses, and that the extra materials could create an opportunity for him.

While restoring a Fourth Order War Puppet, Chu Mu uncovered a covert control backdoor hidden in its Demonic Markings and realized it might be a plot against the Chen Family. He concealed the backdoor, added a hidden safeguard of his own, and prepared to tell the Array Dao Nascent Soul enough to clear himself and profit from the revelation.

• Chu Mu altered eight spirit materials in the war puppet’s design, but noticed that the revised structure seemed wrong despite his calculations showing no harm.
• By investigating the Shoushan Scarlet Copper substitution, Chu Mu discovered a hidden control backdoor woven into the puppet core with Demonic Markings.
• Chu Mu considered whether the backdoor came from the puppet’s ancient creator or a later plot involving the incomplete formula given to the Chen Family, and wondered if the Longevity Sect was involved.
• Chu Mu concealed the backdoor and added a hidden safeguard so the puppet’s control seizure would reveal the Demonic Markings as its cause.
• Chu Mu planned to shift blame onto whoever had planted the backdoor while claiming credit for detecting it, then erased his notes and went to speak with the Array Dao Nascent Soul.

Chu Mu continued investigating who might be monitoring the war puppet restoration while considering how the hidden passage could benefit him. When the Chen Family prepared the required materials, the Array Dao Nascent Soul began the restoration effort and promised Chu Mu a favor if it succeeded.

• Chu Mu reviewed the possible suspects among the Golden Core and Foundation Establishment cultivators but found no evidence identifying a watcher.
• Chu Mu concluded that whether the hidden passage came from ancient times or a present-day plot, he could potentially claim the Fourth Order War Puppet.
• The Array Dao Nascent Soul announced that the restoration materials were ready, and Chu Mu joined the other artifact refiners in the stone house.
• The Array Dao Nascent Soul gave Chu Mu the required materials and promised to grant him any reasonable request if the restoration succeeded.
• The Array Dao Nascent Soul offered the other refiners spiritual items and merit points, leaving them excited and focused on Chu Mu's special reward.

Chu Mu led the repair of a Fourth Order War Puppet, distributing the gathered materials among the Golden Core Artifact Refiners before beginning work on its shattered core. After extracting the core under immense spiritual pressure, he took it into his residence to examine it privately.

• Chu Mu distributed the rare repair materials according to the agreed plan, leaving only a small number of Jade Boxes in his Storage Ring.
• Chu Mu joined the other Artifact Refiners at the War Puppet, where cultivators gathered to observe and image-record the repair.
• Chu Mu used crimson true fire to carefully extract the War Puppet’s nearly shattered control core while enduring its overwhelming spiritual pressure.
• Chu Mu examined the core’s damaged inscriptions, which gave no clear indication whether it contained a hidden back door.
• Chu Mu stored the core and entered his residence, shutting out the cultivators who wanted to watch or pry.

Chu Mu completed the repair of the war puppet’s core while recording his work for the Array Dao Nascent Soul, then emerged before the gathered Artifact Refiners with the restored core. His success earned him a vast surplus of rare materials and a reputation as a master Artifact Refiner.

• Chu Mu set up a two-way recording formation so the Array Dao Nascent Soul could witness his repair and attest to his work.
• Chu Mu spent nearly a month repairing the puppet core, and the Array Dao Nascent Soul watched his refinement through the projection.
• Chu Mu restored the core, sealed its soul-devouring influence, and stored the surplus spiritual materials, including several rare materials he had substituted for his own plans.
• Chu Mu pushed open the residence door and presented the sealed puppet heart to the waiting Artifact Refiners in the plaza.
• The Artifact Refiners congratulated Chu Mu, whose successful repair of a Fourth Order War Puppet was set to spread his reputation and attract future business.

Chu Mu installed the restored Puppet Heart, completing the war puppet’s most difficult repair and awakening its formidable power. As the other Artifact Refiners continued restoring it, Chu Mu stopped searching for the hidden schemer and waited to see how events unfolded.

• Chu Mu used Spirit Radiance Blessing to fit the Puppet Heart into the war puppet, while keeping his concealed backdoor plan in mind.
• Ink Black Radiance spread across the war puppet as it straightened and awakened, drawing congratulations and wary attention from powerful cultivators.
• Chu Mu rested, refined his Puppet Sword and Shield magic treasure, and collected surplus spirit materials while the remaining repairs proceeded.
• Chu Mu discreetly watched the Artifact Refiners for clues, but gave up when he realized the Array Dao Nascent Soul controlled the restored Puppet Heart.
• Chu Mu settled into a leisurely routine as the Artifact Refiners steadily restored the war puppet’s head, limbs, body, and armor.

Six months after the War Puppet’s restoration, Chu Mu received praise and a token from Qian Kun, who agreed to provide Azure Purple Crystal for Chu Mu’s Nine Dragons Suppressing Prison Tower. While the Chen family studied the puppet and rewarded the refiners, Chu Mu reviewed his growing merit balance and the reputation he had gained as an Artifact Refiner.

• A blood-red snowfall covered the Demon Suppression Islands while Heavenly Mystery Island remained protected by its array restrictions.
• Qian Kun praised Chu Mu for helping restore the War Puppet and asked what reward he wanted.
• Chu Mu requested Azure Purple Crystal, and Qian Kun agreed to provide it and gave him a token for arranging the treasure’s refinement in Crimson Clouds.
• Chu Mu reflected that he had exposed a hidden backdoor in the War Puppet while retaining another, and noted that the Chen family had hired the refiners to help study its construction.
• Chu Mu checked the Chen family’s merit system and saw that he had 86,000 merit points from the restoration work and his growing reputation as a master Artifact Refiner.

Chu Mu exchanged merit points for spirit materials and developed a design for a Blade War Puppet, while watching Wangcai’s ongoing transformation. At a restaurant on Heavenly Leader Island, he reunited with Xu Changqing, who had come to the Demon Suppression Islands to temper his Sword Dao by killing Monster Beasts.

• Chu Mu visited Heavenly Leader Island’s Merit Hall and exchanged his Merit Token for the spirit materials on his list.
• While waiting, Chu Mu reviewed his Blade War Puppet design, which would use Blade Intent and require a suitable Golden Core soul.
• Chu Mu checked on Wangcai’s transformation and hoped it would break through to the third order.
• Chu Mu noticed Xu Changqing watching him from a restaurant and went to meet him.
• Xu Changqing explained that he had come to kill Monster Beasts and temper his Sword Dao, and Chu Mu recognized the Demon Suppression Islands as a safer training ground than the Great Chu battlefield.

Chu Mu discussed the Chen Family’s control of the Vast Ocean Cultivation Realm and the growing opposition against it with Xu Changqing, who sought an alliance. After Xu Changqing left, Chu Mu reviewed reports revealing that Great Chu’s war had reached a deadlock, with both sides suffering heavy losses.

• Xu Changqing asked why Chu Mu would not return to the Longevity Sect, and Chu Mu said the Vast Ocean Cultivation Realm suited him better.
• Xu Changqing warned that the Chen Family closely monitored powerful cultivators and explained Five Poisons Child’s origins and opposition to its rule.
• Xu Changqing said he had come to the Vast Ocean to form an alliance against the Chen Family, and he and Chu Mu discussed Lifebound Magic Treasures before he departed with several Jade Slips.
• Chu Mu read Xu Changqing’s report and learned that the Longevity Sect and Righteous Path Alliance were locked in a costly deadlock, with the Langya Wang Family and Changping Zhao Family consolidating power on the frontiers.

Chu Mu visited True Understanding Pavilion’s Earthly Fiend Island stronghold, inspected its garrison, and rewarded its cultivators before a massive Beast Tide descended on the Demon Suppression Islands. The defenders took their assigned positions as the island’s protective barriers and weapons prepared for battle.

• Chu Mu left Heavenly Leader Island for Earthly Fiend Island after considering the souls and materials he needed for his magic treasures.
• Chang Hongshan welcomed Chu Mu and reported the pavilion’s garrison, casualties, and the growing demon threat around the islands.
• Chu Mu inspected the roster, gave the pavilion’s cultivators artifacts and Alchemical Pills, and entered the stronghold’s tower.
• Chu Mu surveyed Earthly Fiend Island’s defenses and considered whether the Beast Tide was meant to tie down the Chen Family’s forces.
• A huge Beast Tide surged toward the Demon Suppression Islands, and Earthly Fiend Island’s cultivators rushed to their posts as the island’s defenses activated.

A massive Beast Tide struck the Demon Suppression Islands as Chen Family Nascent Souls and Jiaolong Nascent Souls confronted Mo Lin in the night sky. The clash ended without a decisive battle, while the Chen Family faced pressure over the soon-ripening Blood Spirit Fruit and the Beast Tide continued to batter the islands.

• Chu Mu saw Nascent Soul Escape Lights vanish into the night sky and realized that Chen Family Nascent Souls were confronting Fourth Order Great Demons.
• Mo Lin taunted the Chen and Jiaolong Nascent Souls, hinted that a Fourth Order Jiaolong corpse puppet had been made from the burly man’s father, and questioned what the Demon Suppression Islands would truly suppress.
• Mo Lin and the enormous serpents disappeared, leaving the Chen Family Nascent Souls to discuss the Blood Spirit Fruit, their enemies, and the need to unite.
• The Nascent Souls departed as cultivators fought the Beast Tide, whose waves and creatures battered the formation barriers and filled the sea with blood and corpses.

Chu Mu accepted He Fengshan’s request to help defend Earthly Fiend Island in exchange for a third-order demon soul, and agreed to refine He Fengshan’s demon cores into flawless pills. At dawn, the defenders left the formation’s protection to meet the Beast Tide as third-order demon beasts appeared.

• Chu Mu met He Fengshan, who explained that Fellow Daoist Rakshasa was away and asked Chu Mu to help if a powerful enemy threatened the island.
• He Fengshan offered Chu Mu the soul of an early third-order Sharp Feather Beast as payment, and Chu Mu agreed to assist within his capabilities.
• He Fengshan asked Chu Mu to refine several third-order demon cores, and Chu Mu promised to produce flawless pills for collection on Heavenly Mystery Island in one month.
• At dawn, the first third-order demon beast appeared, and He Fengshan ordered the defenders to charge beyond the formation’s protection.
• Armies from Earthly Fiend Island and the surrounding islands clashed with the Beast Tide as Golden Core cultivators fought third-order demon beasts.

Chu Mu watched the Beast Tide assault the inner islands and considered how the Chen Family’s forced conscription could fuel unrest in the Vast Ocean. After rescuing the wounded He Fengshan from a Flesh Puppet ambush, Chu Mu faced two third-order demon beasts and realized his Supreme-Grade Golden Core gave him more power than he had expected.

• Chu Mu observed the brutal battle and reflected that the Chen Family’s reliance on rewards and force could intensify unrest in the Vast Ocean.
• The Bone Melting Beast transformed into a Flesh Puppet and self-detonated, badly injuring He Fengshan and damaging his Spirit Eyes.
• He Fengshan called for help, and Chu Mu drove off a Third Order Red Cloud Beast so He Fengshan could retreat to Earthly Fiend Island.
• Chu Mu recognized traces of refinement on the metal spikes and suspected someone had created the Flesh Puppet to ambush powerful opponents.
• Chu Mu fought off the Third-Order Early Stage Red Cloud Beast and the Third-Order Middle Stage Golden Winged Bird with a single spell attack.
• Chu Mu realized his strength exceeded his expectations and prepared to test himself against the two demon beasts.

Chu Mu killed the Red Cloud Beast and subdued the Golden Winged Bird while surviving the self-destruction of several puppet demon beasts. The Beast Tide battle remained deadlocked, and he plunged back into the fighting.

• Chu Mu used true fire and his blade to wound and kill the Red Cloud Beast, then captured its fleeing Demon Soul.
• Chu Mu trapped the Golden Winged Bird in the Nine Dragons Divine Fire Grand Array while finishing off the Red Cloud Beast.
• Several low-level demon beasts transformed into pseudo-Third Order puppets and detonated, but Chu Mu blocked their blast with the ancient tower.
• Chu Mu’s array killed the Golden Winged Bird, and he sealed its Demon Soul, Demon Core, and broken body in his Storage Space.
• Chu Mu saw that the Beast Tide battle remained deadlocked, then flew back into the fighting.

After the beast tide ended, Chu Mu assessed the devastation, the losses at the True Understanding Pavilion, and the strength he had displayed during the battle. He began recuperating and refining his understanding of his abilities, while the surviving cultivators sought a way to leave the Demon Suppression Islands.

• The beast tide receded, and Chu Mu returned to Earthly Fiend Island as cultivators cleared the bloody battlefield.
• Chu Mu reflected on the beast tide’s organization, its coordinated attacks on high-level cultivators, and the danger posed by the forces manipulating it.
• At the True Understanding Stronghold, Chu Mu found that only five of the pavilion’s several hundred cultivators had survived and gave them Alchemical Pills and permission to report to the Chen Family and return to the pavilion.
• Chu Mu assessed the demon beast remains, Demon Cores, and Demon Souls he had collected, then considered how his Supreme-Grade Golden Core and Nine Dragons Suppressing Prison Tower had performed.
• Chu Mu reminded himself that powerful bloodlines and gifted cultivators could still threaten him, then sealed himself away to regulate his breathing and recover.

Three years after the Beast Tide, Chu Mu profited from his alchemy and weapon-refinement skills while commanding a fleet that hunted demon beasts around the Demon Suppression Islands. His routine patrol ended when a late-stage Third Order demon beast wielding Azure Ice Flame attacked, leaving him facing its descending blades.

• Chu Mu directed a Flying Boat fleet to search the sea and send a team after three detected Second Order Demon Beasts.
• Chu Mu reflected on the profits he had made at the Demon Suppression Islands and the heavy casualties caused by the Chen Family’s conscription and cleansing operations.
• Several Flying Boats were destroyed when a Third Order demon beast burst from the sea and targeted Chu Mu.
• The demon beast covered its enormous blades in Azure Ice Flame, froze the surrounding ocean, and struck at Chu Mu.

Chu Mu fled a powerful Flesh Puppet infused with the Azure Ice Flame, but a snow-white giant serpent intercepted him and revealed that the beast had been pursuing him specifically. The chapter ended with Chu Mu facing the rare, high-status serpent of the Dark Serpent Clan.

• Chu Mu recognized the giant beast as a powerful Flesh Puppet fused with the Azure Ice Flame and chose not to fight it because the risk outweighed the reward.
• The giant beast pursued Chu Mu at high speed as he fled toward the Demon Suppression Islands.
• Chu Mu stopped after a warning from the Divine Soul Blade and avoided a sudden wall of frost that froze a vast sea vortex.
• A gigantic snow-white serpent rose from the frozen vortex, and the pursuing beast fell silent before it.
• Chu Mu realized the ice-attributed serpent was a rare, high-status member of the Dark Serpent Clan and had come for him.

Mo Bai, a Third-Order Middle Stage Dark Serpent, tried to recruit Chu Mu into the Dark Serpent Clan with an offer of access to its treasure vault, including dragon souls. Chu Mu refused, and Mo Bai attacked alongside the Double-Bladed Giant Beast, leaving Chu Mu fighting to survive against two powerful foes.

• Mo Bai appeared as a white-robed illusion and politely invited Chu Mu to join the Dark Serpent Clan because of his skill in pills and weapons.
• Chu Mu suspected that cultivators of the Hundred Arts served the Dark Serpent Clan and rejected Mo Bai's offer despite the promised treasures.
• Mo Bai dropped his courteous manner and attacked after Chu Mu warned him that reinforcements were coming.
• The White Serpent unleashed frost as the Double-Bladed Giant Beast attacked with its twin blades, forcing Chu Mu to defend himself with the Nine Dragons Suppressing Prison Tower.
• Chu Mu's Flame Blade split the White Serpent's frost, but its defensive divine ability wore down his blade light, and he continued attacking while relying on the tower to hold off the giant beast.