Chapter Summaries

Mo Hua considered a formal invitation to teach at Lanshan Sect, while Master Luo explained the opportunities and risks of joining as a Rogue Cultivator. The chapter left Mo Hua uncertain about accepting, despite the promise of posts for his parents.

• Master Luo gave Mo Hua Lanshan Sect’s invitation to serve as an outer sect instructor and potentially become an elder after reaching Foundation Establishment.
• Master Luo explained that Mo Hua’s array talent could earn him better treatment, but joining the inner sect would bind him closely to Lanshan Sect.
• Mo Hua asked how to handle sect factions, pressure, and relations with other Rogue Cultivators, and Master Luo advised him to stay measured and use his talent as leverage.
• Master Luo offered to negotiate better terms and said Lanshan Sect could arrange comfortable posts for Mo Hua’s parents.
• Mo Hua thanked Master Luo but remained unsure, feeling that joining Lanshan Sect might not be the path he wanted.

Mo Hua received offers from sects and clans after Master Luo urged him to consider his choices, and Zhang Lan explained the opportunities and risks of joining a clan or a Dao Court subordinate sect. Mo Hua leaned toward remaining independent, while Zhang Lan and Liu Ruhua urged him not to marry into another family.

• Master Luo urged Mo Hua not to rush his decision, and invitations from nearby sects and clans soon arrived with offers of positions and marriage prospects.
• Liu Ruhua burned the portraits sent by clans and warned Mo Hua against marrying into another family.
• Zhang Lan gave Mo Hua a letter from the Old Chief Administrator recommending him to a sect under the Zhengzheng Direct Jurisdiction and explained the route it could provide into the Central Dao Court.
• Zhang Lan outlined the Zhang Family's offer and the Yang Family's prospects, while warning Mo Hua that joining a clan could limit his freedom.
• Zhang Lan told Mo Hua that no family deserved to have him marry into it, and Mo Hua promised to help the Chief Administrator if trouble arose.

As Immortal City’s rogue cultivators prepared to flee south from the great demon, Mo Hua struggled to choose between a safer future and helping them survive the migration. He resolved to learn first-grade grand arrays and protect an immortal city, while Elder Yu and the others began leaving their home behind.

• Mo Hua watched Immortal City empty as rogue cultivators prepared to relocate to the Wilderness, and he questioned his Dao and whether he should help them.
• Immortal City urged Mo Hua to choose his path openly and honorably, then gave him a warehouse jade talisman holding more than ten thousand Spirit Stones for his Foundation Establishment cultivation.
• Mo Hua visited Elder Yu and learned that Elder Yu, Master Chen, and the children and friends Mo Hua knew would leave with the rogue cultivators despite the dangerous journey.
• Elder Yu and Xin Youhao told Mo Hua not to follow them and urged him to pursue his own future rather than share their hardships.
• Mo Hua decided to begin with a first-grade grand array, learn to set one, slay Dao Sin in a region, and protect the peace of an immortal city.

Mo Hua decided to learn the Grand Array so he could help protect the Rogue Cultivators and eventually kill Feng Xi. Mr. Zhuang warned him about the array’s difficulty and limited time, but gave him the Grand Array jade slips after Mo Hua insisted.

• Mo Hua asked Commander Yang how long Feng Xi would take to refine its blood qi, and Commander Yang estimated about a month while planning to harry it and delay its recovery.
• Mo Hua asked Mr. Zhuang to teach him the Grand Array, arguing that refusing to try would show fear and leave him without the experience to lead a grand-array construction.
• Mr. Zhuang explained that grand arrays depended on coordinating many single arrays through an Array Hub and demanded substantial divine sense and skill.
• Mo Hua concluded that Foundation Establishment divine sense was barely enough and that the Grand Array might be his chance to help the Rogue Cultivators remain in Immortal City.
• Mr. Zhuang accepted Mo Hua’s determination and handed him ten jade slips containing the Grand Array.

Mr. Zhuang explained the demands and significance of First-Grade Grand Arrays to Mo Hua, then gave him ten Jade Slips and a Five-Element Demon-Slaying Grand Array to study. After Mo Hua left, Mr. Zhuang and Old Kui discussed whether Mo Hua could truly learn Grand Arrays.

• Mo Hua asked whether Qi Refining array masters could draw First-Grade Grand Arrays, and Mr. Zhuang explained that such prodigies existed but were exceedingly rare.
• Mr. Zhuang explained that Grand Arrays required ten-pattern divine sense, extensive array knowledge, and mastery of an entire category of array techniques, and he identified Mo Hua's Reverse Spirit Array as an Absolute Array.
• Mr. Zhuang gave Mo Hua ten Jade Slips covering Grand Array principles and introduced the Five-Element Demon-Slaying Grand Array, a trapping-and-killing array suited to dealing with Feng Xi.
• Mo Hua accepted the Jade Slips and left to study, determined to learn Grand Arrays while remaining humble.
• After Mo Hua departed, Mr. Zhuang asked Old Kui whether Mo Hua could learn Grand Arrays, and Old Kui said Mo Hua's low realm made it a distant prospect.

Mo Hua began studying the Five Elements Demon-Slaughtering Grand Array, focusing first on its immense and intricate Array Hubs. Repeated practice on the Dao Stele strengthened his divine sense, and the chapter left him steadily pursuing the array despite its difficulty.

• Mo Hua skimmed the ten jade slips, extracted the grand array’s main Array Hub and Array Eye sections, and began learning the Array Hubs first.
• Mo Hua practiced the Seven Elements Demon-Slaughtering Small Array’s Array Hub until the effort exhausted his divine sense, then continued practicing on the Dao Stele.
• Mo Hua realized that practicing formations beyond his previous limits could rapidly strengthen his divine sense, and he intensified his training despite the strain.
• Bai Zixi and Bai Zisheng watched Mo Hua draw, while Bai Zisheng stopped Bai Zixi from disturbing his concentration.
• Mei Youxin examined Mo Hua’s array, became dizzy from trying to understand it, and was shocked when he looked again.
• Mo Hua continued studying the grand array bit by bit, seeking Mr. Zhuang’s guidance when he encountered difficult points.

Mo Hua learned that Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi might leave when the city relocated, then devoted himself to mastering the Five Elements Demon-Slaying Grand Array’s hub. After a month of repeated practice, he finally drew the complete hub and was ready to begin preparing the grand array.

• Bai Zisheng told Mo Hua that a great demon would likely force the city to relocate, and Mo Hua asked whether there was another way to deal with it.
• Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi revealed their worry that Bai Zisheng would leave without taking them as disciples, while Mo Hua wondered what they would do afterward.
• Mo Hua asked Zhong Mingren about the grand array’s hub, then shut himself away to study and repeatedly practice drawing it.
• Mo Hua struggled with the hub for a month, gradually improving his drawing and strengthening his Divine Consciousness.
• Mo Hua finally drew the complete Five Elements Demon-Slaying Grand Array hub on the Dao Stele and resolved to prepare the grand array.

Mo Hua successfully reproduced the Five Elements Demon-Slaughtering Grand Array’s Array Hub and asked Mr. Zhuang to confirm it. Mr. Zhuang approved the drawing and told Mo Hua to begin preparing the resources and manpower needed to construct the grand array, while Old Kui worried about the growing demon aura and whether the array could kill the great demon.

• Mo Hua repeatedly practiced drawing the Array Hub until he reproduced it perfectly, then fell asleep from exhaustion.
• After eating, Mo Hua drew the Array Hub on a large sheet of Array Paper with his parents helping him.
• Mo Hua showed the completed Array Hub to Mr. Zhuang, who carefully checked it and confirmed that it was correct.
• Mo Hua asked if he could begin preparing to construct the grand array, and Mr. Zhuang approved while warning him that gathering resources and manpower would be difficult.
• Mr. Zhuang gave Mo Hua advice on preparing the grand array, while Old Kui noted that the great demon’s blood aura had intensified and questioned whether the array could defeat it.

Mo Hua persuaded Immortal City to gamble on building an eleven-pattern Five-Element Demon-Slaying Grand Array to trap and kill Feng Xi, a Lesser Monster, rather than abandon their homeland. Immortal City agreed, and Mo Hua went to seek support and begin preparations.

• Mr. Zhuang revealed that the array Mo Hua had learned was an eleven-pattern grand array, not the ten-pattern one Old Kui had assumed.
• Mo Hua told Immortal City that the grand array could give them a high chance of killing Feng Xi, though he warned that success was not certain.
• Immortal City weighed the risks of spending the wandering cultivators' resources against being forced to relocate, then decided to build the grand array.
• Mo Hua left to find others who could support the effort and returned home to plan the preparations.

Mo Hua proposed building a grand array to kill Feng Xi, and the leaders of the Dao Court Office and Dao Soldier Bureau agreed after trusting his abilities and imagining that his teacher would guide the work. Mo Hua resolved to build the array successfully and planned to use Array Disintegration if it failed to kill the great demon.

• Mo Hua invited Elder Yu, Chief Administrator Zhou, Commander Yang, and Zhang Lan to discuss building a grand array to kill Feng Xi, then showed them its Array Hub.
• Chief Administrator Zhou, Commander Yang, and Zhang Lan discussed the proposal and agreed to build the grand array after Zhang Lan vouched for Mo Hua and they assumed Mr. Zhuang would help.
• Chief Administrator Zhou sent Mo Hua an official note confirming that the grand array could be built.
• Mo Hua vowed not to disappoint everyone and considered how to handle the possibility that the grand array might fail.
• Mo Hua decided he would use Array Disintegration against Feng Xi if the Five Elements Demon-Slaughtering Grand Array could not kill it.

Mo Hua and Immortal City’s remaining residents began gathering the manpower and resources to build a Grand Array against Feng Xi. Chief Administrator Zhou proposed securing funds from the Qian Family and other wealthy families, and Mo Hua left Old Master An considering whether to donate.

• After the Grand Array plan was announced, many wealthy or well-connected cultivators fled, while most independent cultivators, Monster Hunters, craftsmen, and pill masters stayed to help.
• Master Ban agreed to lead craftsmen in building the Array Mediums, and Elder Yu, Mo Shan, Liu Ruhua, and others contributed Spirit Stones.
• Elder Yu refused Mo Hua’s donation of ten thousand Spirit Stones at first, insisting Mo Hua preserve them for Foundation Establishment, then secretly returned them to him.
• Chief Administrator Zhou explained that he would seek Dao Court supplies under the pretext of disaster relief and proposed asking the Qian Family to donate its assets in exchange for leniency.
• Mo Hua visited Old Master An to ask for a donation, and Old Master An asked what would happen if he wanted to contribute.

Mo Hua persuaded Old Master An to fund the effort to build the Grand Array by offering the An Family lasting recognition and future support. Old Master An agreed to donate most of the family’s Spirit Stones, and An Yonglu delivered them to Mo Hua.

• Mo Hua offered to have the An Family’s name honored on a Monster-Suppressing Stele if they donated Spirit Stones, and argued that the reputation would endure even if the family declined.
• After Mo Hua left, Old Master An berated An Yonglu for hiding during the negotiation, then decided the An Family should stay in Immortal City and help build the Grand Array.
• Old Master An ordered An Yonglu to donate seventy or eighty percent of the An Family’s resources, explaining that the contribution could earn the family goodwill and a favor from Mo Hua.
• Two days later, An Yonglu delivered the inventoried Spirit Stones and Array Technique materials to Mo Hua, while An Xiaofu stayed behind to enjoy a meal.

Mo Hua and Commander Yang sought the Spirit Stones needed for the grand array by targeting the Qingxuan City Kong Family for its crimes and alleged ties to Black Mountain Stronghold. After Dao Soldiers raided the household, the Kong Family’s resistance and the Rogue Cultivators’ long-held hatred turned the raid into a bloody slaughter, while the patriarch struggled to escape.

• Mo Hua told Commander Yang that several hundred thousand Spirit Stones were still needed and proposed confiscating a household.
• Mo Hua showed Commander Yang Kong Sheng’s Jade Pendant and accused the Kong Family of crimes and collusion with Black Mountain Stronghold.
• Commander Yang led Dao Soldiers to Qingxuan City to raid the Kong Family’s home, and a Kong Family disciple attacked the Dao Soldiers.
• Commander Yang’s forces killed one Foundation Establishment elder and routed the Kong Family patriarch, who fled as the other family members scattered.
• Qingxuan City’s Rogue Cultivators attacked the fleeing Kong Family cultivators and surrounded the patriarch, driven by their longstanding grievances.

After the Kong Family’s destruction, Mo Hua helped gather support and resources for the Five Elements Demon-Slaughtering Grand Array. Master Luo chose to stay and assist, leaving the project ready to begin construction.

• Commander Yang and the independent cultivators killed the Kong Family Head and devastated the Kong Family, while Dao Soldiers eventually restored order.
• Commander Yang told Mo Hua that the Qingxuan City Dao Court Office would face investigation and that surviving Kong Family dependents would be relocated and stripped of the Kong surname.
• Ji Qingbai, Ji Li, and Fu Lan thanked Mo Hua on behalf of Qingxuan City’s independent cultivators after the Kong Family’s assets were confiscated and distributed.
• Mo Hua asked Master Luo to recruit Immortal City Array Masters, and about half agreed to help with the grand array.
• Master Luo chose to remain and assist with the grand array, persuading more hesitant Array Masters to stay.
• With resources and manpower gathered, Mo Hua prepared to begin constructing the Five Elements Demon-Slaughtering Grand Array.

Mo Hua chose Black Mountain Stronghold as the site for the Five Elements Demon-Slaughtering Grand Array, and cultivators from Immortal City and nearby cities united to build it. After an awakening deepened his understanding of the Array Hub, Mo Hua drew the hub himself, leaving Master Luo impressed but puzzled by its clumsy-looking brushwork.

• Mo Hua selected the ruins of Black Mountain Stronghold for the grand array and asked Commander Yang to delay Feng Xi while construction was underway.
• Chief Administrator Zhou, Elder Yu, Commander Yang, and cultivators across the region organized supplies, manpower, and transport to begin building the array.
• Watching everyone work together sparked an awakening in Mo Hua, clarifying the grand array’s principles and his ability to build and control it.
• Ten days later, Mo Hua began drawing the Array Hub on a Refined Iron Array Disk, failed repeatedly, and finally completed it after five days of attempts.
• Master Luo and the other array masters saw the completed Array Hub; Master Luo marveled at its depth but wondered why its brushwork looked so unpracticed.

Mo Hua coordinated the construction and testing of the First-Grade Five Elements Demon-Slaughtering Array while preparing a contingency plan to destroy Feng Xi. After two months and five days, the grand array was completed on Great Black Mountain.

• Mo Hua designed the individual arrays, assigned work through Master Luo, and calculated the Array Hub while overseeing the arrays' compatibility.
• Master Luo realized that thirteen-year-old Mo Hua had drawn the Array Hub and was controlling the entire grand array, then devoted himself more fully to the construction.
• Commander Yang repeatedly harassed Feng Xi as the cultivators built the grand array amid the growing blood qi on Great Black Mountain.
• After dozens more days of work, the cultivators initially completed the array, and Mo Hua and Master Luo inspected it and eliminated hidden dangers.
• On October 23rd, Dao Calendar Year 20,025, the First-Grade Five Elements Demon-Slaughtering Array was officially completed.

As Immortal City’s cultivators prepared to lure Feng Xi into the Five Elements Demon-Slaughtering Grand Array, Yang Jiyong warned Yang Rong to protect Mo Hua and keep his role in building the array secret. The battle began when Yang Jiyong struck Feng Xi and drew the enraged demon toward the array.

• Mo Hua saw that Zhang Lan had reached Foundation Establishment and realized he had done so to help defend Immortal City.
• Yang Jiyong told Yang Rong that Mo Hua had built the grand array, ordered him to keep that secret, and asked him to protect Mo Hua if the battle went badly.
• Yang Jiyong and Zhang Lan exchanged barbs before Zhang Lan reassured him that Mo Hua would not have built the array without confidence.
• At the Mao Hour, Yang Jiyong struck Feng Xi with the Glittering Gold Spear, injuring it before its flesh regenerated.
• Feng Xi woke and charged at Yang Jiyong, who retreated to lure it toward the grand array.

Yang Jiyong and the others lured Feng Xi into Mo Hua’s Five Elements Demon-Slaughtering Grand Array, which Mo Hua activated to trap and attack the great demon. The array’s labyrinth began draining Feng Xi’s blood qi, leaving it with no clear way to escape.

• Yang Jiyong, Zhang Lan, Yang Rong, Elder Yu, Chief Administrator Zhou, and Old Master An took turns drawing Feng Xi toward the grand array as their lingli ran low.
• Feng Xi smashed through the first iron gate, but the gate’s array reinforcement stopped its next charge long enough for Mo Hua to connect with the Array Hub.
• Mo Hua activated the Five Elements Demon-Slaughtering Grand Array, illuminating Great Black Mountain and drawing the attention of cultivators in Immortal City and Mr. Zhuang and Old Kui on South Mountain.
• Mo Hua used the Quicksand Formation to pull Feng Xi into the array’s central labyrinth, where the reinforced walls blocked its escape.
• Feng Xi failed to break through the labyrinth walls, and the Golden Light Arrays struck it with waves of sword beams that repeatedly ground away its blood qi.

Mo Hua controlled the Five Elements Demon-Slaughtering Grand Array as the cultivators wore down Feng Xi over more than twenty days, only for the demon to rise again with an Eerie Daoist’s face. Mr. Zhuang recognized the phenomenon as Dao Heart Planting Demon.

• Mo Hua used the Five Elements Demon-Slaughtering Grand Array to trap Feng Xi in successive formations, while Zhang Lan, Yang Jiyong, and the other cultivators intervened whenever the array faltered.
• For more than twenty days, Mo Hua and the cultivators kept Feng Xi trapped and attacked it until its blood and qi were exhausted and it collapsed.
• The exhausted cultivators celebrated Feng Xi’s apparent death, but Mo Hua noticed it silently rising again.
• Feng Xi’s pig face transformed into a human face resembling the Eerie Daoist, and black-gray deathly qi spread around it.
• Mo Hua realized that the Eerie Daoist’s Divine Thought had driven Feng Xi’s rebirth, and Mr. Zhuang identified the phenomenon as Dao Heart Planting Demon.

Mr. Zhuang explained how Ghost Daoist used Dao Heart Planting Demon to seize control of Feng Xi, then secured Old Kui’s promise to help defend Immortal City. As the exhausted cultivators evacuated, Mo Hua stayed behind and triggered the collapse of the Five Elements Demon-Slaughtering Grand Array to kill the resurrected Feng Xi.

• Mr. Zhuang explained that Ghost Daoist’s demonic thought survived by consuming human Divine Consciousness, took over a pig demon, and eventually controlled Feng Xi.
• Mr. Zhuang persuaded Old Kui to spend one of his lives helping if Feng Xi entered Immortal City, for Mo Hua’s sake.
• With the grand array short of Spirit Stones and the cultivators unable to fight on, Mo Hua ordered their retreat and prepared to collapse the array.
• After everyone else left, Mo Hua faced Feng Xi alone, reversed the lingli through the Array Hub, and triggered the grand array’s collapse.