Chapter Summaries

Mo Hua and the Bai siblings narrowed their search for the Lu Family traitor to five suspects, but a month of investigation yielded no clues. When Mo Hua accepted Elder Su’s invitation for tea, he recognized that Shuisheng was likely Su’s illegitimate son, leaving Elder Su stunned by how Mo Hua had figured it out.

• Mo Hua, Bai Zisheng, and Bai Zixi used the partial Lu Family genealogy to identify Lu Huaiyi, Lu Huaisheng, Lu Huaide, Pei Cai, and Jiang Long as possible traitors.
• The three investigated the five suspects for a month but found nothing suspicious and began to wonder whether they had guessed wrong.
• Mo Hua accepted Elder Su’s invitation for tea because he sensed that something important might be connected to him.
• While drinking tea at the Su Residence, Mo Hua noticed that Elder Su’s disciple Shuisheng resembled him and shared a similar Lingli aura.
• Mo Hua asked whether Shuisheng was Elder Su’s illegitimate son and hinted at the name Shuixian, causing Elder Su to admit his surprise that Mo Hua knew.

Mo Hua heard Elder Su’s painful history with Shuixian and learned that Shuisheng was their son. After Elder Su and Lu Chengyun began discussing private affairs, Mo Hua spoke with Shuisheng and discovered that the young man knew about both his parents.

• Elder Su told Mo Hua how he had loved Shuixian, hesitated to free her, and blamed himself after she died and he took in their son, Shuisheng.
• Elder Su explained that he had raised Shuisheng as his disciple, though he was disappointed by Shuisheng’s Array Technique talent and temperament.
• Lu Chengyun arrived, and Mo Hua left Elder Su and Lu Chengyun to talk while he sought out Shuisheng in the garden.
• Mo Hua taught Shuisheng the basic Five Elements Array Patterns that Elder Su had never explained to him.
• Mo Hua asked Shuisheng whether he knew his mother and father, and Shuisheng nodded to both questions.

Mo Hua encouraged Shuisheng to keep studying Array Techniques and investigated Shuisheng’s belief that the Lu Family had murdered his mother. Shuisheng’s description of the Lu Family suspects made Mo Hua realize the Lu Family Patriarch had married into the family.

• Shuisheng told Mo Hua about his loving mother, his strained relationship with Elder Su, and his desire to become an Array Master in his mother’s memory.
• Mo Hua reassured Shuisheng that he could become a First-Grade Array Master and urged him to keep asking questions and focus on learning.
• Shuisheng insisted that his mother had been murdered by the Lu Family, though he had no proof and did not know who had killed her.
• Mo Hua showed Shuisheng portraits of five suspected traitors from the Little Spirit Hidden Sect, but Shuisheng did not recognize them.
• Shuisheng described the suspects as resembling Patriarch Lu, saying they understood Array Techniques, had married into the family, held status, and controlled Mine Mountain.
• Mo Hua realized from Shuisheng’s description that Patriarch Lu had married into the family.

After learning that Lu Chengyun may have married into the Lu Family and betrayed the Little Spirit Hidden Sect, Mo Hua tried to avoid him and began planning how to expose and defeat him. Lu Chengyun cornered Mo Hua and asked him to help refine a Zombie stronger than an Iron Corpse.

• Mo Hua warned Shuisheng to keep secret that Lu Chengyun had married into the Lu Family, then suspected Lu Chengyun was the Little Spirit Hidden Sect's traitor.
• Mo Hua left the Su Residence and considered how to investigate Lu Chengyun and take down the Lu Family without harming innocent people.
• Lu Chengyun used Foundation Establishment cultivators, Shadow-Revealing Arrays, and detection Spirit Artifacts to intercept Mo Hua.
• Lu Chengyun asked Mo Hua to help refine corpses, and Mo Hua admitted he knew about Iron Corpses but claimed he could not refine them.
• Lu Chengyun revealed that he wanted to refine a Zombie stronger than an Iron Corpse.

Lu Chengyun revealed that he had deduced Mo Hua knew his role in the corpse-refining scheme and tried to recruit him to help control Walking Corpses. Mo Hua agreed on the condition that Lu Chengyun give him the formation inscribed on the Iron Corpse, and followed him to help refine corpses.

• Lu Chengyun explained how Mo Hua’s changed expression and investigations led him to suspect Mo Hua had uncovered his identity as the force behind Zhang Quan.
• Mo Hua realized Lu Chengyun did not know about his ties to Instructor Yan or the Little Spirit Hidden Sect, and Lu Chengyun again asked him to refine corpses for the Lu family.
• Lu Chengyun offered Mo Hua wealth and influence, then warned that he must either help, leave Nanyue City forever, or face the Lu family as an enemy.
• Mo Hua agreed to help on the condition that Lu Chengyun give him the formation on the Iron Corpse that controlled Walking Corpses.
• Lu Chengyun praised Mo Hua’s devotion to formations and led him away, with Mo Hua following as though he were helping the Lu family’s evil plans.

Mo Hua remained under Lu Chengyun’s watch at the Lu Family until Lu Chengyun took him to a hidden corpse mine and revealed his great undertaking. There, Mo Hua encountered Zhang Quan, returned his dismantled Corpse Control Bell and Ancestor Portrait, and left Zhang Quan alarmed that several ancestors were missing from it.

• Mo Hua wrote Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi a letter after Lu Chengyun refused to let him return to his Cave Abode.
• Lu Chengyun led Mo Hua to a concealed entrance at the Lu Family's Mine Mountain and used a Corpse Control Bell to open the stone gate.
• Lu Chengyun showed Mo Hua the corpse mine, its Corpse Cultivators, and the injured Zhang Quan, whom he said was an old friend.
• Zhang Quan tried to attack Mo Hua, but Lu Chengyun stopped him and said he needed Mo Hua's help with the Lu Family's undertaking.
• Mo Hua returned Zhang Quan's dismantled Corpse Control Bell and Ancestor Portrait, then suggested the missing ancestors might have gone visiting or been eaten by a bad thing.

Mo Hua stayed in Lu Chengyun’s Corpse Mine as an honored guest while Lu Chengyun warned Zhang Quan not to harm him and explained that he valued Mo Hua’s array skills. Alone in his guarded room, Mo Hua planned how to stay safe, investigate the mine and Lu Chengyun’s corpse-refining scheme, and eventually deal with Zhang Quan and the Lu family.

• Mo Hua claimed that he had eaten Zhang Quan’s ancestor, and Lu Chengyun protected him from Zhang Quan’s anger by sending him to a prepared room.
• Lu Chengyun told Zhang Quan that Mo Hua’s array skills were exceptional and warned him not to cause trouble or let anything happen to the boy.
• Zhang Quan agreed to comply outwardly but privately resolved to seek revenge on Mo Hua from the shadows.
• Mo Hua considered Lu Chengyun’s motives and listed his plans, including finding the complete Spirit Pivot Formation Diagram and recovering the Zombie Diagram from Zhang Quan.
• Mo Hua decided to begin by learning the layout of the Corpse Mine, following the advice his father, Mo Shan, had taught him.

Mo Hua pretended to explore the Corpse Mine openly while secretly testing Lu Chengyun’s surveillance and probing its hidden chambers. He found numerous Iron Corpses and strange altars, then reached the sealed main gate and heard zombies working beyond it, leaving him wondering whether Lu Chengyun was using them to mine.

• Mo Hua stayed under guard in the Stone Hall, familiarized himself with its layout, and learned that Lu Chengyun had built the place inside a Mine Mountain.
• Mo Hua used a Concealment Array to investigate suspicious chambers, allowing Lu Chengyun to notice his apparent sneaking and grow accustomed to watching him.
• After Lu Chengyun’s surveillance eased, Mo Hua used a Concealment Cloak and Concealment Technique together to investigate the Corpse Mine’s real secrets.
• Mo Hua found more than ten sealed chambers likely holding Iron Corpses, as well as Secret Chambers containing altars and bizarre objects.
• Mo Hua reached the main gate, heard bells and the clatter of zombies beyond it, and wondered whether Lu Chengyun was using them to mine.

Mo Hua secretly mapped the Stone Hall, then used a wooden puppet called Little Tiger to dig a tunnel and exchange messages with Senior Martial Sister. After Lu Chengyun summoned him, Mo Hua followed him through a monstrous mural entrance into a hidden chamber.

• Mo Hua inferred that the Stone Hall held a powerful force of Zombies and chose a lightly fortified section of the mine wall as a place to dig out.
• Mo Hua used Little Tiger to tunnel through the mountain rock and secretly sent Senior Martial Sister a report about the Corpse Mine and Stone Hall.
• Senior Martial Sister replied through Little Tiger, and Mo Hua continued using the puppet to pass messages while he waited.
• Lu Chengyun asked Mo Hua to help him, then led him to a hall where Zhang Quan opened a hidden entrance in a mural.
• Mo Hua followed Lu Chengyun through the mural's great bloody maw into the hidden chamber.

Mo Hua discovered that Lu Chengyun’s Ten Thousand Corpse Array was a wicked-path compound array reduced from a grand array, and realized it required an Array Eye to operate. Lu Chengyun asked Mo Hua to construct that Array Eye, and Mo Hua reluctantly agreed to try.

• Mo Hua followed Lu Chengyun through the secret passage and saw the Ten Thousand Corpse Array surrounding a Bronze Coffin with thousands of linked coffins.
• Mo Hua recognized that the Ten Thousand Corpse Array was a compound array derived from a wicked-path grand array, and questioned Lu Chengyun about its origin.
• Lu Chengyun explained that he wanted Mo Hua to construct the array’s Array Eye using orthodox Spirit Gathering methods rather than an Evil Array.
• Mo Hua examined the incomplete Array Diagram and realized the array would use Spirit Stones and Lingli contaminated by the Evil Qi already present in the array.
• Lu Chengyun revealed that Elder Su had praised Mo Hua’s Array Eye insights, then urged him to build the Array Eye, and Mo Hua agreed to try.

Mo Hua pretended to struggle with designing the Ten Thousand Corpse Array’s Array Eye while Lu Chengyun and Zhang Quan pursued their own schemes. After Mo Hua handed over a deliberately flawed design, Lu Chengyun reassured him and grew more confident that he could use the young Array Master.

• Lu Chengyun gave Mo Hua array books and three days to design the Array Eye, while telling Zhang Quan that Mo Hua’s talent could make up for his lack of experience.
• Zhang Quan learned that Mo Hua was a thirteen-year-old First-Grade Array Master and considered keeping him alive to draw formations for him.
• Lu Chengyun traded Zhang Quan an extra share of corpses for the use of the Zhang Family’s Ancestor Portrait, hinting that he had a plan to nourish it.
• Mo Hua quickly drew a correct Array Eye diagram, burned it, and spent three days pretending to work while preparing a flawed version.
• Lu Chengyun identified errors in Mo Hua’s design, encouraged him to revise it, and concluded that Mo Hua was a talented but inexperienced youngster he could exploit.

Mo Hua deduced that Lu Chengyun intended to use the Ten Thousand Corpse Array to control a hierarchy of Zombies and sought the highest-level Spirit Pivot Formation hidden in the Bronze Coffin. Lu Chengyun finally showed him the complete formation diagram, and Mo Hua secretly memorized it while pretending he could not understand it.

• Mo Hua inferred that the Bronze Coffin contained a powerful Zombie meant to command Iron Corpses and the wider corpse horde.
• Mo Hua finished the Array Eye diagram and persuaded Lu Chengyun to let him draw it near the Bronze Coffin.
• Mo Hua stalled on the Array Eye until Lu Chengyun opened the Bronze Coffin and began drawing a Spirit Pivot Formation inside it.
• Mo Hua glimpsed a sealed inner Bronze Outer Coffin and recognized that the surrounding formations held the highest authority in the corpse-control hierarchy.
• Lu Chengyun showed Mo Hua an album containing the complete Spirit Pivot Formation diagram, and Mo Hua memorized it while pretending it was too difficult to understand.

Mo Hua pretended that studying the Spirit Pivot Array had exhausted his Divine Consciousness, then secretly reconstructed its formation diagram from memory. Lu Chengyun believed the array would keep Mo Hua working for him, while Zhang Quan remained wary; the chapter ended with Mo Hua completing the diagram in his Stone Chamber.

• Mo Hua feigned exhaustion after memorizing the Spirit Pivot Formation Diagram, and Lu Chengyun sent him back to rest.
• Once Lu Chengyun withdrew his Divine Consciousness, Mo Hua eagerly began reproducing the array from memory.
• Inside the Ten Thousand Corpse Array, Zhang Quan questioned Lu Chengyun about showing Mo Hua the array, but Lu Chengyun explained that the difficult technique was bait to secure Mo Hua’s help.
• Lu Chengyun described how he had spent decades mastering the array and used Evil Array methods to lower its requirements.
• Mo Hua finished reconstructing the complete First-Grade Twelve-Pattern Spirit Pivot Formation Diagram in his Stone Chamber.

Mo Hua completed the Spirit Pivot Array, discovered and sealed the back door Lu Chengyun had hidden in it, and tested the array’s ability to control multiple puppets. His deeper understanding refined his control of Lingli and strengthened his techniques within his Sea of Consciousness, leaving him eager to find a target to test them on.

• Mo Hua studied the Spirit Pivot Formation Diagram and discovered that Lu Chengyun had omitted Array Patterns to leave a back door in the Spirit Pivot Master Array.
• Mo Hua watched Lu Chengyun draw the missing Array Patterns onto the Bronze Outer Coffin and memorized them.
• Mo Hua filled the gaps, sealed the back door, and mastered the Spirit Pivot Array.
• Mo Hua used a Spirit Pivot Master Array on Big Tiger and secondary arrays on several Little Tiger puppets, controlling them all with little Divine Consciousness.
• Mo Hua’s understanding refined his manifested Lingli into Spirit Thread and improved his Fireball Technique, Flowing Water Step, Water Prison Technique, and Drawing Arrays on the Ground.
• Mo Hua devised a sequence of control and attack techniques for his Sea of Consciousness, then looked for something to test them on.

Mo Hua secretly watched Zhang Quan to find out where he had put the Zhang Family Ancestor Portrait, but discovered only Zhang Quan’s disturbing habits and suspected the portrait might be on the altar above the Ten Thousand Corpse Array. He decided to investigate the array when no one was around and realized the Spirit Pivot Formation might help him get inside.

• Mo Hua followed Zhang Quan for several days, learning his routine and watching him work on the Ten Thousand Corpse Array.
• Mo Hua saw Zhang Quan obsess over obscene albums and fly into rages, then understood how his demonic corruption had twisted him and harmed female cultivators.
• Zhang Quan sensed that someone was watching him and feared Mo Hua, but found no sign that the revealing arrays had been triggered.
• Mo Hua concluded that Zhang Quan’s albums were not the Ancestor Portrait and considered whether the portrait was with Lu Chengyun or hidden on the altar above the Ten Thousand Corpse Array.
• Mo Hua decided to enter the Ten Thousand Corpse Array when it was unattended and thought the Spirit Pivot Formation could show him how.

Mo Hua discovered that the Zombie Mural could be opened from within by pulling a simple sluice gate, then altered a Little Zombie’s Sequence Array Pattern so Big Tiger could control it. That night, he used the zombie to open the mural and entered the Ten Thousand Corpse Altar.

• Mo Hua noticed Zhang Quan use a stone sluice gate to close the Zombie Mural and realized the mechanism was easy to operate from inside.
• Mo Hua secretly changed a Little Zombie’s Sequence Array Pattern, making it controllable through the Spirit Pivot Array on Big Tiger.
• Mo Hua returned to drawing the Ten Thousand Corpse Compound Array’s Array Eye while Zhang Quan failed to discover what he had done.
• That night, Mo Hua used Big Tiger to control the Little Zombie, which climbed out of its coffin and pulled the mural’s sluice gate.
• Mo Hua memorized the face revealed in the mural and stepped into the Ten Thousand Corpse Altar.

Mo Hua studied the Ten Thousand Corpse Evil Dao Array and wondered who had given Lu Chengyun its diagram. When the Ghost Daoist’s presence surfaced in his thoughts, Mo Hua used a Thick Earth Formation to hide himself, while Sun Yi exhausted his Divine Consciousness trying to trace the person who nearly spoke the Ghost Daoist’s name.

• Mo Hua inspected the Ten Thousand Corpse Array, reconstructed its complete diagram, and recognized it as an inherited Evil Dao grand array.
• Mo Hua wondered whether the Ghost Daoist had supplied the array diagram to Lu Chengyun and other forbidden methods to ill-intentioned cultivators.
• The Ghost Daoist’s image appeared in Mo Hua’s mind, and Mo Hua nearly spoke his title before distracting himself with pain and drawing a Thick Earth Formation.
• Sun Yi sensed the earth’s Dao Rhyme and used his remaining Divine Consciousness and life force to calculate who had nearly spoken his name.
• Sun Yi heard the voice change into Mr. Zhuang’s calling him “Senior Martial Brother,” then lost the vision and his ability to calculate.
• Sun Yi left the forest in search of Mr. Zhuang, determined to learn what his former junior martial brother was hiding.

Mr. Zhuang and Old Kui discussed the danger posed by Mr. Zhuang’s senior brother, while Mo Hua escaped the Ghost Daoist’s influence in the Ten Thousand Corpse Altar. Mo Hua’s fleeting desire to consume the Ghost Shadow reached “Sun Yi,” who sensed an unknown threat and continued through the dark mountains.

• Mr. Zhuang told Old Kui that his senior brother had become too powerful to kill easily, and Old Kui offered to kill him so Mr. Zhuang could live longer.
• Mo Hua finished a Thick Earth Formation, broke free of the Ghost Daoist’s influence, and resolved to avoid thinking about the daoist’s title.
• Mo Hua wondered whether he could someday consume the Ghost Shadow to strengthen his divine sense, causing the shadow to appear again before he quickly suppressed the thought.
• “Sun Yi” sensed a faint hostile thought aimed at him, failed to trace its source, and continued through the mountains with new anger and suspicion.

Mo Hua studied the Ten Thousand Corpse Compound Array and considered ways to sabotage Lu Chengyun’s plans, but he worried about the danger to the Mine Cultivators and Nanyue City. He left without learning what the altar offerings or sealed Bronze Coffin contained and decided to find another way.

• Mo Hua studied the Ten Thousand Corpse Compound Array and understood how it refined corpses and coordinated their control.
• Mo Hua hesitated to uncover the altar’s offerings because they might be dangerous or alert Lu Chengyun.
• Mo Hua considered destroying the Bronze Coffin or array, then worried that a collapse or uncontrolled Corpse Tide could kill Mine Cultivators and threaten Nanyue City.
• Mo Hua realized he knew too little about Corpse Refining and decided to seek books on the subject when he had the chance.
• Mo Hua tried to open the Bronze Coffin’s outer layer but found it sealed, so he left without learning what was inside or on the altar.

Mo Hua secretly investigated corpse refining to learn what might be inside the Bronze Coffin, and questioned Lu Ming about zombie grades and special types. He learned that powerful Bronze Corpses were possible but also that unusual corpses did not follow the normal ranking system, leaving the coffin’s contents uncertain.

• Mo Hua returned to the Ten Thousand Corpse Altar with Lu Chengyun and saw that neither Lu Chengyun nor Zhang Quan had discovered his earlier activities.
• Mo Hua stole corpse-refining manuals from Corpse Cultivators, studied them, and chose Lu Ming to answer the questions he could not understand.
• Mo Hua visited Lu Ming’s Stone Chamber and persuaded him to explain corpse refining by pretending he might help Lu Ming earn the family patriarch’s favor.
• Lu Ming explained that zombie strength depended on both grade and rank, and that Second-Grade Bronze Corpses could rival Foundation Establishment Late Stage cultivators.
• Lu Ming described special corpses, including Puppet Corpses, Doll Corpses, and Figurine Corpses, which had distinct uses and did not follow the ordinary rank hierarchy.