Chapter Summaries

Mo Hua obtained the Reverse Spirit Array through Li San, then saw the slaughtered residents of a mountain village and felt his hatred of demonic cultivators intensify. After failing to suppress the killing intent stirred by the Water Prison Sect’s technique, he resolved to find a way to kill every demonic cultivator in the Demon Sect.

• Li San spent three thousand Demon Merit points to obtain the Reverse Spirit Array Diagram and carried it to the grove Mo Hua had designated.
• Gu Changhuai defeated Li San, took the array diagram, and helped Mo Hua decide to keep Li San alive as a possible future asset.
• Mo Hua examined the Reverse Spirit Array and told Gu Changhuai it was for setting off fireworks.
• Mo Hua and Gu Changhuai discovered a mountain village where demonic cultivators had slaughtered all the wandering cultivators living there.
• After returning to Void Gate, Mo Hua struggled with killing intent intensified by the Water Prison Sect’s technique and resolved to kill every demonic cultivator in the Demon Sect.

Mo Hua coordinated the Dao Court Office and the Void Gate to prepare a joint assault on the Demon Sect, while arranging for Li San to receive his token and regain his loyalty. As the operation neared, Mo Hua considered how to defend himself against Golden Core cultivators and realized his God-Slaying Sword might let him kill one with divine sense.

• Mo Hua used the Dao Court Office’s intelligence to identify three suspicious locations in Yanluo Mountain and urged Gu Changhuai to organize an encirclement of the Demon Sect.
• Mo Hua arranged for Gu Changhuai to secretly return Li San’s Demon Sect Token, and Li San interpreted the message inside it as proof that Elder You was testing him.
• Mo Hua persuaded Elder Xun to send Void Gate elders to support the Dao Court Office, and the two forces prepared to attack the Demon Sect in three days.
• Mo Hua planned to join the operation because the Demon Sect leader might possess the Four Symbols Azure Dragon Array Diagram, his predestined Natal Magic Treasure.
• Mo Hua considered ways to survive a confrontation with Golden Core cultivators and wondered whether his God-Slaying Sword could project outward and slay one with divine sense.

Mo Hua tried to project the God-Slaying Sword into reality, discovered a new way to guide it through his eyes, but still could not make it strike reliably. With the Demon Sect encirclement only two days away, he asked Elder Yi to help him train his movement technique and began evading the Golden Core elder’s pursuit.

• Mo Hua repeatedly failed to send the God-Slaying Sword out of his Sea of Consciousness, then struck his own soul with it and sensed how his eyes could connect his Divine Thought to reality.
• Mo Hua projected the sword toward a tree, but the attack appeared to fail; after he overexerted his eyes, he rested and reconciled with the Big White Dog over a meal.
• Mo Hua wondered whether forming a Golden Core in his divine sense would let him project the sword, and he considered learning the Reverse Spirit Array before the Demon Sect operation.
• Mo Hua asked Elder Yi to test his movement technique, then requested that the elder suppress his cultivation from late Golden Core to early Golden Core after being caught immediately.
• Mo Hua dodged Elder Yi’s pursuit several times, but Elder Yi changed his footwork and grabbed what turned out to be a water-mist illusion of Mo Hua.

Mo Hua sparred with Elder Yi, who realized Mo Hua could seamlessly combine multiple movement and concealment techniques and advised him on linking spells. After more preparation, Mo Hua joined the operation to destroy the Demon Sect at Yanluo Mountain, hoping to find the Four Symbols Azure Dragon Array Technique.

• Elder Yi gradually increased the pressure during their spar, but Mo Hua used Flowing Water Step, Water Shadow Step, and Concealment Technique to evade him until his Lingli ran low and he conceded.
• Elder Yi recognized how Mo Hua combined his techniques and agreed to train him again, then explained how to link movement techniques through their Lingli circulation and acupoints.
• Elder Yi suggested Mo Hua consider a spiritual power treasure as his Natal Magic Treasure, but Mo Hua said he had missed the time to nurture one and wanted a Copper Skin and Iron Bone-type treasure instead.
• Mo Hua reflected that he should build on his strengths and resolved to pursue the Four Symbols Azure Dragon Array Technique, which he believed might be held by the Demon Sect.
• Mo Hua practiced movement techniques with Elder Yi for two more days, then joined the operation to encircle and destroy the Demon Sect at Yanluo Mountain.

Mo Hua watched the Dao Court Office and Void Gate launch their assault on the Demon Sect in Yanluo Mountain, while speaking with Executive Inspector Fan Jin, who revealed a fearful reluctance to return to Lone Mountain City. As the battle intensified, a Dragon Roar rang out, and Mo Hua and Elder Xun Zixian recognized the presence of an evil dragon.

• Mo Hua remained under Elder Xun Zixian’s watch at the encampment while the Dao Court Office and Void Gate prepared to attack the Demon Sect.
• Fan Jin approached Mo Hua to make connections, and the two discovered they both knew Master Gu from Lone Mountain City.
• Mo Hua noticed Fan Jin’s fear when he discussed Lone Mountain City, while Fan Jin advised Mo Hua to choose his Natal Magic Treasure carefully.
• Fan Jin realized Mo Hua was the famous Little Monster of Void Gate after seeing Elder Xun Zixian pour tea for him.
• The Dao Court Office and Void Gate began their assault, surrounding the Demon Sect and fighting its cultivators across Yanluo Mountain.
• A terrifying Dragon Roar shook the battlefield, and Mo Hua identified it as a roar from the Four Symbols Azure Dragon Array while Elder Xun Zixian recognized an evil dragon.

Mo Hua watched the Dao Court Office’s assault on the Demon Sect end in victory, though the Demon Sect Leader escaped with the power of an evil dragon. After Xun Ziyou revealed the sect’s connection to the Valley of Ten Thousand Demons, Mo Hua and Xun Zixian discovered a blood-and-baleful-intent array in Yanluo Mountain, leading them to a blood-fed White Bone Stele.

• Mo Hua watched the Golden Core elders battle the evil dragon, and Xun Zixian protected him from the devastating aftershocks.
• The Dao Court Office defeated the Demon Sect, but its Leader escaped after draining a Blood Pool and breaking through the elders’ encirclement.
• Xun Ziyou told Xun Zixian and Mo Hua that he had encountered the Snake Demon and Bear Demon from the Valley of Ten Thousand Demons, killed the Snake Demon, and lost the Bear Demon.
• Xun Zixian sensed a Baleful Intent-transferring array and ordered the cultivators to stop killing surviving Demonic Cultivators while they searched for its source.
• Xun Zixian led Mo Hua and several Void Gate elders into the Blood Swamp, where they uncovered a massive White Bone Stele absorbing blood and baleful qi.

Mo Hua helped destroy Yanluo Mountain’s Blood Pattern Bone Steles and explored the ruined Demon Sect, where he found no trace of the Four Symbols Azure Dragon Array. As he slept, the Seven Souls Blood Prison Pupil Technique began absorbing killing intent, while Li San mistook Elder You’s disappearance for part of a grand plan and Mr. Tu vowed revenge on Void Gate.

• Xun Zixian and Mo Hua led two groups to destroy the White Bone Array Steles, weakening the evil array but discovering that its power had flowed into the Earth Vein.
• Mo Hua reasoned that the array had been planted in anticipation of a future massacre, and Xun Zixian warned him against pursuing power at the cost of his original heart.
• Mo Hua inspected the ruined Demon Sect and its Blood Pool but found no Four Symbols Azure Dragon Array; Xun Ziyou also said he had not seen Elder You during the siege.
• Mo Hua returned to Void Gate and fell asleep, whereupon the Seven Souls Blood Prison Pupil Technique quietly began absorbing killing intent and resentment.
• In Dao Prison, Li San heard that Elder You was still alive and convinced himself that his imprisonment had been arranged to protect him and enable the Demon Sect’s revival.
• In a secret chamber, wounded Mr. Tu vowed to destroy Void Gate.

Mr. Tu vowed to turn Ganxue Prefecture into a bloodbath at the next Dao Discussion Assembly, while Mo Hua received a disturbing omen about a dragon and his Natal Magic Treasure. As the year-end festival arrived, Yu'er told Mo Hua that he had dreamed of three versions of himself who foretold that his mother and Mo Hua would die.

• Mr. Tu endured divine punishment, reported the Demon Sect's setbacks to the God Lord, and vowed to slaughter Ganxue Prefecture during the next Dao Discussion Assembly.
• Mo Hua woke from a foreboding dream, practiced Array Techniques, and later learned from Gu Changhuai that the Demon Sect Leader had escaped and two elders remained unaccounted for.
• Mo Hua performed Heavenly Calculation about his Natal Magic Treasure and dreamed that a grotesque black presence swallowed an Azure Dragon, leaving him uncertain about the omen.
• Mo Hua passed the year-end sect assessment with an improved Dao Method grade, then visited the Gu Family and went sightseeing in Qingzhou City with Yu'er.
• Yu'er told Mo Hua that three versions of himself had appeared in a dream and foretold that his mother and Mo Hua would die; Mo Hua reassured him that he would destroy any Demons threatening them.

At the Gu Family’s Year-End Banquet, Mo Hua spoke privately with Inspector Xia, who tried to recruit him into the Xia Family and explained its bloodline secrets. The banquet’s newest arrival, Valley Master Hua, announced that she had come to see a disciple of Hundred Flowers Valley, her gaze settling on Mo Hua.

• Mo Hua reflected on Yu’er’s nightmare and linked its images of death and blood to the White Bone Evil Arrays at Yanluo Mountain.
• At the Gu Family’s banquet, Mo Hua greeted guests as an honored guest until Inspector Xia arrived and sat beside him.
• Inspector Xia privately asked about Mo Hua’s future and offered him a path into the Xia Family, but Mo Hua refused to change his surname or marry into the clan for access to the Three Talents Array.
• Inspector Xia explained bloodlines, dragon blood, and the Xia Family’s internal politics, while Mo Hua asked whether anything could eat dragons and questioned why Inspector Xia had protected Xiao Tianquan.
• Valley Master Hua arrived at the banquet, looked toward Mo Hua, and said she had come to see a disciple of Hundred Flowers Valley.

At the Gu Family’s Year-End Banquet, the Hundred Flowers Valley Master confronted Mo Hua about his visit to her sect and asked him to teach its disciples, then left with memories of someone tied to the Dragon Spring Sword. After advising Gu Changhuai to pursue Xia, Mo Hua headed back to his sect and recognized a dangerous-looking Celestial Pivot Karma on a young master who had brushed past him.

• The Hundred Flowers Valley Master sat beside Mo Hua, revealed she knew he was familiar with Hundred Flowers Valley, and asked him to teach its disciples Array Techniques; Mo Hua agreed and promised to aid the valley in the future.
• The Hundred Flowers Valley Master left the banquet and, in her carriage, caressed the Dragon Spring Sword while reflecting on Mo Hua’s resemblance to its former master.
• Elder Gu Hong told Mo Hua that Gu Changhuai’s recent achievements had brought marriage proposals from aristocratic families, though she doubted he was a suitable match for Sister Xia.
• Mo Hua urged Gu Changhuai to seize his chance with Sister Xia if they were fated, and Gu Changhuai later pondered Mo Hua’s advice after he left.
• On his way back to the sect, Mo Hua sensed a mass of blackish-purple Celestial Pivot Karma on a young master who passed him; they turned and recognized each other.

Mo Hua met Shen Linshu, a privileged Qiandao Sect disciple whose connection to the Rouge Boat and Valley of Ten Thousand Demons he suspected but could not prove. Back at Void Gate, Mo Hua resumed his studies as the sect prepared for the coming assemblies, while Elder Xun warned that Mo Hua would be a poor fit for the Sword Discussion Assembly.

• Shen Linshu introduced himself to Mo Hua and invited him to a Dao Discussion Tea Party, but Mo Hua refused and hurried back to Void Gate.
• Mo Hua suspected Shen Linshu was connected to the Rouge Boat and Valley of Ten Thousand Demons, while Shen Linshu's companions discussed retaliating against Mo Hua before the Feather Transformation elder cautioned them against it.
• Shen Linshu and his group headed toward Lone Mountain City, and Shen Linshu wondered why Mo Hua felt familiar and made him wary.
• Mo Hua returned to Void Gate, learned little about Shen Linshu, and continued his eighth year of sect life with the next Dao Discussion Assembly approaching.
• The Void Gate Sect Master worried about the sect's ranking and Spirit Stone supply, then asked whether Mo Hua should compete in the Sword Discussion Assembly.
• Elder Xun said Mo Hua was poorly suited to the Sword Discussion Assembly because his strengths and weaknesses were too obvious and opponents could target him.

Mo Hua encountered Shen Linshu, a powerful young heir whose possible ties to the Rouge Boat and Valley of Ten Thousand Demons left him wary, then returned to the Void Gate. As the next Sword Discussion Assembly approached, the sect’s leaders worried about its standing and concluded that Mo Hua was not suited to compete.

• Shen Linshu invited Mo Hua to a Dao Discussion Tea Party, but Mo Hua refused and hurried back to the Void Gate, suspecting Shen Linshu was connected to the Rouge Boat and the Valley of Ten Thousand Demons.
• Shen Linshu’s companions proposed punishing Mo Hua for refusing the invitation, but a True Person Feather Transformation elder warned them not to provoke him and redirected their attention to the Sword Discussion Assembly.
• Mo Hua investigated Shen Linshu, found little information, and resumed his studies during his eighth year at the Void Gate as the next Dao Discussion Assembly drew near.
• The Void Gate Sect Master worried the sect might fail to secure enough Spirit Stones through the Sword Discussion Assembly, while Elder Xun advised him to strengthen the disciples.
• The Void Gate Sect Master asked whether Mo Hua should compete, and Elder Xun judged that Mo Hua’s strengths and weaknesses made him easy to target in a sword contest.

Elder Xun and the Void Gate Sect Master decided Mo Hua should avoid the Sword Discussion Assembly’s dangers, though they sought a rare Natal Body-Casting inheritance that might suit him. As Mo Hua watched his fellow disciples spar and recognized how far his lingli lagged behind, he tried to strengthen his Divine Consciousness but unexpectedly fell asleep and dreamed of an Evil Fetus.

• Elder Xun warned the Void Gate Sect Master that Mo Hua’s weak spirit root and hidden abilities made the Sword Discussion Assembly too risky, then asked him to obtain the Wood White Gold Jade method.
• At Monster Refining Mountain, the Void Gate Elders arranged sparring matches to assess disciples for the coming Sword Discussion Assembly, while Mo Hua watched from a protected tree.
• Linghu Xiao told Mo Hua he would join the Sword Discussion Assembly if Mo Hua chose to participate, and Mo Hua thanked him but left the decision open.
• Mo Hua compared his lingli with his fellow disciples and realized the gap had widened, especially against top geniuses like Linghu Xiao.
• Mo Hua practiced Array Techniques at night but found his Divine Consciousness barely improving, then succumbed to exhaustion and dreamed of an Evil Fetus staring at him in the dark.

Mo Hua broke the Nightmare imposed by the Evil Fetus and investigated whether strange events had occurred in Lone Mountain City. He traveled there with Master Gu, saw how the Artifact Refining Guild had improved local livelihoods, and learned that many children collecting ore were orphans.

• The Evil Fetus trapped Mo Hua in a Nightmare where he suffered as a helpless cultivator, but he reclaimed his true self and shattered the Nightmare with his Divine Sense Sword.
• After waking, Mo Hua wondered whether the Evil Fetus was dead and whether Karma connected it to Mr. Tu, then resolved to investigate Lone Mountain City.
• Mo Hua asked Master Gu about murders in Lone Mountain City and about Diansi Fan, but Master Gu reported no major cases and described Fan as mostly rule-abiding.
• Mo Hua traveled with Master Gu to Lone Mountain City, passed Lord Yellow Mountain's temple without stopping, and saw that the Gu Family Artifact Refining Guild had grown substantially.
• Master Gu explained that the guild bought ore from struggling independent cultivators, helping them afford food, and Mo Hua learned that many of the children collecting ore were orphans.

Mo Hua eased the burden of Lone Mountain City’s orphans by enchanting their baskets with simple Wind Patterns, then investigated Lone Mountain because he suspected it was tied to the Evil God Nightmare. His search uncovered signs of possible grave robbing near the Shen Family’s restricted mountain territory.

• Mo Hua learned from Master Gu that overmining Bright Yellow Copper Ore had impoverished Lone Mountain and left many children orphaned.
• Mo Hua drew a First-Grade Wind Pattern on the children’s baskets, then gave Master Gu the pattern and instructions to teach others to keep helping the orphans.
• Master Gu arranged a feast for the Artifact Refining Guild and gave the children buns and porridge; that night, Mo Hua resisted a stronger Evil God Nightmare and suspected it intensified because he was near its source.
• Mo Hua asked Master Gu to guide him around Lone Mountain, where he found no immediate signs of Evil God activity and learned that a vast area belonged to the Shen Family.
• On the way back, Mo Hua spotted fresh stone chips and tool marks; Master Gu examined them and suspected someone had been robbing graves.

Mo Hua and Master Gu discovered signs of tomb-raiding artifacts at Lone Mountain and discussed the Dao Court’s rule that powerful cultivators must dissolve their Lingli after death. Finding no further clues, they went to the Dao Court Office to report the matter, where Fan Jin recognized Mo Hua and welcomed him eagerly.

• Master Gu identified the marks on the Mine Mountain stones as traces left by tomb-raiding artifacts and explained that some Artifact Refiners forged such tools under pressure or for Spirit Stones.
• Master Gu told Mo Hua about funerary customs, the Dao Court’s Corpse Dissolution rule for powerful cultivators, and the rumored dangers of burying high-level cultivators with their Lingli intact.
• Mo Hua and Master Gu searched Lone Mountain for more clues but found little, then decided to report the suspected tomb raiders to the Dao Court Office and meet Diansi Fan Jin.
• Fan Jin initially refused to meet Master Gu, but changed his mind after learning the visitor’s follower was a handsome young man and hurried out to welcome Mo Hua.

Mo Hua investigated signs of tomb robbing near Lone Mountain and learned from Fan Jin how the Shen Family’s mining operations had impoverished the city while helping powerful officials rise. After dinner at the Shen-owned Hongyan Restaurant, a Shen Family young master confronted Mo Hua and ordered his men to attack, forcing Fan Jin to choose between Mo Hua and the Shen Family.

• Mo Hua and Master Gu reported suspected tomb-robber traces to Fan Jin, who admitted his promotion had stalled and discussed the Shen Family’s continued control of mountain land.
• Fan Jin took Mo Hua and Master Gu to Hongyan Restaurant, where he explained how the Shen Family acquired Lone Mountain’s mines, displaced Rogue Cultivators, and left the city impoverished after mining them.
• Mo Hua questioned the Dao Court Office’s role in the Shen Family’s rise, and Fan Jin said earlier officials had been promoted for helping the family.
• A young master from the Shen Family recognized Mo Hua in the restaurant corridor, became angry when Mo Hua called him a follower, and ordered his Golden Core guards to attack.
• Master Gu stepped in to protect Mo Hua as Shen Family guards gathered, while Fan Jin panicked over whether to side with Mo Hua or the Shen Family.

Fan Jin and Master Gu protected Mo Hua when the Shen Family tried to seize him, but Young Master Shen collapsed in terror after Mo Hua merely glanced at him. After leaving the dining hall, Mo Hua arranged to meet Elder Xiu, whom he recognized as an old acquaintance connected to Young Master Yun and the Emaciated Elder.

• Fan Jin stepped in to protect Mo Hua, and Master Gu warned the Shen Family cultivators that Mo Hua was a direct descendant of Void Gate.
• The Shen Family Golden Core cultivators attacked while protecting Mo Hua, but Young Master Shen ignored their hesitation and charged Mo Hua himself.
• Mo Hua glanced at Young Master Shen, who dropped his sword and writhed in terror, babbling about blood, ghosts, and Laoyou.
• Elder Xiu arrived, recognized Mo Hua, and hurriedly ended the confrontation; Mo Hua, Master Gu, and Fan Jin left the dining hall.
• Fan Jin escorted Mo Hua to the Gu Family's Artifact Refining Guild, and Mo Hua told Master Gu he wanted to meet someone before returning to Void Gate.
• Elder Xiu left the Shen Family estate and met Mo Hua in a barren forest, where Mo Hua recognized him as the man who had traveled with Young Master Yun and the Emaciated Elder.

Mo Hua questioned Shen Xiuyan about the Shen Family’s abandoned mine, its dealings in Lone Mountain City, and Shen Qingsheng, then asked him to search the family records. Two days later, Shen Qingsheng demanded that Shen Shouxing avenge his humiliation, but admitted Mo Hua had only looked at him once.

• Mo Hua learned that Shen Xiuyan was an Elder of Xiaoling Sect and reminded him that he had saved his life in the Dilapidated Temple, persuading him to answer questions about the Shen Family.
• Shen Xiuyan told Mo Hua that the Shen Family’s mined-out mountain was sealed for safety, denied that the family openly massacred households, and explained how powerful heirs could shift blame onto collateral branches.
• Shen Xiuyan identified Shen Qingsheng’s father as Shen Shouxing, warned Mo Hua that Shen Qingsheng was vindictive, and agreed to find ordinary records about Lone Mountain City and its mines.
• Mo Hua returned to Void Gate with Master Gu, while Shen Xiuyan departed for the Shen Family.
• Two days later, Shen Qingsheng demanded revenge from Shen Shouxing, but revealed that Mo Hua had only looked at him once.

Shen Shouxing warned Shen Qingsheng not to provoke Mo Hua and ordered him watched, while Mo Hua investigated Fan Jin’s stalled transfer and learned about geomancy and tomb construction from Xie Ling. After realizing his peers were improving while he stood still, Mo Hua set out for Lone Mountain City again, with Elder Xun allowing him to go.

• Shen Shouxing rebuked Shen Qingsheng for insulting Mo Hua, forbade him from provoking Mo Hua again, and ordered a trusted subordinate to keep watch on him.
• Mo Hua asked Gu Changhuai why Fan Jin could not transfer and learned that someone influential might be keeping Lone Mountain City's officials from leaving; Gu Changhuai also judged Fan Jin capable but poorly backed.
• Mo Hua resolved to repay Fan Jin's kindness and asked Gu Changhuai about the missing Leader of the Demon Sect, but Gu Changhuai had no leads.
• Mo Hua asked Xie Ling about tomb raiding, and Xie Ling explained how geomancy, tomb layouts, and secret arrays could conceal and protect cultivators' tombs.
• Mo Hua concluded that he needed to improve before the Sword Discussion Assembly and left Void Gate for Lone Mountain City during the ten-day break.
• Elder Xun allowed Mo Hua to go, saying that a shallow pool could not raise a True Dragon.