Recaps

Mo Hua discovered that the Pale-Faced Man drained a captive cultivator called a Spirit Slave to strengthen himself and carried a special Fireball Technique manual. While continuing his map work in Black Mountain Stronghold, Mo Hua overheard that the fat cultivator was delivering food to a young master, possibly the one from the Kong Family.

• Mo Hua followed the Pale-Faced Man and saw him drain a Spirit Slave’s Lingli before meditating to refine it.
• Mo Hua spotted the word “Fireball” on the manual the Pale-Faced Man studied, but could not take it.
• Mo Hua pitied the Spirit Slave and resolved to grow strong enough to defeat the fiends of Black Mountain Stronghold.
• Mo Hua kept working on the Topographical Map and ate wild fruit and pastries from the stronghold’s kitchen.
• Mo Hua overheard the cook tell the fat cultivator to deliver food to a young master and wondered if it was the young master from the Kong Family.

Mo Hua secretly watched Kong Sheng beg a Black Mountain Stronghold cultivator to carry a ransom message, then heard Kong Sheng blame others for his own downfall and vow revenge. After two days of mapping the stronghold, Mo Hua realized he had eaten pastries meant for the Third Leader and considered killing the fat cultivator who threatened whoever stole them.

• Mo Hua followed the fat cultivator to Kong Sheng’s room and listened as Kong Sheng offered Spirit Stones and a Jade Pendant in exchange for a message to his father.
• Kong Sheng urged his father to destroy Black Mountain Stronghold, while the fat cultivator pocketed the Jade Pendant and pretended to agree.
• Mo Hua secretly watched Kong Sheng rage against the Ji father and son, Fu Lan, and the Evil Cultivators, then decided Kong Sheng should remain in the stronghold.
• Two days later, Mo Hua ate pastries in the kitchen and learned they had been prepared for the Third Leader.
• The fat cultivator threatened to kill whoever stole the pastries, and Mo Hua considered killing him first.

Mo Hua secretly fed a chained tiger demon and weakened the Demon-Binding Chain’s array, letting the beast break free and attack the fat cultivator. After assessing the cultivator’s strength, Mo Hua prepared to trap him with the Water Prison Technique and feed him to the tiger.

• Mo Hua watched the fat cultivator and discovered he delivered small meals to a chained tiger demon.
• Mo Hua secretly fed the hungry tiger demon dried meat, and the clever beast hid how much strength it had regained.
• While the fat cultivator pondered the missing kitchen food, Mo Hua used a brush to undo the array patterns on the Demon-Binding Chain.
• The tiger demon broke free and attacked the fat cultivator, who dodged its strikes and threatened to torture it once it was recaptured.
• Mo Hua assessed the fat cultivator’s abilities and began preparing to use the Water Prison Technique to trap him for the tiger demon.

Mo Hua secretly helped the chained Tiger Monster kill the fat cultivator and recovered Kong Sheng’s Jade Pendant. He recognized the beast as the Cat Monster he had once fed, then hid as Evil Cultivators arrived and revealed that the Fourth Leader kept it for its blood.

• The fat cultivator realized someone had fed and freed the Tiger Monster, tried to flee, and was trapped by Mo Hua’s spells before the beast killed him.
• Mo Hua took Kong Sheng’s Jade Pendant from the fat cultivator’s Storage Bag and kept the other items untouched.
• Mo Hua recognized the Tiger Monster as the Cat Monster he had fed and released into Great Black Mountain, then gave it dried meat.
• Hearing Evil Cultivators approach, Mo Hua concealed himself while the Tiger Monster returned to its chains and feigned weakness.
• Two Evil Cultivators found the fat cultivator’s corpse, and the short one warned that the Fourth Leader kept the Tiger Monster for its blood.

Mo Hua learned that Scarface had deceived and abused a captive woman whose husband he had killed, then watched her take her own life. He resolved to kill Scarface before leaving Black Mountain Stronghold.

• Two Evil Cultivators noticed the Demon-Binding Chain's Array Technique looked dim, but dismissed their concerns and continued cleaning after seeing the Tiger Monster subdued.
• Mo Hua decided he had gathered enough intelligence to return, though he still regretted failing to steal the Pale-Faced Man's Fireball Technique manual.
• While eavesdropping, Mo Hua heard Scarface admit that he had threatened a captive woman with her husband's life, then killed the husband anyway.
• Mo Hua found the battered woman imprisoned alone and told her that Scarface had killed her husband.
• The woman took her own life, and Mo Hua resolved to kill Scarface before returning home.

Mo Hua stole Scarface’s Storage Bag and used it to make Scarface believe the Pale-Faced Man had tried to kill him for the Dual Cultivation Technique. Scarface killed the Pale-Faced Man, while Mo Hua’s scheme went unnoticed.

• Scarface found his furnace vessel dead and tried to suppress his rising evil fire beneath a waterfall.
• Mo Hua stole Scarface’s Storage Bag, then knocked Scarface toward the abyss with three Fireball Techniques, but Scarface caught the cliff and survived.
• Scarface assumed the Pale-Faced Man had ambushed him to steal the Dual Cultivation Technique from his Storage Bag.
• Mo Hua left Scarface’s Storage Bag outside the Pale-Faced Man’s door, where the Pale-Faced Man found the technique inside and took it.
• Scarface confronted the Pale-Faced Man and killed him after mistaking his innocent explanation for a lie.

Mo Hua stole the Pale-Faced Man’s Storage Bag, then arranged for Kong Sheng to escape so Scarface would kill him. After Scarface received only a minor punishment, Mo Hua realized his schemes had left clues and Black Mountain Stronghold had grown suspicious, while the old Evil Cultivator ordered Kong Sheng’s body fed to the pigs.

• Scarface killed the Pale-Faced Man and left his Storage Bag behind, which Mo Hua stole to obtain a Fireball Technique manual.
• Mo Hua knocked out Kong Sheng, opened his cell, and hid a Blazing Flame Talisman in his sleeve before luring Scarface toward him.
• Kong Sheng mistook the open gate for a rescue, tried to escape, and Scarface killed him after spotting the Talisman.
• An old Evil Cultivator gave Scarface a major demerit and ordered him to stand night watch alone, while Mo Hua considered leaving the stronghold because his plots had raised suspicion.
• The old Evil Cultivator ordered Scarface to drag Kong Sheng’s body away and feed it to the pigs.

Mo Hua secretly followed Scarface into Black Mountain Stronghold’s Rear Stronghold and discovered a blood-tainted alchemy room with a giant pig demon. He hid from Third Leader and watched him begin contemplating a Visualization Diagram, leaving Mo Hua shocked by the discovery.

• Mo Hua followed Scarface to a bronze gate guarded by an evil array that used a human skull and blood to open.
• Mo Hua slipped into Rear Stronghold and found a grotesque alchemy room with a bone-white furnace and strange, living ingredients.
• Mo Hua saw Scarface feed Kong Sheng’s corpse to an enormous pig demon.
• Third Leader arrived, dismissed Scarface, and meditated in the alchemy room while Mo Hua hid on a roof beam.
• Third Leader took out a picture and began visualizing it, and Mo Hua realized it was a Visualization Diagram.

Mo Hua escaped Third Leader's notice and stole the Visualization Diagram he had hidden, but opening it unleashed a Green-Faced Imp that invaded Mo Hua's Sea of Consciousness. The chapter ended with Mo Hua under attack inside his own mind.

• Mo Hua watched Third Leader hide the Visualization Diagram in a concealed compartment before leaving the sealed alchemy room.
• Unable to open the beast gate, Mo Hua used his array skills to uncover the hidden compartment and take the diagram.
• Mo Hua remembered Mr. Zhuang's warning but accidentally unfolded the dangerous Visualization Diagram after glimpsing its painting.
• The painted daoist boy transformed into a Green-Faced Imp, which leaped from the diagram and burrowed into Mo Hua's Sea of Consciousness.

Mo Hua discovered that Array Techniques could harm the Green-Faced Imp inside his Sea of Consciousness and used an Earth Fire Array to wound it. As the imp tried to flee, a broken stone stele appeared, terrifying it.

• The Green-Faced Imp entered Mo Hua’s Sea of Consciousness and attacked him, hoping to devour his Divine Sense.
• Mo Hua evaded the imp with Flowing Water Step but found he could not cast spells without Lingli.
• The imp transformed into an evil ghost, while Mo Hua used the time to draw an Earth Fire Array in his Sea of Consciousness.
• Mo Hua’s array burned the evil ghost’s Divine Thought, weakening it and forcing it to retreat.
• As the evil ghost reached the edge of Mo Hua’s Sea of Consciousness, a broken stone stele appeared and made it cry out in terror.

Mo Hua subdued and absorbed the Green-Faced Imp, then purified the evil thoughts it left in his mind with the Dao Stele and Mr. Zhuang’s Meditation Technique. The imp’s purified Divine Thought nearly shattered Mo Hua’s Sea of Consciousness, but he used it to complete the First-Grade Ten-Pattern Reverse Spirit Array.

• Mo Hua seized the weakened Green-Faced Imp and threatened to eat it, triggering the Dao Stele to refine the imp into green qi that Mo Hua swallowed.
• Mo Hua received the Green-Faced Imp’s memories and was overwhelmed by the urge to eat people and other evil thoughts.
• Mo Hua meditated before the Dao Stele, using Mr. Zhuang’s teachings to purge the evil thoughts from his mind.
• The purified Divine Thought flooded Mo Hua’s Sea of Consciousness and threatened to split it apart, so he drew arrays on the Dao Stele to expend the excess power.
• Mo Hua repeatedly practiced the Reverse Spirit Array until he completed the First-Grade Ten-Pattern array, using the Green-Faced Imp’s Divine Thought to surpass his usual limits.

Mo Hua discovered that erasing the Reverse Spirit Array returned Foundation Establishment-level divine sense to him, opening the way for him to establish his foundation. Back in Black Mountain Stronghold, the Third Leader mistook Mo Hua for an ancient cultivator who had possessed a child, and Mo Hua played along by claiming he wanted to eat people.

• Mo Hua erased the Reverse Spirit Array and found that his own divine sense flowed back into his Sea of Consciousness at the Foundation Establishment Realm.
• Mo Hua redrew the array using his own divine sense and realized the Heavenly Derivation Art's divine-sense bottleneck no longer blocked his path to Foundation Establishment.
• Mo Hua withdrew from his Sea of Consciousness and found the Third Leader watching him in the Alchemy Room.
• The Third Leader probed Mo Hua with his divine sense, sensed its Foundation Establishment-level depth, and concluded Mo Hua was an ancient cultivator who had used possession.
• Mo Hua recognized the Third Leader's mistaken assumption and claimed that he was hungry and wanted to eat people.

Mo Hua manipulated the Black Mountain Stronghold Evil Cultivators into escorting him outside under the guise of being a Demonic Path old monster who ate people. After the Eighth Leader left him in a secluded forest, Mo Hua returned to the gate and knocked Scarface unconscious so he could escape.

• Mo Hua frightened the Third Leader and Eighth Leader by claiming he wanted to eat people, then selected five Evil Cultivators to accompany him outside.
• The Eighth Leader opened the stronghold’s Blood Array and Beast Gate and led Mo Hua and the chosen Evil Cultivators into the mountains.
• The Eighth Leader brought Mo Hua to a secluded forest, killed the selected Evil Cultivators, and left Mo Hua there alone.
• After the Eighth Leader’s Divine Consciousness faded, Mo Hua returned to Black Mountain Stronghold’s gate and struck Scarface unconscious with his Thousand-Jun Rod.

Mo Hua captured Scarface, exposed his feigned death, and condemned him for the people he had harmed. After leaving Scarface wounded and scented with bait for demon beasts, Mo Hua concealed himself and headed away from White Mountain Stronghold.

• Mo Hua struck Scarface and explained that his heightened Divine Consciousness had revealed the Lingli movements behind Scarface’s feigned death.
• Scarface pleaded and swore to change, but Mo Hua rejected his excuses and broke his limbs with the Thousand-Jun Rod.
• Mo Hua covered Scarface with Monster-Scented Grass, attracting nearby demon beasts to the wounded cultivator.
• Mo Hua knocked Scarface unconscious, then used his Concealment Technique and Flowing Water Step to leave the area.

Mo Hua found his way out of the Deep Mountain and reunited with the Monster Hunters and his worried parents. He left with them, promising to protect his life and not make his family worry again.

• Mo Hua used his strengthened Divine Consciousness to navigate the mist but became unsure of the unfamiliar paths near the Deep Mountain's edge.
• Mo Hua heard the searching Monster Hunters calling his name and hurried toward them.
• The Monster Hunters recognized Mo Hua and rejoiced at finding him unharmed.
• Mo Shan met Mo Hua and took him to the campsite, where Elder Yu embraced him and urged him to protect his life.
• Mo Hua apologized to his parents and promised to live safely and avoid making everyone worry; Pei Weixin led the group back.

On the journey back from Black Mountain Stronghold, Mo Hua reflected on the dangers and gains of his infiltration, including what he had learned about Mr. Zhuang and the Dao Stele. He resolved to become more careful and stronger so he could confront the Evil Cultivators and protect others.

• Mo Hua reviewed how he had bluffed his way out of dangerous encounters at Black Mountain Stronghold and resolved to plan more carefully in the future.
• Mo Hua recalled learning that the Dao Stele had terrifying, mysterious powers, and that his Divine Consciousness had grown greatly after the Visualization Diagram encounter.
• Mo Hua considered the intelligence he had gathered about Mr. Zhuang and the stronghold, along with the Fireball Technique manual and Kong Sheng's Jade Pendant he had obtained.
• Mo Hua concluded that he needed cultivation, spells, and Array Techniques to face Mr. Zhuang and protect the people of Immortal City.
• Mo Hua and the others left the Inner Mountain and continued along the outer mountain road as the miasma and danger around them eased.

After returning to Immortal City, Mo Hua revealed detailed intelligence about the Evil Cultivator stronghold Elder Yu, including its leaders, numbers, and human pill-making. The group decided to seek Dao Soldiers from Cultivation Ink, while Mo Hua’s maps gave them routes into the stronghold.

• Elder Yu questioned Mo Hua about what he had found in Deep Mountain, and Mo Hua explained that hundreds of Evil Cultivators were based in a stronghold called Elder Yu.
• Mo Hua presented detailed maps of the stronghold and described its seven Foundation Establishment leaders, including the Eighth Leader who created the fog with a Mist Array.
• Mo Hua reported that the Evil Cultivators were using people to refine pills, and Zhang Lan identified them as Human Longevity Pills.
• Black Mountain Stronghold judged that the monster hunters could not defeat the Evil Cultivators, so Zhang Lan planned to request Dao Soldiers from Cultivation Ink.
• Mo Hua shared a route map of Deep Mountain, including a hidden path to Elder Yu’s gate, and Black Mountain Stronghold entrusted the matter to Yanguina.

Zhang Lan explained that Human Longevity Pills were forbidden pills made by killing many people to steal small portions of their lifespans, and suspected the Little Leader was using them as his final limit approached. The discussion shifted to Mo Hua’s escape from White Mountain Stronghold, and Zhang Lan and Elder Yu discovered that Mo Hua’s Divine Consciousness rivaled Foundation Establishment despite his Qi Refining cultivation.

• Zhang Lan explained that cultivators could not escape the Heavenly Dao’s final limit, and that Human Longevity Pills stole small portions of life from many victims.
• Mo Hua and Zhang Lan reasoned that the Little Leader might be nearing his lifespan limit and refining Human Longevity Pills in White Mountain Stronghold.
• Zhang Lan asked how Mo Hua had entered the forbidden Alchemy Room, and Mo Hua said he had turned invisible and slipped in while the Sixth Leader was away.
• Mo Hua said the Sixth Leader had sent him out, then explained that he had encountered the Sixth Leader after being delayed.
• Zhang Lan and Elder Yu sensed that Mo Hua’s Divine Consciousness was powerful enough to obscure their perception, despite his Qi Refining cultivation.

Mo Hua returned home from White Mountain Stronghold and reassured his parents with cheerful stories while eating the meal Liu Ruhua had made. The Eighth Leader recovered his Visualization Diagram but discovered that its Dao Child was gone, leaving him bent on finding Mo Hua, who was preparing to pursue Foundation Establishment.

• The Third Leader returned to the grove, realized a demon beast had devoured the Evil Cultivators, and grew suspicious of Mo Hua before hurrying toward the Alchemy Room.
• The Eighth Leader found his Visualization Diagram, but its Dao Child had vanished and he could no longer use it to strengthen his Divine Consciousness.
• The Eighth Leader suspected Mo Hua had destroyed the diagram and vowed to track him down and uncover his origins.
• Mo Hua ate Liu Ruhua’s cooking and told his parents amusing versions of his dangerous experiences so they would not worry.
• Mo Hua considered that his Foundation Establishment-level Divine Consciousness and saved Spirit Stones might let him break through and advance his cultivation.

Mo Hua discovered that the Green-Faced Imp’s memories and evil thoughts still lingered in his Sea of Consciousness after he ate it, and he asked Mr. Zhuang whether this was dangerous. Mr. Zhuang recognized that Mo Hua’s Divine Consciousness had reached Foundation Establishment and realized its rapid growth would force him to revise his plans.

• Mo Hua practiced the First-Grade Ten-Pattern Reverse Spirit Array and noticed disturbing images and shifting emotions from the Green-Faced Imp surfacing in his Sea of Consciousness.
• Mo Hua visited Mr. Zhuang and explained that a ghost from a Visualization Diagram had entered his Sea of Consciousness and that he had eaten it.
• Mr. Zhuang was shocked that Mo Hua had eaten the Green-Faced Imp, then confirmed that Mo Hua’s Divine Consciousness had reached Foundation Establishment.
• Mo Hua told Mr. Zhuang that the imp’s memories and evil thoughts continued to trouble him, and Mr. Zhuang warned that lingering evil thoughts could defile his Sea of Consciousness.
• Mr. Zhuang realized Mo Hua’s Divine Consciousness had grown too quickly for his previous plans, while Mo Hua decided to meditate and guard his heart.

Mr. Zhuang explained to Mo Hua how Visualization Diagrams conceal evil Divine Thoughts and how cultivators can discern their true forms. He warned Mo Hua about stronger ghosts and Evil Gods, then asked what Dao Foundation he wanted to build.

• Mo Hua worried that eating the Green-Faced Great Ghost might corrupt him, and Mr. Zhuang reassured him that he had merely failed to digest it.
• Mr. Zhuang explained that Visualization Diagrams could contain lingering Divine Consciousness or nonhuman Divine Thoughts, and that their outward scenes could hide their true forms.
• Mr. Zhuang warned that ghosts varied in strength and could devour cultivators’ Divine Consciousness or take over their Sea of Consciousness.
• Mr. Zhuang taught Mo Hua to discern hidden truths through strong Divine Consciousness, experience, and comprehension of the Heavenly Dao.
• Mr. Zhuang explained that character and tempering mattered to cultivation, then asked Mo Hua what Dao Foundation he intended to build.

Mr. Zhuang explained that Mo Hua’s weak body and ordinary Lingli made divine sense his best path to Foundation Establishment. The chapter left Mo Hua considering whether to devote himself to cultivating divine sense, a rare path that might lead him to the Great Dao.

• Mo Hua asked Mr. Zhuang how to choose a Dao Foundation and learned that a cultivator’s foundation depended on divine sense, Lingli, and the physical body.
• Mr. Zhuang told Mo Hua that his body was innately weak and his middle-grade lower-tier Lingli was far below that of many noble-clan and Spirit Root disciples.
• Mr. Zhuang explained that Mo Hua could improve his body only to a limited extent and could not change his inherited Lingli.
• Mr. Zhuang advised Mo Hua to build on his exceptional divine sense rather than compete with others in body or Lingli.
• Mo Hua asked whether other cultivators chiefly cultivated divine sense, and Mr. Zhuang said few did, though it might allow Mo Hua to glimpse the Great Dao.

Mr. Shenshi explained that Mo Hua’s path lay in cultivating divine sense, which would double upon Foundation Establishment and strengthen his arrays, spells, and ability to break through bottlenecks. He urged Mo Hua to study the Reverse Spirit Array and warned him to preserve his Dao Heart as he pursued power.

• Mo Hua realized that specializing in divine sense best suited his reliance on arrays, spells, and his cultivation method’s maze-array bottleneck.
• Mr. Shenshi explained that Foundation Establishment doubled divine sense and that Mo Hua’s already powerful divine sense could grow further after the breakthrough.
• Mr. Shenshi said that First-Grade Ten-Pattern arrays with Heavenly Dao anomalies could strengthen divine sense and offered to teach Mo Hua the Reverse Spirit Array.
• Mr. Shenshi warned that Visualization Diagrams and their Evil Thoughts could be dangerous, and Mo Hua agreed to learn the Reverse Spirit Array.
• Mr. Shenshi cautioned that worldly desires could erode cultivators’ Dao Hearts and urged Mo Hua not to lose his Dao or forget his original heart.
• After finishing his advice, Mr. Shenshi grew exhausted and fell asleep.

Mo Hua shared what he had learned about White Mountain Stronghold with Bai Zisheng, Bai Zixi, and Feng Danguan, and asked the Bai siblings about Evil Cultivators, Demonic Cultivators, and their arrays. The chapter left them astonished by Mo Hua’s Foundation Establishment-level Divine Consciousness, while Mo Hua kept the secret of how he had obtained it.

• Mo Hua visited Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi beneath the Big Locust Tree and asked Bai Zisheng about preparing for Foundation Establishment.
• Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi explained what they knew about Evil Cultivators, Demonic Cultivators, and the forbidden arrays that used flesh, blood, and human lives.
• Mo Hua told the Bai siblings about his experiences at White Mountain Stronghold but withheld the details of his Visualization Diagram.
• Mo Hua revealed that his Divine Consciousness had reached Foundation Establishment, startling Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi.
• Mo Hua told Feng Danguan about White Mountain Stronghold, prompting Feng Danguan to condemn the Evil Cultivators and ask how Mo Hua’s Divine Consciousness had advanced.

Mo Hua practiced the Reverse Spirit Array to strengthen his divine sense and considered how to prepare for Foundation Establishment, while Bai Zisheng worried over leaving before he had taught Mo Hua everything. The chapter left Bai Zisheng quietly wondering how much longer he could hide his worsening condition.

• Mo Hua asked about evil arrays, and Bai Zisheng warned him that he would likely learn them too easily and should not ask Mr. Zhuang about them.
• Mo Hua told Mr. Zhuang how he had escaped White Mountain Stronghold and tricked the Evil Cultivators to their deaths.
• Xin Youbo urged Mo Hua to temper his heart against evil thoughts, and Mo Hua agreed to practice that way.
• Bai Zisheng admitted that he was reluctant to leave before finishing Mo Hua's instruction, while Old Kui questioned what he could not bear to leave behind.
• Mo Hua practiced the Reverse Spirit Array, recovered his divine sense through meditation, and began planning for Foundation Establishment.
• Bai Zisheng watched the moonlit mountains and asked Old Kui how much longer he could hide.