Chapter Summaries

The procession continued on, with Wei Wu’s choices making Qian Wuliang and Wang Tie Zhu resentful. Wei Wu defended the new temple as an investment in the region’s future, leaving Wang Tie Zhu worried about his standing as Green Ox’s foremost disciple.

• Wei Wu rode alongside the ox cart while Qian Wuliang watched his Dual Corpse Sedan struggle to carry a copper furnace.
• The procession passed the Immortal Green Ox Temple Wei Wu had built, where natives gathered to see them off.
• Wang Tie Zhu grew angry at Wei Wu’s temple and compared himself unfavorably to him.
• Wei Wu argued that the temple could attract faith and serve a future gateway between Southern Jambudvipa and the Western Regions.
• Wang Tie Zhu silently decided to find a way to send Master away so he would not keep losing ground to Wei Wu.

Half a month into the westward expedition, Qin He watched the group battle a massive demonized tiger and used the commotion to draw out the hidden presence that had been watching him. The tiger remained alive despite the cultivators’ siege, while Qin He expected whatever was following him to reveal itself soon.

• The cultivators attacked a huge, hairless white tiger, whose strength and sweeping blows scattered them and devastated the forest.
• Wang Tie Zhu suggested leaving the battle to continue toward the Western Regions, but Qin He said he wanted to create a greater commotion to draw something out.
• Qin He explained that he had felt a concealed presence watching him since the group passed through Lingyu Kingdom, and that the feeling had grown stronger during their journey.
• Qin He, Wang Tie Zhu, and Ma Fei discussed how demonized creatures in the Western Regions differed from the more grotesque demonized creatures of Southern Jambudvipa.
• The tiger, despite having only Dao Palace Realm strength, endured the siege for an hour, and the cultivators still struggled to land a killing blow.

Wei Wu used Buddha's Palm to defeat the giant tiger's horde of tiger ghosts and leave it badly wounded, but the tiger quickly counterattacked. As Wei Wu dodged, a tiny webbed claw struck the tiger and sent it spinning.

• Wei Wu unleashed Buddha's Palm, and the giant tiger answered with countless tiger ghosts formed from its victims.
• Buddha's Palm destroyed the ghosts and struck the tiger, leaving it mangled in a five-fingered crater.
• The wounded giant tiger sprang at Wei Wu, who dodged its claws.
• The giant tiger paused at a flash of white, and a tiny webbed claw slammed into its face, knocking it spinning.

Little Sable killed the giant tiger with one swipe and brought its Beast Crystal to Qin He, stunning the Heaven Punishing Bureau and Qin He's companions. Qin He tasted the crystal and shared a tiny piece with Little Sable.

• The giant tiger succumbed to its injuries after Little Sable struck it, and the witnesses were shocked by her strength.
• Little Sable retrieved a gleaming green Beast Crystal from the tiger's skull and ran back to Qin He.
• Qin He examined the crystal, crushed off a corner, and ate it.
• Little Sable watched Qin He eat and licked her lips, so he gave her a tiny piece to try.

Qin He and the others harvested the tiger corpse after Qin He and Little Sable ate its Beast Crystal. Qin He confronted the hidden presence in the Dual Corpse Sedan, but the corpse puppets broke free and fled west after he marked them.

• Wang Tie Zhu and Lamborghini hurried to the tiger corpse, and Qin He sent Ma Fei, Old Ape, Wu De, Fahai, and Qian Wuliang after them.
• Qin He turned to the Dual Corpse Sedan and revealed that he knew someone had been watching him.
• The two corpse puppets raised their heads and spoke to Qin He, refusing to reveal their identities.
• Qin He threatened the corpse puppets and summoned Purple Cloud Divine Thunder.
• The corpse puppets broke through Qin He's restraint and fled west, so Qin He marked them and vanished in pursuit.

Qin He chased the Black Radiance across the sky, using his aerial technique, buffs, and divine thunder to overpower it until it agreed to answer his questions. The Black Radiance revealed that the Lord of Ultimate Bliss had sent it.

• Qin He flew after the Black Radiance with the Cloud-Riding Mist-Walking Technique while the onlookers marveled at his speed.
• Qin He attacked with Soul Capturing Needles, Corpse Suppressing Nails, and lightning, but the Black Radiance accelerated away.
• Qin He ate the Giant Tiger Beast Crystal, stacked buffs, and used Purple Cloud Divine Thunder to catch and injure the Black Radiance.
• The Black Radiance agreed to stop fleeing and answer Qin He's questions after he threatened to cripple it.
• Qin He asked what the Black Radiance was and why it had been lurking near him, and it said the Lord of Ultimate Bliss had sent it.

Qin He discovered that Black Radiance served the Lord of Ultimate Bliss, whom it described as a powerful lower-realm god. When Qin He jokingly called its lord a Pig Demon with a Nine-Toothed Rake, Black Radiance revealed that the guess was accurate, then fell silent as Qin He attacked it.

• Black Radiance answered Qin He's question truthfully and revealed that it served the Lord of Ultimate Bliss.
• Qin He provoked Black Radiance into describing its lord as a god and the progenitor of all laws.
• Qin He called the Lord of Ultimate Bliss a Pig Demon with a Nine-Toothed Rake, and Black Radiance reacted with fear and asked how he knew.
• Qin He realized his guess had hit the mark, recalling the Old Ape and wondering whether these figures matched beings from familiar legends.
• When Black Radiance refused to speak, Qin He attacked with Purple Cloud Divine Thunder and more than a hundred Corpse Suppressing Nails.

Qin He drove Black Radiance away with Purple Cloud Divine Thunder, but the mysterious foe escaped after growing faster as it shrank. While Qin He pursued it along a river, the Journey to the West party’s followers divided the giant tiger’s remains and the wild road trade boom continued to attract crowds.

• Qin He struck Black Radiance with repeated barrages of Purple Cloud Divine Thunder, destroying one half of it and shrinking the other.
• Black Radiance grew faster as it weakened, escaped beyond the horizon, and threatened to take revenge on Qin He.
• Qin He spotted a river flowing from the direction Black Radiance had fled and plunged into it in pursuit.
• Wang Tie Zhu worried that Qin He had not returned after a day, while Lamborghini sold tiger paws and scorpion dung poison to the merchants.
• Merchant caravans and treasure seekers followed the Journey to the West party across the wild road, and news of its profits spread through Southern Jambudvipa.

Lamborghini sold the Tiger Claw and began selling Tiger Bones, then argued with Wei Wu over the coins he swallowed. Meanwhile, Qin He tracked Black Radiance to a Blood Raven Clan nest in the Western Regions and hid from a patrol searching the area.

• Lamborghini sold the Tiger Claw for 600 Purple Gold Coins and swallowed the payment, then started selling Tiger Bones.
• Wei Wu demanded that Lamborghini return the proceeds, and Lamborghini admitted to swallowing 1,600 Purple Gold Coins after first claiming he had taken less.
• Qin He emerged from a river after tracking Black Radiance through the water and spotted an enormous Demon Race nest among the mountains.
• A Blood Raven patrol noticed Qin He and began searching the area, so he hid in the shadows of a tree.
• Qin He assessed the Blood Ravens' strength and considered using their territory to rest and replenish himself.

Qin He captured a lazy young Blood Crow named Wu Xian, took its gear, and disguised himself as it to join the patrol. He caught up with the Blood Crow squad as it headed back, leaving the real Wu Xian trapped and silenced in a tree.

• Qin He watched the Blood Crows leave and noticed the careless young demon at the back of the squad.
• The young Blood Crow played with a beetle and tied a black snake into knots before spotting Qin He in the canopy.
• Qin He seized the young Blood Crow, took its weapons and ornaments, and sealed and silenced it in the tree.
• Qin He transformed into Wu Xian and flew after the patrol squad.
• The Blood Crow leader asked Wu Xian whether he had mistaken what he saw, and Qin He replied that it was better to be safe than sorry.

Qin He maintained his disguise as Wu Xian while flying with the blood crows, but one of them grew suspicious of his unnatural flight. They reached the guarded light gate at the enormous nest, where the leader ordered Qin He to enter first.

• Qin He flew at the rear and struggled to imitate the blood crows’ wingbeats.
• A blood crow noticed his erratic wing movements and reported him to the leader, who slapped it and called Wu Xian a child.
• Qin He folded his wings and kept flying, alarming the same blood crow, but the leader struck it again and questioned Qin He.
• The leader ordered Qin He to fly ahead, and the group reached a vast blood crow nest with a guarded screening gate.
• The blood crow leader approached Qin He with faint killing intent and ordered him to enter the gate first.

Qin He entered the Blood Raven nest city in disguise and explored its strict hierarchy while waiting for nightfall to investigate the place marked by Black Radiance. He unexpectedly recognized the tiny Rat Demon selling candied hawthorn skewers as Hui Miqiu.

• Qin He passed through the light gate, and the Blood Raven leader ended the squad's shift and dismissed everyone.
• Qin He surveyed the nest city, noting the giant tree, the Blood Ravens' dominance, and the weak demons living below the elevated nests.
• Qin He followed Black Radiance's mark toward a location above the clouds and decided to wait until nightfall or look for an opening.
• Qin He wandered through the city and turned toward a vendor selling candied hawthorn skewers.
• Qin He reached the vendor and recognized the short, gray-templed Rat Demon as Hui Miqiu.

Qin He encountered Hui Miqiu again, only to see the struggling vendor bullied and robbed by Lord Black Nest and his Blood Crow warriors. As Hui Miqiu picked up his scattered skewers, Qin He called out to him.

• Qin He recognized Hui Miqiu, who had aged and was selling candied hawthorn skewers.
• Lord Black Nest and seven Blood Crow warriors arrived and demanded a hundred skewers from Hui Miqiu.
• When Hui Miqiu said he had only seventy skewers, Lord Black Nest’s subordinate slapped him twice and forced him to pay for the missing thirty.
• Lord Black Nest and his warriors laughed at Hui Miqiu, took his money, and flew away.
• Hui Miqiu gathered his fallen wares, and Qin He called out to him.

Qin He reunited with Hui Miqiu in Nest City after three years apart and learned how the Rat Demon had struggled to survive there by selling Candied Hawthorn Skewers. After Hui Miqiu explained that the demon who robbed it was Black Nest, a Dao Palace Realm general backed by the Blood Raven Clan's Holy Son, Qin He rejected its attempt to downplay the harm.

• Hui Miqiu recognized Qin He, embraced him, and broke down in tears after three years apart.
• Hui Miqiu told Qin He that it had been stranded in the wilderness, spent nearly all its valuables entering Nest City, and survived by selling Candied Hawthorn Skewers.
• Hui Miqiu described how other demons had bullied and robbed it, while competitors gradually squeezed it out of the city’s markets.
• Qin He asked about Black Nest, and Hui Miqiu identified him as one of the Blood Raven Clan Holy Son’s eight generals, a powerful Dao Palace Realm tyrant.
• Hui Miqiu urged Qin He not to provoke Black Nest, but Qin He insisted the robbery mattered and complained that he had not even gotten to eat the Candied Hawthorn Skewers.

Qin He learned that the Blood Raven Clan’s Holy Son had reached the Divine Bridge Realm and discussed cultivation and their missing companions with Hui Miqiu. He promised to take Hui Miqiu to the top of the giant tree that night to find protection, leaving Hui Miqiu alarmed.

• Qin He asked about the Blood Raven Clan’s Holy Son and learned from Hui Miqiu that the Holy Son had reached the Divine Bridge Realm.
• Qin He told Hui Miqiu that he had reached the great completion of the Gushing Spring Realm and that his other companions would arrive soon, though the Riffle Fish Spirit was still missing.
• Hui Miqiu said it had made little progress because it lacked protection and had lost its motivation to cultivate.
• Qin He promised to take Hui Miqiu to the top of the giant tree that night to obtain protection, and Hui Miqiu recoiled in alarm.

Qin He and Hui Miqiu infiltrated Spirit Medicine Valley, a hidden cultivation haven atop the Blood Raven Clan’s Jianmu tree. They disguised themselves as Black Nest and his subordinate and headed into the valley.

• Qin He and Hui Miqiu slipped past the guards and appeared inside Spirit Medicine Valley.
• Qin He marveled at the valley’s spiritual energy and learned from Hui Miqiu that the giant tree was called Jianmu and had grown from a seed brought back from the Ten Absolute Lands.
• Qin He transformed into Black Nest using the Shapeshifting Divine Robe, while Hui Miqiu took the appearance of Black Nest’s trusted subordinate.
• Qin He and Hui Miqiu walked toward Spirit Medicine Valley in disguise.

Qin He and Hui Miqiu entered Spirit Medicine Valley at night after Qin He secretly persuaded its guard to let them in. After surveying the valley’s valuable plants, Qin He immobilized the guard and prepared to take the Brocade Jade Gel himself.

• Qin He told the middle-aged guard that he had come on behalf of the Holy Son, and the guard secretly admitted him and Hui Miqiu to Spirit Medicine Valley.
• Qin He and Hui Miqiu explored the valley’s medicinal gardens and saw a nearly thousand-year-old Polygonum Multiflorum and an eight-hundred-year-old Dragon Blood Fruit.
• The guard showed them the Primordial Flower and explained that its dew aided cultivation, then pointed out Brocade Jade Gel growing on a tree for Qin He to collect.
• Qin He suddenly tapped several points on the guard, sealing his movement and demon essence, and grinned that they would pick the medicine themselves.

Qin He and Hui Miqiu restrained a Blood Raven Clan deacon and took advantage of his promise to pick whatever they wanted in Spirit Medicine Valley. They began raiding the medicine garden, where Little Sable immediately started eating a prized fleeceflower root.

• Hui Miqiu and Qin He tricked the deacon into letting them pick anything they wanted, then silenced him when he protested.
• Hui Miqiu provoked the deacon by claiming Black Nest and the Holy Son would bear the consequences, then covered his head with a pair of shorts.
• Qin He took Little Sable out of its cage, and it woke up and climbed onto his shoulder instead of greeting Hui Miqiu.
• Little Sable dashed into the garden, pulled up the oldest fleeceflower root outside the formation, and began eating it.
• Hui Miqiu rushed to eat a different spiritual medicine while avoiding the plants inside the formation.

Qin He broke the formation protecting the Dragon Blood Fruit and ate it, savoring its flavor before its immense essence surged into his dantian. He sat down when he felt the bottleneck of his Sea of Wheels loosen.

• Qin He ate a roughly two-hundred-year-old fleeceflower root and absorbed its Origin Power.
• Qin He examined the two-layer formation protecting the Dragon Blood Fruit and recognized that it could be broken in one concentrated strike.
• Qin He shattered the formation with a palm strike that left the Dragon Blood Fruit unharmed.
• Hui Miqiu paused his meal after hearing the noise, then resumed eating when nothing seemed amiss.
• Qin He picked and ate the Dragon Blood Fruit, whose violent essence rushed toward his Inner Sea and loosened his Sea of Wheels bottleneck.
• Qin He sat down to deal with the surge of essence.

Qin He broke through to the Wheel Sea Realm after forming ninety-nine Gushing Spring pillars, and his Inner Sea expanded dramatically. He suppressed his aura to protect Spirit Medicine Valley and then explored the vast sea with his newly formed divine sense.

• Qin He's Inner Sea erupted as the Sky-Swallowing Demonic Art refined essence and raised Gushing Spring pillars toward ninety-nine.
• Qin He reached ninety-nine pillars, formed the twin-fish diagram, and triggered a vast expansion of his Inner Sea as he achieved the Wheel Sea Realm.
• Qin He used spirit runes to suppress his breakthrough's aura and limit the danger to Spirit Medicine Valley and the surrounding area.
• Hui Miqiu recognized Qin He's breakthrough, while Little Sable rushed over to inspect him excitedly.
• Qin He formed a divine-sense incarnation and spent an hour walking across his newly expanded Inner Sea.