Chapter Summaries

Li Yan accompanied Wu Ba to the temple fair at Lingquan Temple, where they met the cook Wang Mazi and two mysterious diners. After Wang Mazi refused to serve Li Yan, the sword-hugging youth intervened and offered him a meal on the condition that they fight later.

• Sha LiFei stayed behind to meditate with the White-Robed Great Being prayer beads, while Lu San and Wang Dao Xuan also declined to attend the fair.
• Li Yan took Wu Ba to the crowded fair at Lingquan Temple, where Wu Ba eagerly sampled food and chased after the attractions.
• Old Man Wu Kang introduced himself as the local Evergreen Society headman and led Li Yan toward Wang Mazi's food stall.
• Li Yan recognized Wang Mazi's twice-cooked pork as exceptionally skillful cooking, but Wang Mazi refused to serve him because he disliked pretty boys.
• A sword-hugging youth persuaded Wang Mazi to serve Li Yan, then challenged Li Yan to fight him afterward.

Li Yan agreed to a young swordsman’s challenge after sharing a meal with Gou Sheng and his blind master. At Lingquan Mountain, Li Yan began testing Gou Sheng’s swordplay with a wooden stick and effortlessly deflected his first attacks.

• Li Yan and Wu Ba ate Wang Mazi’s dishes until the stall ran out of ingredients, and Li Yan paid thirty taels for the meal.
• Gou Sheng introduced himself as a disciple of the Blind Old Taoist and challenged Li Yan to a martial contest.
• Li Yan led Gou Sheng, his master, Wu Ba, and Wu Kang to a secluded spot on Lingquan Mountain.
• Gou Sheng drew his battered sword, and Li Yan chose a wooden stick to fight him.
• Gou Sheng attacked with his sword, but Li Yan deflected his strikes and left him asking what technique he had used.

Li Yan defeated Gou Sheng in a sparring match, then went to Lingquan Temple to investigate the Dragon Worship Sect master’s former hideout. There, his hook document revealed a yin criminal by a well, but a golden light from the Thunder Department appeared before he could inspect it.

• Li Yan recognized Gou Sheng’s swordplay as Emei and Qingcheng techniques, defeated him by disarming him, and learned the Blind Old Daoist had disguised the swordplay’s origins.
• Li Yan thanked Wu Kang, learned Lingquan Temple remained open after the snake demon incident, and went there with Wu Ba.
• Huiming told Li Yan he suspected he had come to trace Lang Wu’s aura and led him to the old courtyard where the Dragon Worship Sect master had stayed.
• The hook document activated in the courtyard and showed Li Yan a yin criminal near a bluestone well, along with the gigantic figure in Red Robe.
• A streak of golden light appeared above the well, and the figure in Red Robe addressed the Thunder Department, leaving Li Yan to wonder whether someone had descended to the mortal world without authorization.

Li Yan learned that Li Wenyuan had secretly merged with Lang Wu and accepted missions from the Underworld and Heavenly Court to bring them down. After spending the Winter Solstice with his companions, he heard from Wu Qu that the Living Underworld Messenger he guarded had been murdered.

• Li Yan discovered that Li Wenyuan had attached himself to Lang Wu, making Li Wenyuan the true force behind the Dragon Worship Sect, and accepted missions to send Lang Wu to the Underworld and kill Li Wenyuan with thunder.
• Li Yan left the temple with Wu Ba, considered the hidden forces and divine artifacts disrupting the human world, then watched a puppet show and explored the Guangde Temple fair with him.
• Li Yan and his companions celebrated the Winter Solstice in Shu before Wu Qu arrived at the Luo family home with news of a murder.
• Wu Qu told Li Yan that the Living Underworld Messenger he had guarded, a coroner from Anyue County, had been killed in the county yamen prison two days earlier.

Li Yan declined to join the Yellow Springs after learning that Living Underworld Messengers were being murdered and the organization was blaming him. Wu Qu taught Wu Ba Eight Extremities before leaving for the Fengdu Yellow Springs Gathering, while news arrived that Qingcheng Mountain had chosen a new sect leader.

• Wu Qu told Li Yan that three Living Underworld Messengers had been killed and that members of the Yellow Springs wanted to exclude Li Yan from the organization.
• Li Yan decided not to join the Yellow Springs, and Wu Qu vowed to remain in Shu and hunt down the traitor responsible for his friend's death.
• Li Yan persuaded Wu Qu to teach Wu Ba ordinary Eight Extremities, and Wu Qu spent a week training him and developing his Integrated Strength.
• Li Yan gathered news of Shu's martial world: Orthodox forces were attacking Dragon Worship Sect strongholds, while the King of Shu had begun acting openly after an assassin killed a prince.
• Wu Qu left for the Fengdu Yellow Springs Gathering to investigate the traitor, and a letter arrived announcing that Qingcheng Mountain had chosen its new sect leader.

Li Yan and his companions traveled through heavy snow toward Qingcheng Mountain, discussing their plans and finding a family murdered at a ruined temple. After burying the victims, they encountered an armed caravan whose old leader recognized them as the Twelve Yuan Chen.

• Li Yan told Sha LiFei that Qingcheng Mountain had settled down and that Zhao Yun and Xing Yu were being cared for at Water Moon Convent; he also discussed possibly visiting Qiankun Academy with Yan Jiuling.
• Lu San used his falcon to find an abandoned Mountain God Temple where a carriage stood outside, and Li Yan detected blood inside.
• Li Yan and his companions found a murdered family in the temple and buried the bodies while Wang Dao Xuan recited scriptures for them.
• A large caravan arrived at the temple, and its black-robed leader ordered his people to ready their weapons after noticing the fresh burial mound.
• Sha LiFei told the old man that they were travelers, and the man recognized Li Yan and the others as the Twelve Yuan Chen.

Li Yan learned from Dragon Girl that a rival had taken Jiang God Great Lord’s lingering power and threatened her chance to become the Min River Water God. After discovering the Flower Festival Assembly could help rebuild Dragon Girl’s temple, Li Yan planned to seek Erlang Zhenjun’s reincarnation and confront their enemies together; at the fork near Guan County, he headed for Qingcheng Mountain while Lu San, Sha LiFei, and Wu Ba went with the escort convoy.

• Wang Tianzuo told Li Yan that the Shu King Residence had killed martial-world comrades and ruined its reputation after one of its princes was slain.
• Dragon Girl showed Li Yan the Dragon Palace Water Mansion, revealed the Dragon Pattern Jade Tablet as its key, and asked him to defeat the rival who had stolen Jiang God Great Lord’s remnant, rebuild her temple, and gather offerings.
• Li Yan learned from Wang Tianzuo that Chengdu’s Flower Festival Assembly featured young women parading as the Twelve Month Flower Gods and worshipping the Hundred Flowers Fairy.
• Li Yan decided to seek Erlang Zhenjun’s reincarnation near Dujiangyan and form an alliance against their enemies.
• Lu San, Sha LiFei, and Wu Ba agreed to travel with the escort convoy while Li Yan and Wang Dao Xuan headed toward Qingcheng Mountain.

Li Yan and Wang Dao Xuan reached Qingcheng Mountain, where Ming Shanzi revealed that Sword Immortal Cheng had warned his family about Li Yan before describing the Sword Immortal’s mysterious decline. Meanwhile, Sha LiFei and his companions escaped a false arrest in Guan County and met the Faceless Young Master, who had secretly helped them.

• Li Yan and Wang Dao Xuan lost their way in the snow, then met Ming Shanzi, who escorted them to Jianfu Palace for the night.
• Ming Shanzi told Li Yan that he had waited for him because Cheng YuanXing was his elder brother and Sword Immortal Cheng had warned the Cheng family not to provoke Li Yan.
• Ming Shanzi revealed that Sword Immortal Cheng had once sought to ascend to godhood but later secluded himself, grew weak, and went blind, causing Li Yan to drop his teacup in shock.
• Constable Wan tried to arrest Sha LiFei and his companions over a murder, but a runner reported that the actual killers had confessed, forcing the constable to withdraw.
• Sha LiFei concluded that the Shu King Residence had arranged the ambush and wondered who had exposed the real killers before the Faceless Young Master arrived at the inn.

Sha LiFei learned that the Shu King Residence was trying to drive the Twelve Yuan Chen out of Guan County, while Li Yan discovered that the Cheng Family wanted their help protecting the Fifth Prince. Li Yan accepted the commission in exchange for the Western Xuan Lineage’s Five Chapters Divine Secret, and he and Wang Dao Xuan set out for Chengdu.

• The Faceless Young Master told Sha LiFei that the Shu King Residence had ordered the government office to harass the Twelve Yuan Chen and proposed cooperation, but left when he learned they knew nothing about the sought-after item.
• Sha LiFei asked Wang Tianzuo to help search for the bearded man Li Yan had described, claiming the man owed them money.
• Li Yan spent the night considering Ming Shanzi’s revelation that the Blind Old Daoist was Sword Immortal Cheng, then attended morning lessons at the Daoist temple with Wang Dao Xuan.
• Ming Shanzi explained that his Cheng Family wanted the Twelve Yuan Chen to secretly protect the Fifth Prince until the succession struggle was settled.
• Ming Shanzi offered Wang Dao Xuan a copy of Chi Jiangziyu’s Five Chapters Divine Secret in exchange for their help, and Li Yan accepted the commission.
• After leaving Jianfu Palace, Li Yan told Wang Dao Xuan that the Cheng Family was seeking influence with the future King of Chengdu, and they continued toward Chengdu to obtain the technique and aid the Dragon Girl’s mission.

Li Yan and Wang Dao Xuan visited Water Moon Convent, where Master Xiaoyue explained Qingcheng Mountain’s lineages and Old Madam Bai warned that Long Yan'er might die during her secluded cultivation. After reaching the Ancestor Hall, Li Yan briefed Sect Leader Chen Kongzi on Zhao Changsheng’s allies, then learned that a Qingcheng elder wanted him to inherit the North Emperor Sect, the Earthly Deity Sect.

• Master Xiaoyue explained Qingcheng Mountain’s major Daoist lineages and advised Li Yan about the Cheng family and the mountain’s factions.
• Old Madam Bai told Li Yan that Long Yan'er might not survive her breakthrough at Great Snow Mountain and asked him to care for her if she succeeded.
• Daoist Lingyun guided Li Yan and Wang Dao Xuan through the snow-covered mountain to the Ancestor Hall, where Sect Leader Chen Kongzi met them.
• Li Yan told Chen Kongzi that Zhao Changsheng had ties to the Dragon Worship Sect and the Shu King Residence, and Chen Kongzi promised to investigate both leads.
• Chen Kongzi told Li Yan that a Qingcheng elder wanted him to become the heir of the North Emperor Sect, also known as the Earthly Deity Sect.

Li Yan and Wang Dao Xuan stayed at Chaoyang Cave on Qingcheng Mountain, where Li Yan learned that Jue Chenzi of the North Emperor Sect wanted to pass on its arts and wondered whether his own connection to the North Emperor Scripture was the reason. Meanwhile, Sha LiFei and Lu San rescued Wang Tianzuo from possession by a demon weasel, only to find its fellow animals gathering around the courtyard.

• Chen Kongzi told Li Yan that Jue Chenzi wanted to pass on the North Emperor Sect's arts, and Li Yan declined to commit to visiting him.
• Ling Yunzi brought Li Yan and Wang Dao Xuan to stay at Chaoyang Cave and agreed to help Li Yan build a Fourth Floor and purchase Heavenly Spiritual Treasures.
• Li Yan wondered whether Jue Chenzi had sought him out because he cultivated the North Emperor Scripture and served as a Living Underworld Messenger.
• Wang Tianzuo's disciple asked Sha LiFei and Lu San to save the possessed escort chief, and they found him rampaging with a dead chicken in his mouth.
• Lu San subdued Wang Tianzuo while Chu Qi caught the demon weasel that had possessed him, and Sha LiFei demanded to know who had sent it.
• Weasels, snakes, rats, and other animals began peering over the courtyard wall as Lu San and Chu Qi sensed danger.

Lu San and Sha Lifei followed an old weasel to the corpse of Lu Lao Hei, uncovering a curse linked to the Loose Hair Sect and a secret sect that worshiped Lord of Sichuan Erlang. Meanwhile, Li Yan practiced martial arts at Chaoyang Cave, gained an auspicious glimpse of Purple Qi Comes From the East, and prepared to leave when a figure suddenly appeared.

• Sha Lifei and Lu San drove off the Little Demons, freed the bewitched guards, and removed the old weasel spirit from Wang Tianzuo.
• Wang Tianzuo identified the dead shaman as Lu Lao Hei, and Lu San learned the demons had come to question him after his sudden death.
• The old weasel led Lu San, Sha Lifei, and Wang Tianzuo beyond Guan County, where they found Lu Lao Hei's corpse guarded by a large snake.
• Lu San extracted a cursed jujube pit from Lu Lao Hei's chest and identified the spell as the work of the Loose Hair Sect.
• Lu San learned from the old weasel about the Seven Sages of Meishan, a secret sect devoted to Lord of Sichuan Erlang.
• Li Yan practiced martial arts at Chaoyang Cave, drew in a wisp of Purple Qi Comes From the East at sunrise, and prepared to depart before an unknown figure appeared on the mountain path.

Li Yan met Master Fire Tuo, who confirmed that the Mount Hua blade-forger was his senior brother and began reforging Li Yan’s Severing Dust Blade with a flood dragon horn. After returning to Chaoyang Cave, Li Yan agreed to visit Jue Chenzi and learned more about the Earthly Deity Sect’s lineage and arts.

• Fire Tuo demanded to know who forged Li Yan’s blade, then admitted he only wanted to learn whether his senior brother was alive.
• Fire Tuo tested Li Yan’s speed across Qingcheng Mountain before taking him to his hidden workshop and showing him a blade shaped like the Severing Dust Blade.
• Fire Tuo inspected Li Yan’s weapon and offered to use the Flood Dragon Horn to amplify its thunder techniques; Li Yan chose the more powerful method, and Fire Tuo asked him to return in five days.
• Li Yan returned to Chaoyang Cave, where Ling Yunzi arranged for him to visit Jue Chenzi at Laojun Temple.
• Ling Yunzi told Li Yan that Jue Chenzi belonged to the Earthly Deity Sect, whose arts included thunder techniques and summoning Marshal Wen.

Li Yan learned that Jue Chenzi was a Celestial Master and that Heaven had directed him to pass on two North Emperor methods. After hearing how the Fengdu Method could complete Li Yan’s underworld inheritance and grant Dharma realm mystical powers, Li Yan chose to learn it.

• Ling Yunzi explained that the Earthly Deity Sect descended from the North Emperor Sect and helped promote Marshal Wen’s worship.
• At Laojun Temple, Li Yan’s identification tablet reacted to Jue Chenzi’s thunder talisman, leading him to suspect Jue Chenzi shared his unusual status.
• Jue Chenzi privately revealed that he was a Celestial Master and had learned of Li Yan through a golden-armored deity’s dream message.
• Jue Chenzi brought out the North Emperor Method manuals and described the Tianpeng, Fengdu, and other methods.
• Jue Chenzi explained that the Fengdu Method could grant Li Yan the Fengdu Nine Springs Command Talisman and the Investigating Three Realms Ghosts and Gods Seal, and Li Yan chose it.

Li Yan accepted the Bing Ding Life-Creating Ghost Talisman and learned the Fengdu Method from Jue Chenzi, who warned him about the coming transformation of the Human Path. While Li Yan prepared to retreat at a reserved grotto on Zhao Gong Mountain, Sha LiFei and his companions investigated the murder of Old Brother Lu in Black Water Village and found something strange in his house.

• Li Yan chose the Fengdu Method over the Demon King and Zhenwu methods, and Jue Chenzi explained that the Earthly Deity Sect's Marshal Wen summoning secret required a rare talisman.
• Jue Chenzi gave Li Yan the Bing Ding Life-Creating Ghost Talisman and taught him the Fengdu Method's General Class before warning that the Human Path's transformation would bring calamity.
• Ling Yunzi told Li Yan he had reserved Zhao Lingguan's Blessed Grotto-Heaven for his cultivation, and Li Yan examined the talisman after returning to Chaoyang Cave.
• Wang Tianzuo led Sha LiFei and Lu San to Black Water Village to investigate Old Brother Lu's death, where Lu San learned that the Meishan Brotherhood and local Little Demons had never seen Erlang Zhenjun.
• Lu San silenced the village dogs so the group could enter Old Brother Lu's courtyard, but Sha LiFei stopped when he sensed something strange and heard a woman crying inside.

Lu San, Sha LiFei, and Wang Tianzuo investigated the attack on Lu Lao Hei and discovered that the Faceless Young Master and Tang Ling were searching for the Dragon Palace Water Mansion. They followed a clue to a ruined GuanKou God Temple, where they found a statue matching one from the ancient Ghost Qiang village.

• Lu San used yarrow divination at Lu Lao Hei’s house, found signs of a Fierce Ghost and a trap, and sent Sha LiFei and Wang Tianzuo inside to search.
• Old Yellow identified a Jujube Wood Cabinet tied to a temple where Lu Lao Hei had helped Yin Souls, but the group left the house to ambush whoever had laid the trap.
• Lu San, Sha LiFei, and the others hid near the mountain and saw the Faceless Young Master arrive with Tang Ling and a Loose Hair Sect Daoist, so Lu San destroyed the straw-man bait and abandoned the ambush.
• The Faceless Young Master tried to recruit Tang Ling to search for the Dragon Palace Water Mansion, and Tang Ling suggested that the Meishan Brothers might have hidden its treasure in a temple.
• Wang Tianzuo suspected Lu Lao Hei had been attacked over the Dragon Palace Water Mansion, and the group followed the old weasel to a ruined GuanKou God Temple.
• Sha LiFei and Lu San found a toppled stone statue in the temple that matched the statue from the ancient Ghost Qiang village.

Sha LiFei and Lu San investigated the ruined GuanKou God Temple and suspected that the Meishan Brothers’ hidden artifact could lead to Dragon Palace Water Mansion. On Qingcheng Mountain, Li Yan searched Tianshi Cave for a Heavenly Spiritual Treasure suited to his cultivation, and the chapter ended when he discovered a mysterious carved stone called White Jade Capital.

• Sha LiFei, Lu San, and Wang Tianzuo found a stele naming the Meishan Brothers as protectors of the True Lord, but the old yellow weasel knew nothing about what had happened there.
• Sha LiFei and Lu San deduced that the Meishan Brothers had possessed an artifact needed to enter Dragon Palace Water Mansion through a dream, and they suspected the King of Shu wanted the Elixir of Immortality.
• Li Yan and Wang Dao Xuan went with Ling Yunzi to Tianshi Cave, where they bought talisman paper and magical artifacts before Ling Yunzi arranged access to the Tianshi Secret Chamber.
• Li Yan rejected the Heavenly Spiritual Treasures on the chamber’s first floor and examined the rarer items on the second floor, but none seemed suited to his cultivation technique.
• A wooden box fell from a display shelf, revealing a carved stone that Bai Yu identified as White Jade Capital, an item found in an ancient Eastern Han tomb beneath Qingcheng Mountain.

Li Yan bought the strange White Jade Capital carving, discovered it was a miniature grotto-heaven containing the souls of dead Treasure Hunters, and considered using it to build his tower. He then received the reforged Severing Dust Blade and learned that Master Fire Tuo had left for Emei Mountain to visit a dying old friend.

• Li Yan bought the White Jade Capital carving from Daoist Bai Yu for eight thousand taels and discovered he could hear voices coming from its holes.
• Dragon Girl guided Li Yan in a dream into the carving, where he found the trapped souls of the Treasure Hunters and learned the object was a special grotto-heaven.
• Li Yan studied the White Jade Capital for two days and considered using it to build his tower and expand his divine-presence palaces.
• Ling Yunzi brought Li Yan the reforged Severing Dust Blade, which revealed its power when Li Yan infused it with thunder magic.
• Ling Yunzi gave Li Yan the Twelve Yuan Chen tokens and said Master Fire Tuo had gone to Emei Mountain to visit a dying old friend, asking Li Yan to tell him he was sorry if they met again.

Li Yan cultivated the Fengdu Method in Zhao Lingguan’s ancient cave, using the winter’s dense Yin Energy and Gang Wind to build his Divine Tower. As he chanted the Fengdu Precious Proclamation, the White Jade Capital ornament absorbed the astral winds and a jade mountain appeared in his spirit-preservation space.

• Ling Yunzi explained Zhao Gong Mountain’s history and revealed that its blessed lands were being opened because Qingcheng’s grotto-heavens were occupied or used to store Spiritual Materials.
• Ling Yunzi led Li Yan and Wang Dao Xuan to Zhao Lingguan’s ancient cave, where Li Yan chose to cultivate alone while Wang Dao Xuan went down the mountain.
• Li Yan arranged the ritual altar and lit sixty-four Soul Guiding Lamps as the cave filled with frost and Yin wind.
• Li Yan opened the formation and entered his spirit-preservation space, where excessive Yin Energy froze the Soul Sea and spread across Luo Feng Mountain.
• Thunder shattered the ice as Li Yan guarded his Divine Soul and chanted the Fengdu Precious Proclamation to recreate his Divine Tower.
• The White Jade Capital ornament drew in the astral winds, and a white jade mountain appeared above the clouds in Li Yan’s spirit-preservation space.

Li Yan used the Spiritual Charm of the White Jade Capital ornament to transform Luo Feng Mountain and establish the Fengdu palaces, but dawn interrupted his attempt to condense the Outer Altar Eight Generals. Meanwhile, Wang Dao Xuan found a new way to investigate Lu Lao Hei’s past, the Shunyuan Escort Agency’s escorts prepared to leave, and corpse-like figures appeared over the courtyard wall.

• Li Yan absorbed the White Jade Capital’s Spiritual Charm, reshaping Luo Feng Mountain with Fengdu palaces, cave abodes, and six caves for the Demon Kings.
• Li Yan began condensing the Outer Altar Eight Generals, but dawn weakened the Celestial Fiend Qi before he could finish, so he planned to continue after obtaining more Soul Guiding Lamps.
• Wang Dao Xuan reasoned that Lu Lao Hei might have helped raise the reincarnated person and suggested secretly asking Guan County’s butchers about households that bought large amounts of mutton.
• Old Three rallied the Shunyuan Escort Agency’s escorts to demand that Wang Tianzuo leave the next day, and Sha LiFei agreed to take responsibility for avenging Lu Lao Hei.
• Lu San awoke in the night and saw several pale, bloodied heads rising above the courtyard wall.