Chapter Summaries

Zhang Yu recovered as Huai Ren County repaired the damage and changed its defenses against the Netherworld Cult’s attrition tactics. Zhang Yize and Li Yifeng arrived to help, then traveled to meet Zhang Mingshu after seeing the order in the Zhang family’s towns.

• Zhang Yu recovered while Huai Ren County repaired its walls, treated the wounded, and cared for civilians after two more nights of fighting.
• Zhang Yu’s searches for Netherworld Cult disciples yielded little, so he decided to deploy new methods within the county’s protective formation.
• Zhang Yize killed Ghost Spirits in the mountain fog and rescued villagers as he made his way toward Huai Ren County.
• Li Yifeng pursued Netherworld Cult disciples who were gathering corpses and ghosts, continuing his hunt after the Mount Lu Secret Realm conflict.
• Zhang Yize and Li Yifeng traveled north from Gaoyou Town to aid Huai Ren County after learning about the crisis from An Muyuan.
• The two entered Wenzhuang, learned Zhang Mingshu was guarding the border, and went to meet him after seeing the orderly towns under Baishi Village.

Zhang Yize and Li Yifeng arrived in Huai Ren County and joined Zhang Xi’s exhausted defenders against the Netherworld Cult’s corpse tide. Zhang Xi had nearly unified the county’s clans and prepared a counterattack, now strengthened by the two newcomers and support from Zhang Mingshu.

• Zhang Yize and Li Yifeng traveled to Huai Ren County, killing ghosts and Ghost Cultivators along the way.
• Zhang Yize and Li Yifeng reached the county after the defenders repelled another night-long corpse tide attack, then fought their way to the city wall.
• Zhang Yu and Zhao Wuji welcomed Zhang Yize and Li Yifeng, who addressed Zhang Yu as Young Master and raised the defenders’ morale.
• Zhang Xi and Fan Jin met the newcomers, and Zhang Xi later explained his counterattack plan to them in the county government office.
• Zhang Xi had integrated the county’s clans into mixed squads, while Zhang Mingshu had approved the plan and secretly sent reinforcements to act at a crucial moment.

As Huai Ren County braced for another Netherworld Cult attack, Zhang Xi prepared the defenders for a counterattack and Zhang Mingshu expanded his field of vision across the county. The corpse horde arrived as Zhang Yize and Li Yifeng joined the defense, leaving the battle underway and their counterattack planned for the following day.

• Zhang Xi organized elite squads and a rotation system to conserve fighters for the planned counterattack.
• The Five Ghosts Sect and Black Stone Squad helped Zhang Mingshu extend his grand formation’s field of vision across the remaining half of Huai Ren County.
• Zhang Mingshu learned that the Evil Dragon Island Pirates were approaching, threatening the ports, shipyards, and warships he had spent years developing.
• Zhang Xi briefed the commanders, while Zhang Yize and Li Yifeng agreed to support the defenders and watch for powerful corpses and zombies.
• Zhang Xi ordered the defenders to prepare when the corpse horde emerged from the woods, and Zhang Yize and Li Yifeng readied their swords.

Key Plot Points and Events

• The battle against the zombie horde intensifies, with corpses and zombies surging towards the city walls.
• Defenders fight valiantly, using talismans and honed combat skills to repel the attack.
• A rotation system is implemented for squads, with underperformers expelled and resources allocated based on contribution.
• Zhang Yize and Li Yifeng join the battle, leading a successful counterattack.
• The zombie horde retreats at dawn, and cleanup begins. Zhang Xi eliminates lingering Ghost Spirits.
• Zhang Mingshu assembles elite squads to strategize, while Zhang Yu and others investigate the retreating zombie horde.

Character Developments

• Defenders gain proficiency in combat, learning from past battles and casualties.
• Spoiled brats who expect special treatment are expelled from squads.
• Zhang Yize and Li Yifeng demonstrate their mastery, protecting the city and boosting morale.
• Zhang Yu and the Black Stone Squad pursue the zombie horde, seeking the Netherworld Cult's base.

Significant Themes

• Teamwork and cooperation in battle.
• The importance of individual contribution and responsibility.
• The cost of war and the resilience of the defenders.
• The strategic planning and adaptability of the defenders.

Character Interactions

• Defenders work together in squads, with underperformers expelled to maintain efficiency.
• Zhang Yize and Li Yifeng lead the defense, coordinating with other squads.
• Zhang Mingshu strategizes with elite squads, while Zhang Yu and the Black Stone Squad work together to investigate the enemy.
• Zhang Xi communicates with Zhang Mingshu and Zhang Yu, coordinating their efforts.

Zhang Yu’s squad advanced through the forest toward the Netherworld Cult’s valley formation, surviving ambushes with Shi Xianghao’s guidance. Zhang Yize, Li Yifeng, Zhao Wuji, and Zhang Xi arrived to help break the formation before the corpse tide gathered strength, and the battle moved into the misty valley.

• Zhang Yu’s squad encountered a Netherworld Cult disciple and fled as bone arrows and hidden traps attacked them.
• Zhu Mingting used [Netherworld Concealment] to stop the bone arrows, while Shi Xianghao used Yuan Tian Yi Xue to guide the squad around traps.
• Zhang Yize, Li Yifeng, Zhao Wuji, and Zhang Xi advanced through the forest, and Zhao Wuji destroyed a Ghost Spirit hiding inside a tree.
• Zhang Yu warned the arriving squad about the traps and the nearby Netherworld Cult disciple, while Zhang Yize unleashed thunder techniques against the ghosts and Ghost Spirits.
• Li Yifeng charged toward the valley, and movement stirred inside the mist as his sword light flashed.

Li Yifeng, Zhang Yize, and the Huai Ren County forces stormed the Netherworld Cult’s valley and destroyed the altar before it could summon an army of the dead. The cult’s disciples were routed, though many zombies remained loose in the valley.

• Zhang Yize summoned a thunder dragon to dispel the mist and damage the formations surrounding the valley.
• Li Yifeng cut the altar’s chains and killed the Netherworld Cult disciple overseeing the summoning ritual, while Zhang Yize shattered the chains trapping him.
• Zhang Xi and Zhao Wuji led their elite squad into battle as Zhang Yu, Zhan Ying, and the others fought the cult disciples and zombies.
• Wu Ergou’s Hundred Child Urn disrupted the cult’s Ghost Spirits, and Zhang Xi used the Holy Grail Fragment to absorb baleful energy.
• The combined attack shattered the altar, causing the Netherworld Cult disciples to flee as Li Yifeng, Zhang Yize, and the others cut them down.
• The zombies lost their masters and began attacking nearby living people on instinct.

After defeating the Netherworld Cult in the valley, Zhang Yize, Li Yifeng, and Zhao Wuji led operations to clear corpses and Ghost Spirits from Huai Ren County while Fan Jin coordinated relief and repairs. Zhang Mingshu then assumed authority over the county, beginning its reconstruction and strengthening its defenses against a Netherworld Cult counterattack.

• Zhang Xi urged Zhang Yize and Li Yifeng to reseal the valley and use the remaining corpses for training, and they organized teams to clear the area.
• Zhang Yize, Li Yifeng, and Zhao Wuji led searches around Huai Ren County as Fan Jin coordinated repairs, corpse disposal, and support in the county seat.
• The teams found evidence that the Netherworld Cult had spread throughout Donghai Prefecture, while residents were rescued, examined, and returned to productive work.
• Zhao Wuji met the construction and administrative personnel sent by Zhang Mingshu, and county remeasurement and rebuilding began.
• Li Jixu handed Huai Ren County's affairs to Zhang Mingshu, who officially sent troops as Huai Ren Commandant and ordered new defenses against a counterattack.
• Fan Jin was to bring the heads of Huai Ren County's Households to Baishi Village to pay their respects to Zhang Mingshu.

Zhang Wushuang passed her first ordination trial on Mount Dai, earned the Daoist register rank, and learned the First-tier Spirit Rain Technique. She then listened to a lecture on how ancient Foundation Establishment and Golden Core cultivation differed from modern methods.

• Zhang Wushuang returned to Mount Dai after Zhang Xi's wedding to resume cultivating and prepare for her first ordination trial.
• During the winter of Year 31, Zhang Wushuang entered the Beyond the Heavens secret realm and swept through its trials to reach the altar first.
• Zhang Wushuang earned the Daoist register position and learned the First-tier Spirit Rain Technique, which could become more powerful if upgraded.
• After passing the trial, Zhang Wushuang received cultivation inheritance and listened to Dao Sect experts explain the Ancient Golden Core Path.
• The lecture explained that modern Core Formation used Substitute Ginseng to repair an imperfect Inner Core, while ancient Golden Core cultivation demanded far more Spiritual Energy and effort.

Zhang Wushuang listened to a lecture on Register authority and the Ancient Golden Core Path while worrying about her cultivation and family. Meanwhile, Donghai Prefecture had fallen into a spreading crisis of yin energy and Ghost Spirits, with the Imperial Court taking little action.

• The lecture explained how Register positions, Faith Power Value, and Register Bestowal shaped cultivators' status and abilities.
• Zhang Wushuang worried that her Five-Colored Lotus Inner Core and current cultivation method would force her to change methods again.
• The great figures described the Ancient Golden Core Path, the altered realms after the changes in Heaven and Earth, and the different aims of cultivators and scholars.
• Donghai Prefecture became overrun with yin energy and Ghost Spirits, while nearby prefectures fortified their borders instead of sending a major army.
• Zhang Mingshu anticipated the lack of outside help, resolved most problems in his household's territory, shut down the Spirit Water Market–Peach Blossom Island teleportation array, and raised Spirit Water Market's alert level.

Zhang Wushuang returned to the Daizong Secret Realm after receiving the Dao Sect registers and hearing a lecture on the Dao. Her master, Chen Biqiu, gave her the Great Five Elements Heavenly Spirit Scripture, a powerful cultivation method suited to her rare Five Elements Spiritual Root.

• Zhang Wushuang completed the register-receiving process and gained from the Dao Sect’s lecture, while the sect prepared to strengthen its position despite the Celestial Master Dao’s ongoing challenge.
• Zhang Wushuang returned to the Daizong Secret Realm and reported her experience and insights to Chen Biqiu.
• Zhang Wushuang told Chen Biqiu that her current cultivation method could not support her future progress and asked for a better one.
• Chen Biqiu brought Zhang Wushuang to ancient stone tablets behind the Scripture Repository and activated a light curtain displaying the Great Five Elements Heavenly Spirit Scripture.
• Chen Biqiu explained that the scripture fused the five elements and was suited to Zhang Wushuang’s extraordinarily rare Five Elements Spiritual Root.

Zhang Wushuang became a Personal Disciple and began cultivating the ancient Great Five Elements Heavenly Spirit Scripture, but struggled to balance its five elements. During the New Year, she contacted her father, who encouraged her and shared a diagram to help her while reassuring her about the Zhang House’s progress.

• Elder Chen Biqiu promoted Zhang Wushuang to Personal Disciple and taught her the Great Five Elements Heavenly Spirit Scripture.
• Zhang Wushuang moved to the Personal Disciples’ area and struggled to cultivate the ancient art, which required her to balance all five elements at once.
• After half a month of little progress, Zhang Wushuang missed her family and contacted Zhang Mingshu through the stars.
• Zhang Wushuang told Zhang Mingshu about her difficulties, and he encouraged her to take her time and sent her the Five Elements Interaction Diagram.
• Zhang Mingshu told Zhang Wushuang that the Zhang House had secured control of Huai Ren County and was hunting the Netherworld Cult alongside Zhang Yize and Li Yifeng.

Zhang Wushuang steadily cultivated the Great Five Elements Heavenly Spirit Scripture while bearing the pressure of her mother’s secret condition and the Household’s growing dangers. In Shucheng, Zhao Xiaojie received orders to prepare for the secret-realm battle, entrust Zhao Siqi to the County Princess, and arrange for the city’s forces to move.

• Zhang Wushuang overcame difficulties in cultivating the Great Five Elements Heavenly Spirit Scripture and began harmonizing the Five Elements power within her.
• Zhang Wushuang learned that Zhao Siqi had nearly suffered cultivation deviation and that only Zhang Mingshu, Chong Li, and she knew the truth.
• Zhang Wushuang considered the two Core Formation cultivation paths and planned to ask her master which one to follow after stabilizing her power.
• Zhao Xiaojie decrypted Zhang Mingshu’s message instructing him to arrange Shucheng’s affairs, seek a secret meeting with the County Princess, and help send Zhao Siqi into her care.
• Zhao Xiaojie decided to contact Nightingale for help arranging an audience, then began mobilizing forces across the seven cities and went to request a meeting with the County Princess.

Zhao Xiaojie returned to Donghai Prefecture and secured Xiao Lingying’s help for Zhao Siqi, while preparing to join the struggle over the newly appeared secret realm. He reached Zhang Mingshu at Wenzhuang and reported that he had completed the arrangements.

• Zhao Xiaojie asked Xiao Lingying for help with Zhang Mingshu’s plan and Zhao Siqi’s situation, and Xiao Lingying promised to shelter Zhao Siqi at a safe cultivation ground.
• Xiao Lingying ordered Nightingale to secretly receive the people Zhao Xiaojie was bringing, then continued cultivating and considered how to help Zhao Siqi recover.
• Zhao Xiaojie traveled to Donghai Prefecture with an elite force and met Han Gan at the border before setting out to find Zhang Mingshu.
• Zhang Mingshu studied reports of the Evil Fang organization taking control of Shuyang County and the forces gathering near East Sea County around the secret realm.
• Zhao Xiaojie reached Zhang Mingshu at Wenzhuang and said he had completed the arrangements as instructed.

Zhang Mingshu prepared to expand the Zhang Household’s influence while Zhao Siqi was escorted away from regions dense with baleful energy. Meanwhile, Zhang Wushuang studied the Five-Colored Lotus Pill Pattern under Chen Biqiu’s guidance and began practicing it.

• Zhang Mingshu pointed Zhao Xiaojie toward Guanyun County and ordered him to prepare to seize the weakened region while Zhang Yize and Li Yifeng operated in East Sea County.
• Chong Li escorted Zhao Siqi away by carriage as she accepted that her condition prevented her from remaining in places thick with baleful energy.
• Kong Junhao learned of the upheaval in Donghai Prefecture and descended the mountain to visit Baishi Village in Huai Ren County.
• Zhang Wushuang visited Chen Biqiu after stabilizing her cultivation and asked for guidance on cultivating the Five-Colored Lotus Pill Pattern.
• Chen Biqiu gave Zhang Wushuang jade slips containing the cultivation method and her own insights, and Zhang Wushuang began studying and practicing the pill pattern.

Zhang Wushuang rebuilt her Five Elements Dao Foundation with the Great Five Elements Heavenly Spirit Scripture, then used a Five-Colored Lotus to begin forming an Inner Core. She continued cultivating in the Core Formation Realm while practicing five-element spells and studying how spiritual energy shaped the world.

• Zhang Wushuang gathered five elemental Spiritual Items and spent several months tempering her Five Elements Dao Foundation with the Five Elements Interaction Diagram.
• Zhang Wushuang condensed a multicolored Five Elements Dao Foundation and, more than half a year later, received the exchanged Five-Colored Lotus and Spirit Stones from her family.
• Zhang Wushuang refined the Five-Colored Lotus into her Dantian, where its essence merged with her Dao Foundation to form an embryonic Inner Core.
• Zhang Wushuang stabilized the Inner Core inside the blooming Five-Colored Lotus and continued liquefying her magic power through Core Formation cultivation.
• Zhang Wushuang studied the effects of spiritual energy on meridians, Earth Veins, and the landscape while practicing spells from the Great Five Elements Heavenly Spirit Scripture and the Scripture Repository.

Zhao Xiaojie used intelligence, alliances, and aid to bring most of Guanyun County under the Zhang Family’s control, then laid siege to the county seat. As the Netherworld Cult’s conflict in East Sea County intensified, the Zhang Family held back most of its forces while Zhao Wuji continued pursuing the cult’s experts.

• Zhao Xiaojie sent scouts across Guanyun County and planned to weaken its remaining forces while Netherworld Cult elites were being transferred to East Sea County.
• Zhao Xiaojie’s forces worked with the oppressed direct-line clan members and local families to drive the Netherworld Cult’s nominal disciples from the areas around Wenzhuang Town.
• Zhao Xiaojie’s troops took control of the areas outside the county seat in less than half a year, then surrounded the seat and began wearing down its defenders.
• Zhao Xiaojie sent medical teams and supplies to Guanyun County’s civilians, winning their support and bringing former local powers into the Zhang Family’s system.
• In the thirty-third year of the Shengtong era, Zhang Yize and Li Yifeng pursued Netherworld Cult experts in East Sea County as multiple other factions prepared to intervene.
• Zhang Xi and Zhang Yu stayed in Huai Ren County, while Zhao Wuji led an elite squad behind Zhang Yize and Li Yifeng.

After Zhao Xiaojie secured and stabilized Guanyun County, the chapter explained the Ghost Cultivators’ long-planned emergence from the Qushan Secret Realm and the setbacks that thwarted their attempt to overrun Donghai Prefecture. The Zhang Household consolidated its new territories while the story turned toward Qushan City, an ancient stronghold in East Sea County.

• Zhao Xiaojie completed the Zhang Household’s takeover of Guanyun County, drove back the Netherworld Cult and southern invaders, and restored defenses and production.
• Zhang Mingshu directed resources toward Guanyun County while keeping open the possibility of trading the territory for gains elsewhere.
• The Qushan Secret Realm was named, and its Ghost Cultivators’ centuries-long scheme to harvest mortals and turn the outside world’s population into Ghost Spirits was revealed.
• The Ghost Cultivators’ plan faltered after resistance in Huai Ren County and the arrival of other forces pushed them back into the secret realm.
• The Netherworld Cult withdrew to Shuyang and retained control of several southern areas, while the Zhang Household’s direct-administration model slowed further expansion.
• The chapter described Qushan City as an ancient, landlocked crossroads scarred by centuries of warfare.

The major factions assessed the Qushan Secret Realm and gradually agreed to cooperate rather than compete for it, while the Zhang Family’s growing influence made it the leading candidate to control the aftermath. The chapter leaves the Zhang Family set to receive East Sea County and the remaining secret realm after the factions divide its Spiritual Items and copy its inheritance.

• Ghost Cultivators split into factions, with some seeking support from the Netherworld Cult, other powers, or the Zhao clan.
• Zhou Buding reached an understanding with Qilin and pushed the Zhang Family to the forefront as the major factions gathered in East Sea County.
• The Han Family took control of Guangling Prefecture, while the Zhang Family expanded into Huai Ren County and Guanyun County and prepared to consolidate its territory.
• Fuding Sect sent ten of its Twenty-Four Solar Terms Envoys and their followers to work with the Zhang Family.
• Zhang Yize sought help for the Zhang Family’s costly support of his campaign, and Mount Tai and Hengyue Tianfeng agreed that the factions would divide the Spiritual Items and copy the inheritance.
• The factions agreed to leave the remaining Qushan Secret Realm and East Sea County under the Zhang Family of Baishi Village, pending negotiations with the Zhao clan.

Zhang Mingshu and the other leaders formed an alliance and prepared a joint expedition to Qushan Secret Realm, appointing Zhang Xi to lead the group. After entering East Sea County, the allied forces fought Netherworld Cult members while the Evil Fang organization and other groups clashed elsewhere.

• Zhang Mingshu, Zhuge Yunfei, Kong Junhao, and Jiang Guyu planned the secret-realm expedition and agreed to set out in three days.
• The allied forces gathered in Huai Ren County, with Zhang Xi leading the group toward East Sea County while Zhang Mingshu coordinated support from the rear.
• Zhang Xi's forces joined Zhang Yize, Zhao Wuji, and others in East Sea County and began targeting the Netherworld Cult and the Evil Fang organization.
• Zhang Xi led the allied cultivators in defeating a group of Netherworld Cult members in a forest and continued toward the secret realm.
• The Evil Fang organization attacked academy forces, while the Zhao Family suffered heavy losses in a Netherworld Cult ambush and withdrew.
• Zhao Wuji spotted unusual movement in a valley and ordered his group to prepare for battle.

Zhao Wuji and the cultivators defeated an Evil Fang assault, while Zhang Xi led the alliance in clearing Netherworld Cult forces around Qushan Ancient City. With the secret realm’s entrance located and other factions managing access for now, Zhang Xi continued following his elders’ plan and advancing cautiously.

• Zhao Wuji led the cultivators in defeating the Evil Fang attackers, and they searched the battlefield and treated the wounded.
• Zhang Xi led the group through East Sea County, where they defeated Netherworld Cult forces and confirmed the secret realm entrance was inside Qushan Ancient City.
• Zhang Xi discovered and destroyed a Netherworld Cult stronghold and its magic formation, dispersing a black orb of light.
• Zhang Xi and the alliance spent several days clearing ghostly creatures and finding Netherworld Cultivators around the ancient city.
• Hengyue Tianfeng and Mount Dai shared intelligence about the secret realm, while their elders retained control of entry and divided the Ghost Cultivators among the factions.
• Zhang Xi followed the plan laid out by his father and the elders, proceeding steadily under the protection of powerful allies.