Chapter Summaries

Zhang Yu and Qu Ziyi welcomed their son, Zhang Yanqi, while Zhou Buding chose Zhao Wuji and Wu Ling’er’s young son, Huzi, as his fourth disciple and named him Zhao Tieyi. Zhou Buding planned to take Zhao Tieyi away in two years, giving Zhao Wuji’s family a chance to prepare for their future plans.

• Zhang Yu and Qu Ziyi’s first child was born, and Zhou Buding inspected him before deciding to take Zhao Wuji and Wu Ling’er’s son as his disciple instead.
• Zhou Buding traveled to Evil Stream Island and asked Zhao Wuji and Wu Ling’er to let him take their son as his fourth disciple.
• Zhao Wuji and Wu Ling’er agreed, and Zhou Buding named the boy Zhao Tieyi and gave Zhao Wuji a token to use in an emergency.
• Zhou Buding said he would return for Zhao Tieyi in two years, while Zhao Wuji and Wu Ling’er looked ahead to entering the Evil Dragon Pool Secret Realm.

Zhang Yanhua successfully contracted the powerful demonic spirit Suppress Three Mountains, then began communicating with the Heroic Spirit Han Huaiyin. Chong Li suspected he had a Spiritually Attuned Body that let him wield different kinds of spiritual power.

• Chong Li brought Zhang Yanhua the demonic spirit Suppress Three Mountains, and Zhang Mingshu recognized that the Star Cult was investing heavily in the boy.
• Chong Li urged Zhang Mingshu to prepare for balancing Immortal and Mortal branches as the Zhang family grew, and he agreed to consider new family rules.
• With Chong Li's guidance, Zhang Yanhua contracted Suppress Three Mountains and gained three skills without suffering severe pain.
• Chong Li proposed that Zhang Yanhua also contract an unclaimed ghost spirit, and Zhang Mingshu agreed.
• Zhang Yanhua began communicating with the Heroic Spirit Han Huaiyin, while Chong Li suggested he might possess a Spiritually Attuned Body; Zhang Mingshu asked whether they should test him with a demon beast spirit too.

Chong Li told Zhou Buding that Zhang Yanhua possessed the power of three systems, and they worried that his strength might grow out of control. Back on Peach Blossom Island, Zhou Buding examined his disciples’ progress while Zhou Qingyi continued her cultivation and research, then wondered why her masters had not returned.

• Chong Li warned the Zhang family that Zhang Yanhua should not gain overwhelming power too early, then returned to Peach Blossom Island.
• Zhou Buding and Chong Li reunited with Zhou Qingyi, Jiang Ziyi, and Luo Xuanyi, and Zhou Qingyi reported that the disciples had mastered the Taibai Qi Nourishing Art.
• Chong Li described Zhang Yanhua’s unusual powers to Zhou Buding, who agreed that the boy could become unmatched among peers but noted the threats facing humanity.
• Chong Li reflected on Zhou Qingyi’s talent, her third-tier Star Condensation Realm cultivation, and her choice to leave the Zhou family to join the Star Cult.
• Zhou Qingyi worked at the Peach Blossom Island Market secret realm’s research institutes and laboratories, taught her junior sisters, and wondered why Zhou Buding and Chong Li had not returned.

Zhou Qingyi discussed her growing connection to the stars and her responsibilities to the Star Cult with Jiang Ziyi, while Luo Xuanyi continued cultivating. As Zhou Buding and Chong Li watched over the girls, Zhou Buding sensed an ancient power awakening and glimpsed a possible future in which he was trapped in a dark hall.

• Jiang Ziyi joined Zhou Qingyi beneath the stars, and Zhou Qingyi described feeling a mysterious power calling to her through the arcanist path.
• Zhou Qingyi and Jiang Ziyi reflected on their future roles in the Star Cult, while Zhou Qingyi encouraged Jiang Ziyi to keep progressing.
• Zhou Qingyi vowed to grow stronger and protect her junior sisters and the Star Cult, while Luo Xuanyi cultivated in her room.
• Zhou Buding and Chong Li watched over the girls, and Chong Li observed that Zhou Qingyi was becoming more like a Senior Sister.
• Zhou Buding told Chong Li that he sensed an ancient power awakening, but kept his vision of being trapped in a pitch-black hall to himself.

Zhang Yan Ye and Zhang Yan Qin completed Spirit Initiation, gaining abilities from their respective demon spirits, as the Zhang Family prepared to move to Qushan Ancient City. With rebellions and the threat of Chai Family retaliation demanding attention, Zhang Mingshu delayed the Five Lotus Mountain Range expedition while readying troops to support Shucheng.

• Zhang Yanye underwent Spirit Initiation with the Thousand-Hand Illusion Vine and gained three abilities suited to fast hand seals and talisman-making.
• Zhang Yanqin absorbed the Golden Dragon Lion's power, gaining abilities that pressured quadrupeds, controlled enemies or beasts, and strengthened his movement in combat.
• Zhang Mingshu praised the children and ordered the Lineage to prepare for the move after the New Year, while Fan Ruohua and Zhu Qimeng prepared to return to Shucheng amid ongoing rebellions.
• Zhang Mingshu delayed the Five Lotus Mountain Range expedition by six months and put troops on combat readiness in case Shucheng needed support.
• Zhang Yu moved his family and the children to Qushan Ancient City, while Lü E and Zhao Siqi took responsibility for the household there.
• Zhang Yu led troops north to prepare for either assisting Shucheng or opening the Five Lotus Mountain Range, where demons and other dangers had grown bolder.

Zhang Mingshu organized the Zhang Family’s northern pioneering campaign, assigning commanders and preparing logistics while the Zhuge Family dealt with local families in its path. The forces gathered at North Gate Town, ready to advance toward the Five Lotus Mountain Range.

• Zhang Mingshu recalled Xia Qirui and Han Gan from the front, assigned Liu Xiulin to inspect the vanguard, and put Meng Qiuyan and Wen Yuhan in charge of logistics at Baishi Town.
• Lu Qianchen, Ji Qianye, Tian Qianyang, and He Xi visited Zhang Mingshu with He Xi’s daughter, Lu Yinghuai, and agreed to leave the children in his household while they went to war.
• Zhang Yu and Han Gan advanced north after Shucheng confirmed the Chai Family’s forces had been eradicated, while Zhang Mingshu inspected preparations and assigned Lu Qianchen and He Xi to Zhang Yu and Ji Qianye and Tian Qianyang to Xia Qirui.
• Local families from Haiqu County sought the Zhuge Family’s help, but Zhuge Yunyi delayed receiving them until Zhang Yu had taken two towns and then asked whether they would move elsewhere.
• Xia Qirui reported that North Gate Town’s camp defenses and provisions were ready, and Zhang Mingshu surveyed the camp and the distant Five Lotus Mountain Range at night.

Zhang Yu established Pioneer Village as a base for the campaign to open the Five Lotus Mountain Range, while Liu Xiulin arrived to supervise the vanguard. The Zhang Family prepared roads and defenses and planned to work with the Zhuge Family, leaving the specific division of territory and benefits unsettled.

• Zhang Yu defeated the minor powers in two towns, merged their territory, and established Pioneer Village as preparations began for the Five Lotus Mountain Range campaign.
• Liu Xiulin arrived at the construction site, where Zhang Yu inspected the work and ordered the engineering corps to speed up the road and wall construction.
• Zhang Yu welcomed Liu Xiulin and explained that the road to the Five Lotus Mountain Range would be essential to the assault.
• Liu Xiulin noted that the Zhuge Family had gained the submission of many Junan County families after Zhang Yu's decisive operation.
• Zhang Yu asked whether Zhang Mingshu had given instructions about Haiqu County, whose territory and benefits remained subject to confirmation with the Zhuge Family.

The Zhuge Family finalized a conquest plan after two months of negotiations, assigning the Zhang Family territory to seize and govern. The Zhang Family prepared to resume its campaign and began assessing whether Haiqu County's families would submit or resist.

• The Zhang Family strengthened Pioneer Village's defenses, repaired southern roads, and had Zhang Yanhua learn grassroots administration as Zhang Mingshu adjusted the family's internal structure.
• Zhuge Yunfei finalized a plan for the Zhuge and Zhang Families to conquer territory from opposite sides of the Five Lotus Mountain Range, with Haiqu County and Five Lotus County assigned to the Zhang Family.
• The Zhang Family began contacting families in Haiqu County to gauge their willingness to submit and prepared to attack those who refused.

Zhang Mingshu sent Han Gan’s forces to bring Haiqu County’s lineages under Zhang Family control, while the Zhuge Family moved to suppress defiant minor lineages. Han Gan camped outside Cao Family Village and left the Cao Family an apparent chance to attack, as the chapter ended with the confrontation looming.

• Zhang Yu watched Han Gan depart to take over Haiqu County’s forces, while newly submitted lineages were told to obey wartime assignments and prove their value.
• Zhuge Yunfei asked Zhang Mingshu to deal with the defiant Cao Family, so Zhang Mingshu sent Han Gan’s troops toward Cao Family Village.
• Zhang Mingshu considered the Zhuge Family’s growing power, its partnership with the returning Han Family, and the political pressures surrounding Langya Prefecture.
• Han Tian prepared for battle beside his father, Han Gan, eager to prove himself after waiting for two months.
• Han Gan led his troops to Cao Family Village, camped outside instead of demanding surrender or attacking, and left the Cao Family an apparent opening.

The Cao, Yi, and Lin families launched a three-sided night raid on the Zhang Family’s camp, hoping to force Zhang Yu and Han Gan to retreat. They found the camp empty, while the Zhang forces had used formations and prepared supplies to conceal their movements and set traps.

• The Cao Family Head joined forces with the Yi and Lin Family Heads to prepare an attack, despite the Zhang Family learning of their plans.
• Zhang Yu and Han Gan arranged for the Zhang forces to meet the assault outside their camp, where they expected fewer losses than in a siege.
• The Cao Family Head led dozens of Fourth-tier Martial Artists into the camp at night, while the Yi and Lin Family Heads attacked from the other sides.
• The attackers discovered that the camp was empty and wondered how Han Gan’s troops had vanished.
• The Zhang forces used sorcerers, cultivators, and a Formation Disk to make the camp appear occupied, then quickly set up tents and laid traps.

Zhang Yu lured the Cao, Yi, and Lin Families into a Five Elements Illusion Formation and defeated their forces with a carefully prepared ambush. After capturing the three family heads, he began using recorded contributions to build a loyal new force within the defeated families.

• Cao Lei led the Cao, Yi, and Lin forces to attack Han Gan's supposedly occupied camp, but Zhang Yu's forces blocked their retreat.
• Zhang Yu activated the Five Elements Illusion Formation, splitting and trapping the invading forces while his troops and ranged attackers struck from the darkness.
• Cao Lei and the Yi and Lin Family Heads were injured and captured, and their clansmen surrendered; the Zhang Family suffered no deaths and only two minor injuries.
• Zhang Yu ordered the battlefield cleared and the wounded treated, while Han Gan guarded the prisoners and the Zhang Family recorded contributions from those who helped.
• Zhang Yu planned to use rewards and recorded contributions to raise new leaders within the three families, following methods Zhang Mingshu had used to cultivate loyal refugee families.

Zhang Mingshu oversaw the Zhang Family’s consolidation of Haiqu County and traveled to Kaiyang City with Zhuge Yunfei to meet Wang Ruiquan. Wang Ruiquan welcomed them, though the Zhuge Family’s growing influence over the Wang Family’s former territory weighed on him.

• Zhang Mingshu received Zhang Yu’s report on the Cao, Yi, and Lin Families, whose forces were sent to the front line after their defeat.
• Minor lineages across Haiqu County submitted their family registers and account books, with treatment determined by whether they had pledged early, resisted, or waited on the sidelines.
• Liu Shiyuan handed East Sea County to Zhang Yanhua and moved to Pioneer Village to take charge of the logistical headquarters with Liu Xiulin’s help.
• Zhang Mingshu traveled to Kaiyang City with Zhuge Yunfei to meet Wang Ruiquan, whose family had agreed to receive them after a long delay.
• Wang Ruiquan greeted Zhang Mingshu and Zhuge Yunfei, aware that the Zhuge Family was taking over the Wang Family’s former sphere of influence.

Zhang Mingshu and Zhuge Yunfei negotiated with Wang Ruiquan over opening Langya Prefecture and protecting the Wang Clan’s remaining interests. Wang Ruiquan took the proposal to the clan elders, while the visit made Zhang Mingshu consider whether his own family might one day decline in the same way.

• Zhang Mingshu and Zhuge Yunfei visited Wang Ruiquan in Kaiyang City to renegotiate the division of influence in Langya Prefecture.
• Zhuge Yunfei proposed that the Wang Clan summon the families still nominally under its authority so their loyalties and spheres of influence could be settled.
• Zhang Mingshu gave Wang Ruiquan a draft agreement that protected the Wang Clan’s existing interests while opening Kaiyang City’s markets to outside merchants.
• Wang Ruiquan said he needed time to consult the clan elders, then met with them in the ancestral hall that evening.
• Zhang Mingshu and Zhuge Yunfei walked through Kaiyang City, and Zhang Mingshu reflected on whether his own family might eventually suffer the Wang Clan’s decline.

Zhang Mingshu and Zhuge Yunfei visited Kaiyang City and discussed the Zhuge and Wang Families’ plans to develop the Five Lotus Mountain Range. Zhuge Yunfei revealed that the range was tied to an ancient immortal artifact and warned that powerful forces were pushing them toward a dangerous opportunity.

• Zhang Mingshu and Zhuge Yunfei walked through Kaiyang City and reflected on the Wang Family’s decline and the city’s changing fortunes.
• Zhang Mingshu and Zhuge Yunfei entered a tavern, where they heard residents discussing the coming development of the Five Lotus Mountain Range.
• News of the Zhuge and Zhang Families’ visit spread through Kaiyang City, prompting Wang Family branches to hold meetings about how to respond.
• Zhang Mingshu called the development campaign an opportunity and a challenge, and Zhuge Yunfei privately told him the Five Lotus Mountain Range was an Immortal Stone used to wound an ancient black bird.
• Zhuge Yunfei explained that the Zhuge Family and other factions were acting for greater powers, while the Zhao Clan had long avoided the dangers of the Five Lotus Mountain Range.

Zhang Mingshu and Zhuge Yunfei joined their families in a deal that gave the Zhang Family Five Lotus County and strengthened the Zhuge Family’s control over the Wang Family’s former subordinates. They traveled to Black Tiger Mountain to inspect the county’s frontier, where a demon king marked their arrival as a challenge.

• Zhang Mingshu and Zhuge Yunfei discussed legends of immortals after leaving the tavern.
• Wang Ruiquan signed a cooperation agreement with the Zhuge Clan, the Zhang Family, and other parties, granting commercial rights and selling Five Lotus County to the Zhang Family.
• The Zhuge Clan used the agreement to collect the Wang Family’s unpaid offerings from former subordinate factions and bring them under its command.
• Zhang Mingshu and Zhuge Yunfei traveled to Five Lotus County with personnel and guards from both families to inspect the frontier.
• At Black Tiger Mountain, a demon king roared and locked onto the arriving party, and Zhang Mingshu prepared for battle.

Zhang Mingshu and Zhuge Yunfei discovered that Black Tiger Mountain held three powerful tiger demons and launched an assault, with Zhuge Yunfei’s forces fighting the Demonic Tiger. Zhang Mingshu slipped away from the battle to seek out the Black Tiger Demon Soul, entering its cave as the conflict continued.

• Zhang Mingshu used the Life Book to identify the late seventh-rank Black Tiger Demon Soul, the mid-seventh-rank Striped Earth-Shaking Tiger, and the early seventh-rank Demonic Tiger within the mountain.
• Zhuge Yunfei shared the Zhuge Family’s information about Black Tiger Mountain, and Zhang Mingshu confirmed the three tiger demons’ ranks and assessed the Demonic Tiger as the most difficult threat.
• A black tiger scout approached the camp and self-destructed, splashing blood toward the humans as a show of force.
• Zhuge Yunfei led his forces into battle against the Demonic Tiger, while an old Zhuge Family Dao Integration Realm cultivator fought to restrain it.
• Zhang Mingshu entered the forest alone, followed the Life Book to a cave, and broke through its blocked entrance.

Zhang Mingshu found the Black Tiger Demon Soul in an underground hall, where it gave him a Black Tiger Slaughter Storm Blade and sent a Striped Earth-Shaking Tiger to help him fight the Demonic Tiger. He struck the Demonic Tiger with the blade’s power and summoned Zhou Buding for help as the battle continued.

• Zhang Mingshu followed the Tiger Soul’s voice through the cave and found it floating above a formation in an underground hall.
• The Black Tiger Demon Soul told Zhang Mingshu about its master and offered him a Black Tiger Slaughter Storm Blade to kill the Demonic Tiger.
• A Striped Earth-Shaking Tiger arrived, and Zhang Mingshu rode it through the mountain to the battle above.
• The Demonic Tiger charged Zhang Mingshu, who unleashed the blade’s power and crushed a jade talisman to call Zhou Buding for help.

Zhou Buding sealed the Demonic Tiger and joined Zhang Mingshu and Zhuge Yongze in visiting Old Black Tiger. Old Black Tiger discussed humanity’s divisions and the Immortal Race’s control over cultivation, while Zhang Mingshu reflected on the growing threats posed by Evil Fang and the declining Netherworld Cult.

• Zhou Buding used a Talisman Formation to capture the Demonic Tiger in a Talisman Token and seal it.
• Zhang Mingshu and the Striped Earth-Shaking Tiger checked on the Zhuge Family, whose members had suffered some soul damage in the battle.
• Zhuge Yongze introduced himself to Zhou Buding, who then joined him, Zhang Mingshu, and Zhuge Yunfei in returning to Old Black Tiger’s underground hall.
• Zhou Buding asked Old Black Tiger about the future, and Old Black Tiger warned that humanity’s internal conflicts would hinder its resistance to the Outer Demons.
• Old Black Tiger described how the Immortal Race had controlled cultivation opportunities, while Zhang Mingshu considered Evil Fang’s growing strength and the Netherworld Cult’s setbacks.

Zhou Buding arranged for Old Black Tiger to recover in the Qushan Secret Realm and help the Zhang Family, while the family established a foothold at Black Tiger Mountain. As the factions prepared to enter the Five Lotus Mountain Range, Zhang Yu faced the start of a perilous war of expansion.

• Old Black Tiger asked for a place rich in yin or death energy, and Zhou Buding offered the Qushan Secret Realm and help relocating its protective formation.
• The Zhuge Family departed after Black Tiger Mountain was resolved, and Old Black Tiger left the Striped Earth-Shaking Tiger to help the Zhang Family.
• The Zhang Family established an encampment at Black Tiger Mountain, named the Striped Earth-Shaking Tiger a high-level Attendant, and prepared a government office for Five Lotus County.
• Zhang Mingshu and Zhou Buding returned to East Sea County with Old Black Tiger to prepare for its relocation to the Qushan Secret Realm.
• Zhang Yu watched the Zhang Family build fortifications as the factions prepared to enter the Five Lotus Mountain Range and begin a dangerous expansion war.

Zhang Mingshu returned to East Sea County for the family’s New Year sacrifice and guided Zhang Yanhua through the ritual as the family settled into its expanded territory. The chapter leaves Zhang Mingshu and Zhao Siqi reviewing the year’s events while the family prepares for further expansion and conflict.

• Zhang Mingshu returned to East Sea County for the first New Year sacrifice at the family’s new ancestral hall, while many family members remained away.
• Zhang Mingshu guided Zhang Yanhua in the ancestral prayer and reported the family’s expansion into Haiqu County and Five Lotus County.
• Zhang Mingshu considered how sacrifices connected descendants to the ancestors through the Life Book and began teaching Zhang Yanhua to conduct spirit-awakening ceremonies.
• Lü E arranged for the younger children to rest near their mothers, while the women used their maternal relatives and other connections to help manage family affairs.
• Zhang Mingshu and Zhao Siqi began reviewing the past year’s events as they prepared for the challenges ahead.