Chapter Summaries

Lin Heng forced Old Deng to reveal the Six Great Families’ plan to destroy the Zhao Family’s reputation, then summoned their Family Heads to Medical World Hall. Four families arrived, and Lin Heng prepared to confront them as powerful figures stormed inside.

• Lin Heng and the Martial Man slapped Old Deng until he confessed that the Six Great Families planned to cause deaths in Zhao Family Medical Halls and blame the Zhao Family.
• Lin Heng ordered Medical World Hall’s attendants to summon all six Family Heads and waited upstairs with Mu Liuxi and the Martial Man.
• A father and son seeking treatment discussed turning to the Zhao Family if Medical World Hall could not help them.
• The Li, Zheng, Han, and He Families arrived in North New Town after sealing off news to keep the Justice Bureau from intervening.
• Lin Heng criticized the Medical Path’s leaders and said they could only be changed through death as powerful newcomers kicked open the doors.

Lin Heng confronted the Medical World Hall families over their plot against the Zhao Family and fought two Nascent Soul alchemists who attacked with ghost fire and a Blood-Touch Vine. After absorbing both spirit treasures and wrecking the hall, he faced their stronger combined techniques, which had just begun to form.

• Lin Heng demanded that the Medical World Hall families compensate the Zhao Family, disband the hall, and apologize, or face secular justice.
• Martial Man presented Old Deng as evidence of the families’ scheme, but Li Ming dismissed his testimony and the two Nascent Soul alchemists attacked Lin Heng and his companions.
• Lin Heng captured the ghost fire with his Green Lotus Dao Fire, while a Blood-Touch Vine wrapped around him and tried to drain his essence and lifespan.
• Lin Heng collapsed the hall with his control over the five elements, then absorbed the Blood-Touch Vine as the Jade Origin Vine consumed its origin.
• The two alchemists unleashed a fire domain and a Nine Heavens Palace Seal, and Lin Heng prepared to withstand their attacks.

Lin Heng defeated the two alchemists who attacked him, captured one, and killed Family Head Zheng after rescuing the leaders of the Six Great Families. He offered the remaining family heads a chance to spare their families if they joined forces to destroy the other two families and surrender all the spoils.

• Lin Heng summoned an Earthstone Giant, shattered the Nine Heavens Palace Seal, and replicated it as a Golden Seal.
• The Golden Seal killed Daoist Wang, while Martial Man stopped the other alchemist from escaping and bound him alive.
• Lin Heng, Martial Man, and Mu Liuxi searched the ruins and gathered the surviving Medical World Hall people, including four family heads.
• Lin Heng killed Family Head Zheng, prompting the He, Han, and Li family heads to beg for mercy.
• Lin Heng offered to spare the four families if they conspired to destroy the other two families and gave him all the wealth they seized.

Lin Heng led Martial Man and Mu Liuxi toward Shiyang Town after the Medical World Hall families agreed to target their rivals, while explaining that he intended to use the Dynasty’s authorities to extract wealth rather than destroy the Six Great Families. He left Martial Man considering how exposing the plot against the Zhao Family could put the other families and the Zhao Family at risk of investigation.

• Lin Heng demanded that the Medical World Hall families ruin their two rivals, then left Martial Man to gather people for the trip to Shiyang Town.
• Mu Liuxi worried that Lin Heng’s strength had widened the gap between them, and Lin Heng teased her about a bite mark from Xiao Yao.
• Martial Man guessed that Lin Heng planned to use the Dynasty’s forces and the Imperial Token to seize the Six Great Families’ wealth, and Lin Heng praised his analysis while calling it incomplete.
• On the way to Shiyang Town, Lin Heng explained that the families’ leaders could evade severe punishment by blaming subordinates, and he did not want to misuse the Imperial Token.
• Martial Man worried that the other families might seek the Dynasty’s protection after Lin Heng killed a family head, but Lin Heng pointed out that exposing the plot would also put the Zhao Family under investigation.

Lin Heng devised a scheme to provoke conflict between the Martial and Literary Paths while the three medical family heads planned to frame the Dong and Bian families. In Shiyang Town, Li Ming proposed blaming those families for the destruction of Medical World Hall, and Lin Heng readily approved.

• Mu Liuxi and Lin Heng reasoned that the medical clans might target the absent Dong and Bian families and use the North New Town disaster as a pretext.
• Lin Heng told Mu Liuxi to pose as a Literary Path member and spread rumors blaming them for destroying Medical World Hall, while Martial Man would pose as a member of the Martial Path's Left Faction and provoke its Right Faction.
• Imprisoned in a carriage, Li Ming and the other two family heads weighed their secrets and agreed to shift blame for North New Town onto the Dong and Bian families.
• After arriving in Shiyang Town, Li Ming proposed framing the Dong and Bian families for the destruction of Medical World Hall, and Lin Heng approved the plan.
• Martial Man praised Lin Heng's foresight, and Mu Liuxi said her prediction had been right.

Li Ming planned to seize the Zheng Family after helping destroy the Dong and Bian families, but Lin Heng learned of the scheme through a rescued guard. As news of the Medical World Hall's destruction spread, Zhao Wanqing and Xin Shao sought information while Dugu Zixuan and Meng Yutong prepared to secretly visit Lin Heng.

• Li Ming told the Han and He Family Heads to support Zheng Family Third Son as head of the Zheng Family, expecting his misconduct to give them an excuse to take control.
• A guard whom Lin Heng had healed reported Li Ming's plan to him, and Lin Heng realized the families intended to profit from the Zheng Family.
• News that Medical World Hall had been destroyed spread across much of the continent, alarming Zhao Wanqing and Xin Shao.
• Zhao Wanqing and Xin Shao decided to visit Swallow Cloud City's City Lord's Mansion to ask about the situation.
• Dugu Zixuan and Meng Yutong decided to secretly visit Lin Heng, while Leng Qingyun was told to stay behind.

Leng Qingyun persuaded Xiao Lan to travel with her to Swallow Cloud City, while Lin Heng confronted the captured alchemist Zhang Qianfeng and offered him a role in building an Alchemy-Medicine Team. Zhang Qianfeng remained skeptical of Lin Heng’s claims about the Literary Path and the Dynasty, but the Martial Man insisted that he was a poet.

• Xiao Lan agreed to accompany Leng Qingyun to Swallow Cloud City after Leng Qingyun promised to let her eat her fill.
• Mu Liuxi spread news that a Martial Examination would be held, prompting the townspeople to discuss the Literary Path’s conflict with the Martial Path and the Six Great Families.
• The Martial Man brought Zhang Qianfeng to Lin Heng after catching him trying to escape, and Zhang Qianfeng identified himself as a Sixth-Rank Alchemist of the Alchemy Alliance.
• Lin Heng stopped the Martial Man from killing Zhang Qianfeng and offered to hire him to help establish an Alchemy-Medicine Team.
• Zhang Qianfeng questioned Lin Heng’s confidence and his claim that the Literary Path could challenge the Alchemy Alliance, and the Martial Man declared himself a poet.

Lin Heng forged a Golden Seal as a protective magical artifact, but Dugu Zixuan arrived and claimed it as a gift before he could give it away. He reunited with Meng Yutong and Mu Liuxi to hear that the Martial Examination was drawing factions into conflict, just as an aggressive visitor approached.

• Lin Heng spent two days and nights forging a Golden Seal by infusing heavy iron with Gold Source Force.
• Dugu Zixuan appeared, took the finished Golden Seal, and teased Lin Heng about giving it to one of his Senior Sisters before he reclaimed it.
• Dugu Zixuan told Lin Heng that Meng Yutong had come with her and was with Mu Liuxi.
• Mu Liuxi reported that three people had beaten the Martial Man, Literary Path observers were watching her, the Dong Family had been raided, and the Han Family Head had been assassinated.
• Meng Yutong questioned Lin Heng about killing a pill master and a family head, and Lin Heng said his actions could bring home wealth.
• Dugu Zixuan sensed someone approaching aggressively.

Lin Heng confronted Xing Tian, the Southern Lord of Star Pavilion Market, who offered him two choices over the conflict with Medical World Hall. After Lin Heng rejected both and challenged Xing Tian, the Martial Man and the Right Faction fighters moved to face him outside town while Lin Heng held back Dugu Zixuan and Meng Yutong.

• Lin Heng recognized Xing Tian as a late-stage Return to Void True Lord and had Dugu Zixuan and Meng Yutong disguise their cultivation realms.
• Xing Tian accused Lin Heng of killing the Zheng Family head and forcing several families to destroy the Dong and Bian Families, then offered compensation and submission or Zhao Family membership in Star Pavilion Market.
• Lin Heng refused Xing Tian's choices and demanded that he leave or stay and fight.
• Xing Tian's Unicorn Elephant charged the platform, but the Martial Man struck it down with two punches.
• The Martial Man summoned the Right Faction fighters, and Xing Tian rode his unruly Unicorn Elephant toward the outskirts to move the battle away from town.
• Lin Heng stopped Dugu Zixuan and Meng Yutong from joining the fight, saying the Martial Man and the others could handle Xing Tian.

Dugu Zixuan took Lin Heng to watch the aftermath of his plan, while Zhong Zusheng and other Literary Path figures plotted to obtain the White Mystic Brush through Lin Jinren. After the Martial Man returned from battle, Lin Heng met the three hall masters of Dragon Cloud Hall and began asking why they had come to Shiyang Town.

• Dugu Zixuan dragged Lin Heng away, and Mu Liuxi and Meng Yutong guessed that he meant to draw out everyone involved in the Zhao Family's hidden troubles.
• Zhong Zusheng and two other Literary Path figures discussed Lin Heng's possession of the White Mystic Brush and agreed to have Lin Jinren demand it as Lin Ziqing's supposed descendant.
• The Martial Man returned after fighting his opponent, reporting that he had cut off one of the man's arms but failed to capture him.
• The Martial Man introduced the three hall masters of Dragon Cloud Hall, Long San, Long Si, and Long Wu, to Lin Heng.
• Long San explained that they had come to Shiyang Town after hearing news of the Left Faction of Martial Arts, and Lin Heng asked whether Literary Path figures had provoked them.

Lin Heng learned how the Civilizing Mandate divided the Literary Path and Martial Arts, and how the Left Faction of Martial Arts conspired with the Medical Path. The black mist that had threatened his mother was the same corruption that transformed Long San’s master and martial uncle, leaving Lin Heng wary of the Left Faction and the Medical Ancestor.

• Long San and Long Si explained that the Civilizing Mandate divided the Literary Path and Martial Arts, while Long Yun had warned of another split within Martial Arts.
• Long San said the Left Faction had a Dao faction backing it, and that their master and martial uncle had been corrupted during a battle with the Left Faction.
• Long Si explained that black marks spread across the two men after they encountered a strange Black Mist, and that an Alchemy-Medical Path senior examined them before Long Yun burned and buried them.
• Lin Heng showed Long San and the others the sealed Black Mist that had been removed from his mother’s arm.
• Long San recognized the mist as the same substance from the old battle and told Lin Heng that removing the contaminated flesh had saved his mother from the fate of their master.

Long San explained that the Left Faction of Martial Arts was hunting Chosen Ones to seize their fortune, and Lin Heng realized that Sun Hao might hold a share. The revelation that a captured Chosen One had his eyes removed left Lin Heng fearing that Xiao Xuan’s Dao Eye came from another victim of the Left Faction.

• Long San told Lin Heng that Dragon Qi marked a Chosen One and that Lin Heng’s three strands of Dragon Qi meant six portions of fortune remained elsewhere.
• Lin Heng said Ye Tian still possessed fortune and resolved to wait for him and kill him.
• Long San revealed that the Left Faction had caused Black Mist outbreaks while hunting Chosen Ones, and Lin Heng suspected Sun Hao was one of them.
• Lin Heng worried that the Left Faction might have targeted his father, Lin Zhique, after hearing about an attack near the Eastern Continent’s border.
• Long San said Star Calculators used Heaven Seal Stones to identify Chosen Ones and that the Left Faction had captured one, removed his eyes, and sealed them away.
• Lin Heng realized that the Dao Eye he had taken from Xiao Xuan might have belonged to that captured Chosen One.

Lin Heng explained the struggle for fortune and the conflict between different Epochs to his gathered allies. He began sorting people by their Epoch of origin, leaving the group to consider how the factions were divided.

• Lin Heng realized the Left Faction of Martial Arts had seized part of a Fortune Vessel and suspected the Medical Path had caused the Calamity Black Mist.
• Lin Heng reunited with Dugu Zixuan, Leng Qingyun, Meng Yutong, and the others, then returned with them to the Li Family residence in Shiyang Town.
• Lin Heng gathered his allies and asked Long San to explain the struggle for fortune and the Left Faction of Martial Arts.
• Lin Heng described the Epochs and wrote names on paper under their Epoch of origin, dividing the people into factions.

Lin Heng explained that the Immortal Realm had become a battleground in a struggle between Upper Realm Epochs and began organizing allies against an unknown faction. He and Meng Yutong then realized Hua Qi might be their enemy, and Lin Heng warned Dugu Zixuan that the Left Faction of Martial Arts might have ambushed his father.

• Lin Heng deduced that the Struggle for Fortune and Periodic Cataclysm arose from conflict between Upper Realm Epochs, with the Immortal Realm serving as their contest ground.
• Lin Heng argued that a hidden faction was dividing their allies and urged them to unite; Meng Yutong and Dugu Zixuan supported his plan to build a force.
• Long San prepared to gather his subordinates, while Martial Man set out for the Northern Continent to find Smoke Ghost and Plowman.
• Lin Heng and Meng Yutong realized that Hua Qi, like Ye Tian, represented a faction opposed to theirs.
• Lin Heng showed Dugu Zixuan the Black Mist and said the Left Faction of Martial Arts might have ambushed his father while he was carrying a baby.

Dugu Zixuan and Meng Yutong pieced together that Lin Zhique might have died from Calamity while protecting Lin Heng, whose missing memories left the identity of his rescuer unknown. Meanwhile, Li Ming and He Family Head tried to seize control of the Zheng Family by claiming Zheng Xu was its dying head’s chosen successor, until an unseen onlooker challenged their story.

• Dugu Zixuan feared Lin Zhique had died beneath the Main Peak from Calamity, while Meng Yutong questioned who had taken Lin Heng away after the Left Faction’s failed attempt to seize his Fortune.
• Lin Heng recalled only a dirt hut and a sick cow, and Dugu Zixuan decided to protect him while he stayed to watch what happened next.
• After the cultivators left Shiyang Town, Li Ming revealed he had faked his injury and went with He Family Head to the Zheng residence to claim its property and power.
• The Zheng Family Eldest accused Li Ming and his allies of betraying the family alliance, but Li Ming declared that Zheng Xu had been named successor by his father before death.
• As Li Ming threatened to purge those who opposed Zheng Xu, an unseen speaker applauded and questioned how Zheng Family Head could have left dying words after his head had been cut off.

Lin Heng exposed Li Ming’s scheme to eliminate the other great families and revealed that Li Ming had arranged the assassinations and betrayals. The chapter ended with Dong Family Head and Bian Family Head appearing alive, leaving Li Ming stunned.

• Lin Heng confronted Li Ming and He Family Head, accusing Li Ming of plotting against the families and revealing that Zheng Xu had been captured.
• Lin Heng accused Li Ming of arranging Han Family Head’s assassination and using the Zhao Family as a weapon, while Zheng Family Eldest denounced Li Ming’s plan to wipe out the other families.
• Lin Heng explained that Li Ming had targeted the Zhao Family while secretly seeking to destroy the remaining families and secure Medical World Hall for the Li Family.
• Li Ming’s attendant revealed that he had betrayed Li Ming and informed Lin Heng of Li Ming’s suspicions about the Green Pavilion Sect.
• Lin Heng had Mu Liuxi bring out Dong Family Head and Bian Family Head, whom Li Ming had believed were dead, and Li Ming collapsed in shock.

Lin Heng and his companions exposed Li Ming's plot, then left the Li Family to face the crowd's fury. As they headed for Swallow Cloud City, Meng Yutong cautiously tested Dugu Zixuan's reaction to the idea of an older woman pursuing Lin Heng, preparing to confess something more.

• Mu Liuxi revealed that the Dong Family Head had survived with a Heart Revival Pill, and Lin Heng confronted Li Ming with evidence of his scheme.
• Li Ming claimed he had acted on the Immortal's instructions, but the He Family Head accused him of plotting to destroy the Dong and Bian families for power and wealth.
• The crowd attacked Li Ming and his followers while Lin Heng and the others left the Zheng Family Estate, then decided to travel to Swallow Cloud City.
• Lin Heng gave Zhao Wanqing a Golden Seal he had forged and promised to make defensive artifacts for the others.
• Meng Yutong warned Dugu Zixuan that Mu Li, the Joyful Union Sect Leader, had taken an interest in Lin Heng, and Dugu Zixuan reacted with alarm.
• Meng Yutong asked how Dugu Zixuan would feel if Mu Li were respectable, unmarried, and from a good family.

Meng Yutong teased Dugu Zixuan about her feelings for a young man, while Dugu Zixuan welcomed the idea of Xiao Heng winning her favor. Back at Green Pavilion Sect, Dugu Zixuan and Meng Yutong confronted Shi Yuanzhou about Lin Zhique’s long disappearance and prepared to investigate the Forbidden Chamber beneath the Main Peak.

• Dugu Zixuan joked that she would be happy if Xiao Heng won Meng Yutong’s favor, and Meng Yutong privately resolved to make the five rebel disciples her dowry maids.
• Lin Heng and the others returned to Swallow Cloud City, while Dugu Zixuan and Meng Yutong returned to Green Pavilion Sect.
• Dugu Zixuan and Meng Yutong questioned Shi Yuanzhou about Lin Zhique, who had entered death seclusion twenty-three years earlier after returning heavily injured.
• Dugu Zixuan insisted they determine whether Lin Zhique was alive or dead, and Shi Yuanzhou agreed to investigate through the Forbidden Chamber’s hidden back door.
• Shi Yuanzhou led Dugu Zixuan and Meng Yutong to a huge stone door deep beneath the Main Peak, and Dugu Zixuan told them to withdraw while she broke through the barrier.

Dugu Zixuan broke into the Green Pavilion Sect’s hidden treasure vault while searching for Lin Zhique, causing part of the Main Peak to collapse and forcing the disciples to evacuate. The search uncovered Lin Zhique’s bloodied robe and his activated life-saving bracelet, but no sign of him, leaving Dugu Zixuan fearful that the Calamity had infected him.

• Dugu Zixuan attacked the restriction beneath the Main Peak, shaking the mountain and causing its eastern side to collapse as Ling Fei organized the disciples’ evacuation.
• Dugu Zixuan, Meng Yutong, and Shi Yuanzhou entered the hidden vault after the restriction broke, but their calls for Lin Zhique went unanswered.
• The three searched the vault’s secret rooms and found them empty until Shi Yuanzhou discovered Lin Zhique’s bloodied robe pinned beneath a table leg.
• Shi Yuanzhou gave Dugu Zixuan scattered jade beads, and she recognized them as the activated Life-Saving Scatter Ring she had given Lin Zhique.
• Meng Yutong argued that Lin Zhique’s disappearance without bones or other traces meant they should not assume the Calamity had killed him.

Dugu Zixuan and Meng Yutong discovered that Lin Zhique had vanished from the Main Peak despite evidence that he had entered, and they sent Duan Shuyun to bring Lin Heng back from Swallow Cloud City. There, Lin Heng tested protective artifacts with Zhao Wanqing before drawing Leng Qingyun into an intimate encounter.

• Shi Yuanzhou, Meng Yutong, and Dugu Zixuan searched the Main Peak but could not find Lin Zhique, whose Blood Robe and jade bead confirmed he had entered.
• Meng Yutong and Dugu Zixuan returned to Fairy Cloud Peak and decided to wait for Lin Heng to help investigate Lin Zhique's disappearance.
• Meng Yutong ordered Duan Shuyun to go to Swallow Cloud City and bring everyone back as soon as possible.
• Lin Heng taught Zhao Wanqing how to use a Golden Seal and tested her Sixth-Grade Protective Artifact with his sword.
• Leng Qingyun interrupted the test, misunderstood what she saw, and then joined Lin Heng and Zhao Wanqing as Lin Heng led them into a nearby room.