Chapter Summaries

Lin Heng investigated the Special Envoy’s disappearance at the inn and learned that his mission concerned unrest around Zhenyuan Hall and the Sixth Prince. He suspected the Special Envoy had been killed and that the answer—or his corpse—might still be hidden inside the inn.

• Lin Heng and Jiang Caiyan inspected the inn’s third floor, where Prefect Chen said the Special Envoy’s windows were intact and his room had no hidden passages.
• Lin Heng questioned how the Special Envoy could have left unnoticed and asked why the attendants had departed at dawn, who the extra traveler was, and what had happened at Xianfang Mountain.
• Lin Heng pressed Prefect Chen about the Special Envoy’s purpose, and Prefect Chen revealed that the envoy had carried information for the Sixth Prince at Zhenyuan Hall.
• Prefect Chen speculated that political enemies in the Imperial Capital might be targeting the Sixth Prince amid the Female Emperor’s reforms.
• Lin Heng concluded that the Special Envoy was probably dead and asked for a structural diagram of the inn, suggesting his corpse might be hidden there.

Lin Heng and Jiang Caiyan discussed the strange smell at the inn and examined its plans, leading Lin Heng to conclude that a Special Envoy might still be inside. The chapter ended with him explaining that the inn contained an undiscovered hidden space, not a cultivator-made chamber.

• Lin Heng took Jiang Caiyan to the hot spring, where they discussed the strange smell from the inn's second floor.
• Jiang Caiyan identified the odor as coming from self-igniting Soul-Burning Ant eggs and explained that the insects could control corpses or living hosts.
• Lin Heng connected her explanation to the twelve Special Envoy attendants and suspected they might already have been dead.
• Lin Heng and Jiang Caiyan studied the inn's floor plans, and he noticed that the third-floor corridor's proportions differed from the second floor.
• Lin Heng concluded that a Special Envoy was still in the inn and argued that an undiscovered hidden space could exist without being a cultivator-made chamber.

Lin Heng reasoned that the inn’s ceiling was short by 30 centimeters and suspected its unusual staircase and layout served another purpose, so he planned to inspect the building again. After breaking through to Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, he caught Jiang Caiyan trying to take the Immortal Binding Rope and tied her hands before holding her as they went to sleep.

• Lin Heng explained that the inn’s third-floor ceiling was 30 centimeters shorter, but argued that the space was unlikely to conceal a corpse.
• Lin Heng pointed out the strange protruding section beside the staircase and proposed returning to the inn to investigate its original design.
• Lin Heng absorbed spiritual energy through the night and broke through to Foundation Establishment Middle Stage while Jiang Caiyan cultivated nearby.
• Jiang Caiyan tried to pick up the Immortal Binding Rope, but Lin Heng sensed her and caught her in the act.
• Lin Heng tied Jiang Caiyan’s hands, carried her to bed, and urged her to rest with him.

Lin Heng investigated the suspicious third floor of Fengyue Inn and uncovered evidence of a hidden fourth-floor attic. The group was left realizing the building’s unusual design had concealed the attic above them.

• After waking and finding Lin Heng, she went with him and the others back to Fengyue Inn.
• Lin Heng questioned Shopkeeper Zhang, who denied changing the inn’s structure and explained that he had bought the unusually cheap building from Qi's Merchant Guild.
• The craftsmen found that a raised section beside the stairs had been designed to support another staircase.
• Lin Heng concluded that the third-floor ceiling concealed a fourth-floor attic, explaining that it absorbed the warmth that should have reached the top floor.

Lin Heng helped Prefect Chen uncover the missing Special Envoy’s corpse in a hidden attic and negotiated for further assistance. He then asked the city officials to help promote the Green Pavilion Sect’s Immortal Academy Hall, but they doubted aristocratic families would pay its high tuition.

• Lin Heng explained how cold weather affected ordinary families, and Prefect Chen ordered workers to open the ceiling above the stairs.
• Prefect Chen found a hidden attic containing the charred corpse of the City Gate Envoy, which Jiang Caiyan identified as the victim of a Soul-Burning Ant.
• Lin Heng said his mission to find the missing Special Envoy was complete and made clear he wanted compensation to continue helping.
• Prefect Chen and Director Wang offered a combined forty thousand Spirit Stones, but Lin Heng said he wanted their help with another matter instead.
• Lin Heng described his mission to promote the Green Pavilion Sect’s Immortal Academy Hall, and the officials questioned whether families would pay its high tuition.

Lin Heng promoted Fairy Cloud Peak’s Immortal Academy Hall to Zhanfang City’s aristocratic families and planned to use Jiang Caiyan to lead him to roaming bandits at Xianfang Mountain. While consulting Saint Ye about his cultivation, Lin Heng learned how the Wood and Fire Element Bodies could complement his Gold Element Body.

• Lin Heng persuaded Prefect Chen and Director Wang that studying at the Immortal Academy Hall could benefit their descendants, and the two agreed to tell other aristocratic families about it.
• Lin Heng offered paid visits to Fairy Cloud Peak, then took Jiang Caiyan back to the City Lord’s Mansion and proposed that she let roaming bandits capture her so he could track them to their base.
• Over the next two days, Lin Heng prepared to complete the second stage of the “Ten-Zhang Golden Body” and guided the City Lord’s Mansion’s investigation while sleeping beside Jiang Caiyan.
• Lin Heng consulted Saint Ye about his cultivation plans, and Saint Ye scolded him for fantasizing about a Return to Void cultivator before recommending that he cultivate the Wood Element Body to minor success.
• Saint Ye explained that the Wood Element Body could complement Lin Heng’s Gold Element Body and that the Fire Element Body’s heat could strengthen their combined effects.

Lin Heng directed the investigation into the Special Envoy's death and collected advance payments from aristocratic families for Fairy Cloud Peak. He then began the plan with Jiang Caiyan to draw out bandits on Xianfang Mountain, but their first day's watch found nobody, and Lin Heng sensed something was wrong in the forest.

• Lin Heng told Prefect Chen and Director Wang to keep investigating wealthy merchants and send a show of force to Zhenyuan Hall to test whether the hidden killers would strike again.
• Prefect Chen reported that five aristocratic families were interested in the Immortal Academy Hall, and the Li, Sun, and He families had paid eighteen thousand Spirit Stones in advance.
• Lin Heng offered discounts for advance payments, and the officials and three families paid Spirit Stones for fourteen people.
• Jiang Caiyan woke and watched Lin Heng count the Spirit Stones before he told her they would begin their plan to clear the bandits on Xianfang Mountain.
• Jiang Caiyan walked the mountain road all day as bait but saw no bandits, so Lin Heng told her to hide with him because he sensed something was wrong in the forest.

Lin Heng and Jiang Caiyan investigated the strange forests on Xianfang Mountain and used Jiang Caiyan as bait to draw out the men hiding there. Jiang Caiyan killed the men at their camp, but Scarface warned that the Divine Tree would save them and make her its nourishment.

• Lin Heng pointed out that the shaded eastern forest was lush while the sunlit western forest looked drained, and he told Jiang Caiyan to keep watch on the road the next morning.
• Four green-eyed men emerged from the eastern forest, ambushed Jiang Caiyan, and forced her toward their mountain camp.
• Jiang Caiyan sensed that the men’s life force was draining away and wondered whether it was flowing to the Divine Tree they mentioned.
• After reaching the camp, Jiang Caiyan summoned the Twin Blades and killed the men as the survivors fled in panic.
• Scarface warned that the Divine Tree would save them and turn Jiang Caiyan into its nourishment before she killed him.
• Lin Heng arrived after Jiang Caiyan had dealt with everyone and asked why she had killed them all.

Lin Heng and Jiang Caiyan discovered that the ancient tree on Xianfang Mountain was Jade Origin Spirit Wood, which drained life essence from the surrounding land. They weakened it together, and Lin Heng began absorbing its essence, leaving Jiang Caiyan free to tease him while he remained trapped by its vines.

• Lin Heng sensed that the mountain was draining their Life Origin Force and pulled Jiang Caiyan away from the camp before Jade Origin Vine attacked them.
• Lin Heng identified the tree as Jade Origin Spirit Wood and told Jiang Caiyan to burn its main roots while he drew its attacks.
• Lin Heng wounded the spirit wood with his Nine Heavens Sword, exposing its main root, and Jiang Caiyan burned the roots with her Nether Flame.
• Lin Heng protected Jiang Caiyan from the spirit wood, was pierced and bound by its vines, then used the Azure Emperor Spirit Devouring Art to absorb its essence.
• Jiang Caiyan approached the immobilized Lin Heng with her saber and cut open his robe as she teased him about turning the tables.

Jiang Caiyan hesitated to kill Lin Heng after he freed her from the Beast Seal, torn between her hatred and her lingering attachment to him. She attacked him in anger instead, and the chapter ended with her stabbing him again after pulling the knife from his wound.

• Lin Heng told Jiang Caiyan he had undone her Beast Seal and offered to let her stab him if she still wanted revenge.
• Jiang Caiyan struggled between killing Lin Heng and sparing him, remembering the isolation of her past and the comfort he had sometimes brought her.
• Lin Heng urged Jiang Caiyan to kill him, but she began crying and then slapped and choked him in anger.
• Jiang Caiyan pulled the knife from Lin Heng's chest, causing the wound to bleed heavily, then stabbed him again.

Lin Heng refined the Spirit Wood while Jiang Caiyan took his Storage Pouch and considered his offer to cooperate on sect missions. He achieved minor completion in the Wood Element Body, while Jiang Caiyan remained nearby refining corpses.

• Jiang Caiyan searched Lin Heng, took his Storage Pouch, and found it held at least one hundred thousand Spirit Stones.
• Lin Heng urged Jiang Caiyan to cooperate with him on sect missions, arguing that it would let her gather nourishment without secretly killing people.
• Jiang Caiyan started to leave, then returned and used a kettle-like furnace to absorb and refine three corpses with Nether Flame.
• Lin Heng healed his chest wound with Life Origin Force and continued refining the Spirit Wood.
• Lin Heng reached minor completion in the Wood Element Body as it cleansed impurities and helped counter the stiffness of his Gold Element Body.

Lin Heng drained the Jade Origin Spirit Wood and learned that it could become a Nurturing Vessel, providing Life Origin Force. After consulting Saint Ye, he learned it was a rare Life Origin Spirit Wood rather than an Evil Wood, and that controlling its Essence Core could make it a useful aid.

• Lin Heng absorbed the Jade Origin Spirit Wood’s trunk and began refining its twelve roots, while Jiang Caiyan cautiously stepped away.
• The spirit wood communicated with Lin Heng, called him the human race’s Supreme because of his Imperial Dragon Qi, and offered to become his Nurturing Vessel.
• Lin Heng suspected the spirit wood might be manipulating him and consulted Saint Ye through the Illusory World Mirror.
• Saint Ye identified it as a Life Origin Spirit Wood, explained that its life force sustained those it sacrificed, and said its Nurturing Vessel offer was genuine.
• Saint Ye advised Lin Heng to control the spirit wood’s Essence Core near his heart so he could use its Life Origin Force without risking betrayal.

Saint Ye explained that Lin Heng’s Five Elements Body would need further tempering as his cultivation realm rose, while Lin Heng bonded the Jade Origin Vine to himself and ordered it to refine its Wood-attribute essence. Lin Heng caught Jiang Caiyan trying to leave with his Spirit Stones and tricked her into staying with a promise of payment for “cooperation”; they returned to Zhanfang City, where Prefect Chen prepared to welcome them.

• Saint Ye warned Lin Heng that his current Five Elements Body perfection was only temporary and that he would need to polish it again as his cultivation advanced.
• Lin Heng took control of the Jade Origin Vine, ordered it to feed him its Wood-attribute Life Origin Force, and promised it essence blood if his Wood Element Body reached major accomplishment within five days.
• Jiang Caiyan left while Lin Heng appeared unconscious, taking all one hundred thousand Spirit Stones with her.
• Lin Heng intercepted Jiang Caiyan at a fork in the road and persuaded her to stay by offering four hundred Spirit Stones per “cooperation,” which she mistook for payment for sect missions.
• Lin Heng and Jiang Caiyan returned to Zhanfang City at dusk, and Prefect Chen went out with his steward to welcome them.

Lin Heng and Jiang Caiyan investigated Qi's Merchant Guild and uncovered a letter predicting the Gate Envoy's journey to Zhenyuan Hall more than twenty years earlier. They suspected the Qi family had been murdered after a secret plot fell apart and decided to investigate Fengyue Inn's former tenants.

• Prefect Chen reported that Director Wang had taken more than fifty Execution Department men north toward Zhenyuan Hall.
• An attendant explained that Qi's Merchant Guild had moved from the Imperial Capital to Zhanfang City, expanded across the northern lands, and left the inn-building matter to Third Young Master Qi, who had recently died.
• The attendant gave Lin Heng a letter from Tianqi Year 238 instructing its recipients not to let the Gate Envoy return to the Imperial Capital after visiting Zhenyuan Hall.
• Lin Heng, Jiang Caiyan, and Prefect Chen noted that the letter predated the Sixth Prince's appointment at Zhenyuan Hall and suspected the Qi family had ties to people who foresaw future events.
• Lin Heng suggested the Qi father and son may have been murdered and directed the investigation toward Fengyue Inn's tenants from the three months before the incident.

Lin Heng warned Jiang Caiyan to be cautious around the City Lord's Mansion, then asked the Jade Origin Vine about potential treasure lands and learned of several dangerous sites and a hidden stretch in the Immortal Realm's history. After three days of cultivation, he made slow progress toward gilding his body and considered testing the technique.

• Lin Heng cautioned Jiang Caiyan against trusting the City Lord's Mansion and teased her, while she worried about his intentions.
• Lin Heng asked the Jade Origin Vine about opportunities, and it described the Black Wasteland as a dangerous route to the All Heavens.
• The Jade Origin Vine claimed the Immortal Realm had thirty thousand years of history, including twenty thousand years with no records, shocking Lin Heng.
• The Jade Origin Vine recommended the Western Wasteland's Sea of Death, where an Ancient Golden Dragon had fallen, and White Sheep Heavenly Lake Cave, the former dwelling of White Sheep Daoist.
• Over three days, Lin Heng deduced a gilding method from "Ten-Zhang Golden Body" and hardened the index finger of his right hand, then considered whom to test it on.

After Jiang Caiyan fled Zhanfang City, Lin Heng caught up with her and took her toward the hot springs at Flame Field. He invoked their supposed cooperation to keep her there, and the chapter ended as he sensed an unexpected obstruction.

• Lin Heng found only four hundred Spirit Stones in the Storage Pouch and learned Jiang Caiyan had left Zhanfang City.
• Lin Heng chased Jiang Caiyan down after she traveled all day, then carried her toward a hot spring near Flame Field.
• Jiang Caiyan pleaded to return and feed the Baleful Corpse, but Lin Heng brought her to the hot springs anyway.
• Lin Heng claimed their cooperation meant three hundred times together, and Jiang Caiyan realized he had twisted their agreement.
• Lin Heng began to act on his claim, but he sensed an inexplicable obstruction.

Lin Heng learned that Jiang Caiyan possessed the Life-Death Dual Balance Physique and pressured her to reveal how quickly her body recovered. He proposed meeting once every seven days, but Jiang Caiyan tried to slap him instead of answering.

• Jiang Caiyan revealed that her Life-Death Dual Balance Physique let her break through bottlenecks and recover her entire body rapidly.
• Lin Heng fantasized about using her physique for cultivation and treating her as a source of novelty, prompting Jiang Caiyan to slap him.
• Jiang Caiyan returned Lin Heng's Spirit Stones and demanded that he stop provoking her, but Lin Heng warned that her secret could attract dangerous attention.
• Lin Heng pressed Jiang Caiyan about her recovery time, and she admitted that it took seven days after he used his physique enhancements to pressure her.
• Lin Heng asked whether they could meet once every seven days, and Jiang Caiyan raised her hand to slap him before he pressed it down again.

Jiang Caiyan grew more determined to hate Lin Heng after he manipulated and deceived her, while Lin Heng remained unaware of her resolve. On their way down the mountain, they were ambushed by men who admitted to killing the Flame Field’s residents and planned to frame the Green Pavilion Sect, so Lin Heng told Jiang Caiyan to use her Blood Moon Cult techniques against them.

• Jiang Caiyan told Lin Heng that his repeated deception had destroyed her trust and secretly vowed never to forgive him.
• After they left the hot spring, Jiang Caiyan considered attacking Lin Heng but put her weapon away when she sensed his Foundation Establishment Middle Stage strength.
• More than twenty men claiming to be from Heran City’s Justice Bureau surrounded Lin Heng and Jiang Caiyan and accused them of killing the Flame Field’s commoners.
• Lin Heng recognized that the men had killed the residents and meant to provoke the pair into becoming scapegoats for the slaughter.
• Lin Heng told Jiang Caiyan to kill the attackers using the Blood Moon Cult’s methods, and she pierced one man with her Undead Sacrificial Chain.

After leaving Jiang Caiyan, Lin Heng continued south while she refined her gains and advanced into the Golden Core Realm. A voice claiming to be the Devil Ancestor’s Soul passed her the Demonic Heaven Scripture, and Jiang Caiyan resolved to use Lin Heng to temper her physique before seeking revenge on him and the Blood Moon Cult.

• Jiang Caiyan found that Lin Heng had left her a Storage Ring containing only 400 Spirit Stones and departed after collecting the nourishment from the battlefield.
• Heran City officers found the slain leader’s corpse and suspected that an evil cult had extracted the victims’ blood and essence.
• Jiang Caiyan used the Spirit Source to refine her Life-Death Dual Balance Physique and reached the early Golden Core Realm while her cultivation continued to revolve.
• A voice in Jiang Caiyan’s mind revealed itself as the Devil Ancestor’s Soul, told her she had the Devil Ancestor Bloodline, and offered her the Demonic Heaven Scripture inheritance.
• Jiang Caiyan accepted the inheritance, planned to use Lin Heng to develop her physique before suppressing him, and declared that the Blood Moon Cult leader should give up the seat.

Lin Heng traveled to Purple Firmament City on his way to investigate White Sheep Heavenly Lake Cave and heard that bandits were disrupting trade while Water Mirror Pavilion failed to stop them. He bought a mask to conceal his identity and planned to exploit the bandits’ stolen goods, also intending to find out what Water Mirror Pavilion was doing.

• Lin Heng arrived in Purple Firmament City and visited a drinking house to gather local news.
• Lin Heng overheard that trade with the Eastern Continent had been disrupted by conflicts involving the Ye Family, which had absorbed two great clans.
• Lin Heng learned that bandits near Purple Firmament City had been robbing merchants for weeks despite Water Mirror Pavilion’s involvement.
• Lin Heng decided to profit from the bandits’ stolen goods and investigate Water Mirror Pavilion’s failure to stop them.
• Lin Heng bought a Tier 5 Concealing Mask for 7,000 Spirit Stones and set out to seek the bandits’ treasures.