Chapter Summaries

Su Qing learned that he had secured a chance to compete for Cloud Mountain Sect’s puppet order and reviewed the Immortal City Auction offerings while arranging to buy rare materials. The chapter ended when Yun’er appeared in his shop, alive and offering to buy him the Myriad Manifestations Talisman Technique.

• Yuan Tianye praised Su Qing’s swordsmanship and told him that he had secured a chance for Su Qing to win Cloud Mountain Sect’s puppet order by competing against the Lin Family’s Puppet.
• Su Qing asked Yuan Tianye to deliver two Phantom Leopards to Uncle-Master Li and Uncle-Master Liu, then received a partial list of the Immortal City Auction’s offerings.
• Yuan Tianye said Senior Brother Hai could obtain Blazing Fire Crystal and Nether Water at a higher price, and Su Qing agreed to buy whatever quantities he could get.
• Su Qing studied the auction lists and calculated how many Spirit Stones he would need for pills, puppet materials, and cultivation techniques.
• Yun’er appeared in Su Qing’s second-floor room, teased his Beauty Leopard, and offered to buy the Myriad Manifestations Talisman Technique for him.

Su Qing reunited with Liu Yun'er, who had become a Golden Core Venerable and still needed his help making a Demoness Substitute. She also tasked him with buying a Fire Phoenix Feather at the Immortal City Auction, then left after warning him against his preparations for the future.

• Liu Yun'er confronted Su Qing over missing their appointment, and Su Qing explained that he had killed the Golden Peng King's son and feared entering the Hundred Beasts Mountain Range.
• Liu Yun'er revealed that her Golden Core breakthrough was still secret and asked Su Qing to refine a Demoness Substitute within three months so she could prepare to return to her sect.
• Su Qing asked to join the Desiring Demon Sect, but declined after Liu Yun'er explained the oath and the dangers faced by Outer Disciples.
• Liu Yun'er gave Su Qing materials for three Demoness Puppets and asked him to buy the Fire Phoenix Feather at the Immortal City Auction with five hundred Lower grade Spirit Stones.
• Liu Yun'er took Su Qing's Blueprints and promised she could keep him safe in two years if her plans succeeded, then vanished in a burst of icy dust.

Su Qing refined two Heavenly Demoness Puppets, including Hongshang, and put her to work organizing his growing puppet operation. He developed Spirit Explosion Runes and began building Green Sword Dolls, while Hongshang's report laid out his resources, forces, and priorities.

• Su Qing successfully refined two Heavenly Demoness Puppets, kept one for himself as Hongshang, and reserved the other for Liu Yun'er.
• Su Qing activated Hongshang, whose Tier 3 Intelligence Runes let her assist with planning and daily affairs, while he began producing Little Green Dolls from the Little Peng King's feathers.
• Su Qing added combat, aerial-control, and Spirit Explosion Runes to the Little Green Dolls, creating Green Sword Dolls intended to support his Sword Control Art.
• Su Qing learned that his work with puppet self-destruction had unlocked the Spirit Explosion Rune, three new puppet blueprints, and a retained opportunity to observe the Dao Heaven Talisman Wall.
• Su Qing and the Wood Spirits rapidly refined twenty Green Sword Dolls, then Hongshang presented a detailed report on his cultivation, puppets, materials, and finances.

Su Qing weighed four ways to contend with a Tier 3 enemy and decided to pursue puppet power while preparing for the Immortal City Auction. He chose the Fire Phoenix Princess as a Beauty Snake template, enlisted the Hundred Treasures Pavilion to share the blame, and began selling the new Puppets to eager Rogue Cultivators.

• Hongshang outlined four possible routes for Su Qing to match a Golden Core Venerable, and Su Qing prioritized winning the Myriad Manifestations Talisman Technique and Spirit Burst Pills at the auction.
• Hongshang persuaded Su Qing to auction the Explosive Hammer War Bear Team, and Su Qing agreed after hearing it could fund two Tier 2 Low-Grade Puppets.
• Su Qing asked Hongshang to choose a Beauty Snake template, and she recommended the Fire Phoenix Princess; Su Qing crafted ten Beauty Snakes using her likeness.
• Shopkeeper Liu agreed to sell the Fire Phoenix Princess Beauty Snakes through the Hundred Treasures Pavilion and take responsibility for their distribution.
• Su Qing displayed the Beauty Snakes outside his shop, drawing a crowd of Rogue Cultivators, while Wei De Bao rushed over hoping to buy one.

Su Qing sold all ten Beauty Snakes to Wei De Bao, then confronted Lin Fan, who revealed that the Lin Family planned to compete for the Cloud Mountain Sect’s order with Blood Demon Puppets. After learning more about the You Family’s connection to the Lin Family and Liang Hai Shun’s feud with them, Su Qing remained wary of You Xianda while checking on Liang Hai Shun and He Lian Xian’s plans to pursue Foundation Establishment.

• Su Qing defended the Beauty Snakes’ high price by claiming they were masterworks from the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, and Wei De Bao bought all ten after confirming the Fire Phoenix Princess models were safe.
• Lin Fan mocked Su Qing’s puppets, but Su Qing taunted him about the Shadow Ghost’s defeat and learned that the Lin Family intended to pit Blood Demon Puppets against his Lizard Knights for the Cloud Mountain Sect order.
• Su Qing noticed a cultivator wearing a You Family Daoist Robe among Lin Fan’s group and suspected You Xianda had been involved in the Lin Family’s schemes against him.
• He Lian Xian explained that Liang Hai Shun sought revenge because the You Family had harmed a woman, her gifted son, and their Talisman Painter mentor; Su Qing offered to help, but Liang Hai Shun warned him that You Xianda was dangerous.
• Su Qing invited Liang Hai Shun and He Lian Xian into his shop and learned they had enough Spirit Stones to bid for Foundation Establishment Pills at the auction.

Su Qing summoned Yao Fei early to remove her Corrupt Mark before it could revive, charging her ninety Spirit Stones for a stronger treatment. The treatment yielded new Nine Li Dao Pattern insights and unlocked the Blood Kill Technique.

• Su Qing warned Yao Fei that her Corrupt Mark might revive and urged her to undergo treatment early.
• Yao Fei paid Su Qing ninety Spirit Stones for the enhanced treatment, while Qing He misunderstood their exchange.
• Su Qing used the High Buddhist Cultivators and Mountain Ghoul Funeral Spirit to drive more of the Corrupt Mark from Yao Fei.
• Su Qing gained more Nine Li Dao Pattern proficiency, strengthened his existing effects, and unlocked the Blood Kill Technique.

Su Qing treated Yao Fei’s Corrupt Marks more effectively, gained insight into the Blood Kill Technique, and enlisted the Curse Spirit Clan to help with his future plans. After promising exorcism for those who aid him, he escorted Yao Fei downstairs, where Qing He misunderstood their exchange.

• Su Qing realized the Blood Kill Technique could strengthen his Puppets enough to threaten Tier 3 Body Cultivators and Golden Core Venerables.
• Yao Fei thanked Su Qing after he removed more of her Corrupt Marks, and he said three or four more treatments should finish the job.
• Yao Fei revealed that she had arranged Curse Spirit Masters to protect Su Qing and used the Zhu You Technique to divine his fortune.
• Su Qing explained his enemies and asked Yao Fei to have the Curse Spirit Clan assist him after the Immortal City Auction, promising to exorcise the helpers in return.
• Yao Fei agreed to follow Su Qing’s plan, and he escorted her downstairs after the treatment.
• Qing He watched Su Qing catch Yao Fei when she stumbled and privately condemned Human Cultivators as shameless.

Su Qing prepared for the Immortal City Auction while refining his Dao patterns, strengthening his body, and making puppets to sell. He improved Essence Transformation Hand and resumed crafting, and the auction began after several days.

• Qing He envied Su Qing’s ability to earn money as he described the heavy costs of sustaining his body cultivation.
• Su Qing strengthened his Heavenly King Armor but postponed imprinting the Nine Li Dao Pattern until after the auction because it required a Tier 2 demonic core.
• Su Qing imprinted Essence Transformation Hand, raising its proficiency to 6/10 and improving his spiritual root and bone structure.
• Su Qing chose to focus on Essence Transformation Hand and the Nine Li Dao Pattern rather than the incomplete Mountain Sea Capture.
• Su Qing resumed refining Green Sword Dolls and had Qing He sell Beauty Snakes only to sturdy customers, refusing even Old Daoist Liang’s offer.
• After several days of refining and sales, the Immortal City Auction began in Baiyun Immortal City.

The Immortal City Auction began, drawing powerful guests and cultivators eager to bid on rare treasures. At the auction hall, Guo An reunited with Su Qing and his friends, revealed that he was near death, and entrusted his daughter Guo Qiao Lian to their care.

• Cloud Mountain Sect opened the Immortal City Auction and welcomed distinguished guests, including He Xinyan, Li Mubai, Lin Qinglang, Yuan Qiquan, Jia Chunqiu, and Baiyun Immortal.
• Liang Hai Shun urged Su Qing and their companions into the crowded Cloud Mountain Pavilion, where the Yuan and Lin Families occupied the front rows and guests watched from concealed rooms above.
• Guo Qiao Lian introduced her father, Guo An, to Su Qing, who greeted him and thanked him for the Guo Family's Needle Control Incantation.
• Guo An explained that he had earned the right to bid for a Foundation Establishment Pill but planned to save it for Guo Qiao Lian because his failing health left him little chance of using it.
• Guo An asked Su Qing, Liang Hai Shun, He Lian Xian, and their companions to support Guo Qiao Lian after his death, then distributed Tier 2 Medicinal Pills he had prepared for them.

At the Cloud Mountain Pavilion auction, Su Qing used Lin Fan’s hostility to drive up the prices of his Phantom Leopards and Flying Sword Puppets. The chapter ended as Li Mubai introduced Su Qing’s Explosive Hammer War Bears for auction.

• Guo An gave Su Qing and the others Life-Continuum Pills and reassured Niu Ya after explaining that he had given away one of the four pills intended for the group.
• Elder Li, Li Mubai, activated a Tier 3 Grand Formation that exposed Desiring Demon Sect cultivators, and the Joyful Old Demon killed them with Yin-Yang Breath-Extinguishing Light.
• Li Mubai auctioned Su Qing’s five Phantom Leopards, and Lin Fan bid one million Spirit Crystals after Su Qing provoked him with successive bids.
• Lin Fan outbid Su Qing for a Tier 2 Silver Wolf King beast bone, while Su Qing’s bids forced Lin Fan to pay more for other items.
• Su Qing bid two million Spirit Crystals for the set of twelve Flying Sword Puppets, then withdrew when Lin Fan raised the bid to two million three hundred thousand.
• Li Mubai introduced Su Qing’s eight Explosive Hammer War Bears, beginning their auction at one million Spirit Crystals.

Su Qing sold his puppets for a fortune and spent much of the proceeds on rare auction treasures, while Lin Fan waited for him to bid on a Foundation Establishment Pill. Tang Wanqing bid on the final pill, but Lin Fan outbid her for the Lin Family, leaving her dream of Foundation Establishment in jeopardy.

• Lin Fan followed his third granduncle’s orders and helped the Lin Family win Su Qing’s eight Explosive Hammer War Bears for 2.7 million Spirit Crystals.
• Su Qing spent much of his auction earnings on a Tier 2 Wolf King Demonic Core, Blood Vitality Pills, and a Viper Dragon Bone as other cultivators acquired treasures and inheritances.
• Li Mubai auctioned twelve Foundation Establishment Pills, and Lin Fan watched Su Qing, expecting him to compete for one.
• Tang Wanqing bid a Tier 2 Demonic Core and 1.4 million Spirit Crystals for the final Foundation Establishment Pill.
• Lin Fan offered a Tier 2 Shadow Wraith and one million Spirit Crystals, declaring the pill belonged to the Lin Family and crushing Tang Wanqing’s hopes.

Su Qing watched the Auction move from Lin Fan’s Foundation Establishment Pill victory to the contest for Tier 3 treasures, while worrying that powerful cultivators might block his bid for the Fire Phoenix Feather. He Xinyan opened the bidding for the feather, and the Golden Core Venerables appeared willing to indulge her.

• Su Qing promised Tang Wanqing he could provide a Foundation Establishment Pill after the Auction, while Lin Fan celebrated taking the last pill and drew the other cultivators’ anger.
• Li Mubai presented a Flood Dragon Bone, and Jia Chunqiu criticized its Dao Pattern before bidding three hundred Spirit Stones as the Lin and Yuan Families stayed silent.
• Liang Hai Shun explained that the Lin and Yuan Families feared offending the solitary, ruthless Jia Chunqiu, and Su Qing worried the Golden Core powers might divide the remaining Tier 3 treasures among themselves.
• Li Mubai presented a Fire Phoenix Feather, which Su Qing recognized as a treasure capable of retaining a comprehensible Dao Pattern.
• He Xinyan bid three hundred and one Spirit Stones for the Fire Phoenix Feather on behalf of Hundred Treasures Pavilion, and Su Qing planned to give her one hundred of the Demoness’s Spirit Stones.

Su Qing won the Myriad Manifestations Talisman Technique at the auction and discovered that its rune-based cultivation method suited his talents. After adapting his Meditating Dolls to it, he turned his attention to the Fire Phoenix Feather he had bought for Liu Yun'er.

• Su Qing outbid Joyful Old Demon and bought the Myriad Manifestations Talisman Technique for 320 Spirit Stones.
• The auction ended after Hundred Treasures Pavilion, the Lin Family, and the Yuan Family bought the three Third-tier Demonic Cores, and Su Qing paid He Xinyan a service fee before leaving with the Fire Phoenix Feather.
• Back at Su's Small Shop, Su Qing examined his purchases, set aside the Viper Dragon Bone until he could afford the materials to refine it, and studied the Myriad Manifestations Talisman Technique.
• Su Qing entered the technique's first chapter within several days and found that it made his cultivation more than three times faster.
• Su Qing synchronized all twenty-eight Meditating Dolls with the new technique, then took out the Fire Phoenix Feather he had bought for Liu Yun'er.

Su Qing imprinted the Phoenix Cooks the Sea Dao Pattern, gaining a Fire Phoenix Phantom, then prepared to compete with the Lin Family for Cloud Mountain Sect’s Lizard Knight order. Lin Fan challenged him with Blood Demons, and both sides signed a Dao Pact making the puppet duel’s winner the sole supplier.

• Su Qing copied the Phoenix Cooks the Sea Dao Pattern onto his chest, survived the painful imprinting, and gained the ability to summon a mana-consuming Fire Phoenix Phantom.
• After recovering, Su Qing watched Baiyun Immortal City’s residents and businesses prepare for war while his shop’s Lizard Knight sales prospered.
• Su Qing headed to Cloud Mountain Pavilion to compete for Cloud Mountain Sect’s order for three hundred Lizard Knights.
• Lin Fan offered to spare Su Qing if he surrendered his Puppet Blueprints and Rune Inheritance, but Su Qing refused and entered the pavilion.
• Lin Fan’s Puppet Masters assured him that their Blood Demons could defeat the Lizard Knights, while Li Mubai and Liu Songqing required both sides to sign a Dao Pact binding them to the duel’s result.

Su Qing and Lin Fan prepared for a Puppet battle to determine whose Puppets would fight the Desiring Demon Sect, while the Cloud Mountain Sect elders worried about the Evil Demon consuming the city. The battle began with both sides summoning three hundred Puppets, and the elders recognized Su Qing’s remarkable Spiritual Sense.

• Li Mubai warned Liu Songqing that the Evil Demon could not be allowed to go hungry, while Liu Songqing knocked dozens of Cloud Peng from the sky and Su Qing collected their corpses.
• Li Mubai cautioned Su Qing against cultivating both magic and body, then set a three-hundred-Puppet battle with a ten-percent loss limit.
• Lin Fan demanded that the limit be raised to fifty percent, and Su Qing accepted.
• Lin Fan’s Puppet Masters reassured him that their side would win, and the two sides began summoning their Puppets.
• Su Qing controlled three hundred Lizard Knights alone, while Lin Fan and five Tier 2 Puppet Masters controlled three hundred Blood Demon Puppets.
• Li Mubai and Liu Songqing recognized Su Qing’s extraordinary Spiritual Sense and recalled that he had once been expelled from the Cloud Mountain Sect after surviving an encounter with an old demon.

Su Qing’s upgraded Lizard Knights routed Lin Fan’s Blood Demon Puppets, and the Golden Peng King was killed by a mysterious white light before it could attack Su Qing. The Cloud Mountain Sect paid Su Qing for the surviving knights and commissioned three hundred more, leaving him with a lucrative new order while he remained an independent cultivator.

• Su Qing’s Soul Severing Arrows disabled Blood Demons, while his Diamond Leg Mysterious Armor Horses and improved Lizard Knights crushed Lin Fan’s forces and cost him the Cloud Mountain Sect order.
• Lin Fan left the battlefield in defeat, and Su Qing collected the Blood Spirit Crystals from the wreckage as the Golden Peng King arrived to attack him.
• A white light killed the Golden Peng King and carried away its corpse; Su Qing shared the scattered Golden Peng Blood and feathers with the Cloud Mountain Sect elders and disciples.
• Su Qing entered Cloud Mountain Pavilion and agreed to hand over the surviving Lizard Knights, replace the thirty-eight losses, and accept payment in Spirit Stones.
• Li Mubai and Liu Songqing offered Su Qing an order for three hundred more Lizard Knights, with the sect supplying triple materials and paying ten thousand Spirit Crystals per completed puppet; Su Qing declined Liu Songqing’s suggestion that he rejoin the sect.

After learning that the Desiring Demon Immortal Kingdom’s army had reached Baiyun Immortal City, Su Qing spent his new wealth on treasures and materials for Puppet production. He returned to his crowded shop with new debts and supplies, while the war threatened to drive demand even higher.

• Su Qing visited Hundred Treasures Pavilion, where Tong Xin told him that the Desiring Demon Immortal Kingdom’s army had camped outside the western wall and Cloud Mountain Sect had failed to gain an advantage in battle.
• Su Qing bought Blood Vitality Pills and the Demon Subduing Pestle, whose Buddhist light resonated with the Merit Wooden Fish in his Storage Bag.
• Su Qing used his Cloud Mountain Sect work to obtain controlled Puppet materials, then bought rare materials and a Heaven-Shaking Crossbow Blueprint from Shopkeeper Liu, spending his Spirit Stones and taking on a debt to refine eight Explosive Hammer War Bears.
• Su Qing encountered Wei De Bao trying to borrow Spirit Crystals for Tier 2 War Gear, declined his offer to marry Wei’s eighth sister, and learned from Shopkeeper Liu about the Wei women’s Profound Essence Pill Qi.
• Su Qing returned to his shop to find it packed with Rogue Cultivator customers demanding more stock and Enhanced Lizard Knights, and he hoped Qing He would return from the western battlefield.

Qing He survived the battlefield, repaid He Xinyan, and spent more than a month running Su Qing’s shop while he remained in seclusion. After the battle claimed Cloud Mountain Venerable and Shi Zhi Fang joined Gao Erqiang in fighting the Gao Family Butcher Shop, Su Qing finally emerged and offered to reforge Qing He’s Sword-Human Puppet.

• Qing He fought on the battlefield, seized Storage Bags, and fled after seeing the Gao Family Butcher Shop drain cultivators’ blood essence.
• Shi Zhi Fang killed Cloud Mountain Venerable, and Immortaloxia Mountain sent the corpse to the Gao Family Butcher Shop before Gao Erqiang fought Shi Zhi Fang.
• Qing He reported what she had witnessed to He Xinyan, repaid her borrowed Spirit Stones, and went to Su’s Small Shop to seek a Tier 2 Magic Sword.
• While Su Qing stayed in seclusion, Qing He ran the shop, served visiting cultivators, and watched Liang Hai Shun, He Lian Xian, and Yuan Tianye go upstairs to work with him.
• After more than a month, Su Qing emerged and offered to reforge Qing He’s Sword-Human Puppet, prompting her to turn around in surprise.

Su Qing forged the Viper Dragon Bone into a Tier 2 Limit mount puppet named Wicked Evil Viper Dragon, also called Flying Dragon, and unlocked several mount puppet blueprints. He then began planning a far more powerful aerial warship using the Cloud Peng King’s corpse, leaving his next major project underway.

• Su Qing abandoned his armor-puppet design after calamity lightning spread through the Viper Dragon Bone, and he adapted it into an Exorcism Type mount puppet with Hongshang’s help.
• Su Qing gave the dragon Tang Wanqing’s personality template, and it named itself Flying Dragon and suggested additional runes.
• Su Qing added combat, Daoist Art, Imperial Carriage, and Aerial Control Runes, completing Flying Dragon as a Tier 2 Limit puppet despite its lightning-struck, nearly chopped-off tail.
• Su Qing activated Flying Dragon and saw the System Panel list its abilities, including a self-destructing rescue ability, which he refused to use.
• The System Panel unlocked blueprints for the Crimson Flame Rainbow Light Horse, Emperor Crab, and Golden Mane Roar, and Su Qing considered selling mount puppets to cultivators.
• Su Qing planned to build a Cloud Roc Warship around the Tier 2 Cloud Peng King’s corpse, with the previous Sky Roc Mothership and other puppets inside it.

Su Qing spent a month refining the Cloud Roc Mothership and Peng King Puppet into Tier 2 Limit creations, assembling a formidable force of puppets and aerial weapons. With his preparations complete, he turned to the progress he had made during his month of seclusion.

• Su Qing converted the Cloud Peng King's corpse into the Cloud Roc Mothership, adding concealment, aerial control, intelligence, and spatial escape runes.
• Su Qing equipped the mothership with Falcon King Flying Swordmasters, Cloud Roc Stealth Bombers, Sky-Shaking Dragon Crossbows, a formation system, and the Snake Dragon Nest, bringing it to Tier 2 Limit quality.
• Su Qing refined Little Peng King's body into the Peng King Puppet, giving it five Tier 3 Runes and combat abilities that let it dominate Tier 2 airspace.
• Su Qing surveyed his eight powerful Tier 2 puppets and Enhanced Lizard Knights, then reflected that he had also made considerable personal progress during his month of seclusion.