Chapter Summaries

Zhang Hai was forced to repair a failing formation while rogue cultivators battled a wolf pack, and the Wolf King’s shadow nearly killed him. The Lizard Warrior sacrificed itself to blast the shadow away, leaving Zhang Hai alive and the fight unresolved.

• Pang Zhizhong ordered Zhang Hai to replace damaged Array Devices in the Returning Light Formation as the Gray Demonic Wolves attacked.
• Zhang Hai repaired the final Array Device while the Lizard Warrior stood by without helping.
• The Wolf King used the Soul Splitting Shadow Technique to send its shadow after Zhang Hai while its true body kept Pang Zhizhong occupied.
• The rogue cultivators failed to stop the Wolf King Shadow, and Zhang Hai froze as it closed in on him.
• The Lizard Warrior swept Zhang Hai and the Array Devices out of danger, then self-destructed against the Wolf King Shadow.
• The Wolf King Shadow was blasted away, and Zhang Hai realized he had survived.

Su Qing profited from the rising demand for Lizard Warriors and refined another for a customer while preparing to strengthen his defenses. That night, he spotted a horrifying scene at the Gao Family Butcher Shop and suspected an Evil Entity was haunting it.

• Su Qing sold a Lightweight Lizard Warrior to a Dharma cultivator for 1,500 Spirit Crystals, including an expedited fee.
• Su Qing reflected that Zhang Hai’s story about a self-detonating puppet had made his Lizard Warriors popular, bringing him four commissions and 4,900 Spirit Crystals.
• Su Qing reviewed his puppet-making progress and decided to keep his four finished Lizard Warriors to guard his home before buying a formation.
• Su Qing successfully refined a Lightweight Lizard Warrior and used a Qi Recovery Pill to continue working.
• Su Qing saw two human heads hanging like lanterns outside the Gao Family Butcher Shop and severed his Spiritual Sense Link in alarm.

Su Qing realized the Gao Family Butcher Shop’s slaughtering had attracted a Wandering Evil, which tracked his divine sense back to his home. After surviving its attack with his Exorcism Talismans, he found the shop still operating under an Exorcism Formation as the Market appeared unaware of the danger.

• Su Qing reasoned that the Gao Family Butcher Shop’s nonstop slaughtering had drawn a Wandering Evil into the Living Area.
• Su Qing covered his doors and windows with Exorcism Talismans, but the Evil Entity followed his Wood Spirit Servant’s divine sense and attacked his home.
• Su Qing used more than twenty Exorcism Talismans to drive back the cold wind and knocking, then spent the night awake.
• Su Qing waited until noon to leave his home and found Rogue Cultivators still bringing demon beasts to Gao Erqiang’s shop.
• Su Qing saw Formation Masters setting up an Exorcism Formation around the shop and cursed Gao Erqiang for endangering people.

Su Qing reported the Evil Entity at the Gao Family Butcher Shop, but Mei Lijing had already accepted Gao Erqiang’s money and discouraged him from spreading the matter. Su Qing learned that the war was worsening and Rogue Cultivators might face conscription, then went to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion to buy Evil-warding supplies.

• Su Qing told Mei Lijing about the two Head Lanterns at the Gao Family Butcher Shop and asked for help finding a new house.
• Mei Lijing said the Market had inspected the shop, warned Su Qing not to spread rumors, and suggested he look for a house in the Spirit Field District.
• Su Qing gave Mei Lijing Spirit Crystals and learned that Cloud Dream City had fallen, Cloud Net City was under threat, and Rogue Cultivators might have to pay an exemption tax or serve in the war.
• Su Qing decided to buy more Exorcism Talismans and went to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, where Tong Xin introduced the shop’s Evil-warding talismans, artifacts, formations, and miscellaneous items.

Su Qing bought Merit Wooden Fish and traded a Heavy Armor Lizard Warrior for Evil Suppressing Talismans and Exorcism Talismans with the Old Daoist. He fortified his home and Zhang Hai’s courtyard against the Evil Entity, then spent a tense night without incident before returning to Puppet crafting.

• Su Qing bought twelve Merit Wooden Fish, then traded one Heavy Armor Lizard Warrior to the Old Daoist for three Evil Suppressing Talismans and more than forty Exorcism Talismans.
• Su Qing placed Wood Spirit Servants near the Gao Family Butcher Shop to record any appearance of the Evil Entity.
• Su Qing found Tang Wanqing’s note saying she was hunting demon beasts in the mountains and left five Exorcism Talismans at Zhang Hai’s courtyard while Zhang Hai remained in seclusion.
• Su Qing moved his Puppet materials indoors, placed an Evil Suppressing Talisman beneath his front door, and assigned Wood Spirit Servants to strike the Merit Wooden Fish.
• Su Qing kept watch through the night without seeing the Evil Entity, then resumed crafting Puppets and failed to make two in a row.

Su Qing welcomed Ge Changyuan, learned how the demonic beast crisis had unexpectedly boosted Ge Changyuan’s income, and heard that Tang Wanqing had become a leading monster hunter. Ge Changyuan then arranged a large order for puppets to help nearby villages transport goods and defend themselves, leaving Su Qing with a profitable job and plans to reward his friend.

• Ge Changyuan visited Su Qing with produce and offered him several hundred Spirit Crystals to repay the cost of Ge Ling’s Spirit Lotus Leg, but Su Qing refused the payment.
• Ge Changyuan explained that he had harvested most of his spirit rice before the beasts arrived and that demand for his Beast Binding Ropes had surged.
• Ge Changyuan told Su Qing that Tang Wanqing had earned the title of Bear King Hunter and led a prominent force in the Hunting Grounds.
• Ge Changyuan asked Su Qing to make thirty Iron Horses, fifty Wood Oxes, and twelve Lizard Warriors for nearby villages, which had pooled a deposit of ten thousand Spirit Crystals.
• Su Qing accepted the order and planned to reward Ge Changyuan and make a Lizard Warrior for his family.

After hearing that a Headless Evil Spirit was roaming nearby, Su Qing bought materials and chose the Misty-Sun Treasure Umbrella to protect himself. Shopkeeper Liu then tried to keep Su Qing close to Hundred Treasures Pavilion by offering support for new puppet designs.

• Ge Changyuan warned Su Qing that he had seen a burly Headless Evil Spirit near the Market before dawn, and Su Qing suspected it was connected to the headless lanterns at the Gao Family Butcher Shop.
• Su Qing decided to buy an Exorcism Magic Artifact, rode to Hundred Treasures Pavilion, and spent 4,646 Spirit Crystals on materials for his puppets.
• Su Qing rejected the Warm Sun Jade Pendant and examined the Misty-Sun Treasure Umbrella, whose runes and Flamingo-hide canopy made it a powerful weapon against evil entities.
• Su Qing negotiated the umbrella's price, and Shopkeeper Liu offered a discount while acknowledging that Su Qing could not sell Lizard Warriors to Hundred Treasures Pavilion because of his deal with Fate Comes Pavilion.
• Shopkeeper Liu offered to supply materials for Su Qing's future puppet testing, hoping to preserve their relationship as Liu Yun'er's growing power made the Demoness Puppet trade difficult.

Su Qing struck a deal with Hundred Treasures Pavilion to supply Spirit Lotus Legs and Azure Steel Legs, then discovered that his health and lifespan had improved. He continued refining Puppets and planned to build a Lizard Guard before visiting Ge Family Village, while hoping to obtain a Magic Cannon Puppet Blueprint.

• Su Qing sold Shopkeeper Liu on the Spirit Lotus Legs and Azure Steel Legs, and Shopkeeper Liu promised to prepare materials for him.
• Su Qing found no sign of trouble at Gao Family Butcher Shop and decided to keep watching for a few more days.
• Su Qing discovered that his condition had improved to Slightly Depleted Qi and Blood and his lifespan had increased by sixteen years.
• Su Qing delivered a Lizard Warrior, then refined more Lizard Warriors, Iron Horses, and Wood Oxen to fulfill orders and earn back his Spirit Crystals.
• Su Qing planned to build a twelve-Puppet Lizard Guard before visiting Ge Family Village, and wished the System Panel would provide a Magic Cannon Puppet Blueprint.

Su Qing advanced his puppet-making skills, bought the Immovable Heavenly King Technique, and discovered that the Evil Entity had returned to the Gao Family Butcher Shop. He fortified his courtyard and studied the combat skill as he prepared for the danger.

• Su Qing refined nine Lizard Warriors, sold four of them, and improved his Rune proficiency, though his Immortal Path Rune had not yet reached Tier-2.
• Su Qing bought food and Qi Recovery Pills, then learned from Tong Xin that Tu Da was selling the Mysterious Grade Low Rank Immovable Heavenly King Technique.
• Tong Xin negotiated with Tu Da, and Su Qing bought the combat skill for about five percent of its market price.
• Su Qing replaced the Wood Spirit Servants at the Gao Family Butcher Shop and saw the two eerie Head Lanterns in their recorded images.
• Su Qing realized the Evil Entity had returned after seven days, secured his courtyard with Lizard Warriors and Exorcism Talismans, and opened the Immovable Heavenly King Technique.

Su Qing examined the Profound Grade Immovable Wisdom King Technique and decided to try its costly external refinement method despite his poor innate aptitude. After buying materials and enduring his first medicinal bath, he discovered how little his body could absorb and finished the chapter accepting another bath to wash off the grime.

• Su Qing read about the Immovable Wisdom King Technique’s Heavenly King Armor and Adamantine Furnace, and recognized that its internal and external methods justified its Profound Grade.
• Su Qing considered the technique’s steep material costs but decided to test its external refinement method, which he believed would not harm his body.
• Su Qing bought enough ingredients for ten medicinal baths and worked late refining three Lizard Warriors while his Wood Spirit Servants prepared the first bath.
• Su Qing endured the painful, itching medicinal bath and felt his aches ease, but his body absorbed less than half the medicinal power.
• Su Qing judged that his poor innate bones made Body Cultivation inefficient, performed the technique’s exercises, and took a second bath to clean off the black sludge.

After completing a squad of Lizard Warriors and strengthening himself through cultivation, Su Qing learned that Li Erhe had been found dead without his head and suspected the Gao Family Butcher Shop’s Wandering Evil had created more Headless Evil Spirits. He encountered the exhausted Gao Erqiang, sold him two puppets, and left wondering whether the Evil Entity had targeted Gao Erqiang himself.

• Su Qing finished his Lizard Puppet orders and assembled twelve Lizard Warriors for himself, while his cultivation improved his physique, Qi and blood, and lifespan.
• Su Qing learned that leather craftsman Li Erhe had been killed and his head taken, and he concluded that the Gao Family Butcher Shop’s Wandering Evil had spawned Headless Evil Spirits that were harming nearby cultivators.
• Long Feifan and other cultivators told Su Qing that workers were disappearing at the Gao Family Butcher Shop and that people had seen two Head Lanterns hanging there.
• Gao Erqiang stopped Su Qing and warned him against taking side paths at night, then asked to buy two puppets.
• Su Qing sold Gao Erqiang two Lizard Warriors for eighteen hundred Spirit Crystals each, then wondered why Gao Erqiang was returning to the dangerous butcher shop and whether the Evil Entity had targeted him.

Su Qing spent his recent earnings on materials and puppets, then agreed to travel with Hundred Treasures Pavilion to the Hunting Grounds and refine Spirit Lotus Legs for injured cultivators. Old Daoist urged him to seek him out after reaching Peak Qi Refining, promising a major opportunity tied to Tier 3 Biomimetic Runes.

• Wang Rong welcomed Su Qing after his ten Lizard Warriors sold well, and he collected materials for the next month's order before leaving Fate Comes Pavilion.
• Su Qing spent much of his earnings at Hundred Treasures Pavilion, where Shopkeeper Liu offered him five hundred Spirit Crystals for each Spirit Lotus Leg he refined during an escorted trip to the Hunting Grounds.
• Su Qing agreed to leave for the Hunting Grounds in three days and headed to the Stall Area, where Old Daoist was selling Exorcism Talismans amid rumors about the Headless Evil Spirit and the Gao Family Butcher Shop.
• Tong Chang asked whether Su Qing planned to attempt Tier 3 Biomimetic Runes, but Su Qing declined because he lacked the cultivation to use them.
• Tong Chang promised Su Qing a major opportunity if he returned after reaching Peak Qi Refining, but refused to reveal its nature.

Su Qing bought an Armored War Bear and began reverse-engineering and refining another one for protection before his trip to the Hunting Grounds. A Headless Evil Spirit appeared at his gate, but Su Qing used the bear and Exorcism Talismans to destroy it.

• Su Qing tested his newly purchased Armored War Bear and found his powerful spiritual sense let him control it alongside twelve Lizard Warriors.
• Su Qing decided to refine another Armored War Bear from an Ironback Bear skeleton and spent two nights and a day preparing its materials.
• Su Qing inscribed the required runes, successfully completing the Tier 2 Demonic Beast Rune despite his limited proficiency.
• A sinister wind and knocks at the gate reminded Su Qing of a previous Evil Entity, so he hid inside the purchased Armored War Bear and sent a Lizard Warrior to open the gate.
• The Headless Evil Spirit killed the Lizard Warrior and asked Su Qing for his head, but Su Qing struck it with the Armored War Bear's paw, using Exorcism Talismans to pin and destroy it.

After destroying the Headless Evil Spirit, Su Qing nearly succumbed to the Evil Script it left behind, but recognized the danger and destroyed the rune. He decided to lie low in the Spirit Field District while continuing to strengthen himself and expand his Puppet force.

• The Lizard Warrior and Wood Spirit Servants cleaned the evil entity’s corpse fluid, revealing a strange rune in the Armored War Bear’s paw print.
• The rune’s whispers bewitched Su Qing and urged him to copy it, but the Spider Doctor’s repairs alerted him that it was harming him, and he broke free.
• Su Qing ordered the Armored War Bear to smash the rune and had the Lizard Warrior bury the remains under Exorcism Talismans.
• Su Qing realized the rune was Evil Script that could corrupt anyone who drew it, and resolved to travel with Hundred Treasures Pavilion to the Spirit Field District and keep a low profile.
• Su Qing replaced the fallen Lizard Warrior, took a medicinal bath, and assessed his progress toward becoming a Tier 1 Body Cultivator.

Su Qing warned his neighbors about the Headless Evil Spirit and its lingering Evil Script, then traded a Heavy Armor Lizard Warrior to Pang Feifan for a Spirit Dog and three hundred Spirit Crystals. Pang Feifan left with the Puppet, while Su Qing learned the dog carried a trace of Huodou bloodline.

• Su Qing confronted Pang Feifan and the other Rogue Cultivators who had come to check whether he had died, then showed them the pit where his Puppets had killed the Headless Evil Spirit.
• Su Qing advised the cultivators to buy Lizard Puppets and Exorcism Talismans, and warned them that the Evil Script left by the dead Evil Entity could beguile them.
• Pang Feifan said he might move to the Central District because his spirit dog had been barking fiercely, but the other cultivators chose to stay.
• Pang Feifan returned to buy a Lizard Puppet, and he and Su Qing negotiated a trade involving his Spirit Dog.
• Su Qing accepted the Spirit Dog and three hundred Spirit Crystals in exchange for a Heavy Armor Lizard Warrior, and Pang Feifan told him the dog had a trace of Huodou bloodline.

Su Qing trained his newly acquired Spirit Dog, named it Fire Egg, and spent the day coating and activating a heavily armored Armored War Bear. With Bear Two successfully completed and his forces assembled, he felt ready to venture into the Hunting Grounds.

• Su Qing released the Spirit Dog, failed to command it, and named it Little Gold before it breathed fire at him and earned the name Fire Egg.
• Su Qing scolded Fire Egg, fed it Tusked Boar meat, and later had the Wood Spirit Servants prepare it a meal, winning its eager loyalty.
• Su Qing spent the day coating a second Armored War Bear with five thousand jin of Profound Iron Essence to make it a durable mobile fortress.
• Su Qing installed Crimson Moon Stones, supplied Bear Two with Spirit Crystals, and successfully activated it.
• Su Qing surveyed Bear One, Bear Two, twelve Lizard Warriors, Fire Egg, and his talismans, and decided the group could handle a trip through the Hunting Grounds.

Hundred Treasures Pavilion led a group of White Cloud Market Town’s Hundred Arts cultivators toward the Hunting Grounds, including Su Qing and his puppets. Along the way, Guo Qiao Lian questioned Su Qing about the Spirit Lotus Legs he made, and the group continued traveling after their discussion ended.

• Ma Tuan and Qing He led a Hundred Treasures Pavilion escort alongside Liang Hai Shun, He Lian Xian, Guo Qiao Lian, Su Qing, and other accomplished cultivators toward the Hunting Grounds.
• Rogue Cultivators recognized Su Qing’s Armored War Bears, Golden Treasure Dog, and Lizard Warriors, and watched Guo Qiao Lian ride beside him and ask him questions.
• Guo Qiao Lian pressed Su Qing to explain how Spirit Lotus Legs let cultivators with severed legs resume Mana Circulation.
• Su Qing explained that the craft required Medical Runes, Tier 2 Biomimetic Runes, and specialized puppet knowledge, then described how the runes could repair a damaged body and simulate a new limb.
• Su Qing and Guo Qiao Lian continued discussing their professions until her White Tooth Elephant stopped to eat; she thanked him and offered to treat him if he was ever injured.
• As Su Qing reflected on the cost of feeding Guo Qiao Lian’s elephant, another Rogue Cultivator moved close beside him.

Su Qing learned that Shopkeeper Liu had assembled the team to hunt a Tier 2 Demonic Beast for Hundred Treasures Pavilion’s upcoming Baiyun Auction. After the group reached Hao Family Village, Su Qing planned to visit Ge Family Village alone before their departure to deliver goods and payment.

• Su Qing befriended Liang Hai Shun, who explained that the team was likely targeting a Tier 2 Demonic Beast to strengthen Hundred Treasures Pavilion’s standing at the Auction.
• Liang Hai Shun described how Cloud Mountain Sect’s Auction burdened merchants, and he and Su Qing discussed the costs Hundred Treasures Pavilion faced in the Central District.
• Guo Qiao Lian, Ding Ping, and the other Professionals joined the conversation, and the group agreed to earn Spirit Crystals in the Hunting Grounds before pursuing the dangerous hunt.
• The party reached Hao Family Village, where they would stay for one night before leaving the market’s protected range.
• Su Qing decided to visit Ge Family Village alone to hand over the goods and payment before the team set out the next morning.

Ge Changyuan endured the villagers’ suspicion while waiting for Su Qing to deliver the Puppets. Su Qing arrived early with an imposing group of Puppets, restoring Ge Changyuan’s prestige and prompting the villagers to prepare the remaining Spirit Crystals.

• Ge Changyuan refused Yuan Ailan’s suggestion to check on Su Qing, insisting they wait until their one-month deadline passed.
• Ge Changyuan spent a sleepless night worrying that Su Qing might not fulfill the deal as villagers pounded on his gate.
• Su Qing arrived at Ge Changyuan’s home with two Armored War Bears and twelve Lizard Warriors, startling Ge Changyuan.
• Su Qing announced that he had refined all the ordered Puppets and had come to deliver them.
• Ge Changyuan welcomed Su Qing inside as villagers praised their connection, and young villagers hurried to notify the village chiefs to bring the Spirit Crystals.

Su Qing visited Ge Family Village to complete the village chiefs’ Puppet order while learning about growing danger in the Hunting Grounds. After collecting the remaining payment and leaving for Hao Family Village, he secretly left Ge Changyuan a Heavy Armor Lizard Warrior.

• Ge Changyuan told Su Qing that demonic beasts were increasing near the Hunting Grounds and that a Tier 2 Black Mountain Tiger had killed more than a dozen Rogue Cultivators.
• Su Qing chatted with Ge Ling while waiting for the nearby village chiefs to arrive.
• Su Qing displayed thirty Iron Horse Puppets, fifty Wood Ox Puppets, and twelve Lizard Warriors, which the village chiefs inspected and praised.
• The village chiefs paid Su Qing the remaining twenty-three thousand-plus Spirit Crystals, and he left to rejoin the team in Hao Family Village.
• Ge Changyuan returned home and found that Su Qing had left him an extra Heavy Armor Lizard Warrior.