Chapter Summaries

Wang Ping detonated his Puppet in the magma cavern to disrupt Wen Yang’s attempt to fuse with a Fourth Realm True Spirit, then braced for the blast with his companions south of True Sun Mountain. The explosion struck with energy Daoist Huai Mo likened to that of the legendary World of Nothingness, leaving them engulfed in white light.

• Zhu Chen escaped the cavern with two Fire Spirits, while Wen Yang devoured an old man’s Primordial Spirit and plunged into the magma to fuse with a Fourth Realm True Spirit.
• Repeated eruptions of Fire Spirit energy forced everyone against the cavern walls, and Luo Feng entered the magma and confirmed that Wen Yang faced the fused True Spirit and crazed Third Realm Fire Spirits.
• Qiu Mingzi deduced that Wen Yang was using their attacks to weaken the True Spirit’s consciousness, while Xin Shi ordered the others to attack Wang Ping’s Puppet.
• Wang Ping warned Ruan Chunzi and Qiu Mingzi to leave, then released the Puppet’s defenses and activated its spirituality with the Fire Spirit energy before severing his consciousness link.
• Wang Ping formed a vast Jia Talisman shield south of True Sun Mountain as the Puppet’s detonation unleashed a tremendous blast that overwhelmed the group’s senses and filled their vision with white.

Wang Ping revealed that the explosion that erased True Sun Mountain had been caused by a Power Pill, then moved to capture the surviving Sun Sect cultivator. The man escaped Wang Ping’s first attack and set the mountain remnants ablaze, leaving survivors crying for help.

• Gan Xing and Liu Shuang witnessed the Power Pill’s blast engulf Sanshui City in white mist and destroy True Sun Mountain’s main peak.
• Wang Ping explained the Power Pill’s cost and instability, then identified the surviving Fire Spirit as Daoist Wen Yang undergoing advancement.
• Wang Ping ordered Zhi Gong and Hu Yin to help capture the Sun Sect cultivator while the others watched First Day’s allies.
• Wang Ping’s Iron Bamboo Swords broke the cultivator’s green-token barrier, but the man fled using Turn to Fire after Wang Ping evaded his fire arrows with an illusion.
• The fleeing cultivator’s Flame Explosion Techniques set the remains of True Sun Mountain ablaze, and Wang Ping heard survivors calling for help.

Wang Ping and his allies forced Sun Sect leader Xu Chun to surrender the Mysterious Jade Token and three spirit bodies, learning that the conflict began over a genuine Third Realm Fire Spirit beneath True Sun Mountain. The battle left the surrounding land devastated, while Luo Feng and Ke Yue still faced Daoist Huai Mo and the Fourth Realm True Spirit had become Wen Yang.

• Wang Ping, Yulian, Daoist Zhi Gong, and Hu Yin combined their powers to counter Xu Chun's fire techniques and restrain him.
• Xu Chun unleashed a Sun Flower that scorched the surrounding land, but Wang Ping restored his allies with the Green Wood Technique as Liu Huaien negotiated with him.
• Xu Chun surrendered the green token and a Storage Bag, then revealed that he had come to claim a genuine Third Realm Fire Spirit jointly owned with the True Sun Sect.
• Liu Huaien gave the token to Wang Ping, who agreed to let Zhi Gong and Hu Yin make Power Pills from the remaining spirit bodies under conditions.
• Yulian brought rain to the devastated landscape, while Luo Feng and Ke Yue confronted Daoist Huai Mo and the Fourth Realm True Spirit appeared as Wen Yang.

After the destruction of True Sun Mountain, Wang Ping and the cultivators protected the retreating soldiers from the battle’s devastating heat. Wen Yang subdued the Fire Spirit and advanced, while Daoist Guang Zuo rewarded Wang Ping with the Crimson Jade Ruler; Wang Ping then asked Ke Yue and Luo Feng what a true Fire Spirit was.

• Zuo Xuan and the others saw that True Sun Mountain had been reduced to shattered ranges as a fierce battle erupted nearby.
• Gan Xing shielded the city from the falling sun’s heat while the cultivators worked together to protect the soldiers and prepare their retreat.
• Wen Yang suppressed the Fire Spirit’s consciousness and advanced, and Wang Ping arrived with the others as Wen Yang’s allies discussed the risks of his breakthrough.
• Daoist Guang Zuo inspected Wen Yang, acknowledged Wang Ping’s role in destroying True Sun Mountain, and gave him the Crimson Jade Ruler.
• Qiu Mingzi and the other First Sect disciples departed, and Wang Ping asked Ke Yue and Luo Feng what a true Fire Spirit was.

After True Sun Mountain was destroyed, Wang Ping learned that the True Sun Sect had moved away a genuine Fire Spirit and began overseeing the mountain’s reconstruction and the sects’ search of its ruins. He then questioned Liu Huaien about the Jimin Association and learned more about the Mysterious Jade Token.

• Huai Mo explained that the Five-Element True Spirits were creations of Saint Taichu, and Ke Yue confirmed that the True Sun Sect had moved the Fire Spirit away.
• Wang Ping and his companions returned to Lai Mountain, where he ordered Wu Quan to rebuild True Sun Mountain and gave the sects five days to search its ruins.
• Wang Ping rejected Hu Yin’s suggestion to rename the mountain and asked Huai Mo what else he knew about the Five-Element True Spirits.
• Wang Ping asked Liu Huaien what the Jimin Association wanted from him, but Liu Huaien said only that it sought to balance spirituality.
• Ruan Chunzi and Liu Huaien explained that the Sun Sect had enabled the Mysterious Jade Token’s formation and warned that using it unrefined could subject Wang Ping’s Primordial Spirit to spatial tearing.

Wang Ping began refining the Mysterious Jade Token, while Liu Huaien departed and Ruan Chunzi sought refuge with him. Ruan Chunzi revealed that the True Sun Mountain incident involved a plan to seize cultivators’ Primordial Spirits and spirit bodies, and suggested the Fire Spirit was nearly used up.

• Liu Huaien explained how Wang Ping could refine the Mysterious Jade Token, and Wang Ping began nourishing it with his Primordial Spirit Consciousness.
• Wang Ping stored the Artifact Bird’s sealing crystal in a formation on Yulian’s tail, and Yulian and Huo Jie fought playfully.
• Liu Huaien departed, and Ruan Chunzi asked Wang Ping to take him in rather than return to the True Sun Sect.
• Ruan Chunzi told Wang Ping that Chang Jing had been meant to become the Fire Spirit’s next spirit body, but they had killed him, and that True Sun Mountain’s weakness had been a lure to seize cultivators’ Primordial Spirits and spirit bodies.
• Ruan Chunzi said Wen Yang had told him that the Fire Spirit no longer needed to remain at True Sun Mountain because it was about to be used up.
• Ruan Chunzi speculated that the Fire Spirit and Five Elements spiritual energy arose naturally from the universe’s consciousness, which cultivators contacted when casting spells.

Wang Ping used Ruan Chunzi’s ideas to observe spiritual energy particles and learned how Yuqing Sect cultivators built spells, then recorded the theory before experimenting with his own Primordial Spirit Consciousness. He left the chapter studying the particle structures of a spell and the Mysterious Jade Token, concluding that recreating them was beyond him.

• Wang Ping activated his Primordial Spirit Consciousness and, after considering Ruan Chunzi’s theory, perceived the essential energy of the universe and unlocked the Spiritual Vision Technique.
• Ruan Chunzi explained that Yuqing Sect cultivators observed spiritual energy particles to construct spells and Qi Seas, while the Five Sects of Mystic Gate relied on preset authorities granted by their cultivation systems.
• Wang Ping asked Ruan Chunzi whether he would continue north or return to Thousand Wood Temple, then gave him a letter for Daoist Yucheng and an ID Badge.
• Ruan Chunzi departed for Thousand Wood Temple, and Wang Ping told Yulian he would seek the facts through further advancement.
• Wang Ping recorded Ruan Chunzi’s explanation and used his Primordial Spirit Consciousness to inspect an Earth Vein Qi practitioner’s Earth Wall Technique and the Mysterious Jade Token, but gave up on trying to recreate their complex particle structures.

Wang Ping failed to complete basic spell constructions without Yulian's help, while Ke Yue planned to use Dong Can against Xiu Yu to gain leverage with Changqing. The chapter ended with Wang Ping reading reports that Linshui Prefecture had turned hostile and that a Fourth Realm Artifact Cultivator secret method had surfaced.

• Wang Ping tried to construct water and flame spells, but Form Completion failed until Yulian linked their Primordial Spirits and Qi Seas; he judged the attempt disruptive to his State of Mind and returned to meditation.
• Ke Yue and Luo Feng arrived at a hidden cave dwelling, where Luo Feng began Secluded Cultivation after warning Ke Yue not to seize the Crimson Jade Ruler from Changqing by force.
• Ke Yue learned that a Fourth Realm Artifact Cultivator technique had appeared and discussed reports that Xiu Yu and Dong Can might ambush Changqing after Lord Xiaoshan advanced.
• Ke Yue ordered her disciple to arrange for Dong Can to kill Xiu Yu after Lord Xiaoshan's advancement, hoping to secure a bargaining chip for a deal with Changqing.
• Wang Ping woke from meditation and read Daoist Yucheng's report that Linshui Prefecture was attacking southern sects' merchant ships, then opened Daoist Yuanzheng's letter about the Fourth Realm Artifact Cultivator secret method.

Wang Ping addressed a First Day investigation and Linshui Prefecture’s maritime blockade before discussing cultivation methods and a reward with Huai Mo. A blood-red radiance then appeared near Lishan, where Wang Ping and the others found a wounded shrimp demon standing in the river.

• Wang Ping directed Daoist Yuanzheng to seek Wen Hai’s help investigating a First Day stronghold and sent Wen Hai a letter about the case.
• Wang Ping, Wu Quan, and Gan Xing agreed to resist Linshui Prefecture’s maritime blockade and sent Zi Luan letters stating their position.
• Huai Mo explained how Zhu Chen’s spoils had been divided and offered Wang Ping a Yuqing Sect spell formation in exchange for the bounty.
• Wang Ping asked whether a Mystic Sect cultivator could condense a Yuqing Sect golden core, and Huai Mo advised him to focus on the Taiyan Talisman before Wang Ping requested Sacred Heart Pills.
• A blood-red radiance appeared near Lishan, and Wang Ping flew there with Huai Mo, Zhi Gong, Wu Quan, Hu Yin, and the others.
• Wang Ping and the others found a bloodied shrimp demon standing amid the radiance in a riverway, with mysterious runes visible in his blood.

Wang Ping and the others contained the Shrimp Demon’s attempt to fuse with the Monster Gathering Banner’s bloodline power, then Wang Ping recovered and concealed the artifact from beneath the river. He left the arriving Second Realm cultivators behind and flew toward Lai Mountain.

• Hu Yin recognized that the Shrimp Demon was fusing with a foreign bloodline, and Shan Wei suppressed the banner’s red light to save the nearby demon soldiers.
• Wu Quan and the others identified the artifact as the Monster Gathering Banner, while Hu Yin entrusted Wang Ping with deciding what to do with it.
• The Shrimp Demon exploded, and Wang Ping concluded the banner should be retrieved as the river channel returned to normal.
• Wang Ping and Yulian found the banner beneath the riverbed among the corpses of Demon Race Qi practitioners, and Wang Ping sealed it inside a new Storage Bag.
• Wang Ping dismissed the arriving Second Realm cultivators and flew with Zhi Gong and the others toward Lai Mountain.

Wang Ping oversaw the aftermath of the victory at True Sun Mountain as officials gathered supplies and Wu Quan leveled the surrounding mountain ranges. With the main peak still to be rebuilt, an envoy from the Six Hearts Sect arrived bearing the Monster Gathering Banner for Wang Ping.

• Two Gold cultivators collected the sects’ pills from the dock and warned the officials not to delay the Prefect’s undertaking.
• The gathered supplies were distributed from Shuanghe City to the front lines as the eastern and western mountain ranges of True Sun Mountain collapsed.
• Wu Quan told Wang Ping he had leveled the mountain ranges, and Wang Ping asked him to rebuild the main peak and carve statues of Lord Xiaoshan.
• Layman Tong Ming took his leave, while Wang Ping invited the remaining cultivators to depart if they had urgent matters.
• Zuo Xuan introduced Xuan Ling, who told Wang Ping that the Prefect had obtained the Monster Gathering Banner and returned it to him.

Wang Ping accepted the Monster Gathering Banner and took Xuan Ling, a Six Hearts Sect disciple sent by Lord Xiaoshan, as his eleventh disciple. After three Sacred Divinations failed to clarify the connection between Xuan Ling and the banner, Xuan Ling arrived with news that Lord Xiaoshan had said he could use it.

• Wang Ping questioned Xuan Ling about his origins and learned that he had lived within the Six Hearts Sect for three hundred years without leaving.
• Xuan Ling accepted Wang Ping as his teacher after Wang Ping accepted the Monster Gathering Banner, and Wang Ping named him his eleventh disciple.
• Wang Ping asked Liu Shuang to guide Xuan Ling, then wondered whether Xuan Ling was connected to the banner and cast three Sacred Divinations.
• Wang Ping sent a question to Zi Luan using a Puppet bird, but Liu Shuang, Hu Qianqian, and Xuan Ling arrived before it left.
• Xuan Ling told Wang Ping that Lord Xiaoshan had said he could use the Monster Gathering Banner.

Wang Ping examined Xuan Ling and discovered that his calm fusion with the Huai Tree Soul and strange memories might point to a hidden influence. As True Sun Mountain was reestablished, Wang Ping prepared to seal the Monster Gathering Banner beneath it.

• Hu Qianqian reacted with disbelief at Xuan Ling's lack of Demon Race bloodline, then apologized to Wang Ping.
• Wang Ping examined Xuan Ling's cultivation and found that he was fusing with the Huai Tree Soul without aid, while strange energy in his memories seemed to affect Wang Ping's subconscious.
• Hu Qianqian and Liu Shuang returned with a second banner, which Wang Ping wrapped in Spirit Calming Talismans before sending Xuan Ling and Hu Qianqian back to Thousand Wood Temple with the genuine Monster Gathering Banner.
• Liu Shuang reported worsening conflicts among Mozhou Road's smaller sects, and Wang Ping sent her to comfort disaster-stricken people in Jianglin Road and Hexin Road.
• As True Sun Mountain was restored, Wang Ping told Zhi Gong and the others that he planned to seal the Monster Gathering Banner beneath it with the Mountain Suppressing Art and the Prefect's golden divine statue.

Wang Ping and Wu Quan began securing the Monster Gathering Banner beneath True Sun Mountain and planned the mountain’s reconstruction. The chapter ended with Wu Quan promising to raise the main peak by year’s end, while the surrounding areas could wait.

• Zhi Gong approved Wang Ping’s solution, and Wu Quan said the Prefect had left the decision to him.
• Wang Ping buried the Monster Gathering Banner beneath True Sun Mountain and sealed it with linked Wood Spirit arrays.
• Wu Quan used earth vein arrays to fill and conceal the pit while Yulian’s mist shielded the work from onlookers.
• Wu Quan presented a detailed plan to rebuild True Sun Mountain as rolling hills that would block northern cold winds and reconnect the north and south.
• Wang Ping asked whether the work could be completed by the end of the year, and Wu Quan said the main peak could be finished by then.

Wang Ping cultivated while True Sun Mountain was rebuilt and prepared to question Lord Xiaoshan when the mountain’s golden statues were completed. On December twenty-first, the statues were finished as soldiers and civilian representatives gathered to worship.

• Wu Quan and cultivators began rebuilding True Sun Mountain and constructing a road toward Jianglin Road as Chu Kingdom’s vanguard entered Fengqing Prefecture.
• Zi Luan’s letter confirmed Xuan Ling’s identity and advised Wang Ping to ask Lord Xiaoshan about him; Wang Ping planned to do so when the statues were erected.
• Wang Ping devoted himself to cultivation, advanced his Heaven Connecting Talisman integration to 52/100, and gave completed Five Elements Condensation Technique puppets to Zhi Gong and Hu Yin as part of their secret alliance.
• On December twenty-first, more than a hundred thousand soldiers and several hundred thousand civilian representatives gathered to worship as the golden statues atop True Sun Mountain were completed.

Wang Ping joined the grand rite at True Sun Mountain, where Lord Xiaoshan used the gathered fortune to help him advance his Spirit Talisman fusion and strengthen his Primordial Spirit. Afterward, Wang Ping flew to speak with Lord Xiaoshan, who revealed that the mountain was not the original True Sun Mountain.

• Wang Ping led hundreds of thousands in bowing to the divine statue as the faith and fortune gathered over True Sun Mountain.
• During the third bow, Wang Ping's Primordial Spirit separated from his body, and Lord Xiaoshan guided him to fuse further with the Heaven Connecting Talisman.
• Wang Ping's Spirit Talisman fusion reached 70/100, and he strengthened his Primordial Spirit with energy from the Inspiration World before reaching a bottleneck.
• Wang Ping returned to his body as golden starlight descended on the worshippers, then asked Lord Xiaoshan to speak with him.
• Lord Xiaoshan met Wang Ping beneath the divine statue and said the mountain was not the original True Sun Mountain.

Wang Ping learned from Lord Xiaoshan about the spirituality underlying the laws of Heaven and Earth, innate Dao bodies, and an experiment involving Yao Emperor Yao Xi’s consciousness. After Lord Xiaoshan warned him to keep the matter secret, Wang Ping prepared to march into Jianglin Road and ordered his temporary Daoist temple to advance to Moon Mountain.

• Lord Xiaoshan explained that the spirituality of living things shaped the laws of Heaven and Earth, and cautioned Wang Ping against becoming like the Xia Imperial Family.
• Lord Xiaoshan explained that innate Dao bodies had divine soul consciousnesses aligned with spirituality, then revealed that portions of Yao Emperor Yao Xi’s consciousness had been implanted in six people, including Xuan Ling.
• Lord Xiaoshan vanished after warning Wang Ping that the matter ended there and that he would learn more when the time came.
• Wang Ping and Yulian discussed how Yao Emperor Yao Xi’s consciousness might have been fused with others.
• Wang Ping returned to the sacrificial platform beneath True Sun Mountain and announced that they would march into Jianglin Road.
• Wang Ping ordered Zuo Xuan to move his temporary Daoist temple to Moon Mountain within a month, where Liu Zixiu was buried.

Wang Ping received Zhang Xinghuai and Lu Shan during Spring Festival and questioned Zhang about the Saint and his place in the Jimin Association. The visit ended with Zhang and Wang beginning a game of chess as Wang asked Lu to state the important reason for his visit.

• The Chu Kingdom advanced toward Moon Mountain while the court organized migration and settlement around True Sun Mountain.
• Wang Ping received a calling card from Zhang Xinghuai and Lu Shan and ordered the Gold cultivator to bring them to Lai Mountain.
• Wang Ping sensed that Zhang Xinghuai shared the aura of Guan Xi and Liu Huaien, then asked him about the Saint.
• Zhang Xinghuai said the Saint was everywhere to believers but nonexistent to nonbelievers, and that the Saint cared about people's actions.
• Yulian arrived, learned that Zhang Xinghuai had joined the Jimin Association, and asked about the Saint.
• Wang Ping started a chess game with Zhang Xinghuai and asked Lu Shan to explain why he had come.

Zhang Xinghuai explained his plans for Great Harmony Imperial Court to seize territory while Chu Kingdom and the Xia Dynasty fought, and Wang Ping said he would not interfere. After Lu Shan left, Zhang Xinghuai stayed to visit Liu Zixiu’s grave, and Wang Ping asked him about the Jimin Association’s Saint.

• Lu Shan told Wang Ping that he wished to lead Shanwu Road into the Great Harmony Imperial Court, and Zhang Xinghuai acknowledged that Shanwu Road mattered to them.
• Yulian challenged Zhang Xinghuai over whether he would heed Wang Ping’s disagreement, prompting Zhang Xinghuai to apologize before revealing his plans.
• Zhang Xinghuai proposed seizing Xishi Road and northern Hexin Road amid the coming battle between Chu Kingdom and the Xia Dynasty, and Wang Ping said he would not interfere in the struggle.
• Wang Ping and Lu Shan played Go to a draw, while Yulian observed that Zhang Xinghuai’s skill was greater than Zuo Xuan’s.
• After Lu Shan departed, Zhang Xinghuai stayed to visit Liu Zixiu’s grave, and Wang Ping asked him to describe the Jimin Association’s Saint.

Zhang Xinghuai explained the Jimin Association’s Saint and its perilous path, linking the Saint’s appearance to Ancestor Yuxiao’s journey to the Misty Sea. At dawn, a major clash broke out near Guest Pass in Pingzhou Road, and Wang Ping chose not to intervene.

• Zhang Xinghuai told Wang Ping and Yulian that the Saint had appeared three years after Ancestor Yuxiao went to the Misty Sea, and that the Jimin Association had brought back part of the Saint’s thoughts.
• Zhang Xinghuai explained that the Saint’s Way granted pure light-source power through self-acknowledgment, but doubt would cause its followers to be devoured by the light source.
• Wang Ping played six chess games against Yulian through the latter half of the night and won each one.
• At dawn, Liu Shuang and Zhao Yu'er arrived to pay their respects to Wang Ping and Zhang Xinghuai.
• Wang Ping and the others sensed a fierce battle near Guest Pass in Pingzhou Road, where Third Realm cultivators were fighting despite millions of civilians living nearby.
• When Wu Quan and Gan Xing asked whether they should investigate, Wang Ping calmly said there was no need.