Chapter Summaries

After condensing his Divine Soul, Wang Ping successfully cultivated the Wood Spirit Technique with the Huai Tree, while Yulian stopped him before he absorbed too much Wood Spirit Qi. Three months later, letters brought news of Wang Kang’s arrival in the Capital City and the war’s end, leaving Wang Ping concerned for his disciples’ crucial Qi Refining stage.

• Daoist Yucheng told Daoist Gu Heng that Wang Ping had condensed his Divine Soul, and the two discussed his potential to cultivate the Taiyan Secret Method.
• Wang Ping spent the afternoon drinking tea and chatting with Yulian before Liu Shuang and Yang Ziping returned from exchanging pointers with their fellow disciples.
• Wang Ping meditated by the Huai Tree and smoothly completed ten cycles of Wood Spirit Qi circulation before Yulian cut off his connection to prevent further assimilation.
• Wang Ping continued cultivating for three months, then received a letter from Wang Kang describing his arrival in the Capital City and wrote a reply.
• Su Dun’s letter reported that the war had ended and the scattered Rebels had been wiped out, though people in two counties had suffered greatly and one county seat had been slaughtered.
• Wang Ping sighed over the news and anticipated the crucial Qi Refining stage for Liu Shuang and Yang Ziping.

Wang Ping taught Liu Shuang and Yang Ziping the Marrow Cleansing Chapter and arranged for them to gain experience outside the temple. After refining fifty thousand Power Pills for Su Dun, Wang Ping received a Demon Weapon from the Governor-General's Yamen.

• Wang Ping learned from Cheng Ji that only Shangdan Sect Cultivators who had reached the Second Realm could improve another person's Spiritual Root, and that doing so cost lifespan.
• Wang Ping taught Liu Shuang and Yang Ziping the Marrow Cleansing Chapter after they reached Qi Refining Completion.
• Su Dun told Wang Ping that Wang Kang had placed sixth in the palace Martial Arts Examination and that their Second Senior Brother had become Chancellor Zhao's disciple.
• Su Dun asked Wang Ping to supply fifty thousand Power Pills, and Wang Ping agreed while asking him to look after his disciples.
• Liu Shuang and Yang Ziping left for the Prefecture City's Daoist Scripture Hall to take missions and gain experience.
• Three months later, Su Dun completed the handover of the Power Pills and sent Wang Ping a Demon Weapon as a reward from the Governor-General's Yamen.

Wang Ping tested the Void Escape demon weapon and continued cultivating his Wood Spirit abilities, but his attempts to animate plants failed. A letter from Xia Yao then asked him to investigate a string of murders linked to Shen Dong in Sanhe Prefecture.

• Wang Ping used Wood Spirit Qi to activate the Void Escape bracer and teleported five zhang, though he could not comprehend its intricate pattern.
• Over the following years, Wang Ping completed his Divine Soul Technique and Wood Spirit Art, gaining faster, more efficient spellcasting and new healing and plant-based abilities.
• Wang Ping tried to use All Soldiers Are Grass and Trees on a vine, but it broke apart, and his next attempts also failed.
• An Inner Sect Disciple delivered Wang Ping an urgent letter from Xia Yao, who reported that Shen Dong was connected to a series of murders in Sanhe Prefecture.
• Xia Yao asked Wang Ping to send someone to Sanhe Prefecture to investigate the killings of the prefect, garrison commander, money house owner, and Manufacturing Bureau Director.

Wang Ping sent Yang Ziping to investigate a case involving Sanhe Prefecture Judge Shen Dong, but Yang went missing and was soon returned unharmed by Shen Dong’s messenger. The messenger revealed that Shen had died after taking the blame for powerful Nobles, leaving Wang Ping with no leads and the matter unresolved.

• Wang Ping wrote to Guangxuan and sent Yang Ziping to Sanhe Prefecture to investigate the case.
• Cheng Ji visited Wang Ping after failing his Foundation Establishment attempt, then asked for wine and an introduction so he could join Yang Ziping.
• After half a month, Zhao Qing reported that Yang Ziping had gone missing and Cheng Ji had been slightly injured.
• Yang Ziping returned unharmed with a Jianghu Guest, who said that Shen Dong had ordered him returned and that Wang Ping’s investigation would yield no results.
• The Jianghu Guest said Shen Dong had died after serving powerful Nobles and choosing his own death to protect his Lineage, then asked permission to leave.

Wang Ping raised his Foundation Establishment success rate by improving the Spirit Gathering Array and prepared to begin Foundation Establishment. After divination gave its assent, he sat beneath the Huai Tree to start.

• Yang Ziping told Wang Ping that Shen Dong was linked to the murders in Sanhe Prefecture, and Cheng Ji later said poisoned, weapon-laden Jianghu Guests had ambushed them and abducted Yang Ziping.
• Wang Ping completed Qi Gathering, discovered spiritual energy leaking from his Spirit Gathering Array, and learned from Daoist Yucheng that Spirit Wood Roots could suppress the leaks.
• Zhao Qing delivered eight Spirit Wood Roots, which Wang Ping placed in the towers; after inspection, the Mountain Top Dense Forest’s spiritual energy stabilized at 91/100 and his Foundation Establishment success rate reached 99/100.
• Wang Ping prepared for Foundation Establishment, shut the Mountain Top Garden’s gate, and sat before the Huai Tree with Yulian as his divination granted its assent.

Wang Ping successfully established his Foundation after drawing in the spiritual energy of Thousand Wood Mountain, then tested his stronger abilities and reunited with his Disciples. The chapter ended with Yang Ziping asking Wang Ping to bless his relationship with the eldest daughter of the Liu Family, while Liu Shuang revealed she planned to return to the mountains in a few years.

• Wang Ping used the Foundation Establishment Pill and Spirit Gathering Array to draw in the mountain's spiritual energy and transform his Qi into True Essence.
• After more than twenty days of cultivation, Wang Ping completed Foundation Establishment without triggering a Lightning Tribulation, though the Spirit Wood and Spirit Grass around him withered.
• Daoist Yucheng congratulated Wang Ping and told him to recover before coming to the Back Mountain Courtyard to learn about secret techniques.
• Wang Ping tested his improved sword control and Cloud Soaring Technique, then welcomed Liu Shuang, Yang Ziping, Zhao Qing, and other disciples who came to congratulate him.
• Liu Shuang said she expected to gather her Foundation Establishment materials within two or three years and wanted to return to the mountains.
• Yang Ziping knelt before Wang Ping and asked for his blessing to marry the eldest daughter of the Liu Family in Yongshan County.

Wang Ping met with Daoist Yucheng, who advised him about cultivation and explained the rules governing travel between regions. Daoist Yucheng also taught him about orthodox and unorthodox secret methods, leaving Wang Ping with a broader view of the powers and dangers in the cultivation world.

• Wang Ping asked Zhao Qing to investigate the Liu Family of Yongshan County.
• Daoist Yucheng advised Wang Ping to prepare a Spirit Gathering Array and warned him not to fly through other regions without permission.
• Daoist Yucheng explained that the Xuanmen Five Elements Orthodox Method and Heavenly Gate Nine Heavens Arts were the sources of most cultivation methods, then asked whether Wang Ping would pursue the difficult Taiyan Talisman.
• Wang Ping affirmed that he would cultivate the Taiyan Talisman to pursue the Great Dao, and Daoist Yucheng accepted his resolve.
• Daoist Yucheng described unorthodox methods involving Star Gods, divine beings, Demon Weapons, Monsters, and Artifact Cultivators, warning Wang Ping to kill Artifact Cultivators immediately if they became enemies.

Daoist Yucheng taught Wang Ping the Taiyan Talisman’s entry method and explained the challenges of cultivating it. Wang Ping began preparing for the method while managing his disciples’ affairs, then successfully used All Soldiers Are Grass and Trees—only to see a blazing phenomenon fill the northwest sky.

• Daoist Yucheng placed a blank talisman in Wang Ping’s Qi Sea, gave him the entry method, and instructed him to practice drawing the Spirit Talisman and reread the Annotation of Heaven and Man.
• Wang Ping planned his cultivation routine and counted his remaining silver, deciding to refine Power Pills to cover the costs of his garden and his disciples’ plans.
• Zhao Qing reported that the Liu Family posed no problems, and Wang Ping oversaw the matchmaking arrangements for Yang Ziping’s marriage, which was set for the following month.
• After Yulian urged him to visit the stream, Wang Ping cast a divination and received an auspicious result.
• Wang Ping used All Soldiers Are Grass and Trees to form a towering vine puppet that tore apart two tree trunks, then saw Lieyang blaze across the northwest sky.

Wang Ping witnessed a battle between two Third Realm cultivators, then helped Thousand Wood Temple respond to the disaster caused by falling fireballs and injured refugees. Daoist Yucheng returned with news of a Corpse Soldier crisis at Yongming Port and warned Wang Ping that conflict with Baishui Sect was inevitable.

• Wang Ping watched two Third Realm cultivators fight as Daoist Yucheng shielded Thousand Wood Temple from falling fireballs.
• After Daoist Yucheng left for an emergency summons, Wang Ping directed the temple's disciples to aid injured pilgrims and assess the damage.
• Wang Ping learned that Yang Ziping was troubled by worldly desires, then saw refugees arrive at the temple for treatment.
• Daoist Yucheng reported that an unknown demonic artifact had awakened hundreds of thousands of buried bodies near Yongming Port, and that Sixth Seat cultivators would be conscripted to clear the Corpse Soldiers.
• Daoist Yucheng warned Wang Ping that Thousand Wood Temple's feud with Baishui Sect could not be avoided and said their sects would act together when conflict came.

Wang Ping received the Daoist Scripture Hall’s summons to bring Qi practitioners to Sanwen County for the corpse crisis and organized Thousand Wood Temple’s response while guarding against the Baishui Sect. He agreed to take Liu Shuang with him, then encouraged his disciples to pursue cultivation as they departed and passed the damage left by the recent battle.

• Wang Ping verified the Daoist Scripture Hall envoy’s identity and accepted a summons requiring him to reach Sanwen County within five days with at least fifteen Qi practitioners.
• Zhao Qing and Wang Ping selected twenty-five temple members for the mission, planned additional covert support, and arranged for Liang Tao to lead an advance party.
• Wang Ping reported the plan to Daoist Yucheng and agreed to Liu Shuang’s request to accompany him, despite Yang Ziping’s upcoming wedding.
• Wang Ping and the disciples left the marketplace and saw laborers clearing the huge pit left by the battle between two Third Realm Cultivators.
• Wang Ping encouraged the disciples to cultivate toward Foundation Establishment and the Third Realm as they continued their journey.

Wang Ping and Yulian captured a rat Yao who was secretly approaching the disciples’ camp, then learned he had been sent by the Mountain God of Mount Tai Peng to poison them. Before he could reveal who had deceived his mountain, an Earth Spirit aura passed and he died.

• Wang Ping sensed many rats moving beneath the camp and warned Liu Shuang and the disciples before rushing to investigate.
• Yulian and Wang Ping attacked the rat Yao hiding behind a scarecrow, disarmed him, and bound him with an awakened vine.
• Wang Ping questioned the rat Yao, who claimed to be the deputy general of Mount Tai Peng’s Mountain God and said he had been ordered to poison the group.
• The rat Yao began to identify the person who had deceived his mountain, but an Earth Spirit aura flashed past and he died.

Wang Ping investigated the rat Yao and traveled with his group to Sanwen County, where refugees and military preparations showed the crisis was worsening. At the county yamen, he reunited with Guangxuan and met the commanders and Daoists organizing the response, including the hostile Gao Ding.

• Wang Ping ordered the rat Yao cut open, and Liu Shuang discovered a demon spell formation carved into its hollow skeleton before the remains were burned.
• Wang Ping sent Zhao Qing a message through a Spirit Communion bamboo slip and released a carrier pigeon.
• Wang Ping and his group arrived outside Sanwen County and saw refugees fleeing north while government troops and supply escorts gathered.
• Wang Ping met Liang Tao, then headed to the county yamen with Liu Shuang and encountered Guangxuan, whose cultivation was close to the Entry Realm.
• Li Rong introduced Wang Ping and Guangxuan to Hong An and Gao Ding, and Gao Ding scrutinized Wang Ping with open hostility before another group entered the hall.

Wang Ping and the other Sixth Seats gathered in Sanwen County for an encirclement and suppression mission, while signs of an impending war and an attempt to poison Wang Ping raised the stakes. Daoist Yuan Qing assigned the group to build a fortified stockade at Five Gods River’s mouth and help reclaim Yuma County if possible.

• Wang Ping met Leng Shan, Yu Shi, and Wen Xing as the remaining Sixth Seats arrived, and the Daoist Scripture Hall registered their Disciples and assigned them nearby residences.
• Wang Ping told Guangxuan about the rat Yao’s attempted poisoning and learned Liang Tao had inadvertently told a landlord where their group was staying.
• Liu Shuang reported that residents had been evacuated, Soldiers and militia were mobilizing, and Sanwen County’s routes had been sealed, cutting off communication with Zhao Qing.
• Wang Ping and Guangxuan attended a meeting where Yuan Qing warned Wang Ping and Hong An not to pursue their sects’ grudge during the mission.
• Li Rong explained that the group would build a fortified stockade at the mouth of Five Gods River to block Corpse Soldiers and try to reclaim Yuma County, while Yuan Qing warned that Yongming Port had fallen and a strange Demon Weapon had appeared.

Wang Ping learned that the crisis at Yongming Port was drawing in a large military force and powerful cultivators as Corpse Soldiers threatened the region. After the fire failed to stop the Corpse Soldiers, Daoist Yuanqing summoned Wang Ping and the others to the central command tent.

• Zhao Qing told Wang Ping that troops and Qi practitioners were gathering at Yongming Port, while unrest in Mozhou Road was disrupting the Imperial Court’s plans; Wang Ping asked whether Zhao Qing had investigated Yao.
• Wang Ping and his disciples helped build a Spirit Gathering Array at Hidden Dragon Mouth to direct the wind and strengthen a fire consuming the land south of the Five Gods River.
• Guangxuan reported that Yuma County’s seat had no Living Persons and few Corpse Soldiers, and predicted that Daoist Yuanqing would send all six sect seats to seize it after the fire died down.
• Wang Ping reassured Liu Shuang that she could enter the realm after completing marrow cleansing and learning the Wood Gathering Art from Daoist Yucheng.
• After the three-day fire ended, the Corpse Soldiers returned in greater numbers; on the fifth morning, Daoist Yuanqing summoned Wang Ping and Guangxuan to the central command tent.

Wang Ping and Guangxuan entered Yuma County to scout its heavy yin energy, but two Evil Cultivators of the Taiyin Sect confronted them and attacked. The chapter ended as Wang Ping and Guangxuan defended themselves.

• Gao Ding destroyed Corpse Soldiers as the six scouts approached Yuma County, and Hong An stopped him from wasting time.
• Hong An proposed that the six split into three groups to search the county, and Wang Ping and Guangxuan took the west side.
• Wang Ping told Guangxuan that they should escape first if they faced overwhelming danger, rather than rely on Hong An and Gao Ding for rescue.
• A blast and blackish-purple smoke rose from within the city, and Wang Ping sensed an unsettling aura nearby.
• Two Evil Cultivators of the Taiyin Sect demanded that Wang Ping and Guangxuan stay out of the city, then attacked when Wang Ping refused.
• Wang Ping used Green Wood Art to protect himself and Guangxuan from corpse poison while Guangxuan used Sword Control Art to block their enemy.

Wang Ping and Guangxuan fought strange corpse-controlled enemies in the city and used Power Pills to destroy the Prefectural Office, where they found a demonic weapon. After Daoist Yuanqing intercepted a barrage of blood-red skeletons, Wang Ping took the weapon and fled with Guangxuan as Yuanqing and the enemy arrived.

• Wang Ping held off an obese enemy’s chains while Yulian shielded him, then destroyed the man’s body with Power Pills.
• Yulian warned that the man’s consciousness had escaped into a corpse soldier, and Wang Ping tracked it fleeing toward the city center.
• Wang Ping and Guangxuan concluded the enemies were planning something at the Prefectural Office, then advanced after divining and checking for danger.
• Wang Ping and Guangxuan repeatedly threw Power Pills at the Prefectural Office, reducing it to a crater and uncovering a demonic weapon.
• Daoist Yuanqing intercepted falling blood-red skeletons as Wang Ping stored the demonic weapon and escaped with Guangxuan.
• Wang Ping and Guangxuan reached the city wall just as Daoist Yuanqing and the enemy landed where they had been.

Wang Ping and Guangxuan fled Yuma County while Daoist Yuanqing fought the Taiyin Sect Evil Cultivator, who tracked the pair and sent a deadly attack after them. A Second Realm cultivator from the True Sun Sect intervened, allowing Wang Ping and the wounded Guangxuan to escape.

• Daoist Yuanqing used the Fire Spirit to attack the Evil Cultivator, who used black mist to uncover Wang Ping and Guangxuan's lingering auras and sent tracking talismans after them.
• Wang Ping stopped to face the talismans, while Yulian destroyed the one aimed at him and Guangxuan identified the other as a tracking spell.
• Five Long Swords descended and overwhelmed Wang Ping and Guangxuan; Wang Ping teleported to Hong An, and a Thorn Vine soldier knocked Guangxuan out of the swords' path.
• A sword wounded Guangxuan before withdrawing, while Wang Ping sheltered behind Hong An's ice wall as scorching flames arrived from above.
• Gao Ding recognized the flames as belonging to a Second Realm True Sun Sect cultivator, and Wang Ping and the still-living Guangxuan resumed their flight.

After the battle at Yongming Port, Wang Ping learned that a Taiyin Evil Cultivator’s awakening had prompted a vast formation fueled by Corpse Soldiers and demonic weapons. He handed the recovered weapon to Daoist Yuanqing in exchange for a promised Water Spirit Vein, then shared the news and reward with Guangxuan as the army prepared to advance.

• Wang Ping helped the gravely wounded Guangxuan reach Sanhe Temple, where physicians began treating him.
• Daoist Yuanqing summoned Wang Ping, heard his report about Yuma County, and explained the formation meant to help a Taiyin Evil Cultivator awaken into the Fourth Realm.
• Daoist Yuanqing accepted Wang Ping’s rusty-bladed demonic weapon and promised him a reward, including a natural Water Spirit Vein pledged to Thousand Wood Temple by Lord Xiaoshan.
• Wang Ping returned to camp as the army received orders to set out and entrusted his daily affairs to Zhao Qing.
• Wang Ping brought Liu Shuang to visit Guangxuan and promised Sanhe Temple an Immortal Realm slot if they successfully nurtured the Water Spirit Vein.

Wang Ping's army fought a massive Corpse Soldier horde at the edge of the plains before withdrawing to Huiping County. After treating the wounded, Wang Ping and Guangxuan suspected a demonic weapon was controlling the horde and feared they would soon be ordered to find it.

• Scouts reported a vast Corpse Soldier army and Evil Cultivators, so General Li Rong halted the advance and formed the troops in a mountain forest.
• Wang Ping divined that difficulties lay ahead but no danger, then steadied himself as the enemy approached.
• Martian Daoist and his disciples set fires among the Corpse Soldiers, while Daoist Yuanqing used a formation to clear the stench and preserve morale.
• The government troops held the Corpse Soldier charge for two hours as Qi practitioners faced the Taiyin Evil Cultivators, then General Li Rong ordered a retreat to Huiping County.
• Wang Ping treated the wounded soldiers, and Guangxuan told him that every army had encountered Corpse Soldiers and suspected a demonic weapon was controlling them.
• Guangxuan warned Wang Ping that the authorities might send them to find the weapon within three days, after exhausting its cost through battle or sacrificing government troops.

Wang Ping’s army advanced with the Mountain Gods and their Lesser Demons leading the attack against the Corpse Soldiers, then established camp at Ren Village. That night, Liu Qi warned Wang Ping that Gao Ding planned to kill him and asked for a Mountain God investiture in exchange for his help.

• Wang Ping’s forces marched with the Demon Race army as their vanguard, and the monsters charged the Corpse Soldiers in two battles without waiting for a formal formation.
• General Li Rong advanced the front line to Ren Village after the Corpse Soldiers retreated, while Martian Daoist and his Disciples stayed behind to burn the corpses.
• Wang Ping and Guangxuan discussed the possibility of a major battle and joked as their spirit pets squabbled over tea.
• Liu Shuang brought Liu Qi to Wang Ping, and he revealed that Gao Ding planned to kill Wang Ping to claim credit with his master.
• Liu Qi asked Wang Ping to grant an investiture to one of Shang’an Prefecture’s uninvested Mountain Gods.