Chapter Summaries

Hu Qianqian successfully condensed her false core while Wang Ping and Yulian guarded her from intruders. Wang Ping returned to secluded cultivation, and decades later he perfected the fusion of his Spirit Talisman.

• Hu Qianqian began condensing her false core as Wang Ping divined that she was in no danger and Yulian watched over the Daoist grounds.
• Wang Ping noticed Demon Race intruders approaching, and Yulian sank more than two hundred of them to the lakebed over the following half month.
• Hu Qianqian absorbed the gathered Demonic Qi and energy pillar, successfully condensed her false core, and received Wang Ping's advice to guard her Dao heart.
• Wang Ping returned to Thousand Wood Mountain and resumed cultivation while Hu Qianqian asked Yulian about her newly awakened ability.
• Wang Ping heard that Duke Wang Yongxi had returned to Yongshan County and that the emperor wanted to expand northward, but he continued his quiet routine.
• After more than twenty years passed, Wang Ping perfected the fusion of his Spirit Talisman with the help of the Nine Extremes Great Array.

Wang Ping gathered with friends and his disciples before preparing to enter meditation, discussing the coming war and the Wang Family’s danger. After resolving to begin that night, he completed his preparations beneath the Huai Tree and entered meditation.

• Guangxuan, Liu Zixiu, Liu Shuang, and Hu Qianqian joined Wang Ping for wine and conversation at Mountain Top Dojo.
• Liu Zixiu explained that he cultivated by entering the world, judged that the time was not right for another northern campaign, and declined to pursue the next realm himself.
• Wang Ping ate with Daoist Yucheng, who asked whether he had decided when to enter meditation, and Wang Ping said he would begin that night.
• Xingshan warned Wang Ping that the Wang Family might be blamed when war began because extravagance had weakened the Imperial Guard, and Wang Ping told him to discuss it with Second Senior Brother.
• Wang Ping checked his Qi Sea, Spirit Gathering Array, divine soul, and prepared blank talisman before entering meditation beneath the Huai Tree.

As Wang Ping continued his three-year attempt to outline the Luck Borrowing Talisman, the people around him faced their own cultivation struggles and reacted to his impending breakthrough. The chapter ended as he summoned a blank talisman and began channeling true essence through the Huai Tree Soul to draw the runes.

• Liu Shuang struggled to decide whether to break through Foundation Establishment, while her aging spirit hound followed her out for a walk.
• Zhao Qing continued cultivating his spirituality and restraining his emotions, believing his years of serving Wang Ping had secured him a chance to survive entering the realm.
• Hong Chen learned that Wang Ping was preparing to advance to the Second Realm, lost control of his jealousy, and suffered backlash from his spirit veins before lightning destroyed the growth he had coughed up.
• Sanhe Prefecture and Shang'an Prefecture imposed curfews and martial law as Thousand Wood Temple guarded Wang Ping during his secluded cultivation.
• After three and a half years of communicating with the Huai Tree Soul, Wang Ping sensed its consciousness awaken and summoned a blank talisman.
• Wang Ping began circulating true essence through the Huai Tree Soul to condense the lines of the Luck Borrowing Talisman as Daoist Yucheng and Daoist Tongyu watched.

Wang Ping used the Huai Tree Soul to create a Luck Borrowing Talisman and began fusing with the soul to advance his cultivation. After enduring visions of an ancient catastrophe, he stabilized the talisman as his spiritual veins began to grow, leaving the final stage to unfold over time.

• Wang Ping drew the Luck Borrowing Talisman with the Huai Tree Soul, plunging the Mountain Top Dojo into darkness as Daoist Yucheng shielded the mountain.
• Liu Shuang’s Jia Talisman activated in the southern sea region, prompting her to leave her companions and return.
• Liu Zixiu and Zhang Xinghuai saw the disturbance at Thousand Wood Mountain, and Liu Zixiu urged Zhang Xinghuai to cultivate diligently.
• Wang Ping suppressed the Huai Tree Soul’s emotions and fused with it, receiving memories of a collapsing world and a figure’s words about a Saint.
• Wang Ping’s spiritual veins spread through his body as the Luck Borrowing Talisman settled, and the darkness vanished while Daoist Yucheng watched him continue cultivating.

Wang Ping completed his advancement into the Second Realm after enduring the painful fusion of his spirit veins with his body and soul. He discovered new abilities, while Daoist Yucheng revealed that his own exhausted spirit veins had ended his path to further advancement.

• After Yulian warned him that the growing spirit veins could consume him, Wang Ping woke from his long advancement and began the final fusion trial.
• Wang Ping endured a day of agony as excess spirit veins seeped from his body, then completed a Heavenly Cycle and confirmed his advancement was finished.
• Wang Ping tested his new abilities by forming a Golden Armored Soldier with a Bing Talisman and killing weeds with a curse talisman.
• Daoist Yucheng lifted the Mountain Top Dojo's restrictions and told Wang Ping he would have to walk the road ahead alone.
• Daoist Yucheng explained that overusing the Luck Borrowing Talisman had exhausted his spirit veins, and Hu Qianqian congratulated Wang Ping on entering the Second Realm.

Wang Ping hosted friends at Mountain Top Dojo while Thousand Wood Temple held a grand Dharma assembly, and he encouraged Liu Shuang to consider advancing beyond Foundation Establishment. The gathering ended with news that Daoist Hongchen had gone astray from jealousy over Wang Ping’s breakthrough.

• Wang Ping urged Liu Shuang to decide whether to enter the next realm and assured her that he could help her succeed.
• Liu Shuang explained the dispute between Liu Ling and Zhao Yu'er, and Wang Ping asked her to investigate Yu'er's calculating suitor and whether someone supported him.
• Zuo Xuan, Liu Chang, and Feng Miao arrived; Feng Miao told Wang Ping that Cheng Ji had perished while trying to enter the realm.
• The elders shared food and wine after Liu Chang and others played chess, and Zuo Xuan revealed that Daoist Hongchen had gone astray and been imprisoned after learning Wang Ping had reached the Second Realm.

Wang Ping settled Liu Chang’s plans to join Sanhe Temple and learned he would soon face difficult assignments from the Daoist Scripture Hall. After resting through the night following the gathering, he and his companions set off to visit Baishui Lake.

• Wang Ping agreed to help Liu Chang remain at Sanhe Temple if Liu Chang’s dojo became affiliated with it, and Feng Miao said she would take up a post in Linshui Prefecture for at least twenty years.
• The gathering continued with games and music, and Wang Ping and the other guests fell asleep in the garden.
• Zuo Xuan warned Wang Ping that the Daoist Scripture Hall had thorny tasks for him and relayed Daoist Zi Luan’s request that he visit the Six Hearts Sect to meet the Prefect after the Dharma assembly.
• Zuo Xuan explained that Hong Chen had gone astray in his cultivation after his Disciple raised Wang Ping’s affairs at a critical moment.
• Wang Ping agreed to visit Baishui Lake with Zuo Xuan, Guangxuan, Feng Miao, and the others, then flew there ahead of them.

Wang Ping took part in Thousand Wood Temple’s offering-to-Heaven ceremony and saw the sect’s exchange gathering conclude. After the visitors departed, he prepared to meet Lord Xiaoshan in Jinhuai Prefecture, while Daoist Yucheng cautioned that the sect’s agreement with Lord Xiaoshan could bring matters beyond their control.

• Wang Ping toured the grounds Hu Qianqian had built at Baishui Lake, and the group spent time fishing and talking before the Dharma assembly ended.
• Wang Ping and Daoist Yucheng led the offering-to-Heaven ceremony, which concluded with a grand rite of three kneels and nine kowtows as the sun rose.
• Thousand Wood Temple’s disciples defeated those of Three Fire Gate and Pingdong Gate at the exchange gathering, and the visiting guests later departed.
• Liu Shuang told Wang Ping she planned to spend three years calming her mind before entering the next realm.
• Wang Ping consulted Daoist Yucheng about meeting Lord Xiaoshan, and Daoist Yucheng said their agreement had earned them something but warned that rules set by those above limited their influence.

Daoist Yucheng explained that Wang Ping could use Sacred Heart Grass in Hushan Kingdom to calm the ancient memories hindering his fusion with the Huai Tree Soul, and gave him directions and a bell. Wang Ping then visited Lord Xiaoshan, who discussed the memories and suggested they showed that a catastrophe had destroyed the world’s ancient civilizations.

• Daoist Yucheng told Wang Ping that Sacred Heart Grass could soothe his Second Realm soul and help him fuse with the Huai Tree Soul without sealing away its memories.
• Daoist Yucheng gave Wang Ping a map to Gray Water Pool and a bell to summon Yulian’s mother, and advised him to seek help from Yuan Zheng and Shangdan Sect.
• Wang Ping returned to the Mountain Top Dojo, where Yulian said she wanted to meet her parents and hoped to become strong enough to defeat them.
• Wang Ping and Zuo Xuan traveled to Jinhuai Prefecture, then parted at the Six Hearts Sect as Wang Ping went to meet Lord Xiaoshan.
• Lord Xiaoshan described the memories he had seen in the Huai Tree Soul and asked Wang Ping what he had witnessed.
• Wang Ping said he had seen destruction, and Lord Xiaoshan proposed that an unprecedented catastrophe had destroyed the civilizations created by two Saints.

Wang Ping received the upper volume of the Third Realm secret art from Lord Xiaoshan, who warned him about the risks of advancing and the world’s coming upheaval. After leaving Six Hearts Sect, Wang Ping met Taishan and then flew to Jinhuai Prefecture to visit Daoist Zi Luan.

• Wang Ping told Lord Xiaoshan that he could not determine whether ancient civilizations had been destroyed, and Lord Xiaoshan said Wang Ping would learn more after reaching the Third Realm.
• Lord Xiaoshan sent Wang Ping the Third Realm secret art’s upper volume, which detailed methods and dangers involved in fusing his soul, talismans, and physical body.
• Lord Xiaoshan withheld the lower volume, warned Wang Ping that rash advancement would always fail, and said the world would undergo great changes in a hundred years.
• On his way out of Six Hearts Sect, Wang Ping met Taishan, who thanked him for Hong Chen’s disappearance and said everyone had found Hong Chen annoying.
• Wang Ping left Six Hearts Mountain and flew toward Jinhuai Prefecture to visit Daoist Zi Luan.

Wang Ping met Zi Luan at the Daoist Scripture Hall, accepted responsibility for raising funds and investigating a killing in Ningzhou Road, and asked whether Daoist Yucheng’s damaged spirit veins could be repaired. The chapter ended with Wang Ping refusing to pry into Yucheng’s heart demon before his master chose to explain it.

• Zi Luan congratulated Wang Ping on reaching the Second Realm and assigned him to raise six million taels across three prefectures for rebuilding sentry posts and monitoring formations.
• Dan Chen arrived, discussed raising money from wealthy merchants with Zi Luan, and left to address tensions in Haizhou Road involving First Day and the True Sun Sect.
• Zi Luan tasked Wang Ping with investigating the killing of Crescent Mountain’s Mountain God and organizing a Mountain Search Operation for a suspected Taiyin Evil Cultivator in Ningzhou Road.
• Zi Luan told Wang Ping that only a True Lord might repair Daoist Yucheng’s damaged spirit veins and that Yucheng’s heart demon might be connected to his recovery.
• Wang Ping refused to ask about Yucheng’s heart demon, saying his master would tell him when he was ready.

Wang Ping set up his inspector courtyard and assigned the Daoist Scripture Hall to investigate when the Sacred Heart Grass would mature. As he studied the Youhuai Prefecture case, Zuo Xuan arrived and revealed that she wanted to use it to gather materials for her advancement.

• Wang Ping asked his courtyard staff for information on Ningzhou Road and Youhuai Prefecture, then considered his plans to earn Lord Xiaoshan's trust and obtain the Sacred Heart Grass.
• Yulian warned Wang Ping that his thoughts were growing heavier, and he resolved to keep away from the Huai Tree Soul's chaotic memories until he could refine the pill.
• Wang Ping ordered a Qi practitioner to use the Daoist Scripture Hall's connections to find out when the Sacred Heart Grass in Hushan Kingdom would mature, while noting that he had also sent Yang Hou and Daoist Yuan Zheng to make inquiries.
• Wang Ping read that a Taiyin Cultivator was implicated in the Mountain God of Crescent Mountain's death and learned that the case would require him to gather personnel and secure a Second Realm cultivator.
• Zuo Xuan told Wang Ping she had investigated the Youhuai Prefecture case and wanted its materials to complete her advancement within fifty years.

Wang Ping organized a large mountain-search mission in Ningzhou Road, recruiting cultivators and coordinating supplies with local authorities. As the fleet reached Shunyang Prefecture, he met Governor-General Yue Zong and Daoist Scripture Hall inspector Zhong Tong.

• Wang Ping ordered Zuo Xuan to recruit at least twenty Foundation Establishment Cultivators and five hundred Qi practitioners for the mission, and approved her request to bring her disciple Zuo Liang.
• Wang Ping received Old Daoist Wu's invitation to a Dharma assembly celebrating his advancement, but sent his disciple Su Hai in his place because the date conflicted with the mission.
• A month later, Wang Ping joined Zuo Xuan, Hu Qianqian, and Zuo Liang at the Nanlin Road and Ningzhou Road border, where Zuo Liang reported on the miasma-filled cave and the Prefectural Army's preparations.
• Wang Ping confirmed that the mission had adequate supplies, boarded the fleet's tiger-headed ship, and set out with hundreds of Qi practitioners.
• The fleet reached Shunyang Prefecture, where Governor-General Yue Zong and Daoist Scripture Hall inspector Zhong Tong boarded and greeted Wang Ping.

Wang Ping received an imperial order to summon the eighteen Mountain Lords to support the search of Crescent Mountain, while Zhong Tong privately questioned Hu Yi, the Mountain Lord of Pingfang Mountain. The army learned that Yue Zong had led the vanguard into battle against a small Demon Race force, prompting concern about his haste.

• The fleet reached Youhuai Prefecture, where Yue Zong disembarked with one thousand elite soldiers and marched toward Crescent Mountain.
• Zhong Tong proposed sweeping up the mountain demons, but Wang Ping examined an order from Zi Luan and the emperor requiring the Mountain Lords to gather their tribes and cooperate, with only refusals treated as rebellion.
• A fox Yao named Hu Yi arrived claiming to be the Mountain Lord of Pingfang Mountain and offered to help the army; Zuo Xuan verified his official status, and Zhong Tong took him aside to speak privately.
• A frontline report revealed that Yue Zong had led his vanguard to attack a small Demon Race force fifty li ahead, and Hu Qianqian criticized his impatience.

Wang Ping’s army reached the shore as he received help and intelligence from Xia Yan, a rat Yao. Xia Yan revealed that Young Master Ming was at Crescent Mountain seeking Blood Pills, prompting Wang Ping and Zhong Tong to recognize the urgency of the campaign.

• Wang Ping let Yue Zong continue advancing after ordering him to camp, while Zuo Xuan went to the front line.
• Wang Ping’s forces landed at the planned camp, where Hu Qianqian brought Xia Yan, a rat Yao who offered six hundred members of his tribe and important intelligence.
• Wang Ping inspected Xia Yan and confirmed that he cultivated an authentic Demon Race technique and was nearing a false core.
• Xia Yan reported that Young Master Ming had been seen at Crescent Mountain, and Zhong Tong identified him as a Taiyin Evil Cultivator.
• Zhong Tong explained that Crescent Mountain held a newly completed batch of Hundred Years Blood Pills, which Young Master Ming might use to cultivate flesh and blood.
• Hu Qianqian revealed Young Master Ming’s strength and influence, and Zhong Tong urged the army to act quickly against Crescent Mountain and the other Mountain Lords.

Wang Ping tested Crescent Mountain’s defenses and ordered Zuo Xuan to resolve the Demon Race situation within five days. Zuo Xuan returned with Zhong Tong and five Mountain Lords, who had gathered more than five thousand armed Demon Race soldiers.

• Wang Ping reinforced Zuo Xuan and Yue Zong after the vanguard suffered an ambush, then sent Zuo Liang to their camp.
• Wang Ping examined Crescent Mountain, sensed Netherworld energy protecting its palace, and tested the defenses with a Golden Armored Soldier.
• Wang Ping sent a Puppet bird to report to the Daoist Scripture Hall and ordered Zuo Xuan to handle the Demon Race matter within five days, with Zhong Tong and Yao Xia Yan assisting her.
• Wang Ping gave Zuo Xuan written authority to act as circumstances required and spread flower seeds and vines through the forest.
• Five days later, Zuo Xuan and Zhong Tong returned with Hu Yi, Xia Yan, three other Mountain Lords, and more than five thousand armed Demon Race soldiers.

Wang Ping led the army’s advance into Crescent Mountain, where Demon Race forces captured the strongholds with little resistance. After finding the central city abandoned, Wang Ping tested its palace with seeds and asked Zhong Tong to take the next step.

• Wang Ping ordered the army to rest and reorganize before assigning the Demon Race elites as vanguard, government troops as support, militia to the flanks, and Qi practitioners to hold the line.
• Yue Zong led his guards to the front, and the vanguard quickly captured the entrance fortress after many defending demons surrendered.
• Wang Ping told Zuo Xuan to delay the attack on the city until dawn, then brought out his Lightning Law Altar and let Yulian cast Lightning Law overnight.
• Wang Ping observed that the enemy had not used the more than thirty thousand Corpse Soldiers, and he ordered the army to attack after the soldiers had eaten and rested.
• A puppet bird delivered a coded reply about a nearby registered Great Demon, which Wang Ping read without sharing it with the others.
• The army captured an empty city, and Wang Ping’s seeds failed to grow in the palace’s Netherworld energy, so he turned to Zhong Tong and said it was his turn.

Wang Ping’s forces attacked Young Master Ming’s stronghold inside Crescent Mountain, using Zhong Tong’s Gold Spirit Qi and Yulian’s lightning altar to break through the defenses. The Demon Race army advanced underground while Wang Ping sent Thorn Vines ahead to scout, searching for Young Master Ming.

• Zhong Tong destroyed the palace and split open Crescent Mountain, revealing a hollowed-out interior, while Wang Ping ordered the Demon Race to search for Young Master Ming in exchange for Crescent Mountain.
• The Demon Race army charged into the cave, where Sword Control Art users attacked them, and more than a hundred Evil Cultivators emerged from a passage in the mountain.
• Wang Ping had Yulian activate the Lightning Law Altar, which struck down the emerging Evil Cultivators and drove the rest to stop coming out.
• The Demon Race army entered the cave and destroyed the nearby Lunar Yin formation, while Wang Ping scattered Thorn Vine seeds to scout the passages and shield the leading soldiers from miasma.
• Guided by Demon Race soldiers familiar with the layout, the army advanced deeper underground as Wang Ping searched for Young Master Ming’s whereabouts.

Wang Ping’s group discovered that the Demon Race had fled Crescent Mountain after destroying the Corpse Soldiers, and they pursued the escapees through the forest. Zhong Tong was killed in an ambush, and Wang Ping moved to stop the Eagle-headed attacker from self-destructing.

• Wang Ping and Zhong Tong found the underground prison emptied of useful Corpse Soldiers and a sacrificial altar surrounded by drained Demon Race corpses.
• Zhong Tong used his golden Command Flag to locate four fugitives emerging from the underground river, and Wang Ping tracked them into the forest with Zuo Xuan and Hu Qianqian.
• Wang Ping received two Sacred Divinations, sent Zuo Xuan and Zhong Tong to follow the scent, and called a Daoist Scripture Hall Third Seat to hold the line.
• Wang Ping detected the fugitives near a mountain range and warned Zuo Xuan, but Zhong Tong continued ahead into an ambush.
• An Eagle-headed Demon Race archer struck Zhong Tong with successive arrows, piercing his chest and blowing apart his head.
• As the Eagle-headed attacker prepared to self-destruct, Wang Ping activated his Spirit Gathering Array and commanded him to be suppressed.

Wang Ping and his allies ambushed Young Master Ming and his two companions, while Daoist Tongyu used the Purgatory Banner to disable the bronze bells and seize control of Young Master Ming. Wang Ping’s soldiers cut the puppet apart, but its severed head revealed that it belonged to Lord Xiaoshan and offered him a deal.

• Wang Ping crushed the eagle demon with the Mountain Suppressing Art, then ordered Zuo Xuan to search Zhong Tong’s memories as he prepared for an attack.
• Wang Ping’s allies and Golden Armored Soldiers drove three figures from the forest, including the fugitive Young Master Ming, who used six bronze bells to restrain the soldiers and flee.
• Hu Qianqian and Zuo Xuan engaged Young Master Ming’s companions while Daoist Tongyu used Wang Ping’s true essence to disable the bells and take control of Young Master Ming.
• Wang Ping pursued Young Master Ming, and Daoist Tongyu disrupted his consciousness with the Purgatory Banner, allowing a Golden Armored Soldier to cut him down.
• Wang Ping’s soldiers dismembered Young Master Ming’s puppet body and buried its fragments, but its head revived and offered a deal, claiming it was Lord Xiaoshan’s puppet.