Chapter Summaries

Lin Chen revealed that Zhongxuan Mountain’s Daoists used refugees’ connected brains to create a realistic dream world, which the refugees had chosen over their suffering lives. He and Xu Yue left without interfering, while Lin Chen considered using his Soul Computer and Spiritual Energy to create a world of his own.

• The Old Daoist refused to travel to Yun Jing but offered help from his sect’s informants, and Xu Yue and Lin Chen left the dream at the foot of Zhongxuan Mountain.
• Lin Chen showed Xu Yue the mountain’s reality: sleeping refugees were connected to Daoist Priests and a brain in a vat that powered the dream.
• Lin Chen explained that the refugees had volunteered for the Human Brain Array Computer because they preferred a happy dream to their painful lives, and Xu Yue stopped trying to intervene.
• Lin Chen reflected that he would not build such a computer with human brains, but his Body Gods’ Soul Computer might eventually let him create a mobile Virtual World.
• Lin Chen wondered whether combining a data-based Virtual World with Spiritual Energy could let him create a real small world and open a new cultivation path.

Xu Yue and Lin Chen traveled through drought-ravaged Qingzhou, where refugees suffered while officials and wealthy families hoarded grain. Lin Chen brought Xu Yue to see the Great Peace Way, leading him to Huangtian City, a vast city amid flourishing wheat fields and unexpected clouds.

• Xu Yue saw human bones and starving refugees in Qingzhou, then recalled how distributing hoarded grain had sparked a riot he could not control.
• Xu Yue questioned whether even a new order could end the cycle of exploitation, and Lin Chen said a new path called the Great Peace Way had emerged.
• Lin Chen and Xu Yue traveled east for a day and a night as the land grew greener and streams of refugees headed toward a place of hope.
• Lin Chen led Xu Yue up a mountain, where he saw golden wheat fields filling a basin and the enormous city of Huangtian City at its center.

Lin Chen and Xu Yue discovered how the Great Peace Way used gu insects, labor, and engineered terrain to create an oasis in drought-stricken Qingzhou. At Huangtian City, they witnessed refugees receiving food before a young Daoist preached that mathematics could save the realm.

• Lin Chen showed Xu Yue how gu insects carried moisture to form protective clouds over the rice fields.
• Xu Yue saw Great Peace Way workers reshape the mountains to bring water vapor from distant regions into the basin.
• Lin Chen and Xu Yue entered Huangtian City, where the Yellow Turban Army controlled the refugees and distributed porridge.
• A young Daoist addressed the crowd, condemned Dagan’s corruption and suffering, and declared mathematics the core of the Great Peace Way’s method.

Lin Chen and Xu Yue observed how the Great Peace Way governed Huangtian City through grain-based trade, streamlined production, gu techniques, and mathematics. They entered the rulers’ hall, where they discovered that gu insects were being implanted in commoners, and found Xiao Wu waiting for them.

• A Great Peace Way preacher praised mathematics as the basis for lasting rule and distributed talisman water to disaster victims.
• Lin Chen and Xu Yue entered the city and observed its grain-based economy, communal distribution of goods, and lack of private hoarding.
• Lin Chen examined the Great Peace Way’s assembly lines and gu techniques, while the city’s scholars used mathematics to develop models and algorithms.
• Lin Chen considered whether the Great Peace Way’s mathematically minded people could help his future research, and he and Xu Yue headed to the rulers’ residence.
• Xu Yue and Lin Chen found an altar where gu insects emerged from the bodies of yellow-turbaned people to form talismans, then Xiao Wu appeared and welcomed them.

Lin Chen and Xu Yue confronted the Lord of the Great Peace Way, who explained how the order planned to govern society through gu-insect data and mathematics. The Lord revealed that its leaders knowingly sacrificed their humanity to create an impartial governing intelligence, then let Lin Chen and Xu Yue go as possible challengers if the plan failed.

• Xu Yue accused the Lord of the Great Peace Way of using gu insects to control the people, and the Lord argued that mathematics could prevent greed from corrupting society.
• The Lord explained that gu insects would collect economic data for mathematical allocation and that discrepancies would be punished by the insects killing their hosts.
• Lin Chen questioned who would process the data, and the Lord revealed that the Great Peace Way's leaders would gradually lose their consciousness and humanity through immense computation.
• The Lord said the order's leaders accepted this sacrifice for lasting peace but could not know whether their path was right.
• The Lord let Lin Chen and Xu Yue leave, calling practitioners of the Inner Core Method essential variables who might overthrow the Great Peace Way if its plan proved wrong.

At an ancient temple in Qin Chuan, Lin Chen explained the Great Peace Way’s social system to Xu Yue and weighed its promise against the risks of time and human nature. He reflected on several unexpected paths that might advance his cultivation, then sensed an unusual old man approaching the temple.

• Lin Chen and Xu Yue discussed the Great Peace Way’s method, including its gu insects, mathematical governance, and safeguards against corruption.
• Lin Chen warned that even a seemingly ideal system might change over time, while Xu Yue praised the Great Peace Way’s leaders as sages.
• Lin Chen considered how Xu Yue’s Gang Qi and the Dao Sect’s dream method and Chen Huan’s illusions might develop through spiritual energy.
• Lin Chen worried that dreams, fate, and the Heavenly Secret Art felt like outsiders to the world of Spiritual Energy Cultivation.
• Lin Chen and Xu Yue sensed an old man approaching the temple, and Lin Chen remarked that many interesting people seemed to be gathering there.

Lin Chen and Xu Yue encountered several Jianghu factions gathering in a ruined temple on their way to Yun Jing, where they planned to investigate rumored traces of immortals. Black Widow attacked Lin Chen and Xu Yue, but Lin Chen turned the encounter around with a terrifying display of fire.

• An elderly traveler entered the temple and explained that he practiced a longevity method based on restraining his vitality.
• A woman from the Heavenly Sound Sect and an old woman from Witch Nightmare Dao arrived, followed by members of the Martial Ancestor Sect, and the factions argued over their plans for Yun Jing.
• Black Widow of the Miao Territory Gu Clan appeared amid spider silk and venomous creatures, revealing that the assembled factions were sending a vanguard to Yun Jing.
• Black Widow tried to ensnare Lin Chen and Xu Yue with spider silk and seduction while the others watched without intervening.
• Lin Chen erupted into flames that engulfed Black Widow and everyone in the temple, then the gathering realized the apparent firestorm had been an illusion and saw him calmly roasting firewood beside Black Widow.

Xu Yue and Lin Chen met several Immortal Method factions gathered at a temple and learned they were heading to Yun Jing to investigate traces of immortals. After the factions revealed their plan to unite and challenge the Dagan Dynasty openly, Xu Yue proposed joining forces with them.

• The temple factions mistook Xu Yue and Lin Chen for members of the great clans, and Xu Yue proved his strength by overwhelming their defenses with Gang Qi.
• Xu Yue identified himself as the Martial Alliance Leader and learned that the Old Emperor of Yun Jing had invited the world’s powers to investigate traces of immortals.
• Lin Chen appeared beside the palace-dressed beautiful woman and frightened the factions with an illusion that made him seem like a giant beast.
• The smoking old man said the invitation was likely a trap, but the factions planned to gather in Yun Jing and settle the fate of the realm in one battle.
• Xu Yue praised their plan and proposed that they join forces to overthrow the Dagan Dynasty, while Lin Chen watched quietly from a corner.

Lin Chen and Xu Yue entered the bustling capital as the realm’s factions converged to overthrow the Dagan Dynasty. The Old Emperor prepared to use the Human Pill Method to steal power and longevity from his own family and other cultivators, leaving his plan for supremacy in motion.

• Lin Chen explained that Yun Jing’s prosperity was temporary and discussed how the gathered factions planned to seize Xuanwu Gate and destroy the imperial palace.
• Lin Chen noticed a middle-aged scholar watching them and followed him with Xu Yue.
• Yu Fu told the Old Emperor that the pill in the furnace was nearly complete, and the Emperor took a pill that eased his aging.
• An Old Eunuch reported that several sects, the Miao Territory Gu Clan, and the Northern Barbarians were preparing to invade Yun Jing.
• Yu Fu warned that using outsiders in the Human Pill Method carried risks, but the Old Emperor revealed he intended to sacrifice his princes and princesses as well.
• After Yu Fu and the Old Eunuch left, the Old Emperor vowed to gather immortality and supreme power within himself and become the world’s only immortal.

The great clans debated whether to ally with the Jianghu Factions against the Old Emperor, while Lin Chen considered the Great Peace Way’s potential to transform society. He went with Xu Yue to meet Zhang Zhiping, the Dagan Prime Minister and mentor of his old acquaintance Xie Yu.

• The great clan patriarchs discussed the Old Emperor’s brutal methods and proposed joining the Jianghu Factions, but one noble house head urged them to stay neutral and rely on their connections.
• Lin Chen reflected on how the Great Peace Way’s use of gu insects and collective production could reshape society and eventually advance the Inner Core Method.
• Lin Chen monitored research into the Path of the Soul and decided to meet an old acquaintance, bringing Xu Yue along through Yun Jing to a secluded academy.
• A scholar led Lin Chen and Xu Yue to Zhang Zhiping, who greeted them; Lin Chen recognized him as Xie Yu’s mentor and the Dagan Prime Minister.

Lin Chen and Xu Yue met Zhang Zhiping, who explained the Great Harmony Method: refining his thoughts into moral imprints and implanting them in others to reshape society. Lin Chen recognized the sacrifices behind Zhang Zhiping’s path, then left the capital with Xu Yue after hinting that a “good show” was about to begin.

• Zhang Zhiping summoned Lin Chen and Xu Yue to discuss their paths and share his own understanding of the Immortal Method.
• Zhang Zhiping described how childhood environments shaped people’s character and argued that lasting social reform had to begin with the human heart.
• Zhang Zhiping revealed the Great Harmony Method, which used dream cultivation and refined thoughts to implant a Sage-like moral foundation in other people’s souls.
• Lin Chen realized Zhang Zhiping was altering his own memories to create a flawless moral template, and sensed that others in the academy shared Zhang Zhiping’s aura.
• Lin Chen told Xu Yue that Zhang Zhiping was a wallfacer of civilization who sacrificed himself to safeguard moral conscience.
• Lin Chen left the capital, and Xu Yue chased after him before hearing Lin Chen say that a good show would soon begin.

A coalition of heretical sects and rebel forces launched a supernatural assault on the capital, turning its streets into a corpse procession and seizing Xuanwu Gate. They prepared to storm the imperial palace and destroy the Dagan Dynasty’s ruling family.

• A vast funeral procession appeared across the capital, and spiderweb strands forced frightened residents and officials to join the army of the dead.
• The Demon Suppression Division Director learned that his retainers had escaped, the great clans and emperor had not responded, and his subordinates refused to risk their lives.
• The Witch Nightmare Dao Master and Heavenly Sound Sect Master revealed their plan to overthrow Dagan and led the corpse tide toward the palace.
• The Beggar Sect, Northern Barbarians, and Martial Ancestor Sect seized Xuanwu Gate in an aerial raid, leaving its defenders dead.
• The allied forces declared that they would wipe out the old emperor’s entire clan that night.

As the rebels and Corpse Tide advanced on the imperial palace, Lin Chen entered unnoticed and witnessed the Old Emperor using alchemy to steal his descendants’ life and power. The Old Emperor proclaimed himself a god as his shadow transformed into a Demonic Ape.

• The Old Eunuch received reports that rebel forces had breached Xuanwu Gate and that the Corpse Tide was approaching the palace.
• Lin Chen walked unseen through the palace and found its inhabitants dead, including the Empress.
• Lin Chen watched as the Old Emperor swallowed a life-prolonging pill made from his Crown Prince and regained his youth.
• The Old Emperor forced his sons and grandsons to consume Human Elixirs, using them to refine the stolen power before taking it for himself.
• Lin Chen and the Old Emperor spoke in unison as the Old Emperor declared himself a god, while his shadow twisted into a Demonic Ape.

The Jianghu factions and Dagan forces clashed beneath Chengtian Gate, but the faction leaders shattered the imperial army’s defenses and rode into the palace. They found the palace filled with corpses and arrived at a brightly lit hall, where a yellow-robed man was eating a eunuch’s heart.

• The Dagan army used ballistae, shields, and spears to halt the Corpse Tide beneath Chengtian Gate.
• The Martial Ancestor Sect Master, Witch Nightmare Dao Master, Heavenly Sound Sect Patriarch, Xu Yue, and others decided to bypass the army and fly into the Imperial City on Giant Eagles.
• A Northern Barbarian blasted apart part of the city wall, while the Heavenly Sound Sect Master, the Miao Territory Gu Clan, and Xu Yue struck the defenders and brought down the gate.
• The Corpse Tide overwhelmed the fleeing soldiers as the faction leaders flew into the palace and found its eunuchs, servants, ministers, and officials dead.
• The faction leaders reached the lit grand hall and saw a yellow-robed middle-aged man pull a heart from a powerful eunuch and bite into it.

The Old Emperor used the Human Pill Method to turn his enemies’ techniques against them and transform into a Demon Ape, while a mysterious voice awakened the Old Eunuch and the soldiers’ darkest desires. The chapter ended with the capital overrun by newly transformed Demon Apes and Xu Yue recognizing the figure behind the Old Emperor.

• The Witch Nightmare Dao Master, the Heavenly Sound Sect head, the Martial Ancestor Sect Leader, and a Northern Barbarians expert attacked the Old Emperor, but he countered their techniques and wounded the Martial Ancestor Sect Leader.
• Xu Yue warned the gathered fighters that the Old Emperor’s aura was chaotic, but the Old Emperor threatened him and the factions attacked again.
• A mysterious voice tempted the Old Eunuch with promises of power, and he bit a general, triggering soldiers and faction members to transform into Demon Apes and attack one another.
• The voice magnified greed and other desires across the battlefield, and the fighting stopped as the Corpse Tide slowed and the survivors became Demon Apes.
• The Old Emperor transformed into a Demon Ape during his battle with Xu Yue and the others, while Xu Yue spotted a familiar figure behind him.
• The mysterious figure spoke to Xu Yue, and the Human Pill Method—Demon Ape Transformation—was revealed as Demon Ape cries spread across the capital.

Lin Chen unleashed demon apes across Yun Jing and left Chen Huan to lead them in spreading the Human Pill Method, ending his experiment in the Dagan Dynasty. He reached Foundation Establishment Perfection and planned to use the resulting chaos and data to create an artificial Golden Core as war erupted between the Azure Cloud and Profound Yin factions.

• Demon apes emerged from beneath Yun Jing and rampaged through the capital, devouring people and martial artists.
• Lin Chen told Chen Huan to command the demon apes and spread the Human Pill Method, then destroyed his mortal avatar and left the palace.
• Lin Chen reflected on the devastation he had caused and revealed that he had reached Foundation Establishment Perfection.
• Lin Chen planned to gather data from the Inner Core Method’s spread to create an artificial Golden Core and break through.
• Lin Chen recalled that the Azure Cloud and Profound Yin factions had officially gone to war a year earlier.

As the Azure Cloud Sect fought the Mysterious Yin Gate and Blood Shadow, Lin Chen assessed the threat to Lingnan and resolved to finish developing his Golden Core theory before the war reached the core region. He planned to spread the Inner Core Method through the Dagan Dynasty, build a force that could advance his research, and leave safeguards before eventually departing Lingnan.

• The Mysterious Yin Gate and Blood Shadow launched a surprise attack on Black Tortoise City, but the Azure Cloud Sect's Self-Detonation Formation destroyed the city and severely wounded True Person Yunshi.
• The Azure Cloud Sect abandoned its frontier cities, removed spirit veins, evacuated mortals, and used traps and guerrilla attacks to slow the invading forces.
• Lin Chen judged that the Azure Cloud Sect was fighting one against two and that the enemy could reach its core region within ten years.
• Lin Chen planned to unleash the demon ape and spread the Inner Core Method so he could gather data and construct a Golden Core Model.
• Lin Chen decided to develop the Dagan Dynasty into a force that could foster innovation and help his research, while considering how to prepare for his eventual departure from Lingnan.
• Lin Chen resolved to leave a few safeguards in place while waiting for more data, then vanished into the breeze beneath the moonlight.

After the demon apes devastated the realm and rival forces failed to protect the people, Lin Chen united the Great Peace Way and Confucianism, building a powerful society through reforms and gu-based technology. The Great Peace Way defeated its enemies, reclaimed the Nine Provinces, and Lin Chen ended the imperial system, establishing a new order governed by Yellow Heaven, the Brain Array Computer, and Confucianism.

• Eighteen allied armies attacked Yun Jing but were routed by the demon apes, leaving the realm exposed to further devastation.
• Lin Chen emerged during the crisis, united the Great Peace Way and Confucianism, and established an orderly territory with Nine-ear Millet, land nationalization, and work relief.
• The Great Peace Way used the Brain Array Computer, gu insects, and assembly-line production to expand its resources and overcome disasters.
• Great clans joined the Northern Barbarians, demon apes, and Jianghu Factions in an invasion, but the Great Peace Way defeated them with superior production and technology.
• The Great Peace Way reclaimed the Nine Provinces, captured the capital, and defeated the demon apes and their mastermind.
• Lin Chen abolished the imperial system and established a new order in which Yellow Heaven and the Brain Array Computer managed resources while Confucianism guided social culture.

At a tea stall, people discussed how the Great Peace Way’s transparent taxes and rewards for useful work had changed their lives, while a scholar condemned its rule. The young Daoist revealed that Lin Chen would leave to explore the world beyond, and announced that he would teach the Inner Elixir Method at Hangu Pass before departing.

• A scholar criticized the Great Peace Way for rejecting Confucian governance, but the black-clad youth and other patrons defended its fair taxes and rewards for labor.
• The black-clad youth argued that the scholar opposed the new order because it left no room for parasites to profit.
• The young Daoist joined the black-clad youth, recognized his potential, and discussed the Grand Academy and its Inner Elixir Method.
• The black-clad youth asked why Great Worthy Teacher Lin Chen planned to step down, and the young Daoist said Lin Chen intended to explore the world beyond.
• The young Daoist said Lin Chen would set out from Hangu Famous Pass in one month and that he would teach the Inner Elixir Method there before leaving.

At Hangu Famous Pass, Lin Chen prepared to leave the pacified realm and taught a vast gathering about cultivation methods and the Scientific Great Dao. After bidding farewell to his students and followers, he departed westward to explore the unknown world, marking the beginning of a new era.

• Lin Chen handed the position of Great Worthy Teacher to Xie Xuan and explained how Confucianism and Yellow Heaven were meant to govern complementary parts of society.
• Xie Xuan questioned why Lin Chen had to leave, and Lin Chen said he was going to explore the world beyond because it was there.
• A huge crowd gathered at Hangu Famous Pass, where Lin Chen appeared in the sky and delivered a lecture on the Gang Qi Method, Witch Nightmare Curse Technique, Embracing Core Martial Dao, and other paths.
• Lin Chen taught that the true great dao was to investigate things to attain knowledge and test principles through empirical practice, calling it the Scientific Great Dao.
• Lin Chen said farewell to the crowd and left westward through Hangu Famous Pass as purple clouds spread across the sky.