Chapter Summaries

Meng Qi began the auction of longevity pills, and Old Ancestor Zhang won the first Eastern Extreme Longevity Pill with a collection of requested treasures that suggested he had received special information. The second pill drew fierce bids from the Fengdian Divine Envoy and another bidder.

• The Fengdian Divine Envoy arrived at Yan Wuwo's ship, and Yan Wuwo secretly told Meng Qi who he was.
• Meng Qi introduced the longevity pills and opened the auction with two Eastern Extreme Longevity Pills.
• Old Ancestor Zhang won the first pill by offering thirteen rare treasures, prompting the Fengdian Divine Envoy to suspect the auction was rigged.
• Old Ancestor Zhang revealed his identity and swallowed the pill, while Meng Qi offered the second one without special bidding conditions.
• The Fengdian Divine Envoy bid rare treasures and the Chengying Sword, but another bidder raised the offer with a Supreme-grade Precious Weapon, the Luoyue Cudgel.

Meng Qi auctioned the second Eastern Extreme Longevity Pill for a Dinghai Pearl, then sold other life-extending medicines before leaving with Yan Wuwo. After the Fengdian Divine Envoy and other experts tried to follow him, Meng Qi vanished and appeared at an ancient temple to seek the Divine Palm’s general outline.

• Ji Feihong offered the Chengying Sword and other treasures, but the Fengdian Divine Envoy raised the bid with the Subtlety Mind-Confusing Mirror.
• A disguised bidder offered thirteen Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, the Ten Thousand Poisons Soul Driving Needle, and a Dinghai Pearl, winning the pill.
• Meng Qi saw that the bidder had nine fingers and a blue severed stump, then handed the Nine-fingered Person the Eastern Extreme Longevity Pill.
• Meng Qi auctioned the remaining life-extending medicines, and the bidders left after securing their purchases.
• Yan Wuwo told Meng Qi that Ruan San had asked who bought the second pill, but neither of them knew the Nine-fingered Person’s identity.
• The Fengdian Divine Envoy and other experts tried to follow Meng Qi, but he disappeared and appeared at an ancient temple, where he asked the Bodhisattva to teach him the Divine Palm’s general outline.

Meng Qi completed the first great hurdle of the Eight-Nine Arcane Art, reaching the third level of the Exterior Scenery realm after tempering all his acupoints. He arrived at Immortal Traces Workshop to investigate the Yellow Springs Hand Bone and learned that the formal gathering of members would take place in seven days.

• Meng Qi left Lanke Temple through a gate opened near Jiangdong Maoling and met Yan Wuwo at Immortal Trace to divide the auction spoils.
• Meng Qi sold treasures through Immortal Traces Workshop and spent more than half a year cultivating in seclusion.
• Meng Qi finished tempering all his acupoints, reached the third level of the Exterior Scenery realm, and amassed 20,700 Merit Points.
• Meng Qi met Doumu Yuanjun in Biyou Heaven and agreed to attend the formal gathering of members in seven days.
• Meng Qi went to Immortal Traces Workshop and took out the Yellow Springs Hand Bone to uncover its secrets.

Meng Qi unsealed the Yellow Springs Hand Bone and learned that it could resonate with Yellow Springs’ reincarnated body and influence the rest of his divine body. He attended the Immortal Trace gathering, met Cao Xianzhi, and then began the Investiture of the Gods mission, where his group was assigned Mohism.

• Meng Qi paid to learn that Yellow Springs had hidden his sealed divine body before entering reincarnation, then spent two thousand Merit Points to unseal the hand bone.
• The unsealed hand bone regained its aura and powers, and Meng Qi decided to consider refining it after the Investiture of the Gods mission.
• Meng Qi attended the Immortal Trace gathering, met Cao Xianzhi, and heard Qu Jiuniang mourn the companions she had lost.
• The Investiture of the Gods mission began, bringing Meng Qi together with Jiang Zhiwei, Qi Zhengyan, Ruan Yushu, and Zhao Heng.
• Meng Qi drew Mohism as the Hundred Schools path his group had to spread among the nations.

Meng Qi and his companions prepared for a dangerous mission to spread Mohist Doctrine in the Investiture of the Gods World, pooling their Merit Points to acquire powerful Secret Treasures. They arrived in the world at night, where two men sat in a palace and one lamented the suffering caused by the warring states.

• Meng Qi and the others concluded that their mission was to spread Mohist ideals and discussed how difficult it would be to persuade rulers to adopt them.
• Qi Zhengyan, Ruan Yushu, Meng Qi, Jiang Zhiwei, and Zhao Heng shared their realms and Merit Points, then agreed to pool their funds while retaining enough for a forced return.
• The team spent nearly all their pooled Merit Points on four imitation Secret Treasures and assigned them among themselves for protection and combat.
• Meng Qi placed the Mustard Ring at the consignment stall, and Jiang Zhiwei said she would deliver items to True Person Yunhe after the mission.
• Meng Qi and his companions arrived in a dark palace, where a short-bearded man lamented the chaos, war, and suffering across the states.

Meng Qi and his companions reached Bole City in Han Land and tried to persuade Lord Bole to support a revised form of Mohist Doctrine. Lord Bole rejected their argument against lavish burials, and the group left his residence before someone called after them.

• Meng Qi and his companions disguised themselves, discussed how to adapt Mohist Doctrine, and decided to approach Lord Bole first.
• Meng Qi learned they were in Bole City and that Lord Bole welcomed talented guests, so the group went to his residence.
• Lord Bole greeted the five visitors warmly, and Meng Qi proposed Esteem for the Worthy, Frugality in Expenditure, and Frugal Burials.
• Lord Bole objected that Frugal Burials denied his divine inheritance and refused to accept Meng Qi's arguments.
• Meng Qi and his companions left Lord Bole's residence, and a voice called for them to wait.

Meng Qi and his companions met Zhao Bai and his fellow retainers, and explained how frugality, open instruction, Universal Love, and opposition to unjust wars could address the chaos of the age. After the retainers shared their painful pasts, many pledged to follow Meng Qi, leaving him and his companions to decide whether to accept them and organize their growing support.

• Zhao Bai invited Meng Qi and his companions to his home to advise a gathering of retainers who sought a way to improve the world.
• Meng Qi argued that frugal spending and burials could fund education, and that ordinary people could be selected and taught martial arts.
• Meng Qi condemned war and oppression through the ideas of Universal Love and Non-Aggression, prompting Bai Song and Wang Qi to recount how violence and abuse had destroyed their families.
• The retainers shared their grievances, and most of them bowed to Meng Qi and asked to follow him.
• Zhao Heng urged Meng Qi to accept the retainers as allies, while Meng Qi considered whether organizing them would create new dangers.

Meng Qi adapted the Mohist Doctrine to the Investiture of the Gods World by arguing that a righteous ruler could conquer the states and unify all under Heaven. Lord Bole became frightened by the ambition’s danger and secretly ordered Yuxu Mountain Small Dry Cave to deal with Meng Qi and the others.

• Meng Qi lectured on Universal Love, Not Fate, and the duty to benefit all under Heaven, while Cao He listened in awe.
• Zhou Xin reported the lectures to Lord Bole, who praised several doctrines but questioned whether rulers could practice Universal Love and Non-Aggression.
• Lord Bole sent Zhou Xin to ask whether Non-Aggression could work when other states attacked and expanded.
• When Zhao Heng could not answer, Meng Qi declared that righteous conquest could end the feudal conflict and unify all under Heaven.
• Lord Bole panicked at Meng Qi’s unprecedented ambition and ordered the group to leave Bole, then summoned Yuxu Mountain Small Dry Cave to act against them.

After Lord Bole ordered Meng Qi and his companions out of his territory, Meng Qi warned the Ink Followers not to travel with them and secretly gave them the Mohist cultivation manual Mo Shu. The group changed course toward the northeast, unaware that two agents carrying Secret Treasures were following them and preparing an ambush.

• Zhou Xin delivered Lord Bole's order to drive Meng Qi and his companions out, and Meng Qi agreed to leave rather than argue.
• Meng Qi explained that Lord Bole might pursue them, so Zhao Bai, Wang Qi, and Bai Song should not bring the other Ink Followers along; Jiang Zhiwei gave the followers copies of Mo Shu.
• Zhao Bai, Wang Qi, and Bai Song chose to follow Meng Qi, while the remaining Ink Followers stayed behind and were told to keep their affiliation secret.
• After leaving the city, Meng Qi changed the group's route northeast instead of heading toward Huan State, reasoning that Lord Bole might anticipate their original destination.
• Two agents tracked the group with the Thousand-Mile Eye and Wind-Following Ear, then prepared to attack using the Bewildering Spirit chime and the Mountain and River Diagram.

Meng Qi and his companions were trapped by two Demon Race cultivators using an imitation of the Mountain and River Diagram, but they turned the ambush around and captured one attacker. Meng Qi’s interrogation revealed that the Demon Race guarded the Demon Emperor Hall at Yuxu Mountain Small Dry Cave, where the Little Fox from Tianhai Source had entered.

• Meng Qi and Jiang Zhiwei sensed danger, but a Secret Treasure modeled after the Mountain and River Diagram trapped their group before they could change course.
• Meng Qi calmed Bai Song, Zhao Bai, and the others while the attackers set up a killing array outside the painting.
• The brown-robed Senior Brother struck the Bewildering Spirit Bell as the big-headed junior brother released the group into the array, but Ruan Yushu’s Heaven and Earth Mysterious Yellow Exquisite Pagoda protected them.
• Meng Qi used a hair avatar and unleashed his techniques against the big-headed junior brother, while Jiang Zhiwei broke out and bound the brown-robed Senior Brother.
• Meng Qi collected the Mountain and River Diagram, and Jiang Zhiwei took the bell and Mustard Ring before Meng Qi interrogated the captured Senior Brother.
• Meng Qi learned that the attackers were the Demon Race guarding the Demon Emperor Hall at Yuxu Mountain Small Dry Cave and discovered that the Little Fox from Tianhai Source had entered it.

Meng Qi uncovered secrets about the Demon Emperor Hall, the Jade Void Remnants, and the forces of Yuxu Mountain, then led his companions away from danger. The group headed toward the small states between Tang and Chu, where they planned to put their Mohist reforms into practice.

• Meng Qi learned from the Peach Tree Spirit's memories that Tai Li and Little Fox had entered the Demon Emperor Hall, and that the Small Dry Cave Sect Master guarded the genuine Mountain and River Diagram.
• Meng Qi found a memory mentioning the Jade Void Remnants and connected them to the vanished Chan lineage and Yang Jian's activities.
• Meng Qi killed the Peach Tree Spirit, took note of its treasures, and left with his companions before they could be caught by reinforcements.
• Meng Qi told the group that Small Dry Cave had a Half-step Dharma Body Sect Master and several Grandmaster-level Demon Venerables, so they should avoid provoking it.
• Meng Qi and his companions discussed whether Nuwa had been both the human Mother Goddess and the Demon Emperor, and he suggested that Qi Zhengyan's Cosmic Mirror might be connected to her.
• Meng Qi chose to flee toward the small states between Tang and Chu, where the group could rely on other powers for protection and apply their Mohist reforms.

Ruan Yushu and the other lecturers spread Mohist teachings in Shangying, drawing commoners, scholars, and nobles and alarming Sikou Tianheng. Before Tianheng could act against them, King Chen summoned Meng Qi and his companions, and Meng Qi warned the king that Chen State faced grave danger.

• Tian Jian investigated the bamboo grove and witnessed Ruan Yushu teaching martial arts, literacy, and Mohist principles to a large crowd.
• Tian Jian reported the lectures to Tianheng, who condemned their challenge to noble privilege but hesitated to expel the Chu State visitors without learning Chu’s position.
• Tian Kuo repeated Mr. Su’s argument that power should go to the worthy, and Tianheng struck him for speaking against ritual hierarchy.
• Tianheng learned that King Chen had summoned the lecturers before he received a reply from Chu State.
• Meng Qi and the others met King Chen, who questioned whether their teachings were useful in peaceful Chen State, and Meng Qi warned that disaster threatened the country.

Meng Qi persuaded King Chen to appoint him Grand Minister of Works and adopt reforms that would make Chen useful to both Chu and Tang. The nobles, led by Sikou Tianheng and Tian Guang, then began plotting to eliminate Meng Qi and stop the reforms.

• Meng Qi warned King Chen that Chen would remain vulnerable while Chu and Tang fought on its territory, then outlined reforms to strengthen the kingdom and end its unrighteous wars.
• Meng Qi proposed abolishing customs duties to attract merchants from Chu and Tang, increasing trade and tax revenue while making Chen beneficial to both states.
• King Chen praised Meng Qi and appointed him Grand Minister of Works, and Meng Qi accepted the post.
• Sikou Tianheng learned of Meng Qi's appointment and feared the reforms would threaten the nobles' power.
• Tian Guang told Sikou Tianheng that they should eliminate Meng Qi and said there would be an opportunity to strike.

Meng Qi and his companions devised a way to enforce King Chen’s abolition of checkpoint taxes by letting merchants kill tax collectors without penalty, then chose Wang Dan’s clan as their first target. At court, King Chen appointed Meng Qi Grand Minister of Works and the others as junior ministers, while Meng Qi noticed Tian Guang watching him with indifference.

• Tian Jian told Sikou Tianheng that Tian Kuo had sided with Su Mo, and Sikou Tianheng ordered him to let Tian Kuo go.
• Meng Qi and his companions discussed how to implement King Chen’s reforms and settled on a decree allowing anyone who collected checkpoint taxes to be killed without penalty.
• The group chose Wang Dan’s clan as the first target for enforcing the decree and planned to send people through its fief disguised as merchants.
• Meng Qi and his companions explained their plan to King Chen before the court assembly.
• King Chen appointed Meng Qi Grand Minister of Works and named Jiang Zhiwei and the others as junior ministers.
• Meng Qi recognized Tian Guang among the officials and noticed that he looked at him indifferently.

Meng Qi endured Tian Guang’s assassination attempt, secured the new policies in Chen, and watched Shangying prosper as merchants and residents adapted to the abolition of tolls. As virtue gathered around Meng Qi and his allies, Gongyang Zeng welcomed his son home and asked whether the Immortal Elders of Jinguang Cave had reached a decision.

• Tian Guang attacked Meng Qi with a Palm Saber during court, but Meng Qi remained unharmed and struck Tian Guang down when he tried to self-destruct.
• King Chen stripped Tian Heng of his post as Minister of Justice, ordered an investigation, and had Meng Qi continue announcing policies, including allowing people to kill toll collectors without consequence.
• Meng Qi rebutted the nobles’ objections, and the new policies took effect as nobles removed checkpoints and waited for a chance to resist.
• A month later, a Chu merchant caravan found Shangying crowded with trade, while a local family earned money by lodging travelers and praised Meng Qi’s advice.
• Meng Qi, Zhao Heng, and their companions gained virtue and moral energy; Meng Qi warned that the nobles were gathering strength for a counterattack.
• Gongyang Zeng greeted his returning son and asked whether the Immortal Elders of Jinguang Cave had reached a decision.

Gongyang Zeng learned that Golden Light Cave would send a Grandmaster to intervene, and planned to seize control of Chen’s new policies by arranging King Chen’s overthrow. As Meng Qi and his companions headed to the palace, Tian Kuo warned them of extreme danger, and they fled just as an attacker inside the palace raised a golden arrow.

• Gongyang Bo told Gongyang Zeng that Golden Light Cave had agreed to send a Grandmaster with a treasure, though it would not openly intervene.
• Gongyang Zeng revealed his plan to use the Tian and Wang Families, an infiltrator, and Calming Immortal Incense to capture King Chen and install a new ruler.
• Meng Qi and his companions discussed the noble houses’ silence and the uncertain intentions of Golden Light Cave, then received King Chen’s summons.
• At the palace gates, Tian Kuo secretly warned Meng Qi of extreme danger, prompting Meng Qi, Jiang Zhiwei, and Zhao Heng to flee with their companions.
• An attacker inside the palace sensed their escape and formed a golden arrow, while Bai Song learned that servants had spotted unusual activity at all three noble estates.

Meng Qi and Qi Zhengyan escaped an ambush by the Jinguang Cave Grandmaster after Meng Qi was gravely wounded by a golden arrow. They hid in a commoner's kitchen, where an Ink Follower recognized them as allies.

• The Jinguang Cave Grandmaster shot Meng Qi with a terrifying golden arrow, destroying his left arm and badly injuring his face despite Qi Zhengyan's Jade Void Apricot Yellow Banner.
• Jiang Zhiwei rang the Soul-Sundering Bell, disrupting the Grandmaster's second shot and giving Meng Qi a chance to strike down an Outer Scenery Expert with Open Heaven and Earth.
• Meng Qi and Qi Zhengyan fled together while Jiang Zhiwei and Zhao Heng escaped in separate groups, and the Jinguang Cave Grandmaster ordered Shangying City sealed and searched.
• Meng Qi and Qi Zhengyan hid in a household kitchen, where Meng Qi's left arm regenerated as he took a Pharmacist Heart Pill.
• A middle-aged man entered the kitchen, told an Outer Scenery Expert that everything was normal, and secretly greeted Meng Qi as Rectifier.

Meng Qi and Qi Zhengyan hid from the citywide search after Jinguang Cave framed them for King Chen’s death, while Meng Qi planned to draw the hunters outside the city and rescue the imprisoned Ink Followers. The chapter ended with Zhao Heng learning how Tian Kuo had secretly joined the Ink Followers after a jailed old Daoist warned him of a plot.

• Meng Qi healed his left hand and learned from Yan Kuan that soldiers had sealed Shangying, blamed the group for King Chen’s death, and arrested many Ink Followers.
• Meng Qi and Qi Zhengyan discussed Jinguang Cave’s attack and vowed to seek justice for King Chen and find a chance to rescue the imprisoned Ink Followers.
• After Gongyang Zeng ordered strict searches of every residence, Meng Qi used the Eight-Nine Arcane Art to evade the soldiers and Outer Scenery Experts at Yan Kuan’s home.
• Meng Qi told Qi Zhengyan that they would escape the city to draw away the search parties and create an opportunity to free the Ink Followers.
• At Tian Kuo’s room, Zhao Heng learned that Tian Kuo had joined the Ink Followers in secret after a jailed old Daoist warned him of a plot.

Zhao Heng learned why Tian Kuo remained committed to the Mohists, while Jiang Zhiwei and Ruan Yushu devised a way to enter the prison under false pretenses. Meng Qi escaped Shangying and headed for the Gongyang Family’s territory to kill.

• Tian Kuo explained that Mr. Su had taught him to judge people and actions separately, and Zhao Heng agreed to let him find a hiding place once the search passed.
• Jiang Zhiwei and Ruan Yushu hid in a Mohist’s home, then decided to get themselves arrested as minor bandits so they could enter the prison safely.
• During the search, Jiang Xing’s bandit gang attacked the troops, and Jiang Zhiwei and Ruan Yushu joined the disturbance before allowing themselves to be captured.
• Meng Qi slipped through the city’s formation by following the returning Grandmaster from Jinguang Cave, then escaped through an underground current.
• Meng Qi returned to human form and set out for the Gongyang Family’s territory with his saber, intending to kill.

Meng Qi attacked Fengcheng in mourning, proclaimed that he was punishing the Gongyang Family for treason, and killed Gongyang Deng. His strike persuaded Gongyang Zeng and Daoist Chixia that he was trying to draw them away, giving Meng Qi a chance to approach the city again and plan another assassination before rescuing the Ink Followers.

• Meng Qi disguised his true entry into Fengcheng with a clone, then broke through the soldiers and killed Gongyang Deng in a fierce saber fight.
• Meng Qi declared that he would punish Gongyang Zeng and Gongyang Bo next, spared the city’s innocent residents, and fled Fengcheng.
• Gongyang Zeng warned Daoist Chixia that Meng Qi’s appearance was likely a ploy to lure them away from the upper camp and prison.
• Daoist Chixia and Gongyang Zeng pretended to pursue Meng Qi, lifted the upper camp lockdown, and prepared a trap in the prison.
• Meng Qi saw that the upper camp’s gates had opened and headed toward the city, intending to assassinate Gongyang Bo to conceal his plan to rescue the Ink Followers.