Chapter Summaries

Wu Tao killed three loose cultivators who tried to extort him, abandoned his identity, and sold a batch of magic tools in East City. As he prepared to leave, the East City Patrol Squad barred all loose cultivators from leaving and ordered them to return for inspection.

• Three loose cultivators brought a bruised gambler to Wu Tao’s door and falsely claimed Wu Tao owed him spirit stones.
• Wu Tao lured the three men inside, killed them with the Soul-Devouring Insect, searched their bodies, and burned their remains.
• Wu Tao left the shanty town, changed his persona, and rented a new place to stay.
• Wu Tao sold nearly twenty magic tools to an artifact refiner in East City and received spirit stones.
• Wu Tao restored his bottom-tier loose cultivator appearance and headed for the city exit, but the East City Patrol Squad ordered all loose cultivators to return for inspection.

Wu Tao returned to his residence after the Azure Spirit Sect Patrol Squad barred Rogue Cultivators from leaving the city, then prepared for the announced house-to-house inspections. He began cultivating while waiting and opened his door when four Patrol Squad cultivators arrived to inspect his home.

• The Patrol Squad ordered Rogue Cultivators to return to their residences and remain inside the city, and Wu Tao worried that the restriction would keep him from leaving to meet Chen Yao.
• A Rogue Cultivator collided with Wu Tao and stole his Spirit Stone Bag, so Wu Tao tore off the man's arm and took the bag back.
• Wu Tao returned to his residence, set up protective formations, and began cultivating with a Purple Spirit Pill after making the Soul-Devouring Insect turn invisible.
• Four Qi Refining Layer 7 Patrol Squad cultivators arrived at Wu Tao's door for a house-to-house inspection, and he greeted them timidly.

Wu Tao passed a Patrol Squad inspection and learned that the Nether Soul Sect had sent demonic cultivators to East City, prompting strict searches. After scouting in disguise, he discovered that three Nether Soul Sect cultivators had been exposed in battles, though one had escaped.

• Wu Tao showed the Patrol Squad his Lease Agreement and passed their magic-tool checks without revealing his altered identity or aura.
• The Patrol Squad discussed the Nether Soul Sect’s presence in East City and the Azure Spirit Sect’s order to search for its demonic cultivators.
• Wu Tao worried the Nether Soul Sect might target East City’s rogue cultivators and resolved to gather information and flee if the city became unsafe.
• Wu Tao disguised himself with the Bone-Shifting and Shape-Changing Technique and passed identity and aura checks at street checkpoints.
• Wu Tao learned that three Nether Soul Sect cultivators had been uncovered in three battles: one was heavily injured, one was captured, and one fled after being lightly injured.

Wu Tao weighed the danger from the Nether Soul Sect as patrol cultivators searched his room and local rogue cultivators tried to organize for safety. When a black-robed Demonic Cultivator entered his cabin, Wu Tao trapped him in his Three Extremes Water and Fire Sword Formation, though three nether souls attacked him.

• Wu Tao considered the Nether Soul Sect’s possible plans and let the patrol squad inspect his room.
• Wang Wei and Gao Ling asked Wu Tao to join the rogue cultivators of Yuntong Road, but he politely declined.
• After Wang Wei disparaged him, Wu Tao ignored the remark and resumed cultivating with his Purple Spirit Pill.
• Three nether souls carried a black-robed Demonic Cultivator up through Wu Tao’s floor, and the intruder ordered Wu Tao to surrender his prayer mat and stay quiet.
• Wu Tao activated his formation disk from outside the formation, trapping the Demonic Cultivator as the three nether souls lunged at him.

Wu Tao defeated a Nether Soul Sect cultivator using his formations, Corpse Puppets, and Soul-Devouring Insects, which devoured the enemy’s Nether Souls and then prepared to advance. When Wu Tao searched the cultivator’s Storage Bag, a black bead released a Foundation Establishment devilish cultivator’s Divine Sense that tried to possess him.

• Wu Tao used his formations, Evil-Warding Robe, Corpse Puppets, and Soul-Devouring Insects to fight the black-robed devilish cultivator and his Nether Souls.
• The black-robed devilish cultivator strengthened his Soul-Gathering Banner with blood essence and Blood-Explosion Pills, but Wu Tao’s attacks killed him.
• Wu Tao ordered the Soul-Devouring Insects to hunt the remaining Nether Souls until they fled back into the Soul-Gathering Banner.
• The Soul-Devouring Insects returned to Wu Tao’s sea of consciousness and sent him a message that they were about to advance.
• Wu Tao searched the black-robed devilish cultivator’s Storage Bag, and a black bead sent a Foundation Establishment devilish cultivator’s Divine Sense into his Sea of Divine Sense to claim him as a possession target.

Wu Tao faced Soul Seizure by Old Ancestor Blood Soul, a powerful Foundation Establishment cultivator hidden in a Black Bead, and feared his weaker Divine Soul would be overwhelmed. The Coffin Nail destroyed Old Ancestor Blood Soul and strengthened Wu Tao’s Divine Sense before returning to sleep.

• Old Ancestor Blood Soul entered Wu Tao’s Sea of Divine Sense and prepared to seize his body, praising his cultivation and physical aptitude.
• Wu Tao called on Master Nail for help and hid behind the Coffin Nail as Old Ancestor Blood Soul attacked.
• The Coffin Nail stirred and sent out black ripples that disintegrated Old Ancestor Blood Soul’s Divine Soul.
• The Coffin Nail absorbed part of Old Ancestor Blood Soul’s purified Divine Sense, while the rest strengthened Wu Tao’s Divine Sense to Qi Refining Perfection.
• Wu Tao thanked Master Nail, withdrew from his Sea of Divine Sense, and identified the Black Bead from the Nether Soul Sect cultivator’s Storage Bag as Old Ancestor Blood Soul’s hiding place.

Wu Tao kept a mysterious black bead, looted a Soul-Gathering Banner, and decided to leave East City in two days. Meanwhile, Zhang Yuqing asked Xu Hong to let him harvest souls from rogue cultivators, and Xu Hong reconsidered after seeing what Zhang offered.

• Wu Tao took the black bead and looted six hundred and fifty Mid-Grade Spirit Stones and a Soul-Gathering Banner from the Nether Soul Sect cultivator’s Storage Bag.
• Wu Tao resolved to use the Soul-Gathering Banner without adopting the Nether Soul Sect’s methods, refined it, and discovered it contained seventy-seven nether souls.
• Wu Tao worried that the Nether Soul Sect’s purpose in East City might be dangerous and planned to leave with A-Yao in two days.
• Zhang Yuqing met Xu Hong in secret and asked for help gathering souls to advance his disciple’s magic tool.
• Xu Hong initially refused, but after Zhang Yuqing showed him an item, Xu Hong asked how many rogue cultivators were needed.
• Zhang Yuqing said he needed three streets and the shanty town to provide enough souls for the tool’s advancement.

Xu Hong and Zhang Yuqing arranged a secret operation that would sacrifice rogue cultivators to refine nether souls, while limiting the deaths among Subduing Demons Hall disciples. When the attack began, Wu Tao used the chaos to flee East City, leaving the outcome of the battle and his escape uncertain.

• Xu Hong agreed to Zhang Yuqing's plan after setting a limit of five deaths among Subduing Demons Hall disciples, then began preparing for the operation.
• Wu Tao finished cultivating for the day as Foundation Establishment Cultivators Xu Hong and Zhang Yuqing announced their confrontation across East City.
• Wu Tao put away his formations and headed for the city gates, while his Soul-Devouring Insects devoured a nether soul that attacked him.
• Wu Tao saw Nether Soul Sect disciples and Azure Spirit Sect forces battling as nether souls attacked rogue cultivators, and recognized that a Soul-Gathering Banner was being advanced to the Second Tier.
• Wu Tao ignored a Patrol Squad cultivator's plea for help but threw his remaining eight Evil-Breaking Talismans at the nether soul before continuing his escape.

With the Foundation Establishment Cultivators occupied, Wu Tao tried to escape East City amid the Nether Soul Sect’s attack. After fighting through rogue cultivators and the patrol squad, he reached the city gates, where three Qi Refining Layer 9 cultivators moved to stop him.

• Wu Tao left the turmoil zone as nether souls hunted rogue cultivators and killed a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator who tried to attack him.
• Wu Tao blended into a crowd blocked by the patrol squad, then used the confusion of a clash to break through the patrol formation.
• Wu Tao defeated a Qi Refining Layer 8 patrol squad cultivator with his wind and thunder spear and escaped through the exit.
• Wu Tao reached the city gates, ignored the guards’ orders to halt, and faced three Qi Refining Layer 9 patrol squad cultivators.

Wu Tao escaped East City after revealing an array of demonic techniques that frightened the Patrol Squad, then hid in the wild overnight to avoid the Nether Soul Sect’s turmoil. By daylight he returned to West City and found Chen Yao practicing the Azure Spirit Sword Scripture in the magic tool shop.

• Wu Tao summoned nether souls and two corpse puppets to force the three Patrol Squad cultivators to open the city gate, then fled using the Blood Escape Technique.
• Wu Tao avoided staying in the East Outer City and traveled into the wild, where he dug a deep cave and hid until dawn.
• Wu Tao returned safely to West City and went to the magic tool shop on Tranquility Street to look for Chen Yao.
• Yu Hai told Wu Tao that Chen Yao was in the Cultivation Room, where Wu Tao found her practicing the Azure Spirit Sword Scripture.

Wu Tao returned safely to Chen Yao, then spent two months cultivating and refining in seclusion while his Soul-Devouring Insects advanced. He reviewed his progress and expected to inscribe the Green Leaf Boat’s Restriction within two days.

• Chen Yao cultivated the Azure Spirit Sword Scripture until Wu Tao returned, then embraced him and said she would train until she could protect him.
• Wu Tao examined three Storage Bags taken from cultivators he had killed and decided to give Chen Yao the Three-compartment Storage Bag.
• Wu Tao chose to cultivate quietly while the two Soul-Devouring Insects slept and advanced.
• Two months later, Wu Tao reviewed his Personal Status and estimated that his Marrow Refining progress would help him reach Qi Refining Layer 9 in a little over a year.
• Wu Tao sensed that the Soul-Devouring Insects were nearing Tier 1 Advanced and noted that he would soon be able to inscribe the Green Leaf Boat’s Restriction.

Wu Tao steadily practiced the Green Leaf Boat’s flight restriction while reflecting on his safe, profitable life as an artifact refiner and the dangers of seeking higher-level manuals. He reviewed Chen Shan’s Blazing Flame Spear notes and concluded that, for now, he could cultivate securely at home, despite the city’s quick return to normal after the Nether Soul Sect’s massacre.

• Wu Tao practiced the Green Leaf Boat’s flight restriction and, despite a failed attempt, judged that he was close to mastering it.
• Wu Tao and Yu Hai closed the shop for the day, then Wu Tao and Chen Yao bought monster meat on their way home.
• Wu Tao studied Chen Shan’s notes on refining the First-Rank Level 9 Blazing Flame Spear and planned to examine it alongside the Golden Gilded Robe after finishing the Green Leaf Boat.
• Wu Tao recalled that seeking Level 9 refining manuals could expose him to danger, as he had been caught in the Nether Soul Sect and Azure Spirit Sect conflict two months earlier.
• Wu Tao noted that the Azure Spirit Sect had replaced its east-city garrison and that the destroyed streets had quickly been repopulated, while rogue cultivators had largely stopped discussing the massacre.

Wu Tao successfully engraved the Green Leaf Boat’s flight restriction and went to Lin Xinquan’s shop to obtain the materials for refining it. Lin Xinquan arranged for the missing material to arrive within two days, leaving Wu Tao to prepare for the boat’s formal refinement.

• Wu Tao and Chen Yao ate and cultivated together, then spent their leisure time in private.
• Wu Tao maintained his usual routine of practicing restrictions, cultivating spells, tempering his body, and refining magic tools.
• Wu Tao engraved a complete First-Rank Level 8 flight restriction onto a formation practice board.
• Wu Tao visited Lin Xinquan’s spirit material shop and requested the materials needed to refine the Green Leaf Boat.
• Lin Xinquan said one material was out of stock but would arrive within two days, and offered to deliver it personally.

Wu Tao received the last material needed to refine a Green Leaf Boat and successfully completed the First-Rank Level 8 flying Magic Tool. As he prepared to test it, he sensed that his two Soul-Devouring Insects were nearing advancement to Tier 1 Advanced Demonic Beasts.

• Wu Tao bought ten sets of Green Leaf Boat materials and arranged for Lin Xinquan to deliver the missing spiritual material when it arrived.
• Lin Xinquan brought the missing material and spirit fruit for Chen Yao, then reminded Wu Tao to reserve him a Green Leaf Boat.
• Wu Tao used the Mystic Origin Artifact Refinement Technique to refine the materials, inscribe the Flight Restriction, and complete the Green Leaf Boat.
• Wu Tao inspected the finished boat and prepared to refine it for a speed test.
• Wu Tao sensed that his two Soul-Devouring Insects were nearing advancement to Tier 1 Advanced Demonic Beasts.

Wu Tao watched a Soul-Devouring Insect break through to Tier 1 Advanced and fed it and its companion Nether Souls from the Soul-Gathering Banner. He then refined and tested his Green Leaf Boat, a rare First-Rank Level 8 Flying Magic Tool.

• Wu Tao monitored the Soul-Devouring Insect as it broke through to Tier 1 Advanced and flew to him, hungry for Divine Souls.
• Wu Tao gave each of the two Soul-Devouring Insects a First-Rank Low-Level Nether Soul after stopping them from lunging at the Soul-Gathering Banner.
• Wu Tao planned to take the insects into the wilderness the next day to test their increased strength by hunting Demonic Beasts.
• Wu Tao refined the Green Leaf Boat’s restrictions and sent the First-Rank Level 8 Flying Magic Tool floating through the Cultivation Room.

Wu Tao refined Green Leaf Boats, planned a visit with Chen Yao to Sister Feiyao, and set out to test his new flying Magic Tool in the wilderness. Before leaving, he gave Yu Hai five boats to sell at the Mystic Origin Magic Tool Shop.

• Wu Tao refined nine Green Leaf Boats without a failure and decided to give them to Yu Hai the next day for sale.
• Wu Tao and Chen Yao bought fresh Demonic Beast meat, then studied and cultivated at home; Chen Yao told Wu Tao that Sister Feiyao had invited them to visit the day after tomorrow.
• Wu Tao and Chen Yao spent the evening together, and Wu Tao jokingly misunderstood Chen Yao before apologizing.
• The next morning, Wu Tao handed Yu Hai five First-Rank Level 8 Green Leaf Boats and set their price at Three Hundred Mid-Grade Spirit Stones each.
• Wu Tao left the Mystic Origin Magic Tool Shop to head into the wilderness and test the Green Leaf Boat.

Wu Tao tested the limit of his divine sense, fed the soul-devouring insect, and measured the speed and endurance of his green leaf boat in the wilderness. As he prepared to return to the city, a powerful rogue cultivator team stopped in front of him and eyed his boat.

• Wu Tao sent his stealthy soul-devouring insect to scout and extended his divine sense to its ten-li limit without finding any other cultivators.
• He hunted demonic beasts for the insect to devour, collecting eight tier 1 intermediate beast corpses and cooking one for lunch, but found no tier 1 advanced beast to test the insect's evolved strength.
• Wu Tao tested the green leaf boat and found it flew about thirty percent as fast as the blood escape technique and could carry him at full speed for two shichen.
• As Wu Tao began to descend and head back, five adventurer rogue cultivators approached, and he moved aside to let them pass.
• The leading Qi Refining Layer 9 rogue cultivator stopped in front of Wu Tao and fixed his gaze on the green leaf boat.

Wu Tao suspected a five-person adventurer team of wanting to seize his Green Leaf Boat, but learned they only wanted to know where to buy one. Back in the city, he used his Hong Ru identity to sell demonic beast meat to Shopkeeper Sun, deliberately returning despite the danger of being watched so he could draw out those who might be tracking him.

• Wu Tao prepared his Soul-Devouring Insects to attack when five adventurers stopped and examined his Green Leaf Boat.
• The leader asked where Wu Tao had bought the boat, and Wu Tao gave him the address of the Mystic Origin Magic Tool Shop.
• The adventurers thanked Wu Tao and left for West Inner City, and Wu Tao headed back to the city after putting away his boat.
• Wu Tao recalled that the Hong Ru identity had attracted suspicious cultivators before, but decided to use it again to lure them out and prevent future trouble.
• Wu Tao visited Shopkeeper Sun as Hong Ru and began selling the low-level and intermediate demonic beast meat he had collected.

Wu Tao sold monster meat while disguised as Hong Ru, then returned to his shop and sold five Green Leaf Boats to an Adventurer Loose Cultivator Team. He brought Lin Xinquan a promised boat and left him praising its craftsmanship.

• Shopkeeper Sun paid Wu Tao for the monster meat, while two rogue cultivators who had spotted him decided against seeking revenge for Hu Ming and Chen Shuo.
• Wu Tao searched the streets for anyone following him, then changed back into his original appearance and went home.
• The next day, Wu Tao arrived at the Mystic Origin Magic Tool Shop and saw the five rogue cultivators from the wilderness come in looking for Green Leaf Boats.
• The five rogue cultivators bought five Green Leaf Boats for fifteen hundred Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, and Yu Hai completed the sale.
• Wu Tao visited Lin Xinquan's Spirit Material Shop and gave Lin Xinquan a Green Leaf Boat, which he praised for its smooth, even restriction circuits.

Wu Tao accepted Lin Xinquan’s Green Leaf Boat information and Nine-Leaf Spirit Tea, then learned that his shop’s boats had sold out amid growing demand. He weighed the profits of refining more against the risks of revealing his unusual speed and success rate.

• Wu Tao modestly rejected Lin Xinquan’s praise, and Lin Xinquan gave him a Green Leaf Boat and offered him Nine-Leaf Spirit Tea.
• Wu Tao bought twenty more sets of Green Leaf Boat materials, accepted a jin of tea after several refusals, and left Lin Xinquan’s shop.
• Yu Hai told Wu Tao that all eight Green Leaf Boats had sold, with adventurers recommending them to other buyers.
• Wu Tao considered refining more boats but decided that excessive production could expose his extraordinary artifact-refining abilities.