Chapter Summaries

Chen Changsheng explained that Ling Dao’s illness came from cultivating too quickly and disrupting the balance of his five viscera. He warned that unless Ling Dao mastered his technique within its prescribed time, his hidden injuries could prove fatal.

• Ling Dao offered Chen Changsheng a divine weapon as a consultation fee, then gave him rare Enlightenment Tea to win his favor.
• Chen Changsheng reassured Ling Dao that his illness could be cured with medicine and taught Chen Mengjie that treating cultivators required finding the illness’s root cause.
• Chen Changsheng identified Ling Dao’s cultivation technique and his unusually rapid progress as the source of his outward strength and inward weakness.
• Chen Changsheng warned that rapid cultivation could leave even famed geniuses with serious drawbacks, and that Ling Dao’s technique would repair his injuries only if he mastered it on schedule.
• Ling Dao asked what would happen if he failed to master the technique in time, and Chen Changsheng said he would become one of the geniuses who fell in history.

Chen Changsheng explained to Ling Dao why reckless cultivation could cause varied injuries, then prescribed a special method to calm his violent Qi and Blood. He taught Chen Mengjie to read the Myriad Ages Medical Scripture as both medicine and a healer’s cultivation method, then sent her to treat the waiting prodigies.

• Chen Changsheng told Ling Dao that cultivation manuals warned against haste, but cultivators often ignored their cautions and paid a severe price for rapid progress.
• Ling Dao asked whether his chosen cultivation path could be completed, and Chen Changsheng said it was possible if he could bear its costs.
• Chen Changsheng wrote Ling Dao a prescription and explained that reversing the Five Elements attributes in his body would calm his violent Qi and Blood.
• Chen Mengjie questioned how the special method counted as a prescription, and Chen Changsheng explained that cultivators’ illnesses sometimes required unconventional treatment.
• Chen Changsheng taught Chen Mengjie that the Myriad Ages Medical Scripture could be understood as a cultivation method for healers, and she realized she had not grasped its full meaning.
• Chen Changsheng told Chen Mengjie to treat the waiting prodigies as practice, leaving them speechless.

Chen Changsheng traded Zhang Bairen the memory of his battle preparations against the Wang family ancestor in exchange for Zhang Bairen’s method of dividing and storing his Divine Sense Realm and True Spirit. In the memory, Zhang Bairen learned how Chen Changsheng obtained the Netherworld Ghost Fire and why Chen Feng had been sealed away.

• Chen Changsheng showed Zhang Bairen the fist imprint left by the Wang family ancestor and explained that someone from the Heavenly Dao Society had sealed its technique.
• Chen Changsheng and Zhang Bairen entered Chen Changsheng’s memory of the Pill Epoch, where Zhang Bairen followed his younger self into a secret chamber.
• Chen Changsheng opened a golden box and revealed the Netherworld Ghost Fire, which he said had formed from the resentment and obsessions he absorbed after the Slaughter Epoch.
• Chen Changsheng explained that Chen Feng’s sword strike severed the obsessions and that he had sealed Chen Feng until his Dao could be perfected in the Chang Sheng Epoch.
• Chen Changsheng told Zhang Bairen that Chen Feng could not stop the Dark Turmoil alone but would make certain enemies suffer.

Chen Changsheng explained his plan to ambush the Wang family ancestor and persuaded Yun Ya Zi to consider helping him. Yun Ya Zi asked why he should risk his life, and Chen Changsheng urged him to seize the chance to test his strength.

• Chen Changsheng told Zhang Bairen that he would change his methods rather than give up and revealed he had made preparations to fight the Wang family ancestor.
• Chen Changsheng met Yun Ya Zi after more than forty thousand years and asked him to join the attack on the Wang family ancestor.
• Chen Changsheng explained that he planned a surprise attack, since few of his abilities could harm an opponent of the Wang family ancestor's level and the Pill Epoch's rules barred mutual destruction.
• Yun Ya Zi asked why he should risk falling in battle, and Chen Changsheng argued that the fight offered a chance to pursue his interests and test his strength.
• Chen Changsheng challenged Yun Ya Zi by suggesting that his years of comfort had made him afraid of death.

Chen Changsheng persuaded Yun Ya Zi to join a planned attack on the Wang family ancestor, then Zhang Bairen accidentally exposed their spying while viewing Chen Changsheng’s memory. Yun Ya Zi confronted Zhang Bairen over his interference in the Pill Tower, and Zhang agreed to withdraw his people.

• Chen Changsheng urged Yun Ya Zi to overcome his fear and fight the Wang family ancestor, arguing that hesitation would give them the advantage.
• A cold-faced ancestor appeared and agreed to help, and Yun Ya Zi accepted a plan to attack the Wang family ancestor in ten days.
• Zhang Bairen interrupted the memory, prompting Yun Ya Zi and the ancestor to detect the spying and shatter Chen Changsheng’s memory.
• Yun Ya Zi contacted Chen Changsheng through a token and asked to speak with Zhang Bairen after learning his identity.
• Yun Ya Zi warned Zhang Bairen that his interference in the Pill Tower had crossed the line, and Zhang promised to withdraw his people.

Zhang Bairen explained to Chen Changsheng why long-lived High-level cultivators hoarded life-extending secrets and coveted one another’s inheritances, then invited him to inspect the Bright Immortal Rock. In the Water Realm, Chen Mengjie improved at treating difficult illnesses while Liu Yidao and the others bet on how quickly Ruan Su Xian would be tormented by Chen Changsheng.

• Yun Ya Zi ended his call, and Zhang Bairen returned the Heavenly Dao Token to Chen Changsheng while dismissing the threat of the Heavenly Dao Society.
• Zhang Bairen explained that aging High-level cultivators sought life-extending methods and often preyed on one another for their secrets and inheritances.
• Chen Changsheng refused to free Old Man Yao for his hidden treasures and said he would rather keep him dead or imprisoned.
• Chen Changsheng left to inspect the Bright Immortal Rock with Zhang Bairen, postponing their fight with the Wang family ancestor.
• In the Water Realm, Chen Mengjie grew more skilled at treating difficult ailments as Jun Lin and the others built a temporary clinic.
• Liu Yidao warned that Chen Changsheng enjoyed tormenting his trainees, and the group wagered on how soon Ruan Su Xian would suffer his treatment.

Ruan Su Xian refused Chen Changsheng’s unreasonable furniture demands, but gave in when Chen Changsheng offered immortal pills as rewards for beating him. After Ruan Su Xian rushed off to finish the work, Chen Changsheng examined Ku Mu and found something troubling.

• Jun Lin, Xu Qianzhui, Chen Xiao, and Liu Yidao watched Ruan Su Xian take their treasures and leave with a chair, then returned to their work.
• Ruan Su Xian brought Chen Changsheng a pine chair, but Chen Changsheng demanded furniture made from thousand-year-old huanghuali or Zitan Wood.
• Ruan Su Xian refused, so Chen Changsheng offered immortal pills to anyone who beat him or the nearby Dao Protectors until they submitted.
• Ruan Su Xian agreed to make the furniture and hurried away with the saplings after seeing Daoist Qinghe surrounded by High-level cultivators.
• Chen Mengjie asked Chen Changsheng to examine Ku Mu, and Chen Changsheng furrowed his brows after checking Ku Mu’s wrist.

Chen Changsheng treated several young cultivators at the Golden Age Gathering and accepted Ku Mu’s case in exchange for a favor from the Holy Ruins Forbidden Ground. He took Zhao Wu Yu on as a student, then revealed the story of Wu Yu’s father and set him on the path to becoming strong enough to seek revenge.

• Chen Changsheng agreed to treat Ku Mu in exchange for one Human Sentiment from the Holy Ruins Forbidden Ground, and Wang Zun accepted the terms.
• Chen Changsheng prescribed treatment for Luo Tong’s hidden wounds, and Luo Tong paid one Divine Source.
• Chen Changsheng told Zhao Wu Yu that curing his illness required him to stay by Chen Changsheng’s side, and said his father had already paid the fee.
• When Zhao Wu Yu asked about his father, Chen Changsheng described the thirty-year battle in which he killed the First General while the man covered his clansmen’s retreat.
• Chen Changsheng challenged Zhao Wu Yu to learn from him before seeking revenge, and Zhao Wu Yu followed him toward the small grove.

Chen Changsheng explained that Xu Qianzhui’s injury persisted because his Dao was too exclusionary and he had not passed the Confucian Asking Heart Trial. He left Xu with a path toward understanding the trial, while rejecting the idea that the righteous cultivators had no hope.

• Chen Changsheng arrived as Ruan Su Xian and the others worked, then accepted Liu Yidao’s Spiritual Fruits and yellow wine.
• Chen Changsheng made the cultivators continue their tasks while answering his questions, then asked Xu Qianzhui why his injury would not heal.
• Chen Changsheng said Xu’s Dao was too exclusionary and that he needed to comprehend the Confucian Sages’ essence to overcome Follow the Heart’s Buddhist imprints.
• Chen Changsheng explained his disagreement with Scholar over whether Confucian cultivators should be told about the Asking Heart Trial.
• Chen Changsheng said Scholar’s approach protected people from prejudice, but his own approach could help cultivators like Xu find a clear path forward.
• Xu Qianzhui asked whether he and the righteous-path cultivators had no hope, and Chen Changsheng said they still might.

Chen Changsheng questioned Jun Lin about his stalled cultivation and discovered that conflicting laws had caused problems with his technique. He advised Jun Lin to keep developing the original approach and revealed that Wang Hao had been waiting for Jun Lin to ask him for help.

• Chen Changsheng explained two ways Xu Qianzhui could attempt the Asking Heart Trial, and Xu chose the dangerous illusion method, though Chen Changsheng said it could not begin yet.
• Chen Changsheng asked Jun Lin why he had not advanced beyond the True Person Realm, and Jun Lin admitted that his cultivation suffered from Law Conflict.
• Chen Changsheng scolded Jun Lin for trying to create a better law formula and said continuing his original principles could still work.
• Chen Changsheng claimed Wang Hao had been waiting for Jun Lin to beg him for help, and Wang Hao answered from the treetops.

Chen Changsheng stopped Wang Hao and Liu Yidao from attacking Ruan Su Xian by offering them two immortal pills, then advised Jun Lin on how to correct his cultivation path. Jun Lin accepted that he would need to fuse with his Double Pupils, while Chen Changsheng explained that he had spared Ruan Su Xian because he appreciated his refusal.

• Wang Hao arrived to target Ruan Su Xian’s saplings, and Liu Yidao revealed he planned to claim the immortal pill and trade it for other benefits.
• Chen Changsheng offered Wang Hao and Liu Yidao two immortal pills, and Wang Hao agreed to leave Ruan Su Xian alone for now.
• Chen Changsheng told Jun Lin that the Double Pupils could help him identify laws suited to himself if he completely merged them with his body.
• Jun Lin accepted the danger of his path and continued chopping trees as Chen Changsheng warned him not to fall.
• Chen Changsheng told Ruan Su Xian that he had spared him because he appreciated the way he had refused him.

Chen Changsheng told Ruan Su Xian that the Golden Age Gathering could be either a game or a deadly trial, and urged him to face future hardships with courage. After Chen Changsheng left, Liu Yidao explained why Ruan Su Xian’s survival had made him a sinner in the eyes of his sect.

• Chen Changsheng contradicted himself about the Golden Age Gathering, then admitted he was messing with Ruan Su Xian and warned him about being a powerless chess piece.
• Chen Changsheng encouraged Ruan Su Xian to keep the courage he had shown when refusing him, and told him that choosing whether to advance or retreat was his own decision.
• Chen Changsheng gave Ruan Su Xian advice on understanding the essence of the Talisman Dao and told him to make two saplings sprout before sunset.
• Chen Changsheng declined to examine Liu Yidao’s illness until the next day, then departed with Wu Yu and Ku Mu.
• Jun Lin questioned Liu Yidao’s earlier actions, and Liu Yidao defended protecting himself while Ruan Su Xian agreed that his past self had deserved to die.
• Liu Yidao explained that Ruan Su Xian had been branded a sinner because his sect’s failure at the Battle of the Buddha Pagoda cost the Wudang lineage vast territories, and because he survived when others expected him either to win or die.

Ruan Su Xian completed his task at the Golden Age Gathering but left in despair after realizing the wager affected countless lives. In the Stars Forbidden Ground, Chen Changsheng explained why Wang Hao could not simply teach Liu Yidao to become a top-level Demon Cultivator.

• Liu Yidao told Chen Mengjie and Xu Qianzhui that the Golden Age Gathering wager reflected a larger struggle between the Forbidden Grounds and the Righteous Cultivators.
• Chen Mengjie realized the wager could decide the fate of countless living beings, and Liu Yidao said Ruan Su Xian might turn to the Demonic Path after losing so much.
• Ruan Su Xian used two invisible talismans to grow the saplings into towering trees, then left alone after declaring his task complete.
• Chen Changsheng and Zhang Bairen continued crafting the Sword Sheath in the Stars Forbidden Ground and discussed the young people in the Water Realm.
• Chen Changsheng explained that Wang Hao could not make Liu Yidao a top-level Demon Cultivator by paving the way for him, because Demon Cultivators needed to temper their own hearts.

Chen Changsheng explained his plan to resolve the Dark Turmoil by fighting the Forbidden Grounds and bargaining with immortal pills, even if other epochs suffered. In the Water Realm, Liu Yidao revealed why Chen Changsheng had provoked Ruan Su Xian, then fell silent when Qian Zhu asked about his own path.

• Chen Changsheng told Zhang Bairen that he had revealed immortal pills to discourage some people from starting the Dark Turmoil and explained that he could not safely kill Wang Hao.
• Chen Changsheng said he would fight the Forbidden Grounds, negotiate with immortal pills, and refine more using another epoch’s Heaven’s Mandate if necessary.
• Zhang Bairen questioned Chen Changsheng’s willingness to endanger other epochs and involve everyone in the war, and Chen Changsheng said he prioritized protecting those around him.
• After Jun Lin and the others finished building a medical clinic in the Water Realm, Chen Xiao offered Liu Yidao an elixir pill in exchange for an explanation of Chen Changsheng’s intentions toward Ruan Su Xian.
• Liu Yidao explained that Chen Changsheng wanted Ruan Su Xian to let go of his need for recognition and strengthen his resolve before the Dark Turmoil, but he fell silent when Qian Zhu asked about his own path.

Liu Yidao explained that he did not consider himself a true Demon Cultivator because he still could not understand his second master's past, especially why he killed his Dao companion. Meanwhile, Wang Hao and Wei Junjie discussed Chen Changsheng's immortal-pill bounty and recognized it as bait for them.

• Liu Yidao told Jun Lin and Xu Qianzhui that he doubted he was a true Demon Cultivator because he could not understand his second master's thoughts and past.
• Liu Yidao showed everyone a Recording Stone recounting how his second master killed his Dao companion, enraging Jun Lin.
• Liu Yidao said he still did not know why his second master chose to kill her, and hoped understanding why bad people were more fragile than good people would reveal the answer.
• A Paper figure arrived with two immortal pills, drawing the Dao Protectors' attention.
• Wei Junjie offered to charge half a pill, but Wang Hao warned that Chen Changsheng was using the pills as bait; Wei Junjie agreed to test the bait before taking it.

Ruan Su Xian confronted Daoist Qinghe over the Wudang cultivators’ failure to support him after the Battle of the Buddha Pagoda. He explained that Senior Changsheng’s influence had helped him understand their mistakes, and he left without choosing demonic cultivation or holding onto resentment.

• Ruan Su Xian asked Daoist Qinghe why his sacrifices for all living things had earned him silence and suspicion from his master and fellow disciples.
• He recalled Qinghe’s wager against him in the Battle of the Buddha Pagoda and asked whether his participation in the Golden Age Gathering had been meant to get him killed.
• Qinghe admitted that they had failed Ruan Su Xian and said he would not blame him for whatever he chose to do.
• Ruan Su Xian told Qinghe that he had considered demonic cultivation but would not take that path, because Senior Changsheng had settled his restless heart.
• Ruan Su Xian argued that Qinghe and the others were wrong to dismiss Senior Changsheng’s past contributions over his flawed methods, and said he did not hate them because he could imagine making the same choices in their position.

Ruan Su Xian resolved to fight the Dark Turmoil after realizing that its arbitrary slaughter was an intolerable fate, and his Great Dao resonated. Watching the events, Chen Changsheng explained that the younger generation had given him hope and changed his plans.

• Qing He asked Ruan Su Xian what he would fight for, and Ruan Su Xian declared he would fight for himself and resist the Dark Turmoil to the end.
• Ruan Su Xian's Great Dao resonated, and Qing He bowed to him.
• Liu Yidao sensed the resonance and asked Bai Zhi to teach him Buddhist teachings so they could hold daily Dao Debates.
• Zhang Bairen praised Ruan Su Xian after seeing him in the Profound Light Mirror, and Chen Changsheng said the younger generation had influenced him to abandon his original plan.

Chen Changsheng brought Zhang Bairen into a memory from the Pill Epoch, where he prepared Lu Mingyu and Guan Ping to help him fight the Wang family ancestor. He gave Guan Ping the Samadhi True Fire and explained how it could aid pill and weapon refinement, while Zhang Bairen asked to try some of the fire.

• Chen Changsheng and Zhang Bairen resumed watching Chen Changsheng's memories.
• Chen Changsheng visited the Lu Family with Zhang Bairen to recruit Lu Mingyu and Guan Ping for the battle against the Wang family ancestor.
• Lu Mingyu agreed to join, and Guan Ping insisted she would face the Wang family ancestor whether Chen Changsheng won or lost.
• Chen Changsheng gave Guan Ping the Samadhi True Fire and explained its inner fire for pill refinement and outer fire for weapon refinement.
• Zhang Bairen asked Chen Changsheng to let him play with some Samadhi True Fire.

Chen Changsheng and Zhang Bairen observed Chen Changsheng’s memories, where Lu Mingyu revealed his ambition to perfect the Bitter Sea System beyond Immortal King Ninth Grade. As they approached the next memory, an old man seized them and warned them against peering into the past, leaving both men pinned before him.

• Lu Mingyu told Chen Changsheng he had remained at Immortal King Ninth Grade while seeking a path beyond the Heavenly Emperor and Great Emperor realms.
• Lu Mingyu recognized that Chen Changsheng was retracing his memories and learned that Zhang Bairen was accompanying him.
• Chen Changsheng and Zhang Bairen discussed Lu Mingyu’s plan to challenge Zhang Bairen and Zhang Bairen’s confidence against powerful opponents.
• Chen Changsheng and Zhang Bairen followed the memory toward its entrance but were sucked inside and pinned before an old man.
• The old man rebuked Chen Changsheng and Zhang Bairen for peering into the past, and they realized they had encountered someone beyond their control.

Chen Changsheng and Zhang Bairen were caught spying on the past by Dream, who warned them and sent them back to reality. Zhang Bairen then blamed Chen Changsheng for the incident and pressed him to establish standards for the Heavenly Emperor Realm and Great Emperor Realm.

• Dream explained that he could trap Zhang Bairen’s scattered True Spirits and Divine Sense in a dream, but chose to reprimand him rather than kill him.
• Dream reminded Chen Changsheng of his responsibilities as a member of the Heavenly Dao Society, and Chen Changsheng agreed to make Zhang Bairen pay compensation.
• Dream sent Chen Changsheng and Zhang Bairen back to reality, where Chen Changsheng scolded Zhang Bairen for spying recklessly.
• Zhang Bairen praised Dream’s power, then blamed Chen Changsheng for not establishing standards for the Heavenly Emperor Realm and Great Emperor Realm.
• Chen Changsheng refused to create the standards, but Zhang Bairen warned that other cultivators might come after him and that someone close to him could suffer without a way to judge opponents’ strength.