Chapter Summaries

Lu Ye commissioned the Crag Mountain Saber’s upgrade to High-Grade in Heaven’s Mystery Vault, where he again met the same artifact refiner and negotiated a price. After buying more Core Fire, he found the Demonic Wolf pack waiting for him and offered to inscribe Sharpness Spirit Patterns in exchange for Demonic Cores.

• Lu Ye commissioned the woman who had previously upgraded his Crag Mountain Saber to raise it to High-Grade with twenty-seven Dao Restrictions, greater sturdiness, and double the weight.
• Lu Ye negotiated the upgrade price down to five thousand Merit and signed a Heaven’s Mystery Contract for delivery in three days.
• Lu Ye bought several newly available portions of Core Fire from Heaven’s Mystery Vault.
• Lu Ye discovered the Demonic Wolf pack waiting behind him, with the Alpha Wolf seeking Sharpness Spirit Patterns for the pack.
• Lu Ye offered to inscribe the patterns in exchange for a Monster Beast Demonic Core.

Lu Ye tattooed Spiritual Patterns onto the Demonic Wolves, gaining the pack’s trust as he strengthened nearly thirty of them. Meanwhile, Tan Sheng, Wei Que, and Xia Liang tracked Lu Ye into Mount Taimang, hoping to kill him and possibly find Li Baxian and his Grade A Spirit Land.

• Lu Ye demonstrated the Sharpness Spirit Pattern to the alpha wolf and tattooed it onto a Demonic Wolf, impressing the pack with the effect.
• At the alpha wolf’s direction, Lu Ye tattooed Sharpness, Guard, and Windwalk patterns onto nearly thirty Demonic Wolves, then told the alpha wolf to return the next day so he could rest.
• Tan Sheng, Wei Que, and Xia Liang flew into Mount Taimang after Tan Sheng’s tracking artifact indicated that Lu Ye was there.
• Tan Sheng reasoned that Lu Ye might have established a Grade A Spirit Land in the mountain and suggested Li Baxian could be with him.
• Xia Liang killed a powerful flying beast with one saber strike as the three cultivators continued following Lu Ye’s trail into Mount Taimang.

Lu Ye received his upgraded Crag Mountain Saber from the injured Master Yu and tested its greater power in the Mirage Realm. After fighting through waves of opponents, he was killed out of the realm and considered how the high-grade saber’s heavy Spiritual Power consumption affected his plans.

• The Demonic Wolf pack left Return Heaven Valley together, and Lu Ye wondered whether it was marching to settle a score with an enemy.
• Master Yu arrived just before their deadline and handed Lu Ye the upgraded Crag Mountain Saber, which now had twenty-seven restrictions and was twice as heavy.
• Lu Ye accepted Master Yu’s imprint so he could contact her for future Artifact Refining work, then returned to his hut to examine the saber.
• Lu Ye entered the Mirage Realm and defeated successive Cloud River Tier Four opponents with his upgraded saber.
• After more than half an hour of fighting, Lu Ye was killed out of the Mirage Realm and decided not to replace his Controlled Artifacts with high-grade ones because of their Spiritual Power cost.

Lu Ye settled into the Spirit Land at Return Heaven Valley, where the returning wolf pack brought Demonic Cores and recovered under his care. Tan Sheng, Wei Que, and Xia Liang found the concealed valley and attacked its protective array, demanding that Lu Ye come out and die.

• The wolf pack returned with more than two hundred Demonic Wolves and nearly fifty Demonic Cores, and Lu Ye opened the array to let them enter.
• Lu Ye and Yiyi fed Healing Pills to the injured wolves, and he later tattooed Spiritual Patterns onto the pack’s new members.
• Tan Sheng, Wei Que, and Xia Liang searched for Lu Ye while discussing his Teleportation Arrays and the possibility that he had invited a Heaven’s Mystery Pillar.
• The three men spotted a wolf cub and watched a Demonic Wolf vanish through the Concealment Array, revealing that Lu Ye’s Spirit Land was in the valley.
• Tan Sheng, Wei Que, and Xia Liang attacked the Spirit Land’s protective array and shouted for Lu Ye to come out and die.

Tan Sheng, Xia Liang, and Wei Que attacked Lu Ye’s Protective Grand Array, convinced he was hiding inside. Lu Ye emerged from the Mirage Realm, trapped the three inside a Confinement Array, and left them facing a pack of more than two hundred Demonic Wolves.

• Tan Sheng, Xia Liang, and Wei Que assaulted the Grand Array while Li Baxian used its Jade Token to hold it in place and waited for Lu Ye.
• Lu Ye emerged from the Mirage Realm, recognized the attackers, and prepared the Spirit Land’s defenses with Li Baxian, Feng Yuechan, Jujia, Yiyi, and the Demonic Wolves.
• Lu Ye opened a gap in the Grand Array, and Tan Sheng, Xia Liang, and Wei Que entered, only to find the wolf pack gathered below.
• Lu Ye transformed the Grand Array into a Confinement Array, sealing the attackers inside as Xia Liang failed to escape.
• Wei Que urged Tan Sheng and Xia Liang not to panic, reasoning that the Demonic Wolves could not fly.

Lu Ye used the Spirit Land’s formations and Demonic Wolves to hold off Tan Sheng, Xia Liang, and Wei Que. After Wei Que chased him into an Illusion Array, Lu Ye manipulated the formation to keep the Tier Nine cultivator trapped in its mist.

• Lu Ye activated the Air Prohibition formation, forcing Tan Sheng, Xia Liang, and Wei Que down into range of the Demonic Wolves’ attacks.
• Tan Sheng and the others fought off the wolf pack as Lu Ye supported the assault, and Xia Liang recognized the Tattoo Patterns on the wolves.
• Tan Sheng and Xia Liang opened a gap in the wolves’ encirclement, letting Wei Que break through and attack Lu Ye.
• Lu Ye blocked Wei Que’s strikes and vanished into another formation, prompting Wei Que to pursue him.
• Wei Que entered the Illusion Array and tried to flee, while Lu Ye adjusted the formation to keep him circling in the mist.

Trapped in Lu Yiye’s Illusion Array, Wei Que was ambushed by Lu Yiye, Li Baxian, Feng Yuechan, and an unknown Body Cultivator while Tan Sheng and Xia Liang struggled against the wolf pack. The chapter leaves Wei Que badly wounded and blasting spells in every direction, while Tan Sheng and Xia Liang try to break the Confinement Array and escape.

• Wei Que tried to lure Lu Yiye out, but a brawny figure, Li Baxian, and Feng Yuechan attacked him from within the Illusion Array.
• Wei Que realized he faced four attackers and was overwhelmed by their coordinated ambushes.
• Wei Que called for help as the attackers wounded him repeatedly, while Tan Sheng and Xia Liang heard his cries amid their fight with the wolves.
• Tan Sheng and Xia Liang decided to abandon Wei Que and shifted toward the edge of the Grand Array to break the Confinement Array using the wolf pack’s attacks.
• Wei Que, covered in wounds, unleashed spells in every direction to keep his hidden enemies from ambushing him.

Wei Que accidentally broke Lu Ye’s Illusion Array and, cornered by Lu Ye and his companions, unleashed a Broken Arrow that relentlessly pursued Lu Ye. Lu Ye struck at the exhausted Wei Que while Jujia took the arrow’s blow, leaving the battle poised on whether Lu Ye’s saber or the treasure would reach its target first.

• Wei Que’s frantic spells destroyed a Formation Flag by chance, collapsing the Illusion Array and revealing Lu Ye, Li Baxian, Feng Yuechan, and Jujia.
• Jujia blocked Wei Que’s spell while Li Baxian and Feng Yuechan attacked, and Lu Ye slashed Wei Que with his saber.
• Wei Que activated a Broken Arrow with his blood, and its streak of light pursued Lu Ye despite his attempts to fend it off.
• Jujia hurled Lu Ye out of the arrow’s path, then took its strike and fell to one knee as the barrier before him shattered.
• Li Baxian wounded Wei Que, while Lu Ye swooped down with Eagle Strike as the Broken Arrow chased close behind him.

Lu Ye and his allies killed Wei Que, but Tan Sheng and Xia Liang escaped the spirit land and were pursued into Mount Taimang. With both enemies badly wounded, Lu Ye and Li Baxian cornered them and prepared to fight.

• Lu Ye killed Wei Que after the Illusion Array and the group’s attacks left him exhausted.
• Xia Liang shattered the Confinement Array, and he and Tan Sheng fled as the Demonic Wolves struck at them.
• Lu Ye and Li Baxian pursued the wounded pair into Mount Taimang while Feng Yuechan stayed behind to tend to Jujia.
• Tan Sheng and Xia Liang realized they could not escape and landed to fight Lu Ye and Li Baxian.
• Lu Ye chose Xia Liang as his opponent, while Li Baxian sent his Flying Swords toward Tan Sheng.

Lu Ye and Li Baxian fought Xia Liang and Tan Sheng, steadily gaining the upper hand despite their enemies’ higher cultivation. Their battles halted when more than a dozen powerful strangers arrived, leaving both sides wary and uncertain who the newcomers were.

• Li Baxian’s Flying Swords kept Tan Sheng at bay while Lu Ye and Xia Liang clashed in a fierce saber duel.
• Xia Liang wounded Lu Ye with a powerful saber technique, but Lu Ye counterattacked and increasingly overwhelmed him.
• Xia Liang abandoned defense and fought desperately, while Tan Sheng remained trapped under Li Baxian’s Flying Sword assault.
• A group of more than a dozen cultivators suddenly appeared and surrounded the battlefield, forcing both fights to stop.
• Lu Ye and Li Baxian recognized none of the newcomers, while Xia Liang and Tan Sheng gained a brief reprieve from immediate danger.

Lu Ye and Li Baxian faced a Myriad Demon Ridge group after Xia Liang asked Zhou Yuntian to kill them, but Zhou declared that everyone there was family and their old grudges should be set aside. The gathering then welcomed an enigmatic woman, addressed as the Exalted One, who arrived reclining on a couch carried by four Cloud River Tier Nines.

• Xia Liang recognized Zhou Yuntian and asked him to kill Lu Ye and Li Baxian.
• Zhou Yuntian recognized Li Baxian but treated him with great respect, while the surrounding cultivators showed no hostility toward him.
• Zhou Yuntian declared that factional distinctions and past enmities should be set aside, and Li Baxian agreed to value harmony.
• Zhou Yuntian announced the Exalted One's arrival, prompting the cultivators to greet her reverently.
• The Exalted One arrived on a Consort's Couch carried by four Tier Nine cultivators, and Lu Ye and Li Baxian grew wary of her strange fragrance and influence.

Lu Ye and Li Baxian were captured by Zhou Yuntian’s group and taken before the mysterious Exalted One, who used an unknown method on them and their injured enemies. Lu Ye’s Talent Tree burned away the effect, leaving him aware that Li Baxian, Tan Sheng, and Xia Liang had been affected as the group prepared to bring them into the Exalted One’s fold.

• The Exalted One used her entrancing voice to assess Lu Ye, Li Baxian, Tan Sheng, and Xia Liang, then ordered Zhou Yuntian to bring them back.
• The Exalted One’s pink mist put Tan Sheng, Xia Liang, and Li Baxian to sleep, and Lu Ye pretended to be unconscious as Zhou Yuntian’s people carried them deeper into Mount Taimang.
• At their destination, the Exalted One used a strange method on Tan Sheng, Xia Liang, Li Baxian, and Lu Ye, and Lu Ye felt something enter his mind.
• Lu Ye’s Talent Tree burned away the harmful effect, and he realized the others had likely been affected while he would need to conceal his resistance.
• Other cultivators gathered around the unconscious Li Baxian and praised Zhou Yuntian for bringing him to the Exalted One, discussing Li Baxian’s potential despite his current cultivation.

Lu Ye realized the Exalted One had used a Soul Secret Technique to control the cultivators, but he concealed that the Talent Tree had protected him from it. After Li Baxian, Tan Sheng, and Xia Liang were forced to reconcile, Zhou Yuntian brought them to meet the Exalted One, whose lavish appearance left her identity uncertain.

• Lu Ye concluded that the Exalted One's Secret Technique affected the soul and decided to hide that he had resisted it.
• After waking, Li Baxian attacked Tan Sheng and Xia Liang, but Zhou Yuntian stopped the fight and warned them to obey the Exalted One's rules.
• Tan Sheng apologized to Li Baxian and Lu Ye, and the former enemies agreed to live together under the Exalted One.
• Zhou Yuntian led the four through the valley to wash before taking them to the hall where the Exalted One awaited them.
• The Exalted One received Lu Ye and the others while reclining amid pink mist and attendants.

Lu Ye and the others met the Exalted One, who assessed their abilities and arranged for them to live in Fox Immortal Valley. Lu Ye grew wary of the valley’s rules and sensed that its apparent peace concealed danger.

• Zhou Yuntian introduced Lu Ye, Li Baxian, Xia Liang, and Tan Sheng to the Exalted One, whose demonic aura and soul technique caught Lu Ye’s attention.
• The Exalted One tested Lu Ye with her gaze, but he broke free; she then heard the newcomers’ abilities and ordered cultivation resources for Li Baxian.
• Zhou Yuntian directed Lu Ye and the others to sever ties with their past and warned that revealing Fox Immortal Valley would be punishable by death.
• Lu Ye asked Li Baxian about Feng Yuechan, and Li Baxian accepted that he would have no further contact with her.
• Lu Ye and Li Baxian chose neighboring pavilions, and Lu Ye found his residence dusty and long abandoned, making him suspect that its former occupant had met with misfortune.

Lu Ye investigated Fox Immortal Valley and learned that its Venerable One controlled cultivators with a Soul Secret Technique, leaving Li Baxian unable to leave. He resolved to study the valley and the Venerable One before making a move, and accepted an assignment to help maintain the valley’s Formations.

• Lu Ye concluded that the Venerable One was likely a powerful Fox Demon and that killing her might be the only way to free Li Baxian.
• Lu Ye contacted Feng Yuechan, explained their predicament, and learned that a missing Pill Heart Sect cultivator had likely been trapped in Fox Immortal Valley before dying.
• Lu Ye decided to investigate the valley’s strength and rely on Feng Yuechan, Jujia, and the Wolf Pack at the Spirit Land as backup.
• Lu Ye tidied his loft, set up Formations at his and Li Baxian’s residences, and spent the night cultivating.
• Zhou Yuntian delivered cultivation resources to Li Baxian, then asked Lu Ye to help Xie maintain Fox Immortal Valley’s Formations, and Lu Ye agreed.

Lu Ye joined Xie Yunhan, Fox Immortal Valley’s overworked Formation Cultivator, and revealed exceptional skill as he dismantled, repaired, and set up formations. While drinking together, Lu Ye learned Xie had been in the valley for twelve years and received a warning not to advance his cultivation too quickly, hinting at a danger that threatened powerful cultivators.

• Zhou Yuntian introduced Lu Ye to Xie Yunhan, who welcomed help with the valley’s formations.
• Lu Ye swiftly dismantled a Confinement Array and completed the valley’s formation work by noon, impressing Xie Yunhan with his superior skill.
• Xie Yunhan invited Lu Ye to drink, and the two grew more familiar as they talked.
• Xie Yunhan said he had lived in Fox Immortal Valley for twelve years and knew its customs better than anyone.
• Xie Yunhan warned Lu Ye not to improve his cultivation too quickly, saying talented cultivators who advanced rapidly had died while he had survived.

Lu Ye sparred with Xia Liang to improve his saber techniques while Zhou Yuntian learned from Xie Yunhan that Lu Ye’s formation skills were extraordinary. Zhou Yuntian went to report that Lu Ye might help the fox demon achieve her goal.

• Lu Ye watched Li Baxian spar with Yu Daiwei and decided to seek Xia Liang’s guidance in saber techniques.
• Lu Ye challenged Xia Liang, who drove him back in their sparring and gave him valuable experience despite refusing to soften his blows.
• Zhou Yuntian visited Xie Yunhan and asked about Lu Ye’s formation skills.
• Xie Yunhan praised Lu Ye’s Formation Dao attainment as far beyond his own and proposed letting Lu Ye lead the next formation setup.
• Zhou Yuntian hurried to inform the fox demon of Lu Ye’s abilities and Xie Yunhan’s proposal.

Zhou Yuntian stopped Lu Ye and Xia Liang’s fierce spar, then ordered Xia Liang to teach Lu Ye blade techniques instead. After Xie Yunhan praised Lu Ye’s formation talent, the Fox Demon assigned him responsibility for Fox Immortal Valley’s formations while refusing to lure more outsiders into the valley because she feared Heavenly Mechanism’s punishment.

• Zhou Yuntian interrupted Lu Ye and Xia Liang’s spar, rebuked Xia Liang for injuring Lu Ye, and ordered him to guide Lu Ye in blade techniques.
• Lu Ye explained that he had requested the spar and persuaded Xia Liang to continue teaching him, so Xia Liang began instructing him in basic saber strikes.
• Zhou Yuntian reported Xie Yunhan’s high evaluation of Lu Ye to the Fox Demon, who put Lu Ye in charge of Fox Immortal Valley’s formations with Xie Yunhan assisting.
• Zhou Yuntian suggested sending messages to attract outsiders, but the Fox Demon forbade it and warned that anyone who contacted the outside would die.
• The Fox Demon privately recognized that Heavenly Mechanism’s attention threatened her for enslaving cultivators, while believing she still needed enslaved cultivators to accomplish her goal.
• Xia Liang gave Lu Ye a Jade Slip of his sect’s Blade Technique Cultivation Insights to study.

Lu Ye inspected Fox Immortal Valley’s hidden Forbidden Land and then demonstrated his Tattoo Pattern skills for Zhou Yuntian. Zhou Yuntian was impressed by the defensive Guard Pattern Lu Ye inscribed on him, further increasing Lu Ye’s standing in the valley.

• Lu Ye learned that the wolf pack at the Spirit Land had grown to more than three hundred, though he still considered it too small to safely attack Fox Immortal Valley.
• Zhou Yuntian informed Lu Ye that he would lead the valley’s Formation work, with Xie Yunhan assisting him.
• Xie Yunhan brought Lu Ye to inspect the Forbidden Land’s concealed Grand Array and said Lu Ye would handle its half-monthly inspections.
• Zhou Yuntian asked Lu Ye about his Tattoo Pattern abilities, and Lu Ye said he could inscribe Sharpness, Guard, and Windwalk.
• Lu Ye inscribed a Guard Tattoo Pattern over Zhou Yuntian’s heart, and Zhou Yuntian tested its protective barrier and praised Lu Ye’s skill.

The Fox Demon ordered Lu Ye to inscribe Defense Tattoo Patterns on the cultivators of Fox Immortal Valley after seeing how well Zhou Yuntian’s pattern held up. After a day of tattooing and training, Lu Ye secretly infiltrated the valley’s Forbidden Land and began disabling its protective formation.

• Zhou Yuntian showed the Fox Demon the Defense Tattoo Pattern Lu Ye had made, and she ordered him to arrange patterns for the valley’s cultivators.
• Lu Ye agreed to inscribe up to ten Tattoo Patterns each day and began working through the waiting cultivators, most of whom chose Defense patterns.
• After completing ten patterns, Lu Ye resumed blade practice with Xia Liang, visited Li Baxian, and drank with Xie Yunhan.
• Lu Ye called Yiyi out to scout, concealed himself with Spirit Patterns, and quietly made his way to the Forbidden Land.
• Lu Ye used Insight Spirit Patterns to find a flaw in the Grand Array and placed Formation Flags at one of its nodes, stopping the flow of Spiritual Power there.