Chapter Summaries

He Song traveled to Azure Moon Prefecture to reunite with Luo Jing and Yun Jing after nearly thirty years apart. He welcomed them with personally crafted Golden Core defensive Spirit Talismans, while the source of a life-bound magic treasure’s primary material remained unknown to him.

• He Song concealed his Golden Core Middle Stage cultivation as Golden Core Early Stage while traveling and recalled that he still lacked information about the primary material needed for a life-bound magic treasure.
• He Song arrived at the Treasure Gathering Pavilion in Azure Moon Prefecture, where Luo Jing and Yun Jing were waiting to welcome him.
• He Song and the two women exchanged greetings and praised one another’s cultivation progress after nearly thirty years apart.
• He Song gave Luo Jing and Yun Jing Jade Boxes containing Golden Core defensive Spirit Talismans he had personally crafted for their protection during the ongoing war between the One Yang Sect and the Locking God Sect.

He Song reunited with True Monarch Luo Jing and True Monarch Yun Jing in Azure Moon Prefecture and gave them Golden Core defensive Spirit Talismans, then spent time exploring the region with them. As his planned meeting with Meng Guan and Wei Fan approached, he kept their Golden Core exchange secret and received a message that they had arrived at Purple Light Pavilion and found something unusual.

• He Song gave True Monarch Luo Jing and True Monarch Yun Jing Jade Boxes containing Golden Core defensive Spirit Talismans, and they warmly welcomed him into the Treasure Gathering Pavilion.
• True Monarch Luo Jing and True Monarch Yun Jing hosted He Song and took him to visit places throughout Azure Moon Prefecture and its surroundings.
• As his meeting with Meng Guan and Wei Fan drew near, He Song stopped going out and waited at his temporary residence, keeping their planned Golden Core exchange private.
• Meng Guan sent He Song a message saying that he and Wei Fan had concealed their auras, reached Azure Moon Prefecture, and were staying at Purple Light Pavilion, where they had noticed something unusual.

He Song met Meng Guan and Wei Fan at Purple Light Pavilion, where the three used multiple arrays to conceal their conversation. Meng Guan revealed that he had sensed a familiar, mysterious aura inside the inn, suggesting their visit might involve something unexpected.

• He Song read Meng Guan's letter, found Purple Light Pavilion on a new map of Azure Moon Prefecture, and traveled there in disguise.
• Meng Guan and Wei Fan met He Song at the inn and brought him to a private guest room without drawing attention.
• Meng Guan placed an additional concealment array in the room, and He Song deployed a miniature Heavenly Dipper Divine Thunder Array.
• Wei Fan remarked that the three arrays could thwart eavesdroppers, then admitted he had brought no miniature arrays of his own.
• Meng Guan explained that he had sensed a familiar aura inside Purple Light Pavilion, which vanished when he tried to investigate it.

After Meng Guan sensed a suspicious familiar aura in Purple Light Pavilion, He Song proposed asking Azure Moon Prefecture’s resident True Lords to investigate instead of probing the place themselves. Meng Guan and Wei Fan agreed to remain hidden while He Song went to seek the local authorities.

• Meng Guan explained that he had set up the Heavenly Dipper Divine Thunder Array to prevent anyone from eavesdropping, and Wei Fan grew wary of the suspicious location.
• He Song judged that the concealed person was likely an early Golden Core cultivator and proposed summoning Azure Moon Prefecture’s resident True Lords to investigate.
• He Song reasoned that involving the local True Lords would limit danger, prevent the suspect from fleeing, and keep Meng Guan and Wei Fan’s identities concealed.
• Meng Guan agreed that the resident True Lords should handle the matter and asked He Song to make the trip because he and Wei Fan could not expose themselves.
• He Song said he would leave the credit to the resident True Lords and offered to have Meng Guan and Wei Fan’s tokens used to claim some merit.

He Song brought the two One Yang Sect True Lords and three local Golden Core cultivators to Purple Light Pavilion, then used the Purple Lightning Spirit Snake Seal to break its formations. A hidden formation stopped the attack, revealing the suspicious presence within the inn and leaving the five True Lords poised to investigate.

• Meng Guan and Wei Fan refused to expose themselves for merit and told He Song to act quickly while they waited nearby to protect him.
• He Song led the two stationed True Lords to Purple Light Pavilion, where they brought three local Golden Core cultivators as a precaution.
• He Song protected himself with the Starfall Pearl and unleashed the Purple Lightning Spirit Snake Seal against Purple Light Pavilion’s formations.
• The seal’s snake skeleton destroyed the inn’s formations until a powerful hidden formation blocked its advance.
• The five Golden Core True Lords gathered beside the hidden formation, recognizing it as evidence of something suspicious and crediting He Song for exposing it.

He Song watched five Golden Core True Lords surround Purple Light Pavilion, uncover its connection to the Locking God Sect, and attack the hidden array. When the array finally broke, a spirit artifact flying boat fled the pavilion, leaving the pursuers ready to respond.

• He Song cleared Purple Light Pavilion’s defenses without harming the people inside, and five Golden Core True Lords surrounded the pavilion.
• A Golden Core True Lord soul-searched the shopkeeper and several fleeing cultivators, then identified a Locking God Sect cultivator hidden within the array.
• The five Golden Core True Lords warned the hidden cultivator to appear, then attacked the array as He Song and the nearby onlookers moved away.
• He Song calculated that his Earth Treasury Divine Light Array and White Rainbow Mountain-Splitting Talismans could greatly improve his combat strength and survival.
• The five Golden Core True Lords shattered the array, and a spirit artifact flying boat shot out of Purple Light Pavilion and fled.

He Song and Azure Moon Prefecture’s Golden Core True Lords pursued a Locking God Sect cultivator after the prefectural formation exposed him. The formation trapped him inside the prefecture, where four True Lords fought him while He Song watched from afar.

• Four Golden Core True Lords chased the Locking God Sect cultivator as he fled aboard a spirit artifact flying boat, while the prefectural formation began to activate.
• The cultivator attacked the rising barrier, but his strikes failed to slow it, and the formation sealed the prefecture around him.
• Heavenly lightning struck down his flying boat, forcing him to continue on foot as the pursuers closed in.
• Four Golden Core True Lords surrounded the trapped cultivator and began battling him; despite his desperate use of every trump card, his defeat appeared inevitable.
• He Song stayed out of the battle and reflected that he had acted to protect Meng Guan and Wei Fan, while also using the affair to meet Azure Moon Prefecture’s True Lords.

He Song watched five Golden Core True Lords kill a Locking God Sect cultivator, then concluded that Azure Moon Prefecture would soon be unsafe and prepared to leave. Back at his residence, he reunited with Meng Guan and Wei Fan, who had also witnessed the battle, and Meng Guan began to speak.

• He Song concealed himself near Purple Light Pavilion and watched the Locking God Sect cultivator struggle against five Golden Core True Lords while keeping track of Meng Guan and Wei Fan.
• After several days, the five Golden Core True Lords killed the Locking God Sect cultivator, and the people of Azure Moon Prefecture cheered as the victors searched the body and cleared the battlefield.
• True Monarch Luo Jing and Yun Jing worried that the Locking God Sect would retaliate, and He Song agreed that Azure Moon Prefecture was no longer safe.
• He Song told Luo Jing and Yun Jing he planned to leave soon, then departed Purple Light Pavilion and returned to his temporary residence.
• Meng Guan and Wei Fan joined He Song at the residence, and after the three settled in behind additional formations, Meng Guan began to speak.

He Song discussed the threat of Locking God Sect retaliation with Meng Guan, then exchanged supplies for four cultivators' Golden Cores. With the cores secured, He Song planned to gather the remaining materials needed to refine four more White Rainbow Mountain-Splitting Talismans before leaving Azure Moon Prefecture.

• Meng Guan thanked He Song for thwarting the Locking God Sect's scheme and warned that Azure Moon Prefecture might face retaliation.
• He Song decided to leave Azure Moon Prefecture after a few days and turned the conversation with Meng Guan and Wei Fan to exchanging cultivators' Golden Cores.
• Meng Guan and Wei Fan gave He Song four cultivators' Golden Cores, while He Song offered them Storage Pouches filled with Golden Core resources.
• He Song stored the four Golden Cores and calculated that, with the required supplementary materials, he could refine four talisman treasures and bring his total to five.

He Song prepared a vast trove of Golden Core treasures to exchange for the four cultivator Golden Cores Meng Guan and Wei Fan had brought him, intending to refine them into powerful talisman treasures. Meng Guan and Wei Fan refused the payment out of gratitude and concern for He Song, and He Song responded by taking the Golden Cores back out as he began to address them.

• He Song considered how five White Rainbow Mountain-Splitting Talismans could help him grievously injure Golden Core enemies and improve his safety.
• Meng Guan and Wei Fan recalled He Song’s past help during the war against the Locking God Sect and recognized that he had prepared compensation for their four cultivator Golden Cores.
• Meng Guan inspected He Song’s Storage Pouch and passed it to Wei Fan, who also saw its many Golden Core talismans, pills, and other valuable goods.
• Meng Guan told He Song that he and Wei Fan had brought the Golden Cores as promised and refused to accept the treasures.
• He Song took the four cultivators’ Golden Cores back out of his Storage Pouch and set them before himself as he began to speak.

He Song exchanged resources with Meng Guan and Wei Fan for four Golden Core cultivator cores, which he intended to refine into talisman treasures. He then learned that Meng Guan had reached middle Golden Core years earlier than he had, leaving He Song wondering how quickly his friend might advance in the future.

• He Song urged Meng Guan and Wei Fan to accept his Storage Pouch in exchange for the four Golden Core cultivator cores, explaining that he wanted to lessen the debt he owed them.
• Meng Guan and Wei Fan discussed the offer through divine sense, then accepted the Storage Pouch and completed the exchange with He Song.
• He Song, Meng Guan, and Wei Fan put away their exchanged items, leaving all three with resources they could use to strengthen themselves.
• Meng Guan and Wei Fan told He Song that Meng Guan had reached middle Golden Core more than a decade earlier.
• He Song realized Meng Guan had advanced from early to middle Golden Core far faster than he had, and wondered how far Meng Guan might progress if the war continued.

After learning that Azure Moon Prefecture’s Golden Core True Lords might be using a promised reward to keep him there as a defender against the Locking God Sect, He Song decided to leave before they could pressure him further. He told Meng Guan and Wei Fan that staying could put his life beyond his control.

• He Song congratulated Meng Guan on his rapid cultivation and concealed that he had already reached the middle Golden Core stage.
• Wei Fan revealed that he had reached the bottleneck of the middle Golden Core stage, and He Song claimed he was close to it as well.
• He Song received a letter from Kang Ning praising his role in the Locking God Sect cultivator’s death and promising a reward from the One Yang Sect.
• He Song suspected the promised reward was a pretext to keep him in Azure Moon Prefecture as protection against the Locking God Sect’s expected retaliation.
• He Song told Meng Guan and Wei Fan that they should leave Azure Moon Prefecture before its Golden Core True Lords could coerce him to stay.

After receiving a message that threatened to draw him into Azure Moon Prefecture’s defense, He Song decided to leave, and Meng Guan and Wei Fan chose to go with him. They parted outside the prefecture, with He Song resolved to stay away for now and settle the grievance only when it was safe.

• He Song read True Lord Kang Ning’s message and decided to leave Azure Moon Prefecture before its Golden Core True Lords could pressure him to stay.
• Meng Guan and Wei Fan suppressed their anger at the five Golden Core True Lords, abandoned the plan to help defend the prefecture, and secretly departed with He Song.
• Several hundred li outside Azure Moon Prefecture, He Song thanked Meng Guan and Wei Fan and said he would not return for a long time.
• Meng Guan and Wei Fan promised to send He Song more cultivators’ Golden Cores without accepting payment and vowed to avenge the grievance against the five True Lords.
• Meng Guan and Wei Fan left, while He Song resolved to be cautious and consider revenge only when he could escape unharmed.

He Song fled Azure Moon Prefecture to avoid being forced into a battle with the Locking God Sect, then manipulated True Lord Kang Ning’s attempts to prove his innocence. After reaching Hu Province, He Song learned from True Monarch Luo Jing that Azure Moon Prefecture had grown tense and that Golden Core True Lords had fought there.

• He Song dismantled his Heavenly Dipper Divine Thunder Array, left Azure Moon Prefecture, and ignored True Lord Kang Ning’s messages urging him to return for rewards.
• He Song suspected True Lord Kang Ning was trying to clear himself of blame before the other four Golden Core True Lords, so he replied with accusations that Kang Ning had withheld the rewards.
• True Lord Kang Ning received He Song’s reply while facing the other four Golden Core True Lords, and He Song later received no further messages from him.
• After He Song entered Hu Province, True Monarch Luo Jing warned him that Azure Moon Prefecture’s grand formation had been activated and that Golden Core cultivators had fought there.
• He Song inferred that True Lord Kang Ning had clashed with the other four Golden Core True Lords after He Song’s reply and that True Monarch Luo Jing had kept his whereabouts secret.

He Song sent True Monarch Luo Jing a warning about the Locking God Sect and continued toward Hu Province Capital to gather materials for refining five talisman treasures. Near the city, he decided to conceal his identity so no one could learn about his preparations.

• He Song sent True Monarch Luo Jing a letter explaining his departure from Azure Moon Prefecture and advising Luo Jing and Yun Jing to stay inside the Treasure Gathering Pavilion.
• He Song decided to refine talisman treasures using five cultivator Golden Cores, including Silver Moon True Monarch's, and planned to obtain the necessary precious talisman ink in Hu Province Capital.
• He Song traveled toward Hu Province Capital, intending to buy the materials from the Treasure Gathering Pavilion's main hall and relying on his acquaintance with True Monarch Youyun for discretion.
• Several hundred li from Hu Province Capital, He Song set down a Heavenly Dipper Divine Thunder Array as a retreat route and reconsidered entering the city under his real identity.
• He Song resolved to alter his appearance, figure, and cultivation aura before entering Hu Province Capital as an unfamiliar Golden Core True Lord.

He Song disguised himself as True Lord Feiyu and traveled to Hu Province Capital to buy materials for refining five White Rainbow Mountain-Splitting Talismans. As he settled there for several months, he awaited news of the Locking God Sect’s attack on Azure Moon Prefecture and considered striking at his five enemies if they survived.

• He Song changed his appearance, kept his middle-stage Golden Core cultivation visible, and left for Hu Province Capital.
• True Lord Lingyun and True Monarch Youyun received He Song at the Treasure Gathering Pavilion, where He Song introduced himself as True Lord Feiyu.
• He Song asked to buy five sets of precious talisman-ink materials, and True Lord Lingyun said the pavilion needed several months to gather them.
• He Song agreed to wait in Hu Province Capital and settled into an estate there, beyond the immediate reach of the Locking God Sect.
• He Song reflected on the coming assault on Azure Moon Prefecture and considered killing the five Golden Core True Lords who had threatened him if they survived the battle.

He Song contacted True Monarch Luo Jing to learn about Azure Moon Prefecture and the five Golden Core True Lords he intended to kill. Luo Jing reported that the Locking God Sect had conquered the prefecture and killed all five, leaving He Song to abandon his revenge plans and remain cautious.

• He Song wrote to True Monarch Luo Jing, asking about her safety, the Locking God Sect's forces, and the five Golden Core True Lords in Azure Moon Prefecture.
• True Monarch Luo Jing replied that she, her Junior Sister, and Martial Uncle Azure Robe were safe inside the Treasure Gathering Pavilion.
• True Monarch Luo Jing reported that the Locking God Sect had broken through Azure Moon Prefecture's grand formation and occupied the prefecture after a fierce battle.
• True Monarch Luo Jing told He Song that all five defending Golden Core True Lords had died and none had escaped.
• He Song realized the Locking God Sect had sent overwhelming forces, warned himself to avoid entanglement in such conflicts, and abandoned plans to hunt down survivors.

He Song received news that the Locking God Sect had captured Azure Moon Prefecture and killed his five enemies, but the One Yang Sect’s reinforcements never appeared. A later report from True Monarch Luo Jing revealed that the Locking God Sect’s Golden Core True Lords had also vanished, leaving He Song to await more information.

• He Song wondered why the One Yang Sect had not sent reinforcements to Azure Moon Prefecture, but set aside his guesses because he lacked information.
• He Song thanked True Monarch Luo Jing for her report and urged her and True Lord Yun Jing to remain cautious.
• After several days of cultivation, He Song received Luo Jing’s account of the strange events following the Locking God Sect’s capture of Azure Moon Prefecture.
• Luo Jing reported that cultivators had begun looting the dead Golden Core True Lords’ residences and the three destroyed Golden Core families, while the Locking God Sect’s Golden Core True Lords had disappeared.
• Luo Jing told He Song that only Treasure Gathering Pavilion’s three Golden Core True Lords remained in Azure Moon Prefecture and that the One Yang Sect’s reinforcements still had not arrived.
• He Song considered possible explanations for the Locking God Sect’s disappearance, then left for his pavilion to drink tea and await further news.

He Song received a visit from True Monarch Youyun, who sought to reassure him and build a friendship while he waited for supplies in Hu Province Capital. He avoided exposing his identity by exchanging Sound Transmission Talisman auras through a newly purchased talisman, and True Monarch Youyun left satisfied.

• True Monarch Youyun arrived at He Song's residence to meet him, and He Song worried that their exchange of Sound Transmission Talisman auras might reveal his identity.
• He Song disguised his arrival and welcomed True Monarch Youyun into his residence, where she assured him the Treasure Gathering Pavilion would deliver his requested items and help keep him safe.
• He Song recognized that True Monarch Youyun's assurances were intended to win his favor, but he acted like a newly arrived Golden Core True Lord and chatted cordially with her.
• He Song and True Monarch Youyun exchanged Sound Transmission Talisman auras, and she departed contentedly.
• He Song compared his original Sound Transmission Talisman with a newly purchased one, kept the original aura-linked talisman at his waist, and concealed the new one in his sleeve to prevent his identity from being exposed.

He Song completed his trade with True Monarch Youyun in Hu Province Capital and left with five sets of precious spirit ink materials. He waited inside his Heavenly Dipper Divine Thunder Array to make sure no one was following him while recalling how Azure Moon Prefecture had descended into chaos.

• He Song received True Monarch Youyun’s message that his requested materials were ready and went to Treasure Gathering Pavilion.
• True Monarch Youyun explained that True Lord Lingyun had gone to visit friends, and He Song agreed to trade with her instead.
• He Song obtained five sets of precious spirit ink materials, left Hu Province Capital, and waited inside his Heavenly Dipper Divine Thunder Array before continuing his journey.
• He Song recalled True Monarch Luo Jing’s reports that Azure Moon Prefecture had collapsed into looting and violence after the One Yang Sect’s Golden Core True Lords departed.
• Treasure Gathering Pavilion remained untouched because cultivators knew True Monarch Luo Jing was stationed there.