Chapter Summaries

He Song stayed concealed in Yan Yun Prefecture after the auction, expecting trouble over the unfinished Golden Core puppet. When powerful Golden Core auras reached the prefecture, he hid behind a protective array and used his divine sense to observe the distant battle without exposing himself.

• He Song noticed powerful spiritual pressure approaching, and Yan Yun Prefecture’s stationed True Lords raised a barrier around the prefecture.
• He Song returned to his inn and set up a Heavenly Dipper Divine Thunder Array for protection.
• He Song suspected the pressure came from a fight over the unfinished Golden Core puppet sold at the auction and decided not to leave the prefecture or get involved.
• Mortals and cultivators in Yan Yun Prefecture speculated about the cause of the pressure while He Song remained cautious inside his room.
• He Song extended his divine sense toward the distant battle, keeping his identity and location concealed.

He Song used his divine sense to observe five Golden Cores and two spirit beasts besieging a middle Golden Core cultivator over a semi-finished Golden Core puppet. The besieged cultivator’s escape attempt failed, and he fought desperately as He Song realized the attackers had another objective besides the puppet.

• He Song sensed four Golden Core True Lords and two Golden Core spirit beasts fighting outside Yan Yun Prefecture, with three cultivators and the beasts surrounding one middle Golden Core cultivator.
• He Song concluded the besieged cultivator was likely doomed and reflected that his own caution had kept him from attracting such an ambush.
• As the besieged cultivator began to falter, a Perfect Foundation Establishment aura appeared, and the cultivator tried to escape using a mysterious method.
• The besieged cultivator threw out his semi-finished Golden Core puppet and announced that the attackers could take it, but one of them shattered his escape method.
• The attackers continued their assault without being distracted by the puppet, and the besieged cultivator realized they had another objective and fought recklessly.

After witnessing a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator die in a five-Golden-Core ambush, He Song left Yan Yun Prefecture cautiously and traveled to a remote Yin-rich site to cultivate and prepare more Golden Core puppets. A message from Xiao Qing then revealed that the slain cultivator, Icecloud True Lord, belonged to an ancient Golden Core family within the Nether Blade Sect’s territory.

• He Song left Yan Yun Prefecture, waited inside his Heavenly Dipper Divine Thunder Array to ensure no one was following him, then traveled into Golden Snake Sect territory.
• He Song chose a remote Yin-rich location for seclusion, where he could earn Spirit Stones and refine puppet bodies without drawing attention to his identity in Luofeng Prefecture.
• He Song set up an array at the Yin-rich site and began cultivating in seclusion.
• Xiao Qing informed He Song that the Treasure Gathering Pavilion had uncovered the identities and relationships of the Golden Core True Lords involved in the battle.
• Xiao Qing revealed that Icecloud True Lord was the patriarch of an ancient Golden Core family in the Nether Blade Sect’s sphere of influence, a clan said to have been founded by a Golden Core Great Perfection cultivator.

He Song learned that Icecloud True Lord had been killed in a coordinated attack by enemies of his family, then used the lesson to consider how to eliminate future threats. Over thirty years, he refined a half-finished Golden Core puppet, returned to Luofeng Prefecture, and cultivated until his spiritual power reached a major breakthrough.

• He Song learned from Xiao Qing that Icecloud True Lord's enemies had killed him to weaken his Golden Core family and prevent it from gaining a Golden Core puppet.
• He Song resolved to avoid letting enemies accumulate and relied on his White Rainbow Soft Jade Beads and arrays as a means to kill any future adversary.
• He Song entered seclusion, earned enough Spirit Stones, bought materials, and refined the Lunar Yin Puppet around the Golden Core he had purchased at auction.
• He Song nourished the half-finished puppet with an array, returned to Luofeng Prefecture, and maintained an ordinary public profile while cultivating for over twenty years.
• After thirty years of cultivation, He Song's spiritual power reached a tremendous breakthrough.

After thirty years in seclusion, He Song had greatly increased his mana, strengthened his spirit artifacts, and advanced his body refinement, though he had not yet reached the Golden Core Late Stage bottleneck. He had rebuilt his reserves to around three hundred thousand middle-grade Spirit Stones but continued earning more to support his formations and protect himself.

• He Song’s mana and spirit artifacts grew stronger over thirty years, bringing him closer to the Golden Core Late Stage bottleneck.
• He Song cultivated the Purple Mansion Strengthening Yuan Technique daily, expanding his dantian while accepting that the larger capacity slowed his mana accumulation somewhat.
• He Song used Foundation Establishment demonic beast essence blood to cultivate the Spirit Blood Body Refining Technique, raising his physical strength from the Foundation Establishment Early Stage level to the Middle Stage level.
• He Song spent heavily on essence blood, puppet formations, cultivation, and other needs, while rebuilding his Spirit Stone reserves to around three hundred thousand middle-grade Spirit Stones.
• He Song continued using his skills to earn Spirit Stones because he considered them essential to maintaining his combat strength and safety.

After thirty years of seclusion, He Song had improved his pill and artifact-refining skills and nurtured two Lunar Yin Puppets, though he had yet to gather the herbs for Spirit-Awakening Pills. He emerged and hurried toward his array in Luofeng Prefecture after sensing a disturbance that could mean his first puppet had formed or someone had attacked it.

• He Song reflected on his limited progress in pill and talisman making, his success in refining ordinary mid-grade Spiritual Artifacts, and his five Blood-Explosion Pills.
• He Song recalled that his first Lunar Yin Puppet was close to becoming a Golden Core puppet and that his second was being nurtured in an array.
• He Song sensed an abnormal disturbance in the array holding his first Lunar Yin Puppet and decided to investigate in case the puppet had formed or an enemy had found it.
• He Song left his residence, traveled underground beyond Luofeng Prefecture, then flew toward the array while preparing for a possible fight.
• He Song recalled that he had kept informed about outside events through Xiao Qing and other sources during his seclusion.

He Song reviewed three decades of outside developments, including the unresolved killing of Icecloud True Lord and the sudden appearance of many cultivation opportunities. Messages from his distant friends also described Snow Wind Palace’s cautious growth, while He Song hurried toward a disturbed formation prepared for possible attackers.

• Icecloud True Lord’s Golden Core family fell into turmoil after her death, but its Great Perfection cultivator failed to identify the killers and was presumed dead decades later.
• A Foundation Establishment Real Person discovered and looted a newly emerged Golden Core cave dwelling, used its resources to reach Golden Core, and joined the Golden Snake Sect.
• Treasure hunters and Golden Core True Lords became more active across Luofeng Prefecture, Yan Yun Province, and nearby regions, making He Song wary when one of his formations showed unusual movement.
• He Song received messages from An Ning, Meng Guan, Wei Fan, Luo Jing, and Yun Jing while remaining determined to avoid involvement in outside affairs.
• An Ning stayed in Cloudridge Prefecture as Snow Wind Palace continued using it as its base, since Ancestor of Snow Wind considered the sect’s foundations too unstable to build a new sect gate elsewhere.

Snow Wind Palace expanded its strength and territory over several decades, while An Ning broke through to the Golden Core Realm and offered to help He Song. He Song concealed when he had reached Golden Core, and the chapter ended with Meng Guan and Wei Fan continuing their cultivation in the One Yang Sect.

• The Ancestor of Snow Wind gave Congealed Golden Cores to loyal Perfect Foundation Establishment elders, several of whom became Golden Core True Lords.
• Snow Wind Palace grew its forces, secured Cloudridge Province and Cloudcave Province, and received partial profits from two other provinces controlled by the Purple Cloud Sect and the One Yang Sect.
• An Ning told He Song that she had reached the Golden Core Realm and asked about his remaining lifespan, intending to help him if he needed a Congealed Golden Core.
• He Song told An Ning that he had reached Golden Core long ago but kept the timing secret, so An Ning stopped asking and abandoned her plan to help him advance.
• An Ning consolidated her Golden Core strength in Cloudridge Prefecture, while Meng Guan and Wei Fan continued cultivating at the One Yang Sect.

After Meng Guan advanced to late Golden Core, One Yang tested his strength and named him the One Yang Sect’s sole true disciple. The sect then poured resources into him, deepening his sense of belonging as his cultivation moved toward Golden Core Great Perfection.

• Meng Guan and Wei Fan returned from the war and continued cultivating, with Meng Guan eventually reaching late Golden Core and Wei Fan reaching middle Golden Core.
• One Yang learned of Meng Guan’s breakthrough and reconsidered him despite his five spiritual roots.
• One Yang assigned Meng Guan missions to test his strength against Golden Core beasts, demonic cultivators, and opponents of the same realm.
• After Meng Guan completed the missions and proved his strength, One Yang summoned him and named him the One Yang Sect’s sole true disciple.
• The One Yang Sect increased its resources for Meng Guan, and he grew more devoted to the sect.

The chapter explained how Meng Guan’s rise to become the One Yang Sect’s true disciple brought benefits and attention to his friend Wei Fan, who repeatedly urged He Song to join the sect. He Song refused and reflected on the resources Luo Jing and Yun Jing gained as Treasure Gathering Pavilion branch masters, which were helping their cultivation pull ahead of his.

• Meng Guan became the One Yang Sect’s sole true disciple, gaining the sect’s support and the respect of its cultivators.
• Wei Fan benefited from his close relationship with Meng Guan and repeatedly invited He Song to join the One Yang Sect.
• He Song refused because he feared accumulating enemies, becoming dependent on Meng Guan’s status, and gaining no meaningful benefit from joining.
• Meng Guan continued cultivating in seclusion with the sect’s support, apparently aiming to reach Golden Core Great Perfection before emerging.
• He Song learned that Luo Jing and Yun Jing had reached the bottleneck of late Golden Core and that their pavilion-master resources had begun widening the cultivation gap between them.

He Song returned to his puppet-refining site after sensing a disturbance, but found the arrays intact and the Lunar Yin Puppet still nearing completion. Suspecting an unexplained threat, he strengthened the valley’s defenses with additional arrays.

• He Song hurried from Luofeng Prefecture toward his puppet-refining site after sensing unusual movements in its arrays.
• He Song set up a Heavenly Dipper Divine Thunder Array several hundred li away, disguised himself, concealed his aura, and approached underground.
• He Song found the existing arrays undisturbed and the Lunar Yin Puppet still absorbing spiritual and Yin energy, leaving him suspicious of the earlier disturbance.
• He Song took control of the four existing arrays, searched the protected valley, and confirmed that he found no abnormality within it.
• He Song installed a Phantom Maze Array and an Earth Treasury Divine Light Array to reinforce the site’s concealment and inner defense.

He Song strengthened the arrays around the valley so he could stay several more days and finish refining his Lunar Yin Puppet despite the possibility that someone had discovered the place. After spotting a white-robed cultivator watching the valley from a distant mountain, He Song used the Qi Observation Technique to assess him, and the revealed cultivation made He Song more solemn.

• He Song reviewed the possible reasons someone had triggered the arrays and decided to remain protected inside them until the Lunar Yin Puppet took shape.
• He Song reasoned that the arrays could hold off attackers for several days, giving him time to finish the puppet or escape if danger arose.
• He Song scanned the area from above the valley without extending his divine sense and spotted a white-robed cultivator on a distant peak watching him.
• He Song used the Qi Observation Technique to determine the white-robed cultivator's cultivation, then grew more solemn.

He Song watched an early Golden Core cultivator investigate the arrays guarding his valley, wary that the man might be bait for an ambush. After four days without anyone appearing, the cultivator revealed himself as Cloud-Treading True Lord and decided the arrays were ownerless, preparing to pursue what he believed was a Golden Core cave dwelling.

• He Song identified the white-robed cultivator as an early Golden Core and searched the surroundings for hidden companions.
• He Song stayed concealed in the valley and let the cultivator observe the arrays, preferring not to risk a confrontation.
• Over four days, Cloud-Treading True Lord grew increasingly eager and greedy when no one arrived or emerged from the valley.
• Cloud-Treading True Lord appeared outside the arrays and concluded that they were ownerless and likely guarded a Golden Core cave dwelling.
• Cloud-Treading True Lord recalled that cultivators near the valley had vanished into smoke and dust, and that his attacks had failed to affect the Heavenly Dipper Divine Thunder Array.

Cloud-Treading True Lord attacked the Heavenly Dipper Divine Thunder Array after waiting four days, while He Song conserved Spirit Stones and waited for the Lunar Yin Puppet to finish forming. As the array’s barrier repeatedly cracked and repaired under the bombardment, Cloud-Treading True Lord began to suspect something about the array’s defenses.

• Cloud-Treading True Lord relied on his Cloud Soaring Technique to conceal himself and escape danger as he watched the valley for four days.
• After seeing no one enter or leave, Cloud-Treading True Lord attacked the Heavenly Dipper Divine Thunder Array with his spirit artifact.
• He Song chose not to fight Cloud-Treading True Lord and fed several hundred mid-grade Spirit Stones at a time into the array while he waited for the Lunar Yin Puppet to form.
• Cloud-Treading True Lord’s attacks caused cracks to spread across the array’s barrier, but its Spirit Stones continuously repaired them.
• Cloud-Treading True Lord watched the barrier’s repeated cracking and repair and formed a bold idea about the array.

He Song keeps Cloud-Treading True Lord occupied by letting the Heavenly Dipper Divine Thunder Array appear close to breaking while he waits for the Lunar Yin Puppet to finish taking shape. The puppet develops a Golden Core aura, and He Song anticipates strengthening it further after it awakens.

• Cloud-Treading True Lord notices the array’s growing cracks and assumes its Spirit Stones are nearly depleted, so he intensifies his attacks.
• He Song monitors the array and deliberately limits its Spirit Stone supply to keep Cloud-Treading True Lord distracted while preserving his chance to leave with the puppet.
• He Song replenishes the array as the Lunar Yin Puppet, after fifty years of cultivation, suddenly begins to change.
• A surge of spiritual energy and Yin energy gathers around the puppet, and its Golden Core aura grows stronger.
• He Song considers how he can further improve the Golden Core puppet by supplying spiritual energy, reinforcing its internal pathways, and adding precious materials.

He Song completed the Lunar Yin Puppet, named it Clear Wind True Lord, and equipped it with Spirit Stones. He sent Clear Wind out to test its strength against Cloud-Treading True Lord, whose fear turned to greed after he sensed Clear Wind was only newly advanced.

• He Song used the puppet-control secret art to claim the fully formed Lunar Yin Puppet and confirmed it had early Golden Core strength.
• He Song named the puppet Clear Wind True Lord and placed ten thousand mid-grade Spirit Stones inside it.
• Cloud-Treading True Lord continued attacking the Heavenly Dipper Divine Thunder Array, puzzled by how quickly its cracks healed.
• He Song decided to use Cloud-Treading True Lord to test Clear Wind and concealed the puppet’s appearance, figure, and aura.
• Clear Wind rushed out of the valley and attacked Cloud-Treading True Lord, who begged for mercy before sensing Clear Wind’s cultivation.
• Cloud-Treading True Lord realized Clear Wind was a newly advanced Golden Core cultivator and stopped pleading, his greed growing.

Cloud-Treading True Lord tried to kill Clear Wind and take his Golden Core, but He Song controlled Clear Wind to evade and counter his attacks. As the two Golden Core cultivators closed in, He Song released his control so Clear Wind could fight on his own.

• Cloud-Treading True Lord recognized Clear Wind as a newly advanced Golden Core cultivator and decided to seize the chance to kill him and take his Golden Core.
• Cloud-Treading True Lord cast the Hundred Flowers Secret Technique, but He Song guided Clear Wind aside and used a Spiritual Artifact flying sword to destroy the pursuing flower.
• He Song controlled Clear Wind's flying sword to keep Cloud-Treading True Lord's sword occupied, while concealing that Clear Wind was a puppet.
• Cloud-Treading True Lord cast the Hundred Flowers Secret Technique again and sent five flowers toward Clear Wind as they approached.
• He Song released his control of Clear Wind, allowing the puppet to fight Cloud-Treading True Lord on its own.

He Song tested Clear Wind’s strength in a fierce battle against Cloud-Treading True Lord and found that his newly refined Lunar Yin Puppet could contend with a Golden Core cultivator without being defeated. He Song then withdrew Clear Wind toward the valley, while Cloud-Treading True Lord assumed that Clear Wind’s spiritual power was nearly exhausted.

• Clear Wind dodged Cloud-Treading True Lord’s Hundred Flowers Secret Technique and struck him with a palm attack, but Cloud-Treading True Lord’s defenses absorbed the blow.
• Clear Wind and Cloud-Treading True Lord traded attacks as their clash tore through the nearby forest and exposed the protected valley.
• Cloud-Treading True Lord noticed the valley and considered how to stop Clear Wind from escaping into its formation.
• He Song assessed Clear Wind’s performance and concluded that the puppet could contend with cultivators of the same realm and grow even stronger.
• He Song took control of Clear Wind and headed toward the valley, while Cloud-Treading True Lord believed Clear Wind was nearly out of spiritual power.

Cloud-Treading True Lord mistook Clear Wind’s retreat for exhaustion and launched a full assault on the Heavenly Dipper Divine Thunder Array. After entering the damaged formation, he found He Song instead and was struck by He Song’s Crushing Mountain Technique, which shattered several of his defenses.

• Cloud-Treading True Lord tried to block Clear Wind’s retreat, believing Clear Wind’s spiritual power was nearly depleted, but Clear Wind returned to the valley with his Spirit Stones still supplying him.
• Cloud-Treading True Lord unleashed talismans, a secret technique, and his flying sword against one point on the Heavenly Dipper Divine Thunder Array, heavily cracking its barrier.
• As He Song dismantled the valley’s formations, Cloud-Treading True Lord passed through a crack in the barrier and entered the valley, expecting to find Clear Wind.
• Cloud-Treading True Lord saw He Song instead and tried to retreat through the remaining crack, but He Song reinforced the array with Spirit Stones and attacked with the Crushing Mountain Technique.
• He Song’s strike broke several of Cloud-Treading True Lord’s defensive layers and sent him flying, revealing to him the gulf between their strength.

He Song trapped Cloud-Treading True Lord inside the repaired Heavenly Dipper Divine Thunder Array and attacked him with the array, Clear Wind, and the Purple Lightning Spirit Snake. As Cloud-Treading True Lord’s defenses wore down, he begged He Song to spare his life and offered his fortune and a century of service.

• Cloud-Treading True Lord survived He Song’s Crushing Mountain strike by using his Rippling Wave Armor, Profound Ice Body-Protecting Technique, and Golden Core defensive Spirit Talismans.
• The Heavenly Dipper Divine Thunder Array repaired its cracks with the Spirit Stones He Song had supplied, cutting off Cloud-Treading True Lord’s escape.
• He Song defended himself, used the array’s mist to block Cloud-Treading True Lord’s divine sense, and unleashed the array’s attacks, Clear Wind, and the Purple Lightning Spirit Snake against him.
• Cloud-Treading True Lord’s layers of defensive talismans were worn down by the attacks while He Song watched for an opening.
• Cloud-Treading True Lord begged He Song to spare him and offered his entire fortune and a hundred years of service.