Chapter Summaries

He Song ignored Cloud-Treading True Lord’s pleas and activated all six White Rainbow Mountain-Splitting Talismans to test their power. Their combined blast obliterated the valley and left a vast crater, and He Song searched the wreckage to see whether Cloud-Treading True Lord had survived.

• Cloud-Treading True Lord offered He Song his possessions and lifelong service, but He Song decided to kill him and refine him into a Lunar Yin Puppet.
• He Song recalled Clear Wind, the Purple Lightning Spirit Snake, and the array’s attacks, leading Cloud-Treading True Lord to believe his pleas had worked.
• As Cloud-Treading True Lord raised his Storage Pouch to offer it, He Song activated all six White Rainbow Mountain-Splitting Talismans and locked his divine sense onto him.
• Cloud-Treading True Lord discarded the pouch and raised his defenses, but the talismans’ combined beam shattered them and blasted him underground.
• The beam became a massive sphere of light that erased the valley and surrounding land, leaving He Song to search the crater for Cloud-Treading True Lord.

He Song killed Cloud-Treading True Lord after destroying his defenses with six White Rainbow Mountain-Splitting Talismans, then stopped and seized his fleeing Golden Core. Soul-searching the Golden Core revealed Cloud-Treading True Lord’s close ties to his Foundation Establishment family, leaving He Song with murderous intent toward the family.

• He Song found Cloud-Treading True Lord gravely wounded at the bottom of the pit and assessed the power of his six fused talisman attacks.
• He Song sent Clear Wind and the Purple Lightning Spirit Snake to destroy Cloud-Treading True Lord’s body, but Cloud-Treading True Lord’s Golden Core escaped.
• He Song used the Heavenly Dipper Divine Thunder Array to trap the Golden Core and struck it with divine thunder until Cloud-Treading True Lord’s divine sense was gone.
• He Song took the Golden Core and used the Soul Searching Technique to learn that Cloud-Treading True Lord had risen from a small Foundation Establishment family and had supported its members.
• He Song developed intense killing intent toward Cloud-Treading True Lord’s family after learning how much its members had benefited from his support.

He Song searched Cloud-Treading True Lord’s memories and found two Golden Core secret techniques suited to his future cultivation, along with the location of the True Lord’s Foundation Establishment family. After examining the True Lord’s belongings and collecting his ashes, He Song turned to the items left by the corpse.

• He Song learned the location of Cloud-Treading True Lord’s family and resolved to wipe out the Foundation Establishment family after sorting through the True Lord’s belongings.
• He Song memorized the Hundred Flowers Secret Technique, whose power grew as he gradually condensed more spiritual flowers.
• He Song memorized the Cloud Soaring Technique, which let him travel quickly while concealing himself in clouds and mist.
• He Song examined Cloud-Treading True Lord’s Storage Pouch, found little of value, and kept an unidentified stone sphere filled with abundant spiritual energy.
• He Song burned Cloud-Treading True Lord’s mangled corpse, collected the ashes, and looked toward the remaining items near it.

After killing Cloud-Treading True Lord, He Song collected his treasures and traveled to Blue Mountain Immortal City to eradicate the Wu Family before they could become a threat. He established a hidden base outside the city and sent Clear Wind ahead under his direct control.

• He Song collected Cloud-Treading True Lord’s flying sword, broken armor, Golden Core, techniques, and other belongings, then erased traces of the battle.
• He Song learned that Cloud-Treading True Lord’s family was the Wu Family, a powerful clan in Blue Mountain City, and decided to eliminate it.
• He Song traveled to a valley near Blue Mountain City and set up a Heavenly Dipper Divine Thunder Array as a hidden base.
• He Song used the Realm-Entry Puppet Control Technique to take direct control of Clear Wind, allowing him to act through the puppet while keeping his own body concealed.
• He Song sent Clear Wind toward Blue Mountain Immortal City to attack the Wu Family.

He Song exterminated the Wu Family in Blue Mountain Immortal City and watched the ruins for survivors or visitors. After a white-haired Perfect Foundation Establishment cultivator searched the ruins hoping to earn Cloud-Treading True Lord’s favor by saving a survivor, He Song killed him and learned his motives through soul searching.

• He Song used Clear Wind to kill every member and creature of the Wu Family, then burned their residence and hid in a nearby inn to observe the ruins.
• Several days passed without any sign of survivors, until a white-haired Perfect Foundation Establishment cultivator arrived and searched the ruins.
• The old man poured wine over the ruins, paid his respects, and left Blue Mountain Immortal City without finding anyone alive.
• He Song tracked the old man to the Heavenly Dipper Divine Thunder Array and killed him with his Golden Core divine sense.
• He Song searched the old man’s soul and discovered he had hoped to save a Wu Family survivor to gain Cloud-Treading True Lord’s favor and pursue the Golden Core realm.

He Song investigated the aftermath of the Wu Family’s destruction, found no survivors or allies willing to intervene, then refined a third Lunar Yin Puppet from Cloud-Treading True Lord’s Golden Core. He returned to Luofeng Prefecture and secluded himself for twenty years, but his first attempt at breaking through the late Golden Core bottleneck revealed something was wrong.

• He Song entered Blue Mountain Immortal City and watched the Wu Family ruins, but months of searching and staging a plea for help revealed no survivors or willing allies.
• He Song concluded that the cultivators of Blue Mountain Immortal City had stayed away because they feared involvement in a battle between Golden Core True Lords, then left the city.
• He Song bought materials in Yan Yun Prefecture and used Cloud-Treading True Lord’s Golden Core to refine a third Lunar Yin Puppet at a place of dense Yin energy.
• He Song returned to Luofeng Prefecture, reviewed his gains—including Clear Wind and Cloud-Treading True Lord’s secret techniques and treasures—and entered seclusion.
• After twenty years of diligent cultivation, He Song reached the late Golden Core bottleneck and sensed something was wrong when he attempted to break through.

He Song discovered that the Golden Core Late Stage bottleneck was an immense obstacle, unlike the bottlenecks he had overcome before, and decided to strengthen himself before seeking a breakthrough treasure. After twenty years in seclusion, he had mastered the Cloud Soaring Technique and cultivated fifteen flowers of spiritual power with the Hundred Flowers Secret Technique.

• He Song repeatedly failed to cross the Golden Core Late Stage bottleneck and realized that cultivators could truly be trapped by bottlenecks for a lifetime.
• He Song considered seeking a treasure to help him break through, but chose to first turn his gains from Cloud-Treading True Lord into greater strength.
• He Song spent twenty years in seclusion cultivating, testing the bottleneck, and practicing his secret arts.
• He Song cultivated the Cloud Soaring Technique to proficiency, gaining concealment, swift flight, and a better view of the world below.
• He Song cultivated fifteen flowers of spiritual power with the Hundred Flowers Secret Technique, having focused on it for only about eight or nine years.

After twenty years of seclusion, He Song emerged much stronger, with fifteen mana flowers, improved movement skills, and restored White Rainbow Mountain-Splitting Talismans. His body refinement remained at Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, while Clear Wind had grown stronger and was nearing Golden Core Middle Stage.

• He Song spent several more years condensing five additional mana flowers, bringing his total to fifteen and greatly increasing his offensive power.
• He Song cultivated the Cloud Soaring Technique to proficiency during his twenty years of seclusion, but his physical strength remained at Foundation Establishment Middle Stage despite using spiritual blood.
• He Song replenished the six White Rainbow Mountain-Splitting Talismans by nourishing them in the Yin-Yang Life-Generating Array, restoring each to three activation chances.
• He Song strengthened Clear Wind with spiritual energy, precious materials, and expanded internal channels, bringing the puppet close to Golden Core Middle Stage.

He Song reviewed the gains from twenty years of seclusion and decided to wait nearby until his second Lunar Yin Puppet finished taking shape. His artifact-refining skill had advanced enough for him to create the Black Tortoise Bodyguard Armor, a powerful full-body defensive artifact inspired by Cloud-Treading True Lord’s armor.

• He Song calculated that his second Lunar Yin Puppet would be ready in several years and that his third would need about thirty more years, so he decided to wait before traveling farther afield.
• He Song reviewed his alchemy and found that he had refined four more Blood-Explosion Pills, bringing his reserve to nine, but still had not found the main ingredient for the Spirit-Awakening Pill.
• He Song found that his Talisman Dao had advanced only modestly, while his artifact-refining skill had progressed to the point where he could refine superior mid-grade spiritual artifacts.
• He Song refined a superior mid-grade spiritual armor and named it the Black Tortoise Bodyguard Armor.
• He Song designed the armor to cover his entire body and protect him even if its outer light screen shattered, drawing inspiration from how Cloud-Treading True Lord’s Rippling Wave Armor had saved him from dying immediately.

After twenty years of cultivation and artifact forging, He Song had strengthened his defenses and amassed over six hundred thousand mid-grade Spirit Stones. He reviewed events among his acquaintances and learned that Luo Jing and Yun Jing had advanced to the late Golden Core stage, leaving his own cultivation still short of that realm.

• He Song forged the Blue-Gold Cold Iron Armor for himself and relied on it alongside the Black Tortoise Bodyguard Armor for protection.
• He Song’s fortune grew to more than six hundred thousand mid-grade Spirit Stones, which he valued as fuel for his Golden Core arrays in battle.
• He Song recalled that Meng Guan remained in seclusion with the One Yang Sect, where his spells and combat skills let him contend with some Golden Core Great Perfection cultivators.
• Luo Jing and Yun Jing both advanced to the late Golden Core stage and offered to take He Song’s descendants as disciples, but He Song declined because he had no descendants.

After twenty years in seclusion, He Song received news of a newly discovered Golden Core cave dwelling but chose not to compete for it, preferring to seek a safer way past his cultivation bottleneck. He prepared to travel among nearby Immortal Province Capitals and attend Treasure Gathering Pavilion auctions for breakthrough treasures or a suitable pill formula.

• He Song declined Luo Jing and Yun Jing’s invitations to become a disciple and later visit their Treasure Gathering Pavilion branches, while An Ning remained in Cloudridge Prefecture under Ancestor of Snow Wind’s protection.
• Xiao Qing reported that the Treasure Gathering Pavilion suspected Cloud-Treading True Lord had died before his family was exterminated, but had no idea He Song was responsible.
• He Song reflected that his secretive, cautious actions had kept him safe and resolved to remain hidden, eliminate threats swiftly, and stay ready to flee.
• Xiao Qing sent He Song a map and news of a Golden Core cave dwelling near an immortal city in Yan Yun Province, where Golden Core True Lords were gathering.
• He Song put away the message and decided against risking a contest for the cave dwelling, planning instead to search nearby Immortal Province Capitals and their auctions for something to break his bottleneck.

He Song left Luofeng Prefecture with Yu'er and traveled to Yan Yun Prefecture to search for treasures that could help him break through to the Golden Core Late Stage. After finding nothing at an auction, the Heaven-Reaching Pavilion, or elsewhere in the prefecture, he headed for Han Jiang Prefecture to continue searching.

• He Song decided to wait for his second Golden Core puppet to finish forming, then visit Luo Jing and Yun Jing if he still found no breakthrough resources nearby.
• He Song packed his belongings, met Yu'er in a mountain valley, and used a small Heavenly Dipper Divine Thunder Array to conceal her as they departed.
• He Song discovered that Yu'er had advanced to Perfect Foundation Establishment and took her toward Yan Yun Prefecture for its ten-year auction.
• He Song found nothing he needed at the auction or in the Heaven-Reaching Pavilion, then searched Yan Yun Prefecture for a year without success.
• He Song left for Han Jiang Prefecture, where another grand auction was underway.

After years of fruitless searches for a treasure that could break his cultivation bottleneck, He Song watched his second Golden Core puppet take shape and named her Mingyue. He then traveled to Cloud Province Capital to meet Luo Jing again, where he was introduced to her Foundation Establishment disciple, Ning Xin.

• He Song attended large-scale auctions and searched the black market for several years but found none of the treasures he needed.
• He Song arrived at the valley and waited as the Lunar Yin Puppet absorbed spiritual and Yin energy until it became a Golden Core puppet.
• He Song named the puppet Mingyue, dismantled the array, and set out for the One Yang Sect's sphere of influence.
• He Song reached Cloud Province Capital, where True Monarch Luo Jing welcomed him at the Treasure Gathering Pavilion.
• True Monarch Luo Jing introduced her disciple Ning Xin to He Song, and Ning Xin paid her respects to Senior Cang Song.

He Song gave Ning Xin a defensive Magic Artifact as a meeting gift and caught up with True Monarch Luo Jing in the Treasure Gathering Pavilion. He learned that the small sphere from Cloud-Treading True Lord’s Storage Pouch was a rare Earth Vein Pearl suited for refining a powerful natal Magic Treasure, then concealed his interest by claiming its owner had gone into seclusion to forge one.

• He Song activated Peach Blossom Fall to demonstrate its defensive power, and Ning Xin accepted it after True Monarch Luo Jing told her to take the gift.
• True Monarch Luo Jing brought He Song to the Treasure Gathering Pavilion, where they reminisced about their past and caught up after decades apart.
• After True Monarch Luo Jing sent Ning Xin away, He Song described the small stone sphere he had found and asked what it was.
• True Monarch Luo Jing identified the sphere as an Earth Vein Pearl, a rare and valuable material for refining a powerful defensive natal Magic Treasure.
• He Song realized the Earth Vein Pearl could help him forge a natal Magic Treasure, but pretended it belonged to a friend who had entered seclusion to attempt the process.
• True Monarch Luo Jing guessed that He Song’s supposed friend was at least in the late Golden Core stage and wondered why He Song asked about forging lifebound artifacts.

True Monarch Luo Jing explained that refining a natal magic treasure depended on a rare secret art, correcting He Song’s mistaken assumptions and making him reconsider the materials he had taken from Xuan You Zhenjun’s cave dwelling. He Song asked whether Treasure Gathering Pavilion sold such secret arts, and True Monarch Luo Jing said it did, offering to let him choose freely.

• True Monarch Luo Jing explained that a natal magic treasure required a secret art to refine its primary material and guide the rest of the process.
• He Song realized the materials from Xuan You Zhenjun’s cave dwelling were meant for one specific natal treasure and considered selling them, but worried Xuan You Zhenjun might discover the sale.
• He Song decided to keep the Earth Vein Pearl secret because powerful Golden Core cultivators might covet it, and he still lacked the secret art to refine it.
• He Song thanked True Monarch Luo Jing for explaining natal magic treasures and asked whether Treasure Gathering Pavilion sold the necessary secret arts.
• True Monarch Luo Jing said Treasure Gathering Pavilion held many such secret arts and offered He Song his choice.

True Monarch Luo Jing offered He Song access to the Treasure Gathering Pavilion’s secret arts and invited him to join as a guest elder, including the possibility of obtaining a method for forming a Nascent Soul. He Song agreed to purchase the Earth Vein Pearl’s refinement method but postponed deciding whether to join, wary of faction rules that might expose his secrets.

• True Monarch Luo Jing offered He Song a chance to choose a secret art for refining a natal magic treasure and explained the benefits of joining the Treasure Gathering Pavilion as a guest elder.
• He Song realized True Monarch Luo Jing’s main purpose was to recruit him and considered the Pavilion’s Nascent Soul condensation methods especially valuable.
• He Song asked True Monarch Luo Jing to bring out the method for refining the Earth Vein Pearl and said he could afford it with his accumulated items and Spirit Stones.
• He Song postponed deciding whether to join a faction while he considered the risks of soul lamps, tracking arts, and other methods that might expose his secrets.
• He Song decided he would consider becoming a guest elder only if the Treasure Gathering Pavilion did not impose those security measures.

He Song bought the Earth Vein Pearl refinement secret art from True Monarch Luo Jing and accepted her offer to stay in Treasure Gathering Pavilion while he studied it. After learning how the Earth Vein Pearl could be refined into the natal Magic Artifact Earth Vein Spirit Pearl, He Song made a decision about pursuing it.

• True Monarch Luo Jing gave He Song the Jade Slip containing the Earth Vein Pearl refinement method and again invited him to join Treasure Gathering Pavilion as a guest elder.
• He Song paid True Monarch Luo Jing two hundred thousand mid-grade Spirit Stones for the Jade Slip.
• He Song accepted True Monarch Luo Jing’s offer of lodging and secluded cultivation inside Treasure Gathering Pavilion.
• True Monarch Luo Jing guided He Song to her own quiet chamber, where he studied the Jade Slip and memorized its contents.
• He Song learned that refining an Earth Vein Pearl required finding an earth vein and spending decades condensing its energy, after which it could serve as the basis for the natal Magic Artifact Earth Vein Spirit Pearl.
• After reviewing the method, He Song decided whether he would refine the Earth Vein Spirit Pearl as his natal treasure.

He Song confirmed that the Earth Vein Spirit Pearl suited him and planned to refine it using the pearl he already possessed. When True Monarch Luo Jing renewed her invitation for him to become a Treasure Gathering Pavilion guest elder, she revealed that war might break out in the north and asked him to stay in Cloud Province Capital to help her.

• He Song studied the Earth Vein Spirit Pearl’s refining method and concluded that it was the best natal magic treasure for him.
• He Song left seclusion intending to ask True Monarch Luo Jing to gather the auxiliary materials he needed.
• True Monarch Luo Jing offered alternative refining methods and asked whether He Song had considered joining the Treasure Gathering Pavilion as a guest elder.
• He Song assured True Monarch Luo Jing that he remained confident about refining the Earth Vein Spirit Pearl, then asked about the duties and restrictions of becoming a guest elder.
• True Monarch Luo Jing revealed that three demonic sects might attack Snow Wind Palace and explained that she wanted He Song to stay with her in Cloud Province Capital for mutual protection.

True Monarch Luo Jing invited He Song to become a Treasure Gathering Pavilion Guest Elder, explaining that the nominal position offered protection and substantial benefits without requiring him to serve or enter the Pavilion’s internal affairs. After weighing the opportunity against his concerns about surveillance and restraints, He Song asked whether he would need to undergo secret arts or leave a soul lamp, and Luo Jing assured him that guest elders did neither.

• True Monarch Luo Jing explained that He Song’s Guest Elder status would be limited to the Cloud Province Capital, carry no duties or danger, and bring him preferential treatment elsewhere.
• He Song realized Luo Jing wanted him nearby because her master’s past loss of the Cloud Province Capital had left her anxious about another conflict with the demonic path.
• He Song weighed the Pavilion’s benefits—including powerful spells, cultivation resources, and possible help breaking his bottleneck—against his need to protect his freedom and identity.
• He Song asked whether becoming a Guest Elder would involve secret arts, a soul lamp, or other restraints.
• True Monarch Luo Jing said Guest Elders were nominal members with no access to internal affairs, so they did not need secret arts or soul lamps; only full members did.

He Song accepted True Monarch Luo Jing’s invitation to become a Guest Elder of the Treasure Gathering Pavilion, after she waived the requirements to leave a Soul Lamp or accept secret techniques. He received his token, information about the Pavilion’s treasures, and an advance stipend, and learned he would guard the Cloud Province Capital main branch alongside Luo Jing.

• He Song explained that his refusal to leave a Soul Lamp or accept secret techniques came from his lifelong caution, then agreed to become a Guest Elder.
• True Monarch Luo Jing gave He Song a Guest Elder Token and a Jade Slip describing treasures available from the Pavilion’s treasury.
• True Monarch Luo Jing gave He Song fifty thousand mid-grade Spirit Stones as an advance on ten years of his annual stipend.
• True Monarch Luo Jing said He Song could ignore outside deployments and missions because guarding the Cloud Province Capital main branch with her would count as his task.
• True Monarch Luo Jing pointed to the Guest Elder Token and told He Song to refine it.