Chapter Summaries

After refining the Nine-Turn Dragon-Scale Fruit, He Song reviewed two decades of outside news, investigated a conflict between Nascent Soul Sects, and learned that Han Yuezi was struggling to repair an incomplete grand formation. With his cultivation nearing the peak of the Nascent Soul Middle Stage, he swallowed the Void Azure Lotus Seed to advance and attempt a breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Late Stage.

• He Song learned that the devilish cultivators had withdrawn from righteous territory, but he could not discover why, so he ordered his intelligence organization to investigate.
• He Song found reports that several Nascent Soul Sects had gone to war after their cultivators obtained treasures from a forbidden region, and he sent informants to monitor the sects while he waited for a chance to act.
• He Song spoke with Han Yuezi and learned that she had spent years trying to restore an incomplete, powerful formation.
• He Song calculated that the Void Azure Lotus Seed could raise his cultivation to the peak of the Nascent Soul Middle Stage and help him challenge the next bottleneck.
• He Song swallowed the Void Azure Lotus Seed, and its immense medicinal power began to surge through his body.

He Song consumed the Void Azure Lotus Seed and Enlightenment Tea to break through from the Nascent Soul Middle Stage to the Nascent Soul Late Stage, then consolidated his cultivation while reviewing decades of news. He resolved to keep his Nascent Soul Puppets away from the righteous-demonic border after learning of a demonic victory and a missed Nascent Soul abode in the Myriad Monster Realm.

• He Song refined the Void Azure Lotus Seed, reached the peak of the Nascent Soul Middle Stage, and drank his last Enlightenment Tea Leaf to break through the bottleneck.
• He Song entered the Nascent Soul Late Stage, absorbed spiritual energy from the Nine Abyss Return-to-Void Array, and began consolidating his cultivation with two Top-grade Spirit Artifacts beside him.
• He Song reviewed news from his decades of seclusion and learned that a conflict involving nearly ten Nascent Soul Sects along the Soul Locking Sect and Nine Yang Sect border had ended in a demonic victory.
• He Song suspected the demonic path had retaliated for its earlier defeat and ordered his Nascent Soul Puppets to avoid the righteous-demonic border unless necessary.
• He Song learned that a Nascent Soul abode had appeared in the Myriad Monster Realm and that human Nascent Soul Cultivators had taken its treasures before withdrawing, while he had missed the opportunity during seclusion.

After decades of seclusion, He Song learned that Meng Guan and Wei Fan had both reached the Nascent Soul Middle Stage, and that Wei Fan’s cultivation had surged with help from the Nine Yang Sect Master’s daughter. He Song stabilized his Nascent Soul Late Stage cultivation, advanced his artifact-refining skills, and crafted powerful offensive and defensive Spirit Artifacts.

• He Song learned that Meng Guan and Wei Fan had advanced to the Nascent Soul Middle Stage while he was in seclusion.
• Meng Guan and Wei Fan told He Song that Wei Fan had gone to the Nine Yang Sect and received heavenly treasures from the Sect Master’s daughter, who had become his friend.
• He Song considered how Wei Fan’s rise could protect Meng Guan and provide future support for them both, then discussed the Dao with Han Yuezi before returning to seclusion.
• He Song stabilized his Nascent Soul Late Stage cultivation and used the remaining medicinal power of the Enlightenment Tea to improve his Way of Artifacts.
• He Song crafted the offensive Pan Shi Town Prison Tablet and the defensive Eight Desolations Town Yue Pagoda, strengthening his combat abilities.

He Song sent Clear Wind, Idle Cloud, and Wild Crane to raid a newly discovered Nascent Soul Cave Abode, where they drove off other cultivators and trapped two rival Nascent Soul Late Stage cultivators in the Profound Yang Ice Soul Array. He Song chose to loot the cave first and consider the captives’ fates afterward.

• After learning that a Nascent Soul Cave Abode had appeared nearby, He Song dispatched Clear Wind, Idle Cloud, and Wild Crane to claim its opportunities for him.
• Clear Wind and the other puppets overwhelmed the cultivators inside the cave, forcing several to flee as they pushed toward its depths.
• Clear Wind and Wild Crane interrupted a fierce battle between two Nascent Soul Late Stage cultivators while Idle Cloud secretly set up an array.
• Idle Cloud established the Profound Yang Ice Soul Array, and Clear Wind activated it to trap the two cultivators while Idle Cloud and Wild Crane searched for the cave master's corpse and possessions.
• He Song recognized that the captives belonged to powerful rival Nascent Soul Sects and decided to postpone killing them while his puppets looted the cave.

He Song weighed the rewards and risks of killing two Nascent Soul Late Stage cultivators, then chose to let them go after obtaining the fortune and corpse of a Nascent Soul Great Perfection cultivator. He began bringing out the enormous cache of resources, preparing to turn his harvest into greater cultivation and strength.

• He Song considered killing one or both Nascent Soul Late Stage cultivators, but judged the additional rewards unnecessary beside his gains from the Nascent Soul abode.
• After learning that the two rival sects had fought the demonic path and were not steeped in evil, He Song withdrew the Profound Yang Ice Soul Array and left with Idle Cloud and Wild Crane.
• The two cultivators stopped fighting and departed separately, while Clear Wind, Idle Cloud, and Wild Crane returned to He Song with the treasures and the Nascent Soul Great Perfection corpse.
• He Song reflected that his puppets and array had let him claim the abode's treasures with little risk, and he resolved to make use of the harvest.
• He Song began taking out the Nascent Soul Great Perfection cultivator's resources, revealing a small mountain of treasures while more remained in his Storage Pouch.

He Song refined the corpse of a Nascent Soul Great Perfection cultivator into an exceptionally powerful puppet and named her Evening Snow. After equipping her with treasures and techniques, he considered whether to transfer Clear Wind’s Nine-Turn Tribulation Lightning Pearl to her.

• He Song sorted the dead cultivator’s belongings, kept useful treasures, and bought rare materials to refine the corpse into a puppet.
• He Song completed his sixth Nascent Soul Puppet and tested it against Clear Wind, whose strength the new puppet surpassed.
• He Song named the puppet Evening Snow and gave her a new appearance so she would not be recognized by anyone connected to her former life.
• He Song equipped Evening Snow with artifacts, pills, talismans, formations, and his divine sense, greatly increasing her strength.
• He Song hesitated over whether to move Clear Wind’s Nine-Turn Tribulation Lightning Pearl to Evening Snow.

He Song moved the Nine-Turn Tribulation Lightning Pearl from Clear Wind into Evening Snow, greatly increasing Evening Snow’s strength while leaving its exact limits uncertain. He continued strengthening his puppets and gathering intelligence, but the Cold Family’s reports did not explain the unease he had sensed.

• He Song removed the Nine-Turn Tribulation Lightning Pearl from Clear Wind and fused it into Evening Snow, whose strength then overwhelmed Clear Wind in a test battle.
• He Song left the pearl in Evening Snow and intensified his search for treasures to strengthen his puppets, while continuing to seek news of Nascent Soul abodes.
• He Song reasoned that Evening Snow could lead future operations and control the Nine Abyss Return-to-Void Array and the Profound Yang Ice Soul Array.
• He Song sent Clear Wind out on tasks and kept Evening Snow in seclusion for further refinement before dispatching her.
• He Song asked Han Yuezi to gather the Cold Family’s intelligence after sensing something amiss, but the reports offered no explanation.
• He Song returned to secluded cultivation, trusting his concealment methods and hidden location to protect him.

He Song sought to learn what treasures Nascent Soul cultivators used so he could prepare for a future breakthrough and strengthen his combat power. Han Yuezi found records on Dao Artifacts in the Cold Family’s Scripture Pavilion and gave him a Jade Slip containing their forging method, while warning him not to share its contents.

• He Song focused his artifact research on treasures used by Nascent Soul cultivators, hoping to prepare for his eventual breakthrough into the Spirit Transformation Realm.
• He Song visited Han Yuezi and showed her the Eight Desolations Town Yue Pagoda, then asked what treasures Nascent Soul cultivators used and how they were made.
• Han Yuezi explained that Nascent Soul cultivators used Dao Artifacts, which let a Primordial Spirit draw on more heaven-and-earth spiritual energy, but she did not know how they were forged.
• Han Yuezi searched the Cold Family’s Scripture Pavilion and found ancestral records about Dao Artifacts.
• Han Yuezi inscribed the Dao Artifact forging method and related records onto a Jade Slip, gave it to He Song, and warned him not to pass on its contents.

He Song learned the Profound Yellow Artifact Refinement Art from Han Yuezi and discovered that Dao Artifacts required rare Spirit Transformation materials and Profound Yellow Qi gathered through a special formation. After promising to keep the secret, he gathered more information about Spirit Transformation before returning to his main body, aware that refining a Dao Artifact would require extensive preparation and greater skill.

• Han Yuezi warned He Song that revealing the Dao Artifact method could bring severe consequences upon them, their families, and their friends.
• He Song studied the Profound Yellow Artifact Refinement Art and learned how Earth Vein Qi, the Two-Principles Qi-Separation Array, and rare Spirit Transformation materials were used to refine Dao Artifacts.
• He Song assured Han Yuezi that he would destroy the Jade Slip and keep its contents secret, easing her suspicions about his interest.
• Han Yuezi shared more information about the Spirit Transformation Realm, and He Song stayed with her for several days to learn from her.
• He Song returned his attention to his main body inside the Nine Abyss Return-to-Void Array and recognized that he still needed rare materials and much greater artifact-refinement skill.

He Song began preparing to refine Dao artifacts by gathering Spirit Transformation materials, studying the Two-Principles Qi-Separation Array, and improving his artifact-refining skills. After his agents and puppets started collecting materials and auction information, He Song arranged for the array to be set up far from Zetianjing and began receiving a flood of leads.

• He Song offered generous rewards to Foundation Establishment and Golden Core cultivators who found the Spirit Transformation materials he needed.
• He Song refined several dozen Golden Core puppets and sent them to Treasure Gathering Pavilion branches and main pavilions to gather auction information.
• He Song studied the Two-Principles Qi-Separation Array and the Profound Yellow Artifact Refinement Art while continuing his cultivation and puppet-making.
• He Song had Clear Wind travel to a remote place and set up the array after He Song had comprehended it and refined its components.
• He Song received a flood of reports about Spirit Transformation materials and sent puppets to retrieve reported items or acquire materials that informants could not obtain themselves.

He Song gathered Spirit Transformation materials through his far-reaching intelligence network while assessing how long his Two-Principles Qi-Separation Arrays needed to collect Xuanhuang Qi for Dao Artifacts. He expanded the array network to five hidden locations, then returned to seclusion to cultivate and study the Way of Artifacts.

• He Song rewarded every cultivator who reported Spirit Transformation materials, even when reports overlapped, and let subordinates settle conflicts over the materials among themselves.
• He Song’s intelligence operatives uncovered many Spirit Transformation materials, though the rate of new discoveries began to slow as the exposed materials were claimed.
• He Song inspected his Two-Principles Qi-Separation Arrays and determined that several arrays could gather enough Xuanhuang Qi for one Dao Artifact in about a hundred years.
• He Song refined four more sets of array disks and flags and sent puppets to establish four arrays far from the Zetian Immortal Domain, bringing his total to five.
• He Song entered seclusion to advance his cultivation and comprehend the Way of Artifacts while his puppets handled the remaining tasks.

He Song controlled Ghost Soul as the Soul Locking Sect requisitioned demonic Nascent Soul cultivators and gathered them at the Yin Soul Sect to prepare an assault on the righteous path. Ghost Soul was brought to a mountain residence as He Song considered using the coming war to gather Nascent Soul corpses and expand his puppet forces.

• Ghost Soul greeted a black-robed group led by a Nascent Soul Great Perfection cultivator, who declared that the Holy Sect had requisitioned Ghost Soul Hall and took Ghost Soul with them.
• Ghost Soul followed the group as it seized demonic sects and cultivators, while He Song kept him cautious and sought intelligence about the demonic path.
• At the Yin Soul Sect, the Holy Sect leader ordered the assembled demonic cultivators to serve as the vanguard in an upcoming attack on the righteous path, promising rewards and threatening those who resisted.
• He Song considered sending stronger puppets to the battlefield to obtain Nascent Soul corpses, but decided to postpone the risky plan.
• A Yin Soul Sect disciple led Ghost Soul to the foot of a mountain and told him his prepared residence was at its summit.

He Song used Ghost Soul to avoid offending the Yin Soul Sect while observing how the Soul Locking Sect organized the gathered demonic cultivators. After seeing Nascent Soul cultivators dispatched from the sect, He Song worried that Ghost Soul was too weak to survive the coming war and decided to strengthen him.

• He Song dismissed the Yin Soul Sect servants, told the escorting disciple to leave, and settled into the cave abode without killing him.
• Several days later, He Song answered the Holy Church cultivator's summons to the Yin Soul Sect main hall, where the cultivator ordered those who had killed sect members to accept missions and let the rest depart.
• He Song noticed that some other Nascent Soul cultivators had also avoided attacking the Yin Soul Sect and memorized their auras before returning to his mountain.
• He Song secretly watched as the remaining Nascent Soul cultivators left the main hall and flew toward distant locations, while the Holy Church cultivator did not stop them.
• He Song considered the Soul Locking Sect's means of keeping the cultivators in line and concluded that Ghost Soul needed greater strength to protect himself in the coming war.

He Song secretly used Yin Soul Wood to raise Ghost Soul’s strength from Nascent Soul Early Stage to Nascent Soul Middle Stage, then returned him to the Yin Soul Sect under the pretense of entering seclusion. Ghost Soul’s deception went unnoticed, buying him time while the battle loomed.

• He Song ordered his intelligence agents to search for treasures that could strengthen Nascent Soul Puppets and eventually received a piece of Yin Soul Wood.
• He Song prepared the required materials and had Ghost Soul set up concealment, defensive, and teleportation arrays to leave the Yin Soul Sect unnoticed.
• After Mingyue confirmed that no one had reacted to Ghost Soul’s departure, He Song brought him into the Nine Abyss Return-to-Void Array and used Yin Soul Wood and other materials to raise his strength to Nascent Soul Middle Stage.
• He Song returned Ghost Soul to the Yin Soul Sect, where Ghost Soul dismantled the arrays and announced that he was entering seclusion to attempt a breakthrough.
• The Yin Soul Sect master and the Holy Church cultivator believed Ghost Soul’s stated reason, while He Song intended the seclusion to conceal his strengthened puppet and stall for time.

He Song warned his allies and An Ning about the demonic path’s preparations, then used Ghost Soul’s apparent seclusion to eavesdrop on the Yin Soul Sect. When the demonic Nascent Soul Cultivators received dangerous missions, He Song kept Ghost Soul hidden and continued gathering intelligence.

• He Song warned Meng Guan and Wei Fan of possible demonic attacks and arranged for the One Yang Sect’s elders and disciples to evacuate if necessary.
• He Song informed Yue Lingzi and Luo Jingyun of the danger and recalled An Ning to train near Zetianjing.
• He Song eavesdropped through Ghost Soul and learned that demonic Nascent Soul Cultivators were guarding borders, infiltrating righteous territory, and cultivating informants.
• The Soul Locking Sect’s Nascent Soul Great Perfection cultivator summoned the demonic Nascent Soul Cultivators and assigned them difficult missions, while Ghost Soul remained in seclusion.
• He Song decided to keep Ghost Soul hidden so he could continue gathering intelligence and retrieve him if a future mission proved too dangerous.
• The demonic Nascent Soul Cultivators departed, the Yin Soul Sect’s disciples celebrated their absence, and the Soul Locking Sect cultivator stayed behind to oversee the sect.

He Song continued investigating the Yin Soul Sect, studying artifact refinement, and preparing for the wars around him while gathering materials for a Dao Artifact. After his puppets secured the treasures from a Nascent Soul abode, he finally took out its former owner’s corpse to refine into a puppet.

• He Song cautiously investigated the Yin Soul Sect but found no secret, then focused most of his attention on studying the Profound Yellow Artifact Refinement Art.
• Demonic-path cultivators attacked the One Yang Sect, but Meng Guan repelled them with help from righteous cultivators; He Song and Wei Fan persuaded him to activate the sect’s protective formation and prepare everyone to flee if needed.
• He Song gathered enough Spirit Transformation materials for one Dao Artifact embryo and made progress extracting Profound Yellow Qi, though he still had not mastered forging Dao Artifacts.
• He Song sent Clear Wind, Idle Cloud, Wild Crane, and Evening Snow to a Nascent Soul abode, where the four puppets intimidated their rivals and returned with the former Nascent Soul Middle Stage cultivator’s corpse and most of his treasures.
• He Song ended his period of study and took out the corpse, deciding to refine it into a puppet.

After demonstrating his mastery of Nascent Soul spells, Ghost Soul won Yin Fengzi’s support and agreed to join the Yin Soul Sect, with the prospect of earning merit and eventually entering the Soul Locking Sect. He began taking relatively safe missions as He Song sensed that war between the righteous and demonic paths was drawing near.

• He Song stopped preparing puppets when he sensed a tremor and learned that Yin Fengzi had arrived at Ghost Soul’s mountain peak.
• Yin Fengzi questioned Ghost Soul about his long seclusion, and He Song demonstrated precise control over several Nascent Soul spells.
• Impressed by Ghost Soul’s spellcasting, Yin Fengzi offered to help him earn merit in the Yin Soul Sect and join the Soul Locking Sect, asking Ghost Soul to help him enter later.
• He Song agreed to Yin Fengzi’s proposal and promised to help him or his descendants join the Holy Sect.
• Yin Fengzi arranged safe, high-merit missions for Ghost Soul, while He Song sensed that the righteous-demonic war was approaching.

He Song completed his study of the Profound Yellow Artifact Refinement Art and prepared to refine a Dao Artifact while still in the Nascent Soul Realm. After gathering Profound Yellow Qi and readying his materials and puppets, he began forging a small cauldron and brought out the Profound Baleful Orbs and Yellow Spirit Crystals needed for the next stage.

• He Song refined the Nascent Soul Middle Stage corpse into a Nascent Soul Late Stage puppet named Morning Dew and sent it out on missions with Evening Snow and the Clear Wind puppet.
• After buying two Enlightenment Tea Leaves from Han Yuezi, He Song fully comprehended the Profound Yellow Artifact Refinement Art and decided to refine a Dao Artifact before attempting Spirit Transformation.
• He Song sent Evening Snow and other Nascent Soul Puppets to collect enough Profound Yellow Qi, then kept them nearby to protect him and help replenish his spiritual power.
• He Song prepared Spirit Transformation materials, restorative pills, and his Profound Yang Furnace before beginning the refinement.
• He Song melted and fused the materials into a small cauldron-shaped Dao Artifact embryo, then took out the Profound Baleful Orbs and Yellow Spirit Crystals to begin refining it with Profound Yellow Qi.

He Song completed the Profound Yellow World-Suppressing Cauldron by tempering its embryo with clear qi, inscribing artifact patterns with turbid qi, and refining it in the Profound Yang Furnace. After the cauldron absorbed the power of heaven and earth and emerged as a Dao Artifact, He Song collapsed from exhaustion and slept for half a month.

• He Song used the Yellow Spirit Crystal’s clear qi to temper the Dao Artifact embryo forty-nine times and awaken it.
• He Song drew turbid qi from the Profound Baleful Orb to inscribe artifact patterns onto the embryo, nearly exhausting his magical power and mental strength.
• He Song returned the patterned embryo to the Profound Yang Furnace, where it absorbed the power of heaven and earth beneath the Nine Abyss Return-to-Void Array’s concealment.
• He Song retrieved the completed Dao Artifact and named it the Profound Yellow World-Suppressing Cauldron.
• He Song collapsed into sleep after refining the cauldron and awoke half a month later, fully recovered.

He Song paused his secluded cultivation to investigate a righteous assault on the demonic faction after Ghost Soul received an urgent recall from the Yin Soul Sect. He concluded the sect had fallen into a trap, then stopped while fleeing and considered returning as the Yin Soul Sect’s surviving Nascent Soul elder.

• After recovering his mental strength, He Song began refining the Profound Yellow World-Suppressing Cauldron and estimated that completing it would take nearly a century.
• Ghost Soul received a warning from the Yin Soul Sect's Sect Master about a massive righteous assault and used the Void Escape Technique to flee toward the sect.
• He Song shifted his attention to Ghost Soul, approached the Yin Soul Sect, and waited at a distance for the Sect Master's reply, but received none.
• A blood-red escape light vanished at the Yin Soul Sect's mountain gate, leading He Song to conclude that righteous cultivators had occupied the sect and concealed a deadly formation there.
• He Song turned to flee deeper into demonic territory, then halted and considered returning as the Yin Soul Sect's only surviving Nascent Soul elder.