Chapter Summaries

He Song performed the ninth refinement of the Nine Refinements Return to Origin Technique and began transforming his Nascent Soul and divine sense into a Primordial Spirit. As he neared Spirit Transformation, he faced an inner demon tribulation that collapsed under his aura, allowing his breakthrough to continue.

• He Song activated the ninth refinement, drawing vast spiritual energy into his Nascent Soul as it began transforming into a Primordial Spirit.
• He Song sensed that the emerging Primordial Spirit could affect the outside world and cause ripples in space.
• He Song focused on the transformation, and the growing Primordial Spirit characteristics accelerated the fusion of his Nascent Soul and divine sense.
• After the fusion completed, He Song found himself inside an array overlooking a battle where Meng Guan and Wei Fan led righteous-path cultivators against the demonic path.
• He Song saw a black-robed figure with his own face, which shattered into specks of light as the battlefield vision broke apart.
• He Song realized the figure was his inner demon and that it had been suppressed and destroyed, clearing the tribulation as spiritual energy surged into his Nascent Soul.

He Song overcame his weak Heart Demon and successfully entered the Spirit Transformation Realm, forming an embryonic Primordial Spirit. He remained in seclusion to nourish and consolidate it, planning to master spatial concealment and other Spirit Transformation abilities before venturing out.

• He Song realized his cautious cultivation had left his Heart Demon too weak to threaten him, and the tribulation strengthened his resolve to keep acting cautiously.
• He Song's Nascent Soul and divine sense fused into an embryonic Primordial Spirit, marking his breakthrough into the Spirit Transformation Realm.
• He Song continued refining spiritual energy to nourish his Primordial Spirit and planned to consolidate his cultivation before emerging from seclusion.
• He Song reflected on how the Primordial Spirit enhanced his mana, divine sense, comprehension, connection to heaven and earth, and ability to use spatial arts.
• He Song resolved to learn a spatial concealment secret art from the Blood Demon Sword Lord's inheritance so he could hide from Nascent Soul cultivators when he eventually traveled outside.
• He Song recognized that his Primordial Spirit could leave his body, retain his combat power, and potentially survive bodily destruction by possessing another person.

He Song completed his breakthrough into the Spirit Transformation Realm, began learning a concealment art, and reviewed developments from his years in seclusion. He learned that Wei Fan had been missing for years and that Meng Guan had reached Nascent Soul Great Perfection.

• He Song's Primordial Spirit reached perfection inside the Nine Abyss Return-to-Void Array, confirming his breakthrough into the Spirit Transformation Realm.
• He Song decided to stabilize his cultivation and began comprehending the Myriad-Aspect Void Mirror Technique, a spatial art that concealed its user in layers of mirror-image space.
• He Song examined news from the outside world and found Meng Guan's message reporting that Wei Fan had not appeared or replied for many years.
• Meng Guan told He Song that Wei Fan had previously said he was at a critical juncture, and reported that Meng Guan himself had reached Nascent Soul Great Perfection.

He Song weighed whether to help Meng Guan pursue Spirit Transformation and planned to wait for Wei Fan to emerge from seclusion before deciding. As the righteous-demonic war intensified, He Song’s publicly displayed Nascent Soul Late Stage cultivation earned him a regional guardian post in the Treasure Gathering Pavilion while he remained hidden about his true Spirit Transformation Realm.

• The righteous-demonic war spread deeper into both sides’ territories, and more than a hundred righteous Nascent Soul Cultivators died as the conflict grew fiercer.
• He Song considered supplying Meng Guan with Spirit Transformation resources but feared that cultivating multiple powerful allies would draw the six Spirit Transformation cultivators’ hostility.
• He Song decided to wait for Wei Fan to emerge from seclusion, confirm that he had not been possessed, and learn more about the Nine Yang Sect’s plans before discussing Meng Guan’s breakthrough.
• He Song kept his own Spirit Transformation breakthrough secret and maintained the outward appearance of a Nascent Soul Late Stage cultivator.
• The Treasure Gathering Pavilion appointed He Song regional guardian over the immortal domains around Zetianjing, while he continued as the Zetianjing branch pavilion master and gained a larger stipend.

He Song used an Enlightenment Tea Leaf to speed up consolidating his Spirit Transformation cultivation and learning the Myriad-Aspect Void Mirror Technique. After mastering the technique, he began studying the offensive Void-Shattering Seal, leaving him with a powerful concealment method and a path toward greater combat strength.

• He Song considered appointing An Ning as Pavilion Master of a nearby Treasure Gathering Pavilion branch and giving her a Nascent Soul Puppet for protection.
• He Song drank his remaining Enlightenment Tea Leaf to accelerate his cultivation and comprehension of Spirit Transformation secret techniques.
• He Song mastered the Myriad-Aspect Void Mirror Technique and gained access to nine mirror-spaces that could conceal him from detection.
• He Song chose the Void-Shattering Seal as his next technique to study, noting that it could create a vast palm imprint and spatial storm capable of grievously injuring Nascent Soul cultivators.

He Song completed his mastery of the Void-Shattering Seal after Mingyue delivered an Enlightenment Tea Leaf from the Treasure Gathering Pavilion. He chose the Profound Yellow Void-Suppressing Shield as his next Spirit Transformation spell and began comprehending it while his cultivation continued to grow.

• He Song reflected that battles between Nascent Soul cultivators could permanently damage the cultivation world, while suspecting the six holy lands both protected it and ruthlessly suppressed potential rivals.
• He Song's first cup of Enlightenment Tea ran out as he studied the Void-Shattering Seal and cultivated with the Tai Hao Xuan Yuan Scripture.
• Decades later, Mingyue received He Song's hundred-year salary at the Zetianjing Treasure Gathering Pavilion Branch and delivered him an Enlightenment Tea Leaf.
• He Song drank the new cup of Enlightenment Tea, completed his mastery of the Void-Shattering Seal, and selected the Profound Yellow Void-Suppressing Shield as his next spell.
• He Song began comprehending the shield, which combined spatial fluctuations with Profound Yellow energy, while his spiritual power and understanding of the spell increased.

He Song continued his seclusion after mastering two Spirit Transformation spells and gaining battle prowess at that level, then met Han Yuezi to ask about a giant hand that had destroyed a region where a Nascent Soul cultivator was attempting to break through. Han Yuezi revealed that Nascent Soul cultivators had dwindled to only a handful and suggested the attack might point to a broader mystery.

• He Song mastered the Profound Yellow Void-Suppressing Shield and continued searching the Spirit Transformation inheritance for more spells and secret arts while his puppets resumed their duties.
• Mingyue visited Han Yuezi, and He Song later met Han Yuezi in person after years apart.
• He Song told Han Yuezi that a puppet had witnessed a giant hand erase tens of thousands of miles near a site where Nascent Soul cultivators had gathered to investigate a supposed opportunity.
• Han Yuezi recalled a rumor that a Nascent Soul cultivator had been close to reaching Spirit Transformation before the giant hand struck and apparently killed him.
• Han Yuezi said her ancestors' records described a gradual decline in Nascent Soul cultivators, leaving only a few openly known and perhaps no more than ten in total.
• Han Yuezi suggested the attack might have been revenge, but if the attacker and victim had never met, the incident could have a deeper cause.

He Song learned from Han Yuezi that breaking through to the Spirit Transformation Realm granted six thousand years of life, but that a mysterious giant hand might kill anyone who attempted it. After leaving her, he connected this danger to the Nine Yang Sect’s sect master, who had held the position for more than six thousand years.

• Han Yuezi warned He Song that several Nascent Soul cultivators might be targeting Spirit Transformation breakthroughs and urged caution.
• He Song advised Han Yuezi to abandon her own breakthrough plans unless she found a formation that could conceal its disturbances.
• Han Yuezi explained that Spirit Transformation cultivators gained six thousand years of life and could extend it to nine thousand with longevity treasures.
• Han Yuezi decided to investigate her suspicions further, and He Song left her residence without pressing her.
• While studying Spirit Transformation spells inside the Nine Abyss Return-to-Void Array, He Song connected the Nine Yang Sect sect master’s six-thousand-year tenure to what he had learned about lifespan.

He Song concluded that Wei Fan had likely broken through to the Spirit Transformation Realm and become the Nine Yang Sect’s next Holy Master, while he continued strengthening himself in seclusion. After more than two hundred years, He Song fully stabilized his own Spirit Transformation cultivation, but chose to remain secluded and cultivate further.

• He Song reasoned that Wei Fan was likely chosen as the Nine Yang Sect’s next Holy Master and considered how his breakthrough could change the war between the Nine Yang Sect and the Soul Locking Sect.
• He Song fully stabilized his Spirit Transformation cultivation and mastered one offensive spell and two defensive spells, but stayed in seclusion to learn more techniques and arts.
• Wei Fan sent word to He Song and Meng Guan that he had emerged from seclusion much stronger and could send Nine Yang Sect cultivators to help them.
• He Song inferred that Wei Fan had reached the Spirit Transformation Realm and gained the status to command Nine Yang Sect cultivators, and he looked forward to the three friends reaching the same realm.
• He Song assessed that most other Spirit Transformation cultivators were unlikely to surpass the mid stage, then continued cultivating in seclusion.

He Song reviewed the escalating war between the Nine Yang Sect and the Soul Locking Sect, weighed whether to attend Wei Fan’s future Primordial Spirit Assembly, and chose to remain in seclusion. He was jolted awake when Ghost Soul learned that the demonic path’s rear had descended into chaos.

• He Song considered how Wei Fan’s possible breakthrough could benefit him and help protect his identity within the six great holy lands.
• Meng Guan fought on the front lines, killed many demonic Nascent Soul cultivators, and helped slay two Nascent Soul Great Perfection cultivators.
• He Song concluded the war would likely approach its end once the Nine Yang Sect revealed Wei Fan at a Primordial Spirit Assembly, but decided not to attend for his own safety.
• He Song resumed secluded cultivation after reviewing reports about the outside world and reflecting on the kinds of events he had grown used to hearing about.
• Ghost Soul met with a Soul Locking Sect supply transporter, who revealed that the demonic path’s rear had become a complete mess, startling He Song from seclusion.

He Song analyzed the Blood Demon Sword Lord’s challenge to the Soul Locking Sect’s current master and anticipated that their conflict would destabilize the demonic path. He decided to exploit the turmoil by having Ghost Soul lure three demonic sect masters into a trap so He Song could turn them into puppets and infiltrate both factions.

• The Blood Demon Sword Lord claimed to be the Soul Locking Sect’s rightful master, killed several Nascent Soul Great Perfection cultivators who doubted him, and attracted demonic cultivators to his cause.
• A Soul Locking Sect cultivator transporting war supplies told Ghost Soul about the succession crisis, while He Song considered how the conflict would affect the war and the Nine Yang Sect.
• He Song reasoned that the Blood Demon Sword Lord’s Dao Artifacts and knowledge of his rival’s strength explained why he had challenged the current sect master.
• He Song decided to use the Soul Locking Sect’s turmoil to place puppets in both factions and identified three low-ranking demonic sect masters as targets.
• He Song began arranging for Ghost Soul to lure the three cultivators to a remote place, where a formation and teleportation would let He Song bring Evening Snow or Flowing Firefly to kill and puppetize them.

He Song refined three Nascent Soul cultivators into puppets and infiltrated them, along with Ghost Soul, into the rival camps fighting over the Soul Locking Sect. After years of recruitment and mounting tensions, Blood Demon Sword Lord began forcing neutral powers to choose sides, and the current Soul Locking Sect Master followed suit, plunging the region into chaos.

• He Song had Ghost Soul invite three Nascent Soul cultivators to Ghost Soul’s cave, where Evening Snow killed them, and He Song refined their corpses into stronger puppets.
• He Song sent one puppet to Blood Demon Sword Lord’s camp and two to the current Soul Locking Sect Master’s camp, equipping all four puppets with Spirit Transformation talismans.
• The four puppets successfully infiltrated the rival camps, allowing He Song to monitor their preparations while both sides spent years recruiting supporters and disputing legitimacy.
• As the current Soul Locking Sect Master’s forces grew larger, Blood Demon Sword Lord began purging neutral sects and cultivators, forcing survivors to join his camp.
• The current Soul Locking Sect Master responded with moves of his own, throwing the Soul Locking Sect’s territory into turmoil.

He Song watched the Soul Locking Sect’s sphere of influence fracture as Blood Demon Sword Lord and the current sect master forced cultivators into opposing camps, then began a war over which faction was orthodox. After decades of preparation, the current sect master launched an invasion of the Blood Soul Sect, leaving the conflict’s outcome dependent largely on the two Spirit Transformation cultivators.

• Blood Demon Sword Lord and the current Soul Locking Sect Master divided the sect’s territory, forced cultivators into their camps, and intercepted those trying to flee.
• Han Yuezi told He Song that Treasure Gathering Pavilion’s agents had verified the turmoil and speculated that Blood Demon Sword Lord’s rise was connected to the enormous hand He Song had seen.
• He Song warned Meng Guan to flee with the One Yang Sect to Zetianjing if danger arose, and reminded Luo Jingyun and Yue Lingzi to stay cautious.
• Over several decades, He Song strengthened his Spirit Transformation abilities while the two factions consolidated their forces.
• He Song named Blood Demon Sword Lord’s faction the Blood Soul Sect, and the current Soul Locking Sect Master launched a large-scale invasion against it.

As the Soul Locking Sect and Blood Soul Sect waged a prolonged war, He Song stayed safely away from the battlefield and continued studying a Spirit Transformation secret art. After decades, he mastered the Ten-Thousand Tribulation Soul-Enslaving Contract, which let him control and read the thoughts of any cultivator below the Spirit Transformation Realm.

• The Blood Demon Sword Lord gathered forces and Spirit Transformation resources while the Soul Locking Sect prepared to challenge him.
• The Soul Locking Sect struck first, invading the Blood Soul Sect's territory as both leaders stayed behind their forces.
• The Treasure Gathering Pavilion sent Nascent Soul cultivators to the border, and He Song suspected it was acting to protect the Nine Yang Sect.
• He Song kept his puppets safe in the demonic territory and devoted most of his attention to comprehending the secret art.
• After several decades, He Song mastered the Ten-Thousand Tribulation Soul-Enslaving Contract, which could enslave anyone below the Spirit Transformation Realm and reveal their thoughts.

He Song mastered the Ten-Thousand Tribulation Soul-Enslaving Contract and planned to recruit carefully selected Nascent Soul Great Perfection cultivators as servants, whom he could help reach Spirit Transformation. While reviewing the long-running war between the Soul Locking Sect and the Blood Soul Sect, he found a lead on a potential servant.

• He Song concluded that the Ten-Thousand Tribulation Soul-Enslaving Contract could preserve his control over servants even if they reached Spirit Transformation.
• He Song set strict standards for prospective servants and ordered the Treasure Gathering Pavilion and his own intelligence organization to investigate Nascent Soul Great Perfection cultivators.
• He Song reviewed the decades-long war between the Soul Locking Sect and the Blood Soul Sect and considered whether it might be a ruse to target the Nine Yang Sect.
• He Song dismissed most other recent events as unimportant and found a lead on a potential servant.

He Song selected Qing Lingzi and Wangyou as candidates to receive contracts, then secretly traveled to the Azure Spirit Sect to capture Qing Lingzi. He reached her cave abode unseen and began setting up a concealment formation around it.

• He Song studied Qing Lingzi’s background and decided to wait for more candidates rather than risk acting immediately.
• After several years of gathering and sorting intelligence, He Song chose Qing Lingzi and Wangyou, both Nascent Soul Great Perfection cultivators who met his requirements.
• He Song used a teleportation array to leave the Nine Abyss Return-to-Void Array and approached Qing Lingzi’s sect concealed within mirror space.
• He Song entered the Azure Spirit Sect unnoticed because its mountain-protecting formation was inactive, then found Qing Lingzi cultivating in her cave abode.
• He Song began setting up a Nascent Soul concealment grand formation outside Qing Lingzi’s cave abode.

He Song secretly broke Qing Lingzi’s cave-abode formation and confronted her, while Qing Lingzi mistook his visit for an execution and hastily ate and drank what she feared would be her last meal. He Song revealed that her fate depended on whether she could satisfy him, leaving her terrified as he concealed his Spirit Transformation identity.

• He Song effortlessly broke the formation around Qing Lingzi’s cave abode, alerting her to an apparent intruder.
• Qing Lingzi found He Song in her pavilion, mistook him for a deadly enemy, and nervously drank the tea and ate the food before her.
• Qing Lingzi introduced herself and explained her mistaken assumption, while He Song reflected on how his strength now made Nascent Soul cultivators fear him.
• He Song told Qing Lingzi that he had not come for revenge but that she would die if she could not satisfy him, threatening the Azure Spirit Sect and her ten clans as well.

He Song offered Qing Lingzi two apparent paths to the Spirit Transformation Realm, intending to use either choice to take her away and secure her loyalty. Qing Lingzi chose the token, hoping it would bring her closer to He Song and earn her a chance to break through.

• He Song reassured Qing Lingzi that his earlier threats were a joke, then showed her treasures that could help a Nascent Soul cultivator reach the Spirit Transformation Realm.
• Qing Lingzi coveted the breakthrough treasures but quickly restrained herself when she realized He Song had not promised to give them to her.
• He Song presented a token he said could grant its holder an opportunity to reach the Spirit Transformation Realm, then asked Qing Lingzi which opportunity she would choose.
• Qing Lingzi chose the token, saying it could draw her closer to He Song and help her obtain a breakthrough opportunity from him.

He Song gave Qing Lingzi the token she chose and warned her that Spirit Transformation cultivators hunted potential breakthrough candidates. He offered her a chance to reach Spirit Transformation if she stayed with him and swore absolute loyalty, and Qing Lingzi weighed the risks before agreeing.

• Qing Lingzi chose the token, and He Song tossed it to her while explaining that the three treasures could not protect her during a Spirit Transformation breakthrough.
• He Song recounted how a Spirit Transformation cultivator had destroyed a vast area while hunting Blood Demon Sword Lord, warning that the sacred lands might target other breakthrough candidates.
• He Song offered Qing Lingzi a breakthrough opportunity, contingent on staying by his side while he tested her temperament and entering a loyalty contract.
• He Song concealed that the contract would place Qing Lingzi’s life in his hands and bind her loyalty, while she considered its costs and benefits.
• Qing Lingzi accepted the token and agreed to He Song’s proposal, reasoning that the chance for greater strength and longevity outweighed the loss of freedom.

He Song recruited Qing Lingzi and Wang Youzi as followers, then tested whether the six great holy lands’ Spirit Transformation cultivators could detect him while he was inside the mirror space. After returning to the Nine Abyss Return-to-Void Array, he found a Purifying Spirit Pill and helped the Azure Spirit Sect establish a new Nascent Soul cultivator, freeing Qing Lingzi to serve him without worry.

• He Song arranged for a Nascent Soul Puppet to guard the Azure Spirit Sect until it produced a Nascent Soul cultivator, then contracted with Qing Lingzi and took her away.
• He Song traveled to Wangyou Valley, persuaded Wang Youzi to become his follower, and contracted with her after she arranged for another Nascent Soul cultivator to lead the valley.
• He Song stayed with Qing Lingzi and Wang Youzi in a capital city for several months to test whether the six great holy lands’ Spirit Transformation cultivators could detect him in the mirror space; none came looking for him.
• He Song brought both followers back to the Nine Abyss Return-to-Void Array and later found a Purifying Spirit Pill for Qing Lingzi.
• He Song took Qing Lingzi and Wang Youzi to the Azure Spirit Sect and helped it cultivate a second Nascent Soul cultivator, who also adopted the Daoist name Qing Lingzi.