Chapter Summaries

Ling Qing helped Wu Yong begin mastering the Heavenly Secret Star’s demonic aura and prepared to study the other star lords’ demonic qi without becoming entangled in their tribulation. He continued his cultivation and work on the Two Realms Archway, while deciding that the Special Affairs Department could not remake this perilous world.

• Ling Qing told Wu Yong that he was a celestial star reincarnated to endure a demonic tribulation, then began studying and drawing out Wu Yong’s Heavenly Secret Star Demon Divine Aura.
• Ling Qing settled in the temple, and Chao Gai arranged for Song Jiang to complete the paperwork placing it under Ling Qing’s name after Lei Heng and Zhu Tong raised objections.
• Ling Qing planned to study the other Celestial Fiend Star Lords’ demonic qi through the Dream Dharma Realm and avoided meeting them directly to keep from being drawn into the Mount Liang tribulation.
• Dao Qing completed the Five Talismans’ true forms and began condensing the Five Clouds, while Ling Qing continued refining the Two Realms Archway.
• Ling Qing abandoned the idea of bringing the Special Affairs Department into the world, judging that its strength was inadequate and that powerful beings there might oppose its plans.

Ling Qing used the fused dream Dharma Realm to study the Star Demon Divine Aura in the Celestial and Baleful Star Lords, first drawing Lei Heng and Zhu Tong into dreams where he expounded on cultivation and moral principles. After seeing that the method helped them cultivate, he began arranging ways to draw the other Star Lords into the dream realm.

• Ling Qing brought Lei Heng and Zhu Tong into the dream realm and examined the demonic aura within them while expounding on its principles.
• Zhu Tong and Lei Heng listened to the Wondrous Dao Emperor and gained insights that let energy circulate within their bodies.
• After waking, Zhu Tong and Lei Heng could not recall the dream, but discovered that their martial practice had begun producing new energy and insights.
• Ling Qing decided to draw Zhu Tong and Lei Heng into the dream realm every few days after learning they had stayed awake to practice.
• Ling Qing used a letter from Wu Yong to bring the three Ruan brothers into the dream realm, then began using other schemes to reach the remaining Star Lords.

Ling Qing noticed Shi Jin’s encounter with Lu Zhishen and tried to imprint the dream realm on Lu Zhishen, but Elder Zhizhen intervened and claimed him as a Buddhist disciple. Ling Qing explained that he only wanted to study Lu Zhishen’s demonic qi, then summoned him and the other Star Lords to hear teachings in the dream realm.

• Ling Qing cultivated and taught the Star Lords through the Wondrous Dao Emperor while Lu Zhishen traveled toward the Eastern Capital, became lost, and passed through Qing Prefecture.
• Lu Zhishen stopped Zhou Tong from forcing Old Squire Liu’s daughter, then stole the stronghold’s treasure and fled Peach Blossom Mountain.
• Lu Zhishen met Shi Jin in Red Pine Forest, and the two returned to Earthenware Jar Temple and killed Cui Daocheng and Qiu Xiao Yi.
• Ling Qing sensed Shi Jin’s encounter with Lu Zhishen and tried to imprint the dream realm on Lu Zhishen, but golden light scattered the imprint and revealed Elder Zhizhen.
• Elder Zhizhen told Ling Qing that he had chosen Lu Zhishen, and Ling Qing said he only wished to study Lu Zhishen’s demonic qi and explain matters to him.
• Ling Qing summoned Lu Zhishen, Shi Jin, and the other Star Lords into the dream realm, where they listened to his teachings.

Ling Qing taught Lu Zhishen and Shi Jin about star demon divine aura in a dream realm, while Elder Zhizhen added Buddhist teachings to steer Lu Zhishen’s transformation. After Lu Zhishen formed a four-faced Dharma manifestation, Elder Zhizhen accepted Ling Qing’s invitation to continue discussing the Dao in his dream realm.

• Ling Qing expounded on aura, baleful energy, and demon stars, helping Lu Zhishen begin to understand and control his demonic energy.
• Elder Zhizhen feared Ling Qing’s teachings would turn Lu Zhishen into a Vajra Shura, so he recited the Manjushri Prajna Sutra to guide him toward Buddhist wisdom.
• Lu Zhishen combined the conflicting teachings into a four-headed, four-armed Dharma manifestation bearing Bodhisattva, Vajra, demon king, and Daoist faces.
• Ling Qing focused his remaining discourse on star demon divine aura, while Shi Jin listened and resolved doubts about his cultivation.
• After Lu Zhishen and Shi Jin left the dream realm, Elder Zhizhen recognized Ling Qing’s pursuit of longevity and accepted his invitation to return for future discussions.

Lin Chong was framed by Gao Qiu and sentenced to exile in Cangzhou, while Lady Lin deciphered Ling Qing’s omen as a warning to leave the Eastern Capital. She urged Instructor Zhang to flee with them, and he began to consider the danger of staying under Gao Qiu’s control.

• Lin Chong endured High Yanei’s harassment rather than risk bringing harm to his family, then bought a treasured sword after more than a month passed without trouble.
• Gao Qiu lured Lin Chong into White Tiger Hall, accused him of plotting an assassination, and had him arrested; Lin Chong submitted to avoid endangering his wife and children.
• Instructor Zhang and Sun Ding helped secure a sentence of tattooed exile to Cangzhou instead of a harsher punishment, and Lady Lin joined Instructor Zhang in seeing Lin Chong off.
• Lady Lin interpreted Ling Qing’s divinatory words as a warning that the danger lay in the Eastern Capital and resolved to leave with Lin Chong rather than remain behind.
• Lady Lin asked Instructor Zhang to leave the Eastern Capital with them, explaining that Gao Qiu’s power made staying unsafe; Instructor Zhang reflected on the threat to his household.

Lady Lin and Instructor Zhang escaped Eastern Capital City with Jin'er, while Lu Zhishen set off to protect Lin Chong. At Wild Boar Forest, Xue Ba and Dong Chao bound Lin Chong and raised their staffs to kill him.

• Lady Lin persuaded Instructor Zhang that they should leave Eastern Capital City, and he made arrangements to evade High Yanei's watchers.
• Instructor Zhang, Lady Lin, and Jin'er slipped out of the city before dawn and headed east, but Lu Zhishen caught up with them and offered to escort them.
• After hearing Lady Lin fear for Lin Chong's safety, Lu Zhishen set off overnight for Wild Boar Forest to find him.
• Lin Chong struggled along the road as Xue Ba and Dong Chao worsened his injuries and forced him to wear hard grass sandals.
• At Wild Boar Forest, Xue Ba and Dong Chao bound Lin Chong with Gao Qiu's God-Binding Rope and swung their staffs at his head.

Lu Zhishen rescued Lin Chong from the men transporting him, and Lin Chong killed them after learning Gao Qiu had driven his family to flee. Lin Chong and Lu Zhishen ambushed High Yanei’s residence, killed Lu Qian, Fu An, and High Yanei, and faced Gao Qiu as he attacked them with green flames.

• Lu Zhishen arrived in time to save Lin Chong from Dong and Xue, and told him that his wife and father-in-law had fled with Lu Zhishen’s help.
• Lin Chong tore apart the God-Suppressing Cangue and killed Dong and Xue with its iron pieces, then healed himself and traveled with Lu Zhishen to Eastern Capital City.
• Lin Chong and Lu Zhishen gathered information and used Zhang San to lure Gao Qiu away from the Marshal’s residence toward High Yanei’s home.
• Lin Chong and Lu Zhishen broke into High Yanei’s residence, where Lin Chong killed Lu Qian and High Yanei and Lu Zhishen killed Fu An.
• Gao Qiu arrived, saw High Yanei’s death, and attacked Lin Chong and Lu Zhishen with a wave of green fire.

Lin Chong and Lu Zhishen fought Gao Qiu after killing his son, then escaped the capital with help from Ling Qing and Elder Zhizhen. The exhausted pair fled northwest on the Zheng Beast, leaving their pursuers behind and avoiding Lady Lin’s route east.

• Gao Qiu overpowered Lin Chong and Lu Zhishen with his Ghost Fire, bound them with a flaming whip, and threatened them.
• Lu Zhishen manifested his four-headed, four-armed Dharma form, while Ling Qing sent Emperor Miaoxiang into Lin Chong, empowering him to attack Gao Qiu on a Zheng Beast.
• Lin Chong and Lu Zhishen fought Gao Qiu together, then fled when soldiers arrived and escaped over the wall using a route of golden light.
• Lu Zhishen collapsed after retracting his Dharma form, so Lin Chong hoisted him onto the Zheng Beast and rode northwest to evade pursuit and avoid leading the soldiers toward Lady Lin.

Lin Chong and Lu Zhishen escaped Eastern Capital City with help from Ling Qing and Elder Zhizhen, while Gao Qiu was left to discover High Yanei’s death. After their borrowed strength disappeared in the wilderness, the two recovered and continued their flight, hoping to catch up with Lin Chong’s fleeing family.

• Lin Chong fought Gao Qiu at High Yanei’s residence, vanished after being struck, and Ling Qing trapped Gao Qiu in the Nine Heavens Ten Grounds Dharma Realm.
• Elder Zhizhen suppressed a heavenly demon thought pursuing Lin Chong and Lu Zhishen, then withdrew with Ling Qing’s help when more demons arrived.
• Gao Qiu found High Yanei dead and his demons destroyed, while the Imperial Guards arrived and followed him from the residence.
• Elder Zhizhen drove off the pursuing heavenly demon thoughts with Buddhist light and departed the Dream Realm after Ling Qing withdrew his aid.
• Lin Chong and Lu Zhishen’s strength and the Zheng Beast vanished in the wilderness, but Lu Zhishen caught Lin Chong and helped him land safely.
• After recovering, Lin Chong and Lu Zhishen set off to find food and continue toward Lin Chong’s fleeing father-in-law and wife.

Lin Chong and Lu Zhishen escaped Sun Erniang and Zhang Qing’s inn, reunited with their companions and Lady Lin, and decided to seek refuge at Peach Blossom Mountain. They set out to meet Li Zhong and Zhou Tong.

• Sun Erniang drugged Lin Chong and Lu Zhishen at Crossroads Slope, but Zhang Qing returned, revived them, and apologized.
• Lu Zhishen and Lin Chong exchanged names and stories with Zhang Qing, swore brotherhood with him, and received provisions before leaving with Sun Erniang’s blessing.
• Lin Chong and Lu Zhishen met Zhang San, Li Si, and the others who had fled Bianliang, welcomed them into their group, and continued toward Lady Lin.
• The group caught up with Instructor Zhang and Lady Lin in Jizhou, and Lin Chong reunited with his wife.
• Lin Chong told Instructor Zhang that he and Lu Zhishen planned to seek a mountain stronghold, and the group headed for Peach Blossom Mountain to meet Li Zhong and Zhou Tong.

Ling Qing studied Wu Yong’s Heavenly Secret Star Demon Divine Aura, developed Star Dipper Divine Calculation, and continued refining his cultivation and the Dream Realm. He expanded his understanding of the Star Lords’ Astral Mansions while the others pursued their separate lives, leaving Liangshan firmly under Wang Lun’s control.

• Ling Qing combined his insights into Wu Yong’s aura with the Dharma Eye of True Insight and created Star Dipper Divine Calculation.
• Ling Qing refined his five-qi primal spirits and completed the true form of the Azure Dragon, beginning the work of condensing the Five Spirits.
• Ling Qing drew the Star Lords bearing Dream Realm imprints into the Dream Realm and taught them to comprehend and control demonic qi.
• Ling Qing observed that the occupied Cloud Terraces were developing into the Star Lords’ Astral Mansions, which would form the basis of his Heavenly Spirit and Earthly Fiend Star Mansion Formation Diagram.
• Song Jiang remained outside the Dream Realm gathering, while Lin Chong and Lu Zhishen traveled toward Qing Prefecture and the other Star Lords continued their usual activities.
• Wang Lun used Chai Jin’s support to take control of Liangshan, recruit Song Wan and Zhu Gui, and fortify the marsh.

After completing the Two Realms Archway, Ling Qing returned to Daoqing Temple and invited his fellow disciples to consider training in a world beset by demonic calamities. The group agreed to enter and temper their cultivation, and Ling Ji asked to join them.

• Ling Qing drew Black Whirlwind Li Kui into the dream realm and used battles in layered dreams to teach him to control demonic qi.
• Ling Qing completed the Two Realms Archway, traveled from the Spirit Officer Temple to the real world near Mount Hua, and returned to Daoqing Temple.
• Ling Qing invited his fellow disciples to a gathering and described the world of the three demonic calamities.
• Daoist Lingguan proposed that the disciples use the chaotic world to temper their spirits and seek guidance on the Dao of Heavenly Immortals.
• Ling Ji asked Ling Qing if he could go too, and Ling Qing agreed.

Ling Qing and his companions decided to enter the Demon Star world through the Two Realms Archway, each choosing a path to pursue their goals. After they gathered at Mount Lao, they set out in different directions, while Ling Qing ordered Ling Ji to head for the frontier.

• Ling Ji continued studying transformation divine powers, while Tian Ying decided to enter the world to temper her Dao heart through battle and uphold justice.
• Zhu Guang volunteered to investigate the Outer God Crimson Fire Bright Venerable, and Zhang Zhe agreed to join the journey; Daoist Lingguan stayed behind to prepare for his heavenly tribulation.
• The group moved the Demon Star Archway to Mount Lao's main sect and placed it on the Nether-Connecting Platform at Lao Mountain Shangqing Palace.
• Ling Qing brought everyone into the Demon Star world, where he explained that he had drawn nearby Gangsha Star Lords into the Dream Realm and planned to seek out more.
• Zhu Guang headed south to infiltrate the Brightness Cult, Tian Ying set off to right wrongs, Tian Yong went to Eastern Capital City, and Zhang Zhe planned to meet Fuyouzi and other practitioners.
• Ling Ji asked whether he should become a bandit or enlist at the frontier, and Ling Qing ordered him to go to the frontier.

Ling Qing traveled through several prefectures, drawing the scattered Gang and Sha Star Lords into the Dream Realm and guiding them in cultivation. While the Stellar Sha Dipper Mansion continued to take shape, he planned a route through the remaining stars’ locations before the gathering at Mount Liang.

• Ling Qing restored Marshal Qin’s shrine, sent his companions on their way, and informed the Demon-Quelling Celestial Venerable about his fellow disciples.
• Ling Qing traveled through Dongchang, Daming, Qizhou, and Qing Prefectures, secretly drawing the Gang and Sha Star Lords he encountered into the Dream Realm to teach them cultivation.
• Ling Qing met the Zou uncle and nephew in Laizhou and the Xie, Sun, and Gu families in Dengzhou, then registered as a visiting cleric at Penglai Pavilion.
• Ling Qing helped the Earth Sha Star Lords refine Demonic Sha and build their Dipper Mansion, while Sun Erniang advanced fastest and attained Human Immortalhood.
• Ling Qing noted that he had met twenty-two Heavenly Gang Stars and planned to travel through Ji Prefecture, Cangzhou, Jiangzhou, and other regions before the gathering at Mount Liang.

Ling Qing visited True Person Luo at Two Dragons Mountain while seeking star lords and discussed his efforts to condense the Five Spirits’ true forms. True Person Luo revealed his Five Dragons Supporting the Sage method and offered several dragon forms for them to study together.

• Ling Qing and the Wondrous Dao Emperor continued training the star lords, while the Earth Sha Array grew stronger and Ling Qing refined his Aura-Sha Star Palace Array Diagram.
• Ling Qing sailed to Ji Prefecture and traveled to Two Dragons Mountain, where True Person Luo’s attendant led him to Purple Void Temple.
• Ling Qing met True Person Luo and learned that the Heavenly Leisure Star Lord had recently left to wander the world.
• Ling Qing showed True Person Luo the cracked Primordial Spirit Dragon pearl he had been restoring in Three Lights Divine Water.
• True Person Luo brought out five dragon true forms and explained that his master had created the Five Dragons Supporting the Sage method, while he had prepared a different set of five dragons for his disciple Yiqing.

Ling Qing studied True Person Luo’s method for turning true-dragon acupoint diagrams into humanoid Dao Body diagrams, improving his understanding of transformation arts. True Person Luo completed the Primordial Spirit Dragon’s humanoid diagram, but the process worsened the dragon pearl’s Dao wound, which Three Lights Divine Water could not heal.

• True Person Luo explained how nonhuman cultivators developed humanoid Dao Bodies and used their acupoint diagrams to gain the powers of other races.
• True Person Luo began transforming the Primordial Spirit Dragon’s acupoint diagram, and Ling Qing used the dragon pearl’s inheritance information to aid his derivation.
• Ling Qing studied True Person Luo’s demonstrations and the twenty dragon diagrams, advancing his Womb Transformation and Shape Shifting divine ability and gaining ideas for the .
• After half a month, True Person Luo completed the Primordial Spirit Dragon’s humanoid diagram, leaving the dragon pearl with more cracks.
• True Person Luo explained that the pearl’s Dao wound could not be healed by Three Lights Divine Water until the Great Dao traces within it were erased, and Ling Qing understood why it had remained damaged.

Ling Qing and True Person Luo comprehended an Azure Dragon true-form template, then Ling Qing left Two Immortals Mountain and traveled to Ba Prefecture to visit Ling Ji. He taught Ling Ji his improved Myriad Qi Beast Transformation Spirit-Taming Scripture, while considering how to develop his other cultivation methods further.

• Ling Qing and True Person Luo studied the Spirit Dragon's Power and combined their insights to create an Azure Dragon mythological template, which Ling Qing condensed in his liver divine palace.
• Ling Qing left Two Immortals Mountain after nearly two months, leaving True Person Luo a Primordial Spirit Dragon talisman artifact and taking his acupoint diagrams.
• Ling Qing traveled through Ji Prefecture City, drew Yang Xiong, Shi Xiu, and others into the Dream Realm, then headed west to Ba Prefecture to find Ling Ji.
• Ling Qing found Ling Ji leading three thousand trained soldiers as deputy commander and visited him as the year-end approached.
• Ling Qing taught Ling Ji the improved Myriad Qi Beast Transformation Spirit-Taming Scripture, which incorporated the Womb Transformation and Shape Shifting divine ability.
• Ling Qing considered revising the Heavenly Star Spirit-Taming Pearl Scripture, but recognized that developing methods for the Earth Immortal and Celestial Immortal realms required further cultivation and refinement.

Ling Qing reached Cangzhou and began guiding Wu Song to understand the Heavenly Wounded Star Demon Divine Aura. In Six Harmonies Temple, Elder Zhizhen and a monk discussed Wu Song’s fate and the demonic corruption afflicting the Earth Strong Star.

• After the Lantern Festival, Ling Qing left Ling Ji and traveled southeast to Cangzhou.
• Wu Song stayed at Chai Jin’s estate, troubled by his exile case and his violent drunken outbursts.
• Ling Qing summoned Wu Song to a mist-shrouded platform and used the Dharma Eye of True Insight to examine his demonic energy before teaching him.
• At Six Harmonies Temple, Elder Zhizhen spoke with a thick-browed monk about Wu Song’s awakened demonic thoughts and his destined entanglement with the Earth Strong Star.
• Zhizhen and the monk discussed how the Earthly Punishment Star and the Earth Strong Star’s cultivation method restrained her demonic corruption.

Ling Qing traveled through several regions, drawing many of the Gang and Sha Stars into the Dream Realm and helping them cultivate their abilities. After reaching Mount Hua, he noted that only six of the Heavenly Spirits and Earthly Fiend Luminaries remained outside the Dream Realm.

• Ling Qing visited Lingzhou, Daming Prefecture, and Xuzhou, where he drew the local stars into the Dream Realm and observed Lu Junyi’s breakthrough to the Human Immortal realm.
• Fan Rui, Xiang Chong, and Li Gun refined demonic qi and developed magical flying knives and spears, strengthening Mangdang Mountain.
• Ling Qing traveled past Jiankang Prefecture and upstream through Jiangzhou, drawing An Daoquan, Wang Dingliu, the Yellow Gate Mountain bandits, and Jiangzhou’s stars into the Dream Realm.
• Ling Qing passed through Yingzhou, Chenzhou, and Ruyang, meeting Peng Qi, Han Tao, and Huyan Zhuo before turning toward Mount Hua.
• Ling Qing drew Guan Sheng and Hao Siwen into the Dream Realm and counted Gongsun Sheng, Liu Tang, Xuan Zan, Xue Yong, Shi Qian, and Duan Jingzhu as the six remaining stars.

Ling Qing and Fuyouzi compared the Dream Realm method with the Sleeping Immortal Art, combining their insights into dreams, yin and yang, and the Primordial Spirit. Ling Qing then resumed studying the Celestial and Baleful General Outline as new star lords entered his Dream Realm, leaving only Xuan Zan and Song Jiang still to draw in.

• Ling Qing showed Fuyouzi his Dream Realm and explained how he had adapted it from a heterodox art.
• Fuyouzi taught Ling Qing the Sleeping Immortal Art, and the two compared their contrasting methods of cultivating the Dao of Dreams.
• Ling Qing and Fuyouzi realized their methods could complement one another, helping them control dream demons and deepen their understanding of yin and yang.
• Ling Qing stayed on Mount Hua while Fuyouzi entered seclusion, and he returned to his cave to study the Celestial and Baleful General Outline.
• Gongsun Sheng and Liu Tang encountered Wu Yong, while Xue Yong began teaching Hou Jian martial arts and moved into his home.
• Ling Qing drew Gongsun Sheng, Liu Tang, Shi Qian, and Duan Jingzhu into the Dream Realm, leaving Xuan Zan and Song Jiang to be drawn in later.