Chapter Summaries

Zhu Yu accompanied Bai Meng to the Corpse Grotto after learning that a new batch of Corpse Seeds had arrived. There, they discovered that the corpses came from evil-path cultivators of the Qingping Sect, leaving Zhu Yu to reckon with the Heavenly Dao Sect’s war in the Qingping Spirit Ruins.

• Zhu Yu gave Xiang Sui one hundred Spirit Stones to buy Bewitching Flower for a batch of Meditation Fluid pills, which Xiang Sui promised to refine within three days.
• Zhu Yu rode Little Black to the Underworld Grounds, where he met Bai Meng and learned that a large batch of Corpse Seeds had arrived at the Corpse Grotto.
• Bai Meng rode Little Black with Zhu Yu and explained that newly delivered Corpse Seeds sometimes contained surprises.
• At the Corpse Grotto, Zhu Yu and Bai Meng saw a huge Corpse Transport Ship and learned it had returned from the Qingping Spirit Ruins.
• Bai Meng told Zhu Yu that the ship carried corpses of evil-path cultivators from the Qingping Sect, which had been brought back as top-quality Corpse Seeds.

Zhu Yu learned why Qingping Sect Corpse Seeds were valuable and searched the Corpse Grotto for a remnant Dharma Vein. He claimed a Corpse Seed containing a complete Dharma Vein Diagram and brought it back to his Corpse Field, where emerald spiritual light appeared as he examined it.

• Zhu Yu considered the weaknesses of Qingping Sect's cultivation path and suspected that its Corpse Seeds might retain valuable Dharma Veins.
• The Corpse Grotto opened, and Zhu Yu saw more than a thousand Corpse Seeds being claimed by Underworld Grounds disciples.
• Zhu Yu inspected Corpse Seeds but passed on several promising ones because he did not want to disrupt his cultivation plans.
• Zhu Yu found a Corpse Seed with a Spirit-Transformed Dharma Vein and a complete Dharma Vein Diagram, then registered it with his Identity Jade Token.
• Zhu Yu left the Corpse Grotto with the Corpse Seed and returned to his Corpse Field, where emerald spiritual light emerged from its palm when he sent in Spiritual Power.

Zhu Yu awakened the Corpse Control Art Dharma Seed and learned it could command Corpse Puppets, then tested it while preparing to refine the Fierce Tiger Corpse Seed. A first-rank Mantis Demon Insect attacked him in the Corpse Field, and he sent Corpse Beetles against it as the fight continued.

• Zhu Yu discovered that the Corpse Seed had granted him the Grass Spirit Art, which let him scout through and potentially control nearby vegetation.
• Zhu Yu meditated after drinking Meditation Fluid and taking a Soul Dispersing Pill, and the Corpse Control Art Dharma Seed appeared in his Divine Sea.
• Zhu Yu learned the Corpse Control Art could control up to ten lower-grade first-rank Corpse Puppets, and saw that it had drawn Corpse Qi from the surroundings.
• Zhu Yu went to the Corpse Field to refine the Fierce Tiger Corpse Seed, but a first-rank Mantis Demon Insect burst out and struck his Spiritual Power barrier.
• Zhu Yu commanded ten Corpse Beetles to attack the Mantis Demon Insect, but it repeatedly sliced them apart, while the Beetles re-formed from Spiritual Power and charged again.

After a Mantis Demon Insect attacked Zhu Yu and injured Little Black, Zhu Yu realized he needed ways to defend himself and went to the Market to buy talismans. He left with three defensive and trapping talismans, determined to face the insect again.

• The Mantis Demon Insect destroyed Zhu Yu's Corpse Beetles and battered his Spiritual Power shield before fleeing, while Little Black was injured trying to fight it.
• Zhu Yu soothed Little Black, resolved to improve his combat capabilities, and set out for the Market the next day.
• At the Mi Family Talisman Pavilion, Zhu Yu bought a Diamond Talisman, a Thousand Vine Talisman, and an Ice Arrow Talisman for one hundred and twenty Low-grade Spirit Stones.
• Zhu Yu left the shop and headed toward the Underworld Grounds, vowing to deal with the Mantis Demon Insect.

Zhu Yu returned to his Corpse Field prepared to capture the Mantis Demon Insect, but found it gone and discovered that the Fierce Tiger Corpse Seed had developed spirituality. He left for the Starry Corridor, then returned an hour later and opened the grave mound to pour out a fragrant crimson liquid.

• Zhu Yu reassured the increasingly fearful Little Black and went to teach students how to find compatible principles for drawing the Three-Ring Pattern.
• Liang Kuan noticed the damage to Little Black and offered help, while Zhu Yu explained that an unusual demon insect had injured it.
• Zhu Yu bought attribute-less Spirit Spring and returned to his Corpse Field, readying talismans and Corpse Beetles to confront the Mantis Demon Insect, but found no sign of it.
• Zhu Yu used a Corpse Beetle to inspect the Fierce Tiger Corpse Seed and discovered that it had nurtured spirituality and contained a trace of an unknown tiger-type demon beast bloodline.
• Zhu Yu took Little Black toward the Starry Corridor, passed an earthen mound where someone cursed over a lost Corpse Seed, and returned an hour later to pour fragrant crimson liquid from the Fierce Tiger Corpse Seed's grave mound.

Zhu Yu captured the Mantis Demon Insect after it flew into his cultivation liquid, then subdued it and marked it with a contract rune. He discovered that the insect eagerly ate the medicinal liquid and began examining its awakened innate spell.

• Zhu Yu poured cultivation liquid onto the Fierce Tiger Corpse Seed, raising its cultivation to 33%.
• The Mantis Demon Insect plunged into the vat, and Zhu Yu froze it with an Ice Arrow Talisman and bound it with a Thousand Vine Talisman.
• Zhu Yu checked that the Fierce Tiger Corpse Seed was unharmed, noticed the insect had consumed some medicinal liquid, and carried both back to his courtyard.
• Zhu Yu suppressed the Mantis Demon Insect's resistance and imprinted a contract rune on it.
• The newly contracted insect tried to flee, but Zhu Yu pulled it back and offered it medicinal liquid, which it eagerly ate.
• Zhu Yu noted the difficulty of controlling the conscious insect with a Divine Sense Mark and set out to examine its innate spell.

Zhu Yu discovered that the mutated Jade Blade Mantis had awakened the special talent technique Soul Severing and named it Little Jade. He extracted the Grass Spirit Art from the Qingping Sect's Corpse Seed, then, seven days later, planned to buy a middle-grade demon beast to help Little Jade advance.

• Zhu Yu learned that Little Jade's Soul Severing talent let it slay living beings, absorb their essence, and form special spiritual radiance.
• Zhu Yu discovered Little Jade needed a living First-Order Middle Grade demon beast and ten Starry Wood branches and leaves to advance, then named it Little Jade.
• Zhu Yu extracted the Grass Spirit Art from the Qingping Sect's Corpse Seed and stored it in a Stone Bottle filled with Spirit Spring water.
• After seven days of meditation, Zhu Yu found four additional Soul Particles in his Divine Sea and noted that Xiang Sui was still refining pills.
• Zhu Yu fed and played with Little Jade, then decided to ask the Beast Pen about buying a middle-grade demon beast after teaching his lessons.

Zhu Yu tended the Fierce Tiger Corpse Seed and collected a new Meditation Pill and improved Meditation Fluid from Xiang Sui. After teaching at the pavilion, he asked Xiang Sui about Starry Wood and Divine Radiance, prompting a grave question about whether Zhu Yu had drawn Divine Radiance into his body.

• Zhu Yu found Little Jade had consumed nearly half the medicinal liquid, then watered the Fierce Tiger Corpse Seed and saw its cultivation reach 39%.
• Zhu Yu rode Little Black to the market, passing Bai Meng, who angrily recalled a demon insect that had killed his Corpse Puppet.
• Xiang Sui gave Zhu Yu a Meditation Pill ten times as potent as Meditation Fluid but warned its side effects were also ten times stronger, and Liang Kuan suggested using it for self-defense.
• Zhu Yu taught for three shichen, then asked Xiang Sui about Starry Wood and Divine Radiance.
• Xiang Sui asked Zhu Yu gravely whether he had drawn Divine Radiance into his body.

Xiang Sui warned Zhu Yu and Liang Kuan that The Society’s president, Lian Sheng, was nearing a Foundation Establishment breakthrough and had forced them to disband their Grand Lectures. Mang Xiang attacked Liang Kuan and Zhu Yu, but Xiang Sui intervened; Zhu Yu fled toward the Underworld Grounds and encountered a familiar figure offering him a deal.

• Xiang Sui revealed that Starry Wood and Divine Radiance came from a minor Spirit Ruins Master whose power could turn cultivators into idiots or incarnations.
• Xiang Sui said Lian Sheng would soon return from the Qingping Spirit Ruins battlefield to prepare for Foundation Establishment, so the Grand Lectures had to be disbanded.
• Mang Xiang attacked Liang Kuan with green flames and pinned Zhu Yu beneath overwhelming pressure, identifying himself as a member of The Society.
• Xiang Sui drove Mang Xiang back with spirit fire, extinguished the flames burning Liang Kuan, and told Zhu Yu to return to the Underworld Grounds.
• Zhu Yu raced toward the Underworld Grounds with Little Black, where a familiar figure appeared and proposed a deal.

Zhu Yu learned the Heavenly Abyss’s origins and the Heavenly Dao Sect’s path to becoming a Spirit Ruins Master, while preparing Little Jade to hunt a Wind Wolf. He grew suspicious of the Demon-Rearing Record and discovered that the Meditation Pill was releasing several toxins.

• Mu Ruo offered Zhu Yu an eighty-twenty split to teach students and urged him to leave the Underworld Grounds, but Zhu Yu rode away with Little Black.
• Zhu Yu bought a Wind Wolf and fed Little Jade ten Starry Wood Leaf Blades, after which Little Jade attacked the beast and grew stronger.
• Zhu Yu read Xiang Sui’s jade slip and learned about Spirit Ruins, Spirit Ruins Masters, and the cultivation path toward opening his own Origin Spirit Ruins.
• Zhu Yu suspected the Demon-Rearing Record might be a trap, then checked his Divine Sea and saw one hundred and thirty-six Soul Particles.
• Zhu Yu opened a pill bottle, and the True Sight Eye warned that the Meditation Pill was releasing hallucinogenic, aphrodisiac, diarrhea-inducing, and vomiting toxins.

Zhu Yu avoided Xiang Sui’s dangerous Meditation Pill and resumed cultivation with Meditation Fluid and a Soul Dispersing Pill. Meanwhile, Xiang Kui returned to the sect and discussed The Society, Lian Sheng’s perilous condition, and the resources needed for his own Foundation Establishment; the chapter ended with Little Jade breaking through to the middle grade of the first rank.

• Zhu Yu sensed the Meditation Pill’s harmful effects, put it away, and meditated after drinking Meditation Fluid and taking a Soul Dispersing Pill.
• Xiang Sui brought the unconscious Liang Kuan, whose Dharma Seed had been shattered, to his courtyard and reunited with his elder brother Xiang Kui.
• Xiang Kui told Xiang Sui that Lian Sheng’s Lifespan Root had been shattered and that he would either reach Foundation Establishment or die.
• Xiang Kui advised Xiang Sui to befriend Zhu Yu, gave him a high-grade wood-element Dharma Seed, and warned him not to provoke The Society.
• Zhu Yu woke when his connection with Little Jade grew stronger and saw that the mantis had reached the middle grade of the first rank.

Zhu Yu witnessed a moon-white beetle’s mysterious will grant Little Jade Moon Spirit Protection and awaken a strange life aura in Little Black. He fed Little Black to strengthen the effect, while worrying about how to afford his insects’ growing appetites and leaving the Moon Sprite’s purpose uncertain.

• After Little Jade broke through, a moon-white beetle appeared in Zhu Yu’s vision and its will was blocked by the True Sight Eye, while Little Jade shrank and gained Moon Spirit Protection.
• Zhu Yu touched Little Black’s Mark and saw the beetle again; moon-white light strengthened Little Black and gave him an unusual life aura.
• Zhu Yu analyzed Little Jade’s food needs and realized her appetite, along with Little Black’s, threatened to drain his savings.
• Zhu Yu considered ways to earn Spirit Stones and decided he might sell secret formulas or arts from the Demon-Rearing Record if necessary.
• After Little Black ate, Zhu Yu touched his head and sensed another moon-white Mark, then remarked that the Moon Sprite seemed foolish.

Zhu Yu refined the Moon Sprite’s gifts, broke through to Middle Qi Refining, and learned what costly materials he needed to cultivate Gold-Chewing Iron-Eating. After checking his growing plants and depleted Spirit Soil, he decided to visit the Market to gather supplies and pursue the Moon Sprite’s benefits.

• Zhu Yu realized the Moon Sprite’s mark conveyed fixed memories rather than a conscious will, and that its aura had strengthened Little Jade and Little Black while granting Little Jade a blessing against one fatal attack.
• Zhu Yu sent Little Jade and Little Black to watch over the Spirit Field and house, then used Meditation Fluid to condense sixteen Soul Particles in a day.
• The next day, Zhu Yu absorbed spiritual qi and broke through to Middle Qi Refining, greatly expanding his Divine Sea and strengthening his Spiritual Power and body.
• Zhu Yu used the True Sight Eye to learn the Dharma Vein Diagram and material requirements for Gold-Chewing Iron-Eating, then found the needed materials would cost roughly two thousand Spirit Stones.
• Zhu Yu checked the Grass Spirit Art’s progress and the Wood Spirit Flower’s growth, noticed the Spirit Soil was nearly depleted, and decided to go to the Market for supplies and to exploit the Moon Sprite’s gifts.

Zhu Yu disguised himself to hide a medicinal vat in the Starry Corridor, where Little Jade absorbed Divine Radiance and grew much stronger. At the Market, Zhu Yu bought cultivation supplies and joined Hong Xingwang’s pest-removal team with two other cultivators.

• Zhu Yu left Little Black behind, disguised himself, and buried the medicinal vat in the Starry Corridor with a Spiritual Power Mark to guard it.
• Little Jade absorbed the Starry Wood’s Divine Radiance, strengthening its body and scythe-like forelimbs severalfold.
• Zhu Yu explored the Market, recorded information about unfamiliar goods, and bought the Spirit Medicine and spiritual items he needed.
• Zhu Yu answered Hong Xingwang’s call for pest-removal cultivators and demonstrated his Corpse Beetle and Little Jade.
• Hong Xingwang selected Zhu Yu, Middle Qi Refining Spirit Planter Kuang Yan, and Early Qi Refining cultivator Chen Ying, who controlled ten Poison Widows.

Zhu Yu joined Hong Xingwang and other cultivators in clearing a sudden insect infestation from the Spirit Fields, where Filth Qi threatened crops and soil fertility. After watching Kuang Yan and Chen Ying work, Zhu Yu released Little Jade to hunt insects in a Green Spirit Fruit Grove.

• Hong Xingwang explained that insects had appeared without warning throughout the Spirit Fields, costing him crops and Spirit Stones as the infestation spread.
• Kuang Yan used Grass Awl Sword Qi to kill insects and eggs in five acres of Blood Tooth Spirit Rice.
• Chen Ying sent her Poison Widows into a Jade Marrow Mushroom field, where they devoured the insects and she appeared to draw strength from them.
• Hong Xingwang led Zhu Yu to a Green Spirit Fruit Grove and asked him to clear its insects before hurrying toward Spirit Field Hall to seek the infestation’s source.
• Zhu Yu summoned Little Jade, which flew through the grove and cut down the insects in its path.

Zhu Yu discovered malformed demon insects in the Clear Spirit Fruit Grove and accidentally frightened Jiao Zuo out of his breakthrough ritual through an unknown Mark. The insect plague briefly vanished, then returned as the insects erupted from the soil and attacked spirit plants.

• Zhu Yu and Little Jade cleared insects from the Clear Spirit Fruit Grove, where they found First-Order demon insects fused from multiple species.
• Zhu Yu examined a malformed insect and saw an emerald Mark whose chaotic thought recoiled from his reply and shattered, killing the insect.
• The insect plague vanished across the Spirit Field district, and Wu Fengqi realized Jiao Zuo had halted his breakthrough ritual after sensing a powerful aura.
• Jiao Zuo asked Wu Fengqi to reassure the senior he believed he had disturbed, then returned to his ritual.
• The insects burst from the soil, devoured spirit plants and Spirit Medicine, and rapidly bred again.

Zhu Yu acquired a strand of Spirit Ruins Origin after contacting Jiao Zuo through a Mark, then accepted Hong Xingwang’s offer to let Little Jade mate with his insect for Spirit Stones. He left Hong Xingwang’s courtyard with Little Jade after agreeing to three attempts.

• Zhu Yu contacted Jiao Zuo through a pale-green Mark, causing Jiao Zuo’s consciousness and much of his Spirit Ruins Origin to vanish.
• Zhu Yu discovered the Spirit Ruins Origin in his Divine Sea and realized it had come from Jiao Zuo, though he wondered how the transfer had happened.
• Wu Fengqi discovered that Jiao Zuo’s failed ritual had cost him one minor merit and ten thousand contributions, and he rushed to the Hall of Affairs to complain.
• Hong Xingwang paid Zhu Yu and the others for driving away the insects, while Chen Ying and Kuang Yan left together.
• Hong Xingwang offered Zhu Yu Spirit Stones to borrow Little Jade for breeding, and Zhu Yu agreed to three attempts for fifteen hundred Spirit Stones per attempt.
• Zhu Yu left Hong Xingwang’s courtyard with Little Jade after their first breeding attempt, with Little Jade showing no sign of exhaustion.

After receiving Xiang Sui’s warning about possible anomalies in the Underworld Grounds, Zhu Yu went to the Dharma Repository to investigate special innate techniques. He learned that grafting techniques from unrelated bloodlines could attract powerful entities and asked Die Ersan to list advanced visualization diagrams compatible with wood and earth.

• Zhu Yu left Hong Xingwang’s courtyard, returned to his corpse field, and received Xiang Sui’s message that Junior Brother Liang had recovered and entered the demon cave with the Demon-Slaying Guards.
• Suspecting the spirit-field insect disaster and the unacquainted senior brother’s gift might be connected to the Underworld Grounds anomalies, Zhu Yu decided to visit the Dharma Repository.
• Zhu Yu reached the Dharma Repository, met the book slave Die Ersan, and paid to consult Ten Categories of Special Innate Techniques.
• Zhu Yu read that special techniques awakened from unrelated bloodlines could have serious flaws and might attract the attention of powerful entities.
• Zhu Yu returned the book and asked Die Ersan to count and introduce advanced visualization diagrams compatible with wood and earth.

Zhu Yu studied the Dharma Repository catalog, learned about advanced visualization inheritances and Merit, and considered the Yinming and Graveyard Grass inheritances. After spending his Contribution Points researching cultivation and the Spirit Ruins Battlefield, he asked Die Ersan to find out whether the Dharma Repository would accept an inheritance he had obtained by chance.

• Die Ersan brought Zhu Yu the free catalog after receiving a Spirit Stone.
• Zhu Yu learned that Yinming and Graveyard Grass could forge powerful Dao Foundations, and that the Dharma Vein Diagrams for their arts did not conflict with Gold-Chewing Iron-Eating.
• Zhu Yu paid Die Ersan to explain that Merit was a rare currency earned through long service or the Spirit Ruins Battlefield.
• Zhu Yu spent a full day in the Dharma Repository researching cultivation and other topics until he had used all his Contribution Points.
• Zhu Yu gave Die Ersan a concealed jade slip and asked him to learn whether the Dharma Repository would accept the inheritance and how much it was worth.

Zhu Yu sold the Demon-Rearing Record to Dharma Repository steward Yan Qi, who warned him that the trial might change. Xiang Sui later confirmed that a powerful figure may have intervened, and warned Zhu Yu to stay indoors as the Underworld Grounds changed.

• Die Ersan delivered Zhu Yu’s jade slip to Yan Qi, who offered one minor merit and ten thousand Contribution Points for the Demon-Rearing Record.
• Zhu Yu accepted Yan Qi’s offer and received the merit and Contribution Points, then sent a warning message after hearing the trial might change.
• Seven days later, Xiang Sui visited Zhu Yu and said the Demon Cave and Insect Nest seemed calm, but Yan Qi’s warning suggested a Foundation Establishment True Person had intervened in the trial.
• Xiang Sui urged Zhu Yu to prepare and warned him not to go out because the Underworld Grounds would soon change.