Recaps

Yu Ci assessed his talisman bottleneck and decided to build a Seven Stars Altar of Footwork to temper his killing intent. While exploring Yinkui City’s chaotic market with Wan Quan, he recognized a woman and used the Zhaoshen Map to survey the city and listen in on conversations.

• Yu Ci found that his heavy killing intent hindered his progress with soul-restoring talismans, so he resolved to complete the Seven Stars Altar of Footwork as soon as possible.
• Yu Ci visited Yinkui City’s crowded market, where a cultivator fell to his death and a later fight collapsed two caves.
• Yu Ci glimpsed a familiar woman moving through the market with a group, but Wan Quan’s greeting interrupted his recognition.
• Wan Quan reported that he had posted Yu Ci’s requests for materials with various shops and began explaining how businesses dealt with Great Vertebra Hall.
• Yu Ci used the Zhaoshen Map to survey the city within its range and clearly hear conversations around Great Vertebra Hall.

Yu Ci accompanied Wan Quan to Yinkui City’s Three Families Market, where he secretly tracked Shen Wan using the restored Zhaoshen Map. The chapter ended with Yu Ci observing her from a distance as she moved through Baichuan Market.

• Yu Ci learned that Great Vertebra Hall’s plan had collapsed and that Chu He’s party had disappeared, leaving the hall badly weakened.
• Wan Quan led Yu Ci through the black market and explained the different ranks and schedules of Three Families Market.
• Yu Ci noticed a veiled woman in blue and learned from Wan Quan that she was heading to Three Families Market.
• Yu Ci recognized the woman as Shen Wan, a Suixin Pavilion manager he had previously met, but chose not to approach her.
• Yu Ci used the restored Zhaoshen Map to track Shen Wan’s movements from afar.

Yu Ci used the Zhaoshen Map to watch Shen Wan at Baichuan Market and noticed a concealed Core Formation cultivator secretly placing something against her skirt. After failing to plant a deeper mark on the man, Yu Ci withdrew the map and entered the "Lone Star" sensing state.

• Yu Ci adjusted the Zhaoshen Map to monitor Shen Wan while Wan Quan explained that she was likely sounding out market prices for Suixin Pavilion.
• Yu Ci inferred that Shen Wan's visit might signal new developments for Suixin Pavilion in Yinkui City, and Wan Quan sent a message to his companions at Red Fang Workshop to approach her.
• Yu Ci and Wan Quan visited Wuchen Market, where Yu Ci used the map to view its exhibition halls but found none of the materials he needed.
• Yu Ci noticed a disguised Core Formation cultivator brush past Shen Wan and leave something against her skirt before fleeing Three Families Market and Yinkui City.
• Yu Ci failed to embed a lasting mark on the fleeing cultivator and switched from the Zhaoshen Map to the "Lone Star" sensing state.

Yu Ci registered four rare materials with Three Families Market and learned that Lu of the Red Fang Workshop could help refine artifacts. As he left with Wan Quan, Yu Ci noticed Shen Wan, the new Suixin Pavilion steward, and reacted to her scent.

• Yu Ci tracked a Core Formation cultivator through the underground passages using Lone Star induction while avoiding the Great Vertebra Hall's sentry posts.
• Yu Ci and Wan Quan met Steward Wen at Three Families Market and registered to acquire Five Thunder Spirit Wood, Mysterious Water Obsidian, Spiritually Connecting Jade, and Wonderful Cave True Incense.
• Steward Wen explained that Three Families Market had stopped accepting Ruyi Money because Suixin Pavilion faced troubles in Yinkui City and might retreat to the four northern cities.
• Steward Wen recommended Lu of the Red Fang Workshop as a skilled artifact refiner, and Wan Quan offered to connect Yu Ci with her.
• Yu Ci spotted Shen Wan in the exhibition hall and sniffed appreciatively as he watched her.

Yu Ci watched Fifth Master He and a mysterious elderly spirit shaman investigate a hidden enemy, then withdrew when the old man detected his surveillance. Later, Shen Wan discovered that the seals on her warehouse had been loosened.

• Yu Ci used the Zhaoshen Map to follow Steward Wen and discovered that Fifth Master He, a Void-Stepping expert, had arrived with an elderly cultivator and several Core Formation attendants.
• The Shadow Ghost warned Yu Ci that the frail-looking old man followed an unusual path and urged him to be careful.
• The old man used a spirit-shaman method to point to Baichuan Market and explain how the fugitive weakened the spirits' senses in crowded places before escaping.
• The old man sensed interference in Wuchen Market and expelled Yu Ci's divine intent from his mind palace, so Yu Ci severed his connection to the Zhaoshen Map.
• Shen Wan reflected on her troubled shop handover and the goods she had recovered from Hun Liao, then found that the seals and restrictions around her warehouse had been loosened.

Shen Wan assessed the damage after her storehouse was robbed, while Yu Ci tracked Ling Xi Wanderer and discovered that the theft was part of a plan to recover a mysterious copper object. Ling Xi handed the object to Seventh Brother at a hidden rendezvous, then used incense to incapacitate him.

• Shen Wan returned to the storehouse with Shen Liang and hired wardens, but the thief had already escaped and the wardens chose to leave.
• Shen Wan calculated the losses and reassured Shen Liang that the most precious goods were safe, though she worried about her future in the Northern Wastes.
• Yu Ci used Shadow Ghost and Zhaoshen Map to follow Ling Xi Wanderer, who had stolen a mysterious copper object from Shen Wan's storehouse.
• Ling Xi met Seventh Brother by a bonfire and gave him the copper object, explaining how Harmony Sinking Incense and Harmony Floating Incense had helped him locate it.
• Ling Xi revealed how to activate the incense's toxicity, and Seventh Brother collapsed after breathing it in.

Ling Xi Wanderer killed Seventh Brother and another pursuer with numbing scents, then fought Yu Ci when he discovered him in the cavern. Yu Ci overcame Ling Xi Wanderer’s scent-based techniques with a hidden strike and killed him, leaving his true attacker concealed in the shadows.

• Ling Xi Wanderer subdued Seventh Brother and the man who attacked from underground, then killed both former allies.
• Yu Ci emerged after Ling Xi Wanderer left and examined the scarce traces of numbing scent and the bodies.
• Ling Xi Wanderer detected Yu Ci following him and used Marrow-Piercing Cold Incense to disrupt Yu Ci during their close-quarters fight.
• Yu Ci fled into a branching tunnel, but Ling Xi Wanderer sent numbing scents after him and believed he had won.
• Yu Ci appeared inches from Ling Xi Wanderer and pierced his defenses with a powerful attack, then killed him with Sword Qi.

Yu Ci survived his battle with Ling Xi Wanderer and took the Xuan Ling Yin, then went to Red Fang Workshop to have Lu Qing process black gold silk for his Seven Stars Altar of Footwork. The chapter left him studying the banner’s complicated rune patterns with Lu Qing as a commotion arose next door.

• Yu Ci fought off exhaustion from the poison, recovered, and searched Ling Xi Wanderer's corpse, finding the Xuan Ling Yin.
• Yu Ci considered the risks of pursuing the Yellow Springs Secret Mansion and concealed Ling Xi Wanderer's body with cloud vapor.
• At Red Fang Workshop, Bao Yun complained to Wan Quan about Yu Ci occupying the prime venue, and Wan Quan hurried off to assist him.
• Yu Ci met Lu Qing in the workshop beneath Red Fang Workshop, where she had finished processing the black gold silk.
• Lu Qing questioned the banner's rune patterns, and Yu Ci sat down to study the crafting problem with her as a commotion sounded next door.

Yu Ci helped Lu Qing investigate and repair an Earth-Sealing Fire Furnace accident at Red Fang Workshop, then encountered Shen Wan. More than half a month later, a letter from Three Families Market announced that Wonderful Cave True Incense had arrived with an asking price of forty thousand Dragon Palace Shells.

• Yu Ci discussed talisman patterns with Lu Qing, but Wan Quan interrupted to warn that a furnace installation had caused Earth Lung Poison Fire to leak at Red Fang Workshop.
• Yu Ci and Wan Quan joined Lu Qing at the accident site, where Yu Ci helped identify damage to the sealing array and revived the badly injured installer with talismans.
• Yu Ci noticed Shen Liang's shock at the talismans' effects and saw Shen Wan arrive, then left after greeting her.
• Yu Ci spent more than half a month keeping a low profile as commissions dwindled following rumors about his conflict with Great Vertebra Hall and his identity as the Ling Xi Wanderer.
• Yu Ci received a letter from Three Families Market stating that Wonderful Cave True Incense had arrived and its owner wanted forty thousand Dragon Palace Shells.

Yu Ci challenged Jin Changhua’s exorbitant price for Wonderful Cave True Incense by testing the incense and exposing its flaws. Their negotiation was interrupted by the old spirit shaman, who confirmed Yu Ci’s assessment and asked for a stick of incense.

• Yu Ci and Wan Quan met Steward Wen at Three Families Market and arranged to negotiate directly with Jin Changhua over the incense.
• Jin Changhua demanded forty thousand Dragon Palace Shells or a high-grade defensive artifact for two bundles of incense.
• Yu Ci tested a stick of incense and concluded it was improperly made and stored, making it risky to use for honoring the gods.
• Jin Changhua was stunned by Yu Ci’s findings, and Yu Ci explained the incense’s impurities and weakened spiritual efficacy.
• The old spirit shaman arrived, confirmed Yu Ci was right, and asked Jin Changhua to give him one stick of incense.

Yu Ci and Jin Changhua settled their deal for the Wonderful Cave True Incense after a spirit shaman intervened, and Yu Ci reconsidered his attitude toward life in Yinkui City. He secretly followed the shaman’s divination and learned that it had identified the abandoned mine where he disposed of Ling Xi Wanderer’s corpse.

• Master Zhang took a stick of Wonderful Cave True Incense from Jin Changhua and warned Yu Ci and Jin Changhua about sinful spirits before leaving.
• Yu Ci and Jin Changhua agreed on a price of twelve thousand Dragon Palace Shells for the incense, then left without staying for a meal.
• Wan Quan told Yu Ci that the Taiyin Banner was finished and that a place in the Hundred Revolving Wind Cave had opened, prompting Yu Ci to curse before laughing at his own change in outlook.
• Yu Ci parted from Wan Quan, used the Ethereal Flight Talisman to go underground, and watched Master Zhang’s divination through the Zhaoshen Map.
• Master Zhang directed Fifth Master He and his companions toward the northwest, identifying the area where Yu Ci had burned Ling Xi Wanderer’s body in a fire vent.

Yu Ci secretly watched Fifth Master He investigate the fire eye, where a luminous bug traced traces linked to the Ling Xi Wanderer and exposed a suspicious path. As Fifth Master He approached a fissure, the magma erupted and Yu Ci’s view through the bug abruptly vanished.

• Yu Ci hid outside the mining area and used the Zhaoshen Bronze Mirror to parasitize his divine will into a luminous bug accompanying Fifth Master He.
• Fifth Master He released the bug to search the fire eye, and Yu Ci saw its dark-green trail mark places where he had handled the Ling Xi Wanderer’s corpse.
• Yu Ci noticed the trail followed a route he had never taken, while Fifth Master He’s men found a robe fragment identified as the Ling Xi Wanderer’s Truth-Breaking Yuan-Corroding Incense.
• Fifth Master He suspected the Ling Xi Wanderer had been killed, and Yu Ci feared someone was framing him or had discovered his secret.
• The luminous bug returned to its bottle, and Fifth Master He rushed toward a fissure at the fire eye.
• A bubbling crater burst open, magma surged, Yu Ci’s view through the Zhaoshen Map went dark, and the Shadow Ghost warned him to dodge.

Yu Ci survived a tribulation cultivator’s attack by hiding inside the Cloud Tower Tree, then connected the threat to the Primordial Demon Sect and Ling Xi Wanderer’s plans for the Xuan Ling Yin. Back in Yinkui City, he learned that Spirit Shaman Master Zhang Ye had been killed and received an urgent commission from Steward Wen.

• Yu Ci hid inside the Cloud Tower Tree to evade a tribulation cultivator, who devastated the mining area with fire before leaving.
• Yu Ci recovered the badly damaged Cloud Tower Tree and reasoned that Ling Xi Wanderer might still be alive and seeking the Xuan Ling Yin.
• The Shadow Ghost identified the attacker’s Molten Core Prison Technique as an art associated with the Primordial Demon Sect, and Yu Ci decided to leave the dangerous area.
• After Yu Ci returned to Yinkui City, Wan Quan told him that Spirit Shaman Master Zhang Ye had died in Three Families Market and that the market was searching for the murderer.
• Steward Wen visited Yu Ci and asked him to accept a commission to summon souls and drive away ghosts at Three Families Market.

Yu Ci investigated Zhang Ye’s death at Baichuan Market and prepared to summon his soul as the market’s managers struggled to respond to the crisis. The news that Fifth Master He had also died deepened their suspicion of a powerful murderer, while Yu Ci’s spell produced an unexpected black pearl.

• Yu Ci examined Zhang Ye’s body and found no remnant soul, then encountered Su Tong and heard the managers argue over who should handle the soul summoning.
• A message revealed that Fifth Master He’s life lamp had gone out, and Steward Wen realized that both men investigating the Ling Xi Wanderer had died.
• Su Tong left rather than get involved, while Yu Ci and Shadow Ghost concluded that Zhang Ye’s precise, delicate killing did not match the Molten Core Prison Technique.
• Steward Wen insisted that Yu Ci proceed, and Yu Ci cast the Soul Recovery Star-Fixing Spell, whose light pearl turned into a flawless black pearl.

Yu Ci investigated the old spirit shaman’s death and discovered that his specially refined incense could contact the Primordial Demon Lord. The Demon Lord’s reply revealed that the killer had concealed himself from both the shaman and some of the Demon Lord’s powers, just as Shen Wan of Suixin Pavilion requested an audience.

• Yu Ci failed to summon the old spirit shaman’s soul and secretly took the refined incense stub from the incense burner.
• Yu Ci identified the stub as spirit-shaman incense used to honor gods and tested it in his quiet room.
• The incense connected Yu Ci to a consciousness that responded with killing intent, and the Shadow Ghost recognized it as a strand of the Primordial Demon Lord.
• The Shadow Ghost realized the shaman had been killed by someone who could evade both the shaman and part of the Demon Lord’s powers.
• A flying talisman arrived with Shen Wan of Suixin Pavilion’s request to meet Yu Ci.

Shen Wan proposed consigning Yu Ci’s Sword Garden treasures to the upcoming Suixin Dharma Assembly and offered him the location of a Mysterious Water Luminous Rock Vein. Yu Ci agreed, then went to Red Fang Workshop to seek another component for his dharma altar, where a familiar cry caught his attention.

• Shen Wan visited Yu Ci and explained that she wanted rare Sword Garden treasures for the Suixin Dharma Assembly in Fengdu City.
• Shen Wan offered to consign Yu Ci’s treasures through Suixin Pavilion and reveal the location of a Mysterious Water Luminous Rock Vein.
• Yu Ci accepted the deal, choosing consignment so he could sell dangerous magical tools through a trusted channel and obtain materials for his Seven Stars Altar of Footwork.
• Yu Ci went to Red Fang Workshop to find another component for his dharma altar, but a familiar cry turned into a low moan before he could see who made it.

Yu Ci collected the Taiyin Banner from Lu Qing, then followed Wan Quan to a violent disturbance at Red Fang Workshop. Lu Qing intervened against the attackers, and as the giant fled with Old Gu, he hurled a ghostly green sphere into the air.

• Yu Ci glimpsed Bao Yun in a neighboring courtyard, where her companion sang Daoist verses while she moaned.
• Yu Ci examined and paid Lu Qing for the newly crafted Taiyin Banner.
• Wan Quan reported trouble, and Yu Ci followed him to a courtyard where two men had attacked a faction hall master and others.
• Lu Qing struck the attackers and rescued an unconscious woman, while the giant defeated one opponent and Old Gu fought her.
• As powerful cultivators converged, the giant retreated with Old Gu and threw a gloomy green sphere into the air, unleashing ghostly shrieks.

Lu Qing pinned the activated Soul Capturing Orb beneath the earth, and Yu Ci stepped forward to control its yin souls rather than destroy them. He began sacrificing his newly acquired Taiyin Banner while an unseen observer watched with interest.

• Lu Qing wounded Old Gu, and the two fiends fled after leaving the activated Soul Capturing Orb behind.
• Lu Qing forced the orb ten zhang into the ground and held it there, limiting the danger of its ghostly cries and possible explosion.
• Su Tong warned that the orb could unleash a destructive yin explosion, while Bao Yun urged Yu Ci to help and counter Su Tong’s influence.
• Yu Ci declared that controlling the yin souls would resolve the danger, then learned from Lu Qing that she could hold the orb down for about half an hour.
• Yu Ci took out the unrefined Taiyin Banner and began sacrificing it with the Life and Death Talisman, drawing the attention of a hidden observer.

Yu Ci demonstrated the Taiyin Banner’s rapid ritual refinement, then used it to draw most of the wandering souls from the Soul Capturing Orb while the onlookers and Su Tong departed. As the Red Fang Workshop collapsed from distant tremors, Shadow Fiend revealed that two Longevity True Men had begun fighting over territory near Yinkui City.

• Yu Ci completed six layers of ritual refinement on the Taiyin Banner in an instant, astonishing the cultivators gathered at the Red Fang Workshop.
• Yu Ci used the banner to absorb most of the wandering souls from the Soul Capturing Orb while Lu Qing helped, and Su Tong left after recognizing the banner’s method.
• Yu Ci destroyed the remaining soul hostility with Nameless Tribulation Star Soul Shattering Divine Light, while Bao Yun teased him and clung to his arm.
• A powerful tremor began collapsing the Red Fang Workshop, and Yu Ci realized the source lay dozens of miles away.
• Shadow Fiend explained that two Longevity True Men were fighting over their hunting grounds near Yinkui City.

Yu Ci tried to leave Yinkui City after learning that the Xuan Ling Yin might draw danger, but Red Fang Workshop rewarded him for his help and Third Master He’s group intercepted him. They forced him to accompany them to the abandoned mining area, where they wanted his soul-summoning skills.

• The Shadow Ghost warned Yu Ci to leave quickly because powerful forces might come seeking the Xuan Ling Yin, and Yu Ci postponed his plans for the Hundred Revolving Wind Cave.
• Yu Ci accepted a Soul Capturing Orb and Dragon Palace Shells from Lu Qing as thanks for protecting Red Fang Workshop.
• Steward Wen intercepted Yu Ci outside the Hundred Turns Guesthouse and summoned him to meet Third Master He.
• Third Master He and his companions offered Yu Ci a large discount on supplies if he helped them investigate the abandoned mining area.
• Yu Ci refused to join them, but Third Master He tried to seize him, so Yu Ci agreed to go rather than fight.

Yu Ci joined Third Master He's group and helped search the lava-scarred mining district for traces of Fifth Master He. His soul-recovery spell detected lingering fragments, but Mr. Xia revealed an unexpected ability to sense them and uncovered something from one of the marked locations.

• Yu Ci traveled with Third Master He’s group to the abandoned mining district while Shadow Ghost assessed the distant battle between two Longevity True Men.
• At the ravaged Earthfire Eye, Third Master He ordered Yu Ci to search for soul fragments and other clues, and Yu Ci asked the group to withdraw and conceal their auras.
• Yu Ci cast the Soul Recovery Star-Fixing Spell and detected several faint traces, then used the Taiyin Banner and the Lunar Restraint Ghost Art to protect and mark them.
• Mr. Xia entered the field of yin energy, told Yu Ci to leave the rest to him, and headed for one of the marked spots.
• Yu Ci sensed that Mr. Xia’s aura resembled the spirit-shaman rhythm of the deceased Master Zhang Ye, and Mr. Xia dug something out from beneath the rock.

Yu Ci watched Mr. Xia recover Fifth Master He's preserved eyeball and the Luminous Bug, while Third Master He's attitude toward him softened after learning of his reputation. As the group rested, the Shadow Ghost deduced that they had been avoiding magma flows and recognized the eyeball's origin, but Third Master He interrupted with a new business offer.

• Mr. Xia excavated a preserved eyeball from the lava, then later recovered the Luminous Bug sealed in a jade bottle and handed the eyeball to Third Master He.
• After reading a transmission from Mr. Xia, Third Master He questioned Yu Ci about the Taiyin Banner and the One Breath Piercing the Heavy Heavens method, then invited everyone to rest.
• Mr. Xia and Third Master He discussed the Flying Firefly and Mr. Xia's hopes of reaching the Spirit Witch throne, while Yu Ci wondered whether Mr. Xia was related to Xia Boyang.
• The Shadow Ghost told Yu Ci that the group had deliberately avoided underground magma flows and said he recognized the eyeball's background.
• Third Master He brought Yu Ci a jade slip with a temporary business offer, and Yu Ci was startled by its contents.

Yu Ci crafted a talisman for Third Master He and bargained for the Three Families Market to supply his requested items, while the Shadow Ghost explained that a Demon Sect technique could track Yu Ci and the places he had stayed. As Yu Ci remained with Third Master He and Mr. Xia during their search, a disguised attacker approached and suddenly revealed himself.

• Yu Ci quickly made a talisman that met the client’s requirements, and Third Master He confirmed it worked.
• Yu Ci negotiated for the Three Families Market to supply his desired items at half price without middlemen, and Third Master He accepted the arrangement.
• The Shadow Ghost identified an eyeball as a tracking tool of the Primordial Demon Sect and warned Yu Ci that the sect could trace his past and current locations.
• Third Master He and Mr. Xia sent cultivators to investigate areas near the magma flows, while Yu Ci stayed behind and discussed talismancraft with them.
• A blue-clothed cultivator returned to the cavern, and the Shadow Ghost warned Yu Ci just as the newcomer revealed his unusual lips and light-purple irises.

Yu Ci met Zhai Que'er, who inspected the Curse Demon Crystal and led the group to investigate places where Black Robe had stayed. Their conversation about Yu Ci’s search for Mysterious Water Obsidian ended when Zhai Que'er accused him of pretending not to know about talisman duels.

• Zhai Que'er arrived disguised in He Wan's clothes, greeted Third Master He, and discussed Mr. Xia's prospects and her connection to Ancestor Ling.
• Zhai Que'er recognized Yu Ci as an outsider who had heard their secrets, then told him to accompany them as they searched two places where Black Robe had stayed.
• Zhai Que'er asked Yu Ci about his planned journey to find a Mysterious Water Obsidian vein, and he explained that he still needed to gather supplies himself.
• Zhai Que'er questioned why a talisman expert like Yu Ci lacked money and mentioned his earnings from talisman duels, leaving Yu Ci confused.
• Zhai Que'er accused Yu Ci of playing dumb when he asked what talisman duels she meant.

Yu Ci explained that he had never practiced creating talismans on demand, while Zhai Que'er tested his Water Strike Three Thousand Miles talisman and praised its effect. When she proposed another form of talisman duel, Layered Aperture Form Integration, Yu Ci recognized the technique and recalled using it in the past.

• Zhai Que'er explained that talisman duels could test either on-demand talisman creation or Layered Aperture Form Integration.
• Yu Ci told Third Master He that Water Strike Three Thousand Miles was a traditional talisman from a classic, not one he had created himself.
• Zhai Que'er tested the jade talisman and used her control over the air to make its coiled forces lash through the tunnel.
• Mr. Xia praised the talisman, and Third Master He reconsidered his view of Yu Ci after seeing its power.
• Zhai Que'er praised the talisman's effect and introduced Layered Aperture Form Integration, which Yu Ci recognized from his past practice.