Recaps

Yu Ci ambushed Poisonous Snake Monk, Lu Quan, and Xu Lao Er in Sky Rift Valley after using the Zhaoshen Map to predict their route. He killed Lu Quan with a Seven Stars talisman and revealed himself to Poisonous Snake Monk, charging into the remaining men with his Nine Yang Talisman Sword.

• Yu Ci hid in a hollow on the cliff and prepared talismans while tracking the three men's approach with the Zhaoshen Map.
• Poisonous Snake Monk, Lu Quan, and Xu Lao Er discussed their search for a ghost beast and a buried treasure as they descended the cliff.
• Yu Ci used a ghost-face monkey to draw Lu Quan's attention, then struck him with a concealed Seven Stars Sword Talisman.
• Lu Quan died after his sword qi tore through his body, and Poisonous Snake Monk realized the attack had been a talisman.
• Yu Ci leaped from the mist with his Nine Yang Talisman Sword, and Poisonous Snake Monk recognized him as the Bai Ri Mansion junior.
• Yu Ci charged down the cliff toward Poisonous Snake Monk and Xu Lao Er through their incoming attacks.

Yu Ci fought Poisonous Snake Monk and Xu Lao Er in the Sky Rift, using talismans to destroy their weapons and gain the advantage. After killing Poisonous Snake Monk, he pursued Xu Lao Er and cut him in half with a sword strike that harmonized his sword, qi, and soul.

• Yu Ci charged Poisonous Snake Monk, knocked aside his golden saber, and drove him down the cliff while Xu Lao Er moved out of their way.
• Xu Lao Er attacked Yu Ci with the Spirit Binding Rope and Corrosive Soul Fire, forcing Yu Ci to leap away from the cliff.
• Yu Ci used a Five Thunder Talisman to destroy the rope and strike Poisonous Snake Monk with lightning.
• Yu Ci used a Divine Movement Talisman to step through the air and kill Poisonous Snake Monk with his sword.
• Xu Lao Er fled, but Yu Ci pursued him and severed him in two with a sword strike.

Yu Ci killed the Poisonous Snake Monk and his allies, then survived a night of chaos as beasts rampaged through the Sky Rift Valley. When the turmoil began to subside, Ye Tu recovered from his absent-minded state and showed Yu Ci a diagram he had drawn as his latest achievement.

• Yu Ci explained to Ye Tu that courage, clear intent, and breaking an enemy's nerve had guided his swordsmanship.
• A deafening roar sent Blood Vultures and other beasts fleeing or fighting wildly through the gorge.
• Yu Ci saw a giant Teng Snake thrashing in the mist, then tried to leave with Ye Tu but retreated when beasts blocked their way.
• Yu Ci and Ye Tu waited through the night as Yu Ci guarded their slope and watched the surrounding chaos with the Zhaoshen Map.
• After gathering more than four thousand stalks of Shrimp Whisker Grass, Yu Ci saw Ye Tu recover and unveil a crude diagram as his latest achievement.

Ye Tu explained his theory of the spirit and soul to Yu Ci, outlining the stages of Spirit Cultivation and the role of the primordial spirit, consciousness, and true spirit. Their discussion turned to primordial spirit sword-riding and Daoist Yan’s powerful strike before a sudden tremor interrupted them.

• Ye Tu used a diagram to explain how the primordial spirit, manifest consciousness, and hidden consciousness formed the spirit and soul, and how cultivation developed divine intent and refined the hidden consciousness.
• Ye Tu described the stages of Spirit Cultivation, identified Yu Ci as nearing the middle tier, and invited him to return to Half-Mountain Island for instruction in longevity techniques.
• Ye Tu explained that primordial spirit sword-riding relied on uniting spirit and qi, then concluded that Daoist Yan’s strike had likely drawn power from the Nine Yang Talisman Sword’s baleful talismanic scripts.
• A powerful tremor shook the ground, and Ye Tu stared toward the slope with his jaw dropped.

Yu Ci and Ye Tu were attacked by a massive ghost beast on the slope, and Yu Ci struggled to fight it despite its overwhelming speed and strength. The chapter left Yu Ci lunging toward the beast’s face after dodging its claw, while Ye Tu remained pinned beneath it.

• A giant ghost beast climbed onto the slope and killed a giant ape with one claw.
• Yu Ci recognized the beast as the ghost beast he had heard about and tried to retreat with Ye Tu.
• The ghost beast attacked, injuring Ye Tu and striking Yu Ci with its tail.
• Yu Ci’s sword failed to harm the beast, but he used the state of spirit and qi embracing each other to locate its teeth and glimpse it through the mist.
• The ghost beast raised its claw to strike Ye Tu, and Yu Ci dodged the blow and lunged toward its face.

Yu Ci fought a powerful ghost beast in Sky Rift until Ye Bin arrived, wounded it, and revealed herself as Ye Tu’s master. She rescued Yu Ci and Ye Tu, then used a trick to strike the supposedly escaped beast again, leaving its fate uncertain.

• Yu Ci struck the ghost beast with the Nine Yang Talisman Sword, severing one of its horns before its roar hurled him into a cliff.
• An unseen attacker wounded the ghost beast as it fled into the mist, and Yu Ci found Ye Tu alive but badly injured.
• Ye Bin introduced herself as Ye Tu’s master, thanked Yu Ci for protecting her disciple, and examined Ye Tu’s injuries.
• Ye Bin carried Yu Ci and Ye Tu out of Sky Rift and explained that the ghost beast had served the Rakshasa Ghost King and could escape her pursuit.
• Ye Bin suddenly shouted “Hit!” and a thunderous sound struck as blood-filled bubbles churned in the clouds near the cliff.

Yu Ci survived Ye Bin’s lingering Sword Qi and took her demonstration as a direction for his own sword practice. The story then shifted to Juebi City, where Zhao Wu nervously brought a Three Yang Talisman Sword to a Bai Ri Mansion shop for consignment.

• Ye Bin gave Yu Ci the severed Heart-Pulling Horn and pointed out the clouds holding the trace of her Sword Qi before leaving with Ye Tu.
• Yu Ci sensed Ye Bin’s sword intent in the clouds, was pierced by its mist-like Sword Qi, and then laughed as he accepted the experience.
• Zhao Wu hurried through Juebi City with a stone box, resisting the temptation to keep its contents.
• At the Bai Ri Mansion shop, Zhao Wu marked the form for consignment sale and identified the item as a Three Yang Talisman Sword.
• The pharmacist and clerk reacted uneasily to the consignment and the sword, then asked Zhao Wu to confirm what he had brought.

Yu Ci used a series of intermediaries to trade Shrimp Whisker Grass for four Three Yang Talisman Swords, while Bai Ri Mansion’s men failed to discover his identity. He then surveyed Juebi City and began observing Bai Ri Mansion through the Zhaoshen Map.

• Zhao Wu exchanged Shrimp Whisker Grass for a Three Yang Talisman Sword at Bai Ri Mansion and delivered it to Rugui Inn for ten taels of gold.
• Two men followed Zhao Wu, but they lost track of the sword after the inn proprietor sent it to an empty room booked by Wang Xiaoqi.
• Yu Ci inspected four Three Yang Talisman Swords at Fuan Inn and watched Bai Ri Mansion’s frustrated trackers through the Zhaoshen Map.
• Yu Ci used the Zhaoshen Map to survey Juebi City and reflected on how his growing cultivation had enabled its vast view.
• Yu Ci shifted his attention to Dan Cliff and began exploring Bai Ri Mansion through the map.

Yu Ci used the Zhaoshen Map to observe Bai Ri Mansion and discovered how its cultivators produced Fish Dragon Grass from Shrimp Whisker Grass. After three stalks formed, Jin Huan returned to the mansion, but the Map’s interference concealed him as the mansion’s leaders gathered.

• Yu Ci observed Tu Du’s secluded chamber and realized the Zhaoshen Map’s images became distorted around powerful cultivators.
• Yu Ci watched eight apothecaries activate the Water Pill Furnace with his thousand-odd stalks of Shrimp Whisker Grass.
• Three stalks of Shrimp Whisker Grass began transforming into Fish Dragon Grass, and a servant hurried to report the news to Lu Yang.
• Lu Yang learned of the successful transformation and told his disciple that Jin Huan had just returned.
• Yu Ci located a large area of distortion around Jin Huan in the discussion hall as Lu Yang and other stewards gathered there.

Yu Ci learned that Bai Ri Mansion had ordered the city sealed to capture the person who traded Shrimp Whisker Grass, so he left Juebi City and headed toward Youqiu Palace. From a distance, he watched Lu Yang and Kuang Zheng spar and discovered he could see light shining from within their heads, which he suspected came from their Yin Spirits.

• Lu Ding ordered Bai Ri Mansion's guards to seal Juebi City's gates and find the person who exchanged four Three Yang Talisman Swords, while explaining that the unusually potent Shrimp Whisker Grass suggested the person knew a special gathering method.
• Yu Ci realized Bai Ri Mansion was investigating him, left through the East Gate, and learned that people were traveling to Youqiu Palace for Xuan Yin Celestial's attainment day.
• Yu Ci avoided the commotion at the West Gate, followed the worshippers, and later watched Juebi City and Dan Cliff from a spot thirty li west of the city.
• Yu Ci observed Lu Yang and Kuang Zheng sparring while Kuang Yanqi watched, then noticed orange-red light inside Lu Yang's head and pale violet light inside Kuang Zheng's.
• Yu Ci recognized that the lights might be the stewards' Yin Spirits and realized his previous understanding of them had been mistaken.

Yu Ci investigated how the Zhaoshen Map reflected people and triggered a dangerous transformation when his reflection merged with his intent. He survived by using the Nine Palaces Moon Bright True Return Marvelous Method, gained a new bodily power, and ended by wondering what the Zhaoshen Bronze Mirror was as it shot light into his glabella.

• Yu Ci noticed that the Zhaoshen Map showed powerful beings less clearly than weaker ones and examined his own reflection within it.
• Yu Ci’s reflection moved independently, and his intent merged with it, causing his body to imitate its posture as his essence and physical strength surged out through his crown.
• The Zhaoshen Bronze Mirror absorbed the Zhaoshen Map and gathered Yu Ci’s escaping essence into a pearl, while his depleted body and spirit were drawn toward the mirror.
• Yu Ci guarded his Mud Pill Palace and shouted “Fix,” stopping the mirror and drawing the essence pearl back into his body, where it spread through his flesh and bones.
• Yu Ci tested a finger-sword that cut a smooth gash into a fir tree and recognized a resemblance to Ye Bin’s sword intent.
• Yu Ci called the Zhaoshen Bronze Mirror his old partner, and it sent a beam of light into his glabella.

Yu Ci received the Zhaoshen Bronze Mirror's refining method and began refining it, discovering that years of carrying and feeding it true qi had already fulfilled the mirror-nurturing step. As he followed Jin Huan's party toward Zhixin Temple, Yu Ci gained clearer visions through the Zhaoshen Map and learned the youths were being taken to seek entry into the Li Chen Sect.

• Yu Ci understood that the Zhaoshen Bronze Mirror's hidden refining method had awakened because he had carried it close and infused it with true qi for twelve years.
• Yu Ci used the mirror to see Jin Huan's party leave Dan Cliff, and the Zhaoshen Map's image became clearer than before.
• Yu Ci followed Jin Huan's group through the Duanjie Mountain Range, keeping his distance while observing Jin Huan's cultivation and identifying the party's members.
• Lu Yang told Kuang Yanqi and Jin Chuan that they would first go to Zhixin Temple, where Li Chen Sect elders would select them for the mountain gate.
• Yu Ci learned the party was heading to Zhixin Temple and began refining the Zhaoshen Bronze Mirror using the newly received method.

Yu Ci refined the Zhaoshen Bronze Mirror, transforming and purifying his vital essence, then traveled to investigate Zhixin Temple, the destination of Jin Huan’s party. As the Bai Ri Mansion party approached the temple, they encountered a Daoist whose aura suggested Core Formation, though Jin Huan could not determine his true cultivation.

• Yu Ci used the Zhaoshen Map and Bronze Mirror to refine the treasure and purify his vital essence toward what he believed was Innate Qi.
• Concerned by what Lu Yang and Jin Chuan had revealed about the Li Chen Sect, Yu Ci traveled into the southwestern wilderness and located Zhixin Temple.
• Jin Huan led the Bai Ri Mansion party toward Zhixin Temple and Lu Yang warned Jin Chuan and Kuang Yanqi to show respect to its senior cultivators.
• A handsome Daoist in a jade robe appeared on the mountain path, saluted Jin Huan’s party, and continued on his way.
• Lu Yang sensed an aura of astral energy and Baleful Intent around the Daoist, and Jin Huan warned the others not to treat him lightly.

Yu Ci infiltrated Zhixin Temple by posing as a refined daoist and overheard Jin Huan negotiate mountain cultivation for Jin Chuan and Kuang Yanqi. He revealed himself to request a fair trade for his Fish Dragon Grass, but Jin Huan attacked him with the Supreme Blazing Sun Method.

• Jin Huan brought Lu Yang, Jin Chuan, and Kuang Yanqi to Zhixin Temple to meet Temple Master Yu.
• Yu Ci entered the temple grounds behind Jin Huan's group, and both Jin Huan and Temple Master Yu mistook him for someone connected to the other.
• Jin Huan offered Fish Dragon Grass and a Seven Shines primordial stone to secure cultivation places for Jin Chuan and Kuang Yanqi.
• Yu Ci asked Temple Master Yu how much thirteen stalks of Fish Dragon Grass were worth and identified himself as a lone cultivator seeking a trade.
• Jin Huan recognized Yu Ci as an outsider and unleashed the Supreme Blazing Sun Method, overwhelming his senses with a vision of a blood-red sun.

Yu Ci offered his Fish Dragon Grass to Master Yu while Jin Huan threatened him, but the box appeared empty until a Fish Dragon emerged from its crack. Master Yu offered three hundred merit points and explained the creature’s transformation from Shrimp Whisker Grass, leaving Jin Huan demanding an explanation about Bai Ri Mansion’s rights.

• Yu Ci resisted Jin Huan’s pressure and argued that his thirteen stalks of Fish Dragon Grass had been naturally grown, not produced with Bai Ri Mansion’s exclusive formula.
• Yu Ci opened his stone box, found it empty, and considered attacking Jin Huan before Master Yu spotted a Dao Worm inside.
• The insect floated out of the box, and Master Yu identified it as a Fish Dragon and offered Yu Ci three hundred merit points for it.
• Jin Chuan protested the price, so Jin Huan ordered him to kneel and then demanded that Master Yu explain the sect’s agreement with Bai Ri Mansion.
• Master Yu invited Yu Ci to sit and explained how Shrimp Whisker Grass became Fish Dragon Grass and then evolved into a Fish Dragon.

Yu Ci watched Jin Huan retreat after Old Daoist Yu Zhou explained the natural transformation of fish dragon grass, then followed Yu Zhou to Tongde Hall to learn how the sect’s merit system worked. There, Yu Ci discovered that obtaining a complete longevity technique would require resources far beyond his reach, and the chapter ended with him confronting the difficulty of pursuing longevity.

• Old Daoist Yu Zhou explained that artificially cultivated fish dragon grass could never become a true fish dragon, and Jin Huan accepted the rebuke and admitted he had oversimplified the matter.
• Jin Huan left Zhixin Temple, while Jin Chuan departed resentful toward Yu Ci, who recognized that Bai Ri Mansion now regarded him as a blood enemy.
• Yu Ci asked Yu Zhou about good deeds and news, and Yu Zhou took him to Tongde Hall and explained its merit-based resource exchange system.
• Yu Ci searched the method listings for a longevity technique and found that the sect’s leading scriptures cost boundless merit or at least one hundred thousand deeds.
• Yu Zhou explained that a complete longevity technique required compatible pill formulas, void-stepping arts, and tribulation-transcending methods, leaving Yu Ci to reflect on how difficult longevity was to attain.

Yu Ci secured permission to earn merits through public notices at Zhixin Temple and settled there while preparing to pursue an immortality pill formula. After forging a Pure Yang Talisman Sword, he was interrupted by Baoguang, who arrived with scratches and said a feathered beast had bullied him.

• Yu Ci asked Yu Zhou about becoming an outer resident disciple and learned that he could accept notices from the posting board despite not belonging to the Li Chen Sect.
• Yu Ci thanked Yu Zhou, arranged to lodge at Zhixin Temple for protection from Bai Ri Mansion, and explored the temple.
• Yu Ci learned that most of the temple's Daoists were lodgers hoping to join the sect, then began forging a Pure Yang Talisman Sword.
• Yu Ci successfully fused the talisman swords into a Pure Yang Talisman Sword, strengthening his plans.
• Baoguang flew into Yu Ci's courtyard with scratches on his cheek and said a feathered beast had bullied him.

Yu Ci joined Baoguang in trying to capture a water aspect bird at South Frost Lake, but they could not identify it among a flock of wild ducks. After Baoguang mentioned a wide-ranging thunder technique, Yu Ci consulted his talisman manual and found the Yindu Black Law Ghost Binding Curse.

• Baoguang explained that his first attempt to capture the water aspect bird had failed and asked Yu Ci for help.
• Yu Ci and Baoguang flew to South Frost Lake on Baoguang’s Ghost Gauze Cloud while Baoguang recounted how the bird had outwitted him.
• They spotted the flock of wild ducks, but Baoguang admitted his marker had fallen off, leaving them unable to distinguish the bird.
• Yu Ci considered how to capture the bird without exposing the Zhaoshen Map, then recalled Baoguang’s mention of a thunder technique with a range of one li.
• Yu Ci unrolled his talisman manual and found the Yindu Black Law Ghost Binding Curse.

Yu Ci caught the Water Aspect Bird with the Yindu Black Law Ghost Binding Curse and discovered that the talisman responded smoothly to his Innate Qi. Later, Yu Zhou summoned him, showed him a Merit Token, and revealed that Yu Ci had accumulated 360 Good Deeds.

• Yu Ci used the Yindu Black Law Ghost Binding Curse to bind the flock of wild ducks and expose the Water Aspect Bird hidden among them.
• Baoguang returned to the temple with Yu Ci and offered to share his Good Deeds, but Yu Ci declined.
• Yu Ci noticed that using the curse had felt unusually effortless and that his Innate Qi circulated smoothly.
• Baoguang brought Yu Ci to meet Yu Zhou, who practiced sword forms in his courtyard before speaking with him.
• Yu Zhou gave Yu Ci a Merit Token, and Yu Ci saw that it recorded 360 accumulated Good Deeds.

Yu Ci received 360 Good Deeds for the Fish Dragon Grass and prepared to return to Sky Rift Valley, where the Temple Master asked him to search for six rare herbs. After learning about the Blood Prison Ghost Manor and the valley’s dangers, Yu Ci set out the next morning with Baoguang’s Ghost Gauze Cloud to speed his journey.

• The Temple Master gave Yu Ci 360 Good Deeds for the Fish Dragon Grass, including an extra payment from Senior Brother Lu.
• Yu Ci told the Temple Master he planned to return to Sky Rift Valley to gather herbs and complete requests.
• The Temple Master gave Yu Ci a jade slip listing six herbs and explained how the Blood Prison Ghost Manor and past demonic incursions had led to the restriction on Core Formation cultivators entering the valley.
• Yu Ci agreed to search for the herbs, and the Temple Master told him he could stay in Sky Rift Valley through winter.
• After Yu Ci confirmed he would leave the next morning, Baoguang gave him the Ghost Gauze Cloud to shorten his journey.

Yu Ci returned to the Sky Rift Valley after a grueling journey on Baoguang’s Ghost Gauze Cloud and discovered that several major sects had converged there amid rumors about a ghost beast and a hidden treasure. Suspected of killing three powerful figures, he faced growing danger but continued toward the valley, amused by the enemies his actions had made.

• Yu Ci flew roughly four thousand li per day on the Ghost Gauze Cloud and reached the Sky Rift Valley on the tenth morning.
• Yu Ci noticed a controlled goshawk had been following him, then landed and confirmed its handler was beyond the range he could detect.
• Yu Ci questioned nearby herb-gatherers and learned that the Wanling Sect and Jingshui Altar had come searching for Zheng De, Lu Quan, and Xu Ji, prompting violent clashes with Bai Ri Mansion.
• Rumors linked the search to a ghost beast and a hidden treasure, drawing Bai Ri Mansion, the Wanling Sect, the Xuan Yin Sect, and Jingshui Altar into the Sky Rift Valley.
• Yu Ci realized that the sects might identify him as the one who killed Zheng De and the others, but he laughed and continued toward the valley.

Yu Ci continued searching Sky Rift Gorge for medicinal materials and killed an ancient Hidden Skin snake to claim its valuable slough. He was confronted by Cheng Rong of the Wanling Sect and Shi Xin, the sect master’s granddaughter, who accused him of killing her snake.

• Yu Ci marked trees hosting Shrimp Whisker Grass and searched the gorge for natural Fish Dragon Grass as winter approached.
• Yu Ci tracked down an old Hidden Skin snake, killed it with Sword Qi, and prepared to retrieve its snake slough worth thirty Good Deeds.
• A blood vulture arrived carrying Cheng Rong and Shi Xin, and Shi Xin demanded that Yu Ci pay for killing her snake.
• Cheng Rong introduced himself as a Wanling Sect cultivator and explained that Shi Xin was the sect master’s youngest granddaughter.
• Shi Xin claimed she had placed a Soul Tethering Curse on the Hidden Skin and had been waiting for it to lead her to its slough.

Yu Ci saw through Cheng Rong’s attempt to recruit him and learned that the Wanling Sect wanted to build ties with him because of his clash with Bai Ri Mansion and his possible connection to the Li Chen Sect. The chapter ended with Yu Ci understanding the sect’s political ambitions and the mutual interests behind its friendly overtures.

• Cheng Rong explained that Shi Xin had used the Soul Tethering Curse to track the Hidden Skin snake, and Yu Ci challenged her claim to it.
• Cheng Rong admitted Bai Ri Mansion had issued a notice demanding Yu Ci be captured alive or dead, then invited him to join the Wanling Sect.
• Yu Ci said he was seeking rare herbs and ores, and Cheng Rong offered the Wanling Sect’s Ghost Appearance Flower.
• Cheng Rong praised Yu Ci for humiliating Jin Huan and harming Bai Ri Mansion, revealing that the Wanling Sect knew about the ichthyosaur deal.
• Yu Ci recognized that the Wanling Sect hoped to use his possible entry into the Li Chen Sect to gain influence in Juebi City.

Yu Ci questioned herb gatherers near Sky Rift Valley, using their rumors to find two medicinal herbs worth six or seven Good Deeds. He caught Xuanqing fleeing and revealed that he could see the nine-person force from Bai Ri Mansion approaching the valley camp.

• Yu Ci encountered a group of herb gatherers, recognized many of them as the swindlers from the ruined temple, and asked them about medicinal herbs.
• The herb gatherers shared information, and Yu Ci learned of two herbs worth six or seven Good Deeds.
• Xuanqing slipped away from camp and ran into the forest after crushing a communication talisman.
• Yu Ci appeared before Xuanqing and confronted him about contacting Lu Ding of Bai Ri Mansion and putting Yu Ci on a wanted list.
• Xuanqing drew his sword and warned that Bai Ri Mansion's main force was coming, but Yu Ci showed him nine figures approaching the valley camp through the blue light.

Yu Ci lured Bai Ri Mansion’s pursuers to the valley and fought Lu Ding, Si Long, and the Mansion Lord’s guards with his Pure Yang Talisman Sword. He broke through the guards and pressed Lu Ding, but Si Long unleashed a sweeping fire attack as the battle continued.

• Yu Ci returned to the campfire carrying Xuanqing’s severed head and sent the herb gatherers away before Bai Ri Mansion’s pursuers arrived.
• Lu Ding demanded that Yu Ci surrender, but Yu Ci ignored him and assessed Si Long and the seven elite guards accompanying them.
• Yu Ci struck Si Long with the Pure Yang Talisman Sword, then attacked the guards as they formed a coordinated formation around him.
• Yu Ci broke through the guards, killing three, and charged across the stream toward Lu Ding.
• Lu Ding blocked Yu Ci for two breaths, giving Si Long time to recover and join the attack.
• Si Long unleashed the Supreme Blazing Sun Method in a broad wave of fire, forcing Lu Ding to retreat while Yu Ci turned toward the attack.