Chapter Summaries

Yu Ci and Lu Qing left Mr. Qingsong’s ruined cave and focused on treating Yu Ci’s poison wounds. Beyond the Zhaoshen Map’s range, Kou Chu was drawn into a strange gathering around Ten Directions Great Venerable until he begged an immortal elder for help, and familiar lightning struck the group.

• Yu Ci learned from an Evergreen Gate patient that Yan Luo Hall had attacked Mr. Qingsong and that Evergreen Gate controlled valuable mines and medicinal gardens.
• Lu Qing stopped Yu Ci from investigating further, and they returned downhill to discuss his treatment and the earth-energy mechanism he was building.
• Kou Chu hid as cultivators fled through Graveyard of Grudges, then was drawn out by cries of Ten Directions Great Venerable and the influence of five-colored threads.
• The fleeing cultivators began chanting and dancing after taking Ghost Prison Powder, while Kou Chu recognized the danger and tried to escape.
• A five-colored thread caught Kou Chu, so he called for the immortal elder, whose lightning swept through the gathering as a voice noted that the light looked familiar.

Yu Ci rescued Kou Chu and other cultivators from a group wielding strange five-colored light, then traced the attack to a madman near the Graveyard of Grudges. A venomous lion cat killed the man, devoured his yin spirit, looted his corpse, and repelled Yu Ci’s Divine Intent Starbeam.

• Yu Ci used a Five Thunder Talisman to incapacitate the attackers and cast the Life Extension and Calamity Averting Star Spell on two ghost cultivators who were close to dispersing.
• Kou Chu and an awakened cultivator told Yu Ci that a madman had bewitched their companions into attacking them and that the five-colored strands were not their own ability.
• Yu Ci used the Zhaoshen Map to trace the madman’s path and found the man fleeing nearby.
• Yu Ci’s Divine Intent Starbeam bounced off the man’s brain palace, and a snow-white lion cat pounced on him, tore out his throat, and poisoned him to death.
• The lion cat shattered and swallowed the man’s escaping yin spirit, then looted his belongings and took his Storage Ring.
• Yu Ci sent his Divine Intent Starbeam toward the lion cat, but it bounced back as well.

Yu Ci investigated the strange lion cat and a corpse in the Graveyard of Grudges, then sought a quiet place to heal his injured leg. After noticing an abnormality in the earthly energy and a metal fragment among the cremation ashes, he was left wondering what it was.

• Yu Ci learned from Shadow Ghost that the lion cat and a dead cultivator might have sealed brain palaces, and he connected the cat to Zhao Ziyue and an old companion of Ling Xi Wanderer.
• Kou Chu recognized the corpse as a cultivator who had taken Ghost Prison Powder and was believed to have died in the Graveyard of Grudges.
• Yu Ci cremated the corpse after Lu Qing warned that burying it in the heavy Yin-qi could turn it into a zombie.
• Kou Chu described the Graveyard's outer settlements and deeper, dangerous regions as Yu Ci asked for a quiet place to cultivate.
• Yu Ci brought out Tie Lan, which sensed the flow of earthly energy and went to search for a suitable cultivation site.
• Yu Ci noticed the earthly energy behaving abnormally near the ashes, then spotted a metal fragment among them.

Yu Ci investigated a strange metal fragment taken from the deceased and discovered it absorbed blood and contained a chaotic intent repeating “Ten Directions.” After he restored the intent with starlight, the fragment began responding to his commands, leaving him to test what it could do.

• Yu Ci, Lu Qing, and Ying Gui determined that the fragment was an artificially refined magic treasure remnant that absorbed solar-harmony Qi and blood.
• Yu Ci used his blood to reveal the fragment’s patterns and trigger an intent that repeatedly said “Ten Directions.”
• Yu Ci countered the fragment’s mental assault with Heavenly Dragon True Intent, scattering most of the chaotic intent.
• Yu Ci used natal starlight and a divine intent star-ray to gather and restore the remaining “Ten Directions” intent.
• Yu Ci realized the fragment had affected his judgment, then commanded it to fly, and it rose from his palm.

Yu Ci completed an earth-qi circulation hub in the Graveyard of Grudges and learned that Lu Qing had finished a large Dharma altar. He abandoned plans to heal his poisoned leg first and decided to assemble the full ritual setup with Lu Qing at the earth-qi aperture cavern.

• Yu Ci controlled the shattered metal fragment, then put it away after the Shadow Ghost suggested it might require devotion to activate its powers.
• Tie Lan found two suitable sites, and Yu Ci chose a secluded highland with a pure earth-qi spring in the Graveyard of Grudges.
• After two days, Yu Ci finished the Mysterious Water Obsidian circulation hub and prepared to use earth-qi to cleanse the demonic poison in his left leg.
• Kou Chu brought Yu Ci to Lu Qing, who showed him the completed Dharma altar she had built from eight pieces of Mysterious Water Obsidian.
• Yu Ci insisted that he and Lu Qing set up the altar, banners, Dharma seals, and incense offerings together, then ordered the altar moved to the earth-qi aperture cavern.

Yu Ci completed the Dharma altar and began a ritual to draw earth-qi through an operational hub he had built beneath it. As the altar gathered the earth-qi, the immense force entered Yu Ci’s body.

• Yu Ci had Tie Lan guard the area and asked Lu Qing to assist with possible altar modifications while Kou Chu attended him.
• Yu Ci donned Daoist robes, climbed the altar without using his Void Movement Talisman, and followed the ritual steps to steady his mind.
• Yu Ci began refining the altar, using a mysterious fulcrum to sense flaws and gradually transform the Mysterious Water Obsidian.
• Yu Ci summoned the Dao Scripture Master Treasure Seal, the Taiyin Banner, the Seven Star Sword, and the Turtle Crane Furnace, then activated the altar.
• Yu Ci lowered a second piece of Mysterious Water Obsidian through the altar to seal the earth-qi aperture and establish the operational hub.
• Yu Ci lit the Wonderful Cave True Incense and chanted an incantation, drawing purified earth-qi through the hub and into his body.

Yu Ci used the Earth Deity Profound Virtue Divine Talisman to dissolve the Gu Diao's demon poison in his injured leg, but its overwhelming power flooded the cavern and forced him to discharge the excess earth qi. As the metal fragment absorbed the earth qi and eased the pressure on him, specks of starlight entered Yu Ci's mind.

• Yu Ci used the talisman and the Inner Void's imagery to guide earth qi precisely through his injured leg, dissolving most of the demon poison without damaging his body.
• Yu Ci lost control of the surging earth qi, which spread through the cavern and forced Kou Chu to flee from its crushing pressure.
• Yu Ci directed the fish-dragon manifestation to soak the altar and his ritual implements in earth qi, beginning to refine the incomplete Seven Stars Altar of Footwork.
• Yu Ci summoned the metal fragment from the Cloud Tower Tree space, and it absorbed earth qi in huge quantities, easing the pressure on him.
• Yu Ci noticed specks of starlight enter his mind as the metal fragment continued absorbing earth qi.

Yu Ci sorted the overwhelming scenes transmitted by fragments of a magical treasure and discovered that they were scattered across tens of thousands of li, with Zhao Ziyue holding one nearby. As the fragment flew toward him and cried “Ten Directions,” its mental assault overwhelmed Yu Ci’s control and shook his Inner Void.

• Yu Ci used the Zhaoshen Map and his innate divine ability to sort the scenes by direction and distance while the ritual altar sustained his Overlimit state.
• Yu Ci determined that the scenes came from fragments of the same magical treasure, most of which were scattered across the Graveyard of Grudges.
• Yu Ci recognized Zhao Ziyue holding a fragment several hundred li away, with a white cat in his arms.
• The fragment in Zhao Ziyue’s possession began flying toward Yu Ci and cried “Ten Directions.”
• Yu Ci made contact with the fragment’s consciousness, but its assault shattered his control and sent a shock through his Inner Void, soul, and body.

Yu Ci used natal starlight and the Life Extension and Calamity Averting Star Spell to withstand the metal fragment’s consciousness turbulence while he refined the altar and Taiyin Banner. When Lu Qing caught a second fragment, Yu Ci let it join the first, forming a metal moth that devoured the opposing consciousness and revealed more than a dozen faint points of light within.

• Yu Ci repeatedly rebuilt the fragment’s fragile simple consciousness with natal starlight, enduring the opposing consciousness turbulence until he gained the advantage.
• Yu Ci placed the Shooting Star Disk in the altar and rapidly cast layers of talismans, advancing the Taiyin Banner and altar to the third heaven of ritual refinement.
• The altar’s enhancement ended, and Yu Ci stopped the ritual refinement as the bright yellow earth energy began to recede.
• A second metal fragment shot toward the altar, and Lu Qing pinned it in place before Yu Ci told her to let it come.
• The fragments joined into a moth-shaped object, whose consciousness devoured the opposing turbulence and revealed over a dozen faint points of light inside.

Yu Ci examined the metal moth’s links to dying cultivators, confirmed that its fragments had used their life force, and prepared to leave as the earth qi faded and newcomers closed in. Nearby, Zhao Fang was cornered with his dying junior brother until a sudden disturbance halted the fight and someone recognized him.

• Yu Ci found that the metal moth’s fragments connected to dying cultivators and drained their primordial qi through five-colored threads.
• Shadow Ghost explained that the fragments’ abilities resembled a crude form of belief, and Yu Ci concluded that the moth’s reshaped consciousness had overwhelmed its native one.
• The earth qi faded, leaving a few nearby points of light; Yu Ci confirmed that his demon poison was gone but learned his injuries still needed treatment.
• Tie Lan warned that more cultivators were approaching, and Yu Ci decided to leave while shrinking the fallen ritual platform.
• Zhao Fang searched for his unresponsive junior brother Zou Bo as a pursuer attacked them and their Wind Subduing Spirit Python.
• A sudden tremor congealed the air around Zhao Fang, disrupted the fight, and prompted someone nearby to recognize him as Brother Zhao.

Yu Ci and Lu Qing rescued Zhao Fang’s group after driving off their pursuer, and Yu Ci’s star spell unexpectedly kept Zou Bo alive. Zhao Fang explained that the Heaven Seizing Sect had attacked his party and that Cai Xuan was still in danger, while Yu Ci sent Tie Lan to eliminate the lingering pursuer.

• Yu Ci drove off Zhao Fang’s pursuer and discovered that his Life Extension and Calamity Averting Star Spell had formed a vitality network in Zou Bo’s body.
• Lu Qing began treating Zou Bo while Yu Ci asked Zhao Fang what had happened to his party.
• Zhao Fang explained that the Heaven Seizing Sect had ambushed his group, and Cai Xuan had stayed behind to hold off an upper-stage Core Formation cultivator.
• Lu Qing finished treating Zou Bo and advised against intervening further, but Yu Ci chose to act because the pursuer was still nearby.
• Yu Ci ordered Tie Lan to attack the pursuer, while Zhao Ziyue decided not to approach the strange clash.

Cai Xuan’s desperate stand against the Heaven Seizing Sect was interrupted when Yu Ci used a false claim that Wang Zihuai had arrived to make the attackers flee. After rescuing Cai Xuan and reuniting him with Zhao Fang and the others, Yu Ci wondered why the Life Extension and Calamity Averting Star Spell had suddenly improved.

• Cai Xuan recited the Haoran Sect’s “Sacrifice life for righteousness” method, locking Zong Wanxiu into a deadly standoff.
• Zong Wanxiu called on Chou Wu for help, and Chou Wu prepared to attack Cai Xuan despite the danger of triggering his self-destruction.
• Yu Ci sent a voice transmission pretending to be Wang Zihuai, while an approaching Sword Qi convinced the Heaven Seizing Sect disciples that the Crane Immortal had arrived.
• Chou Wu and Zong Wanxiu fled, and Cai Xuan collapsed without his vital energy erupting.
• Cai Xuan awoke in a cavern with Zhao Fang, Zou Bo, Yu Ci, and the others, and Yu Ci explained that a life-extending talisman was stabilizing him.
• Yu Ci realized the Life Extension and Calamity Averting Star Spell had advanced greatly, but he could not understand what had caused the progress.

Yu Ci returned to Huayan City with the wounded Cai Xuan, Zhao Fang, and Zou Bo, then rested while puzzling over the metal moth and recovering from his leg injury. After Lu Qing treated him and teased him about an involuntary reaction, he ventured out in a chair and heard someone reciting in the Cai clan’s underground garden.

• Yu Ci brought the injured Zhao Fang, Cai Xuan, and Zou Bo safely back to Huayan City, where the Cai clan welcomed them and he stayed to recover.
• Yu Ci examined the metal moth and concluded that it had triggered an improvement in the Life Extension and Calamity Averting Star Spell, though his further tests yielded no results.
• Lu Qing massaged Yu Ci’s injured leg, and he fell asleep under her care before waking to find her studying the metal moth.
• Lu Qing finished treating Yu Ci and advised him that forcibly controlling an act of no thought could disrupt his qi and blood.
• Yu Ci went out in a four-wheeled chair through the Cai ancestral residence and heard someone reciting a passage in the underground garden.

Yu Ci comforted Cai Xuan, who revealed that his lineage planned to relocate to the Three Northern Lakes and sought Yu Ci’s help making connections. Yu Ci then sensed something amiss and discovered that Kou Chu was being pressured by others to reveal its method for gaining fortune.

• Yu Ci found Cai Xuan reciting scriptures and reassured him about his fear of facing death again.
• Cai Xuan told Yu Ci that his lineage planned to move to the Three Northern Lakes because their ancestor’s injuries were worsening and they had offended the Heaven Seizing Sect.
• Cai Xuan asked Yu Ci to help his family settle in the region, but Yu Ci said he rarely went there and his home was elsewhere.
• Cai Xuan explained that his family planned to travel east by cloud boat in about five months and would invite sect seniors to help protect the migration.
• Yu Ci sensed an inexplicable warning, inspected himself, and used the Zhaoshen Bronze Mirror to discover Kou Chu was being pressed to share its fortune-making method.

Kou Chu was cornered by Black Dog and his men, who had set a Yin Trap to capture it. As the trap began to restrain Kou Chu, a silvery-white talisman flame appeared on its chest and burned through the bindings.

• Black Dog and his accomplices surrounded Kou Chu in a small temple and demanded that it reveal information.
• Kou Chu killed an attacker with the Jie Sha Cone, then fought its way toward an escape route.
• Kou Chu nearly fled beneath the temple but stopped when Immortal Master Lu warned it that a Yin Trap had been set.
• Immortal Master Lu told Kou Chu to hold off its enemies for half a quarter-hour, and Kou Chu charged at Black Dog despite the danger.
• Black Dog used the Yin Trap’s key to bind Kou Chu, then kicked apart part of its ghost body.
• A silvery-white flame appeared on Kou Chu’s chest, melted the bindings, and flared as Black Dog recognized it as talisman fire.

Yu Ci used the five-colored thread linking him to Kou Chu to send talismanic power across three hundred li, saving the ghost cultivator from Black Dog’s men. Kou Chu charged out of the temple with the starfire and scattered the remaining enemies, while Yu Ci watched in astonishment.

• Black Dog fled the little temple after Yu Ci’s starfire talisman ignited several of his subordinates, leaving Kou Chu among the burning men.
• Yu Ci explained that Kou Chu’s resolve had formed a five-colored thread between them, allowing him to channel his true Baleful Intent and create the Grand Unity Smoke Capital Starfire Talisman at a distance.
• Yu Ci used the Heavenly River Auspicious Prayer Curse to heal Kou Chu and urged it to break out before the men could surround it again.
• Kou Chu mistook Yu Ci’s remote aid for magic power bestowed by the Immortal and charged from the temple with sparks of starfire in hand.
• Kou Chu threw the sparks at Black Dog’s men, setting several ablaze and collapsing the encirclement as Yu Ci watched in shock.

Yu Ci guided Kou Chu through a chaotic escape from Yan Luo Hall, where a clash between Core Formation experts nearly killed it. After Tie Lan brought Kou Chu back, Yu Ci noticed a strange connection between his treasures and Kou Chu’s divine intent, then accepted the ghost cultivator as his follower.

• Yu Ci supplied Kou Chu with talismans, enabling it to break Yan Luo Hall’s attempted encirclement and vanish with the Ethereal Flight Talisman.
• A black-robed Core Formation expert attacked Kou Chu, but the attacker recognized it as You Rui and withdrew into a three-sided battle.
• Tie Lan rescued Kou Chu from the battle’s aftermath, where Black Dog was killed by surging true Baleful Intent.
• Yu Ci observed a five-colored thread connecting his perspective to Kou Chu’s divine intent and suspected his treasures’ functions had combined.
• The shadow ghost explained how a believer’s faith could reflect a deity’s power, and Yu Ci told Kou Chu to follow him.

Yu Ci planned to enter seclusion in the Graveyard of Grudges after recovering, while Lu Qing warned that Qiongqi might be hunting missing ghost cultivators there. Their discussion was interrupted by You Rui, who arrived secretly and asked Yu Ci for help.

• Zhao Fang and Zou Bo discussed Huayan City's worsening situation and left after Yu Ci refused to travel with them.
• Yu Ci told Lu Qing he planned to enter seclusion in the Graveyard of Grudges and pursue ways to improve his arts and spirit-talismans.
• Lu Qing warned that Qiongqi might be healing its injuries by devouring ghosts and gu in the Graveyard of Grudges.
• An unseen visitor wrote a message in the stove smoke saying that the person who lost the insect wished to see Yu Ci.
• You Rui entered Yu Ci's room and asked him to lend her a hand, while Yu Ci remained on the bed as Lu Qing continued his massage.

Yu Ci negotiated with You Rui, who asked him to escort her from Huayan City and deliver a letter to Third Master He in Fengdu City. After learning that You Rui was Xia Shuanghe’s widow and weighing her offered treasures, Yu Ci agreed to escort her to Black Moon Lake.

• Yu Ci challenged You Rui to explain her request plainly, and she revealed that Zuo Gui and Wang An were pursuing her amid an internal dispute at Three Families Market.
• You Rui asked Yu Ci to escort her out of Huayan City, take her to Black Moon Lake, and deliver a letter to Third Master He in Fengdu City.
• You Rui showed Yu Ci the Ghost King Lock Ring and offered three treasures as payment for completing each stage of the escort and delivery.
• You Rui gave Yu Ci Returning Swallow Incense Essence to remove the fragrance she had placed on Kou Chu.
• Yu Ci recognized that You Rui’s husband had been Xia Shuanghe, and Lu Qing supported traveling to Black Moon Lake for its cultivation opportunities.
• Yu Ci agreed to escort You Rui, while suspecting she lacked confidence in reaching Fengdu City on her own.

Yu Ci traveled through the Graveyard of Grudges while searching for fragments that matched his metal moth, as Kou Chu and the others waited at camp. The group remained far from Black Moon Lake, and Yu Ci’s search uncovered ever more fragments and landscape light spots.

• Kou Chu roasted ghost wolf meat over the Grand Unity Smoke Capital Starfire Talisman while You Rui studied a stone tablet and Shadow Ghost meditated nearby.
• You Rui reflected that Lu Dun had ignored her route to Black Moon Lake, leaving the group only one-fifth of the way there after half a month.
• You Rui considered her uncertain standing in the Three Families Market and recognized that she needed to prove her value after Xia Shuanghe’s death.
• Yu Ci found another tiny magical treasure fragment, stored it with the others, and tested whether it would join the metal moth.
• Yu Ci noted that his search had produced more than twenty fragments while over two hundred landscape light spots had appeared in his Inner Void.
• Yu Ci and Shadow Ghost discussed Kou Chu’s rapid mastery of the talisman fire, which Yu Ci had left for it to practice.