Chapter Summaries

Yu Ci investigated the Yellow Springs Secret Mansion’s shifting location and discovered that traces from its previous appearance could help others track it. As he considered racing to find the mansion, a chilling shriek sounded beneath the earth.

• Yu Ci used the Zhaoshen Bronze Mirror and Divine Intent starlight to survey the area before secretly sending out his mind-image projection.
• Yu Ci reviewed Ling Xi Wanderer’s memories and learned that the Five Sacred Peaks True Form Diagram concealed the mobile Yellow Springs Secret Mansion within the Graveyard of Grudges.
• Yu Ci’s projection searched Black Moon Lake and then descended toward the location where Ling Xi Wanderer had detected the mansion three years earlier.
• Yu Ci found traces of rubbing and damage left by the mansion’s movement and realized that others might use its past appearances to track it.
• Yu Ci decided he wanted to find the mansion, but a piercing shriek sounded through the earth as he prepared to return.

Yu Ci observed Miao Xiang enduring the Ghost Pool’s brutal cultivation and learned that she was under pressure to seek help, then investigated the pool and survived a demonic snake’s ambush. Elsewhere, Ling Xi Wanderer told the black-robed cultivator about the Awakening Dao Longevity Incense, prompting him to devise a plan and send Ling Xi Wanderer to Three Families Market.

• Yu Ci sensed You Rui watching Miao Xiang endure the Ghost Pool and realized that her Yin Illusion Sarira cultivation involved tormenting herself with concentrated ghostly energy.
• A crow urged Miao Xiang to seek help from a mysterious benefactor or accept its offer, but Miao Xiang killed it after it warned that her cultivation could destroy her sanity and endanger someone they both cared about.
• Yu Ci examined the Ghost Pool, then resisted an attack from a two-headed demonic snake and returned to his physical body before Miao Xiang reached the site.
• Ling Xi Wanderer told the black-robed cultivator about the Awakening Dao Longevity Incense and its connection to Xuanmen.
• The black-robed cultivator decided to act and instructed Ling Xi Wanderer to deliver a message to Three Families Market.

Ling Xi Wanderer met Zhai Que'er, who questioned him about the Xuan Ling Yin and his cultivation arts, while Yu Ci discovered that the Unnamed Incense Scripture in his possession contained related secrets. You Rui then asked Yu Ci for help with a matter involving herself and Master Miao Xiang, but Lu Qing interrupted to challenge an unseen visitor.

• Ling Xi Wanderer delivered Black Robe's communication jade slip to Zhai Que'er, who offered him a possible affiliation if he met three conditions.
• Zhai Que'er asked Ling Xi Wanderer how he had acquired the Xuan Ling Yin and learned the Future Star Tribulation Scripture, and he described his past in the Fragrance Teaching Cult.
• Yu Ci overheard Ling Xi Wanderer's account and found the Future Star Tribulation Scripture and a pill formula recorded in his Unnamed Incense Scripture, though he could not cultivate the scripture.
• You Rui visited Yu Ci and asked him to aid her and Master Miao Xiang, but Lu Qing suddenly called out to someone approaching.

Yu Ci dealt with a spying crow and learned that You Rui had provoked the ghost cultivator Ma Huai into targeting his group. Master Miao Xiang then asked him to help stabilize her Ghost Pool, revealing that she intended to frustrate Ma Huai herself rather than use others to shield her.

• Lu Qing detected and destroyed a filthy spying entity in the courtyard, and a crow appeared to speak for an unseen cultivator.
• You Rui insulted the crow's master, while Yu Ci tried to placate him and refused to join in his vulgar remarks about the You family.
• You Rui split the crow in two, and Yu Ci sent her away while deciding to resolve the trouble without letting her manipulate him.
• Master Miao Xiang visited Yu Ci and asked him to inspect and stabilize her unruly Ghost Pool.
• While crossing Black Moon Lake with Yu Ci, Miao Xiang identified the crow's master as Ma Huai and explained that she intended to deny him his goal by staying in the Ghost Pool.

Yu Ci refined the Ghost Pool with the Taiyin Banner and helped Master Miao Xiang test its effects on her cultivation. The trial pushed her beyond her limit, and she collapsed into the pool as Yu Ci watched.

• Master Miao Xiang told Yu Ci she would handle Ma Huai herself and explained that she wanted the Ghost Pool’s baleful power increased and refined.
• Yu Ci used the Taiyin Banner to purify the Ghost Pool, quickly restoring its power to the level it normally reached after seven days.
• You Rui arrived and watched as Master Miao Xiang entered the pool to demonstrate how she cultivated with its yin-baleful malice.
• Yu Ci activated the Lunar Restraint Ghost Art, intensifying and purifying the ghostfire while Master Miao Xiang endured its effects.
• Master Miao Xiang urged Yu Ci to continue past her limit, and he finally drew back the Taiyin Banner after reddish-brown marks appeared on her body.
• Master Miao Xiang twitched, lost consciousness, and plunged headfirst toward the pool.

Yu Ci helped Master Miao Xiang expel the witch poison in the Ghost Pool while You Rui fought off its guardian snake. Master Miao Xiang recovered and recognized Yu Ci’s abilities, then asked whether the pool could be modified to reproduce the treatment.

• You Rui entered the Ghost Pool to help Master Miao Xiang, but the Ghost Winged Snake attacked her and drove her back out.
• Yu Ci used the Taiyin Banner to clear the ghostfire and found Master Miao Xiang conscious but in severe pain.
• Master Miao Xiang seized Yu Ci’s wrist and silently asked for help, so he used the ghostfire to temper her body and expel the witch poison.
• The Ghost Winged Snake stopped pursuing You Rui, and she waited until the ghostfire faded before joining Yu Ci and Master Miao Xiang.
• Master Miao Xiang recovered, thanked Yu Ci as a fellow Daoist, and asked whether modifying the Ghost Pool could reproduce the effect.

Yu Ci continued rebuilding Miao Xiang’s Ghost Pool as she slowly expelled the witch poison, until a message prompted her to leave and told him not to worry about Ma Huai. Meanwhile, Black Robe and Ling Xi Wanderer tracked the person who had taken the Xuan Ling Yin to Huayan City and toward a newly discovered ruin, where they spotted Sand Bandits from Ling Xi Wanderer’s past.

• Yu Ci refined the Ghost Pool’s yin-baleful aura while Miao Xiang endured the ghostfire, and she said her witch poison was being expelled more slowly.
• Miao Xiang offered Yu Ci any reward he wanted, but a messenger bird delivered a jade slip before he could respond.
• After reading the message, Miao Xiang paused the work, left to handle outside matters, and told Yu Ci he need not worry about Ma Huai.
• Black Robe and Ling Xi Wanderer searched Huayan City for the person who had taken the Xuan Ling Yin, then followed the scent trail toward a newly opened region and its ruin.
• Black Robe noticed several Sand Bandits, and Ling Xi Wanderer admitted he had once spent time with them.

Black Robe investigated Zhao Ziyue’s associates and discovered a half-finished Curse Demon Crystal linked to Divine Path arts. Meanwhile, Yu Ci reconsidered how he was using Kou Chu and removed the talisman imprint, but he then noticed his own power was behaving strangely.

• Black Robe and Ling Xi Wanderer interrogated Sand Bandits, learned Zhao Ziyue planned to attend the Suixin Dharma Assembly in Fengdu City, and failed to discover his current whereabouts.
• Black Robe found a half-melted Curse Demon Crystal among the ashes and deduced that someone had used Divine Path arts to implant a method in another person.
• Black Robe sent Ling Xi Wanderer to deliver a transmission talisman to Three Families Market while deciding he wanted to meet Zhao Ziyue or the person behind him.
• Yu Ci realized the danger of using people as talismans and erased the Grand Unity Smoke Capital Starfire Talisman imprint from Kou Chu, ordering Kou Chu to cultivate with Tie Lan at Ghost Pool.
• Yu Ci manifested a flame with little effort, but it scattered into sparks, leaving him aware that something about his power was wrong.

Yu Ci’s plan to use Ling Xi Wanderer to lead Black Robe toward the ruins was disrupted when Zhai Que’er arrived and revealed the Ten Directions Great Venerable’s ties to their master. Meanwhile, Yu Ci survived an ambush by a white lion cat and faced Zhao Ziyue, who demanded a truce while holding a Six Yang Skyfire Thunder.

• Black Robe and Ling Xi Wanderer entered the tunnel, where Black Robe sensed a powerful cultivator and recognized the aura of the Heavenly Demonic Secret Arts.
• Zhai Que’er appeared, denied tracking Black Robe, and said that dealing with Zhao Ziyue required persuading the Ten Directions Great Venerable, their master’s outer sect elder and Dharma-Protecting True Person, to hand over his sworn brother.
• Ling Xi Wanderer’s controlling pressure vanished, and Yu Ci abruptly sensed danger as a white lion cat attacked him beside the giant tree.
• Yu Ci dodged the strike and wounded the white lion cat with a burst of flames, but it remained alive and severed the tree.
• Zhao Ziyue emerged backward with a sword and a Six Yang Skyfire Thunder, warned that it could destroy everything within ten li, and called for a truce; Yu Ci recognized him.

Yu Ci and his allies ambushed Zhao Ziyue, who had taken a fragment near Huayan City, and forced him to reveal a powerful defense shared with his lion cat. Zhao Ziyue recognized Yu Ci and claimed he had only been passing by, but Yu Ci demanded an explanation.

• Zhao Ziyue asked whether Yu Ci had taken the fragment during the earth-vein anomaly near Huayan City, while Lu Qing explained the strengths and weakness of his Six Yang Skyfire Thunder.
• Zhao Ziyue concealed the thunder and feigned surrender, but Yu Ci ordered his allies to attack rather than let him escape the confrontation.
• Zhao Ziyue and his lion cat lunged for Yu Ci, but Yu Ci struck the cat with his formless sword while Tie Lan's sword Qi wounded Zhao Ziyue.
• The lion cat's crimson flames joined Zhao Ziyue's flames to form a wheel that deflected Tie Lan's sword Qi and protected them both.
• Yu Ci halted Tie Lan's attack, and Zhao Ziyue recognized him from Juebi City and claimed the lion cat had gone mad while he was merely passing by.
• Yu Ci remained suspicious of the lion cat's unusual behavior and demanded that Zhao Ziyue explain himself.

Black Robe, Zhai Que'er, and Ling Xi Wanderer reached the ruins where Venerable Ten Directions awaited them. Ling Xi Wanderer identified the Xuan Ling Yin's location, and Black Robe exposed the figure on the main seat as an avatar.

• Black Robe demanded to know why Venerable Ten Directions deserved a share of the Yellow Springs Secret Mansion, and Zhai Que'er defended his knowledge of the ruins.
• Black Robe hurried Ling Xi Wanderer through the underground passage, and Ling Xi Wanderer cautiously guided him toward the ruins.
• Venerable Ten Directions greeted the group from ahead, and Zhai Que'er led them into the ruined main hall.
• Black Robe demanded to know where the Xuan Ling Yin was, and Ling Xi Wanderer declared that it was there despite the hostile stares of the gathered cultivators.
• Black Robe swept red light across the hall, causing the seated figure to vanish and revealing that it had been an avatar.

Black Robe and Zhai Que'er investigated the underground Blood Sacrifice maze after Ling Xi Wanderer sensed the Xuan Ling Yin there, while Black Robe grew suspicious of the Ten Directions Great Venerable’s methods. Elsewhere, Yu Ci turned his attention back to Zhao Ziyue and recognized the crimson flames around him and the cat as Crimson Fire Demonic Flame.

• Black Robe clashed with the Ten Directions Great Venerable’s incarnation, and Zhai Que'er explained that he was recovering from the Heavenly Demon Blood Sacrifice.
• Ling Xi Wanderer sensed that the Xuan Ling Yin was underground, and the Ten Directions Great Venerable allowed them to search the Blood Sacrifice site.
• Zhai Que'er, Black Robe, Ling Xi Wanderer, and a ghost cultivator entered the maze beneath the hall, where Black Robe examined its ruins and formations.
• Ling Xi Wanderer led the group to an area where the blood stench and aura interference had scattered the Xuan Ling Yin’s trace, prompting Black Robe and Zhai Que'er to question how it got there.
• Yu Ci refocused on Zhao Ziyue and recognized the crimson flames surrounding him and the cat as Crimson Fire Demonic Flame.

Yu Ci recognized Zhao Ziyue’s lion cat as connected to the Great Brahma Demon King and considered killing them before they could become a threat. Zhao Ziyue then revealed that Xie Yan and others were nearing a contest over one of Lu Chen’s northern palaces, drawing Yu Ci’s attention away from the planned attack.

• Shadow Ghost identified the lion cat’s flames as Crimson Fire Demonic Flame and linked it to the Great Brahma Demon King.
• Yu Ci weighed killing Zhao Ziyue and the lion cat, but held back as Zhao offered information about the Yellow Springs Secret Mansion.
• Zhao Ziyue told Yu Ci that sects had used the Mysterious Azure Ring and the Great Luo Heaven Void Divine Thought Technique to locate a grotto-heaven where Xie Yan appeared to be present.
• Zhao Ziyue explained that the grotto-heaven was one of Lu Chen’s northern palaces, a prize the Demonic Path was determined to claim.
• Yu Ci ordered Lu Qing and Tie Lan to prepare an attack, but Zhao Ziyue’s revelation that Xie Yan was about to enter the conflict made him pause.

Xie Yan and Yang Zhu explored a barrier inside a vast secret mansion while discussing Lu Chen’s techniques and their own cultivation. Elsewhere, Yu Ci brought Zhao Ziyue to Fengdu City to obtain evidence about Xie Yan, and they arrived as a Mountain-Moving Cloud Boat approached the opening Grand Magnetic Array.

• Xie Yan stood before a vast palace in the secret mansion, where Yang Zhu praised Lu Chen’s fist intent and urged Xie Yan to study it.
• Xie Yan declined to concern himself with Lu Chen’s technique, and Yang Zhu said he would pursue the Siming Sect’s Great Majesty Profound Heaven Righteous Qi.
• Senior Uncle Danyang called Xie Yan and Yang Zhu into the dark hall after they encountered another layer of barrier.
• Yu Ci and Zhao Ziyue traveled toward Fengdu City aboard the Clear Sky Gang Thunder Boat, after Yu Ci had forced Zhao Ziyue and Manoo to negotiate at Black Moon Lake.
• The boat neared Fengdu City as the Grand Magnetic Array began opening, and Zhao Ziyue identified an arriving Mountain-Moving Cloud Boat.

Yu Ci and Zhao Ziyue reached the Grand Magnetic Array, where a cargo hold was attacked and the array killed the would-be raiders. As the flying boat neared Fengdu City, Yu Ci turned back into the black storm and pressured Zhao Ziyue to devise a way to help Immortal Xie, demanding collateral before Zhao could leave.

• Zhao Ziyue explained the Grand Magnetic Array as Yu Ci watched passengers and cargo pass through its storm-walled passage.
• An incendiary blast disrupted the array and tilted a cargo hold, prompting cultivators to rush toward it and try to rob it.
• The Grand Magnetic Array unleashed Void-Reversing Magnetic Thunder, destroying the raiders before guards escorted the cargo hold safely down.
• Yu Ci questioned Zhao Ziyue about proving his claims and, as the flying boat neared Fengdu City, ordered Lu Qing to turn back into the black storm.
• Yu Ci argued Zhao Ziyue should find a way to help Immortal Xie and offered to let him go if he left collateral; Manoo bared its teeth at Zhao.

Yu Ci forced Zhao Ziyue to leave and work on ensuring Xie Yan’s escape, while secretly tracking him and planning to uncover his connections. Yu Ci then entered Sanlian Bastions and sought a communication flying sword so he could alert the Li Chen Sect to the danger.

• Yu Ci threatened Zhao Ziyue with his prepared talismans and the others’ support, and Zhao Ziyue agreed to find a way to help Xie Yan escape within a day.
• Zhao Ziyue left the flying boat, while Yu Ci asked others to watch Manoo and went out into the black-sand storm.
• Yu Ci crossed the storm safely and tracked Zhao Ziyue using a Divine Intent Star Glimmer, intending to pressure him into revealing more.
• Yu Ci entered Sanlian Bastions and went to Suixin Pavilion’s shop to look for a communication flying sword.
• Yu Ci decided to contact the Li Chen Sect for help with Xie Yan’s possible danger.

Yu Ci bought a messaging flying sword and array disk, then traveled toward the black storm and encountered Shopkeeper Shen on a shuttle. Meanwhile, Xie Yan and a group of cultivators remained blocked while searching the northern lands for secret mansions and grotto-heavens.

• Yu Ci purchased a Bìluò Seamless messaging flying sword and a Heavenly River Disk from Suixin Pavilion’s Manager Huangfu.
• Manager Huangfu directed Yu Ci to Da Tongxing, where Yu Ci arranged a shuttle ride from the Sanlian Bastions toward the black storm.
• While waiting aboard the shuttle, Yu Ci observed Zhao Ziyue exploring Fengdu City through his Inner Void.
• Shopkeeper Shen arrived, and Yu Ci greeted him after noting that he had shaved his beard.
• Xie Yan and five other cultivators guarded Daoist Duanyang as the four sects’ search team remained unable to advance.

Yang Zhu and the other cultivators discovered that Lu Chen’s fist-intent world overlapped with a third, terrifying realm: the Heavenly Demon Eye. Meanwhile, Yu Ci asked Shen Wan how the Li Chen Sect or other major factions could mobilize help quickly, and she suggested there might be a way.

• Yang Zhu used his jade pendant and a Confucian verse to trace its path through the darkness, helping the cultivators realize that the voids were overlapping.
• Cheng Xiang and Cheng Zhi discussed how their probing had contributed to the danger, while Xie Yan described feeling an obstruction before his sword.
• Daoist Duanyang revealed a distorted vortex that showed three overlapping realms and was identified by the cultivators as the Heavenly Demon Eye.
• Yu Ci retrieved his array flags after sending a transmission flying sword and asked Shen Wan to investigate Zhao Ziyue and consider how the major factions could provide urgent assistance.
• Shen Wan told Yu Ci that Suixin Pavilion had no intelligence on the four sects’ movements, but suggested there might be a way to mobilize help.

Zhao Ziyue reflected on how Ghost Prison Powder had turned the Northern Wilderness into a vast holding ground for corrupt cultivators, then met with Elder Xiao to discuss Manoo’s capture and the approaching Yellow Springs Secret Mansion excavation. He ordered intelligence gathering and preparations to manipulate the situation while questioning who would benefit if the Northern Wilderness descended into chaos.

• Zhao Ziyue walked through Fengdu City, where a Ghost Prison Powder user died in the street, and recalled how the drug had made the Northern Wilderness a prosperous refuge for desperate cultivators.
• Zhao Ziyue considered the region a prepared pasture for the Wutian Jiao Prison and recalled his role as its watch-dog, including his alliance with the Ten Directions Great Venerable.
• Zhao Ziyue met Elder Xiao and revealed that Manoo had been detained, prompting Elder Xiao to threaten him over the crisis.
• Zhao Ziyue explained that Yu Ci had helped defeat them at Sword Garden and warned that Manoo’s captors were too powerful to attack recklessly.
• Zhao Ziyue ordered Elder Xiao to gather intelligence on the four sects’ excavation without alerting the Eastern Branch of the Demonic Sect, and to prepare ways to influence events from the shadows.
• Zhao Ziyue wondered who would profit if the Northern Wilderness fell into chaos.

Yu Ci went to Three Families Market seeking materials but could not secure an audience with Third Master He, then visited the Heavenly Script Society and examined the intricate talisman carved into its screen wall. A short, travel-worn Daoist appeared behind him and warned him not to plunge into the talisman apertures.

• Shen Wan told Yu Ci that Third Master He had returned to Fengdu City and that Xia Shuanghe had died on the expedition.
• Yu Ci disguised himself and went to Three Families Market, but its attendant would not grant him an audience with Third Master He, so he left a calling card.
• Yu Ci visited the Heavenly Script Society after recalling the Class A scroll and his earlier discussion with Shen Wan.
• Yu Ci recognized the screen wall’s carved patterns as an intricate spirit talisman and praised how clearly its apertures were displayed.
• A short Daoist approached Yu Ci unnoticed and warned him that studying the talisman apertures could lead him astray.