Chapter Summaries

Key Plot Points and Events

1. Fang Shu completes his Dragon-Qi Gu Formation, which can now be deployed faster and cover a larger area.
2. He attends the Mount Lu offering convention, where Five Viscera Hall recruits offerings.
3. Fang Shu registers for the event and learns that the requirements are lax, with all comers accepted.
4. He enters Five Viscera Hall's territory and discovers that an invisible chain links with his fortune.
5. Azure Spider, the Hall Master, welcomes the immortals and offers them spiritual medicine, which Fang Shu recognizes as coming from the Old Mountain Lord.

Character Developments

1. Fang Shu:
   • Completes his Dragon-Qi Gu Formation, increasing its speed and range.
   • Registers for the offering convention under a false identity.
   • Discovers that the Old Mountain Lord is alive and being used as medicine.
2. Azure Spider (Fang Shu's former senior sister):
   • Now serves as the Hall Master of Five Viscera Hall.
   • Offers spiritual medicine to the attending immortals, revealing the Old Mountain Lord's fate.

Significant Themes

1. Fortune and Destiny: The invisible chain linking with Fang Shu's fortune upon entering Five Viscera Hall suggests that his destiny is intertwined with the place.
2. Identity and Belonging: Fang Shu uses a false identity to register for the offering convention, highlighting his outsider status and desire to conceal his true intentions.
3. Power Dynamics: The lax recruitment requirements and the use of the Old Mountain Lord as medicine reflect the power imbalance and exploitation within Mount Lu Estate.

Character Interactions

1. Fang Shu and Azure Spider: Though they do not interact directly, Fang Shu's recognition of the spiritual medicine and Azure Spider's offer of it create a tense, unspoken connection between them.
2. Fang Shu and the Other Immortals: Fang Shu blends into the crowd of attending immortals, observing their excitement and eagerness to participate in the offering convention.

Chapter Summary: “At the Bottom of Mount Lu, Coffins”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Dao disciples prepare a huge cauldron in Mount Lu’s valley, brewing mountain materials into medicine for the academy master. Hall Master Azure Spider explains that entrants to the Five Viscera Hall must pass an Offering Assembly trial.
• Azure Spider leads the Earth Immortals through a dark well beneath the cauldron into an underground river filled with dense, strange spiritual energy.
• Fang Shu recognizes the location as the mysterious place he once glimpsed through the Dao Insect. He is alarmed to discover countless coffin-like objects stretching through the underground space, surrounded by Mount Lu’s fortune and powerful Yin Baleful Force.
• Azure Spider announces that participants must retrieve coffins from the underground river. The top three will become official offerings, while others may receive cultivation resources and compensation.
• She reveals that the area is a forbidden ground containing ancient, poisonous Killing Intent. The Yin Baleful Force can refine even False Core immortals if they remain inside too long. The coffins are normally collected and burned as fuel to brew medicine.
• Several immortals enter the river. One successfully retrieves a coffin, but when he breaks it open, dense turbid vapor escapes and injures him. Azure Spider gives him medicine to suppress the damage.
• When Fang Shu approaches a coffin, his divine sense triggers an unusual reaction. Yin Baleful Force gathers around him, nearby coffins tremble, and they arrange themselves into a staircase leading deeper into the underground region.
• Azure Spider realizes Fang Shu is activating a hidden inheritance and attacks him with silver needles, accusing him of coveting the Five Viscera Hall’s inheritance. The needles dissolve before reaching him, while Fang Shu is dragged into the depths and vanishes.
• Other immortals assume a secret realm has opened and attempt to follow Fang Shu up the coffin staircase. The coffins release devastating turbid vapor, dissolving several immortals and destroying their artifacts.
• The underground river violently collapses into turmoil. Yin Baleful Force surges out and seals the escape route. Azure Spider flees immediately, while many immortals are swallowed and annihilated; only a few escape.

Character Developments

• Fang Shu: Remains cautious and conceals his knowledge, but his connection to Mount Lu’s fortune and hidden mechanisms becomes clear. His presence unexpectedly activates the underground palace or secret realm, suggesting he may possess a special destiny or connection to its inheritance.
• Hall Master Azure Spider: Initially presents the trial as routine and controlled, but her confidence disappears when Fang Shu triggers the coffins. Her accusation reveals that she recognizes the significance of the phenomenon, yet she cannot control it and ultimately abandons the other participants to save herself.
• The Earth Immortals: Begin as amused and dismissive, treating the trial as simple coffin retrieval. Their attitudes shift to fear once they witness the Yin Baleful Force’s lethality. Their greed then leads several to follow Fang Shu, resulting in their deaths.
• The academy master and Five Viscera Hall: Their practices are revealed as morally and spiritually questionable: they exploit the coffins and poisonous force to create medicine, while apparently concealing the true nature of the underground site.

Significant Themes

• Hidden danger beneath apparent opportunity: The trial is presented as an easy way to gain status and resources, but it conceals a deadly forbidden ground.
• Greed and recklessness: The immortals underestimate the danger because of the promised rewards; their desire to seize coffins or pursue Fang Shu leads directly to catastrophe.
• Destiny and hidden inheritance: Fang Shu’s presence causes the earth veins and coffin formation to react, implying that certain inheritances respond only to a uniquely connected individual.
• Deception and incomplete knowledge: Azure Spider reveals only part of the truth. Even she appears unaware of the full nature of the underground palace and is shocked when it opens.
• The corruption of spiritual power: The Yin Baleful Force resembles both fortune and poison, suggesting that tremendous power can be simultaneously valuable, dangerous, and spiritually contaminating.

Character Interactions

• Azure Spider manages and provokes the participants, offering rewards while warning them about the danger and supplying injury medicine.
• The Earth Immortals mock one another and challenge the cautious participants, creating pressure for others to enter the forbidden river.
• Fang Shu deliberately stays hidden among the crowd, observing Azure Spider and the site without revealing his own prior knowledge.
• Azure Spider’s relationship with Fang Shu changes instantly from examiner to hostile defender of the Five Viscera Hall’s inheritance when he activates the coffin staircase.
• After Fang Shu disappears, the other immortals imitate him rather than trusting Azure Spider’s instructions, triggering the coffins’ lethal response and forcing Azure Spider to flee alone.

Key Plot Points and Events

• A violent upheaval occurs underground at Five Viscera Hall, killing most of the Earth Immortals present.
• Azure Spider, the Hall Master, suspects that members of the other four halls of Mount Lu infiltrated and triggered the disturbance.
• She summons all surviving Earth Immortals and asks them to help suppress the earth qi.
• Fang Shu, who had been exploring underground, finds himself in a dim expanse filled with coffins containing the remains of Mount Lu's predecessors.
• He discovers an ancient thatched hut at the center, which turns out to be the inheritance site of Mount Lu.
• Inside the hut, Fang Shu encounters five enormous bronze coffins, each containing a figure that transmits a Golden Core formation method to him.

Character Developments

• Azure Spider: She becomes more determined to claim a share of the inheritance, even if it means deceiving her fellow Earth Immortals.
• Fang Shu: He demonstrates courage and ambition by attempting to refine all five Elixir Codes at once, showing his desire for power and control.

Significant Themes

• Ambition and Greed: Both Azure Spider and Fang Shu exhibit strong desires for power and the inheritance of Mount Lu.
• Legacy and Heritage: The chapter explores the history and traditions of Mount Lu, with the inheritance site containing the remains and cultivation methods of its predecessors.
• Trust and Deception: Azure Spider's actions suggest that she does not trust her fellow Earth Immortals, while Fang Shu's decision to refine all five Elixir Codes could be seen as deceiving the figures that transmitted the methods to him.

Character Interactions

• Azure Spider and the surviving Earth Immortals: Their interaction is tense, with Azure Spider issuing orders and the Earth Immortals expressing skepticism and unease.
• Fang Shu and the figures in the coffins: Fang Shu receives the Golden Core formation methods from the figures, but his decision to refine all five Elixir Codes could be seen as disrespectful or deceitful towards them.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Fang Shu discovers a radiant, pill-shaped object containing the Mount Lu Orthodox Lineage's methods for Golden Core formation.
• The object can directly impart the Elixir Code into Fang Shu's mind, allowing him to immediately memorize it and comprehend it with twice the result for half the effort.
• However, absorbing the object comes with risks, such as pill qi surging in reverse and causing the cultivator's five viscera to burn together.
• The Elixir Code contains precepts that the inheritor must follow strictly to avoid calamity.
• The code also mentions that making a Great Vow to restore the Orthodox Lineage and never turn back even in death would allow Fang Shu to command all the fortune accumulated by Mount Lu's predecessors and have some chance of survival against Refining Spirit immortals.

Character Developments

• Fang Shu learns about the difficulties and taboos faced by immortals, especially True Immortals and Refining Spirit cultivators.
• He understands the importance of the Orthodox Lineage's methods for avoiding calamity and the influence of predecessors on the Great Dao.
• Fang Shu ponders the implications of the Mount Lu Orthodox Lineage's past actions and the nature of its precepts.
• He considers the potential consequences of making the Great Vow and the risks involved.

Significant Themes

• The challenges and hardships faced by immortals in their cultivation journey.
• The importance of the Orthodox Lineage's methods for avoiding calamity and the influence of predecessors on the Great Dao.
• The potential consequences and risks of making a Great Vow to restore the Orthodox Lineage.
• The nature of the Mount Lu Orthodox Lineage's precepts and their influence on disciples.

Character Interactions

• Fang Shu interacts with the radiant Elixir Code, contemplating its implications and the risks involved in absorbing it.
• He reflects on the actions of the Mount Lu Orthodox Lineage's predecessors and the nature of its precepts.
• Fang Shu considers the potential consequences of making the Great Vow and the risks involved.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Fang Shu investigates five bronze coffins shrouded in black mist but initially cannot see inside them, even with divine sense and Gu insects.
• Using his Dao vein and the Mount Lu Elixir Code, he gradually penetrates the hut’s layers of providence and discovers the meaning of the Mount Lu Orthodox Lineage.
• He realizes that the Five Sects of Mount Lu correspond to different parts of a single immortal’s body, suggesting that the five coffins contain fragments of one predecessor rather than five separate corpses.
• Fang Shu determines that the black turbid qi consists of the predecessor’s remains mixed with Mount Lu’s spiritual and earth qi. It is actually accumulating as providence or “yin virtue,” allowing recognized inheritors to control Mount Lu’s earth veins.
• He subdues the turbid qi with his Six Viscera Baleful-Intent Condensation Method and gains control over the hut’s qi dynamics.
• After opening the coffins, he discovers that they contain symbolic body components: organs, skin and membranes, bones, limbs, and the Six Yang Chief. These resemble the interior organs placed inside worshipped idols, suggesting a connection to the ritual of “idol organ-filling.”
• Inside the coffins, Fang Shu finds Mystic Script inscribed on the walls, proving that the Elixir Code he possesses originated from Mount Lu. However, the walls are coated with black, curse-laden mud filled with resentment and venom.
• He recognizes the mud as a powerful curse intended to torment the buried inheritance and bring disaster to its descendants. He concludes that Mount Lu’s lineage was sabotaged by a hidden enemy.
• Fang Shu discovers that the Elixir Code has been subtly corrupted: its characters are warped and carry traces of resentment and poison. Anyone cultivating it could unknowingly follow a false path and become a victim of the curse.
• Rather than trust the Elixir Code, Fang Shu copies and independently comprehends the complete Mystic Script from the five coffins.
• Using dragon qi and the Dao Register, he rapidly analyzes the scattered methods. His reconstruction is more complete than the corrupted Elixir Code.
• The true method reveals its name: Great Yin-Yang Life-and-Death Corpse-Liberation Chain-Forming Method.
• The method forms a human figure within Fang Shu’s mind that eventually takes on his own appearance. He realizes it is not merely a Golden Core technique but a complete method leading directly to the Refining Spirit realm and the attainment of a Corpse-Liberation Immortal.

Character Development

• Fang Shu’s caution and investigative abilities are vindicated. His mastery of Dao insects, Gu arts, witchcraft, suppression techniques, and the perception of providence allows him to detect the hidden curse that ordinary cultivators would miss.
• He shifts from treating the turbid qi as a threat to understanding and controlling it once he recognizes its connection to Mount Lu’s providence.
• His boldness increases as his deductions prove correct: he enters the coffins, disperses the turbid qi, scrapes away the cursed mud, and directly reconstructs the corrupted scripture.
• Fang Shu demonstrates intellectual independence by refusing to rely on the inherited Elixir Code and instead comprehending the original method himself.
• His reaction to obtaining a path to Refining Spirit is one of overwhelming joy, tempered by sympathy and regret for the Mount Lu cultivators who spent generations searching for the very inheritance hidden in the coffins before them.

Significant Themes

• Truth versus corrupted inheritance: Sacred knowledge can be altered by hostile forces, making even an apparently authentic scripture dangerous.
• Caution and independent verification: Fang Shu survives because he investigates rather than blindly trusting an orthodox inheritance.
• Buried history and hidden sabotage: Mount Lu’s decline is revealed to stem from an ancient enemy’s curse placed at the roots of its Dao lineage.
• The relationship between bodies, idols, and spiritual cultivation: The coffins’ symbolic organs and the “idol organ-filling” ritual suggest that divine statues and immortal bodies may share a deeper metaphysical structure.
• Providence and legitimacy: Fang Shu’s successful reconstruction causes Mount Lu’s providence to acknowledge him, showing that true inheritance is recognized by the Dao itself rather than merely by written texts.
• Death, transformation, and immortality: The corpse-liberation method frames Golden Core cultivation as preparation for transcending the body and achieving Divine Immortal status.

Character Interactions

• Fang Shu has no direct interactions with other living characters in the chapter; the main “interaction” is between him and the remnants of Mount Lu’s inheritance.
• He engages with the five coffins as both a detective and cultivator, gradually uncovering their relationship to the Five Sects and the hidden predecessor.
• The corrupted Elixir Code functions as an apparent guide but is ultimately revealed as a dangerous, manipulated inheritance.
• Fang Shu’s interaction with Mount Lu’s providence changes from cautious observation to mutual recognition, culminating in the providence gathering around him as though accepting him as its master.
• His final contemplation is directed toward the long-dead Mount Lu immortals, whose failed search for Refining Spirit knowledge contrasts with Fang Shu’s unexpected discovery of it.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Fang Shu begins studying the Yin-Yang Life-and-Death Corpse-Release Chain-Forming Great Method.
• His comprehension of the method stirs the entire Mount Lu, causing unusual phenomena and gathering fortune from the mountain's immortal cultivators.
• He Shoufeng, the Estate Master of Mount Lu, senses the disturbance and decides to protect Fang Shu's Dharma, ordering all immortal cultivators to pray and offer blessings.

Character Developments

• Fang Shu: Deepens his understanding of the elixir method, realizes the opportunity for Golden Core formation, and decides to seize it despite lacking an elixir head.
• He Shoufeng: Shows unexpected support for Fang Shu's Golden Core formation, revealing a more complex character than initially thought.

Significant Themes

• Opportunity and timing: Fang Shu realizes the importance of seizing the perfect moment for Golden Core formation.
• Fortune and accumulated virtue: Mount Lu's fortune and virtue gather around Fang Shu, aiding his cultivation.
• Protection and guidance: He Shoufeng's decision to protect Fang Shu's Dharma raises questions about his true intentions and character.

Character Interactions

• Fang Shu and He Shoufeng: Although they haven't met, their actions influence each other. Fang Shu is surprised by He Shoufeng's support, while He Shoufeng is pleased by the opportunity to protect a fellow Daoist's Dharma.
• Fang Shu and Mount Lu's immortal cultivators: Unbeknownst to them, Fang Shu's cultivation stirs the entire mountain, causing the immortal cultivators to pray and offer blessings, further aiding his Golden Core formation.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Fang Shu decides to form his Golden Core using Mount Lu's fortune and hidden virtue.
• He declares his roots and origins, announcing his intention to protect Mount Lu and restore its mountain gate.
• Fang Shu passes the Ageless-Unwithering Tribulation, marking the completion of his Golden Core formation.

Character Developments

• Fang Shu gains confidence and determination, becoming more decisive in his actions.
• He Shoufeng, the Profound Teaching True Immortal, decides not to interfere further in Fang Shu's Golden Core formation after Fang Shu makes his great vow.

Significant Themes

• The importance of roots and origins in cultivation and one's life path.
• The consequences of accepting grace without accepting restraint.
• The power dynamics between different factions and their influence on one's cultivation journey.

Character Interactions

• Fang Shu's appearance draws the attention and recognition of many immortal practitioners and mortals on Mount Lu.
• He Shoufeng watches Fang Shu's progress with a mix of satisfaction and wariness.
• The Floating Mountain Lord expresses displeasure at Fang Shu consuming Mount Lu's fortune before him.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Fang Shu successfully forms his Golden Core, gaining the ability to gather and disperse his physical body and transform into gu insects.
• He realizes that his divine ability might not be limited to these transformations.
• He Shoufeng, the master of the Mount Lu Estate, arrives and invites Fang Shu to serve as the mountain master, offering him a position in the Profound Teaching.

Character Developments

• Fang Shu:
  • Successfully forms his Golden Core and discovers his divine ability.
  • Realizes the potential extent of his divine ability.
  • Is surprised and wary of He Shoufeng's invitation but considers the offer.
• He Shoufeng:
  • Reveals the current state of Mount Lu and its improvements under his guidance.
  • Invites Fang Shu to serve as the mountain master and offers him a position in the Profound Teaching.

Significant Themes

• The power dynamics and politics within the immortal world.
• The importance of divine abilities and their relation to the immortal path.
• The potential for growth and change in one's abilities and status.

Character Interactions

• Fang Shu and He Shoufeng:
  • Initially wary of each other, but He Shoufeng shows warmth and respect toward Fang Shu.
  • He Shoufeng invites Fang Shu to serve as the mountain master and offers him a position in the Profound Teaching.
  • Fang Shu is surprised and considers the offer, but remains cautious.

Summary

Plot Points and Events

• He Shoufeng, a true disciple of the Profound Teaching, reveals that he was sent to Mount Lu as an exile due to his mortal origins and lack of powerful backing.
• He Shoufeng hopes that Fang Shu, who has formed his Golden Core, will take over Mount Lu and allow him to return to the sect.
• He Shoufeng claims that Mount Lu has a deep connection with the Profound Teaching, potentially being one of its sources.
• Fang Shu agrees to become the mountain lord, and He Shoufeng publicly acknowledges him.

Character Developments

• He Shoufeng: Reveals his past and his true intentions for Fang Shu.
• Fang Shu: Becomes the mountain lord of Mount Lu and is acknowledged by He Shoufeng.

Significant Themes

• Ambition vs. Exile: He Shoufeng's ambition to return to the sect and cultivate further contrasts with his exile to Mount Lu.
• Connections and Origins: The potential connection between Mount Lu and the Profound Teaching, and the origins of Mount Lu, are explored.

Character Interactions

• He Shoufeng and Fang Shu: They discuss the future of Mount Lu and Fang Shu's role in it. He Shoufeng reveals his true intentions, and Fang Shu agrees to become the mountain lord.
• Various Mount Lu immortals: They react to Fang Shu's return and new position, with mixed emotions and regrets, particularly Azure Spider, Er Daiyuan, and the lord of Floating Mountain.

Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Fang Shu and He Shoufeng converse atop Mount Lu, with He Shoufeng inviting Fang Shu to be Mount Lu's new master.
• Fang Shu returns to Five Viscera Hall, revealing himself as a Golden Core True Immortal and causing a stir among the Earth Immortals.
• Fang Shu visits Fang Valley, where he reunites with his family, including his Second Uncle Yu Le and his senior sister, Fang Lu.

Character Developments

• Fang Shu: He has successfully formed his Golden Core and returns to Mount Lu, revealing his true power and identity to the Five Sects.
• He Shoufeng: He invites Fang Shu to be Mount Lu's new master, hinting at his own ulterior motives.
• Er Daiyuan: She recognizes Fang Shu and accompanies him to Fang Valley, showing deference to him.
• Second Uncle Yu Le: He is overjoyed to see Fang Shu and treats him with great respect, acknowledging him as the head of the family.
• Fang Lu: She emerges from seclusion to welcome Fang Shu's return, showing affection and support for her junior brother.

Significant Themes

• Reunion and family: Fang Shu's return to Mount Lu and his reunion with his family are the central themes of this chapter.
• Power dynamics: The reveal of Fang Shu's true power shifts the balance of power within Mount Lu, with He Shoufeng and the Five Sects responding to his new status.
• Identity and belonging: Fang Shu's return to his roots and the recognition of his identity by his family and the Five Sects highlight the importance of belonging and identity.

Character Interactions

• Fang Shu and He Shoufeng: They engage in a conversation that reveals He Shoufeng's intentions and Fang Shu's strategic thinking.
• Fang Shu and Er Daiyuan: They reunite, and Er Daiyuan shows deference to Fang Shu, acknowledging his power and status.
• Fang Shu and Second Uncle Yu Le: They reunite, and Second Uncle Yu Le treats Fang Shu with great respect, acknowledging him as the head of the family.
• Fang Shu and Fang Lu: They reunite, and Fang Lu shows affection and support for her junior brother, highlighting their close bond.

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Er Family, descendants of Fang Shu and Er Daiyuan, arrive at Fang Valley, seeking recognition and kinship.
• Fang Shu learns about the delicate relationship between the Fang and Er Families, and the estrangement caused by Er Daiyuan's cultivation methods and lack of attention to her children.
• The arrival of the Er Family descendants leads to a gathering of other immortal families and the Floating Mountain Lord, who wait outside the valley to offer their congratulations to Fang Shu.

Character Developments

• Fang Shu: Realizes the extent of his bloodline connections and expresses gratitude for the descendants, despite the complications they may bring. He understands and accepts Er Daiyuan's actions regarding their children.
• Er Daiyuan: Admits to using her and Fang Shu's descendants to aid her cultivation, but assures him that she did not harm the fetuses or cause any innate deficiencies. She feels grateful and ashamed for her actions.

Significant Themes

• Bloodline karma and its consequences: Fang Shu acknowledges the existence of bloodline karma but is confident in his precautions against potential curses. Er Daiyuan's actions highlight the potential dangers and complications of bloodline connections.
• Immortal cultivators' attitudes towards descendants: Both Fang Shu and Er Daiyuan view their descendants primarily as a means to continue their Bloodline or aid their cultivation, rather than for emotional attachment or support.
• The complexity of family relationships among immortal cultivators: The estrangement between the Fang and Er Families, as well as the fate of the Jin Family, illustrates the treacherous nature of immortal families and the lack of harmony among the Five Halls of Mount Lu.

Character Interactions

• Fang Shu and Er Daiyuan: Their interaction reveals their understanding and acceptance of each other's actions, despite the unusual circumstances surrounding their shared descendants. They maintain a respectful and honest relationship, with Er Daiyuan feeling grateful and ashamed for her past actions.
• Fang Shu and the Er Family descendants: Fang Shu expresses gratitude for his newfound bloodline connections, acknowledging their importance despite the potential complications they may bring. He accepts them as a continuation of his parents' incense offerings and a support for his Second Uncle in old age.
• The immortal families and the Floating Mountain Lord: They gather outside Fang Valley to offer their congratulations to Fang Shu, demonstrating their respect and recognition of his status as a True Immortal. However, they are not worthy of being invited in, highlighting the power dynamics among the immortal families of Mount Lu.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Fang Shu meets Er Daiyuan atop the pavilion and gifts her healing pills and Three Lights Divine Water.
• Fang Shu realizes that Er Daiyuan's cultivation is unstable and understands that she used clan members for cultivation.
• Fang Shu visits his senior sister, Fang Lu, and discovers that her cultivation is also unstable due to excessive use of a spiritual medicine given by He Shoufeng.
• Fang Shu learns about He Shoufeng's scheme to increase the number of Earth Immortals and suspects he has a hidden agenda.
• Fang Shu secretly investigates and finds information about the old Mountain Lord's whereabouts.

Character Developments

• Er Daiyuan: She is now a Nine Tribulations Earth Immortal, but her cultivation is unstable. She has used clan members for cultivation but has been more restrained than her ancestor.
• Fang Lu: She is a Late Seven Tribulations Earth Immortal with an unstable foundation due to excessive use of a spiritual medicine. She is concerned about Fang Shu's safety.
• He Shoufeng: He is suspected of having a hidden agenda and scheming against Mount Lu's immortals by increasing their numbers.

Significant Themes

• The consequences of excessive use of spiritual medicines and hasty cultivation.
• The dangers of scheming against one's own sect and the harm caused by traitors.
• The importance of friendship and concern for one another, as shown between Fang Shu and Er Daiyuan, and Fang Shu and Fang Lu.

Character Interactions

• Fang Shu and Er Daiyuan: They meet and catch up on old times, with Fang Shu gifting her healing items. They acknowledge their friendship but do not act on their romantic feelings.
• Fang Shu and Fang Lu: They meet, and Fang Shu discovers the instability in her cultivation. He advises her on how to regulate her condition and expresses hope for their future reunion. Fang Lu suggests dual cultivation but Fang Shu declines, hoping for her success in the future.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Fang Shu learns that Old Mountain Lord was imprisoned by Azure Spider and the lord of Floating Mountain.
• He summons Azure Spider, who confesses her role in Old Mountain Lord's imprisonment and reveals that the lord of Floating Mountain was also involved.
• Fang Shu uses soul searching on Azure Spider to find the location of Old Mountain Lord's imprisonment.
• He Shoufeng, the Profound Teaching True Immortal, sends voice transmissions to Fang Shu about the Golden Core ceremony and the Western Altar's response.
• Fang Shu secretly investigates Mount Lu's Spiritual Veins and tunnels directly to the summit to find Old Mountain Lord.

Character Developments

• Fang Shu: Becomes more vigilant and strategic in dealing with He Shoufeng and the Profound Teaching. He also shows no mercy in dealing with Azure Spider.
• Azure Spider: Reveals her past actions and pays the price for them, losing her life and position as the master of the Five Viscera Hall.
• He Shoufeng: Continues to show interest in Fang Shu's Golden Core ceremony and the Western Altar's response, hinting at his hidden intentions.

Significant Themes

• Betrayal and Trust: Azure Spider's betrayal of Old Mountain Lord and Fang Shu's suspicion of He Shoufeng highlight the theme of betrayal and the importance of trust among allies.
• Power and Control: The struggle for power and control between Fang Shu, Azure Spider, and He Shoufeng demonstrates the consequences of unchecked ambition and the lengths people will go to maintain their power.
• Investigation and Discovery: Fang Shu's investigation of Mount Lu's Spiritual Veins and his search for Old Mountain Lord emphasize the importance of gathering information and uncovering hidden truths.

Character Interactions

• Fang Shu and Azure Spider: Their interaction reveals Azure Spider's past actions and her eventual downfall at Fang Shu's hands.
• Fang Shu and He Shoufeng: Their interactions hint at the underlying tension and mistrust between them, as Fang Shu remains vigilant against He Shoufeng's advances.
• Fang Shu and Old Mountain Lord: Though not present in this chapter, their relationship is a driving force behind Fang Shu's actions, as he seeks to free Old Mountain Lord from his imprisonment.

Chapter 449 Summary — Shelling Out—The Gentleman Has Entered the Urn

Key Plot Points and Events

• Fang Shu infiltrates Mount Lu’s medicinal garden in the form of an insect shadow and discovers Old Mountain Lord’s imprisoned true body.
• Old Mountain Lord has been reduced to a gigantic, scarred plant bound by over a hundred chains. The Profound Teaching repeatedly chops off parts of him as medicinal material, using Mount Lu’s Hidden Merit to force his limbs and canopy to regrow.
• Fang Shu learns that the “turbid vapors” refined from Mount Lu’s ancestral coffins are being poured into Old Mountain Lord to sustain this cruel harvesting process.
• Fang Shu reveals himself to Old Mountain Lord and announces that he has reached the Golden Core realm, offering to rescue him.
• He removes the killing-intent-infused nails embedded in Old Mountain Lord’s eyes, restoring some of his divine perception.
• Because the chains are linked to the entire medicinal garden and cannot easily be removed, Fang Shu devises a deception: Old Mountain Lord will shed the unchained portion of his body, leaving behind a hollow shell to fool the captors.
• With the Scarlet True Flying Centipede’s help, Fang Shu cuts Old Mountain Lord free from within. Old Mountain Lord emerges as a small, humanoid wooden form, badly weakened but no longer imprisoned.
• Just as Fang Shu attempts to escape with him, He Shoufeng appears. The chains attack, revealing that Fang Shu’s actions have been detected.
• Instead of immediately fighting, He Shoufeng destroys the remaining chains and claims that Old Mountain Lord was merely an herb used to nourish Mount Lu. He then invites Fang Shu to sit and drink wine.
• During their conversation, He Shoufeng reveals that Fang Shu entered his “urn” long ago: Mount Lu itself is a massive formation or vessel, and Fang Shu became entangled in its karma when he formed his Golden Core there.

Character Developments

• Fang Shu: His compassion and loyalty toward Old Mountain Lord overcome his original intention to investigate and leave quietly. He demonstrates ingenuity, technical mastery, and confidence in confronting the Profound Teaching. However, He Shoufeng’s revelation forces him to reconsider how thoroughly he has been manipulated or bound by Mount Lu.
• Old Mountain Lord: His decades of torture have left him fearful, resigned, and distrustful, but Fang Shu’s arrival rekindles his hope. He willingly sacrifices much of his vital essence for the chance to escape and displays intense joy upon regaining freedom.
• He Shoufeng: He appears increasingly enigmatic. Rather than punishing Fang Shu for the rescue, he behaves calmly and even cooperatively, suggesting that Fang Shu’s actions may have been anticipated or incorporated into a larger scheme.

Significant Themes

• Cruel exploitation and imprisonment: Old Mountain Lord is treated as a renewable resource, reflecting the Profound Teaching’s ruthless commodification of living beings.
• Freedom through sacrifice: Old Mountain Lord can only escape by abandoning part of his body and accepting severe damage, emphasizing that liberation comes at a heavy cost.
• Manipulation and hidden control: Fang Shu believes he is acting independently, but He Shoufeng claims Mount Lu itself has already trapped him through karma.
• Destiny versus personal agency: He Shoufeng describes Fang Shu as Mount Lu’s “child of destiny,” raising the possibility that Fang Shu’s achievements and choices have been guided by Heaven or by Mount Lu’s design.
• Trust and deception: Fang Shu remains wary, secretly deploying insect shadows and preparing escape formations even while accepting He Shoufeng’s invitation to drink.

Character Interactions

• Fang Shu and Old Mountain Lord share a reunion marked by pity, caution, and renewed hope. Old Mountain Lord initially assumes Fang Shu may be another harvester, but Fang Shu’s divine sense and Golden Core aura convince him of his identity.
• Fang Shu acts as Old Mountain Lord’s rescuer and protector, removing the nails, devising the escape, and carrying him away.
• Fang Shu and He Shoufeng engage in a tense, superficially cordial conversation. He Shoufeng’s hospitality contrasts with Fang Shu’s concealed preparations for battle or retreat.
• Their dialogue becomes a psychological confrontation when He Shoufeng reveals that Fang Shu has already been caught in Mount Lu’s “urn,” leaving Fang Shu with the disturbing realization that his freedom may have been an illusion.

Chapter Summary: Heavenly Mandate Refines the Spirit, Hearts Laid Bare

Key Plot Points and Events

• Fang Shu realizes that He Shoufeng has misunderstood his Golden Core formation. He Shoufeng assumes Fang Shu inherited Mount Lu’s orthodox Dao lineage directly and is therefore bound by an oath to remain at Mount Lu.
• Fang Shu deliberately allows the misunderstanding to continue, pretending to fear that he has become trapped on the mountain.
• He Shoufeng reveals that he has remained at Mount Lu not because he is unable to leave, but because he has been investigating an opportunity related to Refining the Spirit.
• He explains that modern Golden Core cultivators supposedly need the mysterious Heavenly Mandate to advance into the Refining Spirit realm. He believes traces of it may be connected to the Mount Lu Secret Realm.
• He Shoufeng claims that the disappearance of the Five Sects’ masters was linked to the secret realm and suggests that a powerful Refining Spirit existence once fell there.
• He reveals his plan to use Fang Shu’s upcoming Golden Core Ceremony to gather Mount Lu’s immortals and outside Golden Core cultivators. The resulting surge of Mount Lu’s fortune may draw the secret realm out of the void and force open its entrance.
• Fang Shu is genuinely interested because he knows the Profound Teaching Divine Immortal is imprisoned inside the secret realm and lacks another way to open it.
• Fang Shu agrees to cooperate, promising to preside over Mount Lu’s fortune during the ceremony. He Shoufeng gives him several extraordinarily powerful, ten-tribulation-grade healing pills as compensation and as an apology for harming Fang Shu’s old friend.
• Fang Shu suggests inviting allies from the Vast Sea Immortal Prefecture, but He Shoufeng subtly discourages this, clearly wanting to keep other Dao lineages from interfering.
• The two spend the day finalizing the ceremony and secret-realm plan, outwardly transforming their former hostility into an appearance of mutual trust and fellowship.

Character Developments

• Fang Shu: Demonstrates considerable strategic skill and emotional control. He recognizes He Shoufeng’s mistaken assumptions and exploits them while concealing his own knowledge of the secret realm. Though suspicious of He Shoufeng, he becomes sincerely tempted by the possibility of entering the secret realm and advancing toward Refining the Spirit.
• He Shoufeng: Reveals himself as ambitious, calculating, and deeply invested in Mount Lu’s hidden secrets. He has spent decades manipulating circumstances to cultivate a Golden Core immortal native to Mount Lu, whom he can use to control the mountain’s fortune. He presents himself as generous and apologetic, but his motives remain self-serving.
• Relationship between Fang Shu and He Shoufeng: Their conflict shifts into a temporary alliance based on mutual exploitation. Each believes he can use the other while hiding his true intentions.

Significant Themes

• Manipulation and deception: Both men perform sincerity while carefully concealing their real goals. Fang Shu pretends to be trapped and grateful, while He Shoufeng disguises his ambition beneath courtesy.
• Power and control: Mount Lu’s fortune, oaths, Dao lineages, and the Golden Core Ceremony are all treated as tools for controlling cultivators and influencing access to higher realms.
• The changing laws of cultivation: Fang Shu suspects that the modern world’s Heavenly Dao differs from that of ancient Mount Lu, explaining why the older Corpse Liberation method does not mention the Heavenly Mandate.
• Opportunity versus danger: The secret realm may offer a path to Refining the Spirit, but it is also connected to vanished masters, ancient battles, and a fallen high-level existence.
• Mutual ambition: Fang Shu and He Shoufeng cooperate not out of trust, but because their separate objectives temporarily overlap.

Character Interactions

• He Shoufeng probes Fang Shu’s fears about being bound to Mount Lu, while Fang Shu carefully performs concern and resentment.
• He Shoufeng attempts to reassure Fang Shu by offering Profound Teaching protection and membership, effectively buying his cooperation.
• Fang Shu questions He Shoufeng about the Heavenly Mandate and the secret realm, appearing ignorant while testing how much He truly knows.
• Their discussion becomes increasingly candid regarding the Five Sects, the vanished masters, and the ancient Refining Spirit existence.
• After Fang Shu agrees to help, both men exchange exaggerated politeness and praise, behaving like newly reconciled fellow disciples despite continuing to distrust one another.

Chapter Summary: “Hidden Merit Entwined, Net”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After parting from Fang Shu at Mount Lu’s summit, He Shoufeng returns to the Immortal Garden and destroys all of its medicinal herbs. He absorbs their spiritual essence, believing he will soon escape Mount Lu and use whatever gains he makes to restore his standing in the Profound Teaching.
• Fang Shu secretly returns to Five Viscera Hall and plants Old Mountain Lord’s severed body within the hall’s central Spiritual Vein, allowing him to recover.
• Fang Shu offers Old Mountain Lord Three Lights Divine Water and several healing pills from He Shoufeng. Suspicious of He Shoufeng, Old Mountain Lord refuses to consume the pills. Fang Shu grinds them into powder and uses them to nourish the Spiritual Vein instead.
• During his recovery, Old Mountain Lord discovers that his connection to Mount Lu’s Spiritual Veins has become much stronger. Fang Shu investigates and realizes that Old Mountain Lord has become connected to Mount Lu’s inheritance and Hidden Merit.
• Unlike Fang Shu, who once comprehended Mount Lu’s Spiritual Veins from outside them, Old Mountain Lord has effectively become a formation core within the mountain. He is absorbing not only Hidden Merit but also its harmful Killing Intent and Turbid Qi.
• Fang Shu tests the Turbid Qi and discovers that it actually helps Old Mountain Lord regenerate. However, the recovered portions of Old Mountain Lord’s body release strands of Hidden Merit that transform into invisible chains.
• Fang Shu realizes that He Shoufeng has spent decades using Old Mountain Lord’s medicinal herbs to bind the many immortals of Mount Lu. Anyone who consumed those herbs has been contaminated by artificially manipulated Hidden Merit and Mount Lu’s Fortune.
• From outside Ancient Mount Lu, Fang Shu sees the entire mountain’s Fortune woven into a vast net. More than eight hundred Foundation Establishment Earth Immortals are connected by chains leading back toward Mount Lu’s summit.
• Fang Shu concludes that He Shoufeng intends to use these immortals as sacrifices. When the net is drawn tight, He Shoufeng may drain their Fortune, true qi, cultivation, essence blood, souls, and other power to force open the Mount Lu Secret Realm and possibly summon the imprisoned Profound Teaching Divine Immortal.
• Fang Shu tries to free Old Mountain Lord from the Hidden Merit, but discovers that decades of absorption have fused it with his body, soul, and divine sense. Removing him from Mount Lu could destroy his cultivation and Dao.
• Unable to sever the connection, Fang Shu places a strand of his Golden Core Qi inside Old Mountain Lord in the form of a gu worm, giving him some protection against future changes in Mount Lu’s Fortune.
• Fang Shu warns his close friends and relatives, including Er Daiyuan and Fang Lu, and orders them to surrender Old Mountain Lord’s medicinal herbs. Because his Golden Core Qi is limited, he can protect only a few people for now.
• He decides to wait for the upcoming Golden Core Ceremony, when Mount Lu’s Fortune will surge and he may gain enough authority to disrupt He Shoufeng’s scheme at its source.

Character Developments

• Fang Shu becomes more perceptive and strategic after forming his Golden Core. He identifies the true purpose behind He Shoufeng’s long-term plan and chooses patience over rash action, understanding that premature interference could cause He Shoufeng to activate the net.
• Old Mountain Lord is revealed to be kind, honest, and self-sacrificing. Although trapped within Mount Lu and endangered by its Hidden Merit, he accepts his fate calmly and worries more about the other immortals who were implicated through his medicinal herbs.
• He Shoufeng is shown to be calculating and ruthless. His destruction of the Immortal Garden reflects both his confidence and his willingness to discard everything once it has served its purpose. His decades-long manipulation of Mount Lu’s inhabitants reveals a large-scale sacrificial scheme.
• Fang Shu and Old Mountain Lord’s relationship deepens from former acquaintance and benefactor to mutual trust. Fang Shu acknowledges Old Mountain Lord’s past assistance and actively works to protect him.

Significant Themes

• Hidden manipulation beneath prosperity: The immortals’ cultivation and advancement were not simply blessings; they were part of a carefully constructed trap.
• Fortune as both power and bondage: Artificially bestowed Fortune can become a restraint, allowing its source to reclaim or drain those who received it.
• Trust and suspicion: Fang Shu’s caution toward He Shoufeng contrasts with Old Mountain Lord’s vulnerable dependence on the resources He Shoufeng provided.
• Sacrifice and exploitation: The more than eight hundred Earth Immortals have unknowingly been cultivated as fuel for opening the secret realm.
• Patience versus immediate action: Fang Shu recognizes that exposing the plot too early could worsen the situation, so he prepares quietly and waits for the Golden Core Ceremony.
• Compassion amid danger: Old Mountain Lord’s concern for others, and Fang Shu’s efforts to protect his friends, emphasize loyalty and moral responsibility in contrast to He Shoufeng’s selfish ambition.

Important Character Interactions

• He Shoufeng’s private confidence after leaving Fang Shu highlights his belief that his plan is close to succeeding.
• Fang Shu and Old Mountain Lord exchange respectful pleasantries before discussing healing and the dangers of He Shoufeng’s medicines.
• Fang Shu guides Old Mountain Lord through testing the Turbid Qi, leading to the discovery that the mountain’s Hidden Merit has become a network of shackles.
• Fang Shu reveals the true nature of the chains to Old Mountain Lord, shocking him with the extent of his imprisonment.
• Fang Shu informs his allies of the hidden danger and provides limited protection, while concealing his broader intentions until he can act during the Golden Core Ceremony.

Chapter 452 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Three months after Fang Shu’s Golden Core breakthrough, Mount Lu gradually returns to normal. The mountain’s immortals become accustomed to his transformation, while Fang Shu and the Profound Teaching’s true disciple remain largely isolated.
• A grand procession from the Profound Teaching arrives at Mount Lu under an official decree. They announce that Fang Shu is being recognized as a lay disciple of the Profound Teaching.
• The envoys ceremonially dress Fang Shu in a ritual robe and jade belt and present him with a pair of jade tablets bearing the character “Virtue.” Fang Shu carefully verifies the tablets’ authenticity before refining and accepting them.
• Fang Shu questions He Shoufeng about why he received only lay-disciple status rather than becoming a formal Dao disciple or true disciple. He Shoufeng explains that the Teaching’s rules require Fang Shu to personally visit before granting a higher position, though he had petitioned on Fang Shu’s behalf.
• He Shoufeng proposes holding a grand Golden Core Ceremony to establish Fang Shu’s prestige and strengthen Mount Lu’s reputation. Fang Shu agrees and openly ascends the mountain with him.
• The ceremony is scheduled for seven days later. Although many immortals gather, none of the influential Golden Core True Immortals whom He Shoufeng had previously mentioned attend, revealing Mount Lu’s isolation and declining status.
• Nearly nine hundred Foundation Establishment Earth Immortals and numerous False Core cultivators assemble for the ceremony. However, several of Fang Shu’s closest associates from the Five Viscera Hall mysteriously disappear beforehand.
• He Shoufeng personally organizes the event and constructs a five-colored viewing platform. Fang Shu recognizes it as the same Five-Colored Altar once used by the Five Sects in their earlier ceremony, increasing his suspicion that He Shoufeng knows hidden secrets about Mount Lu.
• Fang Shu realizes that everyone he cares about, apart from the immobile Old Mountain Lord, has been safely removed from danger. He therefore decides he can face whatever happens without restraint.
• Fang Shu ascends the altar and calmly waits. He Shoufeng’s concealed intentions become apparent through his predatory, expectant gaze, suggesting that Fang Shu is part of a larger ritual or scheme.
• At noon, He Shoufeng begins the formal Golden Core Ceremony. Auspicious clouds, rainbow light, and spirit manifestations fill the sky, but Fang Shu perceives them as chains imprisoning Ancient Mount Lu.
• He Shoufeng bows and formally invites Fang Shu to speak, marking the true beginning of the ceremony.

Character Developments

• Fang Shu demonstrates increased caution, composure, and confidence. He does not allow the Profound Teaching’s ceremonial treatment or the disappointment of receiving only lay-disciple status to affect his judgment.
• He has matured from an outsider seeking recognition into someone capable of standing confidently alongside a true disciple of the Profound Teaching. His acceptance of the lay-disciple identity is pragmatic rather than submissive.
• Fang Shu’s awareness of the danger surrounding Mount Lu deepens. He recognizes the ceremony as potentially serving He Shoufeng’s hidden plan and prepares himself to act without concern for personal losses.
• He Shoufeng appears courteous and apologetic regarding Fang Shu’s limited status, but his actions reveal greater ambitions. His careful organization of the ceremony and his anticipation of its outcome suggest that he has been planning this event for decades.
• His relationship with Fang Shu shifts from apparent alliance and mutual courtesy toward open but restrained opposition. Both understand that their underlying intentions will soon be exposed.

Significant Themes

• Recognition versus true belonging: Fang Shu gains official recognition from the Profound Teaching, but as only a lay disciple. The chapter distinguishes public honor from genuine inclusion within a powerful Dao lineage.
• Caution and political maneuvering: Fang Shu refuses to accept appearances at face value, verifying the Profound Teaching’s credentials and remaining alert to He Shoufeng’s motives.
• Hidden schemes beneath ritual: The grand ceremony appears to honor Fang Shu, yet the altar, the vanished allies, and He Shoufeng’s expression imply that the ritual may be a trap or sacrifice.
• Power and status: The elaborate reception and gathering of hundreds of immortals emphasize Fang Shu’s rising prestige, while the absence of established True Immortals highlights Mount Lu’s weakness and isolation.
• Freedom amid confinement: Fang Shu sees the ceremony’s auspicious phenomena as chains surrounding Mount Lu, symbolizing how a seemingly glorious event may actually be an act of imprisonment or control.
• Readiness for confrontation: Having secured the safety of those close to him, Fang Shu abandons hesitation and prepares to confront He Shoufeng and whatever force lies behind the ceremony.

Character Interactions

• The Profound Teaching envoys treat Fang Shu with formal reverence, but Fang Shu remains emotionally detached from their praise and ceremonial service.
• Fang Shu and He Shoufeng exchange polite words while covertly testing one another. He Shoufeng apologizes for Fang Shu’s low rank, while Fang Shu accepts the explanation without revealing how little he trusted the promise in the first place.
• Fang Shu communicates privately with Er Daiyuan, Fang Lu, and others, explaining the significance of the Virtue Jade Tablet and the meaning of lay-disciple status.
• During the ceremony, He Shoufeng publicly behaves as a respectful host and fellow Daoist, yet his gaze exposes his expectation that Fang Shu will serve a particular purpose.
• The chapter ends with He Shoufeng’s formal invitation—“Fellow Daoist, please speak”—as Fang Shu faces the ritual and the hidden conflict beneath it.

Chapter Summary: “Flesh Becoming Clouds, the Immortal-Fixing Banner Emerges”

Plot and Major Events

• During Fang Shu’s Dao lecture and ceremony atop Mount Lu, the mountain suddenly shakes and the long-sealed Mount Lu Secret Realm appears in the sky.
• The secret realm’s opening excites the gathered immortals, especially Qi Refining cultivators who believe it may offer them a chance to achieve Foundation Establishment. Even some Foundation Establishment immortals prepare to enter.
• He Shoufeng opens the gateway by sacrificing blood and using Golden Core power, then invites everyone to enter.
• However, the gateway is not a normal entrance. Immortals rushing toward it are violently crushed into blood mist, while an enormous suction force drags more people, buildings, vegetation, and even parts of Mount Lu into the sky.
• Thousands of immortals are slaughtered as the secret realm seemingly devours the mountain and its inhabitants.
• Fang Shu remains calm at the center of the catastrophe. To save those willing to submit, he produces a banner called the Immortal-Fixing Banner and offers protection to anyone willing to become an Attendant of his Mount Lu Orthodox Lineage.
• The banner uses the attendants’ dharma power, essence blood, and fortune to resist the secret realm’s suction. It protects those who contribute enough, while many outsiders and members of less loyal factions are abandoned.
• He Shoufeng recognizes that Fang Shu has cleverly turned the crowd’s collective fortune into a defensive force. He praises Fang Shu’s ingenuity but warns that human effort cannot oppose the Heavenly Mandate.
• Eight False Core immortals, terrified by the disaster, demand that Fang Shu and He Shoufeng let them escape. He Shoufeng dismisses their threats and uses the blood clouds to kill them one by one.
• One False Core immortal discovers that the Immortal-Fixing Banner can protect him and rushes to it. He Shoufeng’s attack is unable to harm him after he joins the banner, prompting the remaining survivors to attempt the same. Only two ultimately survive, while the others are killed before reaching Fang Shu.
• The once-crowded summit becomes nearly deserted. Those sheltered by the banner remain silent and pray as the secret realm begins to slow its devouring.
• The chapter ends with a gigantic, blood-covered figure emerging from the clouds above Mount Lu.

Character Developments

• Fang Shu: Demonstrates composure, strategic intelligence, and ruthless pragmatism. Rather than personally expend his strength saving everyone, he creates the Immortal-Fixing Banner and makes the threatened immortals pay for their own protection through dharma power, essence blood, and fortune. He also selectively protects those connected to his orthodox lineage.
• He Shoufeng: Reveals himself as the architect or instigator behind the secret realm’s opening, though his exact purpose remains uncertain. He displays overwhelming power and mercilessly eliminates the False Core immortals, treating their surrender and pleas with contempt.
• The Mount Lu immortals: Their excitement over the secret realm rapidly turns to terror. Many accept Fang Shu’s conditions and submit as Attendants in order to survive, while others hesitate and are abandoned.
• The False Core immortals: Their arrogance collapses under pressure. They first threaten Fang Shu and He Shoufeng, then beg for mercy or attempt to flee. Only those who reach the Immortal-Fixing Banner survive.

Significant Themes

• The price of survival: Protection is not offered freely; the immortals must surrender power, blood, fortune, and ultimately a degree of independence.
• Order versus chaos: The ceremony’s formal dignity dissolves into panic, slaughter, and desperate flight, while Fang Shu’s banner creates a controlled hierarchy amid the chaos.
• Power and manipulation: He Shoufeng controls the catastrophe through overwhelming force, while Fang Shu survives through strategy and the manipulation of collective fortune.
• Heavenly fate versus human agency: He Shoufeng claims that divine law and the Heavenly Mandate cannot be resisted, but Fang Shu still finds a way to preserve lives within those constraints.
• Loyalty and allegiance: Fang Shu’s salvation is tied to joining his orthodox lineage, transforming a crisis into an opportunity to consolidate followers and authority.

Key Character Interactions

• Fang Shu and He Shoufeng exchange guarded voice transmissions, recognizing that both have been planning around the secret realm’s appearance.
• He Shoufeng openly praises Fang Shu’s resourcefulness but warns him against opposing fate.
• The desperate immortals appeal to Fang Shu for help, but he responds by directing them to the Immortal-Fixing Banner rather than personally intervening.
• The False Core immortals threaten, plead with, and attempt to flee from He Shoufeng, but he kills almost all of them without hesitation.
• Fang Shu’s banner directly counters He Shoufeng’s attacks, establishing a temporary balance between Fang Shu’s defensive strategy and He Shoufeng’s destructive control.

Chapter 454 Summary: Kind Master, Filial Disciple; Schemes Too Deep

Key Plot Points and Events

• A gigantic crimson goose emerges from the Mount Lu secret realm. It is the transformed body of the Profound Teaching Divine Immortal, whose true half-human form remains trapped inside the realm.
• He Shoufeng reveals that he deliberately caused the bloodshed and destruction at Mount Lu to gather immortal flesh and blood for the Goose Divine Immortal. He hopes to earn its favor and gain a chance to reach the Refining Spirit realm.
• He Shoufeng offers Fang Shu to the Goose Divine Immortal as blood food, but the immortal instead orders He Shoufeng to approach and prepare to surrender his own body.
• He Shoufeng realizes that the immortal intends to consume him rather than reward him. He stops before reaching the goose and exposes the fact that the immortal is trapped within the secret realm.
• The Goose Divine Immortal admits that it suffered a reversal at Mount Lu and has been imprisoned there. It demands He Shoufeng’s body in exchange for supposedly granting him a path to Refining Spirit.
• He Shoufeng refuses, claiming he will seize the opportunity himself and return to rescue the immortal after advancing. The Goose Divine Immortal attacks him, but He Shoufeng escapes through a golden transformation, revealing that he had prepared for this confrontation.
• He Shoufeng urges Fang Shu to cooperate in killing the trapped immortal, arguing that otherwise Fang Shu—being tied to Mount Lu’s fortune—will eventually become its food. Fang Shu refuses to become involved and attempts to leave.
• He Shoufeng activates the immense network of Mount Lu’s fortune and karma, intending to trap Fang Shu and force him into the confrontation.
• Fang Shu discovers that, despite forming his Golden Core at Mount Lu, he is not truly bound by its fortune. He moves freely through the network and reaches its edge.
• The Goose Divine Immortal breaks free from some of Mount Lu’s restraints and turns its attention toward He Shoufeng. Fang Shu warns him, allowing He Shoufeng to evade a sudden attack.
• The situation reverses: He Shoufeng becomes the one being hunted. He attempts to flee, but the fortune network he created now traps him instead.
• The Goose Divine Immortal explains that even it must endure Mount Lu’s fortune, so He Shoufeng cannot simply escape after using the network. He Shoufeng is caught and apparently bitten to death.
• A golden light escapes from He Shoufeng’s brow, but the Goose Divine Immortal captures it. Suddenly, the blood-goose body dissolves, and the blood mist returns to the figure of “He Shoufeng.”
• The apparent victim is revealed to be another form or manifestation of He Shoufeng. He calmly turns to Fang Shu and asks whether he enjoyed watching the spectacle, implying that his schemes are deeper than either Fang Shu or the Goose Divine Immortal realized.

Character Developments

• He Shoufeng: His true nature as an ambitious, calculating schemer becomes clear. He had spent decades cultivating Mount Lu’s immortals and strengthening its fortune, intending to use the mountain’s backlash to weaken the Goose Divine Immortal and profit from their mutual destruction. He is clever enough to deceive the immortal temporarily, escape its attacks, and prepare a hidden means of survival.
• Fang Shu: He remains cautious and detached, refusing to be manipulated into fighting either side. He correctly recognizes that both He Shoufeng and the Goose Divine Immortal are exploiting him. His ability to move freely through Mount Lu’s fortune reveals that his connection to the mountain is different from what He Shoufeng assumed.
• The Goose Divine Immortal: It is exposed as a powerful but severely constrained being. Though it possesses overwhelming strength and a hunger for blood food, it is trapped by Mount Lu’s secret realm and vulnerable to the mountain’s karmic fortune. Its arrogance leads it to underestimate He Shoufeng.
• Mount Lu immortals: They react with shock to the revelation that a supposedly orthodox Profound Teaching Divine Immortal consumes blood and flesh, challenging their assumptions about the purity of the Profound Gate.

Significant Themes

• Mutual manipulation and hidden agendas: Neither He Shoufeng nor the Goose Divine Immortal truly intends to honor their promises. Each plans to exploit and eventually dispose of the other.
• The danger of overconfidence: The Goose Divine Immortal assumes that He Shoufeng is merely a useful subordinate, while He Shoufeng assumes he can control the mountain’s fortune and escape its consequences.
• Karma and retribution: The fortune He Shoufeng cultivates as a trap for Fang Shu becomes the mechanism that imprisons him. His own preparations turn against him.
• Appearance versus reality: The giant goose, the trapped immortal, He Shoufeng’s apparent death, and even Fang Shu’s supposed bond to Mount Lu all prove misleading.
• Detachment and survival: Fang Shu survives by refusing to take sides and by recognizing that involvement in another person’s scheme is more dangerous than any immediate threat.

Character Interactions

• He Shoufeng and the Goose Divine Immortal: Their relationship shifts from apparent master and devoted disciple to open exploitation. He Shoufeng pretends obedience while planning to use the immortal, whereas the immortal intends to consume him.
• He Shoufeng and Fang Shu: He Shoufeng alternates between offering cooperation, threatening Fang Shu, and trying to force him into the battle. Fang Shu rejects every attempt and ultimately warns He Shoufeng only to preserve the balance of the situation.
• Fang Shu and the Goose Divine Immortal: The immortal views Fang Shu as potential blood food, but Fang Shu escapes its immediate control by remaining outside the mountain’s binding fortune.
• He Shoufeng and Mount Lu: He Shoufeng spent years manipulating Mount Lu’s karma and fortune, only to become trapped by the very net he created.

Chapter Summary: “Fighting an Immortal, Fish Dies and Net Breaks”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Fang Shu realizes that He Shoufeng has been killed and taken over by the Goose Divine Immortal, also known as the Profound Teaching Divine Immortal. The possession is far more effortless than Fang Shu expected.
• The newly freed immortal orders Fang Shu and his disciples to enter the Mount Lu Secret Realm, but Fang Shu refuses, suspecting that the immortal intends to use him to stabilize or control the realm.
• When the immortal exerts overwhelming soul pressure, Fang Shu is protected by the Dao Register and escapes using Scarlet Gold Divine Light.
• Fang Shu successfully passes through Mount Lu’s Fortune net, but the Goose Divine Immortal activates the mountain’s fortune, creating a thousand-li barrier that prevents Fang Shu from leaving.
• Fang Shu attempts to invoke the authority of the Vast Sea Immortal Prefecture, but the Goose Divine Immortal dismisses the threat, claiming that the Vast Sea Old Immortal is too weak or preoccupied to intervene.
• Forced into battle, Fang Shu confronts the immortal’s blood-mist attacks. The mist forms flood dragons and later a massive ten-thousand-zhang goose. Fang Shu’s defenses can block and delay the attacks, but his Golden Core qi is rapidly depleted.
• Fang Shu notices that the Goose Divine Immortal never leaves Ancient Mount Lu. He deduces that, despite possessing He Shoufeng, the immortal remains trapped within Mount Lu’s Fortune net and can only attack from within its boundaries.
• Fang Shu deliberately provokes the immortal with insults, confirming that the immortal is unable to leave the mountain.
• Rather than flee, Fang Shu attempts to use Mount Lu’s Fortune against the immortal. Standing on the mountain’s peak, he grabs the fortune chains and begins pulling the net inward, trying to compress it around Ancient Mount Lu and trap or destroy the immortal along with himself.
• The Goose Divine Immortal becomes enraged and abandons his earlier attempt to capture Fang Shu alive. He surrounds Fang Shu with the giant blood-mist goose and begins trying to kill him.
• The chapter ends with the immortal considering the remaining Mount Lu immortals as potential targets or tools in the confrontation.

Character Developments

• Fang Shu: Initially shocked and cautious, Fang Shu quickly adapts to the changed situation. He abandons his original plan of exploiting the conflict and prioritizes survival. As the battle progresses, he becomes increasingly bold and perceptive, recognizing the Goose Divine Immortal’s limitation and turning Mount Lu’s Fortune into a weapon. His willingness to risk death in order to trap the immortal demonstrates his resolve and strategic courage.
• Goose Divine Immortal/Profound Teaching Divine Immortal: After possessing He Shoufeng, he appears confident and condescending, believing Fang Shu is powerless against him. However, Fang Shu’s resistance and discovery of his confinement gradually anger and unsettle him. His change from leisurely harassment to desperate, murderous attacks reveals that he is not as free or powerful as he pretends.
• He Shoufeng: His defeat is swift and humiliating. His body becomes the vessel through which the Goose Divine Immortal escapes, confirming his vulnerability and reducing him to a tool in the immortal’s plans.
• Mount Lu immortals: They are frightened and powerless witnesses. Some call for Fang Shu not to abandon them, but Fang Shu chooses survival over rescuing them, leaving their fate uncertain.

Significant Themes

• Power versus restraint: Although the Goose Divine Immortal is vastly stronger than Fang Shu, the Mount Lu Fortune net severely limits his movement and abilities. The chapter emphasizes that even overwhelming power can be neutralized by the right restriction.
• Cunning over brute force: Fang Shu cannot defeat the immortal directly. His survival depends on observation, provocation, and exploiting the immortal’s hidden weakness.
• Desperation and sacrifice: Fang Shu is willing to let himself be consumed by the blood mist if doing so allows him to contract the fortune net and potentially destroy the immortal.
• False authority and shifting alliances: Fang Shu’s claim to be a successor of the Vast Sea Immortal Prefecture fails to intimidate the immortal, showing that reputations and affiliations are unreliable when powerful figures are unable or unwilling to intervene.
• Trapped predators: Both Fang Shu and the Goose Divine Immortal are confined—Fang Shu by the mountain’s barrier and the immortal by the Fortune net. Their battle becomes a contest over who can turn the surrounding prison into a weapon first.

Character Interactions

• Fang Shu formally acknowledges the possessed He Shoufeng as an immortal, but quickly becomes wary and refuses to obey his command.
• The Goose Divine Immortal mocks Fang Shu’s lineage and dismisses his connection to the Vast Sea Immortal Prefecture.
• Fang Shu and the immortal exchange threats, with Fang Shu shifting from respectful negotiation to open defiance and insults.
• Fang Shu’s taunts expose the immortal’s inability to leave Ancient Mount Lu, provoking an emotional reaction and forcing the immortal to escalate the battle.
• The surviving Mount Lu immortals remain caught between the two, fearing both the immortal’s attacks and Fang Shu’s decision to use the entire mountain’s Fortune as a trap.