Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: Plotting with a Tiger; True Disciple Ancestral Altar

Key Plot Points and Events

• Goose Divine Immortal threatens to kill everyone on Mount Lu unless Fang Shu stops drawing in the Fortune Net.
• To prove his resolve, Goose slaughters Mount Lu immortals, first killing one on the mountaintop and then exterminating nearly everyone at the mountain’s foot and waist.
• He uses the remaining immortals as hostages, warning Fang Shu that continued resistance will destroy the Mount Lu Orthodox Lineage.
• Fang Shu remains unmoved and continues absorbing the Fortune Net, even as the surviving immortals curse and plead with him.
• The deaths and resentment of the Mount Lu immortals destabilize Mount Lu’s fortune, but Fang Shu chooses to prioritize securing the Fortune Net over saving them.
• Goose kills more than half of the remaining mountaintop immortals, reducing their number to roughly three hundred, but Fang Shu still refuses to yield.
• Fang Shu realizes that Goose’s true weakness is his dependence on the mountain and the Fortune Net. He demands that Goose disperse the blood mist surrounding him in exchange for stopping the net’s contraction.
• Goose agrees, withdrawing the blood mist, and the two finally begin negotiating directly.
• Fang Shu demands both safe passage and access to the Secret Realm’s opportunity for achieving Refining Spirit. Goose claims to know nothing about such an opportunity.
• Fang Shu exposes Goose’s deception by pointing out that his current condition and strength do not resemble those of someone who has spent decades imprisoned with suppressed cultivation.
• Goose attempts to attack Fang Shu with a red beam, but Fang Shu evades it.
• Realizing Fang Shu may expose the Secret Realm’s existence to other powerful immortals, Goose changes tactics and offers him a place as a personal disciple, including Profound Teaching True Disciple status and access to the Ancestral Altar.

Character Developments

• Fang Shu demonstrates exceptional composure, ruthlessness, and strategic intelligence. He refuses to be manipulated by the suffering of the Mount Lu immortals and prioritizes his own long-term cultivation and control of the Fortune Net.
• Fang Shu also reveals that he is willing to threaten Goose indirectly by implying that other Refining Spirit immortals may come seeking the Secret Realm’s opportunity.
• Goose Divine Immortal shifts from intimidation and mass slaughter to negotiation and flattery when violence fails. His growing anxiety shows that he fears Fang Shu revealing the Secret Realm or attracting powerful enemies.
• Goose’s offer to make Fang Shu a personal disciple reveals that he recognizes Fang Shu’s talent and sees recruitment as safer than continued conflict.
• The Mount Lu immortals become increasingly desperate and resentful. Their pleas turn into accusations against Fang Shu, demonstrating how fear and betrayal can destabilize both personal loyalty and Mount Lu’s fortune.

Significant Themes

• Ruthlessness versus responsibility: Fang Shu refuses to sacrifice his goals for people who may already have abandoned or cursed him, raising questions about whether his coldness is justified or selfish.
• Manipulation and counter-manipulation: Goose uses hostages and threats, while Fang Shu exploits Goose’s dependence on the Fortune Net and fear of outside intervention.
• Power concealed by appearances: Fang Shu sees through Goose’s claim of being a helpless prisoner, recognizing signs that he has gained a hidden advantage within the Secret Realm.
• Fortune and collective resentment: The Mount Lu immortals’ hatred directly affects Mount Lu’s fortune, showing that emotional allegiance and resentment possess tangible spiritual consequences.
• Cultivation opportunity and ambition: Fang Shu’s demand for access to Refining Spirit reflects his determination to secure advancement, even when doing so requires bargaining with a dangerous Divine Immortal.
• Recruitment as control: Goose’s offer of discipleship and access to the Ancestral Altar appears generous but may be another attempt to bind Fang Shu to the Profound Teaching.

Important Character Interactions

• Fang Shu and Goose Divine Immortal: Their confrontation evolves from a hostage crisis into a psychological negotiation. Each tries to identify the other’s weakness, with Fang Shu gaining leverage through the Fortune Net and Goose relying on threats, deception, and finally inducement.
• Fang Shu and the Mount Lu immortals: The immortals beg for protection and condemn him for refusing to intervene. Fang Shu rejects their emotional pressure, declaring through his actions that their survival is not his responsibility.
• Goose and the Mount Lu immortals: Goose treats them as expendable tools, murdering them to pressure Fang Shu and demonstrate his power.
• Fang Shu and the Profound Teaching: Goose offers Fang Shu official recognition as a True Disciple and access to the Ancestral Altar, creating a tempting connection between Fang Shu’s personal ambitions and the larger teaching’s power structure.

Chapter Summary: The Immortal Decree; The Immortal-Sealing Formation Emerges

Key Plot Points and Events

• Fang Shu challenges Goose Divine Immortal’s promise to admit him into the Profound Teaching as a true disciple, pointing out that Goose has already exploited He Shoufeng’s cultivation. To prove his sincerity, Goose issues a genuine Divine Immortal Decree, formally accepting Fang Shu as his disciple and granting him true-disciple status.
• Fang Shu verifies the decree with his Dao Eye and confirms that it is witnessed by the Great Dao and cannot be forged. However, he remains suspicious, correctly realizing that possessing the decree may not matter if Goose kills him before he can use it.
• Goose places the decree on Fang Shu’s Immortal-Fixing Banner and demands that Fang Shu first disperse Mount Lu’s Fortune. Fang Shu complies, but deliberately gathers the fortune together before dispersing it, using the process to buy time and manipulate the situation.
• Once the Fortune Net has dispersed, Goose attempts to seize Fang Shu’s soul, revealing that the decree was never meant to protect him. He suppresses Fang Shu and thrusts a finger into his forehead, believing Fang Shu has been deceived.
• Fang Shu’s body suddenly disintegrates into countless gu insects. The real Fang Shu appears above Goose and condemns him for breaking his word.
• Fang Shu reveals that he had used their earlier conversation to secretly deploy a massive formation of gu insects around Ancient Mount Lu. The formation traps Goose once again.
• Goose initially gains the upper hand by releasing blood mist and burning the essence blood of He Shoufeng’s body to attack the formation. Fang Shu then summons Mount Lu’s Fortune and combines it with his own core qi, strengthening the formation.
• Goose identifies the Immortal-Fixing Banner as one of the formation’s cores and destroys its cloth. This releases a terrifying golden-yellow aura, which Goose recognizes as Ancient Evil Aura.
• The Ancient Evil Aura suppresses Goose’s power and spreads throughout Ancient Mount Lu, weakening the other three hundred immortals as well.
• Goose attempts to flee toward the secret realm, but the aura invades his body and Primordial Spirit. His blood mist collapses, his physical body is torn apart, and his Primordial Spirit decays under the aura.
• Despite pleading for mercy, Goose Divine Immortal’s Primordial Spirit is destroyed. Fang Shu is left stunned by the unexpected power of the formation and the Ancient Evil Aura.

Character Developments

• Fang Shu demonstrates exceptional caution, deception, and strategic patience. Although he appears to accept Goose’s terms, he never truly trusts him and uses every stage of the negotiation to prepare a counterattack.
• Fang Shu’s growth is evident in his ability to coordinate gu insects, Mount Lu’s Fortune, his Golden Core, and the Immortal-Fixing Banner into a powerful formation. He shifts from merely escaping danger to directly defeating a Divine Immortal.
• Goose Divine Immortal is revealed to be treacherous and arrogant. He issues a genuine decree but assumes that its moral or Dao-backed authority has no practical force. His confidence blinds him to Fang Shu’s preparations.
• Goose’s confidence collapses once the Ancient Evil Aura appears. His desperation, physical self-mutilation, flight, and eventual plea for mercy contrast sharply with his earlier contempt for Fang Shu.
• He Shoufeng remains absent as an active character, but his body and cultivation continue to serve as tools for Goose. His fate also illustrates how thoroughly Goose has exploited him.

Significant Themes

• Trust versus deception: Fang Shu accepts the decree but never surrenders his suspicion. Goose, meanwhile, uses the language of mentorship while planning to sacrifice Fang Shu.
• Preparation and patience: Fang Shu’s victory depends on preparations made long before the crisis, especially his stockpiling of gu insects and concealed formation setup.
• Power hidden beneath weakness: The Immortal-Fixing Banner appears to be destroyed, but its destruction releases the Ancient Evil Aura, transforming Goose’s apparent victory into catastrophe.
• The danger of arrogance: Goose dismisses Fang Shu’s formation as a “petty trick,” underestimating both his opponent and the forces connected to Mount Lu.
• Contracts and practical power: The Divine Immortal Decree is genuinely valid, yet Goose assumes that a formal heavenly promise has no immediate protective value. The chapter contrasts legal or Daoic authority with physical survival and strategic power.
• Control of Mount Lu’s Fortune: Fortune functions both as a weapon and as a contested resource. Fang Shu initially manipulates it to delay Goose, then uses it to reinforce the final formation.

Character Interactions

• Fang Shu and Goose engage in a tense verbal negotiation disguised as a master-disciple exchange. Goose repeatedly calls Fang Shu “disciple,” while Fang Shu maintains outward respect but internally rejects Goose’s authority.
• Fang Shu deliberately exploits Goose’s desire to obtain Mount Lu’s Fortune, persuading him to wait while the fortune gathers and the Fortune Net disperses.
• Goose attempts to turn the supposed master-disciple relationship into a trap by demanding Fang Shu’s soul. Fang Shu exposes the hypocrisy of the arrangement by escaping through his gu transformation.
• Their final confrontation becomes a contest between Goose’s blood-mist techniques and Fang Shu’s gu-insect formation, culminating in Fang Shu’s use of Mount Lu’s Fortune and the Ancient Evil Aura to destroy Goose completely.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Fang Shu is astonished when the Dragon Qi overwhelms the Goose Divine Immortal far more effectively than expected. He had anticipated merely suppressing the immortal’s power before gradually wearing him down through the formation.
• Suspicious that the Goose Divine Immortal’s apparent defeat might be a trick, Fang Shu thoroughly scans Ancient Mount Lu with his divine sense. He confirms that the opponent’s Primordial Spirit has dispersed and that the possessed body of He Shoufeng is no longer concealing anything.
• Fang Shu enters Ancient Mount Lu and discovers that He Shoufeng’s corpse and possessions remain largely intact. He seals the body, recognizing that the corpse of a Profound Teaching True Immortal could bring him considerable benefits.
• The Immortal-Fixing Banner has been damaged by the immense pressure of the battle, but not beyond repair. Fang Shu plans to use future Golden Core materials to restore and upgrade it into a genuine Ten-Calamity dharma artifact.
• He retrieves the True Transmission Edict, also known as the Divine Immortal Decree, which can grant him access to the Profound Teaching’s Western Altar or Central Province Ancestral Altar and provide an opportunity to undergo Refining Spirit.
• While examining the decree, Fang Shu notices that the Goose Divine Immortal’s Primordial Spirit imprint remains on it. He realizes that the being he defeated was likely only a divided spirit, while the immortal’s true body remains trapped within the Mount Lu Secret Realm.
• The Goose Divine Immortal suddenly sends another beam of golden light through the still-open gateway. Rather than attacking Fang Shu, the light enters the Divine Immortal Decree and transmits a powerful technique, along with secrets concerning the Mount Lu Secret Realm.
• Fang Shu identifies the transmitted technique as The Wondrous Scripture of the Nascent Embryo’s Divided Spirit Transformation, revealing that the Goose Divine Immortal is deliberately passing knowledge to him across the Secret Realm.

Character Development

• Fang Shu becomes more cautious and perceptive. Although initially delighted by the apparent victory, he quickly questions whether the Goose Divine Immortal truly died and correctly infers the existence of a surviving true body.
• His confidence in the Dragon Qi grows. He recognizes that it may possess an unusually powerful ability to restrain souls, especially those inhabiting unsuitable bodies or operating through divided spirits.
• Fang Shu also becomes more strategic, viewing every reward—the corpse, possessions, damaged banner, and Divine Immortal Decree—as resources for strengthening his future cultivation and position.
• The Goose Divine Immortal is revealed to be more calculating than Fang Shu first assumed. Even after losing his divided spirit, he retains enough influence to transmit a profound technique and hidden information.

Significant Themes

• Apparent victory versus hidden survival: The defeat of the Goose Divine Immortal is not absolute, emphasizing the danger of relying on appearances when dealing with powerful immortals.
• The value and danger of opportunity: The Divine Immortal Decree offers Fang Shu a major path toward Refining Spirit, but its connection to the Goose Divine Immortal makes it potentially dangerous.
• Power through resources and inheritance: Fang Shu treats corpses, artifacts, Dragon Qi, and transmitted techniques as tools for future advancement.
• Divided spirits and identity: The chapter introduces the concept of divided spirits, raising questions about the relationship between an immortal’s true body, projections, and surviving consciousness.
• Caution amid triumph: Fang Shu’s success is tempered by suspicion, demonstrating that survival in the cultivation world requires constant vigilance.

Character Interactions

• Fang Shu and the Goose Divine Immortal interact indirectly through the formation, the Dragon Qi, the Divine Immortal Decree, and the final transmitted technique.
• The Goose Divine Immortal had previously promised Fang Shu the True Transmission Edict, creating an exchange in which apparent defeat still results in Fang Shu receiving valuable benefits.
• The Goose Divine Immortal’s possession of He Shoufeng links the three figures: He Shoufeng’s death provides Fang Shu with a valuable corpse, while the possession itself helps explain why Dragon Qi so decisively damaged the divided spirit.
• Fang Shu’s relationship with the Mount Lu immortals is primarily custodial in this chapter, as he inspects the unconscious survivors and prepares to restore order after the battle.

Chapter Summary: “Great Terror”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Fang Shu studies the upper portion of the “Wonderful Scripture of Primordial Embryo Spirit Division and Form Transformation,” a Refining Spirit technique that allows practitioners to split off divine thoughts, control artifacts and puppets, possess others, and create avatars.
• He realizes the scripture lacks the portion required to refine a true External Incarnation, meaning he cannot yet obtain a genuine “second life.” However, its principles may help him understand his own mysterious divine ability and guide him toward related Dao texts.
• Fang Shu analyzes Goose Divine Immortal’s recent message. Since Fang Shu destroyed one of the goose’s external spirit divisions, Goose Divine Immortal now treats him more cautiously and offers benefits instead of threats.
• Goose Divine Immortal claims to have gained a powerful opportunity while trapped in the secret realm, one so significant that it dares not communicate the details openly. It provides Fang Shu with a ritual and secret method for communicating across the void.
• Believing the technique could be a trap or an attempt to possess him, Fang Shu protects himself with Dragon Qi before performing the ritual. He constructs an altar, burns incense, and summons a phantom of Goose Divine Immortal.
• The phantom reveals itself to be closer to the goose’s true identity than the inferior imitation Fang Shu encountered previously. To prevent their conversation from being overheard, it pulls Fang Shu into an isolated illusory space surrounded by the enormous net of laws Fang Shu once saw when forming his Golden Core.
• Goose Divine Immortal warns Fang Shu that his pursuit of Refining Spirit is extremely dangerous. It compares him to a moth flying into a flame and suggests that Mount Lu’s ancient inheritance does not reflect the terrifying reality of the modern Refining Spirit path.
• The chapter ends with Goose Divine Immortal cryptically declaring that Refining Spirit immortals normally prey upon others—but that the path contains an even greater terror.

Character Developments

• Fang Shu demonstrates increasing caution and strategic maturity. Though suspicious of Goose Divine Immortal, he chooses to cooperate temporarily because Dragon Qi protects him and the goose remains trapped.
• He shows intellectual ambition, viewing the spirit-division scripture not merely as a cultivation method but as a tool for deciphering his own divine ability.
• Fang Shu’s confidence is shaken when Goose Divine Immortal questions his understanding of Refining Spirit. He remains composed, however, testing the goose’s meaning instead of reacting recklessly.
• Goose Divine Immortal shifts from intimidation to negotiation. It acknowledges Fang Shu as someone worthy of cautious, nearly equal treatment and reveals a more authentic, serious persona.
• The goose becomes a source of unsettling knowledge, warning Fang Shu that the established teachings he relies upon may be dangerously outdated.

Significant Themes

• Knowledge and incomplete inheritance: The scripture’s missing lower portion symbolizes the limits of Fang Shu’s current understanding and the dangers of relying on incomplete ancient teachings.
• Trust and manipulation: Fang Shu and Goose Divine Immortal cooperate while both suspect the other may be setting a trap. Their exchange is defined by calculated trust rather than genuine friendship.
• The dangers of power and cultivation: Refining Spirit is presented not simply as a higher stage but as a perilous process involving possession, soul division, predation, and hidden existential dangers.
• Ancient knowledge versus modern reality: Mount Lu’s inheritance may preserve powerful techniques, but it no longer fully explains the current cultivation world.
• Predator and prey: Goose Divine Immortal’s warning reverses Fang Shu’s assumptions. Refining Spirit immortals are usually predators, yet even they may face forces capable of turning them into victims.

Character Interactions

• Fang Shu first interacts indirectly with Goose Divine Immortal by analyzing its transmitted message and preparing defenses against possible possession.
• During their ritual communication, Goose Divine Immortal reassures Fang Shu that the isolated illusion is only for secrecy, while Fang Shu remains alert and verifies that no harm has occurred.
• The conversation becomes a confrontation of perspectives: Fang Shu assumes Refining Spirit practitioners may be vulnerable like lower-stage cultivators, while Goose Divine Immortal corrects him and hints at a much more frightening truth.
• Their relationship develops into a tense alliance based on mutual usefulness, suspicion, and the promise of dangerous knowledge.

Chapter Summary: “Avoiding the Three Calamities”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Fang Shu questions Goose Divine Immortal about what could possibly threaten Refining Spirit Immortals, since they have already achieved immortality and no longer depend on ordinary life or resources.
• Goose Divine Immortal explains that the greatest threat is heaven and earth themselves, which impose the Three Calamities upon Refining Spirit Immortals.
• He describes the natural lifespan of a Refining Spirit Immortal as roughly nine thousand years, divided into three periods of three thousand years. At the end of each period, one calamity arrives:
  • Thunder Calamity, which must be endured or evaded.
  • Yin Fire Calamity, which rises from the Yongquan acupoint and burns through the body from within.
  • Jackdaw Wind Calamity, which enters through the fontanelle and scatters the immortal’s bones, flesh, and internal organs.
• Failure to survive any calamity results not only in bodily death but also in the destruction of the soul and Dao.
• Goose Divine Immortal reveals that many Divine Immortals avoid this fate by reincarnating before their calamity arrives, preserving their souls and attempting to break through the Mystery of the Womb in their next life.
• Some Primordial Spirits can supposedly reincarnate repeatedly without losing their memories or Dao comprehension; certain immortals have allegedly reincarnated as many as ten times.
• Goose Divine Immortal then introduces the “great opportunity”: a method to avoid the Three Calamities without undergoing ordinary reincarnation or losing one’s accumulated Dao attainment.
• He hints that this method would allow an immortal to reincarnate with a clear Primordial Spirit and immediately return to the Great Dao.
• Rather than reveal the method directly, he challenges Fang Shu to deduce it himself. Fang Shu begins thinking deeply.

Character Developments

• Fang Shu demonstrates curiosity, caution, and intellectual ambition. Instead of being frightened by the prospect of the Three Calamities, he is initially delighted to learn that Refining Spirit Immortals can survive for at least nine thousand years.
• His questions reveal that he is already thinking beyond ordinary immortal boundaries, wondering whether surviving the calamities could lead to Void Returning or ultimate freedom.
• Fang Shu’s strong Golden Core foundation and exceptionally long remaining lifespan are indirectly revealed through Goose Divine Immortal’s observations.
• Goose Divine Immortal shifts from evasive manipulation to a more open explanation of immortal dangers. He remains teasing and somewhat cryptic, deliberately withholding the final secret to test Fang Shu’s intelligence.
• Goose Divine Immortal also recognizes that Fang Shu’s youth and talent make him unusually promising, with centuries of cultivation ahead of him.

Significant Themes

• Immortality is not true freedom: Even beings who no longer age or exhaust their mana remain subject to cosmic destruction.
• The conflict between heaven and immortals: The Three Calamities represent heaven and earth correcting or destroying those who have surpassed ordinary natural limits.
• Survival versus transcendence: Reincarnation is presented as a practical way to preserve existence, while enduring the calamities represents a far more dangerous attempt to transcend them.
• The value of memory and Dao attainment: Retaining one’s Primordial Spirit and knowledge through reincarnation would allow an immortal to continue cultivating without returning to ignorance.
• Knowledge as power: Understanding the Three Calamities changes how immortals must plan their futures, and Goose Divine Immortal uses this knowledge as both instruction and leverage over Fang Shu.

Character Interactions

• Fang Shu respectfully questions Goose Divine Immortal throughout the exchange, repeatedly addressing him as an elder and seeking clarification.
• Goose Divine Immortal alternates between instruction and provocation, laughing at Fang Shu’s misunderstandings and testing his ability to reason.
• Their conversation remains tense because they are mortal enemies, yet Goose Divine Immortal temporarily acts as Fang Shu’s teacher.
• The relationship is marked by mutual appraisal: Fang Shu seeks valuable information while remaining suspicious, and Goose Divine Immortal evaluates Fang Shu’s talent, lifespan, and potential.
• The chapter ends with Goose Divine Immortal turning the discussion into a challenge, asking Fang Shu to infer the secret method for avoiding the Three Calamities.

Chapter Summary: “Three Corpse Severing”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Fang Shu asks the Goose Divine Immortal whether the Three Calamities can be avoided through concealment, transferring the calamities to another person, or transforming into another object.
• The Goose Divine Immortal explains that the real way to evade the calamities is connected to the Mount Lu Secret Realm.
• He reveals that Divine Immortals suffer the Three Calamities because cultivating Refining Spirit in the Outer World causes their names to be recorded in Immortal Law. Once bound by Immortal Law, they cannot escape the calamities or freely reincarnate.
• Refining Spirit within a suitable secret realm can avoid Immortal Law and allow one to transcend the world’s restrictions. Mount Lu Secret Realm is exceptionally rare because it can support Refining Spirit cultivation while isolating the cultivator from Immortal Law.
• The Goose Divine Immortal admits he cannot use the realm himself: having already cultivated Refining Spirit, he is bound by Immortal Law, and his presence would likely attract the Three Calamities and destroy the secret realm.
• Fang Shu suspects the Goose Divine Immortal’s motives and asks whether he merely wants Fang Shu to cultivate there and eventually free him.
• Before revealing the full secret, the Goose Divine Immortal requires both of them to swear oaths. He promises not to hinder Fang Shu’s cultivation and to wait three hundred years; Fang Shu promises not to reveal Mount Lu Secret Realm to other Refining Spirit Immortals or bring them there.
• After the oaths, the Goose Divine Immortal reveals that Mount Lu Secret Realm contains the lost Refining Spirit inheritance of the Mount Lu Dao Lineage, including a method for reaching Void Refinement—the realm of Heavenly Immortals, or Dao Lords.
• The method is called “Three Corpse Severing.” It is connected to Corpse Liberation and may explain the half-volume of the Wondrous Scripture of Primordial Embryo Spirit Division and Transformation previously obtained by Fang Shu.
• Fang Shu realizes that the Goose Divine Immortal he previously imprisoned and killed was actually an Evil Corpse severed through this method. However, the Goose Divine Immortal had failed to properly master the technique, leaving the corpse as little more than a clone.
• Although Fang Shu initially suspects deception, the consistency between the revealed inheritance, the scripture fragment, the Evil Corpse, and the suppression of the Mount Lu Dao Lineage convinces him that the Goose Divine Immortal is likely telling the truth.

Character Development

• Fang Shu remains cautious and analytical. He does not accept the Goose Divine Immortal’s claims at face value, repeatedly questioning his motives and testing the credibility of his explanations.
• His interest and excitement grow when he learns that Mount Lu Secret Realm can protect him from Immortal Law and that it contains a path to Void Refinement.
• Fang Shu demonstrates increasing strategic maturity by insisting on understanding the Goose Divine Immortal’s intentions before agreeing to cooperate and by binding both parties through Dao oaths.
• The Goose Divine Immortal reveals more of his desperation and regret. He recognizes the immense value of Mount Lu Secret Realm but is unable to use it because he is already bound by Immortal Law.
• He presents himself as both a potential guide and a dependent figure, needing Fang Shu to access the inheritance he can no longer obtain himself.

Significant Themes

• Escaping cosmic restrictions: The Three Calamities are presented as the consequence of being recorded in Immortal Law, making cultivation location a decisive factor in one’s fate.
• Opportunity and limitation: Mount Lu Secret Realm offers extraordinary freedom, but only to someone who has not yet cultivated Refining Spirit in the Outer World.
• Trust and suspicion: Fang Shu’s caution contrasts with the Goose Divine Immortal’s disclosures, and their cooperation is secured through binding oaths rather than mutual confidence.
• Inheritance and suppression: The long-term suppression of the Mount Lu Dao Lineage by the Profound Teaching suggests that powerful hidden truths have been deliberately concealed.
• Corpse Liberation and divided selves: The Three Corpse Severing method introduces the possibility of separating aspects of oneself, while the failed Evil Corpse demonstrates the dangers of incomplete mastery.
• The cost of cultivation: Advancement brings power but also binding consequences; once one enters Immortal Law, certain forms of freedom become impossible.

Important Character Interactions

• Fang Shu challenges the Goose Divine Immortal with increasingly pointed questions about the secret realm and his motives.
• The Goose Divine Immortal explains the relationship between Outer World cultivation, Immortal Law, and the Three Calamities, guiding Fang Shu toward the importance of Mount Lu.
• Their oath exchange establishes a formal, dangerous alliance: the Goose Divine Immortal protects Fang Shu’s future cultivation, while Fang Shu safeguards the realm from outside Refining Spirit Immortals.
• The final revelation transforms their relationship from a simple bargain into a shared pursuit of a lost inheritance, with Fang Shu potentially gaining the path to Heavenly Immortality and the Goose Divine Immortal hoping to obtain the inheritance he cannot access himself.

Chapter Summary: “Undying Divinity, Household Effects”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Fang Shu and Goose Divine Immortal discuss how to keep the surviving Mount Lu immortals from revealing that Goose Divine Immortal is trapped within the Mount Lu Secret Realm.
• Goose initially suggests killing the roughly three hundred survivors, but Fang Shu objects because they are Mount Lu’s remaining Orthodox Lineage. Their deaths could leave the mountain vulnerable to the Outer Dao.
• Goose offers instead to erase their memories, but Fang Shu distrusts him, fearing soul-searching could hide a contingency or allow Goose to plant future puppets or incarnations in their minds.
• Fang Shu volunteers to perform the memory alteration himself. Goose rewards him by giving him the incomplete second half of the Wonderful Scripture of Primordial Embryo Spirit Division and Form Transformation, an art dealing with souls, spirit division, and External Incarnations.
• Goose admits the scripture was already incomplete when he obtained it. Although Fang Shu is suspicious, he recognizes that it can complement his existing Corpse Liberation techniques and help him improve his understanding of the soul.
• Goose then gives Fang Shu a strand of Undying Divinity, formed from the remnants of the divine-sense incarnation Fang Shu previously destroyed. The divinity manifests as a platinum-white goose feather.
• The Mount Lu Secret Realm disappears, apparently taking Goose Divine Immortal with it. Fang Shu realizes the gift may be a calculated attempt to influence or manipulate him, but he keeps the divinity because it is extremely valuable.
• Fang Shu discovers that the Undying Divinity cannot be stored normally. Dragon Qi can suppress it, but ordinary storage treasures and even his own dantian qi cannot safely contain it.
• Rather than use the divinity to comprehend the scripture as Goose intended, Fang Shu decides to leave it unused for the moment and studies the scripture with his Dao Register and Dragon Qi.
• After roughly three quarters of an hour, Fang Shu successfully applies the technique to all three hundred Mount Lu immortals at once. He deletes only one day of memory, avoiding damage to their souls.
• Exhausted but successful, Fang Shu sends the survivors away and summons Curse Frog Mantou to receive someone elsewhere.
• With the secret-realm crisis settled, Fang Shu turns his attention to his rewards, especially the storage pouch left behind by He Shoufeng, which contains his “household effects.”

Character Developments

• Fang Shu demonstrates both compassion and political foresight by refusing to sacrifice Mount Lu’s remaining disciples. He values the preservation of its Orthodox Lineage while remaining cautious about Goose Divine Immortal’s motives.
• His suspicion deepens: he recognizes that Goose’s gifts may contain hidden risks, and he refuses to blindly follow the immortal’s intended plan.
• Fang Shu’s abilities grow substantially. He gains deeper knowledge of soul techniques and successfully uses the incomplete scripture, the Dao Register, and Dragon Qi to affect three hundred immortals simultaneously.
• Goose Divine Immortal continues to manipulate events through calculated generosity. He presents the scripture and Undying Divinity as gifts, but clearly expects Fang Shu to use them in ways that may benefit Goose.
• Goose also reveals that he is willing to accommodate Fang Shu’s sentimentality, suggesting that he sees value in maintaining their relationship and transaction.

Significant Themes

• Trust and manipulation: Fang Shu accepts Goose’s assistance while constantly guarding against hidden schemes.
• Compassion versus practicality: Fang Shu rejects mass execution, believing the survival of Mount Lu’s lineage is more important than the simplest solution.
• The dangers of power: Soul-searching, memory alteration, and Undying Divinity all offer immense benefits but carry risks of contamination, control, or hidden consequences.
• Preserving tradition: The Mount Lu Orthodox Lineage represents continuity and legitimacy in contrast to the Outer Dao’s occupation.
• Cautious advancement: Fang Shu does not rush to refine the divinity or use it for cultivation. He prioritizes controlled experimentation and relies on his own resources rather than Goose’s intended method.

Character Interactions

• Fang Shu and Goose Divine Immortal: Their exchange is a mixture of negotiation, testing, and mutual exploitation. Fang Shu challenges Goose’s solutions and motives, while Goose rewards Fang Shu’s usefulness and apparent “fate” with increasingly valuable gifts.
• Fang Shu and the Mount Lu immortals: Although they are largely unconscious and do not directly converse with him, Fang Shu protects them from death and performs a careful memory removal that leaves their souls unharmed.
• Fang Shu and Curse Frog Mantou: Fang Shu releases Mantou and assigns him the practical task of receiving someone beyond the mountain after the main crisis is resolved.
• Fang Shu and He Shoufeng’s legacy: The chapter ends by shifting attention toward the mysterious storage pouch containing He Shoufeng’s belongings, setting up the next stage of discoveries and rewards.

Chapter Summary: A Bountiful Harvest: Nail-Head Straw Effigy

Key Plot Points and Events

• Fang Shu successfully opens He Shoufeng’s storage pouch using his Golden Core cultivation, Dragon Qi, and the Dao Insect’s enhanced perception.
• The pouch contains enormous wealth, including 12,000 Top-grade Spirit Stones, numerous pills, materials, talismans, demon-beast parts, and artifacts.
• Among the treasures is a Nine-Tribulation pagoda that can function as a temporary residence, as well as materials potentially sufficient to upgrade Fang Shu’s Immortal-Fixing Banner into a Ten-Tribulation Artifact.
• Fang Shu discovers a sinister Golden Core ancient treasure: the Nail-Head Straw Effigy. It can be consecrated with an enemy’s blood essence and used to curse or kill them from a distance.
• He uses Dragon Qi to remove He Shoufeng’s lingering aura and refines the effigy for himself.
• Fang Shu tests the effigy by feeding it the remaining blood mist from the immortals slaughtered on Mount Lu. The treasure absorbs the mist, becoming saturated with dangerous black-red blood essence.
• He realizes that He Shoufeng likely intended to use the slaughtered immortals’ blood essence to curse-kill the Goose Divine Immortal while it was weakened inside the Secret Realm.
• Fang Shu concludes that He Shoufeng’s plan might have had a small chance of success, but the man had disastrously underestimated the power of a Divine Immortal and was killed almost immediately.
• Fang Shu stores away He Shoufeng’s corpse, recognizing that its Golden Core-nourished flesh, bones, blood, and sinews can be used to refine a powerful puppet or produce a Great Elixir.
• Curse Frog Mantou returns with the altar connected to Fang Shu’s small Secret Realm. Fang Shu opens the gateway and summons the people who had taken refuge there.
• More than a hundred survivors emerge. Second Uncle Yu Le confirms that Fang Shu is alive and unharmed, responding with immense relief and repeatedly praising Heaven.

Character Developments

• Fang Shu demonstrates the advantages of his newly formed Golden Core, particularly through his ability to open He Shoufeng’s storage pouch and refine the Nail-Head Straw Effigy.
• His wealth and resources increase dramatically, potentially saving him nearly a century of accumulation and giving him materials for future artifacts, pills, and puppets.
• Fang Shu becomes more cautious and realistic about the danger posed by Divine Immortals. He recognizes that even a weakened Refining Spirit or Divine Immortal cannot be challenged directly by someone below that realm.
• His earlier decision not to rush into the Secret Realm is vindicated; had he followed his original plan, he might have suffered the same fate as He Shoufeng.
• Fang Shu also reveals his pragmatic and opportunistic nature by planning to exploit every part of He Shoufeng’s remains.
• He Shoufeng, though dead, is shown to have been wealthy, calculating, and ambitious. His cooperation with the Goose Divine Immortal likely concealed a plan to gather blood essence for a long-distance curse.
• Second Uncle Yu Le displays deep affection and concern for Fang Shu, expressing overwhelming relief when he sees that Fang Shu survived.
• Curse Frog Mantou continues to act as a useful companion by retrieving the Secret Realm altar and helping reconnect Fang Shu with his allies.

Significant Themes

• Unexpected fortune and accumulation: Fang Shu’s victory brings not only survival but extraordinary material rewards, reinforcing the idea that sudden opportunities can transform one’s cultivation path.
• Caution before overwhelming power: The chapter emphasizes that clever schemes and inherited fortune are insufficient against a vastly superior Divine Immortal.
• Cause and effect in cultivation: He Shoufeng’s scheme was potentially ingenious, but his underestimation of the Goose Divine Immortal led to his downfall.
• The danger of curse techniques: The Nail-Head Straw Effigy represents the terrifying reach of indirect attacks, while Fang Shu’s careful handling of personal belongings and substitute objects shows the importance of defensive preparation.
• Pragmatism and resourcefulness: Fang Shu views treasures, corpses, blood essence, and artifacts as usable resources, making full use of his enemy’s remains.
• Family and loyalty: The reunion with Second Uncle and the rescued immortals provides an emotional contrast to the chapter’s grim violence and displays Fang Shu’s connections beyond personal cultivation.

Character Interactions

• Fang Shu interacts primarily with the Nail-Head Straw Effigy, testing its abilities and feeding it the residual blood mist from Mount Lu’s dead immortals.
• He mentally reconstructs He Shoufeng’s intentions, connecting the slaughter on Mount Lu with the possible plan to curse-kill the Goose Divine Immortal.
• Fang Shu interacts affectionately with Curse Frog Mantou, scratching it beneath the chin after it returns with the altar.
• Upon emerging from the Secret Realm, Second Uncle Yu Le rushes to Fang Shu, checks that he is unharmed, and expresses repeated gratitude and relief.
• The rescued immortals react with shock and suspicion as they sense the remnants of the battle, while Fang Shu’s survival confirms that the crisis has ended.

Key plot points and events

• Fang Shu reunites with his second uncle Yu Le, the surviving Mount Lu immortals, and the guests who awaken after being expelled from the secret realm. He claims that everyone entered the realm, but a burst of light sent them out; he says he knows nothing about the missing people or what happened inside.
• Many guests from outside Mount Lu leave. Fang Shu offers the rest shelter and the chance to join the Mount Lu Immortal Sect. More than half accept, while others remain undecided or depart.
• With authority delegated by the absent Dean, Fang Shu announces that Mount Lu will be reorganized as one sect, ending the divisions between its Five Sects and Five Halls. New rules will apply to everyone who stays.
• The Floating Mountain Lord asks to remain as a humble servant. The Old Mountain Lord, despite their past grievance, declines to condemn him and leaves the decision to Fang Shu.
• When the Floating Mountain Lord suddenly attempts to flee toward Yu Le, Fang Shu intercepts him. He condemns the boar for past betrayals and attacks on fellow sect members, then kills him outright.
• Fang Shu orders anyone with past wrongdoings—including crimes against mortals—to confess and submit a written account for judgment. The assembled immortals bow under the weight of his authority.

Character developments

• Fang Shu steps fully into leadership: he recruits survivors, consolidates the sect, and establishes discipline. His willingness to kill the Floating Mountain Lord shows that mercy and reconciliation have limits when his people are threatened.
• The Old Mountain Lord appears willing to set aside personal vengeance, or at least not obstruct Fang Shu’s efforts to unify the mountain.
• The Floating Mountain Lord presents himself as repentant and submissive, but his attempted escape reveals that he remains untrustworthy.
• The surviving guests are divided between relief, caution, and eagerness to join Mount Lu; Fang Shu’s final demand for confessions makes clear that none are exempt from scrutiny.

Significant themes

• Unity through reform: Fang Shu ends factional divisions and insists that all members follow the same rules.
• Mercy with limits: People may be offered a place to start anew, but serious betrayals cannot simply be dismissed.
• Leadership and accountability: Fang Shu allows people to leave freely, yet demands that those who stay answer for past crimes.
• The value of personal conviction: Fang Shu refuses to sacrifice his own people or judgment merely to appear forgiving.

Character interactions

• Fang Shu reassures Yu Le and the survivors, then addresses the newly awakened guests with a deliberately incomplete account of the secret realm.
• He offers outsiders a choice to join Mount Lu, while denying requests to bring their relatives directly into the sect.
• The Old Mountain Lord leaves the Floating Mountain Lord’s fate to Fang Shu, subtly supporting the new leader’s authority.
• Fang Shu shields Yu Le from the fleeing Floating Mountain Lord and punishes the beast before the assembled crowd, reinforcing both his loyalty to his family and his control over the mountain.

Chapter Summary: “The Household Has an Old Treasure; Incense Is Poisonous”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After the battle and destruction at Mount Lu, Fang Shu dismisses the gathered disciples so he can privately question Old Mountain Lord about the wisp of Undying Divinity.
• Old Mountain Lord recognizes the substance as “divinity” or “undying qi,” a remnant associated with Refining Spirit Immortals and the foundation of their immortality.
• Fang Shu reveals part of what he discovered in the Mount Lu Secret Realm, while concealing certain secrets, including He Shoufeng’s death.
• Old Mountain Lord warns Fang Shu to keep the existence of the undying qi secret, since anyone learning of it could cause a catastrophe.
• The two discuss how the substance can be used. It may safely refine artifacts, puppets, talismans, spirit pets, or similar objects, but taking it into one’s body or using it to cultivate spells carries serious risks.
• Old Mountain Lord explains that divinity can connect an individual to Heaven, Earth, living beings, luck, karma, and “incense,” another name for faith.
• Fang Shu realizes that incense and luck share the same origin and that the ancient warning “incense is poisonous” refers to the danger of becoming entangled in the karma and faith of countless living beings.
• Refining Spirit Immortals may be able to use incense and luck safely because their Primordial Spirits allow them to carry the Dao without being overwhelmed by karma. Ordinary immortals, however, should avoid refining either directly.
• Fang Shu understands that when he formed his Golden Core, he borrowed Mount Lu’s luck without absorbing or refining it, allowing him to avoid becoming bound to Mount Lu’s karmic obligations.
• Old Mountain Lord reveals that he has lived for over a thousand years after taking human form—and possibly three thousand years including his time as a demon. Despite his immense age, he remains only at Foundation Establishment.
• Fang Shu considers using the undying qi on his Scarlet True Flying Centipede and External Incarnation, but Old Mountain Lord warns that anything closely connected to Fang Shu himself could transmit karmic dangers.
• Instead, Fang Shu offers the undying qi to Old Mountain Lord, asking him to refine it and accept part of Mount Lu’s karma in return for looking after Fang Shu in the future.
• Old Mountain Lord enthusiastically accepts, even offering to acknowledge Fang Shu as his master. Fang Shu then sends the Undying Divinity into his body.

Character Developments

• Fang Shu: Becomes more aware of the hidden dangers surrounding divinity, incense, luck, and karma. He demonstrates caution, intellectual insight, and strategic generosity by giving the undying qi to Old Mountain Lord rather than using it himself.
• Old Mountain Lord: Reveals extensive knowledge of ancient cultivation secrets despite his low cultivation level. His long life, past humiliation, and desire for advancement become clear. He is cautious when advising Fang Shu but eagerly accepts the opportunity to refine the undying qi.
• Relationship between Fang Shu and Old Mountain Lord: Their relationship deepens from respectful cooperation into a mutually beneficial alliance. Fang Shu offers Old Mountain Lord a chance at greater power, while Old Mountain Lord implicitly pledges loyalty and future assistance.

Significant Themes

• Knowledge as both power and danger: Understanding divinity and ancient cultivation principles gives Fang Shu an advantage, but possessing such knowledge also attracts deadly risks.
• Karma and entanglement: Using another’s divinity or absorbing luck can bind a cultivator to past owners, entire sects, or countless living beings.
• Incense and faith as poison: Faith can empower immortals, but relying on it may imprison them beneath higher realms of cultivation and burden them with vast karmic obligations.
• Borrowing versus possessing: Fang Shu’s success in using Mount Lu’s luck without refining it illustrates the difference between benefiting from a resource and becoming controlled by it.
• Hidden treasures and overlooked wisdom: Old Mountain Lord’s low cultivation conceals extraordinary age and knowledge, reinforcing the value of experience over outward appearance.
• Mutual opportunity: Fang Shu and Old Mountain Lord each gain what they need—Fang Shu removes a dangerous treasure from his possession, while Old Mountain Lord receives a rare chance to improve himself.

Important Character Interactions

• Fang Shu privately consults Old Mountain Lord about the nature and safe use of Undying Divinity.
• Old Mountain Lord repeatedly advises Fang Shu to avoid absorbing the substance and explains the dangers of incense, luck, and karma.
• Fang Shu recognizes Old Mountain Lord’s unusual age and knowledge, prompting the elder to reveal his long history.
• Fang Shu offers the undying qi to Old Mountain Lord in exchange for future protection and assistance.
• Old Mountain Lord responds with overwhelming gratitude, effectively pledging himself to Fang Shu.
• The chapter ends as Fang Shu transfers the Undying Divinity into Old Mountain Lord, setting up the consequences of the elder’s transformation or cultivation breakthrough.

Chapter Summary: Five Villages Abbey, Lingzhi Sprite

Key Plot Points and Events

• Fang Shu infuses Old Mountain Lord with Mount Lu’s Fortune and undying qi. The mountain’s power dramatically strengthens Old Mountain Lord, giving him an aura comparable to a True Core immortal.
• Rather than undergo a Golden Core tribulation, Old Mountain Lord chooses to take root permanently in Mount Lu’s Orthodox Lineage.
• Fang Shu offers him a small secret-realm fragment acquired from Vast Sea Immortal City. Old Mountain Lord roots himself into the realm, using Mount Lu’s spiritual energy and fortune to stabilize and expand it.
• The secret realm rapidly improves: its mist recedes, its space expands, and it becomes better nourished than it had been in Vast Sea Immortal Prefecture. Old Mountain Lord and the realm effectively transform together.
• Fang Shu meditates beneath Old Mountain Lord for three months, using the elder’s transformation and Mount Lu’s altered spiritual atmosphere to deepen his own comprehension of his recent Golden Core breakthrough and battle experience.
• During Fang Shu’s meditation, Mount Lu’s followers repair Ancient Mount Lu and prepare to formally establish a new sect. Fang Shu and Old Mountain Lord eventually choose the name Five Villages Abbey, replacing the older names Five Viscera Temple and Mount Lu Estate.
• Old Mountain Lord manifests a childlike human form—the Lingzhi Sprite—and jokingly offers himself as food. He explains that his fortune-nourished lingzhi dolls can extend the lifespans of immortals below Golden Core.
• Fang Shu, recognizing the name and circumstances as strangely reminiscent of legendary stories from his former life, conceals his reaction. He ends by suggesting that his elderly second uncle join the abbey as an attendant.

Character Developments

• Old Mountain Lord undergoes his greatest transformation yet. Once a thousand-year-old spiritual plant unable to form a Golden Core, he gains power equivalent to a True Core immortal while supported by Mount Lu’s Fortune. He becomes permanently rooted in the mountain and secret realm, serving as the foundation of the new Orthodox Lineage.
• He also becomes more closely tied to Fang Shu, repeatedly calling him “Master” and later “Abbey Master.” His personality remains playful and childlike despite his ancient age, especially when proposing the name Five Villages Abbey and offering his lingzhi form to Fang Shu.
• Fang Shu demonstrates generosity by giving away the secret realm and allowing Old Mountain Lord to benefit from Mount Lu’s Fortune. His cultivation and comprehension also advance through meditation beneath the transformed lingzhi. He begins actively shaping the institutional future of Mount Lu.
• Fang Shu’s hidden knowledge of the legendary “Five Villages” connection causes him to react strongly to the sect’s name, but he carefully hides this from Old Mountain Lord.
• Er Daiyuan becomes aware of the enormous gap between herself and Fang Shu after witnessing his transformed state. Her admiration is mixed with insecurity, motivating her to work harder.

Significant Themes

• Mutual cultivation and shared fortune: Mount Lu’s Fortune benefits both Old Mountain Lord and the secret realm, showing that spiritual power can strengthen individuals, places, and sect lineages simultaneously.
• Transformation through rootedness: Old Mountain Lord’s decision to take root represents stability, belonging, and the creation of a lasting institutional foundation rather than pursuing power through conventional tribulation.
• Generosity and karmic reward: Fang Shu’s willingness to give away the secret realm produces unexpected benefits, reinforcing the idea that good deeds and favorable affinities can yield greater opportunities later.
• Founding a new tradition: The renaming of the sect marks a break from the past while preserving continuity with the former Five Sects of Mount Lu.
• Hidden destiny and literary echoes: Fang Shu recognizes an uncanny connection between the name “Five Villages Abbey,” Old Mountain Lord’s lingzhi form, and legends from his previous life, suggesting possible karmic or fate-driven significance.
• The disparity between cultivation realms: Er Daiyuan’s reaction emphasizes how dramatically Fang Shu’s Golden Core achievement has elevated him above even accomplished Nine Tribulations cultivators.

Character Interactions

• Fang Shu strengthens Old Mountain Lord with Mount Lu’s Fortune and treats him as a valued elder and benefactor.
• He offers Old Mountain Lord the secret realm, and Old Mountain Lord responds with repeated bows and kowtows, showing deep gratitude and loyalty.
• Fang Shu guards Old Mountain Lord during his transformation, then meditates beneath him to benefit from the elder’s aura.
• Mount Lu’s followers and Er Daiyuan come to investigate but are awed by the scene and avoid disturbing Fang Shu, treating him almost as an immortal worthy of worship.
• Fang Shu and Old Mountain Lord collaborate on naming the new sect. Their discussion produces the deliberately humorous but fate-laden name Five Villages Abbey.
• Old Mountain Lord’s transformation into the Lingzhi Sprite allows for playful exchanges, while Fang Shu’s concealed knowledge creates an undercurrent of mystery.
• The chapter closes with Fang Shu proposing that his second uncle join the abbey, hinting at the expansion of the new sect and the integration of Fang Shu’s family into its future.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Fang Shu considers the value of the Lingzhi Sprite, realizing that its life-extending effects could eventually benefit even Golden Core cultivators as Mount Lu’s fortune grows. He also recognizes that such a treasure could attract unwanted attention.
• He decides that establishing himself as a true disciple of the Moral Profound Teaching would provide protection for Five Villages Abbey and its treasures, though he postpones the journey until Mount Lu is properly organized.
• Old Mountain Lord explains that Fang Shu’s secret realm is separated from the outside world by a powerful barrier. Fang Shu surprises it by passing through the barrier unaided.
• The chapter explains that Fang Shu’s newly perfected divine ability allows him to transform into yin-yang qi, pass through physical objects, formations, restrictions, and even magical artifacts, move unseen, and interfere with another cultivator’s treasures. He names this ability Yin-Yang Self-Manifestation.
• Fang Shu returns to Mount Lu and discovers that the formerly desolate mountain has already been restored and populated with servants and cultivators.
• He summons the Foundation Establishment immortals and announces that he will soon lecture on the Dao and demonstrate techniques for everyone on the mountain.
• At the mountain gate, Fang Shu recounts his humble origins and years of hardship, including his time at Toad Shoal, his life in immortal towns, and his experiences among demon cultivators. His recollections strengthen the sense of unity among the mountain’s inhabitants.
• He renames Five Viscera Temple as Five Villages Abbey and changes its public couplet, while secretly preserving the original name and couplet behind the gate to retain its former karmic and incense connections.
• Fang Shu establishes the abbey’s governing structure: himself as Abbey Master, three appointed Capitals, and five Masters chosen from the former Five Sects.
• He reforms the sect’s laws, abolishing the cruel practice of turning failed cultivators into medicine slaves. Refining Qi cultivators may now become outer disciples, and advancement to the inner sect requires service in branch abbeys.
• These rules are intended to expand Five Villages Abbey throughout Mount Lu and the Jade Kingdom, creating a broad network for recruiting talent and gathering information.
• After declaring that he will teach at the summit in seven days, Fang Shu secretly visits Er Daiyuan, who has been considering resigning from her new position. Their private encounter becomes intimate and sexually suggestive.

Character Developments

• Fang Shu demonstrates growing mastery as a Golden Core True Immortal. His command of Yin-Yang Self-Manifestation shows that his abilities extend far beyond ordinary cultivation techniques.
• He develops from a solitary cultivator into an institution-builder, taking responsibility for Mount Lu’s organization, laws, disciples, reputation, and future growth.
• Fang Shu reveals a more compassionate and inclusive leadership style by removing the medicine-slave system and creating opportunities for outer disciples and ordinary cultivators.
• His memories of hardship make him appear approachable and relatable, strengthening his bond with both former Mount Lu disciples and outsiders.
• Old Mountain Lord becomes an important guardian and source of fortune for the abbey, though it is astonished by the extent of Fang Shu’s abilities.
• Er Daiyuan is honored with a position among the Three Capitals but feels uncertain about the responsibilities and their impact on her cultivation. Her private relationship with Fang Shu is also revealed to be intimate.

Significant Themes

• Power and mastery: Fang Shu’s new ability represents his increasing command over the principles of yin and yang, allowing him to bypass barriers and manipulate the material and magical world.
• Institutional renewal: The transformation from Five Viscera Temple to Five Villages Abbey reflects Fang Shu’s effort to rebuild the sect on more humane and expansive principles.
• Compassion versus harsh tradition: The abolition of medicine slavery marks a major rejection of the Five Sects’ former cruelty.
• Shared origins and belonging: Fang Shu’s recollections of poverty, struggle, and travel help bridge divisions between old disciples, outsiders, servants, and demon cultivators.
• Fortune, reputation, and danger: The Lingzhi Sprite, the abbey’s new name, and its growing network all promise prosperity but may also attract enemies and karmic consequences.
• Personal intimacy amid public authority: Fang Shu’s public role as Abbey Master contrasts with his private, intimate interaction with Er Daiyuan.

Character Interactions

• Fang Shu and Old Mountain Lord discuss the Lingzhi Sprite, the secret realm’s barrier, and the future protection of the abbey.
• Fang Shu addresses the cultivators of Mount Lu informally, sharing his past rather than asserting authority through intimidation. This causes former Five Sects members, outsiders, and demon immortals to feel closer to him.
• He appoints Fang Lu, Er Daiyuan, and the False Core cultivator as the Three Capitals, while the former Five Sects select the Five Masters.
• Er Daiyuan hesitates over her appointment but does not voice her concerns publicly. Fang Shu notices and later visits her privately, where he reassures—or at least personally engages with—her in an intimate encounter.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Fang Shu and Er Daiyuan reunite intimately after years apart. Fang Shu repays her for once lending him cultivation by giving her powerful Golden Core yang qi, greatly accelerating her recovery and cultivation.
• They discuss Er Daiyuan’s descendants, whom she had borne partly to obtain Innate Fetal Qi. Fang Shu does not condemn her, saying that each person bears their own karma and that she should follow her own path if she has considered the consequences.
• Er Daiyuan decides to leave the mountain, abandon her position as Three Capitals of Five Villages Abbey, travel through the Western Continent, and seek an opportunity to form a Golden Core. Fang Shu arranges for her to go to Vast Sea Immortal City under a new name, where she will serve as the abbey’s resident immortal and seek out Jin Yan Earth Immortal to replace her.
• Before they part, Fang Shu gives Er Daiyuan an earring-like spiritual lightning treasure containing the Azure Heavens Blue Nether Lightning, a sentient spell with power comparable to a False Core.
• Fang Shu informs Fang Lu, his second uncle Yu Le, and other companions that he intends to leave Mount Lu. He distributes treasures and a Lingzhi Sprite among them and learns that Deer Cart Earth Immortal, Jiao Lulu, Xiao Lili, and others disappeared after the Five Sects became the Mount Lu Estate. They may have been sent to the Profound Teaching as Dao Seeds.
• Concerned for Deer Cart Earth Immortal, who once helped him, Fang Shu decides to investigate the Western Altar of the Profound Teaching. He postpones returning to Vast Sea Immortal Prefecture until he can secure true-disciple status there, considering the dangerous Vast Sea Old Immortal an unsuitable patron.
• Fang Shu gives Fang Lu a protective insect formed from his Golden Core qi. The insect can help her escape danger, though his playful method of delivering it leads to an embarrassing and amusing misunderstanding.
• Seven days later, Fang Shu lectures the immortals of Mount Lu for three days. He explains the Three-Six Bait Method, several basic techniques, and his insights into the Refining Qi, Foundation Establishment, and Golden Core tribulations. Many disciples gain profound understanding, and some even break through during the lecture.
• After the lecture, Fang Shu uses the disciples, Mount Lu’s fortune, and its spiritual vein to activate the Nine-Palace Gu Immortal-Locking Formation. Together, they refine the Immortal-Fixing Banner.
• The banner successfully advances from a False Core artifact to a Ten-Tribulation True Immortal Artifact. Fang Shu leaves the formation in place as Mount Lu’s permanent protective array, entrusting the mountain to Old Mountain Lord before departing.

Character Developments

• Fang Shu displays generosity, emotional detachment, and careful strategic planning. He forgives Er Daiyuan, provides for his allies, prepares protections for Mount Lu, and plans his next moves with caution regarding the Profound Teaching and Vast Sea Immortal Prefecture.
• Er Daiyuan moves beyond guilt over her treatment of the Er Family and her past choices. She openly accepts responsibility for her karma and chooses the immortal path over remaining bound to her descendants or family position.
• Old Mountain Lord is effectively installed as Mount Lu’s guardian, with the new formation ensuring that he can defend the sect even against several True Immortals.
• Mount Lu’s disciples become deeply convinced of Fang Shu’s authority after benefiting from his lecture and helping refine the Immortal-Fixing Banner.
• Fang Lu receives Fang Shu’s protection and recognizes the playful, complicated dynamic between Fang Shu and his disciple.

Significant Themes

• Personal karma and responsibility: Fang Shu’s statement that immortals and mortals must each bear their own karma frames Er Daiyuan’s decision to leave her family and pursue cultivation.
• Freedom versus obligation: Er Daiyuan chooses personal advancement and exploration over continued responsibility to the Er Family, while Fang Shu also refuses to let past relationships dictate his future.
• Transmission and legacy: Fang Shu preserves Mount Lu by teaching its disciples, strengthening its defenses, and leaving behind both knowledge and a protective formation.
• Preparation and strategic caution: His decision to investigate the Profound Teaching before returning to Vast Sea Immortal Prefecture reflects the dangers of choosing the wrong alliance.
• Transformation through cultivation: The Dao lecture and artifact refinement demonstrate how understanding, fortune, collective effort, and spiritual resources can produce rapid advancement.

Character Interactions

• Fang Shu and Er Daiyuan reconcile through intimacy, forgiveness, and an honest discussion of her descendants and future ambitions.
• Fang Shu gives Er Daiyuan practical guidance and a powerful protective spell, showing both trust and concern despite his emotionally restrained manner.
• Fang Shu meets with Fang Lu, Yu Le, and other companions to distribute resources and prepare them for his departure.
• Fang Shu’s teasing exchange with Fang Lu reinforces their playful master-disciple relationship while also providing her genuine protection.
• Fang Shu teaches the Mount Lu immortals directly, turning them from followers into participants in the refinement of his artifact and the defense of their home.
• He leaves Old Mountain Lord with responsibility for Mount Lu, while the disciples remain absorbed in the spiritual experience of the newly completed formation.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• News reaches Vast Sea Immortal City that Fang Shu has formed a Golden Core on Mount Lu, revived the Mount Lu lineage, gathered the surviving disciples of the Five Sects, and established Five Villages Abbey.
• Er Daiyuan returns to the city and invites Jin Yan the Earth Immortal and the other former Mount Lu immortals back to the mountain. They react with overwhelming joy, grateful that their old homeland has been restored.
• Er Daiyuan reveals that Fang Shu has ties to the Moral Profound Teaching through his sworn brotherhood with He Shoufeng and intends to seek recognition as a True Disciple. The Mount Lu immortals realize this alliance may protect Fang Shu from retaliation by Vast Sea Immortal Prefecture.
• Vast Sea Immortal Prefecture’s True Immortals convene to decide how to respond. True Immortal White Dust demands that Fang Shu be captured and his abbey destroyed, while Azure Lion Immortal violently defends Fang Shu and blames White Dust for driving him away.
• The Grand Elder concludes that Fang Shu has not truly betrayed the Prefecture: he returned to his original sect, formed his Core, and founded a new lineage. He proposes treating Mount Lu as an external branch of Vast Sea Immortal Prefecture and reports the matter to Vast Sea Divine Immortal.
• Vast Sea Divine Immortal personally intervenes. He praises Fang Shu as a rare prodigy who formed a Golden Core before the age of one hundred and regrets that the Prefecture drove him away.
• Rather than ordering Fang Shu’s capture, Vast Sea Divine Immortal confines White Dust, Fu Qing, Tie Mu, and Chang Qing to the city for one hundred years for failing in their conduct as seniors. He permits Fang Shu to join the Profound Teaching and instructs the Prefecture not to interfere with Mount Lu.
• The Divine Immortal even suggests that Fang Shu may eventually serve as a bridge between Vast Sea Immortal Prefecture and the Moral Profound Teaching.
• News of the favorable decision spreads. Fang Shu’s friends in the city celebrate, while Han Zihe is overwhelmed by regret over having treated Fang Shu poorly in the past.

Character Developments

• Fang Shu: His status rises dramatically. He is now a Golden Core True Immortal, founder of a revived Immortal Sect, and a potential True Disciple of the Moral Profound Teaching. His strategic departure from Mount Lu also protects the abbey from possible attacks.
• Er Daiyuan: Becomes an important representative of Fang Shu’s new lineage, confidently explaining his plans and recognizing that affiliation with the Profound Teaching is the safest course.
• Jin Yan and the Mount Lu immortals: Their despair and exile turn into joy and renewed loyalty when they learn they can return to Mount Lu.
• Azure Lion Immortal: Demonstrates fierce loyalty toward Fang Shu, openly opposing White Dust and celebrating the Divine Immortal’s decision.
• True Immortal White Dust and his allies: Their hostility toward Fang Shu is rebuked. They avoid harsher punishment but are confined for a century, confirming that their treatment of Fang Shu was considered improper.
• Vast Sea Divine Immortal: Reveals himself to be highly perceptive and pragmatic. Though Fang Shu left the Prefecture, he values the young cultivator’s talent and chooses diplomacy over retaliation.
• Han Zihe: Experiences intense shock, envy, and remorse. He realizes that his poor relationship with Fang Shu has cost him the opportunity to benefit from having a Golden Core True Immortal as a fellow disciple.

Significant Themes

• Regret after failing to recognize talent: Han Zihe and the Prefecture’s elders realize too late how extraordinary Fang Shu was.
• The importance of backing and affiliation: Fang Shu’s connection to the Moral Profound Teaching gives him political protection that Vast Sea Immortal Prefecture cannot easily challenge.
• Reconciliation and strategic diplomacy: Instead of treating Fang Shu as a traitor, the Prefecture preserves its relationship with him and hopes to benefit from his future influence.
• The reversal of fortune: Fang Shu, once pressured and driven away, becomes powerful enough that his former opponents must accommodate him.
• Recognition of true worth: Fang Shu’s achievement forces the Prefecture to reassess its earlier judgments and acknowledge that it lost a rare prodigy through its own mistreatment.

Important Character Interactions

• Er Daiyuan and the Mount Lu immortals: She announces Fang Shu’s achievements and summons them back, restoring their hope in the Mount Lu lineage.
• Azure Lion Immortal and White Dust: Their confrontation reflects the deeper dispute over whether Fang Shu was wrongfully driven away. Azure Lion physically overwhelms White Dust’s projected divine sense and condemns his bullying.
• The Grand Elder and the True Immortals: The Grand Elder restrains the conflict and establishes a moderate policy toward Fang Shu.
• Vast Sea Divine Immortal and the Prefecture: His direct judgment overturns the aggressive faction’s wishes and imposes punishment on those responsible for mishandling Fang Shu.
• The Grand Elder and Azure Lion: After the decree, the Grand Elder congratulates Azure Lion, acknowledging Fang Shu’s importance and Azure Lion’s connection to him.
• Han Zihe and the congratulatory visitor: The visitor assumes Han is delighted, but Han’s stunned and regretful response reveals his painful realization that he squandered a valuable relationship.

Chapter Summary: Fawning on the Powerful, Trampling the Weak; The Insect Returns to Witch Valley

Key Plot Points and Events

• After the council disperses, White Dust True Immortal broods over Fang Shu’s unexpected advancement to the Golden Core realm. He regrets not killing Fang Shu earlier and privately worries about Fang Shu’s rapid progress.
• The ancestors of the Iron Clan and Chang Family visit White Dust. Though confined to their residences by Vast Sea Old Immortal, they propose using others to attack Fang Shu indirectly.
• White Dust suggests a more subtle scheme: exploit the Old Immortal’s order to treat Mount Lu’s visitors well by forcing subordinate Immortal households to excessively favor them. This would create resentment, provoke conflicts, and eventually cause Fang Shu or his allies to offend others.
• The Iron and Chang ancestors plan to recruit Fu Qing and still intend to send attackers against Fang Shu. White Dust pretends to cooperate but refuses to become directly involved, planning instead to recover from his injuries and avoid responsibility if the scheme is exposed.
• After leaving, the two ancestors reveal that they were also manipulating White Dust. Their goal is to gradually draw him into the plot while concealing their own intentions. They fear that Vast Sea Old Immortal may detect their schemes through karma and decide to proceed cautiously.
• Meanwhile, Fang Shu remains unaware of the intrigue in Vast Sea Immortal City. He believes his best course is to cultivate outside Mount Lu, complete his divine arts, and eventually return to settle old grudges.
• Fang Shu travels to the Hundred Thousand Mountains in Zucchini Continent, the domain of the Witch-Ghost Dao. He intends to deal with the treasures and spoils he carries and investigate the origins of the Witchcraft Suppression Discipline.
• Concealing his true Golden Core cultivation and presenting himself as a False Core cultivator, Fang Shu enters the mountains riding his Scarlet True Flying Centipede.
• The insect’s aura harmonizes perfectly with the region, allowing Fang Shu to travel safely without drawing attention from demons, vicious insects, or powerful Immortal households.
• He eventually reaches a massive bronze-colored basin filled with black, hive-like buildings and dense Killing Intent. Recognizing the ancient and savage atmosphere, he identifies it as Witch Valley.

Character Developments

• White Dust True Immortal: His anger toward Fang Shu is mixed with genuine fear of Fang Shu’s potential. Though he helps devise a scheme, he is more cautious than his allies and prefers to remain uninvolved, waiting for a safer opportunity.
• Iron Clan and Chang Family Ancestors: They demonstrate vindictiveness, political maneuvering, and opportunism. Their willingness to manipulate both subordinate forces and White Dust shows their distrustful and calculating nature.
• Fang Shu: He becomes more independent and strategically minded. Rather than rushing back to protect Mount Lu, he prioritizes cultivation and future strength. His interest in the Witch-Ghost Dao also reflects growing curiosity about the deeper history of Immortal lineages and the truth behind official teachings.
• Scarlet True Flying Centipede: The insect appears especially at home in the Hundred Thousand Mountains, suggesting a natural connection to the Witch-Ghost Dao or its environment and becoming an important aid in Fang Shu’s infiltration.

Significant Themes

• Fawning on the Powerful, Trampling the Weak: The enemies’ plan relies on abusing lower-ranking Immortal households while outwardly claiming obedience to Vast Sea Old Immortal’s decree.
• Political Intrigue and Mutual Betrayal: White Dust, the Iron Clan, and the Chang Family all attempt to use one another while avoiding direct responsibility.
• Caution versus Impulsiveness: White Dust believes patience and cultivation are wiser than reckless revenge, while the other factions remain eager to strike Fang Shu before he grows stronger.
• Truth versus Official History: Fang Shu questions the Profound Teaching’s portrayal of the Witch-Ghost Dao as savage and illegitimate, suspecting that its connection to the Heavenly Empress Dao Lord gives it a more honorable and complex history.
• Growth Through Strength: Fang Shu recognizes that lasting revenge and justice require greater cultivation rather than immediate intervention.

Character Interactions

• White Dust and the Iron and Chang ancestors negotiate an alliance, but all three conceal their true intentions.
• White Dust offers the key strategy of manipulating Mount Lu’s reputation and the treatment of its visitors.
• The Iron and Chang ancestors later privately discuss how to manipulate White Dust and avoid detection by Vast Sea Old Immortal.
• Fang Shu has no direct interaction with these conspirators in the chapter; instead, the narrative contrasts their scheming with his focused journey toward Witch Valley.

Key plot points and events

• Fang Shu enters Witch Valley, a lawless market under the Lü Mountain Witch-Ghost Dao, disguising himself as a local to sell stolen goods.
• At an established shop, he sells several Golden Core treasures. The old shopkeeper suspects he may be a valuable target and secretly alerts other merchants through gu insects.
• A barefoot Witch-Ghost Dao woman senses the Scarlet True Flying Centipede through an ancestral gu artifact. She suspects its owner is the person who once took it from the Crimson Dragon Treasure Pagoda and searches the valley, hoping to secure something she needs for her Golden Core.
• Fang Shu sells all his stolen goods, including He Shoufeng’s corpse, which brings him five thousand Top-grade Spirit Stones. He rejects tempting purchases and leaves with twenty-eight thousand Top-grade Spirit Stones.
• His discussion of a future auction is a deliberate smokescreen. After leaving, he destroys the items and evidence he had displayed, using the centipede’s Scarlet Gold Divine Light and talismans to frustrate divination.
• The woman realizes Fang Shu has escaped the valley and uses her own blood to activate the gu artifact more powerfully. It points her toward him, and she begins pursuit.

Character developments and interactions

• Fang Shu remains cautious and pragmatic: he changes disguises repeatedly, avoids retaining incriminating goods, and sells He Shoufeng’s body rather than risk keeping evidence tied to the Profound Teaching. He also shows restraint by leaving without spending his newly acquired wealth.
• The barefoot woman, a high-ranking Witch-Ghost Dao cultivator and Golden Core candidate, shifts from curiosity to urgent determination when her artifact identifies the centipede’s presence. Her willingness to injure herself to pursue Fang Shu signals how important their connection is to her cultivation.
• The shopkeeper and Witch Valley’s merchants reveal the valley’s predatory culture. The shopkeeper’s polite dealings conceal an attempt to identify Fang Shu as a possible target; Fang Shu’s wariness keeps him from being drawn further in.
• Fang Shu avoids direct contact with the woman, while the centipede—once taken from her Dao’s treasure—becomes the means by which she tracks him.

Significant themes

• Caution and self-preservation: Fang Shu prioritizes severing ties to dangerous evidence over maximizing profit or gaining useful treasures.
• Lawlessness and opportunism: Witch Valley’s loose rules encourage violence, surveillance, and collusion among merchants.
• The cost of ambition: The woman risks harming herself because the centipede may be crucial to her Golden Core formation.
• Unresolved consequences: Fang Shu believes he has disposed of the danger, but the woman’s pursuit suggests his past actions are catching up with him.

• Fang Shu is pursued: While traveling toward the Moral Profound Teaching with thirty thousand top-grade spirit stones, Fang Shu notices a disciple of the Witch-Ghost Dao tracking him through the Hundred Thousand Mountains. Unable to shake her, he stops in a remote place and prepares to confront her.
• Wu Zhibai makes her case: The pursuer, Wu Zhibai, reveals her identity, swears she means no harm, and offers help with Fang Shu’s Golden Core in exchange for his cooperation. Fang Shu remains wary but agrees to hear her out inside a mist-sealed hollow. They recognize one another from an encounter years earlier in Scarlet City.
• The Scarlet True Flying Centipede is the key: Wu asks to borrow the centipede Fang Shu possesses. She explains that it was once a rare Gu Worm of her Wu family, whose ancestors were powerful Witch-Ghost Dao masters. Her family hopes to recover a legacy tied to it. The species disappeared from their home in the Hundred Thousand Mountains, so she had sought eggs in Scarlet City—but Fang Shu obtained them first.
• Negotiation turns hostile: Wu asks Fang Shu to swear an oath to accompany her, offering a Lifespan Gu Worm as a safeguard. Fang Shu refuses to commit without knowing more and reminds her that she is the one seeking his help. When she offers to negotiate terms for the insect, he provocatively demands that she give herself to him. Wu appears to accept, proposing that he wait until she has formed her Golden Core—but Fang Shu’s apparent interest is a feint.
• Fang Shu attacks: He suddenly reveals that he intends to capture Wu as a slave and sends blades formed from the surrounding mist against her. Wu prepares to fight, only to feel an overwhelming aura and realize that Fang Shu is a True Core cultivator, not the lesser cultivator she had taken him for.
  Character developments and interactions: Fang Shu is calculating and guarded, using humor, negotiation, and deception to control the encounter. Wu is urgent and determined because the ancestral legacy may affect her Golden Core foundation; she tries honesty and bargaining, but underestimates Fang Shu’s strength. Their exchange shifts from cautious diplomacy to a power confrontation.
  Themes: The chapter emphasizes concealment and misjudgment—both characters hide or infer more than they openly reveal—as well as the cost of pursuing inheritance and the tension between cooperation and self-interest.

Key plot points and events

• Wu Zhibai tries to flee after discovering Fang Shu has reached True Immortal Dancheng, but his gu insects and barrier trap her.
• Expecting him to search her soul, she prepares to destroy herself rather than risk damage to her memories and cultivation. Fang Shu calms her by sharing part of a powerful Divine Soul-protection method and promising not to harm her.
• During the search, Wu Zhibai voluntarily recalls what she knows about her ancestor and the Wu Family Ancestral Mausoleum. Fang Shu confirms that she came to borrow the Scarlet True Flying Centipede, not to attack him.
• Fang Shu agrees to lend it, since the centipede’s egg came from Wu Zhibai’s ancestor. He asks to accompany her into the Mausoleum; she agrees, and he offers to help her pursue the opportunity to form a Golden Core.
• Wu Zhibai explains that her ancestor left seventy-two Mausoleums to conceal her true resting place. The ancestor was renowned for Spirit-Dividing Possession and used many identities.
• Fang Shu is especially interested in the Mausoleums’ teachings because he is seeking knowledge to complete an External Incarnation technique that could protect him on his upcoming journey.

Character developments

• Wu Zhibai shifts from panic and suspicion to trust. She proves determined and protective of her family’s secrets, but also appreciates Fang Shu’s honesty and kindness.
• Fang Shu reveals a more considerate side: despite having the power to coerce Wu Zhibai, he keeps his promise not to damage her soul. His interest in accompanying her is partly scholarly and strategic, not merely personal.
• The two discover they are close in age and cultivation background, and their relationship changes from captor and captive to prospective brother and sister.

Significant themes

• Trust and power: Fang Shu has overwhelming control, yet chooses restraint; Wu Zhibai’s trust grows through his actions.
• Inheritance and obligation: The centipede and Mausoleum connect Fang Shu to Wu Zhibai’s ancestor, creating a bond across generations.
• Identity and incarnation: The ancestor’s many identities and hidden tombs parallel Fang Shu’s pursuit of an External Incarnation.
• Knowledge as opportunity: The Mausoleum offers both Wu Zhibai a chance at Golden Core formation and Fang Shu valuable teachings.

Character interactions

• Fang Shu traps and confronts Wu Zhibai, but reassures her and conducts a careful, non-damaging soul-search.
• Wu Zhibai apologizes for her earlier intentions; Fang Shu forgives her and agrees to lend the centipede.
• Their teasing exchange about repayment briefly embarrasses Wu Zhibai before Fang Shu reveals his youthful appearance and clarifies his age.
• They agree to enter the Mausoleum together, establishing a warmer, more cooperative relationship.

Chapter summary

Key plot points and events

• Fang Shu agrees to enter the Wu Family’s ancestral Mausoleum with Wu Zhibai. To protect both parties, they swear an oath: cultivation methods will be shared unless restricted, treasures will generally go to whoever reaches them first, and Fang Shu gets first choice once if they dispute an item.
• They travel to the Wu Family’s stronghold, Mount Wu. Fang Shu passes the clan’s spiritual scrutiny without attracting its golden-core ancestor’s attention, impressing Wu Zhibai.
• Wu Qi, a Foundation Establishment cultivator and the son of the clan’s True Immortal, mistakes Fang Shu for Wu Zhibai’s Dao companion. Wu Zhibai explains that her family once hoped she and Wu Qi would marry, but the arrangement fell through—likely because she sought protection from the Witch-Ghost Dao.
• Wu Zhibai proposes using the guise of paying respects to the ancestors—and possibly of Fang Shu as her Dao companion—to reach the rear mountain. Fang Shu declines the pretext, saying he has his own way to avoid detection.
• Fang Shu spends nearly half a month behaving openly as a guest, exploring the clan and studying its gu-refining arts.
• On an auspicious night, Wu Zhibai takes him to the rear mountain. Fang Shu effortlessly slips through its formation and brings her along.
• They reach a bronze-like gate to one of the ancestor’s seventy-two decoy tombs. Wu Zhibai explains that only Scarlet Gold Divine Light can open it safely; other methods may trigger a poison that destroys spiritual energy and devastates the surrounding land.
• Fang Shu uses his Scarlet Gold Divine Light, aided by the Scarlet True Flying Centipede, to cut open the gate. An ancient aura surges out, shaking the rear mountain. The pair enter despite the unexpected disturbance.

Character developments

• Fang Shu demonstrates confidence, caution, and exceptional skill: he insists on a binding agreement, conceals his strength from the clan, bypasses its formation, and opens the tomb gate with the precise technique required.
• Wu Zhibai grows more trusting of Fang Shu’s abilities and increasingly hopeful about their mission. Her past reveals the pressure her bloodline-conscious clan placed on her marriage prospects and her determination to pursue her own advancement.
• Wu Qi is introduced as a presumptuous, status-conscious clan member. His casual assumption that Fang Shu is Wu Zhibai’s partner exposes the family’s interest in her marriage and bloodline.
• Wu Zhibai experiences a faint, unexplained disappointment when Fang Shu rejects the Dao-companion cover. The narration links her altered feelings partly to Fang Shu’s earlier contact with her soul, though she herself does not recognize the connection.

Significant themes

• Trust and mutual risk: The oath formalizes cooperation between two relative strangers while acknowledging the danger of betrayal.
• Independence versus family expectations: Wu Zhibai’s history shows her resistance to a marriage shaped by clan status and bloodline politics.
• Skill and knowledge over brute force: The tomb’s defenses require a specific method, and Fang Shu’s expertise allows him to avoid catastrophic consequences.
• Hidden power and appearances: Fang Shu acts like an ordinary guest while quietly exceeding the clan’s expectations and defenses.

Character interactions

• Fang Shu and Wu Zhibai negotiate an equitable pact, travel together, and coordinate their infiltration.
• Wu Qi’s teasing about their supposed relationship embarrasses Wu Zhibai and prompts her to explain her family’s former marriage plans.
• Fang Shu reassures Wu Zhibai about her future prospects, while declining to deepen their relationship through a false Dao-companion identity.
• At the tomb, Wu Zhibai provides knowledge of the ancestral defenses; Fang Shu supplies the skill needed to breach them, and they enter together when the gate’s opening causes an unexpected disturbance.

Key plot points and events

• A disturbance in the Wu Family’s ancestral vein alerts its secluded elder, who divines that something significant—and potentially beneficial—has happened. After learning that Wu Zhibai has returned with Fang Shu, he discovers they have opened the Ancestral Mausoleum.
• The elder recognizes Fang Shu’s Scarlet Gold Divine Light as the key to the gate. Unable to force it open, he discovers that Wu blood also weakens its restrictions. He summons the whole tribe and begins taking blood from arriving relatives to widen the opening.
• Inside, Fang Shu and Wu Zhibai find a wealth of Mystic Script, including advanced gu-rearing methods and a fuller manual for cultivating the Scarlet True Flying Centipede.
• Wu Zhibai opens an inner coffin and finds a tangible, nameless cultivation text that can be refined into the body. Fang Shu lets her claim it, while secretly recording every character in his Dao Register.
• Exploring the mausoleum, Fang Shu notices his centipede is suffering despite his own body being unaffected. Suspecting bloodline suppression, he cuts into the back of the gate and finds fine, insect-like strands inside. They vanish when exposed to spiritual energy.

Character developments and interactions

• The white-bearded elder shifts from cautious concern to envy and urgency when he realizes the mausoleum may contain an inheritance capable of helping Wu Zhibai form a golden core. He uses his authority—and the tribe’s blood—to gain access.
• Wu Zhibai acts decisively in opening the inner coffin and focuses on refining the inheritance. She is grateful when Fang Shu yields the singular treasure and offers him everything else in return.
• Fang Shu shows generosity but remains pragmatic: he privately copies the inheritance before Wu Zhibai absorbs it. His curiosity then leads him to investigate the gate and the centipede’s strange reaction.
• The elder’s summons creates alarm across the tribe, while Fang Shu and Wu Zhibai recognize that his actions—and possible attention from the Witch-Ghost Dao—make time urgent.

Significant themes

• Inheritance and bloodline: Access to the ancestral legacy depends on both Wu blood and a special gu insect, tying cultivation power to family descent.
• Generosity and self-interest: Fang Shu gives Wu Zhibai the visible treasure, yet safeguards his own interests by secretly recording it.
• Power and exploitation: The elder’s pursuit of the inheritance turns the tribe’s members into unwilling sources of blood.
• The uncanny nature of cultivation: The tangible Mystic Script resembles glowing, moving insects, and the centipede’s suppression hints at hidden forces within the mausoleum.