Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Jichuan enters a new world through the lotus, discovering that time passes at a ratio of 400:1 compared with his original world.
• He arrives in a frail, hunched body and realizes he must cultivate from the beginning again. However, his previous experience and understanding of the Dao Fruit give him confidence.
• Using the Far-Sight spell, he surveys the surrounding region and chooses to settle temporarily in Wu Family Ravine rather than immediately visit the nearby county.
• He disguises himself as a traveling physician. His excellent medical skills earn him the villagers’ trust, and he spends more than ten days learning about the village and the wider world.
• Chen discovers that this world contains supernatural beings:
  • Hu Hongmei, the beautiful wife of a local hunter, is actually a sixty-two-year-old fox demon.
  • Wang Liulang, a sixteen-year-old ghost, helps the fisherman Xu Kui gather fish by driving them into his nets.
• These encounters reveal that demons and ghosts live openly among ordinary people, often maintaining peaceful or mutually beneficial relationships with them.
• Chen then uses Far-Sight to investigate the southern mountains and notices a strange Daoist temple surrounded by what appears to be mist but is actually ghostly qi.
• The temple’s inhabitant detects his spying and shouts, “What petty thief dares spy on my Divine Communion Temple?” The attack breaks Chen’s Far-Sight spell, startling and injuring his spirit.
• Soon afterward, a small armed figure sneaks into Chen’s home, searches the room, transforms into an adult-sized person, and leaves—strongly suggesting that the Divine Communion Temple has sent someone to investigate him.

Character Developments

• Chen Jichuan remains cautious, analytical, and confident in his ability to rebuild his cultivation. He prioritizes gathering information before acting and uses medicine as a way to integrate into the village.
• His worldview expands as he realizes this world is far more supernatural than Great Yan, containing active ghosts, demons, and possibly practitioners capable of controlling or commanding them.
• Chen’s confidence is tempered by his encounter with the Divine Communion Temple. For the first time, his scouting spell is directly detected and countered, making him aware that powerful beings are nearby.
• Hu Hongmei is presented as a fox demon who has adopted a human identity and behaves like a devoted hunter’s wife rather than a dangerous predator.
• Wang Liulang is portrayed as a cooperative ghost who assists Xu Kui instead of harming humans.
• Xu Kui maintains a secret partnership with Wang Liulang, using the ghost’s abilities to make a living through fishing.

Significant Themes

• Supernatural coexistence: Ghosts and monsters are not necessarily hostile; they can live alongside humans and form practical or affectionate relationships with them.
• Appearance versus reality: Hu Hongmei appears to be a young human woman despite being an elderly fox demon, while Wang Liulang’s ordinary appearance conceals his ghostly nature.
• Observation and danger: Chen’s strategy of gathering information through Far-Sight gives him valuable knowledge but also exposes him to powerful enemies.
• Adaptation and rebuilding: Chen must repeatedly begin again in unfamiliar worlds, relying on experience, patience, and cultivation knowledge.
• The limits of power: His successful surveillance of the local area gives him confidence, but the Divine Communion Temple demonstrates that stronger entities can detect and challenge him.

Character Interactions

• Chen treats the villagers as a traveling physician, helping them regardless of whether they can pay and gradually earning their acceptance.
• Hu Hongmei lives respectfully with her human husband, Wu Er, performing ordinary household duties and concealing her true nature.
• Xu Kui and Wang Liulang share wine beside the Pi River. Wang helps Xu catch fish by driving schools downstream, revealing a mutually beneficial relationship between a human and a ghost.
• Chen observes both supernatural-human relationships from a distance rather than confronting them.
• The unseen resident of the Divine Communion Temple directly confronts Chen through his surveillance spell, and the later intruder’s search of his house escalates the conflict from distant observation to physical investigation.

Chapter Summary: “Midnight Knocking!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Three months after leaving the Divine Communion Temple incident, Chen Jichuan returns briefly to the abandoned house at the entrance of Wu Family Ravine. He finds it dusty and stripped of its bedding, realizing the villagers assumed he had disappeared.
• Concluding that the powerful figure hiding in the mountains is too dangerous for him to confront, Chen immediately leaves. He uses Far-Sight to check the area and travels forty li toward Dai County without encountering trouble.
• Dai County is introduced as a once-prosperous transportation hub that has declined because of imperial corruption, repeated disasters, and the increasing presence of demons, ghosts, and monsters. Its remaining population and traffic provide Chen with a useful place to hide.
• Three more months pass. Chen settles into life in the county and continues cultivating martial arts, studying supernatural phenomena, and mapping the surrounding region.
• He practices the Void Fist, striking into a well nine hundred times at midnight. Although he had mastered the technique in another world, he must rebuild his foundation in Liang World without wasting Origin Force.
• Using Far-Sight and Wind-Hearing, Chen investigates an area within forty li of Dai County and records suspicious locations and supernatural beings on a map. These include Divine Communion Temple, Wang Liulang, Hu Hongmei, and the three tigers of Golden Wind Mountain.
• While inspecting Golden Wind Mountain, Chen notices that two of its three tigers are missing. He suspects they may have gone out to hunt humans but cannot find their tracks.
• Chen continues surveying territory east of the mountain while using the Blood-Burning Art to circulate his qi and absorb medicinal energy.
• At midnight, his investigation is interrupted by violent knocking at his courtyard gate. Through Far-Sight and the Insight Art, he sees two enormous, muscular men outside. The chapter ends with Chen recognizing that something is seriously wrong.

Character Development

• Chen Jichuan becomes more cautious and pragmatic. Rather than risk confronting the mysterious Divine Communion Temple figure, he chooses retreat and concealment.
• He establishes himself as a careful survivor, relying on observation, preparation, mapping, and supernatural detection rather than direct combat.
• His cultivation progresses steadily. He resumes the Void Fist from the beginning and combines martial training with the Blood-Burning Art and medicinal support.
• Chen’s knowledge of ghosts, demons, and strange phenomena expands as he continuously surveys Dai County’s surroundings.
• His suspicion and vigilance remain high, particularly concerning unexplained disappearances and the movements of the Golden Wind Mountain tigers.

Significant Themes

• Survival through caution: Chen emphasizes escape and preparation over reckless confrontation.
• Decline of civilization: Government corruption, divine punishment, disasters, and supernatural creatures have caused Dai County and the wider world to deteriorate.
• Persistence and gradual cultivation: Chen must rebuild his martial foundation patiently rather than rely on past achievements or expend Origin Force carelessly.
• Knowledge as power: Far-Sight, Wind-Hearing, careful records, and systematic investigation allow Chen to compensate for his limited strength.
• Hidden danger: Ordinary locations conceal demons, ghosts, and other threats, while apparently unexplained events foreshadow future conflict.

Character Interactions

• Chen has no direct conversations with other characters in the chapter.
• His indirect interactions include the villagers of Wu Family Ravine, who removed his belongings after believing he had vanished.
• He observes various supernatural beings and locations from a distance, including the Divine Communion Temple, Wang Liulang, Hu Hongmei, and the tigers of Golden Wind Mountain.
• The chapter concludes with the arrival of two mysterious, powerful-looking men at Chen’s gate, setting up the next confrontation.

Chapter Summary: “Second Ban!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Jichuan discovers that the two visitors urgently seeking him are Ban Zhua and Ban Ya, the tiger demons from Golden Wind Mountain whom he previously failed to locate with Far-Sight.
• He initially considers logging off to avoid them, but realizes doing so could cost him his hard-won position in Dai County. He decides to face the danger instead.
• Pretending not to know their identities, Chen agrees to treat their gravely ill mother.
• The brothers carry him over the closed city gates and rapidly transport him to their cave on Golden Wind Mountain.
• Their mother, Ban Feifei, has transformed into an old woman. Chen uses Insight Art to examine her and discovers that strange, ghost-like auras are consuming her blood and qi.
• He suspects ghost possession, though he cannot determine whether the spirits arose naturally or were sent by someone.
• Unable to directly exorcise the possessing entities, Chen diagnoses additional physical ailments: liver deficiency causing blindness, cold dampness causing severe joint pain, and stagnant blood and qi.
• He prescribes medicine, eye treatments, improved living conditions away from the damp cave, and regular massage.
• Ban Zhua pays him with fine silver and asks him to continue caring for their mother. The brothers then carry Chen back to the county town.

Character Developments

• Chen Jichuan demonstrates courage and pragmatism by choosing to confront the tiger demons rather than abandon his position in Dai County. He carefully hides his knowledge of their true identities and maintains the persona of a skilled physician.
• His moral outlook becomes clearer: he is willing to treat the tiger demons according to his own judgment rather than automatically helping or condemning them based on conventional morality.
• Chen also shows caution and intelligence. He recognizes that Ban Feifei’s illness is supernatural but avoids pretending to possess exorcism abilities he does not have.
• Ban Zhua and Ban Ya are revealed to be respectful, courteous, and deeply filial rather than immediately hostile. They trust Chen because of his reputation and show concern for their mother.
• Ban Feifei is established as an exceptionally old, powerful tiger demon whose declining condition appears connected to supernatural forces rather than simple old age.

Significant Themes

• Courage versus self-preservation: Chen must choose between fleeing danger and protecting the life he has built in Dai County.
• Hidden identities and deception: Both sides conceal important information—Chen hides his awareness that the brothers are demons, while the brothers do not reveal their true nature.
• Medicine versus supernatural illness: Chen’s practical medical knowledge can alleviate physical symptoms but cannot fully address the ghostly forces attacking Ban Feifei.
• Moral independence: Chen refuses to follow rigid ideas about whom a physician must save, choosing instead to act according to his own judgment.
• Filial devotion and family loyalty: The brothers’ urgent search for a doctor reflects their genuine concern for their aging mother.
• The limits of knowledge: Even with Insight Art, Chen can identify the symptoms and nature of the threat but not its ultimate origin or solution.

Character Interactions

• Chen’s tense initial encounter with Ban Zhua and Ban Ya becomes unexpectedly cooperative once they explain that they need medical help.
• Ban Zhua adopts a polite, reassuring manner, while Ban Ya is more physically imposing and informal, carrying Chen over the city wall and through the mountains.
• Chen carefully performs the role of a physician, asking questions, examining Ban Feifei, and giving detailed instructions while concealing his suspicions.
• The brothers treat Chen with respect and gratitude, offering payment and requesting continued medical assistance.
• The chapter ends with a temporary alliance between Chen and the tiger demons, though the ghosts possessing Ban Feifei suggest a larger danger remains unresolved.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Ban Feifei and her sons, Ban Zhua and Ban Ya, leave their cave in Fierce Tiger Ravine after Doctor Chen urges them to relocate. Though they are peaceful spirits, they fear human Daoists, monks, and martial experts because spirits are generally viewed as threats.
• The tiger family settles in wooden houses on Golden Wind Mountain. After cultivating in their true forms, the two brothers study their treasured scripture, The Golden Script of Yellow Su, King of Filial Immortals, Primordial Lord of Grand Yin of the Supreme Moon Palace.
• Using his Far-Sight ability, Chen Jichuan secretly observes the brothers and finishes copying the entire scripture after several nights of effort.
• Chen discovers that the scripture contains the Grand Yin Body-Refining Method, a Daoist cultivation technique concealed within complex religious writing. He begins studying it carefully, though its terminology and principles are difficult to interpret.
• During his three-month stay in Dai County, Chen builds a reputation as a physician and learns about the Liang World’s martial world, including external and internal martial arts, powerful martial realms, and the existence of spirits, ghosts, demons, and evil entities.
• To fund his cultivation, Chen opens a theater based on the successful White Jade Capital model from his former world. By introducing new forms of entertainment and adapting performances to local culture, he revives Dai County’s struggling theater industry.
• A year passes in the Liang World, equivalent to six months in reality. After months of studying and practicing the Grand Yin method, Chen finally enters a mysterious meditative state in which he briefly senses his own soul.
• Comparing this experience with the scripture’s description, Chen concludes that he has successfully reached the first Daoist realm: Meditation Entry.

2. Character Developments

• Ban Feifei remains cautious and burdened by the danger of being a spirit, but her trust in Doctor Chen grows because of his kindness and willingness to treat her at night.
• Ban Zhua and Ban Ya show filial concern for their mother and continue diligently cultivating the family’s inherited scripture. Their practice provides Chen with a model for interpreting the method hidden within it.
• Chen Jichuan progresses from merely copying the tiger family’s scripture to independently deciphering and practicing its cultivation technique. He also demonstrates adaptability by combining his medical skills, modern knowledge, business sense, and cultivation ambitions.
• Chen’s success in opening a theater shows that he is not dependent solely on medicine and is willing to use unconventional methods to obtain resources.
• His achievement of Meditation Entry marks his first clear breakthrough in Daoist cultivation and gives him access to methods for sensing and strengthening the soul.

3. Significant Themes

• Prejudice and coexistence: The tiger family is peaceful, yet humans still regard them as dangerous simply because they are spirits. This highlights the conflict between moral behavior and social prejudice.
• Filial piety and virtue: The scripture emphasizes loyalty, filial devotion, integrity, and prudence as the foundation of cultivation. These values are reflected in the close bond between Ban Feifei and her sons.
• Knowledge and interpretation: True cultivation methods are hidden within obscure Daoist texts, requiring patience, cultural understanding, and careful study rather than simple memorization.
• Adaptability and innovation: Chen succeeds by applying knowledge from another world, whether in cultivation, medicine, or entertainment.
• Limitations of incomplete inheritance: The scripture is only a fragment. Although it contains the Grand Yin Body-Refining Method, it lacks complementary techniques, elixirs, talismans, spells, and artifacts, limiting its practical applications.
• The relationship between mind and cultivation: Meditation requires controlling scattered thoughts and perceiving the soul. Chen’s breakthrough shows that spiritual progress depends on mental discipline as much as physical practice.

4. Character Interactions

• Ban Feifei, Ban Zhua, and Ban Ya support one another while discussing their vulnerability as spirits and their gratitude toward Doctor Chen.
• Doctor Chen’s compassionate treatment of Ban Feifei earns the family’s respect, even though he secretly uses Far-Sight to copy their scripture.
• Chen indirectly learns from the Ban brothers’ cultivation routine, using their understanding of the scripture to decode the Grand Yin method.
• Chen’s interactions with patients and visiting martial artists expand his knowledge of the Liang World and its power structures.
• His theater connects him with Dai County’s broader society, allowing him to succeed by tailoring foreign ideas to local tastes.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Jichuan successfully crosses the Daoist threshold of Meditation Entry, becoming able to glimpse his divine soul. His progress is exceptionally fast—only four months after deciphering the Grand Yin Body-Refining Method, compared with the six years usually required for an ordinary acolyte.
• He attempts to advance into Visualization, using Daoist scripture to comprehend its true meaning and condense runes within his sea of consciousness. Although he briefly perceives the intricate runes, he cannot organize them and is forced out of meditation by mental exhaustion.
• Chen realizes that cultivation alone is insufficient. To fight effectively, he must learn Daoist arts, including talisman creation, spellcasting, and other techniques based on the runes formed during Visualization.
• After recording his insights in the Grand Yin Yellow Scripture, he collapses into exhausted sleep.
• The next day, he continues practicing martial arts and maintains his rigorous physical training. At noon, he eats an enormous, carefully balanced meal, astonishing his five young disciples.
• Chen explains his long-term plans for his two establishments:
  • White Jade Capital, which operates mainly as a money-making enterprise staffed by hired performers.
  • Precious Fungus Grove, which functions as both a medical clinic and a training ground where he teaches medicine, literacy, and martial arts.
• He has carefully selected five disciples: Guan Yi, Lin Sheng, Dong Zongwang, and the orphaned brothers Hua Dazheng and Hua Dafang. He deliberately balances children from stable families with orphans, hoping they will influence and support one another.
• Chen trains the boys in horse stance and basic boxing, emphasizing that moral character must come before martial skill. He also teaches them reading, writing, and medicinal herb identification.
• A month passes as Chen continues his meditation, Visualization attempts, and body-refinement cultivation.
• The chapter ends with the arrival of two tiny supernatural messengers, who ride into the courtyard and formally deliver an urgent dispatch from sixty li away.

Character Development

• Chen Jichuan demonstrates remarkable spiritual progress and an increasingly sophisticated understanding of Daoist cultivation. He recognizes both his strengths and his limitations, particularly his lack of practical Daoist combat arts.
• His disciplined, methodical nature is emphasized through his continued martial training, nightly cultivation, medical work, and careful education of his disciples.
• Chen also reveals himself to be strategic and farsighted. He plans for the long-term stability of his businesses and disciples rather than relying solely on his own presence.
• His memories of his own relationship with Chen Shaohe make him sympathize with Hua Dazheng and Hua Dafang, prompting him to rescue and adopt the orphaned brothers.
• The five disciples are still immature but are beginning to be shaped by Chen’s demanding instruction and moral principles.

Significant Themes

• Spiritual progress requires mental discipline: Meditation Entry depends on calming the mind, while Visualization demands even greater concentration and insight.
• Knowledge must be paired with practical ability: Chen understands that body cultivation without Daoist arts leaves him lacking effective means of combat.
• Moral virtue is more important than power: Chen teaches that a good person with modest skill can survive, whereas a wicked person with great strength will eventually destroy himself.
• Long-term preparation and stability: Chen carefully builds institutions, trains successors, and anticipates future risks.
• Nature versus upbringing: His choice between orphans and children from respectable families reflects his belief that both innate character and family influence shape a person.
• Compassion and personal history: The orphaned brothers remind Chen of his own past, influencing his decision to take them in.

Character Interactions

• Chen’s interactions with his disciples are strict but purposeful. He rebukes them when they lose focus, then patiently teaches them martial arts, literacy, medicine, and proper conduct.
• The five boys admire and are startled by Chen, particularly by his enormous appetite, but they obey him readily.
• Chen treats the disciples as a group, intending the children from intact families to positively influence the orphaned brothers and prevent resentment or division.
• His final interaction is with the two miniature messengers, whose respectful bows and urgent announcement introduce a new development and create a cliffhanger for the next chapter.

Chapter Summary: “Genmu King Gui Liang!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Two tiny Genmu warriors travel for seven days and nights to deliver Chen Jichuan a miniature urgent dispatch. After receiving it, Chen rewards them with food, wine, and a comfortable camp.
• Chen reads the letter and discovers that the person he has been searching for has finally been located. His excitement is so great that he accidentally blows the tiny letter away.
• He prepares provisions for the Genmu Kingdom’s animals—fried insects for the hounds, bean cakes for the horses, and sauced beef and wine for the warriors—before setting out alone.
• Chen travels to Tang Mountain, where the Genmu King’s Eagle-Hound Army trains and hunts enormous creatures. The tiny soldiers are shown practicing formations, martial arts, hunting, and dragging a giant centipede into captivity.
• Genmu King Gui Liang arrives with several thousand warriors and offers to help Chen defeat the suspected villain. Chen declines to risk their lives, saying he will investigate first and summon them only if necessary.
• Chen and Gui Liang arrange future trades involving venomous animals and spirit resources. Their partnership is emphasized as mutually beneficial: Chen supplies weapons, armor, food, and other necessities, while the Genmu Kingdom provides intelligence and gathers rare creatures and plants.
• Using the Eagle-Hound Army’s information and his own Far-Sight and Wind-Hearing abilities, Chen locates a concealed cave twenty li away.
• The cave is filled with ghostly qi, scattered bones, and human heads arranged in five directions. A Daoist sits at its center, surrounded by sinister energy, confirming that Chen has found the dangerous suspect.

Character Developments

• Chen Jichuan continues to demonstrate his compassion and responsibility. Although he could easily command the Genmu warriors, he refuses to endanger them for a threat he considers minor.
• His bond with the Genmu Kingdom has developed into a stable alliance based on trust, trade, and mutual assistance.
• Chen is also shown to be patient and attentive toward the tiny warriors, personally ensuring that they receive rest, food, and proper supplies.
• Genmu King Gui Liang is portrayed as loyal, energetic, and eager to defend his friend. His willingness to mobilize thousands of soldiers reflects his growing prestige and confidence as king.
• Gui Liang’s kingdom has prospered under Chen’s support, and his reputation has risen significantly during their cooperation.

Significant Themes

• Friendship and mutual loyalty: Chen and Gui Liang’s relationship is founded on genuine trust rather than simple exploitation.
• Mutual benefit and cooperation: Their alliance improves life for the Genmu people while giving Chen access to intelligence and rare resources.
• Power and responsibility: Despite his overwhelming physical superiority, Chen recognizes the value of the tiny warriors and refuses to treat their lives as expendable.
• Scale and perspective: The Genmu warriors are physically tiny, but their organization, intelligence, and numbers make them formidable in their own environment.
• Justice versus sinister evil: The chapter shifts from warm, humorous interactions with the Genmu Kingdom to the ominous discovery of a Daoist conducting a gruesome ritual involving corpses and ghostly qi.

Character Interactions

• Chen kindly dismisses the exhausted messengers to rest, offering them food and shelter.
• He maintains a close, affectionate friendship with Gui Liang, exchanging greetings, discussing military action, and arranging future trade.
• Gui Liang enthusiastically offers his entire Eagle-Hound Army, while Chen gently refuses in order to protect him and his soldiers.
• The Genmu warriors recognize Chen as a trusted ally, bowing to him after confirming his identity through the signals of their hounds and falcons.
• The chapter ends with Chen independently approaching the hidden cave, preparing to confront or investigate the mysterious Daoist responsible for the disturbing scene.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Jichuan identifies the Five-Ghost Yin Soldier Method used by a Daoist named Zhou Ji, the Five-Ghost Daoist, and suspects him of secretly harming Ban Feifei.
• Rather than attacking immediately, Chen investigates whether the Daoist’s victims were innocent or deserving of death. He spends three days examining county records and questioning locals.
• His investigation reveals that the Five-Ghost Daoist murdered even genuinely good people, including a famous filial son. Chen concludes that Zhou Ji is a true villain.
• Chen returns to Golden Wind Mountain, where Ban Feifei’s condition has severely deteriorated. She has been reduced to a skeletal, half-conscious state because a ghost is consuming her essence, energy, and spirit.
• Chen finally tells the Ban brothers the truth: their mother is not suffering from an ordinary illness but has been possessed and drained by a demonic art.
• The brothers initially react with intense anger, believing Chen deliberately concealed the truth and allowed their mother to approach death.
• Chen explains that he spent the past year searching for the culprit and feared that revealing the truth prematurely would leave them helpless, potentially drive them to despair, or cause them to harm innocents.
• He also points out that the brothers concealed their identities as tiger demons from him, just as he withheld information for practical reasons.
• Once Chen reveals that he has located the Five-Ghost Daoist, the brothers realize they misunderstood him and express deep remorse and gratitude.
• Ban Zhua and Ban Ya swear loyalty to Chen. Ban Ya remains behind to care for their mother, while Ban Zhua accompanies Chen to confront and kill the Daoist, destroy the yin altar, and end the demonic spell.

2. Character Developments

• Chen Jichuan demonstrates caution, moral judgment, and strategic thinking. Although he recognizes the Five-Ghost Daoist’s evil technique, he confirms the man’s guilt before acting. His decision to conceal the truth is shown as protective rather than malicious.
• Chen also reveals that he values the Ban family and distinguishes them from monsters who prey on humans. However, he remains practical and avoids risking his life unnecessarily, choosing to let the stronger Ban brothers lead the attack.
• Ban Zhua and Ban Ya shift from suspicion and fury to shame, understanding, and loyalty. They recognize that Chen has treated them and their mother sincerely despite their own deception.
• The brothers’ strong filial devotion is emphasized: their anger comes from their inability to protect their mother, while their eventual pledge reflects their gratitude and sense of righteousness.
• Ban Feifei is shown to be near death, her strength and cultivation almost completely consumed. Her condition becomes the immediate motivation for the coming confrontation.
• Zhou Ji, though only introduced through his identity and technique, is established as a murderous villain who uses ghosts to drain victims and strengthen himself.

3. Significant Themes

• Methods versus morality: Evil-looking techniques are not automatically proof of evil; judgment must depend on how they are used. Chen investigates before condemning Zhou Ji.
• Truth, secrecy, and trust: Both Chen and the Ban brothers hide important truths from one another. Their conflict shows that secrecy can arise from fear, self-preservation, or concern for others rather than simple betrayal.
• Filial piety and righteousness: The brothers’ devotion to their mother shapes their choices, while Chen questions whether uncontrolled filial grief might lead them to harm innocents.
• Prejudice against monsters: The Ban brothers conceal their identities because Daoist and Buddhist practitioners commonly view monsters as enemies. This prejudice leaves them isolated and makes saving Ban Feifei more difficult.
• Justice and responsibility: Chen refuses to act on suspicion alone and seeks evidence before pursuing vengeance. The chapter contrasts measured justice with emotional retaliation.
• Reciprocal loyalty: Once both sides acknowledge their sacrifices and misunderstandings, resentment gives way to mutual trust and a stronger alliance.

4. Character Interactions

• Chen’s initial examination of Zhou Ji’s victims establishes his cautious, investigative approach.
• His conversation with the Ban brothers becomes the chapter’s central confrontation. Ban Ya and Ban Zhua accuse him of deception, while Chen counters that they too concealed their identities.
• The argument exposes the emotional and moral pressures affecting all three characters: Chen fears a disastrous reaction, while the brothers fear they have failed their mother.
• After Chen reveals that he found the culprit, the brothers apologize through words, kneeling, and vows of loyalty.
• The chapter ends with their relationship transformed from physician and patients into allies united by a common mission: rescuing Ban Feifei and destroying the Five-Ghost Daoist.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Jichuan locates Five-Ghost Daoist hiding in a cave beneath Rubble Stone Forest. He explains to Ban Zhua that killing the Daoist and destroying the Yin Altar will break the demon art afflicting Mother Ban.
• Ban Zhua attacks first in his tiger form and kills Five-Ghost Daoist instantly, tearing him in two before the Daoist can react.
• Chen Jichuan examines the Yin Altar, which is arranged in five sections corresponding to the five colors and directions. Each section contains a painted dead man’s head, burial cloths, talismans, and a ghost-head command banner.
• Following Chen Jichuan’s instructions, Ban Zhua preserves the yellow talismans and command banners but destroys the rest of the altar. The resentful ghosts and demonic entities trapped within escape, only to be dispersed by Ban Zhua’s roar.
• Chen searches Five-Ghost Daoist’s corpse and discovers five protected scripture volumes, a bag of yellow talismans, and a bronze mirror. He also collects the Daoist’s talisman-making supplies and tools from the cave.
• Upon returning to Golden Wind Mountain, the brothers learn that the demon art has indeed been broken. Five ghosts emerge from Mother Ban but are swallowed by Ban Ya before they can cause harm.
• Mother Ban’s condition improves, though her vitality has been severely damaged. Chen checks her pulse, prescribes medicines, and warns that she must not cultivate or practice martial arts while recovering.
• Chen returns to Precious Fungus Grove, eager to study the scriptures and artifacts taken from Five-Ghost Daoist.

Character Developments

• Chen Jichuan demonstrates careful planning, supernatural insight, and medical knowledge. Though he minimizes his own role, he is the one who tracked down the hidden Daoist, identified the altar’s function, directed its destruction, and treated Mother Ban.
• Ban Zhua proves the overwhelming superiority of a level-seven expert over a level-six opponent. His hatred for Five-Ghost Daoist fuels a decisive attack, and his tiger’s roar effortlessly destroys the released ghosts.
• Ban Ya shows his protective concern for his mother by swallowing the ghosts that emerge from her body. His gratitude toward Chen becomes even stronger.
• Mother Ban survives the possession, but her life force has been permanently weakened. Although she cannot return to her former peak, she is expected to recover enough to live for several more years.
• The Ban brothers’ respect and gratitude toward Chen deepen. They recognize that his year-long search and assistance saved their mother’s life.

Significant Themes

• The difference between realms: The effortless victory of a level-seven expert over a level-six demon cultivator emphasizes the vast gap between the Later-Heaven and Innate realms.
• Justice and retribution: Five-Ghost Daoist, who secretly tormented and possessed others, is killed suddenly and violently once his hiding place is discovered.
• The danger of hidden demonic arts: The Yin Altar and enslaved ghosts reveal how preparation, secrecy, and supernatural techniques can make a weaker enemy extremely dangerous.
• Gratitude and friendship: Chen’s aid creates a lasting bond with the Ban brothers, though he views their gratitude and friendship as secondary benefits.
• The cost of survival: Mother Ban is saved, but the year of possession has permanently damaged her vitality, showing that victory does not erase the harm already done.
• Pursuit of power and inheritance: Chen’s greatest excitement comes not from the victory itself but from obtaining Five-Ghost Daoist’s scriptures, artifacts, and techniques, which may advance his own cultivation.

Character Interactions

• Chen directs Ban Zhua’s assault and later gives him precise instructions for dismantling the Yin Altar.
• Ban Zhua trusts Chen completely, following his orders without hesitation and relying on him to understand the demon art.
• Ban Ya and Ban Zhua both attempt to kneel and thank Chen, but he stops them and downplays his contribution.
• Chen advises the brothers on Mother Ban’s recovery, warning them against allowing her to resume cultivation too soon.
• The chapter ends with Chen separating from Ban Ya and returning to Precious Fungus Grove, focused on investigating the inheritance left by Five-Ghost Daoist.

Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Back in the courtyard, Chen Jichuan examines the five scriptures taken from Five-Ghost Daoist:
  • Lotus Sutra
  • A handwritten commentary on the Dao De Jing
  • Yellow Stone Daoist’s Notes
  • The upper and lower volumes of the Five-Ghost Yin Soldier Method
• He quickly dismisses the Buddhist and Daoist scriptures as familiar works and focuses on Yellow Stone Daoist’s Notes.
• The notes initially appear to be a scattered travel diary containing mundane observations, geography, local customs, supernatural encounters, and stories of strange or heroic events.
• While reading, Chen discovers two valuable techniques hidden in the latter half:
  • Shapeshifting Art, which changes a person’s appearance, body, and aura.
  • Circle-Light Technique, an advanced information-gathering spell capable of investigating events across the mortal, spiritual, yin, and yang realms. It can also exorcise evil, consecrate objects, communicate with spirits, and punish wrongdoers.
• Chen learns that Yellow Stone Daoist became famous among ordinary people because of these techniques, using them to remain elusive and avoid enemies.
• He decides to preserve the notes and also keeps Yellow Stone Daoist’s consecrated bronze mirror ritual artifact.
• Chen then examines the Five-Ghost Yin Soldier Method, an unorthodox evil art centered on summoning, controlling, and commanding ghosts.
• The upper volume contains a sinister visualization method, numerous ghost-related talismans, instructions for constructing a yin altar, and methods for creating command banners.
• The lower volume explains the practical procedures of the method, including hand seals, footwork, incantations, commands, and classifications of different ghosts.
• Chen is impressed by the method’s completeness and recognizes its potential for secretly killing enemies.

Character Developments

• Chen Jichuan demonstrates discernment and patience. Rather than immediately pursuing the apparently powerful Five-Ghost method, he carefully evaluates the materials and recognizes the greater long-term value of the Circle-Light Technique.
• He shows moral and spiritual awareness by distinguishing between righteous cultivation methods, such as the Grand Yin Body-Refining Method, and corrupt evil arts like the Five-Ghost Visualization Method.
• Chen rejects the Five-Ghost visualization method because he already possesses a superior and more virtuous foundation, but he intends to study enough of it to command the Yin Soldiers.
• His confidence grows as he realizes that he has abundant time to cultivate difficult techniques, unlike Five-Ghost Daoist, who chose quick and destructive shortcuts.
• At the same time, his final reaction—thinking that killing people secretly will become easy—reveals a growing willingness to use dangerous and morally questionable powers.

Significant Themes

• Patience versus expediency: The Circle-Light Technique requires perseverance and wisdom, while evil arts offer faster results. Chen believes his long lifespan allows him to pursue the more difficult path.
• Righteousness versus corruption: The Grand Yin Body-Refining Method is associated with virtue and truth, whereas the Five-Ghost method is portrayed as sinister, harmful, and morally perverse.
• Knowledge and hidden value: What appears to be a collection of idle writings conceals powerful techniques, emphasizing the importance of careful investigation.
• Power and moral danger: The Five-Ghost method provides immense practical power but risks corrupting the practitioner and encouraging murder and abuse.
• Tradition and secrecy: Daoist sects preserve their arts through secret languages, symbols, and codes, making knowledge difficult for outsiders to use.

Character Interactions

• There are no direct conversations in this chapter. The main interaction is Chen Jichuan’s intellectual engagement with the writings and artifacts left behind by Yellow Stone Daoist and Five-Ghost Daoist.
• Through the texts, Chen contrasts the two predecessors:
  • Yellow Stone Daoist appears patient, elusive, worldly, and skilled in subtle but profound techniques.
  • Five-Ghost Daoist appears impatient and short-sighted, choosing an easier evil art instead of cultivating the more demanding Circle-Light Technique.
• Chen’s relationship with these inherited teachings is selective: he preserves Yellow Stone Daoist’s methods and artifact, rejects the corrupt visualization foundation of the Five-Ghost method, but still considers exploiting its practical ghost-commanding techniques.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Jichuan’s cultivation routine stabilizes: he spends six hours in the real world and two hundred days in the Liang World. His martial arts have reached the sixth level, so he focuses on slowly refining them while cultivating new techniques.
• He spends his remaining time searching for Altered Humans with Far-Sight, Wind-Hearing, and the Insight Art, strengthening White Jade Capital and expanding his supernatural abilities.
• In the Liang World, he dedicates decades to mastering the Grand Yin Body-Refining Method, Circle-Light Technique, Form-Change Method, and Five-Ghost Yin Soldier Method. The chapter emphasizes that even seemingly simple spells require years or decades of study.
• Sixty-five years pass. The Liang World has entered the Xianchun era and fallen into greater disorder:
  • Emperor Duzong’s misrule began the decline.
  • Guangzong briefly attempted reform through the Martial Academy Office, Monastic Registry Office, and Daoist Registry Office.
  • Emperor Zheng Yun initially established the Night-Calming Office to suppress supernatural threats, but later became obsessed with immortality.
  • Under the influence of Daoists and the supposed Longevity Elixir, Zheng Yun favored Daoism, weakened Buddhism and the Night-Calming Office, and placed the latter under Daoist control.
  • As Buddhist and martial experts withdrew, demons, ghosts, and monsters once again grew rampant.
• In Wu Family Ravine, two Buddhist monks, Liao Jue and Liao Tong, discover Hu Hongmei, an elderly fox demon living peacefully as Old Madam Wu.
• The monks deliberately accuse her of being a dangerous demon, intending to kill her publicly and win the villagers’ faith by appearing to subdue a monster.
• The villagers defend Old Madam Wu, knowing her as a hardworking woman who has spent decades caring for her family. They surround and threaten the monks.
• Hu Hongmei reveals that she is indeed a fox demon but has never harmed anyone. She shows a protective token from Precious Fungus Grove, proving that Immortal Chen has recognized and sheltered her.
• Liao Tong dismisses the token as an illusion and urges his brother to attack. Liao Jue recognizes the name “Immortal Chen” and recalls that his master once fought a powerful ghost-controlling expert named Chen, leaving him deeply wary.
• Despite his hesitation, Liao Jue chooses to proceed. Liao Tong prepares to kill Hu Hongmei with enchanted Buddhist prayer beads.
• As Hu Hongmei accepts her fate and reflects peacefully on her long life, a powerful voice from the sky condemns the monks for insulting and disrespecting Master Chen.

Character Developments

• Chen Jichuan: Though absent from the immediate scene, his decades of cultivation and growing reputation shape events throughout the chapter. His protection of harmless supernatural beings has created a network of loyal followers and earned him enough influence that even outsiders fear invoking his name.
• Hu Hongmei: She is presented as a fundamentally benevolent fox demon. After decades of fear and instability, she found peace by marrying into the Wu family and becoming part of a human household. Her calm acceptance of death highlights her dignity, gratitude, and attachment to her family.
• Liao Jue: More cautious and knowledgeable than his junior brother, he recognizes the possible danger of provoking Chen. However, ambition, public pressure, and the need to preserve the monks’ authority ultimately overcome his caution.
• Liao Tong: He is arrogant, aggressive, and opportunistic. He sees Hu Hongmei not as a person but as a tool for gaining believers and prestige. His reckless insistence pushes the confrontation toward violence.
• The villagers: They demonstrate loyalty, common sense, and moral judgment. Their personal knowledge of Hu Hongmei outweighs the monks’ accusations, and they are willing to confront religious authorities to protect her.

Significant Themes

• Moral judgment versus appearances: Hu Hongmei is technically a demon, but her actions are benevolent, while the supposedly righteous monks behave cruelly and deceitfully.
• Religious corruption and hypocrisy: The monks invoke Buddhism and the language of salvation while plotting to murder an innocent creature for fame, influence, and followers.
• The collapse of social order: Political favoritism and the weakening of the Night-Calming Office allow supernatural dangers and predatory religious figures to flourish.
• Protection of the innocent: Chen’s policy of judging beings by their deeds rather than their species contrasts with the monks’ simplistic belief that demons must be exterminated.
• The power of reputation: Chen never appears directly, yet his name and protective tokens command fear. His past actions continue to influence events decades later.
• Peaceful acceptance of mortality: Hu Hongmei’s final reflection shows that a life of family, stability, and love can be meaningful even if it ends in injustice.

Character Interactions

• Liao Jue and Liao Tong coordinate their scheme, with Liao Jue planning to expose Hu Hongmei publicly and Liao Tong supporting the violent execution.
• The monks’ accusations provoke the villagers, who defend Old Madam Wu and turn against the supposed Buddhist “saviors.”
• Hu Hongmei respectfully explains her identity and allegiance to Immortal Chen, attempting to prevent violence while protecting her great-grandchildren.
• Liao Jue’s knowledge of Chen creates tension between his caution and Liao Tong’s reckless aggression.
• The villagers’ confrontation with the monks illustrates the conflict between lived experience and imposed authority.
• The chapter ends with an unseen figure—presumably connected to Chen—intervening from the heavens to rebuke the monks for insulting him.

Chapter Summary:

Eight Great Kings: Golden Eagle King!

Key Plot Points and Events

• A sudden gale scatters the golden prayer beads being used by the two Buddhist monks, Liao Jue and Liao Tong, to attack Old Madam Wu, revealing the arrival of Jin Shenggu, the Golden Eagle King.
• Jin Shenggu descends from the sky in the form of a great bird before transforming into a white-robed swordsman. The villagers mistake him for a heavenly sword immortal and kneel in awe.
• Old Madam Wu, revealed to be the fox demon Hu Hongmei, thanks Jin Shenggu for saving her. Jin orders the two monks to surrender because of their serious crimes.
• Hu Hongmei provides cangues and shackles. Though furious and humiliated, the monks recognize Jin’s overwhelming speed and power, realize escape is impossible, and submit rather than risk being killed.
• Liao Jue attempts to invoke his master’s relationship with Chen the Immortal, but Jin ignores him entirely.
• Wang Liulang, a benevolent drowned ghost who has become locally revered as a river god, arrives and offers to escort the prisoners. Jin declines because his subordinates, the Black and White Generals, soon arrive to take custody of the monks.
• Jin transforms back into a golden eagle and flies away, while the two generals lead Liao Jue and Liao Tong toward the county seat.
• After they leave, Hu Hongmei dispels her illusion, causing the villagers to forget the supernatural confrontation and believe they merely saw Old Madam Wu standing alone.
• The narrative then shifts to Dai County, where Precious Fungus Grove has grown dramatically over sixty-five years into a major power controlling both the underworld and lawful society in Meishan Prefecture.

Character Developments

• Jin Shenggu / Golden Eagle King is established as a powerful, feared, and highly respected enforcer. He is cold and terse but acts decisively against injustice, reinforcing his reputation for chivalry and his status among the Eight Great Kings.
• Hu Hongmei shows relief and deep respect toward Jin. Although she is an elderly fox demon accustomed to a quiet life of serving her family, she is capable, resourceful, and knowledgeable about supernatural affairs.
• Liao Jue and Liao Tong shift from arrogant aggressors to frightened, pragmatic prisoners. Their awareness of Jin’s power forces them to abandon resistance and accept humiliation to survive.
• Wang Liulang is characterized as kind-hearted and selfless. Despite remaining trapped in the Pi River for over a century because he refused to harm drowning victims, he eventually gains freedom and becomes a helpful local spirit.
• Precious Fungus Grove has evolved from a small establishment into a dominant organization under Chen the Immortal, with several major demon kings serving it.

Significant Themes

• Justice and punishment: Jin Shenggu intervenes against the monks’ attempt to kill Hu Hongmei and ensures that their crimes receive consequences.
• Power and reputation: The monks surrender largely because Jin’s legendary speed, sword, and status make resistance hopeless.
• Humility before overwhelming strength: Their earlier arrogance collapses when faced with a superior opponent.
• Benevolent supernatural beings: Wang Liulang and Jin contrast with the monks’ cruelty, showing that demons and ghosts can possess greater morality than supposedly righteous religious figures.
• Hidden identities and ordinary perception: Hu Hongmei’s illusion conceals the supernatural conflict from the villagers, allowing the mystical world to remain unnoticed by humans.
• Growth of institutions and influence: The expansion of Precious Fungus Grove demonstrates Chen the Immortal’s increasing authority and the long-term development of his organization.

Character Interactions

• Jin and Hu Hongmei interact with mutual respect, though Jin remains emotionally distant and speaks little.
• Jin confronts Liao Jue and Liao Tong as a stern authority figure, while the monks respond with fear, resentment, and reluctant obedience.
• Liao Jue’s attempt to use his master’s connection to Chen fails because Jin refuses to show favoritism.
• Wang Liulang respectfully offers assistance to Jin and displays admiration for him, but Jin declines the help without hostility.
• The Black and White Generals show absolute loyalty to Jin by taking charge of the prisoners.
• Hu Hongmei and Wang Liulang observe the departure of Jin and the prisoners before restoring the illusion that protects the villagers from learning the truth.

Chapter Summary: “Transformative Force!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Jichuan continues his daily martial-arts practice despite already reaching an extremely advanced level, maintaining habits formed through nearly a century of cultivation.
• While practicing, he uses Hidden Force to cleanse and strengthen every part of his body, preserving a youthful appearance despite being eighty-four years old by the Liang World’s calendar.
• The chapter reveals the progression of his martial cultivation:
  • He perfected Hidden Force more than twenty years earlier.
  • He entered the Transformative Force Realm twenty years ago after years of combat and observation.
  • He has now begun the next stage, Marrow-Transmutation, by successfully causing Tiger-Leopard Thunder Sound to penetrate and affect his marrow.
• His breakthrough into marrow cultivation is incomplete. He experiences the proper sensation only once, then cannot reproduce it, recognizing that continued practice is necessary.
• Chen Jichuan reviews his current status through the Immortal Register. His Seventy-Two Chen Sect Arts have advanced to Level 7, corresponding to the Transformative Force Realm.
• His Divine Pounce Blade remains at Level 6 because he lacks an appropriate seventh-level Innate Realm cultivation method.
• He has made slower but steady progress in other techniques, including reaching the fifth level of the Grand Yin Body-Refining Method.
• The chapter ends by emphasizing that Chen Jichuan’s highest priority remains the Five-Ghost Yin Soldier Method, even above his martial-arts advancement.

Character Development

• Chen Jichuan is portrayed as disciplined, patient, and accustomed to relentless cultivation. Even after achieving great power, he continues practicing daily rather than becoming complacent.
• His long-term cultivation has transformed him physically: although elderly by age, he appears to be in his twenties or thirties and expects to live beyond 120 without difficulty.
• He demonstrates greater maturity in cultivation by recognizing the limits of his current mastery. Instead of forcing the failed marrow breakthrough, he accepts that it must be achieved through gradual repetition.
• His combat experience has significantly deepened his understanding of martial arts. Years of fighting demons, monsters, Hidden Force experts, and Transformative Force grandmasters enabled him to break through.
• He has also become more strategic, prioritizing certain techniques rather than spreading his effort equally across every available discipline.

Significant Themes

• Persistence and accumulation: Chen Jichuan’s breakthroughs result from decades of continuous practice rather than sudden talent alone.
• The limits of mastery: Reaching Transformative Force is not the end; deeper progress requires Marrow-Transmutation, which is subtle and difficult to control.
• Patience over recklessness: His inability to reproduce the marrow breakthrough teaches him to accept gradual progress instead of forcing an unstable technique.
• The relationship between body and spirit: Martial cultivation advances from sinews and bones to the hidden marrow, suggesting a movement from outward physical strength toward deeper, almost divine transformation.
• Balance and specialization: Chen Jichuan acknowledges that trying to cultivate too many methods at once leads to slow progress, so he establishes clear priorities.
• Longevity and transcendence: His youthful body and pursuit of marrow transformation reflect the broader goal of surpassing ordinary human limitations.

Character Interactions

• The chapter contains little direct dialogue or interaction with other characters, focusing primarily on Chen Jichuan’s solitary cultivation.
• His past interactions with Hidden Force experts and Transformative Force grandmasters are important indirectly: sparring with them and secretly observing them helped refine his understanding and enabled his breakthrough.
• His reputation has grown through repeated battles against demons and monsters. In Dai County and Meishan Prefecture, he is known as “Chen the Immortal,” and few experts dare underestimate him.
• The Night-Calming Office’s former prominence provided an environment in which Chen Jichuan could fight and learn from powerful practitioners, while its decline led him to take greater responsibility for suppressing supernatural threats.

Chapter Summary:

White Horse Temple: Hui Feng!

Key Plot Points and Events

• After closing the Immortal Register, Chen Jichuan eats a large meal to sustain his body after reaching the Transformative Force Realm. He wonders what level of cultivation is required to enter the Fasting Realm, where one can survive on spiritual energy.
• Jin Shenggu, a powerful golden eagle spirit and Chen’s trusted disciple, arrives after capturing two monks in Wu Family Ravine. The monks claimed that their master had an old connection with Chen.
• The captives are revealed to be Liao Jue and Liao Tong, both Level 6 Buddhist cultivators skilled in the Golden Light Mantra, Arhat Fist, and Heavenly Eye Insight.
• The monks initially fail to recognize Chen because he appears far younger than expected. They identify themselves as disciples of Huifeng Monk, formerly a high-ranking official of the Monastic Registry Office and Night-Calming Office.
• Chen remembers Huifeng as an old adversary. Twenty years earlier, Huifeng had led an attempt to purge Dai County, but Chen defeated and drove him away through careful preparation, local intelligence, the Five-Ghost Yin Soldier Method, and assistance from Jin Shenggu and Erban.
• When the monks give vague justifications about “subduing demons and vanquishing devils,” Chen refuses to hear more and orders them punished under Plan B-1. They will avoid execution but be forced into indefinite hard labor in Dai County.
• Anticipating retaliation from White Horse Temple, Chen orders heightened vigilance among Dai County’s spirits and ghosts, especially against suspicious Buddhist monks.
• He sends letters to several allies and authorities: Master Miaofa of White Cloud Temple, Master Hongyuan of Embracing Unity Temple, General Ban Zhua in the prefectural capital, and General Ban Ya of Golden Wind Mountain.
• The chapter ends with Chen contemplating the connection between White Horse Temple, Huifeng Monk, and the suspicious timing of the monks’ arrival.

Character Developments

• Chen Jichuan is shown as powerful, organized, and increasingly authoritative. Rather than acting impulsively, he uses established punishment protocols and prepares for possible political or military consequences.
• His youthful appearance contrasts with his long history and growing reputation as “Chen the Immortal,” emphasizing his cultivation and unusual longevity.
• Jin Shenggu is established as one of Chen’s most loyal followers. Once healed by Chen decades earlier, he now serves as a vigilant disciple and patrolman throughout Dai County.
• Liao Jue and Liao Tong are presented as capable but rigid Buddhist disciples. Their blind faith in their mission and reliance on stock rhetoric leave them unable to defend their actions convincingly.
• Huifeng Monk, though absent, becomes an important looming figure through Chen’s recollections. He is portrayed as an old rival with both religious authority and political connections.

Significant Themes

• Preparation and foresight: Chen’s response reflects the chapter’s central principle that success depends on preparing before danger arrives.
• Power and jurisdiction: Dai County functions as Chen’s domain, where outsiders—regardless of their claimed religious mission—must answer to his rules.
• Justice versus fanaticism: The monks believe they are performing righteous religious duties, but Chen distinguishes between genuine justice and indiscriminate demon-hunting.
• Old grudges resurfacing: Past conflicts from twenty years earlier continue to influence present events, suggesting that unresolved rivalries can reemerge at critical moments.
• Decline and political change: The history of White Horse Temple reflects the broader decline of Buddhism after the Liang Emperor favored Daoism, adding political and religious tension to the conflict.

Character Interactions

• Chen and Jin Shenggu interact with familiarity and mutual trust; Jin reports directly to Chen and immediately follows his orders.
• Chen interrogates Liao Jue and Liao Tong, while the Black and White Generals reinforce Chen’s authority and mock the monks for failing to recognize him.
• The monks’ reference to Huifeng forces Chen to revisit his previous confrontation with their master, linking past and present conflicts.
• Chen coordinates with multiple allies through letters, demonstrating his broad network and his intention to face White Horse Temple’s possible response collectively rather than alone.

Chapter Summary: “Paper-Cutting for Soldiers, Clay Sculptures for Generals!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Jichuan cultivates alone in his courtyard under the moonlight, steadily strengthening his soul through Daoist visualization. Although he has not yet reached the Spirit Projection realm, his progress is consistent and he remains patient.
• During meditation, a paper warrior attacks him. Chen effortlessly parries it and severs its head, revealing that it is merely a paper figure.
• A far stronger clay monster follows. Its flexible, mud-like body and Transformative Force-level strength make it dangerous, but Chen is already familiar with the technique. He cuts it in half and burns it, exposing it as a clay doll.
• Recognizing the attacks as “Paper-Cutting for Soldiers” and “Clay Sculptures for Generals,” Chen taunts their creator, Qizhenzi, accusing him of having no new tricks.
• Qizhenzi responds from an unseen location. He praises Chen’s improved martial skill and attempts to persuade him to stop opposing Divine Communion Temple.
• Chen refuses, demanding that Qizhenzi disband the Five Spirit Gods, surrender the Dharma-Protecting Divine Generals, and swear never again to create evil gods or ghost generals.
• Qizhenzi instead proposes an alliance. He suggests that Chen help him eliminate Miaofa and Hongyuan, who are planning to attack Divine Communion Temple for its valuable Jade Dragon Fruit Tree. In exchange, Qizhenzi offers Chen half of the tree’s seasonal fruit.
• Chen rejects the offer, claiming that his opposition is based on justice rather than greed, though Qizhenzi’s accurate knowledge of Chen’s alliance plans surprises him.

Character Developments

• Chen Jichuan: Demonstrates substantial growth in both martial ability and confidence. He easily destroys summoned paper and clay warriors that could threaten ordinary Hidden Force or Transformative Force experts. He is also more capable of confronting Qizhenzi than he was decades earlier, though he remains cautious.
• Qizhenzi: Is revealed as extremely cautious and manipulative. He avoids exposing his true body, relying on paper men, clay figures, and the Five Spirit Gods. He attempts to use both moral rhetoric and material incentives to divide Chen from his potential allies.
• Relationship between Chen and Qizhenzi: Their long-standing antagonism remains unresolved. Both recognize the other as dangerous and avoid direct confrontation, creating a prolonged stalemate.

Significant Themes

• Justice versus self-interest: Chen presents his opposition to Qizhenzi as a moral struggle against the suffering caused by the Five Spirit Gods, while Qizhenzi tries to reduce the conflict to competing interests and practical benefits.
• Deception and indirect conflict: Neither side engages directly. Qizhenzi uses artificial servants and hidden schemes, while Chen relies on intelligence networks and alliances.
• Power and caution: Strength alone is insufficient against an entrenched enemy with hidden methods and a fortified base. Both characters carefully test and assess one another.
• Corruption and social disorder: The chapter emphasizes the broader chaos of the era—an immoral emperor, corrupt officials, rival religious factions, and rampant demons—providing the context for Chen and Qizhenzi’s conflict.
• Moral ambiguity: Although Chen condemns Qizhenzi’s evil practices, his interest in joining Miaofa and Hongyuan to seize the Jade Dragon Fruit Tree suggests that righteous motives coexist with strategic and material concerns.

Character Interactions

• Chen defeats Qizhenzi’s summoned paper and clay warriors, turning the attacks into a demonstration of his superiority.
• Qizhenzi speaks to Chen indirectly, praising him while disguising threats and persuasion as appeals to cooperation.
• Chen counters Qizhenzi’s proposal with strict demands that would dismantle the old Daoist’s power base.
• Qizhenzi attempts to exploit Chen’s planned alliance against Divine Communion Temple, offering him a share of the Jade Dragon Fruit in exchange for betraying Miaofa and Hongyuan.
• Chen refuses, preserving the antagonistic relationship and confirming that conflict between Precious Fungus Grove and Divine Communion Temple is still inevitable.

Chapter Summary: “Archery”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After Chen Jichuan again rejects Qizhenzi’s attempt to recruit him, Qizhenzi leaves without threatening him. Chen suspects this apparent retreat may conceal another attack and remains alert while pretending to cultivate.
• Soon afterward, a powerful hidden arrow is fired into the courtyard. Chen narrowly dodges it; the arrow explodes on impact, leaving a pit more than seven feet deep and demonstrating its lethal power.
• Chen immediately counters by throwing his treasured saber toward the attacker, then takes up a powerful bow and poisoned arrows. Using his Far-Sight and Wind-Hearing abilities, he locates a gigantic archer in the darkness.
• The attacker is a giant puppet disguised as a ghost. It possesses great strength, can change size, and wields a bow powerful enough to threaten even a Transformative Force expert.
• Chen defeats it through superior archery, shooting it repeatedly in the shoulder, legs, and back to prevent its escape. When it charges him with a saber, he cuts it in half and destroys it completely.
• After examining the remains, Chen realizes that Qizhenzi’s methods are becoming increasingly dangerous. He orders the Precious Fungus Grove disciples to collect the puppet’s wooden fragments carefully because its arrows may be poisoned.
• Concerned that similar assassins might attack Miaofa Daoist and Hongyuan Daoist, Chen returns to the grove carrying extra bows and sabers.
• Three days later, Ban Zhua and Sun Sihai arrive in Dai County and return to Precious Fungus Grove after traveling day and night. Their arrival is treated with great respect.
• Ban Zhua is revealed to be both a powerful grandmaster, the “Iron Fist King” and one of the Eight Kings of Meishan, and the military commander of three Meishan battalions.
• Sun Sihai, a direct disciple of the Precious Fungus Grove lineage, is the sect’s only Transformative Force expert besides its highest-ranking figures. His battlefield experience and mastery of the Seventy-Two Chen Sect Arts have made him exceptionally formidable.

Character Developments

• Chen Jichuan: Demonstrates extraordinary vigilance, composure, and combat skill. He reacts instantly to the ambush, combines saber techniques with archery, and proves that his years of practice have made him an elite marksman. Although victorious, he becomes more serious and cautious about Qizhenzi’s growing arsenal of supernatural weapons.
• Qizhenzi: Though absent from the direct confrontation, he is shown to be increasingly threatening and resourceful. His use of a powerful puppet archer suggests that his previous attacks were not the limit of his abilities.
• Sun Sihai: Is established as one of Precious Fungus Grove’s most respected disciples. His Transformative Force cultivation, military experience, and refined combat abilities place him among the world’s top martial experts.
• Ban Zhua: Is presented as both a political and martial authority. His reputation as the Iron Fist King and his command over three military battalions make him an influential ally.
• Precious Fungus Grove disciples: Their immediate response to the battle reflects their respect for Chen and their willingness to follow his orders, though they are visibly shocked by the puppet’s terrifying remains.

Significant Themes

• Constant vigilance: Apparent peace is unreliable, and enemies may attack through concealment and trickery.
• The danger of hidden methods: Even elite martial artists can be killed by ambushes, poisoned weapons, demonic techniques, or supernatural puppets.
• Archery as both skill and strategy: Chen’s mastery of distance, timing, and precision allows him to defeat a physically powerful opponent without engaging it directly at first.
• Limits of martial strength: Transformative Force experts are immensely powerful, but the chapter emphasizes that no level of cultivation guarantees safety.
• Growing escalation: Qizhenzi’s increasingly sophisticated attacks suggest that the conflict is becoming more dangerous and unpredictable.
• Respect and hierarchy: Martial reputation, lineage, military authority, and cultivation level all determine status within the Precious Fungus Grove and the wider world.

Character Interactions

• Chen and Qizhenzi’s brief exchange establishes their continued opposition: Qizhenzi attempts to recruit or win Chen over, while Chen dismisses him and refuses cooperation.
• Chen interacts with the puppet archer through a deadly long-range contest, using his archery to disable and then destroy it before finishing it in close combat.
• Afterward, Chen instructs the Precious Fungus Grove disciples on how to handle the destroyed puppet and its potentially poisoned arrows, reinforcing his authority over them.
• Ban Zhua and Sun Sihai are warmly welcomed by the disciples upon their return, highlighting their importance to the sect and their close connections to its leadership.
• The chapter also recalls Chen’s past intervention in saving Ban Feifei from a hidden attack, linking the present dangers to earlier examples of how ambushes can overcome even extraordinary experts.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Sun Sihai returns to the rear courtyard of Golden Wind Mountain and joins his master, Chen Jichuan, several Daoist guests, and his uncles and fellow disciples for a drinking gathering.
• The guests include Miaofa Daoist of White Cloud Temple, Hongyuan Daoist of Embracing Unity Temple, the Iron Palm King Ban Ya, and the Golden Eagle King Jin Shenggu. The group shares close familial and sectarian ties.
• When darkness falls, Miaofa Daoist transforms a sheet of paper into a glowing moon, illuminating the courtyard through Daoist magic.
• Hongyuan Daoist produces a jade flask that never runs out of wine, allowing the gathering to continue.
• Chen Jichuan responds by reciting poetry about the moon and using five chopsticks to summon five disguised Soul-Seizing Ghosts. They appear as beautiful immortal maidens, perform a graceful dance, sing, and then return to their original chopstick forms.
• Impressed, Miaofa suggests moving the gathering into the “Moon Palace.” Through illusion or supernatural projection, Chen Jichuan, Miaofa, and Hongyuan appear to enter the moon while the others watch from below.
• Once inside, Miaofa reveals that the moon setting is a magical defensive space. He casts the Three-Terrace Curse Art to prevent the demon Daoist Qizhenzi from spying on or probing their conversation.
• The gathering’s festive mood gives way to a serious discussion about Qizhenzi’s surveillance and hidden schemes. Hongyuan reveals a horrific arrow wound, showing that Qizhenzi’s methods are not merely deceptive but genuinely dangerous.

Character Developments

• Sun Sihai is portrayed as a respectful junior within the group. He admires his master and takes pride in Chen Jichuan’s abilities, especially after witnessing the summoned “immortal maidens.” His thoughts reveal strong loyalty and confidence in his master’s superiority in martial arts and Daoist techniques.
• Chen Jichuan demonstrates creativity, confidence, and mastery of supernatural arts. His performance matches and even playfully challenges the techniques displayed by Miaofa and Hongyuan.
• Miaofa Daoist initially appears genial and intoxicated, entertaining the group with his moon illusion. He later reveals his sharp awareness and defensive expertise by sealing the Moon Palace against magical surveillance.
• Hongyuan Daoist displays both hospitality and immense supernatural power through his inexhaustible wine flask. His injured arm also reveals that he has recently suffered a serious attack.
• Ban Ya, Ban Zhua, and Jin Shenggu function as martial-oriented members of the gathering, enjoying the spectacle while remaining outside the deeper Daoist conversation.

Significant Themes

• Friendship and fellowship: The opening emphasizes the close bonds among masters, disciples, relatives, and fellow cultivators through drinking, joking, and shared entertainment.
• The contrast between appearance and reality: The gathering seems like a carefree moon-viewing party, but the beautiful illusions conceal a secret strategic meeting.
• Daoist power and artistry: Paper becomes moonlight, a flask produces endless wine, and chopsticks become dancing maidens, showing cultivation as both practical magic and elegant performance.
• Hidden danger and vigilance: The discussion of Qizhenzi and Hongyuan’s grievous wound reveals that supernatural conflict is occurring beneath the surface of the celebration.
• Pride and sectarian loyalty: Sun Sihai compares the abilities of the various masters and proudly concludes that Chen Jichuan is at least the equal of the other Daoists, particularly in martial arts and demon-subduing techniques.

Character Interactions

• Sun Sihai respectfully greets the elders but is affectionately pressured by Ban Ya to drink.
• Chen Jichuan, Miaofa, and Hongyuan engage in a playful exchange of supernatural displays, each contributing a different marvel to the evening.
• Miaofa and Hongyuan treat Chen Jichuan as an equal and trusted ally, later joining him in the Moon Palace for a confidential discussion.
• The martial artists admire the Daoist spectacles from below, while Sun Sihai privately interprets them as evidence of his master’s greatness.
• Inside the Moon Palace, Miaofa and Hongyuan shift from celebration to concern, discussing Qizhenzi’s covert methods and the threat he poses.

Chapter Summary: “The Plan Was Set!”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Miaofa Daoist discovers Hongyuan Daoist’s serious arm wound and realizes he was also attacked by the giant puppet ghost.
• Chen Jichuan reveals that he encountered the same ghost three days earlier and shows the others fragments of its thousand-year-old jujube-wood body. He explains that he destroyed the puppet, while Hongyuan only managed to drive it away.
• Chen proposes attacking Divine Communion Temple soon. His reasons are:
  • The Jade Dragon Fruit Tree is nearly ready to bear fruit.
  • Qizhenzi could greatly increase his cultivation by refining the fruit.
  • Huifeng Monk of White Horse Temple has sent disciples to the area, creating an additional threat and uncertainty.
• Chen plans to complete the refinement of the Town-Wandering Village-Patrolling Five Ghosts. These spirits will eliminate Qizhenzi’s spies throughout the countryside, isolating Divine Communion Temple and disrupting Qizhenzi’s ability to gather information.
• Miaofa and Hongyuan agree to prepare for the assault, though neither is confident that the three of them can defeat Qizhenzi directly. If necessary, they will attempt to steal the Jade Dragon Fruit Tree instead.
• After the meeting, Chen tells his subordinate allies to remain in the city and await instructions, since the upcoming battle will primarily involve the three Daoist masters.
• Chen uses Yellow Stone Daoist’s bronze mirror and the Circle-Light Technique to spy on Divine Communion Temple. Qizhenzi’s concealment technique blocks his view and produces disturbing illusions of women in torment and pleasure.
• Chen concludes that Qizhenzi has hidden the Jade Dragon Fruit Tree through an evil art, preventing him from determining when the fruit will ripen. The struggle against Qizhenzi has therefore already begun as a contest of intelligence, concealment, and countermeasures.

2. Character Developments

• Chen Jichuan emerges as the strategist and driving force behind the coming conflict. He is confident, methodical, and willing to risk a direct confrontation to test the strength and weaknesses of his Five-Ghost Yin Soldier Method.
• Hongyuan Daoist is shown to be powerful but vulnerable; despite his alertness, he was nearly crippled by the puppet ghost. He acknowledges Chen’s superior handling of the threat.
• Miaofa Daoist respects Chen’s abilities and recognizes the seriousness of Qizhenzi’s potential advancement, though he remains cautious about the chances of victory.
• Qizhenzi is revealed as a highly secretive and dangerous opponent who has anticipated spiritual surveillance and prepared deceptive defenses.
• Chen’s subordinate allies increasingly trust his judgment and accept that they are not yet strong enough to participate directly in the main battle.

3. Significant Themes

• Preparation versus timing: The attack must occur after Chen completes his ghost soldiers but before Qizhenzi refines the Jade Dragon Fruit.
• Information warfare: Both sides are fighting through spies, surveillance, concealment, and counter-surveillance before engaging physically.
• Escalating power struggle: The Jade Dragon Fruit could make Qizhenzi nearly unbeatable, raising the conflict from a local dispute to a threat across the wider world.
• Strategic cooperation: Though the three Daoists lack confidence in defeating Qizhenzi individually or even together, they unite because inaction would be more dangerous.
• Testing one’s cultivation: Chen sees the coming battle not only as a necessary confrontation but also as an opportunity to evaluate the true capabilities and weaknesses of his painstakingly cultivated Five-Ghost technique.

4. Character Interactions

• Miaofa treats Hongyuan’s wound and questions him about the attacker, while Chen joins the conversation by identifying the puppet ghost.
• Hongyuan praises Chen for destroying the ghost, and Miaofa reinforces this admiration by calling him an exceptional talent.
• Chen persuades Miaofa and Hongyuan to support his plan by explaining the danger posed by the Jade Dragon Fruit and White Horse Temple.
• Chen instructs Sun Sihai, Ban Ya, Ban Zhua, and Jin Shenggu to remain in the city and wait for orders, keeping them away from the main confrontation.
• Chen’s attempt to spy on Qizhenzi becomes an indirect confrontation: Qizhenzi’s concealment technique blocks the investigation, while Chen vows to counter it by cutting off Qizhenzi’s network of spies.

Chapter Summary: “Divine Soldiers, Swift as the Law Decrees!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Jichuan enters the underground chamber beneath his residence, which is covered with thousands of talismans designed to suppress, summon, bind, nourish, gather, and control souls.
• Despite the chamber’s sinister yin energy and countless ghostly cries, Chen remains protected by his powerful vital energy and the Golden Flower Yellow Plain Scripture, which helps preserve his sanity and moral center.
• At the center of the chamber, he approaches a Yin Altar guarded by five vicious zodiac-form ghosts. Using the Five-Ghost Art, he transforms them into hidden guardian generals.
• The altar contains forty-six types of talismans—nearly a thousand in total—along with five Ghost-Head Command Banners. Chen has spent sixty-five years refining the altar, its ghosts, and its yin soldiers.
• Chen summons two groups of five ghosts:
  • The Town-Wandering Village-Patrolling Five Ghosts, tasked with searching roads, villages, and hidden locations.
  • The Five Official-Talisman Manacle Ghosts, tasked with investigating, arresting, and escorting enemies.
• Because ten ghosts are insufficient to search the vast Dai County and Meishan Prefecture, Chen summons the Five-Camp Generals: Luo Kun, Wen Liang, Luo Can, Zhao Xian, and Crown Prince.
• He orders the Five-Camp Generals to deploy fifty powerful yin soldiers—ten soldiers under the command of each of the ten patrolling and arresting ghosts.
• Chen performs a powerful summoning ritual, invoking the Five-Ghost Incantation and commanding the ghosts and yin soldiers to pursue hostile Daoists, evil gods, and baleful spirits.
• The summoned forces acknowledge his authority and vanish from the altar, beginning their mission.

Character Development

• Chen Jichuan demonstrates enormous growth in his mastery of ghostly and yin-based techniques. Decades of preparation have turned his Yin Altar, ghosts, banners, and soldiers into a formidable military force.
• He is shown to be disciplined and cautious. Although he commands forces capable of challenging high-level cultivators, he recognizes that relying too heavily on techniques rather than personal cultivation could cause dangerous backlash.
• Chen realizes he must continue improving the Grand Yin Body-Refining Method, since his fifth-level cultivation may eventually become a weakness despite his powerful techniques.
• His mental resilience is emphasized: he consciously recites scripture to prevent the sinister environment and prolonged contact with yin energy from corrupting his temperament.

Significant Themes

• Power through preparation: Chen’s strength comes from sixty-five years of patient refinement, accumulation, and organization rather than sudden advancement.
• The danger of crooked techniques: The chapter explores how yin and ghostly methods can influence a cultivator’s character, blurring the line between righteous and evil practices.
• Technique versus cultivation: Chen’s powerful methods compensate for his relatively lower cultivation, but the imbalance creates hidden risks and the possibility of backlash.
• Authority and command: The ritual resembles a military mobilization, presenting Chen as a Dao Master commanding an organized supernatural army.
• Maintaining one’s original nature: Chen’s scripture recitation represents his effort to preserve his morality and identity while using sinister forces.

Character Interactions

• The Five guardian ghosts initially confront Chen aggressively, but they submit once he activates the Five-Ghost Art.
• The Five-Camp Generals kneel before Chen and formally address him as the Dao Master, showing their absolute loyalty and recognition of his authority.
• Chen issues the generals a direct military order to deploy fifty yin soldiers under the command of the patrolling and arresting ghosts.
• The generals respond in unison, accept the command, and mobilize their troops.
• The ghosts and soldiers collectively acknowledge Chen’s final ritual command before disappearing to carry out his orders, likely to search for Qizhenzi’s hidden spies and hostile forces.

Chapter Summary: “Quickly Go Fetch…”

Key Plot Points and Events

• At Divine Communion Temple on Qian Mountain, Qizhenzi grows increasingly alarmed because Chen Jichuan’s forces have been systematically eliminating his spies and informants throughout Meishan Prefecture.
• Chen Jichuan has organized an extensive surveillance and extermination network using the Five Ghost Yin Soldiers, several Level Seven experts, martial artists from Precious Fungus Grove, and elite soldiers. Their operations have already destroyed more than half of Divine Communion Temple’s intelligence network.
• Realizing that his influence will soon be completely cut off—and with the Jade Dragon Fruit still at least a month from ripening—Qizhenzi decides to assassinate Chen Jichuan first.
• After three days of fasting, bathing, and mental preparation, Qizhenzi performs a powerful ritual. He sacrifices five Dharma-Protecting Divine Generals, invokes Immortal Master Falao, and activates a red Plowhead Talisman marked with Chen Jichuan’s name and Precious Fungus Grove.
• The talisman flies toward Dai County, empowered by the Jade-Faced God Statue. However, using it consumes nearly a century of accumulated spiritual power from the statue, causing Qizhenzi considerable distress.
• In Dai County, Chen Jichuan senses an ominous celestial disturbance. His bronze mirror divination reveals the Jade-Faced Gentleman transforming into an old farmer wielding a plow, after which the mirror cracks—an unmistakable warning of hostile supernatural interference.
• Chen Jichuan strengthens his body, protects his mind and soul, and activates multiple defensive talismans. Despite these precautions, the Plowhead Talisman causes excruciating pain, as though an iron plow is tearing through his body and spirit.
• Jin Shenggu arrives after being summoned. Chen Jichuan tries to tell him to “quickly go fetch” someone, but loses consciousness before finishing.
• Jin Shenggu interprets the unfinished command as a request to find Daoist Miaofa. He transforms into a golden eagle and carries the unconscious Chen Jichuan to White Cloud Temple on Rao Mountain in search of healing pills.

Character Developments

• Qizhenzi: His initial anger and frustration evolve into murderous resolve. He abandons his secluded, low-profile approach and commits a costly, direct attack against Chen Jichuan. The ritual also reveals his willingness to sacrifice long-preserved resources for victory.
• Chen Jichuan: Demonstrates strategic competence by dismantling Divine Communion Temple’s network, but also shows the limits of his defenses against Qizhenzi’s specialized curse. His vigilance and spiritual protections delay the attack but cannot prevent him from being overwhelmed.
• Jin Shenggu: Acts quickly and loyally when Chen Jichuan is incapacitated. Although he misunderstands Chen’s incomplete instruction, his initiative leads him to seek Miaofa’s help.
• Miaofa: Does not appear directly, but his reputation for possessing miraculous pills makes him the obvious potential savior.

Significant Themes

• Escalation and retaliation: Chen Jichuan’s systematic campaign against Qizhenzi’s spies forces Qizhenzi to respond with a deadly supernatural attack.
• The cost of power: Qizhenzi’s ritual consumes a century of accumulated spiritual energy, emphasizing that even powerful techniques demand enormous sacrifices.
• Surveillance versus isolation: Chen Jichuan’s intelligence network steadily strips away Qizhenzi’s ability to observe the outside world, while Qizhenzi relies on secrecy, divination, and occult methods.
• Limits of preparation: Chen Jichuan uses physical, mental, and spiritual defenses, yet the curse still nearly destroys him, highlighting the danger of unfamiliar supernatural attacks.
• Trust and dependence: Chen’s survival now depends on his allies, particularly Jin Shenggu’s loyalty and Miaofa’s healing abilities.

Character Interactions

• Qizhenzi’s earlier attempts to recruit Chen Jichuan and Hongyuan fail, and his effort to create distrust between them and Miaofa also appears unsuccessful.
• Qizhenzi directly targets Chen Jichuan through the Plowhead Talisman, turning their conflict from indirect maneuvering into open spiritual warfare.
• Jin Shenggu finds Chen Jichuan in severe distress and immediately attempts to help. Although Chen cannot complete his instructions, Jin interprets them and transports him to Miaofa for treatment.

Chapter Summary: “Plowhead Curse: Seven-Day Death Curse!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Jichuan awakens after being struck unconscious by Qizhenzi’s sinister Plowhead Technique, also known as the Seven-Day Death Curse.
• Miaofa Daoist explains that the curse will destroy Chen’s life force and scatter his soul within seven days unless it is removed. Chen’s Transformative Force cultivation has only delayed the curse’s effects.
• Jin Shenggu reveals that Chen had been ambushed and, before losing consciousness, managed to alert his disciple. Jin then transported him to Rao Mountain, where Miaofa Daoist treated him with miraculous medicine.
• Chen learns that hiding his body in the real world would not solve the problem: the curse would remain attached to him and continue to erupt when he returned. Waiting for Qizhenzi to die naturally is also impractical, especially since Chen’s allies would be left exposed.
• Hongyuan Daoist and Miaofa Daoist discuss possible methods of breaking the curse:
  • Embrace Unity Temple’s

Golden Blade and Sharp Scissors Talisman-Curse Method

• White Cloud Temple’s

Bronze Nanwood Rod and Iron Barrel-Rod Talisman-Curse Method

• Chen agrees to let Hongyuan attempt the first method despite the lack of certainty.
• Ban Zhua, Jin Shenggu, and others suggest storming Divine Communion Temple and killing Qizhenzi. Chen immediately rejects this plan, warning that Qizhenzi’s hidden demon arts, puppets, paper men, and other defenses could destroy their forces.
• Miaofa clarifies that killing Qizhenzi would not remove the Plowhead Curse. Unlike the Five-Ghost Yin Soldier Method, which ended when its caster and altar were destroyed, the Plowhead Curse acts like a poison and requires a separate cure.
• With no other option, Hongyuan begins preparing the exorcism ritual. An altar is constructed, and he fasts and purifies himself before beginning.
• The chapter ends with the altar completed and less than fifteen minutes remaining before the curse’s second eruption.

Character Developments

• Chen Jichuan demonstrates composure, courage, and acceptance of possible death. Though he is worried about losing ten thousand points of Origin Force, he does not panic and remains focused on finding a solution.
• He also displays strategic judgment by refusing to launch a reckless assault on Divine Communion Temple, prioritizing the survival of his allies over a seemingly direct revenge attempt.
• Miaofa Daoist shows deep respect for Chen’s past actions and moral character. His willingness to save Chen stems from Chen’s protection of Dai County and his efforts to eliminate threats harming ordinary people.
• Hongyuan Daoist moves from caution to determined action, agreeing to perform Embrace Unity Temple’s dangerous curse-breaking ritual despite uncertain chances of success.
• Jin Shenggu, Ban Zhua, and the others reveal their loyalty and willingness to risk themselves for Chen, but their desire for a direct attack contrasts with Chen’s more cautious and strategic approach.
• Qizhenzi is established as a highly dangerous, cunning enemy whose power extends beyond ordinary combat and whose curse remains effective even if he is killed.

Significant Themes

• Righteousness and moral duty: Chen’s willingness to oppose Qizhenzi for the sake of ordinary people earns the respect and aid of the Daoists.
• The limits of brute force: The chapter emphasizes that killing the enemy is not always enough; some supernatural threats require specialized knowledge and a precise countermeasure.
• Self-sacrifice and loyalty: Chen’s allies are prepared to fight and die for him, while Chen himself refuses to endanger them through a reckless assault.
• Fate versus human effort: Chen calmly accepts that life and death may be determined by fate, yet he still makes every effort to survive and allows the Daoists to attempt the ritual.
• The cost of survival: Chen’s concern over losing ten thousand Origin Force highlights the material and personal price of death within his cultivation system.

Character Interactions

• Miaofa and Hongyuan treat Chen as a respected fellow Daoist rather than merely a patient, offering their sects’ strongest curse-breaking methods.
• Chen formally thanks Miaofa and accepts his assistance while maintaining his usual dignity and calm.
• Ban Zhua, Jin Shenggu, and the others urge immediate retaliation against Qizhenzi, but Chen counters their enthusiasm with a warning about the enemy’s hidden preparations.
• Miaofa’s explanation that Qizhenzi’s death would not cure the curse silences the group and forces everyone to rely on the two orthodox Daoist temples.
• The chapter closes with Hongyuan taking responsibility for Chen’s survival and beginning the urgent ritual under extreme time pressure.