Recaps

Chu Bai defeated Steel Bone’s attack on Osmanthus Valley, forcing the Blood Spear Tribe to retreat before the approaching Heaven-Sacrificing Ceremony. After receiving the Wood God’s blessing, he used his merit to cleanse the deity’s corruption, and the Wood God offered him its gratitude and allegiance.

• Chu Bai charged into the three-thousand-strong Blood Spear Tribe army, killed a Foundation Establishment Blood Guard, and held off Steel Bone’s spear strike.
• A warning horn sounded from the Forbidden Ground, so Steel Bone withdrew his forces and threatened to return after the Heaven-Sacrificing Ceremony.
• Mu Ku and Fang Mu explained that the Osmanthus Tribe could not abandon its divine tree, then offered Chu Bai Wood God Nectar to aid his cultivation.
• The Wood God bestowed Wood God Clear Qi on Chu Bai, who learned that the Blood God was a remnant of the True Spirit Beiming’s will and that Steel Bone’s blessing would consume his tribe’s blood energy.
• Chu Bai used his merit and [Golden Edict] to cleanse the Wood God’s corruption and restore its divine foundation, earning its gratitude and willingness to follow him.

After three days of refining the Wood God Nectar, Chu Bai completed the second turn of his golden body and emerged to defend the Osmanthus Tribe from Steel Bone’s Blood God-blessed army. Zuo Qiu’s arrival failed to turn the tide, but Chu Bai’s overwhelming physical strength shattered one Blood Guard and sent the others fleeing in fear, leaving the battle poised for his next move.

• Chu Bai used the Wood God Nectar to transform his bones and meridians, strengthen his divine sense, and complete the second turn of his golden body.
• Steel Bone led three thousand Blood God-blessed soldiers against the Osmanthus Tribe, broke Fang Mu’s formation, and forced Chu Bai to emerge and destroy his Blood God Hand.
• Chu Bai’s Great Five-Phase Annihilation Light was weakened by the soldiers’ corrupt blood membranes, so he fought them with his body and Star-River Gold Embryo sword.
• Zuo Qiu arrived with True Spirit Society reinforcements, but Steel Bone transformed into the three-headed, six-armed Blood God Dharma Aspect and began overpowering him.
• Chu Bai killed a fifty-foot Blood Guard with one punch, then cowed the remaining guards and soldiers into opening a path before him.

Chu Bai defeated Steel Bone by freezing his regeneration and detonating the Great Five-Phase Annihilation Light inside him, ending the Blood Spear Tribe’s attack and winning the Osmanthus Tribe’s devotion. After recovering and consolidating his strength, Chu Bai received a dark-red core containing a trace of divinity, while Zuo Qiu asked to discuss the divine object.

• Steel Bone summoned his life-bound Soul-Eating Blood Spear and fought Chu Bai, whose spear matched him despite his Foundation Establishment middle-stage cultivation.
• Chu Bai used the Sea-Swallowing Demon Whale’s chilling power to hinder Steel Bone’s regeneration, then let himself be swallowed so he could detonate the Great Five-Phase Annihilation Light inside Steel Bone.
• Chu Bai suppressed Steel Bone’s attempted self-detonation with the Mountain God Seal, ripped out his spinal spear, and killed him; Zuo Qiu, Fang Mu, and Mu Ku led the others in defeating the demoralized Blood Spear Tribe.
• The Osmanthus Tribe bowed to Chu Bai, and three days later he had recovered, refined the Soul-Devouring Bone Spear, and reached the pinnacle of the Foundation Establishment middle stage.
• At the Azurewood Grand Feast, Zuo Qiu mistook Chu Bai for a True Spirit Society operative, and Chu Bai let the misunderstanding stand as useful cover.
• Mu Ku gave Chu Bai a dark-red core recovered from Steel Bone; Chu Bai sensed it held a trace of true divinity, and Zuo Qiu asked to discuss it.

Chu Bai learned that the True Spirit Society planned to free its founder, [Primordial Origin, Beneficent Waters True Spirit], from the seal beneath God-Severing Peak. He bargained to keep the Blood Baleful Core until he reached the peak, securing the Society’s guidance for his own journey there.

• Zuo Qiu told Chu Bai that Great Zhou had shattered and sealed the True Spirit after he taught cultivation to all peoples and sheltered rogue cultivators.
• Zuo Qiu offered to trade the Society’s help for Chu Bai’s Blood Baleful Core, which could provide the metal-phase essence needed to weaken the seal.
• Chu Bai insisted on going to God-Severing Peak and agreed to hand over the core only when he reached the peak or the Society’s headquarters.
• Zuo Qiu accepted and shared a route past the Bone Savage Tribe and Black Mountain Tribe, along with the Society’s plan to exploit the Five-Phase Grand Array during a solar eclipse.
• Chu Bai and Zuo Qiu agreed to rest for a day and set out north the next morning.

Chu Bai led Zuo Qiu and two True Spirit Society cultivators north through the Withered Bone Forest, where he defeated the shaman-priest Gu You and confronted the Bone Savage Tribe’s patriarch, Ten Thousand Bones. He killed Ten Thousand Bones and brought down White Bone City, clearing the way toward God-Severing Peak.

• Mu Ling gave Chu Bai a cloak woven from sacred-tree leaves, and Chu Bai ordered Fang Mu to help Mu Ku rebuild Osmanthus Valley’s formation while he continued north with Zuo Qiu and two elites.
• Chu Bai chose to cut through the Withered Bone Forest rather than take a longer trade route, and Gu You ambushed the group with a vast Bone Puppet Army.
• Chu Bai crushed the bone puppets with his Gravity Field, repelled Gu You’s soul attack with Great Zhou’s national destiny, and killed him with a sword strike; he gave Gu You’s Soul Pearl to Zuo Qiu.
• Chu Bai’s party reached White Bone City, where Ten Thousand Bones refused passage and demanded Chu Bai’s body, prompting Chu Bai to challenge him and threaten to destroy the city.
• Ten Thousand Bones attacked with bone spears, a White Bone Rakshasa Aspect, poison, and nine White Bone Flood Dragons, but Chu Bai overcame each assault and pinned him to the city wall with his sword.
• Chu Bai killed Ten Thousand Bones, causing the Bone Puppet Army to collapse and White Bone City to crumble around him.

Chu Bai reached Black Mountain and earned Mountain Mover’s respect by surviving his three punches, securing the tribe’s help and a route through Yinfeng Gorge to God-Severing Peak. After preparing their weapons, formation materials, and plan, Chu Bai and his companions set out under the Heavenly Dog Devours the Sun to approach the peak unseen.

• Chu Bai met Mountain Mover, who challenged him to withstand three punches as the price of passage; Chu Bai endured them, and Mountain Mover welcomed him as an honored guest.
• Mountain Mover warned that Li Xuangan guarded God-Severing Peak with the Thunderfire Mirror, and Chu Bai chose the dangerous Yinfeng Gorge as a route around the main formation.
• Zuo Qiu presented the Five Phases formation plan, and Mountain Mover supplied Obsidian Motherstone and Earthcore Fire Essence to complete its materials.
• Chu Bai and the others planned to evade the Thundercloud Vulture and Wind Wraiths, while Mountain Mover promised to distract the vulture with a diversion along the main route.
• Chu Bai refined the Soul-Devouring Bone Spear and trained Zuo Qiu and his two followers to move within his Gravity Field.
• As the Heavenly Dog Devours the Sun weakened the storm around God-Severing Peak, Chu Bai and his companions departed for Yinfeng Gorge while Mountain Mover led three hundred warriors to create a diversion.

Chu Bai and the True Spirit Society infiltrated God-Severing Peak through Yinwind Gorge while Mountain-Moving drew the Thundercloud Eagle away, then used the Five Phases formation to shatter the seal imprisoning the Beneficent Waters True Spirit. Li Xuangan awakened and sent a purple thunder dragon crashing toward the altar.

• Mountain-Moving attacked God-Severing Peak with his warriors and catapults, drawing the Thundercloud Eagle away as Chu Bai and his companions entered Yinwind Gorge.
• Chu Bai protected the group from the Nine Nether Bone-Eroding Wind, and they fought through the wind puppets after Eagle Eye revealed their locations.
• Chu Bai and the others escaped the gorge while Mountain-Moving kept the Thundercloud Eagle occupied, then reached the Five Phases Sealing Sacrificial Altar.
• Zuo Qiu placed the five supreme treasures in the Lesser Five-Element Chaos-Reversal Formation, but its power alone could not break Great Zhou's seal.
• Chu Bai joined the formation and strengthened its annihilation beam until the Great Zhou Sealing Edict shattered, releasing the Beneficent Waters True Spirit.
• Li Xuangan awakened atop the Demon-Suppressing Altar and sent a purple thunder dragon toward Chu Bai and the others.

At God-Severing Peak, Chu Bai risked his life to awaken the sealed True Spirit, which subdued Li Xuangan and saved him. With the True Spirit healing him, Chu Bai’s thirty-thousand-li exile ended as his shackles shattered and heaven rewarded his deeds with merit.

• Li Xuangan used the Thunderfire Mirror to devastate Zuo Qiu’s defenses and attack Chu Bai, who endured the strike with the Mountain God Seal.
• Chu Bai revealed his Great Zhou Azure Ordination to make Li Xuangan hesitate, then fed his Five-Phase origins and life force into the seal to awaken the True Spirit.
• The Primordial Origin, Beneficent Waters True Spirit emerged, dissolved Li Xuangan’s attack, sealed the Thunderfire Mirror, and began healing Chu Bai.
• Li Xuangan fled south toward the Great Zhou Immortal Dynasty, leaving Chu Bai with the awakened True Spirit.
• The Golden Shackles shattered as Chu Bai completed his thirty-thousand-li journey, and his fate destiny panel awarded him heavenly merit that began transforming his body.

After the Primordial Origin, Beneficent Waters True Spirit revived, Chu Bai reached Foundation Establishment Late Stage, gained a Dao scripture, and reforged his life-bound treasure. He returned from the Far North to Great Wall Prefectural City and announced his completed exile at the Merit Office.

• Chu Bai completed his nirvana transformation, advanced to Foundation Establishment Late Stage, and received the Origin-Opening Daoist Scripture and Void Item-Refining Art from the True Spirit.
• The True Spirit entered seclusion for sixty years, while Zuo Qiu pledged the True Spirit Society's allegiance to Chu Bai and Chu Bai ordered God-Severing Peak sealed.
• Chu Bai returned to Black Mountain Stronghold, announced Li Xuangan's escape and the breaking of the Far North's seal, and won the submission of Zuo Qiu, Mountain Mover, and the tribes.
• Chu Bai spent seven days reforging the Thunderfire Mirror and Mountain God Seal into a life-bound treasure, then flew south as the Far North's followers gathered to bid him farewell.
• Chu Bai crossed Great Zhou's border using his Azure Ordination and Heaven-and-Earth Merit, then returned to Great Wall Prefectural City and entered the Merit Office.
• Chu Bai embedded his merit-bright Passage Permit in the Merit Office doors and declared that he had completed his thirty-thousand-li exile and returned to report his duty.

Chu Bai returned from the Far North, shattered his exile restriction, and stunned Great Wall Prefecture’s leaders with his merit, conquests, and account of Li Xuangan’s conspiracy. The four office heads cleared his record and restored his official post, while a larger political storm from the Divine Capital loomed.

• Li Dean discovered that Chu Bai’s Purple Abode Golden Cangue had melted away, and Chu Bai arrived at the Merit Office to report that he had completed his exile.
• Chang Buyu accused Chu Bai of using demonic methods, but Chu Bai revealed immense Heavenly Dao merit that silenced the accusation.
• Chu Bai presented a treaty granting the Astronomical Bureau exclusive access to Far North resources and gave He Wenyan a bag of rare treasures.
• Under Zhu Wuji’s questioning, Chu Bai described defeating Far North leaders and revealed that Li Xuangan had tried to awaken a true spirit at God-Severing Peak.
• Chu Bai said the true spirit had driven Li Xuangan back to the Divine Capital, and the four office heads agreed to share credit for Chu Bai’s accomplishments.
• Zhu Wuji expunged Chu Bai’s criminal record, ended his exile, and restored him as a Principal Seventh Rank Azure-Ordained Immortal Official with authority to act as circumstances demanded.

Chu Bai balanced offers from Great Wall Prefecture’s three major offices, accepting their support without binding himself exclusively to any of them. He then concluded that he needed an independent territory with a high-rank spiritual vein and opportunities to gain merit and advance to Purple Abode, and began searching Qingzhou for one.

• Relay Head Wang and visiting officials crowded Cloudrest Posthouse to curry favor with Chu Bai after his return from the Far North.
• Li Dean, Liu Hongyi, and an Examination Bureau steward each offered Chu Bai a position and resources on behalf of their respective offices.
• Chu Bai accepted the Merit Office’s stewardship, agreed to become the Astronomical Bureau’s Northern Region Chief Administrator while redirecting his profit share toward fortifying the Far North, and sought access to the Examination Bureau’s scriptures.
• After the envoys departed, Chu Bai assessed his strength and identified fortune, Dao principles, and a high-rank spiritual vein as requirements for reaching Purple Abode.
• Chu Bai decided to seek an independent territory where he could build a power base and cultivate, then examined Liu Hongyi’s intelligence Jade Slip for a suitable location in Qingzhou.

Chu Bai reunited with his old senior schoolmate Lü Qing at Cloudrest Posthouse, publicly honoring their friendship and helping him advance toward foundation establishment. He then accompanied Lü Qing to the Great Wall Prefecture Dao Academy, using their old promise as cover to search its archives for information about Falling Star Dragon Abyss.

• Lü Qing tried to visit Chu Bai at Cloudrest Posthouse, but the attendant mocked him, threw away his calling card, and blocked his way.
• Chu Bai emerged from the Hidden Dragon Pavilion, overwhelmed the gathered cultivators, picked up Lü Qing's calling card, and warmly called him Senior Brother Lü.
• Chu Bai punished the attendant and welcomed Lü Qing into the pavilion, where he recalled Lü Qing's past kindness and secretly infused his tea with wood god clear qi to strengthen his foundation.
• Lü Qing told Chu Bai about his difficulties in the Merit Office, and Chu Bai planned to arrange him a lucrative post and a Five-Phase Foundation Establishment Item.
• Chu Bai reminded Lü Qing of their promise to revisit the Dao Academy, then accompanied him there while secretly seeking archives about Falling Star Dragon Abyss.

Chu Bai returned to the Great Wall Prefecture Dao Academy, where the Dao-Seeking Bell rang nine times and the academy’s leaders recognized his extraordinary cultivation. After receiving permission to study in the Dao Repository Pavilion, he entered its archives to seek knowledge and prepare for the Purple Abode Realm.

• Chu Bai and Lü Qing returned to the academy, and Chu Bai’s arrival awakened the Heart-Appraising Spirit-Inquiry Array and made the Dao-Seeking Bell ring nine times.
• The academy’s students and instructors recognized Chu Bai, who bowed to his former teacher Zhou Changkong and thanked him for teaching him.
• The academy head and three supervisors tested Chu Bai with their divine senses, discovered his late-stage foundation establishment cultivation and powerful Dao foundation, and invited him and his companions to the Star-Gazing Pavilion.
• Chu Bai told the academy elders that he hoped to reach the Purple Abode Realm and asked to study in the Dao Repository Pavilion to deepen his understanding of the Dao.
• The academy head gave Chu Bai the Purple Jade Token and opened all nine floors of the Dao Repository Pavilion to him.
• Chu Bai entered the Dao Repository Pavilion to study, quiet his mind, and consider how to break through to the Purple Abode Realm.

Zhu Wuji revealed that he had exiled Chu Bai north as part of a plan to disrupt the provincial capital’s secret scheme at God-Severing Peak, and Great Wall Prefecture’s three leaders agreed to protect Chu Bai from the coming political struggle. Meanwhile, Chu Bai studied in the Dao Repository Pavilion to refine his arts into Divine Abilities, leaving the story with him calmly preparing for the next storm.

• He Wenyan and Shen Xuance praised Chu Bai’s political judgment and conduct, and Zhu Wuji declared that Chu Bai had earned a place among Great Wall Prefecture’s leaders.
• Zhu Wuji revealed that the provincial capital had sent Li Xuangan to drain the Fortune beneath God-Severing Peak, risking the release of the sealed true spirit.
• Zhu Wuji explained that he had sent Chu Bai into exile with Discretionary Authority so Chu Bai could disrupt Li Xuangan’s scheme beyond the provincial capital’s control.
• Shen Xuance described the provincial capital’s divided factions, and Zhu Wuji, He Wenyan, and Shen Xuance agreed to protect Chu Bai and support him before an edict arrived.
• Chu Bai studied in the Dao Repository Pavilion, seeking to transform his arts into Divine Abilities while Great Wall Prefecture prepared to shield him.

After months of study, Chu Bai completed the Five-Phase Life-and-Death Light and received a Purple-Gold Edict appointing him Lord of Northern Peace and Anping County Magistrate. Backed by Great Wall Prefecture’s leaders and joined by three new staff members, he set out to return to his hometown and govern it.

• Chu Bai completed the Five-Phase Life-and-Death Light and resolved to seek a real territorial post to qualify for the Purple Register Heavenly Examination.
• A Purple-Gold Edict incorporated the Far North into Qingzhou, enfeoffed Chu Bai as Lord of Northern Peace, and appointed him Anping County Magistrate.
• Chu Bai emerged from seclusion and received congratulations from the academy, its leaders, and Great Wall Prefecture’s officials.
• The dean assigned Su Mu, Zhao Tie, and Lin Xuan to serve as Chu Bai’s initial staff in Anping County.
• Zhu Wuji gave Chu Bai evidence against Anping County’s powerful clans, He Wenyan supplied funds and arranged renovations for the county yamen, and Shen Xuance promised to send him talented graduates.
• Chu Bai bid farewell to Lü Qing and led Su Mu, Zhao Tie, and Lin Xuan out of the academy to take office in Anping County.

Chu Bai left Great Wall Prefecture for his new post in Anping County, reconciling with old rival Wei Chuan and receiving an immense farewell from officials, students, and commoners. As he traveled south, he focused on the powerful clans and demonic threats awaiting him in Anping.

• Great Wall Prefecture’s officials sent Chu Bai off in a lavish carriage, and Wei Chuan apologized for their old conflict and asked to witness Chu Bai’s strength.
• Chu Bai forgave Wei Chuan with a cup of wine, then demonstrated the Great Five-Phase Annihilation Light, earning Wei Chuan’s wholehearted submission.
• Hundreds of survivors from the Azure Ordination Heavenly Examination and tens of thousands of citizens gathered to thank and farewell Chu Bai.
• Chu Bai accepted cheap spirit liquor from an elderly Rogue Cultivator, and the people’s gratitude gathered merit power that nourished his divine soul.
• Wei Chuan led the escort south as the students and citizens followed for miles before bidding Chu Bai farewell.
• Chu Bai looked ahead to Anping County, where powerful Aristocratic Clans and demonic threats awaited him.

Chu Bai arrived in Anping County as its new magistrate, revealing himself to his former mentor Zhang Cheng and taking command of the county. After learning that local clans held power and that his predecessor Qian Shen had concealed his cultivation to prepare for the Purple Register Heavenly Examination, Chu Bai resolved to govern by his own path.

• Chu Bai entered Anping County with an elite black-armored escort, and the county officials greeted him in awe.
• Chu Bai recognized Zhang Cheng, who realized the new Lord of Northern Peace was the former Demon-Slaying Token officer he had recruited years earlier.
• Qian Shen handed Chu Bai the county magistrate's Official Seal, transferring Anping County's authority to him.
• Chu Bai learned Deputy Magistrate Wang had skipped the handover and that the Wang, Li, and Zhao clans controlled most of the county's spirit fields and mineral veins.
• Qian Shen revealed that he had earned a Grade A evaluation and planned to attempt the Purple Register Heavenly Examination before leaving for the Provincial Capital.
• After Qian Shen departed, Chu Bai declared that he would protect Anping County and its people rather than pursue the cautious path his predecessor had followed.

After taking charge of Anping County, Chu Bai appointed Su Mu, Zhao Tie, and Lin Xuan to key yamen posts and visited his mentor Daoist Zhang, reuniting with his family’s fortunes and learning that his younger siblings were thriving. He revealed that he was the new County Magistrate and promised to protect his master’s disciples, then left with Chu Lin to visit their parents.

• Chu Bai promoted Su Mu to County Yamen Clerk, Zhao Tie to Chief Constable, and Lin Xuan to Registrar, assigning them control of the yamen’s key affairs.
• Chu Bai visited Daoist Zhang, who was stunned to find his presumed-dead disciple had returned alive and reached foundation establishment.
• Daoist Zhang told Chu Bai that his parents were prosperous, introduced him to his ten-year-old brother Chu Lin, and reported that his sister Xiao Man had entered the Great Wall Prefecture Dao Academy.
• Chu Bai gave Daoist Zhang valuable cultivation resources, strengthened Chu Lin’s meridians, and gave him a protective jade talisman.
• Chu Bai revealed his County Magistrate’s seal, promised to help Senior Brother Han prepare for the Foundation Establishment Heavenly Examination, and offered protection to his other fellow disciples.
• Chu Bai left Daoist Zhang’s residence with Chu Lin to visit their parents and return to the County Yamen.

Chu Bai returned to Clearwind Courtyard, reunited with his family, and took charge as Anping County’s new magistrate. After learning about the county’s corruption from the Locust Elder, he began addressing urgent winter hardships and left the county’s people with proof that their new magistrate would act.

• Chu Bai reunited with his parents and Chu Lin, then revealed that he had become Anping County’s magistrate.
• Chu Bai warned Chu Lin not to rush into cultivation and told him to build a strong foundation before beginning to draw in spiritual qi.
• Chu Bai met the Locust Elder, heard about Anping County’s hidden power networks, and promised to protect him when he attempted Foundation Establishment.
• Chu Bai ordered Zhao Tie to force merchants to sell hoarded spirit coal at its original price and sent Lin Xuan to repair the cold-warding formations in three townships.
• Chu Bai directed the Agriculture Office and Water Office to prepare for spring planting and repair an irrigation channel, while the yamen began carrying out urgent measures for the people.

Chu Bai confronted Deputy Magistrate Wang Tianyang and the local gentry after they staged a disaster-relief appeal to pressure him into financing the county or borrowing from powerful clans. Using Su Mu’s records and evidence from the Black Jade Slip, Chu Bai exposed their fraud and corruption, seized control of the treasury, and prepared to root out the local tyrants.

• Su Mu told Chu Bai that Wang Tianyang had returned with gentry leaders demanding disaster relief, and Chu Bai went to meet them in the main hall.
• Wang Tianyang claimed the snow had ruined most of the spirit fields and the County Yamen had no funds, then urged Chu Bai to contribute his private wealth or borrow from the Wang, Li, and Zhao households.
• Chu Bai ordered Su Mu to challenge Wang Tianyang’s claims, and Su Mu revealed that less than ten percent of the fields were damaged and that the yamen had seized illicit funds and spirit coal from firms tied to the Wang and Li households.
• Chu Bai used the Black Jade Slip to expose Wang Fugui’s embezzlement and murder, then ordered Zhao Tie to arrest him.
• Wang Tianyang admitted fault and surrendered the treasury seals, while Chu Bai placed Su Mu in control of the treasury and vowed to uproot the local tyrants.

As earth veins awakened across Qingzhou, Chu Bai contained the danger in Anping County and maneuvered against local magnates while pursuing the disturbance’s true source. Han Xingmo discovered an earth-lung golden lotus beneath Backwater Bend, and Chu Bai rushed there to seize the opportunity.

• Shi Guanchao reported that golden water erupted from dry wells in Dragon Creek Village, killing villagers and livestock, while the Three-Bath River grew hot and sank.
• Chu Bai ordered a blockade around Dragon Creek Village and sent Han Xingmo to investigate Backwater Bend and attempt Foundation Establishment.
• Chu Bai summoned the Brook Water Earl, empowered him with enfeoffed lord’s fortune, and ordered him to suppress the demonized creatures beneath the river.
• He Wenyan informed Chu Bai that the Qingzhou phenomena signaled the return of spiritual energy and could earn special-class honors in the coming Heavenly Examination.
• Chu Bai exposed the danger of the golden water to Wang Tianyang’s group, then offered them paid distribution rights to Golden Jade Soup while keeping control of the source.
• Han Xingmo reported finding an earth-lung golden lotus beneath Backwater Bend, and Chu Bai flew there to claim it.

After a month of secluded cultivation, Chu Bai strengthened his Dao foundation and used his authority as Lord of Northern Peace to crush an incursion by rogue cultivators at the Three-Bath River. He discovered that Qingzhou’s earth-vein revival was a vast, years-long upheaval and resolved to build his strength in Anping County before it reached its climax.

• Chu Bai comprehended the Origin-Opening Daoist Scripture, strengthened his Cosmic Cycle Wheel, and learned that the earth-lung golden lotus was nearing maturity.
• Su Mu reported that Golden Jade Soup had enriched the county treasury and won the people’s gratitude, while rumors of a great treasure drew cultivators to Anping County.
• Chu Bai ordered tighter security, and Zhao Tie knocked out a rogue cultivator who tried to seize Golden Jade Soup at the People's Benefit Medicine Bureau.
• At Backwater Bend, Senior Brother Han Xingmo used the Water Earl's formation to repel the Hengduan Mountain Rogue Cultivator Alliance, and Chu Bai’s golden decree executed its three Foundation Establishment leaders.
• Chu Bai’s consciousness followed the earth veins across Qingzhou and revealed hundreds of awakening nodes and hidden powerful presences; Han Xingmo reported that the earth-lung golden lotus would take two or three years to mature.
• Chu Bai told Han Xingmo to continue cultivating underwater and resolved to use the coming years to gather vow power and evolve his Cosmic Cycle Wheel into a great divine ability.

Bloodfang Rice appeared in Great Harvest Township and attracted hordes of Gold-Devouring Rats, devastating the Liu Household and the surrounding village. After learning of the crisis, Chu Bai ordered Zhang Cheng to suppress the demons, secure the rice and rat corpses, and use the operation to assert the County Yamen’s authority over Landowner Liu.

• Uncle Fu found crimson Bloodfang Rice in his paddy, cooked it, and discovered that one grain restored his strength and relieved his hunger.
• Landowner Liu’s servants seized Uncle Fu’s pot, then Gold-Devouring Rats attacked Great Harvest Township and slaughtered guards and residents.
• A messenger brought Chu Bai a bloodstained emergency letter and three grains of Bloodfang Rice, which Chu Bai identified as a valuable resource.
• Chu Bai summoned Zhang Cheng and ordered him to lead the Demon-Suppression Office’s Second Squad with Earthshaking Talismans and Demon-Trapping Nets to Great Harvest Township.
• Chu Bai directed Zhang Cheng to protect the common people, let the Liu Household weaken before intervening, and claim all the rat corpses and Bloodfang Rice for the County Yamen.

Zhang Cheng’s forces defeated the Gold-Devouring Rats in Great Harvest Township, and Su Mu announced Chu Bai’s rules for distributing the Bloodfang Rice, winning the villagers’ loyalty. The black baleful qi found on the rat king led Zhang Cheng to send Pang Song and Hu Hao underground to investigate its source, with orders to retreat if the danger proved overwhelming.

• Zhang Cheng’s cultivators used Earthshaking Talismans and Demon-Trapping Nets to subdue and kill the Gold-Devouring Rats threatening Great Harvest Township.
• Landowner Liu tried to seize the Bloodfang Rice, but Su Mu read Chu Bai’s order sealing the fields and dividing the harvest between smallholders, tenants, landowners, and the County Yamen.
• The villagers praised Chu Bai, whose surge of their vow power advanced his cultivation and strengthened his divine soul.
• Su Mu brought Chu Bai a severed rat claw containing black baleful qi, and Chu Bai concluded that the qi had driven the rats from underground.
• Zhang Cheng summoned Pang Song and Hu Hao, showed them the baleful qi, and ordered them to investigate the tunnel where the rat king had emerged.
• Pang Song and Hu Hao set out with ten men, instructed to identify the danger and retreat rather than risk their lives if they encountered a stronger force.

Pang Song and Hu Hao traced the Gold-Devouring Rats’ tunnel to the abandoned Old Red Copper Mine, where they discovered Longwind County officials secretly surveying Anping County’s earth veins. After Pang Song invoked Chu Bai’s Fortune Edict and reputation, Zhao Ting withdrew, leaving the dispute for Chu Bai to address.

• Pang Song and Hu Hao descended into the mine and found evidence that human cultivators had excavated its tunnels.
• Pang Song and Hu Hao discovered Zhao Ting and four Longwind County soldiers using a Dragon-Seeking Geomantic Orb to map Anping County’s earth veins.
• Hu Hao accused Zhao Ting of engineering the rat disaster to conceal Longwind County’s theft of Anping’s Geng Metal Qi.
• Zhao Ting threatened Pang Song and Hu Hao with his Foundation Establishment pressure, but Pang Song displayed Chu Bai’s Message Arrow and warned him of the consequences.
• Zhao Ting recalled the Dragon-Seeking Geomantic Orb and retreated with his soldiers, while Pang Song and Hu Hao prepared to report the intrusion to Chu Bai.