Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Tang Changsheng confirms that his refined Ghost Soldiers have gained substance: one can circle him and disturb incense ash before returning to the Life-Origin Tablet.
• To aid his cultivation, he commissions a costly primordial lamp made from a precise alloy of five metals, chiefly copper, and fills it with sesame oil.
• On a sunny day, he lights the lamp by concentrating sunlight through a magnifying glass. He then takes it to a sealed Quiet Room, adds a drop of his blood, and begins refining it.
• The lamp’s light enters his Sea of Consciousness and immediately ignites his Heavenly Heart, revealing the Primordial Spirit’s mysterious Embryonic Light. The revelation is so startling that his concentration breaks and the lamp goes out.
• Realizing the lamp can keep his Heavenly Heart illuminated, Tang relights it and visualizes a matching lamp within his Sea of Consciousness. The two lights merge, illuminating the whole sea and allowing him to begin the Nine Luminaries Heavenly Heart Method.

Character developments

• Tang proves resourceful and practical, using modern manufacturing and a magnifying glass to create and kindle an ancient-style ritual artifact.
• His delight at the lamp’s power gives way to disciplined focus: after his first excited reaction, he steadies himself and successfully completes the next stage.
• He gains a major step toward cultivation, though he recognizes that he is not yet strong enough to forge his Spirit Terrace.

Significant themes

• Tradition and modernity: Ancient ritual materials and methods are adapted through factories and everyday technology.
• Discipline and insight: A sudden spiritual revelation is valuable, but sustained progress requires emotional control and concentration.
• Light as cultivation: The lamp’s physical flame becomes a means of illuminating the mind and advancing spiritual practice.
• Ambition and legacy: Tang hopes to reach a cultivation realm that no one from General’s Temple has attained in two centuries.

Character interactions

• No direct conversations occur. Tang acts independently, relying on the temple’s resources and on his own judgment; the Ghost Soldier episode also shows his growing bond of trust in the temple’s unseen protection.

Key plot points

• Tang Changsheng is ready to begin the Nine Luminaries Heavenly Heart Method, but normally would need six months to steady his Heavenly Heart. The Primordial Yang Divine Lamp may let him begin sooner.
• The lamp’s light activates the pearl in the Quiet Room, which projects a vision of a vast, dangerous Ghost Domain beneath Yin-Yang Mountain. Tang realizes the General’s Temple was likely built there to contain it.
• A powerful ghost appears in the vision. The lamp’s flame suddenly goes out, ending the projection. Tang concludes that the pearl is crucial to suppressing the Ghost Domain and recalls his master’s warning: if its light dies, the temple will be doomed.
• Reassuring himself that the sealed ghosts cannot easily escape—and that he has ways to fight them—Tang leaves the Quiet Room.
• Deng Xiancheng arrives with two jars containing the remains of Dasi Ke, the Lai Ma Grand Shaman Tang killed. He leaves them with Tang, then orders two skilled marksmen to watch the area and prevent troublemakers from disturbing the temple.
• As Deng’s helicopter departs, a signal from the nearby woods indicates someone is watching. Tang notices and smiles, recognizing that the Deng Household cannot keep its surveillance secret.

Character developments

• Tang Changsheng discovers the scale of the danger beneath Yin-Yang Mountain, but manages to steady himself after his initial terror. He remains alert and resourceful rather than giving in to panic.
• Deng Xiancheng presents himself as courteous, yet takes a firm, protective interest in the temple. He wants to keep outsiders from causing trouble—and avoid bringing shame on the Fan, Deng, and Chen households.

Significant themes

• Hidden danger beneath ordinary places: Yin-Yang Mountain conceals a Ghost Domain far more dangerous than its public stories suggest.
• Legacy and responsibility: Tang inherits not only the General’s Temple but also its role in containing the supernatural threat.
• Power and vigilance: The pearl’s light appears to keep the Ghost Domain suppressed, making the temple’s survival dependent on a fragile safeguard.
• Caution and mutual protection: Tang and the Deng Household both recognize that the temple—and its successor—must be guarded against threats.

Character interactions

• Tang’s encounter with the ghost is mediated through the pearl’s projection; its terrifying appearance forces him to reassess the temple’s purpose.
• Deng respectfully addresses Tang as the temple’s master but quietly arranges surveillance nearby, signaling support mixed with caution.
• Tang and Deng do not openly discuss the watch. Tang’s final smile shows that he has noticed it, leaving their relationship poised between cooperation and watchful awareness.

Plot points and events

• The Deng Household sends Tang Changsheng two golden reliquaries containing the Mother-and-Child Vicious Ghosts, apparently testing whether he can guide them to salvation as part of his preparation to preside over ancestral rites.
• Tang first tries Moonlight True Water. It weakens the ghosts’ resentment only slightly, making clear that this method would take far too long.
• Using the Primordial Yang Divine Lamp, he travels back to Fuyang Mountain and gathers solar and lunar energy. Over several days, he refines it into Pure Cleansing Water.
• Pure Cleansing Water proves far more effective, removing about a fifth of the ghosts’ resentment with one washing; after three days of work, roughly half has been cleared.
• As Tang rests in his mountain cave, a supernatural presence arrives. A voice identifies the visitors as Ghost Messengers and orders him to come out and answer for refining souls.

Character developments

• Tang Changsheng recognizes that the Deng Household’s delivery is not merely a nuisance but a difficult spiritual test. Though he resents being burdened with the task, he accepts it.
• The experience deepens his awareness of his own limitations and how much cultivation he still needs—especially with the ancestral rites only a little over a month away. The Primordial Yang Divine Lamp accelerates his progress and gives him a way to meet the challenge.
• He remains practical and determined, choosing focused training over wasting time.

Significant themes

• Cultivation through internal refinement: Pure Cleansing Water is far more powerful than Moonlight True Water because it is refined within the practitioner, underscoring the value of deeper discipline.
• Redemption and responsibility: Tang must do more than defeat the vicious ghosts; he is expected to ease their resentment and guide them toward salvation.
• Preparation under pressure: The approaching rites drive Tang to train urgently and make the most of his new spiritual tool.
• Unintended consequences: Tang’s effort to cleanse the ghosts attracts the attention of supernatural authorities.

Character interactions

• The Deng Household indirectly challenges Tang by entrusting him with the ghosts.
• Tang treats the Mother-and-Child Ghosts with cleansing water, steadily reducing their resentment rather than destroying them.
• Two Deng Household lookouts outside the General’s Temple are terrified by the ghosts’ cries and briefly break radio silence.
• The chapter ends with the Ghost Messengers confronting Tang, setting up a new conflict.

Plot points and events

• Tang Changsheng’s attempt to purify a mother-and-child pair of Vicious Ghosts is interrupted by a powerful Ghost Messenger, who objects to his performing rites in the Mountain God’s territory.
• The Ghost Messenger recognizes Tang’s ritual money as being from Eastern Glory but prefers gold ingots. Tang reshapes a note and uses his visualization technique to make it appear as a huge gold ingot.
• Pleased with the offering, the Ghost Messenger grants Tang permission to perform rites and promises protection across his jurisdiction. He also gives Tang a gourd of Seven Absolutions, a rare cleansing water from the Nether River.
• Tang uses the water to cleanse the two ghosts. Their violent malice and grievance disappear, and the mother and child embrace peacefully. Tang decides to help them further, beginning another ritual.

Character developments

• Tang Changsheng shows caution and resourcefulness: recognizing that the Ghost Messenger could overpower him, he avoids conflict by offering a suitable gift. He also demonstrates genuine compassion by going beyond the immediate task of calming the ghosts.
• The Ghost Messenger shifts from threatening and dismissive to accommodating and generous after receiving the ingot. His gift of Seven Absolutions suggests a sense of reciprocal obligation, though the water seems of little value to him.

Character interactions

• Tang respectfully negotiates with the Ghost Messenger, who first asserts his authority and then welcomes Tang’s rites after being paid.
• The Ghost Messenger gives Tang the cleansing water in return for the valuable offering.
• Tang’s purification allows the mother and child to reunite without the frenzy and hostility that had bound them.

Significant themes

• Money and power: Even in the spirit world, gifts can soften authority and secure protection.
• Compassion and spiritual duty: Tang treats the ghosts as suffering souls to be delivered, not merely threats to be subdued.
• Worlds and traditions: Tang’s inherited knowledge helps him recognize the Nether River water despite differences in names and customs.
• The cost of evil: The chapter condemns those who create Vicious Ghosts through cruel, unnatural means.

Key plot points and events

• Tang Changsheng uses the Spirit Source Irrigation Art to strengthen the Mother-and-Child Yin Spirits after cleansing their resentment. Though weakened, they regain enough form to thank him.
• He reunites their remains and returns them to the Golden Pagoda, which he places in the General’s Temple with incense to nourish their souls.
• At the temple entrance, he finds Ling Xiaoyu soaked with dew and suffering from a high fever. He carries her inside and treats her until the fever breaks.
• Tang summons the Deng Household to collect the Golden Pagoda, declaring the matter settled and warning that he will not tolerate another test. Deng Xiancheng gives him a rare, five-hundred-year-old ginseng root as compensation.
• At the Fan Household’s ancestral residence, the leaders of the Fan, Deng, and Chen families gather. Mage He opens the Golden Pagoda and sees the spirits, now clinging together and trembling. He recognizes that Tang has removed all their resentment and praises his skill.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Changsheng shows both compassion and irritation: he carefully helps the spirits and urgently treats Ling Xiaoyu, but is fed up with the families’ repeated tests. Accepting the ginseng makes him less inclined to keep confronting them.
• Ling Xiaoyu is found vulnerable and seriously ill outside the temple; Tang’s concern for her is immediate, though he checks himself before lifting her.
• Deng Xiancheng remains composed and respectful despite Tang’s anger, offering a valuable gift and retrieving the pagoda.
• Mage He behaves courteously and acknowledges Tang’s achievement, though he had quietly hoped Tang might fail so he could take over.

Significant themes

• Compassion and restoration: Tang does more than remove the ghosts’ malice; he restores their strength and reunites mother and child.
• Duty and personal feeling: His care for Ling Xiaoyu hints at growing affection, even as he tries to maintain propriety.
• Power, status, and obligation: The families test Tang’s abilities, while their gift and deference reflect the social obligations surrounding his work.
• Recognition and rivalry: Mage He’s praise is genuine, but his private hope of replacing Tang reveals professional competition.

• The exorcism ends peacefully: Mage He sees that Tang Changsheng has cleared the Mother-and-Child Vicious Ghosts’ resentment in only four days. Mistaking Tang’s use of the Primordial Yang Divine Lamp for proof that he has reached the legendary Spirit Terrace realm, Mage He abandons his challenge and returns the ghosts to his Golden Pagoda. The three household heads accept the General’s Temple’s authority and are relieved to avoid a dispute.
• Tang and Xiaoyu grow closer: After recovering from her fever, Ling Xiaoyu thanks Tang for saving her, then teases him for leaving her outside all night and hints that he touched her while treating her. Tang is embarrassed and apologizes. In the following days, they spend much of their free time together as Tang continues cultivating and making talismans.
• Xiaoyu’s father arrives: Ling Zheng lands on Yin-Yang Mountain by helicopter to take his daughter home. His friendly manner conceals a forceful nature; his presence even makes Tang feel pressure in his heart and consciousness. Xiaoyu turns pale when she sees him, and the two argue. Ling Zheng slaps her, prompting Tang to rush over. Xiaoyu throws herself into Tang’s arms and refuses to go home. As Ling Zheng prepares to respond, an attendant brings him a message.
• Character developments and interactions: Mage He’s awe of Tang replaces his confidence, though his conclusion rests on a mistaken assumption. Tang’s affection for Xiaoyu becomes clear when he reacts strongly to her being struck, while Xiaoyu openly trusts and seeks comfort in him. Ling Zheng is introduced as a powerful, controlling father, setting up a conflict between his authority and Xiaoyu’s wishes.
• Themes: The chapter contrasts reputation and reality—Mage He misreads the source of Tang’s power—and explores family authority, independence, and loyalty. Tang’s growing emotional attachment to Xiaoyu also complicates his role as her protector.

Key plot points and events

• Ling Zheng confronts his daughter, Ling Xiaoyu, then leaves by helicopter after Tang Changsheng reminds him that she is twenty. Xiaoyu tells Tang that her father hit her and wants to send her to Tangweilanbao University abroad.
• Tang is unsettled by the prospect of Xiaoyu leaving, though he tries to focus on cultivation. Xiaoyu initiates an intimate moment with him, and afterward, held in his arms, confides that since her mother died and her father remarried, she has felt neglected.
• The next day Tang resumes cultivation, finding it unexpectedly easier. He reflects on the danger posed by the Ghost Domain beneath Yin-Yang Mountain.
• Using the Primordial Yang Divine Lamp, Tang examines Ling Zheng’s spiritual presence and discovers that the man’s bright spiritual flames and “Official Qi” suggest he holds far greater authority and fortune than Tang had assumed.
• Tang also uses the lamp to inspect the Ghost Domain. It contains weaker Wild and Grudge Ghosts, but he has spotted far more dangerous beings surrounded by black qi—possibly Ferocious or Malicious Ghosts.

Character developments and interactions

• Ling Xiaoyu reveals her hurt and loneliness over her father’s treatment, turning to Tang for comfort. Her planned departure makes Tang realize how attached he has become to her.
• Tang Changsheng responds with tenderness to Xiaoyu’s confession, but his growing affection contrasts with his effort to remain focused on cultivation. His investigation also shows his increasing caution and ability to use the divine lamp.
• Ling Zheng appears domineering and emotionally distant. Tang’s discovery of his Official Qi hints that Ling Zheng’s influence is much greater than his apparent status suggests.
• Tang and Xiaoyu move from a contentious, flirtatious exchange into intimacy and emotional closeness. Ling Zheng’s brief exchange with Tang is restrained but tense.

Significant themes

• Family estrangement and grief: Xiaoyu’s anger and loneliness stem from her mother’s death, her father’s remarriage, and her sense of being ignored.
• Affection versus detachment: Tang tries to suppress his feelings, yet Xiaoyu’s presence has begun to affect him deeply.
• Hidden power and status: Ling Zheng’s Official Qi reveals authority not obvious from his outward position.
• Growing supernatural danger: The Ghost Domain may contain threats far more powerful than Tang’s earlier assumptions suggested.

Key plot points and events

• Tang Changsheng prepares for the approaching ancestral rites, gathering Solar Essence before making breakfast for Ling Xiaoyu. She is embarrassed to find him awake first, but the two share a leisurely meal.
• Tang receives a respectful invitation from Deng Ruiming, head of the Deng Household, and brings Ling Xiaoyu to the family’s ancestral residence.
• Tang admires the estate’s austere, military-like design and the steady, enduring good fortune he senses in its feng shui.
• Deng Xiancheng welcomes the visitors. Tang encounters Deng Deren, who is clearly upset to see Ling Xiaoyu close to Tang and reacts with jealousy.
• The younger Deng family members bow to Tang under Deng Xiancheng’s direction. Deng Ruiming, despite having injured his ankle, greets Tang personally.
• Ling Zheng arrives and pointedly suggests Tang should use a talisman to heal Deng Ruiming, putting Tang on the spot.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Changsheng appears increasingly confident in his spiritual abilities, but remains courteous toward elders and careful about family protocol. His easy affection with Ling Xiaoyu is visible to others.
• Ling Xiaoyu is shy and eager to care for Tang, then happily accompanies him. At the Deng residence, she behaves affectionately toward him, making Deng Deren’s feelings apparent.
• Deng Deren reveals jealousy and hostility toward Tang, though strict household discipline forces him to remain respectful.
• Deng Xiancheng acts as host and enforces the Deng Household’s rules.
• Deng Ruiming is presented as a dignified, respected elder whose personal welcome reflects Tang’s growing standing.
• Ling Zheng disrupts the polite meeting by publicly challenging Tang to demonstrate his healing abilities.

Significant themes

• Courtesy, hierarchy, and family tradition: Tang navigates the formal expectations surrounding a meeting with an elder and the Deng family.
• Romantic jealousy and social tension: Ling Xiaoyu’s closeness with Tang stirs Deng Deren’s resentment.
• Enduring fortune and legacy: Tang’s reading of the Deng estate’s feng shui reflects the value of stable, long-lasting prosperity over sudden good luck.
• Public tests of ability: Ling Zheng’s remark turns a cordial visit into a potential test of Tang’s powers.

Key plot points and events

• Tang Changsheng refuses to use talismans on Deng Ruiming, explaining that they would drain the old man’s vitality and that rest is the better treatment. Most of the onlookers doubt his skill, but Deng Ruiming accepts the explanation and welcomes him warmly.
• Tang and Ling Xiaoyu arrive together, aggravating her father, Ling Zheng, who pointedly ignores Tang.
• Deng Ruiming explains that he invited Tang to meet the younger members of the household and share a meal. As they walk to the sitting room, Tang asks about the Battle of Changshan, giving Deng Ruiming a chance to recount the victory he is proudest of.
• Jealous and resentful of Tang’s closeness with Xiaoyu, Deng Deren calls him a fraud and challenges him to prove his abilities. Deng Ruiming angrily orders Deren confined and threatens to exclude him from the ancestral rites.
• Tang asks to handle the matter himself. He then strikes Deng Deren’s left arm, leaving a deep, bleeding wound. The room erupts in shock and anger, while Deng Ruiming remains composed and Ling Zheng looks at Tang with renewed interest.

Character developments

• Tang Changsheng remains calm under disrespect but makes clear he will not tolerate being insulted. His willingness to demonstrate his skill also shows confidence and a calculating streak.
• Deng Ruiming treats Tang with unusual warmth, values his conversation, and firmly disciplines Deren. His response to Tang’s violent demonstration is strikingly controlled.
• Ling Xiaoyu stays close to Tang but becomes visibly distressed by the hostility around him and worried when he escalates matters.
• Ling Zheng maintains a cold, controlled façade and resents his daughter’s closeness to Tang, though Tang’s display of ability briefly changes his assessment.
• Deng Deren is driven by jealousy and contempt, but his challenge leaves him wounded and facing serious family consequences.

Significant themes

• Appearances and credibility: Tang is dismissed as a fraud despite his knowledge and ability.
• Power, pride, and consequences: Deren’s public insult leads to both punishment and physical retaliation.
• Politics and alliances: The General’s Temple and the three households depend on maintaining mutual support.
• Family authority and tradition: Deng Ruiming’s threat to bar Deren from the ancestral rites demonstrates the weight of family discipline.

Character interactions

• Tang and Deng Ruiming establish a cordial rapport through respectful conversation, especially about the Battle of Changshan.
• Tang’s closeness with Xiaoyu fuels Deren’s jealousy and intensifies Ling Zheng’s hostility.
• Deng Ruiming intervenes against Deren’s insult, but Tang insists on answering the challenge himself.
• Tang’s sudden attack shifts the room’s view of him: outrage spreads among the younger Dengs, while Ling Zheng reassesses him.

Key plot points and events

• Tang Changsheng uses a talisman-infused water to heal Deng Deren’s wound immediately, stunning the guests and proving his ability.
• Deng Ruiming accepts Tang’s handling of the dispute and ends Deren’s confinement. Deren thanks Tang, but is devastated by the realization that he cannot match him.
• Ling Zheng frames Deren’s humiliation as a useful lesson in overcoming setbacks. The elders recognize that Tang’s actions both corrected Deren’s arrogance and gave him room to grow.
• The atmosphere at the banquet improves: the Deng family’s younger members now regard Tang with awe rather than resentment.
• After the guests depart, Deng Ruiming takes Tang aside to discuss the Three Households’ Ancestor Worship. He explains that the Lower River was once Southern Yi territory, and that Chinese settlers and the General’s Temple fought generations of battles against shamans and illicit worship to establish the region’s present order.
• While Tang is in the study, Ling Xiaoyu waits outside and is surprised and delighted when a cousin arrives.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Changsheng demonstrates both supernatural skill and social judgment. His conduct wins respect from Ling Zheng, Deng Ruiming, and Deng Xiancheng, while also giving Deren a humbling but potentially constructive setback.
• Deng Deren shifts from hostility and confidence to shock and discouragement. The family intends to help him recover rather than abandon him.
• Deng Ruiming appreciates Tang’s handling of the incident and shares his firsthand knowledge of the ancestor ritual. He also praises Xiaoyu and cautions Tang about her father, Ling Zheng.
• Ling Zheng moves from disbelief at Tang’s healing to respect for his judgment, while remaining a formidable, controlling presence in Tang’s eyes.
• Ling Xiaoyu is openly pleased by Tang’s success and waits anxiously outside the study, especially wary of being approached by her father.

Significant themes

• Setbacks as a tool for growth: Great families cultivate confidence through success but use carefully judged failures to curb arrogance and build character.
• Skill paired with restraint: Tang proves his power without using the moment simply to crush Deren; his intervention ultimately serves the family’s longer-term interests.
• Legacy and collective struggle: The region’s present stability rests on generations of conflict, sacrifice, and institution-building.
• Family influence and control: The chapter highlights both the benefits of disciplined family upbringing and the pressures exerted by powerful elders.

Key plot points

• Deng Ruiming explains the history of the Three Rivers households’ ancestor worship. When the City God’s underworld court weakened, the households turned to the General’s Temple for help guiding their dead, and the tradition of ancestor worship began.
• Deng reveals that he is the current leader of the three households and was once a student at the General’s Temple, though he left without becoming a successful cultivator. Their shared connection brings him and Tang Changsheng closer.
• The upcoming ceremony requires the officiant to open the Ten Thousand Immortals Wall. Tang believes he can manage it with the Primordial Yang Divine Lamp and expects to grow stronger before the event.
• Tang leaves intending to resolve the ceremony so he can return to cultivation. Deng also tells him that Ling Zheng plans to run for governor of Lower River.
• Doctor Chen Xin asks Tang to support Ling Xiaoyu’s opportunity to attend Blue Castle University. Tang agrees, reassuring Chen that he will not hold Xiaoyu back.
• Ling Xiaoyu appears, upset and uncertain. Tang encourages her to go, saying they can stay together despite the distance.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Changsheng feels increasingly confident about the ceremony and his cultivation, and shows willingness to put Xiaoyu’s future ahead of his own wish to keep her nearby.
• Deng Ruiming shifts from a historical informant to a trusted ally, bonding with Tang through their shared ties to the General’s Temple.
• Chen Xin begins wary that Tang might selfishly discourage Xiaoyu from studying, but relaxes when he supports her education.
• Ling Xiaoyu is visibly emotional about leaving to study and seeks reassurance from both Chen Xin and Tang.

Significant themes

• The decline of spiritual power and institutions, and the traditions formed in response.
• Duty to family and community, especially through ancestor worship.
• The tension between romantic attachment and personal opportunity: Tang’s support suggests love need not prevent Xiaoyu from pursuing her education.
• Cultivation as a matter of both inherited tradition and individual perseverance.

Key plot points and events

• Tang Changsheng delays Ling Xiaoyu’s enrollment at Blue Castle University until after the ancestor ceremony, but Chen Xin insists she leave the mountain in the meantime.
• Tang explains that his preparations for the ceremony require seven days of fasting, ritual cleansing, and abstinence. He promises to find Xiaoyu within six months.
• After Xiaoyu and Chen Xin depart, Ling Zheng warns Tang not to pursue Xiaoyu, assuming Tang is an unsuitable match. Tang dismisses the warning and offers to help Ling Zheng if he ever needs it.
• Tang returns to Yin-Yang Mountain and begins his final cultivation preparations. The Fan, Deng, and Chen households keep visitors away.
• The scene shifts to Fuyang Mountain, where two hunters discover a cave stocked with far more food than travelers could need. A note reads, “Borrowed a few meals; repaid a hundredfold,” suggesting someone has repaid past kindness on a remarkable scale.

Character developments

• Tang Changsheng balances his affection for Xiaoyu with his cultivation duties, and remains confident despite Ling Zheng’s suspicion of him.
• Ling Xiaoyu is eager to study but agrees to leave while Tang prepares for the ceremony; her playful embarrassment shows their growing intimacy.
• Ling Zheng is protective of his daughter and distrustful of Tang, though his judgments appear to stem from misunderstanding Tang’s status and character.
• Chen Xin supports Xiaoyu’s educational opportunity while setting a firm boundary about her staying at the temple.

Significant themes

• Balancing love and purpose: Tang sees romance as part of life’s journey, but not a substitute for pursuing one’s larger goals.
• Misjudgment and hidden influence: Ling Zheng underestimates Tang because he does not know the truth about his position.
• Gratitude and repayment: The hunters’ discovery introduces the chapter’s central idea of repaying small acts of help many times over.

Character interactions

• Tang and Xiaoyu share affectionate teasing as they discuss her leaving and his promise to reunite with her.
• Chen Xin mediates between Xiaoyu’s wishes and the practical need for her to go to school.
• Ling Zheng confronts Tang with a warning; Tang responds calmly, asserting his own resources and offering assistance.
• The hunters interpret the cave’s note together, recognizing that its abundant supplies were left as repayment.

Plot and events

• After discovering a thousand pounds of grain and meat in their cave, two hunters attribute the gift to a passing immortal. Tang Changsheng had left the supplies as repayment for the food he had eaten there.
• Tang moves to an isolated, barren mountain, hoping to avoid the local gods and cultivate in peace. Though poor in spiritual resources, the mountain’s energy is far richer than that of his former world.
• After seven days of intensive practice, Tang feels his vitality, energy, and spirit are at their peak, but attempting the demanding Nine Luminaries Heavenly Heart Method with the Primordial Yang Divine Lamp still overwhelms him. A dark, clawing presence appears in his vision, the lamp sputters, and his nose bleeds.
• Tang expects the Three Households’ Ancestor Worship to provide an opportunity to advance his cultivation. Meanwhile, the lamp continues burning after its oil and wick are gone.
• He sees ghostly figures enter the flame, making it brighter. Tang suspects the lamp can consume souls as fuel, though he realizes this unsettling possibility is not explained in his book.

Character development and interactions

• Tang Changsheng is resourceful and considerate: despite having little power or backing, he repays the hunters before leaving their cave. He is cautious around the gods, persistent in cultivation, and increasingly alarmed by the lamp’s apparent interaction with ghosts.
• The hunters interpret the supplies as a divine gift and express gratitude, planning to make an offering to the supposed immortal.
• Tang’s main interaction is with the supernatural: he initially fears the apparition, then recognizes it as a Lonely Wandering Ghost. Its entry into the flame changes his understanding of the lamp.

Significant themes

• Power and vulnerability: Tang must make do in a world where stronger cultivators can claim territory, while he lacks the status to challenge divine authorities.
• Faith, spirits, and sacrifice: The lamp’s connection to prayer power suggests that spiritual essence—and perhaps souls—can serve as fuel.
• Kindness and reciprocity: Tang repays the hunters for their hospitality, while they respond with gratitude and religious devotion.
• The cost of cultivation: Tang’s method offers potential progress but strains him physically and exposes him to disturbing supernatural forces.

Plot points and events

• Tang Changsheng extinguishes the Primordial Yang Divine Lamp after learning that it can use ghost souls as fuel—a practice he recognizes as vicious and unlike the restraint generally valued by righteous cultivators.
• Outside his hut, he finds the lamp has attracted more than a dozen minor ghosts. Wary of drawing something dangerous, he decides to seek out the Ghost Messenger before returning to Yin-Yang Mountain.
• Tang meets the Ghost Messenger near his cave and offers him a lavish meal and wine through Ritual Food. The hungry spirit eagerly accepts, and Tang uses friendly conversation and well-timed praise to win his confidence.
• Tang asks about True Person Lü and Primordial Yang Abbey. The Ghost Messenger explains that Lü was arrested by order of Marquis Wu and the abbey was raided. Tang already knows this, but is really probing whether the Mountain God knows where Lü’s remains are buried. He learns the god does not—and is left wondering what became of Lü’s soul.
• Tang also questions the Ghost Messenger about ghosts and the Netherworld Office, gaining a clearer, though still incomplete, understanding of the ancestral rites he must conduct.
• Before leaving, the Ghost Messenger recommends a potential cultivation site: a former blessed land more than thirty li south, now occupied by a Minor Deity after its Shrine Deity fell. Tang considers the prospect of driving the wild god out.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Changsheng shows greater moral awareness by rejecting the use of souls as fuel, while remaining pragmatic and curious. He cleverly conceals his real purpose behind hospitality and indirect questions.
• The Ghost Messenger begins suspicious and assumes Tang wants something from him, but food, drink, and flattery quickly make him sociable and forthcoming. He becomes proud to have helped Tang and shares a valuable cultivation lead.
• Their exchange shifts from wary negotiation to easy camaraderie, though Tang’s friendliness is partly strategic.

Significant themes

• Moral limits of cultivation: Power gained by destroying souls conflicts with the restraint associated with the righteous path.
• Hospitality and persuasion: Food and praise build trust—and can also serve as tools for extracting information.
• A disordered spiritual world: Ghosts, gods, and bureaucratic institutions persist, but their roles and authority are uncertain; even a Mountain God lacks knowledge Tang needs.
• Opportunity and danger: The abandoned shrine may offer a promising sanctuary, but displacing its current supernatural occupant will not be without risk.

Plot points and events

• Tang Changsheng considers confronting a local minor god, but recognizes that his cultivation is far too weak. He tells the Ghost Messenger that he intends to stay with his sect, using that claim to conceal his reluctance.
• The Ghost Messenger is disappointed and departs. Tang Changsheng returns to the mortal world after their conversation.
• Lower River is preparing for the Three Households’ ancestor-worship ceremony. Tang moves into the grand City God Temple, where he finds that its divine statues—like those at the General’s Temple—have mostly fallen dormant, surviving on incense.
• Deng Ruiming takes Tang to the rear hall, past memorial tablets for the families’ ancestors, and shows him the Ten Thousand Immortals Wall: a vivid mural of an immortal mountain rising above a moonlit sea.
• The mural nearly draws Tang’s mind into it. He steadies himself and realizes the wall is a gateway to a Spirit Realm, likely created through the founder’s immense power.
• A blonde woman in a trench coat bursts into the restricted hall, taking photographs. Deng Ruiming angrily calls for security, while the guards surround her but appear reluctant to touch her.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Changsheng shows caution and self-awareness: he recognizes his limits, protects his dignity with a false claim about his sect, and remains curious about the supernatural world and the calamity weakening it.
• The Ghost Messenger offers information and appears to hope Tang will act against the minor god, but leaves when Tang declines.
• Deng Ruiming is respectful toward Tang, guides him to the mural, and displays sorrow over the dormant ancestral gods. His temper flares when the stranger violates the restricted area.
• The blonde woman enters forcefully and behaves like a determined photographer; the guards’ hesitation suggests she may have unusual status or influence.

Significant themes

• Decline of the supernatural: Gods and temples are fading as incense and belief diminish, reflecting a world increasingly hostile to cultivators and spirits.
• Caution and self-preservation: Tang avoids a dangerous confrontation while hiding his weakness behind a show of composure.
• Legacy and power: The three households’ ancestors and their founder’s remarkable achievement are preserved through temples, tablets, and the Spirit Realm.
• Thresholds and mystery: The Ten Thousand Immortals Wall is both a work of art and a dangerous passage to another realm, while the intruder’s arrival hints at further complications.

• The reporter is forcibly removed. Deng Ruiming, angered by a foreign reporter’s intrusion into the City God Temple, orders his guards to smash her camera and drag her out. Tang Changsheng lightly criticizes the guards, while Deng silently decides they are useless. The episode underscores Deng’s temper and the Three Households’ control of the temple.
• Tang prepares for the ceremony. Deng confirms he is about to become the temple keeper. Tang stays in a prepared quiet room, protected by the Three Households. His role in the coming ceremony is to open the Ten Thousand Immortals Wall so the spirits of disciples who died over the last thirty years can enter it.
• Da Xiang and the woman discuss the Nine Luminaries Heavenly Heart Method. In a hotel, a woman in a business suit offers—apparently only teasingly—to help Da Xiang seek revenge. He warns that Lower River is under heavy security and says they came to observe, not attack: he wants to see how far Tang has advanced in the method. Da Xiang claims it can grant mastery of supernatural arts and cites an ancestor who supposedly ascended to immortality through it. The woman assumes it must therefore be an evil art, but Da Xiang dismisses her as ignorant. Their exchange also reveals that advanced cultivation has become rare because the world’s vital energy has waned.
• Ancestor worship begins. Under a dark, rainy sky, thousands of Three Households disciples perform the rites outside the temple. Tang watches from the main hall, using a small bronze lamp as a focus to perceive the white energy produced by the worshippers’ devotion. The energy gathers and flows toward the rear hall; more arrives from distant places through blood ties. Tang expects it to help him open the wall.
  Character developments and themes: Tang is calm and focused, treating the reporter’s removal as a minor interruption and preparing carefully for his ritual duty. Deng’s anger and desire to punish the guards reveal his authoritarian streak. Da Xiang remains bitter and knowledgeable but physically frail, while the woman is skeptical and irreverent. The chapter emphasizes the power of ritual, ancestry, and inherited spiritual bonds, alongside the decline of cultivation and the mystery—and disputed moral nature—of the Nine Luminaries Heavenly Heart Method.

Key events

• During the three Households’ ancestor-worship ceremony, Tang Changsheng discovers that the white vapor rising from the rites is Incense and Fire Prayer Power. The Primordial Yang Divine Lamp burns this power far more brightly than ordinary incense oil.
• Using the lamp’s light and the image of a Divine General envisioned by Tang Shengcun, Tang Changsheng projects the deity outward. A towering, golden-armored figure appears above the City God Temple, bathing it in sacred light.
• The miracle interrupts a confrontation: reporters are trying to force their way into the ceremony, claiming their colleague Lani entered the temple and has not returned. Ling Zheng signals an accomplice, and police move to restrain the reporters—but the apparition appears before they can act.
• The Divine General turns its gaze on the reporters, overwhelming them with fear. Local residents cheer, convinced the gods have manifested, while the reporters and other observers react with astonishment.
• Hidden in the crowd, Da Xiang and his companion realize the temple’s dormant spirits could not have produced such a display. They conclude that Tang Changsheng must be responsible, though the feat seems impossible in an era when spiritual energy has faded.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Changsheng demonstrates a new understanding of the Primordial Yang Divine Lamp and reveals extraordinary power by transforming prayer energy into a public miracle.
• Tang Shengcun’s imagined Divine General becomes the form Tang Changsheng manifests.
• Ling Zheng exploits the reporters’ disruption and quietly orders an associate to act; the police then move in, but the apparition changes the situation.
• Da Xiang and the alluring woman shift from skepticism to profound shock, recognizing that Tang Changsheng’s abilities exceed what they thought possible.
• The crowd splits in its response: residents celebrate the divine sign, while reporters attempt to document and explain it.

Significant themes

• Faith as power: Ritual and collective worship generate prayer energy that can fuel supernatural effects.
• The force of spectacle: A visible miracle reshapes public reaction and abruptly disrupts a politically charged confrontation.
• Tradition and belief: Ancestor worship is presented as a ritual that binds generations through reverence and shared identity.
• The limits of accepted knowledge: Tang Changsheng’s feat challenges the belief that miracles are impossible in the diminished spiritual age.

Plot points and events

• Tang Changsheng projects a divine image above the ancestor-worship ceremony. The descendants of the Fan, Deng, and Chen households believe their ancestors have manifested and resume the rites in an orderly fashion. Their worship produces a far stronger surge of wish power, while police quietly remove the disruptive reporters.
• Tang Changsheng uses the Primordial Yang Divine Lamp to channel that wish power into his cultivation of the Nine Luminaries Heavenly Heart Method. Its light must penetrate nine bodily acupoints, but black mist blocks the first.
• Drawing on the ceremony’s abundant wish power, he strengthens the lamp and gradually burns through the mist. An inner demon attacks the light but is immediately destroyed.
• At last, the light reaches the acupoint, where Tang glimpses a huge, sleeping shape that emits the black mist. Before he can investigate, the lamp begins to melt and his Sea of Consciousness aches. He stops rather than risk forcing his cultivation.

Character developments

• Tang Changsheng shows greater confidence and resourcefulness, recognizing that the ancestor-worship rites can supply wish power for cultivation. He also demonstrates restraint by stopping when his tools and body reach their limits.
• The worshippers’ initial fear turns into collective reverence and disciplined participation after the elders explain what they believe they are witnessing.

Significant themes

• Faith as power: Collective worship generates wish power that can strengthen Tang’s cultivation.
• Perception and reality: The descendants see a divine manifestation, though it is only Tang’s projected shell.
• Cultivation as inner struggle: The black mist and inner demon embody mental and bodily impurities that must be overcome.
• Restraint and limits: Progress is possible, but pushing beyond one’s capacity is dangerous.

Character interactions

• The elders reassure and direct the descendants, restoring order to the ceremony.
• Tang benefits from the households’ worship, viewing this use of wish power as permitted by the rules.
• The inner demon confronts Tang’s Heavenly Heart light and is destroyed; the lamp and Tang’s own body then force him to end the attempt.

• The ancestor worship and the boat: Tang Changsheng fails to use the ceremony’s immense devotional power to expel Fu Shi completely, but still gains greatly. At the night rite, he channels his Heavenly Heart through the Primordial Yang Divine Lamp, illuminating the moon on the Ten Thousand Immortals Wall. The mural comes alive: waves move, and a boat sails to shore. Tang directs wisps of vapor from the ancestral tablets into the boat, which then departs. The wall returns to normal, leaving the witnesses awestruck and bringing the ceremony to a close.
• The Three Households’ response: Seeing the miracle deepens the descendants’ devotion, unity, and pride in their lineages. Tang, though familiar with the wall’s nature as a gateway to a Spirit Realm created by the temple’s founders, is also shaken by the spectacle. Later, media recordings of the event prove unclear, and the Three Households help contain public attention.
• Tang’s cultivation and growing concern: Months later, Tang has been cultivating rapidly by traveling to the “Immortal Realm” to absorb the Essence of the Sun and Moon. But these journeys seem to coincide with increasing activity in the Ghost Domain beneath Dead Man Mountain. A recent mist tide brought Wandering Souls and Wild Ghosts to the General’s Temple, raising fears that the seal might fail and release countless Vicious Ghosts. Tang feels unable to stop this, though the Bright Pearl in the Quiet Room continues to shine, suggesting the founders’ safeguards remain active.
• Ending: As Tang watches the mountain, he notices something in the forest, flashes into action, and rushes toward it; the chapter ends on this sudden, unresolved movement.
  Themes: Ritual and shared belief can strengthen communal identity; ancient mysteries can be both wondrous and dangerous; personal progress does not necessarily grant power over larger threats. Tang’s awe at the Spirit Realm contrasts with his anxiety about the Ghost Domain, while the Bright Pearl offers a fragile sign of hope.

Plot points and events

• A badly wounded woman stumbles onto Yin-Yang Mountain carrying a crystal-gourd token. Tang Changsheng recognizes it as a sign of the Gourd Islet lineage, a branch of the General’s Temple.
• Before collapsing, she says that “Da Xiang” has been taken. Tang realizes she is the alluring woman who once accompanied Da Xiang, the strategist who previously opposed him.
• After she wakes, the woman identifies herself as Wu Shulan and says she is Da Xiang’s lover—or wife, though she does not know his real name. She explains that Da Xiang told her to seek Tang’s help.
• Tang questions why he should rescue a former enemy and traitor to the General’s Temple. Wu Shulan says Da Xiang’s view of Tang changed after witnessing his power at the ancestor-worship ceremony, and that he had left Lower River with her.
• Tang agrees to help, insisting that outsiders cannot mistreat a disciple of the Temple and that the sect itself will judge Da Xiang’s past actions. He asks who captured Da Xiang and where.
• Preparing for the rescue, Tang visits the room where Yin Soldiers receive offerings. Wu Shulan is amazed to discover that Tang has four Grade-D Yin Soldiers—powerful, carefully cultivated spirits without resentment.

Character developments

• Tang Changsheng remains cautious and proud of his abilities, but chooses to help Da Xiang despite their history. His stated reason is loyalty to the General’s Temple, though his motives may be more complicated. He also takes visible pleasure in impressing Wu Shulan with his Yin Soldiers.
• Wu Shulan arrives desperate and badly injured, but becomes direct and cooperative once she wakes. Her trust in Tang rests largely on Da Xiang’s judgment and her belief in Tang’s exceptional power.
• Da Xiang does not appear in person, but the account suggests he has stopped opposing Tang and may have recognized the gap between their abilities.

Significant themes

• Loyalty and justice: Tang separates rescuing a fellow disciple from excusing his past misconduct; the Temple’s rules, not outsiders, should determine his fate.
• Power and reputation: Tang’s display at the ceremony changed Da Xiang’s attitude, while his Grade-D Yin Soldiers demonstrate how spiritual skill can provide practical strength.
• Pride and human vanity: Tang admits he enjoys Wu Shulan’s astonishment, even as he presents himself as composed and purposeful.
• Tradition and danger: The gourd token connects the encounter to the old, feared lineages and places of the Lower River region.

Character interactions

• Tang first catches Wu Shulan rather than letting her fall, then questions her identity and purpose.
• Wu Shulan appeals to Tang on Da Xiang’s behalf; Tang challenges her reasoning and refuses to be persuaded by the promise of money.
• Tang ultimately frames the rescue as a matter of Temple authority and asks Wu Shulan for the details he needs.
• Wu Shulan’s awe at the Yin Soldiers confirms Tang’s power and reinforces his confidence as he prepares to act.