Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Zhang Yuan learns that Cui Qiezhe was wounded when a powerful Daoist surnamed Lu infiltrated the capital and attempted to assassinate him. Jiang Peilan repelled the attacker despite her own injured hand, but the Daoist escaped, leaving Cui Qiezhe’s injuries afflicted with profound yin death qi.
• Cui Wenxi says the intruder was also wounded and has left the city; he has since reinforced the city’s protective formation.
• Zhang Yuan brings Lu Rong, a captured demonic cultivator from the Mountain-Sea Black-Yellow Realm, to the Cui residence. The officials—exhausted and angry after the demonic calamity—beat Lu Rong before he can explain himself.
• Lu Rong breaks under the assault and reveals that he knows a secret art for detecting cultivators of the form-refinement and spirit-transformation path. He provides the method, which lets its signal be heard by such cultivators within a thousand meters.
• Zhang Yuan uses the art to broadcast a message summoning those practitioners. When no one responds, he suspects someone nearby is hiding their identity. He suddenly pins a fourth-rank official to the ground with his Three-Foot Sword.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yuan remains pragmatic: he accepts the officials’ anger as an outlet for their exhaustion, then uses Lu Rong’s confession to pursue hidden demonic cultivators. His suspicion quickly shifts from the empty response to the people present.
• Cui Wenxi explains his brother’s condition and security measures. Recognizing Zhang Yuan’s intention, he uses his dao domain to conceal the test beneath an apparent snowfall.
• Lu Rong tries to deny responsibility and then excuse his initial silence as lost memory, but fear of the officials’ beating makes him reveal useful information.
• He Yang and the officials turn their grief and frustration into violence against Lu Rong.
• Jiang Peilan, though absent from the scene, is established as having defended Cui Qiezhe while injured herself.

Significant themes

• Trauma and pent-up anger: The officials’ violence reflects the kingdom’s suffering and their exhaustion after the disaster.
• Deception and vigilance: The escaped attacker and the unanswered signal keep the threat of hidden enemies alive.
• Power and its limits: Heavenly laws constrain Celestial People’s battles, but those limits do not eliminate the danger posed by powerful infiltrators.
• A tonal shift: The scene moves from political concern and comic brutality to sudden suspense when Zhang Yuan attacks an official.

Key plot points and events

• Zhang Yuan suddenly stabs fourth-rank official Ye Wende, accusing him of secretly practicing the demonic form-refinement-and-spirit-transformation path.
• Ye denies the charge and demands evidence. Zhang Yuan admits he has none, but says Ye’s reaction to a secret voice transmission exposed a karmic connection. When Ye continues to deny it, Zhang attacks.
• Ye’s body instinctively reveals his cultivation: he dissolves the sword in his abdomen, dodges Zhang’s blast, and exposes a grotesque, tooth-filled maw where his stomach should be. He uses it to chew through the paving stones and flee underground.
• Cui Wenxi stops him by freezing him in place with his Dao Domain. The officials are shocked, having believed Ye was a mortal with no spiritual root.
• A messenger delivers Chancellor Cui Qiezhe’s decree: Ye is accused of colluding with the Wu Kingdom and killing people to harvest their stomachs for his demonic art. He is to be imprisoned, and his cultivation sealed. Lu Rong is taken away as well.
• The officials disperse. The messenger then tells Zhang that the Chancellor wants to speak with him.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yuan is confident and aggressive, relying on his status and cultivation rather than conventional evidence. His suspicion proves correct, though his willingness to attack Ye without proof unsettles the other officials.
• Ye Wende shifts from composed denial to panic and finally open exposure. His monstrous Stomach God ability reveals that he had hidden his cultivation—and likely his crimes—for years.
• Cui Wenxi acts decisively to prevent Ye’s escape, using overwhelming frost-based power to restrain him.
• The officials move from bewilderment and skepticism to horror and reluctant acceptance once Ye’s transformed body provides unmistakable proof. None challenge the Chancellor’s decree.
• Zhang Yuan and the officials clash over the legitimacy of his accusation, while Cui Wenxi supports the arrest through action rather than debate.

Significant themes

• Deception and concealed corruption: Ye’s respected public identity masks a demonic cultivator and alleged murderer.
• Evidence versus authority: Zhang acts on supernatural insight rather than proof, raising questions about power and due process; Ye’s transformation ultimately makes the truth visible.
• Appearance and reality: Ye’s status as a humble, supposedly uncultivated official contrasts sharply with the monstrous creature he has become.
• Political control: The swift decree and the officials’ compliance suggest Chancellor Cui Qiezhe maintains a strong grip on the kingdom’s bureaucracy.

Zhang Yuan visited the apparently gravely injured Cui Qiezhe and reported capturing a Mountain-Sea Profound Yellow Realm cultivator, while Cui Qiezhe maneuvered him into accepting a matchmaking meeting. After Zhang Yuan left, Cui Qiezhe revealed that his injuries were faked and that he intended to match Zhang Yuan with his daughter, Cui Zhaowei.

• Zhang Yuan asked Cui Qiezhe about the Daoist surnamed Lu who had ambushed him, and Cui Qiezhe said the attacker’s methods resembled the Hengyang Lu Clan’s arts but his origins were uncertain.
• Zhang Yuan told Cui Qiezhe he had captured a Demonic Cultivator who could summon an Immortal Sage, and suggested the authorities use pressure to capture more cultivators of that path.
• Cui Qiezhe offered Zhang Yuan a reward, then insisted on arranging a match for him when Zhang Yuan declined treasures and cultivation arts.
• Cui Qiezhe used his supposed frailty to push Zhang Yuan into agreeing to meet the prospective match, and Zhang Yuan returned to Brightheart Residence.
• After Zhang Yuan left, Jiang Peilan emerged, and Cui Qiezhe revealed that he was healthy and had intended to match Zhang Yuan with Cui Zhaowei.

Key plot points and events

• Zhang Yuan returns to Clearheart Residence after speaking with Cui Qiezhe, still puzzled by the Chancellor’s unexpected matchmaking efforts.
• Xiao Yuanjun proposes leaving the city to seek a newly emerging strand of profound yin death qi. Because Zhang Yuan has already refined two required strands, he suggests Xiao Yuanjun take the qi instead: she needs only one more strand to advance to Mid-Stage Celestial Person. She accepts, and they set out.
• At the Ya Kingdom’s border, Li Jingque and Li Houjin arrive seeking the same strand. The kingdom has been transformed by Lunar Yin spirit qi and death qi into something resembling the Netherworld.
• Li Houjin needs profound yin death qi for his cultivation and hopes refining it will advance him to late Celestial Person. His clan uncle, Li Jingque, accompanies him, both to assist and because he is nearing the end of his lifespan and worries about the future of their branch.
• Li Zhongshuang arrives while searching for an entrance into the kingdom. She is there because Li Huixi assigned her to watch Zhang Yuan, whom she learned had returned to Ya Kingdom.
• When Li Zhongshuang greets Li Houjin as her second uncle, he rebukes her for her status as a concubine’s child and warns her not to presume she can replace his deceased daughter. She responds with restrained, formal deference.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yuan shows generosity and concern for Xiao Yuanjun by prioritizing her advancement over his own.
• Xiao Yuanjun is pleased by Zhang Yuan’s thoughtfulness and readily agrees to pursue the qi with him.
• Li Jingque is an experienced, broad-minded elder, but is anxious that his branch may lack a strong successor after his remaining years run out.
• Li Houjin is focused on securing the qi for his cultivation and maintaining his branch’s standing; his harsh treatment of Li Zhongshuang reveals the House of Li’s rigid hierarchy and his contempt for her birth.
• Li Zhongshuang remains composed in the face of the insult, keeping to formal etiquette despite her estrangement from the clan.

Significant themes

• Selflessness and loyalty: Zhang Yuan gives Xiao Yuanjun the chance to advance before himself.
• Clan hierarchy and exclusion: Li Houjin’s dismissal of Li Zhongshuang exposes the stigma attached to her concubine-born status.
• Legacy and mortality: Li Jingque’s dwindling lifespan makes the survival and leadership of his clan branch a pressing concern.
• Competition over scarce power: Multiple characters converge on the rare profound yin death qi, linking personal advancement with broader clan interests.

Key plot points

• Li Houjin resents Li Zhongshuang for receiving the Little Ancestor Li Huixi’s favor and clan resources despite being an illegitimate daughter. He also insults her appearance.
• Elder Li Jingque urges Zhongshuang not to take Houjin’s hostility personally. He values her prospects because Huixi believes she may have the talent to attain the Dao.
• Zhongshuang reflects on her mother’s hardship and death, and on how Li Houcheng brought her into the clan only after Huixi identified her talent—not out of concern for her mother or a sense of family duty.
• Because she takes promises seriously, Zhongshuang feels guilty about Zhang Yuan losing his spiritual root through their marriage agreement and wants to compensate him. However, she does not want to marry him, fearing a mismatched marriage would hurt him as her parents’ arrangement hurt her mother.
• Jingque warns that the Ya Kingdom is now ruled by Netherworld ghost deities and offers to escort Zhongshuang toward its capital, where she has a task from Huixi.
• Lu Jianqing arrives and offers Zhongshuang a ride, citing his good relations with Zhang Yuan. He is actually investigating an impostor using the Hengyang Lu’s name and hopes to identify and punish the Wu Kingdom’s Imperial Preceptor Lu.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Zhongshuang remains composed under Houjin’s insults and is emotionally detached from the Li clan. Her past has made her deeply committed to promises, yet cautious about marriage.
• Li Houjin reveals his ambition and prejudice: he believes clan resources belong to legitimate-line descendants like himself and regards Zhongshuang as a rival.
• Li Jingque acts pragmatically and kindly toward Zhongshuang, prioritizing her potential and offering practical help.
• Lu Jianqing approaches Zhongshuang warmly because of her connection to Zhang Yuan, while concealing his broader mission from the Li clan.
• Houjin and Lu Jianqing regard one another with suspicion: Houjin wonders whether Lu is competing for Profound Yin Death Qi, while Lu is focused on his own investigation.

Significant themes

• Promises and their costs: Zhongshuang’s mother was harmed by an unfulfilled promise, and Zhongshuang fears repeating that pattern with Zhang Yuan.
• Family, legitimacy, and conditional belonging: The clan’s acceptance of Zhongshuang is based on her usefulness and talent rather than affection.
• Duty versus personal choice: Zhongshuang wants to make amends to Zhang Yuan but does not believe marriage is the right way to do so.

Key plot points and events

• Lu Jianqing joins Li Jingque, Li Houjin, and Li Zhongshuang on their journey into the Ya Kingdom, after Li Jingque opens a way through the kingdom’s barrier.
• The travelers hide their living auras and proceed on foot to avoid the Nether Bureau’s powerful Ghosts and deities. Lu Jianqing needles Li Houjin by listing the many rivals competing for profound yin death qi, including Deng Qiuzhi and the rogue cultivator Qin Tianyi.
• Aware that the group cannot match Deng Qiuzhi alone, Li Jingque proposes seeking help from Jiang Peilan, the Frost-Repelling Sword Immortal, whose sword arts are well suited to countering body cultivators.
• Separately, Zhang Yuan and Xiao Yuanjun leave the Capital City after arranging for Cui Zhaowei to receive them when they return. They conceal their yang qi to avoid detection by the Nether Bureau.
• Seeing how closely the Ya Kingdom resembles his own dao domain, Zhang Yuan proposes using that resemblance to disguise his domain and ambush opponents. His close whisper embarrasses Xiao Yuanjun, who blushes; after she disguises the blush, Zhang Yuan fails to understand its cause.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Houjin remains proud and easily irritated, but Lu Jianqing’s warnings make him anxious about the competition.
• Lu Jianqing is teasing and provocative, deliberately exploiting Li Houjin’s insecurity.
• Li Jingque acts as mediator and strategist, calmly finding allies rather than letting the group confront stronger rivals alone.
• Zhang Yuan shows tactical ingenuity and excitement about his ambush plan, but remains oblivious to Xiao Yuanjun’s personal feelings.
• Xiao Yuanjun is increasingly self-conscious around Zhang Yuan. Though she usually acts casually toward him, his unexpected closeness unsettles her; she tries to conceal her embarrassment, then reproaches him playfully.

Significant themes

• Competition and power: Numerous formidable cultivators are pursuing the same prize, making alliances and careful planning essential.
• Concealment and survival: The living must suppress their yang qi in a land ruled by death, while Zhang Yuan considers turning the environment itself into cover.
• Unspoken affection and awkward intimacy: Xiao Yuanjun’s reaction to Zhang Yuan’s closeness contrasts with his complete lack of awareness.

Key plot points and events

• Xiao Yuanjun playfully smears corpse-pale powder on Zhang Yuan’s face and pinches him, leaving him unsure whether she is teasing him. He then focuses on their mission: he extends his Dao Domain and carries her toward Clear River City, where mysterious yin death qi appeared.
• The Nether Bureau’s ghost soldiers and officials make way for Zhang Yuan’s passing mountain, apparently mistaking its yin-charged aura for something familiar.
• Zhang Yuan asks Xiao Yuanjun about the Bureau’s varied officials and raises a puzzle: its strict order seems at odds with the chaotic nature of the Golden Position [Ketu Thorn], which is said to lie within it.
• Xiao Yuanjun suggests [True Lord Ceased Light Punishes Thoughts] likely did not lie; the Bureau’s order may have another source. Zhang Yuan reasons that it was founded and governed by an Elder Era True Lord whose Golden Position was probably connected to rules, not [Ketu Thorn].
• This raises a new danger: if that ancient True Lord is still alive, he might attack Zhang Yuan if he claims [Ketu Thorn]. Zhang Yuan suspects [True Lord Ceased Light Punishes Thoughts] has concealed this possibility and resolves to confront him after the trip.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yuan moves from curiosity about the Nether Bureau to a wary reassessment of his path to True Lord attainment. He is increasingly suspicious of the risks and hidden agendas surrounding [Ketu Thorn].
• Xiao Yuanjun shows a playful, intimate side toward Zhang Yuan, then provides thoughtful counsel about the Nether Bureau and his cultivation concerns. Her unreadable, corpse-pale appearance keeps Zhang Yuan from interpreting her teasing.
• Their exchange blends lighthearted closeness with serious strategic discussion. Zhang Yuan trusts Xiao Yuanjun enough to share his doubts, while she considers the implications for his advancement.

Significant themes

• Order and chaos: The Nether Bureau’s orderly structure appears inconsistent with [Ketu Thorn]’s chaotic nature, prompting Zhang Yuan to question how the Bureau truly works.
• Hidden dangers and incomplete knowledge: Every step toward power may conceal a new threat, including an ancient True Lord and the possibility that allies are withholding information.
• Trust and manipulation: Zhang Yuan weighs the help offered by [True Lord Ceased Light Punishes Thoughts] against the possibility that the True Lord is pursuing his own scheme.
• Intimacy amid uncertainty: Xiao Yuanjun’s playful affection offers a personal counterpoint to Zhang Yuan’s growing anxiety over his dangerous ambitions.

Plot points and events

• Zhang Yuan and Xiao Yuanjun arrive near Qinghe City to obtain the Profound Yin Death Qi, which is expected to emerge within the city. Zhang prepares a concealed mountain trap capable of injuring a Foundation-Building Celestial Person, anticipating competition from other cultivators.
• They discover Qinghe City has been restored and is now populated by ghosts—many apparently the victims of the Demonic Calamity. The city gates are guarded by beings formed from yin energy.
• Though entering is risky, Xiao Yuanjun eagerly chooses to explore the city rather than wait outside. Zhang disguises them both as fearsome ghosts using baleful energies and bloody light.
• As they join the queue, other disguised cultivators—including Li Jingque, Lu Jianqing, Li Zhongshuang, and Li Houjin—notice them. Lu identifies them as Vengeful Ghosts and assures the others that such ghosts are weak and easily destroyed by cultivators.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang is cautious and strategic: he prepares a trap, weighs the danger of entering, and disguises himself and his master before approaching the city.
• Xiao Yuanjun remains bold, curious, and impulsive, readily choosing to enter a ghost city and enjoying the disguise.
• Zhang defers to Xiao Yuanjun’s judgment because they are seeking the Qi for her.
• Li Jingque turns to Lu Jianqing for expertise about ghosts. Lu’s explanation reassures Li and the other cultivators, who are already anxious about competing for the Qi.

Significant themes

• Preparation versus risk: Zhang takes precautions, but they must still venture into danger to improve their chances.
• Appearance and deception: The pair use terrifying disguises to pass as ghosts, while the other cultivators misjudge their apparent nature and strength.
• Death and lingering suffering: Qinghe City’s ghostly population—many visibly mutilated—recalls the devastation of the Demonic Calamity and suggests the dead have not yet found peace.
• Competition for power: The expected emergence of the Profound Yin Death Qi draws multiple Celestial People, setting up a contest in which strategy and alliances may matter.

Key plot points and events

• With the Ya Kingdom Capital sealed behind its active protective formation, Li Jingque’s group goes to Qinghe City to pursue the emerging Profound Yin Death Qi.
• Li Jingque proposes taking the Death Qi and drawing their pursuers to the capital, where Sword Immortal Jiang Peilan might be able to help with a single strike.
• Impatient with the long queue of wandering ghosts, Li Houjin forces his way toward the city gate. Li Jingque lets him proceed after seeing that the Nether Bureau guard will not intervene.
• In the queue, Zhang Yuan uses his [Read People] talent to identify hidden Celestial People among the ghosts, including Shen Qiulan, Pei Chongtian, and his old friend Qin Tianyi.
• Li Houjin ignores Yan Zhang, the dead son of Qinghe’s former city lord, when the young ghost threatens him.
• Li Houjin then tries to shove Zhang Yuan aside, not recognizing him beneath his disguise. Zhang Yuan identifies Li Houjin and dodges his attack. With Xiao Yuanjun’s spoken blessing boosting his punch, Zhang Yuan strikes back, adding his divine wonder [Yellow Springs Arrival].

Character developments and interactions

• Li Jingque shows experience and strategic flexibility, finding a way to involve Jiang Peilan despite the crisis in the capital.
• Li Houjin is arrogant and forceful, treating ordinary ghosts with contempt; his attempt to push Zhang Yuan aside turns into a direct confrontation.
• Zhang Yuan remains observant and resourceful, using [Read People] to assess the crowd and responding quickly when Li Houjin attacks.
• Xiao Yuanjun supports Zhang Yuan by amplifying his punch through her spoken ability.
• Yan Zhang’s threats reveal how little his former status matters after death, especially under the Nether Bureau’s rule. Zhang Yuan also hopes to recruit Qin Tianyi’s help.

Significant themes

• Status and mortality: Death strips away worldly rank and power; Yan Zhang’s former privilege cannot protect him, while even a Celestial Person’s cultivation may ultimately vanish.
• Strategy amid crisis: Li Jingque adapts the group’s plan to the capital’s emergency.
• Hidden identities and sudden reversals: Zhang Yuan’s disguise conceals him from Li Houjin, setting up an unexpected clash.
• Power through cooperation: Xiao Yuanjun’s blessing combines with Zhang Yuan’s own divine wonder to strengthen his attack.

Plot points and events

• Zhang Yuan counters Li Houjin’s attack with a powerful punch, then lands a second, uncanny follow-up that injures the Mid-Stage Celestial Person and leaves him baffled.
• Li Houjin suspects Zhang Yuan may be connected to the Nether Bureau, since his aura resembles that of its Ghost and God Officials.
• Li Houjin uses his Divine Wonder, [Celestial Halt], to stop Zhang Yuan’s attacks for one second and dodge them. Zhang Yuan identifies its effect and recognizes that its underlying “stillness” Imago resembles another enemy’s Divine Wonder, suggesting their cultivation paths may share a Metal Position.
• Zhang Yuan uses [Yellow Springs Drink] to seal [Celestial Halt], then strikes Li Houjin: first twisting his outstretched finger, then driving him into the ground with a follow-up punch.
• The disturbance draws attention from nearby ghosts and hidden Celestial People, but the Nether Bureau Armored Soldier declines to intervene. Zhang Yuan apologizes to the onlookers, explaining that he is “just planting a human root.”

Character developments

• Zhang Yuan demonstrates how much stronger and more capable he has become since his Qi Refinement days. He remains calculating, identifying Li Houjin’s technique and considering how it might help him eliminate another enemy later. He also takes satisfaction in finally striking back at Li Houjin.
• Li Houjin shifts from arrogance to shock and pain as Zhang Yuan’s attacks overcome his Divine Wonder. He had assumed Zhang Yuan was beneath him, but can no longer dismiss him as an ordinary Vengeful Ghost.
• Xiao Yuanjun supports Zhang Yuan by reinforcing his strength with [Dusk Veil].

Character interactions

• Zhang Yuan and Li Houjin’s fight reverses their former dynamic: Li Houjin once persecuted Zhang Yuan, but now Zhang Yuan lands several brutal blows on him.
• Zhang Yuan’s exchanges with the crowd show his awareness of the disturbance and his attempt to remain polite, even while presenting a grotesque explanation.
• The Nether Bureau Armored Soldier observes the fight but stays out of it, reflecting the bureau’s strict division of responsibilities.

Significant themes

• Reversal of power and revenge: Zhang Yuan finally collects a measure of retribution from a former pursuer.
• Knowledge as an advantage: Understanding the nature of Divine Wonders lets Zhang Yuan counter Li Houjin’s defense.
• Connections between Dao Paths: Similar underlying Imagos may link seemingly different techniques and help Zhang Yuan anticipate conflicts between his enemies.
• Order amid chaos: The Nether Bureau maintains its own rules and duties, even as disorderly fights break out among Netherworld ghosts.

Plot points and events

• Zhang Yuan, disguised as a Vengeful Ghost, has Li Houjin—an Eastern Bian Li Clan Celestial Person—buried headfirst after Li attacks him. Zhang calls the punishment “planting ginseng,” leaving Li’s head aboveground.
• The ghosts waiting outside Qinghe City are frightened by Zhang’s courteous manner and brutal actions. Hidden Foundation-Building Celestial People, however, recognize Li Houjin and quietly mock his humiliation.
• Qin Tianyi senses something ominous about Zhang and slips away into the city.
• Li Houjin considers retaliating, but Li Jingque warns that Zhang may have powerful ties to the Nether Bureau. Li restrains himself, reasoning that fighting could attract dangerous attention and distract from their goal: obtaining the profound yin death qi.
• Lu Jianqing taunts Li and blames him for acting on bad information, though he insists the records he relied on were accurate. Zhang’s strength is far beyond what a normal Vengeful Ghost should possess.
• Li Zhongshuang recognizes Zhang by his familiar appearance and keen insight, despite his disguise. Their unexpected reunion follows her earlier failure to enter the Ya Kingdom capital.
• As Zhang and his master, Xiao Yuanjun, approach the city gate, the other ghosts repeatedly give way to them. Zhang jokes that Qinghe’s ghosts have better manners than the living.
• A low-ranking Nether Bureau Armored Soldier admits them without seeing through their disguises. Zhang suspects the guard’s presence is pointless: someone at that rank cannot detect concealed Foundation-Building Celestial People.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yuan combines politeness with overwhelming force, using Li’s humiliation to deter further trouble. He remains cautious and observant, especially when assessing the city’s defenses.
• Xiao Yuanjun quietly supports Zhang’s judgment and shares his amusement at the ghosts’ courtesy.
• Li Houjin shifts from arrogant aggression to reluctant restraint after being overpowered and warned of the risks of escalating.
• Li Jingque acts as the practical voice of caution, giving Li Houjin a reason to stand down.
• Lu Jianqing provokes Li Houjin, while defending himself against blame for the mistaken assessment of Zhang.
• Li Zhongshuang identifies Zhang despite his disguise, revealing her strong perception and lingering connection to him.
• Qin Tianyi reacts to Zhang with instinctive fear and avoids drawing attention to himself.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus reality: Zhang looks like a ghost but behaves with courtesy—and possesses far more power than his apparent rank suggests.
• Power and restraint: Li’s decision not to retaliate shows how practical concerns can outweigh pride and vengeance.
• Social reversal and humiliation: The feared Celestial Person becomes the spectacle, while the ghosts’ deference lets Zhang bypass the queue.
• Suspicion and hidden motives: Zhang’s scrutiny of the strangely ineffective gate guard hints that the city’s security arrangements may conceal a larger purpose.

Zhang Yuan realized that the Celestial Persons had been lured into Clear Harmony City as part of a trap and tried to hide with Xiao Yuanjun. Lu Qingwu then exposed every concealed Celestial Person with a Pre-Heaven Supreme Treasure, and the city’s gates and escape routes were sealed, leaving them surrounded by Nether Bureau forces.

• Zhang Yuan suspected Wu Duanzhuo had arranged the easy entry into Clear Harmony City as a trap and hurried with Xiao Yuanjun to find shelter.
• Zhang Yuan explained his suspicions to Xiao Yuanjun, who questioned whether Wu Duanzhuo could defeat all the Celestial Persons in the city.
• Lu Qingwu appeared above the city and used his Brass Eight Trigrams Mirror to reveal the concealed auras of more than thirty Celestial Persons.
• A Day Patrol God declared that the Celestial Persons had trespassed and would be arrested and lose two hundred years of lifespan.
• The city gates sealed and a Yin Qi Barrier blocked escape, so the Celestial Persons unleashed their abilities and fought the approaching Nether Bureau forces.

Zhang Yuan and Xiao Yuanjun hid in a courtyard while Nether Bureau Ghost Deities overwhelmed the Celestial Persons in Clear Harmony City. The courtyard kept them safe during the battle, but Zhang Yuan spotted Nether Bureau Soldiers surrounding someone and approaching their gate.

• Zhang Yuan watched a group of ten Celestial Persons fail to defeat a Nether Bureau Ghost Soldier, who re-formed at Celestial Person perfection and captured their leader.
• Xiao Yuanjun pointed out that no Ghost Deities had come to arrest them, and Zhang Yuan realized the courtyard was somehow shielding them.
• Zhang Yuan and Xiao Yuanjun stayed inside, ate, and watched Celestial Persons including Brother Qin, Ginseng, and Li Houjin fight the Ghost Deities.
• The Nether Bureau captured nearly eighty percent of the Celestial Persons, then its towering Ghost Deities left Clear Harmony City without damaging the city or harming its souls.
• Zhang Yuan peered through the gate and saw a squad of Nether Bureau Soldiers surrounding someone as they approached the courtyard.

Key events

• Zhang Yuan and Xiao Yuanjun hide in a courtyard to avoid the Nether Bureau’s search. Zhang prepares to ambush the armored soldiers entering—but only Li Zhongshuang arrives, escorted inside by them.
• Li explains that after a supreme treasure revealed her aura, the soldiers found her and arranged lodging rather than arresting her.
• Zhang realizes she is protected by the Eastern Bian Li clan’s True Lord, whose influence even the Nether Bureau respects.
• He invites Li to eat with him and Xiao Yuanjun. Their meal is quiet and awkward.
• Zhang asks after Li Huixi, who left the Dharma Assembly early. Li says he had family matters and left her to keep Zhang company. Zhang jokes that Li Huixi will owe him tea if they meet again.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yuan stays cautious but adapts quickly once he sees Li is not a threat. He recognizes the protection behind her treatment and remains casually irreverent about the Li clan.
• Li Zhongshuang is surprised to find Zhang alive and unharmed. Though he is supposedly her fiancé, their conversation shows they are still nearly strangers. She is also careful to protect him from Li Huixi’s possible anger.
• Xiao Yuanjun remembers Li’s connection to Zhang and is privately displeased when Li sits beside him. She says nothing, instead channeling her jealousy into a pointedly vigorous meal.
• Li’s privileged treatment contrasts with the Nether Bureau’s harsh capture of other Celestial People, including members of her own clan.

Significant themes

• Power and patronage: Li’s safety comes not from her own strength but from a powerful patron’s protection.
• Unequal privilege: The Nether Bureau treats people differently according to their connections, even within the same clan.
• Awkward ties and jealousy: The nominal engagement between Zhang and Li has little emotional substance, while Xiao Yuanjun’s reaction hints at possessiveness.
• Humor amid danger: Zhang’s dry thoughts and teasing remarks soften an otherwise tense situation.

Key plot points and events

• At the City Lord’s Estate, Wu Duanzhuo confronts State Preceptor Lu Qingwu over his recent actions. Lu has angered many powerful Celestial People, including members of the Five Surnames and Seven Houses.
• Lu explains that he did not kill them: he used the Nether Bureau to strip away portions of their lifespans and plans to convert the stolen vitality into death energy. That energy could help absorb the Ya Kingdom into the Nether Bureau and support Wu’s pursuit of the Ketu Thorn.
• Wu accepts the plan, deciding that the risk of offending powerful clans is worthwhile if it advances his quest for True Lord status.
• Lu mentions that Zhang Yuan, the man who killed Wu’s Fourth Imperial Prince, is in the city. Wu, suspecting Zhang may also be connected to the deaths of his other sons, orders Lei Jingbian to deal with him.
• Elsewhere, Zhang Yuan and Li Zhongshuang discuss a private matter through voice transmission. Xiao Yuanjun notices their secrecy but assumes the subject is unimportant and does not interrupt.
• Li Zhongshuang asks Zhang for advice on her final trial before attaining Celestial Personhood. He hesitates, saying the trials differ for everyone and he does not know what hers involves. The conversation begins to turn back toward Li Huixi.

Character developments and interactions

• Wu Duanzhuo initially distrusts Lu’s judgment but is persuaded by the potential benefits of his scheme. His anger toward Zhang Yuan is intensified by the death of his son and his suspicions about the other princes.
• Lu Qingwu presents his controversial actions as a calculated strategy rather than reckless hostility. He and Wu share the goal of helping Wu advance toward True Lord status.
• Lei Jingbian receives Wu’s order to pursue Zhang Yuan.
• Zhang Yuan is cautious about giving Li Zhongshuang cultivation guidance, unwilling to offer advice that might mislead her.
• Li Zhongshuang shifts the conversation away from the sensitive subject of Li Huixi and seeks Zhang’s help with her cultivation.
• Xiao Yuanjun remains curious but trusting, choosing not to pry into Zhang and Li’s whispered conversation.

Significant themes

• Ambition and political risk: Wu is willing to antagonize powerful clans in pursuit of transcendence.
• Life turned into a resource: Lu’s plan converts stolen lifespans into death energy, reflecting the instrumental treatment of both mortals and Celestial People.
• Secrecy and trust: Zhang and Li’s private exchange excludes Xiao Yuanjun, but her confidence in Zhang prevents suspicion.
• The limits of guidance: Zhang recognizes that cultivation trials are personal and that generic advice could do harm.

Chapter summary

• Li Zhongshuang asks Zhang Yuan what kind of woman he likes. Flustered but impulsive, she asks directly. Zhang Yuan says he has not thought about a future wife because his main ambition is to become a True Lord. Xiao Yuanjun praises his dedication to cultivation, then jokingly—or suggestively—claims that having her as his Dao Companion is enough.
• Night falls in the ghost city. Li warns that living visitors must return indoors and light a lamp, or the Nether Bureau’s Night Traveling Gods will search the premises. Since Zhang Yuan has no registered identity, discovery could lead to his arrest. He agrees to go inside.
• They decide where to sleep. Zhang assigns Li the West Room and himself the East Room. Li offers the West Room to Xiao Yuanjun and volunteers to sleep in the Main Hall. Xiao refuses to leave Li there, apologizes for having once taken her stolen-life baleful intent, and says she will sleep in the East Room with Zhang.
• Li is unsettled by the arrangement. She reads Xiao’s earlier Dao Companion remark and her plan to share a room with Zhang as signs of romantic interest. Still, she keeps her reaction to herself and retires to the Main Hall.
• Zhang prepares the East Room. He lights the candles and clears dust from the bed before Xiao can lay out her bedding. Just as he finishes, a gong sounds outside.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Zhongshuang shows a moment of romantic curiosity and vulnerability, then returns to her composed, self-reliant manner. Her willingness to sleep in the Main Hall reflects her humble upbringing and lack of attachment to the Li clan’s comforts.
• Zhang Yuan remains focused on cultivation and practical concerns, responding calmly to the danger of the night and tending to the room.
• Xiao Yuanjun playfully describes herself as Zhang’s Dao Companion and insists on sharing his room, leaving Li to wonder whether her feelings are romantic. She also acknowledges past harm to Li and offers an apology.

Significant themes

• Cultivation versus romance: Zhang’s stated ambition contrasts with the growing romantic tension around him.
• Class and hardship: Li’s modest expectations come from a childhood spent in poor, unsafe shelters, despite her later life with the wealthy Eastern Bian Li.
• Humor amid danger: Awkward romantic misunderstandings unfold against the serious threat posed by the Netherworld’s rules and its searching spirits.
  The chapter ends on the unexplained gong, signaling an immediate interruption or danger.

Lei Jingbian attacked Zhang Yuan in Clear Harmony City, claiming his copper gong let him evade the Night Patrol God. Zhang Yuan tricked him into revealing how the Night Watchman role worked and where Wu Duanzhuo and Lu Qingwu were, then took advantage of an illusion to prepare a strike at Lei Jingbian's neck.

• Lei Jingbian announced that he had come to kill Zhang Yuan and shattered Zhang Yuan's three-colored sword with a flick of his finger.
• Zhang Yuan questioned Lei Jingbian about his Night Watchman role, and Lei Jingbian explained that the gong let its holder move through the city at night without the Night Patrol God interfering.
• Lei Jingbian handed Zhang Yuan the copper gong and accidentally revealed that Wu Duanzhuo and Lu Qingwu were at the City Lord's Residence.
• Zhang Yuan mocked Lei Jingbian for being easy to deceive, and Lei Jingbian charged through the door with a punch that struck Zhang Yuan's illusion.
• Zhang Yuan appeared behind Lei Jingbian, formed an illusory blade from his qi, and raised it toward Lei Jingbian's neck.

Zhang Yuan trapped Lei Jingbian, a celestial person at perfection, with the [Weather and Season Mystic Pearls] and persuaded him not to break free and alert the Nether Bureau. The group secured their chance to obtain the Copper Gong, and Xiao Yuanjun suggested moving Lei Jingbian out of the Main Hall.

• Zhang Yuan overpowered Lei Jingbian and kicked him into the Main Hall, where he trapped him in a water prison with the [Weather and Season Mystic Pearls].
• Lei Jingbian discovered the treasure carried a trace of a golden position conceptual image and realized he could escape only by using enough strength to trigger the Nether Laws and alert the Nether Bureau.
• Zhang Yuan explained that breaking free would destroy the house and bring harsher punishment, convincing Lei Jingbian to remain trapped.
• Zhang Yuan, Xiao Yuanjun, and Li Zhongshuang recognized that Lei Jingbian's capture left them positioned to obtain the Copper Gong needed to become Night Watchmen of Clear Harmony City.
• Xiao Yuanjun called Lei Jingbian an eyesore in the Main Hall and suggested moving him to the Firewood Shed while she temporarily fooled the house with her mystic wonder.

Key plot points and events

• Zhang Yuan and Xiao Yuanjun realize Lei Jingbian’s [Dusk Veil] could conceal his presence and make the house appear unchanged. Rather than risk relying on Lei’s complicated ability, Zhang uses [Yellow Springs Arrival] to move Lei, the water prison, and all twelve [Celestial Season Orbs] into the Yard’s Wood Shed.
• Zhang takes Lei’s Brass Gong, which grants Night Watchman status and allows them to travel freely at night. He and Xiao Yuanjun set out to explore Qinghe City, leaving Li Zhongshuang to guard the house. She says she can summon Nether Bureau spirits and soldiers if danger arises.
• Zhang notices the Yard’s Gate is open despite no one seeming to have opened it, and suspects a taboo. He sets the question aside when Xiao Yuanjun spots a brightly lit, lively street and urges him to investigate. With fewer than fifty living people in the city, Zhang wonders whether the street might be a Ghost Street.
• At the City Lord’s Estate, Lu Qingwu reports that Zhang captured Lei Jingbian alive. Wu Duanzhuo initially suspects the [Frost-Repelling Sword Immortal] has arrived, but Lu confirms she has not: Zhang was responsible. Wu is relieved, though puzzled by how an early-stage Celestial Person defeated Lei at Celestial Person Perfection.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yuan shows caution and confidence: he avoids an uncertain use of [Dusk Veil], efficiently relies on his own power, and remains alert to possible supernatural rules around the Yard.
• Xiao Yuanjun is eager for a change of pace and takes the lead in choosing their destination. Their outing also offers a chance to spend time together as master and disciple.
• Li Zhongshuang accepts responsibility for the house and reveals the protection the Nether Bureau has offered her.
• Wu Duanzhuo reacts with disbelief and concern at Lei’s capture, while Lu Qingwu calmly provides what he knows. Their exchange establishes Zhang’s growing reputation and the uncertainty surrounding his victory.

Significant themes

• Deception and perception: [Dusk Veil] can make events seem not to have happened, while [Yellow Springs Arrival] lets Zhang make a transfer happen without an ordinary action.
• Caution amid the supernatural: Zhang’s suspicion about the open Gate and the potentially ghostly street suggests that Qinghe City operates by hidden rules.
• Power and reputation: Zhang’s success against a much stronger opponent surprises the city’s leaders and raises questions about what he can do.

Plot points and events

• Wu Duanzhuo decides not to rush to rescue General Lei Jingbian, reasoning that Lei’s formidable body and vitality will keep him safe for now—and that he may be more trouble than help.
• Lu Qingwu reports that preparations are complete to convert the lifespan of executed Celestial Persons into death qi and bring the Ya Kingdom fully under the Nether Bureau. This will create an opportunity for Wu to seek True Lord status through [Ketu Thorn].
• Wu wants to delay his attempt by one year and ten months, avoiding the Heavenly Law that killed Liu Zezheng after he became a True Lord before the five-hundred-year prohibition expired. The Nine Serenities Sect has proposed that Wu flee to another realm after ascending, but he distrusts the plan and its sponsors.
• On his way to Clear Harmony City’s prison, Lu Qingwu encounters Lu Jianqing, a member of the Hengyang Lu Clan sent by [True Lord Rainbow-Haloed Rosy Clouds] to investigate him.
• Lu Jianqing identifies Lu Qingwu as a thousand-year-old direct-line ancestor of the clan. Lu Qingwu offers the clan mortal blood essence, but Jianqing says the clan no longer exploits outsiders or refines grand elixirs from them.
• When Lu Qingwu challenges this claim and asks why Jianqing came, Jianqing reveals his purpose: “to cleanse the clan.”

Character developments and interactions

• Wu Duanzhuo is cautious and politically calculating. He accepts the need to seek True Lord status but fears the risks of both the Heavenly Law and the Nine Serenities Sect’s proposed escape.
• Lu Qingwu remains composed and pragmatic, but his distrust of the Hengyang Lu Clan’s supposed reform shows how deeply he knows its history.
• Lu Jianqing presents himself as respectful toward his ancestor, yet his mission suggests a serious threat. His claim that the clan has changed clashes with Lu Qingwu’s certainty that its nature cannot have changed.
• Wu and Lu Qingwu discuss both the captured general and Wu’s ascension plans; the later meeting shifts the chapter toward a direct confrontation over the Lu Clan’s past and future.

Significant themes

• Ambition versus risk: Wu’s pursuit of True Lord status is constrained by dangerous laws and uncertain allies.
• Power and exploitation: The Nether Bureau’s plans depend on executions and the use of human life essence.
• Legacy and reform: The clash between Lu Qingwu and Lu Jianqing raises whether a notorious clan can truly abandon its old ways—and what “cleansing” it might require.