Chapter Summaries

Black Snake watched the old man seal an ominous ancient well and learned how much knowledge humans needed to handle dangerous places. After returning to Azure Cloud Temple, he continued his studies as tensions rose and the temple shut its gates, agreeing to wait for winter rather than interfere in mortal affairs.

• Black Snake secretly studied the old man's sand tray, reflected on his lack of knowledge, and resolved to learn whenever he could.
• The old man brought six deaf-mute men to cover the dry ancient well with its stone block, then wrote to the Government Office requesting help with further work.
• He Ning saw the old man off, while Black Snake sensed that the undertaking had subtly made his cultivation easier.
• Black Snake returned with He Ning to Azure Cloud Temple and resumed his lessons and swordsmanship as the temple and village strengthened their defenses.
• He Ning relayed her master's warning that Black Snake should avoid meddling in mortal affairs and wait until it snowed, and Black Snake agreed.

Black Snake gathered Pine Cones for He Ning, continued learning from her, and spent the winter cultivating as ten years passed. In the spring, he visited the village and reflected on how slowly he was growing limbs while life below the mountain changed.

• Black Snake left Pine Cones for He Ning, who told him the Government Office reward for adjusting the feng shui had arrived and reviewed directions with him.
• Black Snake watched villagers return at night with bundles and a new killing intent, then spent the quiet winter cultivating in his cave.
• Ten years later, Black Snake listened to He Ning speak about another relative’s death before she returned to her room.
• Black Snake greeted the village’s Land God and used his sheathed sword to help a boy avoid missing a ladder rung.
• Black Snake returned to the summit and worried that his limb growth remained slow, while the village changed and Azure Cloud Temple stayed the same.

He Ning and Black Snake traveled to a mountain-valley town to escort a boy believed to have come from above. They reached the Chen family and met the sick child, whom his mother was reluctant to send away.

• He Ning told Black Snake that their master had sent them to escort someone who likely came from above and might attract sinister spirits.
• He Ning and Black Snake traveled for four days, keeping to quieter roads and dealing with trouble along the way.
• They arrived at the Chen family home, where the mother welcomed He Ning and asked a neighbor to fetch her husband.
• He Ning recognized the pale, sickly second son as the person they had come to find.
• Black Snake waited outside and wondered what the person from above would look like.

He Ning and Chen An traveled away from the Chen Household, and Black Snake sensed something strange at a tea shelter where a farmer nearly attacked them. That night, Chen An revealed that he could see Black Snake and thanked him for stopping the farmer.

• He Ning led the ailing Chen Household boy away from his family, while Black Snake watched his suffering along the road.
• At a tea shelter, Black Snake sensed an unsettling presence as a farmer plotted to rob and kill He Ning and the boy.
• Black Snake hissed inside the farmer’s head, frightening him into dropping his stone and abandoning his plan.
• He Ning and the boy continued their journey and stayed overnight in a village, where He Ning prepared medicine for him.
• Black Snake told He Ning that the tea-shelter farmer had seemed strange, and He Ning said the boy’s illness might not be curable.
• Chen An saw Black Snake, asked if he had driven the attackers away, and introduced himself; Black Snake gave his name in return.

As He Ning and Chen An sheltered from a mountain storm, Black Snake sensed an approaching sinister creature and prepared to protect them. After the old man tried to enter their dreams and offered to guard Chen An, He Ning identified him as a monster that devoured Yin Spirits, and Black Snake attacked.

• He Ning and Chen An took shelter beneath a rock when heavy rain began, and Black Snake noticed He Ning's unusual irritability and troubled sleep.
• Black Snake sensed a sinister Yin Spirit approaching after the rain eased and sent his spirit out to confront it.
• The gray phantom tried to enter their dreams, but Black Snake shattered the technique and prepared for battle.
• The phantom appeared as a strange old man who offered to guard Chen An, but Chen An slept through the proposal.
• The old man opened his mouth and inhaled, prompting He Ning to warn Black Snake that he devoured Yin Spirits.
• Black Snake drew his sword and thrust at the old monster.

Black Snake fought an uncanny old man and killed him with Thunder Arts after He Ning identified a backlash from devouring too many Yin Spirits. A limping cultivator arrived to investigate, then left after He Ning said lightning had destroyed the creature; at dawn, He Ning and Chen An continued toward the town.

• Black Snake and the uncanny old man fought through the woods, and Black Snake stripped away much of the old man's yin energy.
• The old man lost control from a backlash after devouring too many Yin Spirits, and He Ning urged Black Snake to kill him.
• Black Snake unleashed Thunder Arts and blasted the old man into smoke as a cultivator approached along the mountain path.
• The limping cultivator questioned He Ning about the uncanny creature, but Chen An's cough eased the man's urgency and he departed.
• He Ning told Chen An to rest, and at dawn they ate, packed their belongings, and continued toward the town.

Black Snake watched He Ning and Chen An struggle with strange emotional changes, and He Ning recognized the influence of an inner demon. After delivering Chen An to a Daoist temple, He Ning returned to Azure Cloud Temple and learned from the Abbot that she had passed the most perilous part of her tribulation.

• Black Snake noticed that unusual sensory changes had begun after meeting Chen An, while He Ning grew increasingly irritable.
• When ordinary robbers attacked the travelers, Black Snake frightened them away, but He Ning demanded that he kill the scar-faced man before breaking down in remorse.
• He Ning realized an intangible demon had been stirring hidden emotions, and Black Snake suspected it had attached itself to Chen An.
• Black Snake and He Ning delivered Chen An to a Daoist temple, then returned to their own homes and the mountain.
• The Abbot explained that He Ning had faced an inner demon and that Black Snake’s limited spiritual intelligence kept desires and delusions from taking root in him for now.
• Black Snake resumed his quiet routines, and He Ning came out beneath the tree carrying a stool and smiling at him.

Black Snake traveled east to the river to hunt fish and began adapting its tail for faster swimming. While moving downstream, Black Snake met Xiao Yu, a demon cultivator, and planned to return to the mountain after a few more days.

• Black Snake left the mountain, reached Lin Family Crossing, and hunted fish in the river.
• After noticing that swimming drained too much energy, Black Snake studied a fish and began guiding qi and blood to grow fine spines along its tail.
• Black Snake traveled downstream, ignored a yin soul at the Small Temple, and watched other demon cultivators flee into the woods.
• Black Snake approached a large bird on a hill and met Xiao Yu, introducing itself and asking to talk.
• Black Snake and Xiao Yu exchanged brief greetings before Black Snake returned to its body and decided to visit her again.
• Black Snake gazed at the moon and decided to rest for a few days before returning to the mountain.

Black Snake discovered the secluded cultivator Xu Jin living at Valley Mountain and visited him after nightfall. After learning about Xu Jin’s life and weak cultivation, Black Snake asked Little Feather to watch over him and decided to stay a few days longer.

• Black Snake spotted Xu Jin gathering herbs in a hidden valley and followed him to his home beside Lone Crag.
• That night, Black Snake met Xu Jin, who welcomed him and recounted how his master had taught him cultivation before dying.
• Xu Jin fell asleep in his hut, and Black Snake asked Little Feather to keep an eye on him.
• Little Feather agreed on the condition that Black Snake would help her with something in the future, and Black Snake accepted.
• Black Snake decided to remain nearby for a few days to help protect Xu Jin, whose cultivation was too weak to face powerful demons or ghosts.

Black Snake left the River and returned to Azure Cloud Temple, where he resumed his cultivation after learning that demon catchers were secretly capturing spirits to make medicine. He decided to stay on the mountain and wait for the danger to pass.

• Black Snake watched a demon steer a black Small Wooden Boat upstream and decided to return to the mountain despite the Abbot's warning that his cultivation lacked something.
• As Black Snake traveled home, an enormous otter called River Gray warned him that unscrupulous demon catchers had entered the mountains.
• Black Snake hid underwater while two Small Wooden Boats stopped nearby, then continued his journey after they left.
• Black Snake passed Lin Family Ferry and returned to Azure Cloud Temple, where he resolved to resume his daily cultivation.
• He Ning told Black Snake that people were secretly catching demons to refine life-prolonging medicine, and Black Snake decided not to leave the mountain while the danger continued.

Black Snake continued cultivating as the demon-hunting craze drove animals to seek refuge near Azure Cloud Monastery and left tortured human ghosts wandering the countryside. As autumn arrived, He Ning told him evil cultivators were refining people into medicine, and Black Snake worried the growing chaos would keep him from fishing next spring.

• After a thunderstorm replenished his lightning, Black Snake resumed his rigorous cultivation on the mountain.
• Black Snake learned from an old fox and an old weasel that demon hunters were growing more aggressive, forcing animals to seek refuge on the mountain.
• While wandering at the mountain’s foot, Black Snake saw young, terrified ghosts who seemed to have suffered torture before dying.
• As the outside situation worsened, Black Snake abandoned his plan to visit Xu and stayed on the mountain to cultivate.
• He Ning told Black Snake that evil cultivators were using people with special birth characteristics to refine medicine, and Black Snake wondered when powerful experts would stop them.

Black Snake discovered a ghost plague buried beneath the mountain road and learned that a Rat Demon had brought it there. The old fox suspected the Gray Household in the County Seat and went to investigate while Black Snake agreed to wait at the eastern waterfall.

• Black Snake watched the Abbot leave with three Daoists to confront the Heretic Cultivator, then saw them return after the season had turned to winter.
• Black Snake found a little ghost beneath a paving brick, destroyed it with his sword, and used lightning energy to cleanse the contamination spreading over his body.
• Black Snake tracked the fleeing underground creature for several li before stopping because his yin spirit could not travel farther.
• The old fox identified the creature's affliction as a ghost plague and warned Black Snake not to let the little ghost touch him.
• The old fox suspected someone from the Gray Household had caused the disaster, and Black Snake agreed to wait at the little waterfall while the fox investigated.

Black Snake learned of the rat demon’s innocence and let him flee, then returned to his quiet life at Azure Cloud Monastery. When plague-maddened animals charged up the mountain, Black Snake killed them all and continued patiently shaping his body.

• Black Snake heard Hui Laosan explain that another rat demon had buried evil objects for payment and had fled, then allowed Hui Laosan to escape while the old fox left for the northern slope.
• Black Snake reflected that the lives of insignificant creatures were much the same inside and outside the mountains, and he resumed his routine with He Ning.
• After worshippers mentioned an epidemic in the County Seat, two Daoists went down the mountain and returned three days later.
• When nearly a hundred plague-ridden animals charged up the mountain through the snow, Black Snake killed them with his sword.
• The Daoists burned the animals’ corpses, and Black Snake returned to shaping his body while suspecting the hidden troublemaker was weak.

Black Snake encountered a possessed Heretic Cultivator at the foot of Azure Cloud Monastery, and the man killed himself, dragging Black Snake into the Underworld. There, Black Snake sensed the living world remained connected to its body as strange creatures gathered around the man's polluted Yin Soul.

• Black Snake left its cave to drink at Spring Well and wandered beneath the winter moon, praying to fill what was missing and find a way home.
• Black Snake spotted a wounded Heretic Cultivator at the mountain's foot and prepared to kill him, suspecting he was behind the Plague Ghost's burial.
• The Heretic Cultivator blamed Azure Cloud Monastery for stopping his immortality, then cut his own throat and triggered a transition to the Underworld with Black Snake.
• Black Snake recognized the lifeless landscape as the Underworld and sensed that its connection to its body still existed, though it was difficult to locate.
• The Heretic Cultivator shouted to attract strange creatures, and Black Snake wounded the attackers while warning that the man's polluted Yin Soul would eventually turn him into an evil entity.

Black Snake fought his way through the Underworld after a Heretic Cultivator dragged him there, then found his way back to his body at the Azure Cloud Monastery. After recovering and studying what He Ning found about the land of the dead, he resolved to learn how to open a path there himself.

• Black Snake slaughtered the Underworld monstrosities, used the Heretic Cultivator's Yin Soul as a shield, and watched it dissolve before destroying the last monster.
• Black Snake cleansed foul energy from his Yin Spirit with Thunder Force and climbed toward the Mountain Gate, strengthening his connection to his physical body.
• Black Snake awoke beside He Ning at the Azure Cloud Monastery and told her how the Heretic Cultivator had dragged him into the Underworld.
• Black Snake asked He Ning to find books about the Underworld, then recovered by absorbing mountain mist and sunlight while considering the dangers he had encountered.
• He Ning brought books about the Underworld and shared what she had learned, and Black Snake decided he might eventually imitate the evil cultivator's method to send opponents there.

Black Snake watched the Azure Cloud Monastery celebrate New Year's Eve, then passed twenty uneventful years as He Ning grew older and its own cultivation advanced. When He Ning's old acquaintance Chen An visited, Black Snake learned that the renowned doctor still suffered from an incurable illness and briefly glimpsed two guardian spirits beside him.

• On New Year's Eve, He Ning gave Black Snake warm food and told it that the night marked another year of its life.
• Over the next twenty years, Black Snake practiced cultivation, visited Xu Jin and Xiao Yu, and handled minor supernatural disturbances while He Ning continued teaching on the Stone Terrace.
• Black Snake noticed He Ning's hair had begun to turn white and watched her return slowly to the monastery after a lesson.
• Black Snake learned that its yin spirit could appear before people and pick up light objects, though He Ning could not explain its unusual nature.
• He Ning brought Chen An to the vegetable garden, where Black Snake recognized the formerly sickly boy, now a renowned doctor who could not cure his own illness.
• As Chen An spoke of his suffering, Black Snake briefly saw two half-beast, half-human guardian spirits beside him, and they greeted Black Snake before vanishing.

Black Snake learned about a runaway shrine sculpture that had become an evil spirit and asked Xu Jin about the Secret Art behind such transformations. After discussing cultivation and his growing ambitions, he returned to Lone Crag to absorb Moonlight Essence, leaving the threat and his studies for another day.

• Black Snake and He Ning watched Chen An depart, then He Ning told him that a vanished shrine sculpture had become an evil spirit and needed to be destroyed.
• Black Snake traveled downstream, met River Ash, and learned about his past, his cargo work, and how he hid his savings in deep water.
• Black Snake returned to Xu Jin’s valley and found him tending the herb garden, while a new black dog fled from him.
• Black Snake told Xu Jin about the runaway sculpture, and Xu Jin consulted an old book before explaining that the Secret Art could be used for good or evil but carried a dangerous backlash.
• Black Snake went to Lone Crag to cultivate, then spoke with Xu Jin about the underworld and the difficulties of cultivation; Xu Jin refused to travel there.

Black Snake and Xiao Yu traveled across the mountains to investigate a strange cave, where they found the remains of a failed cultivator. They left the cave’s secrets unresolved as rain and mist closed in around them.

• Xiao Yu told Black Snake she had found an unusual cave and invited him to explore it with her.
• After rain delayed their departure, Black Snake and Xiao Yu crossed several ridges and climbed to the cave near the summit of a towering mountain.
• The next morning, Black Snake detected traces of lightning and a strange human scent inside the cave, along with abundant spiritual energy.
• Black Snake and Xiao Yu found a scorched figure on a stone bed and concluded that the person had likely been a cultivator who failed.
• The figure crumbled into dust, and Black Snake and Xiao Yu stayed by the cave entrance, speculating about who the cultivator had been.

Black Snake and Xiao Yu were ambushed near the cave by a cultivator carrying an iron rod, who tried to kill them to keep the cave’s location secret. After they wounded him in a counterattack, Black Snake fled down the mountain with the man in pursuit.

• Black Snake detected a hidden attacker near the cave, and the man struck Xiao Yu’s wing with a projectile.
• Black Snake hid and circled around as the man chased Xiao Yu, then used his iron rod and a compass-like instrument to search for the demonic beasts.
• Xiao Yu returned and stunned the man with her piercing cry while Black Snake struck him with lightning and lunged at him.
• The man blocked Black Snake with his iron rod, then tore his palm while trying to pull it free and swung wildly, injuring Black Snake.
• Black Snake and Xiao Yu retreated as the man attacked with Iron Pellets, then Black Snake split from Xiao Yu and fled down the slope with the man pursuing him.

Black Snake and Xiao Yu defeated the man who ambushed them, learning that he had attacked to protect a cave rumored to enable ascension. Injured and back at the cave, they questioned whether its promise was real as Black Snake considered what he might do if his cultivation eventually reached a dead end.

• Black Snake tricked the man into turning away, then attacked him, but the man's special inner garment blocked his fangs.
• Xiao Yu dove onto the blinded man and gouged out his eyes, injuring her wing in the process.
• Black Snake poisoned the man, who revealed that he had ambushed them because the cave was a sacred site for ascending to the upper realm and its secret had to be protected.
• Xiao Yu searched the corpse while Black Snake took the man's compass, clothes, and iron rod, and the two demons climbed back to the cave to recover.
• Xiao Yu asked whether ascension was possible there, and Black Snake doubted it before wondering whether he might someday try to feign death if he could not advance further.