Chapter Summaries

Duan Rong infiltrated the Mountain Body Great Statue Cave under the guise of a flute-playing civet cat and devoured the cultivation techniques stored in its statues. He returned to his room undetected, while the monk he had incapacitated woke with evidence that the encounter was real.

• Duan Rong used the Myriad Crow Separation Fire Scarf to conceal himself and transformed into a civet cat to reach the Mountain Body Great Statue Cave.
• Duan Rong played a bone flute outside the cave, drawing out the monk guarding it, then overwhelmed him with Illusory Bewitchment.
• Duan Rong took the monk’s Array Ruler, entered the cave, and devoured the Artifact Spirit containing four levels of Great Vajra Realm Mandala techniques.
• Duan Rong returned the Array Ruler, left the monk alive, and slipped back to his room in the Craftsmen's Tower.
• The monk awoke outside the cave, found black specks on his prayer beads, and discovered the four divine statues were unchanged.

Duan Rong investigated whether the Dharma Appearance Sect had divine statues larger than those in the Mountain Body Divine Statue cave, hoping to find the later Great Vajra Realm Mandala techniques. He arranged for Tang Xiong to secure Dharma Academy artifact-repair work so he could pursue deeper Buddhist techniques, while Tang Xiong’s inquiry confirmed that the mountain-cave statues were considered the sect’s largest.

• Duan Rong overheard rumors about a civet cat at Mountain Statue Cave and learned that the guard monk’s report had been dismissed, leaving him unaware as the story spread in distorted forms.
• Duan Rong asked Tang Xiong whether the Mountain Body Divine Statue cave held the sect’s largest statues, then told him to secure Dharma Academy artifact-repair work and quietly ask Yu Dai the same question.
• Duan Rong questioned craftsmen about the statues, but they all said the Mountain Body Divine Statues were the largest, leaving him unsure whether the Great Vajra Realm Mandala’s later techniques had been lost.
• Tang Xiong visited Yu Dai, used gossip about the alleged cat demon to ask about the mountain-cave statues, and heard Yu Dai confirm they were the largest in the sect.
• Tang Xiong asked Yu Dai to assign his team the upcoming Dharma Academy artifact-repair work, and Yu Dai agreed.

After leaving the Dharma Appearance Sect and returning to Taiyi Sect, Duan Rong returned Jiang Hanyan’s Black Stripe Token and reconciled with her. He then asked Zhu He to requisition craftsmen and help turn the sect’s Mountain Body Divine Statues into painted statues so he could prepare to cultivate the next four levels of the Great Vajra Realm Mandala.

• Duan Rong left the Dharma Appearance Sect at year-end, parted from Tang Xiong outside Xidu Prefecture, and returned to Taiyi Sect for the New Year.
• Duan Rong visited the Judgment and Rectification Department, declined to take charge of its affairs, and learned that Jiang Hanyan had refused to meet him.
• Duan Rong entered Jiang Hanyan’s room at Sky Pillar Peak, returned her Black Stripe Token, and told her about his journey into the Dharma Appearance Sect.
• Duan Rong went to Cloud Floating Peak and waited for Zhu He after the Hall of Elders meeting ended.
• Duan Rong asked Zhu He to requisition craftsmen from the Stonecutters' Workshop and Weaponry Workshop and to let him turn the four Mountain Body Divine Statues into painted divine statues.
• Zhu He agreed to arrange the craftsmen and told Duan Rong that he would need to consult Mr. Chu about the statues.

Duan Rong persuaded Chu Wushang and Lü Yinlin to let him alter the sect’s abandoned Mountain Body Divine Statue, claiming he wanted to explore a twenty-third level of the Garbha Sutra. He went to the statue’s valley to deal with its guard, Wei Yan, who welcomed him warmly because Duan Rong had captured Fu Yi and destroyed the Filthy Blood Sect.

• Duan Rong told Chu Wushang that he had reached the Mid Cave Illumination Realm after choosing miasma as his medium, then asked to turn the Mountain Body Divine Statue into a painted statue to explore a twenty-third level of the Garbha Sutra.
• Chu Wushang agreed to let Duan Rong use the nearly abandoned statue and went to inform Lü Yinlin.
• Lü Yinlin doubted Duan Rong could create a cultivation method but became wary after recalling the painted divine statues of the Dharma Appearance Sect, so he ordered Chu Wushang to report on Duan Rong’s work each day.
• Duan Rong headed to the statue’s valley, where Elder Wei Yan was guarding the site.
• Wei Yan greeted Duan Rong respectfully because he admired him for capturing Fu Yi and uprooting the Filthy Blood Sect.

Duan Rong secured Wei Yan’s approval to paint the sect’s Mountain Body Divine Statues, then prepared the elaborate implements needed for his Great Vajra Realm Mandala rite. He painted the four statues while Taipu Hall’s craftsmen began making the ritual items, and the chapter ended with Chu Wushang abruptly leaving the valley after Wei Yan remarked that he would rather die sooner.

• Duan Rong invited Wei Yan to drink, and Wei Yan agreed to let him paint the four Mountain Body Divine Statues because Duan Rong had captured Fu Yi.
• Duan Rong spent more than a month in seclusion drawing blueprints for hundreds of ritual implements, then assigned the work to Taipu Hall’s workshops for delivery within two months.
• Duan Rong brought craftsmen and pigments to the statues and began painting the Immovable Wisdom King, impressing Wei Yan with his precise brushwork.
• Ten days later, the four statues were nearly finished, and Wei Yan and Chu Wushang discussed Duan Rong’s work and its purpose.
• After Wei Yan said he would rather be taken away sooner, Chu Wushang transformed into a streak of Black Ray and left the valley.

Duan Rong gathered ninety-nine people and trained them to perform a Buddhist ritual at the sect’s four Mountain Body Divine Statues so he could cultivate the Great Vajra Realm Mandala. With Jiang Hanyan’s help, the musicians learned their parts, and Duan Rong began the ritual as soon as the training was complete.

• Duan Rong inspected the completed magical artifacts, arranged them in a valley pavilion, and realized he needed musicians to perform the ritual’s Buddhist Chants.
• Duan Rong visited Jiang Hanyan at Sky Pillar Peak and asked her to find twelve disciples who could play music; Jiang Hanyan agreed to bring them in three days.
• Jiang Hanyan brought twelve female disciples to the valley, where Duan Rong trained ninety-nine people and explained the ritual formations.
• Jiang Hanyan studied the scores and trained the disciples to play the ritual instruments while Duan Rong drilled the other participants for more than half a month.
• Chu Wushang and Wei Yan watched the solemn ritual from a mountain peak, and Duan Rong began cultivating the Great Vajra Realm Mandala immediately afterward.

Duan Rong began cultivating the Great Vajra Realm Mandala, joining the ritual in the valley with the inner Altar City in his Luminous Consciousness Sea and rapidly strengthening his Mental Strength. After the Tree Spirit Light Sea ran dry and the cultivation became dangerously painful, he stopped; Lü Yinlin had witnessed the ritual and ordered Chu Wushang and Wei Yan to keep watching him.

• Duan Rong began the Great Vajra Realm Mandala ritual as Jiang Hanyan and the female disciples provided Buddhist Chants while craftsmen and Guards circled the altar.
• Duan Rong formed the inner Altar City, which reflected the valley’s outer Altar City, and felt his Mental Strength grow as tree-spirit light threads tempered the pain in his divine soul.
• Chu Wushang summoned Lü Yinlin, who recognized a profound Buddhist ritual and told him and Wei Yan to report any changes in Duan Rong’s cultivation.
• Duan Rong’s Tree Spirit Light Sea was depleted, the divine-soul pain became unbearable, and he ended his meditation, causing the golden barrier to vanish.
• Duan Rong dismissed the exhausted procession, thanked Jiang Hanyan for her help, and invited her to drink, but she declined because she was tired.
• Duan Rong joined Wei Yan for wine after Chu Wushang departed, joking about the exhausting preparations.

Duan Rong continued cultivating in the valley, using the rituals and Buddhist chants to deepen his practice until flames arose around him. Lü Yinlin recognized the flames as the Dharma Appearance Sect’s supreme secret art, the Great Bright Flame, and wondered how Duan Rong had learned it.

• Wei Yan shared wine and roasted Mountain Pheasants with Duan Rong, who recounted how he had tracked Fu Yi through a chain of clues.
• Duan Rong gathered ancient tree spirits in his Luminous Consciousness Sea and continued his daily cultivation in the valley.
• After a month, Chu Wushang noticed swastika symbols and rosy radiance appearing inside Duan Rong’s golden barrier, and he reported the change to Lü Yinlin.
• The repeated Buddhist rituals gradually nourished the divine souls of Jiang Hanyan, Wei Yan, and the people participating in the procession.
• Two months later, flames surrounded Duan Rong as he meditated, and the ritual’s chants and ceremony deeply affected Wei Yan and Chu Wushang.
• Lü Yinlin arrived and recognized Duan Rong’s three-layered flames as the Great Bright Flame, then wondered where Duan Rong had learned the difficult secret art.

Duan Rong completed the first four levels of the Great Vajra Realm Mandala and left the sect to test how much his Mental Strength could grow by devouring powerful Artifact Spirits. After devouring the Dragon King Statue in the Guan River, he absorbed its Law of Power and entered the Miao Village Deep Mountain to begin hunting Idol Spirits.

• Duan Rong completed the first four levels of the Great Vajra Realm Mandala, ending the valley ritual and surprising the workers who had come to appreciate its benefits.
• Duan Rong told Chu Wushang he would leave for an unknown period, then bade farewell to Xiao Yu and Lü Qingzhu before departing the sect.
• Duan Rong recalled that each level from 22 to 25 had raised his Mental Strength by two levels, and set out to test his ability to devour Artifact Spirits with up to Ten Thousand Years of Incense.
• Duan Rong found the Dragon King Statue beneath the Guan River, confirmed that he met its devouring requirement, and devoured its Four Thousand Years of Incense Artifact Spirit.
• Duan Rong hid in his old mountain cave and spent more than twenty days absorbing the statue's Law of Power, strengthening over ten Laws within his Cave of Darkness.
• Duan Rong entered the Miao Village Deep Mountain and began searching for Idol Spirits with Four Thousand Years of Incense before moving on to older ones.

Duan Rong advanced to Late Cave Illumination Realm Perfection by devouring Idol Spirits, then found a Ten Thousand Years of Incense spirit whose effect hinted at the Nascent Soul Realm. Unwilling to risk wasting it without understanding how to advance, he returned to Taiyi Sect to seek Old Ancestor Lü Yinlin.

• Duan Rong devoured Idol Spirits while cultivating in the Miao Village Deep Mountain miasma and reached the Late Cave Illumination Realm.
• After consuming Idol Spirits with eight thousand and nine thousand years of Incense, Duan Rong attained Late Cave Illumination Realm Perfection.
• Duan Rong found a Ten Thousand Years of Incense Idol Spirit and read that it could exhaust the Law's extreme and nurture the embryonic form of a Dao Body Primordial Spirit.
• Duan Rong decided not to devour the rare spirit until he understood the Nascent Soul Realm and returned to Taiyi Sect to ask Old Ancestor Lü Yinlin.
• Chu Wushang sensed Duan Rong's realm and was astonished, then told him that Old Ancestor was in the valley.

Duan Rong asked Lü Yinlin how to condense a Nascent Soul after achieving Late Cave Illumination Realm Perfection in just over a year. Lü Yinlin explained the four steps, gave him records detailing the latter three, and revealed that the valley’s formation was the sect’s Nascent Soul Formation Array.

• Duan Rong told Lü Yinlin that he had reached Late Cave Illumination Realm Perfection while comprehending miasma in the Miao Village Deep Mountain.
• Lü Yinlin explained that breaking through all Law of Power allowed the Dao Body to emerge, after which Spiritual Sense could form and nurture a Nascent Soul within it.
• Duan Rong restated the four steps, and Lü Yinlin gave him beast-hide records explaining the latter three while saying he had to comprehend the first himself.
• Lü Yinlin revealed that a great talisman formation covered the valley and that the Azure Pine was its core.
• Lü Yinlin told Duan Rong that the formation was Taiyi Sect’s Nascent Soul Formation Array.

Duan Rong struggled to understand Lü Yinlin’s explanation of the third state, then found an insight while contemplating a dead fish and the dawn sky. Believing he was ready to explore a new world, he returned to the Miao Village Deep Mountain and began devouring the ancient idol’s spirit.

• Lü Yinlin explained that the Dao Body lay between emptiness and existence, and Duan Rong spent the night pondering how to comprehend it.
• Duan Rong went to reunite with Shen'er and Qian'er but turned back after realizing the poisons on his clothes could harm them.
• After bathing in a forest spring, Duan Rong saw a dead carp and meditated on it for three days.
• At dawn, Duan Rong connected the fish’s white belly with the Fish Belly White sky and gained a new understanding of Lü Yinlin’s words.
• Duan Rong flew to the Miao Village Deep Mountain, examined the Nuopo Stone Carving Divine Statue’s artifact information, and chose to devour its Idol Spirit of Ten Thousand Years of Incense.

Duan Rong broke through contemplation by absorbing an Idol Spirit of Ten Thousand Years of Incense, then devoured five more to aid his Nascent Soul formation. Lü Yinlin activated the sect’s Nascent Soul Formation Array, and Duan Rong prepared to begin forming his Nascent Soul beneath the Azure Pine Tree.

• Duan Rong spent two months meditating in the Dense Forest and broke through contemplation, bringing forth his Dao body.
• Duan Rong read Lü Yinlin’s animal-skin instructions and decided to consume the remaining five Idol Spirits of Ten Thousand Years of Incense before returning to the sect.
• Duan Rong told Lü Yinlin that he had broken through contemplation, and Lü Yinlin confirmed his enlightenment by examining his Dantian and hearing his insight.
• Duan Rong asked to form his Nascent Soul immediately, and Lü Yinlin agreed after warning that the grand array could not be activated again for thirty years.
• Lü Yinlin positioned five artifacts above the valley and began activating the Nascent Soul Formation Array around Duan Rong and the Azure Pine Tree.

Lü Yinlin activated the Taiyi Sect’s Nascent Soul Formation Array to help Duan Rong condense his Nascent Soul, drawing immense amounts of Heaven and Earth Essence Qi into the valley. The array produced Essence Milk for Duan Rong, while the disturbance alarmed the sect; Chu Wushang explained that the phenomenon would continue for one or two months and ordered the disciples to disperse.

• Lü Yinlin used his Seed Character to shatter the Green Light Net and activate the Nascent Soul Formation Array, while the Azure Pine released floating rune-covered needles.
• Duan Rong meditated as Essence Qi poured into the valley, and Lü Yinlin saw Duan Rong’s soul origin appear within his Dantian as a Pristine Glass Body.
• The array compressed Essence Qi through the Pine Needle Tornado and produced a drop of Essence Milk, which Duan Rong swallowed to nourish his soul origin.
• Zhu He, Lin Youjian, Liu Su, and other Taiyi Sect members noticed the vast Essence Qi surge and gathered near Lü Yinlin’s valley.
• Chu Wushang relayed Lü Yinlin’s explanation that the array’s phenomenon would last one or two months, then Zhu He ordered the elders and disciples to disperse.
• Zhu He suspected that the disturbance might be connected to Duan Rong, who had been absent from view for several days.

Duan Rong used Essence Milk to dissolve his Pristine Glass Body and, aided by the Idol Spirits of Ten Thousand Years of Incense, formed a Cocoon Room around the rudiment of his primordial spirit. After the formation stopped, Lü Yinlin protected him while his Nascent Soul continued to grow inside the cocoon.

• Duan Rong refined the Pristine Glass Body with Essence Milk until it dissolved and his spiritual sense entered the Dao Body.
• Duan Rong absorbed the Idol Spirits of Ten Thousand Years of Incense, causing Essence Milk to form a Cocoon Room around the rudiment of his primordial spirit.
• Lü Yinlin watched in astonishment as the rudiment grew rapidly within the Cocoon Room, which eventually became too thick for his spiritual sense to penetrate.
• Lü Yinlin collected the Essence Milk, removed the formation's artifacts, and stopped the valley's great formation after Duan Rong's Cocoon Room had fully condensed.
• Lü Yinlin used the Azure Pine Tree to protect Duan Rong while his Nascent Soul continued forming inside the Cocoon Room.

Duan Rong completed his Nascent Soul formation in only three months, reaching the Nascent Soul Realm Initial Stage and astonishing Lü Yinlin. Lü Yinlin gave him a booklet, told him to keep his breakthrough secret, and prepared to hand the sect’s responsibilities over to him.

• Lü Yinlin summoned Chu Wushang, who realized that Duan Rong had caused the heavenly phenomenon by forming a Nascent Soul.
• Chu Wushang investigated rumors across the Nine Provinces and learned that rival sects were spreading them to probe Taiyi Sect.
• After three months beneath the Azure Pine, Duan Rong’s Cocoon Room shed its membranes and revealed his newly formed Nascent Soul.
• Duan Rong summoned his Nascent Soul, and Lü Yinlin saw that it had reached the Nascent Soul Realm Initial Stage despite forming in only two months.
• Lü Yinlin gave Duan Rong a booklet on the Nascent Soul Realm and seed characters, then instructed him to meet at midnight three days later and keep his breakthrough secret.
• Lü Yinlin watched Duan Rong leave and resolved to pass the burden of leading Taiyi Sect to him.

Duan Rong returned to the Lü Family Estate and tried to make up for years of neglect by spending time with Lü Qingzhu, Shen'er, and Qian'er. He revealed that he had reached the Nascent Soul Realm, then began personally teaching the boys calligraphy, leaving Xiao Yu touched by the sight.

• Duan Rong returned to the Lü Family Estate, played Chinese chess with Shen'er and Qian'er, and learned from Lü Zhongtang that Zhu He had asked about him and the anomaly in the Changliu Mountain Range.
• Duan Rong and Lü Qingzhu shared a quiet evening, and he told her that he had reached the Nascent Soul Realm.
• Duan Rong showed Lü Qingzhu his Main Body Nascent Soul, which spoke and returned to his Dantian after she curiously examined it.
• Duan Rong tested Shen'er and Qian'er's calligraphy, gave Qian'er the Eight Principles of Yong to practice, and personally taught Shen'er.
• Duan Rong also guided Qian'er through the Eight Principles of Yong, while Xiao Yu watched and felt moved.

After attaining the Nascent Soul Realm, Duan Rong reflected on his new freedom and spoke with Zhu He about the heavenly phenomenon surrounding his breakthrough. Three days later, Lü Yinlin made Duan Rong the next Taiyi Sect Old Ancestor, and Duan Rong agreed to inherit Lü Yinlin’s Nightmare Seed puppets despite his misgivings.

• Duan Rong read Lü Yinlin’s booklet on wielding a Dao body and refining Seed Characters, and felt at peace with his Nascent Soul Realm breakthrough.
• Zhu He visited Duan Rong to ask whether he had been in the valley during the heavenly phenomenon, and Duan Rong said Lü Yinlin had forbidden him from discussing it.
• Duan Rong and Xiao Yu drank tea together and reminisced about their time in Xiangu County.
• Lü Yinlin told Duan Rong to take over as Taiyi Sect Old Ancestor, and Duan Rong accepted the position after hearing Lü Yinlin had only five hundred years of lifespan remaining.
• Lü Yinlin revealed that he had more than a hundred Nightmare Seed puppets monitoring the sect and offered them to Duan Rong, who agreed to take them over.

Duan Rong took control of Lü Yinlin’s Nightmare Seed puppets across the Taiyi Sect, while Lü Yinlin prepared to reveal the truth about a recent phenomenon at a Hall of Elders meeting. The meeting erupted when Lü Yinlin announced that someone had formed a Nascent Soul in the valley’s formation array.

• Lü Yinlin guided Duan Rong through refining the Nightmare Seeds in more than a hundred puppets, including Wu Shidao, transferring their allegiance to Duan Rong.
• Duan Rong realized the puppets let him monitor thoughts throughout the sect, and Lü Yinlin urged him to cultivate a successor such as Gu Daoling.
• Chu Wushang delivered Lü Yinlin’s order for the elders of every peak to attend a Hall of Elders meeting, leaving Zhu He worried about the Old Ancestor’s intentions.
• Duan Rong arrived at the meeting and sat beside Zhu He before Lü Yinlin appeared in the Old Ancestor’s seat.
• Lü Yinlin revealed that the phenomenon three months earlier had been caused by someone forming a Nascent Soul in the valley’s Nascent Soul Formation Array, shocking the assembled elders.

Duan Rong was revealed as the Taiyi Sect’s new Nascent Soul Realm Old Ancestor after Lü Yinlin stepped down and entered seclusion. At the Lü Family Estate, Duan Rong privately showed Zhu He his Main Body Nascent Soul, confirming that he had truly formed one.

• Lü Yinlin named Duan Rong as the cultivator who had formed a Nascent Soul and yielded the Old Ancestor’s seat to him.
• Duan Rong accepted the position, told the elders to manage the sect as before, and left for the Lü Family Estate while Lü Yinlin withdrew to the Secluded Valley.
• The elders speculated that the heavenly phenomenon might have been a scheme to make the Nine Provinces sects believe Taiyi Sect had two Nascent Soul cultivators, and Zhu He left without confirming anything.
• Zhu He visited Duan Rong at the Lü Family Estate and demanded to know whether he had truly formed a Nascent Soul.
• Duan Rong took Zhu He to a Dense Forest and revealed his Main Body Nascent Soul, leaving Zhu He stunned.