Chapter Summaries

Luo Bin and the others fled as the feng shui snake carried the Feathered Benevolent Corpse toward Flood Dragon Mountain’s summit, triggering a violent upheaval. Lightning struck the summit, and both figures vanished as the mountain shook.

• Xu Lu, Luo Bin, Zhang Yunxi, and Hu Jin saw the snake and the Feathered Benevolent Corpse risk everything after the corpse core and snake gall were removed, so they hurried away.
• Zhang Yunxi led the group down the mountain as the Yin Dragon Water surged upward and the weather turned violent.
• Luo Bin and the others reached the crowded foot of Flood Dragon Mountain and watched the snake and Feathered Benevolent Corpse approach the summit.
• Zhang Xiyun announced that the moment had come, and lightning struck the summit as the snake and human figure disappeared.
• The mountain shook with a deafening rumble while Xu Lu blamed the Snake Water Feng Shui and its cave of snake ghosts.

After the lightning destroyed the feng shui snake and the Benevolent Corpse, Luo Bin learned that Yuan Yinxin had absorbed much of the Corpse Core's life force through an opening in him, growing stronger and escaping Ba Xiao. Zhang Yunxi questioned Luo Bin about where he had gone, and Luo Bin asked whether a person could use a self-cast divination hexagram to change what it foretold.

• Zhang Yunxi, Luo Bin, and Hu Jin concluded that the mountain was safe, while Xu Lu and Hu Jin went up to investigate.
• Zhang Yunxi described Yuan Yinxin's oppressive presence and explained that Yuan Yinxin had absorbed excess life force from Luo Bin, accounting for his escape and increased strength.
• Luo Bin realized he had unintentionally helped Yuan Yinxin grow stronger and worried that Yuan Yinxin might now control the newly strengthened Ba Xiao.
• Zhang Yunxi asked Luo Bin where he had gone and urged him to reveal anything that could help protect him.
• Luo Bin asked Zhang Yunxi whether someone could use a first hexagram cast for himself to correct its warning and change what happened.

Luo Bin and Zhang Yunxi returned to Coiled Snake Town, where Luo Bin chose not to reveal the danger surrounding his soul and body. In the Underground Palace, Shangguan Xingyue discovered that one of Dai Zhixiong’s disciples had died and was confronted by a shadowy figure, while Zhang Yunxi secretly realized Luo Bin’s troubles were exceptionally dangerous.

• Zhang Yunxi led Luo Bin back through the quiet streets, while Luo Bin kept his soul-related affairs secret to protect him.
• In the Underground Palace, Shangguan Xingyue gave pills to the mistress’s corpse and learned that the seventh lamp representing Dai Zhixiong’s disciples had gone out.
• Shangguan Xingyue fed pills to the former palace lords and the corpse sections in the Alchemy Furnaces, where a righteous sword stood beside three coffins.
• A shadowy man failed to possess Shangguan Xingyue and ordered her to fetch a senior brother, while seven figures gathered near the coffins and discussed turning her into a Human Pill.
• Back in Coiled Snake Town, Luo Bin told Zhang Yunxi he could not yet explain where he had gone, and Zhang Yunxi agreed to help if the hidden danger became too great.
• After Luo Bin left, Zhang Yunxi revealed that his blood-red fate-suppressing coin had nearly shattered when he questioned Luo Bin, confirming that Luo Bin faced exceptional danger.

Luo Bin concluded that Yuan Yinxin had withheld parts of the inheritance and could not possess or observe him without limits. After the feng shui at Snake Ridge stabilized and the group celebrated, Xu Lu asked Luo Bin to trade possession talismans to speak with Fourth Master Gray, prompting Hu Jin to react with hostility.

• Luo Bin inspected his Gu and corpse core, questioned the limits of Yuan Yinxin's possession, and tried unsuccessfully to use the talisman array and hand seal to return to his original body.
• Luo Bin realized that Yuan Yinxin had kept techniques from the inheritance and that Shangguan Xingyue had been used as a tool while Yuan Kong was the disciple he trusted.
• Xu Lu and Hu Jin described how the failed transformations had sent the lower Snake Ridge into the dragon yin water, allowing a jiao to emerge and stabilizing the feng shui.
• The group ate and drank together as Xu Lu celebrated their success and Fourth Master Gray eagerly drank from Luo Bin's cup.
• Xu Lu asked Luo Bin to trade possession talismans so he could communicate with Fourth Master Gray, and Hu Jin seized the wine bottle and challenged him.

After Xu Lu failed to persuade Fourth Master Gray to teach him, Luo Bin confirmed he would travel with Bai Xian to Divine Firmament Mountain, hoping to find the origins of primordial calculation. Meanwhile, Huang Zhili used He Lianxin in a new attempt to summon Luo Bin’s soul.

• Xu Lu asked Luo Bin to help him learn the Gray Immortal Spirit-Inviting Talisman, but Fourth Master Gray bit him, and Zhang Yunxi explained how Hu Xing had died after giving Luo Bin the talisman.
• Zhang Yunxi arranged to accompany Hu Jin to the Nether Market in Jinyang, while Luo Bin and Bai Xian planned to leave for Divine Firmament Mountain after resting overnight.
• Luo Bin asked Bai Xian about primordial calculation and learned she knew little about its vanished founding sect and could not grant him access to Divine Firmament Mountain’s restricted library.
• Luo Bin confirmed he would travel with Bai Xian, then fell asleep; Fourth Master Gray went to Xu Lu and appeared to invite him to Luo Bin’s room.
• Outside Nanping City, Huang Zhili chained He Lianxin to the Night Watch statue and whipped her until she called for Luo Bin, hoping to summon his soul and find a lead to Kong An.

Huang Zhili tried to force He Lianxin to summon Luo Bin’s soul, but she refused to help him harm her son. Xu Lu stopped the soul-summoning attempt and gave Luo Bin protective talismans, while Fourth Master Gray urged Luo Bin to ask Xu Lu about Innate Calculation; Luo Bin went to sleep still wondering about his dreams of his birth mother.

• Huang Zhili ordered He Lianxin to summon Luo Bin’s soul, but she refused and said she would not drag her son down.
• He Lianxin clawed the Night Watch’s face when it tried to devour her.
• Xu Lu found Luo Bin under a soul-summoning spell and used a Five Sacred Mountains Life-Suppressing Talisman to wake him.
• Xu Lu gave Luo Bin a string of Aperture-Guarding Soul-Calming Talismans and suspected Six Yin Mountain had targeted him through his home.
• Fourth Master Gray signaled that Luo Bin should ask Xu Lu about the sect that practiced Innate Calculation, but Luo Bin decided to wait until morning.
• Luo Bin went back to bed and dreamed of his birth mother again.

Luo Bin prepared to leave with Zhang Yunxi and Hu Jin, then asked Xu Lu to join him in seeking the Mountain Gate of Primordial Calculation. Bai Xian agreed, while she privately noticed a strange change in her meditation that might signal her realm was loosening.

• Xu Lu gave Luo Bin a Tang Suit and explained why he planned to stay away from his Mountain Gate until he achieved emergence from darkness.
• Zhang Yunxi and Hu Jin departed, leaving Shen Dong to drive Luo Bin and offering help through the Nether Market.
• Luo Bin asked Xu Lu to guide him toward the old Mountain Gate of Primordial Calculation and offered to let him travel with them.
• Xu Lu accepted the offer, and Bai Xian agreed to let him join their journey.
• Bai Xian reflected that meditation had become easier and wondered whether her realm was beginning to loosen.

Bai Xian wrestled with her feelings about her past and developed signs of both Daoist and Buddhist destinies as Luo Bin examined her physiognomy. After she carried Bai Guanli’s corpse back toward Divine Firmament Mountain, Luo Bin and Xu Lu stayed in a nearby village, where He Lianxin appeared beside Luo Bin as he slept and attacked him.

• Bai Xian questioned whether her humiliation mattered and noticed colored lights when she shielded her eyes from the sun.
• Luo Bin spotted a new mole and a fuller forehead on Bai Xian, reading them as signs of Daoist and Buddhist destinies, but kept his interpretation to himself.
• Xu Lu gathered his bags, and the three traveled for about four days before reaching a village near Divine Firmament Mountain.
• Bai Xian left with Bai Guanli’s wrapped corpse, while Xu Lu rented a courtyard and Luo Bin sent Shen Dong away for his safety.
• Luo Bin drew three Immortal Ash Spirit-Summoning Talismans with Fourth Master Gray’s blood and later fell asleep.
• He Lianxin appeared as a black-vapor shrouded ghost, called Luo Bin’s name, and sucked at the crown of his head.

After He Lianxin’s ghost tried to pull out Luo Bin’s soul, he suspected someone was using his birth mother to summon him and grew wary of Mr. Mao. The next day, Xu Lu told him how the Innate Diviners had helped other sects evade Heaven before vanishing themselves, leaving Luo Bin to consider the history of his school.

• He Lianxin appeared beside Luo Bin’s bed and tried to pull out his soul, but the heat in his chest drove her back before Xu Lu entered.
• Luo Bin concluded that someone was summoning his soul through a close relative, and Xu Lu gave him three Heavenly Origin Soul-Stabilizing Talismans.
• Luo Bin suspected Mr. Mao might be behind the summoning and decided to keep He Lianxin’s soul from disappearing if it appeared again.
• The next morning, Luo Bin read about black shell sixty-four celestial calculations while Xu Lu invited him to play chess and discuss primordial calculation.
• Xu Lu explained that the Innate Diviners had helped Taoist temples hide from Heaven, but vanished before finding a better site for their own sect grounds.

Luo Bin and Xu Lu waited for Bai Xian and Fourth Master Gray before Bai Ying arrived to escort them into Divine Firmament Mountain. After traveling through the mountains, they reached its three pillar-like peaks, where Bai Ying knocked them unconscious and had them carried inside.

• Luo Bin reasoned that Primordial Calculation's old Mountain Gate had suffered some disaster but might still hold clues, while its new Mountain Gate could belong to him.
• After five days passed without Bai Xian or Fourth Master Gray returning, Bai Ying arrived and summoned Luo Bin and Xu Lu to Divine Firmament Mountain.
• Luo Bin and Xu Lu followed Bai Ying for about two days until they reached three towering peaks that resembled incense sticks.
• Bai Ying demanded that Luo Bin and Xu Lu cooperate, then struck them both unconscious as Taoists arrived with stretchers.
• The Taoists carried Luo Bin and Xu Lu away and noticed a toad sitting on Luo Bin's chest.

Luo Bin was questioned by the perfected masters of Divine Firmament Mountain about Bai Su, the Five Thunder Pestle, and Bai Guanli’s expedition. He learned that a gu worm had emerged from Bai Xian, and Bai Xiaoshan allowed him to see her while warning that any lie exposed then would bring the Wrath of the Five Thunders.

• Luo Bin woke in an abbey courtyard with Xu Lu and waited until Bai Ying came to escort him to a hall.
• Bai Xiaoshan identified himself as Bai Guanli’s Revered Master and asked Luo Bin to swear that he would tell the truth about Divine Firmament Mountain.
• Luo Bin explained how he recovered the Five Thunder Pestle and recounted the events in Lord Mo Di’s tomb, denying that he had deliberately endangered Bai Guanli.
• Luo Bin answered questions confirming that Kong An had severed Bai Su’s arm and returned the Rainbow Pill, while Bai Xiaoshan said Bai Su’s account conflicted with Bai Xian’s.
• Bai Xiaoshan revealed that a gu worm had emerged from Bai Xian and that her behavior changed afterward, prompting Luo Bin to demand to see her.
• Bai Xiaoshan agreed to let Luo Bin see Bai Xian but warned that if he had lied, the Taoist oath of annihilation by the Five Thunders would take effect.

Gonpo was taken to Gula Temple after surviving the deaths of his parents and brother-in-law, then revealed himself as a reincarnated Living Buddha. At Divine Firmament Mountain, Luo Bin realized the worm in Bai Xian was tied to Kong An’s Bright Consort ritual and used the Golden Silkworm Gu to intervene, while the perfected masters outside grew more suspicious.

• A monk brought Gonpo to Gula Temple after Lao Ebu explained that the boy had lost his parents and his sister had gone mad.
• Gonpo touched the monk’s head and recited a Buddhist verse, prompting the monk to recognize him as a Tulku and prostrate himself.
• Luo Bin entered the hall to meet Bai Xian, who knelt before him and spoke with unsettling devotion.
• Bai Xiaoshan stopped the other perfected masters from entering as they argued over whether Luo Bin had controlled Bai Xian and helped Three Perils Mountain.
• Luo Bin concluded that Kong An’s worm had conditioned Bai Xian as his Bright Consort, then released the Golden Silkworm Gu near her.
• The perfected masters accused Luo Bin of collecting Gu insects, but Bai Xiaoshan continued blocking the doorway.

Luo Bin used a corpse core and the sunfire truth hexagram to save Bai Xian, whose hidden identity as Black City's New Temple's Bright Consort transformed her aptitude. Bai Xiaoshan accepted their account, condemned Bai Su, and ordered the area sealed as Bai Xian approached a breakthrough while Luo Bin collapsed from exhaustion.

• The Golden Silkworm Gu failed to resolve Bai Xian's condition, and Luo Bin used a corpse core to keep her alive as her skin cracked and she began to bleed.
• Luo Bin carried Bai Xian to a clearing and arranged Jade Turtle Talismans in the Sixteen Hexagrams of the Li Palace, placing her in the sunfire truth hexagram.
• Luo Bin invoked sunfire truth, and Bai Xian sat up with a Daoist countenance as her aura changed dramatically.
• Bai Xiaoshan realized Bai Xian and Luo Bin had told the truth, denounced Bai Su for betraying his junior sister and Master, and ordered the area sealed.
• Bai Xiaoshan sent a Perfected One to carry the exhausted Luo Bin away while the gathered Taoists watched Bai Xian approach a possible breakthrough.

After recovering from his ordeal, Luo Bin learned that Bai Xian remained unconscious and still faced a threat from the insects inside her. Divine Firmament Mountain treated him with new respect, but Bai Xiaoshan’s request to see the Rainbow Pill left Luo Bin worried that the Grandmaster’s condition had worsened.

• Luo Bin woke after a long sleep and found that the Golden Silkworm Gu had cocooned itself around the Corpse Core, while his Jade Turtle Talisman was gone.
• Xu Lu told Luo Bin that the Real Person had brought him back and used an Aperture-Guarding Soul-Calming Talisman to keep his soul from leaving his body.
• Luo Bin recounted what had happened and worried that the insects inside Bai Xian remained dangerous even after Kong An’s death.
• Bai Ying escorted Luo Bin to meet Bai Xiaoshan, while Xu Lu was ordered to remain in the courtyard.
• Bai Xiaoshan returned the upgraded Five Thunder Pestle and asked whether Luo Bin’s Innate Divination lineage had settled on Three Perils Mountain.
• Luo Bin asked to see Bai Xian, but Bai Xiaoshan said she had not awakened and asked him to bring out the Rainbow Pill for the Abbey Master Real Person.

Luo Bin told Bai Xiaoshan he could not extract a Rainbow Pill and revealed that Kong An’s worms still endangered Bai Xian. After Divine Firmament Mountain freed Luo Bin and Xu Lu to move around Jade Clarity Peak, they encountered the chained Bai Su, whom Xu Lu mocked and examined.

• Luo Bin discussed the paths beyond the Three Corpses with Bai Xiaoshan, who explained that Yin Spirit Projection required complete enlightenment while the path to Yang Spirit Projection could involve a Rainbow Pill.
• Bai Xiaoshan said Luo Bin and Xu Lu could move freely within Jade Clarity Peak, and that Bai Su would face the Abbey Master’s judgment.
• Luo Bin warned Bai Xiaoshan that the worms affecting Bai Xian were not Gu Worms and might remain a danger after her breakthrough.
• Luo Bin returned to the courtyard and told Xu Lu they were no longer confined, so Xu Lu eagerly pulled him out to explore Divine Firmament Mountain.
• Luo Bin and Xu Lu saw Red-Robed Taoists escorting the chained Bai Su, who lunged at Luo Bin and threatened to kill him.
• Xu Lu accused Bai Su of betrayal and deceit, then stepped closer to inspect him and see whether he was a woman.

Xu Lu provoked four red-robed Taoists into taking Bai Su away, then accompanied Luo Bin around Jade Clarity Peak, where Luo Bin glimpsed an unknown purple-robed Real Person. That evening, Bai Ying led Luo Bin to another peak, where they encountered a Yin-Yang Practitioner.

• Xu Lu humiliated Bai Su and told the red-robed Taoists that suppressing their anger could let corpse worms harm them, prompting them to seize Bai Su.
• Xu Lu and Luo Bin visited the clearing where Bai Xian meditated, and Xu Lu remarked that An Kong's sacrifice had helped her.
• Luo Bin spotted an unknown purple-robed Real Person watching him before the figure vanished, making him reconsider Divine Firmament Mountain's strength.
• Xu Lu and Luo Bin toured Jade Clarity Peak and returned to their lodgings, where Bai Ying brought them dinner.
• Bai Ying led Luo Bin across a mountain ridge to another peak, where they met a tall, thin man in a Tang suit whom Luo Bin recognized as a Yin-Yang Practitioner.

Luo Bin met Divine Firmament Mountain’s Abbey Master Real Person, who offered to show him a secret that could help the Grandmaster recover from the Rainbow Pill. As the Abbott led Luo Bin into a hidden corridor, Chen Hongming collapsed before he could stop them, and Luo Bin sensed something was wrong.

• Chen Hongming greeted Luo Bin and said he had an idea that might help Divine Firmament Mountain recover the Rainbow Pill.
• At Thunder Leap Cliff, Bai Su begged Bai Zihua for mercy and claimed his achievements outweighed his crimes.
• Bai Zihua rejected Bai Su’s excuses and prepared to strike him with heavenly lightning, but Bai Su shouted that the Grandmaster still had a chance to live.
• The Abbey Master Real Person arrived and invited Luo Bin to see a secret place on Divine Firmament Mountain, while Chen Hongming went to fetch him.
• Chen Hongming collapsed under an invisible force as Luo Bin followed the Abbott into a hidden corridor and began to feel uneasy.

Luo Bin followed the Abbey Master into a strange valley, where he became separated from him and found himself surrounded by enormous Taoist halls. Meanwhile, Bai Zihua learned that a Yin Spirit Grandmaster had taken Luo Bin toward Wenqing Peak, but a barrier of worms and a mirror blocked the entrance.

• The Abbey Master guided Luo Bin through a dark corridor and into a spoon-shaped valley, where they discussed Bai Xian’s Sunfire Truth breakthrough.
• As the Abbey Master moved ahead, Luo Bin felt a presence behind him, resisted turning around, and discovered he was alone among towering Taoist halls and inscribed steles.
• Bai Zihua found Chen Hongming unconscious near the corridor; Chen said a Yin Spirit Grandmaster had knocked him out and led Luo Bin toward Wenqing Peak.
• Bai Zihua ordered Chen Hongming to summon the elders and went to enter the corridor, but found worms and a mirror forming a barrier.
• Bai Zihua left to seek help after realizing the passage to Wenqing Peak was blocked, while he considered why its Yin Spirit Grandmasters had lured Luo Bin there.

Luo Bin encountered dangerous apparitions on Wenqing Peak and relied on Yuan Yinxin to escape the illusion of Daoist halls that were actually graves. The old Daoist blocked his way out and confronted Yuan Yinxin, but Luo Bin suddenly regained control of his body as the conflict escalated.

• Luo Bin encountered a purple-robed Real Person whose voice struck at his consciousness, then followed a gentle female Real Person into another hall.
• Yuan Yinxin took control of Luo Bin's body, revealed the female Real Person as a dangerous old woman with a blood-colored worm, and used a hexagram to dispel the illusion.
• Luo Bin saw that the Daoist halls were graves and followed Yuan Yinxin toward the valley exit, but the shadowy old Daoist blocked his path and said he had not given permission to leave.
• The old Daoist struck Luo Bin and declared that he had entered Wenqing Peak's restricted grounds, then confronted Yuan Yinxin.
• Luo Bin took out a box containing two fingers as the old Daoist prepared to charge, but Luo Bin suddenly regained control of his body and stopped forming a hand seal.

Luo Bin survived Yuan Yinxin’s attempt to possess him but collapsed from the injuries it had concealed, while Divine Firmament Mountain weighed how to save its former Abbey Master from the corpse worms. Bai Zihua spared Bai Su and offered him one last chance, but Bai Su insisted that Luo Bin was the key and claimed Lord Mo Di wanted him to receive the Pill.

• Yuan Yinxin fled after Bai Zihua appeared, and Luo Bin followed Bai Zihua away from the graves and back to Divine Firmament Mountain’s main hall.
• Bai Zihua explained that the former Grandmaster had tried to possess Luo Bin, and Bai Xiaoshan took the injured Luo Bin away to be treated.
• Bai Zihua and Chen Hongming discussed the Grandmaster’s corpse worms, the threat of further Yin Spirit projections, and the possibility of using primordial calculation to restore his clarity.
• Bai Zihua found Bai Su kneeling at Thunder Leap Cliff and gave him one last chance to resolve the Grandmaster’s problem in exchange for sweeping First Ancestor Peak for sixty years.
• Bai Su insisted that Luo Bin was the chance to save the Grandmaster and claimed Lord Mo Di wanted Luo Bin to receive the Pill.