Chapter Summaries

Jiang Che survived the True Demon's attack and watched County Commandant Li, Steward Wei, and Du Yongchang defeat it in the temple. After the hall collapsed, he confirmed the shattered Buddha still held its azure light and thanked Du Yongchang for saving him, while Du ordered the crowd to search and burn demonic remnants.

• The True Demon escaped the headless Buddha's crushing hands, and County Commandant Li, Steward Wei, and Du Yongchang joined forces against it.
• Zhang Erguo and Hu Yan dragged Jiang Che out of the hall as the three Qi Refining masters battled the True Demon inside.
• Hu Yan explained that the masters had sent Embryonic Breath disciples in first to uncover the True Demon's tricks before confronting it.
• The temple's main hall collapsed, and the wounded masters emerged with Steward Wei holding the subdued Demon Sword, confirming the True Demon had been slain.
• Jiang Che saw that the shattered Buddha's azure light remained undiminished, then thanked Du Yongchang for saving his life with the Azure Cauldron.
• Du Yongchang ordered the crowd to search the ruins and burn everything tainted with demonic energy, and Jiang Che stepped forward to help.

After the battle at Little Hidden Temple, Jiang Che secretly absorbed the ruined Buddha statue’s green light and returned to Ailin with the surviving disciples. During his days off, he recovered his strength and entered the Buddha statue’s dream instance, awakening in a bamboo grove near the temple.

• Jiang Che covertly absorbed the green light from the ruined Buddha statue while helping clear the battlefield.
• Four days after the True Demon’s death, the cultivators returned to Ailin after finishing the cleanup and killing the remaining Demon Monsters; six of the seventeen Azure Mystic Registered Disciples had died.
• Jiang Che declined Hu Yan’s invitation to celebrate and spent two days meditating to restore his internal force.
• Jiang Che entered the Buddha statue instance in his consciousness space and heard its prologue about Master Chunji founding Little Hidden Temple.
• Jiang Che’s spiritual body shrank by about thirty percent as he entered the instance, and he awoke in a bamboo grove with Little Hidden Temple in view.

Jiang Che entered an instance dungeon set at the newly built Little Hidden Temple fourteen years before its ruins, where he met Master Chunji and his novice disciple Puxin. After accepting Chunji’s offer to stay overnight, Jiang Che grew anxious that he had yet to discover anything unusual about the dungeon.

• Jiang Che saw the Little Hidden Temple as it had been fourteen years earlier and met Master Chunji and Puxin on the mountain path.
• Puxin suspected Jiang Che of being a criminal, but Chunji defended him and invited him to stay at the temple for the night.
• Jiang Che accepted Chunji’s invitation and accompanied him and Puxin to the temple.
• Jiang Che ate a simple dinner, then followed Puxin to a western wing room and heard another warning not to wander at night.
• Jiang Che lay awake wondering how the instance dungeon would unfold and whether Chunji’s gentle manner was a clue.

Jiang Che discovered that Master Chunji was suppressing a demonic sword beneath the main hall, whose energy could eventually cause a Demon Calamity. As the sword erupted and monsters swarmed the temple’s protective boundary, Puxin rushed in and accused Jiang Che of bringing trouble.

• Jiang Che followed a golden light to the main hall and saw a demonic sword bound beneath the central Buddha statue.
• The sword’s influence briefly drew Jiang Che toward it, but Master Chunji shouted him back to his senses.
• Master Chunji explained that he had found the sword in a bamboo grove and was suppressing it to prevent a future Demon Calamity.
• The demonic sword began struggling, while monsters formed from the surrounding demonic energy and attacked the temple’s protective boundary.
• Puxin burst into the hall, warned Master Chunji about the monsters, and blamed Jiang Che for the trouble.

Jiang Che reasoned that he needed to help Master Chunji suppress the demon sword to improve the dungeon outcome, so he went outside the protective boundary to fight the demon monsters. He battled the growing horde near the barrier, and when a flying Transforming Force monster attacked, he was already prepared for it.

• Master Chunji shrank the protective boundary around the main hall as demon monsters attacked and the demon sword struggled against his suppression.
• Jiang Che concluded that he could improve the dungeon outcome by reducing Master Chunji’s burden, and persuaded him to let him fight outside the barrier.
• Jiang Che stepped outside and killed two ordinary demon monsters and an Embryonic Breath monster with his sword.
• More demon monsters, including several at Embryonic Breath and one at Transforming Force, swarmed Jiang Che as he fought with the barrier at his back and retreated inside when pressured.
• A Transforming Force monster with crippled wings launched an aerial ambush, but Jiang Che had spotted its wings and prepared for the attack.

Jiang Che fought demon monsters from within Master Chunji’s protective boundary until exhaustion forced him to stop, while the monsters steadily wore down Chunji’s power. Near dawn, the boundary and Buddha light suddenly dimmed, leaving the Demon Sword glowing in the darkness as Chunji’s suppression faltered.

• Jiang Che used the demon monsters’ momentum to kill the pouncing Transforming Force monster, then slew seven more before retreating behind the boundary.
• He repeatedly fought from the boundary’s edge for an hour, killing at least thirty monsters, including seven at the Embryonic Breath level, but suffered serious wounds and depleted nearly all his internal force.
• Master Chunji urged Jiang Che not to fight again, and Jiang Che chose to rest and observe while Puxin gave him half a flatbread.
• Over the next two hours, Jiang Che watched Chunji’s magical power waver and the Demon Sword struggle more fiercely, while Puxin grew anxious about his master.
• Just before dawn, the golden boundary, Buddha light, and oil lamps abruptly went dark, leaving only the Demon Sword’s eerie purple glow.

Jiang Che and Puxin watched Master Chunji sacrifice himself to suppress the demon sword and end the demon calamity. After the instance dungeon ended, Jiang Che received a seventh-rank Buddhist finger technique and resolved that what he could do for the dead monk lay in the years ahead.

• Jiang Che resisted the demon sword’s call and pulled Puxin away from it until Chunji returned and drove back the darkness.
• Chunji embraced the demon sword, sacrificing himself, and asked Jiang Che to seek reinforcements and look after Puxin.
• At dawn, the demon monsters and demonic qi vanished, and Jiang Che picked up the damaged sword as Puxin mourned Chunji.
• The instance dungeon ended, and Puxin cried out as Jiang Che’s figure disappeared.
• In the Consciousness Space, Jiang Che reflected on Chunji and Puxin before receiving the Candlelight Thousand-Jin Finger as his reward.

After receiving the Candlelight Thousand-Jin Finger from the instance, Jiang Che assessed its uses and considered how to explain possessing it. He then connected the Little Hidden Temple’s history to Ailin’s prophesied seven-year Demon Calamity, which might strike again this year.

• Jiang Che considered the D-Rank reward and recognized the Candlelight Thousand-Jin Finger as a powerful complement to the Azure Torrent Sword Art.
• Jiang Che noted that the instance had granted him preliminary mastery of the Buddhist technique, though his limited understanding of Buddhism would make further training difficult.
• Jiang Che concluded that the finger technique was not an Azure Mystic inheritance, so possessing it should not violate the sect’s rules.
• Jiang Che reconstructed how Chunji’s death in Xianxi Year Twenty-Two led to the Little Hidden Temple’s destruction and wondered what had happened to Puxin after being sent to seek help.
• Jiang Che realized that Xianxi Year Twenty-Nine marked the next seven-year interval and suspected that removing the Demon Sword had not prevented another Demon Calamity.
• Jiang Che recalled Du Yongchang’s warning that Ailin’s situation was becoming abnormal and wondered whether instances appeared before disasters that threatened him.

Jiang Che suspected another Demon Calamity might strike Ailin and recruited Hu Yan and Zhang Erguo to investigate the previous calamity and Little Hidden Temple. He sought Du Yongchang’s support, but after warning him about the True Demon’s sword, he angered the lord, who demanded to know who gave him the right to advise him.

• Jiang Che asked Hu Yan and Zhang Erguo to research the Demon Calamity seven years earlier, Little Hidden Temple, and any survivors or strange events.
• Jiang Che went to the Hall Department to seek Du Yongchang’s help and presented him with a copy of the Candlelight Thousand-Jin Finger cultivation method.
• Du Yongchang praised the method but told Jiang Che that its Buddhist foundation made it unsuitable for Azure Mystic cultivators.
• Jiang Che learned that Steward Wei had taken the True Demon’s sword to refine into a magic sword.
• Jiang Che warned Du Yongchang that the sword was dangerously evil and urged him not to use it, prompting Du Yongchang to rebuke him.

Jiang Che’s attempt to question Du Yongchang about Steward Wei and the Demon Sword failed, so he continued investigating the Little Hidden Temple and the True Demon. The clues suggested that someone had deliberately orchestrated the incident, while the people of Ailin were bound to remain and fight, leaving Jiang Che no choice but to keep investigating.

• Jiang Che apologized to Du Yongchang after being reprimanded, then concluded he needed concrete proof and learned that Steward Wei had the Demon Sword and planned to refine it into a Dharma sword.
• Hu Yan reported that the Little Hidden Temple had been founded by the missing Dharma master Chunji, later taken over by the Wang Clan, whose forty-seven members were killed in the year before the Demon Calamity.
• Jiang Che asked Hu Yan whether the county gazetteer mentioned Puxin, but she had never seen the name.
• Zhang Erguo reported that the soldiers who had supposedly spotted the True Demon and reported it were all dead, and that the informant had seemed dazed before making his report.
• Jiang Che and Hu Yan realized that the clues could mean someone had deliberately guided events surrounding the True Demon and the Little Hidden Temple.
• Zhang Erguo explained that the informant’s family were Ailin Military Household members who could not leave the county, and Jiang Che recognized that he, too, could not simply flee.

Jiang Che returned to the night of Master Chunji’s final battle with the Demon Sword and told him what would happen, including the destruction of Ailin fourteen years later. He asked Chunji for help preventing the future calamity that would threaten the city and Jiang Che himself.

• Jiang Che considered whether the trap at Little Hidden Temple had been designed to bring the Demon Sword into Ailin, and decided to investigate Wang Baojun’s family and companions.
• Jiang Che wondered whether Puxin had survived and why Chunji had not sought help from Azure Mystic, then entered the consciousness space to meet Chunji again.
• Jiang Che told Chunji that he had come from fourteen years in the future and described the Demon Sword’s eruption, Chunji’s death, and the coming destruction of Ailin.
• Jiang Che demonstrated Candlelight Thousand-Jin Finger, and Chunji recognized that Jiang Che had lied about being taught the technique directly by him.
• Jiang Che explained that he had returned to save Ailin in the future and begged Chunji to show mercy and help him.

Jiang Che told Chunji about the coming Demon Calamity, and they discussed how to stop the demonic sword and find the person behind the scheme. Chunji offered to teach Jiang Che the Bodhi Heart Lamp, though it required a rare spirit essence that Jiang Che seemed to have a way to obtain.

• Jiang Che ate dinner with Chunji and Puxin, then told Chunji about his previous visit and events in reality.
• Chunji explained that his attempt to destroy the evil spirit in the sword had failed and warned that Steward Wei must be stopped from refining it.
• Chunji said he had avoided asking Azure Mystic cultivators for help because greed or impure intentions could let the sword corrupt them.
• Chunji proposed using the Bodhi Heart Lamp to detect demonic energy and locate the person behind the scheme.
• Chunji explained that practicing the technique required a wisp of rare sarira sandalwood chant essence, and Jiang Che realized he might be able to obtain it.

Jiang Che studied Buddhist teachings and prepared with Chunji for the night's attack, but he could not prevent Chunji's sacrifice or change the instance's ending. Before the instance ended, Chunji granted him a spark of Buddha nature and entrusted Ailin to him fourteen years in the future; Jiang Che received a C-grade reward of five wisps of primordial origin first spirit.

• Jiang Che believed his primordial origin first spirit might transform into sarira sandalwood chant essence, and Chunji taught him the scriptures and cultivation method for Bodhi Heart Lamp.
• Jiang Che studied through the night while Chunji restrained the demonic sword, then advised Chunji to conserve power by protecting only the main hall.
• Jiang Che and Chunji fought through the night, with Jiang Che destroying forty-six enemies and nine embryonic-breath demon monsters before exhaustion forced him to stop.
• The instance's ending repeated, and Chunji sacrificed himself to destroy the evil thing despite Jiang Che's efforts to conserve his strength.
• Chunji bestowed a spark of Buddha nature on Jiang Che and entrusted Ailin to him fourteen years later.
• Jiang Che received a C-grade reward of five wisps of primordial origin first spirit.

Jiang Che used [primordial origin first spirit] to form [sarira sandalwood chant essence] and began cultivating the Bodhi Heart Lamp, while Azure Mystic investigated Wang Baojun’s household. After a three-day patrol, Jiang Che had enough transmigration energy for one Little Hidden Temple attempt and planned to cultivate during his days off.

• Jiang Che compared the rewards and costs of Little Hidden Temple and Willow Source Old Dream, deciding to save his limited transmigration energy for a more informed attempt.
• Jiang Che cultivated the Bodhi Heart Lamp, using [primordial origin first spirit] to create [sarira sandalwood chant essence] and drawing on memories of Chunji’s instruction and Buddha nature.
• A hooded bald master ordered an accomplice to deal with the Azure Mystic investigators rather than Wang Baojun’s family.
• Jiang Che’s team ended its investigation and began routine patrols of the old city, where Jiang Che earned four points of transmigration energy from demon monsters.
• After two days of patrol, Jiang Che had forty-five points of transmigration energy and planned to use his two days off to continue cultivating the Bodhi Heart Lamp.

Jiang Che’s patrol crossed Ailin Old City as he grew increasingly uneasy, though he found no explanation for the Bodhi Heart Lamp’s warning or learned anything useful about Little Hidden Temple. Near the old city wall, his warning finally proved justified when a horde of Demon Monsters surrounded the patrol, including five at the Embryonic Breath level.

• Jiang Che befriended Liang Ci, who explained his difficult family background and hoped to earn a Main Gate place next year, while praising Jiang Che’s reputation.
• Jiang Che questioned local Company Commander Qian Ze about Ailin before the Demon Calamity and Little Hidden Temple, but Qian Ze recalled little about the temple.
• Jiang Che’s patrol reached a fortified outpost in Ailin Old City, where he met Hu Yan’s and Zhang Erguo’s patrols; the night passed without incident, though his sense of danger persisted.
• The next day, Jiang Che’s patrol stopped near the old city wall for lunch without having encountered any Demon Monsters.
• Jiang Che’s danger sense surged, so he ordered the patrol to arm itself and leave, and Liang Ci immediately backed him.
• Demon Monsters erupted from behind the surrounding walls and encircled the courtyard, including five with Embryonic Breath-level auras.

Jiang Che’s squad was trapped by a Demon Monster ambush, and he discovered that Qian Ze had betrayed them. After Liang Ci was killed and Jiang Che was surrounded, he ignited his Bodhi Heart Lamp and spent Primordial Origin First Spirit to unleash a devastating finger strike.

• Jiang Che fought through the horde, killing two Embryonic Breath Demon Monsters with his sword and Candlelight Thousand-Jin Finger.
• Jiang Che’s Bodhi Heart Lamp ignited, revealing Qian Ze’s malice as he moved to attack Liang Ci from behind.
• Qian Ze killed Liang Ci and joined three Demon Monsters in confronting Jiang Che.
• Jiang Che spent a strand of Primordial Origin First Spirit to strengthen himself and killed another Transforming Force Demon Monster with a finger strike.

Jiang Che defeated the Demon Monsters and Qian Ze, then used the Bodhi Heart Lamp to glimpse Qian Ze’s thoughts and uncover a plot involving Hundred-Man Commander Zhang and a mysterious Master. After Qian Ze caught him probing his mind, Jiang Che killed him without learning the Master’s identity.

• Jiang Che fought three enemies at once, killed the Transforming Force Demon Monsters, and crippled Qian Ze with his sword.
• Jiang Che joined the surviving soldiers and helped them defeat the remaining Demon Monsters, leaving only five of the twenty soldiers alive.
• Jiang Che questioned the wounded Qian Ze and used the Bodhi Heart Lamp to glimpse his thoughts about Hundred-Man Commander Zhang’s orders and a hooded Master.
• Qian Ze noticed Jiang Che inside his memory, breaking the vision before the Master’s face was revealed.
• Jiang Che explained the Bodhi Heart Lamp’s limited mind-reading ability, then killed Qian Ze.

Jiang Che learned that Qian Ze had colluded with Demon Monsters and rescued the wounded Zhang Erguo after both companies were ambushed. They found Hu Yan alone against a horde at the Old Drill Ground, where she faced a gang-force Demon Monster.

• Jiang Che saw unfamiliar black vapor leave Qian Ze's corpse and recognized Hundred-Man Commander Zhang as the officer who had given Qian Ze orders.
• Zhang Erguo escaped three pursuing Demon Monsters after killing his traitorous Company Commander with an Outer Disciple, then ran into Jiang Che, who treated his wounds.
• Jiang Che told Zhang Erguo that Qian Ze's company had been ambushed and that he had killed five Demon Monsters, including three with transforming force.
• Jiang Che and Zhang Erguo headed to find Hu Yan and discovered her company's dead soldiers and officers at the Old Drill Ground.
• Jiang Che and Zhang Erguo prepared to join Hu Yan, who was fighting dozens of Demon Monsters and a gang-force beast-bodied monster.

Jiang Che and Zhang Erguo joined Hu Yan’s battle, and Jiang Che exposed the Gang Force Demon Monster’s weakness so Hu Yan could kill it. After the remaining monsters were slain, Hu Yan thanked Jiang Che and resolved to treat him as a true friend.

• Jiang Che and Zhang Erguo helped Hu Yan by killing the smaller Demon Monsters around her.
• Jiang Che sensed the Gang Force Demon Monster’s weak point and maneuvered into position while Hu Yan drew its attack.
• Hu Yan knocked aside the monster’s forelimb as Jiang Che struck its weakness with Candlelight, grievously wounding it.
• Hu Yan followed up with three saber strikes and cut the Gang Force Demon Monster in half.
• Hu Yan and Jiang Che cleared the remaining monsters, and Jiang Che gained a large amount of transmigration energy.
• Hu Yan thanked Jiang Che for saving her and told him he could ask her for help in the future.

Jiang Che, Hu Yan, and Zhang Erguo returned to Ailin after surviving a coordinated ambush and identified Hundred-Man Commander Zhang Guilu as their next lead. Jiang Che told Du Yongchang that the ambush was tied to a mysterious Master and the Demon Sword, leaving Du Yongchang angered that Jiang Che was still pursuing the sword.

• Jiang Che told Hu Yan and Zhang Erguo that their company commanders had worked with Demon Monsters under orders linked to Zhang Guilu and a mysterious Master.
• The three planned to enter Ailin covertly and capture Zhang Guilu alive before he could flee.
• Liu Mo hid the survivors’ return by bringing his patrol team to eat and drink, while Hu Yan went to watch Zhang Guilu and Jiang Che escorted the wounded Zhang Erguo to the Hall Department.
• Jiang Che met Du Yongchang and reported the coordinated ambush, the suspected traitors, and the Master’s connection to the Demon Sword.
• Du Yongchang reacted with anger when Jiang Che said the plot was connected to the Demon Sword.