Chapter Summaries

Zhang Yuan met Yan Bei, a powerful wandering martial artist, while roasting meat at the QingShui County Office, and they discussed the Yongzhou drought and a possible Drought Demon. The pair shared food, wine, and martial-world stories, leaving the investigation unresolved.

• Yan Bei entered the county office courtyard at night and asked Zhang Yuan for roasted meat.
• Yan Bei introduced himself as a wandering martial artist, and Zhang Yuan identified himself as an Outer Guardian of Upper Scene Heaven.
• Yan Bei said he had come to investigate Yongzhou’s abnormal drought and suspected a Drought Demon was about to emerge.
• Zhang Yuan said he shared Yan Bei’s purpose and suspected the drought might involve a man-made calamity.
• Yan Bei and Zhang Yuan shared Spirit Stream Wine and traded stories as the night passed.

After parting from Yan Bei, Zhang Yuan rode toward Yongping Province City, where soldiers barred entry because of a supposed epidemic. Suspecting the outbreak concealed something, he settled in a nearby village and sent the Red-Eyed Crow to observe the city from the sky.

• Yan Bei told Zhang Yuan he believed no one could cover the sky with one hand, then left the county yamen before dawn.
• Zhang Yuan rode the Gray-Toothed Lynx from Qing Shui County City toward Yongping Province City.
• Soldiers stopped Zhang Yuan at a checkpoint and an officer explained that an epidemic had led to the city being sealed.
• Zhang Yuan turned onto a country road, found an abandoned village, and made a house his temporary residence.
• Zhang Yuan used the Red-Eyed Crow to scout Yongping Province City from a cautious distance.

Zhang Yuan discovered a suspicious altar in Yongping Province City and saw Yan Bei flee after investigating the prefecture yamen. He intervened as Yan Bei faced three powerful pursuers, and the chapter ended with Yan Bei preparing to fight them.

• Zhang Yuan watched Yongping Province City through the Red-Eyed Crow and discovered a guarded city and a large ritual altar at the prefecture yamen.
• Zhang Yuan saw Yan Bei being pursued through the city and rushed out wearing the Soul-Devouring Mask.
• Yan Bei escaped over the city wall but was badly injured and pursued across the plains by three experts of his rank.
• Yan Bei stopped, swallowed a medicinal pill, and accused his pursuers of setting up the Heaven Severing Earth Extinguishing Yin Yang Grand Array to sacrifice Yongzhou’s people.
• The Black Faced Old Man offered to spare Yan Bei if he surrendered, but Yan Bei refused and vowed to fight them to the death.

Zhang Yuan joined Yan Bei’s fight against three Sixth Order Experts and killed one with a single saber strike. He immediately attacked another enemy as Yan Bei seized the opening to fight back.

• Zhang Yuan overheard the pursuers discussing a blood sacrifice of tens of millions of common folk and rushed to help Yan Bei.
• A middle-aged martial artist attacked Zhang Yuan with a Void Severing Palm, but Zhang Yuan answered with a full-force saber strike.
• Zhang Yuan’s saber shattered the martial artist’s mystic weapon and inflicted fatal wounds, killing him.
• Zhang Yuan attacked a second Sixth Order Expert, and Yan Bei joined the battle.

Zhang Yuan joined Yan Bei’s desperate battle and swiftly killed two Sixth Order Experts, despite suffering severe injuries. He then turned toward Yan Bei, whose fight with the Black Faced Old Man was still raging.

• Yan Bei recognized Zhang Yuan as an ally and held off the Black Faced Old Man and another Sixth Order Expert long enough for Zhang Yuan to act.
• Zhang Yuan killed the middle-aged martial artist, turning the battle’s balance and allowing Yan Bei to attack the Black Faced Old Man without facing three opponents alone.
• Zhang Yuan faced the square-faced man’s powerful defensive technique and killed him with the Crimson Blood Divine Blade before he could strike.
• Zhang Yuan coughed up blood from his earlier injuries, swallowed a Healing Pill, and looked toward Yan Bei as the battle against the Black Faced Old Man continued.

Yan Bei sacrificed himself to kill the Black Faced Old Man, then entrusted Zhang Yuan with a warning about the Heaven Severing Earth Extinguishing Yin Yang Grand Array and the care of his wife and child. After Yan Bei died, Zhang Yuan took his body and the Treasure Map and fled into the night.

• The Black Faced Old Man tried to stab Yan Bei and escape, but Yan Bei let the dagger pierce his heart and crushed the old man's heart in return.
• Zhang Yuan removed his Soul-Devouring Mask, and Yan Bei recognized him before explaining that he had been ambushed in Yongping Province City.
• Yan Bei told Zhang Yuan that an Extinction Altar had been built in the prefectural office to prepare the Heaven Severing Earth Extinguishing Yin Yang Grand Array, and asked him to spread the warning.
• Yan Bei gave Zhang Yuan a Treasure Map and asked him to care for Yun Niang and their child, then died before he could finish his final message to Yun Niang.
• Zhang Yuan placed Yan Bei's body and the three Sixth Order Experts in his Storage Space, then vanished into the night.

After witnessing the danger surrounding Yongping Province City, Zhang Yuan returned to Clear Wind Temple and told Mo Huaian about the suspected sacrificial array and the Drought Demon. They withdrew to Upper Scene Heaven, where Zhang Yuan recovered before setting out on another Dao Merit mission.

• Zhang Yuan cremated Yan Bei, collected his ashes to return to Yan Bei's family, and rode back to Yongan.
• Zhang Yuan told Mo Huaian about the altar and the Heaven Severing Earth Extinguishing Yin Yang Grand Array in Yongping Province City.
• Mo Huaian and Zhang Yuan concluded that the Celestials and Great Qian might be preparing to sacrifice Yongzhou's people to hunt the Drought Demon.
• Mo Huaian told Zhang Yuan that Upper Scene Heaven would send an airship to take him back, and Zhang Yuan decided they should leave Yongan too.
• Five days later, Zhang Yuan and Mo Huaian boarded the airship and returned to Upper Scene Heaven; after recovering, Zhang Yuan accepted a Dao Merit mission and left the mountain gate.

Zhang Yuan reached Jade Shore County Town and brought Yan Bei’s ashes to his widow, Su Shi. After promising to care for her family, he arranged for them to leave for Upper Scene Heaven, and they set out three days later.

• Zhang Yuan arrived in Jade Shore County Town and found the Su Family Cloth Shop using Yan Bei’s jade pendant.
• The old shopkeeper introduced Zhang Yuan to Su Shi, who fainted when he revealed Yan Bei’s ashes.
• Zhang Yuan told Su Shi that Yan Bei had entrusted him with her and their son’s care, and offered to take the family to Upper Scene Heaven.
• Su Shi agreed to follow Zhang Yuan, and the old shopkeeper arranged to transfer the cloth shop.
• Three days later, Su Shi, her two children, an old servant, and a maid left by carriage with Zhang Yuan for Upper Scene Heaven.

Zhang Yuan escorted Su Shi and her children safely to Upper Scene Heaven, protecting them from bandits along the way. After they settled in Approaching Immortals Hamlet, Su Shi gave him a second Treasure Map that Yan Bei had left for him.

• Zhang Yuan shot down a Green Eagle and promised to teach Su Yibei archery.
• When mountain bandits attacked, Zhang Yuan killed more than twenty of them with his bow and continued the journey.
• Seven days later, Zhang Yuan brought Su Shi and her children into Approaching Immortals Hamlet and let them stay in his rented house.
• Su Shi thanked Zhang Yuan for keeping his promise to Yan Bei and gave him the Animal Hide Treasure Map Yan Bei had left with her.

Zhang Yuan fused Yan Bei and Su Shi’s Treasure Maps into his own, upgrading it so it could reveal a distant treasure in the Great Desert. After arranging for Mo Huaian to protect Su Shi’s family and securing leave from Upper Scene Heaven, Zhang Yuan set out to investigate the treasure and the threats in Yongzhou.

• Zhang Yuan fused the two Animal Hides with his Treasure Map, enlarging it and revealing a golden marker for himself and a red marker for a treasure.
• Zhang Yuan used the red marker to glimpse an ancient city buried in the Great Desert, then broke free from the vision when it drained his spiritual power.
• Zhang Yuan decided to travel to the Great Desert, hoping to gain from the treasure and intending eventually to confront the Drought Demon and the Heaven Severing Earth Extinguishing Yin Yang Grand Array in Yongzhou.
• Zhang Yuan asked Mo Huaian to look after Su Shi’s family, and Mo Huaian agreed while preparing to enter Secluded Cultivation himself.
• Zhang Yuan obtained three months of leave, chose missions at the Merit Hall, bought a horse, and left Upper Scene Heaven at dusk.

Zhang Yuan crossed the Gobi Desert using his Treasure Map and discovered an oasis where a Hulan Tribe caravan was headed. After the caravan arrived, its warrior Bazade introduced himself, and Zhang Yuan agreed to share the campsite peacefully.

• Zhang Yuan waited out a four-day sandstorm before continuing across the Gobi Desert with his yellow horse.
• The Red-Eyed Crow spotted an oasis, and Zhang Yuan rode there and camped beside Crescent Moon Pool.
• The Red-Eyed Crow discovered a camel caravan approaching the oasis, and Zhang Yuan observed its warriors and luxurious carriage.
• Bazade of the Hulan Tribe approached Zhang Yuan and asked permission for the caravan to camp at the oasis.
• Zhang Yuan agreed to Bazade’s polite request, leaving the two parties to share the campsite without conflict.

Zhang Yuan crossed paths with the Hulan Caravan at an oasis, trading wine for their roasted-meat spices and receiving a Jade Leaf token. After leaving the caravan, he crossed the Gobi Desert and entered an uncharted sea of sand, continuing toward his destination.

• The Hulan Caravan camped across Crescent Moon Pool from Zhang Yuan, and Bazade brought him a roasted leg of lamb on behalf of his lord.
• Zhang Yuan gave Bazade a jar of wine, and Bazade later asked to buy more after the Hulan Caravan tasted it.
• Zhang Yuan traded two more jars of wine for the Hulan Tribe's spices and sauce, and Bazade gave him a Jade Leaf token from his lord.
• Zhang Yuan left the oasis the next morning and used the Red-Eyed Crow to confirm the caravan was traveling in another direction.
• Three days later, Zhang Yuan crossed the Gobi Desert and entered an uncharted, scorching sea of sand, relying on his supplies and the yellow horse to press onward.

Zhang Yuan reached the ancient city marked on the Treasure Map after enduring weeks of desert sandstorms, but he could not find an entrance to the buried treasure. When a Sand Worm devoured Yellow Horse, Zhang Yuan killed it and entered its burrow, hoping it would lead him to the treasure.

• Zhang Yuan arrived at the ruins of an ancient city after half a month crossing the Sand Sea and surveyed the buried ruins for an entrance.
• Zhang Yuan used his Red-Eyed Crow to spot a Sand Worm swallowing Yellow Horse.
• Zhang Yuan activated three parasite hosts and beheaded the Sand Worm with the Taotie Saber, then avoided its poisonous, corrosive remains.
• Zhang Yuan armed himself with the Dragon Carp Armor and jumped into the Sand Worm's burrow to search for the treasure.

Zhang Yuan fought his way through a labyrinth beneath the ancient desert city while searching for the treasure, drawing the giant Sand Worms into a pursuit. He escaped downward through collapsing tunnels and landed in a hidden chamber, where mysterious flames began to illuminate the darkness.

• Zhang Yuan followed the Treasure Map through a maze of Sand Worm tunnels and chose a passage toward the nearby treasure site.
• A giant Sand Worm attacked Zhang Yuan, but he scattered its poisonous gas with the Great Stele Shattering Hand and split its head with the Taotie Saber.
• After other Sand Worms converged on him, Zhang Yuan smashed through the earth and descended several tunnel levels to evade them.
• Zhang Yuan found cracked stone slabs beneath the earth, cut through them with the Taotie Saber, and fell into a space below while fighting off a pursuing Sand Worm.
• Zhang Yuan landed on solid ground and triggered a mechanism that lit a series of flames; he dismissed the Red-Eyed Crow's special vision to see the chamber clearly.

Zhang Yuan found the Ancient City Underground Palace and fought his way through a swarm of Black Beetles with Fierce Fire Oil. He opened a massive stone door and discovered the treasure from the map in a hall beyond it.

• Zhang Yuan entered a vast underground passageway where Sand Worms refused to cross into the palace.
• Zhang Yuan fought off a swarm of Black Beetles by burning them with five jars of Fierce Fire Oil.
• Zhang Yuan followed the Treasure Map to an arched stone door and forced it open with his strength.
• Zhang Yuan entered a hall and found a crowned skeleton on a golden throne beside a glowing medicinal-pellet-like core.
• Zhang Yuan compared the hall with the Treasure Map and confirmed that he had found the treasure.

Zhang Yuan entered a grand hall and was overwhelmed by a golden glow beside the throne, but his instincts warned him of danger. After he shot a Martial Warrior Statue, the hall sealed its doors and dozens of statues awakened, leaving Zhang Yuan surrounded in a deadly battle.

• Zhang Yuan examined the hall, noticed its many Martial Warrior Statues and four Martial General Statues, and felt wary of the golden glow beside the throne.
• Zhang Yuan shot a Martial Warrior Statue in the head with a Meteor Iron Arrow, causing the hall doors to close and the statue to awaken.
• The awakened statue pulled the arrow from its head, then dozens of nearby statues came alive and charged at Zhang Yuan.
• Zhang Yuan switched to the Taotie Saber, activated his Divine Nest Possessions, and cut two charging Martial Warrior Statues in half.
• The severed statues continued crawling, while the remaining Martial Warrior Statues surrounded Zhang Yuan and attacked in a sword formation.

Zhang Yuan escaped the Martial Warrior Statues’ sword formation and destroyed many of them before facing a Martial General Statue in a duel. After their first clash, he used a massive boulder to counter its thrust.

• Zhang Yuan used the Golden Grasshopper’s agility boost to evade the Martial Warrior Statues’ attacks and cut down dozens of them.
• A Martial General Statue ambushed Zhang Yuan with a Dark Gold Long Halberd, while the remaining warrior statues withdrew to make room for a duel.
• Zhang Yuan dodged the Martial General Statue’s first thrust and struck its halberd, but the clash sent him flying backward.
• Zhang Yuan charged again and leaped as if to repeat his attack, then released a boulder weighing more than a hundred thousand jin toward the Martial General Statue.

Zhang Yuan defeated one Martial General Statue with a boulder, then faced three more awakened statues guarding the throne. He used a Chaos Talisman and Fierce Fire Oil to disrupt them before attacking, but the battle continued amid their counterattacks.

• Zhang Yuan crushed one Martial General Statue with a boulder from his Storage Space and took its Esoteric Weapon halberd.
• Three Martial General Statues armed with a Bronze Hammer, Battle Axe, and longsword awakened and attacked Zhang Yuan together.
• Zhang Yuan threw a boulder at the statues, but the Bronze Hammer-wielding statue smashed it apart.
• Zhang Yuan used Mo Huaian’s Chaos Talisman to slow the statues, then drenched them in Fierce Fire Oil and set them ablaze.
• Zhang Yuan teleported between the statues and cut deep wounds into the sword-wielding and hammer-wielding generals as they fought back.

Zhang Yuan defeated one Martial General Statue and, with the Gray-Toothed Lynx battling another, faced Skeleton Wang while on the brink of collapse. The Divine Nest Emblem revived his strength enough to unleash the Crimson Blood Divine Blade, which pierced Skeleton Wang’s skull and stopped its attack just short of his forehead.

• Zhang Yuan stabbed the hammer-wielding Martial General Statue through a gap in its armor, destroying it as the Gray-Toothed Lynx attacked the axe-wielding general.
• Zhang Yuan swallowed two pills but could barely stand as Skeleton Wang rose from its throne and approached him.
• Skeleton Wang commanded Zhang Yuan to kneel, overwhelming him with mental pressure until blood seeped from his face.
• The Divine Nest Emblem appeared on Zhang Yuan’s left hand, and the seven possessions within it restored his consciousness and power.
• Zhang Yuan fired the Crimson Blood Divine Blade through Skeleton Wang’s skull, halting its finger an inch from his forehead.

After defeating his enemies, Zhang Yuan’s vitality rapidly dwindled, leaving him unable to use his storage ability or recover. The Gray-Toothed Lynx carried him to a glowing medicinal pearl, which he swallowed just before his vitality reached zero, and golden light erupted inside him.

• Zhang Yuan collapsed after using the Crimson Blood Divine Weapon and discovered that his vitality was falling despite his injuries seeming survivable.
• Zhang Yuan saw that his vitality had dropped to 24 and found that he could no longer activate the Brocade Fur Rat’s Storage Space to retrieve pills.
• Zhang Yuan crawled toward the throne but lacked the strength to climb its steps, while the Gray-Toothed Lynx did not initially respond to him.
• The Gray-Toothed Lynx carried Zhang Yuan up the steps, and he grabbed the glowing object on the golden plate and swallowed its medicinal pearl.
• Zhang Yuan’s vitality fell to 1 and his heart stopped, but brilliant golden light burst from his abdomen and brought his consciousness back amid intense agony.