Chapter Summaries

Jing Wen persuaded Steward Li to let him join hunting missions, returned to his abandoned former home, and converted his cultivation to the Fiendish Demon Art. He then headed to a Black Fiend Cult capture operation, hoping to earn contribution points and learn more about the cult.

• Steward Li assigned Jing Wen to the Reconnaissance Squad and told him to learn the Heavenly Eye Technique, but agreed to let him join hunting missions once he was ready.
• Jing Wen returned to his old residence and remembered how Red Rose had sacrificed herself to save him.
• Jing Wen used the Jade Slip to gradually convert his cultivation from the Burning Blood Art to the Fiendish Demon Art, reaching its fourth layer after several days.
• Jing Wen received a message about the Black Fiend Cult's capture operation and set out for the assembly point, hoping to earn contribution points.

Jing Wen joined Steward Li’s Black Fiend Cult mission to capture three rogue cultivators, then secretly manipulated a pursuit to kill two cult members and incapacitate the short rogue cultivator. He collected the bodies’ belongings, concealed evidence of his involvement, and disappeared into the night.

• Steward Li led eight cultivators, including Jing Wen, to capture three rogue cultivators at the Green Maple Inn, where Wang Zheng mocked Jing Wen’s apparent weakness.
• The Black Fiend Cult attacked the three rogue cultivators, but the targets fought back and split up to escape.
• Jing Wen pursued the short rogue cultivator and used his flying sword to block the man’s escape while two Black Fiend Cult cultivators fought him.
• The short rogue cultivator killed one pursuer with Earth Spike Techniques, and Jing Wen secretly killed the other with a white flying sword before burning the rogue cultivator unconscious.
• Jing Wen took the Storage Bags and magical artifacts, burned away evidence of his sword’s involvement, and carried the short rogue cultivator into the darkness.

Jing Wen returned to Still Garden with a captured rogue cultivator and reported the losses suffered by his group to Steward Li. After rewarding Jing Wen and deciding to cultivate him as a trusted subordinate, Steward Li explained the blood sacrifice and urged him to strengthen his cultivation before it began.

• Jing Wen arrived at Still Garden with the captured rogue cultivator, lifting the Reconnaissance Squad's spirits after their other groups suffered heavy losses.
• Steward Li asked Jing Wen to recount the hunt, and Jing Wen described how the rogue cultivator killed the two brothers before he captured him.
• Jing Wen gave Steward Li three Storage Bags, and Steward Li accepted one as a gift while promising Jing Wen an extra ten percent of the contribution points.
• Steward Li decided Jing Wen was loyal and capable, then asked whether he had learned the Heavenly Eye Technique; Jing Wen said he had.
• Steward Li urged Jing Wen to practice the Fiendish Demon Art before the blood sacrifice and explained that Blood Pills could help him reach the peak of the fifth Qi Refining layer or attempt the sixth.

Jing Wen celebrated with Ge Hong and gathered information about the Black Fiend Cult’s bases, leaders, and rivalries while considering how to advance safely. He decided to keep cultivating Steward Li’s support as he investigated whether he could reach Foundation Establishment within the cult without exposing himself.

• Jing Wen ignored the Reconnaissance Squad members’ jealous gossip about his contribution points and accepted Ge Hong’s invitation to dine.
• Ge Hong told Jing Wen that the cult had eight bases and that the Young Prince, now around the eleventh layer of Qi Refining, had presided over Blood Sacrifices for the past two years instead of the Four Blood Attendants.
• Ge Hong described Red Rose’s feud with Madam Green and identified the pockmarked cultivator as Wang Zheng, a sharp-tongued member at the peak of the ninth layer of Qi Refining.
• Jing Wen left the restaurant wondering whether Ge Hong had shared information for a hidden purpose and reflected on how he had earned Steward Li’s protection.
• Jing Wen resolved to keep giving Steward Li gifts and use his standing in the cult to test whether Jing Wen could safely reach Foundation Establishment.

Jing Wen reached the sixth layer of the Fiendish Demon Art and declined to join a large hunt, then proposed that Ge Hong help him capture cultivators independently for greater rewards. The chapter left Jing Wen planning to strengthen his cultivation until he could reach Foundation Establishment and conceal his true power.

• Jing Wen received Blood Pills and an identity token from Ge Hong, who also relayed Steward Li's invitation to join a hunt.
• Jing Wen declined the hunt and asked Ge Hong whether they could capture cultivators on their own and turn them over to Steward Li for more contribution points.
• Jing Wen persuaded Ge Hong by claiming his Poison Pill could incapacitate even late Qi Refining cultivators and offering him a larger share of the rewards or compensation in pills.
• Ge Hong agreed to inform Jing Wen about potential targets, and Jing Wen resolved to perfect the Fiendish Demon Art and reach Foundation Establishment.

After a month in seclusion, Jing Wen emerged with the tenth layer of the Fiendish Demon Art and concealed his true cultivation while joining the Hunting Squad. He and Ge Hong tracked down Elder Bai, a cultivator hiding among mortal gangs, and captured him at a victory banquet.

• Jing Wen completed his breakthrough to the tenth layer of the Fiendish Demon Art, then went to Still Garden and pretended to have reached the sixth layer of qi refining.
• Steward Li praised Jing Wen's progress and accepted him into the Hunting Squad, while Ge Hong reported that the Stronghold had captured a seventh-layer cultivator for the next blood sacrifice.
• Ge Hong told Jing Wen about Elder Bai, an apparent martial expert involved with mortal gangs, and the two went to investigate him.
• At Wangjiang Tower, Jing Wen struck Elder Bai unconscious with a concealed magical artifact while Ge Hong ordered the gang members to leave under the Embroidery Guard's authority.
• Jing Wen took Elder Bai's Storage Bag and offered Ge Hong twenty percent of the contribution points to clean up the operation, then left.

Jing Wen reached the eleventh level of the Fiendish Demon Art and used an Iceheart Pill to counter the Blood Pills’ effects. After Zhao Yu and his three companions discussed their bleak prospects, they decided to travel to the Capital and seek out Jing Wen, the mysterious man in black.

• Jing Wen completed his transformation to the eleventh level of the Fiendish Demon Art, turning his spiritual power into baleful black Qi.
• Jing Wen swallowed a Blood Pill, noticed it clouded his divine sense, and used an Iceheart Pill to restore his clarity.
• Zhao Yu’s three companions debated how to earn cultivation resources after failing to gain recognition at the Ascension to Immortality Conference.
• Zhao Yu recounted meeting Jing Wen and described the mysterious man’s invitation to seek him out.
• Zhao Yu and his companions agreed to travel to the Capital to find Jing Wen and look for an opportunity.

After reaching the twelfth layer of the Fiendish Demon Art, Jing Wen met Zhao Yu and three other cultivators in the Capital and offered them a path toward foundation establishment. He gave them the first six layers of the art, leaving them to decide whether to join the Black Fiend Cult.

• Jing Wen advanced to the twelfth layer of the Fiendish Demon Art and learned that Zhao Yu and three other cultivators had come to meet him.
• At Taibai Tower, Jing Wen asked whether the four had failed at the Ascension to Immortality Conference and recognized that they sought foundation establishment.
• Jing Wen revealed a Talisman Treasure to establish his authority, then explained that the Fiendish Demon Art could raise their chances of foundation establishment by fifty percent.
• The four examined the first layer and learned that practicing the Fiendish Demon Art would mutate their spiritual roots and limit them to the Black Fiend Cult's cultivation arts.
• Jing Wen gave Zhao Yu a Jade Slip containing the first six layers of the Fiendish Demon Art and left the four to consider the offer.

Zhao Yu and his three companions decided to join the Black Fiend Cult after the female cultivator successfully cultivated the Fiendish Demon Art and confirmed that its complete continuation offered hope of Foundation Establishment. Jing Wen made her the first official member of the Taibai Stronghold, while the others still had to decide whether to follow.

• Zhao Yu and his companions studied the Fiendish Demon Art, and the female cultivator volunteered to try it, transforming her spiritual root into a Baleful Bead after reaching the first layer of Qi Refining.
• The four decided to join the Black Fiend Cult but asked Jing Wen to prove that the complete Fiendish Demon Art could lead to Foundation Establishment.
• The female cultivator demonstrated her cultivation to Jing Wen, received the complete art, and confirmed that it continued beyond the first layer.
• Jing Wen warned Zhao Yu not to read the cult's complete art without permission and offered the female cultivator the choice to visit the Main Altar after reaching Foundation Establishment.
• The female cultivator accepted Jing Wen's offer to join the Taibai Stronghold, received its captain's Token and ten Blood Pills, and learned that the stronghold was located behind a medicinal herb shop in the city's west.

Jing Wen ambushed Zhao Yu and the tall cultivator after they failed to find their target, then rushed to the Taibai Stronghold and incapacitated the female cultivator and Zheng Yu. He left all four cultivators alive but with their minds destroyed by the Soul-Disturbing Art and medicinal pills.

• Jing Wen watched for news as Zhao Yu and the tall cultivator searched the city for a purple-robed cultivator, and he promised them five bottles of Blood Pills each if they succeeded.
• After several hours without finding the target, Jing Wen gave Zhao Yu and the tall cultivator Blood Pills, then used the Soul-Disturbing Art and the Nine-Turn Wandering Sword to grievously wound and mentally destroy them.
• Jing Wen confirmed that the other two cultivators remained at the Taibai Stronghold and hurried there.
• Jing Wen attacked the female cultivator while she was cultivating, piercing her with a flying sword and using the Soul-Disturbing Art to destroy her divine sense.
• When Zheng Yu rushed to investigate, Jing Wen broke through the door, knocked him unconscious with the Soul-Disturbing Art, and fed him and the female cultivator blood-red pills.

Jing Wen explained to Steward Li how he had captured four wounded cultivators and offered him all the credit to help him pursue Foundation Establishment. Steward Li decided to present the captives one at a time for blood sacrifices, while Jing Wen regarded him as a pawn in a larger plan.

• Steward Li found four incapacitated cultivators in the secret chamber and questioned Jing Wen about how he had subdued them.
• Jing Wen claimed he had poisoned and ambushed the wounded cultivators after teaching them the Fiendish Demon Art.
• Steward Li reprimanded Jing Wen for taking such a dangerous risk, then promised to take responsibility for his unauthorized teaching of the art.
• Jing Wen offered Steward Li all the credit for capturing the four, and Steward Li let him keep their Storage Bags.
• Steward Li decided they would offer the captives one at a time at blood sacrifices to avoid suspicion and preserve the Blood Pills.
• After Steward Li left, Jing Wen privately called him a pawn and anticipated what would happen when he reached Foundation Establishment.

Jing Wen failed to establish his foundation after the Fiendish Demon Art’s violent spiritual power caused a devastating backlash, leaving him severely injured. As he began recovering, he decided to leave the Black Fiend Cult, prepare for future threats, and bring forward the Seven Great Sects’ destruction of the cult.

• After three months of cultivation, Jing Wen reached the thirteenth layer of the Fiendish Demon Art and qi refining great perfection, then entered seclusion to attempt foundation establishment.
• Jing Wen could not control the art’s violent spiritual power, and its backlash hurled him into a wall and left him badly injured.
• Jing Wen took a healing pill and concluded that his poor grasp of the Fiendish Demon Art had caused his failure; he would need a Foundation Establishment Pill or better mastery before trying again.
• Jing Wen realized that recovering would take about half a year, leaving him unable to keep pace with Steward Li and risking exposure if Li advanced to foundation establishment.
• Jing Wen decided to leave the Black Fiend Cult, gather stronger weapons and outside help, and find a way to bring forward the Seven Great Sects’ destruction of the cult.

After recovering enough to travel, Jing Wen left the Black Fiend Cult and sent Steward Li a message claiming he needed to seek out rogue cultivators. He joined an escort caravan to continue healing in peace, while its young lady repeatedly tried to draw his attention.

• Jing Wen emerged from three months of seclusion, learned Steward Li was unavailable, and told Ge Hong he had suffered cultivation deviation.
• Jing Wen declined Ge Hong’s invitation to resume their missions, left the Stronghold, and sent Steward Li a Sound Transmission Talisman explaining his departure.
• After outlaws repeatedly disrupted his solo journey, Jing Wen joined an escort caravan whose young lady persuaded the escort leader to take him along.
• The young lady brought Jing Wen breakfast and tried to learn about his origins, but he answered coolly while privately noticing her behavior.
• During the journey, the young lady continued finding reasons to talk with Jing Wen, who listened and responded briefly as he focused on healing.

Bandits attacked the Might-Defending Escort Agency’s convoy, and Wang Tieshan surrendered the cargo to save his wounded men. When the young lady offered Jing Wen a Third-Rank Pill Furnace for protection, he killed the bandits with flying sand, then turned his attention to the surviving escorts.

• Zhou Ba and his bandits ambushed the convoy, and Wang Tieshan led the escorts in a desperate fight.
• After the bandits set a cart on fire and inflicted heavy casualties, Wang Tieshan surrendered the cargo and vowed the agency would leave the martial world.
• Zhou Ba ordered his men to seize the convoy’s passengers, and Zhao Wu was killed as the young lady watched from her carriage.
• The young lady opened a hidden box and offered Jing Wen a Third-Rank Pill Furnace in exchange for saving their lives.
• Jing Wen accepted the offer and killed the bandits with sand, then gathered spiritual power as he considered killing the surviving escorts.

Jing Wen suppressed his baleful qi with an Iceheart Pill while Zhang Ling'er told him about her clan's destruction and offered him an ancient book of pill formulas. The book's Soul-Nourishing Pill formula impressed him, and after refusing her request to become his concubine, he invited her to propose another condition.

• Jing Wen took an Iceheart Pill to calm his killing intent and kept the people outside under tracking marks for the time being.
• Zhang Ling'er entered the carriage and recounted how her clan's internal conflict killed her father and forced her to flee with loyal servants.
• Zhang Ling'er offered Jing Wen an ancient tome of pill formulas, and he discovered its formula for the Soul-Nourishing Pill, which could strengthen Divine Sense.
• Jing Wen told Zhang Ling'er the book was valuable and asked her to name her terms.
• Zhang Ling'er asked to stay by Jing Wen's side as his concubine, but he refused and told her to choose another condition.

Jing Wen offered Zhang Ling'er protection, a promise of revenge, and a chance to cultivate through spiritual root transplantation, and she accepted his terms. He gave her pills and ordered her to identify which armed escorts belonged to her before he decided whether to kill them.

• Jing Wen said he would arrange a relatively safe place for Zhang Ling'er and promised to bring her back for revenge within ten to twenty years.
• Jing Wen offered to seek a way to transplant a direct blood relative's spiritual root into Zhang Ling'er, citing two successful cases and one failure.
• Zhang Ling'er agreed to Jing Wen's terms, and he gave her pills to restore blood and vital energy while telling her to find mortal martial arts manuals.
• Jing Wen revealed that he had marked the armed escorts and had intended to kill them all, but spared those who belonged to Zhang Ling'er.
• Jing Wen sent Zhang Ling'er outside the carriage and told her to sort out which escorts were her people.

After the bandits’ attack, Zhang Ling'er persuaded Wang Tieshan to become her guard by promising him and his men a chance to enter the immortal path. Wang Tieshan killed seven escorts deemed untrustworthy and reorganized the survivors as Zhang Ling'er's private soldiers, while Jing Wen watched from the carriage.

• Zhang Ling'er told Wang Tieshan that Jing Wen was a true immortal and warned him that witnesses to an immortal's power rarely survived.
• Zhang Ling'er promised Wang Tieshan an opportunity to enter the immortal path if he guarded her, and he agreed.
• Zhang Ling'er ordered Wang Tieshan to eliminate unreliable escorts before dawn, and revealed that she was also an immortal whose powers were sealed.
• Wang Tieshan killed Liu San, Old Zhao Wu, and five other escorts, then made the surviving men Zhang Ling'er's private soldiers.
• Wang Tieshan told the survivors that loyalty to Zhang Ling'er could earn them a chance to cultivate, and they agreed to protect her.
• Zhang Ling'er watched the men clean the camp as Jing Wen sensed the events from the carriage and praised her potential.

Jing Wen and Zhang Ling'er lured her pursuer into a trap and killed him, securing her safety for the moment. As Jing Wen prepared to leave, Zhang Ling'er received a jade pendant and reflected on their promised reunion in ten to twenty years.

• Zhang Ling'er tried to draw Jing Wen's attention by waiting outside his carriage, but he remained unmoved.
• A young cultivator arrived on a flying sword and demanded Zhang Ling'er, who offered him a Fake Pill Scripture as bait.
• Jing Wen's Divine Sense Trap disoriented the young cultivator, allowing six flying swords to pierce his shield and kill him.
• Jing Wen burned the corpse, took the cultivator's Storage Bag and flying sword, and told Zhang Ling'er to keep a jade pendant so he could find her later.
• Zhang Ling'er accepted Jing Wen's gold and silver and quietly wondered whether he would remember their promise to meet again in ten to twenty years.

Jing Wen visited the Covering Moon Sect Market and bought a Concealment Technique and two second-tier talismans. After inspecting his purchases, he was left with the items in hand, ready to continue shopping.

• Jing Wen recalled leaving Zhang Ling'er in a mortal city and considered what he might demand from her in exchange for marriage.
• Jing Wen entered the Covering Moon Sect Market and headed to the Seven-Craft Pavilion to look for high-level cultivation arts.
• Steward Sun showed Jing Wen a one-level Concealment Technique that could block perception from cultivators of the same stage, and Jing Wen agreed to buy it for five hundred Spirit Stones.
• Jing Wen examined the Pavilion's second-tier talisman catalog and chose a reusable Concealment Talisman and a low-grade Earth-Escape Talisman.
• Steward Sun brought out the two talismans, and Jing Wen carefully inspected their runes and spiritual auras.

Jing Wen searched the Seven-Craft Pavilion for Ghost Mortar Grass and a Soul-Refining Pearl, then assessed a powerful Flame Talisman Treasure he could not afford. He left after buying concealment items and arranging for Steward Sun to seek the rare materials, resolved to find more Spirit Stones so he could obtain the treasure.

• Jing Wen learned from Steward Sun that Ghost Mortar Grass was rare, could not be cultivated, and might turn up at Market stalls; Steward Sun recalled that a Soul-Refining Pearl had once appeared at auction.
• Jing Wen asked about weapons capable of harming a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, and Steward Sun showed him a Flame Talisman Treasure priced at four thousand Spirit Stones.
• Unable to afford the Flame Talisman Treasure and unwilling to sell his valuable herbs or unusual Magical Artifacts, Jing Wen offered Steward Sun a Red Spirit Flower for purchase.
• Jing Wen paid for a Concealment Talisman, a Concealment Technique, and an Earth-Escape Talisman, leaving an extra two hundred Spirit Stones as a deposit for Steward Sun to find Ghost Mortar Grass, its seedlings, or a Soul-Refining Pearl.
• Jing Wen left the Seven-Craft Pavilion with little money, resolved to find more Spirit Stones and acquire the Flame Talisman Treasure, then headed to another Market shop.