Chapter Summaries

He Pingsheng killed two Jade-Eyed White Toads and harvested their Poison Pellets, toad venom, and hides. After setting up camp for the night, he considered seeking the Cornus Fruit to help secure a Foundation Establishment Pill.

• He Pingsheng and the Yellow Turban Strongman defeated and killed the two Jade-Eyed White Toads.
• He Pingsheng scraped more than ten pounds of potent toad venom from the toads and collected two white Poison Pellets.
• He Pingsheng stripped the toads’ hides and set up a defensive formation beside the pool as night fell.
• He Pingsheng stored his harvest in the Treasure-Gathering Basin and considered visiting the Zhuang Family’s marked location to find the Cornus Fruit.

He Pingsheng met Qiao Huizhu, who warned him about venomous snakes in a marsh, but he entered it anyway to seek Poison Pellets. Meanwhile, Yang Xu found He Pingsheng there while searching for him on Linglong’s orders.

• He Pingsheng traveled north and met Qiao Huizhu, a Heavenly Talisman Mountain disciple he had encountered before.
• Qiao Huizhu warned He Pingsheng that a marsh ahead held groups of highly venomous snakes and that one of her fellow disciples had been poisoned.
• He Pingsheng thanked Qiao Huizhu and learned her name before she flew away on her Paper Crane.
• He Pingsheng reached the marsh and chose to enter it to obtain Poison Pellets, believing he would not be harmed by snake venom.
• Yang Xu, a Virtue-Honoring Garden disciple searching for He Pingsheng on Linglong’s orders, spotted him at the marsh.

He Pingsheng encountered Yang Xu in the swamp, where Yang Xu tried to capture him for Linglong. He Pingsheng killed Yang Xu with a combination of sword strikes and fire crows, leaving him dead before he could use his Teleportation Jade Talisman.

• He Pingsheng slaughtered spirit snakes in the swamp and collected Poison Pellets despite being bitten.
• Yang Xu arrived on a Paper Crane and demanded that He Pingsheng surrender his Teleportation Jade Token and come with him.
• Yang Xu attacked He Pingsheng's arm, but He Pingsheng blocked the sword strike with his Earth Armor Technique.
• He Pingsheng counterattacked with a Flying Sword, then sent a second sword strike and three fire crows at Yang Xu.
• Yang Xu blocked the sword light but was struck by all three fire crows and blasted to pieces before he could use his Teleportation Jade Talisman.

He Pingsheng killed Yang Xu and discovered that his Heartbond Talisman could lead Linglong to him, so he used Yang Xu’s belongings to lure her to a marsh. Linglong and Luo Yu reached the marked spot and had a disciple dig beneath a branch for a jar, leaving them poised to discover He Pingsheng’s trick.

• He Pingsheng searched Yang Xu’s remains, took his magical artifacts and spirit stones, and found a Teleportation Jade Talisman and a Heartbond Talisman.
• He Pingsheng guessed Linglong held the other half of the Heartbond Talisman and decided to toy with her.
• Linglong and Luo Yu fled pursuers, then followed the flashing Heartbond Talisman toward He Pingsheng’s location.
• Linglong and Luo Yu reached the marsh, where they found Yang Xu’s clothes hanging from a branch with a message pointing to a jar below.
• Linglong ordered a male disciple to dig beneath the branch while she stayed back in case it was a trap.

He Pingsheng used his enormous spiritual reserves, powerful defenses, and Fire Crows to defeat Linglong's group. After Luo Yu urged Linglong to retreat, He Pingsheng summoned a Yellow Turban Strongman, and his Flying Sword pierced Linglong's lower abdomen.

• A disciple wielding an Iron Rod attacked He Pingsheng, but He Pingsheng killed him with one of three Fire Crows.
• He Pingsheng repelled the other three attackers and killed another male disciple while defending himself with Earth Armor Technique and Vajra Shield.
• Linglong accused Luo Yu of holding back, while Luo Yu insisted He Pingsheng's defenses were too difficult to overcome.
• He Pingsheng replenished his spiritual power with Sacred Nectar, prompting Luo Yu to urge Linglong to retreat.
• Linglong tried to activate a Paper Crane as Luo Yu held He Pingsheng off, but He Pingsheng summoned a Yellow Turban Strongman to attack her.
• He Pingsheng noticed Luo Yu was deliberately holding back, then pierced Linglong's lower abdomen with a Flying Sword.

He Pingsheng killed Linglong after she threatened him with the retaliation of her grandfather, True Person Jade Virtue. Luo Yu revealed that Jade Virtue had ordered the hunt and proposed that she and He Pingsheng escape the Great Void Sect together, leaving their future uncertain.

• He Pingsheng stopped Linglong from using her Teleportation Jade Token, and Linglong warned that her death would alert her grandfather, Jade Virtue.
• He Pingsheng dismembered and killed Linglong, naming the debts he was avenging, while Luo Yu stood aside.
• Luo Yu buried Linglong and told He Pingsheng that she believed Linglong deserved to die and feared Jade Virtue would punish her too.
• Luo Yu explained that Jade Virtue had ordered He Pingsheng's death and revealed her fear of the abuses on Bamboo Peak.
• Luo Yu proposed that they use their Teleportation Jade Talismans to flee the Secret Realm, leave the Great Void Sect, and possibly become Dao Companions.

After killing Luo Yu, He Pingsheng hid in a cave to recover from the Soul-Summoning Bell’s devastating attack on his divine sense. As the Secret Realm’s closing approached and Jade Virtue waited to ambush him, He Pingsheng planned to disguise himself and escape, and discovered that his Treasure-Gathering Basin had upgraded the bell into a supreme-grade Soul-Slaying Bell.

• He Pingsheng fled to a secluded cave and slept for three days while his divine sense recovered from Luo Yu’s attack.
• He Pingsheng decided to stay hidden, practice the Mysterious Gate Tranquil Mind True Formula, and disguise himself before leaving the Secret Realm to evade Jade Virtue.
• He Pingsheng placed Luo Yu’s Soul-Summoning Bell in the Treasure-Gathering Basin and continued repairing his divine sense behind a defensive formation.
• The basin transformed the bell into a supreme-grade Spirit Artifact called the Soul-Slaying Bell, with eight layers of restrictions.

He Pingsheng assessed the supreme-grade Soul-Slaying Bell and Spirit-Shaking Drum, then counted the spoils from Linglong and three other disciples. While restoring his divine sense in his cave, he heard Xiao Bufan pursuing Qiao Huizhu toward the entrance.

• He Pingsheng decided not to confront Jade Virtue with the unrefined Soul-Slaying Bell and stored the unusable Spirit-Shaking Drum.
• He Pingsheng gathered nearly five thousand spirit stones, pills, spirit herbs, materials, jade slips, and magical artifacts from four Treasure Bags.
• He Pingsheng swallowed a Grain-Avoidance Pill and restored his divine sense with the Mysterious Gate Tranquil Mind True Formula.
• He Pingsheng replaced the formation's low-grade spirit stones with five middle-grade spirit stones after hearing someone outside.
• Xiao Bufan threatened Qiao Huizhu, who demanded the return of her Teleportation Jade Talisman and vowed to call off their engagement.
• He Pingsheng recognized Qiao Huizhu's voice as she and Xiao Bufan approached his cave entrance.

He Pingsheng let the poisoned Qiao Huizhu into his cave and held off Xiao Bufan behind his defensive formation. Xiao Bufan failed to break through and threatened He Pingsheng with a Dao Talisman.

• Qiao Huizhu fled into He Pingsheng's cave and begged him to protect her from Xiao Bufan.
• He Pingsheng opened his formation to let Qiao Huizhu inside, and she drank and poured cold water over herself to fight the poison.
• Xiao Bufan entered the cave and repeatedly attacked He Pingsheng's formation with his flying sword, but it held.
• Xiao Bufan revealed that he had drugged Qiao Huizhu to prevent her from breaking their betrothal and decided he could not let her escape alive.
• Xiao Bufan took out a sword-light Dao Talisman and demanded that He Pingsheng hand Qiao Huizhu over.

He Pingsheng killed Xiao Bufan with an Ice Arrow Talisman, then collapsed after exhausting his recovering soul sense. After waking in the formation with Qiao Huizhu, he opened Xiao Bufan’s Storage Bag and offered to divide the spoils, but Qiao Huizhu asked for the Dao Talisman instead.

• Xiao Bufan offered He Pingsheng spirit stones and a favor in exchange for Qiao Huizhu, and He Pingsheng pretended to let him into the formation.
• He Pingsheng struck Xiao Bufan with an Ice Arrow Talisman, killing him, then collapsed unconscious after exhausting his soul sense.
• Qiao Huizhu stayed with He Pingsheng while he slept for a day and a night, and he woke to find his Storage Bag and Treasure-Gathering Basin untouched.
• He Pingsheng and Qiao Huizhu examined Xiao Bufan’s Storage Bag, which contained spirit stones, supplies, three unripe Water Essence Spirit Apricots, and a Dao Talisman.
• He Pingsheng offered to split the spoils equally, but Qiao Huizhu said she wanted the Dao Talisman and offered compensation.

He Pingsheng kept the Dao Talisman to protect himself from Jade Virtue and arranged with Qiao Huizhu to disguise him as a Heavenly Talisman Mountain disciple when they left the Secret Realm. He stayed behind to recover his injured divine sense while Qiao Huizhu went searching for opportunities, promising to return on the final day.

• He Pingsheng explained the Dao Talisman's power and asked Qiao Huizhu to let him keep it; she agreed and took the other loot instead of the dangerous Storage Bag.
• He Pingsheng told Qiao Huizhu that Jade Virtue was waiting outside the Secret Realm to avenge the disciple he had killed, and asked her to help him escape.
• He Pingsheng planned to use an enhanced Disguise Talisman to pose as a woman and leave with Qiao Huizhu under the protection of her aunt, a Heavenly Talisman Mountain elder.
• Qiao Huizhu warned that her Disguise Talisman might not fool a Foundation Establishment cultivator, but He Pingsheng chose to risk it.
• Qiao Huizhu left to seek opportunities and promised to return on the last day, then came back to ask whether He Pingsheng had felt anything unusual while unconscious.
• Qiao Huizhu told He Pingsheng to rest and avoid wandering while his divine sense recovered, then flew away on her Paper Crane.

He Pingsheng used the Treasure-Gathering Basin to enhance his Water Essence Spirit Apricots, Storage Bags, and Dao Talismans. With two invisible Storage Bags and two supreme-grade talismans capable of killing Foundation Establishment Realm beings, he felt prepared to face Jade Virtue.

• He Pingsheng bathed in a nearby stream, returned to the cave, and sealed its entrance with a formation and a stone wall.
• He Pingsheng placed Xiao Bufan's Storage Bag, three unripe Water Essence Spirit Apricots, and a Dao Talisman in the Treasure-Gathering Basin, then cultivated to restore his divine sense.
• After a day and a night, the basin turned the three apricots into six ripe golden ones, which He Pingsheng stored away.
• After another night, the Storage Bag became two invisible Storage Bags, each with a large interior space, and He Pingsheng concealed them.
• After a third night, the Dao Talisman became a Myriad Swords Dao Talisman and a Golden Sword Dao Talisman, both capable of killing a Foundation Establishment Realm being with an instant attack.

He Pingsheng disguised himself as a woman and left the Secret Realm with Qiao Huizhu, hiding among Heavenly Talisman Mountain’s disciples while Jade Virtue watched for him. Daoist Five Phases questioned Qiao Huizhu about his deceased disciple Xiao Bufan, and the chapter ended with Heavenly Talisman Mountain disciples eyeing her as a potential match.

• Qiao Huizhu gave He Pingsheng a cornus fruit, thirteen Enlightenment Tea Tree leaves, and a Daoist robe, then helped him prepare to leave.
• He Pingsheng used his Disguise Talisman to take on an ordinary woman’s appearance, and he and Qiao Huizhu teleported out of the Secret Realm.
• Qiao Huizhu led He Pingsheng to Heavenly Talisman Mountain’s camp, where her aunt let him wait among the disciples without speaking.
• He Pingsheng spotted Jade Virtue furiously watching the arrivals at the Great Void Sect’s camp and avoided drawing his attention.
• Daoist Five Phases asked Qiao Huizhu about Xiao Bufan, and she said she had seen him at Ice Crystal Lake four days earlier without knowing he had died.
• After Five Phases left, Heavenly Talisman Mountain’s disciples wondered if Xiao Bufan’s death gave them a chance to pursue Qiao Huizhu.

After the Secret Realm closed, Jade Virtue suspected He Pingsheng had killed Linglong and left with He Pingsheng’s life-bound Jade Token to locate him, prompting Yu Ning to pursue him. He Pingsheng escaped Heavenly Talisman Mountain’s Flying Boat but, with his divine sense too weak to reach Horsehead Mountain Market, settled in a remote mountain cave to recover and cultivate.

• Jade Virtue waited for He Pingsheng after the Secret Realm closed, then returned to the Great Void Sect when he could not find him.
• Jade Virtue confirmed He Pingsheng’s life-bound Jade Token was intact and took it from Yu Ning’s palace, leading Yu Ning to realize he meant to track her disciple and give chase.
• He Pingsheng thanked Qiao Huizhu and the Golden Core Stage Daoist Nun for sheltering him, then departed Heavenly Talisman Mountain’s Flying Boat on his Paper Crane.
• He Pingsheng’s divine sense weakened during the flight, so he landed in an uninhabited mountain range and carved a cave into the mountainside.
• He Pingsheng decided to cultivate in the cave for a month before traveling by carriage to Horsehead Mountain Market.

Jade Virtue tracked He Pingsheng to his secluded cave and confronted him about Linglong and his parents. He Pingsheng unleashed a supreme-grade Myriad Swords Dao Talisman, leaving Jade Virtue facing an unavoidable barrage of sword lights.

• Jade Virtue used a bloodline secret art to search for He Pingsheng, then found his location on the fourth day and flew to his cave.
• Jade Virtue questioned He Pingsheng about Linglong, while He Pingsheng asked whether Jade Virtue had killed his parents.
• Jade Virtue sent the Golden Giant Python to attack He Pingsheng.
• He Pingsheng activated the Myriad Swords Dao Talisman, and Jade Virtue recognized it as a supreme-grade Dao Talisman.
• He Pingsheng tricked Jade Virtue into looking behind him, and hundreds of sword lights descended on him.

He Pingsheng killed Jade Virtue with a second Dao Talisman after Jade Virtue confessed to murdering his parents. Injured and exhausted, He Pingsheng fled the valley, where his master Yu Ning found him and promised to protect him if there was no evidence against him.

• The Golden Giant Python shielded Jade Virtue from He Pingsheng's Myriad Swords Dao Talisman, but Jade Virtue was badly wounded and confessed to killing He Pingsheng's parents.
• He Pingsheng activated a second Dao Talisman and killed Jade Virtue and the python with an enormous golden sword.
• He Pingsheng took the Azure Small Shield and Jade Virtue's Storage Bag, dismantled his Formation, and left the valley while his Divine Sense was in pain.
• After landing to recover, He Pingsheng was found by Yu Ning, who had been searching for him.
• Yu Ning asked whether He Pingsheng had left evidence against himself, and He Pingsheng assured her there was none.
• Yu Ning promised to protect He Pingsheng and told him to come with her.

He Pingsheng returned to Bamboo Peak with Yu Ning and prepared an explanation for his absence from the Secret Realm. After learning that Jade Virtue had died, he reunited with Zhao Ling'er, Tian Xiaoqing, and Xu Kunlun and shared Water Essence Spirit Apricots with them.

• He Pingsheng retrieved his Treasure Bag and flew with Yu Ning to Bamboo Peak.
• Yu Ning told He Pingsheng to claim that he had disguised himself as a woman and left the Secret Realm with the Heavenly Talisman Mountain fleet.
• Zhao Ling'er reported that Jade Virtue's Nameplate had shattered, and Yu Ning ordered her to look solemn about his death.
• He Pingsheng returned to his courtyard, where Zhao Ling'er, Tian Xiaoqing, and Xu Kunlun asked whether he had killed Linglong and what he had obtained.
• He Pingsheng showed them three Water Essence Spirit Apricots and gave one to each of them.

The Enforcement Hall questioned He Pingsheng about the deaths of Jade Virtue and Linglong, while Daoist Nun Feng pressed him to prove his innocence. He Pingsheng calmly challenged Zheng Menglong to explain how he knew Linglong had been killed, leaving Zheng flustered before he could answer.

• Zhao Ling'er, Xu Kunlun, and Tian Xiaoqing returned their Water Essence Spirit Apricots so He Pingsheng could first fulfill his lineage's resource quota.
• Hou Muxian summoned He Pingsheng and the others to Yu Ning Palace, warning that the Enforcement Hall had arrived.
• Elder Hong asked He Pingsheng whether he had killed Jade Virtue, and He Pingsheng denied ever meeting him.
• Daoist Nun Feng demanded that He Pingsheng prove his innocence, but he asked her to prove she had not killed Jade Virtue, leaving her speechless.
• Elder Hong asked whether He Pingsheng had killed Linglong, and He Pingsheng denied it before challenging Zheng Menglong to describe what he had witnessed.
• Zheng Menglong stammered as He Pingsheng asked when and where the alleged killing occurred, what attacks they used, and why Zheng had not helped Linglong.

He Pingsheng faced questions about Linglong’s death and explained why he had left the Secret Realm separately. He claimed that Linglong and Luo Yu had tried to steal his Water Essence Spirit Apricots, forcing him to flee in disguise.

• Zheng Menglong admitted he had no evidence against He Pingsheng and had only suspected him because Linglong had plotted against him.
• Elder Hong revealed that five disciples had died in the Secret Realm, leaving Zheng Menglong as the sole survivor, then asked when and why He Pingsheng had left.
• He Pingsheng said he had obtained six Water Essence Spirit Apricots at Ice Crystal Lake and used water escape to avoid being seen by Hou Muxian.
• Zhao Ling'er and Xu Kunlun confirmed that He Pingsheng knew a water escape art.
• He Pingsheng claimed that Linglong and Luo Yu had pursued him to seize his apricots, so he disguised himself as a woman and fled the Secret Realm.

He Pingsheng defended himself against accusations of murdering Linglong, and Elder Hong let him go pending further investigation. After He Pingsheng shared half his Secret Realm haul with Yu Ning and gave his Water Essence Spirit Apricots to his three companions, Yu Ning ordered him to remain on Bamboo Peak while she handled selling his pollen and obtaining medicine.

• He Pingsheng explained how he escaped the Secret Realm aboard Heavenly Talisman Mountain's Flying Boat, and Elder Hong concluded there was insufficient evidence to convict him.
• Elder Hong barred He Pingsheng from leaving while the Enforcement Hall continued its investigation, and Yuxuan dismissed the others from the hall.
• He Pingsheng surrendered half his Secret Realm goods to Yu Ning and asked for one Water Essence Spirit Apricot to honor his promise to share with Tian Xiaoqing, Zhao Ling'er, and Xu Kunlun.
• He Pingsheng gave one Water Essence Spirit Apricot to each of his three companions, disappointing Hou Muxian, who wanted one for Foundation Establishment.
• Yu Ning said she would consult Ancestor Chongyang about distributing her two remaining fruits and ordered He Pingsheng and the others to stay on Bamboo Peak until they ate theirs.
• He Pingsheng asked to go to Horsehead Mountain to sell his Blazing Sun Flower pollen and buy Divine Sense-Healing Pills, but Yu Ning ordered him to stay and said she would handle it.