Chapter Summaries

The Grand Ancestor of the Great Void explained how comprehension and spiritual roots shaped cultivation after the Nascent Soul Realm. He arranged to borrow He Pingsheng for a dozen years, and Yu Ning reluctantly agreed to let him stay.

• The Grand Ancestor of the Great Void taught He Pingsheng that Nascent Soul cultivators broke through Dao obstacles by comprehending the laws and principles of heaven and earth.
• He Pingsheng learned that five-element spiritual roots could comprehend a wider range of laws later in cultivation, while single spiritual roots offered early advantages but narrower comprehension.
• The Grand Ancestor of the Great Void sent He Pingsheng to fetch Yu Ning, who was waiting outside the Great Void Divine Hall.
• Yu Ning drew her treasured sword and challenged the Grand Ancestor of the Great Void rather than let him take He Pingsheng from her.
• The Grand Ancestor of the Great Void promised to return He Pingsheng after a dozen or so years and assured Yu Ning that He Pingsheng would still call her Master, so she agreed.

He Pingsheng was ordered to remain within the Great Void Sect and move into a vast side hall, while Daoist Nun Feng plotted against him with her master. At the Beast Taming Sect, a scholar learned that Great Void Sect’s fortune had risen slightly and predicted it would eventually wither.

• The Grand Ancestor of the Great Void warned Yu Ning to keep their encounter secret and ordered He Pingsheng to stay within the Great Void Sect.
• He Pingsheng found Green Banana and Yu Tong assigned to serve him, then flew back to Bamboo Peak to prepare to move into the side hall.
• Daoist Nun Feng told True Person Sword Bamboo that He Pingsheng had injured her Divine Sense and accused him of killing her elder brother and Linglong.
• At the Beast Taming Sect, a white-haired elder told a scholar that more than a dozen Golden Core cultivators were searching near the Secret Realm’s exit.
• The scholar used Qi Watching to detect a slight rise in Great Void Sect’s fortune, but predicted it would wither within a hundred years.

He Pingsheng studied formations at the Grand Ancestor of the Great Void’s residence while avoiding revealing his treasures. Zhao Ling'er and Xu Kunlun returned from the Black Frontier with Red Essence Ginseng, and He Pingsheng cured Zhao Ling'er’s venom with Golden Bee Sacred Nectar.

• The Grand Ancestor of the Great Void taught He Pingsheng about formations and gave him a jade slip to study.
• He Pingsheng returned to his side hall and spent several days studying while keeping his treasures hidden.
• Zhao Ling'er and Xu Kunlun visited He Pingsheng after finding Red Essence Ginseng in the Black Frontier, where two venomous pythons had injured Zhao Ling'er.
• He Pingsheng gave Zhao Ling'er a drop of Golden Bee Sacred Nectar, which immediately purged the venom.
• He Pingsheng told Zhao Ling'er and Xu Kunlun about the nectar and offered them more, asking them to keep it secret.

He Pingsheng received Red Essence Ginseng from Xu Kunlun and Zhao Ling'er, then continued studying formations under the Grand Ancestor of the Great Void. Their lesson was interrupted when Sword Bamboo and Wuwei arrived, and the Grand Ancestor accused Wuwei of waiting for him to die.

• Xu Kunlun told He Pingsheng that he, Zhao Ling'er, and Tian Xiaoqing had gathered seven roots of Red Essence Ginseng, and He Pingsheng returned one root so it could help Tian Xiaoqing get a Storage Bag.
• He Pingsheng spent several days memorizing the foundational chapters on formations before returning to the Grand Ancestor of the Great Void, who began teaching him about Formation Plates.
• Sword Bamboo and Wuwei visited the Grand Ancestor, and Sword Bamboo asked him for spirit stones to support her disciples.
• Sword Bamboo took a Storage Bag and an old whip from the Grand Ancestor's shelf, saying the whip suited her newly learned Jade Maiden Whip Art.
• The Grand Ancestor asked Wuwei why he had come, and Wuwei said he wanted to check on his health.
• The Grand Ancestor accused Wuwei of wanting to see when he would die, and Wuwei fell to his knees in fright.

Wuwei demanded that the Grand Ancestor of the Great Void pass down the Great Void Grand Mystic Scripture, revealing that he was the Grand Ancestor’s son and that He Pingsheng was considered a medicinal catalyst. After rejecting Wuwei and reassuring He Pingsheng, the Grand Ancestor began explaining why the scripture could not be cultivated by ordinary cultivators.

• Wuwei accused the Grand Ancestor of withholding the Great Void Grand Mystic Scripture and argued that he deserved it as the eldest disciple.
• Wuwei revealed that he was the Grand Ancestor’s son and begged for the scripture, claiming it could give him a chance to reach Nascent Soul.
• The Grand Ancestor kicked Wuwei out of the Great Void Divine Hall and sealed its formations.
• The Grand Ancestor took He Pingsheng to the Spirit Plantation Garden, reassured him that he would not use Soul Seizure on him, and said the sect’s future depended on disciples like him.
• The Grand Ancestor began teaching He Pingsheng about the Great Void Grand Mystic Scripture, explaining that it was an attribute-less technique ordinary cultivators could not master.

He Pingsheng learned that the Great Void Grand Mystic Scripture could let a five-element cultivator use spells of any attribute without losing power, and discovered that Taixu had gained the method by devouring another cultivator’s spiritual roots. Fearing Taixu and Wuwei wanted to take his own five-element roots, He Pingsheng resolved to escape the Great Void Sect and began calculating how far he would need to travel to evade Taixu’s divine sense.

• Taixu explained that the Great Void Grand Mystic Scripture transformed a five-element cultivator’s spiritual energy into a formless state that could power spells and abilities of any attribute without weakening them.
• Taixu revealed that he had obtained the scripture by devouring a cultivator with a five-element spiritual root and said Wuwei coveted another power of the method.
• He Pingsheng returned to his Daoist grounds and feared that Taixu or Wuwei intended to seize his five-element spiritual roots, so he decided to escape the Great Void Sect.
• He Pingsheng searched the Cultivation Miscellany and learned that Nascent Soul cultivators could extend their divine sense tens of thousands of zhang.
• He Pingsheng calculated that Taixu’s divine sense might reach several hundred li, leaving him to consider how he could get beyond its range.

He Pingsheng sought a way to evade the Great Void Sect's ancestor, but he found no concealment talisman available and chose to focus on cultivation instead. After a year of studying formations under the Grand Ancestor of the Great Void, he was surprised when Xuan Yang asked to learn his divine refining method.

• He Pingsheng gave Xu Kunlun and Zhao Ling'er Golden Bee Sacred Nectar, then asked Zhao Ling'er to seek an invisibility or aura-concealing talisman from Qiao Huizhu at Heavenly Talisman Mountain.
• Qiao Huizhu had no Hundred Concealment Talisman available, but promised to send one if she found the rare treasure needed to draw it.
• He Pingsheng swallowed the Red Essence Ginseng and advanced to the twelfth layer of the Qi Refining Stage, while deciding to save his enhanced Foundation Establishment Pills.
• He Pingsheng spent about a year cultivating and studying formations with the Grand Ancestor of the Great Void, becoming able to craft first-grade formation plates.
• Xuan Yang visited the Great Void Divine Hall and asked He Pingsheng to teach him the divine refining cultivation method.

He Pingsheng gave Xuan Yang the first three chapters of the Mysterious Gate Tranquil Mind True Formula and learned about the Great Void Sect’s dangerous feud with the Beast Taming Sect. After two years of waiting and worrying about the Grand Ancestor, He Pingsheng broke through to the Foundation Establishment Realm, only for the Grand Ancestor to summon him to make second-grade formation plates.

• Xuan Yang chose the Mysterious Gate Tranquil Mind True Formula, and He Pingsheng later copied its first three chapters and delivered them to him.
• Xuan Yang told He Pingsheng that the Great Void Sect had exterminated the Hou Household and warned him that the Beast Taming Sect held a deep grudge against their sect.
• He Pingsheng spent two more years watching for the Grand Ancestor’s attempt to seize his soul while planning an escape, but Qiao Huizhu’s Hundred Concealment Talisman still did not arrive.
• He Pingsheng swallowed a high-grade Foundation Establishment Pill and broke through to the first layer of the Foundation Establishment Realm, with his divine sense reaching three hundred zhang.
• The Grand Ancestor of the Great Void noticed He Pingsheng’s breakthrough and summoned him to help make second-grade formation plates.

After He Pingsheng broke through to the Foundation Establishment Realm, the Grand Ancestor of the Great Void tested his formation skills and gave him control tokens for the Great Void Divine Hall. He Pingsheng then announced an eighty-percent cut to the Golden Core disciples’ stipends and resources, provoking their fury.

• He Pingsheng told the Grand Ancestor of the Great Void that his lifespan had increased after reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm, and the Grand Ancestor asked him to inscribe a second-grade formation plate.
• After seven or eight days of practice, He Pingsheng successfully inscribed the formation plate, and the Grand Ancestor showed him the Great Void Divine Hall’s formations and gave him three control tokens.
• The Grand Ancestor of the Great Void gave He Pingsheng a black iron token and sent him to Xuan Yang to summon the Golden Core disciples.
• He Pingsheng gathered Xuan Yang, Sword Bamboo, Daoist Chongyang, Elder Hong, and Daoist Wuwei and announced an eighty-percent cut to their annual and monthly stipends and resources.
• The Golden Core disciples protested angrily, and Wuwei cursed the Grand Ancestor of the Great Void and threatened to confront him.

He Pingsheng delivered the Grand Ancestor of the Great Void’s orders to redistribute sect resources and open the peaks to more disciples. The Grand Ancestor enforced the reforms and warned his disciples that he would show no mercy to anyone who exploited the sect.

• He Pingsheng announced that resources cut from the Golden Core cultivators’ allocations would go to lower-ranking disciples and that the peaks would admit outstanding outer disciples.
• Wuwei and the other Golden Core cultivators went to Jade Dragon Peak to challenge the orders, and the Grand Ancestor told He Pingsheng to summon all Foundation Establishment disciples.
• He Pingsheng rang the bell seven times, summoning more than a hundred Foundation Establishment disciples to the Great Void Divine Hall.
• The Grand Ancestor ordered the peaks opened to outer disciples, required Foundation Establishment disciples to take between twenty and fifty Personal Disciples, and granted disciples spirit stones and access to the Treasury Hall.
• The Grand Ancestor ordered the Enforcement Hall to investigate Inner Disciples who bullied others and threatened his own disciples with death if they continued to hoard sect resources.

The Grand Ancestor of the Great Void revealed that he had sixty years left to live and announced his plan to enter seclusion before eventually confronting the Beast Taming Immortal Sect. He took He Pingsheng aside, gave him cultivation pills, and explained that He Pingsheng would need to find a Transformation-Breaking Pill to reach the Nascent Soul Realm.

• Wuwei and the other disciples supported the Grand Ancestor of the Great Void's decision to give He Pingsheng the Great Void Grand Mystic Scripture.
• The Grand Ancestor of the Great Void said he had sixty years left and would enter seclusion to restore his cultivation before killing the Beast Taming Immortal Sect's Nascent Soul cultivator.
• The Grand Ancestor of the Great Void ordered the disciples not to disturb him, then concealed the Great Void Divine Hall behind formations.
• Sword Bamboo questioned whether the Grand Ancestor of the Great Void was using seclusion to teach He Pingsheng the scripture, and he struck her, lowering her cultivation by one layer.
• The Grand Ancestor of the Great Void showed He Pingsheng a collection of pills for his cultivation and said he would need to find a Transformation-Breaking Pill to enter the Nascent Soul Realm.

He Pingsheng studied the Nine Suns Formation, visited Zhao Ling'er to collect a Hundred Concealment Talisman, and secretly used the Treasure-Gathering Basin to upgrade it. The talisman became a supreme-grade Invisibility Talisman, which could hide both his body and his aura.

• The Grand Ancestor of the Great Void gave He Pingsheng a Jade Token for the left side hall and a Jade Slip containing the Nine Suns Formation, which He Pingsheng studied over several days.
• Zhao Ling'er summoned He Pingsheng to True Spirit Hall, where her disciples paid respects to him as their grandmaster.
• Zhao Ling'er gave He Pingsheng the third-grade Hundred Concealment Talisman that Qiao Huizhu had obtained.
• He Pingsheng bathed in a deep pool and used the Treasure-Gathering Basin inside layered storage containers to enhance the talisman beyond the Grand Ancestor's notice.
• The next morning, He Pingsheng discovered that the talisman had become a supreme-grade Invisibility Talisman that concealed its user's body and aura.

He Pingsheng helped the Grand Ancestor of the Great Void complete a formation and was assigned to make flags for another one. After recognizing the new formation as a tool for Soul Seizure, he realized the Grand Ancestor intended to take over his body and was left terrified.

• He Pingsheng studied the Nine Suns Formation while waiting for a chance to escape the Grand Ancestor of the Great Void.
• He Pingsheng and the Grand Ancestor completed the Great Nine Yang Formation, and the Grand Ancestor praised his talent.
• The Grand Ancestor gave He Pingsheng a Jade Slip with instructions to make eighty-one Formation Flags for a more complex formation.
• He Pingsheng searched the Myriad Formations Compendium and found that the gourd-shaped formation was the Host-Usurping Yin-Yang-Reversing Soul-Transferring Formation.
• He Pingsheng realized the Grand Ancestor planned to seize his body and collapsed onto his meditation cushion in terror.

He Pingsheng realized the patriarch planned to use Soul Seizure on him and devised a way to escape the Great Void Sect. After luring Daoist Wuwei toward the Great Void Divine Hall and receiving Xu Kunlun’s message, He Pingsheng fled by Flying Boat and left the sect far behind.

• He Pingsheng concluded that the patriarch had prepared the Nine Suns Formation and cultivation pills to conceal Soul Seizure and support his cultivation afterward.
• After three days of planning, He Pingsheng asked Zhao Ling’er to bring Xu Kunlun to the True Spirit Hall and enlisted their help to escape.
• He Pingsheng told Daoist Wuwei that the patriarch had not entered seclusion and gave him the keys to the Great Void Divine Hall, claiming he would refuse the [Great Void Grand Mystic Scripture].
• He Pingsheng hid with an [Invisibility Talisman] and waited until Xu Kunlun sent a message saying, "I saw the patriarch..."
• He Pingsheng fled in the opposite direction from Xu Kunlun, boarded the Cloud-Piercing Boat, and traveled more than ten thousand li from the Great Void Sect without being pursued.

He Pingsheng tricked the Grand Ancestor of the Great Void and fled far beyond the Daoist Profound Alliance, believing he had escaped. After falling asleep in a mountain cave, he woke to find the Grand Ancestor had captured him and understood that his escape had failed.

• Wuwei confronted the Grand Ancestor of the Great Void, who searched for He Pingsheng but was misled by the Snow Rocs and rushed back to the sect.
• He Pingsheng fled by Flying Boat for more than ten days, crossing beyond the Daoist Profound Alliance's borders before resting in a mountain cave.
• He Pingsheng counted his Spirit Stones, reassured himself that his resources would support his cultivation, and fell asleep.
• He Pingsheng woke in a hall before the Grand Ancestor of the Great Void, who explained how he had anticipated He Pingsheng's escape plan and captured him.

He Pingsheng confronted Taixu about the soul-seizure formation, but Taixu forced him into it and began invading his body. He Pingsheng lost consciousness and woke inside Taixu’s memories, seeing the younger Taixu in a rain-soaked Deep Ravine.

• He Pingsheng accused Taixu of trapping him and preparing a soul-seizure formation, while Taixu admitted the ritual had only a ten-percent chance of success and offered him the Great Void Sect if it failed.
• Taixu refused to let He Pingsheng reject the deal and ordered him to restore his divine sense as he finished setting up the formation.
• Taixu activated the formation, controlled He Pingsheng’s body, and placed him in the host’s circle while taking the guest’s position.
• Taixu’s divine sense invaded He Pingsheng’s body and discovered his Treasure-Gathering Basin before He Pingsheng lost consciousness.
• He Pingsheng awoke within a memory of a younger Taixu standing in a wooden building in the Deep Ravine beside a worried young woman.

He Pingsheng learned the truth about Taixu’s past before the Grand Ancestor of the Great Void revealed that he had only hours left to live. Taixu brought He Pingsheng to a hidden chamber and entrusted him with a plan to protect the Great Void Sect from the Beast Taming Immortal Sect.

• He Pingsheng witnessed Taixu’s memories of how his wife gave up her five-element spiritual root to save their son Wuwei, enabling Taixu to master the Great Void Grand Mystic Scripture.
• He Pingsheng regained control of his body and learned that Taixu’s soul seizure had failed, though Taixu was still alive and extremely weak.
• Taixu questioned He Pingsheng about finding the Treasure-Gathering Basin, then asked him to help continue through the Spirit Plantation Garden.
• Taixu opened a hidden door in the artificial mountain and led He Pingsheng into an underground chamber containing a golden lamp.
• Taixu revealed that his life would end soon and warned that the Beast Taming Immortal Sect would attack the Great Void Sect after his death.
• Taixu explained that the Beast Taming Immortal Sect could detect his death with Qi Watching and identified the Fortune Golden Lamp as his way to counter it.

Taixu sacrificed his essence blood and nascent soul to create a Golden Lamp that would preserve the Great Void Sect’s fortune, entrusting He Pingsheng with protecting the sect and teaching him how to escape if it fell. Meanwhile, the Beast Taming Immortal Sect noticed the sect’s fortune briefly waver but decided to wait and investigate He Pingsheng.

• Taixu asked He Pingsheng to cultivate toward the nascent soul realm and shelter the Great Void Sect’s disciples after he was gone.
• Taixu showed He Pingsheng a Teleportation Array that could carry him a hundred thousand li away and instructed him to destroy the destination platform after using it.
• Taixu turned his essence blood and nascent soul into lamp oil, then entered the Golden Lamp and died.
• He Pingsheng lit the Golden Lamp in the hall and mourned Taixu beneath the ancient tree, which withered after the patriarch’s death.
• At the Beast Taming Immortal Sect, a Confucian-robed middle-aged man and a bald old man discussed the Great Void Sect’s briefly diminished fortune and chose not to attack Taixu.
• The Confucian-robed middle-aged man asked whether the bald old man had learned anything about He Pingsheng, but the old man said their investigation had found little.

He Pingsheng questioned Xuan Yang about the rules and dangers of soul seizure, still unable to explain why he had survived the patriarch’s apparent attempt. Xuan Yang revealed that he was abandoning his pursuit of the Great Dao and warned that he and other disciples were preparing to leave the Great Void Sect because they expected the Beast Taming Sect to destroy it.

• He Pingsheng asked Xuan Yang about soul seizure, and Xuan Yang said golden core cultivators could not perform it and that it usually killed both souls.
• He Pingsheng wondered why he had survived the patriarch’s apparent failed soul seizure.
• Xuan Yang said he would stop pursuing the Great Dao, return to his hometown, and establish a cultivation lineage subordinate to the Great Void Sect.
• Xuan Yang told He Pingsheng that Hong Lao’er had left the sect half a month earlier to escape the coming conflict.
• Xuan Yang argued that the aging patriarch could not defeat the Beast Taming Sect’s two nascent soul cultivators and that the sect would be vulnerable after his death.
• Xuan Yang revealed that he was leaving too and asked He Pingsheng to understand why he was choosing to escape.

He Pingsheng appointed Withered Wood True Person as acting deputy hall master before spending two years cultivating, bringing his five dantian and divine refining to the first Foundation Establishment level. He went to Horsehead Mountain Market to find second-grade demon beast poison pellets, unaware that Daoist Nun Feng was following him to seek revenge.

• Xuan Yang resigned and recommended Withered Wood True Person to oversee the Internal Affairs Hall.
• He Pingsheng appointed Withered Wood True Person acting deputy hall master, then cultivated for two years and advanced his five dantian and divine refining to the first Foundation Establishment level.
• He Pingsheng ran out of poison pellets for body refining and flew to Horsehead Mountain Market to look for second-grade demon beast poison pellets.
• True Person Sword Bamboo told Daoist Nun Feng to pursue her revenge alone, and Daoist Nun Feng followed He Pingsheng toward the market.
• At the market, He Pingsheng asked a familiar pill seller for second-grade demon beast poison pellets, but the seller had none and directed him to other stalls or trading houses.