Chapter Summaries

Chen Shi'an urged the Earth Pill Sect to prepare to destroy the Chu Family while Desolate Suppression City’s leaders were distracted. The next morning, Dong Xiaochai sought his help for her wounded second uncle, and Chen Shi'an suggested that an Upper Three Realms expert might identify the blood-colored mist harming him.

• Chen Shi'an secured the council’s agreement to prepare a decisive strike against the Chu Family before the city’s important figures could intervene.
• After returning home, Chen Shi'an gave Tong Xiao instructions and continued cultivating the Great Evolution Saintly Art.
• Dong Xiaochai visited Chen Shi'an early the next morning and explained that a blood-colored mist left by Desolation was corroding her second uncle’s body.
• Dong Xiaochai told Chen Shi'an that Master Jueming had the same symptoms, while other wounded fighters did not.
• Chen Shi'an said an Upper Three Realms expert might know the mist’s origin and advised that Commander-in-Chief Gao approach him.

Chen Shi'an used the Saintly Dao Stele to remove the Desolation blood from Dong Fengwu after claiming he had a pill that could treat him. Dong Fengwu recovered from the immediate effects, and Chen Shi'an left the Dong Family members to come back into the room.

• Chen Shi'an suggested that Dong Xiaochai ask Master Jueming to persuade Senior Mu Qinghai to examine Dong Fengwu.
• Master Jueming brought Senior Mu to White Camel Temple, where Mu identified the blood-colored mist in Dong Fengwu and Jueming as Desolation's blood but could not remove it.
• Chen Shi'an told Dong Xiaochai he would search the Earth Pill Sect treasury for a treatment, then visited the Dong Family the next day.
• Chen Shi'an falsely presented a bottle of Spring Returning Pills as the Founding Ancestor's Life Transformation Pills and sent the Dong Family members out of Dong Fengwu's room.
• Chen Shi'an summoned the Saintly Dao Stele, which absorbed all the Desolation blood from Dong Fengwu and eased his pain and fever.
• After watching Dong Fengwu for half a quarter of an hour and confirming he was safe, Chen Shi'an invited the Dong Family members back inside.

After Dong Fengwu improved, Chen Shi'an delayed treating the gravely injured Master Jueming while waiting to confirm the Life Transformation Pill’s effects. Jingchen lent him the Moonlit Night Waterfall-Viewing Sutra, a mind-power cultivation technique, and Chen Shi'an began studying it while keeping the secret of the Saintly Dao Stele from Jueming.

• Chen Shi'an told the Dong Family to watch Dong Fengwu closely, then returned to the Earth Pill Sect and ordered Tong Xiao to pause their plans against the Wu Family and inquire about Master Jueming.
• Jingchen invited Chen Shi'an to the White Camel Temple to treat Jueming, but Chen Shi'an postponed the visit until Dong Fengwu's condition was clear.
• Over the next three days, Dong Fengwu regained the ability to walk while Jueming's mind began to cloud, and Chen Shi'an stayed inside his residence.
• Jingchen lent Chen Shi'an the Moonlit Night Waterfall-Viewing Sutra for three days and urgently asked him to treat Jueming, but Chen Shi'an sent Jingchen back without agreeing to go.
• Chen Shi'an read the sutra and found that its visualization method could cultivate mind power only to the first grade and required finding a waterfall that stirred the cultivator's thoughts.

Chen Shi'an learned the Moonlit Night Waterfall-Viewing Sutra’s Mind Power techniques and delayed treating Jueming while waiting for Dong Fengwu’s recovery to be confirmed. After Jueming’s condition worsened, Chen Shi'an finally went to White Camel Temple and removed the Desolation blood from his body.

• Chen Shi'an judged the Moonlit Night Waterfall-Viewing Sutra’s cultivation method too difficult and studied its four Mind Power techniques, gaining access to the Formless Eye.
• Chen Shi'an rested in the courtyard instead of cultivating, while Tong Xiao reported that Jueming had fallen unconscious.
• Jingchen came to the Earth Pill Sect, but Chen Shi'an sent him away, saying he needed to confirm Commander Dong’s recovery before treating Jueming.
• After Tong Xiao reported Jueming’s high fever and deep coma, Chen Shi'an went to White Camel Temple and extracted all the Desolation blood from Jueming.
• Chen Shi'an confirmed Jueming’s condition had stabilized, then left Jingchen to watch for further problems.

Chen Shi'an questioned Jingchen about Mind Power cultivation, then visited Dong Fengwu and learned more about Desolation and the threat posed by Huang Dao. Dong Fengwu refused to let Dong Xiaochai return to the Earth Pill Sect, leaving her confined at home for her safety.

• Chen Shi'an asked Jingchen about Mind Power and learned that the Moonlit Night Waterfall-Viewing Sutra used visualization, though Jingchen did not know its origins.
• Chen Shi'an visited Dong Fengwu, who said the formation beneath Desolate Suppression City had been strengthened and would hold Desolation for a hundred years.
• Dong Fengwu told Chen Shi'an that Desolation was said to be a group of powerful people from Endless Mountain who had helped bring down the Great Feng Empire.
• Dong Xiaochai asked to return to the Earth Pill Sect to practice alchemy with Chen Shi'an, but Dong Fengwu refused and warned that Huang Dao might still be in the city.
• Dong Fengwu ordered Dong Xiaochai to stay home, threatening to have Aunt Ma follow her if she kept insisting on leaving.

Chen Shi'an told Dong Fengwu that the Earth Pill Sect planned to confront the Chu Family over its repeated provocations, while Dong Fengwu refused to join the conflict but reaffirmed the alliance between their families. After Chen Shi'an left, Dong Fengwu worried that Dong Xiaochai had feelings for Jing Yuan and objected to him as a match because of his family background.

• Dong Fengwu ordered Aunt Ma to keep Dong Xiaochai inside the estate, and Chen Shi'an soothed her by promising to answer her pill-refining questions later.
• Chen Shi'an told Dong Fengwu that the Earth Pill Sect intended to avenge the Chu Family's attack, though he hoped the Wu Family would stay out of the conflict.
• Dong Fengwu declined to involve the Dong Family, but said their alliance agreement still required them to defend the Earth Pill Sect if its gates were threatened.
• After Chen Shi'an left, Dong Fengwu told Aunt Ma to watch Dong Xiaochai because he suspected she had fallen for Jing Yuan.
• Dong Fengwu said Jing Yuan was unsuitable for Dong Xiaochai because his family was not powerful enough, and Aunt Ma questioned whether the Earth Pill Sect lacked sufficient standing.

Chen Shi'an prepared the Earth Pill Sect’s retainers for a decisive war against the Chu Family, promising rewards and assurances that the Wu Family would not intervene. Meanwhile, Yu Xian'er summoned a male performer to her private room, but he suddenly broke free and turned around before she finished speaking.

• Dong Fengwu told Aunt Ma to keep his daughter away from Jing Yuan and ordered the Dong Family to watch the Earth Pill Sect and protect its grounds if necessary.
• Chen Shi'an told Tong Xiao to begin the plan against the Chu Family and summoned the sect’s retainers.
• Chen Shi'an assured the retainers that the Wu Family would not aid the Chu Family and that the Dong Family would protect the sect, then promised doubled allowances and rewards for victory.
• The retainers agreed to fight with all their strength, and Chen Shi'an gave each of them a bottle of Origin-Strength Pills.
• Yu Xian'er invited a male performer to her private room at Jinchun Garden and asked him to teach her a melody.
• The male performer pried Yu Xian'er's hands away and spun around.

Chen Shi'an and Tong Xiao framed Chu Tianshu for abducting Wu Dongchuang's concubine, provoking a scandal that isolated the Chu Family. That night, the Earth Pill Sect launched a full-scale assault on the Chu estate.

• Tong Xiao's men abducted Yu Xian'er and her maid from Jinchun Garden and took them to a courtyard at West Mountain.
• Chen Shi'an arranged for an unconscious poor young woman to be returned to the city with her family, while Tong Xiao's guards drugged Yu Xian'er and another person in the courtyard.
• Chen Shi'an told Tong Xiao that effective methods mattered more than honorable ones when dealing with villains, then ordered him to prepare to strike the Chu Family.
• A rumor spread that Chu Tianshu had been caught in an affair with Wu Dongchuang's concubine, and Wu Dongchuang supposedly maimed him and had him imprisoned.
• Chu Zhen went to beg Wu Dongchuang for forgiveness, but Wu refused to receive him.
• Late that night, the Earth Pill Sect's Acquired and Ranked Martial Artists stormed the Chu Family estate.

The Earth Pill Sect attacked the Chu Family, prompting Wu Dongchuang to head there with Wu Family experts to intervene. An unknown assailant ambushed his carriage, escaped after a thunderous roar, and Wu Dongchuang identified him as Huang Dao.

• The Earth Pill Sect stormed the Chu Family compound, killing its defenders and setting fires as the family’s defeat became certain.
• Wu Dongchuang gathered a dozen experts, including Elder Zhou, and traveled slowly toward the Chu Family to keep it from being destroyed without sparing it punishment.
• A dark figure struck Wu Dongchuang’s carriage with a blunt saber, but Wu Dongchuang escaped as Elder Zhou and the other experts moved to intercept the attacker.
• The attacker’s roar disoriented the Wu Family experts, allowing him to escape into an alley after warning that Wu Dongchuang had no escape.
• Elder Zhou said the attacker cultivated both Origin Force and Mind Power, and Wu Dongchuang suspected he was Huang Dao, the man who had killed Shuang'er.

Chen Shi'an delayed Wu Dongchuang from reaching the Chu Family, but arrived to find the Earth Pill Sect’s attack nearly over and the Chu estate burning. Chu Zhen tried to bargain for his life by offering the family treasury, unaware that Tong Xiao and the Blood-Clad Guards surrounded him.

• Wu Dongchuang prepared to ride to the Chu Family, but the black-robed elder warned him that Huang Dao might attack again, so Wu sent for Elder Jiang.
• Huang Dao called out from the darkness, accused Wu Dongchuang of past wicked deeds, and threatened to return before falling silent.
• Chen Shi'an revealed himself as the attacker who had delayed Wu Dongchuang, then raced toward the Chu Family after retreating from the Fifth Grade expert.
• Chen Shi'an reached the Chu Family and found the estate ablaze, with the Blood-Clad Guard slaughtering its defenders and the survivors confined or surrounded.
• Chu Zhen and two clansmen fought Earth Pill Sect retainers and Blood-Clad Guards near the treasury, and Chu Zhen offered its contents in exchange for their lives.
• Tong Xiao stood with the Blood-Clad Guards surrounding Chu Zhen, while Chu Zhen mistakenly focused on the Earth Pill Sect retainers.

Chen Shi'an led the Earth Pill Sect in destroying the Chu Family, taking its treasury, and sparing its surviving elders, women, and children. He waited outside the burning compound for the Wu Family, confident they would not attack.

• Tong Xiao convinced the Earth Pill Sect retainers and Blood-Clad Guards to attack Chu Zhen, and the group killed him.
• Chen Shi'an arrived and ordered Tong Xiao to open the Chu Family treasury, then let those who fought take what they could carry before the rest was loaded onto carts.
• Tong Xiao escorted the treasury’s supplies to the Earth Pill Sect while Chen Shi'an told the Chu Family’s survivors that Jing Yuan had destroyed their family and ordered them to leave.
• Chen Shi'an ordered the Chu Family buildings burned and waited outside the compound for the Wu Family, saying other factions were watching and the Wu Family would not attack.

Chen Shi'an used the Chu Family’s destruction and a promised pill quota to persuade Wu Dongchuang not to attack the Earth Pill Sect. As Desolate Suppression City debated Jing Yuan’s rise, Dong Fengwu suspected the Chu Tianshu scandal had been engineered and looked forward to seeing what Jing Yuan did next.

• Chen Shi'an told Wu Dongchuang that the Earth Pill Sect had destroyed the Chu Family for its crimes and offered the Wu Family the Chu Family’s pill supply quota.
• Wu Dongchuang accepted Chen Shi'an’s explanation and offer, then left without attacking the Earth Pill Sect.
• Chen Shi'an warned the Earth Pill Sect’s elders to grow strong enough that no one would dare attack them.
• News of the Chu Family’s destruction spread through Desolate Suppression City, turning attention toward Jing Yuan and his leadership.
• Dong Fengwu told Aunt Ma that Gao Tianfang had backed Jing Yuan and would have to tolerate the Earth Pill Sect’s unexpected victory.
• Dong Fengwu said Chu Tianshu was unlikely to have committed the scandalous act attributed to him, noting that he and Jing Yuan were disciples of Ba Dashan.

Dong Fengwu ordered an investigation into Jing Yuan while Wu Dongchuang questioned Gao Tianfang about the Earth Pill Sect’s actions against the Chu Family. After consolidating the sect’s gains, Chen Shi'an cautiously explored the Saintly Dao Stele and encountered the voice from the mysterious gravestone.

• Dong Fengwu told Aunt Ma to investigate Jing Yuan’s family background and circumstances in Dingzhou, saying it was better to be safe than sorry.
• Wu Dongchuang challenged Gao Tianfang over the Earth Pill Sect’s destruction of the Chu Family, but Gao defended the sect’s recovery and promised Wu a reward for his service.
• Chen Shi'an distributed the Chu Family’s wealth among sect members, the treasury, pill refining rewards, and the cultivation of Martial Dao experts.
• Chen Shi'an entered the Graveyard Space with Mind Power, probed several gravestones, and used the Formless Eye on the one that had driven him out before.
• An aged voice praised Chen Shi'an for improving his Mind Power probing and having a few tricks up his sleeve.

Chen Shi'an met Guan Wentian, an awakened remnant soul buried in the Saintly Dao Stele, and learned that Guan could neither leave nor harm him. Guan taught Chen a Confucian cultivation passage, but questioned whether it suited Chen's existing Daoist Mind Power method.

• Chen Shi'an flattered Guan Wentian and tried to learn whether he could leave the Saintly Dao Stele.
• Guan Wentian said he could neither leave nor harm Chen Shi'an, and explained that he had awakened because he was a Mind Cultivator of the Upper Three Realms.
• Chen Shi'an asked Guan Wentian about the graves, but Guan said he did not know who else was buried there.
• Chen Shi'an offered to help Guan Wentian in the future in exchange for guidance, and Guan agreed to teach him a cultivation method.
• Guan Wentian revealed a Confucian passage for Chen Shi'an to memorize and warned that it might conflict with Chen's Daoist Mind Power method.

Chen Shi'an asked Guan Wentian to teach him soul-searching and mind-control techniques, and Guan Wentian explained their dangers before agreeing to teach him. Guan Wentian asked Chen Shi'an to send more blood energy to the Graveyard Space, revealing that it was slowly restoring vitality to his remains.

• Chen Shi'an asked Guan Wentian for techniques to use Mind Power, especially arts for searching and controlling souls.
• Guan Wentian warned Chen Shi'an that soul-control arts could backfire against stronger minds and explained the risks of the Soul Searching Hand and Mind Seizing Art.
• Guan Wentian initially delayed teaching the techniques, so Chen Shi'an offered to repay him for his help.
• Guan Wentian asked Chen Shi'an to send more blood energy into the Graveyard Space and said it was gradually restoring vitality to his remains.
• Chen Shi'an asked whether the other beings in the Graveyard Space were also absorbing the blood energy.

Chen Shi'an learned two Mind Power techniques from Guan Wentian, then examined the Saintly Dao Stele and gained a true bond with it. His Mind Power advanced to the third grade, and he gained control over the Graveyard Space and its barrier.

• Guan Wentian taught Chen Shi'an the Soul Searching Hand and the Mind Seizing Art, while warning him not to use them lightly.
• Chen Shi'an left the Graveyard Space, mastered the Soul Searching Hand, and decided to investigate the Saintly Dao Stele.
• Chen Shi'an examined the entire Saintly Dao Stele with the Formless Eye and discovered extensive cracks within it.
• A surge of power strengthened Chen Shi'an's Mind Power more than fourfold and raised his cultivation to the third grade.
• Chen Shi'an formed a close bond with the Saintly Dao Stele and gained control over the Graveyard Space and its spatial barrier.

Chen Shi'an tested the Saintly Dao Stele’s isolation ability, then went to the Earth Pill Sect’s Black Prison to confront a traitorous former elder. He attacked her and used Guan Wentian’s Soul Searching Hand to search her memories.

• Chen Shi'an briefly isolated himself from surrounding space but stopped when he felt the Spatial Barrier weakening.
• Chen Shi'an dismissed the Blood-Clad Guards and went alone to the deepest level of the Black Prison.
• Chen Shi'an confronted a former elder who had betrayed the Earth Pill Sect by passing intelligence to Wu Dongchuang.
• Chen Shi'an struck the woman, then used the Soul Searching Hand to search her memories.

Chen Shi'an used soul-searching and the Graveyard Space to deal with two prisoners, discovering that refining living people strengthened the space and repaired the Saintly Dao Stele. Guan Wentian encouraged him to target stronger opponents, leaving Chen Shi'an eager to make better use of the discovery.

• Chen Shi'an soul-searched the middle-aged woman, learned that Wu Dongchuang was having an affair with a subordinate's concubine, and knocked her unconscious.
• Chen Shi'an sent the woman into the Graveyard Space, where it absorbed her blood energy and life force, strengthening its barrier and repairing cracks in the Saintly Dao Stele.
• Chen Shi'an confronted the old man who had passed intelligence to the Chu Family; when the old man refused to admit his guilt, Chen Shi'an knocked him out and sent him into the Graveyard Space.
• The Graveyard Space refined the old man, producing modest improvements to its barrier and the Saintly Dao Stele.
• Guan Wentian told Chen Shi'an that stronger people and the formidable blood he had previously sent would yield greater results, and defended sacrificing treacherous villains to help the dead return to life.

Chen Shi'an mastered the Mind Seizing Art, directed Tong Xiao to investigate Wu Dongchuang’s affair with Xu Qiuniang, and discovered that Demon Cores repaired the Saintly Dao Stele faster than blood energy. He learned that Windrise Stronghold’s growing city was drawing people away from Flowing Stone Stronghold and Blackwater Stronghold, whose rulers had sent him messages.

• Chen Shi'an mastered the Mind Seizing Art and told Tong Xiao to investigate Xu Qiuniang’s affair with Wu Dongchuang so they could use the evidence against him.
• Chen Shi'an crossed the border into the Desolate Ruins and gave Mo Wuyang two demon beasts to eat.
• Chen Shi'an refined two Demon Cores and found that they mended the Saintly Dao Stele’s cracks faster than blood energy.
• Mo Wuyang reported that Windrise Stronghold’s great city was attracting refugees and growing into the region’s center.
• Mo Wuyang told Chen Shi'an that Gu Qingyao and Liu Sanyuan had sent messages because people were leaving Flowing Stone Stronghold and Blackwater Stronghold for Windrise Stronghold.

Chen Shi'an coordinated plans for Windrise Stronghold and its allies, named the developing great city Windrise City, and asked Mo Wuyang about Desolation. He then returned to Desolate Suppression City and visited the Green Mountain Branch Academy to investigate Guan Wentian, requesting a meeting with Dean Shen.

• Chen Shi'an told Mo Wuyang that Windrise, Flowing Stone, and Blackwater Strongholds would form an alliance while Gu Qingyao and Liu Sanyuan retained control of their strongholds.
• Chen Shi'an named the great city Windrise City and learned that the Earth Pill Sect headquarters in Red Maple Valley had taken shape and that Hong Qingliu and Xiang Li had met.
• Chen Shi'an asked Mo Wuyang about Desolation and how close he was to reaching adulthood, but Mo Wuyang knew little of Desolation and complained that he lacked Demon Beasts to eat.
• Chen Shi'an returned to Desolate Suppression City and went to the Green Mountain Branch Academy to seek records about Guan Wentian.
• Chen Shi'an introduced himself to the academy's old caretaker as Jing Yuan, Sect Master of the Earth Pill Sect, and asked to meet Dean Shen.