Recaps

Qing Chen faced the powers gathered outside Faneng Temple and revealed that he had come prepared to expose hidden agents. He named the temple’s revered former abbot Yuantan as a traitor, beginning to present evidence of his collaboration with Great Jin’s enemies.

• Pei Xuance, Li Qingyuan, and Li Wenbi arrived at Faneng Temple as Xue Wuming of the Taotie Yuan-Devouring Sect urged Qing Chen to withdraw and investigate the temple peacefully.
• Mei Zhili realized Qing Chen might have deliberately provoked the gathering powers, rather than seeking an opportunity to retreat with a show of authority.
• Qing Chen produced a black wooden box and explained that it contained a list of former Southern Yue agents obtained through Flying Bear True Lord’s legacy.
• Qing Chen activated the Gray-White Ledger and named Yuantan, Faneng Temple’s seventh-generation Vinaya Hall abbot, as a hidden agent.
• Qing Chen accused Yuantan of betraying Great Jin’s defenses during the battle at White Camel Ridge, and a blood-red Buddhist prayer bead projected a fragmentary scene.

Qing Chen exposed evidence that five senior figures of Faneng Temple had secretly aided Great Jin’s enemies, and Li Qingyuan confirmed that the cited military disasters appeared in the Censorate’s archives. The Border Army generals rallied behind Qing Chen and demanded a thorough investigation.

• Qing Chen showed a projection linking Yuantan to the White Camel Ridge raid, and Li Qingyuan confirmed the old case was recorded in the Censorate’s archives.
• Qing Chen revealed that Fashen had helped Southern Barbarian sorcerers sabotage the Blackstone Gorge arsenal, and Li Qingyuan verified that case as well.
• Qing Chen presented further evidence implicating five Faneng Temple elders in secret dealings with Southern Yue and the Golden Tent Khanate, stirring unrest among the monks and soldiers.
• Qing Chen declared that he had brought back the black wooden box in service of Great Jin and its fallen Border Army soldiers, not for personal gain.
• A Border Army veteran and other frontier generals knelt before Qing Chen, calling for him to investigate thoroughly, while Yunzhou’s Dao Army formation wavered.

Qing Chen rallied the Demon Lotus Army and Border Army against Faneng Temple, accusing it of harboring spies and promising to investigate traitors and pay the soldiers with confiscated resources. The assembled forces prepared to storm the temple after Qing Chen ordered them to spare those who surrendered and kill those who resisted.

• Qing Chen rejected calls to preserve stability and declared that he would destroy Faneng Temple and investigate suspected spies across the Northwestern Circuit.
• Qing Chen promised to use confiscated wealth to pay Border Army stipends, winning the support of the assembled soldiers and officers.
• Chen Huailie, Fan Debiao, and other commandants pledged to follow Qing Chen, while Pei Xuance drew his saber and ordered that no traitors escape.
• Mei Zhili openly distanced himself from Faneng Temple, while Xue Wuming and Li Qingyuan were left unable to influence the troops.
• Qing Chen ordered the troops to spare those who surrendered, kill those who resisted, seal the temple treasuries, and attack Faneng Temple.

Qing Chen’s forces launched a coordinated assault on Faneng Temple, using the Demon Lotus Army’s warships, cannons, formations, and fortune artifacts to break the temple’s defenses. The siege was still underway as Yunzhou’s Dao soldiers sealed the escape routes and hidden Nascent Soul cultivators watched from the clouds.

• Xin Bairen ordered the Demon Lotus War Treasure Ships to bombard Faneng Temple’s mountain-guarding golden bell, while the Demon Lotus Army and Qiongzhou’s Dao soldiers advanced.
• Xin Bairen and Xu Jiuling coordinated the armies’ formations and attacks, using fortune artifacts and spirit crystals to strengthen the soldiers and target the temple’s defenses.
• The Demon Lotus Army shattered sections of the golden bell formation and drove back the monk soldiers with cannon fire, crossbow bolts, and the Blood Lotus Arrowhead Formation.
• Xin Bairen’s forces trapped and wounded a Nascent Soul monk who charged out to defend the gates.
• Pei Xuance’s deputies led Yunzhou’s Dao soldiers around Faneng Temple to block potential escape routes, while Qing Chen and Pei Xuance held back.
• More than a dozen concealed Nascent Soul cultivators gathered in the clouds to observe the assault, and Qing Chen let them watch.

Qing Chen led the Demon Lotus Army and Yunzhou Dao Soldiers in an assault that destroyed Faneng Temple, while Ye Wushang killed its abbot in battle. By dusk, the temple had fallen and Qing Chen stood amid the aftermath, with Li Qingyuan anticipating a political storm over the massacre.

• Qing Chen rejected Xue Wuming’s request to stop the attack, saying Faneng Temple’s enshrinement of traitorous rebels had made the conflict one that could only end in death.
• The Abbot of Faneng Temple attacked Qing Chen’s Treasure Ship, but Ye Wushang intercepted him and killed him with the Thunder Marsh Sword after a prolonged duel.
• Xu Jiuling and the armies blocked Faneng Temple’s escape routes as its Monk Soldiers’ morale collapsed and the Mountain-Guarding Grand Formation shattered.
• Xin Bairen ordered the Demon Lotus Army and Yunzhou Dao Soldiers into the temple, and Faneng Temple was swept and slaughtered before dusk.
• Qing Chen descended from his Treasure Ship as his forces celebrated, while Li Qingyuan considered the uproar the massacre would cause at the Censorate.

After Faneng Temple fell, Qing Chen and Xu Jiuling organized the enormous stores of treasure and remains they had seized, displaying two treasure ships’ riches while guarding a third ship of corpses and Śarīras. Qing Chen was pleased that the remains would provide materials to strengthen his Body Cultivator Army.

• Xin Bairen and Xu Jiuling found that Faneng Temple’s treasures were too numerous and bulky to sort into Storage Rings, so Xu Jiuling summoned two Mountain-Carrying Treasure Ships.
• The first ship carried mountains of Spirit Stones and vast quantities of spiritual materials, while the second held hundreds of thousands of pills, talismans, weapons, and other treasures.
• Qing Chen deliberately let the two ships’ treasure radiance shine for his troops and for the powers watching from afar.
• Demon Lotus Sect cultivators gathered the battlefield dead and loaded them, along with Faneng Temple’s enshrined Śarīras, onto a guarded third ship.
• Xu Jiuling gave Qing Chen a Jade Slip listing more than twenty high-ranking Śarīras, over four hundred Golden Core-grade Śarīras, a suspected Great Cultivator’s Golden Body, and countless other remains.
• Qing Chen welcomed the blood materials as a supply for his Brahma Demon-Refining Art and the Body Cultivator Army within the Nine-Luminaries Glazed Vidyaraja Pagoda.

After Faneng Temple fell, Qing Chen ordered its spoils distributed among his forces, winning the Cloud Province Dao Soldiers’ favor. He then called out hidden onlookers and faced Dugu Yidao and Yuwen Jinghong, whose purpose remained unclear.

• Qing Chen realized Faneng Temple’s śarīra and bones could strengthen his demon banners and praised Xu Jiuling for securing the spoils.
• Qing Chen ordered Faneng Temple’s treasures inventoried and distributed on the spot, allocating most mid- and low-grade spirit stones to the Demon Lotus Army and fifteen percent to the Cloud Province Dao Soldiers.
• The soldiers cheered at the enormous rewards, while Pei Xuance recognized Qing Chen’s growing influence and Mei Zhili worried about losing the troops’ loyalty.
• Qing Chen sensed concealed cultivators in distant clouds and called on them to reveal themselves.
• Dugu Yidao of the Dugu Aristocratic Clan and Yuwen Jinghong of the Yuwen Aristocratic Clan appeared, and Qing Chen wondered what the Nine Nether Aristocratic Clan members intended.

Qing Chen faced the Blood God Sect’s Blood Nascent Soul Boy, Mount Taibai Sword Sect’s Wenren Zhaoxue, and Thunderclap Temple’s Chan Master Jinchi after destroying Faneng Temple. He refused Jinchi’s attempt to limit the investigation and declared that Thunderclap Temple must respect Great Jin’s laws, the Border Army dead, and justice.

• Blood Nascent Soul Boy arrived and jokingly tried to recruit Qing Chen, while eyeing the concealed Mountain-Carrying Treasure Ship.
• Wenren Zhaoxue arrived and praised Ye Wushang’s swordsmanship, prompting Qing Chen and Ye Wushang to recognize his formidable strength.
• Chan Master Jinchi arrived on Thunderclap Temple’s behalf and urged Qing Chen not to implicate other Buddhist temples.
• Qing Chen challenged Jinchi to clarify whether he wanted the investigation to stop or other Buddhist temples spared.
• Qing Chen declared that Thunderclap Temple had to show respect for Great Jin’s Immortal Arts, the unjustly slain Border Army soldiers, all living beings, and justice.

Qing Chen answered Xue Wuming’s challenge by revealing the authority of the Northwestern Circuit-Surveying Seal and drawing on the combined power of five hundred thousand Dao soldiers. His fortune domain overwhelmed the gathered Nascent Soul cultivators, leaving Xue Wuming’s cauldron struggling under the pressure.

• Chan Master Jinchi defended his concern for Faneng Temple, but Qing Chen rebuffed him and silenced the gathered cultivators.
• Xue Wuming warned Qing Chen that the Northwestern Circuit could not be ruled by sharpness alone and challenged him to show what he relied on.
• Qing Chen summoned the Northwestern Circuit-Surveying Dao Seal and ordered the Cangming Army and Cloud Province Dao Soldiers to form their battle formations.
• The five hundred thousand soldiers empowered the Dao seal, allowing Qing Chen to manifest a vast fortune domain alongside his own rules pseudo-domain.
• Qing Chen’s overwhelming might forced Dugu Yidao and the other Nascent Soul cultivators to brace themselves, while Xue Wuming’s Black Copper Cauldron struggled to withstand the pressure.

Qing Chen used the Northwestern Circuit-Surveying Seal and his army to cow the region’s powerful Nascent Soul cultivators, including Xue Wuming, into silence. After ordering more rewards for his soldiers, he watched Xue Wuming attempt to escape just as the sky suddenly darkened.

• Qing Chen challenged Xue Wuming and the other powerful cultivators to oppose his authority, but none dared answer.
• Qing Chen declared that anyone obstructing him would be punished for treason and advanced his five hundred thousand Dao soldiers.
• Xue Wuming and the other Nascent Soul cultivators chose not to fight Qing Chen, recognizing that they could not safely challenge him.
• Qing Chen ordered registration and treasure distribution to continue, adding medicinal pills and Dharma artifacts for the cultivators.
• Xue Wuming tried to leave in his Black Copper Cauldron, but heaven and earth suddenly darkened.

Zhu Ritian, Sect Master of the Taotie Yuan-Devouring Sect, arrived at Faneng Temple and used his devouring domain to suppress Qing Chen’s forces. The chapter ended with Zhu Ritian confronting Qing Chen as the assembled armies and officials feared an imminent clash with a Spirit Transformation Venerable.

• A boundless darkness covered Faneng Temple, and a taotie phantom bit away parts of Qing Chen’s pseudo-domain and swallowed the fortune power sustaining his phantom mountains and rivers.
• Zhu Ritian’s taotie phantom inhaled, destabilizing the military might of the five hundred thousand Dao soldiers and swallowing Ye Wushang’s sword qi.
• Yuwen Jinghong and another cultivator recognized Zhu Ritian, while Xue Wuming greeted the Sect Master with relief.
• Zhu Ritian emerged from the darkness and advanced, steadily devouring the edge of Qing Chen’s pseudo-domain.
• Zhu Ritian accused Qing Chen of destroying Faneng Temple, opposing Thunderclap Temple, and suppressing Xue Wuming, then challenged him to kill a Spirit Transformation Venerable.
• The Cangming Army fell silent, and Li Qingyuan and Mei Zhili showed fear as Zhu Ritian confronted Qing Chen.

Qing Chen prepared to face Zhu Ritian despite knowing the Spirit Transformation Venerable was stronger, and Zhu Ritian began to unleash his devouring domain. A distant black pillar of light and an unknown roar interrupted the confrontation, drawing Zhu Ritian’s attention away from Qing Chen.

• Qing Chen resolved to test his strength against Zhu Ritian, relying on his seal, Dao Soldiers, and concealed Primordial Magnetism Cauldron while judging that Zhu Ritian would not dare kill him publicly.
• Zhu Ritian mocked Qing Chen’s courage and raised a hand to form a devouring rune as the taotie phantom pressed down on the valley.
• Ye Wushang, Xin Bairen, Xu Jiuling, Li Qingyuan, Chan Master Jinchi, and Mei Zhili prepared for the impending clash.
• A black pillar of light appeared on the distant horizon, followed by a roar that made the taotie phantom turn toward it and caused Zhu Ritian’s smile to disappear.

Qing Yuanjia had engineered a clash between Qing Chen and Zhu Ritian to draw Zhu away from the Taotie Yuan-Devouring Sect’s headquarters, where Qing Yuanjia attacked the Foreign Race Heavenly Gate. Zhu returned toward Hezhou, while Qing Chen realized a hidden enemy had manipulated events and Qing Yuanjia’s plan remained underway.

• A surge of power from the Taotie Foreign Race Heavenly Gate distracted Zhu Ritian, who realized someone had lured him away from Hezhou and left Qing Chen to return to the sect headquarters.
• Zhu Ritian withdrew from Snow Valley, and Qing Chen put away the Sky-Patrolling Dao Seal and resolved to find the person who had schemed against him.
• At the Taotie Yuan-Devouring Sect’s headquarters, Qing Yuanjia stood before the Foreign Race Heavenly Gate after killing three Nascent Soul elders guarding its seal.
• Qing Yuanjia’s forty years of refining ancient bloodline power had greatly strengthened him, but he had avoided confronting Qing Chen directly because the outcome was uncertain.
• Qing Yuanjia revealed that he had helped spread news of Qing Chen’s plans against Faneng Temple to provoke the old powers and draw Zhu Ritian away from the headquarters.

Qing Yuanjia exploited Zhu Ritian’s absence to open the Taotie Heavenly Gate, convinced that the opportunity within would let him advance to Spirit Transformation and restore the Qing Household’s glory. In Snow Valley, cultivators weighed Qing Chen’s power and wondered what had given him the confidence to face Zhu Ritian.

• Qing Yuanjia used the Bronze Compass and his six threads of heavenly wave rules to break the Taotie Yuan-Devouring Sect’s sealed formation.
• Qing Yuanjia opened the Taotie Heavenly Gate and declared that he would restore the Qing Household as the Nanhua Realm’s foremost lineage.
• Cultivators in Faneng Temple’s Snow Valley remained shaken by Zhu Ritian’s display of devouring-domain power.
• The Nascent Soul True Lords judged that Qing Chen had grown powerful enough to rival Dugu Yifang and possibly Xue Wugui.
• The cultivators questioned why Qing Chen had stood his ground against Zhu Ritian, suspecting that he possessed hidden support or Spirit Venerable-grade protection.

Qing Chen ordered the Northwestern Circuit’s governors, army commanders, and major lineages to prepare for a governance meeting at Yanmen Pass, using the public aftermath of Faneng Temple’s destruction to make defiance harder. He left Mei Zhili, Li Wenbi, and Pei Xuance responsible for spreading and enforcing the order, then declared he would rather die at his post than fail the Northwestern Circuit.

• Qing Chen ordered Mei Zhili to secure Faneng Temple’s case files and summon the Northwestern Circuit’s provincial governors, five great army commanders, and major lineages to Yanmen Pass within a year.
• Mei Zhili worried that relaying the order would bind him to Qing Chen’s camp, but accepted under Qing Chen’s pressure.
• Qing Chen ordered Chief Secretary Li Wenbi to remain in Yunzhou and supervise Mei Zhili’s dispatches.
• Qing Chen told Pei Xuance to have the Cloud Province Dao Soldiers report what they witnessed and to inform the five great Border Army commanders.
• Qing Chen proclaimed that neither mighty powers nor Spirit Transformation Venerables could sway him, and vowed to die at his post if he failed to govern the Northwestern Circuit well.

Qing Chen led the Cangming Dao Army northwest from Yunzhou, using his victory at Faneng Temple to cow provincial officials and inspect the Northwestern Circuit along the way. The army continued toward Yanmen Pass as Qing Chen demanded records, recruited cultivators, and displayed its strength at each stop.

• Qing Chen left Mei Zhili and Li Wenbi to face the fallout at Faneng Temple while Xin Bairen, Xu Jiuling, Jia Daoyi, and the others inventoried and loaded the captured treasures, records, and ships.
• After ten days of rest and recreation, the four hundred thousand Cangming Dao Army troops assembled and set out northwest with the captured Faneng Temple ships and Mountain-Carrying Treasure Ships.
• News of Qing Chen's destruction of Faneng Temple spread across the region, and provincial officials grew fearful as his fleet approached their cities.
• At each province, Qing Chen summoned officials to present financial and military records, accepted gifts as troop comforts, and questioned anyone whose accounts seemed doubtful.
• Qing Chen opened recruitment platforms for qualified cultivators and ordered his officers to demonstrate the Cangming Army's formations and coordinated firepower before local officials and troops.

Qing Chen arrived at Yanmen Pass with the Cangming Army and more than fifty thousand newly recruited Dao soldiers, after building support across the Northwestern Circuit. When the Five Great Army Commanders left the gates closed, Qing Chen invoked his authority and proclaimed himself Commander-in-Chief before the pass.

• Qing Chen recruited more than fifty thousand Dao soldiers during his journey, including over a thousand Foundation Establishment cultivators and more than thirty Golden Core cultivators.
• Qing Chen and his forces reached Yanmen Pass, where the newly recruited soldiers and veterans were struck by the scale of the fortress.
• Xu Jiuling reported that Inspecting Censor Li Qingyuan and Circuit Inspector Pei Xuance had entered the pass, but the Five Great Army Commanders had not opened the gates to welcome Qing Chen.
• Xin Bairen offered to lead troops forward to demand entry, but Qing Chen refused to violate the fortress regulations by forcing the gates open.
• Qing Chen flew toward Yanmen Pass, revealed the Northwestern Circuit-Surveying Seal and Golden Imperial Edict, and declared himself the Commander-in-Chief.

Qing Chen arrived at Yanmen Pass and entered its military fortress through the formation after the Northwestern Circuit-Surveying Seal authenticated him. He met Pei Xuance and the five Border Army commanders, then recognized old acquaintances among them and was startled to find Yue Ting commanding the Yueshan Army.

• Border Army soldiers watched Qing Chen approach Yanmen Pass, hoping he would bring change to the northwestern border.
• The pass formation tested Qing Chen's authority, and the Northwestern Circuit-Surveying Seal opened a gateway that admitted him.
• Qing Chen appeared above the Inner City and met Pei Xuance and the five Border Army commanders outside the military headquarters hall.
• Qing Chen saw Qin Wujiang, Dugu Wuqing, Wei Ting, and Wang Yan, who each commanded one of Yanmen Pass's armies.
• Qing Chen recognized Yue Ting as the fifth commander and was bewildered by his nascent soul middle stage peak cultivation and command of the Yueshan Army.

Qing Chen recognized Yue Ting among the Northwestern Border Army’s leaders and wondered how he had risen from an ordinary cultivator to the peak of the Nascent Soul middle stage. At Yanmen Pass, Qing Chen took command and promised the 1.8 million Border Army troops two months of extra pay.

• Qing Chen recalled that Yue Ting had left Qiongzhou to seek a way to save his grievously wounded master, Xie Yu, and was astonished by Yue Ting’s rapid rise to the Nascent Soul middle stage.
• Pei Xuance and the five military chiefs formally welcomed Qing Chen to Yanmen Pass, while Yue Ting kept his head lowered and avoided acknowledging him.
• Qing Chen climbed the Commander-Appointment Platform and addressed all 1.8 million Border Army troops, declaring that he would not revisit Yanmen Pass’s past accounts.
• Qing Chen opened chests of spirit stones and promised every northwestern Border Army soldier two months of extra stipends, to be distributed that day from the Governor-General’s Office Treasury.
• Qin Wujiang silently envied Qing Chen’s wealth and the funds he could spend on demon beast flesh and blood.

Qing Chen announced reforms at Yanmen Pass, promising full military pay through a new registration and treasury system while calling for a counterattack against the Golden Tent Khanate. He pledged two months’ pay immediately, but the four hundred thousand Cangming Dao Soldiers still had to undergo the pass’s security checks before entering.

• Qing Chen announced that border soldiers would receive their full stipends and introduced the Northwestern Military Register Jade Talisman System.
• Qing Chen established a Border Pay General Treasury where soldiers could collect pay and exchange it for supplies, prompting the troops to cheer for him.
• Qing Chen called for Yanmen Pass to prepare for a counterattack against the Golden Tent barbarians, promising soldiers the spoils of future raids.
• Qing Chen promised to issue two months of military pay immediately, and the assembled soldiers erupted in cheers.
• Qing Chen kept the Cangming Dao Soldiers outside Yanmen Pass until they completed the required identity, weapon, bloodline, and security checks.

Qing Chen inspected the troops entering Yanmen Pass, uncovered spies and suspected traitors, and raised a tower of their corpses to intimidate the region. After consolidating his control over the pass, he secretly went to Yue Ting’s camp, where Yue Ting invited him in to talk.

• Qing Chen established thirty-six Bone-Illuminating Profound Mirror inspection camps and admitted the Cangming Dao Army and newly recruited Dao soldiers in batches over two months.
• The inspections uncovered 379 spies and suspected spies, including two golden core cultivators, whom Qing Chen ordered killed and displayed on the Withered Skeleton Treachery-Illuminating Tower.
• The tower continued to grow as corpses arrived from across the Northwestern Circuit, other circuits, and the Gouwu Sea, while Qing Chen’s forces confiscated property and exterminated clans linked to the treason case.
• Xin Bairen and Xu Jiuling discussed Qing Chen’s methods as the Guanyin Tower Master watched the tower with fear.
• Qing Chen took control of Yanmen Pass’s formation hub and studied its defenses and military units before secretly traveling to Yueshan Military Camp.
• Yue Ting sent Qing Chen a voice transmission and invited him inside for a talk.

Qing Chen confronted Yue Ting in the Yueshan Army command tent and questioned his sudden rise and his ties to Xie Yu. When Yue Ting warned that harming him would alert Yanmen Pass’s other powers, Qing Chen attacked, declaring him a rebel colluding with the Golden Tent.

• Qing Chen entered the Yueshan Army command tent and sat in the commander's chair while Yue Ting kept their conversation formal and disclaimed any personal ties.
• Qing Chen asked about their old acquaintances and Xie Yu, and Yue Ting's composure briefly faltered at Xie Yu's name.
• Qing Chen cited Yue Ting's rapid rise in cultivation, spiritual root quality, alchemy, and military standing, then threatened him with overwhelming murderous intent.
• Yue Ting warned Qing Chen that his subordinates would alert Yanmen Pass's other leaders if he failed to send word within an hour.
• Qing Chen sealed the tent with his Demon Lotus Platform and attacked Yue Ting, claiming he was arresting a rebel who had colluded with the Golden Tent.

Qing Chen overwhelmed Yue Ting in the command tent, but stopped when Yue Ting revealed powerful treasures and claimed they came from the Reincarnation Dead Sea. The chapter left Qing Chen shocked and suspicious about how Yue Ting had survived that dangerous place.

• Qing Chen attacked Yue Ting with a blood-powered palm, shattering his spirit needles, crushing his moon defense, and smashing his medicinal furnace into him.
• Qing Chen halted the palm before it seized Yue Ting when Yue Ting revealed two White Bone Demon Mara Banners and a fifth-tier Golden Tent shaman's totem talisman.
• Yue Ting said he wanted a chance to live and admitted he had considered fleeing, but stayed because his master Xie Yu and his schemes were tied to Yanmen Pass.
• Yue Ting revealed another jade talisman whose sealed power exceeded the Nascent Soul level, making Qing Chen more cautious.
• Yue Ting said he had obtained the treasures in the Reincarnation Dead Sea, leaving Qing Chen disbelieving that Yue Ting could have survived there.

Yue Ting revealed that he had entered the Reincarnation Dead Sea and survived, explaining how it connected to his master, his demon banners, and his alchemy abilities. Qing Chen grew interested in Yue Ting’s rare talents, though he remained prepared to attack him.

• Yue Ting explained that he had returned to Immortal-Severing Island with his master’s coffin after finding a Blood Jiangshi Branch Altar Command Token, and Qing Chen realized Yue Ting had explored the island and its hidden passages before him.
• Yue Ting revealed that the Golden Tent Khanate’s High Priest, Canglang King’s son, had died in the Reincarnation Dead Sea, and that Yue Ting’s fifth-tier Shaman Beast Talisman was connected to him.
• Yue Ting said he had encountered a powerful Demon Lotus Holy Son from the Black Bird Heaven-Bearing Sect and had become a Holy Son of the Immortal-Locking Cult, linking his White Bone Demon Mara Banners to that encounter.
• Yue Ting claimed to be a high-grade fourth-tier Alchemy Grandmaster with a Dao of Alchemy Spirit Body, which had helped improve his spiritual root aptitude.
• Qing Chen recognized Yue Ting’s value and praised his talents, but said he found Yue Ting’s alchemy claims hard to believe.

Yue Ting explained that he had turned his master, Xie Yu, into a powerful blood jiangshi to preserve him, but the corpse qi was consuming Xie Yu’s last trace of consciousness. He asked Qing Chen to help reverse the transformation, and insisted that saving his master mattered more than his own cultivation or safety.

• Yue Ting revealed that he had obtained the Demon Seed Golden Lotus and the Mysterious Yin Corpse-Refining Secret Technique from the Blood Jiangshi Legacy Mansion.
• Yue Ting described how he used the living corpse method to preserve Xie Yu’s soul and rebuild his shattered body, eventually making him a blood jiangshi nearly as strong as a Nascent Soul cultivator.
• Qing Chen determined that Xie Yu’s growing corpse body was corroding his remaining soul, while Yue Ting’s Demon Seed Divine Sense could barely keep it from fading.
• Yue Ting asked Qing Chen to help reverse the living corpse transformation, explaining that Xie Yu’s consciousness might disappear within fifty years.
• Qing Chen warned Yue Ting that weak Demon Seed Golden Lotus cultivators could be refined into demon banners, and Yue Ting said he knew the danger but would not abandon his master.