Chapter Summaries

Mu Bai returned to Spirit Command City and learned how Mu Lan, Zeng Yuan, Xi Bazì, and Sweet Potato Boy had expanded the Mu Lan Pavilion into a flourishing network of shops. Although he welcomed news of Mu Lan and Zeng Yuan’s relationship, he withheld approval of their wedding until he understood Zeng Yuan’s past, and set out with him to meet Zhou Dechen.

• Mu Bai returned to the Mu Lan Pavilion and reunited with Xi Bazì and Sweet Potato Boy, then greeted Mu Lan, Zeng Yuan, and the pavilion’s elders.
• Mu Lan explained that the pavilion had opened six shops, expanded trade with the Northern Plains, and built its own team of alchemists under Zeng Yuan, now a Fourth-Level Alchemist.
• Mu Bai learned that Mu Lan and Zeng Yuan had been waiting for his return to hold their wedding, and he gave them, Xi Bazì, Sweet Potato Boy, and the other elders gifts.
• After the welcoming banquet, Mu Bai reflected on his companions’ friendship but decided he needed to learn Zeng Yuan’s true purpose before approving the wedding.
• The next day, Mu Bai summoned Zeng Yuan and said they would visit the Laughing Gold Pavilion to see Zhou Dechen; Zeng Yuan insisted he had never wronged Mu Lan.

Mu Bai attended Zhou Dechen’s banquet and maneuvered through a tense meeting while securing Zhou Dechen’s agreement to release Zeng Yuan from his service. He left having formally asked for Zeng Yuan on Mu Lan’s behalf and invited Zhou Dechen and Jiang Shan to their wedding.

• Mu Bai rejected Xi Bazì and Sweet Potato Boy’s offer to bring men and went with Zeng Yuan to Zhou Dechen’s residence.
• Two Ice Puppets attacked Zeng Yuan at the gate, but Mu Bai destroyed them and reassured Zeng Yuan that he wanted to help him and Mu Lan be together.
• Zhou Dechen and Jiang Shan discussed Mu Bai’s growing strength and agreed to maintain their alliance for now while plotting against him later.
• At the banquet, Mu Bai flattered Zhou Dechen and Jiang Shan, then deliberately put Zhou Dechen in a difficult position by taking Jiang Xiao Qian into his arms.
• Mu Bai formally asked Zhou Dechen to release Zeng Yuan, and Zhou Dechen agreed in exchange for a future favor.
• Mu Bai warned Zeng Yuan not to wrong Mu Lan and invited Zhou Dechen and Jiang Shan to their wedding.

Mu Bai reunited with Chen Qi, who brought him Mu Fei, the son of Chen Shichong and Ru Xia, and asked him to pretend to be the boy’s father to conceal his parentage. After sharing stories through the night, Mu Bai and Chen Qi left Mu Lan Pavilion with Mu Fei to enjoy the Eastern Ridge.

• Mu Bai returned with Zeng Yuan to find Mu Lan and their companions gathered in alarm, then learned preparations for the wedding were complete.
• Chen Qi arrived with little Mu Fei and asked him to call Mu Bai Daddy, surprising everyone.
• Chen Qi told Mu Bai that Mu Fei was Chen Shichong and Ru Xia’s son, and asked him to take the boy in so they could get him out of the Sword Sect.
• Mu Bai agreed to pose as Mu Fei’s father, and Chen Qi stayed at Mu Lan Pavilion while Mu Lan looked after the child.
• Mu Bai and Chen Qi drank and talked through the night as Xi Bazì and Sweet Potato Boy secretly watched, while Zeng Yuan took them away for drinks.
• The next morning, Mu Lan urged Mu Bai to show Chen Qi the Eastern Ridge, and the three left Mu Lan Pavilion together.

Zeng Yuan and Mu Lan celebrated their wedding with Mu Bai and many guests, but Zhou Dechen exposed his hostility and the reception erupted into a fight. Mu Bai challenged Zhou Dechen after he insulted the newlyweds, and their clash left wedding guests dead as the battle continued.

• Mu Lan Pavilion held wedding celebrations across its six establishments, while Zeng Yuan and Mu Lan toasted guests at Blue Flower Pavilion in Spirit Command City.
• Xi Bazì urged the newlyweds to kiss, and Zeng Yuan carried Mu Lan into the air as magnolia blossoms filled the city.
• Zeng Yuan toasted Zhou Dechen and revealed that he had once been ordered to infiltrate Mu Lan Pavilion, prompting Zhou Dechen to insult Mu Lan and attack him.
• Mu Bai transformed into a golden-bodied Xiu Zun and confronted Zhou Dechen after he threatened Zeng Yuan and dismissed Mu Bai.
• Zhou Dechen and Mu Bai clashed with their respective techniques, and Zhou Dechen's sword strike killed several wedding guests.

After Zhou Dechen disrupted Mu Lan and Zeng Yuan’s wedding, Mu Bai promised to get them justice and persuaded Chen Qi to stay in Eastern Ridge. Their outing was cut short when they learned of a famine, and Mu Lan’s household organized relief for the starving villagers, leaving Mu Bai and Chen Qi discussing whether compassion extended to Zhou Dechen.

• Zhou Dechen left the wedding after Jiang Shan urged him to put the Sect Heir struggle first, while Mu Bai vowed to make him answer for hurting Mu Lan and Zeng Yuan.
• Mu Bai asked Chen Qi to stay in Eastern Ridge with him and little Mu Fei, and Chen Qi agreed despite worrying that the Sword Sect would object.
• Mu Bai and his companions toured Spirit Command City, where Chen Qi learned about Mu Bai’s ties to Qing Mao Residence and joked with him about his supposed family.
• The group saw famine-stricken commoners seeking grain outside Spirit Command City and abandoned their outing to help them.
• Mu Lan dispatched Soul Boats to buy grain and distributed food and Grain-Repelling Pills, while Mu Bai and Chen Qi helped relieve nearby villages.

After returning to the Spirit Taming Sect, Mu Bai reviewed his gains, put the Pill Hall in order, and supported Qing Mao's household. He learned that Qing Mao's descendants were gambling and taking Opium Paste supplied by the Laughing Gold Pavilion, and resolved to intervene before the addiction brought disaster to the residence.

• Mu Bai returned to the Spirit Taming Sect, instructed Zuo Lin to tend his herb field, and reflected on his cultivation, treasures, and plans for vengeance.
• Mu Bai asserted his authority at the Pill Hall, collected his elder's stipend, and gave the soul crystals to Qing Mao's household.
• Mu Bai urged First Madam and Third Madam to train the younger descendants and prepare them for soul awakening.
• Mu Bai learned that Qing Mao's descendants gambled, took Opium Paste, and pressured the women for soul crystals to pay their debts.
• First Madam told Mu Bai that the Fifth Sect Heir's Laughing Gold Pavilion supplied Opium Paste, and Mu Bai decided he could not ignore the danger to Qing Mao's descendants.

Mu Bai disguised himself as a wealthy traveler and followed Qing Chi and the others into Laughing Gold Pavilion, where they tried to draw him into gambling. He left the first rounds with a large win while Qing Chi lost his winnings, and the chapter ended with Qing Chi stunned by Mu Bai’s luck.

• Mu Bai left the Sect to retrieve Qing Chi and the others, then disguised himself as Zhou Yunjing and offered them Soul Crystals to gain their company.
• Qing Chi and the others boasted about Spirit Command City’s pleasures and led Mu Bai to Laughing Gold Pavilion, where the manager ushered them into its gambling den.
• Qing Chi won three consecutive rounds of dice before taking Mu Bai to bet against the house.
• Mu Bai followed Qing Chi’s bet on big, won four thousand Soul Crystals, and staked them again.
• The dealer revealed another big result, multiplying Mu Bai’s wager while Qing Chi lost the winnings from his earlier rounds.

Mu Bai won a spectacular dice wager against Ling Que, then faced Shen Xiao after the young master recognized him as Elder Mu. Their confrontation escalated into a fight, which ended with Mu Bai hurling dice into Shen Xiao’s face while taunting him.

• Mu Bai bet ten thousand chips that Ling Que would roll three ones, and his control of the five elements essence qi turned her three threes into a winning triple.
• Mu Bai declined to collect his million-soul-crystal winnings immediately and challenged Ling Que to a much larger wager, but she refused.
• Shen Xiao appeared and offered to gamble against Mu Bai, then exposed Mu Bai’s identity as Elder Mu.
• Mu Bai sent Qing Chi and the others into the Mustard Seed Bag as Shen Xiao and Mu Bai began fighting in the air.
• Mu Bai used his golden armor, Twin Fish Sword, a golden longsword, and a Silver-Backed Ape to overpower Shen Xiao and knock him to the ground.
• Mu Bai controlled three dice with essence qi and drove them into Shen Xiao’s face, showing thirteen points as Shen Xiao screamed for him to die.

Mu Bai defeated Shen Xiao with his mastery of dice, then used the Laughing Gold Pavilion’s Thunder Formation to kill its defenders and burn down the gambling and opium dens. He left Spirit Command City as Zhou Dechen swore revenge, while stories of Mu Bai’s gambling skills spread through the region.

• Mu Bai turned Shen Xiao’s dice attack against him, pierced him with a thousand dice, and Shen Xiao died after taking a final puff from his Opium Pipe.
• Dozens of experts attacked Mu Bai, but he controlled the Thunder Formation and killed many of them with lightning.
• Mu Bai destroyed the Laughing Gold Pavilion and the Soul-Devouring Grounds with lightning and fire, then killed the monkey-cheeked proprietor.
• Mu Bai used Chang Feng’s Soul Power Jade Slip to contain the smoke and left after the fire subsided.
• Zhou Dechen arrived to find his Laughing Gold Pavilion destroyed and vowed to kill Mu Bai.
• Mu Bai’s dice techniques spread through Spirit Command City and nearby cities, earning him fame among gamblers.

Mu Bai received the Heavenly Son Nine-Demon Art from Zhou Deqi in exchange for helping him contend for the sect succession, while agreeing only to kill Zhou Dechen. After learning the art’s origins and the structure of the Origin Realm from the Artifact Spirit Ancestor, Mu Bai resolved to strengthen his body and wait for a chance to act.

• Zuo Lin told Mu Bai that Zhou Deqi and Zhou Dekai had come to visit him.
• Zhou Deqi gave Mu Bai the Heavenly Son Nine-Demon Art and asked him to help secure the sect heir position; Mu Bai agreed to kill Zhou Dechen but declined to advise him in the succession struggle.
• Mu Bai searched the Repository of Cultivation Techniques for information about the Origin Realm but found little.
• Mu Bai summoned the Artifact Spirit Ancestor, who explained the Origin Realm’s three Daos and eighteen domains and revealed that the Heavenly Son Demon had led heavenly devils in the Immortal-Origin War.
• Mu Bai decided to learn what he could from the incomplete art, strengthen his physical body, and wait for an opportunity to kill Zhou Dechen.

Mu Bai joined Zhou Dechen’s expedition to the Ancestral Dragon Forbidden Land, where the Spirit Taming Sect sought the legendary Ancestral Dragon’s Inner Core. After a fierce beast destroyed one of their Soul Boats, the remaining party reached the forbidden land’s outskirts and learned that a Yuan Zun might be fighting inside.

• Zuo Lin told Mu Bai that an unparalleled treasure had appeared in the Ancestral Dragon Forbidden Land, and Mu Bai joined Zhou Dechen’s expedition with the sect’s forces.
• Mu Bai learned aboard the Soul Boat that the treasure was believed to be the Ancestral Dragon’s Inner Core, which could grant immense power.
• Zhou Dechen ordered the Soul Boats to charge through Silver Frost Forest, and a Pterosaur attacked, destroying one boat before Supreme Elder Zhou Wu intervened.
• The remaining Soul Boats continued toward the forbidden land, where they encountered the Mysterious Maiden Sect and the Hundred Generations Sect.
• Qin Xiang warned Zhou Dechen that the Primordial Soul Sect had entered the forbidden land and that a Yuan Zun might be fighting there.

The Spirit Taming Sect, Mysterious Maiden Sect, and Hundred Generations Sect entered the Ancestral Dragon Forbidden Land to gather treasures while the Primordial Soul Sect and Kunling Sect attacked the black mountain for the Ancestral Dragon Inner Core. A beast tide swept over the treasure hunters, and Mu Bai escaped a deadly half-demon’s attack as Jia Yi and Jia Bing died.

• The Kunling Sect’s Soul Treasure entered the forbidden land, and Zhou Wu persuaded the Mysterious Maiden Sect and Hundred Generations Sect to unite and search for lesser treasures.
• The three sects’ disciples traveled to a barren black mountain and scrambled for rare medicinal ingredients as disputes turned deadly.
• Four powerful figures from the Primordial Soul Sect and Kunling Sect attacked the mountain to obtain the Ancestral Dragon Inner Core.
• A beast tide descended, and Xiong Youde ordered the disciples to form ranks and fight.
• Mu Bai fought the beasts, then fled when a half-demon killed thousands of cultivators; Jia Yi and Jia Bing died in its attack.

Mu Bai fought to keep the Beast Materials he had collected and battled Jiang Shan and Nangong Yan after Zhou Dechen ordered them to attack him. Hai Chen appeared during the struggle over the Ancestral Dragon Inner Core, took the treasure, and sent it into Mu Bai’s Dantian before departing into the chaos.

• After the beast tide was driven back, Zhou Dechen ordered the Spirit Taming Sect’s spoils surrendered to the sect, but Mu Bai refused.
• Zhou Dechen ordered Jiang Shan and Nangong Yan to attack Mu Bai, who held his own against them until the Ancestral Dragon Inner Core appeared on Black Mountain.
• Mu Bai wounded Jiang Shan, then killed him when his movements faltered as the silver-haired old woman and gray-robed old man appeared and immobilized four powerful cultivators.
• Zhou Dechen joined Nangong Yan against Mu Bai, but Hai Chen arrived with two companions and fought the old woman and old man in the void.
• Hai Chen took the Ancestral Dragon Inner Core and tossed it to Mu Bai, where it burned through his abdomen and settled in his Dantian.

Mu Bai escaped Silver Frost Forest with the Ancestral Dragon Inner Core after Madam Seven Emotions drove off the sect experts and warned them not to harm him. He left the Spirit Taming Sect to find Ling'er in Ximu City, but learned that Elder Mi Yan and her people had left Peony Pavilion and received no information about Hai Ling.

• The Ancestral Dragon Inner Core entered Mu Bai's Dantian, and Hai Chen vanished into the void as the sect experts tried to seize the core.
• Madam Seven Emotions scattered the four powerful figures and the cultivators at Black Mountain, then warned them that Mu Bai was hers to kill and threatened anyone who harmed him.
• The sect forces withdrew from Silver Frost Forest, and Mu Bai spent more than ten days hiding underground before deciding to seek Ling'er.
• Mu Bai left the Spirit Taming Sect without telling Mu Lan and the others, traveling west to Ximu City to find Hai Ling through the Taiyuan Merchant Guild.
• At Peony Pavilion, Mu Bai learned that Elder Mi Yan had married and that her people, including Xiao Lan, had gone with her; no one knew Hai Ling.
• Mu Bai decided to wait in Ximu City for the shopkeeper rather than abandon his search.

Mu Bai settled in Ximu City, built a business network with the local tribes, and discovered a large soul crystal vein in the Shuhuan Mountain Range. He called the Artifact Spirit Ancestor to see the find, leaving them poised to exploit the mine.

• Mu Bai waited across from Peony Pavilion, sold Supreme Grade pills, and paid Caiwei two thousand soul crystals to let him keep his stall.
• Mu Bai befriended Wang Feng, learned about plans by the Xishui Great Tribe and Zhimu Great Tribe to cut through the Shuhuan Mountain Range, and bought deeds to more than half of Ximu City.
• Mu Bai welcomed leaders of both great tribes and maintained close ties with each, then hired Wang Feng to manage his shops and properties.
• Mu Bai explored the Shuhuan Mountain Range and spotted soul crystals exposed in a cliff face.
• Mu Bai cut into the cliff, confirmed that it held a substantial soul crystal vein, and summoned the Artifact Spirit Ancestor, who stared at it in astonishment.

Mu Bai and the Artifact Spirit Ancestor mined a Soul Crystal Mine, and the Ancestor taught Mu Bai to use mental power to see through formation illusions. After nearly damaging Mu Bai’s Divine Sea while opening his divine spring, the Ancestor saved him and concealed himself in the mine; Mu Bai left with a fortune in crystals and returned to Ximu City after reflecting on his absent Clan Patriarch.

• Mu Bai and the Artifact Spirit Ancestor argued over the Soul Crystal Mine before mining it together and setting up a Five Elements Spirit-Evolving Formation.
• The Artifact Spirit Ancestor opened Mu Bai’s divine spring and taught him to channel mental power through his eyes to see through illusions.
• Mu Bai accidentally let his Divine Sea pour through his eyes, so the Artifact Spirit Ancestor intervened and guided his mental power to save his foundation.
• Mu Bai used his new sight to see through the mine’s concealment, collected the Soul Crystals he had cut free, and left the Artifact Spirit Ancestor behind.
• Mu Bai meditated overnight on the Shuhuan Mountain Range, remembered his Clan Patriarch at sunrise, and flew back to Ximu City.

Madam Seven Emotions investigated Mu Bai’s ties to Mu Lan and Chen Qi, then brought her daughter Ye Wan to stay with them and compete for Mu Bai’s affection. Meanwhile, Mu Bai bought much of Ximu City and tried to persuade the Xishui and Zhimu tribes to cooperate on opening a passage through the Shuhuan Mountain Range, but both chiefs refused.

• Madam Seven Emotions used time reversal to learn about Mu Bai’s past with Mu Lan and Chen Qi, then rushed to Chen Qi’s room and took little Mu Fei in her arms.
• Ye Wan emerged from a spatial passage, and Madam Seven Emotions announced that Ye Wan would stay with Chen Qi until Mu Bai returned.
• Chen Qi and Ye Wan agreed to Mu Lan’s rules for avoiding conflict, while Mu Lan learned that Ye Wan had the combat strength of a human Yuan Zun.
• Mu Bai bought more than half of Ximu City as a base for Mu Lan Pavilion and invited the chiefs of the Xishui and Zhimu tribes to Shuyuan Tower.
• Mu Bai proposed that the two tribes cooperate to open a passage through the Shuhuan Mountain Range, but Xi Hong and Zhi Cun refused to work together.

Mu Bai funded a passage through the Shuhuan Mountain Range in exchange for a third of Ximu City, drawing traders into a fierce contest for influence. The Dharma Lotus Trading Company began a citywide price war and won support from both tribes, while the larger conflict with Mu Lan Pavilion remained unresolved.

• Mu Bai persuaded Xi Hong and Zhi Cun to provide workers for the mountain passage while he paid the costs, and they agreed that he would own one-third of Ximu City.
• Mu Bai displayed his strength to secure the tribes’ agreement to sign Divine Soul Contracts, then began excavation north of the city with Soul Weapons supplied by Mu Lan Pavilion.
• Mu Bai learned that Ye Wan had moved into Mu Lan Pavilion, that the Spirit Taming Sect had stopped pursuing him, and that Xi Bazì and Sweet Potato Boy had found no information about Ling'er.
• The Dharma Lotus Trading Company and the Taiyuan Merchant Guild sent their leaders and supplies to Ximu City as competition with Mu Lan Pavilion intensified.
• Yuan Lang visited Xi Hong with lavish gifts and deep discounts, and Xi Hong bought a large supply of goods for the Xishui Great Tribe.
• Yuan Lang used the same offer to gain Zhi Cun’s support for the Dharma Lotus Trading Company at the Zhimu Great Tribe.

Mu Bai’s campaign forced the Dharma Lotus Trading Company to retreat from most of Ximu City, while Taiyuan Qing planned to build a rival city near the Shuhuan Passage. Still searching for Ling'er, Mu Bai contacted Taiyuan Qing through the Peony Pavilion and left Caiwei a calling card.

• Yuan Lang refused to abandon Ximu City until an elder reminded him that the Mu Lan Pavilion owned more than half the city, and Yuan Lang collapsed after spitting blood.
• The Dharma Lotus Trading Company closed its four branches in Ximu City, leaving only its main store open.
• Mu Bai and Wang Feng agreed to keep the Mu Lan Pavilion’s thirteen branches open and profit from Ximu City’s increased business, while Mu Bai worried about Taiyuan Qing’s intentions.
• Taiyuan Qing held Ling'er's hand and ordered Jiahui to build Taiyuan City opposite the Shuhuan Passage, dismissing Ling'er's warning about the location’s baleful energy.
• Mu Bai visited the Peony Pavilion again, learned that its shopkeeper was named Jiahui, and gave Caiwei his calling card to pass to Taiyuan Qing.
• Caiwei recognized Mu Bai, asked to work for the Mu Lan Pavilion, and wondered whether she should return the two thousand soul crystals she had taken from him.

The Taiyuan Merchant Guild began building Taiyuan City on a grand scale, while Mu Bai maneuvered to make the Dharma Lotus Trading Company believe he had allied with Taiyuan Qing. A mass poisoning at the construction site killed tens of thousands and brought hundreds of thousands of angry tribespeople to Taiyuan Prefecture, leaving Taiyuan Qing surrounded and facing demands for an explanation.

• Taiyuan Qing bought land opposite the passage through the Shuhuan Mountain Range and announced plans to build Taiyuan City within two years, alarming the Dharma Lotus Trading Company and Mu Bai.
• Mu Bai agreed to sell excavated stone to the Taiyuan Merchant Guild, intending to make the Dharma Lotus Trading Company think Mu Lan Pavilion had allied with Taiyuan Qing.
• Construction began with a million workers, and Taiyuan Prefecture was completed within little more than a month.
• An elder reported that food poisoning had killed about fifty thousand workers and left nearly a hundred thousand receiving treatment, while the dead workers' relatives and clanspeople prepared to confront the guild.
• Taiyuan Qing offered compensation, but more than three hundred thousand people surrounded Taiyuan Prefecture, and five Chiefs of Fangs demanded an explanation for their tribespeople's deaths.
• The crowd's cries drew workers from across the construction site, as the chapter revealed that the Dharma Lotus Trading Company had bribed tribes to sabotage the project and cause the deaths.