Chapter Summaries

Xu Chen prepared to complete his blood sacrifice formation while Jiang Man expanded his own formation and gathered allies to oppose it and the Heavenly Origin Array. In the Enforcement Hall prison, Old Yellow Ox received a mysterious offer from a great demon to escape and gain power.

• Xu Chen ordered his masked allies to keep capturing disciples and spread rumors against Liu Ningya and the Heavenly Origin Array.
• Jiang Man expanded his formation, and Shangguan Lingyue admitted he had lost to Jiang Man and organized people to recruit allies.
• Jiang Man questioned Zhao Qiu, who warned him that forcibly taking other people’s resources would bring the sect’s intervention.
• Jiang Man learned about the formation’s coming fruits and prepared to unlock the second layer of the box.
• Ren Qian brought fodder to Old Yellow Ox in prison, where a great demon offered to awaken his intelligence and help him escape.

Meng Qiewei learned that the Immortal Gate inspector Drunken Floating Life had intervened to protect Jiang Man, while Jiang Man unlocked a mysterious bead and discovered that it absorbed his cultivation gains. After using the formation’s fruits to fill the bead faster, he watched the landscape transform as the Magpie Bridge opened inside the Immortal Abode.

• Meng Qiewei learned from Qing Dai that the sect would investigate Jiang Man, that the Zhao Family had released the Evil God aura, and that Drunken Floating Life had intervened on Jiang Man’s behalf.
• Jiang Man opened the box and found an aqua-blue bead that drained his Qi and Blood, cultivation, and mental energy, so he asked Zhao Qiu to teach him a Golden Core-stage body-refining method.
• Jiang Man cultivated the Simple Method and expanded his formation, while the bead slowly accumulated the energy it absorbed.
• An earthquake shook the formation, and its central tree produced ninety-nine fruits; when a disciple tried to seize one, Jiang Man struck him down and ate the orange fruits to fill the bead.
• Ten days later, the landscape changed around Jiang Man, and a stone stele announced that the Boundless Immortal Lake beneath the Magpie Bridge had opened.

Jiang Man met Ting Fengyin again, learned that Meng Qiewei had escaped and was headed toward Wuyun Sect, and discussed how to find and defeat her. Ting Fengyin agreed to arrange help obtaining the Evil God Record, identified a painting as the best treasure in the Immortal Abode Secret Realm, and examined Jiang Man’s belongings for any marks.

• Jiang Man crossed the Magpie Bridge and met Ting Fengyin beneath the tree, where Ting Fengyin gave him a mind-clearing fruit.
• Ting Fengyin told Jiang Man that Meng Qiewei had left the Immortal Gate, was likely using the name Ji Meng, and had initially headed for Wuyun Sect; her cultivation was at the late primordial spirit stage.
• Ting Fengyin discovered that Jiang Man had advanced to Golden Core middle stage and reached Hundred Rivers Return to the Sea great perfection, and warned him that he would need to grow stronger to challenge Meng Qiewei.
• Jiang Man explained that he needed the Mountain-Suppressing Office’s help finding Meng Qiewei, and Ting Fengyin agreed to arrange access to the Evil God Record.
• Ting Fengyin identified a painting as the best treasure in the Immortal Abode Secret Realm, then Jiang Man laid out most of his belongings so Ting Fengyin could check whether anyone had marked him.

Jiang Man met Ting Fengyin and learned more about Meng Qiewei, her maid, and a Demon Lord, then returned to find Shangguan Lingyue injured and healed him. When the Heavenly Origin Array tried to force Shangguan Lingyue’s group into submission, Shangguan struck first, while Red Eagle received a brief reply about their request to visit the Immortal Gate.

• Jiang Man showed Ting Fengyin his stored supplies, discussed his dealings with Evil Gods and Demonkind, and learned that he must find Meng Qiewei, her husband, and her dangerous maid.
• Ting Fengyin told Jiang Man that Meng Qiewei’s marriage made her easier for the Immortal Gate to control, but gave no explanation for why he himself could not leave.
• Jiang Man returned from the Immortal Lake and used Formation Runes to destroy the Demon Beast inside Shangguan Lingyue, stabilizing his condition.
• Shangguan Lingyue told Jiang Man that the Heavenly Origin Array had ambushed him and was coming to demand submission; Jiang Man urged him to stand firm and act boldly.
• Shangguan Lingyue confronted the Heavenly Origin Array’s representatives, slammed their woman leader to the ground, and ordered his people to bind them and send them to the Blood Sacrifice Array.
• Red Eagle received the reply “You can” about going to the Immortal Gate, then was told to wait when he asked what to do next.

Liu Ningya explained that she was sharing the Heavenly Origin Array’s opportunities because she wanted to win first place and secure resources for her ailing mother. Jiang Man absorbed the bead’s qi and blood, grew much stronger, and prepared for the third earthquake, which brought the three arrays together and set the final contest in motion.

• Liu Ningya told her junior that she wanted to become the final winner, then ordered her people to strengthen their array and prepare for the third earthquake.
• Jiang Man absorbed the bead’s power, which improved the connection between his golden core and physical body and greatly increased his strength.
• Shangguan Lingyue learned that the Depths entrance would appear only after one great array remained, while he and Jiang Man expanded their array and traded Heavenly Origin Array captives to the Blood Sacrifice Array.
• Jiang Man’s body reached perfection, and he sensed the third earthquake approaching, so he recalled everyone to the array.
• After the earthquake brought the three arrays together, Xu Chen distributed pills to his black-robed followers and led the Blood Sacrifice Array to attack Liu Ningya’s formation.

Liu Ningya’s Heavenly Origin Array fought Xu Chen’s Blood Sacrifice Array, but Xu Chen used the bound Student Cultivators to overwhelm and capture her. Jiang Man arrived to confront Xu Chen and said that both arrays were wrong, leaving Xu Chen stunned.

• Liu Ningya let the Blood Sacrifice Array strike the Heavenly Origin Array to force its cultivators to fight, then led them into battle against Xu Chen’s forces.
• Xu Chen revealed more than a hundred bound Student Cultivators and used their suffering to unleash the Blood Sacrifice Array’s power against Liu Ningya.
• Xu Chen defeated and chained Liu Ningya, then pierced her with his sword and used her blood to strengthen the Blood Sacrifice Array.
• Xu Chen advanced to the Mountain and River Labyrinth Formation and sent Shangguan Lingyue flying with a palm strike.
• Jiang Man arrived, halted Xu Chen’s attack, and said both formations were wrong, surprising Xu Chen.

Jiang Man defeated Xu Chen, learned where the entrance to the Depths was, and descended through a passage that drained his qi and blood. After surviving the passage and cultivating there for weeks, he entered a burial chamber and found Ji Yifei already inside.

• Jiang Man defeated Xu Chen despite Xu Chen's blood-red armor and sword, then learned that Xu Chen knew the entrance's location and that Liu Ningya had also lost.
• Xu Chen showed Jiang Man the way to the entrance, adjusted his faulty Blood Sacrifice Array, and absorbed the blood-red bead it produced, raising his cultivation to the golden core late stage.
• Jiang Man left Shangguan Lingyue with the formation core and entered the underground passage, where his cultivation, strength, and qi and blood began draining away.
• Jiang Man used pills and cultivation methods to endure the passage's draining effect, then spent weeks descending and cultivating after finding a waymarker that told him to turn back.
• Jiang Man reached a second waymarker, descended ninety-nine steps, and opened a stone door into a burial chamber, where he found Ji Yifei beside an ancient coffin.

Jiang Man searched Dongyou True Immortal’s tomb, dismissed its treasures, and took a landscape painting that concealed a box. After leaving the Immortal Abode, he was surrounded by the Enforcement Hall alongside Xu Chen.

• Ji Yifei explained the tomb’s rules and Dongyou True Immortal’s story, while Jiang Man used the Heavenly Mirror of a Hundred Books to inspect the coffin and treasures.
• Jiang Man found that the treasures were unremarkable and discovered a box hidden inside one of two discarded landscape paintings, which he took as his single item.
• Jiang Man bought all ten of Ji Yifei’s Origin-Converging Glazed Pills and took them over three days, restoring much of his qi and blood.
• Jiang Man told Ji Yifei that the inheritance required Dongyou True Immortal’s bloodline, accepted five hundred Spirit Sources, and asked to leave.
• The Enforcement Hall gathered at the exit as drained disciples emerged from the Immortal Abode, and Jiang Man appeared beside Xu Chen.
• Ren Qian and the Enforcement Hall surrounded Jiang Man, and they took him away alongside Xu Chen.

Jiang Man and Xu Chen were arrested and questioned, while Xu Chen revealed that his revenge against the Liu Family was part of a plan to infiltrate the forces linked to evil demons. In prison, Jiang Man recognized aged demon qi on Old Meng and believed the Demon Lord had abandoned him as a scapegoat; the Immortal Gate was expected to arrive soon.

• Ren Qian brought Jiang Man and Xu Chen to the Enforcement Hall, where they were sent to separate cells for different cases.
• During questioning, Xu Chen admitted setting up the Blood Sacrifice Array and targeting Liu Ningya, then explained that his father had died after Liu Ningya's mother mishandled an array during an evil demon attack.
• Xu Chen told the interrogators he intended to use his blood bead and his ruined standing in the sect to infiltrate the evil demon-linked force and take revenge.
• Ren Qian placed Jiang Man in a cell with Old Meng, who resented him for reporting the Zhao Family.
• Jiang Man pressed Old Meng to his knees, used the Heavenly Mirror of a Hundred Books, and detected aged demon qi; he concluded the Demon Lord had made Old Meng a scapegoat.
• Red Eagle told the other Heads of the Mountain-Suppressing Office that Jiang Man's interrogation was imminent and the Immortal Gate might arrive within days.

Wuyun Sect interrogators tested Jiang Man for Evil God ties, but the beads proved broken, leaving his status unresolved until the Immortal Gate arrived. Meng Qiewei decided to visit him, only for Jiang Man to ask her for formation books instead of discussing their relationship.

• Red Eagle agreed to consider Xu Chen for undercover work after investigating his background, while ordering another agent to be found.
• Jiang Man told two Golden Core interrogators that Old Yellow Ox was his lifelong companion and agreed to let the sect investigate it.
• The detection beads showed all six Evil God indicators on Jiang Man, but the interrogators discovered the beads were broken and planned to wait for the Immortal Gate's arrival.
• Ji Suyue warned Meng Qiewei about Jiang Man's suspected Evil God connection and advised her to build trust, prompting Meng Qiewei to visit the Enforcement Hall.
• Old Meng guessed that Jiang Man had reported the Zhao Family, and Jiang Man went to meet Meng Qiewei when she arrived at the prison.
• Jiang Man asked Meng Qiewei to lend him the Thirty-Six Hall-Entry Books of Formation Runes, surprising Qing Dai.

Jiang Man continued cultivating while waiting for the Immortal Gate to investigate the suspected Evil God, and True Person Taihua arrived at the Wuyun Sect with an extraordinary way to reveal the Evil God Record. The chapter ended with Meng Qiewei learning that her clan might recall its marriage candidates and cancel the alliance after Jiang Man was wrongly suspected.

• Jiang Man gave Meng Qiewei two fruits and arranged to borrow the Thirty-Six Hall-Entry Books of Formation Runes the next day, while Qing Dai reminded him that the Immortal Gate would arrive in two days.
• Jiang Man reassured Old Meng that he would not attack him, then continued cultivating as Old Meng insisted the Zhao Family would rescue him.
• Red Eagle, Youyu, and Xiang Tianlin waited for the Immortal Gate, while Jiang Man received an alert that its representatives had arrived.
• True Person Taihua reached the Wuyun Sect with Chongguang and four black-robed attendants, then sent Chongguang away and opened a formation that let Red Eagle and the others consult the Evil God Record.
• Red Eagle and his companions left stunned by Taihua’s visit and the Record’s appearance, recognizing that Drunken Floating Life’s request carried more weight than they had understood.
• Qing Dai told Meng Qiewei that her clan might recall the marriage alliance candidates and cancel the alliance because Jiang Man had been wrongly suspected of colluding with an Evil God.

Meng Qiewei and Ji Hao weighed the clan’s demand to recall the marriage candidates while Jiang Man faced an Immortal Gate investigation in jail. Chongguang found no direct evidence against Jiang Man, but suspected a hidden member of Demonkind, and the chapter ended as Jiang Man received a meeting invitation that could expose him.

• Meng Qiewei decided to let Ji Hao handle pressure from the clan over recalling the marriage candidates, while Qing Dai reported that an Ancient Powerhouse had fallen in the Depths of the Void.
• Ji Hao refused to comply with the clan’s recall demand for now, told Ji Meng that Jiang Man had no confirmed dao companion, and warned her about the possibility.
• Jiang Man watched Zhao San get taken away after his Demonkind connection was exposed, then saw Meng Feng led off for questioning.
• Chongguang examined Jiang Man, learned that Old Yellow Ox had spoken, and let Jiang Man leave after finding the Evil God’s aura but no clear evidence of collusion.
• Chongguang told True Person Taihua that Meng Feng and Zhao San were involved, that a member of Demonkind might be hiding among them, and that Jiang Man was worth nurturing.
• Jiang Man received a meeting invitation while studying formation runes and worried that using his Token could expose him.

Jiang Man intervened to stop the investigation from exposing the Demon Lord and was released under strict monitoring, bringing Old Yellow Ox home after paying the required fees. Back at his courtyard, he learned more about the Demon Lord and opened a hidden space in a painting, revealing an ancient box whose contents remained unknown.

• Jiang Man appeared in the meeting as Drunken Floating Life and ordered the others to release the suspects, revealing that the Zhao Family was hiding a Demon Lord.
• True Person Taihua named Zhao Tiankuo as someone to watch, while the investigators decided to release the suspects but keep monitoring them.
• Ren Qian released Jiang Man with restrictions on his transactions, travel, and advancement, and explained that Old Yellow Ox would also remain under close supervision.
• Jiang Man paid for Old Yellow Ox's release and returned home, where he found that Chang Qiwen had paid his rent three times and asked to be repaid.
• Old Yellow Ox explained that the Demon Lord was likely using the Immortal Gate Great Governance to regain strength, and Jiang Man suspected Zhao Tiankuo.
• Jiang Man cut open the hidden space in a painting and found a rustic wooden box that the Heavenly Mirror described as an ancient box containing an ancient object.

Jiang Man discovered that the ancient die was the Immortal Dao Coordinates and that touching it had entangled him in the Evil Gods' search for a path beyond the Immortal Dao. Ji Hao offered to handle approaching Evil Gods, while Yu Wanyi investigated Ji Meng's relationship with Jiang Man and Zhao Tiankuo planned to recruit him through Old Yellow Ox.

• Jiang Man opened the box and used the Heavenly Mirror of a Hundred Books to identify the die as the Immortal Dao Coordinates, which could reveal the Path to the Future.
• Ji Hao explained that Jiang Man had become the die's caster and would attract Evil Gods, then offered to deal with them for a hundred thousand Spirit Sources each.
• Ji Hao relayed Jiang Man's declaration that no one but Ji Meng would do to Ji Meng and left to revise his plans.
• Jiang Man learned from Old Yellow Ox that the Immortal Gate forbade the die's path, then extracted Cultivation Method purple qi and increased his cultivation-method practice speed.
• Yu Wanyi left prison despite warnings that Jiang Man's intimidated opponents might target her, met Qing Dai outside Ji Meng's Courtyard, and obtained Ji Meng's portrait to test whether she was Jiang Man's mysterious dao companion.
• Zhao Tiankuo left prison and planned to use Old Yellow Ox to monitor Jiang Man and win his submission under a mysterious identity.

Jiang Man received the Hundred Rivers Body Refinement Method and a hundred-year shop lease as his Immortal Abode rewards, then arranged to bring Song Qing to work at the shop. He reunited with Little Fatty and the others, collected Song Qing’s repayment, and learned Chang Qiwen had fallen out with his sister over his Sect delivery work.

• Yu Wanyi questioned Jiang Man about Ji Meng and Qing Dai, then concluded that Ji Meng was his dao companion and told Qing Dai how she had reached that conclusion.
• Qing Dai told Meng Qiewei about Yu Wanyi’s theory, while Meng Qiewei discussed the missing Evil God and the lack of news from her clan.
• Jiang Man calculated his debts, sold ten Chaoyuan Lesser Yang Pills, and received the Hundred Rivers Body Refinement Method and a hundred-year shop lease as his Immortal Abode rewards.
• Jiang Man paid a thousand Spirit Sources to have the Enforcement Hall transfer Song Qing from the Cloudfront Office so he could recruit him to the shop.
• Jiang Man visited Little Fatty and the others, received three thousand Spirit Sources that Song Qing had left with Little Fatty, and learned that Chang Qiwen’s sister had asked him not to visit unless necessary.

Jiang Man settled his debt to Chang Qiwen with a qi refining secret realm qualification, arranged for Song Qing to join his new shop, and rapidly advanced in the Hundred Rivers Body Refinement Method. As Zhao Tiankuo dismissed the reported progress as nonsense, Song Qing faced gossip at the Cloudfront Office but received support from Uncle Tong and a young guard.

• Jiang Man improved the spirit medicine arrangement in Little Fatty's shop, guided Little Fatty and Luo Xuan on cultivation, and gave Chang Qiwen a qi refining secret realm qualification to settle their debt of about thirty thousand Spirit Sources.
• Jiang Man told Little Fatty to prepare for Song Qing's arrival at a new shop, while Luo Lu told Luo Xuan that her second uncle might still be alive and could return from the Inner Sect.
• Jiang Man learned the Hundred Rivers Body Refinement Method from Old Yellow Ox and reached its fourth layer after several hours of cultivation.
• Old Yellow Ox told Jiang Man that Zhao Tiankuo had asked him to watch Jiang Man, and Jiang Man instructed him to report his progress more slowly; Zhao Tiankuo then disbelieved the report.
• Song Qing overheard Cloudfront Office guards gossiping about his friendship with Jiang Man, but Uncle Tong and a young guard took him out and lent him Spirit Sources.

Gao Cunfeng kept Song Qing in the Gao Lineage, and the Wuyun Sect’s Enforcement Hall soon transferred him back to the sect. Meanwhile, Jiang Man advanced his cultivation, made plans for an upcoming sect exchange and an assessment mission, then brought a mysterious box to Ji Meng’s residence, where Qing Dai expected the young lady to like his gift.

• Gao Cunfeng decided not to dismiss Song Qing, and a Wuyun Sect Enforcement Hall cultivator arrived to transfer Song Qing back to the sect.
• The Cloudfront Office dean learned that the Enforcement Hall was transferring Song Qing, while Song Qing accepted the sect position and the Gao Lineage agreed to fill his vacant guard post.
• Jiang Man continued cultivating, visited the Fourth Courtyard, and discussed next year’s sect exchange and Zhuo Bufan’s cousin’s assessment mission with the others.
• Jiang Man taught the Fourth Courtyard disciples about cultivation methods and spell arts, and Yan Yiqiu agreed to let him register for the exchange.
• Jiang Man brought the wooden box to Ji Meng’s residence, and Qing Dai led him inside while anticipating Ji Meng’s reaction to his gift.

Jiang Man learned that the Immortal Dao Coordinates made him a target and sought advice from Ji Meng on delaying the danger, then planned to approach a weak Ancient Well-Type Evil God. He accepted Zhuo Qingcheng’s upcoming undercover assignment, which would take him away from the sect, and planned to ask Ji Hao for more ancient objects before departing.

• Jiang Man gave Ji Meng the Immortal Dao Coordinates die and paid Spirit Sources for her advice about the people who might try to force him to cast it.
• Ji Meng warned Jiang Man that he had at most thirty years before the Evil Gods discovered him and advised him to find an Evil God to suppress the die’s aura.
• Jiang Man showed Ji Meng a statue of an Ancient Well-Type Evil God from the Sixth Secret Realm, and she agreed that his plan to approach it was worth trying.
• Jiang Man told Old Yellow Ox he would seek an undercover assignment to contact the Ancient Well-Type Evil God and gain its support.
• Zhuo Qingcheng invited Jiang Man to join an undercover assignment at a gathering place for Ancient Arts cultivators, and he accepted the trip planned for December.
• Jiang Man decided to ask Ji Hao for ancient objects he could touch before leaving on the assignment.

Jiang Man prepared for his upcoming mission by arranging a shop, seeking ancient objects, and cultivating, while Zhuo Qingcheng introduced him to the rest of her team. Qing Dai recruited Yu Wanyi to help Ji Meng and Jiang Man grow closer, and the chapter ended with Ji Meng and Qing Dai visiting Jiang Man, whose ox still seemed to dislike them.

• Zhuo Qingcheng told Long Yangxia, Jiang Wen, and Han Meixue that Jiang Man would join their mission team as its formation master, and they accepted the arrangement.
• Jiang Man asked Little Fatty, Luo Xuan, and Song Qing about opening a shop, then gave Song Qing three Spirit Beast Eggs to sell while he returned to cultivation.
• Jiang Man borrowed Ji Meng's Thirty-Six Books of Mastery and received a compass from Ji Hao that the Heavenly Mirror of a Hundred Books identified as belonging to Ting Fengyin, who had gone mad.
• Qing Dai asked Yu Wanyi how to help Ji Meng and Jiang Man grow closer, and Yu Wanyi suggested using a spirit pet to exchange polished letters between them.
• On the last day of November, Ji Meng and Qing Dai visited Jiang Man, and Qing Dai noticed that Old Yellow Ox seemed not to welcome them.

Jiang Man prepared for an undercover mission, bought pills and formation materials, and agreed to write letters to Ji Meng. During the journey, he cultivated continuously and broke through, impressing his teammates; Ji Meng received his first letter and smiled as Qing Dai asked what he had written.

• Qing Dai offered Jiang Man free access to the Thirty-Six Hall-Entry Books of Formation Runes in exchange for writing letters to Ji Meng, and Jiang Man bought pills and formation materials from Ji Meng.
• Jiang Man joked with Old Yellow Ox about having only one wife, then prepared to leave on an undercover assignment and realized he needed Ting Fengyin's advice about which cultivation methods and Spell Arts to use around the others.
• Jiang Man met Zhuo Qingcheng's team, introduced himself to Han Meixue, Long Yangxia, and Jiang Wen, and began cultivating while they traveled by Sword Flight.
• After five days of uninterrupted cultivation, Jiang Man broke through and Zhuo Qingcheng recognized that he had cultivated the Hundred Rivers Body Refinement Method beyond the tenth layer.
• Jiang Man continued cultivating for days, prompting his teammates to cultivate as well, then wrote Ji Meng a letter about the journey and his companions.
• Ji Meng read Jiang Man's letter and smiled, while Qing Dai asked what the son-in-law had written.