Chapter Summaries

Song Chou manipulated Lu Xuan into believing that family bereavement could improve his chances of joining the Illuminating Nether Sect, while secretly gathering Fear-and-Dread Death Qi from deaths in the Dueling Arts Pavilion. After Elder Fang discussed the Demonic Dao’s constraints under the Immortal Dao, Song Chou asked whether the Great Talisman Sect had issued another decree.

• Song Chou rejected Lu Xuan as a disciple because his father and grandfather were alive, then suggested bereavement could change his fate and gave him a method to injure cultivators of Ding Fire.
• Lu Xuan memorized Song Chou’s instructions and left the Dueling Arts Pavilion in a daze.
• Elder Fang appeared and accused Song Chou of luring people into becoming medicinal ingredients, while Song Chou described how his methods exploited hidden desires.
• Song Chou refined the terror of the Pavilion’s deaths into Fear-and-Dread Death Qi, saying years of accumulation had yielded only ten strands.
• Elder Fang complained that [Sun] and [Thunder Pivot] constrained the Demonic Dao, and Song Chou asked whether the Great Talisman Sect had issued another decree.

Song Chou learned that Lou Zhenxiao had sealed Northern Mang Ridge while searching for a mysterious Little Ancestor who could not be divined, and he decided to drag his feet. Jiang Yi heard that Lu Ting had died, then went to the shrine at midnight to meet [Supreme Venerable] and found an imposing stranger who suspected him of being sent by Lou Zhenxiao.

• Elder Fang told Song Chou that Lou Zhenxiao was seeking a Little Ancestor from the Great Talisman Sect who could not be divined or found with Divine Abilities.
• Song Chou and Elder Fang discussed Lou Zhenxiao’s orders and the Southern and Northern Dipper Sword, and Song Chou resolved to stall rather than search.
• Yang Xun told Jiang Yi that Lu Ting had died after coughing up blood, then celebrated and vowed to outlive him by seventy-five years.
• Jiang Yi suspected Lu Xuan’s Fortuitous Encounter had caused Lu Ting’s death and reflected on the ruthless methods of the Illuminating Nether and True Gu sects.
• Jiang Yi carried dried meat to the shrine at midnight, where an imposing man accused him of being a Ding Fire cultivator sent by Lou Zhenxiao to kill him.
• Jiang Yi asked the man who Lou Zhenxiao was, doubting that the stranger was [Supreme Venerable].

Jiang Yi was caught between the wounded Xuanchanzi and Mu Qiu, who had been sent by Lou Zhenxiao to pursue him, while relying on the Heavenly Book’s prediction that he would be frightened but safe. After the Dao Palace ordered Lou Zhenxiao to let the mysterious little ancestor roam free, Mu Qiu confronted Xuanchanzi at the ruined temple, where a filthy cat appeared beside Jiang Yi.

• Jiang Yi remained calm when the imposing stranger questioned him, and the man warned him to leave before identifying the approaching pursuer as a reason it was too late.
• Lou Zhenxiao returned to the magic tower, lifted the seal over Northern Mang Ridge, and told Mu Qiu that the Dao Palace had ordered them to leave the little ancestor free.
• Lou Zhenxiao sent Mu Qiu to pursue Xuanchanzi, who had lost seventy percent of his cultivation, and Mu Qiu complained that Xuanchanzi’s destiny made him dangerous to confront.
• Mu Qiu found Xuanchanzi at the ruined temple, where Xuanchanzi mocked him and Jiang Yi worried that their battle would destroy the building.
• A filthy cat appeared beside Jiang Yi and stared at the plate of dried spirit-bird meat he was carrying.

Jiang Yi fed the mysterious kitten while Xuanchanzi fought Mu Qiu and a group of cultivators outside the ruined temple. After the battle moved away, the kitten revealed itself as the [Profound Mystery True Person] and offered to take Jiang Yi as its disciple.

• Jiang Yi realized the ritual offering was meant for him or the kitten and fed the kitten dried spirit bird meat.
• Xuanchanzi cut away part of Mu Qiu’s profound-light Law Power and spared him, while Mu Qiu recognized the danger of fighting a child of destiny.
• Cultivators from several Dharma Lineages arrived seeking revenge on Xuanchanzi, and Mu Qiu urged them to attack together.
• Xuanchanzi declared that the Zhongyi Sect lived on through him and flew away with his pursuers, while Mu Qiu followed at a distance.
• Jiang Yi emerged from the rubble with the kitten, which identified itself as the [Profound Mystery True Person] and asked him to become its disciple.

Jiang Yi won Profound Mystery True Person’s approval by offering to care for the kitten and became its disciple. As the kitten explained the limits of lower Dharma Lineages, Jiang Yi realized their cultivation methods deliberately prevented them from reaching Foundation Establishment perfection.

• Jiang Yi introduced himself to Profound Mystery True Person and offered to serve it in exchange for becoming its disciple.
• Profound Mystery True Person accepted Jiang Yi as its disciple after he promised to keep it fed and comfortable.
• Jiang Yi brought Profound Mystery True Person home, bathed it, and asked about the origins of its hidden Dharma Lineage.
• Profound Mystery True Person explained that only sect-ranked Dharma Lineages possessed complete inheritances capable of guiding cultivators to the True Lord’s golden seat and a Dao Fruit.
• Profound Mystery True Person said lower Dharma Lineages relied on Dao Ginseng consumption, which tainted cultivators’ life and nature and kept them from Foundation Establishment perfection.
• Jiang Yi concluded that the sect-ranked lineages allowed the Dao Ginseng Secret Art to persist so lower Dharma Lineages could not advance.

Jiang Yi asked the Profound Mystery True Person for a complete Dao legacy and accepted the dangers tied to it, hoping to reach the fifth realm of Foundation Establishment and attain True Lord status. Meanwhile, Lou Zhenxiao received a decree ordering him to let the little ancestor leave the Immortal Dao and halt trade between the Southern and Eastern Victory Continents.

• Jiang Yi reflected on the dangers facing lesser cultivators and carefully massaged and dried the Profound Mystery True Person, who revealed himself as a calico cat.
• Jiang Yi pleaded for a chance to pursue the Dao, and the Profound Mystery True Person warned that complete Dao legacies carried the karma and destiny of their Dharma Lineages.
• Jiang Yi accepted the legacy and vowed to seek the fifth heaven of Foundation Establishment and attain True Lord status, even at the cost of his life.
• Lou Zhenxiao contemplated how the [Sun] had constrained the Demonic Path Lineage and lamented that it hindered cultivators from gathering the Five Elements.
• The sect master's decree instructed Lou Zhenxiao to let the little ancestor leave but prevent his return to the Immortal Dao, and to prohibit trade between the Southern Continent and Eastern Victory Continent under the pretext of dealing with Zhongyi Sect remnants.
• Lou Zhenxiao accepted the decree and hoped Xuanchanzi would seize the chance to revive Zhongyi Sect and challenge him at the Cinnabar Essence Dharma Assembly.

Jiang Yi used the Heavenly Book to make sense of the profound Qi Refining section of Profound Mystery True Person’s Dao Inheritance, then learned that he and Yang Xun would leave Longhua Mountain before trouble spread. Yang Xun gave Jiang Yi three Law Artifacts taken from Lu Ting’s collection, equipping him for future adventures.

• Jiang Yi struggled to understand Profound Mystery True Person’s Dao Inheritance, and the Heavenly Book estimated that deriving its full meaning would take sixty-four years.
• Jiang Yi reframed his request around the maxim “Refining the Ancestral Origin, Commanding the Myriad Truths” and received a comprehensible derivation that would take six hours.
• Jiang Yi cared for the sleeping Profound Mystery True Person before visiting Yang Xun, who said two high-level cultivators had fought near Longhua Mountain and planned to return to the sect the next morning.
• Yang Xun showed Jiang Yi three Law Artifacts from Lu Ting’s collection: the Five Yin Bag, Blood Soul Mirror, and Black Sha Pagoda Lock.
• Yang Xun explained that the artifacts could capture ghosts, track living beings, provide swift travel, and subdue flying swords and ritual banners, and Jiang Yi gladly accepted them.

Jiang Yi prepared to leave Three Harmonies Ward with Yang Xun while refining a Law Artifact, and Lu Xuan gave Song Chou his family’s fortune to secure entry into the Illuminating Nether Sect. Meanwhile, Profound Mystery True Person discovered that Jiang Yi had mastered a profound Dao inheritance in a single day and recognized him as its potential heir.

• Yang Xun explained the value of Law Artifacts and gave Jiang Yi three artifacts before they planned to leave the next morning.
• Jiang Yi chose to refine the Five Yin Bag and worried that Lu Xuan’s connection to an elder of the Illuminating Nether Sect might bring dangerous attention.
• Lu Xuan offered Song Chou a million in Talisman Money from selling his family’s property, and Song Chou agreed to take him into the sect when its gates opened.
• Profound Mystery True Person woke and found Jiang Yi meditating as he drew in and refined myriad kinds of Spirit Chance.
• Profound Mystery True Person realized Jiang Yi had mastered the inheritance’s Qi Refining section in one day and considered him a worthy heir.

Jiang Yi mastered the cat master's Qi Refining method and found that it let him draw in Spirit Chance with ease, though Northern Mang Ridge offered little to cultivate. Profound Mystery True Person urged him to consider his Dao Path and claimed that joining his Dharma Lineage would give Jiang Yi an extraordinary background; Jiang Yi's Heavenly Book began an 8,800-year deduction into the origins of his inheritance.

• Jiang Yi used the cat master's guiding principle to refine Spirit Chance effortlessly and advance his cultivation.
• Jiang Yi absorbed fewer than five strands before the barren surroundings ran dry, and reflected on how difficult cultivation had been for his grandfather, Yang Xun.
• Profound Mystery True Person waited for Jiang Yi to finish cultivating, then kneaded him while asking about his future Dao Path.
• Jiang Yi said he planned to return to the Qianji Sect and feared that the stronger sects nearby might use him as medicinal material.
• Profound Mystery True Person declared that Jiang Yi would have an unparalleled background as his disciple, while the Heavenly Book began an 8,800-year deduction into the origins of Jiang Yi's Dao inheritance.

True Person Xuanmiao promised Jiang Yi access to a Primordial Womb Mother Pool if he reached the tenth level of Qi Refining within eight years, then Jiang Yi returned with the cat to meet Yang Xun and He Laohun. While waiting at a roadside stall, Jiang Yi was approached by Xuanchanzi, whose presence seemed stronger than before.

• True Person Xuanmiao explained the path to forming True Qi and offered to take Jiang Yi to the Primordial Womb Mother Pool at Bluefall Cliff if he reached the tenth level within eight years.
• True Person Xuanmiao advised Jiang Yi to stay with the Qianji Sect for now, and Jiang Yi prepared to travel with Yang Xun and He Laohun.
• Yang Xun and He Laohun left to buy horses while Jiang Yi waited, reflecting on mounting unrest in Northern Mang Ridge.
• Xuanchanzi sat across from Jiang Yi and greeted him, startling Jiang Yi with his unexpectedly powerful Qi presence.

Jiang Yi met Xuanchanzi, the surviving inheritor of the Zhongyi Sect, who offered him a chance to inherit the sect’s Dharma Lineage before leaving. Near the Qianji Sect, Jiang Yi, Yang Xun, and He Laohun encountered a suspicious roadside tavern whose occupants called themselves true demonic cultivators.

• Xuanchanzi shared noodles with Jiang Yi, praised his character, and invited him to call for help and inherit the Zhongyi Sect’s Dharma Lineage if a sign appeared over Northern Mang’s peaks.
• Xuanchanzi departed after reflecting that Jiang Yi had declined the chance to travel with him.
• Two days later, Jiang Yi told Yang Xun that he had refined the Five Yin Bag about seventy percent and the Blood Soul Mirror about thirty percent.
• As the group neared the Qianji Sect, they found an old tavern in the wooded ridges bearing a banner that read, “We True Demonic Cultivators Were Born Unbound!”
• Yang Xun recognized a chance to make money, while He Laohun staggered toward the tavern and its occupants prepared to test him.

Jiang Yi and Yang Xun uncovered a Yin Puppet Sect den where cultivators were preparing to butcher people and an ox for food. Yang Xun attacked first, and Jiang Yi revealed his strength as the tavern fight erupted.

• Jiang Yi and Yang Xun suspected the tavern was a bandit cultivator den and planned to catch its occupants off guard.
• Jiang Yi entered the tavern and introduced himself to Zheng Qing as a traveler from the Lujiang Jiang Clan.
• Zheng Qing revealed his admiration for ancient demonic cultivators while his followers prepared to butcher the bound yellow ox.
• Yang Xun burst through the second-floor wall and burned several tavern occupants with his flame techniques.
• Yang Xun used the Five Yin Bag to swallow and grind up an attacker while Zheng Qing ordered Red-Haired Ghost to seize Jiang Yi.
• Jiang Yi revealed his cultivation, killed Red-Haired Ghost with a flame-coated sword, and advanced to attack the remaining cultivators.

Jiang Yi and Yang Xun slaughtered the bandit cultivators in the tavern, rescued He Laohun, and uncovered their human-sacrifice wine and meat trade. Yang Xun explained why the bandits’ blood-fiend and yin-demon techniques were inferior to his Ding Fire Dao, leaving Jiang Yi wondering about his grandfather’s cultivation background.

• Yang Xun absorbed the blood Qi and corpses into his Law Artifacts, then told Jiang Yi to keep Zheng Qing alive to nourish the Black Sha Pagoda Lock.
• Yang Xun identified Zheng Qing’s illicit cultivation techniques and surmised that he had fled the Yin Puppet Sect, while Jiang Yi realized Zheng Qing was likely a Dharma slave meant to be harvested.
• Jiang Yi used a Pure Qi Talisman to restore He Laohun from ox form, and Zheng Qing revealed that the wine contained human placentas and the meat came from a Two-Leg Market.
• Yang Xun completed the ritual refinement of his Law Artifacts and dismissed Zheng Qing’s techniques as obsolete, explaining that his Ding Fire Dao could suppress blood-fiend and yin-demon arts.
• Yang Xun recalled Elder Sui’s saying that the Immortal Dao’s Thunder Pivot stood above blood fiends and yin demons, leaving Jiang Yi surprised by his grandfather’s contempt for Sect-tier Dharma lineages.

Jiang Yi tested how decisively Ding Fire overcame Zheng Qing’s blood-baleful cultivation and learned that the Five Phases had become the foundation of cultivation across the Jambudvipa Vast Land. After Zheng Qing was killed and his soul made into a Yin Horse, Yang Xun admitted that Jiang Yi’s Law Artifacts were cheap blood-baleful types and promised to replace them when he had more money.

• Yang Xun examined Zheng Qing’s cultivation for Jiang Yi and explained that blood baleful Qi and proximity to yin demons left practitioners inferior to other Dharma Lineages.
• At Yang Xun’s instruction, Jiang Yi struck Zheng Qing with a sword and then a saber using only twenty percent of his strength, severing both legs and confirming that Ding Fire easily overcame Zheng Qing’s True Qi.
• Yang Xun told Jiang Yi that the Five Phases were the foundation of cultivation and shared a rumor that an ancient Immortal Dao figure had weakened the Spirit Chance of blood baleful Qi and yin demons.
• Jiang Yi sent Zheng Qing into the Five Yin Bag to be ground to pieces, and Yang Xun refined Zheng Qing’s soul into a Yin Horse with the Black Sha Pagoda Lock.
• Yang Xun admitted that the Five Yin Bag, Blood Soul Mirror, and Black Sha Pagoda Lock were cheap blood-baleful Law Artifacts and promised to replace them when he had more money.

Jiang Yi slaughtered the cannibals of Two-Leg Market and, in the aftermath, gathered a wisp of Bright Hall fire that brought his fifth level of Qi Refining to perfection.

• Jiang Yi asked Yang Xun whether refining blood- and Baleful Intent-based Law Artifacts conflicted with Ding Fire cultivation, and Yang Xun assured him they would not.
• Yang Xun explained that killing Bandit Cultivators did not violate the [Immortal Dao]’s rules, and Jiang Yi suspected the Yin Puppet Sect used Dharma Slaves to evade those rules while harvesting people as materials.
• Jiang Yi asked Yang Xun how he would fare against Bandit Cultivators with his three refined Law Artifacts, and Yang Xun said only a suitably cultivated eighth-level opponent should be able to stop him.
• Jiang Yi traveled to Two-Leg Market, discovered its shops sold human flesh, and announced that the cannibals were fit to eat before attacking them with the Flame Blade Technique.
• Jiang Yi slaughtered the market’s inhabitants through the night while Yang Xun watched, then left the valley at sunrise with blood-soaked robes and a calm face.
• Jiang Yi sensed and absorbed a wisp of Bright Hall fire into his Inner Manor, bringing his fifth level of Qi Refining to perfection.

Jiang Yi refined a wisp of Mingtang Qi, but the Dao Inheritance he had received transformed his Ding Fire in a way that startled Yang Xun. Meanwhile, Lou Zhenxiao learned that Xuanchanzi had missed the inheritance and that its recipient remained within the Demonic Dao; Jiang Yi and Profound Mystery True Person continued toward Crimson Flame Peak.

• Jiang Yi refined the Mingtang Qi into spiritual liquid, strengthening his cultivation and nourishing his body.
• The eight characters of Cat Master's Dao Inheritance broke apart and merged into Jiang Yi's Lesser Forging Origin Fire-Control Art, leaving only a dim half-speck of Candle Flame.
• Yang Xun sensed that Jiang Yi's Inner Mansion Qi differed from Ding Fire, but dismissed the change as a slight effect of Bright Hall.
• Lou Zhenxiao received word that Xuanchanzi had not obtained Little Ancestor's Dao Inheritance, despite the True Lords' plan to guide him to it.
• The Dao Palace told Lou Zhenxiao that Little Ancestor remained in the Southern Continent and the inheritance had been settled within the Demonic Dao, instructing him to watch and await developments.
• Jiang Yi rode toward Crimson Flame Peak with Profound Mystery True Person, who joked that he had become Jiang Yi's Master Through Hardship.

Jiang Yi returned to Crimson Flame Peak before the New Year after Yang Xun advised him to hide his cultivation breakthrough and discussed finding him support in the Inner Peaks. At the Large Compound, Luo Qian'er sought Jiang Yi’s help escaping Zhou Can, and Widow Qin saw Jiang Yi arrive with a calico cat.

• Yang Xun warned Jiang Yi to conceal his fifth-level Qi Refining breakthrough and said he would seek an Inner Peaks backer through Elder Sui.
• Yang Xun used the Black Sha Pagoda Lock to refine the blood Qi of three horses into a Yin Horse.
• Luo Qian'er asked Widow Qin to pass a message to Jiang Yi, explaining that Zhou Can beat her and that she was trapped by debts.
• Old Li's Wife urged Widow Qin not to involve Jiang Yi in Luo Qian'er's troubles.
• He Laohun returned to the Large Compound and told Widow Qin and Old Li's Wife about seeing higher cultivators fight on the journey.
• Jiang Yi arrived at the Large Compound before the New Year, carrying a calico cat.

Jiang Yi returned to the Large Compound and shared a warm New Year's meal with his neighbors while settling back into his humble room with the Cat Master. He checked his cultivation progress and realized the Cat Master's inheritance had raised his fire method to seventh grade, leaving him to wonder whether it could absorb Bing Fire as well as Ding Fire.

• Widow Qin and He Laohun welcomed Jiang Yi back, and he introduced Profound Mystery True Person as his little master rather than a Spirit Pet.
• Jiang Yi promised to find the Cat Master a more comfortable place to stay, then joined his neighbors for Old Li's Wife's Yan Du Xian and explained He Laohun's year-long vow to eat vegetarian.
• Jiang Yi distributed New Year's gifts, and Widow Qin found the Talisman Money she had lent him returned untouched alongside the sweets.
• Widow Qin recalled Luo Qian'er's message and wondered whether she should pass it on to Jiang Yi.
• Jiang Yi checked the Heavenly Book and saw that he had reached the fifth level of Qi Refining at 92%, while his Mixed Primordial Tempering Fire-Wielding Art had risen to seventh grade.
• Jiang Yi wondered whether Refining the Ancestral Origin could absorb Bing Fire as well as Ding Fire.

Jiang Yi perfected his fifth level of Qi Refining and developed a new consciousness-nourishing incantation, then considered how to obtain the Spirit Chance needed to master it. Meanwhile, Zhou Can tightened his control over Luo Qian’er and threatened her for seeking Jiang Yi’s help.

• Jiang Yi secluded himself on Crimson Flame Peak, advanced his cultivation to ninety-nine parts out of a hundred, and condensed the seventh-grade Seven Emotions Incantation for Cradling the Spirit and Nourishing Consciousness.
• Profound Mystery True Person watched Jiang Yi cultivate and hoped he would soon reach Foundation Establishment and find a way to open [Yang Qi Taixiang Heaven].
• Zhou Can ordered Luo Qian’er to serve him, blamed her for his losses, and boasted that Senior Brother Xu’s backing and resources would raise his status and wealth.
• Zhou Can threatened to sell Luo Qian’er to the Acacia Sect if she sought Jiang Yi or gave her primal Yin to him, then tossed her Essence-Nourishing Pills.
• Jiang Yi consulted the Heavenly Book, learned that his new incantation required Yin Decline and Radiant Harmony Spirit Chance, and considered seeking them at Sewing Peak, Soul-Nourishing Peak, or Herb-Gathering Peak.

Yang Xun secured Elder Sui Liushu’s support for Jiang Yi to enter the Inner Peaks and receive help from Xu Yan. Jiang Yi resolved to grow stronger and headed to Wavelooking Peak to arrange a plausible explanation for his rapid cultivation.

• Yang Xun climbed Fate-Watching Peak and asked Sui Liushu to sponsor Jiang Yi’s move to the Inner Peaks.
• Yang Xun presented gifts and reminisced with Sui Liushu before explaining that Jiang Yi had reached the fifth level of Qi Refining.
• Sui Liushu agreed to ask his disciple Xu Yan to look after Jiang Yi in the Inner Peaks.
• Yang Xun told Jiang Yi the next day that his Inner Peaks place was secured, and Jiang Yi vowed to repay his grandfather’s kindness.
• Jiang Yi resolved to make his coming breakthrough seem natural and left for Wavelooking Peak, intending to use Junior Sister Li as a pretext.