Recaps

Wang Ba returned home and discovered that the Wu Ape King had advanced to second-tier supreme grade, while Jia Ten Five continued breeding and growing stronger. After visiting Wen Yong near Lingbi City, Wang Ba learned that all the second-tier alchemists from the Hundred-Pill Gathering had disappeared.

• Wang Ba found that the Wu Ape King had advanced to second-tier supreme grade and planned to teach him new spells.
• Wang Ba examined Jia Ten Five, found its spiritual power had improved, and decided he might reduce the Thunderfire Lin needed for its Bloodline Breakthrough.
• Wang Ba and Bu Chan ate breakfast together, then Bu Chan tended the Thousand-God Wood while Wang Ba helped briefly before leaving to see Wen Yong.
• Wen Yong led Wang Ba into a concealed formation and told him that all the second-tier alchemists from the Hundred-Pill Gathering had disappeared.

Wang Ba learned that second-tier alchemists had vanished after the Hundred-Pill Gathering and discussed the looming conflict between the Three Great Sects and Zhenling Palace with Wen Yong. Realizing that his Spirit Chicken Essence and reputation could protect him if he went public, Wang Ba agreed to make his formal appearance at the next Clothing Auction and left with a mysterious gift from Wen Yong.

• Wang Ba and Wen Yong suspected the Three Great Sects had abducted second-tier alchemists while preparing to seize Zhenling Palace's resources after True Lord Zhang's death.
• Wen Yong explained that Wang Ba's Spirit Chicken Essence gave him influence among rogue cultivators and the Three Great Sects, but warned that remaining anonymous could leave him vulnerable to secret capture.
• Wang Ba decided to step into the public eye to deter the Three Great Sects from targeting him and thanked Wen Yong for the warning.
• Wang Ba agreed to make his formal public appearance at the next Clothing Auction, and he and Wen Yong arranged the event together.
• Before Wang Ba departed, Wen Yong gave him a small box containing a treasure supplied exclusively to the Great Chu imperial court.

Wang Ba encountered Returning Wind Valley cultivators abusing rogue cultivators while searching for second-tier Alchemists from the Hundred-Pill Gathering. When their leader tried to stop him with an Air-Sealing Talisman and attacked, Wang Ba countered with powerful Five-Element Law Techniques, leaving the outcome of their clash unclear.

• Wang Ba spotted Returning Wind Valley cultivators interrogating a rogue cultivator settlement and watched them kill a burly cultivator and torment those who knew about the Hundred-Pill Gathering.
• The round-faced, middle-aged cultivator questioned a young rogue cultivator about the Alchemists, then had him taken away for interrogation after he mentioned Wu Ying.
• Wang Ba tried to leave, but the round-faced, middle-aged cultivator used an Air-Sealing Talisman to halt him and attacked with a bead-shaped Law Artifact.
• Wang Ba blocked the attack with Water and Wood System Law Techniques, then fled as the round-faced, middle-aged cultivator concluded that he had concealed his strength.
• The round-faced, middle-aged cultivator unleashed nine bead-shaped Law Artifacts, but Wang Ba turned back and formed a powerful water dragon from overlapping Five-Element Law Techniques.
• The water dragon scattered the nine artifacts and exhausted the round-faced, middle-aged cultivator’s Law Power, then passed him harmlessly and dissolved into mist as a crimson glimmer appeared in his eyes.

Returning Wind Valley’s Feng turned Yu Xi’s torture of rogue cultivators into a public show of leniency, hoping to win their support as the Yan Kingdom’s sects prepared for conflict. Wang Ba learned of the sect’s plans, decided to remain in the Yan Kingdom under his alias Shen Fu, and heard a new rumor at Vermin Market about Zhenling Palace’s Palace Master.

• Feng dismissed suspicions that Wang Ba was involved in the missing alchemists and led the Returning Wind Valley disciples to continue questioning rogue cultivators.
• After praising Yu Xi for torturing captives, Feng ordered Junior Brother Yin to cripple Yu Xi’s cultivation and expel him, explaining that the punishment could help Returning Wind Valley recruit rogue cultivators.
• Wang Ba learned that Returning Wind Valley was seeking skilled rogue cultivators and had a list of prominent names, including his alias Shen Fu.
• After checking that Feng had left no tracking marks, Wang Ba teleported home and went to Vermin Market to seek news.
• At a teahouse, Wang Ba overheard that Zhenling Palace’s current Palace Master had personally denied rumors a few days earlier.

Wang Ba heard conflicting rumors about Zhang Daobai’s condition and considered how his survival could shape the Yan Kingdom’s stability. When Xuli Sect cultivators occupied the rogue cultivator settlement and began searching homes, Bu Chan emerged from Wang Ba’s house after its valuable contents had vanished, leaving the confrontation unresolved.

• Cultivators in a teahouse debated whether Zhang Daobai was injured, and Wang Ba suspected the rumors might be false.
• A dark-faced cultivator asked Wang Ba for help obtaining a Shanli Clothing Auction invitation, while Foundation Establishment cultivator Mu remarked on Wang Ba’s apparent wealth.
• Xuli Sect cultivators sealed the settlement, stopped Wang Ba from fleeing, and began questioning rogue cultivators and searching their homes.
• Wang Ba realized the Xuli Sect searchers were approaching his home and prepared to defend its formation and the Spirit Beasts inside.
• Bu Chan opened the formation and calmly faced the Xuli Sect cultivators, while Wang Ba discovered that the Spirit Beasts and other valuable contents had disappeared.

Wang Ba and Bu Chan concealed their identities during a Xuli Sect search, but Wang Ba realized the questioning was a pretext for a wider purge and escaped to send warnings. A message alerted Returning Wind Valley that Master Shen Fu was trapped among the rogue cultivators surrounded by the Xuli Sect.

• Bu Chan let the Xuli Sect search her home and leave with a few items and Spirit Plants, avoiding suspicion about their hidden formation and Spirit Beasts.
• Wang Tang questioned Wang Ba about Zhao Wei, Master Shen Fu, and sect connections, then let him return home while secretly ordering Bu Chan to be questioned longer.
• Wang Tang told his junior that the Xuli Sect had found cultivators connected to renowned practitioners and ordered them to seize or kill the rogue cultivators before rival sects learned of the operation.
• Wang Ba suspected Wang Tang was stalling and used a Teleportation Talisman to reach a cave, send two Voice Transmission Talismans, and return home.
• The cultivator surnamed Feng received a message that Master Shen Fu was surrounded by the Xuli Sect at the rogue cultivator gathering place in White Cloud Flat.

Wang Ba’s attempt to avoid the Xuli Sect’s forced recruitment was interrupted when Wang Tang’s Spirit-Guarding Mirror warned of a nearby Myriad Gods Kingdom cultivator. The Xuli Sect began capturing the settlement’s rogue cultivators with a Human Bag, but as Wang Tang threatened Wang Ba, a voice from the horizon demanded that he release Shen Fu.

• Wang Tang invited Wang Ba to return with him to the Xuli Sect, while Wang Ba secretly tried to probe him with Yin Spirit Power and withdrew when the Spirit-Guarding Mirror reacted.
• Wang Tang suspected a Myriad Gods Kingdom cultivator was nearby and urged Junior Brother Xu to seize all the rogue cultivators before they could escape.
• Zhu Xian deployed a Human Bag to suck in the rogue cultivators, while Xuli Sect cultivators drove others into it and killed those who resisted.
• Junior Brother Xu used a Third-Tier Ritual Sword to pin fleeing Foundation Establishment rogue cultivators in place, leaving Wang Ba and Bu Chan trapped under threat of Sword Light.
• Wang Ba refused Wang Tang’s offer to join the Xuli Sect, and Wang Tang threatened him before a voice from the horizon demanded that he release Master Shen Fu.

Wang Tang and the cultivator surnamed Xu tried to seize the rogue cultivators while keeping the operation secret, but Feng Bao and Returning Wind Valley intervened, demanding Master Shen Fu. The Danlong Gate then arrived with Wen Yong, who identified the supposedly unremarkable Wang Ba as Shen Fu, leaving Wang Tang stunned.

• Feng Bao arrived with more than twenty Returning Wind Valley cultivators, and Wang Tang attacked Wang Ba before Feng Bao struck Wang Tang with his Wind-Breaking Beads.
• The cultivator surnamed Xu attacked Feng Bao, but Returning Wind Valley's cultivators formed a formation to shield him, and Wang Tang stopped Xu from striking again.
• Wang Tang and Xu denied that Master Shen Fu was among the captives, while Feng Bao insisted that they release him; Wang Ba kept quiet when Wang Tang pointed him out as a possible Shen Fu.
• As the Xuli Sect and Returning Wind Valley prepared to fight, Zhang Yunlong arrived with Danlong Gate cultivators and Wen Yong, claiming they had come to visit a friend.
• Wen Yong looked toward Wang Ba and respectfully asked whether Brother Shen Fu was unharmed, shocking Wang Tang and the others.

Wang Ba’s identity as Master Shen Fu was revealed, prompting the Three Great Sects to claim him as a guest elder while Wang Tang secretly prepared to kill him. True Person Yan arrived and tried to bring Wang Ba to Returning Wind Valley, but an ominous sound of approaching hooves interrupted the standoff.

• Wen Yong identified Wang Ba as Master Shen Fu, shocking the cultivators and drawing Zhang Yunlong and the other sect leaders into conversation with him.
• Wang Tang decided to assassinate Wang Ba with the cultivator surnamed Xu, but True Person Yan’s arrival disrupted their planned strike.
• Wang Tang and Zhang Yunlong claimed their sects had secured Wang Ba as a guest elder, and True Person Yan declared him a guest elder of Returning Wind Valley as well.
• Wen Yong said his father intended to take Wang Ba as a disciple, but True Person Yan proposed that Wang Ba begin by staying at Returning Wind Valley.
• True Person Yan prepared to take Wang Ba away, then sensed a threat approaching from the southeast as the sound of hooves grew louder.

A mysterious Gold Core True Person arrived in a carriage drawn by Hybrid Chi Horses and sought Wang Ba, startling the gathered cultivators and angering Yan Qing. The woman inside ordered everyone to leave, while Wang Ba stayed outside after sending Bu Chan into his house, hoping the visitor might help his plans.

• Li Ji arrived driving a carriage drawn by four Hybrid Chi Horses, and the cultivators suspected its hidden passenger was a Gold Core True Person.
• Yan Qing greeted the silent passenger, but Li Ji explained that his martial uncle did not wish to meet anyone and was looking for someone.
• Li Ji spotted Wang Ba and revealed that the carriage’s owner wanted to speak with him alone, provoking Yan Qing and Feng Bao.
• Wang Ba considered fleeing with Bu Chan but decided to stay, believing the visitor might revive his plans to find a powerful faction’s protection.
• Wang Ba sent Bu Chan into his house and remained outside as the woman in the carriage told everyone to get lost.

Wang Ba secured an order for two hundred portions of Spirit Chicken Essence from Li Ji’s martial aunt, a powerful consort at Prince Gao’s Residence, and gained the Three Great Sects’ wary protection. After Li Ji and his martial aunt departed, Wang Tang returned to the Xuli Sect and urged its Sect Master to kill Shen Fu.

• Li Ji’s martial aunt stopped True Person Yan with an emerald bracelet, then asked Wang Ba whether he could refine third-tier Spirit Chicken Essence.
• Wang Ba admitted he could only make second-tier essence, so the woman ordered two hundred portions and agreed to receive at least ten per month through Li Ji without paying.
• The Three Great Sects offered to host Wang Ba, but he agreed to remain at his dwelling while the sects established posts nearby and kept the captured rogue cultivators imprisoned.
• Wang Tang and the other sect representatives competed to recruit Wang Ba, while Wang Tang later privately urged him to join the Xuli Sect.
• In the flying carriage, Li Ji defended Wang Ba, and his martial aunt warned that her influence would not protect him for long because people underestimated her and overestimated her power.
• Wang Tang returned to the Xuli Sect, reported what had happened to the Sect Master, and recommended killing Shen Fu immediately.

Wang Tang proposed killing Shen Fu, but the Xuli Sect's Sect Master ordered him to prepare for a possible future attempt instead. In Yongan City, Wen Yong revealed his father had died and shared his father's Gold Core insights with Wang Ba after seeing the potential of Wang Ba's improved Spirit Chicken Essence.

• Wang Tang urged the Xuli Sect's Sect Master to have Shen Fu killed, but the Sect Master explained why the sect should not act yet and told Wang Tang to prepare curse-killing cultivators for later.
• The Three Great Sects announced plans to develop Yongan City and provide facilities and protection for rogue cultivators.
• Wang Ba learned that Wen Yong was the son of a Gold Core True Person and heard how Wen Yong's parents' marriage had secured his father's support from the Danlong Gate.
• Wen Yong privately revealed that his father had died years earlier, and Wang Ba swore a Heart Demon Oath to keep the secret.
• Wang Ba showed Wen Yong second-tier Spirit Chicken Essence, which strengthened the Divine Soul, and Wen Yong responded by giving him his father's Core Formation insights, including a method for forming an upper third-grade core.

Wang Ba studied the requirements for forming an upper-three-grade Gold Core, then perfected his second-tier Spirit Chicken Essence and drew unwanted attention from cultivators seeking to buy it. After discovering a dual-cultivation method and pills meant for the Great Chu Imperial Clan, he considered using them with Bu Chan, but the chapter ended with Wen Yong warning him to beware of the Xuli Sect.

• Wang Ba read Wen Yong's wooden ornament and learned that an upper-three-grade Gold Core required exceptional Law Power, a suitable method, and rare spirit materials; he believed his foundation could qualify him for a third-grade core but lacked other requirements.
• Wang Ba spent six months refining second-tier Spirit Chicken Essence until he produced a completely pure batch, then consumed it and made a substantial gain in cultivation.
• Bu Chan returned carrying gifts from cultivators hoping to buy Spirit Chicken Essence, and Wang Ba explained that he had given his allocations to Wen Yong and had none to spare.
• Wang Ba found the wooden box Wen Yong had given him and discovered an imperial-clan dual-cultivation method with herbal pills; he considered using it with Bu Chan to help her cultivation.
• Wen Yong sent Wang Ba a Voice Transmission Talisman warning him to beware of the Xuli Sect.

Wang Ba learned that his Spirit Chicken Essence was hurting the Xuli Sect’s spirit cuisine business and decided to reduce its production while focusing more on cultivation. After finding no third-tier materials in Yongan City, he returned home, where someone arrived with what he had wanted.

• Wang Ba visited the Xuli Spirit Rice Shop and saw that customers were angry about its prices and preferred saving for Spirit Chicken Essence.
• Wang Ba realized his product was competing with the Xuli Sect’s spirit rice and decided to reduce first-tier Spirit Chicken Essence production.
• Wang Ba considered materials for Jia Ten Five and the Wu Ape King, but found no third-tier treasures in Yongan City.
• Wang Ba returned to his residence to cultivate, but a voice outside the formation called that he had brought what Wang Ba wanted.

Wang Ba traded Spirit Chicken Essence to True Person Kang for rare materials needed for Jia Ten Five’s bloodline breakthrough, then learned that the Xuli Sect had seized the Five Classics Sect and feared the shifting balance among Yan Kingdom’s great powers. He began teaching Bu Chan and the Wu Ape King law techniques, and the chapter ended as two Gold Core rogue cultivators arrived for their appointment.

• Wang Ba exchanged eighty portions of Spirit Chicken Essence with True Person Kang for Jade-Feather Bone and a Third-Tier Spirit Beast Inner Core, leaving only White Dragon Sulfur among the materials he needed for Jia Ten Five’s breakthrough.
• True Person Kang told Wang Ba that Lin Boyue had caught the Five Classics Sect off guard and placed restrictions on its two Gold Core True Persons, prompting Wang Ba to worry about upheaval among the Three Great Sects.
• Bu Chan asked Wang Ba to teach her law techniques, and he chose Stone-Copper Body, Ten Thousand Vines Technique, and Life-Restoring Technique for her.
• Wang Ba watched Bu Chan struggle with the techniques while the Wu Ape King quickly learned several of them, then scolded the ape for showing off.
• Gold Core rogue cultivators Yuan Wenzhi and Zhang Tailai arrived at Wang Ba’s gate to keep their appointment with him.

Wang Ba failed to find White Dragon Sulfur, but Yuan Wenzhi agreed to gather materials for the Wu Ape King and left Zhang Tailai to guard him. Meanwhile, the Xuli Sect and the other great sects reacted to Shen Fu’s growing influence, and their representatives arrived at Wang Ba’s residence just as the second layer of the Exquisite Ghost Market was about to open.

• Yuan Wenzhi and Zhang Tailai visited Wang Ba, said they could not obtain White Dragon Sulfur, and agreed to gather other materials for the Wu Ape King’s breakthrough.
• Yuan Wenzhi said the complete set of materials could only be found at Zhenling Palace, then left Zhang Tailai nearby to protect Wang Ba.
• At the Xuli Sect, Lin Boyue learned that Shen Fu’s Spirit Chicken Essence had attracted Gold Core cultivators and sharply reduced Spirit Rice sales.
• Lin Boyue sent Zhuang Yi and Wang Tang to Returning Wind Valley and Danlong Gate to coordinate a cut of the Spirit Chicken Essence revenue and test Shen Fu’s connections.
• Bu Chan successfully cast the Ten Thousand Vines Technique while Wang Ba refined Spirit Chicken Essence, and representatives from the Three Great Sects came to visit on the day the Exquisite Ghost Market’s second layer was set to open.

Wang Ba faced an attempt by the Three Great Sects to claim sixty percent of his Spirit Chicken Essence revenue, but Zhang Tailai’s intervention disrupted their pressure and exposed the possibility of rogue cultivators rallying around Wang Ba. After Danlong Gate’s True Person Zhang offered limited help and hinted at recruiting him, Wang Ba traveled to the newly opened second floor of the Exquisite Ghost Market, where he spotted someone familiar.

• Zhuang Yi, Yan Qing, and True Person Zhang visited Wang Ba and proposed that he surrender sixty percent of his Spirit Chicken Essence revenue to the Three Great Sects.
• Zhang Tailai arrived and challenged Zhuang Yi, declaring that he and other Gold Core rogue cultivators supported Wang Ba and might form a sect around him.
• Zhuang Yi reconsidered the danger of Wang Ba gaining rogue cultivator allies and postponed the revenue agreement, while True Person Zhang offered some spiritual materials and hinted at recruiting Wang Ba.
• Wang Ba arranged for Bu Chan to guard the third-tier formation, then used a Teleportation Talisman to travel toward the Exquisite Ghost Market.
• Wang Ba entered the market’s newly opened second floor and saw a familiar figure near the Teleportation Array.

Lin Boyue decided to have Shen Fu killed covertly while the Xuli Sect prepared to seize Zhenling Palace. In the Exquisite Ghost Market, Tang Ji recognized Shen Fu’s extraordinary beast-taming research and tried to secure him a teacher, but Senior Brother Qi rejected him; another powerful cultivator then contacted Tang Ji about Shen Fu’s wealth.

• Lin Boyue rejected a direct attack on the rogue cultivators and ordered Wang Tang to arrange for Cao Xiang to curse-kill Shen Fu, while secretly anticipating Zhang Daobai’s death.
• Wang Ba reunited with Tang Ji in the Exquisite Ghost Market, discussed his circumstances, and used Tang Ji’s spirit tea to refine his spirit-beast breeding formulas.
• Tang Ji studied Wang Ba’s notebook, was astonished by his ideas about restoring ancestral spirit-beast bloodlines, and promised to find him a teacher when he reached the Third Layer.
• Tang Ji told Wang Ba that Zhao Feng had formed his Gold Core, gave him a protective Incense Token, and accepted Wang Ba’s gift of two hundred High-Grade Spirit Stones.
• Tang Ji recommended Shen Fu to Senior Brother Qi, but Qi dismissed him for lacking a Third Tier Spirit Beast and having failed the Hundred Questions Tower, then set off for the Great Yan Dynasty to seek another candidate.
• A cultivator contacted Tang Ji and asked about the wealthy young man in his care, startling Tang Ji with memories of the caller’s power.

Tang Ji failed to dissuade Senior Brother Yao from rushing to take Shen Fu as his disciple, while Cao Xiang’s curse on Shen Fu backfired and afflicted Cao Xiang and Wang Tang. Wang Ba discovered Incense Dao cultivators in an underground gathering and alerted the Three Great Sects, then realized someone had cursed him just before urgent visitors arrived at his gate.

• Tang Ji tried to discourage Senior Brother Yao from taking Shen Fu as his disciple, but Senior Brother Yao decided to travel to him immediately.
• Cao Xiang used the Curse-Killing Technique against Shen Fu, but the curse rebounded as Hundred-Life Defilement and began afflicting Cao Xiang and Wang Tang.
• Wang Ba sensed a connection to the Yin God Lineage, found Incense Dao cultivators in an underground rogue cultivator gathering, and carried unconscious captives toward Yongan City.
• A hidden figure destroyed the underground gathering, while Wang Ba used a Heavenly Thunder Seed to alert the Three Great Sects and returned home by Teleportation Talisman.
• Wang Ba told Bu Chan about the Incense Dao and realized that someone had used a Curse Technique on him as urgent knocking sounded at his gate.

Wang Ba survived the Xuli Sect’s attempt to curse him and realized someone in Yongan City was secretly helping the Incense Dao. Lin Boyue misread Zhang Tailai as a hidden expert, ordered an investigation, and the chapter ended with blood raining in the North.

• Wang Ba kept Zhang Tailai at his residence with wine while a Xuli Sect disciple checked that he was safe.
• Wang Ba and Bu Chan inferred that someone had used a second Heavenly Thunder Seed to conceal the Incense Dao cultivators’ presence.
• Wang Ba recognized that the Xuli Sect had cursed him and restored the Hundred-Life Soul-Defiling Curse around his Spiritual Platform Temple.
• Zhuang Yi reported Wang Ba’s survival and Wang Tang’s death to Lin Boyue, who blamed Zhang Tailai for secretly blocking the curse.
• Lin Boyue refused to seize Zhang Tailai and ordered Zhuang Yi to investigate his abilities and weaknesses.
• Three days later, blood rained from the sky in the North.

Li Ji arrived in Yongan City to collect Spirit Chicken Essence, where the Three Great Sects were using the threat of Incense Dao to arrest Rogue Cultivators and tighten their control. As the city’s unrest deepened, Wang Ba received a recruitment offer from Zhang Jin and grew wary of an impending crackdown; the chapter ended with Zhang Tailai welcoming his returning big brother.

• Li Ji entered Yongan City, was falsely accused of belonging to the Incense Dao, and was rescued when Wang Ba intervened.
• Li Ji told Wang Ba that the arrests might be a pretext for the Three Great Sects to eliminate Rogue Cultivators before moving against Zhenling Palace, then left with Spirit Chicken Essence.
• Wang Ba bought supreme-grade Heavenly Thunder Seeds and talismans for Bu Chan as the sects intensified arrests and barred people from leaving the city.
• After Rogue Cultivators’ escape plot was exposed, Wang Ba suspected the Three Great Sects were dividing and purging them, then received Zhang Jin’s offer to join Danlong Gate and obtained four materials for the Wu Ape King.
• A tall scholar-like figure descended outside Wang Ba’s residence, and Zhang Tailai greeted him as his long-awaited big brother.

Wang Ba used the spirit materials Yuan Wenzhi brought to attempt the Wu Ape King's bloodline breakthrough, but it stalled just short of the third tier. Yan Qing then offered Returning Wind Valley's support and more materials in exchange for Wang Ba's help balancing the Three Great Sects, while Lin Boyue prepared to move against Zhenling Palace.

• Yuan Wenzhi gave Wang Ba six spirit materials, including the final four needed for the Wu Ape King's breakthrough formula, and agreed to stay in Yongan City with Zhang Tailai.
• Wang Ba took the Wu Ape King into the mountains and used the prepared medicine, but the beast's transformation stopped before it reached the third tier because he lacked a Third-Tier Spirit Beast Inner Core.
• Yan Qing and Feng Bao secretly met Wang Ba and offered Returning Wind Valley's spirit materials and a future inner core in exchange for his help persuading Yuan Wenzhi and Zhang Tailai to support them against the Xuli Sect.
• Wang Ba accepted Yan Qing's proposal and oath, but withheld White Dragon Sulfur from Jia Ten Five so it would not break through and escape his control.
• At White Cloud Flat, Lin Boyue, Zhu Rong, and Chu Xiao prepared to use captured rogue cultivators as cannon fodder, while Zhuang Yi reported that Zhenling Palace's outskirts had been scouted.
• Lin Boyue ordered Zhuang Yi to bring Shen Fu to Zhenling Palace to help test the way, then looked north toward Zhenling Palace with ambition.

The Three Great Sects forced Wang Ba and Bu Chan to accompany their campaign against Zhenling Palace, using captured rogue cultivators to break through its outer formations. As the sect leaders attacked Zhenling Palace, Zhang Daobai’s presence suddenly erupted, and Wang Ba’s mysterious connection to the palace became unmistakable.

• Zhuang Yi brought Wang Ba and Bu Chan aboard the Three Great Sects’ flying boat, and Yuan Wenzhi and Zhang Tailai joined them along the way.
• At Zhenling Palace, Wang Ba saw the Three Great Sects sacrifice thousands of captured rogue cultivators to destroy the palace’s outer formation foundations.
• After the last formation fell, Lin Boyue offered Palace Master Wu Siqi surrender terms, but Wu refused and the fighting began.
• A traitor opened a breach in Zhenling Palace’s protective formation, and the Three Great Sects’ forces poured in to fight its cultivators.
• As Palace Master Wu fought off several Gold Core cultivators, Yuan Wenzhi received a secret order to help him, then sensed a powerful presence erupt from the palace.
• Lin Boyue, Zhu Rong, and Chu Xiao recognized the presence as Zhang Daobai, while Wang Ba felt the subtle call he had sensed earlier become clear.

Zhang Daobai revealed that he had faked his death and fought the Three Great Sects with his Nascent Soul absent, using the last of his strength to protect Zhenling Palace. Wang Ba’s calls stirred the treasure Zhang Daobai had been suppressing, and Zhang Daobai discovered him and sent his flying sword toward him.

• Zhang Daobai appeared alive, exposed the Three Great Sects’ trap, and attacked their Gold Core cultivators, who formed the Five Classics Origin Void Formation.
• Yuan Wenzhi sent Zhang Tailai to aid the fight against Wu Siqi while Wang Ba quietly withdrew and sensed something calling from within Zhenling Palace.
• Wang Ba’s calls repeatedly stirred Zhang Daobai’s suppressed treasure, disrupting Zhang Daobai’s attacks and letting the Three Great Sects wound him with explosive artifacts.
• Zhang Daobai revealed that his Nascent Soul was not inside his body, then resumed attacking Chu Xiao while searching for the source of the treasure’s movement.
• Zhang Daobai spotted Wang Ba silently calling the treasure and sent his flying sword through the crowd toward him.

Wang Ba’s Incense Token protected him from Zhang Daobai’s attack, while a mysterious crimson presence from the palace entered Wang Ba. Zhang Daobai died during the battle, Zhang Tailai’s betrayal was exposed and stopped, and Yuan Wenzhi escaped with Wang Ba as Bu Chan pursued them and Tang Ji prepared to intervene.

• Wang Ba’s Incense Token shielded him from Zhang Daobai’s flying sword, and Zhang Daobai questioned his connection to the person in the Exquisite Ghost Market.
• Zhang Daobai killed Chu Xiao and gravely injured Lin Boyue, then fought the Three Great Sects’ Gold Core True Persons as his body deteriorated.
• Zhang Daobai’s flying sword stopped before Zhu Rong, and Zhang Daobai died as a crimson presence escaped the palace and entered Wang Ba.
• Zhang Tailai suddenly killed Wu Meng and joined Wu Siqi, but Zhuang Yi’s Five Classics Origin Void Formation exposed and killed Zhang Tailai.
• Yuan Wenzhi fled with the immobilized Wang Ba, Bu Chan pursued them, and Tang Ji sensed that the Incense Token had activated and decided to go.