Chapter Summaries

After Chu Batian was found dead, Wang Ba concealed his role in draining Chu Erniu’s lifespan while the disciples investigated. The case was closed as an accidental death from a Demonic Cultivation Method, but Zhao Feng privately told Wang Ba that his intuition pointed to him.

• Zhao Feng questioned Wang Ba and the others about their whereabouts after Chu Batian was found dead.
• Lin Yu admitted she had spent the previous night at Senior Brother Jing’s place, and Tao Yi suggested the Stone-Surnamed Cultivator was a suspect.
• A disciple reported that Chu Batian had possessed a Demonic Cultivation Method that could deplete vitality, and the investigation concluded he had died from practicing it recklessly.
• Zhao Feng dismissed the Stone-Surnamed Cultivator and closed the case, while Wang Ba wondered how easily the investigation had ended.
• Zhao Feng privately told Wang Ba that cultivators did not need evidence and that his intuition linked Wang Ba to Chu Batian’s death.

Zhao Feng revealed that he knew Wang Ba had been involved in Chu Erniu’s death, but chose to protect him and warned him about a likely incident five days later. Wang Ba learned more about Zhao Feng’s standing in the outer sect before an urgent voice called for everyone to get out of the way.

• Zhao Feng told Wang Ba that his intuition had exposed Wang Ba’s involvement in Chu Erniu’s death, but said he would help him because Wang Ba had committed no crime.
• Zhao Feng urged Wang Ba to focus on cultivation and warned him that something unexpected would likely happen when the sect master and disciples left the sect in five days.
• Zhao Feng told Wang Ba to come to him if trouble arose and to use the Sword Qi and Jade Pendant against a powerful enemy, then flew away.
• Back at the Mountain Manor, Wang Ba heard Tao Yi and the Stone-Surnamed Cultivator explain that Zhao Feng led the Top Ten Outer Sect Disciples after Lu Yuansheng’s death.
• A voice suddenly called for everyone to get out of the way.

Wang Ba and Tao Yi rushed to Ding Ten Manor, where Ye Lingyu’s unruly third-tier magic sword had frightened the cultivators. After everyone fled from the task of guiding her to the Market, Wang Ba was forced to escort her despite not knowing the way.

• Tao Yi gave Wang Ba a Spirit-Walking Talisman and guided him as they hurried to Ding Ten Manor.
• Wang Ba found Ye Lingyu apologizing to the cultivators after Question Evil, her third-tier magic sword, nearly attacked them.
• Ye Lingyu explained that she wanted to buy first-tier superior-grade Spirit Chickens and asked where she could find them.
• The cultivators suggested the Market, but Tao Yi and the Stone-Surnamed Cultivator both made excuses and fled rather than guide Ye Lingyu.
• The cultivator surnamed Zhu used his Law Power to bring Wang Ba to Ye Lingyu and left him to escort her, while Wang Ba realized he did not know the way.

Wang Ba accompanied Ye Lingyu through the Eastern Saint Sect’s mountain gate, where they saw the enormous purple chicken Fanming before heading to Fengyang Market. After the pair split up to search for the Myriad Treasures Pavilion, Wang Ba secretly approached the Thousand-Thousand Talisman Shop.

• Ye Lingyu brought Wang Ba through the mountain gate’s formation after he collided with its invisible barrier.
• Wang Ba and Ye Lingyu saw the purple Spirit Beast Fanming fly away, and Ye Lingyu explained that it was a divine beast among chickens and that the Sect’s Fanming was incomplete.
• Wang Ba and Ye Lingyu reached Fengyang Market, where Ye Lingyu changed into Outer Sect robes to draw less attention.
• Ye Lingyu suggested they search separate sides of the crowded Market for the Myriad Treasures Pavilion, and Wang Ba agreed.
• After Ye Lingyu left, Wang Ba circled through the crowd and cautiously approached the Thousand-Thousand Talisman Shop.

Wang Ba visited Fengyang Market to buy a Spiritual Root Talisman and investigate cultivation methods. He left with the talisman, a gazetteer, and a miniature compilation of the bookshop’s cultivation methods, including the Five Dragons Scripture.

• Wang Ba entered a talisman shop and bought a Spiritual Root Talisman for ten Lower-grade Spirit Stones.
• Wang Ba browsed the bookshop’s cultivation methods and discovered he could read only their introductions without buying a book.
• Wang Ba bought a copy of the Gazetteer of the Local Products of Sen, Chen, and Fu and paid extra for a miniature compilation of the available cultivation methods.
• Wang Ba chose the Five Dragons Scripture as his free cultivation method and left with the books and golden-paper compilation.

Wang Ba visited the Hundred Beasts Garden while searching for high-grade Spirit Chickens for Ye Lingyu, and found beasts far beyond his means, including a turtle ideally suited to his Substitute Death ability. He discovered the shop had high-grade Spirit Chickens and was offered a small Spirit Beast Bag if Ye Lingyu spent at least ten middle-grade Spirit Stones there, then left to find her.

• Wang Ba entered the Hundred Beasts Garden and saw its spirit beasts, including a Shield-Armored Giant-Headed Turtle priced at four hundred Spirit Stones that could greatly improve his Substitute Death ability.
• Wang Ba found the high-grade Spirit Chickens and noted their prices, then saw the shop owner put an unsold chicken back into a Spirit Beast Bag after a failed negotiation.
• Wang Ba asked the shop owner whether he could buy a Spirit Beast Bag, and the owner quoted seven or eight hundred Spirit Stones.
• The shop owner offered Wang Ba a small practice Spirit Beast Bag if his master spent at least ten middle-grade Spirit Stones on spirit beasts.
• Wang Ba agreed to try, left the Hundred Beasts Garden, and endured the lion beasts' disdainful looks again.

Wang Ba helped Ye Lingyu haggle for high-grade Spirit Chickens at the Myriad Treasures Pavilion, securing a lower price but losing his chance to obtain a Spirit Beast Bag through the Hundred Beasts Garden. Ye Lingyu then gave him a spare Spirit Beast Bag of her own.

• Ye Lingyu asked Wang Ba to help her bargain for high-grade Spirit Chickens at the Myriad Treasures Pavilion.
• Wang Ba walked away from the shopkeeper's firm price, prompting the shopkeeper to call them back and negotiate.
• Wang Ba haggled the price down from 324 to 210 Spirit Stones per hen, and Ye Lingyu bought five.
• Ye Lingyu praised Wang Ba and gave him a spare Spirit Beast Bag.

Wang Ba accepted a Spirit Beast Bag from Ye Lingyu after learning her sword, Question Evil, had detected his Spiritual Root. Back at Dingjiu Manor, he kept his purchases and the gift secret from the Stone-Surnamed Cultivator, then hurried off to test his Spiritual Root.

• Ye Lingyu explained that Question Evil had sensed Wang Ba's Spiritual Root and gave him a Spirit Beast Bag, which he accepted.
• Wang Ba left the mountain, regretting that he had not seen Fanming, and returned to Dingjiu Manor.
• Tao Yi checked that Wang Ba was unharmed and explained that Elder Qin led the Evil Punishment Office and had lent Ye Lingyu the third-tier magic sword.
• Wang Ba answered the Stone-Surnamed Cultivator's questions about the trip but concealed his purchases and Spirit Beast Bag.
• Wang Ba excused himself to return and test his Spiritual Root, and he encountered Lin Yu as he left the Mountain Manor.

After confirming that he had four Spiritual Roots, with water strongest, Wang Ba chose the Ren Water Fourfold Command Art and discovered he needed his panel to initiate its cultivation. The chapter ended with the panel offering to convert 27 years of lifespan into initiation.

• Wang Ba avoided drawing attention to Lin Yu, who had red, swollen eyes and watched him leave with resentment.
• Back in his room, Wang Ba tested the Spiritual Root Talisman and revealed four low-grade Spiritual Roots: wood, earth, fire, and water, with water strongest.
• Wang Ba selected the Ren Water Fourfold Command Art, a water-led cultivation method compatible with his four Spiritual Roots.
• After studying the method, Wang Ba still could not draw in Spiritual Qi and suspected he needed the panel's help.
• Wang Ba opened the panel and saw that initiation into the Ren Water Fourfold Command Art would cost 27 years of lifespan.

Wang Ba used his lifespan to learn the basics of the Ren Water Fourfold Command Art and successfully entered Qi Refining. After testing his new abilities and preparing to leave with Jia Seven, he heard Old Hou relay Steward Yu’s warning not to wander for the next few days.

• Wang Ba spent 27 years of lifespan to grasp the basics of the Ren Water Fourfold Command Art, but needed a Spirit Stone to gather enough Spiritual Qi to form Law Power.
• Wang Ba reached the first level of Qi Refining and realized he would have to cultivate the Ren Water Fourfold Command Art himself from then on.
• Wang Ba cultivated through the night, exhausted eight Spirit Stones, and accumulated ten wisps of gaseous Law Power.
• Wang Ba tested his strength against Jia Seven’s movements, judged himself slightly stronger than Chu Erniu without Yin Spirit Power, and put Jia Seven in the Spirit Beast Bag.
• Old Hou delivered Chicken Feed to Dingbaqi Manor and told Wang Ba that Steward Yu had warned him not to wander for the next few days.

Wang Ba grew suspicious that Old Hou was already dead and warned himself to stay alert as the sect prepared for upheaval. At Dingjiu Manor, he was assigned to manage Ding Ten Manor alone, where he learned more about Spirit Chicken husbandry and heard that Patriarch Jiao Hu had led the Eastern Saint Sect to settle there.

• Wang Ba tested Old Hou by clasping his hand and concluded that Old Hou had no lifespan, leaving him fearful of the Immortal Ascension Society’s plans.
• Wang Ba went to Dingjiu Manor, where the Stone-Surnamed Cultivator, Tao Yi, and Lin Yu worked alongside him after Junior Brother Zhu and the others left.
• Tao Yi and Lin Yu both objected to working together and asked to be paired with Wang Ba, but the Stone-Surnamed Cultivator assigned Wang Ba to take sole charge of Ding Ten Manor.
• Tao Yi apologized to Wang Ba, and they wished each other a chance at immortality before parting ways.
• The Stone-Surnamed Cultivator discussed Spirit Chicken husbandry with Wang Ba and praised his ideas, then revealed that Patriarch Jiao Hu had insisted the Eastern Saint Sect settle there.

Wang Ba used the sect’s expedition against the Fu Kingdom Cultivation World as his chance to take lifespan from the Spirit Chickens and prepare to escape. After discovering that binding required sufficient affinity, he bound Jia Six and set out for South Lake Village.

• The Stone-Surnamed Cultivator explained how Daoist Jiao Hu had moved the Eastern Saint Sect to the Chen Kingdom after discovering traces of Fanming.
• Wang Ba found that eating a male Spirit Chicken produced five wisps of gaseous Law Power and two drops of Yin Spirit Power while gradually strengthening his body.
• The Eastern Saint Sect’s sect master, Ji Lan, led most of the sect’s forces on an expedition against the Fu Kingdom Cultivation World.
• Wang Ba drew four years of lifespan from each Spirit Chicken in Ding Ten Manor, gaining 2,460 years, then waited for Lin Yu to take over guarding the manor.
• Lin Yu asked Wang Ba to tell her if Zhao Feng came to visit, and Wang Ba agreed before returning to Dingbaqi Manor.
• Wang Ba discovered that only Jia Five and Jia Six had enough affinity to bind, chose Jia Six, packed a few belongings, and left for South Lake Village in the rain.

Wang Ba tried to escape the Eastern Saint Sect through Gou Mu’s underground tunnel, but cultivators caught him near the exit. After unknown attackers killed them, a Chief Steward ordered Bai Yu to bury the tunnel, leaving Wang Ba trapped underground.

• Wang Ba entered Gou Mu’s tunnel beneath South Lake Village and followed the memorized route toward its exit.
• Wang Ba reached the opening, where two cultivators waited, and hid as they searched for signs of someone in the tunnel.
• A sudden flash blinded Wang Ba, and the round-faced cultivator realized a creature was hiding below.
• Unknown attackers killed the two cultivators outside the opening while Wang Ba stayed hidden.
• A Chief Steward ordered Bai Yu to bury the tunnel, cutting off Wang Ba’s escape route.

Wang Ba escaped a collapsing underground passage as the Heavenly Gate Sect attacked the Eastern Saint Sect. After witnessing South Lake Village burn, he headed toward Dingjiu Manor, where Zhao Feng had told him to go, and killed an approaching cultivator with a sudden wisp of Sword Qi.

• Wang Ba sensed a powerful figure searching the underground passage, then heard Bai Yu order the passage collapsed and punish Gong Wei for resisting the Steward’s command.
• As the passage shook and began collapsing, Wang Ba decided to return to the sect and scrambled back through it while the cultivators outside dismissed the movement.
• Wang Ba climbed out of a dry well in South Lake Village and saw signs that the Heavenly Gate Sect had begun attacking the Eastern Saint Sect.
• A brilliant light shattered a barrier, and an enormous blaze fell on South Lake Village, setting it alight as its people awoke in panic.
• Remembering Zhao Feng’s warning, Wang Ba set out for Dingjiu Manor but dodged a Steel Awl thrown by an Ochre-Robed Cultivator and killed him with Sword Qi.

Wang Ba used Zhao Feng's Sword Qi to kill the Ochre-Robed Cultivator, then escaped a second attacker and reached Dingjiu Manor as the Heavenly Gate Sect's assault spread. There, Tao Yi betrayed the group and killed the Stone-Surnamed Cultivator, but a surge of Sword Qi from the sect's core interrupted the fighting.

• Wang Ba activated the Jade Pendant's Sword Qi and beheaded the Ochre-Robed Cultivator, then used a supreme-grade Spirit-Walking Talisman to flee the blue-robed cultivator.
• Wang Ba returned to Ding Ten Manor, warned Lin Yu that the Heavenly Gate Sect was attacking, and left for Dingjiu Manor as attackers approached.
• Wang Ba and Lin Yu entered Dingjiu Manor, where the Stone-Surnamed Cultivator and Tao Yi questioned them about the fighting.
• Tao Yi killed the Stone-Surnamed Cultivator, and a scar-faced cultivator broke through the Small Golden Bell Formation and attacked Lin Yu.
• A sect disciple engaged the scar-faced cultivator while Lin Yu defended herself against Tao Yi, who turned to ask Wang Ba for help.
• A massive streak of Sword Qi erupted from the sect's core, killing numerous attackers as an aged voice challenged the Heavenly Gate Sect.

Elder Qin Heng confronted Jing Kongcheng as the Heavenly Gate Sect attacked the Eastern Saint Sect, then exposed traitors within the sect and unleashed Question Evil against them. The sword light began striking the traitors across the sect, killing Tao Yi in Dingjiu Manor.

• Elder Qin Heng emerged to face Jing Kongcheng, who demanded the Eastern Saint Sect’s territory and attacked him with bone constructs.
• Qin Heng destroyed Jing Kongcheng with a Heaven-reaching Sword Intent Talisman, but Jing Kongcheng reassembled himself and offered Qin Heng a place in the Heavenly Gate Sect.
• Qin Heng revealed that he knew Jing Kongcheng had incited traitors within the Eastern Saint Sect and declared that they must die.
• Qin Heng summoned Question Evil from Ye Lingyu’s cave abode and sent its sword light across the sect to strike the traitors.
• Jing Kongcheng raised a Bone Umbrella and hurled a White Bone Evil Pearl at Qin Heng, but Qin Heng knocked the pearl back into view.
• Question Evil’s sword light struck Tao Yi in Dingjiu Manor, and Tao Yi’s body burst apart in front of Wang Ba.

Wang Ba realized that the Immortal Ascension Society was a network of Heavenly Gate Sect spies inside the Eastern Saint Sect as the invasion plunged the battlefield into chaos. Cornered at Dingjiu Manor with Lin Yu, he was rescued at the last moment by a familiar junior brother.

• Wang Ba connected Tao Yi, Old Hou, and several sect officials to the Immortal Ascension Society and concluded that it was the Heavenly Gate Sect’s hidden network inside the sect.
• Qin Heng killed traitors among the disciples, but Heavenly Gate Sect cultivators pressed their attack while the two Gold Core True Persons fought overhead.
• A strangely dressed old man attacked Wang Ba and Lin Yu with Red-Tailed Snakes, but Jia Seven killed one snake and drove him away.
• Wang Ba and Lin Yu tried to flee toward the sect’s core area, but two Heavenly Gate Sect cultivators blocked their path and exposed Jia Seven with a Thunder Method.
• Just as Wang Ba prepared to use another trick against the two attackers, a familiar voice spoke behind him after their heads were cut off.

Wang Ba reunited with Zhao Feng during the battle between the Eastern Saint Sect and the Heavenly Gate Sect, where He Lin revealed his betrayal and Qin Heng countered with the God-Locking Bell. As Qin Heng fought back and Zhao Feng praised Wang Ba’s newly activated hidden spiritual root, an enormous divine statue approached with an ultimatum for Qin Heng.

• Zhao Feng arrived to protect Wang Ba and explained that an injured Department Elder had remained in the sect.
• He Lin turned his enormous hammer against Qin Heng, but Qin Heng used the God-Locking Bell to stop the attack and destroy Jing Kongcheng’s White Bone Dao Soldier.
• Qin Heng confronted He Lin and Jing Kongcheng, then fought them both while the Eastern Saint Sect disciples repelled their attackers.
• Zhao Feng told Wang Ba that Elder Qian was loyal but had Heavenly Gate Sect subordinates, then effortlessly killed a supreme-grade Yin Ghost that approached them.
• Zhao Feng discovered Wang Ba had entered Qi Refining and explained that He Lin was a talented Gold Core cultivator who had secretly betrayed the sect.
• Zhao Feng revealed that Qin Heng was his master, just as a divine statue arrived and demanded that Qin Heng join its sect or die.

The Eastern Saint Sect activated its Mountain-Guarding Formation against the Heavenly Gate Sect, while Qin Heng revealed that the invasion had been lured into a trap. Ji Lan returned with reinforcements and activated a hidden formation as Ning Daohuan attacked Qin Heng.

• Ning Daohuan arrived with the Heavenly Gate Sect’s forces, and Qin Heng ordered the Eastern Saint Sect disciples to retreat behind the Mountain-Guarding Formation.
• Zhao Feng helped activate the formation, which enclosed the sect’s core areas and trapped some invading cultivators.
• He Lin urged Qin Heng to surrender, but Qin Heng revealed that He Lin had been marked by the Myriad Incantation Sect’s Floating Life Incantation, and He Lin died from it.
• Ning Daohuan offered Qin Heng a place among the Heavenly Gate Sect’s elders, but Qin Heng revealed that the apparent retreat and attacks had concealed a plan to draw in the sect’s leaders.
• Ji Lan emerged aboard a warship with Eastern Saint Sect reinforcements, and Ning Daohuan attacked Qin Heng while reaching for his Spirit-Locking Bells.
• Ji Lan activated the Light-Revealing Grand Formation, causing purple pillars of light to rise throughout the Eastern Saint Sect.

Ji Lan’s Fanming formation devastated the Heavenly Gate Sect, but Ning Daohuan’s hidden servant-disciple plan dismantled its foundation points and brought forth the Blood-Bone Venerable. Ji Lan escaped by teleportation while the Venerable seized Elder Qin and recognized him as his master.

• Ji Lan activated the Fanming formation, whose falling purple feathers slaughtered Heavenly Gate Sect cultivators and forced Qin Heng to retreat.
• Ning Daohuan revealed that servant disciples concealed the formation’s blood-red bone foundation points, which converged to form the thirty-foot-tall Blood-Bone Venerable.
• The Blood-Bone Venerable killed Elder Huang and snapped the Nine Heavens Crane’s neck, surviving the beast’s core detonation unharmed.
• Ji Lan ordered the warship to flee through a teleportation formation, leaving many Eastern Saint Sect cultivators behind.
• The Blood-Bone Venerable failed to catch the warship but seized Elder Qin and greeted him as his master.