Chapter Summaries

Chen Jin awoke as a red-haired corpse in a hanging coffin and fled a lightning tribulation to a deserted ferry. After finding shelter in an abandoned shrine, he began to accept that he still had a name, a mind, and a life.

• Lightning struck the hanging coffin, and Chen Jin emerged before a third bolt forced him to leap into the river below.
• Chen Jin reached the deserted ferry, where a giant toad attacked him but was struck by lightning and fled into the river.
• As rain and lightning drove him onward, Chen Jin remembered that his name was Chen Jin and rejected the idea of hiding in a coffin.
• Chen Jin climbed the hillside and sought shelter beneath an old banyan, but lightning set the tree ablaze and scattered the mountain monkeys.
• Chen Jin crawled into an abandoned shrine and, listening to the wind and rain, felt glad to be alive.

Chen Jin cultivated in his borrowed corpse, discovering Daoist techniques in his memories while trying to understand his identity and control his zombie instincts. After nearly suffering Qi Deviation during a moon visualization, he retreated to stabilize his mind and later prepared to try again.

• Chen Jin practiced the Dragon-Tiger Inner Treasury Mysterious Scripture in the shrine and wondered whether he had been an immortal cultivator in life.
• After the storm passed, Chen Jin swept the shrine and spent the sunny day cultivating in its shade.
• That night, Chen Jin climbed the banyan and used the Eight Scenes Contemplation and Visualization Method to imagine the moon.
• Chen Jin nearly followed an alluring figure into a vision of the moon, recognized the danger of an inner demon, and stopped before suffering Qi Deviation.
• As storms and lightning continued for several days, Chen Jin hid in the shrine and treated the time as secluded cultivation.
• After the skies cleared, Chen Jin climbed the tree again and began a second moon visualization with his mind rested.

Chen Jin cultivated beneath the moon and began to regain his sight, while the monkey king mistook him for an immortal and brought its troop to seek his favor. The monkeys settled near the banyan tree, and Chen Jin returned to his shrine, still worried about protecting his home.

• Chen Jin drew moonlight essence into his body and felt his eyes growing clearer.
• The monkey king led dozens of mountain monkeys to Banyan Tree Slope to reclaim its territory from the corpse monster.
• The monkey king mistook Chen Jin, glowing beneath the moon, for an immortal and knelt before him with its troop.
• Chen Jin stroked the monkey king's head and waved the troop away, so the monkeys settled at the foot of the slope.
• Chen Jin returned to the shrine and worried that he had no weapon to defend his home.

Chen Jin cultivated beneath the moon while the monkey king imitated him, as Yan Household disciples discovered a missing zombie and searched the river. A mutant toad killed and ate the two disciples, then continued lurking while seeking the red-haired corpse monster it blamed for its injury.

• Chen Jin cultivated on the treetop as the monkey king copied his posture and the other monkeys bowed around the hillside.
• Yan Ji found that white zombie 303 had escaped from its hanging coffin, and he and Yan Li searched the area without finding it.
• Yan Ji and Yan Li set out downstream on a bamboo raft to look for the missing zombie, avoiding Savage Ford because a mutant toad lived there.
• The mutant toad leaped onto the raft, pierced Yan Li's heart with its tongue, and knocked Yan Ji into the river before eating both men.
• The toad searched for the red-haired corpse monster, then sank to the riverbed to digest its meal and recover from its wounds.

Chen Jin let the monkey king serve him while he worried over strange memories he suspected were inner demons. The monkey king tried to reform its troop and build houses from materials at a deserted ferry landing, provoking the injured toad that lived there.

• The monkey king imitated Chen Jin’s sweeping, believing it was observing a disciple’s etiquette before becoming his student, while Chen Jin accepted its service and remained unable to teach it.
• Chen Jin recalled images of unfamiliar modern life and suspected inner demons were using them to disturb him, remembering how one had nearly scattered his soul by appearing as the Fairy of the Vast Cold.
• After sweeping alone, the monkey king decided Chen Jin was tempering its disposition and tried to impose rules on its troop, beating monkeys who failed to obey.
• The monkey king planned to build houses for the troop and led a group to the deserted ferry landing to collect bricks and timber, assuming the absent toad would not mind.
• The toad surfaced, saw the monkeys dismantling its territory, suspected the red-haired corpse monster had allied with them, and spat blood as its anger worsened its injuries.

The monkey king struggled to build houses while Chen Jin trained his jumping and cultivated beneath the moon. Chen Jin sent the monkey king to fetch a sword, leaving him free to cultivate as he worked to restore his body.

• The monkey king and the other monkeys failed to build proper houses, so they decided to make caves from the bricks and stones.
• Chen Jin practiced leaping through the tree and considered the danger of returning to the cliff where he had come from.
• The monkey king tried unsuccessfully to absorb moonlight beside Chen Jin, who rapped it on the head and decided to send it away for a task.
• Chen Jin drew a sword in the dirt, and the monkey king understood that it should fetch one in hopes of learning the moonlight cultivation art.
• After the monkey king left, Chen Jin refined moonlight essence to moisten his withered meridians and restore his body's vitality.
• The monkey king returned to its palace, impatient with the female monkeys, and set out to find a sword.

The Monkey King entered a mountain stockade to steal a sword and found one in the room where Junior Sister Yan poisoned Senior Brother Su. It escaped with the sword, leaving the stockade searching for the clothes-wearing ape.

• The Monkey King drew a boundary around Banyan Tree Slope to keep the monkeys away from the immortal master, then set off for the stockade.
• After walking through the mountains and passing a yellow weasel spirit, the Monkey King reached the stockade at night and searched for a sword.
• The Monkey King spotted a fine sword in a house where Junior Sister Yan discussed finding treasure ginseng with Senior Brother Su.
• Junior Sister Yan poisoned Senior Brother Su, revealing that she had lured him there to take his share of the treasure ginseng.
• The Monkey King swooped down, snatched the sword with its tail, and escaped through the roof as Junior Sister Yan raised the alarm.

The Monkey King lost the treasured sword to a pack of weasels and returned from a failed punitive assault badly wounded. While he was away, Chen Jin cultivated and learned more about his corpse body, and the chapter ended with the Monkey King presenting him the empty scabbard.

• The Monkey King fought his way past the weasels, but they stole the sword during the struggle.
• The Monkey King gathered his troop and launched a punitive assault to reclaim the sword.
• Chen Jin improved his eyesight, discovered a dark red talisman between his brows, and continued cultivating his senses and meridians.
• After several days, Chen Jin saw the Monkey King and his wounded troop return in defeat.
• The Monkey King gestured to Chen Jin about the battle and presented him with the empty black sharkskin scabbard.

Chen Jin faced the weasel ancestor’s attack on the wounded mountain monkeys and unexpectedly discovered he could command the stolen sword. The weasels fled in terror, leaving Chen Jin with the sword and the Monkey King stunned.

• The Monkey King told Chen Jin that weasels had stolen the sword and defeated the mountain monkeys with their ancestor’s Soul-Bewitching Technique.
• Chen Jin sent the wounded monkeys to gather herbs, but the Monkey King doubted that Chen Jin was truly an immortal master.
• The weasels arrived at Banyan Tree Slope in force, carrying the stolen sword and surrounding the tree where Chen Jin and the monkeys had taken shelter.
• Chen Jin silently called, “Sword, come!” and the sword flew from the weasel ancestor’s grasp into his hand.
• The weasel ancestor recognized Chen Jin as a Sword Immortal and fled, prompting all the weasels to scatter.

Chen Jin recovered the Slay Evil Sword and began practicing with it, while the monkey king grew awed by his power and devoted itself to serving him. After the monkey king reported that the weasels had returned, Chen Jin took up the sword and went out to face them.

• Chen Jin used nearly all his True Qi to summon the Slay Evil Sword, then escaped to the shrine as lightning struck the old banyan tree.
• During several days of storms, Chen Jin learned the sword’s name and heard from the monkey king that Su Zhen had been killed at the weasel stockade.
• Chen Jin studied the sword and recalled the Nine Chapters of Sword Exegesis, realizing its teachings were already imprinted in his mind.
• Chen Jin practiced sword moves but could not strike a falling leaf because his corpse body was stiff and his meridians were not yet open.
• The monkey king watched Chen Jin practice and resolved to serve him and remain by his side to seek the Dao.
• After the monkey king reported that the weasels had returned, Chen Jin picked up the Slay Evil Sword and strode outside.

Chen Jin accepted the weasels’ gifts of apology, choosing a kasaya and bamboo-leaf hat and thereby agreeing to peace with their clan. Their leader, Huang Yu, learned the gifts had been accepted and finally felt safe enough to sleep.

• The weasels arrived at Banyan Tree Slope with gifts, while the mountain monkeys jeered at them.
• Chen Jin recognized the gifts as an apology, kept a kasaya and bamboo-leaf hat, and accepted the weasels’ request for peace.
• The monkey king and the monkeys divided the remaining gifts, and Chen Jin returned to the shrine to cultivate.
• Huang Yu recalled how its clan’s attempt to seize the monkey king’s sword had provoked the sword immortal and led it to send gifts to avoid a fight.
• The envoys returned unharmed, and Huang Yu relaxed after hearing Chen Jin had accepted the gifts.

Chen Jin cultivated under the returning moon and gave the monkey king a mouthful of moonlight essence Qi. The strengthened monkey king attacked Huang Yu’s weasels to vent its resentment, then withdrew without resolving their feud.

• Chen Jin shaved his head and trimmed his nails with the Slay Evil Sword, then drew down moonlight essence Qi and fed it to the monkey king.
• The monkey king refined the moonlight, left Banyan Tree Slope alone, and headed for the ruined graveyard with its wrought-copper staff.
• The monkey king attacked Huang Yu’s weasels, driving them into retreat and forcing Huang Yu to emerge.
• Huang Yu fought the monkey king with its Bewitching Smoke Formation and Soul-Bewitching Technique, while the monkey king smashed its way through the battle.
• The monkey king retreated to a grave mound, taunted Huang Yu, and swaggered away without a decisive victory.

Chen Jin cultivated moonlight essence to open his meridians and restore his body, while the monkey king struggled with the changes brought by his own exposure to moonlight. The monkey king visited Savage Ford, where the mutant toad attacked and wounded him before retreating to recover.

• Chen Jin continued cultivating at Banyan Tree Slope and opened his ear apertures, allowing him to hear the surrounding world.
• The monkey king withdrew to meditate in a treetop, feeling estranged from his troop and longing for more moonlight essence Qi.
• The monkey king went to Savage Ford to visit the mutant toad, but found no sign of him at first and considered whether the area might suit his troop.
• The mutant toad suddenly emerged from the river and attacked the monkey king, mistaking him for an accomplice of the red-haired corpse monster.
• The monkey king struck the toad with his copper staff, but the toad pierced him beneath the ribs with his tongue, forcing him to flee.
• The toad decided to recover from his injuries before seeking revenge on the red-haired corpse monster, then plunged back into the river.

After the Monkey King was injured by the toad, Chen Jin gave it moonlight essence Qi, allowing it to recover and grow stronger with each challenge. The toad fled their third fight, then emerged to follow the Monkey King and learn what was happening.

• The Monkey King told Chen Jin that the toad had wounded it, and Chen Jin gave it two clumps of moonlight essence Qi.
• The Monkey King returned to the ferry landing and fought the toad again, then escaped its long-tongue attack.
• The Monkey King meditated and grew stronger as it refined the moonlight essence Qi, while the toad hid in a river cave to recuperate.
• The Monkey King drew the toad into another fight by throwing debris into the river, then retreated after battering it with its staff.
• The Monkey King provoked the toad into a third fight, and the toad fled when its blows proved increasingly powerful.
• The toad emerged after the Monkey King left and decided to follow it.

The toad secretly followed the monkey king to Banyan Tree Slope, but Chen Jin’s thrown Slay Evil Sword frightened it into fleeing. Chen Jin returned to his cultivation and began focusing on learning to speak.

• The toad followed the monkey king to Banyan Tree Slope and watched it try unsuccessfully to draw in moonlight essence.
• The toad noticed cold gleams near the old banyan, and Chen Jin’s Slay Evil Sword shot into the tree beside its hiding place.
• The toad fled toward the landing, and the monkey king chased it before returning with the sword.
• The monkey king carried the sword to Chen Jin, who dismissed it and returned to the shrine.
• Chen Jin practiced drawing in Qi, visualization, and swordsmanship, then chose to prioritize learning to speak.

Chen Jin continued working to restore his voice as winter came. At the cliff compound, Yan Ji and Yan Fei discovered an empty coffin and missing guards, then searched downstream for the escaped zombie and Yan Li, eventually reaching an old banyan tree.

• Chen Jin realized he could only make hoarse growls and planned to restore his speech by channeling true Qi into his throat and tongue aperture.
• Yan Ji and Yan Fei arrived at the cliff compound with supplies and found it deserted and long abandoned.
• The two men found an empty wooden coffin and concluded that a zombie had escaped while Yan Li and another guard were missing.
• Yan Ji refused to report the escape to Granduncle, and he and Yan Fei searched along the river for clues.
• After finding no traces, Yan Ji and Yan Fei passed Savage Ford and continued inland, where they spotted an old banyan tree on a hillside.

Yan Ji and Yan Fei searched Banyan Tree Slope for the monkey king and discovered fresh corpse stench at the shrine, suspecting the escaped White Zombie was nearby. As night fell, they realized the zombie might be hiding in the old banyan, just as the monkey king returned in a fury.

• Yan Ji and Yan Fei reached the slope, where mountain monkeys attacked them with mud and stones, and Yan Fei killed two with poisoned darts.
• Yan Ji told Yan Fei that the monkeys likely had a Demon Beast monkey king, and the two searched for it without success.
• Chen Jin heard the monkeys warn of intruders, learned the troop’s strongest monkeys were away, and hid in the old banyan with the Slay Evil Sword.
• Yan Ji and Yan Fei found the shrine clean and its statue missing, then identified fresh corpse stench and suspected the escaped White Zombie was nearby.
• After searching around the shrine, Yan Ji and Yan Fei decided the White Zombie might be hiding in the tree as night fell.
• The monkey king roared from below the slope, and Yan Ji and Yan Fei recognized its arrival.

Yan Ji and Yan Fei fought the monkey king and drove it into the old banyan tree while trying to capture it alive. Yan Ji encountered the red-haired White Zombie and tried to control it with the Yan Household Corpse-Driving Incantation, but it spoke and refused to kneel.

• Yan Fei dodged the monkey king’s heavy staff blows as Yan Ji ordered him not to use poisoned darts so they could capture the beast alive.
• Yan Ji and Yan Fei worked together to wound and exhaust the monkey king, but returned mountain monkeys threw stones to help it escape.
• Yan Fei used poisoned darts to kill several mountain monkeys, and the monkey king broke free and fled beneath the old banyan tree.
• Yan Ji chased the monkey king into the tree while Yan Fei guarded outside, then noticed a corpse-stinking wind and turned to face the White Zombie.
• Yan Ji chanted the Yan Household Corpse-Driving Incantation and rang his copper bell, but the White Zombie spoke and said it would not kneel.

Chen Jin killed Yan Ji, while the monkey troop killed Yan Fei and helped burn the bodies. After considering the threat posed by the Yan Household and the limits of strengthening the monkeys, Chen Jin named the monkey king Yuan Bai, who hoped to learn human speech and pursue the Dao.

• The monkey king alerted the troop after Chen Jin killed Yan Ji, and the monkeys swarmed over Yan Fei as he tried to flee, leaving him dead.
• Chen Jin looted Yan Ji’s belongings and discovered that the corpse-driving bell affected the talisman between his brows, though his Daoist cultivation helped him resist it.
• The monkey troop burned Yan Ji and Yan Fei’s bodies, while the monkey king sent scouts to watch for others approaching.
• Chen Jin tried to strengthen two male monkeys with moonlight essence Qi, but they went berserk and fled, so he decided to focus on the monkey king.
• Chen Jin named the monkey king Yuan Bai, who kowtowed and resolved to learn human speech so it could study and seek the Dao.

Chen Jin endured fire and sunlight to strengthen himself and worked to improve his cultivation and speech, while Yuan Bai struggled with the coming winter. The Yan Household did not arrive that evening, but the weasel ancestor came to Banyan Tree Slope.

• Chen Jin contemplated the bonfire to overcome his fear of fire, while Yuan Bai left to help the monkeys keep warm.
• At sunrise, Chen Jin stood facing the sun until the heat and pain forced him beneath the banyan tree.
• Chen Jin reflected on his progress and resolved to keep cultivating so he could eventually absorb solar essence Qi and leave the shrine safely.
• Chen Jin filled his days with cultivation, sword practice, sun exposure, and speech training, while deciding Yuan Bai would have to wait to learn how to speak.
• As dark clouds gathered and snow seemed likely, the Yan Household's people stayed away, but the weasel ancestor arrived.