Chapter Summaries

Chen Mu rescued Wei Shuang from Demon Slaves pursuing her up Black Wind Cliff and defeated them at the summit. After investigating one Demon Slave, he received a fragment of a distant will that promised to find him.

• Wei Shuang climbed Black Wind Cliff while a group of Demon Slaves attacked and pursued her.
• Chen Mu appeared with an Instant Movement Talisman, brought Wei Shuang to the summit, and learned that Otherworldly Demon Seeds had corrupted the pursuers.
• Chen Mu set up a defensive formation for Wei Shuang and defeated the Demon Slaves with his Dharma-Breaking Staff and Heart-Burning Flame.
• Chen Mu examined a surviving Demon Slave and found black blood fused with his dantian.
• The black blood transmitted a fragment of will into Chen Mu's mind, warning that it would come find him, and Wei Shuang called him back to his senses.

After rescuing Wei Shuang from Demon Slaves at Black Wind Cliff, Chen Mu learned that the empire was collapsing amid an advancing demonic invasion and political turmoil. Wang Jun freed Chen Mu for his service, and after returning to Treasure Arrival Peak, Chen Mu resumed work on his serial and received his delayed sales records.

• Wei Shuang told Chen Mu that a hooded man had injured her and Demon Slaves had driven her to climb Black Wind Cliff.
• Wei Shuang told Chen Mu that the Otherworldly Demons were advancing, the emperor was dying after an assassination attempt, and the empire was consumed by succession struggles and rebellion.
• Wang Jun arrived, identified Wei Shuang as the daughter of Wei Shan, the King Who Guards the West, and freed Chen Mu for killing the Demon Slaves and saving her.
• Wang Jun took Wei Shuang away, and Chen Mu packed his equipment and left Black Wind Cliff.
• Chen Mu returned to Treasure Arrival Peak, cleaned his courtyard, and gave Hou Tian the sixth and seventh installments of "Legend of the Immortal Sword and Gallant Heroes."
• Hou Tian gave Chen Mu the sales records for the second and third quarters and said he would hand over Chen Mu's accumulated earnings.

Chen Mu collected his share of the Floating Light and Fleeting Shadow Disc profits, then traveled from Alkaid City back to Chen Village to check on its affairs. He arrived while Chen Hongjie was meeting with leaders of newly absorbed tribes, where he spotted Nan Huaiyuan.

• Hou Tian gave Chen Mu his share of the sales from the Floating Light and Fleeting Shadow Disc series and described how he promoted it with merchandise.
• Chen Mu left the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion and flew to Alkaid City to use a public teleportation array instead of paying the pavilion's high fees.
• In Alkaid City, Chen Mu saw his Legend of the Immortal Sword and Gallant Heroes series advertised and met Guo Xiaohan, who guided him to the teleportation square.
• Chen Mu teleported to the Wilderness and was welcomed back to Chen Village by Landuo.
• Chen Mu visited Chen Hongjie during a meeting with leaders of newly conquered tribes and recognized Nan Huaiyuan among them.

Chen Mu told Chen Hongjie he planned to infiltrate the Flame Blessing Tribe to rescue his parents and left resources to help Chen Village prepare for possible war. At Azure Waves Pass, Gu Xiaoshan explained that the Otherworldly Demons’ relentless assault was meant to drain the Mountain Army’s supplies while the imperial court was in chaos.

• Chen Mu discussed Chen Village’s expansion and manpower shortage with Chen Hongjie in his study.
• Chen Mu told Chen Hongjie he planned to infiltrate the Flame Blessing Tribe to rescue his parents and asked him to prepare for a possible war.
• Chen Mu gave Chen Hongjie a storage ring full of cultivation resources, then left and asked him not to make contact unless it was urgent.
• At Azure Waves Pass, Lu Xiaoyun questioned why the Otherworldly Demons were attacking so recklessly despite heavy losses.
• Gu Xiaoshan said the attack was a probe intended to consume the defenders’ supplies while the Mountain Army struggled to sustain itself amid the imperial court’s chaos.

Wei Shan explained that the Mountain Army would receive no reinforcements for now and urged Lu Xiaoyun and Gu Xiaoshan to keep defending the people, not the imperial family. Meanwhile, Chen Mu disguised himself and headed toward the Flame Blessing Tribe, where he spotted two people fighting a bear-type demonic beast.

• Lu Xiaoyun learned that Azure Waves Pass had supplies for only seven or eight more days and went with Gu Xiaoshan to ask Wei Shan about reinforcements.
• Wei Shan said the Guardian Dragon Army had been redirected north and that Wei Liang was gathering supplies from nearby cities.
• Lu Xiaoyun proposed retreating to Jiading Pass to force the imperial capital to intervene, but Wei Shan rejected the idea and reminded them that the Mountain Army protected ordinary people.
• Lu Xiaoyun and Gu Xiaoshan saluted and vowed that the Mountain Army would never admit defeat before returning to hold the front line.
• Chen Mu traveled toward the Flame Blessing Tribe, used talisman patterns to disguise himself, and set off on foot with a spear.
• Chen Mu heard fighting near a low hill and saw a man and a woman battling a bear-type demonic beast.

Chen Mu rescued Gu Zi'an and Gu Ruoyun from a demon bear and followed them to the Flame Blessing Tribe, where he entered as a Rogue Cultivator. After they sold the bear, Chen Mu kept its two paws and prepared to stay in the tribe.

• Chen Mu intervened when a demon bear nearly killed Gu Ruoyun, then helped Gu Zi'an and Gu Ruoyun kill it.
• Chen Mu introduced himself as Mu Chen and accepted Gu Zi'an's invitation to stay at his home in the Flame Blessing Tribe.
• Gu Zi'an told Chen Mu about the Gu Lineage and its declining influence in the tribe, which was dominated by the Tuoba and Mo Lineages.
• At the tribe's gate, Zuo Fan questioned Chen Mu, but Gu Zi'an vouched for him and secured their entry.
• Gu Zi'an led Chen Mu to sell the demon bear, and Chen Mu kept its two enormous paws.

Chen Mu entered the Flame Blessing Tribe’s inner city with Gu Zi'an and settled at the Gu Residence, where he learned the Gu Lineage was in danger of losing its standing. He cooked steamed bear demon paws and shared them with Gu Zi'an, Gu Ruoyun, and the Gu Lineage’s Old Ancestor.

• Gu Zi'an brought Chen Mu into the inner city and arranged a room for him at the Gu Residence.
• Steward Chi told Gu Hongsheng that Gu Zi'an had brought home a guest who had saved him and Gu Ruoyun.
• Gu Hongsheng worried that the Gu Lineage’s poor results in the last two tribal grand competitions threatened its resources and position among the tribe’s three great lineages.
• Chen Mu bathed, then prepared steamed bear demon paws in the kitchen.
• A short old man appeared behind Chen Mu, admired the dish’s aroma, and followed him outside to eat.
• Gu Zi'an and Gu Ruoyun arrived, recognized the old man as their Old Ancestor, and joined him and Chen Mu at the stone table.

Chen Mu accepted the Gu Lineage ancestor’s invitation to consider joining the Flame Blessing Tribe, then searched unsuccessfully for Chen Haoran’s house before deciding to join the Gu Lineage first. At the training ground, he sparred with Gu Zi'an and easily countered his Seven Kills Sword techniques.

• The Gu Lineage ancestor praised Chen Mu’s cooking and offered him a guest elder position, but Chen Mu asked for a day to consider joining.
• Gu Zi'an and Gu Ruoyun welcomed the idea of Chen Mu staying, and Chen Mu grew closer to them over dinner.
• Chen Mu searched the Flame Blessing Tribe’s inner city for Chen Haoran’s house but found the task too difficult and decided to join the Gu Lineage first.
• Chen Mu rested, then went to the training ground, where Gu Zi'an challenged him to a sparring match.
• Gu Zi'an used the first and second forms of the Seven Kills Sword, but Chen Mu deflected his attacks with his spear.

Chen Mu discovered that the Seven Kills Sword Art was damaging Gu Zi'an’s body and offered to use Demonic Patterns to fix the problem. Gu Zi'an secured the spirit stones for the materials and headed to the Myriad Treasures Pavilion, while the Gu Lineage’s strained finances forced Gu Hongsheng to gamble on his son’s breakthrough.

• Chen Mu defeated Gu Zi'an and realized that the Seven Kills Sword Art’s unusual circulation was harming him.
• Chen Mu proposed using Demonic Patterns to transform Gu Zi'an’s body, and Gu Zi'an eagerly agreed to buy the needed materials.
• Gu Zi'an asked Gu Hongsheng for two fourth-grade spirit stones, but Gu Hongsheng doubted Chen Mu’s method and suggested testing it with cheaper materials first.
• Gu Zi'an argued that the tribal competition was only two days away and stormed off; Gu Hongsheng then decided to provide the stones and cut support to his eldest son’s forces in hopes of securing the Lineage’s future.
• Steward Chi delivered the spirit stones to Gu Zi'an, who set out for the Myriad Treasures Pavilion to purchase Chen Mu’s materials.

Chen Mu used Demonic Pattern liquid to modify Gu Zi'an's meridians, improving the flow of his Seven Kills Spiritual Power, and told him to rest while the changes settled. After Chen Mu and Gu Ruoyun left for dinner, Mingye and Chen Duo arrived at the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion's inner pavilion.

• Gu Zi'an brought Chen Mu the collected materials, and Chen Mu substituted the two missing ingredients before preparing Demonic Pattern liquid.
• Chen Mu used Fate Vision to study Gu Zi'an's Spiritual Power circulation, then began modifying his meridians with the Nine Heavens Blazing Sun Brush.
• Gu Zi'an endured the pain as Chen Mu adjusted the Demonic Pattern several times, and he found that his Seven Kills Spiritual Power flowed more smoothly.
• Chen Mu completed the modification and told Gu Zi'an not to cultivate until the pain stopped; Gu Ruoyun then joined Chen Mu for dinner.
• Mingye and Chen Duo stepped out of a teleportation array in the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion's inner pavilion.

Chen Mu helped Gu Zi'an advance in the Seven Kills Sword and joined the Gu Lineage as a guest elder. That night, he found his mother in the western district but discovered warning runes guarding her home, leaving him to prepare to disable them.

• Chen Duo and Mingye learned from Chen Hongjie that Chen Mu was safe but could not be contacted, then returned to their inner-pavilion residence.
• Gu Zi'an practiced the Seven Kills Sword, thanked Chen Mu for freeing him from its torment, and rapidly advanced under Chen Mu's guidance.
• Chen Mu agreed to join the Gu Lineage as a guest elder after asking Gu Ruoyun to take him to its old ancestor.
• Chen Mu searched the western district at night and found his mother inside a dark stone house.
• Chen Mu discovered that warning runes covered his mother's home and began preparing to isolate them all at once.

Chen Mu watched Gu Zi'an advance in the Flame Blessing Tribe’s competition while keeping an eye on Tuoba Ziying, the man responsible for his parents’ enslavement. During lunch, Gu Ruoyun told him that his father, Chen Haoran, had disappeared after leading reinforcements to Nether Luo Mountain, leaving Chen Mu fearing for his mother’s safety.

• Chen Mu left his mother’s residence after finding a warning rune and deciding to prepare more thoroughly before investigating further.
• Chen Mu watched Gu Zi'an defeat challenger after challenger, while Gu Ruoyun warned him to avoid offending the powerful Tuoba Lineage.
• Chen Mu asked Gu Ruoyun about Chen Haoran, and she said his father had gone missing at Nether Luo Mountain half a month earlier.
• Chen Mu reasoned that his father might be trapped rather than dead, then realized his mother might be in danger now that Chen Haoran was gone.

Gu Zi'an defeated Tuoba Hongze in the tribal competition finals, giving the Gu Lineage hope, while Chen Mu searched for his missing mother and learned that the Tuoba Lineage had taken her. The chapter ended with Chen Mu rushing toward the house where he heard the news.

• Tuoba Feng mocked Gu Panyu over the Gu Lineage's weakness as the tribal competition finals began.
• Gu Zi'an defeated Tuoba Hongze with the Seven Kills Sword and advanced to the semifinals.
• Gu Zi'an looked for Chen Mu among the spectators but did not see him.
• Chen Mu returned to his mother's house under an Invisibility Talisman and found her missing.
• Chen Mu overheard two women say that the Tuoba Lineage had taken a female slave who was Lord Haoran's wife, and he rushed toward their house.

Chen Mu broke into the demon beast breeding base to rescue his mother, Meng Hui, and revealed his identity to her after she failed to recognize him. As they fled the Flame Blessing Tribe, Chen Mu teleported with her just before reaching the activated inner-city wall.

• Chen Mu learned that the Tuoba Lineage had taken his mother northwest and hurried to the demon beast breeding base.
• Chen Mu fought off a ninth-tier tiger demon with Rune Gun No. 3, then flew toward the people gathered inside the base.
• Chen Mu found Meng Hui chained near the wooden houses, changed back to his original appearance, and convinced her that he was her son, Little Mutou.
• Chen Mu placed several talismans on Meng Hui and led her out of the base as a Core Formation Realm expert pursued them.
• As the inner-city formation blocked their way out, Chen Mu grabbed Meng Hui and vanished just before they reached the wall.

Chen Mu helped Meng Hui escape the Flame Blessing Tribe, then stayed behind to confront two Core Formation Realm experts. After revealing his connection to Gu Zi'an and the value of his Demonic Patterns, Chen Mu persuaded Gu Panyu to take him to the Gu Lineage instead of handing him over to the Council of Clan Elders.

• Chen Mu used Instant Movement Talismans to take Meng Hui through the city and into the forest while a Core Formation Realm expert pursued them.
• Chen Mu stayed behind to fight the pursuer with Rune Gun No. 3, and Meng Hui continued into the forest as another expert arrived.
• Gu Panyu recognized Chen Mu as Mu Chen after Gu Zi'an called out to him, but Tuoba Feng demanded that he be punished for disrupting the demonic beast base.
• Chen Mu warned Gu Panyu that Gu Zi'an needed his Demonic Patterns reinforced every three months, so Gu Panyu agreed to take him to the Gu Lineage rather than hand him over to the elders.
• Gu Panyu declared that he would protect Chen Mu, and Tuoba Feng objected.

Chen Mu escaped Gu Panyu and Tuoba Feng by traveling underground until he reached a demon king’s territory, then reunited with Meng Hui and brought her back to Chen Village. He arrived home with his mother, where Chen Hongjie and Chen Hongguang’s family were waiting.

• Chen Mu used Instant Movement and an Earth Escape Talisman to flee underground while Gu Panyu and Tuoba Feng pursued him aboveground.
• Chen Mu continued underground despite Tuoba Feng threatening to destroy Chen Village, and escaped when an eagle-type demon king blocked the pursuers.
• After passing through the demon king’s territory, Chen Mu surfaced, rested, and used a tracking rune to locate Meng Hui.
• Chen Mu found Meng Hui with his flying ship, reunited with her, and told her about his life and how he had strengthened Chen Village.
• Chen Mu brought Meng Hui home, where she saw Chen Village’s thriving buildings and facilities and was welcomed by Chen Hongjie and Chen Hongguang’s family.

Chen Mu prepared Chen Village for a possible attack from the Tuoba Lineage, then traveled to Nether Luo Mountain to search for his missing father. After adapting Fate Vision to the mountain’s dangerous black fog, he followed the tracks of a large force deeper inside.

• Chen Mu warned Chen Hongjie that the Tuoba Lineage might attack and told him to summon Duoduo and Mingye back to Chen Village.
• Chen Mu refused Chen Zihu’s offer to accompany him, explaining that the mountain’s death Qi would put Chen Zihu at risk.
• Chen Mu strengthened Chen Village’s defensive rune formation, improved its weapons and rune puppets, and gave Chen Hongjie Demon Core Bombs.
• Chen Mu and White Turtle traveled to Nether Luo Mountain, where the black fog disrupted Fate Vision and blocked communication with the outside world.
• Chen Mu switched Fate Vision to thermal vision, spotted tracks left by a large force, and followed them deeper into the mountain.

Chen Mu followed the tracks from the buried Flame Blessing Tribe mine deeper into Nether Luo Mountain, where he found thousands of strange humanoid creatures surrounding a stone fortress. He reached the fortress roof unseen and began restoring his Divine Soul.

• Chen Mu found the Flame Blessing Tribe mine buried beneath rubble and discovered weapons and scraps of cloth, but no bodies or bones.
• Chen Mu followed creature tracks deeper into Nether Luo Mountain as the death Qi grew denser and the trees appeared unnaturally close to death.
• Chen Mu spotted more than ten thousand cold, humanoid creatures gathered around an area his thermal vision could not penetrate.
• Chen Mu flew over the creatures using concealment talismans and identified the structure they surrounded as a stone fortress built against the mountainside.
• Chen Mu landed on the fortress roof in a blind spot and sat down to restore his depleted Divine Soul.

Chen Mu fought through a fortress of Yin-Devouring Ghosts and rescued his father, Chen Haoran, who had been held captive. Chen Haoran demonstrated the power of the Acala Heart Sutra, but three Nether Clan members and their elite ghosts confronted them.

• Chen Mu learned from the White Turtle that the creatures were Yin-Devouring Ghosts and that the Nether Clan had reappeared after vanishing for over ten thousand years.
• Chen Mu sneaked past the Nether Clan members and the patrolling ghosts, then charged through the first floor toward a human prisoner.
• Chen Mu recognized his captive father, Chen Haoran, broke through the ghosts surrounding him, and helped him awaken with a Spirit Recovery Pill.
• Chen Haoran showed Chen Mu how to use the Acala Heart Sutra, then unleashed the Wisdom King Body Protection Mantra and destroyed the attacking Yin-Devouring Ghosts.
• Two men and a woman from the Nether Clan arrived with more than a dozen elite Yin-Devouring Ghosts and threatened Chen Mu and Chen Haoran.

Chen Mu and Chen Haoran fought through a horde of Yin-Devouring Ghosts while battling three Nether Clan warriors. After Chen Mu shot the warrior who invoked the Cross-Realm Guiding Technique, a spatial rift opened overhead, and their escape was threatened by a force trying to cross through.

• Chen Haoran and Chen Mu broke through the fortress gate and fought their way through the surrounding Yin-Devouring Ghosts, using Chen Haoran's punches and Chen Mu's Explosive Flame Talismans.
• The three Nether Clan warriors caught up, and Chen Mu gave Chen Haoran high-grade talismans before facing the female warrior himself.
• Chen Haoran drove back the two male warriors, while Chen Mu used Protective Talismans and Rune Gun No. 3 to shoot the female warrior, leaving her fate unknown.
• One male warrior revealed a glowing pattern on his chest and began using the Cross-Realm Guiding Technique; Chen Mu shot him, but the pattern continued absorbing his scattered flesh and blood.
• A spatial rift opened overhead, and Chen Mu's shots failed to damage it as White Turtle warned that the cross-realm passage could no longer be destroyed.