Chapter Summaries

Chen Shuangbai discovered a strange pearl in the Abiding Nourishment Temple, then made his way toward the blessed land’s core to find Liu Wenyan. He arrived as Liu Wenyan fought Fang Xu and struck Fang Xu with a powerful sword attack, leaving the conflict unresolved.

• Chen Shuangbai entered the Abiding Nourishment Temple, paid respects to the Jade Truth tablet, and found a dull gray pearl hidden in the incense burner.
• Chen Shuangbai found that Gongye Chun’s locating talisman could not sense Liu Wenyan, so he headed toward the blessed land’s core.
• Chen Shuangbai reached the core region and saw Liu Wenyan fighting Fang Xu before a white jade hall.
• Fang Xu tried to persuade Liu Wenyan to abandon his grandmaster and join Zhang Jing, while using his purple crystal gourd and spirit hook to press his attack.
• Chen Shuangbai intervened with a sword strike that drove Fang Xu back and damaged his purple crystal gourd; Fang Xu responded by releasing earthen-gold sand.

Chen Shuangbai defeated Fang Xu despite his Poison Fire Golden Sand, severing his arm before Fang Yan intervened. Fang Yan revealed his connection to Fang Xu and threatened Chen Shuangbai and Liu Wenyan, leaving them facing his ominous spiritual pressure.

• Fang Xu used Poison Fire Golden Sand to suppress Chen Shuangbai's sword strike, while Liu Wenyan protected Chen Shuangbai from Fang Xu's spirit hook.
• Chen Shuangbai concentrated his sword light into a droplet and cut through Fang Xu's golden-sand defenses, severing half of his arm and ruining his purple crystal gourd.
• Fang Xu fled, but Chen Shuangbai's follow-up strike was stopped by an invisible barrier raised by a blue-robed young master.
• Fang Xu greeted the young master as his elder brother, and Chen Shuangbai identified him as Fang Yan, Qing Yizi's personal disciple.
• Liu Wenyan accused Fang Xu and his master of scheming against the sect, while Fang Yan acknowledged Chen Shuangbai had guessed their plan and threatened to take his head.
• Fang Yan released a cold, obscure spiritual pressure, making Liu Wenyan pale.

Chen Shuangbai revealed his strength in the white jade hall, killing Fang Xu and pursuing the wounded Fang Yan. The other sects’ cultivators arrived as Fang Yan fled, and Chen Shuangbai called after him.

• Chen Shuangbai sent Liu Wenyan into the hall while holding off Fang Yan and Fang Xu.
• Chen Shuangbai struck Fang Yan’s soul with the Lesser Yin Soul-Slashing Saber, then killed Fang Xu when he tried to flee.
• Fang Yan recovered from the soul attack and fought Chen Shuangbai, but soon began retreating under his pursuit.
• Four Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Painstaking Heart Sect and Setting Sun Sect arrived, and Fang Yan turned one of them into a demonic puppet.
• Chen Shuangbai destroyed the puppet and chased Fang Yan, asking why he was fleeing without a fight.

Chen Shuangbai and Fang Yan fought in the blessed land, with Chen Shuangbai countering Fang Yan’s demonic ghosts using Heavenly Wood Spirit Light. Chen Shuangbai then revealed the Clear Waves Reflecting the Moon Banner, whose ripples weakened Fang Yan’s Law Power, leaving their battle unresolved.

• Fang Yan sent illusionary yin ghosts at Chen Shuangbai, then recovered enough from his soul injury to confront him.
• Chen Shuangbai attacked Fang Yan, but an invisible defense blocked his Sword Essence as Demonic Qi gathered around Fang Yan.
• The Painstaking Heart Sect cultivators and the remaining Setting Sun Sect cultivator withdrew to seek opportunities in the blessed land.
• Fang Yan unleashed ghostfire yin ghosts, but Chen Shuangbai used Heavenly Wood Spirit Light to scour them away.
• Chen Shuangbai split Fang Yan’s Ghost Qi cocoon with Shattering the Moon and Parting the Waves, then summoned the Clear Waves Reflecting the Moon Banner.
• The banner’s ripples made Fang Yan’s Law Power sluggish and sharply reduced his strength.

Chen Shuangbai and Fang Yan fought within the blessed land, with Chen Shuangbai breaking through Fang Yan’s attacks and revealing his Snow-Plumed Eagle, Feiguang. As Chen Shuangbai’s storm of wind, clouds, frost, and ice trapped Fang Yan, a strange black moonlike image appeared between Chen Shuangbai’s brows.

• Fang Yan praised Chen Shuangbai’s spirit banner, but Chen Shuangbai absorbed Fang Yan’s spirit-seed attacks with an unseen curtain.
• Chen Shuangbai destroyed Fang Yan’s six coffin-nail Spirit Artifacts with his sword shadows and continued attacking with [Foot-Long Silk] and [Midnight Month Cold Light Yin Thunder].
• Fang Yan defended himself with the souls of two Foundation Establishment snake demons, whose forms withstood Chen Shuangbai’s sword shadows and lightning.
• Chen Shuangbai mocked Fang Yan for repeatedly bringing out methods that he could counter, and Fang Yan sent the two snake demon souls to attack him.
• Feiguang emerged, wounded both snake demon souls, and devoured one, while the other fled back into Fang Yan’s ghost banner.
• Chen Shuangbai surrounded Fang Yan with a storm of dark clouds, wind, frost, snow, and ice, then revealed a black moonlike image between his brows as Fang Yan gathered Demonic Qi.

Chen Shuangbai killed Fang Yan with [Fallen Toad Light], then watched Fang Yan calmly accept his death and buried him. Chen Shuangbai collected Fang Yan’s ghost banner and unusual Spirit Artifact before entering the pill chamber, where he found Liu Wenyan and the others exploring beside a fragrant Pill Furnace.

• Fang Yan realized Chen Shuangbai’s [Fallen Toad Light] had struck him, and his body died as his soul escaped with the ghost banner.
• Chen Shuangbai followed Fang Yan’s soul to a hilltop, where Fang Yan explained that he had known he was doomed and had chosen a scenic place to die.
• Fang Yan’s soul dissipated, and Chen Shuangbai raised a simple gravestone for him.
• Chen Shuangbai sensed a curtain-like Spirit Artifact falling from the sky, collected it, and stored it with the ghost banner.
• Chen Shuangbai returned to the white jade hall and entered its pill chamber, where Liu Wenyan and the others were examining a fragrant Pill Furnace.

Chen Shuangbai returned to Liu Wenyan after killing Fang Xu and Fang Yan, then intimidated the remaining Foundation Establishment cultivators into deferring to him. The group explored the blessed land together, and Chen Shuangbai and Liu Wenyan claimed most of the surviving treasures before turning to the ancient books.

• Chen Shuangbai told Liu Wenyan that Fang Xu and Fang Yan had fallen to his sword, alarming the three other Foundation Establishment cultivators.
• Liu Wenyan explained that he had found pill and ingredient chambers, along with a sealed chamber he suspected held pill formulas.
• Chen Shuangbai threatened the three cultivators and demanded that they defer to him while exploring the masterless blessed land, and they reluctantly agreed.
• Chen Shuangbai and Liu Wenyan took most of the surviving items from the pill and ingredient chambers, while the other cultivators divided the remainder.
• Chen Shuangbai turned his attention to the ancient books on the second-floor bookshelves.

Chen Shuangbai and the others tried to open an ancient Pill Furnace and discovered that Chen Shuangbai’s gray pearl fit its lid. The furnace opened a crack, releasing a powerful pill fragrance and spiritual light as they watched for what lay inside.

• Chen Shuangbai collected the ancient texts and examined the sealed Pill Furnace with the others.
• Liu Wenyan showed Chen Shuangbai a picture of a similar Pill Furnace, revealing a red pearl set into its lid.
• Chen Shuangbai placed his gray pearl into the lid’s hollow, and it transformed into a crimson precious pearl.
• The Pill Furnace glowed and its lid shifted open, releasing a powerful pill fragrance and strands of spiritual light.
• Chen Shuangbai, Liu Wenyan, and the others stared into the opening without seeing what was inside.

Chen Shuangbai and Liu Wenyan confronted Sun Yuan and Wu Qiong after the Setting Sun Sect cultivators ambushed and killed the Painstaking Heart Sect cultivator to seize the Pill Furnace’s treasure. Chen Shuangbai drove Wu Qiong back and revealed his Fallen Toad Light, while Sun Yuan’s Golden Core talisman treasure rapidly weakened under Chen Shuangbai’s attacks.

• Sun Yuan and Wu Qiong ambushed and killed the Painstaking Heart Sect cultivator as the Pill Furnace opened, then Wu Qiong entered its spiritual light.
• Sun Yuan blocked Chen Shuangbai and Liu Wenyan with his flying wheels and declared that the Setting Sun Sect would take the treasure.
• Liu Wenyan engaged Sun Yuan while Chen Shuangbai attacked with his Sword Essence, splitting it into sixteen strands that shattered the flying wheels.
• Sun Yuan activated a Golden Core talisman treasure, but Chen Shuangbai’s Sword Essence battered its golden light and weakened its power.
• Chen Shuangbai entered the Pill Furnace’s spiritual light and drove Wu Qiong into the pill chamber wall, revealing that Wu Qiong’s talisman treasure had been tainted by Fallen Toad Light.
• Chen Shuangbai and Wu Qiong faced off in the pill chamber as Sun Yuan remained unable to help either Wu Qiong or himself.

Chen Shuangbai overwhelmed Sun Yuan and Wu Qiong with his Frost Osmanthus Sword Essence and [Fallen Toad Light], forcing them to surrender. After binding both men and sealing their Qi seas, he stood with Liu Wenyan as the three precious pills were secured.

• Chen Shuangbai used [Fallen Toad Light] and sixteen streams of Frost Osmanthus Sword Essence to wear down Wu Qiong's Golden Core talisman treasure while fighting Sun Yuan.
• Wu Qiong surrendered two precious pills, and Chen Shuangbai withdrew the mysterious light before binding Wu Qiong with the [Turning Heart Ruyi Cord].
• Sun Yuan continued resisting until his talisman treasure was nearly spent, then conceded defeat and allowed Chen Shuangbai to bind and seal him.
• Liu Wenyan flew over to praise Chen Shuangbai, who replied, "Senior brother, you flatter me."

Chen Shuangbai used [Fallen Toad Light] to dissolve the ancient restriction guarding a meditation chamber and recovered three objects and several sealed boxes. The blessed land then expelled Chen Shuangbai, Liu Wenyan, Wu Qiong, and Sun Yuan, leaving True Person Qian to confront the returning cultivators.

• Sun Yuan and Wu Qiong silently accepted that they could not defeat Chen Shuangbai and chose to preserve their lives.
• Chen Shuangbai used [Fallen Toad Light] to dissolve the restriction on the meditation chamber after Liu Wenyan warned that brute force might collapse the blessed land.
• Chen Shuangbai bound Wu Qiong and Sun Yuan to pillars, collected a jade bottle, a jade box, a Jade Slip, and the surviving sealed boxes, and left their restrictions unopened.
• The blessed land expelled Wu Qiong and Sun Yuan before True Person Qian, then sent Chen Shuangbai and Liu Wenyan before Gongye Chun.
• True Person Qian saw Wu Qiong and Sun Yuan's mournful faces, then fixed his attention on Chen Shuangbai as the other Golden Core cultivators watched the doorway fade.

After Fang Xu and other disciples failed to emerge from the collapsing blessed land, Zhang Jing and Qing Yizi accused Chen Shuangbai and Liu Wenyan of hiding what happened and demanded a search of Chen Shuangbai’s memories. Chen Shuangbai challenged the fairness of that demand, prompting True Person Qian to oppose soul-searching and help muddy the truth.

• Zhang Jing and the other Golden Core True Persons questioned Chen Shuangbai, Liu Wenyan, Sun Yuan, and Wu Qiong after they emerged without Fang Xu and the other missing disciples.
• Chen Shuangbai and Sun Yuan each claimed they had encountered no one else in the blessed land before finding the exit.
• Zhang Jing accused Chen Shuangbai of killing Fang Xu, while Gongye Chun stepped in to protect him and confronted Zhang Jing.
• Qing Yizi tried to probe Chen Shuangbai’s memories by force, but Gongye Chun blocked him and denounced soul-searching as a demonic method.
• Chen Shuangbai asked whether Sun Yuan and Wu Qiong would also be searched, and True Person Qian rejected the idea and argued that deaths in the blessed land could result from its dangers.

Chen Shuangbai and his companions discovered that the precious pills were legendary Star-Nurturing Divine Pills, while Gongye Chun recognized the value of the ancient sealed items they had recovered. As Gongye Chun entrusted the pills and other finds to Yi Chongyue, Chen Shuangbai and Liu Wenyan sensed that something was amiss.

• Liu Wenyan realized Chen Shuangbai had freed Wu Qiong and Sun Yuan and given them a pill to force True Person Qian and the Setting Sun Sect to side with Gongye Chun.
• Gongye Chun and the others agreed to resume talks with the Painstaking Heart Sect in three days, then returned to his cave abode and sealed it with formations.
• Chen Shuangbai displayed the items he had obtained, and Gongye Chun identified the two elusive pills as Star-Nurturing Divine Pills that could improve the chances of forming a core.
• Yi Chongyue explained the pills’ rarity and value, while Gongye Chun defended Chen Shuangbai’s decision to give one to the Setting Sun Sect.
• Gongye Chun examined the ancient sealed items, judged that they could not be broken by force, and entrusted the pills and recovered treasures to Yi Chongyue.
• Chen Shuangbai and Liu Wenyan grew suspicious when Gongye Chun made no effort to reserve a Star-Nurturing Divine Pill for Liu Wenyan.

Chen Shuangbai learned that Gongye Chun had agreed to become a guest elder of the Jade Spring Sect, bringing Liu Wenyan with him for protection and a chance to cultivate. Yi Chongyue revealed that True Person Bo was already on his way to confront the threats facing them.

• Chen Shuangbai congratulated Gongye Chun after learning that Yi Chongyue had persuaded him to join the Jade Spring Sect as a guest elder.
• Gongye Chun explained to Liu Wenyan that the Jade Spring Sect would protect him after Gongye Chun's death and give him a better chance to form a Golden Core.
• Liu Wenyan accepted the decision and asked Yi Chongyue and Chen Shuangbai to look after him.
• Gongye Chun warned that Zhang Jing, Qing Yizi, and the Painstaking Heart Sect would pursue them over the blessed land's spoils and the two Foundation Establishment deaths.
• Yi Chongyue said True Person Bo was already on his way, easing Gongye Chun's remaining concerns.

True Person Bo arrived at Spring-Returning Mountain and backed Gongye Chun as he announced he was leaving the sect to join the Jade Spring Sect. Bo warned the gathered Golden Core True Persons not to bully Gongye Chun, while Zhang Jing erupted in anger and True Person Zhao left.

• True Person Bo arrived at Spring-Returning Mountain and offered Gongye Chun Jade Spring Heart-Cleansing Dew for his five-hundredth birthday.
• Zhang Jing accused Gongye Chun of delaying the dispute to summon outside help, but True Person Bo said Gongye Chun had already agreed to join the Jade Spring Sect.
• Gongye Chun announced that he would become a guest elder of the Jade Spring Sect's Jade Dew Hall, enraging Zhang Jing.
• Gongye Chun condemned Zhang Jing for his conduct, and True Person Bo rebuked Zhang Jing and sent him flying backward.
• True Person Bo warned the gathered Golden Core True Persons not to bully Gongye Chun, after which True Person Qian disclaimed any grievance and True Person Zhao departed.

True Person Bo defeated Qing Yizi’s demonic attack with a single wave, forcing him to flee and leaving Zhang Jing unable to resist the split of Spring-Returning Mountain. Gongye Chun’s branch departed with its share of the mountain’s assets, and the flood dragon carriage carried them safely toward the Jing Kingdom.

• True Person Qian and True Person Zhao withdrew, leaving Qing Yizi and Zhang Jing facing True Person Bo.
• Qing Yizi challenged True Person Bo to break one attack within three breaths, then unleashed two demonic python phantoms at him.
• True Person Bo submerged the pythons in a towering wave, and Qing Yizi admitted defeat and fled Spring-Returning Mountain.
• Zhang Jing returned to the mountain, recognizing that the division of Spring-Returning Mountain was inevitable.
• Gongye Chun’s branch gathered its assets and departed with the willing disciples aboard the flood dragon carriage.
• Gongye Chun let go of his attachment to the mountain, and his party traveled safely toward the Jing Kingdom.

Gongye Chun joined the Jade Spring Sect as a guest elder and received a warm welcome from its senior members. After the banquet, he and Liu Wenyan settled on a spiritual peak, where Liu marveled at their new home.

• True Person Mei and True Person Bo welcomed Gongye Chun to the Jade Spring Sect and reassured him that he would be treated well.
• True Person Bo, True Person Mei, and several Foundation Establishment cultivators hosted a banquet for Gongye Chun and toasted him as a future fellow sect member.
• Yan Nanlai presented Gongye Chun with his identity jade token and appointed him a guest elder responsible for refining pills and teaching alchemists.
• True Person Bo explained that Gongye Chun's disciples would be integrated into the sect, while Liu Wenyan received a post as an outer sect elder.
• Gongye Chun and Liu Wenyan settled on a spiritual peak, and Liu Wenyan admired the Jade Spring Sect.

The Jade Spring Sect announced that Gongye Chun, a third-tier Alchemist, had joined with over a hundred disciples from Spring-Returning Mountain. After clearing his backlog of work, Chen Shuangbai considered how to use three pearls and met Fu Qianlan, who had also reached the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage; he wondered whether fortune favored her.

• The Jade Spring Sect announced that Gongye Chun had joined as a third-tier Alchemist, bringing over a hundred Spring-Returning Mountain disciples.
• Luo Tao called Chen Shuangbai back from leave to clear the Evil Hunting Hall’s backlog, and Chen Shuangbai quickly processed the delayed business.
• Chen Shuangbai examined a Great Yin pearl and two clam pearls, deciding to consult the Book Spirit about how to use them.
• Chen Shuangbai met Fu Qianlan, discovered that she had reached the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, and agreed to meet with her and He Qi in a few days.
• As Chen Shuangbai continued toward Deer Deep Waters Peak, he wondered whether Fu Qianlan was favored by fortune.

Gongye Chun guided Chen Shuangbai in alchemy and discussed their craft with him and Yi Chongyue. Yi Chongyue revealed that a Star-Nurturing Divine Pill and True Person Bo’s guidance had greatly advanced his cultivation, bringing Golden Core within reach.

• Yi Chongyue and Yan Nanlai studied alchemy and cultivation under Gongye Chun on Spring Comes Peak.
• Gongye Chun examined Chen Shuangbai’s Five-Incense Pill, explained its strengths and flaws, and offered guidance.
• Gongye Chun shared Jade Dew Spring with Yi Chongyue and Chen Shuangbai while the three Alchemists exchanged insights.
• Chen Shuangbai noticed that Yi Chongyue’s cultivation had advanced, and Yi Chongyue explained that True Person Bo had rewarded him with a Star-Nurturing Divine Pill and guidance.
• Yi Chongyue told Chen Shuangbai that the Jade Spring Sect intended to reserve its remaining Star-Nurturing Divine Pill for Liu Wenyan if he reached Foundation Establishment Late Stage.

Chen Shuangbai joined Li Changfeng and Huo Min on a mission to claim the inner core of an injured Golden Core Sha Beast trapped in Great Desolation Valley. They arrived in Sha Province and found Great Buddha Temple’s monks maintaining the barrier around the beast.

• Luo Tao told Chen Shuangbai that a Golden Core Sha Beast had been trapped by Great Buddha Temple in Sha Province and ordered him to retrieve its inner core with Li Changfeng and Huo Min.
• Chen Shuangbai learned that True Person Bo had gone ahead and that the Spirit-Seeking Sect and other factions might also pursue the beast.
• Chen Shuangbai traveled with Li Changfeng and Huo Min toward Great Desolation Valley, riding Feiguang while they crossed the scorching desert.
• The three arrived at the valley and saw Great Buddha Temple’s golden alms bowl barrier sealing it beneath the monks led by Huiming.