Chapter Summaries

Yin Qing and the traveling merchants crossed the dangerous slopes of Datong Mountain, where the wounded group faced fox spirits and a pack of wolves. After they escaped, Yin Qing recognized the Mountain God’s help, and the group’s prayers brought the aspiring mountain spirit a gathering of Mortal Wishes.

• Yin Qing returned from searching for the paper crane, which then slipped into his clothes, and the group continued around Barren Gully Ridge.
• As the travelers descended the slippery mountain path, a man surnamed Liu nearly fell, and his old fox bite reopened.
• The travelers treated their festering wounds at a mountain shelter while three Fox Spirits watched and planned to attack them.
• A pack of wolves surrounded the Fox Spirits and drove them away while the travelers stayed huddled around their fire.
• The exhausted group found blood and fox fur the next morning, then hurried out of Datong Mountain before nightfall.
• Yin Qing recognized the Mountain God behind a rock and paid his respects, prompting the group to offer prayers that brought Mortal Wishes to the spirit.

Yin Qing and his companions left Datong Mountain and continued toward Lishun Prefecture, while Ji Yuan investigated the region’s troubled Humanity’s Qi and met Prefect Yin Zhaoxian. Yin Zhaoxian told Ji Yuan that Wanzhou’s prosperity hid severe exploitation of ordinary farmers, leaving the problem unresolved.

• Yin Qing and the three scholars parted from the traveling merchants, discussed the fox spirits, and continued toward Lishun Prefecture.
• Ji Yuan discovered that Datong Mountain’s evil spirits reflected deeper problems in Wanzhou Prefecture and arranged for a spirit monster to watch over the mountain as its god.
• Ji Yuan traveled to Lishun Prefecture City and went to the Prefecture City Office to meet Yin Zhaoxian.
• Yin Zhaoxian welcomed Ji Yuan and learned that Yin Qing was traveling with three fellow students and would arrive in several days.
• Yin Zhaoxian explained that powerful families controlled most of Wanzhou’s mulberry-field profits while ordinary farmers struggled, and angrily struck the tea table.

Yin Zhaoxian told Ji Yuan how Wanzhou’s powerful clans had impoverished farmers by taking their land and controlling silk and grain, while officials concealed the crisis. He revealed that he had accepted and recorded enormous bribes, then secretly reported them to the Emperor through Prince Jin, leaving the court poised to respond.

• Yin Zhaoxian vented to Ji Yuan about Wanzhou’s suffering and described a village head who held fifty qing of mulberry fields, including Perpetual Cultivation Land.
• Ji Yuan and Yin Zhaoxian discussed how land seizures, silk profits, grain shortages, and merchant price manipulation had left farmers dependent on landlords.
• Yin Zhaoxian explained that he had spent two years studying Wanzhou and concealed his intentions so local officials and clans would believe he sought only a safe career.
• Yin Zhaoxian admitted that he had accepted gifts from Wanzhou’s families and officials, carefully recording every gift and its value.
• Yin Zhaoxian told Ji Yuan that he had secretly reported the bribes to the Emperor through Prince Jin, revealing that the gifts included 210,000 taels of gold and treasures worth over two million taels of silver.

Ji Yuan visited Yin Zhaoxian in Lishun Prefecture, then went to the City God Temple to learn about growing unrest in Great Zhen. As he spoke with City God Li, a distressed dragon’s cries and storm clouds appeared over Guangdong Lake.

• Yin Zhaoxian welcomed Ji Yuan and told him his wife was expected to give birth in about half a month.
• Ji Yuan left Yin Zhaoxian’s residence and traveled through Lishun Prefecture to inspect the City God Temple.
• Ji Yuan told a temple worker that the City God could not safely accept the temple’s incense offerings.
• City God Li recognized Ji Yuan and began describing the uncertainty surrounding Great Zhen’s human fortunes.
• Ji Yuan and City God Li heard a distressed dragon cry from the northern sky and identified Guangdong Lake as its likely location.

Ji Yuan and City God Li headed to Guangdong Lake to investigate a dragon-shaped shadow and the Water Marsh Essence spilling into the sky. Yin Zhaoxian discovered Ji Yuan had left the guest quarters, while villagers in Double Arch Bridge Village endured the shadow’s impact, spreading clouds, and torrential rain.

• Dark clouds and lightning gathered over Lishun Prefecture after a strange roar, and Ji Yuan and City God Li set out for Guangdong Lake.
• Yin Zhaoxian went to the guest quarters seeking Ji Yuan but found the room empty and realized he had gone to investigate.
• In Double Arch Bridge Village, villagers heard dragon-like cries and saw a huge dragon-shaped cloud descending toward the ground.
• The shadow struck near the village threshing ground, shaking the earth and blasting the villagers with a powerful gust.
• Clouds and mist surged out across the village and surrounding region, and heavy rain began to fall.

Ji Yuan and City God Li found the gravely wounded flood dragon Master Mo at Double Arch Bridge Village and discovered that his Dragon Sinew had been pulled out. Ji Yuan used a decree and the Green Vine Sword to bind and sever a filthy shadow that had possessed the dragon, leaving the battle’s aftermath unresolved.

• Villagers near the Great Threshing Ground heard the fallen creature’s weak cries and feared that a dragon had descended from the sky.
• Ji Yuan and City God Li arrived to find Master Mo sprawled across the village entrance, leaking Spiritual Qi and Water Marsh Essence from a wound on his back.
• Ji Yuan recognized that Master Mo’s Dragon Sinew had been pulled out and offered to explain the matter to the Tongtian River Dragon Lord.
• Ji Yuan silently communicated with Master Mo, then prepared a decree while City God Li stood ready to fight.
• Ji Yuan invoked “Exorcise Evil and Bind Demons,” using lightning and golden script to draw a filthy shadow out of Master Mo.
• Ji Yuan ordered the Green Vine Sword to sever the bound shadow, which vanished in black smoke.

Ji Yuan used controlled floodwaters to carry the wounded Ink Flood Dragon Mo Rong from Double Arch Bridge Village toward Guangdong Lake, helping it recover along the way. After the exhausting journey, the floodwaters receded and left a widened river ditch and a deep trail through the village.

• Ji Yuan reassured the Ink Flood Dragon after defeating the strange threat, and Mo Rong asked him to summon the Dragon Lord so it could reveal what weighed on its heart.
• Ji Yuan sent the Green Vine Sword to deliver a letter to Tongtian River after agreeing to summon the Dragon Lord.
• At City God Li Baotian’s request, Ji Yuan gathered rainwater around the village and submerged Mo Rong, whose dense body would not float.
• Mo Rong recovered enough strength in the water to swim, and Ji Yuan guided it through the river ditch toward Guangdong Lake while keeping the floodwaters from damaging nearby settlements.
• After more than two hours, Ji Yuan reached Guangdong Lake with Mo Rong, and the receding waters left the river ditch widened and a deep track through Double Arch Bridge Village.

Ji Yuan and City God Li learned that Mo Rong had once saved Guangdong Lake from the demons who caused a devastating flood, and the Old Dragon arrived to assess his grievous injuries. After declaring that Great Zhen’s destiny must rise, the Old Dragon left to pursue those who attacked Mo Rong, entrusting his care to Ji Yuan.

• City God Li told Ji Yuan how Mo Rong had defeated King Hua and the other demons responsible for flooding Guangdong Lake more than forty years earlier.
• The Old Dragon arrived at Guangdong Lake and examined Mo Rong, finding his dragon sinew extracted, his essence gravely depleted, and his dragon pearl destroyed.
• The Old Dragon explained that a sinister nightmare spell had nearly consumed Mo Rong and would have turned his soul into another nightmare.
• The Old Dragon affirmed that Great Zhen must grow strong enough to lead the Eastern Land Cloud Continent and suppress the nightborn evils.
• The Old Dragon left Great Zhen to investigate and kill Mo Rong’s attackers, asking Ji Yuan to watch over the injured flood dragon.

Ji Yuan learned why the Old Dragon had gone on a rampage after Mo Rong was attacked and heard more about Great Zhen’s approaching troubles. Ten days later, he and Ying Hong witnessed Mo Rong die and begin his Water Journey, leaving Ji Yuan with a deeper, hazy understanding of life and cultivation.

• Ji Yuan recalled the Black Wilderness’s Human Livestock Kingdom and questioned City God Li about his warning that Great Zhen would soon face troubled times.
• City God Li explained that Great Zhen’s political fortunes were precarious and that powerful gods had learned of Ji Yuan and his Heavenly Inclination Sword Momentum.
• Ji Yuan learned that demons and evil cultivators had tried to control Mo Rong with the Evil Nightmare Technique, but Mo Rong escaped to Great Zhen after detonating his Dragon Pearl.
• Ying Hong hunted demons and other suspicious beings around Great Zhen, discovering that their numbers were far greater than he and Ji Yuan had expected.
• Ten days after Mo Rong’s fall, Ji Yuan and Ying Hong stood beside the dying flood dragon beneath Guangdong Lake as Mo Rong thanked the Dragon Lord and closed his eyes.
• Mo Rong’s dragon soul departed on its Water Journey, and Ji Yuan watched his body remain on the lakebed after its energy and spiritual qi dispersed.

As rumors of a dragon falling into Guangdong Lake spread, Ji Yuan encouraged three young scholars to take the imperial examinations early. In the capital, Emperor Yuande learned of the corruption in Wanzhou Prefecture and heard the tale of the fallen dragon, which left him calling the region the Place of Dragonfall.

• At Yin Zhaoxian’s son’s Full Moon Banquet, Ji Yuan met Lin Xinjie, Lei Yusheng, and Mo Xiu and invited them to breakfast.
• Ji Yuan urged the three young scholars to take the imperial examinations early, and they laughed at his reply that they could not pass before taking them.
• Secret agents reported to Emperor Yuande that widespread corruption had left the people of Wanzhou Prefecture struggling to survive.
• Emperor Yuande ordered a congratulatory gift sent to Yin Zhaoxian after learning that his wife had given birth to another son.
• A secret agent recounted how a dragon had fallen near Double Arch Bridge Village and traveled through a flood toward Guangdong Lake.
• Emperor Yuande muttered that Wanzhou Prefecture was the Place of Dragonfall.

Emperor Yuande abandoned his hesitation and ordered action against Wanzhou Prefecture’s corrupt officials while proclaiming a realm-wide Water and Land Dharma Assembly. After two months with Yin Zhaoxian, Ji Yuan left for Jingji Prefecture to witness the assembly, which he expected would attract not only masters but also demons and goblins.

• Emperor Yuande reread Yin Zhaoxian’s memorial and ordered officials to target Wanzhou Prefecture, promote Chen Yuhe, and transfer him to the capital, threatening severe punishment for leaks.
• Emperor Yuande announced the Water and Land Dharma Assembly in Jingji Prefecture, inviting people from across Great Zhen and offering selected masters the title of Celestial Master, gold, and an audience.
• Ji Yuan and Yin Zhaoxian discussed the assembly and the planned action against Wanzhou Prefecture while playing Go.
• Ji Yuan revealed that he was interested in the assembly because demons and goblins might seek official recognition there, and that Yuhuai Mountain was also preparing to act.
• After bidding farewell to Yin Zhaoxian and the Yin family, Ji Yuan left Lishun Prefecture for Jingji Prefecture to arrive early and claim a place.

After a Great Zhen imperial decree announced a Water and Land Dharma Assembly, Old Beggar Lu set out for the capital with Little You. There, Lu recognized a refined, pale-eyed man as no ordinary blind man.

• Official runners posted a Yellow Scroll announcing the Water and Land Dharma Assembly and summoning Daoist Masters to the capital.
• Old Beggar Lu woke, invited Little You to see the capital, and left the other beggars behind.
• Lu and Little You traveled by begging for about a month before reaching Jingji Prefecture.
• Lu confidently told the gate soldiers he had come by imperial decree to attend the assembly, and they let him enter the city.
• While Lu and Little You begged across from a tea house, Little You noticed a pale-eyed man watching them.
• Lu looked at the man and realized he was no ordinary blind man.

Ji Yuan returned to Jingji Prefecture to prepare for the Water and Land Dharma Assembly and paused to hear the rest of a tale about General Huang. Outside the tea house, he met the mysterious Old Beggar Lu Niansheng and his young companion Lu Xiaoyou, and shared tea with them as masters gathered in the city.

• Ji Yuan entered Green Leaf Tower to listen to the storyteller narrate General Huang's Battle of East Mountain.
• Ji Yuan noticed the Old Beggar and Little Beggar outside and recognized that the Old Beggar was no ordinary man.
• Ji Yuan brought tea and pastries outside, introduced himself, and learned the beggars were Lu Niansheng and Lu Xiaoyou.
• Lu Niansheng and Ji Yuan recognized one another as righteous cultivators of profound ability, though neither openly explained his purpose for coming.
• Ji Yuan and Lu Niansheng shared tea and discussed the Water and Land Dharma Assembly while Ji Yuan listened to the story.

Ji Yuan befriended the old beggar and watched the beggars receive a meal before leaving. As the Water and Land Dharma Assembly drew near, two fraudulent masters fled the Chu Estate after Ji Yuan’s old writing emitted a white light, while Ji Yuan sensed the incident in his dream.

• Ji Yuan chatted with the old beggar, then left the tea house after listening to the story of General Huang.
• The old beggar and the little beggar shared the food Ji Yuan had bought, and the Green Leaf Tower shopkeeper later treated them to noodles.
• Master Chu welcomed two supposed masters to the Chu Estate and prepared the gold, silver, and livestock they had demanded for their cultivation.
• A white light swept through the estate, frightening the two masters into fleeing, and the Chu family found its source in Ji Yuan’s old writing in the Study Pavilion.
• Ji Yuan sensed the event while cultivating in his dream and smiled.

Ji Yuan sensed the strange events at the Chu Estate while cultivating, where Master Chu discovered a mysterious calligraphy scroll and book. Meanwhile, two fraudulent Masters fled into the capital at night, where they were killed by a Gray Cat after encountering supernatural dangers.

• Ji Yuan sensed the Chu Family's unusual fortune and continued cultivating as Master Chu investigated glowing words on a Calligraphy Scroll.
• Qian De and Sun Fugui told Master Chu that they had found the Comprehensive Records of the Hundred Prefectures and Calligraphy Scroll years earlier, but could not identify who left them.
• The two Masters escaped the Chu Estate, then got lost in the capital and hid from two Night Roaming Deities.
• After hearing supernatural cries, the two Masters ran through the ward, fell into a river, and drowned.
• A Gray Cat drained the corpses' grayish-white qi and revealed a shadow with five tails.

After Night Roaming Deities found a corpse and failed to catch a gray cat, Ji Yuan went to the eastern Dharma Platform on Mid-Autumn night and used the moonlight to write across its surface. The Old Beggar captured the cat, leaving Ji Yuan poised to deal with it.

• Two Night Roaming Deities discovered a corpse in the river, recognized traces of evil cultivation, and tried to shoot the gray cat with black arrows, but it escaped their attack.
• The next morning, soldiers and official runners found two corpses at the sluice gate and began investigating their identities.
• Ji Yuan accepted mooncakes from his householder and went to the eastern Dharma Platform, where he met Old Mister Lu and Yan Chang, Director of the Grand Astrologer's Office.
• Ji Yuan sent the Green Vine Sword into the sky and used gathered moonlight to write across the Dharma Platform as the Jingji Prefecture Earth God helped guide the light.
• The Old Beggar pulled the gray cat from a distant rooftop and pinned it beside the platform, and Ji Yuan remarked that it could not leave.

Ji Yuan, Lu Niansheng, and Ying Hong dealt with a dangerous Five-tailed Cat Demon at the Dharma assembly before Yan Chang later recalled the night in court. Yan Chang presented Emperor Yuande with an immortal mooncake, but it dissolved in water after revealing its reflection of a bright moon.

• Ji Yuan and Lu Niansheng discussed executing the restrained Five-tailed Cat Demon, but Ying Hong arrived and swallowed it.
• Lu Niansheng recognized Ying Hong as the Tongtian River Dragon Lord, and Ji Yuan introduced him to Yan Chang.
• Yan Chang returned to his thoughts about the Dharma assembly during court and explained to Emperor Yuande that an immortal had given him a mooncake.
• Emperor Yuande tested the mooncake over a basin of water and saw a bright moon reflected instead of the cake.
• Emperor Yuande accidentally dropped the mooncake into the basin, where it dissolved without a trace.

Emperor Yuande watched an immortal mooncake vanish in water, then opened the Water and Land Dharma Assembly in Jingji Prefecture. As the rites began, Ji Yuan observed the platform’s hidden spiritual forces stirring beneath gathering storm clouds, leaving the Masters and demonic followers uneasy.

• Emperor Yuande asked Yan Chang about the vanished mooncake, then rewarded him and ordered the Ministry of Rites to make greater efforts on the Dharma Assembly.
• Ji Yuan joined the crowds watching Masters arrive at the eastern platform, where Yan Chang and the officials began the assembly’s ceremonies.
• Emperor Yuande asked whether the moon-sword immortal had come, but none of the gathered Masters appeared to be the one he sought.
• The Masters prayed for Great Zhen and the Emperor as the gongs marked the assembly’s beginning, while Ji Yuan examined Great Zhen’s Humanity’s Energy.
• The Old Beggar noticed unusual presences as a Calligraphy Scroll beneath the platform drew on Humanity’s Energy and obscured the Masters’ Spiritual Sense.
• Dark clouds gathered, and lightning struck a gong on the platform, frightening the Masters and leaving the Demonic Path followers especially uneasy.

Ji Yuan used the rain, moonlight, and Imperial Decree Method to trap the demons and evil cultivators on the Dharma Platform, while lightning struck those who tried to resist. The Old Beggar led the Little Beggar away as the trapped beings faced an uncertain fate.

• Yan Chang advised the officials to clear the Imperial Guards from the Dharma Platform before the storm, leaving the Masters there.
• Emperor Yuande questioned his sons about whether the thunder was a warning from Heaven, and torrential rain soon fell.
• Lightning killed several people on the Dharma Platform, causing most of the crowd to flee as the guards sought shelter.
• Rain revealed glowing edict characters and monstrous reflections in the water, pinning hundreds of remaining beings beneath a crushing force.
• Ji Yuan watched from a distant Tea Stall and explained that his technique had inverted the demons' qi through their reflections.
• The Old Beggar protected the Little Beggar and walked off the platform while the trapped beings begged, cursed, or tried unsuccessfully to attack him.

The Dharma Platform was struck by strange storms as the Yin Chas inspected the ritual masters who fled, while Yuhuai Mountain’s cultivators watched the city. After the storm passed, everyone on the platform had vanished, and Emperor Yuande accepted an explanation that the heavenly signs proved his immortality project was near success.

• The City God’s Great Gods and Yin Chas sealed the Dharma Platform’s entrances and inspected fleeing ritual masters for heretical beings.
• A ritual master at a teahouse claimed the storm showed Heaven’s displeasure with Emperor Yuande’s ambition, then froze when Yin Chas secretly examined him and found no problem.
• Yuhuai Mountain’s cultivators, including Qiu Feng, watched the Dharma Platform but saw no chance to intervene.
• After the storm cleared, Yan Chang and others found the Dharma Platform spotless and empty, with everyone who had been there gone.
• Emperor Yuande berated Yan Chang and the Ministry of Rites over the failed ceremony, then calmed down after hearing the same explanation the teahouse ritual master had given.