Chapter Summaries

Li Boyang and Li Jingshu hurried back toward Li Household Village after he divined that a massive approaching storm would destroy the harvest. Seeing the village’s rice fields and learning that Qiwa’s family still struggled, Li Boyang resolved to do more to prevent people from starving.

• Li Boyang used the Heavenly Mandate Bone Plastron and realized the storm could ruin Li Household Village’s crops.
• Li Boyang and Li Jingshu hurried back to the village, fearing the storm would leave them without a harvest.
• Li Boyang and Li Jingshu saw the terraced rice paddies and noticed Qiwa’s family’s fields were poorer than the others.
• Li Boyang explained that Qiwa’s family struggled because Qiwa’s father had injured his head, Qiwa’s mother had left, and Qiwa was still young.
• Li Boyang resolved to take another step to help people avoid starving.

Li Boyang returned to Li Household Village with Li Jingshu and proposed keeping the Sanitation Brigade active during the busy farming season. The old village chief warned that villagers would resist when sanitation work competed with their immediate farming needs.

• Li Boyang and Li Jingshu entered Li Household Village, where a huge tree and a shrine to Li Boyang’s raccoon-cat statue stood at the entrance.
• The old village chief greeted Li Boyang and Li Jingshu, explaining that an honored guest had come to the village to meet them.
• Li Boyang asked the old village chief to keep the Sanitation Brigade operating even during the busy farming season.
• The old village chief warned Li Boyang that villagers would not cooperate when the brigade’s work conflicted with their farming interests.

Li Boyang explained his plan to organize village labor around the Fang Boar, while the old village chief warned that shared work could cause resentment and suspected Li Boyang wanted to become village chief. As Deception Rabbit waited for Li Boyang, he told Chen Yun that the Guifang Kingdom’s human sacrifices threatened the mountain folk and that her son might be the only one able to stop them.

• Li Boyang told the old village chief he wanted the Sanitation Brigade to become a Production Brigade so villagers could work together and use the Fang Boar more effectively.
• The old village chief warned that shirkers and unequal contributions could divide the village, and Li Boyang proposed setting rules for access to the Fang Boar while keeping individual plots.
• The old village chief asked Li Boyang if he wanted to become village chief.
• Deception Rabbit anxiously waited for Li Boyang at his home while Chen Yun continued sewing.
• Chen Yun asked Deception Rabbit what had happened near Gao Village Town, and he revealed that the Guifang Kingdom had begun large-scale human sacrifices three years earlier and might soon capture mountain folk.

Li Boyang learned that the hurricane was the Roaring Heaven Clan’s incarnation and agreed to help the Deception Rabbit find Granny. Meanwhile, Xiluo decided to intervene despite the kingfisher’s warnings and asked whether Grandmother had sent her a message.

• The Deception Rabbit told Li Boyang that the Roaring Heaven Clan was a god manifested as a hurricane and asked him to divine whether Granny was alive.
• The Deception Rabbit vowed to oppose the Roaring Heaven Clan because Granny had saved and taught him.
• Li Boyang agreed to help the Deception Rabbit, saying Granny was also like a teacher to him.
• At the mountain god’s temple, the kingfisher warned Xiluo not to risk her long life by interfering in a conflict between gods.
• Xiluo said she would help Red Boy and asked the kingfisher whether Grandmother had sent a message.

Li Boyang demonstrated his Riding Clouds and Driving Mist Divine Ability to the Deception Rabbit and offered to teach it in exchange for help studying the rabbit's transformations. The two continued toward Flying Peak, while Li Yu worried that his son might leave home someday.

• The Deception Rabbit took Li Boyang from Li Household Village to Flying Peak, while Li Yu and Chen Yun watched him go.
• Li Yu recalled losing his way in the mist while following Li Boyang and worried about when his son would leave home.
• Li Boyang kept pace with the Deception Rabbit using a baleful cloud, and explained that Riding Clouds and Driving Mist could be learned by those with enough Yuan Qi.
• The Deception Rabbit asked what Li Boyang wanted in return for teaching him, and Li Boyang offered lessons in exchange for studying the rabbit's transformation ability.
• The Deception Rabbit transformed into a cheetah to keep up as they hurried toward Flying Peak.

Li Boyang prepared to use an altar at Flying Peak to draw on the power of five gods and the mountain range’s Earth Veins to counter the Roaring Heaven Clan’s storm. As the ritual began, Deception Rabbit learned that Li Boyang’s many protection charms came from his mother and that tampering with them could bring out his fearsome temper.

• Li Boyang dispersed his cloud of Sha at Xiluo’s request and explained that he considered the Roaring Heaven Clan his enemy for threatening the region.
• Xiluo asked whether Li Boyang could simply shelter his family in the mountain god temple, but he implied that doing so would go against his nature.
• Li Boyang set up an altar at Flying Peak to draw on the divine standing of Xiluo and the four ghost gods and connect with the land’s Earth Veins and water veins.
• Deception Rabbit worried about the pressure Li Boyang would face, while Xiluo reassured him that Li Boyang had used the altar to change the weather before.
• Deception Rabbit asked whether Li Boyang’s protection charms were part of the ritual, and Xiluo explained that they were keepsakes from his mother and warned him not to tamper with them.

Li Boyang’s ritual disturbed the dragon veins beneath the Hundred Lands Mountain Range, awakening the Spider Queen and drawing the Roaring Heaven Clan’s attention. The Spider Queen sent Xiao Gui to investigate Flying Peak as she realized someone was confronting the Roaring Heaven Clan.

• Li Boyang used his blood and the [Energy Talisman Incantation] to stir the dragon veins across the Hundred Lands Mountain Range.
• The great black dog sensed the disturbance from Ghost God Cave and wondered what Li Boyang was doing.
• The disturbance awakened the Spider Queen, who sent Xiao Gui to investigate Flying Peak.
• The Spider Queen saw a storm stopped at the mountain range’s boundary and recognized the presence of the Roaring Heaven Clan.
• The Spider Queen concluded that someone was fighting the Roaring Heaven Clan and questioned what had happened while she slept for only a few decades.

Nüman broke free of the body imprisoning her and used her true form to destroy the Roaring Heaven Clan’s storm, though her power killed many on the battlefield and cost her life. Li Boyang survived the collapse of the altar and divined that the old granny had died, while Nüman might still endure briefly.

• Nüman manifested her true form, destroyed the Roaring Heaven Clan’s storm, and killed many Guirong warriors and mountain folk caught in her power.
• The Roaring Heaven Clan cut off the earth’s dragon veins, causing Li Boyang to lose control of them and the altar to collapse.
• Xiluo caught Li Boyang as he fell, and the Deception Rabbit asked whether he and the old granny were safe.
• Li Boyang clarified that Nüman had been the main force behind the victory and used the Heavenly Mandate Bone Plastron to divine the old granny’s fate.
• Li Boyang told the Deception Rabbit that the old granny was dead, but Nüman might survive for a little longer.

The Deception Rabbit found the old granny’s shattered corpse beneath the Lightning-Attracting Tree and used a Silk Fur Robe to restore her body for burial. He urged the surviving mountain folk, who had lost the will to live, to travel south to Gao Village Town and Li Household Village for help.

• The Deception Rabbit flew into the heart of the battlefield and found the old granny’s dismembered corpse beneath the Lightning-Attracting Tree.
• The Deception Rabbit used Xiluo’s Silk Fur Robe to restore the old granny’s body, though she remained dead.
• Nearby mountain folk knelt before the Deception Rabbit and thanked him for gathering the old granny’s remains.
• The mountain folk’s representative said they intended to follow their families in death after the old granny was buried.
• The Deception Rabbit told the mountain folk to go south to Gao Village Town and Li Household Village, and to visit the old granny’s grave if they still wanted to die afterward.

Li Boyang recovered at home after being hurt by backlash from using the Earth Veins’ power, while Chen Yun worried about his unusual behavior. Li Yu revealed that he knew their son had been injured and recalled how Li Boyang had once saved him from Tulu, leaving the story with Li Yu hoping Chen Yun would never witness his son as the fearsome “crimson fiend.”

• Li Boyang returned home injured by the backlash from using the Earth Veins’ power and rested in bed, blaming the Deception Rabbit for causing trouble.
• Chen Yun questioned why Li Boyang was sleeping in, and Li Yu admitted that he had smelled their son’s blood when he came home the previous night.
• Li Yu told Chen Yun that he had hidden his knowledge of the injury because Li Boyang did not want them to worry, and Chen Yun went to prepare nourishing food.
• Li Yu remembered being surrounded by Tulu a year earlier, when crimson Sleepy Bugs protected him before a huge Tulu struck him unconscious.
• Li Yu recalled seeing a “crimson fiend” emerge from the burning forest and realized Li Boyang had driven the Tulu away from Li Household Village.

The Guifang Kingdom sacrificed You Chong to create a new Maxims Talisman after the Guirong Clan’s destruction. Xuan Hui learned that the gods had ordered You Chong’s death because he had witnessed a god’s defeat, and his teacher taught him to protect the gods’ dignity by concealing their fallibility.

• The Guifang Kingdom’s high priest ordered You Chong to become a ritual vessel, and You Chong agreed to sacrifice himself for the Guirong Clan’s glory.
• Executioners killed people at the altar, and You Chong pierced his own skull before leaping into the blood pool as a sacrificial ritual began.
• A new Maxims Talisman took shape in the blood pool while Xuan Hui watched from the temple of the Gods of the Five Directions.
• Xuan Hui told his teacher that You Chong should have been kept alive to rebuild the Guirong Clan, and the old priest explained that You Chong’s return had made it impossible to ignore him.
• Xuan Hui realized the gods wanted You Chong dead because he had witnessed a god’s defeat, and his teacher instructed him that a priest’s foremost duty was to uphold the gods’ dignity.

Deception Rabbit and Xiao'e struggled to manage the many mountain folk arriving near Gao Village Town, while Deception Rabbit promised to solve their food shortage. In Li Household Village, the old village chief proposed forming a Production Brigade and planting a second rice crop to support the newcomers.

• Sixteen groups of mountain folk had arrived to pay respects at the old granny's grave, and Xiao'e told Deception Rabbit that many more might still be coming.
• Deception Rabbit relayed Non-Crying Child's plan to register the newcomers, record their skills and preferences, and assign them work so they could join the settlement.
• When Xiao'e asked how they would feed everyone, Deception Rabbit said he would take responsibility for the grain problem and hinted that it was part of something he already intended to do.
• In Li Household Village, the old village chief told the household representatives that the village lacked enough grain for the dozens of mountain folk who had arrived, prompting debate over buying grain or driving them away.
• The old village chief proposed enrolling the newcomers in a Production Brigade to hunt, clear land, and farm, and suggested planting a second crop of rice before August.

Li Boyang persuaded the villagers to accept the homeless people and plant a second rice crop, while Xiluo sought the former Heaven-Eroding Lord’s help with the weather. The big black dog realized Li Boyang was preparing for something major that required his full attention.

• Li Boyang argued that welcoming the outsiders would help protect the village and said the land could support more crops with enough fertilizer.
• Xiluo visited Ghost God Cave and challenged the big black dog over his past betrayal of a human who had trusted him.
• Xiluo explained that Li Boyang had asked her to maintain warm, humid weather for rice-growing villages over the coming months.
• The big black dog asked why Li Boyang could not use his altar to control the weather, then concluded that the boy was occupied with a major plan.

Li Boyang agreed to help the Deception Rabbit strike the Guifang Kingdom and rescue Nüman’s divine soul, but questioned whether they understood the risks and aftermath. He began eagerly considering the challenge, while Li Jingshu wondered what strange plans he might devise.

• The Deception Rabbit told Li Boyang he was determined to rescue Nüman’s divine soul from the Roaring Heaven Clan and argued that attacking the Guifang Kingdom first could secure grain and protect the villagers.
• Li Boyang agreed not to reject the plan, then asked about Nüman’s location, the kingdom’s capital and defenses, and how they would face the Roaring Heaven Clan and the Gods of the Five Directions.
• Li Boyang warned that acting first was not enough and that courage without a plan was recklessness; the Deception Rabbit admitted he needed Li Boyang’s help thinking the consequences through.
• Li Boyang revealed he was more cautious than the others and grew excited at the prospect of testing the gods’ strength.
• Li Jingshu watched the exchange and wondered what unusual project Li Boyang would devise and how much the Deception Rabbit could endure.

Chongming ordered a massive slave raid and sacrifice to restore the Guifang Kingdom’s authority, despite an ominous divination and reports of stolen provisions. Watching the slaughter of the kingdom’s own subjects, Xuan Hui rejected the gods who demanded it and declared that priests had the right and duty to drag them from their altars.

• A noble representative reported that the divination was ominous, and another warned Chongming that provisions had repeatedly been stolen.
• Chongming ordered further sacrifices and a sweeping campaign against factions sheltering escaped slaves.
• The Guifang Kingdom’s forces captured mountain dwellers, including people from factions that had submitted to the kingdom, for sacrifice.
• Deception Rabbit and Xuan Hui watched the ritual at Cliff Settlement City as Ghost Qi spread and the city’s people celebrated.
• Xuan Hui told Deception Rabbit that the gods treated their followers as lambs and declared that priests could cast down gods who betrayed their people.

Xuan Hui told Deception Rabbit that a book from You Xiao’s residence described mortals as descendants of gods and hinted that You Xiao had sought to become a god himself. He asked Deception Rabbit to help destroy the sacrificial ceremony in exchange for revealing where Nüman’s divine soul was held, and Deception Rabbit entered the Guifang Kingdom’s ancestral shrine to search for it.

• Xuan Hui showed Deception Rabbit a repaired book from You Xiao’s former residence, which described Great Xia’s sovereign ruling over priests and gods and claimed that people were descendants of gods.
• Xuan Hui suspected You Xiao had defected to pursue the method of becoming a god and had taken the Imprisoned Soul Cauldron for that purpose.
• Xuan Hui explained that the Gods of the Five Directions had ordered the Guifang Kingdom to destroy the Red-Haired Ghost and offered to reveal Nüman’s divine soul in return for Deception Rabbit’s help stopping the sacrificial ceremony.
• Xuan Hui led Deception Rabbit to the ancestral shrine, then remained outside while Deception Rabbit slipped through its doors unnoticed.
• Deception Rabbit saw more than a thousand memorial tablets and carefully preserved skulls in the shrine, along with objects representing factions, kingdoms, and gods defeated by the Guifang Kingdom.

Deception Rabbit and Li Boyang searched the Guifang Kingdom’s ancestral shrine for Nüman’s soul and stole a sealed pottery jar. When the shrine’s divine statues attacked, Li Boyang blocked one of them while Deception Rabbit tried to escape.

• Deception Rabbit summoned Li Boyang in the form of a three-inch little man to search the shrine’s representative objects for Nüman’s soul.
• Li Boyang identified a pottery jar marked with powerful Maxims Talismans, and Deception Rabbit sensed danger from it.
• As the guards changed shifts, Li Boyang swallowed the jar into his shadow, triggering an alarm in the shrine.
• Deception Rabbit transformed into an eagle and fled through a window, but a divine statue struck at him with lightning.
• Li Boyang’s three-inch little man blocked the statue’s attack and knocked it back onto its altar.
• Li Boyang urged Deception Rabbit to escape, and Deception Rabbit transformed into a hummingbird and flew toward the window.

The Deception Rabbit, disguised as a hummingbird, was trapped inside Cliff Settlement City after the high priest raised a blood barrier and the priests attacked it. When the high priest received a divine oracle, he ordered the priests to awaken the Blood Demon, whose form resembled the sacrificed You Chong.

• Guards discovered that the Roaring Heaven Clan's divine statue had been damaged, and the high priest sealed Cliff Settlement City behind a blood-colored barrier.
• The Deception Rabbit dodged arrows and lightning as the priests attacked it with witchcraft and curses, while Li Boyang's Shadow Avatar absorbed the curses and Xuan Hui secretly weakened the priests' incantations.
• The old priest warned the high priest that the barrier was costly and the city was panicking, but a divine oracle possessed the high priest and ordered them to capture the intruder.
• The high priest ordered the priests to awaken the Blood Demon, and they formed it from the blood pool as Xuan Hui recognized its resemblance to You Chong.

Li Boyang used the Deception Rabbit’s transformation ability to manifest a Black Dragon and break through Cliff Settlement City’s barrier. The Blood Demon confronted him in the sky and overpowered the inexperienced dragon, leaving Li Boyang struggling to escape.

• The Blood Demon restrained the airborne Deception Rabbit and forced him back into rabbit form.
• Li Boyang took control of the Deception Rabbit’s body, using Sha Qi to transform him into a Black Dragon with the Divine Ability Riding Clouds and Driving Mist.
• The Black Dragon spread clouds and mist across Cliff Settlement City, then broke through the city’s barrier with flames and lightning.
• The Blood Demon extinguished the fires, sprouted wings, and charged the Black Dragon as both hurtled into the sky.
• The Blood Demon pinned the Black Dragon with repeated punches while Li Boyang struggled to control its unfamiliar body.

Deception Rabbit took control of the black dragon and turned the fight against the Blood Demon, but the Blood Demon escaped his grasp and gained the advantage. Li Boyang struck with the Divine Firmament Sword and wounded him, while Xuan Hui used the chaos to head for the assembly hall and pursue his plan.

• Deception Rabbit took control of the black dragon, coiled around the Blood Demon, and attacked him with dragon breath and claws.
• Xuan Hui saw the battle’s chaos as an opportunity and quietly went to the assembly hall to carry out his long-term objective early.
• The Blood Demon declared himself a god of storms, burst into bloody mist, and repeatedly attacked the black dragon with his corrosive, shifting body.
• Li Boyang sent the Divine Firmament Sword across nearly a thousand kilometers, splitting the storm vortex and wounding the Blood Demon.
• Li Boyang used the Spirit Rhinoceros Horn to shake the Blood Demon’s mind and told him he was only an artificially refined ghost of blood Sha.