Chapter Summaries

Su Mu learned that his Buddhist scripture had increased Buddhist Fortune, then revealed a Buddha Lotus that Yu Guyue found dangerous because she was a demon. Lin Hongbin returned with local food and wine, while the Eldest Princess and Yu Guyue discussed his unusual pursuit of perfect Foundation Establishment.

• Yu Guyue and the Eldest Princess told Su Mu that his Buddhist scripture had increased the Buddhist path's Fortune, so they did not believe it was an old scripture from his hometown.
• Su Mu revealed his Buddha Lotus, and Yu Guyue recoiled before explaining that Buddhist teachings naturally countered demons and other uncanny beings.
• Su Mu, Yu Guyue, and the Eldest Princess examined the lotus, but Su Mu could neither grasp it nor determine how to use it.
• Lin Hongbin returned with local wine and snacks for Su Mu, who eagerly accepted the offering.
• The Eldest Princess learned that Lin Hongbin was seeking enlightenment to achieve perfect Foundation Establishment and recognized his unusually pure, compressed cultivation, though she could not identify what he lacked.
• Su Mu enjoyed the local food and spirit wine while Lin Hongbin watched, pleased that his offering had won Su Mu's favor.

Su Mu watched the Moon Pursuing the Sun weaken the seal around the Wasteland of Withered Bones as Yin Baleful Qi surged toward it. He realized that Mid-Autumn works of calligraphy could draw strength from the moon, and considered using his own to help.

• Su Mu woke at noon and learned from Lin Hongbin that the seal was stable, the evil entities had retreated, and the monks had advanced after studying the Buddhist scripture.
• Su Mu asked the monks whether the seal would hold for two more days, but they could not guarantee it, and the eldest princess warned that something seemed wrong inside the Wasteland of Withered Bones.
• The moon moved in front of the sun, suppressing the land's Righteous Qi as Yin Baleful Qi seethed and struck the seal, stripping away its Sanskrit characters.
• The monks recited scripture to reinforce the seal while Liu Yuanfeng and others brought out calligraphy that drew on the moonlight and strengthened their Righteous Qi.
• The eldest princess explained that Mid-Autumn poems were not suppressed because they used the moon as their medium, and Su Mu considered using his own calligraphy to help.

As the Grand Yin strengthened the demons and weakened the seal, Su Mu summoned the Lord of the Grand Yin with his calligraphy just as the defenders were about to abandon the Wasteland of Withered Bones. The Lord appeared before Su Mu, leaving the fate of the crumbling seal unresolved.

• Ancestor Wuwang urged the demons and spirits in the Wasteland of Withered Bones to attack the weakened seal as demon forces assaulted human territory.
• Su Mu wrote a line of calligraphy while the eldest princess and Yu Guyue prepared to confront several Nascent Soul presences.
• Yu Guyue sent her Yin-Yang Bracelets into the wasteland, but Nine Nether Extreme Flame tainted and ruined them, while the eldest princess's lightning technique also proved weakened.
• Unknown Nascent Soul attackers struck the seal with repeated palm prints as its Sanskrit characters, the eminent monks, and the scholars' calligraphy began to fail.
• Yu Guyue tried to take Su Mu away, but his Righteous Qi rose toward the Grand Yin and summoned its lord.
• The Lord of the Grand Yin appeared before Su Mu and confirmed his identity.

The Moon God guided Su Mu in using the Dao Lotus and Buddha Lotus to suppress the evil entities and reinforce the failing seal. She then revealed that the Purple-Gold Merit Lotus could repair the Dao Lotus, but Su Mu caught her absorbing some of its merit.

• Su Mu asked the Moon God to suppress the evil entities, but she said she was only a lingering image without Law Power and could not act directly.
• The Moon God told Su Mu to use the Dao Lotus against the evil entities and the Buddha Lotus to strengthen the seal.
• The Moon God directed both lotuses, and they drove away the Yin Baleful Qi and made the seal solid again before returning to Su Mu's palm.
• The Moon God told Su Mu that merit from the Purple-Gold Lotus could mend the missing Dao Lotus petal.
• Su Mu summoned the Purple-Gold Lotus and caught the Moon God absorbing its merit, so she stopped and claimed a share for helping suppress the evil entities.

The Moon God repaired Su Mu’s Dao Lotus with his Purple-Gold Merit Lotus, then left him guidance about cultivating the Dao and Buddha Lotuses. Su Mu discovered that the repair had consumed two petals of his merit, while Ancestor Wuwang watched from hiding and seethed over Su Mu’s interference.

• The Moon God used her five-petaled Purple-Gold Merit Lotus to restore the Dao Lotus before the Lesser Yang returned to its position.
• Before departing, the Moon God praised Su Mu’s poem, took his calligraphy, promised to return next Mid-Autumn Festival, and left him information about cultivating the Dao and Buddha Lotuses.
• Su Mu learned that the Buddha Lotus required spreading teachings that recipients understood, while the Dao Lotus seemed to require comprehending the Dao.
• Yu Guyue checked that the Moon God had not bewitched Su Mu, and Su Mu then saw that repairing one Dao Lotus petal had cost two petals of the Merit Lotus.
• Ancestor Wuwang watched Su Mu’s restored Dao Lotus from hiding and raged that Su Mu kept thwarting him.

After returning to the imperial capital, Su Mu began preparing a portable Teleportation Array for the upcoming moon landing while Wei Zhonghao arranged astronaut training. The chapter ended with a small meteorite speeding past Earth’s asteroid warning system.

• Su Mu repaired the Dao Lotus, which consumed two petals of the Merit Lotus, and discussed how the Moon God's appearance could not be remembered.
• The eldest princess and Yu Guyue left after returning to the imperial capital, while Su Mu decided to prepare a Teleportation Array for the moon landing.
• Su Mu dismantled and reassembled the Teleportation Array, then told Wei Zhonghao he could take it in two days for astronaut training.
• The Spirit of the Dragon Vein visited Su Mu and flew away with spirit spring water.
• A tiny meteorite sped past Earth's asteroid warning system.

Su Mu completed a backup Teleportation Array and returned to the Immortal Cultivation Realm, where he refused requests to help people transcend their tribulations. After an accidental lesson with a bucket of water, Lin Hongbin believed he had understood how to achieve perfect Foundation Establishment, and his insight opened a petal of Su Mu’s Dao Lotus.

• Su Mu tested Wei Zhonghao assembling the array, gave him the finished array, a spare, and extra Spirit Stones, and agreed to inspect them before the lunar landing project.
• Wei Zhonghao conveyed the higher-ups’ request that Su Mu keep his cultivation methods to himself, and Su Mu agreed.
• After returning to the Immortal Cultivation Realm, Su Mu told Xiao Wu to turn away visitors seeking help with their tribulations and decided to look for other Daoist scriptures to cultivate his Dao Lotus.
• Su Mu asked Lin Hongbin for a bucket of water, then spilled some while lifting it; Lin Hongbin interpreted the sloshing water and Su Mu’s earlier remarks as guidance about flaws and decline.
• Lin Hongbin thanked Su Mu, said he now knew how to achieve perfect Foundation Establishment, and left to pursue it.
• Su Mu realized Lin Hongbin’s understanding had opened a petal of his Dao Lotus and credited the gain to Lin Hongbin’s faith in his guidance.

Su Mu watched Lin Hongbin leave after gaining insight, then helped the Spirit of the Dragon Vein stop a meteorite threatening the region. The meteorite’s impact risk was averted when the spirit pierced it with a Spiritual Power arrow.

• Su Mu told Xiao Wu that Lin Hongbin had gained insight before leaving, and Xiao Wu praised his comprehension.
• A meteorite entered Earth’s atmosphere, triggering warnings and panic as officials struggled to find a way to intercept it.
• Huaxia leaders learned the meteorite was expected to strike the sea east of the country and considered whether Su Mu or the Dragon Vein could help.
• The Spirit of the Dragon Vein alerted Su Mu to the meteorite and asked him to help destroy it before it landed.
• Su Mu poured Spiritual Power into the Spirit of the Dragon Vein, which formed a crystalline arrow and pierced the meteorite.

Huaxia destroyed the meteorite with a mysterious, arrow-like projectile, astonishing people and alarming officials in Japan and Korea. The Korean officials were left questioning whether the footage was real and what kind of weapon Huaxia had used.

• People in Huaxia filmed and livestreamed as a projectile shot out of the earth and shattered the meteorite.
• Japanese officials learned that Huaxia had destroyed the meteorite and watched footage of the interception.
• The Japanese officials worried that Huaxia might now possess weapons they could not counter and ordered an investigation.
• Korean officials watched footage from several angles and asked a technician to enlarge the projectile.
• The enlarged image showed an arrow-like object with a crystalline gleam, prompting the Koreans to compare it to Hou Yi and question whether the video was genuine.

After the Spirit of the Dragon Vein helped Su Mu destroy the meteorite with a crystalline arrow, the unusual weapon caused an uproar across Huaxia and abroad. Su Mu left Zhou Jianhua to handle the public explanation and asked his dedicated operator to arrange chefs and food.

• Huaxia's netizens watched footage revealing that a crystalline-looking arrow had shattered the meteorite and speculated that a powerful archer had appeared.
• The Spirit of the Dragon Vein drained the spirit spring after the strike, while Su Mu told it he had no treasures left to replenish it.
• Zhou Jianhua called Su Mu to confirm he had stopped the meteorite and complained that the arrow had stirred up a public frenzy.
• Su Mu told Zhou Jianhua that the Spirit of the Dragon Vein had acted in an emergency and left the explanation to the authorities.
• Finding his refrigerator empty, Su Mu asked his dedicated operator to arrange chefs and food in the Qinling Mountains.
• The news spokesperson saw the online discussions and looked troubled by the public reaction.

At a press conference, Huaxia refused to explain what had shot down the meteorite and announced its crewed lunar landing project, codenamed Flying Apsaras. In the Qinling Mountains, Su Mu chose a basic Daoist scripture to study, then tested his newly forged flying sword and discovered his Spiritual Power drained rapidly.

• The spokesman said Huaxia had shot down the meteorite but would not reveal the weapon because it was a state secret.
• The spokesman announced that Huaxia would officially launch its crewed lunar landing project, Flying Apsaras, on January 3.
• Su Mu chose a basic Daoist scripture to copy into the Immortal Cultivation Realm and planned to contemplate it.
• Xiao Wu told Su Mu that his Law Treasure was ready and brought him the flying sword.
• Su Mu flew on the sword with Xiao Wu, but hurried back when his limited Spiritual Power began running out.

Su Mu agreed to help Great Liang expand its territory in exchange for a share of the resources discovered there, then returned to studying flying-sword methods. Meanwhile, Lin Hongbin survived a Heavenly Tribulation and achieved Perfect Foundation Establishment.

• Su Mu tested flying on his sword, then struggled to escape the crowd of cultivators and lesser demons seeking his guidance.
• Su Mu returned to the courtyard and began searching for a method to nurture his flying sword.
• The eldest princess asked Su Mu to use his calligraphy to help Great Liang expand its territory, and he agreed after securing a share of the spoils.
• The eldest princess left to coordinate the expansion, which would bring Great Liang into conflict with demons in the wilderness and seas.
• Lin Hongbin faced a Heavenly Tribulation while at Qi Refining, using Law Artifacts to withstand its lightning.
• Lin Hongbin advanced to Foundation Establishment and achieved Perfect Foundation Establishment as the tribulation repaired his cultivation flaw.

Su Mu helped Wang Peng prepare to sell the spirit-spring-grown fruit, then joined the eldest princess and Yu Guyue to prepare for Great Liang’s territorial expansion. After reaching Zhen'an City, they learned about dangerous Demon Beasts and insect swarms in the Savage Wilderness as the army’s arrival approached.

• Su Mu introduced Wang Peng to potential buyers, arranged the fruit business, and reassured him that powerful allies would prevent anyone from forcing them out.
• Su Mu discovered that the Dao Lotus had taken his flying sword and was nurturing it, then left with the eldest princess and Xiao He to scout ahead of Great Liang’s army.
• While studying the Dao Scripture on the way, Su Mu saw a Dao Lotus petal stir and later secured the eldest princess’s promise that he could claim land in the newly opened territory.
• Su Mu, the eldest princess, and Yu Guyue met up and traveled to Zhen'an City, where cultivators were gathering to profit from Great Liang’s coming campaign.
• Su Mu heard cultivators discussing plans to exploit the aftermath of the army’s advance, while Yu Guyue reported dangerous venomous bees, Iron-Devouring Ants, and Cold-Winged Golden Butterflies near the Savage Wilderness.

The eldest princess and Yu Guyue scouted the Savage Wilderness and prepared Great Liang’s army to seize its resources despite the dangerous Demon Beasts and strange insects. As the attack drew near, Zhen'an City filled with cultivators and merchants, while the eldest princess faced pressure from the vassal states watching for Great Liang to fail.

• Yu Guyue reported a medium-sized Spirit Stone vein, fire essence ore, and heavenly frost spirit water in the Savage Wilderness, and the eldest princess resolved to claim them.
• Su Mu wrote several pieces of six-inch calligraphy while the eldest princess studied how to deal with the Demon Beasts and strange insects.
• The eldest princess and Yu Guyue spent five days scouting the wilderness and returned safely as Great Liang’s army and more cultivators gathered in Zhen'an City.
• Yu Guyue told Su Mu that the eldest princess had found a way to handle the dangers, and she explained that smaller cultivators would share the pressure while Great Liang pursued major resource deposits.
• The eldest princess announced that Great Liang’s army would attack in three days, prompting cultivators to stock up on supplies as spirit pill prices doubled.
• The eldest princess prepared for the attack under pressure, with surrounding vassal states watching to see whether Great Liang would be weakened.

Su Mu watched the army establish a fortified stockade in the Savage Wilderness while Yu Guyue explained its formations and defenses. Three days later, Yu Guyue took Su Mu into the wilderness to seek a treasure, leaving the Eldest Princess behind to manage the camp.

• The army advanced through the Savage Wilderness, killing Demon Beasts and changing formations to deal with Iron-Devouring Ants and venomous bees.
• Yu Guyue explained the Soul-Shaking Formation and Scarlet Fire Formation to Su Mu as the army contained dangerous areas and Rogue Cultivators went searching for opportunities.
• The exhausted army built a stockade, and Su Mu placed his calligraphy at its center to shield it with Righteous Qi.
• The Eldest Princess organized guards, defenses, supplies, and exchanges of information with the Rogue Cultivators.
• Three days later, Yu Guyue led Su Mu out of the stockade to find a treasure deep in the Savage Wilderness, saying the Eldest Princess was too busy to join them.

Yu Guyue and Su Mu ventured into the Savage Wilderness to claim a Jade Spirit Flame guarded by a mutant Four-Armed Strength Ape. The ape overwhelmed Yu Guyue with its ore-built mountain treasure, while Su Mu stayed hidden and waited for a chance to act.

• Yu Guyue told Su Mu that refining the Jade Spirit Flame would greatly increase her strength and promised him a small wisp for his flying sword.
• After two days of travel, Yu Guyue gave Su Mu Profound Yin Talismans and entered the cave to draw out its Nascent Soul demon while he prepared to retrieve the flame.
• Yu Guyue emerged from the cave pursued by a Four-Armed Strength Ape, whose chest-pounding left Su Mu unable to muster his strength from a distance.
• The Four-Armed Strength Ape attacked Yu Guyue with a small mountain made from precious ores, and she began coveting it for Su Mu.
• The ape used its blows to empower and accelerate the mountain, smashing Yu Guyue's jade needle and sending her flying despite her nine tails shielding her.
• Su Mu grew anxious, but Yu Guyue told him by voice transmission to stay hidden and remain patient.

Su Mu collected the Jade Spirit Flame from the Four-Armed Strength Ape’s cave, then escaped while Yu Guyue held off the enraged parent. The ape’s offspring pursued him despite his invisibility, and Su Mu fled on foot toward a river after realizing his flight had revealed his tracks.

• Yu Guyue lured the Four-Armed Strength Ape away, allowing Su Mu to enter its cave and collect the Jade Spirit Flame.
• The spirit flame burned through Su Mu’s Profound Yin Talisman, and the ape’s offspring attacked him; Su Mu escaped the cave with the Fallen Star Sword.
• The Four-Armed Strength Ape returned and discovered the flame was gone, while Yu Guyue restrained it and urged Su Mu to flee.
• The little Four-Armed Strength Ape pursued Su Mu, who used another Profound Yin Talisman and escaped on his flying sword despite his dwindling Spiritual Power.
• Su Mu hid in a woodland and then moved toward a river, where he realized the little ape had lost track of him after he stopped flying.

Su Mu struggled to escape the Savage Wilderness after being separated from Yu Guyue and the Four-Armed Strength Ape. He joined a group of cultivators heading back toward safety, though they remained wary of him.

• Su Mu cautiously made his way through the wilderness, avoiding the woods and reflecting on how Yu Guyue’s plan had left him stranded.
• As night approached, Su Mu sensed a Law Technique ahead and hurried toward it, only to be confronted by cultivators who had just defeated a Demon Beast.
• Su Mu claimed he was a Great Liang scout separated from his squad and asked the cultivators to escort him back.
• Cultivator Luo doubted Su Mu’s story, but agreed to take him along after the others pointed out they could earn a reward from Great Liang.
• Su Mu shared details about the Eldest Princess’s plans to make the group trust him more, and kept her palace-entry jade token concealed.

The eldest princess searched for Su Mu while he traveled through the Savage Wilderness with Luo Yan’s group. As the group found valuable Wind Scar Grass, another party of cultivators ambushed them and claimed it for themselves.

• The eldest princess followed Yu Guyue’s divination to search for Su Mu, who had been missing for nearly three days.
• Luo Yan’s group gave Su Mu concealing grass powder and made camp without assigning him to the night watch.
• The group left the Savage Wilderness the next morning, and Luo Yan discussed his plans to attempt Core Formation after collecting enough resources.
• Luo Yan’s group discovered a clump of Wind Scar Grass worth about eight thousand Spirit Stones, and Luo Yan moved to gather it.
• A cultivator shot an arrow at Luo Yan, then emerged with his companions and ordered Luo Yan’s group to leave the Wind Scar Grass behind.

Su Mu and the others were trapped in a Six-Line Formation after refusing to surrender the Wind Scar Grass, and their opponents overwhelmed them with talismans and Law Techniques. As the attack swept toward the exhausted group, Su Mu summoned his Dao Lotus.

• Su Mu tried to persuade Luo Yan and the others to avoid a fight, but the woman surnamed Shang and Li Chenfeng insisted on defending the Wind Scar Grass.
• Luo Yan signaled the group to attack, but a light curtain appeared and trapped them inside a formation.
• The black-robed man revealed three more Foundation Establishment cultivators, and Li Chenfeng identified the formation as a Six-Line Formation that would take half an incense stick to break.
• The black-robed cultivator launched talismans and Law Techniques at the trapped group, badly injuring Luo Yan and the others and damaging Luo Yan's axe.
• As another wave of attacks bore down on them, Su Mu opened his hand and summoned his blue-green Dao Lotus.