Chapter Summaries

Fang Zelin and Daoist Lü searched Guyuan Commandery for a severely wounded great demon that had vanished after their earlier battle. They learned Demon King Wu had returned and might be lurking in Hang River Circuit, but the wounded demon remained undiscovered as they began their search.

• Daoist Lü told Fang Zelin that he had severely wounded a great demon but could not track it down, even with the City God's help.
• Fang Zelin ordered the Jade Void Mountain disciples to search Guyuan Commandery in pairs and return at the hour of the Rabbit.
• Daoist Lü revealed that the great demon had mentioned Demon King Wu, who had returned after devouring much of the Human Race's fortune.
• Fang Zelin and Daoist Lü agreed to search Guyuan Commandery together before continuing toward Hang River Circuit.
• Fang Zelin praised Wu Cunyi's governance, and Daoist Lü said Wu Cunyi's blessed fortune had helped him escape calamity.

Fang Zelin and Daoist Lü searched for the hidden fox demon for seven days without success. Suspecting it had seized a body in Blazing Summer, Fang Zelin returned there to investigate, arriving alone in his familiar room.

• Fang Zelin and the Jade Void Mountain disciples searched the city for the fox demon, but neither they nor the City God's Day and Night Wandering Gods found a trace of it over seven days.
• Fang Zelin heard Yuanqing Prefecture mentioned nearby and asked Daoist Lü whether the fox demon could seize bodies.
• Fang Zelin hurried back to the inn, instructed Zhenke and Xuanyang to guard his room, and prepared to return to Blazing Summer.
• Fang Zelin crossed back to Blazing Summer without Bearing the Heavens or his gourd, then found his phone dead and his room covered in dust.

Fang Zelin returned after more than two years away and checked the news, while Leng Sizhao planned to prey on people in Blazing Summer and eventually take revenge on Daoist Lü. In Weinan City, investigators struggled to explain a series of gruesome murders and began considering whether something supernatural was responsible.

• Fang Zelin found his home’s internet disconnected, restarted his phone, and searched the news for recent murders.
• Leng Sizhao celebrated that the world had no immortal cultivators or City Gods and planned to secretly devour people to restore her Law Power and consume Blazing Summer’s Human Race fortune.
• Leng Sizhao vowed to return to Great Jin and make Daoist Lü watch her slaughter a village in revenge for gravely wounding her.
• Weinan City investigators reported that surveillance footage had yielded no useful clues about the six murders, whose victims had missing organs and signs of being eaten.
• Fan Tianyong and the other investigators considered sinister martial arts as an explanation before one team member cautiously suggested a demon or monster might be responsible.

Wu Ming suspected a Seeking the Dao spirit was behind the gruesome murders in Blazing Summer, prompting his team leader to report the possibility. Fang Zelin traveled to Weinan City to hunt the fox demon, but after waiting unsuccessfully near a roast chicken shop, he decided to search a park that night.

• Wu Ming argued that a demon from Seeking the Dao might have killed the victims, and the team leader left to report his suspicions.
• Fang Zelin read about the Weinan City murders and concluded that the fox demon Daoist Lü had asked about was responsible.
• Fang Zelin flew to Weinan City and dressed in stylish clothes to attract the fox demon, which favored handsome men.
• Fang Zelin waited near a roast chicken shop and fruit store, but several women approached him instead of the fox demon.
• Fang Zelin decided to look for the fox demon in a park that night and try to detect its demonic arts.

Fang Zelin encountered the wounded fox demon Leng Sizhao, who tried to seduce him in a deserted park, but he revealed his cultivation and attacked her. Leng Sizhao unleashed her Primordial Spirit, and the chapter ended with police discovering the giant fox demon at Xinhe Park and calling for an evacuation and support.

• Leng Sizhao used her demonic art to lure Fang Zelin away from the road and into a deserted park.
• Fang Zelin invoked a spell, struck Leng Sizhao with a golden water chain, and revealed that he was a cultivator pursuing her.
• Leng Sizhao summoned her giant black fox Primordial Spirit and threatened Fang Zelin, but he bound and suppressed it with the chain.
• The fox demon's struggle uprooted trees and froze people in the park.
• A subordinate told the criminal investigation team leader that a giant fox demon had appeared at Xinhe Park, and the team leader ordered an evacuation and requested support.

Fang Zelin used water swords and a sealing character to kill the fox demon possessing Leng Sizhao, then escaped across the lake before the authorities reached the scene. The arriving personnel found the woman’s corpse and the park in ruins.

• Fang Zelin bound the injured fox demon with a water chain and struck her Primordial Spirit with water swords.
• Parkgoers fled, believing the fox demon had committed the recent murders, while police arrived and began evacuating them.
• Fang Zelin combined the water swords into one enormous blade and pierced the fox demon as she broke free of the chain.
• Fang Zelin sent the remaining sealing power into the fox demon, causing her Primordial Spirit to disintegrate.
• Fang Zelin confirmed that Leng Sizhao was dead, covered the lake with the Soul-Bewildering Formation, and left across the water.
• The arriving personnel found Leng Sizhao’s corpse and fallen trees throughout the park.

Fang Zelin returned after slaying the fox demon in Guyuan Commandery and told Daoist Lü the party could move on. As they traveled north, they saw three armies vying for the realm, while Daoist Lü remained determined to find a suitable disciple.

• Search personnel found the devastated battle site and wondered whether immortal cultivators had appeared in the world.
• Fang Zelin returned safely to the inn, recovered his Spiritual Qi, and told Xuan Yi and Zhenke that the fox demon had been slain.
• Fang Zelin informed Daoist Lü that the fox demon was dead, and Daoist Lü led the group out of Guyuan Commandery.
• On the fifth day of travel, Fang Zelin and the others saw the three armies still contending for the realm, and Daoist Lü said he would continue seeking a disciple.

Fang Zelin and Daoist Lü discussed the difficulty of finding worthy disciples before Fang Zelin led Jade Void Mountain’s disciples onward to hunt demons. Elsewhere, Xuanyu sacrificed himself trying to protect his junior brothers from a powerful zombie, who killed him and then set off after the disciples who had escaped.

• Daoist Lü said he would trust fate to lead him to a suitable disciple, and Fang Zelin continued his group’s demon hunt.
• Xuanyu led his wounded junior brothers toward a cave exit while a powerful zombie pursued them.
• Xuanyu ordered his junior brothers to leave, citing Jade Void Mountain’s rule that they must obey their senior brother.
• The zombie revealed it had waited so it could use Earth Escape to catch the fleeing disciples, but Xuanyu used Pointing at Earth to Turn It into Steel to force it out of the ground.
• Xuanyu fought the zombie with the Yao-Beating Whip, but the stronger zombie tore him apart and drained his blood.
• The zombie crushed Xuanyu’s skull and left to pursue the escaped disciples.

Demon King Wu gathered the greater demons at Hang River Circuit and urged them to resist the cultivators who would come to reclaim Human Race Karmic Fortune. He revealed that several demon leaders had been slain and planned to use the remaining demons outside as a way to weaken the cultivators and make them underestimate their enemies.

• Demon King Wu fed the greater demons limbs from a cultivator and recalled feasting on cultivators during the calamity of Great Zhou.
• The greater demons celebrated their gains from consuming Human Race Karmic Fortune, and Demon King Wu warned them that cultivators would come to fight back.
• The demons rallied behind Demon King Wu, boasting that they would eat any cultivators who came to Hang River Circuit.
• A demon asked why the Black Fox Demon, Great King Gold and Jade, Great Sage Whirlwind, and Lord Linshan had not been summoned.
• Demon King Wu said those demon leaders had deserved their deaths for avoiding the gathering, and he planned to let demons outside wear down the cultivators and encourage their overconfidence.

Fang Zelin, Daoist Lü, and Xuan Yi reached the devastated Hang River Circuit and met Zhong Shanqi, then witnessed the cultivators’ battle with the demons begin. Daoist Xin Antian challenged Demon King Wu, who remained hidden, and attacked a demon instead.

• Fang Zelin and Daoist Lü found the villages along the road deserted and concluded the demons had slaughtered the people and taken their human race karmic fortune.
• Zhong Shanqi arrived using Golden Light Traversing the Earth and introduced himself to Fang Zelin, Daoist Lü, and Xuan Yi.
• Daoist Lü and Zhong Shanqi agreed to find the other cultivators, but a battle erupted ahead as demons and cultivators unleashed their powers.
• A demon used Move Mountains to send peaks crashing toward the cultivators, and a Daoist countered with Whip Mountains, shattering them into boulders.
• Daoist Xin Antian called out Demon King Wu, then threw an object at a demon when Wu did not appear; the demon dodged and spat out poisonous black Qi.

Fang Zelin joined the battle and used golden water swords to cut through the demons and beasts overwhelming the cultivators. Lord Lingyuan blocked his attack with a scale shield, and Fang Zelin halted his remaining swords in the air to prepare another move.

• Daoist Zhong, Daoist Lü, Fang Zelin, and the Jade Void Mountain disciples rushed into the battle between the cultivators and the demons.
• Fang Zelin drew water from a stream, empowered it with small-seal characters, and sent nearly two thousand golden water swords through the demons.
• Fang Zelin’s swords cleared a swath of ground and eased the pressure on the cultivators, while the Jade Void Mountain disciples marveled at his power.
• Demon King Wu ordered Lord Lingyuan to deal with Fang Zelin, and Lord Lingyuan trapped Fang Zelin’s feet in the sinking ground before attacking him.
• Lord Lingyuan used his scale shield to shatter one of Fang Zelin’s swords, and Fang Zelin stopped the remaining water swords high in the air.

Fang Zelin’s fused water sword threatened Lord Lingyuan as a fierce spell battle raged above the clouds. Demon King Wu emerged to taunt the battered Daoists, convinced that Great Jin’s dwindling sects were too weak to defeat him.

• Fang Zelin merged more than two thousand small seal-script characters into a golden water sword that chilled Lord Lingyuan with its pressure.
• Veteran Great Jin border guards watched the distant sky erupt and fall, and their commandant ordered a clerk to record the strange events.
• Demon King Wu appeared after the spell battle paused and revealed that he had swallowed three Daoists and wounded two others.
• Demon King Wu mocked Daoist Zhong and the other cultivators, judging Great Jin’s reduced sects far weaker than the Daoists of Great Zhou.
• Demon King Wu concluded that victory was within reach after secretly assessing the cultivators’ strength.

Demon King Wu revealed his plan to destroy the Daoist sects and seize the Great Jin Dynasty, prompting the cultivators to prepare for a desperate battle. As they looked to Fang Zelin to act, the other cultivators remained uncertain of his strength, while Jade Void Mountain’s disciples trusted him to defeat the demon.

• Demon King Wu mocked the cultivators and announced that he intended to destroy their sects and take control of Great Jin.
• Daoist Zhong and Qingcheng urged the cultivators to attack together, and they prepared their strongest law artifacts.
• Qingyun asked Fang Zelin to make his move, drawing the cultivators’ attention to him.
• Demon King Wu recognized Fang Zelin as the cultivator who had slain High Lord Primordial Spirit, but dismissed him as no threat.
• Daoist Zhong suggested protecting the younger disciples if the cultivators lost, while Jade Void Mountain’s disciples declared their confidence in Fang Zelin.
• Fang Zelin realized he could no longer hide his abilities.

Fang Zelin asked Bearing the Heavens to slay Demon King Wu, and the sword unleashed a colossal strike that killed him. The cultivators confirmed Wu’s death, and Fang Zelin believed the scourge of demons was over.

• Fang Zelin, nearly out of Spiritual Power, asked Bearing the Heavens whether he could slay Demon King Wu.
• Bearing the Heavens revealed his Sword-Ray and released the Spiritual Power he had refined over two years, growing into a giant sword above the clouds.
• Bearing the Heavens thrust down through Demon King Wu and the ground, killing Wu and leaving an immense, unfathomably deep pit.
• Bearing the Heavens exhausted his Spiritual Power, and Fang Zelin caught him and shared some of his own remaining power.
• Bearing the Heavens told Fang Zelin that Demon King Wu was dead, and the Daoists confirmed they could no longer sense him.
• Fang Zelin rejoiced that the scourge of demons might be over, while Qingyun’s joy returned.

Fang Zelin’s spirit sword slew Demon King Wu, earning the surviving cultivators’ gratitude and awe. After learning how many disciples had died, Qingyun demanded to know what his disciples were hiding, and they brought forward Junior Brother Minglian.

• The cultivators realized Fang Zelin had waited for Demon King Wu to appear before killing him with his spirit sword, and Qingyun explained that Fang pursued the Dao on Wangqing Mountain.
• Qingyun and the other cultivators descended to thank Fang Zelin, who regretted that many fellow cultivators had died in the battle.
• The disciples reported that twenty-three from Jade Void Mountain, eighteen from Ancient Cloud Temple, and eleven from Parasol Roost Cave had perished.
• Qingyun ordered the disciples to search for their fallen fellow disciples, then asked why they were hesitating instead of leaving.
• The disciples said the matter concerned Junior Brother Minglian and stepped aside so he could explain himself.

Minglian confessed that he loved Xue Yan, a snow ferret spirit who had absorbed Human Race Karmic Fortune, and begged Daoist Qianji to accept their relationship. Xue Yan appeared before the cultivators and offered to accept punishment, leaving Daoist Qianji torn between his disciple and the spirit’s offense.

• Daoist Qianji confronted Minglian, who explained how he had rescued Xue Yan, fallen in love with her, and planned to bring her to the temple.
• Minglian recounted that Jade Void Mountain disciples had seen Xue Yan absorb Human Race Karmic Fortune, though they had also witnessed her risk her life to save him.
• Minglian knelt and begged Daoist Qianji to bless their relationship, while Xuan Yi and the other disciples vouched for Xue Yan’s devotion.
• Daoist Qianji demanded to know where Xue Yan was, and she arrived, admitting her greed and asking permission to remain with Minglian.
• Fang Zelin noticed Xue Yan’s severe neck wound as Minglian knelt beside her, and Daoist Qianji struggled to decide how to respond to her offense.

Daoist Qianji ordered Xue Yan, a snow ferret spirit who had stolen Human Race Karmic Fortune, to be slain despite Minglian’s pleas. He proposed refining the stolen fortune from her with pill fire and returning it to the Human Race, and Xue Yan agreed to endure the dangerous process.

• Minglian defended Xue Yan, but Daoist Qianji ordered her execution, and Qingyun and the other elders refused to spare her.
• Xuan Yi and the Jade Void Mountain disciples pleaded for mercy, while Fang Zelin said that mountains and seas divided those in love and could not be leveled.
• Daoist Qianji explained that sparing Xue Yan because she loved Minglian would set a dangerous precedent for demons stealing Human Race Karmic Fortune.
• Xue Yan admitted that greed had driven her to steal the fortune and urged Minglian not to make matters harder for the immortal masters.
• Minglian offered to share Xue Yan’s punishment, and Daoist Qianji proposed using his temple’s Pill Furnace to refine the fortune from her and return it to the Human Race.
• Though the other cultivators warned that the pill fire would cause terrible suffering and leave her with little time to live, Xue Yan agreed to undergo the refinement.

After Fang Zelin helped defeat the demons, he met with Daoist Qianji and the other cultivators to discuss the decline of the Daoist path. They considered using the Blessing Technique to pray for a wise ruler and a lasting, peaceful dynasty, and Fang Zelin agreed to study the technique before attempting it.

• Daoist Qianji allowed the snow ferret spirit to live under close watch, provided its absorbed Human Race Karmic Fortune was refined out with pill fire.
• Fang Zelin and the other cultivators sat down after defeating the demons, and Daoist Qianji thanked Fang Zelin for saving many disciples.
• Fang Zelin raised the decline in Daoist disciples and asked how their inheritance could be preserved.
• Daoist Qianji explained that the Blessing Technique could beseech Heaven for peace and a lasting dynasty, which would help the Daoist path flourish.
• Fang Zelin said he might be able to reach the Heavenly Dao because he had communicated with it before, and the cultivators asked him to lead the effort.
• Qingyun said they first needed to find a wise ruler and pray for him, while Fang Zelin asked to study the Blessing Technique before attempting it.

Fang Zelin received the Blessing Technique and returned to Wangqing Mountain to study it while Qingyun and the others began assessing feudal lords as possible enlightened rulers. After restoring his Spiritual Power and tending to his companions and spirit rice, Fang Zelin focused on the technique, whose success could secure a nation’s fortune or preserve a clan for generations.

• Fang Zelin accepted the Blessing Technique and agreed to perform it after he had studied it and the preparations were complete.
• Qingyun and the other cultivators assigned disciples to secretly observe the feudal lords and judge which might be enlightened rulers.
• Fang Zelin rode back to Yingping Peak, restored his Spiritual Power, and considered developing a faster Sword Riding Technique.
• Fang Zelin used the Lesser Cloud and Rain Technique for the herb boy and spirit rice, then sat down to study the Blessing Technique.
• The tiger and deer demons returned from the summit and quietly waited while Fang Zelin continued studying the technique.

Daoist disciples rejected the governor of Yiyun as a candidate for the new emperor and decided to seek a more suitable ruler through divination. Their search pointed to someone near Yingping Peak, whom Fang Zelin agreed to meet the next day.

• Daoist disciples judged the governor of Yiyun unsuitable after witnessing his soldiers' abuses and chose to keep observing the competing lords.
• The snow ferret spirit entered the Pill Furnace to endure the alchemical flames while Qingyun and the other Daoists returned to discuss choosing a new emperor.
• Daoist Zhong suggested Yuanqing Prefecture, but the Daoists noted that its foreign visitors avoided warfare, so Daoist Qianji proposed performing a divination.
• Two Daoists began divining for a wise ruler, while Daoist Qianji planned to observe the stars.
• Zhenke told Fang Zelin that the wise ruler was fifty li north of Yingping Peak and would wear a golden crown at noon the next day.
• Fang Zelin agreed to meet the ruler and perform the blessing, and Zhenke hurried away to carry out her master's orders.