Chapter Summaries

Fang Zelin learned that the abducted children had been returned home with no memory of what happened, then waited near the fox spirit’s lair for the demon behind the abductions. Meanwhile, the merchants left hoping to catch up with him, unaware he was hiding nearby with the white rabbit.

• The boy in Wugou Village woke with no memory of where he had been, and his parents learned that other returned children had forgotten their abductions too.
• Two Night Wandering Gods reported to Fang Zelin that they had delivered the children home, and he thanked them before deciding to wait at the fox spirit’s lair.
• The merchants searched for Fang Zelin, but Old Wu and the others could not find him or learn where he had gone.
• The merchants guessed Fang Zelin had gone ahead along their route and hurried after him, hoping to meet him again.
• Fang Zelin stayed hidden in a nearby treetop with the white rabbit and waited for the demon, while the rabbit continued to eye its chance to escape.

Fang Zelin waited for the yao expected to collect the children, then followed the sound of a Law Technique to a battle between cultivators and yaoguai. The cultivators struggled against a powerful ape-like yaoguai, and they stayed to fight because the yaoguai had captured ten children.

• Fang Zelin wondered why the yao had not appeared after more than half a month and waited outside the fox spirit’s wooden house.
• Fang Zelin drank Clear as Empty, and the white rabbit escaped while spilling wine on his clothes.
• Fang Zelin heard what sounded like a Lightning Summoning Technique and flew toward the battle.
• An ape-like yaoguai battered the cultivators and trapped several with beams of divine light, but Zhenke’s flying sword interrupted its attack.
• Zhenke urged the cultivators to retreat, but a Rising Tide Valley cultivator explained that the yaoguai had captured ten children and would devour them if left behind.
• The Rising Tide Valley cultivator used his Law Treasure, a book that sent golden light at the yaoguai and disrupted them.

Fang Zelin rescued Zhenke and the Rising Tide Valley cultivators by binding the demons with golden seal-script characters. After the demons were subdued, Yunzi thanked him and introduced herself and her disciples.

• The ape used its Divine Ability to freeze Zhenke, then moved to swallow her and the other cultivators.
• Yunzi tried to reach Zhenke, but the demon fighting her pressed its attack and kept her away.
• Fang Zelin arrived and sent golden seal-script characters from his wine gourd to bind the demons.
• Zhenke thanked Fang Zelin, and he scolded her for her lack of combat experience.
• Yunzi introduced herself as a cultivator of Rising Tide Valley, thanked Fang Zelin, and presented her disciples to him.

Fang Zelin rescued the children captured by the demons and learned that the ape belonged to the overseas Demon Race, which considered cultivation through plunder righteous. He suppressed the ape so Rising Tide Valley could take him back for divination and investigate who was behind the scheme.

• Yunzi released more than ten unharmed children from the largest demon’s mouth and said the demons had intended to use them as blood sacrifices.
• Fang Zelin asked the ape whether it had recruited the fox spirit to capture children, but the ape refused to explain and defended the Demon Race’s cultivation methods.
• Fang Zelin recognized the ape as a member of the overseas Demon Race and realized its words suggested a larger scheme.
• Yunzi said a Northern Liang cultivator could use divination to identify who was behind the ape.
• Fang Zelin suppressed the ape’s Yao Qi, preventing it from killing itself before Rising Tide Valley could take it back.

Fang Zelin joined Yunzi and the Rising Tide Valley cultivators as they searched for the mastermind behind the yao attacks. When they asked how to preserve Great Qian after its allotted span ended, he explained that the way of heaven took from surplus to make up for want, leaving the disciples stunned.

• Yunzi gathered the yao into her sleeve, while Fang Zelin retrieved the nearby small-seal script characters with his wine gourd.
• Fang Zelin agreed to accompany Yunzi and the Rising Tide Valley cultivators as they resumed their search.
• Zhenke asked Fang Zelin whether another blessing could extend Great Qian's reign, and he said another would be difficult to obtain.
• Fang Zelin said the alternative was to follow the way of heaven, which took from surplus to make up for want.
• The Rising Tide Valley disciples stood rooted to the spot as Fang Zelin's words echoed in their hearts.

Fang Zelin discussed the decline of dynasties and questioned whether Northern Liang's approaching fall had drawn demons out into the open. The group continued investigating demon activity, and Fang burned the abandoned fox demons’ lair after revealing they had killed hundreds of people.

• Yunzi praised Fang Zelin’s explanation of how dynasties exploited the people and eventually declined.
• Fang Zelin and Yunzi discussed Northern Liang’s age and whether its Human Race Karmic Fortune had attracted the demons; Fang doubted that explanation because the demons were acting too openly.
• Yunzi told Fang Zelin that disciples had already been sent to Northern Liang’s imperial capital to investigate.
• A Rising Tide Valley disciple showed Fang Zelin a map marking known demons, and Fang said he had already killed the fox demons near their former lair after they had eaten at least three hundred people.
• Fang Zelin set the fox demons’ abandoned house ablaze, where piles of bones remained.

Fang Zelin and the Rising Tide Valley cultivators found that more yaojing had vanished, while an unknown enemy remained hidden. As they discussed Northern Liang’s fading karmic fortune and Great Qian’s possible expansion, Yunzi raised the prospect of Great Qian annexing Northern Liang, though Fang Zelin warned that it would be difficult to govern.

• Fang Zelin searched two locations marked on the Rising Tide Valley cultivators’ maps and found that the yaojing were gone from both.
• Fang Zelin and the cultivators camped for the night, and he observed that Northern Liang’s Purple Tetrarch Star looked dim beside Great Qian’s.
• Yunzi agreed that Northern Liang’s karmic fortune was nearly exhausted and said cultivators lacked the power to bless someone as Fang Zelin could.
• Fang Zelin suggested Northern Liang’s future ruler could learn from Great Qian’s policies, but Yunzi questioned how cultivators could influence a mortal ruler.
• Yunzi asked what Fang Zelin thought of Great Qian annexing Northern Liang, and Fang Zelin said it depended on the emperor’s intentions and warned that Northern Liang would be difficult to govern.

Fang Zelin stood guard while his fellow cultivators recovered and planned to resume searching for the overseas Demon Cultivator the next day. At Seeking Dao Mountain, Wu Qing and the Rising Tide Valley disciples discovered Wu Ling had failed to enter, while the Fishing Old Man and the old Daoist reflected on the immortal cultivation world’s decline and the lad who had begun to reverse it.

• Fang Zelin agreed to stand guard while Yunzi and the other cultivators meditated and recovered overnight.
• The Rising Tide Valley disciples gathered before Seeking Dao Mountain and celebrated that Wu Qing and their other sect members had entered.
• Wu Qing counted the group and realized Junior Sister Wu Ling had failed to enter again.
• Wu Qing rejected a suggestion to ask the senior for more guidance, warning that forcing Wu Ling could unsettle her Dao Heart.
• The Fishing Old Man and the old Daoist discussed the great calamity that had weakened immortal cultivation and doubted the lad could restore its former peak.

The Fishing Old Man and the old Daoist playing chess recalled how they had sacrificed themselves to preserve the immortal cultivators’ last sliver of fortune, and feared what would happen if it were stolen again. After Fang Zelin’s companions finished cultivating at Seeking Dao Mountain, Yunzi asked whether he planned to found a sect, but he said he would consider taking disciples only after further cultivating his character and virtue.

• The Fishing Old Man warned that immortal cultivators might be beyond redemption if their fortune were stolen again, and the old Daoist feared the mortal world would be left to the Demon Race.
• The Fishing Old Man said he hoped none of his companions would stop him from revealing heaven’s secrets and sacrificing himself in a Lightning Tribulation if that time came.
• The next day, Fang Zelin’s fellow Daoists thanked him after completing their cultivation, and Yunzi and the others admired his guidance.
• Yunzi asked Fang Zelin when he planned to found a sect and invited him to let them know so they could congratulate him.
• Fang Zelin said he would not take disciples until he had further tempered his character and virtue, because he did not want to lead them astray.

Fang Zelin and Yunzi set out with the Rising Tide Valley disciples to search for demons, while Wu Qing confronted Wu Ling for failing to understand Fang Zelin’s guidance. Wu Ling learned she might be punished for neglecting cultivation and begged her fellow disciples to intercede.

• Fang Zelin told Yunzi he felt he had not cultivated long enough to claim complete virtue, and they set out as the Rising Tide Valley disciples searched ahead for demons.
• Wu Qing scolded Wu Ling for missing Fang Zelin’s guidance, which had helped the other disciples enter Seeking Dao Mountain while cultivating.
• Wu Ling congratulated her fellow disciples on their progress, but they warned her that Master was disappointed and might punish her.
• Wu Ling panicked at the thought of punishment and asked her fellow disciples to plead for her, while they lamented that she still missed the point.

Wu Qing and Yunzi worried that Wu Ling had failed to comprehend the Dao despite her promising temperament and aptitude. Yunzi decided that once their current affairs were settled, she would ask to send Wu Ling to Jade Void Mountain to read the Scripture of Salvation in hopes that she could enter Seeking Dao Mountain.

• Wu Qing urged Wu Ling to try harder to comprehend the Dao, while Wu Ling compared herself unfavorably with Zhenke, who had comprehended the Dao six times.
• Wu Qing and Wu Ling discussed visiting Jade Void Mountain to read the Scripture of Salvation, which could help cultivators enter Seeking Dao Mountain.
• Wu Qing left Wu Ling when she noticed Yunzi approaching, and Wu Ling nervously greeted her master.
• Yunzi lamented that Wu Ling had fallen behind her junior sisters despite her good temperament and aptitude, while Wu Ling apologized for disappointing her.
• Yunzi told Wu Ling she would ask a fellow Daoist to let her visit Jade Void Mountain and read the Scripture of Salvation after their current affairs were settled.

Fang Zelin questioned Wu Ling about her Non-Action cultivation after learning she had failed to find her own Dao. His challenge shook Wu Ling’s Dao Heart, leaving Yunzi and Fang Zelin concerned that she might be in danger.

• Wu Ling apologized to Yunzi for failing to enter Seeking Dao Mountain, and Yunzi comforted her.
• Fang Zelin approached Yunzi and Wu Ling, learned Wu Ling had not found her Dao, and heard Wu Qing explain that Wu Ling had comprehended the Dao only once.
• Fang Zelin said Wu Ling’s quiet, serene disposition should suit cultivation, prompting the disciples to hope he could guide her.
• Fang Zelin asked Wu Ling what kind of Non-Action she cultivated and challenged her belief with the example of demons stealing Human Race Karmic Fortune.
• Wu Ling became conflicted between her master's teaching to uphold justice and her Non-Action path, and her Dao Heart began to shake.

Fang Zelin clarified Wu Ling’s misunderstanding of Non-Action and guided her toward the path of Clarity and Stillness and Non-Action. Wu Ling attained enlightenment in the Dao, setting her cultivation on a broad and promising path.

• Fang Zelin explained that Non-Action meant following nature rather than doing nothing, but Wu Ling remained confused.
• Fang Zelin elaborated on stillness, spirit, and Qi, and Wu Ling began to understand his words.
• Fang Zelin described Clarity and Stillness and Non-Action, and Wu Ling attained enlightenment in the Dao.
• Wu Qing and the other disciples realized Wu Ling’s enlightenment would let her enter Seeking Dao Mountain at least three times.
• Yunzi thanked Fang Zelin and reassured him that Wu Ling had overcome the hurdle in her Dao Heart.

Fang Zelin and Wu Ling entered Seeking Dao Mountain while cultivating, and Fang Zelin treated the familiar place like home. He brought Wu Ling to see the Fishing Old Man, who immediately clarified that he had caught fish and thrown them back.

• Wu Ling gained insight and began cultivating, while Fang Zelin also sat down to cultivate and his spirit sword Bearing the Heavens absorbed much of the surrounding Spiritual Qi.
• The Rising Tide Valley disciples and Yunzi watched Bearing the Heavens cultivate and were astonished by its fierce sword intent and appetite for Spiritual Qi.
• Fang Zelin entered Seeking Dao Mountain, and Wu Ling appeared there as well; he praised her improved cultivation and invited her to come along.
• Fang Zelin led Wu Ling to the Fishing Old Man, who said he had caught fish and thrown them back rather than getting skunked.

Fang Zelin returned to Seeking Dao Mountain, where he played Go with an old Daoist and heard a cryptic warning about forces plotting against cultivators. The old Daoist began to ask him about the fortune of immortal cultivators, leaving Fang Zelin and Wu Ling puzzled.

• The Fishing Old Man sent Fang Zelin to play Go with the old Daoist, who recognized him from his many visits despite Fang Zelin forgetting each one.
• Wu Ling teased a boy who praised her cultivation but admitted he could not give her pointers.
• Fang Zelin lost the Go game and observed that the old Daoist had dismantled his stones while leaving him an empty-looking position.
• The old Daoist warned Fang Zelin that someone might be laying plans against cultivators, but denied knowing who had killed two cultivators outside Great Qian.
• The old Daoist asked Fang Zelin whether he knew about the fortune of immortal cultivators, confusing both Fang Zelin and Wu Ling.

Fang Zelin learned that cultivators’ fortune had once been stolen, leaving them with shorter lifespans and greater difficulty cultivating, though the old Daoist could not reveal the details. After leaving Seeking Dao Mountain, Fang Zelin resumed his search with Yunzi and the disciples, reaching a village where a pangolin demon was said to dwell.

• The old Daoist told Fang Zelin that cultivators had fortune and that its theft was a heavenly secret, adding that their conversations were repeatedly forgotten after Fang Zelin left.
• The old Daoist explained that stolen fortune shortened cultivators’ lifespans and made cultivation, mastering Law Techniques, comprehending the Dao, and producing disciples more difficult.
• Fang Zelin reflected on cultivators’ peaceful lives and the burdens of fighting demons, and the old Daoist warned him not to neglect vigilance.
• Fang Zelin finished playing chess, left Seeking Dao Mountain, and awoke beside Yunzi after a day of cultivation.
• Fang Zelin and Yunzi continued searching with the disciples and reached a village where Yunzi expected a pangolin demon to still be nearby.

Fang Zelin and Yunzi investigated a drought-stricken village where the locals worshiped a pangolin spirit, while Yunzi sent disciples to treat the sick. After Fang Zelin brought rain to the fields with his unusual technique, they set out to investigate the spirit.

• Yunzi spotted signs of illness in the village and sent Wu Qing and several disciples to treat the villagers as wandering Daoists.
• Fang Zelin found the fields parched and questioned whether the pangolin had failed to help the villagers or had caused the drought.
• A disciple reported that most villagers had gone up the mountain to worship Great Immortal Mountain Strength, whom the locals identified as the pangolin.
• Fang Zelin used the Lesser Cloud and Rain Technique twice to bring Spiritual Qi-infused rain to the fields.
• Yunzi admired Fang Zelin for using his cultivation to help ordinary people as they prepared to visit the pangolin.

Fang Zelin and Yunzi discovered that a great yao had diverted the water vein beneath Wandering Oriole Village, causing its drought, while the pangolin worshipped as the Great Immortal faced a tribulation over accepting incense without helping the villagers. They left the pangolin to choose its fate, assigned disciples to restore the water vein afterward, and set out to search for the great yao.

• Fang Zelin and Yunzi reached the temple during the villagers’ sacrifice and sensed that a pangolin yao was inside.
• The pangolin admitted that a great yao had diverted the village’s water vein and warned it not to interfere, but it still absorbed the villagers’ incense offerings.
• Fang Zelin and Yunzi realized the pangolin’s tribulation tested whether it would help the villagers, and they left without revealing what they knew.
• Yunzi ordered several disciples to remain in Wandering Oriole Village and restore its water vein after the pangolin’s tribulation ended.
• Fang Zelin and Yunzi decided to search nearby for the great yao and told their disciples to report any discoveries.

The villagers made their fifth offering to the Great Immortal during a drought but received no response, and they feared he would not help them. After they returned home, they found water in their rice paddies and credited the Great Immortal, though the village chief doubted he had caused it.

• The villagers waited for the Great Immortal to respond to their offering, but the village chief led them away when none came.
• The villagers worried that the Great Immortal had stopped helping them, while the village chief warned them not to anger him.
• The villagers returned to find water shimmering in their rice paddies and rushed over to confirm it was real.
• The villagers rejoiced and credited the Great Immortal with summoning the water, but the village chief suspected it had not been his doing.

Villagers debated whether the Great Immortal or the wandering Daoists had brought rain to their fields, while the pangolin weighed helping them against the danger posed by a powerful yao. Fang Zelin dismissed his disciple’s frustration over receiving no credit and hoped the mistaken praise might encourage the pangolin to help the village.

• The villagers found water in their rice paddies and argued over whether the Great Immortal or the wandering Daoists had made it rain.
• The village head told the villagers to welcome both the Great Immortal and the Daoists, since they could not know who had helped them.
• The pangolin absorbed the villagers’ incense offerings and considered helping irrigate their fields, but decided against it because he feared the powerful yao nearby.
• A Rising Tide Valley disciple told Fang Zelin that the villagers credited the Great Immortal for his rain spell and asked what they should do.
• Fang Zelin told the disciple that the empty fame did not matter and said the misunderstanding might persuade the pangolin to help the village.