Chapter Summaries

Fang Zelin and the cultivators searched for the demon that had threatened the pangolin and altered the village’s water veins. They captured a demon that denied responsibility, then revealed that overseas demons had pressured it to cause droughts, though it insisted it had not joined them.

• Fang Zelin asked Yunzi to arrange help restoring the village’s water veins if the pangolin did not intervene, and Yunzi agreed.
• Rising Tide Valley disciples found and captured a powerful demon whose Law Technique could alter water veins.
• The demon first denied threatening the pangolin, then pleaded for its life and claimed other demons had forced it to cause droughts across Northern Liang.
• Wu Qing questioned the demon about the overseas demons, and its reaction revealed that it knew of them.
• The demon insisted it had not joined the overseas demons and complained that the cultivators had targeted the wrong demon.

Wu Qing interrogated a demon that had fled from overseas demons planning to seize immortal cultivators’ karmic fortune, and extracted information while withholding judgment about its honesty. Fang Zelin and the other cultivators realized they knew nothing about cultivators’ karmic fortune, and he asked Yunzi whether she knew more.

• Wu Qing rejected the demon’s claim that it had no involvement with the overseas demons and pressed it to prove its innocence.
• The demon said it had fled when the overseas demons revealed their plan, then tried to exploit the distraction to steal some of the Human Race’s Karmic Fortune.
• The demon revealed that the overseas demons intended to seize immortal cultivators’ karmic fortune, surprising Fang Zelin and the other cultivators.
• Wu Qing skillfully kept questioning the demon until it divulged what it knew, then stored it away for later verification.
• Fang Zelin praised Wu Qing’s interrogation and asked Yunzi whether she knew about immortal cultivators’ karmic fortune.

Fang Zelin and Yunzi discussed the importance of a cultivator’s fortune, and Yunzi sent Wu Ling back to Dinggui Mountain to inform the other cultivators. After the group settled near the village for the night, Fang Zelin shared his immortal wine with the Rising Tide Valley disciples, who delighted in its taste.

• Fang Zelin admitted that the matter of a cultivator’s fortune sounded familiar to him, though he could not remember where he had heard of it.
• Yunzi told Wu Ling to return to Dinggui Mountain, inform the other cultivators about fortune, and focus on her cultivation.
• Wu Ling took the two captured demons back for further interrogation, while Fang Zelin and the others prepared to rest near the village.
• Wu Qing and the other Rising Tide Valley disciples discussed Fang Zelin’s wine, and Zhenke listed the varieties he carried.
• Fang Zelin shared his immortal wine with the disciples, who tasted it and eagerly drank more.

Fang Zelin shared wine with Yunzi and her disciples, then discovered a pangolin yao eavesdropping nearby. He let the pangolin go but warned him that taking things outside their proper way was theft.

• Yunzi suggested that Fang Zelin open a shop, and he offered to exchange wine for books about the immortal realm and other unusual tales.
• Fang Zelin and Yunzi discussed cultivation and strange events while the disciples listened and drank with them.
• Yunzi sensed a yao in the woods, and Wu Qing and Zhenke confronted the pangolin who had been listening.
• The disciples recognized the pangolin as the yao from the nearby village, and he feared they knew he cultivated through incense offerings.
• Fang Zelin let the pangolin leave and advised him that taking things outside their proper way was theft.

The pangolin fled after misunderstanding Fang Zelin’s offer of guidance, leaving Fang Zelin and Yunzi to arrange for the waterways to be restored. The cultivators then traveled toward the Mountain Horn Demon King’s territory to seek information, while the pangolin continued away from the area.

• The pangolin panicked at Fang Zelin’s words and fled underground, wondering what the cultivators had regretted and why he felt he had missed something.
• Yunzi explained that Fang Zelin had offered the pangolin a chance to make amends by restoring the waterways, but Fang Zelin accepted that the pangolin had failed to understand.
• Yunzi agreed to ask other cultivators to repair the waterways, and the disciples meditated before leaving the next morning.
• Fang Zelin and Yunzi traveled toward the Mountain Horn Demon King’s territory, where Yunzi said the demon king guarded a wondrous flower that aided his cultivation.
• The pangolin pulled up an herb, found something foul buried beneath it, and continued toward the edge of the territory so he could travel farther away.

The pangolin encountered a sinister old man whose presence brought misfortune and learned that secretly cultivating through the Dao of Incense was a dangerous violation of the rules. The old man was astonished that the pangolin had survived the method, but the reason it had done so remained unclear.

• The pangolin met a ragged old man who recognized it as a yaoguai and warned that it would suffer misfortune and make no further cultivation progress.
• The pangolin recognized the old man as an infamous bringer of bad luck and wondered how it had encountered him after meeting cultivators the previous night.
• The old man said the pangolin had likely used up its remaining Yin Merit and asked whether it had met a cultivator.
• The pangolin recalled Fang Zelin's words and explained that it had secretly cultivated through the Dao of Incense before fleeing a village threatened by a powerful yaoguai.
• The old man said yaoguai could not safely cultivate using the methods of Orthodox Gods and expressed shock that the pangolin had survived.

The pangolin learned that he had missed a chance to become an Orthodox God because he had accepted incense offerings without helping the villagers when they needed him. Hoping to make amends, he hurried to find the immortal cultivators who had warned him.

• The old man told the pangolin that his cultivation had overstepped its proper Dao, though he did not know why the heavenly punishment had come now.
• The pangolin recalled Fang Zelin warning him that taking anything without following its proper Dao was theft.
• The old man explained that the warning had offered the pangolin a chance to set things right and attain the position of an Orthodox God.
• The pangolin realized he had felt guilty because he kept absorbing the villagers' incense after failing to help them during a drought.
• The pangolin asked how he could make amends, and the old man advised him to seek the immortal cultivators.
• The pangolin hurried toward the place where he had met the immortal cultivators.

Yunzi and Fang Zelin questioned the Bull Devil King about the overseas Demon Race’s plans to attack cultivators. The Bull Devil King gave them the same limited account as another demon, leaving them unsure whether the overseas demons had withheld the truth.

• The pangolin returned to the place where he had seen the cultivators and found it deserted, realizing he could no longer find them.
• Yunzi told Fang Zelin that the Bull Devil King was a green-horned ox who had cultivated while guarding an exotic flower.
• Yunzi, Fang Zelin, and their group arrived at the Bull Devil King’s cave abode, and he invited them inside to talk.
• The Bull Devil King explained that he had worked as a plow ox for nearly a hundred years to repay a hunter who saved him from a tiger demon.
• The Bull Devil King said overseas demons had asked him to help surround and kill cultivators so they could seize their destiny and strengthen the Demon Race’s destiny.
• Yunzi compared the Bull Devil King’s account with another demon’s and wondered whether the overseas demons had concealed the truth from them.

Yunzi and Fang Zelin learned that the overseas demons were at Azure Cloud Ridge and hurried there. The demons prepared a grand formation to trap the approaching cultivators, while their leader secretly planned to sacrifice his own subordinates to strengthen it.

• The Azure-Horned Bull Devil King told Yunzi that the overseas demons might be at Azure Cloud Ridge, and Yunzi promised the cultivators would help if they came after him.
• Yunzi, Fang Zelin, and the others left for Azure Cloud Ridge to investigate before the demons could move on.
• The demons waiting at Azure Cloud Ridge worried that the cultivators had not yet found them, but expected them to come after hearing that two cultivators had been tortured and killed.
• The great demon sensed the cultivators approaching and reassured his subordinates that the formation would trap them.
• The great demon secretly intended to sacrifice the lesser demons inside the formation to increase its power and kill the arriving cultivators.

Fang Zelin and the cultivators descended toward Azure Cloud Ridge and were caught in a demon array, but Bearing the Heavens split it apart with one stroke. The demons discovered their great demon had used them as sacrifices, while Fang Zelin recognized the array had been designed to target his group.

• More than twenty cultivators arrived at Azure Cloud Ridge, and the great demon secretly activated his array as they approached.
• Yunzi sensed concealed Yao Qi, and Fang Zelin led the group down to investigate the ridge.
• The array surrounded the cultivators, but Bearing the Heavens cleaved through it before Yunzi could shield her disciples.
• Bearing the Heavens exposed the demons below and held them at sword point, while Zhenke and the other Rising Tide Valley disciples readied their Law Treasures.
• The demons realized the great demon had drained their Law Power and vitality to fuel the array, and they accused him of using them as sacrifices.
• Fang Zelin observed that the array had been set specifically to target his group.

Yunzi questioned an overseas great yao after Fang Zelin broke the array he had used to ambush the cultivators. The yao refused to reveal his plans and tried to trick the Rising Tide Valley disciples into sacrificing their flesh for information.

• Fang Zelin broke the array with Bearing the Heavens before it could trap Yunzi and her disciples.
• Yunzi recognized the great yao as an overseas yao and questioned him about the plot to steal the Northern Liang cultivators’ fate.
• The great yao refused to cooperate and challenged Yunzi to use torture methods associated with the Demonic Dao.
• The great yao claimed the plan could shorten cultivators’ lifespans and hinder their cultivation, then demanded a slice of flesh in exchange for information.
• The great yao secretly intended to deceive anyone who offered flesh and eyed the Rising Tide Valley disciples hungrily.

Fang Zelin brought the captured demons to a City God Temple and asked the City God to help investigate their scheme to steal cultivators’ luck. The City God examined the great demon with a netherworld scroll and erupted in anger at what it revealed.

• Yunzi urged Fang Zelin to kill the great demon, but Fang Zelin said they could leave the interrogation to others and ordered the demons captured.
• Fang Zelin prepared spirit-rice offerings in a village, sharing some with the children and making rice cakes and pastries.
• Fang Zelin led the Rising Tide Valley disciples to the prefectural seat and brought the offerings to the City God Temple.
• Fang Zelin summoned the City God, explained the demons’ affairs, and had Wu Qing release the captives.
• The City God examined the great demon with a netherworld scroll and grew furious at what he saw.

Fang Zelin asked the City God to interrogate an overseas demon about the other demons plotting against Northern Liang, and the City God agreed. After the demons were taken away, Yunzi advised her disciples to seek the City God's help in similar cases, though they worried they could not provide offerings like Fang Zelin's.

• The City God confronted the great demon over the killings and disappearances of pregnant women in Northern Liang, and the demon offered to reveal what he knew to avoid the Underworld Bureau.
• Fang Zelin refused to trust the demon's offer and asked the City God to extract information about the overseas demons and their plans.
• The City God agreed to interrogate the demon and sent soul-reaping envoys to take all the demons away.
• Fang Zelin decided to wait while the Rising Tide Valley group meditated and rested in the city.
• Yunzi told her disciples they could ask the City God for help in the future, and they worried they would not have offerings like Fang Zelin's.

Yunzi reassured Fang Zelin that Orthodox Gods would help fellow cultivators without judging their gifts, and he proposed acting quickly against the demons once their locations were known. After the cultivators rested and shared steamed buns, an Underworld official arrived to summon them.

• Yunzi explained to Wu Qing that the pangolin had failed to become an Orthodox God because it had not shown enough kindness, then reassured Fang Zelin about his tributes.
• Fang Zelin suggested notifying the other cultivators so they could attack the demons as soon as the Underworld Bureau revealed their whereabouts, and Yunzi sent a letter by immortal crane.
• Fang Zelin stood guard while Yunzi and the others cultivated for the night.
• Fang Zelin bought steamed buns with his remaining silver, and the cultivators ate them after waking.
• An Underworld official arrived and told the group that the lord requested their presence.

After the captured great demon confessed that the other demons were in Bridge Township and that a possible member of the Devil Race had supplied them with formations and methods, Fang Zelin and Yunzi set out to investigate. They left the City God Temple while the Underworld official took the demon back for more interrogation.

• The Underworld official told Fang Zelin that the great demon had confessed, and the group went to the City God Temple to hear the details.
• The City God revealed that the demon suspected a member of the Devil Race had supplied the demons with formations and methods for dealing with immortal cultivators.
• Fang Zelin questioned the demon, who said the other demons were in Bridge Township but could not identify the suspected Devil Race member or their whereabouts.
• Fang Zelin and Yunzi decided to head to Bridge Township ahead of the other cultivators, while Yunzi planned to leave them a message.
• After Fang Zelin and the others departed, the City God ordered the Underworld official to continue interrogating the great demon.

Fang Zelin and Yunzi concealed themselves above Bridge Township, where the villagers had been replaced by demons, and waited for reinforcements while searching for the Demonic Dao cultivator. About a hundred cultivators arrived to help, but their master was still pursuing a fast-moving demon.

• Fang Zelin and the cultivators reached Bridge Township and discovered that the villagers had become demons.
• Yunzi calmed his disciples and concealed the group so they could observe the demons without alerting them.
• Fang Zelin told Yunzi he suspected the Demonic Dao cultivator was not among the demons and warned that they still did not know how he stole cultivators' fortune.
• Fang Zelin suggested asking a cultivator skilled in divination to investigate how the Demonic Dao cultivator seized fortune.
• Around a hundred cultivators arrived and offered to help Yunzi, explaining that their master was pursuing a fast demon and could not come.

Fang Zelin and Yunzi prepared to attack the demons below, dividing the seven great demons between them while the disciples rested. Once the disciples were ready, they launched their assault under the moonlight, with Fang Zelin and Yunzi targeting the great demons.

• Fang Zelin said he could handle four great demons, while Yunzi admitted she could probably face only two.
• Fang Zelin discussed using Bearing the Heavens against the demons but decided to save its single devastating strike for a more crucial threat.
• Fang Zelin agreed to try taking on one additional great demon, and Yunzi accepted the plan.
• After the disciples finished recovering, Fang Zelin told them to fight the lesser demons while he and Yunzi dealt with the great demons.
• Fang Zelin and Yunzi launched their Law Treasures at the demons as the other cultivators attacked.

Fang Zelin and Yunzi confronted the great demons hiding among the gathered demons, and the demons mistook the small number of powerful cultivators for an easy target. Fang Zelin effortlessly collected all five demons’ attacks in his gourd, leaving them terrified and searching for a way to escape.

• The demons discovered the cultivators’ attack, and the five great demons joined forces to block the golden small-seal characters.
• Seeing only two cultivators of profound cultivation, the great demons decided to fight instead of flee and charged at Fang Zelin with their Divine Abilities.
• Yunzi warned Fang Zelin as the demons unleashed thunder, a gale, black water, a red stone, and a feather against him.
• Fang Zelin held up his gourd and shouted “Collect!”, sucking in and breaking all five attacks.
• The great demons realized Fang Zelin was far stronger than they expected and began looking for a chance to flee.

Fang Zelin trapped five great demons with golden lesser seal characters and crushed them beneath a massive palm, but they escaped during the attack. He pursued them on Bearing the Heavens, leaving the demons fighting Yunzi convinced that they were doomed.

• Fang Zelin noticed his gourd had cracked and poured out golden lesser seal characters to trap the five great demons while he cast a spell.
• The great demons broke through the golden cage and tried to flee, but Fang Zelin used Size at Will to strike them into the mountains below.
• Fang Zelin found five deep pits but no demons, realized they had escaped, and ordered Bearing the Heavens to pursue them.
• Bearing the Heavens carried Fang Zelin away at tremendous speed, while the two demons fighting Yunzi feared they could not escape him.
• Zhenke watched Fang Zelin's sword-riding technique and compared its speed with her own.

Fang Zelin defeated the great demons attacking the cultivators, though one escaped using an earth escape technique. After returning to Yunzi and the others, Fang Zelin agreed to visit Dinggui Mountain and discuss the Devil Race threat.

• The injured great demon escaped underground, but a streak of sword light killed it before it could flee farther.
• Zhenke confirmed the demons at the battlefield had been slain, and Wu Qing prepared to take a bound demon back for interrogation.
• Fang Zelin returned and admitted that one great demon had escaped after he lost its trail.
• Yunzi praised Fang Zelin for defeating five great demons and pursuing them more than a thousand li, despite one escaping.
• Yunzi invited Fang Zelin to Dinggui Mountain to discuss the Devil Race, and Fang Zelin agreed to go.