Recaps

After being expelled from the Yedie River Holy Land, Wu Chao and Zhang Xuezhou lived in a slave tent and faced mockery from apprentices. Wu Chao turned the tables on Wu Ming and, inspired by Zhang Xuezhou, decided to seek farewell gifts from his junior brothers before leaving the mountain.

• Apprentices learned that Wu Chao and Zhang Xuezhou had been expelled and gathered outside their tent to mock them.
• Wu Chao explained to Zhang Xuezhou that Wu Ming, the third son of the Abusi Tribe chief, had enough status to provoke him despite his fall from favor.
• Wu Ming challenged Wu Chao, who trapped him with the Snake Head Incantation and threatened to kill anyone who intervened.
• Zhang Xuezhou urged the watching apprentices to bring gifts if they wanted Wu Chao to spare Wu Ming.
• Wu Chao demanded Heavenly Silkworm Silk from Wu Ming and decided to visit his junior brothers to collect farewell gifts.

Wu Chao and Zhang Xuezhou finished looting the apprentices of the Yedie River Holy Land and decided to leave before trouble found them. As their carriages departed, Hongku sent Jin Chang, disguised as Venerable Wenhuang, to follow them and prepare to strike.

• Dharma Master Hongyi and the other Dharma Masters discussed Hongku's expulsion of Wu Chao and Wu Jin while the bruised apprentices prepared to send Wu Chao and Zhang Xuezhou off the mountain.
• Wu Chao and Zhang Xuezhou collected more than eighty portions of materials from the apprentices, and Zhang Xuezhou learned from Wu Chao that storage bags were scarce and difficult for outsiders to obtain.
• Zhang Xuezhou felt his Demon Power growing and worried about its effects, so he urged Wu Chao to leave the Yedie River Holy Land and look for the Xiong State royal family's supply caravan.
• Wu Chao and Zhang Xuezhou packed their belongings, summoned several slaves, and departed the Holy Land in two horse-drawn carriages.
• Hongku told Jin Chang, disguised as Venerable Wenhuang, that a Venerable would likely follow Wu Chao and Wu Jin, then ordered him to choose a moment to strike.

Venerable Black Mountain and Venerable White Bone speculated about Venerable Wenhuang and Hongku’s alliance as Venerable Yufeng pursued his own course. Meanwhile, Zhang Xuezhou and Wu Chao left the Sacred Land together, but their journey stopped when Yufeng descended and called out for Wenhuang.

• Venerable Black Mountain and Venerable White Bone discussed Wenhuang’s closeness to Hongku and watched Venerable Yufeng leave the Sacred Land.
• Zhang Xuezhou and Wu Chao left the Sacred Land, shared plans to combine their sect legacies, and decided to camp rather than travel through the night.
• Venerable Yufeng descended from the sky near their camp, ignored Wu Chao’s greeting, and called out, “Wenhuang!”

Venerable Yufeng attacked Wu Chao and Zhang Xuezhou while searching for Venerable Wenhuang, but Jin Chang’s ambush left Yufeng holding Wenhuang’s poisoned head. As Jin Chang weakened and Wenhuang begged for a new body, Yufeng threatened to use his strength to claim a vessel.

• Venerable Yufeng searched the carriages for Venerable Wenhuang and destroyed them, killing the horses and enslaved drivers.
• Venerable Yufeng’s oppressive force made Wu Chao and Zhang Xuezhou bleed and plunged Zhang Xuezhou into a terrifying vision.
• Jin Chang urged Zhang Xuezhou and Wu Chao to attack after he ambushed Venerable Yufeng, who ended up holding Venerable Wenhuang’s head.
• Jin Chang revealed that his strength was declining and tried to persuade Venerable Wenhuang to kill Yufeng in exchange for a new body.
• Venerable Wenhuang pleaded for revenge against Jin Chang, while Venerable Yufeng considered using his own body or the bodies of Wu Chao and Zhang Xuezhou as vessels.

Venerable Yufeng formed a wind blade to kill the group and preserve their bodies, but Wu Chao and Zhang Xuezhou seized the chance to kill him first. Yufeng’s exploding technique stripped the flesh from him and Venerable Wenhuang, leaving both dead as bones.

• Venerable Yufeng began forming a razor-sharp wind blade, and Zhang Xuezhou and Wu Chao realized he intended to take their bodies.
• Jin Chang ordered the others to kill Yufeng, while Zhang Xuezhou ran to give Wu Chao room to use the Great Wilderness Creation Scripture.
• Wu Chao sent his Snake Head Incantation at Yufeng, and the venomous python bit into his groin but could not penetrate his defenses.
• Zhang Xuezhou turned back and used Venerable Lei’s “Technique Within the Clouds” to behead Yufeng with the blade that had killed Hongku.
• Yufeng’s unfinished wind blade exploded, stripping the flesh from Venerable Wenhuang’s head and then Yufeng’s body until both were reduced to bones.

Zhang Xuezhou survived Venerable Yufeng’s storm because his wings shielded him, though the gale left him badly cut and his clothes shredded. He treated Wu Chao while Jin Chang begged for help, and Zhang and Wu recognized that Jin Chang’s poisoned, weakened state offered a chance to kill him.

• Zhang Xuezhou, Wu Chao, and Jin Chang were battered by Venerable Yufeng’s storm, but Zhang’s wings protected his body while Zou Bugui’s pill rapidly lost its power.
• Jin Chang noticed that Zhang’s wings had formed wind vortices and deduced that Venerable Lei’s fruit was protecting him.
• Jin Chang begged Zhang Xuezhou to save him as the Golden Toad Poison worsened his condition, but Zhang initially remained overwhelmed by pain.
• After Wu Chao called out about a great treasure, Zhang Xuezhou recovered his wits, treated himself with the Supreme Purity True Technique, and then began healing Wu Chao.
• Zhang Xuezhou considered leaving Jin Chang to die, while Wu Chao recognized that Jin Chang’s helplessness presented an opportunity to kill him.

Zhang Xuezhou agreed to save Jin Chang after Jin Chang warned that Hongku had arranged the operation to kill them all. Jin Chang swore a Heart Demon Oath to protect Zhang Xuezhou and diligently train Wu Chao, while Zhang fell asleep from exhaustion and the survivors faced the journey ahead.

• Jin Chang begged Zhang Xuezhou to save him, warning that Hongku had planned for all five of them to die and could still be a threat.
• Zhang Xuezhou demanded that Jin Chang swear a Heart Demon Oath to protect him and properly train Wu Chao, and Jin Chang agreed.
• Wu Chao recovered enough to stand and realized he would have to travel a long distance on foot toward Xiong State's capital.
• Jin Chang noticed that Zhang Xuezhou had fallen asleep from exhaustion and concluded they would have to protect him until he could heal them again.
• Jin Chang suspected Hongku had outmaneuvered him and wondered how they had survived the scheme.

Wu Chao sought reassurance that Hongku’s Substitute Death Incantation had been lifted, and Zhang Xuezhou and Jin Chang explained why he was likely safe if he stayed away from Hongku. Jin Chang reflected on Zhang Xuezhou’s knack for profiting from dangerous schemes, then turned to investigate why his own cultivation was declining.

• Wu Chao asked Zhang Xuezhou whether the Substitute Death Incantation had been completely lifted, and Zhang Xuezhou said Hongku probably would not have risked leaving it in place.
• Jin Chang explained that Hongku’s death-substitution technique likely depended on proximity and told Wu Chao not to blame every former student’s death on Hongku.
• Jin Chang warned that he had planted a hidden measure in Hongku and said he would kill him with a curse if Hongku failed to give a satisfactory answer.
• Wu Chao asked Jin Chang to keep him far away when he went to confront Hongku, and Jin Chang reflected on how Zhang Xuezhou had disrupted the scheme and escaped with the Heavenly Thunder Fruit.
• Jin Chang judged that Zhang Xuezhou’s limited cultivation aptitude would make it difficult for him to reach the top, then focused on discovering why his own cultivation had declined.

As the group traveled through the wilderness, Jin Chang taught Wu Chao the Yin Yang Nine People Sect’s cultivation methods while Zhang Xuezhou listened and weighed the cost of learning a second inheritance. Jin Chang revealed that the Golden Toad Poison and his expensive battles had left him weak and nearly bankrupt, leaving Wu Chao without the support he had hoped for.

• Jin Chang taught Wu Chao the Yin Yang Nine People Sect’s methods while Zhang Xuezhou memorized the lessons and declined to cultivate a second inheritance.
• Jin Chang explained that advancing through both the Nine Heavens Sect and Nine People Sect required great difficulty and additional cultivation resources.
• Jin Chang described how cultivation changed upon reaching the Divine Ability Realm and suggested Wu Chao might develop a technique based on his Snake Head Incantation.
• Jin Chang revealed that his battles had depleted his resources and that the Golden Toad Poison had weakened him, warning Zhang Xuezhou and Wu Chao not to cause trouble.
• Zhang Xuezhou realized Jin Chang could not help Wu Chao secure a position in the imperial family, leaving Wu Chao grim-faced.

Jin Chang, Zhang Xuezhou, and Wu Chao traveled through the wilderness after Jin Chang lost part of his cultivation. Venerable Black Mountain and Venerable White Bone found Zhang Xuezhou and Wu Chao while investigating Venerable Wenhuang and Venerable Yufeng’s deaths, and the chapter left the two former students facing questions based on a mistaken assumption about what happened.

• Jin Chang brooded over his lost cultivation until a warning made him hide in the grass with his puppet strings.
• Zhang Xuezhou and Wu Chao pretended to be injured, destitute travelers when they heard horses approaching.
• Venerable Black Mountain recognized Zhang Xuezhou and Wu Chao, and Venerable White Bone turned back after hearing who they were.
• Venerable Black Mountain and Venerable White Bone were surprised the pair had survived the fight between Venerable Wenhuang and Venerable Yufeng without serious injuries.
• Venerable White Bone asked Zhang Xuezhou and Wu Chao how Venerable Wenhuang and Venerable Yufeng had fought and died, assuming they had killed each other.

Zhang Xuezhou and Wu Chao tried to evade Venerable Black Mountain and Venerable White Bone's questions about Venerable Wenhuang and Venerable Yufeng. They staged a melodramatic reenactment that convinced the two venerables the conflict involved Wenhuang loving Hongku, and the venerables planned to report their interpretation to the Dao Lord.

• Venerable Black Mountain and Venerable White Bone gave Zhang Xuezhou and Wu Chao Grain Avoidance Pills and water, then pressed them for details about Wenhuang and Yufeng.
• Zhang Xuezhou warned that several days had passed and proposed reenacting what he and Wu Chao remembered.
• Zhang Xuezhou and Wu Chao acted out a chase and a lovers' quarrel, with Wu Chao claiming that he loved Hongku.
• Venerable Black Mountain and Venerable White Bone concluded that Wenhuang had been Hongku's lover and that jealousy had sparked the conflict with Yufeng.
• Venerable Black Mountain and Venerable White Bone decided they could reenact the scene when reporting to the Dao Lord and leave the judgment to him.

Zhang Xuezhou and Wu Chao convinced Venerable Black Mountain and Venerable White Bone that Venerable Yufeng had died from his own spell, concealing what had happened. Jin Chang warned that Hongku would soon learn they survived and might expose them, so they began considering how to escape the Yedie River Holy Land’s territory.

• Zhang Xuezhou and Wu Chao told Venerable Black Mountain and Venerable White Bone that Yufeng had shaved himself to death, and the two venerables accepted their account and rode away.
• Zhang Xuezhou explained to Wu Chao that he had used clues about Yufeng and Wenhuang’s relationship to make their explanation convincing.
• Jin Chang emerged from hiding and praised Zhang Xuezhou and Wu Chao for passing the questioning, but warned that Hongku would discover they were alive.
• Jin Chang said Hongku might expose their involvement in Wenhuang and Yufeng’s deaths, leaving Jin Chang wanted and the others at risk of being implicated.
• Zhang Xuezhou and Jin Chang discussed leaving the Yedie River Holy Land’s territory, while Wu Chao resolved to gather more wealth before fleeing.

Zhang Xuezhou learned how the Xiong State depended on the Sacred Lands, while Wu Chao waited for an imperial supply caravan carrying resources for his cultivation. When Linna Shaji arrived to investigate Wu Chao’s demands and insulted him, Wu Chao turned to Ma Gaofa and implied that he should kill her.

• Wu Chao explained the Xiong State’s nomadic strength and its dependence on the Northern Kuru Continent’s Sacred Lands, while Jin Chang described the imperial family’s need for Sacred Land guardians.
• After three more days of travel, Wu Chao and Zhang Xuezhou saw a caravan of ten carriages approaching, with Linna Shaji and Ma Gaofa riding at its head.
• Linna Shaji tapped the demon horse, sending the carriage charging toward Wu Chao, but Ma Gaofa pulled it aside before it struck him.
• Wu Chao accused Ma Gaofa of failing to protect him, and Linna Shaji mocked Wu Chao’s appearance and refused to apologize.
• Wu Chao invoked the duty of a subject to defend a humiliated lord and looked to Ma Gaofa, signaling that he wanted Linna Shaji killed before she could investigate him.

Linna Shaji fought Ma Gaofa after Wu Chao’s killing intent convinced her that the fourth prince was targeting her. Zhang Xuezhou ordered the guards to join the attack, and Linna Shaji fled toward the Yedie River Holy Land before a sudden cold sensation stopped her.

• Ma Gaofa challenged Linna Shaji to a contest of skills to settle her collision with the fourth prince, but she sensed Wu Chao’s intent to kill her.
• Linna Shaji suspected Wu Chao was about to be expelled from the Yedie River Holy Land and believed he wanted resources before losing his status.
• Linna Shaji summoned Yin ghosts and fought Ma Gaofa, whose staff she trapped with Yin Qi.
• Zhang Xuezhou ordered the escort guards to attack Linna Shaji, and Wu Chao sent his Snake Head Incantation into the chaos.
• Linna Shaji used bone treasures and her flute to repel the guards, injuring several of them, including the fourth prince.
• Linna Shaji escaped with the Yin ghosts toward the Yedie River Holy Land, then felt a sudden chill and looked down in terror.

Wu Chao and Zhang Xuezhou overcame Linna Shaji’s intimidation and killed her with the help of the guards. After Jin Chang warned Wu Chao to burn her corpse, Wu Chao ordered the group to gather cultivation resources and head for the royal court at Monan instead of returning to the Sacred Land.

• Wu Chao resisted Linna Shaji’s intimidation and used the Snake Head Incantation to attack her while the guards’ arrows struck her and her Yin ghost.
• Wu Chao declared that Linna Shaji deserved to die, and an arrow pierced her head, killing her.
• After Jin Chang warned him that Linna Shaji might revive through ancient witchcraft, Wu Chao ordered the guards to burn her corpse and destroy her Law Treasures.
• Wu Chao changed into his princely robes and quietly told Zhang Xuezhou to collect materials for cultivating the Technique Within the Clouds.
• Wu Chao announced that he was returning to the royal court at Monan, rejected Ma Gaofa’s suggestion to stop at the Sacred Land, and ordered the group to take the supplies with them.

Zhang Xuezhou learned that he was progressing toward the iron-wing stage of the Technique Within the Clouds and used a solution of hundred-year iron essence and mithril to temper his arms. As Wu Chao helped him through the painful process, Wu Chao resolved to secure cultivation resources for himself before his own progress stalled.

• Zhang Xuezhou explained to Wu Chao that his wings could be refined through seven forms and that he was advancing from wood wings toward iron wings.
• Zhang Xuezhou dissolved hundred-year iron essence, mixed in mithril, and applied the solution to the lines where his wings were hidden.
• As numbness and itching spread through his arms, Zhang Xuezhou asked Wu Chao to apply the rest of the solution and fell asleep.
• Wu Chao continued applying the solution and considered how Zhang Xuezhou's shortage of bodhi fruit could stall his cultivation.
• Wu Chao resolved to obtain as many royal-family cultivation resources as he could and not spare anyone who obstructed him.

Zhang Xuezhou joined Zhang Manqian at Charm Entertainment City, where she was scheduled to fight in an underground sequencer arena. After entering, he realized they had been led to the fighters’ waiting area instead of the betting venue, and a door opened onto a noisy crowd.

• Zhang Xuezhou received Zhang Manqian’s message asking him to meet her at 8 Gubei Road for a chance to make money.
• Zhang Manqian explained that Zuo Teng had arranged her invitation to a sequencer arena fight.
• Zhang Manqian and Zhang Xuezhou arrived at Charm Entertainment City and followed signs to Hot Blood and Fiery Baptism.
• A staff member checked Zhang Manqian’s invitation code and directed her and Zhang Xuezhou through a corridor toward the arena.
• Zhang Xuezhou entered the brightly lit fighters’ area, where masked sequencers mistook his grumbling about finding the betting venue for a gambler’s complaint.
• A staff member opened a small door, and shouts and curses from the crowd poured through.

Zhang Xuezhou used Zhang Manqian’s defensive strategy in the first round to profit from live points betting at Charm Entertainment City. After a gambler warned him that suspicious winnings could expose a fixed match, Zhang Xuezhou followed the gambler’s bet on Zhang Manqian’s opponent in the second round.

• Zhang Xuezhou failed to find a betting machine in time to bet on the match outcome, then borrowed a gambler’s machine and wagered fifty thousand yuan on Zhang Manqian’s opponent, 308168.
• Zhang Manqian focused on defense in the first round, taking repeated blows while Zhang Xuezhou profited from points betting.
• The youthful-looking gambler switched his bets to Zhang Manqian’s opponent and earned a smaller gain, then praised Zhang Xuezhou’s nearly thirty percent profit.
• The gambler warned that large, suspicious betting gains could bring the casino’s attention to anyone involved in a fixed match, so Zhang Xuezhou resolved to keep a lower profile.
• After noticing Zhang Manqian’s injuries had disappeared before the second round, the gambler bet on her opponent, and Zhang Xuezhou followed his wager.

Zhang Xuezhou and a gambler bet on Zhang Manqian as she alternated between scoring points and taking damage in the second match. In the third round, Zhang Manqian revealed her Crane Form Fist, which countered her opponent's Snake Form Fist, while the arena battle's outcome had already been arranged.

• Zhang Xuezhou followed a gambler's lead and bet his profits on Zhang Manqian changing her fighting style.
• Zhang Manqian launched a scoring-focused assault, and the gambler bought more chips as their price rose.
• Zhang Xuezhou and the gambler sold their chips before Zhang Manqian slowed down and started taking a beating again.
• At the start of the third round, Zhang Manqian took more hits, driving her chip price down as Zhang Xuezhou bought in.
• Zhang Manqian erupted with Crane Form Fist against her opponent's Snake Form Fist, a matchup that favored her.
• The narration revealed that the result of the sequencers' arena battle had already been decided.

After winning three points bouts, Zhang Xuezhou befriended Wang Li, a disciplined gambler from a distinguished Lineage who offered to help him access blood-replacement treatment. The morning session ended, but Zhang Xuezhou left the casino worried because Zhang Manqian had not appeared or answered his messages.

• Wang Li introduced himself to Zhang Xuezhou and praised his successful bets, while Zhang Xuezhou concealed his real name and declined to bet again.
• Wang Li explained his rules for controlling gambling and told Zhang Xuezhou about his family, his hopes of returning to the Lineage's inner circle, and his savings for blood replacement.
• Wang Li offered to connect Zhang Xuezhou with his Lineage's doctors and help him get a lower price on treatment.
• Zhang Xuezhou and Wang Li exchanged communicator contacts and became online friends.
• When the morning session ended, Zhang Xuezhou searched for Zhang Manqian but found neither her at the venue nor any reply to his messages.

Zhang Xuezhou feared that Zhang Manqian had been taken for a forced blood exchange and confronted Zuo Teng, while Wang Li reconsidered his opinion of Zhang Xuezhou after learning he could contact Zuo Teng. Zuo Teng denied targeting Zhang Manqian and said he would investigate what had happened.

• Wang Li explained that Zhang Manqian might be undergoing genetic sequencing, dealing with the institution, or facing a forced blood exchange, and warned Zhang Xuezhou that someone might have acted against her.
• Zhang Xuezhou questioned whether his casino winnings had prompted anyone to target his sister, and Wang Li said Zuo Teng was undergoing a blood exchange with someone else.
• Zhang Xuezhou sent Zuo Teng a series of messages asking whether he had arranged for Zhang Manqian to enter the arena or was targeting her for a blood exchange.
• Wang Li saw that Zuo Teng replied to Zhang Xuezhou, denied exchanging blood with Zhang Manqian, identified Kong Liu as his current exchange partner, and promised to investigate.

Zhang Xuezhou learned that Zuo Denggao had likely taken Zhang Manqian to Phoenix Creek Medical Club for a blood-replacement surgery. With only six hours to save her, Zhang Xuezhou rushed to find Ren Yisheng for help.

• Wang Li assured Zhang Xuezhou that Zuo Teng's connections could help uncover what had happened to Zhang Manqian.
• Zuo Teng replied that his third uncle, Zuo Jin, had likely taken Zhang Manqian and that Zuo Denggao was having surgery at Phoenix Creek Medical Club.
• Zuo Teng warned Zhang Xuezhou that he had six hours to act and urged him to seek help from a mentor.
• Zhang Xuezhou ran toward Xuanshi Building to find Ren Yisheng, while Wang Li followed and asked who his mentor was.
• Wang Li realized that Zhang Xuezhou needed help from an influential figure in Western Capital to change Zhang Manqian's fate.

Zhang Xuezhou recognized that Zuo Teng was manipulating him into asking Ren Yisheng to intervene against Zuo Jin and Zuo Denggao, but he still hurried to seek Ren's help for Zhang Manqian. Wang Li drove him to Canglan Academy and agreed to wait for him before taking him to the Phoenix Creek Medical Club.

• Wang Li learned that Zhang Xuezhou's backer was Professor Ren Yisheng and realized Zuo Teng was using Zhang to strike at rivals within the Zuo Lineage.
• Zhang Xuezhou understood that Zuo Teng's apparent help was part of an open scheme, and he resolved to learn how to act legally while ensuring his actions benefited him.
• Zhang Xuezhou asked Wang Li about the Phoenix Creek Medical Club as they drove toward Canglan Academy.
• Wang Li drove Zhang Xuezhou into the Xuanshi Building area, where Zhang went upstairs to look for Ren Yisheng.
• Wang Li agreed to wait downstairs and drive Zhang Xuezhou to the Phoenix Creek Medical Club afterward.

Zhang Xuezhou sought Ren Yisheng at home while Ren Yisheng struggled to stop his Mental Strengthening from reaching a potentially fatal collapse. Ren Yisheng connected the Heart Incantation to his cultivation and called for Zhang to come in as he neared the brink.

• Zhang Xuezhou reached Ren Yisheng's home and repeatedly knocked, growing afraid when no one answered.
• Ren Yisheng realized his Mental Strengthening path could cause his mental sea to overflow, leaving him at grave risk of collapse.
• Ren Yisheng struggled to halt the cultivation his thoughts had set in motion and recalled Zhang Xuezhou's difficulty escaping his own dreamlike state.
• Ren Yisheng recognized the Heart Incantation might connect to Mental Strengthening and help correct his path, but feared he was running out of time.
• Ren Yisheng heard Zhang Xuezhou knocking, forced out a faint invitation to come in, and remained separated from him by the door.

Wang Li waited for Zhang Xuezhou outside the Xuanshi Building, then followed him upstairs when Zhang kept knocking on Ren Yisheng’s door. After security and Wang Haoran raised the alarm, Zhang forced the door open and found Ren Yisheng bleeding as he sat before a blank painting scroll.

• Wang Li waited in his car, wondering whether his grandfather Ren Yisheng would recognize him after more than ten years apart.
• Wang Li entered the Xuanshi Building stairwell to check on Zhang Xuezhou, prompting security to warn him that he lacked permission.
• Zhang Xuezhou told Wang Li that Ren Yisheng did not seem to be home, and security relayed Wang Haoran’s concern that Ren might have taken medicinal paste.
• Wang Haoran urged Zhang Xuezhou to break down the door because Ren might have taken too much medicine.
• Zhang Xuezhou shoved open the jammed, unlocked door and saw Ren Yisheng sitting before a blank painting scroll, blood seeping from his eyes, nose, mouth, and ears.