Chapter Summaries

Zhao Tianhua and Cai Guoli hunted among the overwhelming bird flocks near Huli Port when Zhao Tianhua encountered a giant Ferocious Beast bird. He prepared to fight it as it turned aggressive, but its wingbeat left his hands numb and knocked his saber away.

• Zhao Tianhua complained to Cai Guoli about the bird-infested hunting grounds and questioned the benefits of Twilight Years Mansion.
• Cai Guoli said he had gained no material benefits but had begun practicing Mental Strengthening with the mansion’s members.
• Zhao Tianhua shot a large vulture in the wing and jumped from the pickup to capture it.
• A giant bird with a wingspan of at least twenty meters swooped down and swallowed the wounded vulture.
• Zhao Tianhua called for a signal to summon help, took up his horse-slaying saber, and confronted the Ferocious Beast.
• The giant bird spread its wings, and its wingbeat numbed Zhao Tianhua’s hands and dropped his saber.

Zhang Xuezhou and Ren Yisheng drove toward a Ferocious Beast that had appeared near Huli Port, where a seed shipment had drawn vast flocks of birds. Zuo Lianguang recognized the beast as a possible match for his long-sought path into the Seventh Sequence, and Zhang promised to help keep it alive and transportable.

• A chartered freighter’s seed cargo drew countless birds to Huli Port and created a brief opportunity for the hunters to search for exotic birds.
• Zhang Xuezhou heard a signal flare and radio reports that the group had found a Ferocious Beast, then drove toward the site with Ren Yisheng.
• Ren Yisheng reported that the enormous, goshawk-like beast had disarmed Zhao Tianhua and posed a major threat in close combat.
• Zuo Lianguang pleaded over the radio for help, explaining that he had searched for a compatible Ferocious Beast for thirty years so he could enter the Seventh Sequence.
• Zhang Xuezhou told the hunters to keep the beast alive and said he would help treat and control it for transport.

Zhang Xuezhou and Ren Yisheng joined Changkong Luo’s group in fighting a swift goshawk Ferocious Beast. Their coordinated intimidation controlled the beast mid-attack, leaving the hunters to strike it and convincing Zhong Rang that Ren Yisheng’s power approached Luo Zhong’s.

• Changkong Luo gathered the hunters and prepared them to attack the goshawk after it had repeatedly swooped at them.
• Zhang Xuezhou and Ren Yisheng arrived and agreed to help keep the Ferocious Beast from escaping.
• Zhang Xuezhou and Ren Yisheng synchronized their intimidation as the goshawk swooped, stopping its attack and leaving it vulnerable.
• Li Qi, Zhong Rang, and the other hunters attacked the controlled beast, while Zhong Rang seized its legs.
• Zhong Rang judged Ren Yisheng’s strength close to Luo Zhong’s and suspected he had followed the Heavenly God General’s path through the Mental Strengthening Chapter.

Zhao Tianhua and the others captured a goshawk Ferocious Beast whose special ability could knock weapons away, and Zhang Xuezhou realized it possessed a Divine Ability. The hunters planned to continue into Qinmeng, while Zuo Lianguang tried to keep the bird alive until it could be taken back to Western Capital City.

• Zhao Tianhua, Changkong Luo, and the others subdued the goshawk Ferocious Beast after it repeatedly knocked Zhao Tianhua's zhanmadao from his hands.
• Changkong Luo explained that some Ferocious Beasts had unusual abilities, and Zhang Xuezhou identified the goshawk's weapon-deflecting power as a Divine Ability.
• Zhu Bufan and the others discussed how entering the Seventh Sequence using a Ferocious Beast might pass its ability to the person who advanced.
• Zhang Xuezhou and Ren Yisheng noted that the damaged vehicles could complicate future hunts and said the party needed to preserve a transport vehicle.
• Zuo Lianguang celebrated his successful hunt but urged the group to keep hunting before returning to Western Capital City.
• Zuo Lianguang asked Zhang Xuezhou to help keep the captured goshawk alive, hoping it could be tamed during the expedition.

Zhang Xuezhou and Ren Anran failed to control or effectively heal the captured Ferocious Beast, prompting Zuo Lianguang to fear it would die before he could use it. The group decided to keep hunting near Huli Port while searching for Qimeng Haige, hoping he could help them find more Ferocious Beasts.

• Zhang Xuezhou failed to tame the Ferocious Beast, and Ren Anran explained that its Resistance Layer also hindered her healing.
• Zuo Lianguang urged the group to return to Western Capital City quickly so the Ferocious Beast would not die during the voyage.
• Song Jiangtao, Zhong Rang, Li Qi, and others argued that returning now would waste the expedition and make future hunts harder to organize.
• Ren Yisheng suggested finding Qimeng Haige, who might know where Ferocious Beasts had been moving around Qinmeng.
• The group agreed to split up near Huli Port, with some searching for Falcon Sparrows and others looking for Qimeng Haige and more Ferocious Beasts.

Zhang Xuezhou prepared the hunt for Ferocious Beasts and discussed the stalled search and seed-unloading effort with Ren Yisheng and the others. When Zhong Rang arrived to discuss Ren Yisheng’s father and old secrets, Ren Yisheng refused to hear more, saying the people responsible were already suffering.

• Zhang Xuezhou advised Ren Yisheng to search for Qinmeng Secret Stones near the bird flocks and warned that they could trigger local beast tides.
• Ren Yisheng said Zuo Lianguang wanted to build a laboratory aboard the ocean freighter, but Zhang Xuezhou dismissed the plan as impractical.
• Zhang Xuezhou and the others continued discussing the difficult search around Huli Port as seed unloading neared completion and the hunt remained stalled.
• Changkong Luo brought Zhong Rang, Li Qi, Zhu Bufan, and others to speak with Ren Yisheng about old matters.
• Ren Yisheng rejected Zhong Rang’s offer to reveal the truth about his father’s death, saying the evildoers were already living a fate worse than death.

Zhong Rang and the others pressed Ren Yisheng about his ambitions, his connection to the Heavenly God General Plan, and why he was helping Twilight Years Mansion advance. Ren Yisheng revealed the risks of the Heavenly God General Secret Medicine and set conditions for sharing the Mental Strengthening Chapter, leaving the group with a path forward that required them to grow stronger first.

• Zhong Rang questioned whether Ren Yisheng had become a Heavenly God General and asked what direction he intended to lead the Scarlet Alliance State.
• Li Qi, Changkong Luo, and Zhu Bufan challenged Ren Yisheng's claims that he wanted an ordinary life and questioned why he was helping them advance.
• Zhang Xuezhou suggested they abandon the hunt and return to Western Capital City, prompting Li Qi to realize that they still needed the undertaking to continue.
• Ren Yisheng identified the Heavenly God General Secret Medicine as the group's true interest and warned them about its dangers, including his own past ordeal after taking it.
• Ren Yisheng said he would share the Mental Strengthening Chapter when they reached the Seventh Sequence or glimpsed the Eighth Sequence and attained the sixth or seventh chapter of the technique.

Ren Yisheng explained the dangers of the Heavenly God General Secret Medicine and revealed that his own Mental Strengthening path had gone wrong. Changkong Luo and the others considered learning his later chapters, but the discussion ended with them choosing to develop their own paths before studying his approach.

• Ren Yisheng told Changkong Luo and the others that taking the secret medicine required a strong Resistance Layer and sufficient Mental Strengthening, and that otherwise they risked death or brain damage.
• Zhu Bufan asked whether Mental Strengthening could improve other abilities, while Zhang Xuezhou said its effects were uncertain and admitted that he still spent six hours in a coma.
• Li Qi and Zhong Rang questioned Zhang Xuezhou and Ren Anran about whether they had taken the secret medicine, but neither gave them a direct confirmation.
• Ren Anran said her father’s level in the Mental Strengthening Chapter was chapter six, and Zhang Xuezhou revealed that the professor had taken a wrong turn at chapter five.
• Ren Yisheng offered to share the fifth and sixth chapters, but warned that others should find paths of their own; the group decided to reach chapter five independently before examining his route.

Ren Yisheng warned Zhang Xuezhou that his Realm Technique could attract people seeking to exploit him, while Zhang planned to keep a low profile until he could overcome his problems. As Zhang entered his twelve-day sleep, Ren Anran declared that she would pursue a life beyond a hundred years alongside him, no matter what future path or power he chose.

• Ren Yisheng warned Zhang Xuezhou that others would covet his Realm Technique and would not trust him even if he shared it, but Zhang said he would avoid standing out for now.
• Zhang Xuezhou closed his eyes and lost his breath as his scheduled sleep began, while Ren Yisheng and Ren Anran discussed the long wait ahead.
• Ren Anran told Ren Yisheng that she wanted a life beyond a hundred years and believed Techniques might overcome the body's limits.
• Ren Anran said that she would follow Zhang Xuezhou toward a chance to extend their lives, and that she would accept whatever he might seek if he freed himself from the Imperial Lord.

Zhang Xuezhou resolved to seek the mysterious center that enabled his exchanges with the Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon, then awoke at the Marquis of Pingyang’s Household and discussed formations with Divine Lord Zhenyuan. After Zhang Xuezhou killed a snake and poisonous toad placed by the door, he spotted a mischievous child hiding in the bushes.

• Zhang Xuezhou sensed a dark presence that seemed to support his passage between worlds and vowed to seek it during a future transition.
• Zhang Xuezhou awoke at the Marquis of Pingyang’s Household, where Divine Lord Zhenyuan told him he was refining three divination stones into formation stones.
• Zhang Xuezhou agreed to study formations with Divine Lord Zhenyuan and suggested involving Li Shaojun, while planning to ask about his official post and the Yedie River Holy Land.
• Zhang Xuezhou found a snake hanging on the door and a poisonous toad by the entrance, then killed them after fearing they might be part of a trap.
• Divine Lord Zhenyuan blamed a mischievous child for the creatures, and Zhang Xuezhou spotted the child hiding in the bushes.

Zhang Xuezhou visited Wei Shao'er at the Marquis of Pingyang's Household and learned that she had fallen ill after taking the Purple-Gold Red Gourd's medicine. Wei Shao'er described her unexplained weakness and restricted movement, while Zhang Xuezhou warned her not to blame him for her condition.

• Zhang Xuezhou found Huo Qubing hiding in the bushes and learned that Wei Shao'er was ill and Chen Zhang had gone to work in the palace to pay for her medicine.
• Huo Qubing asked Divine Lord Zhenyuan to teach him skills so he could become an official and earn money for his mother's treatment.
• Zhang Xuezhou went to the side hall and found Wei Shao'er moving slowly beneath the eaves.
• Wei Shao'er told Zhang Xuezhou that her body felt shackled, that using her strength caused cramps and convulsions, and that imperial physicians could not identify her illness.
• Zhang Xuezhou reminded Wei Shao'er that she knew what her body had been through, and she concealed her past from the physicians because revealing it could expose her theft of dragon blood.

Zhang Xuezhou learned that Wei Shao'er’s illness might not be curable with the Poison Avoidance Instruction, then headed toward Li Shaojun’s Cloud Wing Daoist Temple after hearing the new emperor was away. Along the way, he asked Divine Lord Zhenyuan about Bai and demonstrated a subtle use of his Flying Leap Divine Ability.

• Zhang Xuezhou examined Wei Shao'er and learned from Divine Lord Zhenyuan that the Poison Avoidance Instruction might not treat her illness and was difficult to master.
• Zhang Xuezhou considered that Chunyu Tiying and Zheng Wukong might still be away because they had not cured their own illnesses.
• Divine Lord Zhenyuan told Zhang Xuezhou that the Marquis of Pingyang had gone hunting and that Zhang’s resignation could not be rushed.
• Zhang Xuezhou turned toward Li Shaojun’s Cloud Wing Daoist Temple instead of going to the imperial palace, and asked Divine Lord Zhenyuan whether he knew Bai.
• Divine Lord Zhenyuan said he had never heard of Bai, but suggested the Imperial Lord might know about the white dragon.
• Divine Lord Zhenyuan followed Zhang Xuezhou through the streets and admired how he used his Flying Leap Divine Ability to move discreetly on the ground.

Zhang Xuezhou and Divine Lord Zhenyuan followed the Marquis of Wu'an, Tian Fen, to the Cloud Wing Daoist Temple, where Li Shaojun was being invited to a treasure-appraisal banquet. Zhang Xuezhou helped secure Li Shaojun’s agreement, and Tian Fen recognized him when he came forward for a reward.

• Zhang Xuezhou rode the wind naturally through the streets and spotted Tian Fen making a spectacle of his own wind-riding while handing out half-liang coins.
• Divine Lord Zhenyuan told Zhang Xuezhou that Tian Fen was likely heading to the Cloud Wing Daoist Temple to invite Li Shaojun to a banquet.
• Zhang Xuezhou and Divine Lord Zhenyuan hurried to the temple, where Tian Fen personally invited Li Shaojun to attend a treasure-appraisal banquet.
• When Li Shaojun began to decline, Zhang Xuezhou shouted his support for Tian Fen, prompting Li Shaojun to accept the invitation.
• Tian Fen ordered his servants to reward the person who had called him a benefactor, and he recognized Zhang Xuezhou as Lord Dongfang when Zhang emerged from the crowd.

Li Shaojun, Zhang Xuezhou, and Divine Lord Zhenyuan secured invitations to Tian Fen’s banquet, where they planned to use their knowledge of flying techniques to build a relationship with their host. The chapter left them preparing to discuss Tian Fen’s Flying Leap Technique.

• Li Shaojun learned that the Grand Empress Dowager was not nearby and weighed how to divide any rewards among the people helping him.
• Tian Fen invited Li Shaojun to dine at his residence, and Zhang Xuezhou and Divine Lord Zhenyuan joined the gathering.
• When Li Shaojun said he wanted to leave early to talk with Divine Lord Zhenyuan, Zhang Xuezhou suggested inviting Divine Lord Zhenyuan to the banquet as well.
• Divine Lord Zhenyuan offered to advise Tian Fen on his flying technique, and Li Shaojun and Zhang Xuezhou offered to discuss and interpret the methods too.

At the Cloud Wing Daoist Temple, Tian Fen praised Divine Lord Zhenyuan’s flight and invited everyone to his banquet, while Li Shaojun considered the value of befriending him. During the carriage ride, Cai Ma’s reading of Zhang Xuezhou’s fate revealed seven lifespan-extending halos and a possible six-hundred-year lifespan, leaving her doubting her own skill.

• Divine Lord Zhenyuan demonstrated his flight, and Tian Fen received pointers from him and Li Shaojun with Zhang Xuezhou translating.
• Tian Fen invited Li Shaojun, Divine Lord Zhenyuan, Dongfang Shuo, and the others to his banquet, and Li Shaojun suspected Dongfang Shuo had prolonged their temple visit to wait for the carriages.
• Li Shaojun asked Cai Ma about Tian Fen’s and Dongfang Shuo’s lifespans, then challenged her to read Dongfang Shuo’s fate again.
• Cai Ma said Zhang Xuezhou’s fate was in disarray, with readings ranging from sixteen years to six hundred years remaining.
• Cai Ma realized that Zhang Xuezhou had seven lifespan-extending Fate Technique halos, including one associated with the Seventh Realm, and questioned whether her readings were reliable.

Tian Fen hosted a vast treasure-appreciation banquet at the Marquis of Wu'an's Household, where Zhang Xuezhou watched the guests and their antiques gather. After seating disputes among the nobles, Tian Fen noticed Zhang Xuezhou sitting by the entrance and hurriedly pulled him to the front row.

• Zhang Xuezhou and his companions arrived at Tian Fen's banquet and saw thousands of antiques displayed throughout the household.
• Zhang Xuezhou asked Divine Lord Zhenyuan to look for overlooked treasures, while Divine Lord Zhenyuan admitted that he knew little about the Eastern Land's antiques.
• Tian Fen entered the hall with Zhang Xuezhou and the others, where Dou Ying greeted Li Shaojun and studied both Daoists with suspicion.
• Tian Fen gave Divine Lord Zhenyuan the Marquis of Quni's seat, prompting Chen He and other guests to shift their places.
• Zhang Xuezhou sat by the hall entrance, and Tian Fen, alarmed at the breach of seating etiquette, pulled him to the front row.

At the Marquis of Wu'an's treasure-viewing banquet, Zhang Xuezhou spoke with Dou Ying and Guan Fu about the dangers of court life and how Guan Fu lost his post. Tian Fen then revealed an ancient scroll for appraisal, leaving Li Shaojun studying it with a troubled expression.

• Dou Ying warned Zhang Xuezhou not to let others use him to target Zhuang Qingdi, then advised him to learn from Guan Fu's experience.
• Zhang Xuezhou asked Guan Fu how he lost his post, and Guan Fu explained that drunken fights had repeatedly gotten him punished and dismissed.
• Zhang Xuezhou drank several bowls with Guan Fu until Tian Fen began the treasure appraisal by presenting a golden seal.
• Guan Fu called the seal a nearly worthless Qin-era official seal, embarrassing Tian Fen in front of the guests.
• Tian Fen opened an ancient wooden box and displayed a scroll painting with ancient writing and a lifelike figure, which Li Shaojun examined with a frown.

At a treasure-appraisal banquet, Li Shaojun recognized Tian Fen’s ancient family genealogy as a roster connected to the Immortal Court. He persuaded Zhang Xuezhou to consider infiltrating the faction to obtain Life-Extending Golden Elixirs for Zhang Xuezhou’s aging parents.

• Tian Fen showed an old scroll, and Li Shaojun identified its writing as the names of Tian Fen’s ancestors.
• Li Shaojun recognized the genealogy as a roster like one they had found on an island, possibly listing Immortal Court contacts and code words.
• Li Shaojun urged Zhang Xuezhou to use the roster to infiltrate the Immortal Court and obtain Life-Extending Golden Elixirs.
• Li Shaojun reminded Zhang Xuezhou that his parents might have only ten or twelve years left, and Zhang Xuezhou’s expression darkened.
• Zhang Xuezhou agreed to consider the plan after things in Chang’an were settled.

Cai Ma told Divine Lord Zhenyuan that Zhang Xuezhou’s lifespan halos showed he had gained six hundred years of life, revealing a dangerous flaw: others could strip away his unstable longevity and refine it into a life-extension pill. After learning Cai Ma had discussed the matter with Li Shaojun, Divine Lord Zhenyuan decided Li Shaojun had to die to keep the secret.

• Li Shaojun followed Zhang Xuezhou around the treasures while Cai Ma privately asked Divine Lord Zhenyuan about Zhang Xuezhou’s sudden increase in lifespan.
• Cai Ma confirmed she could see seven lifespan halos on Zhang Xuezhou, and Divine Lord Zhenyuan realized the unstable halos could be extracted and refined into a life-extension pill.
• Divine Lord Zhenyuan warned Cai Ma to keep Zhang Xuezhou’s lifespan secret and explained that his unusual talent had rapidly advanced his Fate Technique.
• Cai Ma admitted she had already discussed Zhang Xuezhou’s fate with Li Shaojun, and Divine Lord Zhenyuan decided to kill Li Shaojun before the secret spread.

At the marquis’s treasure-appraisal banquet, Li Shaojun identified valuable artifacts and obtained several puzzling items, including a formation component that Zhang Xuezhou later gave to Divine Lord Zhenyuan. As the guests’ attention turned to Tian Fen’s scroll, Li Shaojun planned to wait for others to fight over it, while Divine Lord Zhenyuan decided to spare Li Shaojun for a few more days.

• Li Shaojun identified Tang Rui’s compass as a formation-breaking Law Treasure, and Zhang Xuezhou warned Tang Rui to keep it safe.
• Li Shaojun accepted a ghostly deity carving from Tang Rui as a keepsake, then explained that it was a formation component capable of summoning the power of ghosts and gods.
• Zhang Xuezhou asked how Li Shaojun would obtain Tian Fen’s roster, and Li Shaojun said he would wait for the interested guests to fight over the scroll before taking it.
• Zhang Xuezhou gave the carving to Divine Lord Zhenyuan, who decided to let Li Shaojun live a few more days before killing him.