Chapter Summaries

Zhang Xuezhou prepared to advance his Gene Sequence while Luo Burang met the Sovereign and tested his knowledge. Huang urged Zhang Manqian to focus on mental cultivation and decided to imitate the Sovereign, hoping to break through before an anticipated upheaval in the world.

• Luo Burang asked Zhang Xuezhou about entering the distorted space, and Zhang Xuezhou joked that catalysts might require metaphysics before they succeeded.
• Zhang Xuezhou praised Zhang Hao’s knowledge of Gene Sequences and catalysts, prompting Luo Burang to test the Sovereign’s mathematical ability.
• Zhang Xuezhou announced that he would advance from the Fourth Sequence, while Zhang Manqian and Ren Wuyang reflected on the gulf between themselves and the others.
• Huang told Zhang Manqian that mental power was the foundation of the others’ growth and said she should focus on the Mental Strengthening Chapter.
• Huang saw the Sovereign as a model and resolved to leave his thousand-year comfort zone to seek a breakthrough, fearing that a major world change would make the opportunity impossible to recover.

After reaching the Fifth Sequence, Zhang Xuezhou discovered his gene type was tied to pelicans and discussed its devouring traits with the Sovereign, who suspected a connection to the giant tree. They examined a possibly living fragment of the tree, and Luo Burang became interested in studying its active tissue for gene fusion.

• Zhang Xuezhou advanced to the Fifth Sequence, gained physical improvements, and learned that his gene type was a pelican’s.
• The Sovereign suggested Zhang Xuezhou’s devouring gene might be connected to the giant tree and discussed how acquired influences could have shaped it.
• The Sovereign recounted his conversations with Emperor Qin and explained that sacrificial cultivation may have contributed to the Great Qin Dynasty’s collapse.
• Zhang Xuezhou showed the Sovereign stone specimens that released active tissue, and they suspected the material came from the giant tree and might still be alive.
• The Sovereign advised Zhang Xuezhou to compare the giant tree with Willow God, whose complete records could help answer questions about the past.
• Luo Burang asked to study a specimen, sensing that its tissue might offer a way to fuse genes and develop traits belonging to humans.

Zhang Xuezhou discovered that his mutated genes only resembled a giant eagle’s, leaving him without a suitable catalyst to advance to the seventh sequence. He agreed to let Luo Burang experiment on his blood while the Divine Ruler urged him to research a new cultivation path, but the Divine Ruler chose to keep advancing through the Gene Sequence himself.

• Zhang Xuezhou asked the Divine Ruler for advice on reaching the seventh sequence, and the Divine Ruler directed him to Luo Burang for a stronger catalyst.
• Luo Burang examined Zhang Xuezhou’s gene map and determined that its genes resembled a four-legged bird of prey rather than a giant eagle, making giant eagle extract a poor match for developing Resistance Layers in his lower body.
• Luo Burang suggested combining Ferocious Beast extracts, and Zhang Manqian proposed breeding four-legged chickens; Zhang Xuezhou agreed to the idea while doubting it would produce useful Ferocious Beast extract.
• Luo Burang asked to experiment with Zhang Xuezhou’s blood and the nearby stone specimen, while the Divine Ruler warned that Zhang Xuezhou had reached a dead end in his Gene Sequence cultivation.
• Zhang Xuezhou invited the Divine Ruler to seek a better cultivation path with him, but the Divine Ruler declined and said he expected to reach the ninth sequence within two or three years.

Zhang Xuezhou returned to the people trapped beyond the distortion with food and joined their effort to study Control so they could escape. The group prepared to learn from his Control over Fast and Slow, while Mengtesi Badun faced pressure to leave and confront the crisis outside.

• Zhang Xuezhou brought supplies through the distortion and explained that his Control over Fast and Slow had arisen by chance and could not be reproduced directly.
• Li Qi told Zhang Xuezhou that the group had discussed Control and domain power and wanted to study his abilities together.
• Zhang Xuezhou agreed to cooperate, and Ren Yisheng urged Mengtesi Badun to leave as soon as he could to help the Aomeijia Alliance face the spider disaster.
• Zhang Xuezhou warned Mengtesi Badun that the spiders might uncover his hidden Quelling Chief and draw dangerous Ferocious Beasts out of Qinmeng.
• Ren Yisheng began explaining the Mental Strengthening Chapter as the group prepared to study and learn Control over Fast and Slow.

While the group studied three ways to cultivate mental power, Zhang Xuezhou compared their strengths and encouraged Zhou Rihui to pursue a possible weak-gene catalyst. The chapter ended with Zhang Xuezhou considering how to uncover the benefits hidden around the Soul-Locking Pillar lake.

• Ren Yisheng, Mengtesi Badun, and Nagesi explained their cultivation methods while Qimeng Haige carved the lessons into stone.
• Zhang Xuezhou compared Imprinting Divine Marks and the Nurturing Method with the Mental Strengthening Chapter, while the others chose methods that suited them.
• Zhou Rihui worried that he lacked the mental foundation to escape, and Zhang Xuezhou advised him to keep advancing toward the Seventh Sequence.
• Zhang Xuezhou suggested Zhou Rihui might have weak genes and encouraged him to ask his sister to investigate a compatible catalyst with Tianhao.
• Zhang Xuezhou examined the visual device and the lake formed from the Soul-Locking Pillar, wondering what benefits it concealed.

Zhang Xuezhou explained to Ren Yisheng why he wanted Mengtesi Badun and the others to leave the world, while keeping his plans to investigate its secrets and perform a Fortune Technique sacrifice in reserve. He also considered trying Badun’s mental cultivation method with the Innate Spirit Wood Staff and finding a way to develop an independent version of the Prajna Heart Sutra.

• Zhang Xuezhou told Ren Yisheng that sending Mengtesi Badun and one or two others out would leave fewer people to compete over any rare benefits hidden in the area.
• Ren Yisheng accepted Zhang Xuezhou’s reasoning, and Zhang Xuezhou said he hoped to visit the Aomeijia Alliance again to inspect Grian’s unexpectedly prosperous Karmic Fortune.
• Ren Anran reported that her incarnation had searched the site of the great hall but found it empty.
• Zhang Xuezhou said he would wait for a favorable opportunity to investigate the great hall and would first perform the Fortune Technique sacrifice.
• Zhang Xuezhou told Ren Anran that he planned to try Badun’s nurturing method on the Innate Spirit Wood Staff and might combine Nagesi’s divine-mark method with his own cultivation.

While the group remained trapped in Sinkhole No. 2, Mallard complained about enduring nonstop pleasurable sensations and tried to bargain for a human body, while Ren Anran kept him calm. The chapter left Mallard attached to Ren Anran and Zhou Rihui continuing to build strength by eating poisonous grass.

• Mallard appeared and complained that an unending pleasurable stimulation had left him feeling as though he would die.
• Ren Anran told Mallard that Zhang Xuezhou would free him if he solved their problem, and Mallard asked her to tell Zhang he wanted to become a person.
• Mallard proposed becoming Ren Anran's dao companion, and she let the onlookers disperse after promising to share anything worth revealing.
• Zhou Rihui reflected that eating poisonous grass strengthened his muscles and let him keep pushing the limits of his Sixth Sequence strength.

Zhang Xuezhou woke to find that his body had shrunk and his Law Power had vanished, then discovered that the Spirit Silk Jade Lotus Root consumed Law Power while he slept. He restored some power with a pill and realized Huo Qubing and the new emperor might share the same lasting drawback.

• Zhang Xuezhou woke with a shrunken body and no Law Power, and Rong Tianding gave him a pill Yi Shuo had left for him.
• Zhang Xuezhou took the pill and worked out that the Spirit Silk Jade Lotus Root consumed Law Power, especially while he was unconscious.
• Zhang Xuezhou asked about Huo Qubing and learned that he had gone to the Imperial Academy to settle a score, while the new emperor had returned to the palace looking excited.
• Zhang Xuezhou found that a third of the Spirit Silk Jade Lotus Root had been cut away and concluded that Huo Qubing and the new emperor might also need pills to manage its effects.
• Zhang Xuezhou suggested Rong Tianding could try the root because its benefits might outweigh its drawbacks, and Rong Tianding agreed to follow his judgment.

Zhang Xuezhou discovered that the Spirit Silk Jade Lotus Root had given Huo Qubing a blood-stopping constitution, even as it left him dangerously depleted. After healing Huo Qubing and making him promise to repay a steep fee, Zhang Xuezhou watched him prepare to continue his feud at the Imperial Academy.

• Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding waited for Huo Qubing so they could assess the lotus root’s effects on him.
• Two Imperial Academy students carried Huo Qubing to Zhang Xuezhou after Yan Yi stabbed him during a fight.
• Zhang Xuezhou found Huo Qubing’s Qi and Blood nearly exhausted but saw lotus-root-like fibers sealing his wound and preventing heavy bleeding.
• Zhang Xuezhou gave Huo Qubing a Qi and Blood Pill under an eighty-tael gold contract, and Huo Qubing regained his strength.
• Huo Qubing gestured at Yan Yi’s friends to show he intended to keep pursuing the feud, frustrating Zhang Xuezhou.

Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding learned that the Spirit Silk Jade Lotus Root made its users nimble but drained their Qi and Blood, while the new emperor decided its benefits still outweighed the cost. Rong Tianding reconsidered his lack of drive, and Zhang Xuezhou remained unable to advance until a new path appeared.

• Zhang Xuezhou compared Huo Qubing’s reaction to the lotus root and had him keep cutting it.
• The new emperor arrived and reported that the lotus root had left him exhausted and halved the number of sword techniques he could use.
• The new emperor learned that Huo Qubing had been stabbed at the Imperial Academy and angrily blamed a member of the Yan family.
• The new emperor said he would keep taking the lotus root as long as its drawbacks were not fatal, and he expected them to lessen in the True Self Realm.
• Rong Tianding recognized that he had grown complacent and resolved to think more urgently about pursuing a Divine Ability.
• Zhang Xuezhou reflected that he had no clear path forward and wondered whether Master Dong and Divine Lord Zhenyuan had discovered how to transform into an infant.

The new emperor, Zhang Xuezhou, and Rong Tianding shared Spirit Silk Jade Lotus Root, which gave Rong Tianding the ability to float and appeared to weaken Technique Methods. After Yi Shuo returned from the palace and examined Zhang Xuezhou, they tested the root’s dispelling effect and discovered it could protect the body from invasive techniques.

• The new emperor and Zhang Xuezhou discussed the Spirit Silk Jade Lotus Root’s effects, and Zhang Xuezhou discouraged the new emperor from asking for a piece.
• Rong Tianding ate some lotus root, found that he could float, and said he was completely satisfied with the change.
• Yi Shuo returned from the Palace of Eternal Faith after receiving permission to leave the palace daily, and the new emperor recognized that Zhang Xuezhou’s connections had helped her.
• Yi Shuo explained that her healing Technique Methods had weakened against Zhang Xuezhou, whose body had changed as his Evasion Techniques developed into Divine Abilities.
• Zhang Xuezhou asked Yi Shuo to test Rong Tianding, and her Technique Method was dispelled before it could pierce him, revealing another protective effect of the lotus root.

Zhang Xuezhou and the new emperor learned that the Spirit Silk Jade Lotus Root granted resistance to Technique Method power at a steep cost, forcing them to reconsider their fighting styles. After the new emperor declined the Fish Intestine Sword, Wei Shao'er borrowed it, and their conversation turned to Zhang Xuezhou’s pills and plans to make more.

• The new emperor, Rong Tianding, and Zhang Xuezhou assessed the lotus root’s costly resistance and concluded that it favored short, decisive fights over endurance battles.
• The new emperor reassured Zhang Xuezhou that the lotus root still helped treat his illness and said its unusual ability would not suit most cultivators.
• Zhang Xuezhou offered the new emperor the Fish Intestine Sword, but the new emperor declined because he was not suited to using a short sword.
• Wei Shao'er leaped down from the second floor, borrowed the Fish Intestine Sword, and returned to her room.
• The new emperor learned that Zhang Xuezhou had cured Wei Shao'er with pills and lost interest when Zhang mentioned plans to seek medicinal ingredients and refine more.

Zhang Xuezhou accepted his appointment overseeing the Mao Mausoleum and set out with Rong Tianding, while Wei Shao'er went to check on Bing'er and plan improvements to the residence. After she left, a thief broke into the residence and escaped, leaving Dou Shisan and Dou Shisi suspecting a powerful household had sent him.

• Rong Tianding questioned Zhang Xuezhou about his tense exchange with the new emperor, and Zhang Xuezhou said they could cooperate despite their rivalry.
• Zhang Xuezhou invited Rong Tianding to visit the Mao Mausoleum so their people could learn useful skills.
• Wei Shao'er practiced with the Fish Intestine Sword, found it had become flexible, and left to check on Bing'er at the Imperial Academy.
• A thief slipped into Zhang Xuezhou's residence while Wei Shao'er was gone, and Dou Shisan and Dou Shisi chased him but failed to catch him.
• Dou Shisan and Dou Shisi searched for witnesses and suspected the thief was a retainer connected to a powerful official or the Princess of Guantao's Household.

Zhang Xuezhou returned to Yang Mausoleum to investigate its Sha Qi and hide the Red Empyrean Sword while Rong Tianding used the dangerous place to awaken his Divine Ability. Rong Tianding completed his breakthrough and gained the ability to command Yin entities, but a flying zombie inside the tomb emerged as a new temptation.

• Zhang Xuezhou reopened the old entrance to Yang Mausoleum and hid the Red Empyrean Sword inside.
• Rong Tianding held the Marquis of Sui's Pearl and used Yang Mausoleum's Yin Sha Qi to guide his breakthrough.
• Rong Tianding's Divine Ability awakened, allowing him to command the Yin entities formed from Demon King Jiu Feng and the fox demon.
• A Yin entity approached the tomb exit, and Rong Tianding sent the two Yin Souls into the tomb to confront it.
• Demon King Jiu Feng's Yin Soul was struck down, leading Rong Tianding to suspect that a flying zombie was inside.

Rong Tianding and Zhang Xuezhou fought a flying zombie in the Yang Mausoleum, hoping to subdue it with the Marquis of Sui's Pearl and Rong Tianding's new Divine Ability. Just as Rong Tianding began to control the creature, it spoke through the Red Empyrean Sword and unleashed opposing forces that hurled them against the tomb passage door.

• Rong Tianding explained the flying zombie's strength, and Zhang Xuezhou agreed to capture it in the Yang Mausoleum.
• Zhang Xuezhou forced open the sealed stone door, and Rong Tianding entered with the Marquis of Sui's Pearl to confront the zombie holding the Red Empyrean Sword.
• Zhang Xuezhou fought the flying zombie at close quarters while Rong Tianding used the pearl to track its movements and cast a control incantation.
• Rong Tianding bound the zombie's life source and threatened it with Southern Brightness Fire, while Zhang Xuezhou pinned it down.
• The flying zombie spoke through the Red Empyrean Sword, severed Rong Tianding's right hand, and unleashed cold and warm forces that slammed both men against the tomb passage door.

Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding survived the flying zombie’s attack, though the Marquis of Sui’s Pearl was split and Rong lost his hand. Zhang Xuezhou activated the broken pearl as a Fortune Artifact and began coating it with his blood.

• A sword strike severed Rong Tianding’s control technique, cut off half his right hand, and split the Marquis of Sui’s Pearl, while its opposing forces pinned Zhang Xuezhou and the others against the tomb door.
• The flying zombie retreated into the darkness with the Red Empyrean Sword, and Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding waited for the pearl’s forces to subside.
• Zhang Xuezhou reassured Rong that they could reattach his hand, and the two discussed their cultivation and how to build on the Nine Revolutions Qi Uniting Technique.
• Zhang Xuezhou recalled that a split Marquis of Sui’s Pearl could become a Fortune Artifact and shouted its activation phrase until eight characters appeared on it.
• Zhang Xuezhou collected the two pieces into his palm, endured their alternating cold and warmth, and squeezed the pearl to smear it with his blood as Emperor Qin had instructed.

Zhang Xuezhou awakened the Marquis of Sui's Pearl as a Fortune Artifact and reattached Rong Tianding's severed arm. Rong Tianding learned to transform into a zombie, and the two considered how to deal with the suspicious flying zombie in the Yang Mausoleum.

• Zhang Xuezhou used his Dragon Pearl to balance the Yin and Yang Qi in the blood-stained Marquis of Sui's Pearl, awakening it as a Fortune Artifact.
• Zhang Xuezhou reattached Rong Tianding's severed arm and learned that Rong Tianding had copied the Yin-Yang transformation to become a zombie life-form.
• Rong Tianding explained that his new form let him withstand Yin Qi, Corpse Qi, and other gloomy influences, making it useful in the Yang Mausoleum.
• Rong Tianding warned that the flying zombie might be connected to Shi Wudao or Emperor Jing, since a newly buried corpse could not naturally become a flying zombie so quickly.
• Zhang Xuezhou reasoned that the flying zombie held only memory fragments rather than either dead man's consciousness, easing Rong Tianding's fear of confronting it.

Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding explored the Yang Mausoleum and tried to negotiate with the flying zombie guarding the Red Empyrean Sword. The zombie lowered the sword, then spoke with Shi Wudao, who declared that the former emperor of Great Han was only a dead man with limited awareness.

• Rong Tianding recognized that his corpse transformation made him well suited to the Yang Mausoleum, which Zhang Xuezhou considered a possible refuge or trap for enemies.
• Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding reached Weiyang Palace and found the flying zombie clinging to the burial chamber ceiling.
• Rong Tianding chanted to the flying zombie and persuaded him to lower the Red Empyrean Sword.
• The flying zombie rose and claimed he had discovered how Shi Wudao lingered between life and death.
• Shi Wudao dismissed the flying zombie's claim to still be the emperor of Great Han, saying he was a dead man with limited awareness.

Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding negotiated with the flying zombie, which held memories of Emperor Jing and the will of Shi Wudao, and secured the Red Empyrean Sword. They left the Yang Mausoleum with a tentative agreement to cooperate, while the zombie remained behind in the darkness.

• Zhang Xuezhou asked Shi Wudao about his life-and-death technique, but declined to learn it because it required dying.
• Rong Tianding refused Shi Wudao’s offer to inherit his mantle, suspecting he would be tricked and have his body seized.
• Zhang Xuezhou rejected the flying zombie as Emperor Jing and listened as it asked about the court and accepted that its former life had passed.
• Zhang Xuezhou explained rules for cooperation, and the flying zombie tossed down the Red Empyrean Sword.
• Zhang Xuezhou picked up the sword and retreated with Rong Tianding, leaving the flying zombie in the dark mausoleum.

After leaving the Yang Mausoleum, Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding inspected their new territory in Yang Mausoleum Town and discussed the work ahead. Zhang Xuezhou urged the Zhang Household villagers to keep a low profile and recognized Xu Yuan’s agricultural work as a foundation for lasting prosperity.

• Zhang Xuezhou resealed the Yang Mausoleum entrance, and Rong Tianding asked who had overseen its construction and repairs.
• Zhang Xuezhou explained that Zhi Buyi had served Emperor Jing faithfully and died guarding the mausoleum, reassuring Rong Tianding about their assignment.
• Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding traveled to Yang Mausoleum Town, where they saw the large tract acquired by Zhang Household Village and its conspicuous fortune-telling trade.
• Zhang Xuezhou warned Rong Tianding that the villagers should be less conspicuous and imitate Li Shaojun’s discretion.
• Rong Tianding told Zhang Xuezhou that Xu Yuan had leased land to clear farmland and continue his breeding work.
• Zhang Xuezhou explained that Xu Yuan’s efforts to improve seeds, farming, and tools could strengthen the nation from its agricultural foundation.