Chapter Summaries

Zhang Xuezhou brought the wounded Human-Faced Spider to the institute and prepared to process it, while Huang Daoxian challenged his claim that he had been treated well. After Zhang Xuezhou explained the task he wanted Huang Daoxian to do, Huang realized Zhang Xuezhou was retracing his old path of the Fortune Technique in the Aomeijia Alliance.

• Zhang Manqian and Luo Burang examined the captured Human-Faced Spider and wondered how Zhang Xuezhou had defeated it with an Aotu 31.
• Zhang Xuezhou told Luo Burang that the fight had been dangerous, then directed the others to seal and process the spider for extraction.
• Luo Burang noticed the spider's gunshot wounds around its rear opening and asked Zhang Xuezhou about the talking Ferocious Beast.
• Zhang Xuezhou called Huang Daoxian over and argued that he had repeatedly saved Huang, while Huang complained about his treatment and defended his past contributions.
• After Zhang Xuezhou explained his request, Huang Daoxian recognized that Zhang Xuezhou's situation in the Aomeijia Alliance resembled his own past in the Scarlet Alliance State.

Zhang Xuezhou reassured Grian after the human-faced spider’s capture and promised to help him reach the Seventh Sequence. As the researchers prepared to extract more resources from the recovering beast, Zhang Xuezhou discussed visiting the Spider God, while Huang Daoxian warned that Liao Meng could become a serious threat.

• Grian thanked Zhang Xuezhou for coming to Bulanpeida, and Zhang promised to help him advance to the Seventh Sequence.
• Huang Daoxian wondered how Grian had survived being sacrificed twice and asked whether he could become a Ferocious Beast, but Zhang warned that experimenting on him would be risky.
• Zhang Xuezhou, Luo Burang, and Zhang Manqian discussed repeatedly extracting materials from the recovering human-faced spider and developing attributeless Ferocious Beast resources.
• Zhang Xuezhou said he planned to visit the spider nest and seek the Spider God’s power, and Luo Burang asked to go with him.
• Huang Daoxian warned Zhang Xuezhou that Liao Meng would leave him no peace if she targeted him, prompting Zhang to ask whether Liao Meng was the Spider God’s real name.

Zhang Xuezhou conducted repeated blood sacrifices to bestow Fortune and used the opportunity to investigate the Tomb Scripture and Huang Daoxian’s knowledge of Principle. As the group prepared to return to Western Capital City, Huang Daoxian pinned his hopes on finding a way to transform his body and change his fate.

• Zhang Xuezhou told Huang Daoxian that the Tomb Scripture asked deceased ancestors for protection, then questioned him about the power of Principle.
• Huang Daoxian agreed that he wanted to transform into human form and gain a Ferocious Beast’s Resistance Layer, but he withheld what he knew.
• After Zhang Manqian recited the Tomb Scripture three times, Zhang Xuezhou assured her that the Seventh Sequence was within reach and explained that he hoped she would develop along the path of Control, domain, and Principle.
• Zhang Xuezhou told Grian to go to Western Capital City in half a month to enter a Sequence, and left the remaining Human-Faced Spider leg for Badun.
• Huang Daoxian followed the group onto the airbus and hoped the trip to Western Capital would help him change his fate.

Zhang Xuezhou returned to Sinkhole No. 2, while Ren Anran reflected on Nagesi’s loss of power and her own hopes of following Zhang Xuezhou between worlds. Mallard complained about Zhang Xuezhou’s other relationships, then learned that Ren Anran would train him in demon cultivation.

• Ren Anran explained that Nagesi had accepted Pasteur as Grand Lineage Head because he could not safely kill the remaining teams, and Zhang Xuezhou agreed that Nagesi’s dependence on his weapons left him in a difficult position.
• Ren Anran said Zhang Xuezhou’s influence had helped stabilize Nagesi’s situation, then wondered how she could travel with him to the other world.
• Mallard appeared at the stone altar, complained about his suffering and accused Zhang Xuezhou of seeing women behind Ren Anran’s back.
• Ren Anran dismissed Mallard’s attempt to stir jealousy and asked him about the Ancient Tree Contract’s promise of five hundred years of life.
• Ren Anran told Mallard that Zhang Xuezhou had asked her to train him and that he could begin with Zhang Hao’s Demon Cultivator Golden Core Method.

Zhang Xuezhou learned that his Law Power had recovered to fifty percent and accepted a White Deer Coin from the new emperor, who had issued the currency to raise funds. After examining counterfeit gold presented by the King of Jiangdu, Zhang Xuezhou helped the emperor infer how the king had died, leaving them to identify who the Technique had targeted.

• Zhang Xuezhou discovered that his Law Power had recovered to fifty percent and learned Yi Shuo had gone to the Eunuch Office.
• The new emperor offered Zhang Xuezhou four hundred thousand coins, which turned out to be an Auspicious White Deer Coin, and explained his plan to raise funds by issuing them.
• The new emperor showed Zhang Xuezhou gold ingots from Wang Yi, the King of Jiangdu, which Zhang Xuezhou found were counterfeit.
• The new emperor explained that Wang Yi had died after falling into the water on his way home, and Zhang Xuezhou suggested someone might have caused his death during the rescue.
• The new emperor realized how Wang Yi had died and began to determine who the Technique had targeted.

The new emperor set aside the fake Technique Gold scandal and prepared to respond after Xiong State forces reached Shanggu Commandery City. He suspected their invasion might be aimed at finding Cao Shou, Marquis of Pingyang, and summoned leading generals to mobilize against them.

• Zhang Xuezhou warned the new emperor that accusing the Kingdom of Jiangdu of circulating fake gold without proof could turn the other vassal kings against the court, and urged him to wait until he could profit from the scheme.
• The new emperor concluded that the Technique Gold might be connected to the King of Huainan and decided to sell more white deer currency notes at Zhuang Qingdi's residence.
• Attendant Guo delivered an urgent report that Xiong State forces had reached Shanggu Commandery City with siege equipment and might take the city.
• The new emperor suspected the invaders were heading for Pingyang County to search for Cao Shou, Marquis of Pingyang, and acknowledged that the court could not locate him to mount a rescue.
• The new emperor summoned Li Guang, Wei Qing, Gongsun Ao, and Gongsun He to lead a counterattack, while considering whether Zhu Jiuyin and the Immortal Court could be drawn into the conflict.

Zhang Xuezhou visited the Silan Quarter to spend the white deer coin he had received from the emperor, where Han Anguo discussed the case for defending Great Han against the Xiong State. Han Anguo exchanged the coin for him, and Zhang offered to refine pills in return.

• Zhang Xuezhou entered the Silan Quarter to spend his white deer coin and encountered Han Anguo.
• Han Anguo argued that Great Han’s cavalry was slower than the Xiong State’s and that defending behind city walls was safer than invading.
• Zhang Xuezhou agreed to persuade the new emperor, though he avoided taking sides in the court dispute.
• Han Anguo pointed out Surpass Xi Shi as a courtesan suited to Zhang Xuezhou, and Zhang asked him to help arrange a purchase.
• The pleasure house madam refused to accept Zhang Xuezhou’s white deer coin, so Han Anguo exchanged it for half-tael coins.
• Zhang Xuezhou offered to refine pills for Han Anguo free of charge, but Han Anguo said his cultivation had reached the Zhen Realm and he no longer needed them.

Zhang Xuezhou brought Surpass Xi Shi home to help treat his illness, then flew off before Wei Qing could catch him. Wei Qing hoped to understand Pilan's map before war began and, after missing Zhang Xuezhou, found another possible way to get help at his residence.

• Zhang Xuezhou brought Surpass Xi Shi to his residence and asked Yi Shuo to train her, explaining that the Spirit Silk Jade Lotus Root had resolved part of his bodily affliction.
• Yi Shuo said Zongzi was looking for suitable women in Shangdang Commandery, where they cost less than in Chang'an City.
• Zhang Xuezhou took a tub of mutton and flew away on the Heaven-Riding Shuttle before Wei Qing arrived to ask about Pilan's map.
• Wei Qing explained that Pilan's map was hard to interpret and that he needed to survey the terrain before the impending war.
• Huo Qubing invited Wei Qing to stay for a meal, and Wei Qing spotted Kong Ning as another possible person to ask about the map.

Zhang Xuezhou witnessed the devastation caused by Xiong State’s invasion and returned to Mount Tai, where he told court workers that Shanggu Commandery City had fallen. The news left the group anxious and directionless as Zhang considered how the new emperor might respond.

• Zhang Xuezhou flew over the Taihang Mountains and saw fires, slaughter, and people fleeing as Xiong State’s attack spread.
• Zhang Xuezhou reflected that the Great Han’s defenses had failed and that ending the war would require defeating one side or reaching peace.
• Zhang Xuezhou arrived at Mount Tai and heard Rong Tianding dismiss the exhausted Construction Office workers for the night.
• Court officials complained about the harsh, seemingly useless construction work at the Lord of Mount Tai’s Daoist Ground, and Zhang told them Shanggu Commandery City had been breached.
• The officials questioned how Xiong State had overcome the city’s defenses, and Zhang suggested the enemy’s strength or failures within the Han court might explain it.
• Zhang reassured the group that the new emperor likely had a plan, while recognizing their helplessness and uncertainty about how to serve the Great Han.

At court, Di Shan urged the new emperor to buy peace from Xiong State, but Zhang Tang and the emperor challenged his proposal as impractical. An urgent report that Hexi had fallen and its governor’s residence had been killed left Li Guang grieving and demanding to fight.

• Di Shan proposed giving Xiong State money and grain to end the attack on Shanggu Commandery City, while Tian Fen pledged to follow the emperor and Han Anguo predicted Xiong State would eventually withdraw.
• Zhang Tang criticized Di Shan’s reliance on ancient teachings and challenged him over whether his peaceful approach could defend even a single fortress.
• Di Shan accused Zhang Tang and Zhufu Yan of abusing their posts at Mao Mausoleum, and Zhufu Yan defended their actions and admitted money had been set aside for Dongfang Shuo to account for.
• The new emperor pressed Di Shan to explain how his proposal could stop an invasion, and Wei Qing requested permission to march from Yanmen and win through strength.
• An urgent report announced that Hexi had fallen and everyone in the governor’s residence had died; Li Guang, fearing his sons had perished, requested leave to fight.

The new emperor reassigned Han Anguo and the court’s other ministers to duties suited to their past claims and ordered an aggressive campaign against Xiong State. As the generals prepared to ride out, the emperor considered using Tian Fen as bait to draw out Xiong State’s strongest forces.

• The new emperor appointed Han Anguo General of the Stalwart and sent him to garrison Yuyang Commandery, leaving Han Anguo worried that his career at court had ended.
• The new emperor assigned Li Guang, Gongsun He, Wei Qing, and other generals cavalry commands to seek out and destroy Xiong State forces.
• The new emperor reassigned nearly every minister, while Han Anguo failed to secure assistants or find an advantage in the appointments.
• Tian Fen asked the new emperor about his duty, and the emperor told him to recover so he could again command the Heaven-Riding Shuttle against the Dao Lord and Zhu Jiuyin.
• After Tian Fen left, the new emperor wondered whether he could use him as bait, since Xiong State might target him in retaliation.

With the Han armies preparing to fight on multiple fronts, the new emperor confided his worries to Wei Zifu, who proposed making special drums to influence warhorses. As the emperor remained frustrated by the limits of individual strength, he summoned Dong Zhongshu to the capital.

• The new emperor worried that defeat by Wei Qing, Li Guang, and the other commanders would ruin his plans to fight the Xiongnu.
• Wei Zifu listened to his concerns and suggested that horses responded to music, drawing on what her brother Wei Qing had told her.
• The new emperor approved Wei Zifu’s plan to work with the Music Bureau on large drum Law Artifacts that might spur warhorses.
• Wei Zifu hurried to the Music Bureau, determined to prove her worth through an art of music that could be passed down.
• The new emperor scolded the empress at Pepper Chamber Hall, then practiced swordsmanship and lamented that one person’s strength could not protect the frontier.
• The new emperor declared that thousands of swords could reshape the world and urgently summoned Dong Zhongshu, chancellor of the Kingdom of Jiangdu, to the capital.

Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding discussed locating other Reincarnation Stones and using a formation to access them. Heavenly King Li arrived with Jinzha and Muzha, who were also searching for Zhu Jiuyin, and Zhang introduced himself as Shuo Immortal using his token from Celestial Venerable Yuanshi.

• Zhang Xuezhou explained that the Reincarnation Stones seemed embedded in secret lands and discussed finding them with Rong Tianding.
• Zhang Xuezhou proposed using a formation powered by mountain and river earth Qi to break through a Reincarnation Stone.
• Zhang Xuezhou recognized Heavenly King Li approaching with Jinzha and Muzha and challenged them about their purpose on Mount Tai.
• Zhang Xuezhou showed his token from Celestial Venerable Yuanshi, and Heavenly King Li and his companions greeted him as a fellow cultivator.
• Jinzha and Muzha told Zhang Xuezhou they were searching for Zhu Jiuyin, whose forces had invaded the Han Dynasty and attacked Shanggu Commandery City.
• Zhang Xuezhou introduced himself as Shuo Immortal, and Jinzha accepted the name because Zhang carried a Heavenly Gate Token.

Zhang Xuezhou showed Heavenly King Li, Jinzha, and Muzha his flying ability and learned how their family’s fleshly bodies attained Entering Sainthood. After hearing about Yang Jian’s Eight-Nine Mystical Art, Zhang Xuezhou decided to visit Guan River Mouth.

• Zhang Xuezhou demonstrated his nimble flying and leaping, impressing Heavenly King Li, Jinzha, and Muzha.
• Heavenly King Li revealed that Breathing Soil had given him a Thick Earth Body, while Jinzha explained that Innate Geng Metal had transformed his own body.
• Jinzha and Muzha described the drawbacks of their bodies and said Nezha’s Lotus Body had no such restrictions.
• Heavenly King Li and Jinzha explained that Yang Jian had cultivated the Eight-Nine Mystical Art to attain true fleshly sainthood.
• Zhang Xuezhou grew curious about the Eight-Nine Mystical Art and decided to visit Yang Jian at Guan River Mouth.

Zhang Xuezhou befriended Heavenly King Li, Jinzha, and Muzha by discussing body cultivation, then persuaded them to accompany him to the Guan River Mouth to meet Yang Jian. After they departed, Rong Tianding reflected on the cultivators’ overwhelming presence, while Emperor Jing and Shi Wudao complained about the Immortal Court trio.

• Zhang Xuezhou learned about Jinzha and Muzha’s cultivation methods and weaknesses, then showed them that his own body could withstand Muzha’s Wu Hook Sword.
• Zhang Xuezhou proposed visiting Yang Jian at the Guan River Mouth, hoping to learn from the strongest body cultivator and enlist his help at Mount Tai.
• After offering Heavenly King Li three Fortune Pills, Zhang Xuezhou persuaded him, Jinzha, and Muzha to leave their post for the trip.
• Rong Tianding watched the three cultivators depart and ordered the officials to finish preparing their living quarters.
• Rong Tianding told the Flying Jiangshi that the visitors were Heavenly King Li, Jinzha, and Muzha, prompting Emperor Jing and Shi Wudao to complain about them.

Zhang Xuezhou flew with Heavenly King Li, Jinzha, and Muzha, impressing them with his flight and plentiful Fortune Pills. They reached Yang Jian’s underwater residence, where Zhang Xuezhou recognized the unresponsive Han Yan among the attendants and noticed that his head appeared stitched onto another body.

• Zhang Xuezhou advised Heavenly King Li, Jinzha, and Muzha on their flying and gave them Fortune Pills for the journey.
• Heavenly King Li and the others learned that Zhang Xuezhou refined Fortune Pills himself in a furnace that could handle two hundred at once.
• After a day and a half of flight, Jinzha called for Yang Jian and plunged into the river to summon Xiaotian.
• Xiaotian led the group into an underwater residence whose gates opened onto an island beneath a blue sky.
• Zhang Xuezhou recognized Han Yan at the entrance, but Han Yan did not acknowledge him and appeared to have his head stitched onto another body.

Zhang Xuezhou visited Yang Jian at Guan River Mouth and joined him in a contest to drink poisonous restorative tea. After Yang Jian enlarged his body, the two began competing using only their physical strength, leaving the contest unresolved.

• Zhang Xuezhou and Heavenly King Li arrived at Yang Jian’s lakeside tower, where Yang Jian greeted them cautiously and offered tea.
• Zhang Xuezhou drank the tea and found that his Poison Avoidance Instruction removed its harmful effects while its restorative benefits remained.
• Zhang Xuezhou and Yang Jian turned the tea into a drinking contest, consuming twelve large bowls each as Yang Jian’s body began to show strain.
• Yang Jian enlarged his body and challenged Zhang Xuezhou to keep drinking without using techniques or divine abilities.
• Zhang Xuezhou drank directly from a vat of scalding tea, and Yang Jian followed by raising a vat of his own.

Zhang Xuezhou challenged Yang Jian over tea and examined the Eight-Nine Mystical Art, finding that its five-element cultivation opposed his own methods. He warned Yang Jian that Buddha Son Rulai could become a fearsome body cultivator, and the chapter ended with Donghua’s visit to Spirit Mountain potentially giving Rulai a chance to advance.

• Zhang Xuezhou and Yang Jian drank vat after vat of Guan River Mouth knife tea, while Heavenly King Li and the others worried about them.
• Yang Jian invited Zhang Xuezhou to spar and showed him the Eight-Nine Mystical Art after warning him that incomplete cultivation could cripple the body.
• Zhang Xuezhou studied the art, judged it ingenious but unsuitable for his own cultivation, and explained how excessive cleverness could become a weakness.
• Zhang Xuezhou told Yang Jian that Buddha Son Rulai could defeat him after reaching the True Self Realm and could kill Heavenly King Li in a fight to the death.
• Zhang Xuezhou said Rulai might gain a major opportunity because Donghua had gone to Spirit Mountain.

Zhang Xuezhou and Yang Jian tested each other’s strength, but Zhang Xuezhou’s enormous supply of pills made Yang Jian decline to wager on a spar. The conversation shifted to the Immortal Court’s troubles, including the Imperial Lord’s plan to merge Kunlun Sacred Land with the High Heaven Hall and the threat of collapsing secret realms.

• Yang Jian challenged Zhang Xuezhou to test whether his abilities matched his claims, and their first exchange of blows ended in a draw.
• Zhang Xuezhou proposed wagering fifty mid-grade Fortune Pills, but Yang Jian could not offer an equal stake.
• Zhang Xuezhou displayed several top-grade pills, prompting Yang Jian to abandon the wager and praise his skills.
• Heavenly King Li and the others discussed Zhang Xuezhou’s talents and regretted that he had not supported the Immortal Court sooner.
• Heavenly King Li explained that the Imperial Lord planned to merge Kunlun Sacred Land with the High Heaven Hall, while Zhu Jiuyin’s interference and unstable secret realms threatened everyone’s safety.

Zhang Xuezhou learned that Donghua was using the centennial gathering’s authority to merge Kunlun and Soaring Heavens Sacred Lands, while Yang Jian hosted Heavenly King Li and the others in his secret realm. The gathering ended with Yang Jian serving fish boiled in spirit tea and dragon oil, which made the fish gleam like golden dragons.

• Zhang Xuezhou worried that Donghua’s growing power would threaten him and wondered how he might sabotage Donghua’s plans.
• Heavenly King Li told Zhang Xuezhou and Yang Jian that the Immortal Court had sent most of its officials to the lower realm because High Heaven Hall might be destroyed in a collision.
• Yang Jian told Heavenly King Li that he and his six brothers had fought Tang Meng while trying to protect the old kingdoms from Great Han’s legions.
• Yang Jian had Grand Commandant Kang boil the fish he had caught in spirit tea, then asked Xiaotian to fetch a jar of dragon oil.
• Grand Commandant Kang added dragon oil to the pot, and the fish took on a golden sheen and appeared to move as if alive.