Chapter Summaries

The Exalted One overcame the voices urging him to act harmoniously and used the Great Wilderness Creation Scripture to pull Zhang Xuezhou’s soul back into his body. After returning to the Sacred Land, he found Zou Bugui making larger pills and learned that Zhang Xuezhou was safe at the Immortal Court’s Eastern Heavenly Gate Secret Realm.

• The Exalted One suppressed his murderous thoughts, then pushed Zhang Xuezhou’s soul out of the void and back into his body.
• The Exalted One returned to the Sacred Land, recognizing that his divine soul still had room to improve after the clash.
• He saw Zou Bugui making fist-sized pills and asked why he was trying to make them larger.
• Zou Bugui revealed the Spirit-Forging Pills he had stored, and the Exalted One reassured him that Zhang Xuezhou was safe.
• The Exalted One told Zou Bugui that Zhang Xuezhou had reached the Eastern Heavenly Gate Secret Realm, then left after their conversation.
• After the Exalted One disappeared, Zou Bugui returned to refining pills while keeping his hidden stash of life-extending pills in his belly.

Yao Yuanguang used a Confucian Law Treasure and returned Zhang Xuezhou’s soul to his body, but Zhang remained unconscious. The painting demon suggested washing him in the Eight Treasures Merit Pool, leaving Primordial Lord Golden Rosy Clouds to weigh the cost against what Zhang might know about Nezha’s future.

• Yao Yuanguang used the Law Treasure on Zhang Xuezhou, and a flash of spiritual light returned to Zhang’s body.
• Rong Tianding took Yao Yuanguang’s Life-Extending Golden Elixir and demanded that he wake Zhang, while Primordial Lord Golden Rosy Clouds agreed to witness their bargain.
• Yao Yuanguang and Rong Tianding performed a Soul-Collecting Technique, but Zhang remained unconscious as the painting demon watched.
• Primordial Lord Golden Rosy Clouds persuaded Nezha that he should try to change the future instead of accepting death or becoming a painting demon.
• The painting demon said Zhang’s soul was in disarray and recommended washing him in the Eight Treasures Merit Pool in exchange for a piece of Spirit Silk Jade Lotus Root.
• Primordial Lord Golden Rosy Clouds considered whether to offer the lotus root, uncertain if Zhang remembered anything useful about Nezha’s future.

Nezha and Primordial Lord Golden Rosy Clouds entered Spirit Mountain to meet the First Sect Leader and borrow the Eight Treasures Merit Pool. After Nezha helped prevent Contemplator of Freedom from being robbed, she agreed to guide them up the mountain.

• Nezha warned Primordial Lord Golden Rosy Clouds to guard the Spirit Silk Jade Lotus Root as they entered the Western Sect's territory.
• Nezha found Contemplator of Freedom fighting Brahma and exposed Vishnu, who had been hiding nearby to steal her Arhat Bamboo.
• Nezha and Contemplator of Freedom traded barbed remarks before he said they wanted to meet the First Sect Leader and borrow the Eight Treasures Merit Pool.
• Primordial Lord Golden Rosy Clouds accepted Contemplator of Freedom's offer to lead them up Spirit Mountain, despite Nezha's complaint that the favor was a poor bargain.

Nezha and Primordial Lord Golden Rosy Clouds brought the unconscious Zhang Xuezhou to Spirit Mountain to borrow Sect Master Jieyin’s Eight Treasures Merit Pool, offering Spirit Silk Jade Lotus Root in exchange. Jieyin agreed to let them use it after his injured disciple finished recuperating there.

• Contemplator of Freedom led Nezha, Primordial Lord Golden Rosy Clouds, and their companions through Spirit Mountain toward the first sect master’s ritual ground.
• Nezha threatened the Western Sect cultivators who stared at the group, then confronted Sect Master Jieyin when he greeted them.
• Primordial Lord Golden Rosy Clouds explained that Zhang Xuezhou’s spirit had been injured after a physiognomist used him as a spellcasting medium.
• Nezha offered a section of Spirit Silk Jade Lotus Root in exchange for access to the Eight Treasures Merit Pool.
• Sect Master Jieyin accepted the offer and told the group to wait until his injured disciple had finished recuperating in the pool.

Buddha Son Shigong emerged from the Eight Treasures Merit Pool in a serene, unusually forgiving state, then recognized Zhang Xuezhou as someone he had once tried to save. While Zhang Xuezhou remained in the pool, Primordial Lord Golden Rosy Clouds taught Rong Tianding the Five Qi Converging toward the Origin technique, and Zhang’s twitching eyelids suggested he might soon wake.

• Buddha Son Shigong finished bathing in the Eight Treasures Merit Pool and spoke with unnatural calm, accepting Nezha’s insults without anger.
• Buddha Son Shigong recognized Zhang Xuezhou and recalled failing to save him after the secret place, but the others dismissed his rambling.
• Rong Tianding worried about Zhang Xuezhou’s condition, and Primordial Lord Golden Rosy Clouds told him that waking would be better than remaining unconscious.
• Primordial Lord Golden Rosy Clouds taught Rong Tianding the Five Qi Converging toward the Origin technique to help him accumulate cultivation despite lacking a complete method.
• Primordial Lord Golden Rosy Clouds noticed Zhang Xuezhou’s eyelids twitch and waited to see whether he would wake and repay them.

Zhang Xuezhou drifted into the Eight Treasures Merit Pool and used its strange waters to cultivate while Nezha and the Western Sect argued nearby. Buddha Son Shigong accidentally revealed a secret involving Li Er, leaving Contemplator of Freedom weighing whether to keep quiet as Vishnu searched for Sect Master Jieyin.

• Zhang Xuezhou regained some awareness in the Eight Treasures Merit Pool and began condensing the fifth chapter of the Mental Strengthening Chapter as the waters cleansed his mind.
• Nezha questioned whether the pool was worthwhile, and Brahma defended the Western Land’s treasure.
• Buddha Son Shigong blurted out that the Western Sect had taken advantage of Li Er’s troubles before Brahma covered his mouth and carried him away with Vishnu.
• Contemplator of Freedom realized Shigong’s words could spark a dispute between the Immortal Court and the Western Sect, and she considered how to protect herself.
• Vishnu quietly asked Contemplator of Freedom where Sect Master Jieyin had gone, but she gave him no useful information and resumed chanting scriptures.

Zhang Xuezhou recovered his awareness after advancing through the fifth chapter of the Mental Strengthening Chapter in an extraordinary environment, then learned that Nezha and Primordial Lord Golden Rosy Clouds had brought him to Spirit Mountain. His account of Nezha’s defeat suggested that a powerful opponent had destroyed several of his Law Treasures, and Primordial Lord Golden Rosy Clouds suspected Celestial Venerable Lingbao.

• Zhang Xuezhou used the special environment to make rapid progress in the fifth chapter of the Mental Strengthening Chapter, though its benefits eventually faded.
• Nezha carried Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding away from hostile monks on Spirit Mountain while Primordial Lord Golden Rosy Clouds carried Yao Yuanguang.
• Primordial Lord Golden Rosy Clouds and Yao Yuanguang asked Zhang Xuezhou to recall what his earlier deductions had revealed about Nezha’s trouble.
• Zhang Xuezhou recalled seeing Nezha’s Fire-Tipped Spear on the ground, one missing Wind Fire Wheel, and fragments of the Nine Dragons Divine Fire Cover and Yin-Yang Sword.
• Primordial Lord Golden Rosy Clouds concluded that Nezha had likely suffered a crushing defeat and warned everyone to avoid Celestial Venerable Lingbao’s forbidden land.

After the group escaped through the Western Heavenly Gate, Yao Yuanguang confirmed that Zhang Xuezhou had experienced the same vision, deepening worries about Nezha’s fate. Sect Master Jieyin let them leave, then considered how the Spirit Silk Jade Lotus Root and the Yin-Yang School’s cultivation technique might help him extend his life.

• Primordial Lord Golden Rosy Clouds had Yao Yuanguang test Zhang Xuezhou, and Zhang’s reaction matched Yao’s account of Buddha Son Shigong’s vision.
• Primordial Lord Golden Rosy Clouds and the others passed through the Western Heavenly Gate and headed back toward Supreme One Palace.
• Sect Master Jieyin decided to keep Buddha Son Shigong in the Exquisite Pagoda for three days while his spirit and soul stabilized.
• Sect Master Jieyin examined the Spirit Silk Jade Lotus Root and considered using it to make his own body immortal.
• Sect Master Jieyin reflected on Wu Chao’s potential and the Yin-Yang School’s Realm Technique, then flew toward another Sacred Land.

After the Eight Treasures Merit Pool journey, Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding prepared to return to the lower realm while Yao Yuanguang secured favor and a life-extending elixir from Primordial Lord Golden Rosy Clouds. Yao Yuanguang questioned Zhang Xuezhou about his unusual resistance to the pool and the River of Time, then directed him toward an old Confucian scholar in Xi'an County; Zhang Xuezhou left with a dim view of the Immortal Court's secret realm.

• Primordial Lord Golden Rosy Clouds agreed to send Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding back to the lower realm after their business was finished.
• Yao Yuanguang recovered the Life-Extending Golden Elixir from Zhang Xuezhou's cousin and gave it to him, while the two argued over how they had helped each other.
• Yao Yuanguang told Zhang Xuezhou that the Eight Treasures Merit Pool usually inspired Buddhist thoughts, but Zhang Xuezhou said he could not explain why it had not affected him.
• Yao Yuanguang questioned why Zhang Xuezhou showed no visible effects from using the River of Time, then suggested he seek help from an old Confucian scholar in Xi'an County.
• Yao Yuanguang sent Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding toward the lower realm without blindfolds, and Zhang Xuezhou saw that the Immortal Court's secret realm looked more like a village than a splendid immortal land.

After leaving the Heavenly Gate, Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding struggled down Mount Tai while hungry, and Zhang tried to teach Rong the Cloud Soaring Technique. They met an elderly herb gatherer who asked about the Longevity Golden Elixir, and Zhang knocked him down with a stone after suspecting him of being dangerous.

• Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding said farewell to Yao Yuanguang and began descending from Jade Emperor Peak on Mount Tai.
• Rong Tianding told Zhang about what Yao Yuanguang had revealed, and the cousins realized they were starving after their ordeal.
• Zhang recited the Cloud Soaring Technique as they descended, but neither he nor Rong learned to fly, and Rong slipped and tumbled down the slope.
• Zhang caught Rong, treated his injuries with the Supreme Purity True Technique, and urged him to keep practicing.
• An elderly herb gatherer asked whether they had obtained the Longevity Golden Elixir and gave them directions to Xi'an County.
• Suspecting the herb gatherer was probing for secrets, Zhang and Rong threw stones at him, and one stone knocked him down.

Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding believed they had accidentally killed the herb-gathering old man, but he caught up with them and revealed he had faked his death. He introduced himself as Li Shaojun and offered to teach them the Cloud Soaring Technique in exchange for seeing Zhang Xuezhou's Life-Extending Golden Elixir.

• Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding buried the old man and continued down the mountain, where Rong Tianding managed to use Law Power to land safely after stumbling.
• The herb-gathering old man appeared behind them, and the two realized he had survived after they had buried him.
• When Rong Tianding threatened him with a stone, the old man dropped his ghostly act and Zhang Xuezhou suspected he had escaped death through a special technique.
• The old man admitted he had asked about their Life-Extending Golden Elixir and offered to guide their Cloud Soaring Technique practice in exchange for borrowing it.
• The old man named himself Li Shaojun and claimed his ancestor was Li Er, prompting Zhang Xuezhou to recognize the name from Ning Cheng's stories.

Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding improved their Cloud Soaring Technique with Li Shaojun’s translation, but Zhang Xuezhou refused to trade it for free. Li Shaojun demonstrated his Aging Technique, leaving Zhang Xuezhou interested in the ability despite still doubting Li’s claims.

• Li Shaojun corrected the Cloud Soaring Technique, and Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding found it easier to cultivate.
• Zhang Xuezhou rejected Li Shaojun’s offer to translate the manual, saying he would seek help from Yuan Gu instead.
• Li Shaojun admitted he wanted to obtain their Technique Method and the Life-Extending Golden Elixir, but Zhang Xuezhou refused an unequal exchange.
• Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding practiced the Cloud Soaring Technique as they descended Mount Tai, with wind forming beneath both their feet.
• Li Shaojun transformed from an old man into a young man using his Aging Technique, which he said helped him evade pursuers and conceal his movements.
• Zhang Xuezhou recognized that Li Shaojun had some genuine abilities and found the Aging Technique useful.

Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding agreed to trade the Cloud Soaring Technique for Li Shaojun’s Aging Technique, then began translating and studying the flight technique together. Li Shaojun struggled to explain its later stages, while Zhang Xuezhou checked his explanations and considered seeking help from Yuan Gu.

• Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding learned Li Shaojun’s Aging Technique and agreed to trade it for the Cloud Soaring Technique.
• Zhang Xuezhou recited the Cloud Soaring Technique in ancient speech while Li Shaojun translated and explained it.
• Zhang Xuezhou noticed Li Shaojun’s explanation becoming unclear and told him to reconsider a passage.
• Li Shaojun admitted he was forgetting earlier material and struggling to connect the technique’s later stages.
• Li Shaojun urged Zhang Xuezhou not to consult Yuan Gu because he wanted to master the flight technique himself.

Zhang Xuezhou, Rong Tianding, and Li Shaojun practiced the Cloud Soaring Technique as they descended Mount Tai, while Li Shaojun translated more of the manual. After Li Shaojun reached the limits of his knowledge, Zhang Xuezhou rode toward Xi'an County to find Yuan Gu, and Li Shaojun followed him by cloud.

• Li Shaojun translated the opening of the Cloud Soaring Technique, and Zhang Xuezhou taught the translated parts to Rong Tianding.
• Rong Tianding raised wind beneath his feet, while Zhang Xuezhou and Li Shaojun also practiced flying with the technique.
• The group used the Cloud Soaring Technique to descend Mount Tai, and Li Shaojun told Zhang Xuezhou about Jade Emperor Peak and the Immortal Court.
• Li Shaojun struggled to explain the later passages, so Zhang Xuezhou decided to seek Yuan Gu for help.
• Zhang Xuezhou summoned two skeletal horses, took Rong Tianding, and rode toward Xi'an County; Li Shaojun followed on a pale cloud.

Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding traveled to Xi'an County, where they saw how Yuan Gu’s influence had shaped the town’s respect for learning. They reached Yuan Gu’s residence, and Zhang Xuezhou asked to see the divine-soul treasure Yuan Gu had mentioned.

• Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding entered Xi'an County using credentials bearing Yuan Gu’s mark, and Zhang assured Rong Tianding that Li Shaojun would follow them.
• Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding learned that Yuan Gu was revered as a Confucian master and the county’s greatest cultivator.
• Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding observed children studying in Xi'an County and discussed how education and cultivation could influence others.
• Yuan Gu dismissed his students after assigning them rhapsodies about rotten wood and green leaves, then welcomed Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding into his residence.
• Zhang Xuezhou asked Yuan Gu to show him the treasure for the divine soul, and Yuan Gu eagerly led the way.

Zhang Xuezhou learned that Yuan Gu’s Sage Kong painting could protect against soul-affecting incantations and considered trading it for the Life-Extending Golden Elixir. Yuan Gu instead offered to translate the Cloud Soaring Technique in exchange for the elixir, accepting that it might not extend his life.

• Yuan Gu revealed that the painting’s soul-stabilizing power came from a Spirit Jade hidden in its roller and explained that it could rebound harmful incantations.
• Yuan Gu asked Zhang Xuezhou for an immortal opportunity, and Zhang shared the Cloud Soaring Technique for him to interpret.
• Yuan Gu translated part of the Technique but became mentally exhausted, so Zhang paused the work and suggested they continue later.
• Yuan Gu offered to complete the translation in exchange for a golden elixir, and Zhang warned him that its life-extending effect was uncertain.
• Yuan Gu accepted the gamble, saying the elixir was the only road left to him.

Yuan Gu explained the Divine Ability Realm portion of the Cloud Soaring Technique to Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding, while Li Shaojun arrived and was killed by Yuan Gu’s bamboo splinter. After Li Shaojun revived, Yuan Gu allowed him to join the lesson, where he corrected Yuan Gu’s explanation.

• Yuan Gu used spirit incense to sustain himself while explaining the Cloud Soaring Technique to Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding.
• Yuan Gu threw a bamboo splinter at the late-night visitor, and Rong Tianding found Li Shaojun apparently dead outside the study.
• Zhang Xuezhou explained that Li Shaojun had followed them since Mount Tai, and Yuan Gu described Li Shaojun’s reputation as “Never Dies” and “Unrelenting Vengeful Spirit.”
• Li Shaojun revived, said he had come to listen to the Cloud Soaring Technique lesson, and Yuan Gu agreed to let him stay.
• Yuan Gu explained the Divine Ability Realm cultivation method, and Li Shaojun corrected him when he made a mistake.

Yuan Gu swallowed the suspected Life-Extending Golden Elixir, while Zhang Xuezhou secretly kept the painting of Sage Kong. Li Shaojun sought cooperation with Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding, then revealed that Su Fei was recruiting martial-world heroes to recover the Beast Taming Sect’s secret-vault treasure, prompting Zhang Xuezhou to worry about Zhang Cigong.

• Yuan Gu accepted the elixir from Zhang Xuezhou and swallowed it without checking whether it was genuine.
• Yuan Gu warned Zhang Xuezhou to be wary of Yao the Half-Immortal and others if he died within a year, then returned to his room.
• Li Shaojun tried to stop Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding from leaving, fearing Zhang Xuezhou had discovered his secret of undying life.
• Li Shaojun proposed exchanging useful information with Zhang Xuezhou, who asked him to give an example.
• Li Shaojun revealed that Su Fei had gathered martial-world heroes to retrieve the Beast Taming Sect’s secret-vault treasure.
• Zhang Xuezhou remembered that Zhang Cigong had been searching for the treasure and worried he might be endangered by Su Fei’s group.

Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding traveled with Li Shaojun toward Huaibei to investigate the Beast Taming Sect, while discussing cultivation and the Cloud Soaring Technique. The painting spirit escaped the Supreme One Palace by hiding in Zhang Xuezhou’s sleeve and took over the sage painting he had received from Yuan Gu, leaving Zhang Xuezhou frustrated as the group continued toward Huaibei.

• Zhang Xuezhou invited Li Shaojun to travel with him and Rong Tianding toward Huaibei, asking him to verify what he had heard about the Beast Taming Sect.
• Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding rode ahead on their horses while Li Shaojun used the Cloud Soaring Technique to keep up, and Zhang Xuezhou explained the technique’s cultivation limits.
• The painting spirit revealed that it had hidden in Zhang Xuezhou’s sleeve after escaping the Supreme One Palace, where Nezha had made it feel unwelcome.
• The painting spirit claimed Zhang Xuezhou’s sage painting as its new home, and Zhang Xuezhou found that Yuan Gu’s treasure-control formula no longer worked.
• Zhang Xuezhou lamented that he and Rong Tianding had gained little from their recent hardships and worried about his prospects for entering government service.

Zhang Xuezhou, Rong Tianding, and Li Shaojun traveled to Ox Head Mountain to investigate the Beast Taming Sect’s secret vault and Zhang Cigong’s safety. Disguised with the Aging Technique, they reached a crowd preparing another assault and spotted Lei Bei and the sickly-looking Jin Chang.

• Zhang Xuezhou explained fortune to Rong Tianding by comparing it to the odds in a betting game, while the painting demon dismissed their hopes of always having good luck.
• Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding reached Ox Head Mountain, where the exhausted Li Shaojun caught up on stilts and complained about their pace.
• Li Shaojun urged Zhang Xuezhou and the others to use the Aging Technique, and they adjusted their disguises before heading toward the mountain.
• At the foot of Ox Head Mountain, knights-errant discussed attacking the soldiers guarding the Beast Taming Sect and searching its secret vault.
• Zhang Xuezhou spotted Lei Bei disguised with coarse cloth and recognized the sickly-looking man beside him as Jin Chang.