Recaps

Two years later, He Chang and Shan Yong confronted a Demon Correction Office detachment in Cloud Horn Prefecture, and Gun Shilu arrived to help capture its members. Gun Shilu then traveled with them to the Chongming Sect, where Gun Fangmu joined a crowded Alchemy Conference intended to recruit Alchemists.

• He Chang searched for spiritual herbs with the golden-haired old donkey and met Shan Yong on his way back to the Chongming Sect.
• He Chang and Shan Yong challenged a Demon Correction Office detachment that had entered Cloud Horn Prefecture.
• He Chang and Shan Yong attacked the detachment, and Gun Shilu arrived and captured its members.
• Gun Shilu explained that he had brought Gun Fangmu to the Double Brightness Alliance's Alchemy Conference.
• He Chang escorted Gun Shilu and Gun Fangmu to the sect's alchemy ground, where Kang Dabao arrived with a Third Tier Alchemist.

Attendant Luan presided over the Chongming Sect’s alchemy gathering, selecting Qi Ke, Chen Zihang, and Gun Fangmu for their insight into his unfamiliar pill formula. Kang Dabao won Luan over with Daoist Zhu San’s alchemy text and appointed him a guest elder, then left for the council hall after receiving a troubling message.

• Kang Dabao welcomed Attendant Luan to the gathering and asked him to ease tensions between the Chongming Sect and the Fei Household.
• Attendant Luan introduced the Earth Virtue Qi-Nurturing Pill formula and set the Alchemists half a day to refine it.
• Attendant Luan eliminated most contestants and selected Qi Ke, Chen Zihang, and Gun Fangmu for their comprehension and careful methods.
• Attendant Luan instructed the three selected Alchemists and gave each handwritten notes, while Kang Dabao arranged for Duan Anle to look after Chen and Gun.
• Kang Dabao offered Attendant Luan Daoist Zhu San’s True Explanations of the Dao of Alchemy in exchange for teaching the three promising Alchemists, and named him a guest elder.
• Attendant Luan began studying the text, while Kang Dabao read a message talisman and headed alone to the council hall.

Kang Xiangyi offered Sect Leader Kang Da a treasure map to secure help against the Fire Gang Sect, and Kang Da agreed to warn them and introduce Xiangyi to Fei Tianqin. Meanwhile, Xiang Tianxing rescued Daoist Peng from the Fei Household and escaped Fei Tianqin’s pursuit, then asked Peng to take him to Cold Crow Mountain.

• Kang Xiangyi claimed kinship with Kang Da and explained that the Fire Gang Sect’s Golden Core cultivator threatened his clan’s position in Si Prefecture.
• Kang Xiangyi presented Kang Da with a genuine map to Crimson Firmament Cave, and Kang Da agreed to warn the Fire Gang Sect and host Xiangyi for a few days.
• Xiang Tianxing broke the formation holding Daoist Peng, gave him medicine to dissolve Fei Tianqin’s restraints, and took him aboard a flying boat.
• Fei Tianqin pursued Xiang Tianxing and Daoist Peng, but Xiang Tianxing used talismans and concealed Law Treasures to escape.
• Xiang Tianxing asked Daoist Peng to take him to Cold Crow Mountain to meet the Demon Officers.

Xiang Tianxing brought the injured Daoist Peng toward Rosy Lake Mountain, intending to use him in the Star-Picking Pavilion’s plans involving the Demon Officers of Cold Crow Mountain. More than a month later, Kang Rongquan emerged from a year of cultivation after switching methods and learned that Kang Da was gathering core disciples to hurry to Si Prefecture.

• Xiang Tianxing told Daoist Peng how the Star-Picking Pavilion had used connections and treasures to save him, then reassured him that he would handle the journey to Cold Crow Mountain.
• Daoist Peng agreed to follow Xiang Tianxing while secretly tending to his injuries and the damaged Ten Thousand Souls Banner; Xiang Tianxing considered using him to establish a sect under the Star-Picking Pavilion.
• Kang Rongquan completed his switch to the Growth Ring Divination Shell Scripture after years of guidance and emerged with his cultivation at Foundation Establishment Late Stage within reach.
• Kang Rongquan stopped a True Disciple leaving the sect and learned that Kang Da was gathering core disciples to hurry to Si Prefecture, prompting him to head for the ceremonial archway.

Kang Dabao and his companions reached Kang Changping’s cave abode, where they discovered its powerful protective array had been repaired and might have a new master. Meanwhile, Xiang Tianxing followed Daoist Peng through the Demon-Suppressing Barrier and encountered Demon Officer Mo Yu and human captives in the demon lands.

• Kang Dabao broke the cave abode’s outer illusion array, but Jiang Qing’s sword and Kang Dabao’s halberd failed to pierce its inner protective array.
• Kang Xiangyi told Kang Dabao that the cave’s defenses had not changed during his visits, and Kang Dabao noticed that parts of the array foundations had been repaired.
• Kang Dabao sent Kang Rongquan and the other disciples back to the sect, then told Kang Xiangyi that he would call friends to help.
• Xiang Tianxing took the injured Daoist Peng from the Star-Picking Pavilion and followed his directions to an irregular opening in the Demon-Suppressing Barrier.
• Daoist Peng used turtle pearls to distract river beasts and summoned Demon Officer Mo Yu, who agreed to guide them after receiving the pearls.
• Xiang Tianxing saw human captives penned on the riverbank, restrained his anger, and vowed to kill the demon beasts in time.

Xiang Tianxing delivered Bai Canhong’s proposal to Zeng Zhang, offering the Li Mountain Lineage a chance to break through the barrier and raid specified parts of Great Wei. At the Chongming Sect, Yuan Jin learned that Tie Liuyun had arrived with soldiers to demand an accounting and hurried to meet him.

• Xiang Tianxing entered Moon-Eroding Hall with Daoist Peng and presented Bai Canhong’s letter to Zeng Zhang, chief Demon Officer under Feng Yun.
• Zeng Zhang learned that Bai Canhong would open a barrier formation point, and Xiang Tianxing limited the Demons’ permitted incursion to named circuits and prefectures while demanding an answer within five days.
• Yuan Jin and Ye Zhengwen read Kang Da’s message that Kang Rongquan’s party had turned back from Chenjiang County, then went their separate ways.
• Yuan Jin received Ye Zhengwen’s summons and learned that Tie Liuyun had come to the Chongming Sect with an officer and bureau soldiers to demand an accounting.
• Yuan Jin suspected Tie Liuyun had chosen to come while the eldest senior brother was away, then hurried toward the ceremonial archway.

Kang Dabao led Wufeng, Yang Baoshan, and Cao Xianlu into Kang Changping’s cave abode, where they found valuable Blood Dao materials and the Third-Tier Six Harmonies Kan-Li Cauldron. As the group prepared to claim the cauldron, Zhou Yun accidentally awakened a Third-Tier Upper-Grade copper corpse, leaving everyone facing a sudden danger.

• Wufeng, Yang Baoshan, and Cao Xianlu arrived to help Kang Dabao break into Kang Changping’s cave abode, and they agreed to take a tenth of its gains.
• After Wufeng’s formation calculations failed, Kang Dabao and the others forced an opening in the formation and entered the cave abode.
• The group discovered a blood pool filled with rare Blood Amber and Blood Coral, which Kang Dabao collected for Yang Baoshan to appraise and distribute.
• Kang Dabao found the Third-Tier Six Harmonies Kan-Li Cauldron, and the other cultivators abandoned thoughts of contesting it after he displayed Slaughter and Extermination.
• Zhou Yun unknowingly released living Qi into a hidden recess, awakening a Third-Tier Upper-Grade copper corpse that burst into the cave abode.

Kang Dabao and the cultivators fought a Third-Tier Upper-Grade bronze corpse in Kang Changping's cave abode, and Kang Dabao destroyed it with the Grand Unity Bronze Light Mirror and claimed its corpse pill. Outside, the Seventh Hall Master sought reinforcements, while Daoist Peng noticed another black line on his hand had broken.

• Senior Cultivator Wufeng fled the cave, leaving Kang Dabao, Yang Baoshan, and Cao Xianlu to hold off the bronze corpse.
• The bronze corpse badly injured Cao Xianlu's ghost tiger and damaged Yang Baoshan's Law Treasure, while Kang Dabao saved Yang Baoshan and Jiang Qing wounded the corpse with his sword.
• Kang Dabao revealed his Delusion-Breaking Golden Eyes and body-cultivation strength, then ordered the others to flee as the bronze corpse renewed its assault.
• Kang Dabao used the Grand Unity Bronze Light Mirror and Golden Light to destroy the bronze corpse, then took its corpse pill and searched the cave for more treasures.
• Outside the cave, the Seventh Hall Master sent a message requesting reinforcements from the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall and warned the Chenjiang Kang Clan.
• Daoist Peng woke from cultivation and saw that another black line on the five fingers of his left hand had broken.

Tie Liuyun brought the Demon Correction Office and the Xiezhi Iron Guard to pressure the Chongming Sect while Sect Leader Kang Da was away. Yuan Jin stood his ground, and a powerful puppet and the arrival of the Azure Jue Guards checked Tie Liuyun’s attack as another force approached.

• Tie Liuyun led troops to the Chongming Sect, hoping to prove his loyalty to the powerful patron backing him by forcing the sect to yield.
• Yuan Jin and Ye Zhengwen challenged Tie Liuyun’s demand to hand over Demon Correction Office officers, and Yuan Jin refused to back down until Kang Da returned.
• Tie Liuyun prepared to strike Yuan Jin with his Law Treasure ruler, intending to seize him and use him to force the Chongming Sect’s compliance.
• Yuan Jin activated a message talisman and released a Third Tier Spirit Slave, which knocked back Tie Liuyun’s ruler and protected him.
• Tie Liuyun saw the Azure Jue Guards assemble at the sect’s archway as an unidentified force approached in the distance.

Xiang Tianxing marked Daoist Peng so the Star-Picking Pavilion could track him, while You Song and two fellow Hall Masters entered an illusion array searching for the missing fat Preceptor and a rumored cave abode. A scream sounded shortly after they split up inside the array, and You Song rushed toward it.

• Xiang Tianxing explained that he intended to place a tracking mark on Daoist Peng, then inscribed a strange rune on his body and let him leave.
• The Chenjiang Kang Clan’s lockdown and the return of its wounded patriarch drew attention from neighboring households and the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall.
• You Song, Hou Mingfa, and Feng Buyao arrived in Si Prefecture to investigate the missing fat Preceptor and the cave abode mentioned in his last message.
• Following a divination, You Song and the others found the illusion array where the fat Preceptor had disappeared and entered to investigate.
• The three Hall Masters split up inside the array, and You Song rushed toward a scream that rang out.

Yuan Jin forced Tie Liuyun and the Xiezhi Iron Guard to withdraw from Chongming Sect territory after invoking the sect’s imperial fief and threatening to report the incursion. At Kang Changping’s cave abode, You Song and Hou Mingfa fought a bloody attacker, while Feng Buyao woke to find Kang Dabao in the hidden chamber.

• Yuan Buwen and Yang Jue arrived to support Yuan Jin, and Yang Jue warned Tie Liuyun that the Ying Mountain Army and other authorities might intervene.
• Yuan Jin cited Chongming Sect’s fief and threatened to report Tie Liuyun to the Office of the Duke of Qin, then had captured Demon Correction Office soldiers beheaded as Tie Liuyun departed.
• Tie Liuyun restrained his men and withdrew with the Xiezhi Iron Guard, while Yuan Jin and Ye Zhengwen later handled the visitors and their support.
• You Song used the Star-Seeking Compass to track the attacker who had wounded Feng Buyao, but the bloody figure escaped his lightning through the cave’s restrictions.
• The bloody attacker turned on Hou Mingfa, and You Song returned to help him fight it while Feng Buyao suffered alone and passed out.
• Feng Buyao woke in the hidden chamber and recognized Kang Dabao among the unconscious preceptor and disciples.

Kang Dabao restrained Feng Buyao and secretly observed the battle between You Song, Hou Mingfa, and Daoist Peng. Daoist Peng killed You Song and Hou Mingfa, but a surprise attack forced him to flee, while the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall learned that four Golden Core cultivators had died.

• Feng Buyao tried to use her charms on Kang Dabao, but he refused and kept her under restraint while watching the battle outside with his Divine Sense.
• You Song and Hou Mingfa fought Daoist Peng, who transformed the blood pool into a cocoon and summoned a blood chi dragon and twenty-four blood soldiers.
• You Song burned his Golden Core origin to break through Daoist Peng's defenses, but Daoist Peng used the Ten Thousand Souls Banner to destroy You Song's spear and kill him, then drained Hou Mingfa's Essence Blood and captured both souls.
• Daoist Peng discovered that his opponents' Storage Bags held none of the treasures stolen from his cave, including the Six Harmonies Kan-Li Cauldron.
• Two rays of Golden Light struck Daoist Peng by surprise, and he fled with a blood escape technique, leaving the Storage Bags behind.
• Four Golden Core soul lamps went out in the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall, and its disciples rushed to report the deaths.

Kang Dabao fled the cave abode, gathered the Chenjiang Kang Clan, and began moving them toward Cloud Horn Prefecture as the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall prepared to strike back. Preceptor Huang Mi learned that his hall masters had been defeated and ordered a force to pursue the clan, confident in his newly advanced cultivation.

• Kang Dabao killed a newly advanced Golden Core cultivator at the cave entrance, took his valuables, and escaped before other cultivators arrived.
• Kang Xiangyi organized the Chenjiang Kang Clan's relocation, and Kang Dabao agreed to move the household despite the danger of transporting its million mortals.
• After receiving Yuan Jin's message, Kang Dabao asked Jiang Qing to summon the Third Tier Spirit Slave and seek help from Madam Qi and the Fei Household.
• Preceptor Huang Mi learned that the Chenjiang Kang Clan was moving and heard that his forces had failed to stop it, with a Core Formation Spirit Slave helping Kang Dabao's side.
• Preceptor Huang Mi ordered the hall masters stationed at key locations to gather in Chenjiang, recalled the eighth hall master, and set out with part of his shaman soldiers and warrior monks.

Kang Dabao’s Chenjiang Kang Clan fought its way through the three sects blocking its migration after he killed Du Yun'er and the Fengyi Sect leader. The allied forces collapsed and the Kang clan advanced, but Preceptor Huang Mi arrived with a severed head and ordered the fleeing swordsman to turn back and lead him to the battle.

• Gou Shier left to report to the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall, while Du Yun'er persuaded the three sects to attack the Chenjiang Kang Clan again before reinforcements arrived.
• Kang Dabao attacked Du Yun'er during negotiations and killed her with the Grand Unity Bronze Light Mirror’s Soul-Rending Sword Qi, forcing the three sect leaders to decide whether to fight or retreat.
• The three sects fought the Kang clan; Kang Dabao killed the Fengyi Sect leader, and Yuan Jin took command of the clan’s formation and turned the battle in their favor.
• The Lianjiang Sect leader fled, followed by the sword-bearing Fushan Orthodox Sect leader, and the Kang clan routed the remaining enemy forces.
• Preceptor Huang Mi arrived carrying a severed head, confronted the fleeing swordsman, and ordered him to turn back and lead the way.

Kang Dabao fought Preceptor Huang Mi after Huang Mi rejected his offer of peace, and briefly wounded the powerful monk with a surprise attack. As Huang Mi gained the upper hand and prepared a devastating strike, a familiar voice arrived from the sky, though the Ying Mountain Army was still absent.

• Kang Da led the Chenjiang Kang clansmen toward Mountain North Circuit while awaiting reinforcements and preparing to face Preceptor Huang Mi.
• Preceptor Huang Mi arrived with Qiao Xiuniang, Feng Yifan, shaman soldiers, and warrior monks, then rejected Kang Dabao's offer to settle their dispute peacefully.
• Yuan Jin struggled to hold the Chenjiang Kang formation as Huang Mi's forces attacked, while Huang Mi fought Kang Dabao with powerful Esoteric Buddhist arts.
• Kang Dabao pretended to succumb to Huang Mi's heart-demon technique, then used the Ancient Demon Ring and Sharpened Spirit Thorn to wound him.
• Huang Mi recovered and pressed Kang Dabao with his Great Compassion Incantation, but a dark shadow descended and a familiar voice announced its arrival before the Ying Mountain Army appeared.

Fei Tianqin arrived to stop the clash between the Fei Household and the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall, forcing Xiang Tianxing to accept a truce while Daoist Peng remained at large. After Fei Tianqin left, Preceptor Huang Mi began considering how Kang Dabao's Pure Spirit Golden Core blood might serve his interests.

• Fei Tianqin questioned Kang Dabao about Daoist Peng, then ordered Preceptor Huang Mi and the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall to end the conflict.
• Fei Tianqin threatened Preceptor Huang Mi until Xiang Tianxing arrived and challenged his account of the dispute.
• Fei Tianqin and Xiang Tianxing agreed to end the fighting, with Fei Tianqin promising not to pursue Daoist Peng for now.
• Fei Tianqin left with Kang Dabao and learned that Kang Dabao had destroyed a Third-Tier Upper-Grade bronze corpse and kept its corpse core.
• Xiang Tianxing told Preceptor Huang Mi that the Star-Picking Pavilion would seek justice later, then departed to pursue Daoist Peng.
• Preceptor Huang Mi recalled that Kang Dabao's Pure Spirit Golden Core blood might interest old ghost Pu of the Two Instruments Sect.

Gada cultivated influence in the Office of the Duke of Qin while Buse warned him of a possible threat and sought a Buddhist text. Buse uncovered Gada and Baochai’s plans to manipulate him, then wondered whether the Original Response Temple had a hidden agenda as Kang Da arrived at the Artisan Office.

• Gada sent a message to help Kang Da’s clansmen and arranged for Baochai’s household to move to Fa Prefecture, while Baochai ordered the cleanup of women who had died on Gada’s mandala platform.
• Buse visited Gada, drank blood tea that stained his spiritual power, and warned him that Shu Zhengde had urged the duke’s office to prevent Gada from returning to his sect.
• Buse asked to borrow the Records of the Samye Rainbow Lock Terma, and Gada readily gave him the volume before Baochai used a charm technique on him.
• After Buse left, Gada and Baochai discussed turning him into a sex slave, unaware that Buse overheard them and secretly reconsidered Gada’s position within the Original Response Temple.
• Buse wondered whether Funeng had been the person on the Great Snow Mountain’s true target, while Kang Da arrived at the Artisan Office with Fei Tianqin.

Sect Leader Kang Da visited the Duke of Qin’s Crafts Office with Fei Tianqin to seek a Law Treasure, and Gu Rong agreed to refine Kang’s broken halberd into a powerful weapon. The chapter ended with Kuang Liuting sending warnings about possible threats to the Demon-Locking Barrier in Shannan Circuit.

• Fei Tianqin brought Kang Dabao to the Duke of Qin’s Crafts Office, where they met Chief Craftsman Gu Rong.
• Kang Dabao asked Gu Rong to make him a Law Treasure, but Gu Rong said the duke’s urgent order could keep him occupied for three to five years.
• Gu Rong showed Kang Dabao his defective but powerful Law Treasure, Jade Palace Impurity Breaker, and offered to incorporate the remains of Slaughter and Extermination into it.
• Fei Tianqin promised to ask the duke to excuse Gu Rong so he could finish the halberd for Kang Dabao.
• Kuang Liuting sent messages directing Five Old Mothers Mountain and the Hehuan Sect to watch the Demon-Locking Barrier’s formation foundations and guard against Bai Canhong stirring up demonic chaos.

One year later, You Xiaobao bought a damaged Li Fire Sword after hearing that his son You Wenrui might compete to become Mo Ku’s son-in-law, but news of the sect bell’s seven tolls soon darkened his hopes. At Little Ring Mountain, Zhou Yixiu died among his senior brothers after entrusting his remaining concerns to Sect Leader Kang Da.

• You Xiaobao returned to Phoenix Cry Mountain with a Grass Deer and met the peddler surnamed Shui, who offered him a Li Fire Sword and told him Mo Ku planned to choose a son-in-law from among his disciples.
• You Xiaobao bought the sword on credit, securing half its cost with his mushroom fields, intending to take it to You Wenrui at Ma Duo Ridge.
• Dong Hu told You Xiaobao that the higher sect’s bell had rung seven times, a sign of mourning, and You Xiaobao’s heart sank.
• At Little Ring Mountain, Zhou Yixiu asked Sect Leader Kang Da to have the households under their rule mourn for three days and spoke with his senior brothers as he approached death.
• Zhou Yixiu named those he trusted to care for his family and disciples, while Jiang Qing read the sect’s register of Second-Tier Spirit Fields; Zhou Yixiu died with his hand on the spirit soil.

One month after Zhou Yixiu's death, Kang Changyi visited Xuanwei City to collect spirit puppets and assess artifact-refining notes for the Chongming Sect's finances. On the journey back, he learned Kang Changxi planned to seek military merit in the Two Rivers Circuit, and arrived at the sect resolved to accept his own marriage arrangement without resentment.

• Kang Changyi collected five training spirit puppets from the Lu Craftsman Sect's shop and learned its shopkeeper would not buy the artifact-refining notes he brought.
• Kang Changyi sorted the notes by value and gave them to Zhou Xinran to sell or use as featured treasures at the Double Brightness Treasure Gathering.
• Kang Changxi arrived at the Chongming Sect's city office after accompanying Liu Ya to arrest people violating the mourning period, and the brothers set out for home together.
• Kang Changxi told Kang Changyi that he planned to travel to Great Abyss Capital with an imperial guard battalion and seek military merit to help him marry into the Han Household.
• Kang Changyi accepted that his own marriage to a Fei Household daughter served the family's interests and reflected that he had more than his father had when he began.

Six months later, He Yuanyi completed a Second-Tier Middle-Grade defensive Spirit Artifact as a farewell gift for Kang Changxi and joined the Chongming Sect’s disciples for a gathering before Kang Changxi’s journey to the Great Abyss Capital. The feast ended with Kang Changxi drunk and promising to host them again when he returned.

• He Yuanyi crafted a palm-sized tortoise shell shield and prepared to give it to Junior Brother Kang as a farewell gift.
• He Yuanyi rode to Kang Changxi’s courtyard, where guests gathered amid discussion of the sect’s expanding influence and disputes among its households.
• Kang Rongquan and Jin Shilun spoke in the kitchen about Duan Anle’s mediation of a land dispute and Chen Zihang’s progress as an alchemist.
• Jin Shilun served his dishes as He Yuanyi and other disciples arrived, and Kang Changxi eventually came out to welcome the guests.
• Kang Changxi drank heavily, accepted gifts with his brothers’ help, and urged his fellow disciples to gather again when he returned.

Five years after the fighting began, Sect Leader Kang Da reflected on the wars threatening the realm and worried with Fei Shuhe about their son Kang Changxi, who was serving in Two Rivers Circuit. After seeing the sect’s growth and tensions among its disciples, Kang Da decided to fulfill his duty as sect leader.

• Kang Da reviewed the Chongming Sect’s cautious campaign against the Two Instruments Sect and the worsening conflicts across the southwestern circuits.
• Fei Shuhe grieved over Kang Changxi’s dangerous service in Two Rivers Circuit, while Kang Da learned that their son had killed a Golden Core disciple and been promoted to deputy captain.
• Fei Nanying avoided appealing for Kang Changxi after Kuang Zefu executed nearly a hundred noble and meritorious households’ sons who had feigned illness or injury.
• Kang Da concluded that he should not avoid future battles after the Fei Household suffered heavy losses while fighting the Xianyu Household.
• Kang Da and Fei Shuhe visited the Spirit Plant Hall, where Kang Rongquan complained about the treatment of its hard-working disciples.
• Kang Da took out the Spring and Autumn Brush Edge and told Kang Rongquan to summon his fellow disciples, saying it was time to do what a sect leader ought to do.

Sect Leader Kang Da used the Spring and Autumn Brush Edge to instruct Duan Anle and other Chongming Sect disciples, while encouraging Duan Anle to change cultivation methods for better prospects. After several months of guidance, the disciples benefited greatly, though their cultivation disrupted sect operations until Duan Anle restored order.

• Jin Shilun arrived at Kang Dabao’s courtyard after struggling with his duties as guardian of the Jia-Chou Military Stronghold.
• Sect Leader Kang Da asked Duan Anle about his lack of progress with the Profound Clear Withering and Flourishing Secret Manual, then tested his understanding of the Green Goat Pine Scripture Treatise.
• The Spring and Autumn Brush Edge recorded Kang Dabao’s corrections, and Duan Anle recognized how much he had misunderstood the treatise.
• Kang Dabao advised Duan Anle to study higher-level cultivation methods and gave him the Crimson Pearl Thoroughly Illuminating True Chapter, along with precious supplies and artifacts.
• Kang Dabao instructed the disciples over several months, and their sudden immersion in cultivation disrupted Chongming Sect operations until Duan Anle put affairs back in order.
• Kang Dabao reflected that the Spring and Autumn Brush Edge could make regular instruction more effective, unaware that Daoist Peng was recovering from injuries in the Cold Crow Mountain Range.

Daoist Peng survived Xiang Tianxing’s attack and regained control of the Ten Thousand Souls Banner after Chen Ye’s ghost officer nearly destroyed his Golden Core. Meanwhile, Duan Anle told Xu Liuxian that Kang Da was away seeking control of Ding Prefecture, leaving the Cold Mountain Sect’s complaint against the Cloud Valley Zhang Household unresolved for now.

• Daoist Peng struggled to heal his wound as lingering golden Qi and a backlash from his Dantian worsened his condition.
• Chen Ye led the ghost officers in attacking Daoist Peng’s Golden Core, but Daoist Peng used a jade pendant to bind them again and erase Chen Ye’s restored consciousness.
• Daoist Peng drew Chen Ye and the remaining ghost officers back into the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, then continued taking pills to treat his injuries.
• Xu Liuxian visited the Chongming Sect to complain that the Cloud Valley Zhang Household had provoked trouble and injured Cold Mountain Sect members.
• Duan Anle said Kang Da was away pursuing Ding Prefecture and suggested that Xu Liuxian consider its resources for the Cold Mountain Sect.

Ye Zhengwen oversaw Chongming Sect affairs as the sect weighed its precarious position in Shannan Circuit, then celebrated the ripening of nine Three Origin Fruits cultivated by Kang Rongquan and the Spirit Plant Hall. In Phoenix Cry Prefecture, Kang Dabao learned that Ding Prefecture remained undecided and agreed to attend a Dao gathering with Fei Nanying, hoping to find cultivation resources.

• Ye Zhengwen discussed with Duan Anle the Chongming Sect’s expansion prospects, its lack of reliable allies, and its plans to defend Cloud Horn Prefecture.
• Ye Zhengwen reviewed the sect’s surrounding powers and prepared decisions for Sect Leader Kang Da while managing the sect’s growing affairs.
• Kang Rongquan showed Ye Zhengwen that the Three Origins Vine had ripened nine fruits after years of work by Chongming Sect disciples.
• Ye Zhengwen promised to propose higher allowances for Spirit Plant Hall disciples and ordered the fruits delivered to the sect treasury pending Sect Leader Kang Da’s decision.
• In Phoenix Cry Prefecture, Kang Dabao returned the Jade Palace Impurity Breaker Halberd to Fei Nanying and learned that Ding Prefecture had not yet been promised to the Chongming Sect.
• Fei Nanying invited Kang Dabao and his junior brother to a Dao gathering in ten days, where a Golden Core cultivator would expound the Dao and attendees could exchange goods.