Chapter Summaries

Kuang Liuting investigated Linghu You’s role in Feng Wan’s murder and weighed whether to execute the Mystic Moon Sect leader. Kang Dabao’s evidence of Feng Wan’s diligent service swayed him to kill Linghu You but spare and reward the rest of the sect, while Kuang Liuting privately reaffirmed his trust in Gun Shilu.

• Kuang Liuting dismissed Tie Liuyun and questioned Linghu You, then bound him after accusing the Mystic Moon Sect leader of murdering Feng Wan.
• Tie Liuyun argued that executing Linghu You would undermine the prefecture court’s campaign, and Gun Shilu added that the leader’s support could help them take Ding Prefecture.
• Kang Dabao presented Feng Wan’s records and described the commandant’s years of dedicated work, prompting Kuang Liuting to reconsider.
• Kuang Liuting executed Linghu You and ordered an investigation of the Mystic Moon Sect’s Foundation Establishment cultivators, while suspending collective punishment and granting the remaining disciples rewards and orders to serve at the Ding Prefecture camp.
• Kang Dabao hurried back to the Chongming Sect, and Kuang Liuting told Gun Shilu that he intended to keep employing Kang Dabao but still relied most on him.

Kang Dabao explained why he had chosen to oppose the Earl of Nan'an and received He Wanying and her son, He Chang, after Feng Wan's death. He then discussed the sect's spoils and upcoming expeditions with Jiang Qing and Yuan Jin, ending by asking Yuan Jin whether he had suffered Qi Deviation while cultivating the White Ape Scripture.

• Ye Zhengwen challenged Kang Dabao over his decisions in the Mystic Moon Sect affair, and Kang Dabao explained that he had chosen his Yue Household's side because Tie Liuyun and Yue Lin would eventually threaten them.
• Kang Dabao welcomed He Wanying and He Chang, accepted her thanks for helping avenge Feng Wan, and told her to live well for her son.
• Jiang Qing reported on the spoils from the battle and plans to search Cold Crow Mountain for beasts to breed with Grass Deer before accompanying Daoist Black Shoes to Tengwen Prefecture.
• Yuan Jin asked for First- and Second-Tier Black-Pupiled White Ape nose-root Essence Blood to prepare for Foundation Establishment, and Jiang Qing volunteered to search for it with him.
• Kang Dabao arranged efforts to obtain the Essence Blood, then asked Yuan Jin whether he had suffered Qi Deviation while cultivating the White Ape Scripture; Yuan Jin lowered his head without answering.

Jin Shilun visited the Chongming Small Pavilion, where Zhou Xinran explained Shao Meng’s ties to the Yue Household and Gui Xiang’s attempts to win favor with the Chongming Sect. After returning to Chongming City, Jin Shilun killed a Green-Skinned Rhinoceros and encountered a wounded cultivator who claimed to know who had killed Han Yundao, leaving Jin Shilun facing the man’s pursuers.

• Jin Shilun bought two bottles of Black-Pupiled White Ape Essence Blood from Zhou Xinran and learned Yuan Changsheng would soon be assigned to the trade market.
• Shao Meng sold Zhou Xinran twenty-nine bottles of Essence Blood, and Zhou explained that Shao’s support for the sect likely reflected her ties to the Han City Yue Household.
• Gui Xiang gave Jin Shilun a Heavenly Thunder Seed and claimed to have renewed his friendship with Kang Da.
• Jin Shilun returned to Chongming City, discovered a problem with the Spirit Gathering Formation, and sent Wei Gu a message asking him to inspect it.
• Jin Shilun killed a Green-Skinned Rhinoceros and removed its horn, intending to have it made into a gift for Brother Yi.
• A wounded longbow cultivator claimed to know who killed Han Yundao, and Jin Shilun rushed to confront the two cultivators pursuing him.

Jin Shilun captured a wounded Lin Household cultivator who revealed that Gui Xiang had killed Han Yundao and framed the Lin Household. Duan Anle killed the captive before consulting their master, while Sect Leader Kang Da quietly collected spirit dew for a second dose to improve someone’s aptitude.

• Jin Shilun defeated two Rogue Cultivators, drove off the black-faced one, and captured the longbow cultivator who had feigned unconsciousness.
• Wei Gu recognized the captive as a Lin Household attacker from the incident in which Han Yundao died, and Jin Shilun brought him to the Chongming Sect.
• After Yuan Changsheng treated the captive, he told Duan Anle that Gui Xiang had killed Han Yundao and his own Ninth Uncle, then blamed the Lin Household.
• Duan Anle beheaded the captive before Jin Shilun could bring the matter to their master, and Jin Shilun urged him to wait outside the master's courtyard.
• Sect Leader Kang Da collected the last drops of spirit dew and wondered whether a second dose would improve Second’s aptitude and chances of Foundation Establishment.

Sect Leader Kang Da kept the disciples from acting against Gui Xiang because political tensions made the timing dangerous, while Yuan Jin prepared to attempt Foundation Establishment. Kang Dabao gave Yuan Jin spirit dew to help him, but it appeared to have no effect.

• Kang Dabao told the disciples to keep their knowledge of Gui Xiang secret, and Duan Anle led them away after Yuan Changsheng questioned his decision.
• Duan Anle and Jin Shilun reasoned that Kang Dabao had known about Gui Xiang and was avoiding action because of the Yue Household and the unstable prefectural politics.
• Ye Zhengwen agreed that the Chongming Sect should not provoke Gui Xiang, warned that the militia from Jin County would suffer heavy losses if sent to the front, and urged Kang Dabao to delay deploying them.
• Yuan Jin suppressed the demonic Qi in his body and decided to arrange his affairs before attempting Foundation Establishment.
• Kang Dabao brought Yuan Jin a bowl of spirit dew and watched anxiously as he drank it, but Yuan Jin showed no apparent reaction.

Kang Dabao feared that the Primordial Gourd’s spirit liquid and Azure Smoke of Creation had stopped working, but Pei Yi reminded him how far the Chongming Sect had grown and helped him regain perspective. Two months later, Yuan Jin succeeded in Foundation Establishment while Pei Yi failed but survived, leaving Kang Dabao stunned by the mixed news.

• Yuan Jin thanked Kang Dabao for the spirit water and left to speak with his wife and child before entering seclusion, while Kang Dabao worried that the gourd’s powers had failed.
• Kang Dabao watched Ye Yaoling and Kang Changyi teach the young disciples, then encountered Pei Yi, who had come out of seclusion before attempting Foundation Establishment.
• Pei Yi played Go with Kang Dabao and recounted the Chongming Sect’s growth, easing Kang Dabao’s fear that the sect’s fortunes depended on the gourd.
• Two months later, Kang Dabao learned that Yuan Jin had succeeded in Foundation Establishment and Pei Yi had failed but survived, and he sat in silence at the conflicting news.

Zhou Yixiu and Kang Rongquan tended the Hong County Spirit Fields while discussing their sect members and the worsening war in White Sand County. Sect Leader Kang Da arrived with orders to organize troops across the prefecture, and he asked Fei Shuhe to accompany him to Crane Spirit Mountain as he prepared to take a larger command role.

• Zhou Yixiu corrected Kang Rongquan for arriving late, discussed the Moon Fern crop and Pei Yi’s health, and told Kang Rongquan to take Sun-Longing Grass to Pei Yi.
• Fei Shuhe visited the spirit farmer quarters and gave Duan Anle and Pei Que First-Tier jade artifacts, then reported that Yuan Buwen’s attacks had intensified in White Sand County.
• Kang Da arrived and ordered Pei Que to find a major buyer for the sect’s Black-Pupiled White Ape Essence Blood; Zhou Yixiu promised to improve the Moon Fern yield.
• Kang Da announced that the earl had ordered him to raise troops from all seventeen counties and prepare a force within two months to support the fighting in White Sand County.
• Kang Da asked Fei Shuhe to accompany him to Crane Spirit Mountain, and she agreed.

Wang Wu saved Xiu Ming during an ambush, but the two were soon caught up in the chase of a wounded Blood Shadow Foundation Establishment cultivator. Duan Anle and Kang Rongquan captured the cultivator alive, while Yuan Jin arrived and revealed that he had been sent to support them as negotiations with Yuan Buwen continued.

• Wang Wu used his puppet to save Xiu Ming from an enemy cultivator and fled with him toward White Sand County.
• A wounded Blood Shadow Foundation Establishment cultivator raced past Wang Wu and Xiu Ming, then Duan Anle and Kang Rongquan pursued him.
• Kang Rongquan’s silver ring Law Artifact broke when the Blood Shadow counterattacked, so Kang Rongquan used vines while Duan Anle joined the fight with his Gray Spirit Falcon.
• Kang Rongquan’s poisoned vines weakened and trapped the Blood Shadow, and Duan Anle sealed him with a Suppressing Character Seal.
• Yuan Jin arrived, scolded Duan Anle and Kang Rongquan for risking the pursuit, and told them to keep the captured Yuan Household bondsman alive.

The Yuan Household attacked the Zheng Household’s formation at Old Ox Mountain, but reinforcements led by Kang Dabao turned the battle against them. As the Yuan forces retreated, Yuan Buwen faced Kang Dabao and offered to talk.

• Mo Wen and the Ingenious Craftsman Fort disciples blasted the Yuan ranks with spirit crossbow cannons while the Zheng defenders struggled to hold the Eight Desolations Fire Dragon Formation.
• Yuan Buwen destroyed the formation’s Fire Dragon and fought off attacks from Gun Shilu and Granny Liu, but the formation’s Flame Dragon Claw drained most of his spiritual power.
• Kang Dabao arrived with Silver-Armored Lion Insects, killed Yue Fu with his halberd and eye technique, and led the concealed reinforcements in a counterattack.
• The Yuan forces lost morale and retreated as Yuan Buwen held back the pursuing Zheng forces and told Kang Dabao that they could talk.

Jiang Qing and Yuan Jin captured Yuan Household infiltrators while discussing the sect’s plans, as Tie Liuyun unleashed the Xiezhi Iron Guard on the Ding Prefecture battlefield. Outside Old Ox Mountain, Kang Dabao negotiated with Yuan Buwen by offering the Yuan Household a chance to produce a Golden Core cultivator, and Yuan Buwen paused at the proposal.

• Jiang Qing rejoined Yuan Jin with a captured Foundation Establishment cultivator, and Yuan Jin knocked out the captive’s teeth after he insulted the Chongming Sect.
• Yuan Jin and Jiang Qing suspected the Yuan Household’s weak infiltrators were a diversion and agreed to follow Eldest Senior Brother’s orders while waiting for news from Old Ox Mountain.
• Yue Lin warned Tie Liuyun not to underestimate Kang Dabao, then Tie Liuyun committed the Xiezhi Iron Guard to battle and its formation routed the Ding Prefecture troops.
• Yuan Buwen ordered the prefecture court’s forces away and met Kang Dabao alone, while Granny Liu and Gun Shilu stayed nearby.
• Kang Dabao offered Yuan Buwen the chance for the Yuan Household to produce a True Core cultivator under the Earl’s protection, and Yuan Buwen stopped to consider his words.

Kang Dabao met with Yuan Buwen, then assessed the Yuan Household’s political position and built goodwill among the Fei Household through trade. A renewed battle was halted when the Yuan forces withdrew from White Sand County, and Granny Liu announced that Kang Dabao’s father-in-law had achieved Core Formation.

• Yuan Buwen questioned Kang Dabao about the returning temple-protecting khenpo and Yuan Xiyue, and Kang Dabao promised she would be treated well in the Chongming Sect.
• Kang Dabao told Granny Liu that Yuan Xiyue was a pretext and that the Two Instruments Sect may have wanted Yuan Buwen to destroy the Yunwei Zheng Household.
• Granny Liu urged Kang Dabao to serve the Fei Household and warned him to prepare for possible fighting.
• Kang Dabao sold Spirit Artifacts and Storage Bags to Fei Household cultivators, turning the gathering into an exchange and drinking party.
• Two days later, as the Yuan Household prepared to attack, news from Xuanwei City led its forces to withdraw from White Sand County.
• Granny Liu told Kang Dabao that his father-in-law had achieved Core Formation.

The Two Instruments Sect’s leaders worried about the influence of Fei Nanying’s middle-grade Golden Core and the pressure exerted by powerful factions on Cloud Horn Prefecture. At the Fei ancestral grounds, Fei Ye Shui arranged a grand congratulatory visit to Nanying and ordered Kang Dabao brought to meet him if Nanying recommended him.

• Li Yun and Qiu Yunsheng discussed Fei Nanying’s middle-grade Golden Core and the advantages of the Fei Household’s cultivation method.
• Qiu Yunsheng warned Li Yun that the Two Instruments Sect had to heed the nearby Star-Picking Pavilion, while Li Yun privately wondered when Kuang Liuting would form his core.
• Fei Ye Shui added Fei Nanying’s name to the Fei Household register and praised his achievement, though he regretted that Nanying had not formed his core sooner.
• Fei Ye Shui ordered Qiu River Hall to send a Golden Core cultivator with Ying Mountain Army troops to congratulate Nanying, and to bring Wanqing along to visit her family.
• Fei Ye Shui recalled Kang Dabao, Shuhe’s husband, and said Nanying could bring Kang to meet him if he considered the young man worth cultivating.

Fei Wanqing traveled with Fei Nanxi and the Ying Mountain Army aboard the Juntian Bird, while Fei Ye Shui arranged for the bird to assist Fei Nanying in Cloud Horn Prefecture. At Fei Nanying’s celebration in Xuanwei City, Kang Dabao asked Bian Hu to look after He Yuanhe before Fei Nanying summoned him.

• Fei Wanqing joined Fei Nanxi and the Ying Mountain Army aboard the Juntian Bird, which scolded Fei Nanxi before Fei Ye Shui arrived.
• Fei Ye Shui asked the Juntian Bird to assist Fei Nanying in Cloud Horn Prefecture, and the bird agreed before carrying Fei Wanqing and the army away.
• Fei Ye Shui watched the Juntian Bird depart and worried that he might never see his elder brother again.
• At Fei Nanying’s celebration in Xuanwei City, Kang Dabao approached Bian Hu and asked him to look after He Yuanhe, a True Disciple of the Stone Mountain Sect.
• Fei Nanying came out and called Kang Dabao over to speak with him.

Jiang Hongdao and Yan Qingwei discussed how the Fearless Tower should cultivate its ties with Kang Dabao and gather information on the Cloud Horn Prefecture Court. Meanwhile, Fei Nanying praised Kang Dabao’s cultivation, invited him to visit the Fei clan lands, and raised the question of an heir before clan envoys arrived.

• Jiang Hongdao told Yan Qingwei that the Fearless Tower should preserve its relationship with Kang Dabao by offering resources and gathering information through other contacts.
• Jiang Hongdao hinted that Yan Qingwei might gain the tower master's approval through a compromising opportunity, enraging her and leaving her troubled as she departed.
• Fei Nanying praised Kang Dabao’s techniques and strength, while Kang Dabao privately considered how to obtain the Azure Firmament Spirit Root for Little Sanzi.
• Fei Nanying invited Kang Dabao to visit the Fei clan lands and pay respects to Ancestor Ye Shui, then said it was time for Kang Dabao and Fei Shuhe to consider having a legitimate son.
• Fei Nanying heard that envoys from the Ying Prefecture clan lands had arrived and asked Kang Dabao to welcome them with him.

Fei Nanying received Clan Elder Juntian Bird and the Ying Mountain Army in Xuanwei City, while Kang Dabao impressed the Fei elders with his composure. At Dantong Cliff, Kang Rongquan oversaw the Kuai Household’s planting and spotted the newly appointed county commandant Gui Xiang, prompting him to devise a plan.

• Juntian Bird arrived at Xuanwei City and promised to hunt for better Spirit Veins for Fei Nanying’s She Mountain Hall.
• Juntian Bird threatened to eat Kang Dabao, but Kang Dabao paid his respects calmly and earned the bird’s approval and promise of a share of its spoils.
• Fei Nanxi gave Fei Nanying a battalion of Ying Mountain Army soldiers and summoned him to pay respects to the ancestor.
• Fei Nanying warned Fei Wanqing not to become entangled with Kang Dabao and told her to return to Ying Prefecture after visiting her family.
• Kang Rongquan supervised the Kuai Household’s planting of Plain Snow Stamen and told Kuai En that Ingenious Craftsman Fort would assess the younger descendants for cultivation aptitude.
• Kang Rongquan saw county commandant Gui Xiang’s elaborate procession arrive in Tanggu County and, recalling Duan Anle’s instructions, quickly devised a plan.

Jiang Qing cultivated his swordsmanship, handled requests from the Four Friends of Cold Mountain, and reunited with the injured Pei Yi. A sect alarm then announced that Rongquan was in urgent danger.

• Jiang Qing returned to the Chongming Sect after the fighting in White Sand County ended and devoted himself to improving the Three Yang Sword Instruction.
• Jiang Qing learned that Ji Yunsheng needed help finding an artifact refiner for Lu Xingbei and an Alchemist to treat Zhou Zhaoyi, and he planned to ask Nanny Sun for assistance.
• Jiang Qing found that Nanny Sun had not returned, then encountered Pei Yi with Pei Que and Pei Zhu'er and carried Pei Yi's herb basket as they returned to the sect.
• Pei Yi asked Jiang Qing to persuade Pei Que to stop staying home to care for him, and Jiang Qing quietly agreed.
• Yuan Jin and the others discussed helping Pei Yi recover and earn another Foundation Establishment Pill before the sect alarm rang.
• Yuan Jin received a transmission talisman and told everyone that something had happened to Rongquan.

The Demon Correction Office and its allies besieged Learning Forest Mountain while the Ming Household waited for Chongming Sect’s reinforcements. When the sect arrived, Jiang Qing overwhelmed the attackers and fought his way to Kang Rongquan, leaving Gui Xiang with the demand to return him.

• Second Master Ming refused to surrender the Kuai Household, and the Ming defenders repelled repeated attacks while suffering heavy losses.
• The allied forces rejected the Ming Household’s belated offer to hand over the Kuai cultivators, and the Ming Household prepared to fight alongside them.
• Yuan Jin and Jiang Qing led Chongming Sect reinforcements to Learning Forest Mountain, where Tie Xishui accused the sect of rebellion and threatened Kang Rongquan.
• Jiang Qing defeated several Demon Correction Office cultivators, killed the attackers who stood in his way, and forced Ye Zhen to flee wounded.
• Yuan Jin fought Tie Xishui as Jiang Qing reached Gui Xiang and demanded that he return Kang Rongquan.

Jiang Qing fought Yin Wind Valley master Gu Honglang while the Chongming Sect battled the Demon Correction Office, and Gu gained the upper hand as Jiang’s strength failed. At the Jade Toad cave abode, Yue Lin revealed that his household’s plan had succeeded and prevented Daoist Black Shoes from leaving to save the Chongming Sect.

• Jiang Qing tried to kill Gui Xiang after Kang Rongquan accused him of harming Han, but Gu Honglang rescued Gui Xiang and Jiang and Yuan Jin withdrew with Kang Rongquan and Kuai En.
• Gu Honglang attacked Jiang Qing with three skeletons, a White Bone Banner, and a mourning staff, while Tie Xishui recovered and fought Chongming Sect disciples.
• Jiang Qing unleashed the Three Yang Spirit Annihilation Sword, destroying Gu Honglang’s skeletons, but the mourning staff overwhelmed his sword and the whetstone’s backlash injured him.
• Yue Lin told Daoist Black Shoes that he had once secretly supported him and explained why he no longer understood Black Shoes’ loyalty to the Chongming Sect.
• Daoist Black Shoes asked how to preserve the Chongming Sect, but Yue Lin said he would not be allowed to leave and revealed that the Hongyi Sect’s home mountain had fallen to the Yue Household’s plan.

Zhu Tong suspected the Yue Household had engineered the Chongming Sect’s confrontation with the Demon Correction Office to weaken the Fei Household and secure Yue Hongguo a place in the Earl of Nan'an’s household. As the battle at Learning Forest Mountain grew desperate, Daoist Black Shoes learned the Yue Household had planned against the Fei Household and unleashed a supreme treasure, demanding that Yue Lin and Peng Xingyu go with him to Kuang Liuting for a full accounting.

• Zhu Tong read the report of the Hongyi Sect’s defeat and worried that Yue Hongguo’s rise as a holy maiden would help her secure a consort position in the Earl of Nan'an’s household.
• Zhu Tong pieced together suspicious events surrounding Gui Xiang’s attempted poisoning, the Demon Correction Office’s arrests, and the Chongming Sect’s attack, concluding that the Yue Household had manipulated events against the Fei Household.
• Pei Yi treated the wounded Kang Rongquan and Kuai En, while Yuan Jin’s forces fought Tie Xishui’s troops; Duan Anle and Pei Yi told Yuan Jin they suspected someone had plotted against the Chongming Sect.
• Yue Lin told Daoist Black Shoes that the Yue Household had laid traps for groups connected to the Fei Household, and Peng Xingyu revealed that Five Old Mothers Mountain was backing the Yue Household.
• Daoist Black Shoes learned that the Chongming Sect’s leader had turned back to Learning Forest Mountain rather than meet Fei Ye Shui, then took out a supreme treasure and demanded that Yue Lin and Peng Xingyu accompany him to Kuang Liuting for a full accounting.

Kang Dabao rejected Fei Nanying’s offer of safety and wealth and returned to defend the Chongming Sect, while the sect’s forces suffered heavy losses fighting the Chengshan Sect and the Demon Correction Office. As Jiang Qing lost his sword to Gu Honglang, a thunderous voice intervened to challenge Gu Honglang and protect Jiang Qing.

• Kang Dabao refused Fei Nanying’s offer and set out for the battle, while Fei Shuhe declared she would go with him before Fei Nanying stopped her.
• Outside Learning Forest Mountain, Zhang Qingran joined Ye Zhengwen against a Chengshan Sect cultivator, and Yuan Xiyue’s Gold Skin Silver E disrupted the enemy formation.
• The Chengshan Sect and the Demon Correction Office rallied, forcing Chongming’s fighters to retreat as Yuan Xiyue, Zhang Qingran, and Ye Zhengwen were wounded.
• Duan Anle was badly injured, and Ye Zhengwen was struck down while helping him escape.
• Gu Honglang knocked Jiang Qing’s flying sword away, but a thunderous voice shouted for Gu Honglang to fight it instead.