Chapter Summaries

Sang Ying investigated the Tuyao Flowers and Myriad Phenomena Mountain in the Jimo Household’s records, while the West Courtyard family plotted to drive her away. She suspected Jimo Hong had been made an accomplice by someone seeking the household head’s position and decided to question a woman who might know more.

• Zhang Huizhen blamed Jimo Qunfang for Fu Yinqiu confining the West Courtyard family, and Jimo Qunfang argued that her mother was the reason Fu Yinqiu had never adopted her.
• A young man told the family to stop bickering and said they should find a way to drive Sang Ying out.
• Sang Ying and Jiang Zhuoxue searched the Jimo Household’s records and learned that a former household head had established a formation on Myriad Phenomena Mountain and that Tuyao Flowers had later grown there from a single seed.
• Gu Shu suggested Jimo Hong had planted the flowers to destroy Rizhao City and frame the household head, but Sang Ying reasoned that he was more likely an accomplice promised the household head’s position.
• Sang Ying decided to stop searching the books and go ask the woman they had met earlier.

Sang Ying investigated Chen Liu’s disappearance by visiting his mother and learned that other people had also vanished in Rizhao City. She used a tracking spell on Chen Liu’s clothing, and the resulting light butterfly led toward Myriad Phenomena Mountain.

• Jimo Qing learned that Sang Ying was researching Myriad Phenomena Mountain, while the Jimo family head suspected she had discovered something there and allowed her to continue investigating.
• Sang Ying left the Jimo residence with Jiang Zhuoxue and the others to visit Chen Liu’s mother in Rizhao City’s mortal district.
• Sang Ying disguised herself as a city guard and questioned Auntie Chen, who explained how Chen Liu went missing after visiting Myriad Phenomena Mountain.
• Auntie Chen told Sang Ying that several other families had reported unexplained disappearances, prompting Sang Ying to decide she needed to inform Jimo Qing.
• Sang Ying cast a Tracking Instruction on Chen Liu’s clothing, and she and Jiang Zhuoxue followed the glowing butterfly toward Myriad Phenomena Mountain.

Sang Ying discovered an array beneath the Tuyao flowers while investigating Chen Liu’s disappearance, then traced twelve missing mortals in Rizhao City. Jimo Qing revealed that cultivators had also been vanishing from the city, leaving Sang Ying with evidence of a much broader mystery.

• Sang Ying and her companions uncovered a spiritual array beneath the Tuyao flowers, but only Sang Ying could see it.
• Sang Ying searched the mortal district and found twelve missing young adults whose families had little influence and no connections to cultivators.
• Sang Ying showed Jimo Qing the missing mortals’ information, and he shared records of cultivators who had disappeared from Rizhao City over the past three months.
• Jimo Qing explained that the missing cultivators had vanished without leaving the city or renewing their rental leases.

Sang Ying and Jimo Qing investigated the disappearances in Rizhao City and connected the suspects to Wen Heyu, a missing Golden Core cultivator. Sang Ying’s discovery of a Spirit-Locking Formation beneath Myriad Phenomena Mountain revealed that the Jimo Household’s ancestor had hidden a Spirit Stone mine there, and that someone may have covered it with tuyao flowers to steal it.

• Sang Ying noticed that Wen Heyu was the only Golden Core cultivator among the missing, and Jimo Qing explained that he had vanished after arranging to meet a Rogue Cultivator.
• Jimo Qing showed Sang Ying the suspicious Rogue Cultivators who had entered Rizhao City and revealed that one had sold Wen Heyu’s high-grade Law Artifact at the Jimo Household’s auction house.
• Sang Ying told Jimo Qing that her tracking butterfly had led her to the tuyao flower sea, where she uncovered a formation carved into Myriad Phenomena Mountain.
• Jimo Qing recognized the formation and brought Sang Ying to the Jimo household head, who identified it as their ancestor’s Spirit-Locking Formation.
• Sang Ying and the Jimo household head concluded that a Spirit Stone mine lay beneath the flowers and that someone had planted them to conceal the mine and target the Jimo Household.

In Rizhao City, the Jimo Household planned to stop the Tuyao Flowers and rescue captives from the Spirit Stone mine while Sang Ying volunteered to infiltrate it. Disguised as a weak Foundation Establishment rogue cultivator, she entered the city, where the mine's guards identified her as a new “miner” and prepared to act the next day.

• In Eternal Night City, Jimo Hong ingratiated himself with a powerful man and promised that the Jimo Household would sell only his spirit wine if Hong became household head.
• Sang Ying told Jimo Qing and the Jimo household head about her suspicions of Jimo Hong, and they discussed the captives, the Tuyao Flowers, and the Spirit Stone mine.
• Fu Yinqiu offered to have her Gu cultivator friends deal with the Tuyao Flowers, while Sang Ying volunteered to infiltrate the mine as a rogue cultivator.
• After repeated persuasion, the Jimo household head and Fu Yinqiu agreed to let Sang Ying attempt the infiltration.
• Three days later, Sang Ying entered Rizhao City disguised as a timid Foundation Establishment cultivator named Sang Ye.
• A guard in the Myriad Phenomena Mountain mine reported that they had found a new “miner” and that they would move the next day.

Wen Heyu endured harsh conditions in the mine and tried to protect his fellow prisoners from the guards. A newly arrived female cultivator accidentally scarred a guard, who blamed her and watched her with resentment, while she secretly revealed a cold glint in her eyes.

• Wen Heyu helped a weakened young miner after a guard whipped him, but his companion urged him not to provoke the guards.
• Wen Heyu and the other miners ate thin gruel as the steward brought in a bound female cultivator.
• The head guard ordered the female cultivator to work, and his whip accidentally struck another guard when she tripped over a rock.
• Wen Heyu pulled the female cultivator away from the commotion as the steward scolded the head guard.
• The injured guard returned with a scar and blamed the female cultivator, who secretly flashed a cold glint in her eyes.

Sang Ying, posing as the miner Sang Ye, learned that the mine held a rich vein and that dozens of guards protected it, so she enlisted Jiang Zhuoxue to help watch them. Liu San took her to a secluded tunnel under the pretense of escorting her to the latrine, then attacked her.

• Wen Heyu warned Sang Ye that Liu San seemed to hold a grudge against her and told her to stay close to the others.
• Sang Ying learned from Jiang Zhuoxue that the mine likely contained Supreme-Grade Spirit Stones and was guarded by thirty men, including at least ten Golden Core cultivators.
• Sang Ying asked Jiang Zhuoxue to watch the Golden Core guards, and persuaded him to help by hinting that she could affect his food.
• During the evening rest, Sang Ying asked to use the latrine, and Liu San volunteered to escort her.
• Once they were alone in an abandoned tunnel, Liu San declared he was sending Sang Ying to the Western Paradise and grabbed her by the throat.

Sang Ying killed Liu San and arranged for Cang Lian to impersonate him while she secretly worked to rescue the abducted cultivators and mortals. As insects destroyed the Tuyao Flowers on Myriad Phenomena Mountain, the Jimo Household head used the infestation as a pretext to order the flowers harvested.

• Sang Ying killed Liu San, had Cang Lian dispose of his body, and asked him to impersonate Liu San and possibly take control of the guard captain.
• Sang Ying returned to the miners with injuries, and Jiang Zhuoxue told her he had found the abducted cultivators alive, though fewer than five mortals remained.
• Sang Ying accidentally uncovered a mid-grade Spirit Stone, and a mortal noticed that she still had her spiritual power and began hoping he could return home.
• Cang Lian failed to fool the guard captain, killed him when he tried to report the deception, and took his place with a wooden-looking disguise.
• Insects ate through the Tuyao Flowers on Myriad Phenomena Mountain, and the Jimo Household head ordered the entire sea of flowers harvested to contain the infestation.

Jimo Hong returned to Rizhao City and saw that the Tuyao Flowers had been destroyed, while Sang Ying and Cang Lian worked to eliminate guards and protect their operation in the mine. After the guards discovered their minor leader and the Spirit Stones were gone, “Liu San” persuaded them to flee and offered them a way to make a profit first.

• Jimo Hong returned to Rizhao City and saw the bare ground where the Tuyao Flowers had been destroyed.
• Sang Ying disposed of another guard and planned to eliminate more guards and break the cultivators’ Spirit-Sealing Locks before the steward could escape with the Spirit Stones.
• Cang Lian, disguised as Liu San, helped dispose of the corpse and worried that the missing guards would draw attention.
• The guards searched the mine, found the minor leader’s room empty, and discovered that the Spirit Stones were gone.
• “Liu San” convinced the guards that the minor leader had fled with the stones, prompting them to plan their own escape.
• “Liu San” offered the guards a way to make a profit before leaving, and they turned to him for help.

Cang Lian, posing as Liu San, persuaded the miners to lure the steward into a trap by turning the Jimo Household against his men. Wen Heyu’s attempt to escape with the captives failed, while Sang Ying faced the problem of their Spirit-Sealing Locks and heard new news from Jiang Zhuoxue.

• Cang Lian, posing as Liu San, convinced the miners to send men to find the steward and reveal his subordinates’ activities to the Jimo Household.
• The guards left the mine to investigate, giving Wen Heyu and his companions a chance to consider escaping.
• Wen Heyu urged the cultivators and mortals to flee, but they refused because their Spirit-Sealing Locks left them vulnerable and the mortals feared the guards.
• Wen Heyu promised to find a way to save everyone, while Sang Ying decided not to comfort him and worried about the Spirit-Sealing Locks.
• Jiang Zhuoxue told Sang Ying she had good news.

Sang Ying and Jiang Zhuoxue used their knowledge of Spirit-Sealing Stone to set a trap that exposed the Jimo Household’s illegal operation. Jimo Hong was lured into an alley and trapped, while the steward escaped toward the Spirit Stone mine, unknowingly leading Fu Yinqiu and a hidden man to its location.

• Jiang Zhuoxue explained that powerful Spiritual Qi could shatter Spirit-Sealing Stone, and Sang Ying prepared to use the abundant Spiritual Qi around her.
• The butler gave the Jimo household head a Jade Slip identifying the supposed culprits, and the head ordered Jimo Qing to capture them.
• Jimo Hong learned that the missing mortals had been found and hurried after Jimo Qing, but a servant misdirected him into an alley where a barrier trapped him.
• Jimo Qing dealt with the outsiders while letting the steward escape toward the Spirit Stone mine in Myriad Phenomena Mountain.
• A tiny flying insect tracked the steward, allowing a black-clad man and Fu Yinqiu to discover the mine’s location.

The overseer discovered that Zhao Ke had fled with the Spirit Stones, but learned that the guards had been tricked by someone impersonating Liu San and persuaded them to help destroy the mine. As the overseer’s forces attacked the miners, a hidden woman stopped their blades and revealed herself to face him.

• The guards subdued the overseer, who accused them of betraying their master, and they said his plans had failed and the Jimo Household would soon find the mine.
• The overseer learned Zhao Ke had supposedly fled with the Spirit Stones, then revealed that Zhao Ke was bound by a restriction that would kill him if he left the mine.
• The guards realized someone had impersonated Liu San and tricked them, but the impostor had already escaped; the overseer persuaded them to free him and promised them rewards.
• Cang Lian reached the miners ahead of the overseer, and Sang Ying asked him to protect the mortals while she stayed to help the miners break their Spirit-Sealing Locks.
• The overseer ordered the guards to kill the miners, but an unseen force stopped their blades; a drab-clothed woman stepped forward and addressed the overseer as her senior.

Sang Ying fought the mine overseer and his guards while Fu Yinqiu’s group discovered the hidden entrance beneath an ancient tree and began breaking its formations. After Green Vine secured the collapsing mine and trapped the guards, Sang Ying prepared to break the Spirit-Sealing Locks on the captives.

• Sang Ying’s Spirit-Sealing Lock vanished, revealing her Golden Core Late Stage cultivation, and she fought the overseer’s guards with help from Jiang Zhuoxue and Cang Lian.
• Fu Yinqiu followed the black-robed figure’s flying insect to the ancient tree, where Jimo Household formation cultivators began dismantling the hidden entrance’s formations.
• The overseer realized the Jimo Household had found the mine and intensified his attack while using talismans to collapse the tunnels.
• Sang Ying called Green Vine, which shored up the mine, gathered Spirit Stones for her, and bound the overseer and guards.
• Sang Ying told Wen Heyu and the other captives she would open their Spirit-Sealing Locks, then absorbed the Spirit Stones and readied her ice-edged Floating River Sword.

Sang Ying freed the miners from the mine and reunited with Fu Yinqiu, while the Jimo household head interrogated Jimo Hong about the plot. In Eternal Night City, a mysterious man learned that the plan in Rizhao City had failed and ordered his followers to conquer the city.

• Sang Ying used the mine’s Spirit Stones to empower Floating River and froze the overseer and his men, freeing the miners from their Spirit-Sealing Locks.
• Wen Heyu thanked Sang Ying, who told the freed miners it was time to go home.
• Fu Yinqiu told Sang Ying that the overseer and his men had been found frozen, while Green Vine and Jiang Zhuoxue returned to their usual forms.
• The Jimo household head questioned Jimo Hong, who offered to reveal the conspirator and take him to meet that person.
• A man in Eternal Night City learned that the plan in Rizhao City had failed and ordered his followers to conquer Rizhao City for him.

Jimo Hong’s confession set the Jimo Household on course to attack Eternal Night City, while Elder Xiao visited Wen Heyu and learned that Sang Ying had saved him. The Jimo Household asked Sang Ying to remain in Rizhao City and help Madam Yinqiu defend it while the family marched out.

• Elder Xiao visited Rizhao City, but Jimo Qing kept him from meeting Sang Ying.
• Elder Xiao reunited with Wen Heyu, who thanked him and said his ordeal had helped him grow.
• Elder Xiao invited Wen Heyu to join the expedition against Eternal Night City and told him that Sang Ying had rescued him from the spirit mine.
• The Jimo Household head and Jimo Qing explained Eternal Night City’s history and the threat it posed to Rizhao City and Spirit Prefecture.
• The Jimo Household head asked Sang Ying to help Madam Yinqiu defend Rizhao City while he and Jimo Qing led the expedition.
• Sang Ying agreed to use the Jimo Household’s eldest young lady identity and follow Madam Yinqiu’s instructions.

After Jimo Duange led the household forces away to attack Eternal Night City, Sang Ying took charge of Rizhao City’s affairs and began accepting her identity as Jimo Zanxing. Jimo Qing’s message summoned his three absent younger brothers home, though each initially suspected it was another trick.

• The Jimo Household compensated the families of the people who had died mining, while Chen Liu returned safely to his mother and learned Sang Ying had rescued the captives.
• Jimo Duange introduced Jimo Zanxing to Rizhao City as one of its rulers in his absence, and Sang Ying comforted Fu Yinqiu as the forces departed.
• Sang Ying managed the household’s affairs and learned that her three older brothers—Jimo Xuan, Jimo Bai, and Jimo Lan—were away from Rizhao City.
• Jimo Qing sent messages urging his brothers to return and help defend the city, but each initially dismissed his warning as a ruse.
• When Jimo Qing added that they now had a younger sister at home, all three reconsidered and decided they might return after all.

In the Jimo Household dungeon, a mysterious visitor tempted Zhang Huizhen and Jimo Renjie with demonic power after their family lost their cultivation. When the guards arrived, all four prisoners had vanished.

• Jimo Renjie argued with Zhang Huizhen, revealing her long-held resentment over Jimo Duange’s lack of affection for her.
• A mysterious visitor froze the four prisoners, then warned them not to attract attention after he released them.
• The visitor told Zhang Huizhen and Jimo Renjie they could claim the household head position and offered them power through Demonic Qi.
• Jimo Qunfang tried to stop Zhang Huizhen and Jimo Renjie from taking the black pills, while hiding Jimo He from the visitor’s influence.
• The dungeon guards found the cell empty after Zhang Huizhen and Jimo Renjie opened the jade bottle.

Fu Yinqiu and Sang Ying investigated the escape of Jimo Hong’s family from the dungeon, while a mysterious trace of black smoke raised suspicions about Eternal Night City. After news arrived that Jimo’s fleet had vanished in a turbulence storm, Rizhao City learned of the disappearance and found itself surrounded by Evil Cultivators.

• Fu Yinqiu questioned the guards about the four escapees, and one guard recalled seeing black smoke in the empty cell.
• Fu Yinqiu ordered the steward to investigate everyone connected to the smoke, prioritizing links to Eternal Night City.
• Sang Ying returned to her room and learned from Cang Lian that Jiang Zhuoxue was asleep while recovering after absorbing Spiritual Qi from Myriad Phenomena Mountain.
• News arrived that Jimo’s fleet had been swept into chaotic currents on its way to Yao Zhou, leaving its fate unknown.
• Fu Yinqiu ordered the disappearance concealed, a search for the family head, and increased patrols, but the news spread as Evil Cultivators from Eternal Night City surrounded Rizhao City.

With Rizhao City surrounded by Feng Ji’s Evil Cultivators and devil beasts, Sang Ying assessed the enemy and decided to lead the city’s first counterattack. She recruited the beast tamer Miao Lian, who agreed to help, and the chapter ended with Sang Ying confident they could win.

• Sang Ying and the Jimo Household’s steward scouted the forces besieging Rizhao City and identified Feng Ji and Wu Lun as key threats.
• Sang Ying returned to the Jimo Household and told Fu Yinqiu what she had learned about the enemy’s strength.
• Sang Ying said the city needed a spectacular first victory and proposed fighting Wu Lun with his own kind of beast-taming methods.
• Sang Ying and Fu Yinqiu found Miao Lian, a Golden Core beast tamer trapped in Rizhao City, and she agreed to join the plan.

Sang Ying helped Miao Lian take control of Wu Lun’s Devil Crows, turning Feng Ji’s attack on Rizhao City into a chaotic assault on his own forces. Feng Ji, bloodied and furious, prepared to use harsher methods.

• Sang Ying told Miao Lian to become the Devil Crows’ new master and promised to help her overpower Wu Lun’s control.
• Miao Lian used dragon-scale powder as bait while Cang Lian’s Dragon Race pressure intimidated the Devil Crows into obeying her.
• Sang Ying told Miao Lian to begin the counterattack, and the Devil Crows swooped down on Feng Ji’s Evil Cultivators.
• Feng Ji demanded that Wu Lun regain control of the crows, but Wu Lun failed as the beasts continued attacking their former allies.
• Feng Ji blamed Wu Lun for summoning so many Devil Crows, then wiped blood from his cheek and vowed to show no mercy.