Chapter Summaries

Li Chu remained in prison after stopping a jailbreak, while Facing Heaven Pavilion’s leaders treated him lavishly as they investigated his case. Du Lanke reached Sakura Island in search of Mai but was ambushed by the island’s unusually powerful animals and pressed on despite his injuries.

• Li Chu admitted he was a prisoner, demonstrated that he could flash through the prison bars, and explained that he had killed the jailbreak leader; the Facing Heaven Pavilion officials saw that his sword had left a hole in the prison wall.
• Du Lanke set out for Sakura Island to search for Mai, but a powerful seagull kicked him unconscious before he could land.
• Elder Wei, Elder Jin, and Duan Lulong promised Li Chu they would investigate his case and question Cui Ziyong, while instructing the jailer to treat Li Chu like family.
• Du Lanke woke on the island without most of his clothes, chased monkeys that had stolen his belongings, and was pelted with stones by the powerful animals.
• Du Lanke triggered a mountain formation and was struck by a boulder, but he urged himself onward because Li Chu was still suffering in prison.
• The jailer brought Li Chu a feast, drinks, and books, and Li Chu enjoyed his comfortable cell and the food.

Du Lanke brought Gu Ying, the ninety-second-generation successor of the Mai Divine Sect, to Virtuous Cloud Branch Temple to help investigate the case and free his Master. Meanwhile, Lord Canghai proposed that Treasure Elephant King and Mystic Eagle King work with him, and Gu Ying ended her introductions at the temple by calling Wang Longqi human scum.

• Gu Ying revealed she already knew Du Lanke's identity and mission, then explained she had deliberately made his journey difficult because his grandmaster had offended her.
• Lord Canghai told Treasure Elephant King and Mystic Eagle King that a Little Daoist Priest had slain Bifang and driven off Lion-Camel King, then offered to help rescue Lion-Camel King and avenge Bifang with the Black Tortoise.
• Gu Ying arrived at Virtuous Cloud Branch Temple and said she had come to help.
• Gu Ying recognized Little Fatty Dragon's great fortune, told Fox Girl she might become a Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox, and warned that Miss Jiangli was destined not to be kept.
• Gu Ying looked at Wang Longqi and called him human scum.

Gu Ying investigated the East Sea King's death but found no answers at the mansion and went to see Li Chu in prison. After sending everyone else out, she used her power to shift the space around them and said, “Heaven has eyes.”

• Facing Heaven Pavilion welcomed Gu Ying, the Mai Divine Sect successor, and took her to the East Sea King's study and corpse to investigate.
• Gu Ying found nothing at the crime scene, complained that the corpse was ugly and smelly, and asked to meet Li Chu.
• Duan Geng escorted Gu Ying and Du Lanke to Li Chu's cell, where Du Lanke mistakenly knelt before the Storyteller before finding Li Chu relaxing among snacks.
• Gu Ying told Li Chu that she could not see through him and asked everyone else to leave the cell.
• Gu Ying pointed downward, shifted the space around herself and Li Chu, and said, “Heaven has eyes.”

Gu Ying explained how the Moon God Envoy used the Mirror Moon Heaven Gate to kill from a hidden reflection realm, and told Li Chu how to break it. Li Chu shattered the gate, exposed the Moon God Envoy, and left her denying that she killed the East Sea King.

• Gu Ying told Li Chu that the Moon God Envoy had killed Liu Yishou and the East Sea King through the Mirror Moon Heaven Gate, and that Li Chu could stop her by shattering its mirror.
• Li Chu left Iron Prison on the Chunyang Sword and flew to Luoxia Mountain, where the Moon God Envoy's reflection remained.
• The Moon God Envoy admitted to killing the East Sea King to frame Li Chu and killing Liu Yishou to silence him.
• Li Chu sent the Chunyang Sword into the distant sky and shattered the gate that sustained the Mirror Moon Heaven Gate.
• The Moon God Envoy was pulled into the real world, and when Li Chu asked whether she had killed the East Sea King, she vehemently denied it.

After the Moon God Envoy died during interrogation, Lord Canghai prepared for the final stage of his plan. At Virtuous Cloud Branch Temple, Li Chu gave Youlan Pavilion the temple’s entire 300,000-tael coffin fund so it could enter the Flower Capital Assembly.

• Duan Lulong rewarded Li Chu with 100,000 taels for defending Iron Prison and slaying a Demon King.
• The Moon God Envoy shattered her Soul Mirror and died before Duan Geng could question her, and Lord Canghai said her death prevented her from confessing.
• Su Wan told Li Chu, Du Lanke, and Wang Longqi that Youlan Pavilion had lost its backing and needed at least 300,000 taels to compete in the Flower Capital Assembly.
• Wang Longqi offered Su Wan 5,000 taels, explaining that his princess had been summoned to Zhao Ge City for a marriage alliance.
• Li Chu gave Su Wan the 300,000 taels he, Du Lanke, and his disciple had saved as coffin money for Virtuous Cloud Temple.

Li Chu and the others discovered Little Fatty Dragon stealing chicken, then watched him undergo a dangerous blood-drawing procedure for the Divine Firmament Sect. After Li Chu replenished his energy with spiritual power, Little Fatty Dragon suddenly went berserk and crashed into a roast chicken shop, where the chapter left him eating wildly.

• Li Chu, Wang Longqi, and Du Lanke caught Little Fatty Dragon sneaking out of the kitchen with two chicken drumsticks, and Wang Longqi and Du Lanke persuaded him to hand them over.
• Zhan Yunting brought a Divine Firmament Sect disciple to draw a drop of Little Fatty Dragon’s vital blood, leaving him weak and asleep.
• Li Chu used spiritual power to circulate through Little Fatty Dragon’s meridians, but Little Fatty Dragon suddenly grew stronger and burst out of Virtuous Cloud Branch Temple in a frenzy.
• Li Chu chased Little Fatty Dragon across the street and found him crashed into the back kitchen of a roast chicken shop, eating brutally.

After Little Fatty Dragon’s rampage, Li Chu settled the compensation and learned that his master had once outwitted Gu Ying in a divination contest. Gu Ying warned that a calamity threatened Divine Luo City, and Ye Lenger arrived with news that the Northern Abyss Sect had returned in force.

• Duan Geng told Li Chu that Little Fatty Dragon had to be watched and that the temple owed two hundred taels for the damage; Li Chu accepted responsibility and told the dragon to eat vegetables and lose weight.
• Gu Ying gave Li Chu a hemp robe for his master and explained that he had deliberately lost their divination contest years ago to let her inherit it.
• Gu Ying warned Li Chu that a great calamity involving an extremely cold storm and a flower threatened Divine Luo City.
• Ye Lenger warned Li Chu that the Northern Abyss Sect had returned, was seeking him over the failed transaction, and had sent one of the Fuyao Crowd.

Lord Canghai explained the failed Dragon transaction to Wanshanzi and warned him against seeking revenge. Meanwhile, Baby Thunder Dragon followed a tempting scent outside the temple and was trapped by Northern Abyss Sect followers, but its power erupted in golden lightning.

• Wanshanzi confronted Lord Canghai over the failed deal and demanded a pure-blooded True Dragon and justice for the dead sect followers.
• Lord Canghai agreed to help capture a dragon but warned Wanshanzi not to pursue revenge, since he lacked the strength to act himself.
• Baby Thunder Dragon enjoyed its rapid growth from the power Li Chu gave it and imagined becoming a Dragon King.
• Baby Thunder Dragon followed a fragrant scent over the temple wall and wandered down an unfamiliar alley.
• Northern Abyss Sect followers lured Baby Thunder Dragon with Dragon Catnip and trapped it in a talisman-covered iron net.
• Baby Thunder Dragon released a burst of golden lightning that struck the captors, who realized the supposedly eight-year-old dragon was far more powerful than expected.

The Heavenly Dragons sensed that a new Heavenly Dragon had awakened outside their ancestral land and decided to bring it in. Meanwhile, Little Fatty Dragon killed eight Northern Abyss Sect cultists who had lured it with Dragon Catnip, and Li Chu learned that its actions would be treated as a good deed.

• The nine Heavenly Dragons sensed a new Heavenly Dragon’s power and agreed to find it and bring it to their ancestral land.
• Little Fatty Dragon used its Hundred Thousand Heavenly Thunders divine ability to defeat the Northern Abyss Sect cultists who had lured it, then fell unconscious and was arrested by Facing Heaven Pavilion.
• Duan Geng learned that Little Fatty Dragon had electrocuted eight people and discovered they were Northern Abyss Sect cultists marked with wing tattoos.
• Li Chu arrived at Facing Heaven Pavilion expecting to hear about property damage, then learned the dead men were cultists who had plotted against Little Fatty Dragon.
• Duan Geng and Li Chu agreed that Little Fatty Dragon had done no wrong and had even earned merit.

A Silver-Scaled Heavenly Dragon arrived in Divine Luo City to find Baby Thunder Dragon, while Wanshanzi seized the hatchling after it ran away from Virtuous Cloud Branch Temple. Li Chu, Zen Master Jintan, and the Heavenly Dragon stopped Wanshanzi, who was forced to choose one of them to fight.

• Wanshanzi blamed Lord Canghai for the failed attempt to capture Baby Thunder Dragon, and Lord Canghai advised him to wait patiently for another chance.
• The Silver-Scaled Heavenly Dragon sensed Baby Thunder Dragon in Divine Luo City, confronted Zen Master Jintan, and agreed to visit Virtuous Cloud Branch Temple with him.
• The Heavenly Dragon Person met Li Chu and arranged to discuss taking Baby Thunder Dragon back to the Dragon-Rearing Kingdom, while the hatchling overheard and ran away with a bundle.
• Wanshanzi ambushed Baby Thunder Dragon outside the temple, captured it, and swallowed its lightning with his black vortex.
• Li Chu, Zen Master Jintan, and the Heavenly Dragon Person caught up with Wanshanzi, who released Baby Thunder Dragon and demanded a one-on-one fight.
• Wanshanzi chose Zen Master Jintan, then recognized his Earthly Immortal aura and changed his mind before pointing at Li Chu.

Li Chu killed Wanshanzi with one sword strike, and Little Fatty Dragon chose to stay at Virtuous Cloud Branch Temple. Lord Canghai learned of Wanshanzi’s death as the Flower Capital Assembly approached, while he prepared for a dangerous gamble to attain greater power.

• Wanshanzi tried to exploit what he believed was Li Chu’s weak defense, but Li Chu killed him instantly with a single sword strike.
• Little Fatty Dragon woke up, learned Li Chu had let it choose where to live, and chose to remain at Virtuous Cloud Branch Temple.
• The Heavenly Dragon Person accepted Little Fatty Dragon’s choice and asked Li Chu to teach it well before returning to the ancestral land to search for the vanished heavenly dragon.
• Lord Canghai ordered a report of Wanshanzi’s death sent to the Northern Abyss Sect and discussed his planned gamble as the Flower Capital Assembly neared.

As the Flower Capital Assembly began, Li Chu stayed at Virtuous Cloud Branch Temple to watch for trouble while Fox Girl, Old Du, and Wang Longqi went out to enjoy the festivities. On Flower Street, Xie Shirong made her debut and announced she would choose an audience member to perform with her, drawing extravagant tips and leaving Bai Lingchen determined to win.

• Fox Girl took Little Fatty Dragon out to see the Flower Capital Assembly, and Old Du and Wang Longqi also left the temple for Flower Street.
• Li Chu monitored Divine Luo City with his Mind's Eye Art and stayed alert for the Demon Sect to cause trouble.
• Old Du and Wang Longqi met on Flower Street, then wandered among the stages and discussed how to attract the attention of lesser courtesan queens.
• At noon, the crowd gathered at Xie Shirong's stage for her first appearance at the Assembly.
• Xie Shirong announced she would toss an embroidered ball to choose an audience member to perform with her, prompting wealthy spectators to offer lavish tips.
• Bai Lingchen made a conspicuous offer and declared that he was determined to win Xie Shirong's selection.

Li Chu asked Yu Qi'an to unravel Lord Canghai's schemes, and Yu Qi'an deduced that Lord Canghai might use the Black Tortoise and gathered extreme yin energy to destroy Divine Luo City during the Flower Capital Assembly. Yu Qi'an then sent Li Chu to stop a suspicious embroidered ball, while a scene in Divine Luo City was being watched through a mirror at Virtuous Cloud Temple.

• Li Chu summoned Yu Qi'an and explained the events in Divine Luo City connected to Lord Canghai.
• Yu Qi'an outlined Lord Canghai's deals involving Liu Yishou, the Northern Abyss Sect, and the Yin Clan, and guessed that he planned to destroy Divine Luo City with the Black Tortoise.
• Li Chu asked Yu Qi'an to divine Divine Luo City's fate, and Yu Qi'an warned him to stop an embroidered ball being thrown at the Flower Capital Assembly.
• Li Chu rushed toward the stage after sensing true qi in the ball and suspected it was connected to Xie Shirong.
• At Virtuous Cloud Temple, Xie Jinhua and Little Koi watched the Flower Capital Assembly through a magic mirror, while Yu Qi'an joined them.

Li Chu intercepted the Embroidered Ball meant for Bai Lingchen and was invited to perform with Xie Shirong. After her dance, he surprised the crowd by declaring his support for Wei Jiangli, leaving Xie Shirong’s smile gone.

• Xie Shirong appeared at the Flower Capital Assembly, while Bai Lingchen’s lavish offering made him the apparent favorite to perform with her.
• The host threw the Embroidered Ball toward Bai Lingchen, but Li Chu intercepted it with his Flying Sword, and the ball burst into petals.
• Xie Shirong invited Li Chu onto the stage, where she danced as he stood beside her, frustrating Bai Lingchen.
• The host asked Li Chu whom he supported most at the assembly, and Li Chu answered Wei Jiangli, causing Xie Shirong’s smile to vanish.

After Li Chu’s performance at Xie Shirong’s show stirred up Divine Luo City, Yin the Third secretly came to Virtuous Cloud Branch Temple and revealed Lord Canghai’s plan to freeze the city with the Black Tortoise’s power. Li Chu believed him and sent him back to the Yin Clan’s hideout, where he inadvertently exposed his brothers’ plans and led Li Chu to their door.

• Li Chu and his companions discussed the uproar outside Virtuous Cloud Branch Temple and how the city’s women had formed an organization to protect him.
• Li Chu caught a masked intruder, and the man turned out to be Yin the Third, who said he wanted to defect from his brothers and Lord Canghai.
• Yin the Third explained that Lord Canghai planned to use the Mysterious Yin Array to bargain with the Black Tortoise and freeze Divine Luo City.
• Li Chu trusted Yin the Third and asked him to help expose Lord Canghai’s plan by returning to the Yin Clan’s warehouse hideout.
• Yin Ru revealed that he had given Lord Canghai the array chapter and captives, then planned to leave the city with the clan.
• Yin the Third admitted he had brought someone to the hideout, and Yin Ru and Yin Shi realized Li Chu was waiting outside.

Li Chu learned that Lord Canghai had escaped and warned Duan Geng that Divine Luo City faced a coming attack. Lord Canghai decided to launch his plan the next day, beginning with Hua Qiluo.

• Yin Ru opened the door and told Li Chu that Lord Canghai had taken the person he wanted to save and was staying at Heaven-Grade Room One.
• Li Chu found Lord Canghai’s luxurious room abandoned and discovered no trace of where he had gone.
• Li Chu brought the Yin Clan to Duan Geng and explained Lord Canghai’s plan, prompting Duan Geng to request reinforcements from Chaoge.
• Duan Geng presented Li Chu with banners reading “Bane of Evil” and “Guardian of the People.”
• Lord Canghai told the White-robed Youth that he would launch the plan tomorrow and began to name Hua Qiluo.

Hua Qiluo’s signature dance triggered a strange white dream across Divine Luo City, while Li Chu and Madam Yang followed Long Gang to Tianlu Valley and found Xiao Bao bound in a completed Mysterious Yin Array. Lord Canghai offered Li Chu a chance to leave and began to explain his plan, but Li Chu refused to listen.

• Hua Qiluo performed her round-fan dance, and Wang Longqi and Du Lanke saw her appear to change into a White Clad Woman as a white dream spread across Divine Luo City.
• Madam Yang told Li Chu that Long Gang had found traces of Xiao Bao, and the three of them hurried to Tianlu Valley.
• Li Chu, Madam Yang, and Long Gang found twelve unconscious women bound to bronze pillars and Xiao Bao tied to a tree at the center of an activated array.
• Lord Canghai appeared above the valley and offered to let Li Chu leave with the Extreme Yang Boy, but Li Chu refused and prepared the Chunyang Sword.
• Lord Canghai said the Mysterious Yin Array was complete and Black Tortoise would descend, then offered to tell his story, but Li Chu said he would not listen.

Li Chu ignored Lord Canghai’s attempts to explain his scheme, broke the array restraining Guo Xiaobao, and forced Lord Canghai to summon the Black Tortoise. As the divine beast descended over the valley, Little Monk arrived to help, but Lord Canghai escaped his first attack and still could not finish his story.

• Madam Yang was thrown back by the array while trying to reach Guo Xiaobao, so Li Chu pierced the barrier with the Chunyang Sword.
• Madam Yang found Guo Xiaobao unconscious and feverish, and Lord Canghai explained that surviving the array’s Yang Energy would benefit the boy.
• Li Chu refused to hear Lord Canghai’s explanation and raised his sword again, prompting Lord Canghai to summon the Black Tortoise with the Mystic Ice Slip.
• The Black Tortoise descended over the mountain, and Little Monk summoned White Dragon Temple’s monks to flee before flying to the scene.
• Little Monk struck Lord Canghai with a Buddha Hand Seal, but Lord Canghai dodged and reappeared, angrily pleading to be allowed to finish speaking.

Lord Canghai summoned the Black Tortoise to destroy Divine Luo City and help him become an earth immortal, but the ancient creature ignored his commands and swallowed him instead. The Black Tortoise then looked at Li Chu with unmistakable friendliness, leaving the city’s fate unresolved.

• An illusion spread through Divine Luo City, while Elder Wei and Elder Jin tried to enter and rescue its people but were blocked by the Mystic Eagle King and Treasure Elephant King.
• Lord Canghai urged the Black Tortoise to attack Li Chu and Little Monk and devour the twelve Mysterious Yin Bodies, but it remained still and stared at Li Chu without hostility.
• Lord Canghai pressed the Black Tortoise to act before other experts arrived, and its roar shook the surrounding mountains.
• The Black Tortoise turned toward Lord Canghai, swallowed him in one bite, and then looked at Li Chu with a friendly expression.

Li Chu stopped Hua Qiluo’s illusion spell and ended Lord Canghai’s plan to destroy Divine Luo City, but Hua Qiluo died before she could finish explaining herself. In a dream, Li Chu learned that Lord Canghai’s hatred began when fear drove him to leave the woman he loved, and he woke reflecting on the obsession that had shaped the man’s final gamble.

• Little Monk explained that the Black Tortoise had feared Li Chu and him, then fled after killing Lord Canghai.
• Li Chu found Hua Qiluo at the center of the flower mist and ordered her to dispel the illusion.
• Hua Qiluo voluntarily dispersed her soul, and the illusion over Divine Luo City vanished.
• The awakened crowd mistook Li Chu for Hua Qiluo’s murderer, so he escaped on Flying Fire Meteor.
• Li Chu dreamed that Lord Canghai had once been a peddler who fled Divine Luo City to escape a soul-buying bargain, only to return and learn that the courtesan he loved had died.
• Li Chu woke the next morning and understood that Lord Canghai’s city-destroying plan had grown from his grief and obsession.