Chapter Summaries

Feleton revealed that Princess Twilight had been imprisoned by her brother Talius and asked Xia Fan's group to help free her. He offered a way to treat the person suffering from evil energy corrosion: Princess Twilight possessed a Bloodkin art capable of healing it.

• Xia Fan refused Feleton's request, citing Natating's aggression and the danger of interfering in its royal succession.
• Feleton explained that Talius had seized power in a coup and imprisoned Princess Twilight, who had opposed enslaving World Island and waging war on the Far East.
• Feleton said he hoped to free the princess and send her away, and that Qian Yan's Primordial Blood could break the seal keeping her imprisoned.
• Xia Fan rejected the plan as too risky, but Feleton revealed he knew they had come seeking the Son of the Holy Spirit to treat evil energy corrosion.
• Feleton told Xia Fan that Princess Twilight possessed Soul Spirit Transformation, a Bloodkin art that could heal evil energy corrosion more thoroughly than Divine Blessing Art.

Feleton told Xia Fan that Princess Twilight was imprisoned in Hila City, while the investigation into the Hundred Fruit Garden revealed that a disguised Philip had orchestrated the Lesser Evil Spirit killings. In the aftermath of the Azure Fort disaster, the envoy group gained public favor as the Church faced growing hostility, and Xia Fan met Taxisis, Eternal Wing, again.

• Feleton revealed that Princess Twilight was held in Hila City and asked the envoy group to help free her, but Xia Fan withheld an answer pending verification.
• Li noticed that someone was watching the building, while Olina considered tracing Qian Yan's bloodline to Qi State with the artifact.
• Qian Yan reported that fewer than twenty of the more than four hundred abducted Hundred Fruit Garden workers survived, and that Philip's body had been found underground.
• A Prophecy Scroll showed that a false Philip had killed Gao'er and used the Holy Son's soul to create Lesser Evil Spirits; the impostor had been the plan's executor before the move to Azure Fort.
• Xia Fan and the envoy group received widespread public acclaim while protesters demanded that the Church leave Azure Fort.
• Xia Fan met Taxisis, Eternal Wing, again.

Xia Fan spoke with the injured Taxisis aboard the Baisha Ship, where she thanked him and invited him to Hila Sanctuary to receive a reward. He accepted the invitation and prepared to sail north, while Taxisis remained determined to uphold The Church’s duty amid growing threats.

• Taxisis asked Xia Fan about the Baisha Ship’s cannon and described the Inquisition’s losses, including six dead and four seriously wounded.
• Taxisis thanked Xia Fan and handed him a formal invitation from Hila Sanctuary to visit The Church’s headquarters and accept a reward.
• Taxisis explained that Hera’s believers could use holy-water baptism and Binding Spellcraft to manage the harm caused by Divine Blessing Art, and offered to seek help for someone Xia Fan wanted treated.
• Xia Fan accepted the invitation after hearing The Church might offer treatment or other valuable rewards, and Taxisis confirmed the Baisha Ship could sail north without obstruction.
• Taxisis said she would keep serving The Church as long as the sun rose, while Xia Fan considered the hidden enemies exploiting the Church’s crisis.

Wuyue Yao faced resistance from Yama’s lords over the treaty requiring the annual relocation of twenty thousand people to Jinxia. She challenged their claims of a labor shortage by accusing them of hoarding surplus grain, leaving the dispute unresolved.

• Yama’s lords argued that relocating twenty thousand people to Jinxia each year would leave their territories short of farmers and defenders, and they proposed revising the treaty and expanding trade instead.
• Minamoto Kyuchi asked Wuyue Yao how Jinxia would respond to changing the alliance, and she warned that Jinxia would be disappointed and Yama could lose its mainland ally.
• Chiba Oriko explained that Yama needed manpower to rebuild and farm, while Jinxia was occupied with conflicts elsewhere.
• Wuyue Yao offered to persuade the lords and challenged Fujiwara Shinji to provide a thousand people from Bali.
• Wuyue Yao accused the lords of hoarding surplus grain to trade for luxuries and weapons rather than lacking people to relocate.

Wuyue Yao confronted the ministers opposing the treaty with Qi State, then joined forces with Jinxia’s troops to seize control of the Council Hall. She declared that her actions were her own and prepared to compel the ministers to reconsider their positions.

• Chiba Oriko tried to calm Wuyue Yao as the ministers criticized her support for the treaty and Fujiwara Shinji insinuated she had acted for personal gain.
• Wuyue Yao struck Fujiwara, and Tsi Qing and Tsi Hong knocked away his guards when they attacked her.
• A mechanical construct burst into the Council Hall and opened fire on Lord Qi’s guards as chaos spread outside Iya Prefecture.
• Wuyue Yao told Chiba Oriko that she had chosen to act because she believed in Yama Kingdom’s future and did not want to disappoint Princess Ning and Lord Xia.
• Wuyue Yao threatened to begin persuading the ministers by using her power on Minamoto Kyuchi.

At a guarded test site outside Jinxia City, Mo Yun and Aili tested a new Long-rod Shell fired from an Electromagnetic Cannon, whose magical artifacts produced a blast powerful enough to destroy a pirate ship. The successful test showed that the new ammunition could make Electromagnetic Cannons suitable for naval warfare.

• Mo Yun oversaw a weapons test outside Jinxia City, and Aili volunteered to activate the Electromagnetic Cannon.
• Aili fired the first Long-rod Shell, which missed the target ship but exploded at sea with immense force.
• Mo Yun explained that the test focused on a new Long-rod Shell developed from Xia Fan's ideas and knowledge gathered through universal education.
• Aili adjusted the firing angle and launched a second shell that struck the pirate ship, splitting it in two and blasting away its mast.
• The test participants cheered as the new shell demonstrated that Electromagnetic Cannons could be used effectively in naval warfare.

Mo Yun explained how the Mechanical Bureau overcame the obstacles to making explosive Long-rod Projectiles, then attended the Academy’s first graduation ceremony and watched departments compete to recruit its students. The Propaganda Department drew a crowd with Chi’s appearance, while the Transportation Department began pitching its cool air and ice treats.

• Mo Yun explained that Spirit Tree Core and specially cultivated Tree Seeds enabled artifacts that could withstand firing and power the Long-rod Projectile’s explosive warhead.
• Luo You'er summoned Mo Yun to the Academy’s graduation ceremony, where Mo Yun congratulated the first forty-odd students to graduate under Xia Fan’s shortened education policy.
• Mo Yun explained that students could choose their own departments, with their Mental Nature tests serving only as guidance.
• Luo You'er introduced Chi as the Propaganda Department’s special partner, prompting nearly half the graduates to raise their hands to join.
• Fang Yanni presented the Transportation Department and invited Qian Zhi to offer students cool air and free ice products.

The Academy’s first graduation ceremony ended with the Propaganda Department recruiting the most graduates, while the Mechanical Bureau also drew strong interest. Afterward, Mo Yun joined a grim military meeting about reports of humanoid Evil Spirits near the Shen-Liu border, where Yan Qing revealed that the danger came from something beyond ordinary Wang ghosts.

• The department heads recruited graduates, and the Mechanical Bureau’s entrance examination selected eleven of the forty-five students.
• The Propaganda Department recruited twenty-four graduates, while the Transport Department and Department of Military Affairs each recruited five; the Grain and Civil Affairs departments got none.
• Yan Qing summoned Mo Yun after the ceremony to discuss unusual activity near the Shen-Liu border.
• Yan Qing reported that villagers fleeing a settlement had described humanoid Evil Spirits, identified as Wang ghosts or Ghosts, and that divination produced an inauspicious omen.
• Mo Yun realized ordinary Wang ghosts could not threaten the Department of Military Affairs’ Sentinel-level practitioners, and Yan Qing confirmed another source was behind the danger.

Mo Yun approved Yan Qing’s plan to counter a suspected Seven Stars Bureau of Military Affairs trap while guarding Jinxia in Ning Wanjun’s absence. In You Province, Luo Qingqing reached Qianren City to find the city eerily deserted and trees growing atop its walls.

• Yan Qing proposed a pincer operation to capture suspected Seven Stars Sorcery Art practitioners, and Mo Yun authorized the plan.
• Mo Yun visited Ning Wanjun’s ice chamber and promised to protect Jinxia until the princess returned.
• Luo Qingqing traveled to Qianren City seeking the Luo Family’s Library Pavilion and news of her family.
• Luo Qingqing noticed the empty roads, a strange odor near the gate, and hundreds of withered trees swaying atop the city walls.

Luo Qingqing caught a child trying to steal her pack and learned that refugees fleeing bandit attacks had gathered outside Qianren City. She shared her remaining food with Li Le and the other hungry children, while the cause of the widespread banditry remained unknown.

• Luo Qingqing caught Li Le trying to steal from her, then followed him into the nearby alleys to question his companions.
• Li Le returned to protect a companion, and Luo Qingqing promised not to punish him for theft if he answered her questions.
• Li Le told Luo Qingqing that his family had died and that he had fled Changkang Town after bandits attacked and set fires there.
• Another child said refugees from other places had also fled bandits, prompting Luo Qingqing to wonder why so many attacks had occurred near Qianren City.
• Luo Qingqing realized Li Le had been stealing for food and shared her flatbread and remaining provisions with him and the other children.

Luo Qingqing learned that Qianren City’s new rulers had imposed a brutal entrance tax and killed people trying to sneak inside, while the starving residents awaited the Salvation Sect’s prophesied savior. She went with Li Le and the other children to stay at their home, and learned that the savior was called a Listener.

• Luo Qingqing accepted Li Le’s apology and shared food with him and the other children.
• Li Le told Luo Qingqing that Armored Men guarded Qianren City, charged twenty taels per person to enter, and killed people who tried to sneak in.
• Luo Qingqing agreed to stay overnight at the children’s home after learning that many adults had fled west in search of the Salvation Sect.
• Li Le and the children said they were waiting for the Salvation Sect’s savior, whom prophecy called a Listener.

Luo Qingqing investigated rumors that the Salvation Sect could save the world and rejected its recruitment, promising hungry children she would bring them food. She entered Qianren City to inspect its new ruler’s strange changes and found the Luo Family residence abandoned and its Library Pavilion destroyed.

• Luo Qingqing concluded the Salvation Sect was using secret knowledge and a powerful intelligence network to deceive people, so she warned Li Le and the other children not to join it.
• Luo Qingqing promised to find food for the children and set out to enter Qianren City before dusk the next day.
• Luo Qingqing disguised herself as a blind person and paid twenty taels to enter the city, where she saw houses replaced by spiritually glowing farmland and residents lying hungry beside the streets.
• Luo Qingqing went to the abandoned Luo Family residence and found its Library Pavilion reduced to an empty courtyard, with the tower and its furnishings gone.

Luo Qingqing discovered that the Library Pavilion had been destroyed and learned from Luo Zhisheng how Lu Qiheng seized control of Qianren City and used the pavilion as a burning pit for his victims. She left with the Luo Family’s destruction explained, while the fate of the city’s former Bureau of Military Affairs and the You Province Army revealed a city in chaos.

• Luo Qingqing dug through the filled-in courtyard shaft and found burned scraps of Library Pavilion books and a charred severed arm.
• Luo Zhisheng, a young member of the Luo Family’s main family, recognized Luo Qingqing and brought her to a secluded guest room.
• Luo Zhisheng told Luo Qingqing that Lu Qiheng had declared Qianren City his own and imposed harsh taxes and forced labor.
• Luo Zhisheng explained that Lu Qiheng had purged his opponents, killed one or two thousand people, and burned their bodies in the Library Pavilion’s courtyard shaft using books as fuel.
• Luo Qingqing learned that the former Qianren City Bureau of Military Affairs had become Lu Qiheng’s subordinates and that the defeated You Province Army had turned to banditry.

Luo Qingqing rejected Luo Zhisheng’s offer to return to the Luo Family and urged him to protect Qianren City’s displaced people, warning that Lu Qiheng would soon lose his position. After feeding children and slipping into the city at night, she reached Lu Qiheng’s heavily guarded residence.

• Luo Zhisheng explained that the Luo Family’s remaining members had secretly watched their estate and offered to welcome Luo Qingqing back.
• Luo Qingqing declined his offer and suggested that the Luo Family take in refugees, saying Lu Qiheng would soon no longer be city lord.
• Luo Qingqing gave Li Le flatbreads for the children and told him to share the food with other nearby children.
• Luo Qingqing left the children’s dwelling at night, used the Dragon Scale Sword to cross the city wall, and evaded the guards.
• Luo Qingqing navigated Lu Qiheng’s defenses and arrived inside his grand residence.

Luo Qingqing infiltrated Lu Qiheng’s banquet and attacked the Bureau of Military Affairs leaders gathered there. She left Lu Qiheng facing her alone after she killed his Fangshi with her golden blades.

• Luo Qingqing watched Lu Qiheng and his guests discuss General Sun, refugees, and the Heaven-Opening Salvation Sect at a banquet in Qianren City.
• Lu Qiheng dismissed the sect’s growing influence and promised his allies that Seven Stars would eventually take over Qi State.
• Luo Qingqing announced that the guests would not live to see that future and attacked through the hall’s wall with golden blades.
• Lu Qiheng ordered Scholar Xu and the others to escape, but Luo Qingqing disrupted their techniques and killed the Fangshi who tried to fight her.
• Luo Qingqing stood alone in the ruined hall, revealing six golden blades behind her as Lu Qiheng stared in shock.

Luo Qingqing killed Lu Qiheng and offered to escort the women from his estate. She then discovered that Qianren City was under siege by an unfamiliar force that had already breached its walls.

• Lu Qiheng tried to justify his crimes and immobilized Luo Qingqing with his Qian Art: Shadow Puppet technique.
• Dragon Scale independently pierced and killed Lu Qiheng, and Luo Qingqing assured the women in the hall that she would protect them.
• Luo Qingqing found the estate guards had vanished and heard growing shouts from across the city.
• Luo Qingqing climbed to the estate roof and saw attackers with makeshift banners pouring through Qianren City's breached gates.
• The attackers chanted about calamity, the Heaven-and-Earth Severing Slash, and the Red Lotus Calamity Fire.

After the Heaven-Opening Salvation Sect seized Qianren City, it opened the granary and offered food while recruiting refugees with a prophecy of a coming great calamity. Luo Qingqing investigated the group and challenged its plans, and Wang Sha revealed that it would lead its followers to a food-rich refuge built by the Listener.

• The Heaven-Opening Salvation Sect opened Qianren City's gates, burned the corpses displayed there, and began distributing grain to the people.
• Luo Qingqing stayed outside the city with the children and entered alone to investigate the sect's food distribution and recruitment.
• Wang Sha told a group of refugees that a great calamity was coming and invited them to join the Heaven-Opening Salvation Sect without fees or compulsory fighting.
• Luo Qingqing questioned how the sect could feed its followers while moving from place to place, causing some refugees to hesitate about joining.
• Wang Sha said the sect would take its followers to a land that would never lack food, a stronghold forged by the Listener where they could wait out the calamity.

Luo Qingqing questioned Wang Sha about the Heaven-Opening Salvation Sect and learned that it recruited Qi Sense Users while keeping its secrets from outsiders. Afterward, she wondered whether other groups might be building a better order than Jinxia City, and the chapter left her without an answer.

• Luo Qingqing challenged Wang Sha’s claims about the heavenly realm and questioned what the Salvation Sect intended to do.
• Wang Sha sensed that Luo Qingqing was a Qi Sense User, checked that her qi carried no scent of Chaos, and explained that infected people were changed by a disease that affected qi.
• Wang Sha invited Luo Qingqing to join the Heaven-Opening Salvation Sect, but refused to reveal its secrets and said she could judge its work while it stayed in Qianren City.
• Li Le interrupted Luo Qingqing as she sat thinking, and she told him she had only been considering what to eat.
• Luo Qingqing wondered whether other groups might create an order better than Jinxia City’s and whether she should help such a group resist Jinxia.

Luo Qingqing reconsidered her doubts about the Salvation Sect and joined it so she could judge its purpose firsthand. After learning that infection could replace a person’s consciousness while leaving them apparently alive, she connected the danger to former Bureau of Military Affairs sorcerer Fei Nian.

• Luo Qingqing told Li Le and the other children how Jinxia City offered affordable food, education, and work, then realized her loyalty to its order had made her wary of the Salvation Sect.
• Luo Qingqing decided that Xia Fan would welcome a genuinely better order and resolved to give the Salvation Sect a fair chance.
• The next day, Luo Qingqing told Wang Sha she would join the Salvation Sect, and he checked her for infection before giving her a Peachwood Ring.
• Wang Sha explained that infection gradually replaced a person’s consciousness and could leave them appearing alive, prompting Luo Qingqing to think of Fei Nian.
• Wang Sha said infections could go undetected without contact inspections and that no one knew how many Bureau of Military Affairs offices had been affected.

Luo Qingqing learned more about the Salvation Sect’s infection and joined its forces as they prepared to fight Zhuo Shi’s Band. When Venerable Shengtian arrived, Luo Qingqing saw a black gate formed from the woman’s qi.

• Wang Sha explained that infected Qi Sense Users might see attempts to treat them as hostile and that the ring could reveal infection.
• A scout reported that Zhuo Shi’s Band was operating to the south, and Wang Sha told Luo Qingqing that the Salvation Sect’s main force would move against them.
• Wang Sha introduced Luo Qingqing to more than forty Qi Sense Users, whose lack of aristocratic manners made her wonder where they had come from.
• Luo Qingqing saw Venerable Shengtian arrive and noticed a distinct black gate pattern in the woman’s qi.
• Venerable Shengtian ordered the sect to protect Qianren City’s people, spare surrendering soldiers, and kill Zhuo Shi’s commanders.