Chapter Summaries

After three years of Xiao Wuyun’s unchecked rule, Xiao Ying secretly weakened his hold on the Xiao Clan by killing Sacred Guards, stealing resources, and stirring resentment among the clansmen. She escalated her scheme by impersonating Xiao Wenyuan and framing the Sacred Guard for the deaths of rebels and nearby families, leaving the clan furious and promising that her campaign had only begun.

• The Third Elder learned that Xiao Wuyun had defeated the Great Elder and Second Elder, while Xiao Ling and Xiao Qiu had escaped; Xiao Wuyun later stripped him of his position and took sole control of the Xiao Clan.
• During Xiao Wuyun’s three-year rule, resources favored his faction, the Sacred Guard expanded, and rumors spread that Xiao Wuyun was draining their bloodlines as desiccated guards began appearing.
• Xiao Ying impersonated Xiao Ming and killed two peak Dou Zun Sacred Guards, then took Xiao Wenyuan’s identity and judged that his weak rebel force could not challenge Xiao Wuyun.
• Xiao Ying slaughtered the rebels gathered at Xiao Wenyuan’s residence, including the two Sacred Guards whose identities she had stolen, and nearby Xiao Clan families were also found dead.
• The Xiao Clan blamed the Sacred Guard for the killings, forcing its captain to forbid retaliation against clansmen as Xiao Ying watched them face public contempt and vowed her campaign was only beginning.

Xiao Wuyun framed Xiao Shengyi as the culprit behind the Xiao Clan’s abuses, killed him, and restored resources to win the clan members’ support. Xiao Ying recognized that Xiao Wuyun had won this round, but saw his treatment of the Xiao Clan Sacred Guard sowing new resentment among its leaders.

• Xiao Shengyi rejected an anonymous list of supposed rebels and reported that clan members were openly condemning Xiao Wuyun, who ordered him to arrest anyone who spoke against them.
• Xiao Shengyi spent three days imprisoning nearly a thousand Xiao Clan members while Xiao Ying realized that Xiao Wuyun had ordered the crackdown for his own purposes.
• Xiao Wuyun publicly accused Xiao Shengyi of abusing his authority, and Xiao Shengyi confessed after Xiao Wuyun threatened his family in private.
• Xiao Wuyun killed Xiao Shengyi, released the imprisoned clan members, restored the clan’s resource distribution, and ordered the Xiao Clan Sacred Guard to surrender forbidden techniques and methods.
• Xiao Ying acknowledged that Xiao Wuyun had defeated her current effort, but anticipated that his actions would turn the Xiao Clan Sacred Guard against him.
• The two remaining captains returned to the Xiao Clan Sacred Guard offices, grieving Xiao Shengyi and resenting Xiao Wuyun for sacrificing him and redirecting their resources.

Xiao Ying waited a year before stealing Xiao Shengyi’s corpse, while Xiao Wuyun dismissed the loss and ordered Xiao Lei to capture Xiao Ling alive. Xiao Lei, privately distrustful of Xiao Wuyun, returned to the Sacred Guard office and found Xiao Shengyi alive or present in the room, leaving him stunned.

• Xiao Ying decided to target the Xiao Clan Sacred Guard and waited until Xiao Shengyi’s corpse could be taken without exposing herself.
• After a year of lax guarding, Xiao Shengyi’s corpse disappeared, and Xiao Lei and Xiao Yu privately welcomed its removal.
• Xiao Wuyun angrily questioned Xiao Lei about the theft, then chose not to pursue the matter and ordered him to capture Xiao Ling alive.
• Xiao Wuyun explained that he wanted Xiao Ling’s exceptional bloodline but did not want to leave the Xiao Clan while Xiao Ying was still a threat.
• Xiao Lei suspected Xiao Wuyun could absorb bloodlines and resented him for discarding Xiao Shengyi, then followed Xiao Yu into a room and recognized the person there as their commander.

Xiao Ying impersonated the resurrected Xiao Shengyi to win Xiao Lei and Xiao Yu’s trust and organize resistance against Xiao Wuyun. Xiao Lei left to find Xiao Ling and build Xiao Hall, while Xiao Ying remained in the clan to pursue her own plans against Xiao Wuyun.

• Xiao Ying, disguised as Xiao Shengyi, told Xiao Lei and Xiao Yu that Xiao Wuyun stole bloodlines and had eliminated the Great Elder and Second Elder to silence them.
• Xiao Shengyi urged Xiao Lei to oppose Xiao Wuyun and revealed a formation that required a vast number of souls to activate.
• Xiao Lei reported that Xiao Wuyun had ordered him to capture Xiao Ling, and Xiao Shengyi redirected him to join her and establish Xiao Hall to gather souls.
• Xiao Lei left a contact token and departed, while Xiao Yu led Xiao Shengyi to a secret chamber where he could hide from Xiao Wuyun.
• After Xiao Yu left, Xiao Ying dropped her disguise and revealed that she planned to use Xiao Shengyi’s identity and Xiao Hall to gather the souls needed for the Emperor Slaying Formation.

Xiao Ying hunted Xiao Clan Sacred Guards while disguised as Xiao Shengyi, intending to turn them against Xiao Wuyun. After learning Xiao Wuyun was spreading rumors to justify abandoning the Sacred Guard and make their resentment a pretext for eliminating them, she realized he had turned her scheme to his advantage.

• Xiao Ying lured two Xiao Clan Sacred Guards with her Xiao Shengyi disguise, killed them, and absorbed their energy.
• Xiao Yu reported that more than twenty Xiao Clan Sacred Guards had vanished, and Xiao Ying lied that Xiao Wuyun was probably responsible.
• Xiao Ying told Xiao Yu to calm the guards and avoid provoking Xiao Wuyun while his intentions remained unclear.
• Xiao Ying overheard clan members repeating rumors that Xiao Wuyun had been forced to tolerate the Sacred Guard after its members helped execute the Great Elder and Second Elder.
• Xiao Ying concluded that Xiao Wuyun was spreading the rumors to cast himself as a benevolent leader, discard the Sacred Guard, and use its growing resentment to justify destroying it.

Xiao Yu investigated a string of Xiao Clan murders and grew suspicious that the killer was deliberately leaving witnesses. Xiao Ying carried out another attack, revealing herself as a Five-star Dou Sheng and battling the Xiao Clan Sacred Guard as she tried to kill as many as possible before Xiao Wuyun arrived.

• Xiao Yu questioned a witness who described a long-haired female shadow, then ordered the Xiao Clan Sacred Guard to increase patrols and protect the clan members.
• Xiao Ying watched a family of three and, despite briefly envying their happiness, destroyed their home and killed them, including their surviving young daughter.
• Xiao Ying stayed at the scene until the Xiao Clan Sacred Guard arrived, then revealed her Five-star Dou Sheng strength by crushing a peak Dou Zun.
• Xiao Ying killed a One-star Dou Sheng and fought the Three-star Dou Sheng while the other Sacred Guard attacked from a distance and protected civilians from the shockwaves.
• Xiao Ying broke the Three-star Dou Sheng's arm and drove her palm-blade toward his head as he struggled to recover his defenses.

Xiao Ying’s attempt to evade Xiao Wuyun failed, and he captured her after gravely injuring her. A mysterious Nine-star Dou Sheng rescued her and revealed himself to be the Xiao Clan’s Third Elder.

• Xiao Yu interrupted Xiao Ying’s attack on a Three-star Dou Sheng and fought her, but she tricked him and fled.
• Xiao Wuyun intercepted Xiao Ying, erased half her body with a casual strike, and ordered Xiao Yu to leave her in his custody.
• Xiao Ying tried to destroy herself rather than surrender the cultivation method, but Xiao Wuyun moved to seal her Dou Qi.
• A black-shadowed Nine-star Dou Sheng deflected Xiao Wuyun’s attack and escaped with Xiao Ying.
• The rescuer brought Xiao Ying to a dark room, spoke of Xiao Qingge, and revealed himself as the Third Elder.

Xiao Ying was rescued by the Third Elder, then returned to her secret chamber and kept Xiao Yu from suspecting her role in the recent murders. Over the next six months, she and Xiao Yu helped turn the Xiao Clan and its Sacred Guard against Xiao Wuyun; Xiao Yu eventually revealed he knew she was impersonating Xiao Shengyi, while Xiao Ying kept her deeper purpose hidden.

• The Third Elder gave the badly injured Xiao Ying a Bone-Regenerating Blood-Melding Pill, refused to explain his connection to Xiao Qingge, and vanished.
• Xiao Ying returned to the secret chamber and persuaded Xiao Yu that Xiao Wuyun was behind the murders, preserving his trust in her as Xiao Shengyi.
• Over the next six months, Xiao Yu helped spread accounts that led the Xiao Clan and its Sacred Guard to distrust Xiao Wuyun and suspect him of framing Xiao Shengyi.
• Xiao Ying told Xiao Yu to summon Xiao Lei and Xiao Ling, saying that everything would soon come to an end.
• Xiao Yu revealed that he knew Xiao Ying was not Xiao Shengyi and asked her to let the dead captain rest after their plans were finished.
• After Xiao Yu left, Xiao Ying accepted their mutual exploitation but privately resolved to pursue a goal beyond simply hating Xiao Wuyun.

Xiao Wuyun ordered a search for Xiao Ying as his borrowed bloodline power faded, then confronted Xiao Qingmo, whose hidden strength was that of a Nine-star Dou Sheng. As their fight erupted, Xiao Ying noticed the similarity between Xiao Qingmo’s name and her mother Xiao Qingge’s and wondered how they were connected.

• Xiao Lei returned to the Xiao Clan, and Xiao Wuyun learned he had failed to capture Xiao Ling and had been summoned back under forged orders.
• Xiao Wuyun ordered Xiao Lei to search the clan for Xiao Ying, then confronted Xiao Qingmo and demanded to know where she was.
• Xiao Qingmo accused Xiao Wuyun of betraying Xiao Qingge’s hopes, while Xiao Wuyun insisted that his daughter should sacrifice herself to help him become a Dou Di.
• Xiao Lei told Xiao Yu that he suspected the fake Xiao Shengyi was Xiao Ying, and they agreed to work with her against Xiao Wuyun for now.
• Xiao Wuyun and Xiao Qingmo unleashed the power of Nine-star Dou Shengs, drawing Xiao Lei and Xiao Yu toward the Secret Chamber.
• Xiao Ying sensed the clash and wondered whether Xiao Qingmo was related to her mother, Xiao Qingge.

Xiao Ying revealed her identity to Xiao Lei and Xiao Yu, then set a secret formation in motion to exploit Xiao Wuyun’s coming injury and kill him. Xiao Qingmo explained Xiao Qingge’s history with the bloodline-stealing technique and revealed his connection to her before kneeling and asking Xiao Ying to act.

• Xiao Lei presented thirty million collected souls to Xiao Ying, who disclosed that she was Xiao Wuyun’s daughter and had been impersonating Xiao Shengyi; Xiao Lei agreed to continue cooperating with her.
• Xiao Ying gave Xiao Lei a composite formation to prepare in secret, ordered him to involve the Xiao Clan Sacred Guard and clan members, and told him to summon Xiao Ling when the formation was nearly complete.
• Xiao Lei and Xiao Yu left to carry out Xiao Ying’s orders as Xiao Lei asked whether she sought revenge for her mother, and Xiao Ying remained uncertain about her true motives.
• After Xiao Qingmo lost to Xiao Wuyun and appeared badly wounded, he told Xiao Ying that Xiao Qingge had entrusted Xiao Wuyun with an incomplete bloodline-absorbing technique, but Xiao Wuyun later betrayed her and took Xiao Ying’s bloodline.
• Xiao Qingmo revealed that he was Xiao Qingge’s adopted younger brother, explained that her father had killed his parents by absorbing their bloodlines, and said he had stayed to do one last thing for her.
• Xiao Qingmo knelt before Xiao Ying and asked her to act, saying he wanted to return everything Xiao Qingge had given him.

After absorbing Xiao Qingmo, Xiao Ying became strong enough to outmaneuver Xiao Wuyun, Xiao Lei, and Xiao Yu as their plans against one another collapsed. She killed Xiao Lei and Xiao Yu with the Emperor Slaying Formation and advanced to early Nine-star Dou Sheng.

• Xiao Ying reflected on Xiao Qingmo's sacrifice and her complicated feelings about her mother, then absorbed Xiao Qingmo's power.
• Xiao Wuyun found a note claiming Xiao Lei and Xiao Yu were hiding Xiao Ying and that Sacred Guards were monitoring him, so he killed the guards and attacked their office.
• Xiao Lei and Xiao Yu revealed they planned to obtain the formations' control methods from Xiao Ying and discard her, but Xiao Wuyun arrived and demanded to know where she was.
• Xiao Ying revealed that she controlled the main formation and dragged Xiao Wuyun, Xiao Lei, and Xiao Yu into the Emperor Slaying Formation.
• Xiao Ying killed Xiao Yu and Xiao Lei, absorbed their power, and advanced to early Nine-star Dou Sheng.

Xiao Ying and Xiao Ling fought Xiao Wuyun in the collapsing Emperor Slaying Formation, but Xiao Ying ultimately killed Xiao Ling to survive and absorbed Xiao Wuyun’s remaining power and memories. Returning to the Xiao Clan, she took the name Xiao Tiandi, while Xiao Yan reacted to the play’s ending by murmuring, “Hun Ying. I haven’t lost yet.”

• Xiao Ying used the Emperor Slaying Formation and Ghost Blood Blade to wound Xiao Wuyun, but he burned his lifespan and soul to keep fighting.
• Xiao Ling arrived and joined the battle, and she and Xiao Ying attacked Xiao Wuyun together until the formation and Ghost Blood Blade shattered.
• Xiao Ying restrained Xiao Wuyun so Xiao Ling could land a devastating attack, but Xiao Wuyun survived and advanced on them as a skeletal figure.
• With Xiao Ling unable to move, Xiao Ying bit her neck and absorbed her power, then defeated Xiao Wuyun and took back the bloodline he had stolen from her.
• Xiao Ling’s dying soul vowed to return and settle their rivalry before disappearing, while Xiao Ying promised to wait for her.
• Xiao Ying returned to the Xiao Clan ruins, adopted the name Xiao Tiandi, and Xiao Yan watched the play’s ending and muttered, “Hun Ying. I haven’t lost yet.”

After watching The Legend of Xiao Ying, Xiao Yan questioned his righteous path, while Xun'er suspected the drama revealed genuine secrets about the ancient clans and went to confront Xiao Mei. Yun Ying then traded a Heaven-tier Clan Mark Cultivation Method for Xiao Mei’s original Projection Crystal and disappeared, leaving Xiao Mei confused.

• Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian discussed the tragedy of Xiao Ying’s life, and Xiao Yan doubted whether his righteous path could protect people in a brutal world.
• Xun'er asked Ling Ying about Xiao Wuyun and learned that the drama’s details about Hun Wuyun, the ancient clans, and Dou Di bloodlines were credible, so she headed to Xiao Mei’s studio.
• Xiao Mei refused to sell Yun Ying the original Projection Crystal of The Legend of Xiao Ying, even for an enormous sum.
• Xiao Mei offered to exchange the crystal only for a Heaven-tier cultivation technique or Dou Skill, expecting Yun Ying to give up.
• Yun Ying produced a Heaven-tier Clan Mark Cultivation Method, took the Projection Crystal, and vanished, while Xiao Mei wondered where the scroll had come from.

Xun'er discovered that Xiao Mei had received the Xiao Clan's Clan Mark Cultivation Method and warned her to give it only to Xiao Family members, while Yun Ying revealed she had supplied the drama script and method. After The Legend of Xiao Ying sparked a heated debate about the purpose of strength, factional arguments escalated into fights that overwhelmed Xiao Yu and the Enforcement Team.

• Xun'er questioned Xiao Mei about the mysterious script for The Legend of Xiao Ying, then examined the Clan Mark Cultivation Method that had appeared in Xiao Mei's hand.
• Xun'er told Xiao Mei to give the method to Xiao Yan for the Xiao Family Siblings to cultivate and warned her that only Xiao Clan members could use it.
• Yun Ying watched the drama she had scripted, recalled her own past, and decided to protect Xiao Yan because he might be connected to Xiao Ling.
• Students and teachers at the Inner and Outer Academies debated whether people should pursue strength above all else or put life first, forming the Admiration of Strength and Fear of Strength factions.
• Factional arguments led to widespread fights in the Outer Academy, forcing Xiao Yu to enlist the Xiao Family Siblings to help the Enforcement Team restore order.

Xiao Yu assigned Xiao Yan and Wu Hao to deal with the Admiration of Strength Faction and the Fear of Strength Faction, whose feud had overwhelmed the academy. Xiao Yan recruited Hu Jia after learning that both factions were harassing her because of her role as Xiao Ling, and she agreed to help while warning him to stay away from Xun'er.

• Xiao Yu asked Xiao Yan and Wu Hao to make one or both factions disappear, and Xiao Yan agreed to take on the task.
• Xiao Yu privately offered Xiao Yan a reward, which embarrassed him and sent him hurrying out of the office.
• Xiao Yan and Wu Hao found Hu Jia hiding by a tree and learned that her portrayal of Xiao Ling had unsettled her friends and made Hu Gan avoid her.
• Hu Jia explained that both factions were pressuring her to join them because she had played Xiao Ling, so Xiao Yan invited her to help stop them.
• Hu Jia agreed to help Xiao Yan and Wu Hao but warned Xiao Yan that Xun'er was hers.

Xiao Yan tried to resolve the conflict between the Admiration of Strength Faction and Fear of Strength Faction while struggling to understand his own Righteous Path. After the factions brawled again, he offered to join whichever faction could persuade him, turning the rival leaders into recruiters.

• Xiao Yan reassured Xiao Mei that she should keep making dramas and discussed the factions' conflict with Xun'er, Hu Jia, and Wu Hao.
• An Enforcement Team member reported that the two factions had clashed, so Xiao Yan led the others to stop their brawl and subdue both groups.
• Xiao Yan confronted Qiu Feng and Ye Nuan, but they immediately resumed arguing over who had started the fight.
• Following Yao Chen's suggestion, Xiao Yan invited Qiu Feng and Ye Nuan to persuade him to join their factions, and both leaders eagerly began making their case.

Xiao Yan listened to Qiu Feng and Ye Nuan argue for their factions, called a truce, and withdrew to consider their views. While speaking with Yao Chen, he recognized that his humility and devotion to the Righteous Path had concealed his arrogance and desires, leaving him unsure who he was or what path to follow.

• Qiu Feng and Ye Nuan finished arguing for their factions, but Xiao Yan said he agreed with both and would join neither until he had thought through their views.
• Qiu Feng and Ye Nuan agreed to a temporary truce, and Xiao Yan reassured Wu Hao that he would explain the decision to Sister Xiao Yu.
• Xun'er stopped Xiao Mei from following Xiao Yan when he left to be alone, and Xiao Yan went to the Back Mountain of the Outer Academy to review his notes.
• Xiao Yan told Yao Chen that he had long believed he could handle problems by himself and had hidden from himself how much stronger he was than others at his level.
• Xiao Yan confessed that he had used the Righteous Path to control his desires and that his past words and actions had not reflected what he truly wanted.
• In tears, Xiao Yan told Yao Chen that the person she had known as Xiao Yan had never really existed, and he was left uncertain about his future path.

Xiao Yan broke down over his doubts about the Righteous Path, and Yao Chen comforted him while Yun Ying warned that his resolve would be tested. After waking, Xiao Yan listened as Yao Chen reminded him of the good he had done and promised he would not have to face his burdens alone.

• Xiao Yan cried and questioned whether his past actions and the Righteous Path had any meaning, so Yao Chen held him until he fell asleep.
• Yun Ying visited and told Yao Chen that Xiao Yan would not abandon the Righteous Path over this setback, though she threatened him if he did.
• Yao Chen asked Yun Ying about Xiao Ling's connection to Xiao Yan, and Yun Ying suggested that an unyielding undead spirit might have returned to the world.
• After Xiao Yan woke, he apologized to Yao Chen for sleeping against her, but she reassured him that he had done nothing wrong.
• Yao Chen recalled how Xiao Yan had helped his family, Xiao Yi Xian, the Snake-people race, the Jia Ma Empire, and herself, then promised to listen whenever he needed support.
• Xiao Yan accepted Yao Chen's reassurance and promised to remember that he was not alone.

As the Xiao Family prepared to return to Wutan City for its New Year gathering, Xiao Yan invited Xiao Yi Xian and Han Feng to travel with them. Across the empire, Qing Lin, Yao Ye, Ya Fei, and Hai Bodong also arranged to go, while Xiao Jing visited the pregnant Yun Yun before leaving.

• Xiao Mei shared the Clan Mark Cultivation Method and Xiao Yan's revised combat skill with the Xiao Family disciples, while Yao Chen suspected the method had come from a mysterious woman.
• Xiao Yan invited Xiao Yi Xian and Han Feng to return to the Xiao Family with him, and both accepted despite Xun'er's objections to Xiao Yi Xian joining.
• The Xiao Family disciples prepared a Flying Convoy, while Xiao Yu left Wu Hao in charge of the Enforcement Team during the trip.
• Lv Man received permission to take Qing Lin back to Jia Ma Empire, and Xiao Jing arranged leave from Jia Xingtian before Yao Ye declared she wanted to visit Wutan City too.
• Ya Fei prepared to visit the Xiao Family, and Hai Bodong decided to accompany her after learning Xiao Yan would return there.
• Xiao Jing visited Yun Yun at the Misty Cloud Sect and found her weary, with her pregnancy visibly advanced.

Xiao Jing failed to persuade Yun Yun to tell Xiao Yan about her pregnancy and traveled toward Wutan City with Zi Yun and Yue Mei. On the journey, Yao Chen recognized that Xiao Yan’s three Fragmented Maps pointed to the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame.

• Yun Yun refused to return with Xiao Jing or tell Xiao Yan about her pregnancy because she feared hurting Nalan Yanran and believed she alone should bear the consequences of her mistake.
• Xiao Jing left Yun Yun in Yun Shan’s care and invited Zi Yun to travel with her to Wutan City.
• Xiao Jing met Xiao Li and Yue Mei, who planned to visit Queen Medusa and bring gifts to Xiao Yan, but agreed not to tell the Xiao Family about the queen’s claim on him.
• Xiao Yan practiced the Clan Mark Cultivation Method and noticed that it resembled the Heavenly Flames Three Profound Transformations.
• Yao Chen asked Xiao Yan to gather the Fragmented Maps from Han Feng, the Monster Mountain Range tomb, and Hai Bodong, then identified them as related to the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame.