Chapter Summaries

An Zhe reported the shifting balance of power across the Nine Provinces to the An family’s Old Ancestor, who weighed the Dragon Whale Army’s reputation while waiting for the Imperial Jade Seal to be found. Afterward, An Zhe considered whether Gu Chengxuan would keep restoring Da Yang or declare himself emperor.

• An Zhe told the An family’s Old Ancestor that Xuan Yi King and the Red Eyebrow Great Dao Lord had proclaimed themselves emperors, while the Imperial Jade Seal remained missing in Shang Jing.
• An Zhe reported that Fang Xuan had devastated the Red Eyebrow Army at Pan Tai Pass and that the Martial Forest Alliance’s Old Ancestor had entered the Spirit Wandering Realm.
• The An family’s Old Ancestor advised An Zhe to wait, but said the Dragon Guards should consider the Dragon Whale Army because of its strong reputation among the people.
• An Zhe met with Zhang Li, who promised that his disciples would retrieve a demon beast’s Inner Core to help An Zhe’s son advance.
• An Zhe wondered whether Gu Chengxuan would continue restoring Da Yang or follow Xuan Yi King’s example and establish himself as emperor.

Fang Xuan traveled to Tianshui County with Jiang Tian and Feng Ning, learning about the Water Mirror Sect and the An Family’s command of Da Yang’s Dragon Guards. He left the disciples near the An Residence and directed them to seek refuge in Sea Province if needed, while they wondered about his identity and the future of their sect.

• Fang Xuan asked Jiang Tian about the Water Mirror Sect’s standing, and Jiang Tian explained that the sect had few powerful martial artists and was seeking an opportunity amid the turmoil.
• Feng Ning asked whether Senior Brother Liu had escaped Guan Tong Mountain, and Fang Xuan and Jiang Tian told her that Liu had abandoned them to save himself.
• Feng Ning explained that General An’s family commanded the Dragon Guards from Tianshui County, and Fang Xuan decided An Zhe should be his next target.
• Jiang Tian and Feng Ning parted from Fang Xuan to report to their master, and Fang Xuan offered them refuge in Sea Province through Long Jing if their sect had nowhere else to go.
• After Fang Xuan disappeared, Jiang Tian and Feng Ning speculated about his identity and discussed whether the Water Mirror Sect should seek support in Sea Province.

Fang Xuan encountered an amnesiac version of himself in a frozen vision recorded by the Black Talisman, while Yi Province’s army captured Granary Pass and Lei Province prepared for invasion. Chu Xin learned that Chu Yan had died and received authority over Lei Province’s three hundred thousand troops as the Town Protector King set out to seek help in Jing Province.

• Fang Xuan entered a vision of an ancient battlefield, where a voice claiming to be him said it had waited 2,443 years and could remember nothing of its past.
• Lu Sheng killed the general guarding Granary Mountain Three Passes, and his soldiers fought their way inside as Zhai Zhixin watched the pass fall.
• Zhai Zhixin said Yi Province’s forces would have Lei Province exposed once Granary Mountain fell and confirmed that supplies had been arranged with the Crown Prince.
• The Town Protector King confronted Chu Xin over Granary Pass’s fall, and Chu Xin said he had only just received the report.
• The Town Protector King told Chu Xin that Chu Yan had been killed in Yi Province and gave him authority over Lei Province’s three hundred thousand troops.
• The Town Protector King left to seek help from Jianghu forces in Jing Province and promised to stand with Chu Xin if Lei Province fell.

Zhang Jianling urged Jingzhou to wait before entering Central Province, while Fang Xuan encountered Jiang Tian, Feng Ning, and Zhang Li after the An Residence rejected them. The Water Mirror Sect’s failed bid for An Zhe’s protection left Fang Xuan considering the danger of the turmoil spreading across Great Yang.

• Zhang Jianling assessed Yizhou’s capture of Granary Pass and warned that Leizhou had already lost half the war to Xuan Yi King’s skilled strategist.
• After learning that the Red Eyebrow Army might move south through Central Province, Jingzhou’s generals urged Zhang Jianling to send troops, but he wrote to the provincial governor advising caution.
• Fang Xuan emerged from the strange world, examined the rotating black talisman, and decided to seek an opportunity to enter the An Residence and test its attitude.
• At the An Residence, Fang Xuan found Jiang Tian, Feng Ning, and Zhang Li being turned away because the Water Mirror Sect could not provide the Demon Core promised to An Zhe.
• Zhang Li explained that the Water Mirror Sect had sought An Zhe’s protection, and he warned Fang Xuan that no one could escape the consequences if the Nine Provinces fell into chaos.

Fang Xuan learned that the An family was secretly searching for the Nine Seeds Buddha Lotus and gave Jiang Tian a jade pendant to take to Sea Province, hoping to recruit the Water Mirror Sect into the Dragon Whale Army. Meanwhile, An Residence agents Chong Guang and Zhao Yang followed a youth to a graveyard for Dragon Guards generals, where he claimed the sacred lotus could be found.

• Jiang Tian reasoned that Fang Xuan had come to Tianshui County over the three hundred thousand Dragon Guards and revealed that the An family was searching for the Nine Seeds Buddha Lotus to help its Old Ancestor break through.
• Fang Xuan gave Jiang Tian the Azure Sky Dragon Tiger's Demon Core, but Jiang Tian returned it and asked for help persuading his master to join the Dragon Whale Army instead of taking the Water Mirror Sect to Wan Province.
• Fang Xuan gave Jiang Tian a jade pendant for Sikong Jihuai in Sea Province, and Jiang Tian recognized him as Commander Fang before agreeing to go.
• Jiang Tian warned Fang Xuan that Xuan Yi King's advance through Lei Province could leave Central Province in grave danger, then the two parted ways.
• Chong Guang and Zhao Yang led a youth out of Tianshui County to a mountainside graveyard for Dragon Guards generals, where the youth insisted his senses had led them to the Nine Seeds Buddha Lotus.
• Chong Guang ordered the group to move into the graveyard, and Zhao Yang warned everyone to be careful.

Fang Xuan traveled to Yu River to investigate the Nine Seeds Buddha Lotus and reached a strange, crowded town across the river. As martial artists and newcomers gathered inside, Fang Xuan arrived outside unseen, preparing to investigate the town.

• Fang Xuan crossed Yu River by boat, learned that monks and martial heroes had gathered in a town beyond the opposite bank, and vanished before the boatman reached shore.
• An Zhe learned from E'feng that Zhao Yang and Chong Guang had fallen and Fang Xuan had disappeared, then struck E'feng for failing to bring results.
• Liu Bing and other jianghu martial artists discussed their plans in the town before a group of newcomers arrived and a white-haired man said he shared their objective.
• Fang Xuan appeared outside the town and noticed its dilapidated huts were lit by rare crystals rather than candles.

Fang Xuan arrived at the Yu River and watched Ma Jiang fight Jade Faced Pipa, learning that the Nine Seeds Buddha Lotus had not yet appeared. Meanwhile, demons gathered across the river to capture Fang Xuan and the traitor Blazing Flame, but they feared Fang Xuan had noticed them.

• Ma Jiang challenged Jade Faced Pipa, and the two fought while Fang Xuan watched from the street.
• A boy explained to Fang Xuan that the Nine Seeds Buddha Lotus would emerge only when the time was right, and noted that the Buddhist monks had not acted.
• Jade Faced Pipa gained the upper hand until Smiling Tiger, Qian Tang, stopped the fight and took her with him.
• A group of demons gathered in the forest under Lingxi's summons and planned to capture Fang Xuan and the traitor Blazing Flame.
• The demons spotted Fang Xuan standing across the Yu River and worried that he had discovered them.

Fang Xuan faced five great demons sent by their king to capture him alive, while Monk Yun Xin oversaw a young monk’s Heart Questioning Trial at Spirit Void Temple. The demons attacked Fang Xuan, and Yun Xin ordered his monks to use any means necessary to obtain the Nine Seeds Buddha Lotus as the trial continued.

• Several great demons, led by the Crimson Wood Flood Dragon, confronted Fang Xuan at the Yu River and revealed that their king wanted him alive.
• Fang Xuan surrounded himself with Samadhi Divine Fire and challenged the demons, while onlookers wondered who he was.
• The demons formed a barrier and attacked Fang Xuan, but he slapped Yun Xin Tiger aside before the others moved to capture him.
• At Spirit Void Temple, Monk Yun Xin placed a young monk inside a golden alms bowl to undergo the Heart Questioning Trial.
• A monk reported that Qing Yuan and Qing Chen had reached the Yu River to retrieve the Nine Seeds Buddha Lotus, and Yun Xin ordered them to summon the Vidyaraja Form if necessary.
• The temple bell rang as Yun Xin chanted Buddhist scriptures, and golden light gathered around the young monk inside the bowl.

Fang Xuan fought the five great demons who tried to stop him, overwhelming them with his dragon transformation and Kunlun Sword Formation. He spared them and ordered them to serve as his enforcers while he seized something, then take him to Spirit Rhino.

• Fang Xuan attacked Shadow Fiend and repelled the demons’ strikes, then challenged the five great demons surrounding him.
• Crimson Wood Flood Dragon summoned the Spirit Baleful Bone Nether Blade and split it among the five demons for their assault on Fang Xuan.
• The five great demons wounded Fang Xuan with poisoned blade marks and trapped him, prompting him to use the Primordial Chaos Dragon Transformation Art.
• Fang Xuan transformed into a dragon and defeated the five great demons with his Dragon Claws and the Kunlun Sword Formation.
• Fang Xuan spared the five great demons and ordered them to serve as his enforcers, help him seize something, and then take him to Spirit Rhino.

Qian Tang’s group met a blood-stained youth who killed Jade Faced Pipa and offered Qian Tang a Supreme Yang Glass Crystal to aid their mission to destroy the Nine Seeds Buddha Lotus. In Yu River Town, the monks of Spirit Void Temple prepared to claim the lotus, while Qing Chen worried that Senior Brother Qing Yuan’s Killing Body Status was unstable.

• Qian Tang warned his followers that they had come to destroy the Nine Seeds Buddha Lotus on the Emperor’s orders and cautioned them to obey the person they were expecting.
• A young man arrived, restrained Jade Faced Pipa, tore out her heart, and swallowed it in front of the assembled group.
• The youth said killing Chong Guang and Zhao Yang had depleted him, then gave Qian Tang a high-grade Supreme Yang Glass Crystal to absorb.
• Qing Chen and the Spirit Void Temple monks discussed the dangers surrounding the Nine Seeds Buddha Lotus, including the young man in white who had subdued five great demons.
• Qing Yuan volunteered to block their enemies so Qing Chen could take the lotus, and Qing Chen warned him that his Killing Body Status was unstable.

Fang Xuan watched the Yu River as the Old Turtle beneath it emerged, revealing the Nine Seeds Buddha Lotus hidden inside its shell. The lotus drew the attention of the gathered warriors and five monks, while the Old Turtle appeared to be in agony rather than undergoing a breakthrough.

• Crimson Wood Flood Dragon asked Fang Xuan to summon Ink Abyss's sword spirit for guidance before his Flood Dragon Ascending, and Fang Xuan said it was still being nurtured.
• Fang Xuan offered to find Crimson Wood Flood Dragon the secret to Flood Dragon Ascending in Sea Province, and the old flood dragon eagerly agreed to go.
• A violent disturbance swept across the Yu River, and Fang Xuan used his Crimson King Eyes to spot the Old Turtle beneath the water.
• Yun Xin Lion considered leaving for Sea Province with Crimson Wood Flood Dragon, but Fang Xuan recognized that the Old Turtle's pain did not look like a breakthrough.
• Qing Chen demanded that the Old Turtle spit out the Buddha lotus, and the Old Turtle emerged with the Nine Seeds Buddha Lotus rising from its cracked shell.

The Spirit Void Temple monks claimed the Nine Seeds Buddha Lotus, drawing hundreds of martial artists and the An family's Dragon Generals into a battle on the Yu River. Qing Chen summoned a massive Golden Body Dharma Image as the little boy unleashed his power and prepared a deadly sword strike.

• Yun Xin Lion told Fang Xuan the legend of the Great Bright King and the Yu River, while Crimson Wood Flood Dragon and Gold Devouring Ant prepared to fight over the lotus.
• Qing Chen collected the Nine Seeds Buddha Lotus, and a yellow-faced elder rallied hundreds of martial artists against the five monks.
• The little boy revealed the An family's three hundred Dragon Generals and eight Heavenly Stems, then enclosed the battlefield in a sphere of bloody light.
• Qing Chen and three other monks combined their power to enlarge a Golden Body Dharma Image, while the Dragon Generals charged the monks.
• The little boy transformed the blood-red barrier into an ominous battlefield, drew a long sword from his chest, and prepared to unleash a strike powered by his Killing Intent.

A red-clad youth arrived at the battle over the Nine Seeds Buddha Lotus and revealed himself as a Buddhist demon, overwhelming Zhan Meng. As Qing Yuan succumbed to demonic energy and transformed into another Buddhist demon, the fight left the lotus in Qing Chen’s hands and Zhan Meng dead.

• The youth in tattered clothes confronted E'feng and Zhan Meng, then transformed into a dark Buddhist Vajra Dharma Image to fight Zhan Meng.
• Crimson Wood Flood Dragon explained to Yun Xin Lion and Fang Xuan that the Buddhist sect could reach the Upper Realm through the Killing Body Status, but failure led to becoming a Buddhist demon.
• Qing Chen warned Qing Yuan to guard his Buddhist heart as black mist began to seep from the blind monk’s Buddhist light.
• Qing Yuan handed the Nine Seeds Buddha Lotus to Qing Chen and said he would face his own tribulation.
• The Buddhist demon defeated Zhan Meng, crushed him, and ate him as Qing Yuan transformed into a scarlet Dharma Image with empty eye sockets.

The blind monk defeated the other Buddha-Demon on the Yu River, but died after losing control of his transformation. Fang Xuan took the Nine Seeds Buddha Lotus from Qing Chen, learned that the monks were Yun Xin’s disciples, and ordered the five great demons to slaughter them.

• The blind monk crushed the enemy Buddha-Demon’s Dantian Qi Sea, then died after lamenting that he could no longer control his Buddha-Demon body.
• Qian Tang demanded that Qing Chen and the other monks surrender the Nine Seeds Buddha Lotus, while E'feng led the seven Heavenly Stems in an attack on them.
• The five great demons and Fang Xuan arrived, surrounded the fighters, and forced them to stop resisting.
• Fang Xuan pulled the Nine Seeds Buddha Lotus from Qing Chen and learned that Qing Chen was Yun Xin’s disciple.
• Fang Xuan shattered Qing Chen’s Buddhist body with one punch and ordered the five great demons to slaughter the remaining monks.

Two black-robed figures investigated the massacre where the Nine Seeds Buddha Lotus vanished, while Fang Xuan sailed toward Tianshui County with the lotus and prepared to part from Yun Xin Lion and Crimson Wood Flood Dragon. In Vortex Cloud Town, a group of strange figures awaited Wu Lian, who arrived to face their questions.

• A bamboo-sleeved man and his companion collected demonic qi from the corpses of monks and others, concluding that demonic beasts had killed them and wondering why the Nine Seeds Buddha Lotus was missing.
• Fang Xuan examined the Nine Seeds Buddha Lotus aboard a merchant ship as Yun Xin Lion and Crimson Wood Flood Dragon urged him to refine it before it attracted trouble.
• Fang Xuan said he was heading to Tianshui County and told the two demons to return, promising to find them after settling his affairs; Crimson Wood Flood Dragon mentioned his unfinished grudge against Old Ox.
• In Vortex Cloud Town, an old woman and four companions waited for Wu Lian, discussing their undertaking and passing the time with teasing remarks.
• Wu Lian entered the courtyard, and the cloaked man demanded to know why he was late.

Guang Chengji tried to persuade the Five Heroes of Lei Province to help Great Qian seize Lei Province, offering them the lands south of it and a share of the Nine Provinces’ fortune. Meanwhile, Fang Xuan left with the seven surviving members of the An family’s Ten Heavenly Stems, while the five demons decided to abandon Spirit Rhino Great King and follow him.

• Guang Chengji told the Five Heroes that Mister Wei wanted them to help Great Qian take Lei Province, and Wu Lian listened while sharing insects with the old woman.
• Guang Chengji promised the Five Heroes lands south of Lei Province and a chance to gain fortune, and Wu Lian said he cared only about breaking through to Spirit Roaming.
• Crimson Wood Flood Dragon delivered the seven surviving Ten Heavenly Stems to Fang Xuan, who loaded them onto an ox cart and drove away.
• Yun Xin Lion suggested that the five demons avoid returning to Spirit Rhino Great King and follow Fang Xuan to Sea Province, and the others agreed.

Li Yixuan and Zhai Zhixin planned Great Qian’s advance through Lei Province while Fang Xuan questioned the captured men who sought the Nine Seeds Buddha Lotus. After learning the lotus had been taken, Monk Yun Xin ordered Spirit Void Temple closed and set out to find it.

• Zhai Zhixin assigned Wei Qiang to take Green Pine Mountain and set a five-day deadline for the army’s advance.
• Li Yixuan told Zhai Zhixin that Guang Chengji had arrived at Vortex Cloud Town to help take Lei Province.
• Fang Xuan questioned E'feng, who revealed that the men served General An and wanted the Nine Seeds Buddha Lotus for him.
• Monk Yun Xin named the young monk Qing Feng after he broke through the Heart Gate and told him to go down the mountain once his Heart Gate settled.
• A monk reported that Qing Chen and the others had been killed and the Nine Seeds Buddha Lotus seized by a man with five great demons.
• Monk Yun Xin ordered Spirit Void Temple to close its gates and went out to search for the Nine Seeds Buddha Lotus.

Fang Xuan forced his way into An Residence and met General An Zhe to negotiate over the Nine Seeds Buddha Lotus and the Imperial Jade Seal. After An Zhe rejected his implied offer and threatened to use force, Fang Xuan challenged him over whether he would show courtesy before resorting to violence.

• Fang Xuan scattered An Residence’s guards and freed E'feng and six others from the sacks on his ox cart.
• E'feng led Fang Xuan through An Residence to meet General An Zhe, who recognized him as Commander of the Dragon Whale Army.
• An Zhe ordered E'feng and the others to receive punishment, while Fang Xuan said the Dragon Whale Army never abandoned a comrade.
• Fang Xuan revealed the Nine Seeds Buddha Lotus, and An Zhe admitted he had refused Gu Chengxuan and the Great Qian Emperor because neither possessed the Imperial Jade Seal.
• When Fang Xuan began to leave, An Zhe threatened him, and Fang Xuan asked whether he intended to offer courtesy first and force afterward.

Fang Xuan fought off An Zhe’s guards and E'feng’s group after refusing to surrender the Nine Seeds Buddha Lotus. An Zhe then revealed he had been waiting for Old Demon Aoyu of Evil Bones, and Fang Xuan ended the chapter by provoking the powerful newcomer.

• An Zhe ordered E'feng and six others to seize the Nine Seeds Buddha Lotus, but Fang Xuan swept aside the guards and evaded their attacks.
• An Zhe activated the An Residence’s grand array, and E'feng and the others unleashed their full strength against Fang Xuan.
• Fang Xuan shattered their attacks with one hand and dodged the martial artists’ combined powers, leaving E'feng and the others exhausted.
• Ao Yu arrived, demanded four of the Nine Seeds Buddha Lotus, and agreed to help An Zhe deal with Fang Xuan.
• Fang Xuan called the ground a good place for a burial, enraging Ao Yu.

Fang Xuan overwhelmed An Zhe’s forces in An Residence, killed Ao Yu after he tried to flee, and unleashed his sword phantoms on the remaining martial artists. As An Zhe lay near death, a mysterious figure sighed and asked Fang Xuan to sit down and talk.

• Ao Yu blocked Fang Xuan’s first strike, but Fang Xuan’s next punch shattered Ao Yu’s demonic scepter and drove him into the ground.
• An Zhe offered Fang Xuan anything except command over the three hundred thousand Dragon Guards in exchange for the Nine Seeds Buddha Lotus, then withdrew the great formation as a gesture of goodwill.
• Ao Yu tried to leave, but Fang Xuan struck him with Divine Dragon Tail Swing and killed him with Ink Abyss.
• Fang Xuan summoned more than forty azure sword phantoms to slaughter the martial artists in An Residence, leaving An Zhe collapsed and badly injured.
• A soft sigh came from within An Residence, and an unseen speaker asked Fang Xuan to sit down and talk.