Chapter Summaries

Su Wan visited the Xiao Family to dissolve her engagement to Xiao Ran, insisting she loved someone else rather than breaking it because of his ruined cultivation or her newfound status. Xiao Ran stabbed himself in the chest and vowed to survive and one day challenge Su Wan at Shu Mountain, leaving the marriage dissolved and his life in danger.

• Xiao Chengshan smashed a table as the elders warned him against offending Su Wan and her powerful backing.
• Su Wan explained that she could not fulfill the marriage contract because she loved someone else, while her awkward explanations angered the Xiao Family.
• Xiao Ran accused Su Wan of looking down on him and vowed to repay the humiliation, and Su Wan argued that the weak suffered under the laws of the world.
• Xiao Ran spat blood, drew a sword, and stabbed himself in the chest, declaring he would challenge Su Wan at Shu Mountain if he survived.
• Xiao Chengshan rushed to save Xiao Ran, and Su Wan offered wound medicine, but Xiao Ran rejected it before fainting; Su Wan left after agreeing to await his challenge.

After surviving Su Wan’s attack, Xiao Ran sought the promised cultivation methods from Elder Soul and followed his directions to a treasure trove to restore his meridians. There, Li Xuanxiao revealed that he had impersonated Elder Soul and had secretly orchestrated Xiao Ran’s path for three years.

• Xiao Ran woke after nearly dying, vowed to reclaim his dignity, and visited his mother’s grave.
• Xiao Ran called on Elder Soul, who praised his refusal to seek lethal revenge and promised to teach him cultivation.
• Elder Soul directed Xiao Ran to a treasure trove in Coiled Dragon City, where he found a pill said to offer a chance to restore his meridians.
• Xiao Ran swallowed the pill and collapsed, while Li Xuanxiao revealed it was an ordinary Daze Pill and that he would restore Xiao Ran’s meridians himself.
• Li Xuanxiao explained that he had studied Xiao Ran, monitored the Xiao Family, planted the pendant, and impersonated Elder Soul for three years.

Xiao Ran recovered his power with a pill from Elder Soul, unaware that Li Xuanxiao had been posing as Elder Soul to guide him. As Li Xuanxiao investigated the mass disappearance of Coiled Dragon City’s citizens and five Shu Mountain disciples, Lu Ziyin confronted the killer, who died by impaling himself on Lu’s sword.

• Xiao Ran woke in a cavern restored by Elder Soul’s pill, thanked him, and left as the cave collapsed behind him.
• Li Xuanxiao reflected on how he had secretly gained Xiao Ran’s trust by impersonating Elder Soul and turned his attention to the disappearances in Coiled Dragon City.
• A servant told Li Xuanxiao that Lu Ziyin had found evidence about the five missing Shu Mountain disciples, and Li went to meet him.
• A cult leader revealed that an envoy from his headquarters had killed the disciples, and Lu Ziyin rushed to confront the envoy with Li Xuanxiao and the Monster Suppressing Division following.
• Lu Ziyin defeated the envoy, who broke free and rammed his head into Lu’s flying sword, killing himself.

After resolving the Shushan Disciples’ murders, Lu Ziyin investigated reports of mass disappearances in Coiled Dragon City but accepted the City Lord’s explanation. Li Xuanxiao suspected the City Lord was hiding something, and a story Lu Ziyin read made him reconsider what he had been told.

• Lu Ziyin wrote his mission report after killing the envoy who had murdered five Shushan Disciples.
• Li Xuanxiao told Lu Ziyin that an old Sword Cultivator’s home and many people in the surrounding area had disappeared.
• The City Lord monitored the Shushan party, while Li Xuanxiao discovered that someone was watching him through an Image Stone and suspected the City Lord.
• Lu Ziyin learned that nearly two hundred thousand people had disappeared from Coiled Dragon City and questioned the City Lord.
• The City Lord blamed the disappearances on migration, cults, labor conscription, floods, and rumors, and Lu Ziyin accepted his explanation.
• Lu Ziyin read a mystery about a constable deceived into killing a scapegoat and realized the story felt familiar.

Lu Ziyin concluded that the City Lord was behind Coiled Dragon City's disappearances and tried to summon Shu Mountain, but the city-protecting formation blocked his signal. The City Lord accused Lu Ziyin and Li Xuanxiao of conspiring with an evil cult, then led an army against them as Lu Ziyin drew his sword.

• Lu Ziyin misread the clues and decided that the City Lord was responsible for the disappearances.
• Li Xuanxiao praised Lu Ziyin while warning that the City Lord might be the mastermind.
• Lu Ziyin sent up a Shu Mountain Sword Command, but the city-protecting grand formation blocked it.
• Lu Ziyin and Li Xuanxiao left the City Lord's residence and encountered the City Lord and approaching soldiers.
• The City Lord accused the Shushan Disciples of colluding with an evil cult and ordered his soldiers to attack.
• Lu Ziyin drew his sword and told Li Xuanxiao to stay behind him as the military formation surrounded them.

Lu Ziyin fought the City Lord and four other Divine Transformation Realm cultivators after the City Lord revealed his plan to use the Myriad Souls Banner to refine Coiled Dragon City's citizens. While Lu Ziyin battled the overwhelming force, Li Xuanxiao secretly poisoned the soldiers and moved beneath the earth, but the enemy still drew strength from the city's formation and earth veins.

• The City Lord admitted that he planned to slaughter Coiled Dragon City's citizens for cultivation and dispose of their bodies and souls with the Myriad Souls Banner.
• Lu Ziyin drew his sword and swept aside the soldiers with a devastating strike while Li Xuanxiao hid in the shadows.
• The City Lord and four other Divine Transformation Realm cultivators surrounded Lu Ziyin and attacked him together.
• Li Xuanxiao noticed that every soldier had collapsed from poison, then swiftly traveled beneath the earth.
• The five enemies drew power from Coiled Dragon City's earth veins and protective formation as they continued to besiege Lu Ziyin.

Li Xuanxiao secretly reversed Coiled Dragon City's city-protecting formation, turning it against the City Lord and helping Lu Ziyin gain the upper hand. The City Lord unleashed the Myriad Souls Banner, forcing Li Xuanxiao to rescue Lu Ziyin underground, while Zhao Lu and powerful reinforcements arrived to confront the City Lord.

• The City Lord activated Coiled Dragon City's formation, but Li Xuanxiao's reverse formation redirected its flying swords toward the City Lord and his allies.
• Lu Ziyin fought the five Spirit Transformation Stage cultivators and killed one as the formation helped him gain the advantage.
• The City Lord summoned the Myriad Souls Banner, whose wronged souls overwhelmed Lu Ziyin and knocked him from the sky.
• Li Xuanxiao used the Wind Chariot to burrow underground with the injured Lu Ziyin and evade the banner's sinister aura.
• Zhao Lu and other cultivators above the Spirit Transformation Stage appeared around the City Lord, and Zhao Lu demanded that he surrender.

Zhao Lu and the Golden Armored Guards captured Yue Tianqi after his Myriad Souls Banner devoured him and escaped, exposing a mass slaughter and corruption in Coiled Dragon City. Lu Ziyin returned to Shu Mountain celebrated as a hero, but he suspected someone had secretly guided events before dismissing the idea.

• Li Xuanxiao had instructed Zhao Lu to seek aid from the palace and Shu Mountain, and the sect master was stunned by her request for five Mahayana Stage cultivators.
• Zhao Lu ordered Yue Tianqi's arrest as his Spirit Transformation followers fled, and the Golden Armored Guards restrained him.
• Yue Tianqi's evil qi tore his body apart, and the Myriad Souls Banner devoured him before vanishing despite Li Xuanxiao's attempt to stop it with the City Lord's Jade Token.
• The imperial court learned that more than two hundred thousand citizens had disappeared, ordered Yue Tianqi's three clans exterminated, and launched a purge of Coiled Dragon City's officials.
• Lu Ziyin returned to Shu Mountain and received praise for exposing Yue Tianqi and fighting his followers, then wondered whether someone had manipulated events behind the scenes.

Zhao Lu lured Li Xuanxiao to the imperial palace and tried to force him into marriage, but he escaped by using a clone. She then returned to find her Imperial Father furious over losing a Spirit Transformation Stage puppet and searching for someone who knew strange facts and phrases.

• Zhao Lu brought Li Xuanxiao to the capital, where two Spirit Transformation Stage cultivators and guards surrounded him as a wedding procession arrived.
• Zhao Lu revealed her plan to marry Li Xuanxiao and offered him the throne and her private treasury, but he refused.
• As Zhao Lu’s attendants prepared his wedding robe, Li Xuanxiao dissolved into an octopus-tailed clone and told her to return to Shu Mountain.
• Zhao Lu went to visit her Imperial Father, but he angrily refused to see her, so she left.
• The Old Emperor raged over losing his puppet and ordered his subordinates to find a person who knew modern objects and the continuation of a particular phrase.

Li Xuanxiao tried to focus on cultivation while avoiding trouble, but Di Nüfeng kidnapped Zhang Tianxin and sent him a threat demanding that he come to the rescue. Li Xuanxiao dismissed Zhang Tianxin as an irrelevant person.

• Li Xuanxiao reviewed the mysteries surrounding the Myriad Souls Banner and resolved to become stronger.
• Zhang Tianxin bragged to his junior sister about defeating Di Nüfeng, who then appeared before them.
• Li Xuanxiao burned Zhang Tianxin's invitation without replying and avoided meeting him.
• Di Nüfeng captured and beat Zhang Tianxin, then sent a threatening letter to lure Li Xuanxiao into a rescue.
• Feng Liuli told Li Xuanxiao about the kidnapping, and he called Zhang Tianxin an irrelevant person.

Ling Xuanxiao ignored Di Nüfeng’s attempts to lure him into rescuing Zhang Tianxin and sent a carefully controlled clone to investigate the Great Xia Capital. On the way, he secretly thwarted an ambush against an escort agency, leaving the attackers poisoned and unable to carry out their plan.

• Ling Xuanxiao received an Image Stone showing Di Nüfeng beating Zhang Tianxin, but refused to come rescue him, and Zhang Tianxin eventually realized Ling Xuanxiao was not coming.
• Ling Xuanxiao prepared Ling Xuanxiao Number Two with strong control, poisons, and Scorpion Puppets, then sent the clone toward the Great Xia Capital to investigate Coiled Dragon City’s plan to refine two hundred thousand people.
• Disguised as a small merchant, Ling Xuanxiao joined a caravan traveling toward the capital and spotted enemies preparing to ambush the escort agency on its return route.
• Before parting with the escorts, Ling Xuanxiao accepted a piece of candy from the escort’s child, suspecting it might be poisoned or conceal a trap.
• Two days later, the ambushers woke from a drugged sleep and found themselves too weak to pursue the escort agency.

Li Xuanxiao investigated the Great Xia capital for clues about the Myriad Souls Banner and discovered that the Emperor was searching for a fellow transmigrator. The Old Emperor finally reunited with Zhang Gou’er, whose answers matched the Emperor’s questions, despite Zhang Gou’er being a wanted murderer.

• Li Xuanxiao listened to teahouse gossip and recognized familiar modern phrases in questions being discussed by exam candidates.
• Li Xuanxiao investigated and concluded that the transmigrator was likely the Emperor or one of his close ministers, then connected the clue to the Myriad Souls Banner.
• The Prefect of the Capital tested Zhang Gou’er with the Emperor’s questions and found that his answers matched exactly.
• The Prefect discovered that Zhang Gou’er was wanted for raping and murdering eight women, then had the Golden Armored Guards escort him into the palace.
• The Old Emperor and Zhang Gou’er sang a familiar song together, and the Old Emperor tearfully declared that he had finally found his brother.

The Old Emperor tried to use Zhang Gou'er on the Ascension Platform, then discovered that someone had planted a Gu Worm in him and was deceiving him. Ling Xuanxiao stayed hidden on Shu Mountain, added safeguards, and continued his daily routine, leaving the Old Emperor searching for him.

• The Old Emperor threw Zhang Gou'er onto the Ascension Platform, but it failed to react because Zhang Gou'er could not cultivate.
• The Old Emperor tested Zhang Gou'er with a question, realized he was not the transmigrator he sought, and searched his soul, killing him without finding useful memories.
• The Old Emperor found a Gu Worm inside Zhang Gou'er, but it dissolved before he could question it, so he ordered the Golden Armored Guards to find the person behind the scheme.
• Ling Xuanxiao watched from Shu Mountain and vowed to wait for the Old Emperor to find him, then considered adding safeguards to protect his identity and Zhao Lu's secret.
• Ling Xuanxiao continued teaching, cultivating, and checking Shu Mountain for weaknesses before heading to Servant Peak to visit the cafeteria aunt.

Li Xuanxiao earned the gratitude of Servant Peak’s residents, prompting the Sweeping Grandfather to sneak into his hut at night. After their clash, the elder revealed himself as a Shu Mountain offering and accused Li Xuanxiao of pursuing the cafeteria auntie, but Li Xuanxiao instead asked him to repair the damaged formations and honor a promised treasure site.

• Li Xuanxiao helped several Servant Peak disciples and earned the cafeteria auntie’s favor, while the Sweeping Grandfather grew jealous and decided to act.
• The Sweeping Grandfather burrowed toward Li Xuanxiao’s hut, overcame its traps, and fought against the sword intent of the Shushan Sword Formation.
• Li Xuanxiao confronted the Sweeping Grandfather, who revealed that he was a Shu Mountain offering from the same generation as Li Xuanxiao’s master’s master.
• The Sweeping Grandfather offered Li Xuanxiao cultivation treasures and a wife, then accused him of pursuing the cafeteria auntie; Li Xuanxiao denied it and agreed to visit Servant Peak less often.
• Li Xuanxiao asked the Sweeping Grandfather to restore the formations he had destroyed and asked whether the elder’s promised treasure site was still available.

Li Xuanxiao learned that the missing half of the Poison Scripture might be in the Thousand Lake Desert, then spent two years testing Sweeping Grandfather before trusting him. After building a hot spring on Servant Peak, Li Xuanxiao prepared to search for the scripture and left Shu Mountain’s safety to Zhao Lu and Feng Liuli.

• Sweeping Grandfather helped Li Xuanxiao improve the formations on Silver Sword Peak and recognized the Poison Scripture, revealing that he had seen its latter half in the Thousand Lake Desert.
• Li Xuanxiao secretly monitored Sweeping Grandfather for over two years before deciding he could be trusted.
• Li Xuanxiao built a spirit-infused hot spring on Servant Peak and gave Sweeping Grandfather blueprints to impress the cafeteria granny.
• Li Xuanxiao scouted a safe route and two backup routes with a clone, then prepared to leave for the Thousand Lake Desert.
• Li Xuanxiao told Zhao Lu and Feng Liuli that Shu Mountain's survival rested in their hands while he was away.

Li Xuanxiao left Shu Mountain for Thousand Lake Desert to search for the Poison Scripture, leaving Di Nüfeng in charge with three stratagem pouches. After two months of travel, he crossed the dangerous desert and reached one of the three locations marked on his map.

• Li Xuanxiao taught Di Nüfeng Shu Mountain’s revised creed and left her three stratagem pouches before departing for Thousand Lake Desert.
• Di Nüfeng infiltrated Blackwater City’s treasure vault to steal the Blackwater Pearl, killed two guards, and confronted the Old Turtle’s phantom as the pearl unleashed its power.
• Li Xuanxiao asked a girl for directions to Blackwater City and unknowingly saved her from a pack of jackals before continuing through the desert.
• Li Xuanxiao rested underground, studied a map based on Sweeping Grandfather’s memories, and prepared to search three possible locations for the Poison Scripture.
• After half a month of navigating sandstorms, poisonous creatures, and desert mercenaries, Li Xuanxiao reached the first suspicious location.

Li Xuanxiao searched a tomb in the Thousand Lake Desert for the Poison Scripture, then discovered that touching it caused instant death despite his precautions. He found a way to handle it with a clone and chopsticks, distributed the tomb’s treasures, and months later learned that the poison had vanished and the scripture’s words had reappeared.

• Li Xuanxiao dug beneath a desert dune while a giant camel herd trampled two grave robbers nearby.
• Li Xuanxiao found Sweeping Grandfather’s damaged tomb gate and cautiously entered the burial chamber with his puppet and clones.
• Li Xuanxiao’s clone died instantly after touching the Poison Scripture, so he tested it with wooden sticks and learned it could only be handled without human contact.
• Li Xuanxiao had a clone hold the Poison Scripture with chopsticks and distributed the tomb’s treasures to people in need.
• Several months later, Li Xuanxiao discovered that the Poison Scripture’s poison had disappeared and its words had returned.

Di Nüfeng escaped her confinement through a spatial passage, but pulled Li Xuanxiao in with her and became trapped in a sealed space where their powers were suppressed. Unable to use their cultivation or treasures, the two began fighting with fists and kicks.

• Di Nüfeng used her last wisp of spiritual power to open a spatial passage with her jade hairpin.
• Li Xuanxiao encountered Di Nüfeng in the desert, and she dragged him through the passage as the hairpin broke and the passage closed.
• Li Xuanxiao realized the sealed space had suppressed his abilities and saw that Di Nüfeng was similarly weakened.
• Li Xuanxiao attacked Di Nüfeng, and they traded blows while relying on their physical fighting skills.

Li Xuanxiao and Di Nüfeng fought desperately in a place where their magic and belongings were sealed, then joined forces when imprisoned ferocious beasts attacked. After surviving the assault, Di Nüfeng discovered that acid had dissolved her clothes and swore revenge on Li Xuanxiao.

• Li Xuanxiao overwhelmed Di Nüfeng in hand-to-hand combat but found he could not use poison, draw his sword, or access his Storage Ring.
• Li Xuanxiao used his belt to bind Di Nüfeng and struck her with the Sword Box, but she recovered and kicked him.
• Li Xuanxiao and Di Nüfeng resumed fighting, biting each other until a group of sealed ferocious beasts approached.
• Li Xuanxiao used Di Nüfeng to block the beasts and fought them off while warning her about an Ape Demon that preyed on women.
• After the beasts were defeated, Di Nüfeng pulled her head from a bear's head, realized acid had dissolved her clothes, and hid behind a stone pillar while threatening Li Xuanxiao.

Li Xuanxiao and Di Nüfeng fought off the Ape Demons trapped with them inside the Old Turtle’s tortoise shell, then temporarily subdued each other. Di Nüfeng revealed that they were inside the Blackwater City Demon King’s natal treasure, leaving them searching for a way to escape.

• Di Nüfeng lunged at Li Xuanxiao as Ape Demons emerged from the darkness, and Li Xuanxiao wielded her as a Supreme Emperor Weapon while wrapping her in his clothes.
• Li Xuanxiao and Di Nüfeng killed a powerful Mountain-Bearing Ape, causing the other Ape Demons to flee.
• Li Xuanxiao tricked Di Nüfeng when she let down her guard, then tied her up and drank the white ape’s blood before cooking and eating its meat.
• Di Nüfeng told Li Xuanxiao that they were trapped inside the Old Turtle of Blackwater City’s natal treasure and would be suppressed if they stayed.
• Di Nüfeng explained that she had provoked the Old Turtle to steal its Blackwater Pearl and avenge her slain subordinates, and she wished she could recover her magical power to break the shell.