Chapter Summaries

After reading Chongguang’s Jade Slip, Lu Yang connected the Sacred Sect’s Zou Yu Descendants to altered history and a hidden bargain between the Sacred Sect Ancestor and the World Honored One. He realized their existence threatened his attempt to attain Fire in the Sky and wondered who had guided Chongguang to deliver the clue.

• Lu Yang read that the Sacred Sect’s Zou Yu Descendants had entered the sect five thousand years ago and connected the date to a contradiction in the history of the Zou Yu and Tian Wu dynasties.
• Lu Yang concluded that the World Honored One had altered history and that the Sacred Sect Ancestor had kept the Zou Yu Descendants as leverage over him.
• Lu Yang realized the Sacred Sect’s Zou Yu Descendants likely came from an erased history and were not rooted in the current world.
• Lu Yang recognized that their immense Karma and exclusion from Fire in the Sky’s radiance could stain his attempt to Govern the World.
• Lu Yang decided he would need to reach the source of the Zou Yu Descendants rather than kill them, then questioned who had guided Chongguang to bring the Jade Slip.

After refining the qi of the Ten Thousand Martial Realm, Lu Yang completed the Heaven stage of Qian Tian Total Control Myriad Forms and traveled with Chongguang to the Sacred Sect. They arrived at Sacred Fire Cliff, where the clan chief of the Zou Yu Descendants came out to greet them.

• Lu Yang suspected that True Lord Clear Serene Flying Snow or the Sacred Sect Ancestor had guided Chongguang, and decided to visit the Sacred Sect.
• Lu Yang devoured the qi of the Ten Thousand Martial Realm and transformed his Qian Tian Total Control Myriad Forms Dharma Body into Heaven, allowing heaven and earth to respond to him.
• Lu Yang called Chongguang, and they set off together for Jiangbei; Lu Yang traveled through the Cloud Sea on foot as the landscape carried him forward.
• Lu Yang and Chongguang arrived at Sacred Fire Cliff, where Yu Zhou bowed to them and Lu Yang recognized him as the clan chief of the Zou Yu Descendants.

Lu Yang sought Fire in the Sky from Yu Zhou, the helmsman of the Zou Yu Descendants, and learned about a legacy connected to the mysterious True Lord Hongyun. The legacy suggested Great Forest Wood might offer a path to Fire in the Sky, while Lu Yang suspected the Sacred Sect held a passage between the Disordered History and the Real World.

• Lu Yang revealed that he worked for the Dao Court, frightening Yu Zhou, who knelt and pleaded for the Zou Yu Clan’s life.
• Lu Yang reassured Yu Zhou that he had come to seek Fire in the Sky, not to kill him.
• Yu Zhou explained that his clan’s Imperial Lord had helped refine the Kanli True Art of Position Shift and gave Lu Yang the brass-bound Imperial Heaven Illuminating the World Scripture.
• Yu Zhou described the scripture’s author as a True Lord from Beyond Heaven who had fallen from his Fruit Position, reincarnated, and risen to power; Lu Yang suspected the man was Hongyun.
• Lu Yang found a passage suggesting Great Forest Wood might offer a chance to attain Fire in the Sky and wondered whether the Sacred Sect contained a passage linking the Disordered History to the Real World.
• Yu Zhou said Hongyun had failed to attain Fire in the Sky, died, and likely reincarnated again.

Lu Yang realized that the Zou Yu Descendant could be sent into the Law Refining Secret Realm, but Yu Zhou revealed that it had been sealed. Accepting that he would have to investigate the Disordered History, Lu Yang asked where the Zou Yu Clan had entered the Sacred Sect, and Yu Zhou pointed him toward True Lord Clear Serene Flying Snow's bedchamber.

• Lu Yang concluded that the Disordered History resembled a Law Refining Secret Realm and considered using the realm to resolve the Zou Yu Clan's problem.
• Yu Zhou told Lu Yang that the Law Refining Secret Realm had been sealed off.
• Lu Yang suspected the Sacred Sect Ancestor was steering him toward the Disordered History and accepted that he had to proceed.
• Lu Yang asked Yu Zhou where the Zou Yu Clan had entered the Sacred Sect, and Yu Zhou said True Lord Clear Serene Flying Snow knew and suggested searching her bedchamber.

Lu Yang visited the sealed Abyss-Sinking Assembly Scroll to seek access to Disordered History and learned he had to face an image of True Lord Clear Serene Flying Snow. After he entered the mirror, Flying Snow revealed that defeating her would let him enter the Forbidden Land and strengthen his origin.

• Chongguang led Lu Yang to the Abyss-Sinking Assembly Scroll and explained that visitors had to last one incense stick against Flying Snow’s image to earn her summons.
• Lu Yang inferred that the entrance to Disordered History lay in Flying Snow’s sealed bedchamber and stepped beneath the Heavenly Saint Observation Mirror to test himself.
• True Lord Clear Serene Flying Snow appeared in the mirror at Lu Yang’s Foundation Establishment level and recognized that he had come for the forbidden.
• Lu Yang asked Flying Snow to open a gate to the Chaotic Land, and she agreed on the condition that he defeat her.
• Flying Snow told Lu Yang that the Forbidden Land could strengthen his origin before he became a True Lord and had helped her rise to prominence.

Lu Yang fought True Lord Flying Snow to earn entry into Chaotic History, countering her water techniques with his own arts and sword intent. After he broke her spell, Flying Snow explained that Chaotic History was an abandoned possibility in which the World Honored One achieved the Nascent Soul.

• Lu Yang decided that regardless of the Sacred Sect Ancestor’s motives, he would defeat True Lord Flying Snow and enter Chaotic History.
• True Lord Flying Snow unleashed Abyssal Sink One Qi Heavenly River True Art, but Lu Yang countered with Beacon Sunfire Scripture, Sun-Viewing Imperial Radiance Register, and Heaven and Earth Respond to Me.
• Flying Snow survived Lu Yang’s counterattack by transforming into streams of water, then explained that she would use any tactic necessary to win.
• Lu Yang secretly prepared a Gold-Inlaid Military Command Talisman and combined it with Calamity Waves and Unbending Sword Intent to break Flying Snow’s water technique.
• Flying Snow revealed that origin meant a cultivator’s possibilities and that Chaotic History was a possibility where the World Honored One proved the Dao and achieved the Nascent Soul.

Lu Yang fought True Lord Flying Snow and earned her permission to enter the Disordered History with the Zou Yu Clan. When he asked about seeking Golden Seeking, she judged his chances of success at ninety percent but warned that he would surely die.

• True Lord Flying Snow used Forbidden Knowledge to overwhelm Lu Yang and seal the surrounding heaven and earth.
• Lu Yang’s injuries strengthened his aura, and he summoned Mystic Capital Blessed Land before clashing with True Lord Flying Snow again.
• Lu Yang’s sword wounded True Lord Flying Snow’s fingertip, so she allowed him to see the entrance to the Disordered History and bring the Zou Yu Clan.
• Lu Yang asked True Lord Flying Snow about his chances of Golden Seeking if he returned the Zou Yu Descendant without causing trouble.
• True Lord Flying Snow told Lu Yang he had a ninety percent chance of succeeding at Golden Seeking, but would surely die.

Lu Yang left Feixue Palace unharmed after True Lord Flying Snow warned that Golden Seeking had a ninety percent chance of success but would mean certain death. He took Yu Zhou and the Zou Yu Clan into the Disordered History, intending to uncover how the Dao Court Lord might sabotage his Golden Seeking and seize Fire in the Sky.

• True Lord Flying Snow dismissed Lu Yang after warning him that Golden Seeking carried certain death despite a ninety percent chance of success.
• Lu Yang emerged from Feixue Palace unharmed, and Chongguang brought Yu Zhou and the Zou Yu Clan to him.
• Lu Yang took Yu Zhou into Feixue Palace and said he would enter the Disordered History with them to investigate the possibility of Golden Seeking.
• Lu Yang suspected that the Dao Court Lord might sabotage his Golden Seeking to bring Fire in the Sky under the Dao Court's control, using the Immortal Kingdom Dao Law against him.
• Lu Yang reasoned that the Sacred Sect Ancestor might be acting to prevent the Dao Court Lord from obtaining Fire in the Sky and resolved to uncover the Dao Court Lord's method inside the Disordered History.

Lu Yang entered Disordered History through a Floor Mirror in Feixue's bedchamber and arrived at the sealed Zou Yu Ruins. He learned that this world had no Dao Lords and that the Demon Sect had been destroyed, leaving him stunned.

• Lu Yang identified the Floor Mirror as an entrance to Disordered History, put Yu Zhou away, and stepped through it.
• At the Zou Yu Ruins, Chen Dao and Liu Xiao discussed the vanished Zou Yu Clan, the Qi-Eating Insects, and rumors of an unknown True Lord emerging from the ruins.
• Lu Yang joined Chen Dao and Liu Xiao's conversation and learned that the present world had no Dao Lords and that the Yama Path had three True Lords.
• Lu Yang deduced that without Sky Soaring, Mu Changsheng had benefited from a different course of history and supported Yanmo Ancestor in winning against the Sword Sect's True Person.
• Lu Yang asked about the power in Jiangbei and learned that the Immortal Court had long ago wiped out the Demon Sect.

Lu Yang learned that Sky Soaring had appeared in the False History and killed True Lord Hongtian, then discovered Hongtian was now Overseas and preparing to seek Fire in the Sky again. He decided to find Hongtian and help him seek gold, recruiting Suo Huan to lead the way.

• Chen Dao told Lu Yang that a mysterious, mist-shrouded True Lord had killed Ling Xiao and True Lord Hongtian before vanishing.
• Lu Yang realized the mysterious figure was Sky Soaring and wondered whether the Sacred Sect Ancestor, rather than the World Honored One, had created the False History.
• Lu Yang identified True Lord Hongtian as Otherworldly Hongyun’s counterpart and concluded Sky Soaring had used Hongtian to prepare for killing Hongyun in the Real World.
• Chen Dao explained that Hongtian had joined the Yama Path after returning as a Heretical True Lord, failed to seek Fire in the Sky, and was now Overseas drawing in the Dragon Clan.
• Lu Yang decided to find Hongtian and help him seek gold, then summoned Suo Huan, who offered to guide him Overseas.

Lu Yang captured Suo Lan on Lonely Heart Island and used him to discover that killing a counterpart from the False History could grant a person insight into a possible future through Karma. After learning that Suo Lan had arranged a gathering with Immortal Court and Sword Sect emissaries, Lu Yang prepared to eliminate the visitors and conceal what happened.

• Lu Yang arrived at Lonely Heart Island with Suo Huan and found the island’s Suo Lan, then controlled him with Puppet on Strings.
• Lu Yang transformed Suo Lan with Celestial Mother Transformation Mystic Light and sent Chen Xin'an and Peak Master of Heaven Mending to work on him for a day.
• Lu Yang had Suo Huan kill Suo Lan, and Suo Huan gained the ability to deduce a future through Karma.
• Lu Yang learned from the Banner Spirits’ memories that Suo Lan had invited Immortal Court and Sword Sect emissaries to meet him and seek gold.
• Lu Yang ordered Suo Huan to awaken all the Banner Spirits and prepare a formation that would conceal heavenly secrets.

Lu Yang tested whether killing another cultivator could let him seize that person’s possibility, then planned to exploit Daoist Hongtian’s attempt to prove Fire in the Sky. Daoist Hongtian arrived at Lonely Heart Island and asked Lu Yang whether he came from the outside world.

• Lu Yang watched Suo Huan welcome two Immortal Envoys, then used Puppet on Strings to restore their memories of serving him in past lives.
• Lu Yang killed a Sword Sect cultivator and saw the man’s life and Karma, confirming that he could seize another person’s possibility by killing them.
• Lu Yang resolved to help Daoist Hongtian seek Fire in the Sky, then kill him just before he succeeded to obtain the greatest possibility.
• Daoist Hongtian appeared outside Lonely Heart Island, stepped through the sea’s reflection, and asked Lu Yang whether he was from the outside world.

Lu Yang met Daoist Hongtian, who revealed his theory that a world existed beyond their own and suspected Lu Yang came from it. Lu Yang escaped Hongtian’s attempt to trap him, then used a puppet to resume their conversation and realized Heavenly Duke’s favor had kept Hongyun from reaching his full potential.

• Lu Yang and Daoist Hongtian demonstrated matching Fire in the Sky supernatural powers, destroying Lonely Heart Island and the surrounding sea.
• Hongtian explained that a mysterious True Lord who killed him had looked like Ling Xiao but cultivated Great Forest Wood, leading him to believe an outside world existed.
• Hongtian inferred from Lu Yang’s reaction and Karma that Lu Yang came from the outside world, so Lu Yang vanished to escape him.
• Hongtian alerted a True Lord, who used Wall Earth to seal off half of the Overseas, but Lu Yang escaped at the last moment.
• Lu Yang spoke to Hongtian through the Immortal Court Pacification Sea Envoy puppet and concluded that Heavenly Duke’s favor had raised Hongyun without tempering him.

Lu Yang met Daoist Hongtian inside the Concealed Mechanism Hall, where neither could be observed or calculated from outside. They discovered that they shared the same cultivation, Sword Intent, and goal of attaining Fire in the Sky, and Lu Yang warned Hongtian that he would certainly die despite believing his chances of success were ninety percent.

• Daoist Hongtian failed to calculate Lu Yang’s puppet and invited him into the Concealed Mechanism Hall to speak privately.
• Hongtian tried to awaken the Immortal Court Pacification Sea Envoy, but Lu Yang’s puppet remained unaffected.
• Hongtian sensed that Lu Yang held no current killing intent and asked why he had come from beyond the world.
• Lu Yang and Hongtian revealed matching Sword Intent and discussed their shared goal of attaining Fire in the Sky.
• Hongtian said his preparations gave him a ninety percent chance of success, but Lu Yang warned that he would certainly die.

Lu Yang warned Hongtian that the Immortal Court’s Heavenly Kingdom Supreme Law could sabotage his Golden Seeking, and the two uncovered different flaws in their Dao attainment by debating the Dao. They corrected those flaws, but Hongtian feared the Immortal Court could still demote him and strip away the foundation of his cultivation, leaving Lu Yang intent on learning how he might counter the same threat from the Dao Court.

• Lu Yang avoided explaining the danger behind False History directly, then warned Hongtian that his Golden Seeking could end in death and identified the Immortal Court as the greatest threat.
• Hongtian suspected the Heavenly Kingdom Supreme Law might be deliberately undermining him, and Lu Yang proposed examining their Dao attainment through a debate.
• Lu Yang and Hongtian discussed the Dao in the Concealed Mechanism Hall and discovered that Lu Yang’s understanding lacked details while Hongtian’s broad direction had gone astray.
• Lu Yang and Hongtian recognized that their flaws could be corrected, but Hongtian warned that the Immortal Court could still demote him and remove his bearing of Governing the World.
• Lu Yang realized that Hongtian’s solution to the Immortal Court’s threat could help him defend himself against the Dao Court.

Lu Yang realized the False History could simulate future possibilities and suspected the Sacred Sect Ancestor had placed him in a rehearsal of Hongtian’s fate. Hongtian inferred that his own death was inevitable, but refused to retreat into a quiet life and vowed to risk everything.

• Lu Yang recognized that False History could simulate future events and apply possible futures, then concluded the Sacred Sect Ancestor had brought him in to witness a rehearsal.
• Hongtian thanked Lu Yang for clearing up his doubts and said he had a way to buy time for his Golden Seeking, but kept the method secret.
• After returning to the mainland, Lu Yang suspected Hongtian faced a greater, unknown pitfall and that this False History offered no possibility of Hongtian successfully seeking Golden Seeking.
• Hongtian questioned Yan Mo about the simulated outside world and reasoned that Lu Yang’s lack of interest in taking his future meant Hongtian was destined to die regardless.
• Yan Mo urged Hongtian to give up and return to Covered Lamp Fire, but Hongtian rejected a life confined to the Immortal Court and declared he would rather die.

Lu Yang witnessed Hongtian perform the Fire in the Sky ritual and climb toward the Supreme Fruit Position, only for the Immortal Court to seize the moment and try to capture him and Fire in the Sky. Lu Yang uncovered that the Heavenly Kingdom Supreme Law was built from captured Dao Court Grotto-Heavens and realized the Dao Court had turned Jiangdong into a cultivation pasture resembling the Sacred Sect.

• Hongtian began the Fire in the Sky ritual, spreading the Heavenly Kingdom Supreme Law across the Five Realms Under Heaven and using the world as steps toward the Fruit Position.
• Hongtian climbed through the Foundation Establishment Realm, invoking Imperial Life Steward, Returning Palace, Heaven-Earth Union, and Coiled Dragon Root to extend his path toward Fire in the Sky.
• As Hongtian prepared to enter Fire in the Sky, the Immortal Court withdrew its support and cast the Heavenly Kingdom Supreme Law over Fire in the Sky and Hongguang Blessed Land.
• Lu Yang saw that the Heavenly Kingdom Supreme Law contained countless complete Grotto-Heavens taken from Dao Court Sons of Heaven and understood that the Dao Court had used Jiangdong’s people as cultivation fuel.
• Lu Yang concluded that the Dao Court Lord’s design resembled the Sacred Sect’s cultivation system and wondered whether the entire world was a giant First Saint Sect.

Lu Yang watched Hongtian resist the Immortal Court’s attempt to capture Fire in the Sky and learned that the court could demote officials and confiscate their cultivation. Just as Hongtian seemed stripped of his power, he raised his head and revealed a sudden sign of resistance.

• Hongtian used False Holding Gold Position and Covered Lamp Fire to engulf the Immortal Court’s net in darkness, giving Fire in the Sky a chance to escape.
• The Immortal Court demoted Hongtian, but Hongtian and the False History versions of Mu Changsheng and Patriarch Tingyou rejected the decree as chaotic.
• The Immortal Court ordered Hongtian’s cultivation confiscated, causing his powers and connection to Fire in the Sky to fade.
• Hongtian suddenly raised his head as rosy cloud light appeared in his eyes and an impassioned cry of swords rang out.

Hongtian resisted the Immortal Court’s attempt to obscure his memories and faced four Fruit Positions with help from Mu Changsheng and Patriarch Tingyou. Their defense reached a stalemate, but Lu Yang suspected another trump card remained when the World Honored One’s voice rang out.

• Hongtian used his Candlelight Sword Intent to resist the Heavenly Kingdom Supreme Law and explained that it had obscured part of his memories rather than seized his cultivation.
• The Immortal Court sent Roadside Earth, Flatland Wood, Gold-Foil Metal, and Great Relay Station Earth to attack Hongtian.
• Mu Changsheng and Patriarch Tingyou supported Hongtian with Wall Earth and Long Flowing Water, holding off the four Fruit Positions in a stalemate.
• Lu Yang wondered whether the Immortal Court had exhausted its methods and suspected the World Honored One might intervene.
• The World Honored One’s voice rang out with “Amitabha!”

The World Honored One descended into False History as a True Body Tathagata, alarming Lu Yang and Hongtian. Lu Yang realized the Dao Court Lord had likely enabled the descent, and Hongtian charged at the Tathagata despite the overwhelming danger.

• Vast Karma descended as the World Honored One’s Eight Aspects unfolded, culminating in the appearance of the Tathagata.
• The Tathagata revealed himself as a genuine True Lord, and Lu Yang recognized that he had come from the Real World.
• Lu Yang inferred that the Dao Court Lord had joined forces with the World Honored One, who wanted Lu Yang while the Dao Court wanted Fire in the Sky.
• Hongtian challenged the Tathagata, transforming False Holding Covered Lamp Fire into False Holding Fire in the Sky and charging forward.