Chapter Summaries

After Qin Yi and Ju Yunxiu were intimate, he recognized that her master’s betrayal had shaken her faith in her Dao and helped her reconsider what she truly valued. Ju Yunxiu found some peace in his words, then drew him back into their embrace while Qing Cha waited outside.

• Ju Yunxiu teased Qin Yi about his past lovers and reflected that she had missed too much of the mortal world.
• Qin Yi realized Ju Yunxiu was questioning her Dao because her master’s betrayal had made her doubt what she had inherited and what she might become.
• Qin Yi told Ju Yunxiu that she could pursue beauty, art, and a life beyond the world without worrying about attaining some Great Dao.
• Qin Yi explained that his guides had taught him to value his true self, his loved ones, and the legacy of Li Qinglin over longevity or the Great Dao.
• Ju Yunxiu’s confusion eased, and she embraced Qin Yi again as Qing Cha waited outside the tent.

Ju Yunxiu decided to leave the sect and travel the world to recover from her past and seek her own Dao, while Qin Yi remained behind. She departed with Qing Cha, leaving Qin Yi to wonder when they would meet again.

• Liusu told Qin Yi that Ju Yunxiu needed to leave the mountain and gain experience elsewhere.
• Ju Yunxiu told Qin Yi she planned to leave, and he offered to go with her, but Liusu advised them to travel separately.
• Ju Yunxiu explained that she still considered the sect her home and asked Chess Addict to hold down the fort.
• Ju Yunxiu gave Chess Addict the Painting Sect's secret inheritance and entrusted him with teaching her future disciple Jing Ze.
• Ju Yunxiu took the painting Qin Yi had brought and embraced him before preparing to depart.
• Ju Yunxiu left on a Rainbow Cloud with Qing Cha, while Qin Yi watched them disappear.

After Ju Yunxiu left to travel with Qing Cha, Qin Yi stayed at the Immortal Palace and reflected on why its cultivators pursued the Dao. He then flew to Great Qian, where he saw the three-year-old Li Wuxian beginning to cultivate as rebellion spread across the land.

• Qin Yi stayed at the Immortal Palace after Ju Yunxiu departed, deciding to help establish the Hall of War before leaving.
• Chess Addict explained that Immortal Palace cultivators pursued the Dao because they could not bear to part with what they loved or cherished.
• Qin Yi asked Jin Senior Brother and Yin Yizhong why they sought the Dao, and both said they could not bear to part with their passions.
• Liusu told Qin Yi she had never sought the Dao and cultivated according to what she liked, prompting him to accept that he could not bear to part with those dear to him.
• Qin Yi flew to Great Qian, saw beacon fires spreading amid the Rebel Army's uprising, and found Li Wuxian cultivating in the Imperial Palace.

Qin Yi discovered that three-year-old Li Wuxian had begun cultivating and enhanced the Jade Pendant to protect and conceal her. After returning to the Immortal Palace, he settled into Battle Hall duties and cultivation, but the story hinted that this quiet routine would not last.

• Qin Yi found Li Wuxian cultivating the Basic Mantra and added protective, concealing, and danger-alert spells to her Jade Pendant.
• Qin Yi and Liusu fought their way out of the Imperial Palace, then learned that Humble Origins had returned to Demon City.
• Qin Yi asked Liusu about flying magical treasures and joked with her after she transformed into a miniature version of him.
• Liusu explained that she was still digesting the powerful soul force she had absorbed and needed to enter seclusion.
• Qin Yi returned to the Immortal Palace and planned to serve as Battle Hall Master while consolidating his cultivation, but the narration foreshadowed an end to his quiet routine.

After a year leading the War Hall, Qin Yi had grown into a respected Immortal Palace disciple and secured three new airships for his team. When a demon stormed the Immortal Palace, he recognized it as his little sister and rushed to stop the other experts from attacking her.

• Qin Yi and the War Hall defeated a pack of strange beasts, recovered Jade Marrow Celestial Crystal, and completed their twelfth collective drill.
• Qin Yi reflected on his year as Hall Master, the War Hall’s growth, and his slow cultivation progress through the Cloud Soaring layers.
• Qin Yi inspected three improved airships from Strange Skills and Ingenious Crafts Sect, assigning two to the War Hall and secretly keeping one for himself.
• The immortal crane told Qin Yi that Penglai Sword Pavilion had postponed their martial competition while training a new genius surnamed Li, and Qin Yi insisted he be notified when it took place.
• The mountain alarm sounded as a demon stormed the Immortal Palace, and Qin Yi charged to the gate before recognizing the demon as his little sister.

Ye Ling sought Qin Yi’s help for the gravely injured Cheng Cheng, and he agreed to go after learning Cheng Cheng had sacrificed her lifespan to fulfill her promise. Qin Yi prepared medicine and received a protective artifact from Chess Fanatic before setting out with Ye Ling for Demon City.

• Ye Ling reached the Immortal Palace exhausted, and Qin Yi gave her a pill before asking what had happened to Cheng Cheng.
• Ye Ling told Qin Yi that Cheng Cheng was badly injured and begged him to help, explaining that Cheng Cheng had shortened her lifespan to provide the Longevity Pill.
• Qin Yi decided to consult the Immortal Palace’s pill masters and gather the necessary medicines before traveling to Cheng Cheng.
• Qin Yi and the pill masters could not identify Cheng Cheng’s injury from Ye Ling’s description, so Qin Yi packed a selection of rare medicinal materials and returned to his Cave Dwelling.
• Chess Fanatic gave Qin Yi two Discarded Pieces that could each take one instance of damage in his place and warned him not to cross to the far side of Transverse Rift Valley.
• Qin Yi produced a flying boat for the journey, surprising Ye Ling, who had expected to carry him herself.

Qin Yi traveled with Ye Ling to the Transverse Rift Valley after learning that Cheng Cheng had been badly injured while investigating a place said to contain a Teng Snake Corpse. Liusu suspected a Teng Snake Remnant Soul was responsible, and Qin Yi reached the rift still wondering why its ancient secrets had been left untouched.

• Ye Ling told Qin Yi that Cheng Cheng had entered a gloomy, foggy place to scout for a Teng Snake Corpse and returned injured after only a few breaths.
• Ye Ling explained that Cheng Cheng’s Human Avatar continued issuing orders in Demon City, concealing the state of her true body while Ye Ling went to find help.
• Liusu questioned Ye Ling about the place’s mist and warned that a Teng Snake Remnant Soul could have killed a Myriad Manifestations demon like Cheng Cheng.
• Qin Yi considered why human and demon cultivators had left the rift’s ancient corpses and treasures unexplored as the airship crossed Southern Li.
• Qin Yi arrived at the Transverse Rift Valley and sensed the Demon Power in its mist, puzzling over why he had been unharmed there before.

Qin Yi returned to Demon City and found Cheng Cheng’s human avatar hiding the severity of her injuries. As he prepared to examine her true body, Cheng Cheng revealed that she remembered how he had saved her and asked him to carry her.

• Qin Yi arrived at Demon City and told Ying Li that his presence was enough to guard the palace.
• Ying Li recognized Qin Yi’s immense progress in both Immortal Dao and martial cultivation.
• Ye Ling led Qin Yi to Cheng Cheng, who appeared composed despite her soul being dangerously weak.
• Cheng Cheng sent Ye Ling and the palace maids away so she could speak with Qin Yi alone.
• Qin Yi asked to see Cheng Cheng’s true body, and she admitted that she had remembered him since he saved her human avatar.
• Cheng Cheng said she could not walk and asked Qin Yi to carry her.

Qin Yi followed Cheng Cheng to a hidden chamber and examined her dormant Chenghuang body, discovering that a Soaring Serpent’s innate gift had nearly drained its heart’s blood. Liusu said restoring Chenghuang’s bloodline required a Heaven Vein Source Pill made with Cheng Cheng’s heart’s blood, and Qin Yi realized he still possessed the catalyst everyone thought he had used.

• Cheng Cheng teased Qin Yi before revealing that her true body was in a secret chamber beneath the floor.
• Qin Yi carried Cheng Cheng down to the chamber, where he found Chenghuang asleep beneath the curtains.
• Qin Yi examined Chenghuang and sensed that its heart was shriveled and its blood circulation had nearly stopped.
• Liusu identified the injury as the effect of the Soaring Serpent’s innate gift, Divinities and Ghosts Terrified.
• Liusu explained that a Heaven Vein Source Pill using Cheng Cheng’s heart’s blood could restore Chenghuang without destroying its bloodline.
• Qin Yi realized he had kept the Chenghuang heart’s blood catalyst that Cheng Cheng believed was already gone.

Qin Yi decided to use Chenghuang heart's blood to save Cheng Cheng, but first asked her to promise she would never attack the human realm. Cheng Cheng swore a blood oath, though Liusu knew it might not bind her true body, and wondered how Qin Yi would act once he believed their conflict was settled.

• Liusu questioned whether Qin Yi should spend the lifespan-extending pill on Cheng Cheng, and Qin Yi said he wanted to save her without seeking repayment.
• Cheng Cheng explained that reviving her heart would not restore her Chenghuang bloodline or power, leaving her vulnerable to being usurped in the Demon City.
• Qin Yi revealed that he still had the pill and asked Cheng Cheng whether she would attack the human realm if he saved her.
• Cheng Cheng promised never to attack humanity, and Qin Yi asked her to swear a blood oath because he did not want them to become enemies.
• Cheng Cheng swore the oath sincerely, while Liusu realized it might bind only her human avatar and wondered whether Qin Yi would remain proper now that he thought their conflict was gone.

Qin Yi treated Chenghuang and diagnosed Cheng Cheng, then refined a pill to strengthen Cheng Cheng’s frail human body and demon soul. As he fed her, Cheng Cheng reflected on her feelings for him and the reasons she could not let them override her plans for the Demon Race.

• Qin Yi gave the sleeping Chenghuang an Immortal Pill to revive her heart while Cheng Cheng teased him about caring for her.
• Qin Yi diagnosed Cheng Cheng and realized her illness came from her weak divided soul dragging down her uninjured human body.
• Qin Yi refined a medicine for Cheng Cheng while she thought about her affection for him, her own plans, and the complications of marrying a human.
• Qin Yi gave Cheng Cheng the pill and helped her sit with her head in the hollow of his shoulder when she insisted he feed her.

Qin Yi discussed the Human Avatar’s cultivation and learned that Cheng Cheng had kept her because she could not bear to treat the avatar as anything but herself. After Cheng Cheng kissed and bit him, Qin Yi left to consider how to refine her medicine, while both Cheng Chengs regretted their impulsive behavior.

• Qin Yi asked why Cheng Cheng’s Human Avatar had not begun cultivating, and Cheng Cheng explained that she could not find an art suited to her shared soul and two bodies.
• Cheng Cheng revealed that she had kept the avatar because she felt its death would be her own, and Qin Yi objected to her treating its possible death as a relief.
• Cheng Cheng kissed Qin Yi, then bit his lips when she imagined he would explain why he had to leave; Qin Yi did not understand her hurt.
• Chenghuang awakened and transformed into Cheng Cheng, leaving two identical Cheng Chengs beside Qin Yi.
• Qin Yi asked for a quiet room to study the medicine, and Cheng Cheng placed Demon City’s resources and command at his disposal.
• After Qin Yi left, the two Cheng Chengs argued over the kiss and bite, then admitted together that they had acted impulsively.

Qin Yi sought a quiet place to study how to refine a pill that could save Cheng Cheng and discovered that Ye Ling’s cultivation chamber drew on Demon City’s earth veins. As Liusu explained how the ancient energy could aid him and challenged his understanding of the Pill Dao, they began considering how to refine the medicine.

• Qin Yi found Ye Ling waiting outside Fragrant Aroma Hall, and she questioned whether he had gone in to treat Cheng Cheng.
• Qin Yi told Ye Ling that Cheng Cheng could be saved, asked for a quiet room and a list of available materials, and Ye Ling brought him to her cultivation chamber.
• Ye Ling silenced Gang Jing and opened the chamber, where Qin Yi sensed an ancient, savage aura.
• Liusu explained that the earth veins drew on the primordial source of living beings and could benefit Qin Yi, though prolonged exposure to Demon Qi could affect his mind.
• Qin Yi and Liusu discussed Cheng Cheng’s unused dual body and her condition, then began working out which ingredients should accompany the wisp of heart’s blood.

Qin Yi and Liusu devised a pill formula to treat Cheng Cheng but lacked a rare treasure needed to awaken the source of her bloodline. Qin Yi sought a black-market lead and went to ask Cheng Cheng for help, despite demons suspecting he wanted her throne.

• Liusu guided Qin Yi in selecting ingredients for a pill that could restore Cheng Cheng’s heart meridians, but they lacked the treasure needed to awaken their source.
• Qin Yi asked Humble Origins whether he knew of black-market channels, and Humble Origins warned him that demons suspected Ye Ling’s visit meant the Crown Prince planned to rebel.
• Humble Origins questioned why Qin Yi sincerely helped Cheng Cheng instead of backing the Crown Prince, and Qin Yi said Cheng Cheng understood his intentions.
• Humble Origins named a distant black market near the Witch God Sect, but warned it might not have the needed treasure.
• Qin Yi decided to visit Cheng Cheng and ask whether her broader knowledge offered a way to save herself.

Qin Yi told Cheng Cheng that her illness could be cured, but the necessary Heavenly Heart Lotus grew on the dangerous south side of the rift valley. Cheng Cheng explained that it belonged to Tai Huang Jun in a land where familiar rules did not apply, leaving Qin Yi to face the warning Chess Addict had given him about crossing there.

• Qin Yi met Cheng Cheng in Fragrant Aroma Hall and learned she had been preparing to secure Ye Ling's succession to the throne.
• Cheng Cheng explained why she trusted Ye Ling over Ying Li and described how Chenghuang bloodline might reappear through the bones beneath the rift valley.
• Qin Yi gave Cheng Cheng a list of possible medicinal ingredients and said they needed one within twenty days to make her cure in time.
• Cheng Cheng identified a Heavenly Heart Lotus on Peek Heaven Peak, owned by the Radiant Sun cultivator Tai Huang Jun.
• Cheng Cheng warned Qin Yi that the south was a Land of Disorder where ordinary customs and principles held no sway, and Liusu explained that its inhabitants pursued a path of breaking rules.

Qin Yi left to find Peek Heaven Peak in the Land of Disorder, hoping to obtain what Cheng Cheng needed to survive. After discovering that the region’s twisted rules disrupted familiar ways of flying and using formations, he pressed onward with Liusu’s guidance.

• Cheng Cheng warned Qin Yi that the lands south of the rift valley followed dangerous, unfamiliar rules, but Qin Yi decided to go himself rather than send Ying Li.
• Cheng Cheng realized Qin Yi was risking himself for her, while Ye Ling arrived and wondered why he had never done as much for her.
• Qin Yi crossed the rift valley and reached the Land of Disorder, where he could not fly using his usual method.
• Qin Yi tested his flying craft, spells, and transformation, finding that some abilities still worked despite the region’s distorted rules.
• Liusu explained that Qin Yi’s assumptions about the rules could be the real obstacle and suggested the place could help him see beyond conditioned perceptions.
• Qin Yi set his sights on the Thousand Mile Mountain Range and declared that he would discover the Land of Disorder’s wonders.

Qin Yi explored a city in the Land of Disorder, where mortals and cultivators lived together under two Iron Laws. He learned that local cultivation was understood as a path to freedom from rules, and that powerful cultivators hoped to set the laws themselves.

• Qin Yi found that the forest’s oddly shaped pears still tasted and behaved like ordinary pears.
• Qin Yi discovered a city where mortals traded and lived alongside cultivators, and saw an old woman openly scold a flying cultivator who had stolen her cabbage.
• Qin Yi read the city notice declaring that cultivators could not bully mortals or fight one another within the city.
• Qin Yi passed a brothel where cultivators drank with courtesans, then entered a Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion.
• A shop assistant told Qin Yi that mortals could pursue cultivation, that all sects were Demon Sects, and that cultivators sought the power to set the Iron Laws themselves.

Qin Yi explored a city where mortals and cultivators followed few rules, then watched a pill master examine a gravely injured man. He recognized the injury as possibly caused by Meng Qingying’s Tarsal Bone Maggots.

• Qin Yi questioned a waiter about the city and reclaimed his gold after the waiter took it without answering.
• The shopkeeper explained that the city had no lord or taxes and that the Thousand Mountains Rogue Cultivator Alliance only upheld a rule against harming mortals.
• Qin Yi followed a burly man carrying his injured friend to a pill master’s chamber.
• The pill master identified the injury as the Profound Yin Sect’s Yin Shattering Skill and suggested a dangerous way to cure it.
• The burly man left to seek an antidote, and the pill master woke the injured man, who learned his friend had abandoned him.
• Qin Yi sensed a strand of hair near the injured man’s heart meridian and suspected it was Meng Qingying’s Tarsal Bone Maggots.

Qin Yi searched for rare medicinal ingredients and learned that the Daoist who had treated a stranger for free was as unpredictable as the rest of the Thousand Mountains Alliance. After Qin Yi left the city, the Daoist ambushed him, revealing that he wanted to rob him.

• Qin Yi watched the Daoist heal a wounded man with a rare pill and discussed the Daoist’s chaotic behavior with Liusu.
• Qin Yi gave the shopkeeper a list of rare medicinal ingredients, and the Daoist pointed him toward Blazing Flame Valley to find a Burning Flame Fruit.
• Qin Yi decided to leave the city and seek Tai Huang Jun at Peek Heaven Peak for the Heavenly Heart Lotus.
• The Daoist attacked Qin Yi outside the city and explained that he had inferred Qin Yi carried treasure from the ingredients on his list.

Qin Yi battled a Daoist whose fire techniques defied conventional rules, then escaped by exploiting the chaos around Blazing Flame Valley. He reappeared in a mountain hollow before Meng Qingying, who questioned why he had returned instead of staying with Minghe.

• Qin Yi exchanged attacks with the Daoist, discovering that their fire and Gale Qi techniques carried unexpected properties, then destroyed the Daoist's fire dragon with the Five Elements Breaking Law Outline.
• Qin Yi fled from the stronger Huiyang Daoist and explained to Liusu that he planned to stall until members of the Myriad Phenomena Asura Sect came looking for the rescued Tarsal Bone Maggots victim.
• Qin Yi circled Blazing Flame Valley but was caught between its chaotic fire formation and the Daoist's lightning strike, which shattered his Gale Qi barrier and wounded him.
• Qin Yi used Inch Sacrificial Fire to attack the Daoist inside his mouth, then swept away the fire formation and escaped with the Wind Thunder Step while an unknown force left the Fire Man dazed.
• Qin Yi reached a mountain hollow, where Meng Qingying asked why he had returned to her instead of keeping Minghe company.