Chapter Summaries

Qin Yi discussed Liusu’s Dao with her, and she explained that she sought to protect everyone’s freedom to pursue knowledge and the Great Dao. Cheng Cheng secretly left Xi Yue to rejoin Qin Yi, claiming their honeymoon mattered more than the tour.

• Qin Yi explained that An'an’s exhaustion had come from absorbing Taiyi Life Water during cultivation, though Cheng Cheng and Xi Yue remained unconvinced by his account.
• Xi Yue asked Cheng Cheng to show her the rift valley, and the two left Qin Yi alone in the palace.
• Liusu recalled that the Heavenly Emperor had tried to suppress her and explained that her Dao protected the right to seek knowledge without imposing confinement.
• Qin Yi described Liusu’s Dao as freedom and transcendence with restraint, and Liusu said he had helped her overcome her viciousness.
• Cheng Cheng’s human form slipped away from Xi Yue and returned to Qin Yi, saying their honeymoon mattered more than the sightseeing tour.

Xi Yue toured Demon City with Cheng Cheng and learned how the demon realms had become a prosperous, guarded city. When Xi Yue asked to visit Kun Peng Purple Mansion, Cheng Cheng’s strange behavior exposed that she had secretly been with Qin Yi, and the two women confronted each other over their rivalry.

• Cheng Cheng showed Xi Yue Demon City’s prosperity and explained that humans lived there as one of its many races, with Qin Yi as their first Clan Leader.
• Xi Yue asked to visit Kun Peng Purple Mansion, but Cheng Cheng refused, citing the danger of Xi Yue’s Formless Realm cultivation.
• Xi Yue recognized Cheng Cheng’s suspicious behavior and accused her of secretly pursuing Qin Yi despite their agreement to ignore him.
• Cheng Cheng realized Xi Yue was the old Daoist nun who had named her Cheng Cuihua, and the two argued over the name and their rivalry for Qin Yi.
• Cheng Cheng collapsed into Xi Yue’s arms, and Xi Yue angrily called out Qin Yi’s name.

Xi Yue arrived at Demon City and found Qin Yi entangled with both forms of Cheng Cheng, then clashed with Cheng Cheng over their history and their jealousy. Xi Yue chose to stay near the city, but Qin Yi proposed a compromise that left both women stunned.

• Xi Yue carried the demon-form Cheng Cheng back to the palace while the little fox guards stopped the demons from intervening.
• Human-form Cheng Cheng and Qin Yi were already together when demon-form Cheng Cheng arrived and joined in, then Xi Yue withdrew from the room.
• Qin Yi emerged and tried to smooth things over as Xi Yue and Cheng Cheng traded accusations and glares.
• Cheng Cheng offered Xi Yue a bedchamber and a title, but Xi Yue said she would stay in the mountains and invite Cheng Cheng to discuss the Dao.
• Qin Yi suggested Xi Yue stay at the Brocade Embroidery Workshop, leaving Xi Yue, Cheng Cheng, and Liusu astonished.

After moving into Brocade Embroidery Workshop, Cheng Cheng and Xi Yue shared wine and discussed their views on responsibility and the Great Wilderness. Liusu’s words prompted Xi Yue to offer Qin Yi a way to guard Saint Dragon Peak’s seal, leaving the danger of the Dragon Soul with a possible safeguard.

• Cheng Cheng brought Qin Yi and Xi Yue back to Brocade Embroidery Workshop, where the tension between them eased.
• Cheng Cheng hosted Xi Yue and Qin Yi with Demon City wine, and Xi Yue described the Great Wilderness and discussed the burden of protecting one’s people.
• Liusu drank from Qin Yi’s cup, praised Xi Yue, and spoke about acting without shame despite being trapped.
• Xi Yue thanked Liusu, then warned Cheng Cheng and Qin Yi that the Dragon Soul at Saint Dragon Peak could devastate the ancient Demon Soul array if its seal broke.
• Xi Yue gave Qin Yi the Time Wheel Return Array Method so he could restore the seal and gain a chance to respond if it was breached.

Xi Yue offered Qin Yi and Cheng Cheng a valuable time array and prepared to return to Celestial Pivot Divine Palace, but they persuaded her to stay. After teasing Qin Yi about his desire to surpass the women around him, Xi Yue asked Cheng Cheng to lend him to her for the night, and the neighbors later spread rumors about strange cries from Brocade Embroidery Workshop.

• Cheng Cheng thanked Xi Yue for offering Demon City the Time Wheel Return Array, while Qin Yi studied how it could advance his understanding of the Path of Time.
• Xi Yue explained that Celestial Pivot Divine Palace was recovering after losing a Formless cultivator and said she planned to return after their drink.
• Qin Yi and Cheng Cheng urged Xi Yue to stay, and she teased Qin Yi about cultivating so hard to catch up with the women around him.
• Cheng Cheng joked that Qin Yi might someday attack Xi Yue over Minghe, and Qin Yi denied that he would ever harm the Old Daoist Nun.
• Xi Yue asked Cheng Cheng to lend Qin Yi to her for the night, and Cheng Cheng agreed.
• Neighbors reported strange, miserable cries from Brocade Embroidery Workshop and argued over how many voices they had heard.

After Xi Yue fled the morning after Cheng Cheng joined her and Qin Yi, Cheng Cheng and Qin Yi discussed the Heavenly Beings’ weakened position and focused on finding what Liusu needed to regain her strength. Qin Yi then learned that Da Li had expanded dramatically under his disciple, while Southern Li was preparing to invade the Land of Chaos.

• Xi Yue fled after Cheng Cheng had joined her and Qin Yi in bed, and Cheng Cheng told Qin Yi that her intervention might help him later.
• Cheng Cheng and Qin Yi reasoned that the Heavenly Beings might seek negotiations while recovering their strength, but that the struggle to reach Supreme Clarity would remain central.
• Qin Yi asked Cheng Cheng to have her contacts search for the Netherglow Jade Crystal and Heavenly Evolution Radiance, and she directed him to ask Humble Origins for information.
• Humble Origins told Qin Yi that his disciple had expanded Da Li across the grasslands, plateau, and Gobi, bringing distant factions and territories under its rule.
• Humble Origins revealed that Southern Li was preparing to cross the rift and march on the Land of Chaos, leaving Qin Yi stunned.

Qin Yi gave Humble Origins an Innate Thunder Pool to help him pursue a transformation tied to lightning. He then visited An'an and discovered that she had attained the Spirit of Water.

• Qin Yi and Humble Origins discussed the possibility of Da Li expanding into the Land of Chaos and agreed that immortals should not interfere in mortal wars.
• Qin Yi asked Humble Origins to search for Heavenly Evolution Radiance and Netherglow Jade Crystal, then showed him an Innate Thunder Pool containing several Thunder Seeds.
• Humble Origins eagerly took the bead and said he would enter seclusion to absorb its lightning.
• Qin Yi went to the palace, where the little foxes teased him about being the king and An'an’s imperial consort.
• Qin Yi greeted Yu Shang and saw that An'an’s clam shell had turned translucent blue, confirming that she had attained the Spirit of Water.

Qin Yi found that An'an had transformed into a Water Spirit and reached Qianyuan after absorbing Taiyi Life Water, while Yu Shang was sent with Cheng Cheng to Kun Peng Purple Mansion. Left alone with Qin Yi, An'an thanked him for protecting the Clam Clan and secretly revealed the depth of her affection for him.

• Qin Yi sensed An'an's breakthrough to Qianyuan and reassured Yu Shang that he still valued her.
• Qin Yi explained that Yu Shang could advance by training at Kun Peng Purple Mansion, and Cheng Cheng took her there.
• Cheng Cheng teased Qin Yi about being alone with An'an before leaving the two of them behind a screen.
• An'an thanked Qin Yi for defending the Clam Clan and managing the dangers surrounding the Southern Sea.
• An'an reflected on her feelings for Qin Yi and admitted she would willingly give him her Water Spirit Power.

Qin Yi discovered that An'an’s Water Spirit Power made her a resilient, gifted healer, and both secretly hoped she would stay with him in Demon City. An'an pretended to have chest pain to draw him close, then accused him of impropriety when he examined her.

• Qin Yi examined An'an with his divine sense and found her soul sea filled with Water Spirit Power that would help her recover and might make her a powerful healer.
• Qin Yi and An'an each privately wanted her to remain with him, but neither openly admitted it.
• An'an asked Qin Yi about his plans and claimed she wished to stay in Demon City to study human Daoist Arts.
• An'an pretended her chest hurt and opened her collar, leaving Qin Yi flustered as he tried to examine her.
• An'an accused Qin Yi of touching her improperly, and Liusu laughed at his embarrassment.

Qin Yi teased An'an during her examination, then met with Chess Addict to discuss his unusual importance in the coming upheaval. Chess Addict warned him against disappearing into seclusion or unreachable realms, and suggested his Peach Blossom Miasma might matter more than his cultivation.

• An'an provoked Qin Yi by making his examination seem improper, but Qin Yi calmly massaged her chest and left her blushing.
• Qin Yi fled An'an's bedchamber, and he and Liusu laughed about their playful exchange.
• Qin Yi decided to visit Chess Addict and found him studying a Go endgame in a pavilion.
• Chess Addict explained that Qin Yi's ability to connect people across factions and realms could make him crucial in the South Sea conflict.
• Chess Addict advised Qin Yi to avoid long seclusion and unreachable realms, then suggested he keep using his Peach Blossom Miasma.

Qin Yi questioned Chess Maniac about the Ten Thousand Dao Immortal Palace and discussed how the Path of Time might help him overcome his lack of time to cultivate. After Chess Maniac suggested changing the flow of time for himself, Qin Yi asked Liusu to explore whether the Veil of Time Illusion could make it possible.

• Qin Yi questioned Chess Maniac about the Ten Thousand Dao Immortal Palace, but Chess Maniac avoided revealing any inside knowledge.
• Chess Maniac told Qin Yi that deeper cultivation brought greater reverence for the Great Dao and that cultivators had to choose their priorities.
• Qin Yi lamented that he lacked time to explore the myriad Great Daos, and Chess Maniac suggested using the Path of Time to make his time different from the outside world's.
• Qin Yi returned to Cheng Cheng's empty palace and asked Liusu whether he could cultivate for longer inside while less time passed outside.
• Liusu judged the idea difficult but worth researching with the Veil of Time Illusion, then began studying it inside the ring.

Qin Yi studied the Time Wheel Return Array while Xi Yue gave Minghe a water essence and discussed the Celestial Pivot Divine Palace’s retreat from the world. Minghe set out for the North Sea, and Yu Shang learned more about her lineage from Kunpeng’s undying will.

• Qin Yi used the array Xi Yue had placed outside Saint Dragon Peak to study time and develop practical spells.
• Xi Yue gave Minghe water essence gathered in the South Sea and refused to return the paired-wing bird feather, prompting Minghe to ask permission to leave the sect.
• Xi Yue told Minghe that He Dao had recalled the Celestial Pivot Divine Palace’s outside branches and restricted disciples from leaving without approval.
• Xi Yue approved Minghe’s journey north to seek an opportunity to comprehend the Big Dipper Intent.
• Kunpeng told Yu Shang that she descended from his union with a human and urged her to stay with Qin Yi, whom he identified as an Ancient Bloodline.

Qin Yi studied the Time Wheel Return Array and showed Cheng Cheng how time could age a tree to death, then Cheng Cheng claimed that riding Cheng Huang could truly extend his lifespan. Their intimate moment was interrupted by Ye Ling, whose confinement resumed after she walked in on them; she also revealed that her dragon bloodline had grown stronger.

• Qin Yi failed to simulate a time technique, explained that the passage of years could harm living things, and aged a small tree to death.
• Qin Yi said reversing the technique might create false immortality, while Cheng Cheng offered to extend his lifespan by riding Cheng Huang.
• Ye Ling walked in on Qin Yi and Cheng Cheng, prompting Cheng Cheng to sentence her to another year of confinement.
• Qin Yi noticed Ye Ling's newly prominent dragon horns, and Ye Ling explained that Dragon Sons at the Jianmu Tree had helped activate her bloodline.
• Cheng Cheng said Ye Ling's fused bloodline made her especially suited to lead the Demon Race, then scolded her for acting foolishly.

Cheng Cheng discussed plans with Qin Yi to expand the Profound Yin Sect’s influence and organize the cultivation powers of the Land of Chaos. Meanwhile, Ye Ling remained tied upside down in the Imperial Garden and struck up a foolish conversation with An'an.

• Cheng Cheng whipped Ye Ling for barging in on her and Qin Yi, then hung her upside down in the Imperial Garden.
• Cheng Cheng told Qin Yi that she had let Li Wuxian’s troops cross the rift valley and proposed an alliance of cultivation powers centered on the Profound Yin Sect.
• Qin Yi agreed to support Cheng Cheng’s arrangements and told her to call on him if she needed help.
• Ye Ling questioned whether she deserved punishment for watching people, and An'an came to see her hanging in the garden.
• Ye Ling and An'an exchanged absurd claims about Qin Yi’s and Cheng Cheng’s supposed hobbies, then smiled foolishly at each other.

Cheng Cheng and Qin Yi advanced plans for Da Li and the cultivators of the Land of Chaos to coexist, while Qin Yi completed a spell and reflected on his detachment from worldly affairs. The chapter ended with Qin Yi discovering Ye Ling had wrapped herself in rope while hanging upside down and mistaking it for a blanket.

• Cheng Cheng and Qin Yi entered the Land of Chaos and arranged a growing sphere of influence through the Profound Yin Sect.
• In Yuanshi Year Five, Li Wuxian sent the Heavenly South Army into the Land of Chaos, and Cheng Cheng secured the Thousand Mountains Rogue Cultivator Alliance's recognition of Da Li's authority in Thousand Mountains City.
• Cheng Cheng used the Profound Yin Sect and Yu Fuzi to begin discussions of a Chaos Alliance while Qin Yi focused on cultivation.
• Qin Yi completed his spell for returning an opponent's attack to its initial state and considered whether reconnecting with the mortal world might help him reach Wu Xiang.
• Qin Yi found Ye Ling still hanging in the Imperial Garden, wrapped tightly in rope, and mistook her cocoon-like bindings for a warm blanket.

Qin Yi carried Ye Ling to the Eastern Palace, where her awkward attempts to tempt him led him to suspect she was scheming with An'an. He discovered the two practicing how to crawl and pose, then stood outside with a Sand Sculpture as they joked about what he was.

• Ye Ling freed herself from the hemp-rope cocoon and asked Qin Yi to carry her, then wriggled against him along the way.
• Qin Yi arrived at the Eastern Palace bent over, and the demons teased him before he chased them away.
• Ye Ling urged Qin Yi to check on An'an, then secretly followed him to her bedchamber.
• Qin Yi found An'an practicing crawling in front of a mirror and pulled Ye Ling out of hiding.
• Ye Ling and An'an tried to teach each other to crawl and tie ropes into flattering shapes, while Qin Yi left the room.
• A Sand Sculpture asked whether Qin Yi was a shrimp or a Sand Sculpture, and Qin Yi spread his brown wings.

Ye Ling and An'an discussed their feelings for Qin Yi, and he reassured Ye Ling that he would stay nearby so they could spend time together. Qin Yi then examined An'an's water-like clam shell and discovered that resonating with it using his Water Spirit Power caused her to collapse.

• After Qin Yi left, Ye Ling and An'an admitted their feelings for him and talked about how difficult it was to spend time with him.
• An'an advised Ye Ling to be herself rather than imitate her childhood self, but Qin Yi interrupted when her advice started encouraging Ye Ling to act more alluring.
• Qin Yi reassured Ye Ling that he would cultivate at his residence and she could visit him often; Ye Ling kissed his cheek and fled in embarrassment.
• Qin Yi touched An'an's water-like clam shell and found that it resisted his hand like a boundless sea.
• When Qin Yi used Water Spirit Power to resonate with the shell, An'an went limp and explained that the resonance was unusually potent because the shell had been cultivated through dual cultivation with him.

Qin Yi tested An'an’s shell-formed Water Domain and discovered its immense defensive and restorative power. He fell asleep while An'an cared for him, and Liusu warned her that others might hunt her for her abilities; An'an happily accepted the idea of staying by Qin Yi’s side as his maid.

• Qin Yi asked An'an to close her shell, and she drew him into her Water Domain, where she could hide her body and control the surrounding water.
• Qin Yi realized the domain could crush or isolate enemies, but An'an said she would not use it against foes because she considered him to be inside her clothes.
• An'an soothed Qin Yi within the water world until he fell asleep, and the rest stabilized his cultivation, healed hidden injuries, and absorbed his Water Spirit Power.
• Liusu warned An'an that her body and abilities could make her a target for hunters.
• An'an said she would gladly remain Qin Yi’s little maid if he wanted her by his side.

Qin Yi refined a volatile Chaos technique and reflected on his path of proving Chaos with his body. Cheng Cheng reported that her plans in the Land of Chaos were succeeding, then proposed using Ye Ling’s dragon horns to strengthen their influence, and a Little Ghost revealed a new time-altering technique.

• Qin Yi examined his Chaos technique, which combined many kinds of innate essence, and concluded that he needed the Breath of the Sun to complete it.
• An'an showed Qin Yi her Pearl Chain, while they discussed how their cultivation let them rely on their bodies and techniques rather than magical treasures.
• Ye Ling explained that demons made artifacts from parts of their own bodies, including her dagger and Cheng Cheng’s golden rings.
• Cheng Cheng returned and told Qin Yi that Dragon Son’s reputation and the threat of multiple Non-Phase Realm experts had made the Land of Chaos easier to manage.
• Cheng Cheng suggested that Ye Ling go out with her dragon horns to help their cause, and a Little Ghost announced that she had created a technique to alter the flow of time.

Liusu taught Qin Yi how to use the Veil of Time Illusion and Space-Time Spells to create a secluded space where time flowed faster, giving him a major advantage in cultivation. Qin Yi successfully created a space with a three-hundred-to-one time difference and began considering how the technique could develop further.

• Liusu explained that Little Clam's isolated Water Element Realm had inspired a method for separating space-time, and she offered to teach Qin Yi how to use it.
• Cheng Cheng took Ye Ling to the Land of Chaos so Qin Yi could learn the method without further interruption.
• Qin Yi thanked Liusu for her effort, then entered the space enclosed by the Veil of Time Illusion while An'an stood guard outside.
• Qin Yi used the secret art to create a space where time passed three hundred times faster than outside, and he observed An'an's movements slowing through the barrier.
• Qin Yi and Liusu discussed how their shared methods had shaped each other's cultivation and concluded that neither had reached their limits.