Chapter Summaries

Gu An captured and killed Zong Ying, discovering that the supposed Ghost Thief was an Epiphyllum Sect spy preparing to assess the Taixuan Sect before an invasion. Later, Ji Xiaoyu discussed the Divine Continent Scripture with Gu An and warned him against joining the Epiphyllum Sect, leaving the sect’s growing threat in view.

• Gu An subdued Zong Ying, who pretended to be the Ghost Thief and offered a Heavenly Mirror Curse to save his life.
• Gu An used the Soul Capture Technique and learned that Zong Ying served the Epiphyllum Sect, which planned to annex the Great Cang Dynasty and attack the Taixuan Sect after a Profound Heart Realm cultivator arrived.
• Gu An killed Zong Ying, burned his body, and searched his Storage Bag before returning to Mystic Valley.
• Gu An found Yang Ni cultivating in the Epiphyllum Garden and moved her cultivation to his room so she would not drain the flowers’ spiritual energy.
• Ji Xiaoyu asked Gu An about the Divine Continent Scripture and offered to obtain him a Seventh-rank Spirit Tree if he let her take the book to the Ji Family.
• Ji Xiaoyu warned Gu An not to join the Epiphyllum Sect, explaining that it was sinister and that the Ji Family was its archenemy.

Gu An learned that Zhong Liang, a powerful former Epiphyllum Sect master, had developed killing intent toward him, while Li Xuandao revealed the sect’s history and its influence. Back in the Eight Sceneries Grotto-Heaven, Gu An confronted the Azure Vine Tree, which said it feared another tree rather than him.

• Gu An discussed the Epiphyllum Sect’s growing conflict with Gu Yu and learned that the Alchemy Hall had ordered Medicine Valleys to gather herbs in advance.
• Gu An met Li Xuandao, who revealed his hostility toward the Epiphyllum Sect and explained its past control of the imperial court and the rumored powers of epiphyllums.
• Gu An received a warning that Zhong Liang harbored killing intent, inspected him, and discovered he was a third-layer Body Integration Realm cultivator.
• Li Xuandao identified Zhong Liang as the Epiphyllum Sect’s former master, whom Lu Baitian had once driven away, and Gu An left to investigate Zong Ying’s Storage Bag.
• Gu An caught the Azure Vine Tree handling Zong Ying’s Storage Bag and threatened to burn it, but the tree said it feared another tree.

Gu An tracked Zhong Liang to the Epiphyllum Sect’s underground stronghold, killed him, and destroyed the Epiphyllum Tree after finding it feeding on prisoners. He returned to Third Medicine Valley, where Lu Baitian told him he had grim news.

• The Azure Vine Tree warned Gu An that a distant, dangerous tree would eat it, so Gu An searched the Great Cang Dynasty for Zhong Liang.
• Gu An found Zhong Liang and Su Han in an underground chamber, pinned Zhong Liang, and killed him before knocking Su Han unconscious.
• Gu An entered the Epiphyllum Sect’s underground lair, killed its guards, and saw that the Epiphyllum Tree had imprisoned and drained over a thousand cultivators.
• Gu An split the Eighth-Order Epiphyllum Tree with the Heavenly Abode Sword and burned it, gaining over five thousand years of lifespan from it.
• Gu An returned to Third Medicine Valley and found Lu Baitian, Gu Zong, and Ji Hantian waiting in his pavilion; Lu Baitian said he had cruel bad news.

After Lu Baitian revealed that he had failed his tribulation, the Taixuan Sect prepared for conflict with the Epiphyllum Sect and sent two hundred Handyman Disciples to Gu An’s Medicine Valley. Among the arrivals was the ascender Lu Lingjun, who earned a steward position and privately offered Gu An treasures in exchange for permission to cultivate beneath the Mystic Clarity Tree.

• Lu Baitian told Gu An, Ji Hantian, and Gu Zong that he had failed his tribulation and would need years to recover, while Ji Hantian warned that the Epiphyllum Sect threatened the Taixuan Sect.
• Ji Hantian told Gu An to cultivate more high-rank seeds for the coming war, and Gu Zong said he had contacted the Supreme Elders.
• Ye Lan left on a months-long Law Enforcement Hall mission, and Gu An questioned Yang Ni about why cultivators joined the Epiphyllum Sect.
• Gu An planted the Ji Family’s Seventh-rank Pure Yang Tree before his loft as Lu Songhan arrived with two hundred Handyman Disciples, including the ascender Lu Lingjun.
• After the New Year, Xiao Chuan selected Lu Lingjun as one of ten Medicine Valley stewards, and she privately offered Gu An treasures before asking to cultivate beneath the Mystic Clarity Tree.

Gu An upgraded his defensive and offensive techniques in the North Sea Mountains, then discovered that Jinghong Ke of the Epiphyllum Sect had captured the soul within Li Ya. Gu An told Li Ya to infiltrate the sect and promised to strike when its members gathered, dismissing Li Ya’s warning about its powerful Void Crossing Realm cultivators.

• Lu Lingjun asked to use the Mystic Clarity Tree, and Gu An allowed her to visit each night and leave by dawn.
• Gu An upgraded Heaven and Earth Dao Gang into Dao Gang Primordial Qi and Spirit Gathering Divine Finger into Dao-Breaking Divine Light.
• Gu An found Li Ya practicing swordsmanship by a lake while Jinghong Ke tried to recruit him into the Epiphyllum Sect.
• Jinghong Ke defeated Li Ya and captured the soul of his Old Ancestor, telling Li Ya to join the Epiphyllum Sect if he wanted to save it.
• Li Ya begged Gu An to save his Old Ancestor, and Gu An urged him to infiltrate the Epiphyllum Sect and signal him at the end of each month.

During the Spring Festival, Gu An brought Lu Lingjun through the Outer Sect, recruited An Xin to Third Medicine Valley, and gave Chu Jingfeng and Lu Jiujia the Dao Derivation Technique to test. Meanwhile, Jinghong Ke warned Li Ya that a Demon Calamity would devastate Nine Dynasties Land and revealed that the Epiphyllum Sect planned to destroy the Taixuan Sect when its powerful leader arrived.

• Gu An took Lu Lingjun to the Outer Sect City, where she bought books, while Gu An visited the Alchemy Hall and invited An Xin to work at Third Medicine Valley.
• Gu An returned to Mystic Valley and taught Chu Jingfeng and Lu Jiujia the Dao Derivation Technique so they could test it.
• Jinghong Ke told Li Ya that a Demon Calamity would sweep across Nine Dynasties Land in a hundred years and urged him to join the Epiphyllum Sect for a chance to survive.
• Jinghong Ke explained that demons beyond the Body Integration Realm threatened the Nine Dynasties and that the Epiphyllum Sect had a leader of comparable power.
• Jinghong Ke warned Li Ya that the Epiphyllum Sect's leader would arrive and bring about the Taixuan Sect's destruction.

Gu An learned about the mysterious Holy Land from Ji Xiaoyu and tried to clear up Lu Lingjun’s suspicions about the Taixuan Secret Biography. That night, he discovered Yang Ni meeting a Purple-Skirted Woman from the Epiphyllum Sect, then secretly seized the woman after she threatened him.

• Ji Xiaoyu told Gu An that the Holy Land recruited disciples every hundred years and offered a possible path toward the Immortal Path, then left to take its assessment.
• Lu Lingjun asked Gu An about the Taixuan Secret Biography and Travels of the Green Hero, easing her doubts about him.
• Gu An sensed a Void Crossing Realm cultivator approaching Mystic Valley and watched Yang Ni leave to meet her in the forest.
• The Purple-Skirted Woman ordered Yang Ni to investigate powerful Taixuan Sect cultivators and threatened to take Gu An if Yang Ni failed.
• Gu An ambushed the departing Purple-Skirted Woman and used the Soul-Seizing Technique on her in his attic.

Gu An killed Su Shan after learning about her ties to the Epiphyllum Sect, then faced Lu Xian, who challenged him after noticing his talent. Gu An revealed enough of his Spirit Transformation power to frighten Lu Xian into silence, leaving Lu Xian questioning whether he could still become a Spirit Transformation cultivator before turning one hundred.

• Gu An learned that Su Shan had recruited Yang Ni to watch Li Xuandao and Li Ya, and that Su Shan herself had killed Yang Ni's sister.
• Gu An killed Su Shan, burned her body, and began searching her Storage Rings.
• Lu Xian confronted Gu An in Tianya Valley and challenged him to prove his strength after noticing Gu An had mastered the Black Tortoise Surging Wave Palm unusually quickly.
• Gu An stopped Lu Xian's attack and suppressed him with Spirit Transformation power, then accepted a map to an eighth-grade spirit flower in exchange for Lu Xian's promise to keep his cultivation secret.
• After Gu An left, Lu Xian sat in a daze for two days and asked Yi Liuyun whether he could reach Spirit Transformation before turning one hundred.

Gu An taught Ye Lan the Dao Derivation Technique and received a Dark Vine from her, then advanced his cultivation and alchemy before discovering the hidden Xuantian Grotto-Abode. There he learned that its former master, Xuantian Old Ancestor, had been a Profound Heart Realm cultivator and that the Heaven-Severing Divine Axe was one of a Holy Land’s nine great inheritances.

• Ye Lan visited Gu An and told him about her battles while protecting Crown Prince Li Dai and a Void Crossing Realm cultivator who saved them.
• Gu An taught Ye Lan the Dao Derivation Technique, and she gave him a remnant of a fifth-rank Dark Vine.
• Ye Lan shared news of the Thirteen Fiends of the Nine Serenities and the Ancient Hao Sect’s newly raised Hao Dragon.
• Gu An raised his cultivation to the ninth layer of the Mahayana Realm and advanced his alchemy to the Taiqing Alchemy Path.
• Gu An found a hidden restriction in the North Sea Mountains, entered the Xuantian Grotto-Abode, and discovered its Clear Heart Trees and abandoned wooden hut.
• Gu An read Xuantian Old Ancestor’s final testament and learned that the Heaven-Severing Divine Axe was one of a Holy Land’s nine great inheritances.

Gu An discovered Xuantian Old Ancestor’s Heaven-Severing Axe and claimed the hidden grotto as his cave mansion. Later, Lu Baitian visited to discuss Li Xuandao and the looming conflict with the Epiphyllum Sect, before a strange aura approached from the north and left both Lu Baitian and Lu Lingjun on alert.

• Gu An read Xuantian Old Ancestor’s testament and the Heaven-Severing Divine Axe manual, then found the axe, which was too large to fit in his Storage Bag.
• Gu An sealed the entrance to the Xuantian Grotto-Abode and decided to make it his cave mansion.
• Lu Baitian told Gu An that Crown Prince Li Dai’s Golden Pill had been dug out, his cultivation crippled, and a Void Crossing Realm cultivator killed; he suspected Li Xuandao was responsible.
• Lu Baitian explained that the Epiphyllum Sect was searching the North Sea Mountains for the Heaven-Severing Axe and the inheritance linked to Taixuan Sect’s Supreme Elder, Xuantian Old Ancestor.
• Lu Baitian sensed a powerful, unusual aura approaching from the north and left, while Lu Lingjun also noticed it.

As the Epiphyllum Sect Main Branch sent a Profound Heart Realm cultivator toward the Taixuan Sect, Gu An watched the sect prepare for war and gave Zhen Qin a cultivation technique. At the Heaven-Mending Platform, Han Ming exposed the Epiphyllum Ghost Mother as a ghost, leaving her facing the gathered cultivators.

• A purple-robed envoy from the Epiphyllum Sect Main Branch arrived and ordered Elder Chihan to lead him to the Taixuan Sect while the others waited for reinforcements.
• As the Taixuan Sect mobilized, Gu An harvested herbs, reassured Xiao Chuan, and practiced the Heaven-Severing Divine Axe with a sword to hide its true form.
• Gu An took Lu Lingjun to the Outer Sect and secretly gave Zhen Qin a copy of the Dao Derivation Technique.
• Gu An sensed a Profound Heart Realm cultivator approaching and went to the Heaven-Mending Platform to observe the Taixuan Sect's response.
• Han Ming noticed the Epiphyllum Ghost Mother's hidden aura, identified her as a ghost, and challenged her in front of the gathered disciples.

Gu An watched the Epiphyllum Ghost Mother flee and then observed Taixuan Sect’s Great Cultivators battle the Epiphyllum Sect’s Purple-Robed Man. As the Purple-Robed Man overwhelmed the defenders, Gu An took up the Heaven-Severing Axe and headed for the battlefield as the Xuantian Old Ancestor, while the enemy threatened Ji Hantian and two Ji Family cultivators.

• Han Ming exposed the Epiphyllum Ghost Mother, who vanished as three Void Crossing Realm cultivators pursued her.
• Lu Baitian and Ji Hantian gathered thirty-two Taixuan Sect Great Cultivators to face the Purple-Robed Man, whose cultivation was in the Profound Heart Realm.
• Gu An watched the battle from an inn and saw Su Han on a nearby peak, then Shen Zhen arrived and invited him to paint the fight.
• As the Purple-Robed Man battered Taixuan Sect’s forces, Gu An left the inn, entered the Xuantian Grotto-Abode, took the Heaven-Severing Axe, and set out under the identity of the Xuantian Old Ancestor.
• The Purple-Robed Man broke apart the Ji Family cultivators’ golden dragon phantoms and warned Ji Hantian and his companions that he would kill them if they continued resisting.

Gu An intervened in the battle between Jin Lingzun and the Taixuan Sect, swiftly killing Jin Lingzun and revealing himself as Sword Venerable Fudao before leaving. Back in Outer Sect City, he found Shen Zhen calmly watching the chaos, and she invited him to paint with her.

• Jin Lingzun overwhelmed the Taixuan Sect cultivators, while Su Han watched from a distant mountain and Gu An passed him, hoping to make him retreat.
• Gu An appeared on the battlefield, where Jin Lingzun challenged his claim to be the Xuantian Old Ancestor and attacked him.
• Gu An used his speed and Mysterious Yellow Dragon Might to seize Jin Lingzun, cut off his head, and burn his body with Taiqing True Fire before taking his Profound Heart.
• When Ji Hantian asked who he was, Gu An released his Sword Intent, prompting the Taixuan Sect cultivators to recognize Sword Venerable Fudao, then vanished.
• As Epiphyllum Sect spies stirred up fighting in Outer Sect City, Gu An returned to the inn and found Shen Zhen watching the battle; she invited him to paint with her.

Gu An survived the Epiphyllum Sect’s assault on Taixuan Sect and observed Wu Jue undergo a mysterious transformation through enlightenment. After the fighting ended, news spread that Jin Lingzun had died, prompting the Epiphyllum Sect to gather its forces.

• Zhang Hong attacked Shen Zhen and Gu An while fleeing, and Shen Zhen shielded Gu An before they took refuge in an Underground Palace.
• Gu An watched through his divine sense as battles erupted across Taixuan Sect, then saw the returning Body Integration Realm cultivators bring the fighting to an end.
• Shen Zhen left to recover from her injuries, while Gu An noticed Wu Jue attaining enlightenment and saw his maximum lifespan increase first to 340 years and later to 540 years.
• A Masked Black-Robed Woman announced that Jin Lingzun was dead and ordered the Epiphyllum Sect members to gather, shocking Jiang Qiong and Elder Chihan.
• Gu An approached Wu Jue beneath an old tree, but Wu Jue said he had been pondering a cultivation technique and left.

Gu An learned that Epiphyllum flowers were spreading across the Nine Dynasties and began secretly harvesting them for lifespan, while Yang Ni left after burning her own flowers. At the Path of Nine Serenities, an enormous Epiphyllum Tree emerged, and the Black-Robed Woman wearing a Mask blocked an incoming sword strike.

• Ye Lan told Gu An that the Epiphyllum Sect had opened the Path of Nine Serenities, and Gu An discovered that the Azure Vine Tree recoiled from an Epiphyllum flower.
• Gu An found an Epiphyllum Demon Pill formula while sorting through Jin Lingzun's inheritance.
• Luo Hun and Yi Liuyun told Gu An that Epiphyllum flowers were appearing throughout the Nine Dynasties and attracting supernatural creatures, prompting the dynasties to order their eradication.
• Gu An secretly harvested Epiphyllum flowers across the Great Cang Dynasty, gaining over forty thousand years of lifespan, while Yang Ni burned her garden and departed.
• At the Dustless Wasteland, an enormous Epiphyllum Tree rose beside the Path of Nine Serenities, and the Black-Robed Woman wearing a Mask blocked a sword light with her golden vajra.

After gathering the last Epiphyllum, Gu An reflected on mortal life and bid farewell to the aging Liu Chang, then entered a state of enlightenment. He met Wu Jue again, learned about the loss of Wu Jue’s master, and discovered that Wu Jue had attained enlightenment twice in two months.

• Gu An harvested the final Epiphyllum in the Great Cang Dynasty, then spent a day and night wandering a city and reflecting on the difference between immortal and mortal lives.
• Gu An learned that Old Ancestor Xuanquan had returned to the Taixuan Sect, and another rune appeared on Gu An’s Profound Heart as he pondered his insights.
• Gu An gave Liu Chang the final volume of Taixuan Immortal Venerable and heard that Liu Chang planned to resign and return to his homeland.
• Gu An entered a state of enlightenment near Alchemy Hall, where Wu Jue found him and stood guard until he awoke.
• Gu An and Wu Jue shared their experiences; Wu Jue explained that his master had been killed by the Epiphyllum Sect and advised Gu An to keep his enlightenment secret.

Gu An met Li Ya and killed Jinghong Ke, a powerful cultivator from the Epiphyllum Sect Main Branch, then learned the sect’s purpose and strength from his memories. He decided to attack the Epiphyllum Tree beneath the Path of Nine Serenities the next day.

• Gu An planted herbs in Xuantian Grotto-Abode, then traveled north to meet Li Ya, who reported on the Epiphyllum Sect and its Epiphyllum Tree.
• Jinghong Ke confronted Gu An and Li Ya, but Gu An swiftly overpowered and killed him, then took his Primordial Spirit and book chest.
• Gu An used the Soul Capture Technique to learn that the Epiphyllum Sect Main Branch planned to feed Nine Dynasties’ cultivators to the Epiphyllum Tree, which sought to reach the ninth tier.
• Gu An learned that the main branch had one Mahayana Realm cultivator and ended Jinghong Ke’s life, gaining 209 years of lifespan.
• Gu An decided to deal with the Epiphyllum Tree beneath the Path of Nine Serenities the next day.

Gu An, appearing as Sword Venerable Fudao, destroyed the Epiphyllum Tree and defeated the Epiphyllum Sect’s leaders, freeing its captive followers. Ji Hantian and the other rulers arrived afterward and learned that Taixuan Sect had been behind the attack.

• Ji Hantian told the gathered rulers that Old Ancestor Xuanquan had reached the Profound Heart Realm and was on his way to help them fight the Epiphyllum Sect.
• Jiang Qiong questioned her father, Jiang Lang, about trusting the Epiphyllum Sect, then resolved to find a way to survive as the captives remained trapped beneath the Epiphyllum Tree.
• Gu An appeared above the Epiphyllum Tree, struck down Fairy Yelian, took her Profound Heart, and killed the four ninth-level Body Integration Realm cultivators who guarded the followers.
• The Epiphyllum Tree revealed its demonic face and attacked, but Gu An’s Great Vast God-Startling Sword turned it to ash; Jiang Qiong escaped through the Path of Nine Serenities.
• Gu An vanished as Ji Hantian and the other rulers arrived, and Ji Hantian announced that Sword Venerable Fudao of Taixuan Sect had made his move.

Gu An kept his identity as Sword Venerable Fudao secret while Taixuan Sect publicized his victory over the Epiphyllum Sect and erected a statue in his honor. As the new year began, Lu Baitian arrived with a great opportunity to offer, while Lu Lingjun grew curious about Gu An’s true identity.

• Gu An visited Chu Jingfeng, who explained that he was trying to create a sword art by comprehending the sword through his heart.
• Old Ancestor Xuanquan told Ji Hantian not to investigate Sword Venerable Fudao’s identity and to publicize his deeds to strengthen his connection to Taixuan Sect.
• Gu An visited Wu Jue, learned that Wu Jue had advanced to the fourth layer of the Foundation Establishment Realm, and gave him the Gale Absolute Shadow Leg manual.
• Xiao Chuan told Gu An that Taixuan Sect was building a statue of Sword Venerable Fudao beside Heaven-Mending Platform.
• Lu Baitian came to Third Medicine Valley, prompting Lu Lingjun to wonder whether Gu An had concealed his cultivation, then privately offered Gu An a great opportunity.

Lu Baitian offered Gu An a place in the Path of Nine Serenities, but Gu An declined and instead shared ideas for making Taixuan Sect more influential. After the sect awarded Ye Lan the place, An Hao revealed Sword Intent linked to Sword Venerable Fudao, astonishing Taixuan Sect’s leaders.

• Lu Baitian explained the Path of Nine Serenities training opportunity, but Gu An refused to go and asked to give his place to someone else.
• Gu An proposed that Taixuan Sect build its reputation through recurring contests, gatherings, and disciple associations, and Lu Baitian eagerly questioned him about the plan.
• After Lu Baitian promoted the Path of Nine Serenities’ benefits, a Law Enforcement Hall elder told Ye Lan that she had been assigned a place there, and she believed Gu An had arranged it for her.
• Gu An released carp into the Heavenly Spirit Pond with Lu Lingjun, then sensed An Hao unleash the Great Vast God-Startling Sword’s Sword Intent.
• Lu Baitian, Old Ancestor Xuanquan, and other elders concluded that An Hao had obtained Sword Venerable Fudao’s inheritance, and Old Ancestor Xuanquan used banners to gather spiritual energy for him.