Recaps

Li Ye and his companions infiltrated the Earthwish Fox Clan’s ginseng fields, where they discovered foxes being sacrificed to power an imitation Xuanhua Mountain-Opening Axe. After Blue Fox revealed the clan’s history and attacked Li Ye, the axe admitted it wanted the Heavenly Dao to destroy it.

• Li Ye, Wei Qingye, and Chen Mo disguised themselves as foxes and followed Di Xia through the Earthwish Fox Clan’s settlement.
• A group of fox dandies recognized Di Xia and treated Li Ye as a pure-blood descendant, then led them to the Earthfiend Ginseng fields and Lotus Pond.
• At the Lotus Pond, Li Ye saw foxes burning as lanterns around an ancient axe, and Blue Fox attacked him before demonic qi bound Blue Fox in place.
• Li Ye identified Blue Fox as Di Xia’s brother and learned that the clan sacrificed pure-blood foxes and used Earthfiend Ginseng to control the imitation Xuanhua Mountain-Opening Axe.
• Blue Fox explained how the axe had brought the clan into the Dao Flourishing Realm and how its power and the sacrifices had led to the clan’s decline.
• Li Ye asked whether the Xuanhua Mountain-Opening Axe wanted the Heavenly Dao to destroy it, and the axe confirmed that it did.

Li Ye, Chen Mo, and Wei Qingye prepared to purify the demonic qi binding the Xuanhua Mountain-Opening Axe and free the Lotus Lantern without destroying the grotto-heaven. As their purification began, more than a dozen Nascent Soul-level black mists rushed toward them.

• The Xuanhua Mountain-Opening Axe explained that the Scholars of Cognition had cultivated it from myths, while the Lotus Lantern had emerged as its prisoner and could be freed by destroying the Axe.
• Li Ye realized that destroying the Axe would destroy the grotto-heaven too, so he proposed removing its demonic qi instead; Chen Mo agreed to build an array, and Wei Qingye volunteered to control demonic qi with Li Ye's help.
• Li Ye bound the Earthfiend Ginseng, Chen Mo completed the array, and Wei Qingye let Li Ye channel demonic qi through his body until he reached the power of a false Nascent Soul.
• Di Ci told Di Xia that the fox-clan dandies were merely dogs raised by the true noble scions.
• Li Ye used the ginseng's spiritual qi and the Beavers' scriptures to purify the demonic qi around the Axe and the lotus pool.
• More than a dozen black mists bearing Nascent Soul-level pressure rushed toward the array after the fox clan finally reacted.

Li Ye changed his plan for the Xuanhua Mountain-Opening Axe, using the Precious Lotus Lantern to balance spiritual and demonic power as the Earthwish Grotto-Heaven’s lotus pond transformed. The fox clan sacrificed itself to fuel the change, while a mysterious figure shot a golden-blooded arrow at Li Ye.

• Wei Qingye assassinated a Nascent Soul fox cultivator while Li Ye and Chen Mo maintained the formation against the fox clan.
• Li Ye accepted the axe’s remaining demonic qi and formed it into a small, heavy hand axe.
• The Beavers used the Precious Lotus Lantern to control the axe, and Chen Mo released a star treasure to help suppress the fox cultivators.
• Li Ye realized the lantern did not distinguish between Dao and demon, then used its power to balance both forces and split the axe into weapons for the Beavers.
• The Earthwish Grotto-Heaven’s lotus pond transformed as golden lotuses began to bloom, and the fox clan sacrificed its members to feed the gathering power.
• A mysterious figure beside the Black Fox King aimed a golden-blooded arrow at Li Ye and released it.

Li Ye survived the destruction of his Divine Soul incarnation, but the Golden Crow arrow prematurely birthed a demonized second sun on the Ruo Tree and injured his true body. After the Lotus Lantern restored him and his companions, Li Ye used the Xuanhua Mountain-Opening Axe to split Earthwish Grotto-Heaven open, and the waters of Weichuan surged through.

• A Golden Crow arrow shattered Li Ye's incarnation, prompting Wei Qingye and Chen Mo to unleash their powerful treasures and slay the fox clan's Nascent Souls and the hidden Scholars of Cognition cultivator.
• The Lotus Lantern bloomed, healed Wei Qingye and Chen Mo, and gathered Li Ye's scattered Divine Sense to form a lotus incarnation.
• Li Ye explained that the arrow had affected his true body and caused a demonized second sun to be born prematurely on the Ruo Tree.
• Li Ye grasped the Imitation Lotus Lantern, which formed a body and lotus-petal garments for him, and he promised to repay Wei Qingye and Chen Mo for their help.
• The Xuanhua Mountain-Opening Axe advised Li Ye to connect Earthwish Grotto-Heaven to the Dao Flourishing Realm, even though its treasures would scatter.
• With Wei Qingye and Chen Mo's approval, Li Ye cleaved open the grotto-heaven barrier, and the waters of Weichuan surged inside.