Chapter Summaries

Xie Xuanyi allied with Miao Zhen and agreed to escort the Brahma Sound Temple delegation east in exchange for any Golden Body Pagoda providence left after the Buddha bones were refined. After seeing the blinded Fali enter enlightenment, Xie Xuanyi learned how Buddhist divine abilities could be cultivated through loss and heard that the Chan Master had perfected all six.

• Xie Xuanyi agreed to accompany the Brahma Sound Temple delegation east and claim any remaining Golden Body Pagoda providence, while clarifying that his alliance did not bind the Great Grain Sword Palace.
• Mi Yun told the gathered cultivators that Fali was blind, then kept them from disturbing him as he entered enlightenment.
• Xie Xuanyi and Miao Zhen emerged from the Golden Body Pagoda, and Xie Xuanyi confirmed that Fali had lost his sight while measuring Xie Xuanyi’s sea of consciousness.
• Miao Zhen explained that Fali had blinded himself to cultivate Heavenly Eye Penetration and might regain his eyes if he crossed the resulting tribulation.
• Miao Zhen described how he had cultivated divine abilities through disabilities and losses, then said the Chan Master had perfected all six Buddhist divine abilities.

Xie Xuanyi defeated Miao Zhen in the Golden Body Pagoda contest, while Fali gained the Heavenly Eye after losing his physical sight. As the crowds hailed Xie Xuanyi as a hero, Sang Zheng arrived with a new report from Square Circle Market, sparking speculation that the Prodigy Board was about to be unveiled.

• Miao Zhen explained that Fali's blindness had helped him see with the eye of his heart, then announced it was time to reveal the contest's result.
• Xie Xuanyi emerged from the Golden Body Pagoda, and Mi Yun declared him the winner; the gathered cultivators praised his victory over Miao Zhen.
• Xie Xuanyi told Deng Baiyi that the battle had changed his aura because the Golden Body Pagoda's gathered fortune had connected to him.
• Miao Zhen summoned Fali and revealed that golden light had formed a Heavenly Eye on his brow, offering him a path to restore his physical eyes through cultivation.
• The Brahma Sound Temple delegation ended its preaching, and Xie Xuanyi faced the cheering crowd outside Great Salvation Temple, calling their adoration floating clouds.
• Sang Zheng arrived with a new report from Square Circle Market, and the crowd suspected it announced the Prodigy Board.

Sang Zheng announced the Prodigy Board at Great Salvation Temple, ranking Xie Zhen first while excluding reincarnators such as Miao Zhen and Junshan. Miao Zhen revealed that the ranking had been arranged to protect the contest’s fairness and Xie Zhen’s reputation, and Xie Xuanyi realized Chen Jingxuan had helped him.

• Sang Zheng arrived at Great Salvation Temple and announced the new Prodigy Board, prompting cultivators to recruit Yu Su after he ranked hundredth.
• Sang Zheng placed Duan Zhao thirty-first and Xu Nianning seventeenth, while Wu Yue and Shang Yi entered the top ten.
• Sang Zheng named Nalan Qiutong second and Xie Zhen first, as Miao Zhen explained that reincarnators were excluded from the rankings.
• Miao Zhen told Xie Xuanyi that Chen Jingxuan had arranged the announcement to preserve fairness and protect Xie Zhen’s standing, then departed with the monks.
• Xie Xuanyi sent a quiet thank-you through the As-You-Wish Token, and someone replied, “You’re welcome.”

After taking first place on the Prodigy Board, Xie Xuanyi rejected Yuan Jimo’s attempt to draw him into a discussion and privately insulted the Imperial City Bureau chief. As the group left Great Salvation Temple, Xie Xuanyi revealed that Yuan Jimo’s death was approaching and that he might use someone else’s strength to bring him down.

• Xie Xuanyi accepted congratulations for ranking first on the Prodigy Board while Deng Baiyi celebrated and Sang Zheng invited them to meet his master.
• Yuan Jimo stopped Xie Xuanyi outside Great Salvation Temple, asked about Brahma Sound Temple’s plans, and tried to discuss the Eastern Journey on the Holy Empress’s behalf.
• Xie Xuanyi slapped Yuan Jimo’s hand away and privately called him the Holy Empress’s dog before leaving with Duan Zhao and Deng Baiyi on Sang Zheng’s purple luan.
• Duan Zhao denounced Yuan Jimo, and Sang Zheng explained that Yuan Jimo was a powerful Yin God who had survived assassination attempts and tortured captured assassins.
• Xie Xuanyi said Yuan Jimo would not live much longer, while Deng Baiyi guessed that he was considering asking Junshan Zhenren to act against him.

After defeating Miao Zhen, Xie Xuanyi met with Chu Yin and Chen Jingxuan at Moon-Hidden Villa to discuss escorting an envoy mission to Li while searching for the Chu Emperor’s lost son. He secured imperial rewards for his allies and arranged to use Chu Yin’s order to strip Yuan Jimo’s bureau of its stored weapons.

• Xie Xuanyi arrived at Moon-Hidden Villa, where Chu Yin, Chen Jingxuan, and the Snow Master were waiting for him.
• Chu Yin congratulated Xie Xuanyi on defeating Miao Zhen and asked whether he would escort the envoy mission to Li and search for the Chu Emperor’s lost son.
• Xie Xuanyi warned that the Holy Empress’s hostility made the mission dangerous and rejected Chu Yin’s offer to send the Snow Master with him.
• At Chen Jingxuan’s urging, Xie Xuanyi named his price, and Chu Yin ordered the Snow Master to obtain spiritual resources for him from the Imperial City Bureau.
• Xie Xuanyi presented a second list of armor and treasure weapons for his allies, and Chen Jingxuan and the Snow Master helped explain the request as cultivation needs.
• Xie Xuanyi asked the Snow Master to collect old weapons from the Imperial City Bureau instead of visiting the Weapon Forging Division, and Chu Yin ordered her to comply and suppress Yuan Jimo.

Xie Xuanyi and Chen Jingxuan discussed their shared burdens and plans to oppose the Holy Empress, then revealed their true identities to each other. Xie Xuanyi planned to advance during the delegation’s journey to Great Li, while Chen Jingxuan warned him to keep wearing the Faces of the Multitude.

• The little emperor Chu Yin warned Xie Xuanyi to be careful on his journey to Great Li and resolved to bring back her younger brother to challenge the Holy Empress.
• Xie Xuanyi and Chen Jingxuan discussed the Holy Empress’s formation, her possible path to immortality, and their plans to overthrow her, though Chen Jingxuan said the time was not yet ripe.
• Chen Jingxuan admitted that serving as national preceptor kept him trapped in the imperial city, and Xie Xuanyi recognized the burden he carried.
• Xie Xuanyi removed the Faces of the Multitude and revealed his true appearance to Chen Jingxuan, who admitted he had long suspected his identity.
• Xie Xuanyi and Chen Jingxuan promised not to let the other face another North Sea Purge alone, and Xie Xuanyi said he would seek a breakthrough during the delegation’s Eastern Journey.
• Chen Jingxuan cautioned Xie Xuanyi to keep his disguise and asked how many people knew his true identity.

Xie Xuanyi learned that Chu Guo was being recalled from Li State because turmoil threatened his safety, then met with Junshan Zhenren about joining the Eastern Journey. Junshan accepted the trip after Xie Xuanyi urged him to follow his desire for freedom.

• Xie Xuanyi told Chen Jingxuan about his recent events, and Chen judged that his fate was currently safe while warning that enemies would still threaten him on the Eastern Journey.
• Chen Jingxuan explained that Chu Guo had been raised in Li State under a false identity and that unrest in Yuan Province made bringing him back to Great Chu urgent; Xie Xuanyi asked whether he should reveal Chu Guo's identity.
• Chen Jingxuan presented Junshan Zhenren with the flying sword Purple Firmament, which Junshan accepted after breaking open its case with Sword Qi.
• Xie Xuanyi confronted Junshan about their agreement to travel to Great Li, and Junshan tried to delay his decision and negotiate for benefits.
• Xie Xuanyi pointed out that Junshan wanted to escape the constraints of the Daoist sects and urged him to face his true desires, so Junshan agreed to the Eastern Journey.

Xie Xuanyi secured Junshan Zhenren’s personal help on the journey to Li Kingdom and raised the possibility of killing Yuan Jimo if the right opportunity arose. Meanwhile, Snow Master delivered imperial orders forcing Yuan Jimo to hand over the Imperial City Bureau’s pills and equipment to reward Xie Zhen.

• Junshan Zhenren agreed to accompany Xie Xuanyi’s delegation to Li Kingdom and help guard against enemies, while noting that Miao Zhen was also a powerful backer.
• Xie Xuanyi asked Junshan Zhenren to help kill Yuan Jimo if Yuan left Central Province without a chance to call for help; Junshan agreed to assist personally if the plan was safe and feasible, but refused to involve the Daoist sect.
• Snow Master arrived at the Imperial City Bureau with an imperial order granting Xie Zhen pills from the Bureau’s stores, and Yuan Jimo reluctantly ordered Queqi to hand them over.
• Snow Master presented a second order demanding treasure artifacts and protective gear from the Bureau, and Yuan Jimo rose in anger as she watched with a mocking smile.

Xie Xuanyi received imperial rewards, distributed them to the Great Grain Sword Palace, and began planning to kill Yuan Jimo during the diplomatic mission. Meanwhile, Deng Baiyi asked Chen Jingxuan to rescue Tang Fengshu, but he remained silent, ending alone with doubts about his ability to save anyone.

• Snow Master delivered Yuan Jimo's two rewards to Xie Xuanyi, and Yuan warned him to be careful during his mission to Li State.
• Xie Xuanyi suggested that Snow Master help kill Yuan Jimo, but she refused unless Yuan threatened Chu Yin's life.
• Xie Xuanyi gave the rewards to Qi Lie and Huang Su, then asked them to remain under Imperial City Bureau surveillance while he drew Yuan Jimo out beyond Great Chu's borders.
• Deng Baiyi told Chen Jingxuan that Tang Fengshu was imprisoned and suffering under Chong Kan, and pleaded with him to rescue her.
• Chen Jingxuan did not answer Deng Baiyi's accusations, and she left with Duan Zhao; afterward, he gathered the scattered books and wondered how he could save the world.

Xie Xuanyi departed the imperial capital on a diplomatic mission with the Brahma Sound Temple delegation, while Jiang Qihu warned him that the journey might bring danger. Yuan Jimo tracked the movements of Xie Xuanyi’s allies and waited for the right moment to act.

• Xie Xuanyi prepared to leave Chen Estate without Duan Zhao, arranging for Huang Su to take the boy north for secluded cultivation.
• Iron Eyes drove Xie Xuanyi to meet Jiang Qihu, who told him Chen Jingxuan had been worried and warned him to protect himself.
• Jiang Qihu revealed that Junshan Zhenren and Deng Baiyi had secretly joined the diplomatic mission, and he escorted Xie Xuanyi toward Tai Ridge before turning south.
• Yuan Jimo learned that Xie Xuanyi had left Chen Estate and received reports placing his allies and potential protectors far from Tai Ridge.
• Que Qi asked whether they should move against Xie Xuanyi, but Yuan Jimo chose to wait.

Xie Xuanyi reunited with Jiang Qihu before joining the Brahma Sound Temple delegation and removing Junshan Zhenren and Deng Baiyi from Mi Yun’s seclusion carriage. As they traveled onward, Junshan revealed that Holy Monk Tanluan had once given him a thread of Buddhist fate of karma, which may have shaped his cultivation and reincarnation.

• Jiang Qihu bid farewell to Xie Xuanyi at the foot of Tai Ridge and rode away alone.
• Xie Xuanyi entered Mi Yun’s carriage and pulled Junshan Zhenren out after finding him scrutinizing Mi Yun’s newly merged Tanluan Buddha Bone.
• Xie Xuanyi took Junshan and Deng Baiyi away after they had broken into Mi Yun’s protected seclusion, and Junshan complained that the delegation was hiding the Buddha Bone’s significance.
• Junshan explained that Master Xiaoyao had taken him as an infant to meet Tanluan, exchanging an ancient Daoist seal for a thread of Buddhist fate of karma.
• Junshan revealed that he had once received fragments of Karma Dao Principles in dreams but had abandoned that path on Master Xiaoyao’s advice, and he suspected the Buddhist affinity was connected to his reincarnation.

As Mi Yun endured a painful fusion with Tanluan’s Buddha bone, Miao Zhen explained that Brahma Sound Temple faced a looming campaign to annihilate Buddhism led by Chen Chong and Nalan Xuance. The delegation prepared to continue its journey after the ritual, while Junshan reflected on the aging leaders and uncertain future of both Buddhist and Daoist sects.

• Miao Zhen guarded Mi Yun’s Golden Light Array, and the delegation stopped for the night while Mi Yun completed his seclusion.
• Junshan criticized The Chan Master’s absence, but Deng Baiyi urged him not to mock the aged master.
• Miao Zhen revealed that Mi Yun had severed both legs to make room for Tanluan’s Buddha bone and that his legs would eventually grow back.
• Miao Zhen warned that Chen Chong and Nalan Xuance were preparing to launch the Annihilation of Buddhism, and explained Chen Chong’s power and martial ambitions.
• Miao Zhen said Brahma Sound Temple had hurried to welcome a second reincarnated person because the aging Chan Master could no longer support the sect alone.
• Junshan considered the changes among his old companions as Miao Zhen predicted the Daoist sect’s decline and praised the rising prospects of the Great Grain Sword Palace.

Junshan Zhenren, Miao Zhen, and Xie Xuanyi discussed the threat posed by Nalan Xuance and Chen Chong, the Ten Heroes, and the coming envoy mission. Meanwhile, Chen Jingxuan predicted Yuan Jimo’s departure and revised the Ten Heroes list, replacing his master Yan Xin’s name with his own.

• Miao Zhen urged Junshan Zhenren and Xie Xuanyi to unite against the threat of Nalan Xuance and Chen Chong, warning that Chen Chong might act beyond the Ten Heroes’ rules.
• Junshan Zhenren and Miao Zhen discussed the Ten Heroes list, while Deng Baiyi asked what it would take for Xie Xuanyi to earn a place on it.
• Sang Zheng reported that Xie Zhen’s journey toward Yu Province had been peaceful, and Chen Jingxuan explained that Yuan Jimo was waiting for more intelligence before acting.
• Sang Zheng received word that Yuan Jimo had left the imperial city with Special Envoy Queqi, Special Envoy Huangxi, and crossbowmen, but Chen Jingxuan ordered him not to pursue.
• Chen Jingxuan crossed out Yan Xin’s name on the Ten Heroes list and wrote his own name, Book Tower, Chen Jingxuan.

Xie Xuanyi and the delegation reached the Qu River, where Miao Zhen arranged for Square Circle Market’s Azure Treasure Ship to carry them across. As the monks prepared to board, Qian San made clear that the ship would carry passengers but permit no fighting.

• Xie Xuanyi reflected on his progress with the Principles of Life and Annihilation, then learned from Miao Zhen that the delegation had taken a detour to avoid enemies watching the main road.
• The delegation stopped at the Qu River, where Mi Yun thanked Miao Zhen and Xie Xuanyi, and Xie Xuanyi used the Principle of Life to bring warmth to Mi Yun.
• Miao Zhen and Junshan traded barbs while the delegation admired the river and wondered how they would cross with their carriages and scriptures.
• A Square Circle Market Azure Treasure Ship emerged from the mist, and Junshan realized Miao Zhen had arranged the crossing through a favor owed by a noble person from Li State.
• Qian San welcomed the delegation aboard and said Square Circle Market would carry them wherever they wished, but would not allow fighting.

Xie Xuanyi intercepted a group of cultivators sent by Yuan Jimo to spy on the Azure Treasure Ship and used Soul Searching to confirm their mission. He killed their leader, Huo Qu, and left his disciples to face the aftermath as the ship continued its journey.

• Manager Qian sailed the delegation down the Qu River aboard the Azure Treasure Ship, while Xie Xuanyi, Junshan Zhenren, and Miao Zhen noticed figures waiting in the river mist.
• Xie Xuanyi left the ship to confront twelve sword cultivators, shattered their formation with the Principle of Annihilation, and sent most of them into the river.
• Xie Xuanyi identified the cultivators as Yuan Jimo’s spies and revealed his identity as a member of Great Grain Sword Palace, then threatened them under his imperial authority.
• The crimson-robed cultivator, Huo Qu, admitted that Yuan Jimo had sent him to spy on the treasure ship and tried to save himself by offering up his disciples.
• Xie Xuanyi used Soul Searching to confirm Huo Qu’s account, then killed him with sword intent as Xuan Wu watched.

Xie Xuanyi killed Huo Qu and spared his disciples, while Miao Zhen secretly tracked them to the Imperial City Bureau’s scouts and their ally, Qi Po Zhenren. Miao Zhen confronted them and began a battle against Qi Po Zhenren, ending with his Buddhist realm overwhelming the Soul-Knocking Banner.

• Xie Xuanyi killed Huo Qu and, at Miao Zhen’s urging, let Huo Qu’s disciples flee, though Xuan Wu remained behind.
• A surviving disciple told Huang Xi and the black-robed child that Xie Xuanyi had spared them and that Xuan Wu had the Liaoyan Lamp.
• Miao Zhen appeared at the scouts’ hideout, identified Huang Xi and Qi Po Zhenren, and revealed that he had sealed the area.
• Qi Po Zhenren attacked with the Soul-Knocking Banner, killing Huo Qu’s remaining disciples and preparing to fight Miao Zhen alongside Huang Xi.
• Miao Zhen summoned his Buddhist realm, shattered the banner’s dark suppression, and drove Qi Po Zhenren to the ground.

Miao Zhen killed Qi Po Zhenren but discovered that Red Immortal had taken over Special Envoy Huang Xi and trapped him. On the Azure Treasure Ship, the delegation realized Miao Zhen was in danger, then came under attack from a figure wielding a Soul-Devouring Banner.

• Miao Zhen shattered Qi Po Zhenren’s Soul-Knocking Banner and killed him beneath the Buddhist kingdom’s light.
• Red Immortal revealed himself through Special Envoy Huang Xi, explained that he had used Qi Po Zhenren’s banner to enter Huang Xi’s Heart Lake, and challenged Miao Zhen.
• Miao Zhen realized Yuan Jimo had used the mountain as a trap to keep him away from the Azure Treasure Ship, and he attacked Red Immortal with his Singing Sand Staff.
• Mi Yun told Xie Xuanyi, Junshan Zhenren, Deng Baiyi, and Iron Eyes that his Heart Lake connection to Miao Zhen had been severed by a scarlet banner.
• Two bombardments struck the Azure Treasure Ship, exhausting its Essence Stones and forcing it to stop in the river.
• A figure bearing a Soul-Devouring Banner emerged from the mist, and Junshan Zhenren suggested the attacker had come for Xie Xuanyi.

Xiaoyou Zhenren attacked the Azure Treasure Ship with the Soul-Devouring Banner, forcing Xie Xuanyi to draw him away while the monks endured the assault. After Xie Xuanyi healed the wounded, Mi Yun sensed the danger was not over, and Qian San refused to help, insisting he had agreed only to transport the delegation.

• Xiaoyou Zhenren used the Soul-Devouring Banner to shroud the Azure Treasure Ship in miasma and send resentful ghosts against its passengers.
• Mi Yun tried to persuade Xiaoyou Zhenren to stop, but Xie Xuanyi’s disciple drove back the ghosts with Sword Qi and drew Xiaoyou Zhenren away from the ship.
• Xie Xuanyi healed the monks’ wounds with the Principle of Life infused with vapor from the Immortal Spring, while reassuring Mi Yun that Junshan Zhenren could handle Xiaoyou Zhenren.
• Mi Yun warned Xie Xuanyi that his unease was growing, and Xie Xuanyi suspected the attack was part of a larger plan leading to a true killing blow.
• Xie Xuanyi approached Manager Qian’s sealed room, but Qian San said he had agreed only to transport people, not to fight.

Xie Xuanyi persuaded Qian San to protect the envoy group while he left the Azure Treasure Ship to draw Yuan Jimo out. At the riverbank, Yuan Jimo spared Xuan Wu and ordered his forces to investigate after learning Xie Zhen was approaching.

• Xie Xuanyi asked Qian San to protect the envoy group and revealed that he suspected Qian San was the Book Tower’s hidden backup.
• Qian San agreed to look after Deng Baiyi and the others, but warned Xie Xuanyi that leaving the ship was dangerous.
• Xie Xuanyi decided to leave the Azure Treasure Ship because he believed Yuan Jimo would not strike while he remained aboard.
• Yuan Jimo questioned Xuan Wu about surviving the slaughter of his sect, then recognized that the young man had lost the will to live.
• A secret agent reported that Xie Zhen had left the ship, and Yuan Jimo spared Xuan Wu while ordering his forces to investigate the Qu River.

Xie Xuanyi confronted Yuan Jimo alone on the Qu River and exposed his plan to massacre the envoy group while blaming Southern Borderlands evil cultivators. As Yuan Jimo admitted he intended to kill everyone and frame the deaths, the two prepared to face each other.

• Junshan Zhenren revealed himself to Xiaoyou Zhenren, trapped him in divine lightning, and prepared to fight.
• Mi Yun and Deng Baiyi discussed Xie Xuanyi's departure and wondered how he could challenge Yuan Jimo.
• Xie Xuanyi left the Azure Treasure Ship on a raft and met Yuan Jimo, who sent Que Qi and the secret agents away to attack the ship.
• Xie Xuanyi explained that Yuan Jimo had used the others as pawns and intended to personally carry out the massacre.
• Yuan Jimo admitted that he planned to kill Xie Xuanyi and the others, sink the Azure Treasure Ship, and blame the Southern Borderlands evil cultivators.