Chapter Summaries

White Wraith, Joyous Zen Master, and Ink Daoist agreed to side with Great Li against the Great Chu demon-cleansing campaign, believing cooperation might help their sects survive. Their meeting was interrupted by Junshan Zhenren, who revealed that he had once been a Yang Spirit.

• White Wraith asked whether the other sects had spirit springs, then said Yin Mountain had chosen to stand with Great Li.
• Joyous Zen Master supported White Wraith, and Ink Daoist also agreed to the alliance.
• Ink Daoist reported that Thousand-Fate Daoist had died after Lu Yuzhen used the Paper Effigy Art, delaying plans for the demon-cleansing campaign.
• The three leaders questioned why Great Chu's Martial Immortal had not appeared, though he was meant to lead the assault on Pure White Mountain.
• Junshan Zhenren arrived at the meeting, and White Wraith recognized him.
• Junshan Zhenren admitted that he had once been a Yang Spirit.

Su Hong discovered that Junshan Zhenren had vanished from his bamboo tower while the disciples slept. At a dried-up stream, White Wraith confronted Junshan, explained how Junshan’s past actions had helped him rise, and prepared to kill him.

• Su Hong woke from meditation and found many disciples asleep, then realized Junshan Zhenren had disappeared.
• White Wraith recalled that Junshan’s killing of Shen Daoist had weakened the Heavenly Puppet Sect and helped White Wraith rise to prominence.
• Junshan criticized White Wraith for turning against Great Chu during the demon-suppression campaign and challenged the Southern Borderlands sects to reconsider their fate.
• White Wraith stepped into the stream, unleashed the resentful ghosts within his Soul-Devouring Banner, and said he would send Junshan to his death.

Junshan Zhenren entered White Wraith’s Earth Dragon Grotto-Heaven and provoked the three Southern Borderlands sect leaders, revealing that he had not come to fight them himself. When White Wraith attacked, Martial Immortal arrived at Junshan’s call and struck him down, shattering the barrier.

• Junshan Zhenren stood inside White Wraith’s ink-rain barrier and questioned why he had come to the secret meeting.
• White Wraith revealed that the barrier was his Earth Dragon Grotto-Heaven, unsettling Ink Daoist and Joyous Zen Master.
• Junshan identified the Earth Dragon as White Wraith’s natal artifact and taunted him about the resources it required.
• White Wraith attacked Junshan, who called out to Xiao Wu instead of drawing his sword.
• Martial Immortal descended, punched White Wraith, and shattered the Earth Dragon barrier.

Martial Immortal arrived to rescue Junshan Zhenren and confronted White Wraith, Ink Daoist, and Joyous Zen Master. As Junshan entered a dangerous vision of the future, White Wraith healed from Martial Immortal’s blow and revealed a power connected to the Immortal Spring.

• Martial Immortal arrived and shielded Junshan Zhenren after Junshan complained that the three Southern Borderlands leaders had threatened him.
• White Wraith rose despite Martial Immortal’s devastating punch, while Ink Daoist and Joyous Zen Master chose to stand and fight alongside him.
• Ink Daoist summoned a black Heavenly Puppet, and Joyous Zen Master revealed her Buddha face as the three prepared to resist Martial Immortal.
• Junshan Zhenren’s second Principle sent him into a storm of dangerous future fragments, and Martial Immortal moved to protect him.
• White Wraith healed his wounds with a radiant power, prompting Martial Immortal to recognize it as the Immortal Spring.

White Wraith, Ink Daoist, and Joyous Zen Master joined forces against Martial Immortal, using the Immortal Spring vapor and a Heavenly Puppet’s self-destruction in an attempt to defeat him. The blast cleared to reveal Martial Immortal’s unbroken Yang Spirit Holy Body, leaving his opponents despairing.

• White Wraith revealed that he possessed a wisp of Immortal Spring vapor and led Ink Daoist and Joyous Zen Master in an attack on Martial Immortal.
• Martial Immortal shattered White Wraith’s earth dragon, endured the Soul-Devouring Banner’s slash, and nearly knocked White Wraith unconscious before the vapor began restoring him.
• Ink Daoist sent his Heavenly Puppet to seize Martial Immortal and detonate, while Joyous Zen Master struck at Martial Immortal’s soul with the Muddled Soul Art.
• The Heavenly Puppet exploded, devastating White Wraith and filling the battlefield with smoke, but the three attackers could not see whether Martial Immortal had survived.
• Joyous Zen Master spotted Martial Immortal as the smoke cleared, standing unharmed with his Yang Spirit Holy Body exposed.

Martial Immortal defeated White Wraith, Ink Daoist, and Joyous Zen Master, then pressed White Wraith for the source of the Immortal Spring’s power. As Martial Immortal prepared to kill White Wraith, strange paper scraps began falling through the miasma, revealing a new and dangerous presence.

• Martial Immortal survived the trio’s combined assault and approached White Wraith after Ink Daoist and Joyous Zen Master gave up attacking.
• Martial Immortal repeatedly stomped White Wraith as his body regenerated, exhausting the Immortal Spring’s watery vapor.
• Martial Immortal questioned White Wraith about the Immortal Spring, but White Wraith said he did not care whether he died.
• Martial Immortal prepared to kill White Wraith, but paper scraps began falling like snow and cut his palm.
• White Wraith looked toward the dark depths of the miasma as countless scraps of paper rose and danced in the wind.

Lu Yuzhen appeared to rescue White Wraith and revealed that he possessed the Immortal Spring, then clashed with Martial Immortal. The two continued fighting inside the completed White Paper Barrier.

• Lu Yuzhen emerged from the paper snow and pulled White Wraith out of Martial Immortal's attack.
• Martial Immortal realized Lu Yuzhen had supported White Wraith and that Ink Daoist and Joyous Zen Master had known nothing about their connection.
• Lu Yuzhen admitted that the Immortal Spring within White Wraith was only a wisp of water vapor and hinted that he had more.
• Martial Immortal charged Lu Yuzhen and struck his palm, badly injuring it, but Lu Yuzhen used the Immortal Spring's life energy to heal himself.
• Martial Immortal advanced through the completed White Paper Barrier, reached Lu Yuzhen, and launched another powerful punch.

Lu Yuzhen faced Martial Immortal after saving White Wraith, while the breach in his paper barrier left Ink Daoist and Joyous Zen Master trapped between them. He offered the two sect leaders Immortal Spring vapor if they submitted, and ended by demanding they choose between kneeling and dying or leaving with the gift.

• Lu Yuzhen scattered himself to evade Martial Immortal’s punch and threw White Wraith clear, but Martial Immortal struck a hole through the paper barrier.
• Martial Immortal warned Lu Yuzhen that powerful Yang Spirit Realm cultivators would kill him if word spread that he possessed the Immortal Spring.
• Lu Yuzhen said Ink Daoist and Joyous Zen Master could join White Wraith, keep their lives, and receive Immortal Spring vapor.
• Ink Daoist realized White Wraith’s betrayal and the Li State prince’s role in the night’s events had been part of Lu Yuzhen’s plan.
• Lu Yuzhen demanded that Ink Daoist and Joyous Zen Master choose whether to submit and leave with the Immortal Spring or die.

Lu Yuzhen drove Ink Daoist and Joyous Zen Master from the white-paper barrier, then tried to bribe Martial Immortal with the Immortal Spring while Junshan Zhenren remained in meditation. Martial Immortal refused, and Lu Yuzhen prepared to fight in earnest, questioning whether he could keep Junshan alive.

• Ink Daoist and Joyous Zen Master chose to submit to Lu Yuzhen, but he patted their backs and sent them fleeing beyond the white-paper barrier.
• Lu Yuzhen summoned a Pure White Sage to block Martial Immortal's punch, then both fighters retreated when paper snow targeted the meditating Junshan Zhenren.
• Martial Immortal realized the snow was harmless and saw that all three evil sect leaders had escaped, leaving him to find a way to get Junshan out of the barrier.
• Lu Yuzhen revealed that Junshan Zhenren had comprehended an unprecedented third Dao Realm and offered Martial Immortal an Immortal Spring to reconcile.
• Martial Immortal refused Lu Yuzhen's bribe, and Lu Yuzhen warned that the coming battle would test whether Martial Immortal could protect Junshan Zhenren.

Lu Yuzhen and Martial Immortal fought while Elephant Eight waited for a chance to kill Junshan Zhenren. When Elephant Eight attacked, Junshan broke through and killed him with a single slash.

• Lu Yuzhen ordered Elephant Eight to kill Junshan Zhenren and attacked Martial Immortal, forcing him to defend Junshan.
• Lu Yuzhen used the Immortal Spring’s healing power to wear Martial Immortal down while Elephant Eight watched for an opening.
• Martial Immortal tried to break through the barrier, but Lu Yuzhen intercepted him and Elephant Eight struck at Junshan.
• Junshan opened his eyes, broke through from the Grotto-Heaven Realm, and beheaded Elephant Eight with a slash.

Junshan Zhenren escaped the white-paper barrier after Martial Immortal held off Lu Yuzhen, who was revealed as the Paper Effigy Dao Master. Ancestor Ye arrived to aid Martial Immortal, but the revelation that Lu Yuzhen possessed the Immortal Spring made the coming battle more dangerous.

• After awakening, Junshan Zhenren killed Celestial Drum and fled toward the edge of the white-paper barrier.
• Martial Immortal helped Junshan Zhenren escape, then stayed behind to confront Lu Yuzhen.
• Martial Immortal revealed that he had delayed Lu Yuzhen while waiting for a second Yang Spirit Realm cultivator to arrive.
• Ancestor Ye broke through the barrier with the Flower Burning Style and joined Martial Immortal.
• Martial Immortal warned Ancestor Ye that Lu Yuzhen possessed the Immortal Spring.

Junshan Zhenren reached Clear Duckweed Mountain after the three great sects’ surprise attack and discovered the mountain had been devastated. He killed Xiaoyou Zhenren and learned the attack may have been bait to draw out the disciples of all seven Zhanjiao Mountains, then watched Zeng Niu die.

• Junshan Zhenren arrived at Clear Duckweed Mountain and found the mountain strewn with corpses, with Xiaoyou Zhenren refining the fallen disciples’ blood and souls.
• Junshan Zhenren used his Violet Firmament Dao Realm to destroy Xiaoyou Zhenren’s filthy blood lightning, seized the Soul-Devouring Banner, and pierced Xiaoyou Zhenren with it.
• Junshan Zhenren searched Xiaoyou Zhenren’s memories and learned that White Daoist had shattered Tiger Stream Grotto-Heaven while White Wraith, Ink Daoist, and Joyous Zen Master lured Martial Immortal away.
• Junshan Zhenren realized the attack on Clear Duckweed Mountain might have been a ploy to draw the disciples from all seven Zhanjiao Mountains into danger.
• Junshan Zhenren killed Xiaoyou Zhenren, destroyed the Soul-Devouring Banner with righteous lightning, and watched the dying Zeng Niu pass away.

After the ambush at Clear Duckweed Mountain, Qin Qianlian realized he and his disciples had been trapped in a disorienting formation while pursuing the Corpse Daoist. Qin Baihuang’s battered treasure ships also became trapped on their retreat, bringing the two men face-to-face in the rain.

• Qin Qianlian sent the wounded away and pursued the Corpse Daoist with Su Hong and several trusted disciples toward Qiding Mountain.
• Su Hong noticed the Corpse Daoist had vanished and that they had not encountered any Great Chu cultivators; Qin Qianlian discovered they had been circling in place through a strange formation.
• Five damaged treasure ships carrying Qin Baihuang and the survivors from Hanging Cone Mountain appeared through the rain, and Qin Qianlian realized the person he least wanted to meet had arrived.
• Qin Baihuang learned that thirty-one cultivators were seriously wounded, ninety-seven were lightly wounded, and forty-two had failed to board the ships; Qian San, who had protected them from Qing Xiao, was injured.
• Qin Baihuang’s ships failed to reach the border and stopped before Qin Qianlian, leaving the two men facing each other across the rain.

Qin Qianlian and Qin Baihuang unexpectedly met in the Southern Borderlands as shifting terrain trapped them amid the demon-slaying campaign. They agreed to a temporary truce and Qin Baihuang offered healing aid, while their old rivalry and Qin Qianlian’s unanswered letter remained unresolved.

• Qin Qianlian and Qin Baihuang’s treasure ships encountered each other despite traveling in different directions, and Qin Baihuang went alone to meet his brother.
• Qin Baihuang warned Qin Qianlian not to attack, but Qin Qianlian dismissed the threat and explained that the Southern Borderlands’ terrain was changing under a Mountain-Shifting Art.
• Qin Baihuang said the old family dispute should wait while they dealt with the danger facing thousands of cultivators, and offered healing aid for the wounded aboard Qin Qianlian’s ship.
• Qin Qianlian asked whether Qin Baihuang had read his letter, and Qin Baihuang said he had thrown it away.
• Qin Qianlian accepted a temporary truce and asked Qin Baihuang to help save Longevity Hall’s injured disciples.

Qin Qianlian and Qin Baihuang reconciled aboard their ships, and Qin Qianlian explained that a powerful mountain-shifting illusion had brought the scattered groups together. The fleet crashed into the earth as the ground split open, revealing an ancient cave dwelling marked with the name White Ze.

• Qian San stopped Revered Bao Cheng from intervening, noting that Qin Qianlian seemed to have no killing intent and questioning why he had returned to pursue the Qin family headship.
• Qin Baihuang ordered Vessel B-52's formation activated to treat Longevity Hall's injured disciples and confirmed that he and Qin Qianlian had agreed to postpone family matters until after the Southern Borderlands.
• Qin Qianlian joined the main ship and explained that mountain-shifting art had likely drawn the groups together through a powerful illusion, while he had come to hunt the Corpse Daoist.
• Qin Baihuang urged the groups to stay together and await word from Lord Martial Immortal, but a storm of rain blades tore open the sky and forced the ships down.
• The ships crashed as the earth split apart, revealing an ancient cave dwelling whose plaque read White Ze, the name associated with Great Sage Bai Ze.

The Crown Prince revealed that Lu Yuzhen’s scheme had brought the Great Chu cultivators to the Bai Ze Secret Realm as it appeared, hoping to exploit their greed and recruit Xie Xuanyi. He threatened Xie with a repeat of his Shifu’s death, but Xie rejected the offer and drew his sword against the Crown Prince’s carriage.

• The Bai Ze Secret Realm appeared amid a cataclysm, while the Buddha-Light Aura isolated Xie Xuanyi on Liting’s small mountain.
• The Crown Prince admitted that Lu Yuzhen had arranged the night raid to draw Great Chu cultivators to the secret realm and make them gamble for its treasures.
• The Crown Prince argued that greed would draw cultivators into the realm and warned that Xie’s old acquaintances were among them.
• The Crown Prince threatened Xie with another worldwide siege like the one that killed his Shifu, then offered to let him keep his place in Great Grain Sword Palace and the Profound Water Grotto-Heaven.
• Xie refused the Crown Prince’s offer, summoned his Martial Dao Divine Embryo, and swung the Golden Radiance Sword Qi at the carriage.

Xie Xuanyi fought the Crown Prince, whose King's Hunt domain overwhelmed him despite his defenses of the Principles of Life and Annihilation. The Crown Prince’s attack swept Xie Xuanyi into an abyss, while Mirror Three arrived and recognized the Crown Prince’s extraordinary strength.

• Xie Xuanyi struck the Crown Prince’s golden carriage with Annihilation Sword Qi, but its canopy regenerated and resisted the blow.
• The Crown Prince revealed his King's Hunt domain, whose pressure forced Xie Xuanyi to withdraw and began crushing Li Pavilion’s mountain.
• The Crown Prince summoned a fiery divine manifestation and fired a storm of golden arrows at Xie Xuanyi.
• Xie Xuanyi used the Principles of Life and Annihilation to block the arrows, suppressing Chronic Ailment as it trembled to join the fight.
• The Crown Prince’s attacks shattered the golden barrier and swept Xie Xuanyi into the abyss.
• Mirror Three appeared beside the Crown Prince and realized that the Crown Prince needed no protector below the Yang Spirit Realm.

The Crown Prince learned that his meeting with Xie Zhen had failed and left the next move to Mirror Three, trusting Paper Effigy Dao to fulfill its promise. Meanwhile, Martial Immortal and Ancestor Ye struggled against Lu Yuzhen and his Immortal Spring, and Martial Immortal prepared to try one final move.

• Mirror Three told the Crown Prince that Lu Yuzhen had expected the negotiation with Xie Zhen to fail, and the Crown Prince tasked him with carrying out their plan.
• The Crown Prince explained that he avoided directly taking responsibility for the Annihilation of Buddhism in Yuan Province because he feared the Way of Karma.
• Mirror Three promised the Crown Prince that Paper Effigy Dao would make Xie Zhen die as Xie Xuanyi had ten years earlier.
• Lu Yuzhen used the Immortal Spring to endure Ancestor Ye's Flower Burning Style and Martial Immortal's attacks, while the two Yang Spirits began to weaken.
• Ancestor Ye urged Martial Immortal to flee and preserve their intelligence about Lu Yuzhen, but Martial Immortal said he still had one move to try.

Martial Immortal risked his life to unleash a strike inspired by Zhao Chunyang’s Dao intent, battering Lu Yuzhen and breaking the white paper barrier but failing to kill him. As Ancestor Ye approached with his sword, Lu Yuzhen lamented that Martial Immortal had come close to ending his life.

• Martial Immortal told Ancestor Ye he believed he could kill Lu Yuzhen and asked him to hold back the Pure White Sage while he prepared his attack.
• Martial Immortal drew in his golden radiance, endured Lu Yuzhen’s paper snowflake attacks, then crossed the distance with a punch fueled by Zhao Chunyang’s Dao intent.
• Martial Immortal spent ten breaths burning his blood and vitality to pummel Lu Yuzhen, cracking the white paper barrier and hurling him across the battlefield.
• Martial Immortal collapsed to one knee as Lu Yuzhen fell into a crater, badly wounded but still alive because the strikes had not destroyed his dantian.
• Lu Yuzhen asked how Martial Immortal had learned the technique, and Martial Immortal credited Zhao Chunyang before Lu Yuzhen lamented that the killing blow had fallen just short.

Lu Yuzhen lay in the crater as Ancestor Ye's sword strike descended amid the collapse of the white-paper barrier. Meanwhile, the treasure ships gathered over the newly revealed Bai Ze Secret Realm were trapped by its pull, and Qian San revealed that they would have to fuel its opening or sink into the abyss.

• Ancestor Ye's Floral Bloom Style filled the sky with sword shadows as the white-paper barrier began collapsing around Lu Yuzhen and Martial Immortal.
• A vast earthquake opened an abyss near Pure White Mountain, and Qin Baihuang's and Qin Qianlian's treasure ship met up with Shu Ning and the ships from Jade Purity Sanctuary.
• Qian San said the three great sects might be seeking complete Dao steles and could be cooperating with the Paper Effigy Dao to obtain them.
• Qin Baihuang ordered Vessel B-52 to leave, but the Earth Abyss pulled it downward; after Qin Qianlian advised extinguishing its formation, the ship slowed its descent.
• Qian San explained that the Bai Ze Secret Realm needed Primordial Force to open and that the trapped cultivators would either witness its opening or fall into eternal darkness.