Chapter Summaries

Da Peng resolved to abandon Attain Dao through Law for another path, and Kong Xuan agreed to ask Li Yun for guidance. Their plans were interrupted by an edict from Sacred Beast Vermilion Bird, while Li Yun and Ancestor Witch Zhurong arrived at the Phoenix Clan, leaving Kong Xuan to welcome them and gather counsel.

• Kong Xuan tried to dissuade Da Peng from changing cultivation paths, but Da Peng insisted that Attain Dao through Law did not suit him.
• Kong Xuan agreed to ask Li Yun about other paths and support Da Peng's decision if there was no major issue.
• A Phoenix Clan member reported that a young Vermilion Bird had arrived with an edict from Princess Vermilion Bird, prompting Kong Xuan to summon Eldest Sister Qing Luan for details.
• Da Peng left to invite Qing Luan while Kong Xuan waited for the Vermilion Bird's arrival.
• A Phoenix Clan Elder informed Kong Xuan that Li Yun had arrived with Ancestor Witch Zhurong, so Kong Xuan ordered the elder to receive the Vermilion Bird and others while he went to welcome them.

Li Yun learned from Zhurong that the Ten Thousand Volcanoes were a seal imprisoning countless members of the Innate Devil Race, and that similar prisons lay beneath Shouyang Mountain and other powerful factions’ lands. He suspected the Devil Dao’s movements might target these seals, leaving the danger to the Human Teachings, Phoenix Clan, Dragon Clan, and Mount Sumeru unresolved.

• Li Yun and Zhurong arrived at the Ten Thousand Volcanoes, where Zhurong explained that eruptions could devastate the southern Primordial World.
• Zhurong revealed that the volcanoes were not merely a hazard but a seal, then opened one to show Li Yun what lay beneath it.
• Li Yun saw countless winged and horned beings imprisoned in the flames and recognized them as members of the Demon Race.
• Zhurong explained that the prisoners belonged to the Innate Devil Race and that the Phoenix Clan’s divine flame suppressed them; he added that similar beings were sealed beneath the Kirin lands, including Shouyang Mountain.
• Li Yun recalled the Devil Dao cultivators he had encountered at the Sea of Blood and suspected the Devil Dao might be targeting the sealed demons and the regions guarding them.

Li Yun and Zhurong examined the Demon Race sealed beneath the Ten Thousand Volcanoes, then Kong Xuan arrived and escorted them toward Phoenix Clan territory. Kong Xuan warned that the Vermilion Bird might be difficult to approach, while Li Yun trusted Zhurong to negotiate with her representative.

• Li Yun and Zhurong discussed the danger the Demon Race posed to the Three Clans and the wider Primordial World.
• Kong Xuan arrived, greeted Li Yun and Zhurong, and worried that Zhurong might damage the seal beneath the volcano.
• Zhurong restored the magma over the sealed Demon Race and assured Kong Xuan he had no intention of disturbing the seal.
• Li Yun explained that Zhurong hoped to use the Vermilion Bird's power to refine his mastery of the Law of Fire.
• Kong Xuan warned that the Vermilion Bird was on poor terms with him and Da Peng and had sent an unfriendly envoy, but Li Yun said Zhurong could negotiate with her representative.
• Kong Xuan led Li Yun and Zhurong into Phoenix Clan territory, where they saw countless parasol trees and a supreme-grade Innate Spirit Root at its center.

Zhurong recalled the Phoenix Clan’s ancient power and blamed the Demon Race and Luohu’s schemes for the three clans’ downfall. At the Phoenix palace, Kong Xuan learned that Vermilion Bird had chosen Zhu Yan'er to be his Daoist Companion, leaving him stunned.

• Zhurong described the Phoenix Clan’s former stronghold, its fire domain, and its Nanhuo Bird descendants to Li Yun and Kong Xuan.
• Kong Xuan said he had met the few surviving Nanhuo Birds, and Zhurong asked to meet them and learn what heritage remained.
• Kong Xuan, Li Yun, and Zhurong entered the palace and greeted the Phoenix Clan’s Seventh Elder, Da Peng, and Qing Luan.
• Kong Xuan asked about the person Vermilion Bird had sent, and Zhu Yan'er introduced herself as a member of the Vermilion Bird Lineage.
• Qing Luan revealed that Vermilion Bird had chosen Zhu Yan'er as Kong Xuan’s Daoist Companion, shocking Kong Xuan and surprising Li Yun.

Zhu Yan'er revealed that Yuanfeng’s surviving consciousness, restored by Vermilion Bird, had ordered Kong Xuan and Zhu Yan'er to become Daoist Companions and bear a child. Zhurong and Seventh Elder explained Yuanfeng’s uncertain death, leaving everyone looking to Qing Luan for the truth.

• Qing Luan said Vermilion Bird required Kong Xuan and Zhu Yan'er to conceive a child before either could leave, and Kong Xuan refused to find a Daoist Companion.
• Zhu Yan'er said the order came from both Vermilion Bird and Yuanfeng, prompting Kong Xuan and Da Peng to threaten her for invoking their mother's name.
• Zhu Yan'er revealed that a fragment of Yuanfeng’s consciousness remained with Vermilion Bird and had partially recovered.
• Zhurong said Yuanfeng’s Nirvana Fire could have preserved her consciousness and described how she fell while returning to the Phoenix Clan.
• Seventh Elder confirmed that Yuanfeng fell within the clan after summoning Qing Luan, Golden Phoenix, and Vermilion Bird, and everyone turned to Qing Luan for answers.

Kong Xuan agreed to meet Yuanfeng's remnant soul before accepting Zhu Yan'er as his Daoist Companion, while Li Yun revealed that Zhurong had come seeking Vermilion Bird's aid. Qing Luan agreed to take Zhu Yan'er and Zhurong to contact Vermilion Bird after Da Peng's Ascension Ceremony.

• Qing Luan explained that she and Golden Phoenix knew nothing about Yuanfeng's possible remnant soul, which Vermilion Bird might have been entrusted with.
• Kong Xuan demanded to see Yuanfeng's remnant soul before agreeing to the proposed matter, and Zhu Yan'er promised Vermilion Bird would allow him to verify it.
• Kong Xuan ordered preparations for Da Peng's Enthronement Ceremony and said he would travel afterward, while Da Peng also insisted on going.
• Qing Luan took Zhu Yan'er under her care and agreed they would go to Vermilion Bird after the ceremony.
• Li Yun disclosed that Zhurong sought Vermilion Bird's power to strengthen himself and pursue the Dao, and Zhurong asked Qing Luan to arrange a meeting.

Li Yun examined Da Peng and discovered that his cultivation was blocked by a karmic shackle tied to the Phoenix Clan, leaving Da Peng unable to advance through several paths of attaining Dao. The chapter ended with Da Peng learning that his return to the Phoenix Clan had caused the obstruction, though other paths might remain.

• Qing Luan agreed to Zhurong’s proposal and left with him and Zhu Yan'er to discuss the terms.
• Da Peng thanked Li Yun for attending his Enthronement Ceremony and asked him for a method of attaining Dao because his cultivation had stalled.
• Li Yun used his Eye of Heaven and Earth to examine Da Peng and found a shackle in his soul tied to the Primordial World’s karma.
• Li Yun told Da Peng and Kong Xuan that even Saints could not remove the shackle, which blocked Da Peng from attaining Dao through Law, Strength, or Merit.
• Li Yun explained that the shackle came from the Phoenix Clan’s past karma because Da Peng had returned to the clan.

Li Yun explained that Da Peng's ties to the Phoenix Clan had blocked his path to Attaining Dao through Law, so Da Peng chose to cultivate Attain Dao through Destiny instead. Kong Xuan then learned that Faith and Incense could potentially combine with Destiny to offer Da Peng a route to Sainthood, but his current circumstances prevented him from pursuing them.

• Li Yun told Da Peng that becoming Phoenix Clan Master had bound him with Karma and causality, leaving Attain Dao through Law beyond reach and limiting his prospects through Destiny.
• Da Peng accepted the Method of Attaining Dao through Destiny, and Li Yun imparted it before urging him to begin cultivating in seclusion ahead of his Enthronement Ceremony.
• Da Peng thanked Li Yun, told Kong Xuan he would leave Li Yun in his care, and departed to transition to the new cultivation path.
• Kong Xuan asked about ways to improve Da Peng's strength, and Li Yun explained that combining Destiny, Faith, and Incense could potentially let Da Peng attain Sainthood.
• Li Yun said Da Peng could not currently cultivate Faith or Incense because the Phoenix Clan's devotion belonged to Yuanfeng and the clan had no subordinate races.
• Kong Xuan asked why Li Yun insisted on Attaining Dao through Strength instead of cultivating several methods at once.

Li Yun explained to Kong Xuan why Attaining Dao through Strength had greater potential than other paths, revealing the stages of Sainthood and the limits of different cultivation methods. Kong Xuan accepted the explanation and considered the future of his Chaos Law, while Li Yun said Da Peng’s accumulated Karma had closed off his strongest cultivation options.

• Li Yun asked Kong Xuan whether he understood the essence of Attaining Dao through Strength.
• Li Yun explained that Saints could reach the Hunyuan Sage, Wuji Sage, and Hunyuan Wuji Sage stages, and that the Heaven, Earth, and Human Dao sought to devour one another’s origins.
• Li Yun said Attaining Dao through Strength could reach the pinnacle of Hunyuan Wuji Sage and might offer a path beyond it, while other methods had lower limits.
• Kong Xuan thanked Li Yun and recognized that his Chaos Law still had room to advance, though he had no intention of changing cultivation paths.
• Li Yun said Third Martial Uncle knew this information and explained that Da Peng’s Karma and causality had left him no hope of pursuing Attaining Dao through Strength or Law.

Kong Xuan asked whether Li Yun would become a Human Dao Saint, and Li Yun explained that he had rejected offers from both the Humanity Dao and the Earthly Dao to preserve his potential. Li Yun then questioned Kong Xuan about the Demon Race, learning that the Phoenix Clan guarded the Ten Thousand Volcanoes and had killed Demon Race members who tried to spy on them.

• Kong Xuan accepted that Da Peng had to bear the consequences of his choice to pursue Attaining Dao through Destiny.
• Kong Xuan asked whether Li Yun would become a Human Dao Saint, and Li Yun said he had rejected offers from the Humanity Dao and the Earthly Dao.
• Kong Xuan admired Li Yun for turning down the chance to become a Saint.
• Li Yun asked Kong Xuan whether any Demon Race members had escaped the Phoenix Clan’s suppression or attempted to rescue those in the Ten Thousand Volcanoes.
• Kong Xuan revealed that Pure-Blood Phoenix Clan members guarded the volcanoes and that the clan had exterminated Demon Race cultivators who tried to spy on them.

Li Yun revealed his demonic clone, Li Mo, and asked Kong Xuan to help him make contact with the Demonic Path. Kong Xuan led him to a hidden Phoenix Clan prison and revealed that his mother had a fourth daughter, Death Nether Phoenix, who was targeted by the Demon Race from birth.

• Li Yun summoned Li Mo and explained that he wanted the clone to contact the Demonic Path and gain its recognition.
• Kong Xuan agreed to help Li Yun arrange for Li Mo to rescue a Demon Race cultivator captured by the Phoenix Clan.
• Kong Xuan asked whether the Phoenix Clan could also participate in the Demonic Path, then led Li Yun to a hidden forest of black parasol trees.
• Li Yun and Kong Xuan reached a sealed cave filled with demonic aura, where Kong Xuan revealed that his mother had a fourth daughter, Death Nether Phoenix.
• Kong Xuan said the Demon Race had plotted against Death Nether Phoenix from the moment of her birth, and his mother had used her own essence and origin to protect her.

Li Yun and Kong Xuan entered a cave filled with demonic qi as they searched for Kong Xuan’s Fourth Sister, the Death Nether Phoenix. They found Yuan Ming, whose powerful demonic aura prompted her to question whether Li Yun was truly a Saint’s Disciple.

• Li Yun explained to Kong Xuan that his clone, Li Mo, walked the Demonic Path because of a fragment of the God-Slaying Spear, and assured him that the Demon Emperor had not joined the path.
• Kong Xuan led Li Yun deeper into the cave, where Li Mo absorbed the surrounding demonic qi and grew stronger.
• Li Yun and Kong Xuan reached a lake of condensed demonic qi, and Li Yun suppressed Li Mo’s urge to emerge and absorb it.
• Kong Xuan called for his Fourth Sister, and Yuan Ming rose from the lake as a powerful Death Nether Phoenix.
• Kong Xuan introduced Yuan Ming to Li Yun, and Yuan Ming sensed his demonic qi and asked whether a Saint’s Disciple walking the Demonic Path was courting death.

Li Yun and Kong Xuan approached Yuan Ming about joining them in pursuing the Devilish Dao Saint position for Li Yun’s avatar. Yuan Ming was intrigued by the chance to free herself and strengthen the Phoenix Clan, while Kong Xuan began explaining why Li Yun would not pursue sainthood through the Humanity Dao.

• Li Yun explained that the pure demonic aura came from his Devil Dao avatar, Li Mo, and Kong Xuan confirmed it.
• Yuan Ming offered to let Li Mo cultivate in her territory, but Kong Xuan clarified that they had come to seek a new future for her.
• Yuan Ming mistook their visit for a marriage alliance, then listened as Kong Xuan described the Devil Dao’s expected return to the Primordial World.
• Li Yun proposed that he and Yuan Ming become allies in pursuing the Devilish Dao Saint position for his avatar.
• Yuan Ming questioned why Li Yun would not seek sainthood himself, and Kong Xuan began explaining Li Yun’s ties to the Human Teachings, the Human Race, and the Humanity Dao.

Yuan Ming learned of Li Yun’s plan to help his clone, Li Mo, claim the Devilish Dao Saint Seat and agreed to assist. She proposed using a dying former guard of Luohu to establish their standing with the Demon Race, then leaving the Phoenix Clan with the demons she had suppressed.

• Li Yun explained that Li Mo needed a genuine identity within the Demon Race to infiltrate its ranks and pursue the Devilish Dao Saint Seat.
• Yuan Ming agreed to help Li Yun and considered how she could secure the Demon Race’s acceptance.
• Yuan Ming revealed that a high-ranking Demon General, once one of Luohu’s personal guards, was trapped in the area she guarded and nearing death.
• Li Yun questioned whether the Demon General would trust Yuan Ming, and Kong Xuan raised the same concern.
• Yuan Ming proposed using Da Peng’s Ascension Ceremony as a reason to leave the Phoenix Clan with the Demon General and the other demons she suppressed, and publicly presenting herself and Li Mo as Daoist Companions.

Li Yun agreed to let Yuan Ming publicly pose as Li Mo’s Daoist Companion to facilitate their plan to rescue imprisoned Demon Race cultivators and infiltrate the Demonic Path. He summoned Li Mo and ordered him to cultivate with Yuan Ming until after the Enthronement Ceremony, when the operation would begin.

• Li Yun accepted Yuan Ming’s proposal, explaining that Li Mo was an independent individual and that the arrangement had nothing to do with him.
• Yuan Ming agreed to cooperate, and Li Yun scheduled the operation for after the Enthronement Ceremony, when the Saints and other powerful figures had left the Phoenix Clan’s headquarters.
• Kong Xuan and Yuan Ming pledged to follow Li Yun’s plan and assist Li Mo.
• Li Yun summoned Li Mo and told him to cultivate with Yuan Ming, perfect his Demonic Body, and awaken his demonic nature before the operation.
• Li Mo thanked Li Yun and asked Yuan Ming for her guidance, while Yuan Ming sensed his powerful demonic aura and was deeply shaken.

Li Yun and Kong Xuan left Yuan Ming and Li Mo so they could meet Sect Master Tongtian, who had arrived at the Phoenix Clan camp with Wudang. Li Yun revealed that his body had reached Ancestor Witch strength, while Tongtian explained that Wudang needed the Phoenix Clan’s help to complete her Sword Dao and approach the Quasi-Saint Realm.

• Li Yun sensed Sect Master Tongtian approaching, and he and Kong Xuan departed after arranging for Yuan Ming to contact Vermilion Bird about their operation.
• Yuan Ming took Li Mo toward the lake’s core to complete his Demonic Body transformation and reflected on the mysterious origins of her father.
• Li Yun and Kong Xuan met Sect Master Tongtian and Wudang at the Phoenix Clan camp.
• Li Yun told Tongtian that his body and bloodline had transformed, his true body matched an Ancestor Witch, and he had gained part of Pangu’s Inheritance.
• Tongtian explained that Wudang had reached the peak of the Sword Domain and needed to perfect her Sword Dao with the Phoenix Clan’s help, then asked Kong Xuan what he thought.

Wudang explained that she had comprehended the rare Nine Deaths Law, which could transform her strength after death but required the Phoenix Clan’s Nirvana Fire to advance. Kong Xuan agreed to help her and questioned whether she would persist despite the difficulty of reaching the Quasi-Saint Realm with an incomplete Law.

• Li Yun and Kong Xuan realized Wudang’s extraordinary Sword Dao talent could make her a powerful Interception Sect disciple, and Kong Xuan agreed to help her.
• Kong Xuan asked how they could help Wudang improve her Sword Dao and cultivation, and Sect Master Tongtian told Wudang to explain her situation.
• Wudang revealed that her Nine Deaths Law let her grow stronger each time she died, but it had little effect before Major Accomplishment.
• Wudang explained that she needed to study the Phoenix Clan’s Nirvana Fire to advance her Law, and that completing it could eventually let her survive repeated deaths and gain strength from them.
• Kong Xuan praised the Law but warned Wudang that pursuing it could make advancing to the Quasi-Saint Realm difficult.

Wudang explained that the Nine Deaths Law could strengthen her path to Sainthood, and Kong Xuan agreed to let the Phoenix Clan's Third Elder help her cultivate it with the Nirvana Fire. At the Phoenix Clan palace, the group discovered Da Peng had advanced to the Quasi-Saint Middle Stage after switching to Attaining Dao through Destiny with Li Yun's help.

• Wudang told Li Yun and Kong Xuan that the Nine Deaths Law was independent of the Three Thousand Laws and could improve her chances of becoming a Saint.
• Wudang explained that her Nine Deaths Law was near major completion and that she could use it to enter the Quasi-Saint Realm.
• Kong Xuan agreed to ask the Phoenix Clan's Third Elder to help Wudang perfect her Law using the Nirvana Fire.
• Sect Master Tongtian led Li Yun, Kong Xuan, and Wudang to the Phoenix Clan headquarters to see Da Peng.
• Da Peng's aura revealed that he had reached the Quasi-Saint Middle Stage and was still advancing.
• Kong Xuan explained that Li Yun had helped Da Peng switch to Attaining Dao through Destiny, though Da Peng was unlikely to reach the Quasi-Saint Late Stage.

Sect Master Tongtian explained why Attain Dao through Destiny suited Da Peng and warned that the path was only viable for leaders with powerful racial or sect destiny. Da Peng completed his breakthrough just short of the Quasi-Saint Late Stage, and the group prepared to discuss Wudang’s matter with the Phoenix Clan elders.

• Sect Master Tongtian said Da Peng could use the Phoenix Clan’s destiny to reach Quasi-Saint Perfection and possibly advance further, while Wudang asked about the method.
• Sect Master Tongtian explained that Attain Dao through Destiny favored leaders of powerful groups and was not a reliable path to sainthood for Randeng, Huang Long, Zhenwu, or Gui Ling; he said Li Yun had the greatest potential but followed another path.
• Da Peng’s breakthrough stabilized just short of the Quasi-Saint Late Stage, and Kong Xuan suggested entering the hall to discuss Wudang’s matter with the Third Elder.
• Da Peng stopped laughing wildly when Kong Xuan rebuked him, then greeted Sect Master Tongtian, who praised his stable breakthrough and told him to cultivate his mental state for the next hundred years.

Sect Master Tongtian gave Da Peng the Qian Kun Mirror and asked him to help obtain Nirvana Fire for Wudang. Kong Xuan then asked whether the Phoenix Clan could help Zhurong, and Tongtian said he would not oppose it unless the Heavenly and Earthly Dao went to war.

• Sect Master Tongtian gave Da Peng the Qian Kun Mirror, explaining that it could create two powerful avatars to strengthen his combat ability.
• Da Peng agreed to speak with the Third Elder about the Nirvana Fire and hurried away to handle the matter for Wudang.
• Kong Xuan led Li Yun, Sect Master Tongtian, and Wudang to the reception hall and asked Tongtian about the Phoenix Clan helping Zhurong.
• Li Yun confirmed that he had brought Zhurong to meet Vermilion Bird and seek her power to help him perfect himself and possibly Attain Dao and become a Saint.
• Sect Master Tongtian told Kong Xuan that he did not oppose the Phoenix Clan helping Zhurong and would not make things difficult for those bearing Pangu bloodline unless the Heavenly and Earthly Dao went to war.