Recaps

After Wei Qing oversaw the execution of the Fang family for colluding with demons and monsters, he learned that sect forces had gathered in Qingcheng over rumors of a rare treasure in the Black Mist Wasteland. A red pillar of light appeared over the wasteland, and Wei Qing warned the gathered sect disciples not to cause trouble in the city.

• Song Yuanming urged Dongfang Rongrong to endure the Fang family's public execution, while Qin Yang told Zhao Gao to investigate Wei Qing as a possible obstacle to the Blood Robe Sect's mission.
• Wei Qing confirmed the execution of all fifty-nine Fang family members and ordered their bodies buried at the mass grave, with Fang Youting and the three-year-old child buried separately.
• Zhang Zhidong told Wei Qing that nine sect forces had come to Qingcheng after rumors spread of a rare treasure in the Black Mist Wasteland.
• A red pillar of light rose southeast of Qingcheng, exciting the sect disciples gathered in the city.
• Wei Qing announced that he knew why the sects had come and threatened to show no mercy to anyone who caused trouble in Qingcheng, leaving the disciples uncertain whether to yield or compete if he pursued the treasure.

Wei Qing met with Qingshan Sect disciples Song Yuanming and Dongfang Rongrong, who tested his attitude toward the exotic treasure in the Black Mist Wasteland. He said he planned to investigate the wasteland but would let the competing forces rely on their own abilities, and other sects later came to ask him the same questions.

• Song Yuanming and Dongfang Rongrong visited Wei Qing at Star Cloud Tower and realized his presence suggested formidable strength.
• Song Yuanming asked whether Wei Qing intended to compete for the Black Mist Wasteland’s exotic treasure and offered Qingshan Sect’s terms.
• Wei Qing rejected their offer, said he would visit the wasteland, and told them the Heavenly Mirror Division would not interfere with the competition.
• Song Yuanming and Dongfang Rongrong left reassured that Wei Qing had not promised to oppose them.
• Over the following days, disciples from other forces, including first-rate sects, visited Wei Qing to test his intentions and received the same answer.

Wei Qing tested his newly strengthened mental space before setting out with Tantai Yue, Jun Wushang, and Zhang Xue for the Black Mist Wasteland. They entered after the other treasure seekers, unaware that the mist was gathering again and sealing the entrance behind them.

• Wei Qing used his mental force to pierce a wall and reshaped the scenes inside his consciousness space.
• Zhang Zhidong reported that the Black Mist Wasteland's fog was thinning and that sect disciples had set out, so Wei Qing prepared to go there.
• More than a hundred disciples gathered at the wasteland entrance, including Qin Shuang, Liu Yulong, and Nangong Ruyan, while Song Yuanming identified them to Dongfang Rongrong.
• When the passage cleared, an unknown black-clad figure rushed inside first, and Liu Yulong ordered Chen Li to pursue and kill the intruder.
• Wei Qing arrived with Tantai Yue, Jun Wushang, and Zhang Xue, warned them to stay close, and led them into the wasteland.
• After Wei Qing and his companions entered, the fog gathered again, sealed the entrance, and began swallowing the path behind the crowd.

In the Black House Wasteland, strange fog killed and abducted travelers as Qin Shuang, Liu Yulong, Nangong Ruyan, and the others fought back against the shadow creatures. The survivors faced a growing number of scarlet-eyed shadows while Wei Qing’s group remained surrounded.

• Chen Li lost consciousness after a black shadow struck him, and the fog dragged away his body.
• A Rogue Cultivator and disciples from the Blazing Sun Sect and Mystic Maiden Palace vanished, prompting the group to discover that thirteen people were missing.
• Qin Shuang drew the Blood Drinking Saber and attacked the tentacles and a faceless shadow, while Nangong Ruyan used a crystal ball to track it.
• Qin Shuang, Liu Yulong, and other cultivators fought the attacking tentacles, but severed appendages melted back into the fog and more scarlet eyes appeared.
• Jun Wushang protected Zhang Xue from a tentacle, and Wei Qing shielded the others as their group was surrounded.
• Wei Qing used Profound Meaning—Lotus Radiance to destroy attacking tentacles, enraging the fog and triggering a fresh assault.

Wei Qing discovered and slew the Mirage Demon, then helped the trapped sect disciples survive the attack and broke through during battle. With the demons gone, the survivors found that the passage back had disappeared and the fog was closing in.

• Wei Qing used his enhanced sight to locate the Mirage Demon and killed it with a blood-red lotus of blade light, confirming the treasure hunt was a demonkind trap.
• Qin Shuang and the other sect disciples emerged from the twisted space, and Wei Qing cut down the attacking Mirage Demons as the survivors called for help.
• Wei Qing killed another Mirage Demon, advanced to high Sixth Rank martial cultivation, and impressed the sect disciples, including the skeptical Liu Yulong.
• Wei Qing rushed into the fog and returned unharmed after the remaining tentacles and black shadows vanished; the group learned that more than one-third of their party had died.
• Nangong Ruyan warned the survivors that the passage back had disappeared as the dense fog began to swallow their path.

Wei Qing led the trapped group onward through the Black Mist Wasteland, promising to find a way out. Outside, Shen Yan and the gathered sect leaders learned that no one could enter through the sealed passage, and Feng Wuya tested the barrier with a powerful attack.

• Wei Qing united the people trapped in the Black Mist Wasteland and led them deeper into it.
• Shen Yan panicked over her daughter Xue'er, while Zhang Zhidong and Cai Yang tried to reassure her.
• Feng Wuya arrived at the passage as a newly revealed Third Rank Heavenly Gang Realm expert and asked Zhang Zhidong what the Night Owl Guard had learned.
• Zhang Zhidong said the Night Owl Guard had found no information and explained that an invisible barrier prevented anyone from entering.
• Zhao Santong failed to break through the barrier, and Feng Wuya summoned a gigantic Primal Energy palm to attack the mist.

Wei Qing and the others discovered the Cloud Firmament Sect’s final battlefield and learned that it held a sealed Heavenly Demon. After they paid their respects to the sect’s memorial, a hidden space opened behind it, revealing ruined palaces.

• Feng Wuya and the other leaders fled when the fog surged, and an elder was dragged into it before it receded.
• Wei Qing led the group through the misty passage into a battlefield littered with weapons, bones, and Cloud Firmament Sect flags.
• The group found a stele stating that the Cloud Firmament Sect had sacrificed itself to suppress the Heavenly Demon and warning descendants not to break the seal before reaching the Martial King Realm.
• Jun Wushang rebuked Zhao Gao for frightening the others, while Qin Yang apologized for his junior brother and later watched Jun Wushang and Zhang Xue with sinister amusement.
• After everyone bowed to the stele, the ground trembled and the space behind it shattered, revealing ruined palaces.

The sect disciples competed to climb the Cloud Firmament Sect’s steps, then faced a second trial that assigned them to different palaces. When Wei Qing touched the Heart-Questioning Stone, he appeared in a starry void and met a mysterious figure who urged him to grow quickly.

• The gathered disciples rushed toward the palace complex after someone suggested it held the Cloud Firmament Sect’s inheritance, while Song Yuanming kept the Qingshan Sect disciples with Wei Qing.
• Wei Qing and Qin Shuang waited as the others climbed the twenty-four pressure-filled steps, and twenty people ultimately reached the top.
• An old voice announced that the first trial was over and summoned the Heart-Questioning Stone to assign each person an inheritance palace.
• The stone assigned Liu Yulong, Nangong Ruyan, and the others to different palaces based on their evaluations, including Wei Qing’s companions and Qin Shuang.
• Wei Qing touched the Heart-Questioning Stone and appeared beneath a river of stars, where a mysterious figure told him to grow quickly because they were waiting for him.

Wei Qing entered the Central Hall and encountered a blue-robed man who tried to possess his body. After being badly injured, Wei Qing began destroying his own soul rather than let the demon use him, but the demon was suddenly immobilized.

• A mysterious figure sent Wei Qing through a portal, and the old man's voice directed him to the Central Hall.
• The blue-robed man appeared in the hall, learned that the human race had won the war against the demons, and asked Wei Qing to lend him his body.
• The blue-robed man attacked Wei Qing, who used Divine Movement and a mental attack before striking with Lotus Bloom, but the man defeated him and entered his brow.
• Wei Qing chose to self-destruct his soul rather than let the demon possess him, and the blue-robed man found himself unable to move.

Luo Liuli emerged in Wei Qing's sea of consciousness, saved him, and exposed the demon's plot involving the sealed Heavenly Demon Silvermoon. After destroying the demon, she let Yun Tianheng recover in Wei Qing's sea of consciousness and said she would ask Wei Qing for help once he reached the Innate Realm.

• Luo Liuli stopped the black mist from escaping, restored Wei Qing's sea of consciousness, and revealed that the blue-robed man was Yun Tianheng.
• Yun Tianheng explained how the Cloud Firmament Sect sealed Heavenly Demon Silvermoon and how an Earth Demon later conspired with human traitors and the demonkin to enact the Dragon Slaying Plan.
• Wei Qing realized the smiling death incident, the Ink Blade, and the Black Mist Wasteland phenomenon had all been part of the demons' scheme to blood-sacrifice Jizhou's geniuses.
• Luo Liuli erased the demon's consciousness and gave Wei Qing the spiritual power left behind, then said she would need his help after he reached the Innate Realm.
• Wei Qing considered hunting demons in the Heavenly Realm Division prison, while Luo Liuli gave Yun Tianheng a spiritual cultivation method and let him recuperate in Wei Qing's sea of consciousness.

Wei Qing received Yun Tianheng’s remaining Cloud Firmament Sect treasures and left the palace without gaining cultivation, then warned the inheritance recipients to conceal the sect’s name. The group faced the threat that powerful factions across the domains would come after them if the inheritance became known.

• Luo Liuli prompted Yun Tianheng to give Wei Qing a meeting gift, and Yun Tianheng handed him an ancient ring containing the Cloud Firmament Sect’s remaining resources.
• Yun Tianheng asked Wei Qing to call him Brother Tian and then withdrew to consolidate his soul.
• Wei Qing opened the ring and found mountains of Spirit Stones, five Spirit Veins including a supreme-grade one, powerful cultivation manuals, and weapons.
• Wei Qing returned to the plaza, where the others noticed his cultivation had remained at High Seventh Rank despite their own advances.
• Wei Qing gathered everyone and ordered them not to mention the Cloud Firmament Sect when reporting their discoveries.
• Qin Shuang explained that revealing the sect’s name would draw powerful factions from across the Eastern Domain and beyond to seize its inheritance.

Wei Qing exposed Qin Yang and Zhao Gao as half-demons and helped the sect disciples kill the Blood Robe Sect group. Outside the Black Mist Wasteland, Zhou Xing learned that Qin Yang and Zhao Gao had died, while a mysterious woman at Yandang Mountain prepared to move on to her next plan.

• Wei Qing and the other disciples swore Heavenly Dao Oaths to conceal what they knew about the Cloud Firmament Sect, but Wei Qing killed Zhao Gao when he hesitated to swear.
• Wei Qing exposed the silver scales on Qin Yang's arm, revealing him as a half-demon, and Qin Shuang killed him as he tried to flee.
• The sect disciples attacked and killed the four remaining Blood Robe Sect disciples.
• Zhou Xing discovered that the soul jade slips for Qin Yang and Zhao Gao had shattered and led the Blood Robe Sect away from the Black Mist Wasteland.
• At Yandang Mountain, a woman shattered two chess pieces, ordered Tao Kun to follow her, and left to pursue her next plan.

Wei Qing discovered that demon blood and soul power could activate the array beneath the Demon King’s seal and lead everyone out. Luo Liuli forced the Silver Moon Demon King to provide soul power, leaving it weakened and terrified.

• The woman warned Tao Kun that the Blood Robe Sect would be destroyed, then disappeared with him into Yandang Mountain.
• Yun Tianheng told Wei Qing that an array near the Demon King’s seal could lead outside, but opening it required demon blood and soul power.
• Wei Qing used Qin Yang’s severed arm to reveal the route and led the group to the array beneath a blood-vine-covered stone platform.
• The activated array raised four bronze pillars whose demonic energy attacked the group, while Luo Liuli drew power from the seal.
• The Silver Moon Demon King recognized Luo Liuli, and she forced it to extract its soul power for the array.

Wei Qing and the others escaped the Black Mist Wasteland, where Luo Liuli warned him to grow strong enough to face the Heavenly Demon within five years. They reunited with their sects, revealed the Blood Robe Sect’s demonic collusion, and left Wei Qing under the protection of Ji Province’s major forces.

• Luo Liuli gave Wei Qing a soul-power bead and warned that its seal would last no more than five years, giving him five years to deal with the Heavenly Demon.
• Wei Qing used the bead to activate the formation and open a portal, then ignored a mysterious call from deep within the Black Mist Wasteland and led the others outside.
• Silvermoon Demon recovered his strength after the group left and vowed to take revenge when he broke free.
• Wei Qing and the disciples reunited with their elders, who discovered that most of the returning disciples had advanced by at least two minor realms and learned of the Blood Robe Sect’s collusion with demons.
• The sect leaders agreed to unite against the Blood Robe Sect and promised Wei Qing their support for protecting their inheritances.

Wei Qing accepted responsibility for dealing with Qingcheng’s affairs while the sect masters and elders went to attack the Blood Robe Sect. Du Ziteng arrived in Qingcheng to take office as County Magistrate and was surprised by how peaceful the city seemed.

• Feng Wuya and Liu Xinghe persuaded Wei Qing to accept the responsibility, while Liu Yulong and the other disciples reacted to their elders calling Wei Qing “Brother Wei.”
• The sect masters and elders set out to flatten the Blood Robe Sect, while Qin Shuang, Nangong Ruyan, Liu Yulong, and the others accompanied Wei Qing back to Qingcheng.
• Du Ziteng arrived outside Qingcheng after bandits killed all but two of his escorting soldiers and ordered the carriage to go straight to the government office.
• Du Ziteng observed that Qingcheng’s residents seemed calm and prosperous despite the recent demon calamity, then entered the government office as its new County Magistrate.
• At Star Cloud Tower, Liu Yulong, Qin Shuang, Nangong Ruyan, and the other disciples toasted Wei Qing for his help and future prospects.

Wei Qing woke after a night of drinking with disciples from several sects, then met Qingcheng's new magistrate and handed over his acting post. He prepared to return to the Imperial City with Jun Wushang, while their new friends urged them to stay.

• Wei Qing woke in Star Cloud Tower among the drunken disciples and recalled that their drinking contest had turned into a martial demonstration.
• A Fu told Wei Qing that Constable Zhu was waiting, and Zhu Huan informed him that the newly appointed magistrate wanted to meet him.
• Wei Qing met Du Ziteng, relinquished his acting magistrate duties, and said he would return to the Imperial City to report to the Heavenly Realm Division.
• Wei Qing returned to the inn as Jun Wushang argued with Liu Yulong over a recording of his drunken saber demonstration.
• Wei Qing told Jun Wushang and the others that Qingcheng's new magistrate had arrived and they would return to the Imperial City, despite their friends asking them to stay.

Wei Qing set out for the capital with Jun Wushang and Zhang Xue, while news of his feats in the Black Mist Wasteland reached the Heavenly Realm Division. The division’s leaders decided to accelerate his selection and devote resources to helping him mature.

• Wei Qing departed for the capital with Jun Wushang and Zhang Xue, as Qin Shuang and the others resolved to train harder.
• Zhou Kai told Zhou Cang that Wei Qing had frightened off a Fifth Rank expert and comprehended an esoteric meaning, then worried that Wei Qing might have to face the Third Prince over Wei Lin.
• Su Henian received a Class A report from Qingcheng detailing Wei Qing’s strength, his two esoteric meanings, and his rescue of disciples in the Black Mist Wasteland.
• Xie Yun, Shen Hanbing, Lin Wantang, and Su Henian praised Wei Qing and discussed his potential to reach a place where they had once fought.
• Nangong Yu agreed to begin Wei Qing’s selection ahead of schedule and direct Heavenly Realm Division resources toward him when he returned.

Yan Lingyun reached Xia Manor and told Yan Qingqing that Wei Qing and the Heavenly Realm Division had destroyed the Yan Family. Xia Shaoyuan and Xia Wentian plotted to kill Wei Qing and sent Xia Shaoyuan to the Imperial City with the Shadow Squad, while advising him to seek help from Consort Xia if needed.

• Yan Lingyun arrived at Xia Manor badly injured, and Haitang recognized him and helped him inside after the gatekeepers had mocked him.
• Yan Qingqing learned that Wei Qing and the Heavenly Realm Division had wiped out the Yan Family and ordered Haitang to summon Xia Shaoyuan.
• Xia Shaoyuan comforted Yan Qingqing and promised to avenge the Yan Family, then learned that Wei Qing had returned to the capital.
• Xia Shaoyuan told Xia Wentian that Wei Qing had to be eliminated to protect the Xia Family.
• Xia Wentian ordered a death warrior to lead the Shadow Squad and accompany Xia Shaoyuan to the Imperial City, telling him to seek help from Consort Xia if necessary.

Wei Qing and his companions stopped in Ping'an County before continuing to the Imperial City. At the city gates, Jun Wushang intervened when Xia Yiran tried to force Su Lie into servitude, and he stood his ground after she invoked her family connections.

• Zhao Dezhu hurried to the inn to greet Wei Qing and his companions, then left after Wei Qing said they needed no assistance.
• Wei Qing paid the inn bill despite Zhao Dezhu having covered it, rewarded the attendant, and rode toward the Imperial City with his companions.
• At the city gates, Xia Yiran offered Su Lie five taels for his sale as a servant, but Su Lie insisted on twenty taels to buy his father a good coffin.
• When Xia Yiran ordered her servants to drag Su Lie away, Jun Wushang stepped in and warned that forcible abduction violated Great Zhou law.
• Xia Yiran identified herself as Consort Xia's niece and the eldest daughter of the Xia family, but Jun Wushang declared that the Heavenly Mirror Division would arrest her if she committed a crime.

Wei Qing intervened when Xia Yiran and her servants tried to abduct Su Lie, then invoked the Great Zhou law to force her to back down. After Xia Family Steward Wen Liang brokered an apology and a settlement, Wei Qing accepted peace while suspecting that news of his exploits had leaked from the Heavenly Mirror Division.

• Xia Yiran dismissed Wei Qing’s warning, and Wei Qing cut off the hand of a servant who threatened him.
• Wei Qing confronted Xia Yiran with her abuses of the law and warned that her imperial-relative status did not exempt her from punishment.
• Wen Liang apologized on Xia Yiran’s behalf and gave Su Lie one hundred taels, which Su Lie initially refused.
• Wen Liang revealed that Wei Qing’s name and his feat in Qingcheng were widely known, making Wei Qing suspect a spy inside the Heavenly Mirror Division.
• Wei Qing accepted Wen Liang’s invitation to settle the dispute, while Xia Yiran gave Wei Qing a vicious look as she left.
• Jun Wushang questioned Wei Qing’s strange-sounding invitation, but Wei Qing called it normal.

Wei Qing, Jun Wushang, and Zhang Xue returned to the capital after helping Su Lie, where they reunited with Li Wen and learned that Wei Lin and Liu Ru had allied themselves with the Third Prince. The chapter ended with two black-robed figures playing chess in a secret chamber as one called out, “Slay the Dragon!”

• Su Lie thanked Wei Qing and Jun Wushang for rescuing him, then left to buy his father's coffin and promised to join them after the burial.
• Xia Yiran vowed to repay Wei Qing and Jun Wushang for humiliating her, while Wen Liang reflected on the Xia family's decline.
• Wei Qing, Jun Wushang, and Zhang Xue returned to the capital, where Li Wen gave Zhang Xue rouge and invited them to a welcoming banquet.
• Liu Ru praised Wei Lin for winning the Third Prince's favor, and Wei Lin panicked when a servant reported that Wei Qing had returned.
• Liu Ru told the servant to inform the master of Wei Qing's return, while two black-robed figures played chess in a secret chamber and one called, “Slay the Dragon!”

After returning from Qingcheng, Wei Qing and Jun Wushang met Zhou Cang and were summoned before the Heavenly Mirror Division’s leaders, who promoted them and set three-month training goals. Wei Qing also learned there was still no news about his father, while Nangong Yu assured him that fighting was permitted as long as he obeyed the law.

• Zhou Cang praised Wei Qing and Jun Wushang, recalled how Zhang Xue’s mother had once saved him and Wei Qing’s father, and offered Zhang Xue his help.
• A duty Garrison Commander summoned Wei Qing and Jun Wushang to meet Nangong Yu and the other senior officials.
• Nangong Yu promoted Wei Qing to Earth Grade Garrison Commander and promised him a mysterious reward if he reached the sixth-grade realm within three months.
• Nangong Yu promoted Jun Wushang to Imperial-rank Garrison Commander and offered him a share of the same reward if he reached the sixth grade.
• Nangong Yu told Wei Qing that Dantai had not yet reported news of his father and said fighting was allowed as long as the law was not broken.
• After Wei Qing and Jun Wushang left, the officials praised Wei Qing’s composure and foundation, while Shen Hanbing and Xie Yun bickered about sparring.

Wei Qing and Jun Wushang collected their new ranks, pills, residence key, and cultivation methods from the Fate Pavilion and Library Pavilion. As they headed to settle into the new home, Zhang Xue nervously wondered whether Aunt Liu would like her.

• Wei Qing and Jun Wushang exchanged their old waist plaques for new ones, received pills and a residence key from Chen Kang, and collected bookmarks for the Library Pavilion.
• Wei Qing and Jun Wushang entered the Library Pavilion, where its mysterious old guardian watched them with interest.
• Wei Qing chose the Six Heavenly Thunder Styles and two beginner Earth Grade methods for Jun Wushang and Zhang Xue, while Jun Wushang chose the Spiral Art.
• Wei Qing handed the residence key to Jun Wushang and told him to move in with Aunt Liu.
• Zhang Xue worried that Aunt Liu might not like her, and Jun Wushang teased her about meeting her mother-in-law until she pinched his ear.

Wei Qing returned to Wei Manor with Jun Wushang and Li Wen and confronted Wei Zheng and Liu Ru, who had spent the night waiting to demand his treasures. After asserting his legal ownership of the estate, he ordered them to leave and suggested they sleep in the street.

• Madam Liu and Zhang Xue reunited, then Wei Qing and his companions shared a meal at Tianxiang Tower.
• Wei Zheng complained that Wei Qing had not returned to the manor, and Liu Ru urged him to claim Wei Qing's treasures for Wei Lin.
• Wei Qing, Jun Wushang, and Li Wen arrived at Wei Manor, where Wei Zheng scolded Wei Qing and threatened to expel him from the family.
• Wei Qing challenged Wei Zheng's claim to head the household, while Jun Wushang raised the poisoning and Li Wen offered to involve his father in an investigation.
• Wei Qing showed the manor deed and ordered Wei Zheng, Liu Ru, and Wei Lin to leave; Wei Zheng protested, and Wei Qing told him the street would suit them.

Wei Qing refused the Third Prince Zhou Yan’s attempt to intervene in the Wei family dispute, then drove Wei Zheng, Liu Ru, and Wei Lin out of Wei Manor. He suspected Zhou Yan had ties to the demon race and hinted that the conflict was not over.

• Zhou Yan arrived at Wei Manor and praised Wei Qing’s rise to Earth-rank Garrison Commander, while Wei Zheng regretted turning against him and Liu Ru coveted his opportunity.
• Zhou Yan tried to recruit Wei Qing and preserve family ties, but Yun Tianheng warned Wei Qing that Zhou Yan carried the aura of the demon race.
• Wei Qing refused Zhou Yan’s proposal, then rebuked the prince’s eunuch for accusing him of rebellion and declaring the Heavenly Mirror Division loyal only to the emperor.
• Zhou Yan ordered the matter handled according to the law and left, forcing Liu Ru to abandon her appeal for his help.
• Wei Zheng and Liu Ru demanded Wei Qing’s opportunity as they prepared to leave, but Wei Qing and Jun Wushang rejected them and saw the family off.
• Li Wen asked whether they would let Wei Zheng’s family leave without consequence, and Wei Qing replied that the real show had only just begun.