Chapter Summaries

Liang Qu joined Xu Yuelong and Yang Dongxiong in defeating Tie Qing while the Frog Clan and Dragonfolk routed the Northern Fish. The allies celebrated a decisive victory, and the battered Water Corpse finally collapsed.

• Liang Qu blinded Tie Qing with Fubo, survived his counterattack with Golden Beacon Fire, and rallied Xu Yuelong and Yang Dongxiong to fight beside him.
• Liang Qu, Xu Yuelong, Yang Dongxiong, and the Water Corpse overwhelmed Tie Qing, while the Dragonfolk and Frog Clan held off the other fish.
• Xu Yuelong blinded Tie Qing's other eye, and the Water Corpse stopped his escape even after he tore off his own tail.
• The Northern Fish and their allies fled as the Frog Clan and Dragonfolk gained the upper hand.
• Frog Guerrilla crushed Tie Qing's head, and the Frog Clan reported three Iron Head Fish Demons slain, one captured, and no Great Frogs lost.
• Liang Qu stepped down from the battered Water Corpse as it collapsed in the dust.

Liang Qu helped Xu Yuelong and the others kill the Iron Head Fish Demon, then learned that its resurrection-like poison ability came from a Snake Demon’s venom sac. After the group settled the Dragonfolk’s appointments, they discovered they had crippled another Ghost Mother Sect branch and debated whether to pursue its fleeing allies or stay for the Great Marsh phenomenon.

• Liang Qu stood over the slain Iron Head Fish Demon as the onlookers marveled at his strength and the poison spreading through its corpse.
• A Dragonfolk identified the corpse-raising ability as similar to Lord Hui of Eastern Snake’s venom-based Great Demon divine ability, and Liang Qu connected it to Awei’s Nether Water Calamity Poison.
• Xu Yuelong sent the others to prepare for the approaching phenomenon, then boarded Long Zongyin’s ark to discuss appointments for Long Pingjiang and Long Pinghe.
• Frog Guerrilla promised Wei Lin half the money from selling the strange fish he had stopped.
• Xu Yuelong, Ran Zhongshi, and Liang Qu learned that the Ghost Mother Sect branch they had struck was the same branch that had ambushed Huaiyin County, leaving most of its core experts dead, wounded, or captured.
• Xu Yuelong weighed pursuing the allied branch’s fleeing remnants for their supplies against staying at the Great Marsh for the uncertain phenomenon.

After the Ghost Mother Sect’s forces were defeated, Xu Yuelong organized an expedition to seize their abandoned supplies, recruiting volunteers from the River Conservancy Office and allied groups. As the phenomenon began to stir, Liang Qu saw Frog Guerrilla approaching with Old Toad on his head.

• Xu Yuelong ordered scouts to investigate the Ghost Mother Sect’s retreat and planned to intercept the supplies they had taken.
• Ran Zhongshi asked Long Zongyin for Dragon Man Tribe support, but Long Zongyin refused because joining the attack would endanger his people.
• Xu Yuelong invited the Demon Subduing Division, the Three Laws Department, and Wei Lin’s people to volunteer for the interception, offering refunded boat tickets and a share of the spoils.
• Xiang ChangSong, Hu Qi, Cao Rang, and Zhuo Shaoqin agreed to join, and Liang Qu promised River Dolphins would help them escape danger underwater.
• Two Azure Boats departed at midnight, while Xu Yuelong watched the captured Great Martial Master’s corpse for signs of revival.
• The next morning, blue light filled the valley and the water stirred as Frog Guerrilla arrived carrying Old Toad.

As a spiritual phenomenon neared the Great Marsh, Old Toad directed the Frog Clan and Dragonfolk to mark its center, and the River Conservancy Office organized everyone into positions around it. Liang Qu was given a place at the very front beside Xu Yuelong, leaving the other Martial Masters puzzled about his special treatment.

• Xiang Fangsu spotted Old Toad atop Frog Guerrilla's head, and the River Conservancy Office sent everyone out across the Great Marsh in small boats.
• Old Toad arrived at the valley and directed Frog Guerrilla to mark the phenomenon's center, prompting the Frog Clan and Dragonfolk to arrange themselves around it.
• The River Conservancy Office and the other groups divided the surrounding waters into territories according to their agreed shares and martial ranks.
• Xu Yuelong called Liang Qu to the front, and Liang Qu rowed past the Wolf Smoke Martial Masters and commanders to the tip of the formation.
• Qi Hongyuan and others questioned why Liang Qu had been given the foremost position, while Yang Dongxiong's group understood his contribution had made the gathering possible.

Liang Qu joined the gathered humans and demons as the Immortal Island Above the Clouds phenomenon appeared, flooding the area with spiritual essence and rapidly strengthening everyone’s True Aura. The phenomenon also triggered a new manifestation in Liang Qu and gave the Ze Cauldron a wisp of Heavenly Water Morning Dew Qi.

• Liang Qu claimed the tip of the gathering spot while the Dragonfolk left it open, and Old Toad fumed over its past losses to Old Tortoise.
• At the Dragon Hour, the Blue Water Ripples spread across the sky and formed the Immortal Island Above the Clouds phenomenon.
• The spiritual essence poured down, and Liang Qu and the other Martial Masters rapidly grew their True Auras as the cloud torrent cleansed them.
• Liang Qu’s Azure Dragon True Aura developed a white-light manifestation, surprising Xu Yuelong, Wei Lin, Long Binglin, Long E Ying, and Yang Dongxiong.
• The Ze Cauldron trembled and recorded a wisp of Heavenly Water Morning Dew Qi, adding a brilliant sapphire-blue Long Qi.

Liang Qu seized the opportunity of Immortal Island Above the Clouds to grow his true aura and manifest an Azure Dragon, while Long Zongyin gathered the final strands of Long Qi before the anomaly ended. After the Martial Masters recovered from their gains, Xu Yuelong prepared to lead Liang Qu away.

• Liang Qu guided his true aura through the anomaly and formed an Azure Dragon manifestation, growing it past thirty feet while his White Ape reached twenty-three feet.
• Long Zongyin watched the Long Qi gather more slowly than expected and waited until the final strand joined the sapphire-blue mass as Immortal Island Above the Clouds disappeared.
• Long Zongyin stored the Long Qi in an Ice Orb and hurried away underwater on the White Sturgeon.
• Heavy rain fell as the Wolf Smoke Martial Masters emerged from meditation and celebrated their gains, while others learned that Liang Qu had comprehended a manifestation.
• Liang Qu opened his eyes and rose from the shuttle boat, and Xu Yuelong patted his shoulder and told him it was time to go.

Liang Qu divided the Dragonfolk’s payment with Xu Yuelong and claimed a large share of treasure. He examined his gains from the heavenly phenomenon, including a new spiritual aspect and three strands of Long Qi, and discovered that Heavenly Water Morning Dew Qi could preserve youth.

• Xu Yuelong explained the expenses and contributors owed shares from the Dragonfolk’s five hundred thousand liang, then gave Liang Qu ninety-five thousand liang in treasure plants and treasure fish.
• Liang Qu returned to his cabin and found that his Grand Purity Dragon Aura had grown to forty-eight feet and his White Ape true aura to thirty-eight feet.
• Liang Qu examined his Immortal Island Above the Clouds spiritual aspect and suspected that the Mirage Worm’s dream simulations had caused it to appear.
• Liang Qu connected with the Ze Cauldron and learned that Heavenly Water Morning Dew Qi could extend lifespan, preserve youthful appearance and bodily functions, cleanse evil spirits, and support Favor Sublimation.

Liang Qu examined Heavenly Water Morning Dew’s benefits and decided to save it rather than evolve a Divine Power, planning to use Red Qi when it appeared in July. After the fleet returned from pursuing the Ghost Mother Sect, the River Conservancy Office counted its spoils and chose to head home rather than risk an ambush.

• Liang Qu learned that Heavenly Water Morning Dew protected his mind, purified negative statuses, extended his lifespan, and could evolve Innate Skills into Divine Powers.
• Liang Qu decided not to use Heavenly Water Morning Dew or Dead Wood Meeting Spring and planned to wait for the Red Qi expected in July.
• Two Azure Boats reunited with the main force after pursuing the Ghost Mother Sect, bringing back two large ships and reporting that most of the sect’s upper echelon had been killed, captured, or driven off.
• The River Conservancy Office seized supplies abandoned by fleeing Ghost Mother Sect members, and the returning officers celebrated their profitable haul.
• Ran Zhongshi decided the force should avoid visiting the island and head home before nearby Ghost Mother Sect branches could set an ambush.

After returning from an operation, Liang Qu prepared for the June 6 River God Sacrifice and went home, unaware that Scarlet Scale and the great snakes were waiting to approach him. He reunited with his household and found the Old Monk looking healthier.

• Scarlet Scale learned the River Conservancy Office fleet had returned and told the great snakes to wait for a chance to meet Liang Qu at the River God Sacrifice.
• Liang Qu returned to the government office with the fleet and noticed that a Liu Family disciple seemed to have recovered from his illness.
• Liang Qu invited Xiang Fangsu to join the June 6 River God Sacrifice, assigning him a possible assistant priest role and joking that Ke Wenbin could lead the spirit dance.
• Liang Qu returned home, where Chen Xiu, Scarface, and Oolong welcomed him.
• Liang Qu greeted Su Guishan and the Old Monk and noted that the Old Monk's health had improved.

Liang Qu reviewed the upcoming Celestial Ship Merchant Guild auction, the expanded River God Sacrifice, his reward for slaying the great snake, and Guan Congjian’s challenge, which he declined. After learning the Dragonfolk had received River Conservancy Office posts, he agreed to meet the two Dragon Girls sent to serve as attendants at his residence.

• Liang Qu reviewed the June 18 auction invitation and the enlarged River God Sacrifice plans, and sent his aquatic companions to find suitable offerings.
• Liang Qu learned that slaying the great snake had earned him a Gathering Vein Great Pill and three Great Merits.
• Liang Qu read Guan Congjian’s challenge letter but folded it away and decided not to fight.
• Long Pingjiang reported that he and Long Pinghe had received River Conservancy Office appointments, with the other Dragonfolk also assigned posts.
• Long Pingjiang told Liang Qu that two Dragon Girls were waiting in the Great Marsh to serve as his attendants, and Liang Qu told him to bring them over.

Long Yao and Long Li arrived at Liang Qu’s residence to serve as attendants, and Long Pinghe described Liang Qu as terrifyingly strong and a likely successor to the Dragon Lord. Liang Qu accepted the two Dragon Girls, explained their household duties and living arrangements, and warned them not to enter the rooms occupied by two Grandmasters.

• Long Pinghe led Long Yao and Long Li through the underground river after Liang Qu agreed to receive them.
• Long Pinghe praised Liang Qu’s overwhelming strength and said he could replace the Dragon Lord if the Dragon Lord had disappeared.
• Long Yao and Long Li reached Liang Qu’s residence and greeted him nervously.
• Liang Qu accepted Long Yao and Long Li as servants and assigned them household chores and rooms in the rear courtyard.
• Liang Qu warned Long Yao and Long Li not to enter the second courtyard’s east and west wing rooms because two Grandmasters lived there.

Liang Qu settled Long Yao and Long Li into the East Wing Room and arranged for them to buy furnishings and receive monthly allowances. The Dragon Girls explored Yi Xing Town and learned how much respect Liang Qu commanded, while Liang Qu returned to the pond and discussed its expansion with Wu Cangshou.

• Liang Qu showed Long Yao and Long Li around his residence, assigned them the East Wing Room, and promised each a monthly allowance of twenty taels.
• Liang Qu gave Aunt Li silver to take the Dragon Girls shopping and raised Aunt Li’s food allowance in exchange for her additional laundry work.
• Aunt Li escorted Long Yao and Long Li through Yi Xing Town, where the townsfolk’s wandering gazes faded after they recognized her connection to Master Liang.
• Aunt Li scolded a braised-meat vendor and returned coins to two little River Otters, astonishing Long Yao and Long Li.
• Aunt Li helped furnish the divided East Wing Room, and Long Li and Long Yao officially moved in together.
• Wu Cangshou teased Liang Qu about the Dragon Girls and urged him to hurry the pond expansion; Liang Qu said the neighboring wall would be opened in two days.

Liang Qu oversaw Great Beaver’s plans for a tower ship, gathered three Great Monster Spirit sacrifices, and celebrated the completion of the expanded pond. He inspected the rice fields before consuming Treasure Fish and plants, bringing his Marsh Essence to 60,038 as he anticipated a distant journey in October.

• Great Beaver presented a detailed tower-ship design with a sixty percent chance of success, and Liang Qu ordered it to build a model.
• Fat Catfish and the other Water Beasts gathered three Great Monster Spirits to serve as sacrifices, and Chen Zhaoan arranged carts to transport them to the dock.
• Craftsmen completed the expanded five-mu pond, and Old Toad visited to praise Liang Qu and play in the water.
• Liang Qu inspected the rice fields, where farmers had begun transplanting seedlings among Rice Frogs and Rice Leeches, and cautioned that the harvest’s success would not be known until November.
• Liang Qu told the medicinal herb merchant he would likely travel far in October, then ate Treasure Fish and plants and raised his Marsh Essence to 60,038.

Liang Qu evolved the Mirage Worm and discovered that its rare Dream Butterfly ability could briefly connect it to the Mirage Clan’s ancestral land, Cloud Cottage Immortal Island, for a baptism of spiritual opportunity. The ability cost twenty-five thousand Marsh Essence, and Liang Qu recognized it as the breakthrough he had been seeking.

• Liang Qu reflected that his sixty thousand Marsh Essence reserves were insufficient for all the evolutions he wanted.
• Liang Qu spent over seven thousand Marsh Essence to advance the Mirage Worm, improving its white mist without triggering an evolution.
• Liang Qu spent another eighteen thousand Marsh Essence and triggered the Mirage Worm’s fourth evolution.
• Liang Qu examined the choices Mirror Flower, Water Moon, Dreaming a Thousand Years, and Dream Butterfly, rejecting the first two as dangerous dream abilities.
• Liang Qu discovered that Dream Butterfly could connect to Cloud Cottage Immortal Island and provide a spiritual baptism, and he realized it was the ability he had sought.

Liang Qu discovered that his Mirage Worm could guide a sleeper to Cloud Cottage Immortal Island, where spiritual aura strengthened the body. After testing the journey with the Mirage Worm, he asked Su Guishan whether the island truly existed and learned that it had existed in the past.

• Liang Qu realized that the Immortal Island Above the Clouds was the source of the Mirage Worm’s dream manifestation and that visiting it had expanded his True Astral Qi.
• Liang Qu tested whether the Mirage Worm could send a small fish into a dream journey to the island, and the worm agreed to try.
• The Mirage Worm entered a dream, explored a White Jade Plaza and stairway, and was swept away by a fierce wind before waking in the Quiet Room.
• Liang Qu observed spiritual aura emanating from the sleeping Mirage Worm and concluded that the island’s aura was real, though he decided to wait for another chance to visit himself.
• At supper, Liang Qu asked Su Guishan whether the Immortal Island Above the Clouds existed, and Su Guishan replied that it had existed in the past.

Su Guishan explained how the Mirage Dragon transformed Immortal Island Above the Clouds and how Da Li’s attempt to create a Dream Realm Dynasty shattered it and drew it into the dream realm. Liang Qu learned why the island could appear only as a mirage, then prepared for the June 6 River God Sacrifice.

• Su Guishan told Liang Qu that Immortal Island Above the Clouds was a vast levitating heartstone transformed by a Mirage Dragon, and explained that Mirage Dragons belonged to the Mirage Clan rather than the true dragon race.
• Su Guishan recounted how Grand Ancestor Da Li sought immortality by using the Mirage Dragon’s power to create a Dream Realm Dynasty, leading to a battle that shattered the island.
• The dying Mirage Dragon and other Great Demons of the Mirage Clan dragged the shattered island into the dream realm, leaving it between illusion and reality and hidden even from most of its own clan.
• Liang Qu finished his meal with Su Guishan and went to sleep before the River God Sacrifice.
• The next morning, Liang Qu dressed for the ceremony, was called by Xiang Fangsu, and left his courtyard.

Liang Qu attended Yi Xing Town’s River God Sacrifice with Xiang Fangsu, who had organized an imposing new sacrificial platform and preparations for the crowd. As the ceremony was about to begin, great snakes in the Great Marsh prepared precious plants to give the sacrificial beasts as a meeting gift.

• Liang Qu left his residence with Xiang Fangsu, who mistook Long Yao and Long Li for hidden beauties before learning they were Dragonfolk working for Liang Qu.
• Liang Qu saw the expanded sacrificial platform, six great drums, and a separate stage that Xiang Fangsu had arranged for the ceremony.
• Chen Zhaoan welcomed Liang Qu as town leaders and Martial Arts School masters arrived, including the new Hall Master Xu, who had donated one hundred taels.
• Three enormous chained savage beasts were hauled through the packed streets as villagers gathered for the sacrifice, and Chen Zhaoan arranged chilled mung bean soup and space to help the crowd endure the heat.
• When the incense cord snapped and the crowd fell silent, great snakes in the Great Marsh prepared to give each sacrificial beast a Water Treasure Ginseng, Lapis Grass, and Azure Wave Lotus.

Liang Qu presided over Yi Xing Town’s river sacrifice as timely rain and a series of astonishing offerings convinced the crowd that the River God had shown divine power. The sacrifice’s favor increased, and enormous snakes arrived from the Great Marsh bearing a treasure lotus.

• Xiang Fangsu led the sacrifice, and Liang Qu stepped into the blazing sun as gentle rain cooled the villagers.
• The Old Sacrificer declared that the River God had shown his power, prompting the crowd and local elders to kneel.
• Xiang Fangsu resumed the ritual while Liang Qu recited the Sacrificial Text.
• A Red-crowned Crane and a Great Green Turtle arrived with precious herbs, leaving Xiang Fangsu suspicious and Liang Qu confused.
• The Ze Cauldron recorded River’s Favor +2.0028, and huge snakes came from the Great Marsh with a Jade-Green Treasure Lotus.

During Yixing Town’s River God Sacrifice, four great snakes arrived with gifts and claimed to be envoys of the River God, leaving Liang Qu and Xiang Fangsu baffled. The snakes’ true aim was to gain Liang Qu’s trust so they could learn the White Ape’s whereabouts, while Liang Qu hurried home to consult his powerful superior.

• Four enormous snakes presented Treasure Plants at the sacrifice, and the Scarlet Scale Great Snake told Yixing’s villagers that their sincerity had earned a response from the River God.
• The snakes departed without explaining themselves to Liang Qu or Xiang Fangsu, while the villagers celebrated the apparent divine blessing.
• Underwater, the Scarlet Scale Great Snake explained that the gifts and public display were meant to establish goodwill and give Liang Qu standing before asking him about the White Ape.
• The villagers credited Liang Qu with Yixing Town’s good fortune, and Xiang Fangsu began distributing the sacrificial blessings as Liang Qu left to ask his superior at home what was happening.

Liang Qu realized the Snake Demons had come to buy White Ape’s whereabouts and asked Su Guishan and the Old Monk to help him deal with them before the Flood Dragon could connect them to the River God Sacrifice. Su Guishan suggested using Marquis Weining’s passing fleet, while the chapter ended with Xiang Fangsu asking Liang Qu whether he had received a response.

• Liang Qu told Su Guishan and the Old Monk that the Snake Demons’ gifts were likely an attempt to learn White Ape’s whereabouts.
• Su Guishan urged Liang Qu to accept the Treasure Plants and reasoned that White Ape could flee or stage a fight with the Snake Demons.
• Liang Qu explained that he wanted to eliminate the Snake Demons before the Flood Dragon linked its lost Favor to the River God Sacrifice.
• Su Guishan said he could not intervene directly but revealed that Marquis Weining’s fleet would pass through Pingyang Prefecture soon.
• At the wharf, Liang Qu learned that marked attendees were receiving sacrificial meat under the established distribution rules.
• Xiang Fangsu approached Liang Qu and asked whether he had received a response.