Chapter Summaries

During the River God Sacrifice, Liang Qu learned that the Southern Border forts had long been gathering Sweet Dew Long Qi and began plotting to find their stockpile. Meanwhile, Li Xianghan planted her second Divine Power Seed, and the sacrifices brought Huai River Favor close to perfection.

• Liang Qu continued managing his fief while using Spiritual Descent to aid Li Xianghan’s cultivation, and she successfully planted her second Divine Power Seed.
• Heaven Centipede urged Li Xianghan to compete for resources and learned that Southern Border forts were struggling with Long Qi and that the Tusi planned to offer ten strands at the Insect Valley Festival.
• Li Xianghan recalled that Green Pattern Valley had delivered a water-aspect Long Qi to the Tusi each year for more than ten years, prompting Liang Qu to suspect the forts held a large stockpile of Sweet Dew Long Qi.
• Liang Qu ordered Li Xianghan to ask her grandmother about the Long Qi and where it was stored, promising to help her consume qi perfectly.
• The June 9, June 12, and June 15 sacrifices raised Huai River Favor to 97.9414, leaving it close to one hundred as the June 18 sacrifice began.

During Anlan’s River God Sacrifice, Liang Qu’s Favorability reached its limit, unlocking new Rank Fruit revelations and allowing him to convert it into Dominance Level. He left with a path toward the Changyou Fruit and a chance to strengthen himself before the Eastern Sea Great Hunting Assembly.

• Liang Qu oversaw Anlan’s Sending the Wang Boat ceremony, whose mast fell toward land and was declared an auspicious sign.
• The sacrifice raised Liang Qu’s Favorability to its limit, strengthening his underwater abilities and increasing the Marsh Essence he could gather.
• The Ze Cauldron revealed that completed Favorability could be converted into Dominance Level and showed the Changyou, Wu, and Lord Huai Rank Fruits.
• Liang Qu converted his full Favorability into Dominance Level, losing its powerful river blessings and retaining only a small amount of Favorability.
• After reviewing the Rank Fruit conditions, Liang Qu focused on acquiring and refining the Changyou Fruit before the Eastern Sea Great Hunting Assembly.

Liang Qu weighed whether to spend Dominance Level on a Changyou Fruit, then celebrated the growth of his territory and its tax surplus. After forty exhausting days, he slept for two days, woke to Long E Ying watching over him, and turned their reunion intimate.

• Liang Qu considered spending ten points of Dominance Level to acquire and refine a Changyou Fruit, weighing its risks against the benefits of competing in the Eastern Sea Great Hunting Assembly.
• Liang Qu’s thirteen ports raised his River Favor to nearly twenty-five, and the completed midyear celebration increased his River Rule Degree to 2.4.
• Liang Qu went to the Jiang Chuan Prefectural Office, where the accounts showed a 4.38-million-tael surplus despite heavy construction spending and a massive water transport tax that belonged to the court.
• Liang Qu ordered the surplus reinvested in roads and high-end inns, then returned home and collapsed after staying awake throughout the forty-day celebration.
• Long E Ying had Little Mirage Dragon catch the noisy cicadas so Liang Qu could rest, and Liang Qu slept for more than twenty hours before waking to find her watching over him.
• After Long E Ying offered him tea, Liang Qu embraced her from behind and pressed her onto the table.

Liang Qu learned that the Tusi planned to move Southern Border’s Sweet Dew Condensing Qi after last year’s Long Qi vanished, and he prepared to exploit the transfer during the Insect Valley Festival. As the Saintesses set out for the festival, Liang Qu accompanied Li Xianghan and faced a torrent of snakes blocking the road.

• Liang Qu visited Long E Ying, then contacted Li Xianghan through Heaven Centipede Awei and heard her explain the Insect Valley Festival.
• Li Xianghan revealed that the Tusi suspected a traitor after the forts’ Long Qi disappeared during the war with Da Shun, and planned to secretly transfer the Sweet Dew Condensing Qi.
• Liang Qu realized the transfer could give him a chance to seize the Long Qi, while Li Xianghan, Yun Qianlan, and Yu Aoshan each resolved to excel at the festival.
• The Saintesses set out for Insect Valley, and Liang Qu accompanied Li Xianghan as a mass of snakes poured across the road like a waterfall.

Liang Qu left the caravan during the Myriad Snake Gathering and returned to the Great Marsh to recruit the Old Toad for a journey to seize the Southern Border’s Long Qi. Long E Ying, Long Yao, and Long Li joined him, and the chapter ended with them secretly visiting Li Xianghan’s carriage and startling her awake.

• The caravan stopped for the Myriad Snake Gathering, and Li Xianghan explained the Southern Border custom of waiting for the snakes to disperse.
• Liang Qu flew into the forest and traveled through a river and the Vortex Escape Path back to the Great Marsh.
• Liang Qu persuaded the Old Toad to join the journey to seize the Southern Border’s Long Qi, and Long E Ying, Long Yao, and Long Li came along.
• After returning to Li Xianghan’s head, Liang Qu took her silver note as punishment for supposedly speaking ill of him.
• At midnight, the Old Toad, Awei, Long E Ying, Long Yao, Long Li, and A Fei entered Li Xianghan’s carriage and startled her while inspecting her belongings.

Li Xianghan’s convoy reached Insect Valley, where she clashed with Liang Qu and Long E Ying before joining the Saintess ritual. Meanwhile, Liang Qu investigated Long Qi treasures in Marshland Kingdom and prepared to see what Insect Valley held as Southern Border’s young talents arrived.

• Li Xianghan secretly confronted Long E Ying in the carriage, hinting that a beautiful woman could be betrayed for an uglier mistress, but Long E Ying turned the story back on her.
• Fat Catfish beat Li Xianghan after Liang Qu gave it tacit encouragement, leaving her with an injury she hid from Li Yilin during the journey to Insect Valley.
• Li Xianghan changed into ritual clothing and met the Tusi, while Yun Qianlan, Yu Aoshan, and the other Saintesses gathered at Insect Valley.
• Liang Qu used [Spiritual Descent] in Marshland Kingdom, where Old Toad sensed ten Long Qi-grade treasures and Long E Ying recorded the items for Liang Qu to gather.
• The Saintesses performed the Insect Valley ritual, and Liang Qu missed their dance because Long E Ying kept him occupied in Marshland Kingdom.
• The next day, Southern Border’s young talents entered Insect Valley, and Liang Qu used [Spiritual Descent] again to explore the holy land.

The young talents entered Insect Valley for the King Insect Ritual while the Southern Border’s leaders gathered at the Myriad Worm Treasure Tower. Liang Qu directed Li Xianghan to a wild Tai Yin Gu, and the chapter left them searching for more treasures as Yu Aoshan also found several Gu insects.

• The Southern Border’s Perfected Elephant experts discussed the leading Saintesses as the Tusi envoy tried to use the festival to restore unity after the defeat by Da Shun.
• Yun Qianlan entered Insect Valley and outfitted herself with Gu insects that could track treasures, sense danger, and detect other Gu.
• Liang Qu overrode Li Xianghan’s Natal imprint and directed her north, where her rats dug up a wild fourth-grade Tai Yin Gu.
• Liang Qu consulted Old Toad, who pointed them east, and Li Xianghan set off eagerly to search for more Gu.
• Yu Aoshan found a sixth-grade Gu and several lower-grade Gu, while E Qi Rui eyed the ten wisps of Long Qi at the Myriad Worm Treasure Tower.

At the Insect Valley Festival, Li Xianghan gathered rare Gu insects with Liang Qu’s guidance and began refining them into a potential championship-winning Sunflame Golden Crow Worm under the Old Toad’s direction. Meanwhile, Liang Qu secretly entered Insect Valley Tower to search for the festival’s Long Qi, and found E Qi Rui writing in his room.

• The messenger introduced the Tusi’s Long Qi, including Renewed Radiance and Abyssal Current, whose connection to King of Huai left the Southern Border grandmasters subdued.
• Liang Qu guided Li Xianghan through the forest as she collected Gu insects, while Fat Catfish helped carry their supplies and fought her after she questioned whether it was a toad or a fish.
• Li Xianghan discovered that her harvested Gu insects could be refined into a Sunflame Golden Crow Worm, and the Old Toad intervened to direct the refining process.
• Liang Qu sensed that the Tusi had left Insect Valley and secretly entered Insect Valley Tower with the Little Mirage Dragon to search for Long Qi.
• Liang Qu searched the tower room by room and found E Qi Rui writing furiously.

Liang Qu discovered that Bone Fiend E Qi Rui planned to defect to Da Shun and used a Water Person to offer him a deal in exchange for information about Sweet Dew Condensing Qi. E Qi Rui revealed that two space-divine-power experts might be transporting it, and Liang Qu asked him to infiltrate the escort team.

• Liang Qu recognized E Qi Rui as Bone Fiend and used a reflected Water Membrane to read his letter of surrender to Da Shun.
• E Qi Rui destroyed the letter after Liang Qu revealed that he knew about his plan to defect.
• Liang Qu appeared through a Water Person, gave E Qi Rui a Mermaid Tear as proof, and offered to accept his surrender and ennoble him as a marquis.
• Liang Qu demanded information about Sweet Dew Condensing Qi, and E Qi Rui said it might have been transferred by a Grandmaster with Space Divine Power.
• Liang Qu asked E Qi Rui to use his Bone Fiend identity to infiltrate the team escorting Sweet Dew Condensing Qi.

Liang Qu arranged for E Qi Rui to defect to Da Shun and infiltrate the Southern Border’s Long Qi escort, while preparing to steal Sweet Dew Condensing Qi with A Fei. As the Insect Valley Festival intensified and Li Xianghan gained an advantage, Liang Qu began the operation in A Fei’s body.

• Liang Qu sent news of E Qi Rui’s defection to the Imperial Capital and planned to use him to disrupt the Southern Border’s False Dragon scheme and earn Heaven and Earth Long Qi.
• Li Xianghan successfully refined a Sunflame Golden Crow Worm, and Liang Qu left her to compete in the Insect Valley Festival while he prepared for his mission.
• E Qi Rui sought an assignment from the Tusi, and Liang Qu advised him to wait for a chance to escort the Sweet Dew Condensing Qi.
• Li Xianghan defeated a Hundred Grass Ravine gu master and stole the gu insects he had collected, angering Yun Qianlan.
• The Tusi ordered E Qi Rui to accompany Yin Yunzhi while he transferred strategic supplies, and E Qi Rui’s meeting with the other Twenty-Four Fiends set the operation in motion.
• Liang Qu used Spiritual Descent on A Fei and launched the mission as the disguised Assassin A Fei entered the Southern Border jungle.

Liang Qu attacked a secret convoy carrying Sweet Dew Condensing Qi, destroyed its protective formation, and pursued Yin Yunzhi while disguised as a small fishlike figure. As the escort tried to protect Yin Yunzhi, Heart-Devouring Fiend was stabbed through the chest by an unseen blade.

• E Qi Rui and the other escorts discussed the secret transfer of Sweet Dew Condensing Qi and passed the journey playing cards.
• After hearing a suspicious noise, E Qi Rui and Fire Fiend checked the carriage roof, and an attack suddenly shattered all six carriages.
• Black Water Poison Ren Ye gathered the survivors around Yin Yunzhi, who could not enter his Inner Heaven and Earth.
• Liang Qu, possessing the fat catfish, broke the golden Armored Beetle formation protecting Yin Yunzhi with a silver-white spear.
• Liang Qu turned into black mist, slipped past the defenders, and rushed toward Yin Yunzhi as Ren Ye and Gui Lingfeng saw E Qi Rui and Heart-Devouring Fiend beside him.
• A blade tip pierced through Heart-Devouring Fiend's chest.

Liang Qu and E Qi Rui rescued Yin Yunzhi and Heart-Devouring Fiend from the Southern Border, while Little Mirage Dragon stole Long Qi and Liang Qu fought off the masters guarding Insect Valley Tower. After escaping to Da Shun, Liang Qu used poison to make Yin Yunzhi open his Inner Heaven and Earth and found one hundred wisps of Long Qi.

• E Qi Rui betrayed Heart-Devouring Fiend and attacked Yin Yunzhi, while Liang Qu engulfed them in Black Mist and used the Marshland Kingdom to crush the Southern Border pursuers with a towering water pillar.
• Little Mirage Dragon collected Long Qi from Insect Valley Tower, fought the arriving Southern Border masters, and was rescued by Liang Qu, who killed the white-bearded old man and took the containers.
• Yun Qianlan confronted Li Xianghan about the Insect Valley Festival, then learned that Insect Valley Tower had collapsed; Li Xianghan suspected the Great King had caused it.
• Liang Qu escaped north through the Vortex Escape Path with Yin Yunzhi, E Qi Rui, and Heart-Devouring Fiend, leaving Ren Ye and Gui Lingfeng behind.
• Liang Qu gave Yin Yunzhi Awei's Obedience Water and made him open his Inner Heaven and Earth, where Liang Qu counted one hundred wisps of Long Qi.

Liang Qu escaped the Southern Border with a hundred strands of Long Qi and brought E Qi Rui and his family to Pingyang. E Qi Rui arrived in Da Shun and saw Liang Qu’s thriving territory, beginning his new life there.

• Liang Qu counted the Long Qi he had seized, learned from E Qi Rui that the Southern Border had transported multiple batches, and decided the remaining stores would be difficult to locate.
• Liang Qu knocked out Yin Yunzhi, then took E Qi Rui to retrieve his family and sail north toward Pingyang.
• The Tusi grieved at the failed transport, while Insect Valley’s contests halted and Li Xianghan felt a deep sadness.
• Liang Qu returned to his own body, received additional Long Qi from Little Mirage Dragon, and summoned officials to welcome E Qi Rui.
• E Qi Rui arrived in Yixing, saw Da Shun’s prosperity and Liang Qu’s victory displayed on a screen, and felt pride at becoming a citizen of Da Shun.

Liang Qu welcomed the surrendered E Qi Rui with a lavish tour of Yixing and a Shadow Play that left him enthralled, while officials discussed the political risks of the Southern Border conflict. After converting his Long Qi into a larger supply of low-grade strands, Liang Qu prepared to head south as the Southern Border Great Shaman began to move.

• Long Yao stopped Ta Ta Kai from roughly handling E Qi Rui’s family, and the group carried them ashore more carefully.
• Liang Qu and the officials showed E Qi Rui Yixing’s attractions, including the Eternal Spring Tower, a Phoenix Fairy Fish, and a Shadow Play titled Saving Martial Master Wang Er.
• Liang Qu, Eunuch Li, and Su Guishan discussed possible Southern Border responses and decided Liang Qu should monitor the Great Shaman while Da Shun prepared for conflict.
• Liang Qu used Yin Yunzhi to obtain Sweet Dew Condensing Qi, then sent Long Qi and Profound Yellow Tokens to the Imperial Capital for conversion.
• After the Southern Border Great Shaman showed signs of moving, Liang Qu prepared to travel south, and the Ze Cauldron displayed his six Spirit Fish and the option to sublimate his Martial Dao Divinity.

Liang Qu received Red Mountain and led his team south as the Southern Border prepared to confront him. On the journey, he repeatedly refined the Phoenix Fairy Fish to sublimate his Favor, then arranged with King Chong to delay the enemy and recreate last year’s victory.

• Liang Qu assembled his Dragonfolk and Martial Hall disciples after receiving the emperor’s order to set out for Lingnan, and Red Mountain arrived as his mount.
• Little Mirage Dragon created the flying palace train, and Liang Qu’s party headed south toward the Southern Border.
• Liang Qu repeatedly swallowed and refined the Phoenix Fairy Fish, gaining Marsh Essence and sublimating his Favor through successive levels of Martial Dao Divinity.
• Long Binglin met King Chong on Liang Qu’s behalf and proposed that they cooperate to delay the Southern Border and create an opportunity for another victory.

Liang Qu consumed Heaven and Earth Long Qi and Marsh Essence to transform his Golden Eye, form a Mind's Eye, and advance to the second stage of Martial Saint. As Da Shun and Southern Border argued over the stolen Long Qi, King of Huai approached the negotiations at the Lu Cang River.

• Li Xianghan defeated Yu Aoshan, humiliated her, and learned that martial law and the theft of Long Qi had disrupted the Insect Valley Festival.
• Liang Qu repeatedly sublimated his Favor, transforming his Golden Eye into a Mind's Eye and reaching the second stage of Martial Saint while expanding his Root Sea beyond one hundredfold.
• King Chong and Withered Bone Da Xi led negotiations as Da Shun and Southern Border disputed who had taken the Long Qi and demanded an explanation from King of Huai.
• Withered Bone Da Xi noticed King of Huai approaching the negotiations, while villagers at Changnan saw Scarlet Scale riding beneath crimson clouds.

As the King of Huai’s approach shifted the balance between Da Shun and the Southern Border, Liang Qu continued cultivating while the two sides argued over the accusation that the King of Huai had seized Long Qi. King Chong used the arrival to lure Withered Bone into a clash, and Liang Qu joined the fight, killing Withered Bone and leaving the Southern Border’s delegation in shock.

• The King of Huai’s movement toward Lingnan prompted Da Shun and Southern Border forces to reposition along the three defensive lines while maintaining a tense balance.
• The Da Shun and Southern Border envoys argued over the alleged theft of Long Qi and demanded that the King of Huai’s aura be tested against the captured aura.
• Heart Lamp moved to support Withered Bone as King Chong confronted him about the missing Stone in the River, then attacked Withered Bone to trigger a wider clash.
• Liang Qu arrived with his eyes closed and unleashed a vast Root Sea and a vision that overwhelmed Withered Bone with memories of his life.
• Liang Qu struck Withered Bone with the Subduing Waves Spear, splitting the Grand Shaman’s head and killing him as the Heart of the Young Dragon was exposed.
• The Tusi watched the collapse of Withered Bone and stumbled back, muttering that it was over.