Chapter Summaries

The Guardians won the Friendship Battle, and Yan Nan turned the Sole True Sect’s defeat into a public call for its younger disciples to improve. Fang Che collected rewards suited to his needs, then used the closing challenges to charm female disciples and gather information about the Secluded Mountain Gates, while Night Dream watched jealously.

• Fang Che won the King-level championship, and Feng Guohai won the Emperor-level championship, giving the Guardians victory in two of the three battles.
• Dongfang Sansan gave Yan Beihan Compassionate Heart Wood and Heart-Clearing Ambrosia, then agreed that she could challenge Fang Che after the battles.
• Duan Xiyang and Yu Tianqi agreed to fight once Yu Tianqi recovered, and Yu Tianqi declared that the snow could not crush him.
• Yan Nan handed over the wager rewards and branded the defeat the Chessboard Peak Shame to spur the Sole True Sect’s younger generation to reclaim its honor.
• Fang Che accepted pills, weapons, and divine crystals as his King-level prizes, then sparred with visiting disciples and questioned them about the Secluded Mountain Gates.
• Night Dream watched Fang Che surrounded by female challengers and glared jealously from the viewing stand.

Fang Che was pressured into a Friendship Battle against Yan Beihan after she threatened Night Dream, and he lost after a fierce, nearly even fight. The event ended with the Sole True Sect departing, while Bi Yunyan left still interested in Fang Che.

• Snow Condensing Sword provoked the gathering’s leaders, while Dongfang Sansan remained unusually silent after the King-level Battle.
• Fang Che praised Lan Xinxue’s Yellow Springs Swordplay and advised her to gain experience beyond her mountain gate.
• Yan Beihan challenged Fang Che, then forced him to accept by threatening Night Dream and mentioning Azure Wave City.
• Fang Che and Yan Beihan fought at King-level; after hundreds of exchanges, Fang Che conceded when Yan Beihan’s kick injured him.
• Yan Beihan acknowledged Fang Che’s skill and warned that he could become a great enemy of the Sole True Sect, while Bi Yunyan admitted her interest in him.
• Yan Nan led the Sole True Sect away, and Yan Beihan pushed Bi Yunyan onto the ship after spotting Fang Che with Night Dream.

Yan Beihan grew suspicious of Fang Che after their duel, while Dongfang Sansan quietly investigated him and Fang Che returned to the southeast with Night Dream. The chapter left Yan Beihan still uneasy about Night Demon’s story as Fang Che concealed his identity in their messages.

• Yan Nan ordered Yan Beihan to train harder after her battle with Fang Che, and she asked Bi Yunyan to gather information on him before messaging Night Demon.
• Fang Che left the Friendship Battle with Night Dream, was questioned by Dongfang Sansan under the Soul-Calming technique, and was later assigned to return to his post while Yang Luoyu openly investigated him.
• Fang Che reunited with his teammates, received an invitation and token from Feng Guohai, and celebrated the victory before departing Kanke City with Night Dream and Yang Luoyu.
• Fang Che learned from Yin Shen Gong that he should keep a low profile and contact Master Mu, while Yin Shen Gong entered seclusion to pursue a breakthrough to the Saint level.
• Yan Beihan questioned Night Demon about his absence from the Friendship Battle and his knowledge of Fang Che, but Fang Che gave careful answers and won her renewed interest with his cultivation insights.

Yan Nan tried to protect Night Demon's secret after Yan Beihan suspected he was Fang Che, while Fang Che returned to White Cloud Continent as a celebrated champion and prepared to visit his family. Fang Qingyun also went home seeking answers about his changing friendships, but his father greeted him with anger and compared him unfavorably to Fang Che.

• Yan Beihan told Yan Nan she suspected Night Demon was Fang Che, but Yan Nan denied her suspicion and worried that Dongfang Sansan's suspicions could endanger Night Demon's undercover mission.
• Fang Che reassured Yin Shen Gong that he had explained his absence from the Friendship Battle to Yan Beihan, then traveled with Night Dream and Yang Luoyu as news of his victory spread across the continent.
• Yang Luoyu revealed that the Southeast Headquarters planned a confidential assault on the One Heart Sect, while Fang Che returned to a jubilant welcome and received commendations and ten thousand Merit Points.
• Fang Che gave Fang Qingyun a limited supply of cultivation resources, and Bing Shangxue urged Fang Qingyun to reflect on why his old companions had drifted away as his cultivation and status improved.
• Fang Che and Night Dream set out for Azure Wave City, stopped at the place where Sun Yuan had died, and continued toward the Fang family home.
• Fang Qingyun returned to find Fang Zhenghang praising him in public, but Fang Zhenghang led him to the ancestral tablets, ordered him to kneel, and scolded him for falling behind Fang Che.

Fang Che returned to Azure Wave City with Night Dream and reunited with his family, bringing gifts and sharing in a lavish homecoming. After the family celebrated and punished Fang Qingyun over Fang Che’s teasing, Fang Qingyun explained that his rapidly changing prospects had disrupted the modest life plan he once cherished.

• Fang Qingyun told Fang Zhenghang that he had reached First Grade Martial Marshal, but Fang Zhenghang beat him for lagging behind Fang Che, who had become a Martial King.
• Fang Che and Night Dream entered Azure Wave City to cheers, and Fang Qianyi embraced her son while Fang Che presented gifts to Fang Zhenghang and Madam Fang.
• Fang Che revealed that he had married Night Dream, and Fang Qianyi and Fang Zhenghang welcomed her into the family.
• Fang Zhenghang arranged a citywide celebration and aid for poor households, while Fang Qingyun repeatedly got blamed and beaten after Fang Che joked about his female companions.
• At the ancestral rites, Fang Che’s aunt questioned him about Fang Qingyun’s love life, and Fang Qingyun was whipped again after Fang Che pretended to defend him.
• Fang Qingyun told Fang Che that he had once planned to become a Martial General, return to the Lineage, support Fang Zhenghang, and build a stable life in Azure Wave City, but his rapid advancement had changed that future.

Fang Che reassured Fang Qingyun about the family’s future, then left home with him and Night Dream for White Cloud Continent. After returning to his escort agency, Fang Che resumed his Star Light Branch Leader identity as Yin Shen Gong began a campaign against Hai Wuliang that ended with Hai Wuliang falling into Soul Devouring Cliff.

• Fang Che comforted Fang Qingyun’s worries about leaving the family, and the two cousins got drunk together, with Fang Qingyun passing out and confessing how much he wanted to protect their home.
• Fang Qianyi and the family helped Fang Qingyun recover, and Fang Che spent seven days at home strengthening his mother before he, Fang Qingyun, and Night Dream rode away.
• Fang Qingyun warned Fang Che to be careful because his reputation had drawn attention, while Fang Che explained that he had been trying to broaden his cousin’s perspective and prepare him to lead the family.
• Fang Che returned to the All Under Heaven Escort Agency as Star Light Branch Leader, learned that more than six hundred members had reached Martial Marquis, and announced assessments while replying to messages from his contacts.
• Yin Shen Gong sent two hundred One Heart Sect members toward Moving Mountain Sect as bait, and Hai Wuliang ambushed them before fleeing from the pursuing experts.
• Yin Shen Gong cornered Hai Wuliang at Soul Devouring Cliff, defeated him, and hurled him into the deadly mist before burying the area with boulders.

Yin Shen Gong confirmed Hai Wuliang’s death as Fang Che’s escort agency prepared for One Heart Sect reinforcements and the departure of its current guards. After the newcomers arrived, the departing guards subjected them to brutal training, while Mu Linyuan warned Fang Che that the Guardians were preparing to encircle One Heart Sect and urged him not to intervene; Fang Che returned to the Guardian Hall as its chief executive and War Hall vice hall master.

• Yin Shen Gong confirmed Hai Wuliang was dead and considered the danger Eastern Chief Strategist posed to One Heart Sect.
• Fang Che’s people passed their canon examination, then chose eighteen men for punishment; news that replacements were coming made the guards and Golden Flowers grieve their impending departure.
• Zhou Meier told Wu Lianlian she had fallen for Fang Che after he saved her, while Fang Che encouraged the guards to train their replacements harshly without killing them.
• Mu Linyuan delivered the Blood Spirit Seven Swords manual and warned Fang Che that the Guardians might launch a full-scale encirclement of One Heart Sect, telling him not to act even if others died.
• Fang Che returned to the Guardian Hall, became chief executive of both halls and vice hall master of the War Hall, and agreed that Zhao Yinger could visit his home with Jing Xiuyun.
• Zheng Yunqi and Zhao Wushang subjected the 174 newcomers to punishing examinations and training as Fang Che began considering Tang Zheng’s request to become a full executive.

Star Light Branch Leader brutally disciplined One Heart Sect recruits at All Under Heaven Escort Agency while Fang Che investigated a mass death in White Cloud Continent. The deaths were revealed to be the work of the Sole True Sect’s Nightmare Demon, and Guardian Hall prepared for combat as the chapter ended.

• Star Light Branch Leader killed fourteen recruits who challenged her orders, then demanded that the remaining 160 lose their murderous aura, learn the escort code, and adopt friendly smiles within three days.
• Yin Shen Gong and Qian Sanjiang inspected Hou Fang’s remaining recruits, berated him for sending murderous brutes, replaced 200 people, and ordered the rest sent to All Under Heaven Escort Agency.
• Fang Che investigated thousands of civilians found dead across White Cloud Continent and discovered that invisible entities escaped from their skulls when the corpses were opened.
• Meng Hejun, Shan Zhang Gao Qingyu, Huang Yifan, and Old Man Shen failed to track the escaping entities, while reports confirmed similar deaths in White Apple Continent and White Elephant Continent.
• Guardian Hall received orders identifying the Nightmare Demon’s Nightmare Soul as the cause, directing them to burn the bodies, conceal the truth as a plague, and prepare for combat.
• Fang Che oversaw the burning of 14,300 victims, urged Guardian Hall stewards to arrange their affairs and stand ready, and told them to stay safe.

Fang Che promoted Tang Zheng to independent street patrols after hearing how he had begun overcoming his fear, then learned that the Nightmare’s attack had killed thirty thousand people across White Cloud Continent. With the Nightmare and the Heavenly God Sect posing a growing threat, Fang Che returned to work and went to check on the All Under Heaven Escort Agency.

• Tang Zheng applied to become a Formal Executive, told Fang Che how he had overcome some of his cowardice, and received approval to patrol the streets independently.
• Fang Che told Yin Shen Gong that the Nightmare had struck White Cloud Continent, and Yin Shen Gong warned him about the Nightmare’s recovery and the Heavenly God Sect’s connection to it.
• Fang Che realized that villages and towns outside the city had also been attacked, so he sent the Guardian Hall staff to search for victims and burn the corpses.
• Fang Che and the others counted thirty thousand deaths across White Cloud Continent, but the Dream Realm True Spirits rose from the fires and escaped beyond the Golden Horned Flood Dragon’s reach.
• Night Dream received a report from Shadow about the Nightmare and the Heavenly God Sect, while Fang Che returned home briefly and then went back to the Guardian Hall.
• After patrolling the streets, Fang Che changed his appearance and went to inspect the All Under Heaven Escort Agency, where several hundred devils were gathered.

Fang Che inspected the All Under Heaven Escort Agency and set strict standards for its One Heart Sect recruits, while Dongfang Sansan investigated the Dream Demon and received intelligence identifying the Heavenly God Sect as its host. Dongfang Sansan ordered an assault on three southeast sects and sent Snow Condensing Sword to White Cloud Continent to suppress the Dream Demon's Nightmare Soul.

• Fang Che inspected the 160 new recruits, warned them that any breach of discipline could expose the agency, and used his saber to alter the faces of 40 men who could not conceal their fierce looks.
• Fang Che had the recruits take examinations, passed all 160 despite punishing 24 for sloppy handwriting, and left the remaining bound men five days to prepare.
• Zhou Meier silently ate grape skins after Fang Che left, while Wu Lianlian saw her grief and withdrew without disturbing her.
• Dongfang Sansan studied the Dream Demon’s history and concluded that its body and martial strength were weak, but its location and identity remained uncertain.
• Moon Shadow intelligence revealed that the Heavenly God Sect had received the Dream Demon, and Dongfang Sansan ordered an operation named Thunderbolt against the Three Saints Sect, the Light Sect, and the Heavenly God Sect.
• Dongfang Sansan sent Snow Condensing Sword to White Cloud Continent to suppress the Nightmare Soul with Sword Qi, then continued planning the assault and worrying about Guardian casualties.

Tang Zheng discovered that the three elderly neighbors were fiends responsible for a wave of deaths, but the Dream Fiend overwhelmed and fatally injured him before he could reveal everything. Fang Che arrived in time to hear Tang Zheng’s last plea, showed him his signed application, and declared him a Guardian before he died.

• Fang Che told Tang Zheng that Yuan Jingjiang wanted him to reach Martial General Rank Three before becoming a regular executive, then gave him ten pills to speed his breakthrough.
• Tang Zheng shared his hopes of marrying Xiao Mei and bringing her good news, but found her dead when he reached her home.
• Tang Zheng investigated nearby households, discovered that their residents had died in the same way, and identified the three elderly neighbors as fiends.
• Tang Zheng resisted the Dream Fiend’s drowsiness, fired a signal flare, swallowed the pills, and ran while writing a warning in his blood before the fiends struck him down.
• Fang Che heard Tang Zheng’s calls and found him gravely wounded; he showed Tang Zheng the approved application and declared him a Guardian before Tang Zheng died.
• Yuan Jingjiang arrived, saw Tang Zheng’s corpse and signed application, and blamed himself for delaying Tang Zheng’s dream.

Fang Che and Snow Condensing Sword uncovered and killed two Nightmare Guardians, while the Nightmare Demon's projection escaped their attacks before being devoured by Fang Che's hidden Golden Horned Flood Dragon. The group suspected the Nightmare Demon's true body and its supporters were still somewhere in White Cloud Continent, so Snow Condensing Sword stayed to investigate.

• Fang Che found Tang Zheng dead after he had left a blood-written warning that the Neighbor Three Olds were devil bosses, then covered Tang Zheng's body with his uniform and ordered Yuan Jingjiang to lead the group to Tang Zheng's home.
• Fang Che and Yuan Jingjiang found Chen Xiao Mei dead and decided that she and Tang Zheng should be buried together, then Fang Che led the search into the neighboring household.
• Fang Che attacked one of the supposed old women and revealed her as a Dream Devil; Snow Condensing Sword arrived and exposed the two women as Nightmare Guardians and the old man as the Nightmare Demon’s projection.
• Snow Condensing Sword killed the two Nightmare Guardians, but the Nightmare Demon’s projection began vanishing after an unseen force devoured it, secretly revealed to be Fang Che’s Golden Horned Flood Dragon.
• Fang Che reasoned that the Nightmare Demon’s true body and a supporting force were likely in White Cloud Continent, and Snow Condensing Sword agreed to remain there and investigate.

After Snow Condensing Sword killed a Dream Devil clone, the Dream Devil suffered a severe backlash and Kou Yifang sought refuge through Yin Shen Gong’s branch. Fang Che honored Tang Zheng and Xiao Mei with a wedding and burial, then visited the graves of his fallen comrades before leaving the cemetery with his grief unresolved.

• Snow Condensing Sword killed a Dream Devil clone and two Nightmare Guardians, then Dongfang Sansan ordered her to remain in White Cloud Continent until the Dream Devil was dead.
• The Dream Devil collapsed from the clone’s destruction and urgently requested a Soul-Returning Pill, while Kou Yifang contacted Yin Shen Gong to arrange a possible escape to the One Heart Sect branch.
• Yan Nan authorized Kou Yifang to use the branch only if his life was in danger, and Yin Shen Gong informed Fang Che that an unexpected situation had arisen.
• Fang Che dressed Tang Zheng and Xiao Mei for their wedding, announced Tang Zheng’s posthumous promotion to Silver Star Executive, and buried them together at West Mountain Heroic Souls Cemetery.
• Fang Che visited the graves of Zuo Guanglie and the others, then placed a flower on Tang Zheng’s grave and asked whether he regretted his choices.

Fang Che ordered harsh punishment for looters after the Nightmare Soul’s clone caused a massacre, then learned the Nightmare Soul and Heavenly God Sect leadership were trapped in White Cloud Continent and might seek refuge at his escort agency. As the Guardians and the Sole True Sect plunged the Southeast into war, Fang Che reformed his agency’s recruits, strengthened White Cloud Continent’s defenses, and left Fang Qingyun bruised after a staged training check.

• Fang Che ordered the dead civilians buried and issued ruthless penalties for looting, while Dongfang Sansan announced an even stricter decree.
• Fang Che told Yin Shen Gong how Tang Zheng uncovered the Nightmare Soul’s operation, how Snow Condensing Sword killed two Nightmare Guardians and destroyed the clone, and why Fang Che had been unable to answer sooner.
• Yin Shen Gong told Fang Che that the Nightmare Soul and Heavenly God Sect leaders might hide at the All Under Heaven Escort Agency, and Fang Che protested while agreeing to await them.
• Yan Nan learned that two Nightmare Guardians had died, ordered the remaining guards reminded of their duties, and the Guardians launched a sweeping campaign against four sects as the Sole True Sect retaliated across the Southeast.
• Fang Che’s punishing training transformed the escort agency’s recruits, who began escorting goods, while he took control of White Cloud Continent Guardian Hall’s operations and improved its patrols.
• Fang Che visited White Cloud Martial Academy, tricked Fang Qingyun into a sparring match, beat him up, and gave him two bottles of pills.

The Star Light Branch Leader said farewell to Zhou Meier and the other 149 people ordered to return, then secretly prepared supplies for their journey. The group departed White Cloud Continent without him, but he sent them a final howl from the mountains as Zhou Meier continued to hope he was nearby.

• Zhou Meier asked the Star Light Branch Leader whether he liked her, and he admitted he cared for her but rejected a relationship because of the danger and his ambitions.
• Zhou Meier pointed out flaws in his disguise, and the Star Light Branch Leader wrote her a farewell poem signed Yin Xiu.
• The Star Light Branch Leader instructed the women to travel together in disguise, then secretly arranged twenty wagons loaded with local goods and supplies for all 150 travelers.
• At the farewell banquet, Zhou Meier toasted the Star Light Branch Leader nine times, and he left before the group departed at dawn.
• The 150 travelers left White Cloud Continent, and Zhou Meier watched for the Star Light Branch Leader along the road until his distant howl gave them a final farewell.

Fang Che cultivated his weapons and martial skills while growing restless in a rare peaceful stretch, and he agreed to let Zhao Yinger visit his home after she confessed why she wanted to act on her feelings. The chapter left Fang Che hoping to divert her with a brutal assessment of the steward hall.

• Star Light Branch Leader offered the women remaining at All Under Heaven Escort Agency silver to leave, but they insisted on staying.
• Fang Che completed the Netherworld spear and continued advancing his cultivation and weapon techniques while waiting for events to stir.
• Fang Che considered how he might publish Jun Lin's autobiography without exposing his identity, then pestered Yin Shen Gong, Yan Beihan, Chen Yin, and Star Light for attention and resources.
• Zhao Yinger told Jing Xiuyun that deaths and her dreams of her late mother had made her feel time was short, so she wanted to pursue Fang Che without regrets.
• Zhao Yinger arranged to visit Fang Che's home that evening, and Fang Che agreed despite his awkward attempts to avoid it.
• Fang Che held an assessment for the steward hall and beat Hong Er Quezi, hoping to distract Zhao Yinger and Jing Xiuyun from their planned visit.

Fang Che hosted Zhao Yinger and Jing Xiuyun, while Night Dream won them over and Zhao Yinger remained intent on joining the family. Meanwhile, Fang Che continued searching North City and sent another escort party home, where its members tearfully praised the Star Light Branch Leader; Zhou Meier’s feelings for him deepened as she left.

• Fang Che brought Zhao Yinger and Jing Xiuyun home, where Night Dream welcomed them, and the women bonded while Fang Che’s blunt remarks about makeup left him excluded from their conversation.
• Zhao Yinger told Jing Xiuyun she had not given up on Fang Che, and Jing Xiuyun warned that Night Dream would be difficult to contend with.
• Fang Che searched North City for the Heavenly God Sect, prompting the Snow Condensing Sword to focus its intimidation there and terrifying Kou Yifang and the sect members.
• As the Star Light Branch Leader, Fang Che arranged another generous escort party for 150 people returning home, and the departing workers wept over his kindness.
• Zhou Meier and the others reunited with their families at Fire Phoenix Mountain Pass, distributed their gifts, and burned the escort carriages and flags as ordered.
• Zhou Meier left with her family while longing for Fang Che, and her mother realized that her daughter’s heart had been captured by the Star Light Branch Leader.

Fang Che inspected the Zhu Family and uncovered signs that its hidden experts belonged to the Secluded Mountain Gate. After provoking the family into promising a list they likely could not provide, he waited near their residence for them to make a move and considered how to bring in the Night Demon.

• Fang Che questioned the Zhu Family’s long history and suspiciously limited records, then warned Jing Xiuyun and Yun Jian Qiu that the family might be dangerous.
• Zhu Shaoyun welcomed Fang Che warmly, but Fang Che demanded a list of Zhu descendants living outside White Cloud Continent and pressed him about an ancestral painting.
• The Old Matriarch offered Fang Che the Sun Wheel Sword manual and asked him to exempt the distant branches from inspection, but Fang Che refused and insisted on receiving the complete list the next day.
• Fang Che noticed the Old Matriarch and eight young family members concealed powerful, ethereal auras, and he suspected they served the Secluded Mountain Gate.
• After leaving the Zhu residence, Fang Che reasoned that the family would target him to prevent exposure, then lingered near their home to give them an opportunity to act.

Fang Che investigated the Zhu Family, whose members ambushed him and drove him into a deadly encounter with the Night Demon. After Fang Che returned gravely wounded and the Zhu Family’s actions were exposed, the Old Matriarch revealed that the family belonged to the Heavenly Palace; Fang Che awoke at their residence and accepted their offer of medicine.

• Fang Che questioned people about the Zhu Family while drinking, and the Zhu Family elders decided to send four experts to deal with him.
• The four Zhu Family experts ambushed Fang Che, wounded him, and chased him beyond the city, where they mistook the Night Demon for their quarry.
• The Night Demon killed two of the Zhu Family pursuers and chased the survivors back toward the city; Fang Che intervened, fought the Night Demon, and eventually collapsed at Song Yidao’s side.
• Song Yidao confronted the Zhu Family, and the survivors admitted they had attacked Fang Che and abandoned him while escaping; the Guardian Hall condemned the family’s actions.
• The Old Matriarch privately revealed to Song Yidao that the Zhu Family belonged to the Heavenly Palace, while Fang Che regained consciousness and accepted the Old Matriarch’s offer of a Heaven Returning Pill.

Fang Che recovered after the Zhu Family’s assassins tried to kill him, then used a jurisdictional technicality to call the attack a misunderstanding and uncovered the family’s ties to the Heavenly Palace and its history of aiding the Sole True Sect. The Heavenly Palace’s Shang Mengyun killed the two assassins and secured a settlement with the Guardians, while Fang Che left apparently accepting the outcome and learned that the White Cloud Martial Academy team was safe.

• The Zhu Family gave Fang Che a Heaven Returning Pill, and he recovered while insisting the attack had been a misunderstanding and asking whether its distant relatives fell under his jurisdiction.
• Fang Che apologized to the Zhu Family after Song Yidao confirmed those relatives were outside his jurisdiction, then stopped Song Yidao from pursuing the family and tried to calm the two assassins.
• Song Yidao revealed that the Zhu Family belonged to the Heavenly Palace and had repeatedly helped Sole True Sect members escape; Fang Che pointed out suspicious gaps in the family’s records and urged them to aid the Guardians.
• Shang Mengyun arrived, killed the two assassins, and offered compensation to the Guardians in exchange for the Zhu Family remaining in White Cloud Continent; An Ruoxing accepted the deal and negotiated additional supplies for the Southeast Headquarters.
• Shang Mengyun revealed that his mother was the Heavenly Palace’s Chief Inspector for external affairs and turned to settle accounts with the Zhu Family after the Guardians left.
• An Ruoxing told Fang Che that the White Cloud Martial Academy team was holding up well with Meng Hejun’s support.