Chapter Summaries

Luo Feng tried to expose Jiang Caiyan as a demonic cultivator and have her and Lin Heng arrested, but Leng Qingyun defended them and Lin Heng challenged Luo Feng’s own conduct. Jiang Yan gave Lin Heng a chance to explain, and the chapter ended with Lin Heng accusing Luo Feng of hypocrisy.

• Luo Feng pointed to Jiang Caiyan’s forbidden technique and deathly qi as proof that she was a demonic cultivator, while Leng Qingyun defended her for helping against the Blue-Scale Beast.
• Lin Heng comforted Jiang Caiyan as she feared she had dragged them into trouble, and Leng Qingyun rebuked the soldiers for standing by during the beast’s attack.
• Luo Feng demanded that Jiang Yan let him detain Jiang Caiyan and Lin Heng, claiming her identity could explain the deaths in Star Altar City.
• Jiang Yan told Lin Heng that Jiang Caiyan’s identity was clear and asked him to provide an explanation before the Garrison Command arrested her.
• Lin Heng argued that Jiang Caiyan’s origins did not define the path she chose, then accused Luo Feng of frequenting the Flower Pavilion and letting soldiers harass civilians.
• Luo Feng defended his conduct by saying he had fought wars all his life and deserved to enjoy himself.

Leng Qingqiu intervened in the dispute over Jiang Caiyan by pretending to force Lin Heng to abandon his Dao companion, giving them a way to avoid punishment. Jiang Caiyan took Lin Heng’s rejection to heart and fled, but he caught up with her and insisted he did not truly want to leave her.

• Lin Heng argued with Luo Feng, while Jiang Yan prepared to judge the case against Jiang Caiyan.
• Leng Qingqiu held Jiang Caiyan at blade point and demanded that Lin Heng either abandon her or let her die; Lin Heng publicly chose to end their relationship.
• Jiang Caiyan left in tears, and Jiang Yan praised Lin Heng before inviting him and Leng Qingqiu to drink at his residence the next night.
• Leng Qingyun questioned Leng Qingqiu, who explained that her harsh intervention had blocked Luo Feng and Jiang Yan and helped protect Lin Heng and Jiang Caiyan.
• Lin Heng chased Jiang Caiyan outside the city and returned her forgotten weapon, but she resisted him and said they had cut ties.
• Lin Heng picked Jiang Caiyan up and told her he regretted rejecting her and had never truly wanted to leave her.

Jiang Caiyan revealed that she had chosen the Demonic Path, and Lin Heng reassured her that he accepted her regardless of what others thought. After they cleared up their misunderstanding about his apparent rejection, Jiang Caiyan prepared to return to the Blood Moon Cult, but Lin Heng begged her to come back to the Green Pavilion Sect with him.

• Jiang Caiyan showed Lin Heng the negative emotions and demonic qi within her, explaining that she had chosen the Demonic Path because it suited her and would help her grow quickly.
• Lin Heng hugged Jiang Caiyan and told her he did not care if she became a witch, then reassured her that his other relationships would not diminish what he gave her.
• Lin Heng explained that Third Senior Sister had acted to save them from Luo Feng and that he had only pretended to end things with Jiang Caiyan.
• Jiang Caiyan said she had recognized Lin Heng's act but had been angry at his cold tone, and Lin Heng admitted he had overdone the performance.
• Jiang Caiyan announced that she would return to the Blood Moon Cult, but Lin Heng held her and asked her to come back to the Green Pavilion Sect with him.

Lin Heng failed to persuade Jiang Caiyan to join the Green Pavilion Sect, and they parted before he returned to Star Altar City. There, Prince Qi Jiang Yan praised Lin Heng’s talent, discussed the Blue-Scale Beast, and punished Luo Feng for questioning his decision to let Lin Heng go.

• Lin Heng proposed that Jiang Caiyan join the Green Pavilion Sect as his junior sister or disciple, but she rejected both ideas and pushed him away.
• Jiang Caiyan and Lin Heng parted, and he returned to Star Altar City while looking back for her.
• Prince Qi Jiang Yan told Manor Lord Tang that Lin Heng’s sword strike showed remarkable control of time and that Lin Heng could face an army alone.
• Jiang Yan ordered the Blue-Scale Beast’s corpse prepared for the banquet, explaining that eating it could extend an ordinary person’s life by at least thirty years.
• Luo Feng questioned Jiang Yan about letting Lin Heng go, and Jiang Yan slapped him away and reprimanded him for letting personal conflict affect his work.

Jiang Yan explained why he had not intended to arrest Lin Heng and warned Luo Feng against provoking him. Luo Feng learned that Lin Heng was the son of the Green Pavilion Sect Leader and Dugu Zixuan, leaving him alarmed and wary.

• Luo Feng knelt before Jiang Yan and admitted that he had wrongly targeted Lin Heng and his dao companion.
• Jiang Yan explained that he judged disputes by their circumstances rather than by labels like immortal, demon, righteous, or evil.
• Jiang Yan warned Luo Feng not to make trouble for Lin Heng, then revealed that Lin Heng's father was the Green Pavilion Sect Leader.
• Jiang Yan disclosed that Lin Heng's mother was Dugu Zixuan, Hall Master of the Ten Directions Hall, and Luo Feng feared the consequences of arresting him.
• Luo Feng accepted Jiang Yan's warning and put aside his hostility toward Lin Heng.

Lin Heng returned to the inn and found Leng Qingqiu questioning him about his relationship with Leng Qingyun, while she took the Green Lotus Dao Fire to keep refining pills. Meanwhile, Xu Erque plotted revenge against the sisters at Prince Qi’s banquet.

• Leng Qingqiu confronted Lin Heng about whether he and Leng Qingyun were Dao companions, and Lin Heng hid their relationship while thinking anxiously to himself.
• Leng Qingqiu said she would forbid Leng Qingyun from pursuing romance until she found a Dao companion, then took the weakened Green Lotus Dao Fire to continue using it.
• Xu Erque vowed revenge on Hu Tao and Leng Qingqiu after losing his military authority, then learned that Prince Qi was holding a banquet.
• Xu Erque decided to attend the banquet and whispered a plan to his attendant, who warned that the sisters were appointed Pacification Guards by the Female Emperor.

Xu Erque sent Qian Ming to deliver Life-Eroding Powder to his death guard so he could poison Leng Qingqiu, but Qian Ming betrayed him and reported the plot to Jiang Yan. Jiang Yan and Leng Qingqiu planned to use the scheme to catch Xu Erque and target the Dragon Manor faction behind him.

• Xu Erque gave Qian Ming Life-Eroding Powder and ordered him to pass instructions to Zhang Si, threatening to make Qian Ming the next death guard.
• Qian Ming secretly went to the City Lord's Mansion and told Jiang Yan about Xu Erque's plan, handing over the poison.
• Jiang Yan condemned Xu Erque and the Alchemy Alliance, then ordered Qian Ming to give Zhang Si a bottle of floral fragrance powder so they could catch Xu Erque in the act.
• Qian Ming found Zhang Si, explained the plan, and returned to the manor while Leng Qingqiu arrived at the City Lord's Mansion.
• Leng Qingqiu demanded Xu Erque's death, but Jiang Yan calmed her and said he would use the plot to uproot Xu Erque's Dragon Manor faction.

Jiang Yan and Leng Qingqiu arranged to fake her poisoning to lure Xu Erque into the open, while Lin Heng planned to leave for Swallow Cloud City before rejoining his senior sisters. At Hidden Sword Manor, Meng Yutong confronted Mu Li, who warned her that powerful forces were pursuing her pill-making ability.

• Jiang Yan asked Leng Qingqiu to pretend to be poisoned with Flower Fragrance Powder so they could catch Xu Erque, and she agreed.
• Lin Heng told Leng Qingyun he would go to Swallow Cloud City to help an ill friend before meeting the others at Hidden Sword Manor.
• Duan Shuyun relayed Mu Li's words to Meng Yutong, who met Mu Li outside Hidden Sword Manor and warned her not to target her disciples.
• Meng Yutong challenged Mu Li's claim that she had a Dao companion, revealing she had investigated Mu Li privately.
• Mu Li told Meng Yutong that forces were relying on her to produce pills and that Clear Moon Long Song, rather than Heavenly Secret Sect, might be behind the Refining Void Pill matter.

Meng Yutong and Mu Li compared conflicting accounts of the conspiracy surrounding the Refining Void Pill and suspected Ye Tian had deceived Meng Yutong’s Shadow Scout. Mu Li then revealed that she wanted Meng Yutong to bring her disciples to Joyful Union Sect to work in exchange for saving her.

• Meng Yutong challenged Mu Li’s account because it conflicted with information from her Shadow Scout, while Mu Li argued that the scout may have been discovered and fed false information.
• Meng Yutong explained that the Shadow Scout had heard Ye Tian speak with Qiu, but Mu Li questioned the source after learning Ye Tian was Meng Yutong’s disciple.
• Mu Li proposed that Qiu might be using Ye Tian and hiding the truth from him, while Meng Yutong suggested Ye Tian could have detected the Shadow Scout and arranged a deception.
• Meng Yutong recalled that Ye Tian had once used a false body to conceal his actions and suspected he had been plotting against her.
• Meng Yutong said she would personally cripple Ye Tian, and Mu Li learned that he belonged to the Eastern Continent Ye Family.
• Mu Li asked Meng Yutong to bring her disciples to Joyful Union Sect to work after Mu Li saved her.

Meng Yutong and Mu Li planned to use a Return to Void True Lord as a substitute to block the Heavenly Secret Sect while preparing to deal with Zhao Yue. At a banquet in Star Altar City, Lin Heng’s senior sisters discovered his Blue-Scale Snake, and Leng Qingqiu’s interest in it left Lin Heng uneasy.

• Mu Li tried to recruit Meng Yutong to the Joyful Union Sect, and Meng Yutong agreed to discuss a plan to handle their trouble first.
• Meng Yutong and Mu Li decided to find a Return to Void True Lord to stand in for Meng Yutong and planned to target Zhao Yue with Ling Fei’s help.
• Lin Heng attended Prince Qi Jiang Yan’s banquet with Leng Qingyun and Leng Qingqiu, where he secretly fed meat to the Blue-Scale Snake.
• Jiang Yan noticed Lin Heng’s snake, while Leng Qingqiu and Leng Qingyun also discovered it and passed it between them to inspect.
• Leng Qingqiu hinted that she wanted the snake for its gall, and Lin Heng worried that his senior sister had designs on his spirit pet.

At the banquet, Prince Qi invited Lin Heng to discuss a chess endgame and offered the Dynasty’s support in exchange for investing in his future. Meanwhile, Leng Qingqiu foiled Zhang Si’s ambush but was exposed to the poison he released as she headed to Lin Heng’s inn.

• Little Senior Sister fed the Blue-Scale Snake and took it with her after the banquet.
• Leng Qingqiu persuaded Leng Qingyun to spend the evening helping at the Alchemy Chamber so she could be alone with Lin Heng.
• Prince Qi summoned Lin Heng, who analyzed their chess endgame and inferred that it reflected the Dynasty’s situation.
• Prince Qi offered to invest in Lin Heng as a way to secure ties with the Green Pavilion Sect and Ten Directions Hall.
• Leng Qingqiu found Zhang Si waiting in ambush, but his poison spread over the area when he attacked.
• Leng Qingqiu’s soldiers captured Zhang Si, and she stopped him from swallowing hidden poison before heading toward Lin Heng’s inn while feeling dizzy and hot.

Jiang Yan exposed Xu Erque’s crimes and ordered his arrest, while Leng Qingqiu drugged Lin Heng and became intimate with him. Their moment was interrupted when Qingyun returned to the pavilion.

• Jiang Yan ordered Xu Erque arrested and summoned him to the City Lord’s Mansion, where Xu accused Qian Ming and Hu Tao of betraying him.
• Jiang Yan used Soul Search on Zhang Si to reveal evidence of Zhang Si’s conversation with Qian Ming, then ordered Xu Erque taken away for judgment in the capital.
• Lin Heng returned to the inn with Spiritual Lotus Roots, intending to discuss making a body for Saint Ye.
• Leng Qingqiu pretended to be her younger sister, gave Lin Heng a pill, and became intimate with him while he was affected by its medicinal power.
• Qingyun returned to the pavilion, leaving Lin Heng afraid she would discover him with Leng Qingqiu.

Leng Qingqiu revealed that she had impersonated Leng Qingyun and seduced Lin Heng, leaving Leng Qingyun furious and their relationship in turmoil. Leng Qingqiu insisted Lin Heng could no longer be with her sister, while he refused to abandon Leng Qingyun.

• Leng Qingqiu hid with Lin Heng under a blanket when Leng Qingyun entered, but Leng Qingyun recognized her sister and realized what they were doing.
• Leng Qingqiu dropped her act and revealed that she was Third Senior Sister, while Leng Qingyun accused them of betraying her and stormed out.
• Leng Qingqiu explained that she had entered Lin Heng’s room because she had been poisoned and wanted him to help detoxify her.
• Lin Heng objected that he was already dating Leng Qingyun and said he would take responsibility for both sisters.
• Leng Qingqiu insisted that she would not share Lin Heng with her sister and warned him against expecting them to be together.

Lin Heng confronted Leng Qingqiu about her feelings, then went to find Leng Qingyun after spending the night with her. Leng Qingyun accused him of betraying her, and the chapter ended with Lin Heng telling her she had already won.

• Lin Heng told Leng Qingqiu that feelings could not be forced, but she admitted she would not let go of him or Qingyun.
• Lin Heng and Leng Qingqiu spent the night together, and he tucked away her collector's-edition square cloth before leaving to find Qingyun.
• Leng Qingyun drank alone at a tavern until Lin Heng found her, but she fled when she saw him.
• Lin Heng caught Leng Qingyun and carried her to an empty alley after she slapped and berated him in the street.
• Leng Qingyun cried about always being compared with her elder sister and asked whether Lin Heng could let her win once; he told her she already had.

Lin Heng soothed Leng Qingyun after the sisters’ contest over him, and she returned to confront Leng Qingqiu, who conceded that her victory was only temporary. Outside the city, Black Robe told Lin Heng that the Black Market was threatening the Blood Moon Cult, and Lin Heng devised a plan involving Prince Qi.

• Lin Heng convinced Leng Qingyun that she had won because Leng Qingqiu had impersonated her, but she rejected his offer to treat both sisters well and went to confront her sister.
• Leng Qingqiu knocked Leng Qingyun back, took her umbrella, and then conceded that Leng Qingyun had won for now while vowing their rivalry over Lin Heng would continue.
• Lin Heng met Black Robe outside the city and learned that Jiang Caiyan had returned and the Black Market was threatening the Blood Moon Cult.
• Black Robe admitted that he had sought Lin Heng’s help because the Black Market planned to swallow the Blood Moon Cult and its leader collected beauties.
• Lin Heng considered using Prince Qi’s influence to oppose the Black Market and told Black Robe he had devised a costly plan.

Lin Heng brought Black Robe into Star Altar City and planned to help the Blood Moon Cult, then visited the Alchemy Chamber before leaving for Swallow Cloud City. There he discovered that Third Senior Sister had impersonated Little Senior Sister, and Leng Qingyun arrived to confront her over the stolen dress.

• Lin Heng told Black Robe that he would try to save the Blood Moon Cult and brought him into Star Altar City.
• Black Robe reflected on the lives of ordinary people and cultivators as Lin Heng arranged a place for him to stay.
• Lin Heng found Third Senior Sister disguised as Little Senior Sister in the Alchemy Chamber and comforted her, while she told him Master might be in trouble.
• Lin Heng agreed to return sooner after hearing that First Senior Sister and the others had urged him to come back.
• Leng Qingyun burst into the Alchemy Chamber, saw Third Senior Sister wearing her dress, and attacked her while Lin Heng held her back.

Lin Heng reconciled Leng Qingyun and Leng Qingqiu enough to prevent a permanent falling-out, then warned Jiang Yan that a Black Market planned to attack Distant Peace City. Jiang Yan sent Luo Feng north to help, suspecting Lin Heng had fabricated the details to secure assistance for his Dao companion.

• Leng Qingyun confronted Leng Qingqiu over taking her clothes, and Lin Heng carried her away after promising to replace the outfit and calm her down.
• Leng Qingqiu sent the Green Lotus Dao Fire to Lin Heng, then received a smaller flame that had split off from its origin.
• Lin Heng told Jiang Yan that a Black Market was gathering Fierce Creatures to turn Distant Peace City's inhabitants into a Blood Corpse Legion.
• Jiang Yan ordered Luo Feng and his men to go to Distant Peace City, saying he had investigated the Blood Moon Cult and believed Lin Heng needed help.
• Luo Feng and the other commanders wondered why Jiang Yan was treating Lin Heng and the Blood Moon Cult so leniently.

Lin Heng told Black Robe that he had asked Prince Qi to send the Garrison Command to investigate Black Market activity near the Blood Moon Cult, putting the cult at risk as well. In Star Scout City, Leng Qingyun learned Lin Heng had left and argued with Leng Qingqiu, who ordered her to pack for their departure the next morning.

• Lin Heng told Black Robe that Prince Qi would send the Garrison Command to Distant Peace City to target the Black Market, and warned him that the Blood Moon Cult might also be exposed.
• Lin Heng reflected on his growing control over the Dao Eye and considered how easily he could deal with Luo Feng.
• Leng Qingyun found the Blue-Scale Snake in her Storage Pouch and learned that Lin Heng had already left Star Scout City.
• The Blue-Scale Snake said it would stay with Leng Qingyun until Lin Heng returned and explained that it ate only people Lin Heng had killed.
• Leng Qingqiu arrived and told Leng Qingyun to pack so they could leave the next morning, but Leng Qingyun insisted she would not go with her.

Leng Qingqiu forced Leng Qingyun to travel with her, while Xu Xiaobai ordered Gu Elder to capture Ye Tian after another public insult. As Ye Tian prepared to advance his cultivation, Meng Yutong discovered the remnant soul hidden in his jade pendant.

• Leng Qingqiu restrained Leng Qingyun and made her agree to travel with her, then asked her to keep their relationship with Lin Heng secret from their fellow disciples and Master.
• Leng Qingyun returned to her inn and found her missing clothing box in the cabinet, realizing the dress inside was the one Lin Heng had made for her.
• Lin Heng and Black Robe hurried onward as Leng Qingqiu and Leng Qingyun headed south on the Blue-Scale Snake.
• Xu Xiaobai, angered that Ye Tian had mocked him again, ordered his attendant to send Gu Elder to capture Ye Tian alive.
• Ye Tian prepared to break through to peak Golden Core while Hua Qi left his jade pendant to absorb the sun and moon's essence.
• Meng Yutong saw Hua Qi and realized that a remnant soul had been following Ye Tian and teaching him cultivation methods and divine skills.

Meng Yutong confronted Hua Qi, Ye Tian’s hidden teacher, about her role in his plans and learned that Hua Qi knew of his danger but could no longer persuade him to change. Meng Yutong intended to kill Ye Tian or cripple his cultivation after the Inter-Sect Competition, but Hua Qi refused to let her do so.

• Meng Yutong followed Hua Qi into a bamboo grove to ask who she was and how she was connected to Ye Tian.
• Hua Qi identified herself as the Flower Goddess of the Divine Domain and said she had guided Ye Tian as his teacher.
• Hua Qi praised Lin Heng, prompting Meng Yutong to reflect on how little she had personally taught most of her disciples.
• Hua Qi admitted she knew Ye Tian’s plans and the danger facing Meng Yutong, and blamed herself for failing to change his ways.
• Meng Yutong said she might kill Ye Tian or cripple his cultivation after the Inter-Sect Competition.
• Hua Qi rejected Meng Yutong’s decision and said she would not let her harm Ye Tian.