Chapter Summaries

Lin Heng confronted Jiang Jingyi about their relationship and proposed an alliance between the Dugu Clan and Murong Family, even promising to make her Female Emperor. Jiang Jingyi challenged him to persuade the Female Emperor and her ministers to let the Murong Clan expand at a celebration in three days, promising to become his Dao companion if he succeeded.

• Murong Ziyan caught Lin Heng trespassing in the Murong Family residence, but Jiang Jingyi ordered her to leave and confronted him herself.
• Jiang Jingyi freed Lin Heng, and he asked her to take responsibility for him because lending her his Fortune had cost him his ability to gather Dragon Qi.
• Lin Heng reasoned that Jiang Jingyi had given him the Dao Source to preserve his life while maintaining a balance with the Fortune she borrowed, and Jiang Jingyi admitted he was right.
• Lin Heng proposed tying the Murong Family to the Dugu Clan and suggested that Jiang Jingyi could become Female Emperor if the Dugu Clan rose to power.
• Jiang Jingyi promised to become Lin Heng's Dao companion if he persuaded the Female Emperor and her ministers at a celebration in three days to grant the Murong Clan permission to expand its territory.

Lin Heng returned to Prince Qi's Mansion and learned that Yun Yao and Zhao Wanqing had invested their money in Swallow Cloud City's expansion, including buying two mountains for Yun Yao's planned sect. Later, in the System Space, he caught Little Black eating a Humanity Fruit and heard Saint Ye explain that the dog had frightened Xiao Lan.

• Lin Heng returned to Prince Qi's Mansion and found Yun Yao and Zhao Wanqing waiting to ask him for Spirit Stones.
• Zhao Wanqing explained that Yun Yao had invested in Swallow Cloud City's Four Directions New City project and bought two nearby mountains to establish a sect.
• Yun Yao said she wanted to earn money independently and joked about having Lin Heng's child, while Lin Heng offered to support her and teased her about holding a baby.
• Lin Heng gave Yun Yao thirty thousand Spirit Stones, then went to the System Space to check on Saint Ye.
• Lin Heng found Little Black eating a Humanity Fruit and scolded Saint Ye for letting it eat such a precious inheritance.
• Saint Ye said Little Black was no ordinary dog and had chased Xiao Lan, who seemed afraid of it.

Lin Heng asked Saint Ye about the Dao Source in his body, and Saint Ye warned that it could hinder his future breakthroughs. Saint Ye advised him to reclaim his fortune and explained how advancing beyond one’s cultivation stage could ruin one’s potential, then revealed he could destroy the Immortal Realm by burning his last wisp of immortal soul.

• Saint Ye noticed Dao Source in Lin Heng’s body and learned that Ancestor Murong had left it there after taking Lin Heng’s fortune.
• Saint Ye suspected Ancestor Murong shared Lin Heng’s fortune and might have ties to the Fourth Epoch, though he could not confirm her identity.
• Saint Ye urged Lin Heng to reclaim his fortune and avoid keeping the Dao Source, warning that it could restrict him under the Heavenly Dao.
• Saint Ye recounted how Ye Yu’s early brilliance and rapid cultivation led to his eventual stagnation after his family pushed him to advance too quickly.
• Saint Ye claimed he could destroy the Immortal Realm by burning the final wisp of his immortal soul.

Lin Heng stored a wisp of Dao Source in one of his Spirit Wheels and met Su Moxie and Su Qiubai in Dingyang City. Their conversation about Su Qiubai’s engagement was interrupted by Su Wanyue, the Eastern Continent Star God Temple’s Saintess.

• Saint Ye advised Lin Heng to store the Dao Source in his Spirit Wheels instead of his dantian, then came out to explore Dingyang City.
• After two attempts, Lin Heng stored a wisp of Dao Source in a Spirit Wheel and went into the city to find Prince Qi, Yun Yao, and Saint Ye.
• Lin Heng met Su Moxie, Su Qiubai, and Su Xingwen at a tavern, where Su Xingwen and the others left the younger pair to talk.
• Su Moxie explained that he and his people had returned to the Northern Continent to help lead its counterattack, and Lin Heng teased Su Qiubai about their engagement.
• Su Wanyue arrived, greeted Su Moxie, and teased Su Qiubai about her temper.

Su Qingchuan asked Lin Heng to help the Star God Temple join the Dugu Clan’s expedition to the Heavenly Action Continent. Lin Heng demanded a reason to advocate for them, and Su Qingchuan offered two rare treasures suited to mortals seeking Foundation Establishment.

• Su Qiubai argued with Su Wanyue until Su Moxie intervened and warned that the Su Family needed allies to protect its standing.
• Su Wanyue led Lin Heng to a pavilion, where he met King Le Jiang Qian and her father, Su Qingchuan.
• Su Qingchuan told Lin Heng that the Star God Temple wanted to join the Dugu Clan’s campaign to expand into the Heavenly Action Continent.
• Lin Heng said he could not promise anything and directed Su Qingchuan to approach his mother or Ancestor Qingyang, but Jiang Qian and Su Qingchuan urged him to speak on their behalf.
• Lin Heng asked Su Qingchuan for a reason to help, and Su Qingchuan offered a Buddha-Infused Heavenly Bead and a piece of Goldstone Qi Mother for mortal Foundation Establishment.

Lin Heng received a Star Chart from Su Qingchuan that pointed to the dangerous Star-Suppressing Tower, then joined Mu Liuxi and Meng Yutong to prepare for entering the palace. Murong Ziyan told him that he would lead the vanguard at the third watch, and hinted that the Murong Family’s ancestor would appear.

• Su Qingchuan offered Lin Heng the Buddha-Infused Heavenly Bead and Goldstone Qi Mother, then presented a Star Chart and explained that his ancestor had entered the Star-Suppressing Tower and found an immortal sword and traces of the Martial Emperor.
• Lin Heng accepted the Star Chart and agreed to discuss Su Qingchuan’s request with his family.
• Mu Liuxi found Lin Heng and brought him to Qiantian Hall to discuss the next day’s palace-entry arrangements.
• Lin Heng flirted with Meng Yutong, who rebuked him and told him to behave himself.
• Murong Ziyan ordered Lin Heng and Hall Master Zixuan to lead the vanguard into the palace at the third watch and said the Murong Family’s ancestor would appear tomorrow.

At the Immortal Alliance’s reward ceremony, Meng Yutong tried to use Lin Heng’s promised reward to make the Female Emperor restrain Murong Yi. Jiang Jingyi revealed that she was the person Meng Yutong had been denouncing, leaving Meng Yutong and Lin Heng stunned.

• Meng Yutong told Lin Heng she planned to ask the Female Emperor to restrain Murong Yi, while Lin Heng tried to dissuade her.
• Lin Heng and the Immortal Alliance entered Heavenly Prosperity Hall, where Jiang Jingyi appeared veiled as the Supreme One.
• Jiang Jingyi praised Lin Heng’s contributions and offered him a promised reward, but Meng Yutong interrupted to make her own request.
• Meng Yutong accused Murong Yi of harboring improper intentions toward Lin Heng and asked the Female Emperor to restrain her.
• Jiang Jingyi removed her veil and revealed that she was Jiang Jingyi, leaving Meng Yutong and Lin Heng speechless with shock.

At the victory celebration, Jiang Jingyi revealed herself as the Supreme One, leaving Lin Heng and Meng Yutong stunned after their earlier insults. Lin Heng secured the Murong Clan’s inclusion in the Dugu Clan’s expansion plans, and Jiang Jingyi began awarding the heroes before approaching him to confer an official title.

• Meng Yutong collapsed and Lin Heng struggled to respond when Jiang Jingyi revealed her identity as the Supreme One.
• Lin Heng covered for Meng Yutong’s insults, and Jiang Jingyi publicly teased the frightened elder.
• Lin Heng asked Jiang Jingyi to let the Murong Clan support the Dugu Clan’s future territorial expansion, and she agreed.
• Jiang Jingyi announced fifty million Spirit Stones in rewards and introduced a new official rank system.
• Jiang Jingyi said she would personally confer a title on Lin Heng, who nervously backed away while clutching Dugu Zixuan’s arm.

Lin Heng was named chief steward by the Female Emperor Jiang Jingyi and woke imprisoned in the Harsh Punishment Office, convinced he was about to be castrated. Murong Ziyan explained that his punishment was serious and prepared to wield the heated shears herself, leaving Lin Heng helpless and terrified.

• Jiang Jingyi appointed Lin Heng chief steward, and he fainted before attendants carried him away to the Harsh Punishment Office.
• Lin Heng woke bound to a cross and unable to use his True Yuan, while Hua Qi appeared and refused to rescue him.
• Murong Ziyan entered and warned Lin Heng that struggling against the Immortal Binding Rope only made it tighter.
• Murong Ziyan explained that Lin Heng and Meng Yutong had repeatedly insulted the Female Emperor despite warnings, so Lin Heng's official title and punishment were deserved.
• Murong Ziyan said she would wield the Ox-Cutting Shears herself and dismissed Lin Heng's threat that the Dugu Clan would retaliate.

Jiang Jingyi forced Meng Yutong to become a maid by threatening Lin Heng, then revealed that Lin Heng’s punishment had been a bluff. She made Lin Heng agree to stay by her side as her male favorite, leaving Meng Yutong bound for the Laundry Bureau and Lin Heng facing the chief steward position.

• Jiang Jingyi confronted Meng Yutong and blamed her for failing to restrain Lin Heng, then demanded she serve as a maid in the Laundry Bureau.
• Jiang Jingyi threatened to make Lin Heng a eunuch, and Meng Yutong agreed to become a maid to protect him.
• Jiang Jingyi found Murong Ziyan preparing to punish Lin Heng and warned her that the chief steward threat had only been a bluff.
• After Lin Heng hugged Jiang Jingyi’s thigh and begged for mercy, she offered to spare him if he stayed by her side as her male favorite.
• Lin Heng accepted the arrangement after Jiang Jingyi threatened to imprison Meng Yutong as a maid, and she promised not to punish his master further.

Jiang Jingyi warned Murong Ziyan not to provoke Lin Heng because the Dugu Clan would retaliate, while Lin Heng remained detained in the Department of Internal Affairs. Dugu Zixuan decided to confront the Female Emperor about her relationship with Lin Heng, and Jiang Jingyi ordered that she be brought to her.

• Jiang Jingyi warned Murong Ziyan that harming Lin Heng could bring the Dugu Clan down on the Murong Clan, and Murong Ziyan admitted she had not considered the consequences.
• Murong Ziyan asked whether Jiang Jingyi would punish Meng Yutong, but Jiang Jingyi refused because Meng Yutong mattered deeply to Lin Heng.
• Lin Heng was taken from the Harsh Punishment Office to the Department of Internal Affairs, where he expected his mother to rescue him and worried about Meng Yutong.
• Dugu Zixuan and the others grew anxious when Lin Heng and Meng Yutong failed to return, and Dugu Zixuan resolved to speak with the Female Emperor.
• After hearing that Dugu Zixuan had forced her way through the palace gates, Jiang Jingyi ordered her brought to Nourishing Harmony Hall.

Dugu Zixuan confronted Jiang Jingyi over rumors that Fan Yian was her son and over the punishments given to Meng Yutong and Fan Yian. Jiang Jingyi explained the misunderstandings and revealed that another member of the Dugu Clan possessed qilin fortune.

• Dugu Zixuan entered Nourishing Harmony Hall by tearing through space and challenged Jiang Jingyi about hiding her identity to be with her son.
• Dugu Zixuan asked whether Jiang Jingyi intended to become Fan Yian’s Dao companion or adopt him, and Jiang Jingyi denied the adoption rumor spread by He Qingcang.
• Jiang Jingyi admitted that she and Fan Yian had joined Daos, surprising Dugu Zixuan.
• Dugu Zixuan objected to Jiang Jingyi appointing Fan Yian as chief steward and making Meng Yutong a maidservant, but Jiang Jingyi defended the punishments.
• Jiang Jingyi said she had prepared a fortune for Fan Yian and asked whether Dugu Zixuan wanted him to become the Dugu line’s reserve head.
• Dugu Zixuan asked how Jiang Jingyi knew the Dugu Clan so well, and Jiang Jingyi revealed that someone besides Fan Yian bore qilin fortune.

Jiang Jingyi explained to Dugu Zixuan that the Dugu Clan had been seeking a child with exceptional fortune to carry its legacy, and that its ancestors had come to value Lin Heng after learning of his growing fortune. She revealed that she had borrowed his fortune to protect him from Calamity, which she was suppressing within herself.

• Jiang Jingyi explained how the Dugu Clan’s declining fortune and divided lineages shaped its plans, including Dugu Qingyang’s support for Lin Heng.
• Dugu Zixuan realized that the Dugu ancestors might have been preparing the way for another Dugu prodigy rather than her son, but she doubted that the junior could surpass Lin Heng.
• Jiang Jingyi traced the ancestors’ growing interest in Lin Heng to his Dragon Qi and his extraordinary gains in the Ancient Emperor Secret Realm.
• Dugu Zixuan questioned why Jiang Jingyi had borrowed Lin Heng’s fortune, and Jiang Jingyi explained that Calamity had forced her to use her own fortune to seal a Supreme and protect him.
• Jiang Jingyi revealed the black thorns of Calamity spreading across her body and said she needed fortune to suppress it, making her survival depend on Lin Heng’s fortune.

Jiang Jingyi explained to Dugu Zixuan why she had taken Jiang Jingyi's Fortune and appointed Lin Heng as chief steward, revealing her plans to protect Lin Heng and expand the Dugu Clan's influence. Dugu Zixuan accepted the plan and left, while Jiang Jingyi turned her attention to Show-off and Dream Salted Fish.

• Jiang Jingyi explained that Lin Heng's Fortune had shielded him from Calamity and that transferring it to her would protect him while he pursued the Dugu Clan's heir apparent position.
• Jiang Jingyi told Dugu Zixuan that Lin Heng's chief steward appointment could give him authority to mobilize Eastern Continent aristocratic families for expansion.
• Dugu Zixuan urged Jiang Jingyi to explain her plans to Lin Heng and Yu Tong and to treat the family with greater consideration.
• Jiang Jingyi revealed that Lin Heng could serve as chief steward of the Heavenly Profound Circuit Eastern Continent Imperial Office, giving the Dugu Clan influence over the distribution of new territory.
• Dugu Zixuan agreed to the plan, left Nourishing Harmony Hall, and entrusted Lin Heng and Yu Tong to Jiang Jingyi.
• Jiang Jingyi wondered whether Dugu Zixuan saw her as a daughter-in-law and decided to visit Show-off and Dream Salted Fish.

Lin Heng found Meng Yutong working as a laundry maid in the palace, and the two realized that Jiang Jingyi had deceived them both. They confronted the Female Emperor, who dismissed their complaints and invited Lin Heng to Nourishing Harmony Hall that night to learn about the Beauty Record.

• Lin Heng met Eunuch Zhou in the Department of Internal Affairs, where Zhou told him to visit the Laundry Bureau.
• Lin Heng and Meng Yutong recognized each other through their divine sense and rushed together, surprised to find one another dressed as palace servants.
• Lin Heng and Meng Yutong realized Jiang Jingyi had kept them both in the palace despite their bargains with her.
• Lin Heng took Meng Yutong to Nourishing Harmony Hall, where Jiang Jingyi defended her actions as a lesson and called Meng Yutong Dream Salted Fish.
• Jiang Jingyi invited Lin Heng to return that night to learn where the Beauty Record was, and Meng Yutong insisted on accompanying him.

Lin Heng interrogated Long San, Long Si, and Long Wu in the Cautious Punishment Office about their ties to the Medical Path. Their account of being deceived by Jin Hui raised Lin Heng’s suspicions, leaving him to negotiate their release and reconsider whom he could trust.

• Lin Heng entered the underground prison with Meng Yutong and encountered Wei Yan Dongning, who was surprised to find him alive.
• Lin Heng questioned Long San, Long Si, and Long Wu about why they had traveled to Dingyang City and become entangled with the Medical Path.
• Long San explained that Jin Hui had promised to lead them to a Holy Artifact, brought them through a tunnel into Hedong, and used them to transport goods before Dark Guards arrested them.
• Lin Heng told the three men to wait while he negotiated with the Dynasty, since he could not simply order their release.
• Meng Yutong pointed out that the brothers’ story seemed incomplete, and Lin Heng concluded that they had concealed their motives for helping Jin Hui.

Lin Heng confronted Jiang Jingyi about her secretive plans and learned that Martial Path people were immune to Calamity. Jiang Jingyi revealed an image of Lin Ziqing, whose recorded words explained the Martial Path’s connection to the Human Path.

• Jiang Jingyi told Lin Heng that three Martial Path people had delivered boxes containing human hearts, skins, and eyeball-like objects, and left their punishment to him.
• Jiang Jingyi took Lin Heng and Meng Yutong to her Dao-comprehension field and explained that its inscriptions recorded the Ancestral Emperor’s and previous emperors’ paths of comprehension.
• Jiang Jingyi relayed Dugu Zixuan’s proposal, but Meng Yutong accused her of using it as an excuse to monopolize fortune.
• Lin Heng challenged Jiang Jingyi for hiding risks and treating people as chess pieces, questioning her explanation of the Calamity.
• Jiang Jingyi explained that Martial Path people could not be infected by Calamity and showed Lin Heng an image of Lin Ziqing.
• Lin Heng asked whether Lin Ziqing had been Jiang Jingyi’s teacher, and she replied that he had taught many people.

Jiang Jingyi revealed that Martial Path might belong to Human Path and explained how Fortune shaped the Beauty Record rankings. She identified the second-ranked woman as Dugu Yueli, the hidden Qilin Child living at Great Mountain, and Lin Heng resolved not to let her claim the gains he had fought for.

• Jiang Jingyi told Lin Heng that Martial Path could be part of Human Path, which might resist Calamity, and Lin Heng suspected the Martial Path and Medical Path factions were working together.
• Lin Heng challenged Jiang Jingyi about her motives for helping him, and she revealed the Beauty Record from the shattered fireball.
• Jiang Jingyi explained that the Beauty Record rankings changed with Fortune and that Lin Heng's Fortune had raised the positions of women close to him.
• Jiang Jingyi identified the second-ranked woman as Dugu Yueli, who was secretly living at Great Mountain rather than Nine Dust Hall.
• Lin Heng realized Dugu Yueli was the Qilin Child and vowed not to let her benefit from everything he had fought for.

After leaving Jiang Jingyi’s Dao comprehension field, Lin Heng teased Meng Yutong while they waited for the Female Emperor to issue his Tianxuan Dao chief steward identity. He explained that he had to accept the position because he could not trust the Dugu Clan’s ancestors to treat him fairly.

• Jiang Jingyi sensed that Lin Heng possessed the Mountains and Rivers Map and thought the Literary Path artifacts were nearly complete, but said it was not yet time to open the Literary Path.
• Meng Yutong noticed Lin Heng seemed troubled about Dugu Yueli, but he turned their conversation into flirtatious teasing and got her to nourish Yin Fruit for him.
• Lin Heng told Meng Yutong they had to wait for Jiang Jingyi to issue his chief steward status before they could leave the palace.
• Meng Yutong warned Lin Heng that the chief steward position could leave him struggling to win over the Eastern Continent’s aristocratic families and questioned whether he should interfere in the Dugu Clan.
• Lin Heng said he had to accept the position because his Lin surname and his mother Dugu Zixuan’s history meant the Dugu ancestors might not give him a fair chance to compete.

Lin Heng explained why he intended to build a powerful territory for his family and descendants, then took up his new role as chief steward and secured Spirit Stones from Jiang Jingyi. Jiang Yan complained about Lin Heng’s preferential treatment but left with funds and a new task after Jiang Jingyi warned that Big Senior’s people had arrived in Dingyang.

• Lin Heng told Meng Yutong that Nine Dust Hall and Eight Desolations Hall had refused to support him, and argued that he had to secure territory and resources for their future descendants.
• Meng Yutong joked that her son could inherit Lin Heng’s position, but said she would wait until he had territory at least as large as Dingyang City before having children.
• Lin Heng received the chief steward’s waist token after official rank reforms spread through Eastern Continent’s major cities.
• Lin Heng asked Jiang Jingyi for Spirit Stones, and she gave him a transfer order for two million from the Inner Cabinet Office.
• Jiang Yan protested that Lin Heng had received the money quickly and had taken people from the Cautious Punishment Office, but Jiang Jingyi said she had permitted it and gave Jiang Yan three hundred thousand Spirit Stones.
• Jiang Jingyi told Jiang Yan to watch Big Senior’s movements because his people had come to Dingyang.