Chapter Summaries

Duan De led the Zhongwu Army to confront intruders rampaging through the imperial palace, but they cut through his cavalry and defenses without slowing. Yan Qing and the others reached the ritual altar, where he used his relics to remove the Three Great Heavens of Qi from the present world, leaving Ying Le alone.

• Duan De rode with the obedient Zhongwu Army toward the palace disturbance, reflecting on his family’s ambitions and the rumors of the Bai Bao Guard’s massacres.
• Four intruders burst through a palace wall, and Duan De charged the Dog Head Mask, whose casual sword strike cleaved the leading cavalryman and his horse in two.
• Ying Ru Shi and the others reached the Central Courtyard, evaded a massive Arrow Rain, and broke through the shield formation with Yaoshi Yuan’s [Dragon Serpent].
• At the ritual altar, Duan Xiaoxian, Hulü Ming, and Hou Gujing confronted Yan Qing and his companions.
• Yan Qing repeatedly used [Eye of Fire] and [Epitaph] to make the Three Great Heavens of Qi intangible, leaving Ying Le alone against the intruders.

Yan Qing and the thieves imprisoned the Three Great Heavens of Qi, but the Glazed Barrier blocked their way to Ying Le and the ritual altar. As Ying Ru Shi slipped through the barrier to pursue her own goal, the others faced the Three Great Heavens, an approaching force of eight hundred Bai Bao Guards, and the Demon King Yan Fei Li.

• Yan Qing spent nearly all his spiritual essence imprisoning the Three Great Heavens of Qi with [Tombstone], then found that the Glazed Barrier was impervious while they remained alive.
• Duan Xiaoxian invoked [Mountains and Rivers Remain] and offered to pay the thieves to leave, but Ying Ru Shi demanded the Glazed Dream Pearl, prompting the Three Great Heavens to prepare for battle.
• Duan Xiaoxian warned that only those of the Shenwu Bloodline could cross the Divine Martial Emperor's barrier, as eight hundred genuine Bai Bao Guards charged toward the ritual altar.
• Ying Ru Shi asked Yan Qing to let her handle something beyond the palace; he agreed, and she passed through the Glazed Barrier into the ritual altar.
• Yan Qing and the other thieves attacked the Three Great Heavens, but Duan Xiaoxian summoned the Demon King Yan Fei Li, which lunged at them with blue flames.

Yan Qing’s [Obituary] could not seal the enormous Yan Fei Li, while the empowered Bai Bao Guard surged up the stairs. He shared his Dao Foundation with Yaoshi Yuan and Shang Xin Lei, allowing them to stop the charge as he prepared to face Duan Xiaoxian and the other enemies.

• Yan Qing’s [Obituary] failed to cover even one of Yan Fei Li’s feet, and he stopped casting after spending roughly 100 spirit essence.
• Yan Qing saw that Ying Le’s [Myriad Hearts] had raised the Bai Bao Guard to Dao Foundation rank, making the charging soldiers a serious threat.
• Duan Xiaoxian urged Yan Qing to retreat, but Yan Qing said he trusted his companions and used his prayer beads to empower Yaoshi Yuan and Shang Xin Lei.
• Yaoshi Yuan used [Dragon Snake] to shatter the warhorses and crush Bai Bao Guard soldiers, while Shang Xin Lei’s [Qi Blade Wheel] cut through their advance.
• Duan Xiaoxian recognized that Yan Qing’s Dao Foundation shared power with his allies, and Yan Qing confirmed that its ability was [Life and Death Together].

Yan Qing recognized how Calamity Four Phases could let his team generate and funnel Calamity Karma to him, making its team-based power more valuable than he had first believed. He then prepared to face Yan Fei Li by activating [Life and Death Together].

• Yan Qing compared Calamity Four Phases with the Life and Death Profound Dao Foundation and concluded that his Dao Foundation could grow through his teammates’ strength.
• Yan Qing realized that Calamity Four Phases credited his teammates’ damage to him, allowing him to claim the Calamity Karma they generated in secret realms.
• Yan Qing turned to confront Yan Fei Li as the Three Great Heavens of Qi feared he still had an unrevealed trump card.
• Yan Qing picked up an ant and summoned a yellow paper talisman bearing the words [Life and Death Together].

Yan Qing used [Life and Death Together] and a series of evasive supernatural abilities to overpower Yan Fei Li. He continued cutting into the wounded Demon King while Qi's Three Great Heavens watched in terror.

• Yan Qing struck Yan Fei Li with [Death], grievously wounding the Demon King and damaging its soul.
• Yan Qing explained how [Life and Death Together] linked two targets so they suffered the same damage and shared a death-triggered paralysis effect.
• Yan Qing repeatedly linked himself to Yan Fei Li and hacked at it, paralyzing the Demon King and leaving it covered in wounds.
• Yan Qing evaded Yan Fei Li's attacks with [Nirvana Rebirth] and escaped its blue-flame blast by entering [Epitaph]'s illusory state.
• Yan Qing used Bingzi Jiaolin to keep wounding Yan Fei Li as its vision and attacks deteriorated, while Qi's Three Great Heavens grew terrified.

Ying Le explained that killing the Gold Badge Divine Arrestor could not repair the flaw in her Dao Foundation, then warned Ying Ru Shi about the dangers of flawed foundations and the [Mortal World Eye]. She urged Ying Ru Shi to face the hopes and fears tormenting her, leaving her shaken by the advice.

• Ying Le killed the Gold Badge Divine Arrestor and absorbed the blood energy from his corpse while Ying Ru Shi waited.
• Ying Le told Ying Ru Shi that her Thousand Blood Feather Flow Dao Foundation required her to kill every demon who fought her, but advancing to the Fifth Turn with a flaw had made it permanent.
• Ying Le and Ying Ru Shi discussed how the [Mortal World Eye] strengthened their Dao Foundations and caused them to spend more time in dreams.
• Ying Le described how she recreated scenes from her nightmares to overcome her fear of blood and corpses, and told Ying Ru Shi that surrendering to feared outcomes could bring relief.
• Ying Ru Shi realized her dreams about Yan Qing, Murong Hui, and the other women came from her hope and fear, while Ying Le warned that hope would eventually catch up with everyone.

Ying Le revealed how the Mortal World Eye and the Divine Martial Golden Nature drove her to exterminate the imperial clan and sacrifice City of Evernight to strengthen her Dao Foundation. Ying Ru Shi understood Ying Le’s suffering but confronted her over the massacre, ending with her own anger rising beyond her control.

• Ying Le told Ying Ru Shi that weakening her Dao Foundation had only temporarily eased the Mortal World Eye’s influence, and that the awakening of the Divine Martial True Blood in the King of Bohai made her fear the Golden Nature would consume her.
• Ying Le admitted that she had killed the King of Bohai, the Princess of Bohai, and nearly the entire Ying imperial clan to prevent their Golden Nature from growing stronger.
• Ying Le explained that she had fused with the Glazed Dream Pearl and made the Mortal World Eye a second divine ability, but lacked enough Golden Nature to awaken the true Pillow in the Red Dust.
• Ying Ru Shi acknowledged Ying Le’s torment and past efforts to protect the kingdom, then asked why she had slaughtered the people of City of Evernight and nearby counties.
• Ying Le said she needed their qi, blood, and souls to strengthen her Dao Foundation before Ying Ru Shi surpassed her, while Ying Ru Shi declared that her anger was beyond her control.

Ying Ru Shi challenged Ying Le alone, using a Grandmaster-level Instant Sword Drawing Technique against Ying Le’s hidden flame ability. Ying Le overwhelmed her with [Fear of the Burning House], but Ying Ru Shi emerged from the flames unharmed and apparently able to command them.

• Ying Ru Shi insisted that only she could face Ying Le and launched a surprise strike with the Gui Cang Secret Sword.
• Ying Le blocked Ying Ru Shi’s Foundation Establishment-strength sword strike and revealed her Thousand Blood Feather Flow Dao Foundation and external supernatural ability, [Fear of the Burning House].
• Ying Le explained that she had accumulated Dao Marks from a demonized dragonkin to reproduce its flame ability, then trapped Ying Ru Shi inside a blazing altar.
• Ying Le unleashed her killing move, Burning House Lamp, expecting the flames to kill Ying Ru Shi.
• Ying Ru Shi walked out of the inferno unharmed as the flames clustered around her and obeyed her commands.

Ying Ru Shi used her Overturned Water All Beings Dao Foundation to seize control of Ying Le’s fire domain, countering her abilities and forcing Ying Le to confront her directly. Their battle continued with Ying Le overpowering Ying Ru Shi, but Ying Ru Shi wounded her with the Relying on Heaven Sword, leaving both fighters armed and ready to continue.

• Ying Ru Shi turned Ying Le’s flames against her and fought her with the Gui Cang Secret Sword.
• Ying Ru Shi revealed that her Dao Foundation, Overturned Water All Beings, let her infiltrate and control the Dao Marks in Ying Le’s domain.
• Ying Le laughed, then declared she would defy fate and defeat Ying Ru Shi before confronting Divine Martial Emperor.
• Ying Ru Shi drew the Relying on Heaven Sword and activated the Palm Thunder Pearl, but Ying Le sent her flying with her twin swords.
• Ying Ru Shi rose with a shattered mask and a notched Relying on Heaven Sword after slashing a deep wound into Ying Le with Sword Gall Grey.

Ying Ru Shi activated the Relying on Heaven Sword’s four-turn Overlord and attacked Ying Le during a brief opening. A flashback revealed that Yan Qing had helped her prepare for the battle by raising the sword’s grade, leaving the fight’s outcome unresolved.

• Ying Ru Shi used Overlord, restoring her injuries and enhancing the Relying on Heaven Sword for ten seconds.
• Ying Le recognized that the Relying on Heaven Sword had reached four turns, but Ying Ru Shi struck her shoulder with sword ash before she could react.
• The night before, Yan Qing asked Ying Ru Shi to let him help create an opportunity for her to fight Ying Le alone.
• Ying Ru Shi admitted she had at most a fifty percent chance of victory, and Yan Qing proposed raising the Relying on Heaven Sword to four turns.
• Yan Qing used a Purple-Gold Fire Essence and a Thunder Spirit Pearl to upgrade the Relying on Heaven Sword, urging Ying Ru Shi to win back her past, present, and future in the battle.

Ying Ru Shi and Ying Le fought a brutal duel in which Ying Ru Shi’s enhanced speed and Calamity Force appeared to defeat Ying Le. Ying Le then claimed she could keep fighting through [Pillow in the Red Dust], but revealed it was a jest and collapsed, leaving Ying Ru Shi to rush at her.

• Ying Ru Shi used the Relying on Heaven Sword’s spiritual essence recovery to battle Ying Le at extreme speed, while Ying Le countered with precise strikes.
• Ying Ru Shi shattered Ying Le’s defenses and Dao Foundation, leaving Ying Le near death as Calamity Force suppressed her healing.
• Ying Le rose from the blood pool and declared that [Pillow in the Red Dust] let her keep moving as long as she believed she could.
• Ying Le laughed and called her declaration a jest, then fell backward into the blood pool.
• Ying Ru Shi charged at Ying Le with the Relying on Heaven Sword, intent on finishing the fight herself.

Ying Ru Shi learned that the Demon Fox hallucinations came from the Divine Martial Golden Nature and that absorbing Ying Le’s Golden Nature could end them, but might also fulfill the Divine Martial Emperor’s plans. She merged with the Glazed Dream Pearl and accepted responsibility for the Ying Clan’s sins, while Yan Qing prepared to attack Qi’s Three Great Heavens.

• Ying Ru Shi’s Mortal World Eye merged with Pillow in the Red Dust, trapping her in an illusion that hid Ying Le and revealed the Glazed Dream Pearl.
• The Divine Martial phantom explained that Ying Ru Shi could absorb Ying Le’s Golden Nature and merge with the pearl to begin the Golden Gathering Ritual, ending the hallucinations but potentially reviving or empowering him.
• Ying Ru Shi questioned the Divine Martial phantom about his motives and the danger his legacy posed to Qi, then declared she would bear the Ying Clan’s sins and took the Glazed Dream Pearl.
• Ying Ru Shi sank beneath the blood pool as golden ritual patterns appeared, and people across Qi felt that something had been lost forever.
• Yan Qing sensed the change at the Glazed Barrier, stood over the defeated Yan Fei Li, and turned his attention toward Qi’s Three Great Heavens.

Yan Qing used his trump cards to attack Duan Xiaoxian and Hulü Guang at once, aiming to kill them during the five seconds of [Body in Dream]. He destroyed Duan Xiaoxian’s final clone and shattered his Defense Barrier, leaving the fight poised for a decisive blow.

• Yan Qing activated [Heaven Overturning] and charged Duan Xiaoxian while Qi's Three Great Heavens prepared to fight.
• Yan Qing used [Body in Dream] and [Life and Death Together], ending the incorporeal states of Duan Xiaoxian and Hulü Guang and binding their lives together.
• Yan Qing shattered Duan Xiaoxian’s Steed in Crevice clone while Hulü Guang attacked with his Twin Greatswords and then drew their hidden slender blades.
• Yan Qing ignored Hulü Guang’s assault and focused on striking Duan Xiaoxian’s Fire in Stone clone during its brief vulnerable moment.
• Yan Qing cut the Fire in Stone clone into sparks, and Duan Xiaoxian’s Defense Barrier shattered.

Yan Qing killed Duan Xiaoxian and Hulü Guang, causing his Dao Foundation to level up, while Hou Gujing fled after lowering the Glazed Barrier. Yan Qing reached the ritual altar and sensed Ying Ru Shi in the blood pool, but the blood lotus’s Pillow in the Red Dust deflected his attempts to approach it.

• Yan Qing used Body in Dream with Steed in Crevice and Fire in Stone to kill Duan Xiaoxian despite his backup Defensive Token.
• Hulü Guang unleashed a final attack, then died after Duan Xiaoxian’s death compounded his injuries and consumed his remaining life.
• Yan Qing’s Dao Foundation grew after he killed the two Foundation Establishment cultivators and fulfilled its second restraint.
• Yan Qing discovered that Hou Gujing had fled and that the Glazed Barrier had vanished.
• Yan Qing sensed Ying Ru Shi inside the blood pool, but Pillow in the Red Dust repeatedly deflected him from the blood lotus.

Ying Ru Shi and Ying Le explored a snowy memory left by the Divine Martial Emperor in the Glazed Dream Pearl and learned how Empress Wu Ming became the first Demon Fox. Ying Le left to confront the Divine Martial Emperor while Ying Ru Shi stayed behind as someone came looking for her.

• Ying Le and Ying Ru Shi watched the Divine Martial Emperor and Empress Wu Ming walking together through the snow in a memory within the Glazed Dream Pearl.
• Ying Le explained that Empress Wu Ming secluded herself in Changle Palace after the Divine Martial Emperor died and that their daughter, Emperor Taizong, awakened the Divine Martial True Blood and became the first Demon Fox.
• Ying Ru Shi realized the Divine Martial Emperor had left his daughter a way to create a dream of the past for Empress Wu Ming, honoring their vow to grow old together.
• Ying Le placed the Shore Flower in Ying Ru Shi's hair and slid down the snowy hillside to confront the Divine Martial Emperor.
• Ying Le told Ying Ru Shi that someone had come looking for her and said farewell before the wind and snow swallowed her figure.

Ying Ru Shi fused with the Divine Martial Emperor’s Golden Nature to stop the Shenwu Bloodline’s fate, while Yan Qing linked their states and helped her survive the ritual. She emerged with a fused divine ability and confessed that she wanted to stay with Yan Qing for life.

• Ying Ru Shi explained that she needed to absorb the Divine Martial Emperor’s Golden Nature to stop the other Demon Foxes from being born.
• Yan Qing cast [Life and Death Together] to distribute Ying Ru Shi’s status between them, then used [Epitaph] to restore vitality and cure Negative Statuses.
• Ying Ru Shi entered a ruby cocoon and emerged with Golden Nature fused into her [Pillow in the Red Dust] divine ability.
• Ying Ru Shi used her influence to make Yan Qing remove the Defense Barrier, then kissed him before they put their masks back on.
• Ying Ru Shi admitted that the Golden Nature made her want one person for the rest of her life, and Yan Qing realized she meant him.

Ying Ru Shi and her companions defeated Ying Le, looted the battlefield, and left the City of Evernight together. Back at the Thieves' Den, Ying Ru Shi realized she had swallowed the Glazed Dream Pearl that was their quest target.

• Ying Ru Shi confirmed that Ying Le was dead, and Shang Xin Lei celebrated their victory and promised to remain her partner for life.
• The thieves found Ying Le's keepsakes but no corpse; Ying Ru Shi buried her belongings and left the Golden Locks in the grave.
• Shang Xin Lei learned that the dead messengers' refined keepsakes had become unusable, while the group collected what other spoils they could.
• Ying Ru Shi wondered whether Ying Le had left her alive hoping someone would stop her, and the group watched daylight return to the City of Evernight.
• The four thieves returned to the Thieves' Den, where Yan Qing asked about the Glazed Dream Pearl and Ying Ru Shi realized she had swallowed it.

After the Glazed Dream Pearl merged with Ying Ru Shi, the Thieves' Den judged the mission completed with a reduced rating and reward. As the thieves considered where Yan Qing would go after their safe house disbanded, the Den issued their settlement and revealed five rewards.

• Yaoshi Yuan, Shang Xin Lei, and Ying Ru Shi each invited Yan Qing to join their nation, while Yan Qing asked for time to decide.
• The Thieves' Den rated the Glazed Dream Pearl theft case Strength Falls Short and awarded the group 20 Thief Points.
• Yan Qing read the settlement list, which deducted points for destroying the Pearl and awarded points for killing Foundation Establishment Heralds and Yan Fei Li.
• The Thieves' Den removed the destroyed Glazed Dream Pearl from its reward pool and delivered two Foundation Establishment Pills, a Guild Creation Token, a Summoning Gathering Stone, and a Wonderful Brush.

The Thieves' Den awarded five prizes and raised the minimum bid after the mission's failure, then announced its promotion and new rules. The thieves learned their next mission would come within thirty to sixty days, while the Six Ding Six Jia were tracking them.

• The Thieves' Den offered two Exotic Foundation Establishment Pills, a Guild Creation Token, a Summoning Gathering Stone, and the Brush of Wonders, with bids starting at 30 Thief Points.
• Ying Ru Shi and Shang Xin Lei told Yan Qing to save his points, and the thieves distributed the rewards among themselves.
• The group worried that their next mission would assume they had all reached Foundation Establishment and require them to face a powerful target.
• The Thieves' Den reported that the Divine Marquis Manor had withdrawn its bounty and sent evidence to the Heaven Pillar Peak True Martial Dojo, whose Six Ding Six Jia were tracking the thieves.
• The Thieves' Den announced its promotion, opened the Thieves' Museum, and set a thirty-to-sixty-day window for the next mission before temporary or permanent expulsion.
• The hall transformed, new banners appeared beside the thieves' rooms, and a parchment called Thieves' Notes recorded four stolen items and an unfilled fifth entry.

After the Thieves' Den ran out of Central Plains mission targets, Yan Qing offered to arrange business in the Outer Domain and the group divided their rewards. The Thieves' Museum revealed that mission spoils could raise attributes, and Yan Qing ended the chapter realizing his auction of the Guild Creation Token could draw people simply because they wanted to visit the legendary Treasure Gathering Pavilion.

• Yaoshi Yuan, Ying Ru Shi, and Shang Xin Lei discussed finding targets beyond the Central Plains and agreed that Yan Qing would handle the group's future business in the Outer Domain.
• The group divided the rewards, then Yan Qing discovered that depositing mission spoils in the Thieves' Museum could grant benefits such as increased qi and blood.
• Yaoshi Yuan and Shang Xin Lei deposited spoils and gained a total of thirteen attribute points, while the group kept useful Defensive Tokens for themselves.
• The group discussed what to obtain for the Guild Creation Token, and Yan Qing decided to auction it through the Treasure Gathering Pavilion.
• Yan Qing set the auction for noon on May 10, with hidden attendance for all Fourth Turn and stronger messengers, and Ying Ru Shi pointed out that the chance to visit the Pavilion alone could attract many guests.