Recaps

Jiang Liu reunited with his senior sisters at Flowing Cloud Sect before visiting Old Man Luo in Qian City to discuss the spreading Bloodfiend Sect crisis. On his return, Flowing Cloud Matriarch ordered him to go to Tian Province and hold Jiang Lan accountable.

• Jiang Liu welcomed eleven senior sisters to his courtyard, and they celebrated their reunion by sharing wine and singing and dancing.
• Jiang Liu traveled to Ascension Tower and asked Old Man Luo to send letters to Yun Province and Murong Lie.
• Jiang Liu told Old Man Luo what had happened to Murong Lie and learned that rumors about the Bloodfiend Sect had spread rapidly, scattering the Tianwu Army.
• Jiang Liu returned to Flowing Cloud Sect, where Flowing Cloud Matriarch told him to bring the Fire-Winged Monkey to Tian Province and call Jiang Lan to account.

Jiang Liu accompanied the three Sect Masters to Sky City, where their arrival alarmed the imperial court. As the Sect Masters summoned their hidden Grandmasters, Jiang Lan prepared for a possible confrontation, believing his side could hold them to a draw.

• Jiang Liu gathered his weapons and travel pack, then rode the Fire-Winged Monkey to join Duanmu Haotian, Flowing Cloud Matriarch, and Gongsun Haoyue.
• The group flew across the Abyssal Canyon without encountering the three Beast Emperors and reached Sky City two days later.
• Dao Fan Shangren sensed their arrival and hurried to the imperial palace to tell Jiang Lan that the three Sect Masters had come together.
• Jiang Lan worried that the Sect Masters planned to demand an explanation, but gained confidence after Dao Fan Shangren indicated his side could avoid defeat.
• The three Sect Masters returned to their residences and summoned the Grandmasters their sects had secretly sent to Sky City.

Flowing Cloud Matriarch tested Jiang Liu’s strength and judged that he could help hold off a Peak Grandmaster, while Jiang Liu worried about the Fire-Winged Monkey’s growing abilities. The three sects confronted the imperial forces at the Imperial City gate, where Duanmu Haotian demanded that Jiang Lan answer for colluding with the Bloodfiend Sect.

• Flowing Cloud Matriarch ordered the Grandmasters to keep the imperial family’s Grandmasters from escaping and tested Jiang Liu with attacks of increasing strength.
• Jiang Liu withstood Flowing Cloud Matriarch’s five- or six-tenths-strength attack, but his Essence Particles barrier broke when she used eighty percent of her strength.
• Jiang Liu saw the Fire-Winged Monkey cultivating and worried that its advancement might free it from the Beast Mastery Art’s control.
• Flowing Cloud Matriarch led Jiang Liu and the gathered sect members toward the Imperial City, where the Star Moon Sect and Haotian Sect joined them.
• Dao Fan Shangren and Jiang Zongquan’s forces blocked the Imperial City gate as Jiang He watched from the city wall, while the Confucian sect stayed away.
• Duanmu Haotian demanded that Jiang Lan explain the imperial family’s alleged collusion with the Bloodfiend Sect, and Jiang Zongquan angrily challenged him.

Jiang Lan refused to yield to the three sects over accusations that the Tianwu Army had used the Bloodfiend Art, but Duanmu Haotian’s forces turned the confrontation into an assault on the Imperial City. The battle began, and rival forces rushed toward Sky City hoping to gain power if the imperial family fell.

• Jiang Lan told Duanmu Haotian that the Tianwu Army had not used a martial practitioner to cultivate the Bloodfiend Art, and stood firm in defense of the imperial family.
• Duanmu Haotian ordered the gathered martial practitioners to surround the Imperial City, and the crowd surged against its gates and walls.
• Jiang Zongquan killed the martial practitioners at the front with his Peak Grandmaster aura, prompting Duanmu Haotian to attack him and the crowd to storm the walls.
• Jiang He, Chen Qianliu, and Liu Changxing led their forces against the attackers as Wei Jin escorted Jiang Lan away and the Eunuch Bureau’s Grandmasters defended the gates.
• Flowing Cloud Matriarch and Gongsun Haoyue attacked Dao Fan Shangren, while Jiang Liu sent the Fire-Winged Monkey after him and searched for an opening to strike.
• Other forces hurried toward Sky City, hoping to win influence or replace the Great Qian Imperial Family if the three sects prevailed.

The White Saint Society, Lotus Sect, and Moonfall Sect entered Tian County to exploit the conflict between the three sects and the Great Qian Imperial Family. Fu Yunyue tried to rescue Tian Zhu, while the Lotus Sect and White Saint Society joined the fighting, leaving the imperial city’s defenders outnumbered.

• The White Saint Society, Lotus Sect, and Moonfall Sect hurried to Tian County after the Great Qian Imperial Family refused to yield to the three sects.
• Fu Yunyue led the Moonfall Sect toward the prison to free Tian Zhu, but Yu He and the Prison Oversight Bureau blocked her.
• Fu Yunyue and Yu He fought as their followers clashed around the prison.
• Kuang Qianzi and Qi Shengyuan led the Lotus Sect and White Saint Society into battle, but ended up attacking the three sects’ weaker opponents rather than their Grandmasters.
• Other factions followed behind and launched cautious sneak attacks while prioritizing their own survival.

As the battle over the Imperial City raged, Jiang He was surrounded by three Haotian Sect Grandmasters and killed himself to take one of them with him. The two surviving Grandmasters flew away to aid the other fights.

• Jiang Liu watched the Peak Grandmasters battle and waited for a chance to strike with his mental power, while Jiang Zongquan and Dao Fan Shangren kept wary eyes on him.
• Jiang He fought three Haotian Sect Grandmasters, who intended to exhaust him and capture him alive under orders to eliminate the Great Qian Imperial Family.
• The Haotian Sect Grandmasters mocked Jiang He by threatening his wife, and their words drove his anger beyond restraint.
• Jiang He self-detonated while holding the Grandmaster who had insulted him, and the blast killed them both.
• The two surviving Haotian Sect Grandmasters flew off to support the other battles.

Jiang Lan regretted provoking the Three Sects as the Great Qian Imperial Family faced possible annihilation after Jiang He’s self-detonation. While Jiang Zongquan remained locked in battle with Duanmu Haotian, Jiang Liu and his allies steadily pressured Dao Fan Shangren.

• Jiang He’s self-detonation killed him and another Grandmaster, but the nearby fighters continued battling without pause.
• Jiang Lan watched from the palace walls and regretted resisting the Three Sects, while Wei Jin prepared to take him away if the Imperial Family’s defeat became inevitable.
• Jiang Liu and his allies kept Dao Fan Shangren from supporting Duanmu Haotian as Jiang Zongquan fought him.
• Jiang Liu noticed that Dao Fan Shangren relied on unpredictable talismans and suspected that Daoist arts depended on mental power.
• Fire-Winged Monkey’s relentless staff attacks wore Dao Fan Shangren down, and Flowing Cloud Matriarch and Gongsun Haoyue intensified their assault.

Dao Fan Shangren fought off Flowing Cloud Matriarch, Gongsun Haoyue, Jiang Liu, and the Fire-Winged Monkey while Duanmu Haotian prepared to use the Haotian Three Styles against Jiang Zongquan. As Dao Fan Shangren struggled to reach Jiang Zongquan, Jiang Liu sensed the immense power gathering around Duanmu Haotian.

• Flowing Cloud Matriarch, Gongsun Haoyue, Jiang Liu, and the Fire-Winged Monkey attacked Dao Fan Shangren, who endured heavenly fire and blocked their strikes with talismans.
• Dao Fan Shangren asked to negotiate, but Flowing Cloud Matriarch said they would spare him if he withdrew from Tian Province with the people of the National Preceptor's Mansion.
• Duanmu Haotian decided to kill Jiang Zongquan and gathered surrounding primal qi to prepare the Haotian Sect's ultimate technique, the Haotian Three Styles.
• Flowing Cloud Matriarch and Gongsun Haoyue intensified their attacks to stop Dao Fan Shangren from aiding Jiang Zongquan.
• Dao Fan Shangren repeatedly used talismans and sought an opening to support Jiang Zongquan, while Jiang Liu watched Duanmu Haotian's growing power.

Wei Chang tricked the Star Moon Sect Grandmasters by pretending to prepare for self-destruction, then escaped and triggered a wave of Eunuch Bureau Grandmasters fleeing the siege. The three sects regrouped to pursue them and overwhelm the Imperial Family Grandmasters; Chen Qianliu was left with his dantian pierced, and Liu Changxing was killed.

• Wei Chang raised his aura as though he would self-destruct, then feinted toward a Star Moon Sect Grandmaster and escaped in another direction.
• Several Eunuch Bureau Grandmasters copied Wei Chang’s feint and fled, but the three sects reorganized, assigned pursuers, and sent four Grandmasters against each remaining Imperial Family Grandmaster.
• Chen Qianliu endured the Flowing Cloud Sect Grandmasters’ attacks until they used a combined sword technique to pierce his dantian.
• Liu Changxing struggled against four Grandmasters while burdened by his injured leg, and a Haotian Sect Grandmaster beheaded him.

The Imperial Family’s forces continued to collapse as Qi Shengyuan and Kuang Qianzi routed their Minor Grandmasters and fighters. Jiang Lan considered how to protect the Imperial Family, but Fu Yunyue arrived with Tian Zhu and Moonfall Sect reinforcements, further shifting the battle against him.

• The Imperial Family’s Grandmasters dwindled as two died, one was crippled, and four fled, leaving the National Preceptor’s Mansion and Eunuch Bureau fighters still engaged.
• Qi Shengyuan and Kuang Qianzi led their allies in killing the Imperial forces’ Minor Grandmasters and throwing their ranks into disarray.
• Wei Jin warned Jiang Lan that defeat could bring the Three Sects’ retaliation and urged him to prepare, while Jiang Lan struggled to find a countermeasure.
• Fu Yunyue arrived with Tian Zhu and Moonfall Sect subordinates, while Yu He kept the Prison Oversight Bureau guarding the prison.
• Jiang Lan saw Fu Yunyue and Tian Zhu arrive and grew more resentful of those who had betrayed him.

Duanmu Haotian used the Haotian Three Styles to overwhelm Jiang Zongquan, while Jiang Liu joined the fight and helped ensure Jiang Zongquan’s death. The battle on the city wall continued with the Great Qian Imperial Family at a disadvantage.

• Tian Zhu hunted down and killed martial artists from the Eunuch Bureau despite his injuries.
• Duanmu Haotian used Yin-Yang Interweaving to absorb Jiang Zongquan’s essence energy and injure him.
• Duanmu Haotian struck Jiang Zongquan from behind with Distant Shadow Fleeting Light, worsening his injuries.
• Duanmu Haotian summoned the Haotian phantom and launched Haotian Splits the Heavens as Jiang Zongquan prepared to defend himself.
• Jiang Liu attacked with Eight Steps of Trampling, stopping Jiang Zongquan long enough for the Haotian phantom to split him in two.

Duanmu Haotian killed Jiang Zongquan, and the three sects tightened their assault on the remaining Eunuch Bureau fighters. Wei Jin fled with Jiang Lan while Fu Yunyue and Tian Zhu pursued them, and the trapped Eunuch Bureau Grandmasters prepared to die rather than surrender.

• Duanmu Haotian cleaved Jiang Zongquan in half, triggering a Primal Qi Storm, while Jiang Liu escaped the storm and drew Duanmu Haotian's suspicion.
• Flowing Cloud Matriarch and Gongsun Haoyue intensified their assault on Dao Fan Shangren after Jiang Zongquan's death.
• Wei Jin knocked Jiang Lan unconscious and carried him away from the Imperial City wall, while Fu Yunyue and Tian Zhu pursued them toward the inner palace.
• Duanmu Haotian's two followers tracked Wei Jin and Jiang Lan as the Eunuch Bureau Grandmasters remained trapped by the three sects.
• Wei Qi and the other three Eunuch Bureau Grandmasters chose self-detonation rather than face defeat and humiliation.

The four Grandmasters of the Eunuch Bureau and Dao Fan Shangren chose to self-detonate, while the three sects’ Grandmasters contained the resulting chaotic vital energy. Dao Fan Shangren gravely wounded Duanmu Haotian before dying, and the chapter ended with the three sects’ leaders still fighting above the Imperial City.

• The Eunuch Bureau’s four Grandmasters self-detonated, but the surrounding Grandmasters contained the blasts and then headed toward the Imperial City.
• Flowing Cloud Matriarch and Gongsun Haoyue urged Dao Fan Shangren to surrender while the Fire-Winged Monkey drove him out of their encirclement.
• Duanmu Haotian attacked Dao Fan Shangren, who self-detonated and destroyed Duanmu Haotian’s hands while leaving him gravely wounded.
• Flowing Cloud Matriarch and Gongsun Haoyue moved to attack Duanmu Haotian, and Flowing Cloud Matriarch ordered Jiang Liu to have the Fire-Winged Monkey assist them.
• Dao Fan Shangren’s four disciples self-detonated, and the three sects’ Grandmasters suppressed the blasts, destroying the National Preceptor’s Mansion’s power.
• The three sects’ Grandmasters looked toward the higher skies and saw their leaders fighting one another.

Flowing Cloud Matriarch and Gongsun Haoyue turned on Duanmu Haotian, triggering a war between the three sects while the Great Qian Imperial Family’s forces were being finished off. Jiang Liu joined the attack on Duanmu Haotian and killed a Haotian Sect Grandmaster who ambushed him, as the battle between the sects continued.

• Flowing Cloud Sect and Star Moon Sect Grandmasters began joining forces to attack Haotian Sect Grandmasters, while the slaughter of the Great Qian Imperial Family continued.
• Flowing Cloud Matriarch and Gongsun Haoyue coordinated their attacks on the injured Duanmu Haotian, and Jiang Liu ordered the Fire-Winged Monkey to join them.
• Jiang Liu dodged an ambush by a Haotian Sect Grandmaster, then immobilized and cleaved him in two with his saber.
• Jiang Liu saw that the Haotian Sect was losing ground and focused on the battle between the three sect masters, while Qi Shengyuan continued hunting the imperial family’s remnants.

Wei Jin brought the unconscious Jiang Lan to the imperial palace, where they escaped pursuing Grandmasters through a secret passage beneath the sleeping palace. They reached the Great Qian Imperial Family’s hidden treasury, took supplies, and destroyed its mechanism before continuing their flight.

• Wei Jin carried Jiang Lan over the palace wall as Tian Zhu, Fu Yunyue, and two Haotian Sect Grandmasters followed them into the imperial palace.
• Wei Jin awakened Jiang Lan in the sleeping palace, activated its defenses, and helped him enter a secret passage beneath the bed.
• Wei Jin killed the palace maids who tried to follow Jiang Lan, then sealed the passage entrance as pursuers attacked the sleeping palace.
• The Haotian Sect Grandmasters and other intruders broke through the palace defenses, but Jiang Lan and Wei Jin had already fled through the passage.
• Jiang Lan and Wei Jin reached the imperial family’s hidden treasury, gathered essential supplies, and destroyed the mechanism before leaving.

The three sects' battle spread from the skies into the imperial palace and across Sky City as the Flowing Cloud Sect and Star Moon Sect targeted the Haotian Sect. Gongyang Zhuang kept the Confucian Sect out of the fighting, preserving it while it missed the chance to claim spoils.

• Haotian Sect Grandmasters struggled to escape their battles and aid Duanmu Haotian, who was being overwhelmed by Flowing Cloud Matriarch, Gongsun Haoyue, and the Beast Emperor.
• Qi Shengyuan found the imperial palace guarded by the three sects and led his people away to search the Great Qian Imperial Family's residences; Kuang Qianzi also withdrew.
• A Haotian Sect Grandmaster attacked Jiang Liu in the palace but was killed, and Grandmasters from the three sects began ambushing one another throughout the palace.
• The disciples guarding the palace joined the melee, with the Flowing Cloud Sect and Star Moon Sect separately surrounding and attacking the Haotian Sect.
• Small factions and Sky City's families seized property as disorder spread, while Gongyang Zhuang restrained the Confucian Sect's disciples from joining the fighting.
• The Confucian Sect avoided being targeted by the three sects but lost its chance to claim Sky City's spoils.

Wounded and cornered by Flowing Cloud Matriarch, Gongsun Haoyue, and the Fire-Winged Monkey, Duanmu Haotian summoned the costly Haotian Phantom as his last resort. The phantom targeted Jiang Liu and the two women with beams of light while Duanmu Haotian took the monkey’s cudgel strike head-on.

• Duanmu Haotian struggled to withstand the combined attacks of Flowing Cloud Matriarch, Gongsun Haoyue, and the Fire-Winged Monkey as the monkey’s seven-colored attack disrupted his primal qi.
• Duanmu Haotian burned his essence, qi, and spirit to summon the Haotian Phantom, his most powerful manifestation.
• The Haotian Phantom raised its tower and sent three five-colored beams toward Jiang Liu, Flowing Cloud Matriarch, and Gongsun Haoyue.
• The Fire-Winged Monkey struck Duanmu Haotian with their cudgel as the three beams hit their targets.

Duanmu Haotian summoned the Haotian Phantom to unleash a devastating Five-Colored Light attack, then gathered his remaining strength for one final strike. As the phantom fired at Jiang Liu, the Fire-Winged Monkey, Flowing Cloud Matriarch, and Gongsun Haoyue, it dissipated, leaving the outcome of the attack unresolved.

• The Haotian Phantom's Five-Colored Light burned Jiang Liu and drained his primordial energy, while Flowing Cloud Matriarch and Gongsun Haoyue managed to withstand it.
• The Fire-Winged Monkey struck Duanmu Haotian, worsening his injuries as he prepared another Haotian Phantom attack.
• Jiang Liu replenished his primordial energy with the Star Cloud Saint Art, recovered control of his body, and retreated from the battlefield.
• Duanmu Haotian gathered primordial energy and mental power despite his failing body, then plunged toward the ground as the Haotian Phantom fired Five-Colored Light at all three opponents.
• The Fire-Winged Monkey swung its staff to protect Jiang Liu, while Flowing Cloud Matriarch attacked the light with sword strikes and thunder, and Gongsun Haoyue met it with red flames.

Gongsun Haoyue and Flowing Cloud Matriarch killed Duanmu Haotian after his attack left him gravely wounded, while Jiang Liu survived with the Fire-Winged Monkey’s help. Duanmu Haotian’s death triggered a strange change in the sky, and his body’s final explosion wounded both women as they turned toward the remaining Haotian Sect Grandmaster.

• The Fire-Winged Monkey weakened the Haotian Phantom’s Five-Colored Light and caught Jiang Liu as he fell, while Duanmu Haotian crashed into the street unconscious.
• Gongsun Haoyue descended on Duanmu Haotian and engulfed him in Skyfire despite a Haotian Sect Grandmaster’s attempt to stop her; Flowing Cloud Matriarch then struck him with lightning.
• Duanmu Haotian’s death caused vital-energy turbulence and a brief darkening of the sky, and Flowing Cloud Matriarch and Gongsun Haoyue sensed their Star Cloud Saint Art had advanced.
• A Flowing Cloud Sect Grandmaster killed the Haotian Sect Grandmaster who had attacked Gongsun Haoyue.
• Duanmu Haotian’s body exploded as Flowing Cloud Matriarch and Gongsun Haoyue approached, covering them in blood; the two women angrily looked toward the Haotian Sect Grandmaster still fighting in the air.

Flowing Cloud Matriarch and Gongsun Haoyue defeated the Haotian Sect forces in Sky City, capturing fourteen Grandmasters and securing the surrender of the disciples. They found Jiang Liu unconscious and gravely wounded by the Illusory Sky Palm, and the chapter ended with Flowing Cloud Matriarch’s attempt to treat him making his convulsions worse.

• Flowing Cloud Matriarch and Gongsun Haoyue intervened in the Grandmaster battles, sealing the dantians of two Haotian Sect Grandmasters.
• The Flowing Cloud Sect and Star Moon Sect Grandmasters overwhelmed their Haotian Sect opponents, while the Haotian Sect fighters tried and failed to escape.
• Flowing Cloud Matriarch and Gongsun Haoyue captured the remaining Haotian Sect Grandmasters, leaving fourteen captured, two dead, and one escaped.
• The Haotian Sect disciples surrendered after seeing their elders captured.
• Flowing Cloud Matriarch and Gongsun Haoyue found Jiang Liu unconscious on the Fire-Winged Monkey’s back and discovered that strands of Five-Colored Light were attacking his body.
• Flowing Cloud Matriarch sent primal qi into Jiang Liu to dissolve the attack, but his convulsions grew more violent.

Gongsun Haoyue discovered that the Five-Colored Light was destroying Jiang Liu’s meridians and carried him to the Star Moon Sect’s base to treat him. With Flowing Cloud Matriarch’s help, she began using her special constitution and Star Cloud Saint Art, ending the chapter by kissing Jiang Liu.

• Gongsun Haoyue examined Jiang Liu and found the Five-Colored Light spreading through his meridians toward his dantian.
• Gongsun Haoyue carried Jiang Liu to the Star Moon Sect’s base in Sky City, followed by Flowing Cloud Matriarch and the Fire-Winged Monkey.
• Gongsun Haoyue brought Jiang Liu into a room and explained to Flowing Cloud Matriarch that her special constitution could save him.
• Flowing Cloud Matriarch helped sit Jiang Liu upright as Gongsun Haoyue circulated the Star Cloud Saint Art.
• Gongsun Haoyue took Jiang Liu’s hands, pressed herself against him, and kissed him.

Gongsun Haoyue used her special constitution to draw the Five-Colored Light from Jiang Liu and help him recover, while he suppressed the flames in his Sea of Consciousness with the Saintly Sky Art. Gongsun Haoyue and Flowing Cloud Matriarch waited outside as Jiang Liu continued healing in the room.

• Gongsun Haoyue drew the Five-Colored Light out of Jiang Liu, allowing his dantian to replenish its Essence Particles.
• Jiang Liu regained awareness and instinctively pulled Gongsun Haoyue onto him, then resumed circulating the Saintly Sky Art to suppress the flames in his Sea of Consciousness.
• Gongsun Haoyue released Jiang Liu and left him to heal himself as Flowing Cloud Matriarch watched her with a teasing expression.
• Gongsun Haoyue told Flowing Cloud Matriarch that Jiang Liu was recovering and that another stream of Essence Particles had begun healing his injuries.
• Gongsun Haoyue and Flowing Cloud Matriarch sat outside the room to guard Jiang Liu while he continued healing.

Jiang Liu recovered as the Flowing Cloud Sect and Star Moon Sect restored order across Tian Province and pursued the forces that had exploited the chaos. The Great Qian Imperial Family was wiped out, the Haotian Sect was crippled, and its surviving Grandmasters surrendered or fled as the two Sects moved to secure their rule.

• The Fire-Winged Monkey sat nearby and circulated its energy while Jiang Liu treated his injuries, astonishing Flowing Cloud Matriarch and Gongsun Haoyue.
• The Flowing Cloud Sect and Star Moon Sect took charge of Tian Province, arrested and executed those proven to have committed crimes during the chaos, and collected seized wealth from the allied forces.
• News spread that the Great Qian Imperial Family had been destroyed and the Haotian Sect crippled, marking the end of the three Sects' rule and the rise of the Flowing Cloud Sect and Star Moon Sect.
• Seven Grandmasters from the Flowing Cloud Sect and Star Moon Sect besieged the three Grandmasters remaining at the Haotian Sect headquarters, who surrendered after half an hour and were imprisoned.
• The two Sects called on Haotian Sect disciples and Grandmasters to surrender; most submitted, while the Grandmasters stationed in Li Province and Zhen Province fled.

Jiang Liu used the Saintly Sky Art to expel the Five-Colored Light and repair his damaged meridians, then resumed treatment after the two Sect Masters left. Meanwhile, Flowing Cloud Matriarch and Gongsun Haoyue dealt with the aftermath in Tian Province and entered the secret passage Jiang Lan and Wei Jin had used to escape.

• Jiang Liu expelled the Five-Colored Light from his Divine Sense sea and meridians, then told Flowing Cloud Matriarch and Gongsun Haoyue that he was stable enough for them to leave.
• Flowing Cloud Matriarch and Gongsun Haoyue learned from Chen Liyun that Jiang Lan and Wei Jin had escaped through a sealed secret passage, and Gongsun Haoyue ordered a nationwide wanted notice.
• Tang Xuanyan reported that Haotian Sect disciples and Great Qian Imperial Family members had been detained and that the forces behind the Sky City disturbance were being eliminated.
• Flowing Cloud Matriarch and Gongsun Haoyue inspected the secret passage in Jiang Lan's sleeping palace, where Gongsun Haoyue used Skyfire to melt the iron seal and collapse its supports.
• Flowing Cloud Matriarch and Gongsun Haoyue waited for the smoke to clear, then flew into the passage to pursue Jiang Lan and Wei Jin.

Flowing Cloud Matriarch and Gongsun Haoyue pursued the Great Qian Imperial Family through a trapped secret passage but found their trail ended at a river. Back in the palace, they called a joint meeting of the two sects to decide how to govern the realm, where most elders supported ruling it directly.

• Flowing Cloud Matriarch and Gongsun Haoyue smashed their way through the secret passage’s traps as disciples from both sects followed behind.
• The two leaders found an iron chamber they could not safely open and summoned Tian Ling and Gong Mo to repair its mechanism.
• Flowing Cloud Matriarch and Gongsun Haoyue reached a cliff above a great river and realized the water had washed away their quarry’s tracks.
• The two leaders returned to the palace and decided to hold a joint meeting in Tian Province to discuss governing the realm.
• More than twenty Grandmaster elders gathered in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, and most proposed that the two sects rule the realm directly, prompting the leaders to frown.