Chapter Summaries

The masked man persuaded Xu Xiaoshou to join Saint Slave, explaining that those who seek freedom were trapped in a vast chessboard watched by a mysterious power. After receiving the masked man's promise that he could leave whenever he chose, Xu Xiaoshou accepted the purple token and joined Saint Slave.

• The masked man urged Xu Xiaoshou to choose a faction and promised to support him even if he later chose a different path.
• The masked man revealed that a mysterious watcher observed people across White Cavern and Holy Spirit Continent, and described the world as a cage within a larger chessboard.
• The masked man explained that Storyteller and Cen Qiaofu had once pursued freedom but later settled into ordinary lives, while Elder Sang sought a different way to break the cage.
• The masked man gave Xu Xiaoshou a purple token marked with the character Eight and promised that Xu could leave Saint Slave whenever he wanted.
• Xu Xiaoshou noticed the masked man's missing thumb, shook his hand, and declared that he chose to join Saint Slave.

Xu Xiaoshou joined Saint Slave and learned about its powerful seats and goal of breaking the world’s prison. The masked man revealed that his remarks were meant for Gou Wuyue to hear, turning the group’s departure from the White Cavern into an apparent declaration of war.

• Xu Xiaoshou accepted Saint Slave’s invitation, and the masked man gave him a token while warning him to use it cautiously.
• Storyteller explained Saint Slave’s ten seats and described Elder Sang’s past strength, while the masked man said many of their members were nearing Void Discernment.
• The masked man explained Saint Slave’s aim to break the world’s prison and said becoming a Saint might not be enough to escape the eyes watching them.
• Xu Xiaoshou questioned the masked man about taking Snowfall over Tomb City and killing members of the Su Family; the masked man defended his actions as honoring swordsmen who opposed him.
• The masked man returned Yousi Sword to Xu Xiaoshou and led the others onward, then revealed that his remarks about Saint Slave’s strength were also meant for Gou Wuyue to hear.

Ye Xiaotian and Qiao Qianzhi investigated the White Cavern’s strange silence and learned that Gou Wuyue and the White Robes might be holding its trainees incommunicado. Zhao Xidong returned with evidence linking the Vice Dean to Saint Slave’s Wuxiu, leaving Ye Xiaotian and Qiao Qianzhi facing the possibility that their colleague was the powerful attacker who struck the Moonless Sword Immortal.

• Ye Xiaotian showed Qiao Qianzhi that artificial rain was falling only in Eight Palaces Town and revealed Gou Wuyue leading White Robes there.
• Ye Xiaotian explained that the inner court trainees’ communication jades had gone silent and suspected Gou Wuyue was preventing them from contacting the outside world.
• Zhao Xidong returned with evidence that the Vice Dean’s past travels, healing-pill research, and access to Emberglow Liquid connected him to the Emberlight Nethersea and White Cavern.
• Zhao Xidong reported that the attacker who struck the Moonless Sword Immortal in Azure Dragon Commandery had used an enhanced Emberglow ability.
• Zhao Xidong concluded that the attacker was the Vice Dean, who had regained his former strength and was actually Wuxiu, Saint Slave’s second-in-command.

Ye Xiaotian, Qiao Qianzhi, and Zhao Xidong decided to go to the White Cavern to retrieve their people before the Holy Spirit Hall could act, and they brought Xiao Qixiu along. In a village near Eight Palaces Town, a child revealed that a strange immortal had given him a flame spell, then Yu Lingdi appeared in the rain and returned the child’s mother’s hoe.

• Zhao Xidong reported that Gou Wuyue had sealed the White Cavern’s exits except for Eight Palaces Town, and Ye Xiaotian struck him for voicing an unsupported accusation against Elder Sang.
• Ye Xiaotian and Qiao Qianzhi agreed to use their lack of confirmed knowledge as a reason to demand the Spirit Palace’s people back, and Ye Xiaotian teleported them to Xiao Qixiu.
• Xiao Qixiu learned that his disciple might be in danger and joined Ye Xiaotian, Qiao Qianzhi, and Zhao Xidong as they left for the White Cavern.
• In a village near Eight Palaces Town, Xiao Yi showed his mother a blue flame and said a strange immortal in a Straw Hat had taught him and the other children a spell.
• A burning cottage erupted as its mysterious occupant departed, and the village grew cold before rain began falling for the first time in decades.
• Yu Lingdi appeared in the rain, greeted Xiao Yi’s mother, and returned the hoe she had left behind.

Yu Lingdi questioned a woman and her son, Xiao Yi, about his senior and tried to reassure them with a jade pendant. After learning about the mortal world from their wary response, he and Number Thirty-Three sensed a powerful wood-element expert approaching Eight Palaces Town.

• Yu Lingdi returned the hoe and asked the woman and Xiao Yi where his senior had gone; Xiao Yi denied seeing him, but the woman pointed out the direction.
• Yu Lingdi offered the woman a jade pendant for protection, then left after she refused to take it openly.
• The woman called after Yu Lingdi to say he meant no harm, and he thanked her before telling her to go home and stay dry.
• The woman buried the jade pendant and warned Xiao Yi not to accept it or reveal the flame he had received.
• Yu Lingdi discussed his lessons about the mortal world with Number Thirty-Three, who said understanding it would help Yu Lingdi sever the Dao.
• The two noticed grass turning green in the cottage doorway and watched a white-robed man arrive amid rapidly growing flowers.

Yu Lingdi and Number Thirty-Three encountered Haitang'er, the Saint Slave responsible for the Seven Severance Prohibition Hometown of Flower Fragrance, and were trapped in his domain. Yu Lingdi began gathering information and taunting Haitang'er while seeking a way out, as Haitang'er sensed an unexpected threat and noticed that Second Brother had arrived.

• Haitang'er identified himself as the Ninth Seat of the Saint Slaves and said the old man in Yu Lingdi's portrait was his senior.
• Number Thirty-Three attacked Haitang'er, but his body dissolved into fragrance as his Hometown of Flower Fragrance domain trapped Yu Lingdi and Number Thirty-Three.
• Yu Lingdi reasoned that Senior Wuyue might notice their disappearance, while he and Number Thirty-Three could study the domain and find another way out.
• Yu Lingdi used his elemental body to absorb water and flowers, then threatened to drain the domain's plants and use Lord Cangsheng's arrow unless Haitang'er released them.
• Haitang'er absorbed the water in the village puddles, wondered how Yu Lingdi had become chief of the Spirit Division as a Throne, and sensed that Second Brother had arrived near the White Cavern.

Gou Wuyue ordered measures to contain Saint Slave’s suspected allies while investigating who had trapped Yu Lingdi, then considered the identity of the person who impersonated the Eighth Sword Immortal. The chapter ended when Zhao Xidong emerged from a spatial rift into the White Robes’ command tent and Chang Yi realized he was only a Grandmaster.

• Chang Yi reported that Yu Lingdi’s water-element energy had vanished, and Gou Wuyue concluded that someone else had trapped him.
• Gou Wuyue ordered Chang Yi to investigate Haitang'er, watch suspected Saint Slave strongholds, and prevent people from City of the Dead Futu from leaving.
• Chang Yi reported that Burial Sword Tomb remained inaccessible and that Xiao Kongtong had appeared when the White Robes threatened Moon-Joining Immortal City.
• Gou Wuyue wagered that the Eighth Sword Immortal would not appear at White Cavern if the White Robes blocked Moon-Joining Immortal City, but Chang Yi refused the bet.
• A spatial rift opened in the command tent, and Zhao Xidong stumbled out after arguing with Elder Qiao.
• Zhao Xidong awkwardly greeted Gou Wuyue and Chang Yi, who realized that the intruder was a Grandmaster expert.

Ye Xiaotian and his companions from Tiansang Spirit Palace entered Gou Wuyue’s command tent, where Gou Wuyue tried to recruit Ye Xiaotian to Holy Spirit Hall. Ye Xiaotian refused and provoked Gou Wuyue by questioning his famous sword, leaving the two sides on the brink of a fight as Qiao Qianzhi tried to calm them.

• Zhao Xidong and Chang Yi watched as Xiao Qixiu, Qiao Qianzhi, and Ye Xiaotian emerged from a spatial rift and confronted Gou Wuyue.
• Gou Wuyue recognized Ye Xiaotian and invited him to join Holy Spirit Hall, offering resources and a Demi-Saint’s support for his spatial cultivation.
• Ye Xiaotian rejected the offer, and Chang Yi realized he was the spatial talent who had competed in the Ten Seat Holders contest.
• Gou Wuyue and Ye Xiaotian argued over their choices and cultivation until Ye Xiaotian challenged Gou Wuyue about the origin of his sword.
• Gou Wuyue drew Voice of Nulan and split the command tent, while a spiritual array moved the Tiansang Spirit Palace group behind him.
• Qiao Qianzhi tried to prevent a fight as Gou Wuyue demanded to know who he was.

Ye Xiaotian confronted Gou Wuyue over the White Cavern trainees he believed the White Robes were detaining, but Gou Wuyue denied having brought them out and refused to accept Ye Xiaotian’s evidence. After Ye Xiaotian tore open the hidden space and revealed the trainees’ figures, Qiao Qianzhi stopped him from escalating and dragged him away.

• Qiao Qianzhi introduced himself while the White Robes struggled to contain their laughter, and Gou Wuyue turned his attention to Ye Xiaotian.
• Gou Wuyue sheathed his sword after Ye Xiaotian challenged him, and Ye Xiaotian said he had come to take someone away from the White Robes.
• Ye Xiaotian demanded that Gou Wuyue release the Tiansang Spirit Palace newcomers, but Gou Wuyue denied bringing them out and refused to show him the hidden space.
• Ye Xiaotian teleported to the concealed space, tore open the sky above it, and found the trainees hidden behind a blinding light.
• Ye Xiaotian used his space attribute to reveal the trainees’ figures, but Gou Wuyue dismissed the scene as unreliable evidence.
• Qiao Qianzhi rapped Ye Xiaotian on the head, covered his mouth, and dragged him away while apologizing to Gou Wuyue.

Ye Xiaotian’s failed attempt to take someone from Gou Wuyue turned into a warning that Saint Slave had breached White Cavern, and Yu Lingdi’s rain delivered battlefield intelligence to the White Robes. As Gou Wuyue prepared Eight Palaces Town for battle, Xiao Qixiu explained Yu Lingdi’s mastery of Profundity to Zhao Xidong.

• Xiao Qixiu explained to Zhao Xidong how Ye Xiaotian and Qiao Qianzhi’s failed negotiation with Gou Wuyue had unfolded, and why they were leaving without the person they wanted.
• Ye Xiaotian returned to taunt Gou Wuyue and announced that a good show was about to begin as someone tore open a breach above them.
• The White Robes received an enemy-attack alarm, learned that White Cavern had been breached, and took up their defensive positions at Eight Palaces Town.
• Yu Lingdi’s rain showed the White Robes scenes from White Cavern, including Saint Slave’s declaration of war and the strength of its members.
• Gou Wuyue sealed the area’s space and challenged Saint Slave to come, while Ye Xiaotian’s group stayed outside the battle.
• Xiao Qixiu explained to Zhao Xidong that Yu Lingdi was the Spirit Division’s First Seat and had mastered the Profundity of Water.

Xiao Qixiu explained the risks of comprehending an Ultimate Meaning, while the White Cavern’s collapse sent the surviving Red Robes back to Gou Wuyue. Shouye identified Wen Ming as Xu Xiaoshou and insisted he could not have joined Saint Slave, just as a mysterious voice emerged from the black hole.

• Xiao Qixiu explained to Zhao Xidong that a perfect Dao foundation could make future advancement difficult, and Ye Xiaotian revealed that he was pursuing an Ultimate Meaning.
• The White Cavern erupted with destructive energy, and the White Robes absorbed the outflow as Ye Xiaotian refused to leave without the missing disciples.
• Six Red Robes returned, and Shouye reported to Gou Wuyue that Wen Ming was Xu Xiaoshou and likely a disciple of Saint Slave’s second-in-command.
• Gou Wuyue questioned Shouye about Xu Xiaoshou’s many abilities and said Xu Xiaoshou had joined Saint Slave.
• Shouye argued that Xu Xiaoshou could not have joined Saint Slave and warned Gou Wuyue not to trust his convincing words.
• A mysterious voice and giggle came from the black hole as the rain was partly sucked into it.

Xu Xiaoshou, disguised as Tan Ji, refused Ye Xiaotian’s offer to return to Tiansang Spirit Palace so the White Robes would not target the school. After sharing a brief, emotional farewell with Ye Xiaotian, he faced Gou Wuyue and tried to stay out of the coming battle by asking to go with whichever side won.

• Gou Wuyue and Cen Qiaofu emerged from the spatial rift with Xu Xiaoshou, and the White Robes confronted the Saint Slave group as their swords clashed.
• Ye Xiaotian offered to take any Tiansang Spirit Palace disciple away, but Xu Xiaoshou denied being one and quietly refused to leave with him.
• Ye Xiaotian drew Xu Xiaoshou into his Throne Domain, told him he had worked hard, and urged him to survive before taking the Spirit Palace members away.
• Gou Wuyue questioned Xu Xiaoshou about his name, and Xu Xiaoshou introduced himself as Xu Xiaoshou Tan Ji while Storyteller mocked him.
• Xu Xiaoshou praised Gou Wuyue at length, then asked to watch the battle from the sidelines and go with whichever side won.

Xu Xiaoshou tried to use his knowledge of Gou Wuyue’s disciple Lu Ke as leverage, provoking a confrontation between Gou Wuyue and the Saint Slaves. After Gou Wuyue demonstrated his overwhelming sword power, Xu Xiaoshou was left terrified and unsure whether he dared reveal what he knew.

• Xu Xiaoshou taunted Gou Wuyue and claimed he had leverage over him, while the White Robes and the Saint Slaves watched in disbelief.
• When Gou Wuyue threatened to draw his sword, Xu Xiaoshou hid behind Storyteller and Cen Qiaofu, then offered to reveal only half his leverage.
• Gou Wuyue and Cen Qiaofu’s clash shook the surrounding space, but Storyteller used Divine Summoning to separate the sword domain from the battlefield.
• Xu Xiaoshou used Vanishing Art and spatial movement to evade the violence, but Gou Wuyue identified him as Little Stone Tan Ji and struck at him with an invisible sword.
• Gou Wuyue’s sword cut through a distant mountain range, leaving Xu Xiaoshou terrified as he debated whether to reveal that Lu Ke was frozen in his Origin Mansion.

The Saint Slave chief awakened and confronted Gou Wuyue, astonishing the White Robes with his sword skill and confidence. He opened a hole in the Nation-Covering Sky Shroud and led Xu Xiaoshou and the others away, leaving Gou Wuyue to recognize a possible connection to someone from his past.

• The masked Saint Slave chief awakened on Cen Qiaofu’s back, nearly fell when he tried to fly, and was lifted beside Gou Wuyue by Storyteller.
• The chief called Xu Xiaoshou over and told him to watch and learn, then shattered Gou Wuyue’s sword-intent suppression with his own aura.
• When Cheng Yuan interrupted him, the chief silently slit Cheng Yuan’s throat with a two-finger sword technique and warned Gou Wuyue to disperse his forces.
• The chief claimed Gou Wuyue owed him a favor, pierced the Nation-Covering Sky Shroud with two fingers, and led Xu Xiaoshou, Cen Qiaofu, and Storyteller away.
• Gou Wuyue’s famous sword Voice of Nulan resisted being drawn, and a long-lost figure came to his mind as he demanded to know who the chief was.

Chang Yi trapped the Saint Slave in a deadly Light Ray Domain, but the masked man revealed his Undying Sword Body and overpowered him before Gou Wuyue’s forces rescued Chang Yi. As the masked man confronted Gou Wuyue and pierced the Nation-Covering Sky Shroud, he declared his name to the Five Domains: Ba Zunan.

• Chang Yi activated Light Ray Rhythms, filling the area with cutting rays that injured Xu Xiaoshou and immobilized everyone outside the White Robes’ protective light curtain.
• The masked man sacrificed his fleshly body to seize Chang Yi, snapped his neck, and threatened Gou Wuyue while revealing his Undying Sword Body.
• Gou Wuyue attacked the masked man, but the Voice of Nulan lowered its tip before him; the masked man then pierced the Nation-Covering Sky Shroud and cleared the clouds.
• The masked man explained that his name could serve as a symbol of the Saint Slave’s declaration of war, then announced, “My name is Ba Zunan!”

Holy Spirit Hall’s forces reacted with disbelief when the Saint Slave’s chief identified the masked man as Ba Zunan, whom they believed dead. At Gui-Zhe Holy Mountain, Dao Qiongchang provoked the reclusive Hua Changdeng by reciting a verse about the Eighth Sword Immortal, and Hua Changdeng threatened him at swordpoint.

• Jiang Bianyan silenced the Holy Spirit Hall forces at Five Luminaries Mountain and called the masked man a counterfeit Ba Zunan while preparing to contact headquarters.
• The chapter described how the Eighth Sword Immortal’s name inspired intense devotion, especially in Eastern Domain Sword God Heaven.
• At Gui-Zhe Holy Mountain, Dao Qiongchang visited Hua Changdeng in the forbidden Screen-and-Candle Grounds, where Ghost Hunter rested beside an ancient lamp.
• Dao Qiongchang and Hua Changdeng argued about the Dao and the sword while Dao Qiongchang stayed outside the forbidden grounds.
• Dao Qiongchang recited a verse about one sword coming east and becoming an immortal, prompting Hua Changdeng to appear with Ghost Hunter at his throat and threaten him.

Dao Qiongchang and Hua Changdeng recognized that the masked man in Eight Palaces Town was Ba Zunan, but Hua Changdeng refused to leave Gui-Zhe Holy Mountain. In Eight Palaces Town, Ba Zunan broke Chang Yi’s domain and faced Gou Wuyue, who suspected he had sealed his sword.

• Dao Qiongchang showed Hua Changdeng the battle in Eight Palaces Town and asked whether the masked man was Ba Zunan.
• Hua Changdeng confirmed that Ba Zunan had survived, explained that the Martial-Sealing Talisman had sealed his sword and killing intent, and declined Dao Qiongchang’s offer to teleport him away.
• Hua Changdeng noticed Yousi Sword on the light screen and learned that he was known by several names, including Xu Xiaoshou and Little Stone Tan Ji.
• As heavy rain fell over Eight Palaces Town, Xu Xiaoshou reacted to Ba Zunan’s revelation while Gou Wuyue ordered his subordinates to withdraw.
• Cen Qiaofu used the Pan-Immortal Axe to break Chang Yi’s Light Ray Rhythms domain.
• Gou Wuyue sheathed Voice of Nulan and challenged Ba Zunan to fight alone, then recognized that Ba Zunan was sealing his sword.

Ba Zunan led Saint Slave out of Gou Wuyue’s blockade, but Yu Lingdi and Number Thirty-Three appeared to stop them. Haitang'er arrived with a warning about the forces waiting beyond, and Ba Zunan tried to persuade Yu Lingdi to let the group pass.

• Ba Zunan dismissed Gou Wuyue’s challenge and walked away, while Cen Qiaofu opened a path through the Nation-Covering Sky Shroud and Saint Slave escaped the barrier.
• Yu Lingdi and Number Thirty-Three confronted Saint Slave, and Storyteller warned that Yu Lingdi had slain a Higher Void.
• Yu Lingdi recognized Xu Xiaoshou as Little Stone Tan Ji and asked how he had survived the White Cavern and Gou Wuyue’s intimidation.
• Haitang'er arrived and revealed that seven hundred Holy Spirit Guards and Ai Cangsheng’s Evil Sin Bow awaited Saint Slave outside.
• Ba Zunan asked Yu Lingdi and Number Thirty-Three to let the matter pass, citing Gou Wuyue’s willingness to give him face.

Yu Lingdi’s attack on the masked man’s head sparked a fierce battle with the Saint Slave, and Cen Qiaofu and Haitang’er cornered Yu Lingdi. The chapter ended with Cen Qiaofu’s axe shattering Yu Lingdi’s body.

• Yu Lingdi blew apart the masked man’s head, prompting Storyteller to attack him in fury.
• Number Thirty-Three intercepted Storyteller’s assaults, but Cen Qiaofu joined the battle and split the puppet in two with the Pan-Immortal Axe.
• Cen Qiaofu and Storyteller pressed Yu Lingdi as he tried to escape with Water-Moon Cave Heaven.
• Haitang’er disrupted Yu Lingdi’s escape technique and Bewitching Purple-Leaf Begonia bewildered the battlefield, but Xu Xiaoshou recognized the illusion.
• Cen Qiaofu used Elemental Annihilation to cut off Yu Lingdi’s means of recovery and struck him with the Pan-Immortal Axe, shattering his body.

Gou Wuyue recognized the masked man as Ba Zunan and demanded that he reveal himself, while the Saint Slave destroyed Yu Lingdi and trapped the White Robes in Haitang'er's Hometown of Flower Fragrance. Ba Zunan rejected his old sword, and Gou Wuyue called the Voice of Nulan back to his side as the two swordsmen prepared to face one another.

• The Storyteller ground Yu Lingdi's remains into the purple begonia and swallowed them, while Number Thirty-Three arrived too late to save his partner.
• Haitang'er expanded Hometown of Flower Fragrance into a domain that trapped Number Thirty-Three and the White Robes, leaving many unconscious and the rest struggling to resist.
• Gou Wuyue refused Haitang'er's challenge and ordered the masked man to remove his mask, then recognized him as Ba Zunan from his face, missing fingers, and scars.
• Ba Zunan announced his name and declared his return, while the Yousi Sword flew to him before he sent it back to Xu Xiaoshou.
• Ba Zunan said he no longer wanted the Voice of Nulan and could no longer wield a sword, so Gou Wuyue urged the famous sword to return to him.