Chapter Summaries

Xu Xiaoshou rescued Jinren from the Heavenly Origin Emperor Realm, confronted Dao Qianshi, and tested the Heavenly Origin Saint Emperor’s motives with Longevity Patterns and an Ancestor God Godhood. The meeting ended with Xu Xiaoshou transforming the Starry-Sky Dao Turtle into a horse and accusing Dao Qianshi of being Dao Qiongchang in disguise.

• Xu Xiaoshou’s Limit Giant battered Dao Qianshi and freed Jinren from his mortal-world enlightenment.
• Xu Xiaoshou severed Jinren’s memories and arranged for him to be reborn in the Five Domains, then destroyed Jinren’s body, soul, and Intent to prevent Dao Qianshi from exploiting him.
• Dao Qianshi revived in A-Jie’s appearance and showed Xu Xiaoshou the Starry-Sky Dao Turtle’s Longevity Patterns, but Xu Xiaoshou discovered that the patterns could be changed.
• Xu Xiaoshou offered Dao Qianshi an Ancestor God Godhood and revealed that he had two more, but Dao Qianshi refused to accept one without knowing the price.
• Xu Xiaoshou struck the Starry-Sky Dao Turtle and transformed it into a horse, then accused Dao Qianshi of pretending to be Dao Qiongchang.

Xu Xiaoshou questioned the Heavenly Origin Saint Emperor, Dao Peipei, about his possible identity as Dao Qiongchang and learned the history behind A-Jie’s creation and exile. The chapter ended with Xu Xiaoshou asking Peipei what the Ghost Ancestor meant by warning him not to go to Qian Shi.

• Xu Xiaoshou argued that Dao Peipei and Dao Qiongchang shared too many traits to be unrelated, but Peipei insisted they were separate people and gave his true name as Dao Peipei.
• Dao Peipei explained that Dao Qiongchang had created Number One, later called A-Jie, with Bei Huai’s involvement and had been exiled to Void Island after the five Holy Emperor Clans sanctioned their research.
• Dao Peipei said Dao Qiongchang preserved Number One’s remnant spirit and guided it to Sang Qiye, while secretly watching Qiao Qianzhi, the Holy Palace’s number one prodigy.
• Xu Xiaoshou wondered whether Dao Peipei and Dao Qiongchang were the same person, noting that both had achieved Transcendent Dao Transformation in the Way of Memory.
• Xu Xiaoshou asked Dao Peipei what the Ghost Ancestor meant by advising him not to go to Qian Shi.

Heavenly Origin Saint Emperor used two chessboards to explain how the Ghost Ancestor, Hua Changdeng, Bei Huai, the Ancestor Gods, and Devil Ancestor’s pieces might collide in a war to seize the Path. Xu Xiaoshou suspected Peipei was hiding his identity and chose to fish in the Heavenly Origin Emperor Realm, while Peipei revealed that he too was waiting for someone to take the bait.

• Heavenly Origin Saint Emperor showed Xu Xiaoshou the Ancestor Gods and predicted that Medicine Ancestor would enter the Five Domains first because It was well preserved, impatient, and obsessive.
• Dao Peipei arranged pieces for the Holy Spirit Continent and the Sorrowful Emperor Realm, linking Ghost Ancestor, Hua Changdeng, Bei Huai, Sword Tower, and the Ancestor Gods into a chain of possible moves.
• Dao Peipei explained that Hua Changdeng’s success or failure would affect Ghost Ancestor, Bei Huai, and Medicine Ancestor, while Devil Ancestor and Sui Yin would enter the conflict as the struggle for the Path escalated.
• Xu Xiaoshou realized that Hua Changdeng might become a Ghost Beast Host with Ghost Ancestor, but Peipei warned that Hua Changdeng could not die because his death would help Bei Huai advance.
• Xu Xiaoshou said he had come to fish in the quiet Heavenly Origin Emperor Realm, and Dao Peipei revealed that he was fishing there too, waiting for someone to take the bait.
• Xu Xiaoshou called Peipei Dao Qiongchang, but Peipei again denied being Dao Qiongchang.

Xu Xiaoshou arrived at Spirit Lake and humiliated Hua Changdeng by turning a nonsensical banana riddle into a public spectacle. After revealing that the banana became an eggplant, he destroyed the Spirit Lake, drew Yanmang, and invited Hua Changdeng to hide in a hole while the Five Domains laughed.

• Jinren arrived above Spirit Lake, gathered the attention of the Five Domains, and began telling a story about the Sword Ancestor and a banana.
• Jinren asked what the banana became after falling from the Sword Tower, and Xiao Wanfeng and Lei Shuangxing offered elaborate answers that he rejected.
• Jinren turned to Hua Changdeng, poured wine for the Five Domains, and challenged him to answer what the banana broke into.
• Hua Changdeng threw Ghost Hunter into the sea of swords, but Jinren revealed that the fallen banana had become an eggplant, leaving Hua Changdeng stunned as the crowd laughed.
• Xu Xiaoshou drew Yanmang and shattered Spirit Lake, then dug a pit and taunted Hua Changdeng to jump in and hide from the laughter.

Jinren, acting as Xu Xiaoshou, provoked Hua Changdeng into unleashing Intent Ghost, then escaped its overwhelming force and was trapped in the Three Talents Sword Array. As Hua Changdeng believed he had captured him, Xu Xiaoshou summoned Yanmang from Lingyu Mountain and sent it toward Ba Zunan in the Void Sword Sea.

• Xu Xiaoshou's jokes enraged Hua Changdeng, who abandoned Ba Zunan and attacked him with Intent Ghost.
• Jinren used Profound-Meaning Array Diagrams and Ten-Stage Sword Finger to meet the attack, then briefly transformed Intent Ghost into a feather with Grotesque Trickery before fleeing.
• Hua Changdeng used the Netherworld of the Ten Thousand Ghosts and the Three Talents Sword Array to track Jinren, suppress his abilities, and capture him.
• Xu Xiaoshou erased Hua Changdeng's Life Imprint with the Great Dao of Intent and declared that he could break the array with a single sword.
• Xu Xiaoshou summoned Yanmang from beneath Lingyu Mountain and sent the Flame Sword toward Ba Zunan in the Void Sword Sea.

Ba Zunan summoned Famous Sword Twenty-One and formed the Famous Sword Formation to open the Mysterious Gate. As the gate began to close, he gathered the power of ten thousand swords and shattered it, releasing a surge of Dao resonance and rosy light.

• The Devil Ancestor concluded that Xu Xiaoshou was a pawn in a hidden alliance involving Sui Yin, Dao Qiongchang, and Ba Zunan, while Sui Yin insisted Xu was concealing his strength.
• Ba Zunan appeared above Lingyu Mountain and used Famous Sword Formation: Questioning Heaven to arrange Famous Sword Twenty-One and more than a hundred thousand swords into a vast formation.
• Ba Zunan evolved the nine great Ancient Sword Arts, formed the illusory Mysterious Gate, and invited Hua Changdeng to question the Dao with him.
• Famous Swords and countless other swords repeatedly struck the gate, opening a gap that released Dao resonance and helped ancient sword cultivators break through.
• When the Mysterious Gate began to close, Ba Zunan commanded the swords to return and merge into his Undying Sword Body.
• Ba Zunan used One-Finger Opening of the Mysterious to shatter the gate and unleash Dao resonance and rosy light from beyond it.

Lei Xier glimpsed a sealed coffin beneath the Inverted Buddha Pagoda and heard a voice direct her to the pagoda’s lower level. When the entrance rejected Shen Yi, he shattered the barrier and blasted open a path to the pagoda, then led the others into the abyss while the Bloodworld Pearl swallowed his severed finger.

• A broken chain on the Sword Tower snapped, and a faceless phantom emerged from a window and taunted the Sword Ancestor.
• Lei Xier saw the Inverted Buddha Pagoda suppressing a coffin, heard its occupant ask for help, and learned she should come to the pagoda’s lower level.
• Shen Yi arrived and gave Lei Xier, Liu Guifen, Wu Siniang, and Five Declines of Heaven and Man pieces of his finger to protect them from a fatal attack.
• When an invisible barrier refused to let Shen Yi enter the black vortex, he struck it with Overlord and blasted a thousand-zhang abyss down to the Inverted Buddha Pagoda.
• Shen Yi jumped into the abyss, followed by Liu Guifen, Wu Siniang, Lei Xier, and Five Declines of Heaven and Man.
• As Five Declines of Heaven and Man fell, the Bloodworld Pearl rose from his chest and swallowed Shen Yi’s finger.

At the foot of Lingyu Mountain, Moon Palace Slave and the others struggled to keep Hu from flying into the Mysterious Gate as Ba Zunan opened it. Moon Palace Slave and Ba Zunan exchanged a quiet greeting, and Xu Xiaoshou arrived as a Black Chicken to reclaim Hu, leaving Yu Zhiwen to identify him.

• Hu went berserk, and Moon Palace Slave concluded that it must be kept from returning to the Sword Tower because the Devil Ancestor's spirit might already have escaped.
• Hu broke free of Liu Fuyu's restraints and flew toward the Mysterious Gate, but the Nuxian Buddha Sword and Ba Zunan's Sword Thought moved to intercept it.
• Moon Palace Slave saw Ba Zunan above Lingyu Mountain, and the two exchanged a subtle nod and a playful expression that rekindled their old familiarity.
• A Black Chicken seized Hu and used Sword Thought to calm it, while Moon Palace Slave recognized the Sword Thought as Ba Zunan's.
• Yu Zhiwen brought the Black Chicken to Moon Palace Slave and identified him as Xu Xiaoshou.

Yu Zhiwen used the Black Chicken to relay Xu Xiaoshou’s warnings and questions to Moon Palace Slave, who agreed to tell him what she knew about Dao Qiongchang and the Heavenly Origin Saint Emperor. When the Mysterious Gate revealed the Sword Tower and Sword Ancestor Goulou’s shadow, Yu Zhiwen blocked Moon Palace Slave from going up the mountain and told her to believe in them.

• Yu Zhiwen explained that the Black Chicken was Xu Xiaoshou’s split-off companion, and Moon Palace Slave realized its presence signaled that Xu Xiaoshou was close and communicating through it.
• Moon Palace Slave questioned the Black Chicken about Hu, and Yu Zhiwen relayed its warning that Hu should not return to the Sword Tower and that Liu Fuyu was a target who needed protection.
• The Black Chicken warned Moon Palace Slave that the Nuxian Buddha Sword and her sword map bore marks, then asked whether the gathering of all twenty-one famous swords had always been part of the historical record.
• Moon Palace Slave agreed to recount how Dao Qiongchang rescued her and what he did afterward, including what she knew of the Heavenly Origin Saint Emperor.
• Yu Zhiwen and the Black Chicken connected the Sword Tower’s crisis and the Mysterious Gate to a possible danger for Ba Zunan as the gate revealed the tower and Sword Ancestor Goulou’s shadow.
• Moon Palace Slave moved to go up Lingyu Mountain, but Yu Zhiwen blocked her and relayed Xu Xiaoshou’s request that she believe in them.

The Sword Ancestor appeared beyond the Mysterious Gate and used a vision of the Cold-Plastic Era to expound the preface to the Sword Scripture. Gu Qingyi and the Burial Sword Tomb disciples recognized and recited it, revealing the Sword Ancestor’s true name and the origins of the Famous Sword Twenty-One; the preface ended with the Five Domains beholding the Sword Ancestor’s true self.

• Dao-rhyme clouds from the Mysterious Gate let nearly all the ancient sword cultivators on Lingyu Mountain attain breakthroughs, while Hua Changdeng, Ba Zunan, and Gou Wuyue refused the clouds.
• The Sword Ancestor’s shadow descended from the Sword Tower, shattered the Mysterious Gate, and engulfed the Holy Spirit Continent in a vision of the Cold-Plastic Era.
• Gu Qingyi recognized the Sword Ancestor’s words as the preface to the Sword Scripture and explained its historical account, while others discovered they could speak by understanding the exposition.
• Gu Qing'er and Gu Qing'san recited the preface alongside the Sword Ancestor, and Gu Qingyi and Su Qianqian joined them as they described the creation of the Five Domains and the Famous Sword Twenty-One.
• The Sword Ancestor revealed its true name as Gu Mu, and the preface concluded by stating that those who read sword and wood could see their true selves.

After the Dao Voice ended the Frost Tide Era phenomenon, Ba Zunan summoned the Sword Ancestor and asked him questions about the sword path and the Dao beyond the Ancestor God’s Dao. Hua Weiyang appeared, freed Xu Xiaoshou from Hua Changdeng’s sword array, and then attacked him after Xu Xiaoshou warned that the figure in the Sword Sea might not truly be his master.

• The people across the Five Domains regained their ability to speak, and Gu Qingyi, Xiao Wanfeng, and Lei Shuangxing drew attention for speaking first.
• The Sword Ancestor asked who had summoned him, and Ba Zunan answered that the ancient sword cultivators had done so.
• Ba Zunan introduced Hua Changdeng and asked the Sword Ancestor questions about cultivation, the Famous Sword Twenty-One, and the Dao beyond the Ancestor God’s Dao.
• Hua Lai appeared and bowed to the Sword Ancestor as a white-robed man arrived and began to kneel before him.
• Xu Xiaoshou called out to Hua Weiyang, who broke Hua Changdeng’s Three Talents Sword Array and freed him.
• Xu Xiaoshou told Hua Weiyang that the Sword Ancestor might not be his master, and Hua Weiyang’s peach-blossom killing array trapped Xu Xiaoshou again.

Xu Xiaoshou revealed Hua Weiyang to the Five Domains and led its cultivators in honoring the Flower Sword Saint, earning Hua Weiyang’s gratitude and his master’s approval. When the Sword Ancestor offered his Ancestor God Godhood to Ba Zunan, Hua Changdeng stopped the transfer, and Xu Xiaoshou stepped forward to claim it himself.

• Xu Xiaoshou used Reversal of Forgotten Appearances to reveal Hua Weiyang and publicly praised him as a guardian of the Five Domains.
• Cultivators across the Five Domains bowed to Hua Weiyang, who received his master’s approval and thanked Xu Xiaoshou.
• The Sword Ancestor revealed his Ancestor God Godhood and offered it to Ba Zunan as Creation True Essence.
• Hua Changdeng used Ghost Hunter to interrupt the transfer, arguing that the Godhood could not safely fall into Ba Zunan’s hands.
• After Hua Weiyang questioned Xu Xiaoshou about what had happened to his master, Ba Zunan offered the Godhood to Hua Changdeng, who refused it.
• Xu Xiaoshou stepped forward and asked the Sword Ancestor to toss him the Godhood so he could keep it safe.

Xu Xiaoshou used fabricated Ancestor God Godhoods and Origin True Steles to unsettle Hua Changdeng and deepen suspicion among the Ancestors, while the Sword Ancestor passed his Godhood to him and explained the Ancient Sword Way. The chapter ended with Xu Xiaoshou pressing the Sword Ancestor on whether he had ever changed, just as the Sword Ancestor was about to answer.

• Jinren displayed three counterfeit Ancestor God Godhoods, persuading Hua Weiyang to withdraw and convincing the Sword Ancestor that Xu Xiaoshou could keep the Godhood he had offered.
• The Medicine Ancestor and Sui Yin accused the Devil Ancestor of giving Xu Xiaoshou the Godhoods and Origin True Steles, while the Devil Ancestor admitted giving him only the Heaven stele and they identified Kong Yuhen as the likely source of the others.
• The Sword Ancestor said the Ancient Sword Way could be traversed according to one's circumstances and abilities, and Jinren inferred that the Sword Ancestor might be resisting the Devil Ancestor's influence.
• Jinren asked the Sword Ancestor for the Sword Tower's Origin True Stele, but the Sword Ancestor said Xu Xiaoshou would have to retrieve it himself; Jinren refused and suggested Hua Changdeng go instead.
• The Sword Ancestor told the gathered sword cultivators to follow established methods or change if they sought progress, and Jinren asked whether the Sword Ancestor himself had ever changed.

Jinren challenged the Sword Ancestor over his resignation, exposing the gulf between the Ancestor’s past ideals and his present submission. The Sword Ancestor revealed what lay beyond the Mysterious Gate and invited the others into the Sword Tower; Jinren withdrew, while Gou Wuyue chose to press forward.

• Jinren challenged the Sword Ancestor’s claim that change was inevitable, but the Sword Ancestor said his era had passed and urged the young to follow their own paths.
• Jinren mocked the Sword Ancestor with lines from the Sword Scripture, while Gu Qingyi and Wen Ting mourned the figure they had once admired; Wen Ting then left East Mountain with renewed resolve.
• Ba Zunan asked what lay beyond the Mysterious Gate, and the Sword Ancestor explained that the Twelve Swords and a painting preserved the inheritance and scenery beyond it within the Sword Tower.
• The Sword Ancestor invited Ba Zunan, Hua Changdeng, and Gou Wuyue to enter the Tower; Jinren refused, descended to help the gravely wounded Mr. Siren, and warned Ba Zunan not to go in.
• The Sword Ancestor asked the remaining three whether they would retreat or advance, and Gou Wuyue declared that ancient sword cultivators pressed forward without hesitation.

Jinren secretly healed Mei Suren, Xiao Kongtong, and Xiao Wanfeng, then carried the damaged souls of Li Fugui and Zhu Yike to the Apricot Realm while investigating the Time Realm Rift. Xu Xiaoshou used Jiang Nayi’s body to confront Yan Sheng and discovered that he was a Heavenly Mechanism Puppet controlled by Dao Qiongchang, who revealed his wager on the Shennong Clan.

• Jinren removed the last strand of Hua Changdeng’s Sword Ghost sword qi from Mei Suren and treated his injury without revealing his full abilities.
• Jinren restored Xiao Kongtong and Xiao Wanfeng, then secretly sent Li Fugui and Zhu Yike’s remnant souls to the Apricot Realm for safekeeping.
• Xu Xiaoshou secretly sent an Ancestor God Godhood to Jinren, who hesitated to give it to Kui Leihan in case it weakened his resolve.
• At the Time Realm Rift, Xu Xiaoshou possessed Jiang Nayi and confronted Yan Sheng, learning that Yan Sheng was a Heavenly Mechanism Puppet controlled by Dao Qiongchang.
• Dao Qiongchang admitted that he had monitored the Northern Region and disclosed that he had bet on the Shennong Clan among the Ancestor Gods.

Xu Xiaoshou pressed Dao Qiongchang about Dao Peipei and Nuo, and Dao Qiongchang traded information about the Demon and Sui Yin for a reprieve. He concluded that the ancestors knew of Nuo, had rejected his path, and pursued their own, then asked whether Xu Xiaoshou had considered the same question.

• Xu Xiaoshou questioned Dao Qiongchang about his relationship with Dao Peipei, but Dao Qiongchang answered indirectly and suggested that Dao Peipei might have fabricated what she said.
• Dao Qiongchang offered Xu Xiaoshou information in exchange for being let off, then revealed that he, the Demon, and Sui Yin knew of Nuo.
• Dao Qiongchang deduced that the Demon had once been the Holy Ancestor, rejected Nuo, and later regretted that choice after merging with the Demon.
• Dao Qiongchang explained that Sui Yin had dismissed Nuo as inferior to the War Ancestor, then argued that the Demon or Medicine Ancestor had likely originated the contemptuous claim.
• Dao Qiongchang concluded that the ancestors had known Nuo, rejected his path, and chosen new ones, then asked Xu Xiaoshou whether he had considered this.

Xu Xiaoshou and Dao Qiongchang compared their encounters with Nuo and agreed to cooperate deeply by sharing information. When Xu Xiaoshou asked how Dao Qiongchang’s relationship with Dao Peipei fit into the arrangement, Dao Qiongchang declared that only one Dao Ancestor could exist.

• Xu Xiaoshou learned that Dao Qiongchang had encountered a blurry figure called Xi He during Transcendent Dao Transformation and believed the figure had helped Yan Sheng cross the Heaven-Cheating Sea.
• Dao Qiongchang revealed that he had connected Xi He to Nuo after seeing Xu Xiaoshou return with the ultimate state of intent, then proposed that they cooperate.
• Xu Xiaoshou and Dao Qiongchang agreed to deep cooperation, with Dao Qiongchang promising to share his information and help Xu Xiaoshou obtain things that did not undermine his ultimate goal.
• Xu Xiaoshou asked whether he should trust Dao Qiongchang or Dao Peipei when their information conflicted, and Dao Qiongchang answered that there could be only one Dao Ancestor.

Xu Xiaoshou inferred that Dao Qiongchang planned to use memory and differentiated identities to discern and consolidate the self, then shared three cryptic words with him and discussed the Ancestor God Godhoods. Dao Qiongchang warned that Xu Xiaoshou had underestimated Kui Leihan and suggested Cao Erzhu might be the one who should receive a Godhood, leaving Xu Xiaoshou questioning the connection between Cao Yihan, Kui Leihan, and the weapons they had passed on.

• Xu Xiaoshou reasoned that Dao Qiongchang and Dao Peipei might use memory, puppet incarnations, and the world's impressions of them to anchor their identities before ultimately becoming one.
• Xu Xiaoshou told Dao Qiongchang the three words “Time, name, Nuo,” and Dao Qiongchang asked whether Xu expected Kong Yuhen to reconstruct the Time Realm or the Devil Ancestor to devour the Time Ancestor.
• Xu Xiaoshou said he was betting on Kong Yuhen because he regarded him as a friend, and Dao Qiongchang promised not to let him down.
• Xu Xiaoshou asked what Dao Qiongchang meant by saying Kui Leihan had received guidance, and Dao Qiongchang explained how Ancestor God Godhoods could function as psychological birdcages.
• Dao Qiongchang said Xu Xiaoshou had underestimated Kui Leihan, who already had a way out, and suggested Xu consider giving the Ancestor God Godhood to Cao Erzhu instead.
• Dao Qiongchang pointed to the weapons and choices of several powerful figures, then asked whether Cao Yihan's Dao heart had been broken by his Martial-Sealing Talisman, leaving Xu Xiaoshou to reconsider the situation.

Xu Xiaoshou agreed to give an Ancestor God Godhood to Cao Erzhu, while Dao Qiongchang considered his own path to power and pledged to help Xu Xiaoshou kill Hua Changdeng if possible. Meanwhile, Jiang Nayi became the Devil Ancestor’s pact-bound servant Jinmo and set out for Crossroads Corner to carry out a mission involving Shen Yi’s group, the Bloodworld Pearl, and Five Declines of Heaven and Man.

• Dao Qiongchang advised Xu Xiaoshou that Kui Leihan might have hidden a contingency plan in Cao Erzhu, and Xu Xiaoshou agreed to entrust Cao Erzhu with an Ancestor God Godhood.
• Jiang Nayi gave Yan Sheng the spatial ring containing the Ancestor God Godhood and told him to protect their son before Yan Sheng left the Time Realm Rift.
• Xu Xiaoshou told Dao Qiongchang that he would kill Hua Changdeng if he could, even if someone close to him urged him not to, and Dao Qiongchang promised to help when necessary.
• Jinren left the Time Realm Rift for Crossroads Corner, while Jiang Nayi found himself in the Devil Ancestor’s Divine Court and agreed to swallow the Jinren Human Pellet and serve the Devil Ancestor as Jinmo.
• The Devil Ancestor gave Jinmo three tasks: befriend Shen Yi’s group, conceal his identity and obey the divine decree, and watch Five Declines of Heaven and Man and the Bloodworld Pearl.
• Jinmo teleported to Lingyu Mountain, observed the Sword Ancestor, Ba Zunan, and Hua Changdeng without being detected, then continued toward Crossroads Corner.

Xu Xiaoshou kept his scheme against the Ancestors in motion while the Sword Ancestor offered Hua Changdeng, Ba Zunan, and Gou Wuyue a chance to enter the Sword Tower. Gou and Ba crushed their Sword Jades, leaving Hua to decide, but the Sword Ancestor then chose three other inheritors and vanished with them.

• Xu Xiaoshou reviewed how his layered plan used Dao, Jiang Nayi, and Jinren to keep the Ancestors occupied while he waited for an opening.
• The Sword Ancestor gave Hua Changdeng, Ba Zunan, and Gou Wuyue Sword Jades and said whoever crushed theirs last could enter the Sword Tower to view the Moon-Viewing Diagram.
• Gou Wuyue crushed his Sword Jade and withdrew, then Ba Zunan crushed his, leaving Hua Changdeng alone with the choice to enter.
• Xiao Kongtong warned Hua Changdeng that crushing the Sword Jade might summon the Sword Tower to him, and the Sword Ancestor announced that other sword-path inheritors would enter with him.
• The Sword Ancestor selected Gu Qingyi, Xiao Wanfeng, and Lei Shuangxing as three Dao-seed inheritors, then vanished with them.