Chapter Summaries

Chu Qing followed four members of Central Continent's First Dao after they abducted Shopkeeper Song and learned they believed him to be their long-lost Dao Master, though Song remembered nothing. When a masked attacker tried to kill Song, Chu Qing saved him and caught the assailant, who then turned into black mist to escape.

• Chu Qing overheard Wu Qianhuan question Huangfu Yixiao's motives and said they needed to find Not a Monk for answers.
• Chu Qing warned the innkeeper's son that martial-world disputes depended on strength as well as reason, then sent him away.
• Chu Qing saw the tall, short, fat, and thin quartet take Shopkeeper Song from the inn and followed them to a plum grove.
• The quartet identified Shopkeeper Song as their missing Dao Master, but Song woke without recognizing them and fled.
• A masked attacker struck at Shopkeeper Song, and Chu Qing saved him, restrained the attacker, and used the Sword Control Technique to keep the dagger away.
• The attacker snapped his own arm to escape, but Chu Qing pulled him back with a forceful technique, prompting him to dissolve into black mist.

Chu Qing learned that Shopkeeper Song might be the amnesiac Dao Master of First Dao and warned him that other powerful enemies were hunting him. Shopkeeper Song asked Chu Qing to help restore his memories, but Chu Qing cautioned that remembering his past could change how he felt about his wife and son, leaving the decision to him.

• Chu Qing destroyed the black mist left by the assassin and told Shopkeeper Song that First Dao had found him, though Shopkeeper Song remembered nothing of being its Dao Master.
• Shopkeeper Song said he valued his family life and had no desire to return to the jianghu, but Chu Qing warned that more assassins could threaten his family.
• Shopkeeper Song considered seeking help from First Dao, but Chu Qing explained that its members might obey the former Dao Master rather than the person he was now.
• Chu Qing suggested restoring Shopkeeper Song's memories and warned that his former self might abandon or endanger his present family.
• Shopkeeper Song begged Chu Qing to help him recover his memories, and Chu Qing told him to weigh the risks and decide before he left.

Chu Qing followed the lanterns to Myriad Treasure Tower with Wu Qianhuan and Wen Rou, where Huangfu Yixiao attacked Not a Monk before being stopped by a woman inside. The group entered the tower and found Not a Monk waiting with blood at the corner of his mouth.

• Chu Qing considered the attempted assassination of Shopkeeper Song and the links between the assassin, the Cold Corpse Record, and Martial Emperor Li Juechen.
• After two peaceful days, Chu Qing, Wu Qianhuan, and Wen Rou followed lanterns through the rain to Myriad Treasure Tower.
• Huangfu Yixiao arrived with his own Invitation Card and argued with Chu Qing about repaying his debt.
• Wen Rou recognized Not a Monk, and Huangfu Yixiao pursued him with a sword attack as he rushed into the tower.
• A woman inside Myriad Treasure Tower blocked Huangfu Yixiao's strike and warned him not to cause trouble there.
• Chu Qing and the others entered after presenting their Invitation Card and saw Not a Monk waiting with blood at his mouth.

Huangfu Yixiao explained why he was searching for Not a Monk: he hoped to find his abducted elder brother, whom Chu Qing suspected might be Mo Duxing. After Huangfu left with a young woman, Chu Qing collected the belongings left for Ji Yexue at Destiny Abode Pavilion and recognized the secret manual as the Eternal Love Technique.

• Huangfu Yixiao told Chu Qing that his elder brother had been abducted as a child and that he had traced the matter to Not a Monk.
• Chu Qing and Huangfu Yixiao discussed the possibility that the missing brother was Mo Duxing and considered what might have happened to him.
• A young woman summoned Huangfu Yixiao, and Chu Qing learned about the Myriad Treasure Tower and the Wealth-Bringing Token.
• Chu Qing, Wu Qianhuan, and Wen Rou went to Destiny Abode Pavilion, where a tiny old man identified the token's owner as Willow Leaf Recluse.
• The old man gave Chu Qing gold notes, a pouch, a secret manual, and a letter left for Ji Yexue; Chu Qing recognized the manual's title as Eternal Love Technique.

Chu Qing acquired the Eternal Love Technique and sought information about Heavenly Buddha Temple at Myriad Treasure Tower. The tower could not identify the temple’s location, but Yihai revealed that a man who had escaped it was inside the tower.

• Chu Qing confirmed that the items in Destiny Abode Pavilion, including the Eternal Love Technique, were his to keep or give away.
• Chu Qing asked Not a Monk how he would escape being hunted, but refused when the monk offered to buy his own life.
• Chu Qing and his companions met Yihai in Yihai Room and asked Myriad Treasure Tower to locate Heavenly Buddha Temple.
• Yihai explained that the temple’s abbot was the Buddha King of Heavenly Evil Cult, but the tower did not know the temple’s exact location.
• Chu Qing paid three thousand taels of silver for information about Wan Chunhua, the Lone Whale Saber, and learned that Wan Chunhua was inside Myriad Treasure Tower.

Chu Qing learned why Wan Chunhua had fled to Heavenly Buddha Temple and questioned Yihai about the Book of the Immutable Heavens and the Heavenly Evil Cult’s Twelve Sacred Kings. He then parted from Wu Qianhuan and Wen Rou in the Myriad Treasure Tower and headed toward the Treasure Exchange Bureau.

• Chu Qing paid Yihai for information and learned Wan Chunhua had killed Mu Tong’er’s maidservant after fleeing the Northern Region, where he had angered powerful factions.
• Yihai showed Chu Qing a catalog of secret manuals and explained that the Earth Character Scroll of the Book of the Immutable Heavens was in Heavenly Buddha Temple.
• Yihai named the known Twelve Sacred Kings and revealed that Good King and Evil King had fought far from Immortal Cloud Mountain during Chu Qing’s battle there.
• Chu Qing realized he had met Good King before and suspected the mysterious old man Xingshan was the king Yihai meant.
• Chu Qing, Wu Qianhuan, and Wen Rou left Yihai’s room and went to a chamber to choose disguises before visiting the Treasure Exchange Bureau.
• Because Wen Rou’s appearance was too recognizable, Chu Qing agreed to browse separately while Wu Qianhuan and Wen Rou went downstairs.

Chu Qing attended a masked Treasure Exchange Bureau, where a seller offered the Vairocana Jade Buddha and accused Martial Emperor Li Juechen of murdering thousands in pursuit of martial arts. Chu Qing received a system commission to assassinate Li Juechen but postponed deciding, as the exchange continued with a request to restore someone’s memory in return for a promise from the First Dao.

• Chu Qing followed a masked maid to the exchange room and joined seven other masked guests as the Treasure Exchange Bureau began.
• A seller presented the Vairocana Jade Buddha, and the guests identified it as a treasured relic of Great Sumeru Zen Monastery.
• The seller demanded a way to increase internal strength, a powerful manual, or Li Juechen’s life, then accused the Martial Emperor of abducting and dissecting people to advance his martial arts.
• A guest offered First Grade Origin Creation Pills and a martial arts manual for the jade Buddha, and the maid took the manual away for Myriad Treasure Tower to appraise.
• Chu Qing received a system commission to assassinate Li Juechen but hesitated, wanting to verify the accusations himself.
• Another guest asked for a way to restore someone’s memory and offered a promise from the First Dao as payment.

At the Treasure Exchange Bureau, Chu Qing heard offers to restore memories and trade a saber for a life before agreeing to hear Wan Chunhua’s case against Bai Yitian. Wan Chunhua explained how Bai Yitian framed and pursued her, then began to reveal where she fled next.

• A First Dao member offered an unconditional favor for a verified way to restore memories, but no one accepted the challenge.
• The owner of a jade Buddha rejected a three-thousand-tael appraisal for his manual, and the trade failed.
• Wan Chunhua offered the Shark Slaying Saber in exchange for Bai Yitian’s life, and Chu Qing agreed to investigate after hearing the full story.
• Wan Chunhua said Bai Yitian had framed her after she killed the Thirty-One Flying Stream Bandits, who had secretly served Great Wind Tower.
• Chu Qing pointed out that Wan Chunhua had overlooked the bandits’ letters as a possible safeguard and could have hidden at their secret location.
• Wan Chunhua revealed that she had accidentally killed a young woman while fleeing and said she had gone to a terrifying place where everyone ate vegetarian food and worshipped Buddha.

Chu Qing learned from Wan Chunhua about the strange people and mind-influencing martial arts at the Heavenly Buddha Temple near Heavenly Pass Ridge, then revealed his interest in visiting it. After accepting Wan Chunhua's offer to travel with him and help him kill Bai Yitian, Chu Qing left the Treasure Exchange Bureau, where a sudden sword-song rang through Myriad Treasure Tower.

• Wan Chunhua told Chu Qing that people at the Heavenly Buddha Temple worshipped a Buddha Ancestor, and that a lingering chant had haunted him after he escaped.
• Chu Qing learned that the Heavenly Buddha Temple was near Heavenly Pass Ridge and said he planned to visit it after the gathering at Myriad Treasure Tower.
• Wan Chunhua challenged Chu Qing, but Chu Qing took the Shark Slaying Saber and shattered the Buddha Ancestor's Dharma Image that had been left on Wan Chunhua.
• Chu Qing explained that strange martial arts had influenced Wan Chunhua, then admitted he had sought the temple's location and agreed to let Wan Chunhua accompany him.
• Wan Chunhua vowed to repay the life debt for the young woman she had killed, and Chu Qing agreed to mediate with the important figure pursuing her.
• Chu Qing left the Treasure Exchange Bureau with Wan Chunhua, removed his mask to change clothes, and heard a sudden sword-song ring through Myriad Treasure Tower.

Chu Qing arrived at the gambling table just as the Masked Man defeated Miss Jiang and claimed her as his prize under the Myriad Treasure Tower’s rules. He challenged the Masked Man to another wager, arguing that the stakes had been unequal from the start.

• Chu Qing brought Wan Chunhua downstairs and used his methods to enter the crowd gathered around a gambling table.
• Wu Qianhuan and Wen Rou explained that the Masked Man had beaten Miss Jiang once in a best-of-three wager, then won again and claimed her as his prize.
• Miss Jiang agreed to leave with the Masked Man because she had lost according to the Myriad Treasure Tower’s rules, despite Huangfu Yixiao’s protests.
• Chu Qing learned that the Masked Man had wagered his life against Miss Jiang and stepped forward to challenge him over her.
• Chu Qing pointed out that the Masked Man’s life was not an equal stake for the tower master and asked the crowd why they had not noticed the wager’s unfairness.

Chu Qing defeated the Masked Man in a rigged wager, exposing how he had manipulated the man’s perceptions and forcing him to lose Miss Jiang. The Masked Man then revealed himself as the Head of the Institute, destroyed the Myriad Treasure Tower’s entrance guardians, and ordered two attendants to kill Chu Qing.

• Chu Qing proposed a simple dice wager, and he beat the Masked Man in the first round with three sixes against three fives.
• During the second round, Chu Qing trapped the Masked Man in an illusion; the Masked Man lost again and realized Chu Qing had manipulated him into accepting the wager.
• Miss Jiang confirmed that the Masked Man had broken the Myriad Treasure Tower’s rules, while Chu Qing declined to provoke a fight that could get them both expelled.
• The Masked Man summoned two masters, who destroyed Attract Wealth and Bring in Treasures, then identified himself as the Head of the Institute.
• The Masked Man left the Myriad Treasure Tower and ordered the two black-clad men to kill Chu Qing.

Chu Qing and the others discovered that fragments of Weeping God Iron had formed a Weeping Soul Chaos God Array around the Myriad Treasure Tower, leaving them trapped by its mind-warping effects. Miss Jiang proposed using the Five Paths Heart Guarding Array to endure until the attackers entered, while Chu Qing remained wary.

• Two black-clad experts shattered Attract Wealth and Bring in Treasures, then attacked Chu Qing, but he redirected one man's fist force and killed both attackers with help from Wu Qianhuan and Miss Jiang.
• The Weeping God Iron's influence overwhelmed people in the tower, and Chu Qing suppressed the voices tormenting Wu Qianhuan before finding Wen Rou unconscious.
• Miss Jiang explained that the Chaos God Saber had been destroyed but its Weeping God Iron fragments could gather together and grow stronger.
• Miss Jiang discovered that fragments of Weeping God Iron formed a Weeping Soul Chaos God Array outside, which confused the minds of anyone who stepped beyond the tower.
• A black-robed woman said the Seven Treasures Glazed Heart could break the array, but its inheritor was far away; Miss Jiang then proposed using the Five Paths Heart Guarding Array to protect the survivors until the attackers came inside.
• The fat man from First Dao explained that the Five Paths Heart Guarding Array could preserve their clarity but could not defeat the enemy, and Chu Qing stayed silent as the group accepted Miss Jiang's plan.

The Masked Man discussed the Myriad Treasure Tower’s defenses with Pale Eyes and learned that Heaven Slayer had been killed by the Northern Ridge Martial Arts Alliance Leader. Inside the tower, a healer explained Wen Rou’s Heavenly Fragrance Scent Body and how Chu Qing could help her awaken, while warning him to keep her condition secret.

• The Masked Man spoke with Pale Eyes about the young man who had deceived him and agreed that the mysterious opponent posed a serious threat.
• Pale Eyes identified Third Young Master, the Northern Ridge Martial Arts Alliance Leader, as the one who had killed Heaven Slayer, and the Masked Man examined his portrait.
• Chu Qing examined Wen Rou but could not determine why she remained unconscious, so Huangfu Yixiao brought the little old man from Destiny Abode Pavilion to see her.
• The little old man recognized Wen Rou’s Heavenly Fragrance Scent Body and explained that her suppressed emotions caused her to faint after being affected by the Weeping Soul Chaos God Array.
• The little old man told Chu Qing to enter Wen Rou’s heart with his divine ability to ease her suffering and warned him not to reveal her constitution.
• Chu Qing thanked the little old man and stopped Huangfu Yixiao because he had something to tell him.

Chu Qing learned more about the mysterious Myriad Treasure Tower from Huangfu Yixiao, then entered Wen Rou’s heart to help her sort through her buried feelings. After meeting Wen Rou as a child and comforting her, he encountered her as a teenager and realized they had spent years talking in this inner world.

• Huangfu Yixiao told Chu Qing that the Myriad Treasure Tower had mysterious origins, operated across the Four Regions and One Continent, and could be packed away because it was a mechanical building.
• Huangfu Yixiao described Jiang’s martial arts and left to join the others in setting up the Five Paths Heart Guarding Array against the Weeping Soul Chaos God Array.
• Chu Qing entered Wen Rou’s heart through the Heaven and Earth Changing Great Technique and found a black-and-white world that led to the Great Easy Sect.
• Chu Qing met young Wen Rou crying because she missed her parents and regretted not showing them how much she loved them, then comforted her until she fell asleep.
• The seasons cycled around Chu Qing, and he awoke to find Wen Rou as a teenager, who said they had known each other for years and that she often came to confide in him.

Chu Qing broke through Wen Rou’s spiritual barriers and awakened her, then joined the experts gathered at Myriad Treasure Tower to confront the Weeping Soul Chaos God Array. He explained his ties to Nian Xin and Nian An to Bodhi Convent’s elder, who proposed that he recruit them to help fight the Heavenly Evil Cult; Kashyapa approved her reasoning.

• Chu Qing followed Wen Rou’s painful memories through her spiritual world, destroyed the thorns that pierced her, and caught her as she fell.
• Chu Qing awakened in the quiet chamber with Wen Rou, taught her a mnemonic to calm the voices caused by the Weeping Soul Chaos God Array, and left her with Wu Qianhuan.
• Chu Qing found Huangfu Yixiao and other experts protecting groups of people with the Five Paths Heart Guarding Array at Myriad Treasure Tower.
• Huangfu Yixiao introduced Chu Qing as the Third Young Master, prompting Bodhi Convent’s elder to recognize him as the man Nian Xin and Nian An had followed.
• Chu Qing explained how Nian Xin and Nian An had chosen him as their big brother, and the elder apologized for accusing him of deceiving them.
• The elder urged Chu Qing to bring Nian Xin and Nian An back to the proper path and recruit them against the Heavenly Evil Cult, while Kashyapa praised her Great Wisdom.

Chu Qing learned that First Dao’s Dao Master may have been driven from the sect and pursued by a powerful enemy, and he agreed to stay while Bai Sheng considered how to restore the Dao Master’s memories. Miss Jiang then asked Chu Qing to speak with her privately about redeeming herself after the Masked Man lost her to him.

• Bai Sheng asked Chu Qing to help First Dao recover its Dao Master, and Chu Qing said he would act only if the Dao Master agreed.
• Chu Qing revealed that an assassin had attacked the Dao Master after Bai Sheng’s group took him away, suggesting that someone had pursued them and may have harmed the Dao Master more than a decade earlier.
• Chu Qing advised Bai Sheng that restoring the Dao Master’s memories might be necessary, while warning that the enemy had deep foundations and could threaten him again.
• Bai Sheng proposed disguising themselves as assassins to force the Dao Master to decide, and Chu Qing warned him to consider the consequences before agreeing to stay at Small River Bend.
• Miss Jiang asked Chu Qing to accompany her upstairs to discuss redeeming herself, then told Huangfu Yixiao that she was now Chu Qing’s woman because the Masked Man had lost her to him.

Jiang Li asked Chu Qing and the other experts to break the Weeping Soul Chaos God Array trapping the Myriad Treasure Tower, offering rewards in return. Chu Qing agreed, and the assembled experts prepared to act while Jiang Li gave Huangfu Yixiao the array diagram.

• Chu Qing settled his wager with Jiang Li in exchange for a written promise that she would unconditionally help him with one matter, and she gave him three pieces of Heart-Cleansing Cold Jade.
• Jiang Li explained that the Five Paths Heart Guarding Array could only delay the danger and asked Chu Qing and the other experts to break the Weeping Soul Chaos God Array.
• Jiang Li offered Chu Qing five martial arts manuals as a reward, and he agreed to help despite realizing they could worsen Wen Rou's condition.
• Chu Qing questioned Yihai about why information concerning Jiang Li's susceptibility to mind-confusing methods was not for sale, then watched as Jiang Li recruited Kashyapa and other experts.
• Bai Sheng agreed to join the effort after learning Chu Qing would act, and Jiang Li gave Huangfu Yixiao the array diagram before asking the experts to return victorious.

Chu Qing and his companions entered the Weeping Soul Chaos God Array while Liu Qianguan and Pale Eyes attacked the Myriad Treasure Tower. Liu Qianguan confronted Jiang Li and prepared to take her away, but Jiang Li refused to let him abduct Wu Qianhuan and Wen Rou.

• Chu Qing's group left the Myriad Treasure Tower and followed Jiang Li's array diagram through the Weeping Soul Chaos God Array.
• Liu Qianguan and Pale Eyes used Weeping God Iron to shatter the defenders' reason, driving them to attack one another.
• The Nine Manifestations Divine Dragon emerged from Destiny Abode Pavilion and confronted Pale Eyes, briefly restoring the surviving martial artists' clarity.
• Liu Qianguan went to Jiang Li's room, confirmed that he intended to abduct her, and learned that Wu Qianhuan and Wen Rou were hiding there.
• Jiang Li told Liu Qianguan he could not take Wu Qianhuan and Wen Rou, despite his plan to leave with her.

Wu Qianhuan and Wen Rou learned that Jiang Li had conspired with Liu Qianguan, but Jiang Li turned against him when he tried to take them away. As Liu Qianguan overwhelmed Jiang Li and attacked Wu Qianhuan, an unseen voice urged Wu to meet his palm with hers.

• Wu Qianhuan and Wen Rou overheard Jiang Li and Liu Qianguan reveal their alliance to seize the Myriad Treasure Tower.
• Liu Qianguan urged Jiang Li to abandon Wu Qianhuan and Wen Rou, but Jiang Li refused to let him take them away.
• Wu Qianhuan challenged Liu Qianguan and fought back against his mind-confusing techniques, while Jiang Li intervened to protect her.
• Wu Qianhuan persuaded Jiang Li not to leave them, and Jiang Li threatened to end their plan unless Liu Qianguan let them go.
• Liu Qianguan attacked Jiang Li, then sent Wu Qianhuan flying when she joined the fight again.
• Liu Qianguan charged at Wu Qianhuan with a palm strike, and a voice told her to meet it with her own palm.

Chu Qing returned to Myriad Treasure Tower and stopped Liu Qianguan from capturing Wu Qianhuan, while Jiang Li explained how the Heart-Seizing Seal and her past had driven her into the Heavenly Evil Cult’s scheme. She revealed that Huangfu Yixiao’s search concerned Wen Rou’s Eldest Senior Brother, Huangfu Yijian, and the chapter ended with Liu Qianguan identifying himself as a senior figure in the cult.

• Chu Qing reappeared in Myriad Treasure Tower and struck Liu Qianguan into its iron wall before he could capture Wu Qianhuan.
• Chu Qing confronted Jiang Li, who admitted that she had tried to lure Huangfu Yixiao into a trap and explained that the Heart-Seizing Seal had forced its bearers to kill one another to gain power.
• Jiang Li revealed that her plan depended on Huangfu Yixiao witnessing the theft of Myriad Treasure Tower and reporting it, which would draw investigators into a Heavenly Evil Cult ambush.
• Jiang Li said that Huangfu Yixiao’s missing person was Wen Rou’s Eldest Senior Brother, Huangfu Yijian, who had later been known as Mo Yijian and Mo Duxing.
• Liu Qianguan pulled himself from the wall and declared that he was the Head of the Third Academy of the Literary Heart Pavilion, one of the Heavenly Evil Cult’s six institutes.