Chapter Summaries

Zhang Zhongxing made his family promise to cremate and scatter his remains before dying, while Liu Sheng watched and condemned him. Xiu Niang appeared and tried to take Zhang Zhongxing’s Yin Soul, but two underworld officers intervened, leaving Madam Zhang and the Zhang brothers demanding action against her.

• Liu Sheng visited dying Zhang Zhongxing, rejected his claim of friendship, and recalled their broken bond over Xiu Niang.
• Zhang Zhongxing ordered his family to cremate his body and scatter his ashes, then forced his Eldest Son to swear a Heart Oath to obey the arrangements.
• Zhang Zhongxing called Madam Zhang by her maiden name, Xiuying, and died; Liu Sheng bitterly called him heartless and said he had gotten a good death.
• A mysterious force scattered the Zhang family, and Xiu Niang appeared to seize Zhang Zhongxing’s Yin Soul; Eldest Son failed to stop her.
• Two underworld officers confronted Xiu Niang and revealed her aged appearance, while Liu Sheng greeted her emotionally and Madam Zhang demanded the officers arrest her.
• Madam Zhang and Eldest Son appealed to the underworld officers, with Eldest Son warning that he would take the matter to a higher authority if they failed to act.

Xiu Niang was tried in the Lesser Underworld for keeping Zhang Zhongxing’s soul, and Left Cao Official Zheng Xiong sentenced her to lashes and nine lifetimes barred from reincarnation. Zhang Zhongxing escaped his soul-locking bottle to confess responsibility, while two fiery chains suddenly bound Xiu Niang.

• Black and White Underworld Officials accepted Xiu Niang’s Incense Beads, then joined the Zhang brothers in capturing her and taking Zhang Zhongxing’s soul.
• Zhang Zhongxing asked the Underworld Officials to drive Xiu Niang away, but a black-faced cultivator ordered them to bring both to the Lesser Underworld.
• Left Cao Official Zheng Xiong sentenced Xiu Niang to a hundred lashes from the Withered Soul Whip and nine lifetimes without reincarnation.
• Zhang Zhongxing broke out of White Underworld Official’s soul-locking bottle and confessed that Xiu Niang’s crime was his fault.
• The Underworld Officials and Zhang brothers tried to seize Zhang Zhongxing’s soul, while two chains of fire bound Xiu Niang in midair.

Zhang Zhongxing revealed that he had hidden his love for Xiu Niang for decades to protect her cultivation, while she explained the sacrifices he had made for her. After Xiu Niang survived the Withered Soul Whip, Zhang Zhongxing rebuked his sons for trying to capture him.

• Zheng Xiong stopped his men and signaled the Zhang brothers to halt, allowing Zhang Zhongxing to reach Xiu Niang.
• The flames went out before the Withered Soul Whip could strike again, and Zhang Zhongxing caught Xiu Niang as she fell.
• Zhang Zhongxing told Xiu Niang he had concealed his love to keep her from being held back on her Immortal Path.
• Xiu Niang revealed that Zhang Zhongxing had given her a Three Flowers Supreme Treasure Pill and injured his foundation to help her cultivate.
• Zhang Zhongxing scolded his sons for trying to capture their own father and defended Xiu Niang from their insults.

Zhang Zhongxing confessed his regret to Xiu Niang, helping Xu Yi break through his mental delusion by confronting the harm caused by his own assumptions. Xu Yi then asked Zheng Xiong to grant the reunited couple a favor, but Zheng Xiong challenged him over the laws he had broken.

• Zhang Zhongxing told Xiu Niang he regretted believing he knew what was best for her and wished he had stayed by her side.
• Xu Yi emerged as Karma Fire Golden Lotuses appeared, and Zheng Xiong realized the hidden expert had broken through a delusion.
• Xu Yi reflected on how his assumptions had hurt Xia Zimo, Xue Zihan, Yan Zi, Yu Yinqiu, and Xuan Xuan, then found relief from his mental burden.
• Zhang Zhongxing and Xiu Niang thanked Xu Yi for helping them reunite, and he thanked them for helping him break through his barriers.
• Xu Yi asked Zheng Xiong to help Zhang Zhongxing and Xiu Niang, but Zheng Xiong cited the underworld laws and questioned Xu Yi about destroying the Soul-Sealing Bottle.

Xu Yi forced the Tokyo City God's Mansion to restore Zhang Zhongxing and clear Xiu Niang's punishment, then revived the couple and prepared to leave. Zhong Shenxiu and four Earth Palace officials arrived with eight hundred Mighty Guards to confront him.

• Xu Yi threatened Zheng Xiong with the Underworld Court's laws and demanded that he release Zhang Zhongxing's souls and erase Xiu Niang's punishment.
• Chu Tianxiong arrived with his officials and soldiers, but Xu Yi trapped him in a Thunder Cage Net and tortured him until Zheng Xiong obeyed Xu Yi's demands.
• Xu Yi restored Zhang Zhongxing's souls to his corpse, rejuvenated him, and healed Xiu Niang, who then returned to her youthful appearance.
• Zhang Zhongxing and Xiu Niang bowed to Xu Yi, and he told them to leave with him.
• Zhong Shenxiu and four high-ranking Earth Palace officials appeared, and Zhong Shenxiu summoned eight hundred Mighty Guards to attack.

Xu Yi revealed himself to Zhong Shenxiu, forced him to punish corrupt officials and the Zhang brothers, and secured Zhang Zhongxing and Xiu Niang’s escape from Jianghuai. After sending the couple away, Xu Yi returned to bid farewell to his neighbors before leaving the city.

• Xu Yi revealed that he was Old Demon Kongxu and demanded that Zhong Shenxiu clean up corruption in Jianghuai Earth Palace.
• Zhong Shenxiu recognized Xu Yi’s power, apologized, and ordered soldiers to drag away Zheng Xiong, the underworld officials, and the Zhang brothers.
• Xu Yi secretly planted an Origin Seal Bead in Zhong Shenxiu’s shoulder and used it to frighten him into letting Zhang Zhongxing and Xiu Niang go.
• Xu Yi took Zhang Zhongxing and Xiu Niang to Guazhou Ferry, gave Zhang Zhongxing a Sumeru Ring, and urged them to leave Jianghuai.
• Xu Yi returned to the city gate’s docks and began saying goodbye to his neighbors, who gathered to see him off.

Xu Yi left Tokyo City, reunited with Master Cen, and later met Silver Venerable Wang Buyi to ask about the world's structure. Silver Venerable took him into the astral winds to show him the starry sky.

• Several hundred people escorted Xu Yi to the city gates as he left Tokyo City.
• Xu Yi met Master Cen at the ferry, spent the night aboard his pleasure boat, and slipped away before dawn.
• A demonic fog and fierce winds struck Master Cen's boat convoy, but golden light protected his pleasure boat and helped rescue the other vessels.
• Xu Yi contacted Silver Venerable Wang Buyi with his Ruyi Pearl and met him two hours later.
• Silver Venerable recognized Xu Yi as Old Demon Kongxu, the Yin Court's wanted enemy, but refused to turn him in.
• Xu Yi asked Silver Venerable about the world's structure, and Silver Venerable took him into the layer of starry-sky astral winds.

Xu Yi rose into the True Gang Void with Silver Venerable and saw that the world was a planet called Qin Guang Star, then learned how the Immortal Realm and its appointed rulers were organized. He left Silver Venerable to put his Roving Official Seal to use and obtain incense offerings, remembering that Huang Mei could help him.

• Xu Yi endured the Starry Sky Gale Force and reached the True Gang Void, where he saw the spherical Qin Guang Star.
• Silver Venerable explained that Qin Guang Star was one planet in the Immortal Realm and described the Fragment Worlds, the Main World, and the appointments of the Investiture Platform and Imperial Decree Platform.
• Xu Yi listened to Silver Venerable’s account of the Immortal Realm and resolved to one day explore its planets himself.
• Xu Yi left Silver Venerable after two days and decided to use his Roving Official Seal to obtain incense offerings for the damaged Dark Gourd.
• Xu Yi remembered Huang Mei could explain how to use the seal and slapped his forehead.

Xu Yi freed the Desolate Charm Old Ancestor and persuaded him that an enemy had sealed the Starry Sky Ring, then planned to claim an Underworld Court post through the Roving Official Seal. Disguised and carrying out preparations, Xu Yi reached Fengdu City, where he would need to settle his official appointment.

• Xu Yi released the Desolate Charm Old Ancestor and fabricated a story about an enemy sealing the Starry Sky Ring, convincing him despite his suspicions.
• Xu Yi and the Desolate Charm Old Ancestor agreed that Xu Yi should claim a post with the Roving Official Seal and travel to Fengdu City to make it official.
• Xu Yi changed into a Nu Chi Ape to avoid problems with his registered bloodline, and the Desolate Charm Old Ancestor explained the route and local taboos.
• Xu Yi created a bearded disguise with pure qi and a Ruyi Pearl, then headed west with the Desolate Charm Old Ancestor.
• Xu Yi arrived in Fengdu City, a cultivator settlement inside the netherworld barrier that had grown around the Underworld Court's Foreign Affairs Department.

Xu Yi, posing as Lei Chiyan, sought an official appointment in Fengdu City and paid Zhen Ping and his connections to reach Xia Sibo’s household. The chapter ended with Steward Xia accepting gifts and promising to consider the request, while Xu Yi remained silent and ignored.

• Xu Yi hired Zhen Ping to help secure an official appointment and revealed his white Roving Official Seal.
• Zhen Ping contacted Xia Sibo’s network, and Xu Yi gave him three hundred and fifty Incense Beads to cover the expenses.
• Zhen Ping and Xu Yi met Wu Quan, who brought them to Steward Xia at Xia Sibo’s residence.
• Steward Xia warned that appointments were only three days away and the good posts might already be taken.
• Wu Quan presented gifts for Steward Xia and Xia Sibo, and Steward Xia said he knew about their request.
• Steward Xia dismissed them without acknowledging Xu Yi, leaving Old Demon Kongxu unable to speak.

After Xu Yi offered Steward Xia three hundred Incense Beads to secure an appointment, Xia Sibo refused the request and ordered the gift returned. Zhen Niang persuaded her brother to seek an extension instead, hoping the favor would help her become Xia Sibo’s principal wife.

• Xu Yi hosted Steward Xia and Wu Quan after leaving the Xia estate, and Wu Quan explained that Steward Xia’s influence came from his sister, Zhen Niang.
• Steward Xia presented Xia Sibo with three hundred Incense Beads and explained Xu Yi’s request for help obtaining an appointment.
• Xia Sibo refused the request because appointments were already set and ordered Steward Xia to return the gift.
• Zhen Niang summoned Steward Xia and urged him to keep Xu Yi waiting until her grandfather’s birthday had passed and she could pursue becoming Xia Sibo’s principal wife.
• Steward Xia agreed to negotiate an extension, and Zhen Niang instructed him to treat Xu Yi respectfully so he would not refuse.

Xu Yi attended the official appointments at the Bureau of Officials, where Kong Xiang mocked him and Xia Sibo left him off the list. Xu Yi then struck the Bureau’s Scorching Thunder Drums, setting off an alarm across Fengdu City and leaving the officials stunned.

• Kong Xiang revealed Xu Yi’s identity as Lei Chiyan and ridiculed him for being a rogue cultivator with a Roving Official Seal.
• Xu Yi refused to show Xia Sibo respect, citing the Great Edict of the Underworld and their equal rank and grade.
• Xia Sibo announced appointments for nineteen officials, but Xu Yi’s name was not among them.
• Xu Yi protested the omission, then struck the Scorching Thunder Drums with two streams of clear energy.
• The thunder alarm spread through the Bureau of Officials and beyond, and Xia Sibo called Xu Yi an ignorant brute before leaving.

Xu Yi struck the Scorching Thunder Drum and was escorted to the Palace Front Division’s main hall, where powerful officials gathered to hear his case. Yang Wushang questioned Xu Yi and warned him of the consequences if his grievance failed to convince them.

• Xu Yi stepped forward after a man in yellow called for the person who had struck the Scorching Thunder Drum, and the guards escorted him to the Council Hall.
• Kong Xiang and the others were ordered to follow as witnesses, then entered a hall filled with Yang Wushang, the twelve Palace Front Division commanders, and the Eastern and Western Underworld Lords.
• Yang Wushang rebuked Xia Sibo for the disturbance, and Xia Sibo knelt to accept the blame.
• Yang Wushang recalled that the Scorching Thunder Drum had not sounded in seventy years and that its previous claimants had met grim ends.
• Yang Wushang asked Xu Yi who he was and what grievance had driven him to strike the drum, warning him of the consequences if he could not persuade the officials.

Xu Yi struck the Scorching Thunder Drum to challenge the Underworld Court’s official selection and forced Yang Wushang to hear his complaint. The Eastern Underworld Lord asked what service Xu Yi had rendered, and Xu Yi’s claim that he wounded Old Demon Kongxu and pursued him for three thousand li shocked the hall.

• Xu Yi claimed the official selection was unjust and demanded redress, while Yang Wushang dismissed him as a madman.
• Xu Yi knocked away the guards sent to remove him and argued that his merits should have earned him a post.
• Xu Yi invoked the Great Edict, warning Yang Wushang that striking him before hearing his full statement would provoke public outrage.
• The Eastern Underworld Lord asked Xu Yi to name his achievements after learning that he was a White-Talisman roving official.
• Xu Yi said he had wounded Old Demon Kongxu and pursued him for three thousand li, stunning the hall.

Xu Yi proved that Lei Chiyan had wounded Old Demon Kongxu and demanded an official post for his merit. The Eastern Underworld Lord backed him, but several commanders opposed reopening the appointment roster and offered other rewards instead.

• Xu Yi showed the court Ruyi Pearl footage of Lei Chiyan fighting Old Demon Kongxu, proving the battle was real and that Kongxu had fled wounded.
• The Eastern Underworld Lord praised Xu Yi, while Kong Xiang realized he had challenged someone far stronger than he had believed.
• Xu Yi confronted Yang Wushang over why the Officials Department had ignored his recorded merit, and Yang blamed Xia Sibo and called on Xia Enming to explain.
• The Eastern Underworld Lord demanded that Xu Yi receive an official post, citing the Officials Department's negligence and the need to answer public opinion.
• Commander Feng and six other commanders opposed changing the appointment roster, suggesting Incense Beads, Immortal Spirit Beads, or a future position as compensation.

Xu Yi confronted the officials over his appointment and then negotiated privately with Xia Sibo, demanding a powerful post that could help him gather Incense. Xia Sibo had not yet answered, leaving their deal unresolved.

• Xu Yi rejected Eastern Underworld Lord’s offer and threatened to take his grievance to the Cantilever Platform.
• Xia Sibo asked Yang Wushang to let him resolve the dispute, and Yang Wushang and the other officials left the hall.
• Xu Yi revealed that Steward Xia had kept the three hundred Incense Beads and threatened Xia Sibo over the breach of rules.
• Xu Yi demanded that Xia Sibo help him find an accessible, powerful official post for gathering Incense, offering a favor if Xia Sibo succeeded.

Xu Yi used Xia Sibo’s knowledge and political maneuvering to secure the post of Acting Chief of the Catching Thieves Division, with three months to capture two demons on the Demon Ranking. After taking up the post on Mount Shaoze, Xu Yi hinted that he planned to recruit more people, leaving Xia Sibo worried about what he would do next.

• Xia Sibo realized Xu Yi had deliberately chosen him and agreed to help in exchange for settling their grudge and protecting himself from blame.
• Xu Yi rejected the idea of becoming a Judge and asked Xia Sibo for a powerful post and guidance on quickly lighting the Dragon of the Starry Sky.
• Xia Sibo told the powerful figures that Lei Chiyan had accepted the post of Chief of the Catching Thieves Division on condition that he capture two ranked demons within three months.
• Yang Wushang and the others approved the appointment, and Long Wenzhang insisted that the condition be written into the agreement.
• Xu Yi signed the document and took up his post at the Catching Thieves Division office on Mount Shaoze.
• Xia Sibo warned Xu Yi not to cause trouble, but Xu Yi asked him to find potential recruits, leaving Xia Sibo uneasy.

Xu Yi took command of the Catching Thieves Division and summoned its eighteen battalion captains to establish his authority and gather strength. His appointment stirred the factions competing for the post, while Long Wenzhang and Brother Zuo decided to test him by letting Song Huaishan challenge him; the chapter ended as Xu Yi ordered the captains to introduce themselves.

• Xu Yi replaced the Main Hall statue with one of himself, summoned the eighteen battalion captains, and planned to use the Division to help him kill two demons on the Demon Ranking.
• Song Huaishan confronted Long Wenzhang over losing the commander's post, and Long Wenzhang urged him to seize the moment to challenge Xu Yi.
• Brother Zuo warned Long Wenzhang that Lei Chiyan might be disguising great ambition behind his boorish manner and could eventually threaten Long Wenzhang's position.
• Long Wenzhang and Brother Zuo agreed to let Song Huaishan clash with Lei Chiyan so they could gauge his strength.
• Xu Yi waited until the appointed meeting time, welcomed all eighteen captains, and ordered them to state their names and pay their respects.

Xu Yi confronted the Catching Thieves Division commanders and ordered them to remain for a month-long discipline competition, summoning their deputies to handle district affairs. When Song Huaishan and Duan Mingyu defied his order, Xu Yi trapped them in Forbidden Fire Cages, leaving the other commanders stunned.

• Xu Yi demanded that the eighteen commanders follow protocol, but Duan Mingyu and Song Huaishan mocked his authority while the others joined in.
• Xu Yi summoned the deputy commanders and announced a month-long competition to reform discipline, ordering the commanders to stay and participate.
• Song Huaishan tore up his order, and Duan Mingyu set his own document on fire and refused to comply.
• Xu Yi trapped Song Huaishan and Duan Mingyu in Forbidden Fire Cages, which they could not break through.

Xu Yi used the Forbidden Fire Cage and threats of disciplinary campaigns to break the Catching Thieves Division commanders’ resistance. After everyone else pledged allegiance, Li Kang revealed that he had only pretended to submit and still trusted Commander Long to stop Xu Yi.

• Xu Yi knocked out Song Huaishan and Duan Mingyu for tearing up an official document and had them dragged to prison.
• Xu Yi ordered a campaign to rectify the Catching Thieves Division and a self-inspection campaign, frightening the district commanders into fearing they would lose their posts.
• Li Kang agreed to speak privately with Xu Yi, then Xu Yi told the others he had forgiven Li Kang and let him leave.
• The commanders offered their allegiance one by one until even the final three holdouts surrendered.
• After the hall emptied, Xu Yi brought Li Kang back, and Li Kang defied him, insisting Commander Long would not let Xu Yi act recklessly.