Chapter Summaries

Xu Yi sent Cao Er to seek Nine Yin Liquid from Marquis Anqing, using a private poem to remind the Marquis of their past, and secured Cao Er's silence with the Life-Death Gu. After draining two basins of tiger blood, Xu Yi removed the Gu from the Third Prince and secretly made him swallow a different pill, leaving the Third Prince alarmed but reassured that it would not take effect yet.

• The Third Prince agreed to seek Nine Yin Liquid from Marquis Anqing, but Cao Er warned that the Marquis now refused all visitors.
• Xu Yi wrote Marquis Anqing the private line “A new tune, a cup of wine” and sent Cao Er to deliver it.
• The Third Prince made Cao Er swallow a Life-Death Gu to ensure his silence, and Xu Yi gave him five thousand gold.
• Xu Yi drank the blood of two Western Extremity tigers and meditated while the Third Prince waited nearby.
• The Life-Death Gu tormented the Third Prince, so Xu Yi drew the enlarged worm from his body and made him swallow a black pill.

Xu Yi reunited with Marquis Anqing, accepted his Divine Essence Pills, and promised to help the Gao Family carry out its Seven Generations' Plan. He gave Marquis Anqing rare medicines to aid his search for Nine Yin Liquid, and the marquis hurried off to fulfill the request.

• Marquis Anqing recognized Xu Yi through their secret dealings and reunited with him, apologizing for the danger he had caused.
• Marquis Anqing gave Xu Yi twenty Divine Essence Pills without accepting payment and promised to search for Nine Yin Liquid.
• Xu Yi promised to help the Gao Family's Seven Generations' Plan if he left the realm, prompting Marquis Anqing to kneel in gratitude.
• Xu Yi gave Marquis Anqing thirteen rare Precious Medicines to help him obtain Nine Yin Liquid, and Marquis Anqing left at once to begin the search.

Xu Yi returned to his restored cave dwelling on Futuo Mountain, where memories of Yan Zi awakened his sorrow and left him uneasy about her disappearance. He concealed his living aura with the Locking Sun Disk and began taking a Divine Essence Pill to restore his damaged body, enduring its terrible effects without changing expression.

• The Third Prince and Marquis Anqing arranged Xu Yi's cave dwelling on Futuo Mountain and left attendants nearby to serve him.
• Xu Yi remembered Yan Zi and wondered what had happened to her after he awoke in the mountain cave.
• Xu Yi hung the Locking Sun Disk in his refining room to hide his yang energy from the Ghost Master.
• Xu Yi ate and rested before taking one of the twenty Divine Essence Pills Marquis Anqing had given him.
• The pill's medicinal power tore through Xu Yi's ruined meridians and churned his Qi Sea, but he endured the pain calmly.

Xu Yi used Divine Essence Pills and a Top-grade Essence Restoration Pill to heal his body, then took two Nine Yin Pills to repair his Yin Soul. He recovered his strength and perception, though his meridians remained severed and both kinds of pills quickly lost effectiveness.

• Xu Yi took Divine Essence Pills until he reached the Pill Decline threshold, and he realized the pills had polluted his blood.
• Xu Yi took a Top-grade Essence Restoration Pill, healed most of his wounds, and regained his strength, but his severed sinews and meridians did not recover.
• Xu Yi ate dozens of jin of cooked meat to satisfy his renewed hunger, then prepared to treat his Yin Soul with Nine Yin Pills.
• Xu Yi swallowed the first Nine Yin Pill, separated the figures on his spiritual platform, and regained perception with a range of about ten zhang.
• Xu Yi took the second Nine Yin Pill and found its effect much weaker, though his perceptive range increased by another five zhang.

Xu Yi learned that Yuan Qinghua, Zhao Baling, Xiong Kui, and the others had been sentenced to Scale-Slicing, and he prepared to intervene before their execution. Marquis Anqing brought Xu Yi Precious Medicines and nine drops of Nine Yin Liquid, strengthening Xu Yi’s chances of carrying out his plan.

• Marquis Anqing told Xu Yi that Yuan Qinghua and the others had been convicted of the Ten Heinous Crimes and would be executed in ten days during Ji Lie’s enthronement.
• Xu Yi reacted with killing intent and vowed to see whether the planned execution would go ahead as scheduled.
• Marquis Anqing gave Xu Yi twenty Precious Medicines to replenish his Life Source Power.
• Xu Yi discovered that the second box held nine drops of Nine Yin Liquid, a rare treasure that could help heal his severely injured Yin Soul.
• Xu Yi realized Marquis Anqing had likely taken the Nine Yin Liquid from the Merchant Alliance’s reserves, but Marquis Anqing insisted he would give everything to help him.

Marquis Anqing gave Xu Yi nine drops of Nine Yin Liquid, and Xu Yi prepared to refine a Soul-Summoning Banner using Futuo Mountain's Black Dragon Cauldron. The chapter ended as Xu Yi ignited the cauldron with the Gathering and Separating Flames and began the refinement.

• Marquis Anqing gave Xu Yi nine drops of Nine Yin Liquid, accepting the risk to help him recover and grow stronger.
• Xu Yi prepared a medicinal bath for the Auspicious Duck and summoned the Black Dragon Cauldron in his cave residence.
• Xu Yi resolved to refine the Soul-Summoning Banner, relying on the materials he had gathered and the instructions from Old Cangtou and Blind Daoist.
• Xu Yi reviewed the refinement process, then activated the Gathering and Separating Flames around the Black Dragon Cauldron.

Xu Yi used the Black Dragon Cauldron and five-element materials to refine the Wailing Stick and Blood River Flag into a Soul-Summoning Banner, sealing his artistic conception of sorrow inside it. As he continued refining the banner, the Ghost Master broke into the room.

• Xu Yi refined the five-element materials into energy and used his souls to guide it into the Wailing Stick and Blood River Flag.
• Xu Yi replenished his depleted souls with Nine Yin Liquid as the two weapons merged and changed into a gray Soul-Summoning Banner.
• Xu Yi added the remaining five-element materials and used his artistic conception of sorrow to form a Taiji ring around the banner.
• Xu Yi sealed the artistic conception of sorrow inside the banner and began grinding the Taiji ring’s power into it.
• The sealed window exploded, the Locking Sun Disk lay broken, and the Ghost Master gathered into a complete soul figure inside the room.

The Ghost Master tracked Xu Yi to Futuo Mountain and discovered that the unfinished Soul-Summoning Banner bore a Law Pattern, making it a magical artifact. Xu Yi realized the Ghost Master coveted the banner and tried to buy time until its forging was complete.

• The Ghost Master searched the capital for Xu Yi after failing to find his corpse, then followed his trail to Futuo Mountain when the Locking Sun Disk was destroyed.
• Xu Yi listed the rare materials in his cauldron and threatened to destroy them rather than let the Ghost Master take them.
• The Ghost Master noticed the pale green Law Pattern on the Soul-Summoning Banner and rejoiced at finding a magical artifact suited to his Yin Body.
• Xu Yi recognized the banner's potential and recalled the magical artifacts he had seen before.
• Xu Yi calmed himself and used the Ghost Master's greed to stall, hoping to finish forging the banner before the Ghost Master attacked.

Xu Yi’s attempt to finish refining the Soul-Summoning Banner before the Ghost Master attacked instead led to a battle between their souls inside the Taiji Halo. The banner continued to develop, but the Ghost Master contested control of its soul, leaving Xu Yi struggling to hold him back.

• The Ghost Master sensed the meaning of ultimate grief in the Soul-Summoning Banner and sacrificed his karmic fire to force his soul power into the Taiji Halo.
• Xu Yi and the Ghost Master’s soul forces clashed inside the Taiji Halo as its black and white halves fought for dominance.
• The Soul-Summoning Banner’s body turned pale white, its Law Pattern became pure cyan, and a second line began to form.
• Xu Yi sent soul fragments into the Taiji Halo to strengthen its white half and slow the Ghost Master’s advance.
• The Ghost Master praised Xu Yi’s extraordinary abilities and warned that completing the Soul-Summoning Banner could make him master of all fortune under heaven.

The Ghost Master tried to exploit Xu Yi’s desperate struggle to strengthen the Soul-Summoning Banner, while Xu Yi recognized the scheme but had no way to stop fighting. Xu Yi used Taiyin Liquid to restore his spirit and overwhelmed the Taiji Halo, forcing the Ghost Master to sacrifice more of his own spirit.

• The Ghost Master held back his power and provoked Xu Yi to keep splitting his soul, hoping to stabilize and strengthen the Soul-Summoning Banner.
• Xu Yi saw through the Ghost Master's plan but continued feeding split souls into the Taiji Halo to avoid being killed.
• Xu Yi swallowed three drops of Taiyin Liquid, reunited his split spirit, and sent eight split souls into the Taiji Halo.
• The white halo surged and crushed most of the black halo, and the Ghost Master's ghostly face attack was repelled.
• The Ghost Master sent a shadow of his own spirit wrapped in hellfire into the Taiji Halo, leaving his spirit body less distinct.

Xu Yi and the Ghost Master fought over the Soul-Summoning Banner as their Yin souls poured into the Taiji Halo, with Xu Yi gaining the advantage. The banner revealed two perfect Law Patterns and drew down a thunder tribulation, leaving the Ghost Master damaged but eager to seize the treasure.

• Xu Yi and the Ghost Master poured their Yin souls into the Taiji Halo, and Xu Yi's purer soul won their brief contest.
• The Ghost Master prepared to kill Xu Yi, but thunder struck and scattered both their Yin souls.
• Xu Yi's thunder halo shielded his weakened Yin soul from the thunder's danger.
• The Soul-Summoning Banner turned pure white, and its second Law Pattern turned blue, revealing two perfect Law Patterns.
• The Ghost Master recognized the storm as an Yin tribulation; further thunder scattered him and split his karmic fire into four, but he rejoiced at the treasure's power.

Xu Yi and Ghost Master struggled over the Soul-Summoning Banner as a deadly Yin Tribulation gathered overhead. Li Xiuluo broke free from Ghost Master's Yin Body and seized control, but Xu Yi remained helpless as the banner's refinement continued and collapse became inevitable.

• Ghost Master saw the approaching Yin Tribulation and gambled on one final attack against the weakened Xu Yi.
• Ghost Master's karmic fire shattered before his Yin souls could reach it, and Li Xiuluo's face appeared in his Yin Soul form.
• Xu Yi realized Li Xiuluo had survived by sealing his consciousness in his Soul Body and had seized his chance to reclaim Ghost Master's Yin Body.
• Li Xiuluo greeted Xu Yi, who urged him to flee and find Yan Zi as the dark clouds gathered overhead.
• The Soul-Summoning Banner continued drawing in Yin souls and spiritual power, while Xu Yi felt his connection to it deepen.

Xu Yi faced the Yin Tribulation while trapped in the Soul-Summoning Banner, but Li Xiuluo escaped to seek reunion with A Luo and Xu Yi survived when a mysterious bloodline-linked object appeared. Marquis Anqing and his companions found Xu Yi collapsed and gave him Demon Blood to restore his vitality.

• Xu Yi reflected on his regrets, and Li Xiuluo repeated his words before fleeing northwest to reunite with A Luo in the netherworld.
• The Yin Tribulation struck, but Xu Yi survived as a mysterious object sharing his bloodline connection appeared nearby and then vanished.
• Marquis Anqing rushed to Xu Yi's cave abode with Steward Liu and Cao Er after breaking through its restrictions.
• Cao Er warned that Xu Yi's vitality was severely depleted, and Marquis Anqing's second steward fed him the heart's blood of an Early Enlightenment Stage Demon Race creature.
• Xu Yi's iron-blue complexion began to fade after he swallowed the Demon Blood.

After a terrifying Yin Tribulation struck Futuo Mountain, powerful factions gathered to demand answers from Steward Sun. Lord Meng announced that the new emperor would ascend the throne in five days, with three Soul Sensing Ancestors expected to attend.

• Steward Liu left Futuo Mountain, and influential sects, clans, and the royal court sent people there to investigate the Yin Tribulation.
• Steward Sun faced demands from hundreds of gathered representatives while Lord Meng calmly watched from the hall.
• Representatives of the Upper Three Heavens and the Mu Family challenged the royal court, emboldened by the imperial family's weakened standing after the Battle of the Imperial Arena.
• Lord Meng announced that the new emperor would ascend the throne in five days, with Lord Huang Xuanji, the War Son of Heaven, and Master Daoyan attending.
• Lord Meng invited the gathered powers and their Old Ancestors to attend the enthronement ceremony.

Lord Meng drove the Upper Three Heavens, the Mu Family, and the other visitors from Futuo Mountain by revealing Great Yue’s four Soul Sensing Ancestors. He questioned Steward Sun about the Yin Tribulation, then learned Marquis Anqing had been there and faced Steward Sun’s attempt to enlist him against Steward Liu.

• Lord Meng ordered the visitors to leave Futuo Mountain, and the Upper Three Heavens and Mu Family representatives departed before the rest of the crowd scattered.
• Steward Sun kowtowed to Lord Meng, who demanded a full account of what had happened during the Yin Tribulation.
• Steward Sun said Steward Liu had gone up Futuo Mountain after the Yin Tribulation and revealed that Marquis Anqing had also visited.
• Lord Meng worried that implicating Marquis Anqing could provoke the Empress Dowager, so he set that lead aside and asked about other signs of the Yin Tribulation.
• Steward Sun claimed he had witnessed something strange while picking Immeasurable Fruit and urged Lord Meng to help him against Steward Liu.

Steward Sun told Lord Meng about the Yin Tribulation, and Lord Meng mistook Li Xiuluo for the Ghost Master. After learning Steward Sun knew about Marquis Anqing’s visit, Lord Meng killed him to protect himself from the case.

• Steward Sun recounted seeing a Yin Ghost and a skeletal bat demon draw down the Yin Tribulation at Futuo Mountain.
• Li Xiuluo had used the Ghost Master’s Yin Body and the Blood Bat Demon King’s skeleton to divert the tribulation from Xu Yi and the Soul-Summoning Banner, sacrificing himself in the process.
• Xu Yi secured the Soul-Summoning Banner after the tribulation ended, while Steward Sun’s account led Lord Meng to believe the Ghost Master had caused the destruction.
• Lord Meng praised Steward Sun for uncovering the tribulation’s cause and asked who knew about Marquis Anqing’s visit.
• Steward Sun said only he and Steward Liu knew, and Lord Meng killed him and destroyed his spirit to keep the Marquis Anqing case secret.

Lord Meng burned Deputy Head Official Chen's corpse after discovering his Shadow-Sound Pearl, then the story shifted to the crowded Mengxia Pass, where martial figures gathered to discuss the Madman. Song Duanyu invited Old Bai to share what he knew about the Madman as rumors spread that he was about to leave the pass.

• Lord Meng found a Shadow-Sound Pearl that had recorded his conversation with Deputy Head Official Chen.
• Lord Meng burned Deputy Head Official Chen's corpse to ashes with a Blazing Ball.
• News that the Madman might soon leave Mengxia Pass brought crowds to a local inn.
• The Head Shopkeeper ordered more food and supplies to meet the inn's unexpected rush of customers.
• Song Duanyu hosted nearby strongmen and urged them to listen to Old Bai, who was known for gathering news.
• Song Duanyu said he had heard the Madman was a Tianchan Temple disciple whose Six Desires had driven him mad during the Battle of the Imperial Arena.

Old Bai recounted Beichen’s origins and the secrets of the Battle of the Imperial Arena, explaining how the Madman became known for his madness. The gathering was left discussing Xu Yi’s devotion to the Demoness and Song Duanyu’s claim that the court had captured Beichen, Jiuru, and the demon’s associates.

• Song Duanyu urged Old Bai to tell the heroes what he knew about the Madman.
• Old Bai said Beichen had been Jiuru’s favored disciple at Chan Temple and had come to Great Yue with the Heavenly Buddha Kingdom’s delegation.
• Old Bai recounted how Xu Yi begged the Ghost Master for Guanyin Bi, identifying Xu Yi as the Poet Immortal, Word Sage, and explaining the Madman’s role in the battle.
• An old woman in a bamboo hat lamented that she had not died at the Imperial Arena, while the heroes praised Xu Yi’s devotion and the Ghost Master’s restraint.
• Song Duanyu said Xu Yi had likely died in Dragon River and that the royal court had seized Beichen, Jiuru, and everyone connected to Xu Yi.

At a crowded tavern, a white-robed elder argued that the Demon King was alive and orchestrating Madman Beichen’s journey to fulfill a promise, possibly the Demoness’s dying wish. The discussion ended when the Heavenly Buddha Kingdom attacked a nearby pass, sending the diners rushing to the high ground.

• A white-robed elder told the tavern guests that the Upper Three Heavens sects and the Mu family had suffered heavy losses, and that their experts had destroyed the Three Harmony Sect and the Plum Blossom Gang.
• When the guests laughed at his claims, the white-robed elder said the Demon King stood behind Madman Beichen and argued that the Demon King had survived his apparent death.
• Song Duanyu questioned how the Demon King could have lived, and the white-robed elder cited the missing body and the Demon King’s past victories as evidence.
• Howling Wolf speculated that Madman Beichen was being used to fulfill a promise, and Song Duanyu suggested it might be the Demoness’s dying wish.
• A white-haired man in a bamboo hat remembered a sorrowful poem as the guests discussed the Demon King’s devotion and the prospect of another battle in the Divine Capital.
• A horn sounded as the Heavenly Buddha Kingdom attacked the pass, and the diners rushed north after the Head Shopkeeper received a gold ingot as payment.

Beichen emerged from Mengxia Pass and caused the thirty thousand Arhat Army soldiers to retreat before he wandered into the Heavenly Buddha Kingdom. Yan Zi, who had followed him to stay connected to Xu Yi, realized she had to let go, while Ji Lie remained occupied with a private meeting on the day of his enthronement.

• The Arhat Army advanced toward Mengxia Pass, and the Flying Bear Army prepared to defend the border.
• Beichen shattered the pass's iron gate, walked out singing, and faced the Arhat Army.
• The Arhat Army recognized Beichen and retreated, leaving him to wander into the wasteland.
• Yan Zi revealed that she had survived by losing much of her Life Source Power and had followed Beichen in hopes of news about Xu Yi.
• After Beichen disappeared into the Heavenly Buddha Kingdom, Yan Zi accepted that she had to let go.
• On the day of Ji Lie's enthronement, Ji Lie kept the ceremonial officials waiting and used the Hall of Imperial Supremacy as a meeting hall.