Chapter Summaries

Zhang Xuanchen bought the Heavenly Heart Flower, earned a fortune auctioning Spirit Peaches, and learned that the Nine Splendor Sword Sect was selling powerful treasures, including a Golden Core Peak cultivation method. After leaving Baojin Sword Pavilion, he evaded three Wei Family scouts who tried to follow him.

• Wei Wuji threatened Zhang Xuanchen over the Heavenly Heart Flower, but ordered Wei Chengxu to investigate him rather than risk secretly attacking a possible Golden Core expert.
• Zhang Xuanchen took delivery of the Heavenly Heart Flower and earned over twenty-six thousand Mid-grade Spirit Stones from the auction of his five Spirit Peaches.
• Wu Jinming told Zhang Xuanchen that the auction finales were a Dragon Slaying Saber, a Shangqing Barrier Breaking Pill, and a Fire Attribute cultivation method that reached Golden Core Peak.
• Zhang Xuanchen left Baojin Sword Pavilion despite Wu Jinming's warning that Wei Wuji might target him outside the city.
• Xuanjing alerted Zhang Xuanchen to three Foundation Establishment Peak cultivators following him, and Zhang Xuanchen struck them down with a warning before they decided to report back.

Zhang Xuanchen returned to Luo Lingshuang’s courtyard and shared a meal with her and Great Sage. At the Nine Splendor Sword Sect’s ancestral grounds, Lu Qinghan summoned Hua Shisan and Zhu Jingyi and asked them to spare his disciple Xia Xiangtian’s life in the future.

• Zhang Xuanchen returned to Luo Lingshuang’s courtyard, where she welcomed him with a meal she had cooked.
• Luo Lingshuang brought out hot pot ingredients, and Zhang Xuanchen called for Little Peach to join them.
• Lu Qinghan met Hua Shisan and Zhu Jingyi at the Nine Splendor Sword Sect’s ancestral grounds and reflected on their age and cultivation.
• Lu Qinghan asked Hua Shisan and Zhu Jingyi to spare his disciple Xia Xiangtian’s life in the future.

Lu Qinghan asked Zhu Jingyi and Hua Shisan to spare Xia Xiangtian, revealing that the Soul Devouring Cult threatened the Nine Splendor Sword Sect. He disclosed that the cult’s leader was Helian Shiyue, the wife he had killed eight hundred years ago, leaving her identity and return from death unexplained.

• Zhu Jingyi accused Lu Qinghan of supporting Xia Xiangtian for Sect Leader and condemned Hua Shisan for failing to stop her.
• Lu Qinghan said Xia Xiangtian would no longer compete with Zhou Tianjian and begged Zhu Jingyi and Hua Shisan to spare his last remaining disciple.
• Hua Shisan rejected Lu Qinghan’s plea, and Lu Qinghan said he would die soon because the Soul Devouring Cult’s leader was nearing the Nascent Soul Late Stage.
• Lu Qinghan revealed that the Soul Devouring Cult’s leader was Helian Shiyue, whom he had killed after she poisoned his master eight hundred years earlier.
• Lu Qinghan recalled that Helian Shiyue’s body had been confirmed dead and buried, but the current Helian Shiyue possessed knowledge of the past and the strength to threaten the sect.

Lu Qinghan resolved to defend the Nine Splendor Sword Sect against Helian Shiyue and the Soul Devouring Cult, while secretly preserving Xia Xiangtian's safety. After four months of conflict and covert attacks, the sect remained surrounded as Zhang Xuanchen and his allies continued carefully planned assassinations.

• Zhu Jingyi urged Lu Qinghan to attack the Soul Devouring Cult before Helian Shiyue broke through, but he insisted they defend the Nine Splendor Sword Sect behind its grand array.
• Lu Qinghan said he would perish with Helian Shiyue if necessary and asked Zhu Jingyi and Hua Shisan to preserve the sect and spare Xia Xiangtian.
• Hua Shisan asked Lu Qinghan to give Jian Yuntian the sect's last Nascent Soul Pill, but Lu Qinghan refused because he had reserved it for Xia Xiangtian.
• Lu Qinghan and Hua Shisan agreed not to force retreating allied forces into the Soul Devouring Cult's camp and to deal with them after the conflict.
• More than four months later, the Soul Devouring Cult had pushed the Nine Splendor Sword Sect and its alliance back, while Zhang Xuanchen and his companions carried out surprise assassinations.
• Zhang Guangyao, Zhang Guanghan, Zhang Zonggan, and Zhang Zongyao reached Foundation Establishment Peak, and Zhang Xuanchen continued to plan careful escape routes for their missions.

As the Nine Splendor Sword Sect faced a possible assault by the Soul Devouring Cult, Zhang Xuanchen deduced that a bloody battle was imminent and prepared the Zhang Family to escape and protect their home. He sent Luo Lingshuang to seek supplies while he went to Horizon Restaurant to contact his father and guard against a surprise attack.

• Luo Lingshuang told Zhang Xuanchen that the Nine Splendor Sword Sect still refused to counterattack and that her master had asked her to help Zhou Tianjian rebuild the sect if it fell.
• Zhang Xuanchen deduced that the Soul Devouring Cult might have a Nascent Soul Late Stage leader and a way to break the sect's formation, making a decisive battle likely.
• Zhang Xuanchen ordered the Zhang Family to buy talismans and flee through a weak point once the battle began.
• Zhang Xuanchen told Luo Lingshuang to seek Golden Core Pills or rare supplies, then said he would visit Horizon Restaurant to contact Xia Xiangtian and warn his father to protect the Zhang Family.
• Zhang Guangyao and the others agreed to follow Zhang Xuanchen's orders and praised his foresight.

Zhang Xuanchen planned to hide the Zhang Clan cultivators in his Myriad Spirit Ring before the coming battle, while the Bihai Immortal Sect prepared to attack the Zhang Family. He then visited Bai Zijing, who remained hopeful that Xiao Yan was the person he sought.

• Zhang Xuanchen proposed using his Myriad Spirit Ring to shelter the Zhang Clan members, and Luo Lingshuang offered to gather the vulnerable cultivators while Aunt Hongxi rented courtyards.
• Zhang Xuanchen gave Aunt Hongxi two thousand Mid-grade Spirit Stones and sent his relatives to carry out their separate tasks.
• Yuan Zhan ordered Pang Quan to tell Third Elder Bu Yun to attack the Zhang Family and seize its industries before the impending battle removed the Nine Splendor Sword Sect's restrictions.
• Yuan Zhan confirmed that Zhou Jia had arranged the Bihai Immortal Sect's people to regroup for a breakout, and promised to protect her.
• Zhang Xuanchen visited Bai Zijing, who welcomed him and recalled learning about Xiao Yan, whom he hoped to meet someday.

Zhang Xuanchen asked Bai Zijing to deliver a letter to his father and help commission a necklace artifact for Luo Lingshuang. A month and a half later, the Soul Devouring Cult threatened an attack, and Zhang Xuanchen watched the blood-tinged sky with growing unease.

• Zhang Xuanchen gave Bai Zijing a letter for his father, and Bai Zijing arranged for Gu Yuan to deliver it.
• Zhang Xuanchen asked Bai Zijing to find an Artifact Refiner to forge a cultivation-assisting and defensive necklace for Luo Lingshuang from his Tidal materials.
• Bai Zijing agreed to have his fourth Junior Sister’s Dao Protector forge the necklace and teased Zhang Xuanchen about marrying Luo Lingshuang.
• Zhang Xuanchen and the Zhang Family elders decided to leave twenty clan members and thirty Family Generals behind rather than place everyone in the Myriad Spirit Ring.
• The Nine Splendor Sword Sect announced that Soul Devouring Cult Evil Cultivators could attack at any time, and protective arrays activated across the sect and immortal cities.
• Zhang Xuanchen gazed at the dark, blood-tinged sky and felt an uneasy premonition.

Zhang Xuanchen accepted that the Zhang Family would suffer losses in the coming war, while Helian Shiyue broke through to the Nascent Soul Late Stage. She and You Xuan agreed to cooperate against the Nine Splendor Sword Sect, and she ordered the Soul Devouring Cult to attack the next day.

• Zhang Xuanchen asked Xuanjing, Little Peach, and Great Sage how many members of the Zhang Family would die in the coming battle, but they remained silent.
• Helian Shiyue absorbed blood qi and vengeful souls in the Soul Devouring Cult's blood pool as she attempted a breakthrough.
• You Xuan intervened when Helian Shiyue neared death, helping her reach the Nascent Soul Late Stage.
• Helian Shiyue and You Xuan argued over control of her body and their opposing accounts of the Helian Clan's past.
• Helian Shiyue agreed to let You Xuan control her body during battle, then ordered Ouyang Hao and Qianqiu Yuan to gather the cult's leaders for an attack on the Nine Splendor Sword Sect the next day.

The Soul Devouring Cult attacked the Nine Splendor Sword Sect and the surrounding forces, turning the region into a bloody battlefield. As Lu Qinghan and Helian Shiyue fought above the clouds, Zhang Xuanchen used concealed cultivation and a surprise attack to lead the Zhang Family toward escape from Canglan Immortal City.

• Helian Shiyue ordered the Soul Devouring Cult to kill everyone, and Lu Qinghan rallied the Nine Splendor Sword Sect to meet the attack.
• Helian Shiyue and Lu Qinghan traded powerful blows before moving their duel into the high clouds to spare their followers from the aftershocks.
• Li Fan led three hundred Sword Sect disciples in a sword formation against twice their number of Evil Cultivators as fighting spread across the region.
• Evil Cultivators shattered Canglan Immortal City's protective array and attacked its righteous-path cultivators.
• Zhang Xuanchen revealed his Foundation Establishment cultivation, killed the charging Qi Refining Peak Evil Cultivator, and led the Zhang Family in a surprise counterattack.
• Zhang Xuanchen urged the Zhang Family to use Gale Talismans and Qi Replenishing Pills as they continued toward the city gates.

The Zhang Family escaped Canglan Immortal City aboard a flying ship, but Xue Mingzi recognized Zhang Xuanchen and pursued them. Xie Mingzi appeared to intercept Xue Mingzi, leaving the chase unresolved.

• The Zhang Family disguised their cultivation and fought their way out of Canglan Immortal City without losing anyone.
• A wounded cultivator exposed the Zhang Family’s hidden strength, prompting Xue Mingzi to order Evil Moon True Person to help pursue them.
• Evil Moon True Person struck an Early Golden Core cultivator with her Corrupt Heart Blood Curse and joined Xue Mingzi.
• Zhang Chongxian took Zhang Xuanchen aboard a rank 2 top-grade Flying Ship and sped toward the Endless Sea after Zhang Xuanchen recognized Xue Mingzi.
• Xue Mingzi ordered Evil Moon True Person to stop the Flying Ship and chased it with more than a hundred Evil Cultivators.
• Xie Mingzi appeared beside Xue Mingzi and teased him about his interest in the person aboard the Flying Ship.

Zhang Xuanchen and his companions were surrounded by Soul Devouring Cult forces after Zhang Chongxian stayed behind to fight Evil Moon True Person. Xue Mingzi believed they had no way out, but Zhang Xuanchen hinted that they still had a trump card.

• Xie Mingzi followed Xue Mingzi, who summoned Blood Spear True Person and reinforcements to help attack the Flying Boat.
• Evil Moon True Person trapped the Flying Boat in a Soul Devouring Cage, but Zhang Chongxian broke it and fought her in the air.
• Zhang Chongxian told Zhang Xuanchen to leave while he battled Evil Moon True Person and unleashed his Myriad Swords technique.
• Xue Mingzi and his forces caught up with Zhang Xuanchen, and Great Sage struck at Xue Mingzi before Blood Spear True Person blocked the blow.
• Xue Mingzi surrounded Zhang Xuanchen and the others with a massive force, while Xie Mingzi declared that he wanted several captives for himself.
• Zhang Xuanchen sneered at Xue Mingzi and asked whether he really thought they were cornered.

Zhang Xuanchen and his allies fought Xue Mingzi and the Soul Devouring Cult’s forces, unleashing hundreds of Azure Gold Profound Monkeys to turn the battle in their favor. Zhang Xuanchen stabbed Xue Mingzi through the heart after Little Peach’s soul attack distracted him, but Xue Mingzi remained alive and trapped Zhang Xuanchen’s arm.

• The Great Sage engaged Blood Spear True Person while Zhang Xuanchen and the others released four hundred Azure Gold Profound Monkeys against the Evil Cultivators.
• Zhang Xuanchen fought Xue Mingzi with the Dragon Abyss Sword, and their evenly matched duel carried from the sky to the ground.
• Zhang Xuanchen offered Xue Mingzi Spirit Peaches to end the battle, but Xue Mingzi rejected the offer and attacked more fiercely.
• Zhang Xuanchen used Little Peach’s Magic Sound Storm to distract Xue Mingzi, then thrust the Dragon Abyss Sword through his heart.
• Xue Mingzi survived the stab, grabbed Zhang Xuanchen’s arm, and said, “This sword... really hurts!”

Zhang Xuanchen endured Xue Mingzi’s Heavenly Demon True Body and countered with his Divine Dragon Hegemony Body Art, while Luo Lingshuang and Zhang Xuanbing struggled to reach him. After a prolonged fistfight, Xue Mingzi’s transformation began to collapse, leaving Zhang Xuanchen poised to finish him.

• Xue Mingzi transformed into his Heavenly Demon True Body, advanced to Early Golden Core strength, and battered Zhang Xuanchen while holding his arm.
• Luo Lingshuang fought three Evil Cultivators, while Zhang Xuanbing swallowed the remaining Frost Pattern Snow Peach and charged Xie Mingzi with its dangerous energy surging through him.
• Luo Lingshuang prepared to draw on the Tidal Lotus Lamp despite Little Lotus warning that its backlash could delay her Golden Core breakthrough.
• Zhang Xuanchen recovered, blocked Xue Mingzi’s punch, and awakened the Divine Dragon Hegemony Body Art before grabbing Xue Mingzi and fighting him at close range.
• Zhang Xuanchen exchanged over a thousand punches with Xue Mingzi until the Heavenly Demon True Body weakened, then punched through Xue Mingzi’s face as his body shrank.

Zhang Xuanchen killed Xue Mingzi and helped drive Xie Mingzi away, but Zhang Xuanbing collapsed after stopping her and suffered catastrophic injuries. Zhang Xuanchen resolved to seek the Dragon Court for a cure as Zhang Chongxian returned from killing Evil Moon True Person and swore vengeance on the Soul Devouring Cult.

• Zhang Xuanchen killed Xue Mingzi after Little Peach’s soul attack stopped him from escaping, then used healing treasures to treat his own wounds.
• Xie Mingzi abandoned her fight with Zhang Xuanbing and fled toward the Nine Splendor Sword Sect’s ancestral grounds; Zhang Xuanbing collapsed from exhaustion and severe injuries.
• Zhang Xuanchen caught Zhang Xuanbing and brought him to the Flying Boat, where Xuanjing said the Frost Pattern Snow Peach had ruptured his meridians and cracked his dantian.
• Xuanjing said Zhang Xuanbing needed a Fourth-grade Low-tier Life Creation Pill or Dragon Yuan from an early Fourth Stage Flood Dragon, and Zhang Xuanchen named the Dragon Court as his destination.
• Zhang Chongxian returned after killing Evil Moon True Person, saw the losses among his clansmen, and declared that the Soul Devouring Cult deserved to die.

After a costly battle against the Soul Devouring Cult, Zhang Xuanchen’s group fled toward Xuanxiao Mountain with their dead and wounded, while Blood Spear True Person escaped to seek reinforcements. The chapter ends with nine Golden Core Peak cultivators struggling to hold the Nine Splendor Sword Sect’s cracking grand formation.

• Blood Spear True Person fled using Evil Shadow Illusion Body, and Zhang Xuanchen stopped Zhang Chongxian and the Great Sage from pursuing him.
• The survivors cleared the battlefield, mourned their dead, and Zhang Xuanchen treated the wounded as Zhang Hongzhou accepted that his cultivation path had ended.
• The Great Sage told Zhang Xuanchen that the Azure Gold Profound Monkeys had chosen to fight for him and asked him to make their future home better.
• At a deserted island, Zhang Xuanchen placed nearly everyone in the Myriad Spirit Ring, then flew toward Xuanxiao Mountain with Zhang Chongxian, Luo Lingshuang, and the Great Sage.
• At the Nine Splendor Sword Sect, nine Golden Core Peak cultivators struggled to maintain the grand formation as cracks spread across it.

The Nine Splendor Sword Sect made a desperate last stand against the Soul Devouring Cult as Lu Qinghan confronted You Xuan, who was sharing Helian Shiyue's body. Lu Qinghan trapped them both in a powerful formation and prepared to self-destruct, leaving You Xuan begging for his life.

• Jian Yuntian led the Nine Splendor Sword Sect disciples out of their failing formation and fought the Soul Devouring Cult's Golden Core cultivators.
• Lu Qinghan recognized You Xuan within Helian Shiyue and spoke with him while the Sword Sect's disciples continued their doomed battle below.
• You Xuan summoned the Six Paths Evil Venerable Dharma Image and declared that the Nine Splendor Sword Sect would perish.
• Lu Qinghan revealed the Fourth Stage high-grade Dust-Trapping God-Confining Array, trapping himself and You Xuan as he prepared to self-destruct.
• You Xuan failed to break the stellar chains and pleaded with Lu Qinghan to spare him.

Lu Qinghan sacrificed himself to destroy You Xuan and Helian Shiyue, turning the tide of the battle at the Nine Splendor Sword Sect. Enraged by You Xuan’s death, Qianqiu Yuan burned her Nascent Soul and attacked Hua Shisan, who destroyed her indiscriminate killing net.

• You Xuan begged Lu Qinghan to join forces against Helian Shiyue, but Helian Shiyue emerged and accused him of betrayal.
• Lu Qinghan declared that he had rediscovered his purpose in wielding a sword: protecting the Nine Splendor Sword Sect.
• Lu Qinghan self-destructed while charging You Xuan, killing both You Xuan and Helian Shiyue in a blast that devastated the surrounding mountains.
• On a distant island, Zhang Xuanchen chose to return to his family with Zhang Chongxian despite his injuries.
• The grieving Nine Splendor Sword Sect disciples renewed their assault, and Zhou Tianjian led them in a charge to avenge Lu Qinghan.
• Qianqiu Yuan burned her Nascent Soul and unleashed a deadly net over both armies, but Hua Shisan shattered it with his strongest sword technique.

Zhu Jingyi sacrificed herself to destroy Qianqiu Yuan and shield Hua Shisan, while the Soul Devouring Cult suffered further losses and retreated. The Nine Splendor Sword Sect survived, but its ancestral land lay devastated and Hua Shisan was left staring at the place where Zhu Jingyi had died.

• Ouyang Hao decided the Soul Devouring Cult could no longer destroy the Nine Splendor Sword Sect and ordered Qianqiu Yuan to retreat.
• Qianqiu Yuan refused, resolved to self-destruct against Hua Shisan, and Zhu Jingyi seized her and flew away.
• Zhu Jingyi used Fire Phoenix Nirvana—Burn the Body, Sacrifice to the Dao, killing Qianqiu Yuan in an explosion that razed the surrounding land.
• Jian Yuntian led the wounded Sword Sect disciples behind the grand array, while Ouyang Hao shielded the Evil Cultivators from the blast.
• After the shockwave killed many more of their forces, Ouyang Hao ordered the Soul Devouring Cult to retreat.
• Hua Shisan stood blankly, looking toward the place where Zhu Jingyi had self-destructed.

After the battle devastated the Nine Splendor Sword Sect, Jian Yuntian ordered the sect to seal its mountain for a century while Bai Zijing predicted the Xuanxiao Zhang Clan would ultimately prevail in the coming chaos. At the Zhang Family’s main hall, a warning about a possible Bihai Immortal Sect attack prompted Zhang Hongzhan to order an immediate recall, but his clan members mistook his words for confirmation that their elders had died.

• Hua Shisan mourned his Senior Sister as his hair turned white, while Jian Yuntian ordered the wounded treated and the Nine Splendor Sword Sect rebuilt.
• Jian Yuntian honored Lu Qinghan and Zhu Jingyi in the Ancestral Mausoleum and announced that the sect would seal its mountain for one hundred years.
• A month later, Bai Zijing and Gu Yuan discussed the weakened Heavenly Dragon Sea Domain, and Bai predicted that the Xuanxiao Zhang Clan would become the final winner.
• After receiving a letter warning that the Bihai Immortal Sect might attack, Zhang Hongzhan summoned the Zhang Family’s leaders and ordered everyone recalled and the clan’s resources retrieved.
• The Zhang Family members misread Zhang Hongzhan’s urgent order as proof that their Ancestor and elders had died, and began wailing until Zhang Hongzhan demanded silence.

Zhang Hongzhan rallied the Zhang Family to return to Xuanxiao Mountain and activated its protective array after learning that clansmen had died at the ancestral shrine. Jun Xiaoyao decided to stay out of the looming conflict, but his patrol was interrupted when he caught a child peeing in the grass.

• Zhang Hongzhan explained that the Clan Leader's letter ordered clansmen to return to Xuanxiao Mountain to guard against a possible attack by the Bihai Immortal Sect.
• Zhang Hongzhan told Zhang Zujun and Zhang Zu'an to bring clansmen back from the second-grade spirit lands and keep the family calm.
• Zhang Hongzhan concealed the deaths of Zhang Zonggan and ten Late Qi Refining clansmen, then activated the Xuanxiao Sky Burning Sword Array and explained the order to the family.
• Jun Xiaoyao considered killing an Early Golden Core cultivator from the Bihai Immortal Sect, then decided to let his disciples repay the Zhang Family's kindness instead.
• Jun Xiaoyao caught a child peeing in the grass and shouted at him, startling the child into spraying urine on his hand.