Chapter Summaries

Li Qingqiu managed the Qingxiao Sect as Liu Jing expanded his rule, addressed new research and internal disputes, and prepared for the Daoist Convention. The chapter ended with Xue Jin setting out to deal with demonic entities and warning Li Sifeng that he would challenge him for the Training Hall if he failed to fulfill his duties.

• Chu Jing told Li Qingqiu that Liu Jing had seized three provinces and that the Linchuan Li Clan, including Li Yuzhong, had joined his cause.
• Li Qingqiu ordered the next Daoist Convention to offer rewards for the top hundred equal to those given to the top ten at the previous convention.
• Xiao Wuqing reported that He Jinshu had found a demonic beast's blood that could help disabled disciples regrow flesh, and Li Qingqiu urged him to continue researching.
• Xiao Wuqing told Li Qingqiu that Xiao Wudi had clashed with Gu Changping's family, and Li Qingqiu assigned Chai Yunshang to resolve the dispute.
• Xue Jin told Li Sifeng that demonic entities had appeared in Southern Chu Province and that he would handle them personally while Li Sifeng oversaw the Training Hall.
• Li Sifeng apologized over Zheng Yunqiao's death, and Xue Jin said he would challenge Li Sifeng for the hall master position if he continued neglecting his duties.

Li Qingqiu and Zhang Yuchun finalized plans for Central Heaven Immortal City, naming Yuan Qi as its city lord, while the sect prepared for the new year. At Lingxiao Courtyard, Li Qingqiu discovered a gifted new disciple, Hu Yan, whose fate included powerful Righteous Qi and a life of hardship.

• Li Qingqiu finished searching the Silent Nether Ghost King's memories and resolved to prepare the sect against the other evil ghosts at Ghost King Ridge.
• Li Qingqiu and Zhang Yuchun chose Yuan Qi to lead Central Heaven Immortal City and discussed staffing it and building more border cities.
• Yuan Qi told Yuan Li he planned to marry and establish a clan to support his younger brother, and Yuan Li agreed to stay on Qingxiao Mountain.
• Disciples challenged Yuan Qi's appointment, while the sect welcomed returning adventurers and prepared for the Spring Festival.
• At Lingxiao Courtyard, Li Qingqiu checked the new disciples' status panels and discovered Hu Yan, whose fate included Righteous Qi, a Life of Hardship, and Malice Perception.

Hu Yan settled into life as a new Registered Disciple at the Qingxiao Sect and recalled how a mysterious disciple had saved him and sent him there. After gaining Hu Yan’s Righteous Qi, Li Qingqiu decided to take on another disciple, but he had not chosen anyone by the time he reached Ziyang Peak.

• Hu Yan and Duan Xiaojuan explored the Qingxiao Sect and learned about the path from Registered Disciple to True Disciple.
• Hu Yan remembered the Qingxiao Sect disciple who had rescued him and urged him to seek out the sect.
• Li Qingqiu tested Hu Yan’s Righteous Qi by having Jinlang attack him, and the Qi repelled Jinlang without Li Qingqiu’s help.
• Li Qingqiu announced that he would take on another disciple, prompting Shen Yue to accompany him as he searched the sect.
• Li Qingqiu passed over several promising disciples and continued toward Ziyang Peak, insisting to Shen Yue that he would choose whoever caught his eye.

Li Qingqiu searched Ziyang Peak for Hu Yan and, after meeting him by chance, unexpectedly offered to take him as a disciple. Hu Yan and Duan Xiaojuan hesitated as Li Qingqiu invited them to come along without revealing who he was.

• Li Qingqiu and Shen Yue discussed Sword Solitary and toured the lively Ziyang Peak while Li Qingqiu searched for Hu Yan.
• Hu Yan and Duan Xiaojuan watched martial arts duels and decided to focus on learning about the sect and beginning their cultivation.
• Zhu Qingling offered Hu Yan help, but he and Duan Xiaojuan politely kept their distance and continued down the mountain.
• Li Qingqiu stopped Hu Yan, learned he was an unclaimed new disciple, and asked him to take him as his master.
• Duan Xiaojuan questioned Li Qingqiu's identity, and Shen Yue urged them not to fear following him within Qingxiao Sect.

Li Qingqiu brought Hu Yan to meet Xu Ning and revealed that he had chosen Hu Yan as his sixth disciple, while Xu Ning promised to guide Hu Yan’s friend Duan Xiaojuan. The next morning Hu Yan moved to Qingxiao Mountain, and Zhu Yan warned the Zhu Clan disciples that he would become someone they could only look up to.

• Li Qingqiu and Shen Yue took Hu Yan and Duan Xiaojuan to Xu Ning’s Cave Mansion, where Xu Ning welcomed them and met her new Sixth Junior Brother.
• Li Qingqiu revealed himself to Duan Xiaojuan as the sect master and told Hu Yan he would move to Qingxiao Mountain the next day.
• Xu Ning offered to teach Duan Xiaojuan cultivation, reassuring her that she would still have chances to see Hu Yan.
• Li Qingqiu, Shen Yue, and Xu Ning celebrated the festival while news of Hu Yan’s acceptance spread among the sect’s higher-ups.
• Hu Yan moved to Qingxiao Mountain the next morning, surprising the other Registered Disciples.
• Zhu Yan instructed the Zhu Clan disciples on sect rules and told them to befriend Hu Yan, leaving Zhu Qingling stunned.

Li Qingqiu welcomed Hu Yan as his sixth disciple, then heard that evil spirits were ravaging the Northern Court and agreed to consider its plea for help. The next morning, Ji Ya taught Hu Yan the Primordial Scripture and discovered that Hu Yan cultivated Origin Energy with astonishing speed.

• Xu Ning, Yuan Li, Zhao Zhen, and Ji Ya met Hu Yan at Lingxiao Courtyard, where Li Qingqiu formally welcomed him as his disciple and Li Dongyue and Li Sijin gave him gifts.
• Xiao Wuqing reported trouble in the northern frontier, and Fang Tianshu pleaded with Li Qingqiu to save the Northern Court from evil spirits and growing numbers of Ghost Soldiers.
• Li Qingqiu told Fang Tianshu that Qingxiao Sect would discuss the request, then warned his disciples that growing stronger would bring further enemies and calamities.
• Li Qingqiu asked Ji Ya to teach Hu Yan the Primordial Scripture, and Ji Ya agreed before Li Qingqiu explained the sect rules to Hu Yan.
• The next morning, Ji Ya taught Hu Yan, who cultivated Origin Energy in less than the time it took an incense stick to burn and left Ji Ya wondering whether his talent surpassed that of his senior brothers.

Hu Yan advanced rapidly in cultivation as the Qingxiao Sect dispatched Xu Ning and Jiang Zhaoxia to investigate reports of Ghost Soldiers and completed Central Heaven Immortal City. Meanwhile, Qiu Dahu weighed Qingxia Sect’s uncertain future and agreed to meet Baiyuan Valley, while Qin Yucheng secretly sent a message.

• Hu Yan awakened his Righteous Qi while cultivating, and Ji Ya began guiding him.
• The Qingxiao Sect leaders agreed to send Xu Ning and Jiang Zhaoxia north separately to investigate the Ghost Soldiers, while ordering the sect to support Central Heaven Immortal City’s construction.
• Hu Yan reached the third layer of the Nourishing Yuan Realm in three months, and a messenger announced that Central Heaven Immortal City was finished.
• Hu Yan greeted Zhu Qingling on his way to Ziyang Peak, and Zhu Qingling resolved to make him her target after realizing how far he had advanced.
• Qiu Dahu refused the Ningyuan County magistrate’s invitation and agreed with Qin Yucheng to visit Baiyuan Valley and explore an alliance.
• After leaving Qiu Dahu, Qin Yucheng sent a message on a paper crane that he ignited with Origin Energy.

Li Qingqiu established plans for the Town Evil Tower and watched the sect’s disciples grow, including the rising genius Hu Yan. After demons and evil spirits attacked Tianshan Spirit Pool and killed fifteen disciples, Li Qingqiu set out to investigate, leaving Shen Yue and Zhao Zhen in charge of Qingxiao Sect.

• Li Qingqiu chose a site behind Ziyang Peak for the Town Evil Tower after considering where best to build a prison.
• Liu Jing seized two more provinces, and Li Yuzhong earned a promotion for his role in a major victory.
• Hu Yan reached the Nourishing Yuan Realm Fourth Layer and became famous, while Yun Cai wondered about the Righteous Qi she sensed in him.
• Li Qingqiu learned that demons and evil spirits had attacked Tianshan Spirit Pool, killing fifteen disciples and injuring one hundred and twenty-two.
• Li Qingqiu ordered Xiao Wuqing to ring the Lingxiao Bell and left for Tianshan Spirit Pool, assigning Shen Yue and Zhao Zhen to watch over the sect.

Li Qingqiu waited at the Tianshan Spirit Pool and defeated the Soul Stealing Black Demon when it returned. By searching its memories, he learned that Da Moluo and fifteen other evil ghosts were building a ghost army and planned to establish a ghost court in the Nine Provinces.

• Li Qingqiu examined the dead disciples at the Tianshan Spirit Pool and heard Huang Shan explain how the fox-like ghost had attacked and possessed people.
• Li Qingqiu stayed at the pool for several days, waiting for the demon while Lin Chuan and Nangong E searched the surrounding area.
• The Soul Stealing Black Demon attacked again, and Li Qingqiu scattered its soul fragment and absorbed its ghostly energy with the Soul Refining Banner.
• Li Qingqiu searched the soul fragment's memories and learned that it had escaped Ghost King Ridge with fifteen evil ghosts led by Da Moluo.
• Li Qingqiu discovered that Da Moluo was making corpse demons to build a ghost army and planned to establish a ghost court in the Nine Provinces.

Li Qingqiu captured the Soul Stealing Black Demon and ordered the Qingxiao Sect to investigate evil ghosts and prepare to march against Da Moluo's ghost army. When Jiang Zhaoxia and Xu Ning returned, they reported encountering several powerful evil ghosts and confirmed that a ghost army of more than a thousand threatened the sect.

• Li Qingqiu left Huang Shan to guard the Tianshan Spirit Pool and captured the Soul Stealing Black Demon with the Soul Refining Banner.
• Li Qingqiu ordered the dead returned to the Qingxiao Sect and told the sect leaders to investigate places where plants had withered and select a thousand disciples for a campaign against Da Moluo.
• Yun Cai asked Li Qingqiu to take her north with the expedition, and he agreed.
• Jiang Zhaoxia reported that an illusion-wielding evil ghost had driven him back and that he had seen more than a thousand Ghost Soldiers led by two powerful streams of ghost aura.
• Xu Ning reported destroying one Spiritual Sense Realm-level evil ghost and failing to catch another, which moved at extraordinary speed.

Xu Ning reported her findings about the evil ghosts, and Li Qingqiu organized Qingxiao Sect’s preparations while planning to leave her behind to defend the sect. As the sect trained its disciples to detect ghosts, Liu Jing received news that the Northern Court’s Son of Heaven had been possessed and that Ghost Soldiers were moving south toward Cangzhou.

• Xu Ning told Li Qingqiu and the sect leaders that the ghosts worshiped a powerful source of Ghost Soldiers, and Li Qingqiu explained Da Moluo’s plan before assigning preparations for a joint attack.
• Li Qingqiu told Xu Ning to remain at Qingxiao Sect during the northern operation because he trusted her to defend it, and she agreed.
• Li Qingqiu and Chu Jing developed a ghost-detecting spell, which Qingxiao Sect required its inner disciples to learn.
• Qin Yucheng returned from his undercover mission and learned of Hu Yan’s rapid cultivation before reporting to Mo Jiuhong, who said Baiyuan Valley might have to be destroyed if it refused to submit to Qingxiao Sect.
• Liu Jing received an urgent message that the Northern Court’s Son of Heaven had been possessed by an evil entity and that Ghost Soldiers were moving south toward Cangzhou, prompting officials to debate whether they could send reinforcements.

Li Qingqiu prepared the Qingxiao Sect for a campaign against Da Moluo, whose corpse ghosts threatened the northern frontier. He led hundreds of elite disciples from Qingxiao Mountain toward Cangzhou as the year-end battle approached.

• Liu Jing ordered troops to advance on Cangzhou, while Li Qingqiu cultivated and the Qingxiao Sect searched the northern frontier for Da Moluo.
• Chu Jing suggested Da Moluo might target Liu Jing's elite army, and Li Qingqiu learned the troops were expected to reach Cangzhou before year's end.
• Hu Yan and Duan Xiaojuan discussed the coming operation and their cultivation, while Hu Yan reminded himself to hold on to hope.
• By mid-December, Li Qingqiu had reached the Spiritual Sense Realm Fourth Layer and announced the operation's goal, leaving Xu Ning and Zhang Yuchun to oversee the sect in his absence.
• Li Qingqiu led hundreds of elite disciples, including Jiang Zhaoxia, Zhao Zhen, and Ji Ya, down Qingxiao Mountain as the assembled force prepared to march north.

Li Qingqiu led more than a thousand Qingxiao Sect disciples to Cangzhou, where they tracked Liu Jing’s army and investigated corpse ghouls. After Jiang Zhaoxia reported that the prefectural seat might be a trap for the army, the chapter had already shown Qin Ye and Li Yuzhong encountering a corpse ghoul on the march.

• Li Qingqiu led the Qingxiao Sect’s disciples toward Cangzhou and ordered the Commanding Disciples to share what they knew about the evil spirits.
• Qin Ye, Li Yuzhong, and strategist Jia Guang marched into Cangzhou with three hundred thousand soldiers, where a corpse ghoul attacked Qin Ye and Li Yuzhong.
• Li Qingqiu’s group reached Cangzhou, followed Liu Jing’s army, and found more corpse ghoul bodies.
• Yun Cai identified a strange force surging from corpse ghouls’ hearts, and Li Qingqiu told Xiao Wuqing to pass along the possible weakness.
• Jiang Zhaoxia reported that the prefectural seat was probably a trap laid for Liu Jing’s army.

Jiang Zhaoxia reported signs of a demonic threat in Cangzhou, while Qin Ye led his army into Cloud Emperor City despite sensing danger. The army entered a city controlled by Da Moluo, and Qin Ye realized a fierce battle was imminent.

• Jiang Zhaoxia told Li Qingqiu that Cangzhou's prefectural capital seemed deserted and might be threatened by the same demonic force that possessed the Northern Court Son of Heaven.
• Qin Ye brought his three-hundred-thousand-strong army to Cloud Emperor City, ordered scouts to investigate, then entered the city after one scout reported that it was safe.
• Jiang Zhaoxia watched the army enter Cloud Emperor City and left to report what he had seen.
• Da Moluo told Li Changjie he would leave Li Changjie's father's body after assimilating the army, then sent an evil spirit to check for other cultivators.
• As the army advanced through the dark, freezing streets, Qin Ye stopped Li Yuzhong from rushing into an alley and ordered the soldiers to seal off nearby streets, houses, and courtyards.

Qin Ye’s forces and the Qingxiao Sect fought an invasion of corpse ghosts in Cloud Emperor City as Jiang Zhaoxia confronted a serpent-bodied demon. Shen Yue reached the Prefect’s residence, where Da Moluo spoke to him and a powerful four-armed ghost sent him flying.

• A general ordered the soldiers outside the city to wait, and their anger erupted into a chaotic rush at the gate.
• Qin Ye’s group encountered a chained figure and a serpent-bodied woman, who attacked Qin Ye before Jiang Zhaoxia arrived and wounded her.
• Corpse ghosts flooded Cloud Emperor City and attacked the soldiers, while Qingxiao Sect disciples entered the city and began fighting them.
• Zhao Zhen and Li Yang transformed into golden dragons and charged into the city to battle the ghosts as Qin Ye’s group fought to survive.
• Shen Yue arrived at the Prefect’s residence and exchanged words with Da Moluo before a four-armed old ghost struck him back across a rooftop.

Shen Yue fought the four-armed Sword God while Qingxiao Sect disciples battled ghosts throughout the city. Li Qingqiu arrived at the Prefect's residence, saved Shen Yue from Ghost Bei's surprise attack, and launched a sword strike against him.

• Shen Yue clashed with the four-armed Sword God of the Northern Court, trading fierce sword techniques as both fighters became exhausted.
• Da Moluo warned Ghost Bei not to underestimate Li Qingqiu, while Ghost Bei prepared to defend the great hall.
• Xiao Wudi and Xiao Wuming helped Yun Cai fight Corpse Ghosts, and Li Qingqiu killed a white-haired evil ghost that threatened Yun Cai.
• Ghost Bei attacked Shen Yue from behind, but Li Qingqiu blocked the strike and drove him back with the Heavenly Rainbow Sword.
• Li Qingqiu charged Ghost Bei with an Immortal Absolute Three Swords technique and pierced through his ghostly energy.

Li Qingqiu defeated Gui Bei’s clones and entered the palace to confront Da Moluo, who revealed why he had led the ghost dynasty south and demanded Qingxiao Sect withdraw. Li Qingqiu refused, and their battle erupted across the city, leaving its outcome unresolved.

• Li Qingqiu cut down Gui Bei’s thirty-six clones, but Da Moluo pulled Gui Bei’s wounded soul into the palace before Li Qingqiu could capture it.
• Shen Yue immobilized the four-armed old man and insisted on finishing the fight himself while Li Qingqiu went into the palace.
• Da Moluo said he had moved south because the lands north, west, and east were more dangerous, and offered to let Qingxiao Sect share the Nine Provinces if it withdrew.
• Li Qingqiu summoned Chu Jing’s Sword Soul and destroyed Da Moluo’s four ghostly generals with a single slash, prompting Da Moluo to unleash his power and shatter the palace.
• Li Qingqiu and Da Moluo clashed in the sky and crashed through buildings before continuing their fight along a city street, where their attacks also struck nearby soldiers and corpse ghosts.

Li Qingqiu used heavenly lightning and his Soul Seizing Flying Swords to defeat Da Moluo’s clone, then confronted Da Moluo’s true body east of Cloud Emperor City. Da Moluo revealed that he had been pursuing a baby and warned that Li Qingqiu’s Origin Energy would eventually run dry, but Li Qingqiu’s power kept growing as Da Moluo attacked the child.

• Li Qingqiu and Chu Jing drove Da Moluo into the clouds, where Da Moluo transformed into a ghost jiao and threatened the Qingxiao Sect disciples.
• Li Qingqiu revealed heavenly lightning Origin Energy and unleashed twelve Soul Seizing Flying Swords, which overwhelmed and killed Da Moluo’s clone.
• Li Qingqiu helped clear the city of evil ghosts until Lin Chuan summoned him with news that they had found Da Moluo’s true body.
• Two hundred miles east of Cloud Emperor City, Da Moluo emerged from a ruined Daoist temple holding a baby, and Li Qingqiu realized the Ghost Dynasty had been a smokescreen.
• Da Moluo warned that Li Qingqiu’s Origin Energy would run dry, but Li Qingqiu’s lightning-charged sword continued to grow as Da Moluo bit the baby’s arm.

Li Qingqiu unleashed the third sword of the Immortal Absolute Three Swords and killed Da Moluo, then recovered while Lin Chuan took over the ghost infant’s body. He hurried toward Cloud Emperor City as Da Moluo’s death caused the corpse ghosts there to collapse and the Qingxiao Sect disciples to press their attack.

• Da Moluo absorbed the ghost infant’s power, grew stronger, and blasted Li Qingqiu back with blood-red ghostly energy.
• Da Moluo attacked Li Qingqiu, but a burst of white vapor repelled him, and Li Qingqiu prepared to use a powerful sword technique.
• Jiang Zhaoxia sensed Li Qingqiu’s third sword of the Immortal Absolute Three Swords and unleashed his own third sword against the snake-bodied woman.
• Li Qingqiu’s third sword overwhelmed Da Moluo’s black Sword Qi and reduced him to ashes, while the clash carved a vast fissure through the land.
• Chu Jing found the soulless ghost infant, and Li Qingqiu let Lin Chuan occupy its body while he recovered with the Spring Return Ghost Immortal Needle.
• Li Qingqiu headed for Cloud Emperor City, where Da Moluo’s death caused the corpse ghosts to collapse and Qingxiao Sect disciples to attack the remaining enemies.

Shen Yue defeated the Northern Court Sword God and the Qingxiao Sect helped drive back the Ghost Path forces in Cloud Emperor City. Li Qingqiu claimed the wounded ghost wyrm as a Spiritual Sense Realm ghost slave, then ordered the disciples to rest and discussed Qin Ye's return to cultivation.

• Shen Yue killed the four-armed old man after breaking through during their duel, then learned that Qingxiao Sect disciples were still fighting across the city.
• Li Qingqiu returned to Cloud Emperor City, received a report of twelve disciples dead and 134 wounded, and found the lightning-struck ghost wyrm.
• Li Qingqiu spared the ghost wyrm and branded it with a Yin Soul mark, making it his new ghost slave; Lin Chuan also awakened inside the ghost infant's body.
• Li Qingqiu gathered the disciples at the Prefect's residence and heard Jiang Zhaoxia report that nine of the sixteen evil ghosts, including Da Moluo, had been slain.
• Li Qingqiu left the Li family man's fate to Liu Jing and asked Qin Ye when he would return to Qingxiao Mountain; Qin Ye said he would come back to cultivate after the realm was unified.