Chapter Summaries

Xiang Yuan revealed that he and Xiao Lingyue were betrothed, leaving Xiao He stunned and determined to seek their mother’s help. He then told Xiao Lingyue about Xiao He’s secret cultivation and mission, before explaining that the Heavenly Emperor was behind the plot and that he planned to seek an alliance with Sword Heart Studio.

• Xiang Yuan embraced Xiao Lingyue and revealed their betrothal, while Xiao He insisted that the two were deceiving him.
• Xiang Yuan exposed Xiao He’s past role in introducing him to Chan’er and mentioned his marriage pact with Xiao Lingyan, prompting Xiao Lingyue to pull him into her room as Xiao He fled to find their mother.
• Xiang Yuan told Xiao Lingyue that Xiao He had Spirit Transformation cultivation and was an Imperial City Directorate spy who had gone to Fengxian County on a mission.
• Xiang Yuan explained that the Heavenly Emperor’s reincarnated body was the mastermind and described the Heavenly Sect’s plans to support King Zhao Residence and gather allies.
• Xiang Yuan told Xiao Lingyue that he would visit Sword Heart Studio to seek an alliance with Sword Venerable Su Ran, and she warned him to be careful.

Xiang Yuan visited Ziping to ask for her help entering Sword Heart Studio and gaining its support for King Zhao Residence. After Ziping took his blood medicine and brought him into the studio, Shang Qingmeng caught them and demanded an explanation about his betrothal to Xiao Lingyue.

• Xiang Yuan found Ziping in her room and asked her to help him enter Sword Heart Studio as the Heavenly Sect’s Young Sect Master.
• Ziping agreed to help in exchange for Xiang Yuan’s blood medicine, and he assisted her in refining it before they cultivated together.
• Ziping used her sword technique to take Xiang Yuan into Sword Heart Studio and gave him a token for the Nine Absolute Sword Formation.
• The formation transported Xiang Yuan and Ziping into its forbidden grounds, where Shang Qingmeng confronted them.
• Shang Qingmeng focused on the rumors that Xiang Yuan was betrothed to two princesses, including Xiao Lingyue, and demanded the truth.

Shang Qingmeng learned that Xiang Yuan was betrothed to Xiao Lingyue of Unrivaled Palace and confronted him in Sword Heart Studio. Their battle tore through the Ninefold Absolute Grand Formation, and Xiang Yuan entered Sword Venerable Su Ran’s pocket realm to pay his respects while Shang Qingmeng pursued him.

• Shang Qingmeng received White Cloud Manor’s letter revealing Xiang Yuan’s marriage ties to King Zhao Residence and Xiao Lingyue, then confronted him with the evidence.
• Xiang Yuan blamed Ziping for exposing him, while Ziping and Qin Zhaorong traded accusations and Qin Zhaorong urged Shang Qingmeng to detain him for Sword Heart Studio’s benefit.
• Shang Qingmeng attacked Xiang Yuan, activating the Ninefold Absolute Grand Formation, and Xiang Yuan countered with Nine Paths of Asking Heaven · Return to Ruins Without Question.
• Xiang Yuan broke free of the sword realm and opened a rift into Sword Venerable Su Ran’s pocket realm, with Shang Qingmeng following him.
• Xiang Yuan bowed before Sword Venerable Su Ran and introduced himself as Xiang Yuan of the Heavenly Sect while dodging Shang Qingmeng’s sword light.

Xiang Yuan visited Sword Heart Studio as a representative of the Heavenly Sect, where Sword Venerable Su Ran uncovered the unusual power of his blood medicine and the Celestial Emperor Dao Seed he carried. Su Ran refused to join the Heavenly Sect but revealed two of the mastermind’s pieces in Western Chu before imprisoning Xiang Yuan, leaving his freedom in Shang Qingmeng’s hands.

• Shang Qingmeng attacked Xiang Yuan, and Sword Venerable Su Ran immobilized him so Shang Qingmeng could vent her grievances before explaining their relationship and her suspicions about Ziping.
• Sword Venerable Su Ran drew blood from Xiang Yuan, confirmed that his blood medicine had advanced, and deduced that he carried the Heavenly Emperor’s blood and Bai Wuyan’s jade disc.
• Xiang Yuan told Sword Venerable Su Ran about the Celestial Emperor Dao Seed, Ji Wuzhou, and the mastermind plotting against the world, then asked her to support the Heavenly Sect.
• Sword Venerable Su Ran revealed that the Heavenly Sect was the prototype of the Heavenly Court and named Forget Sword Manor and White Cloud Manor as the mastermind’s pieces in Western Chu.
• Sword Venerable Su Ran refused to support either side unless calamity threatened the common people, but detained Xiang Yuan in Sword Heart Studio and gave Shang Qingmeng a token that could free him.

Xiang Yuan tried to escape Sword Heart Studio, but Qin Zhaorong and Ziping helped summon Shang Qingmeng, who used him for cultivation before letting him leave with an entry-and-exit token. Sword Venerable Su Ran regretted his release and considered secretly knocking him out to extract more blood medicine.

• Xiang Yuan remained detained in Sword Heart Studio until Qin Zhaorong visited and tried to bargain for the same treatment Ziping had received.
• Xiang Yuan pinned Qin Zhaorong, then went to Ziping’s courtyard and triggered the summoning ritual by pressing her down on the couch.
• Shang Qingmeng arrived, took Xiang Yuan into Ziping’s room, and later gave him a token allowing him to leave Sword Heart Studio.
• Shang Qingmeng mocked Ziping, let Xiang Yuan go, and privately planned to lure him back for future cultivation.
• Sword Venerable Su Ran regretted Shang Qingmeng’s decision and considered having Xiang Yuan knocked unconscious so she could secretly obtain his blood medicine.

Xiang Yuan reported Sword Heart Studio’s response to Xiao Lingyue, then learned from Bai Wuyan that his Celestial Emperor Dao Seed placed him on the Divine Path. After hearing that the Three Pure Ones defeated the Celestial Emperor, he left Unrivaled Palace and went to investigate White Cloud Manor.

• Xiang Yuan returned to King Zhao Residence and told Xiao Lingyue that Sword Heart Studio’s grandmasters had challenged him, while Xiao Lingyue teased him about being drained and reacted unhappily to his engagement to Princess Harmony Mist.
• Xiang Yuan reported Sword Venerable Su Ran’s ambiguous support and her warning that White Cloud Manor and Forgetting Sword Manor were pieces in the mastermind’s plans, then split the investigation with Broken Sampan’s master.
• Bai Wuyan took Xiang Yuan to an Ancient Wilderness Realm grotto-heaven, where he absorbed its wood qi and strengthened his divine power and Primordial Spirit.
• Bai Wuyan explained that Xiang Yuan’s Celestial Emperor Dao Seed put him on the Divine Path, described the conflict between immortals and gods, and said the Three Pure Ones had defeated the Celestial Emperor.
• After Bai Wuyan detained him and used his blood and cultivation to refine her body, Xiang Yuan left Unrivaled Palace and disguised himself as Li Xianyuan to seek Yue Huanjiang at White Cloud Manor.

Xiang Yuan revealed to Yue Huanjiang and Qu Rou that he was Xiang Wentian and the Heavenly Sect’s Young Sect Master, then urged White Cloud Manor to support King Zhao Residence. He ended by confronting Qu Rou with the claim that the reincarnated Heavenly Emperor stood behind White Cloud Manor and Forget Sword Manor, leaving her and Yue Huanjiang stunned.

• Xiang Yuan teased Yue Huanjiang about his awkward relationship with Qu Rou while Hongxiao and Qingli joined in the gossip.
• Yue Huanjiang read the Daily Medicine News and learned that Xiang Yuan was Xiang Wentian, the grandmaster known as Heavenly King Himself.
• Xiang Yuan announced that he was the Heavenly Sect’s Young Sect Master and persuaded Yue Huanjiang to take him into White Cloud Manor to meet Qu Rou.
• Xiang Yuan revealed his identity to Qu Rou and urged her to have White Cloud Manor support King Zhao Residence.
• Qu Rou said she needed to consult the elders, and Xiang Yuan claimed that Sword Venerable Su Ran had told him the reincarnated Heavenly Emperor directed both White Cloud Manor and Forget Sword Manor.

Xiang Yuan confronted Qu Rou at White Cloud Manor, where she revealed herself and two other grandmasters to be powerful demons. After discovering that Yue Huanjiang was a snake demon, Xiang Yuan was left reeling from the revelation about his elder brother.

• Xiang Yuan urged Qu Rou to abandon White Cloud Manor’s resistance and join forces against King Zhao Residence, but she refused and trapped him in the Cloud-Hidden Grand Array.
• Qu Rou attacked Xiang Yuan with a seductive illusion, but he shattered it, injured her, and tore open the array to retrieve Bai Wuyan’s No Calamity Sword and Pure White Golden Wheel.
• Qu Rou gathered Lian Song and Qing Zhuying in a hidden minor heavenly realm and broke the seals suppressing their demon power so they could confront Xiang Yuan.
• Xiang Yuan searched White Cloud Manor, shrugged off Qu Rou’s ambush, and dragged her from a spatial rift before she escaped to join Lian Song and Qing Zhuying.
• Xiang Yuan realized that White Cloud Manor’s grandmasters were demons and suspected Yue Huanjiang was one too; Qu Rou confirmed that Yue Huanjiang was a snake.

Xiang Yuan fought Qu Rou, Lian Song, and Qing Zhuying at White Cloud Manor until Bai Wuyan arrived and defeated the three demons. As Bai Wuyan captured Qing Zhuying, the reincarnated body of the Heavenly Emperor appeared in the void above them.

• Xiang Yuan fought the three demons, striking Lian Song back and trapping Qu Rou in illusions before Qing Zhuying healed them both.
• Xiang Yuan summoned Bai Wuyan by throwing the No Calamity Sword into the air, and she joined the battle.
• Bai Wuyan destroyed the Three Talents Array and gravely wounded Qu Rou and Lian Song with one sword strike.
• Bai Wuyan used silver chains to bind Qing Zhuying and force her into her Qingluan form.
• The reincarnated body of the Heavenly Emperor opened its eyes in the void and looked down at Bai Wuyan and Xiang Yuan.

Bai Wuyan fought the hidden Heavenly Emperor reincarnation at Cloud-Hidden Peak, destroying White Cloud Manor’s stronghold and freeing its captives from teleportation. Xiang Yuan spared Qu Rou and Lian Song after arranging a marriage oath, then returned to the Heavenly Sect to check on Ji Wuzhou, where master and disciple traded secrets about White Cloud Manor and Forget Sword Manor.

• Bai Wuyan shattered Cloud-Hidden Peak’s formation and fought the mastermind, who tried to teleport away the minor grotto-heaven and its occupants.
• Bai Wuyan pursued the minor grotto-heaven and clashed with the mastermind in the eastern sky, while Xiang Yuan stopped her from killing Qu Rou and Lian Song.
• Xiang Yuan accepted Qu Rou’s ransom and made her swear to marry Yue Huanjiang; Qu Rou left with Lian Song, while Qing Zhuying remained Bai Wuyan’s captive.
• Bai Wuyan brought Xiang Yuan and Qing Zhuying to Unrivaled Palace, where she treated her injuries by drawing Xiang Yuan’s blood and told him to go to the Ancient Wilderness Realm.
• Xiang Yuan went to the Heavenly Sect and found Ji Wuzhou injured; Xiang Yuan revealed that White Cloud Manor’s grandmasters were demons, and Ji Wuzhou said Forget Sword Manor’s people descended from Upper Zhou.

Xiang Yuan divided the spoils from White Cloud Manor and Forget Sword Manor, informed Xiao Feng that Heavenly Sect now backed King Zhao Residence, and delivered Forget Sword Manor’s assets to Sword Heart Studio. He then joined Bai Wuyan in the Ancient Wilderness Realm, where she brought him to the Thousand Mechanism Sword Tomb to claim its Five Elements metal as she prepared to face the Wheel Prison Great Demon.

• Ji Wuzhou gave Xiang Yuan the deeds and account books seized from Forget Sword Manor, and Xiang Yuan divided the assets among Heavenly Sect, Unrivaled Palace, and Sword Heart Studio.
• Xiang Yuan told Xiao Feng that Heavenly Sect had switched its support to King Zhao Residence and explained that White Cloud Manor and Forget Sword Manor had been destroyed after their ties to the Demon Race and Upper Zhou were exposed.
• Xiang Yuan gave Ziping Sword Heart Studio’s share of Forget Sword Manor’s assets, then left her disheveled when Shang Qingmeng arrived.
• Xiang Yuan met Bai Wuyan at Unrivaled Palace and opened the Jambu Gate to the Ancient Wilderness Realm with her.
• Bai Wuyan took Xiang Yuan to the Thousand Mechanism Sword Tomb, where Hundred Thousand Sword Peaks held the Five Elements metal, and told him to claim the opportunity while she held off the extraterritorial heavenly demons.

Xiang Yuan refined the metal qi in the Thousand Mechanism Sword Tomb while Bai Wuyan fought off the Wheel Prison Great Demon and collected sword peaks. After they escaped his true body’s attack, Xiao Lingyue told Xiang Yuan that the Xiao Clan had made him a king and named him Ba.

• Xiang Yuan entered the Thousand Mechanism Sword Tomb, refined its metal qi, and comprehended the Heavenfall Sword Strike as Bai Wuyan waited for the Wheel Prison Great Demon.
• Wheel Prison Great Demon attacked, and Bai Wuyan repeatedly humiliated him before destroying his descending avatar’s head.
• Xiang Yuan asked Bai Wuyan to take sword peaks for artifact refinement, and she collected three hundred before Wheel Prison Great Demon’s true body descended.
• Xiang Yuan fled through the Jambu Gate, and Bai Wuyan followed after being struck; they entered the cold pool so she could recover.
• Xiang Yuan met Xiao Lingyue, who told him the Xiao Clan had moved to Shendu and bestowed a kingship on him with the title Ba.

Xiang Yuan learned that Xiao Dong had gained support as a candidate for Crown Prince and discussed the succession and the empress position with Xiao Lingyue. They visited Xiao He and Xu Jixian, where Xiang Yuan discovered he had been given two princely residences and heard that two princesses had already moved into his secondary palace.

• Xiang Yuan complained about being titled the Western Chu Overlord, while Xiao Lingyue explained why the Xiao Clan would not retract the decree and questioned him about Bai Wuyan’s Qingluan bird.
• Xiao Lingyue told Xiang Yuan that Xiao He and Xiao Dong were the remaining Crown Prince candidates, with Great Awakening Temple and some of Xiao Yan’s adopted sons supporting Xiao Dong.
• Xiang Yuan and Xiao Lingyue discussed Xiao He’s lack of interest in the position and Cheng Yuling’s hopes of becoming Empress, before Xiang Yuan brought Xiao Lingyue to Shendu.
• Xiang Yuan and Xiao Lingyue found Xiao Yan sneaking around the imperial palace’s rear quarters, and Xiao Lingyue alerted Cheng Yuling before pulling Xiang Yuan away.
• Xiang Yuan arrived at Mind-Nourishing Manor and found Xiao He beating Xu Jixian, then joined them for barbecue and shared poisonous Southern Border mushrooms.
• Xiao He told Xiang Yuan that he had been granted residences in Shendu and Zhendian Prefecture, and that two princesses had already moved into the secondary palace.

Xiang Yuan and Xiao He discussed the crown-prince succession, while Xiao Yan and Xiao Qian struggled with the political pressures surrounding the choice. Xiang Yuan’s allies declared support for Xiao Qian, and the chapter ended with Xiao Lingyue sending Xiang Yuan to visit Xiao Lingyan and guide her cultivation.

• At Mind-Nourishing Manor, Xiang Yuan told Xiao He he planned to support Xiao Qian as crown prince, and Xiao He admitted he did not want the position himself.
• Xiao Yan was caught comforting the late Emperor’s consorts, and Xiao Qian reminded him that he needed to handle imperial affairs without relying on his son.
• Xiao Qian explained that he considered himself unfit to be crown prince and thought Xiao He was a better choice, while Xiao Yan worried over the succession and the clan’s demands.
• A message arrived declaring that the Heavenly Sect, Yellow Springs Dao, Unrivaled Palace, Sword Heart Studio, and Shendu Xiao Clan would support Xiao Qian as crown prince, while Great Awakening Temple would be persuaded to withdraw its support for Xiao Dong.
• Xiang Yuan visited Xiao Lingyue, who told him about the other princess consort in his temporary palace and sent him to visit Xiao Lingyan to guide her cultivation.

Xiang Yuan helped Xiao Lingyan break through to Spirit Transformation, then asked Bai Wuyan about his newly formed inner world and the suspicious Great Awakening Temple. Bai Wuyan’s divination pointed to extraterrestrial heavenly demons, and Xiang Yuan tried to leave for the Heavenly Sect before realizing he had forgotten to coax her.

• Xiang Yuan ate the heavenly treasures in Xiao Lingyan’s room and used his blood to help her reach the Spirit Transformation realm.
• Xiang Yuan visited Bai Wuyan, who began reforging his Storm Mist Blade and confirmed that a small world had formed within him.
• Bai Wuyan warned Xiang Yuan that Sword Venerable Su Ran might detain and refine him, and Xiang Yuan promised not to visit Sword Heart Studio.
• Bai Wuyan divined that Great Awakening Temple was unrelated to the mastermind but found a connection to extraterrestrial heavenly demons.
• Xiang Yuan announced that he would go to the Heavenly Sect, then saw Bai Wuyan’s cold reaction and realized he had forgotten to coax her.

Xiang Yuan and Ji Wuzhou traveled to Great Awakening Temple to investigate rumors that it was involved in a conspiracy, while Xiang Yuan planned to rely on Bai Wuyan if danger arose. At the Clearwater Lotus Pond, they met Abbot Huixing after Lingxiu revealed the temple’s defenses and secret techniques.

• Xiang Yuan tended to Bai Wuyan, helped her dress, and left Unrivaled Palace after she allowed him to depart.
• Xiang Yuan told Ji Wuzhou that Great Awakening Temple might be helping the mastermind behind the scenes destabilize Western Chu by interfering in the crown prince’s succession, and Ji agreed to investigate with him.
• Xiang Yuan secretly prepared Bai Wuyan’s magical treasures as backup, while Ji Wuzhou’s divination convinced him that an Upper Three Realm helper was available.
• Xiang Yuan and Ji Wuzhou climbed Reclining Lotus Mountain and entered Great Awakening Temple, where Lingxiu welcomed them on Abbot Huixing’s orders.
• Lingxiu led the visitors toward the back mountain and explained the Buddha Kingdom Grand Formation and the Future Three Thousand Scrolls, while Ji Wuzhou revealed that Lingxiu was a prince of Northern Qi seeking to become abbot.
• Lingxiu brought Xiang Yuan and Ji Wuzhou to the Clearwater Lotus Pond, where they saw Abbot Huixing seated beneath a bodhi tree.

Xiang Yuan and Ji Wuzhou confronted Abbot Huixing after learning that an Extraterritorial Heavenly Demon had possessed him, while Lingxiu fought to contain the demon inside the temple’s formation. When Xiang Yuan recognized the demon as Self-Transforming Heaven, he joined the battle, determined to kill it before it could abduct Chan'er again.

• Huixing admitted that Self-Transforming Heaven had possessed him, explaining that he had lured a fated person to Great Awakening Temple for help.
• Xiang Yuan recognized Self-Transforming Heaven as the demon that had once pursued Chan'er, and resolved to kill it.
• Lingxiu kicked Huixing into the distance, then activated the Buddha Kingdom Grand Formation and fought the possessed abbot with the temple’s golden bodies.
• Huixing countered the formation with the thirty-six Buddhas in his prayer beads, forcing Lingxiu to call on Ji Wuzhou and Xiang Yuan.
• Ji Wuzhou split Huixing’s golden body with Regretless Blade, revealing the demon, while Xiang Yuan’s Merit Golden Wheel scorched away its demonic aura.
• Self-Transforming Heaven recognized Xiang Yuan and demanded that he hand over the one of reincarnation, so Xiang Yuan ordered everyone to attack without regard for martial-world code.

Xiang Yuan and Ji Wuzhou battled Other-Transformation Heaven inside Lingxiu’s Buddhist Kingdom formation, while Xiang Yuan’s power and Buddhist treasures overwhelmed the demon’s Buddha-demon techniques. Ji Wuzhou severed Other-Transformation Heaven’s connection to his true body and escape route, and Xiang Yuan destroyed the fused incarnation with Chaos Sword Qi.

• Xiang Yuan opened the battle with the No Calamity Sword’s golden-crow sun, and Ji Wuzhou followed by cutting Other-Transformation Heaven apart as the Buddhist Kingdom formation contained the destruction.
• Other-Transformation Heaven split into linked Buddha and demon incarnations, while Ji Wuzhou prepared to sever his retreat and Xiang Yuan attacked in Three Heads and Six Arms form.
• Xiang Yuan’s strength overpowered Other-Transformation Heaven, and he fought Huixing’s Buddha body while using the golden lotus and other treasures to suppress Huixing’s Nine-Grade Lotus Platform.
• Xiang Yuan crushed the Nine-Grade Lotus Platform, breaking Huixing’s Buddha Kingdom Pure Land and causing Huixing to spit golden blood.
• Ji Wuzhou used Sever Reincarnation to cut off Other-Transformation Heaven’s connection to his true body and his return to the Dry Abyss Realm.
• Xiang Yuan aligned the vertical eye with the Buddha and demon bodies and pierced Other-Transformation Heaven’s fused incarnation with Chaos Sword Qi.

Xiang Yuan returned the magical treasures to Bai Wuyan, visited Xiao Feng to announce Abbot Huixing’s supposed nirvana, and then went with Ziping to Sword Heart Studio. He ended up in Shang Qingmeng’s arms while she punished Ziping, and his request to meet Sword Venerable Su Ran sparked a scandalous misunderstanding.

• Xiang Yuan and Ji Wuzhou left Great Awakening Temple after Other-Transformation Heaven’s bodies were destroyed, and Ji Wuzhou vomited blood from the backlash before returning to Mahayana Mountain to recuperate.
• Xiang Yuan returned Bai Wuyan’s treasures in person, then visited Xiao Feng and claimed that Abbot Huixing had entered nirvana after agreeing Great Awakening Temple would stop meddling in Western Chu’s politics.
• Xiang Yuan watched Xiao Lingyue guide Xiao Lingyan in cultivation, then went to Bishui County and persuaded Ziping to take him to Sword Heart Studio.
• Shang Qingmeng arrived while Xiang Yuan and Ziping were together, and Xiang Yuan blamed Ziping before Shang Qingmeng scolded them both and brought him back to Sword Heart Studio.
• Shang Qingmeng used the mountain-protecting formation to keep Xiang Yuan at Sword Heart Studio and punished Ziping, while Xiang Yuan said he wanted to meet Sword Venerable Su Ran.
• Shang Qingmeng misunderstood Xiang Yuan’s request as a desire to share intimacy with Su Ran, and Su Ran prepared to summon Shang Qingmeng and reprimand her.

Sword Venerable Su Ran abducted Xiang Yuan after overhearing Shang Qingmeng criticize her, then examined his medicinal blood and taught him a method for cultivating the Celestial Emperor’s inheritance. The chapter ended with Shang Qingmeng pounding on the Little Grotto-Heaven’s door, furious that Su Ran had taken Xiang Yuan inside.

• Shang Qingmeng accused Xiang Yuan of knowingly offering himself to Sword Venerable Su Ran, while Ziping secretly listened to their gossip.
• Sword Venerable Su Ran suddenly seized Xiang Yuan through twisted space and declared that she was punishing Shang Qingmeng for disrespecting her.
• Su Ran brought Xiang Yuan to the Sword Pillar Forbidden Ground, rinsed him in the spirit spring, and secretly drank his medicinal blood while examining him.
• Xiang Yuan asked Su Ran to explain the changes in the small world within his body, and she described her own world and the Celestial Emperor’s power.
• Su Ran warned Xiang Yuan that pursuing the Celestial Emperor’s inheritance would draw greater attention, then passed on her cultivation method with a tap to his brow.
• Shang Qingmeng and Ziping arrived outside the Little Grotto-Heaven, where Shang Qingmeng pounded on the door and demanded that Su Ran let her in.