Chapter Summaries

After Lu Ye killed Tan Shu, Zhang Kun and Lin Yue learned that Tan Shu was Yu Huajin’s grandson and that Liu Yuemei was his mother, prompting the Vast Sky Alliance to attack Dark Moon Forest Pass. Lu Ye stayed out of the battle, while Liu Yuemei demanded that the pass hand over Li Taibai and publicly called him out.

• Zhang Kun explained that Tan Shu’s death had enraged Yu Huajin because Tan Shu was the last descendant of her son, whom Feng Wujiang had beheaded.
• Zhang Kun ordered Dark Moon Forest Pass to prepare for battle after the Guard Tokens signaled the approaching attack.
• Lu Ye pretended to be too weak from using a forbidden technique to fight, and Tong Shuyao let him return to his room.
• Lin Yue and Zhang Kun activated the pass’s protective array as Liu Yuemei led the Vast Sky Alliance army toward Dark Moon Forest Pass.
• Liu Yuemei demanded that Zhang Kun hand over Li Taibai, threatened to ravage the pass, and shouted for Li Taibai to come out.

Liu Yuemei led a Vast Sky Alliance assault on Dark Moon Forest Pass to demand Li Taibai, while Lu Ye watched from the sidelines. The Alliance detonated twenty thousand Explosive Fire Spirit Stones against the pass’s Protective Spirit Array, revealing that Lu Ye’s own handiwork was being used against him.

• Liu Yuemei failed to find Li Taibai and returned to her camp, prompting Zhang Kun to prepare Dark Moon Forest Pass for battle.
• The Vast Sky Alliance advanced under the protection of Ironclad Warships as the pass’s defenses damaged the ships and inflicted casualties.
• Lin Yue and Zhang Kun grew suspicious when the attackers advanced without retaliating, and Lin Yue realized they intended to break the Protective Grand Array by force.
• Liu Yuemei ordered the Vast Sky Alliance cultivators to hurl what appeared to be Fire Spirit Stones at the pass.
• Zhang Kun identified the stones as Explosive Fire Spirit Stones, and their combined blast dimmed the Protective Spirit Array.
• Lu Ye recognized the Explosive Fire Spirit Stones as ones he had refined for Qian Wudang and realized they were being used against him.

Liu Yuemei used the World-Shattering Thunder Spear to shatter Dark Moon Forest Pass’s Protective Grand Array and stormed the pass in pursuit of Lu Ye. She cornered him and attacked repeatedly, but he resisted with his Red Dragon Battle Robe and Sword Gourd as she tried to capture him alive.

• Liu Yuemei unleashed the World-Shattering Thunder Spear, breaking the weakened Protective Grand Array as Zhang Kun and Lin Yue were held off by Vast Sky Alliance cultivators.
• The Vast Sky Alliance charged into Dark Moon Forest Pass, while Liu Yuemei searched for Lu Ye, who had hidden himself with concealment techniques.
• Liu Yuemei’s spells destroyed the surrounding houses and forced Lu Ye to flee; she struck him twice but intended to take him alive rather than kill him.
• Lu Ye blocked Liu Yuemei’s third attack with the Red Dragon Battle Robe and crashed into a house.
• Liu Yuemei pressed down on Lu Ye with a hand of Spiritual Power, and he sent the Sword Gourd’s sword-light dragon against it to slow her attack.

Liu Yuemei attacked Lu Ye at Dark Moon Forest Pass to avenge Tan Shu, but he survived her Divine Sense strike by feigning a mortal wound. After Liu Yuemei led the Vast Sky Alliance forces in a retreat, Lu Ye recovered and reflected on how he had deceived her.

• Liu Yuemei pressed Lu Ye to capture him for Tan Shu’s grave, but another Divine Sea Realm cultivator urged her to end the fight quickly as the battle turned against the Vast Sky Alliance.
• Liu Yuemei launched a powerful Divine Sense attack at Lu Ye, which broke through Twin Dragons Guarding the Sea but was stopped by the Soul Suppressing Tower in his Divine Pool.
• Lu Ye pretended the attack had gravely injured him, and Liu Yuemei believed his life was nearly over before she turned to slaughter Myriad Demon Ridge soldiers.
• Liu Yuemei ordered the Vast Sky Alliance forces to retreat, and Lin Yue and Zhang Kun could only watch them leave Dark Moon Forest Pass.
• After the rain began, Lu Ye secretly stored his Golden Body Token and revealed that his apparent injuries and weakened Spiritual Power had been a disguise.

After the battle at Dark Moon Forest Pass, Lu Ye stayed disguised as Li Taibai while Old Man You treated his severe injuries. Lin Yue and Old Man You believed his soul was damaged beyond repair, leaving his future uncertain as Tong Shuyao recovered nearby.

• Myriad Demon Ridge reinforcements arrived after the Vast Sky Alliance had withdrawn, and the survivors cleared the battlefield and treated the wounded.
• Lu Ye was taken to the injured cultivators and pretended to remain unconscious while Old Man You treated his body.
• Lin Yue learned that Old Man You suspected Liu Yuemei's divine sense attack had damaged Lu Ye's soul and feared he might never recover normally.
• Lu Ye woke several days later, acted confused, and appeared to suffer painful aftereffects from his supposed soul injury.
• Old Man You told Lin Yue that Li Taibai was unlikely to cultivate normally or reach the Divine Sea, while Tong Shuyao remained asleep as she recovered.

Lu Ye left Dark Moon Forest Pass after Lin Yue approved his request and gave him supplies, then secretly returned toward Cangyan Mountain Pass. Just as he reunited with Yiyi and Amber, he spotted an acquaintance fleeing pursuers and attacked her.

• Lu Ye told Lin Yue he planned to leave Dark Moon Forest Pass, and she agreed while asking him to sever contact with Tong Shuyao and accept a Storage Bag.
• Lu Ye departed the pass, then contacted Ying Wuji, who said he was grievously injured after Nian Yuexian took him away from the Sword Artifact Sect Secret Realm.
• Unable to rely on Ying Wuji, Lu Ye traveled in disguise toward Cangyan Mountain Pass and reached its vicinity after nearly two days.
• Lu Ye revealed his true identity, brought out Amber and Yiyi, and told them what had happened during his absence.
• Lu Ye saw an acquaintance fleeing several pursuers, drew his blade, and charged at her with a slash.

Lu Ye rescued Shen Xiaomao from a group of Vast Sky Alliance cultivators who meant to take her prisoner, then brought her to Cangyan Mountain Pass under the pretense that she was his captive. There, she revealed her real name, Shen Chudan, and Nian Yuexian learned how she had been mistreated.

• Lu Ye knocked down Shen Xiaomao and stopped her pursuers from taking her, claiming she was his prisoner and driving them away by invoking Cangyan Mountain Pass’s jurisdiction.
• Shen Xiaomao explained that her patrol companions had been killed and that her pursuers had spared her for vile reasons; Lu Ye covered her with a garment and took her back to Cangyan Mountain Pass.
• Lu Ye insisted Shen Xiaomao board his Spirit Boat as his prisoner, and she reluctantly went with him.
• Nian Yuexian welcomed Lu Ye back and questioned the woman accompanying him; Shen Xiaomao gave her real name as Shen Chudan.
• Lu Ye recounted Shen Chudan’s ordeal, and Nian Yuexian grew grim as she considered the harm the pursuers might have inflicted on other women.

Lu Ye returned to Cangyan Mountain Pass, handed over two months’ worth of Explosive Fire Spirit Stones, and learned that Nian Yuexian would leave to enter prolonged seclusion. With a replacement garrison coming, she offered him three possible postings, and Lu Ye considered going to Startled Waves Lake Pass to support his Third Senior Brother despite the danger his sect affiliation posed.

• Nian Yuexian assigned Shen Chudan to serve as her maid, and Lu Ye later ignored Shen Chudan until she realized he could not openly acknowledge her.
• Lu Ye arranged a handover with Cheng Xiu and delivered sixty thousand Explosive Fire Spirit Stones for three hundred thousand Battle Merit.
• Nian Yuexian told Lu Ye that Shen Chudan had returned safely to Lone Mountain Pass and announced she would enter prolonged seclusion after gaining insights in the Sword Artifact Sect Secret Realm and refining Willow Catkin.
• Nian Yuexian explained that another Divine Sea Realm cultivator and Province Guards would take over Cangyan Mountain Pass, then offered Lu Ye the choices of staying, transferring to another pass, or joining Qian Wudang’s Law Enforcement Division.
• Lu Ye gave Nian Yuexian a copy of the Sword Dao True Understanding and received three days to decide where he would go.
• Lu Ye told Yiyi he wanted to go to Startled Waves Lake Pass to support his Third Senior Brother, though his Crimson Blood Sect identity would invite hostility.

Lu Ye chose to leave Cangyan Mountain Pass and join Qian Wudang’s Law Enforcement Division, where he asked to take missions rather than focus solely on refining Explosive Fire Spirit Stones. Qian Wudang accepted that his request was reasonable but warned that field missions would put him in danger.

• Lu Ye decided that joining the Law Enforcement Division was safer than going to Startled Waves Lake Pass or remaining at Cangyan Mountain Pass, then received three hundred thousand battle merits for refining Explosive Fire Spirit Stones.
• Lu Ye exchanged battle merits for twenty Golden Spirit Signs and spent several days cultivating before telling Nian Yuexian he would join the Law Enforcement Division.
• Nian Yuexian wished Lu Ye well and urged him to protect himself as he departed for Vast Sky City, while she remained at Cangyan Mountain Pass awaiting the necessary procedures to leave.
• Lu Ye reported to Qian Wudang at the Law Enforcement Division, where Qian assigned him to refine Explosive Fire Spirit Stones.
• Lu Ye asked to join the Law Enforcement Hall and take missions so he could see more of the Nine Provinces, and Qian Wudang warned him that such work carried danger.

Lu Ye joined the Law Enforcement Hall after convincing Qian Wudang that his aptitude was peerless and revealing his rapid cultivation progress. The Sect Master arrived in Vast Sky City to take the Crimson Blood Sect’s seat on the Bing Province Guard’s Council of Elders, while Pang Huanyin came to join the Guard.

• Lu Ye told Qian Wudang he possessed peerless talent and showed that he had advanced from True Lake Tier One to Tier Three in three months.
• Qian Wudang assigned Lu Ye to Squad A3, and a woman who had been hiding in the hall demanded to join the Law Enforcement Hall; he refused, so she ran to Fan Xiangyi and accused him of bullying her.
• Lu Ye messaged Geng Wuwang and learned that Squad A3 was away on a mission, then received a message from the Sect Master asking where he was.
• The Sect Master and Pang Huanyin arrived to meet Lu Ye in Vast Sky City.
• The Sect Master explained that he had come to take the Crimson Blood Sect’s reserved seat on the Bing Province Guard’s Council of Elders, while Pang Huanyin planned to join the Guard.

Lu Ye helped Pang Huanyin register with the Bing Province Guard and showed her around Vast Sky City while the Sect Master arranged their stay. The Sect Master later reassured Lu Ye about his plans to join the Law Enforcement Division and gave him the partially repaired Artificer Armor Dragon Seat from his Master.

• The Sect Master arrived in Vast Sky City and asked Lu Ye to take Pang Huanyin to the Recruitment Division to join the Bing Province Guard.
• Pang Huanyin registered with the Recruitment Division, where Leshan tested her Battle Merit and found that she had none.
• Lu Ye showed Pang Huanyin around Vast Sky City until the Sect Master summoned them to his courtyard and offered them a place to stay.
• Yiyi and Lu Ye noticed the Sect Master's bruised eye, and he claimed he had gotten carried away talking with old friends.
• The Sect Master told Lu Ye that he would support him and cautioned him about the Law Enforcement Division's dangerous work.
• The Sect Master gave Lu Ye the basic-repaired Artificer Armor Dragon Seat from his Master and relayed her warning not to rely too heavily on external power.

Lu Ye tested the repaired Dragon Seat and learned that it greatly enhanced his combat power while draining his strength at a manageable rate. After recovering, he met with Qian Wudang, who explained that the Law Enforcement Division’s squads had no room for him and began to reveal a change in plans.

• Lu Ye traveled outside Vast Sky City and activated the Dragon Seat, which wrapped him in crimson armor and painfully drained his Spiritual Power, physical strength, and Divine Soul Power.
• Lu Ye wielded the Dragon Spine Blade while wearing the Dragon Seat, devastating the surrounding area before removing the armor and concluding that it could serve as a powerful last-resort weapon.
• Lu Ye returned to the Sect Master's courtyard with Yiyi and Amber and spent the night recovering.
• Qian Wudang summoned Lu Ye to the Law Enforcement Division and told him Squad A3 was full and the other squads also had no need for additional manpower.
• Lu Ye asked Qian Wudang to explain plainly what he meant, suspecting that the plan to take him into the division might have changed.

Qian Wudang offered Lu Ye the captaincy of a newly formed Law Enforcement Hall squad, and Lu Ye accepted after securing the right to choose and requisition its members. Lu Ye claimed a residence in Vast Sky City and began considering whom to recruit first.

• Qian Wudang praised Lu Ye’s mission record, strength, and military rank as reasons he should lead a new Law Enforcement Hall squad.
• Qian Wudang listed the captain’s stipends, mission rewards, and other benefits, but Lu Ye declined when he learned the appointment was not an order.
• Lu Ye reconsidered after Qian Wudang confirmed he could choose his squad members and request transfers from frontline passes.
• Lu Ye agreed to lead the squad in exchange for authority to requisition personnel, while Qian Wudang said he would reveal his own request the next day.
• Lu Ye found an unoccupied courtyard in Vast Sky City, reported it to Qian Wudang for registration, and began planning whom to recruit.

Lu Ye tried to recruit Pang Huanyin into the Law Enforcement Division, but she declined so she could look after future Purple Star Dao Palace disciples. Lin Yinxiu joined Lu Ye’s squad instead, and Qian Wudang explained that she had chosen the team because she wanted to witness Lu Yiye’s rise, seeing him as a second Feng Wujiang.

• Lu Ye asked Pang Huanyin to join the Law Enforcement Division, but she refused so she could support the Purple Star Dao Palace disciples who would arrive later.
• Lin Yinxiu reported to Lu Ye under orders from Qian Wudang and joined his squad, presenting him with a token that allowed him to mobilize Province Guard personnel.
• After learning Lin Yinxiu had True Lake Tier Seven cultivation, Lu Ye accepted her and exchanged Battlefield Mark imprints with her.
• Lu Ye went to find Qian Wudang, then contacted him when he was absent from the Law Enforcement Division’s main hall.
• Qian Wudang told Fan Xiangyi that Lin Yinxiu had insisted on joining Lu Ye because she regarded him as a second Feng Wujiang and wanted to witness his growth.

Lu Ye brought Lin Yinxiu to Startled Waves Lake Pass under Qian Wudang’s warrant to transfer his Third Senior Brother, Xiao Xinghe, away from the dangerous post. After Che Zixiong verified the warrant, Lu Ye prepared to name the person he wanted to requisition.

• Qian Wudang warned Lu Ye not to harbor improper thoughts about Lin Yinxiu, and Lu Ye summoned her for a mission.
• Lu Ye and Lin Yinxiu traveled from Vast Sky City to Startled Waves Lake Pass, where fighting with Dark Moon Forest Pass had caused casualties.
• Lu Ye told the sentries he was acting on official business and requested an audience with the Pass Master.
• Che Zixiong received Lu Ye and Lin Yinxiu, verified Qian Wudang’s warrant, and asked whom the Law Enforcement Division wanted to transfer.

Lu Ye reached Startled Waves Lake Pass to recruit his Third Senior Brother, Xiao Xinghe, into the Law Enforcement Division, but found Xiao injured and caught in a dispute with the pass’s leadership. After learning of the offer, Xiao thanked Lu Ye but refused to join.

• Che Zixiong recognized Lu Ye and stalled over releasing Xiao Xinghe, then claimed a Divine Sea Realm cultivator from Dark Moon Forest Pass had mobilized and left the hall.
• Lu Ye and Lin Yinxiu went to Xiao Xinghe’s residence with help from a cultivator surnamed Wang, who warned that Xiao might soon be ordered back into battle.
• Xiao recognized Lu Ye as his junior brother, welcomed him inside, and caught up on news of Azure Emperor City and their fellow disciples.
• Lu Ye explained that he had joined the Law Enforcement Division and had come under Qian Wudang’s orders to recruit Xiao.
• Xiao Xinghe praised the opportunity but told Lu Ye that he would not join the Law Enforcement Division.

Lu Ye tried to requisition Xiao Xinghe from Startled Waves Lake Pass, but Liu Yuemei refused and instead attempted to requisition Lu Ye himself. Her unexpected counteroffer gave Lu Ye a sliver of hope that his plan was working.

• Lu Ye reassured Xiao Xinghe that he would not force his transfer if Liu Yuemei refused to release him.
• Chen Ke brought Lu Ye, Lin Yinxiu, and Xiao Xinghe to meet Liu Yuemei, who used her Divine Sea pressure to force Lu Ye toward kneeling.
• Lu Ye endured the pressure, presented Qian Wudang’s written order, and requested Xiao Xinghe’s transfer to the Law Enforcement Division.
• Liu Yuemei refused the requisition, but Lu Ye turned to leave, prompting her to call him back.
• Liu Yuemei offered to requisition Lu Ye to serve at her pass, and Lu Ye realized she had taken the bait.

Lu Ye used Liu Yuemei’s desire to kill him to secure a chance to take Xiao Xinghe away, but Liu Yuemei switched the chosen opponent at the last moment. Lu Ye and Chen Ke entered the Combat Platform, leaving the outcome unresolved.

• Liu Yuemei offered to let Lu Ye take Xiao Xinghe if he won a fight, but required him to remain under her command if he lost.
• Liu Yuemei summoned Qi Wu, and Lu Ye proposed using the Combat Platform for their fight to the death.
• Lu Ye demanded a Heaven's Mystery Contract guaranteeing he could take Xiao Xinghe away if he survived, and Liu Yuemei agreed.
• Lu Ye launched the Combat Platform toward Qi Wu, but Liu Yuemei pulled Qi Wu aside and sent Chen Ke into the fight instead.
• Liu Yuemei laughed and explained that she had arranged the contract so she could change Lu Ye's opponent.

Lu Ye fought Chen Ke inside the Combat Platform, hiding his advantage until he killed him with one slash. He returned to the main hall alive, shocking Liu Yuemei and reassuring Xiao Xinghe.

• Xiao Xinghe realized Liu Yuemei had tampered with the Heaven's Mystery Contract, but Lin Yinxiu stopped him from attacking her.
• Lu Ye and Chen Ke appeared in the Combat Platform, where Lu Ye deliberately kept the fight brutal to conceal his true strength.
• Chen Ke took a Spiritual Pill and launched his strongest attack, but Lu Ye used Divine Sense and a single saber slash to kill him.
• Lu Ye returned to the main hall and told Xiao Xinghe, "I won," while Liu Yuemei's table shattered.

Lu Ye defeated Chen Ke and took Xiao Xinghe from Startled Waves Lake Pass, but Liu Yuemei’s killing intent forced the group to flee. After Lin Yinxiu sent Qian Wudang a cryptic message, he realized they were in danger and hurried to respond.

• Lu Ye returned from the Combat Platform alive, revealing that he had killed Chen Ke and leaving Qi Wu shaken.
• Liu Yuemei developed killing intent toward Lu Ye, but he invoked the Heaven's Mystery Contract and his Law Enforcement Division membership to claim Xiao Xinghe and leave.
• Lu Ye, Xiao Xinghe, and Lin Yinxiu left Startled Waves Lake Pass, and Lu Ye had Lin Yinxiu send Qian Wudang a message through her Battlefield Mark.
• Lu Ye slowed their flight, suspecting Liu Yuemei might pursue them, while Xiao Xinghe warned that she could attack once they were outside the pass.
• Qian Wudang received Lin Yinxiu's message, recognized the danger, and rushed to respond while angrily blaming Lu Ye for taking her to Startled Waves Lake Pass.