Recaps

Zeng Shilin spent his remaining strength protecting Qin Shouchang and confronting the Xiangliu Demon Emperor, while Master Xu intervened as Xiangliu tried to strike. Xiangliu unleashed its thousand-zhang Dharma manifestation over the capital, leaving nearly everyone and every living thing unable to move, though Huzi remained unaffected.

• Zeng Shilin told Qin Shouchang that someone had to step forward, and Qin accepted his sacrifice before confronting Xiangliu.
• Xiangliu revealed the stolen Dragon Survey Map and accused Qin Shouchang and Zeng Shilin of buying time.
• Master Xu blocked Xiangliu from reaching Zeng Shilin and declared that he could still deal with the Demon Emperor Sacred Ancestor.
• Xiangliu unleashed its thousand-zhang Dharma manifestation, whose pressure immobilized the capital's citizens, Emperor Jianhong, Wang Dong, the Princess, and others.
• Huzi remained able to move among the immobilized disciples of the Profound Formation Division, while Yingchen discovered that his master was also trapped by the pressure.

Demon Emperor Xiangliu attacked the capital, and Master Xu rallied the city’s illusion arrays to hold back his devastating strike. Zeng Anmin raced home and saw his father, Zeng Shilin, rise into the sky beside Master Xu.

• Qin Shouchang and Zeng Shilin provoked Xiangliu, who unleashed a crimson beam toward the capital.
• Master Xu summoned the capital’s illusion arrays and used their power to meet Xiangliu’s attack with an azure light.
• Zeng Shilin told Qin Shouchang to keep Quanfu from reckless danger, then asked Master Xu to grant him dignity.
• Master Xu carried Zeng Shilin into the sky to stand beside him.
• Zeng Anmin hurried toward the capital, powered himself with Martial Arts Aura and Prismatic Spirit Stones, and reached the Minister’s Residence.
• Zeng Anmin saw Zeng Shilin rising into the air and cried out to his father.

Zeng Anmin returned to the capital and realized his father, Zeng Shilin, had joined Master Xu to lure out and destroy the Xiangliu Demon Emperor. Zeng Shilin unleashed the Dragon Survey Map and defeated the Demon Emperor, leaving his fate uncertain as the chapter ended.

• Zeng Anmin confronted Qin Shouchang in the courtyard and recognized that he had helped arrange the plan to draw out the Xiangliu Demon Emperor.
• Zeng Anmin realized his aged father, Zeng Shilin, was fighting alongside Master Xu and had knowingly accepted a fatal mission.
• The Xiangliu Demon Emperor attacked the capital, and Zeng Shilin activated the Dragon Survey Map with his final strength.
• The Dragon Survey Map's azure light swallowed the Xiangliu Demon Emperor and cleared the dark clouds over the capital.
• Master Xu bowed to Zeng Shilin and praised his sacrifice as the people of the capital recognized the battle's outcome.

Zeng Shilin sacrificed himself to destroy Xiangliu, then reconciled with Zeng Anmin as he died. The capital honored Zeng Shilin, while Zeng Anmin held his father through his final moments.

• Zeng Anmin grieved over Qin Shouchang's death as Xiangliu revealed he had survived the Dragon Survey Map's explosion by using the Demon Emperor Sacred Body.
• Zeng Shilin revealed that his plan had accounted for Xiangliu's defenses, while Xiangliu tried to summon the Ancestral Dragon Diagram and Zeng Anmin suppressed its phantom in his Sea of Consciousness Space.
• Zeng Shilin summoned his thousand-zhang Confucian Dharma Aspect and used his azure tablet to unleash a tidal wave of Vast Righteous Qi that disintegrated Xiangliu.
• As Zeng Shilin's body crumbled, he apologized to Zeng Anmin for hiding the burden and failing to fulfill his duties as a father; Zeng Anmin told him he had done nothing wrong.
• The people of the capital hailed Zeng Shilin, and Princess, Emperor Jianhong, and Chief Minister Li Zhen each acknowledged his sacrifice.
• Zeng Anmin pressed Zeng Shilin's hand against his face, and Zeng Shilin urged him to cherish himself before his hand fell and he died.

After Zeng Shilin died, Master Xu offered the Prismatic Lotus Root to resurrect either him or Qin Shouchang. Zeng Anmin chose to revive Dean Qin, and the chapter ended with Qin Shouchang awakening in a much younger body.

• Master Xu told Zeng Anmin that Zeng Shilin's final wish was for him to resurrect Qin Shouchang, and explained that the Prismatic Lotus Root could rebuild a dead person's body.
• Zeng Anmin chose to use the lotus root on Dean Qin, while Qin Wanyue begged Master Xu to use it on Uncle Zeng instead.
• Master Xu moved Qin Wanyue away and used the Prismatic Lotus Root to reconstruct Qin Shouchang's body as Zeng Anmin held her.
• Master Xu urged Qin Shouchang to imagine his appearance, and Qin Shouchang awakened in a youthful body.
• Master Xu gave Qin Shouchang clothes after he realized the resurrection had truly happened.

Zeng Anmin used the Time Golden Lotus to revive his father, Zeng Shilin, whose body was transformed and elevated to the Second Rank realm. Zeng Shilin decided to hide that he was alive so he could still receive a posthumous ducal title for killing the Demon Emperor.

• Qin Shouchang revived in a mortal body and learned that Zeng Shilin had died saving him, while Zeng Anmin asked everyone to leave so he could mourn his father alone.
• Zeng Anmin used the Time Golden Lotus on Zeng Shilin's corpse, creating a heavenly phenomenon that drew the attention of Master Xu, Dongfang Cang, and a colossal being beneath the South Sea.
• The golden lotus revived Zeng Shilin, who learned from Zeng Anmin that the Demon Emperor had died by his hand and Xiangliu was already dead.
• Zeng Shilin discovered that the lotus had transformed him into a Second Rank Sub-Sage, while Zeng Anmin gained golden wings.
• Zeng Shilin told Zeng Anmin to keep his survival secret so the Holy Dynasty would still posthumously grant him the title of Duke.

At Zeng Shilin’s funeral, Zeng Anmin received condolences from the Crown Prince, Princess, and the dynasty’s officials as Emperor Jianhong arrived to honor the man who had slain the Demon Emperor. The Emperor posthumously enfeoffed Zeng Shilin as Duke of Qi, granting him a fief and the posthumous title Wenqing.

• Zeng Anmin knelt in mourning as officials and commoners paid tribute to Zeng Shilin, while Concubine Lin grieved beside him.
• Little Fatty Crown Prince came to console Zeng Anmin and promised to ensure the people’s hearts would not grow cold.
• Princess arrived quietly and exchanged a brief, sorrowful glance with Zeng Anmin.
• Emperor Jianhong and Empress Bai arrived, and Emperor Jianhong praised Zeng Shilin’s sacrifice and merit.
• Si Zhongxiao proclaimed the decree posthumously enfeoffing Zeng Shilin as Duke of Qi, granting him a fief of three thousand households and the title Wenqing.

Zeng Shilin revived at his funeral after the Confucian Sage remade his golden body and accepted him as the Eighth Disciple. The Great Sage Dynasty celebrated his return and new status as a Lesser Sage, while he privately told Zeng Anmin that the Sage’s acceptance was real.

• Golden light poured from Zeng Shilin’s coffin, and a heavenly scroll announced that the Confucian Sage had remade his golden body and accepted him as the Eighth Disciple.
• A thousand-zhang golden Confucian Dharma Aspect appeared above the Minister’s Residence as Zeng Shilin thanked his master.
• Zeng Shilin rose from the coffin and greeted Emperor Jianhong, who recognized him as a second-rank Lesser Sage.
• Empress Bai urged that Zeng Shilin’s return be announced, and Emperor Jianhong declared a realm-wide celebration and general amnesty.
• The Minister’s Residence replaced its mourning decorations with red ones and held a celebration feast in Zeng Shilin’s honor.
• Zeng Anmin praised his father’s performance, but Zeng Shilin told him that the Confucian Sage’s acceptance was genuine.

After the Imperial Court renamed Zeng Anmin’s residence the Duke of Qi’s Mansion, he learned that the Confucian Sage had revealed ancient secrets to Zeng Shilin in a dream. Zeng Shilin explained the origins of the ancestral gods and identified the Xi Huang Diagram as the treasure behind Xi Huang’s victory, prompting Zeng Anmin to connect it to the Heavenly Dao Diagram.

• Zeng Anmin thanked Si Zhongxiao for installing the Duke of Qi’s Mansion plaque and gave him a pouch of silver.
• Zeng Anmin recalled Zeng Shilin’s account of meeting the Confucian Sage in a dream after using the golden lotus.
• Zeng Shilin revealed that the Confucian Sage had said the story of his ascension was false and described the Primal Ancestor God creating the Heavenly Dao and five ancestral gods.
• Zeng Anmin named the Dragon Ancestor, Phoenix Ancestor, Xi Huang, Dao Ancestor, and Taotie, and said Dongfang Cang had told him about them.
• Zeng Shilin explained that the Phoenix Ancestor and Dragon Ancestor attacked Xi Huang, who defeated them with the Xi Huang Diagram.
• Zeng Anmin recognized the Xi Huang Diagram as the Heavenly Dao Diagram, and Zeng Shilin warned him to keep his voice down.

Zeng Shilin explained the origins of the five Heavenly Dao Diagrams, the human race, the Demon Race, and the Dao Sect, then revealed that the Confucian Sage had taken him as a disciple to investigate a troubled Barbaric Mystery Realm. Zeng Anmin learned that his father had been chosen because the Confucian Sage could contact him through his Golden Vast Righteous Qi.

• Zeng Shilin explained that the five Ancestor Gods created their Heavenly Dao Diagrams, and Xi Huang killed the Phoenix Ancestor after capturing him.
• Zeng Shilin recounted how Xi Huang, the Dragon Ancestor, and the Dao Ancestor fought for a century before dispersing into the human race, the Demon Race, and the Dao Sect, while Taotie became four Barbaric Gods.
• Zeng Shilin explained that the Confucian Sage reclaimed the Ancestral Dragon Diagram from the Demon Emperor, after which the diagram became known as the Dragon Survey Map.
• Zeng Shilin revealed that the Confucian Sage vanished while suppressing a Barbaric God in the eastern Heavenly Collapse.
• Zeng Shilin told Zeng Anmin that the Confucian Sage contacted him through his Golden Vast Righteous Qi and made him a disciple so he could investigate the troubled Barbaric Mystery Realm in the Southern Savage Lands.

Zeng Anmin told Zeng Shilin about Unity of Knowledge and Action, inspiring his father to rethink the Confucian path and begin practicing what he preached. Later, Zeng Anmin returned to the Imperial City Department, where Bai Ziqing and the officials eagerly welcomed him and asked about the battle against Xiangliu.

• Zeng Shilin told Zeng Anmin that his master had instructed him to cultivate further before entering the Barbaric Mystery Realm and to seek his own path to the First Rank.
• Zeng Anmin described Unity of Knowledge and Action, and Zeng Shilin became excited as he connected it to inner moral awareness and the inseparability of knowledge and action.
• Zeng Shilin decided to rest instead of continuing to talk, while Zeng Anmin wondered whether his father might attain enlightenment at Dragon Field.
• Zeng Anmin returned to the Imperial City Department, where he heard Bai Ziqing regret missing the battle against Xiangliu because Qin Shouchang had held him up.
• The officials crowded around Zeng Anmin and asked him to tell them about the Duke slaying Xiangliu.

Zeng Anmin reunited with Bai Ziqing, who celebrated his new authority in the Imperial City Department after earning merit in Xiangliu’s death. Their conversation was interrupted by news that Xiang Wangxian had been murdered, while Zeng Anmin discovered his Spiritual Sense had reached perfection and he could begin breaking through to Fourth Rank Martial Artist.

• Zeng Anmin teased Bai Ziqing about earning merit, then promised to ask his father to take Bai Ziqing as an adopted son to make up for the 138 blows he had endured on the journey.
• Bai Ziqing said he planned to practice chess before Huang Shi rushed in and reported that Commander Xiang had died.
• Huang Shi said Xiang Wangxian had been killed with a single blade through the throat.
• A runner summoned Bai Ziqing to meet Emperor Jianhong, and Bai Ziqing left while telling Zeng Anmin to focus on the spring examinations.
• Zeng Anmin felt his Sea of Consciousness Space stir and realized his Spiritual Sense had reached perfection, allowing him to begin breaking through to Fourth Rank Martial Artist.

Zeng Anmin began copying the Ancestral Dragon Diagram with his Spiritual Sense to advance toward the Fourth Rank, but could manage only one scale before becoming exhausted. After Zeng Shilin returned to the Duke’s Mansion, he urged Zeng Anmin to prepare for the Spring Examination, and their exchange was interrupted by news that Dean Qin had arrived.

• Zeng Anmin used his Spiritual Sense to draw one scale of the Ancestral Dragon Diagram, then stopped to rest because continuing could collapse his Sea of Consciousness Space.
• Zeng Anmin estimated that drawing one scale each day could let him reach the Fourth Rank within half a year and attain Third Rank combat power.
• Zeng Anmin watched Zeng Shilin fly into the Duke’s Mansion and envied his ability to soar through the air.
• Zeng Shilin told Zeng Anmin to prepare well for the Spring Examination and practice Unity of Knowledge and Action.
• Zeng Anmin teased Zeng Shilin by asking him to touch his face, bringing back embarrassing memories for his father.
• A servant announced that Dean Qin had come to see Zeng Shilin, and Zeng Anmin and Zeng Shilin turned toward the entrance.

Qin Shouchang visited Zeng Shilin with Qin Wanyue to discuss her marriage to Zeng Anmin, while showing off his restored youth. Zeng Anmin accompanied Qin Wanyue to his courtyard, where they spoke about his decision to revive her father, before a servant summoned her back.

• Qin Shouchang told Zeng Shilin that Master Xu had restored his youth, and Zeng Shilin tried to hide his envy.
• Qin Shouchang asked when the Zeng family would bring betrothal gifts for Qin Wanyue, and Zeng Shilin sent Zeng Anmin and Qin Wanyue out so the elders could discuss the matter.
• Zeng Anmin took Qin Wanyue to his courtyard, where she confessed she had been thinking about his choice to revive her father and had longed to see him.
• Zeng Anmin embraced Qin Wanyue, but a servant interrupted them by summoning her to see Zeng Shilin.

Zeng Anmin’s engagement to Qin Wanyue was arranged as Zeng Shilin prepared to lead the campaign against Myriad Demon Mountain. When Xu Mingxin examined the couple’s Eight Characters, he found that Zeng Anmin’s were those of a dead man.

• Zeng Shilin and Qin Shouchang settled Zeng Anmin’s engagement to Qin Wanyue, with the wedding postponed until after the demon campaign.
• Zeng Anmin learned that Zeng Shilin would lead the campaign and that his Mandarin Duck Formation would support the attack on Myriad Demon Mountain.
• Xu Mingxin arrived at the Duke’s Mansion to examine the Eight Characters and was startled to find Zeng Anmin was the one getting engaged.
• Xu Mingxin warned Zeng Anmin that Sai Chuxue had feelings for him, while Zeng Anmin said his marriage to Qin Wanyue would be delayed.
• Xu Mingxin calculated the Eight Characters, spat blood, and declared that Zeng Anmin’s were the Eight Characters of a dead man.

Xu Mingxin’s divination first showed Zeng Anmin as a dead man, then changed to a sign of great fortune, and he later declared that Zeng Anmin could not be betrothed because of Imperial Fortune linked to Jiang Kingdom’s imperial clan. Zeng Shilin delayed the betrothal for at least a year and sent Xu Mingxin to explain the matter to the Qin Residence, while realizing Zeng Anmin had arranged the scheme.

• Xu Mingxin’s divination changed from a dead man’s chart to a sign of great fortune, leaving him confused about his calculations.
• Zeng Anmin dismissed Xu Mingxin’s doubts and persuaded him to discuss a matter with Zeng Shilin.
• Xu Mingxin told Zeng Shilin that Zeng Anmin’s Eight Characters were incompatible with a betrothal because he had been touched by Imperial Fortune.
• Xu Mingxin said the qi came from the south and suggested Zeng Anmin had deeply encountered a member of Jiang Kingdom’s imperial clan.
• Xu Mingxin said a betrothal could proceed no sooner than a year later, and Zeng Shilin recognized Zeng Anmin’s scheme.
• Zeng Shilin asked Xu Mingxin to explain the delay to the Qin Residence, and Xu Mingxin agreed.

The Princess asked Zeng Anmin about the Xiangliu Demon Emperor’s talismanic diagram and offered to accept any price for it, but Zeng said it had been destroyed. Their conversation turned to a possible marriage alliance and the Xi Huang Diagram, leaving Zeng suspecting that the Princess wanted the diagram not just to advance in martial arts but to pursue the throne.

• The Princess summoned Zeng Anmin late at night and asked about his preparations for the spring examination and the Xiangliu Demon Emperor’s talismanic diagram.
• The Princess said she suspected the diagram was the lost Xi Huang Diagram and offered to accept any price if Zeng’s father would give it to her.
• Zeng told the Princess that his father had destroyed the diagram with Vast Righteous Qi, and the Princess questioned whether that was possible for a Heavenly Dao Diagram.
• The Princess asked about the Duke of Qi’s Mansion’s proposed marriage alliance with the Qin Residence, and Zeng suggested that their families could join forces and help her obtain the Xi Huang Diagram.
• After the Princess had Zeng escorted out, Zeng concluded that she might be seeking the throne and resolved to get closer to her.

Zeng Anmin arrived at the spring examination and discovered that his father, Zeng Shilin, was the chief examiner. As the candidates prepared to enter the Illusion Array together, Master Xu announced that the Duke of Qi had personally set the examination questions.

• Zeng Anmin went to the examination grounds with Dachun, who embarrassed him by loudly offering crude words of encouragement.
• Zeng Anmin saw Zeng Shilin on the chief examiner's platform and learned that his father was overseeing the spring examination.
• Zeng Anmin took his conspicuously labeled seat and reunited with Liu Fengnian, whose emotional greeting earned him a warning from Sai Chuxue.
• Master Xu announced that all candidates would enter the changed grand formation together because there were too many participants to assess individually.
• Master Xu revealed that the Duke of Qi had personally set the examination questions.

Zeng Shilin turned the spring examination into a choice about joining a campaign against the Myriad Demon Mountain, and Zeng Anmin realized the illusion array was testing how the scholars would respond. Most of the examinees enlisted under Zeng Shilin, who led them out of the examination hall.

• Zeng Shilin announced the examination topic, “Sages Descend Upon the Demon Mountain,” and sent the examinees into the illusion array with their examination memories sealed.
• Zeng Anmin recognized the unchanged examination hall as part of the illusion when Zeng Shilin began addressing the assembled scholars.
• Zeng Shilin explained that Xiangliu’s death had prompted Demon Kings to attack the borders and revealed plans for a joint Southern Expedition against the Myriad Demon Mountain.
• Zeng Anmin urged the scholars to enlist, and more than half pledged to follow Zeng Shilin; he also dragged the hesitant Liu Xian into their ranks.
• Zeng Shilin saluted the volunteers and led the group of roughly seven hundred out of the examination hall.

Master Xu eliminated examinees who failed to endure military training, while Zeng Anmin and 472 others completed it and marched toward the Myriad Demon Mountain Range. At Funiu Mountain, Zeng Anmin faced the Fourth Rank Great Strength Bull King and prepared to fight.

• Master Xu eliminated more than three hundred examinees for prioritizing their own safety, then gave those who failed the military training a Grade D assessment.
• Wu Qianfeng put the remaining examinees through grueling drills, and Zeng Anmin pushed Liu Xian and the others to persevere.
• After three months in the formation, 473 Confucian Cultivators joined a hundred-thousand-strong campaign led by Zeng Shilin toward the Myriad Demon Mountain Range.
• The Princess led Zeng Anmin and Liu Xian with ten thousand soldiers toward Funiu Mountain, where the Great Strength Bull King appeared alone to block their advance.
• Zeng Anmin learned the Great Strength Bull King was a Fourth Rank Demon King and recalled that he specialized in killing Demon Kings.

Outside the illusion array, Zeng Shilin revealed that he intended to secure the Southern Mountains as a lasting human stronghold rather than invade the Demon Race heartland outright. He planned to use the spring examination to gather military intelligence while weakening Jiang Kingdom, and left Master Xu stunned by the scale of his ambition.

• Zeng Shilin assessed the 473 examinees and concluded that the Ghost Chariot Demon King and the Southern Mountains' unknown terrain posed the main threats.
• Zeng Shilin told Master Xu that he meant to occupy the Southern Mountains, secure their resources, and build a defensive foothold for gradual expansion.
• Zeng Shilin explained that the spring examination would use Confucian Cultivators to probe the mountains while the Holy Dynasty gained intelligence and Jiang Kingdom suffered losses.
• Master Xu realized that Zeng Shilin intended to weaken Jiang Kingdom, unify the human race under the Holy Dynasty, and eventually conquer the Myriad Demon Mountain Range.
• Zeng Shilin said that his rise to the second rank had made him consider the power of Destiny Realm cultivators to alter Heaven and Earth Rules.

Inside the illusion array, Zeng Anmin killed the Great Strength Bull King and expected to earn the top military merit, but the deduction continued without the Ghost Chariot Demon King appearing. Outside, Zeng Shilin and Master Xu discovered that an outside force had invaded the array and that the Confucian Cultivators were in danger.

• Zeng Shilin recorded the demons’ abilities and countermeasures while Zeng Anmin watched the Mandarin Duck Army face the Great Strength Bull King.
• After the Princess and her deputy general were defeated, Zeng Anmin signed a military pledge and killed the Great Strength Bull King with one strike of golden Vast Righteous Qi.
• Zeng Anmin and the Mandarin Duck Army captured the mountain, but the illusion array did not end, and the Ghost Chariot Demon King never appeared.
• Master Xu warned Zeng Shilin that an outside force had invaded the illusion array and urged him to help before the Confucian Cultivators lost their lives.

The Illusory Demon Lord invaded Master Xu’s formation and severed his control while the Spring Examination was being used to learn about Myriad Demon Mountain. Master Xu restored the Confucian Cultivators’ memories and warned them of the danger, leaving Zeng Anmin and the others trapped inside the compromised formation.

• The scroll turned red as the Illusory Demon Lord disrupted the formation, and Master Xu explained that the Demon Lord had broken his control over it.
• Zeng Shilin learned that the Illusory Demon Lord could threaten the Confucian Cultivators inside the formation and demanded a way to save them.
• Master Xu used his remaining power to restore the participants’ blocked memories and warn them about the invasion.
• Liu Xian regained his memories and asked Zeng Anmin what was happening.
• Zeng Anmin told the Mandarin Duck Army’s Confucian Cultivators that they remained inside the formation, which was no longer under Master Xu’s control.

After killing the Fourth Rank Ox Demon, Zeng Anmin led the Confucian Cultivators through the Red Mist, intending to gather all the exam participants and find his father. A red wall blocked their way, but Zeng Anmin took it as proof that their enemy was running out of options.

• Zeng Anmin told the Princess he would investigate the Red Mist and contact his father with a Signal Talisman if danger arose, then led the Confucian Cultivators down the mountain.
• Zeng Anmin calmed the frightened group by reasoning that the Demon Race had invaded the illusion array from afar and had not fully taken control of it.
• Zeng Anmin ordered the Confucian Cultivators to find the other exam participants and then seek out his father, whose Second Rank Second Sage cultivation remained within the array.
• Zeng Anmin considered how saving the Confucian Cultivators might help him establish a nation in territory his father conquered, but set the idea aside to focus on their rescue.
• The Red Mist formed a towering wall that trapped the group on the mountain, and Zeng Anmin concluded that the barrier showed their enemy had exhausted its last resort.

Zeng Anmin examined the massive wall trapping the Confucian Cultivators and deduced that their enemy had raised it to buy time for preparations. He used the Array Imprinting on his body and a spirit stone to boost his strength, then launched a punch at the wall.

• Zeng Anmin touched the red wall and found that it was nearly immovable but left a faint mark beneath his palm.
• Zeng Anmin concluded that the wall had no offensive power and that the enemy intended to trap them for half an hour.
• Zeng Anmin told Liu Xian and the Confucian Cultivators that Master Xu's Array Imprinting could help break the deadlock.
• Zeng Anmin inserted a spirit stone into the device at his waist, increasing his strength inside the illusion array.
• Zeng Anmin punched the colossal wall.