Recaps

Zhang Yuanqing entered the Heavenly Secrets Tower to protect himself from the Imperial Preceptor and began a game against him over the Southern Dynasty’s fate. While Zheng Wenhan fought Yang Zheng over whether to investigate corrupt officials, Sun Miaomiao stole grain for the hungry refugees.

• Zhang Yuanqing asked the Imperial Preceptor to protect the emperor in front of the crowd, then entered the Heavenly Secrets Tower and warned Zheng Wenhan to find the spy within three days.
• Zhang Yuanqing confronted the Imperial Preceptor, learned that he planned to use the Northern Dynasty’s invasion and the Southern Dynasty’s national fortune to advance his cultivation, and declared his first move was to kill He Shen.
• Zheng Wenhan blocked Yang Zheng’s attempt to investigate officials accused of corruption, and the Grand Secretaries argued without reaching an agreement.
• Sun Miaomiao used Little Red Riding Hood to steal grain from rice shops, merchants, and court officials’ homes for the refugees.

Zhang Yuanqing used disaster relief to win support among the refugees and countered the National Preceptor’s efforts to undermine it, while preparing to strike the Zheng Family. As the Northern Dynasty pressed its assault on Linxia and Fu Qingyang’s forces ran short of Life Source Fluid, Zhang Yuanqing turned to Guan Ya for an update on the Divine Sharp Army case.

• While studying the Great Luo Star Chart, Zhang Yuanqing heard a sound from the Imperial Preceptor’s alchemy chamber and suspected he was preparing a major move.
• Zhang Yuanqing arranged a generous porridge distribution for the refugees outside the capital, but the National Preceptor delayed it and sent disguised civilians to disrupt the relief effort.
• Zhang Yuanqing possessed a city guard commander and ordered sand mixed into the porridge, causing the civilians who only wanted free food to leave and exposing the difference between them and the desperate refugees.
• Zhang Yuanqing told the National Preceptor he planned to keep Zheng Wenhan steady before moving against the Zheng Family, whose destruction could turn the Imperial City Directorate and city guards to his side.
• At the Yang Residence, Guan Ya told Zhang Yuanqing that the Palace Lord had gone to Linxia to support Fu Qingyang’s battered forces, which urgently needed Life Source Fluid.

Guan Ya explained how Zheng Wenhan orchestrated Wu Xin’s death and the destruction of the Divine Sharp Army, leading Zhang Yuanqing to investigate Zhao Kai and recruit the Azure Dragon Gang. After his new quest tasked him with eliminating Zheng Wenhan, Zhang Yuanqing planned an assault on the Zheng Family and identified winning the Divine Sharp Army’s support as essential to confronting the Imperial Preceptor.

• Guan Ya told Zhang Yuanqing that Zhao Kai had led the crackdown on Wu Xin’s followers and urged him to investigate the old prince at the Eternal Yan Prince’s Residence.
• Zhang Yuanqing visited Duan Fire God, persuaded the Azure Dragon Gang to serve him, and completed the quest to subdue the gang, activating a quest to eliminate Zheng Wenhan.
• Zhang Yuanqing returned to Level Six and recognized that defeating the Zheng Family would leave him facing the Imperial Preceptor, a powerful eighth-level Sovereign.
• Zhang Yuanqing proposed attacking the Zheng Family to Duan Fire God and Elder Xu, asking them to risk their lives for the Southern Dynasty.
• Zhang Yuanqing assessed both sides’ goals and concluded that he needed to keep the Palace Master and Little Round’s progress apace and win the Divine Sharp Army’s support.

Sun Miaomiao helped Zhang Yuanqing win Zhao Kai’s support by uncovering Zheng Wenhan’s role in Wu Xin’s assassination, while Zhang Yuanqing worked to strengthen his popular support against the Imperial Preceptor. The dragon qi grew stronger, but the force roaring inside Heavenly Secrets Tower neared losing control as Zhang Yuanqing asked whether Palace Master and Little Round had recovered to level six.

• Sun Miaomiao infiltrated Prince's Manor and used hypnosis to learn that Zhao Kai would return to his bedroom after drinking and watching dancers.
• Zhang Yuanqing used a Yin corpse, the Imperial Seal, and Sun Miaomiao’s help to convince Zhao Kai to reveal that Zheng Wenhan had ordered Wu Xin’s assassination and that the Empress Dowager had concealed it.
• Zhao Kai agreed to support Zhang Yuanqing against Zheng Wenhan, and Zhang Yuanqing sent a level-five corpse puppet out of the capital toward Summer's Edge.
• Zhang Yuanqing reached Summer's Edge and met Zhao Chenghuang, asking to be taken to Fu Qingyang.
• Zhang Yuanqing competed with the Imperial Preceptor for the people's support by distributing seized food, targeting local tyrants, issuing a self-reproach edict, and auctioning palace treasures through Yang Zheng.
• As Zhang Yuanqing's dragon qi grew and the roaring in Heavenly Secrets Tower intensified, he asked Palace Master and Little Round whether they had recovered to level six.

Zhang Yuanqing planned a surprise attack on the Zheng Family and sought to recruit the Divine Sharp Army, but the Imperial Preceptor killed Zhao Kai with a curse and exposed the plan. Despite the setback, Zhang Yuanqing ordered the attack to proceed.

• Zhang Yuanqing and his allies agreed to attack the Zheng Family while distracting the city defense forces and Imperial City Directorate, and he said he would stay behind to occupy the Imperial Preceptor.
• Zhang Yuanqing and his teammates discussed the Imperial Preceptor’s possible transformation into an undead creature and prepared for the operation.
• Zhang Yuanqing took Jiang Jingwei to meet Zhao Kai and explained that he intended to recruit the Divine Sharp Army against Zheng Wenhan.
• Zhao Kai suddenly died in the carriage, and Zhang Yuanqing realized the Imperial Preceptor had used a curse to kill him.
• Zhang Yuanqing confronted the Imperial Preceptor, then returned to the Yang Residence as Guan Ya urged postponing the attack; he insisted the plan proceed.

Azure Dragon Gang members set fires and killed people as part of a coordinated attack on the Zheng Residence, where Gang Leader Duan and the others confronted Zheng Wenhan and his hidden defenders. The assault became a trap when the Zheng forces surrounded them, while Zhang Yuanqing stayed in Heavenly Secrets Tower and watched the crisis unfold.

• Wang Beiwang and two Azure Dragon Gang members set Yunlan Residence ablaze, killed several household members, and headed toward the Zheng Residence.
• The outer city soldiers raised an alarm when refugees reported the approaching Northern Dynasty army, and Zheng Wenshi ordered his troops to hold position until he gave further orders.
• Gang Leader Duan attacked the Zheng Residence but was intercepted by a resentful spirit and a yin corpse, then used the Yang Fire Talisman to burn the spirit before being blasted out of the estate.
• Jiang Jingwei, Red Chicken Bro, Sun Miaomiao, and their allies attacked Zheng Wenhan, but his apparent death proved to be a deception as twenty-two Saints surrounded them.
• Zheng Wenshi ordered his army to reinforce the Zheng Family, while the State Preceptor urged Zhang Yuanqing to join the fight and Zhang Yuanqing refused to leave Heavenly Secrets Tower.

Zhang Yuanqing revealed how he outmaneuvered the Imperial Preceptor and Zheng Wenhan, using the Divine Sharp Army and the Azure Dragon Gang to help eliminate Zheng Wenhan. After completing the quest and regaining his Sovereign Realm power, he sensed the boss emerging from seclusion and called for help.

• Guan Ya chose to trust Zhang Yuanqing and led the group in attacking Zheng Wenhan, while the Divine Sharp Army turned against him.
• Zheng Wenshi rode to reinforce the Zheng Residence, but Li Ao and other Azure Dragon Gang members sacrificed themselves in explosions that devastated his elite force.
• Zhang Yuanqing explained to the Imperial Preceptor that he had exposed Zheng Wenhan’s role in the Divine Sharp Army’s destruction and persuaded the remnants to take revenge.
• The Imperial Preceptor dissolved after Zhang Yuanqing’s plan succeeded, and the Spirit Realm announced that the quest to eliminate Zheng Wenhan was complete and activated a quest to kill the Grand Preceptor.
• Zhang Yuanqing’s seal lifted, restoring his Sovereign Realm power, but the Heaven’s Secrets Tower shook as the boss emerged from seclusion, prompting him to call for Round Consort and Jade Consort.

Zhang Yuanqing and his companions fought the National Preceptor, who had become a half-step Grandmaster undead creature, but his black-jade Pixiu absorbed their attacks and spiritual power. As they fled and regrouped, Zhang Yuanqing came up with an idea and took a pair of black-rimmed glasses from the guild warehouse.

• Zhang Yuanqing escaped Heavenly Secrets Tower as its yin energy turned the disciples inside into undead creatures, then explained that the National Preceptor was forcing an early breakthrough toward Grandmaster.
• Little Round, Gang Leader Duan, and the Palace Mistress joined Zhang Yuanqing, and the National Preceptor emerged from the tower to attack them.
• Zhang Yuanqing lured the National Preceptor away from the capital by offering the Companion Spirit Moon as bait, then fought him alongside his companions on the outskirts.
• The National Preceptor's Pixiu absorbed their attacks, and he badly injured Gang Leader Duan before the group realized they needed to take the artifact away from him.
• As the National Preceptor pursued them, the Palace Mistress explained that the Pixiu possessed an Earth Monster's Decomposition skill, and Zhang Yuanqing took black-rimmed glasses from the guild warehouse after thinking of a plan.

Zhang Yuanqing and his allies overwhelmed the Imperial Preceptor with elemental and lightning attacks until the Heaven-Devouring Beast stopped devouring, but the Imperial Preceptor then charged at Zhang Yuanqing. Meanwhile, Fu Qingyang realized Tuoba Guanghe was missing from the Northern Dynasty camp and confronted Wanyan Batian.

• Zhang Yuanqing used Xiahou Aotian’s glasses to identify the black jade pixiu as a Level 8 Heaven-Devouring Beast that would keep consuming until full, then devised a plan to feed it.
• Zhang Yuanqing’s clone restrained the Imperial Preceptor with four elemental powers while Zhang Yuanqing fought him, and the Imperial Preceptor regenerated from devastating injuries.
• The Stop-Killing Palace Lord unleashed the Thunder God Set’s Thunderstorm while Little Round empowered it and Duan Fire God added a fireball, feeding the pixiu until it swelled and stopped devouring.
• Zhang Yuanqing summoned Princess Yinyao, who refused to fight the Imperial Preceptor, and the Imperial Preceptor charged toward Zhang Yuanqing’s true body.
• After the Northern Dynasty army retreated from Summer’s Edge City, Fu Qingyang noticed Tuoba Guanghe and the Great Gate Army were absent, flew into the enemy camp, and demanded to know where the marshal had gone.

Fu Qingyang discovered that Tuoba Guanghe had left the Northern Dynasty camp and ordered a force toward the capital while his teammates held Summer's Edge City. Zhang Yuanqing and his companions killed the National Preceptor, but Tuoba Guanghe's approach and the lingering corpse curse left them facing another battle.

• Fu Qingyang learned Tuoba Guanghe and the Great Gate Army were absent from the Northern Dynasty camp, then ordered Xiahou Aotian and the others to hold Summer's Edge City while he led troops toward the capital.
• Zhang Yuanqing, Princess Yinyao, the Palace Lord, Little Round, and Gang Leader Duan fought the National Preceptor, using coordinated attacks to weaken him and suppress his ghost infant.
• The National Preceptor's corpse curse began turning Zhang Yuanqing's companions into yin creatures, but Zhang Yuanqing destroyed the National Preceptor with Solar Power and slowly purged the curse from them.
• The National Preceptor revealed that Tuoba Guanghe had reached the capital after splitting his forces, and Zhang Yuanqing concluded Linxia probably had not fallen.
• A powerful aura surged toward the capital as drums and horns sounded at the northern city gate.

Zhang Yuanqing used the Five-Clawed Golden Dragon’s appearance to rally the capital’s defenders and challenged Tuoba Guanghe to a three-move wager. Tuoba killed him three times, but Zhang Yuanqing returned each time; as Tuoba prepared to shoot again, a streak of sword light approached.

• Zhang Yuanqing destroyed the corpse demons and Spirit Servants with Solar Power, then declared himself Zhao Shun and rallied the capital to defend against the Northern Dynasty.
• Zhang Yuanqing challenged Tuoba Guanghe to kill him in three punches or withdraw his troops, while using the dead soldiers to threaten the Great Gate Army.
• Tuoba Guanghe shattered Zhang Yuanqing’s defenses with his first punch, but Zhang Yuanqing recovered and convinced the defenders that he could not be killed.
• Tuoba Guanghe shot Zhang Yuanqing with a blood-colored arrow, and the Demon Refining Pot revived him; Zhang Yuanqing declared that three moves had passed.
• Tuoba Guanghe refused to honor the wager and prepared another shot, but stopped when a streak of sword light came toward them.

Zhang Yuanqing and Fu Qingyang turned the battle for the capital against Tuoba Guanghe’s Great Gate Army, using Fu Qingyang’s puppet control and the Kui Ox Drum to rout the enemy. As the emperor beat the drum and Princess Yinyao collected corpses, Fu Qingyang and Tuoba Guanghe charged into their final duel.

• Zhang Yuanqing welcomed Fu Qingyang, who arrived with eight hundred elite troops and learned that the capital’s allies were weakened by a corpse curse.
• Fu Qingyang challenged Tuoba Guanghe and used puppet-control techniques to lead two thousand defenders against the Great Gate Army.
• The Great Gate Army’s fog blinded Fu Qingyang’s forces, and hundreds of soldiers died before Zhang Yuanqing struck the Kui Ox Drum.
• The drum filled Tuoba Guanghe’s troops with Fear, sending them fleeing as the Southern Dynasty forces pursued and slaughtered them.
• Tuoba Guanghe killed twelve hundred advancing soldiers with a breath, then clashed with Fu Qingyang as Zhang Yuanqing continued beating the drum and Princess Yinyao gathered corpses.

Fu Qingyang fought Tuoba Guanghe while Zhang Yuanqing beat the imperial drum to weaken the Northern Dynasty warrior, but the Five Decays of Heaven and Man briefly interrupted the support and left Fu Qingyang badly injured. After Zhang Yuanqing resumed the drumming and Fu Qingyang recovered, four Master-level puppet soldiers arrived, bringing six Grandmasters together against Tuoba Guanghe.

• Fu Qingyang drove Tuoba Guanghe back with the Jade Dragon Sword, but Tuoba Guanghe shattered it and fought off Fu Qingyang’s flying swords.
• Fu Qingyang used Cai Qinhe’s River God Seal to drive away Tuoba Guanghe’s fog, and the two resumed their close combat on the muddy official road.
• Zhang Yuanqing kept beating the drum as Fu Qingyang fought Tuoba Guanghe, whose blows damaged the city walls and endangered the soldiers.
• The Five Decays of Heaven and Man weakened Zhang Yuanqing, the drum faltered, and Tuoba Guanghe struck Fu Qingyang hard enough to shatter his arms.
• Zhang Yuanqing forced himself to resume the drumming, and Fu Qingyang healed with Life Source Fluid before the two agreed to finish Tuoba Guanghe within half an hour.
• Four Master-level puppet soldiers arrived, and Fu Qingyang revealed that he had been buying time for them to break the Imperial Preceptor’s corpse curse.

Fu Qingyang, Zhang Yuanqing, and their allies fought Tuoba Guanghe outside the Southern Dynasty’s capital, while Zhang Yuanqing drummed himself to the brink of death. Gang Leader Duan sacrificed himself in a devastating explosion, allowing Fu Qingyang to kill Tuoba Guanghe; the survivors then received notice that they had completed the Spirit Realm mission.

• Gang Leader Duan, Fu Qingyang, Little Round, Princess Yinyao, and the Stop-Killing Palace Lord combined their abilities to injure and weaken Tuoba Guanghe, while Zhang Yuanqing continued drumming from the city wall.
• Tuoba Guanghe unleashed a life-draining vortex and absorbed Gang Leader Duan’s vitality, prompting Gang Leader Duan to condemn Zhao Shun before detonating himself.
• Gang Leader Duan’s explosion devastated the battlefield and collapsed part of the capital’s walls, severely wounding Tuoba Guanghe but failing to kill him.
• Zhang Yuanqing recovered enough to resume drumming, and Fu Qingyang attacked Tuoba Guanghe with blood-red sword qi, pierced his brain, and destroyed his spirit body.
• The Stop-Killing Palace Lord used her song and the Demon Refining Pot’s life essence to keep Zhang Yuanqing and Fu Qingyang alive; Fu Qingyang revealed that his white hair came from trading his life for power.
• The Spirit Realm announced that the group had completed the multiplayer mission Lord of a Fallen Kingdom, No. 36, difficulty level A.

After clearing Lord of a Fallen Kingdom, Zhang Yuanqing woke at Fu Family Bay, checked the team’s rewards, and examined two Sovereign-grade items. Fu Qingyang uploaded the dungeon guide, and a Sovereign group chat began filling with notifications.

• Zhang Yuanqing and the others received their dungeon rewards, and the exhausted Zhang Yuanqing passed out while Fu Qingyang inspected a golden sword.
• Zhang Yuanqing woke at Fu Family Bay, read the group chat, and calculated that his experience had risen to 30%.
• Zhang Yuanqing examined the Heaven-Devouring Beast and Dragon Aura Talisman, then placed the Chaotic Oil Painting in the guild warehouse for Little Round and the Palace Lord to use.
• Fu Qingyang uploaded the Lord of a Fallen Kingdom guide to the Five Elements Alliance database and received a stream of notifications in the White Tiger Corps’ Sovereign group chat.

Fu Qingyang and Fu Qingxuan discussed the abnormal difficulty of Lord of a Fallen Kingdom and the growing frequency of Spirit Realm bugs. In an unusual S-rank dungeon, Zhai Cai continued patrolling the besieged Holy See as Mr. President refused to extract him, leaving him to rely on his own survival.

• Fu Qingyang warned Spirit Realm Walkers that Lord of a Fallen Kingdom required several powerful Sovereigns, then entered the Marshal's Study to meet Fu Qingxuan.
• Fu Qingyang told Fu Qingxuan that Lord of a Fallen Kingdom had contained two Level 9 bosses and compared its abnormality to the Sole-Heir Knight's unexpected entry into an S-rank instance.
• Fu Qingxuan connected the strange instances to earlier Spirit Realm problems, and Fu Qingyang said bugs had become more frequent since Ling Tuo obscured the Merit List.
• Zhai Cai patrolled the ruins around the Holy See in an S-rank dungeon, where the Free Covenant's siege had devastated the lawful faction.
• Zhai Cai asked Mr. President to teach him an easier method or take him out, but Mr. President said he could not extract him without risking punishment and harm to the coming decisive battle.
• Mr. President offered to make Zhai Cai a clone for later revival through the Mother Goddess's Womb, but Zhai Cai had no reliable way to obtain it and accepted that he had to keep fighting.

Fu Qingyang told Zhang Yuanqing that the lawful faction planned to gather the Light Compass Fragments and help the Taiyi Sect Master become the Sun Lord to counter Ling Tuo, asking him to persuade the Merchant Guild and Goddess of Beauty Association to cooperate. Zhang accepted that he might have to give up his own path to demigodhood, then visited his family to ask his uncle about the plan.

• Fu Qingxuan explained that the authorities planned to open the Sun Instance and support the Taiyi Sect Master, but the Merchant Guild and Goddess of Beauty Association refused to surrender their Light Compass Fragments.
• Fu Qingxuan asked Fu Qingyang to persuade Zhang Yuanqing to negotiate with the two organizations, warning that the authorities might otherwise seize the fragments by force.
• Fu Qingyang told Zhang Yuanqing about the plan, and Zhang said he would persuade the chairman to hand over the fragment even if it ended his chance to become a demigod.
• Fu Qingyang told Zhang that the Marshal had granted them more time and that they would enter another instance in five days.
• Zhang returned home, shared lunch with his grandparents and aunt, and went to speak with his uncle about the family's position on supporting the Taiyi Sect Master.

Zhang Yuanqing discussed the Light Compass Fragment and his ambition to become the Sun Lord with Uncle, then prepared to enter the Secret of the Five Elements dungeon. He recruited Xiahou Aotian and the Qin-era Occultist for the trip, revealing that he hoped to meet the First Emperor.

• Uncle refused to hand over the Light Compass Fragment unless Zhang Yuanqing gave up on becoming the Sun Lord, and Zhang Yuanqing could not bring himself to do so.
• Uncle explained that the Sole-Heir Knight had received an ancient cultivation manual that might let him survive the S-rank dungeon and reach the Holy See's treasury.
• Zhang Yuanqing spent several days with his grandparents, refined forty-six intact Great Gate Army bodies into Yin corpses with Princess Yinyao, and helped Li Dongze deal with cases amid spreading cults and public knowledge of superpowered people.
• Zhang Yuanqing visited the Xiahou Family, obtained the Xiahou demigod's permission to take Xiahou Aotian, and stopped him from provoking his ancestor again.
• Zhang Yuanqing told Xiahou Aotian and the Qin-era Occultist that he was entering a dungeon to meet someone, possibly the First Emperor.

Zhang Yuanqing and Xiahou Aotian entered the Secret of the Five Elements to find the abyss beneath its five palaces. After using the Bad People waist token to reveal the abyss, Zhang Yuanqing jumped in to investigate while Xiahou Aotian stayed behind.

• The President warned Zhang Yuanqing and Xiahou Aotian not to interfere with the instance and sent them into the Secret of the Five Elements.
• Zhang Yuanqing explored the instance and Xiahou Aotian deployed drones, but neither found the abyss along the world's edge.
• Zhang Yuanqing sent a Transcendent yin corpse into a palace, where its vegetation attacked and swallowed it.
• The old man in the ring reminded Zhang Yuanqing of the Bad People waist token, whose activation caused the five palaces to open an abyss between them.
• Zhang Yuanqing and Xiahou Aotian approached the abyss, felt its freezing aura, and heard breathing from below.
• Zhang Yuanqing jumped into the abyss after telling Xiahou Aotian the cold would be safe for less than ten minutes.

Zhang Yuanqing reached the frozen abyss and found Brother Bing sealed beside the Commander of the Bad Men’s coffin. He learned about the Commander’s connection to Vast Heaven and the White Emperor Crown before staying behind to speak with Brother Bing and noticing something concealed in his hand.

• Zhang Yuanqing and Xiahou Aotian descended into the icy cave and found Brother Bing frozen beside a black stone coffin.
• Zhang Yuanqing gave the coffin the Bad People Badge, awakening the Commander of the Bad Men, who confirmed he had been the Tang Dynasty’s Commander of the Night Watchers but denied being the First Emperor.
• The Commander explained that he had sealed himself away to pursue immortality after receiving Vast Heaven’s oracle through the Heaven-Worship Set.
• The Commander revealed that the White Emperor Crown had once belonged to Shu Mountain and said his release required the birth of the Sun Lord to melt the ice.
• Xiahou Aotian left the cave as the cold overwhelmed him, while Zhang Yuanqing stayed to talk to Brother Bing and noticed his right hand was hidden in his pocket.

Zhang Yuanqing recovered the last fragment of the Demon Lord’s treasure map from Brother Bing, then discussed the Secret of the Five Elements and plans to enter the Shu Mountain instance with Uncle and Fu Qingyang. The chapter ended when Deng Jingguo requested to use the Chaotic Oil Painting, making Zhang Yuanqing fear that he was in danger.

• Zhang Yuanqing found a Demon Lord treasure-map fragment in Brother Bing’s hand and took it before leaving the abyss.
• Zhang Yuanqing and Xiahou Aotian returned to Uncle’s office, where they recounted the abyss expedition and discussed Vast Heaven, the First Emperor, and the administrator privileges.
• Zhang Yuanqing invited Xiahou Aotian to join the Southern Garden of Shu Mountain instance and encouraged him to find a way to advance quickly.
• Zhang Yuanqing told Fu Qingyang about the expedition and planned a team for the Shu Mountain instance, including Xiahou Aotian and Magic Eye.
• Fu Qingyang explained that evil factions were building cults in preparation for Moral Value disappearing again.
• Zhang Yuanqing received a Spirit Realm notification that Deng Jingguo had requested to use the Chaotic Oil Painting and wondered if Deng was in danger.

After Deng Jingguo survived an ambush by evil Sovereigns, Zhang Yuanqing gathered allies to prepare a way to resurrect them if they died. The chapter ended with Xiahou Aotian claiming he had devised a plan for rapid advancement.

• Zhang Yuanqing foresaw Deng Jingguo being killed, sent him Sovereign-grade items, and had Vinnie Berent rescue and forcibly treat him after he refused help because of the Six Roots Purity Bamboo’s cost.
• The Pure Yang Sect Leader and the Dark Night Rose Grand Protector went to Yao Yilin’s home to learn Yuanshi Tianzun’s identity, but the Grand Protector returned without the information and repeated their earlier words.
• Zhang Yuanqing told the Sovereigns at a meeting that Deng Jingguo had survived an attack by the Nihility Sect and the Biological Alchemy Society, then asked them to provide spiritually rich blood for resurrection preparations.
• Zhang Yuanqing collected the Sovereigns’ blood so the Stop-Killing Palace Lord could make clones for a future resurrection plan involving the Mother Goddess’s Womb.
• Zhang Yuanqing asked Xiahou Aotian about rapid advancement, and Xiahou Aotian said he had devised a plan to break through the Marshal’s myth.

Zhang Yuanqing and Xiahou Aotian explored a way to gain power by devouring others, concluding that Role Cards probably prevent Spirit Realm Walkers from using the ancient method because it would disrupt instance matching. The chapter left them preparing to enter the Southern Garden of Shu Mountain while the Grand Protector reported the strange protection around Yuanshi Tianzun’s identity to Ling Tuo.

• The Grand Protector and the Pure Yang Sect Leader realized that their memories and recording of Yuanshi Tianzun’s identity had been erased, and the Grand Protector went to report the incident to Ling Tuo.
• Xiahou Aotian proposed using an ancient method of devouring people to gain spiritual power, arguing Zhang Yuanqing’s abilities could help him withstand its mental contamination.
• Zhang Yuanqing and Xiahou Aotian discussed how to find suitable targets, while the old man in the ring questioned why Spirit Realm Walkers had not used the method before.
• Zhang Yuanqing connected the method to the Pure Yang Sect Leader’s ability to regain strength by eating people, and Xiahou Aotian concluded Role Cards likely restricted Spirit Realm Walkers to preserve instance matching.
• Zhang Yuanqing postponed solving how to fool the Role Card and told Xiahou Aotian to prepare for their entry into the Southern Garden of Shu Mountain at dawn.
• The Grand Protector summoned Ling Tuo and began reporting the strange interference affecting their investigation into Yuanshi Tianzun.

The Grand Protector learned that Ling Tuo planned to protect Yuanshi Tianzun and keep watch over his teacher, while the Pure Yang Sect Leader suspected this would help prolong the standoff over the Light Compass Fragments. Zhang Yuanqing and four companions entered the dangerous Southern Garden of Shu Mountain, where they investigated the recurring black smoke and prepared to enter its hall.

• Ling Tuo ordered the Grand Protector to abandon plans against Yuanshi Tianzun, keep him alive, and watch Songhai for his teacher.
• The Grand Protector explained to the Pure Yang Sect Leader that Ling Tuo wanted to give Yuanshi Tianzun's supporters hope and maintain their standoff with the Five Elements Alliance.
• Zhang Yuanqing entered the A-class death instance Southern Garden of Shu Mountain with the Palace Master, Demon Eye Heavenly King, Fu Qingyang, and Xiahou Aotian.
• Xiahou Aotian sent drones toward the main peak, but an invisible barrier stopped them; his other drones revealed black smoke that arrived in cycles and concealed footsteps before attacking.
• Fu Qingyang led the group up the mountain, while Zhang Yuanqing carried the Palace Master and divined that black smoke would appear inside the hall and block his Stargazing Art.
• Fu Qingyang asked Zhang Yuanqing's companions to enter the hall, and Demon Eye Heavenly King urged them to proceed directly.

Zhang Yuanqing and his teammates investigated the South Garden, where a mysterious force killed Shu Mountain disciples and sealed parts of Zhang Yuanqing’s spirit. After uncovering a letter about the sect master’s dangerous research, they entered the garden and found Yaoguang Hall, but learned nothing useful there.

• Zhang Yuanqing sent his Yin corpses into a pavilion, where they found decapitated Shu Mountain disciples before mysterious footsteps severed his Yin corpse’s head and sealed part of his spirit.
• Zhang Yuanqing used a drone to investigate the pavilion’s second floor, where Xiahou Aotian identified the headless meditators as disciples who had failed to resist the footsteps with a formation.
• Zhang Yuanqing found a letter from Xuan Zhen to Bad Commander describing how Shu Mountain’s sect master investigated an ancient ruin, discovered a secret about spiritual energy’s decline, and brought disaster upon the sect.
• Zhang Yuanqing and his teammates tested the black smoke again, and Fu Qingyang concluded that the footsteps targeted stronger or more intelligent intruders before urging the group to enter the South Garden.
• Zhang Yuanqing and the others entered the Golden Roof Hall, learned that it honored Shu Mountain headmaster Yaoguang, and found no useful clues.