Chapter Summaries

After the Black Market investigation stalled, Di Yao refused the Elder Palace’s attempt to seize the case records and demanded leverage in exchange. He ended the confrontation by asking the Pope Palace for supervisory authority over Heaven Dou.

• Hu Liena told Di Yao that Wang Qi, a deputy accountant tied to the Black Market cargo manifests, had disappeared, and Di Yao revealed he had arranged to follow him.
• A Grey-Robed Elder arrived with two Soul Sages and ordered Di Yao to surrender the Black Market ledgers, Hidden Weapon fragments, Third Soul Ring records, and Immortal Herb records.
• Di Yao refused to hand over the records without an exchange and warned that the Elder Palace had come before his official appointment.
• Di Yao demanded three years of Heaven Dou Branch resource allocation records, and the Grey-Robed Elder left without reaching an agreement.
• Di Yao told Hu Liena to inform the Pope Palace that he wanted Heaven Dou Supervisory Power rather than appeasement.

After Di Yao requested Heaven Dou Supervisory Power, Bibi Dong granted him temporary authority as a Heaven Dou Inspector and demanded he bring back the Black Market Leader's head or the Clear Sky Remnants' list. Di Yao accepted the decree as collateral and chose to attend Xue Qinghe's banquet, where his rivals would test his response.

• Di Yao told Hu Liena he wanted authority rather than protection and sent Bibi Dong a request for Heaven Dou Supervisory Power.
• Bibi Dong granted Di Yao temporary authority as a Heaven Dou Inspector, placed the Black Market Soul Hunting Group case under the Pope Palace, and demanded the Black Market Leader's head or the Clear Sky Remnants' list.
• Hu Liena delivered the Inspector Decree to Di Yao three days later, and he accepted its terms as a debt to repay.
• A Deacon reported that Xue Qinghe had invited Di Yao to a banquet attended by Seven Treasures, noble families, Four Elements Academy representatives, and people from Prince Xue Xing's Mansion.
• Despite Hu Liena's warning about his injuries, Di Yao accepted the invitation and declared that he would not put away his blade.

The Worship Hall learned of Di Yao’s near-ten-thousand-year Third Soul Ring, and the Angel Statue reacted to his Corona Emperor Domain. Qian Daoliu summoned Di Yao to the Worship Hall after the Heaven Dou case, while Xue Qinghe prepared a banquet that would test Di Yao’s authority.

• A white-robed elder reported Di Yao’s Third Soul Ring and soul skill to Qian Daoliu, and the Angel Statue flickered at the words “Corona Emperor Domain.”
• Qian Daoliu ordered Di Yao to appear at the Worship Hall after the Heaven Dou case and told Xue Qinghe to keep observing him without revealing himself or rushing to recruit him.
• Xue Qinghe received the Worship Hall’s secret letter, considered the danger Di Yao posed to his disguise, and decided to meet him at a Crown Prince’s Mansion banquet.
• Di Yao and Hu Liena noticed unfamiliar watchers from beyond the Pope Palace and received Xue Qinghe’s invitation to a banquet attended by rival factions.
• Di Yao anticipated that someone would challenge his Heaven Dou Inspector Token at the banquet, while Hu Liena warned him that his injuries had not healed.

At Xue Qinghe’s banquet, Di Yao confronted nobles and academy representatives over the Black Market investigation, using evidence and his authority as Heaven Dou Inspector to silence challenges. He sensed a familiar sacred aura from Xue Qinghe, while the gathering prepared for Di Yao to reveal the accounts behind the scandal.

• Hu Liena escorted the injured Di Yao into the Crown Prince’s Mansion, where Xue Qinghe welcomed him and led him to a banquet attended by Ning Fengzhi, Ning Rongrong, nobles, academy teachers, and the Grey-Robed Elder.
• Xue Qinghe raised the controversy over Di Yao’s outer-city audit, and Di Yao said many accused him of seizing power rather than saving people.
• Di Yao cited an account ledger linking Li Cheng’s merchant caravan to Black Crow Hall, then silenced Li Cheng with the pressure of his third Soul Ring.
• Di Yao invoked his Heaven Dou Inspector Token and the Pope Palace decree when the Grey-Robed Elder challenged his authority.
• Di Yao rejected nobles’ and academy representatives’ objections to the investigation, saying he would replace the table if the Black Market accounts led back to the imperial family.
• Di Yao noticed a sacred aura in Xue Qinghe’s eyes, and Xue Qinghe challenged him to see how far he could make the fire burn as Di Yao prepared to put the accounts on the table.

At the Crown Prince's Mansion banquet, Di Yao faced nobles and Spirit Hall officials demanding access to his records and seized goods. He produced evidence against his accusers and demanded mutual audits, leaving the hall silent and the investigation poised to implicate everyone.

• Noble representatives and Prince Xue Xing's Mansion Steward challenged Di Yao's authority, but he said he would pursue the Black Market accounts even to Prince Xue Xing's Mansion.
• Li Cheng and others demanded that Di Yao disclose seized goods, Immortal Herb records, and his Third Soul Ring information; Di Yao refused to reveal records they were not entitled to see.
• Di Yao had three chests brought into the hall, containing Black Market evidence, copied account ledgers, and the heads of three captured silencing agents.
• Di Yao revealed that one agent had entered Li Cheng's back gate, and the Crown Prince's Mansion Steward confirmed that its people had witnessed the operation.
• Di Yao proposed mutual audits and declared that anyone demanding an investigation must first disclose their own trade-route accounts, silencing the banquet guests.

At the Crown Prince's Mansion banquet, Ning Rongrong and Ning Fengzhi backed an investigation into the Seven Treasures accounts, strengthening Di Yao's case against the nobles and the Elder Palace. Di Yao left after ordering the families to deliver their ledgers by noon, expecting someone to try to seize one.

• Li Cheng accused Di Yao and Spirit Hall of framing the Li Family, then urged Ning Fengzhi to oppose the investigation.
• Ning Rongrong defended the Account Ledgers as genuine and condemned those who had used Seven Treasures' name for Black Market dealings.
• Ning Fengzhi agreed that Seven Treasures would investigate its accounts and refuse to shield anyone involved in Black Market business.
• Di Yao challenged the Grey-Robed Elder to produce the Elder Palace's resource records, and Xue Qinghe agreed to investigate if evidence existed.
• Di Yao ordered the Li Family and other nobles to deliver their account ledgers by noon before leaving with Hu Liena.

Di Yao let Tang Hao steal a set of half-true, half-false ledgers while keeping the real account records with Xue Qinghe. Tang Hao discovered the deception after returning to Tang San and Yu Xiaogang, but Di Yao’s bait had already set his next move in motion.

• Di Yao explained to Hu Liena that Tang Hao would come for the ledgers and prepared fake records to lure him.
• Tang Hao broke into the Spirit Hall warehouse, took the fake ledgers, and abducted a bound Black Market witness.
• Hu Liena learned that Di Yao had given part of the real ledgers to Xue Qinghe and planned to use the fakes to lead Tang Hao to another location.
• Tang Hao brought the ledgers to Tang San and Yu Xiaogang, who noticed an entry describing a Black Crow Hall branch that had already been raided.
• Tang Hao realized Di Yao had baited him and fled with Tang San and Yu Xiaogang, knowing the trap had already been set.

Di Yao met with Xue Qinghe to discuss the true ledger and use its false and real leads to draw out Tang San. Xue Qinghe agreed to provide a route to the South City Old Beast Pen, while Di Yao noticed a pure golden light in him but chose not to question it yet.

• Xue Qinghe examined the true ledger Di Yao had left with him and agreed to meet Di Yao rather than return it.
• Di Yao told Xue Qinghe that Tang Hao had taken the fake ledger, then explained that the false lead pointed to an abandoned mine while the real location was the South City Old Beast Pen.
• Di Yao forced Xue Qinghe to choose whether to investigate the real location despite its proximity to Prince Xue Xing's Mansion, and Xue Qinghe agreed to provide a route.
• Di Yao sensed a faint golden aura from Xue Qinghe and called it pure light, but decided that uncovering his secret was not worth it yet.
• Di Yao said he aimed to draw out Tang San by targeting his Hidden Weapon Supply Line, then left with Hu Liena as a new net closed over the South City Old Beast Pen.

Di Yao lured Tang San to the Old Beast Pen and led a coalition raid to seize the hidden-weapon materials. Tang San escaped after briefly exposing his second martial soul, and Tang Hao arrived in response.

• Di Yao and Hu Liena prepared to trap Tang San at the Old Beast Pen, where a Clear Sky Sect remnant was arranging a supply deal with the Black Crow Hall Vice Hall Master.
• Tang San came alone to obtain hidden-weapon materials and argued that he could no longer keep enduring while Di Yao grew stronger.
• Di Yao ordered the Spirit Hall, Crown Prince's Mansion, Seven Treasures, and Dugu Bo's forces to close in, and Tang San fought Hu Liena while trying to reach the materials.
• Tang San found an empty chest marked “Too late,” then exposed a fleeting Clear Sky Hammer phantom when Di Yao confronted him.
• The middle-aged man escaped with Tang San, and Di Yao recognized that Tang Hao had arrived as a heavy Hammer Intent pressed down from the horizon.

Di Yao helped defeat the Black Market forces at the Old Beast Pen, while Tang Hao rescued Tang San and fled after Tang San’s second Martial Soul was exposed. Di Yao secured a lead on the Black Market’s ties to the Clear Sky Remnants and was appointed Heaven Dou Inspector, but the Worship Hall ordered him to return to Spirit City and meet the Angel Statue.

• Tang Hao arrived at the Old Beast Pen, ordered Tang San to leave, and clashed with Yue Guan while Di Yao used his Corona Emperor Domain to suppress the released Soul Beasts.
• Hu Liena pursued the Black Crow Hall Vice Hall Master, and Di Yao joined her to stop him and demand information about the Black Market’s links to the Clear Sky Remnants.
• Tang Hao used Hammer Intent to silence the Vice Hall Master, who gave Di Yao the name Tie Shan before dying; Tang Hao then escaped with Tang San.
• The remaining Black Market forces were killed or captured, and Di Yao learned that Tie Shan could be investigated as a lead to the Clear Sky Remnants.
• A Martial Soul Hall Messenger Deacon delivered the order appointing Di Yao Heaven Dou Inspector and a Worship Hall summons requiring him to return to Spirit City and meet the Angel Statue.

After the South City Old Beast Pen raid, Di Yao divided the evidence and set clear conditions for Seven Treasures and the Crown Prince’s Mansion while recovering from his injuries. He prepared to visit the Worship Hall, determined to judge whether it could shape his future, and left Xue Qinghe’s identity unresolved.

• Hu Liena bandaged Di Yao’s reopened wounds while he continued reviewing the raid’s accounts.
• Ning Rongrong gave Di Yao Seven Treasures’ findings and promised to provide its trade-route records; Di Yao warned that he would investigate the sect later if it concealed evidence.
• Xue Qinghe received a copy of the Old Beast Pen accounts and agreed to let the Crown Prince’s Mansion handle its own suspects while Di Yao pursued the Black Market routes and Clear Sky Remnants.
• Xue Qinghe warned Di Yao that the Worship Hall might judge whether he could be controlled, but Di Yao said he would decide whether it deserved a stake in his future.
• Di Yao told Hu Liena that Xue Qinghe carried an Angel Spirit’s aura but that there was not enough evidence to expose his connection to the Crown Prince’s identity.

Di Yao returned to Spirit City and reported evidence linking the Heaven Dou branch of the Elder Palace to the Black Market, then prepared to face the Worship Hall. Bibi Dong treated his injuries and sent him alone, while Hu Liena stayed behind and resolved to consider her own next step.

• Di Yao and Hu Liena arrived at the Pope Palace, where Yue Guan welcomed them and remarked on Di Yao's injury.
• Bibi Dong questioned Di Yao about his recovery and reviewed the Heaven Dou Black Market case with him.
• Di Yao presented evidence of possible Elder Palace involvement and proposed investigating the evidence before acting against its members.
• Di Yao explained that the Worship Hall wanted to assess his threat, controllability, and value, and said he would offer cooperation without selling his future.
• Bibi Dong suppressed Di Yao's chest injury and ordered him to meet the Worship Hall alone, telling Hu Liena that she would distract him.
• Hu Liena accepted that she could not accompany Di Yao, and he walked toward the Worship Hall and the Angel Statue.

Di Yao faced Falling Devil Douluo’s pressure outside the Worship Hall and made clear that he would burn Spirit Hall if it tried to cage him. He entered and met Qian Daoliu, who observed that Di Yao’s sun did not belong to the Angel.

• Falling Devil Douluo challenged Di Yao on the steps and pressed him with his Coiling Dragon Staff martial soul, worsening his injuries.
• Di Yao used his Corona Emperor Domain to withstand the pressure and refused to kneel, while Thousand Jun Douluo urged Falling Devil to ease up.
• Qian Daoliu ordered Falling Devil to let Di Yao enter, and Di Yao declined to take an unfamiliar Healing Pill before meeting him.
• Di Yao told Falling Devil and Thousand Jun that he would support Spirit Hall if it gave him a path, but would burn its cage if it tried to suppress him.
• Di Yao entered the Worship Hall, where Qian Daoliu said his sun did not belong to the Angel, and Di Yao said he had come to see whether the Angel could tolerate another sun.

Di Yao faced the Angel Statue’s scrutiny in the Worship Hall and refused to kneel or surrender his independence, earning the statue’s acknowledgment. He negotiated access to selected records with Qian Daoliu and agreed to pursue the Tang Hao matter in exchange for further information.

• Di Yao told Qian Daoliu he would cooperate with Spirit Hall but would not hand over control of his martial soul, resources, or future.
• Di Yao released Demon Emperor Di Jun, and the Angel Statue tested his Dark Gold Sun before easing its pressure and allowing him to stand.
• Di Yao rejected verbal declarations of loyalty and requested records about sun, light, and avian martial souls, the Clear Sky Sect Remnants, and the Angel Statue’s reactions.
• Qian Daoliu granted Di Yao access to selected records, including historical accounts of the Angel Statue reacting to other martial souls.
• Qian Daoliu proposed that Di Yao bring the Tang Hao matter into the open in exchange for more information, and Di Yao agreed to negotiate.

Di Yao left the Worship Hall with access to its records in exchange for continuing to investigate Tang Hao and the Clear Sky Remnants. Back at Pope Palace, he deduced that Xue Qinghe was Qian Renxue in disguise, and Bibi Dong ordered him to stay in Spirit City for three days to recover and study the records.

• Di Yao accepted Falling Devil Douluo’s healing pill after leaving the Worship Hall, where Qian Daoliu granted him temporary access to records in exchange for pursuing Tang Hao and the Clear Sky Remnants.
• Hu Liena examined Di Yao’s injuries, and he told her the Worship Hall had scrutinized him without rejecting his Demon Emperor Di Jun Martial Soul.
• Di Yao outlined plans to study the Worship Hall records, pursue Tie Shan and the Clear Sky Remnants, secure trade routes, keep Tang San’s Twin Martial Souls secret, and continue observing Xue Qinghe.
• Di Yao inferred that Xue Qinghe was Qian Renxue in disguise, and Bibi Dong ordered him to keep the information secret.
• Bibi Dong ordered Di Yao to remain in Spirit City for three days to recover, while Hu Liena limited his daily reading time to four hours.

While Di Yao recovered from his injuries, Hu Liena made him take medicine and rest before they studied Worship Hall records about the Angel Statue and unusual Spirits. The first day of his three-day recovery ended with them investigating the Worship Hall’s treatment of dangerous geniuses and agreeing to keep each other informed.

• Hu Liena stopped Di Yao from reading, made him drink Bibi Dong’s medicine, and insisted he rest while his injuries healed.
• Di Yao agreed to tell Hu Liena before using the Corona Emperor Domain again, and she warned him not to push himself to the limit without her knowledge.
• Hu Liena read a record of the Blazing Sun White Crane resonating with the Angel Statue, and she realized Di Yao’s Spirit might be too powerful for the statue to accept or reject normally.
• Di Yao asked Hu Liena to study records about the Angel Statue, Spirit suppression, and the Worship Hall’s handling of uncontrollable geniuses.
• Di Yao showed Hu Liena how to identify possibly suppressed geniuses through abruptly ended records, and he agreed to tell her before he acted against any cages in the future.

Di Yao used the Worship Hall’s files to connect the Black Market’s weapons and Tang San’s Hidden Weapons to the Clear Sky Remnants’ Tie Shan Faction. He planned to investigate Iron Furnace Town after recovering, leaving the next step focused on making Tang San’s side fall into disarray.

• Falling Devil Douluo delivered old martial soul and Clear Sky Remnant files, warning Di Yao not to disclose the restricted information.
• Di Yao traced the name Tie Shan to the Clear Sky Remnants’ peripheral forging line by comparing old records with evidence about Soul-Breaking Crossbows and Tang San’s Hidden Weapons.
• Hu Liena found records linking the Tie Shan Faction to Iron Furnace Town and the Heaven Dou Black Market Forging Line, then agreed with Di Yao to delay the investigation until his injuries were checked.
• Di Yao identified Tie Shankui, the faction’s last recorded person in charge, as their first target and said they needed him alive.
• Di Yao stopped reading when his chest hurt and his Soul Power slowed, while Hu Liena and Falling Devil Douluo reacted with surprise to his restraint.

In an abandoned mine, Tang Hao confronted Tang San for nearly exposing his Clear Sky Hammer after Di Yao provoked him. Tang San accepted strict rules and began basic hammer training, while Tang Hao resolved to pursue Tie Shan’s trail toward Iron Furnace Town.

• Tang San admitted to Yu Xiaogang that he resented needing Tang Hao to rescue him and wanted to become strong enough to face Di Yao.
• Tang Hao returned after dealing with a Crown Prince's Mansion tail and slapped Tang San for nearly exposing the Clear Sky Hammer.
• Tang Hao explained that Di Yao had exploited Tang San’s anger and ordered him to stay away from the Black Market, conceal his Clear Sky Hammer, and control his reactions.
• Tang San listed specific rules for himself, including stepping back when Di Yao provoked him and preventing the Black Market’s Hidden Weapon imitations from leading back to him.
• Tang Hao ordered Tang San to begin basic force training with an ordinary iron hammer, and Tang San repeatedly struck it in the mine.
• Tang Hao watched Tang San train and decided to follow Tie Shan’s trail toward Iron Furnace Town.

Bibi Dong approved Hu Liena leading an independent mission to investigate the Tie Shan Line in Iron Furnace Town, while Di Yao stayed in Spirit City to organize records and prepare intelligence. Hu Liena set out with authority to mobilize Heaven Dou personnel, as the team prepared to misdirect the Elder Palace and avoid Tang Hao.

• Hu Liena argued that Di Yao's injuries and Tang Hao's heightened caution made it safer for her to investigate Iron Furnace Town first, and Di Yao agreed after setting requirements for her team.
• Bibi Dong assigned Hu Liena to lead the mission, Yue Guan to follow secretly, and Gui Mei to monitor the Elder Palace while Di Yao remained in Spirit City for two days.
• Di Yao proposed false information claiming he would investigate the Wang Chamber of Commerce's ledgers, diverting attention from Hu Liena's trip to Iron Furnace Town.
• Di Yao gave Hu Liena a list of materials to trace for possible Tang San Hidden Weapons and the Heaven Dou Deputy Inspector Token so she could mobilize personnel.
• Hu Liena accepted the responsibility, promised to bring back information on the Tie Shan Line, and said she would keep Di Yao's accounts.

Hu Liena investigated Iron Furnace Town and uncovered the Tie Shan Faction’s links to Tang Hao, Tang San, and Star Sand Cold Iron production. Di Yao praised her careful work and chose to wait for her next report before moving against Tie Shankui.

• Hu Liena split her Deacons into teams to trace Cold Iron shipments and observe the Old Mine Entrance without alerting the Tie Shan Faction.
• At the furnace, Hu Liena overheard Old Tie explain that the Black Market, Tang Hao, and Tang San relied on the Tie Shan Faction’s iron and routes.
• Hu Liena learned that Tie Shankui had been missing for three days after going to meet someone, and decided to watch an anxious young man rather than arrest the blacksmiths.
• Hu Liena sent Di Yao a detailed report that the Old Mine Entrance was refining Star Sand Cold Iron for Tang San’s Hidden Weapons.
• Di Yao praised Hu Liena for not rushing to make arrests and ordered that Tie Shankui’s trail remain open while they waited for her next report.