Recaps

Yang Zhu struggled to contain the heavenly demons and the swelling crowd as the Yellow Springs Secret Mansion opened, but greed sparked a demonic tribulation that overwhelmed the sect cultivators. As Zhao Ziyue and Ci Qu prepared to seize the mansion’s central hub, a void-rending red light appeared, revealing that a Great Heavenly Demon Tribulation had begun.

• Yang Zhu failed to reach Xin Yi at first, fought the heavenly demons, and broke the spell obstructing his transmission talisman to Xin Tianjun.
• The earth shook again, the Yellow Springs Secret Mansion opened, and Northern Wastes outlaws surged toward it as greed spread into a demonic tribulation.
• Tang He recognized that hidden forces were using the crowd, but chose to gather his men and rush into the secret mansion with the advancing horde.
• Ci Qu and Zhao Ziyue discussed how Xin Yi would bear the karma of the tribulation and decided to prioritize seizing the mansion’s central hub.
• A rift opened above the tornado, and Ci Qu recognized the red light as the Void-Piercing Demonic Thought and Soul-Swaying Divine Light of the Great Heavenly Demon Tribulation.
• Zhao Ziyue transformed into black light and charged toward the opening.

Zhai Que'er, the black robe, and Dragon Elder entered the Yellow Springs Secret Mansion as its defenses failed, while the black robe abandoned them to seek the Twelve Heavens of Jade Firmament's Profound Passage. Zhao Ziyue redirected him toward the masters' burial site, and Daoist Duanyang fought Po Jie into the mansion, where their clash struck down an unknown cultivator.

• Zhai Que'er guessed that Lu Suhua had allowed Xin Yi to break the forbidden zone, then split the group so Gao Ji could lead the others along the normal route while she, Dragon Elder, and the black robe took a hidden route.
• Zhai Que'er, Dragon Elder, and the black robe entered the Yellow Springs Secret Mansion as its divided voids merged and the soul-swaying divine light intensified.
• The black robe tunneled away from Zhai Que'er and Dragon Elder to search the central peaks, but Zhao Ziyue told him the Twelve Heavens of Jade Firmament's Profound Passage was kept at the masters' burial site in a black stone hall to the northwest.
• The black robe abandoned his attack on a peak's restrictions and headed toward the burial site after Zhao Ziyue warned him that combining the Molten Core Prison Technique with the secret method would be difficult.
• Daoist Duanyang defended himself against Po Jie's formless sword as they fought down into the Yellow Springs Secret Mansion, and their sword Qi shattered the bones of a nearby cultivator.
• Thousands of miles away, a cultivator undergoing routine cultivation groaned, sat upright, and stared toward the western sky.

Yu Ci traced the White Tiger stellar power to a remnant spirit and discovered that his divine-intent starlight had taken root as a magic seed, revealing valuable incense-blending knowledge. A demonic sacrifice then drew heavenly demons into the Yellow Springs Secret Mansion, where a Great Heavenly Demon Tribulation began as Black Robe moved to claim the Twelve Heavens of Jade Firmament's Profound Passage.

• Yu Ci followed the tiny flow of White Tiger stellar power to Ling Xi Wanderer's ruined corpse and found the broken remnant spirit that had survived through the divine-intent starlight.
• Yu Ci tried to remove the starlight but discovered that it had rooted throughout the remnant spirit as a magic seed, stirring memories of Ling Xi Wanderer and Old Man Zhang.
• The magic seed revealed Ling Xi Wanderer's extensive incense-blending knowledge, including information that helped Yu Ci resolve questions from the Unnamed Incense Scripture.
• A heavenly demon tried to devour the remnant spirit, but strange red light swept through the Yellow Springs Secret Mansion and drew in demons that burned amid descending incantations.
• Yu Ci recognized the red light and the demons' destruction as a sacrifice that had triggered the Great Heavenly Demon Tribulation, while Black Robe declared his intent to claim the Twelve Heavens of Jade Firmament's Profound Passage.
• Female Immortal Zhao Yang appeared outside the dark building and asked Black Robe which prize he wanted.

Lu Suhua tricked Black Robe into opening the black stone hall, where she left him only one True Form Immortal Molt as Heavenly Demons began claiming the others. After learning she had already extracted the Twelve Heavens of Jade Firmament's Profound Passage, Black Robe fled, while Zhai Que'er decided to withdraw from the secret mansion contest and visit the hall first.

• Lu Suhua offered Black Robe half of the remains in the black stone hall, then divided the hall with her sword and let him choose a side.
• As the Great Heavenly Demon Tribulation intensified, Lu Suhua vanished and Heavenly Demons began possessing the six True Form Immortal Molts.
• Black Robe discovered that the remains had empty brain palaces and realized Lu Suhua had already extracted the Twelve Heavens of Jade Firmament's Profound Passage.
• Black Robe took one remain, uncovered traces of Lu Suhua's spirit-drawing art, and fled underground as his fury left him vulnerable to Heavenly Demon corruption.
• Zhai Que'er explained to Elder Long that their mission was a test from her master and that their party had become the weakest competitor.
• Zhai Que'er decided to withdraw with Elder Long, but first proposed visiting the black stone hall.

Zhai Que'er and Elder Long investigated the Heavenly Demon Puppets while Yu Ci hid in the black stone hall and sorted through memories in the demon seed. As the hall began to buckle under the turmoil outside, Xin Yi’s tribulation drew challenges from other cultivators, and the Five Thunder Department answered a command from Tianjun.

• Zhai Que'er and Elder Long entered the black stone hall, where Zhai Que'er examined the awakening puppets and discussed the origins and purpose of the Twelve Heavens of Jade Firmament's Profound Passage.
• Yu Ci overheard their conversation and settled in a sheltered corner, determined to preserve the demon seed and organize Ling Xi Wanderer's incense-related memories.
• The pressure around the secret mansion surged, shaking the black stone hall as Yang Zhu ordered everyone to retreat a hundred li while Xin Tianjun underwent the Great Heavenly Demon Tribulation.
• A familiar voice, which Yu Ci suspected belonged to Zhao Ziyue, refused to retreat and said they would watch from outside.
• Yang Zhu confronted a puppet demonic beast, another cultivator dismissed the creatures formed from Killing Intent, and thunderous golden light filled the hall as the Five Thunder Department answered Tianjun's command.

Zhao Ziyue sealed the Yellow Springs Secret Mansion and trapped Xin Yi’s enemies inside, while Xin Yi answered with a lightning prison and refused Zhao’s bargain. The End Law Lord then used the six Heavenly Demon Puppets to seal Xin Yi and challenged him with the threat of harm to his fellow disciples.

• Xin Yi’s Five Thunder Department fought the Heavenly Demon Puppets as Yang Zhu and Zhao Ziyue confronted each other.
• After Baoguang burst from the southwestern peak, Zhao Ziyue shook the Yellow Springs Secret Mansion, sealed its exits, and trapped the cultivators inside.
• Yang Zhu tried to attack Zhao Ziyue, but Zhao fled into the peaks as Xin Yi unleashed lightning that pinned thousands of cultivators down.
• Xin Yi’s lightning talisman imprisoned Zhao Ziyue, who offered to leave Xin Yi the core if Xin Yi yielded the surrounding area.
• Xin Yi rejected Zhao Ziyue’s offer, and the End Law Lord’s giant hand destroyed the six Heavenly Demon Puppets and sealed Xin Yi.
• The End Law Lord threatened Xin Yi with the fate of his fellow disciples, testing whether that appeal to righteousness could disturb him.

Xin Yi resisted the giant hand prison and began an extraordinary ascent of aura, while Zhao Ziyue and Ci Qu seized control of the Yellow Springs Secret Mansion. The chapter ended as Xin Yi’s power revealed the Thirty-Six Heavens, dwarfing the demonic tribulation and prison around him.

• The Void-Piercing Demonic Thought imprisoned Xin Yi and shifted its pressure toward Yang Zhu and Zhao Ziyue, while Zhao Ziyue broke free of the Five Thunder Department’s prison.
• Zhao Ziyue activated the Yellow Springs Secret Mansion’s central hub with his blood, then fought Yang Zhu while Ci Qu refined the stone stele and installed an emergency array disk.
• Xin Yi struck the giant hand prison and declared that one who could not shoulder righteousness had no face to cross a tribulation.
• Xin Yi released clear light into the void vortex, triggering successive layers of aura cleansing that Yang Zhu and Zhao Ziyue watched rise above the demonic tribulation.
• Xin Yi’s ascent reached thirty-six heavens, and the giant hand prison became tiny and distant beside the worlds unfolding above him.

Yu Ci watched Xin Yi transform the Yellow Springs Secret Mansion into the Thirty-Six Heavens, driving the Great Heavenly Demon Tribulation down through its tiers. The spectacle gave Yu Ci new insight into developing his Inner Void, while Zhai Que'er and Elder Long wondered whether Xin Yi had truly created the legendary heavens from his Yang God.

• Xin Yi transformed the secret mansion into a layered heavenly realm that categorized its inhabitants and surroundings.
• Xin Yi shouted “Cast down!” and sent the Great Heavenly Demon Tribulation plunging through more than twenty tiers until most of it vanished.
• Yu Ci recognized Xin Yi’s technique as an expression of Inner Void and Inner Scenery Outer Manifestation, and reconsidered how to organize his own Inner Void.
• Yu Ci recalled the Xuan Sect’s Thirty-Six Heavens conception after hearing Yang Zhu name it.
• Zhai Que'er recognized the Thirty-Six Heavens outside the secret mansion, and she and Elder Long discussed Xin Yi’s history and the rumor that he had fashioned the heavens from his Yang God.

Xin Yi used the Thirty-Six Heavens to overcome Potadi’s demonic tribulation, but Potadi’s final warning revealed that the heavens’ growth was destabilizing Xin Yi’s Glazed Golden Body. As Xin Yi’s light distorted and the heavens continued evolving, someone saw an opportunity.

• Zhai Que'er and Elder Long watched the Thirty-Six Heavens expand and discussed the danger of Xin Yi manifesting the Three Pure Realms and achieving celestial enterprise.
• Potadi protested its placement in the twenty-eighth heaven and tried to distract Xin Yi while searching for a way to escape.
• Xin Yi threatened to reveal Potadi’s true name, then shouted it down through the heavens, destroying its Void-Piercing Demonic Thought and collapsing its cage.
• Potadi’s remaining thought warned that Xin Yi’s Yang God had made the Thirty-Six Heavens top-heavy before his talisman artifacts and physical womb could prove the Dao.
• Yang Zhu saw Xin Yi’s Glazed Golden Body distort as the heavens kept evolving, while someone else secretly recognized an opportunity.

Xin Yi used the Thirty-Six Heavens to suppress Zhao Ziyue, while Ci Qu restored the Yellow Springs Secret Mansion’s earth veins and restarted its formation. Zhao Ziyue was reduced to ash by Karmic Fire, but a human figure began to form in the flames as Xin Yi and the others remained locked in the struggle.

• Zhao Ziyue tried to escape the Thirty-Six Heavens, but Xin Yi drew him into the Dragon Transformation Brahma Degree Heaven.
• Zhao Ziyue used moving mountains and filling seas to reconnect the earth veins outside the Yellow Springs Secret Mansion.
• Ci Qu restarted the array disk as the restored earth veins increased the burden on Xin Yi and the Thirty-Six Heavens.
• Xin Yi cast Zhao Ziyue down through the heavens and into the mortal world, where Karmic Fire consumed his body.
• Xin Yi warned Yang Zhu to stay back and said that he could keep bearing the Thirty-Six Heavens despite the strain.
• Black flames rose from the spot where Zhao Ziyue had turned to ash, and a human figure began to take shape within them.

Xin Yi and Zhao Ziyue clashed inside the Yellow Springs Secret Mansion while Ci Qu used a powerful sword token and array to escape underground. True Man Guangwei arrived to aid Xin Yi, and Zhao Ziyue fled after Xin Yi discovered that a seal had concealed his true depths.

• Xin Yi and Zhao Ziyue exchanged attacks and taunts as their divine intents clashed, with Zhao Ziyue’s black flames pressing Xin Yi back.
• Ci Qu activated the Nether Void Thunder Sword Array with the Thunder-Slaying Calamity-Averting Token and plunged the Yellow Springs Secret Mansion underground.
• Yang Zhu could not stop Ci Qu and flew toward the gathered cultivators to organize a response.
• True Man Guangwei entered through the Thirty-Six Heavens and enclosed Xin Yi in a talisman array.
• Xin Yi sensed that a seal had concealed Zhao Ziyue’s true depths, prompting Zhao Ziyue to flee underground.

Xin Yi invoked Empress Earth to seal the Five Elements and unleash the Yellow Springs against Zhao Ziyue and Ci Qu underground. Zhao Ziyue planted his Black Lotus in the central stele, and Ci Qu prepared the Nether Void Thunder Sword Array to strike back as Xin Yi’s divine ability began to fail.

• Ci Qu drew Earth Lung Poisonous Gas into the secret mansion, releasing poisonous mist and yin fire among the cultivators.
• True Man Guangwei stabilized Xin Yi’s Talisman Artifact body as Xin Yi invoked Empress Earth and used Point Earth to Become Steel across the seven central peaks.
• The divine ability sealed Ci Qu’s thoughts and left him vulnerable while a torrent of Yellow Springs death qi surged underground.
• Ci Qu activated the Thunder-Slaying Calamity-Averting Token to resist the Yellow Springs, while Zhao Ziyue gave him a Black Lotus to plant in the central stone stele.
• Zhao Ziyue drove back the Yellow Springs with Karmic Fire, and Ci Qu unleashed Sword Qi and nether thunder from underground as Point Earth to Become Steel weakened.

Xin Yi used the Thirty-Six Heavens and Empress Earth's power to destroy Zhao Ziyue and seal the Yellow Springs Secret Mansion. The secret mansion sank beneath the earth, bound by a vast chain of talisman sub-forms.

• Xin Yi exploited the flaws in Zhao Ziyue's combination of karmic manifestation and the Grand Profound Seal, then Empress Earth's divine pupils crushed him to powder.
• Zhao Ziyue's consciousness briefly re-formed, but the Grand Profound Seal was destroyed and evil karma consumed his remaining awareness.
• Zhao Ziyue's hidden mechanism unleashed spreading karmic fire that threatened to burn through the Thirty-Six Heavens.
• Empress Earth's dharma image descended a baoguang seal onto the hub of the Yellow Springs Secret Mansion, while a figure escaped from underground amid Purple Thunder and sword qi.
• Xin Yi, True Man Guangwei, and Yang Zhu left the secret mansion and watched it sink, wrapped in a chain of bright yellow light and talisman sub-forms.

Xin Yi sealed the Yellow Springs Secret Mansion deep underground, relying on the Yellow Springs and its guardians to deter intruders while acknowledging that the defenses could not stop every plot. Yu Ci remained inside to protect the remnant demon seed and discovered Zhao Ziyue transformed by karmic fire into a Hell Being.

• True Man Guangwei identified a dead-yin chasm, and Xin Yi locked the Yellow Springs Secret Mansion more than five hundred li beneath the surface.
• The Yellow Springs encircled the mansion, and two ley-line yellow dragons guarded it, while True Man Guangwei warned that determined schemers could still get through.
• Yang Zhu argued that intruders who tried anything beyond theft would expose themselves, and Xin Yi agreed the defenses could serve as an alarm.
• Xin Yi complained that Potadi had forced him to expend his Thirty-Six Heavens and damage his cultivation, prompting Yu Ci's remnant demon seed to doubt his account.
• Yu Ci decided to find a safe refuge for the remnant demon seed and seek help from his primary body or the shadow ghost.
• Yu Ci spotted Zhao Ziyue standing in the black karmic fire and recognized that he had become a Hell Being after Karmic Manifestation.

Yu Ci attended an auction with Gu Zhi and Guan Zheng while waiting for Shadow Ghost, and learned that his consigned treasures were being sold at the Suixin Dharma Assembly. After others noticed he seemed fatigued, Yu Ci examined himself and received a message from the true nature of his Primordial Spirit.

• Yu Ci waited for Shadow Ghost, then accepted Gu Zhi's invitation to an auction and brought Guan Zheng along.
• Gu Zhi and Guan Zheng both remarked that Yu Ci seemed less spirited, and Gu Zhi suspected he had exhausted himself refining Infant Tongue Incense.
• Yu Ci reviewed the auction listings and saw that the Nine Nether Prison was scheduled to be auctioned that day, while his Eight Flames Flag of Swift Wind had sold for less than it might have because of its unclear origins.
• Gu Zhi asked Shen Wan about a possible Yellow Springs Secret Mansion auction, and Shen Wan said the pavilion was still in contact with clients.
• Shen Wan also noticed Yu Ci seemed fatigued, so he examined himself in the private room and received a message from his Primordial Spirit.

Yu Ci realized his Primordial Spirit had been draining his energy while deducing Xin Yi’s Thirty-Six Heavens divine ability, then a black cat entered his auction box and revealed herself as Zhan Shuicheng. Zhan Shuicheng offered the group any auction treasure except the Nine Nether Prison, which her Senior Sister had lost.

• Yu Ci understood that his Primordial Spirit had been steadily consuming his energy as it worked toward a likely result, and he briefly regulated his breath.
• As the auction neared the Nine Nether Prison lot, a black cat suddenly entered Yu Ci’s private box through the curtains.
• The auctioneer unexpectedly called a fifteen-minute recess, leaving the auction hall and Yu Ci’s group confused.
• The black cat returned to Yu Ci’s table, ate a pastry, and asked Guan Zheng to bring her tea.
• Guan Zheng told Zhan Shuicheng that he had seen her spar with the Island Master at the Immortal Spring, and she recognized him as a junior of Ye Bin’s disciples.
• Zhan Shuicheng offered the group any auction treasure except the Nine Nether Prison, which her Senior Sister had lost.

Yu Ci and Gu Zhi watched as the Nine Nether Prison was withdrawn from the auction, though Yu Ci had never asked for it to be withdrawn. Zhan Shuicheng appeared at the auction and demanded to know who had taken her Great Senior Sister’s treasure, leaving Shen Wan to ask whether she would follow Fairy Yu’s wishes.

• Yu Ci realized Zhan Shuicheng seemed determined to obtain the Nine Nether Prison and prepared to act, as Gu Zhi also rose.
• The auctioneer announced that the Nine Nether Prison had been temporarily withdrawn at the consignor’s request, provoking angry protests from the bidders.
• Shen Wan defended Suixin Pavilion’s decision, explaining that the consignor could reclaim the treasure before the sale was concluded.
• Yu Ci was stunned that the withdrawal had been attributed to him, while Zhan Shuicheng suddenly vanished from his private room.
• Zhan Shuicheng appeared on the auction platform and demanded to know where the person who took her Great Senior Sister’s Nine Nether Prison was.
• Shen Wan argued that the matter should be settled reasonably and asked whether Zhan Shuicheng would heed Fairy Yu’s intentions.

Zhan Shuicheng confronted Suixin Pavilion over the withdrawn Nine Nether Prison, while Yu Ci tried to help Shen Wan resolve the dispute. Zhan Shuicheng discovered that Shen Wan had been manipulated by the Heart-Seizing Twin Demons, and Yu Ci realized someone had targeted him.

• Gu Zhi proposed that he, Guan Zheng, and Yu Ci use their connection to Zhan Shuicheng to help Shen Wan, but Zhan Shuicheng clawed Gu Zhi when he approached her.
• Gu Zhi explained that Zhan Shuicheng wanted Suixin Pavilion to identify the consignor, while the pavilion refused to compromise its reputation.
• Zhan Shuicheng searched the neighboring room and found the Nine Nether Prison in a square iron box, despite Shen Wan believing the consignor had taken it away.
• Zhan Shuicheng struck a Heart-Seizing Demon from Shen Wan and explained that the demons had manipulated her memories and perceptions.
• Zhan Shuicheng concluded that a crafty person had tricked the Nine Nether Prison out of their hands, while Yu Ci realized someone had set their sights on him.

Yu Ci and Guan Zheng left the auction with the Nine Nether Prison, only to learn that powerful ghost cultivators were pursuing them. As an attack struck their carriage, they realized the black cat beside them was Nine Lives, a phantom rather than Zhan Shuicheng herself.

• Yu Ci suspected Lu Suhua had been tracing Shen Wan and Lu Dun, and concluded that abandoning Lu Dun's identity had been wise.
• Zhan Shuicheng took the Nine Nether Prison from Suixin Pavilion, then ordered Gu Zhi to deliver it to Yuangguang Pavilion; Gu Zhi passed the box to Yu Ci instead.
• Yu Ci and Guan Zheng left the auction by shifting formation while Gu Zhi stayed behind to bid on their chosen Dharma artifacts.
• During the carriage ride, Yu Ci sensed that his Primordial Spirit's true nature was close to completion and that the Nine Nether Prison was connected to what remained.
• Zhan Shuicheng warned Yu Ci and Guan Zheng that two True Persons and four Earth Immortals were pursuing them, then left the carriage.
• Guan Zheng identified the sleeping black cat as Nine Lives, a Dark Radiance Phantom Cat; the driver was thrown from the carriage as a ghost cultivator threatened them.

Yu Ci and Guan Zheng escaped a surprise attack by four Yin Mountain Sect cultivators with help from Nine Lives and its Phantom Spirit Talisman. As Guan Zheng fought back under the talisman’s domain, Yu Ci’s divine light demanded that he capture the Reincarnation Tu Ling Demonic Light.

• Old Chi attacked Yu Ci and Guan Zheng with White Bone Soul Claws, but Nine Lives’s spiritual light helped Guan Zheng strike back and drive their carriage forward.
• She Mou used the Nine Springs Banner to trap the carriage in a vapor-filled space, while Old Chi and Gou Lao Jiu argued over the failed attack.
• Nine Lives manifested a white tiger whose roar shook She Mou and whose charge forced the ghost cultivators to scatter.
• Mo Xiao killed the two giant lizards and revealed the carriage, but Guan Zheng’s sword Qi drove him back as a large eagle carried the carriage onward.
• Yu Ci realized that Nine Lives’s talisman created a domain that disrupted Void Stepping cultivators and gave Guan Zheng an advantage.
• Yu Ci’s divine light dimmed and demanded that he capture the Reincarnation Tu Ling Demonic Light.

Yu Ci used his Purple Clay Smoke Pot and Guan Zheng’s sword attack to disrupt the ghost cultivators’ ambush and escape with the help of Zhan Shuicheng and the Nine Lives Phantom Spirit Talisman. Zhan Shuicheng revealed that another enemy had been watching from nearby, while Yu Ci saw a possible use for his teapot alongside the Nine Nether Prison.

• Yu Ci released smoke from his Purple Clay Smoke Pot, and Guan Zheng attacked Mo Xiao with his strongest sword move.
• The smoke confused Mo Xiao and weakened him, allowing Yu Ci’s teapot to collect and hurl him toward the carriage.
• She Mou tried to rescue Mo Xiao with the Nine Springs Banner and jade-green yin fire, but the carriage exploded and Yu Ci and Guan Zheng vanished under the talisman’s invisibility.
• Yu Ci reached for the black cat, and Zhan Shuicheng rebuked him before explaining that she had been testing another person who watched the fight and then fled.
• Zhan Shuicheng admired Yu Ci’s Purple Clay Smoke Pot, and Yu Ci considered pairing its soul-collecting ability with the Nine Nether Prison.

Yu Ci showed Zhan Shuicheng the Soul Scattering Nine-Hole Smoke Pot and negotiated for the Nine Nether Prison. She offered him a wager on her upcoming talisman match, leaving him committed to betting against Xin Yi.

• Yu Ci revealed the Soul Scattering Nine-Hole Smoke Pot, which he had modified and used as Jiu Yan’s magical artifact.
• Zhan Shuicheng praised Yu Ci’s fight, and the remaining cultivators retreated as the smoke region vanished.
• Yu Ci asked to buy the Nine Nether Prison, and Zhan Shuicheng said she would give it to him if he won a wager.
• Zhan Shuicheng proposed that Yu Ci guess the winner of her talisman duel the next day, threatening to turn him into a rat if he guessed wrong.
• Yu Ci accepted the wager, then learned that Zhan Shuicheng’s opponent would be Xin Yi.

Yu Ci prepared for the duel between Zhan Shuicheng and Xin Yi while wrestling with the consequences of his Inner Void’s transformation. Gu Zhi delivered the Three Splendor Cauldron, and Yu Ci declared he would bet on Zhan Shuicheng, leaving the contest still ahead.

• Yu Ci found that opening his Inner Void felt dangerous while it underwent a critical transformation, so he endured the night without forcing it open.
• Yu Ci arrived early at Yuangguang Pavilion and waited with Zi Qu while Zhan Shuicheng continued sleeping.
• Gu Zhi brought Yu Ci the Three Splendor Cauldron, explaining how it could refine medicine, create a Five Poisons Smoke Barrier, and store and strengthen baleful energies or other powers.
• Zhan Shuicheng woke, recognized Gu Zhi, and kicked him out of the hall before asking Yu Ci whom he would bet on.
• Yu Ci chose Zhan Shuicheng, deciding that supporting her was safer than risking her displeasure.

Yu Ci accompanied Zhan Shuicheng into the Northern Wasteland, where she tested his sense of direction in a divine mountain woodland. Meanwhile, Gu Zhi spoke with Mister He about Evergreen Gate’s declining income and denied rumors that it planned to expand beyond the Northern Wasteland.

• Yu Ci recognized Zhan Shuicheng’s cat Nine Lives, and Zhan Shuicheng whisked him away from Yuangguang Pavilion.
• Zhan Shuicheng carried Yu Ci into a serene woodland formed within the Northern Wasteland’s black-sand storm and challenged him to find north.
• Yu Ci used his celestial reference to navigate the forest and reached a cloud bridge, earning Zhan Shuicheng’s praise.
• Gu Zhi met Mister He outside Yuangguang Pavilion and discussed Evergreen Gate’s recruitment and falling income.
• Gu Zhi firmly denied that Evergreen Gate planned to expand beyond the Northern Wasteland, and he and Mister He parted after exchanging pleasantries.

Yu Ci watched Zhan Shuicheng and Jiu Yan begin their talisman duel, using the purple light of the Nine Lives Phantom Spirit Talisman to reveal the hidden structure of the strange realm. He realized that the exposed region was a weak point in the circulation of qi dynamics.

• Yu Ci asked Zhan Shuicheng whether the realm was real or illusory, and she explained that Xin Yi’s Thirty-Six Heavens divine powers could make it either.
• Zhan Shuicheng left Yu Ci on a meditation mat atop a peak while she and Jiu Yan went to duel.
• From the cliff, Yu Ci watched Zhan Shuicheng’s purple talisman light spread across the distant void and make its hidden structure visible.
• Yu Ci recognized the revealed web of rays as the realm’s interconnected qi dynamics and primordial qi.
• After Zhan Shuicheng and Jiu Yan vanished into the void, Yu Ci concluded that they had entered a weak point in its qi circulation.