Recaps

Yu Ci discussed Madam Huanyong’s ambitions and methods, then assigned her the Northern Wilderness as a field for cultivating believers and countering the Great Brahma’s influence. After she left, he considered how his reliance on the Zhaoshen Bronze Mirror had compromised the foundation of his believers and weighed two difficult ways to repair it.

• Yu Ci praised Madam Huanyong’s careful influence over Liu Xiandong and acknowledged that his earlier seizure of her ambitions had left her with reason to resent him.
• Yu Ci urged Madam Huanyong to solidify her foundation, pursue the position of Ignorance, and oppose the Great Brahma’s foothold in the True Realm.
• Yu Ci proposed that Madam Huanyong use her methods among the Northern Wilderness’s common people, while warning her that the region’s apparent suitability might be deliberately engineered.
• Madam Huanyong bowed in thanks and departed, while Yu Ci viewed the assignment as both a way to secure a stable rear and an experiment in how her relay might gather Faith Power.
• Yu Ci concluded that changing his believers’ foundation required addressing the Zhaoshen Bronze Mirror, and considered either reconstructing the complete mirror or gathering Pratyekabuddha Dharma Realm Shards to empower the Equality Bead.

Tie Lan surveyed Huayang Mountain’s treacherous terrain for a spiritual vein transplantation when a powerful, unknown enemy attacked him. His master’s Sword Qi helped him escape briefly, but the enemy shattered his sword-light and overwhelmed him.

• Tie Lan spent nearly half a month mapping Huayang Mountain’s terrain and demonic repositories for his master's master.
• After the Feng Shui Disk began malfunctioning, Tie Lan sent a retreat signal and rushed toward Huayang Cave.
• A powerful killing intent struck Tie Lan, while his talismans helped him evade the converging demonic beasts.
• Tie Lan used the Shadow Ghost’s Sword Qi to break through the attack, but the impact damaged his senses.
• The enemy manipulated the surrounding laws and demonic Qi, then shattered Tie Lan’s fleeing sword-light.

Shadow Ghost severed a distant divine-will attack that nearly destroyed Tie Lan, then learned the attacker's identity remained unknown. Meanwhile, Yu Ci sailed across Xi Yu Lake and sensed that someone had taken his bait.

• Shadow Ghost used Tie Lan's Iron Soul Returning Spirit Pearl to cut off the distant attacker's connection through the laws of the void.
• Tie Lan re-formed his dharma body, apologized to Shadow Ghost, and described the mysterious attacker's overwhelming divine will.
• Shadow Ghost concluded their arrangements at Huayang Mountain were likely ruined and decided to send a message.
• Yu Ci sailed by moonlight across Xi Yu Lake, where the Three True Immortal Cities and their array kept the core region sheltered from the demonic calamity.
• Yu Ci noticed that a fish had taken the bait he had cast.

Yu Ci tracked his target across Xi Yu Lake, where the dense arrays and restrictions suppressed spiritual perception. Meanwhile, a hunting group delivered the captured God-Hater to an abandoned mine, but as they left, Old Zhou found his companions and the surrounding water frozen in place.

• Yu Ci struggled with Xi Yu Lake’s restrictions on spiritual perception and chose to keep his senses restrained while following his fishbait.
• A group of Void-stepping cultivators transported the captured God-Hater in a diving boat and discussed their reward and plans to leave for the Southern Land.
• The group reached an abandoned mine at a depth of 1,211 zhang and learned that their leader had received the reward.
• As the cultivators filed out of the diving boat, Old Zhou groped the captive before following them outside.
• Old Zhou discovered his companions and the lake water inexplicably frozen in place.

Su Shuanghe and Zhai Que'er interrogated Se Yun about the attacks on sword cultivators and discovered that Baiyi was her superior. Zhai Que'er outlined three ways to respond to the Xia clan, but Su Shuanghe doubted they had enough forces to act decisively and joked that they might have to rob the Sword Discussion Pavilion.

• Su Shuanghe used the Green Wave Spirit Transformation Painting to capture and erase Old Zhou and four other cultivators, then entered the stealth boat with Zhai Que'er.
• Zhai Que'er and Su Shuanghe questioned the captive Se Yun, who said she had been plundering sword cultivators along the Cang River and that Baiyi was her immediate superior.
• Su Shuanghe realized Baiyi's connection to his clandestine operations had exposed a vulnerability and asked Zhai Que'er for advice.
• Zhai Que'er proposed redirecting blame, erasing all traces, or striking first, and she and Su Shuanghe rejected the first two options as too risky or passive.
• Su Shuanghe said his forces lacked enough Void Stepping and True Person sword cultivators, then wondered whether they would have to rob the Sword Discussion Pavilion.

Zhai Que'er and Su Shuanghe hid Se Yun in an underwater mine after discussing how to target Longevity Sword Cultivators, while Yu Ci watched through his link to her and realized Zhai Que'er was manipulating Su Shuanghe. After they left his range, Yu Ci turned toward a message from Shadow Ghost, weighing its implications for Huayang Mountain and the Demonic Sect when someone approached him.

• Zhai Que'er proposed using a dangerous place like Sword Garden to kill Longevity Sword Cultivators without drawing suspicion, and Su Shuanghe agreed to consider the plan.
• Zhai Que'er and Su Shuanghe decided to keep Se Yun alive and hid her in an abandoned mine nearly forty li beneath the water.
• Yu Ci observed the exchange through Se Yun and suspected that Zhai Que'er was influencing Su Shuanghe with the Sovereign Sky Demon Soul Capturing Scripture.
• Yu Ci chose not to extend his senses with the Zhaoshen Bronze Mirror, wary of alerting Zhai Que'er, and let her and Su Shuanghe leave his range.
• Yu Ci received a message from Shadow Ghost and paused to consider its connection to the changes at Huayang Mountain and the Demonic Sect.
• Someone approached Yu Ci and began to greet him, but abruptly choked back the words.

Yu Ci reunited with Dong Yan on Xi Yu Lake and accepted an invitation to a feast hosted by the North Sea Whale King. As they entered the reed bed, Dong Yan and Zeng Yue lit a lantern to honor Yu Ci, and Dong Yan openly declared him worthy of the highest respect.

• Yu Ci recognized Dong Yan, the former Wusheng Sword Sect master, and learned that he had become a Void-Stepping Rogue Cultivator.
• Dong Yan introduced Yu Ci to his companions Zeng Yue and Li Hui, and Zeng Yue explained that the North Sea Whale King was hosting a feast in the reeds.
• Yu Ci asked Dong Yan to guide him to the gathering, and Dong Yan carefully steered his boat into the reed bed.
• Zeng Yue realized Dong Yan wanted him to light a lantern, then opened a waterway through the reeds with his Baleful Intent.
• Yu Ci asked about the lantern custom, and Dong Yan declared that Yu Ci was worthy of honor.

Yu Ci sailed through Xi Yu Lake’s reed marsh with Dong Yan and Zeng Yue, learning that the North Sea Whale King had turned the lake into a vast drinking gathering after recovering from his conflict with Lin Qingyu. As the Immortal Guiding Lantern reached the revelers, a flushed, hoarse-voiced figure stopped their boat.

• Dong Yan regretted greeting Yu Ci too boldly, then felt relieved and proud when Yu Ci responded amiably.
• Dong Yan explained that the North Sea Whale King was a famed, generous powerhouse who had fled to Xi Yu Lake after offending Lin Qingyu.
• Yu Ci and Dong Yan discussed old acquaintances as they rowed past cultivators drinking the Whale King’s powerful raw mash.
• The group reached a clearing where revelers recognized the Immortal Guiding Lantern and called out to its passengers.
• A flushed figure sitting alone in a small boat ordered them to stop.

Yu Ci met Luo Yuniang at the wine feast, where she thanked him for helping her master, Xue Pingzhi, and invited him to visit her. He accepted her invitation, leaving the feast behind as Luo Yuniang prepared to lead him to her master.

• Luo Yuniang recognized Yu Ci as Heavenly Monarch and bowed to him, while Yu Ci recalled that she was Xue Pingzhi’s disciple.
• Luo Yuniang told Yu Ci that she and her master had come to find peace amid turmoil in the Northern Lands and apologized for past offenses.
• Luo Yuniang thanked Yu Ci for the talismans he had made for Xue Pingzhi and pledged her loyalty to him.
• Luo Yuniang invited Yu Ci to visit Xue Pingzhi, and Yu Ci accepted, seeing a chance to mend old ties and gain a potential ally.
• Luo Yuniang stepped aboard Yu Ci’s boat, sent Dong Yan ashore beside Zeng Yue, and lit a palace lantern.

Yu Ci was caught between Luo Yuniang and the North Sea Whale King, then accepted the Whale King’s wine before leaving with Luo Yuniang. He meditated by her magical lantern as she guided him through a secluded waterway to a lotus pond, where a brilliant hall came into view.

• Luo Yuniang used her Immortal Guiding Lantern to claim Yu Ci as her guest, and the North Sea Whale King called out to challenge her.
• Yu Ci toasted the Whale King, drank the Cold Jade Original Mash, and revealed that he was Heavenly Monarch Yuanxu.
• The Whale King reacted to Yu Ci’s identity with a thunderous outburst as Luo Yuniang carried him away by boat.
• Yu Ci examined the lantern’s effects and entered deep meditation during the journey.
• Luo Yuniang guided Yu Ci through a winding, secluded waterway into a lotus pond, where they saw a brightly lit main hall.

Yu Ci met Yuanjun Pingzhi at a lavish lakeside residence and learned that Madam Hua had arranged the gathering. After Madam Hua thanked him for his connection to the Supreme Clarity lineage, the meeting began with her frail condition still a concern.

• Luo Yuniang guided Yu Ci from the boat to the dock, where Xue Pingzhi welcomed him and thanked him for the Furnace Heart Method that had eased her illness.
• Xue Pingzhi escorted Yu Ci through the prepared banquet hall, where he found only three seats and Madam Hua waiting as host.
• Yu Ci recognized Madam Hua as the Sea Merchant Guild’s influential chief strategist and took a seat beside her and Xue Pingzhi.
• Madam Hua bowed to Yu Ci and thanked him as the legitimate successor of Supreme Clarity, saying Wingless’s spirit talismans had helped her survive as her health declined.

Yu Ci learned that Madam Hua’s ruined Dao foundation and sealed vitality had resisted years of treatment, and agreed to examine her with talisman arts. As he began taking her pulse, Xue Pingzhi warned him that the restriction’s lingering intent made the diagnosis dangerous.

• Yu Ci asked why Madam Hua’s condition had not improved despite her use of the Grand Profound Yin Birth Talisman and Kaiming Spirit Talisman.
• Madam Hua explained that calamity and a vicious restriction had damaged her foundation and vitality, while maintaining her appearance further depleted her strength.
• Xue Pingzhi said Madam Hua’s affliction required gentle talismans that nurtured her foundation, and Yu Ci acknowledged his limited expertise.
• Madam Hua revealed that Zhengyi Dao and Yellow Heaven Dao had failed to treat her because their methods did not suit her needs.
• Yu Ci agreed to examine Madam Hua’s qi and consider adjusting her talismans, despite Xue Pingzhi’s warning about the restriction’s dangerous lingering intent.
• Yu Ci sat beside Madam Hua and began taking her pulse as Xue Pingzhi watched closely.

Yu Ci examined Madam Hua and discovered that a dormant, powerful restriction was entwined with her frail body and spirit. Unable to find a safe cure, he agreed to make her Supreme Vast Sun Essence Illuminating Spirit Talismans, and the gathering continued with a toast.

• Yu Ci felt Madam Hua's pulse and found her qi and blood slow, but could not locate the restriction through ordinary examination.
• At Madam Hua's invitation, Yu Ci probed her Cun Guan pulse with divine sense, triggering the restriction and causing her severe pain.
• Yu Ci escaped the restriction's attack with the Void Leap Method, while Xue Pingzhi used primordial qi to dispel the clash of divine intents.
• Yu Ci concluded that the restriction was deeply rooted and dangerously sensitive, making a drastic treatment through the Law of Life and Death the only possible approach he could imagine.
• Madam Hua asked Yu Ci to make Supreme Vast Sun Essence Illuminating Spirit Talismans at ten times the market price, and he agreed to consider the request.
• Madam Hua, Xue Pingzhi, and Yu Ci raised their cups and exchanged words about beauty, life, and death.

Yu Ci discussed freedom and the Heaven and Earth Law System with Madam Hua and Xue Pingzhi before learning that his divine soul injury could be treated in Madam Hua’s cold spring. As he rested in the spring, he realized its effects on his thoughts resembled the methods of the demonic path.

• Yu Ci heard Xue Pingzhi describe how the Eight Sceneries Palace’s teachings and the Heaven and Earth Law System constrained true freedom.
• Xue Pingzhi asked about Yu Ci’s lingering divine soul injury, and Madam Hua offered him her cold spring as treatment.
• Madam Hua served Yu Ci wine medicine and invited him to enter the spring at dawn.
• Yu Ci followed a maidservant through a concealed route beneath the lotus pond to reach the spring chamber.
• Yu Ci immersed himself in the cold spring and found that it made his thoughts spread freely and sparked unusual inspirations.
• Yu Ci judged that the spring’s effects resembled the methods of the demonic path.

Yu Ci studied Demonic sect inscriptions in the spring pool and summoned Madam Huanyong to ask about the people under her care. He learned that Ye Chi’s damaged sword embryo threatened her cultivation, though he believed the injury could be healed.

• Yu Ci recognized Demonic sect inscriptions around the spring pool and entered a relaxed state that helped clear his injuries and organize his thoughts.
• Yu Ci realized some inscriptions resembled passages from the Twelve Heavens of Jade Firmament's Profound Passage and summoned Madam Huanyong.
• Madam Huanyong reported that Fifth Mistress had mostly overcome the demonic influence and could rest nearby.
• Madam Huanyong said Dian Niangzi needed a long period of recovery and suggested nourishing her with ley-line energy.
• Madam Huanyong warned that Ye Chi’s damaged natal sword embryo could cost her decades of cultivation if treated carelessly, while Yu Ci believed his sword scripture offered ways to heal it.

Yu Ci learned that healing Ye Niangzi required fusing her sword intent and reshaping her sword embryo, a process that could leave her asleep for centuries or expose her to fatal danger. He then asked Madam Huanyong about the Demonic Sect carvings in the spring pool and sent her another set of characters to interpret.

• Madam Huanyong explained that Ye Niangzi's sword intent had merged with the injury's source, making it difficult to expel without damaging her cultivation.
• Yu Ci proposed helping Ye Niangzi fuse and control the sword intent, but Madam Huanyong warned that reshaping her sword embryo could take hundreds of years or risk her life if forced.
• Yu Ci accepted that Ye Niangzi's sword intent and embryo still needed to be reshaped, while he considered how to address the dangers.
• Yu Ci asked about the spring pool's carvings, and Madam Huanyong identified them as True Demonic Scripts that likely came from a larger array.
• Madam Huanyong said the carvings formed a modest array that nourished the mind and spirit, and Yu Ci sent her another set of characters to interpret.

Yu Ci learned the basic construction of the True Demonic Script from Madam Huanyong and reread the Boundless Void Divine Lord’s “Twelve Heavens of Jade Firmament’s Profound Passage,” gaining new ideas for controlling the Myriad Demon Pool. He left the spring and headed to Madam Hua’s water pavilion, where he overheard her discussing cooperation involving the Clear Sky Discourse and void worlds.

• Madam Huanyong examined Yu Ci’s copy of the “Twelve Heavens of Jade Firmament’s Profound Passage,” recognized it as the Boundless Void Divine Lord’s work, and listened as Yu Ci explained its hidden mechanisms and his theories about its purpose.
• Madam Huanyong explained the basic construction principles of the True Demonic Script, clearing up Yu Ci’s lingering doubts about its glyphs and composition.
• Yu Ci reread the method with his new understanding and found ideas that could help him complete and control the Myriad Demon Pool, though he concluded the script offered little practical information about the Jade Firmament Celestial Palace.
• Madam Huanyong departed, and Yu Ci left the cold spring before taking a boat toward Madam Hua’s water pavilion.
• Yu Ci overheard Madam Hua discussing cooperation with a guest, including the Clear Sky Discourse and void worlds.

Yu Ci joined Madam Hua, Xue Pingzhi, and Ao Xiu as they discussed the Sea Merchant Guild’s bid for a void world at the Clear Sky Discourse. He declared his intention to reclaim former Shangqing territory and learned that Cloud-Splitting Talisman Combat would likely decide who gained ownership.

• Madam Hua explained that the Sea Merchant Guild wanted a void world, while Xue Pingzhi demanded an equal share of the profits and a permanent residence there.
• Ao Xiu objected to Xue Pingzhi’s conditions, then reluctantly greeted Yu Ci after Madam Hua introduced them.
• Ao Xiu continued negotiating with Xue Pingzhi, while Yu Ci noticed that Madam Hua seemed content to watch the discussion.
• Madam Hua asked Yu Ci about his plans, and he said he intended to reclaim the former Shangqing territory known as the Death Star.
• Madam Hua told Yu Ci that Cloud-Splitting Talisman Combat was the most likely method for determining ownership of the void worlds.

Madam Hua explained Cloud-Splitting Talisman Combat and its rules as Yu Ci and Xue Pingzhi discussed how the Clear Sky Discourse might decide the contest for a void world. Ao Xiu then presented a water lotus crafted by Wandering Cultivator Tianfeng and asked Yu Ci to make him a talisman keepsake.

• Madam Hua described the origins of Cloud-Splitting Talisman Combat and explained its four popular methods.
• Yu Ci questioned whether the contest favored the Xuan Sect, and Madam Hua said other traditions also had skilled talisman practitioners.
• Ao Xiu offered Xue Pingzhi the Sea Merchant Guild's talisman experts, but Xue Pingzhi coldly dismissed him.
• Ao Xiu told Yu Ci that he had studied talismans under True Monarch Tiancheng and had recently received a water lotus from Wandering Cultivator Tianfeng.
• Ao Xiu explained that the lotus could transform into a Great Purity Heart Cleansing Curse and asked Yu Ci to create a talisman keepsake for him.

Ao Xiu tried to use Wandering Cultivator Tianfeng’s Water Lotus Flower to embarrass Yu Ci, but Yu Ci made a lotus-leaf talisman that enhanced it. Ao Xiu was left stunned by Yu Ci’s skill and the talismans’ extraordinary synergy.

• Ao Xiu presented Wandering Cultivator Tianfeng’s Water Lotus Flower, hoping to make Yu Ci lose face or surrender a greater treasure.
• Yu Ci accepted Ao Xiu’s challenge and drew a talisman on a lotus leaf gathered from Xi Yu Lake.
• Ao Xiu placed Yu Ci’s lotus-leaf talisman beside the Water Lotus Flower, and the two fused their energies and hovered in the air.
• Yu Ci explained that his Primordial Qi River Cart Curse could convert slain fiends’ essence into energy, greatly extending the Water Lotus Flower’s effects.
• Ao Xiu noticed the intricate fractal patterns on the lotus leaf and realized Yu Ci had crafted a perfectly matched talisman almost instantly.

Yu Ci transformed the Water Lotus Flower and its leaf into linked talismans, leaving Ao Xiu to learn that they needed the essence of a hundred thousand demons—and ideally an Outer Realm Calamity Demon—to function. He then gave Madam Hua a lotus whose mist affected her body, and Xue Pingzhi asked whether he had found a way to deal with her condition.

• Yu Ci told Ao Xiu that the Water Lotus Flower and leaf had merged into a talisman that needed a hundred thousand demons to restart and an Outer Realm Calamity Demon to reach its full effect.
• Ao Xiu realized the transformed lotus was effectively unusable until he gathered immense demonic essence, but he could not bring himself to challenge Yu Ci.
• Yu Ci offered Madam Hua a half-bloomed red lotus in return for her help with the Cold Spring.
• Madam Hua inhaled the lotus's shimmering stamens, felt an unusual soothing sensation, and recited a verse about the flower and leaf reflecting one another.
• Madam Hua grew pale as light flowed through her body, and Yu Ci apologized for his imperfect control of the talisman medicine.
• Xue Pingzhi examined Madam Hua's pulse and asked Yu Ci whether he had found a way to deal with her condition.

Yu Ci used a lotus talisman to ease Madam Hua’s illness and explained that careful, repeated treatment could restore her vitality without aggravating the restriction. When Ao Xiu begged to learn the method, Yu Ci began explaining its intricate calculations, and Ao Xiu vomited blood trying to follow them.

• Yu Ci observed the changes in Madam Hua after creating a lotus talisman, while Ao Xiu realized its craftsmanship surpassed his Water Lotus Flower.
• Ao Xiu asked whether the talisman would have a lasting effect, and Madam Hua said it nurtured vitality and moistened her body more effectively than the Grand Profound Yin Birth Talisman.
• Yu Ci and Xue Pingzhi concluded that regular use could restore Madam Hua’s vitality, but Yu Ci warned that the talisman must not be used more than seven hundred times.
• Ao Xiu asked to learn the talisman method, and Yu Ci began explaining how to calculate the changing currents of Madam Hua’s vitality.
• Ao Xiu listened for a quarter of an hour before vomiting a mouthful of blood.

Yu Ci used his talisman technique to stabilize Madam Hua’s vitality, while Ao Xiu exhausted himself trying to follow his method. As Yu Ci left with Xue Pingzhi, she proposed joining forces with Madam Hua and made clear that her alliance with Yu Ci rested on their shared enemy, the Rakshasa Ghost King.

• Yu Ci used seven hundred talismans to replenish Madam Hua’s vitality without triggering the restrictive spell, leaving Ao Xiu mentally and spiritually drained.
• Madam Hua thanked Yu Ci, agreed to let him use the Cold Spring for Ye Chi’s recovery, and invited him to continue helping with her treatment.
• Xue Pingzhi helped Madam Hua clear the room, and Ao Xiu left without getting to use the Cold Spring.
• Yu Ci departed with Xue Pingzhi and Luo Yuniang, carrying with him a strong impression of Madam Hua’s solitary presence.
• Xue Pingzhi told Yu Ci she intended to join forces with Madam Hua and said she trusted her alliance with him while the Rakshasa Ghost King remained alive.

Yu Ci learned that Ye Bin had recommended both him and Madam Hua to Xue Pingzhi as allies against the Rakshasa Ghost King. He agreed to speak on Xue Pingzhi’s behalf and considered Madam Hua’s ambitions and potential value, while his own household remained badly overstretched.

• Xue Pingzhi told Yu Ci that Ye Bin had recommended Madam Hua and Yu Ci as possible allies.
• Yu Ci wondered why Ye Bin had specifically told Xue Pingzhi to ask him for advice.
• A distant blast interrupted Yu Ci’s thoughts as the boat reached Xi Yu Lake, where a conflict was unfolding.
• Yu Ci agreed to speak for Xue Pingzhi and suggested they move away before discussing Madam Hua.
• Xue Pingzhi said Madam Hua wanted not to live beneath others, and Yu Ci cautioned that the Sea Merchant Guild would not necessarily support her against the Rakshasa Ghost King.
• Yu Ci considered Madam Hua’s ambitions and the help she might provide, noting that his own household was already stretched to the breaking point.

Yu Ci weighed the risks of an alliance with Madam Hua and agreed to investigate her further before Xue Pingzhi committed. After arranging future contact and discussing Xue Pingzhi’s injuries, Yu Ci returned to Xi Yu Lake, where the dispute was still being handled by the Xiyu Alliance.

• Yu Ci considered how Madam Hua’s political instincts might make her use Xue Pingzhi, the Sea Merchant Guild, and even the Rakshasa Ghost King for her own ambitions.
• Yu Ci asked Xue Pingzhi to wait while he examined Madam Hua’s intentions, and Xue Pingzhi agreed to contact him through Luo Yuniang after entering seclusion.
• Luo Yuniang gave Yu Ci her residence location and a set of flying transmission swords, and Yu Ci arranged for her to help him visit Madam Hua in a few days.
• Xue Pingzhi explained that she had to periodically extract foreign qi from her injuries and asked whether Yu Ci could make talismans to help contain it.
• Yu Ci flew back to Xi Yu Lake and saw Xiyu Alliance law enforcement separating the two sides of the ongoing dispute and interrogating their ringleaders.