Chapter Summaries

The five guides debated Guiyan’s demonic methods and the risks of keeping the sword formation around Far Sky City, then received orders to leave the city and its residents alone. They learned that Li Bocai had come to eliminate Guiyan, but his real priority was handling the Delusion Breaking Pill Essence.

• Tian Meng and the other guides discussed Guiyan’s Heavenly Demon Transformation, while Ling Jiao praised the sword intent in his five turns around the sky.
• The guides confronted Black Flood Dragon True Man, who concealed the blood plague dragon pestilence and was forced to leave Far Sky City.
• The guides weighed the danger of trapping Guiyan among three thousand sword cultivators and the city’s residents, then received instructions to register the matter and impose no restrictions.
• The guides learned that Li Bocai had arrived to eliminate Guiyan, and recalled that Creation Patriarch had appointed him to handle the Delusion Breaking Pill Essence.

Yu Ci’s thought explored the Six Desires Demonic Sound after Ghost Aversion’s transformation broke free of the sword formation, while Wu Yu considered Madam Hua’s offer to move Siding Institute south and take a post at the Heavenly Script Branch. The chapter ended with Daoist Huifeng questioning the cost of Wu Yu’s talisman practice, only for Zhang Miaolin to point out her extraordinary achievements.

• Yu Ci sensed the Six Desires Demonic Sound spread beyond the three thousand sword cultivators and found that an Advancement Demonic Seed formed a strong connection to his origin.
• Wu Yu met Daoist Huifeng and Zhang Miaolin and showed them the four talisman-making treasures Madam Hua had given her.
• Wu Yu explained that Madam Hua had promised her a vice-deacon position in Hailong City and help relocating Siding Hall south in exchange for her talismans.
• Daoist Huifeng supported moving south because Ghost Aversion’s infection and Donghua Palace’s weakened position made the area increasingly dangerous.
• Daoist Huifeng warned that deciphering the Supreme Vast Spirit Book Purple Text Upper Scripture harmed Wu Yu’s cultivation, and Zhang Miaolin defended her skill by citing her success making Grand Profound Yin Birth Talismans.

Yu flew toward Hailong City to secure the Heavenly Script Branch vice-deacon position, a step toward Siding Hall’s relocation. At dawn, she attempted to create a talisman using the Supreme Vast Spirit Book Purple Text Upper Scripture, but suffered a dangerous backlash before a thunderous voice called out to her.

• Yu left the fortress for Hailong City after she and Zhang Miaolin and Daoist Huifeng agreed on a strategy for Siding Hall’s future.
• Yu stopped at a waterfall to rest and prepared Madam Hua’s talismanic treasures as dawn approached.
• Yu used the Crimson Book Treasure Text and the Five Dou Star Lords to interpret the Supreme Vast Spirit Book Purple Text Upper Scripture and draw a talisman.
• Yu felt the talisman’s backlash setting her heart ablaze but continued, calling out for the presence she had once sensed.
• A thunderous voice demanded to know where Yu was running this time.

Yu endured the backlash from a powerful talisman as Black Flood Dragon True Man confronted her in the snowstorm. When he attacked, she revealed the Eight Edicts of Shangqing for Summoning Dragons, which began healing her and made him recognize the treasure.

• Yu struggled to contain the backlash from the Supreme Vast Sun Essence Illuminating Spirit Talisman as the weather turned icy and the waterfall began to freeze.
• Black Flood Dragon True Man arrived, sensed Yu, and weighed whether she was a trap connected to Ghost Hatred.
• Black Flood Dragon True Man identified Yu’s technique as belonging to the Shangqing Sect and decided to attack her.
• Black Flood Dragon True Man struck at Yu with a ripple from his True Man Domain, expecting to tear her apart.
• Yu’s Eight Edicts of Shangqing for Summoning Dragons released golden light and a dragon roar, prompting Black Flood Dragon True Man to cry out in alarm as her injuries began to improve.

Yu completed the Ziwei Sun-Drinking Essence Opening Spirit Talisman with power sent through an emotional haze, breaking Black Flood Dragon True Man’s cold domain and gaining the strength to wield the Eight Edicts of Shangqing for Summoning Dragons. The treasure register’s blood-colored flames struck at the flood dragon, who realized that someone from the Mystic Sect had transmitted true intent to her.

• Black Flood Dragon True Man froze the streams and waterfalls with his Nether Extreme Cold Mist, forcing Yu to use the Eight Edicts of Shangqing for Summoning Dragons only to defend herself.
• As cold and the backlash from her talisman arts tormented her, Yu felt an emotional power emerge and asked what it could give her.
• A jade-white Dharma Seal sent energy across the void, restoring Yu’s connection to heaven and earth and allowing her to finish the Ziwei Sun-Drinking Essence Opening Spirit Talisman.
• The completed talisman released five-colored yang fire that burned away the Nether Extreme Cold Mist and gave Yu the strength to activate the Eight Edicts of Shangqing for Summoning Dragons.
• The treasure register’s blood-colored flames threatened Black Flood Dragon True Man, who recognized that someone from the Mystic Sect had transmitted true intent.

Yu faced Black Flood Dragon True Man, who used the Dragon Scenery Treasure Pearl to disrupt her talisman and attack. As Yu’s defense faltered, a hidden yin-soft force struck Black Flood Dragon True Man, and he saw a python and tortoise emerge from the Coiled Serpent Formation, leaving him to realize the attacker was not Guiyan.

• Black Flood Dragon True Man grew wary of Yu’s Mystic Gate methods and accused her of being Guiyan’s mistress to test whether she had powerful backing.
• Yu ignored his accusation and focused on the jade-white Dharma Seal, recognizing its apparent ties to the Mystic Gate and Shangqing lineage.
• Black Flood Dragon True Man used the Dragon Scenery Treasure Pearl to stir Yu’s Eight Edicts of Shangqing for Summoning Dragons talisman, then struck through its wavering defenses.
• Yu summoned a small Five Dou Star Lords dharma image, but Black Flood Dragon True Man shattered it with his claw.
• A hidden yin-soft force pierced Black Flood Dragon True Man’s defenses and wounded his bare lower abdomen, forcing him to shift from dragon form into human form.
• Black Flood Dragon True Man saw a giant python and a great tortoise emerge from the Coiled Serpent Formation and realized the attacker was not Guiyan.

Yu connected with the Black Tortoise Dharma Aspect and revisited a mysterious ruined altar linked to Mystic Gate true intent, but Black Flood Dragon True Man overwhelmed her. As Yu neared death, a black shadow emerged from the ruins, and Black Flood Dragon True Man abruptly transformed and fled.

• Yu recognized the Black Tortoise Dharma Aspect's authentic Mystic Gate true intent and wondered whether Ghost Loath or another force was behind it.
• Yu's connection to the Dharma Aspect carried her back to a ruined place with a Seven Stars Altar of Footwork and a faint light beneath it.
• Black Flood Dragon True Man unleashed the Dragon Scenery Treasure Pearl and struck Yu, shattering her Star Lord Dharma Aspect and leaving her unable to move.
• As Yu's consciousness blurred between the battlefield and the ruins, a black shadow flew out of the deathly void and circled the altar.
• Black Flood Dragon True Man clutched his throat, changed back into flood-dragon form, and fled through the storm.

Black Flood Dragon True Man fled west after the Blood Plague Dragon Pestilence rebounded on him, but Gu Yan had already planted a demonic seed and tracked him down. When Black Flood Dragon True Man attacked in desperation, Gu Yan’s netherlight swallowed him and his assault.

• Black Flood Dragon True Man escaped into the waterways, hoping to reach the Six Barbarian Mountains and find an antidote from the Black Sky Cult Master.
• Black Flood Dragon True Man hid in a river beneath a medium-sized sect, but sensed Gu Yan’s Soul-Locking art and realized a demonic seed had been draining his soul.
• The Blood Plague Dragon Pestilence’s boost faded as Gu Yan appeared above the river, breaking Black Flood Dragon True Man’s last composure.
• Black Flood Dragon True Man unleashed his True Man Domain, froze the riverbanks, and attacked Gu Yan with a cold current, Dark Scale Blades, and his body.
• Gu Yan opened a ball of netherlight, and the expanding darkness swallowed Black Flood Dragon True Man and his attacks.

Yu Ci refined the Black Flood Dragon True Man while sensing Yu Wu’s precarious condition and lending her power through their connection. As Yu Wu recovered and deepened that connection, she combined her Five Dou Star Lords method with the Black Tortoise Dharma Aspect to create a new Dharma Aspect.

• Yu Ci refined the Black Flood Dragon True Man inside the Sea Swallowing Bottle and absorbed the powerful essence from his Demonic Seed.
• Yu Ci sensed that Yu Wu had been frozen by the Black Flood Dragon’s attack and was barely alive.
• Yu Wu borrowed power through her connection to the Jade God Cave Spirit Seal and Black Tortoise true intent to preserve her life and clear her meridians.
• Yu Wu opened herself further to the Demonic Seed, strengthening its connection to the three-sided void and helping Yu Ci push back the death qi suppressing him.
• Yu Wu used the Five Dou Three Yuan True One Scripture to combine her Five Dou Star Lords Dharma Aspect with the Black Tortoise Dharma Aspect, forming a new Dharma Aspect.

Yu Ci learned the origins of the Black Flood Dragon True Man’s Blood Plague Dragon Pestilence and used his memories to uncover the Black Heaven Cult’s doctrines and dealings. As Yu Ci studied the cult’s Future Star Tribulation Scripture, a long cry sounded from beyond the heavens.

• Yu manifested the Black Tortoise Dharma Aspect, which freed Yu from the ice before fading as Yu recovered.
• Yu Ci discovered that the Blood Plague Dragon Pestilence was transforming the Black Flood Dragon True Man and extracted the man’s memories to learn about it.
• Yu Ci learned that the Black Heaven Cult worshipped the Black Heavenly Buddha Mother and preached that her methods could guide living beings through a coming tribulation.
• Yu Ci learned that the Black Heaven Cult had given the Black Flood Dragon True Man the Future Star Tribulation Scripture, a Dragon Scenery Treasure Pearl, and the Blood Plague Dragon Pestilence Needle.
• Yu Ci studied the scripture and wondered how its methods could transform different practitioners in different ways before a long cry echoed from beyond the heavens.

Yu Ci, in Ghost Gu’s form, encountered Duan Xiang, who tried to recruit him for a lucrative assignment. When Duan Xiang named Madam Hua as the target, Ghost Gu killed him and flew away.

• Ghost Gu ignored Duan Xiang’s grey crane messages while considering how to rescue Li Shan and Sun Jie from the Sword Discussion Pavilion.
• Duan Xiang repeatedly pursued Ghost Gu and caught up with him aboard a strange, electric-winged flying bird.
• Duan Xiang offered Ghost Gu work for a powerful patron and asked him to destroy Madam Hua.
• Ghost Gu accused Duan Xiang of trying to make him provoke the Sea Merchant Guild and crushed Duan Xiang’s head.
• Ghost Gu discarded Duan Xiang’s corpse and flew back into the sky.

Guiyan confronted the merchants and proprietors who had secretly plotted against him, while Yu Ci considered the threat their scheme posed to Wuyu and the Supreme Clarity lineage. The chapter ended with Guiyan accusing the gathered group of trying to turn him into a business opportunity.

• Yu Ci learned from Duan Xiang's memories that the people watching from Azure Sky Domain had deliberately hidden information about their plan.
• Guiyan attacked the strange bird carrying a message from the hidden observers, then traveled to Azure Sky Domain.
• The people aboard a disguised airship transformed it into a pleasure boat and knelt before Guiyan, begging him to pardon their offense.
• Fan Lingrong identified herself as the shopkeeper of South Sea Dragon Heart Studio, and the other gathered merchants and proprietors gave their names.
• Guiyan recognized the group as prominent East Sea and South Sea merchants who had plotted against him and accused them of trying to make him their business.

Yu Ci used the Devil Lord to interrogate the southern merchants about their opposition to Madam Hua and the Sea Merchant Guild. The merchants blamed the planned Seagull Market for threatening their livelihoods, while Yu Ci suspected a powerful rival faction was secretly directing them.

• Fan Lingrong apologized for the merchants’ dealings with Duan Xiang, and the Devil Lord mocked them for following his methods.
• The Devil Lord demanded to know why the merchants were trying to ruin Madam Hua’s reputation and ordered them to explain without concealing anything.
• When the Devil Lord demanded wine, Fan Lingrong personally filled his vessel, and the other merchants felt relieved as he focused his attention on her.
• Hu Sihai claimed the Sea Merchant Guild planned to use the Seagull Market to destroy the merchants’ livelihoods, prompting the Devil Lord to ask about the market.
• Yu Ci concluded that the merchants’ desperate opposition likely had a hidden sponsor among powerful southern trading factions, and the group began detailing the Seagull Market plan.

Yu Ci learned how Seagull Market could become a vast trading hub and heard the merchants explain why Madam Hua was essential to its success. Devil Lord exposed the merchants’ secrets, then dismissed them and turned his attention to Fan Lingrong.

• Yu Ci admired Madam Hua’s plan to connect Seagull Market with the surrounding markets and trading routes into a far-reaching commercial system.
• Devil Lord challenged the merchants’ claim that Madam Hua’s death could halt the market, and Wang Hongchang and Hu Sihai described her ties to powerful factions.
• Devil Lord compared Madam Hua to the Eastern Master Shen, then smashed his wine goblet before the merchants.
• Devil Lord used a sinister ability to force the merchants’ secrets from them, leaving them horrified.
• Devil Lord swept the table clear and placed Fan Lingrong upon it, prompting Wang Hongchang, Hu Sihai, and the others to flee.

Yu Ci used Guiyan to test Fan Lingrong and uncover her secrets, then heard her offer Dragon Heart Hall as a foothold amid the coming chaos in the southern lands. The chapter left Yu Ci considering Fan Lingrong useful for making an Advancement Demonic Seed.

• Guiyan pretended to fondle Fan Lingrong while revealing that her sea-musk baths harmed her husband and prevented pregnancy.
• Fan Lingrong admitted Guiyan had seen through her and asked him to dismiss the servants so they could speak privately.
• Guiyan used his demonic power to make the maidservants fall into an erotic frenzy, frightening Fan Lingrong with his abilities.
• Fan Lingrong invited Guiyan to become Dragon Heart Hall’s supreme elder and described how the region’s turmoil could help him establish power.
• Yu Ci considered using Fan Lingrong to create an Advancement Demonic Seed.

Fan Lingrong tried to draw Gui Yan into her plans while Yu Ci examined her mind and confirmed she had formed an Advancement Demonic Seed. Yu Ci uncovered the dark line behind her scheme and faced a choice: preserve the seed or consume it.

• Fan Lingrong tested Gui Yan's reactions and considered using beauty, Dragon Heart Hall's resources, or the force behind the dark line to win his support.
• Gui Yan's power overwhelmed Fan Lingrong's body, and she slumped onto his lap while continuing to plan how to make him control the schemers outside.
• Yu Ci classified demonic seeds and determined that Fan Lingrong's clear-minded ambition had formed an Advancement Demonic Seed.
• Yu Ci used the seed to capture Fan Lingrong's thoughts, uncovered the dark line, and considered whether to keep or swallow the seed.

Yu Ci chose to forcibly replace Fan Lingrong’s true seed with a demonic seed, sacrificing her chance at longevity for the immediate gains. He left the multi-storied boat undetected to find a place to digest the seed.

• Yu Ci weighed the slow cultivation and forced-swallowing methods for demonic seeds, concluding that his lack of mental strength and suitable methods ruled out the former.
• Fan Lingrong warned Guiyan that his actions could expose the danger surrounding her and Dragon Heart Hall, but he saw through her attempt to raise the hall’s value.
• The maidservants dragged Fan Lingrong away from Guiyan and tore open her robes as the Six Desires Turbid Stream overwhelmed her clarity.
• Yu Ci chose to swallow Fan Lingrong’s true seed, then left the multi-storied boat unseen to find a place to digest it.

Lu Qian reconsidered Tianhai Sect’s fragile business alliance and grew wary of the forces manipulating it. After Gui Yan and Fan Lingrong left the tower ship, the merchants found Fan Lingrong had killed several maidservants, while Lu Qian realized a merchant had escaped to report to Suixin Pavilion.

• Lu Qian reflected on Tianhai Sect’s lost backing, its alliance with Dragon Heart Hall, and the East Sea and South Sea merchants’ failed attempt to challenge the Sea Merchant Guild.
• Fan Lingrong cried out “Devil Lord” from above, and Lu Qian left the meeting place rather than endure the merchants’ suspicious glances.
• A servant told Lu Qian that Fan Lingrong had left the ship, and he saw a merchant’s Five Spirits Flying Wheel depart soon afterward.
• Lu Qian found the merchants gathered around several dead maidservants and learned from Hu Sihai that Fan Lingrong had killed them herself.
• Hu Sihai said Fan Lingrong had suffered a loss of vital essence after facing Gui Yan, while Lu Qian suspected the departing merchant had gone to inform Suixin Pavilion.
• Lu Qian realized that Hu Sihai had let the merchant go and warned himself that Suixin Pavilion’s channels did not necessarily speak for the pavilion.

Yu Ci weighed how to use the exchanged True Seed while searching his scattered memories for a crucial clue, but Fan Lingrong’s arrival interrupted him. Fan Lingrong went to meet Lei Tong on the East River and found Suixin Pavilion’s Myriad Transformation Boat waiting there.

• Yu Ci considered whether to use the True Seed on his true body, divided thought, Gui Yan, or the black flood dragon’s remains, and concluded he could not connect it to his true body.
• A flash of spiritual light led Yu Ci to a mysterious fragment in his scattered memories, and he sat in the heavenly domain to trace its meaning.
• Fan Lingrong arrived at the East River after a day and night of travel and used incense to signal the person she had come to meet.
• Suixin Pavilion’s Myriad Transformation Boat appeared in a vast fog, so Fan Lingrong sent her maid away and walked across the water toward it.
• Lei Tong called out from the boat, asking why Fan Lingrong had arrived late after he had waited for her.

Fan Lingrong arrived at the Suixin Pavilion and was caught between Lei Tong’s attempt to receive and inspect her and Bai Qinghui’s efforts to take her in. After Qiu Pei’s sword found no demonic trace, Fan Lingrong entered the pleasure boat and greeted Fairy Murong.

• Fan Lingrong ignored the reception boat’s cloud bridge and boarded Bai Qinghui’s pleasure boat instead.
• Bai Qinghui rebuked the manager and told him to tell Lei Tong that she had received Fan Lingrong.
• Lei Tong sent Lei Yi and Qiu Pei to use the Violet Splendor Demon Subduing Canopy and a Demon Slaying Sword to check Fan Lingrong for demonic traces.
• Qiu Pei’s sword passed untainted, and she returned to the pavilion while Bai Qinghui angrily pulled Fan Lingrong inside.
• Fan Lingrong entered the cabin and greeted Fairy Murong.