Chapter Summaries

Yu Ci exposed Madam Huanyong’s attempt to wait for the Great Brahma Demon King and destroyed Hongchen before confronting her with a choice between submission and death. As the Great Brahma Demon King attacked, Little Five blocked his flames, and the Cave Dwelling Palace shook as Madam Huanyong shrieked.

• Yu Ci used Little Five to shatter Hongchen, then told Madam Huanyong that he would not tolerate her keeping an incarnation around.
• Yu Ci accused Jian Ziyu’s design of giving someone an opportunity and challenged Madam Huanyong for waiting to profit from the conflict.
• The Great Brahma Demon King appeared through the Nine Palaces Demon Domain, revealing why Madam Huanyong had stalled for time.
• Gui Yan offered Madam Huanyong life and the prospect of becoming a Devil Master if she submitted, or death if she refused.
• The Great Brahma Demon King unleashed scarlet flames, and Little Five raised Xuanming True Water to block them as Gui Yan counted down to one.
• The Cave Dwelling Palace shook, and Madam Huanyong shrieked.

Yu Ci used the Zhaoshen Bronze Mirror to subdue Madam Huanyong while Little Five began collapsing the Nine Palaces Demon Domain. Madam Huanyong broke through her restraints, rose as the Demon Lord Yuran, and fled as the Great Tribulation descended.

• Yu Ci sent the Equality Bead’s power through the Zhaoshen Bronze Mirror, suppressing Madam Huanyong and silencing the Great Brahma Demon King.
• Yu Ci urged Little Five to act, and she used Nine Heavens Yuan Magnetism Divine Light to overturn the earth veins and collapse the Nine Palaces Demon Domain.
• Madam Huanyong broke the Seal Aperture Locks and merged with the true intents of Yuran, Huiyuan, Fearless, and Jimiao, advancing to a new cultivation realm.
• Madam Huanyong sensed a presence above the Heaven and Earth laws, asked its title, then received no answer from Yu Ci.
• Madam Huanyong bid farewell and escaped as volcanic magma erupted and the Great Tribulation of Heaven and Earth surged toward the collapsing palace.

Daoist Huifeng arrived in overcrowded Wu Gou City as people sought shelter from the heavenly tribulations, then encountered Ghost Annihilation, Jian Ziyu, and Mr. Wugou at the Sea Sky Platform. Jian Ziyu gave Ghost Annihilation her treasure lamp and left with Mr. Wugou to pursue her freedom in the outer domains.

• Daoist Huifeng heard that Talisman Bridge fees and prices had surged as refugees crowded into Wu Gou City, whose defenses could ward off heavenly tribulations.
• At the Sea Sky Platform, Daoist Huifeng recognized Ghost Annihilation, who calmly acknowledged him before returning to Mr. Wugou's conversation.
• Mr. Wugou said he planned to travel to the outer domains to temper his sword intent and seek a way to survive.
• Jian Ziyu asked to accompany Mr. Wugou and handed her Purple Dust Red Dust Lamp to Ghost Annihilation, saying she would rely on a single pellet of Ten Feet of Red Dust.
• Jian Ziyu explained that she wanted to live as freely as the Peerless Slayer of Gods, Demons, and Monsters, then urged Mr. Wugou to leave with her.
• Jian Ziyu and Mr. Wugou rose into the sky on streams of sword light as she chanted beside the sea.

At Sea Sky Platform, Daoist Huifeng stopped Zhang Miaolin from pursuing a conversation with Qingge, and Zhang argued that Siding Hall could profit from the upheaval caused by the Great Tribulation. Huifeng warned that the sect lacked the strength to expand inland, then spotted hostile sword lights approaching Guiyan as Yu arrived.

• Zhang Miaolin praised Wu Gou City after seeing Qingge fly away, but Daoist Huifeng pulled him back before he could approach her companion.
• Zhang Miaolin described the Sea Sky Platform debate and argued that Siding Hall should seek opportunities among sects weakened by the Great Tribulation.
• Daoist Huifeng reminded Zhang Miaolin that Siding Hall had few disciples and could not afford to offend Madam Xia or the Sea Merchant Guild by moving inland.
• Daoist Huifeng saw several threatening sword lights heading toward Guiyan and prepared to leave with Zhang Miaolin.
• Zhang Miaolin recognized Yu approaching in ordinary clothes and straw sandals.

Yu told Daoist Huifeng and Zhang Miaolin that a Shangqing Sect cultivation scripture had appeared at the Sea Merchant Guild’s auctions, but argued that Siding Hall should pursue people rather than manuals or formulas. The chapter left her reasoning about to be revealed.

• Daoist Huifeng and Zhang Miaolin watched the City Guard Sword Hall inspect Sea Sky Platform while Guiyan remained unnoticed by the patrols.
• Yu arrived and told them Madam Hua had sent word about the Sea Merchant Guild’s upcoming auctions.
• Yu explained that the Fetal Essence Knot-Untying True Scripture, a Shangqing Sect method suited to many disciples, was among the auction items.
• Zhang Miaolin urged them to acquire the scripture, while Yu and Daoist Huifeng noted they had to conceal Siding Hall’s identity and might not afford it.
• Yu proposed that they target people rather than cultivation manuals or elixir formulas, prompting Daoist Huifeng to ask what she meant.

Yu discussed using the Sea Merchant Guild’s auction to recruit people connected to the Shangqing Sect and revealed that Jiu Yan had offered the Four Spirits Dharma Aspect in exchange for her talisman. Jiu Yan arrived at the Sea Sky Platform, where the group was about to meet him and assess his motives.

• Yu explained that the auction could help Siding Institute find scattered Shangqing disciples or cultivators who knew the sect’s techniques.
• Daoist Huifeng cautioned that recruits drawn by the sect’s inheritance might prove unreliable, and Yu outlined less ideal candidates they could seek instead.
• Yu revealed that a man calling himself Jiu Yan had contacted her to privately negotiate for the Grand Profound Yin Birth Talisman, offering the Ten Manifestations of Fiendish Energy Technique and news of the Four Spirits Dharma Aspect.
• Daoist Huifeng recognized the Four Spirits Dharma Aspect’s potential, and Yu said Jiu Yan was already in Wu Gou City and had been invited to the Sea Sky Platform.
• Jiu Yan walked up to Yu, Daoist Huifeng, and Zhang Miaolin, bowed with cupped fists, and introduced himself.

Daoist Huifeng, Wingless, and Zhang Miaolin met Jiu Yan to discuss exchanging spirit talismans for his techniques and treasures, while Huifeng remained wary of Jiu Yan’s mysterious aura. Their negotiations were interrupted when Ji Yuan recognized Jiu Yan as his master, and the mention of Fairy Zhan Shuicheng’s attendant brought the pavilion to a sudden silence.

• Wingless introduced Jiu Yan to Huifeng and Zhang Miaolin, and Zhang Miaolin warmed the meeting by discussing talisman arts with him.
• Huifeng asked about Jiu Yan’s past, and Jiu Yan said the Wu Tuo City calamity had torn apart his soul and that he had come south to recover and fulfill an old appointment.
• Jiu Yan offered the Ten Manifestations of Fiendish Energy Technique in exchange for spirit talismans and said he could offer other treasures, including the Four Spirits Dharma Aspect, for higher-quality talismans.
• Ji Yuan stopped outside the pavilion, recognized Jiu Yan as his master, and introduced himself as a disciple of the Feiyu Sect.
• When Jiu Yan did not remember him, Ji Yuan mentioned meeting him with Zi Qu, Fairy Zhan Shuicheng’s attendant, and everyone fell silent.

Ji Yuan recognized Jiu Yan and invited him to meet, then tried to learn more about him and adjust his plans for getting help with his sect’s troubles. As Ji Yuan returned to his pavilion, True Man Nanhai appeared with a young girl and startled everyone.

• Ji Yuan recognized Jiu Yan from Fengdu City, invited him to meet, and hurried away after arranging a time and place.
• Ji Yuan told Brother Wu that Jiu Yan could speak freely with Palace Mistress Zhan and urged him to help secure Jiu Yan’s friendship.
• Brother Wu and Ni discussed asking True Man Hai to approach Master “Little Lu,” while Ji Yuan worried that doing so could create a costly obligation or conflict.
• Ji Yuan sent attendants to investigate Jiu Yan’s background and keep watch on him without causing offense.
• True Man Nanhai appeared at the pavilion holding a young girl, startling Ji Yuan, Brother Wu, and Ni.

Ghost Yan met Ji Yuan and the Canghai Hunter Group in Wu Gou City, where Hai Hong welcomed him into the society and revealed that a substantial bounty had been placed on Jiu Yan. Little Wu was stunned by the news as the group prepared to discuss the danger facing the perfume master.

• True Man Nanhu, who was Ghost Yan, arrived with Little Wu and made Ji Yuan and the Canghai Hunter Group’s Wu and Ni uneasy with his presence.
• Ghost Yan asked Ji Yuan about Jiu Yan, the perfume master, and Ji Yuan apologized for failing to recognize him in the adjacent pavilion.
• Hai Hong arrived, apologized to Ghost Yan for failing to rescue him during the East Sea crisis, and told Ji Yuan he would handle the matter of Master Lu.
• After Ji Yuan left, Hai Hong welcomed Ghost Yan into the society and revealed that a substantial bounty had been placed on Jiu Yan’s life.
• Little Wu looked up from her pastry and stared in shock at Hai Hong’s revelation.

Jiu Yan secured an agreement with Daoist Huifeng while pursuing his own cultivation and reassuring Wu Yu. After Guiyan discovered a bounty targeting Jiu Yan in the Four Seas Society, he also found a contrasting notice seeking to recruit him.

• Jiu Yan agreed to exchange the Four Spirits Dharma Aspect mental method with Daoist Huifeng and left Sea Sky Platform with Wu Yu and the others.
• Jiu Yan reflected on his plans to strengthen his true body and felt murderous toward whoever had placed him on a wanted list.
• Hai Hong praised Jiu Yan’s ability to conceal his aura and asked Guiyan whether he would take the job of killing him.
• Guiyan remembered Mr. Wugou’s bronze token and used it to inspect the Four Seas Society’s notices.
• Guiyan found a bounty offering a Sixteen Heavens refining artifact for Jiu Yan’s death before spring and before he left Wu Gou City.
• Guiyan saw another notice offering to recruit Jiu Yan, with a negotiable reward, and laughed at the contradiction.

Gu Yan heard Hai Hong explain the Four Seas Society’s plan to exploit the coming Seagull Market trade route and Half-Mountain Island’s weakness. As Yu Ci, disguised as Jiu Yan, listened to the assessment of Ye Bin’s peril, he noticed someone following him and challenged them.

• Gu Yan asked Hai Hong about the unusual person behind the merit messages, and Hai Hong instead asked what Gu Yan planned to do during the coming tribulation.
• Gu Yan told Hai Hong he would go wherever he pleased, so Hai Hong described the opportunity for rogue cultivators to seize territory from weakened sects.
• Hai Hong showed Gu Yan a map of the Seagull Market route and explained how the Four Seas Society could benefit from disorder in the surrounding outer-ring region.
• Hai Hong assessed Half-Mountain Island’s lack of manpower, Ye Bin’s worsening situation, and the risks surrounding the Mirage Tower’s opening.
• Yu Ci, posing as Jiu Yan, listened to Hai Hong’s remarks through Gu Yan’s information and recalled his past connection with Ye Bin in Sky Rift Valley.
• Yu Ci stopped by the coast, sensed that someone was tailing him, and called out to the pursuer.

Jiu Yan killed two Four Seas Society cultivators who attacked him, while Ji Er witnessed the slaughter. Hai Hong investigated the deaths and concluded that the Society’s conflict with Jiu Yan could no longer be reconciled.

• Jiu Yan’s Killing Intent python swallowed Ji Er’s view of the battle as it killed the Void Stepping Sword Cultivator Tan Feng and subdued Zhao Yong.
• Jiu Yan killed Tan Feng and left Zhao Yong dead, then killed Ji Er as he tried to identify himself as Ji Yuan’s servant.
• Hai Hong arrived with his men and found the bodies of Tan Feng and Zhao Yong on the mudflats.
• Hai Hong ordered Wu and Ni to gather intelligence on Jiu Yan and add the killings to the Society’s records, while deciding to leave Ji Yuan alone for now.
• Hai Hong concluded that Tan Feng had likely revealed the Society’s secrets under torture and that the internal dispute had ended with no chance of reconciliation.

Ji Yuan sought Jiu Yan’s help after the Great Tribulation tainted a valuable crop of spices that Feiyu Sect was responsible for. Jiu Yan learned that True Man Duanmu and his Azure Emperor’s Treasure Garden could gather the plants, but Ji Yuan needed Jiu Yan to extract and refine them.

• Ji Yuan went to Jiu Yan’s inn despite Peng Suo warning him to keep his distance from troublemakers.
• Ji Yuan invited Jiu Yan to a banquet, but Jiu Yan told him to speak plainly.
• Ji Yuan explained that the Great Tribulation had tainted spice plants entrusted to Feiyu Sect, threatening a three-hundred-year relationship and his standing in the sect.
• Jiu Yan said he could help with extraction and refining but was not suited to gathering the plants.
• Ji Yuan said True Man Duanmu’s Azure Emperor’s Treasure Garden could gather them, leaving Jiu Yan responsible for processing the spices.

Ji Yuan sought Duanmu Senqiu’s help and agreed to arrange a meeting between him and Jiu Yan, then used intelligence about Jiu Yan’s past connection to the Yinan Troupe to plan a visit to Ming Jian Tower. Two days later, he escorted Jiu Yan through Wu Gou City’s worsening congestion and arrived at the tower.

• Ji Yuan visited Duanmu Senqiu, who asked to meet Jiu Yan before any arrangements proceeded, and Ji Yuan agreed to host them together.
• Ji Yuan learned that the Yinan Troupe had supplied intelligence about Jiu Yan and ordered his men to secure seats at Ming Jian Tower and prepare spices.
• Ji Yuan decided to meet Flower Lady, the Yinan Troupe’s head, to verify the intelligence about Jiu Yan.
• After two days, Ji Yuan rode with Jiu Yan through crowded Wu Gou City, where travel had become severely delayed.
• Ji Yuan announced their arrival at Ming Jian Tower and invited Jiu Yan inside.

Ji Yuan brought Jiu Yan to Ming Jian Tower with Duanmu Senqiu and Zhu Baitu to watch Lu Erniang’s City-Toppling Dance, while probing Jiu Yan through their conversation. The group discussed turmoil in the north before Duanmu Senqiu poured Immortal Vine Sap and urged them to drink, fixing his attention on Jiu Yan.

• Ji Yuan and Jiu Yan arrived at Ming Jian Tower, where they met Duanmu Senqiu and Zhu Baitu.
• Zhu Baitu introduced the upcoming dance by Lu Erniang, and Ji Yuan steered the conversation toward Jiu Yan’s past in Huayan City and Yinan Garden.
• The four men took seats overlooking the dance platform and discussed the northern lands, where unstable strata threatened to sink into lakes and seas and residents were preparing to migrate north.
• Duanmu Senqiu replaced the tower’s wine with Immortal Vine Sap and invited everyone to drink, watching Jiu Yan as he raised his cup.

At Ming Jian Tower, Lu Pu and Bai Zi Hu competed for recognition as perfumers while Jiu Yan stayed out of their dispute. Chen Longchuan’s brief remarks overshadowed their rivalry, and the chapter ended as the lights dimmed for the next dance.

• Two guests praised Lu Pu’s Hundred Thoughts Incense and mocked perfumers who relied on unconventional methods, prompting Hai Hong to suspect a plot against Jiu Yan and Lu Pu.
• Bai Zi Hu introduced himself as the maker of the Wandering Immortal Incense and challenged Lu Pu to exchange pointers.
• Yu Ci chose not to join the contest, while Chen Longchuan’s cough drew the attention of the assembled guests.
• Chen Longchuan drank fiery liquor to stop coughing, then joked that Lu Erniang should make her appearance next.
• Lu Pu and Bai Zi Hu were left awkward as Chen Longchuan’s words eclipsed their rivalry, and the lights dimmed as dark clouds formed above the stage.

Lu Erniang’s dance filled the pavilion with the terror of the heavenly tribulation, until Chen Longchuan and the Sword Discussion Pavilion’s sword-cultivators broke its spell with a song. The chapter left Yu Ci and the other guests stunned as Chen Longchuan sang through tears.

• Lu Erniang’s dance drew the guests into darkness and fear by merging its intent with the heavenly tribulation.
• Yu Ci noticed Duanmu Senqiu was entranced and saw Chen Longchuan calmly drinking as he watched the dance.
• Chen Longchuan drew his sword, struck the table, and sang a line that stirred Peng Suo to rise and answer with his own verse.
• The Sword Discussion Pavilion’s sword-cultivators drew their swords and joined Peng Suo in song, disrupting the dance’s hold over the pavilion.
• Chen Longchuan continued singing until he broke down in tears, and Zhu Baitu recognized the verses as Jiaxuan’s ci.

Chen Longchuan recited Jiaxuan’s poem, gave his sword to Peng Suo, and left Ming Jian Tower. Ji Yuan brought Yu Ci and Duanmu Senqiu to a quiet courtyard, where they reunited with Flower Lady.

• Chen Longchuan recalled the history behind Jiaxuan’s poem and called out the names of the lost sword immortals before leaving its final lines unsung.
• Chen Longchuan praised Peng Suo and gave him his sword as a prize.
• After the performance, Ji Yuan invited Yu Ci and Duanmu Senqiu to a courtyard near Ming Jian Tower.
• Ji Yuan led the two men to a little tower beside the Yinan Troupe’s courtyard, where Flower Lady and her women joined them.
• Flower Lady greeted Yu Ci and asked whether he had made any new fragrances since they parted in Huayan City.

Yu Ci and his companions exchanged pleasantries with Flower Lady before Duanmu Senqiu explained the factions backing the Four Seas Society and the crisis surrounding Ye Bin. The chapter left Yu Ci uncertain whether any Sea Crossing Incense he brewed could reach Ye Bin.

• Yu Ci reunited with Flower Lady, and she and Duanmu Senqiu traded teasing remarks about their acquaintances.
• Yu Ci recounted how Jiu Yan had come to Wu Gou City, and Flower Lady called his troubles an unexpected disaster.
• Duanmu Senqiu explained that the Four Seas Society united rogue cultivators, forces connected to the Thirteen Sea Lords of the Southern Sea, and a mysterious faction allied with the Rakshasa Sect.
• Duanmu Senqiu revealed that Ye Bin had sought Sea Crossing Incense through dealings with the Rakshasa Sect to defer her tribulation, but the incense was exhausted and the factions had fallen out.
• Duanmu Senqiu warned Yu Ci that Half-Mountain Island had not welcomed him and that any incense he brewed might not reach Ye Bin.

Yu Ci considered Duanmu Senqiu’s advice to wait or leave rather than rush into danger for Half-Mountain Island, while rumors about Chen Longchuan’s fate spread across Wu Gou City. Aboard a Mountain-Moving Cloud Boat bound inland, the Ten Fiends of the East Sea appeared, followed by a tall, bald, black-skinned man.

• Duanmu Senqiu told Yu Ci that Ye Bin had gone into hiding and suggested the Rakshasa Ghost King might be destabilizing Half-Mountain Island.
• Yu Ci maintained that he would honor his agreement, but Duanmu Senqiu advised him to wait, assess the situation, and consider leaving.
• The song and dance on Ming Jian Tower spread across Wu Gou City, prompting cultivators to discuss Chen Longchuan’s possible death and the Sword Discussion Pavilion’s loss.
• The Ten Fiends of the East Sea boarded the Mountain-Moving Cloud Boat, alarming passengers who recognized them as disciples of the Jellyfish Demon Lord.
• The passengers watched as a tall, bald, black-skinned man walked up the boarding ramp.