Chapter Summaries

Yu Ci reunited with Gu Zhi and Jiang Shangyan at the auction, where Gu Zhi sought help with his failing lifespan and the Western Heaven Gate. Their conversation was interrupted when Yu Ci sensed a resonant object and ordered Gui Yan to send its owner into the Treasure Arena.

• Yu Ci greeted Gu Zhi and Zhai Que'er, and he reunited with Jiang Shangyan before they found seats together.
• Gu Zhi explained that he was seeking treasures to extend his life because he had remained at the Returning Elixir realm and was nearing decline.
• Zhai Que'er revealed that Gu Zhi held the title of vice gate master of the Western Heaven Gate within the Buyun Society and tried to recruit him into her sect.
• Gu Zhi asked Yu Ci to join the Buyun Society and help him stabilize the difficult situation at the Western Heaven Gate.
• Yu Ci sensed a resonance with an object behind the cliff wall and ordered Gui Yan to designate its owner to enter the Treasure Arena.

Yu Ci learned that powerful clans and sects had gathered at Donghua Mountain as the demonic tribulation disrupted the outer domains. At the auction, Gui Yan used his Xuanming True Water to claim the right of first refusal on a Donghua Relic, bidding three drops.

• A cultivator’s artifact was approved for direct entry to the treasure grounds, while a suspected Black Heaven Cult member failed to follow him through a guarded doorway.
• Gu Zhi told Yu Ci and Zhai Que'er that heavenly demons had made the Three Norths nearly impossible to enter or leave and that the society’s strength was concentrated there.
• Gu Zhi revealed that powerful figures from the Demon Sect, Sword Discussion Pavilion, Eight Sceneries Palace, and Kongyou Nunnery had come to Donghua Mountain.
• The auction displayed a Donghua Relic suspected to be a magical array’s central Dharma seal as Shen Wan awaited a major development.
• Gui Yan activated the right of first refusal and bid three drops of Xuanming True Water for the relic.

The owner of the Xuanming True Water bought the damaged Donghua Relic after raising the offer to five drops, and Shen Wan reflected on how the auction had kept the trade fair lively. Yu Ci examined the Dharma Seal and rejected Zhai Que'er’s proposal to turn Shen Wan into one of the Heavenly Demon Kin, before an imposing visitor arrived to meet them.

• The consignor refused the owner of the Xuanming True Water’s offer, and the bidder raised it to five drops to secure the Donghua Relic’s Dharma Seal.
• Shen Wan watched the lively exchange and considered how she had used the auctioneer to keep the trade fair active without undermining the organizer’s bidding privilege.
• Yu Ci examined the Dharma Seal through Guiyan’s perspective while Zhai Que'er asked him to let Guiyan plant a demonic seed in Shen Wan; Yu Ci refused.
• An attendant warned Shen Wan that someone outside was forcing their way in, and a powerful visitor appeared, filling the space with tyrannical sword intent as he demanded to meet her and the fellow Daoist.

Ghost Yan fought the swordsman identified as Ghost God Sword inside Suixin Pavilion while Shen Wan summoned help. Dao Hua True Man arrived and recognized Ghost Yan, leaving the gathering of Longevity True Men poised for an explanation.

• Ghost Yan and Ghost God Sword clashed, killing an attendant and forcing Shen Wan to activate the defensive arrays and raise an alarm.
• Ghost Yan turned the fight against Ghost God Sword, whose sword qi had to drive out demonic qi from his body.
• Suixin Pavilion’s combatant reinforcements arrived and called the intruder Ghost God Sword.
• Dao Hua True Man entered the room, and the pressure from the four Longevity True Men shattered the defensive arrays.
• Dao Hua True Man recognized Ghost Yan, who returned to physical form, removed his Black Robe, and demanded an explanation.

Ghost Weariness confronted Dao Hua True Man and Ghost God Sword while Shen Wan’s protection failed, then demanded to know why Concubine Tao had withdrawn. Concubine Tao appeared and, fearing Ghost Weariness’s notorious reputation, worried about the consequences of the standoff.

• Ghost Weariness and Dao Hua True Man exchanged barbed remarks after Ghost God Sword’s shriek shattered the barrier around Shen Wan.
• Ghost Weariness confirmed his true body had received his information and judged that his opponents were unlikely to risk a battle to the death.
• Suixin Pavilion’s offering withdrew, leaving Shen Wan exposed to the pressure of Dao Hua True Man and Ghost God Sword.
• Ghost Weariness asked who had withdrawn, and Shen Wan called Concubine Tao back into the room.
• Concubine Tao entered and feared Ghost Weariness, recalling his repeated escapes from Sword Discussion Pavilion and his growing notoriety.

Shen Wan gambled that Ghost Hater would back her play and escorted him from the damaged trading convention, with Concubine Tao forced to comply. Dao Hua True Man then asked Ghost Hater to reveal the exalted figure he served, leaving Ghost Hater to wonder how the rumor of a hidden master had spread so widely.

• Shen Wan ordered Concubine Tao to clear the unrelated people and damaged area, then asked Ghost Hater to accompany her to the main site.
• Ghost Hater agreed to Shen Wan's request, and Concubine Tao reluctantly accepted her instructions.
• Shen Wan reflected that she had risked her position on Ghost Hater's support and had won his backing, though she gained no security for her future.
• As Shen Wan and Ghost Hater were leaving, Dao Hua True Man asked to hear the name of Ghost Hater's supposed master on behalf of her allies and peers.
• Ghost Hater wondered how the rumor of a powerful figure behind him had reached Eight Sceneries Palace and Sword Discussion Pavilion, and recognized that his own conduct had helped fuel suspicion.

Yu Ci, posing as Ghost Yan, learned why the Eight Sceneries Palace wanted his moniker carved onto the Purple Extreme Yellow Diagram and discovered the treasure could shield those on the Divine Path from heavenly punishments. He remained wary of agreeing, especially because he had no suitable moniker and feared exposing himself to ridicule.

• Dao Hua True Man asked Ghost Yan for his honorific so the Eight Sceneries Palace could carve his name onto the Purple Extreme Yellow Diagram.
• Ghost Yan feigned disdain and secretly stole information about the diagram from Concubine Tao’s thoughts.
• Dao Hua True Man explained that having a name carved on the diagram could avert heavenly punishments during the coming tribulations.
• Ghost Yan learned that the Purple Extreme Yellow Diagram was an ancient treasure once used by the witchcraft god to invest spirits and monsters with divine authority.
• Ghost Yan discovered that the Karmaless Sword Immortal had damaged the diagram, but the Eight Sceneries Palace still used it to protect those on the Divine Path from disasters.

Gui Yan learned more about the Purple Extreme Yellow Diagram but refused the Eight Sceneries Palace’s invitation, then weighed its possible benefits and dangers while settling into a private auction room. As Shen Wan confided in him, he reached out to straighten her hairpins, and she froze.

• Gui Yan rejected the invitation to be listed on the Yellow Diagram and left with Shen Wan, despite Dao Hua True Man warning that the gathering would be a rare grand occasion.
• Shen Wan led Gui Yan to a private VIP room overlooking the auction, where he considered the diagram’s benefits, unknown costs, and the arrival of elite cultivators at Donghua Mountain.
• Gui Yan decided he needed to ask Zhai Que'er what she knew about the cultivators’ movements.
• Shen Wan asked whether Gui Yan believed in a deity, and he replied that having something to entrust oneself to was good.
• Gui Yan noticed Shen Wan’s three emerald hairpins were crooked and reached out to straighten them, causing her to freeze.

At the auction’s final lot, Ghost Weary focused on a damaged divine statue and an Innate Secret Treasure linked to Li Xia, while Shen Wan endured his teasing. After the owner of the Xuanming True Water chose the statue and arranged a secret face-to-face trade, Yu Ci and his companions left the hall and were stopped by Ghost God Sword.

• The auctioneer put ten drops of Xuanming True Water up for bidding, drawing a flood of public offers and secret bids.
• Ghost Weary teased Shen Wan, then selected a damaged divine statue and Li Xia’s bloodstained flying-wheel treasure as the items he wanted.
• Jiu Yan and Zhai Que'er decided to leave before the result, and Gu Zhi called Jiang Shangyan to go with them.
• The Xuanming True Water’s owner chose the divine statue and designated a secret bid for a face-to-face trade.
• Yu Ci and the others headed out, but Ghost God Sword blocked their path and demanded a greeting.

Yu Ci and Zhai Que'er encountered the Ghost God Sword and the Sage Wisdom Walker, who explained why the Sword Discussion Pavilion was granting access to Donghua Palace. The Ghost God Sword gave Yu Ci a token and invited him to a symposium at Taichu Peak in twenty days, leaving Yu Ci wondering what the pavilion hoped to uncover and why the Buddhist sect was involved.

• Zhai Que'er confronted the Ghost God Sword and the Sage Wisdom Walker as they blocked the way.
• The Ghost God Sword gave Yu Ci a sword token granting access to the Donghua Palace ruins and said discoveries had to be registered before departure.
• The Sage Wisdom Walker explained that the Sword Discussion Pavilion sought secrets behind the Northern Demonic Tribulation and asked Yu Ci to reveal his true face.
• The Ghost God Sword said token holders were expected at a symposium, then invited Yu Ci to Taichu Peak in twenty days.
• Yu Ci considered the factions' conflicting aims and wondered why the Sword Discussion Pavilion had involved the Buddhist sect.

Yu Ci questioned Sage Wisdom Walker about her journey east and realized he needed scriptures to spread his Divine Lord faith. Gui Yan gave Shen Wan a True Text Spirit Talisman before leaving, while Shen Wan feared that her connection to him would cost her position at Suixin Pavilion.

• Yu Ci asked Sage Wisdom Walker why she had come east, and she explained that Eight Sceneries Palace had invited her and that she was seeking a Buddhist artifact.
• Ghost God Sword interrupted their conversation, and Yu Ci resolved to deal with the magical artifact in Gui Yan's possession as soon as he returned.
• Shen Wan asked Gui Yan whether his master had passed down scriptures, prompting Yu Ci to recognize that a Divine Lord needed doctrine and canonical texts to spread his faith.
• Gui Yan told Shen Wan that his master's fundamental scriptures were not lightly transmitted, but gave her a True Text Spirit Talisman intended for those with affinity.
• After Gui Yan left, Shen Wan feared that his identity as the notorious devil Gui Yan would let her rivals use Grand Elder Pavilion to remove her from Suixin Pavilion.

Yu Ci discovered that the red-skinned gourd contained Pratyekabuddha Dharma Realm Shards and asked Xu Bo and Huo Lian to investigate its origins. Their examination linked the gourd to Sword Discussion Pavilion, and Yu Ci demonstrated its sword power as the chapter ended.

• Yu Ci secretly collected sand-like Pratyekabuddha Dharma Realm Shards from the gourd while Xu Bo and Huo Lian examined it.
• Yu Ci recalled his vow to gather the shards and reasoned that their presence in the gourd suggested they had been gathered through some process.
• Xu Bo and Huo Lian determined that the gourd and its poisonous sand had been refined by different methods.
• Xu Bo recognized the gourd's technique as Sword Discussion Pavilion's Gentle Finger-Twisting, a method associated with a batch of experimental artifacts.
• Huo Lian tried to inspect the empty gourd's function but realized it would need to be ritually tempered anew.
• Yu Ci struck the gourd with force, releasing Sword Qi that cut a deep mark into the ground.

Yu Ci investigated the poisonous sand in the sword Qi gourd, uncovering clues that pointed to custom-refined Qingtan sand from Lan Hai Mountain, then entrusted the gourd to Xu Bo and Huolian for study. Meanwhile, Shen Wan finally understood the True Text Spirit Talisman, whose revealed meaning was “Death.”

• Yu Ci questioned Xu Bo and Huolian about the sword Qi gourd and learned that its poisonous sand was a separate Dharma implement that had been fitted into it.
• Huolian identified the sand as custom-refined Qingtan Dark Tide Sand from Lan Hai Mountain and recognized Buddhist mantras used in its refinement, while Yu Ci noted the clues and potential sources.
• Yu Ci asked Xu Bo and Huolian to study the gourd and prepare a comprehensive report after the trading convention, then instructed Gui Yan and completed his homework with Zhai Que'er.
• After Zhai Que'er left, Yu Ci felt a resonance from Shen Wan, who remained in the VIP room and recalled Gui Yan's touch and the talisman pattern.
• Shen Wan deciphered the True Text Spirit Talisman, and its meaning became clear to her as “Death.”

Shen Wan was overwhelmed by the True Text Spirit Talisman’s revelation of her fears about Lei Zheng, Rong Chang, and Concubine Tao, then begged the hidden Lord to save her. She chose the talisman’s meaning of “life” and asked for the Lord’s grace.

• The True Text Spirit Talisman dragged Shen Wan into a nightmare of Lei Zheng, Rong Chang, Concubine Tao, and the forces threatening her and the Shen Family.
• Shen Wan reasoned that the talisman itself must hold the way out, but its distant light could not break through the gloom.
• Shen Wan cried out for help and admitted she would let the powerful Lord do whatever he wanted if he could free her.
• The talisman’s script revealed the opposing meanings of life and death, changing endlessly between them.
• Shen Wan chose “life” and begged for the Lord’s grace.

Yu Ci watched Shen Wan struggle to connect with the Life and Death Talisman until her sincere prayer created Faith Power and drew her into its overwhelming true intent. Her confused dream left her mind and body open to the talisman’s power, which began to imprint itself on her.

• Yu Ci recognized that Shen Wan’s weak spiritual foundation and unprepared state had caused her to suffer backlash from touching the True Text Spirit Talisman.
• Shen Wan sensed a barrier between herself and the Life and Death Talisman, then offered her body and mind to the Lord in a prayer rooted in genuine faith.
• Shen Wan’s Faith Power connected with the talisman, and its power pulled her away from the dreamlike scene of Lei Zheng, Rong Chang, and Concubine Tao.
• Shen Wan experienced a disorienting dream of celestial halls and divine intimacy, while Yu Ci’s distant gaze appeared as a blazing sun.
• Yu Ci realized that the talisman’s overwhelming information had clouded Shen Wan’s awareness and left her body and mind open for its power to flow through her.

Shen Wan awakened from a lustful dream and used a mysterious cultivation method from the Supreme Lord to enter a Yin-Yang state. Gui Yan defeated Concubine Tao, gave Shen Wan a jade slip with the Supreme Lord’s requested items, and left Concubine Tao in her custody.

• Shen Wan woke from her dream in a disheveled state as Gui Yan entered the room.
• Shen Wan prayed to the Supreme Lord and entered a wondrous state in which her Yin and Yang energies intertwined.
• Concubine Tao entered, mistook the scene for an affair between Shen Wan and Gui Yan, and lowered his guard before Gui Yan attacked him.
• Concubine Tao tried to flee, but Gui Yan opened the void and captured him.
• Gui Yan handed Shen Wan a jade slip with the Supreme Lord’s requested items, then returned and left Concubine Tao standing beside her.

Ghost Ann arrived at Xu Bo’s ruined shop after a Black Heaven Cult member attacked Xu Bo and Huo Lian for the red-skinned gourd. Sage Wisdom Walker found a Buddhist affinity in the gourd and asked to study it, but Xu Bo and Huo Lian refused to lend it without Jiu Yan’s permission.

• Ghost Ann found the Black Heaven Cult member beaten nearly unconscious, with Xu Bo and Huo Lian injured but alive.
• Sage Wisdom Walker picked up the red-skinned gourd and poured out its toxic sand while Lei Tonghao and Ghost Ann watched.
• Sage Wisdom Walker sensed a Buddhist affinity in the sand and analyzed its layers of empowered Sanskrit incantations.
• Sage Wisdom Walker asked Ghost Ann for permission to take the gourd away for further study.
• Ghost Ann reminded Sage Wisdom Walker that Jiu Yan had lent the gourd to Xu Bo and Huo Lian, and the two men refused to lend it again before fulfilling their agreement.

Gui Yan learned that Donghua Mountain might be attracting the Demon Tribulation Tide and that Sword Discussion Pavilion was gathering powerful cultivators to investigate before entering the Donghua Palace ruins. Ten days before the planned entry, Yu Ci reached a crowded summit and reunited with Duanmu Senqiu as Ye Chi approached.

• Gui Yan urged Lei Tonghao and Sage Wisdom Walker to investigate the unconscious Black Heaven Cult disciple, ensuring the incident would be examined by all parties.
• Sage Wisdom Walker relayed Senior Brother Xiang’s warning that Donghua Mountain and the Donghua Palace ruins might be attracting the Demon Tribulation Tide and concealing passages between inside and outside.
• On the morning of the sixth day, Yu Ci and Zhai Que'er climbed Pingbei Peak, where more than thirty cultivators, including many Longevity True Men and Void-Stepping powerhouses, had gathered.
• Yu Ci saw Sage Wisdom Walker, Dongyang Orthodox Sect cultivators led by Zhan Ji, and Ye Chi among those invited by Sword Discussion Pavilion.
• Duanmu Senqiu greeted Yu Ci and asked him to look after him at the gathering, and Ye Chi then walked over to Yu Ci.

Yu Ci and Ye Chi met at Pingbei Peak as cultivators gathered to discuss the demon calamity. After a Rain Demon Cloud appeared north of Donghua Mountain, the Ghost God Sword began explaining the crisis and displayed a map of the true realm.

• Duanmu Senqiu praised Yu Ci for making contact with Half-Mountain Island, and Ye Chi approached Yu Ci.
• Ye Chi told Yu Ci that the Sword Discussion Pavilion had summoned practitioners to plan against the demons and that he had come specifically to find him.
• Yu Ci and Ye Chi noticed a vast Rain Demon Cloud advancing toward Donghua Mountain, while fleeing people and creatures crossed into the mountain region.
• The Ghost God Sword explained that the demon calamity had spread across the southern realm and that the gathering aimed to investigate why it had concentrated around Donghua Mountain.
• The Ghost God Sword described a plan to destroy conduits between the true realm and outer domains and revealed a detailed map of the true realm.

The Ghost God Sword called for powerful cultivators to investigate the demonic tribulation and Donghua Palace, then led a group toward the Rain Demon Cloud. Yu Ci agreed to take Ye Chi along, and Duanmu Senqiu joined them as they flew into the clouds.

• The Ghost God Sword showed that sixteen suspected passages had appeared and announced another at Donghua Mountain.
• The Ghost God Sword urged capable cultivators to probe the Rain Demon Cloud and flew north with Sage Wisdom Walker and Dao Hua True Man.
• Ten Void Stepping Sword Cultivator from the Sword Discussion Pavilion remained behind to supervise the cultivators on the peak.
• Ye Chi told Yu Ci she wanted to follow the group and asked him to look after her, while Zhai Que'er came over to greet her.
• Yu Ci agreed to bring Ye Chi, Duanmu Senqiu joined them, and the group flew into the clouds after the leaders.