Chapter Summaries

Yu Ci reflected on the value of his magical artifacts after the Zhaoshen Map vanished, then discussed the sect’s plans for Sky Valley with Yu Zhou. Yu Zhou suggested that Yu Ci support Xie Yan in Juebi City, and mentioned that Qianbao had a useful method for cultivation.

• Yu Ci confirmed that the Zhaoshen Bronze Mirror still worked but could no longer summon the Zhaoshen Map, and considered learning more about the artifacts he owned.
• Yu Ci visited Yu Zhou, who told him that the Two Realms Passage in Sky Valley had been sealed and the demon hunt was nearly over.
• Yu Zhou explained that Li You would return to the mountain gate for seclusion, leaving Xie Yan to oversee Juebi City.
• Yu Zhou suggested that Yu Ci go to Juebi City to support Xie Yan and said the change of environment might help his cultivation.
• Yu Zhou told Yu Ci that Qianbao had an effective method for cultivation.

Yu Zhou realized that refining magic treasures could connect them to his Inner Void, then used the Zhaoshen Bronze Mirror to shape a world reflecting his past, present, and future. Discovering his mind-imagery triggered a breakthrough that carried him into the middle stage of communicating with the spirit.

• Old Daoist Yu Zhou explained that Xuan Yuan Gen Ben Qi Fa could make talisman craft and cultivation advance together, and gave Yu Zhou the Tiangang Disha Refining Method to study.
• The old man told Yu Zhou that Xie Liang’s deeper insight was to unite the Moral, Scholarly, and Disciplinary Branches into a seamless whole, prompting Yu Zhou to rush away with a sudden inspiration.
• Yu Zhou realized that refining could connect his magic treasures to his form and spirit, and brought the Zhaoshen Bronze Mirror’s projection into his Inner Void.
• Yu Zhou shaped the Inner Void around the moon as his past, the mountain forest as his present, and the outer darkness as his future, then discovered his mind-imagery at the forest’s center.
• Yu Zhou’s true spirit emerged as the barrier around it peeled away, and he broke through to the middle stage of communicating with the spirit.

Yu Ci defeated Bao De in a martial arena bout, then learned that his newly formed Yin God and incomplete mind image still lacked a guiding principle and proper control. After recognizing that fear of the dangers in Juebi City had kept him from accepting his role as a Li Chen Sect disciple, he agreed to go there.

• Yu Ci won eight consecutive matches, forcing Bao De to retreat before Yu Zhou stopped the bout.
• Yu Zhou challenged Yu Ci and defeated him after half an hour, then asked how Yu Ci had discovered his mind image.
• Yu Ci explained how the Zhaoshen Bronze Mirror and structural reasoning had helped him make the mind image concrete, while Yu Zhou warned that it remained incomplete and lacked a guiding principle.
• Yu Zhou advised Yu Ci to go to Juebi City to temper his will, and Yu Ci realized that fear of the conspiracy there had made him hesitate.
• Yu Ci recognized that he would represent Li Chen Sect in Juebi City and accepted the journey.

Yu Ci received a fish-dragon to deliver to Juebi City and a Dharma seal to aid his cultivation, while the old man empowered him to handle the city’s affairs according to his own judgment. On reaching Juebi City, Yu Ci diverted to Youqiu Palace on the Xuan Yin Celestial’s birthday and sensed qi undulations from the Dharma assembly.

• The old man gave Yu Ci a caged fish-dragon to take to Senior Brother Xie in Juebi City for a treasure-exchange banquet.
• The old man gave Yu Ci a Big Dipper Stone Dharma seal and explained his connections with Senior Brother Lu, Junior Brother Qianbao, and Senior Brother Xie.
• The old man told Yu Ci to use his own judgment in managing Juebi City’s affairs and to make the sect’s will easier for others to carry out.
• After traveling for half a month, Yu Ci reached Juebi City and learned that believers were celebrating the Xuan Yin Celestial’s birthday at Youqiu Palace.
• Yu Ci followed the crowds into Youqiu Palace and sensed qi undulations spreading from the Dharma assembly in the inner courtyard.

Yu Ci visited the Xuan Yin Sect’s birthday assembly to investigate its ties to the Rakshasa Ghost King and spoke with Master Ming Lan about Juebi City. Ming Lan then reported his visit to Crimson Yin Female Immortal, who dismissed the city’s affairs but revealed she intended to destroy the family of someone who had cared for her.

• Yu Ci examined the Xuan Yin inscriptions, noticed their account of Xuan Yin Celestial meeting the Rakshasa King, and considered the Rakshasa Sect’s influence over the Xuan Yin Sect.
• Master Ming Lan approached Yu Ci, and he introduced himself as a Li Chen Sect representative and asked what the Xuan Yin Sect thought of Juebi City.
• Yu Ci suggested that he would speak with Crimson Yin Female Immortal later and left the palace.
• Ming Lan joined the chanting at the assembly, then went to see Crimson Yin Female Immortal after noticing the figure leading the ritual.
• Ming Lan told Crimson Yin about Yu Ci and his past conflict with Bai Ri Mansion, but Crimson Yin said Yu Zhou and Xie Yan handled Juebi City’s affairs and that she would soon return to the East Sea.
• Crimson Yin said she would fulfill a prior agreement by leaving a man with a ruined home and dead family before she returned.

Yu Ci arrived at Bai Ri Mansion to take over Juebi City’s affairs, then practiced refining his Dao Scripture Master Treasure Seal while waiting to meet Xie Yan. Xie Yan suddenly attacked him with his sword, but Yu Ci instinctively countered and ended with his sword at Xie Yan’s throat.

• Yu Ci reached Bai Ri Mansion with Li You, while Jin Huan stayed away and Jin Chuan and Kuang Yanqi accompanied them to greet him.
• Yu Ci completed the second layer of talisman refining on the Dao Scripture Master Treasure Seal and tested how it strengthened his talisman arts.
• Yu Ci considered the fish-dragon that Xie Yan had requested for the Treasure Exchange Banquet.
• An overwhelming Sword Qi destroyed Yu Ci’s courtyard, and Xie Yan challenged him to speak with his sword.
• Yu Ci fought back with the Pure Yang Talisman Sword and found its tip pressed against Xie Yan’s throat when the exchange ended.
• Li You arrived and called out to Martial Uncle Xie.

Yu Ci met Xie Yan, who tested his sword and then took him into the sky with the fish-dragon. Xie Yan ordered Yu Ci to care for the creature before the Treasure Exchange Banquet, then revealed that Yu Zhou was about to die.

• Yu Ci stabbed Xie Yan in the throat with his talisman sword, but Xie Yan was unharmed and called his sword intent direct and ruthless.
• Xie Yan freed the fish-dragon from its cage, caught it with his sword Qi, and carried Yu Ci and the creature high above Juebi City.
• Xie Yan told Yu Ci to learn a spirit-control technique, keep the fish-dragon free-range, and nourish it until the Treasure Exchange Banquet.
• When Yu Ci objected to Xie Yan's commands, Xie Yan praised his resemblance to Yu Zhou and said Yu Zhou was about to die.

Yu Ci learned to control a fish-dragon while Xie Yan explained why he needed the Golden Bone Jade Disc to extend Yu Zhou’s life. Meanwhile, Kuang Yanqi reflected on his lost chance to return to the Li Chen Sect, then encountered Tu Du emerging from seclusion and realized something was wrong with his shadow.

• Xie Yan told Yu Ci that he intended to obtain the Golden Bone Jade Disc to prolong Yu Zhou’s life and asked Yu Ci to help control a fish-dragon.
• Yu Ci studied the spirit-control art and used his vital qi to lure and feed the fish-dragon.
• Xie Yan questioned whether Yu Zhou had revealed his own way of pursuing immortality, while Lu Yang organized Bai Ri Mansion to receive him.
• Kuang Yanqi lamented that Jin Chuan’s decision to stay at the mansion had likely ended his own chance to return to the Li Chen Sect.
• Kuang Yanqi spotted Tu Du’s figure among the shadows, greeted him as he emerged from seclusion, then saw the shadow beneath Tu Du rise as black mist.

Yu Ci reviewed the cultivators arriving for Juebi City's Treasure-Trading Banquet while caring for the fish-dragon at Tianyi Tower. Sha Cong and Zhao Ziyue arrived uninvited, and Zhao Ziyue's lion cat revealed mismatched yellow and blue eyes.

• Yu Ci watched the fish-dragon and reflected on Xie Yan's judgment that it had lost its own Dao.
• Geng Fu gave Yu Ci a roster of cultivators who had recently arrived in Juebi City for the Treasure-Trading Banquet.
• Yu Ci learned that the Suixin Pavilion caravan had been attacked by bandits, though its treasures remained safe.
• Sha Cong broke through Tianyi Tower's barrier, entered the Cloud Bamboo Garden, and offered to buy Yu Ci's fish-dragon.
• Zhao Ziyue joined Sha Cong, and his lion cat's yellow and blue eyes flashed as it yawned.

Yu Ci confronted Zhao Ziyue’s group over their attempt to take his fish-dragon and set rules for their participation in Juebi City’s Treasure Exchange Banquet. A clash between Zhao Ziyue and Lu Mingyue threatened Tianyi Tower, and Jin Chuan pressed Yu Ci to intervene.

• Zhao Ziyue tried to buy Yu Ci’s fish-dragon, but Yu Ci refused and ordered him and Sha Cong to leave the banquet floor.
• Sha Cong threatened to take the fish-dragon, and Geng Fu identified Yu Ci as a prominent Li Chen Sect figure, prompting Zhao Ziyue to soften his approach.
• Jin Chuan arrived and began introducing Zhao Ziyue when a wounded man fell from the skybridge, pursued by Sword Qi.
• Zhao Ziyue rescued the falling man and fought Lu Mingyue, whose attack sent shockwaves through Tianyi Tower.
• Yu Ci told Geng Fu to warn Zhao Ziyue’s group that they could trade at the banquet but would be expelled if they forced transactions again.
• Jin Chuan pointed out that the battle might bring down Tianyi Tower and asked Yu Ci to stop it.

Yu Ci used Xie Yan’s sword to end the fight between Lu Mingyue and Zhao Ziyue, then considered his plans for securing influence and support in Juebi City. Later, Lu Mingyue secretly left the city and entered an underground chamber where a monk performed a ritual on a corpse.

• Jin Chuan asked Yu Ci to intervene in the battle, and Yu Ci told him to separate the fighters.
• Xie Yan unleashed a waterfall of sword pressure that forced Lu Mingyue and Zhao Ziyue to crash to the ground and stop fighting.
• Jin Chuan, Geng Fu, Zhao Ziyue, and Lu Mingyue left Tianyi Tower, while Yu Ci reflected on his goals in Juebi City and his alliance with Xie Yan.
• After returning to Tianyi Tower and spending the night with courtesans, Lu Mingyue secretly used earth escape to leave Juebi City.
• Lu Mingyue reached an underground stone chamber, where a bare-shouldered monk pressed a golden disc to a corpse’s crown and shattered its skull.

Lu Mingyue learned that the sect had ordered him to leave Juebi City and return, then recalled a scent recorded by the Moon Demon puppet that might connect to Tianyi Tower. As the Treasure Exchange Banquet approached, Yu Ci accepted Zhao Ziyue’s apology above the cliff summit.

• Lu Mingyue watched the monk heal the wounded body on the stone platform and complained that Xie Yan had humiliated him.
• The monk told Lu Mingyue to return to the sect within a month and take the damaged Moon Demon puppet with him.
• While testing the puppet, Lu Mingyue remembered that it had recorded a scent from Tianyi Tower.
• Yu Ci spent the days preparing for the Treasure Exchange Banquet as the Suixin Pavilion caravan arrived in Juebi City.
• Zhao Ziyue apologized to Yu Ci for their clash eight days earlier and presented him with Black Tide Blood Paste.
• Yu Ci accepted Zhao Ziyue’s gift above the cliff summit, three hours before the banquet began.

Yu Ci spoke with Zhao Ziyue about the fish-dragon and the coming treasure-exchanging feast, while Zhao Ziyue assessed the forces in Juebi City and warned his companions against major dealings. Xie Yan then took Yu Ci to Tianyi Tower ahead of the feast, leaving Zhao Ziyue’s group cautious about becoming entangled in the city’s turmoil.

• Zhao Ziyue apologized to Yu Ci and discussed the movements of Bai Ri Mansion, the Wanling Sect, and other forces in Juebi City.
• Yu Ci reflected on his fish-dragon and his inability to restore the Zhaoshen Map as Zhao Ziyue tried to buy the creature and criticized the feast’s lack of an advance inventory.
• Yu Ci declined to sell the fish-dragon, and Zhao Ziyue left the cliff after offering to arrange other trades.
• Xie Yan arrived, praised Yu Ci’s fish-dragon, and took him to Tianyi Tower before the treasure-exchanging feast began.
• Zhao Ziyue told Sha Cong and the others to suspend major business in Juebi City while continuing small, legitimate trades.

While waiting for the treasure exchange banquet, Yu Ci’s soul-sense perception broke through into the Inner Void and revealed a vivid image of Geng Fu. The Zhaoshen Bronze Mirror then heated sharply against his arm as the banquet began, leaving Yu Ci with a startling discovery he could not yet investigate.

• Geng Fu escorted Xie Yan and Yu Ci to Cloud Bamboo Garden, where Xie Yan rested and Yu Ci watched Juebi City’s evening lights.
• Yu Ci used the Star-Linking secret method to draw talismans, then strengthened his soul-sense perception with a Five Directions Spirit Communication Talisman.
• Yu Ci’s perception merged with the central lake of his Inner Void and connected it to Cloud Bamboo Garden, though the gathered cultivators’ tangled auras made them difficult to distinguish.
• A plump fat man entered Yu Ci’s perception, and Yu Ci’s spiritual awareness broke through a barrier, bringing the man into vivid focus like an image from the Zhaoshen Map.
• Xie Yan called Yu Ci back to the real world as the guests prepared to enter the banquet hall, and the Zhaoshen Bronze Mirror grew scorching hot against Yu Ci’s arm.
• Xie Yan led the prominent guests into the banquet hall as the music began and the treasure exchange banquet opened.

Yu Ci attended Suixin Pavilion’s treasure-exchange banquet with Xie Yan and watched the guests gather before the first artifact was revealed. Shi Song, the absent master of the Wanling Sect, arrived unexpectedly, leaving Jin Huan visibly shocked.

• Yu Ci observed Jin Huan, Kuang Yanqi, Zhao Ziyue, Lu Mingyue, and Monk Yi Xin among the banquet guests.
• Chiyin arrived and took her seat opposite Yu Ci, whose anxiety suddenly eased.
• Suixin Pavilion manager Zhou Youde arrived and presented five Western Buddhist Kingdom artifacts through a smoke-tree display.
• Zhou Youde introduced the Tongxin Xi Ring and described its protective powers and ability to communicate with beasts.
• After Monk Yi Xin noted the ring’s usefulness to the Wanling Sect, Shi Song entered and announced his arrival, stunning Jin Huan.

At the Treasure-Trading Banquet, Xie Yan learned that the Golden Bone Jade Disc had been exchanged away by an unknown person and left in anger. Yu Ci returned to the banquet, where Shi Song offered a strange bone instrument in exchange for the Tongxin Xi Ring as dawn brightened the sky.

• Shi Song thanked Xie Yan and Yu Ci, then glared at his old enemy Jin Huan.
• Xie Yan asked Zhou Youde about the Golden Bone Jade Disc and learned that an unknown person had taken it after the pavilion acquired it.
• Xie Yan left the banquet and advised Yu Ci to follow a clear path and act decisively before flying away.
• Yu Ci returned to the banquet, reassured the guests about Xie Yan, and noticed that the Zhaoshen Bronze Mirror had subtly changed.
• Shi Song offered a bone instrument for the Tongxin Xi Ring and played its eerie, many-voiced whistle as the night sky began to brighten.

Shi Song's confrontation with Jin Huan erupted into a coordinated attack on the Bai Ri Mansion Lord, and the fight spread into the skies above Juebi City. As the city fell into chaos, Yu Ci stepped forward to assert the Li Chen Sect's control.

• Shi Song challenged Jin Huan over the Wanling Sect's devastating attack by demons and monsters, while flashes of fire outside signaled trouble.
• Crimson Yin stabbed Jin Huan, and Monk Yi Xin struck him with a Vajra Pestle as Jin Huan fled through Tianyi Tower's shattered roof.
• Lu Mingyue and Dong Yan crossed sword attacks through Jin Huan, while flames burned across Dan Cliff.
• Jin Huan summoned the Myriad Radiance Pearl and wounded Dong Yan with its scarlet rays before Shi Song and a gigantic serpent joined the battle.
• The battle damaged Tianyi Tower and sent people fleeing, until Yu Ci descended and declared that the Li Chen Sect controlled Juebi City's fate.

Yu Ci helped the four sects crush Bai Ri Mansion’s influence in Juebi City and negotiated with Zhou Youde to seek a life-extending treasure for Xie Yan’s elder. As the battle over Dan Cliff reached its climax, Hu Dan declared Bai Ri Mansion finished.

• Yu Ci’s allies captured Bai Ri Mansion personnel in Tianyi Tower, while Jin Huan fled with the Myriad Radiance Pearl after the serpent shadow carried him away.
• Yu Ci explained Xie Yan’s situation to Zhou Youde and secured an agreement that Suixin Pavilion would notify him if it found a life-extending treasure.
• Yu Ci and Hu Dan joined the others in Cloud Bamboo Garden as the four sects continued their assault on Bai Ri Mansion.
• Yu Ci reflected that his revelation of Li Chen Sect’s lack of protection for Bai Ri Mansion had helped spur the four-sect alliance and seal Jin Huan’s defeat.
• Golden light erupted from Dan Cliff, tearing through bodies, and Hu Dan announced that Bai Ri Mansion was finished.

Yu Ci watched the four sects break through Bai Ri Mansion’s defenses and join the battle against Jin Huan, then used his spiritual soul to move the Zhaoshen Bronze Mirror for the first time. As the fighting continued, Kuang Yanqi’s hidden shadow appeared and asked what treasure Yu Ci had displayed on Tianyi Tower.

• Hu Dan explained that the Ten Lands Golden Light Array had injured the attackers but was a one-use defense, and the four sects soon broke through Bai Ri Mansion’s upper defenses.
• Jin Huan struck Dong Yan with the Myriad Radiance Pearl after a ray of golden light disrupted Dong Yan’s flight, shifting the advantage in the aerial battle.
• Hu Dan joined Shi Song, Yi Xin, and Lu Mingyue against Jin Huan, helping them pressure him as Lu Mingyue wounded his shoulder.
• Yu Ci watched the fighting and vowed to uncover the foundations of the people he intended to control in Juebi City.
• Geng Fu approached Yu Ci, and the Zhaoshen Bronze Mirror drew in Yu Ci’s spiritual intent; Yu Ci used his Yin spirit to move the mirror within his sleeve.
• Kuang Yanqi’s hidden shadow appeared and asked about the treasure displayed on Tianyi Tower, saying its aura felt familiar but its name eluded him.

Kuang Yanqi confronted the Shadow Puppet inhabiting Tu Du’s Yin Spirit while Yu Ci learned to wield the Zhaoshen Bronze Mirror through his Yin Spirit. The mirror’s starlight spread across the area by entering living beings, and Yu Ci realized its scattered viewpoints resembled the Zhaoshen Map before detecting two people on the cliff.

• Kuang Yanqi remembered swallowing a Heavenly Demon Seed after the Shadow Puppet promised to take him north and teach him demonic cultivation.
• Yu Ci lodged his Yin Spirit in the Zhaoshen Bronze Mirror and discovered that its starlight could transform his soul-sense and illuminate nearby living beings.
• Yu Ci’s first starlight colored the beautiful maid outside Cloud Bamboo Garden, while another point already lodged in Geng Fu explained the mirror’s earlier effect on him.
• Yu Ci found that the starlight could not penetrate the Core Formation cultivators, but it reached people elsewhere and spread his vision across the surroundings.
• Hundreds of points of starlight poured from the mirror, illuminating people and completing Yu Ci’s mastery of its power.
• Yu Ci recognized that the illuminated viewpoints resembled the Zhaoshen Map and detected two people on the cliff outside Tianyi Tower.