Chapter Summaries

Yu Ci uncovered evidence in a lake-bottom manor that linked the Creation Sword Immortal’s research into the Witch God to Yang Zhu’s Manifesting Gauze. The chapter left Yu Ci waiting for Yang Zhu’s explanation while Shadow Ghost concluded that the Creation Sword Immortal had ultimately been forced to rely on outside help.

• Yu Ci learned that Zhang Yan had been seized by Li Bocai after being found with Ling Jiao, and he used the fish-dragon’s memories to inspect their hidden manor.
• Yu Ci discovered that the manor’s sword marks had preserved it for over a millennium and inferred that the Creation Sword Immortal had been studying the Witch God there.
• Yu Ci recognized that the sword intent in the manor matched the brushwork of Yang Zhu’s high-imitation Manifesting Gauze.
• Yu Ci contacted Madam Huanyong to seek an explanation from Yang Zhu, while Shadow Ghost examined the manor through the fish-dragon’s perspective.
• Shadow Ghost said the Creation Sword Immortal had failed to deal with the Witch God and had been forced to borrow external strength.

Yu Ci investigated the Creation Sword Immortal’s influence on Yang Zhu and the Xuan Huang Killing Sword’s history, while Shadow Ghost fell into a deep silence over the revelations. Meanwhile, Xue Zhi fled the Su Family Manor with Baiyi and was brought before a powerful female cultivator who claimed to have known Heavenly Monarch Yuanxu for sixty years.

• Shadow Ghost taught Yu Ci how to read the sword scars and infer the Creation Sword Immortal’s designs from the changes in them.
• Yang Zhu sent word that he recognized sects but would not be influenced by Creation, and revealed that the Creation Sword Immortal and Extreme Ancestor had both played roles in the Xuan Huang Killing Sword’s journey through the northern lands.
• Yu Ci wondered whether Shadow Ghost knew what had happened to Xuan Huang at the Sword Garden, but Shadow Ghost gave no answer and grew more withdrawn.
• Yu Ci returned to his true body to seek Yu Qing Xuan’s help with the journey to Xi Yu Lake and to discuss Zhao Xiangshan’s trap for Zhu Yang.
• Xue Zhi left the Su Family Manor with Baiyi, who restrained her and revealed a female cultivator waiting aboard the boat.
• The female cultivator greeted Xue Zhi and said she had known Heavenly Monarch Yuanxu for sixty years.

Crimson Yin and Baiyi revealed their connection to the notorious Flower Demon and used a memory-altering divine ability to erase or rewrite Xue Zhi’s memories. Xue Zhi awoke believing she had spent the night with Baiyi and was heading to Baiyi’s residence at Yuanjun Pingzhi’s home, unaware of what had been done to her.

• Crimson Yin introduced herself to Xue Zhi and, with Baiyi, exposed the Hundred Flower Brand on Xue Zhi’s arm, revealing Baiyi as the Flower Demon.
• Crimson Yin explained that a divine ability could alter or sever memories by changing the brain palace, and said it had helped conceal Baiyi’s identity from Madam Xia and Heavenly Monarch Yuanxu.
• Xue Zhi questioned Crimson Yin’s intentions and began asking whether they planned to act against Yuanxu, but Baiyi silenced her.
• Crimson Yin put Xue Zhi to sleep after warning her not to disturb the Heavenly Monarch.
• Xue Zhi awoke believing she had spent the night with Baiyi after fleeing her master and was traveling with her toward Baiyi’s residence at Yuanjun Pingzhi’s home.

Xue Zhi stayed at Xue Pingzhi’s residence under Baiyi’s protection while Xue Pingzhi questioned Baiyi and Crimson Yin about their actions and Madam Xia’s plans. At Yi Shui Ju, Xue Pingzhi studied the deduction traces from Xi Yu Lake, recognized the Method of Creation, and reacted sharply when Yu Ci revealed the Creation Sword Intent within them.

• Baiyi brought Xue Zhi to meet Xue Pingzhi and arranged a place for her to stay, explaining that protecting her would avoid trouble with Heavenly Monarch Yuanxu.
• Xue Pingzhi warned Baiyi about her unknown motives and questioned Crimson Yin, who reported Madam Xia’s agreement with Heavenly Monarch Yuanxu to invite him to the Witch Sect’s Lake Sacrifice Ceremony.
• Xue Pingzhi went to Yi Shui Ju, briefly met the awakened Ye Chi, and joined Yu Ci at the cold spring.
• Yu Ci showed Xue Pingzhi the deduction traces found at the bottom of Xi Yu Lake, and she spent hours studying their layered images.
• Xue Pingzhi identified the traces as the Method of Creation and asked about the true intent within them.
• Yu Ci revealed the Creation Sword Intent, causing Xue Pingzhi’s markings to shatter; she then ground the displayed scenes into dust.

Yu Ci and Xue Pingzhi deduced that the Creation Sword Immortal’s plan would alter the Yin Yang Method, transforming how spiritual subtlety and the world interacted. They concluded the scheme could reshape the True Realm’s cultivation system and might be launched around Heaven-Measuring and Yuan-Stabilizing, possibly using the Sorcerer Gods and the Thirty-Six Heavens as a springboard.

• Yu Ci showed Xue Pingzhi the Creation Sword Immortal’s deduced traces and asked her to interpret them.
• Xue Pingzhi explained that the Creation Sword Immortal aimed to let spiritual subtlety directly affect creation by changing the Yin Yang Method’s restrictions.
• Yu Ci and Xue Pingzhi considered how changing the Yin Yang Method could reshape the Nine Celestial Methods, cultivation, and society across the True Realm.
• Xue Pingzhi said the matter should be disclosed to the Xiyu Alliance and the Eight Sceneries Palace before the imminent gatherings.
• Yu Ci suspected the Creation Sword Immortal might use the Sorcerer Gods and the Thirty-Six Heavens of Shangqing to put the plan into motion around Heaven-Measuring and Yuan-Stabilizing.

Yu Ci and Xue Pingzhi discussed how to navigate the growing struggle around the Xi Yu Lake and prepared to meet Madam Xia in Flying Soul City. After empowering Xue Pingzhi to share perceptions, Yu Ci surveyed the city and saw that Madam Xia’s position had weakened against You Huang before appearing before her.

• Xue Pingzhi and Yu Ci agreed to assess which forces they could borrow as the lake sacrifice drew the factions toward Xi Yu Lake.
• Yu Ci connected Crimson Yin and Murong Qingyan to Madame Yellow Springs, then ordered You Rui to investigate Xue Zhi and reveal selected clues to Murong and others.
• Madam Xia accepted Yu Ci’s proposed conditions, and Yu Ci arranged to meet her in Flying Soul City in half an hour.
• Yu Ci offered Xue Pingzhi a chance to experience Yang Zhu’s Outer Path Deity empowerment method, and they tested how it could let them share perceptions.
• Yu Ci projected his will into Flying Soul City and saw that Madam Xia’s influence was weaker than You Huang’s and continuing to decline.
• Yu Ci located Madam Xia alone atop a central pavilion and appeared openly before her.

Yu Ci confronted Madam Xia about her unborn shaman fetus and uncovered a plan to combine the You, Xia, Su, and Tang bloodlines. Madam Xia admitted the preparations and begged him to help preserve the child, leaving Yu Ci to decide whether to intervene.

• Yu Ci demanded that Madam Xia confirm whether she carried a shaman fetus, and she admitted that the fetus had been created through the shaman-fetus method.
• Yu Ci explained that shaman fetuses were part of a plan to combine bloodlines, then deduced that another fetus had been prepared from the Su and Tang bloodlines.
• Madam Xia's reaction confirmed that Su Qizhe was involved, and she admitted that she had been making preparations with him and the other families.
• Madam Xia revealed that Ge Qiuniang carried a pure Tang bloodline and that Xue Zhi bore Xia blood markers, explaining their roles in the preparations.
• Madam Xia prostrated herself before Yu Ci and begged him to help preserve the shaman fetus in her womb.

Yu Ci questioned Madam Xia about her shamanic embryo and her request that he protect her bloodline, learning that she believed the Lake Sacrifice in four days could trigger a shamanic god’s reincarnation. He challenged her account and her motives, then began to force a final resolution as time ran short.

• Madam Xia knelt before Yu Ci and asked him to protect her bloodline, prompting him to question whether she truly trusted him and the Shangqing Sect.
• Madam Xia explained that the Lake Sacrifice was only four days away and claimed that preparations could make even an embryo bearing only the You and Xia bloodlines sufficient to bring about reincarnation.
• Yu Ci asked where You Can was, and Madam Xia said she did not know, though she believed he had become an Earth Immortal before disappearing after leaving behind a bloodline.
• Yu Ci reasoned that You Can had likely planted the shamanic embryo scheme in Madam Xia’s mind, leaving her to pursue it alone as the world’s upheaval disrupted her plans.
• Yu Ci told Madam Xia that her answers and attitude did not satisfy him, then loosened her hair and said they should reach a final conclusion immediately.

Yu Ci pressed Madam Xia to reveal her plans and allegiance, then she ordered Flying Soul City to begin preparations for the Lake Sacrifice. The group reached Xi Yu Lake, where Madam Xia placed Huangdi and the three elders in charge of inspecting the arrangements.

• Yu Ci tested Madam Xia’s defenses and pressured her to explain what she and You Can intended to do.
• When Madam Xia tried to evade his questions, Yu Ci made their clashing powers visible across the city and warned that her support among the Witch people could fade.
• Madam Xia emerged before her retainers and ordered them to prepare to set off for the Lake Sacrifice.
• Flying Soul City linked its guiding array to the Three Origins Secret Array at Xi Yu Lake.
• You Huang, You Rui, Murong Qingyan, and three elders of the Ancestral Witch Hall traveled with Madam Xia to Xi Yu Lake, where she told everyone to rest and assigned Huangdi and the elders to inspect the sacrificial arrangements.

Madam Xia sent You Huang to manage Flying Soul City's confrontation with Sword Discussion Pavilion while she entered seclusion for the Lake Sacrifice. After a secret room revealed that Su Shuanghe’s Shadow Step Cloak was missing, Li Bocai negotiated the sword cultivators’ withdrawal, and You Huang headed beneath Xi Yu Lake to inspect the sacrificial altar.

• Madam Xia ordered You Huang to stay out of the lake and handle Sword Discussion Pavilion’s search of Su Shuanghe’s estate.
• You Huang entered the estate, where Peng Suo blocked him, but an unseen presence slipped into and out of a newly opened secret room.
• You Huang and Peng Suo found a Mirage Jade Slip showing that the Shadow Step Cloak had vanished from the chamber.
• Li Bocai arrived and spent fifteen hours negotiating with You Huang until Sword Discussion Pavilion withdrew from the estate.
• You Huang checked the lake and its altar before traveling toward the lakebed demon kingdom to inspect the site where Su Shuanghe’s second Primordial Spirit had perished.

You Huang investigated the pursuit of Su Shuanghe’s second Primordial Spirit while Chu Yuanxiang questioned him about the battle beneath Xi Yu Lake. Meanwhile, Yu Ci learned that Zhao Xiangshan’s fabricated evidence had steered You Huang’s suspicions, and news arrived that Miss Rui had survived an attack in the manor.

• You Huang inspected a Mirage Shell listing powerful factions heading toward the Water World, then diverted into Flying Soul City’s secret mansion after sensing something there.
• Chu Yuanxiang entered the mansion to investigate Su Shuanghe’s escape and destruction, but You Huang declined his invitation to explore the lake bottom together.
• After Chu Yuanxiang left, You Huang reviewed the chain of events and wondered whether Su Shuanghe had learned something about the truth.
• Yu Ci praised Zhao Xiangshan for planting false evidence about the Shadow Step Cloak, and Zhao explained how You Huang’s habits made him vulnerable to manipulation.
• Zhao Xiangshan received word that Miss Rui had been attacked in the manor but was unharmed, and Yu Ci identified the incident as a way of releasing information.

Yu Ci and Zhao Xiangshan discussed how rumors about the Shadow Step arts could force the Heavenly Evasion Sect to act, while You Huang grew alarmed that an unknown mastermind was steering events around Madam Xia and the witch embryo. You Huang inspected the Lake Sacrifice preparations, then descended into Xi Yu Lake’s demon kingdom and contacted someone hidden in the water veins.

• Yu Ci considered how rumors about the Ghost King Lock Ring and Shadow Step arts could draw the Heavenly Evasion Sect into the conflict and leave it scrambling for control.
• You Huang concluded that the mastermind might be manipulating events and feared Madam Xia could not be protected once the Lake Sacrifice began.
• You Huang inspected the altar preparations with You Lou and two Longevity Realm elders, then continued deeper into Xi Yu Lake to assess the surrounding activity.
• You Huang used his resemblance to the lakebed demons to conceal his divine intent as he entered a special layer of the water veins and received a greeting from an unseen contact.

You Huang learned that his elder brother You Can, trapped between the Water World and the True Realm by a corrupted Dao Integration, planned to be reborn through a sorcery fetus. With their original Lake Sacrifice plan compromised, You Can ordered You Huang to use Ge Qiuniang and Su Qizhe’s nearly ready fetus instead.

• You Huang recalled how You Can had used Sorcerer God Spiritual Water to survive the Four-Nine Tribulation, leaving him mutated and unable to remain safely in either world.
• You Can told You Huang that Sword Discussion Pavilion might have noticed traces of him after he devoured Su Shuanghe’s second Primordial Spirit, but said Zaohua was unlikely to be behind a hidden scheme.
• You Can abandoned their compromised plan involving Madam Xia’s sorcery fetus and proposed using Ge Qiuniang and Su Qizhe’s nearly ready fetus to begin his rebirth.
• You Can revealed that the Sorcery Treasure taken from Su Shuanghe’s second Primordial Spirit contained foundational Su clan bloodline that could support the new plan.
• You Can warned You Huang to watch Huaiyu, then ordered him to begin while there was still time to change course.
• After ending their exchange, You Huang inspected the demon kingdom beneath the lake and the place where Su Shuanghe’s second Primordial Spirit had died, then accepted You Can’s resolve.

Yu Ci confirmed that Madam Xia had secretly transferred the vital essence of a witch fetus into Xue Zhi, whose Xia-family bloodline could sustain it. Xue Zhi left the decision to Yu Ci, who remained distrustful of Madam Xia.

• Yu Ci examined Xue Zhi and found traces of Clear Spirit Dream Powder, supporting Baiyi's account of her impaired memories.
• Yu Ci told Xue Zhi that she carried a sealed fetus, and she initially mistook his words as an accusation of infidelity.
• Yu Ci explained that Madam Xia and Murong Qingyan had transferred the witch fetus's vital essence into Xue Zhi during the night of the ship visit.
• Yu Ci revealed that Xue Zhi's Xia-family witch bloodline could preserve the fetus and that Madam Xia's plan involved Xue Pingzhi's participation.
• Xue Zhi said she had no opinion and would submit to Yu Ci's decision, while Yu Ci reaffirmed his distrust of Madam Xia.

Yu Ci recognized Madam Xia’s schemes and tightened control over the witch fetus and those connected to it. Zhao Xiangshan warned him that the fetuses’ gestation and Su Qizhe’s disappearance suggested further plots, leaving Yu Ci focused on questioning Madam Xia once his true body arrived.

• Yu Ci concluded that Madam Xia had implanted the witch fetus in Xue Zhi to protect her own position and evade the dangers surrounding Flying Soul City.
• Yu Ci summoned Xue Pingzhi to take Xue Zhi away and keep her and the witch fetus safe.
• Zhao Xiangshan warned Yu Ci that the witch fetus was still at an early stage of development and that the other fetus, belonging to Su Qizhe and Ge Qiuniang, also needed protection.
• Zhao Xiangshan urged Yu Ci to control Ge Qiuniang and investigate the connection between Su Qizhe and Miaoxiang.
• Yu Ci acknowledged that Su Qizhe had vanished despite the search, and Zhao Xiangshan advised questioning Madam Xia as soon as Yu Ci’s true body arrived.

Yu Ci prepared to investigate Crimson Yin and secure Yu Qing Xuan before bringing his true body to Xi Yu Lake. News of their imminent arrival stirred the True World, while the Southern Lands faced a sweeping demonic invasion and cultivators at Yi Shui Ju hoped to meet Yu Ci.

• Yu Ci considered questioning Madam Xia about Su Qizhe and Miaoxiang, then agreed with Zhao Xiangshan to meet Crimson Yin through Baiyi or Yuanjun Pingzhi.
• Yu Ci focused on preparing for his true body's teleportation to Xi Yu Lake, knowing that Yu Qing Xuan would be essential to the dangers ahead.
• News spread that Heavenly Monarch Yuanxu and Yu Qing Xuan were coming to Xi Yu Lake, prompting speculation that their journey signaled a firm alliance between the Shangqing Sect and Ruizhu Palace.
• A demonic army swept through the Southern Sea toward the Eastern Sea, alarming the Southern Lands' sects and merchants and drawing intervention from Eight Sceneries Palace.
• Cultivators gathered outside Yi Shui Ju excitedly anticipated Yu Ci's arrival, though some warned that he would likely reach the area by flying in from beyond Xi Yu Lake's protective array.

Xiao Jiu mingled with cultivators outside Yi Shui Ju as they awaited Heavenly Monarch Yuanxu, until a sudden tremor revealed that Yuanxu and Yu Qing Xuan had teleported through the Three Origins Secret Array into Xi Yu Lake. The sect leaders realized Yuanxu had again exploited the array’s weaknesses and the Outer Path Deity’s blessing, leaving them alarmed by how widely the Shangqing Divine Path was spreading.

• Xiao Jiu joined the cultivators gathered outside Yi Shui Ju, where they begged her to recommend them to Heavenly Monarch Yuanxu.
• Xiao Jiu escaped the crowd with Dong Yan, Wu Jing, and other cultivators, and Wu Jing demonstrated a talisman technique for her.
• A tremor spread through the Three Origins Secret Array, and Wu Nan recognized the sensation as the arrival of Heavenly Monarch Yuanxu.
• The sect leaders learned that Yuanxu and Yu Qing Xuan had used Void Teleportation to pass through the array and return directly to Xi Yu Lake.
• Chu Yuanxiang explained how Yu Qing Xuan could have pinpointed the teleportation site, while the sect leaders concluded Yuanxu had again suppressed the array’s operation.
• The sect leaders discovered that hundreds of cultivators had received the Outer Path Deity’s blessing and worried that the Shangqing Divine Path would become difficult to abandon.

Yu Ci and Yu Qing Xuan mapped the spatial structure beneath Xi Yu Lake, finding likely connections to the Taixiao Divine Court and a well-organized underwater demon kingdom. After returning to the surface, Yu Ci heard Baiyi’s account and discovered that her resilient emotional state reminded him of Madame Yellow Springs, then asked about Crimson Yin.

• Sect leaders discussed Heavenly Monarch Yuanxu’s empowerment program and received reports of disturbances near the Three Origins Secret Array.
• Yu Ci and Yu Qing Xuan entered the array, confirmed it blocked Zhu Yang’s threat, and used spatial turbulence to survey the lake’s depths.
• Yu Ci and Yu Qing Xuan identified likely links to the Taixiao Divine Court and discovered that the underwater demon kingdom had strict laws and elaborate defenses.
• Yu Ci returned to Yi Shui Ju and met Baiyi, who confessed to bringing Xue Zhi and explained her ties to Madam Xia, Murong Qingyan, and Crimson Yin.
• Yu Ci examined Baiyi’s harmonious emotional state, took her into the inner chamber, and later recognized a resemblance to Madame Yellow Springs.
• Yu Ci asked Baiyi what was happening with Crimson Yin.

Yu Ci confronted his unresolved feelings about Crimson Yin and reaffirmed the youthful ambition that had driven him to surpass and subdue her. After Crimson Yin’s body released Wuxiang’s distinctive fragrance, Yu Qing Xuan arrived with news that the northern law system was in disarray.

• Baiyi summoned Crimson Yin to Yu Ci, who recognized her outward composure as a fragile defense.
• Yu Ci recalled his youthful desire to defeat and subdue Crimson Yin and found that ambition still alive within him.
• Baiyi drew Crimson Yin onto the couch with Yu Ci, and the three remained together until dawn.
• Yu Ci noticed Wuxiang’s fragrance emanating directly from the unconscious Crimson Yin and realized she had received a first-time blessing from Wuxiang.
• The house and surrounding realm began to shake, and Yu Qing Xuan urgently told Yu Ci that the northern law system was in disarray.
• Yu Qing Xuan shifted into the room beside the couch before Yu Ci could warn her to wait.

Yu Ci and Yu Qing Xuan investigated Crimson Yin’s memories but found no trace of Miaoxiang, while learning that a cross-border passage was destabilizing the Northern Wasteland. The Eight Sceneries Palace and Yin Mountain Sect launched an assault on the Yellow Springs Secret Mansion as the danger spread.

• Yu Qing Xuan arrived while Yu Ci was on the couch with Crimson Yin and Baiyi, then put the two women into a deeper sleep and heard Yu Ci’s explanation.
• Yu Ci searched Crimson Yin’s memories and saw her struggles after the Sword Garden, but found no memory of Miaoxiang to explain how she acquired the Pollen Sowing Technique.
• Yu Qing Xuan sensed a major disturbance in the Northern Wasteland’s Heaven and Earth Law System, and Madam Huanyong reported that a strange toxin was spreading from the Yellow Springs Secret Mansion.
• Yu Ci concluded that the Great Brahma Demon King had opened a passage to the Wutian Jiao Prison and was likely being used by the Rakshasa Ghost King.
• Yu Qing Xuan learned that the Eight Sceneries Palace’s Earth Immortals had launched a distant assault on the Yellow Springs Secret Mansion, with the Yin Mountain Sect sending ghostly soldiers to join them.