Chapter Summaries

Yu Ci arrived at Bi Chao’s banquet, learned that Zhou Youde and his entire caravan had been killed, and watched Shen Wan present a rare sword pellet. When Yu Ci realized the treasure matched a small sword he had obtained from Daoist Yan, he revealed it and offered to sell it through Shen Wan.

• Yu Ci arrived late at the banquet, greeted the assembled cultivators, and drank the wine Bi Chao offered him.
• Shen Wan told Yu Ci that Zhou Youde and all thirty-five members of his caravan had been killed by bandits near Yuema Lake.
• Shen Wan displayed a sword pellet that Dong Yan and the other cultivators examined and discussed.
• Yu Ci recognized that the sword pellet resembled the small sword he had obtained from Daoist Yan.
• After Bao De explained how sword intent could be detected inside a sword pellet, Yu Ci’s small sword rang beneath the table, and he revealed it to the guests.
• Yu Ci told Shen Wan he would part with his sword pellet and offered her one-tenth of the proceeds.

Yu Ci attended Shen Wan’s treasure exchange, where a Frost Extreme Sword Pellet was sold and a mysterious Storage Ring drew the gathering’s attention. The ring was identified as the Mysterious Azure Ring, a treasure that could help cultivators locate Secret Mansions and Grotto-Heavens, and its value remained to be determined.

• Yu Ci offered Shen Wan a share of his proceeds, and she declined, then priced Gan Shizhen’s Frost Extreme Sword Pellet at thirteen thousand Ruyi Money.
• Dong Yan traded a forty-eight-layer Purple Gold Sky-Reaching Staff and three thousand Ruyi Money for the sword pellet.
• Shen Wan sold five more high-grade magical artifacts as the treasure exchange proceeded.
• Fan Lao and Monk Zhengyan arrived with a Storage Ring, after Monk Zhengyan stopped Fan Lao from selling it cheaply.
• Gan Shizhen identified the ring as the Mysterious Azure Ring and explained that it could help locate minor worlds, Secret Mansions, and Grotto-Heavens.

At the Treasure-Swapping Banquet, the Mysterious Azure Ring was appraised as a valuable magic tool but had no connection to a Secret Mansion and Grotto-Heaven. Fan Lao sought a spiritual bird for his son in exchange, and when Yu Ci refused to trade Dumpling, Gan Shizhen offered the bird along with two Heavenly Revelation Pills.

• The appraisers confirmed the Mysterious Azure Ring was genuine but held no mark of a Secret Mansion and Grotto-Heaven, and valued it at fifteen thousand Ruyi Money.
• Lu Wan warned that treasures associated with a Secret Mansion could bring danger to those without the strength to protect them.
• Fan Lao explained that he wanted a spiritual bird to help his son, who had joined the Tianfa Ling Sect, cultivate.
• Fan Lao asked Yu Ci to trade Dumpling for the ring, but Yu Ci refused and said his other items were reserved for Steward Shen.
• Gan Shizhen offered Fan Lao a spiritual bird and two Heavenly Revelation Pills, gesturing toward He Qing as she stepped in to help Yu Ci.

Yu Ci agreed to let Fan Lao buy back the Mysterious Azure Ring after He Qing promised sect merit and help obtaining a life-extending treasure. He Qing then examined Yu Ci’s sword pellet and asked what he thought of Monk Yi Xin, leaving Yu Ci to wonder at the reason for her question.

• He Qing eased her pressure on Yu Ci and offered him merit and help with a life-extending treasure if he bought back the Mysterious Azure Ring.
• Yu Ci accepted Fan Lao’s offer, while Bi Chao and Shen Wan declined to raise the price; Shen Wan explained that Yu Ci’s spirit bird and Heavenly Revelation Pills already exceeded the ring’s value.
• Yu Ci sent Fan Lao to Dan Cliff to await Muddlehead and received two Heavenly Revelation Pills from Gan Shizhen.
• He Qing stopped Monk Zhengyan from leaving and praised his insight, then summoned Yu Ci to inspect his sword pellet.
• He Qing told Yu Ci to grow accustomed to serving the sect and asked him what he thought of Monk Yi Xin.

At the Treasure Exchange Banquet, He Qing urged Yu Ci to deal with Monk Zhengyan after the event, while the gathering’s final treasure proved to be a Profound Truth Condensing Void Pill. Shen Wan revealed the pill and opened bidding at 120,000 Ruyi Money, putting Yu Ci’s prior agreement with Manager Zhou at a disadvantage.

• He Qing asked Yu Ci about his past clash with Monk Zheng De and advised him to deal with Monk Zhengyan after the banquet.
• Yu Ci returned to his seat and wondered whether Shen Wan would offer him the life-extending treasure privately.
• Shen Wan presented a pill sealed in a Deep Sea Casket and staged its revelation with a burst of spiritual qi resembling a river of stars.
• Shen Wan identified the pill as a Profound Truth Condensing Void Pill and explained its benefits for cultivation, stabilizing one’s foundation, and extending lifespan.
• Shen Wan invoked the pavilion’s rules and Manager Zhou’s final wish to deny Yu Ci an advantage from his prior agreement, then set the pill’s opening price at 120,000 Ruyi Money.

Shen Wan explained why the full-effect Profound Truth Condensing Void Pill was worth twelve thousand ruyi money, and Yu Ci and He Qing assembled an offer that exceeded that value. Just as Shen Wan was about to accept it, an old monk interrupted with a competing offer.

• Shen Wan distinguished the rare full-effect pill from replicated versions and explained its greater benefits and provenance.
• He Qing verified the casket’s mark, while the cultivators present fell silent rather than bid twelve thousand ruyi money.
• Yu Ci offered two ruyi jade tallies worth ten thousand ruyi money, but admitted the sum was insufficient.
• He Qing extracted Shan Gu’s spinal fluid and offered it as payment, which Shen Wan valued at thirty thousand ruyi money despite the risk to Shan Gu.
• An old monk interrupted Shen Wan and offered his Illusion Demon Golden Pagoda for the pill.

Monk Yi Xin offered the Illusion Demon Pagoda for the Profound Truth Condensing Void Pill, but Suixin Pavilion valued the pagoda too low for him to win the exchange, and Yu Ci obtained the pill instead. After the banquet, He Qing explained that Yu Ci and several factions were among eight threads connecting the recent unrest in Juebi City.

• Monk Yi Xin presented the Illusion Demon Pagoda and offered it for the Profound Truth Condensing Void Pill.
• Shen Wan valued the pagoda at only 120,000 to 130,000 Ruyi Money, so Yi Xin withdrew his offer and left the banquet.
• Yu Ci secured the pill by offering 130,000 Ruyi Money and accepted it in the Deep Sea Casket.
• Bi Chao asked Yi Xin whether he still intended to sell the pagoda, and he said they could discuss it later.
• He Qing took Yu Ci to the viewing platform and described the eight threads linking the recent events, including the ghost beasts, demons, Juebi City's five sects, and Yu Ci.

He Qing interrogated Yu Ci about his suspicious role in the Sky Rift Valley turmoil and exposed how little he had disclosed to the sect. She admitted he might still be worth saving, then said her investigation had narrowed the cause to only a few possibilities, including Yu Ci.

• He Qing reviewed the suspects in the Sky Rift Valley turmoil and singled out Yu Ci as the person whose trail appeared most often.
• He Qing questioned Yu Ci about his encounters with demons, the Bai Ri Mansion, and the fish-dragon, pointing out gaps in his reports.
• Yu Ci offered fortune as an explanation, but He Qing argued that his accounts suggested he had observed powerful foes from a distance or hidden himself unusually well.
• He Qing criticized Yu Ci for his narrow perspective and clever evasions, while explaining that Yu Zhou and Xie had overlooked his flaws because they favored him.
• Yu Ci asked why He Qing had taught him powerful methods despite looking down on him, and she said he might still be worth saving and that she had a reason to recommend him.
• He Qing said she had narrowed the cause of the turmoil to two or three remaining possibilities, and that Yu Ci might still prove to be involved.

Yu Ci learned that Immortal He planned to use him to investigate the Jingshui Altar and Lu Mingyue. Later, he attended a Wanling Sect banquet where Shi Song explained the dangers of the Hundred Spirits Manifesting Gauze, and a small guest rushed in to greet him.

• Yu Ci steadied himself during his conversation with Immortal He and asked how he could prove his innocence.
• Immortal He said Yu Ci’s fortune made him a useful lead and told him to investigate the Jingshui Altar and the missing Lu Mingyue.
• Yu Ci wondered whether to reveal what he had learned through the Zhaoshen Bronze Mirror and worried about returning the Profound Truth Condensing Void Pill.
• As Juebi City quieted after the treasure convention, the Wanling Sect invited two people to a banquet at Dan Cliff.
• Shi Song explained that the Hundred Spirits Manifesting Gauze required a way to control resentment and warned Yu Ci against seeking such techniques.
• A small figure rushed into the water pavilion and greeted Yu Ci as “Brother Fishbone.”

Yu Ci met with Xiao Jiu, Shi Song, Hu Dan, and Monk Zhengyan at a Wanling Sect banquet, where he revealed a red gauze artifact containing an Outer Dao method for refining the God Slaying Thorn. The others were stunned by its significance, while Yu Ci kept his intentions behind the method to himself.

• Xiao Jiu returned from recuperating in the south, greeted Yu Ci warmly, and excitedly described her time aboard the Mountain-Moving Cloud Boat.
• Shi Song reminded Xiao Jiu not to interrupt the adults, then welcomed Monk Zhengyan to the pavilion alongside Yu Ci and Hu Dan.
• Yu Ci asked Shi Song and Zhengyan for advice about a method for gathering resentment and refining it into a God Slaying Thorn.
• Yu Ci released the red gauze and infused it with true Baleful Intent, causing its patterns to reveal the words, "Outer Dao Refining Method of the God Slaying Thorn."
• Hu Dan and Shi Song were astonished by the method's connection to the God Slaying Thorn and wondered whether Yu Ci's apparent seriousness was an act.

Yu Ci used purple qi from his True Return Purple Smoke Warm Jade to treat Xiao Jiu’s divine-soul injuries, then tested a divine-soul-oscillating art on Shi Song and Zhengyan. The starlight of divine intent entered Zhengyan’s brain palace, leaving the result of Yu Ci’s experiment unresolved.

• Yu Ci declined Shi Song and Hu Dan’s offers to trade for the Hundred Spirits Manifesting Gauze during their banquet with Zhengyan and Xiao Jiu.
• When Xiao Jiu grew drowsy, Yu Ci used purple qi to nourish her divine soul and checked her condition with the Zhaoshen Bronze Mirror.
• Yu Ci found Xiao Jiu’s divine soul stable, and Hu Dan carried her away to rest as the banquet ended.
• On the way out, Zhengyan asked about Yu Ci’s treatment method, and Yu Ci credited Elder Zhu while concealing the warm jade’s role.
• Yu Ci used a divine-soul-oscillating art and sent a starlight of divine intent into Zhengyan’s brain palace.

Yu Ci planted his Divine Intent Star Radiance in Monk Zhengyan’s shattered but powerful soul, then noticed the monk’s odd reaction before turning his attention to the Jingshui Altar and Xuan Yin Sect. The chapter ended with Yu Ci arriving at Youqiu Palace to demand answers about the Sky Rift Valley incident from the sect tied to the Rakshasa Sect.

• Yu Ci used a soul tremor to expose Zhengyan’s unusual soul state and parasitized him with the Divine Intent Star Radiance.
• A Jingshui Altar disciple summoned Zhengyan back at the abbot’s order, and Zhengyan left after an oddly strained exchange with Yu Ci and Shi Song.
• Yu Ci discussed Zhengyan’s relationship with Yixin with Shi Song and recalled Yixin projecting his soul into Zhengyan at Sky Rift Valley.
• Yu Ci went to Youqiu Palace and learned that Biting Tide was absent and Ming Lan was temporarily managing sect affairs.
• Yu Ci entered to meet Ming Lan, intending to question the Xuan Yin Sect about its knowledge of the faction behind the Sky Rift Valley incident.

Yu Ci met Minglan at Youqiu Palace and obtained Xuan Yin Sect intelligence on Jingshui Altar for He Qing. After reviewing the information, He Qing demanded a plan to act within five days, and Yu Ci proposed forcing Master Yixin to surrender alleged criminals and punishing them.

• Yu Ci found Minglan dramatically aged but spiritually powerful, and used his Soul-Observing Dharma Eye to recognize the strength of her soul source.
• Yu Ci asked Minglan about Master Yixin, Lu Mingyue, Jingshui Altar’s disciples, and their movements during the Sky Rift unrest; Minglan agreed to provide the sect’s dossiers and explain what she knew.
• After leaving Youqiu Palace, Yu Ci dismissed his carriage and met He Qing on the mountain ridges, giving her a jade slip of information about Jingshui Altar and its associates.
• He Qing explained that the sect’s Void Stepping cultivators would soon depart for the Outer Domain of the Nine Heavens and asked Yu Ci where to act first within five days.
• Yu Ci recommended that the sect order Master Yixin to hand over the alleged criminals, including Lu Mingyue, and punish them severely.

Yu Ci and He Qing moved against the Jingshui Altar, using rumors and pressure from other sects to weaken it while Yu Ci sought evidence connected to the unrest in Sky-Rending Valley. With Yi Xin and Zhengyan remaining strangely unresponsive, Yu Ci instead gained deeper access to Zhengyan’s soul, but someone’s touch abruptly interrupted his thoughts.

• Yu Ci persuaded He Qing that Zhengyan might help expose the Jingshui Altar’s crimes, and He Qing set a five-day deadline before departing for the Outer Domain of the Nine Heavens.
• Yu Ci spread rumors that He Qing intended to punish the Jingshui Altar, prompting residents and several sects to turn against its monks.
• After three days, Yu Ci found that Yi Xin and Zhengyan had not communicated or taken visible action as the Jingshui Altar faced mounting pressure.
• Yu Ci discovered that the Divine Intent Star Glint had rooted itself deeply in Zhengyan’s soul, letting him perceive the monk’s emotions and memories.
• As Yu Ci considered searching Zhengyan’s Sea of Consciousness, someone touched his shoulder and startled him.

Yu Ci joined He Qing and Gan Shizhen to investigate intelligent demons that had vanished from underground hiding places near Juebi City. Suspecting a connection to the city’s factions, He Qing questioned the sect leaders, while Yu Ci decided to use the Zhaoshen Bronze Mirror to track the demons.

• Gan Shizhen told Yu Ci that He Qing’s Heavenly Law Absolute Prison had detected demons roaming outside Juebi City.
• Gan Shizhen carried Yu Ci to the southern outskirts, where He Qing said the demons had occupied deep underground hiding places but disappeared.
• He Qing explained that the demons seemed intelligent and that their long-established hiding places suggested a connection to someone within the city.
• He Qing summoned the heads of the city’s sects to question them about the demons’ hiding places.
• Yu Ci agreed that He Qing had considered the matter thoroughly, then said he still wanted to investigate the demons’ traces and gripped the Zhaoshen Bronze Mirror in his sleeve.

Yu Ci revealed the Zhaoshen Bronze Mirror to He Qing and joined the sect leaders in excavating the demons’ former hiding place. The dig uncovered an underground passage and signs of a maintained underground palace, which Yi Xin admitted knowing about.

• Yu Ci used the Zhaoshen Bronze Mirror to survey the jungle and showed it to He Qing, who suggested he look for records about its incomplete design.
• Shi Song, Hu Dan, Dong Yan, Yi Xin, Shan Jiao, and Incense Slave arrived at the site of the demons’ former hiding place.
• With He Qing’s permission, Yu Ci directed the attendants to excavate carefully, and they uncovered a man-made passage about two zhang underground.
• Dong Yan tested the passage with sword radiance and revealed that a weak barrier still protected it.
• Shi Song reasoned that the extensive, recently maintained underground construction could only have been built by a few groups, while the other sect leaders denied knowledge of it.
• Hu Dan pressed Yi Xin about the project, and Yi Xin admitted that he knew of the underground palace.

The cultivators searched Jingshui Altar’s underground palace for the demon, following its fresh tracks through the chambers. Their search uncovered monks abusing captive women, and Yu Ci prepared to guard against further trouble as they continued deeper.

• Monk Yi Xin explained that Bai Ri Mansion had built the underground palace and agreed to guide the cultivators inside.
• He Qing traced the demon’s route through a sealed chamber and corridor, while Yu Ci watched Monk Yi Xin for signs of guilt.
• Monk Yi Xin had the underground palace’s restrictions shut down before leading the group into an area used by the temple.
• He Qing broke through a wall and exposed monks abusing captive women, prompting Yu Ci to summon attendants to handle the victims.
• Yu Ci placed his divine-intent starlight in everyone’s mind palaces, then felt a sudden chill as the group continued searching.

Yu Ci discovered a Core Formation demon disguised as a woman in Monk Yi Xin’s underground palace, and He Qing captured it with the Heavenly Law Absolute Prison. The demon then exploded before anyone could question it, leaving Yi Xin’s responsibility unresolved.

• Yu Ci identified the high-coiffured woman as a hidden demon, and Gan Shizhen told him that He Qing already knew and was waiting to act.
• He Qing attacked as the disguised demon followed the rescued women, exposed its true form, and dragged it through the rock with a golden demon-binding ring.
• Shi Song, Hu Dan, and the others joined He Qing above ground, where she subdued the Core Formation demon with the Heavenly Law Absolute Prison.
• Yu Ci challenged Monk Yi Xin to explain the underground palace, and Yi Xin agreed without specifying what he would do.
• The demon suddenly swelled and exploded inside the ring, destroying the chance to question it.

Monk Yi Xin met with Zhili in the Bao Yan Pagoda and discussed their failed invasion and the coming upheaval at the temple. When Zhili tried to seize the body of Yi Xin’s captive disciple Zhengyan, Yi Xin trapped him in golden light.

• Zhili confronted Monk Yi Xin over the losses in Sky Rift Valley, and Yi Xin demanded explanations for the failed plan and the poor demon troops.
• Monk Yi Xin told Zhili that trouble would strike the temple the next day and led him to a hidden refuge in the Bao Yan Pagoda.
• Monk Yi Xin explained that his eldest disciple Zhengyan was imprisoned upstairs after growing close to Yu Ci of the Li Chen Sect.
• Zhili proposed taking over Zhengyan’s body to recover his strength and move through the human world under the disciple’s identity.
• Zhili began reaching for Zhengyan, but Monk Yi Xin invoked a Buddhist prayer and golden light swept Zhili away.

Monk Yi Xin used the Illusion Demon Golden Pagoda and the Eighteen Yin Demon Wheel Formation to trap He Qing and threaten Juebi City's inhabitants, turning the sects' ambush into a standoff. He Qing remained trapped in the formation while Yi Xin prepared to escape.

• Monk Yi Xin sealed Zhili away and faced He Qing as she arrived with Shi Song, Hu Dan, Dong Yan, and the other cultivators to capture him.
• He Qing attacked with the Heavenly Law Absolute Prison, but Yi Xin summoned black flames and revealed the Illusion Demon Golden Pagoda, which disrupted her control of the surrounding spiritual qi.
• The Bao Yan Pagoda collapsed, burying Monk Zhengyan, while Yi Xin stood beneath the Golden Pagoda and He Qing's binding power vanished.
• He Qing became trapped in an invisible formation as Yin Demons appeared, and Yu Ci and Gan Shizhen warned the others not to attack because their force could strike He Qing.
• Monk Yi Xin explained that he had used Zhili's essence to activate the pagoda and warned that breaking the Eighteen Yin Demon Wheel Formation could release three thousand Yin Demons into Juebi City.