Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Qingxian combines Sea Embraces All Rivers, Dripping Water Forms a Lake, Heaped Earth Reaches Mountain, and Fixed Stone Mountain to create the new Fate Pattern Climbing Mountains, Crossing Seas.
• The pattern grants extraordinary perseverance, allowing him to endure hardship, remain focused, and steadily improve rather than giving up or acting impulsively.
• However, the earth-and-water elements restrain one another, preventing the formation of a Fate Spirit. Li Qingxian decides to resolve this through the dangerous Fate Art Pillar-Shifting Life-Changing, rather than relying on superficial solutions such as metal objects, talismans, or artifacts.
• He studies his four Fate Pillars—Jiazi, Gengwu, Dinghai, and Bingwu—and determines that the Jiazi Pillar’s placement in the Li position is especially disadvantageous. He attempts to move it to the Kun position.
• The process is extremely difficult. The Fate Ground destabilizes, numerous forces interfere with the pillar, and Li Qingxian repeatedly fails. Nevertheless, his ability to directly see the Fate Pillars and Fate Ground gives him an advantage.
• After working for an entire afternoon and then spending two more days adjusting the remaining pillars, Li Qingxian successfully completes the transformation.
• Reinstalling the four Fate Stars causes Climbing Mountains, Crossing Seas to reform with a stronger appearance: its clouds become mountains and seas, and an egg-shaped light appears above it, indicating that a Fate Spirit is beginning to gestate.
• Li Qingxian then reorganizes his Young Adult Fate Ground. He combines Sunlit Golden Mountain, Crane Standing Above the Sea Turtle’s Head, Three-Bend River Loop, and Ten Elegant Peaks to form Splendid Mountains and Rivers.
• This second Fate Pattern is not especially powerful, but it provides steady nourishment and some protection. Because the four Fate Stars do not harmonize perfectly, it does not produce a Fate Spirit.

Character Development

• Li Qingxian demonstrates patience, determination, and increasing mastery of Fate Arts. Rather than choosing the easier Four Waters Birth Spring, he deliberately selects a pattern that supports long-term growth.
• His confidence develops alongside caution. He understands the dangers of Pillar-Shifting Life-Changing and carefully monitors every change, ready to stop if something goes wrong.
• Successfully completing the pillar shift marks a major advancement in his abilities as a Fate Arts Master.
• His Fate arrangements also show a more strategic approach: he values persistence, concealment, mobility, protection, and gradual accumulation over immediate but unstable power.

Significant Themes

• Perseverance and gradual progress: The central meaning of Climbing Mountains, Crossing Seas reflects Li Qingxian’s desired path—overcoming difficulties step by step and continuing for the long term.
• Risk and transformation: Altering Fate Pillars can radically change destiny and cause disaster, emphasizing that great advancement requires careful but dangerous intervention.
• Balance and harmony: The chapter repeatedly stresses the need to resolve elemental conflicts and create a complete balance among the five elements rather than merely covering up problems.
• Accumulation versus immediate strength: Both new Fate Patterns favor enduring growth and protection over spectacular short-term power.
• Destiny as something malleable: Through Fate Arts, Li Qingxian actively reshapes his own destiny, though the process remains unpredictable and dangerous.

Character Interactions

• The chapter contains little direct interpersonal interaction. Li Qingxian primarily interacts with his own Fate Patterns, Fate Pillars, Fate Ground, and Fate Disk.
• His use of the Great Sir’s Crane Standing Above the Sea Turtle’s Head reflects an indirect connection to that powerful figure and gives Li Qingxian a tool for navigating among other talented individuals.
• The Fate Patterns themselves are described as interacting through elemental relationships, especially the tension between water and earth, which drives Li Qingxian’s decision to alter his Fate Pillars.

Chapter Summary: Chive and Egg Tangyuan

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Qingxian evaluates the Fate Stars and Fate Artifacts he obtained from Great Sir. The Three-Bend River Loop is insufficient to form a Fate Spirit, while the Fate Star Ten Thousand Snakes Swarm has been corrupted by Great Sir’s excessive slaughter. Li plans to cleanse it and restore its original neutral power.
• He examines Twin Stars Accompanying the Moon, two powerful Fate Stars refined from complete Fate Mansions. They do not occupy Fate Pillar slots and can strengthen other Fate Stars or even an entire Fate Mansion.
• Li considers three methods of awakening the Twin Stars:
  1. Devouring the power of Heaven and Earth through slaughter.
  2. Personally nourishing them through cultivation over many years.
  3. Accumulating National Fortune through meritorious service and sharing it with them.
• Because Great Sir killed members of the Jiang and Cai families, Li can no longer use them as part of the third method. However, the Twin Stars’ Fate Mold has inherited karma, meaning weakening or killing Great Sir could accelerate their development.
• Li decides that Great Sir must eventually be eliminated. Great Sir has already lost his eight Fate Stars, Fate Pattern, Fate Spirit, and Ten Thousand Ants Climbing the Dragon Momentum Configuration, leaving him severely weakened. Still, Gai Fengyou warns Li not to act yet because the Cangmang Mountains are filled with powerful Fate Arts Masters and political complications.
• Meanwhile, Li governs Far-Reaching City with the help of Enlightenment Academy’s teachers and students. The city quickly improves:
  • Grain prices fall and relief supplies are distributed.
  • Starvation and exposure deaths cease.
  • Gangs retreat or seek respectable occupations.
  • The Divine Bow Sect establishes itself in the city but limits its membership to avoid attracting dangerous attention.
  • The Inner Factory removes and destroys the Devil Chamber’s possessions, while the imperial court remains conspicuously silent.
• With administration running smoothly, Li spends his time studying Fate Arts and Daoist arts, cultivating the Six-Cornered True Altar, and consulting Inner Gods about summoning divine generals.
• He selects the six sons of the Kua’e Clan as the most suitable divine generals and prepares to conduct the Investiture of Inner Gods.
• To replace Far-Reaching City’s grim atmosphere with hope, Li and his aides plan a large Lantern Festival celebration. At home, he and Yu Ping discuss preparing many varieties of tangyuan, including a novel chive-and-egg filling.
• Just as they finish discussing dinner, Li receives an urgent spirit talisman. Half of it burns away immediately, signaling a sudden and serious development.

Character Developments

• Li Qingxian becomes more strategically ambitious and decisive. He recognizes that killing Great Sir is not merely revenge but may directly benefit his own cultivation and Fate Mold.
• Despite his growing power, Li remains cautious, accepting Gai Fengyou’s warning and postponing his attack until his Sixth Rank foundation and six True Spirits are more stable.
• As county magistrate, Li proves capable of restoring order and prosperity. He balances political administration with cultivation and deliberately reshapes the city’s public spirit.
• Great Sir is revealed to be in a severely weakened but still dangerous position. His Fate Mold has effectively been destroyed, yet his identity and remaining influence make him a long-term threat.
• Gai Fengyou continues acting as a cautious adviser. His private amusement at Li’s excessive politeness adds a light personal touch to their otherwise serious exchange.
• Yu Ping remains closely involved in Li’s daily life and administration. Their relaxed conversation about food contrasts with the chapter’s larger political and supernatural conflicts.

Significant Themes

• Blessings and disasters are interconnected. Great Sir’s cruelty caused destruction, but the karma generated by that destruction may now help Li awaken the Twin Stars.
• Power requires restraint. Li has the means to pursue rapid advancement through slaughter, but he rejects that path in favor of cultivation, merit, and political stability.
• Governance as cultivation. By improving Far-Reaching City and earning National Fortune through public merit, Li advances both the welfare of the people and his own Fate Arts.
• Renewal after catastrophe. The Lantern Festival symbolizes the city’s attempt to move beyond famine, executions, corruption, and oppression toward a new beginning.
• The contrast between ordinary life and grand conflict. Discussions of tangyuan and family dinner occur alongside plans to assassinate Great Sir, summon divine generals, and reshape Fate itself.

Character Interactions

• Li and Gai Fengyou discuss Great Sir’s location and the risks of attacking him. Gai urges patience, while Li assures him that he will not act recklessly.
• Li works closely with Enlightenment Academy’s teachers, students, and former officials to rebuild Far-Reaching City.
• Li consults several Inner Gods about the Investiture of Inner Gods and ultimately settles on the Kua’e Clan’s six sons as divine generals.
• Li and Yu Ping share a domestic conversation about Lantern Festival foods, ending with their decision to experiment with chive-and-egg tangyuan.
• The chapter closes when Li’s peaceful moment is interrupted by the burning spirit talisman, introducing an imminent crisis.

Chapter Summary: The Devil Sect Army Sets Out at Dawn

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Qingxian gives Xu Fang and Wang Shoude spirit talismans as emergency signals. Wang’s has already been activated, indicating that their mission has become dangerous.
• He initially plans to send reinforcements but decides to go personally, combining the rescue mission with his planned visit to the Cangmang Mountains to perform the Investiture of Inner Gods.
• Through Fate Arts, Li discovers that although the Devil Sect is targeting him, its current operation is connected to imperial-court politics rather than directly to Xu Fang and Wang Shoude’s predicament.
• Li organizes a rescue party: more than a dozen fighters from the Divine Bow Sect, additional support from the Green Mountain Gang and Enlightenment Academy, and the Hundred-Ginseng Dharma Ancestor borrowed from Shen Xiaoyi.
• Liu Yitian offers to serve as a guide but stays behind because of his injuries. Han Changshi, a former sect master familiar with the Cangmang Mountains, takes his place.
• Li leads sixteen others out of Far-Reaching City during the night. As they leave, he detects strange, powerful forces affecting the city’s situation clouds. Unable to identify them, he orders Feng Yema and Wan Zhao to investigate and prepare for a possible enemy invasion.
• At dawn, the group reaches Cangmang Town, leaves their horses with the local Green Mountain Gang branch, equips themselves with spirit talismans and defensive spells, and enters the mountains.
• Meanwhile, a five-thousand-member joint army from the Moon Devil Sect, Sand Devil Sect, and Treasure Life Sect departs White Stone City and heads toward Far-Reaching City.
• The Devil Sect army plans to coordinate with two Demon Kings, including the vengeful Tree-Horn King, to attack the city before dawn the following day.
• Their strategy is to use Tree-Horn King to kill Li Qingxian while the Third Rank master Xing Gefei restrains Zhang Moyai. Xing also intends to infiltrate Far-Reaching City, destroy the Divine Bow Sect and Enlightenment Academy, and recover items taken from the Devil Chamber.

Character Developments

• Li Qingxian demonstrates caution, strategic judgment, and leadership. He prepares multiple layers of support rather than rushing blindly into danger and remains alert to threats affecting Far-Reaching City.
• Xu Fang and Wang Shoude are established as being in serious danger, with their spirit talismans serving as a crucial communication and rescue mechanism.
• Han Changshi gains importance by stepping forward as the expedition’s guide, drawing on his experience in the Cangmang Mountains.
• Liu Yitian shows loyalty and courage by volunteering despite his injured body, though Li recognizes that the group needs him to remain behind.
• Shen Xiaoyi is shown to be dependable and generous, immediately lending Li the powerful Hundred-Ginseng Dharma Ancestor.
• Xing Gefei, a Third Rank master and deputy provincial governor, is revealed as a major enemy. He is confident, politically protected, and personally committed to destroying Li’s allies.
• Tree-Horn King is characterized as powerful and vengeful, seeking revenge against Li for his defeat in the Battle of Beichen City.

Significant Themes

• Preparation versus urgency: Li responds to danger through planning, alliances, defensive measures, and intelligence-gathering rather than relying only on personal strength.
• Political intrigue and factional conflict: The Devil Sect’s operation is tied to tensions involving the imperial court, the Grand General King, His Majesty, the Old Royal Army, and competing royal interests.
• Revenge and unresolved grudges: Tree-Horn King’s desire to erase the humiliation of his previous defeat motivates the new assault.
• Fragile alliances: Devil, Evil, and Demon factions cooperate temporarily despite their own competing interests, united by their opposition to Li and the imperial forces.
• Growing external danger: The strange forces gathering over Far-Reaching City suggest that the coming conflict is broader than the rescue mission and may involve a major invasion or political upheaval.

Character Interactions

• Li gives Xu Fang and Wang Shoude clear instructions about when to activate their talismans, establishing trust and disciplined coordination.
• Li and Yu Ping exchange a brief humorous moment over eating tangyuan before the dangerous journey, balancing the chapter’s tension.
• Liu Yitian volunteers to guide the expedition, but Li insists that he remain behind to protect the local “family,” demonstrating mutual respect and concern.
• Li relies on Han Changshi’s experience and accepts him as the expedition’s guide.
• Li coordinates with Shen Xiaoyi, Feng Yema, Wan Zhao, the Green Mountain Gang, and Enlightenment Academy, showing his expanding network of allies.
• Within the Devil Sect army, Mo Huiyuan reports to Xing Gefei, while the assembled leaders praise Xing’s plan. Their discussion reveals both their confidence and their willingness to exploit political divisions to eliminate Li and his supporters.

Chapter Summary: “Old Royal Army Meets by Night”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Qingxian leads seventeen companions through Cangmang Mountain, following the location indicated by Wang Shoude’s talisman in search of Yue Xianghe.
• During their journey, a golden divine light erupts from the mountains, signaling the appearance of the Heavenly Profound Sacred Mountain. Powerful cultivators from major sects rush toward it.
• Although the group is close to the sacred mountain, Li Qingxian chooses not to investigate. He believes a Sixth Rank Fate Cultivator would gain little from competing with powerful sects for its inheritance and prioritizes rescuing Yue Xianghe and protecting Far-Reaching City.
• At night, the group reaches the location where Wang Shoude’s talisman was torn and encounters members of the Divine Bow Sect. However, their path is blocked by more than a dozen members of the Old Royal Army.
• The opposing soldiers are identified as Tomb Commandants—elite veterans who fund the Old Royal Army by raiding ancient tombs and obtaining treasures.
• The situation is tense because harming a Tomb Commandant could provoke the entire Old Royal Army to retaliate against the Divine Bow Sect.
• The black-clad leader recognizes Li Qingxian as the son of Gang Feng, the official who once sentenced Yue Xianghe’s father, Clerk Yue.
• Li Qingxian explains that although Clerk Yue was guilty and rightly punished, Yue Xianghe himself has not been proven guilty. As a guest elder of the Divine Bow Sect, Li insists he has the right to rescue an innocent fellow disciple.
• When the Old Royal Army commander asks whether Li intends to oppose them, Li calmly requests an explanation for why they are pursuing Yue Xianghe. The commander orders a young man to explain, and the young man kneels and kowtows before Li.

Character Developments

• Li Qingxian: Demonstrates restraint, strategic judgment, and a strong sense of justice. He refuses to chase the potentially valuable Heavenly Profound Sacred Mountain because his immediate responsibilities are more important. He also distinguishes between a criminal father and an innocent son, showing that his loyalty is guided by principle rather than personal ties or political pressure.
• Zhou Hen: Shows his awareness of the Old Royal Army’s danger and instinctively prepares for combat. His identity and reputation command respect from the veterans.
• The Old Royal Army commander: Appears disciplined, intimidating, and suspicious of Li because of his family connection to Clerk Yue’s conviction. However, he is willing to hear Li’s reasoning rather than attack immediately.
• Yue Xianghe: Though absent from the scene, he remains the central figure whose innocence and fate drive the confrontation.
• The young Old Royal Army soldier: His dramatic kneeling and repeated kowtows suggest that Yue Xianghe’s pursuit involves a serious grievance or hidden circumstance.

Significant Themes

• Justice versus inherited guilt: Li argues that a child should not be punished for a parent’s crimes. Legal judgment must be based on individual actions.
• Duty over personal gain: Li rejects the lure of the sacred mountain’s possible inheritance in favor of rescuing Yue Xianghe and defending Far-Reaching City.
• Military honor and loyalty: The Old Royal Army is portrayed as fiercely independent but governed by discipline and loyalty to its own members.
• Political distrust and historical grievance: The army’s hostility toward the emperor and its history of neglect reveal long-standing resentment toward the court.
• Reason before violence: Despite the threat of battle, Li seeks to understand the Old Royal Army’s motives, creating the possibility of resolving the conflict through dialogue.

Character Interactions

• Li and his companions cooperate closely while traveling, relying on talismans and coordinated cultivation.
• The Divine Bow Sect members welcome Li but immediately warn him about the Old Royal Army, showing their dependence on his leadership.
• Zhou Hen’s presence influences the Old Royal Army, whose members recognize and respect his reputation.
• The commander confronts Li over his father’s judgment of Clerk Yue, but Li responds calmly and logically.
• Li reframes the confrontation from a political dispute into a question of protecting an innocent sect member.
• The chapter ends with the Old Royal Army preparing to reveal its reason for hunting Yue Xianghe, marking a shift from potential combat toward a tense explanation.

Chapter Summary

• Cui Shan explains his grudge: Cui Shan kowtows to Li Qingxian, clarifying that the gesture is actually gratitude toward Li Gangfeng, who once punished Chief Clerk Yue. Yue had persecuted Cui Shan’s family, destroyed their livelihood, caused the death of Cui’s younger sister, and ultimately drove Cui’s parents to their deaths. Li Gangfeng’s judgment had allowed Cui to obtain long-awaited revenge.
• The dispute over Yue Xianghe: Han Changshi points out that Yue Xianghe was only a child when his family harmed Cui’s, and that Yue’s own family was later destroyed. Cui replies that, after his sister’s death, Yue had mocked him and ordered servants to kick him three times. Cui has remembered those kicks ever since and demands that Yue receive the same punishment, then kneel and kowtow at the graves of Cui’s parents and sister.
• Li Qingxian is placed in a difficult position: Cui appeals directly to Li as Li Gangfeng’s son, the magistrate of Qiyuan County, and a guest elder of the Divine Bow Sect. Han Changshi recognizes that every possible decision carries consequences. Punishing Yue would make the sect seem unable to protect its disciples and could offend powerful allies; refusing to punish him would stain the sect’s reputation and appear to betray Li Gangfeng’s principles. Li asks that everyone gather before deciding.
• The injured Divine Bow Sect disciples: The group returns to the camp, where Yue Xianghe and Lu Xiangxi are recovering from injuries. Lu explains that the River Guard Army pursued them but deliberately held back, preventing deaths on either side. The sect members fought defensively while retreating, but a hidden Sixth Rank expert forced them to summon help.
• Old acquaintances ease tensions: Zhou Hen detects someone concealed nearby. The hidden figure, Zhong Xu, reveals himself and addresses Zhou formally, but Zhou’s familiar insult shows that they are old acquaintances. This reassures the Divine Bow Sect that the River Guard Army may not seek an outright confrontation.
• A lighter closing moment: The exhausted disciples admit they are nearly out of food after traveling and fighting. Wang Shoude’s stomach audibly rumbles, prompting Li Qingxian to joke that hunger may have been part of the reason they called for help.

Character Development and Interactions

• Cui Shan is shown as deeply scarred by injustice but also unwavering in his demand for acknowledgment and repayment. His confrontation transforms the conflict from a simple sect-versus-army dispute into a moral question about inherited guilt, childhood cruelty, and the consequences of failing to make amends.
• Li Qingxian is forced into a position of moral and political responsibility. His relationship to Li Gangfeng makes him both an authority figure and a symbol of his father’s legacy.
• Han Changshi recognizes the justice of Cui’s grievance while worrying about the Divine Bow Sect’s reputation and political alliances.
• Yue Xianghe remains withdrawn and uneasy, suggesting shame, defensiveness, or fear over his past behavior.
• Zhou Hen and Zhong Xu reveal a prior relationship, reducing hostility between the Divine Bow Sect and the River Guard Army.
• The chapter emphasizes the contrast between the Tomb Commandants’ sympathy for Cui and the Divine Bow Sect members’ discomfort at confronting the wrongdoing of one of their own.

Significant Themes

• Justice versus protection of one’s own: The chapter asks whether institutions should defend their members or admit and rectify their wrongdoing.
• The long shadow of childhood actions: Yue’s age does not erase the damage caused by his cruelty, especially since Cui was equally young and suffered far more severely.
• Inherited reputations and moral legacies: Li Qingxian must uphold both the Divine Bow Sect’s honor and Li Gangfeng’s reputation for impartial justice.
• The persistence of social injustice: Cui’s story is treated as tragically familiar, suggesting that exploitation by powerful families is widespread.
• Reconciliation and accountability: Cui’s demands are not merely for physical punishment; he wants Yue to recognize the suffering inflicted on his family and offer them respect even after death.

Summary of Wiping the Slate Clean Without Admitting Fault

1. Key Plot Points & Events

• Li Qingxian’s Generosity: He uses the Heaven-and-Earth Bracelet to distribute food to the starving Old Royal Army, easing tensions and earning their gratitude.
• Lu Xiangxi’s Account: The Divine Bow Sect’s sixth disciple recounts their recent struggles—clashes with unknown opponents, evasion of the Old Royal Army’s Commandant Tomb, and a tense standoff with Xu Fang’s group (Fourth Sister and Little Seven).
• Yue Xianghe’s Grudge: Li Qingxian confronts Yue Xianghe about his unresolved feud with Cui Shan, revealing deep-seated resentment over his father’s past crimes.
• Zhou Hen’s Challenge: Zhou Hen bluntly accuses Yue Xianghe of perpetuating his father’s legacy of violence, implying he’s no better than the criminals he despises.
• Xu Fang’s Outburst: After Yue Xianghe refuses to acknowledge his father’s guilt, Xu Fang slaps him, exposing his ignorance of the true villain—Mr. Gangfeng—a notorious corrupt official.
• Cui Shan’s Reminder: She recalls Gangfeng’s just verdict against Yue’s father, reinforcing that the real enemy was the corrupt system, not the Li family.
• Li Qingxian’s Moral Lesson: He delivers a powerful speech on accountability vs. collective blame, arguing that descendants of criminals must:

Acknowledge guilt

Apologize to victims

Promise reform

Otherwise, they are no better than their ancestors.

• Old Royal Army’s Silence: The members listen in stunned respect, some nodding in agreement.

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2. Character Developments

Li Qingxian

• Demonstrates leadership and wisdom, using food and words to disarm enemies.
• Exposes hypocrisy in Yue Xianghe’s refusal to confront his father’s crimes.
• Reinforces his moral authority by linking justice to systemic reform, not personal vengeance.

Yue Xianghe

• Defensive and evasive, clinging to excuses ("I was a child") rather than taking responsibility.
• Humiliated by Xu Fang’s slap and Zhou Hen’s bluntness, revealing his self-deception.
• Realizes his error when Li Qingxian shifts blame to Gangfeng, but remains silent, unable to fully accept accountability.

Xu Fang

• Fiery and protective, lashing out at Yue Xianghe’s ignorance.
• Grows more resolute in her stance against corruption, linking it to her personal history.
• Serves as a foil to Yue Xianghe’s passivity, embodying the justice she seeks.

Zhou Hen

• Unflinching in confrontation, using his reputation to challenge Yue Xianghe’s moral failings.
• Reinforces the sect’s values—justice over vengeance, reform over stagnation.

Lu Xiangxi

• Nervous and hesitant, almost revealing Li Qingxian’s unresolved family vendetta (against Gangfeng) before stopping himself.
• Shows loyalty to Li Qingxian but also fear of escalating conflict.

Cui Shan

• Defiant but principled, defending Gangfeng’s fairness while subtly undermining Yue Xianghe’s narrative.
• Represents the "justice system"—her words echo Li Qingxian’s later argument.

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3. Significant Themes

Collective Guilt vs. Individual Responsibility

• Yue Xianghe’s refusal to admit fault mirrors generational trauma, but Li Qingxian argues that true justice requires personal accountability.
• The debate extends to systemic corruption—was Yue’s father’s downfall due to the Li family or the rotten court?

Vengeance vs. Reform

• Li Qingxian’s philosophy rejects endless retribution, advocating instead for breaking cycles of violence.
• Contrasts with Yue Xianghe’s bitterness, which fuels more conflict.

Power of Words vs. Force

• Li Qingxian disarms enemies with logic and morality rather than brute strength.
• Xu Fang’s slap and Zhou Hen’s challenge are physical but serve as catalysts for truth.
• **

Chapter Summary: “Ten Profound Heaven Mountains Welcome Heroes”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Qingxian presents a fair solution to the conflict between Cui Shan and Yue Xianghe. He argues that although criminals can be punished, victims and their families also deserve acknowledgment, sincere apologies, compensation, and assurances that the wrongdoing will not recur.
• Wu Jun, commander of the Old Royal Army, supports Li’s judgment and declares that Yue Xianghe can resolve the dispute by admitting his father’s guilt, swearing an oath, and offering incense to the Cui family.
• Yue Xianghe remains silent, apparently unwilling to accept his father’s wrongdoing or abandon his resentment toward Li Qingxian and Li’s father.
• Li gives Yue one final choice: accept the proposed settlement or fight him immediately. He then withdraws to cultivate, announcing that he will return to Qiyuan County at dawn and that the Divine Bow Sect must accompany him because Far-Reaching City may soon be threatened.
• Zhou Hen and the Divine Bow Sect guard Li’s tent with drawn bows. Wu Jun orders the Old Royal Army to protect Li as well, despite their hostility toward Yue Xianghe.
• Inside the tent, Li reviews texts concerning the Investiture of Inner Gods and True Spirit construction. He mentally reconstructs recent events using Jiang Youfei’s teachings before beginning his cultivation.
• The focus shifts to the Profound Heaven Mountains, where the Heavenly Profound Sacred Land has appeared. Ten towering white peaks are surrounded by waterfalls, clouds, strange plants, and magnificent pavilions.
• A powerful formation restricts entry. Most people are trapped at the mountain base, while some climbers become motionless on the slopes. Upper Rank cultivators are repelled, leaving mainly Lower and Middle Rank practitioners able to enter.
• Numerous Fate Cultivator sects gather for the Mountain-Opening Alliance Gathering. They discuss the history and decline of the Heavenly Profound Sacred Land, the value of its peaks, and the possibility of claiming the main peak’s Heaven’s Mandate Mountain.
• The assembled Upper Rank Fate Cultivators agree not to compete personally, leaving the opportunity to younger practitioners. Heaven’s Mandate Sect agrees to participate with only one person, prompting speculation that Duan Tianji may have reached Fourth Rank.

Character Developments

• Li Qingxian is shown as principled, perceptive, and politically mature. He distinguishes legal punishment from moral responsibility and insists that victims deserve recognition and restitution. His authority also grows as both the Divine Bow Sect and Old Royal Army accept his leadership.
• Yue Xianghe remains emotionally defiant and silent. His refusal to respond suggests that he still believes his father was innocent and continues to resent Li and his family.
• Cui Shan accepts Li’s judgment and demonstrates trust in his fairness.
• Wu Jun becomes an important supporter of Li. Although he admits to opposing Yue Xianghe, he respects Li’s integrity and orders the Old Royal Army to guard him.
• The Divine Bow Sect shifts from rescuing Yue to protecting Li, showing that Li’s conduct has earned their respect and loyalty.
• The Upper Rank Fate Cultivators display restraint and strategic awareness by yielding the mountain-opening contest to younger members rather than competing directly themselves.
• Duan Tianji is introduced indirectly as a potentially formidable figure whose advancement could explain Heaven’s Mandate Sect’s unusual decision.

Significant Themes

• Justice versus vengeance: Li seeks a resolution that addresses both legal guilt and the victims’ emotional suffering, rather than relying solely on punishment or revenge.
• Collective responsibility: The chapter questions whether criminal families should defend their relatives blindly or acknowledge the harm caused by their actions.
• Moral courage and leadership: Li’s willingness to confront Yue while still offering him a path to reconciliation establishes him as a just and decisive leader.
• The burden of legacy: Yue’s conflict reflects the tension between loyalty to one’s family and acceptance of a parent’s wrongdoing.
• Decline and succession: The Heavenly Profound Sacred Land’s weakening mirrors the difficulty of preserving a sect’s power across generations, while the mountain gathering emphasizes competition between established elders and younger heirs.
• Opportunity and fate: The mysterious mountains and their restricted access create a contest in which aptitude, cultivation rank, and destiny determine who can claim the sacred inheritances.

Important Character Interactions

• Li Qingxian and Yue Xianghe: Li offers Yue a final opportunity to acknowledge his father’s crimes, but Yue refuses to answer, leaving their conflict unresolved.
• Li Qingxian and Cui Shan: Cui expresses complete confidence in Li’s judgment after Li proposes a fair settlement.
• Li Qingxian and Wu Jun: Wu publicly endorses Li’s decision and promises military protection, strengthening Li’s authority.
• Li Qingxian and the Divine Bow Sect: Despite their connection to Yue, the sect accepts Li’s protection and prepares to defend him.
• Fate Cultivator sects: Their elders exchange opinions about the Heavenly Profound Sacred Land, its history, and the coming Mountain-Opening contest, revealing both cooperation and underlying rivalry.
• The assembled factions and Heaven’s Mandate Sect: The other sects seek to understand why Heaven’s Mandate Sect will send only one participant, suspecting that Duan Tianji has achieved a major breakthrough.

Chapter Summary: “Demonfiends Appear Outside Far-Reaching City”

Key Plot Points and Events

• At the Mountain-Opening Alliance Gathering, Fate Arts Masters discuss the likely contenders for opening Heavenly Profound Sacred Mountain. Duan Tianji, Nie Jiuming, and the Great Sir are mentioned as major figures, while Slanted-Eye Dog Head is debated as a possible dark horse.
• Duan Tianji is revealed to have fused numerous powerful destiny artifacts into his body, making him appear almost monstrous. He is expected to excel in the upcoming contest.
• Gai Fengyou strongly praises Slanted-Eye Dog Head, arguing that his defeat of the Great Sir and connections with major Fate Sects prove his extraordinary ability. Hu Xi mocks Gai Fengyou, reigniting their old rivalry.
• The Fate Arts Masters begin the mountain-opening ceremony. Upper-Rank experts establish restrictions preventing themselves from interfering, while lower-ranked cultivators attempt to open the sacred mountain’s peaks.
• News suddenly arrives that Far-Reaching City is being attacked by the Demon Race and the Moon Devil Sect. Because the city is an important human stronghold and the headquarters of Li Qingxian, Gai Fengyou calls for aid.
• Despite doubts about his motives, Gai Fengyou publicly appeals to righteous cultivators to defend the city. Guo Xiang joins him, and they gather more than a hundred cultivators to fly to Far-Reaching City.
• Their actions change the elders’ opinions of Gai Fengyou. Even Hu Xi, who had mocked him, declares that he will help confront Tree-Horn King after the mountain-opening formation is secure.
• In Far-Reaching City, Feng Yema organizes the city’s sects and gangs for defense after receiving Li Qingxian’s warning.
• Tree-Horn King leads a massive Demon Race army from the north and openly challenges Li Qingxian. At the same time, the Moon Devil Sect approaches from the west, pretending to be righteous martial heroes seeking entry.
• When the city refuses them access, the Devil Sect provokes the defenders and launches an attack. The Demon Race follows immediately, turning the situation into a coordinated assault on the city.

Character Developments

• Gai Fengyou demonstrates unexpected courage and loyalty. Though previously known for political maneuvering and self-interest, he risks himself to rescue Far-Reaching City and appeals to the wider cultivation world for help.
• Guo Xiang proves his sense of duty by supporting Gai Fengyou and emphasizing his responsibility as a Black Lantern Bureau deputy director.
• Slanted-Eye Dog Head gains further prestige through others’ testimony. His defeat of the Great Sir and relations with the Mountain Fate and Fate-Seeking Sects suggest that he may be far more formidable than his current rank indicates.
• Duan Tianji is established as a terrifying Fate Arts prodigy who has incorporated multiple destiny artifacts into his body and is expected to dominate the alliance gathering.
• Hu Xi initially ridicules Gai Fengyou but later recognizes his righteousness and agrees to help defend Far-Reaching City.
• Feng Yema takes command of Far-Reaching City’s preparations, coordinating the city’s sects and gangs against the approaching enemies.
• Tree-Horn King emerges as the principal demonic threat, personally seeking Li Qingxian’s death.
• Li Qingxian, though absent and unresponsive to messages, remains central to the conflict because Far-Reaching City is his jurisdiction and Tree-Horn King specifically targets him.

Significant Themes

• True righteousness versus reputation: Gai Fengyou’s actions challenge the widespread perception that he is merely opportunistic, showing that a person’s conduct in a crisis can redefine them.
• Unity against external threats: Rival Fate Sects and cultivators temporarily set aside old grudges to defend a shared human stronghold.
• Political and sectarian rivalry: The conversations reveal intense competition among Fate Arts Masters, with old grudges influencing their insults and judgments.
• Power beyond cultivation rank: Slanted-Eye Dog Head’s achievements suggest that practical ability, inheritance, and strategy may matter more than formal rank.
• Deception and betrayal: The Moon Devil Sect disguises itself as a group of righteous cultivators, exposing the danger of trusting appearances during wartime.
• The collision of major powers: The mountain-opening contest is interrupted by the much larger conflict between humanity, the Demon Race, and the Devil Sect.

Important Character Interactions

• Gai Fengyou and Guo Xiang privately discuss the crisis and agree that Far-Reaching City cannot be abandoned.
• Gai Fengyou and Hu Xi exchange veiled hostility rooted in an earlier dispute over a treasure, though Hu Xi later acknowledges Gai’s courage.
• The Fate-Seeking Sect and Mountain Fate Sect clarify their limited but meaningful connections with Slanted-Eye Dog Head.
• Gai Fengyou’s public appeal inspires more than a hundred cultivators to join the rescue effort and causes the elders to reassess him.
• Mo Huiyuan attempts to deceive Far-Reaching City’s defenders, but the city guard refuses entry and orders the supposed “righteous heroes” to leave.
• Tree-Horn King directly threatens Li Qingxian as the Demon Race and Moon Devil Sect begin their assault from opposite directions.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The demonfiend allied army launches an assault on Far-Reaching City, initially advancing rapidly toward its walls.
• The city’s defenders spring a long-prepared ambush. Scholars, sect disciples, Martial Cultivators, and literary cultivators combine their strength to drive the attackers back.
• The Devil Sect hesitates to commit fully, since its poisons are largely ineffective against the city’s literary cultivators, whose Righteous Qi disperses the toxins.
• Tree-Horn King demands that Zhang Moyai surrender Li Qingxian, threatening to withdraw otherwise. Zhang ignores him, prompting Tree-Horn King to personally attack the city.
• Zhang Moyai uses his adapted Battle Poem, , empowered by the manifested image of Thousand Mountains and Hundred Rivers. The poem rises from Third Rank to Second Rank strength and overwhelms Tree-Horn King, hurling him away.
• Zhang rallies the defenders by announcing that the River Guard Army, the Fate Sect, and surrounding sects are on their way. The defenders’ morale rises, while the demons become increasingly desperate.
• An Upper Rank Demon King launches a surprise attack on the eastern wall, breaks through the defenses, and creates a massive breach. However, Gai Fengyou, Guo Xiang, and numerous Middle Rank Fate Arts Masters arrive in time to drive it back.
• The Devil Sect again refuses to attack decisively, with Elder Xing Gefei choosing to wait after observing the arrival of powerful human reinforcements.
• Tree-Horn King reveals his hidden trump card: a thirty-thousand-strong Devil-Armored Devil Army emerges from the forest.
• The armored demons possess extraordinary defensive power, making them extremely difficult for Martial Cultivators, literary cultivators, and Dao Cultivators to defeat.
• Leading them is a terrifying Second Rank Devil-Armored Elephant King, whose bone-reinforced armor is nearly impenetrable, accompanied by a sinister Third Rank goat Demon King priest.
• News of the Devil-Armored army spreads panic throughout the city. Allied forces hesitate to send aid, households prepare to flee, and Far-Reaching City appears to be on the verge of collapse.

Character Developments

• Zhang Moyai demonstrates exceptional courage and authority. His mastery of the newly famous Battle Poem allows him to fight above his normal rank and repel Tree-Horn King. He also emerges as the central leader of the city’s defense.
• Tree-Horn King becomes enraged and frustrated by the city’s unexpected strength. After failing to defeat Zhang Moyai directly, he reveals that he had deliberately concealed a stronger force.
• Gai Fengyou and Guo Xiang prove their reliability by arriving with other Fate Arts Masters at the critical moment and preventing the eastern wall from falling.
• Xing Gefei and the Devil Sect reveal their self-serving nature. Rather than risk themselves against the city’s strengthened defenses, they hold back and wait for a better opportunity.
• The civilians and military officers of Far-Reaching City lose confidence once the Devil-Armored forces appear, showing how fear can overturn the morale created by earlier victories.

Significant Themes

• Preparation versus surprise: Far-Reaching City’s hidden preparations initially counter the demon assault, but the demons regain the advantage through their concealed Devil-Armored army.
• Unity against overwhelming power: Scholars, sects, Martial Cultivators, Fate Arts Masters, and literary cultivators successfully defend the city when working together.
• Righteousness versus corruption: Righteous Qi naturally suppresses the Devil Sect’s poisons, symbolizing the resistance of righteous literary cultivation against demonic methods.
• Innovation in warfare: The demons have studied human techniques and developed armor that dramatically changes the balance of power.
• Courage and morale: Zhang Moyai’s victory inspires the defenders, while the appearance of the Devil-Armored Elephant King causes widespread fear and despair.
• Betrayal and self-interest: The Devil Sect refuses to cooperate fully with the Demon Race, illustrating the instability of alliances built on selfish motives.

Important Character Interactions

• Zhang Moyai and Tree-Horn King: Their confrontation is the chapter’s main personal conflict. Tree-Horn King demands Li Qingxian’s surrender, but Zhang answers with force, using his Battle Poem to defeat and humiliate him.
• Tree-Horn King and the Devil Sect: Tree-Horn King repeatedly urges the Devil Sect to attack, but the sect ignores him, deepening the tension within the allied demon forces.
• Gai Fengyou and Guo Xiang with the city defenders: Their arrival prevents the eastern breach from becoming a total collapse and reinforces the importance of cooperation among human factions.
• The defenders and the civilians: The defenders initially inspire hope, but the emergence of the Devil-Armored army causes civilians and soldiers alike to panic and prepare for evacuation.

Chapter Summary: Duan Tianji Sealed by Myriad Artifacts

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Devil-Armored Devil Army mobilizes against Far-Reaching City in Qiyuan County. The major powers refuse to intervene because they have already committed themselves to opening the Heavenly Profound Sacred Land and believe saving the city would be futile.
• Preparations for the Mountain-Opening Alliance Gathering near the ten Heavenly Profound Sacred Mountains are completed. The mountains are surrounded by formations designed to sever their connection with heaven and earth so they can be moved.
• The event’s champion will receive ten Universal Jade Pendants, a Fake-Life Man, and whichever mountain they successfully obtain.
• Heaven’s Mandate Sect dramatically raises the stakes by offering a page from the Golden Palace Jade Record, an Upper Rank Fate Arts compendium. The prize is intended both to attract talented Rogue Cultivators and to undermine the alliance of sects opposing Heaven’s Mandate Sect.
• The Mountain Fate Sect and River Fate Sect respond with their own valuable inheritances, including the Stars Hanging Mountain Method, a Fate Artifact from the Mountain Stabilization Pavilion, the River-Cutting Method, the Mountain-River Converging Seas Method, and the River-Ring Boat.
• These rival rewards are impressive but heavily restricted: most require mastery of the respective sects’ foundational arts, making them largely useless to outsiders. This gives Heaven’s Mandate Sect a strategic advantage.
• Great Sir, who has gathered numerous treasures and secret manuals, plans to win the competition and use the prizes to compensate for his own deficiencies.
• Duan Tianji arrives to participate in the event. He appears almost entirely transformed by artifacts embedded beneath his skin.
• The crowd discovers that his body contains numerous magical and Fate Artifacts, including the Three-Flame Emerald Glazed Cup and an ancient Spirit-Invoking Altar.
• The altar is identified as the core of the Deity-Sealing Platform, a genuine Beyond-Rank magical artifact reportedly forged around An Kingdom’s national Fate Artifact. The spectators realize that Heaven’s Mandate Sect may be attempting to seal the entire Deity-Sealing Platform into Duan Tianji’s body.

Character Developments

• Duan Tianji is revealed to have undergone an extreme transformation, replacing parts of his body with powerful artifacts. His preparations demonstrate both Heaven’s Mandate Sect’s vast resources and its willingness to pursue unprecedented methods. Although only Fourth Rank, his power and presence are already approaching the Upper Rank.
• Great Sir becomes more determined and optimistic. He sees the contest as a chance to acquire a Fate Mountain and several inheritances, potentially correcting his weaknesses and greatly increasing his strength.
• The Upper Rank masters shift from dismissing the gathering as a routine alliance event to recognizing it as a direct contest between Heaven’s Mandate Sect and the sects resisting its influence.
• The Rogue Cultivators are encouraged by the valuable rewards and prepare to compete seriously, believing the event may allow them to rise dramatically in status.

Significant Themes

• Political rivalry and sect competition: The gathering becomes a battlefield for influence, with each faction using rewards and inheritances to recruit allies and weaken opponents.
• Strategic generosity: Heaven’s Mandate Sect’s prize is not merely charitable. It is calculated to attract future talent, obtain Fate Mountains indirectly, and display its superior resources.
• Power through inheritance and exclusivity: The usefulness of each reward depends on access to the necessary traditions and techniques, showing how sects preserve power by restricting knowledge.
• Transformation and the cost of strength: Duan Tianji’s artifact-filled body suggests that advancement may require sacrificing one’s humanity or physical integrity.
• Indifference toward ordinary lives: The powerful factions knowingly abandon Far-Reaching City, prioritizing their larger plans over the lives of its inhabitants.
• Escalation of power: The appearance of a Beyond-Rank artifact raises the event from a competition over mountains to a confrontation involving the highest levels of magical and Fate-based power.

Important Character Interactions

• The Upper Rank masters debate whether to abandon their preparations to save Far-Reaching City but ultimately choose to remain, revealing their shared resentment toward the imperial court and their unwillingness to act on its behalf.
• Heaven’s Mandate Sect challenges the opposing Fate Sects by presenting the Golden Palace Jade Record page as a prize.
• The Mountain and River Fate Sects coordinate their response, offering complementary inheritances to counter Heaven’s Mandate Sect’s influence.
• Great Sir observes the rivalry from among the competitors, quietly planning to exploit the rewards for his own advancement.
• Duan Tianji presents himself as a participant seeking to support the gathering, but his artifact-implanted body shocks the assembled masters and reveals that Heaven’s Mandate Sect has prepared something far more ambitious than a normal competition.

Chapter Summary: You Fei Rides a Colorful Crane

Key Plot Points and Events

• Duan Tianji reveals his terrifying transformation, his body filled with powerful artifacts and his eyes glowing with golden light. He declares that Fate Mountain belongs to him because he bears Heaven’s Mandate.
• Using the Heaven-and-Earth Life-Establishing Arts, one of the Heaven’s Mandate Sect’s three supreme arts, Duan influences ordinary Fate Arts Masters within three hundred li. Many immediately submit to him and believe he is destined to obtain Fate Mountain.
• Upper Rank Fate Arts Masters recognize Duan’s extraordinary strength and speculate that the Heaven’s Mandate Sect intends to use him, together with the Child of Heaven’s Mandate, to absorb the fortune of talented people across the world and establish a Beyond-Rank foundation.
• Other practitioners attempt to open or move Fate Mountain by summoning gods and using various mountain-moving techniques, though the Upper Rank experts doubt that these ordinary efforts will succeed.
• Meanwhile, the Devil-Armored Devil Army advances toward Far-Reaching City. The city’s defenders have repelled several attacks, but the situation is worsening because powerful reinforcements have not arrived.
• At Sky Firmament Sect, Jiang Youfei receives news that Li Qingxian cannot withstand the approaching Devil-Armored army. Although she had planned to remain in seclusion and stabilize her cultivation, she decides to intervene.
• Jiang summons the sect’s guardian divine beast, the enormous multicolored crane, and rides it toward the battlefield. Her departure causes concern among the sect’s elders, who question whether she has the authority to use the guardian beast without consulting them.
• At Far-Reaching City, Zhang Moyai battles the Tree-Horn King while mainly defending. Gai Fengyou and Guo Xiang successfully anticipate and repel the Demon Race’s attacks, but both recognize that the city is unlikely to survive once the Devil-Armored Devil King arrives.
• Guo Xiang privately warns Gai Fengyou to prepare for the city’s fall, suggesting that Li Qingxian was deliberately lured away and that neither of them can defeat the Devil-Armored Devil King alone.

Character Developments

• Duan Tianji is established as an overwhelming and almost inhuman force. His mastery of a supreme Heaven’s Mandate Art makes him appear destined to control Fate Mountain and possibly reshape the balance of power among the Fate Arts sects.
• Jiang Youfei demonstrates responsibility and courage. Despite being newly advanced to Third Rank and needing time to consolidate her cultivation, she abandons her recovery to aid Li Qingxian and Far-Reaching City.
• Gai Fengyou proves that experience and knowledge can compensate for lost cultivation. Though he has fallen from Third Rank to Fourth Rank, his broad understanding and flexible methods allow him to defend two sections of the city wall.
• Guo Xiang remains clear-headed and pragmatic. Rather than blindly insisting on defending the city, he assesses the overwhelming threat and urges Gai Fengyou to prepare for survival.
• Zhang Moyai displays disciplined defensive skill, successfully preventing the stronger Tree-Horn King from breaking through despite being at a disadvantage.
• The Sky Firmament Sect elders reveal their doubts about Jiang Youfei’s judgment and leadership abilities, though they also admit that her status as the sect’s only Upper Rank second-generation disciple makes her difficult to replace.

Significant Themes

• Destiny and legitimacy: Duan Tianji’s claim to Fate Mountain raises the question of whether power and divine mandate justify ownership. His influence causes people to submit before he has actually won.
• Power versus responsibility: Jiang Youfei uses the sect’s guardian beast without permission, creating tension between her personal sense of duty and institutional authority.
• Overwhelming fate and strategic preparation: The Fate Mountain conflict and the impending fall of Far-Reaching City both emphasize how individuals struggle against forces far greater than themselves.
• Experience compensating for weakness: Gai Fengyou’s reduced cultivation does not prevent him from becoming one of the city’s most effective defenders.
• The fragility of political and military alliances: The Heaven’s Mandate Sect pursues a grand plan involving the fortunes of countless talented people, while Far-Reaching City’s defenders face abandonment and insufficient support from the court.

Important Character Interactions

• Duan Tianji’s declaration causes weaker Fate Arts Masters to admire and support him, while Upper Rank experts react with fear and suspicion.
• The Fate Arts Masters discuss Nie Jiuming, Duan Tianji’s potential rival, and regret that another promising figure, Great Sir, has lost his Fate Star.
• Jiang Youfei communicates with the Colorful Crane and departs in response to the crisis, showing their close bond and mutual trust.
• Sky Firmament Sect elders criticize Jiang’s independent actions but acknowledge that her strength and position make her essential to the sect.
• At Far-Reaching City, Zhang Moyai holds off the Tree-Horn King, while Gai Fengyou and Guo Xiang cooperate to repel enemy attacks.
• Guo Xiang privately warns Gai Fengyou that the city is doomed once the Devil-Armored Devil King arrives, highlighting the growing desperation among the defenders.

Chapter Summary: “Six Gods Descend from Heaven”

Key Plot Points and Events

• At Cangmang Mountain, Gai Fengyou and Guo Xiang prepare to delay the approaching thirty-thousand-strong Devil-Armored Devil Army. Gai Fengyou insists that even a brief resistance will buy valuable time, though both know they cannot defeat the Devil-Armored Devil King.
• At the Divine Bow Sect camp, Xu Fang and Wang Shoude pressure Yue Xianghe to decide whether he truly remains their Fifth Senior Brother or has become the unrelated “Chief Clerk Yue.” Wang Shoude recalls their shared history and the sacrifices of their fellow disciples, urging Yue Xianghe to confront his identity.
• At the Mountain-Opening Alliance Gathering, the major sects fail to move the legendary Profound Heaven Ten Peaks. Great Sir then reveals his hidden power and summons a Mountain God, an Orthodox God capable of moving mountains.
• Nie Jiuming counters by summoning ten solid-bodied heavenly soldiers. Although individually weaker than the Mountain God, together they rival it.
• Duan Tianji makes the decisive move by opening the Southern Heavenly Gate and summoning a powerful Giant Spirit God. The Mountain God and heavenly soldiers immediately submit to him, demonstrating the vast difference in divine rank.
• The Giant Spirit God begins moving toward Profound Heaven Mountain. Great Sir’s Mountain God remains helpless, and the physical strain of summoning it causes Great Sir to cough blood.
• Before Duan Tianji can claim victory, an immense divine radiance erupts beyond the mountains. Twenty-two layers of heavenly clouds spread across the sky, revealing countless celestial mountains and worlds.
• Six voices call, “Mountains, come!” Five colossal, solid-bodied giants descend from the heavens. They are far larger and more powerful than the Giant Spirit God, and even the Mountain God kneels before them.
• Great Sir is overwhelmed by humiliation and despair, vomiting blood when he realizes the deity he summoned is insignificant before these mysterious heavenly gods.

Character Developments

• Gai Fengyou presents himself as willing to sacrifice his life for the greater good, challenging his reputation as cowardly and self-serving.
• Yue Xianghe remains uncertain and withdrawn, suggesting a deep internal conflict over his identity and loyalty.
• Wang Shoude demonstrates faith in Yue Xianghe and emotional loyalty to their shared past, while also showing that the loss of his fan has strengthened his resolve.
• Xu Fang acts as a patient but hopeful mediator, believing Yue Xianghe may still return to his former self.
• Great Sir reveals tremendous ambition and hidden strength, but his confidence collapses as stronger divine beings repeatedly overshadow his achievement.
• Duan Tianji confirms his superiority among the Fate Arts Masters through his calm, effortless summoning of the Giant Spirit God.
• Nie Jiuming proves himself a formidable rival by summoning actual heavenly soldiers, though his achievement is ultimately surpassed.

Significant Themes

• Sacrifice versus survival: Gai Fengyou’s willingness to delay the enemy contrasts with the fear and desperation surrounding the Devil-Armored Army.
• Identity and loyalty: Yue Xianghe’s silence reflects the struggle between his current identity and his bonds with former companions.
• Hierarchy of power: The chapter repeatedly establishes increasingly higher levels of divine authority—from Mountain Gods, to heavenly soldiers, to Giant Spirit Gods, and finally the mysterious five-thousand-zhang giants.
• Ambition and humiliation: Great Sir’s attempt to claim first place illustrates how quickly pride can be destroyed when confronted with overwhelming superiority.
• The limits of human power: Even the strongest Fate Arts Masters can summon only a fraction of the forces existing in the heavens.

Character Interactions

• Gai Fengyou and Guo Xiang discuss delaying the Devil-Armored Army and acknowledge the danger posed by its king.
• Xu Fang and Wang Shoude jointly encourage Yue Xianghe to remember who he is, with Wang making the more personal and emotional appeal.
• Great Sir, Nie Jiuming, and Duan Tianji engage in an escalating contest of summoning power.
• The summoned beings’ reactions reveal their hierarchy: the Mountain God kneels before the colossal heavenly giants, while the heavenly soldiers bow to the Giant Spirit God.

Chapter Summary: “Giant God Embraces Snow”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Five immense, haloed gods descend near the Heavenly Profound Sacred Land. Unlike ordinary phantom gods, they possess solid bodies and appear to retain their divine intelligence.
• The summoned gods of the various Fate Arts Masters kneel before them, identifying them as beings of extraordinarily high status. Only Duan Tianji’s Giant Spirit God remains standing.
• The five gods initially seem to be heading away from the sacred land, relieving the Heaven’s Mandate Sect. However, four suddenly turn toward Profound Heaven Mountain, while the fifth flies toward Far-Reaching City.
• One giant god accidentally steps on and crushes Duan Tianji’s summoned Giant Spirit God. The destruction causes severe backlash, making Duan Tianji cough blood and nearly collapse.
• The four gods then uproot the main peak and three guardian peaks of the Heavenly Profound Sacred Land. Martial Cultivators undergoing trials are thrown from the mountains, while the sacred land’s inheritances—including the Heavenly Profound Divine Art and Great Annihilating Star Saber Technique—are carried away with the peaks.
• In Far-Reaching City, the Devil-Armored Devil Army approaches the walls. The city begins evacuating as its defenders recognize that they cannot hold out for long.
• A fifth giant god arrives at Cangmang Mountain, gathers the region’s thousand mountains and hundred rivers, and compresses them into a massive snow mountain surrounded by a river.
• Seeing Tree-Horn King and the Devil-Armored Elephant King below, the god hurls the enormous snow mountain at them with devastating force.

Character Developments

• Duan Tianji: His confidence and prestige are dealt a serious blow when his powerful Giant Spirit God is effortlessly crushed. He suffers backlash, emphasizing the danger of relying on summoned divine beings.
• The Fate Arts Masters: Their assumptions about divine summoning are overturned. They realize that these five gods are far beyond ordinary summoned entities, possibly possessing true divine consciousness.
• The Heaven’s Mandate Sect: Initially relieved that the mysterious gods are not targeting them, they are horrified when the gods change course and destroy Duan Tianji’s summon.
• Gai Fengyou and Guo Xiang: They accept that Far-Reaching City must retreat, though Gai still expresses confidence that Li Qingxian could have changed the situation had he been present.
• The five giant gods: They display childlike or simple-minded behavior around mountains, eagerly lifting and carrying them, yet possess overwhelming strength and destructive power.

Significant Themes

• The limits of human power: Even elite Fate Arts Masters and their divine summons are helpless before the five gods.
• Divinity versus imitation: The contrast between phantom gods and the five solid, intelligent beings suggests a hierarchy between human-created summons and genuine heavenly entities.
• Disruption of order: The sacred land’s mountains, trials, and inheritances are casually removed, throwing the Mountain-Opening Alliance Gathering into chaos.
• Overwhelming and unpredictable power: The giant gods are not portrayed as deliberately malicious, but their actions cause catastrophic consequences simply because of their immense strength.
• Hope and absence: Gai Fengyou’s mention of Li Qingxian highlights the defenders’ reliance on absent powerful figures during a crisis.

Character Interactions

• The summoned gods collectively kneel before the five newcomers, establishing their superior status.
• Duan Tianji’s Giant Spirit God is destroyed when one of the giant gods steps on it, indirectly humiliating and injuring Duan Tianji.
• Heaven’s Mandate Sect members rush to support the injured Duan Tianji while observing the terrifying newcomers.
• Gai Fengyou and Guo Xiang discuss retreat as the Devil-Armored forces threaten Far-Reaching City.
• The fifth giant god confronts the advancing Devil-Armored Elephant King and Tree-Horn King by launching the enormous snow mountain at them, setting up a major clash.

Chapter Summary: “A Sacred Mountain Descended from the Heavens”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Headmaster Zhang Moyai uses a page of golden scripture from Literary Sage Mountain to protect Far-Reaching City as a gigantic Great Snow Mountain descends from the heavens.
• The mountain crushes much of the Demon Race and Devil Sect army, killing the Devil-Armored Elephant King and severely wounding Tree-Horn King, who escapes while swearing revenge on Li Qingxian.
• The mountain shatters on impact but reforms through the power of Converging Mountains and Rivers. A giant god lifts it again and flies toward Li Qingxian, implying that Li is directing or receiving this overwhelming divine assistance.
• The people of Far-Reaching City kneel in gratitude, while the defenders realize that Li Qingxian—despite being absent—has played a decisive role in saving them.
• Zhang Moyai rallies the city with the cry, “Give thanks to Qingxian, then counterattack the demonfiends!” The city’s forces surge out against the retreating enemy.
• Xing Gefei, an Upper Rank demonic cultivator, remains unharmed and creates a massive sandstorm wall to delay the city’s troops while the allied army withdraws.
• A sixth giant god then descends from the heavens carrying an enormous divine mountain resembling an upper-realm sacred land. Its divine music and aura devastate the demonic and heretical forces.
• Xing Gefei’s demonic arts collapse, his insects explode, and he is knocked unconscious. Middle Rank demons also vomit blood and faint.
• The Treasure Life God statue, previously intended as the heretical army’s trump card, cracks and absorbs the life force of its own followers before exploding. This causes chaos in Treasure Life City.
• Outside Profound Heaven Mountain, the Heavenly Profound Sacred Land disappears permanently after its main peak is uprooted. No one obtains its inheritance.
• The masked Fate Arts Master who summoned the mountain is revealed as Great Sir. He suffers severe bodily corruption from heretical power and flees.
• Other Martial and Fate Cultivators exposed to the divine mountain’s aura also mutate, forcing their companions to kill them. The surviving Fate Arts Masters debate who should receive credit for the miraculous intervention.

Character Developments

• Li Qingxian becomes the apparent central figure behind the miraculous mountain attacks. Though absent, his influence saves Far-Reaching City and inspires the defenders to counterattack.
• Zhang Moyai shifts from defending the city to aggressively leading its counteroffensive, publicly honoring Li Qingxian and strengthening the city’s morale.
• Tree-Horn King survives but is humiliated and enraged after suffering the destruction of his army and losing part of his body.
• Xing Gefei, initially arrogant and confident, is reduced to helplessness by the sixth giant god’s divine aura. His supposedly superior demonic power proves ineffective against heavenly forces.
• Great Sir is exposed as the masked Fate Arts Master responsible for summoning the mountain. His connection to heretical power is revealed when his body mutates and he loses control.
• The members of the heretical army are shown to be expendable tools, sacrificed by the Treasure Life God statue to preserve itself.

Significant Themes

• Divine intervention and overwhelming power: The giant gods and sacred mountains demonstrate forces far beyond ordinary cultivators, completely overturning the battlefield.
• Hidden identities and unseen influence: Li Qingxian’s absence contrasts with the enormous impact attributed to him, while Great Sir’s disguise is finally destroyed.
• Hope emerging from despair: Far-Reaching City appears doomed, but the mountain’s descent transforms panic into confidence and launches a counterattack.
• The cost of demonic and heretical power: The demonic forces are destroyed not only by external attacks but also by the instability and corruption within their own arts.
• The end of an era: The destruction of Heavenly Profound Mountain closes off its inheritance forever, while the collapse of the Treasure Life God’s forces signals a major shift in the wider conflict.
• Uncertainty over credit and status: The Fate Arts Masters argue over who deserves first place, showing how political rivalry and competition continue even after the battlefield’s miraculous rescue.

Important Character Interactions

• Zhang Moyai and the city’s defenders: Zhang rallies them to honor Li Qingxian and attack the enemy, turning gratitude into collective action.
• Tree-Horn King and Li Qingxian: Tree-Horn King directly blames Li for the destruction of his forces and vows revenge.
• Xing Gefei and Zhang Moyai: Xing Gefei blocks the city’s advance while Zhang Moyai leaves to pursue the wounded tiger demon king, creating a tense confrontation that is interrupted by the sixth divine descent.
• Great Sir and the other Fate Cultivators: Great Sir’s corruption becomes visible to his peers, exposing his identity and making him an object of suspicion and fear.
• Heretical cultivators and the Treasure Life God statue: The statue drains and sacrifices its own followers, revealing the ruthless, parasitic relationship between the heretical power and its disciples.
• The Fate Arts Masters: After the battle, they debate whether Li Qingxian, Great Sir, or another hidden figure deserves recognition for summoning the divine mountain, leaving the true hierarchy unresolved.

Chapter Summary: “Green Spreads Across White Ground”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After the descent of six immensely powerful deities, the Old Royal Army and Divine Bow Sect members at Cangmang Mountain are left stunned. The gods carry six mountains into Li Qingxian’s tent before disappearing.
• At dawn, an extraordinary transformation occurs: grass grows across ten li of land around the camp despite the winter snow, symbolizing the supernatural power associated with Li Qingxian.
• Yue Xianghe, overwhelmed by the gods’ display and recognizing Li Qingxian’s restraint and benevolence, finally admits his father’s crimes. He apologizes to the victims, vows to compensate them, and promises to devote the rest of his life to good deeds.
• Cui Shan accepts Yue Xianghe’s repentance, declaring that their personal debts and hatred are resolved. The Tomb Commandants also acknowledge Li Qingxian’s righteousness and depart.
• Li Qingxian and his companions leave the mountain. He reviews messages detailing events elsewhere before being collected by Guo Xiang in a flying carriage.
• During the journey, Li Qingxian explains that the six Orthodox Gods retained part of their original power before entering his Spirit Platform, allowing them to contend with demon kings and move the Heavenly Profound Sacred Mountains.
• Guo Xiang reveals that Li Qingxian has effectively won the Mountain-Opening Alliance Gathering by moving four sacred mountains. He suggests claiming the championship and its rewards under Li Qingxian’s alias, Slanted-Eye Dog Head, while assigning the military merit directly to Li Qingxian.
• The group discusses the enormous value of the Heavenly Profound Sect’s legacy contained within the mountains. Refining them could make Li Qingxian extraordinarily wealthy and establish him as the successor who transmits the sect’s teachings.
• Gai Fengyou proposes transforming the main peak into a floating mountain and opening inheritance opportunities to rogue cultivators, creating both wealth and influence.

Character Developments

• Li Qingxian is revealed to possess extraordinary command over powerful Orthodox Gods. His actions demonstrate not only overwhelming strength but also restraint, since he chooses to guide Yue Xianghe toward sincere repentance rather than force him into submission.
• Yue Xianghe undergoes the chapter’s major emotional transformation. His resentment gives way to self-awareness, remorse, and a desire to repair the harm caused by his father and himself. He recognizes that his hatred arose from helplessness and that he had wrongly directed it toward Li Qingxian.
• Cui Shan moves from seeking an explanation for his family’s suffering to accepting that justice and closure can coexist. He forgives Yue Xianghe personally, though the past itself cannot be erased.
• Guo Xiang and Gai Fengyou increasingly view Li Qingxian as a rising power with the potential to inherit and revive the Heavenly Profound Sect’s legacy. Their conversation shows their confidence in his future and their willingness to help him capitalize on his achievements.
• Zhou Hen remains perceptive and pragmatic, understanding that unresolved grievances can justify continued conflict, while also recognizing the significance of Yue Xianghe’s repentance.

Significant Themes

• Redemption and moral choice: Yue Xianghe accepts responsibility instead of continuing to blame others for his family’s downfall.
• Justice versus vengeance: The chapter distinguishes between obtaining an explanation and perpetuating hatred. Cui Shan achieves closure without abandoning the truth of what happened.
• Mercy as strength: Li Qingxian’s refusal to crush Yue Xianghe, despite possessing overwhelming power, proves his moral authority more effectively than force would have.
• Transformation and renewal: The grass spreading across the snowy ground symbolizes life, rebirth, and the possibility of moral renewal after suffering.
• Power and responsibility: Li Qingxian’s growing supernatural power is paired with expectations that he will preserve, refine, and responsibly distribute the Heavenly Profound Sect’s inheritance.
• Legacy and ambition: The sacred mountains represent not only treasure but also the continuation of an influential tradition and the creation of a new center of power.

Character Interactions

• Li Qingxian and Yue Xianghe: Their confrontation is resolved through Yue Xianghe’s voluntary repentance. Li Qingxian’s indirect warning and compassionate restraint lead Yue Xianghe to change.
• Yue Xianghe and Cui Shan: Yue Xianghe apologizes and accepts responsibility; Cui Shan declares their personal enmity settled, providing emotional closure.
• Li Qingxian and the Old Royal Army/Tomb Commandants: His conduct earns their respect, and they acknowledge that he could have used force but deliberately chose justice and mercy.
• Li Qingxian, Guo Xiang, and Gai Fengyou: In the flying carriage, they discuss the nature of his gods, his victory at the gathering, the use of his alias, and the immense political and financial possibilities of the sacred mountains.
• Wang Shoude and Zhou Hen: Their brief exchange interprets Cui Shan’s motives, emphasizing that his true need was an explanation rather than simple revenge.

Chapter Summary: “Lu Wu Calms the Mountains”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Guo Xiang and Gai Fengyou explain the two types of mountains associated with the Heaven’s Mandate Mountain Range:
  • Guarding mountains, which are tied to sects or Fate Mansions and are difficult to move.
  • Hanging Mountains, which remain outside and can serve as the core of a mountain-and-river Momentum Configuration.
• They warn Li Qingxian that the divine mountain he obtained from the upper realm would be far more valuable as a Hanging Mountain than as a normal Fate mountain. If combined with powerful Fate Stars such as the Ancestor Court of Ten Thousand Mountains, it might eventually command multiple Hanging Mountains and unify numerous Momentum Configurations.
• Guo Xiang strongly advises Li to deny possessing a genuine divine mountain, since Heaven’s Mandate Sect and other powerful forces might target him. Li agrees to claim that it is only a phantom.
• Li reveals that the “divine mountain” is actually connected to the Lu Wu Mountain-Calming Formula, a cultivation method associated with Lu Wu, the mountain god of Kunlun and ruler of the Nine Divisions of Heaven.
• Guo Xiang and Gai Fengyou recognize the method’s importance and caution Li not to spread it recklessly.
• Guo Xiang asks Li to eventually share his insights into the Great Snow Mountain, since Li is the first Fate Arts Master known to have successfully moved a mountain-and-river manifestation—specifically, a Literary Cultivation poetry mountain.
• Li privately decides to conceal an even greater secret: he intends to place mountains from the Heaven’s Mandate Mountain Range into his Six-Cornered True Altar to forge True Spirits. He fears Heaven’s Mandate Sect would destroy him if this became known.
• To disguise the nature of his inheritance, Gai Fengyou suggests that Li create a cultivation formula supposedly derived from the mountain and trade it publicly.
• Li proposes offering the Mountain-Calming Deity-Sealing Formula, the most basic portion of the Lu Wu method, in exchange for a complete set of cultivation arts concerning the Heaven’s Mandate Mountain Range and Destiny Rivers.
• Guo Xiang immediately points out that Li is essentially asking for the Mountain Fate Sect’s core techniques.

Character Developments

• Li Qingxian becomes more cautious and politically aware. He recognizes the need to conceal both the divine mountain’s true nature and his plans for forging True Spirits.
• He also demonstrates growing ambition and strategic thinking by seeking complete Mountain Fate techniques in exchange for only a limited portion of the Lu Wu inheritance.
• Guo Xiang is shown as prudent and loyal to both the imperial court and the Mountain Fate Sect. Although he warns against dangerous actions, he is willing to negotiate for the Lu Wu formula once Li reaches Upper Rank.
• Gai Fengyou openly and passionately affirms his loyalty to Li. He rejects Guo Xiang’s suspicion that the Mountain Fate Sect might betray Li and declares his confidence that Li will become the greatest Grand Fate Arts Master in history.
• Both older Fate Arts Masters come to regard Li’s moving of the poetry mountain as a groundbreaking achievement with major implications for the entire discipline.

Significant Themes

• Concealment and survival: Extraordinary power must be hidden because revealing it would attract the hostility of powerful sects.
• Knowledge as power and currency: The Lu Wu formula can be exchanged for high-level cultivation methods, but even partial knowledge carries enormous value.
• Innovation versus tradition: Li’s successful movement of a Literary Cultivation Fate Mountain challenges established Fate Arts theories and may transform the field.
• Institutional self-interest: Guo Xiang criticizes major Fate sects, especially Heaven’s Mandate Sect, for prioritizing their own power over the advancement of all Fate Cultivators.
• Trust and loyalty: Gai Fengyou’s defense of Li emphasizes that personal loyalty can stand against sectarian interests and political danger.
• Hidden ambition: Li outwardly presents the divine mountain as a phantom while privately pursuing a revolutionary method of constructing True Spirits.

Important Character Interactions

• Li and Guo Xiang/Gai Fengyou: They discuss the nature and strategic value of Hanging Mountains, with the two elders warning Li to protect his secret.
• Gai Fengyou and Guo Xiang: Gai passionately rebukes Guo Xiang for implying that the Mountain Fate Sect might betray Li, creating a humorous contrast between Guo Xiang’s caution and Gai’s blunt loyalty.
• Li and Guo Xiang: Li repeatedly anticipates Guo Xiang’s requests and refuses to be exploited, while Guo Xiang tries to secure future access to Li’s discoveries.
• Li and Gai Fengyou: Their exchange reveals mutual trust; Gai’s advice helps Li devise a way to conceal the divine mountain while obtaining the Mountain Fate Sect’s techniques.
• Li’s internal reflection: His thoughts reveal that he is concealing plans even from his allies, particularly his intention to merge Heaven’s Mandate mountains into the Six-Cornered True Altar.

Chapter Summary: “Thoughts on the Heroes’ Token”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Qingxian negotiates with Mountain Fate Sect representatives Guo Xiang and Gai Fengyou over the Mountain-Calming Deity-Sealing Formula.
• He explains that the formula can give mountains spiritual power and, at higher levels, seal gods within them. Its potential influence over Fate Cultivators and the Dao Sect makes it far more valuable than an ordinary offensive technique.
• Li demands both the complete Mountain Fate Arts and River Fate Arts in exchange. He also reveals that truly appointing Mountain Gods requires an Imperial Court position and an Upper Realm edict, though he currently plans to rely on summoned Mountain Gods to issue temporary decrees.
• Guo Xiang agrees to consult the sect master and elders. He also promises to help Li meet the elders, secure his status as the foremost champion, and obtain his rewards—especially a page of the Golden Palace Jade Record. Li refuses to sell the page because a friend has already reserved it, and because he needs it to advance his Heaven’s Mandate Sect inheritance.
• The discussion shifts to Li’s enormous military merit from annihilating the Devil-Armored Devil Army at Far-Reaching City. The feat is unprecedented and may be equivalent to personally killing hundreds of thousands of demons.
• Gai Fengyou warns that powerful military and martial factions will attempt to divide or trade away this merit. Since Li’s rank is low but his identity makes him difficult to coerce, he should establish his demands before others approach him.
• Gai suggests using the merit to help the Divine Bow Sect become an Order-Guarding Sect and gain entry into the military. Guo Xiang agrees this is realistic and politically valuable.
• The Heroes’ Token is also discussed. It is one of three martial-world tokens that can summon martial cultivators to defend the martial path during a crisis. Gai clarifies that he is not seriously proposing that Li wield it, but rather using Li’s merit to elevate the Divine Bow Sect’s status.
• News arrives that the Emperor has convened court after hearing of the victory. Li and the others conclude that rumors of the Emperor’s ill health were likely false.

Character Developments

• Li Qingxian demonstrates growing political awareness and bargaining power. He recognizes the Mountain-Calming formula as a means of gaining long-term authority over Mountain Gods and understands that his military merit can be converted into institutional influence.
• He is also shown to be a genuine inheritor and protector of the Heaven’s Mandate Sect, making the Golden Palace Jade Record especially important to his future cultivation.
• Guo Xiang shifts from skepticism to serious consideration of Li’s formula. He recognizes both its power and the strategic importance of negotiating with Li.
• Gai Fengyou proves himself politically astute. He identifies the danger of others appropriating Li’s military merit and proposes using it to secure the Divine Bow Sect’s advancement.
• Guo Xiang and Gai Fengyou increasingly treat Li as an important power broker rather than merely a young champion.
• Li’s relationship with the Divine Bow Sect deepens, as he sees its military entry as a convenient way to expand his own influence.

Significant Themes

• Power through institutions: True power comes not only from cultivation or combat but from controlling sect status, military authority, official appointments, and divine legitimacy.
• Political bargaining and merit: Military achievements become commodities that powerful groups seek to redistribute. Li must turn extraordinary merit into concrete benefits before others claim it.
• The relationship between Heaven, Court, and martial authority: The Mountain-Calming formula reveals that divine appointments depend on Imperial Court legitimacy and Upper Realm authority.
• Strategic use of identity: Li’s unusual status prevents stronger factions from simply exploiting him, allowing him to negotiate from a position of unexpected strength.
• Expansion of influence: Rather than seeking power only for himself, Li begins building broader influence through the Divine Bow Sect and the network of Mountain Gods.
• Public victory versus private maneuvering: The celebrated destruction of the Devil-Armored Army is followed by behind-the-scenes struggles over credit, rewards, and political control.

Character Interactions

• Li and Guo engage in a tense but increasingly respectful negotiation over the formula’s value.
• Gai challenges Guo’s assumptions and directs the conversation toward the political consequences of Li’s military merit.
• Guo and Gai debate whether the Heroes’ Token should be involved, ultimately clarifying that the more practical goal is securing Order-Guarding Sect status for the Divine Bow Sect.
• The three characters collectively strategize about Li’s rewards, revealing their growing cooperation and shared interest in protecting their respective factions.
• Li’s mention of the Emperor’s health prompts a brief exchange showing the group’s awareness of court politics and the importance of imperial reaction to their victory.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Qingxian and his companions—Gai Fengyou, Guo Xiang, and Zhou Hen—discuss how to exchange his newly acquired military merits.
• Gai Fengyou proposes using the opportunity not only to trade military merits but also to negotiate cooperation concerning the Heavenly Profound Inheritance. Li Qingxian agrees to present himself as the junior brother of Slanted-Eye Dog Head, while Gai Fengyou’s Fate of Wind Sect will handle negotiations and liaison with visiting sects.
• Gai Fengyou advises Li Qingxian to distribute some military merits to the Divine Bow Sect, Enlightenment Academy, and smaller sects in Far-Reaching City. This would allow him to establish a modest military network without attracting the major factions’ attention.
• Both Gai Fengyou and Guo Xiang urge Li Qingxian to focus on Fate Arts, warning him that official positions, followers, and military influence are only secondary to his cultivation and mastery of the Great Dao.
• Back in Far-Reaching City, Li Qingxian learns that the Enchanting City Fairy has visited and returned the poem he sent her. She leaves only the two lines: “The sun rises in the east, rain falls in the west; they say there is no sunshine, yet there is sunshine.” The poem carries her faint fragrance, suggesting a subtle personal message or emotional implication.
• Wang Buwu reports that the Treading White Army is approaching and that Far-Reaching City may soon be elevated into a major northern stronghold.
• Li Qingxian and Gai Fengyou successfully negotiate with three major factions:
  1. One faction will help the Divine Bow Sect join the Order-Guarding Sect, giving it greater influence over the Heroes’ Token.
  2. Another will arrange for two armies to be stationed in Far-Reaching City—one imperial army and a locally recruited five-thousand-man Far-Reaching Army, commanded by a retiring veteran general with Wang Buwu as deputy.
  3. The River Guard Army agrees to fully protect Far-Reaching City without demanding compensation, recognizing defense of the city as its duty.
• With the River Guard Army’s backing, Far-Reaching City is no longer vulnerable to the Devil Sect or dependent on Sand Province and Citrus Province. Li Qingxian effectively becomes its lord.
• The city’s hidden Ten Thousand Ants Climbing Dragon and Golden Python Stealing Dragon Momentum Configurations activate and return to Li Qingxian’s Fate Mansion.
• The distribution of National Fortune changes dramatically: Li Qingxian begins receiving seventy percent instead of the former share, indicating that the Momentum Configurations have matured and that the imperial court’s reward has been finalized.

Character Developments

• Li Qingxian transitions from a low-ranking Night Guard into the recognized lord and central power of Far-Reaching City. He begins building political, military, and sectarian influence while remaining aware that his cultivation must remain his true priority.
• Gai Fengyou demonstrates strategic foresight and political skill, guiding Li Qingxian in negotiating military merits, forming alliances, and cultivating a hidden military base of support.
• Guo Xiang supports Gai Fengyou’s plans and helps Li Qingxian formally claim his championship prize.
• Wang Buwu advances into a position of military importance as deputy commander of the future Far-Reaching Army.
• The Enchanting City Fairy communicates indirectly through the returned poem, reinforcing her mysterious and possibly affectionate connection with Li Qingxian.
• Zhou Hen remains detached from military-merit negotiations, declining to seek benefits for himself.

Significant Themes

• Political power through alliances: Li Qingxian converts military merits into sectarian influence, military protection, and institutional legitimacy.
• The rise of a new power center: Far-Reaching City develops from an isolated, vulnerable settlement into an independent northern stronghold.
• Cultivation versus worldly affairs: The chapter emphasizes that Fate Arts and the Great Dao are Li Qingxian’s foundation, while military and political influence are merely supporting “branches and leaves.”
• Legitimacy and destiny: The activation of the Momentum Configurations and the change in National Fortune symbolize Li Qingxian’s formal acceptance by the city’s destiny and the imperial court.
• Indirect emotional communication: The Enchanting City Fairy’s poetic gesture introduces ambiguity, subtle affection, and layered meaning into her relationship with Li Qingxian.

Character Interactions

• Li Qingxian collaborates closely with Gai Fengyou and Guo Xiang, relying on their expertise while asserting his own authority.
• Gai Fengyou and Guo Xiang tease one another but work together to protect and strengthen Li Qingxian’s position.
• Gai Fengyou advises Li Qingxian to use military merits carefully, especially to support allied sects and develop a limited military following.
• Li Qingxian’s interaction with the Enchanting City Fairy is indirect but charged with meaning: she returns his poem in person, leaves a cryptic reply, and departs before he can question her.
• Wang Buwu’s arrival and future command position deepen his practical alliance with Li Qingxian and tie the city’s political future to military organization.

Chapter Summary: River Guardian Wang Buwu

Key Plot Points and Events

• After the battle outside Far-Reaching City, a Flying Airship carrying imperial officials arrives to investigate the battlefield and assess the military merit earned there.
• The officials inspect the destruction caused by the Great Snow Mountain technique. Most demonic remains have been obliterated, leaving only traces of Fifth Rank and higher demons.
• An Upper Rank Fate Arts Master performs deductions to reconstruct what happened.
• The five-thousand-strong Treading White Army arrives. Its general remains outside the city while Wang Buwu enters and meets Li Qingxian and the officials of Far-Reaching City.
• Wang Buwu and Li Qingxian discuss their recent achievements, future plans, and the political dangers developing in Divine Capital.
• Wang Buwu reveals that Ye Han wants him to return and support his rise in the capital, but Wang has instead chosen to remain connected to the River Guard Army and later join Li Qingxian in Far-Reaching City.
• The two analyze the four princes most likely to contend for the throne: Prince of Qin, Prince of Jin, Prince of Chu, and the Grand General King, the Fourth Prince.
• Both agree that the succession struggle is extremely dangerous and that Ye Han is being reckless by aligning himself with Prince of Chu.
• Wang warns Li Qingxian not to return to Divine Capital because the political situation has become unstable. He also mentions that Lu Gaoming recently lost an arm under suspicious circumstances.
• Li Qingxian outwardly remains calm, but Wang’s final remark fills him with unease.

Character Developments

• Wang Buwu has matured greatly through his service in the River Guard Army. He has abandoned his former ambition of pursuing a comfortable and prestigious career in the capital.
• He now understands why soldiers and generals willingly endure hardship, danger, and separation from their families: their sacrifices protect the capital and the people who live safely there.
• Wang has developed admiration for Grand General King, realizing why he remains at the Northern River despite political suspicion and personal danger.
• Though still ambitious and capable, Wang has become more grounded. He plans to recuperate in Far-Reaching City, cultivate further, and continue fighting nearby demons rather than seek advancement in the capital.
• Li Qingxian presents himself as someone who wants to avoid political entanglements and focus on cultivation. He recognizes the danger of the imperial succession struggle and intends to remain in Far-Reaching City.
• Li’s apparent calm contrasts with his growing internal alarm, especially when Wang mentions Lu Gaoming’s injury.
• Ye Han is portrayed as politically overconfident. His decision to support Prince of Chu suggests that he may be underestimating the dangers of the succession conflict.

Significant Themes

• Duty versus comfort: Wang realizes that the safety and prosperity of Divine Capital depend on people willing to remain on dangerous frontiers.
• Maturity through hardship: Direct experience in war transforms Wang’s values and gives him a deeper understanding of sacrifice.
• Political ambition and danger: The struggle for the throne is presented as a deadly contest in which even powerful princes and their supporters can easily perish.
• The contrast between the capital and the frontier: Divine Capital is associated with power, comfort, and intrigue, while the River Guard Army represents hardship, loyalty, and genuine service.
• Hidden threats and uncertainty: The suspicious circumstances surrounding Lu Gaoming’s injury imply that unseen forces are active in the capital and that Li Qingxian may soon be drawn into danger despite his desire to stay neutral.

Character Interactions

• Li and Wang reunite warmly, with Li teasing Wang using his old nickname and Wang responding with familiar irritation.
• Wang praises Li’s achievements but also admits that his own battlefield experience has changed his understanding of life and duty.
• Li listens sympathetically and affirms Wang’s decision to serve in Far-Reaching City.
• Their discussion shifts from personal choices to imperial politics, showing mutual trust and willingness to speak candidly.
• Wang urges Li to avoid the capital, while Li explains why he refuses to support any particular prince.
• Their final exchange about Lu Gaoming creates a tense ending, suggesting that both men may be caught in a larger and more dangerous conspiracy.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wang Buwu tells Li Qingxian that former companions Lu Gaoming and Gu Xiong have suffered misfortunes. Gu Xiong was exiled after accidentally killing Jin Ling, while Lu Gaoming lost an arm during a clash with the son of the general who had framed his father.
• Li Qingxian realizes these events mirror answers given during the fake Weird Game he and the Eerie Eunuch Mao Shigao staged in the Eerie City. Gu Xiong’s fabricated confession became reality, and Lu Gaoming’s choice to lose an arm manifested literally.
• He further recognizes that Wang Buwu’s answer in the game—admitting disappointment in Ye Han—has also come true, as Wang has gradually grown distant from Ye Han.
• Li Qingxian concludes that the fake game violated hidden laws of the Eerie Ground and became a genuine Weird Game. He resolves to avoid Eeries and remain firmly on the human side.
• Feeling responsible for the affected companions, Li Qingxian promises to help. He plans to have Gu Xiong transferred into Wang Buwu’s command and use a contact in the Imperial Prison Bureau to assist Lu Gaoming and pressure Lu’s enemy to withdraw.
• Officials finish examining the battlefield and return to the city. Before tens of thousands of citizens, Yu Qingchen arrives with an imperial delegation and announces Li Qingxian’s exceptional promotion.
• Li Qingxian is made Marquis of Far-Reaching, granted status equivalent to Subordinate Third Rank, a complete set of Third Rank Fortune official attire, and the Nine-Scaled Flying Flood Dragon Sword, a Third Rank Fortune treasure capable of Second Rank power within Great Qi.
• Yu Qingchen uses a jade dragon to transfer National Fortune to Li Qingxian. The power enters his Fate Mansion, transforming his Ruler’s Fortune into the Ruler’s Fortune Bright Moon.
• His Fate Star, Dripping Water Forms a Lake, evolves into Dripping Water Forms a Sea. His mind becomes clearer, and previously learned knowledge—including memories from his former life—returns with greater sharpness.
• The previously dormant Twin Stars Accompanying the Moon finally activate, absorbing National Fortune and beginning to function within his Fate Mansion.

Character Developments

• Li Qingxian becomes more aware of the danger and unpredictability of Eeries. He recognizes that his actions can have lasting supernatural consequences and adopts a more cautious attitude.
• He also demonstrates responsibility and loyalty by accepting partial blame for his friends’ suffering and actively planning to help them.
• His political and military importance rises dramatically with his promotion to marquis and his acquisition of powerful Fortune treasures.
• Wang Buwu is shown as increasingly estranged from Ye Han, unknowingly fulfilling the truth imposed by the Weird Game. He remains loyal to Li Qingxian and acknowledges Li’s willingness to help others.
• Gu Xiong and Lu Gaoming serve as examples of the real-world consequences of Li Qingxian’s manipulation of the Weird Game.
• Yu Qingchen acts as the imperial representative who formally recognizes Li Qingxian’s achievements and bestows his rewards.

Significant Themes

• The danger of tampering with supernatural laws: Even a fabricated game within an Eerie Ground can become real, demonstrating that Eeries operate according to rules beyond human understanding.
• Responsibility and unintended consequences: Li Qingxian’s attempt to deceive the Protector indirectly causes genuine suffering, forcing him to confront the consequences of his schemes.
• Loyalty and mutual aid: Despite his own advancement, Li Qingxian remains concerned about former companions and seeks practical ways to protect them.
• Political power and recognition: The imperial promotion reflects how military accomplishments translate into status, authority, and access to powerful Fortune artifacts.
• Transformation through National Fortune: The infusion of imperial power strengthens Li Qingxian’s Fate Mansion, sharpens his intellect, and awakens previously dormant abilities.
• The relationship between fate and reality: Events spoken within the Weird Game become actual outcomes, reinforcing the chapter’s focus on destiny, causality, and the power of words.

Important Character Interactions

• Li Qingxian and Wang Buwu: They discuss the misfortunes of their former companions. Li confesses his intention to help, while Wang praises his loyalty.
• Li Qingxian and his past actions: Though the relevant participants are absent, Li mentally connects the present disasters to the fake game he created with Mao Shigao.
• Li Qingxian and Yu Qingchen: Yu publicly delivers the imperial decree and personally bestows National Fortune upon him.
• Li Qingxian and the citizens of Far-Reaching City: His promotion is witnessed by tens of thousands, marking his public elevation in rank and prestige.
• Li Qingxian and the Twin Stars Accompanying the Moon: The stars finally respond to the National Fortune within his Fate Mansion, signaling the beginning of a new stage in his cultivation and power.