Chapter Summaries

Xu Changqing, Tai Bai, and Zhurong reached the first Frost-Abyss Node and began fishing in its treacherous waters. Xu Changqing caught a Netherworld Spirit Merfolk, but a larger one attacked the Ferry Boat and escaped after Tai Bai and Zhurong wounded it.

• Xu Changqing guided the Ferry Boat through violent currents and Nether Beasts until the group reached the first Frost-Abyss Node.
• Xu Changqing activated Nether-Breath Shielding and the Baleful-Purifying Inscription, then he, Tai Bai, and Zhurong began fishing with Lunar Yin bait.
• Xu Changqing endured the Cold Abyss Water Fleas’ attacks and the raging current before he sensed a Nether Beast biting his water flea egg.
• Xu Changqing yanked the Nether Beast onto the deck and trapped it in a Water-Storage Pearl, identifying it as a Netherworld Spirit Merfolk.
• A larger Netherworld Spirit Merfolk attacked the Ferry Boat, broke its teeth against the hull, and returned to the river after Tai Bai and Zhurong wounded it.

Xu Changqing, Tai Bai, and Zhurong fished rare Nether Beasts from the Nether River, then fought off a swarm of unfamiliar creatures and collected their corpses. As they prepared to return with valuable spoils, a pitch-black coffin came floating downstream.

• Tai Bai caught a juvenile Abyssal Black Tortoise while Zhurong caught the leader of the Cold Abyss Water Fleas, which contained a Yin Baleful Crystal.
• Xu Changqing sensed dozens of unfamiliar Nether Beasts approaching, and the three fought them off with their abilities and the Ferry Boat's defenses.
• The three stored the dead Nether Beasts, realizing their catches could be worth several times the Spirit Stones they had spent.
• They continued fishing for several hours, catching more Nether Beasts and Nether Algae before their bait nearly ran out.
• As Xu Changqing called for them to return, a pitch-black coffin floated downstream on the surging river.

Xu Changqing and his companions retrieved a mysterious coffin from the Nether River and returned with their haul to Silver Light Cave. He then learned that Zhao Lie had become a core disciple and traveled to Cloudglory Realm, where the chapter ended as he admired the realm above the Immortal Peaks.

• Xu Changqing examined the coffin's ancient inscriptions and rejected Zhurong and Tai Bai's suggestion to open it, choosing to seal it in his Portable Space instead.
• Xu Changqing, Zhurong, and Tai Bai returned to Silver Light Cave as the yinwater receded, retrieved their remaining High-Grade Spirit Stones, and counted their gains from the trip.
• Xu Changqing returned to Red Maple Valley, where Ruo Qunshuang told him that Sister Bei had invited him to Cloudglory Realm as one of Zhao Lie's supporters.
• Xu Changqing rested before riding the Green Lotus Seat to Cloudglory Realm, where he admired its sea of clouds and its Cloud Abode, Quiet Court, and Tea Pavilion.

Xu Changqing joined Zhao Lie and three elders at a gathering in Cloudglory Realm, where Zhao Lie thanked his supporters and pledged to help them. After a lavish meal, Zhao Lie gave each guest a gift, and Xu Changqing discovered his was a finely crafted mirror.

• Xu Changqing arrived at a palace in Cloudglory Realm and met three people who had come to support Zhao Lie.
• Zhao Lie introduced the guests as Elder Zhu Wuxiao, Elder Yan Yang, Elder Bai Mo, and Xu Changqing, then hosted them with Cloudmist Tea and an elaborate Spirit Cuisine feast.
• The four guests shared cultivation knowledge and discussed how they could support one another within the Immortal Sect.
• Zhao Lie thanked them for helping him become a true disciple and promised to assist them when they faced difficulties.
• Zhao Lie presented each guest with a brocade box, and Xu Changqing opened his to find a finely crafted mirror.

After receiving a Spirit-Viewing Mirror from Zhao Lie, Xu Changqing tested its abilities and later returned to the Nether River with Tai Bai, Zhurong, and Nü Tu on a new-moon night. The mirror revealed a Lunar Yin Pearl at the first node, and Xu Changqing's fishing line reached toward it as pure Lunar Yin Force began to freeze the line.

• Zhao Lie gifted Xu Changqing a Spirit-Viewing Mirror, while Zhu Wuxiao, Yan Yang, and Bai Mo received useful treasures of their own.
• Xu Changqing tested the mirror in Red Maple Valley, finding hidden pests in the Spirit Fields and teasing Lin Feng about wetting the bed.
• After six months, Xu Changqing traveled to Silver Light Cave and joined Tai Bai, Zhurong, and Nü Tu for a Nether River expedition on the new-moon night.
• The group boarded the Ferry Boat and used the Spirit-Viewing Mirror to locate the first node, where they spotted Lunar Yin Grass and what appeared to be a Lunar Yin Pearl.
• Xu Changqing sent his Divine Sense fishing line toward the pearl, but pure Lunar Yin Force surged along it and began to freeze it.

Xu Changqing obtained a Lunar Yin Pearl and continued upstream with his companions to find Taiyin Hermit's secluded cultivation site. They discovered a dangerous stretch filled with sealed and empty coffins, and the chapter ended as an open, empty coffin drifted toward them.

• Xu Changqing pulled the Lunar Yin Pearl from the water and said it could help Shuangmei stabilize her fetal qi and aid their future advancement.
• After finding no active Nether Beasts to catch, Xu Changqing steered the Ferry Boat deeper into the Nether River.
• Nü Tu sensed an Earth Vein anomaly ten li ahead, where Earth Qi and Lunar Yin Force balanced near a likely cultivation site.
• Xu Changqing identified a drifting metallic coffin's talismans as Baleful Suppression Talismans and chose to pass it without investigating.
• Xu Changqing and his companions saw more coffins lodged in the river and rock walls as they traveled onward.
• An open, empty yin-sunken wood coffin drifted toward the Ferry Boat, alarming Xu Changqing and the others.

Xu Changqing and the others navigated a vast sea of coffins in the Nether River and discovered signs of an ancient suppression site. They reached a bright cave abode protected from the surrounding baleful aura, which Xu Changqing believed was Taiyin Hermit's secluded cultivation site.

• Xu Changqing examined an empty coffin, and the group continued into a dense sea of coffins bearing ancient talismans, including rare Essence-Suppressing Talismans.
• The group found a black-and-white pillar of light where Earth Qi, Lunar Yin Force, and yin baleful aura converged.
• Xu Changqing guided the Ferry Boat past chained stone and bronze statues containing decayed bones, and the group concluded they had been used to suppress whatever was inside the coffins.
• The group passed the statues and found a cave abode protected by deep-blue spiritual light, with clean air and pure spiritual energy.
• Xu Changqing guided the Ferry Boat through the barrier to a dock, where the group saw writing carved across the far wall.

Xu Changqing and his companions learned Taiyin Hermit's warning about Riverheart Isle and gathered treasures before setting up a teleportation array. Xu Changqing and Nü Tu returned to the Portable Space to complete the array, where they discovered the Thunder Dragon Water-Repelling Boat was suppressing a black coffin with lightning.

• Xu Changqing and his companions read Taiyin Hermit's message about the failing seals, Riverheart Isle's deadly array, and the cultivation methods and spells he left behind.
• Nü Tu recognized that the Taiyin methods suited her Earth Spirit Root, and the group decided she should learn them through her true body and establish a teleportation array using a Spatial Earth-Origin Fruit.
• Xu Changqing collected Taiyin Jade Marrow, Nü Tu found Earth Vein Spirit Milk and identified Baleful-Suppressing Grass, and Zhurong found nothing.
• Nü Tu led the group in setting up a teleportation node, then Xu Changqing and Nü Tu entered the Portable Space to establish its other array eye while Zhurong and Tai Bai stayed behind.
• Xu Changqing and Nü Tu found the Thunder Dragon Water-Repelling Boat straddling a black coffin and suppressing its baleful yin with lightning.

Xu Changqing completed the Teleportation Array and merged with Nü Tu, restoring his cultivation to the Late Golden Core Stage before returning to Red Maple Valley. Months later, Ruo Qunshuang gave birth to a boy, whom Xu Changqing named Xu Ping'an.

• Xu Changqing and Nü Tu completed and tested the Teleportation Array, then Nü Tu merged back into Xu Changqing and restored his Earth Spirit Root.
• Xu Changqing teleported to Cangyan Peak and used Shrinking the Earth to Inches to reach the Immortal Sect.
• Months later, Xu Changqing stayed in Red Maple Valley to care for the pregnant Ruo Qunshuang while their friends gathered anxiously outside the delivery room.
• Ruo Qunshuang gave birth to a boy, and Bei Qingtang brought the infant out to Xu Changqing.
• Xu Changqing named his son Xu Ping'an and wished him a life free of calamity and tribulation.

Xu Changqing and Ruo Qunshuang celebrated the birth of their son, Xu Ping'an, as friends and fellow disciples brought him lavish gifts. Five years later, Xu Ping'an and Xu Linglong got into mischief while Xu Changqing worried about aging Wangwang and hoped Eldest Senior Sister could help him.

• Friends, disciples, and acquaintances gave Xu Ping'an gifts ranging from protective treasures and cultivation aids to a residence and a formation.
• Five years passed, and Sun Shangxiang and Lin Feng reached Foundation Establishment Early Stage while Xu Ping'an grew to five years old.
• Xu Linglong persuaded Xu Ping'an to climb a maple tree for bird eggs, then fled with Chi Ye on Wangzai when Ruo Qunshuang called out, leaving Xu Ping'an stranded.
• Xu Changqing told Ruo Qunshuang that Wangwang had grown old and that Eldest Senior Sister might know how to help, though he did not know whether she had decided what to do.

Xu Changqing traveled with Bei Qingtang to the Luohe Bei Clan, hoping to obtain a life-extending method for his aging spirit pet, Wangwang. Bei Qingtang explained that Xu Changqing would have to pretend to be her Dao companion to access the clan’s inheritance, and they arrived to find clan members among a fervently chanting crowd.

• Xu Changqing asked Bei Qingtang for the spirit-pet life-extending method, and she agreed to take him to Luo River the next day.
• Ruo Qunshuang decided to take five-year-old An'an to have his Spiritual Root tested, while Xu Changqing entrusted Red Maple Valley to Lin Feng.
• Qin Ye warned Xu Changqing that the Bei Clan had many rules and advised him to listen more and speak less.
• On the way to Luo River, Bei Qingtang told Xu Changqing he would need to pretend to be her Dao companion to qualify for the clan’s main-branch inheritance.
• Xu Changqing and Bei Qingtang arrived at the Luohe Bei Clan’s vast residence and saw hundreds of white-robed people chanting, including several formidable Bei Clan members.

Bei Qingtang brought Xu Changqing to the Luohe Bei Clan, where he endured the clan’s elaborate entrance rituals before meeting her grandfather and several elders. The elders scrutinized Xu Changqing, while Liu proposed three more advantageous marriage candidates for Qingtang.

• Bei Qingtang and Xu Changqing entered the Bei Clan residence, where attendants made them cleanse their hands, change footwear, and offer incense to the ancestors.
• An attendant summoned them to Clear Profound Hall, where Bei Qingtang discovered her grandfather Bei Cangxuan had emerged from seclusion.
• Bei Cangxuan recited Xu Changqing’s background, and the elders assessed him as a poor match for Qingtang.
• Liu proposed Su Ze, Lin Jinghong, and Mo Chenyuan as alternative marriage candidates, outlining their cultivation, family standing, and benefits to the Bei Clan.

Bei Cangxuan overruled the clan elders and arranged for Bei Qingtang to marry Xu Changqing within three days, despite their plan to pretend to be Dao companions. After leaving Clear Profound Hall, Xu Changqing suspected Bei Cangxuan was rushing the marriage because he had secretly failed a breakthrough attempt.

• Liu urged Bei Qingtang to choose a wealthy or influential Dao companion, while the elders pressured her to marry for the Lineage’s benefit.
• Bei Cangxuan judged Xu Changqing a suitable match and declared that he and Bei Qingtang would become Dao companions.
• Xu Changqing and Bei Qingtang were surprised by the decision, and Bei Qingtang privately asked him to go along with it until they obtained the spirit pet’s life-extending method.
• Bei Cangxuan ordered the pair to rest at Stillcloud Pavilion and perform the wedding rites in three days.
• Xu Changqing told Bei Qingtang that Bei Cangxuan’s urgency suggested he had attempted and failed a breakthrough without telling the clan.

Bei Qingtang explained the origins and limitations of the Bloodline Grafting Secret Art, then learned that her grandfather had secretly given her its mark because the Luohe Bei Clan was in danger. Xu Changqing followed her to the clan’s forbidden grounds and saw clan members sacrifice themselves to send black insects deeper inside, leaving him to suspect the Bei Clan had contacted the Lifeless Insect Mother.

• Bei Qingtang told Xu Changqing that the secret art came from the Profound River Clan and that the Luohe Bei Clan had descended from it.
• Bei Qingtang promised Xu Changqing that they would return to the Immortal Sect after obtaining the secret art.
• Bei Cangxuan summoned Bei Qingtang to the ancestral hall and gave her the secret art’s mark by pulling his beating heart from his chest.
• Bei Cangxuan revealed that his failed breakthrough to Spirit Transformation had made the Lineage unsafe and ordered Bei Qingtang to return in ten years.
• Xu Changqing followed Bei Qingtang’s trail to the forbidden grounds, where ten Bei Clan believers slit their throats and released black insects that flew deeper inside.

Xu Changqing discovered the Lifeless Insect Mother beneath the Luohe Bei Clan and escaped with Bei Qingtang after severing his link to Gu Fusheng. Back at the clan, Bei Cangxuan drained Bei Yanchen to strengthen himself and had Liu dragged underground by insects.

• Gu Fusheng followed the black insects to the Insect Mother Hall, where the Lifeless Insect Mother suppressed him and detected Xu Changqing spying through him.
• The Lifeless Insect Mother offered Xu Changqing immortality in exchange for a task; he refused, saw a seven-star map, and severed his connection to Gu Fusheng.
• Xu Changqing and Bei Qingtang fled the Bei Clan residence, and she hurried him away without explaining why she smelled of blood.
• Liu urged Bei Cangxuan to back Bei Yanchen as the clan's next leader, but Bei Cangxuan drained Yanchen's life and cultivation to empower himself.
• Black insects dragged Liu into a fissure as Bei Cangxuan cried that he did not want to die.

Xu Changqing returned to Dongting Immortal Sect with the Bloodline Grafting Secret Art and learned that his son Xu Ping'an had a Quadruple Spirit Root, which drew the attention of powerful sect figures. He planned how to graft a bloodline onto Wangwang and decided to seek Li Muyao’s help interpreting the star map revealed by the Insect Matriarch.

• Bei Qingtang gave Xu Changqing the Bloodline Grafting Secret Art and warned him that mixed spirit-beast bloodlines increased the risk of backlash before they parted ways.
• Xu Changqing returned to Red Maple Valley, where Ruo Qunshuang told him that Xu Ping'an had a Quadruple Spirit Root and had attracted the attention of True Lord Mo and Li Wudao.
• Xu Changqing worried that Xu Ping'an’s many Spiritual Roots would make cultivation breakthroughs and Tribulation Lightning more dangerous.
• Xu Changqing studied the Bloodline Grafting Secret Art and considered using his Demon-Hunting Team and connections at Beast Spirit Valley to gather what he needed for Wangwang.
• Xu Changqing recalled that Li Muyao had astrological knowledge and decided to seek her help with the star map.

Xu Changqing traced a dangerous star chart to the Nine Yaoguang Domains and learned that True Lord Mo wanted Ping'an as a personal disciple. Before Xu Changqing could answer, a yin-yang spectacle appeared above Red Maple Valley, with two enormous fish pulling a white jade imperial carriage.

• Xu Changqing asked Li Muyao to interpret the Big Dipper chart, and Li Muyao said it marked a perilous secret realm or treasure ground.
• Xu Changqing connected the chart, the Lifeless Insect Mother, and the Luohe Bei Clan to the Profound River, then identified the chart’s location as the Shimmering Jade Sea in the Nine Yaoguang Domains.
• Xu Changqing decided to ask Gonggong about the location and spent the following days studying the Bloodline Grafting Secret Art.
• Li Sancai told Xu Changqing that True Lord Mo offered to take Ping'an as a personal disciple, with resources, a steward position for Qun Shuang, and a Profound Origin Golden Light Talisman.
• Before Xu Changqing could respond, black-and-white yin-yang currents filled the sky above Red Maple Valley as two giant fish drew a white jade imperial carriage.

Li Wudao offered Xu Ping'an a place in his lineage and rare gifts, and Xu Ping'an chose him over Mo Qiushui. After Mo Qiushui arrived too late to recruit him, she noticed something unusual about Xu Changqing's daughter, Linglong.

• Li Wudao arrived at Red Maple Valley and offered to take Xu Ping'an as his disciple, presenting him with a juvenile Winged Fish and promising elder treatment for his family.
• Xu Changqing and Ruo Qunshuang let Xu Ping'an choose between the Winged Fish and Mo Qiushui's talisman, and he reached for the fish.
• Li Wudao's Winged Fish recognized Xu Ping'an as its master, and Li Wudao gave the boy a Vein-Protecting Jade Pendant before leaving.
• Mo Qiushui arrived after Li Wudao had departed and learned that Xu Ping'an had chosen his own master.
• When Linglong appeared, Mo Qiushui noticed her and asked who she was, and Xu Changqing said she was his daughter.

Mo Qiushui accepted Xu Linglong, Xu Changqing and Ruo Qunshuang’s half-human, half-dragon daughter, as her personal disciple and promised to take her to the Water-Control Pavilion in three days. After Mo Qiushui departed, the family reflected on their children’s promising futures, and Gonggong returned to Red Maple Valley two days later.

• Mo Qiushui discovered Linglong was half-human, half-dragon and asked to take her as a disciple.
• Mo Qiushui explained that Linglong needed Demon Race cultivation methods and offered to teach her the Profound Water Dragon Resonance Art.
• Linglong agreed to become Mo Qiushui’s disciple, and Mo Qiushui gave her a Water-Control Pavilion token and promised to take her in three days.
• Mo Qiushui offered Ruo Qunshuang a position as a Rain Master in recognition of her raising Linglong.
• Xu Changqing and Ruo Qunshuang reflected on Xu Ping'an and Linglong’s futures after Mo Qiushui left.
• Two days later, the Water Spirit Root clone Gonggong returned to Red Maple Valley.

Xu Changqing received the Long Clan and Mermaid Clan’s tribute from Gonggong, gave him Nascent Soul cultivation arts, and asked him to investigate the possible Source of the Profound River. After Gonggong merged back into him, Mo Qiushui arrived to take Linglong to the Water-Control Pavilion as her disciple.

• Gonggong reported that the Long Clan and Mermaid Clan had risen among the Yaoguang Sea Region’s strongest forces and brought Xu Changqing spirit stones and treasures.
• Xu Changqing gave Gonggong three Nascent Soul-stage arts and tasked him with investigating whether Shimmering Jade Grotto held the Source of the Profound River.
• Xu Changqing and Gonggong examined three Profound Origin Golden Light Talismans and concluded that they could not yet reproduce them.
• Xu Changqing merged with Gonggong to strengthen his water aura before his next meeting with Mo Qiushui.
• On the agreed third day, Mo Qiushui came to take Linglong to the Water-Control Pavilion, and Linglong tearfully said goodbye to her family.
• Mo Qiushui reminded Ruo Qunshuang to collect the rainfall distribution map and allocate it properly in her role as Rain Master.