Chapter Summaries

After falling into the Defiled-Earth God's divine eye, Xu Changqing discovered the Azure Emperor's Back Garden, a vast independent grotto-heaven filled with ancient spirit plants and the Azure Emperor's inheritance. He reassured his avatars that he was safe and began exploring the treasures and techniques, leaving his next move inside the hidden cave dwelling.

• Xu Changqing spoke through Xu Jiuyou to reassure Zhurong, Tai Bai, Nü Tu, and Fenglong that he was unharmed and told them not to attack the Defiled-Earth God.
• Xu Changqing found that the divine eye contained the Azure Emperor's Back Garden, a vast grotto-heaven rich in spiritual energy, ancient spirit plants, and treasures.
• Xu Changqing harvested several spirit plants, gaining lifespan and increasing his Wither-Bloom Dao Resonance.
• Xu Changqing discovered the Azure Emperor's cultivation scriptures, techniques, spells, and supreme artifacts inside the ancient treehouse.
• Xu Changqing read the Azure Emperor's notes and learned that the grotto-heaven was an independent realm with no time limit, accessible because he bore the Azure Emperor's Mark.

Xu Changqing built a two-way Teleportation Array linking the Azure Emperor's Back Garden to his Portable Space, then traveled to Cangyan Peak to meet his group. While waiting for his avatars to arrive, he began refining the treasures he had collected and strengthened his connection to wood-based powers.

• Xu Changqing linked the Twin-Stemmed Nether Lotuses with the Azure Emperor Divine Jade, Ethereal Wood, and Spatial Earth-Origin Fruit, then transplanted one lotus into his Portable Space.
• Xu Changqing ordered his avatars and puppets to leave the Nether River and rendezvous at Nü Tu's cave abode on Cangyan Peak, and they departed safely by ferry.
• Xu Changqing teleported from the Azure Emperor's Back Garden through his Portable Space to Cangyan Peak and reviewed the techniques, treasures, and plants he had obtained.
• While waiting for his avatars, Xu Changqing used the Return-to-Origin Art to refine the Azure Emperor Spirit Robe and wear it.
• Xu Changqing refined the Azure Emperor Spiritwood Hairpin, which nourished his soul and Spiritual Root and let him command surrounding vegetation to form Myriad-Wood Spirit Vines.

After refining four magic treasures, Xu Changqing told his avatars about the Azure Emperor's Back Garden and proposed collecting all nine Mystic Iron Tokens to control the Nether River and investigate the Profound River's drying up. He sent his avatars to make preparations and flew toward the Azurewood Sect, intending to obtain a token from the Dafeng Dynasty's treasury through Lin Feng.

• Xu Changqing refined the Withered-Prosperity Wood Seal and the Myriad Spirits Bag, completing the refinement of all four magic treasures and greatly increasing his combat strength.
• Tai Bai, Zhurong, Nü Tu, Fenglong, Xu Jiuyou, and Xu Zixiao arrived, and Xu Changqing told them about the Azure Emperor's Back Garden and the two-way Teleportation Array.
• The group discussed gathering all nine Mystic Iron Tokens to control the Nether River and uncover the reason the Profound River was drying up.
• Xu Changqing asked his avatars to use their networks and connections to help pursue the tokens, and they left to make preparations.
• Xu Changqing flew toward the Azurewood Sect, planning to obtain the Mystic Iron Token in the Dafeng Dynasty's treasury with help from his second disciple, Lin Feng.

Xu Changqing returned to the Azurewood Sect and obtained the Mystic Iron Token from the Dafeng Dynasty's treasury. As he studied the Withered-Prosperity Dao Rhythm that night, he heard an insect-like rustling and suspected the Lifeless Insect Mother had appeared.

• Xu Changqing returned to the Azurewood Sect, where the disciples greeted him and Wangwang and Wangzai welcomed him at his quarters.
• Lin Feng reported that his cultivation had reached Earth-Grade Golden Core Perfection and said the Mystic Iron Token was stored in the Dafeng Dynasty's treasury.
• Xu Changqing ordered Lin Feng to retrieve the token discreetly, and Ling Chenye later delivered it in an ancient wooden box.
• Xu Changqing studied the Withered-Prosperity Dao Rhythm in the main hall as night fell.
• Xu Changqing heard a growing insect-like rustling and identified the likely source as the Lifeless Insect Mother.

Xu Changqing refused to cooperate with the Lifeless Insect Mother until she spoke frankly about the calamity. She then recruited Bei Qingtang to carry out a task connected to the Yellow Springs Alliance and the return of the Profound River.

• Xu Changqing told the Lifeless Insect Mother's insect messenger that he would not agree to cooperate without more information about the calamity.
• The Lifeless Insect Mother's messenger left after warning Xu Changqing that he would regret his decision.
• The insect traveled to the former Bei Clan territory, where Bei Qingtang was cultivating beside her Blackwater Dark Serpent.
• The Lifeless Insect Mother told Bei Qingtang that she had to break the Nether River's shackles within fifty years to restore the Profound River and avert a catastrophe.
• The Lifeless Insect Mother linked the crisis to the Yellow Springs Alliance and its past actions, including the Azuretide Sea Region's Dragon Vein being slain and the Filthy Earth Deity's reincarnation.
• Bei Qingtang vowed to pay any price to restore the Profound River and the Profound River Spirit Clan.

Bei Qingtang accepted the Lifeless Insect Mother’s plan and set off for the Nether River, indifferent to the lives she destroyed along the way. At the Azurewood Sect, Xu Changqing mastered the Eternal Withered-Prosperity Scripture and became a manifestation of the Great Dao of Wood.

• The Lifeless Insect Mother revealed that it had arranged Bei Qingtang’s misfortunes and promised to help awaken her bloodline if she completed its tasks.
• The Lifeless Insect Mother gave Bei Qingtang a Mystic Iron Token to open an entrance to the Nether River, and she left atop the Blackwater Dark Serpent.
• The Blackwater Dark Serpent killed or swallowed fleeing cultivators and demons while Bei Qingtang remained unmoved.
• Xu Changqing cultivated the Eternal Withered-Prosperity Scripture and reached its first layer, gaining a thousand years of lifespan.
• Xu Changqing spent four thousand years of lifespan to raise the scripture to its ninth layer, gaining the Azure Emperor Domain, other special abilities, and the Immortal Seed.

Xu Changqing perfected the Eternal Withered-Prosperity Scripture, gained three powerful abilities and an Immortal Seed, then resolved to strengthen his cultivation and gather Mystic Iron Tokens. Meanwhile, Bei Qingtang entered the Nether River on the Blackwater Dark Serpent, which thrived in its frigid waters.

• Xu Changqing manifested the Azure Emperor Domain, gaining control over wood-based arts and granting allies rapid recovery and healing.
• Xu Changqing tested Myriad Daos Return to Wood and the Withered-Prosperity Celestial Phenomenon, shifting the surrounding land between flourishing vitality and withering desolation.
• An Immortal Seed formed within Xu Changqing, and he decided to learn more Azure Emperor arts, create his own Dao lineage, and collect Mystic Iron Tokens to guard against the Lifeless Insect Mother.
• Bei Qingtang rode the Blackwater Dark Serpent into the Nether River, where its body absorbed the frigid energy as nourishment.

Bei Qingtang and the Blackwater Dark Serpent reached the depths of the Nether River, where her Profound River Spirit Clan Bloodline awakened ancient statues and stirred a buried power. The chapter ended as a surge of Profound River power enveloped them both.

• The Blackwater Dark Serpent devoured Nether Beasts as it carried Bei Qingtang through the Nether River, growing from ten zhang to a hundred zhang.
• Bei Qingtang and the serpent reached a region filled with ancient stone carvings and stone and bronze statues linked to the Profound River Spirit Clan.
• Bei Qingtang's bloodline resonated with the statues, activating them and strengthening her bloodline.
• After Bei Qingtang activated the final bronze statue, the Nether River shook and spiritual motes gathered into a sphere of light.
• Bei Qingtang and the Blackwater Dark Serpent followed ancestral calls toward the river's center, where a vast current of Profound River power engulfed them.

Bei Qingtang endured the Profound River’s power as she broke the Nether River’s shackles, but the Lifeless Insect Mother warned that her impure bloodline had left her only fifty years to live. The Blackwater Dark Serpent sacrificed itself to extend her life to a hundred years, though her hopes of restoring the Bei Clan remained far beyond reach.

• Bei Qingtang struggled as the Profound River’s power corrupted her body and spread black markings across her skin.
• The Lifeless Insect Mother told Bei Qingtang that breaking the shackles had left her with only fifty years to live because her Profound River Spirit Clan Bloodline was impure.
• The Lifeless Insect Mother disappeared after suggesting Bei Qingtang find someone to marry and leave behind a bloodline.
• The Blackwater Dark Serpent gave up its bloodline origin and Profound River power to stabilize Bei Qingtang and ease the curse.
• The Blackwater Dark Serpent merged into Bei Qingtang, extending her lifespan to one hundred years, while Bei Qingtang mourned its sacrifice.

After ten years of progress for the Azurewood Sect and those around him, Xu Changqing fused several cultivation arts into the Immortal Grade Creation Genesis Record but could only advance it to the Third Realm. He then followed a faint voice to the Luo River, where he found his long-lost Senior Sister Bei Qingtang aged and gravely weakened.

• Xu Changqing's disciples and companions made uneven progress over the ten years, while Zhao Ziyue remained missing.
• Xu Changqing fused five cultivation arts into the Immortal Grade Creation Genesis Record and spent lifespan trying to advance it.
• The enhancement failed beyond the Third Realm because Xu Changqing's cultivation was insufficient, leaving him to seek Spirit Transformation before improving it further.
• Xu Changqing followed a faint voice to the Luo River and found Bei Qingtang frail, aged, and covered in corpse-like markings.
• Bei Qingtang embraced Xu Changqing and told him, sobbing, that she was tired.

Xu Changqing cared for Bei Qingtang by the Luo River, and they had twins, Xu He and Xu Sui, who inherited the Profound River Spirit Clan Bloodline. After the twins came of age, Bei Qingtang disappeared, leaving Xu Changqing to raise them with help from Ruo Qunshuang.

• Xu Changqing tried to heal Bei Qingtang's curse, but she told him it could not be undone and refused to return to the Azurewood Sect.
• Xu Changqing built Bei Qingtang a cottage by the Luo River and visited her often; in time, they became Dao companions and she became pregnant.
• Bei Qingtang gave birth to twins, Xu He and Xu Sui: Xu He had a Mutated Water Spiritual Root and a Blackwater Dark Serpent, while Xu Sui had an especially pure Profound River Spirit Clan Bloodline.
• Over the next eighteen years, Bei Qingtang raised the twins, who reached the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage and Early Stage respectively.
• After sewing robes for the twins on their coming-of-age day, Bei Qingtang left; Xu Changqing searched for her but could not find her.
• Ruo Qunshuang took Xu He and Xu Sui to the Spirit Melody Sect and cared for them, while Xu Changqing continued visiting them as he managed the Azurewood Sect.

Xu Changqing investigated the unexplained decline of Water Qi and followed Li Chuan to the Dongting Immortal Sect's ruins, where Ghost Elder unearthed an ancient gate and coffin. Xu Changqing confirmed that Ghost Elder had reached the Void Refinement Phase and concealed himself and Li Chuan from detection.

• Xu Changqing sensed that Water Qi across the Heavenly Origin Realm was steadily diminishing, and Mo Qiushui and Xu Linglong confirmed that it had already fallen by thirty percent.
• Li Chuan reported that Ghost Elder had gone underground at the Dongting Ruins, so Xu Changqing ordered an investigation into the Water Qi loss and set out for the old site.
• Xu Changqing found the Calamity Mist vastly thickened and the Earth Vein in chaos, then met Li Chuan, who said Ghost Elder had been underground for half an hour.
• The ruins collapsed as a massive gate bearing the words Mysterious Yellow Spirit Sect rose from underground, and Ghost Elder emerged holding an ancient coffin.
• Xu Changqing recognized Ghost Elder as a Void Refinement expert and used the Creation Genesis Record and Azure Emperor Dao Mark to hide himself and Li Chuan.

Xu Changqing and Li Chuan hid from Ghost Elder as he took the Mysterious Yellow Ancient Coffin and left the Mysterious Yellow Spirit Sect Gate behind. The gate revealed the Defiled-Earth God's divine eye, and Xu Changqing decided to send Li Chuan away to safely pursue a breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Realm.

• Xu Changqing concealed himself and Li Chuan from Ghost Elder, who searched the Dongting Ruins before leaving with the Mysterious Yellow Ancient Coffin.
• Xu Changqing deduced that Ghost Elder had been hiding in the Dongting Immortal Sect for thousands of years to seize the coffin and might be connected to the destroyed Mysterious Yellow Spirit Sect.
• The Mysterious Yellow Spirit Sect Gate released increasingly dense Earth Qi and foul qi that contaminated the Dongting Ruins with the Power of Stillness.
• Xu Changqing saw the Defiled-Earth God's divine eye inside the gate and realized it connected the Mysterious Yellow Spirit Sect, Ghost Elder, the ancient coffin, and the Nether River.
• Xu Changqing told Li Chuan to leave the dangerous ruins and safely undergo Tribulation Transcendence, and prepared Profound Origin Golden Light Talismans to help him.

Xu Changqing learned that Water Qi was dwindling throughout the Heavenly Origin Realm and visited the Spirit Melody Sect with Xu Linglong to check on its effects. There, Xu Linglong met her younger siblings Xu He and Xu Sui, and the family reunited.

• Xu Changqing and Li Chuan fled the Dongting Ruins after finding a dangerous Defiled-Earth Divine Eye and a recently departed Void Refinement Phase Ghost Elder.
• Mo Qiushui reported that Water Qi was inexplicably decreasing across the Heavenly Origin Realm, threatening cultivators, spirit plants, and the Azurewood Sect’s fields.
• Xu Changqing told Mo Qiushui to continue investigating and took Xu Linglong to the Spirit Melody Sect, which the decline in Water Qi had already affected.
• Xu Linglong was surprised to meet Xu He and Xu Sui, and Ruo Qunshuang explained that they were her biological younger siblings.
• Xu He and Xu Sui described how the reduced Water Qi affected their cultivation and the sect, though their Profound River Spirit Clan bloodline protected them somewhat.
• Xu Linglong warmly accepted Xu He and Xu Sui as her siblings, and the family gathered together.

Xu Changqing learned that Water Qi was dwindling across the Heavenly Origin Realm and suspected it was connected to the Nether River’s shackles and the approaching calamity warned of by Lifeless Insect Mother. After Nü Tu told him about an upcoming Dragon-Seeking Lineage gathering focused on the crisis, he agreed to attend and seek answers.

• Xu Changqing and Ruo Qunshuang discussed the falling Water Qi and its dangers to cultivators throughout the Heavenly Origin Realm.
• Xu Changqing considered whether opening the Nether River’s remaining shackles could restore Water Qi and decided he might have to cooperate with Lifeless Insect Mother.
• Xu Changqing spent the night with Ruo Qunshuang, then took Xu Linglong and Chi Ye back to Azurewood Sect the next morning.
• Xu Changqing summoned Nü Tu, who confirmed that Earth Qi was also slightly affected and told him the Dragon-Seeking Lineage would hold a gathering about the decline in Water Qi.
• Nü Tu offered to bring Xu Changqing as her guest, and he agreed to attend the gathering in three days.

Xu Changqing entered the Dragon-Seeking Secret Realm with Nü Tu and met the Dragon-Seeking Lineage’s leaders and powerful guests gathered for a meeting. The chapter ended as Lu Chenyuan opened his eyes and looked over the assembled cultivators.

• Nü Tu opened the Dragon-Seeking Lineage’s Earth-Vein Array Gate, and Xu Changqing followed her into the secret realm.
• Nü Tu explained the secret realm and led Xu Changqing past gathered guests, where he recognized Rakshasa and saw powerful figures from across the Four Great Domains.
• Nü Tu brought Xu Changqing to the square before Kunyu Pavilion, where a map of the Heavenly Origin Realm’s Earth Veins stood at the center of the gathering.
• Nü Tu introduced Dragon-Seeking Grandmaster Lu Chenyuan and core members Zhong Wen, Wei Shanyue, Shen Tinglan, Shi Buyu, Ye Guichen, Tie Hanjiang, and Liu Yan to Xu Changqing.
• Lu Chenyuan opened his eyes and gazed at the assembled cultivators, causing them to cast aside distracting thoughts and turn respectful.

At a gathering hosted by Lu Chenyuan, the Dragon-Seeking Lineage shared Earth Vein techniques while sect leaders reported the widespread effects of diminishing Water Qi. Lu Chenyuan linked the decline to the Defiled-Earth God, and the chapter ended with a guest asking whether removing the god would restore Water Qi.

• Zhong Wen asked how to heal a cracked Southern Border Spirit Vein, and Shen Tinglan recommended using purified surface water from the Nether River to nourish it.
• Lu Chenyuan approved Shen Tinglan's method, and Dragon-Seeking Lineage formation masters exchanged techniques and intelligence about Spirit Veins.
• Sect leaders described how diminishing Water Qi had harmed cultivation, spiritual crops, poisonous creatures, rivers, lakes, and mortal villages.
• The Khenpo of the Esoteric Sect and a Central Region clan head connected contaminated Earth Veins and declining Water Qi to the Defiled-Earth God.
• Lu Chenyuan confirmed that the Defiled-Earth God had caused the Water Qi decline, and someone asked whether getting rid of it would restore Water Qi.

Lu Chenyuan explained that falling Water Qi had several causes and that restoring it required suppressing the Defiled-Earth God, reopening the Nether River, and limiting resource extraction. After the gathering, Xu Changqing questioned Nü Tu about whether anything was unusual within the Dragon-Seeking Lineage, suggesting he suspected its apparent harmony.

• Lu Chenyuan said the Nether River could be restored by gathering nine Mystic Iron Tokens and opening its shackles, and he knew of likely token locations in the Western and Northern Domains.
• Shi Buyu and Shen Tinglan warned that the Defiled-Earth God's corruption could spread through the Earth Veins, while Liu Yan reported that Variant Spiritual Root Evil Cultivators were preparing to exploit the coming imbalance.
• Lu Chenyuan announced three upcoming Secret Realms and said the Yellow Earth Secret Realm might contain a Mystic Iron Token, though it and the Flood Dragon River Secret Realm could be contaminated.
• The attendees agreed on preliminary plans for finding tokens, exploring the Secret Realms, and suppressing the Defiled-Earth God before the gathering ended.
• Xu Changqing privately asked Nü Tu whether she had noticed anything unusual in the Dragon-Seeking Lineage, then questioned whether its harmony was strange.

Xu Changqing suspected the Dragon-Seeking Lineage had hidden motives, then accepted Rakshasa’s offer to imprint the General Compendium of Earth Vein Control. Rakshasa took the compendium to Lu Chenyuan, leaving Xu Changqing more suspicious of their connection.

• Xu Changqing warned Nü Tu that the Dragon-Seeking Lineage might be working for the Yellow Springs Alliance or outsiders, and told her to secretly watch its core members, especially Lu Chenyuan.
• Rakshasa approached Xu Changqing and revealed he had come to deliver the General Compendium of Earth Vein Control to Lu Chenyuan.
• Rakshasa let Xu Changqing imprint the compendium’s contents, and Xu Changqing found no immediate problem with it.
• Rakshasa took the compendium to Lu Chenyuan at Kunyu Pavilion, while Xu Changqing suspected that their seemingly contradictory actions concealed a scheme.

Xu Changqing sent Mo Qiushui and a group of Azurewood Sect disciples to investigate the Flood Dragon River Secret Realm while he stayed behind to meet Qiong, chieftain of the Three-Eyed Clan. Qiong revealed that his clan could trace anomalies between Heaven and Earth and had discovered the Profound River Spirit Clan came from beyond the Heavenly Origin Realm.

• Xu Changqing gave Nü Tu a jade slip containing the General Compendium of Earth Vein Control and warned her to keep it secret from the Dragon-Seeking Lineage.
• The Heavenly Origin Realm's Water Qi continued to decline without an identifiable cause, leaving cultivators and factions increasingly anxious.
• Xu Changqing sent Mo Qiushui, several dozen disciples, and Xu Zixiao to investigate water-element treasures, the Mystic Iron Token, and signs of the Defiled-Earth God in the Flood Dragon River Secret Realm.
• Xu Changqing showed Qiong the nearly mature Three-Eyed Spirit Marrow he had cultivated for the Three-Eyed Clan.
• Qiong told Xu Changqing that he had traced an unusual aura near the Luo River and learned the Profound River Spirit Clan had entered the Heavenly Origin Realm more than ten thousand years earlier.
• Qiong explained that his clan's innate divine abilities depended on the Three-Eyed Spirit Marrow, a third eye, and the clan's cultivation arts, so Xu Changqing could not awaken them by using the plant alone.