Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Time for Some Maneuvers Again”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Yuechu agrees to shelter and absorb the remnants of the Elixir Cauldron Sect, despite knowing this means directly opposing the powerful Pure Yang lineage.
• She views the risk as worthwhile because the sect possesses several thousand alchemists—resources that could help Great Tang rapidly strengthen itself and catch up with the major powers of the Eastern Region.
• Zhou Xuan pledges the Elixir Cauldron Sect’s loyalty, declaring Jiang Yuechu their savior and promising to eliminate anyone who betrays or resists her.
• Jiang Yuechu tells Zhou Xuan to return and prepare the sect while she remains at Perched Phoenix Ridge to handle other matters.
• After the Crimson Heavens Demon Emperor’s death, the surrounding forces become cautious and refrain from provoking the Lu Clan.
• With the area temporarily peaceful, Jiang Yuechu begins refining the treasures she obtained from the Demon Emperor:
  • She fuses nine flying swords into her body using the Flesh-and-Bone Furnace.
  • The swords transform into a bracelet-like formation on her wrist.
  • When activated, the nine swords create a powerful gravity-like sword formation that severely restricts movement, likely making ordinary Tower-Climbing Realm cultivators helpless.
• Jiang Yuechu attempts to refine a square golden seal, but the Flesh-and-Bone Furnace fails to activate. She decides not to force the process and postpones dealing with the seal.
• She then uses her stored Dao Cultivation to upgrade the Black Heaven Body-Forging Scripture, spending 979,425 years of cultivation. The chapter ends as the upgrade subjects her soul to an intense, hellish sensation.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu demonstrates increasing ambition, decisiveness, and willingness to confront powerful enemies. She accepts that Great Tang cannot grow without taking major risks and adopts an almost fearless attitude toward making more enemies.
• Her confidence in her physical strength and combat ability has grown considerably. She is willing to endure extreme pain to turn powerful treasures into additional weapons.
• Zhou Xuan shifts from desperate survivor to loyal subordinate. He recognizes Jiang Yuechu’s power and promises that the Elixir Cauldron Sect will repay her protection with absolute allegiance.
• Wang Ziyu remains cautious and somewhat helpless in the face of Jiang Yuechu’s bold decisions. Although he worries about the consequences, he concludes that she is responsible for carrying the burden if things go wrong.

Significant Themes

• Risk versus growth: Jiang Yuechu believes Great Tang must take dangerous opportunities because cautious, gradual development would leave it permanently behind the established powers.
• Power through resources and alliances: The Elixir Cauldron Sect’s alchemists represent a strategic asset capable of transforming Great Tang’s national strength.
• Survival amid political conflict: With enemies surrounding Great Tang, every treasure, technique, and alliance becomes vital.
• Mastery over inherited treasures: Jiang Yuechu succeeds where the Crimson Heavens Demon Emperor failed, uncovering the true function of the nine swords rather than using them crudely.
• Pain as the price of advancement: Both treasure refinement and cultivation upgrades require Jiang Yuechu to endure severe physical or spiritual suffering.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Yuechu and Zhou Xuan negotiate the Elixir Cauldron Sect’s future. Her offer of protection earns his complete loyalty, while her warning that betrayal will not be tolerated establishes a strict relationship between them.
• Wang Ziyu observes Jiang Yuechu’s decision-making and silently worries about her willingness to challenge the Pure Yang lineage, though he ultimately accepts that she will bear responsibility for the consequences.
• Jiang Yuechu’s interaction with the treasures is effectively a struggle of will and technique: she successfully integrates the nine swords but cannot yet activate the golden seal, suggesting that the seal requires different conditions or a higher level of understanding.

Jiang Yuechu completed the Black Heaven Body-Forging Scripture, but its backlash nearly overwhelmed her with demonic madness and exposed her weak soul. She entered the Heavenly Demon Martial Training forge and chose two obsolete innate abilities to test, hoping to trade them for something more useful.

• Jiang Yuechu saw the Great Black Heaven and struggled against the demonic souls and killing intent unleashed by her perfected body-forging cultivation.
• Pure Heart Untainted activated, allowing Jiang Yuechu to suppress the madness and regain control, though the experience left her wary of advancing further without a soul-cultivation method.
• Jiang Yuechu assessed her growing strength and decided to use her Dao cultivation elsewhere rather than risk forcing the Black Heaven Body-Forging Scripture toward the Supreme Realm.
• Jiang Yuechu entered the Heavenly Demon Martial Training forge and examined her innate divine abilities.
• Jiang Yuechu selected Mountain-Shifting and Sea-Filling Art and Unfailing Memory as the first abilities she would test for a possible exchange.

Jiang Yuechu smelted her demonic abilities and dao cultivation, gaining a powerful upgraded vitality ability and then gambling on further results. After two costly attempts, she obtained Primordial Mysterious Aperture, whose effects she had yet to test.

• Jiang Yuechu sacrificed Mountain-Shifting and Sea-Filling Art, Unfailing Memory, and five hundred thousand years of dao cultivation to obtain an Origin-Returning Demon Heart.
• Jiang Yuechu infused the Origin-Returning Demon Heart into Everlasting Evergreen, transforming it into Precious Imperishability, which balanced her savage weapon’s consumption and continued nourishing her body.
• Jiang Yuechu smelted Silverbone Glazed Body and Yin Refining Form with five hundred thousand years of dao cultivation and received the nearly useless talent Robust and Healthy.
• Jiang Yuechu decided to keep gambling and smelted Poisonous Torrent Evil Mist, Heavenly Flame Golden Radiance, and another five hundred thousand years of dao cultivation.
• Jiang Yuechu obtained Primordial Mysterious Aperture, a talent described as making her body an aperture of heaven and earth that was neither born nor destroyed and had neither deficiency nor excess.

Jiang Yuechu used the Origin-Returning Demon Heart to enhance her speed-focused talent after discovering that her new Primordial Mysterious Aperture let her replenish true qi from the surrounding world. The enhancement succeeded, replacing Metal Virtue · Soaring Aspiration with Precious · Moon-Companion Star Rainbow.

• Jiang Yuechu discovered that Primordial Mysterious Aperture drew in nearby spiritual energy, allowing her to unleash full-strength attacks without exhausting her true qi.
• Jiang Yuechu smelted Robust and Healthy and Earth Command for 500,000 years of Dao cultivation and obtained an Origin-Returning Demon Heart.
• Jiang Yuechu considered which ability to enhance and learned that Four Fiends Ascension: Desolate God Body could not be improved with the crystal.
• Jiang Yuechu chose Metal Virtue · Soaring Aspiration over Flesh-and-Bone Furnace because she wanted to increase her physical speed.
• Jiang Yuechu absorbed the Origin-Returning Demon Heart and enhanced Soaring Aspiration into Precious · Moon-Companion Star Rainbow.

Summary

• Aftermath of the Treasure Gathering Fair: Several peaceful days pass after the chaos on Perched Phoenix Ridge. The Treasure Gathering Fair ends, and visiting cultivators leave. The Lu Clan avoids further attacks largely because Jiang Yuechu remains there as a powerful deterrent. Many forces coveted the Lu Clan’s treasure connected to the Chessmaster Realm, while Azure City Mountain likely hoped others would seize it so they could secretly reclaim it without damaging their reputation.
• The Lu Clan presents the Golden Body Method: Lu Gexian and Lu Changfeng respectfully visit Jiang Yuechu to thank her for protecting the clan. Lu Changfeng gives her a carefully copied version of the Lu Clan’s Myriad Transformations Returning to the Golden Body Method. Although the method is incomplete, Jiang’s system confirms that the copy is genuine. She accepts it without comparing it to the original, saying that she trusts the Lu Clan. This greatly impresses and reassures both Lu Gexian and Lu Changfeng.
• Additional support for Jiang Yuechu: Lu Gexian gives Jiang Yuechu a storage pouch containing the Lu Clan’s accumulated research on Incense-Fire Power, along with materials for constructing temples and statues. He warns that understanding this path would normally take several years or even decades because of its many practical details.
• Lu Changfeng volunteers to accompany her: Lu Gexian proposes that Lu Changfeng travel with Jiang Yuechu to Great Tang and help her establish the Incense-Fire Power system. Though Lu Changfeng is a promising disciple of Azure City Mountain, the Lu Clan is willing to send him away for years to assist her. Jiang accepts, recognizing that his experience will save her considerable time and effort.
• Wang Ziyu’s reaction: Wang Ziyu is shocked by the extent of the Lu Clan’s investment, realizing that they may be betting their future on Jiang Yuechu’s potential. Nevertheless, he remains confident that his own connection with Jiang Yuechu, as Tai’a’s direct disciple and her companion through past dangers, will not be displaced.

Character Developments and Interactions

• Jiang Yuechu remains calm, detached, and powerful, but shows practical judgment by accepting the Lu Clan’s assistance. Her willingness to trust them without verifying the copied manual deepens their respect for her.
• Lu Gexian becomes increasingly strategic and hopeful. He sees Jiang Yuechu as a possible route for the Lu Clan to escape its subordinate position under Azure City Mountain.
• Lu Changfeng continues to act respectfully toward Jiang Yuechu and is selected to support her because of his specialized knowledge of Incense-Fire Power.
• Wang Ziyu observes the growing bond between Jiang Yuechu and the Lu Clan, briefly feeling competitive but ultimately remaining confident in his own relationship with her.

Significant Themes

• Strategic alliances and investment: The Lu Clan sacrifices immediate advantages and sends its best young talent to build a long-term relationship with Jiang Yuechu.
• Trust and reciprocity: Jiang Yuechu’s trust strengthens the Lu Clan’s loyalty, while the clan responds by offering its knowledge, resources, and heir.
• Dependence versus independence: The Lu Clan’s resentment of being subordinate to Azure City Mountain motivates it to seek a powerful alternative protector.
• Power and future potential: Jiang Yuechu’s extraordinary strength and character convince the Lu Clan that she may eventually reach the summit and repay their support.

Chapter Summary: “Changes in Great Tang”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chang’an is undergoing rapid, mysterious construction. New temples are being built throughout the city despite recently reduced taxes.
• The people speculate that the temples are meant to pray for Great Tang’s blessings. It is eventually rumored that they are being constructed in honor of the Eldest Princess, who recently defended the empire by slaughtering demons and monsters.
• The temples are notably empty, lacking statues or idols, adding to the mystery surrounding their purpose.
• A second major change appears in Chang’an: unfamiliar cultivators and martial artists have begun behaving violently and arrogantly toward ordinary citizens.
• A blue-robed Daoist openly assaults pedestrians, knocking aside anyone who blocks his path. He injures an elderly man carrying vegetables and casually walks over him.
• Third Brother Liu, an Ink-Point Realm martial artist, intervenes from a teahouse to defend the old man and challenge the Daoist.
• The Daoist insults the citizens as “ants” and “barbarians,” claiming that people who obstruct him deserve to be crushed.
• Third Brother Liu attempts to draw his sword, but the Daoist suppresses him effortlessly. With a single sleeve strike, the Daoist sends him crashing through the teahouse.
• Third Brother Liu realizes that the Daoist is a Mountain-Viewing Martial Venerable, far above his own level.
• The chapter ends with Liu questioning why the imperial government and powerful figures such as the Eldest Princess have allowed these outsiders to act with impunity in Chang’an.

Character Developments

• Third Brother Liu: Initially presented as a respected local figure and informed citizen, Liu is shown to possess a strong sense of justice. His anger at the mistreatment of ordinary people drives him to confront the Daoist, despite the danger. His defeat reveals the vast power gap between local martial artists and the newly arrived outsiders.
• The Blue-Robed Daoist: He is established as arrogant, cruel, and contemptuous of common people. His casual violence and dismissal of the law demonstrate both his lack of morality and his confidence that no authority will punish him.
• The Eldest Princess: Though she does not appear directly, her reputation grows. She is remembered as a heroic protector of Great Tang, yet the public is confused by the court’s apparent weakness in dealing with powerful outsiders.
• The Common People: The citizens are increasingly uneasy. They admire the Eldest Princess but fear both the unexplained temples and the lawless cultivators now disrupting daily life.

Significant Themes

• Social and political upheaval: Chang’an’s physical transformation reflects deeper changes within Great Tang. The city is no longer stable or familiar, with new temples and outsiders altering public life.
• Justice versus power: Third Brother Liu represents ordinary people’s desire for law and fairness, while the Daoist embodies unchecked strength and privilege.
• Erosion of authority: The Demon Suppression Office still arrests offenders, but the criminals quickly return to the streets. This suggests that traditional institutions have lost control or are deliberately tolerating the outsiders.
• Mystery and religious symbolism: The empty temples, allegedly built for the Eldest Princess, imply that a larger political, spiritual, or supernatural plan is unfolding.
• The danger of outsiders: The newly arrived cultivators and martial artists treat Chang’an as territory without rules, creating tension between local society and powerful external forces.

Character Interactions

• The teahouse patrons debate the purpose of the temples, with Third Brother Liu warning them to avoid disrespecting the Eldest Princess.
• The blue-robed Daoist attacks an elderly passerby and ignores his suffering, provoking Liu’s intervention.
• Liu demands that the Daoist respect the Great Tang Code, but the Daoist rejects the authority of both law and ordinary people.
• Their confrontation ends with the Daoist effortlessly overpowering Liu, emphasizing the growing imbalance of power within Chang’an.

You Wujiang intervened when a powerful Daoist attacked people in Chang'an, but let him leave to avoid a larger conflict. As unrest grew and the Great Tang’s defenses proved inadequate, Zhao Zhongliu assigned You Wujiang to guard the Imperial City and said they could only hope for His Highness’s swift return.

• You Wujiang arrived with Demon Suppression Office troops and drove back a Daoist who had been threatening a young man and injuring people.
• The Daoist withdrew after You Wujiang offered to fight, and You Wujiang ordered the injured to be taken to a clinic.
• You Wujiang saw reports of escalating violence in Chang'an and asked Zhao Zhongliu why so many unknown cultivators and martial artists had arrived.
• Zhao Zhongliu explained that powerful outsiders had flooded into the city because something had appeared within the Great Tang, though he did not know what it was.
• Zhao Zhongliu assigned You Wujiang to guard the Imperial City while he handled the unrest, saying they could only hope for His Highness to return soon.

Three black-robed outsiders stormed the Imperial City and demanded Gu Yue, then attacked the young emperor when they could not find her. Great Tang’s High Ancestor intervened but was swiftly defeated, leaving the emperor exposed.

• The young emperor rebuked the assembled experts for staying inside the Imperial City while Chang'an suffered under the outsiders.
• Three black-robed men broke into the hall and demanded to know where the little princess was.
• When the emperor challenged them, one of the men proposed taking him instead, and the leader attacked with a giant ghost claw.
• Cheng Buxiu and the other Mountain-Viewing Realm Martial Venerables tried to protect the emperor, but the ghost claw shattered their attacks and hurled them aside.
• Great Tang’s High Ancestor arrived and struck back with the empire’s dragon qi, but the black-robed leader wounded him and stamped him to the ground.

Chapter Summary:

Wu Shisan True Person’s Deterrence

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• The Great Tang’s defenders realize that their powerful foundation is helpless against the three visiting outsiders. Gaozu, despite having reached the Lamp-Lighting Realm and possessing the nation’s Dragon Qi, is defeated and pinned beneath the black-robed man’s foot.
• The young emperor is enraged and humiliated by his ancestor’s treatment, but his Ink-Point Realm cultivation leaves him powerless to intervene.
• The black-robed invader taunts the emperor, while the elderly cultivator restrains him with a green vine. The invaders intend to abduct the emperor and Gaozu, believing that someone from the Li Clan may be the rumored reincarnated figure.
• Before they can leave, Wu Shisan True Person of the Mysterious Truth Grotto-Heaven appears at the hall entrance.
• Wu Shisan’s reputation as an exceptionally powerful Tower-Climbing cultivator immediately unsettles the invaders. Though the black-robed man tries to act defiant, he is clearly intimidated.
• Without attacking, Wu Shisan casually takes Gaozu from the black-robed man and throws him safely to the Tang officials. He then orders the elderly cultivator to release the emperor, who complies under immense pressure.
• Wu Shisan places himself between the Great Tang’s ruler and officials and the three outsiders. He tells them that the Great Tang is not a place they should have entered and that Gaozu is someone they cannot touch. He gives them one chance to leave.
• Humiliated and unwilling to surrender, the black-robed man urges his two companions to join forces against Wu Shisan, arguing that their numerical advantage may allow them to defeat him.

2. Character Developments

• The young emperor: His anger and pride are exposed, but so is his helplessness. Despite reaching the Ink-Point Realm, he cannot protect his ancestor or himself, deepening his awareness of the gap between ordinary imperial power and true martial immortals.
• Gaozu: Once viewed as an almost untouchable pillar of the Great Tang, he is publicly defeated and humiliated, demonstrating that even the empire’s strongest figure cannot withstand the outsiders.
• The black-robed man: He is arrogant, cruel, and fond of taunting weaker opponents, but his bravado masks real fear of Wu Shisan. After losing Gaozu, his humiliation turns into desperation and aggression.
• The elderly cultivator: More cautious and pragmatic than the black-robed man, he understands the danger of attracting the Dao Orthodoxy. Wu Shisan’s arrival frightens him into immediately releasing the emperor.
• Wu Shisan: He is introduced as calm, confident, and overwhelmingly authoritative. Rather than displaying needless violence, he resolves the crisis through effortless movements and sheer deterrence, confirming his reputation as one of the Eastern Region’s strongest Tower-Climbing cultivators.
• The Tang officials: They shift from helpless panic to active concern once Wu Shisan intervenes, rescuing Gaozu and tending to his injuries.

3. Significant Themes

• The limits of imperial power: The Great Tang’s national Dragon Qi and royal cultivation cannot compensate for the overwhelming strength of higher-level outsiders.
• Power and deterrence: Wu Shisan does not need to fight to control the situation. His reputation and presence alone force the invaders to retreat from their immediate objective.
• Pride versus prudence: The black-robed man’s arrogance drives him toward a dangerous confrontation, while the elderly cultivator recognizes that survival requires caution.
• Humiliation and authority: The emperor and Gaozu suffer public humiliation, but Wu Shisan restores order and dignity by effortlessly reversing the invaders’ actions.
• The danger of numbers against individual supremacy: The chapter sets up the question of whether three cultivators of the same realm can challenge a single fighter reputed to be nearly invincible.

4. Character Interactions

• The black-robed man mocks the enraged emperor while standing on Gaozu, emphasizing the imbalance of power.
• The elderly cultivator restrains the emperor and warns the black-robed man that the Dao Orthodoxy may intervene if they linger.
• Wu Shisan silently confronts the invaders, taking Gaozu directly from the black-robed man without allowing him to resist.
• He commands the elderly cultivator to release the emperor, and the man obeys despite his earlier confidence.
• Wu Shisan positions himself as the Great Tang’s protector and formally orders the three outsiders to leave.
• The black-robed man attempts to rally his companions into attacking Wu Shisan, ending the chapter with a potential three-against-one confrontation.

Wu Shisan drove three cultivators away from the Great Tang Imperial House, then relented when the emperor demanded to know why cultivators were targeting Great Tang and Gu Yue. He began to reveal the secret behind the turmoil in Chang'an.

• The old man pretended to accept Wu Shisan’s reprimand and led the other two cultivators out of the hall.
• Cheng Buxiu helped the pale High Ancestor settle into his seat, and the emperor and survivors thanked Wu Shisan for saving them.
• The emperor pressed Wu Shisan to explain why cultivators were targeting Great Tang and Gu Yue.
• Wu Shisan explained that rumors about the Tang Grand Ancestor’s reincarnation had made cultivators and rival Dao Orthodoxies covet Great Tang.
• Wu Shisan agreed to tell everyone the story behind the turmoil.

Three foreign Tower-Climbing Martial Immortals tried to use a formation to seize Great Tang’s emperor and ancestor, but Jiang Yuechu arrived and killed them. She settled atop the Imperial City’s highest hall, leaving Chang’an’s people looking at Great Tang with new reverence.

• The old man planted black pebbles around the Imperial City and explained that their formation could briefly daze those beneath it.
• The silent man rushed toward the Imperial City as the old man activated the formation, but Jiang Yuechu’s arrival was mistaken for its golden flash and thunderous boom.
• Jiang Yuechu killed the three Tower-Climbing Martial Immortals, shattering their primordial spirits with a scarlet crescent strike.
• Jiang Yuechu collected the bodies and Storage Bags, then sat cross-legged on the highest hall as the emperor, the High Ancestor, and the people of Chang’an watched her in awe.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Changfeng, Niu Ben, Zhou Xuan, and Wang Ziyu arrive above the Imperial City aboard a flying vessel.
• From the air, they sense more than a dozen powerful Tower-Climbing Realm auras concentrated throughout Chang’an—far more than Great Tang was previously believed to possess.
• Wang Ziyu and Lu Changfeng realize that these figures do not belong to Great Tang. Their spiritual auras reveal connections to multiple Dao orthodoxies, including Formless, Flowing Wild Goose, Calamity Ashes, and Luan-Bearing.
• The group becomes alarmed and confused about why so many powerful outsiders have gathered in the imperial capital.
• The black-clad girl, Jiang Yuechu—also known as Gu Yue and the Eldest Princess—detects the vessel and confronts its passengers with a cold, imposing gaze.
• Lu Changfeng chooses to proceed despite the danger, reasoning that the Lu Clan must take risks if it hopes to regain influence and escape its former subservient position.
• The vessel lands before the Imperial City’s grand hall, where Jiang Yuechu reunites with the Emperor and the battered survivors of the recent conflict.
• The Emperor and the assembled officials formally bow to Jiang Yuechu and proclaim, “Welcome the Eldest Princess back to the capital.”
• The ceremony symbolically presents Jiang Yuechu as the figure who protected Great Tang and restored its morale.
• Jiang Yuechu, uncomfortable with public praise, dismisses the grand display.
• Wang Ziyu then finds his master, Wu Shisan, and asks why so many powerful outsiders have gathered in Great Tang. Wu Shisan responds irritably and tells him to stop meddling.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu/Gu Yue: Returns to the capital as a heroic and almost indispensable protector. Her authority and importance are publicly acknowledged, though she remains uncomfortable with praise and ceremony.
• Lu Changfeng: Demonstrates courage and political ambition. Despite sensing the extraordinary danger surrounding Chang’an, he refuses to retreat, believing the Lu Clan must take bold action to rise again.
• Niu Ben: Reacts with shock to the concentration of powerful experts and attempts to relieve the tension with humor, though his joke is ignored.
• Wang Ziyu: Shows sharp perception by identifying that the powerful auras belong to different external Dao orthodoxies rather than Great Tang. He also remains curious and observant, questioning Wu Shisan about the crisis.
• The Emperor: Sets aside personal discomfort and possible jealousy toward Lu Changfeng to honor Jiang Yuechu properly. His formal bow reflects both gratitude and recognition of her superior contribution.
• Wu Shisan: Remains detached and irritable, refusing to explain the situation and teasingly dismissing Wang Ziyu’s concerns.

Significant Themes

• Heroic sacrifice and recognition: Jiang Yuechu’s return is treated as the restoration of Great Tang’s “backbone,” emphasizing the burden she carried while defending the capital.
• Hidden power and political uncertainty: The sudden presence of numerous experts from different orthodoxies suggests that Great Tang’s crisis is part of a much larger conflict.
• Courage amid danger: Lu Changfeng’s decision to continue forward reflects the theme that advancement requires risking everything, especially for a declining clan seeking renewed status.
• Public honor versus personal discomfort: The grand welcome contrasts with Jiang Yuechu’s dislike of ceremony, highlighting the difference between public symbolism and private temperament.
• Shifting alliances: The gathering of outsiders implies that the balance of power around Great Tang is changing, with unknown factions converging for reasons that remain unclear.

Character Interactions

• Niu Ben, Lu Changfeng, and Zhou Xuan share uncertainty as they assess the strange forces surrounding Chang’an.
• Wang Ziyu corrects Niu Ben’s assumptions and confirms that the gathered experts come from multiple Dao lineages.
• Lu Changfeng and Jiang Yuechu’s arrival creates unease for the Emperor, who senses Lu Changfeng as a potential rival or threat but suppresses his personal feelings.
• The Emperor, the High Ancestor, Cheng Buxiu, officials, and the forbidden army unite in paying tribute to Jiang Yuechu.
• Wang Ziyu questions Wu Shisan about the gathering, but Wu Shisan rebuffs him rather than offering answers.

Chapter Summary: The Foundation of the Elixir Cauldron Sect

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Yuechu introduces Lu Changfeng, young master of the Lu Clan, to the emperor and explains that he has come to help Great Tang cultivate the Golden Body Method.
• The emperor immediately abandons his earlier suspicion of Lu Changfeng and welcomes him enthusiastically, grateful for the Lu Clan’s support.
• Jiang Yuechu then introduces Zhou Xuan of the Elixir Cauldron Sect, announcing that the sect will join Great Tang and assist with alchemy in exchange for promises she made to them.
• Wu Shisan recognizes the Elixir Cauldron Sect as a surviving branch of the ancient Rippling Mountain Alchemy Sect, once a powerful organization with tens of thousands of alchemists.
• He explains that the ancient sect was destroyed by a combination of opposition from the orthodox Dao lineages and internal conflict. Its surviving disciples scattered, each carrying incomplete inheritances.
• Zhou Xuan reveals internally that the Elixir Cauldron Sect did not simply disappear: more than three thousand members were captured and forced into labor for over three thousand years.
• Great Tang’s officials become intensely excited when they learn of the sect’s history and reputation.
• A military general bluntly asks whether Zhou Xuan can refine a pill that would allow someone to break directly into the Mountain-Viewing Realm.
• Zhou Xuan confirms that the sect possesses over a dozen such formulas, including the Break-Mountain Pill, Scenery-Transforming Pellet, and Nine-Formula Ten-Cycle Pill.
• The court is stunned by this revelation. The young emperor urgently asks what obstacle remains, promising to mobilize the entire nation to obtain whatever is needed.

Character Developments

• Lu Changfeng: Remains polite and restrained while navigating the emperor’s sudden change from hostility to enthusiastic welcome. His importance as a powerful ally to Great Tang is established.
• The Emperor: Shows himself to be politically flexible and highly pragmatic. His suspicion toward Lu Changfeng disappears instantly once he learns Lu can help cultivate the Golden Body Method. His desperation for powerful pills also reveals how urgently Great Tang seeks to strengthen its martial forces.
• Jiang Yuechu: Acts as the central connector between Great Tang and outside powers. Her arrangements bring both the Lu Clan and the Elixir Cauldron Sect into cooperation with the empire.
• Zhou Xuan: Initially appears cautious and uncomfortable under the court’s attention, but his calm explanation of the sect’s pill formulas reveals its extraordinary heritage and capabilities. His hidden bitterness suggests deep trauma from the sect’s long captivity.
• Wu Shisan: Demonstrates vast historical knowledge by identifying the Elixir Cauldron Sect’s ancient origins. His casual attitude contrasts sharply with the court’s shock and reinforces his mysterious depth.
• Great Tang’s officials: Shift rapidly from confusion to admiration and greed for the sect’s alchemical knowledge. Their reaction shows how transformative pills capable of producing Mountain-Viewing experts would be.

Significant Themes

• The value of hidden legacies: A seemingly obscure sect carries the incomplete inheritance of one of the ancient world’s greatest alchemical organizations.
• Power and political influence: The emperor’s attitude changes immediately according to the practical benefits Lu Changfeng and Zhou Xuan can provide.
• The gap between ordinary and extraordinary cultivation: Great Tang regards the Mountain-Viewing Realm as an almost impossible barrier, while Zhou Xuan speaks of pills that can overcome it with surprising familiarity.
• Historical decline and survival: The Rippling Mountain Alchemy Sect’s fall illustrates how powerful organizations can be destroyed by external hostility and internal division, while their traditions survive through scattered branches.
• Exploitation and concealed suffering: Zhou Xuan’s private recollection of thousands of sect members being enslaved adds a darker dimension to the sect’s return and contrasts with the court’s excitement over its abilities.
• Desperation for national strength: Great Tang’s rulers see alchemy as a means to rapidly overcome its military and cultivation shortcomings.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Yuechu formally presents Lu Changfeng and Zhou Xuan to the emperor, establishing their roles in Great Tang’s future.
• The emperor warmly shakes Lu Changfeng’s hand after learning of his purpose, despite having shown him hostility moments earlier.
• Wu Shisan questions Zhou Xuan about the Elixir Cauldron Sect’s connection to the Rippling Mountain Alchemy Sect, prompting Zhou Xuan’s astonished recognition.
• The military general directly challenges Zhou Xuan about the possibility of producing Mountain-Viewing Realm experts through pills.
• Zhou Xuan’s answer shocks the entire court, while the emperor personally presses him for the remaining condition or limitation, offering the resources of Great Tang in response.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhou Xuan clarifies that the realm-breaking pill cannot endlessly propel cultivators forward. Each person may use a pill of that type only once in their lifetime; taking another would cause pill toxins to damage their foundation permanently.
• The Great Tang Emperor and his generals initially consider this limitation insignificant, believing that reaching the Mountain-Viewing Realm would already be an extraordinary blessing.
• Zhou Xuan then reveals that cultivators would normally preserve such a one-time opportunity for a pill capable of directly advancing them to the Burning Lamp Realm. This shocks the people of Great Tang, who had assumed the Mountain-Viewing Realm was the pinnacle of achievement.
• He explains that the Burning Lamp pill is extremely difficult to refine, requires exceptionally rare materials, and has only about a thirty percent success rate even when several highly experienced alchemists cooperate.
• Jiang Yuechu loses interest in relying on the pill, deciding that cultivating through the Incense-Fire Path is currently more practical. She also grows more wary of the Elixir Cauldron Sect and its hidden capabilities.
• In a secluded courtyard near Chang’an, mysterious white-robed cultivators discuss Jiang Yuechu’s identity. They suspect she may be the reincarnation of the Li Clan Founding Ancestor, but the group’s leader warns them not to act rashly until they have gathered more evidence.
• A younger member worries that Jiang Yuechu will not tolerate their presence after demonstrating the ability to kill three Tower-Climbing Realm cultivators effortlessly.
• A proud woman dismisses the concern, insisting that Jiang Yuechu is merely a powerful figure from a mortal dynasty. She concludes arrogantly that, regardless of Jiang’s identity or strength, Great Tang will never become one of the five Imperial Throne Realm Dao Orthodoxies.

Character Developments

• Zhou Xuan continues to reveal how far the wider cultivation world surpasses Great Tang. His careful attempts to soften the truth repeatedly end up humiliating or shocking the Emperor and generals.
• The Emperor and Great Tang’s generals are exposed as isolated and inexperienced in worldly matters. Their idea of supreme power changes dramatically when they learn that Burning Lamp Realm breakthrough methods exist.
• Jiang Yuechu remains pragmatic and composed. She rejects the unreliable, resource-intensive pill and chooses to focus on the Incense-Fire Path, while also recognizing that the Elixir Cauldron Sect may possess more dangerous secrets.
• Wu Shisan views Great Tang’s astonishment with amusement, emphasizing the gulf between their knowledge and the broader Eastern Region.
• The white-robed woman displays extreme arrogance and confidence, underestimating Jiang Yuechu and openly denying Great Tang’s possibility of rising.
• The old man acts cautiously and rationally, restraining the group from prematurely confronting Jiang Yuechu because her true identity remains uncertain.
• The younger white-robed cultivator is more perceptive and fearful, recognizing Jiang Yuechu as a serious threat.

Significant Themes

• Ignorance versus the wider world: Great Tang’s limited knowledge makes ordinary advanced techniques seem miraculous, revealing how isolated it has been.
• The cost of shortcuts: Pills and alternative cultivation paths can accelerate advancement, but they require rare resources, carry risks, and may prevent genuine progress toward the Great Dao.
• Strategic caution versus arrogance: The old man advocates observation and restraint, while the woman’s contemptuous confidence may lead the group into conflict.
• The limits of status and origin: The white-robed faction dismisses Jiang Yuechu because she comes from a mortal dynasty, underestimating the power Great Tang may possess.
• Foreshadowing Great Tang’s rise: The chapter’s title and final declaration create dramatic irony: the outsiders insist Great Tang can never become a major orthodox power, suggesting that this belief may soon be challenged.

Character Interactions

• Zhou Xuan’s explanations repeatedly clash with the Emperor’s assumptions, producing comic disbelief and highlighting the enormous disparity between Great Tang and the outside cultivation world.
• Jiang Yuechu questions Zhou Xuan about the Burning Lamp pill, but his explanation of its low success rate causes her to abandon interest in it.
• Wu Shisan silently observes and mocks Great Tang’s lack of knowledge.
• The white-robed group debates whether Jiang Yuechu is the Founding Ancestor reincarnated. The old man urges caution, the younger man expresses fear, and the woman aggressively rejects the idea that Jiang Yuechu could threaten them.
• The chapter ends with the woman’s dismissive proclamation that Great Tang will never achieve Imperial Throne Realm status, setting up a likely confrontation between her faction and Jiang Yuechu’s growing power.

Chapter Summary: Jiang Yuechu, Who Only Knows How to Fight and Kill

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Yuechu asks the Emperor about the sudden influx of powerful outsiders into Chang’an.
• The Emperor explains that, since her departure, many mysterious cultivators from beyond Great Tang have entered the capital. They refuse to reveal their origins or purpose and behave arrogantly toward the imperial court.
• Three unknown Tower-Climbing Martial Immortals recently entered the Imperial City, demanded Jiang Yuechu by name, and attempted to abduct the Emperor and Gaozu. Wu Shisan arrived in time to save them, but Jiang Yuechu later killed all three intruders instantly.
• Wu Shisan had previously revealed that the outsiders were seeking something within Great Tang on behalf of a powerful Dao Orthodoxy, though neither the Emperor nor Gaozu knows what that object is.
• The Emperor indirectly encourages Jiang Yuechu to question Wu Shisan, since he appears to be the only person with complete knowledge of the situation.
• Jiang Yuechu declines to investigate further and instead immediately leaves the Imperial City, intending to confront the outsiders directly.
• Wang Ziyu tries to stop her, warning that her presence alone might force the outsiders to retreat and that immediate violence could destroy any chance of negotiation.
• Jiang Yuechu ignores him, asserting that the outsiders will only respect Great Tang after being defeated.
• Wang Ziyu orders Niu Ben to follow her, while the Red Flood Dragon anxiously rushes after her to avoid being abandoned again.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu: Demonstrates her decisive, aggressive nature. She is uninterested in political maneuvering or uncovering every detail behind the conflict; her priority is defending Great Tang by force. Her confidence reflects her overwhelming strength.
• The Emperor: Shows concern for his sister and shame over his inability to protect Great Tang. He struggles between hiding the truth to spare Jiang Yuechu and telling her because she is the only person capable of solving the crisis.
• Gaozu: Acts as a voice of reason, urging the Emperor not to conceal the danger from Jiang Yuechu any longer.
• Wu Shisan: Is established as a powerful and knowledgeable figure who understands the outsiders’ true objective but remains reluctant to explain himself. He feels uneasy under Jiang Yuechu’s scrutiny.
• Wang Ziyu: Reveals his practical and cautious side. He understands Jiang Yuechu’s temperament but remains alarmed by her tendency to resolve every problem through combat.
• Niu Ben: Appears slow-witted but dependable, immediately following Jiang Yuechu once ordered.
• Old Red Flood Dragon: Displays insecurity and strong attachment to Jiang Yuechu, fearing that she will abandon him again because of his weakness.

Significant Themes

• Strength versus diplomacy: The chapter contrasts Jiang Yuechu’s belief that power commands respect with Wang Ziyu’s preference for patience and strategic restraint.
• Protection and responsibility: The Emperor recognizes that Great Tang depends heavily on Jiang Yuechu, placing an enormous burden on her.
• The limits of political authority: The imperial court is powerless against outsiders who possess far greater strength, emphasizing the fragile position of Great Tang.
• Loyalty and fear of abandonment: The Red Flood Dragon’s desperate pursuit highlights how Jiang Yuechu’s actions affect those who depend on her.
• Hidden motives and looming conflict: The outsiders’ unknown objective and Wu Shisan’s silence create an atmosphere of conspiracy and impending confrontation.

Character Interactions

• The Emperor and Gaozu discuss whether Jiang Yuechu should be told about the crisis, revealing their concern for her and their reliance on her.
• The Emperor uses subtle hints to direct Jiang Yuechu toward questioning Wu Shisan, but she chooses not to pursue the matter.
• Wang Ziyu confronts Jiang Yuechu and pleads with her to avoid immediate violence. She dismisses his concerns, showing their opposing approaches to danger.
• Wang Ziyu then kicks Niu Ben into action, ordering him to support Jiang Yuechu.
• The Red Flood Dragon begs Jiang Yuechu not to leave him behind, underscoring his dependence on her and the comedic contrast between the serious crisis and his panic.

The Demon Suppression Office surrounded an inn where the Formless Dao Orthodoxy’s master and disciple were staying. The master tried to assert the lineage’s dignity, but five flying swords struck and crushed them through the floor.

• Dozens of Demon Suppression Office riders surrounded the inn, frightening the townspeople into hiding.
• The Formless Dao Orthodoxy’s young disciple panicked and asked his master why the court had targeted them.
• The old master guessed that someone planned to make an example of their lineage, but refused to flee before being formally asked to leave.
• The master summoned a giant beast of water to show the riders his power and demand that a high-ranking official speak with him.
• Five flying swords embedded themselves around the pair, and crushing weight smashed them and their furniture through the second-floor boards.

Jiang Yuechu arrived at the inn and crushed Cangxuan True Person’s resistance, while Old Red Flood Dragon and Niu Ben bickered over the Demon-Suppression Guards. After Jiang Yuechu declared that none of her opponents would leave, Cangxuan True Person summoned his Primordial Spirit and attacked her with the Returning Rivers Spirit Dragon Incantation.

• Jiang Yuechu entered the ruined inn with her attendants as Demon-Suppression Guards surrounded the building.
• Old Red Flood Dragon fawned over Jiang Yuechu and scolded Niu Ben for insulting Great Tang's Demon Suppression Office.
• Jiang Yuechu ignored the Demons’ argument and approached Cangxuan True Person and another person pinned to the ground.
• Cangxuan True Person invoked the Formless Lineage, but Jiang Yuechu stomped his face and said she had given them a chance to leave.
• Cangxuan True Person’s Primordial Spirit emerged and unleashed the Returning Rivers Spirit Dragon Incantation at Jiang Yuechu.

Jiang Yuechu overwhelmed Cangxuan True Person and destroyed his defenses when he tried to flee. She began absorbing his Primordial Spirit, and the system announced her reward for slaying a Tower-Climbing Realm being.

• Jiang Yuechu crushed the Azure Wrath Flood Dragon with one hand, astonishing Cangxuan True Person.
• Cangxuan True Person unleashed the Formless Lineage's Supreme Unity Light-Dividing, Thousandfold Myriad-Layered Azure Wave Sea-Suppressing Grand Curse, but Jiang Yuechu shattered it with her fist.
• Cangxuan True Person tried to escape with the Dark Nether Heavy Water Divine Tortoise Curse and Water-Escape Thousand Miles, but Jiang Yuechu broke his barrier and caught his Primordial Spirit.
• Cangxuan True Person threatened Jiang Yuechu with the Formless Lineage and pleaded for release, but she decided to kill him rather than risk future retaliation.
• Jiang Yuechu plunged her red-lit arm into Cangxuan True Person's Primordial Spirit as black mist and demon souls surrounded them.
• The system announced that Jiang Yuechu had slain a Tower-Climbing Realm being and gained 2,171 years of Dao Cultivation.

Jiang Yuechu killed Cangxuan True Person and his disciple, prompting more than a dozen Tower-Climbing Martial Immortals from the Dao Orthodoxies to gather over Chang'an. As the Great Tang court realized Li Guyue was responsible, Wu Shisan explained that she had provoked them by killing a True Person and humiliating his lineage.

• Jiang Yuechu put Cangxuan True Person's body and his disciple's body into her Void-Containing Pouch after killing the disciple.
• More than a dozen Tower-Climbing Martial Immortals arrived above the ruined inn, angered by Cangxuan True Person's death and the insult to the Dao Orthodoxies.
• The Great Tang court saw the gathering forces over Chang'an and realized Li Guyue had stirred them up.
• The emperor begged Wu Shisan to save Gu Yue, and Wu Shisan explained that she had killed a Dao Orthodoxy's True Person and trampled on its dignity.

Jiang Yuechu faced more than a dozen Tower-Climbing Martial Immortals who demanded she answer for killing Cangxuan True Person and his disciples. After dismissing their accusations, she unleashed the terrifying power she had kept restrained, leaving the assembled experts shaken.

• Jiang Yuechu ordered the Demon-Suppression Guards to withdraw, while Old Red Flood Dragon loudly defended her and Wang Ziyu explained that he could not intervene on behalf of the Mysterious Truth Grotto-Heaven.
• An old woman in a dark green robe accused Jiang Yuechu of going too far by killing Cangxuan True Person and his disciples.
• Jiang Yuechu interrupted the old woman and replied, "So what?"
• Jiang Yuechu rose into the air and released her power, filling the sky with golden light and black mist as cracks spread across her body and red light shone through.
• The Tower-Climbing Martial Immortals, who had approached calmly, became solemn before Jiang Yuechu's displayed might.