Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Battle Against the Immortals”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Tensions rise above the clouds as Jiang Yuechu openly adopts a battle-ready stance against more than a dozen True Persons of Dao Orthodoxy.
• Before the immortals can react, Jiang Yuechu moves with overwhelming speed and attacks first.
• She destroys the white-robed woman’s physical body with a single punch, leaving only her pale-golden Primordial Spirit behind.
• Enraged, the old woman leads the other immortals in a coordinated assault:
  • She summons an enormous azurewood dragon formed from vines.
  • A sword cultivator releases seven ancient swords.
  • Another cultivator unleashes a sea of heavenly fire.
  • A black banner releases countless fierce ghosts.
• Their combined techniques engulf Jiang Yuechu and devastate the sky above Chang’an.
• The spectators, including Wang Ziyu, fear that even a powerful expert might not survive such an attack.
• When the storm clears, Jiang Yuechu remains standing. Her robes are damaged and her arms are numb, but her body is largely unharmed.
• The immortals are shocked that she endured their combined strike head-on.
• The old woman concludes that Jiang Yuechu specializes in physical cultivation and decides to avoid close combat, intending instead to trap and exhaust her blood vitality and life force.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu: Demonstrates extraordinary speed, destructive strength, and an exceptionally powerful physical body. She is fearless, aggressive, and confident enough to attack a group of Dao Orthodoxy True Persons first. Although the combined assault causes her some pressure, she remains composed and nearly unharmed.
• The old woman: Initially confident in her group’s superiority, she becomes cautious after witnessing Jiang Yuechu’s strength. Rather than underestimating her completely, she changes tactics and plans to wear her down from a distance.
• The white-robed woman: Her arrogance leads directly to her defeat; she is killed physically by Jiang Yuechu’s first punch.
• The other True Persons: They shift from restrained hostility to full cooperation after the first death, revealing the immense power of their combined abilities.
• Wang Ziyu: His concern for Jiang Yuechu reveals how overwhelming the immortals’ joint attack appears, even to observers familiar with powerful cultivators.

Significant Themes

• Physical cultivation versus Primordial Spirit cultivation: The old woman views Jiang Yuechu’s focus on bodily strength as crude and inferior, reflecting the orthodox belief that high-level cultivators should prioritize the Primordial Spirit.
• Arrogance and underestimation: The immortals assume Jiang Yuechu is reckless and insignificant, but her opening attack shatters their confidence.
• Individual power against collective strength: Jiang Yuechu faces an entire group of elite immortals alone, emphasizing the tension between overwhelming personal might and coordinated divine techniques.
• Adaptation in battle: After their direct attack fails, the immortals recognize that brute force is insufficient and prepare to exploit Jiang Yuechu’s endurance instead.
• Orthodoxy versus unconventional paths: Jiang Yuechu’s unusual cultivation path challenges the established assumptions of the twenty-five orthodox lineages.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Yuechu confronts the group without backing down, provoking the old woman and the other True Persons.
• The white-robed woman becomes Jiang Yuechu’s first target and is destroyed before she can defend herself.
• The old woman rallies the immortals, coordinating their attacks against Jiang Yuechu.
• The group’s initial contempt turns into shock and caution after Jiang Yuechu survives their combined assault.
• Wang Ziyu watches from below and worries about Jiang Yuechu’s survival, while the old woman prepares a new strategy to restrain and exhaust her.

Jiang Yuechu was trapped by the Dao Orthodoxy cultivators, but she refused Wu Shisan’s plea to surrender and unleashed a horde of powerful demonic souls. As the demons overwhelmed the cultivators, Jiang Yuechu declared that they could all stay in Great Tang.

• The Dao Orthodoxy cultivators bound Jiang Yuechu with vines and chains after a soul-targeting technique briefly dazed her.
• Wu Shisan appeared and offered to negotiate, but Jiang Yuechu refused to bow her head or endure the humiliation.
• Jiang Yuechu summoned a hundred demonic souls, broke free of her bindings, and ordered them to kill the cultivators.
• The demonic souls overwhelmed the Grotto-Heaven True Persons, and a slain blood-red tiger re-formed in the black mist.
• Jiang Yuechu drew on the spiritual energy around her to sustain the horde and told the cultivators they could all stay in Great Tang.

Chapter Summary: The Fall of the Immortals

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Yuechu unleashes the Hundred Demons Night March, summoning roughly a hundred terrifying demon souls with Tower-Climbing-level strength.
• The demons annihilate more than a dozen Tower-Climbing Martial Immortals from the major Dao Orthodoxies. Their bodies and Primordial Spirits are completely destroyed, leaving only scattered remains and dissipating spiritual light.
• Once the battle ends, the demons return to Jiang Yuechu as black smoke, restoring sunlight over the ruined Chang’an streets.
• Jiang Yuechu collects the enemies’ corpses and belongings, using black-mist tendrils to search the battlefield.
• She reveals that the human cultivators yielded disappointing amounts of Dao Cultivation compared with Great Demons of the same realm.
• Jiang Yuechu thanks the old Daoist Wu Shisan for protecting her earlier. Wu awkwardly admits that, had he known her true strength, his intervention would have been unnecessary.
• The young emperor approaches Jiang Yuechu, relieved that she is unharmed but instinctively hesitant to touch her despite their sibling relationship.
• Lu Changfeng is overwhelmed by Jiang Yuechu’s strength and becomes convinced that supporting her will elevate the Lu Clan’s status throughout the Eastern Region.
• Rather than dwelling on her victory, Jiang Yuechu immediately asks Lu Changfeng about the preparations for the Incense-Fire Power path.
• Lu Changfeng explains that Great Tang’s newly built temples can be repaired rather than rebuilt, but the divine statues must be specially prepared to withstand the immense Wish Force required by the Myriad Transformations Returning to the Golden Body Method.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu: Her terrifying hidden power is fully exposed. She demonstrates not only overwhelming combat strength but also restraint, calculation, and practical priorities. She remains emotionally detached after slaughtering the immortals, focusing instead on rewards, loot, and the next stage of her plans.
• Wang Ziyu: His admiration and fear of Jiang Yuechu deepen. He realizes that her seemingly lazy behavior may conceal extraordinary strength and deliberate self-restraint, making her motives appear increasingly mysterious.
• Wu Shisan: His decision to protect Jiang Yuechu is validated, though her victory makes him feel his earlier intervention was unnecessary. Their exchange shows mutual acknowledgment and Jiang Yuechu’s clear distinction between gratitude and resentment.
• The young emperor: He is deeply relieved by Jiang Yuechu’s survival but becomes aware of the distance created by her frightening transformation and power. His hesitation to touch her reveals both familial affection and instinctive fear.
• Lu Changfeng: His attitude shifts from uncertainty about the Lu Clan’s alliance with Great Tang to extreme enthusiasm. He now views Jiang Yuechu as an unprecedented opportunity for the Lu Clan’s rise.
• The major Dao Orthodoxies: Their Tower-Climbing experts are exposed as utterly powerless against Jiang Yuechu, marking a dramatic collapse of their authority and prestige.

Significant Themes

• Overwhelming power and hidden potential: Jiang Yuechu’s strength far exceeds what her outward behavior suggests, emphasizing the danger of underestimating quiet or seemingly idle figures.
• Fear versus familial bonds: The emperor’s interaction with Jiang Yuechu shows how immense power can create emotional distance even among family members.
• Political consequences of strength: Jiang Yuechu’s victory radically alters the balance of power, encouraging the Lu Clan to attach itself firmly to her and Great Tang.
• Pragmatism over spectacle: Although Jiang Yuechu has just won a devastating battle, she immediately returns to practical matters involving cultivation and state-building.
• The value of loyalty and gratitude: Jiang Yuechu remembers Wu Shisan’s protection and explicitly acknowledges it, showing that her ruthlessness does not erase her sense of obligation.
• Incense-Fire cultivation and institutional power: The chapter transitions from battlefield domination to the construction of a new spiritual system based on temples, divine statues, Wish Force, and the Golden Body method.

Chapter Summary: “Famed Throughout the Eastern Region”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Changfeng reveals that Great Tang has already prepared several Golden Bodies modeled after Jiang Yuechu. He estimates that refining and combining the necessary materials will take a few days to half a month.
• The emperor urges Jiang Yuechu to rest after her recent battle, but she insists that she knows her limits and orders Lu Changfeng to begin immediately.
• Jiang Yuechu instructs Zhou Xuan to accompany Lu Changfeng and settle in the Imperial City. Once the arrangements for Incense-Fire Power are complete, she promises to take Zhou Xuan to Spirit Mountain to rescue his imprisoned sect members.
• Because the battle caused significant damage throughout Chang’an, the emperor orders You Wujiang and the Demon-Suppression Office to search the entire city for suspicious or hostile foreign cultivators.
• Empowered by Jiang Yuechu’s overwhelming victory, the Demon-Suppression Guards arrest rogue cultivators throughout inns, taverns, brothels, and alleyways. Even powerful Mountain-Viewing cultivators submit meekly, terrified by the memory of Jiang Yuechu killing multiple Tower-Climbing True Persons.
• Many rogue cultivators flee Chang’an and Great Tang voluntarily. The Demon-Suppression Office allows them to leave, following Jiang Yuechu’s implicit ultimatum: depart or die.
• News of Jiang Yuechu’s battle spreads across the Eastern Region. Her victory over more than a dozen Tower-Climbing True Persons establishes Great Tang—and especially Jiang Yuechu—as a major power that can no longer be ignored.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu: Demonstrates continued confidence, authority, and determination despite her recent battle. She delegates responsibilities efficiently, prioritizes the Golden Body project, and remains committed to rescuing Zhou Xuan’s sect members.
• The Emperor: Shows concern for Jiang Yuechu’s health while also taking advantage of her victory to reassert Great Tang’s authority. His attitude toward foreign cultivators shifts from cautious submission to ruthless confidence.
• Lu Changfeng: Takes responsibility for refining Jiang Yuechu’s Golden Bodies and promises to complete the work quickly, strengthening his role in Great Tang’s plans.
• Zhou Xuan: Gains renewed hope after Jiang Yuechu promises to rescue his sect members. His gratitude and excitement reveal how deeply he depends on her protection.
• You Wujiang and the Demon-Suppression Office: Their former fear and humiliation before foreign cultivators are replaced by confidence and assertiveness. They finally enforce Great Tang’s laws without hesitation.

Significant Themes

• The reversal of power: Foreign cultivators who once dominated and intimidated Great Tang are now helpless before its authorities.
• Authority backed by overwhelming strength: Jiang Yuechu’s victory allows the emperor and the Demon-Suppression Office to enforce the law decisively.
• Reputation and deterrence: Jiang Yuechu’s slaughter of the Tower-Climbing experts becomes a warning that protects Great Tang even when she is not physically present.
• Loyalty and responsibility: Jiang Yuechu continues to protect her allies and take responsibility for the kingdom’s future, while Zhou Xuan’s rescue mission gives him renewed purpose.
• The rise of Great Tang: The dynasty transitions from a remote, overlooked power into a feared and influential force throughout the Eastern Region.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Yuechu and Lu Changfeng discuss the urgent Golden Body project, with her ordering him to proceed and him pledging his utmost effort.
• The emperor and Jiang Yuechu exchange concern and reassurance, highlighting their familial relationship and mutual trust.
• Jiang Yuechu promises Zhou Xuan direct aid, strengthening their bond and giving him hope.
• The emperor commands You Wujiang to purge Chang’an, while You Wujiang enthusiastically embraces the opportunity to restore the Demon-Suppression Office’s dignity.
• Demon-Suppression Guards use Jiang Yuechu’s reputation to intimidate rogue cultivators, showing how her presence influences events even after the battle has ended.

Chapter Summary: Chang’an’s Smoke and Fire

Key Plot Points and Events

• The chapter opens the morning after a major battle in Chang’an. At a mutton-soup stall, ordinary citizens excitedly discuss the previous day’s spectacle: more than a dozen foreign cultivators or “outsiders” had attacked or threatened the city.
• Rumors spread that the Eldest Princess defeated and killed all of them single-handedly, binding them “like dumplings” before leaving none alive.
• The townspeople, who had previously feared and resented the foreign cultivators for their arrogance and violence, now celebrate the Eldest Princess’s victory. Their fear turns into pride and confidence in Great Tang’s power.
• The scene shifts to the stall owner, Old Wang, preparing his specialty, the “Gold and Silver Sandwich”—a crisp flatbread stuffed with tender mutton cheek meat, scallions, spices, and chili oil.
• The food stall’s lively, sensory atmosphere emphasizes the return of normal daily life after the supernatural conflict.
• A group of four figures arrives at the stall: a graceful woman in purple, a huge dark-faced man, a strange hunched elder with dragon horns, and a quiet, aloof girl dressed in black.
• The purple-clad woman orders soup and flatbreads for the group, while the black-clad girl reveals that she is primarily interested in whether the food is as good as promised.
• The diners recognize the group—particularly the powerful-looking companions—and fall into stunned silence, creating a humorous contrast between their fearsome reputations and their mundane desire for breakfast.

Character Developments

• The Chang’an townspeople: Their attitude toward the foreign cultivators changes dramatically. They move from resentment and apprehension to open mockery and triumph after hearing of the Eldest Princess’s victory.
• The Eldest Princess: Though she does not appear directly, she is portrayed as overwhelmingly powerful, decisive, and protective of Chang’an. Her reputation becomes a source of civic pride.
• Old Wang: He is presented as a highly skilled, energetic street-food vendor whose mastery of dough, baking, meat preparation, and timing gives the ordinary stall a sense of artistry.
• The purple-dressed woman, Wei Qing: She appears sociable, confident, and practical, comfortably bringing a formidable group to an ordinary market stall. Her familiarity with the black-clad girl suggests a close relationship.
• The black-clad girl: She is quiet, composed, and intimidatingly aloof, yet her immediate concern is the quality of the food. This introduces a humorous and more human side beneath her cool demeanor.
• The dark-faced man and horned elder: Their unusual appearances and imposing physiques mark them as powerful or nonhuman figures, though they remain silent in this scene.

Significant Themes

• Power and public perception: The Eldest Princess’s victory reshapes how common people view both the invaders and their own government. Strength restores confidence and national pride.
• The contrast between the extraordinary and the ordinary: Supernatural battles and flying cultivators are discussed alongside soup, flatbread, hunger, and market gossip.
• Returning to normal life: Despite the previous day’s violence, Chang’an’s residents quickly resume familiar routines, suggesting the city’s resilience.
• Rumor and storytelling: The battle is understood through exaggerated secondhand accounts, showing how public narratives transform events into legends.
• Food as community and comfort: The mutton soup and Gold and Silver Sandwich create a warm, grounded atmosphere and serve as a point of connection between ordinary citizens and powerful outsiders.

Character Interactions

• The diners share rumors about the battle, with the laborer enthusiastically praising the Eldest Princess while the scholar initially expresses skepticism.
• The old man and other patrons reinforce the anti-outsider sentiment, bonding over their relief and satisfaction at seeing the arrogant cultivators defeated.
• Old Wang interacts brusquely but familiarly with the customers while demonstrating his expert cooking skills.
• Wei Qing politely addresses Old Wang and orders food for the group, treating the humble stall as an ordinary dining establishment.
• The dark-faced man accidentally bumps into a diner, provoking a startled outburst that draws everyone’s attention.
• The black-clad girl speaks quietly to Wei Qing, showing trust or familiarity while revealing her anticipation of the meal. Her calm hunger contrasts humorously with the frightened reactions of the surrounding diners.

Jiang Yuechu shared a meal with Wei Qing and her demon companions at Old Wang’s stall, where she briefly set aside the weight of being Great Tang’s Eldest Princess. As she wondered why she kept fighting for Great Tang, the warmth and familiar sounds around her reminded her that she wanted to protect the people who made life worth living.

• Wei Qing led Jiang Yuechu and her entourage to Old Wang’s stall, where Old Wang nervously prepared meat-stuffed flatbread and lamb soup for them.
• Old Red Flood Dragon cleaned Jiang Yuechu’s table while Niu Ben eagerly waited to eat and grumbled under his breath at the dragon’s scolding.
• Wei Qing told Jiang Yuechu that General Wei He was doing well in Longyou and planned to visit Chang’an soon.
• Jiang Yuechu enjoyed the simple food and reflected on how different she felt as Li Guyue, Eldest Princess of Great Tang, from her former self as a Demon-Suppression Guard.
• As she listened to Wei Qing, Old Red Flood Dragon, Niu Ben, and the street around her, Jiang Yuechu wondered what she was fighting for and realized she wanted familiar faces to keep smiling.

Chapter Summary: “Jiang Xun’s Death”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chang’an remains peaceful while Lu Changfeng takes responsibility for organizing the Incense-Fire Power and overseeing the Golden Body Method, demonstrating the Lu Clan’s usefulness to Jiang Yuechu.
• Jiang Yuechu stays in Chang’an rather than leaving to fight elsewhere, partly because she fears the capital could be attacked in her absence. She moves into the Wei Residence.
• During her stay, she and Wei Qing grow closer through quiet domestic moments, sharing a bed, discussing ordinary matters, and enjoying a temporary escape from political and martial concerns.
• Wei Qing’s father, Duke Wei, summons Jiang Yuechu privately to his study.
• He reveals that Grand Tutor Jiang—Jiang Yuechu’s father, Jiang Xun—has died.
• Jiang Xun had resigned shortly after becoming Grand Tutor, dismissed his household servants, and disappeared under the pretense of traveling through famous mountains and rivers.
• Duke Wei explains that he searched for Jiang Xun but found no trace of him. Months later, a wandering martial artist delivered a letter found beside Jiang Xun’s corpse in a ruined temple several hundred li away.
• Jiang Xun had died alone beneath a statue, with only the letter and some silver beside him, implying that his death might otherwise have gone entirely unnoticed.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu: Although she has been exhausted by recent fighting, she allows herself a rare period of rest and intimacy with Wei Qing. Her outward calm and restrained reaction to Jiang Xun’s death suggest deep emotional shock or suppressed grief.
• Wei Qing: She becomes increasingly affectionate and comfortable with Jiang Yuechu, touching her gently, repeatedly calling her by name, and encouraging her to remain at the residence. Her concern reveals strong emotional attachment.
• Lu Changfeng: He works relentlessly to manage the Golden Body Method and prove the Lu Clan’s value, taking burdens from Jiang Yuechu so she can rest.
• Duke Wei: Normally composed and politically reserved, he shows hesitation and sorrow when delivering the news. His long-standing friendship with Jiang Xun motivates him to reveal the truth personally.
• Jiang Xun: His final actions portray him as isolated and secretive. His resignation, dismissal of everyone around him, and solitary death suggest either despair, fear, illness, or a deliberate attempt to conceal the circumstances of his end.

Significant Themes

• Temporary peace amid looming danger: Jiang Yuechu and Wei Qing’s ordinary domestic life contrasts with the larger political and martial conflicts surrounding them.
• Intimacy and emotional refuge: Their conversations about trivial household matters provide a rare sense of normalcy and comfort.
• Duty versus personal rest: Jiang Yuechu struggles to step away from her responsibilities, while others attempt to shield her from unnecessary burdens.
• Isolation and forgotten death: Jiang Xun dies alone and nearly anonymously, emphasizing the fragility of status and the loneliness that can lie behind political power.
• Suppressed grief and uncertainty: Jiang Yuechu’s unreadable response hints at powerful emotions beneath her controlled exterior, while the mysterious circumstances of Jiang Xun’s death leave important questions unresolved.

Important Character Interactions

• Jiang Yuechu and Wei Qing share playful, affectionate banter while feeding fish and drinking tea, revealing their growing closeness.
• Wei Qing openly worries about Jiang Yuechu’s exhaustion and asks her to stay longer.
• Duke Wei speaks to Jiang Yuechu with formal respect but also personal hesitation, choosing to tell her directly about her father’s death.
• The chapter ends with Jiang Yuechu receiving the devastating news through Duke Wei, shifting the mood from domestic tranquility to grief and mystery.

Jiang Yuechu learned from Jiang Xun’s final letter that he had secretly monitored her under the late emperor’s orders, but she chose to forgive him and arrange a dignified burial. After returning to Wei Qing, she heard that her Golden Body was ready.

• Jiang Yuechu read Jiang Xun’s letter, which revealed how he had taken her from Consort Ming and secretly watched her for the late emperor.
• Jiang Yuechu decided not to blame Jiang Xun and promised to bring his remains to Chang'an for burial with the honors of a Grand Protector.
• Jiang Yuechu ordered Wei Wenda to keep the letter’s contents secret, and he warned her to be wary of the late emperor’s hidden plans.
• Jiang Yuechu returned to Wei Qing and chatted with her about cosmetics, easing the mood in the courtyard.
• Old Red Flood Dragon arrived and told Jiang Yuechu that the Golden Body was ready.

Jiang Yuechu inspected the nine completed Golden Bodies and learned that she had to imprint them and derive a Subsidiary Golden Body Method for Great Tang to cultivate. She approved beginning preparations in the Metropolitan Circuit, but the task of comprehending the method left her doubtful.

• Jiang Yuechu joined the emperor, the High Ancestor, Lu Changfeng, and Deputy Commander Zhao in the secret hall to see the nine Golden Bodies made in her likeness.
• Lu Changfeng explained how he had crafted the statues, and Jiang Yuechu struck one with a fraction of her strength to test its durability.
• The emperor and Lu Changfeng proposed enshrining the Golden Bodies in Metropolitan Circuit temples and recruiting practitioners from the Demon Suppression Headquarters; Jiang Yuechu approved moving ahead quickly.
• Lu Changfeng told Jiang Yuechu she had to imprint the nine primary Golden Bodies and comprehend a Subsidiary Golden Body Method that would guide future practitioners across Great Tang.
• Jiang Yuechu questioned why Lu Changfeng had not mentioned the requirement sooner and worried that she lacked the ability to devise a cultivation method.

Jiang Yuechu chose an honorific title for her nine Golden Bodies and prepared to infuse them with her aura. As Lu Changfeng warned that marking the linked bodies might stir heaven and earth, she used her Dao Cultivation to max out the Myriad Transformations Returning to the Golden Body Method.

• Lu Changfeng explained that Jiang Yuechu needed an honorific title for the Golden Bodies to receive incense and prayer power.
• The emperor and the High Ancestor proposed grand titles, but Jiang Yuechu rejected their suggestions.
• Deputy Commander Zhao proposed the title Nine-Heavens Zhaoyue Demon-Quelling True Lord, and Jiang Yuechu accepted it.
• Lu Changfeng told Jiang Yuechu to infuse each Golden Body with her aura and warned that the linked bodies might cause unusual phenomena.
• Jiang Yuechu sat among the nine Golden Bodies and used her 423,765 years of Dao Cultivation to max out the Golden Body Method.

Gu Yue advanced her Myriad Transformations Returning to the Golden Body Method and manifested nine powerful Golden Bodies above Chang’an. The people worshipped her as their protector, while the High Ancestor saw a future in which Great Tang would no longer depend on outsiders.

• Lu Changfeng learned that Gu Yue was only eighteen, despite having reached the Tower-Climbing Realm.
• Gu Yue completed her breakthrough, and nine distinct Golden Bodies manifested around her plain, dark-robed central form.
• Nine pillars of colored light rose above Chang’an, displaying Gu Yue’s Dharma manifestations to the city.
• Chang’an’s people recognized Gu Yue, knelt, and prayed to her, sending Wish Force surging through the city.
• The High Ancestor watched the manifestations and believed Great Tang would eventually stand on its own.

Jiang Yuechu successfully created nine Golden Bodies and wrote their cultivation methods, giving Great Tang a new means of protection. The emperor began arranging their distribution, including allowing Bai Yulou to try cultivating, while secretly preserving Jiang Yuechu’s poorly written original manuscripts.

• After the Golden Bodies appeared, Jiang Yuechu confirmed that she had comprehended nine Golden Body Methods, including one that could let a practitioner borrow her abilities.
• Jiang Yuechu wrote out the nine methods and told the emperor to begin preparations because she planned to leave Great Tang once Incense-Fire Power was running smoothly.
• Elder Zhao told the emperor that Bai Yulou wanted to try cultivating a Golden Body Method, and the emperor agreed to honor his wish.
• The emperor decided to have master calligraphers copy the methods and preserve Jiang Yuechu’s original manuscripts in the Imperial Secret Vault because her handwriting was difficult to read.

The emperor ordered scholars to copy a difficult manuscript and chose the black-robed Golden Body of the Eldest Princess to preside over Chang'an’s main temple. As the Golden Body traveled through the city, the people recognized and welcomed the living princess as their protector.

• The emperor ordered Hanlin scholars to make hundreds of accurate copies of a manuscript and sent them to the Demon Suppression Headquarters.
• Lu Changfeng prepared nine Golden Bodies for transport to temples across the Metropolitan Circuit.
• The emperor chose the plain black-robed Golden Body for Chang'an because it looked most like his younger sister.
• The emperor personally led the procession carrying the Golden Bodies into Chang'an.
• The people recognized the black-robed Golden Body as Her Highness the Eldest Princess and defended the decision to build her a shrine while she was still alive.

A scholar denounced Jiang Yuechu’s living Golden Body procession, but a bystander tricked soldiers into arresting him. At the newly built temple in Eastern Chang'an, the emperor and his companions persuaded a reluctant Jiang Yuechu to enter and see the place built in her honor.

• A middle-aged scholar condemned Jiang Yuechu’s enshrinement, and a butcher threatened him for insulting her.
• A kind-faced middle-aged man falsely accused the scholar of rebellion, prompting soldiers to arrest and drag him to the Imperial Prison.
• The man bowed to the departing Golden Body and joined the crowd in cheering for Jiang Yuechu.
• At the temple in Eastern Chang'an, Jiang Yuechu refused to enter, while the emperor, Lu Changfeng, Wang Ziyu, Niu Ben, and Old Red Flood Dragon urged her to go inside.
• Jiang Yuechu reluctantly allowed the others to usher her over the temple’s threshold.

Chapter Summary

Jiang Yuechu is escorted into the newly constructed temple for the True Lord’s Golden Body. She is immediately awed by its immense scale and magnificence: the cloud-piercing hall contains seventy-two red-gold dragon pillars, precious tiles and ornaments, incense burners, and a towering nine-tiered white-jade platform intended to house the Golden Body. The temple is so extravagant that it resembles a celestial palace rather than a mortal shrine.
The Emperor proudly explains every detail of the construction, boasting about the rare materials, enormous effort, and luxurious furnishings. He has even raised the hall’s ceiling so the Golden Body will not feel confined and reserved side shrines for future subordinate gods or guardian beasts. Jiang Yuechu is internally critical of his excessiveness, especially because the Golden Body is an inanimate object, but she also recognizes that he has handled the project with great care and that the finished temple is imposing and appropriate for its purpose.
Niu Ben eagerly volunteers to become a guardian divine beast so he can receive worship and Incense-Fire Power. The old Red Flood Dragon mocks him, arguing that his appearance and status make him unworthy. Their argument is stopped by Jiang Yuechu, who tells Niu Ben that he may eventually receive a shrine if his future performance is satisfactory. Niu Ben becomes ecstatic and promises to work harder.
Jiang Yuechu reflects on the temple’s significance. It will become the center of faith for the people of Great Tang and represents the last major safeguard she has prepared for the nation. Though she usually dislikes worldly extravagance, she admits that the Emperor’s work is both majestic and carefully executed. When he anxiously asks whether she approves, she gives him the restrained praise, “It will do,” which visibly delights him.
Before the Golden Body is brought inside, ceremonial gongs and drums announce its arrival. The crowd gathered outside falls silent when Jiang Yuechu appears, looking at her with reverence and expectation. The Minister of the Court of Imperial Music then steps forward carrying a yellow ceremonial scroll and prepares to begin the formal welcoming rite.

Character Developments and Interactions

• Jiang Yuechu: Maintains her calm, restrained demeanor but privately acknowledges the temple’s importance and quality. She acts as the authority figure among the demons and grants Niu Ben a conditional opportunity to become a guardian deity.
• The Emperor: Reveals a surprisingly serious and dedicated side. Although his enthusiasm appears excessive and slightly absurd, he has invested enormous resources into honoring Jiang Yuechu’s Golden Body and eagerly seeks her approval.
• Niu Ben: Displays ambition, greed, and comic enthusiasm by seeking a shrine and access to Incense-Fire Power. Jiang Yuechu’s promise motivates him to improve his conduct.
• Old Red Flood Dragon: Serves as Niu Ben’s mocking rival, ridiculing his appearance and qualifications.
• Jiang Yuechu and the Emperor: Their exchange highlights their familiar sibling-like dynamic: he is eager and boastful, while she responds with skepticism but ultimately offers understated approval.
• Niu Ben and the Red Flood Dragon: Their quarrel provides comic relief and shows their competitive, antagonistic relationship.

Significant Themes

• Faith and political power: The temple is intended to unify the people’s belief and strengthen Great Tang’s future.
• Sacrifice and preparation: Jiang Yuechu views the Golden Body as her final trump card, suggesting a larger looming threat or national crisis.
• The construction of divinity: The elaborate temple, rituals, shrines, and planned guardian gods show how divine authority is being deliberately established through ceremony and public belief.
• Extravagance versus practicality: Jiang Yuechu questions the Emperor’s lavish spending, yet recognizes that grandeur is important for inspiring reverence.
• Loyalty and reward: Niu Ben’s possible promotion demonstrates that service and loyalty may earn even low-status characters a place within the emerging divine order.
• Ceremony and collective reverence: The silent crowd and formal ritual emphasize the transition of the Golden Body from an object of construction into a publicly venerated sacred symbol.

Jiang Yuechu accepted the people’s veneration as the living True Lord, and her Golden Body was installed in the newly built temple. Nine pillars of golden light appeared across Chang'an and beyond, and their power transformed Jiang Yuechu as the crowd and her old allies watched.

• The Minister of the Court of Imperial Music praised Jiang Yuechu’s deeds and announced the emperor’s creation of the Nine-Heavens Zhaoyue Demon-Quelling True Lord Temple.
• Jiang Yuechu nodded her assent, and the ceremony invited her Golden Body into the sacred hall to receive offerings.
• Nine gold-armored bearers carried the black-robed Golden Body up the steps and set it upon the white jade dais.
• The Golden Body drew in incense smoke and appeared to come alive as eight golden pillars rose around Chang'an and a ninth burst through the hall’s roof.
• Golden rain swept back from the pillars and engulfed Jiang Yuechu, transforming her appearance with divine radiance.
• Zhao Zhongliu, You Wujiang, Gu Wanlan, and the recovering Bai Yulou watched Jiang Yuechu’s transformation; Bai Yulou insisted on standing so he could see her clearly.

Jiang Yuechu used the nine Golden Bodies to address people throughout Great Tang, revealing the power of the Eastern Region’s Tower-Climbing cultivators and declaring that mortals should be able to resist demons and immortals. She left the crowds kneeling in reverence after vowing to keep the great Dao among mortals.

• Jiang Yuechu absorbed incense and fire prayer power, then agreed to speak to the gathered people.
• Lu Changfeng explained how she could project her voice and image through all nine Golden Bodies, and Jiang Yuechu used the method to reach crowds across the Metropolitan Circuit.
• Jiang Yuechu revealed that Great Tang was only a secluded corner of the Eastern Region and that more than ten Tower-Climbing cultivators had attacked Chang'an.
• Jiang Yuechu declared that she had established the Golden Bodies to give mortals hope and the power to fight demons, foreign foes, and immortals.
• The nine Golden Bodies filled the sky with golden light as Jiang Yuechu vowed to keep the great Dao among mortals, then departed while the crowds bowed and gave thanks.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Several days pass, and autumn rains cool Chang’an. Although the city appears prosperous and lively, an uneasy atmosphere still hangs over the Imperial City.
• Since the Golden Body returned to its place, the Incense-Fire Prayer Power in Chang’an has flourished. The True Lord Temple is crowded each morning with worshippers from all social classes.
• The religious fervor has also created economic prosperity. Old Wang’s food stall, which supposedly served the True Lord, becomes extremely successful, while storytellers spread exaggerated legends about the True Lord’s demon-slaying deeds.
• In a private hall, the emperor, Jiang Yuechu, Zhao Zhongliu, and Lu Changfeng discuss the cultivation of the Golden Body Method.
• The method has succeeded in the other eight regions of the Metropolitan Circuit, but Chang’an’s results are shockingly poor: only three out of three thousand carefully chosen candidates have barely entered the method’s threshold.
• The successful candidates are Bai Yulou, You Wujiang, and Gu Wanlan. Even Lü Qinghou, an exceptionally talented cultivator, fails after five days of intense seclusion, coughing up a large amount of blood and collapsing unconscious.
• The emperor regrets keeping the most difficult Golden Body in Chang’an and asks Jiang Yuechu whether the method can be simplified or personally taught. She explains that the method embodies profound Dao principles and cannot easily be altered.
• Jiang suggests continuing to search widely for unusual talents who may possess a natural affinity for the Incense-and-Fire Path, since ordinary martial prodigies may not be suited to it.
• After the discussion concludes, Lu Changfeng announces that he has been away from home too long and formally bids farewell to the emperor and Jiang Yuechu.

2. Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu: Reveals humility and uncertainty beneath her outward calm. Although others regard her as the source or authority behind the Golden Body Method, she privately admits that she does not fully understand how to modify it. She remains practical, recommending the recruitment of unconventional talents.
• The young emperor: Shows concern for Chang’an’s reputation and discomfort at having chosen the most difficult Golden Body for the capital. His request for Jiang to make exceptions reflects both his embarrassment and his desire to protect his people.
• Zhao Zhongliu: Usually composed, he becomes visibly distressed by the poor results in Chang’an. His repeated sighing emphasizes how serious and unexpected the problem is.
• Bai Yulou: Demonstrates remarkable comprehension despite not having fully recovered physically, becoming the strongest example of the method’s potential.
• You Wujiang and Gu Wanlan: Confirm their status as exceptional prodigies by barely succeeding where nearly everyone else fails.
• Lü Qinghou: Experiences a major setback. His failure, physical collapse, and declaration that the path is “not meant for men” reveal the method’s extreme difficulty and challenge his confidence.
• Lu Changfeng: After helping address the Incense-Fire matter, he shifts toward personal concerns and prepares to return to his clan.

3. Significant Themes

• The difference between public prosperity and hidden crisis: Chang’an appears revitalized by worship, commerce, and popular enthusiasm, yet its leaders face a serious cultivation problem behind closed doors.
• The limits of talent and effort: Even renowned prodigies cannot necessarily master a path designed according to entirely different principles. Lü Qinghou’s failure particularly emphasizes that conventional excellence does not guarantee success.
• The unpredictability of cultivation: The Incense-and-Fire Path may favor “strange talents” rather than orthodox martial geniuses, suggesting that unconventional qualities can matter more than reputation or status.
• The burden of leadership: The emperor worries about the capital’s standing and feels responsible for the consequences of his earlier decision.
• Faith, spectacle, and popular belief: The True Lord’s return transforms both religious practice and everyday commerce, while storytellers embellish events into heroic myths.

4. Character Interactions

• Zhao Zhongliu and the emperor: Zhao reports the disappointing cultivation results, while the emperor reacts with surprise and embarrassment. Their exchange shows mutual respect but also the pressure placed on officials to solve the crisis.
• Jiang Yuechu and the emperor: The emperor appeals to Jiang as his younger sister and as the apparent authority on the Golden Body Method. She responds honestly but refuses to promise an easy solution.
• Jiang Yuechu and Zhao Zhongliu: Zhao seeks an explanation and a remedy; Jiang clarifies that the method cannot simply be simplified and advises broader recruitment.
• The group and Lü Qinghou’s failure: His collapse silences the room, making everyone recognize how formidable and obscure the Golden Body Method truly is.
• Lu Changfeng, Jiang Yuechu, and the emperor: After the official discussion, Lu respectfully informs both that he intends to leave, marking a transition from the political and religious crisis toward his personal obligations.

Chapter Summary: “Let Me Lead You to Spirit Mountain”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Changfeng prepares to leave Great Tang and declines the emperor’s offer of a farewell banquet. He explains that he must return to the Lu Clan to report on recent events and personally arrange an alliance between the Lu Clan and Great Tang.
• The emperor is delighted by the prospect, recognizing that the Lu Clan’s support will greatly strengthen Great Tang, whose foundations are still shallow despite its recent rise in power.
• Lu Changfeng bids farewell to Jiang Yuechu, expressing gratitude and respect while inviting her to visit the Lu Clan or Perched Phoenix Ridge if she ever travels beyond the region.
• After Lu Changfeng departs, Jiang Yuechu observes that Great Tang is now stable: the Incense-Fire Power crisis has been resolved, and the Golden Body has been restored.
• She decides that the time has come to fulfill Zhou Xuan’s request and travel to Spirit Mountain.
• Jiang Yuechu orders Zhou Xuan to prepare immediately. He presents the treasures recovered from the True Persons she killed, including pills, cultivation materials, formation resources, weapons, and magical treasures.
• Zhou Xuan also gives Jiang Yuechu the promised reward in advance: a pair of high-grade gauntlets called Palming Clear Autumn.
• The gauntlets are nearly weightless, extremely durable, resistant to water and fire, capable of reducing counterforce, and contain an Inner Landscape of the Yin Mountain Realm that can inflict fire poison on opponents.
• Jiang Yuechu accepts the reward and, after confirming that the preparations are complete, sets out with Zhou Xuan for Spirit Mountain.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu demonstrates increased authority and decisiveness. Having secured Great Tang’s stability, she immediately turns toward the next challenge rather than resting.
• She also shows a growing willingness to acknowledge genuine contributions. Though Lu Changfeng originally had his own motives, she recognizes that the Lu Clan has meaningfully aided Great Tang and responds to his farewell with unusual sincerity.
• Lu Changfeng emerges as a refined but pragmatic ally. He respects Jiang Yuechu’s potential and understands that her destiny extends far beyond Perched Phoenix Ridge and even the Eastern Region.
• Zhou Xuan displays deep trust and admiration for Jiang Yuechu. He is confident that she can overcome Spirit Mountain, even if doing so requires destroying it, and therefore willingly gives her the promised reward before the mission is complete.
• The emperor becomes more appreciative of Jiang Yuechu and Lu Changfeng’s contributions, recognizing the importance of securing powerful external alliances for Great Tang.

Significant Themes

• Alliances and mutual support: Great Tang’s survival and future growth depend not only on its own strength but also on alliances with powerful clans such as the Lu Clan.
• Destiny and scale: Lu Changfeng views Jiang Yuechu as a “True Dragon” whose ambitions and abilities will eventually surpass both Perched Phoenix Ridge and the Eastern Region.
• Trust earned through action: Jiang Yuechu accepts Lu Changfeng’s goodwill because his deeds ultimately proved more important than his original motives.
• Power and responsibility: Jiang Yuechu’s overwhelming strength is used to stabilize and protect an entire nation, not merely to pursue personal advancement.
• Preparation before confrontation: The organization of the recovered treasures and Zhou Xuan’s presentation of the gauntlets emphasize the importance of being equipped before confronting Spirit Mountain.
• Forward momentum: Once one crisis is resolved, Jiang Yuechu immediately advances toward the next objective, reinforcing her relentless and purposeful character.

Important Character Interactions

• Lu Changfeng and the emperor: Lu Changfeng respectfully declines the banquet but offers a formal alliance between the Lu Clan and Great Tang. The emperor responds with gratitude and promises future assistance.
• Lu Changfeng and Jiang Yuechu: Their farewell is respectful and emotionally layered. Lu Changfeng admires Jiang Yuechu’s extraordinary potential, while Jiang Yuechu acknowledges his clan’s assistance and accepts his invitation.
• Jiang Yuechu and Zhou Xuan: Jiang Yuechu gives direct orders and relies on Zhou Xuan to organize the spoils of war. Zhou Xuan responds with efficiency, loyalty, and unwavering confidence in her ability to rescue the person held at Spirit Mountain.
• Jiang Yuechu and Palming Clear Autumn: The new gauntlets complement her preference for close combat and strengthen her physical fighting style, giving her another advantage for the upcoming mission.
  The chapter ends with Jiang Yuechu and Zhou Xuan leaving for Spirit Mountain, signaling the beginning of a new and potentially dangerous confrontation.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The chapter introduces Spirit Mountain, a vast region beyond human authority where demons and nonhuman cultivators rule. Its ten greatest peaks are controlled by powerful Demon Emperors.
• One peak, Azure Luan Mountain, appears unusually beautiful and civilized, resembling a refined Jiangnan garden rather than a savage demon territory.
• The mountain’s fox demons imitate human society: they wear scholar’s robes, noble clothing, and practice human speech, manners, and etiquette.
• Beneath this polished appearance is brutal oppression. At Pillheart Pavilion, human members of the Elixir Cauldron Sect are enslaved and forced to refine pills.
• A fox steward whips an elderly pill slave for mishandling a furnace and threatens to have his hands cut off. The other human captives remain silent out of fear, revealing the complete powerlessness of humans under demon rule.
• The steward hypocritically lectures the humans about refinement and elegance while threatening them with death and torture.
• Elsewhere on the mountain, fox children and human children are raised together in an apparently peaceful environment.
• This arrangement is part of the Azure Luan Patriarch’s deliberate strategy: the foxes study human culture, arts, behavior, and thought so they can eventually understand and replace humanity.
• The chapter ends with a dispute between a fox child and several human children. The fox insists that the fox clan, being more intelligent and civilized than humans, deserves to become the rightful rulers of the world.

Character Developments

• The fox demons are shown to be highly imitative and ambitious. They seek not merely to conquer humans physically but to master human civilization and claim moral and cultural superiority.
• The fox steward embodies the contradiction of Azure Luan Mountain: it speaks with scholarly refinement while behaving with cruelty and sadism.
• The elderly pill slave represents the exploited humans, whose knowledge and labor sustain demon society despite their complete lack of freedom or dignity.
• The human captives are portrayed as broken by oppression. Their fear prevents them from defending even a fellow worker, though they still retain anger and awareness of the injustice.
• The fox children are being indoctrinated from an early age to view themselves as humanity’s successors.
• The human children serve as both companions and educational tools for the foxes, though the argument shows that the two groups are already being taught conflicting ideas about the future.

Significant Themes

• Civilization versus savagery: The foxes copy human manners, education, clothing, and arts, but their cruelty exposes the difference between appearing civilized and possessing genuine humanity.
• Oppression beneath beauty: Azure Luan Mountain’s flowers, gardens, and elegant architecture conceal slavery, violence, and fear.
• Reversal of moral order: Beasts lecture humans about refinement while abusing them, creating a world where “black and white” have been overturned.
• Cultural assimilation and replacement: The foxes study humanity in order to understand, imitate, and ultimately supplant it.
• Power and dehumanization: Human lives are treated as disposable labor, while the demons’ pursuit of refinement does not make them compassionate.
• Indoctrination and inherited ideology: Fox children are taught that their intelligence and self-proclaimed virtue entitle them to rule, showing how domination is prepared across generations.

Character Interactions

• The fox steward and the elderly pill slave interact through violence and humiliation, with the steward using polished language to mask its brutality.
• The steward and the other pill slaves demonstrate the mountain’s system of coercion: threats, surveillance, and punishment force humans to continue working.
• Fox and human children play together under the Patriarch’s policy of forced cultural exposure, suggesting superficial coexistence rather than equality.
• The argument between the blue-robed fox child and the human children reveals the ideological conflict at the heart of the chapter: the foxes believe civilization and intelligence grant them the right to rule, while the humans implicitly challenge that claim.