Chapter Summaries

Wang Ziyu, Jiang Yuechu, and Hu Cuihua arrived at the Cinnabar Radiance Ma Family during Demon Emperor Juechen’s wedding and were admitted after a tense exchange with the demon gatekeepers. Patriarch Ma Dewang escorted them inside and asked why they had come, leaving Wang Ziyu about to explain.

• Wang Ziyu asked the deer demon gatekeepers whether the residence was the Cinnabar Radiance Ma Family, and they demanded an invitation to Demon Emperor Juechen’s wedding.
• A deer demon ordered Wang Ziyu and his companions to leave, angering him, but Jiang Yuechu stepped forward and said they had come for the feast.
• Ma Dewang hurried to the gate, appeased the deer demons, and invited Wang Ziyu, Jiang Yuechu, and Hu Cuihua inside.
• Ma Dewang led the three away from the main courtyard, introduced himself as head of the Cinnabar Radiance Ma Family, and asked their reason for visiting.
• Wang Ziyu acknowledged Ma Dewang and began to explain that their business was not especially important.

Chapter Summary: “What to Do? Of Course, It Was Time to Eat!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Yuechu reveals that she is the disciple of True Person Wu Shisan, who once entrusted the Ma Family with safeguarding a valuable item.
• When Ma Dewang hears Wu Shisan’s name and sees the proof of Jiang Yuechu’s identity, he is overwhelmed with shock and guilt.
• Ma Dewang confesses that the Ma Family had preserved the mysterious treasure for over a century. However, after his grandson offended the Juechen Demon Emperor, the family used the treasure—along with his eldest granddaughter—as a proposed tribute to secure the Demon Emperor’s protection.
• Wang Ziyu angrily condemns Ma Dewang for betraying his promise, while Ma Dewang pleads that he acted only to prevent the destruction of his family.
• Ma Dewang explains that Juechen Demon Emperor is a powerful overlord near Cinnabar Radiance, a Complete Tower-Climbing Realm expert who commands hundreds of Great Demons and reportedly has ties to the Xi Rang lineage of You Mountain.
• Before the treasure can be recovered, Juechen Demon Emperor arrives at the Ma Residence in an enormous white-bone carriage pulled by eight gigantic beasts, accompanied by heavily armed demon soldiers.
• Terrified, Ma Dewang abandons the visitors and rushes to greet the Demon Emperor, asking Jiang Yuechu and the others to remain hidden in a side courtyard.
• Rather than retreat, Jiang Yuechu calmly decides to enter the banquet and face the situation directly, declaring that it is “time to eat.”

Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu remains composed and practical. She shows little concern for the Ma Family’s moral failure and focuses primarily on retrieving the Supreme Heart Material. The arrival of Juechen Demon Emperor also presents her with an opportunity to obtain vast amounts of Dao Cultivation.
• Wang Ziyu displays strong loyalty to his master and a clear sense of justice. He is furious that the Ma Family attempted to use Wu Shisan’s entrusted treasure to appease demons.
• Ma Dewang is portrayed as cowardly but desperate. His guilt is genuine, yet his fear of the Demon Emperor overwhelms his sense of honor, leading him to abandon Jiang Yuechu and her companions.
• Hu Cuihua offers a more cynical interpretation of the situation, arguing that both humans and demons are ultimately driven by survival, profit, and the continuation of their lineages.
• Juechen Demon Emperor is established as a powerful and intimidating figure even before appearing directly, with immense military strength and influential connections.

Significant Themes

• Survival versus loyalty: The Ma Family sacrifices its promise and even offers a granddaughter to preserve itself, raising the question of whether survival excuses betrayal.
• Power and fear: The stark difference between the Ma Family and Juechen’s forces demonstrates how absolute power determines social standing and behavior.
• Moral ambiguity: Jiang Yuechu and Hu Cuihua recognize that the cultivation world operates according to ruthless pragmatism rather than conventional morality.
• Exploitation and political alliances: The treasure and the granddaughter become bargaining tools in the Ma Family’s attempt to gain protection from a stronger power.
• Predator and prey dynamics: The chapter emphasizes that both humans and demons participate in a world where the weak must submit to the strong.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Yuechu’s declaration of her identity shocks Ma Dewang and exposes the family’s betrayal.
• Wang Ziyu confronts Ma Dewang directly, accusing him of abandoning his duty.
• Ma Dewang repeatedly apologizes but continues using Juechen Demon Emperor’s arrival as leverage to pressure the visitors into waiting.
• Hu Cuihua and Wang Ziyu briefly clash in outlook: she sympathizes with the Ma Family’s instinct to survive, while he rejects their behavior as contemptible.
• Jiang Yuechu ends the discussion with calm confidence, choosing to approach the banquet and confront the Demon Emperor rather than hide.

Demon Emperor Juechen arrived at the Ma Residence to take a Ma Family daughter as his concubine, openly humiliating the family and the human guests while insisting the wedding be treated as a gathering among demons. After the ceremony began, a Bear Demon questioned why Juechen had granted the human woman formal status instead of simply taking her by force.

• Demon Emperor Juechen arrived in a bone carriage and mocked human wedding formalities, calling the bride only a concubine.
• Ma Dewang swallowed his anger and asked Juechen to let the ceremony proceed; Juechen approved and Ma Dewang announced the auspicious hour.
• Juechen ignored the Ma Family’s prepared rites and took the seat of honor in the front courtyard while the demons celebrated and the human cultivators forced smiles.
• After several rounds of wine, a Bear Demon asked why Juechen had given the Ma Family’s daughter a formal concubine’s status instead of seizing her by force.

Demon Emperor Juechen used the Ma Family’s wedding as cover to obtain the supreme heart material, which he hoped would help him enter the Chessmaster Realm. When the dowry trunks proved empty, he accused Ma Dewang of deceiving him and demanded the object at once.

• Demon Emperor Juechen concealed his interest in the supreme heart material from the other Demon Emperors, pretending the wedding customs merely amused him.
• Demon Emperor Juechen left the feast and ordered Ma Dewang to take him to the object.
• Demon Emperor Juechen told the guards to wait outside the inner courtyard and followed Ma Dewang to a room filled with dowry treasures.
• Demon Emperor Juechen overturned the trunks, found no heart material, and threatened Ma Dewang with killing intent.
• Ma Dewang begged Demon Emperor Juechen to stay his hand and promised to fetch the carefully hidden object.

Chapter Summary: “Now It Was My Turn to Feast”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ma Dewang retrieves the Waterfire Coldsmoke Coal, a powerful treasure left with the Ma Family by Wu Shisan, from a secret compartment beneath the ancestral hall.
• He rushes back to the inner residence, where the Juechen Demon Emperor is waiting, intending to offer him the treasure.
• Before he can return, Jiang Yuechu appears in the corridor and calmly demands that he hand over the stone box.
• Ma Dewang is trapped between the two dangerous parties. He fears that giving the treasure to Jiang Yuechu will provoke the Demon Emperor, but refusing her may be equally fatal.
• The Juechen Demon Emperor emerges after sensing Jiang Yuechu’s presence. Before he can identify her, she attacks with overwhelming speed and power.
• Jiang Yuechu kicks him through the doorway, multiple walls, and several courtyards, finally sending him crashing into the banquet area in front of the assembled demons and cultivators.
• The Demon Emperor is left severely injured and humiliated, with his robe destroyed, antler broken, face deformed, and body twisted.
• The gathered Demon Kings, Demon Emperors, and human cultivators immediately prepare for battle, realizing that Jiang Yuechu is an extraordinarily powerful threat.
• Jiang Yuechu walks calmly into the ruined courtyard and declares that the demons have been feasting long enough and that it is now her turn to “eat,” signaling her intention to confront or prey upon them.

Character Developments

• Ma Dewang becomes increasingly desperate and frightened. His attempt to protect the Ma Family by retrieving the treasure places him directly between two overwhelming forces, leaving him paralyzed by fear and indecision.
• Jiang Yuechu is revealed to possess power and confidence far beyond ordinary cultivators. Her calm intrusion into the Demon Emperor’s territory and effortless defeat of him establish her as a terrifyingly formidable figure.
• The Juechen Demon Emperor’s imposing authority is shattered. Though previously regarded as an invincible Great Demon, he is unable to react to Jiang Yuechu’s first strike and is publicly reduced to a broken, helpless state.
• The assembled demons shift from celebratory arrogance to instinctive fear and hostility, recognizing that they may be facing an enemy capable of destroying their strongest leader.

Significant Themes

• The reversal of power: The chapter overturns the established hierarchy. The supposedly supreme Demon Emperor becomes powerless, while Jiang Yuechu dominates the encounter effortlessly.
• False festivity and hidden danger: The bright lanterns, wedding celebration, and banquet conceal an atmosphere of coercion, fear, and impending violence.
• Predation and vulnerability: The demons had gathered to feast upon the Ma Family’s misfortune, but Jiang Yuechu reverses the dynamic by treating them as her own prey.
• Calmness amid overwhelming violence: Jiang Yuechu’s detached demeanor contrasts sharply with the destruction she causes, emphasizing both her strength and psychological superiority.
• Humiliation of the powerful: The public setting makes the Demon Emperor’s defeat especially devastating, undermining his authority before all his followers and guests.

Character Interactions

• Ma Dewang and Jiang Yuechu: Jiang Yuechu confronts him directly and demands the Waterfire Coldsmoke Coal. Ma Dewang’s terror shows that he sees no safe choice between obeying her and protecting himself from the Demon Emperor.
• Jiang Yuechu and the Juechen Demon Emperor: Their interaction is brief but decisive. He attempts to challenge her identity, but she attacks before he can finish speaking, establishing her dominance without dialogue.
• The Demon Emperor and the gathered demons: His defeat transforms the banquet’s mood. Those who had treated him as an unquestionable authority now react with shock, fear, and readiness to attack.
• Jiang Yuechu and the entire courtyard: Her final statement directly challenges the hundreds of demons, presenting the banquet as a feast that is about to be turned against them.

Chapter Summary: “Battle Against the Demons”

Key Plot Points and Events

• In the You Mountain Grand Vein, hundreds of demons gather at the Ma Residence for a wedding feast. Humans have historically been crushed whenever they challenged the demon race, but Jiang Yuechu’s presence creates genuine fear among the demons after she severely injures the Juechen Demon Emperor.
• Juechen urges the demons to attack, reminding them that Jiang Yuechu has not reached the Chessmaster Realm. Believing their overwhelming numbers will defeat her, the demons launch a united assault.
• Jiang Yuechu calmly accepts the challenge. She catches the charging Bear Demon’s attack with one hand, swings its massive body into the demon horde, and kills more than a dozen Demon Kings in the impact.
• She then releases a terrifying black mist and tears through the demon ranks, slaughtering demons with overwhelming speed and force.
• Several Demon Emperors join forces against her, but Jiang Yuechu evades their combined attack and instead targets the fleeing lesser demons, determined to eliminate the entire demon gathering rather than allow them to escape.
• When many demons flee over the walls and rooftops, Jiang Yuechu unleashes the Seven-White Body-Shattering Method. Gold-and-white lightning floods the courtyard, destroying the souls and spirits of every demon it touches.
• Within moments, the wedding feast becomes a massacre. When the lightning fades, only seven figures remain, including Juechen and the surviving Demon Emperors.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu demonstrates extraordinary physical strength, speed, combat awareness, and ruthlessness. She remains calm throughout the battle and shows that her lack of Chessmaster Realm cultivation does not limit her practical power.
• Her tactical thinking becomes clear when she avoids directly pursuing the Demon Emperors and instead destroys the lesser demons first, preventing them from escaping and preserving the full scale of her victory.
• Juechen Demon Emperor shifts from humiliation and fear to forced confidence. He rallies the demons by exploiting their numerical advantage, but his confidence proves misplaced as he watches Jiang Yuechu massacre nearly the entire gathering.
• The Bear Demon initially embodies the demons’ arrogance and confidence in their physical superiority, but Jiang Yuechu effortlessly defeats and uses it as a weapon against its own allies.
• The hidden human cultivators, especially Ma Dewang, become overwhelmed by terror and despair as they witness the demons’ apparent invincibility collapse.

Significant Themes

• Power beyond conventional cultivation ranks: Jiang Yuechu has not reached the Chessmaster Realm, yet her strength allows her to dominate multiple Demon Emperors and hundreds of demons.
• Arrogance and miscalculation: The demons underestimate her because they focus on her cultivation level rather than her actual combat ability.
• Fear reversing sides: Humans who once feared the demons now watch the demons become terrified and helpless.
• Total annihilation versus limited victory: Jiang Yuechu does not merely defeat the leaders; she methodically eliminates the entire demon force to prevent future retaliation.
• The destruction of demonic authority: The once-feared wedding feast becomes a funeral, symbolizing the collapse of the demons’ dominance in their own territory.

Character Interactions

• Juechen challenges the demons to defend their dignity and attack Jiang Yuechu.
• The Bear Demon responds first, boasting that Jiang Yuechu will become part of the wedding feast, only to be caught and thrown into the demon ranks.
• Several Demon Emperors attempt to surround and kill Jiang Yuechu, but she outmaneuvers them and redirects her assault toward their weaker followers.
• Jiang Yuechu’s silent confidence and single-word challenge, “Come,” contrast sharply with the demons’ collective rage and growing panic.
• The surviving demons, including Juechen, are left stunned and frightened as they realize they can barely protect themselves, much less save the demons being slaughtered around them.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Yuechu finishes massacring the demons at You Mountain Grand Vein, earning enormous amounts of Dao cultivation from their deaths. Her cultivation reaches 18,926,455 years.
• The surviving seven Great Demon Emperors, all at the Tower-Climbing Realm, recognize that fleeing would only get them killed individually. They therefore encircle Jiang Yuechu and prepare to fight together.
• Assuming her devastating thunder technique must have consumed considerable energy, the Demon Emperors abandon their physical bodies and reveal their powerful Primordial Spirits.
• Six Primordial Spirits take gigantic demon forms, while Juechen Demon Emperor appears as an armored, human-shaped warrior wielding a three-pointed, double-edged blade.
• At Juechen’s command, the seven Demon Emperors launch simultaneous attacks against Jiang Yuechu.
• The scene then shifts to Chang’an, where Old Red Flood Dragon serves as keeper of the Nine-Heavens Zhaoyue Demon-Quelling True Lord Temple.
• Old Red Flood Dragon boasts about its important temple position and mocks Niu Ben, who has come to the temple because he is bored while Princess—referred to as “Big Sis”—is asleep.
• Niu Ben retaliates by pointing out that Old Red Flood Dragon was not chosen to accompany Her Highness, while Hu Cuihua, a tiger demon who joined later, has gained that favored position.
• His remark deeply wounds Old Red Flood Dragon, leaving it jealous, depressed, and lamenting its neglected status.

2. Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu: Demonstrates overwhelming power by exterminating the demons and accumulating nearly twenty million years of Dao cultivation. Her calm reaction to the seven Demon Emperors shows confidence and emotional composure even when surrounded.
• The Seven Demon Emperors: Shift from fear to desperation and coordinated aggression. Their decision to abandon their bodies reveals both their experience and willingness to use every available advantage against Jiang Yuechu.
• Juechen Demon Emperor: Emerges as the apparent leader of the group, issuing the order to attack and adopting the most humanlike, weapon-wielding form.
• Old Red Flood Dragon: Though proud of its position as temple keeper, it is revealed to be insecure and jealous of Hu Cuihua’s closer relationship with Her Highness. Its boastful confidence collapses when Niu Ben exposes this insecurity.
• Niu Ben: Usually inarticulate and passive in arguments, he unexpectedly wins the exchange by targeting Old Red Flood Dragon’s deepest resentment.
• Hu Cuihua: Does not appear directly, but her favored status with Her Highness establishes her as a source of Old Red Flood Dragon’s jealousy.

3. Significant Themes

• Power and survival: The Demon Emperors understand that Jiang Yuechu’s strength leaves no safe avenue of escape, forcing them to risk a united attack.
• Overwhelming strength versus tactical desperation: Jiang Yuechu’s effortless slaughter contrasts with the demons’ desperate use of Primordial Spirits and coordinated attacks.
• Status and recognition: The Chang’an scene explores how characters measure their worth through proximity to Her Highness and the importance of their positions.
• Pride and insecurity: Old Red Flood Dragon’s exaggerated pride masks its fear of being replaced or forgotten.
• Comedy amid danger: The tense battle is contrasted with the humorous quarrel between Old Red Flood Dragon and Niu Ben, creating a sharp tonal shift.

4. Character Interactions

• The seven Demon Emperors coordinate silently, encircling Jiang Yuechu and combining their attacks under Juechen’s command.
• Old Red Flood Dragon and Niu Ben engage in a mocking exchange: the dragon ridicules Niu Ben as a useless freeloader, while Niu Ben ultimately counters by mocking the dragon’s lack of favor with Her Highness.
• Niu Ben’s mention of Hu Cuihua exposes Old Red Flood Dragon’s jealousy and ends the argument decisively, leaving the dragon emotionally defeated.

Chapter Summary: The Aggrieved Wang Canglan

Key Plot Points and Events

• The old Red Flood Dragon and Niu Ben sit outside the Nine-Heavens Zhaoyue Demon-Quelling True Lord Temple, lamenting their circumstances.
• Wang Canglan arrives in Chang’an disguised as an ordinary wandering rogue cultivator. Though he displays no obvious aura, both demons instinctively sense that he is extraordinarily dangerous.
• Wang claims to have come because he admires Jiang Yuechu, the Eldest Princess and temple’s revered True Lord. He praises her accomplishments and asks whether she is currently in Chang’an.
• The old Red Flood Dragon, proud of its position as temple caretaker, boasts about Jiang Yuechu’s status and refuses to reveal that it does not actually know her whereabouts.
• Wang is secretly seeking Jiang Yuechu so he can ambush and kill her. Because of the backlash from his Nine-Turn Pure Yang Golden Scripture, he has only one chance to strike and must obtain her blood essence to survive.
• The demons mistake Wang’s concealed hostility for religious devotion and insist that he enter the temple to worship Jiang Yuechu’s statue.
• Wang tries to avoid kowtowing by claiming that he is unclean from traveling and needs to bathe and fast first, but the old Red Flood Dragon ignores his excuses and physically drags him inside.
• Niu Ben joins in, boasting about its own status as a Tower-Climbing Realm demon and threatening Wang with violence for refusing to kneel.

Character Developments

• Wang Canglan: Revealed as a powerful, calculating enemy who is suppressing immense rage and dangerous Pure Yang Fire. Despite his pride and status as a Jade Capital Tower prodigy, he endures humiliation to conceal his identity and locate Jiang Yuechu. His frustration grows as the demons force him toward worshipping the very person he intends to kill.
• Old Red Flood Dragon: Displays renewed confidence and vanity as temple caretaker. It exaggerates its authority, proudly promotes Jiang Yuechu, and attempts to project superiority despite not knowing her whereabouts.
• Niu Ben: Acts as an enthusiastic subordinate and opportunist, joining the Red Flood Dragon in intimidating Wang and showing off its strength.
• Jiang Yuechu: Does not appear directly, but her reputation as a powerful demon-slayer and protector of Great Tang dominates the chapter. Her fame has spread beyond the empire and even attracted Wang’s attention.

Significant Themes

• Irony and humiliation: Wang, who intends to assassinate Jiang Yuechu, is mistaken for a devoted worshipper and forced to honor her statue.
• Pride versus concealment: Wang must suppress his immense pride and anger in order to hide his true strength and preserve his single opportunity to strike.
• Reputation and authority: Jiang Yuechu’s fame gives even low-ranking temple attendants confidence, allowing the demons to borrow her prestige and intimidate outsiders.
• Hidden danger beneath appearances: Wang appears gentle and harmless, while the seemingly boastful demons unknowingly handle an extremely dangerous enemy.
• Devotion and power: The chapter humorously portrays how religious reverence and political fame can create authority, even when the supposed representatives possess limited knowledge or actual control.

Character Interactions

• The Red Flood Dragon and Niu Ben begin in shared melancholy but quickly become boastful when Wang expresses admiration for Jiang Yuechu.
• Wang politely flatters the Red Flood Dragon while covertly probing for information about Jiang Yuechu.
• The Red Flood Dragon misreads Wang’s cautious behavior as excessive piety and forcibly escorts him into the temple.
• Wang internally seethes at being treated like a lowly worshipper, while maintaining a courteous exterior.
• Niu Ben escalates the situation by threatening Wang, turning Wang’s attempted evasion into an increasingly humiliating confrontation.

Wang Canglan endured humiliation and kowtowed before a statue of Jiang Yuechu to learn where she had gone. After Old Red Flood Dragon revealed she was at the You Mountain Grand Vein, Wang Canglan left Chang'an with the destination fixed in his mind.

• Old Red Flood Dragon and Niu Ben forced Wang Canglan to kowtow three times before Jiang Yuechu’s statue and recite her title.
• Wang Canglan concealed his hatred and pretended to be desperately in love with Jiang Yuechu to win Old Red Flood Dragon’s sympathy.
• Old Red Flood Dragon told Wang Canglan that Jiang Yuechu had left on a long journey several days earlier.
• After Wang Canglan pleaded for her destination, Old Red Flood Dragon said Jiang Yuechu had gone to the You Mountain Grand Vein in the far west of the Eastern Region.
• Wang Canglan memorized the destination and hurried out of the True Lord Temple.

Jiang Yuechu fought seven Demon Emperors at the Ma Residence, killing three and revealing a brutal True Dragon form that left everyone stunned. As Ma Dewang tried to escape the battle, Wang Ziyu and a striped tiger blocked his way and revealed that the residence was surrounded by trapping formations.

• Jiang Yuechu destroyed the Primordial Spirits of the Bear Demon, Wolf Demon, and winged serpent in quick succession.
• Demon Emperor Juechen attacked Jiang Yuechu with his Three-Pointed Double-Edged Saber, but she caught its blade with her bare hand and used Three-Burner Disarray to paralyze the remaining Demon Emperors.
• Jiang Yuechu transformed into a several-dozen-foot-long True Dragon amid black mist, terrifying the surviving Demon Emperors, human cultivators, and Ma Family members.
• Ma Dewang tried to escape through a damaged covered walkway while the battle raged overhead.
• Wang Ziyu and a striped tiger stopped Ma Dewang and told him that trapping formations surrounded the Ma Residence.

Jiang Yuechu defeated the Demon Emperors at the Ma Residence and considered using Demon Emperor Juechen’s ties to the Self-Growing Earth Lineage to reach the Forgotten River and find cultivation resources. Juechen pleaded for mercy and invited her there, while she warned him against trying to use his adoptive father to pressure her.

• Wang Ziyu told Ma Dewang that his formation came from the Mysterious Truth Grotto-Heaven, and Ma Dewang abandoned any thought of fighting.
• Jiang Yuechu’s dragon form terrified Demon Emperor Juechen after she killed three Demon Emperors and crushed his physical body.
• Juechen pleaded for mercy and offered to take Jiang Yuechu to the Forgotten River, invoking his adoptive father, Tianzhu Elder of the Self-Growing Earth Lineage.
• The surviving Demon Emperors joined Juechen in acknowledging Jiang Yuechu as their superior.
• Jiang Yuechu returned to human form and considered the Forgotten River’s resources a way to obtain heart materials and other cultivation arts.
• Jiang Yuechu accused Juechen of trying to pressure her with his adoptive father, and he denied the charge in terror.

Jiang Yuechu agreed to travel to the Forgotten River with Demon Emperor Juechen, who submitted to her and offered her a treasured material. The group left the ruined Ma Residence, while the surviving cultivators wondered where the True Dragon had come from and what her arrival meant for the You Mountain Grand Vein.

• Jiang Yuechu accepted Demon Emperor Juechen’s invitation to the Forgotten River, and he returned to his injured body.
• Demon Emperor Juechen tore through Wang Ziyu’s formation, took Ma Dewang’s stone box of waterfire coldsmoke coal, and offered it to Jiang Yuechu.
• Jiang Yuechu told Wang Ziyu and Hu Cuihua to follow her, and they boarded Juechen’s bone carriage.
• Juechen asked whether he should kill the surviving human cultivators, but Jiang Yuechu dismissed them as insects.
• Jiang Yuechu and the Demon Emperors departed for the western mountains and marshes, leaving the survivors stunned at the Ma Residence.
• Two surviving cultivators discussed the True Dragon’s appearance and feared that something momentous would happen in the You Mountain Grand Vein.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Yuechu, Wang Ziyu, and Hu Cuihua travel through the vast You Mountain Grand Vein in a bone carriage pulled by eight strange beasts.
• Juechen Demon Emperor personally drives the carriage, while three other Demon Emperors escort them. This displays the enormous authority Jiang Yuechu appears to possess.
• Although the group has already obtained the Heart Material, Wang Ziyu is increasingly anxious because Jiang Yuechu has chosen to accompany the demons to Forgotten River rather than escape.
• Wang Ziyu tries to signal his concerns through exaggerated facial expressions, but Jiang Yuechu misunderstands them as a possible physical problem.
• When Juechen asks whether the carriage is moving too quickly, Jiang Yuechu casually disguises Wang Ziyu and Hu Cuihua as insignificant “attendants” she picked up along the road. She calls them weak and useless, reinforcing her assumed identity as an arrogant ancient Demon Emperor.
• Juechen accepts her explanation and even offers to provide her with stronger, pure-blooded demon guards once they reach Forgotten River.
• As the carriage approaches its destination, Juechen warns Jiang Yuechu that Forgotten River is controlled by his foster father, a powerful figure of the Self-Growing Earth Lineage. The region contains many formidable demons who may be arrogant or disrespectful.
• Juechen subtly advises Jiang Yuechu to restrain herself and allow him to mediate if conflicts arise. Jiang Yuechu dismisses the warning, insisting that her long experience makes such advice unnecessary.
• The carriage accelerates toward a massive mountain ridge emerging from the clouds, signaling their imminent arrival at Forgotten River.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu becomes increasingly convincing in her role as an ancient, high-ranking Demon Emperor. Her calm arrogance and effortless manipulation of the situation make even Juechen treat her with great respect.
• Wang Ziyu grows more frustrated and nervous. He recognizes the danger of entering Forgotten River but is unable to communicate openly because Juechen is nearby. He also resents being described as a useless servant, though he realizes that the situation is already beyond his control.
• Hu Cuihua remains terrified of the surrounding Demon Emperors, especially Juechen. Her fear emphasizes the overwhelming power of their escorts.
• Juechen Demon Emperor continues to flatter and accommodate Jiang Yuechu while subtly testing and warning her. He is respectful but also attempts to maintain control over what will happen in his foster father’s territory.

Significant Themes

• Deception and role-playing: Jiang Yuechu’s fabricated identity becomes increasingly elaborate, and her natural arrogance makes the deception convincing.
• Power and hierarchy: The chapter highlights the enormous status gap between Jiang Yuechu’s group and the surrounding demons, as well as the political structure within the Demon Race.
• Hidden danger: Despite the apparent protection offered by Juechen, entering Forgotten River places the protagonists in a far more dangerous environment.
• Lack of communication and helplessness: Wang Ziyu understands the risks but cannot speak freely, leaving him dependent on Jiang Yuechu’s judgment.
• Comedic contrast: Wang Ziyu’s intense anxiety and silent outrage contrast with Jiang Yuechu’s composed indifference and Hu Cuihua’s fear.

Character Interactions

• Wang Ziyu repeatedly attempts to warn Jiang Yuechu through gestures, but she misreads his behavior.
• Juechen respectfully checks whether Jiang Yuechu’s “attendants” are comfortable, giving her an opportunity to reinforce her false identity.
• Jiang Yuechu belittles Wang Ziyu and Hu Cuihua in front of Juechen, while Wang Ziyu silently fumes at the insult.
• Juechen offers Jiang Yuechu better servants and guards, demonstrating both his respect for her and his desire to manage her arrival.
• Juechen warns Jiang Yuechu about the powerful demons in Forgotten River, but she dismisses his concern, maintaining her superior demeanor.

Elder Heavenly Bamboo faced the loss of Forgotten River’s territory and resources to Azure Parasol and Spirit Tortoise while waiting for Young Master Yi to return. A messenger reported that Yi had come back driving a carriage with several outsiders inside, leaving the demons alarmed.

• Demons reported that Azure Parasol had taken the South Cliff mineral vein and Spirit Tortoise had seized Spirit Medicine Valley.
• The Great Demons discussed how Azure Parasol and Spirit Tortoise had joined forces to steadily take Forgotten River’s territory, while the Supreme Seat offered no help.
• Heavenly Bamboo asked why Young Master Yi had not returned, and the python demon said Yi had gone to Cinnabar Radiance City to take a concubine.
• A rat demon announced that Young Master Yi’s carriage had returned with several outsiders inside, and that Yi was driving it himself.

Jiang Yuechu arrived at the Forgotten River with the injured Demon Emperor Juechen driving her carriage and was summoned directly to meet his adoptive father, Tianzhu Elder. She entered the black-rock hall with Wang Ziyu close behind, while the demons watched and whispered.

• A rat demon reported that Juechen had a broken antler and a crushed face while driving a carriage guarded by three Demon Emperors, and Tianzhu Elder ordered him to bring the visitor in.
• Jiang Yuechu stepped out of the carriage at the Forgotten River, and Juechen explained that thousands of demons lived in the valley under Tianzhu Elder's authority.
• The rat demon arrived with Tianzhu Elder's order to bring Jiang Yuechu straight to him, surprising Juechen because his adoptive father had not asked who she was.
• Jiang Yuechu walked through the valley toward the main hall as the demons watched and whispered, while Wang Ziyu worried that their disguise might fail.
• Juechen stopped at the open hall doors and invited Jiang Yuechu to enter.

Jiang Yuechu accompanied Demon Emperor Juechen to Forgotten River, where the demons challenged his claim that she was a True Dragon. She killed Qingyuan with ease, leaving the Tianzhu Elder and the other demons stunned.

• Demon Emperor Juechen introduced Jiang Yuechu to the Tianzhu Elder as a powerful True Dragon who had spared him after he offended her.
• Qingyuan mocked Juechen's claim and demanded that Jiang Yuechu reveal her dragon form, while the Tianzhu Elder remained silent.
• Jiang Yuechu called Qingyuan a little worm and tore apart his face as the other Great Demons prepared to attack.
• Jiang Yuechu's intimidating glance made the Great Demons retreat, and she crushed Qingyuan's body with her bare hand.
• Demon Emperor Juechen and Wang Ziyu watched in shock as Jiang Yuechu calmly wiped the blood from her hand.

Jiang Yuechu killed Qingyuan and challenged Tianzhu Elder for his seat in the Forgotten River. After she repelled his attack and threw his staff back at him, Tianzhu Elder revealed his ancient Long-Armed Ape bloodline and transformed, destroying the hall.

• Jiang Yuechu destroyed the python demon's body, and Tianzhu Elder questioned whether she had gone too far by killing his subordinate.
• Jiang Yuechu demanded that Tianzhu Elder get up and let her take his seat.
• Tianzhu Elder attacked Jiang Yuechu with a jade-green staff, but she caught it and kicked him into the hall wall.
• Jiang Yuechu hurled the staff at Tianzhu Elder, who transformed into a giant Long-Armed Ape and burst apart the hall.

Jiang Yuechu killed Tianzhu Elder in Lost River Valley and reclaimed the Bone Throne as the demons’ emperor. After recording Demon Emperor Heavenly Bamboo, she gained a talent that fused her primordial spirit with her body.

• Jiang Yuechu used her sword formation and golden seal to subdue Tianzhu Elder, then beheaded him and destroyed his fleeing primordial spirit with lightning.
• Jiang Yuechu imprisoned Tianzhu Elder’s remaining demon soul, stored his corpse, and sat on the Bone Throne as the demons welcomed her return.
• Jiang Yuechu consumed 1,320,000 years of Dao Cultivation to record Demon Emperor Heavenly Bamboo and gained the talent Demon-Self Freedom.
• Jiang Yuechu tested the talent and watched her primordial spirit dissolve into motes of light that merged throughout her body.

After killing Tianzhu Elder, the black-robed True Dragon was accepted as Forgotten River’s new ruler when Demon Emperor Juechen and the gathered demons swore allegiance to her. Meanwhile, Wang Canglan heard rumors of a powerful young girl in Cinnabar Radiance City and hurried off to investigate.

• The python demon condemned the kneeling demons and Juechen for abandoning Tianzhu Elder, so Juechen kicked him into a cliff and returned to bow before the True Dragon.
• Juechen chose not to avenge his adoptive father and instead praised the True Dragon for killing Tianzhu Elder, pledging Forgotten River’s service to her.
• The trusted Great Demons followed Juechen’s lead and pledged allegiance, while Wang Ziyu wondered whether the girl had been hiding her true demonic nature in Great Tang.
• Wang Canglan traveled through You Mountain as the Pure Yang Fire ravaged his meridians and learned that demons had taken control of the region.
• At a teahouse, Wang Canglan heard that a young girl had transformed into a True Dragon and defeated several Demon Emperors at Cinnabar Radiance City, then left to investigate.

Chapter Summary: “Wang Canglan Arrives”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wang Canglan arrives in Cinnabar Radiance City, which has been gripped by fear after the recent disaster at the Ma Residence. Shops are closed, civilians hurry through the streets, and the Ma Family estate is heavily guarded.
• The Ma Residence shows clear signs of decline: wedding decorations have withered, its guardian demons have disappeared, and servants stand ready to draw their weapons. Inside, family members are hurriedly packing their belongings, suggesting that the family plans to flee.
• Unable to enter directly, Wang Canglan waits in hiding to suppress the powerful Pure Yang Fire surging within him. He then approaches the gates, presenting himself as a harmless traveling rogue cultivator.
• When the servants refuse him entry, Wang gives the gatekeeper a valuable gift and claims that he urgently needs to speak with the Ma Family head. The servant, impressed by the gift, agrees to report his arrival.
• Old Master Ma Dewang eventually appears. He is visibly aged, exhausted, and frightened, immediately suspecting that Wang may have been sent by one of the Demon Emperors involved in the disaster.
• Wang invents a plausible story: a close friend disappeared while traveling through the You Mountain Grand Vein, and Wang has come to determine whether the friend was caught up in the incident at the Ma Residence.
• After scrutinizing him, Ma Dewang allows Wang inside and recounts what happened during the catastrophe. The chapter does not reveal the full account directly, but references include a True Dragon, black mist covering the sky, numerous powerful beings, and a young girl who caused devastating havoc.
• After Wang departs, Ma Dewang explains that sharing the story is harmless because most people already know it. He reflects bitterly on how one mistaken judgment brought ruin upon the Ma Family and orders the family to finish packing before fleeing the city at dawn.
• Outside the city, Wang reveals his real purpose. He looks toward the western mountains and thinks of Wangchuan, the young girl who defeated many Demon Emperors. He is eager to confront her with someone even more monstrous than herself and anticipates her reaction.

Character Developments

• Wang Canglan demonstrates patience, restraint, and exceptional cunning. Although he possesses overwhelming power, he suppresses it and relies on politeness, bribery, and a carefully constructed false identity to obtain information.
• His calm, refined demeanor contrasts with the dangerous ambition hinted at in his final thoughts. Beneath the courteous exterior, he is confident, predatory, and eager to test himself against Wangchuan.
• Ma Dewang is shown as a broken and fearful patriarch. Once the head of a powerful cultivation clan, he is now physically frail, emotionally shaken, and forced to abandon his ancestral home.
• Ma Dewang’s reflections reveal guilt and regret. He believes a single misjudgment or act of misplaced trust led to the family’s destruction.

Significant Themes

• The collapse of power and status: The once-prestigious Ma Family has been reduced to frightened guards, hurried evacuations, and the abandonment of a residence maintained for thousands of years.
• Deception and appearances: Wang’s gentle manners conceal his true motives, while Ma Dewang recognizes that even seemingly harmless individuals—like the mysterious young girl involved in the disaster—may hide terrifying power.
• Fate and misjudgment: Ma Dewang’s lament that “fate toys with men” emphasizes how one decision can ruin an entire clan.
• Predation and power: Wang’s final thoughts establish that the chapter is not merely about gathering information; he is preparing to challenge or psychologically overwhelm another extraordinary figure.
• Fear after catastrophe: The empty streets, defensive servants, fleeing family members, and Ma Dewang’s suspicion all show how completely the earlier incident has destabilized the city and the cultivation world.

Character Interactions

• Wang’s interaction with the gate servants highlights his ability to remain courteous while maneuvering around opposition. He uses wealth rather than force to gain access.
• His conversation with Ma Dewang is a cautious exchange of suspicion and persuasion. Ma fears Wang may be an enemy agent, while Wang maintains an innocent façade and gradually draws information from him.
• Ma Dewang’s later exchange with his servant reveals the patriarch’s private despair and his determination to save what remains of the family.
• Wang’s final, one-sided reflection toward Wangchuan shifts the chapter from investigation to anticipation, suggesting that their eventual encounter will be a confrontation between two exceptionally dangerous figures.