Chapter Summaries

Jiang Yuechu fought two eight-piece Great Demons, using her Dao Chess and secret arts to withstand their overwhelming cultivation. She forced her strength up to the sixth chessmaster level and faced the demons as they launched another attack.

• Jiang Yuechu struck the Gray Wolf Demon with a freezing punch after appearing behind him.
• The Jackal Demon slashed at Jiang Yuechu, who met the attack head-on and was injured.
• Jiang Yuechu activated Fire Dragon Scorching Heart, raising her aura to the sixth chessmaster level at the cost of her essence blood.
• The Gray Wolf Demon recovered from Jiang Yuechu's punch, and both Great Demons charged at her to kill her.

Chapter Summary: “Blood for Blood”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Yuechu unleashes overwhelming power against the Gray Wolf Demon and Jackal Demon, both Eight-Piece Chessmaster Realm demons.
• She instantly gravely injures the Gray Wolf Demon with a single staff strike, reducing its life force to nearly nothing.
• When the Jackal Demon attempts to flee, Jiang intercepts it and kills it with another devastating blow, splitting open its chest.
• Lin Feiyan arrives through the miasma, intending to assist Jiang, but finds that both demons have already been defeated. Her unstable attack is interrupted when Jiang mistakes her sudden aura for an enemy reinforcement and strikes her on the buttocks, causing her spell to collapse.
• Jiang collects the Dao Cultivation gained from killing the demons—over 5.3 million years in total—bringing her reserves to 9,260,248 years.
• Concluding that personal strength is essential for dealing with the mysterious Second Young Master of the Southern Immortal Palace, Jiang begins using her accumulated Dao Cultivation to condense her demon body.
• Lin Feiyan, embarrassed and irritated, chooses not to disturb Jiang and instead remains nearby to guard her.
• The scene shifts to the Southern Immortal Palace, where the Young Palace Mistress is confined to her bedchamber by orders from her mother or father’s authority. She is forbidden to leave because of recent palace troubles.
• Filled with anger and grief over the death or mistreatment of the man she loves—a lowly carp spirit despised by the palace—the Young Palace Mistress resolves that the blood debt must be repaid through blood.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu: Demonstrates a dramatic increase in combat strength, effortlessly killing two powerful demons. She becomes more pragmatic and focused on accumulating power, recognizing that her survival and future negotiations depend on stronger foundations. Her ruthless efficiency contrasts with her calm, almost detached demeanor afterward.
• Lin Feiyan: Shows courage by risking herself to help Jiang, but remains inexperienced and somewhat flustered. Her frustration grows after Jiang accidentally treats her as an enemy and embarrasses her, though she ultimately acts responsibly by guarding Jiang during her cultivation.
• Young Palace Mistress: Her grief has hardened into hatred and revenge. Despite being physically confined and politically powerless, she remains emotionally determined to avenge the man she loves and reject her family’s attempt to suppress the incident.
• The Gray Wolf and Jackal Demons: Their confidence and hostility collapse immediately in the face of Jiang’s overwhelming strength, emphasizing the gap between them and her current power.

Significant Themes

• Power as protection and leverage: Jiang sees strength as the key to survival and as a bargaining chip against the Southern Immortal Palace’s Second Young Master.
• Revenge and blood debt: The Young Palace Mistress believes emotional closure can only come through vengeance, establishing a major conflict with the Southern Immortal Palace.
• Underestimation and social hierarchy: The palace’s contempt for the “lowly” carp spirit reflects the story’s prejudice toward weaker or lower-born beings.
• Unrestrained strength versus preparation: Jiang’s effortless victory shows her immediate dominance, but her decision to cultivate further suggests that greater threats remain.
• Contrasting emotional responses: Jiang responds to violence with cold practicality, while the Young Palace Mistress reacts with grief, resentment, and passionate resolve.

Character Interactions

• Jiang and the demons have a one-sided confrontation in which her attacks leave them no opportunity to resist or escape.
• Jiang and Lin Feiyan’s interaction is comedic but tense: Lin tries to help, Jiang mistakes her for a threat, and a staff strike leaves Lin offended and humiliated. Jiang’s remark about “stealing kills” further irritates her.
• Despite her annoyance, Lin Feiyan silently protects Jiang while she meditates, revealing underlying goodwill and cooperation.
• The Young Palace Mistress’s relationship with her family is defined by conflict: they confine her to suppress the scandal and prevent retaliation, while she remains devoted to her dead or persecuted lover and vows revenge.

Chapter Summary: “The Gap Between Before and After”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Yuechu successfully condenses the bodies of two Eightfold Great Wolf Demons, consuming 1,860,000 years of Dao Cultivation.
• She reflects that the Wolf Demons provided less cultivation than the previously defeated toads despite having higher realms, likely because they lacked exceptional innate talents and had advanced through the influence of the Cloud-Dream Realm’s Second Young Master.
• Jiang attempts to merge the Wolf Demon bodies into the Hell-Suppressing Sword Toad Dao Chess piece, but the piece rejects them. She realizes that Dao Chess pieces may only accept demons of the same race—or that special talents such as chess-commanding may be required to override that restriction.
• After setting the Wolf Demon bodies aside, Jiang discovers a hidden passage beneath the ruined cavern and concludes that it likely leads to the prisoners being held by the demons.
• She and Lin Feiyan proceed through the passage, eventually reaching an underground prison containing numerous empty cells and one occupied cell.
• Inside are the imprisoned Dark Nether Patriarch and Xuan Yang. They have sensed the earlier battle and fearfully wonder who emerged victorious.
• Jiang opens their cell door, revealing that she defeated the demons guarding the prison. Xuan Yang recognizes her and is stunned by her transformation from a weak Tower-Climbing Realm cultivator into an overwhelmingly powerful existence.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu: Becomes increasingly aware of how talent, connections, and resources shape advancement in the Cloud-Dream Realm. She also discovers a limitation in her Dao Chess fusion ability, creating a new practical obstacle. Despite her immense strength, she remains calm, detached, and focused on rescuing the captives.
• Lin Feiyan: Her perception of Jiang changes dramatically. Though Jiang’s quiet appearance once deceived her, Lin has now witnessed her terrifying power. Rather than feeling resentment toward Jiang’s apparent arrogance, Lin is quietly inspired by her fearless attitude and begins reflecting on her own ambitions.
• Xuan Yang: Experiences shock and disbelief upon seeing Jiang. He remembers her as someone vastly weaker than himself, making her current power seem almost impossible and emphasizing the enormous change in her status.
• Dark Nether Patriarch: Remains cautious and anxious while imprisoned, recognizing that the battle outside involved forces far beyond anything he and Xuan Yang could confront.

Significant Themes

• The importance of talent and connections: Jiang concludes that innate ability alone is not enough; influence and powerful backing are crucial in the Cloud-Dream Realm.
• Transformation and changing perspectives: Jiang’s rapid rise forces Xuan Yang to confront how drastically circumstances and power can change.
• Appearances versus reality: Jiang’s calm, harmless exterior sharply contrasts with the overwhelming violence and strength she displayed during the battle.
• Freedom and fearlessness: Jiang’s statement—“If we can’t leave, then we won’t”—expresses her confidence and refusal to be intimidated, while inspiring Lin Feiyan.
• Limitations amid power: Although Jiang has gained tremendous strength, the failure to merge the Wolf Demon bodies shows that her abilities still have unexplained rules and constraints.

Character Interactions

• Jiang and Lin Feiyan travel together through the ruins. Lin urges haste because the Second Young Master may return, but Jiang dismisses the concern with complete confidence.
• Lin silently compares Jiang’s fearless attitude to her own ideals, developing admiration despite their earlier misunderstanding.
• Dark Nether Patriarch and Xuan Yang discuss the terrifying battle outside and acknowledge the vast gap between their strength and that of Cloud-Dream Realm experts.
• When Jiang opens the prison, she and the captives meet face-to-face. Xuan Yang’s recognition of Jiang creates the chapter’s central emotional contrast: the former “junior” he once underestimated has become someone overwhelmingly beyond his reach.

Jiang Yuechu and Lin Feiyan found Xuan Yang and the Dark Nether Patriarch imprisoned by the Southern Immortal Palace, and Lin Feiyan questioned them. Xuan Yang recognized Jiang Yuechu and, despite resenting her good fortune, hoped to rely on her for survival.

• Lin Feiyan introduced herself and Jiang Yuechu as disciples of the Jieqing Sect and asked the prisoners why they had been locked up.
• The Dark Nether Patriarch claimed that the Southern Immortal Palace had captured them to learn about a Dao-Union Relic, hiding their origins from another world.
• Jiang Yuechu revealed that she knew Xuan Yang and asked him to explain what had happened.
• Xuan Yang recognized Jiang Yuechu, resented that she had risen so far while he was imprisoned, and blamed her success on luck.
• Xuan Yang suppressed his resentment and greeted Jiang Yuechu as a young friend, intending to depend on her for help.

Jiang Yuechu found Xuan Yang and the Dark Nether Patriarch imprisoned in the Southern Immortal Palace and learned that demons had captured them while searching for boundary-breakers. She took their Central Palaces and arranged for the Jieqing Sect to make them outer disciples, leaving them facing forced labor under her control.

• Lin Feiyan mistook Xuan Yang's familiar address to Jiang Yuechu for proof that they were old acquaintances, while the Dark Nether Patriarch recognized Jiang Yuechu and panicked.
• Xuan Yang told Jiang Yuechu that Great Demons had captured him and the Dark Nether Patriarch because the Southern Immortal Palace's second young master was seeking people like them.
• Jiang Yuechu offered to spare the two men if they surrendered their Central Palaces, and both reluctantly handed them over.
• When Xuan Yang asked if they could leave, Jiang Yuechu asked Lin Feiyan whether the Jieqing Sect needed outer disciples.
• Lin Feiyan agreed, and the two chessmaster-realm cultivators were left facing life as laboring outer disciples.

Jiang Yuechu returned to the Jieqing Sect with Xuan Yang and the Dark Nether Patriarch, arranging for them to join the outer sect as menials. As she prepared to leave, Deacon Linghan stopped her and began telling her about the Immortal-God Cave Abode.

• Lin Feiyan and Gong Shaoqi directed Jiang Yuechu to find a deacon to arrange Xuan Yang and the Dark Nether Patriarch's enrollment, then departed for their peak.
• Jiang Yuechu asked an outer disciple where to find Deacon Linghan and brought the two men to the main peak.
• Xuan Yang and the Dark Nether Patriarch marveled at the Jieqing Sect's power and secretly resolved to rise again using its resources.
• Deacon Linghan registered the two men as outer-sect menials and instructed disciples to send them to the hardest mineral vein for grueling work and night patrols.
• Deacon Linghan stopped Jiang Yuechu as she was leaving and began telling her about the Immortal-God Cave Abode.

True Lord Linghan told Jiang Yuechu about a newly emerged Immortal-God Cave Abode and explained why the Nine Great Dao Sects wanted human cultivators to compete for its inheritances. Jiang Yuechu remained cautious, then asked how she could obtain a Dao-Union Relic or enter the Five-Qi Treasure Grounds.

• True Lord Linghan explained that Immortal-God Cave Abodes held ancient inheritances and treasures, and that the Nine Great Dao Sects sought to keep them from the Cloud-Dream Palace’s demons.
• True Lord Linghan told Jiang Yuechu that only cultivators below the Painting Realm could enter and that other human cultivators were welcome to compete.
• True Lord Linghan mentioned the upcoming cave abode so Jiang Yuechu could prepare, but she said they could discuss it later.
• True Lord Linghan asked whether Jiang Yuechu had settled into life in Jieqing, and she asked about ways to obtain a Dao-Union Relic or access the Five-Qi Treasure Grounds.

Chapter Summary: “Can’t I Go Alone?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Yuechu asks Linghan True Lord how she can obtain a Dao-Union Relic or access a Five-Qi Treasure Ground to condense Dao Chess.
• Linghan explains that Dao-Union Relics are generally reserved for disciples of the sect’s elders, though Jiang could obtain one immediately by becoming an elder’s disciple.
• As a guest elder, she is allowed the same access as an inner disciple to the Five-Qi Treasure Grounds, provided she pays with sufficient sect merit or treasures of equivalent value.
• Linghan warns her not to settle for an ordinary treasure ground, arguing that doing so could damage her future potential. Jiang, however, is confident she can improve her Dao Chess later and chooses practicality over caution.
• Jiang goes to the Expedition Hall intending to earn merit and acquire resources through demon-elimination missions.
• She realizes she has no sect merit because she never returned to submit the Huangshan City expedition after being diverted to Immortal-Sojourn Valley with Lin Feiyan.
• Her remaining valuable possessions are too important for her to trade for access to an ordinary Five-Qi Treasure Ground, leaving expeditions as her best option.
• At the Expedition Hall, she learns that most worthwhile demon-slaying missions require several participants, while solo missions are easy, poorly rewarded, and lack demons to plunder.
• Frustrated, Jiang asks whether she can undertake an expedition alone.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu: Reveals her practical, self-reliant nature and confidence in her own ability. She rejects Linghan’s recommendation to become an elder’s disciple and refuses to sacrifice valuable treasures for a mediocre opportunity. Her lack of resources also exposes a humorous contradiction between her imposing, aloof image and her current poverty.
• Linghan True Lord: Shows genuine concern for Jiang’s future and recognizes her exceptional talent. His advice is motivated by a desire to prevent her from compromising her cultivation foundation.
• Lin Feiyan and Chen Yuan: Though absent, they influence Jiang’s circumstances: Lin’s detour caused Jiang to miss the chance to submit her previous mission and earn merit.

Significant Themes

• Pragmatism versus long-term cultivation: Jiang prioritizes immediate access and future flexibility, while Linghan urges her to protect her foundation and pursue the highest-quality opportunity.
• Institutional privilege and belonging: Sect treasures are mainly reserved for formally recognized disciples, highlighting the limitations of Jiang’s status as a guest elder.
• Poverty beneath power: Jiang’s formidable strength and dignified appearance contrast humorously with her shortage of usable wealth and merit.
• Self-reliance: Jiang prefers earning resources through her own actions rather than depending on an elder’s patronage or accepting discipleship.
• The value of opportunity: Missing the chance to submit her earlier mission becomes a costly mistake, demonstrating how small practical oversights can affect cultivation progress.

Character Interactions

• Jiang and Linghan have a respectful but contrasting discussion: he repeatedly advises caution, while she politely listens but remains unconvinced.
• Jiang’s brief interaction with the Expedition Hall disciple shows how her status as a guest elder immediately earns her greater respect once identified.
• The chapter ends with Jiang challenging the sect’s usual expedition structure, setting up a possible conflict between her overwhelming confidence and the sect’s rules requiring group participation.

Chapter Summary: Seeing Familiar Faces Again

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Yuechu attempts to accept a combat-related training mission alone, relying on her status as a guest elder to bypass Jieqing Sect’s usual requirement that dangerous missions be undertaken in groups.
• The Steward Hall disciple explains that the rule was created because inexperienced or overconfident disciples frequently died while adventuring alone. Only an elder-approved exception can permit solo missions, and he is unwilling to make that decision himself.
• Jiang Yuechu becomes reluctant to recruit companions. She knows very few people in the sect, dislikes social interaction, and appears to possess only the modest cultivation of a Two-Piece Chessmaster Realm cultivator. She worries stronger disciples would regard her as a burden.
• Other disciples waiting behind her grow impatient, criticizing her for blocking the counter. The Steward Hall disciple tactfully asks her to leave and reconsider.
• Jiang then notices two familiar figures in the hall and turns toward them.
• These figures are Chen Yuan and Su Liu, accompanied by two other inner disciples. They are attempting to take a highly profitable mission involving a Fifth-Piece Chessmaster Realm demon.
• Their group cannot accept the mission because the four of them are only at the Fourth-Piece Chessmaster Realm at best, while sect regulations require someone with sufficient combat strength to lead or protect the team.
• They discuss finding a stronger cultivator, but Su Liu points out that qualified disciples are usually cultivating in seclusion or already committed to established teams. Bringing one in would also reduce their share of the rewards.
• The group complains about Gao Changqing, who had previously promised to join them but abandoned the arrangement after being noticed and accepted by an elder. Chen Yuan urges them not to resent Gao too much, admitting that anyone given such an opportunity might make the same choice.
• As the group remains stuck, Jiang Yuechu approaches them and opens the conversation with a cool, teasing question.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu: Her guest-elder status proves less useful than expected. She reveals her dislike of unnecessary socializing and her preference for quiet, independent action. Despite her apparent low cultivation, she remains confident enough to seek a dangerous mission alone. Her discovery of Chen Yuan’s group offers a possible solution to both her companion problem and their strength problem.
• Chen Yuan: He reflects on how strangely his fortunes have changed. The Huangshan City mission seemed dangerous but became extremely profitable because Jiang defeated the Seven-Son Great Demon. Now he faces the opposite problem: a lucrative mission is within reach, but his team lacks the required strength. He also displays maturity by recognizing that Gao Changqing’s abandonment is understandable.
• Su Liu: She acts as a practical and rational member of the group, explaining why finding a stronger teammate would be difficult and financially disadvantageous.
• The two unnamed inner disciples: They are frustrated by their failed arrangements and fear losing the valuable assignment, but their resentment toward Gao Changqing is tempered by Chen Yuan’s realistic perspective.
• Gao Changqing: Though absent, he is characterized as someone whose sudden advancement and acceptance by an elder have caused him to abandon his former companions.

Significant Themes

• Sect rules versus individual ability: Even powerful or exceptional figures cannot automatically ignore institutional regulations, especially those designed to protect disciples.
• Appearance and hidden strength: Jiang Yuechu appears weak because she conceals her true power, creating practical difficulties when others judge her by her displayed cultivation.
• The value of companionship: Training groups are necessary for safety, but forming them can be difficult when trust, status, and reward-sharing are involved.
• Fortune and changing circumstances: Chen Yuan’s experiences show how quickly luck can shift—from effortless success after Jiang’s intervention to being blocked from a profitable mission.
• Ambition and advancement: Gao Changqing’s choice highlights how opportunities for elite advancement can transform relationships and priorities within the sect.
• Social reluctance versus practical necessity: Jiang dislikes networking, yet her circumstances may force her to cooperate with people she already knows.

Character Interactions

• Jiang negotiates with the Steward Hall disciple, who treats her respectfully but cautiously because of her guest-elder status.
• Ordinary disciples criticize Jiang for delaying the line, unaware of her true identity and importance.
• Chen Yuan, Su Liu, and the two inner disciples debate how to meet the mission’s strength requirement, with Chen providing a balanced and conciliatory perspective.
• The chapter ends with Jiang reconnecting with Chen Yuan and Su Liu, setting up a likely partnership that may solve both sides’ difficulties.

Jiang Yuechu appeared as Chen Yuan and Su Liu discussed a trial assignment to slay a Five-Son Demon, and Su Liu persuaded her to hear the details. Chen Yuan explained that the mission offered great rewards because a merchant association would pledge allegiance to whichever sect defeated the demon first, while many capable disciples stayed behind hoping to become true disciples.

• Jiang Yuechu arrived, and Chen Yuan introduced her to the other disciples as Guest Elder Jiang.
• Su Liu explained that their group had lost a member for a Five-Son Demon assignment and needed someone of equivalent combat strength.
• Chen Yuan described how the merchant association had been attacked and promised allegiance and tribute to the first Dao Sect to kill the demon.
• Jiang Yuechu questioned why the sect had left such an important assignment to ordinary disciples.
• Chen Yuan said many capable inner disciples had stayed in the sect after senior brothers began being accepted as true disciples.

Jiang Yuechu agreed to join Chen Yuan and his companions on a mission to hunt a Fifth-Piece Chessmaster Realm demon, and the Steward Hall approved the expedition after hearing her name. As the group traveled by flying boat, Jiang Yuechu asked Chen Yuan about the Wusang Sect.

• Jiang Yuechu accepted Chen Yuan and Su Liu's invitation to accompany them on the demon-hunting mission.
• A tall disciple questioned whether Jiang Yuechu's Two-Piece Chessmaster Realm cultivation met the Steward Hall's requirements, and Chen Yuan revealed that she had slain a Seven-Piece Chessmaster Realm Great Demon.
• Chen Yuan registered the expedition, and the steward approved it without further questions after hearing Jiang Yuechu's name.
• Wang Chen and Mao Yunshang met Jiang Yuechu aboard the flying boat and learned each other's names and cultivation realms.
• Jiang Yuechu asked Chen Yuan about the Wusang Sect.

Jiang Yuechu learned that the Wusang Sect was a rival Dao Sect and assured Chen Yuan she would show restraint if they crossed paths. At Half-Piece City, the Wusang Sect’s agents revealed that the demon attack was a plot to seize the Half-Piece Chamber of Commerce, while they waited to see whether the Jieqing Sect would interfere.

• Chen Yuan explained that the Wusang Sect was a domineering rival of the Jieqing Sect and asked Jiang Yuechu to show mercy if they met its disciples; she agreed to keep anyone from dying.
• At devastated Half-Piece City, Lu Bancheng watched the Five-Son Demon destroy his chamber of commerce and hoped the two sects’ aid would arrive.
• Senior Brother Sima and Junior Sister Liu arrived with Junior Brother He, who had lured the Five-Son Demon to the city.
• The Wusang Sect’s group disclosed that they had arranged the demon attack to take control of the Half-Piece Chamber of Commerce.
• Senior Brother Sima prepared to deal with any Jieqing Sect disciples who arrived, expecting them to withdraw or become corpses.

The Wusang Dao Sect disciples delayed rescuing the Half-Piece Chamber of Commerce to force it into submission, then attacked a demon that revealed it belonged to Qianyun Cave. Just as Senior Brother Sima renewed his assault, a powerful golden light arrived and struck the demon first.

• The Wusang Dao Sect disciples watched as the demon battered the Half-Piece Chamber of Commerce's formation, and Lu Bancheng realized they were waiting for the merchants to beg for help.
• The woman warned Senior Brother Sima that the Jieqing Sect's people might arrive, but he dismissed the threat and said they would kill any who interfered.
• Senior Brother Sima sent blood-colored narcissus blossoms toward the demon, which roared that it was a disciple of Qianyun Cave.
• Junior Brother He admitted that he had lured the demon there, and Senior Brother Sima sentenced him to a hundred years of punishment before renewing the attack.
• A golden light swept across the sky, and several starry rivers struck the demon before the blossoms could reach it.

Jiang Yuechu killed the demonic creature threatening Half-Piece City and confronted Wusang Sect disciples who objected to her interference. Just as Chen Yuan and the others helped her prepare to leave, Senior Brother Sima blocked their way and challenged them.

• Jiang Yuechu struck down the demonic creature and gathered its body into her Storage Bag.
• Senior Sister Liu and Junior Brother He confronted Jiang Yuechu, but she told them to move aside.
• Chen Yuan, Su Liu, Wang Chen, and Mao Yunshang arrived and identified Jiang Yuechu as the Jieqing Sect's honored guest elder, prompting the two disciples to retreat.
• As the Jieqing Sect group prepared to leave, Senior Brother Sima blasted the path ahead and declared that he had never said they could leave.

Chapter Summary: “Jiang the Guest Elder Knows Her Limits”

Key Plot Points and Events

• An enormous blood-red Dao Palace appears, accompanied by eight Dao Chess pieces, revealing that Senior Brother Sima of the Wusang Sect is an Eight-Piece Chessmaster Realm cultivator.
• Chen Yuan and the Lu Clan are shocked and alarmed, recognizing the vast difference between seven-piece and eight-piece cultivation.
• Jiang Yuechu suddenly manifests her own blood-red Dao Palace. Although it appears smaller, its aura is even more terrifying and forcibly disperses Sima’s red mist.
• Jiang reveals two extraordinarily powerful Dao Chess pieces: one Spirit-Grade piece and one Immortal-Grade piece. The Immortal-Grade piece freezes the surrounding spiritual energy and even makes Sima feel threatened.
• Jiang and Sima simultaneously absorb their Dao Chess pieces and launch attacks. Sima intends to trade injuries, believing his superior cultivation will allow him to withstand Jiang’s strike.
• Sima’s attack severely damages Jiang’s body, but instead of weakening her, her aura rapidly intensifies. Her counterattack with the Ten Directions Mountains-and-Rivers Staff overwhelms Sima’s power, breaks through his defense, and sends him crashing into the mountains while vomiting blood.
• Jiang prepares to pursue and potentially kill Sima, reasoning that since he tried to kill her, he must accept the consequences of having his Dao extinguished.
• Sima’s fellow disciples, Senior Sister Liu and Junior Brother He, attempt to reach him, but Chen Yuan and the other Jieqing Sect disciples intercept them.
• Despite being much weaker individually, Chen Yuan and his companions refuse to retreat, determined to prevent the Wusang Sect disciples from interfering with Jiang’s battle.
• Chen Yuan worries about Jiang’s earlier promise that she “knows her limits,” hoping she will not actually kill Sima.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu: Her terrifying combat ability is fully demonstrated. Though only a two-piece cultivator, her Immortal-Grade Dao Chess and overwhelming physical strength allow her to injure an Eight-Piece cultivator. She is also shown to be decisive and ruthless when genuinely threatened, no longer willing to tolerate attacks against her.
• Senior Brother Sima: His arrogance collapses when confronted with Jiang’s power. He initially believes his eight-piece cultivation makes him invincible, but his confidence turns to shock and fear after Jiang survives his attack and defeats him.
• Chen Yuan: Although frightened and aware that he is outmatched, Chen Yuan displays courage and loyalty. He takes responsibility for protecting Jiang’s battle by blocking her opponents, even while worrying about the consequences.
• Senior Sister Liu and Junior Brother He: They shift from stunned observers to desperate rescuers, trying to aid Sima but being stopped by Chen Yuan’s group.
• Jieqing Sect disciples: They demonstrate solidarity with Jiang as their guest elder, refusing to surrender their position despite the overwhelming difference in cultivation.

Significant Themes

• Hidden strength and underestimated power: Jiang’s apparent weakness as a two-piece cultivator conceals the immense power of her Dao Chess and combat techniques.
• Arrogance versus reality: Sima’s confidence in his superior cultivation leads him to misjudge Jiang and suffer a devastating defeat.
• Loyalty and courage: Chen Yuan and the Jieqing Sect disciples stand against stronger enemies to protect Jiang, showing that courage is not dependent on overwhelming strength.
• Consequences of provocation: Jiang believes that someone who attacks with killing intent must be prepared to face death in return.
• Limits and restraint: The chapter raises uncertainty over whether Jiang’s promise to “know her limits” means she will spare Sima—or whether his attempted murder has placed him beyond mercy.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Yuechu and Senior Brother Sima: Their confrontation is the chapter’s central conflict. Sima attacks first, expecting to overpower Jiang, but she endures his strike and decisively defeats him.
• Chen Yuan and the Wusang Sect disciples: Chen Yuan’s group intercepts Senior Sister Liu and Junior Brother He, preventing them from assisting Sima.
• Chen Yuan and Jiang Yuechu: Though Jiang is absent from the immediate exchange, Chen Yuan’s actions show his concern for her and his commitment to supporting her as the Jieqing Sect’s guest elder.
• Wusang Sect disciples: Their initial superiority and contempt give way to panic after Sima is injured and Jiang continues advancing.

Chapter Summary: A Desperate Battle Against Wusang Sect’s True Disciple

Key Plot Points and Events

• Sima Tang rises after being crushed by Jiang Yuechu’s attack, shocked that his carefully planned counterstrike has nearly backfired. Despite his Eight-Piece Chessmaster Realm cultivation, Jiang Yuechu’s strength and resilience far exceed what her apparent two-piece cultivation should allow.
• Relying on his ruthless survival instincts, Sima Tang activates the Wusang Sect’s forbidden-like Blood Palm Art. The technique greatly amplifies his power but causes immense pain and damages his own foundation.
• Jiang Yuechu uses speed and deception to evade the giant blood palm. While Sima Tang redirects the attack toward her, she simultaneously attacks from another angle with a damaged but powerful high-grade spirit sword.
• The sword pierces Sima Tang, but he still forces the blood palm to strike Jiang Yuechu. Both combatants suffer severe injuries: Sima Tang is pierced and nearly exhausted, while nearly half of Jiang Yuechu’s body is corroded by blood energy.
• Jiang Yuechu activates her Eternal Imperishability talent, rapidly repairing her wounds and allowing her to continue fighting at full intensity.
• She launches a relentless close-range assault, breaking Sima Tang’s arm, striking him with the Ten Directions Mountains-and-Rivers Staff, and then attacking with simultaneous fire and ice blades.
• Sima Tang, once a powerful Wusang Sect true disciple, is overwhelmed and reduced to helplessly enduring her attacks as his life force and cultivation foundation drain away.
• Just as Jiang Yuechu prepares to deliver another blow, an enraged voice from afar orders her to stop, ending the chapter on a cliffhanger.

Character Developments

• Sima Tang: Reveals himself as a ruthless, battle-hardened survivor rather than a conventional cultivator. His willingness to injure his own foundation and fight through overwhelming pain demonstrates exceptional determination. However, his confidence collapses into terror as Jiang Yuechu recovers and dominates him.
• Jiang Yuechu: Demonstrates extraordinary durability, combat instinct, speed, and adaptability. Her ability to recover from catastrophic wounds confirms that her strength cannot be judged by her apparent cultivation level. She also becomes more confident in recognizing the difference between genuine Dao Sect disciples and weaker opponents such as those from the Jieqing Sect.
• Jiang Yuechu’s fighting style: She combines evasive movement, spirit artifacts, physical attacks, staff techniques, and opposing fire-and-ice powers. Her emotionless persistence contrasts sharply with Sima Tang’s increasingly desperate struggle.

Significant Themes

• Strength beyond cultivation realms: Jiang Yuechu’s performance challenges the assumption that a six-minor-realm gap guarantees victory.
• Survival and ruthlessness: Both fighters rely on the instincts and sacrifices forged through life-and-death battles, but Jiang Yuechu’s resilience ultimately surpasses Sima Tang’s.
• Regeneration and endurance: The Eternal Imperishability talent turns grievous injury into renewed momentum, emphasizing Jiang Yuechu’s near-inexhaustible vitality.
• Pride versus reality: Sima Tang’s status as a Wusang Sect true disciple cannot compensate for Jiang Yuechu’s superior abilities and relentless pressure.
• Desperation and self-destruction: The Blood Palm Art embodies the cost of pursuing victory at any price, damaging Sima Tang even as it temporarily increases his power.

Character Interactions

• Sima Tang initially attempts to exploit Jiang Yuechu’s lower apparent cultivation and counterattack her directly.
• Jiang Yuechu repeatedly outmaneuvers him, using feints and her spirit sword to attack while forcing him to commit his strongest technique.
• Their exchange becomes a contest of mutual sacrifice: Sima Tang accepts a sword through his body to land his blood palm, while Jiang Yuechu survives the blow and immediately retaliates.
• After recovering, Jiang Yuechu treats Sima Tang’s desperate strength with cold acknowledgment rather than fear, then overwhelms him through continuous attacks.
• The chapter concludes when an unidentified enraged figure intervenes and commands Jiang Yuechu to stop.

Summary of “Exterminate Them All”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The two Wusang Sect cultivators fighting Chen Yuan’s group become terrified when they realize that their senior brother, Sima—a powerful eight-piece cultivator and personal disciple—is being beaten nearly to death by Jiang Yuechu.
• Desperate to save him, Senior Sister Liu and Junior Brother He unleash their full strength, forcing Chen Yuan and the other Jieqing Sect disciples back.
• They threaten Chen Yuan, warning that killing Sima would provoke a war between the Wusang and Jieqing Sects.
• Chen Yuan and his companions look toward the other battlefield and discover that Jiang Yuechu is not merely humiliating Sima—she is about to kill him.
• The two Wusang cultivators rush to intervene, with Senior Sister Liu attempting to justify the conflict as a minor dispute over control of a merchant association and warning Jiang Yuechu of the consequences of murder.
• Jiang Yuechu ignores the threats. She launches her Crimson Flame Sword and ice blade to stop the rescuers, then smashes Sima with the Ten Directions Mountains-and-Rivers Staff.
• Sima is killed instantly. Jiang Yuechu calmly collects his remains and declares that since she did not find the earlier conflict amusing and believed he deserved death, she had no reason to spare him.
• Chen Yuan realizes that allowing the two surviving Wusang cultivators to escape would leave witnesses who could provoke severe retaliation against the Jieqing Sect—and potentially cause the four disciples to be sacrificed to appease the Wusang Sect.
• He therefore creates a sealing formation to trap the two enemies and orders Jiang Yuechu to act quickly.
• Though terrified, Wang Chen, Mao Yunshang, and Su Liu join the attack. The four Jieqing disciples collectively attempt to eliminate the remaining witnesses.
• Senior Sister Liu and Junior Brother He are horrified by the disciples’ sudden ruthlessness, realizing that the supposedly timid Jieqing disciples are prepared to leave no survivors.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu is revealed as decisively lethal and utterly fearless. She does not bluff, negotiate, or retreat, killing Sima without hesitation despite the political consequences.
• Chen Yuan undergoes a major shift from fearful uncertainty to pragmatic determination. Once Sima is dead, he accepts that survival requires killing the remaining witnesses and takes command by establishing a sealing array.
• Wang Chen, Mao Yunshang, and Su Liu overcome their fear and follow Chen Yuan’s lead. Their cooperation shows both loyalty and the instinct for self-preservation under extreme pressure.
• Senior Sister Liu and Junior Brother He move from confidence and intimidation to panic. Their threats lose all force once Jiang Yuechu demonstrates that she is willing to risk open conflict between the sects.

Significant Themes

• Escalation and irreversible consequences: Sima’s death transforms a dispute into a potential sect-wide conflict, leaving the Jieqing disciples with no safe path except total commitment.
• Survival versus morality: The disciples understand that killing the witnesses is ruthless, but they believe allowing them to escape would result in their own deaths or political sacrifice.
• The collapse of restraint: Both Jiang Yuechu and Chen Yuan abandon negotiation once the situation reaches a critical point, showing how violence forces increasingly extreme decisions.
• Perception versus reality: The Wusang cultivators had viewed the Jieqing disciples as weak and yielding, but their desperate counterattack reveals that fear can coexist with brutal resolve.
• Power and authority: Jiang Yuechu’s actions demonstrate that overwhelming strength can override threats, sect politics, and conventional expectations of restraint.

Character Interactions

• Junior Brother He tries to intimidate Chen Yuan by invoking Sima’s status as a personal disciple, but the threat only delays the conflict briefly.
• Senior Sister Liu appeals to Jiang Yuechu’s sense of sect affiliation and warns that killing Sima will cause war; Jiang Yuechu dismisses her argument completely.
• Chen Yuan initially fears the consequences of Jiang Yuechu’s actions, but after Sima’s death he aligns himself with her and urges the group to eliminate the remaining enemies.
• The three other Jieqing disciples silently recognize that refusing to participate could make them targets, so they join Chen Yuan’s attack.
• The surviving Wusang cultivators are forced to confront the terrifying reversal: the people they considered timid are now attacking them with the intent to exterminate them all.

Chang'an’s people and the demons in the Princess Residence continued to feel the Grand Princess’s absence. Old Red Flood Dragon was told that the True Lord statue had suddenly vanished.

• Wang Mazi exaggerated the Grand Princess’s feats to a crowd, while an old man silently objected to his story.
• A young maid worried that the Grand Princess might never return, then Niu Ben frightened her by peering at her with his bovine face.
• Hu Cuihua recited a poem about the Grand Princess’s departure, and Old Red Flood Dragon reassured the demons that she would remember them and come back.
• A Demon Suppression Office official rushed into the courtyard and told Old Red Flood Dragon that the True Lord statue had vanished from the True Lord Temple.

Chapter Summary: “Has His Highness Fallen?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• In Chang’an, the True Lord Temple is sealed off by the Demon-Suppression Office after the True Lord’s massive Golden Body mysteriously disappears.
• Emperor Great Tang demands an explanation, but investigators find no signs of battle, spellcraft, or forced removal. The possibility that the Golden Body left on its own is raised.
• An urgent report reveals that all of Great Tang’s Golden Bodies have vanished simultaneously.
• The court realizes this could mean either:
  1. An unprecedented catastrophe has drawn all the Golden Bodies away to defend the empire, or
  2. Their true master—implicitly His Highness—has fallen, causing every Golden Body to disappear.
• Elsewhere, Jiang Yuechu finishes killing three Wusang Sect disciples after a brutal battle. She collects their corpses and storage bags, but suffers serious injuries despite her powerful physique and regenerative abilities.
• Jiang reflects on the terrifying blood-mist technique used by Sima Tang, recognizing it as a Spirit Art Realm technique and becoming interested in acquiring one herself.
• Chen Yuan, Su Liu, Wang Chen, and Mao Yunshang recover after helping restrain the enemies. Jiang thanks them, though they insist their contribution was minimal.
• Chen Yuan warns Jiang that the dead cultivators were Wusang Sect members, including a direct disciple. Even though the evidence has been destroyed, the sect will almost certainly investigate their disappearance and trace the matter back to them.

Character Developments

• The Tang Emperor becomes visibly shaken as the scale of the Golden Bodies’ disappearance becomes clear. His authority cannot conceal his fear that a devastating crisis—or the fall of His Highness—may have occurred.
• Bai Yulou remains rational and investigative, but the synchronized disappearance forces him to confront a deeply alarming possibility he does not dare voice openly.
• Jiang Yuechu demonstrates overwhelming combat strength, defeating three powerful Wusang Sect disciples despite sustaining severe injuries. Her talents—especially Defiant Battle, the Black Heaven Body-Forging Scripture, and Eternal Imperishability—prove essential to surviving the enemy’s strongest attack.
• Rather than fearing the Spirit Art Realm technique used against her, Jiang becomes excited by its power and begins considering how she might obtain a comparable technique.
• Jiang also reveals a practical, cautious side: she wants to preserve her identity as a Jieqing Sect guest elder because the sect provides protection, resources, and opportunities for cultivation.
• Chen Yuan and the other inner disciples are awed by Jiang’s strength. Their confidence in their own role diminishes, but Chen Yuan retains enough composure to recognize the political danger created by the battle.

Significant Themes

• The connection between divine avatars and their true master: The disappearance of every Golden Body suggests that they are directly linked to His Highness, making his possible death a terrifying explanation.
• Hidden catastrophe and uncertainty: The court cannot determine whether the Golden Bodies are defending Great Tang from an unseen enemy or have vanished because their master has fallen.
• Power and escalation: Jiang’s victory reveals that even powerful cultivators may possess devastating hidden techniques, while Spirit Art Realm abilities represent a higher level of combat power.
• Political consequences of strength: Defeating the Wusang Sect disciples removes immediate witnesses but creates the larger threat of investigation and retaliation.
• Pragmatism and survival: Jiang balances confidence in her own strength with the need to maintain useful alliances and conceal her involvement.

Character Interactions

• The emperor interrogates the Demon-Suppression Office, while Bai Yulou attempts to explain the inexplicable disappearance.
• Zhao Zhongliu supports the emperor when he nearly collapses from shock.
• The old Red Flood Dragon reacts with intense fear, even clutching Niu Ben’s leg hair as the implications become clear.
• Jiang Yuechu thanks the four inner disciples for their assistance, surprising them because they believe she achieved the victory almost entirely alone.
• Chen Yuan responds respectfully but candidly, emphasizing that the deaths of Wusang Sect disciples—especially a direct disciple—will inevitably provoke retaliation and investigation.

After the Wusang Sect disciples died, Lu Bancheng offered the Half-Piece Chamber of Commerce to the Jieqing Sect to protect his people. Jiang Yuechu accepted the chamber and obtained a Dao-Union Relic, while Chen Yuan was left to handle the handover.

• Chen Yuan considered killing the Half-Piece Chamber of Commerce witnesses, but Lu Bancheng knelt and blamed the Wusang Sect disciples’ deaths on the Demons.
• Lu Bancheng offered the chamber’s treasury seal and membership register to Jiang Yuechu, pledging the Half-Piece Chamber of Commerce as a Jieqing Sect vassal.
• Chen Yuan warned Jiang Yuechu that accepting the chamber carried risks, since the Wusang Sect could use soul-searching methods to uncover the truth.
• Jiang Yuechu accepted Lu Bancheng’s token and asked whether the chamber held any Dao-Union Relics.
• Lu Bancheng led Jiang Yuechu and the others to the treasury, where she took a Treasure-Grade Dao-Union Relic and told Chen Yuan to handle the assignment handover.
• Jiang Yuechu left with the relic and considered that she now needed more Demons.