Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “A Round of Upgrades”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After returning to Jade Luan Manor, Jiang Yuechu immediately reviews her cultivation resources and decides how to spend her remaining Dao Essence.
• She upgrades Heavenly Demon Divine Ability to the Supreme Realm, consuming 172 Dao Essence. The upgrade causes crimson energy to surge through her body, greatly strengthening her physical power.
• Jiang Yuechu notices that the technique’s effects resemble the physical enhancement granted when Wandering Void Sea cultivators fuse their Dao Paintings with their bodies. She theorizes that Heavenly Demon Divine Ability may have effectively given her a Dao Painting-like physical foundation in advance.
• She speculates that once she reaches the Wandering Void Sea Realm and fuses the Myriad Demon Records into herself, she might possess the benefits of two Dao Paintings.
• She then upgrades Mountain Might to the Supreme Realm, spending over 70 Dao Essence. Although the improvement is less dramatic, it further solidifies her body and foundation.
• With 690 Dao Essence remaining, Jiang Yuechu turns to strengthening her Myriad Demon Records by recording the corpse of White Horse Venerable.
• The recording consumes over 300 Dao Essence and raises the Dao Painting’s grade from Mystic Rank, Seventh Grade to Mystic Rank, Fifth Grade, while adding White Horse’s phantom as a new combatant.
• Disappointed that she receives no obvious cultivation technique or divine ability in return, Jiang Yuechu interrogates White Horse’s phantom.
• White Horse reveals that his sudden breakthrough during battle came from the Buddhist Sect technique Ten Abodes Reincarnation Sutra. He had accumulated power through three reincarnations and released the sealed foundation of all three lives when forced into desperation.
• The technique allowed him to reach a higher realm temporarily, but at the cost of destroying his accumulated foundation and severing his future path of cultivation.

Character Development

• Jiang Yuechu remains practical, detached, and highly focused on efficiency. She refuses to become involved in Tang Qingyuan and Gong Qiulan’s emotional problems, viewing love and grudges as distractions.
• Her confidence in her own combat foundation grows as she recognizes that Heavenly Demon Divine Ability may already give her physical strength comparable to a Wandering Void Sea cultivator.
• Despite her cold and calculating nature, she demonstrates a methodical understanding of cultivation: even minor improvements matter because accumulated refinements enabled her to defeat White Horse Venerable across realms.
• She also shows curiosity and strategic foresight. Rather than merely strengthening herself, she seeks to uncover the secrets of White Horse’s technique and the Buddhist Sect’s hidden methods.
• White Horse Venerable, now reduced to a phantom within the Myriad Demon Records, becomes submissive and cooperative. His explanation reveals that his earlier power came not from a normal breakthrough but from sacrificing the achievements of three reincarnated lives.

Significant Themes

• Accumulation and foundation: Jiang Yuechu emphasizes that overwhelming strength is built through countless seemingly minor improvements. Even the less impressive upgrade to Mountain Might contributes to her long-term power.
• Power gained through sacrifice: The Ten Abodes Reincarnation Sutra grants explosive strength by consuming the practitioner’s past cultivation and future potential, contrasting with Jiang Yuechu’s steady and sustainable advancement.
• Efficiency versus waste: Jiang Yuechu carefully evaluates every expenditure of Dao Essence and becomes irritated when recording White Horse appears to provide little direct benefit.
• The limits of conjecture: Jiang Yuechu forms a potentially groundbreaking theory about Heavenly Demon Divine Ability but acknowledges that it cannot be confirmed until she reaches the Wandering Void Sea Realm.
• Detachment from ordinary emotions: Her refusal to concern herself with romantic conflict reinforces her identity as someone driven by cultivation, strength, and practical results rather than personal entanglements.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Yuechu does not participate in or investigate the resolution of Tang Qingyuan and Gong Qiulan’s relationship conflict.
• Her primary interaction is with the White Horse phantom inside the Myriad Demon Records. She questions him directly about his battlefield breakthrough.
• White Horse addresses her as his master and fully explains the Ten Abodes Reincarnation Sutra, including its three reincarnations, sealed foundations, and devastating cost.
• Jiang Yuechu listens without sympathy or admiration. She concludes that the technique is largely useless to her because she has no need to sacrifice years of cultivation for an instantaneous breakthrough.

Summary: “Affairs of the Buddhist Sect”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Yuechu abandons the ineffective cultivation technique and turns her attention to more urgent matters.
• Having captured both White Horse Venerable and White Ape Lord, she awakens them and interrogates them about the Buddhist Sect.
• The two Venerables explain that the Buddhist Sect and Heavenly Court originated from the same ancient tradition, jointly ruled by the Three Buddhas and Three Venerables, and coexisted for countless years.
• Their philosophies eventually diverged:
  • The Heavenly Court followed divine abilities and sought unity between heaven and humanity.
  • The Buddhist Sect pursued karma and Fleshly Sainthood.
• After the ancient supreme beings disappeared, conflict broke out, splitting the original unified order into the modern Heavenly Court and Buddhist Sect.
• The Heavenly Court retained control of the Nine Provinces and the complete immortal inheritance, allowing it to suppress and nearly destroy the Buddhist Sect repeatedly.
• The Buddhist Sect’s current hope is the Buddha Child, a Myriad-Forms Heaven cultivator who is believed to be the reincarnation of one of the ancient Three Buddhas.
• Jiang Yuechu questions why the Heavenly Court has not acted against the Buddha Child. She learns that the Buddhist Sect has produced many supposed reincarnations before, but none successfully recovered their former memories or cultivation, so the Heavenly Court has not considered the Buddha Child an immediate threat.
• She also asks how the Buddhist Sect might respond to the deaths of White Horse Venerable, White Ape Lord, and numerous other Great Demons. The answer is uncertain, but a future retaliation would likely involve a Myriad-Forms Heaven expert rather than more Wandering Void Sea Realm Venerables.
• Recognizing the danger, Jiang Yuechu decides to strengthen herself quickly, particularly through Incense-Fire Power and Merit, before the Buddhist Sect can launch a stronger attack.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu becomes more strategically focused. Rather than dwelling on the useless cultivation technique, she prioritizes gathering intelligence and preparing for a likely confrontation with a powerful Buddhist cultivator.
• She demonstrates increasing confidence and authority by interrogating two Buddhist Venerables and calmly evaluating the political and military implications of their information.
• Her understanding of the larger world expands as she learns the true origins of the Heavenly Court, Buddhist Sect, and Buddha Child.
• White Horse Venerable is resigned to its defeat and current status as a spirit within Jiang Yuechu’s painting. Despite serving the opposing side, it provides information honestly and patiently.
• White Ape Lord supports White Horse Venerable’s account, filling in historical details and emphasizing the Buddhist Sect’s precarious position.
• The Buddha Child is established as the Buddhist Sect’s central source of hope and the potential catalyst for a major transformation of the Nine Provinces.

Significant Themes

• Ideological division and historical inheritance: The Heavenly Court and Buddhist Sect share common origins but became enemies because of fundamentally different cultivation philosophies.
• The uncertainty of reincarnation: The Buddha Child’s identity grants him enormous potential, but past reincarnations have generally failed, making his future uncertain.
• Power and survival: The Buddhist Sect has endured through concealment and resilience despite the Heavenly Court’s overwhelming advantages.
• Strategic preparation: Jiang Yuechu understands that survival depends on anticipating the enemy’s next move rather than merely reacting to present events.
• Limits of knowledge: Even high-ranking Venerables lack access to the deepest secrets of reincarnation and the ancient Buddhas, forcing Jiang Yuechu to seek stronger sources of information in the future.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Yuechu questions White Horse Venerable and White Ape Lord as captives, using their complementary knowledge to investigate the Buddhist Sect.
• White Horse Venerable initially recognizes that White Ape Lord resembles—but is not identical to—the Buddhist White Ape, confirming that the original entity likely died.
• The Venerables explain the Buddhist Sect’s history, the Buddha Child’s significance, and the likely consequences of their deaths.
• Jiang Yuechu challenges their explanations with logical questions about the Three Buddhas, the Heavenly Court’s inaction, and possible retaliation.
• After obtaining the information, she dismisses both Venerables and ends her connection to the Scroll World, turning her attention to increasing her Incense-Fire Power and Merit.

Chapter Summary: “A Few Hometown Folks Want to Come Join Me”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After Jiang Yuechu defeated more than ten Buddhist Sect Great Demons and rescued Gong Qiulan, the residents of Jade Luan Manor treat her as a savior.
• Because Zi Ling and Kongming accompanied Jiang Yuechu, the fox demons extend the same gratitude and respect to them, making Zi Ling extremely uncomfortable.
• Zi Ling complains that she is receiving praise for achievements that were not hers and tries to avoid the overly enthusiastic fox-demon attendants.
• She urges Jiang Yuechu to leave the Eight Hundred Miles of Linked Clouds before the Buddhist Sect retaliates with a powerful Myriad-Forms Heaven Realm expert.
• Jiang Yuechu calmly refuses to leave, saying she knows what she is doing. Kongming also chooses to remain, treating the situation as a cultivation trial.
• Jiang Yuechu reveals that she wants to bring living beings from the painting into the Eight Hundred Miles of Linked Clouds, primarily to develop Incense-Fire Power.
• Kongming explains that privately relocating them to the Nine Provinces would violate Heavenly Court laws, but doing so within the Eight Hundred Miles of Linked Clouds should be permitted.
• He advises Jiang Yuechu to ask Jade Luan Manor to provide land and protection, since the region contains many dangerous demons and competing forces.
• Jiang Yuechu accepts the advice and goes to ask Fairy Jadeface to arrange a place for her “hometown folks.”

Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu remains calm, decisive, and confident despite provoking the Buddhist Sect. Her focus shifts from immediate escape to establishing a long-term base and cultivating Incense-Fire Power.
• Zi Ling displays unusual caution and self-awareness. Although normally impulsive and eager for recognition, she feels guilty receiving credit for Jiang Yuechu’s accomplishments and believes staying behind is reckless.
• Kongming continues to act as the composed mediator. He gently comforts Zi Ling, supports Jiang Yuechu’s decision, and provides practical guidance about laws, risks, and settlement.
• Jiang Yuechu and Kongming become more openly cooperative as she begins trusting him with her plans.

Significant Themes

• Misplaced recognition and genuine merit: Zi Ling’s discomfort highlights the difference between receiving praise and actually earning it.
• Courage versus prudence: Zi Ling’s caution contrasts with Jiang Yuechu and Kongming’s willingness to remain in danger for a larger purpose.
• Building a power base: Jiang Yuechu’s plan to relocate beings from the painting suggests a transition from reacting to threats toward establishing influence and resources.
• Law and autonomy: The Heavenly Court’s restrictions conflict with the relative freedom of the Eight Hundred Miles of Linked Clouds, making the region strategically valuable.
• Protection and responsibility: Jiang Yuechu must consider not only her own safety but also the safety of the people she intends to bring over.

Important Character Interactions

• Zi Ling and Kongming: Zi Ling vents her frustration, while Kongming tactfully reassures her rather than pointing out her usual desire for praise.
• Zi Ling and Jiang Yuechu: Zi Ling urges Jiang Yuechu to flee, but Jiang Yuechu dismisses her concerns with quiet confidence.
• Jiang Yuechu and Kongming: Jiang Yuechu asks for his advice about moving people from the painting. Kongming responds honestly and warns her to secure land and protection.
• Jiang Yuechu and Jade Luan Manor: The chapter ends with Jiang Yuechu approaching Fairy Jadeface to request a settlement for the people she plans to bring from her homeland.

Chapter Summary: “A Few Hundred Million Fellow Townsfolk”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Yuechu meets Gong Qiulan in a quiet pavilion to ask for help relocating her “fellow townsfolk.”
• Gong Qiulan, grateful because Jiang Yuechu once saved her life, readily offers to provide land—even suggesting Jiang could establish an entire sect within the manor’s territory.
• Gong Qiulan initially assumes Jiang means hundreds or thousands of people, but Jiang reveals that she may be bringing several tens of millions from her original world, Great Tang.
• Gong Qiulan is shocked, explaining that all the demons and cultivators in Eight Hundred Miles of Linked Clouds number only about one million.
• She clarifies that outsiders cannot simply settle on unused land. Residents must absorb the world’s spiritual energy for a long time before they become accepted by its laws and can generate recognized Incense-Fire Power and Merit.
• Eight Hundred Miles of Linked Clouds, being only an eighth-grade treasured land, cannot support such a massive influx. Even an additional million people would severely strain its spiritual energy, and tens of millions would turn the region into a spiritually barren wasteland within a century.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu is portrayed as powerful yet inexperienced in the customs and limitations of the cultivation world. She comes from a densely populated world and is genuinely surprised that the local population is so small.
• Her rapid cultivation is emphasized: she has reached tremendous strength in only a few years, unlike ordinary Painting Realm cultivators, who may spend centuries or millennia in seclusion.
• Despite her immense responsibilities, Jiang has little opportunity to rest and remains focused on protecting the people connected to her.
• Gong Qiulan demonstrates gratitude, generosity, and growing admiration for Jiang. Learning that Jiang rose from an obscure background without powerful sects or elders supporting her makes Gong Qiulan even more eager to befriend her.
• Gong Qiulan also reveals herself as practical and knowledgeable, balancing her willingness to help with an understanding of the world’s ecological and spiritual limits.

Significant Themes

• The burden of responsibility: Jiang’s extraordinary strength does not grant her peace; she is constantly pressured to advance while protecting others.
• World-building and spiritual ecology: Spiritual energy functions like a limited natural resource. Population, settlement, and cultivation must be managed according to the carrying capacity of each region.
• Cultural and worldly differences: Jiang’s assumptions are shaped by Great Tang’s enormous population, while Gong Qiulan comes from a sparsely populated cultivation world.
• Origins versus achievement: Jiang’s lack of prestigious backing contrasts with her astonishing accomplishments, reinforcing the theme that talent and perseverance can rival inherited advantages.
• Belonging and legitimacy: Outsiders need to be spiritually recognized by the new world before they can fully participate in its systems of Merit and Incense-Fire Power.

Character Interactions

• Gong Qiulan serves Jiang tea and explains that human-like rituals help demons calm their minds, prompting Jiang to reflect on how little time she has for leisure.
• Jiang directly asks Gong Qiulan to shelter her people, while Gong Qiulan immediately offers more help than requested because of her debt to Jiang.
• Their conversation shifts from warm hospitality to mutual realization: Jiang underestimates the scale of her request, while Gong Qiulan discovers that Jiang comes from another world and possesses an enormous population under her care.
• By the end, no settlement plan has been finalized, but Gong Qiulan has established that Eight Hundred Miles of Linked Clouds cannot accommodate Jiang’s people without exhausting its spiritual resources.

Jiang Yuechu learned that the Eight Hundred Miles of Linked Clouds could not support a large influx of people, so she arranged to bring ten thousand of her people into Jade Luan Manor. In Chang'an, Demon Emperor Juechen and the others waited idly until Jiang Yuechu returned to Princess Zhaoyue's Residence.

• Gong Qiulan explained that treasure lands had nine ranks and that the eighth-rank Eight Hundred Miles of Linked Clouds could not support tens of millions of new residents.
• Jiang Yuechu decided to begin by bringing ten thousand people over, and Gong Qiulan offered them a secluded area within Jade Luan Manor.
• Jiang Yuechu considered the settlement a small first step toward establishing a foothold in the Present World.
• In Chang'an, Demon Emperor Juechen watched Old Red Flood Dragon and Niu Ben bicker over tea while lamenting Jiang Yuechu's absence.
• Jiang Yuechu returned to Princess Zhaoyue's Residence, startling the demons and prompting them to greet her.

Chapter Summary: “Long-Awaited Peace”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Yuechu returns to the Princess Residence in Chang’an after prolonged fighting against Painting-Realm Demon cultivators.
• Seeing the four demons stationed there—Old Red Flood Dragon, Niu Ben, and the others—briefly allows her to relax and feel like Princess Zhaoyue rather than a battle-hardened warrior.
• She notices that Xuan Yuanming is absent and asks where he is.
• Old Red Flood Dragon exaggerates the group’s idleness, claiming that they have been secretly protecting Chang’an and supporting Xuan Yuanming’s external patrols.
• Xuan Yuanming suddenly appears behind Jiang Yuechu, exposing the dragon’s lies and embarrassing the four demons.
• Jiang Yuechu recognizes that the four demons have been largely useless, but she does not reprimand them because their weak cultivation makes her expectations low.
• She asks Xuan Yuanming about the Cloud-Dream Realm.
• He reports that, following the Cloud-Dream Palace Lord’s death and Jiang Yuechu’s withdrawal, the realm has descended into chaos. The Nine Great Dao Sects launched a major counterattack, while the demons of the Four Cloud-Dream Palaces fragmented and retreated.
• Because of the turmoil and fear surrounding the Palace Lord’s death, no one in the Cloud-Dream Realm currently has the time—or courage—to threaten the Great Tang.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu: Her return reveals a brief emotional vulnerability and longing for peace. Although she feels comforted by the familiar demons, she quickly suppresses those emotions and resumes her composed, detached demeanor. She also demonstrates practical leadership by assessing the situation without wasting energy on trivial reprimands.
• Old Red Flood Dragon: Remains shamelessly opportunistic and boastful, using elaborate flattery to disguise his laziness. His ability to manipulate appearances is contrasted with his obvious lack of actual vigilance.
• Xuan Yuanming: Is shown to be genuinely dutiful and highly capable. Unlike the other demons, he has been tirelessly patrolling the Great Tang and immediately detects Jiang Yuechu’s arrival. His loyalty appears sincere, especially because he continues protecting the kingdom despite knowing it is unlikely to be attacked.
• The Four Demons: Their comic idleness is exposed, but they are also portrayed as familiar companions whose presence gives Jiang Yuechu a rare sense of ease.

Significant Themes

• Peace after violence: Jiang Yuechu’s brief relaxation emphasizes how deeply the constant fighting has burdened her.
• Duty versus appearance: The contrast between Xuan Yuanming’s real service and the four demons’ fabricated “contributions” highlights the difference between genuine responsibility and self-serving rhetoric.
• The value of companionship: Though initially gathered for practical reasons, the demons have become emotionally meaningful to Jiang Yuechu.
• Political consequences of power: The Cloud-Dream Realm’s collapse after the Palace Lord’s death demonstrates how dependent its structure was on a single dominant figure. Jiang Yuechu’s reputation also serves as a deterrent against attacks on the Great Tang.
• Pragmatic leadership: Jiang Yuechu understands her subordinates’ limitations and focuses on what truly matters rather than demanding perfection from weak allies.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Yuechu questions the four demons about Xuan Yuanming, prompting Old Red Flood Dragon’s elaborate self-defense.
• Old Red Flood Dragon flatters Jiang Yuechu and attempts to portray idleness as strategic protection.
• Xuan Yuanming’s unexpected arrival undercuts the dragon’s claims, creating a humorous and tense exchange.
• Jiang Yuechu remains silent during the confrontation, clearly recognizing the truth without needing to state it.
• She then shifts the conversation from the demons’ behavior to the broader political situation, treating Xuan Yuanming as the reliable source of information.

Chapter Summary: “The Chu Brothers”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Yuechu reflects on the mysteries of the Dao Painting and worries that the sealed passage between Great Tang and the Cloud-Dream Realm may still be vulnerable to intrusion.
• Although she can instantly return to the Dao Painting and suppress enemies as its master, she dislikes the possibility of outsiders secretly probing Great Tang’s defenses.
• She decides that bringing people to Eight Hundred Miles of Linked Clouds is now a priority and orders the demons in her courtyard to prepare to accompany her. Xuan Yuanming becomes excited, believing the long-promised “path to heaven” may finally be arriving.
• In Chang’an, Emperor Li Chenggan anxiously worries about his missing younger sister, Gu Yue—Jiang Yuechu’s identity in the imperial family. His attendant gently reminds him that she is powerful enough to defeat almost anyone who threatens her.
• Li Chenggan remains uneasy, claiming that both of his eyes have been twitching, which the old eunuch humorously interprets as a possible sign of both great fortune and disaster.
• Jiang Yuechu suddenly arrives at the imperial study. Li Chenggan rushes out to greet her in an uncharacteristically undignified manner, revealing how deeply he has missed and worried about her.
• The setting then shifts to Blackwater Pool in Eight Hundred Miles of Linked Clouds, a dangerous and desolate region ruled by the brothers Chu Zhenshan and Chu Duanliu.
• Though Blackwater Pool has few followers compared with Jade Luan Manor, the Chu brothers’ immense strength has allowed them to resist the manor’s influence for years.
• Chu Duanliu reports that Jade Luan Manor’s leader, Gong Qiulan, recently killed members of the Buddhist Sect at a wedding and allowed an outsider to establish a settlement within her territory.
• He views these actions as an aggressive challenge and urges his brother to confront Jade Luan Manor immediately.
• Chu Zhenshan restrains him, explaining that their Patriarch is nearing the end of a crucial seclusion. He believes they should wait until the Patriarch emerges and victory is assured.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu: Demonstrates increasing awareness of her responsibilities as master of the Dao Painting and as a political force. She is cautious about external threats but decisive when action is needed, particularly regarding the relocation of her people to Eight Hundred Miles of Linked Clouds.
• Xuan Yuanming: His calm composure breaks when Jiang Yuechu orders the demons to prepare, showing his eagerness and hope that she will fulfill her promise to help him advance.
• Li Chenggan: His deep attachment to Jiang Yuechu becomes evident. Despite being emperor, he is distracted by worry over her safety and abandons all dignity when she returns.
• The old eunuch: Acts as a practical and humorous counterpoint to Li Chenggan’s anxiety. He understands that Jiang Yuechu is far more dangerous than vulnerable, but tactfully avoids saying so.
• Chu Zhenshan: Appears patient, strategic, and cautious. He prioritizes timing and certainty over impulsive action.
• Chu Duanliu: Is aggressive, proud, and easily provoked. He believes the brothers’ current power is sufficient to challenge Jade Luan Manor without waiting for their Patriarch.

Significant Themes

• Power and vulnerability: Even powerful figures remain concerned about hidden threats, sealed passages, and outsiders encroaching on their territory.
• Family affection: Li Chenggan’s exaggerated concern and joyful reunion with Jiang Yuechu highlight the strength of their sibling bond.
• Patience versus aggression: The disagreement between the Chu brothers establishes a conflict between careful strategic preparation and immediate retaliation.
• Political and territorial tension: Jade Luan Manor’s dealings with outsiders and the Buddhist Sect threaten to destabilize the longstanding balance of power in Eight Hundred Miles of Linked Clouds.
• Hidden strength: Several factions appear smaller or weaker than their rivals, yet possess enough power or secret backing to maintain independence.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Yuechu gives the courtyard demons a direct order, prompting Xuan Yuanming’s hopeful reaction.
• Li Chenggan and the old eunuch exchange a humorous conversation about Jiang Yuechu’s safety, with the eunuch reassuring the emperor while privately recognizing that she is likely the dangerous party.
• Jiang Yuechu and Li Chenggan reunite warmly, with her calm greeting contrasting sharply with his emotional and uncontrolled rush to meet her.
• Chu Duanliu confronts Chu Zhenshan over Jade Luan Manor’s recent actions and demands immediate intervention.
• Chu Zhenshan counters his brother’s anger with restraint, insisting that they wait for their Patriarch to emerge from seclusion before beginning a potentially decisive conflict.

Chapter Summary

Plot Points and Events

• Chu Duanliu pressures his elder brother, Chu Zhenshan, to respond to Jade Luan Manor’s decision to allocate territory to a group of unknown outsiders in the Eight Hundred Miles of Linked Clouds.
• He argues that allowing outsiders to settle there violates the region’s established rules and would make Blackwater Pool appear weak.
• Rather than confront Jade Luan Manor directly, Chu Duanliu proposes secretly killing the outsiders. He believes Gong Qiulan would not risk open conflict with Blackwater Pool over their deaths.
• Chu Duanliu further persuades Chu Zhenshan by raising their uncertain future. Their ancestor, a powerful demon from the Nine Provinces, may abandon them after breaking into the Myriad-Forms Heaven realm and returning to the immortal houses.
• Convinced that they must secure more resources for themselves while the ancestor remains in seclusion, Chu Zhenshan agrees to the plan and allows Chu Duanliu to handle the attack.
• Afterward, Chu Zhenshan reassures himself that the ancestor’s presence will protect them if anything goes wrong, then resumes cultivation in preparation for the coming action.
• Meanwhile, Princess Zhaoyue’s return to the Great Tang capital causes widespread celebration. Chang’an is decorated, crowds gather, and Emperor Li Chenggan spends two days personally accompanying his younger sister around the city.
• Two nights later, Jiang Yuechu attends a banquet with the emperor, officials of the Demon Suppression Office, members of the Elixir Cauldron Sect, and several demon allies.
• She ends the festivities by announcing that she has an important matter to discuss—one connected to Great Tang’s national fortune—and insists that the assembled trusted figures remain to hear it.

Character Developments

• Chu Duanliu is revealed as ambitious, ruthless, and manipulative. He exploits his brother’s insecurity about their ancestor’s possible abandonment and disguises his dangerous proposal as concern for Blackwater Pool’s future.
• Chu Zhenshan appears outwardly calm and mature but is deeply fearful of losing the ancestor’s protection and being left without sufficient cultivation resources. His caution ultimately gives way to aggression.
• The ancestor of Blackwater Pool remains an unseen but dominant influence. Its power protects the brothers and grants them status, yet its possible departure creates anxiety and motivates their expansionist plans.
• Jiang Yuechu displays emotional restraint and political seriousness. Though touched by her brother’s affection and the peaceful welcome, she quickly shifts her attention toward matters affecting the entire empire.
• Li Chenggan is shown as a devoted elder brother who temporarily sets aside imperial duties to welcome and entertain Jiang Yuechu.

Significant Themes

• Ambition versus loyalty: The Chu brothers’ loyalty to their ancestor is mixed with fear that they will be abandoned, prompting them to act in their own interests.
• Power and insecurity: Blackwater Pool’s authority depends heavily on the ancestor’s reputation, leaving its leaders anxious about their position once that protection disappears.
• Political opportunism: Chu Duanliu seeks to exploit a seemingly minor dispute to strengthen Blackwater Pool’s influence without provoking a direct confrontation.
• Family bonds and manipulation: The brothers’ relationship is genuinely close, but Chu Duanliu uses familial trust to steer Chu Zhenshan toward murder.
• Personal affection versus public duty: Jiang Yuechu’s reunion with Li Chenggan emphasizes family warmth, but her later announcement redirects the chapter toward national responsibility and the fate of Great Tang.

Character Interactions

• Chu Duanliu repeatedly reasons with and pressures Chu Zhenshan, first suggesting resistance to Jade Luan Manor and then proposing the killing of the outsiders.
• Chu Zhenshan initially hesitates but is persuaded when Chu Duanliu questions whether their ancestor will remember or protect them in the future.
• Their exchange demonstrates both brotherly trust and unequal influence: Chu Zhenshan makes the final decision, but Chu Duanliu clearly drives the plan.
• Jiang Yuechu and Li Chenggan share a warm reunion, with the emperor openly enjoying time with his sister.
• At the banquet, Jiang Yuechu addresses Li Chenggan and the gathered allies collectively, signaling that her forthcoming revelation concerns all of them and the wider national fortune.

Chapter Summary: “Not Many, Just About Ten Thousand”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Yuechu reveals to the leaders of Great Tang that beyond their homeland lies the vast Nine Provinces, a world inhabited by immortals, Buddhas, demons, and devils.
• She explains that ordinary people there can live for roughly five hundred years, with some reaching six or seven centuries, astonishing everyone present.
• Jiang Yuechu confirms that the Heavenly Court truly exists and says she currently serves there, though she modestly denies being a true immortal or deity.
• Her revelation initially causes the gathered officials and prodigies to feel insignificant and discouraged, particularly You Wujiang and Gu Wanlan, who realize how small Great Tang is compared with the outside world.
• Bai Yulou vows that Great Tang will defend its borders so Jiang Yuechu can remain free to pursue her affairs in the Nine Provinces. The others rise in agreement, assuming she intends to leave them behind or needs their support.
• Jiang Yuechu clarifies that she has obtained a piece of land in the outside world and intends to bring people from Great Tang there.
• Bai Yulou and Zhao Zhongliu, both elderly and nearing the limits of their cultivation, voluntarily choose to remain behind to guard Great Tang and leave the opportunity to younger people.
• The old Red Flood Dragon desperately asks how many people Jiang Yuechu can take, fearing that its low status and weak cultivation will exclude it.
• Jiang Yuechu finally reveals that she plans to bring “around ten thousand” people, making the supposedly limited opportunity far larger than everyone expected.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu appears calm, capable, and increasingly established in the wider world. She has secured land and influence in the Nine Provinces, yet remains concerned with bringing her people along rather than abandoning them.
• Li Chenggan is shocked by the scale of the outside world and becomes deeply emotional, imagining the hardships Jiang Yuechu must have endured alone.
• You Wujiang and Gu Wanlan experience humility and self-doubt after realizing that their status as Great Tang prodigies means little compared with the broader world.
• Bai Yulou and Zhao Zhongliu demonstrate loyalty, responsibility, and self-sacrifice by choosing to remain in Great Tang and protect the homeland.
• The old Red Flood Dragon is portrayed comically as selfish but ambitious. Unlike the elders, it eagerly seeks the chance to advance by following Jiang Yuechu to the Nine Provinces.
• The gathered officials and cultivators move from awe and insecurity to renewed hope once they learn that migration to the outside world is possible.

Significant Themes

• The vastness of the world: Great Tang’s inhabitants discover that their homeland is only a small part of a much larger and more extraordinary universe.
• Humility and perspective: Even celebrated figures such as You Wujiang and Gu Wanlan are forced to reconsider their importance when confronted with the Nine Provinces.
• Duty versus personal advancement: Bai Yulou and Zhao Zhongliu sacrifice the chance to pursue greater cultivation in order to defend their homeland.
• Loyalty and responsibility: Jiang Yuechu’s desire to bring thousands of people with her shows that she has not forgotten Great Tang despite her rise in the outside world.
• Hope and opportunity: The Nine Provinces represent not only danger and disparity but also the possibility of longer lives, greater cultivation, and a new future.
• Comedic understatement: Jiang Yuechu calls ten thousand people “not many,” creating a humorous contrast with everyone else’s understanding of the supposedly limited arrangement.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Yuechu patiently answers the leaders’ questions about immortals, the Heavenly Court, and the Nine Provinces.
• Bai Yulou publicly pledges the Demon Suppression Office’s loyalty and promises to defend Great Tang for her sake.
• Jiang Yuechu gently corrects the group when they misinterpret her intentions, revealing that she is not asking them merely to guard the homeland.
• Bai Yulou and Zhao Zhongliu jointly refuse the opportunity to leave, prompting an emotional reaction from You Wujiang, who regards Bai as his master.
• The old Red Flood Dragon interrupts the solemn discussion to plead for information about the number of available places, contrasting its personal ambition with the elders’ selflessness.
• Jiang Yuechu stops the others from rebuking the dragon and delivers the final revelation that approximately ten thousand people may be brought to the Nine Provinces.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Yuechu finalizes the group that will accompany her to Eight Hundred Miles of Linked Clouds. The expedition includes elite talents from the Demon Suppression Office and several cultivators from the Elixir Cauldron Sect, but she deliberately leaves her imperial brother, Emperor Li Chenggan, behind because of his responsibilities and concerns for his safety.
• Before departing, Jiang repairs the nine Golden Bodies guarding Great Tang. Through her connection to the Dao Painting, she can return quickly if the empire is threatened.
• Jiang discovers that she cannot transport the others through the Dao Painting as she herself once traveled. Instead, she produces five enormous treasure ships borrowed from Jade Luan Manor.
• Great Tang effectively relocates a huge amount of its wealth and supplies, filling the ships with heavy chests and necessities. Jiang initially considers this excessive but allows it when she sees the people’s concern about burdening her in the new world.
• The citizens of Chang’an gather to witness the departure. Jiang exchanges a final glance with her brother before leading the people aboard.
• As the ships rise into the night sky, Li Chenggan reflects on how Jiang is bringing an entire nation toward a higher realm. He praises her achievement in a stirring declaration, inspiring the citizens to shout for Great Tang’s prosperity and Jiang’s victory.
• The five ships begin their journey through the clouds. Jiang personally supervises the migration rather than entrusting it entirely to her subordinates, fearing that an accident could destroy Great Tang’s strongest forces.
• During the journey, several travelers approach Jiang to ask for guidance about surviving and conducting themselves in the unfamiliar world they are about to enter.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu demonstrates responsibility, foresight, and protectiveness. She prepares defensive measures for Great Tang, personally escorts the migration, and worries deeply about the safety of her people despite her limited time and numerous other obligations.
• Li Chenggan shows both emotional attachment to his sister and pride in her accomplishments. Though he is disappointed not to accompany her, he understands her reasoning and celebrates her role in elevating the entire nation.
• The citizens and cultivators of Great Tang reveal their devotion and determination. Their eagerness to bring supplies reflects both their anxiety about the unknown and their desire not to depend excessively on Jiang.
• The old Red Flood Dragon provides a lively, comic contrast to the otherwise solemn preparations, arriving in an extravagant red robe and enthusiastically urging Jiang to begin the departure.

Significant Themes

• Collective advancement: The chapter expands the idea of “one man attains the Dao, even chickens and dogs ascend to heaven” from an individual’s family to an entire nation. Jiang’s success benefits all of Great Tang.
• Leadership and responsibility: Jiang’s power is inseparable from her duty to protect and guide her people. She refuses to treat the migration casually and personally oversees its most dangerous stage.
• Home and sacrifice: The departure is both triumphant and bittersweet. Jiang leaves behind her brother and the familiar mortal realm, while the people abandon their homeland in pursuit of a new future.
• Faith in the unknown: The travelers carry immense supplies because they fear what awaits them, yet they still choose to follow Jiang into an unfamiliar world.
• National unity and pride: The citizens’ chants and Li Chenggan’s speech frame the migration as a shared achievement rather than merely Jiang’s personal journey.

Character Interactions

• Jiang exchanges a quiet, understanding glance with Li Chenggan before departure, conveying their close sibling bond without words.
• The old eunuch tries to comfort the emperor, but Li Chenggan sharply dismisses the explanation, making clear that he understands Jiang’s motives himself.
• Jiang gently scolds the people for overpacking, then relents when she realizes they are trying to avoid causing her trouble.
• Li Chenggan’s speech transforms the citizens’ anxiety and excitement into collective enthusiasm, prompting their cries of support for Great Tang and Jiang.
• At the end of the chapter, representatives of the migrants approach Jiang respectfully, asking her to explain the dangers and rules of the new world, setting up the next stage of the journey.

Jiang Yuechu brought the people of Great Tang to settle at Wind-Listening River, where the rich spiritual energy amazed Xuan Yuanming. Nearby, Chu Zhenshan and Chu Duanliu decided to seize the settlement and kill its inhabitants after Jade Luan Manor’s people left.

• Palace Second Sister welcomed Jiang Yuechu and showed her the prepared town at Wind-Listening River.
• Jiang Yuechu told the people of Great Tang to settle in, while Xuan Yuanming sensed that the treasure land’s spiritual energy could slowly advance his cultivation.
• Chu Duanliu judged the newcomers to be weak, and Chu Zhenshan’s doubts about their backing faded after examining them.
• Chu Duanliu urged Chu Zhenshan to attack once Jade Luan Manor’s people departed and take Wind-Listening River for Blackwater Pool.
• Chu Zhenshan praised his brother, and the two Great Demons vowed to walk the Great Dao together.

Chapter Summary: “Are They Really Here to Bring Gifts?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Great Tang’s forces successfully occupy Wind-Listening River’s county town. The city, previously empty, is quickly organized under their control, with Great Tang banners raised on the walls.
• Old Red Flood Dragon, Niu Ben, Hu Cuihua, and other demons establish a manor in the southern part of the city as their base.
• Jiang Yuechu oversees the settlement from the former county yamen while Zhao Zhongliu, You Wujiang, Gu Wanlan, and Zhou Xuan report that all personnel have been placed.
• The group waits for Jiang Yuechu’s instructions about how to proceed in this unfamiliar and dangerous world.
• Jiang Yuechu reveals that someone has already arrived to “bring them something,” recalling His Highness’s earlier claim that the local people were friendly and generous.
• Several powerful demonic auras suddenly invade the city, immediately revealing that the visitors are not peaceful guests.
• The newcomers confront Great Tang’s forces and warn them that they do not belong in this land and should have remained in their remote homeland.
• Great Tang’s forces prepare for battle, realizing that the so-called “gifts” are actually an aggressive challenge or attack.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu demonstrates composure and authority. She remains calm despite the threatening demonic presence and does not allow the others’ anxiety to affect her.
• Zhao Zhongliu shows caution and diplomatic instincts by suggesting that Great Tang prepare return gifts for its new neighbors, hoping to preserve proper etiquette.
• You Wujiang and Gu Wanlan appear uneasy in the unfamiliar immortal world, reflecting the uncertainty of the newly arrived forces.
• Zhou Xuan supports Zhao Zhongliu’s diplomatic approach and offers the Elixir Cauldron Sect’s medicinal pills as possible gifts.
• Old Red Flood Dragon initially focuses on establishing a comfortable base but becomes wary and exasperated when the hostile visitors arrive. His distrust of the situation contrasts with the group’s earlier hopeful interpretation.
• Niu Ben provides comic relief by sincerely asking whether the attackers should receive return gifts, showing how literally some of the group took His Highness’s assurances.
• The entire Great Tang contingent shifts from cautious optimism to battle readiness as the visitors’ hostile intentions become clear.

Significant Themes

• Disillusionment versus optimism: His Highness’s description of the region as friendly and cooperative is tested almost immediately, exposing the gap between reassuring words and harsh reality.
• The danger of the unknown: Great Tang has entered a powerful world ruled by immortals, demons, and monsters, where its forces must establish themselves despite lacking knowledge of local customs and threats.
• Diplomacy and survival: The characters initially consider etiquette and gift-giving, but the sudden invasion demonstrates that goodwill may not be enough to secure peace.
• Composure under pressure: Jiang Yuechu’s calm leadership contrasts with the others’ uncertainty, establishing her as a stabilizing figure.
• Humor amid danger: The repeated misunderstanding of “bringing gifts,” especially Niu Ben’s question about return gifts, lightens an otherwise tense first confrontation.

Character Interactions

• Zhao Zhongliu, You Wujiang, Gu Wanlan, and Zhou Xuan look to Jiang Yuechu for direction after the city is secured.
• Zhao Zhongliu and Zhou Xuan discuss preparing return gifts, revealing their desire to avoid offending the locals.
• Jiang Yuechu calmly corrects their assumptions by stating that the visitors’ offering is “rather special.”
• Old Red Flood Dragon asks You Wujiang what is happening, and You Wujiang repeats the claim that the newcomers came to bring gifts.
• The hostile leader directly addresses Jiang Yuechu’s group, attempting to intimidate them and undermine their confidence.
• Niu Ben’s innocent question about returning gifts provokes Old Red Flood Dragon’s furious rejection, emphasizing the absurdity of the situation.
• The chapter ends with Great Tang recognizing that its supposedly friendly neighbors have arrived as enemies, setting up an imminent confrontation.

Chapter Summary: “Fancy Tricks”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Yuechu unexpectedly takes control of the situation when the Blackwater Pool demons arrive at Wind-Listening River intending to confront the Great Tang side.
• She casually hooks an arm around Chu Duanliu’s neck and drags him away, leaving both the Great Tang cultivators and the demons completely confused.
• Chu Zhenshan interprets his brother’s apparent compliance as betrayal and orders the demons to pursue them.
• Outside the county town, Jiang Yuechu confronts Chu Zhenshan and demands to know how he “bewitched” Chu Duanliu.
• She releases Chu Duanliu, but immediately intercepts Chu Zhenshan when he attacks. Her overwhelming physical strength leaves him completely helpless.
• Jiang kicks Chu Zhenshan into the forest and through several trees, revealing that her power far exceeds what her Cinnabar Flow Realm cultivation suggests.
• Furious and desperate to protect his brother, Chu Duanliu unleashes his powerful Dao Painting, Raging Tides Severing the River Painting, together with his inherited orthodox Immortal Art.
• His technique forms a gigantic, river-splitting palm of water that appears powerful enough to overwhelm an ordinary Wandering Void Sea Perfection cultivator.
• Jiang Yuechu dismisses the attack as “fancy tricks,” activates the dark golden flames and blood-red tides of her Heavenly Demon Divine Ability, and destroys the enormous palm with a single punch.
• The chapter ends with Jiang appearing before the stunned Chu Duanliu and preparing to demonstrate the difference between elaborate techniques and “simple and brutal” strength.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu: Displays extraordinary confidence, calmness, and overwhelming physical power. She treats both Chu brothers’ attacks as insignificant and reveals that her true combat ability vastly surpasses her apparent cultivation realm.
• Chu Duanliu: Initially appears to have betrayed his brother, but it becomes clear that he is being physically subdued by Jiang and cannot resist her. After being released, he attacks in a desperate attempt to defend Chu Zhenshan, only to have his strongest technique effortlessly destroyed.
• Chu Zhenshan: His confidence and fury collapse into fear once he realizes Jiang’s strength. His assumptions about Chu Duanliu’s betrayal are replaced by the realization that his brother had been forced into submission.

Significant Themes

• Strength versus appearance: Jiang’s modest cultivation level and slender appearance conceal power far beyond that of high-level Wandering Void Sea cultivators.
• Brute force versus elaborate techniques: Chu Duanliu relies on a rare Dao Painting and inherited Immortal Art, while Jiang demonstrates that overwhelming physical power can render sophisticated techniques useless.
• Misunderstanding and deception: The scene initially makes it appear that Chu Duanliu has switched sides, creating confusion among both allies and enemies.
• Family loyalty: Chu Duanliu risks himself to defend Chu Zhenshan despite being terrified and previously forced into apparent cooperation with Jiang.
• Calm dominance: Jiang’s emotionless composure contrasts sharply with the brothers’ panic and rage, emphasizing her complete control of the confrontation.

Character Interactions

• Jiang forcibly escorts Chu Duanliu away while teasingly addressing the demons as though they had merely come to offer her a gift.
• Chu Zhenshan angrily accuses Chu Duanliu of betrayal and orders the demons to follow them.
• Jiang questions Chu Zhenshan about his influence over Chu Duanliu, while Chu Zhenshan insists that he had always treated his younger brother generously.
• After Jiang injures Chu Zhenshan, Chu Duanliu becomes enraged and attacks her with his strongest water-based technique.
• Jiang counters Chu Duanliu’s grand attack with a single punch, leaving him horrified and setting up their next clash.

Chapter Summary: Thousand-Knot Cloud-Binding Cord

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chu Duanliu recognizes the absurdity of Jiang Yuechu’s strength. Although she appears to be only at the Middle Cinnabar Flow Realm, she can overpower him, a Wandering Void Sea Perfection cultivator—an astonishing gap that should be impossible to bridge.
• Jiang Yuechu punches Chu Duanliu with overwhelming force, crushing his face and driving him into the ground. The spectators from Great Tang are stunned by the terrifying power she has revealed.
• Chu Zhenshan realizes that Chu Duanliu never betrayed him. The earlier contact he had mistaken for a secret signal was actually Chu Duanliu being restrained by Jiang Yuechu’s brute strength. He regrets having distrusted his younger brother.
• Rather than fight Jiang Yuechu directly, Chu Zhenshan uses the Thousand-Knot Cloud-Binding Cord, a low-grade yellow-rank Dao Armament granted by the Old Ancestor. The cord shoots from his mouth and binds Jiang Yuechu’s arms and body.
• Jiang Yuechu attempts to break free, but although the cord strains under her immense strength, it does not immediately snap. Chu Zhenshan believes the Dao Armament can temporarily suppress even a Wandering Void Sea Perfection cultivator.
• Chu Zhenshan orders the Blackwater Pool demons to act. Some investigate whether Chu Duanliu is still alive, while the others surround Jiang Yuechu.
• Seeing their leader trapped, the Great Tang warriors panic. Bai Yulou rallies them by reminding them of Jiang Yuechu’s protection and sacrifices for Great Tang.
• Bai Yulou leads the Demon Suppression Office and the city’s warriors in a suicidal charge toward the battlefield. Zhao Zhongliu joins him, while Niu Ben transforms into a black ox and charges as well. The old Red Flood Dragon, inspired by their courage, resolves to join the fight.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu: Her extraordinary physical strength is fully revealed. She can severely injure a peak Wandering Void Sea cultivator despite being several realms weaker, suggesting an exceptional body-refinement technique or unique cultivation foundation.
• Chu Duanliu: He is confirmed not to have betrayed his brother. His defeat demonstrates the overwhelming difference between himself and Jiang Yuechu, while also exposing how badly Chu Zhenshan misjudged him.
• Chu Zhenshan: His anger and grief over Chu Duanliu’s apparent injury turn into cautious desperation. Recognizing that direct combat is impossible, he relies on a powerful Dao Armament and calls for assistance.
• Bai Yulou: He emerges as a decisive and loyal leader, suppressing the warriors’ fear and urging them to repay Jiang Yuechu’s protection through action.
• Niu Ben and the Red Flood Dragon: Both move from hesitation to commitment, choosing to fight despite knowing they are vastly weaker than the demons and immortal cultivators.

Significant Themes

• The impossibility of judging strength by cultivation realm: Jiang Yuechu’s power completely defies conventional expectations, showing that physique, foundation, or special techniques can surpass ordinary realm boundaries.
• Loyalty and gratitude: Bai Yulou emphasizes that Great Tang’s people owe their survival and prosperity to Jiang Yuechu, making loyalty an obligation rather than a choice.
• Mistrust and regret: Chu Zhenshan’s suspicion of his brother is revealed as tragically mistaken, highlighting the damage caused by fear and misinterpretation.
• Courage against overwhelming odds: The mortal warriors knowingly charge powerful demons, demonstrating that resolve and devotion can exist even in the face of certain danger.
• The value and limits of external power: The Thousand-Knot Cloud-Binding Cord temporarily restrains Jiang Yuechu, showing the power of Dao Armaments while also suggesting that even such treasures may not hold her for long.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Yuechu physically overwhelms Chu Duanliu, while Chu Zhenshan reacts with rage and guilt upon realizing the truth.
• Chu Zhenshan attempts to compensate for his inability to defeat Jiang Yuechu by binding her with the Dao Armament and ordering the Blackwater Pool demons to surround her.
• Bai Yulou confronts the frightened Great Tang warriors and reignites their loyalty through an impassioned speech.
• Zhao Zhongliu immediately follows Bai Yulou into battle, and Niu Ben joins the charge in his transformed black-ox form.
• The Red Flood Dragon initially questions their reckless decision but ultimately chooses solidarity and prepares to fight alongside them.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• The Blackwater Pool demons surround Jiang Yuechu and mock the mortals who draw their weapons to defend her, believing such resistance to be absurd.
• Jiang Yuechu is touched that these weaker allies are willing to stand against overwhelming odds for her. She decides to stop letting them worry and summons four powerful figures to her side.
• The summoned beings immediately engage the Blackwater Pool demons. White Horse Venerable confronts Chu Zhenshan, revealing overwhelming strength at the Wandering Void Sea Perfection realm.
• Chu Zhenshan attempts to halt the fight by invoking the authority of the Golden Thread Ancestor of Blackwater Pool, emphasizing the ancestor’s connection to the Heavenly Court and orthodox immortal lineage.
• White Horse Venerable, a Buddhist Sect Venerable and member of a faction hostile to the Heavenly Court, reacts with contempt rather than fear. It intensifies its attack and crushes Chu Zhenshan’s resistance.
• With Chu Zhenshan unable to maintain control of his Dao Armament, Jiang Yuechu retrieves the Thousand-Knot Cloud-Binding Cord and adds it to her storage pouch.
• Jiang Yuechu personally kills Chu Zhenshan with a single devastating punch, earning 135 Dao Essence of Dao Cultivation. His death leaves his subordinates and younger brother Chu Duanliu stunned.

Character developments

• Jiang Yuechu displays compassion and emotional awareness beneath her immense power. She is moved by the mortals’ loyalty and chooses to intervene on their behalf. Her casual collection of the Dao Armament and effortless execution of Chu Zhenshan further emphasize her confidence and overwhelming strength.
• White Horse Venerable makes its first summoned appearance and immediately establishes itself as a proud, formidable Buddhist Sect warrior. Its eagerness to prove itself and its hatred of the Heavenly Court reveal both its loyalty to its master and its factional identity.
• Chu Zhenshan shifts from arrogant confidence to panic. He realizes too late that the opponents possess power and backing far beyond his expectations, and his attempt to use the Heavenly Court’s name ultimately provokes an even harsher attack.
• Chu Duanliu is left traumatized and bewildered after witnessing his brother’s sudden death.

Significant themes

• Loyalty despite weakness: The mortals’ willingness to defend Jiang Yuechu, even when death seems certain, contrasts with the demons’ arrogance and highlights the value of courage and devotion.
• Hidden power and misjudgment: The Blackwater Pool demons underestimate Jiang Yuechu’s allies because of their apparent origins, only to discover that they are backed by terrifying experts.
• Factional conflict: The scene emphasizes the deep hostility between the Buddhist Sect and the Heavenly Court. A name intended as protection becomes a declaration of opposition.
• Power and arrogance: The demons’ contempt for weaker beings is overturned when they encounter forces far beyond their understanding.

Character interactions

• Jiang Yuechu silently acknowledges the mortals’ concern and responds by summoning powerful protectors.
• White Horse Venerable battles Chu Zhenshan, rejects his appeal to the Heavenly Court, and kills his resistance through repeated crushing attacks.
• Jiang Yuechu takes Chu Zhenshan’s Dao Armament before executing him herself.
• Chu Duanliu and the remaining demons witness the execution, their confidence collapsing into shock and fear.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• After witnessing his elder brother’s death, Chu Duanliu immediately abandons the battlefield and flees, prioritizing his own survival over mourning or revenge.
• Jiang Yuechu watches him escape, frustrated that although her combat power is overwhelming, she lacks reliable methods to prevent enemies from fleeing.
• Four Painting-Realm Great Demons—White Horse Venerable, Cosmic Demon King, White Ape Lord, and Tiger Mountain God—arrive with the corpses of their defeated enemies.
• White Horse Venerable lavishly praises Jiang Yuechu, comparing her healing ability to miraculous, world-defying divine power. Jiang Yuechu dismisses his flattery and orders him to pursue Chu Duanliu.
• The four demons chase Chu Duanliu toward Blackwater Pool, where he hopes his powerful ancestor can protect him.
• A lower-realm demon briefly attacks and delays Chu Duanliu, allowing White Horse Venerable to catch up and knock him from the sky.
• Tiger Mountain God captures Chu Duanliu and introduces himself as “the first demon in the Myriad Demon Records,” a faction Chu Duanliu has never heard of.
• Chu Duanliu attempts to threaten them with his ancestor’s power, but Cosmic Demon King brutally beats him with a halberd, reducing him to a nearly lifeless state.
• As Cosmic Demon King celebrates the satisfaction of the beating, ominous golden lightning begins gathering in the night sky, foreshadowing a coming development.

2. Character Developments

• Chu Duanliu is revealed to be extremely self-preserving and pragmatic. He abandons his dead brother without hesitation, but remains arrogant enough to rely on his ancestor’s reputation and threaten his pursuers.
• Jiang Yuechu has become extraordinarily powerful through the support of the foundations she possesses, capable of defeating even Wandering Void Sea Perfection cultivators. However, she recognizes a weakness in her lack of pursuit, trapping, and restraint techniques.
• White Horse Venerable demonstrates his sycophantic personality by aggressively flattering Jiang Yuechu and competing with the other demons to gain credit.
• Cosmic Demon King displays his violent, hot-tempered nature. Because his existence within the records protects him from true death as long as Jiang Yuechu survives, he fights fearlessly and takes pleasure in overwhelming a previously superior opponent.
• Tiger Mountain God acts as a calm and intimidating captor, while the four demons collectively show increasing loyalty and eagerness to serve Jiang Yuechu.

3. Significant Themes

• Survival versus loyalty: Chu Duanliu’s immediate flight after his brother’s death highlights the brutal self-interest governing the wilderness.
• Power and allegiance: Jiang Yuechu’s unusual ability to command multiple powerful demons creates a striking contrast between her low cultivation realm and her actual influence.
• Hidden identities and unknown factions: The “Myriad Demon Records” are completely unfamiliar to Chu Duanliu, suggesting that Jiang Yuechu and her followers originate from a mysterious power outside the known religious and immortal factions.
• Humiliation of established hierarchies: A powerful Wandering Void Sea cultivator is captured and beaten by demons he considers beneath him, revealing how dramatically the balance of power has shifted.
• The limits of strength: Jiang Yuechu’s immense offensive power cannot fully compensate for her lack of pursuit and containment abilities, emphasizing that victory depends on more than raw combat strength.

4. Character Interactions

• Jiang Yuechu silently judges Chu Duanliu’s ruthless escape but focuses on the practical problem of stopping fleeing enemies.
• White Horse Venerable flatters Jiang Yuechu extravagantly; she responds with irritation and orders him to act rather than continue speaking.
• The other demons resent White Horse Venerable’s eagerness to claim credit and immediately join the pursuit.
• Chu Duanliu attempts to use his ancestor’s reputation to intimidate his captors, but Tiger Mountain God and Cosmic Demon King reject the threat.
• Cosmic Demon King taunts Chu Duanliu while mercilessly beating him, turning the former powerhouse into an object of ridicule and demonstrating the demons’ new confidence under Jiang Yuechu’s protection.

Chapter Summary: “Annihilated?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Yuechu collects the corpses of the four demons who attacked Great Tang and calmly orders the soldiers to return to the city.
• Despite the apparent victory, she immediately orders the city sealed and forbids anyone from leaving, recognizing that the demons’ simultaneous deaths indicate a powerful hidden enemy.
• She realizes that the four demons—especially the Wandering Void Sea Perfection expert White Horse Venerable—were likely killed instantly by reinforcements from Blackwater Pool.
• The absence of a kill notification for Chu Duanliu confirms that he survived. Jiang Yuechu suspects the involvement of the Golden Thread Ancestor, likely a cultivator of the Myriad-Forms Heaven Realm.
• Concerned about protecting both herself and the tens of thousands of Great Tang soldiers, Jiang Yuechu decides to strengthen herself rather than flee. She plans to break through into the Wandering Void Sea Realm, which would greatly enhance her combat strength through the Heavenly Demon Divine Ability.
• She records Chu Zhenshan’s corpse in the Myriad Demon Records, obtaining the Profound-grade Immortal Art Grand Two Forms Mountain-Suppressing Formula, a powerful close-combat technique that channels immense force through the body.
• The recorded demon transforms into the Black Mountain Bear Lord, a familiar demon Jiang Yuechu had previously created. She spends additional Dao Essence to restore him to Wandering Void Sea Perfection and appoints him as a guard.
• Jiang Yuechu asks Black Mountain Bear Lord what he remembers about the Golden Thread Ancestor.
• The scene shifts to Blackwater Pool, where the badly wounded Chu Duanliu reports the incident to the Golden Thread Ancestor. Rather than immediately sympathizing, the Ancestor coldly blames Chu Duanliu for provoking the outsiders.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu: Her confidence is tempered by caution. Though she has overwhelming resources and has defeated the invading demons, she understands that a Myriad-Forms Heaven cultivator could attack through stealth or overwhelming force. She becomes more strategic, prioritizing a realm breakthrough and gathering intelligence.
• Bai Yulou and the Great Tang forces: They shift from preparing for certain death to obeying Jiang Yuechu’s emergency orders. Their forces are withdrawn into the city and placed under lockdown.
• Black Mountain Bear Lord: He returns as one of Jiang Yuechu’s summoned or recorded subordinates, displaying loyalty and reverence toward her. His reappearance introduces a link to Jiang Yuechu’s past exploits.
• Chu Duanliu: Now terrified and injured, he abandons his earlier arrogance and appeals to the Golden Thread Ancestor for protection. His attempt to portray himself as a victim fails.
• Golden Thread Ancestor: He is established as the true master of Blackwater Pool and a highly intimidating figure. His calm, ethereal appearance contrasts with his cold judgment and immense authority. He appears rational rather than blindly vengeful, recognizing that Chu Duanliu caused the conflict.

Significant Themes

• Victory versus hidden danger: The apparent annihilation of the demons is not a complete victory, since their deaths reveal the presence of an even greater enemy.
• Responsibility and leadership: Jiang Yuechu cannot simply flee because she now feels responsible for Great Tang’s army and its people.
• Power and preparation: Rather than relying only on stored Dao Essence or instant-kill methods, Jiang Yuechu seeks a lasting increase in strength and intelligence.
• Consequences of provocation: Golden Thread Ancestor’s rebuke emphasizes that Chu Duanliu’s suffering resulted from his own reckless actions.
• Life, death, and reconstruction: The demons’ ability to revive and Jiang Yuechu’s ability to recreate them through the Myriad Demon Records blur the boundary between death and restoration.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Yuechu briefly reassures the Great Tang soldiers, then adopts a commanding tone to force them into the city and impose a lockdown.
• She interacts with the recreated Black Mountain Bear Lord as both an old acquaintance and a subordinate, delaying nostalgia in favor of urgent questioning.
• Chu Duanliu pleads before Golden Thread Ancestor, describing the outsiders as cruel and blaming them for his elder brother’s death.
• Golden Thread Ancestor rejects Chu Duanliu’s framing, reminding him that his own provocation created the crisis and signaling that he may not support reckless retaliation.

Chapter Summary: “A Blood Debt Must Be Repaid in Blood!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Golden Thread Ancestor reflects on the tragedy involving the two brothers of Blackwater Pool. He acknowledges that they were originally at fault for trying to seize Wind-Listening River’s territory, and refuses to be manipulated by Chu Duanliu’s arguments about the outsiders disrespecting him.
• The Ancestor reveals that he had genuinely planned to take both brothers with him to the Nine Provinces Immortal Mountains once his cultivation stabilized. He believes their downfall resulted from fate and their own impatience: had they simply waited and remained obedient, they would have received an extraordinary opportunity.
• Chu Duanliu is devastated when he learns that his brother’s death caused them to lose a future in the Nine Provinces. Although he is offered the chance to accompany Golden Thread Ancestor alone, he rejects it.
• Driven by grief, resentment, and a desire for justice, Chu Duanliu begs Golden Thread Ancestor to kill the outsiders—especially the female cultivator responsible for his brother’s death. He is willing to abandon his own chance at prosperity so that the blood debt can be repaid.
• Meanwhile, Jiang Yuechu travels through the rain to Jade Luan Manor. The fox demons treat her as an honored guest under Jadeface Immortal Maiden’s orders.
• Jiang feels uncomfortable receiving such respect because she has come to borrow Merit from the manor despite having little to offer immediately in return. Determined not to become a “deadbeat,” she meets Gong Qiulan and openly asks to borrow something, promising repayment.

Character Developments

• Golden Thread Ancestor is shown to be thoughtful and pragmatic rather than easily provoked. He recognizes the brothers’ greed and understands that their deaths resulted from both fate and their own poor choices. His disappointment is intensified by the fact that he had intended to reward their loyalty.
• Chu Duanliu undergoes a sharp emotional reversal. He first hopes to persuade the Ancestor through arguments about the outsiders’ disrespect, then experiences profound regret upon learning what he and his brother lost. Ultimately, loyalty and grief outweigh his desire for personal advancement, leading him to choose revenge over a future in the Nine Provinces.
• Jiang Yuechu displays humility and growing consideration for others. Although she once would not have felt embarrassed about borrowing resources, she now feels guilty because the fox demons have treated her sincerely. Her resolve to repay what she borrows suggests increasing responsibility and integrity.
• Gong Qiulan remains calm, gracious, and generous. Her willingness to help Jiang Yuechu reinforces her status as a trusted ally.

Significant Themes

• Fate versus personal choice: Golden Thread Ancestor reflects on whether destiny governs all events, concluding that the brothers’ downfall appears to confirm the existence of karma and fixed destiny. Yet their greed and impatience also directly contribute to their ruin.
• The consequences of greed and impatience: The brothers could have gained access to the Nine Provinces simply by waiting, but their attempt to secure more territory destroys their opportunity.
• Loyalty and vengeance: Chu Duanliu values avenging his brother more than obtaining immortality and prosperity. His decision emphasizes the powerful obligations created by family and blood ties.
• Regret and irreversible loss: The revelation that the Ancestor intended to save both brothers makes their deaths especially tragic. Their lost future cannot be recovered.
• Trust and reciprocity: Jiang Yuechu’s discomfort about borrowing Merit highlights the importance of repaying kindness and maintaining honest relationships.

Character Interactions

• Golden Thread Ancestor and Chu Duanliu: Their conversation moves from argument to revelation. The Ancestor calmly exposes the brothers’ mistake, while Chu Duanliu shifts from defensiveness to regret and finally to an impassioned plea for revenge.
• Jiang Yuechu and the fox demon servants: The servants treat her with unusual respect, demonstrating Jade Luan Manor’s acceptance of her as an honored guest.
• Jiang Yuechu and Gong Qiulan: Their meeting is courteous and trusting. Gong Qiulan invites Jiang to speak freely, while Jiang candidly requests to borrow something, setting up the next stage of the plot.

Jiang Yuechu asked Gong Qiulan to lend her merit, and Gong Qiulan explained that the Peaceful Money House in Orchid Creek offered large loans but imposed crushing, compounding interest. She offered to scrape together a hundred gui for Jiang Yuechu instead, leaving Jiang Yuechu with a safer alternative to consider.

• Jiang Yuechu told Gong Qiulan that she urgently needed to borrow merit for herself.
• Gong Qiulan explained that the Jade Luan Manor had limited merit and inefficient tools for refining incense-fire power.
• Gong Qiulan introduced the Peaceful Money House in Orchid Creek, where borrowers could obtain merit according to their cultivation and talent.
• Gong Qiulan said borrowers who could not repay their loans were assigned dangerous tasks, and warned that the house's compounding interest trapped many talented people in debt.
• Gong Qiulan offered to lend Jiang Yuechu a hundred gui so she could avoid the Peaceful Money House.

Chapter Summary: “Determined to Become a Deadbeat”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After saying goodbye to Gong Qiulan, Jiang Yuechu considers her increasingly urgent situation. Although Peaceful Money House could provide Merit, it is too far away to solve her immediate problems.
• She accepts Gong Qiulan’s offer of one hundred gui of Incense-Fire Power, recognizing that the resources will help stabilize her current position.
• Jiang Yuechu decides that she will eventually visit Peaceful Money House, hoping to use it to help the tens of thousands of Great Tang people from Wind-Listening River establish themselves and generate a sustainable source of Merit.
• While traveling through the rain, she is intercepted by Zi Ling and Kongming. They question whether she truly intends to settle her people in the Eight Hundred Miles of Linked Clouds.
• Jiang Yuechu reveals that she has recently provoked a cultivator from the Myriad-Forms Heaven Realm. She asks them how great the gap is between that realm and Wandering Void Sea Perfection.
• Kongming explains that the difference is enormous: Myriad-Forms Heaven cultivators can create their own domains and possess power far beyond Wandering Void Sea experts.
• Zi Ling urges Jiang Yuechu to flee before the enemy arrives, but Jiang Yuechu remains calm and refuses to panic.
• Kongming chooses to follow Jiang Yuechu out of gratitude for the kindness she previously showed him. Though initially reluctant and alarmed, Zi Ling follows as well.
• Upon returning to Wind-Listening River, Jiang Yuechu asks the two cultivators to remain and help teach her people cultivation manuals. Rather than preparing to flee or defend against the Golden Thread Ancestor, she intends to use their presence to strengthen the Great Tang forces.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu: Becomes increasingly pragmatic, bold, and shamelessly resourceful. She views Gong Qiulan’s loan and the arrival of Zi Ling and Kongming as opportunities to reinforce her people. Despite facing a possible Myriad-Forms Heaven enemy, she remains composed and focuses on long-term development.
• Zi Ling: Reveals a sharp, anxious, and sarcastic personality. Though she mocks Jiang Yuechu and claims she is only coming to “collect her corpse,” her willingness to follow demonstrates genuine concern and loyalty.
• Kongming: Shows his steadfast sense of gratitude and moral responsibility. He calmly decides to stand beside Jiang Yuechu despite the danger, refusing to abandon someone who once helped him.
• Gong Qiulan: Although absent for most of the chapter, her generosity provides Jiang Yuechu with crucial immediate support and introduces the possibility of future financial assistance through Peaceful Money House.
• Golden Thread Ancestor: Remains offscreen but becomes a looming threat. His advancement to Myriad-Forms Heaven makes him a potentially overwhelming opponent.

Significant Themes

• Pragmatism over pride: Jiang Yuechu readily accepts borrowed resources and plans to exploit every available advantage rather than maintain false dignity.
• Calm in the face of overwhelming danger: The chapter contrasts Zi Ling’s fear with Jiang Yuechu’s composure, emphasizing Jiang Yuechu’s refusal to be intimidated by powerful enemies.
• Building a foundation: Jiang Yuechu’s priority is not merely surviving personally but strengthening the Great Tang people so they can establish roots and generate their own power.
• Debt, reciprocity, and loyalty: Gong Qiulan’s financial help and Kongming’s decision to repay Jiang Yuechu’s kindness highlight the importance of mutual aid.
• Humor amid crisis: Jiang Yuechu’s eagerness to become a “professional deadbeat” and her decision to “fleece” two visiting cultivators provide comic relief despite the serious threat.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Yuechu accepts Gong Qiulan’s help while planning to rely on Peaceful Money House in the future.
• Zi Ling confronts Jiang Yuechu with suspicion and frustration, while Jiang Yuechu casually dismisses her concern.
• Kongming gives a sober explanation of the power difference between the realms and later chooses to accompany Jiang Yuechu.
• Zi Ling argues with Kongming about following Jiang Yuechu but ultimately joins them.
• Jiang Yuechu then reverses the situation by treating both worried companions as free teachers, asking them to explain cultivation manuals to her people rather than discussing the impending danger.