Recaps

Jiang Jingnian defeated Yin Qingzhu in the Snowgate Grand Theater, but she escaped using a life-saving trump card as he continued pursuing her. Meanwhile, Liu Qingzhi and Hong Yulü broke the Illusory Water Sect’s ambush, only to face Bai Xuerou and a powerful Half-Step Grandmaster.

• Yin Qingzhu’s Spring Passion Fire empowered and contaminated Jiang Jingnian, but his Wood Fire burned away the peach-blossom growth and let him withstand her killing move.
• Jiang Jingnian overpowered Yin Qingzhu and struck her down, but she transformed into poisonous peach blossoms and escaped; he sensed that his Mind Plague had afflicted her and continued the pursuit.
• The onlookers declined to ambush Jiang Jingnian, and reports of his strength spread through Dongjiang Prefecture as Mo Jianxiao received Qi Yin’s order to gather Dou'a Sect experts and surround him.
• Liu Qingzhi and Hong Yulü shattered the Illusory Water Sect’s formation and killed several fiends, but the Undying Pure Lotus appeared and Bai Xuerou emerged with a Half-Step Grandmaster.
• Liu Qingzhi recognized Bai Xuerou as her quarry and discovered that lotus contamination remained within her Martial Soul, while she and the badly wounded Hong Yulü faced the new enemy.

An Mingpu defeated Liu Qingzhi’s desperate attack, but Hong Yulü used a Grandmaster’s method to escape with Liu’s near-dead body. An Mingpu revealed his plan to sacrifice Xie Shanhai to forge a True Astral Divine Ability, while Hong believed Jiang Jingnian had died in the ruins; the chapter ended with Jiang chasing Yin Qingzhu along the Yunsong River.

• An Mingpu arrived to aid the Illusory Water Sect and demanded that Liu Qingzhi and Hong Yulü submit to him, while Bai Xuerou taunted Liu and An threatened Jiang Jingnian.
• Liu Qingzhi attacked An Mingpu with her Ultimate Sword Intent, but An countered with his curved blade and wounded her severely.
• Bai Xuerou stabbed Liu’s apparent body, but it proved to be a substitute; Hong Yulü also escaped using a Hidden Wood Substitute Body, leaving both women’s fates uncertain.
• An Mingpu killed Wen Protector, revealed that he planned to sacrifice Xie Shanhai to forge a True Astral Divine Ability, and sent the other Illusory Water Sect survivors to search for the fugitives.
• Hong Yulü hid with the near-dead Liu Qingzhi, suffered severe contamination from using her trump card, and believed Jiang Jingnian had perished in the ruins.
• Jiang Jingnian pursued Yin Qingzhu along the Yunsong River and cut off her escape.

Jiang Jingnian killed Yin Qingzhu and completed his advancement to the Late Inner Qi Realm, then set out to find Senior Sister Liu after sensing she was in danger. He encountered Li Protector and Illusory Water Sect cultivators, who attacked him while claiming the Lotus Intent Sect's Holy Son, An Mingpu, was on his way.

• Yin Qingzhu tried to beg for her life and escape across the Yunsong River, but Jiang Jingnian killed her and took the Spring Blossom Spear and her other spoils.
• Jiang Jingnian used two Bodies of Great Sin as kindling and formed the Martial Soul Samadhi True Fire, advancing to the Late Inner Qi Realm and raising his Inner Qi Crystals to one hundred and five.
• Jiang Jingnian sensed that Senior Sister Liu's aura was weak and hurried to find her, suspecting his Human Tribulation had fallen on her.
• Li Protector and several Illusory Water Sect cultivators emerged from the forest and accused Jiang Jingnian of covering Liu Qingzhi's escape, while saying An Mingpu would arrive.
• Li Protector and the Illusory Water Sect cultivators attacked Jiang Jingnian, sealing off the area and seeking revenge for Li Protector's severed arm.

Jiang Jingnian destroyed an Illusory Water Sect hunting party and fought Bai Xuerou after she revealed herself as an enemy, while Liu Qingzhi and Hong Yulü remained injured and hidden nearby. Jiang Jingnian overwhelmed Bai Xuerou’s Grandmaster trump card, but a sudden blade flash interrupted him as he moved to finish her.

• Jiang Jingnian killed Li Guanglu and the Illusory Water Sect Incense Masters in a few breaths, then followed the faint trace of Liu Qingzhi through the forest.
• Qi Yin agreed with Mo Jianxiao to withdraw the Dou'a Sect group to Peace City after his divination warned of danger.
• Liu Qingzhi briefly awoke in the cave, sensed Jiang Jingnian nearby, and urged Hong Yulü to help her recover so she could aid him before she fainted again.
• Bai Xuerou attacked Jiang Jingnian after recognizing him, and he demanded that she reveal Liu Qingzhi’s location.
• Bai Xuerou unleashed a Grandmaster trump card, but Jiang Jingnian destroyed its Blood Lotus with a concentrated flame strike and left her overwhelmed by its backlash.
• Jiang Jingnian rushed through the fire to seize Bai Xuerou, but a crescent moon appeared in the forest and a blade flash cut across his path.

Jiang Jingnian battled An Mingpu, the Lotus Intent Sect’s Holy Son, after An Mingpu rescued Bai Xuerou and revealed the sect’s plan to use Liu Qingzhi as a Human Pill. An Mingpu’s Silent Moon appeared to kill Jiang Jingnian, but Jiang Jingnian emerged transformed by Samadhi True Fire and seized Bai Xuerou.

• An Mingpu arrived in the lotus fields, rescued Bai Xuerou from Jiang Jingnian’s attack, and ordered her to heal while he faced Jiang Jingnian.
• Bai Xuerou revealed that Liu Qingzhi was intended to become a Human Pill, and An Mingpu offered to spare Jiang Jingnian and Liu Qingzhi if they submitted to him.
• Jiang Jingnian questioned how Liu Qingzhi had become entangled in the scheme, then met An Mingpu’s Withering Intent with his own crimson Martial Soul power.
• Jiang Jingnian and An Mingpu exchanged blows, and Jiang Jingnian’s Samadhi True Fire damaged An Mingpu’s saber and forced him to retreat.
• An Mingpu unleashed Silent Moon with the power of a half-formed Impure Lotus, and Bai Xuerou believed Jiang Jingnian had died beneath its withering force.
• Jiang Jingnian emerged from the gray-white remains in a towering, fire-wreathed form, seized Bai Xuerou, and began pounding her into the ground.

Jiang Jingnian killed Bai Xuerou and An Mingpu, then resisted a spiritual domain cast by Manrod, a Legendary Realm commander from Shaluo State, and made a Great Vow before defeating him. After surviving the fight, Jiang Jingnian began collecting the dangerous spoils from Manrod’s corpse, suffering severe pollution as he worked.

• An Mingpu’s Crescent Moon attack failed to break Jiang Jingnian’s flaming Furnace, and Jiang Jingnian killed Bai Xuerou before turning on him.
• Jiang Jingnian burned through An Mingpu’s defenses, battered him into the ground, and destroyed the lotus field while Qi Yin and Mo Jianxiao’s group fled the distant fighting.
• Manrod trapped Jiang Jingnian in a spiritual illusion and demanded his submission, while An Mingpu revealed Manrod’s identity and his own plans to unite the Demon Sect.
• Jiang Jingnian rejected Manrod’s offer, made a Great Vow to destroy and remake everything, and broke free using Lifespan Theft, causing Manrod’s illusion to collapse.
• Jiang Jingnian killed the weakened An Mingpu, survived Manrod’s lingering pollution, and recovered Bai Xuerou’s Spirit Serpent Sword.
• Jiang Jingnian searched Manrod’s corpse for loot, but its poisonous power rotted his hands and spread blue pollution through his body.

Jiang Jingnian destroyed Manrod’s remains, which unleashed a spreading rotten swamp, then found Hong Yulü and rescued Liu Qingzhi from their hiding place. After the three escaped to Peace City, Jiang Jingnian began examining the spoils he had taken from his enemies.

• Jiang Jingnian battered Manrod’s corpse until it exploded, releasing contamination that transformed the surrounding forest into a poisonous swamp.
• Hong Yulü prepared to leave the cave with the unconscious Liu Qingzhi, but Jiang Jingnian arrived and gave both women precious medicine.
• Jiang Jingnian cleared the lingering True Astral Force from Liu Qingzhi’s wound, and she woke to find him beside her.
• Hong Yulü explained that they had encountered the Lotus Intent Sect Holy Son An, and the three left the forest for Peace City.
• Jiang Jingnian secured his inn room and began refining Bai Xuerou’s Spirit Serpent Sword and An Mingpu’s Crescent Moon Saber.

Jiang Jingnian refined the Spirit Serpent Sword and Silent Withering Yin Speech, discovering that his Taotie trait consumed his own Life Essence while devouring powerful objects. As he gained new traits and examined Manrod’s spoils, he joined Liu Qingzhi and Hong Yulü for a meal and heard that the Phosphorfire Dao Lord was missing, leaving the Mountain Cloud School vulnerable to worsening conflicts.

• Jiang Jingnian refined the Spirit Serpent Sword, triggered a vision of the Weeping-Mountain Prostrating Serpent Lord, and realized that Taotie devoured his Life Essence as well as its prey.
• Jiang Jingnian fused the serpent’s remnants into Kui Python Black Scales, then devoured Silent Withering Yin Speech and gained the Corpse Lotus Whisper trait.
• Jiang Jingnian examined Manrod’s spoils, found the Corridor Shadow Ring could not be opened without its incantation, and began burning it to sever its spirituality.
• Jiang Jingnian ate with Liu Qingzhi and Hong Yulü at Orchid Garden Restaurant while Hong Yulü reported that the Phosphorfire Dao Lord was missing and Xie Shanhai was handling the lineage’s affairs.
• Hong Yulü warned that the absent sect master and the Blazing Cloud Dao Lord’s entrapment could intensify Mountain Cloud School factional strife as the Southern Martial Gathering approached.

Jiang Jingnian weighed his growing estrangement from the Mountain Cloud School, revealed his strength and secret to Liu Qingzhi, and asked where her loyalty would lie if their family and sect opposed him. As turmoil spread around Peace City, the chapter ended with Jiang Jingnian arriving at an auction where Qu Chuanheng and Qu Yingshui waited with Jiang Jingmeng and their university friends.

• Jiang Jingnian silently dismissed Hong Yulü's worries about the Mountain Cloud School and considered leaving once he had taken what he was owed.
• Jiang Jingnian gave Liu Qingzhi the Waterlight Treasure Bag back, revealed that he had killed An Mingpu and Bai Xuerou, and said he might become a Grandmaster by next spring.
• Liu Qingzhi said she would stand with Jiang Jingnian against her family or the Mountain Cloud School, while asking him to spare her parents and Master.
• Bella Jacqueline Sterling investigated Manrod's remains near the Yunsong River, withdrew her family's cooperation with the Demon Sects, and the man in the white suit suspected an overlord sect had killed Manrod.
• Qu Yingshui told Qu Beijiang that Jiang Jingnian had risen to seventy-fifth on the Heavenly Prodigy Ranking, the Phosphorfire Dao Lord's descent had pressured their enemies, and Western forces were provoking chaos; the Qu family discussed whether to leave Peace City.
• Jiang Jingmeng mocked Jiang Jingnian as a common martial drifter while waiting with Qu Chuanheng and Qu Yingshui at the Sinor Grand Hotel auction, then Jiang Jingnian arrived.

Jiang Jingnian attended a prestigious auction with Qu Chuanheng and bought several unusual items, including fragments of an ancient shroud and a sinister painting tied to the Blood Moon Dark Painting Ritual. As he competed with Philip Sterling for the painting, Xue Xiuxiu suddenly entered the bidding, leaving Jiang Jingnian to face a new rival in the auction.

• Jiang Jingnian joined Qu Chuanheng and his classmates at the auction, where Jiang Jingmeng insulted him and Qu Chuanheng defended him.
• Jiang Jingnian recognized Xue Xiuxiu and Su Wanzhi among the disguised auction guests and suspected the organizers were colluding with the Demon Sect.
• Jiang Jingnian outbid a bald nobleman and a middle-aged man from the Fang Family to buy fragments of the Solar Orderer's Shroud for 3,700 silver dollars.
• Jiang Jingnian bought a damaged White-Jade Patterned Pendant and an incomplete handwritten scroll before bidding on the oil painting Dark Sea Crescent Moon.
• Jiang Jingnian repeatedly outbid Philip Sterling for the painting, raising the price to 8,000 silver dollars despite Philip invoking the Sterling Family's influence.
• Xue Xiuxiu bid 9,500 silver dollars for the painting, drawing Jiang Jingnian's attention.

Jiang Jingnian ambushed Saionji Yexiong’s party and seized the antiques, including Dark Sea Crescent Moon, defeating the Eastern Wu swordsmen with his Samadhi True Fire. After Xue Xiuxiu and Su Wanzhi confronted him, Xue Xiuxiu offered to join his side.

• Jiang Jingnian withdrew from the bidding for Dark Sea Crescent Moon, which Saionji Yexiong won after Fili left the auction.
• Qu Chuanheng explained that Eastern Wu families and Western Ocean powers had expanded their influence in East River and East Water Prefectures, prompting Jiang Jingnian to connect the situation to the Coastal Defense Map.
• Jiang Jingnian left the auction early after buying several antique pieces, while Qu Chuanheng and Qu Yingshui suspected he intended to seize a treasure.
• Saionji Yexiong led his companions and the antiques toward the docks, but Jiang Jingnian ambushed them and killed the swordsmen who resisted.
• Jiang Jingnian defeated Saionji Yexiong’s powerful blade attack, killed the remaining warriors, and sealed the demon sword Xi Huo after confirming the antiques were unharmed.
• Xue Xiuxiu approached Jiang Jingnian with Su Wanzhi and other Demon Sect members, then said she was willing to abandon darkness and join his ranks.

Jiang Jingnian rejected Xue Xiuxiu’s offer of allegiance, learned that Japanese pirates planned a Blood Moon Ritual in Dongjiang Prefecture, and discovered foreign nobles were supporting them. After returning to his apartment, he began sorting the spoils from the auction and his interception.

• Xue Xiuxiu offered Jiang Jingnian information and help against the Mysterious Mountain Dao Lineage, but he rejected her proposal and warned that the oil painting and Japanese pirates concerned him more.
• Xue Xiuxiu explained that a Hase Family Swordsmanship Master planned to perform a Blood Moon Ritual in Chen State to become a Celestial Sword Saint, and Jiang Jingnian accepted the intelligence as payment for her life.
• After Jiang Jingnian left, Xue Xiuxiu told her subordinates that she intended to use him to test the Japanese pirates and exploit tensions within the Mountain Cloud School.
• Jiang Jingnian secretly observed foreign knights and Japanese pirate merchants meeting at a dock, recognized the Sterling Family’s crest, and suspected the Aofei Duchy was behind many disturbances in Dongjiang Prefecture.
• Jiang Jingnian returned to Qian Ningning’s apartment, briefly encountered his neighbor Qiao Mo, and sorted his spoils, raising his Archetype to Late Stage 43% of the Inner Qi Realm.

Jiang Jingnian devoured the Order King's Shroud fragment and gained the Nethershadow Secret Escape trait, then uncovered the Blood Moon Dark Painting’s ties to the Greater Yin Furnace and a far-reaching ritual. After cleansing the pollution it caused, he relaxed on his balcony, where Qiao Mo offered friendship and help with his debt, leaving him suspicious of the Lixi Kingdom’s intentions.

• Jiang Jingnian examined the Order King's Shroud fragment, learned of the Sun Kingdom’s destruction and the Order King’s resurrection contingency, then devoured it to gain the Nethershadow Secret Escape trait.
• Jiang Jingnian tested his new escape ability and returned home before examining the Blood Moon Dark Painting, whose entry revealed how Viscount Jansen’s ritual could help the Joyous Blood Moon escape the Greater Yin Furnace.
• Jiang Jingnian suffered Lunar Phase Pollution while reading the painting’s secrets, suppressed it with Samadhi True Fire and Inexpressible Nobility, and put the painting away to avoid further exposure.
• Jiang Jingnian connected the Blood Moon Ritual to foreign nobles, the Barlo Lineage, and the plotting around the Chen State, then cleared the lingering pollution from his home.
• Jiang Jingnian relaxed with tea on his balcony, where Qiao Mo hinted that she had noticed the pollution, offered to help with his debt, and urged him to become her friend.
• Jiang Jingnian wondered whether Qiao Mo and the Lixi Kingdom were seeking local puppets.

Jiang Jingnian’s troubles drew the attention of powerful factions as the Life-Slaying Sword challenged the Mountain Cloud School and Tong Shaoxuan defeated Xie Shanhai. The Hanging Mountain Sword Sect then turned its pressure on the Red Gang, while Liu Qingzhi urged Jiang Jingnian to flee and he refused.

• Jiang Jingnian suspected foreign nobles had targeted him after his recent display of strength, while the chapter introduced Zhang Sijie and his family on their way to the Mountain Cloud School.
• The Life-Slaying Sword arrived at Cloudpool Cliff to question the Mountain Cloud School over the affairs of Panshan Martial Academy and demanded that its master appear.
• Tong Shaoxuan challenged Xie Shanhai, revealed his Half-Step Grandmaster strength, and defeated him, damaging his twin swords before Song Susu intervened to halt the confrontation.
• Tong Shaoxuan mocked the Mountain Cloud School and threatened to seek out Jiang Jingnian, then left with the Life-Slaying Sword.
• Pan Shangtang postponed the Red Gang’s plans to retaliate against Jiang Jingnian, but the Intent-in-Motion Sword arrived and unleashed Grandmaster sword momentum at the gang.
• Liu Qingzhi told Jiang Jingnian to run, but he refused.

Liu Qingzhi warned Jiang Jingnian that Tong Shaoxuan and the Hanging Mountain Sword Sect threatened him, but Jiang effortlessly defeated her full-strength attack and revealed a vast increase in power. After reassuring her and urging caution, Jiang left with Liu Qingzhi after a tense encounter with neighbor Qiao Mo, who had brought him a gift.

• Liu Qingzhi explained that the Hanging Mountain Sword Sect had sent its swordsmen to challenge local factions and that Tong Shaoxuan had vowed to deal with Jiang Jingnian.
• Liu Qingzhi urged Jiang Jingnian to leave Dongjiang Prefecture, but he invited her to attack him and promised to leave if she damaged anything in the room.
• Liu Qingzhi unleashed her Ultimate Sword Intent, Merciless Water and Fire, and Jiang Jingnian stopped it effortlessly with two fingers without disturbing the room.
• Jiang Jingnian comforted Liu Qingzhi, told her to stay at Cloudpool Cliff, and warned her about dangers connected to the Eastern Wu Kingdom.
• Jiang Jingnian introduced Liu Qingzhi to Qiao Mo in the corridor, where Liu confronted Qiao over her apparent interest in him.
• Jiang Jingnian declined Qiao Mo's osmanthus candy and left with Liu Qingzhi, while Qiao's smile disappeared after they departed.

Jiang Jingnian gathered unusual items, advanced his Inner Qi cultivation, and hosted Qu Chuanheng and other guests at Orchid Garden Restaurant. When Iron Garment Sect members and Kentaro provoked him there, Jiang Jingnian killed an Eastern Wu warrior with one punch and attacked the rest.

• Jiang Jingnian inspected Shopkeeper Li’s latest stock, bought two unusual items, and later found four items during his day of shopping.
• Jiang Jingnian fed three ordinary unusual items to his Archetype, reaching Late Inner Qi Realm 53%, and planned to refine Bloodmoon Dark Painting after holding it for the required nights.
• Jiang Jingnian hosted Qu Chuanheng, Jiang Jingmeng, Chen Qinghua, and their companions at Orchid Garden Restaurant, where they discussed the Nine Hanging Mountain Swords and Tong Shaoxuan’s challenges.
• Iron Garment Sect members and Kentaro entered the adjoining room, mocked Jiang Jingnian, then confronted him with a claim about a dead rat in the restaurant.
• Jiang Jingmeng insulted the group and sent two Jiang Family guards forward, but an Eastern Wu warrior struck them down with a blade.
• Jiang Jingnian melted the warrior’s blade and killed him with one punch, then attacked Kentaro and the Iron Garment Sect as Wang Yan called for his disciples to join forces.

Jiang Jingnian defeated the Iron Garment Sect fighters and their Japanese pirate allies at Orchid Garden Restaurant, then killed Kentaro after learning of threats from the Hase Family and Iron Garment Sect. He warned Qu Chuanheng that the Japanese pirates’ Swordsmanship Master posed the greater danger and declared that he would face the coming conflict himself.

• Wang Yan and the Iron Garment Sect joined forces against Jiang Jingnian, but he shattered their Cold Mountain formation with Samadhi True Fire.
• Two Eastern Wu Kingdom warriors attacked with Mithril blades, and Jiang Jingnian blocked their strikes and killed them.
• Jiang Jingnian killed several Iron Garment Sect fighters, stopped Wang Yan’s Grandmaster trump card, and burned Wang Yan to ash.
• Chen Qinghua and the Severing Blade Dock martial artists crippled Kentaro, whom Jiang Jingnian killed after he threatened him with the Hase Family and Iron Garment Sect.
• Jiang Jingmeng insisted her family would retaliate against the Iron Garment Sect, while Jiang Jingnian advised Qu Chuanheng’s household to keep a low profile because a Japanese Swordsmanship Master was coming.
• Jiang Jingnian told Qu Chuanheng that he would face the martial world’s coming storms himself.

After Jiang Jingnian killed Japanese pirates and Iron Garment Sect martial artists in Peace City, the Jiang Family surrounded the Iron Garment Sect while Tong Shaoxuan continued defeating local fighters. Meanwhile, Hase Ryunosuke sailed toward Chen State with Nock Sterling, seeking the missing Bloodmoon Dark Paintings and planning to complete the Blood Moon Ritual and open the Celestial Gate.

• Jiang Jingnian refused the Ruan siblings' offer to help manage the aftermath, and the diners left Orchid Garden Restaurant as it closed.
• Xue Xiuxiu and Su Wanzhi reflected on Jiang Jingnian's violent actions and worried about the danger he faced.
• Elder Luo and the Iron Garment Sect elders learned that the Jiang Family had surrounded their sect and went out to negotiate.
• Tong Shaoxuan defeated Pan Shangtang at Bilin Martial Arena, prompting Qian Xuan and A-Lin to mock Jiang Jingnian.
• Hase Ryunosuke discussed the missing Bloodmoon Dark Paintings with Nock Sterling and declared that he would overcome Chen State's sword masters while pursuing the Blood Moon Ritual.
• Hase Ryunosuke ordered Saionji Seiichi to fight Chen State's younger experts before challenging Tong Shaoxuan.

As the Bloodmoon Dark Painting grew more dangerous, Jiang Jingnian decided to seek out the other paintings and followed its guidance north. After slaughtering bandits who tried to rob him, he entered a secluded valley where night had turned to dawn and found a lively mountain village.

• The Bloodmoon Dark Painting revealed a conflict between two Lunar Phase entities, but Jiang Jingnian burned away the vision with Samadhi True Fire and chose to pursue the other paintings.
• Jiang Jingnian disguised himself, rode north through Baobai Mountain, and ignored his instincts' warning when he came upon a bandit attack on a merchant caravan.
• After bandits from Blackwater Stronghold tried to rob him, Jiang Jingnian killed them and their chiefs with overwhelming force, then rode away without speaking to the caravan.
• Following the painting's changing Crescent Moon into a remote gorge in Eastwater Prefecture, Jiang Jingnian passed through a narrow rock passage and emerged in a bright, lively mountain village.

Jiang Jingnian investigated the moonlit Little Auspicious Village, where he suspected a connection to the Dark Painting and Auspicious Lotus Heaven. After a merchant caravan arrived and vanished from its own account of who traveled with it, several factions and an eager reporter gathered at the village, leaving Jiang Jingnian wary of what the full moon might bring.

• Jiang Jingnian questioned an old farmer in Little Auspicious Village and learned that the sun never appeared, the moon marked time, and the village worshiped Auspicious Lotus Heaven.
• The old farmer invited Jiang Jingnian to eat, where he met Ahe, whose knowledge of the outside world seemed inconsistent with her father’s ignorance.
• Jiang Jingnian waited for Village Chief Lian, then encountered Shopkeeper Li’s caravan and realized that its members denied the white-haired old woman he remembered seeing with them.
• A group of seductive merchants warned Jiang Jingnian to leave before the moon became full, suggesting the village would grow dangerous under the full moon.
• More outsiders arrived, including Hanging Mountain Sword Sect disciples, a monk, and Jinling Daily editor Ariya; Jiang Jingnian suspected they had come because of the village’s connection to lunar martial paths.

Jiang Jingnian investigated the strange village and followed a trail of bloody footprints to Ahe, whose Blood Lotus power he suppressed so she could speak. Li Ahe revealed that she was confused about her identity and begged him to take her away, leaving Jiang Jingnian questioning how she remembered being abandoned two months earlier.

• Zhuge Xin and her junior brother threatened the gathered visitors and recruited several martial artists to serve the Hanging Mountain Sword Sect.
• Ariya began recording the confrontation, and Zhuge Yin threatened her and demanded to inspect her notebook and camera later.
• The mature woman from the merchant caravan told Jiang Jingnian that Little Auspicious Village became a Ghost Domain on full-moon nights, when a Greater Demon Wraith appeared in the temple.
• Jiang Jingnian searched Village Chief Lian's empty house and saw bloody footprints appear and lead him to the old farmer's home.
• Jiang Jingnian found a shadow resembling Ahe, suppressed the Blood Lotuses in her eyes, and heard her say she was called Li Ahe and had been abandoned there by a white-haired woman in Daoist robes.
• Li Ahe begged Jiang Jingnian to take her away and said lotus-born monsters had eaten her many times, while Jiang Jingnian wondered how she knew she had been abandoned two months earlier.

Jiang Jingnian followed Li Ahe toward Mithril Temple as the premature Blood Moon transformed Little Auspicious Village into a nest of lotus monsters. He entered the temple through a side door and discovered something that made him wary.

• Jiang Jingnian used [Corpse Lotus Whisper] to restore Li Ahe’s reason, identified the fire in her eyes as a mutated Cinnabar Cloud Fire Lotus, and questioned her account of the village.
• Li Ahe asked Jiang Jingnian to end her suffering, and he agreed to take her to the temple to search for similar oil paintings before deciding what to do with her.
• The Blood Moon appeared early, and Jiang Jingnian escaped the collapsing house with Li Ahe while hundreds of lotus people attacked the martial artists gathered near the village entrance.
• Zhuge Xin and Liao Chuzhou fought off the lotus people as the young monk protected survivors and led them toward Mithril Temple.
• Jiang Jingnian and Li Ahe reached Mithril Temple ahead of the other martial artists, entered through a damaged side door, and Jiang Jingnian noticed something unsettling inside.

Jiang Jingnian discovered that Li Ahe was Li Xuanji’s polluted divine flower and uncovered evidence that Phosphorfire Wanderer had engineered years of deaths to weaken Mountain Cloud for his Celestial Gate scheme. Meanwhile, Tao Xiangsheng pursued the survivors toward Mithril Temple, where they found a mural containing those consumed by Little Auspicious Village.

• Jiang Jingnian had Li Ahe place her palm in the lotus sculpture, which exposed blood-colored moonlight in her wound and revealed the Undying Pure Lotus.
• Jiang Jingnian learned from the entry that Li Ahe was Li Xuanji’s polluted divine flower and that the lotus was tied to Phosphorfire Wanderer’s plans, but he kept Li Ahe alive and ordered her to help find the oil painting.
• Jiang Jingnian connected Phosphorfire Wanderer’s scheme to Mountain Cloud’s repeated conflicts and casualties, concluding that disciples and factions had been used as pieces in a long plan to open the Celestial Gate.
• The lotus people merged into a giant monster that had become Tao Xiangsheng, who sensed a Human Pill and pursued the survivors toward Mithril Temple.
• At the temple, Zhuge Xin ordered He Fujun and another White Fish Gang member to scout inside, where they found a vast mural of bones and flesh depicting people consumed by Little Auspicious Village.

The group entered a blood-polluted Mithril Temple, where He Fujun and He Chen were consumed by a mural after He Fujun used a mysterious key. In a grotto, Zhuge Xin, Liao Chuzhou, and the Harmonious Joy Sect fought over rare treasures until Tao Xiangsheng arrived as a powerful evil entity, while Jiang Jingnian remained in a nearby hall with the Bloodmoon Dark Painting.

• The young monk suppressed the blood-moon pollution with a Lion's Roar, but He Fujun used a scorching bronze key on a crack in the mural, and the bone forest swallowed him and He Chen.
• The mural split open into a passage, and Zhuge Xin, Liao Chuzhou, Ariya, the young monk, and the others entered a grotto filled with mithril, ritual implements, Moon-Eye Dao Essence, and Treasurelight Astral Baleful Force.
• The mature woman from the caravan revealed her Amorous Tree Martial Soul and stole the Moon-Eye Dao Essence, while Zhuge Xin and Liao Chuzhou took the Treasurelight Astral Baleful Force and fought the Harmonious Joy Sect.
• The Blood Moon Momentum drove the fighters into a vicious melee, and the young monk warned Zhuge Xin that a ritual was gathering power around the half-statue.
• Tao Xiangsheng burst into the grotto as a decaying evil entity near the First Heaven of True Astral Force, struck down the young monk, and shattered Zhuge Xin and Liao Chuzhou's combined sword attack.
• Jiang Jingnian stayed in a nearby side hall with Li Ahe's Bloodmoon Dark Painting and dismissed the growing commotion as unrelated to him.

Jiang Jingnian learned from the second Blood Moon Dark Painting that Tao Xiangsheng had become the focus of a rite, then faced him when the evil entity tracked him to the side hall. Jiang Jingnian met Tao Xiangsheng’s near-Grandmaster strength head-on with his fists and Heaven-Candling Fire.

• Jiang Jingnian examined the second Blood Moon Dark Painting and learned that Tao Xiangsheng’s rite could grant him End-of-the-Road Tier strength while Li Xuanji sought to cleanse her pollution.
• Jiang Jingnian gave Li Ahe a chance to survive until the full-moon night ended, while Tao Xiangsheng devastated the stone cavern and drove the surviving martial artists to flee.
• Tao Xiangsheng followed his karmic connection to Jiang Jingnian into the side hall and recognized him despite his disguise.
• Jiang Jingnian revealed himself, mocked Tao Xiangsheng, and learned that Tao believed Jiang was responsible for his transformation into an evil entity.
• Tao Xiangsheng attacked with a massive rotting hand, but Jiang Jingnian stopped it with his fists and unleashed the Samadhi True Fire as they exchanged blows.