Chapter Summaries

Shen Luo transferred the Ancestral Dragon Soul to Ao Hong, accepted the Blood-Seeking Nine-Chi Pearl, and recovered from the battle at the East Sea Dragon Palace. He then failed to remove the Black Seed from his Dantian by force and began using the Transplanting Flowers and Grafting Trees secret art to move it.

• Shen Luo removed Mount Buzhou from the Ancestral Dragon Soul and sent it into Ao Hong's Consciousness Sea, where Ao Hong suppressed it with an illusory Mount Buzhou.
• Ao Hong gave Shen Luo the Blood-Seeking Nine-Chi Pearl as payment, and Ao Zhong sealed the treasury while Ao Hong ordered the East Sea placed under martial law.
• Shen Luo suspected Princess Wansheng's Blood-Colored Bone Flute was connected to a bone staff he had encountered in the Black Abyss Mystery Cavern.
• After recovering from his injuries, Shen Luo tried to extract the Black Seed from his Dantian but stopped when it caused severe pain.
• Shen Luo recalled and mastered the Transplanting Flowers and Grafting Trees secret art, then began trying to move the Black Seed.

Shen Luo successfully moved the Black Seed from his dantian into the magic meridian in his right hand. At the Dragon Palace, Ao Hong became the new Dragon King and issued decrees to restrain the East Sea while building its strength.

• Shen Luo used Transplanting Flowers and Grafting Trees on his ninth attempt to transfer the Black Seed into his right hand.
• Ao Zhong announced that the other three seas had ambushed and killed the old Dragon King.
• Ao Zhong publicly supported Ao Hong's succession, and the Dragon Palace leaders and princes bowed to Ao Hong as their new ruler.
• Ao Hong ordered the East Sea's aquatic races not to seek vengeance for ten years and announced strict controls on travel into and out of the East Sea.
• Ao Hong ordered the Dragon Palace to expand its army, register the region's sects, and distribute cultivation manuals to strengthen its forces.

Shen Luo prepared to leave the East Sea after helping Ao Hong, but Lu Huaming arrived with an invitation to the Harmony-Evolving Conference, so Shen Luo returned to Chang’an with him. On the way, Shen Luo learned that the conference would punish the powers behind the siege of Fangcun Mountain.

• Shen Luo declined Ao Hong’s request to stay and help take revenge, but promised to come if Ao Hong called for him.
• Ao Hong gave Shen Luo a Dragon Gate Token as Shen prepared to leave for Heavenly Mechanism City.
• Lu Huaming arrived with an invitation for the East Sea Dragon Palace to attend a conference, but Ao Hong refused to participate.
• Shen Luo learned that Little Master would attend the conference in Chang’an and agreed to return there with Lu Huaming.
• Shen Luo told Lu Huaming about the upheaval at the Dragon Palace and worried about how it might change Ao Hong.
• Lu Huaming explained that the Harmony-Evolving Conference would punish Lion Camel Ridge, the Demon King Stronghold, and the Spider Cave over the siege of Fangcun Mountain.

Shen Luo reached Peach Grove Town to buy Peach Fruit Wine for Lu Huaming and convinced the shopkeeper that he was Lu Huaming’s friend. After securing the last two jars, he faced a pleading customer who wanted a taste.

• Shen Luo traveled alone to Peach Grove Town after Lu Huaming received a secret order and left him on the road to Chang'an.
• Shen Luo found Peach Blossom Cove, where the shopkeeper refused to sell the last two jars of Peach Fruit Wine to a fox-fur-cloaked man because they were reserved for a regular customer.
• Shen Luo learned the reserved wine was for Lu Huaming and used a water illusion of him to prove their connection.
• The shopkeeper accepted Shen Luo’s payment and handed him the two jars of Peach Fruit Wine.
• The fox-fur-cloaked man asked Shen Luo to spare him one jar, then lowered his request to one flask.

Shen Luo returned to Chang'an with the fox-clan wine lover Hu Bugui and learned that the approaching Harmony-Evolving Conference had stirred fears of conflict. After discovering that Heavenly Mechanism City’s delegation was staying in the eastern city, Shen Luo set out to visit them.

• Shen Luo shared Lu Huaming’s fruit wine with Hu Bugui, a member of the Qingqiu Lineage, and agreed to travel back to Chang'an with him.
• Shen Luo and Hu Bugui rode paper horses to Chang'an, discussed spells and talismans, then parted after exchanging addresses.
• At the city gates, Shen Luo saw workers reinforcing the walls and later learned that security at the Great Tang Government Office had tightened ahead of the Harmony-Evolving Conference.
• A guard commander told Shen Luo that demons and devils might reject the conference’s terms and warned that the negotiations carried a risk of violence.
• Shen Luo learned that Heavenly Mechanism City’s delegation was staying at its guildhall and that Little Master had come to Chang'an.
• Shen Luo found Cheng Yaojin away meeting State Preceptor Yuan Tiangang, rested in his courtyard, then headed east toward the Heavenly Mechanism Guildhall near evening.

Shen Luo visited the Heavenly Mechanism Guildhall in Chang'an and met with Little Master and Elder Fu. He explained that he had gone to Fangcun Mountain to seek the Mountains, Rivers, State and Society Diagram, setting up a discussion about the Jade Pillow repair.

• Shen Luo arrived at the Heavenly Mechanism Guildhall and was guided through its maze-like walkways and defenses.
• A disciple showed Shen Luo the Black Tortoise puppet and explained the guildhall’s Vermilion Bird defenses.
• Shen Luo met Elder Fu in the reception hall and learned that Wu Shi had recovered and was managing Heavenly Mechanism City.
• Little Master arrived and asked Shen Luo about the incident at Fangcun Mountain.
• Little Master told Shen Luo he could discuss the Jade Pillow repair with Elder Fu, and Shen Luo explained that he had gone to Fangcun Mountain for the Mountains, Rivers, State and Society Diagram.

Shen Luo told Little Master that he had obtained the Mountains, Rivers, State and Society Diagram and the Blood-Seeking Nine-Chi Pearl, but learned that the Jade Pillow could only be repaired later in Heavenly Mechanism City. He also discovered that Fangcun Mountain had named him to represent them at the Harmony-Evolving Conference, where he planned to risk drawing out the Demon Clan.

• Shen Luo told Little Master how he acquired the two treasures, and Little Master said the Jade Pillow repair had to wait until they returned to Heavenly Mechanism City and gathered the remaining materials.
• Little Master revealed that Fangcun Mountain had chosen Shen Luo to present their account and confront Spider Cave and Lion Camel Ridge at the conference in three days.
• Shen Luo agreed to attend and considered using himself as bait to expose any Demon Clan attack, while Little Master advised him to stay at the Heavenly Mechanism Guildhall if he faced danger.
• Shen Luo returned to his quarters, shared wine with Lu Huaming, and heard Lu Huaming confirm Fangcun Mountain's request, then ask whether Shen Luo had already known.

Shen Luo reassured Lu Huaming that representing Fangcun Mountain at the Harmony-Evolving Conference was his duty, then hurried to Four Seas Hall and helped a lost Fox Clan girl named Misu find her way. The conference began with representatives of 118 sects in attendance, and prominent leaders from across the Three Realms arrived on the platform.

• Lu Huaming told Shen Luo that the conference was likely a formality and that the Demon Clan was unlikely to cause trouble in Chang'an City.
• Shen Luo collided with a lost Fox Clan girl, learned her name was Misu, and offered to guide her to the Harmony-Evolving Conference.
• Shen Luo and Misu reached the plaza outside Four Seas Hall as representatives from 118 sects filled the audience seats.
• Cheng Yaojin, Yuan Tiangang, Li Jing, Qinglian Fairy, Master Kongdu, Sun Granny, Daoqing the True Person, and the Little Master of Heavenly Mechanism City appeared on the platform.

The assembly was delayed as powerful Demon Race, Demon Clan, and Immortal Race figures arrived, while the crowd waited for Shen Luo. Shen Luo finally appeared with Misu, who was rebuked by her elders, before a young man in green unexpectedly leapt onto the martial arts platform.

• The Azure-Furred Lion King, Bingbing Fairy, Hu Bugui, the Kui Demon King, and Yang Jian arrived and took seats beside the platform.
• Yuan Tiangang and Cheng Yaojin noticed the assembly had not begun, and Lu Huaming complained that Shen Luo was late.
• Shen Luo arrived with Misu, and Cheng Yaojin ordered the Yuling Guards to let them enter.
• Misu went to Granny Qiu and Eunuch Hua, who scolded her for secretly coming to Chang'an and ordered her to return to Qingqiu.
• A young man in a green robe leapt onto the martial arts platform, drawing protests from the crowd.

Shen Luo attended the Harmony-Evolving Conference as Fangcun Mountain’s representative while Cheng Yaojin presented a softened account of the siege. The hearing grew tense when Kui Demon King defended the attack and accused Fangcun Mountain of threatening the rules of the Three Realms.

• Cheng Yaojin introduced Shen Luo as Fangcun Mountain’s representative and began explaining the siege to the assembly.
• Shen Luo noticed Cheng Yaojin had omitted the attempt to break the seal of the Well of Gods and Demons, but Yuan Tiangang told him Fangcun Mountain had agreed to the account to avoid worsening tensions among the races.
• Yang Jian and Bingbing Fairy accepted responsibility, while the Azure-Furred Lion King gave no objection and Kui Demon King questioned whether his sects should bear all the blame.
• Kui Demon King claimed that Fangcun Mountain’s recruitment across the races and Patriarch Bodhi’s power had made it a threat, provoking an angry uproar from the crowd.

At the gathering, Kui Demon King shifted blame for the attack on Fangcun Mountain, and Li Jing declared that the demon and devil races should be punished. Shen Luo challenged the accusations and defended Fangcun Mountain, prompting Kui Demon King to attack him with Divine Thought.

• Kui Demon King called out Zi Xiao and persuaded the crowd that Fangcun Mountain had brought the attack upon itself.
• Li Jing said that Fangcun Mountain had acted improperly but that the demon and devil races should still be punished.
• Shen Luo rose and challenged the claims against Fangcun Mountain, citing its past service and sacrifices.
• Shen Luo demanded that the demon races explain why they had attacked Fangcun Mountain, but Cheng Yaojin interrupted before he could reveal their aim of breaking the seal on the Well of Gods and Demons.
• Kui Demon King struck at Shen Luo's Divine Soul with a trident of Divine Thought, but Shen Luo's mountain-like defense shattered it.

At the Harmony-Evolving Conference, Yuan Tiangang stopped Shen Luo and Kui Demon King from escalating their dispute, and Cheng Yaojin announced punishments for those responsible for the attack on Fangcun Mountain. As Golden-Winged Peng King and Hua Shiniang were about to be taken away, an unexplained quake split Chang’an’s plaza and released purple-black light and demonic mist.

• Yuan Tiangang interrupted Kui Demon King's Divine Thought attack and urged Shen Luo not to escalate the conflict.
• Cheng Yaojin sentenced Golden-Winged Peng King and Hua Shiniang to five hundred years beneath the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, imposed other punishments, and ordered compensation for Fangcun Mountain.
• Yuan Tiangang prepared to escort Golden-Winged Peng King and Hua Shiniang to Great Benevolence Grace Temple, while they watched Shen Luo without resisting.
• A sudden quake split the martial arts platform and collapsed the hall, as purple-black light and demonic mist rose from the fissures.
• Cheng Yaojin accused Golden-Winged Peng King of causing the disaster, but Golden-Winged Peng King and Hua Shiniang both denied responsibility.

Pitch-black evil demons erupted across Chang'an, attacking the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, the imperial palace, and other parts of the city. Cheng Yaojin dispatched forces to rescue civilians and defend the palace, but bells from the Great Benevolence Grace Temple signaled another crisis as the chapter ended.

• The Azure-Furred Lion King, Bingbing Fairy, and Kui Demon King denied responsibility for the attack, while Li Jing inspected the pit and the group sensed evil demonic energy rising across Chang'an.
• A massive tentacle emerged in the northwest and struck at the city as the Imperial Astronomical Bureau's golden formation surrounded it.
• An ox-headed evil demon attacked the imperial palace, where two armored giants rose to confront it.
• Yuan Tiangang returned to the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, and Cheng Yaojin ordered Lu Huaming to evacuate citizens and the Yuling Guards to protect the inner palace.
• Qinglian Fairy and Master Kongdu offered assistance, while Little Master warned the Kui Demon King not to worsen the chaos.
• Bells rang from the Great Benevolence Grace Temple, and Cheng Yaojin and Shen Luo recognized the sound with grave expressions.

Cheng Yaojin left to investigate the threat beneath the Big Wild Goose Pagoda while Li Jing detained the Golden-Winged Peng and Hua Shiniang. As Shen Luo confronted Li Jing, a giant peach tree erupted beneath the Great Tang Government Office, and its young-looking owner, Tao Yaoyao, appeared, resembling the wine-selling girl.

• Cheng Yaojin asked Li Jing to detain the Golden-Winged Peng and Hua Shiniang, then hurried toward the Big Wild Goose Pagoda as Li Jing sealed the two in his Exquisite Pagoda.
• Shen Luo heard the fighting in Chang'an City continue and wondered why the fiends had attacked during the Harmony-Evolving Conference.
• Li Jing confronted Shen Luo, who criticized his role in the suppression of Fangcun Mountain, and Li Jing began to respond before sensing danger in the martial arts arena.
• Li Jing's golden palm struck the pit, but pink light shattered it as blue-black vines burst from underground and the square collapsed.
• A vast flowering peach tree rose beneath the Great Tang Government Office, and Li Jing and Qinglian Fairy identified its owner as Tao Yaoyao.
• Tao Yaoyao emerged and explained to Qinglian Fairy that she had come because she owed someone a great favor; Shen Luo and Hu Bugui recognized her resemblance to the wine-selling girl.

Tao Yaoyao used her peach tree and a spatial barrier to block the Four Symbols Celestial Timing Formation and trap the gathered cultivators in Chang'an. When Master Kongdu attacked her for aiding the enemy, she calmly repelled his strikes and remained unharmed.

• The Four Symbols Celestial Timing Formation rose over Chang'an, targeting the fiends causing havoc in the city.
• Tao Yaoyao unleashed her enormous peach tree, halting the formation and enclosing the square with a pink Mist Wall that trapped the gathered cultivators.
• Tao Yaoyao explained that she was repaying a favor by preventing the formation from descending and keeping the great powers from intervening.
• Shen Luo asked whether Tao Yaoyao had cultivated her peach grove for this event, and she said its role was a coincidence.
• Master Kongdu challenged Tao Yaoyao and transformed into a golden Vajra Guardian, but she repeatedly shattered his attacks with enormous peach petals without being harmed.

Tao Yaoyao revealed that her roots spread beneath Chang'an City and used the earth veins to hold off the Taiyi Realm cultivators, while Shen Luo secured permission for weaker cultivators to leave. Outside the Great Tang Government Office, Hu Bugui rescued a disciple from a Demon Beast as battle continued through the city.

• Tao Yaoyao forced Master Kongdu back, then prepared to face Qinglian Fairy, the Azure-Furred Lion King, and Kui Demon King.
• Shen Luo noticed the ruined ground and withered plants, and Tao Yaoyao revealed that her roots could draw power from Chang'an City's earth veins.
• Shen Luo persuaded Tao Yaoyao to let cultivators below the Taiyi Realm leave and help rescue the citizens, and she opened a passage in the Mist Wall.
• Shen Luo and Hu Bugui left the square, and Shen Luo found a fissure filled with black blood, scorch marks, and corpse husks outside the Great Tang Government Office.
• Hu Bugui rushed toward battle cries and killed a Demon Beast that had pinned a Great Tang Government Office disciple.

Shen Luo reached the Royal Garden as frightened residents tried to force their way inside while a catfish demon beast attacked them. When a refugee stabbed a Yuling Guard who refused to open the gate, Shen Luo stopped him from striking again.

• Shen Luo hurried toward the Imperial Astronomical Bureau and saw the destruction along the Pheobe Canal.
• Refugees begged the Yuling Guards to let them into the Royal Garden, but the guards refused under orders from the State Preceptor.
• A catfish demon beast leaped from the canal and attacked the crowd, and Shen Luo's red flying sword cut its tongue.
• As the refugees accused the guards of abandoning them, a young man stabbed the Yuling Guard who had defended the gate.
• Shen Luo grabbed the young man's wrist before he could stab the Yuling Guard again.

Shen Luo exposed an infant demon’s scheme to bewitch the commoners into opening the Royal Garden gate, then rescued them from a giant catfish demon beast. The infant used a crushing spell to send Shen Luo into the beast’s mouth and turned its attention toward the helpless survivors.

• Shen Luo killed the catfish demon beast and crippled the young man, then healed the wounded Thorn Feather Spirit Guard.
• Shen Luo recognized that the infant shared its senses with the bewitched commoners, killed the young man, and forced the infant to reveal itself.
• The infant admitted it wanted to enter the Royal Garden, and Shen Luo deduced it was trying to release a fiend sealed inside.
• The ground collapsed, and Shen Luo used a water python to save the commoners from a huge catfish demon beast.
• The infant restrained Shen Luo with a red-light spell, and the beast swallowed him before the infant threatened the commoners.

Shen Luo pursued a shape-shifting infant demon after it escaped his attack, following it into the Imperial Astronomical Bureau. He found the Bureau’s plaza strewn with the dead and rushed toward a great hall connected to the Four Symbols Celestial Timing Formation.

• Shen Luo burst out of the catfish Demon Beast and struck the woman, but the infant transformed, drained a gray-haired old man, and attacked him.
• Shen Luo resisted the infant’s sound-wave attack and smashed its body with the Mysterious Yellow Unity Staff, but a blood-colored flesh worm escaped.
• Shen Luo pursued the flesh worm into the Imperial Astronomical Bureau and found its plaza littered with dead Yuling Guards, Demon Beasts, and Bureau disciples.
• Shen Luo saw a pillar of light rising behind a great hall and noticed Tao Yaoyao’s true-body tree holding up the Four Symbols Celestial Timing Formation, then flew toward the hall.

Yuan Tiangang struggled to sustain the Four Symbols Celestial Timing Formation while his External Incarnation fought Youkuang, a demon attacking Chang'an. Just as the incarnation nearly killed Youkuang, Youtong intervened, then claimed he would not interfere again.

• Yuan Tiangang continued channeling his Magic Power into the formation while his External Incarnation fought Youkuang, who urged him to give up.
• Youkuang explained that demons had been drawn to Chang'an by its damaged Dragon Vein, while Yuan Tiangang revealed that Tao Yaoyao was preventing the formation from descending.
• Yuan Tiangang sent more power to his External Incarnation, which trapped Youkuang with the treasure mirror and attacked him with the Peachwood Sword.
• Youtong struck the External Incarnation's wrist, breaking the mirror's hold and allowing Youkuang to escape.
• Youkuang asked why Youtong had come, and Youtong cursed him and said he would not interfere again.