Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Shen Xingyan grows furious with jealousy as he watches Ye Qingyao heal Lei Jiajia, who openly admires her.
• The first day of elimination rounds ends, establishing the tournament’s final eight, including Ye Qinghui, Shen Xingyan, Lu Lingxuan, Jiang Kui, and Ye Qingyun.
• Ye Qingchuan and his companions profit enormously from their betting strategy, while Ye Zhenzhen arranges for Lu Lingxuan to exchange Dragonblood Stones for two million Superior Spirit Stones.
• At home, Ye Qingchuan grills fish for Ye Zhenzhen. Unable to eat much because she has only one tiny tooth, she gives the fish to her contracted beast, Xiao Ba.
• Xiao Ba offers one of its own tentacles to be grilled. The aroma attracts customers, and Ye Qingchuan and Ye Zhenzhen turn the unexpected delicacy into another lucrative food stall.
• Ye Qinghui faces Jiang Wan, a striking and formidable disciple of Immortal-Ending Hall. She opens the match with her tracking attack, the Fallen Blossom Slash.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Xingyan is consumed by jealousy toward Lei Jiajia’s closeness with Ye Qingyao.
• Ye Zhenzhen remains playful and enterprising, encouraging the food business while showing affection for Xiao Ba. Her frustration at being unable to eat properly highlights her childlike appetite.
• Ye Qingchuan balances care for his junior sister with a growing enthusiasm for earning money; he readily turns Xiao Ba’s unusual contribution into a new business.
• Xiao Ba is eager and good-natured, happily trading a tentacle for grilled fish and helping the group attract customers.
• Lu Lingxuan benefits from the Dragonblood Stones, which could greatly increase the value of a Spirit Sword.
• Jiang Wan is introduced as both beautiful and dangerous, with a ruthless technique that has defeated opponents by relentlessly pursuing them.

Significant themes

• Jealousy and attachment: Shen Xingyan’s fixation on Ye Qingyao and Lei Jiajia contrasts with the chapter’s lighter relationships.
• Resourcefulness and prosperity: The characters turn tournament winnings and even grilled octopus into opportunities to make money.
• Affection expressed through food: Ye Qingchuan’s fish is a reward for Zhenzhen, while Zhenzhen shares it with Xiao Ba.
• Beauty versus danger: Jiang Wan’s graceful appearance masks the frightening persistence of her attack.

Character interactions

• Shen Xingyan silently fumes as Ye Qingyao treats Lei Jiajia, whose admiration only intensifies his jealousy.
• Ye Zhenzhen persuades Ye Qingchuan to indulge her with grilled fish, then shares it with Xiao Ba.
• Xiao Ba’s unusual offer leads Ye Qingchuan and Zhenzhen to sell grilled tentacle to enthusiastic customers.
• Jiang Wan respectfully challenges Ye Qinghui before launching her signature slash.

Key plot points and events

• On the second day after absorbing the Bodhi Spirit Pill, Ye Qinghui has recovered most of his cultivation. The pill also lets him conceal his true strength.
• In his match with Jiang Wan, Ye Qinghui withstands her two Fallen Blossom Slashes. When her depleted Divine Sense makes the blades turn toward her, he chooses to protect her instead of taking the win. Jiang Wan concedes.
• The tournament quarterfinals conclude: Ye Qinghui, Shen Xingyan, Jiang Kui, and Ye Qingyun advance. Ye Qinghui is set to face Jiang Kui, while Shen Xingyan will face Ye Qingyun.
• Ye Qinghui takes control of his match with Jiang Kui, whose fast, ruthless swordplay proves less adaptable. Jiang Kui then secretly throws poisoned Golden Centipede Silver Needles. Ye Zhenzhen warns Ye Qinghui, who dodges them and accuses Jiang Kui of breaking the rules. Jiang Kui denies they are hidden weapons, and Immortal Venerable Shen appears to tacitly permit his excuse.

Character developments and interactions

• Ye Qinghui shows both his growing strength and his integrity: he refuses to exploit Jiang Wan’s vulnerability and later confronts Jiang Kui’s cheating openly.
• Jiang Wan is impressed by Ye Qinghui’s compassion and skill, and her admiration turns into affection after he saves her. He remains distant and reserved, leaving Ye Zhenzhen to despair at his lack of romantic awareness.
• Ye Zhenzhen watches the matches closely, privately delights in Jiang Wan’s apparent crush on her senior brother, and later saves Ye Qinghui from the needles with her warning.
• Jiang Kui becomes frustrated as Ye Qinghui gains the upper hand, then resorts to a deadly prohibited weapon. Immortal Venerable Shen’s apparent approval suggests the match may be unfairly managed.

Significant themes

• Compassion over victory: Ye Qinghui’s choice to save Jiang Wan reveals a moral code that matters more to him than winning.
• Strength and character: The chapter contrasts Ye Qinghui’s disciplined skill and fairness with Jiang Kui’s reliance on poison and rule-bending.
• Romance and misunderstanding: Jiang Wan’s feelings emerge, while Ye Qinghui’s emotional reserve leaves Ye Zhenzhen expecting him to miss the signs.
• Corruption in competition: Jiang Kui’s cheating—and the judge’s apparent complicity—undermines the tournament’s rules and fairness.

Plot points and events

• Jiang Kui, losing to Ye Qinghui, breaks the tournament rules by attacking with poisoned Golden Centipede Silver Needles. Ye Qinghui counters with a Rebound Talisman, sending the needles back and poisoning Jiang Kui instead.
• Ye Qingyun reaches the semifinals using Ye Qinghui’s Inner Core, but Shen Xingyan defeats him after revealing he has advanced to early Nascent Soul. Ye Qingyun mourns the Flying Boat prize he had hoped to win.
• Shen Xingyan and Ye Qinghui are set to compete for the championship. Shen fails to meet Ye Qingyao privately the night before the final, but tells her the next morning that he will give her the Flying Boat if he wins.
• The final begins amid loud support for Shen. Ye Qinghui also has a smaller but wealthy group of backers, while Jiang Wan and her fellow disciples draw attention with a sword dance in his honor.
• After testing each other with opening moves, both finalists are surprised by the other’s strength. Ye Qinghui, despite having seemed to lack a Core, has restored his cultivation and reached early Nascent Soul with the help of a Bodhi Spirit Pill and Dragonblood Stone.

Character developments and interactions

• Ye Qinghui shows composure and preparation under pressure, while Ye Zhenzhen’s prediction that Jiang Kui would cheat proves correct. Jiang Wan openly celebrates Ye Qinghui’s victory and becomes an enthusiastic supporter.
• Ye Zhenzhen hopes Jiang Wan and Ye Qinghui might become a couple, but Ye Qinghui instead turns his attention to his junior sister, teasingly squeezing her cheeks. She is comically dismayed that she may be entangled in the romance she had imagined for someone else.
• Ye Qingyun’s ambition to win the Flying Boat gives way to defeat and comic despair. He had worried about offending Shen Xingyan, but their strength gap makes the contest one-sided.
• Shen Xingyan presents himself as confident and promises Ye Qingyao the prize as a token of love. Luo Bingyao, trying to attract his attention by copying Ye Qingyao’s style, goes unnoticed; Jiang Wan’s group outshines her.
• Ye Zhenzhen believes her presence with Ye Qinghui has altered the original story and expects the Flying Boat—and the tournament outcome—to change as well.

Significant themes

• Rule-breaking versus fair competition: Jiang Kui’s hidden-weapon attack contrasts with Ye Qinghui’s prepared, legitimate counter.
• Fate and changing outcomes: Ye Zhenzhen’s awareness of the original story is challenged as events diverge.
• Romance and mistaken expectations: Her matchmaking hopes collide with Ye Qinghui’s fondness for her, while Shen Xingyan’s promises and Luo Bingyao’s imitation create contrasting romantic tensions.
• Appearance versus substance: The crowd favors Shen’s reputation and display, but Ye Qinghui’s recovered power makes him a formidable, underestimated contender.

• The duel intensifies: Shen Xingyan’s cultivation has risen from Nascent Soul Early Stage to Middle Stage, matching Ye Qinghui’s extraordinary speed with overwhelming Sword Qi. Their clash shakes the arena and draws a huge reaction from the crowd, who increasingly expect Shen to win.
• Shen reveals his preparation: After trading attacks, Shen retreats strategically and leads Ye Qinghui through the arena’s corners, triggering a concealed Space-Binding Formation. It slows Ye’s movements and blunts his signature fast swordsmanship. Ye Zhenzhen realizes too late that Shen had prepared the formation in advance.
• The source of Shen’s power—and weakness: Ye Zhenzhen deduces that Shen used the forbidden Primordial Chaos Pearl to accelerate his cultivation, suffering damage to his meridians as a result. His pursuit of Ye Qingyao is also tied to her constitution, which could help repair that damage.
• Ye Qinghui finds an opening: Though slowed, Ye sharpens his perception and notices Shen’s pain and increasingly disordered swordplay. He confirms that Shen’s meridians are most unstable near the Fengchi Acupoint, giving him a possible target.
  Character developments and interactions: Ye Qinghui remains composed and observant under pressure, adapting rather than relying only on speed. Ye Zhenzhen urgently warns him through telepathy, and her insight helps him identify Shen’s weakness. Shen is driven by ambition and by a desire to impress Ye Qingyao: he wants her to witness him defeating the senior brother she respects. Immortal Venerable Shen watches with confidence, unaware that his son’s apparent strength conceals serious damage.
  Themes: The chapter contrasts visible power with hidden vulnerability, highlights the danger and cost of forbidden shortcuts, and shows how preparation and tactical awareness can counter superior force.

Plot points and events

• Ye Qinghui uses Ye Qingchuan’s Formation-Breaking Talisman to escape Shen Xingyan’s Space-Binding Formation. He gets behind Shen and strikes him down, winning the tournament. The blow also cuts off much of Shen’s prized long hair.
• Ye Qinghui, Ye Zhenzhen, Ye Qingyao, and Ye Qingchuan board their prize Flying Boat as victors. They admire its spacious rooms and efficient propulsion.
• Cloudsky Sect’s tournament bets bring in more than ten million Superior Spirit Stones. By contrast, Jade Pool Island earns no surplus after disrupted business, while Shen Xingyan and Immortal Venerable Shen lose the million-stone bets they placed on Shen’s victory.
• The group visits Spirit Treasure Pavilion, where the champion receives a warm welcome. Ye Zhenzhen and Ye Qingyao eagerly browse the goods, especially clothing and ornaments.

Character developments and interactions

• Ye Qinghui’s calm preparation and quick swordsmanship let him turn the fight around at the decisive moment.
• Ye Qingchuan’s talent for talismans proves crucial: his talisman gives Ye Qinghui the brief freedom needed to escape the formation.
• Ye Zhenzhen reflects on how Shen Xingyan once treated a Flying Boat as a grudging loan to Ye Qingyao, and decides her senior sister should experience more of the world so she will not be impressed by a scoundrel’s small favors.
• Ye Qingyao and Ye Qingchuan are delighted by their winnings and the Flying Boat; Ye Qingyao readily agrees with Ye Zhenzhen’s plan to spend some of the money.
• Shen Xingyan is enraged by his defeat and the loss of his hair, which he sees as a profound humiliation, and vows revenge on Ye Qinghui. Luo Bingyao mistakes him for Ye Qingyao because of his damaged appearance, then bluntly mocks him as looking like a mushroom.

Significant themes

• Preparation, skill, and teamwork can overcome an opponent’s apparent control.
• Wealth and worldly experience offer independence—and can help people see through manipulative, stingy gestures.
• The chapter uses comic humiliation to puncture Shen Xingyan’s vanity and contrast his self-image with the group’s growing success.

Key plot points and events

• Ye Zhenzhen, Ye Qingyao, and their companions go on a lavish shopping spree at the Spirit Treasure Pavilion. Ye Zhenzhen and Ye Qingyao buy colorful Spirit Butterfly-wing Robes, while Qingyao also picks out playful hair ornaments for her little junior sister.
• They buy more than twenty Flying Boats, including designs shaped like mythical beasts. The pavilion master offers them a package price, and later pays them several million Superior Spirit Stones for rare treasures from the Illusory Forest, which he trades for valuable medicinal plants and fruit.
• Shen Xingyan arrives hoping to impress Ye Qingyao and humiliate Ye Qinghui. He shows off his collection of Flying Boats, but Ye Qingchuan counters by revealing that their group has bought even more—including every model Shen owns and others besides.
• Shen follows the group into the Artifact hall. Ye Zhenzhen takes an interest in flying needles, hoping to find a weapon she can use. An Immortal Attendant demonstrates several kinds, and Zhenzhen is especially captivated by the powerful Red Lotus Flower-Burial Needles.

Character developments

• Ye Zhenzhen delights in spending freely, but her interest in weapons also reveals a growing desire to become stronger and protect her companions rather than rely on them.
• Ye Qingyao shows her affectionate, playful side through her enthusiasm for dressing Zhenzhen up.
• Ye Qinghui reassures Zhenzhen that he will protect her, expressing gentle care, while she quietly insists on becoming capable herself.
• Shen Xingyan’s confidence and desire to show off are undercut when the group easily surpasses his collection.

Significant themes

• Wealth and status: Shen’s attempt to impress others backfires when Ye Zhenzhen’s group proves far richer and more extravagant.
• Affection and protection: The group’s purchases and attention to Zhenzhen show how cherished she is.
• Growing independence: Zhenzhen wants to move beyond being protected and gain the means to defend herself and those she loves.

Character interactions

• Ye Qingyao and Zhenzhen share a cheerful shopping trip, with Qingyao choosing accessories for her.
• Ye Qinghui gently reassures Zhenzhen, while she responds internally that she wants to grow strong enough to protect the group too.
• Shen Xingyan tries to impress Ye Qingyao and belittle the others, but Ye Qingchuan’s display of their larger collection turns the encounter into a humiliating reversal.
• The Immortal Attendant encourages Zhenzhen’s interest by demonstrating a range of flying needles.

Key plot points and events

• Ye Zhenzhen wants the Red Lotus Flower-Burial Needles, and Ye Qinghui is ready to buy them for her. Shen Xingyan cuts in, claiming he reserved them, then buys all one hundred needles for 250,000 Superior Spirit Stones after the attendant raises the price.
• Shen keeps snatching up items Zhenzhen wants—including a self-heating milk bottle—so she deliberately points out every baby product in the pavilion. He buys the whole lot, insisting they will be useful for a future child.
• His fellow disciples misread the purchases as evidence that he is about to become a father, and speculate that Luo Bingyao or another woman might be pregnant.
• Zhenzhen accidentally uses a Spring Blossoms and Autumn Moon Talisman as a changing pad. Shen recognizes it as one he had given Ye Qingyao and struggles over whether to retrieve it, while the others assume he is simply too thrifty to leave anything behind.

Character developments and interactions

• Ye Zhenzhen is resourceful and mischievous: after Shen repeatedly frustrates her, she uses his eagerness to compete against him to make him buy every baby item in sight.
• Shen Xingyan is rich but reluctant to spend, competitive, and easily provoked. His purchases and jealousy over the Talisman also reveal his attachment to Ye Qingyao, though his reputation for flirting fuels gossip.
• Ye Qinghui is indulgent toward Zhenzhen and initially offers to buy what she wants, but Shen repeatedly gets there first.
• Shen’s disciples watch his behavior and turn it into a running joke, while Zhenzhen and Shen silently compete over the pavilion’s goods.

Significant themes

• Comic misunderstandings: Shen’s baby-supply shopping sparks rumors that he is secretly expecting a child.
• Pettiness and rivalry: Shen’s habit of outbidding Zhenzhen turns ordinary shopping into a contest.
• Thrift and reputation: His struggle over a soiled Talisman reinforces the group’s view of him as obsessively frugal.
• Jealousy and attachment: Shen’s reaction to the Talisman suggests he cares about what happened to the gift he gave Ye Qingyao.

Key events

• Shen Xingyan confronts Ye Qingyao over the Spring Blossoms and Autumn Moon Talisman, which ended up being used as Ye Zhenzhen’s pee pad. Hurt and offended, he assumes Ye Qingyao finds him repulsive.
• Ye Qingchuan defends his senior sister, while Ye Qingyao returns the talisman and reimburses Shen Xingyan with a hundred Superior Spirit Stones. Ye Qingchuan makes clear that money and gifts will not earn Shen Xingyan her affection.
• Back at Cloudsky Sect, the disciples increasingly regard Ye Zhenzhen as their lucky charm. They volunteer to help with her plans to raise Sea Fish into Spirit Fish and cultivate Spirit Herbs.
• Ye Zhenzhen realizes that the rich spiritual energy around the Seven-Colored Heaven-Mending Stone could accelerate both projects. Xiao Ba subdues the guarding Taowu, binding it with its tentacles, regenerating after being bitten, and blinding it with ink.
• Xiao Ba claims the area as its domain, moves into a fishpond with the Sea Fish, and anticipates a breakthrough. The defeated Taowu joins Xiao Ba’s celebratory dance.
• Ye Zhenzhen establishes a “Secret Base” near the stone and has Ye Qingchuan transplant there the many Spirit Plants the pair collected from the Illusory Forest—so thoroughly that Ye Qinghui and Ye Qingyao realize they stripped the place nearly bare.

Character developments and interactions

• Ye Qingyao shows growing confidence: instead of fumbling for an explanation, she directly repays Shen Xingyan and rejects any implied obligation to him.
• Shen Xingyan is genuinely wounded by her apparent rejection, but his pride and determination to win her over remain intact.
• Ye Qingchuan firmly protects Ye Qingyao and reinforces that she cannot be bought with expensive gifts.
• Ye Zhenzhen continues to drive the group’s plans with practical ideas, while her senior siblings respond by doting on her and helping her.
• Xiao Ba proves far more formidable than the Taowu, winning through strength, regeneration, and its ink attack. The two beasts’ eventual dancing adds a comic note to their unlikely camaraderie.

Significant themes

• Affection and personal choice: Ye Qingyao’s repayment makes clear that gifts do not create a claim on someone’s feelings.
• Collective care and prosperity: The sect’s members rally around Ye Zhenzhen, whose luck and ingenuity appear to benefit everyone.
• Resourcefulness and comic reversal: Xiao Ba’s unconventional abilities defeat a legendary beast, turning a dangerous guardian into a cooperative, almost ridiculous companion.

Key plot points

• Ye Zhenzhen’s siblings prepare for the sect’s coming destruction by cultivating spirit plants and raising spirit fish. The plants thrive on energy from the Seven-Colored Heaven-Mending Stone, while Ye Qingchuan feeds the fish herbs, producing fish with varied healing and cultivation benefits.
• Ye Zhenzhen organizes the pond by feeding each section different herbs. Her family supports her work with homemade talismans and fish dishes, while their parents strengthen the barriers hiding the family’s Secret Base.
• The family plans to keep improving their cultivation until Divine Descent in three months, when they hope to retrieve the Xuandu Glazed Hammer and reclaim their eldest senior brother’s Inner Core.
• During a rare snowfall, baby Ye Zhenzhen plays with Ye Qingyao and Ye Qingchuan. Ye Qingchuan teases her with a snowball, and she tries to retaliate.
• Jiang Wan arrives and confesses to Ye Qinghui, asking him to become her Dao Companion. He politely but firmly refuses, saying he has never considered taking one.

Character developments and interactions

• Ye Zhenzhen shows growing ingenuity by tailoring the fish’s diets to produce distinct benefits. Her siblings’ affection for her is evident in their practical support and playful teasing.
• Ye Qingchuan enjoys provoking his baby sister, while Ye Qingyao lovingly helps her play in the snow.
• Jiang Wan, normally aloof and sharp-tongued, reveals a vulnerable, determined side. Her feelings grew after Ye Qinghui saved her at the tournament, but his resolve remains unchanged.

Significant themes

• Family devotion and cooperation: The siblings work together to build strength and protect their family’s future.
• Preparation and hope amid danger: Their farming and cultivation are steps toward surviving the sect’s impending destruction.
• Unrequited love and steadfastness: Jiang Wan boldly pursues Ye Qinghui, whose unwavering Dao Heart leads him to reject her.

• At the plum tree: Ye Zhenzhen crawls toward Ye Qinghui to overhear him, then slips and falls into the snow. He rushes to her, gently cleans her up, fixes her hair, and warms her hands with spiritual energy. He tells her that someone once saved him when he had lost hope, and that he wants to spend his life repaying her. Zhenzhen privately teases him for being destined to remain alone; he replies that having her is enough.
• Divine Descent opens: Two months later than expected, the Heavenly Stairway appears near the Fusang Tree, which connects the human, divine, and nether realms. Only cultivators below Spirit Transformation can climb it. The perilous route is said to lead to treasures and the Heaven-Opening Sword, guarded by Qiongqi.
• Zhenzhen recalls the original story: She knows Shen Xingyan is meant to claim the sword and become powerful enough to destroy Cloudsky Sect and devastate her family. She also remembers that Jiang Kui’s poisonous hidden weapons will strike Ye Qinghui’s right arm, forcing him to amputate it. Determined to prevent both tragedies, she resolves to protect Qinghui and keep the sword from Shen.
• The rival group arrives first: Ye Qinghui and his companions hurry to Divine Descent, but Shen Xingyan and Jiang Kui have already entered the stairway with followers from their sects. Jiang mocks Qinghui and urges the group to turn back; Shen offers a smug warning, confident that his scouts and expendable followers will keep him safe.
• Zhenzhen confronts Shen: Though barely able to speak, she calls Shen and Jiang “stupid” and “idiots.” Shen mocks her, threatens her with imaginary monsters, and invites her to call him “Daddy” or “Grandpa.” Zhenzhen struggles to say “wish,” then raises her middle finger, intending an insult. Enraged, Shen attacks her with Sword Qi.
  Character developments and interactions: Qinghui’s tender care for Zhenzhen reinforces their close bond, while Zhenzhen’s concern for him shows how deeply she has come to care for him. She is also increasingly determined to alter the story and protect her family. Shen’s arrogance and cruelty are evident in his taunting of a child, while Jiang remains openly antagonistic toward Qinghui.

Key plot points and events

• Shen Xingyan attacks Ye Zhenzhen, but she uses Ye Qingchuan’s Rebound Talisman to send his sword energy back at him, coating it in the smell of baby pee. Jiang Kui stops Shen from retaliating, reminding him that finding the Heaven-Opening Sword matters more.
• The group begins climbing the Heavenly Stairway, where flying and spellcasting are forbidden. The ascent takes more than ten exhausting days.
• Ye Qinghui, Ye Qingyao, and Ye Qingchuan take turns carrying Zhenzhen. She shares the turns to keep everyone happy, and her siblings’ affection for her is clear.
• Strange shadows appear along the stairway. At a fork, most travelers follow Shen Xingyan onto a radiant golden path. Zhenzhen warns her companions that the golden path is the haunted one, so they take the dark path instead.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhenzhen shows quick reflexes and growing confidence by defending herself with the talisman. She is also skilled at managing her senior siblings’ feelings.
• Ye Qinghui proves dependable and strong, carrying Zhenzhen all day without tiring. Ye Qingyao tries to carry her but soon becomes exhausted, and Ye Qingchuan takes over.
• Ye Qingchuan is revealed as both physically capable and insecure about praise. Zhenzhen reassures him that he is handsome; he accepts the compliment but teases her appearance, prompting her to sulk.
• Jiang Kui restrains Shen Xingyan’s anger, prioritizing the search for the sword over revenge.

Significant themes

• Protective family bonds: The siblings compete to care for Zhenzhen, while she tries to make the attention fair.
• Resourcefulness and innocence: Zhenzhen’s childish antics conceal sharp instincts and practical judgment.
• Appearance versus reality: The bright, inviting path may be more dangerous than the ominous dark one, underscoring the danger of judging by appearances.
• Endurance and uncertainty: The long climb tests the travelers physically before confronting them with a mysterious, consequential choice.

Plot points and events

• In a pitch-black passage, Lu Lingxuan lights the way with Luminous Pearls. The group encounters no monsters or phantoms.
• Lu teases Ye Zhenzhen by stroking her hair. She allows it only in exchange for Luminous Pearls, which she eagerly stores for later. Ye Qinghui apologizes for her behavior, but Lu finds her adorable.
• Elsewhere, Jiang Kui mocks Ye Qinghui’s group for entering danger. Shen Xingyan is concerned about Ye Qingyao, though his possessive interest in her is tied to his desire to claim her as a “Peerless Furnace Cauldron.” Jiang Kui urges him to focus on obtaining the Heaven-Opening Sword and hints at another woman, Jiang Wan.
• The group discovers a beautiful garden of glowing butterflies. Mistaking them for spirit butterflies that heal the mind and strengthen spiritual energy, cultivators enter the flowers.
• The butterflies reveal themselves as Dark Soul Butterflies, attacking and devouring cultivators’ souls. They grow larger with every soul they consume. Even Shen Xingyan struggles to fight them and orders everyone to flee.

Character developments and interactions

• Ye Zhenzhen is cute but shrewd: she turns Lu’s fondness for her into a chance to collect valuable pearls, while resisting his attempts to pet her.
• Lu Lingxuan enjoys teasing and doting on Zhenzhen, readily paying her “fee” in pearls.
• Ye Qinghui remains courteous, apologizing for Zhenzhen’s antics.
• Shen Xingyan shows concern for Ye Qingyao, but it is possessive and self-serving rather than purely affectionate. His confidence is shaken when the butterflies overwhelm him.
• Jiang Kui is cynical and manipulative, encouraging Shen’s ambition while suggesting he pursue other women.

Significant themes

• Appearances can deceive: the enchanting butterflies are deadly predators.
• Greed and desire invite danger: cultivators’ eagerness to claim the butterflies leads them into a trap.
• Affection mixed with self-interest: Zhenzhen bargains playfully for treasure, while Shen’s concern for Ye Qingyao is entangled with his ambition and possessiveness.

Key plot points and events

• Shen Xingyan’s group escapes the Soul Butterfly Garden, but loses nearly half its members to the soul-devouring butterflies.
• They enter a grotto-heaven filled with rare beast remains. When the group handles the Ten-Thousand-Year Dragon Bones, the bones awaken and drain their life force, killing many. Shen Xingyan sacrifices all one hundred Red Lotus Flower-Burial Needles to burn through the bones and lead the survivors to safety.
• Ye Qinghui’s group passes through the same dangers unharmed and catches up with Shen Xingyan’s battered survivors.
• The groups encounter glowing Vermilion Bird Eggs. Shen Xingyan’s party flees, but Ye Zhenzhen’s companions collect all the eggs, angering him.
• Ye Zhenzhen realizes that the story’s altered events may prevent Shen Xingyan from finding the Treasure-Seeking Beast. Determined to make sure it appears, she asks First Senior Brother to stop so Third Senior Brother can grill her a Vermilion Bird Egg.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Xingyan’s confidence gives way to frustration and strained composure: he loses many followers, spends a valuable weapon to escape, then watches Ye Qinghui’s group remain untouched and claim the eggs his party abandoned.
• Ye Qinghui readily leads his companions to investigate the commotion and help Shen Xingyan’s group. Ye Qingchuan explains that the others’ concern—not his own inclination—brought him along.
• Ye Zhenzhen continues to steer events with foreknowledge of the original story. Her companions follow her lead, turning the Vermilion Bird Eggs into an easy gain.
• Lu Lingxuan relishes the group’s effortless good fortune, while Shen Xingyan reacts with anger and resentment.

Significant themes

• Greed and danger: Valuable treasures invite people to ignore warning signs, as the dragon bones demonstrate.
• Fortune and unequal outcomes: Shen Xingyan’s party suffers severe losses, while Ye Zhenzhen’s group avoids danger and gains the treasures.
• Changing fate: Ye Zhenzhen’s interventions have disrupted the original plot, but she still tries to preserve one key outcome—the appearance of the Treasure-Seeking Beast.

Plot and events

• Shen Xingyan suspects Ye Qinghui’s group has been letting him clear dangers before following along to claim the rewards. He stops to rest rather than keep doing the work for them.
• Shen tries to buy Ye Zhenzhen’s Vermilion Bird Egg for one hundred Superior Spirit Stones. She tells him to “keep dreaming,” though her toddler-like speech initially confuses him.
• Jiang Kui grabs the egg and hands it to Shen. Ye Zhenzhen has Ye Qinghui lift her up, then punches Shen and snatches the egg back.
• Shen attacks her, but Ye Qinghui steps in to protect her. His cultivation has recovered and advanced to the Nascent Soul Middle Stage, allowing him to fight Shen on equal terms.
• Jiang Kui calls on his group to overwhelm Ye Qinghui’s party. Jiang Wan, Lei Jiajia, and Lu Lingxuan bring their sects to help, and a battle breaks out.
• While fighting, Jiang Kui leers at Jiang Wan and offers to make her the future sect master’s wife, threatening Spirit Sword Manor’s business when Lu Lingxuan joins the defense.

Character developments and interactions

• Ye Zhenzhen shows her growing confidence and strength: she refuses Shen’s offer, reclaims the egg, and strikes back when it is stolen.
• Ye Qinghui demonstrates both his increased power and steadfast protectiveness, fighting while keeping Zhenzhen safely in his arms.
• Shen Xingyan shifts from bargaining to theft and violence when he cannot get what he wants.
• Jiang Wan, Lei Jiajia, and Lu Lingxuan choose to help Ye Qinghui’s group, despite personal history or Shen’s threats. Jiang Wan’s decision also reflects her lingering concern for Qinghui.
• Jiang Kui reveals his entitlement and predatory attitude toward Jiang Wan, even in the middle of the fight.

Significant themes

• Protection and loyalty: Allies step forward to defend a child and those outnumbered.
• Entitlement and coercion: Shen and Jiang Kui try to use wealth, force, and political influence to get their way.
• Growing strength and agency: Zhenzhen is no longer merely a helpless infant, while Qinghui’s recovery enables him to protect her.
• Courage over self-interest: The assisting sects risk conflict rather than stand aside.

• Key events: Jiang Kui attacks Ye Qinghui and baby Ye Zhenzhen with a poisoned hidden weapon. Ye Qinghui shields Zhenzhen, but the Millennial Venomous Centipede Spike wounds his left arm. Zhenzhen throws the coveted Vermilion Bird Egg to Shen Xingyan, bringing the angry Vermilion Birds down on him and Jiang Kui. Jiang Kui injures some of the sacred birds, provoking a flock-wide attack. In the resulting sandstorm, a hidden figure severs the Heavenly Stairway, sending the cultivators plunging into the Netherworld Ghost Domain. A surge of black air catches their fall.
• After the fall: Ye Qinghui remains unconscious, holding Zhenzhen protectively, while the poison spreads through him. Ye Qingyao cannot heal him because her spiritual power is sealed. Jiang Wan arrives with Jiang Kui bound and demands the antidote; Jiang Kui claims none exists and mocks her, proposing she marry him instead.
• Character developments and interactions: Ye Qinghui’s devotion to Zhenzhen is evident as he takes the poisoned blow for her and then positions himself beneath her during the fall. Zhenzhen shows quick thinking by using the egg to distract Shen Xingyan and summon its owners, but she is distraught when Ye Qinghui collapses. Jiang Wan’s concern for Ye Qinghui drives her to capture and threaten Jiang Kui. Shen Xingyan’s greed and Jiang Kui’s ignorance of the Vermilion Birds’ sacred status trigger the flock’s retaliation.
• Themes: Self-sacrifice and loyalty contrast with jealousy, greed, and cruelty. The chapter also emphasizes how fragile safety is: a single act of violence and the severed stairway plunge everyone into a perilous, unfamiliar realm.

Key plot points and events

• Jiang Wan threatens Jiang Kui until he reveals that the black bottle at his waist contains the antidote. Ye Qingchuan retrieves it instead of letting Jiang Wan approach him, and gives Ye Qinghui a pill.
• Ye Qinghui regains consciousness after the medicine takes effect. Jiang Wan is relieved, and Ye Zhenzhen celebrates his recovery.
• Jiang Kui asks to be released. Shen Xingyan pressures the group by warning that another fight could injure Ye Zhenzhen. Before freeing Jiang Kui, Ye Qingchuan confiscates his storage items and hidden weapons.
• Jiang Kui then reveals the medicine only suppresses Ye Qinghui’s poison temporarily: the Millennium Snow Centipede’s poison will return within seven days and kill him. Jiang Wan attacks, Shen Xingyan intervenes, and a fight breaks out.
• Ghost Guards suddenly trap the group in an inescapable net. They identify Ye Qingyao by her scent and seize her. The others’ weapons and spiritual attacks cannot affect the guards.
• Ye Zhenzhen realizes this differs from the original story, where the Ghost Guards found no one and the group escaped toward the Divine Domain.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Wan shows fierce determination to save Ye Qinghui, threatening Jiang Kui and later attacking him when she learns his deception. She is visibly relieved when Ye Qinghui wakes.
• Ye Qingchuan protects Jiang Wan from Jiang Kui’s lewd provocation, administers the medicine, and takes precautions before Jiang Kui is released. When Ye Qingyao is taken, he desperately tries to defend her.
• Ye Qinghui recovers from the immediate effects of the poison, but his survival remains uncertain because the cure is only temporary.
• Jiang Kui shifts from pleading to taunting, and reveals that he deliberately offered no true antidote. His cruelty escalates the conflict.
• Shen Xingyan backs Jiang Kui’s release with a threat, blocks Jiang Wan’s attack, and tries unsuccessfully to rescue Ye Qingyao from the Ghost Guards.
• Ye Zhenzhen is relieved by Ye Qinghui’s recovery but becomes alarmed when events depart from the story she knows. Lei Jiajia also struggles fiercely against the net to stop Ye Qingyao’s abduction.

Significant themes

• Temporary relief and looming danger: Ye Qinghui’s apparent rescue is undermined by the poison’s seven-day deadline.
• Powerlessness before the supernatural: The group’s usual weapons and abilities are useless against the Ghost Guards.
• Fate versus altered outcomes: Ye Zhenzhen’s knowledge of the original story no longer predicts events, suggesting the plot has changed.
• Protection and loyalty: Several characters risk themselves in attempts to save Ye Qinghui or Ye Qingyao.

Key plot points

• Ye Zhenzhen uses Red Lotus Flower-Burial Needles to burn back the ghostly guards, but several escape with Ye Qingyao.
• The group argues briefly after Shen Xingyan learns Ye Zhenzhen’s party bought far more needles for much less than he paid. They set aside the dispute to focus on escaping and finding Ye Qingyao.
• Ye Zhenzhen remembers an incantation from the original story and relays it to Ye Qingchuan. He uses it to tear open the Heaven-and-Earth Net.
• Outside the net, the group finds themselves surrounded by poisonous insects and snakes. Ye Zhenzhen notices a small white creature being crushed by a giant snake and asks for help. Ye Qinghui kills the snake with the needles.
• The rescued creature bonds with Ye Zhenzhen, who forms a soul contract with it. Ye Qinghui identifies it as a rare Feifei, a nearly extinct divine beast that can ease sorrow. Unknown to the group, this one is also a Treasure-Seeking Beast.

Character developments and interactions

• Ye Zhenzhen proves resourceful, recalling the escape incantation and showing compassion toward the trapped creature.
• Ye Qingchuan is consumed by worry for Ye Qingyao and remains focused on rescuing her, even resisting the detour to save the animal.
• Ye Qinghui overcomes his discomfort to rescue the Feifei, then points out that Ye Zhenzhen deserves its gratitude. His knowledge also reveals the creature’s rarity.
• Shen Xingyan’s confidence in Ye Qingchuan shifts to wariness after witnessing his skill with the incantation. His resentment over the needle-price disparity adds tension.
• The Feifei quickly grows affectionate toward Ye Qinghui, Ye Zhenzhen, and Little Glutinous Rice Ball, before becoming Ye Zhenzhen’s new contracted spirit beast.

Significant themes

• Compassion amid danger: Ye Zhenzhen insists on helping a vulnerable creature even while Ye Qingyao is missing.
• Knowledge and resourcefulness: Remembered information from the original story helps the group escape.
• Exploitation and survival: The Feifei’s near-extinction reflects how cultivators’ desire to exploit useful creatures can devastate a species.
• Found bonds: The rescue leads to an affectionate new partnership between Ye Zhenzhen and the Feifei, even as the group’s search for Ye Qingyao remains unresolved.

• Ye Zhenzhen names the fluffy guide-creature Haki Mi, wishing it a sweet, safe life. Haki Mi accepts her as its master and follows the scent of Ye Qingyao’s handkerchief to lead Ye Zhenzhen and the others toward the missing senior sister. Shen Xingyan privately regrets that Haki Mi did not become his contracted beast.
• Meanwhile, the Ghost Guards take Ye Qingyao to King Yama’s Hall, where they treat her courteously while explaining that their boss wants her because of a scent on her hand. Ye Qingyao mistakenly assumes the scent may come from a medicinal Spirit Plant and offers her collection for inspection.
• When none of the plants match, Ye Qingyao uses a Clean-Hand Spell, removing the scent. The Ghost Guards panic, fearing punishment from their boss, and refuse to release her. They tie her up and threaten her at the River of Forgetfulness.
• The Ghost Guards dangle Ye Qingyao above the river, where Wicked Spirits reach for her. As one grabs her wrist, Ye Qingchuan rushes across and rescues her. Ye Qingyao faints from fright. Ye Qinghui, Ye Zhenzhen, and Ye Qingchuan flee with her as Shen Xingyan, Jiang Kui, and the others catch up, while the Ghost Guards give chase.

Character developments and interactions

• Ye Zhenzhen shows compassion by giving Haki Mi a warm name and treating the creature as a companion; Haki Mi responds with loyalty and helps the group.
• Ye Qingyao remains earnest and helpful, trying to cooperate despite not understanding why she is wanted. Her politeness contrasts with the Ghost Guards’ escalating desperation and threats.
• Ye Qingchuan’s fierce concern for Ye Qingyao is clear in his reckless rescue. Ye Qinghui and Ye Zhenzhen immediately help her escape, while Shen Xingyan and Jiang Kui’s group joins the flight.

Themes

• Compassion and loyalty are shown through Ye Zhenzhen’s bond with Haki Mi and the rescue of Ye Qingyao.
• Miscommunication and panic drive the danger: the Ghost Guards cannot explain the scent they seek, and Ye Qingyao’s attempt to remove it makes them fear their boss.
• The chapter contrasts courteous appearances with cruelty, as the Ghost Guards initially host Ye Qingyao respectfully before threatening her life.

Key plot points and events

• Shen Xingyan recognizes Haki Mi as a rare Treasure-Seeking Beast he believes was meant to be his. He grabs the creature and blocks the group’s route with the Green Mountain Pendant.
• Jiang Kui cuts the Bridge of Helplessness, sending Ye Zhenzhen, Ye Qinghui, Ye Qingyao, Ye Qingchuan, and others plunging into the River of Forgetfulness.
• The river proves far less lethal than legend suggests. Ye Zhenzhen’s golden-glowing brow mark keeps evil spirits away, while the group’s flying vessel sinks despite their attempts to escape.
• Guided by Haki Mi’s treasure sense, they gather an enormous trove of rare artifacts, pills, and spirit stones. The treasures help Ye Qinghui, Ye Qingyao, and Ye Qingchuan advance their cultivation.
• They find the Xuandu Glazed Hammer, the key item they sought for Ye Qinghui’s situation.
• Their relief is tempered by two urgent problems: they cannot get back to shore, and Jiang Kui’s Millennium Snow Centipede poison is again worsening Ye Qinghui’s condition.

Character developments and interactions

• Haki Mi escapes Shen Xingyan by biting his hand and leaps into the river to save Ye Zhenzhen, showing his devotion to her.
• Ye Zhenzhen remains focused on helping her senior brother. Even amid the treasure haul, she worries about Ye Qinghui and silently hopes to find a cure.
• The group works together to survive and collect the river’s treasures, while Ye Qinghui’s worsening poisoning exposes their vulnerability.
• Shen Xingyan’s possessiveness toward Haki Mi and Jiang Kui’s betrayal make them clear antagonists; the ghost officers, unable to enter the river, can only watch helplessly.

Significant themes

• Betrayal and loyalty: Jiang Kui’s attack contrasts with Haki Mi’s instinctive sacrifice for his master.
• Fate and unexpected fortune: The river, feared as a place of destruction and loss, becomes a treasure trove—and brings the group the hammer they need.
• Hope amid danger: Their discoveries offer powerful advantages, but cannot yet solve the immediate threats of escape and Ye Qinghui’s poison.

Key plot points and events

• Ye Qinghui and the others descend into the depths of the River of Forgetfulness, where they meet a mysterious woman in white who has waited there for thousands of years.
• The woman has forgotten her identity and what answer she seeks. She says she is waiting for an old friend, believing the friend’s arrival will restore her memory.
• Ye Zhenzhen suspects the woman may be connected to figures mentioned by the Ten-Thousand-Year Bodhi Tree and to someone who saved Xiao Ba long ago.
• The woman identifies the cause of Ye Qinghui’s illness: poison from a Millennium Snow Centipede. She explains that Phoenix Tears can cure it.
• She detects a familiar presence in Ye Zhenzhen and says someone is searching for her, then uses powerful spiritual energy to lift the group’s Flying Boat back to the riverbank.
• When the Ghost Guards try to seize Ye Zhenzhen after the group emerges, golden light surrounds the travelers and they disappear before the guards can reach them.

Character developments and interactions

• Ye Qinghui remains composed despite his pain, introduces his group respectfully, and treats the woman as a possible senior of their sect. He invites her to leave with them, but she declines.
• Ye Zhenzhen feels an unexplained closeness to the woman and asks her for help with Qinghui’s poisoning. She is left with more questions about the mysterious connections surrounding her.
• The woman in white is revealed as immensely powerful but deeply lonely and forgetful. Her hope that her old friend will appear remains strong.
• Ye Qingyao connects the golden light at Zhenzhen’s brow with an earlier incident and suspects Zhenzhen may be the person the Ghost Guards have been seeking.
• The woman and Zhenzhen can understand one another’s thoughts, suggesting a special connection between them.

Significant themes

• Memory and identity: The woman’s long wait persists even though she has forgotten who she is and what she seeks.
• Destiny and hidden connections: Repeated references to a mysterious “she,” Zhenzhen’s mark, and the woman’s recognition of her hint at a larger shared history.
• Hope and loyalty: The woman’s faith that her old friend will return has endured for millennia.
• Power and protection: The woman’s spiritual strength saves the group, while the sudden golden light offers an unexplained escape from the Ghost Guards.