Recaps

Yang Xiao and Li Hanguang brought the gravely injured Qin Lie to the Cuiyun Circuit headquarters in Lanzhou, where suppression commissioner Luo Zheng treated him with a Spirit Nourishing Pill. Luo Zheng then demanded to know how Qin Lie had been injured and asked why Pei Xuance had not come to see him.

• Yang Xiao, Li Hanguang, and Qin Lie traveled by carriage for fifteen days from Qingzhou to Lanzhou because Yang Xiao's golden paper kite could carry only two people.
• Li Hanguang presented the Qingzhou official seal at the Cuiyun Circuit headquarters and reported that Governor Qin was gravely injured.
• Luo Zheng arrived, checked Qin Lie's breathing, and ordered a quiet room and emergency divine soul medicine.
• Luo Zheng gave Qin Lie a Spirit Nourishing Pill, which steadied his breathing and strengthened the light of his Dao Infant.
• Luo Zheng ordered the soldiers to carry Qin Lie to a quiet room, then asked Li Hanguang what had happened and whether Pei Xuance still feared meeting him.

Li Hanguang reported Qingzhou’s crisis and the Lotus Flower Temple’s role to Luo Zheng, while Yang Xiao’s achievements were verified. The chapter ended with Li Hanguang confronting Luo Zheng over why the Cuiyun Circuit had ignored Qingzhou’s repeated requests for aid.

• Li Hanguang told Luo Zheng that Pei Xuance was gravely wounded and explained how Xuan Zhen and the Lotus Flower Temple had conspired with the Yellow Wind Demon King against Qingzhou.
• Li Hanguang revealed that Yang Xiao had killed Xuan Zhen and the Yellow Wind Demon King, prompting Luo Zheng to condemn the Lotus Flower Temple and record the matter for a future report to the capital.
• Luo Zheng questioned Yang Xiao about killing the Yellow Wind Demon King, then sent the report booklet and Qi-Gathering Bottle for verification.
• An elderly clerk confirmed that the report matched the sealed Yao Qi, and Luo Zheng acknowledged how difficult Qingzhou’s years of fighting had been.
• Li Hanguang presented copies of Qingzhou’s old requests for aid and demanded to know why the Cuiyun Circuit had never responded.

Li Hanguang learned that Qingzhou’s pleas for help had gone unanswered because Cuiyun Circuit’s inspector posts were vacant, and Luo Zheng agreed to restore Qingzhou’s access to Treasure Ground places. After Li Hanguang left, Luo Zheng offered Yang Xiao an inspector post, giving him a chance to pursue cultivation beyond Qingzhou.

• Luo Zheng explained that the inspector posts had remained vacant since the previous inspectors disappeared in the Hundred-Thousand Demon Mountains, leaving provincial pleas for help unanswered.
• Li Hanguang asked Luo Zheng to restore Qingzhou’s access to the Treasure Ground, and Luo Zheng told him to submit candidates through the proper roster arrangements.
• Li Hanguang thanked Luo Zheng and left after resolving Qingzhou’s requests and Qin Lie’s treatment.
• Luo Zheng asked Yang Xiao about his plans, and Yang Xiao said he wanted to find a Spiritual Root.
• Luo Zheng recognized that Pei Xuance had arranged for Yang Xiao to leave Qingzhou and offered him one of the vacant inspector posts.

Yang Xiao accepted the inspector post in Cuiyun Circuit after learning about its authority, duties, and Spiritual Roots. Luo Zheng showed him around headquarters and warned him to avoid offending the Xuandu Abbey cultivators staying there.

• Luo Zheng explained that an inspector could oversee local powers and act first before reporting, and Yang Xiao asked whether that authority extended to Lotus Flower Temple.
• Luo Zheng warned Yang Xiao about Lotus Flower Temple's Dao-Infant Realm veterans and told him to kill only those proven deserving, while never betraying Great Zhou.
• Luo Zheng explained the grades of Spiritual Roots and offered to find Yang Xiao a high-grade one if he helped quell the Demon Plague in Cuiyun Circuit.
• Yang Xiao realized his Spirit Nurturing slot might raise a Spiritual Root's grade, then accepted the inspector post.
• Luo Zheng showed Yang Xiao around headquarters and warned him that Xuandu Abbey cultivators sometimes stayed in the rearmost courtyard and should not be offended.

Yang Xiao received the Silver Xiezhi Tally and Inspector's uniform after Luo Zheng appointed him Inspector, and Luo offered him a cultivation technique from the inner armory. Yang Xiao then met Li Hanguang, who acknowledged him as his superior.

• Luo Zheng took Yang Xiao to the inner armory to collect his Inspector's credentials and uniform.
• Yang Xiao received the Silver Xiezhi Tally and discovered it contained a storage space ten zhang across.
• Luo Zheng allowed Yang Xiao to choose a Dao-Infant Realm cultivation technique from the inner armory as a welcome gift.
• Luo Zheng and Yang Xiao went to find Li Hanguang, who had gone to Qin Lie's quiet room.
• Li Hanguang saw Yang Xiao's tally and formally saluted him as Lord Inspector.

Yang Xiao accepted Qin Lie’s remaining Merit to exchange for a low-grade Spiritual Root, allowing Qin Lie to repay him for his service to Qingzhou. Yang Xiao and Li Hanguang reached the inner vault, where the Silver Xiezhi Tally opened the doors.

• Luo Zheng learned that Qin Lie had briefly awakened and left after confirming his condition had stabilized.
• Li Hanguang told Yang Xiao he planned to return to Qingzhou and register candidates for suitable Treasure Grounds, while Yang Xiao said he would stay.
• Qin Lie thanked Yang Xiao for what he had done for Qingzhou and offered to exchange his remaining Merit for a low-grade Spiritual Root.
• Yang Xiao accepted Qin Lie’s offer and promised to help Qingzhou if it needed him in the future.
• Yang Xiao used the Silver Xiezhi Tally to open the inner vault so he and Li Hanguang could exchange for the Spiritual Root.

Yang Xiao exchanged Qin Lie’s remaining Merit for a Yellow Sprout Stone Ganoderma and selected the Spirit-Concentrating Sea-Illuminating Art to strengthen his divine soul. At his new residence, he placed the Spiritual Root in an Equipment Slot and began nurturing it with essence from Xuan Zhen’s Infant Core.

• Li Hanguang accompanied Yang Xiao to the storeroom, where Yang Xiao exchanged the remaining Merit for a Yellow Sprout Stone Ganoderma.
• Yang Xiao stored the Spiritual Root in the Silver Xiezhi Tally, and Li Hanguang bowed farewell before returning to Qingzhou.
• Yang Xiao chose the Spirit-Concentrating Sea-Illuminating Art from the inner vault to improve his divine soul cultivation.
• Yang Xiao settled into a courtyard prepared for Inspectors and placed the Yellow Sprout Stone Ganoderma in his sixth Equipment Slot.
• Yang Xiao invested essence from Xuan Zhen’s Infant Core into the Spiritual Root, and its tender shoot began to lift as its cap gained a warm sheen.

Yang Xiao nurtured a low-grade Spiritual Root into a high-grade Jade Marrow Earth Ganoderma and refined it into his Dao Infant. The new spleen-based trait let him synthesize his first red trait, Heaven-Devouring Essence Refining, which could refine Spiritual Power and the flesh and blood of remains into essence.

• Yang Xiao used Xuan Zhen's Infant Core to raise the Yellow Sprout Stone Ganoderma to a high-grade Jade Marrow Earth Ganoderma.
• Yang Xiao learned he could refine the Spiritual Root into his Dao Infant while keeping its Spirit Nurturing link, and chose to do so.
• The Jade Marrow Earth Ganoderma merged with Yang Xiao's Dao Infant spleen, improving his perception of Spiritual Qi and strengthening his refining and absorption abilities.
• Yang Xiao identified Circuit Spirit Refining and Heaven-Melting Treasure Furnace as compatible with Spleen Earth Spiritual Pivot and placed all three Golden Traits in Equipment Slots.
• Yang Xiao synthesized the traits to obtain the red trait Heaven-Devouring Essence Refining, which let him refine Spiritual Power and the flesh and blood of remains into essence.

Yang Xiao tested his new Heaven-Devouring Essence Refining trait and equipped the Spirit-Concentrating Sea-Illuminating Art, gaining an abyss-like sea of consciousness and powerful control over objects. At headquarters, he began reviewing provincial aid requests, while Liangzhou General Wu Xu learned of his appointment and hurried to meet him.

• Yang Xiao refined surrounding Spiritual Qi, nourishing his Dao Infant, Jade Marrow Earth Ganoderma, and body with the essence.
• Yang Xiao equipped the Spirit-Concentrating Sea-Illuminating Art, rapidly condensing his soul into a deep, stable sea of consciousness.
• Yang Xiao used his strengthened spiritual sense to perceive his courtyard in detail and lift and control multiple objects at once.
• Yang Xiao went to headquarters' records room to review the provinces' requests for aid, where clerk Wang Zhihuan showed him the stored letters.
• Wu Xu learned that Yang Xiao was the newly appointed Inspector and strode toward the records room to pay his respects.

Yang Xiao responded to Wu Xu’s plea for help by setting out for Liangzhou to confront two invading Demon Kings. At the Liangzhou border, he saw a massive stream of refugees as Wu Xu prepared to explain the crisis in more detail.

• Yang Xiao sorted and read the aid requests at headquarters, but found none from Cloud Province.
• Wu Xu told Yang Xiao that an elder and a younger Dao-Infant Realm Demon King had seized three of Liangzhou’s seven great commanderies while its Governor-General and Demon Suppression Generals struggled to stop them.
• Yang Xiao immediately agreed to accompany Wu Xu to Liangzhou, and Wang Zhihuan provided them with two Demon Horses.
• Yang Xiao and Wu Xu reached Liangzhou after three days and encountered crowds of people fleeing the Demon Plague.
• Wu Xu told Yang Xiao that he would explain Liangzhou’s situation in greater detail.

Yang Xiao learned that the Scarlet Plume Kite King had seized Linyuan Commandery and attacked it while it rested in the ruined city. The wounded Kite King fled at high speed, and Yang Xiao chased after it.

• Wu Xu told Yang Xiao that the Scarlet Plume Kite King and the Old Python Demon Lord were competing to seize Liangzhou’s commanderies.
• General Shan and Xu Ruofeng told Wu Xu that the Scarlet Plume Kite King had captured Zhang and left him hanging from the Fortune House.
• Yang Xiao flew into Linyuan Commandery and found the Scarlet Plume Kite King asleep in the ruined Fortune House beside Zhang’s body.
• Yang Xiao struck the Scarlet Plume Kite King with the Army-Breaking Spear, piercing its wing and pinning it beneath the shattered restaurant.
• The Scarlet Plume Kite King tore off its injured wing and fled as Yang Xiao pursued it.

Yang Xiao pursued and killed the Scarlet Plume Kite King, then learned that the Old Python Demon Lord’s forces had seized Black-Clothed City and forced its people to build a palace. The chapter left Chen Chuan laboring under the Earth-Splitting Demon Ox’s rule while the demon demanded a palace large enough for its true form.

• Yang Xiao chased the fleeing Scarlet Plume Kite King and used Three Calamities Entangling the Body to erode most of its body before killing it with the Army-Breaking Spear.
• Yang Xiao refined the remains into essence, stored the Scarlet Plume Kite King's Demon Infant, and returned to Xu Ruofeng, who was stunned to learn the demon was dead.
• Yang Xiao told Xu Ruofeng to return to the city and asked where the old Demon King was.
• In Black-Clothed City, Chen Chuan and other captives struggled to build a palace for the Earth-Splitting Demon Ox, which had taken over the former Demon Suppression General's Residence.
• The Earth-Splitting Demon Ox demanded pillars at least ten zhang tall so its palace could accommodate its true form.

Yang Xiao arrived in Black-Clothed City and killed the Earth-Splitting Demon Ox that had been forcing laborers to build a palace. After strengthening his Jade Marrow Earth Ganoderma with the demon's essence, he prepared to use his remaining gains before confronting the old Demon King.

• The Earth-Splitting Demon Ox threatened to use the old craftsman as a prop for a crooked stone beam.
• Yang Xiao reached the construction site, rescued the old craftsman and nearby laborers, and struck the stubbled demon away from the platform.
• The Earth-Splitting Demon Ox revealed its true form and charged, but Yang Xiao stopped it with one hand and severed its head with the Shadowless Blade.
• Yang Xiao extracted the demon ox's Demon Core, refined its body into essence, and fed all the essence into the Jade Marrow Earth Ganoderma.
• Wu Xu began clearing out the remaining demon soldiers while Yang Xiao gathered a Demon Infant, a Core Illumination Realm Demon Core, and the Soul-Seizing Bell to use before facing the old Demon King.