Chapter Summaries

Zhang Yuan restored his spiritual root to low-grade black-tier, allowing more of his conceptual images to link with sword qi. When Li Houcheng came to beg forgiveness, Zhang Yuan immediately attacked him, forcing him to flee.

• Zhang Yuan refined heavenly materials and earthly treasures, restoring his spiritual root first to low-grade yellow-tier and then to low-grade black-tier.
• Zhang Yuan found that the restored root let more than ten percent of his conceptual images transform into sword qi and allowed him to resume cultivating the Beyond-the-World Qi Refining Path.
• Li Houcheng arrived at Sun-Moon Mountain Summit carrying thorn branches and claiming to beg the Little Ancestor's forgiveness.
• Li Huixi revealed the mountain path and agreed to settle Li Houcheng's matter as she and Zhang Yuan had arranged.
• Zhang Yuan charged down the path with the Primordial Form-Converging Sword, and Li Houcheng dropped the thorn branches and fled toward Cloud Prefecture City.

Key plot points and events

• Zhang Yuan corners Li Houcheng, head of the Eastern Bian Li Clan, and rejects his threats and pleas—including his appeal to Zhang’s friendship with Li Zhongshuang.
• Zhang strikes Li Houcheng with the Primordial Form-Absorbing Sword, but Li vanishes just before the blow lands. Zhang’s karma calculations confirm that Li escaped through a prepared life-saving measure, aided by someone powerful enough to erase the trail.
• Zhang seizes the chance to flee Sun-Moon Cliff, but his Golden Chariot is dispelled as he approaches the edge of the clan’s territory. Li Huixi appears, makes the mountain path vanish, and orders Zhang to come inside and comb his hair.
• Li Houcheng reappears at an Eastern Sink Pavilion in another city. He thanks the Shopkeeper for saving him and pays for the Life-Saving Talisman he had purchased beforehand.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yuan remains decisive and unsentimental: he intends to kill Li Houcheng despite the man’s family ties, but quickly recognizes that an unknown, powerful ally has intervened. His attempted escape shows his desire to get away from Li Huixi’s control.
• Li Houcheng reveals his cunning and cowardice by preparing an escape in advance. He tries to manipulate Zhang with threats and emotional appeals, then survives through the Eastern Sink Pavilion’s protection.
• Li Huixi maintains authority over Zhang, effortlessly stopping his flight and forcing him back into his personal service.
• The Shopkeeper helps Li Houcheng for a fee, but privately reveals a motive of revenge against Zhang.

Significant themes

• Power and vulnerability: Zhang can overwhelm Li Houcheng in combat, yet hidden safeguards and stronger outside forces can still thwart him.
• Deception and self-preservation: Li Houcheng’s apparent confrontation is backed by careful escape planning.
• Obligation and control: Zhang’s friendship with Li Zhongshuang is used against him, while Li Huixi’s command leaves him little choice.
• Revenge: The Shopkeeper’s assistance is less about business than settling a grudge against Zhang.

• Li Houcheng’s fall and escape plan: Once head of the Eastern Bian Li Clan, Li Houcheng realizes he has been discarded as a pawn after the clan sacrificed him to curry favor with Zhang Yuan. Desperate for protection, he accepts Shopkeeper’s advice to flee to the South Sea and seek refuge with the Wenren Dragon Clan, which holds a grudge against Zhang Yuan. In exchange for sanctuary, Li Houcheng is to reveal what he knows about Zhang Yuan. Shopkeeper privately expects him to arrive just as a new great era begins.
• Shopkeeper’s manipulation: Shopkeeper presents his counsel as a charitable act, but first makes sure Li Houcheng pays him. He then steers Li toward Zhang Yuan’s distant enemy, setting up a future conflict. His incarnation can manipulate others, though he claims Zhang Yuan himself is beyond its influence.
• Zhang Yuan at Sun-Moon Cliff: While Xiao Yuanjun sleeps, Zhang Yuan follows Li Huixi into a wooden house that opens into a vast inner world, revealing Li Huixi’s immense power. Zhang Yuan reflects that several formidable figures—Qin Jieyu, Jiang Xinyi, and Li Huixi—live in modest wooden houses, and remembers having one beside Qin Jieyu’s on Soaring Immortal Peak.
• Li Huixi’s questions: Li Huixi has been hearing Zhang Yuan repeatedly think about Soaring Immortal Peak, Qin Jieyu, and Jiang Xinyi. He asks what the peak is and who the two women are. Nervous but truthful, Zhang Yuan explains that, while hiding in the Mountain-Sea Black-Yellow Realm, he joined the Azure Nether Immortal Sect: Qin Jieyu is its Grand Supreme Elder, and Jiang Xinyi—Fairy Xuan Su—is its Grand Elder. Li Huixi recognizes Qin Jieyu’s name but has never heard of Jiang Xinyi.
  Character developments and interactions: Li Houcheng shifts from resentment toward his former clan to desperate flight, while Shopkeeper exploits that vulnerability under the guise of helping him. Zhang Yuan remains outwardly composed but is intimidated by Li Huixi, whose ability to hear his thoughts makes their exchange tense. The chapter connects Zhang Yuan’s past in the Azure Nether Immortal Sect to Li Huixi’s curiosity and hints that Li Houcheng’s journey may have consequences.
  Themes: Betrayal and political survival; powerful figures treating lesser people as pawns; the gap between appearance and reality, embodied by the tiny house’s vast interior; and the danger of private thoughts being exposed.

Zhang Yuan combed Li Huixi’s hair, teased her, and was punched out of the hall, but Li Huixi soon gave him a new Daoist robe and let him leave her house. Back on Sun-Moon Cliff, Xiao Yuanjun checked that he was safe and resolved to watch over him.

• Li Huixi told Zhang Yuan to comb her hair and challenged him to be bolder with her.
• Zhang Yuan sniffed Li Huixi’s hair and told her she smelled lovely, so she punched him out into the chaos.
• Li Huixi ordered Zhang Yuan to return, gave him a matching white Daoist robe, and promised it could be refined into a defensive Pre-Heaven Supreme Treasure.
• Zhang Yuan finished combing Li Huixi’s hair, then left through her doorway and returned to Sun-Moon Cliff.
• Xiao Yuanjun confirmed Zhang Yuan was uninjured and decided to stay alert in case Li Huixi bullied him later.

Key plot points and events

• Three months have passed since Zhang Yuan vanished into Bian Kingdom and was presumed dead after his attempt to seek the Dao. His apparent death even prompted a week-long celebration by the Wenshui Deng clan.
• In reality, Zhang Yuan has spent the months on Sun-Moon Cliff cultivating the Outer Qi Refinement Path. His spiritual root has recovered to low-grade black tier, and he has reached the great perfection of the ninth Qi Refining layer. His sword qi is now powerful enough to carve a vast gorge.
• Zhang assesses his progress as limited by his basic cultivation method and modest spiritual root. He avoids practicing a more advanced technique because it is tied to a powerful entity whose attention he does not want.
• Li Huixi tells Zhang to visit the Hengyang Lu clan and allows him to leave Sun-Moon Cliff. Zhang is surprised but eager to go, wary of being caught up in Li Huixi’s coming battles.
• Zhang departs with the sleeping Xiao Yuanjun, promising to return during the Chaos Calamity and honor his agreement to marry Li Huixi if Li Huixi resurrects Chen Xinqiao.
• After Zhang leaves, Li Huixi wakes Dongfang Caibai and orders her to inherit the Bian Kingdom’s throne, since its emperor has died and the imperial family is extinct.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yuan has grown stronger and more confident, but remains cautious about his limits and about powerful opponents. His sense of duty is clear: he intends to keep his promise to Li Huixi.
• Li Huixi continues to tease and dominate Zhang, but his decision to let him go shows a measure of restraint. He also takes practical steps to prevent political disorder in Bian.
• Dongfang Caibai has become unusually prone to sleeping near Xiao Yuanjun, whom Zhang carries away. She protests that she was genuinely asleep when Li Huixi wakes her.
• Zhang and Li Huixi’s familiar banter reflects the closeness built during their three months together, though Zhang remains wary of Li Huixi’s immense power and possessiveness.

Significant themes

• Cultivation and urgency: Zhang’s modest gains underline the difficulty of advancement as the Chaos Calamity approaches.
• Power and vulnerability: Zhang may challenge some Foundation Establishment opponents, but the gulf between his strength and Li Huixi’s is immense.
• Promises and obligation: Zhang leaves freely while reaffirming his commitment to return and fulfill his agreement.
• Political responsibility: Li Huixi’s order for Dongfang Caibai to take the throne frames rulership as a necessary safeguard against turmoil.

After emerging from Sun-Moon Cliff, Zhang Yuan traveled to Seaheart City to learn about the changed Azure Firmament Dust-Dyed Realm. When the city attacked him, he confronted the Celestial Persons gathered around it and claimed to be Lu Qingwu of the Nine Serenities Lu Clan.

• Zhang Yuan discovered that the world had expanded and learned that Seaheart City lay three thousand li south of Sun-Moon Cliff.
• Zhang Yuan secured Xiao Yuanjun to his back and flew to Seaheart City, where a streak of cyan light attacked him as he approached.
• A middle-aged cultivator warned Zhang Yuan not to break Seaheart City's rules, while more than a dozen Foundation Establishment Celestials watched nearby.
• Zhang Yuan threatened to destroy the city, unleashed his Great Grotto Yin-Scenery Immortal Domain, and frightened the gathered cultivators.
• Chu Jingtian of the Western Bian Chu Clan tried to negotiate, and Zhang Yuan introduced himself as Lu Qingwu of the Nine Serenities Lu Clan.

Key plot points

• Chu Jingtian cannot place Zhang Yuan’s claimed “Nine Nether Lu” clan, but decides not to challenge the story. He offers Zhang Yuan a Spatial Treasure full of Spirit Stones to smooth over their earlier conflict.
• Zhang Yuan eagerly accepts the gift, drops his threatening aura, and claims he was only joking about being a demonic cultivator. Chu Jingtian recognizes that money seems to make him easier to manage.
• Chu Jingtian invites Zhang Yuan to a nearby cave abode, where he plans to explain the opportunity he mentioned in Seaheart City.
• There, Zhang Yuan meets a group of Chu youths. Chu Jingtian introduces him as a senior from the Nine Nether Lu, prompting the youngsters to bow respectfully.
• Chu Xiwen recognizes Zhang Yuan, her former sparring partner, but pretends she does not. Zhang Yuan secretly warns her not to reveal who he is.

Character developments and interactions

• Chu Jingtian acts cautiously, using wealth and courtesy to placate Zhang Yuan and protect the young members of his clan. He disguises his unease behind polite conversation.
• Zhang Yuan continues his false identity as Lu Qingwu of the Nine Nether Lu. His stern performance contrasts with his obvious delight at receiving Spirit Stones. He uses intimidation to keep Chu Xiwen quiet.
• Chu Xiwen remembers their old spar—and how Zhang Yuan defeated her—and has used that humiliation to motivate her cultivation. Learning that he has become a Foundation-Building Celestial Person reinforces how far behind she feels. She chooses to conceal their connection.
• The Chu youngsters are curious about Zhang Yuan at first, but quickly become deferential when told he is a senior Celestial Person.

Significant themes

• Deception and performance: Zhang Yuan invents a clan identity, while Chu Jingtian politely pretends to believe him; Chu Xiwen also acts as if she does not recognize him.
• Power and status: Zhang Yuan’s reputation and apparent rank command respect, while his rapid advancement weighs heavily on Chu Xiwen.
• Money and self-interest: The Spirit Stones immediately change Zhang Yuan’s behavior, offering comic relief amid the tension.

Zhang Yuan learned that Seaheart City held three major opportunities and decided to pursue its Pre-Heaven Supreme Treasure. After hearing why the Celestial Persons were waiting outside, he told Chu Jingtian that their goals did not conflict, and Chu Jingtian considered joining forces with him.

• Chu Xiwen recognized Zhang Yuan’s Iron Chain Sha but kept his identity secret and denied knowing him when someone in the tree asked.
• Chu Jingtian explained that Seaheart City offered control of a sea stone vein, a strand of five-aggregate Xin metal, and a Pre-Heaven Supreme Treasure.
• Zhang Yuan decided to stay and seize the Pre-Heaven Supreme Treasure, while questioning why the Celestial Persons had not entered the city.
• Chu Jingtian revealed that the city’s inhabitants had vanished overnight, leaving an uncontrolled Pre-Heaven Supreme Treasure, so the group was waiting for it to stop before sending people inside.
• Chu Jingtian said the Western Bian Chu Clan wanted all three major opportunities, and Zhang Yuan stated that he wanted only the Pre-Heaven Supreme Treasure.
• Chu Jingtian recognized that Zhang Yuan was proposing they enter the city together and considered the alliance.

Zhang Yuan learned that the Western Bian Chu Clan wanted to claim a True Dragon hidden in Seaheart City, then attacked the city after its treasure struck at him. He left the city gate destroyed and his Azure Thunder surging toward the dragon sculpture at its center.

• Zhang Yuan agreed to cooperate with Chu Jingtian while secretly planning to watch for betrayal.
• Chu Zhuoyu approached Zhang Yuan at night, questioned him about Chu Xiwen, and then answered Zhang Yuan's questions.
• Chu Zhuoyu revealed that the Western Bian Chu Clan intended to bring a True Dragon lost beyond the heavens under its command.
• An azure light shot from Seaheart City toward Zhang Yuan, and Chu Zhuoyu warned him to watch out.
• Zhang Yuan used the [Eastern Mystic-Yang Fusang Banner] to shatter the incoming light and Seaheart City's protective formation, then sent Azure Thunder toward the big-headed dragon sculpture.

Zhang Yuan pursued Seaheart City after it fled, destroyed it, and captured the Dragon Sculpture’s cyan sword. The sword proved to be an unclaimed pre-heaven supreme treasure.

• Seaheart City unleashed its power, then rose into the sky and fled as Zhang Yuan and Xiao Yuanjun watched.
• Zhang Yuan seized Seaheart City with his divine abilities, but the Dragon Sculpture escaped after the city was crushed.
• Zhang Yuan pursued the Dragon Sculpture in his Golden Carriage while Xiao Yuanjun helped trip it over a mountain.
• Zhang Yuan and his treasures broke through the Dragon Sculpture’s defenses, and he caught its cyan longsword.
• Zhang Yuan discovered that the sword was an ownerless pre-heaven supreme treasure.

Zhang Yuan and Xiao Yuanjun captured the five-clawed green snake after it survived their attack, and Zhang Yuan demanded another Pre-Heaven Supreme Treasure for its release. Before the snake could reveal its identity, a beam of Mystic Light struck Zhang Yuan, leaving the snake convinced Heaven had punished him.

• Zhang Yuan gave the Pear-Settling-Inch-Reaching Sword to Xiao Yuanjun, and they pretended to leave after seeing the Dragon Sculpture buried beneath the mountain’s ruins.
• After waiting for a day, Zhang Yuan and Xiao Yuanjun caught the five-clawed green snake as it emerged from a mound and threatened to beat them.
• Zhang Yuan bound the snake and demanded another Pre-Heaven Supreme Treasure, while the snake offered to take him to its wealthy father.
• As the green snake started to answer Zhang Yuan’s questions about its identity, a beam of Mystic Light shot down from the moon and struck him.
• The bound green snake laughed and declared that Heaven had punished Zhang Yuan.

Zhang Yuan survived the Moon-Wheel Profound Light and realized someone had manipulated him into violating the Azure Firmament Dust-Dyed Realm’s Heavenly Law. He fled with Xiao Yuanjun and Green Snake, then examined the bound dragon in their temporary cave.

• Green Snake tried to escape its Iron Chain, then watched Zhang Yuan emerge unharmed from the Moon-Wheel Profound Light.
• Zhang Yuan thawed himself with Cinnabar Yang Fire Qi and told Xiao Yuanjun they had been set up.
• Zhang Yuan suspected several clans, then called out True Lord Ceased Light Punishes Thoughts, but no one appeared.
• Zhang Yuan and Xiao Yuanjun decided to retreat, grabbed Green Snake, and fled across the mountains while concealing their auras.
• The trio hid in a temporary cave, where Zhang Yuan examined Green Snake and learned that True Dragons had no male or female divisions.

Zhang Yuan learned that the green snake was Ao Xiu of the East Sea Dragon Clan, then became entangled with a Dragon Clan True Lord through Ao Xiu’s true name. The True Lord ordered Zhang Yuan to complete three tasks in exchange for clearing his debt over Ao Ruo’s death and granting him an opportunity.

• Green Snake explained that orthodox East Sea dragons were born without male or female distinctions but could transform, and Zhang Yuan revealed that he had killed Ao Ruo.
• Green Snake gave its true name, Ao Xiu, allowing a Dragon Clan True Lord to reach Zhang Yuan through their karma and halt his attempt to sever it with sword qi.
• The Dragon Clan True Lord ordered Zhang Yuan to slay Wenren Qihan, return Ao Xiu unharmed to the Eastern Deep, and visit the Hengyang Lu Clan.
• The Dragon Clan True Lord promised to clear Zhang Yuan’s debt for killing Ao Ruo and grant him a great opportunity if he completed the tasks, but threatened to imprison and punish him if he failed.

Key plot points

• After the East Sea Dragon Lord’s voice and power disappear, Zhang Yuan realizes that Ao Xiu’s innate true name carried hidden karma. The Lord’s trap was likely laid during the Chaos Calamity a thousand years ago, and even a powerful cultivator could have fallen into it.
• Zhang Yuan loosens Ao Xiu’s restraints. Hoping to stay on Zhang Yuan’s good side, Ao Xiu attempts a shoulder massage—awkwardly pounding his shoulders instead.
• Zhang Yuan discusses the situation with his master, Xiao Yuanjun. She promises to support him whether he travels to Hengyang Lu or the East Sea.
• Since the Dragon Lord’s scheme leaves him little choice, Zhang Yuan decides to take Ao Xiu back to the East Sea. He presents the trip as a favor, while making clear that he remains in charge. He also hopes his connections there will offer some protection.
• Ao Xiu is delighted to be going home, but privately mistakes Zhang Yuan’s tolerance of his massage for evidence that he can eventually manipulate him.
• Meanwhile, Chu Jingtian reports the Seaheart City incident to the Chu Clan. Chu Miaofu recognizes Zhang Yuan and Xiao Yuanjun from his description. Chu Xiwen, who has met Zhang Yuan before, hides that fact. Chu Zhuoyu asks about Zhang Yuan, but Chu Miaofu instead warns him that Zhang Yuan supposedly preys on people like him.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yuan remains cautious and pragmatic. Though frustrated at being caught in a True Lord’s scheme, he chooses to act proactively and keeps control of his dealings with Ao Xiu.
• Xiao Yuanjun reassures Zhang Yuan with steady, unconditional support.
• Ao Xiu shifts from fear and resentment to ingratiating obedience, while secretly plotting to win influence through massage.
• Chu Xiwen avoids acknowledging her prior encounter with Zhang Yuan, and Chu Miaofu accepts her explanation without suspicion. Chu Zhuoyu responds skeptically to his aunt’s warning.

Significant themes

• The danger of hidden karma: Even cautious methods can expose cultivators to powerful forces.
• Power and manipulation: The Dragon Lord’s long-laid trap shapes Zhang Yuan’s choices, while Ao Xiu imagines he can turn servility into control.
• Loyalty and trust: Xiao Yuanjun’s support contrasts with the characters’ suspicion and scheming.
• Comic misunderstanding: Ao Xiu’s botched massage and grandiose private plans undercut the serious threat surrounding the East Sea Dragon Clan.

Plot points and events

• After hiding underground for several days to ensure they were safe, Zhang Yuan, Xiao Yuanjun, and Ao Xiu set out for the Hengyang Lu Clan. Their plan is to seek the clan’s help finding Wenren Qihan, kill him once located, and only afterward return Ao Xiu to the East Sea.
• Before entering Henggou City, they conceal their identities: Xiao Yuanjun disguises herself as an ordinary mortal, while Ao Xiu hides its horns and claws and passes as a green snake.
• In the city’s cultivator market, Zhang Yuan visits an information shop. Its shopkeeper turns out to be another incarnation of True Lord Ceased Light Punishes Thoughts—the same mysterious figure he previously encountered.
• The True Lord jokes about buying Ao Xiu. Zhang Yuan readily offers to hand over the dragon, but the True Lord refuses, insulting Ao Xiu’s large head. Zhang Yuan then asks for directions to the Hengyang Lu Clan and pays half a spirit stone for the information.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yuan remains pragmatic and guarded. He chooses the Lu Clan as the most useful first stop and uses humor and a small payment to manage his familiar, potentially dangerous dealings with the True Lord.
• Xiao Yuanjun supports Zhang Yuan’s plan and expertly conceals her identity with her cultivation technique.
• Ao Xiu is embarrassed and resentful about repeated remarks about its head, and wary of the humans it encounters. Zhang Yuan’s offer to sell it unsettles it, though the exchange is partly strategic.
• Zhang Yuan and the True Lord trade barbs while maintaining a cautious understanding: Zhang Yuan reasons that the True Lord’s failure to attack suggests he is not seeking immediate retaliation.

Significant themes

• Pragmatism and survival: The group prioritizes concealment, information, and a practical route toward its goals.
• Distrust and uncertainty: In a chaotic realm, appearances may deceive, and even an ordinary shop can conceal a powerful figure.
• Comedy amid danger: Teasing about Ao Xiu’s head and Zhang Yuan’s stingy payment undercut the threat surrounding the group’s journey.

After learning that the Wen River Deng Clan and South Sea Dragon Clan were pursuing him, Zhang Yuan decided to hurry to the Hengyang Lu Clan for protection. A Nine Serenities Lu Clan Celestial Person arrived in Henggou City and challenged Zhang Yuan, who insisted they fight beyond the heavens.

• [True Lord Ceased Light Punishes Thoughts] warned Zhang Yuan that the Wen River Deng Clan and South Sea Dragon Clan were likely on their way to kill him.
• Zhang Yuan sold his useless possessions to [True Lord Ceased Light Punishes Thoughts] and decided to reach the Hengyang Lu Clan quickly.
• The sign for [Eastern Sunken Pavilion] burned away to reveal the shop's original name, Fragrant Liquor Tower, as Zhang Yuan left with Xiao Yuanjun and Ao Xiu.
• A Nine Serenities Lu Clan Celestial Person descended on Henggou City with a demonic Black Mountain and demanded that [Return to True] come out to die.
• The attacker gravely wounded Henggou City's lord, and Zhang Yuan identified himself and challenged the Celestial Person to fight beyond the heavens.

Zhang Yuan and Xiao Yuanjun ambushed Lu Wuyu, then fled as the Solar Profound Light descended and struck all three of them. The pair survived in a remote forest, while Lu Wuyu was left barely alive after taking two beams.

• Zhang Yuan and Xiao Yuanjun lured Lu Wuyu away from Henggou City and attacked him from behind with their Supreme Treasures and Divine Abilities.
• Zhang Yuan kicked Lu Wuyu’s fallen demonic mountain into him, but Lu Wuyu survived the blow with only minor injuries.
• Zhang Yuan and Xiao Yuanjun fled toward the Jingheng Kingdom before the Solar Profound Light struck them and Lu Wuyu.
• Lu Wuyu was pierced by two beams of Solar Profound Light and left barely alive, while Zhang Yuan and Xiao Yuanjun fell into a mountain forest and recovered.
• Xiao Yuanjun changed out of her scorched robe, and Ao Xiu teased her and Zhang Yuan for lying together with their heads side by side.

Zhang Yuan and Xiao Yuanjun pursued the badly wounded Lu Wuyu into the Outer Chaos, where Lu Wuyu trapped them with his sealing mystic wonder. Xiao Yuanjun reversed its effects long enough for Zhang Yuan to kill Lu Wuyu before he could recover.

• Zhang Yuan and Xiao Yuanjun located Lu Wuyu outside Henggou City and flew to attack him while he was injured.
• Zhang Yuan used the Golden Carriage to carry Lu Wuyu into the Outer Chaos, then struck off his head, but Lu Wuyu healed and reattached it.
• Lu Wuyu activated [Hundred Evils Banishment], sealing divine abilities, mystic wonders, and treasures within a hundred meters.
• Xiao Yuanjun reversed the mystic wonder's effects, allowing Zhang Yuan to use his sword and treasures while Lu Wuyu's dharma body was suppressed.
• Zhang Yuan beheaded Lu Wuyu and used the Five-Direction Banners to blast his head to ashes before it could reunite with his body.

After Zhang Yuan and Xiao Yuanjun killed Lu Wuyu, they fled to the Yu Kingdom to recover and plan their route toward the Hengyang Lu Clan. A strange phenomenon in the Yu Kingdom Capital suggested that Taihu Dragonheart Grass was emerging, but Ao Xiu warned it might be a trap.

• Zhang Yuan and Xiao Yuanjun used the Fivefold Body-Rending Qi and the Pre-Heaven Supreme Treasures to destroy Lu Wuyu completely, then returned to the Azure Firmament Dust-Dyed Realm outside the Bian Kingdom.
• Zhang Yuan and Xiao Yuanjun reached a mountain near the Yu Kingdom Capital, where Zhang Yuan considered the dangers of traveling onward to the Hengyang Lu Clan.
• Zhang Yuan questioned Ao Xiu about the South Sea Dragon Clan, and Ao Xiu named the thunder cultivator Wenren Shangzhi as a possible threat.
• Xiao Yuanjun spotted dark clouds and lightning over the Yu Kingdom Capital, and Zhang Yuan recognized the phenomenon as a sign of Taihu Dragonheart Grass.
• Ao Xiu warned Zhang Yuan and Xiao Yuanjun that the grass's emergence could be a trap and urged them to leave.

Key plot points and events

• Zhang Yuan recognizes that the sudden appearance of Taihu Dragonheart Grass in the Yu Kingdom’s capital is likely bait. He escapes by Golden Carriage with Xiao Yuanjun, taking Ao Xiu with him.
• Wenren Shangzhi, a powerful South Sea Dragon, reveals himself and admits to using an illusion to lure them into the city. He demands Ao Xiu, offering to let Zhang Yuan and his master go.
• Zhang Yuan refuses, pointing out that if Ao Xiu is harmed, the East Sea Dragon Clan would retaliate—and the South Sea Clan would be unable to shield him from that anger.
• Wenren Shangzhi attacks the Golden Carriage, but Zhang Yuan and Xiao Yuanjun escape unharmed. The enemies’ broader trap is exposed: the Nine Nether Lu supplied intelligence, while the Wenshui Deng and South Sea Dragon Clan coordinated the ambush.
• Zhang Yuan and Xiao Yuanjun split up. Xiao Yuanjun takes Ao Xiu toward the Jingyang Kingdom to seek protection and reinforcements from the Hengyang Lu; Zhang Yuan draws the pursuers away.
• Deng Qiuzhi arrives to join Wenren Shangzhi. The two ancient powerhouses trade barbed remarks as they prepare to pursue the fugitives.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yuan shows caution and composure, resisting the illusion through his Immaculate Primordial Spirit and choosing a plan that gives Xiao Yuanjun and Ao Xiu the best chance of reaching safety.
• Ao Xiu hides in Zhang Yuan’s robes and remains reluctant to face the danger, but is entrusted to Xiao Yuanjun as the group divides.
• Xiao Yuanjun takes on the mission of protecting Ao Xiu and bringing back help.
• Wenren Shangzhi is revealed as the architect of the lure. Despite his formidable power, he recognizes Zhang Yuan’s unusual talent and offers him a chance to leave—though he warns that Deng Qiuzhi may not be so merciful.
• Deng Qiuzhi joins the pursuit and displays a newly sharp, sarcastic manner, which Wenren Shangzhi notices.

Significant themes

• Caution and discernment: Zhang Yuan’s refusal to trust an apparently convenient opportunity prevents the group from falling into a prepared trap.
• Alliance and power politics: Three rival factions cooperate, while the threat of the East Sea Dragon Clan’s retaliation constrains the South Sea Clan’s choices.
• Sacrifice and strategic responsibility: Zhang Yuan separates from his companions to draw danger away, prioritizing their chance to escape and summon aid.
• Changing reputations and personalities: Wenren Shangzhi reflects on how the world has changed, while Deng Qiuzhi’s transformation over the centuries is revealed through his sharp banter.