Chapter Summaries

Zhang Yuan searched the ancient texts for a spatial escape art, then learned that Chi Guanguan could teach him the Grand Immortal Art "As Though the Emperor Walked in Person." Ye Xiangning led him and Xu Lingyin to a skeleton, but its identity remained unknown.

• Zhang Yuan searched the shelves for an escape art but found only offensive and defensive spells.
• Chi Guanguan told Zhang Yuan that she knew every escape art and offered to teach him "As Though the Emperor Walked in Person."
• Zhang Yuan stopped searching and followed Ye Xiangning toward the skeleton, bringing Xu Lingyin with him.
• Ye Xiangning asked Zhang Yuan to guess whose bones the skeleton held and promised a reward.
• Zhang Yuan asked Chi Guanguan about the Profound Ancestor's disciples, but she could not identify the skeleton.

Zhang Yuan deduced that the skeleton belonged to the Mysterious Court Profound Ancestor and received the Great Luo Dao Scripture, which he quickly passed along to Fei Ting. The scripture summoned the Ancestor of All Profundities, who began rejecting Fei Ting’s wishes on the grounds that granting them would harm his cultivation.

• Zhang Yuan reasoned that the skeleton was the Mysterious Court Profound Ancestor’s remains, and Ye Xiangning rewarded his guess with an ancient scripture.
• Zhang Yuan sensed great karma on the Great Luo Dao Scripture and passed it to Xu Lingyin, who quickly tossed it to Fei Ting.
• Fei Ting opened the scripture and summoned the Ancestor of All Profundities, who offered to grant him three wishes in exchange for a price.
• Fei Ting wished for Ye Xiangning to fall in love with him, but the Ancestor of All Profundities told him to choose another wish.
• Fei Ting asked the Ancestor of All Profundities to kill Zhang Yuan, but the Ancestor refused and told him to choose another wish.

Fei Ting’s wishes to the Profound Ancestor were rejected, so the ancient Daoist took Fei Ting’s body and lost access to his cultivation. Zhang Yuan then claimed to be the first god of creation and offered the Profound Ancestor three wishes in exchange for a price.

• Fei Ting asked the Profound Ancestor to make him the Mysterious Court Daoist Heir, but the Daoist refused to interfere in the court’s affairs.
• After Fei Ting rejected ordinary treasures and secret arts, the angry Profound Ancestor revoked his three wishes and demanded three wishes from him.
• The Profound Ancestor used a demonic art to reshape Fei Ting’s flesh and blood into a new vessel, entered the body, and began again at the qi refining realm.
• Zhang Yuan, Ye Xiangning, and Xu Lingyin recognized the middle-aged Daoist as the Profound Ancestor, while Zhang Yuan noted that he posed little threat in his weakened state.
• Zhang Yuan claimed to be the first god of creation of the Boundless Southern Heaven Realm and offered the Profound Ancestor three wishes, warning that he would have to pay a price.

Zhang Yuan tried to persuade the revived Profound Ancestor to join forces by offering to grant his wishes, then recruited him to infiltrate the First God Cult. The Profound Ancestor agreed, and Zhang Yuan told him how to find information about his identity.

• Zhang Yuan used the Mirror-Holding Armored Lord’s Long Halberd to prove he was a Divine Master, and the Profound Ancestor raised a shield before accepting the proof.
• The Profound Ancestor wished to switch to the Great Luo path, but Zhang Yuan said he could only promise him Divine Master status if he changed to the qi sea uniting spirit dao.
• Zhang Yuan warned the Profound Ancestor that Sky Mountain’s golden position was now in the Dust-Dyed Realm and would draw the attention of many True Lords.
• Zhang Yuan proposed that the Profound Ancestor infiltrate the First God Cult in exchange for joining forces, and the Profound Ancestor agreed.
• Zhang Yuan gave his name as Zhang Yuan, with the Dao epithet Return to True, and advised the Profound Ancestor to seek information in the Ya Kingdom rather than the Eastern Sunken Pavilion.

Zhang Yuan and Xu Lingyin left the secret chamber after the middle-aged Daoist claimed to be the Profound Ancestor. The Daoist revealed he was an impostor, killed two Mysterious Court Disciples, and was interrupted by black-clad men who seized the skeleton.

• Ye Xiangning accused Zhang Yuan of deceiving the Profound Ancestor, then left the chamber.
• Zhang Yuan and Xu Lingyin used the spatial translocation formation to leave, while the two Mysterious Court Disciples stayed behind.
• The middle-aged Daoist demanded the disciples submit to him as the Profound Ancestor, then admitted he was an impostor and killed them with a talisman.
• The middle-aged Daoist searched for the Great Luo Dao Scripture, gathered the chamber's pills and texts, and prepared to leave.
• Yu Lian and a group of black-clad cultists entered, ignored the middle-aged Daoist, and carried off the skeleton in a black sack.

Yu Lian and the First God Cult took the Profound Ancestor’s remains from the burial chamber and recruited the middle-aged Daoist, Xuan Chen, into their ranks. Xuan Chen joined to gain an identity outside the Mysterious Court, and the group led him out wearing the cult’s black robes.

• Yu Lian and Qin Tianyi warned the middle-aged Daoist not to interfere as a cultist carried away the Profound Ancestor’s remains.
• Yu Lian considered killing the witness, then offered him the choice to join the First God Cult or die.
• The middle-aged Daoist agreed to join and gave his Dao Epithet as Xuan Chen.
• Yu Lian offered Xuan Chen cultivation manuals, but Xuan Chen said he was already a cultivator and demonstrated his ability with a weapon talisman.
• Yu Lian accepted Xuan Chen’s explanation, gave him a set of First God Cult Black Robes, and led him out of the burial chamber.

Zhang Yuan returned to Purple Jade Peak with Xu Lingyin and explained the secret-realm expedition to Immortal Lord Liujing, who learned that three Mysterious Court True Disciples had died. Liujing invited Zhang Yuan and Cui Yuanxi to meet the sect's ancestors, and they waited for two more disciples to emerge.

• Zhang Yuan arrived at Purple Jade Peak through the Relocation Formation, and Xu Lingyin returned soon after.
• Immortal Lord Liujing arrived with Cui Yuanxi and Tong Ke, and Zhang Yuan claimed he had joined Ye Xiangning and the True Disciples in exploring a secret realm.
• Xu Lingyin confirmed Zhang Yuan's account, while Liujing suspected he had a special relationship with Ye Xiangning.
• Tong Ke and Cui Yuanxi invited Zhang Yuan to share grilled fish and fish soup, and Cui Yuanxi said Xiao Shi would come to cook.
• Liujing invited Zhang Yuan and Cui Yuanxi to meet the Mysterious Court's two ancestors, and Zhang Yuan asked to wait for the two disciples still in the secret realm.
• Zhang Yuan described the secret realm with alterations and apologized that three True Disciples had died, leaving Liujing uncertain whether their deaths were truly accidental.

Zhang Yuan met with the Mysterious Court’s Great Immortal Lords, who offered to send him near the East Sea Dragon Clan in exchange for helping them. They brought him to the Secret Chamber and asked him to slay a remnant soul born from the Profound Ancestor’s immortal bones.

• Immortal Lord Liujing led Zhang Yuan and the others to Sky Mountain to meet Immortal Lord Xuancong Chuirui and Immortal Lord Youhuang Miefa.
• Immortal Lord Xuancong Chuirui offered to settle the Mysterious Court’s grievance with Zhang Yuan and invited him to state his conditions.
• Zhang Yuan asked the Great Immortal Lords to send him to the East Sea Dragon Clan, but Immortal Lord Xuancong Chuirui instead offered to send him to the Azure Nether Immortal Sect after he completed a task.
• Immortal Lord Xuancong Chuirui told Zhang Yuan that Wang Chengdao and Kong Dewu had been killed by someone else and that Fei Ting and two others had brought their deaths upon themselves.
• Immortal Lord Xuancong Chuirui explained that a vicious remnant soul had emerged from the Profound Ancestor’s immortal bones and asked Zhang Yuan to destroy it.

Zhang Yuan agreed to hunt down the Profound Ancestor Evil Spirit for [Immortal Lord Xuancong Chuirui] in exchange for protection from the South Sea True Dragons and freedom to move through the Mysterious Court. The locating compass could not track the evil spirit because a robe concealed his karma, so Zhang Yuan prepared to wait until it was exposed.

• [Immortal Lord Xuancong Chuirui] asked Zhang Yuan to kill the Profound Ancestor Evil Spirit, and Zhang Yuan accepted after weighing his alternatives.
• Zhang Yuan asked [Immortal Lord Xuancong Chuirui] to keep the South Sea's True Dragons and other celestial person perfection experts from attacking him, and the Immortal Lord agreed while he remained in Mysterious Court territory.
• [Immortal Lord Xuancong Chuirui] gave Zhang Yuan a compass refined by [Immortal Lord Youhuang Miefa], but its needle spun because the evil spirit's karma-concealing robe blocked it.
• [Immortal Lord Xuancong Chuirui] explained that the compass would locate the evil spirit once he removed the robe, and Zhang Yuan decided to wait for that opportunity.
• [Immortal Lord Xuancong Chuirui] gave Zhang Yuan a Mysterious Court True Disciple Token with access and command privileges, then destroyed the secret-chamber microcosm as Zhang Yuan left.

Zhang Yuan left Sky Mountain without telling his companions about his mission to slay the Profound Ancestor’s evil spirit, then found his cave abode in the Mysterious Court. After Immortal Lord Liujing learned that the ancestors had not promised her to Zhang Yuan, Xu Lingyin stayed for dinner with him, Cui Yuanxi, and Tong Ke.

• Zhang Yuan left Sky Mountain with Cui Yuanxi, Tong Ke, and Xu Lingyin while the Compass still failed to locate the Profound Ancestor’s evil spirit.
• Immortal Lord Liujing asked Immortal Lord Xuancong Chuirui whether he had bestowed her upon Zhang Yuan, and he and Immortal Lord Youhuang Miefa assured her he had not.
• Zhang Yuan followed his True Disciple Command Token to his cave abode and lit the courtyard with the conceptual image of Ding Fire.
• Zhang Yuan asked Xu Lingyin why she had followed him instead of returning to Purple Jade Peak.
• Cui Yuanxi and Tong Ke invited Xu Lingyin to stay for dinner, and Xu Lingyin accepted.

Cui Yuanxi, Tong Ke, and Xiao Shi gathered with Zhang Yuan for a lively meal of fish before Zhang Yuan gave Xiao Shi a box of pastries from Great Heng. Xiao Shi accepted the gift warmly and called it Zhang Yuan’s one fault.

• Xu Lingyin welcomed Xiao Shi to the courtyard, where she greeted Zhang Yuan and reunited with Cui Yuanxi.
• Cui Yuanxi showed Xiao Shi the fish she and Tong Ke had caught, and the group prepared fish soup and grilled fish together.
• Everyone shared the meal, and Zhang Yuan fed Chi Guanguan some grilled fish as she praised it and spoke of Ji Guang’s love of fish.
• Xu Lingyin left after dinner, while Cui Yuanxi and Tong Ke went to inspect the cave abode and Zhang Yuan stayed to talk with Xiao Shi.
• Zhang Yuan gave Xiao Shi pastries from Great Heng, and she accepted them before saying it was his one fault.

Zhang Yuan followed the Compass beyond the Mysterious Court to find the Profound Ancestor Evil Spirit, discovering it slaughtering villagers under the guise of the Daoist Xuan Chen. The chapter ended with Xuan Chen killing three youths who offered to serve him and asking an insolent boy to become his disciple.

• Xiao Shi told Zhang Yuan that giving her gifts without a reason was his one flaw, before Zhang Yuan sensed the Profound Ancestor Evil Spirit through the Compass.
• Zhang Yuan decided to pursue the evil spirit beyond the Mysterious Court, despite the danger of encountering the South Sea Dragon Clan, and went alone to avoid alerting his target.
• Zhang Yuan reached a burning village and saw Xuan Chen slaughtering its inhabitants while claiming his actions would help the Mysterious Court.
• Xuan Chen revealed that he had regained some cultivation through demonic methods and made a Hundred-Soul Gourd from the villagers.
• After Xuan Chen rejected three youths for their poor aptitude and killed them, he offered to take the insolent boy as his disciple.

Zhang Yuan tried to stop Xuan Chen from killing the village youths and confronted him for his whisk and soul-storing gourd. After Zhang Yuan sent Xuan Chen flying, Xuan Chen escaped before he could be found.

• Xuan Chen killed three youths and cut a fourth in half after the boy refused to submit, while Zhang Yuan arrived too late to save him.
• The dying boy asked Zhang Yuan to hold Xuan Chen back until his elder brother arrived, then died before Zhang Yuan could answer.
• Zhang Yuan refused to claim kinship with the boy and threatened Xuan Chen, demanding his whisk and Hundred-Soul Gourd.
• Xuan Chen used six souls as talismans to block Zhang Yuan's sword, but Zhang Yuan's strike blasted him a thousand li away.
• Zhang Yuan found only a crater and blood where Xuan Chen had fallen, then confirmed with the Compass that Xuan Chen had escaped.

Zhang Yuan encountered Yi Feng, who mistook him for the murderer of his younger brother, Yi Shui, before learning the truth. Zhang Yuan arranged for Yi Feng to pursue Xuan Chen while he lay in ambush, and Yi Feng agreed to contact him at Ten Thousand Bamboo Mountain.

• Zhang Yuan waited above the village Xuan Chen had attacked, then a furious Yi Feng appeared and struck at him.
• Zhang Yuan defended himself and told Yi Feng he had not killed Yi Shui or slaughtered the village.
• Yi Feng divined the truth and heard the four survivors confirm that Xuan Chen had killed Yi Shui.
• Yi Feng buried Yi Shui and introduced himself to Zhang Yuan, explaining that he wanted to avenge his brother.
• Zhang Yuan identified Xuan Chen and proposed that Yi Feng pursue him while Zhang Yuan waited in ambush.
• Yi Feng agreed to the plan and learned that Zhang Yuan was staying at Ten Thousand Bamboo Mountain in the Mysterious Court.

Xuan Chen returned to the First God Cult’s hideout after being robbed, while Qin Tianyi persuaded Yu Lian to summon the cult’s leaders one at a time to avoid attracting powerful attention. The teleportation array brought a Deputy Cult Master to the inn, though the chapter did not identify who had arrived.

• Xuan Chen fled after Azure Firmament Dust-Dyed Realm cultivators robbed him, then returned to an inn near the village he had slaughtered.
• Xuan Chen lied to Yu Lian about his outing and listened as Yu Lian warned him that Return to True was in the Mysterious Court.
• Yu Lian proposed teleporting the First God Cult Master and all three Deputy Cult Masters to the Dust-Dyed Realm, but Qin Tianyi warned that bringing them together could attract the Lords of Heaven and Earth.
• Qin Tianyi suggested bringing the cult leaders over one at a time, and Yu Lian agreed to summon a Deputy Cult Master first.
• Yu Lian and the cultists pooled spirit stones to activate a single-use teleportation array, and a figure appeared at its center.

The First God Cult Master returned to the Azure Firmament Dust-Dyed Realm and learned that the Holy Son was alive, had reached the nascent soul realm, and was acting alone in the Central Demon Realm. He confirmed Yu Lian had recovered the Profound Ancestor's Remains, then left the remains with him while preparing to pursue other business.

• The First God Cult Master arrived and questioned Qin Tianyi, whom Yu Lian identified as a Divine General recruited by the Holy Son.
• Yu Lian told the First God Cult Master that the Holy Son had survived, advanced to the nascent soul realm, and traveled to the Central Demon Realm before setting off alone on the Lord's orders.
• Yu Lian revealed that he was the second of the Holy Son's Four Divine Generals, and the First God Cult Master encouraged him to accept the role.
• Yu Lian presented the Profound Ancestor's Remains, and the First God Cult Master confirmed they were needed for the Lord's revival.
• The First God Cult Master told Yu Lian to safeguard the remains while he went to kill several people and visit some friends.

Zhang Yuan returned to the Mysterious Court after failing to track Xuan Chen, then told Immortal Lord Liujing that an Evil Spirit had slaughtered a village and asked the sect to help the four surviving children. Liujing agreed but laughed when Zhang Yuan insisted he was a good person, and he left for Ten Thousand Bamboo Peak.

• Zhang Yuan returned to the Mysterious Court without finding any further trace of Xuan Chen.
• Immortal Lord Liujing met Zhang Yuan and suspected he had gone out to kill people because she smelled blood on him.
• Zhang Yuan explained that he had pursued an Evil Spirit that slaughtered a village, leaving four children alive, and asked the Mysterious Court to help them.
• Immortal Lord Xuancong Chuirui confirmed Zhang Yuan's account, and Liujing agreed that the sect should take responsibility for the survivors.
• After Liujing questioned his good intentions and laughed at his claim that he was a good person, Zhang Yuan flew to Ten Thousand Bamboo Peak.

Zhang Yuan returned to his cave abode and found Cui Yuanxi, Xiao Shi, and Tong Ke waiting there. After Tong Ke left, Cui Yuanxi proposed that she marry Zhang Yuan so they could avoid gossip, but he reminded her that he already had a fiancée; Cui Yuanxi left without demanding an answer and planned to ask her father to write a Marriage Contract.

• Zhang Yuan returned to his courtyard and asked Cui Yuanxi, Xiao Shi, and Tong Ke why they had stayed so late.
• Tong Ke described the nearby guest residences and left, promising to tell Zhang Yuan her good news the next day.
• Cui Yuanxi suggested that she and Zhang Yuan become engaged so they would not need to worry about proper distance or gossip.
• Zhang Yuan told Cui Yuanxi that he already had a fiancée, but Cui Yuanxi said she did not mind and planned to ask her father to write a Marriage Contract.
• Cui Yuanxi said she would return home for now and told Zhang Yuan to dream of her.

After Cui Yuanxi left, Chi Guanguan teased Zhang Yuan about her Dream Dao before he discovered that Ye Xiangning had secretly left the Profound Ancestor’s Great Luo Dao Chapter in his waistband. Zhang Yuan set the book aside to examine the Purple-Gold Gourd, which he concluded was a genuine Immortal Artifact, but he could not determine its name or how to use it.

• Cui Yuanxi and Xiao Shi returned to the Aohai Cui Clan’s private cave abode, and Chi Guanguan sarcastically suggested that Cui Yuanxi cultivated the Dream Dao.
• Zhang Yuan settled into his bedroom and used Xiao Yuanjun’s fragrant bedding to clear his thoughts before studying the Purple-Gold Gourd.
• Zhang Yuan found the Eastern Heaven Profound Mountain Venerable Great Luo Dao Chapter at his waist and realized Ye Xiangning had slipped it there when she pinched him.
• Zhang Yuan set the book aside, examined the Purple-Gold Gourd, and concluded that it was a genuine Immortal Artifact carried by the Profound Ancestor.
• Zhang Yuan shook the gourd and removed its stopper, hearing pills rattle inside but finding none and remaining unable to work out how to use it.

Chi Guanguan revealed that Zhang Yuan’s Purple-Gold Gourd was the [Three Calamities Profound-End Gourd], a powerful immortal artifact that he could not properly use without magic power or immortal essence. After it retaliated when he called it useless, Zhang Yuan threatened to destroy it, and the gourd submitted by giving him its three Calamity Pills.

• Chi Guanguan told Zhang Yuan the gourd’s true name and explained that its fire, water, and wind calamities could destroy a great realm.
• Zhang Yuan learned how to activate the [Three Calamities Profound-End Gourd] but found that his cultivation was too low to nurture its power.
• The gourd spat a gust of wind at Zhang Yuan after he tossed it onto the bed and called it useless.
• Zhang Yuan slapped the gourd and prepared to cut it in half with sword qi after Chi Guanguan suggested destroying it.
• The [Three Calamities Profound-End Gourd] stopped resisting and offered Zhang Yuan its three Calamity Pills.