Chapter Summaries

Zhang Yuan and Bai Fu led Wei Jianxing and the others to safety in White Tree City after driving off the Mountain Patrol Envoys. There, Bai Fu told Zhang Yuan she had abandoned her revenge against the Hengyang Lu Clan after learning that the clan uncle who saved her had acted to spare her life.

• Bai Fu arrived in time to drive back the Bone-Listening King and save Zhang Yuan's group from the Mountain Patrol Envoys.
• Zhang Yuan introduced Bai Fu as his friend, steadied the exhausted Wei Liu, and the group set out for White Tree City.
• Bai Fu led the group through White Tree City's gates, where the guards recognized and respected her.
• Zhang Yuan asked Bai Fu why she had come to the Crimson Firmament Roselight Realm and whether she still sought revenge.
• Bai Fu explained that the Celestial Person who had wanted to refine her into a pill was dead, and that Lu Jianqing had saved her by helping her survive in a female body.
• Bai Fu said she had given up revenge because she did not want to punish the whole Hengyang Lu Clan for one person's actions.

After Bai Fu explained how she had come to protect White Tree City, she offered to follow Zhang Yuan, who agreed to consider it after resting. Zhang Yuan learned that the White Saint Tree’s fruit could improve his spiritual root and that Bai Fu already had one.

• Bai Fu told Zhang Yuan that she had traveled to the Crimson Firmament Roselight Realm to slay evil ghosts and savage gods, and said she would follow him from then on.
• Zhang Yuan considered Bai Fu’s strength useful but said they would discuss her offer after resting in White Tree City.
• The group decided to stay at an inn, with Wei Jianxing covering Zhang Yuan’s lodging expenses.
• Zhang Yuan asked about the White Saint Tree, and Bai Fu explained that it dispelled ghostly energy and produced valuable White Saint Fruits.
• Bai Fu told Zhang Yuan that Bai Chong had given her a White Saint Fruit and offered to fetch it for him.

Zhang Yuan settled into an inn in White Tree City and resumed cultivating while Chi Guanguan offered to teach him formation arts after he reached the outer dao golden core realm. He found the city’s abundant spiritual qi would help him cultivate faster, while Bai Fu promised to bring him the White Saint Fruit before sunset.

• Bai Fu agreed to return to the White Family and deliver the White Saint Fruit to Zhang Yuan before sunset.
• Wei Jianxing gave Zhang Yuan a room key and asked how he had met Bai Fu, but Zhang Yuan offered a vague explanation before they went to rest.
• Wei Liu mistook Zhang Yuan for someone seeking her out when he arrived at the room beside hers, and he corrected her before entering his own room.
• Chi Guanguan explained the room’s talismans and offered to teach Zhang Yuan Primordial Era formation arts once he reached the outer dao golden core realm.
• Zhang Yuan asked Chi Guanguan to find him offensive and defensive spells, then resumed cultivating with the help of White Tree City’s abundant spiritual qi.

Zhang Yuan advanced his cultivation, restored his spirit root with the White Saint Fruit, and sensed a treasure in White Tree City. He followed the sensation and discovered a Nether Bureau Ghost Deity confronting two people and a ghost.

• Zhang Yuan cultivated until the Zi Hour and reached perfection in the middle stage of his Qi Refining to Immortality Path, drawing nearer to the Outer Dao Golden Core realm.
• Zhang Yuan refined Bai Fu's White Saint Fruit and restored his spirit root to a mid-grade earth-tier five-element spirit root.
• Zhang Yuan sensed a treasure in White Tree City and left to investigate, intending to test As Though the Emperor Walked in Person.
• Wei Liu knocked on Zhang Yuan's door to complain about the noise, and Wei Jianxing found her there after Zhang Yuan had already left.
• Zhang Yuan traversed space toward the treasure's source and saw a Nether Bureau Ghost Deity facing two people and a ghost.

Key plot points and events

• Zhang Yuan secretly observes a confrontation at the White Saint Tree, which the Iron Whip Yin Soldier is trying to seize for the Nether Bureau. The Bureau considers the tree a living being whose lifespan has ended.
• City Lord Bai Chong and Bai Fu are defending the tree alongside a powerful Purple-Furred Evil Ghost. The Yin Soldier has grown stronger with every nightly encounter, and the defenders fear they cannot hold it off much longer.
• The three attack together, but the Yin Soldier draws power from Yin energy rising through the city’s paving stones. It wounds the Purple-Furred Ghost and nearly kills Bai Fu with its burning whip.
• At the last moment, a white-robed figure—Zhang Yuan—intervenes. His Palace and Gourd knock the whip aside and send the Yin Soldier flying.

Character developments

• Bai Chong is shown as a responsible, increasingly desperate city lord. He knows the tree’s survival is essential to White Tree City and fights despite recognizing the worsening odds.
• Bai Fu remains resolute even when facing death. She accepts that defending the city may be considered a crime by the Nether Bureau and reflects bitterly on her prospects of reincarnation.
• The Purple-Furred Evil Ghost demonstrates loyalty to the defenders and willingness to bear the brunt of the fight, though the Yin Soldier’s attack seriously injures it.
• Zhang Yuan watches cautiously and identifies the Ghost’s body as the source of the materials he wants. He ultimately chooses to act when Bai Fu is about to be struck down.

Significant themes

• Conflicting ideas of justice and duty: The Nether Bureau’s law brands the defenders as criminals, while Bai Chong sees protecting the tree—and the city it sustains—as an obligation.
• Sacrifice and despair: Bai Fu accepts possible death rather than abandon White Tree City.
• Escalating danger and uncertain survival: The Yin Soldier’s steadily increasing power makes each nightly defense more perilous.

Character interactions

• Bai Chong and Bai Fu coordinate their sword attacks while the Purple-Furred Ghost engages the Yin Soldier directly.
• The defenders’ cooperation is strained by necessity: Bai Fu and Bai Chong attack even when their strikes may also injure their ally.
• Zhang Yuan’s sudden intervention interrupts the Yin Soldier’s attack and changes the balance of the fight.

Zhang Yuan tested the Iron Whip Yin Soldier’s behavior by driving him toward a family of four, confirming that the yin deity would protect innocent people. Bai Chong mistook Zhang Yuan’s actions and feigned callousness for proof that he was a dangerous demon fiend, while Zhang Yuan warned that White Tree City remained at risk.

• Zhang Yuan struck the Iron Whip Yin Soldier with the [Demon King Sun-Eroding Palace] and noticed that the yin deity protected the family of four behind him.
• Bai Chong accused Zhang Yuan of endangering the family, and the family recognized and trusted their city lord.
• Zhang Yuan pretended to consider the mortals expendable, deepening Bai Chong’s anger and suspicion.
• Zhang Yuan told Bai Chong to focus on destroying the Iron Whip Yin Soldier before the pre-heaven spirit plant fell and White Tree City vanished.
• Bai Chong recognized the threat but grew more wary of Zhang Yuan’s apparent attempt to manipulate him.

Zhang Yuan restrained the Iron Whip Yin Soldier by forcing it to protect a family of four, then helped destroy it alongside Bai Chong, Bai Fu, and the Purple-Furred Evil Ghost. He obtained the golden-blood myriad-spirit grass from the Purple-Furred Evil Ghost and vanished, leaving Bai Fu and Bai Chong wary of him.

• Zhang Yuan used his three treasures to pin down the Iron Whip Yin Soldier without letting it harm the family beneath it.
• Zhang Yuan ordered Bai Chong, Bai Fu, and the Purple-Furred Evil Ghost to attack, and together they dispersed the Iron Whip Yin Soldier into yin qi.
• The Purple-Furred Evil Ghost warned Bai Chong that erasing the remaining yin qi would bring the Day Patrol God, the Night Patrol God, and countless Ghost Deities to White Tree City.
• The Purple-Furred Evil Ghost mistook Zhang Yuan for a powerful figure from the [Ninefold Calamity-Dispelling Palace] and offered him a stalk of golden-blood myriad-spirit grass as payment.
• Zhang Yuan accepted the grass and vanished through space, while Bai Fu and Bai Chong remained wary of him.

Key plot points and events

• After Zhang Yuan leaves, the Purple-Furred Evil Ghost tells Bai Chong and Bai Fu that he does not know Zhang Yuan. He had called him “my lord” because he assumed Zhang Yuan was a powerful figure from one of the Demon King Palaces.
• Zhang Yuan secretly returns to his inn and reflects on the Golden-Blood Myriad-Spirit Grass he obtained from the ghost. It will help improve his spiritual root once he finds another required treasure.
• His encounter strengthens his resolve to defeat the Demon King Palaces, whose resources and power he now recognizes as formidable. He continues cultivating toward forming an outer dao golden core.
• By morning, Zhang Yuan senses he is close to the breakthrough but decides to wait for nightfall, when he can undergo the disruptive tribulation under another identity.
• He heads downstairs for breakfast, only to remember that he has no money. He joins Wei Jianxing, Wei Liu, and Wu Qing, who offer to share meat buns.

Character developments

• Zhang Yuan remains confident in his mission to defeat the demon kings, but also recognizes the need to grow stronger and cultivate patiently. His lack of money provides a humorous, practical contrast to his grand ambitions.
• The Purple-Furred Evil Ghost is revealed to have mistaken Zhang Yuan for a demon-palace dignitary, assuming a human could not be so ruthless.
• Wei Liu appears exhausted and irritable, blaming Zhang Yuan for her sleepless night and responding to him with open hostility.
• Chi Guanguan perks up at the prospect of breakfast, eager to try food after a long time without eating.

Significant themes

• Misjudgment and appearances: The ghost interprets Zhang Yuan’s behavior through its own assumptions about human and demon morality.
• Cultivation and preparation: Zhang Yuan delays his breakthrough until circumstances are safer, balancing ambition with caution.
• Satire and comedy: His lofty goal of saving the realm contrasts with his mundane problems—especially being unable to afford breakfast.
• Moral self-justification: Zhang Yuan casts his campaign against the Demon King Palaces as an act of philanthropy, even as others perceive him as frighteningly ruthless.

Character interactions

• The Purple-Furred Evil Ghost’s explanation persuades Bai Chong that Zhang Yuan must belong to a demon palace, since he cannot imagine a human acting that way.
• Zhang Yuan’s return disturbs the girl in the neighboring room, though he remains unaware of it.
• Chi Guanguan greets Zhang Yuan and eagerly reacts when he mentions breakfast.
• Wei Jianxing warmly invites Zhang Yuan to eat, while Wei Liu’s sarcasm and dark mood make the welcome tense; she mocks him as a “fake Daoist” for having no objection to meat.

Bai Chong invited Wei Jianxing’s group to the White Residence and warned them against traveling to the dangerous Demon King Palace. He also revealed that a mysterious demonic ghost deity had infiltrated White Tree City, leaving Zhang Yuan’s group to connect the warning to the previous night’s battle.

• Bai Fu invited Wei Jianxing’s group to meet City Lord Bai Chong, while the injured Pan Zhong and Wei Huai stayed behind to recover.
• Zhang Yuan followed the group to the White Residence with steamed buns and shared one with Chi Guanguan, who tried to bargain for pastries.
• Wei Jianxing introduced Zhang Yuan as a Daoist from the Boundless Southern Heaven Realm, and Zhang Yuan claimed he had come to slay the Demon Kings.
• Bai Chong warned the group that the Demon King Palace was perilous, but Zhang Yuan declared that cultivators must pursue their mission even if they died.
• Bai Chong told the group that a demonic ghost deity had infiltrated White Tree City, and Wu Qing asked whether it was the white-lit, humanlike figure residents had reported seeing.

Key plot points

• White City Lord Bai Chong warns Wei Jianxing’s group that the White Demon is a cunning, powerful ghost deity who may use the city’s people as hostages.
• Zhang Yuan suspects the White Demon is actually himself, after he concealed his appearance the previous night. He secretly resolves to disguise himself again and undergo Tribulation Transcendence.
• Zhang jokes to Chi Guanguan that the White Demon is handsome enough to rival him and promises to introduce them that night.
• The group decides to confront the White Demon at Hai Hour to gain experience before venturing farther into the Demon King Palace’s more dangerous territory.
• At the inn, Wei Liu asks whether Zhang plans to cultivate, apparently hoping to avoid the noisy effects of his cultivation and get some sleep. After resting, she seems less exhausted and less resentful.
• Before setting out, Wei Jianxing gives Zhang a Barrier-Breaking Talisman. Zhang accepts it politely, though he has no need for it.
• Zhang plans to find a chance to separate from the group, appear as the White Demon, survive the tribulation, and reach the Outer Dao Golden Core Realm.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yuan maintains his playful, self-confident façade while privately managing the problem that he is the person everyone fears. His immediate plans conflict with the group’s intention to subdue the White Demon.
• Wei Jianxing takes a cautious, practical leadership role: he proposes the encounter, consults everyone, and prepares the group with talismans.
• Wei Liu is exhausted and wary of Zhang’s disruptive cultivation. Her brief inquiry reveals a small change in their dynamic: after sleeping, her irritation eases somewhat, though she remains stern.
• Chi Guanguan is curious about the White Demon and amused by Zhang’s teasing. Their banter highlights her playful, food-loving nature and Zhang’s irreverence.
• Wu Qing agrees with Wei Jianxing’s plan, seeing the encounter as preparation for stronger enemies.

Significant themes

• Mistaken identity and dramatic irony: The group prepares to hunt the White Demon without realizing Zhang Yuan is the one they seek.
• Caution versus confidence: The White Demon is portrayed as dangerous, while Zhang treats the situation lightly—at least outwardly.
• Companionship and trust: The group plans together and offers Zhang practical support, even as he secretly intends to slip away from them.

Zhang Yuan left his companions and waited in White Tree City for the Nether Bureau Yin Deities, planning to use them to help him survive his Golden Core tribulation. After announcing himself as the Seventh Sun-Eroding Demon King, he struck one Yin Deity and summoned tribulation lightning.

• Zhang Yuan slipped away from Wei Jianxing, Wei Liu, and Wu Qing and went to the White Saint Tree to await the Nether Bureau Yin Deities.
• Zhang Yuan watched reinforcements gather and planned to use the Yin Deities’ yin and death qi to withstand his Golden Core tribulation lightning.
• At Zi Hour, two Nether Bureau Yin Deities appeared, including the Iron Whip Yin Soldier and a stronger spear-wielding Yin Deity.
• Zhang Yuan floated above the Yin Deities, revealed his identity as the Seventh Sun-Eroding Demon King, and spoke with Chi Guanguan.
• Zhang Yuan struck the spear-wielding Yin Deity with the [Sun-Eroding Demon King Palace] and called down tribulation lightning.

Key plot points and events

• Heavenly thunder from the Thunder Gate Pivot destroys the spear-wielding Yin Deity, then continues toward Zhang Yuan. He absorbs it with a lightning bead, survives the tribulation, and condenses an outer dao golden core.
• Zhang Yuan tests his new power, manifesting a golden staircase in the air with the spatial art As the Emperor Personally Walked. His traversal range has grown from only a few meters to roughly three hundred.
• Two black-robed observers recognize the [Eroding the Sun Demon King Palace] and discuss strange developments in the netherworld. One leaves to report to their lord; the other attacks Zhang Yuan.
• Zhang Yuan easily evades the attacker’s rapid sword strikes. He identifies the weapon as ominous and grotesque, while the Purple-Furred Evil Ghost recognizes the attacker as likely a powerful Ghost Deity. The attacker gathers baleful energy for a broader assault as Zhang remarks that his testing is done.

Character developments

• Zhang Yuan reaches the Early Stage Outer Dao Golden Core Realm. His Magic Power is vastly stronger and higher in quality than his former spiritual power, and he displays growing confidence and control.
• The black-robed attacker is revealed as a formidable, hostile entity, but is clearly outmatched by Zhang Yuan’s new abilities.
• The Purple-Furred Evil Ghost gains a clearer sense of the attacker’s likely rank and is impressed by Zhang Yuan’s overwhelming superiority.

Significant themes

• Transformation and power: Zhang Yuan’s breakthrough marks a dramatic leap in capability, especially in the scale of his spatial techniques.
• The supernatural versus heavenly force: Heavenly thunder is especially effective against demons and Yin beings, while Zhang’s lightning bead lets him turn the danger to his advantage.
• Hidden threats and expanding mysteries: The observers’ talk of an unfamiliar, fearsome land in the netherworld hints at larger conflicts beyond White Tree City.

Character interactions

• The black-robed observers quietly discuss Zhang Yuan’s identity and decide to alert their lord rather than immediately pursue the White Saint Tree.
• The attacker challenges Zhang Yuan, who responds with calm evasion and a mild insult about its sword.
• The Purple-Furred Evil Ghost watches the duel and comments on the disparity between the attacker’s apparent strength and Zhang Yuan’s.

Key plot points

• Zhang Yuan dodges the black-robed attacker while preparing a newly learned spell. He borrows Wei Liu’s sword, then strikes the attacker with a powerful sword move, blasting it into a crater and disrupting its deadly charged attack.
• The attacker survives, but its disguise is torn away. It is revealed as a Flying Corpse Plague Ghost and identifies itself as the Flying Soul Envoy of the Nether Extinction Heavenly Palace’s Fate-Severing Bureau. Its presence inside White Tree City is alarming because the White Saint Tree should have kept such a being out.
• Zhang Yuan realizes the Envoy is exceptionally powerful. His evasions were not effortless play: after reaching the outer dao golden core realm, he initially knew only a spatial-escape spell. He had been using the fight to learn spells Chi Guanguan sent him.
• Zhang Yuan’s successful strike used a superior outer dao Slaughter Spell. Its comically elaborate original name prompts him to ask Chi Guanguan about the names of the other spells.
• Chi Guanguan admits she specially adapted and renamed the spells for him. She insists on keeping “Immortal Maiden” in their titles, while Zhang Yuan pretends not to hear and shortens them to names like “Great Encompassing Sword.”

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yuan demonstrates that his breakthrough has greatly increased his power, but he remains cautious about his limits. He is practical in combat and irreverent about the grandiose names of his new techniques.
• The Flying Soul Envoy is exposed as a powerful demon-palace operative whose infiltration raises questions about the city’s defenses.
• Chi Guanguan is shown to have supported Zhang Yuan by adapting spells for his new realm. She is proud of her naming choices and becomes playfully annoyed when he ignores them.
• Wei Liu briefly provides Zhang Yuan with her sword; the exchange happens so quickly she can barely react.
• Zhang Yuan and Chi Guanguan’s teasing argument over spell names reveals their familiar, playful rapport, even as the confrontation remains dangerous.

Significant themes

• Power and its limits: Zhang Yuan has advanced, but faces an opponent still stronger than he can casually dismiss.
• Adaptation through experience: He learns and tests unfamiliar techniques in the midst of battle.
• Tension between gravity and humor: A dangerous revelation about a powerful infiltrator is paired with comic banter over spell names.
• Trust and support: Chi Guanguan’s customized spells help Zhang Yuan navigate the challenges of his new cultivation level.

Key plot points and events

• Zhang Yuan remains ready to fight the Flying Soul Envoy, privately acknowledging that his spatial evasion—not his own strength—has kept him safe, and that his sword technique has barely hurt the powerful ghost.
• The Flying Soul Envoy abruptly ends the confrontation. It apologizes and flies north after receiving orders from its master to return. It also believes Zhang Yuan is a demon king’s incarnation, based on his unusual techniques and apparent growth in power.
• Zhang Yuan destroys the remaining Iron Whip Yin Soldier with a single sword strike. Its unexpectedly easy collapse suggests the Nether Bureau may have recalled it along with the Spear-Wielding Yin Deity.
• Zhang Yuan fears the Bureau may send stronger Yin Soldiers next, which White Tree City may be unable to withstand. He reflects that the city is already doomed: the Nether Bureau wants the white saint tree destroyed, while rival Demon King Palaces covet it too.
• Zhang Yuan’s borrowed sword breaks after the strike. He returns its hilt to Wei Liu, then vanishes before Bai Chong can speak.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yuan stays outwardly composed but recognizes the limits of his strength and considers retreating. He nevertheless finishes his attempt to help by striking the Iron Whip Yin Soldier, then leaves without explanation.
• The Flying Soul Envoy proves cunning and capable of judging danger. Though it sensed Zhang Yuan was not truly as powerful as a demon king, its orders and uncertainty about his identity convince it not to risk continuing the fight.
• Bai Chong becomes more convinced that Zhang Yuan is a demon king’s incarnation after witnessing his seemingly instantaneous disappearance and rapid improvement.
• Wei Liu receives the broken sword’s hilt back from Zhang Yuan; the exchange is brief and silent.

Significant themes

• Appearance and mistaken identity: Zhang Yuan’s limited strength is masked by extraordinary techniques, leading others to believe he is a demon king.
• The precariousness of survival: White Tree City faces threats from multiple powerful factions and may only be delaying an inevitable defeat.
• Power and escalation: The Bureau’s possible response to losing its Yin Soldiers could bring stronger enemies, making victory in one encounter potentially worsen the danger ahead.

Plot points and events

• After the battle in White Tree City, Zhang Yuan disappears, prompting Wei Jianxing, Wei Liu, and Wu Qing to search for him.
• They return to the inn and find Zhang Yuan waiting with hot tea. He claims he became separated after losing his Barrier-Breaking Talisman.
• Wu Qing recounts the night’s battle, describing a supposed “Seventh Sun-Eroding Demon King” who defeated three ghost deities. He mistakes the Nether Bureau deities for members of the Demon King Palace.
• Zhang Yuan pretends to be surprised and boasts that he knows Thunder Arts, though the narration reveals he has no such skill: the lightning in the battle came from his breakthrough into the Outer Dao Golden Core realm.
• Wu Qing mentions that the demon king used Wei Liu’s Waist Sword, which was destroyed, leaving only its hilt. Wei Liu is visibly annoyed.
• Wei Liu warns Zhang Yuan not to challenge a demon king and offers to protect him. Zhang Yuan accepts her offer with amused politeness.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yuan remains composed and deceptive, concealing that he was the “demon king” Wu Qing describes. He casually invents an explanation for his disappearance and exaggerates his abilities.
• Wei Liu shows concern for Zhang Yuan’s safety but expresses it through blunt, cutting remarks. Her lost sword remains a sore point.
• Wu Qing is enthusiastic and credulous as he retells the battle, unaware that he is speaking to its central figure.
• Wei Jianxing is relieved to find Zhang Yuan safe and surprised to learn he may know Thunder Arts.
• The group’s easy return to tea and conversation contrasts with the violence and supernatural cold of the night.

Significant themes

• Hidden identity and dramatic irony: Zhang Yuan listens as his companions recount his own battle without recognizing him.
• Performance and deception: His calm hospitality and fabricated claims help him maintain his cover.
• Misunderstanding and rumor: Wu Qing’s mistaken identification turns a confusing fight into a tale of a new demon king.
• Camaraderie beneath teasing: The group’s concern, banter, and shared tea show their growing familiarity.

Zhang Yuan examined the Thunder Pearl and learned from Chi Guanguan that she could devise a spell to release the lightning inside. He assessed his artifact treasures and left the [Three Calamities Gourd] concealed as his strongest trump card.

• Wei Liu left the room after Zhang Yuan rejected her thanks, and Wei Jianxing apologized for her sharp tongue.
• Zhang Yuan returned to his room and examined the Thunder Pearl, noting the four lightning arcs it contained.
• Chi Guanguan explained that the Thunder Pearl could only absorb lightning in its unfinished state, but offered to devise a spell that would let Zhang Yuan release it.
• Zhang Yuan laid out his artifact treasures and judged the [Three Calamities Gourd] to be his strongest weapon.
• Zhang Yuan concealed the [Three Calamities Gourd] and Pre-Heaven Five-Direction Banners, leaving [Primordial Form-Converging] and the [Sun-Eroding Demon King Palace] on the bed.

Zhang Yuan activated the [Sun-Eroding Demon King Palace]'s [Beholding Demons] effect, improving his spirit root and cultivating through the night. In the morning, Wei Liu summoned him to visit an important person at the City Lord's Residence, while Chi Guanguan remained in his sea of consciousness.

• Zhang Yuan used [Beholding Demons] to turn the [Sun-Eroding Demon King Palace] into a cultivation sanctuary that temporarily improved his spirit root and amplified his evil thoughts.
• Zhang Yuan suppressed the amplified urges and cultivated through the night using the Great Qian Primordial Soul-Refining Scripture.
• After sunrise, Zhang Yuan noticed Chi Guanguan had not emerged from his sea of consciousness and opened the door to Wei Liu.
• Wei Liu told Zhang Yuan to prepare to visit the City Lord's Residence with Pan Zhong and Wei Huai to meet someone important.
• Zhang Yuan hung [Primordial Form-Converging] at his waist and agreed to keep quiet during the visit, while Wei Liu said she would not change out of her pajamas.

Plot points and events

• First Imperial Prince Zhao Chen and Third Princess Zhao Lian arrive at White Tree City, claiming the Bright Rosy Kingdom sent them to aid the city. City Lord Bai Chong refuses the offer, insisting he can handle any danger himself. Zhao Chen rebukes him, but the confrontation fizzles without a resolution.
• Zhao Lian asks about the Wei Household’s party, which is campaigning against the Demon King Palace. Zhao Chen is especially interested in whether Wei Liu is with them.
• Wei Jianxing, Wei Liu, Wu Qing, Wei Huai, and Pan Zhong arrive. Wei Liu immediately addresses the royals rudely, revealing her contempt for them.
• Zhao Chen declares his feelings for Wei Liu and urges her to abandon the campaign, stop cultivating, and marry him. She angrily rejects him.
• Zhang Yuan makes a rough karmic divination of Zhao Chen and Zhao Lian. He then notices that the plainly dressed young woman beside Zhao Lian is watching him.

Character developments and interactions

• Bai Chong remains firm and independent despite pressure from the royal siblings, suggesting he values White Tree City’s autonomy.
• Zhao Chen is forceful and entitled, but his marriage proposal also reveals his fixation on Wei Liu and his desire to control her choices.
• Zhao Lian stays composed and observant, steering the conversation toward the Wei party while letting tension unfold.
• Wei Liu shows no deference to royal rank. Her sharp insults make clear that her history with Zhao Chen has left her deeply resentful.
• Zhang Yuan quietly assesses the royal siblings through divination, then turns his attention to the mysterious young woman.
• The scene also introduces Wei Liu’s party and establishes strained relations between the Bright Rosy Kingdom and the powerful, independent Wei Household.

Significant themes

• Political power and independence: Bai Chong resists royal pressure, while the Wei Household’s strength allows it to remain outside the kingdom’s control.
• Status versus personal agency: Zhao Chen uses rank and promised resources to press Wei Liu toward marriage and a life she rejects.
• Conflict beneath courtesy: Formal greetings and calm manners mask hostility, old grievances, and competing interests.
• The human struggle against demonic power: The Demon King Palace’s control of most of the realm makes the campaign a major undertaking, not merely a local expedition.

Key plot points

• Xie Jingxin, the renowned Sword Saint, watches Zhang Yuan with open curiosity. He senses no hostility and politely acknowledges her.
• Zhao Chen and Wei Liu’s argument ends, allowing Princess Zhao Lian to welcome Wei Jianxing’s party and ask about its members.
• Wei Jianxing introduces Wei Huai, saber grandmaster Pan Zhong, and swordsman Wu Qing, praising their abilities. Zhao Lian’s approval pleases Wu Qing and Pan Zhong.
• Zhao Lian asks about Zhang Yuan. Wei Jianxing claims he comes from the distant Boundless Southern Heaven Realm and is skilled in fire spells and thunder techniques. Zhao Lian recognizes that his robe resembles the fashion of the Azure Sky Dust-Stained Realm, making her doubt the explanation.
• When Wei Jianxing identifies Xie Jingxin as the Sword Saint, he and Bai Chong are impressed by her reputation for fighting the Demon King Palace. Bai Chong hopes she might help White Tree City, which is in grave danger.
• Zhao Lian announces that she and Xie Jingxin have come to aid White Tree City against its recent disasters and possible Demon King. Xie Jingxin agrees.
• As Wei Jianxing’s group prepares to leave, Zhao Lian tries to keep Wei Liu to talk. Wei Liu refuses and leaves with Zhang Yuan, saying they should return to sleep.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yuan remains quiet and unobtrusive, but draws Xie Jingxin’s curiosity and Zhao Lian’s attention. His clothing also prompts Zhao Lian to question his claimed origin.
• Xie Jingxin is shown as direct and seemingly free of malice, yet her feared reputation makes her a potential lifeline for White Tree City. She agrees to help at Zhao Lian’s request.
• Zhao Lian acts graciously toward Wei Jianxing’s companions and uses her royal standing to offer support to White Tree City. Her suspicions about Zhang Yuan remain unspoken.
• Wei Jianxing presents his party confidently and is surprised to learn that the Zhaoxia Imperial House has secured the Sword Saint’s help.
• Bai Chong recognizes Xie Jingxin’s significance and considers appealing to her on White Tree City’s behalf.
• Wei Liu remains dismissive of Zhao Lian’s attempt at reconciliation and chooses to leave alongside Zhang Yuan.

Significant themes

• Reputation and power: The Sword Saint’s fame shapes how others respond to her and creates hope amid White Tree City’s crisis.
• Appearances and hidden truths: Zhang Yuan’s attire contradicts Wei Jianxing’s account of his origins, suggesting that appearances can reveal—or complicate—what people claim.
• Duty and aid: Zhao Lian’s decision to help White Tree City presents service to the kingdom as a responsibility of royalty.

Zhao Lian and Xie Jingxin discussed Bai Chong’s refusal to surrender the White Saint Tree, while Zhang Yuan learned more about the Sword Saint and the realm’s cultivators from Wei Liu. As they neared the inn, an attacker struck at Wei Liu, but Zhang Yuan pulled her clear at the last moment.

• Zhao Lian accepted that Bai Chong would not yield the White Saint Tree, and Xie Jingxin said she sensed Zhang Yuan was an expert despite having no evidence.
• Wei Jianxing and Wu Qing took the injured Pan Zhong and Wei Huai to seek medical help, while Wei Liu and Zhang Yuan headed back to the inn.
• Wei Liu told Zhang Yuan that Xie Jingxin had severed a Demon King’s arm and warned him to stay away from Zhao Lian.
• A hidden attacker thrust a blade at Wei Liu in an alley, and Zhang Yuan pulled her aside before it could hit her.