Chapter Summaries

Key events

• Chi Guanguan creates a physical copy of the Mist-Sea Layered Tower Heaven-Splitting Scripture from Zhang Yuan’s Magic Power. She explains that it is an ancient, high-tier Qi Sea Unity Path method and can gather both mist-cloud qi and sea qi. Zhang Yuan could use it alongside the Azure Firmament Vast Sea Art.
• Zhang Yuan begins cultivating. In the mist-rich Crimson Firmament Rosy Radiance Realm, he rapidly gathers True Mist Cloud Qi, reaches the ninth level of the qi-gathering realm in under half a day, then converts the gathered qi into Source Qi and breaks into the source lifting realm.
• He judges this progress useful but still modest: the Source Power lets him cast many Qi Sea Unity Path spells, but the tradition will not become truly valuable to him until he reaches Life Sovereign.
• Zhang Yuan continues cultivating the Qi Sea Unity Path while also circulating the Great Qian Primordial Soul-Refining Scripture, producing an eerie mixture of mist, spiritual qi, and ghostly screams.
• That night, Zhao Lian arrives alone at Zhang Yuan’s room. She hesitates at the strange sounds and atmosphere, but enters anyway. The screams stop, and Zhang Yuan asks why she has come.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yuan remains composed and curious, accepts Chi Guanguan’s help with teasing gratitude, and demonstrates exceptional aptitude by advancing far faster than an ordinary cultivator.
• Chi Guanguan shows careful attention to Zhang Yuan’s needs, offering a suitable method and promising to adjust it if he encounters difficulties. She playfully demands that he repay her kindness someday; he jokes about how she wants repayment, and she has no answer yet.
• Zhao Lian appears cautious and uneasy about Zhang Yuan’s abnormal cultivation, but her decision to enter suggests she is determined to investigate or speak with him.

Significant themes

• Cultivation as mastery, not just accumulation: control of Magic Power can matter as much as its quantity, and gathered qi must be transformed into one’s own Source Qi to progress.
• Crossing traditions and exceptional talent: Zhang Yuan’s experience lets him cultivate two paths at once and advance at remarkable speed.
• The limits of early achievement: reaching a new realm is progress, but Zhang Yuan recognizes that it is not yet enough to make the path strategically powerful.

Plot points and events

• Third Princess Zhao Lian visits Zhang Yuan at midnight, deducing that his twenty-four-hour deadline was really an invitation for her to meet him.
• Zhang Yuan asks why Sword Saint Xie Jingxin attacked him. Zhao Lian explains that Xie recognized Illumine the Nether, a sword forged in imitation of her own sword, Gaze into the Nether. The Seventh Sun-Eroding Demon King had taken it from her, and she had assumed it was lost.
• Zhao Lian hints that Zhang may be the demon king. He claims he simply found the sword on the road and brought it back. Though skeptical, she accepts his explanation.
• Rather than press to reclaim the valuable sword, Zhao gives it to Zhang to turn the situation into a favor. He welcomes her generosity.
• Zhao asks to discuss the real purpose of the meeting. Zhang begins by admitting that, despite the impression he may have given, he cannot currently summon the Great Heng Empress from the distant Southern Heaven Realm.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhao Lian demonstrates sharp reasoning, composure, and political pragmatism. She probes Zhang carefully, balancing suspicion with a willingness to believe him, then gives up the sword to avoid a futile dispute and gain goodwill.
• Zhang Yuan remains calm and guarded, conceals the truth about how he obtained the sword, and enjoys securing it without a confrontation. His admission about the Empress introduces uncertainty about the protection Zhao is trying to verify.
• Their exchange is courteous but wary: Zhao tests Zhang’s identity and intentions, while Zhang controls the pace of the conversation and asks her to explain the morning’s attack.

Significant themes

• Trust and suspicion: Both characters evaluate what the other is hiding, and Zhao’s choice to accept Zhang’s story is a calculated risk.
• Political leverage and generosity: Zhao turns the likely loss of the sword into a voluntary gift, hoping to preserve influence and goodwill.
• Appearances versus reality: Zhang’s composure and claims leave his true identity—and the extent of his backing—uncertain.

Key plot points and events

• Zhang Yuan asks Bright Rosy Kingdom’s Third Princess, Zhao Lian, what she knows about the Six Heavens Demon King Palace. He explains that he came to the Crimson Firmament Rosy Radiance Realm to find something there, but he has been unable to locate it.
• Zhao Lian compares Zhang to Sword Saint Xie Jingxin, who also sought something in the palace and once entered it after she revealed information about its location.
• She explains that the palace has no fixed, publicly discoverable location. Its Nether Extinction Heavenly Palace and Ninefold Calamity-Subduing Palace are not necessarily in the north, despite their names. Most expeditions fail, and even the Sword Saint cannot currently find his way back.
• Zhang realizes Wei Jianxing, Wei Liu, and their companions likely do not know this. Zhao Lian suspects the Wei elders sent them out for experience and will soon call them back to Chasing Sun City.
• Zhang considers whether the Nether Bureau’s North Gate is truly in the realm’s Far Northern Lands. Chi Guanguan admits she cannot be certain, though the “imago” points north.
• Zhao Lian offers to accompany Zhang to the Rosy Capital. In return, she can obtain a token allowing him to freely consult the Imperial Academy and Upper Nether Academy libraries.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang is direct about his goal once Zhao Lian presses him, and becomes more accommodating when he realizes she has useful information. His joking refusal to become her live-in son-in-law adds a note of humor.
• Zhao Lian is clever and guarded, initially probing Zhang’s motives before sharing what she knows. She then uses the information as leverage to recruit him for a trip to the capital.
• Zhang and Zhao Lian negotiate candidly: she offers access to valuable records, while he leaves the final decision about her condition open.
• Chi Guanguan provides a cautious, uncertain opinion about the North Gate’s likely location.

Significant themes

• Knowledge and access: Secret records and firsthand experience are essential to navigating the realm’s mysteries.
• Uncertainty and deceptive appearances: The Demon King Palace’s location shifts, and its supposedly northern sites may not be north at all.
• Risk and hidden motives: Expeditions may be futile or deadly, while rulers and families may withhold information from their own members.
• Strategic exchange: Zhao Lian trades privileged knowledge and library access for Zhang’s cooperation.

Key plot points and events

• After speaking with Zhao Lian through the night, Zhang Yuan remains cautious about her invitation to the Rosy Capital. He decides to compare her claims with information from the White Estate before agreeing.
• Bai Fu brings him the Estate’s old records about the Six Heavens Demon King Palace. They largely confirm Zhao Lian’s account and reveal a useful clue: the Palace lies beneath a place called Gui Land, somewhere in the Crimson Firmament Rosy Radiance Realm.
• Zhang Yuan plans to travel to the Rosy Capital with Zhao Lian in a few days. Bai Fu asks to accompany him, explaining that her third Celestial Person Trial will take place there. He agrees, also wanting her as an attendant and protector.
• Wei Liu arrives to say that her family has summoned her and her companions to the Rosy Capital, so they will stop traveling north. She says Wu Qing and Pan will later resume their campaign against the Demon King Palace. Zhang Yuan and Wei Liu part without expectation of meeting again.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yuan remains strategic and guarded, verifying Zhao Lian’s story before committing himself. He recognizes that Gui Land gives him a concrete direction in his search. He also sees Bai Fu’s potential: passing her final trial would give him a powerful ally.
• Bai Fu openly prioritizes Zhang Yuan over her attachment to White Tree City. Her decision to leave is also tied to completing her final trial in the Rosy Capital.
• Wei Liu is restrained but appears affected by the evidence that Zhao Lian visited Zhang Yuan; her tone turns colder. She nonetheless delivers her news and leaves abruptly.
• Zhang Yuan treats each departure calmly, while the narrative underscores the danger behind such farewells: in this hostile realm, parting may mean never meeting again.

Significant themes

• Trust and verification: Zhang Yuan weighs Zhao Lian’s offer against independent records before deciding whether to rely on her.
• Ambition and duty: Bai Fu’s journey serves both her loyalty to Zhang Yuan and her pursuit of Celestial Person status.
• Precarious companionship: Relationships form and break amid constant danger, making ordinary goodbyes feel potentially final.
• Myth and hidden history: The ancient account portrays the Six Heavenly Demon Kings as Primordial Era demons appointed to govern the netherworld, framing the Palace as part of an older, ominous order.

Plot points and events

• Wei Jianxing, Wei Liu, Wu Qing, and Pan Zhong prepare to leave White Tree City for the Rosy Capital, escorted by Wei Household elder Wei Mian. Zhang Yuan does not join them, saying only that he wishes them a safe journey.
• Wei Mian assumes Wei Liu may have been mistreated by members of the Zhaoxia Imperial House, but she denies it. The group departs for the capital.
• In the days that follow, Zhang Yuan remains at the White Estate and makes rapid progress in two cultivation paths, reaching the thresholds for major breakthroughs in both.
• As Zhang Yuan prepares to advance first to Life Sovereign, he senses visitors and sends three mist swords toward the door. Xie Jingxin effortlessly destroys them before entering with Third Princess Zhao Lian.
• Zhao Lian tells Zhang Yuan that matters in White Tree City are settled and that they will return to the Rosy Capital that night. Zhang Yuan points out that the nightly Nether Bureau ghost deities remain a threat: Xie Jingxin has been suppressing them, but they may return once she leaves.

Character developments and interactions

• Wei Liu leaves White Tree City visibly subdued, glancing back at the estate, though she denies being bullied. Wei Mian shows a protective, fiercely loyal attitude toward her.
• Zhang Yuan’s cultivation is advancing quickly, and he plans to prioritize the Life Sovereign breakthrough before attempting Nascent Soul.
• Zhang Yuan’s dry, provocative humor is on display when he calls his attack a “deliberate accident.” Xie Jingxin finds the phrasing intriguing, while Zhao Lian worries she might imitate him and become even harder to deal with.
• Xie Jingxin has been quietly protecting White Tree City, defeating each wave of ghost deities with a single sword strike. Her departure threatens to leave the city vulnerable again.

Significant themes

• Loyalty and protection: Wei Mian’s readiness to defend Wei Liu reflects the Wei Household’s pride and solidarity; Xie Jingxin likewise protects the city through her skill.
• Power and vulnerability: Even with a celebrated Sword Saint present, White Tree City’s safety depends on her continued intervention.
• Humor and personality: The contrast between Zhang Yuan’s deadpan wit, Xie Jingxin’s earnest curiosity, and Zhao Lian’s exasperation gives the chapter a light, teasing tone alongside its cultivation and supernatural stakes.

Key plot points and events

• Zhao Lian reveals that she installed a rare imperial formation that will keep ghost deities and yin soldiers away from White Tree City for ten years, buying time for the white saint tree and preserving a possible refuge for the Bright Rosy Kingdom.
• As Zhao Lian prepares to return to Rosy Capital with Sword Saint Xie Jingxin, Zhang Yuan asks to bring Bai Fu. Zhao Lian agrees after confirming Bai Chong knows.
• Bai Fu arrives and nearly calls Zhang Yuan “Master,” then catches herself and addresses him as “young master.” Zhao Lian notices their unusually familiar, master-and-servant-like dynamic.
• Zhang Yuan asks about Zhao Chen, the First Imperial Prince he struck with lightning. Zhao Lian says he has already been sent ahead to Rosy Capital to recover.
• Xie Jingxin says she cannot carry all three passengers. After considering the problem, she grabs Zhao Lian and Bai Fu by their collars, then lifts Zhang Yuan by biting the back of his collar.
• She flies toward a city south of White Tree City as a streak of blood-gold light, leaving Zhang Yuan stunned by her unconventional method.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhao Lian shows practical judgment and responsibility: she has secured White Tree City’s safety, is determined to return to the capital, and agrees to bring Bai Fu without creating unnecessary conflict with Bai Chong.
• Zhang Yuan is cautious about Zhao Chen’s whereabouts but mostly curious about Xie Jingxin’s abilities. His confidence gives way to helpless surprise when she takes off with him dangling from her teeth.
• Bai Fu remains quiet and obedient around Zhang Yuan, revealing a close, hierarchical relationship that Zhao Lian finds intriguing.
• Xie Jingxin is decisive and physically formidable, but her solution to the travel problem is comically unconventional. Her title as Sword Saint contrasts with Zhang Yuan’s expectation that she would fly on a sword.

Significant themes

• Protection and sacrifice: The formation gives White Tree City a ten-year reprieve, while preserving it as a potential last refuge for the kingdom.
• Power and vulnerability: Zhang Yuan’s cultivation and status offer little protection against a Divine Ignition Realm Sword Saint.
• Expectation versus reality: The chapter humorously overturns the assumption that a Sword Saint must travel by sword.
• Unspoken relationships: Zhao Lian’s observations hint at a deeper connection between Zhang Yuan and Bai Fu.

Plot points and events

• The chapter opens with news of major upheavals across the Five Realms: a newly enlightened Lady nearly destroys Hongde City before hurling it to the edge of the cosmos, while an attempted move of Sky Mountain sparks a looming conflict between great immortal powers and the Lotus Realm of Shared Grief.
• In the Azure Sky Dust-Stained Realm, Ye Xiangning disguises herself as a storyteller at a shop, entertaining cultivators with these reports. Once they leave, she reveals her true identity and frustration: she has been waiting for Zhang Yuan to reappear so she can seize the three Metal Position imagos he holds.
• Unable to reach Zhang Yuan by calling his soul, Ye Xiangning speculates that he may be in the Crimson Firmament Rosy Radiance Realm, but decides to search the Mortal World instead.
• Meanwhile, Zhang Yuan and Zhao Lian arrive at Rosy Capital after a day and night of travel with Xie Jingxin. Zhang Yuan remarks that the capital is impressive for the realm, though far smaller than Great Heng’s capital. He then points out the swarms of monsters and ghosts surrounding the city, wryly calling them the Third Princess’s “pets.”

Character developments and interactions

• Ye Xiangning shifts from a witty, composed storyteller to an impatient and openly avaricious pursuer. Her desire for Zhang Yuan’s imagos drives her search, though she is uncertain where to look.
• Zhang Yuan remains observant and dryly humorous, comparing capitals and noticing the threatening creatures around Rosy Capital.
• Zhao Lian questions Zhang Yuan’s comparison with Great Heng and scoffs at his answer, showing her skepticism or pride.
• Xie Jingxin transports Zhang Yuan and Zhao Lian to the capital, while Zhang’s “pets” remark hints at the danger surrounding their arrival.

Significant themes

• Power and consequence: Conflicts among high-level cultivators reshape cities, realms, and even the heavens.
• Knowledge and danger: Ordinary people seek useful information, but learning about powerful figures can bring harm—or cause the knowledge to be forgotten.
• Ambition and pursuit: Ye Xiangning’s fixation on Zhang Yuan’s treasures contrasts with the larger, realm-shaking conflicts.
• Scale and perspective: Rosy Capital may be vast locally, yet Zhang Yuan measures it against the far greater world he knows.

Key plot points and events

• Rosy Capital is under full-scale assault from demons and Evil Ghosts emerging from the Nether-Void Death-Inscription Palace. A vast Corpse Tide surrounds the city, while its outnumbered defenders struggle to hold the walls.
• Zhao Lian identifies the invasion’s source and notes that the Demon King Palace Ghost Deity launched the attack after she left.
• A powerful Blood-Robed Vicious Ghost charges the group. Xie Jingxin instantly destroys it with her Five-Foot Steel Sword, but accidentally drops Zhang Yuan, Zhao Lian, and Bai Fu from the sky.
• Zhang Yuan safely descends using As the Emperor Personally Walked. Bai Fu and Zhao Lian also survive their falls, each demonstrating formidable combat ability.
• Zhao Lian’s guards arrive and offer their apologies. Rather than help Zhang Yuan, Zhao Lian chooses to watch him, curious about the abilities of the friend of the Great Heng Empress.
• Zhang Yuan annihilates the surrounding monsters with a tremendous bolt of heavenly thunder, clearing a hundred-meter radius. As more creatures approach, he notices a wisp of soul power drifting from one of the destroyed corpses.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yuan remains irreverent even amid catastrophe, but proves his power through his safe descent and devastating thunder attack. His discovery of soul power hints at a new mystery.
• Zhao Lian is pragmatic and guarded: she survives her fall, reveals her strength, and deliberately tests Zhang Yuan rather than immediately rescuing him.
• Bai Fu displays impressive swordsmanship, cutting through the monsters with her qi radiance.
• Xie Jingxin reacts swiftly and decisively to danger, though her impulsive rescue attempt leaves the others to fend for themselves.
• Zhang Yuan and Xie Jingxin share an eccentric, joking rapport that frustrates Zhao Lian. Zhao Lian’s guard, misreading her decision to wait, assumes Zhang Yuan has offended her and is doomed.

Significant themes

• Power amid overwhelming danger: Even strong cultivators face a massive, coordinated assault, while individual feats can briefly turn the tide.
• Judgment and trust: Zhao Lian watches Zhang Yuan before deciding how much to rely on him.
• Comic irreverence in crisis: Zhang Yuan and Xie Jingxin’s humor contrasts with the devastation around them.
• The uncanny nature of death: The soul emerging from a destroyed monster suggests that the creatures may involve more than mere corpses.

Key plot points and events

• Zhang Yuan discovers that the Great Qian Primordial Soul-Refining Scripture can convert the souls of demons and ghosts into Magic Power. Since he needs more power to break through from Golden Core to Nascent Soul, he treats the Corpse Tide besieging the Rosy Capital as an opportunity.
• He tests the method on a Floating Corpse, then burns and crushes vast numbers of ghosts, refining their Remnant Souls as he goes. He avoids using heavenly thunder because it destroys the souls he wants to harvest.
• Zhang Yuan kills tens of thousands, bringing his breakthrough within reach. To speed things up, he forms a colossal black-and-gold hand from his abundant Magic Power and Soul Power.
• The giant hand descends on the Corpse Tide and kills nearly one hundred thousand creatures at once. The scale of the attack draws everyone’s attention, including the Ghost Deities of the Demon King Palace, who order Duan Lu to kill Zhang Yuan.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yuan reveals a pragmatic, opportunistic streak: he regards the enemy horde as a source of cultivation rather than simply a threat. His confidence grows as his cultivation advances, and he improvises a mass attack when individual killing becomes tedious.
• The defending soldiers initially mistake Zhang Yuan for a reinforcеment and consider following him. When they see him move deeper into the Corpse Tide and hear the enemies’ agonized screams, they grow wary and return to the walls.
• The Demon King Palace’s Ghost Deities recognize Zhang Yuan as a serious threat only after his enormous attack and respond by sending Duan Lu against him.

Significant themes

• Power through unconventional means: Zhang Yuan turns the souls of his enemies into fuel for his own advancement.
• The costs of overwhelming power: Though he fights on the defenders’ side, his methods appear so disturbing that even human soldiers doubt his allegiance.
• Resourcefulness and scale: Lacking a proper area-effect technique, Zhang Yuan compensates with sheer reserves of Magic Power, transforming a simple attack into a devastating one.

Key plot points and events

• After killing a host of demons and Evil Ghosts, Zhang Yuan begins refining their hundred thousand Remnant Souls to break through to the Nascent Soul Realm.
• A Ghost Deity named Duan Lu ambushes him. Zhang Yuan evades the attack and discovers that Duan Lu can split apart even his powerful heavenly thunder.
• Zhang Yuan completes his breakthrough. His Natal Nascent Soul looks exactly like Chi Guanguan, prompting him to question her. She claims this is normal and says the resemblance grants him major advantages: his Nascent Soul can suppress others at the same realm, and his Magic Power is a hundred times theirs.
• Zhang Yuan decides to test his new strength against Duan Lu, but Duan Lu attacks again while he is speaking. Zhang Yuan evades the saber strike, feels that it has cut away something unseen, and immediately retaliates with thunder—while accusing Duan Lu of hypocrisy for ambushing him.

Character developments

• Zhang Yuan advances from Golden Core perfection to the Nascent Soul Realm, gaining a formidable new source of power. He remains wary and sharp, but his confidence rises once he learns of his Nascent Soul’s advantages.
• Chi Guanguan reveals that her influence shaped Zhang Yuan’s Nascent Soul and that she suppressed interference from other powerful beings during his breakthrough. She treats the situation lightly, though her actions suggest strong protectiveness or possessiveness.
• Duan Lu is established as a powerful and ruthless Ghost Deity, capable of confronting Zhang Yuan’s strongest attacks and striking with lethal speed.

Significant themes

• Power gained through transformation: Zhang Yuan’s breakthrough dramatically changes his abilities and offers a chance to test his new limits.
• Hidden influence and cosmic connections: The Nascent Soul’s appearance reflects Chi Guanguan’s presence, while unseen mighty powers also try to shape Zhang Yuan’s cultivation.
• Hypocrisy and combat etiquette: Both Zhang Yuan and Duan Lu exploit moments when the other is speaking, turning accusations of dishonorable ambush into part of their fight.

Character interactions

• Zhang Yuan presses Chi Guanguan for an explanation, while she insists the Nascent Soul’s appearance is harmless—and beneficial. His skepticism contrasts with her cheerful certainty.
• Zhang Yuan and Duan Lu trade ambushes and verbal accusations. Their exchange ends with Zhang Yuan evading another attack and counterattacking, setting up a direct test of his new Nascent Soul strength.

Key plot points and events

• After reaching Nascent Soul, Zhang Yuan’s As the Emperor Personally Walked can now carry him up to ten thousand meters, giving him a powerful means of escape. He refuses Chi Guanguan’s suggestion to test his cultivation, knowing the Ghost Deity Duan Lu is far beyond him.
• Near the Rosy Capital, Zhang Yuan spots Wei Jianxing, Wei Liu, and their three companions fighting in the Corpse Tide. Exhausted and wounded, they are close to being overwhelmed.
• A giant corpse knocks Wei Jianxing, Wu Qing, and Pan Zhong aside and is about to crush Wei Liu and Wei Huai. Zhang Yuan arrives in time to cut off its head, reuniting with the group.
• Another Demon King Palace Ghost Deity dives toward them. Zhang Yuan throws his steel sword to intercept the attack, forcing the newcomer to land before him.
• The Ghost Deity identifies himself as Yan Suan, Left Assistant of the Nether-Void Death-Inscription Palace. Zhang Yuan realizes that Duan Lu is likely the Right Assistant and that Duan Lu’s slash cost him twenty years of life, which were transferred into Yan Suan’s abacus.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yuan remains irreverent and pragmatic: he avoids a hopeless fight with Duan Lu, but steps in to save the embattled group. He also quickly pieces together the connection between the two Ghost Deities and the abacus.
• Wei Liu is near collapse and has resigned herself to death. Zhang Yuan’s sudden rescue leaves her dazed; she responds to his familiar teasing without her usual sharpness.
• Wei Jianxing and the others are badly worn down but relieved when Zhang Yuan joins them. Jianxing refuses Wei Liu’s plan to spend her last strength on another killing move, hoping they can hold out for help.
• Yan Suan appears more cautious than Duan Lu, carefully avoiding Zhang Yuan’s thrown sword and identifying himself before confronting him.

Significant themes

• Survival over pride: Zhang Yuan recognizes the gap in strength and chooses escape rather than an unrealistic challenge.
• Exhaustion and vulnerability in battle: Even capable fighters can be overwhelmed when their strength and stamina cannot match the scale of the threat.
• The cost of power: Zhang Yuan’s realization that Duan Lu’s attack removed twenty years of his life reveals a hidden, personal price behind the Ghost Deities’ abilities.
• Unexpected rescue and reunion: Zhang Yuan’s arrival turns Wei Liu’s apparent final moments into a renewed confrontation with danger.

Plot points and events

• Zhang Yuan and Wei Liu are threatened by Yan Suan, a powerful Ghost Deity whose weapons are forged from the lifespans of living beings. Earlier, Right Assistant Severed Record had already taken twenty years from Wei Jianxing and Wei Liu, a devastating loss for people with short lifespans.
• Before Zhang Yuan can escape, holy arrows tear through the Corpse Tide. They kill countless demons and strike Yan Suan, though he manages to block one at the cost of nearly five thousand years of lifespans stored in his abacus.
• The archer is Wei Kan, lord of Chasing Sun City and head of the Wei Household. Yan Suan recognizes him and retreats with the surviving Ghost Deities, warning that his master may attack again in person.
• With the battle over, Zhang Yuan devours and refines nearly thirty thousand remnant souls. He explains his actions as helping wronged souls, though Wei Kan is unconvinced.
• Grateful that Zhang Yuan saved his daughter, Wei Kan welcomes him as an honored guest and promises him anything the Wei Household owns. Zhang Yuan immediately accepts and plans to send a list of treasures.
• Third Princess Zhao Lian arrives with Sword Saint Xie Jingxin and guards. She invites Zhang Yuan to the palace, saying the Bright Rosy Kingdom’s ruler must decide an important matter. Zhang Yuan agrees.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yuan remains calm amid danger and is more interested in the practical opportunity to gain treasures than in formal courtesies. His casual appetite for souls continues to make others wary.
• Wei Kan is powerful, protective of his daughter, and generous toward her rescuer. Though suspicious of Zhang Yuan’s strange behavior, he finds him entertaining and honors his promise.
• Wei Liu is relieved to see her father, defends Zhang Yuan as a good person, and is embarrassed by how readily he accepts her family’s offer.
• Zhao Lian shows concern only after the danger has passed; Zhang Yuan notices her earlier reluctance to help and responds coolly. Her insistence that the ruler handle the matter raises Wei Liu’s suspicions.
• Yan Suan withdraws rather than risk fighting Wei Kan, leaving open the threat of a future attack by his master.

Significant themes

• The cost of life: Lifespans are treated as a spendable resource, making the loss of twenty years especially grave for ordinary people.
• Appearances and trust: Zhang Yuan’s stated compassion contrasts with his unsettling conduct, while others must judge his intentions from mixed evidence.
• Duty, gratitude, and obligation: Wei Kan repays Zhang Yuan’s help with an unusually generous offer, which Zhang Yuan accepts without ritual modesty.
• Power and looming conflict: Wei Kan’s intervention saves the capital, but Yan Suan’s warning suggests the battle is only postponed.

Plot points and events

• After Zhang Yuan and his companions leave Wei Liu behind, she is grateful he saved her but resents that he had not accompanied her from White Tree City and instead came to the Rosy Capital with Zhao Lian.
• Zhao Lian leads Zhang Yuan, Xie Jingxin, and the guards into the Imperial City. Zhang Yuan notices Xie Jingxin carrying the head of the Ghost Deity Right Assistant Severed Record and learns that such beings can only be killed permanently inside the Demon King Palace.
• Zhang Yuan demands to know why Zhao Lian brought him to the capital. She admits the Rosy Capital is under attack by the Nether-Void Death-Inscription Palace and needs his help defending it.
• Miao Jin, a guard captain, reprimands Zhang Yuan for speaking bluntly to the princess. Zhang Yuan is ready to strike him, but Zhao Lian intervenes and explains that Miao Jin’s grandfather is a powerful general. She promises Zhang Yuan an official position that outranks Miao Jin.
• Miao Jin then objects to Zhao Lian speaking privately with Zhang Yuan, invoking propriety between men and women. Zhang Yuan jokingly points out their differing physiques, embarrassing Zhao Lian. She rebukes Miao Jin instead.
• Near the palace, Zhao Lian leaves with Xie Jingxin and assigns Miao Jin to find Zhang Yuan a residence. Miao Jin secretly plans to put him in the most dilapidated place available.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yuan remains irreverent, direct, and confident in his power and connections. He insists on an explanation before agreeing to help and expects respect, but is also focused on settling in and consolidating his new Nascent Soul cultivation.
• Zhao Lian shows political tact, placating Zhang Yuan with promises while managing the guard captain’s insubordination. Her patience is tested by Zhang Yuan’s teasing.
• Miao Jin is jealous and resentful of Zhang Yuan, masking hostility with formal politeness. His pride in his family’s status drives both his reprimand and his plan to inconvenience Zhang Yuan.
• Wei Liu’s mixed gratitude and resentment suggest unresolved feelings about Zhang Yuan’s choices.
• Xie Jingxin remains blunt and matter-of-fact, casually offering Zhang Yuan a severed head.

Significant themes

• Power and status: Zhang Yuan’s influence outweighs formal rank, while Miao Jin relies on his grandfather’s reputation.
• Political obligation and manipulation: Zhao Lian’s invitation is revealed as a strategic attempt to recruit Zhang Yuan against a serious threat.
• Gender and propriety: Miao Jin’s appeal to social etiquette is undercut by Zhang Yuan’s joke, exposing the tension between formal decorum and personal rivalry.
• Gratitude and resentment: Wei Liu’s conflicting response to Zhang Yuan highlights the emotional complications of dependence and perceived rejection.

Key plot points and events

• Miao Jin assigns Zhang Yuan a shabby servants’ courtyard, openly treating the placement as retaliation for Zhang’s earlier offense. He assumes Zhao Lian will not seriously punish him because of his family’s influence.
• Zhang Yuan accepts the secluded courtyard, cleans it with a spell, and decides privately to kill Miao Jin within three days.
• The next afternoon, Zhao Lian visits with the promised token. It grants Zhang access to the libraries of the Imperial Academy and Upper Nether Academy. She also says the emperor has appointed him deputy director of the Imperial Academy and honorary chancellor of the Upper Nether Academy.
• Zhang asks about the Hundred Blossoms Tower, where Miao Jin plans to take his companions. Zhao Lian describes it as the capital’s largest wine house and offers to cover Zhang’s expenses, misunderstanding his reason for asking.
• Zhao Lian invites Zhang to the emperor’s banquet celebrating the defeat of the corpse tide. Zhang plans to skip it, but realizes Miao Jin will probably attend and accepts, intending to deal with him there.

Character developments

• Zhang Yuan remains calm in the face of Miao Jin’s provocation, but his patience has a limit: he resolves to kill Miao Jin. He is also practical, accepting the banquet once it becomes a convenient place to find his target.
• Zhao Lian regrets letting Miao Jin arrange Zhang’s residence and recognizes that anger clouded her judgment. She tries to make amends with the token, appointments, and invitation, but remains unaware of Zhang’s plans.
• Miao Jin grows overconfident, believing his status and family connections will shield him from consequences.

Significant themes

• Arrogance and abuse of rank: Miao Jin uses his position to mistreat Zhang and assumes he is untouchable.
• Appearance versus reality: Zhang’s quiet acceptance masks his decision to retaliate, while Zhao Lian misreads his calmness and his questions.
• Misunderstandings and irony: Zhao interprets Zhang’s interest in the Hundred Blossoms Tower as a desire for entertainment, not as part of his plan to find Miao Jin.

Character interactions

• Miao Jin and his commandants mock Zhang’s assigned lodging and reinforce one another’s confidence.
• Zhao Lian attempts to repair the damage Miao Jin caused, while Zhang calmly accepts her offerings and asks pointed questions.
• Their conversation ends with Zhao believing she has simply invited Zhang to a celebratory banquet; Zhang has accepted for an entirely different reason.

Key plot points and events

• Zhao Lian suggests finding Zhang Yuan somewhere else to stay; he refuses, and they part ways at Clear Sound Hall.
• At the palace, Zhang Yuan notices a Commandant connected to Miao Jin and decides to follow him. Though several noblewomen watch Zhang Yuan—an effect he blames on his talent, [Spring Breeze Caress]—the guards admit him after recognizing him as the Daoist seen fighting during the previous night’s crisis.
• The Commandant spots Zhang Yuan following him. Zhang Yuan kills him before he can identify himself, burns the body to ash, and searches his soul.
• From the Commandant’s memories, Zhang Yuan learns that Miao Jin is attending the banquet as the Miao family heir, seated in the main hall rather than with the Commandants.
• Zhang Yuan reaches the crowded hall and is directed by Zhao Lian’s maid, Hong Sha, to an assigned seat near the front. Zhao Lian is expected to arrive with the emperor.

Character developments

• Zhang Yuan shows increasing confidence in his soul-cultivation abilities: rather than interrogate the Commandant, he uses soul-searching to obtain information quickly.
• He remains calculating and alert, weighing risks even as he acts ruthlessly. He also assumes the local realm has not yet been infiltrated by the Devil Lords’ agents, allowing him to operate more freely.
• Zhao Lian keeps her distance, leaving Zhang Yuan to proceed alone; her attendant nonetheless treats him with deference.

Significant themes

• Power and moral pragmatism: Zhang Yuan’s ability to kill and search souls turns violence into a practical tool, with little hesitation.
• Surveillance and concealed danger: Zhang Yuan watches others, but also senses himself being watched; the apparently calm banquet setting carries an undercurrent of threat.
• A temporary reprieve: The realm seems not yet deeply affected by the Devil Lords’ schemes, but Zhang Yuan expects that this freedom will not last.

Character interactions

• Zhang Yuan and Zhao Lian part after a brief exchange about his accommodation.
• Palace guards recognize Zhang Yuan’s reputation and welcome him without demanding an invitation.
• The Commandant confronts Zhang Yuan but is killed before he can explain himself; Zhang Yuan then extracts the location of Miao Jin from his soul.
• Hong Sha respectfully guides Zhang Yuan to a prominent seat, drawing the attention of other banquet guests.

Key plot points and events

• At a grand gathering in the Clear Sound Hall, maid Hong Sha leads Zhang Yuan to a seat far more prominent than his expected place. Zhang realizes the arrangement is a trap: Miao Jin has bribed her to seat him in the Grand Libationer’s place and provoke a public confrontation.
• Zhang refuses to retreat. He learns the seat belongs to the head of the Imperial Academy, but remains composed as the guests watch.
• Miao Tianwu, Miao Jin’s powerful grandfather and a senior military official, orders Zhang to leave. Zhang insults him by comparing him to a disguised spirit monster, then immediately attacks with Dust-Treading Divine Thunder.
• Miao Tianwu blocks the thunder. Zhang declares that the Bright Rosy Kingdom may not deserve to exist if its people are all like this, and rises as though to leave in anger.
• As Miao Tianwu prepares to retaliate, Zhao Lian enters and calls for Zhang to wait.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yuan recognizes the scheme but chooses to face it rather than avoid embarrassment. His calmness, sharp perception, and willingness to escalate suddenly unsettle those around him.
• Hong Sha is frightened once Zhang exposes her role; under pressure, she obeys him and identifies the rightful owner of the seat.
• Miao Jin is pleased with his plan, expecting Zhang to be humiliated or beaten, but Zhang turns the setup into a direct confrontation.
• Miao Tianwu acts as an imposing guardian of hierarchy. Zhang’s defiance provokes his anger, and he is on the verge of attacking when Zhao Lian intervenes.
• Chi Guanguan stays cheerfully focused on the pastries, contrasting with the tense political clash. An Imperial Academy official quietly warns Zhang, but Zhang answers with mockery instead.

Significant themes

• Power and hierarchy: The seating arrangement is used to enforce status and provoke a newcomer.
• Manipulation and miscalculation: Miao Jin’s plot depends on Zhang backing down or being overpowered, but he misjudges Zhang’s temperament and capability.
• Composure and provocation: Zhang remains outwardly relaxed even as his words and actions sharply intensify the conflict.
• The danger of political appearances: A seemingly minor breach of etiquette becomes a public test of authority, with the gathering watching closely.

Zhang Yuan was publicly slighted at the Bright Dawn Kingdom’s banquet and killed the chief eunuch when the King’s seating order insulted him. He threatened to destroy Roselight Capital within an incense stick’s time and revealed the Thunder Pearl he called [Thunder Pivot].

• Zhao Lie entered the banquet with the two Grand Libationers and Zhao Lian, then took his throne without acknowledging Zhang Yuan.
• Zhao Lian apologized to Zhang Yuan and introduced him to the Grand Libationers, but Zhang Yuan announced he was leaving.
• Zhao Lie stopped Zhang Yuan and ordered that he be given a seat at the entrance, where the chief eunuch contemptuously presented a chair.
• Zhang Yuan killed the chief eunuch with the [Sun-Eroding Demon King Palace] and fed a pastry to Chi Guanguan.
• Zhang Yuan warned that he would bring Roselight Capital down within one incense stick’s time and introduced his Thunder Pearl, [Thunder Pivot].

Plot points and events

• Zhang Yuan activates the threat of [Thunder Pivot], a Thunder Pearl whose power is said to rival the Wei Household’s supreme treasure, [Chasing Sun]. Wei Kan warns that it could destroy the entire Rosy Capital.
• The Imperial Academy’s Grand Libationer tries to seize the pearl, but Zhang Yuan’s divine lightning burns his hand. Grand Libationer Ruan attempts to negotiate, while Zhang retaliates against him with a blast of lightning.
• Zhang refuses appeals to religious compassion, declaring himself a lay Daoist who is not bound by it. Ruan apologizes and offers to meet Zhang’s demands to prevent disaster.
• Zhang demands the throne of the Bright Rosy Kingdom, claiming he could govern it better. To everyone’s astonishment, Grand Libationer Qi agrees, and Ruan promptly declares Zhang king without waiting for King Zhao Lie’s consent.
• Suspecting a trap, Zhang immediately raises the stakes: he demands the Third Princess as his empress, ostensibly to prevent the Zhao clan from rebelling.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yuan shifts from threatening destruction to making provocative political demands. Though he presents himself as unreasonable, his sudden suspicion after the offer is accepted shows his habitual caution.
• Grand Libationer Qi prioritizes the capital’s survival and accepts Zhang’s demand despite its political enormity. Grand Libationer Ruan negotiates, apologizes, then carries out Qi’s decision.
• King Zhao Lie is increasingly sidelined: the Grand Libationers negotiate and transfer his throne without consulting him.
• Wei Kan recognizes the danger and promises to protect Wei Liu with [Chasing Sun]. Wei Liu, despite not being Zhang’s target, feels satisfaction at the prospect of the imperial house facing consequences.
• The officials, the Wei family, and Zhang himself are stunned by the sudden transfer of power.

Significant themes

• Power and political authority: The threat of overwhelming force makes even a kingdom’s throne negotiable, while its king is left without a voice.
• Compassion versus pragmatism: Zhang rejects moral appeals, while the Grand Libationers focus on preventing mass destruction.
• Escalation and uncertainty: Zhang’s outlandish demands may be a tactic, but his suspicion of an easy victory suggests he expects hidden motives.

Plot points and events

• Zhang Yuan threatens to activate the Thunder Pearl and destroy the Imperial City if Zhao Lie speaks again.
• With the capital’s survival at stake, Zhao Lian reluctantly agrees to marry Zhang Yuan, despite having no genuine feelings for him.
• The officials publicly protest, but privately feel relieved that the crisis may end without a fight. Wei Kan also assumes Zhao Lian’s sacrifice will satisfy Zhang Yuan.
• Zhang Yuan distrusts the apparent ease of the agreement. He fears that marrying Zhao Lian—or becoming emperor—could trigger a greater catastrophe, and suspects the events may be part of a hidden scheme.
• To make an impossible demand and find a way out, he also asks to marry Wei Liu. Wei Kan refuses to commit on his daughter’s behalf, but Wei Liu eagerly declares that she is willing, treating the proposal as a chance to rival Zhao Lian.
• Zhang Yuan leaves the Thunder Pearl in Clear Sound Hall as a warning, then departs with Wei Kan’s invitation to share a drink.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yuan remains threatening but is increasingly unsure what is really happening. He tries to avoid both political power and marriage, and improvises the proposal to Wei Liu as an escape route.
• Zhao Lian accepts an unwanted marriage for the sake of the capital, though her agreement is strained and reluctant.
• Wei Liu shows her long-standing competitiveness with Zhao Lian by volunteering to marry Zhang Yuan, even when her father tries to dismiss the idea.
• Wei Kan stays practical and cautious: he recognizes the political crisis, refuses to decide his daughter’s future casually, and invites Zhang Yuan away from the confrontation.
• Zhao Lie remains silent, leaving the Grand Libationers to handle the crisis. His silence deepens Zhang Yuan’s suspicion.
• Wei Liu and Zhao Lian are framed as lifelong rivals, now comparing themselves over a situation neither should reasonably want.

Significant themes

• Sacrifice and political duty: Zhao Lian’s willingness to surrender her autonomy is presented as serving the capital, while the officials’ objections are partly performative.
• Misread intentions and suspicion: Zhang Yuan interprets others’ actions as possible traps, while the surrounding characters misunderstand his motives.
• Rivalry and pride: Wei Liu turns a dangerous proposal into another contest with Zhao Lian.
• Power and coercion: The Thunder Pearl gives Zhang Yuan leverage, reducing the court’s choices to compliance or destruction.

Plot points and events

• Zhang Yuan accompanies Wei Kan to the Wei family mansion, where Wei Kan honors him with the place of honor at dinner.
• While the meal proceeds, Zhang Yuan secretly uses his Divine Sense to monitor Clear Sound Hall for signs that anyone might be a True Lord’s pawn. He finds no clear evidence, leaving him suspicious of everyone.
• Wei Kan serves his prized Heavenly Immortal Brew. Zhang Yuan recognizes that it may contain nine-turn bright water, an ingredient needed to restore his Spiritual Root, and eagerly drinks.
• The two drink through the night. Zhang Yuan’s extraordinary tolerance surprises the others: it takes nearly an entire bottle of the potent wine to put him to sleep.
• Wei Kan wakes from his supposed drunkenness and sends the younger members to deal with Zhang Yuan, then claims he has something important to consider. In truth, he goes to sober up.
• Wei Liu volunteers to take the sleeping Zhang Yuan to rest. After Wei Jianxing teases her about her feelings for Zhang Yuan, she carries him away—but not toward the guest rooms.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yuan remains alert and distrustful despite the convivial dinner, but readily accepts the wine when he suspects it contains a valuable ingredient. His resilience also impresses the Wei family.
• Wei Kan shows great hospitality and uses the wine to try to get Zhang Yuan drunk, though he underestimates Zhang Yuan’s tolerance. His own head is left spinning.
• Wei Liu appears concerned for Zhang Yuan and insists on taking him herself. Though she denies having feelings for him, her private actions suggest affection or a desire for intimacy.
• Wei Jianxing notices Wei Liu’s behavior and playfully suggests she cares for Zhang Yuan. He and Wei Huai leave them alone.

Significant themes

• Suspicion amid hospitality: Zhang Yuan’s secret surveillance contrasts with the warm dinner, reflecting his continuing fear of hidden enemies.
• Hidden motives and appearances: Wei Kan only pretends to be drunk, while Wei Liu’s stated intentions conceal where she is taking Zhang Yuan.
• Affection expressed indirectly: Wei Liu’s bickering and quiet attentiveness hint at feelings she refuses to acknowledge.