Chapter Summaries

Jiang Yang used Zhiyang to refine Purple Mansion Spirit Artifacts while he refined the Coiled Pan Auspicious Cloud, which empowered his Conjoined Branch divine power. As Jiang Yang prepared to read Yun Zhen's letter, a young woman carrying Kitty arrived at Zhouhui Valley and asked Sixteen what he was doing.

• Zhiyang teased Jiang Yang about his hidden past, then agreed to refine several Purple Mansion Spirit Artifacts.
• Jiang Yang released the Spirit Artifacts for Zhiyang to work on while he opened a Wooden Box containing the Coiled Pan Auspicious Cloud.
• The Coiled Pan Auspicious Cloud entered Jiang Yang's Rising Sun Prefecture and strengthened the reach and power of his Conjoined Branch divine power.
• Jiang Yang took out Yun Zhen's letter but paused when he noticed a young woman carrying Kitty approaching Zhouhui Valley.
• The young woman stroked Kitty and asked Sixteen what Jiang Yang was doing.

Shang Qingzheng visited Jiang Yang after more than a decade apart, and the two reunited at Clearwave Retreat. Jiang Yang shared a wisp of fortune qi with Chi Yu and drew close to Shang Qingzheng, leaving her flustered.

• Shang Qingzheng arrived at Zhouhui Valley with Little Sixteen and prepared to send Jiang Yang a message, but he appeared before she could finish.
• Jiang Yang welcomed Shang Qingzheng, took her hand, and resolved not to use his fate divine power to read her thoughts again.
• Jiang Yang discovered that Chi Yu was craving the scent of his newly refined Purple Mansion Spirit Treasure and gave her a wisp of its golden vapor.
• Chi Yu swallowed the vapor and rolled around in a daze while Jiang Yang reassured Shang Qingzheng that she was enjoying herself.
• Jiang Yang leaned close to the blushing Shang Qingzheng and told her that a True Person was still a person.

Jiang Yang reassured Shang Qingzheng that gaining divine powers had not changed him, and the two grew intimate after discussing her cultivation and worries about his rising fame. Three days later, they remained together at the pavilion, where Jiang Yang revealed that True Person Xuan Xi had likely known about their relationship all along.

• Jiang Yang explained that his divine powers did not require him to adopt a True Person's dignity, easing Shang Qingzheng's fear that he had changed.
• Shang Qingzheng said she had reached foundation establishment perfection and was making progress on the first secret art, while Jiang Yang urged her not to rush.
• Shang Qingzheng worried that Jiang Yang's growing fame would draw attention, and Jiang Yang kissed her before sending the sleeping Chi Yu out of the loft.
• Jiang Yang and Shang Qingzheng spent three days together, while Wildcat slept in the pond after trying to absorb the power of a Purple Mansion Spirit Treasure.
• Shang Qingzheng worried about Dawn Rain Peak and her master finding out, and Jiang Yang told her that True Person Xuan Xi probably already knew about their relationship.

Jiang Yang reassured Shang Qingzheng that True Person Xuan Xi tacitly accepted their relationship, then used his divine powers to create a vast peach forest around Zhouhui Valley. As he and Shang Qingzheng explored it, Jiang Yang discovered that his divine powers grew through their bond, and they postponed visiting her family until after his Purple Mansion Dharma Assembly.

• Jiang Yang explained that Zhou Ying would prioritize True Person Xuan Xi and that the True Person's silence about their relationship showed tacit approval.
• Jiang Yang brought Shang Qingzheng above Zhouhui Valley and transformed the bare valley into a hundred-mile peach forest with his divine powers.
• Shang Qingzheng delighted in the blossoms as she and Jiang Yang walked through the grove, while Jiang Yang noticed his divine powers growing through their connection.
• Jiang Yang asked whether they should visit Shang Qingzheng's family after his Purple Mansion Dharma Assembly, but she said his other affairs should come first.

After Shang Qingzheng left, Jiang Yang received Cong Huaijin, who brought questions from the Ancestral Court about his Dharma Assembly gifts and whether he would establish a peak and Dao lineage. He arranged for the gifts to be stored under Fushu Peak’s administration but deferred founding a lineage, leaving eager disciples around Zhouhui Valley waiting for his decision.

• Chi Yu woke after contact with a Purple Mansion Spirit Treasure, and Shang Qingzheng carried her away to digest its benefits.
• Cong Huaijin visited Jiang Yang, congratulated him on becoming a True Person, and told him she had reached Foundation Establishment.
• Cong Huaijin asked where to place the many congratulatory gifts arriving for Jiang Yang’s grand assembly.
• Cong Huaijin also relayed the Sect Leader’s question about whether Jiang Yang would inherit a Dao lineage and establish a peak.
• Jiang Yang ordered the gifts from smaller clans and sects stored under Fushu Peak’s administration, with Cong Huaijin overseeing them.
• Jiang Yang said he had no plans to establish a peak or Dao lineage for now.

Jiang Yang read Yun Zhen’s affectionate letter and learned that she was determined to grow strong before meeting him. As Rain Xiang Mountain prepared for his assembly, a procession from the Water Palace arrived with gifts, including one Yun Zhen had ordered delivered directly to him.

• Jiang Yang told Cong Huaijin to act freely and seek him out only when she could not decide a matter.
• Jiang Yang reread Yun Zhen’s letter, in which she described her training, her wish to attain divine powers, and a gift for him.
• Zhiyang estimated that refining each spirit artifact would take at least two months, and Jiang Yang told him to continue.
• Two months passed as Rain Xiang Mountain received visiting delegations and prepared for the assembly.
• A procession from the Water Palace arrived with congratulatory gifts, and Cong Huaijin arranged for it to enter before consulting Jiang Yang.
• A clam maiden gave Jiang Yang an item Yun Zhen had ordered delivered personally.

Jiang Yang opened Yuan Jun’s gift and discovered she had used a water-based secret method to visit him in an external body. After refusing his gift of Jade-Washing Valley Water, Yuan Jun gave him the Heaven-Origin Five-Water Square Mirror and urged him to visit the Water Palace.

• Jiang Yang opened the Jade Box and found a young dragon swimming in a pool inside a bronze vessel.
• Yuan Jun appeared before Jiang Yang and teased him about his home and their relationship.
• Yuan Jun explained that her water-gathering cloud body was created with the Floating-Mist Cloudwater and could hold only thirty percent of her divine powers for a little over three months.
• Jiang Yang offered Yuan Jun Jade-Washing Valley Water, but she refused it and told him to bring it to the Water Palace himself.
• Yuan Jun gave Jiang Yang the Heaven-Origin Five-Water Square Mirror, which she had used to conceal her visit.

Yuan Jun gave Jiang Yang a water-storing Spirit Artifact and showed him the peach woods at Return Valley, where he discovered a red thread connecting her to him. She explained why Dragonkind rarely ventured inland and revealed that the Dragon Lord who fought above the Qu River had been imprisoned beneath the Vast Sea.

• Yuan Jun gave Jiang Yang the Heaven-Origin Five-Water Square Mirror and described its three functions, then promised to lend him the Sutra of Viewing Mulberry in That Time.
• Yuan Jun toured Jiang Yang's residence, criticizing its rooms before admiring the peach woods at Return Valley.
• Jiang Yang saw a red thread stretching from Yuan Jun to himself and plucked it, though Yuan Jun only sensed that he was looking at her.
• Jiang Yang asked why Dragonkind rarely entered the lands within the seas, and Yuan Jun explained that the Qu River's destruction and Emperor Zheng's rise had cut off their routes inland.
• Yuan Jun said Lady Water Mother's restoration of the river inspired Dragonkind to avoid inland travel unless necessary, and revealed that the fallen Dragon Lord had been nailed to the bottom of the Vast Sea.

Dongmen Shu traveled to Rain Xiang Mountain with his True Person, reflecting on how Jiang’s rise had ended his long-standing inner demon. Zhu Wuhui set out to congratulate his benefactor, while Tai Fuwei carried a carefully prepared Immortal Peak through the sky as the Tai clan’s gift for Jiang Yang.

• Dongmen Shu accompanied his sect’s True Person to Rain Xiang Mountain and recalled how seeing Jiang’s sword intent had once tormented him before Jiang’s proclamation freed him from his inner demon.
• Zhu Wuhui remembered how his benefactor had named him and how he had abandoned his demonic ways to help villagers, earning their worship and finding joy in their gratitude.
• Zhu Wuhui learned that his benefactor had become an exalted immortal and set off to offer congratulations, then turned back to fetch a gift.
• Tai Fuwei dismissed those around him and used Thousand-Mountain Evolution to uproot and lift a massive Immortal Peak into the sky.
• Tai Fuwei carried the spirit-rich peak as the Tai clan’s congratulatory gift for Jiang Yang.

Rain Xiang Mountain prepared for Jiang Yang’s Purple Mansion Dharma Assembly as Bi Xingjian welcomed guests and Cong Huaijin organized their gifts. Yuan Jun departed after visiting Jiang Yang, who then prepared to join the gathering at Dewlit Court.

• Bi Xingjian reluctantly took charge of greeting distinguished guests arriving to celebrate his junior brother Jiang Yang’s advancement.
• Cong Huaijin meticulously registered the congratulatory gifts, including discussion of the immortal mountain and bridal finery given to Jiang Yang.
• When a Demon General arrived uninvited, Cong Huaijin persuaded the mountain warden to welcome him as a guest rather than turn him away.
• Yuan Jun dispersed after a few days, saying she had seen and told Jiang Yang what she needed to.
• Jiang Yang headed toward Dewlit Court, where the Sect Leader and several True Persons had gathered for his Dharma Assembly.

Jiang Yang attended the Purple Mansion Dharma Assembly to formally establish his standing as a newly ascended True Person and received congratulations and gifts from sects and clans. When the assembly turned to demonstrating his abilities, the guests asked him to show his sword intent instead of his divine powers.

• Jiang Yang entered the Dewlit Ancestral Court, where Xuan Di introduced him as the sect's newly ascended True Person and the assembly greeted him.
• Xuan Di seated Jiang Yang near the place of honor, and Jiang Yang thanked Tai Fuwei for giving him an immortal peak connected to Zhouhui Valley.
• Tai Fuwei hinted that he hoped to attend Pei'er's wedding, while representatives of numerous sects and clans came to pay their respects to Jiang Yang.
• Jiang Yang chose to demonstrate his divine powers during the assembly's Dharma discourse, but several Purple Mansion cultivators reacted uneasily.
• A junior from the Yi Sword Gate proposed that Jiang Yang show a strand of sword intent instead, and Jiang Yang agreed before pointing two fingers into the hall.

Jiang Yang demonstrated his sword intent at the Purple Mansion Dharma Assembly, giving the Foundation Establishment cultivators autumn leaves that offered both sword-dao insights and protection. After the gathering began to wind down, Qing Si approached him with Lin Xi Yu and asked to buy his Heaven-Nurtured White Seed.

• Jiang Yang created a flowering tree with sword intent, then withered it into leaves that he distributed to the Foundation Establishment cultivators.
• A gold-robed young man crushed his leaf and suffered a deep wound, prompting his True Person to make him thank Jiang Yang for the instruction.
• Jiang Yang explained that the leaves contained sword-dao insights and could unleash a sword strike to protect their holders.
• As guests departed and the assembly neared its end, Jiang Yang welcomed Lin Xi Yu and Qing Si, who asked him to call her Qin Si Wei.
• Qing Si asked to purchase Jiang Yang's Heaven-Nurtured White Seed, and Lin Xi Yu explained that Qing Si was an alchemist who cultivated the true fire dao lineage.

Jiang Yang agreed to exchange the [Heaven-Nurtured White Seed] for seven of Qin Siwei’s spirit treasures, helping her obtain the fire she needed to nurture her divine powers. He also asked Qin Siwei to examine two pill furnaces containing long-neglected pills, and the three arranged to discuss the details at Lin Xi Yu’s peak.

• Lin Xi Yu explained the value and origins of the [Innate Life-Nourishing True Fire] to Jiang Yang as Qin Siwei offered her wealth for it.
• Qin Siwei offered an ancestral Spirit Treasure as an alternative, but Jiang Yang declined to take an heirloom from her lineage.
• Jiang Yang accepted Qin Siwei’s offer of seven spirit treasures in exchange for the fire.
• Qin Siwei promised to help Jiang Yang with pills and agreed to examine the two pill furnaces he had stored away.
• Lin Xi Yu suggested they continue their discussion at her peak, and Qin Siwei eagerly agreed.

Jiang Yang asked Lin Xi Yu about Shang Qingzheng’s family history and learned that her mother, Shang Sixian, was sacrificed to a secret realm tied to a powerful plan involving Grand Pitch Shang and the Tribulation Pool. Lin Xi Yu warned Jiang Yang to restrain himself, leaving him determined to help Qingzheng while mindful of the forces behind the scheme.

• Lin Xi Yu warned Jiang Yang not to let Shang Qingzheng down, and he promised they would stay together forever.
• Jiang Yang asked Lin Xi Yu to explain how Shang Qingzheng’s mother had died and what had happened to her Lineage.
• Lin Xi Yu recounted how she had met Shang Sixian and Song Ting in the Snowfield, and how Sixian later entrusted her infant daughter to Lin Xi Yu.
• Lin Xi Yu revealed that Grand Pitch Shang had used Sixian’s family and other Lineage members as sacrifices for a secret realm, forcing Sixian toward her death.
• Lin Xi Yu said a Great True Person had described the hidden purpose as [Mystic Sound into Thunder], linking the scheme to the merging of Musical Dao and Thunder.
• Lin Xi Yu urged Jiang Yang to warn Shang without destroying them, and then left to join Qing Si.

After Jiang Yang concluded his gathering, Lin Xi Yu quietly encouraged Shang Qingzheng to pursue cultivation and settle her heart’s trial. Jiang Yang and Qin Siwei completed their exchange through Lin Xi Yu, and Qin Siwei agreed to restore two pill furnaces whose pills were in poor condition.

• Jiang Yang left the Ancestral Court after seeing off the remaining Purple Mansion cultivators.
• Lin Xi Yu told Shang Qingzheng to set aside her peak duties, focus on cultivation, and go out to see the world, while urging her to settle her fixation and cross the heart’s trial.
• Qin Siwei received the Purple Mansion Spirit Flame from Lin Xi Yu, and Jiang Yang gave Lin Xi Yu three spirit treasures, including one for True Person Xuan Yi.
• Jiang Yang asked Qin Siwei about the elixirs they had discussed and presented her with two pill furnaces.
• Qin Siwei warned that the furnaces could not be opened recklessly and agreed to take them home and nurture them before attempting to proceed.

Cong Huaijin brought Zhiyang the ledger of congratulatory gifts and asked to nestle in his arms as her reward. Zhiyang refused after using Divine Powers to uncover her feelings, leaving her longing exposed between them.

• Cong Huaijin admired the newly transformed Zhouhui Valley and went to the summit after Zhiyang summoned her.
• Cong Huaijin presented Zhiyang with the organized ledger of congratulatory gifts, and he praised her work.
• Zhiyang offered Cong Huaijin a reward, and she asked to nestle in his arms for a while.
• Zhiyang refused and used his original body's Divine Powers to confirm that Cong Huaijin's feelings were genuine.
• Zhiyang saw Cong Huaijin's hidden affection and romantic longing and sighed, calling it a sin.

Zhiyang severed Cong Huaijin’s affection for him and sent her away with a Jade Box, leaving her with an inexplicable sense of loss. Jiang Yang and Shang Qingzheng arrived at the Heqiu Snowfield to investigate her past and the forces behind the Shang clan’s affair, though the connection to the powerful Tribulation Pool remained dangerous.

• Zhiyang snapped the thread of affection connecting Cong Huaijin to him, clearing her emotions and thoughts of him.
• Zhiyang gave Cong Huaijin a Jade Box and sent her down the mountain, where she regained her memories but felt an unexplained sorrow and loss.
• Jiang Yang and Shang Qingzheng arrived at the Heqiu Snowfield, where Shang Qingzheng remembered the bitter cold of the night tied to her past.
• Jiang Yang recalled the history of Tribulation Pool and True Lord Mystic Thunder, whose Hollow Seeking and Borrowing from the Heavenly Dao had manifested primordial magnetism thunder.
• Jiang Yang considered Xuan Guang’s warning not to pursue the truth beyond his capabilities and wondered how Shang Qingzheng’s identity and Mystic Sound cultivation tied her to the scheme.

Jiang Yang brought Shang Qingzheng to her family’s residence in the Snowfield and entered the Shang inner city without announcing their arrival. After Shang Sibai recognized Jiang Yang as a Purple Mansion True Person, Jiang Yang summoned the whole clan to the main hall, where they gathered nervously.

• Shang Qingzheng guided Jiang Yang south across the Snowfield toward her family’s settlement.
• Jiang Yang and Shang Qingzheng entered the Shang inner city, and Jiang Yang’s presence cowed the gate’s wolfhound.
• The old servant rang the jade chimes, prompting Shang Sibai to confront the visitors and recognize Jiang Yang as a True Person.
• Jiang Yang ordered Shang Sibai to bring every member of the clan to the main hall within one incense stick.
• Shang Sibai summoned the entire family, and the clan filed nervously into the hall to pay their respects.

Jiang Yang confronted the Shang family and asked about his old friend Shang Sixian, whom Shang Chaohua claimed had died during a failed breakthrough. Jiang Yang took Shang Qingzheng and the Shang leaders to the ancestral hall, while the assembled clansmen began to recognize Shang Qingzheng.

• Shang Chaohua led seventy-eight direct-line Shang members in kneeling to greet Jiang Yang.
• Jiang Yang questioned Shang Chaohua about the Shang family’s lack of divine powers practitioners and heard him cite the Tribulation Pool as their backing.
• Jiang Yang revealed that he had come to visit Shang Sixian, and Shang Chaohua claimed she had perished while attempting a breakthrough.
• Jiang Yang caught Shang Qingzheng’s hand as she prepared to challenge the account, then demanded to pay his respects to Shang Sixian.
• Jiang Yang ordered the four branch leaders and elders to accompany him to the ancestral hall, and a clansman recognized Shang Qingzheng.

Jiang Yang accompanied Shang Qingzheng to the Shang ancestral hall, where she mourned her mother, Shang Sixian, and demanded the truth about her death. Shang Chaohua’s evasions revealed that the clan was concealing something serious, and he accidentally disclosed that he would summon the Deity Edict to oppose Jiang Yang.

• Shang Qingzheng recognized the Clear-Sound Jade Bamboo and visited the Shang ancestral hall with Jiang Yang and the clan elders.
• Shang Qingzheng found Shang Sixian’s spirit tablet, called her mother, and wept before paying her respects.
• Shang Chaohua and the clan elders claimed Shang Qingzheng was kin, but she rejected them and demanded to know how her mother had died.
• Shang Chaohua repeated that Shang Sixian had died after entering seclusion, and Shang Qingzheng denounced the explanation as nonsense.
• Shang Chaohua admitted the matter had grave implications and accidentally revealed that he would summon the Deity Edict to oppose Jiang Yang.