Recaps

Yang Qing and his companions suspected that forces connected to the Eastern Radiance Ancient Kingdom were preparing to plunge the realm into chaos. As they headed for the Imperial Capital, they learned that hundreds of people who had left the mountain had died from Death Gu, and discovered that Yang Qing himself had been carrying a dormant Soul-Severing Gu.

• Yang Qing asked Bu Er and Jiang Zhizhou whether they believed in immortality, and they discussed the Eastern Radiance Ancient Kingdom and the possibility of an approaching realm-wide upheaval.
• Mo Beixing warned that turmoil would bring widespread devastation and misery to ordinary people, while Yang Qing grew angry at those who might deliberately start it.
• Yang Qing and his companions learned that the people they had allowed to leave the mountain had all died, and Bu Er and Jiang Zhizhou explained that Death Gu had been planted in them to enforce loyalty.
• Jiangli bit Yang Qing's hand, revealing a fine red thread inside the bite mark, and Ouyang Lin identified it as a Soul-Severing Gu.
• Ouyang Lin explained that the dormant Gu could unsettle Yang Qing's mind and trap him in an illusion, suggesting that someone had planted it to defeat him without fighting.

Yang Qing realized Jiangli had purged the Death Gu from him, then entered the Imperial Capital with his companions while reconsidering the importance of the missing Lin Family Daughter. After Mo Beixing fell ill and Ouyang Lin and Jiang Zhizhou returned late, two blood-scented figures arrived and warned the group to flee.

• Yang Qing concluded that Death Gu had distorted his emotions and that Jiangli's bite had expelled it.
• Yang Qing declined to intervene when a crowd surrounded a skilled child, and his companions took another route out of the city.
• Yang Qing suspected the missing Lin Family Daughter was more important than the man impersonating Master Lin and proposed going from the light into the shadows.
• Yang Qing and his companions reached the Imperial Capital and wore masks, but Mo Beixing fell ill while Ouyang Lin and Jiang Zhizhou gathered information.
• After Ouyang Lin and Jiang Zhizhou failed to return by dinner on the third day, two figures slipped in with the scent of blood and urged Yang Qing's group to leave immediately.

Jiang Zhizhou revealed that the Lin Family Daughter had used her supposed arrival in the Imperial Capital as a smokescreen, and Yang Qing’s group was ambushed as they tried to escape. A mysterious youth named Mu Feng helped them break through and insisted on following Yang Qing, leaving the reason for his interest in the Bone Jade Thumb Ring unclear.

• Jiang Zhizhou told Yang Qing that the Lin Family Daughter was not in the Imperial Capital and that her entry there had been a trap.
• Imperial forces surrounded Yang Qing’s carriage, but Mu Feng broke through the attackers and asked to see Yang Qing’s thumb ring.
• Yang Qing showed Mu Feng the Bone Jade Thumb Ring, and Mu Feng joined the fight, helping the group escape the Imperial Capital.
• Mu Feng defeated Bu Er when the group tried to drive him away, then insisted on traveling with them.
• Mu Feng introduced himself to Yang Qing and said he was going with him, but left without explaining why.

Mu Feng revealed that he had followed Yang Qing because of the Thumb Ring and persuaded the group to seek Rootless Wood in the Eastern Sea rather than the Ultimate Land. They reached a fishing village by the sea, where a child agreed to lead them to the village chief.

• Mu Feng admitted that he had come for Yang Qing’s Thumb Ring but did not explain what it was used for, and he offered to follow Yang Qing.
• Bu Er suggested going to the Ultimate Land, but Mu Feng said Rootless Wood grew in the Eastern Sea, so Yang Qing changed their destination.
• Yang Qing trusted Mu Feng despite Jiang Zhizhou’s questions, and the group traveled east without encountering their earlier pursuers.
• Yang Qing and his companions arrived at a remote fishing village, where a child agreed to take them to the village chief.

Yang Qing and his companions questioned village chief Luo Dahai about Immortal Island, and he recounted how his family had found the island and suffered its effects. The chapter ended with Luo Dahai revealing that the first men who sailed there had sought a Treasure.

• Yang Qing and his companions found Luo Dahai, the wheelchair-bound village chief, and asked him about the Eastern Sea and Immortal Island.
• Luo Dahai explained that his grandfather had vanished after guiding outsiders to sea, and his father later found him on an island where he no longer recognized his family.
• Luo Dahai said his father returned with a chart, gradually lost his mind, and died within a year.
• Luo Dahai followed the chart to Immortal Island, where he stayed for several days before losing the use of his legs and becoming unable to remember what the immortals looked like.
• Yang Qing asked why the first sailors had gone to Immortal Island, and Luo Dahai answered that they had been seeking a Treasure.

Yang Qing and his companions decided to seek a ship from the Si Household for their dangerous journey to the Immortal Island in search of Rootless Wood. Their thumb ring secured them an audience with Si Yifan, who recognized the item and urgently asked where Yang Qing had obtained it.

• Yang Qing and his companions examined the map to the Immortal Island and decided they needed a well-equipped ship and provisions.
• Yang Qing agreed to visit the Si Household, and Mu Feng said Yang Qing's thumb ring would ensure they were received.
• Yang Qing and his companions crossed the mountain to the Si Household's sprawling estate and asked to discuss business with Master Craftsman Si.
• Si Yifan studied Yang Qing, noticed his thumb ring, and hurried over to ask where he had obtained it.

Yang Qing and his companions visited the Si Household to seek guidance before sailing, and Si Yifan recognized Yang Qing’s Bone Jade Thumb Ring as a second ring of its kind. Si Yifan warned them about dangerous weather and Immortal Island, while Yang Qing’s party prepared to wait and learn about the sea.

• Si Yifan recognized Yang Qing’s Thumb Ring and welcomed his group into the Si Household.
• Si Yifan warned Yang Qing that strong winds and rough seas made sailing in the next few days dangerous, and offered lodging and instruction.
• Si Yifan revealed that his household had kept another Bone Jade Thumb Ring for two hundred years but knew little about its origins.
• Yang Qing told his companions that setting sail, rather than investigating the ring, was their immediate concern.
• Si Yifan dined with Yang Qing’s group, learned they planned to search for Immortal Island, and warned them that it was dangerous.
• Yang Qing said his group had found the Si Household after visiting a fishing village, and Si Yifan asked what the village was called now.

Yang Qing asked Si Yifan for help reaching Immortal Island to find Rootless Wood, and Si Yifan agreed to provide a sturdy ship despite warning that the voyage was perilous. After a violent storm struck, Yang Qing and Bu Er discovered a broken totem resembling one from the Yang Family's former home and decided to ask Si Yifan about it.

• Si Yifan explained that Sea Village was also called No Return Village because many of its men sailed toward Immortal Island and never came back.
• Yang Qing asked Si Yifan about Rootless Wood and explained that he and his companions needed it to stop Fierce Beasts from threatening the world.
• Si Yifan warned that travelers to Immortal Island would not return unchanged, but agreed to provide Yang Qing's group with a sturdy ship.
• A powerful gale tore trees from the ground, and Si Yifan warned Yang Qing and his companions to stay indoors until the storm passed.
• After the gale, Bu Er spotted a broken totem beside a fallen tree that resembled a pattern Yang Qing had seen in the Yang Family's former home.
• Yang Qing decided to ask Si Yifan about the totem.

Yang Qing matched the numbered design in the Si Household’s portrait to an ancient Eastern Splendor legacy and learned that the Si, Fen, and Yang households were connected to the Twelve Holy Envoys. Si Yifan revealed that the Qian Household on Outlying Island possessed a similar portrait, and Yang Qing decided to visit them.

• Si Yifan led Yang Qing and the others to a portrait in the Library Tower, where they found the same design as the one in the courtyard, marked with an ancient numeral.
• Yang Qing discovered a different ancient numeral inside his Bone Jade Thumb Ring and recalled Fen Liyou’s knowledge of Eastern Splendor and his death.
• Si Yifan explained that the portrait and the thumb ring were relics of the Eastern Radiance Ancient Kingdom, and Bu Er realized the households shared a legacy.
• Yang Qing concluded that twelve households had been connected to the Twelve Holy Envoys and wondered whether Fen Liyou’s household belonged among them.
• Si Yifan said the Qian Household on Outlying Island had a similar portrait, and Yang Qing agreed to visit them.

Yang Qing and Si Yifan visited Outlying Island to meet Qian Tong, but found him away at sea and were received by Qian Zhi. After Qian Zhi hosted them, a sudden current swept their ship into the Qian Household Water Prison, where Si Yifan revealed Qian Zhi’s trap and ambition to seize control of the household.

• Si Yifan took Yang Qing and the others to Outlying Island, where they learned Qian Tong had gone to sea and met Qian Zhi instead.
• Qian Zhi invited the visitors to a lavish seafood meal, while Yang Qing and the others sensed something sinister about his hospitality.
• After the group left the island, a sudden wind and current carried their ship toward Rocky Reef.
• Yang Qing noticed the strange current and suspected Qian Zhi was behind it, and Si Yifan identified their destination as the Qian Household Water Prison.
• Si Yifan explained that Qian Zhi had trapped them because he wanted to uncover Yang Qing’s purpose and take control of the Qian Household.

Yang Qing and his companions were trapped in the Qian Household’s Water Prison, where Yang Qing chose to study the mysterious formation instead of waiting for Qian Tong to rescue them. As sea fog closed in, an empty boat approached, leaving them wondering whether it was a ghost ship.

• Si Yifan explained that the Water Prison was a shifting formation that trapped intruders until a Qian Household member guided them out, but Yang Qing refused to rely on Qian Tong and decided to seek a way through.
• Mo Beixing backed Yang Qing, and the group entered the rocky waters, where the calm sea and brilliant starlight made the prison seem deceptively peaceful.
• Yang Qing warned Si Yifan not to let the beautiful scenery lower their guard, then studied the water and suspected the formation resembled a Void Formation.
• Sea fog thickened until the group could barely see one another, and Si Yifan ordered the boat to stop while they waited.
• Bu Er spotted a large shape approaching through the fog, and Yang Qing’s group saw that it was an empty boat; Si Yifan wondered if it was a ghost ship.

Yang Qing and his companions discovered an apparently abandoned ship inside the Qian Household Water Prison and found a tiny jade fragment marked with Eastern Splendor Ancient Script. They suspected the ship had once carried a Twelve Holy Envoy token, and Yang Qing ordered Bu Er to inspect its mast for clues.

• Yang Qing sent Bu Er, Ouyang Lin, and Mu Feng to investigate the ship that had collided with their vessel.
• Bu Er and Ouyang Lin found the ship empty, while Mu Feng discovered and pocketed a tiny piece of jade.
• Mu Feng showed Yang Qing the jade fragment, and Yang Qing recognized its carved mark as Eastern Splendor Ancient Script associated with the Twelve Holy Envoys.
• Si Yifan said the jade was not a token because it had been left behind, while Mu Feng suggested the Qian Household might know where the missing token was.
• Yang Qing realized the wedged ship blocked their escape and asked Bu Er to climb its mast and inspect it.

Yang Qing discovered that the mysterious ship had an Iron Tung Wood mast, linking it to the Eastern Radiance Ancient Kingdom and possibly the Qian Household. He and Si Yifan followed the drifting ship through the Water Prison, hoping it would reveal a way out and more hidden clues.

• Bu Er found three weapon-like cuts on the ship’s mast, and Yang Qing discovered that a splinter from it resisted fire.
• Si Yifan identified the mast as rare Iron Tung Wood, which had last been recorded during the era of the Eastern Radiance Ancient Kingdom.
• Yang Qing connected the ship to the Qian Household and suspected that Immortal Island might hold descendants of the ancient kingdom.
• Si Yifan’s crew shifted the empty ship aside, allowing their vessel to pass and follow it through the Water Prison.
• The empty ship veered into a newly revealed fork, and Yang Qing told the others to follow it and watch for more clues.

Yang Qing studied the changing currents and the empty boat’s route to map a path through the Void Formation. He led the group out of the Water Prison, where they saw the Qian Household fleet and learned that Qian Tong had returned.

• Yang Qing observed the empty boat for hours, then explained how the crew could mark repeated junctions in the Void Formation.
• Yang Qing assigned the crewmen tasks, and they charted overlapping junctions until a route emerged.
• After resting, Yang Qing learned the boat had avoided repeating junctions and was nearing the Water Prison’s exit.
• The boat left the Water Prison, and Si Yifan told Yang Qing they had seen the Qian Household fleet and that Qian Tong had returned.

Si Yifan and Yang Qing intercepted Qian Tong’s fleet, confronted him about their imprisonment, and asked about the mysterious designs linked to the Twelve Holy Envoys. Qian Tong promised to make amends and explain what he knew after they returned to Outlying Island, where they were met by Qian Zhi.

• Si Yifan stopped the last ship in Qian Tong’s fleet and revealed that he and the others had escaped the Qian Household Water Prison.
• Qian Tong learned that Qian Zhi had lured Si Yifan and the others into the water prison, and grew furious at his younger brother’s actions.
• Yang Qing showed Qian Tong a design and asked about its connection to the designs on Outlying Island and the Twelve Holy Envoys.
• Yang Qing revealed that he and Si Yifan were descendants of the Twelve Holy Envoys, prompting Qian Tong to promise a fuller explanation after making amends.
• Qian Tong led Si Yifan and Yang Qing into Outlying Island Harbor, where they greeted Qian Zhi.

After returning to the Qian Household, Si Yifan and Yang Qing watched Qian Tong confront Qian Zhi over the Water Prison plot. Qian Zhi revealed that he had acted to protect the household’s secret patterns, prompting Qian Tong to turn his suspicion toward Si Yifan and Yang Qing and demand an explanation.

• Qian Zhi welcomed Si Yifan and Yang Qing back to the Qian Household while trading barbed remarks with Si Yifan.
• At a banquet in his own courtyard, Qian Tong accused Qian Zhi of luring Si Yifan into the Water Prison and striking at the Qian Household’s interests.
• Qian Zhi denied wrongdoing until Qian Tong struck him down, then admitted he had acted because Si Yifan and Yang Qing were asking about the household’s secret patterns.
• Qian Tong asked Si Yifan to explain their interest in the patterns, and Si Yifan pointed out that Qian Tong himself knew about the Twelve Holy Envoys.
• Yang Qing and Si Yifan realized they had walked into another trap as Qian Tong demanded to know why they wanted to see the patterns.

Yang Qing and Si Yifan tried to conceal what they knew about the Twelve Holy Envoys, but Qian Tong revealed that he wanted the sacred relic they carried. When Si Yifan confronted him about the Qian Household’s plunder, Qian Tong ordered his guards to seize them.

• Qian Tong questioned Yang Qing and Si Yifan about their interest in his residence and the Twelve Holy Envoys, then demanded to see their supposed token.
• Yang Qing tried to leave, but Qian Tong blocked the group and led them to a garden to show off rare flowers tied to the Eastern Splendor Imperial Palace.
• Yang Qing suspected that the Qian Household had acquired its treasures from the abandoned ship in the Water Prison and signaled Bu Er to take Si Yifan back to the ship.
• Qian Tong’s armed men stopped Si Yifan and Bu Er, and Qian Tong demanded that Si Yifan surrender the sacred relic.
• Si Yifan accused Qian Tong of piracy, and Qian Tong ordered his guards to seize the group.

Yang Qing and his companions subdued Qian Tong and searched the Qian Household’s treasures for clues about the Twelve Holy Envoys. Qian Tong revealed that the strange ship had been empty when found in the deep sea, but said he could guess where it came from.

• At Qian Tong’s command, the Qian Household’s men surrounded Yang Qing and Si Yifan, but Mu Feng appeared beside Qian Tong and threatened him with a flowering twig.
• Yang Qing made Qian Tong lead them to the treasures taken from the strange Water Prison ship, where they found markings and numbers connected to the Twelve Holy Envoys.
• Qian Tong confirmed that the objects in the courtyard and the estate all came from the same ship, which his fleet had found empty in the deep sea.
• Qian Tong explained that he had displayed the Twelve Holy Envoys’ designs for ten years, hoping to attract people connected to their legacies and gain powerful backing for his household.
• As Mu Feng pressed the twig closer to his neck, Qian Tong hurriedly said he could make a rough guess about where the ship had come from.

Yang Qing examined relics from the Eastern Radiance Ancient Kingdom and learned that they likely came from the Eastern Sea. He questioned Qian Tong about Immortal Island and insisted that Qian Tong accompany them there, despite his fear.

• Qian Tong identified the damaged ship as likely coming from the Eastern Sea and mentioned Immortal Island.
• Yang Qing recognized the ship’s carefully preserved cargo as relics of the Eastern Radiance Ancient Kingdom and wondered who had maintained them.
• Yang Qing found a Bone Jade Thumb Ring marked with an eight, matching the ring he wore, which was marked with a one.
• Yang Qing asked Qian Tong whether he had visited Immortal Island, and Qian Tong described its mysterious nature and claimed immortals lived there.
• Qian Tong offered to provide a ship and experienced sailors, but Yang Qing insisted that Qian Tong make the journey himself.

Yang Qing and his companions prepared to sail with Qian Tong to Immortal Island, while suspecting that Qian Tong planned to retaliate once they were at sea. Before boarding, Yang Qing and Bu Er discovered signs that Outlying Island’s residents might be descended from the Eastern Radiance Ancient Kingdom.

• Yang Qing ordered Qian Tong to take them to Immortal Island, then told Si Yifan they would depart without him; Si Yifan wished them a safe return and left for the Si Household dock.
• Qian Tong spent three days arranging a ship and supplies, while Yang Qing warned Bu Er that Qian Tong’s dutiful behavior might conceal a plan for revenge.
• Yang Qing walked around Outlying Island with Bu Er and pointed out flowers that appeared as emblems of the Eastern Radiance Ancient Kingdom in ruins they had visited.
• Yang Qing said they could investigate Outlying Island’s history if they returned safely, then Jiang Zhizhou reported that the preparations were complete.
• Yang Qing, Bu Er, and Jiang Zhizhou reached the dock, where Qian Tong invited them aboard the ship.

Yang Qing and his companions sailed toward Immortal Island aboard Qian Tong’s ship while Qian Tong secretly tried to abandon them with the ship’s boats and supplies. Yang Qing’s group stopped his final escape and revealed they had tampered with the supplies on the first two boats.

• Qian Tong cooperated as Yang Qing and the others prepared to sail, secretly hoping they would die on Immortal Island.
• Bu Er and Ouyang Lin discovered that Qian Tong had sent two boats loaded with food and fresh water away from the ship.
• Yang Qing told Bu Er and the others to wait for Qian Tong to launch his third boat, while Jiang Zhizhou prepared to take control of the ship.
• At daybreak, Qian Tong’s men lowered the third boat, but Bu Er cut its tether and the waves carried it away.
• Yang Qing confronted Qian Tong, and Jiang Zhizhou revealed that they had tampered with the food on the first two boats.

Yang Qing and his companions sailed toward Immortal Island despite Qian Tong’s warnings about the island’s strange waters. After a sea beast killed Qian Tong, Yang Qing ordered the crew to shelter and push for the island as quickly as possible.

• Yang Qing forced Qian Tong and his men to repair the ship after revealing that its planks had been sabotaged.
• Qian Tong warned Yang Qing and Bu Er that ships near Immortal Island circled without reaching it and that unknown sea beasts prowled the waters.
• As the ship circled the island, Yang Qing told Qian Tong that it was slowly drawing closer, raising Qian Tong’s hopes of reaching the island and finding its treasures.
• A gecko-shaped sea beast clung to Qian Tong’s neck and killed him before Yang Qing and the others could intervene.
• Yang Qing ordered everyone into the cabin, leaving a few men to watch the ship while the rest worked to reach the island as fast as possible.

Yang Qing and his companions were trapped by strange sea beasts guarding Immortal Island, which formed a Dragon-Trapping Formation around their ship. As the formation attacked their minds, Yang Qing relived the fire that had destroyed his family and opened his eyes.

• A vast whirlpool formed beneath the ship, and Qian Tong's body was swept into the sea.
• Hideous sea beasts emerged from the whirlpools and surrounded the ship as the sailors knelt and begged for mercy.
• Yang Qing recognized that the sea beasts were forming a Dragon-Trapping Formation and ordered his companions not to kill them indiscriminately.
• The formation blurred the men's vision and threatened to bewitch their minds, so Yang Qing and the others closed their eyes and guarded their thoughts.
• Yang Qing was overwhelmed by a vision of the fire that had killed more than two hundred members of the Yang Family, then opened his eyes while shouting that he would save them.

Yang Qing was trapped in a fire-filled vision while a sea beast pinned him on the ship, but Bu Er’s words helped him break free and fight back. After the Dragon-Trapping Formation broke and the beasts were driven away, Yang Qing realized he had finally escaped the nightmare of his family’s destruction.

• A sea beast pinned Yang Qing while he was lost in a vision of the fire that destroyed his family.
• Bu Er fought his way to Yang Qing and urged him to wake up and live so he could avenge the Yang Family.
• Yang Qing remembered Bu Er’s words, opened his eyes, and shoved the sea beast aside.
• Bu Er killed the beast, and Yang Qing rose blood-soaked, radiating killing intent.
• Yang Qing told Bu Er, Jiang Zhizhou, Ouyang Lin, and Mu Feng to drive the sea beasts back into the sea, and they did so after the Dragon-Trapping Formation broke.
• Yang Qing told the others he had finally banished the nightmare that had kept him trapped in the fire.

Yang Qing overcame the fear buried since the fire that destroyed his family and reached Immortal Island with his companions. They found the island deserted, but Jiangli led Yang Qing to a small mound of earth, leaving the group to wonder what it had found.

• Yang Qing embraced Bu Er after surviving the Dragon-Trapping Formation, and Bu Er told him that his parents’ spirits would be happy for him.
• Yang Qing’s ship reached Immortal Island after the sea beasts and whirlpools disappeared, and the group went ashore.
• Yang Qing and his companions searched the small, forested island and found no people, leaving them puzzled by Luo Dahai’s family’s accounts of it.
• Yang Qing reminded the group that their main goal was finding the Rootless Wood and chose to search together rather than split up.
• Jiangli emerged from Yang Qing’s robes, led him and the others to a mound, and stopped Bu Er from prying it open.