Chapter Summaries

Yang Qing and his companions discovered that Chasing Wind had been kept alive for centuries by Longevity Gu, then realized their mysterious host had lured them to the place where Emperor Zetian was born. The host revealed his fanatical desire to restore the ancient golden age and attacked them for insulting the Sacred Emperor.

• Yang Qing noticed Chasing Wind’s statue blink and identified the pulsing bulge in its neck as Longevity Gu.
• Yang Qing explained that Longevity Gu sustained its host’s life, and the group feared Chasing Wind had been kept alive while waiting for Emperor Zetian to return.
• Pei Buji connected Chasing Wind and the Inkcloud Armor to the City of Eternal Night, where Emperor Zetian had been born.
• The mysterious man from Wangjiang Pavilion appeared and admitted his followers longed to restore the Sacred Emperor’s golden age.
• Yang Qing rejected the idea of reviving the past, enraging the man, who struck the wall and threatened to send them down below to atone.

Yang Qing and the others were trapped in a hidden chamber, where Pei Buji was wounded by poisoned needles and his long-hidden injuries were exposed. After they treated him, they found portraits of the Sacred Emperor and heard their unseen captor declare that they were worthy of serving him.

• Pei Buji revealed that concealed silver needles had struck him as the group fell into the chamber.
• Jiang Zhizhou removed the poisoned needles and treated Pei Buji, while Yang Qing discovered that Pei Buji had been hiding severe injuries.
• Yang Qing ordered Bu Er to give Pei Buji pills to regulate his internal qi, and Pei Buji recovered enough to stand.
• Yang Qing, Bu Er, and Jiang Zhizhou noticed portraits of the Sacred Emperor covering three walls of the chamber.
• An unseen man praised the Sacred Emperor and claimed Yang Qing and the others were barely worthy of becoming his servants.
• Yang Qing rejected the offer, and the man replied that ordinary people could not have survived to reach the chamber.

Yang Qing and the others were forced to choose between death and submission, but Pei Buji swallowed all six Mind-Cleansing Pills and used the blood taboo to turn the captor’s scheme against him. The captor fled with the Wind-Chasing Horse and Inkcloud Armor, while a residence beneath the inn collapsed and burned.

• Yang Qing silently warned Bu Er and the others to stay calm while they waited for the hidden man to explain his demands.
• The hidden man dropped six Mind-Cleansing Pills and threatened the group, while Yang Qing recognized that the promised antidote would leave them with another incurable poison.
• Pei Buji snatched the bottle, swallowed every pill, and slashed Yang Qing’s wrist so he could lick up his blood and invoke the blood taboo.
• Pei Buji’s eyes turned red as the pills unleashed his power, and the hidden man moved the Wind-Chasing Horse and Inkcloud Armor before fleeing.
• Muffled booms shook the inn, and nearby residents saw a residence collapse and burn amid heavenly fire.

After Pei Buji died protecting Yang Qing and the others, Yang Qing abandoned their plan to travel south and led the group toward the Imperial Capital through a dangerous swamp. Their journey began badly when poisonous fumes overwhelmed them, and Yang Qing realized they had taken the wrong route.

• Pei Buji died destroying the Hidden Chamber, and Yang Qing's companions mourned him before dawn.
• Yang Qing decided to head straight for the Imperial Capital instead of traveling farther south to mislead Master Lin.
• Yang Qing split the group to gather supplies, then led them into the swamp to evade the Lin Family and the powerful man pursuing them.
• Yang Qing told Bu Er and the others that the Wordless Heavenly Book had revealed a fortuitous opportunity in the swamp.
• Yang Qing, Mo Beixing, Bu Er, and Jiang Zhizhou encountered poisonous fumes that made Yang Qing and Mo Beixing vomit.
• Yang Qing checked a Terrain Map and realized they had taken the wrong way.

Yang Qing and his companions were caught in a violent storm in an unexpected marsh, where a giant snake emerged and attacked them. Jiang Zhizhou stabbed a strange human-shaped marking on its belly, and something fell from the wound.

• Yang Qing and his companions realized the marsh lay ahead of the spot shown on their map and stopped to shelter from the approaching rain.
• The downpour caused black water to spread from the marsh, where Bu Er and Ouyang Lin spotted something moving beneath the surface.
• A giant snake emerged from the mire and charged at Yang Qing and his companions.
• Bu Er trapped his sword in the snake’s mouth, while Jiang Zhizhou and Ouyang Lin attacked its head and belly.
• Jiang Zhizhou drove his sword into a human-shaped marking on the snake’s belly, and an object tumbled from the wound.

Yang Qing and Mo Beixing recognized the corpse expelled by the giant snake as Master Lin, despite the man’s recent departure for the Imperial Capital. After Bu Er, Jiang Zhizhou, and Ouyang Lin killed the snake, Yang Qing concluded that the man traveling to the capital was an impostor.

• A giant snake expelled a man who Yang Qing realized had been swallowed but remained largely unharmed.
• Yang Qing and Mo Beixing recognized the corpse as Master Lin before the snake crushed it.
• Yang Qing questioned why Master Lin had been alone in the swamp and suspected the man who left for the Imperial Capital was not the real Master Lin.
• Jiang Zhizhou noticed the snake’s lower body remained buried in the mire, and Ouyang Lin struck where its body met the mud.
• Bu Er, Jiang Zhizhou, and Ouyang Lin attacked the snake’s waist until it collapsed into the mire.
• Yang Qing told Jiang Zhizhou that the corpse was Master Lin and that the man heading to the Imperial Capital was not the real one.

Yang Qing and his companions learned that the Lin Family convoy had gone to the mountain stronghold, so they climbed the mountain to investigate. Jiang Zhizhou returned from scouting and revealed that the bandits had not captured the convoy but had invited the Lin Family up as old acquaintances.

• Yang Qing and his companions emerged from the swamp behind schedule and headed toward the Imperial Capital to learn the Lin Family's plans.
• In a city, Yang Qing and the others heard that mountain bandits had taken a treasure-laden convoy and suspected it belonged to the Lin Family.
• Yang Qing led the group to the bandits' mountain and agreed that Jiang Zhizhou should scout the summit alone.
• When Jiang Zhizhou did not return for hours, Yang Qing waited with the others until Jiang Zhizhou came back at dusk.
• Jiang Zhizhou reported that the Lin Family's carriages and horses were on the mountain and explained that the bandits had invited the Lin Family there rather than seized them.

Yang Qing and the others realized that a faction was using the Lin Family’s name and wealth to build a hidden army on Heavenly Tiger Mountain. Bu Er and Jiang Zhizhou infiltrated its Underground City to disrupt the bandits, but Master Lin confronted them after they were surrounded.

• Jiang Zhizhou reported that the false Master Lin had received a seat of honor from the bandit chief, prompting Yang Qing to suspect the Lin Family was meeting the bandits rather than being held captive.
• Yang Qing concluded that a faction was using the Lin Family’s identity and resources to secretly build an army, and he resolved to clear the real family’s name.
• Bu Er and Jiang Zhizhou returned to the summit to locate the hidden valuables and found that the bandits’ stronghold extended into an Underground City.
• Bu Er and Jiang Zhizhou discovered that the underground soldiers were exceptionally well equipped, then were surrounded after someone sensed their presence.
• Master Lin approached the surrounded men and threatened them, while Bu Er dismissed his threat.

Bu Er and Jiang Zhizhou defeated Master Lin’s soldiers and brought him to Yang Qing, who confronted him about the trap in the marsh and the real Master Lin’s fate. When Yang Qing asked who had ordered him to impersonate Master Lin, Ouyang Lin disrupted his Laughing Sound Art, leaving him spitting blood and demanding how they had countered it.

• Bu Er and Jiang Zhizhou defeated Master Lin’s soldiers, breaking their morale until many surrendered or cleared a path.
• Master Lin agreed to meet Yang Qing after learning that Yang Qing had come intending to rescue him.
• Yang Qing confronted Master Lin about arranging the false Terrain Map and leading them into the marsh, and Master Lin admitted he had directed them there.
• Yang Qing told Master Lin that the snake in the marsh had died, then asked who had ordered him to replace the real Master Lin and take control of the Lin Family.
• Master Lin used his Laughing Sound Art, but Ouyang Lin scraped his sword with a sliver of iron and disrupted the attack, causing Master Lin to spit blood.

Yang Qing and his companions exposed the disguised Master Lin, who had used the lost Laughing Sound Art, and questioned him about his ties to the Eastern Radiance Ancient Kingdom. After Master Lin died without revealing more, Yang Qing decided to continue to the Imperial Capital to investigate Miss Lin and the people reviving the kingdom’s legacy.

• Yang Qing had Jiang Zhizhou seal Master Lin’s acupoints and asked who had taught him the Laughing Sound Art.
• Jiang Zhizhou and Bu Er stripped away Master Lin’s facial disguise and found a tattoo matching one on a man they had encountered before.
• Yang Qing questioned Master Lin about the Twelve Holy Envoys, but Master Lin rejected his questions and soon died.
• Ouyang Lin reported that the people gathered on the mountain had been cleared out, and the group left without learning more from Master Lin.
• Yang Qing told Bu Er that he and Xiao Zhou had bluffed Master Lin about the Twelve Holy Envoys, then said they would still visit the Imperial Capital to find Miss Lin.
• Yang Qing concluded that descendants of the Twelve Holy Envoys were reviving the Eastern Radiance Ancient Kingdom’s miracles and truly intended to defy heaven.

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.