Chapter Summaries

After the Envoy injured Qin Yue and left him with sealed acupoints, Qin Yue decided to join Yang Qing and his companions despite fearing he would be a burden. Yang Qing healed him with the Rootless Wood, but another visitor appeared in the courtyard.

• Jiang Zhizhou examined Qin Yue and warned that the dark qi had caused serious, lasting injury.
• Yang Qing recognized the Envoy as the man who had lured them into the Desert and followed them to Immortal Island.
• Qin Yue learned why the Envoy had come and chose to join Yang Qing's group.
• Yang Qing used the Rootless Wood to restore Qin Yue's body and unseal his acupoints.
• Qin Yue sensed trouble, walked to the center of the courtyard, and someone leapt over the wall.

Shen Yun confronted Qin Yue and Yang Qing, demanding the Rootless Wood and catching it with a soul-locking glove. The Rootless Wood sprang to life and wrapped around Shen Yun’s arm, where his glove unleashed black flames, leaving the struggle unresolved.

• Shen Yun arrived and revealed that he and Qin Yue were rival Eastern Splendor Special Guards, then demanded Yang Qing surrender the Rootless Wood.
• Yang Qing asked Shen Yun why he had come and sent the Rootless Wood flying toward him.
• Shen Yun caught the Rootless Wood with a pitch-black glove capable of locking souls.
• The Rootless Wood sprouted leaves and flowers that wrapped around Shen Yun’s arm.
• Shen Yun’s glove released black flames around the Rootless Wood as Bu Er and Ouyang Lin moved to intervene, but Mu Feng stopped them.

Shen Yun attacked Yang Qing and Qin Yue for the Rootless Wood, but it overcame his Soul-Devouring Hand and forced him to sever his arm to escape. He returned with over a hundred Shen Family members and ordered them to seize the group, leaving a confrontation about to begin.

• The Rootless Wood's branches and flowers overwhelmed Shen Yun's Netherworld Ghostfire, so he cut off his own arm and fled.
• The Rootless Wood returned to Yang Qing, while Mu Feng and Bu Er burned Shen Yun's severed limb and the blood around it.
• Qin Yue warned that Shen Yun would retaliate, and the group gathered supplies rather than trying to leave Xiangyang City.
• Shen Yun returned with over a hundred Shen Family members and found Yang Qing and the others eating in the courtyard.
• Qin Yue urged Shen Yun to retreat, but Shen Yun demanded that he hand something over and ordered his followers to seize them.

Shen Yun tried to take Yang Qing and his companions to the Shen Family, claiming the Rootless Wood belonged to Eastern Splendor, while Qin Yue refused to back down. Yang Qing agreed to visit the Shen residence to investigate its secrets, where a cold gleam flashed from the plaque above the gate.

• Shen Yun confronted Qin Yue for abandoning their task, but Qin Yue said he was clearheaded and would follow Yang Qing.
• Shen Yun invoked the Envoy's wishes and ordered Yang Qing, Bu Er, and the others to come to the Shen Family over the Rootless Wood.
• Yang Qing agreed to go, and Mu Feng understood that they would confront Eastern Splendor's hidden figures wherever they went.
• Shen Yun led the group by carriage to the understated Shen Family residence while Yang Qing signaled Mu Feng and Qin Yue that they should use the visit to investigate.
• Yang Qing entered the Shen Family gates and saw a cold gleam flash across the plaque above the lintel.

Yang Qing and his companions discovered that the Shen Family residence held an aura resembling the legendary Separation Star Sea, which Qin Yue believed might be used to conceal the family. Shen Yun kept them confined in a courtyard for several days, and Yang Qing remained wary as trouble finally arrived.

• Yang Qing, Bu Er, and Jiang Zhizhou sensed a formation aura above the Shen Family residence and identified its resemblance to the Spirit-Gathering Formation.
• Qin Yue explained that the aura was not a Spirit-Gathering Formation but might belong to the Separation Star Sea, an ancient formation capable of transporting people to another void.
• Yang Qing wondered whether the Separation Star Sea could lead to the Eastern Splendor Imperial Mausoleum, then set the thought aside to focus on Shen Yun's intentions.
• Shen Yun stayed away for several days while people watched Yang Qing and his companions from around their courtyard.
• Yang Qing and the others remained inside the courtyard, but he sensed unseen currents beneath the calm before trouble came.

Yang Qing realized the Shen residence held a Spirit-Gathering Formation and was confronted in a strange dream by an armored man who warned him to follow a laid-out path. After waking, Yang Qing challenged Shen Yun’s demand for the Rootless Wood and questioned whether he could handle it.

• Yang Qing told Bu Er and Ouyang Lin that he sensed a trace of a Spirit-Gathering Formation at the Shen residence.
• Yang Qing dreamed of his memories after leaving Northern Liang and met an armored man dressed like the figure in a familiar painting.
• The armored man called Yang Qing a son chosen by Heaven, warned him not to stray from a laid-out path, and threatened that cleverness would bring an unpleasant end.
• Bu Er and Jiang Zhizhou gathered around Yang Qing’s bed, relieved when he woke.
• Shen Yun demanded the Rootless Wood, and Yang Qing warned him that he had already lost an arm.
• Shen Yun said he would have to take Yang Qing and the others along.

Shen Yun revealed that he possessed the three remaining Holy Envoy Tokens and demanded Yang Qing’s Rootless Wood and other tokens. Qin Yue refused to cooperate, and Shen Yun began to make his move, leaving the confrontation unresolved.

• Shen Yun led Yang Qing and the others into a secret chamber and revealed three tokens marked with the sun, moon, and star.
• Shen Yun offered the tokens as a gift, then demanded Yang Qing’s Rootless Wood and all the other tokens in exchange for their freedom.
• Yang Qing questioned Shen Yun’s intentions, while Qin Yue accused him of scheming to gather the tokens and warned of the Envoy’s punishment.
• Shen Yun revealed that gathering the tokens could grant entry to the Imperial Mausoleum and invited Qin Yue to join him.
• Qin Yue positioned himself between Yang Qing and Shen Yun, warning Yang Qing not to use the Rootless Wood unless necessary.
• Shen Yun threatened to end the deadlock, and something began moving inside the empty sleeve of his missing arm.

Shen Yun revealed that he could regenerate lost limbs and tried to force Yang Qing and the others to surrender their tokens. When Qin Yue seized the three seals, they flew into his body, and Shen Yun announced that everyone had finally gathered before attacking.

• Shen Yun grew back his severed arm and offered to give Yang Qing and the others the same ability if they obeyed him.
• Yang Qing suspected Shen Yun’s plans were tied to Eastern Splendor’s Imperial Mausoleum and challenged him to explore it with them.
• Yang Qing signaled Qin Yue, Bu Er, and Mu Feng to attack Shen Yun and seize the three seals.
• Qin Yue grabbed the seals, which transformed into streaks of light and sank into his body.
• Shen Yun laughed and declared that everyone had gathered before saying, “Down you all go!”

Shen Yun used the three Eastern Splendor Holy Envoy Tokens to transform Qin Yue and bring Yang Qing and his companions to a formidable mountain. After they resisted Shen Yun’s command to kneel, he led them to a stone gate and said they were not qualified to visit the Eastern Splendor Imperial Mausoleum.

• Shen Yun sent the three seals into Qin Yue, and a white mist transported Yang Qing and the others to the foot of a towering mountain.
• Shen Yun ordered Yang Qing, Bu Er, and the others to kneel under crushing pressure, but none of them yielded.
• Shen Yun lifted the pressure after they passed the test and led Qin Yue and the others up the mountain.
• Bu Er asked whether the mountain was the Eastern Splendor Imperial Mausoleum, and Yang Qing’s group suspected that it was.
• Shen Yun stopped at a stone gate and said they were not qualified to visit the Imperial Mausoleum before striking Yang Qing’s shoulder.

Shen Yun used Yang Qing’s blood to open the Stone Gate and activate the tokens, revealing that Shen Yun and Qin Yue were being used as tokens themselves. Yang Qing tried to stop Qin Yue from entering the whirlwind, but Qin Yue accepted his fate and disappeared as blood mist surged toward the Rootless Wood.

• Shen Yun sealed Yang Qing’s acupoints and used his blood to open the Stone Gate while a Binding Formation trapped Bu Er and the others.
• Yang Qing, Shen Yun, Qin Yue, and the others sat on meditation cushions as the Rootless Wood, Bone Jade Thumb Ring, and Jade Bead appeared, and Shen Yun and Qin Yue rose into the air.
• Shen Yun drew blood from Yang Qing and transferred it to himself and Qin Yue, then the Bone Jade Thumb Ring and Jade Bead entered their bodies.
• Whirlwinds enclosed Shen Yun and Qin Yue, and Yang Qing asked Bu Er to help him hold Qin Yue back.
• Qin Yue told Yang Qing that he could not escape his fate, warned him to be careful, and vanished into the whirlwind as red blood mist rushed toward the Rootless Wood.

Qin Yue sacrificed himself to protect Shen Yun, and the Rootless Wood absorbed his soul essence. The Rootless Wood then formed a flower path into the darkness, and Yang Qing and Shen Yun set off along it.

• Qin Yue's blood mist flowed into the Rootless Wood, while a smaller stream reached Yang Qing and carried Qin Yue's warning to be careful.
• Yang Qing and the others found Qin Yue's clothes and realized the Rootless Wood had absorbed him, while Shen Yun remained unharmed.
• Shen Yun stabbed himself and offered his heart's blood to the Rootless Wood, but it did not move toward him.
• The Rootless Wood bloomed with gold-edged flowers, then its falling petals and floating lamps formed a path into the darkness.
• Yang Qing invited Shen Yun to lead the way, and they stepped onto the flower path.

Yang Qing and his companions entered a dream realm that recreated the Yang Family’s old residence and forced him to watch scenes from his childhood, including the massacre that destroyed his family. As he relived the fire, Yang Qing spotted a faint figure behind his younger self and asked Bu Er to identify what the man was doing.

• Yang Qing recognized the courtyard as the Yang Family’s old residence in Little Willow Lane, while Shen Yun disappeared and the path behind the group vanished.
• Yang Qing and the others watched his family appear in the courtyard, then saw his younger self grow from four or five to ten years old.
• The dream realm replayed the fire and massacre of the Yang Family, leaving Yang Qing shaken as Bu Er tried to reassure him.
• Yang Qing noticed a faint figure standing behind his younger self in the flames and called Bu Er over to examine him.

Yang Qing and the others learned that a mysterious man had secretly saved Yang Qing during the fire at his family residence, changing many lives. The masked man revealed that they had walked the Soul-Guiding Path and hinted that he had summoned them to guide a soul, but had not yet named it.

• A figure in the vision parted the flames around Yang Qing, allowing Bu Er to rescue him from the burning residence.
• Jiang Zhizhou suggested that the hidden intervention was what their summoner wanted them to see, and Ouyang Lin guessed that the man wanted Yang Qing to understand his debt.
• A masked man approached Yang Qing and the others and asked whether they now understood why he had summoned them.
• Yang Qing asked what the man wanted, and the man explained that they had entered the Yin-Yang Gate and walked the Soul-Guiding Path.
• Yang Qing inferred that they had been brought to guide a soul and asked whose soul they were meant to guide.

Yang Qing met the man who had saved his life, but refused to repay the favor in the way the man expected and lost the chance for guidance. After passing through a water gate, Yang Qing and his companions faced the man on the Golden Throne, whose pressure overwhelmed them and drew Yang Qing toward him.

• The man asked Yang Qing to fill his cup, and Yang Qing used the Rootless Wood to fill it with clear water instead of blood.
• The man rejected Yang Qing’s answer, threw down the cup, and created a water gate before leaving.
• Shen Yun led Yang Qing, Bu Er, Ouyang Lin, Jiang Zhizhou, and the others through the gate to the man seated on the Golden Throne.
• The man’s pressure made the group struggle to breathe, while Yang Qing resisted it by stepping forward.
• After Yang Qing met the man’s gaze, he walked toward the throne as though compelled, ignoring Bu Er and Jiang Zhizhou when they tried to stop him.
• Shen Yun watched coldly and expected Yang Qing to suffer for his arrogance.

Yang Qing resisted the mysterious man’s attempt to draw him closer and concluded that the Eastern Splendor People were pursuing a major scheme involving him and his companions. The man sent Yang Qing and the others back into the desert, where they set off together to face whatever came next.

• Bu Er tried to stop Yang Qing as the man’s influence pulled him forward.
• Yang Qing recognized the man from the portraits and halted one step before reaching him, breaking free of the influence.
• The man questioned how Yang Qing had seen through the situation and warned that he might not be able to leave without help.
• Yang Qing reasoned that the Eastern Splendor People were plotting something significant that involved him and his companions, and said he would rather die understanding the truth than live in confusion.
• The man transported Yang Qing and the others into the desert, disappearing along with Shen Yun.
• Yang Qing found Bu Er and the others beside him and led them onward together.

Yang Qing and his companions became trapped in a deadly Sand Sea, and Yang Qing summoned Ji Shan by throwing the Rootless Wood. Ji Shan revealed that he had saved Yang Qing and slaughtered his family, then threatened the others, leaving Yang Qing ready to strike back.

• Yang Qing, Bu Er, and Jiang Zhizhou sank into the Sand Sea while Ouyang Lin and Mu Feng struggled to find a way to save them.
• Yang Qing threw the Rootless Wood to draw out Ji Shan, but it became trapped behind an invisible barrier and could not help him.
• Ji Shan appeared and told Yang Qing that he had saved his life and was the enemy who slaughtered his family.
• Ji Shan drove Yang Qing deeper into the sand and offered to spare the others in exchange for what he wanted.
• Yang Qing set aside his years of patience and resolved to strike back at Ji Shan.

Yang Qing refused to submit to Ji Shan and joined Bu Er and the others in a desperate attempt to fight back. After Ji Shan destroyed their Binding Formation, they sprang the Heavenly Silk Strangling Formation, leaving the outcome uncertain as he charged toward them.

• Ji Shan threatened to kill Yang Qing's companions if he resisted, and Yang Qing appeared to consider surrendering.
• Yang Qing exchanged glances with Bu Er and the others, then announced that they would fight rather than give in.
• Ji Shan stepped into their Binding Formation, but he destroyed it with ease.
• Yang Qing revealed that the Binding Formation had been a distraction and Bu Er and the others attacked with the Heavenly Silk Strangling Formation.
• Ji Shan charged at Bu Er and Jiang Zhizhou as they braced to force him into the formation.

Yang Qing and the others wounded Ji Shan through Bu Er’s desperate attack, but Ji Shan revealed that he could heal himself. Yang Qing then used his own blood to set up an unexplained countermeasure, leaving Ji Shan uneasy.

• Ji Shan struck Bu Er in a calculated blow that left half his body numb and unable to move.
• Bu Er risked reversing the flow of his qi and blood to stab Ji Shan, then collapsed as Jiang Zhizhou and the others attacked.
• Ji Shan healed his wound before Yang Qing and the others could exploit it, while his oppressive aura injured them.
• Yang Qing cut his finger and let his blood drip onto the ground, then treated the wound and asked Ji Shan whether he had noticed a change in the blood.

Yang Qing and his companions wounded Ji Shan by using the Rootless Wood's power to disrupt his healing, then demanded to know why he had brought them there. Ji Shan released them from his illusions and left, warning Yang Qing that he would regret refusing to go with him.

• Yang Qing's blood carried the Rootless Wood's power into Ji Shan's wound, where it clashed with Ji Shan's healing ability and left him bleeding and unable to attack.
• Yang Qing told Ji Shan they had wounded him to protect themselves, not to kill him, and asked why he had brought them there.
• Ji Shan urged Yang Qing to let go of the past, but Yang Qing insisted that his life was his own and that he needed to know the truth about the fire.
• Ji Shan hinted that Yang Qing knew only part of what had happened before the fire and said some matters could not be pursued.
• Ji Shan removed the illusions, returned Yang Qing and the others to their courtyard, and departed after warning Yang Qing he would regret refusing to go with him.

After Ji Shan released Yang Qing and his companions, Shen Yun and the Shen Family disappeared from Xiangyang City. Yang Qing suspected Shen Yun was tied to Qin Yue’s death, vowed revenge, and decided the group would leave the city after eating safely.

• Ji Shan left, and Bu Er and Jiang Zhizhou caught Yang Qing as he nearly collapsed.
• Mu Feng reported that the Shen Family had vanished, and Yang Qing reasoned that they had prepared to flee in case Shen Yun’s plan failed.
• Yang Qing suspected Shen Yun had caused Qin Yue’s death and vowed that they would avenge Qin Yue by killing him.
• Bu Er reminded Yang Qing and the others to eat, and Yang Qing warned against going to a restaurant while Shen Yun might still have followers nearby.
• Ouyang Lin suggested getting food from street vendors and asked what they would do next; Yang Qing said they should leave Xiangyang City because the Holy Envoy Tokens were gone.
• Ouyang Lin went to get food while Yang Qing wondered whether the Holy Envoy Tokens had served a purpose beyond opening the passage to Ji Shan.