Chapter Summaries

Hu Xiaotian escaped the Rebirth Well, but Yuankong’s attempt to help him flee was interrupted by Unenlightened. After Unenlightened exposed Yuankong’s bloody past, Yuankong blocked Hu Xiaotian’s escape, leaving his fate uncertain.

• Hu Xiaotian climbed out of the Rebirth Well and encountered Yuankong, who agreed to guide him out of the forbidden rear mountains.
• Unenlightened appeared and attacked Hu Xiaotian, but Yuankong swept him away and carried him toward the river.
• Hu Xiaotian warned Unenlightened that killing him would prevent him from learning the complete Avici Art.
• Unenlightened revealed that Yuankong had murdered the Former Abbot and other monks to obtain half of the Void Art, then threatened to expose the deaths.
• Hu Xiaotian tried to flee across the river, but Yuankong blocked his way with blood-red eyes while Unenlightened laughed.

Yuankong attacked Hu Xiaotian with the Void Art, draining his internal power before discovering that Hu Xiaotian also practiced the forbidden technique. Hu Xiaotian bargained for his life, but when Yuankong tried to release his remaining energy, Hu Xiaotian's dantian began absorbing Yuankong's true power.

• Unenlightened provoked Yuankong, and Yuankong ignored Hu Xiaotian's pleas and struck him on the head.
• Hu Xiaotian's concealed dagger could not pierce Yuankong, who began draining Hu Xiaotian's internal power.
• Unenlightened taunted Yuankong and flew away as Yuankong continued absorbing Hu Xiaotian's energy.
• Yuankong probed Hu Xiaotian's dantian, recognized the Void Art, and demanded that Hu Xiaotian recite its full method.
• Hu Xiaotian made Yuankong swear to let him go, then demanded that Yuankong remove both hands.
• Yuankong discovered that Hu Xiaotian's dantian was absorbing the true power he had sent into it.

Yuankong tried to force Hu Xiaotian to reveal the Void Art, but their connected meridians trapped them in a struggle over internal power. Yuankong briefly learned to imitate Hu Xiaotian’s method, yet Hu Xiaotian’s reversed circulation overwhelmed him, leaving Yuankong helpless as his power flowed away.

• Yuankong probed Hu Xiaotian’s dantian and meridians, learning how the Void Art circulated inner breath without obtaining its full cultivation formula.
• Hu Xiaotian’s dantian trapped Yuankong’s internal power, and lightning struck them both as Hu Xiaotian entered the forget-self realm and absorbed Yuankong’s strength.
• Yuankong calmed himself and formed a vortex in his own dantian, reversing the struggle and draining Hu Xiaotian’s internal power.
• Yuankong’s vortex jammed when Hu Xiaotian’s inner breath reversed again, and Yuankong became helpless as his power flowed back into Hu Xiaotian.

Hu Xiaotian absorbed Yuankong's immense internal power, nearly died from the strain, and was saved by chanting from a monk in the cave. After waking on the Soft Grassy Slope, he faced an ambush by his guards but stopped short of killing Zuo Tang when Tongji intervened.

• Hu Xiaotian drained Yuankong's internal power, and the resulting force left Hu Xiaotian collapsed while Yuankong was reduced to a dying old man.
• Yuankong tried to stab Hu Xiaotian, but the rebounding force woke Hu Xiaotian, who seized Yuankong by the neck.
• Sutra chanting from the cave made Hu Xiaotian collapse, while an unseen force pulled Yuankong inside after he pleaded for help.
• Hu Xiaotian woke on the Soft Grassy Slope, found his guards and Zuo Tang, and discovered they intended to bind him and take him before the emperor.
• Hu Xiaotian threw two guards aside and lifted Zuo Tang to smash him against a rock, but Tongji arrived and Hu Xiaotian lowered him.

Hu Xiaotian returned to the Five Contemplations Hall after absorbing Yuankong’s internal power and struggled to control its violent effects on his body and temperament. After successfully circulating the Void Art, he went to the Samantabhadra Courtyard to answer the emperor’s summons, wary of both Qi Danai and Yin Zheng.

• Hu Xiaotian learned from Zuo Tang that Qi Danai had encouraged the guards to defy him, and he recognized that Yuankong’s power was intensifying his urge to kill.
• Hu Xiaotian returned to his room and circulated the Void Art, suppressing the foreign true qi and restoring his strength.
• Qi Danai arrived with guards collecting the emperor’s lunch, and Hu Xiaotian rebuked him and warned him that he would be held responsible for the food.
• Qi Danai told Hu Xiaotian that the emperor had summoned him, and Hu Xiaotian restrained his murderous impulse as he considered the effects of Yuankong’s power.
• Yin Zheng led Hu Xiaotian to the emperor and warned him that His Majesty was in a poor mood; Hu Xiaotian then wondered whether Yin Zheng might serve Hong Beimo.

Hu Xiaotian was ordered by Long Xuan'en to spend seven days worshipping the Long-Life Buddha in Cloudsplit Valley, and he chose Qi Danai to accompany him. The two entered the valley and settled in for their first night, while Hu Xiaotian remained wary of the monks hidden among its caves.

• Hu Xiaotian told Long Xuan'en he had found the Long-Life Buddha, and Long Xuan'en ordered him to chant and burn incense beside it for seven days.
• Hu Xiaotian asked to bring Qi Danai along, and Long Xuan'en approved the request; Qi Danai resented being dragged into danger.
• Hu Xiaotian learned that Monk Mingsheng had been sentenced to face a wall for three months after helping him enter Cloudsplit Valley.
• Tongjing escorted Hu Xiaotian and Qi Danai into Cloudsplit Valley, warned them to stay out of its caves, and explained that monks would bring their meals.
• Hu Xiaotian ate the offerings, took a nap, and later ate dinner with Qi Danai while watching for signs of Unenlightened; Qi Danai asked who would keep watch that night.

Hu Xiaotian and Qi Danai spent six days guarding Cloudsplit Valley before a hidden attacker lured them toward the Long-Life Buddha cave. Hu Xiaotian evaded an ambush and entered the cave, where someone hurled the Buddha statue at him.

• Hu Xiaotian and Qi Danai waited through six quiet days in Cloudsplit Valley while Hu Xiaotian cultivated his internal power.
• Hu Xiaotian caught a carp in Dustless Creek, and he and Qi Danai roasted and shared it.
• Hu Xiaotian confronted Qi Danai about concealing their assignment and working at Murong Zhan's request, then threatened him.
• Qi Danai saw a figure enter the Long-Life Buddha cave, and a clang from inside prompted him and Hu Xiaotian to investigate.
• A hidden attacker fired two arrows at Hu Xiaotian and Qi Danai, but Hu Xiaotian shoved Qi Danai aside and led him into the cave.
• Someone hurled the Long-Life Buddha statue at Hu Xiaotian as he entered the cave.

Hu Xiaotian used the Void Art to drain two attackers, then confronted Unenlightened, who uncovered their search for a hidden chapter and killed them. After disposing of the bodies, Hu Xiaotian suspected that Hong Beimo was disguised as the Old Emperor.

• Hu Xiaotian absorbed the masked man in black’s internal power through the Long-Life Buddha statue, and Qi Danai accidentally joined in and was drained as well.
• Hu Xiaotian caught an arrow and charged from the cavern, while Unenlightened killed the hidden archer and then confronted Hu Xiaotian.
• Unenlightened killed Qi Danai and tortured the masked man until he revealed that Hong Beimo had sent them to find the Cauldron Chapter of Heaven and Earth Unveiled, which was supposedly hidden in the Long-Life Buddha.
• Unenlightened smashed the statue and killed the masked man after learning no secret was inside, while Hu Xiaotian found Bone-Dissolving Water on the bodies.
• Hu Xiaotian dissolved the three corpses by the river and concluded that Hong Beimo had sent the attackers to silence him and Qi Danai, suggesting Hong Beimo was the Old Emperor in disguise.

Hu Xiaotian learned that absorbing Yuankong’s immense internal power left him close to qi deviation and death, and Unenlightened offered a chance at survival in exchange for help stealing the Formless Divine Skill. Hu Xiaotian discussed the dangerous bargain with Ji Feihua, who urged him to cooperate because the Heavenly Dragon Temple would turn against him if his Void Art was exposed.

• Unenlightened told Hu Xiaotian that the Void Art’s accumulated power would kill him within a month and that Heavenly Demon Disintegration could save his life by destroying his martial arts.
• Unenlightened proposed that Hu Xiaotian create a disturbance in the Samantabhadra Courtyard while he entered the Buddhist Sutra Pavilion to steal the Formless Divine Skill.
• Unenlightened threatened to expose Hu Xiaotian’s Void Art and reveal Ji Feihua’s hiding place, so Hu Xiaotian asked to consult Ji Feihua.
• Hu Xiaotian told Ji Feihua about Unenlightened’s plan, and Ji Feihua warned that the Heavenly Dragon Temple would not spare Hu Xiaotian if his cultivation became known.

Hu Xiaotian learned that Ji Feihua planned to leave the Rebirth Well, but the Reincarnation Stone was triggered and collapsed the well before Hu Xiaotian could help him. Unenlightened then taught Hu Xiaotian the Aerial Gliding Art and gave him a map so he could help prepare for their plan at the Heavenly Dragon Temple.

• Ji Feihua told Hu Xiaotian he had a way to leave the Heavenly Dragon Temple and warned him to be cautious when working with Unenlightened.
• The Reincarnation Stone was triggered, collapsing the Rebirth Well and sealing its passages as Hu Xiaotian tried to reach Ji Feihua.
• Unenlightened carried Hu Xiaotian away from the collapsing well and taught him the Aerial Gliding Art.
• Hu Xiaotian practiced gliding down into Cloudsplit Valley, then climbed to Unenlightened's cavern.
• Unenlightened gave Hu Xiaotian a seven-year-old map of the Heavenly Dragon Temple and asked him to record changes in the Western Courtyard.
• Hu Xiaotian asked Unenlightened to teach him more techniques for escaping danger, and Unenlightened wondered whether Hu Xiaotian wanted to become his disciple.

Hu Xiaotian became Unenlightened’s disciple in exchange for martial arts training and a promise that Unenlightened could extend his life by six months. He accepted three rules, including helping Unenlightened find and kill his brother, Mu Yuming, and was left to figure out how to stay for lessons while still reporting back.

• Unenlightened agreed to teach Hu Xiaotian after Hu offered to pass on the Void Art and let him absorb his internal power, then promised him six more months of life if he became his disciple.
• Hu Xiaotian knelt and accepted Unenlightened’s first two rules: he had to deliver the Formless Divine Skill to Unenlightened and never take another master.
• Unenlightened required Hu Xiaotian to help kill his brother, Mu Yuming, and explained that Mu had betrayed him and stolen secret manuals from the Buddhist Sutra Pavilion thirty-five years earlier.
• Unenlightened showed Hu Xiaotian a decades-old portrait of Mu and said clues about the missing manuals could reveal which martial arts Mu had learned.
• Unenlightened gave Hu Xiaotian a Muscle-Tendon Vitality Pill and said he would teach him martial arts at midnight, while Hu Xiaotian worried that he had to return and report the next day.

Hu Xiaotian returned from Cloudsplit Valley with a mysterious gear and concealed the truth about Qi Danai’s death from Long Xuan'en. After Hu Xiaotian secured another seven days in the valley, Long Xuan'en learned that two assassins were missing and the Rebirth Stele had fallen.

• Hu Xiaotian confirmed that Qi Danai and the two assassins had vanished, buried their weapons, and found a heavy gear inside the shattered Long-Life Buddha Statue.
• Hu Xiaotian told Master Tongjing that Qi Danai had fled, then returned to Samantabhadra Courtyard after his seven days in Cloudsplit Valley ended.
• Hu Xiaotian told Long Xuan'en that a half-human, half-ghost monster had carried Qi Danai and the assassins away, and suggested that the emperor leave Heavenly Dragon Temple.
• Long Xuan'en rejected Hu Xiaotian’s account, but agreed to send him back to Cloudsplit Valley for another seven days.
• A gray-clad figure told Long Xuan'en that the two assassins had not returned and the Rebirth Stele had fallen; Long Xuan'en ordered an inquiry into the rumored monster and told him to leave Hu Xiaotian alone for now.

Hu Xiaotian suspected that the emperor at Heavenly Dragon Temple was a fake and used what he learned from Yin Zheng, Huang Luosheng, and Zuo Tang to assess the danger around him. During seven days of wall-facing in Cloudsplit Valley, Unenlightened trained him in the Aerial Gliding Art and then began teaching him Changing Appearance so he could disguise himself.

• Hu Xiaotian questioned Yin Zheng about Hong Beimo and warned him that the emperor might be planning to kill him.
• Hu Xiaotian learned from Huang Luosheng that the emperor’s tastes had grown plainer and his appetite had increased, strengthening his suspicion that the emperor was an impostor.
• Hu Xiaotian warned Zuo Tang to stay away from the emperor’s new guards, then went to Cloudsplit Valley for seven days of wall-facing.
• Hu Xiaotian recognized the monk Mingjing on the way to the valley and jokingly sang to the novice escorting him.
• Unenlightened corrected Hu Xiaotian’s Aerial Gliding Art for several days, and Hu Xiaotian improved his leaps and glides.
• Hu Xiaotian asked for a powerful technique he could learn quickly, and Unenlightened began teaching him Changing Appearance.

Hu Xiaotian learned to alter his appearance and practiced Tendon and Bone Alteration under Unenlightened’s guidance, then received instruction in the Tiger-Subduing Dragon-Seizing Hand. Unenlightened entered seclusion and tasked Hu Xiaotian with watching the Buddhist Sutra Pavilion and completing its map before they met again in ten days.

• Unenlightened taught Hu Xiaotian to control his muscles, fascia, and bones to change his face and build.
• Hu Xiaotian practiced for five days and learned to make two extreme facial changes, a pigeon chest, and a hunched back.
• Unenlightened joined Hu Xiaotian for grilled black carp and gave him Nine Yin Osmanthus Wine to strengthen his dantian’s capacity.
• Unenlightened taught Hu Xiaotian the Tiger-Subduing Dragon-Seizing Hand, which Hu Xiaotian learned by that evening.
• Unenlightened announced he would enter seclusion and told Hu Xiaotian to watch the Buddhist Sutra Pavilion, finish the map, and report back in ten days.

Hu Xiaotian was accused of destroying a Long-Life Buddha Statue and taken to Heavenly Dragon Temple’s Discipline Hall, where he resisted the monks’ questioning by invoking his status as an imperial official. He was locked in a cell alongside Mingsheng, while the temple’s plans for him remained unclear.

• Hu Xiaotian suspected that Li Yuncong might be Mu Yuming, Unenlightened’s missing brother, after connecting their names and earlier clues.
• Mingzheng confronted Hu Xiaotian over the missing Long-Life Buddha Statue and summoned monks to escort him to the Discipline Hall.
• At the Discipline Hall, the Merit Hall monk identified Hu Xiaotian as someone who had searched for a statue sponsored by Chu Fufeng, while Mingsheng claimed to know nothing about the incident.
• Hu Xiaotian challenged Mingzheng’s authority and warned that mistreating an imperial official could bring trouble upon Heavenly Dragon Temple.
• After receiving a whispered message, Mingzheng ordered Hu Xiaotian confined, and Mingsheng was placed in the neighboring cell and began chanting sutras.

Hu Xiaotian told Mingsheng that Black-Clad Assassins and a Long-Haired Evil Spirit had destroyed the Long-Life Buddha, while he had secretly replaced it with another statue. Tongji decided to release Hu Xiaotian and seal Cloudsplit Valley as Heavenly Dragon Temple faced growing unease over the Rebirth Stele, the Rebirth Well, and the missing monks.

• Hu Xiaotian told Mingsheng that he had encountered an old monk in a cave and later feared returning to Cloudsplit Valley.
• Hu Xiaotian claimed two Black-Clad Assassins attacked Qi Danai in Cloudsplit Valley before a Long-Haired Evil Spirit carried them away and destroyed the Long-Life Buddha.
• Hu Xiaotian admitted that he had replaced the destroyed Buddha statue and warned that revealing the truth could bring the Emperor’s wrath upon Heavenly Dragon Temple.
• Tongji told Mingzheng to release Hu Xiaotian, keep the Buddha’s destruction secret, and forbid Hu Xiaotian from returning to Cloudsplit Valley after it was sealed.
• Tongji ordered closer surveillance of the Western Courtyard and said he would report the strange events to the Abbot.

Hu Xiaotian secured his release from the Discipline Hall and learned that Cloudsplit Valley had been sealed, so he reported back to Long Xuan'en. Their exchange strengthened Hu Xiaotian’s suspicion that the Old Emperor was an impostor.

• Mingzheng released Hu Xiaotian, who demanded fresh clothes, an apology, and Mingsheng’s release.
• Hu Xiaotian and Mingsheng left the Discipline Hall, but Mingsheng told him Cloudsplit Valley had been sealed for an investigation.
• Hu Xiaotian went to the Samantabhadra Courtyard and told Long Xuan'en that the temple might suspect him of involvement in Qi Danai’s disappearance.
• Long Xuan'en revealed that he knew Hu Xiaotian had been arrested, and Hu Xiaotian admitted he had not told him.
• Long Xuan'en recalled a promise of lifelong loyalty that Hu Xiaotian knew he had never made, deepening Hu Xiaotian’s suspicion that the emperor was an impostor.

After escaping punishment for the Cloudsplit Valley incident, Hu Xiaotian rallied the Imperial Bodyguards against the Heavenly Secrets Bureau and had them watch its guards for mistakes. He used a rainy night to disguise himself and sneak into Samantabhadra Courtyard, where he hoped to uncover the Old Emperor’s secrets and identify the impostor.

• Hu Xiaotian returned to Five Contemplations Hall and won the bodyguards’ deference by accepting their fawning service.
• Hu Xiaotian persuaded the bodyguards that the Heavenly Secrets Bureau threatened their positions and ordered them to watch its guards for lapses.
• Hu Xiaotian had the bodyguards investigate Long Xuan'en’s guards and map the Western Courtyard, though they could not access the Buddhist Sutra Pavilion.
• Hu Xiaotian trained in Tendon and Bone Alteration and Changing Appearance while waiting for a chance to investigate Samantabhadra Courtyard.
• Hu Xiaotian disguised himself as a hunchback, slipped past a night patrol, and reached the roof of the emperor’s Zen Room.

Hu Xiaotian infiltrated the Samantabhadra Courtyard in disguise, evaded two Heavenly Secrets Bureau guards, and returned to the emperor pretending to have arrived as a loyal protector. After Long Xuan'en ordered him to search for the intruder, Hu Xiaotian provoked a Heavenly Secrets Bureau guard and asked the emperor for permission to test his skill.

• Hu Xiaotian disguised himself as a hunchbacked monk and sneaked onto the roof of the Samantabhadra Courtyard, where a guard discovered him.
• Hu Xiaotian bluffed that Mr. Hong had sent him, then escaped attacks from two guards and returned to his meditation room to change back.
• Hu Xiaotian led his Imperial Bodyguards to the courtyard and told Yin Zheng he had come after hearing a commotion.
• Long Xuan'en summoned Hu Xiaotian and described the intruder as an ugly, hunchbacked monk; Hu Xiaotian volunteered to search the temple.
• Hu Xiaotian criticized the Heavenly Secrets Bureau guards, provoking a dark-skinned guard, and asked Long Xuan'en to let him test the guard's prowess.

Hu Xiaotian let Zuo Tang fight Fu Pingchuan first, using the defeat to unite the Imperial Bodyguards against the Heavenly Secrets Bureau. He then defeated Fu Pingchuan with one punch and slapped Liang Bao, leaving the bureau’s experts facing his challenge.

• Long Xuan'en permitted Hu Xiaotian and Liang Bao to test each other’s skills, while Liu Huchan agreed that the fight could intimidate the Imperial Bodyguards.
• Fu Pingchuan volunteered to fight for the Heavenly Secrets Bureau, and Zuo Tang stepped forward to represent Hu Xiaotian.
• Fu Pingchuan beat Zuo Tang and taunted the Imperial Bodyguards, but Hu Xiaotian stopped three men from rushing him.
• Hu Xiaotian faced Fu Pingchuan and knocked him through the Zen Room door with a single punch.
• Hu Xiaotian challenged the other Heavenly Secrets Bureau experts, rushed Liang Bao, and slapped him before he could prepare to fight.