Chapter Summaries

Hu Xiaotian pursued Granny Shadow after she seized Xi Yan, then used stories about Mu Yuming and Monk Unenlightened to keep Granny Shadow talking. Granny Shadow revealed that Cult Leader Qin had been murdered and that the Creation Heart Sutra and Phoenix Armor vanished with her, while Hu Xiaotian rescued Xi Yan and connected the treasures to Qin Yutong.

• Hu Xiaotian chased Xi Yan's sphere into a dark opening, where Granny Shadow held Xi Yan hostage and demanded to know who taught him the Void Art.
• Hu Xiaotian named Mu Yuming and Monk Unenlightened, and Granny Shadow reacted with agitation and questioned him about their whereabouts and history.
• Hu Xiaotian told Granny Shadow that Madam Meizhuang had tried to use Qin Yutong to obtain the Heavenly Man Myriad Images Diagram and that Qin Yutong blamed the cult leader for Qin Se's death.
• Granny Shadow said Cult Leader Qin had not killed Qin Se and revealed that the cult leader had later been murdered on Xuechong Ridge.
• Granny Shadow released Xi Yan and explained that the Creation Heart Sutra and Phoenix Armor had disappeared after Cult Leader Qin's death.
• Hu Xiaotian gathered Xi Yan into his arms and realized that Qin Yutong's blue inner armor was likely the Phoenix Armor and that Cult Leader Qin was Qin Se's mother.

Hu Xiaotian escaped Scarlet Flame Cave with Xi Yan after Granny Shadow revealed that Meizhuang had controlled Xi Yan’s mind and that Qin Yutong might be able to wake her. Their escape was intercepted by Meizhuang, Ren Tianqing, and the Five Immortals Cult’s forces, leaving Hu Xiaotian and Granny Shadow battling to survive.

• Granny Shadow told Hu Xiaotian that she had saved him and Xi Yan with spider webs, and explained that Xi Yan could only be awakened by Meizhuang or someone who understood the Creation Heart Sutra.
• Hu Xiaotian chose to leave with the unconscious Xi Yan and asked Granny Shadow to guide them out of the caves.
• Granny Shadow used a flute to summon bats that carried them up through Bat Cave, then gave Hu Xiaotian directions to an exit.
• Rong Shi, four poison masters, and a swarm of Black Beetles blocked the passage as Meizhuang descended and accused Granny Shadow of betraying the cult.
• Granny Shadow warned Hu Xiaotian to escape through Rong Shi’s weak point in the Heaven-and-Earth Immortal-Slaying Formation, while Meizhuang summoned spiders to attack them.
• Hu Xiaotian attacked Meizhuang with his Lightsaber, but Ren Tianqing blocked the strike as Granny Shadow fired Blood-Sealing Divine Needles at Meizhuang.

Hu Xiaotian and Ren Tianqing fought fiercely in the underground cavern, while the Spider Army, Granny Shadow, and Rong Shi’s insect forces clashed around them. Hu Xiaotian gained the upper hand with his human-sword unity, but Ren Tianqing exploited Xi Yan as a weakness, and Granny Shadow was trapped between the Five Immortals Cult’s forces.

• Hu Xiaotian attacked Ren Tianqing with the Heaven-Breaking Sword, and Ren Tianqing evaded the strike before countering with the Lone Moon Slash.
• Hu Xiaotian and Ren Tianqing clashed directly, and Hu Xiaotian realized the Lone Moon Slash could drain energy from his Lightsaber.
• Meizhuang’s spiders attacked Granny Shadow’s bats, while Rong Shi played his Jade Flute to command the Black Beetles and the four Insect Masters.
• Granny Shadow’s bats stripped the Insect Masters of their armor, but Rong Shi summoned a giant lizard that drove her away from the swarm.
• Meizhuang’s spiderweb and the giant lizard cornered Granny Shadow as she faced attacks from the lizard, Rong Shi, and Meizhuang.
• Ren Tianqing targeted Xi Yan during his fight with Hu Xiaotian, exploiting how carrying her hampered Hu Xiaotian’s movements.

Hu Xiaotian and Xi Yan were trapped in the bat cave after Madam Meizhuang ordered its entrance sealed, while Granny Shadow revealed a hidden passage that could endanger the Five Immortals Cult Headquarters. Before helping him escape, she asked Hu Xiaotian to protect Murong Zhan, revealing that he was her son with Li Yuncong.

• Hu Xiaotian tricked Ren Tianqing with a painting and escaped into the bat cave with Xi Yan as Granny Shadow fled inside after being poisoned.
• Madam Meizhuang ordered Rong Shi to seal the cave entrance, and Hu Xiaotian and Granny Shadow took shelter from the falling boulders.
• Granny Shadow said the cave had another passage but hesitated to open it because doing so could destroy the Five Immortals Cult Headquarters.
• Hu Xiaotian told Granny Shadow that Li Yuncong had died fighting Monk Unenlightened, and she grieved before accepting that she would never see him again.
• Granny Shadow asked Hu Xiaotian to protect Murong Zhan from Ren Tianqing learning the truth, then revealed that Murong Zhan was her son with Li Yuncong.

Hu Xiaotian learned the secret of Murong Zhan’s origins from Granny Shadow and heard how to escape the Scarlet Flame Cave, but she died before revealing where the Purple Lightning Pearl was. He found a possible pearl hidden in Xi Yan’s hairpin and returned to the cave entrance, where the Dragon Head Emblem remained impossible to see.

• Hu Xiaotian agreed to help Murong Zhan, and Granny Shadow explained that she had only learned her son’s origins a year earlier from an unknown person.
• Granny Shadow whispered a secret for Hu Xiaotian to tell Murong Zhan and said she feared acknowledging her son would bring him trouble.
• Granny Shadow revealed a hidden passage near a Dragon Head Emblem and began explaining its Pattern Lock, but died before finishing or revealing where the Purple Lightning Pearl was.
• Hu Xiaotian searched Granny Shadow and then Xi Yan, finding a hairpin with a bead that might be the Purple Lightning Pearl.
• Hu Xiaotian bowed three times to Granny Shadow, carried Xi Yan back to the Scarlet Flame Cave entrance, and saw no Dragon Head Emblem on the glowing rock wall.

Hu Xiaotian escaped the erupting Scarlet Flame Cave with Xi Yan, but Old Monster Beize ambushed them beside a river and forced Hu Xiaotian to surrender his armor. The chapter ended with Beize demanding the Lightsaber and threatening Xi Yan with a golden snake.

• Hu Xiaotian used Xi Yan's hairpin to reveal a hidden entrance, carried her through the passage, and solved Granny Shadow's Pattern Lock to open the stone door.
• Opening the door activated nine sluice gates, and water rushing into the magma triggered a volcanic explosion that devastated Purple Dragon Mountain and threatened the Five Immortals Cult.
• Hu Xiaotian used the Winged Armor to fly beyond the eruption with Xi Yan, then landed near a river and found her still asleep.
• Old Monster Beize appeared with a golden snake on Xi Yan's neck and ordered Hu Xiaotian to remove his Winged Armor.
• Hu Xiaotian surrendered the armor to Beize, who then demanded the Lightsaber and threatened Xi Yan.

Hu Xiaotian killed Old Monster Beize, rescued Xi Yan, and returned to Yunyang, where he learned that the Fragrant Kingdom’s alliance with Western Sichuan had created a food crisis. He considered seeking help from Great Kang and asked Qin Yutong to treat Xi Yan, but she refused.

• Hu Xiaotian exploited Xi Yan’s awakening to kill Old Monster Beize, took the Winged Armor, and restrained Xi Yan after she threw the golden snake at him.
• Hu Xiaotian mastered the Winged Armor’s flight and reached Yunyang five days later, where he reunited with Long Xiyue and Visa and left Xi Yan in their care.
• Hu Xiaotian met Zhuge Guanqi and learned that the Fragrant Kingdom had broken the grain purchase agreement, leaving his territories at risk of shortages.
• Zhuge Guanqi urged Hu Xiaotian to seek help from Great Kang, and Hu Xiaotian considered joining forces with Qiqi against the Xu Family’s growing power.
• Hu Xiaotian asked Qin Yutong to treat Xi Yan, but Qin Yutong refused because of her past grudge against Xi Yan.

Hu Xiaotian told Qin Yutong about his escape from the destruction of the Five Immortals Cult Headquarters and brought her to examine Xi Yan. Qin Yutong diagnosed Xi Yan with Heart-Loss Gu but said only the person who implanted it could cure her.

• Qin Yutong refused to save Xi Yan, while Hu Xiaotian teased her and told her about the strange events at Purple Dragon Mountain.
• Hu Xiaotian showed Qin Yutong the Winged Dragon Armor and recounted rescuing Xi Yan from the Five Immortals Cult Headquarters before a volcanic eruption destroyed it.
• Qin Yutong asked Hu Xiaotian to accompany her to the Great Kang Imperial Palace to see the Dragon Spirit Wonderland, and they discussed her Phoenix Armor and grandmother.
• Qin Yutong examined Xi Yan and diagnosed her with Heart-Loss Gu, explaining that only the person who implanted it could cure her.
• Hu Xiaotian cursed Madam Meizhuang after Qin Yutong said Xi Yan's chances of recovery were slim to none.

Hu Xiaotian left Yunyang for Kang Capital after arranging defenses and diplomatic missions, while Qiqi assessed Great Kang’s losses and received a secret letter from him through Shi Xuedong. The chapter left Qiqi aware of Hu Xiaotian’s message but insisting that Shi Xuedong pretend nothing had happened.

• Qin Yutong gave Hu Xiaotian a Turtle Breath Pill to keep the maddened Xi Yan safely asleep, then reunited warmly with Long Xiyue and warned her about Hu Xiaotian’s wandering eye.
• Hu Xiaotian arranged for Yan Xuanming to negotiate grain purchases and sent Xia Changming and Yan Nujiao to strengthen Heavenly Wolf Mountain’s defenses before setting out for Kang Capital with Qin Yutong.
• Murong Zhan reported to Qiqi that Western Sichuan had sided with the Fragrant Kingdom, and Qiqi concluded that Great Kang had suffered the greatest losses in the shifting balance of power.
• Shi Xuedong delivered Hu Xiaotian’s sealed letter to Qiqi, who read and burned it, then ordered Shi Xuedong to act as though nothing had happened.

Qiqi met Hu Xiaotian at the Great Xiangguo Temple, where their conversation exposed her loneliness and the strain of holding power alone. Hu Xiaotian tried to make her confront what she wanted, but Qiqi ended by insisting he no longer mattered to her.

• Qiqi reflected on her loneliness as ruler and realized that Long Xiyue seemed happy by avoiding conflict.
• Qiqi arrived at the Great Xiangguo Temple with Quan Dean and met Hu Xiaotian in a pavilion.
• Hu Xiaotian persuaded Qiqi to let Quan Dean leave, then compared him to the ancient camphor tree that sheltered her but also blocked her sunlight.
• Hu Xiaotian told Qiqi that she did not understand what she wanted and urged her to rest from carrying everything alone.
• Qiqi struggled to hide how deeply Hu Xiaotian's words affected her, while he believed she was being used by those around her.
• Hu Xiaotian teased Qiqi about marrying someone who could make her happy, and Qiqi responded that he was not important to her.

Hu Xiaotian met Qiqi in the Kang Capital and spoke with her about their past before they visited the Pagoda Forest, where they unexpectedly encountered Monk Mingjing. Their reunion remained unsettled as Mingjing admitted he could not answer their challenges about detachment and compassion.

• Hu Xiaotian told Qiqi that he had been ordered to go to Western Sichuan as an envoy and warned that her situation looked grim.
• Hu Xiaotian apologized for making Qiqi suffer, while Qiqi rebuked him for abandoning her and doubted his excuses.
• Hu Xiaotian invited Qiqi to revisit the Pagoda Forest, and they walked there together while recalling their past.
• Hu Xiaotian and Qiqi could not find the pagoda connected to Ling Jiazi's death, and Qiqi asked whether Hu Xiaotian would forget her.
• Monk Mingjing appeared unexpectedly, and Hu Xiaotian and Qiqi challenged his ideas about emptiness, detachment, and compassion.
• Monk Mingjing admitted that his understanding was shallow and that he had no answer to their questions.

Hu Xiaotian and Qiqi encountered Yuanmu in the Pagoda Forest, where a collapsing pagoda revealed the name Minghui and deepened the mystery of Qiqi’s birth parents. Yuanmu later summoned Hu Xiaotian alone and questioned him about mastering the Void Art, while Hu Xiaotian concealed how he had eliminated its dangers.

• Yuanmu recognized Hu Xiaotian, discussed his extraordinary fortune, and warned Qiqi that the Pagoda Forest was forbidden ground.
• Yuanmu led Hu Xiaotian and Qiqi to a seven-story pagoda and hinted that a monk’s remains lay beneath it.
• Yuanmu touched the pagoda and left; it collapsed into dust, revealing the carved name Minghui on its empty foundation.
• Qiqi searched for Yuanmu to ask about Minghui, but Mingjing told Hu Xiaotian that Yuanmu wanted to see him alone in the Northern Courtyard Zen Room.
• Hu Xiaotian promised to visit Qiqi at Purple Orchid Palace that night, then went to meet Yuanmu.
• Yuanmu questioned Hu Xiaotian about his Void Art, and Hu Xiaotian claimed the Sun-Shooting Scripture had helped him eliminate its hidden dangers.

Hu Xiaotian learned that Unenlightened and Mu Yuming had died, and Yuanmu revealed that Ling Jiazi had killed his beloved disciple Minghui. Yuanmu then used Ji Feihua’s Lightsaber to demand the Heart Sutra, leaving Hu Xiaotian threatening the Heavenly Dragon Temple if Ji Feihua was harmed.

• Yuanmu asked Hu Xiaotian about Unenlightened and Mu Yuming, and Hu Xiaotian said both brothers had died on the Ankang Grassland.
• Yuanmu asked whether Hu Xiaotian had drained Yuankong’s internal power, then accepted that Yuankong’s fate had followed from his own choices.
• Hu Xiaotian questioned Yuanmu about the destroyed Buddhist Pagoda and Minghui, and Yuanmu said Ling Jiazi had killed his most gifted disciple.
• Yuanmu gave Hu Xiaotian Ji Feihua’s Lightsaber and said Ji Feihua was safe at the Heavenly Dragon Temple.
• Yuanmu demanded that Hu Xiaotian bring the Heart Sutra, claiming it was with the Spirit-Link Buddha Bone, and Hu Xiaotian threatened to destroy the temple if Ji Feihua was harmed.

Qiqi met Hu Xiaotian in secret at the palace, where they discussed his discoveries about the Blue Skulls and Hu Buwei’s plans. Hu Xiaotian revealed that Hu Buwei had secretly built power in the Fragrant Kingdom, leaving Qiqi to reckon with the threat behind his schemes.

• Qiqi ordered her attendants away and allowed Shi Xuedong to bring dinner, recognizing that Hu Xiaotian had arranged to meet her.
• Hu Xiaotian entered disguised as a eunuch, revealed himself, and shared wine with Qiqi as they recalled their past relationship.
• Hu Xiaotian told Qiqi that Blue Skulls held secrets readable only by people of certain bloodlines and that the skull from the Fragrant Kingdom was in Hu Buwei’s hands.
• Hu Xiaotian explained that Hu Buwei had used Long Xuanjiao to remove the skull from Great Kang and had secretly built influence in the Fragrant Kingdom.
• Hu Xiaotian said Hu Buwei had orchestrated the upheaval in Western Sichuan and relied on the Jinling Xu Family while concealing his control of the Fragrant Kingdom.

Hu Xiaotian confronted Qiqi in the palace, revealing what he knew about the Skull, Dragon Spirit Wonderland, and her origins. Qiqi drew the Lightsaber between them after he suggested she might become like her formidable mother, Ling Jiazi.

• Hu Xiaotian and Qiqi argued over his possible alliance with Black Hu and the secrets behind her dealings with Hong Beimo.
• Hu Xiaotian persuaded Qiqi to hear him out and asked to visit Dragon Spirit Wonderland, then told her he had found a complete blue skeleton and a Lightsaber at the Five Immortals Cult's headquarters.
• Hu Xiaotian told Qiqi that he had found the Seven-Star Chain inside a portrait of Ling Jiazi in the Cloud Temple.
• Hu Xiaotian proposed that Ling Jiazi was Qiqi's mother and that Qiqi might possess inherited memories; he also suggested Ling Jiazi had been powerful and calculating.
• Qiqi raised the Lightsaber and ignited its blade between herself and Hu Xiaotian.

Hu Xiaotian told Qiqi that others could read the Skull’s information and warned her that a Blue Skull might be with Ren Tianqing and Hong Beimo. After they met with Qiqi in secret, Ren Tianqing revealed a Skull, confirming Hu Xiaotian’s suspicion that a third one existed.

• Hu Xiaotian kissed Qiqi and told her that Great Yong’s founding and the Xue family’s rise had depended on the Fated Ones.
• Hu Xiaotian deduced that Ren Tianqing might have a Blue Skull connected to the Five Immortals Cult, and Qiqi arranged to meet the visitors in the front hall.
• Hu Xiaotian explained that secret passages led to the Purple Orchid Palace and said he would wait at the Palace Gardens Bureau.
• Qiqi asked Quan Dean whether he was hiding things from her, but he said he acted only to protect her.
• Ren Tianqing asked Qiqi to dismiss Quan Dean, then opened a leather pouch and revealed a Skull.

Princess Yongyang Qiqi used Ren Tianqing’s skull to test the loyalty and relationship of Ren Tianqing and Hong Beimo, then confronted Ren over his refusal to serve Great Kang and his Heavenly Mystery Hall’s aid to Great Yong. She left Hong Beimo holding the skull, making him unwillingly entangled in her affairs.

• Ren Tianqing presented Qiqi with a skull from Western Sichuan, but Qiqi declared it fake and demonstrated how her own skull resonated and revealed symbols.
• Qiqi asked Hong Beimo to keep Ren Tianqing’s skull, driving both men to reassure her that they trusted one another and intended no insult.
• Qiqi accused Ren Tianqing of refusing an official post and helping Great Yong during its epidemic, then ended the discussion without allowing him to explain.
• Ren Tianqing and Hong Beimo left, but Quan Dean returned with the skull and told Hong Beimo to take it to the Heavenly Secrets Bureau for safekeeping.
• Ren Tianqing wondered whether the pouch contained his skull, while Hong Beimo realized Qiqi had forced him to help manage the affair.

Qiqi tested Hong Beimo’s knowledge of the Skulls while Hu Xiaotian and Qin Yutong discussed the Dragon Spirit Wonderland and the Fated One’s Skull. Yang Lingqi reported shifting alliances in Western Sichuan, leaving Qiqi to consider the Fragrant Kingdom’s likely northward ambitions.

• Qiqi explained that she had returned Ren Tianqing’s Skull unchanged to test Hong Beimo and keep him suspicious of Ren Tianqing, and Hong later brought the Skull back.
• Hu Xiaotian returned to the Wine Cellar, where Qin Yutong asked about the Dragon Spirit Wonderland and Meizhuang; they suspected Ren Tianqing’s group had brought the Fated One’s Skull for Qiqi to decipher.
• Qiqi remained in her palace for two days, while the situation in Western Sichuan appeared to settle and she waited for events to unfold.
• Yang Lingqi painted Hu Xiaotian’s portrait for Qiqi, then reported that Li Honghan had inherited his father’s position and that the Shajia People had agreed to stop attacking the Southern Yue Kingdom.
• Yang Lingqi said the Fragrant Kingdom might be backing Yang Haoran in Western Sichuan and could next push north, while Qiqi doubted it could yet challenge Great Kang.

Qiqi questioned Yang Lingqi about Hong Beimo’s work on the Imperial Mausoleum and learned that more than three hundred thousand laborers had died or disappeared there. She tricked Hong Beimo into handing over his key to the Dragon Spirit Wonderland and left him suspicious of her intentions.

• Yang Lingqi warned Qiqi that Shajia was waiting for the Central Plains to weaken and reported that over three hundred thousand workers had died or vanished during construction of the Imperial Mausoleum.
• Qiqi met Hong Beimo and told him the Skull contained no Heaven-Patrolling Treasure Mirror, then pretended it had caused a force to attack her mind.
• Qiqi urged Hong Beimo to investigate Ren Tianqing’s background and asked him to accompany her into the secret realm that night.
• Hong Beimo refused to go but gave Qiqi his key, accepted her booklet, and agreed to keep their conversation secret.
• Hong Beimo requested funds for the Imperial Mausoleum, but Qiqi postponed the matter and left him wary of her growing guardedness.

Hu Xiaotian told Qiqi about the stolen skulls, warned her that Hong Beimo served the Jinling Xu Family, and revealed his theories about the Visitors from Beyond. As Qiqi questioned whether she could trust him, their conversation turned to their former feelings, and Hu Xiaotian pulled her into his embrace in the darkness.

• Qiqi showed Hu Xiaotian the two keys to Dragon Spirit Wonderland and agreed to help him enter in exchange for an explanation of Ren Tianqing's skull.
• Hu Xiaotian recounted Ren Tianqing's dealings and explained that the genuine skull might hold information only someone connected to it could read.
• Hu Xiaotian warned Qiqi that Ren Tianqing did not serve the realm and that Hong Beimo was a pawn of the Jinling Xu Family.
• Hu Xiaotian told Qiqi his theory that Ling Jiazi descended from the Visitors from Beyond and claimed Hong Beimo pursued power for himself.
• Qiqi questioned whether Hu Xiaotian was trustworthy, admitted she would save him over Hong Beimo, and asked whether he had ever truly liked her.
• Hu Xiaotian bargained for Ren Tianqing's skull in exchange for answering, then extinguished the candles and pulled Qiqi into his arms.