Chapter Summaries

Yi Shuyuan and the gathered powers forged the Primordial Mystery True Furnace by balancing the Celestial River’s water against the Heavenly Tribulation’s fire, then revealed 999 Starwoven Pills. When he opened the furnace, the pills escaped across the Heavenly Realm, turning the assembly into a frantic chase.

• Yi Shuyuan used the Mountain and River State Map while the Dragon Lord commanded dragonkind to control water, the Heavenly Emperor directed the gods to restrain fire, and the gathered paths helped forge the furnace.
• Yi Shuyuan emerged with the completed furnace, named it the Primordial Mystery True Furnace, and declared that it had produced 999 superior Starwoven Pills.
• Yi Shuyuan opened the furnace, and all 999 pills flew away as cultivators rushed to catch them; a warning revealed that the pills could be ruined by the five elements.
• The Dragon Lord and other powers captured some pills, while cultivators burned by the tribulation fire found they could subdue them more easily.
• Stoneborn chased the pills on his Wind-Fire Wheels, used his Universe Ring to stun several, and escaped with three.

After the Starwoven Gathering’s Immortal Elixirs scattered, Yi Shuyuan left the Heavenly Realm, while Stoneborn sent Mo Xiaorong home from the gathering. Mo Xiaorong woke believing it had all been a dream, but found the jade bottle she had held there in her hands.

• Stoneborn returned to Taiyin Palace with three Immortal Elixirs, gave one to Du Xiaolin and one to Mo Xiaorong, and offered the last to Shi Wei for a Taiyin Palace disciple.
• Stoneborn told Mo Xiaorong that an Immortal Elixir could be shared with their parents and grandmother, and planned to dissolve it into soup.
• Yi Shuyuan entrusted the Primordial Mystery True Furnace to the Heavenly Realm and departed the Starwoven Gathering without meeting the arriving Xu Zichang, Gongsun Yin, or Immortal Elder Cloud Emerald.
• Stoneborn sent Mo Xiaorong home with a flick of his finger, and she woke in the Mo Residence believing the Heavenly Realm gathering had been a dream.
• Mo Xiaorong found ashes in her palms and the little jade bottle from her dream, recalling Stoneborn’s promise to take her out in her dreams.

After nearly ten years away, Yi Shuyuan returned to West River Village, where his aged appearance moved his family and villagers. News of his return reached the emperor, who began considering a secret journey to Moon Province to meet him.

• Yi Shuyuan walked into West River Village as an old man and reunited with Yi Yong'an, who had been fishing by the river.
• Yi Baokang tearfully welcomed his elder brother home, and Yi Shuyuan met the younger generations of the Yi Household.
• Zhang Liangxi brought the emperor a secret report confirming that Yi Shuyuan had returned to Yuanjiang County alone.
• The emperor considered summoning Yi Shuyuan to the Capital City, but worried about the long journey and wondered whether to travel incognito to Moon Province with Tan Yuanshang.

The emperor traveled secretly with Tan Yuanshang and Zhang Liangxi to Moon Province to reunite with Yi Shuyuan. He found Yi Shuyuan at home in West River Village and was welcomed into the household for a family feast.

• The emperor decided to visit Yi Shuyuan, and Tan Yuanshang hurried to the palace to join him on the journey.
• The emperor and Tan Yuanshang sailed along the E River to Yuanjiang County, where divine beings sensed the emperor’s extraordinary purple qi.
• Yi Shuyuan anticipated distinguished guests and had his household prepare a feast, including slaughtering a pig.
• The emperor’s party reached West River Village, and the Land God was alarmed by the imperial presence.
• Yi Shuyuan recognized Tan Yuanshang and Zhang Liangxi, then greeted the emperor, who returned his bow and entered the household for the feast.

Yi A Bao joined his Granduncle Yi Shuyuan and their distinguished visitors, learning more about Yi Shuyuan’s role in past crises and the emperor’s regrets over his reign. The emperor wondered whether divine medicine could extend his life, but Yi Shuyuan said the emperor’s destiny made such aid impossible.

• Lu urged Yi A Bao to leave his study and greet Yi Shuyuan’s important guests.
• Yi A Bao entered the reception hall, met the emperor and Tan Yuanshang, and explained that he taught at Moon Province Academy.
• The emperor encouraged Yi A Bao to sit the imperial examinations again, while Yi Shuyuan teased him about leaving home.
• Yi A Bao learned that the guests included Gong Wuye and Zhang Liangxi, and listened as the emperor and Yi Shuyuan discussed the realm’s hardships and his reign.
• The emperor asked whether divine medicine could grant him more years, and Yi Shuyuan replied that the emperor’s destiny could not be changed by medicine.

Yi A Bao realized the visiting elder was Emperor Tan Yuanshang, and the household welcomed the emperor and his companions with a fresh pork feast. During a walk afterward, the emperor asked Yi Shuyuan whom he should name Heir Apparent, and Yi Shuyuan urged him to trust his own judgment, leaving the emperor relieved and grateful.

• Yi A Bao deduced that the elder was the reigning emperor and hurried to join the others for the meal.
• Yi Shuyuan served a hot pork feast, which Tan Yuanshang and his companions enjoyed with the household.
• After dinner, the emperor walked through West River Village with Yi Shuyuan, Tan Yuanshang, and Zhang Liangxi and reflected on the celestial display and Great Yong’s future.
• The emperor asked Yi Shuyuan whom he should name Heir Apparent, and Yi Shuyuan told him to trust his own judgment.
• The emperor laughed, said his journey to Moon Province had been worthwhile, and felt reassured that Yi Shuyuan had never taken office.

After nearly ten days with the Yi Household, the emperor departed for the capital and failed to persuade Yi Shuyuan to return as the Crown Prince’s Tutor. Yi Shuyuan gave him a poem that encouraged him to persevere, and the emperor wrote the edict appointing the Heir Apparent aboard the ship.

• The emperor and his party bid farewell to Yi Shuyuan and the Yi family at the mouth of the West River, and the emperor accepted Yi Shuyuan’s refusal to return to the capital.
• Yi Shuyuan gave the emperor a scroll bearing his calligraphy and a poem titled “Hard Road,” which the emperor took as recognition of his struggles and achievements.
• After the tower ship departed, Yi A Bao asked Yi Shuyuan whether Mr. Gong had been the emperor, and Yi Shuyuan confirmed that he had.
• Aboard the ship, the emperor and his companions read Yi Shuyuan’s poem and admired his calligraphy.
• The emperor wrote the edict appointing the Heir Apparent as the ship returned to the capital.

As the Starwoven Dharma Assembly neared its end, Lu Yuwei and Xia Linglan searched for Yi Shuyuan to thank him for saving Lu Yuwei. Jiang Lang agreed to take them to find him after he finished seeing off his guests.

• Xia Linglan woke beside the Celestial River, rebuffed the Great Toad King for eating the Starwoven Pill, and accepted his Spirit-Brewed Jade Nectar.
• Lu Yuwei told Xia Linglan that Cao Lei could not reveal Yi Shuyuan’s whereabouts, so they decided to seek help from Jiang Lang.
• Old Tortoise introduced Xia Linglan and Lu Yuwei to Jiang Lang, who accepted the jade nectar they offered.
• Xia Linglan explained that Yi Shuyuan had saved Lu Yuwei in the Kaiyang Waters and asked to thank him in person.
• Jiang Lang invited Xia Linglan and Lu Yuwei to leave the gathering with him and promised to take them to find Yi Shuyuan.

Jiang Lang escaped the crowds at the Starwoven Dharma Assembly and brought Xia Linglan and Lu Yuwei to visit Yi Shuyuan. The chapter ends with Jiang Lang and his companions arriving at the Yi Residence just as Yi Shuyuan awakens.

• Xia Linglan and Lu Yuwei waited in a secluded pavilion while Jiang Lang attended to departing guests at the Celestial River.
• Jiang Lang searched for Stoneborn at Taiyin Palace's Red Glass Treasure Boat, but Du Xiaolin told him Stoneborn had left and might return in a few days.
• Jiang Lang returned to Xia Linglan and Lu Yuwei and hurried them away from the gathering, leaving Dai Zhong and Mo Ye to handle the remaining visitors.
• Yi Shuyuan dreamed of the Heavenly Emperor placing the Dao Artifact Alchemy Furnace in the Mystic Truth Hall, while Hui Mian asked to return from the Heavenly Realm.
• Yi Shuyuan abruptly woke, and Jiang Lang arrived at the Yi Residence with Xia Linglan and Lu Yuwei.

Jiang Lang brought Lu Yuwei and Xia Linglan to visit Yi Shuyuan at his mortal home, where Xia Linglan offered him a precious pearl in gratitude for saving her daughter. Yi Shuyuan identified it as a Heavenly Remnant Dao Artifact left behind by a destroyed Celestial Court, then asked Xia Linglan if she still wanted to give it to him.

• Jiang Lang warned Lu Yuwei and Xia Linglan to behave like ordinary guests before leading them into the Yi Household.
• A servant brought the visitors to the reception room, and Yi Shuyuan arrived looking like an aged mortal.
• Jiang Lang gave Yi Shuyuan a flask of spirit-brewed jade nectar, and Xia Linglan offered him a pearl from her clam shell to repay his kindness to Lu Yuwei.
• Yi Shuyuan recognized the pearl as a spirit pearl and identified it as a Heavenly Remnant Dao Artifact left behind by the destruction of a great Celestial Court.
• Yi Shuyuan asked Xia Linglan whether she still wished to give him the artifact.

Yi Shuyuan accepted Xia Linglan’s Spirit Pearl and took Jiang Lang, Xia Linglan, and Lu Yuwei up Broad South Mountain to examine it. When he touched its aura, the four witnessed the rise and fall of a Great Heavenly Court across ages, leaving the others shaken by the vision.

• Xia Linglan offered Yi Shuyuan the Spirit Pearl, and he accepted it after Jiang Lang urged her not to feel obliged to give it away.
• Yi Shuyuan led Jiang Lang, Xia Linglan, and Lu Yuwei through West River Village and up Broad South Mountain, where they spoke about Xia Linglan’s memories of mortal life and her choice not to become a dragon.
• Yi Shuyuan explained that Spirit Pearls could absorb qi and change with it, and that the pearl’s transformations reflected its nature as a surviving Dao Artifact.
• As Yi Shuyuan held the Spirit Pearl, his inner vision revealed a mountain rising through the ages and a Great Heavenly Court flourishing before collapsing.
• The vision faded, and Jiang Lang, Xia Linglan, and Lu Yuwei gasped in shock at what they had witnessed.

Yi Shuyuan reunited with Hui Mian on South Hill Ridge, where Xia Linglan revealed that her husband’s soul had shattered and asked for help restoring it with an Immortal Elixir. She also named Xuan Ji as the demon responsible, only to learn that Yi Shuyuan had already refined Xuan Ji to death.

• Yi Shuyuan explained the Spirit Pearl’s vision, then brought Jiang Lang, Xia Linglan, and Lu Yuwei to his parents’ graves on South Hill Ridge.
• Hui Mian returned from the Heavenly Realm and greeted Yi Shuyuan, Lu Yuwei, Xia Linglan, and Jiang Lang.
• Xia Linglan revealed that her husband’s soul had shattered when he died and that she had sealed their home to keep it from dispersing.
• Yi Shuyuan explained that the so-called Soul-Returning Elixir was a Spirit-Stabilizing Elixir, but it might help if her husband’s body was preserved; Xia Linglan said she had used an Ice Soul Pearl.
• Xia Linglan named Xuan Ji, the Nine-Lives Cat Demon, as the one who had harmed her husband, and Hui Mian told her that Yi Shuyuan had already refined Xuan Ji to death.

Yi Shuyuan considered ways to restore Xia Linglan and Lu Yuwei’s loved one, raising his estimate of success as he reflected on Xuan Ji’s abilities. After the group met Broad South Mountain God Huang Hongchuan and returned to the Yi Household, Xia Linglan and Lu Yuwei left to visit the goddess of the E River, while Stoneborn and Zhuo Qing joined the Taiyin Palace cultivators preparing to depart.

• Yi Shuyuan estimated his chances of refining a Spirit-Stabilizing Elixir at less than one in ten and of gathering the soul at two in ten, then raised the latter odds to three in ten after a new realization.
• Huang Hongchuan greeted Yi Shuyuan, Jiang Lang, Xia Linglan, and Lu Yuwei on South Hill Ridge, and Yi Shuyuan asked about Song Chao, who remained a pine awaiting awakening.
• Yi Shuyuan brought his guests to the Yi Household for a meal, where Yi Baokang mistakenly wondered whether Xia Linglan, Lu Yuwei, or Jiang Lang was his relative.
• Xia Linglan and Lu Yuwei left the Yi Household by carriage and went to the E River Water Palace to visit its goddess, while Jiang Lang stayed with Yi Shuyuan.
• Stoneborn arrived at the Heavenly Gate with Zhuo Qing and joined the Taiyin Palace treasure boat, where the cultivators enthusiastically greeted Zhuo Qing as the Fairweave Immortal.
• Du Xiaolin told Stoneborn that Dragon King Jiang had urgently looked for him and left after asking to catch up with his master.

Stoneborn hurried to Longwind Lake after hearing Jiang Lang had sought him, only to learn Jiang Lang had gone to visit Yi Shuyuan. He found Jiang Lang and his master playing cricket fighting in the village, where Jiang Lang joked that the crowds at his Dragon Palace might force him to spend New Year at Yi Shuyuan's house.

• Stoneborn told Zhuo Qing he needed to meet Jiang Lang, and she chose to honor his promise to his little sister before visiting the Taiyin Palace.
• Stoneborn raced to Longwind Lake, where visitors mistook his arrival for a disruption until the blackfish explained that he was Yi Daozi's distinguished disciple.
• Stoneborn learned Jiang Lang had gone to see Yi Shuyuan and hurried to the Yi Residence in West River Village.
• Stoneborn found Jiang Lang, Yi Shuyuan, and the villagers enjoying cricket fighting, then learned Jiang Lang had brought Little Carp and her mother to visit.
• After Stoneborn reported that crowds had nearly blocked the Dragon Palace gates, Jiang Lang joked that he might spend New Year at Yi Shuyuan's house, and Hui Mian teased him.

Stoneborn reunited with Yi Shuyuan, shared what he had learned, and returned home to give his family the Starwoven Pill’s elixir. The elixir brought different effects to his relatives, and Mo Xiaorong drank the remainder with the strongest reaction.

• Stoneborn told Yi Shuyuan about discovering the fish in his heart, and Yi Shuyuan advised him to value family and return home.
• Jiang Lang stayed with Yi Shuyuan, explaining that he hoped to help restore Spirit Carp Madam’s husband’s soul and might pursue her afterward.
• Stoneborn returned to the Mo Household before dark and reunited with his family, while Zhuo Qing realized she had missed his return.
• Mo Xiaorong gave Stoneborn the Starwoven Pill she had guarded, and he dissolved it into elixir liquid to share with the elders.
• Stoneborn gave the elixir to his grandmother, who said she was already amid blessings, then let Mo Xiaorong drink what remained; she reacted more strongly than anyone else.

Jiang Lang abandoned his wait at the Yi Household and returned to Longwind Lake, while Xia Linglan and Lu Yuwei also left to avoid pressuring Yi Shuyuan. Nearly four years later, the dying Great Yong Emperor summoned Yi Shuyuan, but Xiang Yi died before Tan Yuanshang could bring him to the palace.

• Jiang Lang admitted that he could not endure the Yi Household’s routine any longer, gave Yi Shuyuan a pearl for his lodging, and flew back to Longwind Lake.
• Jiang Lang’s return drove the aquatic folk and monsters waiting at the Dragon Palace to flee, and Xia Linglan decided that she and Lu Yuwei would return to the Heavenly Origin Pool.
• Zhuo Qing showed Mo Xiaorong the Golden Shuttle Sword and performed a sword display that filled the wilderness with fireflies, which Stoneborn witnessed on his way to collect his sister.
• Nearly four years after Yi Shuyuan returned to West River Village, the gravely ill Xiang Yi summoned Yi Shuyuan to the Imperial Palace through Tan Yuanshang.
• Xiang Yi, the Great Yong Emperor, died at fifty-nine during the winter of the thirty-third year of Chengxing, before Tan Yuanshang could reach Yi Shuyuan.

After the death of Great Yong’s beloved emperor Xiang Yi, Yi Shuyuan visited him in a dream and showed him wonders across the world. As Xiang Yi glimpsed a path toward the Heavenly Realm, Yi Shuyuan returned to the mortal world and was named the Heavenly Sovereign Purple Star Spirit Lord.

• News of Emperor Xiang Yi’s death spread across Great Yong, and Yi A Bao and the people of West River Village mourned him.
• Yi Shuyuan recognized Xiang Yi’s death and reflected that governing the realm was more exhausting than farmwork.
• After a month’s sleep, Xiang Yi awoke in the sky and met Yi Shuyuan, who revealed he was an immortal master.
• Yi Shuyuan took Xiang Yi on a dreamlike journey to the East Sea Dragon Palace and across lands beyond Great Yong.
• Yi Shuyuan returned to the sky above Heaven-Bearing Prefecture with Xiang Yi, who saw a flight of Heavenly Steps appear.
• Yi Yong'an found Yi Shuyuan asleep in the snow; after waking, Yi Shuyuan bowed toward Heaven-Bearing Prefecture, and the Heavenly Emperor saw the Divine Name Heavenly Sovereign Purple Star Spirit Lord appear on the Golden Palace Jade Mirror.

Mai Lingfei warned Duan Silie that Southern Yan was politically unstable and a violent new Khan Wutu was consolidating power on the Grasslands. Later, Duan Silie led Great Yong’s cavalry to relieve Northern Suburb County, defeating the nomadic army and earning fame as the Thunder General.

• Mai Lingfei arrived at the frontier pass and reunited with Duan Silie before reporting the emperor’s death and unrest in Southern Yan.
• Mai Lingfei told Duan Silie that Khan Wutu had gathered followers through winter raids and plunder across the Grasslands.
• Nomadic cavalry attacked Northern Suburb County, and the town’s garrison sent warnings while struggling to defend its low walls.
• Duan Silie led more than two thousand cavalrymen to Northern Suburb County and charged the besieging forces.
• Duan Silie’s cavalry rescued the town, pursued the nomads for more than two hundred li, and killed over four thousand, spreading his fame as the Thunder General.

Emperor Xiang Ziji rejected Zou Jie’s call for an immediate war against the Wusa'er Khanate, choosing to strengthen Great Yong’s preparations first. By the Fourth Year of Hongxing, recruitment was rising, especially among respectable young men from Lingdong, as Yi Shuyuan sensed the realm preparing for a larger conflict.

• Xiang Ziji summoned senior ministers to discuss Zou Jie’s demand for war against the Wusa'er Khanate.
• After weighing military readiness and the risk of conflict with Southern Yan, Xiang Ziji persuaded Zou Jie that Great Yong should prepare before launching a campaign.
• Zou Jie accepted the decision, reflecting that he might not live long enough to see Great Yong’s forces achieve a great victory.
• In Yuanjiang County, Yi Shuyuan inferred from Yi Yong'an’s talk of the grassland and Southern Yan that Chu Hang had begun shaping public opinion for war.
• Recruitment increased across Great Yong, and a local official reported that ten thousand of thirty thousand newly mustered men came from Lingdong and were sons of respectable households.

Wu Minggao returned to Yuanjiang County after retiring and reunited with Yi Shuyuan, whom he had not seen for years. As the two old colleagues caught up, Yi Shuyuan sensed that Southern Yan might be nearing the end of its destiny.

• Wu Minggao arrived in Yuanjiang County with his youngest son, Wu Yuantao, and learned from an old bailiff that Yi Shuyuan had returned to West River Village.
• Wu Minggao sent Yi Shuyuan a visiting card, and Yi Shuyuan dressed formally and waited at the village entrance to welcome him.
• Wu Minggao and Yi Shuyuan recognized each other, exchanged greetings, and reminisced about their years working together.
• Wu Minggao discussed Great Yong's victories over the Tartars and argued that Great Yong should take advantage of Southern Yan's rebellion to invade.
• Yi Shuyuan used magical power to calculate Southern Yan's fate, while Yi Baokang warmly welcomed Wu Minggao and learned he planned to settle in Yuanjiang County.