Chapter Summaries

Li Yunjing investigated the attack on Li Ruozhou while negotiating an alliance treaty, then discovered his son with a disguised mistress and ordered him to apologize to Lü Qingzhu. Li Ruozhou refused and declared he was done with the engagement, while Li Yunjing returned to the treaty talks.

• Li Yunjing, Chu Qiushan, and Yang Sixuan discussed the incident in the Dense Forest, and Yang Sixuan reported that A Mo had disappeared two years earlier and that Lü Qingzhu accused Li Ruozhou of trying to violate her.
• Li Yunjing agreed to let the matter drop for the sake of the alliance and Engagement Ceremony, then returned to the manor to question Li Ruozhou.
• Yang Tianyi confirmed that A Mo had disappeared, leading Li Yunjing to suspect that his son had lied.
• Li Yunjing kicked open Li Ruozhou's door and found him with a naked servant boy who was actually his disguised mistress.
• Li Ruozhou denied trying to violate Lü Qingzhu, but Li Yunjing slapped him and ordered him to apologize before threatening to break his legs if he refused.
• After Li Yunjing left, Li Ruozhou cursed and said he was done with the engagement.

Li Ruozhou escaped Cuiwei Peak in disguise to avoid the marriage alliance, leaving his father Li Yunjing to scramble for help. Lü Yinlin refused Li Yunjing’s request to postpone the Engagement Ceremony, insisting it take place in two days and that the Heavenly Evolution Sect concede treaty terms if Li Ruozhou failed to appear.

• Li Ruozhou disguised himself as a servant boy, slipped out through the estate’s west gate, and fled into the Dense Forest.
• Li Yunjing discovered Li Ruozhou’s letter and learned that he had escaped nearly two hours earlier; he ordered Yang Tianyi to mobilize the sect and search outside You Province.
• Li Yunjing asked Chu Qiushan to postpone the Engagement Ceremony by five days because Li Ruozhou had refused the alliance and fled.
• Chu Qiushan consulted Lü Yinlin, who rejected the postponement and ordered that the ceremony remain scheduled for two days later.
• Lü Yinlin declared that if Li Ruozhou did not attend, the Heavenly Evolution Sect would be considered discourteous and would have to make concessions in the alliance treaty.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lü Qingzhu's trial for her actions against the cultivation world continues.
• The trial is adjourned for a day to allow for further investigation into the accusations against her.
• During this break, Lü Qingzhu reflects on her past actions and motivations.

Character Developments

• Lü Qingzhu: She begins to question her past decisions and the consequences of her actions. She starts to consider the possibility that she might have been wrong in her pursuit of justice.

Significant Themes

• Justice vs. Law: Lü Qingzhu's actions raise questions about the difference between personal justice and adherence to the law.
• Consequences of Actions: The chapter explores the repercussions of Lü Qingzhu's past decisions, both on herself and on others.

Character Interactions

• Lü Qingzhu and the Cultivation World: The chapter delves into Lü Qingzhu's complex relationship with the cultivation world, which she has both protected and challenged.
• Lü Qingzhu and Her Past: Through reflection, Lü Qingzhu interacts with her past actions and begins to reassess them.

Li Yunjing learned that Taiyi Sect would not postpone the Engagement Ceremony and demanded concessions from Heavenly Evolution Sect, while rumors about Li Ruozhou’s escape spread. Duan Rong learned that Li Ruozhou had fled as planned and invited Lü Qingzhu and Li Ruojian to celebrate, leaving Lü Qingzhu grateful for his support.

• Chu Qiushan told Li Yunjing that Taiyi Sect would not delay the Engagement Ceremony and demanded concessions if it could not proceed as scheduled.
• Li Yunjing sent a report to his Old Ancestor, then faced rumors about Li Ruozhou’s escape spreading throughout the sect as Dragon Fish Hall continued preparing for the ceremony.
• Xi Men Kan Kan confirmed Li Ruozhou’s escape to Duan Rong, who was delighted that their plan had worked.
• Duan Rong asked Xiao Yu to prepare wine and food, then went to Deep Valley and invited Lü Qingzhu and Li Ruojian to join him.
• Duan Rong, Lü Qingzhu, and Li Ruojian traveled to his home, where Lü Qingzhu reflected on how Duan Rong had stood by her.

Li Ku captured the runaway Li Ruozhou and brought him back to the Taiyi Sect, allowing the Engagement Ceremony to proceed as planned. Li Ku and Lü Yinlin agreed to finalize their sects’ alliance pact before meeting with Azure Sun Gate.

• History Supervisor Qin let the exhausted Dragon Fish Hall attendants sleep because Li Ruozhou had fled and he believed the Engagement Ceremony would fail.
• Li Ku stormed into the Hall of Elders, threw Li Ruozhou before Li Yunjing, and ordered him to keep his son from escaping again.
• Li Yunjing thanked Li Ku and realized Li Ruozhou’s return meant the Engagement Ceremony could proceed without further concessions to the alliance pact.
• Li Ku and Lü Yinlin discussed Azure Sun Gate’s invitation and agreed their sects should finalize their alliance pact before going there.
• Lü Yinlin and Li Ku decided to send wedding invitations after the Engagement Ceremony and depart for Azure Sun Gate once the alliance pact was settled.

Duan Rong learned that Li Ruozhou had been brought back, threatening Lü Qingzhu’s marriage alliance, and agreed to marry her as his concubine. Xiao Yu overcame her concerns about the danger and agreed to support the marriage, which Duan Rong planned to hold that night.

• History Supervisor Qin woke the Dragon Fish Hall attendants and told them the Engagement Ceremony would proceed after Li Ruozhou returned.
• Xi Men Kan Kan told Duan Rong that Li Ku had captured Li Ruozhou and brought him back to Dragon Fish Hall.
• Duan Rong told Lü Qingzhu about Li Ruozhou’s return, and she asked to marry him as his concubine to avoid the alliance marriage.
• Duan Rong and Lü Qingzhu embraced, then he instructed her on a plan before they went their separate ways.
• Duan Rong told Xiao Yu he intended to marry Lü Qingzhu, and Xiao Yu agreed to support him despite the danger.
• Duan Rong told Xiao Yu he would marry Lü Qingzhu that night and asked her to arrange the necessary rites.

Xiao Dezhao taught Lü Qingzhu the engagement rites, and she prepared to leave her family estate for the ceremony at Cuiwei Peak. After arranging her departure, Jiang Yaozhang received an urgent message at the villa and hurried to the front hall.

• Xiao Dezhao taught Lü Qingzhu the engagement ceremony procedures, and she asked to keep the booklet so she could study the wedding rites.
• Li Baoyue combed Lü Qingzhu’s hair, and Jiang Yaozhang arrived to escort her to the villa on Cuiwei Peak.
• Lü Qingzhu said farewell to Lü Zhongtang and Li Baoyue, then left in a ceremonial sedan chair with Jiang Yaozhang.
• Duan Rong asked Xiao Dezhao to arrange ancient rites for his concubine-taking ceremony that night, and Xiao Dezhao recommended Jiang Yaozhang.
• After Jiang Yaozhang brought Lü Qingzhu to the villa, an attendant whispered a message to him, and he hurried to the front hall.

Duan Rong arranged an ancient-rites wedding and secretly brought Lü Qingzhu out of Phoenix Grace Courtyard while Shen Mizhi took her place. When Duan Rong presented Lü Qingzhu at his courtyard, Jiang Yaozhang recognized her and was left astonished.

• Xiao Dezhao introduced Jiang Yaozhang to Duan Rong and assigned him to arrange Duan Rong's wedding according to ancient rites.
• Duan Rong discovered a blind spot between the guards' Divine Sense scans and followed Jiang Yaozhang to the warehouse to collect ceremonial supplies.
• At Duan Rong's courtyard, Jiang Yaozhang and the others prepared the venue, while Duan Rong explained his plan to Shen Mizhi.
• Duan Rong and Shen Mizhi used the blind spot to reach Phoenix Grace Courtyard, where Lü Qingzhu escaped through a window and Shen Mizhi dressed as the bride beneath a Red Veil.
• Duan Rong brought Lü Qingzhu to his courtyard just before the auspicious time, and Jiang Yaozhang recognized her in shock.

Duan Rong and Lü Qingzhu married in a ceremony that taught Jiang Yaozhang the true meaning of ancient rites, then set out with him for Dragon Fish Hall. As Shen Mizhi posed as the bride for Li Ruozhou’s engagement ceremony, Duan Rong forced his way past the guards to enter the hall.

• Duan Rong pressured Jiang Yaozhang into blessing his marriage to Lü Qingzhu, and Jiang agreed after feeling Duan Rong’s killing intent.
• Duan Rong and Lü Qingzhu completed an elaborate wedding ceremony, moving Jiang Yaozhang to recognize sincerity as the heart of ancient rites.
• Duan Rong and Lü Qingzhu spent the night talking in the bridal chamber, and Lü Qingzhu revealed that she had stopped wanting to kill Duan Rong after his Intent Saber Light saved him.
• At dawn, Duan Rong asked Jiang Yaozhang to witness their arrival at Dragon Fish Hall, while Xiao Yu stayed behind and watched them leave.
• Shen Mizhi, disguised as the bride, arrived at Dragon Fish Hall for the engagement ceremony with Li Ruozhou, whose bruised face and dazed manner alarmed no one enough to stop the proceedings.
• Duan Rong, Lü Qingzhu, and Jiang Yaozhang reached Dragon Fish Hall as the ceremony music began, and Duan Rong used a flash of light to disable the guard leader before rushing inside.

Duan Rong and Lü Qingzhu interrupted the Engagement Ceremony and declared they had married, but Lü Yinlin tried to force Lü Qingzhu to marry Li Ruozhou instead. After Lü Yinlin killed Jiang Yaozhang for defending their marriage, Lü Qingzhu severed her own meridians, and Lü Yinlin carried her away to save her.

• Duan Rong and Lü Qingzhu arrived at Dragon Fish Hall in ceremonial dress, and Duan Rong announced they had become husband and wife.
• Lü Qingzhu declared she had married Duan Rong as his concubine, prompting Lü Zhongtang to attack her before Lü Yinlin intervened.
• Lü Yinlin ordered Lü Qingzhu to complete the Engagement Ceremony with Li Ruozhou, while Jiang Yaozhang affirmed that the ancient rites made her and Duan Rong husband and wife.
• Lü Yinlin killed Jiang Yaozhang and threatened to destroy Duan Rong unless Lü Qingzhu agreed to the engagement.
• Lü Qingzhu bid farewell to Duan Rong, told Lü Yinlin she hated him, and shattered three of her great meridians.
• Lü Yinlin stopped Lü Qingzhu's reversed primordial qi, gave her a pill, and vanished with her from the hall.

After Lü Qingzhu severed her meridians to avoid marrying Li Ruozhou, Lü Yinlin tried to save her in the Black Jade Coffin while Duan Rong and Lü Zhongtang waited outside the cave. The marriage alliance collapsed, the sect alliance was finalized, and Lü Qingzhu’s fate remained unknown.

• Duan Rong rushed to the Deep Valley after Zhu He freed him, while Lü Zhongtang fled ahead and Shen Mizhi returned to Shang Xiangyu’s courtyard.
• Lü Yinlin examined Lü Qingzhu’s severe injuries and used the Black Jade Coffin and soul-nourishing light to stabilize her.
• Duan Rong and Lü Zhongtang waited for two days at the cave entrance, and Lü Zhongtang insisted that Lü Qingzhu must become Duan Rong’s principal wife if she survived.
• Chu Qiushan confirmed that the Old Ancestor had not emerged, then left after learning the alliance agreement had been settled and the marriage alliance had fallen through.
• Chu Qiushan asked Chu Wushang to report the completed alliance agreement to the Old Ancestor when he emerged from seclusion.

Lü Yinlin revealed that Lü Qingzhu could be saved only with two divine medicines from the God and Demon Ruins, and tasked Duan Rong with retrieving them. Duan Rong accepted the mission and learned that the ruins would be opened early, giving him a chance to seek their other benefits as well.

• After six days of waiting, Duan Rong and Lü Zhongtang followed Lü Yinlin to a Black Jade Coffin and saw Lü Qingzhu preserved inside, gravely injured.
• Lü Yinlin explained that Red Arrow Flower and Azure Flame Grass from the God and Demon Ruins could save Lü Qingzhu, but neither herb could be preserved and the sect had none in stock.
• Lü Yinlin told Duan Rong that the ruins contained dangerous evil wraiths and the God and Demon Illusion, as well as opportunities to gain a God and Demon Imprint or have one's divine soul nourished.
• Lü Yinlin revealed that the ruins had last opened twenty-nine years ago but he planned to open them a year early because Lü Qingzhu could not wait.
• Duan Rong promised to retrieve both herbs, and Lü Yinlin said he would receive concentrated training once the entrants were chosen.

Lü Yinlin gathered the sixty-four Venerable Elders and ordered them to prepare the Zhou Tian Great Arrays to open the God and Demon Ruins fifteen days later, one year ahead of schedule, so he could seek medicine for Lü Qingzhu. After receiving Li Ku’s conciliatory letter about the marriage alliance, Lü Yinlin was left thinking of Lü Qingzhu’s injuries and his own daughter.

• Lü Yinlin recovered from his exhaustion and went to the God and Demon Ruins, where Fu Xingjian summoned the Venerable Elders overseeing the sixty-four Zhou Tian Great Arrays.
• Lü Yinlin announced that he would open the God and Demon Ruins in fifteen days and ordered the Elders to replace the arrays’ flags and disks with new ones.
• Yao Zhongyu questioned opening the ruins a year before the customary thirty-year interval, but Fu Xingjian stopped him and later explained that Lü Yinlin wanted divine medicine to save Lü Qingzhu.
• Fu Xingjian tried to borrow array flags and disks from Yao Zhongyu, who refused because Fu Xingjian still owed him equipment from before.
• Chu Wushang reported that the alliance between the Taiyi Sect and the Heavenly Evolution Sect had been finalized and delivered Li Ku’s letter apologizing for the marriage alliance.
• Lü Yinlin read Li Ku’s offer of help with Lü Qingzhu’s treatment, then sighed over her unyielding nature and remembered his own daughter.

Lü Yinlin approved Zhu He as the next sect master and ordered the God and Demon Ruins opened early so Duan Rong could seek divine medicines for Lü Qingzhu. After resting at home, Duan Rong learned that the case-closing document for Xiao Qiwu’s disappearance and the missing God Slaying Whip had reached the Internal History Department, though its contents remained unknown.

• Chu Qiushan reported that the alliance agreement had been settled and recommended Zhu He as the next sect master, which Lü Yinlin approved.
• Lü Yinlin ordered Chu Qiushan to prepare a party to enter the God and Demon Ruins in fifteen days, a year ahead of schedule.
• Duan Rong returned to Xiao Yu after six sleepless days and told her that Lü Qingzhu’s injuries required two divine medicines, which he would seek in the ruins.
• Xi Men Kan Kan visited and told Xiao Yu to give Duan Rong news that the case-closing document for Xiao Qiwu’s disappearance and the missing God Slaying Whip had reached the Internal History Department.
• Duan Rong read Xi Men Kan Kan’s note and burned it, still concerned that the case’s unknown perpetrator posed a threat to him.

Duan Rong investigated Xiao Qiwu’s disappearance and the loss of the God Slaying Whip, connecting Shen Tu Ying to a danger involving the Yin Yang Fish. Meanwhile, Shen Tu Ying asked Lü Yinlin to let her disciple Su Xinjue enter the God and Demon Ruins, then revealed a startlingly youthful appearance that left him shaken.

• Duan Rong secretly consulted the confidential case file and noticed that Jing Chou had visited both Xiao Qiwu and Shen Tu Ying before his death.
• Duan Rong suspected Shen Tu Ying held the Yin Fish and decided to deal with her after he returned from the God and Demon Ruins.
• Chu Wushang brought Lü Yinlin the preliminary list of candidates and told him Shen Tu Ying was waiting to see him.
• Shen Tu Ying asked Lü Yinlin to add her disciple Su Xinjue to the God and Demon Ruins list, but Lü Yinlin remained silent.
• Shen Tu Ying’s clothes and skin burst away, revealing a beautiful, youthful body and face as she approached Lü Yinlin.

Duan Rong and the seven other disciples traveled with Lin Youjian and Liu Su through the Gloomy Dark Forest toward the God and Demon Ruins, where high-level yuan beasts threatened their approach. After Lin Youjian drove off a Ghost Octopus, the group continued onward with renewed caution.

• Lin Youjian killed eight attacking Suan Yu Strange Birds with a single note from her Cyan Jade Cave Xiao, astonishing Duan Rong.
• Duan Rong noticed Su Xinjue watching him and resolved to be wary of her because of her ties to Shen Tu Ying.
• Lin Youjian and Liu Su led the group into the high-level yuan beast territory and used their pressure to deter attacks as they crossed barren ground.
• Lin Youjian spotted the Ghost Octopus emerging from beneath the earth and sent the group retreating before its tentacles could seize them.
• Lin Youjian used her cave xiao music to injure the Ghost Octopus's main body, forcing it to burrow away, and then led the group onward.

Lin Youjian brought Duan Rong and the others to the outer array surrounding the God and Demon Ruins, where Lü Yinlin and Fu Xingjian activated the great array. After the passage stabilized, Lin Youjian sent the group inside, and Duan Rong followed Guo Tian through the Black Crystal Mirror Surface.

• Lin Youjian led the exhausted group to the dim azure array curtain and opened an entrance with an Array Token.
• Lü Yinlin inspected the group, confirmed they carried no artifacts capable of retaining law-type attacks, and ordered Fu Xingjian to activate the great array.
• After several hours, the array formed a passage, and Lü Yinlin confirmed it was ready for entry.
• Lin Youjian threw hesitant Guo Tian through the Black Crystal Mirror Surface.
• Duan Rong leaped into the mirror surface and vanished after Guo Tian.

Duan Rong and the others entered the God and Demon Ruins, where suppressed cultivation and treacherous terrain made their journey toward the Central Altar perilous. Duan Rong saved Du Wan from a Ghost Thorn Devil Taro, and the group continued with a reminder that they had to rely on one another to survive.

• Duan Rong and the others were hurled out of the passage, recovered from their nausea, and found themselves among vast heaps of ancient ruins.
• Duan Rong and Guo Tian studied their maps but could not identify their position, so Guo Tian led the group across open terrain toward a landmark.
• Lu Chu urged the group to stop searching for herbs and hurry toward the Central Altar before the passage reopened in one month.
• Du Wan approached a mature Silver-Edged Purple, but a Ghost Thorn Devil Taro attacked him from behind a boulder.
• Duan Rong used his Phosphorus Silk Glove and a grappling technique to knock the poisonous vine away and save Du Wan.
• Duan Rong reminded the group that fellow disciples were their greatest support in the ruins, while Su Xinjue avoided his gaze.

Duan Rong saved Du Wan from a Ghost Thorn Devil Taro, and the group discovered the plant had taken root in a God and Demon Remnant. As they continued through the ruins, they found a poisoned disciple’s skeleton and realized even the surrounding air was dangerous.

• Duan Rong struck the Ghost Thorn Devil Taro away from Du Wan, earning the team’s admiration and praise from Guo Tian.
• The group circled the plant and recognized the gray mass beneath its roots as a God and Demon Remnant, including a broken fingernail as large as a human face.
• Duan Rong spotted immature Azure Flame Grass beneath the plant but left it behind because it would not mature in time.
• The group found skeletal remains and a Taiyi Token beside a fallen boulder, and Lu Chu suggested burying the bones.
• Duan Rong warned that the bones and surrounding ground were poisonous, and the group fled after breathing the toxic air made their noses and throats react.

The group searched for their location in the God and Demon Ruins by comparing a pool with their twenty-nine-year-old map. Duan Rong’s interpretation differed from Lu Chu’s, so they set out to verify it at the next landmark after replenishing their water.

• Su Xinjue struggled with her order to kill Duan Rong, while his cold glance made her fear he had guessed her intentions.
• Guo Tian spotted a yellow-lit pool, and the group used it as a landmark to locate themselves on their maps.
• Lu Chu identified one pool on the map by its shape, but Duan Rong argued that changes over twenty-nine years and the surrounding terrain pointed to another location.
• Lu Chu called for a vote; Guo Tian and Du Wan sided with Duan Rong, while the others supported Lu Chu.
• Duan Rong noted that either route would lead to a distinct next landmark, giving the group a way to check their position.
• Xu Hui tested the pool water with a silver needle, declared it safe, and the group filled their Silver Cups and drank.