Chapter Summaries

Duan Rong learned why Divine Intent Gate had announced Zhuang Tairu’s Nascent Soul so early, while Xu Hui explained the deaths in the God and Demon Ruins to Taiyi Sect’s elders. Zhu He visited Duan Rong late at night and revealed that he had once planned to hand over his intelligence network to him.

• Duan Rong understood that Divine Intent Gate had publicized Zhuang Tairu’s breakthrough to prepare for the Old Ancestor’s passing and prevent unrest.
• Xu Hui told Zhu He and the elders that Yang Sui had died to an evil entity and Du Wan and Su Xinjue had died in the God and Demon Illusion.
• Zhu He asked how many illusions Xu Hui had entered and learned they had been Jiang Hanyan’s and Duan Rong’s obsessions.
• Zhu He finished handling sect affairs, then secretly traveled to Duan Rong’s residence and asked Shen Mizhi to wake him.
• Zhu He reminded Duan Rong of their plan to bring down Ge Rusong and explained that the attendant who had traveled with him managed Zhu He’s intelligence network.

Duan Rong refused Zhu He's offer to manage the Taiyi Sect's intelligence network and revealed that he had obtained a God and Demon Imprint. After giving Xiao Yu his plan to visit Deep Valley, he arrived to wait outside Lü Yinlin's cave and began examining the imprint and his gains from the ruins.

• Duan Rong told Zhu He that he had obtained a God and Demon Imprint, and explained that wicked deeds might earn the Gods and Devils' approval.
• Zhu He gave Duan Rong the Dew-Drinking Cicada for protection and told him he would be away from the sect for a month.
• Duan Rong told Xiao Yu he would go to Deep Valley immediately to learn how Lü Qingzhu was doing, and Xiao Yu supported his decision.
• Duan Rong reached Lü Yinlin's cave and told Lü Zhongtang that Lü Yinlin had said Lü Qingzhu would not die.
• Duan Rong examined his Five-Colored Intent Ruyi Pearl in the Luminous Consciousness Sea and found the unrefined God and Demon Imprint circling it as a mass of eerie red light.

Duan Rong waited outside Lü Yinlin’s cave while refining a God and Demon Imprint, and Lü Qingzhu emerged healed after five days. Lü Yinlin then summoned Duan Rong and was stunned when Duan Rong confirmed he had obtained a God and Demon Imprint.

• Duan Rong warned Lü Zhongtang that Li Ruojian was dangerous, and both men ignored Li Ruojian when he tried to curry favor with fruit.
• Duan Rong spent five days refining the imprint and learned that it granted the escape Mystical Power Bloodlight Divine Shadow Escape.
• Lü Qingzhu emerged from Lü Yinlin’s cave fully recovered, reunited with Duan Rong and Lü Zhongtang, and began reconciling with her father.
• Lü Zhongtang, Duan Rong, and Lü Qingzhu thanked Lü Yinlin together before Lü Yinlin summoned Duan Rong into the cave.
• Lü Yinlin asked whether Duan Rong had obtained a God and Demon Imprint, and Duan Rong’s confirmation shocked him into coughing.

Duan Rong learned that Bloodlight Divine Shadow Escape was one of only three escape-type Mystical Powers known in the Nine Provinces, then saw Lü Yinlin demonstrate his own Clone Shadow Transformation. Lü Yinlin gave Duan Rong a year and access to Taiyi Sect’s resources to reach the Cave Illumination Realm, while Duan Rong later reunited with Lü Qingzhu’s family and arranged to move Xiao Yu and Zhu Xiaoqi into the Lü Family Estate for safety.

• Duan Rong told Lü Yinlin he had refined part of the God and Demon Imprint and learned it was the escape-type Mystical Power Bloodlight Divine Shadow Escape.
• Lü Yinlin explained that only three escape-type Mystical Powers had appeared in the Nine Provinces and demonstrated Clone Shadow Transformation by splitting into three figures.
• Lü Yinlin gave Duan Rong one year to reach the Cave Illumination Realm and authorized him to request whatever resources he needed from Chu Wushang.
• Duan Rong considered how his deepened comprehension of intent and the Five-Colored Ruyi Pearl might help him break through, while worrying about the Cave Illumination Realm elder Shen Tu Ying.
• Duan Rong joined Lü Zhongtang, Lü Qingzhu, and Li Baoyue for a family meal, where Lü Qingzhu and Lü Zhongtang reconciled.
• Duan Rong accepted Li Baoyue’s offer to prepare a courtyard in the Lü Family Estate so Xiao Yu and Zhu Xiaoqi could live somewhere safer, then drank with Lü Zhongtang.

Duan Rong settled into the Lü Family Estate with Lü Qingzhu and prepared its abandoned Cultivation Secret Chamber for use. Lü Zhongtang then urged him to divorce Xiao Yu, make Lü Qingzhu his principal wife, and remarry Xiao Yu as a concubine, leaving Duan Rong furious and unwilling to consider it.

• After drinking with Lü Zhongtang, Duan Rong used Misty Supreme Yang Qi to dispel most of the alcohol before he and Lü Qingzhu spent the night together.
• Lü Qingzhu told Duan Rong she would help prepare a residence at the Lü Family Estate so they could live there and bring Sister Xiao over.
• Duan Rong found the estate's abandoned Cultivation Secret Chamber and asked Lü Zhongtang to have it reopened for his cultivation.
• Lü Zhongtang ordered Han Cheng to retrieve the key and arrange for the Cultivation Secret Chamber to be cleaned and repaired.
• Lü Zhongtang proposed that Duan Rong divorce Xiao Yu, make Lü Qingzhu his principal wife, and later take Xiao Yu back as a concubine.
• Duan Rong rejected the proposal, insisted Xiao Yu was his properly wedded wife, and left while questioning whether Lü Zhongtang's plan considered her interests.

Duan Rong finished refining the strange red light after three days of meditation, then toured the restored Lü Family Estate courtyard with Lü Qingzhu. When they went to fetch Xiao Yu, they learned Lü Zhongtang had pressured her to become a concubine, but Duan Rong and Lü Qingzhu reassured her that she remained his wife; Duan Rong still wanted the family to move into the Lü Family Estate despite Xiao Yu’s unease.

• Duan Rong meditated for three days in a stone pavilion, refining the strange red light until Lü Qingzhu came to bring him to the restored courtyard.
• Duan Rong and Lü Qingzhu toured the renovated residence, agreed to bring Xiao Yu there, and flew to Shang Xiangyu’s mountain courtyard.
• Duan Rong and Lü Qingzhu found Xiao Yu crying, and Shen Mizhi revealed that Lü Zhongtang had urged her to become a concubine and threatened to involve the Old Ancestor.
• Xiao Yu offered to become a concubine, but Duan Rong affirmed that she was his lawful wife, while Lü Qingzhu promised to speak with her father.
• Duan Rong and Lü Qingzhu told Xiao Yu they planned to move into the Lü Family Estate, and Duan Rong insisted they proceed despite her reluctance.

Duan Rong moved Xiao Yu and Zhu Xiaoqi into the Lü Family Estate to keep them safe, while Lü Zhongtang struggled with Xiao Yu’s place in the family. At dinner, Lü Zhongtang accepted wine from Xiao Yu and acknowledged her status, then resolved not to raise the matter again.

• Duan Rong persuaded Xiao Yu to move into the Lü Family Estate, and she and Zhu Xiaoqi packed their belongings and moved there.
• Lü Zhongtang learned Xiao Yu had moved in and went to her room, where he tried to suggest that Lü Qingzhu should have the east wing.
• Lü Qingzhu insisted Xiao Yu should occupy the honored east wing, and Lü Zhongtang left after seeing that Duan Rong’s household stood united.
• Duan Rong invited Lü Zhongtang and Li Baoyue to dinner and asked Xiao Yu to offer them wine on his behalf.
• Lü Zhongtang accepted and drank Xiao Yu’s wine, acknowledging her status, and later told Li Baoyue he would not raise the matter again.

Duan Rong completed refining the God and Demon Imprint and tested the Bloodlight Divine Shadow Escape, discovering its immense speed and heavy cost to his soul. Back in the Cultivation Secret Chamber, he examined the Five-Colored Ruyi Pearl and found that its faint glow was visible to his eyes but impossible for his thoughts to perceive.

• Lü Qingzhu and Xiao Yu refurbished the courtyard while Zhu Xiaoqi made a vegetable patch, and Duan Rong secluded himself in the Cultivation Secret Chamber.
• After more than ten days of motionless cultivation, Duan Rong completely refined the strange red light of the God and Demon Imprint.
• Duan Rong tested Bloodlight Escape on remote mountain peaks and discovered that it could carry him across several li almost instantly, but his soul could endure only about ten uses.
• Duan Rong returned exhausted, where Xiao Yu tended to him with food, sweet soup, and a warm wash before he fell asleep.
• The next morning, Duan Rong returned to the secret chamber and saw the Five-Colored Ruyi Pearl's faint glow, which he could see with his eyes but could not sense through thought.

Duan Rong failed to understand the Five-Colored Ruyi Pearl, so he postponed investigating it and focused on cultivation. After two months of refining high-grade primordial beast blood essence, he reached the Qi Cyclone Realm Second Level, then obtained more essence and learned that Lü Yinlin wanted to see him before he Condensed the Cave of Darkness.

• Duan Rong studied the Five-Colored Ruyi Pearl but could not perceive its faint glow, so he decided to ask Lü Yinlin about it before attempting to Condense the Cave of Darkness.
• Duan Rong spent two months refining high-grade primordial beast blood essence and advanced to the Qi Cyclone Realm Second Level.
• Duan Rong emerged from seclusion, reunited with Xiao Yu and Lü Qingzhu, and visited Lü Zhongtang the next morning.
• Duan Rong flew to Chu Wushang's Thatched Hut and asked for more high-grade primordial beast blood essence.
• Chu Wushang gave Duan Rong two bottles and told him Lü Yinlin had left the valley, but had instructed Duan Rong to consult him before Condensing the Cave of Darkness.

Duan Rong emerged from seclusion for the Xiao Man Festival and joined Xiao Yu and Lü Qingzhu at Lü Zhongtang’s family gathering. Lü Qingzhu’s pregnancy brought the family joy, while Xiao Yu realized that her own infertility had been the reason she and Duan Rong had no children.

• During Duan Rong’s two months in seclusion, Lü Qingzhu patiently guided Shen Mizhi in sword practice, and Shen Mizhi grew deeply respectful of her.
• Xiao Yu and Lü Qingzhu gathered Su Mang Herb and went to the Cultivation Secret Chamber to invite Duan Rong to the Xiao Man Festival; he finished refining the beast blood essence and promised to return before dawn.
• Duan Rong visited Xiao Yu during the night, and the next day he joined Xiao Yu and Lü Qingzhu at Lü Zhongtang’s family banquet.
• Lü Qingzhu became nauseated during the meal, and Duan Rong felt her pulse and confirmed that she was pregnant.
• Xiao Yu realized that her own infertility had kept her from having children and felt grateful that Duan Rong had never blamed or despised her.

Duan Rong treated Lü Qingzhu’s pregnancy nausea, and Lü Zhongtang persuaded her to move back to his courtyard so her family could care for her. Meanwhile, Xiao Yu sent Zhu Xiaoqi to Duan Rong’s bed, but he rejected her and ordered her to leave.

• Duan Rong prescribed mild herbs for Lü Qingzhu’s nausea, and Lü Zhongtang fetched the medicine from the Herb Pavilion.
• After taking the medicine, Lü Qingzhu felt relief and fell into a deep sleep, while Lü Zhongtang persuaded her to stay in his courtyard during her pregnancy.
• Back in their own courtyard, Xiao Yu complained that Lü Qingzhu was guarding against them and told Zhu Xiaoqi she needed her help.
• Duan Rong monitored Lü Qingzhu’s condition throughout the day before returning to his courtyard that night.
• Xiao Yu helped Duan Rong prepare for bed, and Zhu Xiaoqi later climbed into bed beside him wearing only a dudou.
• Duan Rong recognized Zhu Xiaoqi, ordered her to get out, and lay awake considering how troublesome it would be to take another woman.

Xiao Yu persuaded Duan Rong to let Zhu Xiaoqi serve him, hoping Zhu Xiaoqi could bear an heir for her branch of the family, while struggling with jealousy. The next morning, Duan Rong had left, and Xiao Yu coldly rejected Zhu Xiaoqi’s breakfast buns.

• Xiao Yu brought Zhu Xiaoqi before Duan Rong and asked him to let her leave an heir for Xiao Yu’s branch of the family.
• Duan Rong agreed after Zhu Xiaoqi quietly confirmed that she was willing to serve him, and Xiao Yu left them alone together.
• Xiao Yu listened to Zhu Xiaoqi’s cries from outside the east wing, drank with Shen Mizhi, and passed out; Shen Mizhi carried her to bed, where she muttered that she hated Duan Rong.
• Duan Rong left for the Cultivation Secret Chamber before Zhu Xiaoqi woke, and Zhu Xiaoqi felt quietly happy that she had become his woman.
• Xiao Yu asked Zhu Xiaoqi about the buns she had made, then said she hated their minced pork and dried long bean filling and left the kitchen.

Duan Rong learned that Zhu Xiaoqi was pregnant, and Xiao Yu took her out of household work while struggling with her own longing for a child. After Lü Qingzhu learned of Zhu Xiaoqi’s pregnancy, she told Duan Rong she understood why Xiao Yu wanted descendants in her branch of the household.

• At breakfast, Duan Rong told Xiao Yu that Zhu Xiaoqi was pregnant and stopped her from attending him at night.
• Xiao Yu informed Zhu Xiaoqi of the pregnancy and insisted that she rest, taking over her chores and making food herself.
• Shen Mizhi mocked Xiao Yu’s misshapen buns, while the household adjusted to Zhu Xiaoqi no longer working.
• Li Baoyue told Lü Zhongtang that Zhu Xiaoqi was pregnant, and they suspected Xiao Yu had arranged for her to bear Duan Rong’s child.
• Six days later, Duan Rong checked Lü Qingzhu’s pulse, adjusted her medicine, and heard her say that she understood Xiao Yu’s need for descendants in her branch.

Duan Rong examined Zhu Xiaoqi, discussed the danger of growing closer to her while she was pregnant, and withdrew into bitter cultivation. Four months later, he reached Qi Cyclone Realm Great Perfection and drew Heaven and Earth Essence Qi from the surrounding area.

• Duan Rong examined Zhu Xiaoqi and found her pulse healthy, so he advised against giving her pregnancy medicine before she had symptoms.
• Duan Rong told Zhu Xiaoqi that they could not share further intimacy if she was to survive peacefully in Xiao Yu's household, while Xiao Yu overheard part of their conversation.
• Xiao Yu waited for Duan Rong to return for dinner, but he stayed with Lü Zhongtang and then went to the secret chamber, leaving her alone that night.
• Over the following days, Zhu Xiaoqi developed nausea and Duan Rong prescribed medicine for her, while he continued cultivating in the secret chamber and emerged once every six days.
• Four months later, Duan Rong opened his eyes and formed a fourth-layer Great Perfection qi cyclone that connected him to Heaven and Earth Essence Qi within several miles.

Duan Rong attained Qi Cyclone Realm Great Perfection and discovered how it let him perceive the flow of air and Heaven and Earth Essence Qi, transforming his understanding of martial arts. After advising Shen Mizhi to follow her own sword path, he left to seek Lü Yinlin’s guidance about advancing to the Cave Illumination Realm and the Five-Colored Ruyi Pearl.

• Duan Rong reached Qi Cyclone Realm Great Perfection and realized that its perception of breath allowed martial arts to become formless and responsive to the surroundings.
• Duan Rong returned to his courtyard early and told Shen Mizhi that she needed to preserve her own sword path instead of copying Lü Qingzhu’s style.
• Shen Mizhi reconsidered her training, practiced with renewed confidence, and began incorporating only the parts of Lü Qingzhu’s teaching that suited her.
• Duan Rong decided to consult Lü Yinlin about advancing to the Cave Illumination Realm and the strange radiance of the Five-Colored Ruyi Pearl.
• Duan Rong flew away from the courtyard, and Xiao Yu arrived afterward and grew suspicious when Shen Mizhi said he had already come and gone.

Duan Rong reached Qi Cyclone Realm Great Perfection and visited Lü Yinlin, who gave him a booklet about Condensing the Cave of Darkness and explained its three perilous trials. Duan Rong left to study the guidance, still concerned about the mysterious Five-Colored Ruyi Pearl and the risks of advancing.

• Duan Rong arrived at Chu Wushang’s hut, where Chu Wushang remarked on how quickly he had reached Qi Cyclone Realm Great Perfection.
• Duan Rong visited Lü Yinlin, who asked about Qing Zhu’s pregnancy and gave him a booklet recording his experience Condensing the Cave of Darkness.
• Lü Yinlin explained the trials of overcoming heart demons, comprehending the Law of Power through Intent Origin, and using the Law of Power to condense Cave Illumination.
• Lü Yinlin assured Duan Rong that his Intent was deep enough to support a Law of Power with room to grow, while Duan Rong kept his concerns about the Five-Colored Ruyi Pearl to himself.
• Duan Rong learned that Lü Yinlin had taken three years to condense Cave Illumination but expected Duan Rong to manage it in one year with the booklet’s guidance.
• Duan Rong bowed to Lü Yinlin and left to study the booklet.

Duan Rong became engrossed in an ancient notebook about Condensing the Cave of Darkness, neglecting food, sleep, and his family. Xiao Yu and Lü Qingzhu feared he was trapped by an inner demon, but he explained that the Old Ancestor had given him the notebook to study, leaving them relieved.

• Duan Rong returned from seclusion and began studying the ancient notebook Lü Yinlin had given him, finding its questions about advancing to the Cave Illumination Realm compelling.
• Xiao Yu found Duan Rong absorbed in the notebook and unable to respond, while Shen Mizhi said he had only given her swordsmanship advice.
• Duan Rong skipped dinner and stayed up reading, so Xiao Yu repeatedly brought him tea and worried as he continued through a second sleepless night.
• Xiao Yu told Lü Qingzhu about Duan Rong's behavior, and Lü Qingzhu suspected he was researching how to dispel an inner demon.
• Lü Qingzhu and Xiao Yu visited Duan Rong, who clarified that the Old Ancestor had given him the notebook to study and reassured them.

After studying Lü Yinlin’s notes on Condensing the Cave of Darkness, Duan Rong suspected the radiance from the Five-Colored Ruyi Pearl might be the Glimmer of Law, a sign that he was nearing comprehension of the Law of Power. He resolved to question Old Ancestor Lü Yinlin, while continuing to ponder the notes at home.

• After five sleepless days studying the yellowed booklet, Duan Rong closed it and let Xiao Yu help him rest.
• The next day, Duan Rong sat on the Stone Steps and pondered Lü Yinlin’s account of the Glimmer of Law and the second critical juncture.
• Duan Rong wondered whether the Five-Colored Ruyi Pearl’s radiance was the Glimmer of Law and planned indirect questions to ask Old Ancestor Lü Yinlin.
• Duan Rong stayed absorbed in thought until evening, and Xiao Yu told Shen Mizhi and Zhu Xiaoqi not to disturb him.
• At dinner, Duan Rong joined the others for Zhu Xiaoqi’s sour mushroom soup, then praised Shen Mizhi’s remark about how progress grew harder and stranger the deeper one advanced.

Duan Rong studied Lü Yinlin’s notes on Condensing the Cave of Darkness and went to ask him about heart demons and the Glimmer of Law. Lü Yinlin’s explanation matched the strange light from Duan Rong’s Five-Colored Ruyi Pearl, but Duan Rong’s early experience of it remained unexplained.

• Xiao Yu admired Duan Rong’s calligraphy, and Duan Rong explained that his cultivation had improved his artistic conception.
• Duan Rong spent the night comparing his own account of Condensing the Cave of Darkness with Lü Yinlin’s notes while Xiao Yu brought him tea and pastries.
• Duan Rong visited Lü Yinlin and learned that any remaining heart demons could disrupt comprehending the Law of Power or condensing the Cave of Darkness.
• Lü Yinlin explained that the Glimmer of Law appeared when Intent Origin approached the Law of Power Gate and could be seen with the inward-looking eye, though not perceived by divine sense.
• Duan Rong recognized that Lü Yinlin’s description matched the light from his Five-Colored Ruyi Pearl, which had begun glowing long before he started Condensing the Cave of Darkness.
• Lü Yinlin said such an early Glimmer of Law was theoretically possible but unheard of, comparing it to a river flooding and irrigating every field along its banks.

Duan Rong resolved his doubts about condensing the Cave of Darkness with Lü Yinlin and planned to enter seclusion after Lü Qingzhu gave birth. He named Lü Qingzhu’s unborn son Si Shen and entrusted Lü Zhongtang with looking after Lü Qingzhu, the child, and Zhu Xiaoqi during his absence.

• Duan Rong understood how Intent Origin corresponded with the Law of Power and asked Lü Yinlin questions until his doubts about the three hurdles were resolved.
• Duan Rong concluded that the Five-Colored Ruyi Pearl emitted a Glimmer of Law and decided to enter seclusion after Lü Qingzhu gave birth and he had consolidated his Great Perfection Realm.
• Duan Rong visited Lü Qingzhu, checked her pulse, and helped her walk in the courtyard despite Li Baoyue’s initial concern.
• Duan Rong drew water from the pond to write the name Si Shen on a pillar, and Lü Qingzhu happily accepted it for their son.
• Duan Rong told Lü Zhongtang he planned to condense the Cave of Darkness and asked him to protect Lü Qingzhu, their child, Zhu Xiaoqi, and her unborn child while he was away.
• Lü Zhongtang agreed to care for them and promised that no one in the Taiyi Sect would harm them.