Chapter Summaries

Lu Quanan led a party toward the Profound Sword Pavilion after learning that the Golden Sun Temple had attacked it, but their journey through the Beast Ridge Mountains was ambushed by a blood mist and a demon beast tide. As Lu Quanan went to confront a stronger beast, Yi Yang and the others prepared to defend themselves while Mo Huairen and Xu Yan waited to attack them.

• Lu Song left the tent with Han Zhengqing after learning that the Golden Sun Temple had attacked the Profound Sword Pavilion and Zhao Huairen had died.
• Lu Quanan ordered a party to investigate the attack, then led them through the forest toward the Profound Sword Pavilion.
• Yi Yang detected blood in the air and shouted a warning, but a corrosive blood mist engulfed the middle of the party before Lu Quanan dispersed it with a wave of Qi Force.
• Three late True Astral demon beasts and a horde of mutant beasts surrounded the party as an even stronger presence approached from the forest.
• Lu Quanan went to confront the True Astral Perfection presence while Yi Yang, Xiao Zhengyan, Kongwu, and the others formed up against the beasts.
• Mo Huairen and Xu Yan hid nearby and waited for the beast tide to scatter the party so they could attack Yi Yang and the others.

Yi Yang killed Mo Huairen and the Armored Giant Lizard after luring them into the forest, then defeated Mo Huairen’s transformed Blood Demon Body. As Yi Yang looked toward Xiao Zhengyan’s fight, a piercing scream sounded.

• The demon beasts attacked the Heaven Patrol Office party, and Yi Yang found a weak spot in the Armored Giant Lizard’s scales but failed to wound it deeply.
• Mo Huairen ambushed Yi Yang, but Yi Yang sensed and repelled him before leading him and the giant lizard into a dense forest.
• Yi Yang used his mental power to stun Mo Huairen and wounded him with Azure Dragon Emerges from the Abyss, then split the giant lizard’s head with another strike.
• Mo Huairen activated the Blood Demon Body and transformed into a monster, but Yi Yang dodged its attacks and decapitated it with a final saber strike.
• Yi Yang searched Mo Huairen’s remains and looked toward Xiao Zhengyan’s battle when he heard a piercing scream.

Yi Yang returned to the battlefield, where Xiao Zhengyan had been killed by Xu Yan, and killed Xu Yan before helping Kongwu and Kongyue defeat the One-Horned Savage Bull. As the mutant beasts retreated, Lu Quanan displayed power beyond True Astral Perfection in the forest, and a figure emerged from the trees.

• Yi Yang retrieved a Monster Core from the giant lizard and stored it in his Bronze Ring.
• Xiao Zhengyan killed the White-Browed Giant Tiger with his Mountain-Quenching Form, but Xu Yan pierced his heart with a hidden short sword.
• Yi Yang killed Xu Yan with a Wood-Nurturing Astral Force slash, then joined Kongwu and Kongyue in killing the One-Horned Savage Bull.
• With the leading beasts dead, the mutant beasts retreated, and Xu Min led the Pacification Guards in pursuit.
• A towering astral phantom resembling Lu Quanan smashed the forest, revealing power beyond True Astral Perfection, before a figure walked out of the woods.

Lu Quanan revealed overwhelming strength by bringing back the slain serpent’s head, then ordered Yi Yang to command the Evil Punishment Office as the survivors set out for the Profound Sword Pavilion. Meanwhile, the Golden Sun Temple’s surprise assault forced Xu Yuhu and the remaining defenders to retreat to the rear mountain, where they faced Abbot Xuanyi and at least five True Astral experts.

• Lu Quanan dropped the enormous severed serpent head into the clearing and announced that the Beast Tide’s leading Demon Beast had been eliminated.
• Lu Quanan appointed Yi Yang to command the Evil Punishment Office, and Yi Yang organized the wounded, the dead, and the surviving guards.
• Yi Yang wondered about Lu Quanan’s realm and the Golden Sun Temple’s attack as the group rode toward the Profound Sword Pavilion.
• Xu Yuhu emerged from secluded cultivation and found the Golden Sun Temple breaching the Profound Sword Pavilion’s front mountain formations.
• Xu Yuhu ordered the defenders to abandon the front mountain and retreat to the rear mountain’s core hall after Elder Zhao Huairen was killed.
• Xu Yuhu recognized the Golden Sun Temple’s Abbot Xuanyi among the attackers and realized the remaining defenders faced at least five True Astral experts.

Xu Yuhu was betrayed by He Dingbo and left gravely wounded as the Golden Sun Temple attacked the Profound Sword Pavilion. Lu Song and Han Zhengqing tried to save the survivors, while Yi Yang’s group reached the burning mountain and found fleeing disciples under pursuit.

• Xu Yuhu fought Xuanyi, but He Dingbo stabbed him from behind and Xuanyi struck him down.
• Lu Song and Han Zhengqing arrived at the burning Profound Sword Pavilion and learned that He Dingbo had betrayed Xu Yuhu.
• Lu Song ran to the rear mountain while Han Zhengqing led the young disciples toward the northern forest and turned to hold off their pursuers.
• Yi Yang detected the attack while riding with Lu Quanan, who rushed ahead to reinforce the sect and ordered Yi Yang to rescue people on the outskirts.
• Yi Yang found a group of injured people fleeing through the forest with Golden Sun Temple warriors chasing them and rode to intervene.

Yi Yang defeated Golden Sun Temple elder Xuanjue and helped Kongwu and Kongyue restrain Xuanyu, who appeared to be under a spell. After learning that He Dingbo had betrayed Profound Sword Pavilion and that Xu Yuhu was battling the abbot at the mountain gate, Yi Yang rushed to intervene as Xu Yuhu began to lose ground.

• Yi Yang and Kongwu identified Golden Sun Temple elders Xuanyu and Xuanjue, then attacked to rescue Han Zhengqing and the Profound Sword Pavilion disciples.
• Yi Yang overwhelmed Xuanjue with Mysterious Abyss and Profound Intent Calamity-Extinguishing Finger, then pinned him alive.
• Kongwu and Kongyue subdued Xuanyu and noticed his bloodshot, unfocused eyes and frenzied behavior, suggesting someone had put him under a spell.
• A wounded disciple told Yi Yang that He Dingbo had betrayed the pavilion master and that the abbot had trapped him in the rear mountain hall; Yi Yang said Chief Inspector Lu Quanan had gone ahead.
• Yi Yang saw Xu Yuhu's Phantom Flying Sword falter against Xuanyi's golden Buddha phantom, left Kongwu and Kongyue to guard the wounded and prisoners, and hurried toward the mountain gate.

Xu Yuhu lost his battle with Xuanyi, but Lu Quanan arrived before the monk could kill him and forced Xuanyi to flee. Lu Quanan learned that a hidden Nine Evil Sect expert had orchestrated the attack to seize the Profound Sword Pavilion’s Xuannian Stone.

• Xu Yuhu summoned his flying-sword phantom to fight Xuanyi, but Xuanyi trapped and shattered it, leaving Xu Yuhu gravely injured.
• As Xuanyi prepared to finish Xu Yuhu, Lu Quanan arrived and struck at him; Xuanyi recognized that he could not win and fled north.
• Lu Quanan treated Xu Yuhu with two pills and heard his account of the Golden Sun Temple’s surprise attack, He Dingbo’s betrayal, and Zhao Huairen’s death.
• Xu Yuhu suspected that He Dingbo had been controlled by the Nine Evil Sect’s Heart-Control Technique, which required a Profound Connection Realm expert.
• Lu Quanan identified the likely mastermind as an old adversary who had survived and hidden for more than a decade.
• Lu Quanan asked about the Xuannian Stone, and Xu Yuhu realized the attack had been orchestrated to steal the sect’s treasure.

Yi Yang encountered the wounded Xuanyi, Abbot of the Golden Sun Temple, in the forest and tried to flee when Xuanyi demanded Mysterious Abyss. Unable to escape, Yi Yang fought back, and the chapter ended with Xuanyi launching a combined palm-and-fist attack.

• Yi Yang sensed a powerful presence and discovered that the wounded Xuanyi was approaching through the forest.
• Xuanyi began to leave, but recognized Mysterious Abyss on Yi Yang's back and demanded that he hand over the saber.
• Yi Yang tried to run toward Lu Quanan, but Xuanyi appeared in his path and threatened him into a confrontation.
• Yi Yang blocked Xuanyi's Demon-Subduing Vajra Fist with Mysterious Abyss, and the saber cut Xuanyi's knuckles through his Astral Energy.
• Xuanyi identified Mysterious Abyss as the Golden Sun Temple's lost Spirit Weapon and attacked Yi Yang with Great Compassion Barrier-Breaking Palm and another Demon-Subduing Vajra Fist.

Yi Yang awakened Mysterious Abyss and used its power, his martial arts, and a mental assault to defeat and behead Xuanyi. Before searching Xuanyi's corpse, he heard a voice from the severed head warn that someone would come for an item; Yi Yang found a rune-engraved golden prayer bead and headed toward the mountain behind the Profound Sword Pavilion.

• Yi Yang fought Xuanyi's attacks and endured repeated blows while using his saber technique and resilient physique to stay alive.
• Xuanyi summoned a weakened Buddha phantom, but Yi Yang awakened Mysterious Abyss and severed one of its arms with a powerful saber strike.
• Yi Yang withstood the phantom's palm, struck Xuanyi's shoulder with the Profound Intent Calamity-Extinguishing Finger, and unleashed an all-out mental attack that disrupted the monk's control.
• Yi Yang shattered the Buddha phantom, wounded Xuanyi through Xu Yuhu's old sword scar, and beheaded him with Mysterious Abyss.
• Xuanyi's severed head spoke in another voice, telling Yi Yang to keep an item safe and promising that someone would come for it.
• Yi Yang searched Xuanyi's corpse, found a rune-engraved golden prayer bead with a thread of scarlet light, and carried it toward the mountain behind the Profound Sword Pavilion.

Yi Yang returned to the Profound Sword Pavilion with Xuanyi’s head and learned that Yin Xi of the Nine Evil Sect had stolen the Profound Thought Stone. Lu Quanan assigned Yi Yang and Zhao Xunge to deal with the remaining Golden Sun Temple forces, leaving them to act under orders to subdue the monks when possible.

• Yi Yang showed Xu Yuhu and Lu Song Xuanyi’s severed head and explained that he had defeated the wounded abbot.
• Yi Yang told Xu Yuhu that the Pavilion’s disciples and Han Zhengqing were safe under the Pacification Guard’s protection.
• Lu Quanan revealed that Yin Xi of the Nine Evil Sect had stolen the Profound Thought Stone and escaped before he arrived.
• Zhao Xunge arrived, and Lu Quanan explained that Xuanyi had led the assault under the Nine Evil Sect elder’s influence.
• Lu Quanan asked Yi Yang and Zhao Xunge to handle the remaining Golden Sun Temple forces, ordering them to subdue the monks whenever possible.

As Yi Yang descended the mountain with Zhao Xunge, the prayer bead taken from Xuanyi began filling with bloody light, suggesting a connection to Zhao Xunge or something he carried. Yi Yang returned to Lu Quanan with Zhao Xunge and used a story about a message from Xiao Zhengyan to signal that something was wrong; Lu Quanan understood and asked what the message was.

• Zhao Xunge invited Yi Yang to descend together, then questioned him about Mysterious Abyss, his achievements, and his rapid cultivation.
• While walking with Zhao Xunge, Yi Yang sensed the prayer bead from Xuanyi pulsing and discovered its bloody light had grown, leading him to suspect a connection to Zhao Xunge.
• Yi Yang claimed he had forgotten an urgent message from Xiao Zhengyan and said he needed to return to Lu Quanan.
• Zhao Xunge accompanied Yi Yang back to the main hall, where Lu Quanan recognized that Yi Yang's mention of the dead Xiao Zhengyan signaled trouble.
• Yi Yang told Lu Quanan that Xiao Zhengyan had asked him to pass something on, and Lu Quanan asked what it was.

Yi Yang exposed Zhao Xunge as being connected to the Nine Evil Sect with the Buddhist Prayer Bead. After Lu Quanan struck Zhao Xunge down, a monk escaped from his body, and Xu Yuhu and Lu Song identified him as Xuanding, whom they thought had died fifteen years earlier.

• Yi Yang noticed that the Buddhist Prayer Bead’s crimson color receded when he returned to the hall, confirming that it reacted to Zhao Xunge.
• Yi Yang told the others that Xiao Zhengyan had warned him something was wrong with Zhao Xunge, who protested and tried to leave.
• Yi Yang threw the Buddhist Prayer Bead toward Zhao Xunge, and it turned completely blood-red when it touched his sleeve.
• Zhao Xunge shattered the bead and attacked Xu Yuhu and Lu Song before trying to flee, but Yi Yang cut through his fly whisk and Lu Quanan struck him from behind.
• A blood-red figure escaped from Zhao Xunge’s exploding body, and Xu Yuhu and Lu Song recognized the monk as Xuanding, whom they believed had died fifteen years earlier.

Lu Quanan defeated and killed Yin Xi, the Nine Evil Sect elder who had possessed Xuanding’s body, revealing himself as a Profound Connection Realm expert. After the battle, Xu Yuhu explained how he had mistaken Xuanding for dead years earlier and revealed that Xuanding had been Abbot Xuanyi’s biological son.

• Yin Xi fled Xu Yuhu’s hall in Xuanding’s body, but Lu Quanan pursued him and blocked his escape above the rear mountain.
• Xu Yuhu recognized Yin Xi as a Nine Evil Sect elder rather than the real Xuanding, and Lu Quanan overwhelmed his bloodflame techniques with his own power.
• Yin Xi unleashed his Flame Demon Body, blood sea, and Heartflame Blood Sword, but Lu Quanan broke his attacks and killed him with a single palm strike.
• Xu Yuhu told Yi Yang that he had wounded Xuanding years earlier after Xuanding demanded the Xuannian Stone, and that he had mistakenly believed Xuanding died.
• Xu Yuhu revealed that Xuanding was Abbot Xuanyi’s biological son, and Lu Quanan returned to the hall.

After the battle at Profound Sword Pavilion, Lu Quanan ordered Golden Sun Temple sealed and placed the damaged sect under protection while Yi Yang uncovered Zhao Xunge’s hidden Storage Jade Pendant and found a way to briefly restore He Dingbo’s clarity. That night, Yi Yang refined Monster Cores and True Pills, but his cultivation was interrupted by an approaching aura.

• Lu Quanan ordered Golden Sun Temple sealed, put Profound Sword Pavilion under Heaven Patrol Office protection, and assigned someone to report Zhao Xunge’s death to Cangwu Mountain.
• Yi Yang searched Zhao Xunge’s remains, found a Storage Jade Pendant, and secretly kept it.
• Xu Min reported that twenty-seven Golden Sun Temple monks had been subdued, and Yi Yang used a Golden Prayer Bead fragment to briefly clear He Dingbo’s madness before ordering him handed over to Profound Sword Pavilion.
• Kongwu returned with Kongyue and the rescued disciples, learned of Xuanyi’s death, and began carrying the wounded through the ruins.
• Yi Yang cultivated in a guest room by refining two Monster Cores and eight True Pills, then sensed an aura approaching within a hundred zhang.

Chief Inspector Lu Quanan explained how Yin Xi survived his defeat, took over Xuanding’s body, and orchestrated Golden Sun Temple’s assault on the Profound Sword Pavilion. He left Yi Yang with the full account and a hint that he might have an assignment for him.

• Lu Quanan told Yi Yang that he had investigated Golden Sun Temple’s Demon-Sealing Cavern and traced the temple’s fall to Xuanyi and Xuanding.
• Lu Quanan revealed that he had severely wounded Yin Xi in White Dragon Marsh over a decade earlier, after which Yin Xi was imprisoned at Golden Sun Temple.
• Lu Quanan explained that Xuanyi kept Yin Xi alive so Xuanding could use the Prajna Demon-Subduing Heart Sutra to convert him and restore his ruined cultivation.
• Lu Quanan said Yin Xi secretly dissolved his flesh, will, and divine soul into Xuanding until he took over Xuanding’s body, while Xuanyi mistakenly believed the conversion was succeeding.
• Lu Quanan revealed that Xuanyi sacrificed monks in an attempt to suppress Yin Xi, but Yin Xi eventually took control of Xuanyi and Golden Sun Temple’s leadership.
• Lu Quanan explained that Yin Xi arranged the beast tide to draw him away from the Prefectural City before attacking the Profound Sword Pavilion for the Xuannian Stone, and Yi Yang asked whether Lu Quanan had an assignment for him.

Lu Quanan gave Yi Yang the Xuannian Stone and explained the five realms of Divine Sense, revealing that Yi Yang was close to Illusion-Breaking. He hinted that someone Yi Yang knew had left a trace of Heavenly Might, but the chapter ended before he named them.

• Lu Quanan told Yi Yang he would need his help with a future task, but that Yi Yang was not yet strong enough and the time had not come.
• Lu Quanan offered Yi Yang the Xuannian Stone, whose immense, pure energy drew a powerful reaction from the Golden-Furred Ape in Yi Yang’s Sea of Consciousness.
• Lu Quanan recognized Yi Yang’s Heart Ape Mind Guarding Art and said Yi Yang’s Divine Sense had nearly reached Illusion-Breaking.
• Lu Quanan described the five Divine Sense realms: Self-Observation, Illusion-Breaking, Spirit-Seizing, Heavenly Might, and Sacred Domain.
• Yi Yang accepted the Xuannian Stone, and Lu Quanan revealed he had seen a trace of Heavenly Might left by someone Yi Yang knew.

Lu Quanan told Yi Yang how Pineclear Daoist founded the Wood-Nurturing Longevity Art and revealed the traces of his power in Clawscale Abyss. After Lu Quanan left, he reassured Yi Yang about Yan Wuyuan’s safety but hinted at her hidden status, and Yi Yang turned to refining the Xuannian Stone.

• Lu Quanan revealed that he and Yi Yang practiced the Wood-Nurturing Longevity Art, which Pineclear Daoist had taught Lu Quanan's grandfather, Lu Sanjin, three hundred years earlier.
• Lu Quanan recounted how he cultivated the art, destroyed the City Lord's Manor, and became Chief Inspector after reaching the true astral realm.
• Lu Quanan told Yi Yang that he had found Pineclear Daoist's lingering aura in Clawscale Abyss, where even Lu Quanan could remain only briefly.
• Lu Quanan said few people in Qing Province City would dare harm Yan Wuyuan, implying that her status was unusual, then left Yi Yang with the unanswered question.
• Yi Yang secured the room and took out the Xuannian Stone to refine it.

Yi Yang used the Xuannian Stone to break through to the Second Divine Sense Realm and awakened a talent that let him cultivate in dreams, but his first dream fight against Lu Quanan ended in a single blow. At the Judgment Hall, Pei Zongyue apologized for his past handling of Xiao Zhengyan and Zhou Yang’s case and offered Yi Yang a century-old black ginseng, leaving Yi Yang with new resources to pursue True Astral Perfection.

• Yi Yang used the Xuannian Stone to shatter the barrier in his Sea of Consciousness, reach the Second Divine Sense Realm, and awaken the Heart Follows Dream Immortal talent.
• Yi Yang entered a dream to test himself against a simulated Lu Quanan, but Lu Quanan defeated him before he could draw Mysterious Abyss, leaving him unable to sleep.
• Yi Yang instructed Xu Min to help the Profound Sword Pavilion handle the aftermath, then traveled alone to the Prefectural City.
• Pei Zongyue acknowledged Yi Yang’s killing of Xuanyi and apologized for not supporting him firmly in the dispute involving Xiao Zhengyan and Zhou Yang.
• Pei Zongyue gave Yi Yang a century-old black ginseng as an apology and pledge of cooperation, and Yi Yang accepted it while considering how it could help him reach True Astral Perfection.

Yi Yang returned to Suining Prefecture and reunited with Jiang Yuexin, bringing her gifts and testing her rapidly improving swordsmanship. He left dinner thinking she needed a suitable advanced cultivation art, possibly one Yan Wuyuan could find in Qing Province.

• Yi Yang bought Jiang Yuexin a treasure artifact sword called Falling Blossoms, along with other gifts and candied hawthorns.
• Yi Yang found Jiang Yuexin training with Liu Qing and learned she had reached the first inner qi level.
• Yi Yang sparred with Jiang Yuexin and was impressed by her adaptable fighting instincts, then reassured her that he could handle the dangers he faced.
• Jiang Yuexin cooked dinner for Yi Yang, who considered asking Yan Wuyuan to help find a suitable advanced cultivation art for her.

Yi Yang discovered a sinister three-headed idol hidden in Zhao Xunge’s Storage Jade Pendant and resisted the Spiritblood True God’s attempt to enslave him. After sealing the idol away, he prepared to advance toward True Astral Realm Completion.

• Yi Yang counted his spirit crystals and other gains, then discovered a dark-gold box concealed inside Zhao Xunge’s Storage Jade Pendant.
• Yi Yang opened the box and saw a three-headed, six-armed idol submerged in pale-gold blood; its eyes opened and the Spiritblood True God ordered him to kneel and accept its power.
• Yi Yang resisted the idol’s temptation by recalling his resolve and Jiang Yuexin’s suffering, then used his Illusion-Breaking divine sense to crush the voice and shut the box.
• Yi Yang hid the box deep in his Bronze Ring and spent an hour calming himself, suspecting that the Spiritblood True God was tied to the deeper secrets of the Nine Evil Sect.
• Yi Yang took out Pei Zongyue’s century-old dark ginseng root and an unrefined Monster Core, resolving to reach True Astral Realm Completion.