Chapter Summaries

Xu Xuan defeated Piluo’s Asura Dharma Body at Great Pei Mountain and drove the hidden influence from his consciousness. The heavenly stele then revealed a new dry yang Dao lineage opposite cold yin, and a decree called on Xu Xuan to balance them and restore the Dao’s order.

• Wu Yan warned Xu Xuan that Piluo’s void-realm fire could seal the Great Void and burn away the formless.
• Xu Xuan and Wu Yan confronted Piluo, and Xu Xuan manifested the Thunder Marsh Saint-Transmuting Body to withstand the Asura’s attacks.
• Xu Xuan used the Five-Demon Life-Devouring Halberd to weaken Piluo’s black fire and pin his Dharma Body to the seabed.
• Xu Xuan drew on his Mysterious Yin Reverse Scale and unleashed Yang Thunder’s Mystic Zenith, severing Piluo’s malevolent ghost face and ending the battle.
• Xu Xuan’s clear qi dissolved the black light in his consciousness, exposing a shadow that the Supreme Clarity Dao Realm placed on the heavenly stele.
• The stele revealed the dry yang Dao lineage opposite cold yin, and a decree instructed Xu Xuan to balance them and restore the order of the Dao.

Xu Xuan and Wu Yan discussed the Greater Yang Crystal Seed, which was held by the wounded Great Asura Obscuring Barrier in the Southern Peacock Kingdom. Xu Xuan left to pursue other matters, while a voice inside Wu Yan revealed plans involving the Western Sea, the Golden Crows, and the Yang Household.

• Xu Xuan pondered how the balance of yin and yang governed mystic qi and the manifestation of the Mystic Position.
• Wu Yan gave Yang Yuanxin the Xiangba Tanfen Scripture and the Jiaoyang Abyss-Sinking Record in exchange for the manual for Crow-Carried Flame.
• Wu Yan told Xu Xuan that the Greater Yang Crystal Seed had passed to Obscuring Barrier, a powerful, wounded Asura watched by Buddhist cultivators of Mount Sumeru.
• Xu Xuan agreed that they might act when the Buddhists moved against Obscuring Barrier, but he left without making a firm commitment.
• Xu Xuan took Yang Yuanxin away in the Thunder Chariot, and a voice warned Wu Yan that the dragon veins and Golden Crows would eventually gather at the Western Sea to Mend Heaven, mentioning the Yang Household.

Dao Yan returned safely and briefed Xu Xuan on the Holy Land and the dangers surrounding the Greater Yang Crystal Seed, then urged him to seek help from the Dragon Court for spirit swords. Xu Xuan set out for Mistcloud Heaven and, back at his Temporary Palace, advanced his thunder marsh Dharma Body, leaving it close to completion and better able to trap foes in the Great Void.

• Dao Yan reunited with Xu Xuan, reviewed Yang Yuanyi’s cultivation of the Jiaoyang Abyss-Sinking Record, and advised caution over the Greater Yang Crystal Seed.
• Dao Yan told Xu Xuan that the factions had suppressed the Sea Eye but warned him about the Great Bliss Pure Land’s sinister methods and its activity along the borders.
• Dao Yan praised Xu Xuan’s standing and advised him to visit the Dragon Court for spirit swords, prompting Xu Xuan to prepare for his journey to Mistcloud Heaven.
• Xu Xuan returned to his Temporary Palace and cultivated his thunder marsh Dharma Body with dragon qi and Primordial Unity Calamity-Free Mystic Thunder.
• Xu Xuan refined his Dharma Body toward completion, gaining power over the Great Void that could hinder an early-stage Purple Mansion opponent from escaping.

Xu Xuan reached Mistcloud Heaven and returned to the Dragon Court, where Mu Changliu greeted him with concealed hostility. He entered the palace to meet Dragon King Guangze, who welcomed him as his son.

• Xu Xuan followed the heavenly road to Mistcloud Heaven and presented his decree at the gateway.
• Jin Xiu welcomed Xu Xuan and escorted him through the Grotto-Heaven to the palace of King Vast Marsh.
• Mu Changliu greeted Xu Xuan as his younger brother, then privately questioned who he was and revealed his suspicion.
• Xu Xuan entered the main palace alone and faced Dragon King Guangze’s overwhelming draconic might.
• Dragon King Guangze appeared on his throne and told Xu Xuan that he had made his father wait.

Xu Xuan met Vast Marsh, who tested his loyalty to Tiantuo before accepting him as his son and revealing Mist Marsh’s plans. The chapter ended with Xu Xuan sent to the clan treasury as he prepared to help reclaim South Mist and guard Sun Lake’s quest for Ren Water.

• Xu Xuan met Vast Marsh in Heaven's Eclipse Palace, where the Dragon King revealed Ren Marsh Palace and explained how Greater Yin constrained the Dragon Court’s Divine Abilities.
• Vast Marsh trapped Xu Xuan in a wine vessel and demanded that he hand over Tiantuo, but Xu Xuan argued that Vast Marsh had no intention of betraying him.
• Xu Xuan presented Tiantuo’s other-shore flower and revealed that Tiantuo was preparing to reincarnate; Vast Marsh accepted Xu Xuan as his son and gave him a cover identity.
• Vast Marsh asked Xu Xuan to reclaim South Mist with Heaven Pool and guard Sun Lake as he sought the Golden Position and pursued Ren Water anew.
• Xu Xuan told Vast Marsh about Mu Wude and the Singing Snake, and Vast Marsh warned that the Golden Crow’s second son remained dead in Baleful Abyss.
• Vast Marsh sent Jin Xiu to take Xu Xuan to the clan treasury to choose a weapon.

Xu Xuan returned to Mist Marsh under Vast Marsh's orders and was welcomed into the Dragon Court's records as a sword cultivator. He arrived at the Spirit Vault, where Jade Gloom revealed an ancient thunder sword chosen for him.

• Vast Marsh rebuked Li Wen for questioning his decisions about his sons and said he would let Changliu and Xu Xuan compete as they wished.
• Mu Changliu separated the gathered demons and let Xu Xuan and Jin Xiu proceed to Heaven's Eclipse's Spirit Vault without obstruction.
• Jin Xiu escorted Xu Xuan through Mist Marsh and praised his swordsmanship as they discussed the Dragon Court's history and the Spirit Vault's treasures.
• Jade Gloom welcomed Xu Xuan on behalf of her father, Heavenly River, and asked him to demonstrate his sword intent for the Dragon Lineage Register.
• Xu Xuan's sword slash shattered layers of the void, and Jade Gloom revealed that a Spirit Artifact named [Lightning Flash] awaited him.

Biyou brought Xu Xuan into the Spirit Vault, where he received the spirit sword [Lightning Flash], the [Plain-String Cold Moon], and a strand of sky thunder to prepare for the fight over Heaven Pool. Outside, Dongfang Che confronted Biyou and Xu Xuan, and Xu Xuan accepted his challenge after Dragon King Guangze and another voice urged him to fight.

• Biyou guided Xu Xuan and Jin Xiu into the Spirit Vault and gave Xu Xuan [Lightning Flash], sealed within the [Plain-String Cold Moon].
• Xu Xuan examined [Lightning Flash], refined it, and planned to use it with the cold moon as the yin-yang foundation of the [Thunder-Grasping Formation Art].
• Biyou ordered Jin Xiu to retrieve a strand of [Violet Firmament Skybolt] reserved by Dongfang Che, insisting it belonged to Mist Marsh kin instead.
• Outside the vault, Dongfang Che appeared aboard a treasure ship and pressed Biyou to discuss their future; she rejected him and identified Xu Xuan as Dragon King Mingdu, Lord Vast Marsh's son.
• Dongfang Che offered Xu Xuan low-grade treasures as a supposed reward, then challenged him to demonstrate his sword intent; Xu Xuan stepped forward to confront him.
• Dragon King Guangze urged Xu Xuan to fight, while another voice told him not to kill Dongfang Che, and Xu Xuan prepared to accept the challenge.

Xu Xuan fought Dongfang Che after Dongfang Che challenged him over Jade Gloom, ultimately defeating him and severing his dragon tendon. Vast Marsh then warned Xu Xuan to leave Ren Marsh before he met the same fate as the others.

• Jade Gloom warned Xu Xuan that Dongfang Che was a powerful Vast Water cultivator, and Dongfang Che confronted her about whose side she was on.
• Xu Xuan and Dongfang Che fought with their Divine Abilities and Spirit Artifacts, and Xu Xuan used his Sword Intent to wound Dongfang Che despite his defenses.
• Dongfang Che used the Origin Branch of Jianmu to recover, but Xu Xuan overwhelmed him in dragon form and tore out his dragon tendon.
• Vast Marsh intervened to stop the fight, and Xu Xuan severed a length of Dongfang Che's tendon before Dongfang Che returned to the Treasure Ship.
• Jade Gloom thanked Xu Xuan for defending her and warned him that Dongfang Che's ties to Dragon King Bright Thunder could bring trouble.
• Vast Marsh told Xu Xuan to leave Ren Marsh before he suffered the same fate as the others.

Xu Xuan left Mistcloud Heaven, encountered Zhou You of the Upper Firmament Sect, and returned to find unrest growing in Heaven Pool. He chose to wait for an opening there while beginning to cultivate the Thunder-Grasping Formation and Ride Without Blame.

• Xu Xuan left Mistcloud Heaven through a shifting gateway and crossed a dangerous, fractured Great Void until Violet Firmament skybolt led him to the Western Sea.
• Xu Xuan met Lin Yu and Zhou You at Green-Sinking Reef, learned that Violet Firmament skybolt resonated with Zhou You’s Great Firmament radiance thunder, and accepted an invitation to discuss the Dao.
• Xu Xuan returned to Flame-Offering Mountain and learned from Yang Yuanxin that unrest was rising in Heaven Pool after Eastern Vast and the Great Salvation Holy Land withdrew from maintaining order.
• Xu Xuan decided to wait for factions in Heaven Pool to weaken before acting, then returned to Mistsea to cultivate the Thunder-Grasping Formation using Lightning Flash and Cold Moon.
• Xu Xuan formed the early yin-and-yang thunder formation and considered seeking greater yin and yang spirit treasures, additional thunder, and the Ride Without Blame divine ability.

Bai Xuan left Northern River after learning that its Dragonkind had lost the cold soul inheritance, while Luo An arranged for a message to reach Mu Youdu in Mist Marsh. Luo An then reflected on Lightning Flash’s emergence and wondered whether Mu Youdu sought to become the Heavenly Dragon within thunder.

• Bai Xuan asked Luo An about Senior Kui Dragon’s pursuit of Heavenly Drum and learned that Northern River’s Dragonkind could not discern his progress.
• Luo An told Bai Xuan that Northern River had lost its cold soul inheritance, and Bai Xuan decided to seek a cultivation method in the Western Sea.
• Luo An asked Bai Xuan to invite Dragon King Youdu of Mist Marsh to the Northern Sea to discuss his Dao path, and Bai Xuan agreed before departing.
• Luo An encountered Xu Gongxiang, who revealed that he had reached Purple Mansion and then returned to Yin Thunder Mountain.
• Luo An sensed that Lightning Flash had entered the Southern Sea and wondered whether Mu Youdu intended to claim its place as the qi that carried lightning.

Xu Xuan completed the initial form of the Thunder-Grasping Formation and learned that Diamond Nanfa had occupied the Pure Harmony Palace at Heaven Pool. He defeated Nanfa and seized his soul, then confronted True Person Kongming, declaring that he had come to collect his debts.

• Xu Xuan summoned the Thunderfire Envoy Deng Zhishu through the newly formed Thunder-Grasping Formation and considered the rare materials and knowledge needed to perfect it.
• Hidden Rosy Clouds reported that Nanfa had established the Great Southern Grace Temple in the Pure Harmony Palace and that Mirage Path wanted to ally with Xu Xuan to take Heaven Pool.
• Xu Xuan went to the Great Southern Grace Temple and demanded that Nanfa return the Pure Harmony Palace.
• When Nanfa refused and threatened him with the Hanging Sky Monastery, Xu Xuan defeated him with his sword and thunder, destroyed his golden body, and seized his soul.
• True Person Kongming arrived but did not intervene, and Xu Xuan told him that he represented the Dragon Court of Great Mist Marsh and had come to collect his debts.

Xu Xuan defeated Great Southern Grace Temple, claimed the Pure Harmony Palace and other possessions of Mist Marsh, and established a foothold in Heaven Pool. After meeting Illusory Visage and discovering the Kunpeng’s connection to Heaven Pool, he began cultivating Ride Without Blame while considering the threat of Ancient Hua.

• Xu Xuan destroyed Great Southern Grace Temple’s formation, defeated Nanfa, and forced him to reveal that the Pure Harmony Palace lay beneath the temple’s main hall.
• Xu Xuan took the Pure Harmony Palace and nearby temples, then imprisoned Nanfa’s spirit and vowed to reclaim Mist Marsh’s possessions.
• Illusory Visage offered Mist Marsh’s preserved possessions and proposed that Xu Xuan join a future effort to kill Ancient Hua.
• Xu Xuan discovered ancient writing linking the Kunpeng to Heaven Pool and suspected the place held a connection to the Dao of yin and yang.
• Xu Xuan settled into the Pure Harmony Palace and began cultivating Ride Without Blame, planning to explore Heaven Pool’s heart once he completed the divine ability.

Zhong Mang and Yun Cang discussed the danger of Ancient Hua and the opportunity sealed in Heaven Pool, while Dao Yan learned from Stolen Script that the Fire Crow clan was being drawn into the Golden Crows’ plans. The chapter ended with Dao Yan remaining committed to serving his lord despite Stolen Script’s warning.

• Zhong Mang retreated after Formed Jade’s Wu-Yi Inert Stone Mysterious Radiance petrified half his demon body, and Yun Cang dispelled the effect.
• Yun Cang revealed that he had refused Illusory Visage’s invitation to kill Ancient Hua because he suspected Illusory Visage also wanted his life and prioritized the opportunity sealed in Heaven Pool.
• Zhong Mang told Yun Cang that a flood dragon from Mistsea had attacked the Great Southern Grace Temple, but Yun Cang decided to let the Dragonkin enter Heaven Pool and help awaken what lay within.
• Dao Yan asked Stolen Script to inspect Heaven Pool, and Stolen Script reported that Mingdu had defeated Nanfa and driven back Kongming.
• Dao Yan told Stolen Script that the Imperial Clan wanted the Fire Crow lineage to help Youdu take Heaven Pool and occupy the Southern Sea, while Stolen Script warned that they were being used to probe the Great Asura.
• Dao Yan defended the Fire Crow clan’s loyalty to Emperor Zhu Ci, and Stolen Script left after warning that those who compromised rarely met a good end.

Xu Xuan reforged Cinnabar Thunder and exchanged [Immortal in the Flame] for the Kunwu Essence-Refining Scripture before returning to Green Peaks to begin Tiantuo’s reincarnation. Tiantuo was reborn in Green-Sinking Reef, within Upper Firmament Sect territory, leaving Xu Xuan wondering how to bring him back.

• True Person Candle Sword reforged Cinnabar Thunder into a purple mansion middle-grade sword and thunder pool with the new marvel [Solemn Execution].
• Xu Xuan exchanged the cultivation text for [Immortal in the Flame] with Candle Sword and received the Kunwu Essence-Refining Scripture.
• Candle Sword discussed the strengths and drawbacks of [Yang-Bearing Origin], prompting Xu Xuan to reconsider Yang Yuanyi and Dao Yan’s motives.
• Xu Xuan sensed that Demon King Bai Xuan had returned to Jade Flow, then continued to Green Peaks with Wang Cheng Yan.
• Xu Xuan used the Life-and-Death Qi Flying Sword to guide Tiantuo’s spiritual radiance into reincarnation.
• Xu Xuan sensed Tiantuo’s rebirth in Green-Sinking Reef, within Upper Firmament Sect territory, and worried about bringing him back.

Ruan Qing gave birth to Ruan Yuan beneath the manifestations of the primordial azure wood, and True Person Zhou You discovered that the child possessed rare origin wood aptitude. Zhou You entrusted Lin Yu with the child’s care and returned to the sect to investigate the lineage, leaving Ruan Yuan’s future likely to attract the attention of other True Persons.

• Lin Yu arrived at Green-Sinking Reef after strange manifestations accompanied Ruan Qing’s childbirth, and True Person Zhou You assured him that mother and child were safe.
• Zhou You examined Ruan Qing’s newborn son, named him Ruan Yuan, and gave him a Jade Treasure Leaf to nourish his root bone.
• Zhou You told Ruan Qing that Ruan Yuan had excellent aptitude and could cultivate under him, while the female cultivators explained the child’s rare spiritual conception.
• Zhou You told Lin Yu that Ruan Yuan was suited to wood virtue and that the manifestations revealed rare origin wood essence, not an affinity for sky thunder.
• Zhou You ordered Lin Yu to oversee Green-Sinking Reef and care for Ruan Yuan, then returned to the sect to investigate the origin wood legacy.
• Lin Yu recognized that Ruan Yuan might secure a place in the purple mansion realm and anticipated that news of the child would alarm the sect’s other True Persons.

Zhou You returned from the Western Sea to report that a child at Green-Sinking Reef had been born with the Primordial Azure Wood’s origin wood aspect, and Bimo explained the omen and entrusted him with the Azure Origin One-Yang Scripture. After he left to visit the Thunder Department, Bimo paid homage to Jian Sui One-Yang Dao Lord’s blank portrait and concluded that the matter fell within her Dao.

• Zhou You arrived at the Azure Cloud Heaven and told Bimo that a disciple at Green-Sinking Reef had conceived a spirit fetus through resonance with the Primordial Azure Wood.
• Bimo explained that the child’s origin wood manifestation resulted from Lesser Yang being stirred and said the birth carried on the Azure Origin Immortal Dao’s legacy.
• Bimo gave Zhou You the Azure Origin One-Yang Scripture and instructed him to watch the situation in the Western Sea.
• Bimo told Zhou You that Zhuoxie was fighting demons of Great Blissful Desire at the frontier and directed Zhou You to visit the Thunder Department and see Mystic Thunder.
• Bimo entered the treasure hall within the ancient tree, paid homage to the portraits of Qingxiao and Qingxu, and offered incense to the blank portrait of Jian Sui One-Yang Dao Lord.
• Bimo attempted to contact Jian Sui with a divine ability, sensed no response, and concluded that the matter fell within her Dao.

Liu Xingfang emerged from seclusion with innate Sword Mystic Qi, while Xu Xuan learned that the Great Bliss Pure Land had attacked Nangang and reached the Six Prefectures. The chapter ended with news that True Person [Zhuoxie] had slain a Demon Manifestation at the Frontier.

• Liu Xingfang completed the Essentials of Fuxi Sword Mystic Qi and emerged from seclusion, where Wu Shaoyue waited to spar and discuss the Dao.
• Xu Xuan sensed Nangang's arrival and discovered the injured cultivator could not speak his Daoist title until Nangang removed a strand of stolen light.
• Nangang told Xu Xuan that a Demon Manifestation of the Great Bliss Pure Land had ambushed him on the West Kang Plains and stolen his Daoist title.
• Nangang asked Xu Xuan to accompany him to the Formless Temple to avenge the insult and investigate the threat to Arhat [Wisdom Nature].
• Xu Xuan received a Thunder Department decree congratulating True Person [Zhuoxie] for killing a Demon Manifestation, then revealed the demon had been slain in the Six Prefectures.

Sangjue warned Wisdom Nature against relying on the Great Bliss Pure Land and using a demon chief to secure reincarnation, but Wisdom Nature remained determined to pursue the plan. After Sangjue left, Blissful Thought and Pleasure and Desire appeared in the hall and revived Wisdom Nature’s fading Dharma Body.

• Sangjue brought several children with suitable root bones into Formless Temple and placed them in its pagodas to refine the Demon Chief's four manifestations.
• Sangjue told Wisdom Nature that the manifestations were ready, then questioned whether the Mind-Transforming Demon Chief could safely support his master's reincarnation.
• Wisdom Nature rebuked Sangjue and insisted that the Great Bliss Pure Land and the Blissful Way would help him, while Sangjue worried that they had returned to Bon Religion and risked demonic influence.
• After Sangjue left, Wisdom Nature's Wu Light dimmed and his Dharma Body withered to bones as Blissful Thought and Pleasure and Desire appeared in the hall.
• Pleasure and Desire restored Wisdom Nature's Dharma Body, and she dismissed the death of the Love-Tangle Demon Manifestation as unrelated to her.

Xu Xuan and Nangang traveled through Chonghua and Lintiao, discussing the factions and Purple Mansion cultivators gathering there. Nangang revealed that Pleasure and Desire had slain the Greater Yin maiden Miao'e, leaving Xu Xuan aware of the threat and the Moon Palace’s efforts to pursue her.

• Nangang told Xu Xuan that the Three Spirits had released ghosts from an ancient Heavenly Inquiry repository and explained why Lingming was unlikely to govern Chonghua.
• Xu Xuan and Nangang met Xu Gongxiang of Yin Thunder Mountain, who recognized them and invited them to visit Dao Spirit Mountain.
• At Lintiao, Nangang explained that Arhat Wisdom Nature had seized a commandery and drawn the hostility of many Great Li cultivators.
• Nangang revealed that Pleasure and Desire had appeared in Xining, drawing Purple Mansion cultivators including Guan Quan of Louguan Dao.
• Nangang told Xu Xuan that Pleasure and Desire had killed the twelfth Eternal Moon Maiden, Miao'e, and that the Greater Yin Lineage had sent Su'e to pursue her.

True Person Guan Quan sought Chan Master Hong Jing's help against Pleasure and Desire but learned that Hong Jing would not leave Great Sunlight Temple. Xu Xuan joined Guan Quan, Wei Shuang, and Nangang to plan the demon's defeat, with Guan Quan proposing to trap her in a painting.

• True Person Guan Quan visited Great Sunlight Temple and asked Chan Master Hong Jing to help slay Pleasure and Desire, but Hong Jing refused to leave Linyao.
• Hong Jing warned Guan Quan that Pleasure and Desire had taken the Greater Yin Immortal Maiden's seat and that a Diamond of the Blissful Way had arrived.
• Guan Quan met Wei Shuang, who criticized Hong Jing and discussed the weakened state of Louguan Dao and the Imperial House's response to the demon.
• Xu Xuan received a decree offering the Primordial Thunder Void Law in exchange for slaying Pleasure and Desire, and Nangang revealed that True Person Weihua had directed him to Xu Xuan.
• Xu Xuan and Nangang joined Guan Quan and Wei Shuang to discuss the demon's strength and her allies, including Wisdom Nature and the Diamond of the Blissful Way.
• Guan Quan presented a blank painting scroll and proposed drawing Pleasure and Desire into it so he could deal with her.